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<DATE>2013-11-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Anne Simpson</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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*Final validate Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ]. Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible". DONE</ITEM>
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<STC T="S">6163.5</STC>
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<BIBNO T="umi">99848788</BIBNO>
<VID>176707</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A MEMENTO for Chri&s;tians. <HI>IN</HI> Some &s;hort Meditations on the third ver&s;e of the thirteenth chap|ter of the Epi&s;tle vnto the Hebrewes.</P>
<P><HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds as bound with them; and them that are in af&s;tiction, as if ye were al&s;o af&s;ticted in the body.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Publi&s;hed by the Author,</HI> For the comfort of all tho&s;e that mourne in Sion, and very fit to be &s;eene in the hands of all men in the&s;e trouble&s;ome dayes of the Churches &s;orrow.</P>
<BIBL>PSAL. 137. 5, 6.</BIBL>
<Q>If I forget thee O Ieru&s;alem, let my right hand forget her cun|ning: if I doe not remember thee, let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth: yea, if I preferre not Ieru&s;alem to my chiefe ioy.</Q>
<BIBL>PSAL. 137. 1.</BIBL>
<Q>By the riuers of Babel wee &s;ate, and there wee wept, when wee remembred Sion.</Q>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>I. L.</HI> for <HI>Fulke Clifton.</HI></P>
<P>1623.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the holy Church of God; the Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t, and Matron of all the faithfull: plan|ted in the&s;e nearer parts of Chri|&s;tendome: all peace be with|in thy Walles, and pro&s;|peritie within thy Palaces.</HEAD>
<P>_HOly Mother, from whom I haue re|ceiued all that I haue, and more then I haue; to whom I owe both my &s;elfe &amp; &s;eruice: Look|ing about me, vnto whom I &s;hould De|dicate this little Treati&s;e, I could finde none more fit, in re&s;pect of dutie
<PB REF="3"> from me, nor none more fit in re&s;pect of parentage fro~ you, you being the high|e&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 5. 1. P&s;al. 45. 9.</NOTE> for birth; none more fit in re&s;pect of matter; it concernes thy &s;elf: none more fit to free me from cen&s;ure of any by-re&s;pects; nor none more right to claime it at me, nor none more worthy to de|&s;erue it of mee then thy &s;elfe. To thee therefore, holy Mother, doe I pre&s;ume to offer the&s;e fir&s;t ripe fruits complete of my meditations, as a handfull of man|drakes &s;uch as they bee: receiue them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 30. 14.</NOTE> Mother; what though they be crazed in the gathering, and &s;o made vn&s;ighta|ble, yet if they will procure thy Hu&s;|bands loue, whereby thou maye&s;t bee made more fruitfull, accept of them; of which good wil of thine, I haue no cau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4. 7. 1 Cor. 11. 23.</NOTE> to doubt, &s;eeing they are thine owne, re|ceiued from thee, for thee; &s;uch there|fore as I haue receiued, doe I offer vnto thee and no other: pa&s;&s;e by my vnskil|fulnes, accept of my willingnes; And &s;o doing, thou &s;halt increa&s;e my diligence to helpe thy furtherance. I rest a &s;onne of thine age,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>E. D.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="lamentation">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>The Churches Lamen|tation, by rea&s;on of her &s;orrow.</HEAD>
<Q>BEhold O Lord, for I am in di&s;tre&s;&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 1. 20</NOTE> my bowels are troubled, my heart is tur|ned within me: abroad the &s;word bereaueth, at home there is death.</Q>
<Q>They haue heard that I &s;igh; there is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 21.</NOTE> none to comfort me: All mine enemies haue heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it.</Q>
<Q>Heare I pray you all people, and behold <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 28.</NOTE> my &s;orrow: my louers and my young men, are gone into captiuitie.</Q>
<Q>I called for my louers, but they deceiued <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 19.</NOTE> me; my Prie&s;ts and mine Elders gaue vp the gho&s;t in the Citie, while they &s;ought their meate to relieue their &s;oules.</Q>
<Q><PB REF="4">For the&s;e things I weepe; mine eye, mine <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 16.</NOTE> eye runneth downe with water, becau&s;e the Comforter that &s;hould relieue my &s;oule is farre from me; my children are de&s;olate, be|cau&s;e the enemy preuailed.</Q>
<Q>Sion &s;preadeth forth her hands, and there <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 17.</NOTE> is none to comfort her; the Lord hath com|manded concerning <HI>Iacob,</HI> that his aduer&s;a|ries &s;hould be round about him; Ieru&s;alem is as a men&s;truous woman among them.</Q>
<Q>Is this nothing to you all yee that pa&s;&s;e by? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 12.</NOTE> Behold and &s;ee, if there be any &s;orrow like to my &s;orrow, which is done vnto mee, where|with the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.</Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian Rea|der greeting.</HEAD>
<P>_CVrteous Reader, vnto whom this litle Trea|ti&s;e in particular is de|dicated, if you bee in Chri&s;t, and &s;o a mem|ber of the Church; and therefore I doubt not, but that it &s;hall finde free acceptance with thee. I pre&s;uming to honour thee with that, which men ordinarily de&s;igne to their chiefe&s;t friends, euen the dedication of a booke, neither re&s;pecting ho|nour nor greatne&s;&s;e, nor pompe and dignity, which the world ordinari|ly lookes after; but finding in thee ioyntly all what&s;oeuer is worthie due re&s;pect: I haue fa&s;tened mine
<PB REF="5"> eyes (by rea&s;on of my affection) full vpon thee; as I pre&s;ume there|fore on thy louing acceptance, &s;o I de&s;ire thee to make claime vnto it, for it is thine by right; not onely in re&s;pect of the drift of the matter, but al&s;o in the intention of the Au|thor; it is dedicated vnto thee: there|fore, if thou wilt not &s;hew thy &s;elfe inhumane, receiue it louingly, reade it diligently, con&s;ider it weightily, and re&s;pect it worthily. The matter concernes as thy &s;elfe, &s;o the whole Church of God: it intreates of a dutie inioyned vs by God; which is, to remember tho&s;e that are in bonds as bound with them, and them that are in affliction, as if wee were af|flicted in the body; for con&s;idering with my &s;elfe, the troubles of the Church, not onely at home more couertly, but al&s;o abroade more o|penly: in&s;omuch that it may iu&s;tly take vp that co~plaint of the Church in the Lamentations of <HI>Ier.</HI> and be|ing no way able to releeue it, I could
<PB REF="5"> do no le&s;&s;e then &s;hew my affection towards it, by &s;tirring vp all Gods people to remember it: the which I could not more forcibly do then in the words of God him&s;elfe, wherein he calles vpon all men to remember tho&s;e that are in bonds. Wherein I ob&s;erue the Lord fir&s;t exhorting vs to a duty. 2. directing vs in the man|ner how to doe the &s;ame. In the ex|hortation I ob&s;erue the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of it in the word, Remember; in the direction I ob&s;erue the &s;trictnes of it in the&s;e words, As though you were bound with them. Next I ob|&s;erue the words in particular, where|in I note fir&s;t what wee are to doe, To remember. Secondly, who; tho&s;e in bonds, Thirdly, how, As though wee were bound with them. And la&s;tly from the words in generall, I ob&s;erue the great loue of God to|wards his afflicted &s;eruants, in calling vpon all his people as it were by open proclamation to remember them. In this Treati&s;e, wee haue
<PB REF="6"> &s;hewed al&s;o how we are to perform holy duties, that wee may doe the will of God on earth as it is done in heauen; For wee mu&s;t haue re&s;pect to the manner, as well as to the matter, in the performing of ho|ly duties: as the reuealed Will of God mu&s;t bee our ground for the matter, &s;o the holines of God mu&s;t be our rule for the manner, &s;eeing the Lord is as &s;trict in directing vs how, as earne&s;t in exhorting vs what to doe. Al&s;o I haue endeauoured to an&s;wer &s;ome que&s;tions: as fir&s;t, how wee are to <HI>remember tho&s;e in bonds.</HI> Secondly, why the Lord &s;uffers his to bee in &s;uch bonds and afflictions. And thirdly, how the godly may know that the Lord loues them; notwith&s;tanding they are in great affliction, which is, by entring into the Sanctuary of God; al&s;o I haue &s;hewed what the Sanctuary is, and how they may behold God walk|ing therein for their greater com|fort.</P>
<PB REF="6">
<P>Now con&s;idering al&s;o the weight of the word <HI>Remember,</HI> that it ex|empts none: for if the Lord &s;hould haue &s;aide, Releeue them, many haue it not: if hee &s;hould haue &s;aide, &s;peak for them, many are bard from it with <HI>Hester,</HI> vnle&s;&s;e they venture <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 4. 16.</NOTE> their liues or liberty: if hee &s;hould haue &s;aid, fight for them, many may not; if hee &s;hould haue &s;aid, deliuer them, many cannot; and therfore he &s;aith, Remember them, which euery one may; for this breakes through all lettes, neither farrene&s;&s;e of place, nor oppo&s;ition of power, nor difficulty of danger can let, but eue|ry one may remember them. None can complaine of the poorene&s;&s;e of their e&s;tate, the weakene&s;&s;e of their bodies, the di&s;ability of their nature, nor the tenderne&s;&s;e of their &s;exe: for euery one may remember them by praying for them, &s;ighing for them, groaning for them, and &s;o mourning and &s;uffering with them. This will &s;tretch euen from the city of <HI>Shu&s;ha~</HI>
<PB REF="7"> throughout al the 127. Prouinces of the King <HI>Aha&s;huero&s;e:</HI> the oppo&s;ition of great <HI>Haman</HI> cannot let, nor the pre&s;entne&s;&s;e of their danger preuent it, nor the tenderne&s;&s;e of <HI>Hesters</HI> &s;exe hinder it. We may many times want eyes to &s;ee them, or times to vi&s;ite them, or opportunity or meanes to mini&s;ter vnto them; but wee &s;hall neuer want occa&s;ion nor meanes to remember them, if we be not wanting in affection towards them. And therefore &s;eeing my abi|lity could not doe that I would, I thought it my duty to doe that I could, and therein haue endeauou|red to &s;tirre vp others that are bet|ter able, to doe what they &s;hould; whether in the Kings Court with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. 1. 4. He&s;t. 5. 2. 1 Sam. 20. 4. Ier. 38. 7, 8. Act. 5. 34. Ier. 9. 1. P&s;al. 74.</NOTE> <HI>Nehemiah;</HI> or in the Kings fauour with <HI>Hester;</HI> or of the Kings &s;eede with <HI>Ionathan;</HI> or one of the <HI>Eunuchs</HI> with <HI>Ebedmelech,</HI> or one of the cou~|cel with <HI>Gamaliel;</HI> whether they are Prophets of the Lord with <HI>Ieremiah,</HI>
<PB REF="7"> or Gouernours of Common-weales with <HI>Dauid:</HI> not doubting but this motiue &s;hall haue good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, &s;ee|ing they are not my words, but the words of the Lord of ho&s;ts, euen the God of heauen and earth that doth require it; and &s;eeing that the dutie is weightie, though the performance bee ea&s;ie, and yet euery one by na|ture backeward hereunto. Let this pre&s;ent Treati&s;e be a meanes to pro|uoke others who are far more able, to &s;et penne to paper, and to &s;hew thereby not onely their remem|brance of tho&s;e in bonds, but al&s;o to &s;tirre vp others according to their place to mind the &s;ame, &s;eeing the State of the Church calles for it like that in <HI>Ieremy, Lamen.</HI> 1. 12. And thus not longer hindering of thee from the worke it &s;elfe, (wherein if you finde any benefite, giue God the pray&s;e, and let me haue the benefite of thy prayers,) I leaue it to thy holy meditations, and thy &s;elfe
<PB REF="8" MS="y"> to Gods gracious vi&s;itations, wi&s;hing as much good to thy &s;oule as thou can&s;t de&s;ire pro&s;perity to thy body.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Farewell in the Lord, In whom I re&s;t euer thine, if thou be his.</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>E. D.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="doctrine">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>The &s;euerall points of do|ctrine, which in this in&s;uing Trea|ti&s;e are at large confirmed and applyed.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>From the exhortation.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. THat in effecting our &s;aluation, the Lord doth more manife&s;t his loue then &s;hew his power.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That the Lords words come not light|ly nor &s;lightly from him, but with abun|dance of affection and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That it is a speciall duty laid vpon vs by God him&s;elfe, to remember tho&s;e that are in bonds.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>From the direction.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. That the Lord in his word doth not barely exhort vs to doe his will, but is very
<PB REF="9"> diligent to direct vs in the manner how to doe it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That the Lord is very &s;trict in the o|bedience of his will.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That it is not enough to doe holy du|ties, but we mu&s;t be very &s;trict in the manner how we doe them:</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>From the words in particular.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. That the Lord would haue vs take great notice of the affliction of his people.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That naturally we are very &s;ubiect to forget the afflictions of Gods people.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That the people of God in al ages haue beene &s;ubiect to bonds and afflictions.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That we ought &s;o to minde the afflicti|ons of Gods people, euen as though wee our &s;elues were afflicted in the body.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>From the words in generall.</HEAD>
<ITEM>11. That the Lord is very pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="9">
<HEAD>A Memento for Chri|&s;tians.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>HEB. 13. 3.</BIBL>
<Q>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds as though you were bound with them, and them that are in affliction as if you were al&s;o afflicted in the body.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe &s;umme of which words is an exhorta|tion to a dutie, with a direction for the manner how to per|forme the &s;ame. In the exhortation wee may ob&s;erue the ear|ne&s;tne&s;&s;e of it; <HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds:</HI> In the direction the &s;trictne&s;&s;e of it;
<PB N="2" REF="10"> <HI>euen as though we our &s;elues were afflicted in the body.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e words as they are a perfect &s;en|tence of them&s;elues, &s;o they need not much to be &s;tood vpon for the explicati|on: the latter part expounding the for|mer. For by bonds is not meant onely chaines and impri&s;onment, but all kinde of reproches, aduer&s;ities, and per&s;ecutions that come vpon vs for the truthes &s;ake: as is plaine by the word <HI>affliction.</HI> There|fore let vs &s;ee what in&s;truction the Lord doth afford vs in the &s;ame; in the which for orders &s;ake we will fir&s;t ob&s;erue the exhortation; &s;econdly the manner of it, which con&s;i&s;ts in the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of the words: and thirdly the dutie we are ex|horted vnto. In the direction we will fir&s;t ob&s;erue the direction it &s;elfe; &s;econdly the manner of it, con&s;i&s;ting in the &s;trict|ne&s;&s;e of the words: and thirdly the thing we are directed in. And after wee haue thus con&s;idered of the words, as they are laid downe by the Lord, for exhortation and direction, we will con&s;ider of the words them&s;elues, as they lie in the text; wherein wee will ob&s;erue fir&s;t, what wee mu&s;t doe, <HI>Remember;</HI> &s;econdly who, <HI>tho&s;e in bonds;</HI> and thirdly how, <HI>euen as though</HI>
<PB N="3" REF="10"> <HI>we were bound with them;</HI> and la&s;tly wee will con&s;ider of the words in generall, taking them altogether, and ob&s;erue from them, what they then doe naturally af|ford in one point: for the accompli&s;hment of which worke &s;o that God may haue glory, and each of vs benefit, he that o|peneth and no man &s;hutteth, and &s;hutteth and no man openeth, vouch&s;a&s;e his &s;peci|all pre&s;ence, for direction and a&s;si&s;tance. Amen.</P>
<P>In that the Lord who hath made all things, and gouernes all things, and ther|fore hath power ouer all things, need but command, and might be obeyed: yet of his free grace doth &s;o &s;toupe vnto vs, as to exhort where hee might compell: Wee learne thus much:</P>
<P N="1"><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> 1. <HI>Doct.</HI> That in effecting our &s;aluati|on, the Lord doth more manife&s;t his loue then &s;hew his power; the truth of which point as it is cleere from the text, &s;o al&s;o it will euidently apeare, if wee doe duly con&s;ider of all the parts of our &s;aluation, the beginning, the degrees, the meanes, the manner, the cau&s;es, and the effects; they all preach vnto vs of nothing el&s;e but the loue of God. For the beginning of it as it is manife&s;ted vnto vs in <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.
<PB N="4" REF="11"> What &s;hould moue the Lord to make that gracious promi&s;e, that <HI>the &s;eed of the wo|man &s;hould breake the &s;erpents head,</HI> but his free loue, wherewith he loued vs from the foundation of the world? For the de|grees of it, <HI>what &s;hould moue the Lord to &s;end his Sonne into the world in the fulne&s;&s;e of time, to fulfill all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and by his death to purcha&s;e vs &s;aluation and life, but becau&s;e he loued the world?</HI> Iohn 3. For the meanes of it, <HI>what &s;hould moue the Lord to giue his iudgements vnto</HI> Iacob, <HI>his &s;tatutes, and his ordinances vnto I&s;rael, but becau&s;e he had a fauour vnto them? for he hath not dealt &s;o with euery nation,</HI> P&s;al. 147. For the manner of it; <HI>what &s;hould moue the Lord to v&s;e &s;o many exhortanions, per|&s;wa&s;ions, inuitations, and allurements, but on|ly his loue, becau&s;e hee would not that wee &s;hould die?</HI> Ezek. 18. For the cau&s;e of it, <HI>where is it to be found but in the loue of God? Deut. 7. And for the effects, which is grace here, and glory hereafter, what doth it &s;hew vnto vs but the loue of God, that where he is there we might bee al&s;o?</HI> Iohn 17. By all which it is euident that in effecting our &s;aluation, the Lord doth more manife&s;t his loue then &s;hew his power.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1." UNIT="Rea&s;."> The rea&s;on is, fir&s;t, becau&s;e his mercy is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5. 45.</NOTE> ouer all his workes.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="11">
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Secondly, becau&s;e mercy plea&s;eth him, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 7. 18.</NOTE> he delights him&s;elfe in &s;hewing mercy, and manife&s;ting his loue.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Thirdly, becau&s;e there is no other way would &s;erue turne to effect our &s;aluation; his power would de&s;troy vs; his iu&s;tice would condemn vs. It is his mercy &amp; loue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 8.</NOTE> that mu&s;t doe vs good. This point being thus proued both by Scripture and rea|&s;ons, the v&s;es follow.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> And fir&s;t, it &s;erues for in&s;truction to teach euery one of vs, to take notice of the loue of God towards vs in effecting our &s;alua|tion, and to cry out with the Apo&s;tle: <HI>O the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3. 18, 19.</NOTE> <HI>heigth and depth, the length and bredth of the loue of God towards vs,</HI> in the begin|ning, the degrees, the meanes, the manner, the cau&s;es and effects of our &s;aluation.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, it &s;erues for imitation to all tho&s;e that any way are in&s;truments in the &s;aluation of others; not &s;o much to &s;hew their power &amp; authority they haue recei|ued, asto manife&s;t their loue towards Gods people, &amp; to &s;ay with the Apo&s;tle, <HI>that the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 14.</NOTE> <HI>loue of Chri&s;t con&s;traines vs:</HI> for in this they follow the be&s;t ma&s;ter that euer taught.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, it &s;erues for exhortati|on vnto euery one to prai&s;e God, for his mercy: like as for our pre&s;er|uation <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 107. 12</NOTE>
<PB N="6" REF="12"> by his prouidence, &s;o e&s;pecially for our &s;aluation by his loue, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103.</P>
<P N="4">4. Fourthly, it &s;erues for reproofe of all tho&s;e whom God hath made in&s;truments in the &s;alutation of others, that &s;tand more to &s;hew their power and authoritie, then to manife&s;t their loue; in this they leaue the example of Chri&s;t, and follow Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P N="5">5. Fiftly, it &s;erues for con&s;olation vnto all tho&s;e that haue part in the &s;aluation brought vnto them by the Lord Ie&s;u; they haue &s;o many te&s;timonies of the loue of God, as they haue experiments of the worke of their &s;aluation.</P>
<P>So much for the fir&s;t point in the ex|hortation; the manner followes, which &s;hewes the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of it in the word <HI>remember,</HI> from whence we learne,</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> That the Lords words come not lightly from him: but with aboundance of af|fection and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, as is cleere not only in this place, <HI>remember tho&s;e that are in bonds,</HI> which &s;hewes the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of his affection; but el&s;e-where, <HI>Oh that my</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 29.</NOTE> <HI>people would haue heard, oh that they would vnder&s;tand, oh that they would remember their latter end:</HI> and &s;ometime <HI>why will yee</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18. 31.</NOTE> <HI>die O hou&s;e of I&s;rael?</HI> which plainely proues
<PB N="7" REF="12"> the truth of this point, that the Lords words come not lightly nor &s;lightly from him; but with aboundance of affection and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> The rea&s;on, it is in a matter of great weight, it concernes his owne glory, and the &s;aluation of all his people.</P>
<P>The point being thus proued both by Scripture and rea&s;on, the v&s;es follow.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> And fir&s;t it &s;erues for in&s;truction, to teach vs diligently to attend vnto the words of the Lord, becau&s;e they are &s;po|ken with &s;uch abundance of affection and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e: As al&s;o in that it treats of a matter of &s;uch great weight and mo|ment: and thirdly in that the &s;peaker is &s;o great a per&s;onage, euen the Lord him|&s;elfe; the lea&s;t of which motiues is &s;uffi|cient to draw attention in matters of le&s;&s;e moment.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Secondly, it &s;erues for imitation to all tho&s;e that handle the word of the Lord, to &s;peake it as the word of the Lord: that is, as in the plainene&s;&s;e and euidence, &s;o al&s;o in the power of the Spirit, with a|boundance of affection and earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, for it is a matter of great weight: they are arbitrators between God and his people, they are making a loue-day, and a recon|cilement
<PB N="8" REF="13"> betweene God and man; there|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 20.</NOTE> they &s;hould with the Apo&s;tle &s;ay, <HI>As though God did be&s;eech you by vs, we pray you in Chri&s;ts &s;teed, be you reconciled to God.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 1.</NOTE> And in another place; <HI>I be&s;eech you by the mercies of God, that you giue vp your &s;elues a liuing &s;acrifice; holy and acceptable vnto God.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> Thirdly, it &s;erues for reproofe of all tho&s;e whom God hath called to the hand|ling of his word, and yet doe it &s;o la&s;ily, and carele&s;ly, as though they cared not whether they &s;peake or no: which &s;hew|eth euidently, that &s;eeing they come not in the power, neither haue they the &s;pirit of <HI>Elias;</HI> for it is &s;aid of Chri&s;t that he &s;pake with authority, and not as the Scribes: in which words there is a plaine difference betweene the mini&s;tery of Chri&s;t, and tho&s;e of antichri&s;t: tho&s;e of Chri&s;t as they come in the name, &s;o in the power al&s;o: tho&s;e of antichri&s;t come in the name one|ly, which how&s;oeuer they may be great &s;choliers, and bee of great note in the Church, euen as the Scribes and Phari&s;es <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 20.</NOTE> were, yet our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e mu&s;t exceede theirs, els &s;hall wee neuer enter into the kingdome of heauen. For the&s;e men han|dle not the word as the word of God, nay
<PB N="9" REF="13"> not as the cau&s;e of men; for if they were made arbitrators betweene men, oh how earne&s;t they would be, oh how full of af|fection, how full of power in per&s;wading and intreating? But now in the cau&s;e of God, they are frozen vp as it were, vnle&s;&s;e it bee in re&s;pect of titles or per&s;onall wrongs, then they will be&s;tirre them, euen to &s;pend whole &s;ermons on it: which &s;hew|eth that they preferre them&s;elues, and the cau&s;e of men before the cau&s;e of the Lord, who is Almighty: Therefore be|cau&s;e they re&s;pect the Lord no more now, he will re&s;pect them no whit hereafter; for how&s;oeuer they may come with their fellowes, and pleade, Lord haue wee not preached in thy name? yet becau&s;e it hath beene but in the name onely, hee will &s;ay vnto them, <HI>Depart from me ye cur&s;ed into euerla&s;ting fire, I know you not.</HI></P>
<P>4. Fourthly, it &s;erues for con&s;olation to all tho&s;e that in handling the word of God take this cour&s;e, to imitate the Lord herein: for how&s;oeuer it may not bee li|ked of the mo&s;t: yet we know that it is approoued of the be&s;t. And how&s;oeuer they may be called hot&s;purres, &amp; thought to be too much of the Spirit: yet it is bet|ter to bee blamed of the world, to bee
<PB N="10" REF="14"> too much of the &s;pirit, and liue: then to be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 13.</NOTE> blamed of God, to bee too much of the fle&s;h and dye. And &s;o much for this point concerning the manner of the exhortati|on: the duty that wee are exhorted vnto, followes: that is, that we <HI>remember tho&s;e that are in bonds,</HI> from whence wee learne this le&s;&s;on:</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doct."> That it is a &s;peciall duty laid vpon vs by the Lord him&s;elfe, <HI>To remember tho&s;e that are in bonds, to remember tho&s;e that are in affliction.</HI></P>
<P>The truth of which as it is cleere from the text, in that the Lord is &s;o earne&s;t and diligent in the pre&s;sing of it; &s;o al&s;o, in that he hath taken &s;uch vengeance, not onely on tho&s;e which haue beene in&s;truments of their &s;orrow, as on <HI>Pharao, Amelecke,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 14. 24 I&s;a. 37. 36, 37. Iudg. 5.</NOTE> <HI>Rab&s;heca</HI> and the re&s;t, but euen of tho&s;e who haue not helped them in their &s;or|rowes, as Cur&s;e ye <HI>Mero&s;he,</HI> becau&s;e they came not to helpe the Lords people, and <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Amo.</HI> 6.</NOTE> <HI>Woe to tho&s;e that are at ea&s;e in Sion, and are not &s;orry for the affliction of Io&s;eph: therefore &s;hall they goe captiue with the fir&s;t, their &s;or|row is at hand.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Now there can no other rea&s;on bee gi|uen of this but the will of God, of which to aske a rea&s;on as an ancient Father &s;aith,
<PB N="11" REF="14"> is to &s;eeke that which is not to bee found, or to pa&s;&s;e by an vnpa&s;&s;able way. <MILESTONE UNIT="Argu."> For his will being our rule of life, tho&s;e that &s;eeke to pa&s;&s;e tho&s;e bounds may expect nothing but death: for he willes it onely, becau&s;e it is his good plea&s;ure &s;o to do: which rea|&s;on &s;hould &s;erue in &s;tead of a thou&s;and; for if the will of a king will &s;o preuaile with vs, e&s;pecially if we know that it is his good plea&s;ure &s;o to haue it; Oh how then &s;hould the will of God who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, that great <HI>Iehouah,</HI> who&s;e name is, <HI>Iam,</HI> per&s;wade vs to obedience?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> The v&s;e of this point is fir&s;t for in&s;tru|ction to euery one high and low, rich and poore, to &s;et to the practi&s;e of this duty: for it is required of vs by God him|&s;elfe as well as any other part of his wor|&s;hip, as hearing the word, receiuing the &s;a|craments, or calling vpon the holy name of God it &s;elfe. The motiues hereunto are the&s;e following, and they are drawne partly from God, partly from men; tho&s;e from God are drawne partly from the will of God, and partly from the &s;ake of God; tho&s;e from men are drawne partly from others, partly from our &s;elues. Tho&s;e from others are drawne partly as they
<PB N="12" REF="15"> &s;tand in relation to vs. Tho&s;e from our &s;elues are drawne partly from the benefite we &s;hall reape if we do it, and partly from the euill that will in&s;ue if wee doe it not.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t motiue then to &s;tirre vp euery one to the diligent practi&s;e of this du|ty is, becau&s;e it is the will of God, God doth earne&s;tly require it: the which if we would but duly con&s;ider, when wee looke vpon the <HI>affliction</HI> of Gods children, or doe but heare of it in any kinde that they are afflicted in their e&s;tates, in their names, in their per&s;ons, or in their liberty: if, I &s;ay, that wee doe but duely con&s;ider of this pre&s;ent text, that it is the Lords will that we &s;hould remember them, it would be motiue &s;ufficient to &s;tirre vs vp to the practi&s;e and performance of this duty.</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;econd motiue is drawne from the &s;ake of God, becau&s;e they are his. <HI>Saul, Saul, why per&s;ecute&s;t thou me?</HI> Act. 9. And in <HI>Hebrewes 11. Mo&s;es in &s;aide to e|&s;teeme the rebuke of Chri&s;t greater riches, then the trea&s;ure of Egypt.</HI> Marke, hee &s;aith, <HI>The rebukes of Chri&s;t, &s;hewing that the afflictions of his people in all times haue beene his affliction:</HI> therefore if we would
<PB N="13" REF="15"> take to heart to &s;ee the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t in his owne per&s;on to bee afflicted, im|pri&s;oned, reuiled and per&s;ecuted; oh then let vs remember the <HI>bonds,</HI> and the <HI>afflictions</HI> of the people of God; for they are his, they are his <HI>bonds,</HI> they are his <HI>afflictions,</HI> they are his rebukes, they are his per&s;ecutions: therefore if any thing will mooue vs, the due con&s;ideration of this will.</P>
<P N="3">3. The third motiue is drawne from men, and fir&s;t from others, as they &s;tand in relation vnto God being his children; for <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 3. 1. 1. Ioh. 5. 1.</NOTE> all true beleeuers are the &s;ons of God, they are borne of God: now the con&s;ideration of this, that all the people of God are Gods owne children, will be a great mo|tiue to cau&s;e vs to take to heart their <HI>bonds</HI> and their afflictions: for if the children of a King being in a &s;trange land where they were not knowne, &s;hould be in great cala|mity and di&s;tre&s;&s;e, &amp; it &s;hould be manife&s;t to &s;ome other by their princely carriage, or by their honorable &s;peech, that they were the children of &s;uch a King that were a great Monarch on earth: O how would the&s;e men labour to deliuer them and free them, partly by their &s;uits, telling their aduer&s;aries that they mu&s;t take heed what
<PB N="14" REF="16"> they doe. They are honourably de&s;cen|ded, that they are children to &s;uch a King, and heires apparant to &s;uch a kingdome, well knowne in their owne cou~trey, And thus hauing deliuered them, o how would they &s;traine them&s;elues to doe them good, by letting them dwell in their owne hou&s;es, feede at their owne ta|bles, and lodge in their owne beds; per|&s;wading them&s;elues that when the King their father &s;hould heare of it, they &s;hould be richly rewarded for the &s;ame, although happily they know not their fathers minde how hee &s;tands affected towards them, nor the power of the king how hee is able to &s;teed them, or at lea&s;t it may be a long time ere the king might heare of it.</P>
<P>Now beloued all the people of God, are Gods owne children, who is the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, the great Monarch of heauen and earth: and they are in this world as in a &s;trange coun|trey where they are not knowne, for the world knowes them not: by rea&s;on wher|of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 19</NOTE> they are many times in great calamity and di&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;ometime in <HI>bonds,</HI> &s;ometime in great <HI>afflictions</HI> O then how &s;hould this mooue vs to take pitty vpon them, know|ing
<PB N="15" REF="16"> that their Father, euen the Lord Al|mighty is not onely able and iu&s;t to re|compence tribulation to tho&s;e that trou|ble them, but al&s;o is ready and willing <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 1. 6</NOTE> richly to reward all tho&s;e that vnfeinedly indeauour to doe them good, yea and takes notice of the lea&s;t good that is done vnto them, and that at the very fir&s;t mo|ment of time, if we doe but vnfeinedly in|quite of their e&s;tate, or offer vp a prayer vnto God for them; yea if wee can but &s;igh vnto God fot them in their di&s;tre&s;&s;e, the Lord who &s;earcheth the hearts takes notice of it: but <HI>if wee giue but a cuppe of cold water in his name, we &s;hall not lo&s;e our</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10, 41</NOTE> <HI>reward.</HI></P>
<P>But le&s;t any &s;hould thinke that this might be &s;oon rewarded, the Lord &s;eco~ds it &s;aying, <HI>That who&s;oeuer &s;hall giue hou&s;e or goods, or lands, leaue father or mother, or wife or children for his &s;ake and the Gospells, they &s;hall receiue a hundred fold now at this pre|&s;ent, and in the world to come eternall life.</HI> O rich reward! &s;hall not the lea&s;t kindene&s;&s;e be forgot euen to a cuppe of cold water? and &s;hall the greate&s;t fauour we can doe, euen to the leauing of all, bee &s;o aboun|dantly rewarded! O how &s;hould this moue vs to take to heart the affliction of
<PB N="16" REF="17"> Gods people, and to &s;triue to the vtter|mo&s;t of our power to doe them good, and to remember them, euen becau&s;e they are the children of the Almighty.</P>
<P N="4">4. The fourth motiue to &s;tirre vs vp to the practi&s;e of this duty, is drawn from the people of God as they &s;tand in relati|on vnto vs: that is, <HI>They are members with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 12. 26.</NOTE> <HI>vs, of one and the &s;ame body.</HI> Now &s;hall one member &s;uffer, and &s;hall not the whole bo|dy &s;uffer with it? this were again&s;t nature: Therefore let the con&s;ideration of this mooue vs to the diligent practi&s;e of this duty.</P>
<P N="5">5. The fift motiue is drawne from our &s;elues, and fir&s;t from the benefite we &s;hall reape if we doe it; as, wee &s;hall te&s;tifie our obedience to the holy will of God. Se|condly, that wee doe it for the &s;ake of God. Thirdly, that we loue God: for tho&s;e that loue him which begat, loue tho&s;e al|&s;o which are begotten of him. Fourthly, that we are liuing members of the Lord Ie&s;us. Fiftly, it will be the be&s;t meanes to prouide comfort for vs in our affliction, according to that law of equity, our abun|dance now &s;upplying their want, another time their aboundance may &s;upply ours: and according to that generall law, <HI>What</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="17"> <HI>mea&s;ure yee meate, it &s;hall bee mea&s;ured to you againe.</HI> Sixtly, it will cau&s;e the Lord to giue vs aboundance of good things here. And &s;euenthly, and la&s;tly, glory and life hereafter.</P>
<P N="6">6. The &s;ixth motiue is drawne from the euill that will in&s;ue, if wee doe it not: that is, not onely to bee depriued of all the former ble&s;sings, but al&s;o it will te&s;ti|fie again&s;t vs; 1. that we are di&s;obedient to the holy will of God. 2. that we will doe nothing for the &s;ake of God. 3. that wee loue not God. 4. that wee are not liuing members of the body of the Lord Ie&s;us. 5. that wee &s;hall want comfort in our af|fliction, according to that &s;peech of the Holy Gho&s;t, There &s;hall be iudgement <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2. 13.</NOTE> mercile&s;&s;e to tho&s;e that &s;hew not mercy. 6. They &s;hall haue no reward here; and 7. they &s;hall bee &s;hutte out of heauen here|after. Yea, not onely thus, but by the omitting of this duty, they pull vpon <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 25.</NOTE> them&s;elues horrible iudgementes, as <HI>Cur&s;e yee Mero&s;he,</HI> becau&s;e they came <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 5.</NOTE> not vp to helpe the Lord. And <HI>woe to tho&s;e that are at ea&s;e in Sion, that put</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 6.</NOTE> <HI>farre away the euill day, that lye vpon beddes of Iuory, and eate the lambes of the flockes, and &s;ing to the &s;ound of the</HI>
<PB N="18" REF="18"> <HI>violl, and drinke wine in bowles:</HI> that is, doe abound with the&s;e outward things, and are not &s;orry for the affliction of <HI>Jo|&s;eph:</HI> that is, of the people of God; <HI>There|fore &s;hall they goe captiue with the fir&s;t that goe captiue, and their &s;orrow is at hand;</HI> and in <HI>Obediah, The vi&s;ion of the Lord again&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Obed. 12.</NOTE> <HI>Edom, becau&s;e of thy cruelty again&s;t thy bro|ther Jacob in the day of his calamity: &s;hame &s;hall couer thee, and thou &s;halt be cut off for euer.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. The &s;eauenth and la&s;t motiue is drawne from the example of God, and the Saints of God in the Scripture; in <HI>Exo|dus</HI> 3. 6. 8, 9. the Lord is &s;aid to &s;ee the af|fliction of his, and to come to deliuer them, and to bring them into a good land: and in the booke of <HI>Judg.</HI> how oft is the Lord &s;aid to &s;ee the affliction of his peo|ple, to heare their prayers, and to deliuer them out of their di&s;tre&s;&s;e? And for the Saints we haue <HI>Nehemiah, Mordecay, He|&s;ter, Daniell,</HI> and whole Churches in the new Te&s;tament: &s;ome that haue mini&s;tred <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 8. 3.</NOTE> vnto them beyond their ability; &s;ome that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor: 16. 2</NOTE> haue &s;et apart for them euery fir&s;t day of the weeke: the due con&s;ideration of which will &s;erue to quicken vp euery one whom the Lord hath made willing, continually to
<PB N="19" REF="18"> put in practi&s;e this duty. But if neither tho&s;e motiues which concerne God as the fir&s;t three, nor tho&s;e that concerne men as the la&s;t three, nor tho&s;e which concerne God and man together in the la&s;t place; if none of the&s;e, nor all the&s;e together will mooue vs to the &s;incere practi&s;e of this duty, it &s;hewes plainely that as yet our hearts are exceeding obdurate and hard.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="The means"> Now the meanes, by which wee mu&s;t doe it, is partly by our prayers, partly by our pur&s;e, partly by our pre&s;ence, and partly by our paines; our prayers mu&s;t be fir&s;t and la&s;t. Yea in this doth our remem|bring of them chiefly con&s;i&s;t, for we may remember tho&s;e by our prayers that wee cannot by any of the other meanes: for by it we may remember tho&s;e that are a thou|&s;and miles off vs, yea that are as farre as there is any di&s;tance on earth: therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds,</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay, If thou can&s;t not helpe them any other way, yet doe not forget them in thy prayers. Now thy pur&s;e will extend to all their nece&s;sities, as to cloth them and feede them; thy pre&s;ence to vi&s;ite them, thy paines to goe for them, like <HI>He&s;ter</HI> to the King. But the two
<PB N="20" REF="19"> fir&s;t will extend furthe&s;t: therfore how&s;o|euer they are mo&s;t har&s;he&s;t: yet they &s;hould be mo&s;t practi&s;ed.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="The man|ner."> For the manner how we mu&s;t doe it, is fir&s;t, willingly, and chearefully, for <HI>God lo|ueth a chearefull giuer, 2. Cor.</HI> 9.</P>
<P>Secondly, it mu&s;t &s;upply their wants, in the thing whereof they &s;tand in neede, <HI>Iames</HI> 2. 16. But if any thinke this an hard &s;aying, and to go too neare the quicke, let them con&s;ider be&s;ides the motiues that haue beene alleadged, the benefites that it will affoorde, laide downe by the Apo|&s;tle him&s;elfe in the 2. <HI>Cor</HI> 9. and that is, it wil cau&s;e God to be pray&s;ed, the nece&s;sity of the Saints to be &s;upplied, and our &s;elues to be inriched, and that in 3. things, in out &s;oules, in our e&s;tate, and in our names.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> But here a que&s;tion may be asked, what is meant by remembring of tho&s;e that are in bonds, and tho&s;e that are in afflictions; <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> vnto which I an&s;wer, that how&s;oeuer it is expre&s;t in the 2. part of the text, and &s;hall more fully bee handled there, yet &s;eeing that it is nece&s;&s;arily rai&s;ed in this place, I an&s;wer, that to remember the afflictions of Gods people &s;o as the Lord doth require in this place, is to take their afflictions as our owne. Now if wee were afflicted
<PB N="21" REF="19"> in our owne bodies, euery one knowes what we would doe, there need not much inquiry what we &s;hould doe; euen pre&s;ent|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">y &s;eeke all lawful means of ea&s;e and help, all lawfull means (I &s;ay) not in &s;ciknes or <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;&s;e to &s;eeke to witches or wizzards; nor to ea&s;e the body to afflict the &s;oule, by do|ing any vnholy, vniu&s;t, or vnwarrantable thing: for this were to bee ea&s;ed of a &s;mall and little affliction, &amp; to bring vpon our &s;elues an intolerable burden; for a woun|ded con&s;cience who can beare? yea this were in &s;tead of a ble&s;&s;ing to bring a cur&s;e&punc; But they will v&s;e all lawfull meanes for ea&s;e and helpe, euen &s;o &s;hould wee for the people of God: that is, if they bee affli|cted in their names, &s;eeke to cleere them; if in their e&s;tates, &s;eeke to releeue them; if in trouble, &s;eeke to deliuer them. But if it &s;o fall out that when wee haue done all that wee can, and yet cannot bring to pa&s;&s;e the thing wee de&s;ire, as &s;ometimes it may &s;o fall out in ca&s;e of the body, as the woman that <HI>spent all that euer &s;hee had on Phy&s;itians,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 5. 26.</NOTE> and yet could not bee healed nor cured: Then wee mu&s;t euen &s;it downe vnder the burden, mourning with the people of God, not only for them, but with them,
<PB N="22" REF="20"> and &s;o helpe to beare the burden with them, waiting euery fit occa&s;ion for help like the poore man that &s;ate by the poole waiting the moouing of the waters. I doe <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh: 5. 5.</NOTE> not &s;ay we mu&s;t lye downe vnder the bur|den as weary of it, but to &s;it downe vnder it the better to ne&s;tle our &s;houlders vnder it, re&s;oluing to beare it, vntill the Lord &s;hal take it off. And thus much for the v&s;e of in&s;truction.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> The &s;econd v&s;e is for examination, to try whether we haue thus remembred the affliction of the people of God yea or no, and vpon due tryall made, if that we finde that we haue come &s;hort of this, and in &s;tead thereof haue made our remembring of them to re&s;t onely in words, &s;aying, God helpe them, I am &s;orry for them and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 3: 18.</NOTE> the like, an ayrie kinde of remembrance; and ha&s;t not &s;pent all that thou ha&s;t on Phy&s;itians, nor &s;olde all thou ha&s;t, and laid it downe at the Apo&s;tles feete, al|though happely thou mai&s;t &s;ome part with <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira;</HI> nor ha&s;t wi&s;hed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 5. 1.</NOTE> thy &s;elfe to bee raced out of the booke of life <HI>for thy brethrens</HI> &s;ake: how&s;oeuer the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9. 3.</NOTE> are rare examples, and that &s;ome thinke they belong not to vs now, and that <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> erred in their pa&s;sions, they
<PB N="23" REF="20"> are much deceiued: for God requires them as &s;trict at vs now as then hee did, and Gods glory in the &s;aluation of all his people, ought to bee preferred before our owne &s;aluation. Therefore how&s;oeuer thou haue gone farre, yet if thou ha&s;t not gone thus farre, know that thou ha&s;t not done yet that thou &s;houlde&s;t haue done: therefore let it humble thee, yea let it &s;erue to further thy humiliation at this pre&s;ent time, that thou ha&s;t not only failed in a duty, but in a &s;peciall duty required of thee, not onely by precept, but al&s;o by example; yea prouoked thereunto by &s;o many &s;trong motiues. And let it quicken thee vp for time to come, to &s;ettle throughly vpon the performing of this duty: yea to make con&s;cience of it, as of hearing the word, receiuing the Sacra|ments, or prayer it &s;elfe.</P>
<P>If any yet &s;hal through too much world|lines, obiect again&s;t this, and thinke that it is a little too &s;trict, and thinke that hereby they &s;hould bee depriued of being ma&s;ters of their owne goods:</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, That wee haue nothing but what we haue receiued: and haue wee re|ceiued it for our &s;elues? No, for the hea|then can an&s;wer, that man is not borne
<PB N="24" REF="21"> wholly for him&s;elfe, but partly for his countrey; but diuinity teacheth vs that man is not borne in part, but wholly for the Church of God, euen to the laying downe of our liues if need be for the te&s;ti|mony of the truth, <HI>for the brethrens &s;ake,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9. 3.</NOTE> as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Phil. 2. 17. Yea though I bee offered vp vpon the &s;acrifice and &s;eruice of your faith, I am glad and reioyce with you all.</HI> And &s;o much is implyed in the &s;tory of the talents, that what gifts wee haue receiued from the Lord, whether concer|ning the inward or outward man, they &s;hould bee wholly imployed to his v&s;e; and this euery one will grant in re&s;pect of the inward gifts, as wi&s;edome, know|ledge, vtterance, boldne&s;&s;e, memory, or the like, that wee haue not receiued them for our &s;elues alone, but for others. And &s;hall wee bee &s;o laui&s;h in the more excellent, and &s;o &s;pare in tho&s;e that are more meane? Fye, fye: therefore <HI>of our owne mouths &s;hall we be condemned.</HI> Indeed wee mu&s;t not loue others better then our &s;elues, nor giue &s;o much to one as vtterly to di&s;able vs from giuing to a|nother: yet thou mu&s;t mea&s;ure it at lea&s;t by this rule, To doe to others, as thou woulde&s;t that others (in thy
<PB N="25" REF="21"> e&s;tate) &s;hould doe by thee, if thou were in their ca&s;e. Ha&s;t done what thou can&s;t for them, it is well. Ha&s;t thou ventured thy office with <HI>Nehemia:</HI> or thy plea&s;ure with <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI> or thy life with <HI>He&s;ter?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nehe. 2. 5. Heb. 11. 25 He&s;t. 4. 16.</NOTE> Nay, ha&s;t thou prayed for them; &s;ighed for them, groned for them? Yea, ha&s;t thou beene <HI>heauy</HI> for them? Yea, hath thine <HI>eye broken thy heart</HI> with &s;ight of their &s;orrow? Ha&s;t thou <HI>neither eate nor</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3. 51.</NOTE> <HI>drunke for three whole dayes</HI> for them? <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 4. 16.</NOTE> Nay, ha&s;t thou ab&s;tained from <HI>plea&s;ant fare for three whole weekes of dayes</HI> for them? Nay, ha&s;t thou giuen <HI>no quiet re&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dani. 10 2. I&s;ay 66.</NOTE> <HI>to thine eyes, nor to thine eye-lids,</HI> till thou ha&s;t &s;eene &s;ome re&s;t for the people of God? Yea ha&s;t thou called thy childes name <HI>Ichabod,</HI> when thou ha&s;t heard that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 4. 21.</NOTE> the enemies haue preuailed ouer Gods people, and &s;o to take the <HI>glory from I&s;|rael?</HI></P>
<P>Haply (to &s;ell &s;ome part of thy po&s;|&s;e&s;sion) thou thinke&s;t it much; yet &s;ome haue done it, (which yet were as farre <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 45.</NOTE> from community of goods, &s;ome igno|rantly dreame of, as they were from o|ther of their idle fanta&s;ies: they had community in v&s;e indeed, but not in pro|priety:) but to venture life is more; yet
<PB N="26" REF="22"> &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>He&s;ter; If I die, I die.</HI></P>
<P>To venture thy office thou thinke&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Nehemia.</HI> To venture the di&s;plea&s;ure of a King, thou thinke&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Jonathan.</HI> To build an hou&s;e for them, thou thinke&s;t it much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as the <HI>Sunamite.</HI> To entertaine them in hou&s;e thou thinke&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Abraham and Lot.</HI> But for a night or two it may bee thou coulde&s;t be content, but for a longer time thou thinke&s;t it much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Simon the Tanner.</HI> To become poore to make others rich thou thinke&s;t it much; yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Christ:</HI> to giue beyond ones ability thou thinke&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as the <HI>Ma|cedonians:</HI> to ioyne in prayer for them with the bretheren thou think&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>in the hou&s;e of Mary:</HI> to &s;peake to the King for them, thou think&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Ebedmelech the blacke more:</HI> to for|&s;ake the trea&s;ure of a kingdome, and the plea&s;ures of a Court for them, thou think&s;t is much, yet &s;ome haue done it, as <HI>Mo&s;es.</HI></P>
<PB N="27" REF="22">
<P>Well, if none of the&s;e precepts nor motiues, nor examples will preuaile with thee, to cau&s;e thee to <HI>Remember them that are in bonds,</HI> (to helpe them) the Lord &s;hall &s;end them helpe and deliuerance from &s;ome other place: <HI>But thou and thy fathers hou&s;e &s;hall be de&s;troyed;</HI> yea thou <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 4. 14.</NOTE> &s;halt be the <HI>fir&s;t that &s;hall goe captiue, A|mos</HI> 6. Yea if thou wilt not yet remem|ber them, the Lord will &s;end them helpe &s;ome other way, but it &s;hall not be <HI>to thine honour, Iudges</HI> 4. 9. The Lord &s;hall &s;ell them into the hands of a <HI>woman:</HI> that is, will rai&s;e vp &s;ome weeke meanes to re|lieue them; for hee will &s;end &s;ome <HI>Rauen</HI> to feed them, or cau&s;e &s;ome <HI>Gamaliel</HI> to &s;peake for them: or &s;ome <HI>Iayler</HI> to fa|uour them; or he will feed them with <HI>An|gels food:</HI> or el&s;e cau&s;e that their feet &s;hall not <HI>&s;well,</HI> nor their garments to <HI>waxe old</HI> for 40. <HI>yeeres:</HI> or to cau&s;e their <HI>meale</HI> and their <HI>oyle</HI> miraculou&s;ly to increa&s;e; or at lea&s;t cau&s;e them to like better <HI>with wa|ter and pul&s;e,</HI> then thou &s;halt with the kings fare, when as thou &s;halt haue that blacke brand &s;et vpon thee by the holy Gho&s;t him&s;elfe, 1 <HI>Ioh. 3. 17. how dwels the loue of God in him?</HI> But if any &s;hal yet obiect, that they would bee more forward, but that
<PB N="28" REF="23"> there are &s;o many hypocrites, that in re|leeuing of the Saints many times they &s;hould feed the vnworthy. <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;wer, that if thou giue&s;t to any one in the <HI>name of a di&s;ciple:</HI> that is, whom thou &s;ee&s;t by profe&s;sion to be a di&s;ciple, <HI>thou &s;halt not lo&s;e thy reward:</HI> and it is farre better for thee to &s;et before thee the example of <HI>Abra|ham</HI> and <HI>Lot,</HI> who in entertaining &s;tran|gers, receiued <HI>Angels</HI> into their <HI>hou&s;es.</HI> So thou knowe&s;t not whether in relieuing of the &s;aints, thou &s;halt relieue Chri&s;t him|him&s;elfe: not, as &s;ome fooli&s;hly think, that he comes in the &s;hape of an old man, but we are &s;ure that he euer comes vnto vs in his <HI>members:</HI> and better it were that our goodne&s;&s;e &s;hould extend to all, then that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 25. 40. Gal. 6. Math. 5.</NOTE> any of the <HI>hou&s;hold of faith</HI> &s;hould want; as the Lord who lets his Sunne to &s;hine vpon the <HI>good</HI> and <HI>bad;</HI> vpon the iu&s;t and vniu&s;t. Now if any &s;hall &s;ay that they would doe more good: but they want oportuni|ty. I an&s;wer, if that they doe what good they can, and de&s;ire to doe more good if they could, the Lord will accept the will for the deed: and let this text as a &s;hrill trumpet euer &s;ound an alarme in thy ears, that thou mai&s;t <HI>remember tho&s;e that are in bonds;</HI> and then thou &s;halt neuer want o|portunity
<PB N="29" REF="23"> to remember them at lea&s;t in thy prayers.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> The third v&s;e is for terror to all tho&s;e that are negligent in this dutie, they doe not only depriue them&s;elues of many ble&s;|&s;ings, but al&s;o pull vpon them&s;elues hor|rible iudgements, as before hath beene &s;hewed; that how&s;oeuer they may abound with the&s;e outward things, yet it will &s;tand them in no &s;ted at the <HI>day of account,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 25.</NOTE> but to further their condemnation.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> The fourth v&s;e is, for comfort and con|&s;olation to all tho&s;e that haue bin, and are forward in this duty; they take the be&s;t cour&s;e to inrich them&s;elues here, and to a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues of heauen hereafter: for they make God their debter; for hee that <HI>giues vnto the poore, lends vnto the Lord.</HI> Now, what though money be &s;hort in thy owne pur&s;e, yet if it bee in a &s;ure hand, thou wilt not care; but what&s;o|euer thou giue&s;t or be&s;towe&s;t on the af|flicted Saints of God, thou lende&s;t vnto the Lord, who is a &s;ure payma&s;ter, that will not <HI>faile thee</HI> at thy need. And thus much for the point concerning the duty contained in the exhortation; the directi|on followes, from whence we learne this doctrine:</P>
<PB N="30" REF="24">
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Doct."> That the Lord in his word doth not barely exhort vs to doe his will, but is ve|ry diligent to direct vs in the manner how to doe it.</P>
<P>This is cleere from the text, and mo&s;t plentifully &s;hewed in the Scripture: I will <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 74.</NOTE> but in&s;tance one place in the fir&s;t chapter of <HI>Luke,</HI> there is a duty required of vs to <HI>&s;erue God.</HI> But is that all? No, hee addes the manner al&s;o how we mu&s;t doe it: that it mu&s;t bee <HI>in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: and that without feare, before him, all the daies of our liues:</HI> and this is typed out vnto vs, in the old Te&s;tament, in the building of the Tabernacle; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> mu&s;t doe <HI>all things according to the patterne &s;hewed to him in the mount, Exod.</HI> 25. 40. And of the hou&s;e of the Lord, which were repre&s;en|tations of Gods outward wor&s;hip, both the <HI>goings out,</HI> and the <HI>commings in,</HI> with the <HI>whole forme</HI> thereof mu&s;t bee kept, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 43. 11. and 46. 9. And as this &s;er|ued for the old Te&s;tament, &s;o it is in the new; for Chri&s;t is faithfull <HI>in all his hou&s;e,</HI> as <HI>Mo&s;es. Mo&s;es</HI> as the &s;eruant, Chri&s;t is as the Sonne ouer his owne hou&s;e, <HI>who&s;e hou&s;e we are, Heb. 3. 2. 1 Tim.</HI> 3. 15.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> And this the Lord doth, becau&s;e hee would haue vs bring nothing of our owne
<PB N="31" REF="24"> into his &s;acred wor&s;hip; but as <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> mu&s;t make all things in the Tabernacle ac|cording to the patterne &s;hewed him in the mount, and the whole forme of the hou&s;e mu&s;t be kept, both the <HI>length</HI> and <HI>breadth,</HI> and <HI>height</HI> and <HI>limits</HI> of it <HI>round about;</HI> &s;o wee mu&s;t doe nothing in the wor&s;hip of God, neither for forme nor fa&s;hion of it, but according to the patterne &s;hewed vn|to vs in the reuealed will of God.</P>
<P>2. Secondly, hee doth it becau&s;e hee would leaue no &s;cruple nor doubt in the minde of his people.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;es."> The v&s;e of this &s;erues fir&s;t for informa|tion, to &s;hew vs the perfection of the Scriptures, as it is &s;aid in <HI>Timothy,</HI> that <HI>it is able to make the man;</HI> yea the <HI>man of God</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3. 17.</NOTE> <HI>perfect,</HI> yea <HI>ab&s;olutely perfect</HI> vnto all <HI>good workes.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Secondly, it &s;erues for in&s;truction to e|uery one, to re&s;t onely on the word of God, as on a perfect and &s;ufficient rule to direct vs both in the matter, and manner of Gods wor&s;hip, that as we make it our ground for the matter, &s;o our rule for the manner of his wor&s;hip al&s;o.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Thirdly, it &s;erues for imitation vnto all the Mini&s;ters of the word, that in their mini&s;tery they v&s;e not bare exhortations,
<PB N="32" REF="25"> but after the example of God him&s;elfe, that they adde direction for the manner how they &s;hould doe the will of God.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e."> Fourthly, it &s;erues for reproofe; and fir&s;t, of all tho&s;e that re&s;t not on the word of God alone for direction in the matters of &s;aluation: Secondly, of tho&s;e that re&s;t on it for the matter, but not for the man|ner, they thinke this a little too nice. Thirdly, it reproues tho&s;e Mini&s;ters that in their mini&s;tery take not this cour&s;e: and fourthly, it &s;erues to reproue tho&s;e that mi&s;like with tho&s;e that doe take this cour&s;e, thinking them too preci&s;e.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e."> Fiftly and la&s;tly, it &s;erues for comfort and con&s;olation of all tho&s;e, fir&s;t, that re&s;t on the word of the Lord only for dire|ction, both for the matter and manner in the wor&s;hip of God, they re&s;t on a &s;ure rule. Secondly tho&s;e Mini&s;ters that take this cour&s;e in their mini&s;teries, they fol|low the be&s;t example. Thus much for the direction; the &s;trictnes of it followes, from whence we learne:</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Doct."> That the Lord is very &s;trict in the obe|dience of his will.</P>
<P>This is cleere from the text, <HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds:</HI> But is that all? No, it mu&s;t be <HI>as though yee were bound with</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="25"> <HI>them:</HI> and in <HI>Luk.</HI> 1. Wee mu&s;t &s;erue the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 75,</NOTE> Lord <HI>in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> But is that all? No, it mu&s;t bee <HI>without feare before him, all the dayes of our liues.</HI> And in <HI>Dauids</HI> exhortation to his &s;onne <HI>Solomon; Know thou the God of thy fathers</HI> &s;aith he, and <HI>&s;erue him.</HI> Is not that &s;trict enough? No, it mu&s;t bee <HI>with a perfect heart, and a willing minde, 1. Chron.</HI> 28. 9. Yea, this is plentifully cleered through|out the whole Scripture: not onely in the precepts of the Law, but of the Go&s;pell al&s;o: the law &s;aith, <HI>Thou mu&s;t ob|&s;erue</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 12. 32.</NOTE> <HI>all things that are written in the Law, to doe them.</HI> The Go&s;pell &s;aith, <HI>Hee that lookes on a woman to lu&s;t after</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5. 28</NOTE> <HI>her, hath committed adulterie with her already in his heart:</HI> and hee that is but <HI>angry</HI> with his brothers <HI>vnadui|&s;edly,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5. 22.</NOTE> is guiltie of murther; and hee that doth but <HI>couet</HI> that which is ano|thers, in his eye, or in his heart, <HI>is guiltie of theft.</HI> And <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith, hee that ob&s;erues the <HI>whole Law,</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2. 10.</NOTE> yet failes but in <HI>one point,</HI> is guiltie of all: And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> wee know was barred from entring into the land of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 50.</NOTE> <HI>Canaan,</HI> for that wherein wee can &s;carcely perceiue hee &s;inned. By all
<PB N="34" REF="26"> which it is manife&s;t, that the Lord is very &s;trict in the obedience of his will.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e the Lord &s;eeth how &s;ubiect we are to run into by-pathes, if he doe but giue vs the lea&s;t libertie; or that he doe but lay the reines in our neckes.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> The v&s;e &s;erues fir&s;t for information, to informe our iudgements of the great loue of God towards vs, and care ouer vs for our &s;aluation, in that he doth not onely exhort vs to obedience, but doth it with aboundance of affection: yea, doth not onely earne&s;tly exhort vs to doe his will, but al&s;o doth adde a direction, and that very &s;trict, to haue vs walke in obedience before him; and all for our good, to bring vs to &s;aluation.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, it &s;erues for defence of all tho&s;e that in the vprightne&s;&s;e of their hearts, indeuour to walke in all &s;trict o|bedience before their God, again&s;t all the calumniations, not only of tho&s;e dogges that lie barking without, but al&s;o of tho&s;e wily foxes that lie nibling within; that cry out again&s;t all tho&s;e that exceed them in obedience, &s;aying, they are too forward; that they are more preci&s;e then wi&s;e, and the like. The&s;e are they that loue to &s;leep
<PB N="35" REF="26"> in a whole skinne, according to the pro|uerbe; they will hold profe&s;sion &s;o long as they may keepe their liuings too, and no longer: according to the &s;aying, they would goe to heauen in a hay-barne: but I may adde, in a halter: for they may as well expect to goe to heauen in a halter, as in this <HI>halting way.</HI> I &s;peake not of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 18 21.</NOTE> Martyrs that que&s;tionle&s;&s;e went to hea|uen, as well by this death as by any other: but of the tibernites that are enemies vn|to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Such are Church Papi&s;ts.</NOTE> the truth of God, that thinke the &s;uf|ferings of the Saints to be iu&s;t vpon them, if it haue beene for any thing wherein them&s;elues come &s;hort; not con&s;idering that we mu&s;t keepe the <HI>true patterne</HI> of whol&s;ome words, which we haue learned, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 13. And that our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e mu&s;t <HI>exceed</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 5. 28</NOTE> Scribes and Phari&s;ees, or el&s;e we &s;hall ne|uer enter into the kingdome of heauen. But <HI>the&s;e are they</HI> that de&s;ire to make a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 12.</NOTE> faire &s;hew in the fle&s;h, which would haue others to be like them, only becau&s;e they would not &s;uffer per&s;ecution for the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t; but <HI>God forbid</HI> that <HI>wee</HI> &s;hould <HI>reioyce,</HI> but in the <HI>Cro&s;&s;e</HI> of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, whereby the world is crucified vnto vs, and we vnto the world:
<PB N="36" REF="27"> for in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us <HI>nothing</HI> will auaile, but a new creature; and as many as walke ac|cording to <HI>this rule,</HI> peace &s;hall bee vpon them, and mercy, and vpon the I&s;rael of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 16.</NOTE> God.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> Thirdly, it &s;erues for exhortation vn|to euery one of vs, to bee very &s;trict in our obedience, how&s;oeuer wee may in|curre the name of preci&s;ion or the like; &s;eeing the Lord doth require it of vs.</P>
<P> Fourthly, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e."> it &s;erues for imitation to all tho&s;e that are put in tru&s;t with the &s;alua|tion of others, to take this cour&s;e, not on|ly earne&s;tly to exhort, and to adde dire|ction to their exhortation, but al&s;o to pre&s;&s;e their people to a &s;trict obedi|dience: wee &s;ee it is the example of God him&s;elfe.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e."> Fiftly, it &s;erues for the reproofe of all di&s;obedient per&s;ons, they are left vtter|ly without all excu&s;e: what could the Lord doe more, but fir&s;t louing|lie exhort vs; yea, with earne&s;t affe|ction to yeeld obedience? yea, to di|rect vs in the manner: and la&s;tly, to pre&s;&s;e vs with a &s;trict rule of obedi|ence? Now, if thou art yet di&s;obedient, thou mai&s;t laie thine hand vpon thy
<PB N="37" REF="27"> mouth, and excu&s;e the Lord; yea acknow|ledge him to be iu&s;t, when hee &s;hall come <HI>in flaming fire,</HI> rendring vengeance vnto all tho&s;e that <HI>know not God,</HI> and that <HI>obey</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;&s;. 1. 8</NOTE> <HI>not the Go&s;pell</HI> of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; when he &s;hall come to bee <HI>glorified</HI> in his Saints, and to be <HI>admired</HI> in all tho&s;e that beleeue.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> Sixtly and la&s;tly, it &s;erues for comfort and con&s;olation to all tho&s;e, that &s;tricktly walke in the obedience of the will of God. Notwith&s;tanding they are euilly in|treated of the world for the &s;ame, they doe that which God requireth of them. Thus much for the exhortation and direction apart laid downe by the Lord. Now wee will ioyne them both together, as they are required of vs.</P>
<P><HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds as bound with them.</HI> Whence wee learne,</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Doct."> That it is not enough to doe holy du|ties, but wee mu&s;t bee very &s;trict in the manner how we doe them.</P>
<P>This is cleere from the text, as al&s;o from the points formerly rai&s;ed. Where|in wee haue &s;eene the LORDS dili|gence to direct vs euen in the
<PB N="38" REF="28"> manner of his wor&s;hip: which &s;hewes that <HI>it is our dutie not only to doe holy duties, but al&s;o that we mu&s;t bee very &s;trict, for the manner how we doe them.</HI> As al&s;o the whole Scripture is plentifull for proofe of this point, and therefore it is that our Sauiour &s;aith, <HI>Take heed how ye heare.</HI> So in ano|ther <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 8. 18. Math. 6. 1. 5. 16.</NOTE> place, <HI>Take heed how yee pray; take heed how yee giue almes; and take heed how yee fa&s;t:</HI> all which makes the point plaine, that it is not enough to doe holy duties, but that we mu&s;t be very &s;trict in the manner how wee doe them. And in the Lords prayer our Sauiour teacheth vs to pray, <HI>Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heauen.</HI> Harke, he doth not teach vs &s;imply to pray that the will of God may be done; but that it may bee &s;o done on earth, euen as it is done in heauen: and the holy Gho&s;t teacheth &s;eruants to &s;erue their <HI>Ma&s;ters as &s;eruing the Lord.</HI> Harke, he doth not teach them &s;imply to &s;erue them, but to &s;erue them euen as &s;eruing the Lord, and not men. Which maketh the point very cleere.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The rea&s;on hereof is, becau&s;e the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg"> I&s;ay 11. 12.</NOTE> doth more re&s;pect the manner then the matter of his wor&s;hip, how wee doe it, then the thing it &s;elfe.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="28">
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> The v&s;e of this &s;erues fir&s;t for in&s;tru|ction vnto euery one, not to re&s;t onely in the doing of the worke of holine&s;&s;e, but to be very &s;trict in the manner how wee doe it: for it is not enough to preach the Word, to heare the Word; nor to fre|quent the hou&s;e of God, and with the Iewes in <HI>Ieremy</HI> to cry out, <HI>The temple of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7 4. 8, 9. 11. 12.</NOTE> <HI>the Lord, the temple of the Lord; and yet will &s;teale, murther, commit adultery, &s;weare fal&s;ely, and burne incen&s;e vnto Baal; the&s;e are but lying words.</HI> Yea, this is to make the hou&s;e of the Lord <HI>a denne of theeues:</HI> yea this is the next way to bring downe fearefull iudgements, that the Lord &s;hould doe to you as he did to Shilo. But with <HI>Dauid</HI> we mu&s;t <HI>wa&s;h our hands in in|nocency, &amp;c.</HI> and &s;o compa&s;&s;e the altar; for <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 26. 6.</NOTE> as the will of God mu&s;t bee our ground for euery action, &s;o the holine&s;&s;e of God mu&s;t be our rule. Wee may not for the matter of our wor&s;hip doe as the people of God, and for the manner, like the Gentiles. Nay, we may not &s;erue our God for the manner, as they doe their Idols, <HI>Deut.</HI> 12. 4. And this &s;tretcheth it &s;elfe vn|to euery holy dutie. Wee may not pray as the hypocrites doe, nor giue almes as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 6.</NOTE> as the hypocrites doe, nor giue almes as the hypocrites doe; fa&s;t as the hypocrites
<PB N="40" REF="29"> doe: which is to re&s;t onely in the outward worke, or to doe it onely to bee &s;eene of men; but as our Sauiour &s;aid to his Di&s;ci|ples, that they mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Scribes and Phari&s;ees did, &s;o may I &s;ay to you:</P>
<P N="1">1. Thou mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do: that is, to re&s;t in the doing of the worke; as though we had done God great &s;eruice in ab&s;taining from a bit of meat: for God re&s;pects the manner how we doe it, more <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 58. 6.</NOTE> then the worke it &s;elfe.</P>
<P N="2">2. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts doe, onely to be &s;eene of men, but to approue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 6, 18</NOTE> our hearts only in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P N="3">3. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts doe, to put holine&s;&s;e in the thing, but to <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 58. 2.</NOTE> labour to doe it in a holy manner to haue it acceptable.</P>
<P N="4">4. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do: thinking to merit by it: forbodily exerci&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4. 8.</NOTE> profiteth litle, but godlines is great gain.</P>
<P N="5">5. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, thinking to &s;atisfie for &s;inne: for that is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 14.</NOTE> done onely by the blood of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="6">6. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the papi&s;ts doe, thinking to make God beholding vnto thee: for when we haue done all that wee can, we are but vnprofitable &s;eruants.</P>
<P N="7">7. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the papi&s;ts do, in
<PB N="41" REF="29"> appointing &s;et time in the yeare, or &s;et daies in the week, for that is Montani&s;me: for our Sauiour hath inioyned it to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Montanus the heretik fir&s;t ap|pointed it in the Church.</NOTE> times of mourning: therefore wee can ap|point &s;et times of fa&s;ting no otherwi&s;e then wee can &s;et times of mourning.</P>
<P N="8">8. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the papi&s;ts do, in ab&s;taining part of the day, and filling them&s;elues in the other part: for the lea&s;t time of a religious fa&s;t is one whole day. <HI>Leui.</HI> 23. 32.</P>
<P N="9">9. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, in ab&s;taining from fle&s;h, but not from fi&s;h; for a true fa&s;t is an vtter ab&s;tenance, fur|ther then for nece&s;sity and hone&s;ty. <HI>He&s;t.</HI> 4. 16.</P>
<P N="10">10. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, in ab&s;taining from meates, but not from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 31. 5:</NOTE> drinks; for drinks do commonly more in|flame nature then meates doe.</P>
<P N="11">11. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts doe, in ab&s;taining from gro&s;&s;er meates, and glutting them&s;elues with meere de|licates: for this may rather be cald a fea&s;t then a fa&s;t, yea this is diuelli&s;h. 1. <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 1. 3.</P>
<P N="12">12. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts doe, onely from meats: for a true fa&s;t is an vtter ab&s;tenance from all outward com|forts,
<PB N="42" REF="30"> &s;o farre as hone&s;ty and nece&s;sity will beare.</P>
<P N="13">13. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, in ab&s;taining from meates, but not from &s;inne, as &s;wearing or the like; For a true fa&s;t mu&s;t be an holy convocation vnto the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 23.</NOTE> Lord, wherein wee mu&s;t &s;eeke the face of God, and turne from all our euill wayes. 2. <HI>Chro.</HI> 7, 14.</P>
<P N="14">14. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, in hanging downe the head like a bulru&s;h <NOTE PLACE="marg">Leu. 23. 27</NOTE> for a day: for a true fa&s;t is to afflict the &s;oule, <HI>Ioel.</HI> 2.</P>
<P N="15">15. You mu&s;t not fa&s;t as the Papi&s;ts do, to re&s;t in the doing of &s;ome ceremonies: for a true fa&s;t is to humble our &s;elues, 2, <HI>Chro.</HI> 7. to loo&s;e euery yoke, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 58. yea to cry mightily vnto God, <HI>Ioel.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>Now becau&s;e of the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion, if any aske then how &s;hould we fa&s;t: I an|&s;wer, That we mu&s;t goe to the word of God, and therein wee &s;hall know the will of God, as for the matter, &s;o for the man|ner of it al&s;o: for it doth not onely ex|hort vs to doe the thing, but al&s;o doth di|rect vs in the manner how to doe it. For it is a mo&s;t perfect rule for our practi&s;e. Now how&s;oeuer &s;ome light is already gi|uen vnto it by oppo&s;ing of it vnto the fai|ned
<PB N="43" REF="30"> hypocriticall fa&s;ts of the Papi&s;ts, as that we may not re&s;t in the worke done, nor doe it to be &s;eene of men, nor put ho|line&s;&s;e in the worke, nor thinke to merite by it, nor to &s;atisfie for &s;inne with it; nor to appoint times to fa&s;t without lawfull authority, or otherwi&s;e then we haue oc|ca&s;ion of &s;orrow offered vnto vs; nor to ob&s;erue part of the day, but a whole day at lea&s;t vnto the Lord; nor to ab&s;taine fro~ fle&s;h but not from fi&s;h, from meats, but not from drinks; from gro&s;&s;e meates, but not from delicates; but from euery thing wherein the fa&s;t may be broken: nor from meates onely, but from all outward com|forts &s;o farre as hone&s;ty and nece&s;sity will beare. And la&s;tly not from meates, and outward comforts onely, but from &s;inne al&s;o; yea that wee mu&s;t not hang downe the head like a bulru&s;h for a day, but that wee mu&s;t afflict our &s;oules, humble our &s;elues, loo&s;e euery yoke, &amp; cry migh|tily vnto God.</P>
<P>Now how&s;oeuer this may giue &s;ome light, yet more briefly, thus thou mu&s;t fa&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ob&s;erv. The occa|&s;ion. 2. Ioyne thy &s;elfe with Gods people.</NOTE> on this manner, when the Lord offereth occa&s;ion of &s;orrow and mourning, eyther in re&s;pect of thy &s;elfe or others; ioyne thy &s;elfe with the people of God, if thou
<PB N="44" REF="31"> can&s;t, as in the dayes of <HI>Io&s;ia:</HI> but if not, then thy &s;elfe with <HI>Nehemiah:</HI> and then &s;et &s;ome time apart, according to the occa&s;i|on, <NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Setting apart.</NOTE> either one day with the Iewes, or three dayes with <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> or 14. daies with <HI>Paul,</HI> or three weeks of daies with <HI>Daniel,</HI> accor|ding as the occa&s;ion is of greater or le&s;&s;er weight. And thus hauing &s;et time apart, in the fourth place te&s;tifie the inward affe|ction <NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Te&s;tifie thy inward affection by thy outward carriage.</NOTE> of thy &s;oule by the outward carriage of thy body: that is, 1. by humiliation be|fore the Lord, by ridding thy &s;elfe of all outward comforts, &s;o far as nece&s;sity and hone&s;ty will beare, as from the v&s;e of the marriage bed, fine or co&s;tly apparel, &s;weet &s;mels, pretious ointments, plea&s;a~t mu&s;ick, or dainty fare. 2. Te&s;tifie the inward de|&s;ires of thy &s;oule by thy earne&s;t &s;uits vnto God, for attaining the thing thou de&s;ire&s;t, or to be freede from the euill thou feare&s;t. And thus continue &s;eeking the face of God the whole time of thy fa&s;t. Now becau&s;e the exerci&s;e of this duty is hard to fle&s;h &amp; blood, it is good for vs to ob&s;erue the mo|tiues hereunto: as fir&s;t, becau&s;e God hath commanded it. 2. the Saints haue practi&s;ed it. 3. much good hath been obtained by it, and 4. by the holy and &s;incere practi&s;e of it, much perill hath beene preuented.</P>
<PB N="45" REF="31">
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Obiect."> But if any &s;hall &s;ay that they haue often fa&s;ted, and yet haue not found this effect:</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> I an&s;wer, they mu&s;t examine them&s;elues whether they haue not fa&s;ted like tho&s;e in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> that haue afflicted their &s;oules for a day, and hanged downe their heads like a <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58.</NOTE> bulru&s;h: haue they not fa&s;ted for &s;trife and debate, and to &s;mite with the fi&s;t of wickednes, yea that they might the more colourably commit &s;inne? Now if it haue beene &s;o with thee, although thou ha&s;t made thy voice to bee heard on high: yet this is not the fa&s;t which the Lord hath cho&s;en: for as hee hath appointed how we &s;hould fa&s;t, &s;o he hath in his word al&s;o &s;et downe what we &s;hould doe in the day of our fa&s;t: that is, to vnloo&s;e the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 6.</NOTE> bands of wickedne&s;&s;e, to vndoe the heauy burden, to let the oppre&s;&s;ed goe free, yea to breake euery yoke: and not onely &s;o, but thou mu&s;t deale out thy bread to the hungry, bring the poore that are ca&s;t out into thine hou&s;e, couer the naked, and not hide thy &s;elfe from thine owne fle&s;h; that &s;o by thy outward worke, thou maye&s;t te&s;tifie the inward &s;incerity and vpright|ne&s;&s;e of thy heart in the &s;eruice of God. For thinke&s;t thou, that if thou art cruell,
<PB N="46" REF="32"> and vnmercifull vnto thy brethren, that the Lord will be merciful vnto thee in the day of thy fa&s;t, in hearing and helping of thee. No, no; therfore examine thine owne heart, for we may deceiue our&s;elues ex|ceedingly herein: for thou maie&s;t &s;eeke God daily; yea thou maie&s;t delight <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 2. 3. 5.</NOTE> to know his wayes, yea thou maye&s;t de|light in approaching neere to God, yea thou maie&s;t afflict thy &s;oule before the Lord, and cau&s;e thy voice to bee heard on high in the day of thy fa&s;t, and yet bee no whit accepted with the Lord, if thou come not to it with a pure and vpright heart, and &s;incere and holy affection.</P>
<P>Now the Lord hath promi&s;ed, that if his people &s;hall humble them&s;elues, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 7. 14.</NOTE> pray, and &s;eeke his face, and turne from their wicked wayes, then that hee will heare from heauen, and forgiue their &s;ins, and will heale their land. Now God is true, and euery man a lyar; therefore if thou haue not found this effect, blame thy &s;elfe, and &s;eeke to finde out the cau&s;e in thy &s;elfe: for either thou ha&s;t not hum|bled thy &s;elfe as thou &s;houlde&s;t, or not bin &s;o earne&s;t in prayer vnto the Lord as thou oughte&s;t; or thou ha&s;t not &s;ought the face of God with that &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart as
<PB N="47" REF="32"> was meet: or at lea&s;t thou ha&s;t not turned from euery euill way. Now we mu&s;t doe all the&s;e, and not re&s;t in the doing of any one of them; for wee mu&s;t humble our &s;elues, we mu&s;t pray, wee mu&s;t &s;eeke the face of God, we mu&s;t turne from eue|ry euill way, and then wee may re&s;t a&s;&s;u|redly on the promi&s;e of God for a ble&s;|&s;ing. Therefore if thou haue failed here|tofore, &s;ettle vpon it throughly for time to come, not in part, but in the whole, both for matter and manner, as God re|quireth: and then try the Lord whether hee will not heare from heauen, whether he will not forgiue thy &s;inne, and heale the land. And thus haue we thought good becau&s;e of the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion, and being &s;o nece&s;&s;arily led vnto it by the doctrine which teacheth vs, that it is not enough to doe holy duties, but that we mu&s;t be very &s;trict in the manner how we doe them; to digre&s;&s;e a little, to &s;hew you how wee ought to fa&s;t &s;o as may bee be&s;t plea&s;ing vnto God.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> The &s;econd v&s;e of this point &s;erues for reproofe of all tho&s;e that re&s;t onely in the doing of holy duties, and neuer care for the manner how they doe them: they will preach the word, heare the word, receiue
<PB N="48" REF="33"> the Sacraments, fa&s;t, pray, giue almes, but neuer re&s;pect the manner how they doe them; neither for the inward nor out|ward man. Now how&s;oeuer the&s;e are ho|ly duties as they are commanded of God, yet becau&s;e they are performed vnholily, the Lord doth no more re&s;pect them then the cutting off of a dogs necke, or the of|fering of &s;wines blood, or of man&s;laugh|ter; which are all things mo&s;t hatefull and abhominable vnto him. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66. 3.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Obiect."> But is it not well to do the wil of God, may &s;ome &s;ay?</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> I an&s;wer yea, &s;o you doe it according to the will of God: otherwi&s;e thou maie&s;t do the wil of God, in &s;ome &s;ence, &amp; be a <HI>Pha|raoh.</HI> Yea, thou maie&s;t doe the will of God, and be a <HI>Rab&s;heca,</HI> and a <HI>Nebuchad|nezzar,</HI> and be a <HI>Pilate:</HI> yea thou maye&s;t doe the will of God, and be a diuell. For it is not enough to doe the will of God, but we mu&s;t doe it according as we pray, On earth as it is in heauen: for it is the will of God of preach the word, yet if it bee but in the name onely, and not in the power and euidence of the Spirit, he &s;hall &s;ay to thee, <HI>Depart from me, I know you not.</HI> It is the will of God to heare the word, yet if any cau&s;e diui&s;ion contrary to the truth
<PB N="49" REF="33"> which we haue learned, wee mu&s;t auoyde <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 16, 17</NOTE> them. It is the will of God to heare the word: yet we mu&s;t come with hone&s;t harts, els it will not bring foorth fruit in vs; wee mu&s;t come with hungring affection, el&s;e we &s;hall not be filled with it: yea we mu&s;t heare in faith, els it will not profit vs. So <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 2.</NOTE> it is the will of God to receiue the Sacra|ments: yet &s;aith the Holy Gho&s;t, Let a man examine him&s;elfe, and &s;o let him eate, and &s;o let him drinke: otherwi&s;e thou maye&s;t bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. So that thou maye&s;t preach the word, and bee &s;hutte out from the pre&s;ence of God; heare the word, and reape no profite by it; communi|cate in holy things, and yet bee &s;pued out of the mouth of God: yea, receiue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 3. 15.</NOTE> the Sacraments, and yet eate and drinke damnation vnto thy &s;elfe. So that it is not enough to heare with <HI>Herod,</HI> pray with <HI>Balaam,</HI> preach with <HI>Iudas,</HI> which yet are all good for the matter, being the will of God: yet becau&s;e they failed in the manner, they failed al&s;o in receiuing any benefite by their worke.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e,"> Thirdly, it &s;erues for a comfort &amp; con|&s;olation vnto all tho&s;e that do the will of
<PB N="50" REF="34"> God, according to the will of God, that performe holy duties holily, that haue re|&s;pect as well to the manner how they do, as to the matter what they doe. I may &s;ay of them as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;aith, <HI>They do no iniquity, they walke in his wayes, therefore</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 3.</NOTE> <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are they.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Fourthly, it may &s;erue for a iu&s;t de|fence of all tho&s;e, that notwith&s;tanding they may partake in holy duties for the matter, yet dare not, when for the manner they cannot doe the will of God; for they know it is not enough to doe the will of God, but that they mu&s;t be very &s;trict in the manner how they doe it: and how&s;oe|uer they chiefly delight in the holy things of God, knowing the benefite of them, yet they haue learned to preferre Gods glory by doing no euill, before their owne &s;aluation: yea to damne them&s;elues before God &s;hould lo&s;e one iotte of his glory. Therefore tho&s;e are much to blame which cen&s;ure Gods children, which through tenderne&s;&s;e of con&s;cience dare not ioyne with them in their wor&s;hip. But mo&s;t of all are they worthy blame, that not onely vnadui&s;edly meddle with the holy things of God them&s;elues, but ra&s;h|ly and willfully require others to doe the
<PB N="51" REF="34"> &s;ame; as in the Papacy in Queene <HI>Maries</HI> dayes, many of the Martyrs were com|pelled to cap and kneele, and crouch: yea to put on their Idolatrous apparrell al|though it receiued but little honour, by them: as in the hi&s;tory of Doctor <HI>Taylour,</HI> who when he had a deale of their trumpe|ry <NOTE PLACE="marg">Foxe in the 1385. pag of his 2. hi&s;tory.</NOTE> on his backe, leapt and skipt, &s;aying, Beholde what a braue foole am I.</P>
<P>Thus haue we by Gods a&s;si&s;tance gone through the exhortatio~ vnto the duty, with the direction added how to performe the &s;ame. Wherein wee haue con&s;idered of them, fir&s;t as they are laide downe by the Lord, with the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of the ex|hortation, and &s;trictne&s;&s;e of the direction. Secondly, as they require duties from vs in two points. Now wee will con&s;ider of the words &s;euerally as they lye in the text. And fir&s;t of the word <HI>Remember,</HI> which &s;ignifieth two things, either to mooue at|tention, or to put vs in minde of our for|getfulne&s;&s;e: in the fir&s;t v&s;e or acceptation, it is al one with the word <HI>Selah,</HI> or behold: whence we learne:</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Doct."> That the Lord would haue vs to take great notice of the affliction of his peo|ple: This is plaine from the text, and prooued plentifully throughout all the
<PB N="52" REF="35"> Scripture.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e they are precious <NOTE PLACE="marg"> P&s;al. 116.</NOTE> in the &s;ight of God; for Precious in his &s;ight is the death of his Saints, and tho&s;e that touch them, touch the apple of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zechar. 2.</NOTE> his eye.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Secondly, becau&s;e of their dignity; they <NOTE PLACE="marg"> 1. Pet. 2. 9.</NOTE> are all Kings, and Prie&s;ts, and Sena|tours.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> The v&s;e &s;erues fir&s;t for in&s;truction vn|to euery one, Not to pa&s;&s;e by the affli|ction of the people of God, as a thing of no weight, or of no re&s;pect: &s;eeing they are &s;o pretious in the &s;ight of God, euen as the apple of his eie, and in them&s;elues &s;uch an honourable people, all Kings, all Prie&s;ts, all Prophets, being annointed with the oyntment of God. 1. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 2.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> Secondly, it &s;erues for reproofe, fir&s;t, of all tho&s;e that are in&s;truments of their af|flictions. 2. tho&s;e that pa&s;&s;e by their affli|ctions without any re&s;pect. 3. tho&s;e that take notice of them, yet doe not duly re|&s;pect them, as they &s;hould.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e."> Thirdly, it &s;erues for a con&s;olation vnto all tho&s;e that doe duely take to heart, and remember the afflictions of the peo|ple of God.</P>
<P>The word <HI>Remember</HI> being taken in the
<PB N="53" REF="35"> other &s;ignification or acceptation, to put vs in mind of our forgetfulnes, is all one with that in the beginning of the 4. com|mandement; whence we learne:</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Doct."> That naturally wee are very &s;ubiect to forget the afflictions of the people of God: for proofe whereof wee neede to goe no farther then to our &s;elues; for how often haue wee heard of their affliction, and how &s;oone haue wee forgot it, euen with the hearing? But if at any time wee haue had any further purpo&s;e to remem|ber them, how &s;oone hath it beene forgot by euery light occa&s;ion?</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> The rea&s;on is, partly our too much loue of the world, &amp; our too litle loue of God.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> The v&s;e &s;erues to &s;tir vp euery one of vs to take notice of our &s;ecure e&s;tate in this re&s;pect, &amp; &s;eeing it is occa&s;ioned by tho&s;e things mentioned in the rea&s;on: O let vs labour for time to come, to haue our harts more and more po&s;&s;e&s;t with the loue of God, &amp; our affection more drawn fro~ the loue of the things that are here below, &amp; &s;et wholly on the things that are aboue: &amp; then we &s;hall declare our loue to him that hath begot, by louing tho&s;e that are be|gotten of him. And 3. let it humble vs: yea further our humiliatio~ at this pre&s;e~t time,
<PB N="54" REF="36"> that we haue beene &s;o forgetfull of the af|fliction of the people of God in former time.</P>
<P>Thus much for the word <HI>Remember,</HI> it is added, <HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds:</HI> which teacheth vs thus much:</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="Doct."> That the people of God in all ages haue beene &s;ubiect to bonds and afflictions. For proofe hereof looke from the very fir&s;t time; <HI>Abel</HI> by <HI>Cain, Abraham</HI> by <HI>Abime|lech, I&s;aacke</HI> by <HI>I&s;hmaal, Iacob</HI> by <HI>E&s;au, Io|&s;eph</HI> by his brethren; the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> by the Egyptians, the <HI>Moabits,</HI> the <HI>Ammonites,</HI> the <HI>Amalekites,</HI> the <HI>Pale&s;tits,</HI> the <HI>Canaa|nites,</HI> the <HI>Babilonians,</HI> the <HI>Tyrians</HI> and <HI>Sy|rians,</HI> and who not? <HI>Dauid</HI> by <HI>Saul, Dauid</HI> by his &s;onnes: yea <HI>Dauid</HI> by his wife. And if we come to the new Te&s;tament, Chri&s;t by the Iewes; his Apo&s;tles, by the Gen|tiles; his faithfull Di&s;ciples, by the Anti|chri&s;tian Romanes, and his whole Church by the world of vnbeleeuers. Yea as the I&s;raelites had not one people alone &s;et a|gain&s;t them, but euen &s;o many as there were nations vnder heauen, &s;o it is with the Church of Chri&s;t; they haue not one people alone aduer&s;e vnto them, but &s;o many as there are vnbeleeuers in the whole world, whether they bee Turkes,
<PB N="55" REF="36"> Papi&s;ts, or of what nation &s;oeuer: be&s;ides tho&s;e &s;ecret enemies that it nurceth vp in its owne bo&s;ome. And yet they haue not onely the&s;e enemies of diuers &s;orts, but al&s;o they are &s;ubiect to afflictions of all &s;orts, as nece&s;sities, di&s;tre&s;&s;es, &s;tripes, im|pri&s;onment, tumults, labours, watchings, fa&s;tings, di&s;honours, euill reports, and what not?</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> The rea&s;on hereof our Sauiour him&s;elfe <NOTE PLACE="marg"> Ioh. 15. 19 20, 21.</NOTE> giues in <HI>Ioh.</HI> 15. and that is, Becau&s;e they are not of the world.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, becau&s;e they are not grea|ter then their mai&s;ter; for &s;aith Chri&s;t, If they haue per&s;ecuted me, they will per&s;e|cute you al&s;o.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, becau&s;e they profe&s;&s;e the name of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. The fourth rea&s;on that our Sauiour giues in that place, is in re&s;pect of the wicked them&s;elues, becau&s;e they know not God; for &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>All the&s;e things will they doe vnto you for my names &s;ake: be|cau&s;e they haue not knowne him that &s;ent me.</HI></P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;."> The fifth rea&s;on why the children of God in al ages, haue been &s;ubiect to bonds and afflictions, is in re&s;pect of that aunci|ent enmity thrt is betweene the &s;eede of
<PB N="56" REF="37"> the woman, and the &s;eede of the &s;erpent, <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.</P>
<P N="6">6. Sixtly, becau&s;e the Lord hath more re|&s;pect to them then to the wicked, as in the example of <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel, Gen.</HI> 4. 5, 6.</P>
<P N="7">7. Seuenthly, becau&s;e they te&s;tifie vnto the world, that the works thereof are e|euill. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 7. 7.</P>
<P N="8">8. Eighthly, becau&s;e they cannot but &s;peake the things that they haue &s;eene and heard. <HI>Act.</HI> 4. 20,</P>
<P N="9">9. Ninthly, becau&s;e they wil not run with the world into the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of riot. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. Pet. 4.</NOTE></P>
<P N="10">10. The la&s;t is, becau&s;e they follow goodne&s;&s;e, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 38. 20.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> But heere a que&s;tion may bee asked, why the Lord doth &s;uffer his children to be thus afflicted in the world.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;."> Vnto which wee an&s;wer with the Holy Gho&s;t in the 12. chap. of the epi&s;tle to the <NOTE PLACE="marg"> Heb. 12. 10</NOTE> <HI>Heb. ver.</HI> 10. that he doth it for their pro|fite, and that in diuers re&s;pects: fir&s;t here; &s;econdly, hereafter; Partly in re&s;pect of the good it brings forth in them, partly in re&s;pect of the good it brings vpon them, or cau&s;eth vnto them; as fir&s;t hereby that they might be partakers of his holine&s;&s;e. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly, that it might bring foorth
<PB N="57" REF="37"> in them the quiet fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>ver.</HI> 11,</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly that the inward man might be renued daily, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 16.</P>
<P N="4">4. Fourthly, that by an increa&s;e of grace, the loue of God may bee &s;hed a|broad in their hearts, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.</P>
<P N="5">5. Fiftly, that the life of Ie&s;us might bee made manife&s;t in their bodies, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 10.</P>
<P N="6">6. Sixtly, that hereby their faith be|ing made to &s;hine the more pretiou&s;er: it might be found vnto their prai&s;e and ho|nour and glory, at the appearing of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 7.</P>
<P N="7">7. Seuenthly, that hereby they might receiue a farre more excellent and eter|nall weight of glory, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 17.</P>
<P N="8">8. Now is not this for their profit, to be ble&s;&s;ed now? 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 14.</P>
<P N="9">9. And to bee comforted hereafter? <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 4.</P>
<P N="10">10. Is not this for their profit to haue God dwell with them here, <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 57. 15.</P>
<P N="11">11. And they to reigne with him hereafter? 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 12.</P>
<P N="12">12. Is not this for their profit to haue the Spirit of glory re&s;t vpon them here? 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 14.</P>
<P N="13"><PB N="58" REF="38">13. And to receiue a crowne of life, <HI>James</HI> 1. 12. a crowne of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 8. yea, an incorruptible crowne of glory hereafter? 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 4.</P>
<P N="14">14. Further, the Lord &s;uffers his chil|dren to bee in bonds and affliction to trie them, <HI>Iam.</HI> 1. 3. and proue them, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 12. For he will haue none but pure met|tall: if they will not endure the fire of af|fliction, nor the fanne of &s;orrowes, nor the &s;ieue of aduer&s;ities, they are not for him. <HI>Mat.</HI> 10. 38.</P>
<P N="15">15. Further, hee doth it to proue o|thers, <HI>Math.</HI> 8. 20. For as hee will haue none but pure mettall, &s;o hee will haue none but true mettall as we &s;ay; &s;uch that notwith&s;tanding they may &s;ee tho&s;e in the forefront of the battell to bee beaten and &s;ore oppre&s;t, yet will be ready to &s;tand in the face of the enemy, when their turne &s;hall come: Such that notwith&s;tanding they may &s;ee Chri&s;t in his members often|times haue not wheron to re&s;t their head, yet with <HI>Ruth</HI> will re&s;olue to wor&s;hip the &s;ame God with them; yea to liue with them and die with them: notwith&s;tan|ding it requireth the for&s;aking of coun|try, kindred, meanes, and all. <HI>Ruth</HI> 1. 16.</P>
<P N="16">16. Further, the Lord &s;uffers his to be
<PB N="59" REF="38"> in bonds and affliction; &s;ometime to &s;hame Satan and wicked men that accu&s;e them, that they &s;erue God but for their belly &s;ake, as Satan accu&s;ed <HI>Iob, Iob</HI> 1.</P>
<P N="17">17. As al&s;o becau&s;e they meddle &s;ome|times with that they haue nothing to doe with; as <HI>Abraham</HI> with <HI>Hagar, Gen.</HI> 16. 4. And <HI>Dauid</HI> with numbring of the peo|ple, 2 <HI>Sam,</HI> 24. 10.</P>
<P N="18">18. Al&s;o, becau&s;e that through the vn|regenerate part that doth remaine in them, they are apt to forget God with <HI>Dauid,</HI> who in his pro&s;perity thought hee &s;hould neuer be moued, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 30.</P>
<P N="19">19. Al&s;o, becau&s;e they are children; now the rod is as nece&s;&s;ary for children as meat and cloth, <HI>Prou.</HI> 22. 15.</P>
<P N="20">20. Al&s;o becau&s;e they are patients; now &s;trong potions are as nece&s;&s;ary &s;ometime for patients, to purge out the &s;uperfluous that offends, as cordials to comfort: yea, ordinarily before comfor|ting cordials, there goe purging potions, as the Lord cau&s;eth his to drinke of the waters of Mara before hee &s;ettle them in <HI>Boaz</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;sion, <HI>Ruth</HI> 1. 20. &amp; 4, 14.</P>
<P N="21">21. Further, he doth &s;uffer it, becau&s;e he hath appointed them vnto it. 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3. 3.</P>
<P N="22"><PB N="60" REF="39">22. Hee hath prede&s;tinated them for it, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 29.</P>
<P N="23">23. It is the end of their calling, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 21.</P>
<P N="24">24. And of the preaching of the Go&s;|pell, <HI>Math.</HI> 10. 34.</P>
<P N="25">25. Further, the Lord &s;uffers his to be in bonds and affliction, to teach them o|bedience, <HI>Heb.</HI> 5. 8.</P>
<P N="26">26. To exerci&s;e his graces in them, as faith, loue, patience, and per&s;euerance, and to make them the more manife&s;t, <HI>Rom. 5. 4. Iam.</HI> 1. 3.</P>
<P N="27">27. As al&s;o, becau&s;e hee loues them, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 6.</P>
<P N="28">28. And offereth him&s;elfe vnto them as vnto &s;onnes, <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 7.</P>
<P N="29">29. Yea, that they might be perfect, en|tire, lacking nothing, <HI>Iames</HI> 1. 4.</P>
<P N="30">30. Further, the Lord &s;uffers them to bee in bonds, to weane them from the world, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 30.</P>
<P N="31">31. As al&s;o, becau&s;e it is the very high|way to heauen, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. 39.</P>
<P N="32">32. Further, that no fle&s;h &s;hould glory in his pre&s;ence, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 29.</P>
<P N="33">33. As al&s;o, that we &s;hould reioyce in the Lord only, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10. 17.</P>
<P N="34">34. And tru&s;t in the Lord wholly, and
<PB N="61" REF="39"> not in the&s;e vncertaine riches, <HI>Phi. 4. 6. P&s;al. 37. 1 Tim.</HI> 6. 17.</P>
<P N="35">35. Further, to make them long after heauen; and to looke for and loue the ap|pearing of the Lord Ie&s;us, <HI>Phil.</HI> 1. 23.</P>
<P N="36">36. Further, the Lord lets his to be in bonds and affliction, to let them know, that the promi&s;es of God doe con&s;i&s;t in better things then the world can afford, and to make them &s;earch for them, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 9.</P>
<P N="37">37. As al&s;o, that the con&s;olations of Chri&s;t might abound in them, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 5.</P>
<P N="38">38. Yea, that they might bee able to comfort others, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 4.</P>
<P N="39">39. As al&s;o, becau&s;e it is written, The iu&s;t &s;hall liue by his faith, <HI>Haba.</HI> 2. 4.</P>
<P N="40">40. As al&s;o, becau&s;e we mu&s;t fir&s;t fight, before we be crowned, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 7. there|fore is our life called a warfare, <HI>Job</HI> 7. 1.</P>
<P N="41">41. As al&s;o, we mu&s;t fir&s;t labour be|fore we can reape the fruits, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 7.</P>
<P N="42">42. Yea, we mu&s;t fir&s;t runne before we attaine, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 24.</P>
<P N="43">43. Further, the Lord doth it becau&s;e he would be called vpon, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50. 15. and be &s;ought vnto, <HI>Ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ea</HI> 5. 15.</P>
<P N="44">44. Yea, becau&s;e he hath delight in tho&s;e
<PB N="62" REF="40"> holy &s;acrifices that his people offer vp vnto him mo&s;t plentifully in their affliction, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51. 1 7.</P>
<P N="45">45. Yea, becau&s;e hee takes delight in his owne graces that he hath wrought in them, as faith, loue, patience, and per&s;eue|rance; not that he takes delight in their affliction, but in the fruits thereof, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 5. 15.</P>
<P N="46">46. Further, the Lord lets his bee in bonds and affliction, becau&s;e hee would magnifie his prouidence in vpholding of them, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 9.</P>
<P N="47">47. His goodne&s;&s;e in relieuing of them, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 10.</P>
<P N="48">48. His power in deliuering of them, <HI>P&s;al</HI> 34. 19.</P>
<P N="49">49. Further, hee doth it that heauen might be the better welcome vnto them, when they &s;hall come thither, comming out of great tribulation, and all teares be|ing wiped away from their eyes, <HI>Reue.</HI> 7. 14.</P>
<P N="50">50. And la&s;tly, he doth it becau&s;e hee wils it; for the holy Gho&s;t &s;aith, that through many afflictions we mu&s;t enter into the kingdome of heauen.</P>
<P>And, All that will liue godly in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us &s;hall &s;uffer per&s;ecution, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 12.</P>
<PB N="63" REF="40">
<P>This point being thus proued and clee|red, the v&s;es follow.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> And fir&s;t it &s;erues to informe vs, that it is no new thing to heare of the affliction of the people of God, for it hath beene &s;o in all ages.</P>
<P N="2">2. Secondly to in&s;truct vs, that wee thinke it no &s;trange thing, if the like doe befall vs, &s;eeing that it is the lotte of all Gods people, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3. 4.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, it &s;erues to comfort vs in affliction, knowing that hereby we are &s;o farre from being &s;euered from the people of God, that euen by it wee are made companions with them, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 14.</P>
<P N="4">4. Fourthly, it &s;erues to take away the offence of the cro&s;&s;e in others; &s;eeing that the Lord in his wi&s;dome and loue, makes it &s;o many waies beneficiall vnto his chil|dren. Thus much for this point, it fol|lowes.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Note."> But before we pa&s;&s;e any further, note; that whereas we &s;aid in the beginning of the la&s;t que&s;tion, that afflictions were pro|fitable, and that in diuers re&s;pects, we are not &s;o to take it as the Papi&s;ts doe, that they are the cau&s;e of profit vnto vs pro|perly, but that the wi&s;e di&s;po&s;ing hand of God, doth make them &s;o vnto his chil|dren;
<PB N="64" REF="41"> for afflictions are euill of their owne nature, <HI>Amos</HI> 3. 6. And indeed they are mo&s;t euill vnto all the vngodly, euen as the beginnings of hell vnto them, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 11. 5, 6. &amp; 50, 22. 2. <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1. 6. But vnto all the faithfull, they are fatherly cha&s;ti&s;e|ments, whereby the Lord iudgeth them here, that they might not be condemned hereafter, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 32. So that this is it that makes them profitable, while&s;t the faithfull doe feele God to bee betweene them and the weight of the euils which they endure in the puni&s;hments and cha|&s;ti&s;ements which hee inflicts vpon them, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 9. They haue therein a certaine pledge and &s;eale of his loue, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 6. for if he loued them not (as one wel &s;aith) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Caluin: on Heb. 12. ver. 6.</NOTE> hee would not bee thus carefull for their &s;aluation, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 7. Therfore mo&s;t igno|rant are all tho&s;e that vnder this pretence that afflictions are profitable, doe ra&s;hly, vnadui&s;edly, indi&s;creetly, or wilfully pull affliction vpon them: but mo&s;t of all fooli&s;hly ignorant are the Papi&s;ts, that vnder this pretence pre&s;ently vow volun|tarie pouerty, and &s;o bring a burthen vpon the Church carele&s;ly, by a company of loytering lubbers, idle bellies, who&s;e glory is to their &s;hame. And there leauing
<PB N="65" REF="41"> them, we proceed: it followes in the text, <HI>As though yee were bound with them.</HI> Whence we learne,</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="Doct."> That we ought &s;o to minde the afflicti|on of Gods people, as though wee were our &s;elues afflicted in the body; this is e|uident in the Text, and plentifully proued by other Scriptures, 1. <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 25.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e that as true as our armes or legges are members of our naturall bodies, &s;o verily are the faithfull members of the Church of God, which makes but one &s;pirituall bo|dy of the Lord Ie&s;us, <HI>Ephe.</HI> 5. 30. Now wee know what a &s;impathie there is in the members of a body, though it bee farthe&s;t remote from the head, and of lea&s;t honour, yet if it be grieued; what readine&s;&s;e, what diligence, what care, what re&s;pect the whole body hath vn|to it.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> The v&s;e &s;erues, to &s;tirre vs vp to a &s;en&s;ible feeling of the bonds and afflictions of the people of God; for are they afflicted in any kinde? thou art afflicted in the &s;ame, if thou belong to Chri&s;t. Yea, if they bee afflicted
<PB N="66" REF="42"> in any member, thou art afflicted in the fame: therefore denie thou not the duty of a true, naturall and liuing member vn|to them; but as Chri&s;t who is the head, &s;aid vnto <HI>Paul; Saul, Saul, why per&s;ecu|te&s;t thou me,</HI> Act. 9. although hee was go|ing to vexe the poore Saints at <HI>Dama&s;cus:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Whether thou be an eye, an arme or hand or legge.</NOTE> &s;o doe thou, when thou heare&s;t of the affliction of the people of God in any place, take it to heart, as if thou were thy &s;elfe afflicted in thy owne body.</P>
<P>Thus much for the words apart, now let vs &s;ee what &s;weetne&s;&s;e wee may &s;ucke out of them as they lie together: <HI>Remem|ber tho&s;e that are in bonds, as though ye were bound with them; and tho&s;e that are in af|fliction, as though yee were afflicted in the body.</HI> Whence as a &s;econd gleaning after harue&s;t, we learne,</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="Doct."> That the Lord is very pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants.</P>
<P>This is plaine in the words of the text, <HI>Remember tho&s;e that are in bonds:</HI> but is that al? no, <HI>but euen as though ye were bound with them: remember tho&s;e that are in affli|ction:</HI> but is that all? No, <HI>it mu&s;t bee as though we were afflicted in the body.</HI> Where|in the Lord calls vpon vs &s;eriou&s;ly to
<PB N="67" REF="42"> thinke vpon the affliction of his people; which &s;hewes that hee is very pittifull of them. This is very plaine al&s;o, in all the re&s;t of the Scripture, <HI>Exod. 3. P&s;al. 9. Judges 2. 18. Deut. 32. 36. 2 King.</HI> 13. 4. Yea, it is proued not onely in tho&s;e places cited before, where the Lord pronoun|ceth a woe vnto all tho&s;e that doe abound with the&s;e outward things, and are not &s;orrie for the affliction of his people, and cur&s;eth tho&s;e that &s;it at ea&s;e, &amp; come not out to helpe them in their need; but al&s;o in all tho&s;e places, where he calls all tho&s;e to account, that haue beene in&s;truments of their &s;orrow, as the <HI>Idumeans,</HI> the <HI>A&s;|&s;irians,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 35. 15.</NOTE> the <HI>Babilonians,</HI> and the re&s;t; and like a pittifull father, who hauing whipt his childe cannot endure to looke vpon the rod, but either ca&s;ts it into the fire, or breakes it into peeces: &s;o doth the Lord deale with them which euidently &s;hewes, that hee is very pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants. And yet this will further ap|peare, if we doe duly con&s;ider, that all the promi&s;es in the Go&s;pell are principal|ly made vnto them, as <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they which &s;uffer per&s;ecution for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen,</HI>
<PB N="68" REF="43"> Math. 5. 10. <HI>tho&s;e that mourne they &s;hall bee comforted,</HI> ver&s;. 4. <HI>yea Chri&s;t is principally &s;ent to them,</HI> I&s;ay 60. 2. <HI>they receiue the Go&s;|pell,</HI> Math. 11. 5. <HI>God will dwell with them,</HI> I&s;ay 57. 15. And <HI>looke vnto them,</HI> I&s;ay 66. 2.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The grounds why the Lord is pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants are two, fir&s;t be|cau&s;e they are his children. Now wee all know how neere it goes to the heart of a father, to &s;ee his children in di&s;tre&s;&s;e; This made <HI>Dauid</HI> cry out to his &s;eruants to remember the young man <HI>Ab&s;olom, 2. Sam.</HI> 18. 5. euen as the Lord calles to Sa|tan when <HI>Iob</HI> mu&s;t bee afflicted, <HI>O &s;pare his per&s;on, O &s;pare his life.</HI> And this is the rea&s;on why the LORD calles vnto all his people to remember tho&s;e that are in bonds, to remember tho&s;e that are in affliction, euen becau&s;e they are his children.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> The &s;econd ground of this point, why the Lord is thus pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants, is his owne holy names &s;ake, as in <HI>Ezek. 39. 24. According to their vn|cleanene&s;&s;e I hid my face from them, there|fore thus &s;aith the Lord, Now will I bring againe the captiuitie of</HI> Iacob, <HI>and</HI>
<PB N="69" REF="43"> <HI>haue mercie vpon the whole hou&s;e of I&s;rael, and will be Iealous for mine holie name.</HI></P>
<P>And in the thirtie &s;ixth Chapter of <HI>E|zekiel,</HI> and the twentie one ver&s;e, the Lord &s;aith vnto I&s;rael, that hee had pit|tie on them for his owne holy name, which was prophaned among the hea|then where they were &s;cattered: for the Lord cannot endure that the heathen &s;hould &s;ay where is their GOD be|come? Therefore it is that hee calles &s;o vpon all his people to remember tho&s;e that are in bondes, to remem|ber tho&s;e that are in affliction, e|uen becau&s;e hee would not haue his Name bla&s;phemed among the hea|then.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> The v&s;e &s;erues; fir&s;t for comfort and con&s;olation vnto all tho&s;e that are in any affliction or di&s;tre&s;&s;e, whether in the denne with <HI>Daniel,</HI> or in the &s;tockes with <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> or in the dungeon with <HI>Pe|ter,</HI> or in the fire with the three children, or in the waters with <HI>Dauid;</HI> whether oppre&s;t by open enemies with the I&s;ra|lites, or betrayed by &s;ecret enemies as Chri&s;t; whether they are afflicted inwardly
<PB N="70" REF="44"> in their mindes, or outwardly in their bo|dies: Whether in their e&s;tates by pouer|tie, or in their names by reproaches, in their owne families or abroad, with in|ward feares, or outward terrors, of what kinde &s;o euer, or by what meanes &s;oeuer; here is comfort and con&s;olation for them, as a manu&s;cript &s;ent from heauen to cer|tifie them, that the Lord is very pittifull of them.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> But here a que&s;tion may bee asked by &s;ome afflicted &s;oule; How it can bee, that the Lord is thus pittifull of them, &s;eeing that many times hee lets them alone a long time in great affliction; euen to the reproach of the world, and the plea&s;ure of their enemies?</P>
<P> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> Alas poore &s;oule, art thou brought to that e&s;tate, that thou thinke&s;t his mercy is cleane gone, that he hath forgot to bee mercifull, or that he hath broken coue|nant with thee, and that hee hath quite for&s;aken thee? it is but thy owne thoughts to thinke &s;o; yet be not di&s;couraged, it is but the &s;ame that hath befalne the very be&s;t of Gods &s;eruants; as <HI>Dauid</HI> and Chri&s;t: for <HI>Dauid</HI> was &s;o afflicted and &s;o long, that he thought the mercies of God
<PB N="71" REF="44"> were cleane gone, and that he had forgot to be mercifull, and had quite broken co|uenant with them; and Chri&s;t in his agony thought that God had vtterly for&s;aken him, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 77. 8, 9. &amp; 89. 39, 49. <HI>Math.</HI> 27. 46. But they were but words of pa&s;|&s;ion, for God was as pittifull of them in their greate&s;t afflictions, and loued them as at other times. And this Chri&s;t knew, when he calles him my God, my God; and <HI>Dauid,</HI> when hee had remembred the yeares of the right hand of the mo&s;t High, and meditated of his workes, and deui&s;ed of all his acts; then he could &s;ay, <HI>Thy way O God is in the Sanctuarie:</HI> that is, that it is too high for fle&s;h and bloud to conceiue of, but onely by faith. There|fore, if thou thinke through thy great af|fliction, that the Lord hath forgot to bee mercifull unto thee, con&s;ider that it is but the apprehen&s;ion of fle&s;h and bloud: thou mu&s;t know with <HI>Dauid,</HI> that Gods wayes are in his Sanctuarie, the which if thou would&s;t attaine to know, thou mu&s;t enter into his Sanctuarie with <HI>Dauid, P&s;al.</HI> 73. 17. and there thou &s;halt cleerely &s;ee the end of the Lords dealing towards thee, and how hee pittieth thee in thy greate&s;t
<PB N="72" REF="45"> affliction. Now the Sanctuarie for the Saints, is the &s;acred Scripture, into the which if thou wilt enter with me a while, wee will call to minde the waies of God for thy greater comfort.</P>
<P N="1">1. And the fir&s;t &s;teppe &s;hall bee in <HI>Gen.</HI> 17. 1. where the Lord &s;aith vnto <HI>Abraham,</HI> and in him vnto all the faith|full:</P>
<Q><P>I am God all-&s;ufficient.</P></Q>
<P>The &s;econd is in <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> 1. 5. Where the Lord &s;aith to <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> (and in him to all the godly; as the holy Gho&s;t him|&s;elfe doth expound it, <HI>Hebrewes 13. 6.) I will neuer faile thee nor for&s;ake thee.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The third is in <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 54. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. where the Lord &s;peakes vnto the whole hou&s;e of I&s;rael, &s;aying: <HI>For a &s;mall moment haue I for&s;aken theee, but with great mercies will I gather thee: in a little wrath I hid my face from thee, for a moment, but with euerlasting kindene&s;&s;e will I haue mercy on thee, &s;aith the Lord thy Redeemer; for this is as the waters of</HI> No|ah <HI>vnto mee. Yea, the mountaines &s;hall de|part, and the hills be remoued, but my kinde|ne&s;&s;e &s;hall not depart from thee, neither</HI>
<PB N="73" REF="45"> &s;hall the couenant of my peace be remoo|ued, &s;aith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee: O thou afflicted, to&s;&s;ed with tem|pe&s;ts, and not comforted.</P>
<P N="4">4. The fourth is in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 49. 15. Can a woman forget her &s;ucking childe, that &s;he &s;hould not haue compa&s;sion on the &s;on of her wombe? yea they may forget, yet will not I forget thee.</P>
<P N="5">5. The fift is in <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 57. 18. I haue &s;eene his wayes, and will heale him, I will leade him al&s;o, and re&s;tore comforts vnto him, and to his mourners.</P>
<P N="6">6. The &s;ixt is in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 61. 1, 2, 3. The &s;pi|rit of the Lord is vpon mee, becau&s;e the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tydings vnto the meeke; he &s;ath &s;ent mee to binde vp the broken-hearted, to pro|claime liberty to the captiues, and the o|pening of the pri&s;on to them that are bound, to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord, to comfort all that mourne, to appoint vnto them that mourne in <HI>Sion,</HI> to giue vnto them beauty for a&s;hes, the oyle of ioy for mourning, the garments of prai&s;e for the &s;pirit of heauines, that they might be called trees of righteou&s;nes, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glo|rified.</P>
<P N="7"><PB N="74" REF="46">7. The &s;euenth is in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66. 5. Heare the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word: your brethren that hated you, that ca&s;t you out for my names &s;ake, &s;aide, Let the Lord be glorified: but he &s;hall ap|peare to your ioy, and they &s;hall bee a&s;ha|med.</P>
<P>Tho eight is in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66. 10. 11, 12. Re|ioyce ye with Ieru&s;alem, and be glad with her, all ye that loue her, reioyce for ioy with her, all ye that mourne for her; that ye may &s;ucke and bee &s;atisfied with the brea&s;ts of her con&s;olations, that yee may milke out, and bee delighted with the a|boundance of her glory. For thus &s;aith the Lord, Behold I will extend peace to her like a riuer: as one whom his mother comforteth, &s;o will I comfort you, and ye &s;hall be comforted in Ieru&s;alem.</P>
<P N="9">9. The ninth is in <HI>Zepha.</HI> 3. 17. 18, 19. The Lord thy God in the midde&s;t of thee is mighty, he will &s;aue, he wil reioyce ouer thee with ioy, he will re&s;t in his loue, hee will ioy ouer thee with &s;inging. I will ga|ther them that are &s;orrowfull for the &s;o|lemne a&s;&s;embly: Beholde at that time, I will vndoe all that afflict thee; and I will &s;aue her that halteth, and gather her that
<PB N="75" REF="46"> was driuen out, and I will get them fame and pray&s;e in euery land where they haue beene put to &s;hame.</P>
<P N="10">10. The tenth is in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 34. 19. Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord deliuereth him out of them all.</P>
<P N="11">11. The eleuenth is in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 97. 11. Light is &s;owne for the righteous, and ioy for the vpright in heart.</P>
<P N="12">12. The twelfth is in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 126. 5, 6. They that &s;owe in teares, &s;hall reape in ioye: hee that goeth foorth and weepeth, bearing pretious &s;eede, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;hall returne with ioy, bringing his &s;heaues with him.</P>
<P N="13">13. The thirteenth is in <HI>Gen.</HI> 22. 14. In the Mount will the Lord be &s;eene.</P>
<P>The fourteenth is, in <HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 36. The Lord &s;hall iudge his people, and repent him&s;elfe for his &s;eruants, when hee &s;eeth that their power is gone.</P>
<P>Here are fourteene &s;teps an&s;werable to tho&s;e fourteene excellent &s;ongs, called P&s;almes of degrees: by which wee may a&s;cend vp into the holy Temple of God, where we &s;hall heare that melodious har|mony of &s;weete melody, &s;ounding in our
<PB N="76" REF="47"> eares, which will cau&s;e our hearts excee|dingly to reioyce, though now for a &s;ea|&s;on: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1. 2.</NOTE> if neede require, we are in heauine&s;&s;e through manifolde tentations, 1. <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 6.</P>
<P>And now being by faith a&s;cended into the Sanctuary of the Lord, if we trace him <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 106. 44, 45. P&s;al. 105. 8. 42.</NOTE> from one end thereof vnto the other, we &s;hall finde that he neuer for&s;ooke any of his in their affliction, but euer when they called vpon him, and turned vnto him, he heard and an&s;wered, and deliuered them out of their di&s;tre&s;&s;e, either by remoouing the affliction from them, or them from it, as the booke of <HI>Iudges</HI> doth plentifully witnes; and in the 107. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> how oft is it &s;aid, that when they cried vnto the Lord, in their trouble, he deliuered the out of their di&s;tre&s;&s;e? But yet if the tentation lye &s;ore vpon thee, by rea&s;on of thy great afflicti|on, that thou maye&s;t yet doubt of the mercy and truth of God towards thee, and thinke that he hath forgot thee, con|&s;ider what the Lord him&s;elfe &s;ayth in the <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 105. 8, 9, 10. That he remembreth his couenant for euer; and his word to a thou&s;and generations, euen the couenant which he made with <HI>Abraham,</HI> &amp; his oath
<PB N="77" REF="47"> vnto <HI>I&s;aack,</HI> and confirmed the &s;ame vnto <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">acob</HI> for a law, and to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> for an euerla|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ting couenant. And that we may bee fully confirmed in the truth of this doctrine, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hat God is very pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants, &s;eeing it is &s;o hard to fa&s;ten it vpon vs in our pa&s;sions, let vs further con|&s;ider:</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, how highly the Lord is di&s;plea|&s;ed and offended with the in&s;truments of their afflictions, &amp; what reuenge he hath, and is purpo&s;ed to take, not onely on particular per&s;ons, as <HI>Pharao, Rab&s;heca,</HI> and <HI>Herod,</HI> but al&s;o on whole peoples and na|tions, as the <HI>Egyptians</HI> by drowning them in the mid&s;t of the &s;ea, the Babylomians by da&s;hing their young again&s;t the &s;tones, the Iewes by &s;cattering of them on the face of the earth, and the Antichri&s;tian Romanes by powring on them the full vi|oles of his wrath; yea by con&s;uming of them vtterly with the breath of his mouth and the brightnes of his comming: yea it is, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, a righteous thing with God, to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you that are troubled, re&s;t, when the Lord Ie&s;us &s;hall appeare.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="78" REF="48">2. Secondly, that all their wrongs he takes as done vnto him&s;elfe: <HI>Saul, Saul, why per&s;ecute&s;t thou me: Act. 9. He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye. Zacha.</HI> 2.</P>
<P N="3">3. Thirdly, that their afflictions are pretious in his &s;ight: for Pretious in the &s;ight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 116. 15.</P>
<P N="4">4 Fourthly, that what&s;oeuer is giuen, he takes as lent vnto him&s;elfe. <HI>Pro.</HI> 19. 17.</P>
<P N="5">5, Fifthly, how that hee hath taken or|der that none &s;hould doe them wrong. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 105. 14, 15. Touch not mine annoin|ted, and doe my Prophets no harme: yea hee hath reprooued kings for their &s;ake.</P>
<P N="6">6. Sixtly, how he &s;upports them in their troubles. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 46. 1.</P>
<P N="7">7. Seuenthly, how he accompanies them through them. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 43. 5.</P>
<P>And la&s;tly, how he calles vpon all his people euery where to remember them. The con&s;ideration of the&s;e things, wilfully e&s;tabli&s;h the truth of the doctrine, That the Lord is very pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants.</P>
<P>For if a King &s;eeing his &s;ubiects in great affliction and di&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;hould &s;euerely
<PB N="79" REF="48"> take vengeance on their aduer&s;aries that were the cau&s;e of their affliction, and ther|by &s;hould make it knowne, that all their wrongs he tooke as done vnto him&s;elfe, and that their afflictions were deare and pretious in his &s;ight, and thereupon had taken order that no man &s;hould doe them wrong; and on the other &s;ide &s;hould make it knowne vnto all his &s;ubiects, that what&s;oeuer were giuen vnto them to help them, hee tooke as lent vnto him&s;elfe: yea &s;hould him&s;elfe &s;upport them in their troubles, and accompany them, through them, in the fire, in the water, in the denne, in the dungeon, in bani&s;hment, in exile, in pouerty, and in euery di&s;tre&s;&s;e: And la&s;t of all, &s;hould make it knowne by publike writing &s;ealed with his owne &s;eale, that it were his will that all his &s;ubiects &s;hould remember them to mini&s;ter vnto them, and to doe them good; would not this per|&s;wade their hearts, that the king did ex|ceedingly pitty them in their afflictions? Yea, yea, beloued brethren, the Lord doth this to you, and more too; for the king could doe it but as a man, like <HI>Darius</HI> who laboured till the going downe of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 6. 14</NOTE> Sunne to deliuer <HI>Daniel,</HI> but that was all
<PB N="80" REF="49"> he could doe; but the Lord doth it as the Almighty, who is al-&s;ufficient to &s;upport thee in thy affliction, to accompany thee through it, to daunt the aduer&s;ary, and all at once. Therefore as it may &s;erue to con|firme the doctrine, &s;o it &s;erues exceeding|ly for thy comfort, who&s;oeuer thou art, or what&s;oeuer thy affliction be: and ther|fore &s;eeing it is chiefly the intent of the words in the text, and principally inten|ded in the rai&s;ing of the point to bring comfort vnto thee, depriue not thy &s;elfe of the &s;ame.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> Secondly, it &s;erues for imitation, That &s;eeing God is &s;o pittifull of his afflicted &s;eruants, euery one of his &s;hould doe the like. We cannot follow a better exam|ple.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> Thirdly, it &s;erues to &s;hame Chri&s;tians that are &s;o pittile&s;&s;e of the afflicted &s;er|uants of God; it &s;hewes they are no whit like their Father. <HI>Math.</HI> 5. 45. and that they want a great deale of loue to God: for he that loues him that begat, will loue him al&s;o that is begotten, 1. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5. 1. And if wee loue, we will &s;hew it by our pittying of them, 1. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 3. 17.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> Fourthly, it &s;erues for terrour to all
<PB N="81" REF="49"> tho&s;e that are in&s;truments, or cau&s;es of the afflictions of the people of God. For how&s;oeuer it may bee ne|ce&s;&s;ary in &s;ome re&s;pects that they &s;hould bee afflicted: yet, as it is &s;aide in another ca&s;e, &s;o I &s;ay in this; Woe bee to them, by whom the affliction commeth; for doth God pitty his af|flicted &s;eruants? then hee will haue no pitty on thee that art the in&s;trument or cau&s;e of their affliction, but will e&s;teeme it a righteous thing to re|compence tribulation vnto thee. Yea if hee pronounce a woe vnto his owne people, becau&s;e they &s;or|rowed not for them in their affli|ctions: what will hee doe to thee, who doe&s;t afflict them? Yea if <HI>Me|ro&s;he</HI> bee cur&s;ed that came not out to helpe them, what will hee doe to thee who comme&s;t out again&s;t them? but euen giue thee thy porti|on with <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> or <HI>Herod,</HI> or with the Babylonians, or with the Anti|chri&s;tian Romanes, to bee de&s;troyed heere, and to be ca&s;t into the blacke lake hereafter? For if thou hadde&s;t no other &s;inne again&s;t thee but this,
<PB N="82" REF="50"> euen thy cruelty and vnmercifull|ne&s;&s;e again&s;t the afflicted &s;eruants of God; It were &s;ufficient to &s;ide thee out to the left hand of God among&s;t the goats, to heare that woeful doome, <HI>Depart from mee yee cur&s;ed into euerla|&s;ting fire, which is prepared for the diuell and his angels, Mat.</HI> 25. O con&s;ider this ye that forget God, le&s;t hee teare you in pieces, and there bee no helpe, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50. 22.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e."> In the fift place it &s;erues for in|uitation, to inuite euery one to the &s;erious meditation and due con&s;ide|ration of the words in the Text, <HI>Re|member tho&s;e that are in bonds:</HI> For it concernes all, it belongeth to all, of what e&s;tate or degree, or con|dition &s;oeuer, whether high or lowe, rich or poore, in pro&s;peri|tie or aduer&s;itie, here is matter for thy meditation. If thou be in pro&s;|perity, it informes thee of thy du|ty; if in aduer&s;ity, of the Lords care ouer thee for thy comfort. There|fore let it often bee in thy minde, and often in thy memory: let it lye downe with thee, and ri&s;e vp
<PB N="83" REF="50"> with thee: Yea let it bee with thee in thy going out, and at thy comming in, and accompany thee in all thy wayes. And as the&s;e words in the text, &s;o all the branches of the &s;ame, with the &s;euerall in&s;tructions that it yeeldes for our v&s;e; and con&s;i|der what a &s;torehou&s;e of trea&s;ure is contayned in it; for how&s;oeuer a text may bee full of heauenly good mat|ter, yet it &s;hall not bee good to thee, vnle&s;&s;e rhou profitably receiue it. And as this is the ma&s;ters ioye, &s;o it will bee the &s;chollers comfort, e|uen with <HI>Dauid</HI> to hide the word; and with <HI>Mary</HI> to laie it vp in their hearts: And &s;eeing it is the intent of the Lord in &s;peaking, of his Spirit in in&s;piring; the inuiter in ga|thering, and his &s;oule in de&s;iring, that it may bee for thy profiting, de|priue not &s;o many of their expectati|on, thy &s;elfe of &s;o much good. And &s;eeing that the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it made it ea&s;ie in gathering, let it not bee te|dious vnto thee in reteining it beeing gathered. And as it &s;erues for all per|&s;ons, &s;o for all times and all changes;
<PB N="84" REF="51"> when thou art in pro&s;peritie, to teach thee; in aduer&s;itie to comfort thee.</P>
<P> <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="V&s;e"> It &s;erues in the la&s;t place for exhor|tation to all the afflicted Saints to prai&s;e God; for &s;hall God be &s;o pitti|full of them, and &s;hall hee lo&s;e the prai&s;e of his loue? No, no. <HI>Therefore O that men would prai&s;e the LORD for his mercifull louing kindene&s;&s;e, and count it exceeding ioy, when they fall into diuers temptations, &s;eeing that they are not for&s;aken in them.</HI></P>
<P>All prai&s;e to him who is all-&s;ufficient.</P>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>O That the &s;aluation of I&s;rael were come out of Sion: when the LORD bringeth backe the captiuitie of his people; <HI>Iacob</HI> &s;hall reioyce, and I&s;rael &s;hall bee glad, </Q>
<BIBL><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 14.</BIBL>
</EPIGRAPH>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q>For Sions &s;ake I will not hold my peace, and for Ieru&s;alems &s;ake I will not re&s;t, vntill the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e thereof goe forth as brightne&s;&s;e, and her &s;al|uation as a Lampe that burneth,</Q>
<BIBL><HI>I&s;ay</HI> 62. 1.</BIBL>
</EPIGRAPH>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><PB N="85" REF="51"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span">at make mention of the Lord, keepe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> not &s;ilence, and giue him no re&s;t till hee e&s;tabli&s;h, and till hee make Ieru&s;alem a prai&s;e in the earth, </Q>
<BIBL><HI>I&s;ay</HI> 62. 6, 7.</BIBL>
</EPIGRAPH>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
