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<DATE>2013-11-20</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A PLAINE AND FAMILIAR EXPOSITION: Of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Chapters of the Prouerbs of SALOMON.</P>
<P><HI>By</HI> IOHN DOD <HI>and</HI> ROBERT CLEAVER.</P>
<Q><BIBL>PSALME 34. VER. 8.</BIBL>&para; <HI>Ta&s;te yee, and &s;ee how gracious the Lord is, Ble&s;&s;ed is the man that tru&s;teth in him.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI> Printed for <HI>Roger Iack&s;on,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his Shop in Fleete&s;treete neere the Conduit.</P>
<P>1610.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Right Wor&s;hipfull our appro|ued Chri&s;tian friend, Mi&s;tri&s;&s;e ELIZA|BETH WALTER of <HI>Wimbleton,</HI> Grace Mercie and Peace.</HEAD>
<P>_GOod Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e WALTER, the plentifull fruites of your Chri&s;tian loue towards vs, and many others, doe not onely binde vs to offer vp our Prayers and pray&s;es to God for you in priuate, but al&s;o to giue &s;ome more ap|parant te&s;timonie of our vn|fained thankefulne&s;&s;e vnto your &s;elfe, as being a &s;peciall in&s;trument of our good and comfort.</P>
<P>Here therefore we pre&s;ent vnto you this &s;mall Treati&s;e, not doubting of your fauourable acceptance thereof, when our former VVritings did onely pa&s;&s;e by you, you alwayes called them in, and gaue them kind entertainement, not onely in your Hou&s;e, but in your heart; and therefore the&s;e now that come vnder your owne Name, and ca&s;t them|&s;elues vpon your fauour, cannot bee vnwelcome. If your &s;ucce&s;&s;e in Reading, bee an&s;werable to our de&s;ire and pur|po&s;e
<PB REF="3"> in writing, you &s;hall not loo&s;e your labour. And thus with all thankefull remembrance of our duetie, wee here commit you to the gracious protection of Almightie God, be&s;eeching him to make perfect that good worke which hee hath in great mercie begunne in you, and aboundantly to recompence all your kindne&s;&s;e and goodne&s;&s;e to his Seruants, in multi|plying his comfort and ble&s;&s;ings vpon you and yours for euer.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your wor&s;hips much bound and in the Lord to be commaunded.
<LIST>
<ITEM>IOHN DOD and</ITEM>
<ITEM>RO. CLEAVER.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>A Summarie of all the Doctrine col|lected out of the &s;euerall Ver&s;es of the&s;e three Chapters.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>CHAP. 18.</HEAD>
<ITEM><LABEL>VERSE. I.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>WHat&s;oeuer any man be&s;t loueth, that he will with greate&s;t dilligence and prouidence labour for.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e II.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It is the roote of a &s;infull man to bee po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;elfe-liking, and wilfulne&s;&s;e in his owne wayes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Euill words are mo&s;t pernicious to tho&s;e that &s;peake them.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e IX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>A &s;loathfull per&s;on &s;tandeth in the &s;tate of a &s;pend-thrift.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e X.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>They liue in best &s;afety that are mo&s;t a&s;&s;ured of Gods fauor.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>They that are too forward and ha&s;ty in &s;peaking, are apt to fall into ab&s;urd lies, when they &s;peake.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>No trouble or affliction is too heauie for a cheerefull hart to vndergoe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>The horrour of a terrified con&s;cience, is an importable burthen.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XV.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>He that would be wi&s;e to &s;aluation, mu&s;t apply both his heart and eares to Gods holy word.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="4">
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>They that haue the be&s;t knowledge, are the mo&s;t willing to learne more.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>A bad cau&s;e commonly hath the aduantage at the begin|ning, and a good cau&s;e preuaileth in the end.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Then a lot is lawfully v&s;ed, when it either procureth or pre|&s;erueth peace and equity.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The more neerely men are knit together, the more greeuous the breach is, when iarres doe grow betweene them.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>They onely &s;peede well in mariage, whom God maketh the match for in mercy.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Affliction and a lowe estate, is a meanes to bring men to lowly behauiour.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It is in vaine for him to expect con&s;tant kindne&s;&s;e from o|thers, which is carele&s;&s;e to performe duties to others.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>CHAP. 19.</HEAD>
<ITEM><LABEL>VERSE. I.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>THey that bee &s;mall and godly, are in better ca&s;e then &s;uch as be great and wicked.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e II.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>An hart altogether ignorant, is altogether corrupt &amp; &s;inful.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2, <HI>What&s;oeuer is ra&s;hly done, is ill done.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e III.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Euery mans hurt doth grow from his own &s;inne &amp; folly.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Afflictions often make many wicked men the wor&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e IIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Fle&s;hly men loue onely them&s;elues, vnder pretence of friend|&s;hip to others.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e V.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>How&s;oeuer fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es preuaile again&s;t others, they &s;hall be &s;ure to &s;peede ill them&s;elues.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>No lier can liue in any good &s;afety.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL><PB REF="4">Ver&s;e VI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Many pretende much loyaltie to Princes and Potentates, which beare little good will vnto them.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Neither con&s;anguinity nor familiarity will make a fle&s;hly friend firme to him that is in mi&s;ery.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>It is aprerogatiue peculiar to the wi&s;e and godly, to be ow|ners of their owne hearts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Euery godly wi&s;e man is a true friend to him&s;elfe.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e X.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>The liberty of delights and comfortable pro&s;perity, doth nothing belong to the wicked.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>All &s;inners are bondmen, and euery good man is a Prince.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 3. <HI>Euill rulers neuer abu&s;e their authority &s;o much, as when the godly fall into their hands.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It maketh much for a mans credit to be gentle and peace|able.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It is expedient for men to be good &s;ubiects, euen for feare or hope of the Princes affections.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The mo&s;t delectable commodities of this life, turne many times to be very offen&s;iue.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>No man can po&s;sibly haue po&s;&s;e&s;sions of equall value with a good yoke-fellow.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>The more immediate any good gift of God is, the more precious it is.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 3. <HI>The Lord hath a principall hand in all good mariages.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XV.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Sloathfulne&s;&s;e is a vice very hurtfull both to body, &s;oule, and outward estate.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Vnrighteous dealing bringeth that mi&s;ery vpo~ mens heads, which they are mo&s;t afraid of.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>So much con&s;cience as any man maketh of obedience to Gods will, &s;o much a&s;&s;urance he hath of &s;aluation and &s;afety.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>What&s;oeuer good is done to godly men afflicted, is accepted
<PB REF="5"> of God as done to him&s;elfe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e. XVIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Correction of children ought not to be ouer-long deferred.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>They &s;hew them&s;elues vnmercifull Parents, which ex|empt their children from due correction.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Correction is neither to be giuen in pa&s;sion, nor omitted re|mi&s;&s;ely.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>A godly man &s;hall haue the greate&s;t benefit of his piety, and graces, when he draweth neere&s;t to his death.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Things come not to pa&s;&s;e by mens purpo&s;es, but by Gods ap|pointment.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver. XXII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Vertue and well-doing is the be&s;t ornament that any man can be decked with.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Pouerty is no di&s;paragement to the godly, nor any prefer|ment to the wicked.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Euery good man liueth alwayes in &s;afety of his life.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Godline&s;&s;e procureth &s;ufficient proui&s;ion for mens outward e&s;tates.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 3. <HI>Nothing that is hurtfull can befall any man that is god|ly.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXV.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Though ob&s;tinate per&s;ons be excluded, yet they are not to be exempted from due puni&s;hment,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXVII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Who&s;oeuer will proceede con&s;tantly in the wayes of God, mu&s;t take heede of &s;educers.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXVIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>A wicked per&s;on may ea&s;ily be made a fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>The greater delight any man taketh in &s;inning, the more greater a &s;inner he is.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Though wicked men deride the words of God, yet they can|not e&s;cape the execution of them.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>CHAP. 20.</HEAD>
<ITEM><LABEL>VERSE. I.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>THey that giue them&s;elues to drunkenne&s;&s;e, doe cast them&s;elues into many mi&s;chiefes.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL><PB REF="5">Ver&s;e III.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It is a laudable vertue to be of a quiet di&s;po&s;ition, and to a|uoid contentions.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e IIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Light occa&s;ions will hinder carele&s;&s;e men from the doing of nece&s;&s;ary duties.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>He that will take his ea&s;e when he ought not, &s;hall feele mi&s;ery when he would not.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e V.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Malicious men haue further reaches and plots in their heads, then the world knoweth of.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>There be none &s;o crafty, but others may be as wi&s;e to &s;ift them.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The be&s;t works of vnfaithfull men be of no value with God.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Who&s;oeuer is &s;incere &amp; hone&s;t, the &s;ame is al&s;o righteous.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Faithfull Parents haue no cau&s;e to dread the &s;tate of their children after their decea&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e VIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>A vigilant Ruler is a restraint and terrour to vicious per|&s;ons.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e IX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The best &s;hall haue corruptions and &s;innes cleauing to them, &s;o long as they liue.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It concerneth the young as well as the olde, to be religious, and to liue vertuou&s;ly.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Our members and &s;en&s;es are the workman&s;hip and gift of God.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The abu&s;e of lawfull things is vnlawfull &amp; hurtfull.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XIIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>The Lord doth take notice of all the behauiour of men in their trafficking one with another.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Carnall men direct not their tongues &s;o much to &s;peake truth, as to &s;eeke their owne aduantage.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>They that ra&s;hly ca&s;t them&s;elues into debt, are not &s;o fauo|rably to be dealt with, as they that fall there-into through nece&s;sitie.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>Nothing is &s;o plea&s;ant to the wicked, as that which is mo&s;t hurtfull.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="6">
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Though iniquity and wickedne&s;&s;e yeeld plea&s;uree at the beginning, yet they will put men to paine in the end.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XVIII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>A mans wi&s;edome &s;erueth him for be&s;t v&s;e, when hee will not re&s;t vpon it alone, but be holpen by the coun&s;ell of others.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Wi&s;edome and coun&s;ell are as needefull and auaileable for warre, as &s;trength and power.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver. XIX.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>It is good wi&s;edome not to tru&s;t a &s;landerer or tell-tale, with thy &s;ecrets.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Both con&s;ultation and conuer&s;ation with flatterers is to be auoided.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Rebellious children and &s;uch as vilifie their Parents, are &s;ubiect to &s;ome not able mi&s;chiefe and puni&s;hment.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>All kinde of reuenge is vnlawfull for Christians.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>God hath a prouident hand in the di&s;po&s;ing of all mens waies.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXV.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Sacriligeous per&s;ons cannot long prosper.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXVI.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>It is no cruelty for the Magi&s;trates &s;harply to puni&s;h lewde and di&s;ordered per&s;ons.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXVII.</LABEL>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Doct. 1. <HI>That onely is to be esteemed a life which is &s;anctified with grace.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Doct. 2. <HI>Where God worketh grace, he al&s;o giueth knowledge and vnder&s;tanding.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXVIII.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>The be&s;t way for Princes to confirme and &s;trengthen them|&s;elues, is to be good to their &s;ubiects.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXIX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>God doth adorne men with &s;euerall gifts, according to the di|uer&s;ity of their conditions.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LABEL>Ver&s;e XXX.</LABEL> Doct. <HI>Seuere corrections are &s;ometimes to be v&s;ed as good medi|cines against great &s;innes.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="exposition">
<PB N="1" REF="6">
<HEAD>AN EXPOSITION OF THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE PROVERBS.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="18" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAPTER. XVIII.</HEAD>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 1.</BIBL> <HI>For his de&s;ire</HI> a man <HI>will &s;eeke, &s;eparating him|&s;elfe, and deale in euery matter.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>_FOr his de&s;ire a man will &s;eeke</HI>] Euery man will applie his minde and indeuour to get that which hee affecteth, <HI>&s;eparating him&s;elfe,</HI> a|uoiding all the lets &amp; impediments which are like to cro&s;&s;e his de&s;ire, <HI>and will deale in euery matter,</HI> hee will attempt all &s;uch cour|&s;es as may &s;erue for the accompli&s;hment of his purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>&para; What&s;oeuer anie man be&s;t loueth, that he will with greate&s;t <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> diligence and prouidence labour for.</P>
<P>That which the heart mo&s;t wi&s;heth, whether it be good or bad, the tongue, hand and head, with all the other members, are ready to procure. <HI>Ieremie</HI> complained of the wicked, which delighted in wickedne&s;&s;e: that they gaue them&s;elues to fraude<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 9. 5.</NOTE> and fal&s;hood, and <HI>tooke great paines to do wickedly.</HI> And <HI>E&s;ay</HI> com|mendeth the godly, which &s;et their mindes on godline&s;&s;e, <HI>that with their &s;oules, they de&s;ired the Lord in the night:</HI> and therefore with their &s;pirits within them, they would &s;eek him in the mor|ning. When <HI>Achab</HI> had apprehended an hope of glorie and
<PB N="2" REF="7"> wealth, to be wonne at <HI>Ramoth</HI> in <HI>Gilead,</HI> he pre&s;ently ca&s;teth about how to come by it, and then he &s;oliciteth <HI>Ieho&s;aphat</HI> to beare him companie, and then he appointeth his flattering prophets to giue him incouragement, and then he &s;corned at <HI>Micaiah</HI> that foretold the perill, and then he goeth on ob&s;ti|nately rather then re&s;olutely to trie the &s;ucce&s;&s;e. And <HI>Dauids</HI> principall care was to plea&s;e the Lord, and to procure comfort to his owne &s;oule, and therefore he re&s;olued, for that purpo&s;e, to walke in the lawes of the Lord, and to bani&s;h from him all corrupt and pernicious companions. <HI>Away</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>ye wicked; for I will keepe the commandements of my God.</HI> In which examples a&s;well of the one, as of the other, our text is verified, though in contrarie manner. For both the&s;e kings were inflamed with contrarie de&s;ires, the one of his owne glorie, the other of the Lords: both of them &s;eparated them&s;elues, the one from good coun&s;ell, the other from bad: both of them practi&s;ed that which they deemed be&s;t for their turnes, the one contempt again&s;t Gods word, the other obedience to it. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is the nature of loue, to make men indu&s;trious and painefull to compa&s;&s;e that which they couet for the &s;atisfying of their wills, as appeareth by generall experi|ence. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P>Secondly, they that be good, and delight in goodnes, &s;hall be a&s;&s;i&s;ted and directed by Gods holie &s;pirit in godly procee|dings: and they that be &s;infull and take plea&s;ure in &s;inne, &s;hall be driuen forwards, and prompted by the &s;ugge&s;tions of Sa|than in mi&s;chieuous practi&s;es. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."></P>
<P>Confutation of the colourable glo&s;&s;es whereby innumera|ble guilefull profe&s;&s;ours illude their owne &s;oules, and deceiue the opinion of others. They thinke them&s;elues zealous for the truth, and de&s;irous of &s;aluation, but are idle, and take no paines to purcha&s;e grace: they are barren, and bring not forth the fruits of loue: they are carele&s;&s;e, and flie not from the baites of &s;inne.</P>
<P>The leaude&s;t companions are as acceptable to them, as the hone&s;te&s;t Chri&s;tians: the mo&s;t infectious &s;peeches
<PB N="3" REF="7"> di&s;plea&s;e them no more then the whole&s;ome&s;t in&s;tructi|ons: they are as well contented to be pre&s;ent where the wic|kede&s;t practi&s;es are plaied, as where the godlie&s;t &s;eruices are performed. If the &s;eate of loue were in the mouth, and not in the heart, if &s;aying in word were &s;ufficient to declare a &s;ound affection, without &s;hewing the &s;ame indeed, we might be|leeue &s;uch men, that they had vpright de&s;ire (for none are more forward to brag and boa&s;t thereof then they) but &s;ithens they faile of &s;eeking and &s;eparating, and exerci&s;ing, which &s;hould make them manife&s;t, they mu&s;t pardon vs though we conceiue not &s;o well of them, when we &s;ee no better te&s;ti|monie of pietie in them.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 2.</BIBL> <HI>A foole is not delighted with knowledge, but in di&s;coue|ring his owne heart.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Foole</HI>] a wicked per&s;on de&s;titute of grace and wi&s;edome, and yet highly conceited thereof, <HI>hath no delight in vnder|&s;tanding,</HI> is not de&s;irous to be truely wi&s;e, and therefore regardeth as little the meanes whereby he may attaine to wi&s;edome, <HI>but in di&s;couering his owne heart,</HI> in &s;hewing by word and deed, that follie and naughtines which proceedeth out of his corrupt and wretched heart, nothing doth &s;atisfie him, but that which is agreeable to his humours.</P>
<P>&para; It is the note of a &s;infull man to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;elfe-liking, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and wilfulnes in his owne waies.</P>
<P>Of all men whom the prophets had to deale with, they mo&s;t complaine of tho&s;e that were of this di&s;po&s;ition, and no man was more troubled with them, as it &s;eemeth than <HI>Ieremie.</HI> When in the name of the Lord he willed them to <HI>inquire of the old way which is the good way, and walke therein, and they &s;hould finde re&s;t to their &s;oules, they &s;aid, they would not walke therein.</HI> When he bid them <HI>take heede to the &s;ound of the trumpet,</HI> (that is the word of<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 6. 16. 17.</NOTE> God by his me&s;&s;engers) <HI>they &s;aid, they would not take heed.</HI> When he admoni&s;hed them <HI>to returne euery one from his euill way, and make their waies, and their workes good, they &s;aid de&s;perately, &s;urely
<PB N="4" REF="8"> we will walke after our owne imaginations, and doe euery man after the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 18. 12. 13.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tubbornnes of his wicked heart.</HI> And was that good dealing with him in <HI>Aegipt,</HI> when they told him expre&s;&s;ely, that <HI>the word which he had &s;poken in the name of the Lord, they would not heare it</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 44. 16. 17.</NOTE> <HI>of him,</HI> but would <HI>doe what&s;oeuer thing went out of their owne mouth.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, carnall rea&s;on, and worldly wi&s;edome, are of great force <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> and e&s;timation with them, and the&s;e are enmitie to the coun|&s;els of God, and the coun&s;els of God are fooli&s;hnes to them.</P>
<P>Secondly, the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h doe rule and raigne in their <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;oules and members, they are wholy led with &s;en&s;ualitie: and what can they reli&s;h which &s;auoureth of the &s;pirit? and what will not delight them, that is &s;infull and &s;en&s;uall?</P>
<P>Thirdly, pride continually aboundeth in their hearts, they <MILESTONE N="3"> are toppe-full thereof, and ouerflowen with it, &s;o that all good coun&s;ell giuen vnto them, they reiect as contemptible, but their owne wills and deui&s;es, they follow as diuine and admira|ble. Their wittes are &s;o fre&s;h, their knowledge &s;o deepe, their &s;peeches &s;o wi&s;e, and their actions &s;o well ordered, as that no|thing is well, either done, or &s;aid, or thought of, which is con|trarie to their cour&s;es.</P>
<P>In&s;truction not to like of vnder&s;tanding or in&s;truction the <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> wor&s;e, becau&s;e &s;o many doe like of it no better: for we know that the greate&s;t number doth neuer con&s;i&s;t of the wi&s;e&s;t men, but of the worldlie&s;t. And what though the whole band of Sathans &s;ubiects &s;hould with open mouth exclaime and crie out vpon wi&s;edome? It is enough for her due prai&s;e, and our imitation, that &s;he <HI>is iustified of her owne children. Who hath belee|ued</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matt 11. 19. I&s;ay. 53.</NOTE> <HI>our report,</HI> &s;aith the prophet <HI>I&s;ay?</HI> and yet ble&s;&s;ed were they that did beleuee it, though neuer &s;o fewe; and cur&s;ed were they that gaue no credit to it, although there were many millions of them.</P>
<P>Conuiction of all peruer&s;e and ob&s;tinate per&s;ons, which be <MILESTONE N="2"> wedded to their willes, and of euery one which taketh plea&s;ure in &s;inne, that naughtines hath place in his heart. But who told vs what is in their minds and affections, what they be&s;t loue and like of? Shall we be iudges of their con&s;ciences? They tell
<PB N="5" REF="8"> vs in word and deed which way their heart is inclined, their leaud and licentious exerci&s;es bewray and di&s;couer their in|ward corruptions. Who heareth not their tongues &s;ay that they are vncha&s;tly minded, when their lipps be v&s;ually talking impurely? doeth not lu&s;t and leaudne&s;&s;e i&s;&s;ue out of their mouths? And will not immode&s;t and wanton behauiour and dalliances declare as much to mens eyes? Who &s;eeth not a co|uetous affection &s;hewing forth it &s;elfe by greedie &s;eeking of gaine, and commoditie? And doeth not ambition, and in&s;olen|cie, and gari&s;hnes, te&s;tifie again&s;t proud per&s;ons to their faces? So doe riot, vnthriftines, and voluptuous liuing, perpetually cry out vpon Epicures and bellie-gods.</P>
<P>Con&s;olation for them that &s;triue to bring their wills in &s;ub|iection <MILESTONE N="3"> to Gods wi&s;edome, and imbrace in&s;truction, and as much as they can, doe mortifie their inordinate affections&punc; the &s;pirit of God inditeth them not of folly, but the Lords owne te&s;timonie con&s;equently cleareth them of that contumacious ob&s;tinacie whereof the wicked are conuicted.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 3.</BIBL> <HI>When the wicked commeth, then commeth contempt, and with the vile man, reproach.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>WHen the wicked commeth,</HI>] when any man becommeth wicked, &amp; waxeth &s;infull, <HI>then commeth contempt,</HI> di&s;ho|nour and infamie follow fa&s;t after him, his credit is growing into a con&s;umption, how great and many meanes &s;oeuer he hath to vphold it: <HI>and with the vile man reproach,</HI> he that is vicious, and by ill doing de&s;erueth &s;hame, &s;hall be &s;ure to haue &s;hame and reproach his companions: if men dare not &s;peake contemptuou&s;ly to him, yet they will talke contempti|bly of him, or though they &s;hould be afraid to cen&s;ure him in their words, yet they will be bold to de&s;pi&s;e him in their mindes. See chap. 11. 2. &amp; 13. 18.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 4. <HI>The words of an excellent mans mouth, are as deepe wa|ters, the wel&s;pring of wi&s;edome, is</HI> as</BIBL> <HI>a flowing riuer.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe words,</HI>] the whole&s;ome and fruitfull &s;peeches, <HI>of an excel|lent mans mouth,</HI> vttered by godly men, and &s;uch as feare the
<PB N="6" REF="9"> Lord: for to them doth the holie Gho&s;t vouch&s;afe the title of excellencie: as when <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith in the P&s;alms, <HI>My goodnes</HI> ex|tendeth <HI>to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent.</HI> And<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16. 3.</NOTE> when <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith in this booke, <HI>The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour,</HI> They <HI>are as deepe waters,</HI> plentifull and copi|ous, &s;uch as faile not, nor can be drawne drie at anie time. <HI>The Well-spring of wi&s;edome is like a flowing riuer,</HI> their hearts feede<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 12. 26.</NOTE> their mouthes, and thereout, wi&s;e, holie, and fruitefull words flowe abundantly, as a vehement &s;treame boyleth out of a rich Fountaine. See Chapt. 10. 11.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 5.</BIBL> <HI>To accept of the per&s;on of the wicked is not good, to ouer|throw the iust man in iudgement.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>TO accept of the per&s;on of the wicked</HI>] to free him from puni&s;h|ment, or to &s;hew him fauour in a bad matter, for his power, parentage, kindred, friendes, witte, wealth, gifts, acquain|tance, or to regard anie thing in him, without the cau&s;e, <HI>is not good,</HI> but dangerous and hurtfull, it will draw downe the iudge|ments of God vpon tho&s;e Magi&s;trates, or per&s;ons what&s;oeuer, which v&s;e &s;uch parcialitie: and he &s;peaketh in this manner, be|cau&s;e there is a &s;hewe of wi&s;dome, and policie, for gaine &amp; &s;afety, by gratifying of them, in re&s;pect of the bribes which they will giue to haue their turnes &s;erued, and the mi&s;chiefe which they will worke to tho&s;e that proceede &s;euerely again&s;t them, <HI>to ouer|throw the iu&s;t man in iudgement,</HI> this is the effect, that common|lie in&s;ueth vpon the fauor that is &s;hewed to the wicked, and ma|keth the &s;inne double: In &s;o much as vnrighteous malefactors are &s;pared, &s;o much the harmle&s;&s;e and innocent are oppre&s;&s;ed: that hand which lifteth vp him, whom it ought to beat downe, will beate downe him, whome it ought to lift vp. Either of the&s;e were great offences alone, but verie grieuous when they are both conioyned together. It was a foule fault to &s;eeke the relea&s;e of <HI>Barrabas,</HI> which had de&s;erued to die, but to haue him deliuered, that Chri&s;t might be crucified, was intollerable wic|kednes: and yet it would haue bene more notorious and dete|&s;table, if Chri&s;t had bin condemned to die, by the practi&s;e and
<PB N="7" REF="9" MS="y"> per&s;wa&s;ion of <HI>Barrabbas,</HI> which thing &s;ometimes befalleth the members of Chri&s;t, by th' in&s;tigation of the &s;ucce&s;&s;ours of <HI>Bar|rabbas.</HI> The <HI>Shechemites</HI> aduentured to doe that which is here condemned, and therefore they felt the penaltie which here is threatned: they would &s;et vp <HI>Abimelech</HI> to be king, becau&s;e he was of their bloud, and &s;lue the other &s;onnes of <HI>Gideon</HI> for his &s;ake, and at his reque&s;t, but in the end they found <HI>it not good to</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 9. 45.</NOTE> <HI>accept of the per&s;on of the wicked, and to ouerthrowe the iust:</HI> for they and their Cittie were de&s;troyed, for taking part with their wicked kin&s;man, and offering violence to the righteous chil|dren of <HI>Gideon.</HI> See Chap. 17. ver&s;e 15.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 6.</BIBL> <HI>A fooles lippes come with &s;trife, and his mouth calleth for &s;tripes.</HI></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 7.</BIBL> <HI>The mouth of a foole is his owne de&s;truction, and his lippes are a &s;nare for his &s;oule.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Fooles lippes come with &s;trife,</HI>] the wicked talke of a graceles foole, his rayling, &s;landering, lying, backbyting, challen|ges, comparings, nipping, and gyrding, doe as directlie tende to quarrels, or brablings, as if they had legges to goe vn|to contention: which is e&s;pecially to be vnder&s;tood of them that be froward, proude, giuen to &s;coffing, and others of like nature &amp; di&s;po&s;ition: <HI>and his mouth calleth for &s;tripes,</HI> the words of his mouth do prouoke, and euen call for blowes, and puni&s;h|ments, by his de&s;ire vpon others, but by de&s;ert and effect vp|on him&s;elfe. <HI>The mouth of a foole is his owne de&s;truction,</HI> his vn|adui&s;ed and intemperate &s;peeches bring his owne ouerthrow, <HI>and his lippes are for his &s;oule,</HI> that matter which his lippes doe maliciou&s;lie or ra&s;hlie vtter, is an occa&s;ion and meanes to in|trappe him, to the hazard of his &s;tate, life, and &s;aluation.</P>
<P>&para; Euill words are mo&s;t pernicious to tho&s;e that &s;peake them. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P><HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes affirmeth, that the lippes of a foole deuoure him&s;elfe.</HI> And in the twelfth Chapter of this booke, the euill man is<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 10. 12.</NOTE> &s;aide <HI>to be en&s;nared by the wickedne&s;&s;e of his lippes;</HI> and diuers &s;uch &s;ayings are to be found in the former Chapters, which<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 12. 13.</NOTE> were verified in <HI>Doeg,</HI> in <HI>Haman,</HI> and <HI>Daniels</HI> aduer&s;aries, who&s;e
<PB N="8" REF="10"> tongues were &s;harpe and keene, to cut their owne throates, but blunted by the good hand of God, that they could not hurt his &s;eruants, whome they &s;trooke at with their bitter accu&s;ati|ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the tongue is an edge toole, and requireth the skill of <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> wi&s;edome, and the &s;trength of grace to handle it. If it be well managed, it is a weapon defen&s;iue, if otherwi&s;e, it is as much offen&s;iue to him that abu&s;eth it, who euer holdeth the point and edge in his owne hands, &amp; &s;miteth at others with the hilts.</P>
<P>Secondly, the Lord is wont to render &s;uch men their owne <MILESTONE N="2"> mea&s;ure, and maketh them fall into the pittes, which with their harmefull tongues they haue digged for their brethren. They which by lying and traducing would defame others, by the di&s;|couerie of their liues are made infamous them&s;elues, and as they would haue hurt thereby the &s;tate of them whome they fal&s;lie accu&s;ed, &s;o their owne &s;tates are impaired by actions and &s;uites ari&s;ing vpon their &s;launders. So it falleth out with fierce and furious fellowes, and gibing-mates, and challengers, that &s;eeking either the di&s;grace or blood of their neighbours, they receiue contempt and wounds to them&s;elues. And &s;o &s;peede con&s;pirators and traiterous people, they maligne the life of the Prince, and peace of the Countrey, and therefore doe practi&s;e the ruine of both, but it plea&s;eth God to make both to &s;tand, and manie of them to fall, and let the re&s;t beware, that they drink not of the &s;ame cup with them, although for a time, they be too much fauoured.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it is iu&s;t and righteous with the Lord, to call all vn|godly <MILESTONE N="3"> men to accounts before his iudgements &s;eate, not onely for their wicked workes, but &s;infull words: yea, <HI>for euerie idle word,</HI> as our Sauiour foretelleth, &amp; then they &s;hall finde to their<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 12. 36.</NOTE> endle&s;&s;e woe, this Scripture to be fulfilled, that <HI>the mouth of a foole is his owne destruction, and his lippes are a &s;nare for his &s;oule.</HI></P>
<P>Admonition, to be more afraid of &s;peaking &s;infully, then of <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> all that &s;infull men can &s;peak again&s;t vs, becau&s;e they can one|ly attempt thereby to hurt vs, if wee be vpright with the Lord, and hee will hide vs from the &s;courge of their tongues, that though they blame vs for a time, yet they &s;hall not &s;hame vs
<PB N="9" REF="10"> for euer: though they worke our trouble, or death, as they did <HI>Naboths,</HI> yet not our de&s;truction, as they could not doe his: but their owne euil tongues will effect mi&s;chiefe again&s;t them|&s;elues, for puni&s;hment of bodie, and perdition of &s;oule, for e|uer. Then if thou woulde&s;t rule thy tongue better, that it draw thee not into &s;uch dangers, thou mu&s;t not &s;uffer &s;inne to raigne in thy life, nor to rule in thy heart, which will commaund thy mouth, and ouerrule thy tongue: and the Lord by his righte|ous prouidence doth manie times giue them ouer to the follie and violence of their lippes, to their &s;hame and mi&s;erie, which will not be guided by the wi&s;edome and vertue of <HI>his</HI> lippes, to their glorie and happines.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 8.</BIBL> <HI>The words of the tale-bearer are as &s;troakes, and they goe downe into the inward parts of the bellie.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe words of the tale-bearer</HI>] the malicious accu&s;atio~s which whi&s;perers doe &s;ecretly mutter again&s;t men behinde their backes, <HI>are as &s;troakes,</HI> as wounds that are giuen by wea|pons: they doe them as much hurt by &s;eeking their infamie, or trouble, or by alienating the mindes, and good opinions of their friendes and neighbours from them, as if they had &s;mit|ten them with a &s;word, <HI>and they goe downe into the inward parts of the belly:</HI> they are like vnto dartes, wherewith men are dange|rou&s;lie wounded, piercing (as it were) into the verie intrailes. See Chapt. 12. ver&s;e 18.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 9.</BIBL> <HI>Euen he that is negligent in his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, is a brother to a wa&s;ter.</HI></Q>
<P>HE that carrieth him&s;elfe &s;lothfullie in the works of his cal|ling, being without all care and indeuour to &s;et forwards his affaires, <HI>is brother to a wa&s;ter,</HI> is like to him that prodi|gally wa&s;teth his &s;ub&s;tance, as if he were his owne brother, and &s;hall as certainely, though it may be, not &s;o &s;peedily, come to pouertie, as hee.</P>
<P>&para; A &s;lothfull per&s;on, &s;tandeth in the &s;tate of an vnthrift. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<PB N="10" REF="11">
<P>Though there be &s;ome difference in the manner, and de|grees of their &s;inning, yet the holie Gho&s;t condemneth them both to be &s;infull: and though they walke in diuers pathes, yet they meete together at the la&s;t in mi&s;erie and wretched|ne&s;&s;e, an&s;wereable to the mea&s;ure of their misbehauiour and rechle&s;nes.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they that are too backward to &s;erue the Lord in fruit|full <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> labour, are lightly too forwardes, to &s;erue the fle&s;h in fruit|le&s;&s;e &s;en&s;ualitie: and &s;o as remi&s;&s;e and idle Droanes, they de|uoure much more, then the mo&s;t laborious and painefull Bees.</P>
<P>Secondly, all is &s;poyled what&s;oeuer they &s;pend, that which they eate, and drinke, and weare, is none of theirs, by warrant, <MILESTONE N="2"> to their hearts from God, though they haue a ciuill title to the &s;ame, they deale like bea&s;ts, that breake into mens fieldes, and eate vp the Corne and gra&s;&s;e, that is not allowed vnto them: and therefore the Apo&s;tle admoni&s;heth &s;uch to <HI>worke with qui|etnes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 3. 12.</NOTE> <HI>and eate their owne bread.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, penurie and want is threatned vnto them, and exe|cuted <MILESTONE N="3"> vpon them, and &s;o are they whipped with the &s;ame rodde wherewith wa&s;ters are &s;courged. <HI>Hee that loueth pa&s;time</HI> (&s;ayth hee, of the &s;pend-thrift) <HI>&s;hall be a poore man: and hee that loueth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 21. 17.</NOTE> <HI>oyle and wine &s;hall not be rich. And thy pouertie,</HI> (&s;aith hee, to the &s;lothfull) <HI>commeth as one that trauaileth by the way,</HI> it maketh ha&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 24. 34.</NOTE> as a Poa&s;t, or &s;wift pa&s;&s;enger, <HI>and thy nece&s;&s;itie like an armed man,</HI> with force and violence vnre&s;i&s;tably.</P>
<P>Fourthlie, they are &s;eldome patient of pouertie, though <MILESTONE N="4"> often oppre&s;&s;ed with it: and therefore, they growe in the end, to lying, and &s;hifting, to fal&s;hood and filching, and all man|ner of indirect cour&s;es. Which appeareth by the precept of the Apo&s;tle: <HI>Let him that &s;tole, &s;teale no more: but rather let</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 28.</NOTE> <HI>him labour with his hands, the thing which is good, that he may haue to giue vnto him that needeth.</HI></P>
<P>Fiftlie, great hurt is done, and much redoundeth to the <MILESTONE N="5"> publike &s;tate by their badde husbandrie. <HI>By &s;lothfulne&s;&s;e, the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 19. 18.</NOTE> <HI>roofes of their hou&s;es goe to decay,</HI> (as the wi&s;e-man te&s;tifieth,)
<PB N="11" REF="11"> <HI>and by the idlene&s;&s;e of their handes, their hou&s;es droppe thorough.</HI> Their mounds and <HI>&s;tone walles are broken downe, and their fieldes</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 24. 31.</NOTE> <HI>are ouergrowne with thornes and nettles:</HI> by meanes whereof, tho&s;e habitations are ruinated, and groundes become barren which peraduenture wa&s;ters would haue &s;olde, and thrifty men haue bought, (or purcha&s;ed) before they came to &s;uch de&s;o|lation.</P>
<P>In&s;truction for men to informe them&s;elues what bu&s;ine&s;&s;e <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> God hath called them vnto, and what is their worke, that they may therein &s;hewe their diligence.</P>
<P>Euery man, of euery degree, as well rich as poore, as well mightie as meane, as well noble as ba&s;e, mu&s;t knowe that hee is borne for &s;ome imployment to the good of his brethren, if hee will acknowledge him&s;elfe to be a member, and not an vlcer in the bodie of mankinde.</P>
<P>But if loue and dutie to men, be not of force enough to per|&s;wade thee to be&s;towe thy time v&s;efully, let prouidence, and the regard of thine owne e&s;tate preuaile with thee, that hauing lit|tle, thou maye&s;t get more: or hauing much, thou maye&s;t pre|&s;erue that which thou po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e&s;t. Or if thou take&s;t not that for a &s;ufficient motiue, to induce thee to labour, yet &s;tand in awe of God, and de&s;pi&s;e not his will &amp; ordinance, who hath en|ioyned <HI>Adam</HI> and all <HI>Adams</HI> po&s;teritie, yet in his loynes, to <HI>get</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 19.</NOTE> <HI>their bread in the &s;weate of their faces.</HI></P>
<P>And if contemptuou&s;ly, they will needs deuoure it, without anie trauaile or good vocation, they bite at a bayte vpon an hooke, they &s;hall be &s;ure to &s;wallowe downe his cur&s;e there|with. See this point and v&s;e more largely handeled, Chap|ter, 10. 4.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 10.</BIBL> <HI>The name of the Lord is a &s;trong Tower: the righte|ous runneth to it, and is exalted.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe Name of the Lord</HI>] his fauour ioyned with his mightie power, and faithfulnes towards his people, <HI>is a &s;trong Tow|er,</HI> as a Fort or Ca&s;tle of defence is, for the &s;afetie of them that are within it: &s;o he pre&s;erueth his from the viole~ce of their
<PB N="12" REF="12"> aduer&s;aries, that would de&s;troy or hurt them: <HI>the righteous,</HI> &s;uch as be iu&s;t, and godlie, and feare him, <HI>runne vnto it,</HI> depend vpon him, and by prayer, and confidence, commit them&s;elues to his protection, again&s;t Satan, &s;inne, damnation, and all man|ner of daungers both of &s;oule and bodie, <HI>and are exalted,</HI> &s;o kept from the rage of troubles, and the reach of their enemies, as if they were taken vp into an high Turret, or &s;et in &s;ome place aloft, which no enemie could either vndermine, or a&s;|&s;ault, or &s;hoote vp vnto.</P>
<P>&para; They liue in be&s;t &s;afetie, that are mo&s;t a&s;&s;ured of Gods fa|uour. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>His name here is oppo&s;ed, and &s;et again&s;t all earthly muniti|ons, whether of wealth, authoritie, armour, armies, friendes, holds, or what&s;oeuer el&s;e men take to be fences for them. This cau&s;eth him to &s;peake &s;o comfortablie to his <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the whole bodie of his people, &s;aying: <HI>The Eternall God is thy refuge, and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 33. 27.</NOTE> <HI>vnder his armes thou art for euer: hee &s;hall ca&s;t out the enemie before thee, and will &s;ay, de&s;troy them.</HI> And this cau&s;eth his <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> his &s;eruants, and faithfull ones, to glorie &s;o confidentlie in his goodnes, &s;aying: <HI>I will &s;ay vnto the Lord, &ocirc; mine hope, and my</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 91. 2.</NOTE> <HI>fortre&s;&s;e: hee is my God, in him will I tru&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, hee is not onely mightie, but Al-mightie, and onely <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> mightie, euen the Lord of might and power: and the &s;tron|ge&s;t creatures haue but a limited &s;trength, and that they hold, and exerci&s;e, but at his will, and during his plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Secondly, hee is a refuge again&s;t one euill, a&s;well as an o|ther, <MILESTONE N="2"> or again&s;t euery one, as anie: the &s;trength of Ca&s;tles can keepe out men, and their violence, (though by trea&s;on &s;ome|times they may haue al&s;o entrance thereinto) yet famine, pe&s;ti|lence, mortalitie, &s;infulnes, death, and the diuell, cannot be kept out: but our God is a defence again&s;t all the&s;e, that none of them &s;hall be hurtfull vnto vs, when&s;oeuer we &s;hall be be&s;ie|ged by them.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to declare our &s;elues righteous, and enioy the <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> prerogatiue of righteou&s;nes, in &s;eeking helpe at Gods hand, a|gain&s;t all our troubles &amp; dangers. Our ca&s;tle is euery where: the gate therof is alwayes open for friends, &amp; &s;hut again&s;t enemies:
<PB N="13" REF="12"> no time is vn&s;ea&s;onable to repaire vnto it: no place is an impediment to hinder vs from it: no bodily weakenes can di&s;able vs of it. This iourney may be vndertaken at midnight a&s;well as at noone, and we may runne apace as we &s;it in our hou&s;es, and lie in our beds, and the feeble&s;t cripple, may make as good &s;peed as the &s;wifte&s;t footeman: onely let vs not make our hearts lame, or our waies vnpa&s;&s;eable, by infi|delitie, vaine confidence, or euill conuer&s;ation, with guiltines of con&s;cience. Faith, and faithfull behauiour, put agilitie into the &s;oule, and make pa&s;&s;age for it vnto Gods pre&s;ence, with|out interruption.</P>
<P>This &s;erueth al&s;o to reproue their follie, and to conuince <MILESTONE N="2"> them of vnrighteou&s;nes, which dare not commit them&s;elues to <HI>the name of the Lord</HI> for their &s;uccour, le&s;t it &s;hould be bat|tered, and beaten downe vpon their heads, and therefore flie to &s;uch fortre&s;&s;es as are founded meerely vpon their owne fancies. How many doe make the fle&s;h their arme, for things concerning their bodies, and this pre&s;ent life, as is the cu&s;tome of worldlings? And how many doe tru&s;t in lying va|nities, as idols, the helpe of the dead, and praiers to be made for them when them&s;elues are dead, in the behalfe of their &s;oules, in the life to come, as is the practi&s;e of papi&s;ts? See this point, and other materiall v&s;es thereof in the ninth chapter, fir&s;t ver&s;e, and third doctrine.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 11. <HI>The &s;ubstance of the rich man,</HI> is as it were</BIBL> <HI>his &s;trong citie, and as a high wall in his imagination.</HI></Q>
<P>IN the former &s;entence was declared wherein the godly &s;eeke for &s;afetie, and finde it, and that is in the name of the Lord: and in this, wherein the wicked, e&s;pecially being wealthy, pre&s;ume of defence, but faile of it, and that is in their <HI>goods</HI> and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions. For they &s;eeme <HI>a &s;trong citie,</HI> which no dangers can vanqui&s;h, and <HI>an high wall,</HI> that no mi&s;erie can &s;cale and climbe ouer: but all is in their owne imagination, and nothing in truth: for they are weake and lowe, and vtterly void of power again&s;t any kind of calamities. See chap. 10. 15.</P>
<Q><PB N="14" REF="13"><BIBL>Ver&s;e 12.</BIBL> <HI>Before destruction the heart of a man is haughtie, and before glorie goeth lowline&s;&s;e.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>BEfore destruction</HI>] before &s;ome grieuous calamitie, whereby a man is as it were broken in peeces (as the word impor|teth) with m&s;erie, &s;orrow, or &s;hame, <HI>the heart is haughtie,</HI> the minde is puft vp with &s;elfe-liking, and &s;o groweth &s;ecure, and careles, and <HI>before glorie goeth lowlines,</HI> when a man is hum|ble in his owne eyes, and thinketh ba&s;ely of him&s;elfe, and re|uerently of others, and &s;ubmitteth him&s;elfe to Gods hand, to beare willingly what&s;oeuer he &s;hall impo&s;e vpon him, he is in the way to true honour, if he be not aduanced to prefer|ment, yet he &s;hall be refre&s;hed with comfort, and inriched with graces. See chap. 11. 2. and 16. v. 18. 19.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 13.</BIBL> <HI>He that an&s;wereth a matter before he hath heard it, it is a follie and a &s;hame to him.</HI></Q>
<P>TO make an&s;were, or replie to a &s;peech, or at all to &s;peake of any matter, before a man hath throughly heard, and fullie informed him&s;elfe therein, is a ra&s;h and indi&s;creete part, and the euill con&s;equents thereof, cannot but redound much to his di&s;credit.</P>
<P>&para; They that are too forward and ha&s;tie in &s;peaking, are apt to <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> fall into ab&s;urdities when they &s;peake.</P>
<P><HI>Festus</HI> &s;hewed him&s;elfe &s;carce &s;ober, and in his right minde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26. 24.</NOTE> when he interrupted <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o rudely in that his diuine oration, and charged him to be be&s;ide him&s;elfe. And it is noted as one of the faults wherewith <HI>Dauid</HI> was blemi&s;hed, that vpon <HI>Ziba</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. Sam. 16. 4.</NOTE> his bare accu&s;ation, he pa&s;&s;ed away <HI>Mephibo&s;heths</HI> maintenance from him, before <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> was brought to his an&s;were. But the iu&s;tice and wi&s;edome of our Lord <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> is prai&s;ed by way of prophecie for a contrarie cour&s;e in his proceedings. For &s;o much doth <HI>E&s;ay</HI> te&s;tifie, when he &s;aith, that <HI>the &s;pirit of the Lord &s;hall re&s;t vpon him: the &s;pirit of wi&s;e|dome, and vnder&s;tanding, the &s;pirit of coun&s;ell, and &s;trongth, the &s;pirit
<PB N="15" REF="13"> of knowledge, and of the feare of the Lord, and &s;hall make him pru|dent in the feare of the Lord; for he &s;hall not iudge after the &s;ight of his eyes</HI> (that is, by &s;uperficiall and &s;light &s;hewes) <HI>neither re|proue by hearing of his eares,</HI> (that is, by heare-&s;ay, and flying re|ports) <HI>but with righteou&s;nes &s;hall he iudge the poore.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he that will deale wi&s;ely, mu&s;t worke by knowledge <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> and certaintie, which can neuer be attained vnto by meere coniectures (becau&s;e fal&s;ehood at the fir&s;t glance &s;eemeth to carrie the colour of truth) but by manife&s;t information and proofe, whereby the equitie of euery cau&s;e is to be made appa|rant and euident.</P>
<P>Secondly, they that are giuen to be &s;uddaine with their lips, <MILESTONE N="2"> before that matters be duely ripened to their eares, doe many times &s;uddainely more hurt to them&s;elues and others, then afterwards they can well heale againe with their mo&s;t mature deliberation. It is not &s;o ea&s;ie to recouer the credit of wi&s;e|dome, truth and equitie, as to incurre the cen&s;ure of follie, fal&s;ehood, and iniquitie. Neither can we &s;o &s;oone retract mens mindes from an hard opinion of tho&s;e per&s;ons, or cau&s;es, which we vniu&s;tly depraue, as we can iniuriou&s;ly induce them to an euill per&s;wa&s;ion thereof.</P>
<P>Reproofe of diuers that haue nimble and light tongues, and <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> can readily &s;ay what&s;oeuer commeth into their minde, which doe greatly delight to babble and rea&s;on, though that which they pronounce be vaine and friuolous, yea diuers times erro|nious, vngodly, and wicked. And yet are &s;o pre&s;t and readie to &s;peake, that they cannot &s;uffer an other to end his tale, yea hardly to beginne it, who notwith&s;tanding expect applau&s;e and commendation for their great wi&s;edome and iudgement. But if the&s;e be wi&s;e, then <HI>Salomon</HI> was very &s;illie in condem|ning their cour&s;e; and if <HI>Salomon</HI> were indued with know|ledge and vnder&s;tanding, the&s;e may worthily be reputed fooles without iudgement.</P>
<P>And to pa&s;&s;e by them that take aduantage at a clau&s;e of a &s;aying, and apprehend not the &s;entence, or &s;tumble at words, not regarding the meaning, as the malicious cauillers did, which put no difference betweene the temple of Chri&s;t his
<PB N="16" REF="14"> bodie, and the temple of &s;tone) they are hereby controlled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2. 12.</NOTE> and that &s;harpely, which <HI>&s;peake euill,</HI> as <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, <HI>of the things which they know not:</HI> and &s;o much more they which not onely &s;peake euill, but pa&s;&s;e a &s;entence of condemnation: which are not onely headie to condemne, but al&s;o ha&s;tie to inflict pu|ni&s;hment vpon their innocent vnderlings. So dealt <HI>Pa&s;hur</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 20. Act. 23.</NOTE> with <HI>Ieremie,</HI> and <HI>Ananias</HI> with <HI>Paul:</HI> but &s;o would not <HI>Iob</HI> deale with his people, though of his owne familie, though bond|men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 31. 13.</NOTE> though handmaides, though neuer &s;o meane and abiect: hearing they &s;hould haue, and iu&s;tice they &s;hould finde: if their cau&s;e proued good, their intreatie &s;hould not be bad. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P>In&s;truction to follow the precept of Saint <HI>Iames,</HI> who ad|moni&s;heth euery man to <HI>be &s;wift to heare, and &s;lowe to &s;peake.</HI> He that is mo&s;t talkatiue and readie to obiect, is alwaies lea&s;t at|tentiue, and negligent to learne: and he that is mo&s;t &s;ilent,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 32.</NOTE> vntill it be time to &s;peake, will like <HI>Elihu</HI> in the booke of <HI>Iob,</HI> be be&s;t able to &s;peake to the purpo&s;e, when time requireth. By &s;uch &s;hall a good cau&s;e be well maintained, fal&s;ehood and errours di&s;couered, the truth iu&s;tified, the companie edified, and their owne wi&s;edome and knowledge made manife&s;t to tho&s;e that heare them.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 14.</BIBL> <HI>The &s;pirit of a man will beare out his infirmities, but a wounded con&s;cience who can beare?</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe &s;pirit of a man</HI>] his heart being in a comfortable e&s;tate by the &s;ight of Gods fauour, and the te&s;timonie of a good con&s;cience, <HI>will beare out his infirmities,</HI> maketh him to &s;u&s;taine with patience, and &s;ome cheerfulnes, manifold paines and di&s;ea&s;es of the bodie, and all outward cro&s;&s;es what&s;oeuer: <HI>but a wounded &s;pirit who can beare?</HI> but when the &s;oule is ca&s;t downe, and as it were broken with the apprehen&s;ion of Gods indignation, none can endure the horror and anqui&s;h thereof, nor any thing rai&s;e it vp, and giue comfort to it, but God alone.</P>
<P>&para; No trouble or affliction is too heauie for a patient and cheer|full <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> heart to vndergoe.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="14">
<P>If <HI>nece&s;&s;ities,</HI> if <HI>di&s;tre&s;&s;es,</HI> if <HI>&s;tripes,</HI> if <HI>pri&s;ons,</HI> if <HI>tumults,</HI> had<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 6 4.</NOTE> bene of force to make a faithfull man to fall, the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> would not haue bene able to &s;tand &s;o con&s;tantlie as hee did; for all the&s;e hee patientlie &s;uffered, for the honour of his mini|&s;terie. And though <HI>Dauids</HI> calamities, by the rapes, ince&s;ts, murders, and rebellions, committed in his owne familie, and euen by his owne Children, were as grieuous and painefull, as<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 8.</NOTE> broken bones: yet when his &s;oule did feele Gods fauour and goodne&s;&s;e towards him, hee was not out of hope to recouer a|gaine his former comfort and ioyfulnes.</P>
<P>This might be further exemplified by <HI>Iob,</HI> by <HI>Iacob,</HI> and manie others, e&s;peciallie tho&s;e worthie martyrs, whome the Apo&s;tle propo&s;eth for examples to the <HI>Hebrewes,</HI> who <HI>were tryed by mockinges and &s;courgings: yea more-ouer, by bondes and pri&s;onment. They were &s;toned, they were hewen a&s;under, they were</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 36. 37.</NOTE> <HI>tempted, they were &s;laine with the &s;word, they wandered vp and downe in &s;heepes-skinnes, and in goates-skinnes, being de&s;titute, affli|cted, and tormented.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, being iu&s;tified by faith, and at peace with God, their <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> faith and power doth obtaine a diuine power from God, and that cau&s;eth heauie burthens to be borne, as though they were light&punc; and bitter potions to be &s;wallowed downe, as though they were &s;weete and plea&s;ant.</P>
<P>Secondly, they looke to the end which the Lord doth aime <MILESTONE N="2"> at in all their tribulations, and that is their profite: and the ef|fect that will en&s;ue therevpon at the la&s;t, and that is their eter|nall ble&s;&s;ednes.</P>
<P>In&s;truction for them that feare God, not &s;o much to fore|feare <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> afflictions and troubles, as if the weight and loade of the &s;ame would cru&s;h them to pieces. What&s;oeuer can befall anie godly man, depending on the goodnes of God, touching his health, &s;tate, &s;afetie, friendes, or any thing that doth external|lie concerne him, is but a tollerable infirmitie, as <HI>Dauid</HI> found at <HI>Ziglag,</HI> when his goods were gone, his Cittie brent, his wiues taken captiues, together with his Children, his friendes become his foes, and his life in imminent danger: for they were about to &s;tone him, and yet in all this extremitie, he is &s;aid
<PB N="18" REF="15"> to haue <HI>comforted him&s;elfe in the Lord his God.</HI> Now hee that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sam. 30. 6.</NOTE> was &s;o prouident for <HI>Dauid,</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t his heart with helpe and power in his aduer&s;itie, will not be carele&s;&s;e for the re&s;t of his people, as to leaue them de&s;titute of aide and &s;uccour in their di&s;tre&s;&s;es. If hee lay yokes on their neckes, and burdens on their &s;houlders, hee will either make their yoakes and burdens to be light and ea&s;ie, or el&s;e their neckes and &s;houlders to be &s;trong and mightie. And therefore &s;o much di&s;temper as any man breaketh into in his afflictions, &s;o much defect he bewray|eth of the vigour, and fortitude of the &s;pirit.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>But a wounded &s;pirit, &amp;c.</HI> The horror of a terrified con&s;ci|ence <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> is an importable burden.</P>
<P>The bodie in his health and &s;trength, with all the delectable things that &s;ence doeth delight in, is vnable to &s;upport, and yeeld refre&s;hing to the &s;oule afflicted, as the &s;oule in her peace and tranquillitie doth animate and cheri&s;h the bodie di&s;ea&s;ed. The angui&s;hes and agues of diuers godlie men, being &s;trongly a&s;&s;aulted with feares, and temptations, as of <HI>Iob,</HI> and <HI>Dauid,</HI> and <HI>Christ</HI> e&s;peciallie, doe giue a cleare te&s;timonie to the truth of this point: and the vnvtterable gripings, and de&s;perate hor|rors of the wicked, doe make it vndoubtedly certaine and ma|nife&s;t. How mi&s;erablie was <HI>Bal&s;hazzar</HI> affrighted, and racked with terrors in the mid&s;t of his cuppes, at his &s;umptuous ban|quet, notwith&s;tanding the greatnes of his power, the maie&s;tie of his place, the largenes of his dominions, the gorgiou&s;nes of his buildings, the plentie of his plate and trea&s;ures, whereof<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.</NOTE> much was now before him, and the multitude of his friendes, whereof manie now were with him?</P>
<P>It &s;halbe needle&s;&s;e here to dilate the ca&s;e of <HI>Caine</HI> and <HI>Iudas,</HI> of whome, the one re&s;tle&s;lie pur&s;ued him&s;elfe from place to place on earth, and the other po&s;ted to the tree with all ha&s;t po&s;&s;ible, to ru&s;h with &s;peedines into hell.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they looke vpon the angrie countenance of God, and apprehend his irefull indignation, &amp; that is &s;o immea&s;urablie <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> fearefull and terrible, as neither man nor Angell can po&s;&s;iblie &s;u&s;taine it. <HI>Fall on vs mountaines</HI> (&s;ay <HI>the mightie men,</HI> in the Re|uelation,) <HI>hide vs, &ocirc; Rockes,</HI> (&s;ay <HI>the Kings and Chiefetaines,</HI>)<NOTE PLACE="marg">Apoc. 6. 16. 17</NOTE>
<PB N="19" REF="15"> <HI>from the pre&s;ence of him that &s;itteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lambe. For the great day of his wrath is come, and who can &s;tand?</HI></P>
<P>Secondlie, the guilt of &s;inne is a mo&s;t grieuous vlcer for <MILESTONE N="2"> their hearts to feele, and an hideous obiect for their eyes to &s;ee, and yet it is alwayes before them, and continually within them. No debt, though of millions, and to the cruelle&s;t creditor in all the world, is &s;o dangerous, as deadly &s;inne: no writte is &s;o ineuitable as the cur&s;es of Gods holie Law: and no arre&s;t is &s;o vncomfortable and irke&s;ome, as the biting accu&s;ations of the con&s;cience.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the continuall perill of death, of hell, and con|demnation, <MILESTONE N="3"> doth maruellou&s;lie di&s;may them, in &s;o much that life it &s;elfe, which all liuing creatures ardentlie de&s;ire to re|taine, and all the delights and priuiledges thereof, are of no e&s;timation and value with them: the violent dread of de|&s;truction, draweth them often, to &s;eeke their de&s;truction with violence.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to price the peace of a good con&s;cience at an <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> higher rate then all bodilie ble&s;&s;ings, and earthlie commodi|ties, as health, wealth, wit, reputation, authoritie, dignitie, kinde friends, pro&s;perous children, and all other de&s;ireable gifts that are but temporarie: if it haue them ioyned with it, be thank|full for the&s;e, but more for that: if it be be&s;towed alone with|out them, be content with that, and murmure not at the defect of the&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, beware how thou pearce thy &s;oule with knowne and wilfull trangre&s;&s;ions, lea&s;t thou make a wound therein, which in the end may prooue vn&s;ufferablie painefull, and vn|curablie de&s;perate. Which mi&s;chiefe, the better to preuent, let euerie man often examine his wayes, and get pardon for his &s;innes, and purging from them, before they exulcerate, and breake forth into &s;uch pernicious malladies. And it is verie needfull to profite by, and make good v&s;e of more gentle and milde corrections, that euerie affliction bring vs to &s;ome hu|miliation, by the finding out of our offences, and the vnfai|ned acknowledgement of them.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="16">
<P>La&s;tly, &s;ithens the &s;tate of them that are laden with the poi&s;e of a troubled con&s;cience, is &s;o full of calamitie, &s;o wofull and lamentable, what mercie and compa&s;&s;ion is therefore to be &s;hewed vnto them? Are they not much to be borne with, euen in their infirmities, pittied, prayed for, and comforted, and not reproched, de&s;pi&s;ed, and laughed at? Who art thou which &s;ha|king thy head at their feares, doubts, and diffidence, can&s;t true|lie &s;ay, I &s;hall neuer drinke of this cuppe, this mi&s;erie &s;hall ne|uer fall vpon me? And if thou in that &s;tate woulde&s;t not haue affliction added to thy &s;elfe afflicted, then cau&s;e not them to be made more &s;orrowfull, which are alreadie well-neare ouer|whelmed with &s;orrow.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 15.</BIBL> <HI>The heart of the prudent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth knowledge, and the eare of the wi&s;e will &s;eeke after vnder&s;tanding.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe heart of the prudent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth knowledge,</HI>] hee that is ac|quainted with the &s;tate of his owne &s;oule, and di&s;cerneth how precious and fruitefull, and needfull vnder&s;tanding is, will not content him&s;elfe to haue wi&s;edome in his eares, or head, or lippes, but layeth it vp in his heart, as his chiefe trea|&s;ure, <HI>and the eare of the wi&s;e &s;eeketh after vnder&s;tanding:</HI> he labou|reth to increa&s;e knowledge and grace, adding dailie therevnto, by harkening as much as he may, to all &s;ound and whole&s;ome in&s;tructions.</P>
<P>Hee that would be wi&s;e to &s;aluation, mu&s;t applie both his <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> heart and eares to Gods holy word. Wi&s;edome expecteth both the&s;e at the hands of her children, and &s;chollers, and conditio|neth with them, that they &s;hall be without neither, if they will enioy her, and her graces. <HI>My &s;onne</HI> (&s;aith &s;he) <HI>if thou wilt re|ceiue my words, and hide my commandements within thee, and cau&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 2. 1. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>thine eares to hearken to wi&s;edome, and incline thine heart to vnder|&s;tanding, then &s;halt thou vnder&s;tand the feare of the Lord, and finde the knowledge of God.</HI> There more &s;hall be &s;poken of this mat|ter.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="16">
<P>&para; <HI>And the eares of the wi&s;e, &amp;c.</HI> They that haue the be&s;t know|ledge, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> are the mo&s;t willing to learne more. See chap. 9. v. 9. doct. 2.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 16.</BIBL> <HI>The gift of a man inlargeth him, and leadeth him be|fore great men.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe gift of a man</HI>] not the good qualities that are in him, and the graces which he hath receiued, but the pre&s;ent that he bringeth, and the reward that he be&s;toweth, <HI>inlar|geth him, and leadeth him before great men,</HI> maketh roome for him, and procureth him acce&s;&s;e to the pre&s;ence of them that are in high places, and of great authoritie, from whom al&s;o he getteth countenance and fauour, whether his &s;uite be equall, or vnlawfull. See chap. 17. v. 8.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 17.</BIBL> <HI>He that is fir&s;t in his owne cau&s;e is iu&s;t: then commeth his neighbour and maketh inquirie of him.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HE that is fir&s;t in his owne cau&s;e</HI>] he that is in a controuer&s;ie, &s;peaketh fir&s;t, before the magi&s;trate, arbitrator, or any other to whom it belongeth to heare the matter, <HI>is iu&s;t,</HI> &s;o pleadeth for him&s;elfe, and &s;etteth &s;uch colours vpon his cau&s;e, that he &s;eemeth to be very righteous: if he be plaintiffe, that his informations be equall, and waightie, if defendant, that his apologie is good, and he innocent. Yet is not this to be vn|der&s;tood of euery one that hath the fir&s;t place of &s;peech: for righteous men doe many times begin the declaration of the cau&s;e, or defence of them&s;elues, and be found vpright and faithfull both in the entrance and end of the &s;trife: but it is ment of fal&s;e fellowes, that re&s;pect not what they may warrantably auerre with truth, but what they can audaciou&s;ly affirme with impudencie. <HI>Then commeth his neighbour, and ma|keth inquirie of him,</HI> he that in the &s;econd place, or afterwards is to make an&s;were vnto him, or reply vpon him, confuteth his allegations, detecteth his fal&s;ehood, and conuinceth him, of indirect and naughtie dealing.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="17">
<P>&para; A bad cau&s;e commonly hath aduantage at the beginning, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and a good cau&s;e preuaileth in the end.</P>
<P>So it fell out betweene <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> and his mi&s;tris; betweene <HI>Micaiah,</HI> and the fal&s;e prophets: betweene <HI>Mordecai,</HI> and <HI>Ha|mon:</HI> betweene <HI>Paul,</HI> and <HI>Tertullus:</HI> betweene <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and the phari&s;es: betweene the Go&s;pell, and poperie.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, wicked men that maintaine euill cau&s;es, are &s;hamele&s;&s;e <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> to &s;peake lies, and diuers that heare them, are readie to beleeue lies, vntill the truth doe euidently refell them.</P>
<P>Secondly, God in his prouidence doth &s;o di&s;po&s;e of it, that <MILESTONE N="2"> his people may be the better humbled: that they may be drawne to &s;eeke his helpe, and that his hand may be &s;eene in their pro&s;perous &s;ucce&s;&s;e at the la&s;t. <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."></P>
<P>In&s;truction to rulers and iudges, and euery one to whom authoritie is committed, to lend the eares a&s;well to the one &s;ide as the other, before they condemne or acquite either of them: and that they proceed as they finde the matter confirmed or confuted by due proofes, and not as they heare it affirmed, or contradicted by bare words: for our prouerbe is as true as common: One tale is good, till an other be heard. And this may al&s;o admoni&s;h all men to take heede how they garni&s;h bad cau&s;es with artificiall colours, as vaine women paint their wi|thered faces to make them &s;eeme very faire and beautifull: the breath of truth will at the la&s;t blowe vpon them, whereby their hew &s;hall be changed, that euery one &s;hall &s;ee their defor|mitie, not by hauing a disfigured vizage, but a di&s;hone&s;t be|hauiour. Though they thriue in their practi&s;es for a time, yet it is impo&s;&s;ible for them to &s;ucceed well in their euil waies for euer: either their neighbours, one man or other, will lay open their fal&s;ehood and faultines to the eyes of the world in the day of their conuiction, or el&s;e the Lord will bring their leaudnes to light, before men, and Angells, and all the world, at the day of iudgement.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 18.</BIBL> <HI>The lot cau&s;eth contentions to cea&s;e, and maketh a partiti|on amongst the mightie.</HI></Q>
<PB N="23" REF="17">
<P>HE declareth the true, and right v&s;e of a lot, by telling what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> done, for that which ought to be done: namely, in diffi|cult and doubtfull cau&s;es, which cannot otherwi&s;e be well determined, and where in diui&s;ion men cannot agree betweene them&s;elues what part euery one &s;hould haue, that then they be &s;atisfied with that which the Lord by lot doth after a &s;ort, award vnto them. And he makth &s;peciall mention of the <HI>mightie&punc;</HI> that it &s;erueth to compound their controuer&s;ies, be|cau&s;e that when they contend, by rea&s;on of their power, and &s;trength, and &s;tout &s;tomacks, they greatly damni&s;ie one an other.</P>
<P>&para; Then a lot is lawfully v&s;ed, when it either procureth or pre|&s;erueth <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> peace, and equitie.</P>
<P>For the auoyding of partialitie, wrong, &s;trife, and murmu|ring, the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> are commanded by <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and ordered by <HI>Io&s;hua, to inherit the land of Canaan by lot, according to their families:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 33. 44.</NOTE> <HI>to the more,</HI> &s;aith he, ye &s;hall giue more inheritance, and to the <HI>fewer,</HI> the le&s;&s;e inheritance. Where the lot &s;hall fall to any man, that &s;halbe his: according to the tribes of your fathers, ye &s;hall inherit.</P>
<P>When <HI>Saul</HI> by lot was cho&s;en to be king, there was no occa|&s;ion<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Saul. 10&punc;</NOTE> giuen, or taken, for ought that we read, that any other &s;hould &s;tand vp again&s;t him to get the place, or thinke him|&s;elfe vnworthily reiected, that he was not cho&s;en. And &s;o <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Act."> when the lot for the Apo&s;tle&s;hip fell on <HI>Matthias, Bar&s;abas</HI> forthwith gaue place vnto him, and all the re&s;t acknowledged the election to be from the Lord.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God him&s;elfe hath in&s;tituted and appointed it, his or|dinance <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> it is, and not mans inuention, and to this end de&s;tina|ted by him, that iu&s;tice and concord might be maintained, where they are planted: and repaired againe, where they are vio|lated.</P>
<P>Secondly, the hand of his prouidence hath the direction of <MILESTONE N="2"> it, as we haue alreadie &s;eene in the &s;ixtenth chapter: <HI>The lot is</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 16. 33.</NOTE> <HI>ca&s;t into the lap, but the whole di&s;po&s;ition thereof, is of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction that we neuer deale with a lot, but vpon iu&s;t <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> cau&s;e, when need &s;o requireth, and in due manner, as is &s;eemely,
<PB N="24" REF="18"> and fit for the exerci&s;e thereof. Beware that it be not friuo|lou&s;ly peruerted to &s;ports and trifles, and e&s;pecially to doe wrong and iniurie, as the &s;ouldiours did to winne <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his ve&s;ture, and <HI>Haman,</HI> in &s;eeking thereby a luckie time to de|&s;troy all the <HI>Iewes.</HI> And who&s;oeuer vpon &s;erious and weightie affaires &s;halbe lawfully occa&s;ioned to v&s;e it, let them commit the &s;ucce&s;&s;e to the prouidence of God, by praier, and &s;ubmit them&s;elues to his determination, with contentment. It was found by lot, that <HI>Acham</HI> by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing the commande|ment<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;hua. 7.</NOTE> of God, concerning the execrable, and con&s;ecrated things, had de&s;erued to die, and was accordingly to be puni&s;hed with death: he nothing gaine&s;aied the te&s;timonie of God there|in, but yeelded him&s;elfe to be an offendour, and to &s;uffer the puni&s;hment that his offence demerited.</P>
<P>And &s;o much did <HI>Ionah</HI> likewi&s;e, and more then that, (though the Lord more &s;pared, and miraculou&s;ly pre&s;er|ued him) for when the lot conuicted him to be the man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iouah. 1. 12.</NOTE> for who&s;e &s;ake that boi&s;terous and dangerous &s;torme was rai&s;ed, him&s;elfe pa&s;&s;ed &s;entence of death and drowning vpon him&s;elfe, and required the heathen marriners to doe execu|tion.</P>
<P>Reproofe of them which inuert this good and v&s;efull ordi|nance, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and make it &s;erue for euill and hurtfull purpo&s;es, as they doe, that giue them&s;elues to carding and dyeing. Doe they ayme at this, that euery one, as neare as may be, &s;hall haue and hold his owne? or doe they not aduenture euery one the lo&s;&s;e of his owne vnthriftily, to get an other mans, though it were his whole patrimonie, without due con&s;idera|tion, vnrighteou&s;ly? Is this an euen and equall, and indiffe|rent forme of making partition? And how well they be con|tent to depart with that which the dice doth allot them to lo&s;e, and how much peace is &s;pred among them, and how great con|tention<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> are pacified, may appeare by their frownings, and fret|tings, when their full bagges haue emptied their &s;tomacks into their fellowes pockets, yea by their brawling, &s;wearing, and cur&s;ing, and many times by their challenges, quarrels, and combats.</P>
<Q><PB N="25" REF="18"><BIBL>Ver&s;e 19. <HI>A brother offended,</HI> is harder to winne</BIBL> <HI>then a &s;trong Citie: and their contentions are like the barre of a Pallace.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Brother</HI>] a naturall brother, a neare kin&s;man, a kind friend, <HI>offended,</HI> alienated by wrongs receiued, or imagined to be done vnto him, from him whome hee &s;o much affected before, <HI>is harder to winne then a &s;trong Citie,</HI> will with more dif|ficultie be brought to firme and vnfained reconciliation, then a Citie well defenced, can be vanqui&s;hed and taken. <HI>And their contentions,</HI> their &s;trife, and &s;uites, <HI>are like the barre of a Pallace,</HI> &s;trong, and vehement, and mu&s;t with no le&s;&s;e a doe be pacified, whiles their power &s;erueth them to pur&s;ue one another, then the mightie iron barres, whereby the gates of a Ca&s;tle, Fort, or great building, are &s;hut in, and kept &s;afe, may be broken, or cut in &s;under. But this is to be vnder&s;tood of vnregenerate and fle&s;hlie men, or of Gods &s;eruants &s;o farre as they be carnall, and not otherwi&s;e: for it is a commendation that is giuen to the godlie, by Saint <HI>Iames,</HI> that their <HI>wi&s;edome</HI> which they re|ceiue<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3. 17&punc;</NOTE> <HI>from aboue,</HI> maketh them <HI>peaceable, gentle, and ea&s;ie to be intreated.</HI></P>
<P>&para; The more neerly men are knit together, the more grie|uous <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> the breach is, when farres doe growe betweene them.</P>
<P>Their friend&s;hip not &s;o much &s;eames-ript, as torne in the whole cloth: the &s;inewes of their loue are cut in &s;under, rather then the skinne of it broken.</P>
<P>Examples we haue hereof, of tho&s;e that haue bin wicked on both &s;ides, as <HI>Abimelech,</HI> and the <HI>Sh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="4 letters"> I&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;heth,</HI> and <HI>Ab|ner: Aha&s;huerus,</HI> and <HI>Va&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> fir&s;t, &amp; <HI>Haman</HI> afterwards: and &s;o in like manner of <HI>Ab&s;halom</HI> and <HI>Amnon.</HI> Experience al&s;o may be &s;eene, in &s;uch as haue bene vnited with the bands of nature, and di&s;ioyned by the difference of religions, though perad|uenture they may both make profe&s;&s;ion of the &s;ame, the one in fraude, the other in faithfulnes: Such were <HI>Caine</HI> and <HI>Abell, E&s;au,</HI> and <HI>Iacob: Iacobs</HI> elder &s;onnes before their conuer&s;ion, and <HI>Io&s;eph.</HI></P>
<P>How extreamely the wor&s;e of the&s;e maligned the better, eue|rie
<PB N="26" REF="19"> man may reade, and how implacable the wicked of them were to the godlie, till the Lord by grace or prouidence, appea|&s;ed them, is euident in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, when men be of the &s;ame bloud, and of a contrarie <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> &s;pirit, and behauiour, the enuie groweth the greater, and the malice more violent from the vngodlie again&s;t the righteous, becau&s;e the goodnes of them that be neere vnto them, doth verie much di&s;grace and condemne their &s;infulnes and rebel|lion. And therefore they reuenge it with vnnaturall and bar|barous fiercenes: &s;ometimes <HI>the brother betraying the brother to death:</HI> and &s;ometimes <HI>the father the &s;onne:</HI> and &s;ometimes <HI>the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 21.</NOTE> <HI>children ri&s;ing again&s;t their parents, and cau&s;ing them to die,</HI> as our Sauiour te&s;tifieth.</P>
<P>Secondlie, where there hath bene a great league of kinde|nes, <MILESTONE N="2"> and much loue betweene them, there when then they fall to variance, their expectations be deceiued, and that good opi|nion and hope that one had of the other, &amp; then all things are taken in the wor&s;t part, as <HI>Aha&s;huerus</HI> dealt with <HI>Haman:</HI> &amp; then the remembrance of all former familiarities, &amp; curte&s;ies, do ag|grauate the new ri&s;en offences, as <HI>Dauid</HI> did iu&s;tly obbraide <HI>A|chitophel.</HI> There is no &s;urfeit more dangerous and hurtfull, then<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 55. 13. 14.</NOTE> to haue the &s;tomack annoyed, and ouercome of &s;uch meates as a man was wont mo&s;t to like of.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to v&s;e our brethren and friends with all good re|&s;pects, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> as whereby we may tye their loue the fa&s;ter vnto vs, and not giue cau&s;e that it &s;hould be &s;eparated from vs. And better it is to beare &s;ome wrongs, then by taking of euery offence, to imbitter our owne hearts and theirs, to the ruine of our amitie and friend&s;hip. <HI>Abraham</HI> cho&s;e rather to depart from much of his right, then that he would lo&s;e anie of his nephew <HI>Lots</HI> loue, or be at a difference with him. And if our friends and brethren be e&s;tranged from vs, the harder it is to reconcile their good af|fection, the greater diligence is to be v&s;ed in effecting of it. If we haue tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t them, let vs confe&s;&s;e it: if they haue bin mi&s;informed again&s;t vs, let vs co~fute it: if ought be doubt|full, and is mi&s;interpreted, let vs explaine it: and when we haue done all that we can do to recouer their good wil, by wi&s;dome, <PB N="27" REF="19"> meekenes, patience, curte&s;ie, and kindnes: let vs deale with the Lord, as <HI>Iacob</HI> did concerning <HI>E&s;au,</HI> that hee will bowe and in|cline their hearts vnto vs, if their fauour and friend&s;hip be ex|pedient for vs.</P>
<P>Con&s;olation to them that beeing iniuriou&s;lie intreated with <MILESTONE N="2"> wrongs, and indignities, will either not take an offence, or ea&s;ily remit it. It is grace which begetteth in them that facilitie and mildnes, corrupt nature neuer yeeldeth &s;uch fruit. Such a &s;pi|rit had <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> when he was &s;o mercifull to his brethren that had bene &s;o malicious. Such a &s;pirit had <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that was meeke to|wards <HI>Aaron,</HI> and <HI>Miriam,</HI> which had vniu&s;tlie murmured a|gain&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 12. 13.</NOTE> him. And &s;uch a &s;pirit had <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and the foun|taine of the &s;ame, is hee that pardoned his enemies, and prayed for them, and dyed for them.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 20.</BIBL> <HI>With the fruit of a mans mouth &s;hall his bellie be &s;ati&s;|fied, and with the increa&s;e of his lippes &s;hall hee be filled.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>WIth the fruit of a mans mouth</HI>] with tho&s;e wordes which the mouth of a man vttereth, be they good or bad, as the tree yeeldeth her fruit, be it &s;weet or &s;ower, <HI>&s;hall his bellie be &s;atisfied,</HI> he &s;hall be as it were, fed with ioy, or &s;orrow, <HI>and with the increa&s;e of his lippes,</HI> according to tho&s;e &s;peeches which the lips v&s;e mo&s;t to deliuer, whol&s;ome, or hurtfull, as the grou~d &s;endeth forth her crop of corne or weeds, <HI>&s;hall he be filled,</HI> he &s;hal either haue great welfare, or great woe, many ble&s;&s;ings, or many iudgements. Almo&s;t the &s;ame words are in the 12. chap. ver. 14.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 21.</BIBL> <HI>Death and life are in the power of the tongue, as euery one delighteth to v&s;e it, hee &s;hall eate the fruit thereof.</HI></Q>
<P>THis ver&s;e in part, containeth an explication of the former, &s;hewing what is that <HI>&s;atisfying,</HI> &amp; <HI>filling,</HI> which is there men|tioned, that it extendeth to all mi&s;erie, euen to the verie death of the wicked, which abu&s;e their tongues to euill, &amp; to all happines, eue~ to life it &s;elfe, &amp; that euerla&s;ting, (as is al&s;o meant of the contrarie) of the godlie, which v&s;e their tongues aright,
<PB N="28" REF="20" MS="y"> both which are &s;aide to be <HI>in the power thereof:</HI> that is, the per|uerting, or well ordering of the &s;ame, is effectuall, either for de&s;truction or &s;aluation: and yet this force is not in the pro|nouncing of wordes, but in th' affection from which they con|&s;tantly proceed, and <HI>as euery one delighteth to v&s;e it:</HI> &s;o <HI>hee &s;hall eate thereof.</HI> Hypocrites &s;ometimes doe make faire &s;howes, but their hearts and lippes accord not together, and therefore their &s;mooth &s;peeches tend not to life: and godly men &s;ome|times forget them&s;elues, but they take not plea&s;ure in euill &s;pea|king, and therefore they &s;hall not be de&s;troyed, though they may be corrected. See Chapt. 13. ver&s;. 3.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 22.</BIBL> <HI>Hee that findeth a good wife, findeth a good thing, and obtaineth fauour of the Lord.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HE that findeth a good wife,</HI>] which being him&s;elfe a good man, hath, and &s;eeth, and inioyeth the benefite of a good, wi&s;e, and faithfull wife, <HI>findeth a good thing;</HI> which &s;hall be for his helpe and comfort; <HI>and obtaineth fauour of the Lord,</HI> re|ceiueth a te&s;timonie of his loue, in be&s;towing &s;o great a ble&s;|&s;ing vpon him: and &s;o doth a godlie woman, that findeth a good and gracious husband.</P>
<P>&para; They onely &s;peede well in marriage, whom God maketh the <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> match for, in mercie. This will more plainely appeare in the ver&s;e of the next Chapter.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 23.</BIBL> <HI>The poore &s;peaketh with &s;upplications: but the rich an&s;we|reth roughly.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe poore</HI>] he that is in mi&s;erie, in perill, in feare, or &s;ubiecti|on, <HI>&s;peaketh with &s;upplications,</HI> &s;ubmi&s;&s;ely, and lowely, to the wealthie &amp; mightie, be&s;eeching him in hu~ble manner, and reuerent termes, e&s;pecially when he hath any &s;uite vnto them. <HI>But the rich an&s;wereth roughly:</HI> he that hath abundance of goods, or is in authority, not onely reiecteth the poore petitioner con|temptuou&s;ly, with a churli&s;h deniall, but otherwi&s;e al&s;o is proud and in&s;olent in his &s;peeches. Commonly thus it is, but yet not alwaies: for &s;ome of the lowe&s;t &s;ort &s;peake di&s;dainfully, &amp; &s;ome great per&s;onages behaue them&s;elues curteou&s;lie.</P>
<PB N="29" REF="20">
<P>&para; Affliction and a lowe e&s;tate, is a meanes to bring men to <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> lowly behauiour. We haue <HI>Naomy,</HI> and <HI>Ruth,</HI> the woman of <HI>Canaan,</HI> and many others, for precedents hereof, among the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exodus 9. 27 1. King. 20. 32. He&s;t. 7. 7.</NOTE> godly: and <HI>Pharao, Benhadad, Haman,</HI> and diuers of the &s;ame crew, for experience of this, among the wicked.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the hearts of them that are wi&s;e and godly, are taught <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> to &s;toupe to their e&s;tates, and to &s;hewe humilitie towards tho&s;e by who&s;e hands they hope that the Lord will mini&s;ter helpe vnto them. For it is the direct way to moue other men to be mercifull, and to make them&s;elues capable of mercie.</P>
<P>Secondly, euen of them that be vnregenerate, &s;ome be cru|&s;hed <MILESTONE N="2"> with penurie, &amp; calamities, that they haue no &s;tomacke to be &s;turdie: and &s;ome be awed with dread and danger, that they dare not &s;hew them&s;elues arrogant: and &s;ome be led with art, and pollicie, to &s;tirre vp men to commi&s;eration, with the pre|tence and appearance of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion. On the other &s;ide, great po&s;teritie occa&s;ioneth men like bulles laden with fle&s;h, and fat|nes, to be loftie in minde, and fierce of behauiour; <HI>Amaziah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 25. 15.</NOTE> who after his &s;ucce&s;&s;e again&s;t the <HI>Edomites,</HI> di&s;dained to be &s;po|ken too, though of a Prophet, and therefore commanded him &s;ilence, and that with threates of pre&s;ent death, vnle&s;&s;e he de|&s;i&s;ted. And fooli&s;h <HI>Naball,</HI> in the plentie of his goods, and good cheare, was as drunken with pride, as with wine, and therefore<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.</NOTE> he falleth to roaring, and bellowing at <HI>Dauid,</HI> and his equall reque&s;t which he vouch&s;afed &s;o humblie to make vnto him, by his me&s;&s;engers. And what maruaile is it that they take on in this manner, when they &s;tand in no feare, neither neede, as they &s;uppo&s;e, of any? When they de&s;pi&s;e, and &s;et naught by all, as contemptible per&s;ons, in compari&s;on of them&s;elues? when they imagine their depth and wi&s;edome to be nothing inferi|our to their wealth and riches?</P>
<P>In&s;truction not to abhorre pouertie with &s;o grieuous de|te&s;tation, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> &s;eeing it may helpe vs to knocke off the hornes of our pride; nor to &s;eeke for wealth with &s;o greedie a de&s;ire, &s;ee|ing that it commonly worketh &s;uch great inhumanitie. Though the one frowne at thee with a grimme countenance, yet being well v&s;ed, it helpeth thee again&s;t thy greate&s;t enemie:
<PB N="30" REF="21"> and though the other &s;eeme to &s;mile vpon thee with a fleering face, yet being too much made of, it proueth a cruell tyrant. The former maketh men many times meeke, and amiable; and the latter cau&s;eth them to be fierce, and hatefull: that leading them to &s;obrietie, this driuing them into a frenzie, in&s;omuch as like mad men, they fall to rauing, and raging. Yet &s;ith mo&s;t that be lowe brought, can for a time crouch vnto tho&s;e that may ei|ther helpe, or hurt them, it is not to be taken for a certaine note of grace and humilitie, to yeeld ones &s;elfe &s;ubmi&s;&s;iue to men, in that e&s;tate, vnles they ca&s;t down the~&s;elues al&s;o before the Lord. We haue &s;hewed before, that proud <HI>Pharao</HI> could intreat <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to pray for him in his mi&s;erie, &amp; ambitious <HI>Hama~</HI> could downe vpon his knees to <HI>E&s;ter,</HI> in his perill: and boa&s;ting <HI>Benhadad,</HI> could put a rope about his necke, &amp; be &s;erua~t him&s;elf to <HI>Achab</HI> in his ouerthrow, when his &s;tate and life did lie in <HI>Achabs</HI> hand.</P>
<P>Reproofe of them that being poore, are yet nothing the <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> le&s;&s;e proud, and arrogant, who&s;e haughtie mindes, and in&s;olen|cie, cannot be brought downe by beggerie it &s;elfe: be it knowne vnto them, that they <HI>walke &s;tubbornely again&s;t the Lord,</HI> as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> witne&s;&s;eth, and therefore the Lord <HI>will walke &s;tubbornely again&s;t</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 26.</NOTE> <HI>them,</HI> as him&s;elfe doeth threaten: let them looke for &s;euen plagues more, and &s;euen times greater, vntill they be either humbled, or de&s;troyed. If they &s;et them&s;elues to wre&s;tle with him, by de&s;pi&s;ing his iudgements, he will either giue their hearts the fall, by working repentance, and humiliation in them, or their &s;oules and bodies the foyle, by executing plagues and damnation vpon them.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 24.</BIBL> <HI>A man that hath friends, ought to &s;hew him&s;elfe friendly, for a friend is nearer then a brother.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Man that hath friends</HI>] which is beloued of, and receiueth fauours and benefites from others, <HI>ought to &s;hewe him&s;elfe friendly,</HI> to entertaine, hold, and requite their friend&s;hip by all good duties. He is not onely to take heede lea&s;t by any &s;trangenes, and offering of di&s;courte&s;ies, he lo&s;e their likings, but to indeuour by all &s;ignes and pledges of good will, to knit their hearts fa&s;ter and fa&s;ter vnto him. <HI>For a friend,</HI> an vnfained
<PB N="31" REF="21"> wel-willer, which beareth Chri&s;tian affection vnto him whom he loueth, is nearer then a brother, is more faithfull and con|&s;tant in mini&s;tring helpe and comfort, then an ordinarie kin&s;man, or meere naturall brother.</P>
<P>&para; It is in vaine for him to expect con&s;tant kindne&s;&s;e from o|thers, which is carele&s;&s;e to performe duties to others.</P>
<P>We commonly &s;ay, and &s;ee it dayly to be true, that it is an <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> ea&s;ie matter to get a friend, but hard to keepe him, becau&s;e the hauing of him, is a benefite offered out of an other mans good will, but the holding of him is the worke of our owne wi&s;e|dome. When <HI>Naomy</HI> &amp; <HI>Ruth</HI> were vnited together in loue, and affinitie, the Scipture noteth how prouident the one was for the good of the other, <HI>Ruth</HI> labouring to get foode for <HI>Naomy,</HI> and <HI>Naomy</HI> &s;eeking to get a good match for <HI>Ruth,</HI> and both of them imployed all their might, and meanes, for the pre&s;erua|tion of their mutuall &s;ocietie, and welfare.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, to be louingly dealt with, and not to deale louingly, is <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> a thing di&s;plea&s;ing to the Lord; and all the curte&s;ies that they by his prouidence haue receiued at mans hands, remaine vpon their &s;core; and by his iu&s;tice will be exacted at their hands. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P>Secondly, the kinder any friend is, and not regarded, nor an|&s;wered again with kindnes, the greater indignitie he e&s;teemeth the contempt of him&s;elfe to be, and is the more prouoked a|gain&s;t him that is &s;o vnthankfull.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to neglect no good office, whereby our friends <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> may feele how well we affect them, and how firme and faithfull our loue is towards them. Are they in affliction? Mourne with them, pray for them, mini&s;ter coun&s;ell, comfort, and helpe vn|to them. Are they in pro&s;peritie? Reioyce thereat, and wi&s;h, and further the continuance of the &s;ame. Ioyne together as oppor|tunitie &s;hall &s;erue, in all Chri&s;tian exerci&s;es, in calling vpon the name of God, in &s;inging of P&s;almes, in hearing of Sermons, in reading of the Scriptures, in godly conferences, which may build vp the con&s;cience. Be fayling in no dutie of kindnes and curte&s;ie. Entertaine or &s;alute one an other, with cheerfulnes, if pre&s;ent: either vi&s;ite, or &s;end tokens one to an other, if ab&s;ent: defend the credit, and maintaine the cau&s;e &amp; innocencie of one
<PB N="32" REF="22"> an other where&s;oeuer. Other v&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s, &s;ee chapter. 17. v. 13. and in the nintenth ver&s;e of this chapter.</P>
<P><HI>For a friend, &amp;c</HI> The bands of grace, are more &s;ure and firme, then tho&s;e of nature.</P>
<P>When <HI>Dauids</HI> owne brethren who were like to ri&s;e by his preferment, enuied, and maligned him, that faithfull <HI>Ionathan</HI> who was to be deba&s;ed thereby, claue con&s;tantly, and in&s;epa|rably vnto him. And to this purpo&s;e tendeth that promi&s;e of our Sauiour to them, that for his &s;ake, and the Go&s;pells, &s;hould be di&s;&s;euered from fle&s;hly <HI>brethren, or &s;i&s;ters, or fathers, or moth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 10. 29. 30.</NOTE> that they &s;hould be prouided of other Chri&s;tian friends in their places, which &s;hould doe much more for them then euer they would. For the fidelitie of godly friends, &s;ee chap 17. v. 17. and the in&s;tabilitie of carnall kindred, will appeare in the next chap|ter, Ver&s;e. 7.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="19" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="33" REF="22">
<HEAD>AN EXPOSITION OF THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER OF THE PROVERBS.</HEAD>
<HEAD>CHAPTER. XIX.</HEAD>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 1.</BIBL> <HI>Better is the poore that walketh in his vprightnes, then hee that peruerteth his wayes, and is a foole.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>_BEtter is the poore</HI>] more happie and comfor|table is the e&s;tate of him that is of little wealth, and of &s;mall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, and grea|ter re&s;pect is to be had of him, <HI>that walketh in his vprightnes,</HI> indeuoureth con&s;tantlie to be iu&s;t and godlie, in wordes and workes, <HI>then hee that abu&s;eth his lippes,</HI> then the rich that is giuen to &s;peake wickedlie, <HI>and is a foole,</HI> voide of grace, and godly wi&s;dome, and full of vice, and leaudnes. Thus &s;tan|deth the oppo&s;ition: better is the poore that v&s;eth his tongue aright, and walketh vprightlie, and &s;o is wi&s;e, then the rich that abu&s;eth his tongue, and walketh corruptly, and &s;o is a foole.</P>
<P>&para; They that be &s;mall and godlie, are in better ca&s;e then &s;uch <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> as be great and wicked.</P>
<P>Pouertie is oftentimes found to be an ornament, and for great commendation, as it was to the worthie <HI>Smirnians</HI> in the Reuelation of Saint <HI>Iohn,</HI> and riches turne to be a reproch, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 2. 8.</NOTE>
<PB N="34" REF="23"> matter of great di&s;grace, as befell that churli&s;h <HI>Naball,</HI> in the booke of <HI>Samuel.</HI> There were manie richer men then tho&s;e<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25. 2.</NOTE> di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Saints, whom the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh of in the <HI>Hebrues, which wandred vp &amp; downe in &s;heeps-skinnes, &amp; goats-skinnes, being de&s;titute, afflicted, &amp; torme~ted, wandring in the wilderne&s;&s;es &amp; moun|taines,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 11. 37.</NOTE> <HI>and dennes, and caues of the earth:</HI> how could any be much poorer? and yet no worldling was &s;o good: for the Scripture te&s;tifieth, that <HI>the world was not worthie of them.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, integritie and goodnes, doe &s;o farre &s;urpa&s;&s;e all earthlie <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions in worth and value, as that they are &s;carce fit to be named together in one day, by way of compari&s;on.</P>
<P>Secondly, the godlie by his graces, though neuer &s;o meane, <MILESTONE N="2"> is much more profitable to the places where hee conuer&s;eth, then the wicked, though neuer &s;o mightie: the one doeth good, and either keepeth off cur&s;es, or procureth the remouall of them: and the other worketh mi&s;chiefe, and draweth downe iudgements vpon a people, and cau&s;eth a continuance thereof.</P>
<P>Thirdlie, the condition of the per&s;ons them&s;elues is verie <MILESTONE N="3"> vnequall, by our Sauiours owne &s;entence, e&s;peciallie in regard of that which they &s;hall finde for their eternall &s;tate hereafter. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the poore</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>for yours</HI> is the kingdome of God:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6. 20.</NOTE> <HI>but woe be to you that are rich, for you haue receiued your con&s;olati|on: Ble&s;&s;ed are yee that hunger now, for ye &s;halbe &s;atisfied: but woe be to you that are full, for ye &s;hall hunger. Ble&s;&s;ed are ye that weepe now, for ye &s;hall laugh: but woe be to you that now laugh, for ye &s;hall waile and weepe.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to be mo&s;t prouident, in gaining that which will <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> be mo&s;t profitable to further our preferment. If vpright wal|king will giue vs a precedencie in the &s;ight of God, and hearts of good men, before them that abound in &s;ub&s;tance, &amp; are bar|ren of &s;anctification, it is labour be&s;t be&s;towed, rather to trea|&s;ure vp &s;pirituall vertues, then to heape vp carnall commodi|ties: rather to prouide for the &s;oule, as did poore <HI>Lazarus,</HI> then to pamper vp the fle&s;h, as did the rich Epicure. Now the &s;tate of the one is knowne to be ble&s;&s;ed, when the time was, when he &s;ee|med very mi&s;erable: &amp; now the ca&s;e of the other is found to be fearfull, though once he was thought to be mo&s;t fortunate.</P>
<PB N="35" REF="23">
<P>Reproofe of them that de&s;pi&s;e the poore, becau&s;e they rec|kon them &s;o ba&s;e and contemptible, and magnifie the rich, be|cau&s;e they e&s;teeme them &s;o excellent and honorable. So dealt they in the Apo&s;tles time, as Saint <HI>Iames</HI> conuinceth them: they gaue all entertainment to the wealthie, though they were per&s;ecutors, and bla&s;phemers, by offering de&s;pite to the needy, though they were Gods owne &s;onnes, and heyres of his king|dome.</P>
<P>And it is an ordinarie thing in all que&s;tions and di&s;cour|&s;es, and that which the holie Gho&s;t reprehendeth, that the <HI>wi&s;edome of the poore is despi&s;ed, and his wordes are not heard:</HI> but the &s;ayings of the rich, how friuolous, and fooli&s;h, and fal&s;e &s;oeuer they bee, are made authenticke: and their actions, (though neuer &s;o vnlawfull) doe carrie authoritie with them, are made warrantable, or nece&s;&s;arie precedents, for imitation. Who may contradict, when the te&s;timonie of your betters is alleadged for proofe? who may di&s;like, when the example of the be&s;t is brought for practi&s;e? And who are the&s;e betters? they that haue more money, and le&s;&s;e hone&s;tie then their neighbours. And who are the&s;e be&s;t in the hou&s;e, be&s;t in the Towne, be&s;t in the Countrey? they that haue the be&s;t liuings, though diuers of them liue mo&s;t leaudlie.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 2.</BIBL> <HI>Both the minde without knowledge is not good, and hee that ha&s;teneth with his feete &s;inneth.</HI></Q>
<P>TWo vices are here matched together, and reprooued to|gether, as dangerous and hurtfull, wherof the one is cau&s;e of the other, which are ignorance, and ra&s;hnes. Concer|ning the former, it is &s;aide, that <HI>without knowledge,</HI> where the &s;ound knowledge of Gods holie will is contemned, or neglec|ted, <HI>the minde is not good:</HI> the man is not good. For a part is put for the whole: what&s;oeuer &s;hewes hee maketh of faithfulne&s;&s;e within, all is but deceiueable; his &s;oule (as the originall Text hath it) is de&s;titute of goodnes, and then, what is there in him, or proceedeth from him, that may be called good? <HI>And hee that ha&s;teneth with his feete, &s;inneth.</HI></P>
<PB N="36" REF="24">
<P>The latter is de&s;cribed by a &s;imilitude, from him that &s;hould headilie runne on blind-folded, and hood-wincked, in a peri|lous way, that he neither knoweth, nor euer &s;aw: as &s;uch a one is in daunger to da&s;h again&s;t &s;tumbling blockes, or to fall into quick-&s;ands, quagmires, mine-pittes, brookes, or ditches: So hee that vnadui&s;edly, and without deliberation, attempteth, and executeth matters of moment, and importance, cannot a|uoyd errours, and inconueniences, yea &s;innes &amp; tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>&para; An heart altogether ignorant, is altogether corrupt and &s;in|full. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> See Chap. 9. ver&s;. 10. Doct. 2.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>And he that ha&s;tneth, &amp;c.</HI> What&s;oeuer is ra&s;hly done, is ill done. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>Wee haue a prouerbe, That it is good to looke before one leape, which holdeth euer true in this ca&s;e that wee now deale in: for manie are &s;oone plunged ouer head and eares, in mi&s;e|rie, or faultine&s;&s;e, through want of fore&s;ight in their affaires. Euen when good men would be &s;uddaine in their words or acti|ons, and remi&s;&s;e to &s;eeke or take direction, haue bene found to &s;warue farre from the right way. And <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> and the Elders, in accepting the tale of the <HI>Gibeonites: Eli</HI> in condemning <HI>Hanna</HI> of drunkennes: <HI>Dauid,</HI> in crediting <HI>Ziba,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Me|phibo&s;heth:</HI> and <HI>Ieho&s;haphat,</HI> in ioyning twi&s;e with the Kings of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> It was &s;aide before in the fifteenth Chapter, that <HI>without</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 15. 22.</NOTE> <HI>coun&s;ell, thoughts come to naught: but in the multitude of coun&s;ellers, there is &s;tedfa&s;tnes.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 3.</BIBL> <HI>The fooli&s;hnes of a man, ouerthroweth his way, and his heart fretteth again&s;t the Lord.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>TH fooli&s;hnes of a man,</HI>] the &s;infulnes and vngodly behaui|our of the wicked, <HI>ouerthroweth his way,</HI> draweth cro&s;&s;es and iudgements vpon him, &amp; cau&s;eth him to haue ill &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e, <HI>&amp; his heart fretteth again&s;t the Lord:</HI> though his tongue do not openly bla&s;pheme, yet his heart doth &s;ecretly murmure a|gain&s;t God, as if hee were vniu&s;tly, the cau&s;e of his calamities. Neither doth he this directly alwaies, &amp; imbittereth him&s;elfe a|gain&s;t the per&s;on of the Lord, but &s;corneth at his hand, &amp; accu|&s;eth his proceedings, vnder the name of chance, &amp; il luck, &amp; bad fortune, &amp; many times religion is exclaimed vpon, &amp; profe&s;&s;ion
<PB N="37" REF="24"> quarrelled at, e&s;pecially if religious profe&s;&s;ours di&s;like of his irreligious profanenes, do thriue and pro&s;per, when he is pla|gued and puni&s;hed.</P>
<P>&para; Euery mans hurt, doth growe for his owne &s;inne and folly. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> See chapter. 11. 3.</P>
<P>&para; And his hurt or afflictions often make many wicked men <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> the wor&s;e. That cur&s;ed <HI>Caine</HI> may be produced for an example hereof, who being conuicted of the Lord him&s;elfe of that cru|ell and vnnaturall murther, did no way &s;ubmit or humble him|&s;elfe vnto him, nor craued fauour at his hands, but onely ex|cepted again&s;t the &s;eueritie of the &s;entence, that <HI>his puni&s;hment</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>was greater then he could beare.</HI> And what a whole&s;ome conclu|&s;ion made that impious mi&s;creant in the booke of kings, when in that extreame famine, he &s;aid: Behold, this euill com|meth of the Lord: &s;hall I attend on the Lord any longer? And no better is the behauiour of tho&s;e Romi&s;h, Antichri&s;tian ido|laters, whom the &s;pirit foretold of in the Reuelation of S. <HI>Iohn,</HI> that <HI>the Angell powring out his viall vpon the throne of the bea&s;t, and his kingdome waxing darke; they gnawed their tongues for &s;orrowe, and bla&s;phemed the God of heauen for their paines, and for their &s;ores, and repented not of their workes, to giue him glorie.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the effect of Gods &s;trokes is like to that of his word, and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> other &s;acred ordinances: if grace be giuen with them, they are very profitable by his ble&s;&s;ing, and helpe the heart: if they be &s;ent without grace, they are very hurtfull by accident, and har|den the heart.</P>
<P>Secondly, many are plagued in wrath, and with vengance, <MILESTONE N="2"> their pre&s;ent puni&s;hments being cur&s;es, and forerunners of their future de&s;truction: and all that &s;uch &s;uffer, is more perni|tious to their &s;oules, then painefull to their bodies: for thereby they take occa&s;ion to increa&s;e and ha&s;ten their eternall &s;uffe|rings.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to take a contrarie cour&s;e in all our troubles and <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> afflictions, namely, <HI>to &s;earch, and trie our waies,</HI> as we are exhor|ted in the Lamentations, and to con&s;ider how much le&s;&s;e we beare, then we haue de&s;erued, and &s;o to iu&s;tifie Gods procee|dings, and condemne out owne prouocations: to acknowledge
<PB N="38" REF="25"> him to be iu&s;t, and mercifull, and our &s;elues to be wicked, and vnworthie of mercie. This will repre&s;&s;e our pa&s;&s;ions, and make vs more patient: this will take away di&s;couragement, and con|firme our comfort: this will direct our tongues to thankful|nes, and pre&s;erue our hearts from bitternes. But then we mu&s;t intreat the Lord, that when <HI>he chasti&s;eth vs, he will teach vs in his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94. 12.</NOTE> <HI>lawe:</HI> when he inflicteth &s;tripes and troubles vpon vs, outward|ly, he will infu&s;e humilitie and wi&s;edome into vs inwardly: for he that remaineth fooli&s;h, cannot vnder&s;tand why he is &s;mit|ten, nor how the &s;trokes may be &s;taied: and he that continueth proud, will not ca&s;t downe him&s;elfe before the Lord to pacifie his di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 4.</BIBL> <HI>Riches gather many friends, but the poore is &s;eparated from his neighbour.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>RIches gather many friends</HI>] wealth increa&s;ed, increa&s;eth the number and heape of &s;uch as pretend good will, and draw|eth daily new friends. The per&s;ons of men doe not this, nor their graces, but their riches. They make many fetches, they haue many ge&s;tures, they v&s;e many words, and all this while their hearts are fixed on the goods, as flies &s;eeke where honie is, and mice and rattes will haunt an hou&s;e where foode is to be gotten. So that their loue is to the monie, or other &s;ub&s;tance, though they make &s;emblance of good affection to the man. <HI>But the poore is &s;eparated from his neighbour,</HI> he that is needie or afflicted, or in di&s;grace, is for&s;aken of all his carnall friends, and companions, they either turne from him, as a &s;tranger, or a|gain&s;t him, as an enemie.</P>
<P>Fle&s;hly men loue onely them&s;elues, vnder pretence of <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> friend&s;hip to others. See chapter 14. 20.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 5.</BIBL> <HI>A fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e &s;hall not be vnpuni&s;hed, and a forger of lies &s;hall not e&s;cape.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Fal&s;e witnes</HI>] either he that doeth wittingly mi&s;informe the magi&s;trate, or any other gouernour, or he that by his
<PB N="39" REF="25" MS="y"> vniu&s;t te&s;timonie goeth about to confirme that which an o|ther hath vntruely &s;ugge&s;ted, <HI>&s;hall not be vnpuni&s;hed,</HI> but plagued either &s;ooner or late, with &s;ome temporarie penaltie of &s;hame and mi&s;erie in this world, or with eternall perdition of &s;oule and bodie in the world to come. <HI>And a forger of lies,</HI> which v&s;eth his tongue to fal&s;ehood, how artificially, and with what &s;hewes, and colours &s;oeuer, though in priuate, <HI>&s;hall not e&s;cape,</HI> &s;hall not be alwaies free from puni&s;hment, though by flattering of him|&s;elfe, he thinketh the &s;inne not dangerous: and though by meanes of his wit, and pre&s;ent pro&s;peritie, he &s;eemeth able to pre&s;erue him&s;elfe in &s;afetie.</P>
<P>&para; How&s;oeuer fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es preuaile again&s;t others, they &s;hall <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> be &s;ure to &s;peede ill them&s;elues.</P>
<P>The repetition of this &s;entence in &s;o many places, doeth clearely te&s;tifie the veritie of it. The &s;elfe &s;ame words with this our text, are in the ninth ver&s;e of this chapter: and the &s;ame matter in more peremptorie words, is in the eight and twentith ver&s;e of the one and twentith chapter, where it is &s;aide, that <HI>a fal&s;e witnes &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the &s;inne that he committeth is very greeuous, and the <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> mi&s;chiefe that he worketh is very noy&s;ome. He tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth again&s;t God, who&s;e iu&s;tice he cau&s;eth to be preuerted: and of|fendeth again&s;t the iudge, who&s;e &s;entence he cau&s;eth to be mi&s;|placed: and tre&s;pa&s;&s;eth again&s;t the innocent, who&s;e right he cau&s;eth to be taken from him: and &s;o he procureth a iudge|ment vpon the &s;tate: and &s;o he is hurtfull to the &s;ocietie of mankinde.</P>
<P>Secondly, the offendour that is guiltie of this &s;inne, is very <MILESTONE N="2"> odious to the Lord, being of the number of tho&s;e whom he<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 6. 16.</NOTE> <HI>hateth,</HI> and whom he &s;aieth <HI>his &s;oule abhorreth.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, he requireth the magi&s;trate to lay the &s;ame puni&s;h|ment <MILESTONE N="3"> vpon him, as he thought to haue brought vpon his bro|ther.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 19. 21.</NOTE> And that <HI>no compa&s;&s;ion</HI> be &s;howed vnto him, but <HI>life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foote for foote.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, though the magi&s;trate doe &s;pare him, and <MILESTONE N="4"> no mi&s;erie come vpon him in this life, yet he him&s;elfe will not &s;pare him hereafter, but &s;etteth him in the rancke of them<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15. 3.</NOTE>
<PB N="40" REF="26"> which are to be excluded from euerla&s;ting life.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to oppo&s;e the perill of fal&s;e witnes-bearing to all <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> the motiues whereby men are induced to beare fal&s;e witnes, that they may be of le&s;&s;e force to preuaile. Art thou &s;olicited to plea&s;ure any great per&s;on by periurie, who&s;e fauour may make for thy profitte, and who&s;e anger may turne to thy hurt? Re|member that thou thereby di&s;plea&s;e&s;t the greate&s;t, euen the God of heauen, who&s;e fauour would &s;urely be for thy happi|nes, and who&s;e anger will certainely turne to thy de&s;truction. Art thou per&s;waded to gratifie a firend therewith, or moued by the &s;ame, to cro&s;&s;e thine enemie? Thinke how vnfriendly thou deale&s;t with thine owne &s;oule, and what enmitie thou &s;hewe&s;t to thy &s;elfe for thy ruine. Doth monie, or other rewards, allure thee to lie, and to te&s;tifie that for truth, which thine owne heart knoweth to be vntrue? Forget not that thou art about to &s;ell thy &s;aluation for that mony, and to purcha&s;e perdition, and helli&s;h mi&s;erie with the &s;ame. And looke what force there &s;hould be in the&s;e meditations, to detaine &amp; keepe men backe from giuing out of fal&s;e reports, or giuing in of fal&s;e euidence, &s;o farre ought they al&s;o to worke feare, &s;orrow, and godly con|trition in them that haue alreadie faulted in this dangerous kinde of fal&s;ehood. If repentance be not in them with &s;peed, to preuent this puni&s;hment, who knoweth how &s;oone plagues will come vpon them to preuent their repentance.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>And a forger of lies, &amp;c.</HI>] No liar can liue in any good &s;afetie. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> See chapter. 12. 22.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 6.</BIBL> <HI>Many &s;ue to the face of the prince, and euery man is friend to him that giueth gifts.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>MAny &s;ue to the face of the prince</HI>] they &s;eeke the fauour and countenance of them that be in authoritie, e&s;pecially if they be al&s;o wealthy, and bountifull. He &s;peaketh not here in the commendation of them, as being loyall in loue, for con|&s;cience, but for the reprehen&s;ion of them, as being &s;ubmi&s;&s;e in &s;hewe, for commoditie. <HI>And euery man is friend to him that giueth gifts.</HI> He declareth in this latter clau&s;e, the cau&s;e of that which
<PB N="41" REF="26"> he had affirmed in the former, why &s;o <HI>manie &s;ue to the face of the Prince,</HI> becau&s;e Princes haue mo&s;t to be&s;towe, <HI>and euery man,</HI> e|uery carnall man for the mo&s;t part <HI>is friend,</HI> would be thought a friend to <HI>him that giueth gifts,</HI> that hee might be v&s;ed as a friend, and haue gifts be&s;towed vpon him.</P>
<P>&para; Manie pretend much loyaltie to Princes and Potentates, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> which beare little good will vnto them.</P>
<P>As it was &s;aid a little before, that <HI>riches gather many friendes:</HI> &s;o is it in&s;inuated here, that power getteth manie &s;ubiects, not which reuerence authoritie, or de&s;ire the Princes honour, &s;o much as they gape for their owne priuate gaine, or prefer|ment. Such as Saint <HI>Iude</HI> doeth liuelie de&s;cribe, &s;aying, that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iude. 8. 16.</NOTE> <HI>they despi&s;e gouernement, and &s;peake euill of them that are in autho|ritie, and yet they haue mens per&s;ons in admiration, becau&s;e of aduan|tage.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;ome crouch, and bowe, and faine them&s;elues for|ward <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> to yeeld all &s;ubiection, onely through feare, as wanting courage or power to re&s;i&s;t. <HI>Dauid</HI> was &s;o dealt with, and tooke good ob&s;eruation thereof. <HI>As &s;oone as they heare</HI> (&s;aith hee,)<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 18. 44. 45</NOTE> <HI>they obey mee; the &s;trangers di&s;&s;emble with mee: the &s;trangers &s;hrinke, and feare in their priuie chambers.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o did <HI>Shemei,</HI> after that hee &s;aw <HI>Ab&s;haloms</HI> rebellion<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 19. 19.</NOTE> &s;uppre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Secondlie, others are verie officious, pre&s;enting them&s;elues <MILESTONE N="2"> to doe all &s;eruices, not becau&s;e they are &s;o commaunded by God, but for that they are &s;o per&s;waded by the hope of adua~ce|ment, as was the policie of <HI>Achitophel,</HI> all the time of <HI>Dauids</HI> pro&s;peritie, before the rebellion of <HI>Ab&s;halom.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdlie, diuers creepe into the fauour of mightie men, in <MILESTONE N="2"> meere malice again&s;t their aduer&s;aries, to be armed with their power, for reuenging them&s;elues on them whome they ma|ligne: As was the practi&s;e of <HI>Abner,</HI> when hee was fallen out<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 3.</NOTE> with <HI>I&s;hbo&s;heth.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction for rulers, and men of authoritie, to be as warie <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> in tru&s;ting, as flatterers are wilie in deceiuing: and to bee as prompt and wi&s;e to finde out their di&s;&s;imulations, as they are pre&s;t and cunning to pretend faithfulne&s;&s;e: becau&s;e &s;carce anie
<PB N="42" REF="27"> are euer found more perfidious and fal&s;e, then they that &s;eeme to be mo&s;t ob&s;equious and dutifull. None filche and &s;teale more: none murmure and whi&s;per more: none back-bite, and di&s;clo&s;e &s;ecrets more: none breake out at la&s;t into cla|mours, and traduce more: be&s;ides, their readine&s;&s;e to con&s;pire, and ioyne with their gouernorus mo&s;t mortall aduer&s;aries, a|gain&s;t them.</P>
<P>Admonitions for inferiours, to propo&s;e an other end of obe|dience, <MILESTONE N="2"> to performe it in better manner to the Prince, &amp; others, whom God hath &s;ubiected them vnto: namely, more to &s;eeke Gods fauour, then mans face; and rather to be loyall in heart and deed, for con&s;cience, then counterfeit loyaltie in word and &s;hewe, for commoditie. God hath ordained authoritie &s;o re|uerently to be regarded and honoured, as that &s;ubiects &s;hould &s;eriou&s;lie &s;hewe them&s;elues &s;ubiects, and that with fidelitie, and not &s;portingly play the &s;ubiects, as though they acted a part on a &s;tage, in a vizard, with fraude, and hypocri&s;ie.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 7.</BIBL> <HI>All the brethren of the poore doe hate him: how much more will his friends depart farre from him? Though hee be in&s;tant in words, yet they will not.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>ALl the brethren</HI>] the whole kindred, euen they which are v|nited with the neere&s;t bonds of nature; being yet carnall and vnnaturall, <HI>of the poore,</HI> of him that is decayed in his e|&s;tate, or in di&s;grace with &s;uperiours, though neuer &s;o vnworthi|lie, <HI>doe hate him,</HI> they loathe and de&s;pi&s;e him. <HI>How much more will his friends depart from him?</HI> Not they which were faithfullie affected to him at any time, and bare him good will in truth, (<HI>for a friend loueth at all times,</HI> and <HI>a friend is neerer then a brother,</HI>)<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 17. 17. &amp; 18. 24.</NOTE> but &s;uch his companions as di&s;&s;embled with him, making pro|fe&s;&s;ion and &s;hew of loue in his pro&s;peritie for their owne aduan|tage, the&s;e in his aduer&s;itie, <HI>goe farre from him,</HI> ca&s;t him off, and withdrawe them&s;elues from him, as being a&s;hamed of his com|panie, and vnwilling to take any notice of him, much more to deale in his cau&s;e, or to &s;upplie his wants. <HI>Though hee be in&s;tant in wordes,</HI> albeit hee hartilie intreate, and earne&s;tly importune
<PB N="43" REF="27"> them for comfort, reliefe, and fauour, <HI>yet they will not,</HI> they will not heare any reque&s;t or complaint that hee maketh, they will not befriend them in anie matter of weight, wherein they may do him good.</P>
<P>&para; Neither con&s;anguinitie, nor familiaritie, will make a fle&s;hlie <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> friend firme to him that is in mi&s;erie.</P>
<P>Pouertie and afflictions, do mini&s;ter matter enough of quar|rell and breach, though no wrong be offered, though no fault be committed. What was <HI>Iobs</HI> tre&s;pa&s;&s;e, and wherewith was he to be charged, when <HI>his bretheren were remoued from him, and his acquaintance were &s;trangers vnto him?</HI> when <HI>his neighbours did for|&s;ake him, and his familiars did forget him?</HI> when <HI>they that dwelt in his hou&s;e, and his maides tooke him for a &s;tranger; for he was a &s;tran|ger</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 19. 13. 14 &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>in their &s;ight?</HI> when <HI>hee called his &s;eruant, but he would not an|&s;were, though he prayed him with his mouth?</HI> when his breath was &s;trange vnto his wife, <HI>thogh he praied her for the childre~s &s;ake of his owne bodie?</HI> And what was <HI>Dauids</HI> offence, and the crime where|of<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 38. 11.</NOTE> he might be conuicted, when <HI>his louers and his friends &s;tood a|&s;ide from his plague, and his kin&s;men &s;tood a farre off?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in their pride, they take it for a blemi&s;h to their blood, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> that anie of their kindred &s;hould be poore: and a reproach to them&s;elues, to be companions to men that are of ba&s;e e&s;tate, and contemned: but let their kin&s;men or friends be papi&s;ts, and Idolaters, let them be &s;wearers, and bla&s;phemers, let them be proude, cruell, oppre&s;&s;ors, adulterers, ruffians, or otherwi&s;e as wicked as any Athei&s;t can be, yet the&s;e &s;taine not their &s;tocks, nor &s;hame their companie, none but the needie and de&s;pi&s;ed, di&s;grace their families and fellowes.</P>
<P>Secondlie, in their mi&s;rablenes, they feare lea&s;t a burthen <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;hould be layd vpon them, and they put to charges in relieuing their nece&s;&s;ities, and therefore though they mini&s;ter little or nothing vnto them, yet the dreade of expences doth as much di&s;quiet them, as if great &s;ummes of money were extorted from them. See Chap. 14. 20.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 8.</BIBL> <HI>Hee that po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth his heart, loueth his owne &s;oule: he keepeth vnder&s;tanding, to finde that which is good.</HI></Q>
<PB N="44" REF="28">
<P><HI>HE that po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth his heart,</HI>] who hath his minde rightlie in|formed with knowledge and iudgement, and orderlie mo|derateth his de&s;ires and affections, <HI>loueth his owne &s;oule,</HI> hath a due care of him&s;elfe, and v&s;eth direct meanes for his &s;aluation, &s;afetie, comfort, and welfare. For <HI>to loue ones &s;oule</HI> in this place, is otherwi&s;e taken then in the Go&s;pell by Saint <HI>Iohn,</HI> chap. 12. 25. where it is &s;aide, that <HI>hee which loueth his &s;oule, &s;hall lo&s;e it, and hee that hateth his &s;oule in this world, &s;hall keepe it vnto e|ternall life. To loue the &s;oule,</HI> that is, to be de&s;irous of reteining this naturall life, as rather to denie the truth of God, and for&s;ake the go&s;pell of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> then to make profe&s;&s;ion therof, and yeeld &s;incere obedience to it, with hazard and perill: and <HI>he &s;hall lo&s;e his &s;oule,</HI> that is, forfeit his &s;aluation and happines, as <HI>hee that hateth his &s;oule,</HI> which chu&s;eth to forgoe life, rather then the &s;eruices of God, and a good con&s;cience, <HI>&s;hall keepe it vnto eternall life,</HI> be &s;aued and glorified for euer. <HI>Hee keepeth vnder&s;tanding,</HI> not onely heareth good in&s;tructions, but &s;eriou&s;lie attendeth to them, pondereth of them in his meditations, laieth them vp in his memorie, ob&s;erueth them diligently in the cour&s;e of his life, and retaineth them con&s;tantly till the time of his death, <HI>to find that which is good,</HI> that is the end which he propo&s;eth to him &s;elf, &amp; this is the &s;ucce&s;&s;e which he obtaineth, that Gods fauour &s;halbe confirmed vnto him, both by the ble&s;&s;ings of this pre&s;e~t life, and by a ble&s;&s;ed e&s;tate, in that which is to come hereafter.</P>
<P>&para; It is a prerogatiue peculiar to the wi&s;e and godlie, to be ow|ners <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> of their owne hearts.</P>
<P>Fooles and graceles per&s;ons are otherwi&s;e de&s;cribed, when they are &s;ayd to <HI>haue a price in their hand to get wi&s;edome, but they</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 17. 16.</NOTE> <HI>lacke an heart.</HI> And therefore al&s;o the Prophet likeneth them to <HI>Doues deceiued,</HI> as being <HI>without an heart.</HI> Which &s;ayings are<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 7. 11.</NOTE> not &s;o meant, as if they wanted integrall partes, or rea&s;onable &s;oules of men, but that they were deuoyd of grace &amp; power, to v&s;e &amp; gouerne the &s;ame, as much as the &s;illie bruiti&s;h creatures.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Sathan rules and raignes in all the wicked, as a king, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> and worketh in their hearts as a God, hauing no le&s;&s;e power o|uer their &s;oules, till God by grace deliuer them, then the Fow|ler hath of the byrd that is taken in his net, which he may carrie
<PB N="45" REF="28"> whither he will, and deale with in what manner he li&s;t, without<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 2. 26.</NOTE> any re&s;i&s;tance.</P>
<P>Secondly, lu&s;t and pa&s;&s;ion claime a iuri&s;diction in them, and <MILESTONE N="2"> hold the &s;ame, and rigorou&s;ly exerci&s;e it to their greate&s;t dammage. They are thereby con&s;trained (but willingly, which is the mo&s;t tyrannous compul&s;ion) to de&s;ire nothing but that which will hurt them, nor to di&s;ta&s;t any thing &s;o much, as that which will doe them mo&s;t good: to be well plea&s;ed with that which prouoketh Gods anger again&s;t them, and farre offended with that which would procure his fauour vnto them: to be merrie, when there is greate&s;t cau&s;e of mourning; and &s;o to mourne, as no &s;ound comfort &s;hall follow after it. Now what can depo&s;t the diuell from his regalitie, and what can re&s;traine the&s;e lu&s;ts and pa&s;&s;ions from their violence, but the word of God, but the &s;pirit of God, but the power of God, which are effectuall onely in them that are wi&s;e and godly?</P>
<P>Confutation of that erronious and pernitious doctrine of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> the papi&s;ts, maintaining free will without grace, whereby they arrogate to them&s;elues, and yeeld to others, how much &s;oeuer inthralled to &s;inne, an vnder&s;tanding in minde, to iudge of the right way to &s;aluation, and a power of heart to chu&s;e it, and walke in it at their plea&s;ure. As though Sathans captiues had no manacles on their hands, nor bolts on their heeles, nei|ther were &s;hut vp in pri&s;on, nor doore locked vpon them, but enioyed libertie, to be within, and without, in hou&s;e, in &s;treete, and in field, as they lu&s;t, and to &s;tay as they will, and depart when they will, and doe what they will. If this be &s;o, there is le&s;&s;e crueltie in the diuell, and &s;inne, then the Scriptures complaine of. If this be &s;o, why may not wicked men &s;afely pre&s;ume to &s;pend all their daies in lu&s;ts, becau&s;e it is plea&s;ant to liue in them, and yet leaue off at their latter end, becau&s;e it is dange|rous to die in them? If this be &s;o, what needed Chri&s;t to be at &s;o great paines &amp; charges, as to lay downe his life, and powre out his &s;oule, to redeeme his people from their iniquities, when them&s;elues had will, wi&s;edome, and power, to prouide for their indemnitie with le&s;&s;e torment and trouble?</P>
<P>In&s;truction to get wi&s;edome and pietie, that we may be capa|ble <MILESTONE N="2">
<PB N="46" REF="29"> of this prerogatiue, and obtaine this ine&s;timable po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion, without which, the hauing of hou&s;es, lands, Lord&s;hippes, kingdomes, and worlds, (if there were many to be gotten) is nothing comparable.</P>
<P>How great is his power, that can rule his owne minde when wrongs and iniuries be offered vnto him: that can po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e his &s;oule with patience, when troubles and afflictions be vpon him: that can mourne with godly &s;orrow when there is cau&s;e of heauines: that can reioyce with Chri&s;tian gladnes, when there is matter of comfort: that can &s;ubdue tho&s;e corruptions whereunto others are in bondage: that can bring into Gods pre&s;ence the vprightnes of his heart, as well as the ge&s;ture of his body, at all holie exerci&s;es: that is made able to di&s;po&s;e of his will, and affections, according as the Lord his word, or workes doe call vpon him to be affected? But no man can at|taine to this freedome by his owne power, or by the might of any other creature: the word of God is that which mu&s;t put vs in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it, if euer we will obtaine the fruition of it, as he that did purcha&s;e it for vs doth te&s;tifie in the Go&s;pell &s;aying; <HI>the truth &s;hall make you free.</HI> Neither yet will the word of truth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 8. 32.</NOTE> worke it, where the force of grace is wanting: for <HI>where the &s;pirit</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3. 17.</NOTE> <HI>of the Lord is, there is libertie,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. And what then but bondage, and thraldome is to be found, or looked for, where the &s;pirit dwelleth not?</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Loueth his owne &s;oule, &amp;c.</HI> Euery godly wi&s;e man is a true <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> friend to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>The wicked are full of corrupt fal&s;e loue, carnally &s;eeking onely their owne priuate aduantage, without re&s;pect of the be|nefite of their brethren, and yet loue not them&s;elues well, be|cau&s;e they doe the worke of hatred, in procuring of their owne hurt, and deale with them&s;elues in &s;atisfying lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, as fond parents doe in cockring their children, and ex|empting<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 13. 14.</NOTE> them from the <HI>rod:</HI> but tho&s;e that are indued with grace and wi&s;edome, as they re&s;traine their &s;en&s;uall de&s;ires, &s;o they giue a good te&s;timonie of their &s;ound loue to them|&s;elues by their prouident care, both for their pre&s;ent and future felicitie.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="29">
<P>Arguments for proofe hereof, are not farre to be &s;ought, our <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> pre&s;ent text infoldeth many into two. Fir&s;t, &s;hewing the way wherein euery faithfull man walketh, it &s;aith, <HI>he keepeth wi&s;e|dome,</HI> and wi&s;edome (according to the mea&s;ure of it) will keepe him from headines, that he &s;hall doe nothing ra&s;hly, and from ouer&s;ights, that he &s;hall &s;ee what is fit for euery &s;ea&s;on: and from &s;lothfulnes, that he &s;hall not faile to make good v&s;e of all fit opportunities offered.</P>
<P>Secondly, it declareth the &s;ucce&s;&s;e wherewith he that kee|peth <MILESTONE N="2"> wi&s;edome, meeteth: <HI>he findeth goodnes,</HI> and that will be found &s;ufficient in time for compleate and perfect happines, reaching to the per&s;on, to his &s;tate, his name, or what&s;oeuer ma|terially concerneth him for the pre&s;ent, or perpetually hereaf|ter. For he enioyeth God, the ab&s;olute &amp; &s;oueraigne good, the author and full fountaine of all goodnes, and can any good thing then be detained from him? He cannot be friendles: for the Lord who&s;e fauour is more worth then all mens, doeth en|tirely loue him. He cannot be contemptible: for the God of of glorie doeth dignifie him with the honour of adoption. He cannot be hurt with violence or perill, for he &s;itteth alwaies in the lap, and is borne in the armes of his omnipotent father. He cannot peri&s;h with wants or penury: for the owner of all things vndertaketh the feeding and finding of him: His bodie &s;hall be &s;atisfied with all needfull proui&s;ion: his heart &s;halbe repleni|&s;hed with all &s;orts of graces; and his con&s;cience refre&s;hed with all kinds of comforts. Whiles he liueth, he &s;hall be happie on earth, and when he dieth, he &s;halbe ble&s;&s;ed in heauen, and at the re&s;urrection he &s;hall be glorious in the pre&s;ence of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and of his Angels, and people, and &s;o from henceforth and for euer.</P>
<P>Confutation of that bla&s;phemous &s;launder, which is rai&s;ed <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> vp, and &s;o digenerally divulged, again&s;t this heauenly wi&s;e|dome, this true pietie and godlines, that men imbracing the &s;ame, mu&s;t needs become their owne foes, to the ruine of them|&s;elues. They take it for an vndeniall maxime, that who&s;oeuer deuoteth him&s;elfe to any &s;trict cour&s;e of religion, &s;hall nece&s;&s;a|rily alienate his friends, and impaire his credit, and con&s;ume
<PB N="48" REF="30"> his &s;ub&s;tance, and macerate his bodie, &amp; excruciate his minde, and craze his braines, as though Gods &s;eruice were nothing el&s;e but an exqui&s;ite tyrannie, and vnworthy for any that regardeth his owne good, to deale with. But from whom proceed the&s;e inuectiues, and calumniations? Euen from Sathans bondmen, and pri&s;oners, which neuer enioyed the benefite of libertie: which haue bene blind from their birth, and without light all their life, and neuer knew the plea&s;ure of &s;eeing. Pittie their mi|&s;erie: for the di&s;temper of their &s;oules cau&s;eth them thus to raue, but credit not their reports: for there is nothing but fal&s;e|hood in their &s;ayings. Ob. But the be&s;t men haue commonly mo&s;t afflictions. An&s;w. And &s;o they haue al&s;o the greate&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 10. 30.</NOTE> comforts: None &s;u&s;taine &s;o great mole&s;tations and lo&s;&s;es, and none receiue &s;o great a reward, and recompence. None are &s;o much vilified with the tongues of mo&s;t men, and none are &s;o much honoured in the con&s;ciences of all men.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 9.</BIBL> <HI>A fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e &s;hall not be vnpuni&s;hed: and he that &s;pea|keth lies &s;hall peri&s;h.</HI></Q>
<P>THis is the &s;ame both in words and &s;en&s;e with the fift ver&s;e of this chapter, &s;auing that there was &s;aid, <HI>the liar &s;hall not e&s;|cape,</HI> and here <HI>he &s;hall peri&s;h:</HI> &s;o that it is not onely a repeti|tion, but a briefe expo&s;ition of that, concluding, that as he &s;hall be &s;urely puni&s;hed, &s;o he &s;hall be &s;orely plagued, euen with no lighter &s;trokes, then de&s;truction it &s;elfe, which no gaine or ad|uantage can be able to counteruaile.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 10.</BIBL> <HI>Plea&s;ure is not comely for a foole: much le&s;&s;e for a &s;er|uant to haue rule ouer Princes.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>PLea&s;ure,</HI> the affections of ioy and delight, the meanes whereby they are wrought, and the obiects whereon they are &s;etled, as abundance of wealth, delicious fare, gorgeous apparell, &s;umptuous hou&s;es, co&s;tly furniture, plea&s;ant pa&s;times, or what&s;oeuer is of like nature, <HI>is not comely for a foole,</HI> is not fit for him that is de&s;titute of grace, and good vnder&s;tanding to haue, as neither making for his honour, nor profit indeed,
<PB N="49" REF="30"> though highlie promoting both in appearance. Hee will per|uert them, and annoy other men by them, and they will indan|ger him, and bring much harme and mi&s;chiefe to him. <HI>Much le&s;&s;e for a &s;eruant to rule ouer Princes.</HI> By <HI>&s;eruant,</HI> hee meaneth &s;uch manner of per&s;ons as hee called fooles in the former clau&s;e; namely, men inthralled to their lu&s;ts, and vnlawfull de&s;ires: and by <HI>Princes,</HI> are vnder&s;tood the godlie, who are dignified with a &s;pirituall aduancement: &s;o that he proceedeth in extenuating the condition of &s;infull men, and &s;heweth their vnworthine&s;&s;e by way of gradation, that all &s;orts of de&s;ireable thinges are too good for them, and much more authoritie and power ouer others, but mo&s;t of all &s;uperioritie, with iuri&s;dicti|on ouer the righteous.</P>
<P>&para; The libertie of delights, and comfortable pro&s;peritie doth <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> nothing belong to the wicked.</P>
<P>When ye &s;ee vngodlie and impious people waxing iocund, and merrie, and their &s;tate appearing pro&s;perous &amp; fortunate, what el&s;e doe you beholde, but the plants of wilde comfort, bearing leaues like to that which &s;pringeth from grace, but it wanteth the nature and vertue thereof. Or at be&s;t, it is but as corne growing vpon the toppe of the hou&s;e, which no wi&s;e man will reckon among his commodities, nor account an or|nament to the place where it groweth: it was neuer &s;owen by the hand of the Seedes-man, nor euer will be reapt by the &s;ic|kle of the Harue&s;t-man.</P>
<P>That rich glutton of whome <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;peaketh in the Go&s;pell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6.</NOTE> had his e&s;tate embroidered, &amp; garni&s;hed with all the ornaments of pro&s;peritie, both for goods, good cheare, fine cloathing, and all plea&s;ures that might &s;erue for his contentment, if a &s;en&s;uall Epicure could po&s;&s;ibly be contented, but it &s;at not hand&s;omely on the fooles back, nor was decent for &s;uch a mi&s;hapen caitiffe, and therefore hee was exceedingly disfigured thereby, and no|thing beautified, and his vgle&s;ome deformitie remaineth in the viewe and &s;ight of all &s;ucceeding po&s;terities.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they haue no right to comfort, becau&s;e they are not <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> in Chri&s;t, nor roote of comfort, becau&s;e the &s;pirit of God is not in them.</P>
<PB N="50" REF="31">
<P>Secondly, plea&s;ures and pro&s;peritie will make them proude <MILESTONE N="2"> and high minded, &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e, and hard-hearted, fierce, violent, and licentious, more then the vnrea&s;onable creatures.</P>
<P>Thirdlie, their owne mi&s;erable ca&s;e, and Gods righteous <MILESTONE N="3"> Lawe, doe call them from &s;olace and mirth, to &s;orrowe and mourning, that they may be humbled, and pardoned, if they<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iac. 4. 9. &amp; 5. 1.</NOTE> he Gods cho&s;en; or becau&s;e they are to be damned and de|&s;troyed, if they be reprobates.</P>
<P>In&s;truction, that in all our plentie, promotions, di&s;ports, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and delights what&s;oeuer, wee con&s;ider as well what wee be, as what wee haue, and whether our repa&s;ts are a&s;well warranted to vs, as our de&s;ires are carried to them.</P>
<P>But how &s;hall I know that I may be merry and cheerfull, that comfort and gladnes belong to mee? When thou finde&s;t &s;al|uation confirmed to thee by the remi&s;&s;ion of thy &s;innes, and grace, and &s;inceritie, dwelling within thee; <HI>Be glad yee righte|ous,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 32. 11. &amp; 33. 1.</NOTE> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>and reioyce in the Lord, and be ioyfull all yee that are vpright in heart. Reioyce in the Lord, &ocirc; yee righteous: for it becommeth vpright men to be thankefull.</HI> But as for them that be impious, vnrighteous, or hypocriticall di&s;&s;emblers, let them weepe and lament for their &s;innes, and the daunger of their &s;oules: for that is the mo&s;t &s;eemelie exerci&s;e which they can performe. And if they will not addict them&s;elues vnto it voluntarilie, they will (in time) be driuen vnto it by compul&s;ion. Either they mu&s;t turne their laughter into mour|ning, or God will make them to mourne for their laughter. Their mirth and ioy is but momentanie, &amp; for a &s;hort &s;ea&s;on: and better it is neuer to be glad, then not to reteine matter of gladnes for euer. For that cau&s;e among others, <HI>Salomon</HI> doth &s;o ba&s;ely e&s;teeme of the ioy and iollitie of vaine per&s;ons, &s;aying, <HI>Better it is to heare the rebuke of a wi&s;eman, then that a man &s;hould heare the &s;ong of fooles. For like the noy&s;e of thornes vnder the pot, &s;o is the laughter of the foole: this is al&s;o vanitie.</HI> <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."></P>
<P>Reproofe of them that being lea&s;t wi&s;e and vertuous, are mo&s;t greedilie giuen to &s;atisfie their de&s;ires and appetites, though being &s;ometimes &s;olicited, they can neuer yet be fullie &s;atisfied.</P>
<PB N="51" REF="31">
<P>Some &s;eeke their commodities &s;o greedilie, as though the world were made for nothing el&s;e, but to be their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion: others are climing &s;o fa&s;t, and labouring &s;o earne&s;tly to growe great, that if it were po&s;&s;ible, they would mount vp to the hea|uens, and touch the skies with their foreheads, but they flie with the wings of earthly pride, yea rather of helli&s;h ambition.</P>
<P>An other &s;ort pur&s;ue their plea&s;ures and delights &s;o vnce&s;|&s;antly, as if they were created for no other v&s;e, but to &s;erue their recreations (for &s;o they would haue their mai&s;ters called, al|though improperlie) as hawking, hunting, quaffing, &s;coffing, dauncing, dycing, carding, bowling, and all manner of vnfruit|full exerci&s;es, which are manie more then wee can recount, yet not one aboue the number of them for which they &s;halbe pla|gued. Their hearts are oppre&s;&s;ed with the loue of &s;infull de|lights, which take authoritie vpon them, and &s;hewe tyrannie to their &s;oules.</P>
<P>The ca&s;e &s;tandeth with them for voluptuou&s;nes and plea|&s;ures, as it doth with drunkards, and &s;uch as haue the drop&s;ie, for wine and &s;trong drinke: they thir&s;t continuallie after that which turneth to the bane of their braines, and whole bodies: nothing is &s;o welcome vnto them, as that which is mo&s;t hurt|full for them. Who v&s;e to be&s;towe &s;o much time in the&s;e idle actions, as they which haue time little enough to bewaile their abhominable wayes wherein they haue walked, though manie more yeares &s;hould be added to their liues, then they haue anie graunt of?</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Seruants, &amp;c.</HI> All &s;inners are bond-men, and euerie good <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> man is a Prince.</P>
<P>No promotion can manumi&s;&s;e the former &s;ort, or bring any freedome to them: fot hee calleth them &s;eruants &s;till, though they be commanders: and no depre&s;&s;ion can deba&s;e the other, or take away their dignitie from then: for he &s;tileth them &s;till by the name of Princes, though &s;ubiect to &s;eruants.</P>
<P>And this &s;ame writer <HI>Saloman,</HI> by the in&s;tinct of the &s;ame holie &s;pirit, doeth in an other booke &s;o e&s;teeme and &s;peake of either part, as heerein this Text; <HI>Follie,</HI> (&s;aith hee) that is, vicious per&s;ons whome &s;inne hath infatuated, <HI>is &s;et in great
<PB N="52" REF="32"> excellencie, and the rich,</HI> (not flowing with earthlie po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, but &s;tored with heauenlie graces,) <HI>is &s;et in the lowe place. I haue</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 10. 7. 6.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eene &s;eruants on hor&s;es, and Princes walking as &s;eruants on the ground.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the vngodlie haue &s;inne to their mai&s;ter, as our Saui|our <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> te&s;tifieth, &s;aying, <HI>Who&s;oeuer committeth &s;inne,</HI> that is, liueth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 8 34.</NOTE> impenitentlie in the practi&s;e thereof, <HI>is the &s;eruant of &s;inne.</HI> And Saint <HI>Peter</HI> a&s;&s;igneth a cau&s;e of this &s;eruitude, in that they are<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet 2. 19.</NOTE> ouercome of corruption: and <HI>of whome &s;oeuer a man is ouer|come, euen vnto the &s;ame is he in bondage.</HI> Now Sathan al&s;o exer|ci&s;eth dominion where &s;inne raigneth: for one of them is &s;ub|ordinate to the other, and hell and damnation challenge a right in the &s;laues of &s;inne, and Sathan, to owne them pre&s;ent|lie, and to &s;eize vpon them in time to come, by the hand of death, and to hold them inthralled from thenceforth for euer.</P>
<P>Secondlie, the godlie are Princes by birth, both by their fa|thers <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;ide, for they are begotten of God, who is the greate&s;t King; and by their mothers &s;ide: for they are borne of the Church, who is the noble&s;t Queene, and to whom is a promi&s;e made for the glorious e&s;tate of her i&s;&s;ue. <HI>In &s;teede of thy fathers</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 45. 16.</NOTE> (&s;aith the Lord to her) &s;hall thy children bee: <HI>thou &s;halt make them Princes through all the earth.</HI> And as their parentage is ho|norable, &s;o is their patrimony and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions ample, and large, they <HI>being heires with God, and heires annexed with Chri&s;t,</HI> the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 8. 17.</NOTE> Lord, and heire of all creatures.</P>
<P>Wee neede not to di&s;cour&s;e of their princelie valure in ex|ploits, and victories, in conque&s;ts, and tryumphs. They &s;ubdue the corruptions of their owne hearts, <HI>they rule their owne mindes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 16. 32.</NOTE> which is a greater matter then the winning of a Citie. <HI>They o|uercome the world by Faith,</HI> as S. <HI>Iohn</HI> declareth: the diuell is o|uerthrowne<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 5. 5.</NOTE> and vanqui&s;hed by them, &s;o pui&s;&s;ant and valorous are they by his power, that worketh all, in all things for them.</P>
<P>In&s;truction, that wee preferre not the wor&s;t, with contempt <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> of the be&s;t, in regard of outward prerogatiues. As it is not meant that bad &s;uperiours &s;hould be abridged of their prece|dencie, &amp; other ciuil preheminences, becau&s;e they are not god|lie: &s;o it is not meete that good inferiours &s;hould be defrauded
<PB N="53" REF="32"> of good affection, reuerent e&s;timation, and friendly v&s;age, be|cau&s;e they are not wealthy. Beware that thou approoue not of the wicked mans behauiour, nor admire his pro&s;perous e&s;tate, &s;ithence his condition is &s;o &s;eruile and contemptible; and take heede that thou de&s;pi&s;e not the poore that is godly, nor con|demne either the ca&s;e that he &s;tandeth in, or the waies that he walketh in, fora&s;much as his dignitie is &s;o great and glorious. Who&s;oeuer repo&s;eth his owne happines in heauen, and not in earth, and priceth Gods loue to him&s;elfe aboue the pompe or riches of this life, will al&s;o giue mo&s;t preferment in his heart, to others that &s;hewe them&s;elues to be citizens of heauen, and whom <HI>the Lord hath cho&s;en to be rich infaith, and heires of the king|dome</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2. 5.</NOTE> <HI>which he promi&s;ed to them that loue him:</HI> none but fellow-&s;er|uants, and &s;uch as are ba&s;e borne, will honour the drudges and &s;eruants of &s;inne, aboue the &s;onnes and children of God. Which may well &s;erue al&s;o to them that feare God, for a mo|tiue to patience in their tribulations and aduer&s;itie, &s;eeing that all the cro&s;&s;es which Chri&s;tians doe beare, are nothing el&s;e but as it were the murthering of young noble men in their childhood, that they may be fitted for glorie and excellencie, when they &s;hall come to their riper age hereafter.</P>
<P><HI>Ouer princes, &amp;c.</HI> Euill rulers neuer abu&s;e their authoritie &s;o <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doct."> much, as when the godly fall into their hands.</P>
<P>It followeth beneath in an other chapter, that <HI>when the wic|ked ri&s;e vp,</HI> that is, flouri&s;h and beare &s;way, <HI>men hide them&s;elues.</HI> What men are they which are driuen into that di&s;tre&s;&s;e? The<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 28. 28.</NOTE> next clau&s;e &s;heweth by con&s;equent, &s;aying, <HI>When they peri&s;h, the righteous increa&s;e.</HI> And was not this to be cleerely &s;eene in <HI>Pharaoes</HI> tyrannie, and the <HI>Egiptians</HI> crueltie again&s;t the poore <HI>I&s;raelites?</HI> And was it not as euident in the violence of the <HI>Babi|lonians</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Iewes, when they defiled the women in Zion, and the maides in the cities of Iudah?</HI> When <HI>the Princes were hanged by</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 5.</NOTE> <HI>their hands, and the faces of the Elders were not had in honour?</HI> when <HI>they tooke the young men to grinde, and the children fell vnder the wood,</HI> as the Prophet in the name of the church complaineth? And we may &s;pare and pa&s;&s;e by that in&s;olent, proud, and high minded <HI>Haman,</HI> and his bloudie de&s;ignement, who (as he
<PB N="54" REF="33"> thought) hauing the liues of all Gods people at his di&s;po&s;ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 3. 13.</NOTE> was re&s;olute to &s;pare none, but vtterly <HI>to roote out, kill, and de&s;troy euery one, both young, and old, children, and women, in one day, and to &s;poile them as a prey.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they beare an implacable hatred again&s;t them, and e|uer <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> haue done &s;ince the re&s;titution of our fir&s;t parents, at what time the Lord him&s;elfe <HI>put enmitie betweene the &s;eede of the wo|man,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 15.</NOTE> <HI>and the &s;eede of the &s;erpent.</HI> Now when enemies are rulers, and beares are &s;hepheards, what equitie, or &s;afetie may of the flocke be expected?</P>
<P>Secondly, they enuy the felicitie &amp; good e&s;tate of the righte|ous <MILESTONE N="2"> (for their &s;oules are not altogether ignora~t, that indeed they be deare to God their father, and before him are their betters) yea &amp; their co~&s;ciences &s;tand in dread of his image, which &s;hew|eth it &s;elfe, and &s;hineth forth in their liues, and that their pietie and vertuous behauiour doth winne them much credit with wi&s;e men, &amp; therefore they deale mo&s;t maliciou&s;ly with them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they haue for the mo&s;t part all incouragements to lay loads and burdens vpon their backes: wicked men oppre&s;|&s;ed, <MILESTONE N="3"> will as farre as they can, both re&s;i&s;t, and reuenge, and many others will murmure and clamour at the wrongs that are offe|red vnto them, whereas the godly are patient, and readie to beare indignities, and euery one almo&s;t will be readie to ani|mate and applaud tho&s;e that vexe and mole&s;t them.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to all gouernours, both dome&s;ticall and pub|like, together with Landlords, to finde out, and di&s;couer to <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> them&s;elues their owne e&s;tates, by the exerci&s;e of their gouern|ment. Are their greate&s;t fauours be&s;towed on them that giue greate&s;t te&s;timonie of the feare of God, and appeare to be mo&s;t faithfull? Doe they re&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rue their kindnes for <HI>tho&s;e that walke in a perfect way,</HI> as <HI>Dauid</HI> did his, and bend their di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t <HI>&s;landerers, them that haue proud lookes, deceitfull per&s;ons, and tellers of lies?</HI> If this their cour&s;e be con&s;tantly held, and without par|tialitie, why may it not be &s;aide that <HI>they doe wi&s;ely in a perfect way: that they walke in the vprightnes of their hearts, in the mid&s;t of their hou&s;es,</HI> or dominions? But if they &s;mile vpon the wicked, and grace them with their be&s;t lookes, and frowne vpon the
<PB N="39" REF="33"> righteous, and browe beate them with a di&s;dainefull counte|nance: if they can ea&s;ily pa&s;&s;e by the foule faults of bla&s;phe|mers, ruffians, quaffers, quarrellers, game&s;ters, picke-thankes, and whoremai&s;ters, and &s;o bitterly aggrauate, and cen&s;ure the &s;maller infirmities of &s;uch as otherwi&s;e are vertuous, and ho|ne&s;t, (who peraduenture, if they had equall hearing, &s;uch as <HI>Iob</HI> afforded to the meane&s;t in his hou&s;e, would proue them&s;elues not to be culpable at all, but to haue performed &s;ome good du|tie) then their waies tell them that their hearts be corrupt, and by &s;trengthning the hands of &s;inners, they &s;hewe their loue to &s;inne, and by their rigour again&s;t the godly, they bewray and manife&s;t their owne vngodlines.</P>
<P>Furthermore, &s;ince the proceedings of godle&s;&s;e gouernours are &s;o vniu&s;t and cruell again&s;t the people of God, it &s;hould <MILESTONE N="2"> make vs the more &s;eruiceable to him, in all religious obedie~ce to his lawes, and loyall to his Lieftenant our Soueraigne the kings maie&s;tie, whom he hath &s;et ouer vs, that he may pre&s;erue vs from the hands of our mortall aduer&s;aries the papi&s;ts. It was an heauie &s;troke vpon <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> and <HI>Iudah,</HI> to be deliuered, though a &s;hort time, into the hands of <HI>Shi&s;hak</HI> the king of <HI>E|gipt,</HI> that being &s;eruants to him, they might knowe the diffe|rence betweene the &s;eruice of the Lord, and of the heathen<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 12. 8</NOTE> princes: and will it be an ea&s;ie burden for vs to beare the intol|lerable yoke of that Romi&s;h Antichri&s;t, to be made the &s;eruants of that &s;eruant of &s;eruants, who exalteth him&s;elfe &s;o proudly, &s;o aboue kings, and the greate&s;t potentates? May we thinke, that that mankind bea&s;t (who hath &s;o long time liued by blood, by the blood of the &s;oules of them that &s;ubiect them&s;elues to his lawes, and the blood of the bodies of them that re&s;i&s;t him) would intreate vs with as great mildnes, as <HI>Shi&s;hak</HI> did <HI>Rehobo|am,</HI> and his people? Nay, as <HI>Zenacherib</HI> would haue done <HI>Heze|kiah,</HI> and his people? <HI>Nebuchadnezzar</HI> with his <HI>Babilonians,</HI> was farre more fauourable to <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> then the pope with his Ro|mani&s;ts, would be to England, if his power &s;erued him again&s;t the King, and his faithfull &s;ubiects. For neuer any <HI>Amalakit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> was more infe&s;tious, and full of inveterate rancour again&s;t <HI>Ia|cobs</HI> po&s;teritie, then the popi&s;h idolaters are again&s;t tho&s;e that
<PB N="56" REF="34"> are truely religious.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 11.</BIBL> <HI>The vnderstanding of a man, maketh him &s;low to wrath, and it is his glory to pa&s;&s;e by an offence.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe vnderstanding of a man</HI>] the heauenly wi&s;edome of God, which is in the minde of a regenerate per&s;on, accor|ding to the mea&s;ure thereof, withholdeth him from ra&s;h and vnadui&s;ed anger, but not from all anger: for then it &s;hould depriue him of &s;ome vertue, and di&s;able him from the perfor|mance of many dueties. As the di&s;tempered pa&s;&s;ions of wrath be workes of the fle&s;h, and carefully to be auoyded, &s;o are the well gouerned affections of anger fruites of the &s;pirit, and &s;ea|&s;onably to be exerci&s;ed. He that is ouercarried with rage and choller, doeth want tho&s;e louely graces of meekenes, and pati|ence: and he that is neuer &s;tirred to any di&s;plea&s;ure, is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;tupiditie, and de&s;titute of zeale, and Chri&s;tian feeling. Now to &s;hunne the&s;e vicious extreames on both &s;ides, and ob|&s;erue the laudable mediocritie betweene them, the&s;e rules may direct vs. Fir&s;t, that all our anger be onely for &s;inne, and &s;o we &s;hall be&s;t put in practi&s;e the Apo&s;tles precept, to be <HI>angry and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 4. 26.</NOTE> <HI>&s;inne not.</HI> Then &s;hall we not be tea&s;tie with them that be inno|cent, becau&s;e we are incen&s;ed by them that are faultie: then &s;hall we neuer like fumi&s;h <HI>Balaam</HI> fall out with bea&s;ts, &amp; vnrea|&s;onable creatures, much le&s;&s;e be imbittered again&s;t things that are &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;e. Secondly, that our anger be mea&s;urably propor|tioned to the mea&s;ure of the offence, greate&s;t indignation mu&s;t be conceiued again&s;t the greate&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, though they bring not to vs &s;o great annoyances: and &s;maller faults &s;hould le&s;&s;e di&s;plea&s;e vs, though in priuate re&s;pects they &s;eeme to be more for our dammage: for euery part ought rather to be ten|derly affected at Gods di&s;honour, then his owne detriment. Thridly, that it be not ouerlong continued, and exce&s;&s;iue in time, but bounded within the limits of a day at the furthe&s;t: the Lord would not haue <HI>wrath</HI> protracted till night, <HI>nor the &s;unne to goe downe vpon it.</HI> Fourthly, that the crimes of our fa|miliars, benefactors, kinsfolke, and deare&s;t friends, doe make
<PB N="57" REF="34"> vs more angrie then theirs that are not &s;o neerly vnited to vs: that we take to heart the &s;inne of our child, more then of a bro|ther: and of a yoke-fellow, more then of a childe: and our owne, more then a yoke-fellow, childe, brother, or of anie, or all others.</P>
<P>Fiftlie, that the ire and wrath again&s;t the &s;innes of our neighbours, drawe not our &s;elues into anie &s;infull behauiour again&s;t God, as to be fierce &amp; violent in reuengement, to raile, to reuile, to vomite out bla&s;phemies, or imprecations, &amp;c.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, that it hinder vs not from, but further vs to the per|formance of all good &s;eruices, e&s;peciallie in the behalfe of the parties delinquent, as to admoni&s;h them, pray for them, and giue them direction for reformation of their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions. <HI>And it is his glorie,</HI> it winneth him honour and prai&s;e, and that worthilie, <HI>to pa&s;&s;e by an offence,</HI> to winke at &s;maller infirmi|ties, and to remit greater wrongs, yet not &s;o, as to be &s;ilent at Gods di&s;honour, with the perill of the &s;oule of the &s;inner, or at the grieuances which are offered to him&s;elfe from them: one|lie the forbearance of reuenge, and not of iu&s;t reproofe, or of due correction, is commended.</P>
<P>Thus thou &s;ee&s;t both the roote, and the fruite, the cau&s;e and effect of lenitie and mildnes declared in this &s;entence.</P>
<P>It maketh much for a mans credit to be gentle and peace|able, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> hath gained to him&s;elfe an immortall, and perpetu|all prai&s;e, as is well knowne to all, by his facilitie and readines to remit the enuie and wronges of his brethren again&s;t him, &s;hewing &s;o much mercie and kindne&s;&s;e to them for their pre|&s;eruation, which practi&s;ed &s;o much malice and crueltie again&s;t him for his de&s;truction.</P>
<P>And how memorable is that meckne&s;&s;e of <HI>Dauid,</HI> who be|ing mo&s;t vnworthilie, de&s;pitefullie, and contumeliou&s;lie re|proched, and railed vpon, by that rebellious <HI>Shemei,</HI> did yet beare it &s;o patientlie for the pre&s;ent, and refrained him&s;elfe from reuenging of it afterwardes, all the time that he liued?</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>Festus</HI> by taunting <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o opprobriou&s;lie, and charging him with madnes before king <HI>Agrippa</HI> and the whole<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 26. 24</NOTE> a&s;&s;emblie, thought to haue brought him to contempt, who
<PB N="58" REF="35"> &s;eeth not that <HI>Paul</HI> by pa&s;&s;ing by the indignitie, without indig|nation, hath graced him&s;elfe before the companie that then heard him, and all others, which euer &s;ince haue heard of him? See Chapt. 12. ver&s;. 16.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 12.</BIBL> <HI>The wrath of the king, is like the roaring of a Lyon: but his fauour is as the deawe vpon the gra&s;&s;e.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe wrath of the king</HI>] the indignation of a Prince, or mighty potentate, hauing authority &amp; power, incen&s;ed (not again&s;t the innocent and righteous, but &s;uch as were <HI>Michaiah,</HI> or <HI>Elijah,</HI> whom <HI>Achab</HI> &s;tormed at, but killed not, or thogh he had killed them, yet he could not haue hurt them, but him&s;elfe ra|ther, as <HI>Ioab</HI> did, by &s;laying of <HI>Zachary,</HI> &amp; &s;ending him the &s;oo|ner to heauen) but again&s;t malefactors, rebells, traytors, con|temptuous per&s;ons, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors of his whole&s;ome lawes, or anie whom God &s;hall put into the magi&s;trates hand, as men of death, for violating his commandements, <HI>is like the roaring of a Lyon,</HI> which hath more courage and &s;trength, both to roare more hideou&s;lie, &amp; to teare more cruelly: For it is not vnder|&s;tood of them that be taken, and &s;hut vp like captiues in holes, whom we may heare, and looke vpon through grates, and &s;tand neere too without peril, but of &s;uch as meete with a prey, either of man or bea&s;ts, in the forre&s;ts, or open fields, or anie where in their owne walkes. <HI>But his fauour,</HI> his loue, &amp; countenance, e|&s;pecially towards worthie men, <HI>is like the deaw vpon the gra&s;&s;e,</HI> ve|rie comfortable or profitable to them, reioycing their hearts, aduancing their &s;tates, pre&s;eruing, and protecting them from wrongs, as the deaw, or mild &s;hewres, do refre&s;h the fields, cau&s;e gra&s;&s;e to growe, and pre&s;erue the &s;ame, that the &s;corching heate of the Sunne drie it not vp, and cau&s;e it to wither.</P>
<P>&para; It is expedient for men to be good &s;ubiects, euen for feare, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> or hope of the princes affections.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles, both <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Peter,</HI> lay a &s;ure foundation for<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 13. 5.</NOTE> loyaltie to be built vpon, and ground it in the con&s;cience of Chri&s;tians, that <HI>for the Lords &s;ake,</HI> they &s;huld be &s;ubiect to autho|ritie:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet 2. 13.</NOTE> but if anie be &s;o impious, and deuoyde of religion, that the ordinance of God be of no force with him, yet good di&s;cretion
<PB N="59" REF="35"> might make him afraide to expo&s;e him&s;elfe to the di&s;plea&s;ure, and &s;eueritie of the Magi&s;trate, and to induce him to &s;eeke the benefite of his benignitie and fauour. See chap. 16. v. 14. 15.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 13.</BIBL> <HI>A fooli&s;h &s;onne is the calamitie of his father, and the con|tentions of a wife, are like a continuall dropping.</HI></Q>
<P>TWo of the greate&s;t afflictions which befall the gouernors in their families, are declared in this &s;entence. The former is <HI>a fooli&s;h &s;onne,</HI> a &s;infull, vnhappie child, after what &s;ort &s;o|uer his leaudnes breaketh out, whether by contumacie, &amp; &s;tub|bornnes, when he &s;hall contemne his parents, and de&s;pi&s;e their precepts, or by riot, &amp; vnthriftines, when he &s;hall be, as it were a gulph to &s;wallow vp all his fathers labors, &amp; tho&s;e things which he hath bene &s;o carefull to prouide, or by any other means &s;hall bring &s;hame and de&s;truction vpon him&s;elfe, who <HI>is the calamity of his father,</HI> the worker of his woe, and cau&s;e of &s;orrow, for the loo&s;enes of his life, and at the &s;ight, or fore&s;ight (by all probabi|litie &amp; likelihood) of the mi&s;ery of his death. The other is <HI>a con|tentious wife,</HI> who&s;e brawlings offend the eares, &amp; vexe the hart, and &s;ometimes demoli&s;h the &s;tate of her husband, &amp; therefore are compared to <HI>a continuall dropping:</HI> they are as irke&s;ome, and hurtfull, as for raine to pierce through euerie part of the roofe, into all roomes of the hou&s;e, falling on the plancks, and walls, and &s;tuffe, and heads of them that are doing their worke, or &s;it|ting at their meate, or lying in their beds, which mu&s;t needs be both tedious, and noy&s;ome, to ruinate the building, &amp; rotte the goods, and mole&s;t the inhabitants, how this re&s;embleth an vn|quiet woman, and what mi&s;chiefe proceedeth from a wicked wife, we haue familiarlie &s;hewed. Chap. 12. ver&s;. 4.</P>
<P>&para; The mo&s;t delectable commodities of this life, turne manie <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> times to be very offen&s;iue.</P>
<P>To pa&s;&s;e by the &s;pecialls heere &s;pecified, (&s;ithence wife<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 128. 3.</NOTE> and children) are well knowne to be de&s;ireable, (if good) and much de&s;ired, in hope that they will be good, and yet prooue often to bee &s;o burthenous, as our Text doeth te|&s;tifie,) we will exemplifie the point in other things which the world hath in great admiration. As &s;trength is greatly e&s;tee|med
<PB N="60" REF="36"> of, and who would not gladlie enioy it? and yet it were better phrenticke per&s;ons, and madde men to be without it, as that poore po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed per&s;on felt, which <HI>plucked his chaines a&s;un|der,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 5. 4. 5.</NOTE> <HI>and brake his fetters in pieces, and &s;trooke him&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">lfe with &s;tones.</HI></P>
<P>The greater part of mankinde doth thir&s;t for golde and &s;il|uer, and money, it is the earthen God, almo&s;t of all the inhabi|tants of the earth, euery worldling doth adore, and wor&s;hip it, and yet <HI>Ezechiel</HI> &s;peaketh of a time when <HI>they &s;hall ca&s;t their &s;il|uer</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 7. 19.</NOTE> <HI>in the &s;treetes, and their golde farre from them,</HI> being oppre&s;&s;ed with feare and terror.</P>
<P>It is not very delightfull and plea&s;ant, euen a matter of con|tentment to mo&s;t mens appetites, to &s;it at full cuppes of wine and &s;trong drinke, with varietie, and abundance of delicious di|&s;hes, and &s;uch companions as they be&s;t like of? And yet thinke how <HI>Bel&s;hazzar</HI> that cur&s;ed king of <HI>Babel,</HI> could relli&s;h all his delicates, when he &s;aw the hand writing his ruine and de&s;tinie vpon the wall: when the interpretation of it was tolde him:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5.</NOTE> when hee beheld the enemie ru&s;hing into the hou&s;e with a na|ked &s;word in his hand, to &s;lay him. And then his pompe, and then his power, and then his dignitie, his large dominions, and ample po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, though all of them were &s;uch as were admired of all, could yet bring no comfort at all vnto him.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, di&s;appointment is a torment vnto them, when they <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> faile of that felicitie, which their delights &s;eemed to be great with, and readie to bring forth into their lippes, and in place thereof, &s;hall finde &s;o many annoyances and troubles, which they neuer &s;o much as &s;u&s;pected.</P>
<P>Secondly, God by a wi&s;e prouidence, will haue all worldlie <MILESTONE N="2"> delectations &s;ubiect, as it were, to putrifaction, &amp; loath&s;omnes, that beco~ming &s;omtimes vn&s;auory, they might at no time be &s;o veheme~tly longed for. We &s;ee now (notwith&s;tanding that they proue &s;o bitter, &amp; all the griefs wherewith they fill many mens hearts) that fewe are to be found who hunger not after them with a greedie appetite, and what would they doe then, if they were priuiledged from all inconueniences, yeelding pure plea|&s;ures, without anie mixture of anie trouble or vexation?</P>
<P>And withall, heereby hee &s;upporteth the heartes of his
<PB N="61" REF="36"> people, that they &s;hould not be di&s;couraged at the pro&s;peritie of the wicked, as though they were preferred before them|&s;elues, &s;ithence they beare &s;o heauie burdens of great vnquiet|nes, when they &s;eeme to be mo&s;t fortunate and happie.</P>
<P>In&s;truction, that no man &s;hould &s;atisfie him&s;elfe in obtai+ning <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> good things, vnle&s;&s;e he receiue them with a&s;&s;urance of Gods fauour, and likewi&s;e enioy them by vertue of Gods ble&s;|&s;ing. <HI>Heuah</HI> thought, that the very hauing of her fir&s;t &s;onne had bene the getting of a great &s;ub&s;tance, and therefore &s;he called his name <HI>Cain,</HI> that is, a po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion: but poore woman, &s;he was deceiued in her expectation (as ea&s;ily &s;he might be through want of all experience) for he was &s;o farre from being a po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;io~<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4.</NOTE> of any worth, as that he di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed her of that gracious &s;on <HI>Habel,</HI> who was in deed a worthy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. What&s;oeuer there|fore thou wi&s;he&s;t to haue made comfortable to thee, relie not vpon too much, as though of it &s;elfe it could mini&s;ter any comfort, how &s;pecious, profitable, or plea&s;ant &s;oeuer it appeare, but &s;ue by praier to him that gaue it, that he would giue the ioy|full fruition of it. And be admoni&s;hed by this, to &s;eeke princi|pally, and with greate&s;t indu&s;trie, things which are aboue, to la|bour mo&s;t for heauenly graces, which certainely would bring &s;pirituall gladnes with them. Get faith rather then riches, &amp; let thy heart be furni&s;hed with the feare of God, more then thy &s;tate and hou&s;e, with all manner of trea&s;ures, and ornaments. Though thy wealth doe vani&s;h, thy &s;trength decay, thy great|nes decrea&s;e, thy friends for&s;ake thee, or all the&s;e remaining, cannot pre&s;erue thy heart from friefes, &amp; feares, yet thy godli|nes, thy wi&s;edome, thy loue, thy mercie, thy patience, and the like, will abide with thee, and &s;tand to thee, and &s;uffer no mi&s;e|rie to &s;eize vpon thee.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 14.</BIBL> <HI>Hou&s;e and &s;ubstance are the inheritance of the fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.</HI></Q>
<P>IN the former &s;entence, by a liuely &s;imilitude, he &s;hewed how noy&s;ome a bad wife is, and in this by an other argument, he maketh it appeare what a great benefit a good wife is. He Prooueth it from the efficient, that the Lord doth be&s;towe
<PB N="62" REF="37" MS="y"> her, and that in manner differing from his ordinarie and com|mon giftures. Hou&s;es, and lands are his gifts al&s;o, and &s;o are <HI>riches,</HI> and all &s;orts of commodities, but they are ordinarily, commonly, and mediately receiued from ance&s;tors, as fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers, to whom the Lord hath giuen power to get, and keepe goods, and a will to leaue them from hand to hand to their po&s;teritie. <HI>But a prudent wife,</HI> a god|ly, wi&s;e, and vertuous wife, and in like manner, a religious, di&s;|creet, and gracious husband, <HI>is from the Lord,</HI> made &s;uch a one by his grace, and ioyned to the yoke-fellow.</P>
<P><HI>Hou&s;e and riches, &amp;c.</HI> No man can po&s;&s;ibly haue po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> of equall valew with a good yoke-fellow.</P>
<P>This hath bene handled in the fourth ver&s;e of the twelfth chapter, and remaineth to be further inlarged in the la&s;t chapter. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P><HI>From the Lord, &amp;c.</HI> The more immediate any good gift of God is, the more pretious it is.</P>
<P>The bread which in the wildernes fell daily from the cloudes, was farre more notable, then if the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> had manured the ground, and bene prouided for of corne, and in|ned an harue&s;t. And the birth of <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> of <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> of <HI>Samu|el,</HI> and the <HI>Shunamites</HI> &s;onne, was farre more honourable then if their mothers had bene fertile, and apt to beare children. The <HI>handfull of meale in the barrell, and the little oyle in the cru&s;e,</HI> which<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 17. 16.</NOTE> were long deked out to the poore widowe of <HI>Sarepta,</HI> were more to be e&s;teemed of, then all <HI>Iezabels</HI> plentie of victuals. And &s;o was the oyle that was multiplied to the poore prophets widowe, for maintenance, and payment of her debts, then all<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 4. 2. King. 20.</NOTE> <HI>Achabs</HI> trea&s;ures. And was not <HI>Hezechias</HI> miraculous recouerie better for him, then if he had neuer bene &s;icke, or to haue bene cured by Phy&s;itions? And the &s;ame might be &s;aid of the rai|&s;ing vp of <HI>Lazarus,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his healing many, of manifold<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 11.</NOTE> maladies, in the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>For the Lord doth by this make manife&s;t his particular pro|uidence, <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> and re&s;pect to the&s;e per&s;ons, vpon whom his gifts and ble&s;&s;ings haue after this manner bene confirmed.</P>
<P>Con&s;olation to tho&s;e from whom he detaineth &s;uch accu|&s;tomed <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e.">
<PB N="63" REF="37"> helpes and meanes of &s;afetie, or &s;u&s;tenance, as others wontedly enioy, and re&s;erueth them, by him&s;elfe, in a peculiar manner to be prouided for. In this ca&s;e are many &s;eeming who|ly forlorne, and vtterly de&s;titute of all aide and &s;uccour, who may truely be &s;aid to liue by faith, not onely for &s;aluation, and euerla&s;ting life, for foode, apparell, harbour, and lodging, with other needfull things appertaining to this life. Their maintenance cea&s;eth, their &s;trength faileth, their friends for|&s;ake them, their aduer&s;aries pur&s;ue them, and yet they are not without comforts, and refre&s;hings. They haue nothing to take too, or depend vpon, and yet behold they want nothing. <HI>Eliah</HI> found the fidelitie of this prouidence for his foode in the time of the great drought and &s;carcitie, when he could come by no other meate, but that which a <HI>rauen</HI> &s;hould mini&s;ter vnto him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 6. 17.</NOTE> and that kinde of creature is &s;eldome a good purueyer, or ca|ter, and yet was he no day neglected, as being di&s;appoynted either of <HI>bread or fle&s;h,</HI> for dinner, or &s;upper. And S. <HI>Paul</HI> among others, had experience of the &s;ame for his pre&s;eruation, in the time of his tribulations. <HI>We are afflicted,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>on euery &s;ide, yet are we not in di&s;tre&s;&s;e: in pouertie, but not ouercome of pouertie.</HI> We<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 4. 8. 9.</NOTE> are <HI>per&s;ecuted, but not for&s;aken: ca&s;t downe, but we peri&s;h not.</HI></P>
<P>The Lord hath a principall hand in all good marriages. A <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doct."> vertuous wife for a faithfull husband, is not a patrimonie be|queathed by parents, but a free, and &s;peciall gife be&s;towed by God: though commonly procured by humane indu&s;trie, as a meanes of the match, yet de&s;tinated by a diuine decree as the appointer thereof. So much is expre&s;&s;ed in the former chap|ter, where it is &s;aide, that <HI>he which</HI> findeth <HI>a wife</HI> (meaning &s;uch<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 18. 22.</NOTE> a one as is here &s;pecified) <HI>findeth a good thing, and receiueth fauour of the Lord.</HI> This is euident to be &s;eene in the ca&s;e of <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Rebecca: Abrahams</HI> &s;eruant was well acquainted with this point, and grounded his praier vpon it, de&s;iring to knowe by a &s;igne (which in deed was extraordinarie) what <HI>wife God had or|dained</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen 24. 14.</NOTE> <HI>for his &s;eruant I&s;aack, and that he had &s;hewed</HI> mereie on his mai&s;ter. And the effect was &s;o apparant, that euen <HI>Laban,</HI> and<NOTE PLACE="marg">ver&s;e. 50. 51.</NOTE> <HI>Bethuel,</HI> were driuen to acknowledge it directly, and dur&s;t not contradict, or goe about to cro&s;&s;e it, &s;aying, <HI>this thing is procee|ded
<PB N="64" REF="38"> of the Lord: we cannot therefore &s;ay to thee,</HI> either <HI>euill or good. Behold</HI> Rebecca <HI>is before thee, take</HI> her, <HI>and goe, that &s;he may be thy mai&s;ters &s;onnes wife, euen as the Lord hath &s;aide.</HI> Now albeit his hand were more con&s;picuous then in dealing for <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and ma|king the voyage of <HI>Abrahams</HI> me&s;&s;enger &s;o pro&s;perous, yet it is exerci&s;ed &s;till, in other godly mens affaires of like nature, though not &s;o much di&s;cerned.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by his &s;pirit both men and women are made marriage|able, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> that is, prepared with gifts and graces for the e&s;tate of wedlocke, and become meete companions for Chri&s;tian yoke|fellowes.</P>
<P>Secondly, his prouidence di&s;po&s;eth of, and pro&s;pereth the <MILESTONE N="2"> occa&s;ions, motions, and proceedings thereof, in &s;uch &s;ort, as all impediments are remoued, and tho&s;e meanes made effectu|all which are v&s;ed for &s;etting forwards of the&s;e matches. He frameth the affectio~s of the parties, that one &s;hould like of, and loue the other: he inclineth the hearts of friends that they &s;hould willingly con&s;ent, and giue incouragement thereto: he defeateth the practi&s;es of aduer&s;aries, that they &s;hall not pre|uaile in their oppo&s;itions again&s;t them. Euen tho&s;e things which &s;eeme ca&s;ually to happen, and accidently to make ei|ther for their on&s;et, or progre&s;&s;e, are purpo&s;ely appointed by him, for the accompli&s;hment of his will in that matter. As for example, doeth it not now appeare, that therefore <HI>Elime|lech</HI> with his wife and &s;onnes were &s;ent into the countrey of <HI>Moab,</HI> that <HI>Chilion</HI> &s;hould marrie <HI>Ruth?</HI> And for <HI>Chilion</HI> to mar|rie <HI>Ruth,</HI> that &s;he might be knit both in alliance &amp; affection to <HI>Naomy?</HI> And therefore to be &s;o vnited to <HI>Naomy&punc;</HI> that &s;he might bring her with her to <HI>Bethlehem?</HI> And therefore to be brought to <HI>Bethlehem,</HI> that &s;he and her waies might be knowne to <HI>Boaz?</HI> And therefore to be knowne to <HI>Boaz,</HI> that <HI>Boaz</HI> might haue due calling to chu&s;e her for his wife? Adde hereunto her gleaning in the field, her lighting vpon <HI>Boaz</HI> his field, the hu|manitie which he did &s;hewe vnto her, the refu&s;all which the other kin&s;man made of her, doe not all the&s;e, and many other circum&s;tances concurre together to bring this to pa&s;&s;e, that <HI>Boaz</HI> &s;hould haue &s;o good opportunitie to enioy her?</P>
<PB N="65" REF="38">
<P>In&s;truction for them that would &s;peede well, and finde good &s;ucce&s;&s;e in their wooing, and marriages, that they &s;ue to God for his direction and a&s;&s;i&s;tance, before they become &s;uiters vnto the parties whome they affect, for the winning of their affections.</P>
<P><HI>Abrahams</HI> Agent for <HI>I&s;aacks</HI> match, in his wi&s;edome, &s;awe that to be the be&s;t way for good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and therefore follow|ed it, and accordinglie pro&s;pered, as by the &s;torie appeareth: and if he then were &s;o prouident, and pro&s;perous, for the bene|fite of an other, ought not euery wi&s;e man to be as prudent, and to take the &s;ame cour&s;e, in anie matter of like importance, con|cerning him&s;elfe?</P>
<P>But withall, let him that de&s;ireth to haue a good wife graunted to him, looke well to his owne &s;oule, and take heede to his wayes, that he may be to her a worthie husband, and to God a faithfull &s;eruant: Otherwi&s;e, his attempt to attaine her, &s;hall all be fru&s;trate, or her goodnes in the end, will make but little for his comfort. Hee mu&s;t plea&s;e him, and get his <HI>fauour,</HI> (as was cited out of the former Chapter,) which &s;hall finde him &s;o beneficiall, as to inrich him with &s;uch a ble&s;|&s;ing.</P>
<P>It is promi&s;ed in the P&s;almes, as a reward proper to them<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 128. 3.</NOTE> that <HI>feare the Lord, and walke in his wayes,</HI> to make them <HI>ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> that their <HI>Wiues &s;hall be profitable,</HI> and comfortable, fruitfull, and plea&s;ant, <HI>like to the Vines, on the &s;ides of their hou&s;es:</HI> which fal|leth out when they are well graced before hand, and &s;o by his goodnes put into their bo&s;omes, or afterwards reclaimed from vices, and as it were transformed vnder their di&s;creete go|uernment.</P>
<P>And &s;o godlie men, afflicted with godles wiues, are not with|out hope of their reformation, for as much as hee is no le&s;&s;e a|ble, or willing to worke grace in them that are alreadie marri|ed, then in tho&s;e that yet be vnbe&s;towed and &s;ingle.</P>
<Q><PB N="66" REF="39"><BIBL>Ver&s;e 15.</BIBL> <HI>Slothfulnes cau&s;eth heauie &s;leepe to fall, and a deceit|full per&s;on &s;hall be affami&s;hed.</HI></Q>
<P>THe dangerous effects of &s;luggi&s;hnes, are here &s;et downe, and de&s;cribed, whereof &s;ome are &s;innes, and heedfullie to be &s;hunned, and others are puni&s;hments thereof, and greatly to be feared.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is, immoderate and exce&s;&s;iue &s;leeping, whereby mens callings and labours are neglected, their time lo&s;t, and their wits and &s;ences dulled: and this groweth partly from the abundance of humors, by which the head is oppre&s;&s;ed, &amp; part|lie from the want of cheerfulnes, whereby the heart &s;hould be refre&s;hed: and therefore ob&s;erue, that all &s;luggards are lumpi&s;h, and like dead men, &s;auing when they be about the practi&s;e or proiect of &s;ome thing vnlawfull.</P>
<P>This drow&s;ine&s;&s;e of theirs, and di&s;po&s;ition to &s;leepe, they are charged with, and challenged for, in the &s;ixt Chapter: <HI>How long wilt thou &s;leepe, &ocirc; &s;luggard, when wilt thou ari&s;e out of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 6. 9.</NOTE> <HI>thy &s;leepe? &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd is deceitfulne&s;&s;e, beeing inferred in the latter clau&s;e, as that which in&s;ueth both vpon &s;lothfulnes and &s;leepi|nes. For they that lo&s;e their time, can neither get wealth well, nor keepe that which others haue formerly gathered by their trauell. Then mu&s;t they needs fall into indigencie and want, and beeing not able to &s;u&s;taine the violence thereof, (for none are &s;o impatient of pouertie, as tho&s;e who retchle&s;lie throwe them&s;elues into it,) they will liue by their wittes, and &s;hift for them&s;elues, by fal&s;hood and indirect cour&s;es.</P>
<P>The third, which is the puni&s;hment of all the former, is fa|mine, and mi&s;erable nece&s;&s;itie, which their fraude and deceit|fulnes doth double vpon them, and not preuent, or dimini&s;h. Or if it fall out that &s;ome by wrongfull dealing are holpen in their &s;tate for a time, yet it turneth to their greater hurt, and deeper decay in time following: or if they thriue euen to their liues end, by their vniu&s;t and fraudulent practi&s;es, yet they &s;hall rue it in the worldes ende, for the <HI>mi&s;eries</HI> and plagues that will
<PB N="67" REF="39"> come vpon them, as Saint <HI>Iames</HI> doth te&s;tifie.</P>
<P>The &s;en&s;e therefore of the &s;entence is this: Slothfulnes cau|&s;eth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5. 1.</NOTE> men to be &s;leepie and deceitfull, and hee that is deceitfull, &s;leepie, or &s;lothful, <HI>&s;hall be affami&s;hed.</HI></P>
<P>&para; Slothfulnes is a vice verie hurtfull both to bodie, &s;oule, and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> outward e&s;tate. Drow&s;ines is noy&s;ome to the bodie, and for healths &s;ake to be auoyded. Deceitfulnes is pernicious to the &s;oule, and for con&s;cience &s;ake to be abhorred: and affami&s;h|ment is the de&s;olation of the &s;tate, tending towardes the de|&s;truction of life, and therefore is with due circum&s;pection and prouidencie to be preuented. The euils that &s;lothfulnes brin|geth: See, Chap. 12. Ver&s;. 24</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Affami&s;hed, &amp;c.</HI> Vnrighteous dealing bringeth that mi&s;erie <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> vpon mens heads, which they are mo&s;t afraid of.</P>
<P>What thing is &s;o dreadfull, grimme, and horrible, to all worldlie men, as penurie and neede? Gods wrath is not: the di|uell is not: death is not: damnation is not: hell is not, (though all the&s;e in time will be,) for doe they not prouoke Gods an|ger, and make them&s;elues a prey to the diuell, and ca&s;t them|&s;elues into the mouth of death, damnation, and hell it &s;elfe, to purcha&s;e profites, and keepe of pouertie? And yet mi&s;ta|king their way, the fa&s;ter, many would runne from it, through the by-paths of craft, and iniu&s;tice, the more ha&s;t they make towards it, till at la&s;t they be deuoured of it. See Chapt. 10. Ver&s;. 4. &amp; 12. V. 27.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 16</BIBL> <HI>He that keepeth the commandement, keepeth his &s;oule: but hee that despi&s;eth his wayes, &s;hall die.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HEe that keepeth the commandement</HI>] which in the integritie, and vprightnes of his heart, ob&s;erueth the law of the Lord, to walk in the &s;ame, althogh he cannot fulfill it, beaking it as little as he can, thogh he cannot obey it &s;o fully as he would, &amp; is hu~bled for his faults, whe~ he &s;eeth his &s;ins, &amp; tra~&s;gre&s;&s;ions, <HI>keepeth his &s;oule,</HI> him&s;elfe, a part being put for the whole, he pre|&s;erueth the life both of his &s;oule and bodie, from an vntimely death, &amp; eternal de&s;truction, not by the merit of his obedience,
<PB N="68" REF="40"> but by the mercie of God, that rewardeth him for it: <HI>But he that despi&s;eth his wayes,</HI> maketh no account how, or after what &s;ort hee doth liue, nor hath care to be directed by the pre&s;cript rule of the holie word of God, <HI>&s;hall die,</HI> &s;hall certainely peri&s;h, and be de&s;troyed for euer, at the la&s;t, though peraduenture he be &s;pared for a &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P>Thus &s;tandeth the oppo&s;ition: Hee that keepeth the com|mandement, and regardeth his wayes &s;hall liue: but hee that breaketh the commandement, and de&s;pi&s;eth his wayes, &s;hall die.</P>
<P>&para; So much con&s;cience as anie man maketh of obedience to <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> Gods will, &s;o much a&s;&s;urance he hath of &s;aluation and &s;afetie.</P>
<P>They that haue great care to &s;hewe them&s;elues ob&s;equious, and faithfull vnto him, haue great cau&s;e to looke for protecti|on and ble&s;&s;ednes from him: they that are more remi&s;&s;e in per|forming tho&s;e duties which his commandeme~ts require, mu&s;t needes be more abridged of that comfort which his promi&s;es doe offer: and they which refu&s;e to &s;ubmit them&s;elues to the authoritie of his word, or to do him anie &s;eruice at all, mu&s;t well vnder&s;tand, that they are not to expect from him anie pre&s;er|uation, or fauour at all, but rather puni&s;hments and vengeance. Let vs vs attend to the te&s;timonie of <HI>Dauid,</HI> who &s;peaketh his knowledge, and that by the experience which him&s;elfe found in this ca&s;e. <HI>Becau&s;e</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>I kept the wayes of the Lord, and did not wickedlie again&s;t my God, (for all his Lawes were before mee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 18. 21. 22. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>and I did not ca&s;t away his commandements from mee: I was vpright al&s;o with him, &amp; haue kept me from my wickednes) therefore the Lord <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">warded me according to my righteou&s;nes, and according to the pure|nes of my hands in his &s;ight. With the godlie, thou wilt &s;hew thy &s;elfe godlie; with the vpright man, thou wilt &s;hew thy &s;elfe vpright. With the pure, thou wilt &s;hew thy &s;elfe pure; &amp; with the froward, thou &s;ette&s;t thy &s;elfe to wre&s;tle. Thus thou wilt &s;aue the humble (or poore peo|ple) and wilt ca&s;t downe the proude lookes.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, nothing is more acceptable, or better plea&s;ing to the <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> Lord, then obedience, faithfully performed to his will: neither doth any thing more offend him, nor &s;o much ince~&s;e his indig|nation, as the contempt, &amp; &s;mall regard of his co~mandements.
<PB N="69" REF="40"> For what &s;aith <HI>Samuel</HI> to <HI>Saul,</HI> touching this &s;ame point? <HI>Hath the Lord greater plea&s;ure in burnt offerings, and &s;acrifices, as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed? Behold to obey, is better then &s;acri|fice: and to hearken,</HI> is better <HI>then the fat of rammes. But rebellion is as the &s;inne of witchcraft, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion is wickednes, and as idolatrie.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, they that are beleeuers, and obedient, haue <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> <MILESTONE N="2"> <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> for their mediator, and redeemer, and how then can<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 28.</NOTE> but they be &s;aued? but <HI>to them which be di&s;obedient</HI> at the word, <HI>he is a &s;tone to &s;tumble at, and a rocke of offence, and how then can it be that they &s;hould not peri&s;h?</HI></P>
<P>The Lord him&s;elfe is the keeper of them that &s;erue him, <HI>his</HI> <MILESTONE N="3"> <HI>eyes are ouer the righteous, and his eares are open to their praiers: but</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 34. 15. 16.</NOTE> <HI>the angry face of the Lord is again&s;t them that doe euill, to cut off their remembrance from the earth.</HI></P>
<P>La&s;tly, the promi&s;es and ble&s;&s;ings of life, &s;aluation, and hap|pines, <MILESTONE N="4"><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11. 28. Deut. 28. 1.</NOTE> are all a&s;&s;ured <HI>to them that heare the word of God, and keepe it: to them that diligently obey the voyce of the Lord their God, and ob&s;erue and doe all his commandements:</HI> and the threates for death, de&s;truction, and mi&s;erie, are directed again&s;t tho&s;e that &s;hall <HI>de&s;pi&s;e his ordinances, and who&s;e &s;oule abhorreth his lawes, &s;o</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 14. 15</NOTE> <HI>that they will not doe all his commandements, but breake his coue|nants.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to deale &s;oundly for our &s;elues, and make cleere <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and manife&s;t the good e&s;tate of our &s;oules, confirming our hope with &s;ure and infallible proofes of regeneration and grace, and not &s;educing our hearts with fallacious, and guilefull illu&s;ions. The Apo&s;tle would not haue <HI>any man &s;eeme to him&s;elfe</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 3. 4.</NOTE> <HI>that he is &s;omewhat, when he is nothing, deceiuing him&s;elfe in his ima|gination,</HI> but admoni&s;heth <HI>euery man to prooue his owne worke, and then he &s;hall haue reioycing in him&s;elfe onely, and not in an other.</HI> All the euidence that many haue of their &s;aluation is this, that their acquaintance, who yet are vnacquainted with their hearts, and the cour&s;e of their behauiour, commend them for Chri&s;ti|ans, and hope well of them: and &s;o their whole comfort &s;tands in the opinions which their neighbours conceiue, and not in any a&s;&s;urance that them&s;elues obtaine. And diuers conclude
<PB N="70" REF="41"> of their owne &s;afetie, by no other argument, but onely the &s;ight of other mens perills: that their life and condition mu&s;t needes be good, becau&s;e the cour&s;e and ca&s;e of &s;o many leaud per&s;ons appeareth &s;o bad: and &s;o the very foundation of their confidence, is nothing el&s;e but a &s;andie compari&s;on. 2. Terror for impious profane per&s;ons, which ble&s;&s;e them&s;elues, when God cur&s;eth them; which arrogate the promi&s;es of life, when he denounceth the threates of death: which <HI>haue a roote of bitternes</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dau. 20 19.</NOTE> <HI>in them, and &s;ay, peace &s;hall be to me, although I walke according to the &s;tubbornnes of mine owne hart.</HI> If they per&s;i&s;ting in this their &s;tub|bornnes, &amp; perpetuall peace, Gods &s;eruants walking faithfully before him, &s;hall finde eternall mi&s;erie: for he is as iu&s;t to exe|cute his threatnings, as kinde and gracious to performe his promi&s;es. Now it is impo&s;&s;ible for Gods children to peri&s;h, as it is for his owne nature and being to faile, and therefore be|hold the damnable &s;tate of the&s;e pre&s;umptuous mi&s;creants. If they wilbe bla&s;phemers, if they wilbe &s;coffers at religious exer|ci&s;es; If they profane the holy &s;abbath, which the Lord hath in&s;tituted to be &s;anctified: if they will de&s;pi&s;e the authoritie of their gouernours: if they will be proud, and high minded: if they wilbe vnmercifull and cruell: if they wilbe vncha&s;t and filthy, or intemperate drunkards, or couetous earth-wormes, or fal&s;e &s;ingered, or fal&s;e tongued, or allowe them&s;elues in any kinde of vicious behauiour, let them proceed in their leaud|nes, and God will proceed in his righteou&s;nes: their &s;ecuritie will bring them no &s;afetie, the more they contemne his words by &s;inning again&s;t them, the more he will glorifie his words, by manife&s;ting the iu&s;tice, and veritie of them. And this may al&s;o &s;erue to admoni&s;h all to beware, how they, neglecting the commandements &s;o &s;trictly to be ob&s;erued, in &s;teed thereof, pre&s;cribe to them&s;elues a wor&s;hip which the braine of man<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 15. 9. Col. 2. 20.</NOTE> hath inuented, and the will of man imbraced, without warrant of, and therefore contrarie to the word and will of the Almigh|tie. As the&s;e are not to be numbred among the Athei&s;ts, be|cau&s;e they be not &s;o impudently impious as they be, &s;o nei|ther are they to be reckoned among true wor&s;hippers, becau&s;e they want that humilitie, and vprightnes which they haue.
<PB N="71" REF="41"> For &s;uper&s;tition in gendred by pride, and &s;ound religion gotten by grace, are &s;o oppo&s;ite, and contrarie one to the other, that no man can po&s;&s;ibly haue in him the habite of them both to|gether. And if the keeping of the commandements be of &s;uch importance for the tranquilitie of the con&s;cience, to giue &s;atis|faction therto for the certaintie of &s;aluation, then di&s;&s;embling Chri&s;tians al&s;o, and fruitle&s;&s;e profe&s;&s;ours of the Go&s;pell, mu&s;t needes be voyde of all &s;ound comfort. For though they &s;peake of goodnes, yet they onely &s;peake, and practi&s;e not: and though they heare the voyce of God, yet <HI>they be hearers onely,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1. 22.</NOTE> <HI>and not doers of the word,</HI> as S. <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith, <HI>deceiuing their owne &s;oules:</HI> whereas the promi&s;e is made to them <HI>which are not forget|full hearers, but doers of the worke, that &s;uch &s;halbe ble&s;&s;ed in their deeds.</HI> For where knowledge, profe&s;&s;ion, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, con|curre together, the &s;inne is the greater, becau&s;e it is &s;candalous, and wilfull, and the burden thereof the heauier, becau&s;e the heart is more priuie to it &s;elfe of guiltines, and apprehen&s;iue of puni&s;hment.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 17.</BIBL> <HI>He that giueth freely to the poore, lendeth vnto the Lord, and the Lord will repay him his reward.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HE that giueth freely</HI>] which out of his compa&s;&s;ion and mer|cie, without any carnall, or corrupt re&s;pect of his owne ad|uantage, mini&s;treth foode, apparell, harbour, or any kinde of helpe and comfort, by word, or deed, <HI>to the poore,</HI> to them that are in affliction, of what &s;ort &s;oeuer, e&s;pecially if they be Gods faithfull &s;eruants, or &s;eeme to be &s;uch, lendeth to the Lord, not that he is beholden to vs, or receiueth any benefite at our hands: for what can we giue that he lent not to vs, nor is his owne, nor in his power, to take, and di&s;po&s;e of, to whom he will, without our leaue? but he is plea&s;ed &s;o to accept of our be|neficence to our brethren, as if him&s;elfe were thereby grati|fied, and had a good turne done to him: for men are many times plea&s;ured by that which is lent them in their neede, and are glad to buy the v&s;e thereof with loane, and therefore it is<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 112. 5.</NOTE> noted as a worke of mercie from a good man, not onely that
<PB N="72" REF="42"> he be&s;toweth gifts, but al&s;o that he lendeth freely. So then God vouch&s;afeth to repute that which is paide vnto him, though imperfectly too, and &s;carce by the halues, to be as it were, a courte&s;ie and kindnes from vs, as if &s;ome thing of ours were deliuered to him. <HI>And the Lord will repay him his reward:</HI> he will as faithfully recompence the mercifull man, as if he were bound thereto, and as an hone&s;t borrower will be carefull to pay that which he oweth. For of his grace he maketh him&s;elfe a debter, to them which are more in his debt, then their body, and &s;oule, and all that they haue is worth.</P>
<P>What&s;oeuer good is done to godly men afflicted, is accep|ted <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> of God, as done to him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>So farre is he from ca&s;ting off, and di&s;claiming his people in their pouertie, and tribulations, as that at no other time in this life, he doth more profe&s;&s;edly acknowledge them, and publi&s;h the tendernes of his affection towards them. As what greater te&s;timonie can there be of loue and kindnes, then this, that their enemies be his enemies: their friends his friends: their be|nefactors &s;o graced and e&s;teemed of, as if they were become his creditors. We haue &s;eene in &s;ome other place before, that <HI>he which oppre&s;&s;eth the poore, reprocheth him that made him, but he</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou 14. 31.</NOTE> <HI>honoureth him that hath mercie on the poore.</HI></P>
<P>And our Sauiour him&s;elfe profe&s;&s;eth, that he pre&s;ently ob|&s;erueth euery where, all the mercie that is &s;hewed by any to his poore &s;eruants: and how he will requite the &s;ame hereafter, in calling them as ble&s;&s;ed ones to the fruition, with him, of his<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 34. &amp;c.</NOTE> cele&s;tiall kingdome, and why he will render them &s;o great a re|ward, becau&s;e they fedde him in his hunger, gaue him drinke in his thir&s;t, and cloathed him being naked, &amp;c: and after what manner they performed the&s;e duties vnto him, by exerci&s;ing the &s;ame towards one of the lea&s;t of his brethren.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he is obeyed therein, requiring &s;uch care to be had of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> his needie and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed people: and the greate&s;t loue, is &s;hew|ed to him, for who&s;e &s;ake tho&s;e poore Chri&s;tians are &s;o merci|fully intreated.</P>
<P>Secondly, the parties thus relieued are the &s;onnes of God, <MILESTONE N="2"> and the brethren of Chri&s;t, as by the &s;cripture la&s;t alledged,
<PB N="73" REF="42"> appeareth: and what tender-harted father, or well affected bro|ther, would not gratefullie take the &s;uccour and reliefe that is mini&s;tred to his deare children, or brethren in their nece&s;&s;ities?</P>
<P>Thirdlie, they are neerer to our Lord <HI>Ie&s;us Christ,</HI> then one brother is to another, or child to the father: for they are mem|bers of him, fle&s;h of his fle&s;h, &amp; bone of his bones, and as much regarded of him, as the apple of his eye: and therefore he is in|tere&s;&s;ed in the fauour that the lea&s;t or feeble&s;t of them &s;hall find at any time.</P>
<P>Encouragement for men to be&s;tow willingly, cheerfully, and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> liberally, on the poore Saints, &s;ithence their beneuolence is &s;ure to finde &s;o good allowance, and will certainlie procure &s;o large a compen&s;ation. Can they put their &s;tocke into a &s;urer hand for &s;afety, without any perill of lo&s;ing? Or can they meet with a more commodious banke for gaine, as to haue the principall doubled, and tripled, &amp; increa&s;ed more then ten thou&s;and fold?</P>
<P>If they would haue their &s;tates &s;ufficiently prouided for, and their hearts cheerfull during life, and their con&s;ciences com|fortable at their death, and &s;oules and bodies happie and glori|ous for euer, the~ let them &s;o imploy their portion, and all the a|bilitie that is in them, that men may receiue protection, reliefe, coun&s;ell, comfort, or &s;ome refre&s;hing from them, and they may expect this munificent and kinglie retribution from the Lord.</P>
<P>Reproofe of their follie, which mi&s;guiding their affaires with|out <MILESTONE N="2"> iudgement, are willing to doe nothing for them, by whom they looke to be an&s;wered nothing: for they account all that to be lo&s;t which man repayeth not. See how vnthri&s;tily they deale, and what euill husbands they are for their &s;oules, in de|frauding them&s;elues of &s;o great a commoditie as they &s;hould haue gained by taking God for their pay-ma&s;ter. It is not one|lie a iu&s;t precept, but wi&s;e coun&s;ell, which Chri&s;t giueth in the Go&s;pell, as by the promi&s;e therevnto annexed, is manife&s;t. <HI>When thou make&s;t a dinner, or a &s;upper, call not thy friendes, nor thy brethren, nor thy kin&s;men nor thy rich neighbours, le&s;t they bid thee</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 14. 12. 13. 14.</NOTE> <HI>againe and a recompence be made thee. But when thou make&s;t a fea&s;t, call the poore, the maymed, the lame, and the blinde. And thou &s;halt be ble&s;&s;ed, becau&s;e they cannot recompenco thee: for thou &s;halt be re|compenced
<PB N="74" REF="43"> at the re&s;urrection of the iu&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> But mu&s;t men be careles of their &s;tates in prouiding for their &s;aluation? Is all to be done for the &s;oule, and nothing for the hou&s;e? What &s;hall I leaue my Children?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Prouidence for thy euerla&s;ting &s;tate, doth nothing impaire thy pre&s;ent &s;tate, and thy liberalitie doth augment, and not dimini&s;h thy childrens pro&s;peritie. Is the Lord &s;o barren of wi&s;edome, or de&s;titute of power, as that he cannot inrich the one, but hee mu&s;t impoueri&s;h the other? Or that he cannot helpe the father, without hurting the childe?<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 112. 2. &amp;c.</NOTE></P>
<P>A godlie man is de&s;cribed in one of the P&s;almes, to be <HI>mer|cifull, and full of compa&s;&s;ion, and righteous.</HI> But how then goeth the world with him and his po&s;teritie? <HI>His &s;eede &s;hall be migh|tie vpon the earth, the generation of the righteous &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed. Riches and trea&s;ures &s;hall be in his hou&s;e, and his righteou&s;nes remai|neth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 37. 25. 26.</NOTE> <HI>for euer.</HI> And to the &s;ame purpo&s;e it is &s;aid in another P&s;al. <HI>I haue bene young, and am old: yet I neuer &s;aw the righteous for&s;aken, nor his &s;eede begging bread. But hee is euer mercifull, and lendeth; and his &s;eede enioyeth the ble&s;&s;ing.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;olation to Gods afflicted children, which are in wants, or <MILESTONE N="3"> feares, or other calamities, that their ca&s;e is not helples, though they cannot helpe them&s;elues. For as much as the Lord vn|dertaketh to &s;atisfie tho&s;e that &s;hall be helpfull vnto them, it is not to be doubted, but that &s;ome bodie will take his word, and &s;hewe that mercie. He is not out of credit, though vnbelieuers dare not tru&s;t to his promi&s;e: for he hath many friends, manie &s;eruants, many children, which will be ready for his &s;ake, to doe all the good they can for anie of his that &s;tand in neede of their aid. Who would not thinke him&s;elf an happy man, if he might haue opportunitie, to doe &s;eruice to the King, by plea&s;uring his &s;onne vpon anie occa&s;ion, e&s;pecially in a weightie matter, &amp; be|ing required, and encouraged by him, with promi&s;e of great re|ward, and preferment to do it? Then doubtles &s;hall the King of kings finde many loyall and well minded &s;ubiects, who for his &s;ake, and their owne, will not be wanting to his di&s;tre&s;&s;ed chil|dren, whom for the &s;ame end, he bringeth into &s;uch aduer&s;itie.</P>
<P>Doth not our Sauiour intimate as much, when he recounteth
<PB N="75" REF="43"> not onely the varietie of afflictions which hee &s;u&s;tained in his me~bers, but likewi&s;e the readines of comforters to relieue him? When he was hungrie, &s;ome fed him: whe~ he was thir&s;tie, &s;ome gaue him drinke: when he was naked, &s;ome clothed him: when he was &s;icke, &s;ome vi&s;ited him: when hee was in pri&s;on, &s;ome came vnto him: &s;till as his neede required, &s;o were they pre&s;t with remedies to &s;uccour him.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 18.</BIBL> <HI>Correct thy &s;onne while there is hope, and let not thy &s;oule &s;pare, which is to kill him.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>COrrect thy &s;onne while there is hope,</HI>] cha&s;ti&s;e thy children of either &s;exe, both by tongue &amp; hand, with rebukes &amp; &s;tripes, being yet young &amp; tender, &amp; not growne &s;tubborne, &s;tiffe|necked, incorrigible, and pa&s;t hope of amendme~t, before they are accu&s;tomed to euill waies, or haue learned to de&s;pi&s;e the ad|monitions, menacings, rods, &amp; &s;courges of parents. <HI>And let not thy &s;oule &s;pare:</HI> beware that thy fond affection withhold thee not from dooing this nece&s;&s;ary dutie, which is, <HI>to kill him,</HI> lea&s;t thy too great indulgency to them, and cockering of them, turne to their de&s;truction.</P>
<P>&para; Correction of children ought not to be ouerlong deferred. So expedient and behouefull it is for the childe to be truely nurtured, that <HI>Salamon</HI> giueth word, for euerie louing, wi&s;e, and di&s;creet parent, that he <HI>will cha&s;ten his &s;onne betime.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 13. 24.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, opportunitie, and hope of good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, which our text putteth vs in minde of, &s;hould be a motiue to vs to auoid delay. The vnrea&s;onable wilde creatures be tameable when they are young, and tender plants are flexible, and may ea&s;ilie be bow|ed hither and thither: and euills at the beginning may with le&s;&s;e difficultie be cured, and remedied.</P>
<P>Secondlie, the manner of Gods dealing with his children, is the be&s;t precedent for our dealing with ours, &amp; he permitteth none of his to e&s;cape too long, before hee humble them, and take downe their harts, either by outward cro&s;&s;es and troubles, or by inward teares and &s;orrowes, or by &s;ome &s;uch meanes as may be&s;t &s;erue to make them feare and obey him. And as hee fore&s;eeth and worketh, &s;o godly men al&s;o feele and enioy
<PB N="76" REF="44"> the great benefite, and profitable effects that followe vpon the &s;ame. <HI>It is good,</HI> (&s;aith the Scripture,) <HI>both to tru&s;t, and to waite for the &s;aluation of the Lord.</HI> And then, <HI>It is good for a man that he beare the yoake in his youth. Hee &s;itteth alone, and keepeth &s;ilence, be|cau&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3. 27.</NOTE> <HI>he hath borne it vpon him.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to induce our &s;elues to the di&s;charge of this du|tie, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> by &s;uch motiues as may mo&s;t &s;tronglie per&s;wade vs there|vnto. As that the di&s;ea&s;e of &s;inne and follie is breeding in our childrens hearts in thier infancie, and before they be able to &s;peake, and what is the medicine to cure it, but the rod of cor|rection, which in great po&s;&s;ibilitie and likelihood will bee a meanes to kill it?</P>
<P>Let neede therefore and loue, and hope preuaile with vs, and ha&s;ten our diligence to helpe them. But the &s;trokes of the twigges be painefull and &s;harpe to their tender fle&s;h: and &s;o are Alloes, and &s;ome other medecines for the wormes, vnplea&s;ant al&s;o and bitter to their ta&s;te, and yet for &s;afeties &s;ake, and pre&s;er|uation of their health, we will giue them thereof to eate, whiles they &s;ucke on their mothers bre&s;ts. And why then &s;hould wee &s;peake, and doe &s;o much again&s;t them, in &s;eeming to pleade and deale for them, &s;aying, they know not yet what correction meaneth: their owne di&s;cretion will teach them to amend their faults hereafter: their own rod will beate them in time, &amp; learne them more wi&s;edome, &amp;c. The &s;mart of correction may make them to know the meaning of correction: &amp; they are the more likely to be di&s;creete for the amendement of their faults here|after, if Gods di&s;cipline be v&s;ed to them before: and it is be&s;t to be &s;o in&s;tructed by the parents rod in child|hood, that they be not whipped with anie rods of their owne in riper age.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>To kill him, &amp;c.</HI> They &s;hewe them&s;elues vnmercifull parents, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> which exempt their children fro~ due correction. See c. 13. v. 24&punc;</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 19.</BIBL> <HI>Being in great wrath, remit the puni&s;hment: but if thou let him e&s;cape, yet applie cha&s;ti&s;ement againe.</HI></Q>
<P>IN the former &s;entence was declared the nece&s;&s;ity of correcti|on, for the preue~tion of de&s;truction, or danger of childre~, and
<PB N="77" REF="44"> what is the fitte&s;t &s;ea&s;on to begin it, euen in their childhood. Now in this he admoni&s;heth euery man to take heede that he marre it not, or hinder the good effect thereof by his owne di&s;temper. And therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>Being in great wrath,</HI> when thou art in an angrie moode, and burne&s;t with furie, and hot di&s;|plea&s;ure, <HI>remit the puni&s;hment,</HI> let pa&s;&s;e for that time the puni&s;h|ment of the partie offending. <HI>But if thou let him e&s;cape, yet applie chasti&s;ement againe.</HI> Neuerthele&s;&s;e, though for that time, and perhaps for that fault thou let him goe free, yet leaue him not &s;o to him&s;elfe, nor &s;uffer him to goe on &s;till vnpuni&s;hed, but when thou art more calme, and as occa&s;ion &s;halbe offered, take him in hand, and cha&s;ti&s;e him.</P>
<P>&para; Correction is neither to be giuen in pa&s;&s;ion, nor omitted <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> remi&s;&s;ely. It is vnfit to &s;eeke redre&s;&s;e of other mens faults, by committing as great our &s;elues: or altogether to di&s;pence with, and pa&s;&s;e ouer their offences to the hurt of their &s;oules, be|cau&s;e it &s;eemeth our &s;elues are ouer-carried with corruptions. Both the&s;e are hurtfull extremities, but I will in&s;i&s;t e&s;pecially vpon the former, becau&s;e the perill of neglecting puni&s;hment appeared by the former &s;entence, and other places of this booke. To the poynt therefore in hand, S. <HI>Iames</HI> &s;peaketh per|tinently, though not particularly, when he &s;aith, <HI>The wrath of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1. 20.</NOTE> <HI>man, doth not execute the righteou&s;nes of God,</HI> which euery one that inflicteth any puni&s;hment vpon an other, ought to doe. When<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 20. 10.</NOTE> the trouble&s;ome <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> had driuen <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> that meeke &s;er|uant of God into a pa&s;&s;ion, by vexing of his &s;pirit, euen he, for<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 106. 33.</NOTE> the time was not in ca&s;e, &s;o much as to reprehend them in that manner as became him, but &s;pake vnadui&s;edly with his lippes, both in rating of them, and neglecting to &s;anctifie the Lord. And yeeld that <HI>Dauid</HI> might warrantably haue proceeded a|gain&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 25.</NOTE> <HI>Naball</HI> for his vnthankfull, churli&s;h, in&s;olent, and con|temptible behauiour, yet what worke would he haue made in his rage, when for one mans fault he was re&s;olued to murther a whole familie?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a man in his di&s;temper can hardly keepe mea&s;ure in <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> puni&s;hing, as the example la&s;t produced doth witne&s;&s;e, but &s;hall by the &s;ore &s;treame of his anger, be carried to the practi&s;e of
<PB N="78" REF="45"> violence, beyond all bonds of moderation.</P>
<P>Secondly, being in that &s;ort moued, and kindled with ire, the <MILESTONE N="2"> feruour and heate of his choller will &s;o fire his tongue, that no graue and coole expo&s;tulations and admonitions, which put life into corrections, and cau&s;e them to worke, can be deliue|red by it.</P>
<P>Thirdly, wrath and immoderate anger disfigure the face of a <MILESTONE N="3"> man, making his eyes and browes, and all his vi&s;age, to looke fierce, and ill fauoured, and di&s;couereth al&s;o the impotencie of his affections, and &s;o he that is &s;mitten (notwith&s;tanding that he be afraid of him) will yet by the &s;ight of the&s;e great infirmi|ties, be brought to condemne and de&s;pi&s;e him.</P>
<P>In&s;truction not to be &s;uddaine and ha&s;tie to &s;trike our vn|derlings <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> vpon the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ion of a fault committed, le&s;t we giue cau&s;e to our &s;elues to &s;mite our owne hearts afterwards with &s;orrow and &s;hame for our ra&s;hnes. They that be &s;o &s;wift to fight, be commonly as &s;lowe to examine the cau&s;e, or to pittie the offendor, and pray for him, or to conceiue hatred of the &s;inne: or to deliberate in what manner they may be&s;t re|dre&s;&s;e it.</P>
<P>Reproofe of them, that can neither fight nor chide, but one|ly <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> in their &s;ume, and when their blood is hot. They that be mo&s;t boi&s;terous to &s;mite with the fi&s;t (which will hardly proue to be Gods ordinance) and to lay about them with &s;taues, pitch|forkes, and what&s;oeuer is in their hands, haue v&s;ually the lea&s;t care to re&s;traine their people from vices, by &s;ea&s;onable and moderate di&s;cipline.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 20.</BIBL> <HI>Heare coun&s;ell, and receiue in&s;truction, that thou mai|e&s;t be wi&s;e at thy latter end.</HI></Q>
<P>HAuing in the premi&s;es giuen precepts to parents and go|uernours, he now conuerteth his &s;peech to children, and &s;uch as in the Scripture come vnder the name of chil|dren, that is to &s;ay, all Gods people, to whom he doth offer him&s;elfe as a father, being readie to teach and direct them. And the fir&s;t le&s;&s;on that he giueth vnto them is, that they &s;hould
<PB N="79" REF="45"> <HI>heare coun&s;ell,</HI> lend an eare, and harken diligently with atten|tion, to wi&s;e, and whole&s;ome doctrines and admonitions: the &s;econd, that they receiue <HI>instruction,</HI> or correction, for the word &s;ignifieth both: that is, to &s;ubmit them&s;elues to, and make v&s;e of, and profite by, reproofes, threatnings, or cha&s;ti&s;ements. And the rea&s;on of this exhortation, is both from the motiue that &s;hould per&s;wade them thereunto, and the end that they &s;hould propo&s;e to them&s;elues therein, and the happie &s;ucce&s;&s;e which they &s;hould finde thereby, that <HI>they may be wi&s;e in their latter end,</HI> that their wi&s;edome may be manife&s;ted, and they reape the fruit thereof in their old age, or when&s;oeuer they are readie to depart out of the world, not but that he would haue men to be wi&s;e al&s;o before, but to note, that all that time their heauenly wi&s;edome will &s;tand them in be&s;t &s;teed.</P>
<P>&para; A godly man &s;hall haue the greate&s;t benefit of his pietie and <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> graces, when he draweth neere&s;t to his death.</P>
<P>At the fir&s;t they &s;eeme burdenous, and trouble&s;ome, in re|&s;pect of the afflictions whereby they are often accompanied, as &s;eede time, in appearance, doth onely deuour and &s;wallow vp mens corne, and exact their labour and trauell, but afterwards they &s;hewe them&s;elues comfortable and precious, as the beau|tifull &s;ight of harue&s;t, doth declare the commoditie of &s;eede time. <HI>The wicked is pur&s;ued in his mi&s;erie: but the righteous hath</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou 14. 32.</NOTE> <HI>hope in his death,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Salomon. Marke the vpright man, and behold</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 37. 37.</NOTE> <HI>the iu&s;t: for the end of that man is peace,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI> in the P&s;almes. And when was the &s;tate of the wi&s;e virgins made knowne to be<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> better then that of the fooli&s;h, not when they tooke their lampes, or lighted their lampes, or prouided their oile, or went forth together, or waited together, but when the bridegroome came.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, at their latter end the faithfull haue greate&s;t &s;tore and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> plentie of graces: for they haue bene &s;till gathering, laying vp, and daily adding to their &s;tocks, by learning, fa&s;ting, praying, &s;hewing of mercie, diligence in their callings, mortifying of their corruptions, and di&s;charging of many good duties.</P>
<P>Secondly, then haue they greate&s;t neede and v&s;e thereof, <MILESTONE N="2"> a fora&s;much as they are to wre&s;tle with death, to re&s;i&s;t the a&s;&s;aults
<PB N="80" REF="46"> of Sathan, both which would &s;tirre vp all the infidelitie that remaineth in them, to di&s;courage their hearts, were they not &s;o well armed with the &s;pirit of God, and a good con&s;cience.</P>
<P>Thirdly, then are they be&s;t &s;ea&s;oned with humilitie, and pa|tience, <MILESTONE N="3"> hauing pa&s;&s;ed through many temptations, and tribula|tions (as it falleth out to the greate&s;t number of the godly) and yet kept the faith, and therefore are mo&s;t capable of, and readi|e&s;t for comfort, with the te&s;timonie of Gods fauour, who&s;e &s;er|uice they haue faithfully performed.</P>
<P>Fourthly, then they approach apace towards their re&s;t, and <MILESTONE N="4"> happines, their worke being fini&s;hed, and their wages readie to be put into their hands, they &s;halbe no longer yoaked with &s;innes and mi&s;eries, nor detained from the fruition of perfect holines and glorie, but be &s;atisfied with the fulnes thereof in the pre&s;ence of God their deare&s;t father, and of the Lord <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> their ble&s;&s;ed Sauiour.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to make our whole life, by li&s;tening to this <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> coun&s;ell here commended vnto vs; and giuing in&s;truction a practicall entertainment, a continuall preparation for a com|fortable death. In the very fir&s;t on&s;et to religion, religion if it be &s;ound, will direct mens minds to thinke of, and to guide their waies to prouide for their end. And therefore <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> or rather the Lord him&s;elfe, conuinceth the hypocryticall <HI>I&s;rae|lites,</HI> neglecting &s;o waightie, and needfull a dutie, to be vtterly de&s;titute of all heauenly wi&s;edome. <HI>They are,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>a nation</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 29.</NOTE> <HI>void of coun&s;ell, neither is there any vnderstanding in them: O that they were wi&s;e, then would they vnder&s;tand this: they would con&s;ider their latter end.</HI> Ob. But they &s;hall meete with many troubles. An&s;w. And they &s;hall e&s;cape out of all troubles. Ob. But mo&s;t men in the&s;e daies will thinke them to be fooles, and &s;uch as knowe not what is good for them&s;elues. An&s;w. But all men &s;hall one day knowe them to be wi&s;e, and &s;uch as haue cho&s;en that which is be&s;t for them&s;elues, when the te&s;timonie of Chri&s;t, and their owne happie condition &s;hall giue them com|mendation of wi&s;edome before all the world. Nay, they are fooles, and knowe not what is good for them&s;elues, which pur|cha&s;e pre&s;ent delights, with their future calamities, like riotous
<PB N="81" REF="46"> &s;pend-thrifts, wa&s;ting all their patrimonie at one banquet, or lo|&s;ing their whole inheritance at one game. Such are the coue|tous, the ambitious, the voluptuous, and all tho&s;e that are in bondage to anie deceitfull lu&s;ts, and vanities. They pay deare for their wealth, though they get it, and for their preferments, and for their plea&s;ures, and for what&s;oeuer they compa&s;&s;e, with a burden to their con&s;cience, and hazard of their &s;oules.</P>
<P>Manie iudge them wi&s;e, and prai&s;e them for their pollicies now, which by &s;ight and experience of their mi&s;eries, will con|demne their follie hereafter; and them&s;elues mo&s;t pre&s;&s;ed with puni&s;hments, will more then any other, bewaile their owne wilfulnes and madnes.</P>
<P>This then, to conclude, is wi&s;edome, worthie to be &s;o called, and that which will be&s;teed a man at his latter ende, rather to haue a Legacie bequeathed to him&s;elfe in Chri&s;t his will, then to bequeath great portions to others in his owne will: and to haue a&s;&s;urance of ioyes and glorie to goe vnto, then a remem|brance of plea&s;ures, &amp; dignities, which he mu&s;t depart away fro~.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 21.</BIBL> <HI>Manie deui&s;es are in the heart of man: but the coun|&s;ell of the Lord that &s;hall &s;tand.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>MAnie deui&s;es are in the heart of man,</HI>] &s;undrie thoughts are in their minds, of hopes, and doubts, and de&s;ires, and &s;o they to&s;&s;e matters too and fro in their imaginations, how they may auoyd that which they feare, and accompli&s;h that which they de&s;ire, and yet &s;eldome bring them to anie effect, or when they do, it is not by force of their plotting or foreca&s;t. <HI>But the coun&s;ell of the Lord it &s;hall &s;tand;</HI> his will &s;hall take place, what|&s;oeuer hee hath determined &s;hall &s;ucceed, whether mens li|kings be to it, or again&s;t it.</P>
<P>&para; Things come not to pa&s;&s;e by mens purpo&s;es, but by Gods <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> appointment.</P>
<P>There is a maruellous agreement and con&s;ent of the Pro|phets, and holie writers in this matter, though we will produce the te&s;timonie onely of one or two, for confirmation thereof: as that of <HI>Dauid</HI> directly witne&s;&s;ing the &s;ame truth, as cleerly,
<PB N="82" REF="47"> and expre&s;&s;ely as our Text hath it. <HI>The Lord breaketh the coun|&s;ell</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 33. 10. 11.</NOTE> <HI>of the Heathen, and bringeth to nought the deui&s;es of the peo|ple. The coun&s;ell of the Lord &s;hall &s;tand for euer, and the thoughts of his heart throughout all ages.</HI></P>
<P>And how farre different from this in &s;en&s;e, and &s;ub&s;tance, is that in the Lamentations? <HI>Who is hee that &s;aith, and it commeth</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3. 37. 38.</NOTE> <HI>to pa&s;&s;e, and the Lord &s;aith it not? Out of the mouth of the mo&s;t high proceedeth not euill and good?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, his will is Imperiall, by which the whole world, both <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> heauen and earth is gouerned and &s;u&s;tained: It decreeth, and prouidentliie fore-appointeth the motions, actions, occur|rents, and euents of euerie thing, whether weightie&s;t, or of &s;malle&s;t importance.</P>
<P>Secondlie, it is eternall and immutable, and not po&s;&s;iblie <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;ubiect to alteration.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it is ab&s;olutely holie, wi&s;e, and righteous, that hee <MILESTONE N="3"> &s;hall neuer haue cau&s;e to change it.</P>
<P>It is pui&s;&s;ant, powerfull, and mightie, which neither man, <MILESTONE N="4"> nor Angell, nor anie, nor all creatures are able to re&s;i&s;t, and preuaile again&s;t.</P>
<P>In&s;truction, that as neere as we can, we purpo&s;e tho&s;e things <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> which he appointeth, and &s;eeke his helpe in all our affaires, and &s;o our thoughts &s;hall &s;ucceed well, and our de&s;ires be &s;atisfied, by vertue of his decree and coun&s;ell. For &s;o runneth the pro|mi&s;e in the fir&s;t P&s;alme, to euery godlie man: he &s;halbe <HI>ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> and <HI>what&s;oeuer he doth &s;hall prosper:</HI> And why? <HI>For his delight</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>is in the lawe of the Lord, and in that lawe hee meditateth day and night.</HI></P>
<P>Reproofe of their follie that oppo&s;e their practi&s;es to Gods <MILESTONE N="2"> words, &s;eeking to &s;et vp that which hee hath threatned to ca&s;t downe, and to keepe downe that which he hath vndertaken to exalt.</P>
<P>As <HI>Saul</HI> would haue defeated <HI>Dauid</HI> of his kingdome, &s;ee|king to &s;ley him before hee &s;hould obtaine it: and the mali|cious Iewes and Gentiles, would haue bereaued Chri&s;t of his glorie: hoping as they preuailed to take away his life, &s;o by the hands of Souldiers, to &s;toppe him from ri&s;ing againe: and
<PB N="83" REF="47"> and the idoltarous papi&s;ts would haue &s;uppre&s;&s;ed the Go&s;pell, attempting by fire &amp; fagot, to deterre euery man from the pro|fe&s;&s;ion of it. But what &s;aith the Lord co~cerning all the&s;e deui&s;es?</P>
<P><HI>Why doe the Heathen rage, and the people murmure in vaine, a|gain&s;t the Lord, and again&s;t his annoynted? Hee that dwelleth in the heauens &s;hall laugh: the Lord &s;hall haue them in deri&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>The Con&s;olation for Gods people, again&s;t whome the pur|po&s;es of the wicked, with all their wittes and forces are bent. See Chap. v. 1. 9.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 22.</BIBL> <HI>The de&s;ire of a man is his goodnes: and a poore man is better then a lyar.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe de&s;ire of a man,</HI>] that which euerie man ought mo&s;t to wi&s;h and labour for in him&s;elfe, and to e&s;teeme and com|mend in others, <HI>is his goodnes,</HI> his pietie and religion to|wards God, his mercie, trueth, and vpright dealing towards men, and not a greate&s;tate, and earthlie pompe, and hee that in this manner doth good, and is faithfull and true, though he be poore, not hauing &s;tore and abundance of outward po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ions, <HI>is better,</HI> in happier ca&s;e, and more regarded of God, and good men, <HI>then a liar,</HI> then an impious, vnprofitable, and fal&s;e man, though hee be neuer &s;o wealthie.</P>
<P>&para; Vertue and weldoing, is the be&s;t ornament that anie man can <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> be decked with. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in effect doth &s;ay as much, and confirmeth the &s;ame, when hee declareth, that <HI>the kingdome of God,</HI> con&s;i&s;teth not <HI>in meate and drinke,</HI> and then, not in rich and co&s;tlie apparell, neither money, nor anie other corrupti|ble thing, but in <HI>righteou&s;nes, and peace, and ioy in the holie Gho&s;t. For who&s;oeuer in the&s;e things &s;erueth Chri&s;t, is acceptable to God, and approued of men.</HI></P>
<P>And that exhortation which <HI>Eccle&s;iastes</HI> inferreth, as the &s;cope of his whole booke, and hee is the verie quinte&s;&s;ence extracted out of the &s;ame, maketh directlie for the point. <HI>Let vs heare the end of all: Feare God, and keepe his commandements: for this is the whole man,</HI> or whole of the man, without which,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12. 13.</NOTE> all that man is, or man hath, is nothing el&s;e but vanitie.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, vnle&s;&s;e this were &s;o, it would not be &s;o often and ear|ne&s;tlie <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;.">
<PB N="48" REF="48"> commaunded of God, as a matter of principall weight and moment: neither would the Scriptures commend it &s;o much, as giuing preferment to the &s;ame aboue all other things in the world.</P>
<P>Secondlie, the price that was paide for it, and the parties <MILESTONE N="2"> for whome it is prepared, doe prooue the value thereof to be wonderfull great. For the bloud of <HI>Christ</HI> which was giuen for redemption, was al&s;o &s;head to purcha&s;e grace for vs. And it is a prerogatiue peculiar to Gods children, and <HI>Christ</HI> his &s;pou&s;e, to be indued therewith, as it is &s;aide in the Reuelation: <HI>To her was granted, that &s;he &s;hould be arayed with pure fine linnen,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Reu. 19 8.</NOTE> <HI>&amp; &s;hining;</HI> for the fine linnen is the righteou&s;nes of Saints.</P>
<P>Thirdlie, the rare and &s;ingular effects which it worketh, be|ing <MILESTONE N="3"> peerle&s;&s;e, and admirable aboue all, giue te&s;timonie to it, that no other thing is matchable with it. What will &s;o much comfort a man in his trouble? what will refre&s;h him &s;o much with hope, and at his death? what will bring him &s;o great hap|pines in heauen, and make him &s;o glorious at the re&s;urrection of the iu&s;t?</P>
<P>In&s;truction, for euery one with greate&s;t dilgence to labour <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> for that which the &s;pirit of God doth commend as a thing eue|ry way mo&s;t de&s;ireable. Which bringeth &s;ufficiencie, though a man had nothing el&s;e to take to, &amp; without the which he &s;hall want the v&s;e of euery thing, that in appearance, is not vnproui|ded of any thing. He that hath the outward man of his bodie clothed with vile rayment, as S. <HI>Iames</HI> tearmeth it, which may occa&s;ion vaine men to de&s;pi&s;e him, and the hidden man of his hart vncorrupt with faith, loue, mercie, meeknes, humilitie, and other graces of the &s;pirit, is not a little &s;et by of God, neither<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 2. 2.</NOTE> would God haue him lightly regarded of his people, &amp; though an other weare on the out&s;ide vpon his backe, gay clothing, as<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 3. 4.</NOTE> &s;ilkes, &s;attens, veluets, gold, &s;iluer, pearles, and precious &s;tones, and be as richly clad as euer was <HI>Salomon,</HI> yet if within the in|&s;ide, in his &s;oule, he be tattered &amp; torne, with the ragges &amp; pat|ches of pride, enuie, crueltie, couetou&s;nes, impuritie, and other damnable lu&s;ts, the eyes of the Lord will abhorre him, and hee alloweth not his &s;eruants to admire him.</P>
<PB N="85" REF="48">
<P>And as much may be &s;aid concerning all other excellencie, profites, and plea&s;ures, that without the feare of God, and a good con&s;cience, they are vanitie of vanities, and onely vani|tie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 2. 1.</NOTE> they are nothing but vanitie, &amp; vexation of &s;pirit. If therfore we would not be cen&s;ured for vaine per&s;ons, let vs labour for that which is better then vanitie.</P>
<P>Reproofe of tho&s;e that think goodnes not good enough for <MILESTONE N="2"> them, but de&s;pi&s;e, and deride it, as ignominious, and contemp|tible, and which they are a&s;hamed to giue any countenance vn|to. They be ba&s;e minded per&s;ons in their iudgement, that giue them&s;elues to praying, hearing of &s;ermons, reading, and medi|tating of the Scriptures, &s;anctifying of the &s;abbath, that will be &s;ociable with them that v&s;e whole&s;ome conferences, and Chri&s;tian exerci&s;es. But as for them&s;elues, it is fit for men of their parentage, partes, and places, to &s;weare, and whore, and quaffe, and carou&s;e, and make a trade of carding, and dyeing, the&s;e be exerci&s;es they take to be agreeable to their education, and well be&s;eeming their degree: and to &s;ome that are not &s;o much affected to the&s;e cour&s;es, <HI>pride is a chaine,</HI> as the Prophet<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 73. 6.</NOTE> &s;aith, <HI>and crueltie couereth them as a garment:</HI> and others re&s;igne ouer them&s;elues wholly to other manner of delights, that all of them loue nothing &s;o much as &s;inne, nor loath any thing &s;o much as goodnes.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>And a poore man, &amp;c.</HI> Pouertie is no di&s;paragement to the <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> godly, nor wealth any preferment to the wicked.</P>
<P>Men are not to be e&s;teemed of according to their &s;tate, but their hone&s;tie and worthines. He began this chapter with the &s;ame matter, and in the fir&s;t ver&s;e, the &s;ame point is confirmed, where it is &s;aid, that <HI>better is the poore which walketh in his vpright|nes, then he that abu&s;eth his lippes, and is a foole.</HI> And in the twelfth<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 12. 26.</NOTE> chapter: <HI>the righteous is more excellent then his neighbour.</HI> And in Eccle&s;ia&s;tes: <HI>Better is a poore, and wi&s;e child, then an old, and fooli&s;h</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>king, which will no more be admoni&s;hed.</HI> There is in appearance, great oddes betweene an old man, and a child; betweene one that hath &s;uch princely trea&s;ures, and the other that is &s;o bare and poore: betweene the high dignitie of an ancient king, and the lowe abiection of a poore boy: and yet if &s;uch a meane
<PB N="86" REF="49"> inferiour be wi&s;e and teachable, he is in better ca&s;e by the te&s;ti|monie of this text, then a mightie &s;uperiour that is fooli&s;h and wilfull.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God honoureth them that are vertuous, though <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> poore, with all preferments of parentage, as adopting them to be his owne children: of dignitie, as aduancing them to be kings: of inheritance, as making them coheires with his onely begotten &s;onne: and he vilifieth them that are leaud and &s;in|full, though wealthy, with al di&s;graces, as reputing them fooles, and bondmen, and bea&s;ts.</P>
<P>Secondly, he hath exerci&s;ed the deare&s;t of his &s;eruants with <MILESTONE N="2"> pouertie, as <HI>Elijah</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe, which he would neuer haue done, if it could haue made them vile and mi&s;erable: and he hath be&s;towed on the wor&s;t of his enemies the&s;e earthly riches, as on <HI>Achab, Ieroboam,</HI> and <HI>Bal&s;hazzar,</HI> which they &s;hould neuer haue gotten, if they would haue made them honourable and happie. For the v&s;es, &s;ee chapter. 12. v. 26. and the fir&s;t ver&s;e of this chapter.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 23. <HI>The feare of the Lord</HI> leadeth <HI>to life, and he</HI> that is indued therewith,</BIBL> <HI>&s;hall remaine &s;atisfied, and &s;hall not be vi&s;ited with euill.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe feare of the Lord</HI>] &s;ound pietie and religion, a reue|rence of his maie&s;tie, ioyned with an vnfained loue thereof, <HI>leadeth to life,</HI> is by gods free goodnes, according to his promi&s;e through <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> rewarded with a ble&s;&s;ed and a comfortable life in this world, and a glorious, and eter|nall life in the world to come, <HI>and he that is endewed therewith, &s;hall remaine &s;atisfied:</HI> the man in whom this holy feare dwelleth, &s;hall neither liue in mi&s;erable want, nor in feare or danger thereof, <HI>but &s;hall lodge &s;atisfied,</HI> as the word &s;ignifieth, &s;hall con|&s;tantly haue competent proui&s;ion, in the night he &s;hall not care for the day following, nor this day be doubtfull how he &s;hall doe tomorrow, but he by who&s;e prouide~ce he is &s;u&s;tained at one time, will not faile to mini&s;ter what&s;oeuer is needfull at all times.</P>
<PB N="87" REF="49">
<P><HI>And &s;hall not be vi&s;ited with euill,</HI> &s;hall not be plagued with hurtfull calamities, and yet &s;ometimes tried with &s;harpe aduer|&s;ities: and &s;o are the two former promi&s;es touching life, and plentie, to be vnder&s;tood, that they are &s;ecured onely from a cur&s;ed death, or penury, which are puni&s;hments of &s;inne, and &s;ignes of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>&para; Euery godly man liueth alwaies in &s;afetie of his life. An vn|timely <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> death &s;hall neuer ouertake him, and a kindly death &s;hall neuer hurt him, but tran&s;port him to a better life. This is the current of all Gods promi&s;es, and the &s;treame of his mercies runneth this way, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> had lo&s;t his &s;ufferings, and died in vaine, without any benefit to his people, if he had left them in a peri&s;hable e&s;tate, and not deliuered them from the power of death.</P>
<P>Con&s;olations of this nature were familiar with him, and flowed continually out of his gracious lippes: <HI>I am the re&s;ur|rection,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 11. 25. 26</NOTE> <HI>and the life: he that beleeueth in me, though he were dead, yet &s;hall he liue. And who&s;oeuer liueth, and beleeueth in me, &s;hall neuer die.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5. 24.</NOTE> <HI>Verily, verily, I &s;ay vnto you, he that heareth my word, and beleeueth in him that &s;ent me, hath euerlasting life, and &s;hall not come into condem|nation,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 20. 38.</NOTE> <HI>but hath pa&s;&s;ed from death vnto life.</HI> He is not the God of the dead, but of them which liue: for all liue vnto him. See chap. 11. 19.</P>
<P>&para; Shall remaine &s;atisfied, &amp;c. Godlines procureth &s;ufficient <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Doct."> proui&s;ion for mens outward e&s;tates.</P>
<P>The Lord doth not onely vndertake for the &s;aluation of his peoples &s;oules, but he is al&s;o prouident for their bodies. <HI>He that</HI> diligently, and principally <HI>&s;eeketh the kingdome of God, and his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 33.</NOTE> <HI>righteou&s;nes,</HI> &s;hall be &s;ure to haue all other needfull things, as foode, and apparell, and the like, <HI>mini&s;tred vnto him.</HI> The Lord purpo&s;eth, as he promi&s;eth, and will vndoubtedly performe it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s; 34. 9. 10.</NOTE> when he &s;aith, <HI>Feare ye the Lord ye his Saints: for nothing wanteth to them that feare him. The lions doe lacke and &s;uffer hunger, but they which &s;eeke the Lord &s;hall want nothing that is good.</HI></P>
<P>They are the children whom his prouidence doth &s;pecially <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> care for, and all others fare the better for their &s;akes. And if our heauenly father be &s;o rich and bountifull to birds, and bea&s;ts,
<PB N="88" REF="50"> and fi&s;hes, and &s;erpents, and wicked people, how much more will he exceed in goodnes towards his owne &s;onnes and daughters?</P>
<P>Secondly, godly men are indu&s;trious and diligent in their <MILESTONE N="2"> callings, and &s;o their labours are ble&s;&s;ed vnto them; and their prudent frugalitie and thriftines make a way for the increa&s;e of their &s;ub&s;tance and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions. For <HI>a diligent hand maketh rich:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 14. 22.</NOTE> and <HI>in all labour there is abundance,</HI> as diuers texts of Scripture do te&s;tifie.</P>
<P>Thirdly, godlines bringeth <HI>contentment,</HI> and their minde is <MILESTONE N="3"> &s;atisfied with their allowance, be it much or little, iu&s;tly iud|ging<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 6. 6.</NOTE> that to be enough for them (for &s;o God doth make it to be) which others would murmure at, as an incompetent, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 11. 12.</NOTE> too &s;hort a pittance for their hungrie appetites. <HI>I haue learned</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, in what &s;tate &s;oeuer I am, therewith to be content. And I can be aba&s;ed, and I can abound: euery where in all things, I am in|&s;tructed, both to be full, and to be hungry, and to abound, and to haue want.</HI> See chapter. 10. v. 3.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Not vi&s;ited with euill, &amp;c.</HI> Nothing that is hurtfull can befall <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Doct."> any man that is godly.</P>
<P>When pouertie would turne to his annoyance, he may be well a&s;&s;ured that he &s;hall neuer be poore: when &s;icknes would be noxious, and harmefull, his health &s;halbe continued: and the like may be &s;aid, of di&s;graces, of mole&s;tations, of lo&s;&s;e of friends, or what&s;oeuer may be incommodious vnto him.</P>
<P>The te&s;timonie of the Prophet, being in &s;ub&s;tance Gods<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119 165.</NOTE> promi&s;e, is of large extent, &s;aying, <HI>they that thy lawe &s;hall haue great pro&s;peritie, and they &s;hall haue none hurt.</HI> And the &s;peech of <HI>Eliphas</HI> to <HI>Iob,</HI> is of no &s;mall force, when he &s;aith, <HI>He &s;hall deliuer</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 5. 19. 20.</NOTE> <HI>thee in &s;ixe troubles, and in the &s;euenth, the euill &s;hall not touch thee. In famine, he &s;hall deliuer thee from death: and in battell, from the power of the &s;word. Thou &s;halt be hid from the &s;courge of the tongue, and thou &s;halt not be afraide of destruction when it commeth.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, euery one that feareth the Lord, is greatly beloued of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> him, more then the deare&s;t child of the kinde&s;t father, or the &s;weete&s;t babe of the tendere&s;t mother, his eye is alwaies vigi|lant for their &s;afetie, his watchfull prouidence continually
<PB N="89" REF="50"> guarding of them. He is neither heedles of them in the day, nor &s;leepy in the night, nor remi&s;&s;e in looking to them at any time. Hee &s;eeth and fore-&s;eeth, becau&s;e he fore-appointeth all things that &s;hall befall them: he knoweth, and fore-knoweth, the e|uent of euery thing that commeth to pa&s;&s;e, whether it will be helpfull, or hurtfull; whether it will be for their benefite, or hin|derance; whether it will be for their &s;afetie, or perill; their cre|dite, or reproach; their peace, or trouble; their comfort, or &s;or|rowe. No future effect can formerlie be hidden from him, be|cau&s;e hee hath not alone the di&s;po&s;ing of actions, or of things that are to fall out, but likewi&s;e of the &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and i&s;&s;ues there|of. Then con&s;ider whether it be likely that he will allow poy|&s;on to be mini&s;tred to his darling in &s;teed of Phy&s;icke, when he is not ignorant that it would certainly kill him, or mi&s;chiefe to light vpon the righteous for their de&s;truction, or to doe &s;o much as the lea&s;t harme vnto them.</P>
<P>Secondly, the holie Angells are mini&s;tring &s;pirits, attending on the people of God, and their office is to looke well vnto them, euerie where, and at all times, &s;o long as they &s;erue him: for &s;o are they commanded by the Lord. Vnle&s;&s;e then they would become &s;infull again&s;t God, and turne diuels (which they cannot doe, becau&s;e they &s;tand by vertue of election) they mu&s;t needes be faithfull to Chri&s;tians, and watchfull for their &s;afetie. And therefore the &s;pirit of God giueth his word for their fidelitie, and promi&s;eth to the godlie good protection and &s;afegard by their mini&s;terie, in this manner: <HI>There &s;hall</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 91. 10.</NOTE> <HI>none euill come vnto thee, neither &s;hall a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ie plague come neere thy tabernacle. For hee &s;hall giue his Angells charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes. They &s;hall beare thee in their hands, that thou hurt not thy foote again&s;t a &s;tone.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction, to &s;et our &s;elues to feare the Lord, and to &s;eeke <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> this cele&s;tiall grace aboue all things, &s;ithence it hath &s;uch worthie vertues in it.</P>
<P>Will it be an Armour again&s;t weapons, a &s;tore-hou&s;e again&s;t wants, a pre&s;eruation again&s;t di&s;ea&s;es, a deliuerer from death? Will it worke our indemnitie, and &s;aue vs harmle&s;&s;e from the poy&s;on and venome of paines and griefes, and lo&s;&s;es, and of all
<PB N="90" REF="51"> &s;ortes of cro&s;&s;es, troubles, and afflictions? why liue wee &s;o much without it, and may &s;o ea&s;ilie haue it? why make we no more reckoning of it, &s;ithence it is &s;o precious, profitable, and nece&s;&s;arie?</P>
<P>Be&s;ide the de&s;ire of Gods glorie and fauour, which ought principallie to be regarded: be&s;ide the re&s;pect of life eternall, which is mo&s;t earne&s;tly to be &s;ought for: our health, our &s;afe|tie, our peace, our plentie, and euery thing of this nature, might be forcible motiues to allure vs to religion, &s;eeing the Lord is plea&s;ed to make it &s;o beneficiall vnto them. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P>Con&s;olation to them who haue imbraced this holie feare of God, who faithfullie obey and plea&s;e him, they haue im|munitie, not from aduer&s;ities: (for fewe are afflicted with &s;o manie troubles as they are tried with: fewe &s;o much depraued, maligned, and mole&s;ted as they bee) but from all plagues, and perils, and mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>They are alike &s;afe in euerie place, euen in the middes of their mortall enemies, as among their kinde&s;t friendes: and likewi&s;e at all &s;ea&s;ons, as well when they are mo&s;t practi&s;ed a|gain&s;t, as when nothing is intended to their hurt: when they lie in the bottome of aduer&s;itie, as when they &s;it in the toppe of pro&s;peritie. For the&s;e cannot &s;eparate them from the loue of God, nor the hope of &s;aluation, nor the con&s;cience of well|doing.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 28.</NOTE></P>
<P>And to conclude, <HI>wee knowe that all things worke together for the best, to them that loue God,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 24.</BIBL> <HI>The &s;lothfull hideth his hand in his bo&s;ome, and will not put it to his mouth againe.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>SAlomon</HI> hath often tolde vs the nature and qualitie of the &s;lothfull, and the mi&s;ery and want, which of force they mu&s;t indure, by meanes of their &s;luggi&s;hnes, notwith&s;tanding be|cau&s;e the number of them doth daylie increa&s;e, and this hurt|full vice groweth &s;tronger, and more violent in them, he con|tenteth not him&s;elfe with &s;o manie aduerti&s;ements, which hee hath alreadie giuen vs, but to the ende that wee may take more
<PB N="91" REF="51"> heed of it, or el&s;e be more inexcu&s;able, and iudged worthie of greater penurie: he repeateth here againe the mi&s;chiefe that it worketh in him ouer whom it getteth dominion, de&s;cribing the &s;ame by an hyperbolicall, or exce&s;&s;iue kind of &s;peaking, &s;aying, that <HI>hee hideth his hand in his bo&s;ome,</HI> not &s;etting it to worke, but withholding it from labour, <HI>and will not put it to his mouth againe:</HI> to auoyd the colde, and for loue of ea&s;e, he hol|deth it in a warme place, and though the di&s;tance be but &s;mall betweene the bo&s;ome and the mouth, yet hee is vnwilling to bring it from the one to the other, &s;o much as to feede him|&s;elfe: for though he doe it (compelled therevnto by nece&s;&s;i|tie) yet he doth it with difficultie and <HI>griefe,</HI> as it is &s;aide in an<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 26. 15.</NOTE> other chapter.</P>
<P>Not that hee &s;etteth &s;o little by his meate; for none are &s;o hungrie after honie, as the idle Drones: but it is a torment vnto them to take anie paines for it: their de&s;ire is, that others &s;hould trauell for them, and put their meate into their mouthes al&s;o, if &s;hame would permit it.</P>
<P>So then, the hands of lazie per&s;ons are as it were bound with the loue of ea&s;e, which they preferre before matters of profite and nece&s;&s;itie; e&s;peciallie concerning the &s;oule, and the &s;pirituall foode thereof, euen the word of God; whereby ouely it is to be &s;u&s;tained.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 25.</BIBL> <HI>Smite a &s;corner, that the fooli&s;h may beware: and reprooue the prudent, and hee will vnder&s;tand knowledge.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>SMite,</HI>] either put to death, if thou be a magi&s;trate of that authoritie, and the cau&s;e &s;o require, or otherwi&s;e puni&s;h according to thy place, <HI>the &s;corner,</HI> a refractary per&s;on, him that contemneth and derideth all admonitions and in&s;tructi|ons, one, of whome there is no hope of amendment: for a &s;corner is in the highe&s;t degree of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, <HI>that the foo|li&s;h,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 11.</NOTE> &s;uch as through &s;implicitie and ignorance are caried fore|wards to euill, <HI>may beware,</HI> may be better brought to a &s;ight of their faults, and the danger thereof, and penitently reforme their wayes.</P>
<PB N="92" REF="52">
<P><HI>And reprooue the prudent,</HI> giue an ea&s;ie rebuke to him that hath wi&s;edome, <HI>and hee will vnder&s;tand knowledge:</HI> he &s;hall not neede to be &s;mitten, as the &s;corner, nor be brought to &s;ee o|thers puni&s;hed, as the fooli&s;h, but an admonition or reproofe will &s;ufficientlie worke vpon him, both for information and reformation.</P>
<P>&para; Though ob&s;tinate per&s;ons be excluded from good coun&s;ell, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> yet they are not to be exempted from due puni&s;hment. Hee that &s;aide before, <HI>Rebuke not a &s;corner,</HI> doth here commaund<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 9. 8.</NOTE> to <HI>&s;mite a &s;corner:</HI> and this of <HI>Salomon,</HI> that &s;tripes &s;hould be laide vpon him, is nothing contrarie to that of <HI>Christ,</HI> that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.</NOTE> pearles &s;hould not be ca&s;t before him.</P>
<P>An iniunction for this proceeding, is expre&s;&s;ely giuen by the Lord him&s;elfe in the Lawe; <HI>That man that will doe pre&s;ump|tuou&s;lie, not hearkening vnto the Priest (that &s;tandeth before the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut 17. 12 13.</NOTE> <HI>Lord thy God to mini&s;ter there) or vnto the Iudge, that man &s;hall die, and thou &s;halt take away euill from I&s;raell. So all the people &s;hall heare, and feare, and doe no more pre&s;umptuou&s;lie.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the ruler &s;tandeth charged with their crimes, vntill he <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> hath di&s;charged his dutie, by inflicting iu&s;t penaltie vpon them for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Secondlie, the place, (whether it be familie, if the con|tempt <MILESTONE N="2"> be priuate, or towne, or Countrey, according to the extent of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ouernours iuri&s;diction, if the contumacie be publicke) cannot well be purged from the guiltines of &s;uch foule offences, without the puni&s;hment of the offenders. That of Deuteronomie prooueth it, &s;aying, <HI>Thou &s;halt take a|way euill from I&s;raell.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, though the contemptuous per&s;on &s;mitten, be no|thing <MILESTONE N="3"> bettered by it, but &s;tand out de&s;peratelie, in his pertina|cious peruer&s;enes, yet their &s;mart and &s;hame, will be exempla|rie, and for example to others, as the fore-cited allegation doth witne&s;&s;e, hauing al&s;o an other &s;entence of this booke con&s;enting with it, and &s;aying, <HI>When the &s;corner is puni&s;hed, hee that is &s;imple waxeth wi&s;e, &amp;c.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 21. 11.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fourthly, by the execution of Gods iu&s;tice vpon the&s;e
<PB N="93" REF="52"> &s;tiffenecked and vnreclaimeable rebelles, they are made le&s;&s;e in&s;olent, and triumphant in their wicked cour&s;es, they &s;hall finde &s;mall cau&s;e to glory in their &s;ucce&s;&s;es. Whereas through the want thereof, they growe arrogant, and audacious, and out|ragious, and take vpon them to be &s;trikers of others.</P>
<P>Reproofe of them that are too fauourable, too impudent, and godles &s;corners, giuing them libertie to liue as they li&s;t, per|mitting <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> them to goe, runne, ride, and &s;lie forwards in all abomi|nable cour&s;es, with impunitie. They may ie&s;t, and make &s;port at the &s;eruants, and all the &s;eruices of the Lord: they may bla&s;|pheme the glorious name of God, with hideous, and horrible, &s;trange, and new deui&s;ed oathes, as though the diuell him&s;elfe had taught them to &s;peake altogether in his language: they may not onely prophane the &s;abbath, but mo&s;t contemptu|ou&s;ly, and with the greate&s;t de&s;pite trample vpon it: and &s;o likewi&s;e profe&s;&s;e, and &s;et vp the trade of di&s;obedience, crueltie, impuritie, and all kinde of iniquitie, and yet who almo&s;t is he that draweth out the &s;word of his authoritie, either publicke or dome&s;ticall, to re&s;i&s;t and &s;uppre&s;&s;e their execrable villa|nies.</P>
<P>Many parents &s;o traine vp their children, that they are im|boldned by their example and allowance, to contemne all that God or man &s;peaketh again&s;t their &s;en&s;uall and enormous be|hauiour. And many mai&s;ters make their hou&s;es kennels of de&s;|perate ruffians, and &s;ties of &s;wini&s;h drunkards, giuing them a tolleration, or incouragement rather, to beray their families, with their impious, filthy and vicious behauiour. Ob. It is bootles to correct them, there is no hope of their amend|ment, no &s;eueritie will &s;erue the turne to tame them. An&s;w. Yet it is not bootles to obey God, who commandeth thee to <HI>&s;mite</HI> them: and he can turne their puni&s;hment to the profite of o|thers, that they by the benefite thereof, may e&s;cape vnpuni|&s;hed: and this is worth the paines, and this will ouerpoi&s;e all their murmurings, that thou doe&s;t di&s;charge thy dutie, righ|teou&s;nes is exerci&s;ed by thine hand. The Lord plagu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">th many whom his plagues conuert not, and yet he &s;triketh not one &s;troke in vaine, becau&s;e his iu&s;tice is exalted, his name is ho|noured,
<PB N="94" REF="53"> and his people are either awed, or el&s;e comfortable by the &s;ame.</P>
<P>That wi&s;e men mu&s;t &s;ometimes be rebuked, and how v&s;e|full it will be vnto them for increa&s;e of their graces, &s;ee chap|ter. 9. v. 8. 9.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 26.</BIBL> <HI>A leaud and &s;hamefull child, &s;poyleth his father, and cha&s;eth away his mother.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Leaud and &s;hamefull child</HI>] one that is graceles, and giuen to riot, and other &s;infull waies, whereby his parents and friends are made a&s;hamed, <HI>&s;poileth his father,</HI> doth him as much harme, as if he brake into his hou&s;e, and robbed him, or came as an open enemie to make &s;poile of all that he hath: and many &s;pare not their parents &s;tate in deed, but either filch away their goods, and &s;et them in debt and arreareages, by their wa&s;tfulnes, <HI>and cha&s;eth away his mother,</HI> &s;o alienateth her affecti|on from him, by his rude and rebellious behauiour, that &s;he flieth, as it were, his pre&s;ence, and is glad when &s;he is out of his &s;ight: &amp; &s;ometime groweth to that vnnaturall inhumanitie, and more then barbarous and &s;auadge outrage, that he driueth her out of his pre&s;ence by rayling and bitter &s;peeches, yea expel|leth her out of the hou&s;e, and turneth her out of doores, when once he commeth to his inheritance. See chap|ter. 10. v. 1.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 27.</BIBL> <HI>Leaue off, my &s;onne, to heare any more the in&s;truction that cau&s;eth thee to erre from the words of knowledge.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>LEaue off, my &s;onne</HI>] though in former times when thou wa&s;t the di&s;ciple of deceiuers, and the child of wrath, thy care was open, and readie to heare &s;uch le&s;&s;ons as poy&s;oned thy heart, yet now that thou art become the &s;choller of me wi&s;e|dome, and begotten to be my child, as being Gods child, now de&s;i&s;t from that hurtfull and pernicious cour&s;e, <HI>cea&s;e to heare any more the in&s;truction,</HI> that pe&s;tilent and infectious coun&s;ell and doctrine, which is deliuered for in&s;tructio~, &amp; carrieth a &s;hew of
<PB N="95" REF="53"> truth and wi&s;edome, and yet will cau&s;e thee <HI>to erre from the words of knowledge,</HI> either peruerting thy minde with erronious opinions, or corrupting thy heart with &s;infull affections, or deprauing thy waies with leaud and wicked behauiour, &s;o that either thou &s;halt not vnder&s;tand <HI>the words of knowledge,</HI> the heauenly doctrines of Gods holy word, whereby &s;ound know|ledge is obtained, or el&s;e wilt be inticed to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e them.</P>
<P>&para; Who&s;oeuer will proceed con&s;tantly in the waies of God, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> mu&s;t take heed of &s;educers.</P>
<P>Our Sauiour <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> giuing many picked and choi&s;e precepts for true happines, in his &s;ermon on the mount, and vttering not a word, that tended not directly thereunto, doth &s;ingle out this as a matter of no &s;mall importance, &s;aying, <HI>Be|ware of fal&s;e prophets, which come to you in &s;heepes cloathing, but in|wardly</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 15.</NOTE> <HI>are rauening woules.</HI> And S. <HI>Paul</HI> doth &s;trictly admoni&s;h the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> that they &s;hould <HI>not be children wauering, and car|ried</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 14.</NOTE> <HI>about with euery wind of doctrine, and by the deceit of men, and with craftines whereby they lie in waite to deceiue.</HI></P>
<P>That the word and &s;pirit of God &s;hould be the pilot of their con&s;ciences, and not &s;uffer their hearts, without &s;terne, or ancre, to be committed to the &s;ubtill bla&s;ts of the fal&s;e Apo|&s;tles: and like men of wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion, they &s;hould keepe their &s;tocke of grace and truth, and not like &s;illie boyes fall to gaming with the cogging corrupt teachers, and &s;o lo&s;e their patrimonie. And S. <HI>Peter</HI> mingled precepts with promi|&s;es, to the three thou&s;and whom he conuerted together, teach|ing them, not onely the way to &s;aluation by faith in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but the meanes of per&s;euerance in the &s;ame, with due care of them&s;elues, and to that end he be&s;ought them, and exhor|ted them, &s;aying, <HI>Saue your &s;elues from this froward genera|tion.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2. 40.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, deceiuers are maruellous cunning, and wily in their <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> trade; the diuell hath taught them his art, and helpeth al&s;o in his &s;eruice.</P>
<P>There is no cau&s;e &s;o vile and bad, but they by painting and varni&s;hing of it, can make it &s;eeme very iu&s;t and good: neither
<PB N="96" REF="54"> is there any &s;o equall and right, but they, by ca&s;ting the mire of calumniations vpon it, can make it looke as though it were wrongfull and naught. Their &s;peeches are charmes and in|chantments, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>O fooli&s;h Galathians, who hath bewitched you, that ye &s;hould not obey the truth?</HI></P>
<P>When <HI>Eue</HI> would giue eare to Sathan, he made her beleeue that the Lord him&s;elfe was not well minded towards her, and her husband, in re&s;training them rom eating of any fruit, and that he in good will did &s;eeke their welfare, in per&s;wading them to take their libertie, and breake his commandement.</P>
<P>Secondly, mans nature is &s;ubiect to error, and his &s;oule very <MILESTONE N="2"> apt to be peruerted: flaxe, tinder, and gunpowder, are not more readie for to take fire, then our hearts are prone to take infection.</P>
<P>Reproofe of their temeritie and ra&s;hnes, which being confi|dent <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> of their owne wittes and &s;tabilitie, a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues that no fallacious &s;ophi&s;mes can beguile their minds, nor any allu|ring per&s;wa&s;ions &s;hall moue their hearts: and therefore giue libertie to Browni&s;ts, and Papi&s;ts, and the mo&s;t perilous ene|mies of &s;anctification to di&s;charge all their &s;hot again&s;t their naked bre&s;ts. Let them &s;ay what they will again&s;t the go&s;pell of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> again&s;t the mini&s;terie of God, again&s;t the mini&s;ters of God, again&s;t the wor&s;hip of God, again&s;t the people of God, all &s;hall be heard what&s;oeuer they &s;ay. Ob. But them&s;elues are &s;ound and &s;etled in the truth, and therefore they are in hope of doing good, but not in perill of receiuing hurt. An&s;wr. This is true, if they be &s;ufficiently qualified with gifts fit for &s;uch an imployment: if they haue a calling thereunto, the Lord &s;etting them on worke: and if vpon the &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of their owne corruptions, they &s;eeke a&s;&s;i&s;tance and pre&s;eruation from heauen, otherwi&s;e they are like to worke no better a cure vpon others, then an healthy man doth by blowing vpon the di&s;ea&s;ed, nor yet may expect better &s;afetie to them&s;elues, then he that is whole getteth from the breath of the infected. How many profe&s;&s;ing ho&s;tilitie again&s;t poperte, haue turned papi&s;ts by rea&s;oning with papi&s;ts? And how many are declined and fallen to Browni&s;me by taking vpon them to reduce the Brow|ni&s;ts? <PB N="97" REF="54"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;hewers of hurtfull conferences, which haue almo&s;t extin|gui&s;hed their zeale, and drawne them into many euill waies which before they were afraid off.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to auoid euill companie as much as we may, if <MILESTONE N="2"> we would not haue euill coun&s;ell to annoy vs. <HI>A companion of fooles &s;hall be made wor&s;e,</HI> &s;aith he, in the thirteenth chapter. v. 20. where thou mai&s;t &s;ee more concerning this v&s;e.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 28.</BIBL> <HI>A wicked witne&s;&s;e mocketh at iudgement, and the mouth of the vngodly &s;walloweth vp iniquitie.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>Wicked witne&s;&s;e</HI>] a witne&s;&s;e of <HI>Belial,</HI> as it is in the Hebrew text, one that the diuell him&s;elfe, and his owne wicked di&s;po&s;ition &s;ubborneth to periure and deale corruptly, <HI>mocketh at iudgement,</HI> not onely giueth in fal&s;e euidence, but doth the &s;ame of &s;et purpo&s;e, maliciou&s;ly, and without any fare, making no more account eitheir of right cau&s;es, or of ma|gi&s;trates that are placed to execute iu&s;tice, or of God him&s;elfe that will puni&s;h fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es, then of a ie&s;t, or things to be laughed at. <HI>And the mouth of the vngodly will &s;wallow vp iniquitie.</HI> This he alleadgeth as a rea&s;on of that his vntruth and fal&s;e|hood in witnes-bearing, becau&s;e he is de&s;perately &s;infull and bad in all his behauiour. <HI>His mouth,</HI> him&s;elfe vile wretch, yet the mouth is mentioned becau&s;e of the allegorie, <HI>&s;walloweth vp iniquitie,</HI> committeth all villainies, with as great delight and plea&s;ure, as drunkards doe &s;trong drinke, or gluttons delicious meates.</P>
<P>A wicked per&s;on may ea&s;ily be made a fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>He that is di&s;ordered in his ordinarie behauiour, will make no bones to giue a fal&s;e te&s;timonie before the magi&s;trate. <HI>Ieza|bel</HI> had that in her head to helpe her husband with, &s;o &s;oone as euer &s;he knewe the cau&s;e of his pa&s;&s;ionate di&s;contentment, and vndertooke forthwith to bring <HI>Naboths</HI> vineyard to his hand: for it &s;eemeth that &s;he had made triall of &s;uch mens &s;eruice be|fore that time: and therefore writeth to the elders and nobles of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> pre&s;cribing whome they &s;hould imploy, <HI>&s;onnes of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 2. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Belial,</HI> vnthri&s;tie per&s;ons, di&s;&s;olute rake-hells: and what they
<PB N="98" REF="55"> &s;hould appoint them to &s;ay, that <HI>Naboth</HI> did bla&s;pheme God, and the king, not once making doubt, but that &s;uch might quickly be prouided, and would in that manner be directed, and &s;o it fell out accordingly. And the hie prie&s;ts, and other ad|uer&s;aries of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> knew well that &s;o many leaud fellowes con|uer&s;ing with them, fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es were not farre to be &s;ought, nor hard to be found, but would be there pre&s;ent, and made readie for their turne with fewe howres warning.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, all that liue inordinately, and lead a wicked life, beare <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> iu&s;tice a deadly grudge, for that it iu&s;tly threatneth to cutte them off for their due de&s;erts: and &s;o al&s;o haue they a quarrell again&s;t righteous men, becau&s;e they di&s;alowe their vnrighte|ous dealing: and therefore when they pretend in &s;hewe to te&s;ti|fie the truth, and to &s;peake their knowledge, they meane in deed to be reuenged on their aduer&s;aries, and to &s;peake again&s;t the truth which they certainely knowe.</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;uch as maintaine the foule&s;t matter, are v&s;ually <MILESTONE N="2"> the deare&s;t friends vnto them, as being not onely their fel|lowes in the &s;eruice of &s;inne, but euen their brethren the &s;onnes of Sathan: be&s;ides, that the tongue of the one &s;ort is &s;et to &s;ale for a price, and the hand of the other is readie to hire it with wages.</P>
<P>Thirdly, they are de&s;titute of the feare of God, they dread <MILESTONE N="3"> no danger, they conclude of impunitie, or el&s;e they would not be &s;o licentious in all the re&s;t of their waies, and what will they not vndertake then (when as it &s;eemeth to them they may goe through &s;titch with it in &s;afetie) to hurt their foes, to helpe their friends, and greatly to benefite them&s;elues?</P>
<P>In&s;truction for iudges and all other gouernours to be very <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> circum&s;pect in the choi&s;e of Iurours, the admi&s;&s;io~ of witne&s;&s;es, and proceeding vpon the accu&s;ations or depo&s;itions of di&s;&s;o|lute per&s;ons, vnle&s;&s;e other circum&s;tances doe confirme their te&s;timonies. And as little heede &s;hould be giuen of euery man, to their priuate tales and reports, which way &s;o euer they tend, whether to the extolling of the wicked, or deprauing of the godly: what is to be thought of <HI>Belials</HI> &s;onne, but that as an obedient child, he will applie him&s;elfe to <HI>Belials</HI> bu&s;ines?</P>
<PB N="99" REF="55">
<P>&para; <HI>His mouth &s;walloweth vp, &amp;c.</HI> The greater delight any man <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> taketh in &s;inning, the more grieuous a &s;inner he is.</P>
<P>Notorious and hainous offendours are thereby de&s;cribed in the fourth chapter almo&s;t after the &s;ame manner as in this place, but &s;omewhat more largely, and clearely: <HI>They cannot</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 4. 15. 16</NOTE> <HI>&s;leepe except they haue done euill, and their &s;leepe departeth, except they cau&s;e &s;ome to fall. For they eate the breade of wickednes, and drinke the wine of violence.</HI> And <HI>Zophar</HI> foretelling the plagues and mi&s;eries that are readie to lay hands on a cruell man, and one that is ripe for de&s;truction, &s;aith, that <HI>wickednes was &s;weete in</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 20. 12 13</NOTE> <HI>his mouth, and he hid it vnder his tongue, and fauoured it, and would not for&s;ake it&punc; but kept it clo&s;e in his mouth.</HI> He tooke it for a daintie mor&s;ell, and fed vpon it, and reli&s;hed it &s;o well, that he was wil|ling continually to be chewing of it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the more delight a man taketh in &s;inne, with greater <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> feruencie he loueth the &s;ame: and according to the loue that he beareth thereunto, is his hatred and enmitie again&s;t God, and his word. <MILESTONE N="2"></P>
<P>Secondly, his affection to wickednes conuinceth him to be<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 8. 5.</NOTE> carnall and fle&s;hly: for <HI>they that are after the fle&s;h &s;auour the things of the fle&s;h.</HI> Yea &s;uch a one is not onely fle&s;hly, but fle&s;h it &s;elfe, in full proportion, which is odious and loath&s;ome to the Lord. For though they that haue the &s;pirit doe &s;ometimes &s;lippe into &s;innes, yet they hate them, and mourne for them, and reioce not in them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, his heart is the harder, and further from repen|tance, <MILESTONE N="3"> by how much his lu&s;t and de&s;ire is more &s;atisfied in euill: it argueth that men <HI>are pa&s;t feeling,</HI> and remor&s;e, when <HI>they giue them&s;elues to worke wickednes with greedines.</HI> See chap|ter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 19.</NOTE> 10. 23.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 29. But</BIBL> <HI>iudgements are prepared for the&s;e &s;corners, and &s;tripes for the backe of fooles.</HI></Q>
<P>THe behauiour of the&s;e contemptuous per&s;ons was decla|red in the former &s;entence, and their recompence fol|loweth in this: for all their cunning and &s;corning &s;pee|ches,
<PB N="100" REF="56"> <HI>iudgements,</HI> puni&s;hments, many, and of diuers &s;orts: for the plurall number noteth the multitude and varietie of them: <HI>are prepared for &s;corners,</HI> not onely appointed, but readie to be executed vpon them, either by the magi&s;trate, or el&s;e by the Lord him&s;elfe, in this life, or in that which is to come, or in both. <HI>And &s;tripes for the backe of fooles,</HI> &s;harpe and &s;euere plagues, re&s;embled by the &s;courging of bondmen, are in a readines both for the &s;oules and bodies of the&s;e malicious and incorri|gible <HI>fooles,</HI> which &s;hall not lightly be cha&s;tened, but greeuou&s;|ly, and extreamely tormented, to their de&s;truction. For the<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 25. 41.</NOTE> preparation doth argue &s;ome exqui&s;ite torture, as fire prepared<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay. 30. 33.</NOTE> for the diuell and his Angels: and <HI>Tophet</HI> prepared of old for that cur&s;ed king of <HI>A&s;&s;ur,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>&para; Though &s;infull men deride the words of God, yet they can|not <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> e&s;cape the execution of them.</P>
<P>The le&s;&s;e account they make of them, the more &s;pee|dily, and fearefully they &s;halbe plagued for their contempt, as will better appeare in the fir&s;t chapter.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="20" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="101" REF="56">
<HEAD>AN EXPOSITION OF THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER OF THE PROVERBS.</HEAD>
<HEAD>CHAPTER. XX.</HEAD>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 1.</BIBL> <HI>Wine is a mocker, and &s;trong drinke is raging, and who|&s;oeuer is deceiued thereby, &s;hall not be wi&s;e.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>_WIne</HI> needle&s;lie, or immoderately taken, <HI>is a mocker,</HI> maketh him a mocker which intem|perately abu&s;eth it: <HI>&amp; &s;trong drinke is raging,</HI> cau&s;eth them that are ouer-gone therewith, to brawle, contend, breake forth into out|rage, and goe together by the eares. <HI>And who&s;oeuer is deceiued by it,</HI> inticed by the co|lour, or ta&s;t of it, to exceed in it, by drinking too often, or too much, <HI>&s;hall not be wi&s;e:</HI> either with diuine wi&s;e|dome, or humane, but &s;hew him&s;elfe a foole, and reape the fruit of his follie.</P>
<P>&para; They that giue them&s;elues to drunkenne&s;&s;e, doe ca&s;t them|&s;elues <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> into manie mi&s;chiefes.</P>
<P>The <HI>woe;</HI> the <HI>&s;orrow,</HI> the <HI>murmuring,</HI> the <HI>rednes of eyes,</HI> and o|ther<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 23. 29.</NOTE> euils reckoned vp, in the three and twentieth Chapter fol|lowing, doe manife&s;t this, and our pre&s;ent Text, doth yeelde vs arguments enough, and &s;trong enough, for further proofe of the &s;ame.</P>
<PB N="102" REF="57">
<P>As fir&s;t, they are made mockers, they &s;currilly in their cups <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;ons."> fall to ie&s;ting at, and deriding of others, but in &s;uch ab&s;urd man|ner they doe it, that they make them&s;elues ridiculous, and a ie&s;ting &s;tocke to all. And in time, hauing hardned their harts, through the cu&s;tome of &s;o foule a &s;inne, they growe to be im|pious &s;corners of religion, and bitter de&s;pi&s;ers of Gods faith|full &s;eruants: as <HI>Dauid</HI> complained that <HI>the drunkardes made</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 69. 12.</NOTE> <HI>Songs of him,</HI> and became malicious per&s;ecuters.</P>
<P>And let it be con&s;idered whether anie one kind of people be more impious &amp; impudent bla&s;phemers, and aduer&s;aries to all piety, then they who&s;e greate&s;t trauels abroade, are to Tauerns, and tipling-hou&s;es, and ordinarie exerci&s;es at home, to drinke healths, and &s;hew their man-hood, nay wor&s;e then bea&s;t-hood, in &s;ubduing their fellowes with force of the flagon, and offering &s;acrifice to <HI>Bacchus</HI> in the Cellar.</P>
<P>Secondlie, they are made furious, and ragefull, being infla|med <MILESTONE N="2"> with the liquor which boyleth within them: and hence proceede tho&s;e <HI>murmurings,</HI> tho&s;e <HI>contentious,</HI> and tho&s;e <HI>needle&s;&s;e wounds,</HI> which are &s;pecified in the other chapter. Drunken quar|rells are common almo&s;t at all drunken meetings, &amp; the origi|nall of mo&s;t frayes, will be found to be among many carrow&s;es.</P>
<P>They are made fooli&s;h, for as <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> &s;aith, <HI>wine, &amp; new wine,</HI> do <MILESTONE N="3"> take away their heart, bereauing them of meete di&s;cretion, and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s; 4. 11.</NOTE> good de&s;ires, by meanes whereof, they &s;hewe them&s;elues to be both &s;illie &amp; &s;infull. Their braines are drowned, their wittes are dulled, their vnder&s;tandings decayed, &amp; their whole &s;oules fil|led full of lu&s;ts, &amp; leaud affections. And to proceed yet further, to other effects of their <HI>Fooli&s;hnes,</HI> they bring di&s;ea&s;es vpo~ their bodies, they bring nece&s;&s;itie vpon their e&s;tates, they bring re|proch vpon their names, they bring confu&s;ion into their hou|&s;es, they bring the cur&s;e of God vpon them&s;elues in euery thing here, &amp; &s;top vp their owne way from euerla&s;ting life hereafter. For Drunkards are in the number of tho&s;e <HI>vnrighteous,</HI> which<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 6. 10.</NOTE> the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>&s;hall not inherit the kingdome of God.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to be the more afraid of this &s;in, becau&s;e it is &s;o <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> pernicious, &amp; to look narrowly to our&s;elues, that we be not &s;ur|pri&s;ed by it, becau&s;e it is &s;o deceitfull: for to innumerable that
<PB N="103" REF="57"> be &s;ecure and careles thereof, it prooueth a venemous &s;erpent, as well for craft as crueltie. It came &s;tealing vpon <HI>Noe,</HI> (whom all the world could not &s;educe) and bit him &s;o, as that his wicked &s;onne <HI>Cham</HI> in&s;ulted ouer him, and his godly &s;onnes <HI>Shem</HI> and <HI>Iaphet,</HI> were &s;orie to &s;ee him in &s;uch a ca&s;e. Wherefore our Sa|uiour by way of a <HI>caueat,</HI> doth pre&s;cribe one pre&s;eruatiue again&s;t it, and that is a prouident care, &amp; con&s;tant circum&s;pection, that we fall not into it, &s;aying, <HI>Take heed to your &s;elues, lea&s;t at any time</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 21. 34.</NOTE> <HI>your hearts be oppre&s;&s;ed with &s;urfetting and drunkennes.</HI> Which doth admoni&s;h vs to be warie, what companie we frequent, or el&s;e, we are altogether heedle&s;&s;e of our owne &s;afetie: for com|monly the ambu&s;hes of this vice, whereby &s;o many are circum|uented, doe lie in contagious companie.</P>
<P>Neither will it &s;uffice thee to decline the &s;ocietie of them that are of bad note, but thou mu&s;t be watchfull al&s;o ouer thy &s;elfe, and thy appetite, in fea&s;ting with men of better account: Diuers are wounded where they &s;u&s;pected no perill, and manie ouercharged with prouocations and healths, where nothing in &s;hewe, but &s;obrietie is profe&s;&s;ed. As it is a &s;hame for the one to make &s;uch vndecent challenges, &s;o it is neither di&s;grace to re|fu&s;e them, nor di&s;curte&s;ie not to an&s;were them. And Saint <HI>Paul</HI> doth adde yet an other pre&s;eruatiue to the former, and giueth direction how we may keepe our bodies from this intemperan|cie, and that is, by &s;toring our &s;elues with grace, which will &s;urely defend the whole man. <HI>Be not drunken</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>with</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 18.</NOTE> <HI>wine, wherein is exce&s;&s;e, but be filled with the &s;pirit, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 2.</BIBL> <HI>The feare of the King is like the roaring of a Lyon: he that prouoketh him to anger, &s;inneth again&s;t his owne &s;oule.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe feare of the King,</HI>] his wrath, which &s;triketh a terrour into their hearts, with whom hee &s;heweth him&s;elfe offen|ded, <HI>is like the roaring of a Lyon,</HI> verie fearfull &amp; dangerous: <HI>hee that prouoketh him to anger,</HI> which incurreth his indigna|tion by di&s;obedience, or anie ill demeanour, <HI>&s;inneth again&s;t his owne &s;oule:</HI> not onely defileth his &s;oule, with the tra~&s;gre&s;&s;ion of Gods holie Lawe, but putteth his life in great perill, and expo|&s;eth the &s;ame to the &s;entence of death. See chap. 16. 14.</P>
<Q><PB N="104" REF="58"><BIBL>Ver&s;e 3.</BIBL> <HI>It is an honour for a man to cea&s;e from &s;trife, but euerie foole will be medling.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>IT is an honour for a man</HI>] it maketh for his prai&s;e, and procureth the tongues and harts of men to giue him a good te&s;timonie, to <HI>cea&s;e from &s;trife,</HI> either not to enter into it at all, if vpo~ good conditions, without wrong to Iu&s;tice, or righteous cau&s;es meet to be maintained, he may be freed from it, or el&s;e to break off, and put an end thereto, with as much celeritie as may be con|uenient: <HI>but euery foole will be medling:</HI> &s;uch as are vnwi&s;e on the other &s;ide, doe loue contentions, and delight to be &s;tirring and &s;triuing vpon euery &s;light occa&s;ion. Thus &s;tandeth the oppo|&s;ition: It is a mans honour to cea&s;e from &s;trife, and euery wi&s;e man will indeuour to keepe him&s;elfe quiet: but is a mans re|proach to be contentious, yet euery foole will be medling.</P>
<P>&para; It is a laudable vertue to be of a quiet di&s;po&s;ition, &amp; to auoyd <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> contentions. When God &s;aith it is for a mans honour, we may well conclude, that he is truely honorable, in whome that grace is found: for the Lord giueth not his te&s;timonie as manie men do, for fa&s;hions &s;ake, as a meere complement. E&s;pecially, when he doubleth the &s;ame, as he doth for this point: for the&s;e words here, that <HI>it is a mans honour to cea&s;e fro~ &s;trife,</HI> do nothing differ in &s;en&s;e from the&s;e el&s;e-where, that <HI>it is a mans glorie to pa&s;&s;e by an of|fence.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 19. 11.</NOTE> And if they be pronounced ble&s;&s;ed by the Sonne of God, which are <HI>peace-makers,</HI> and compo&s;e controuer&s;ies betweene o|thers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 9.</NOTE> then they are no le&s;&s;e, which be peace-keepers, &amp; as much as in them lyeth, abandon all controuer&s;ies them&s;elues.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, there is a concurrence, and vnion of manie excellent <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> vertues in tho&s;e which delight to be peaceable: as wi&s;dome, be|cau&s;e it is the propertie of fooles to be wrangling: &amp; humilitie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 13. 10.</NOTE> becau&s;e <HI>onely by pride, man maketh conte~tious:</HI> &amp; fortitude, becau&s;e no man attaineth to this, but by conque&s;t of him&s;elfe, <HI>&amp; he that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 16. 32.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ubdueth his owne minde, is better then he that winneth a Citie.</HI> Nei|ther do men grow to be &s;uch, by a naturall valure, humilitie, or wi&s;edome, but &s;pirituall &amp; heauenly, as it is &s;aid concerning one of the&s;e, &amp; to be vnder&s;tood of all, <HI>the wi&s;edome that is from aboue, is peaceable, gentle, ea&s;ie to be entreated, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<PB N="105" REF="58">
<P>Secondly, great and admirable is the benefit that proceedeth from Peace and Concord, and manifold mi&s;chiefes hereby pre|uented: The heart hath more re&s;t, the State hath more &s;afetie, the credit is better preferued, then by brawles, and &s;uites, and needle&s;&s;e oppo&s;itions, which doe interrupt all Godly and Chri|&s;tian meditations and exerci&s;es, and cau&s;e much vncharitable dealing, vexations, expen&s;es, and infamy, in &s;o much that he compareth the beginning of &s;trife to a breach made in the Sea banke, where through the waters breake, and drowne vp a whole Country. See Chap. 17. v. 14. and 13. v. 10. Doct. 2.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 4. <HI>The &s;louthfull will not plowe becau&s;e of Winter,</HI> where|fore</BIBL> <HI>he &s;hall begge in Sommer and haue nothing.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe &s;louthfull will not plowe becau&s;e of Winter,</HI>] Here is a de|&s;cription of a tender and fearefull &s;luggard. In deede win|ter is colde, and the weather then &s;ometimes biting, but yet it is a &s;ea&s;on meete for plowing, which becau&s;e the aire is nipping and &s;harp, he letteth alone, by which manner of &s;peech is meant, that a &s;mall matter will ea&s;ily &s;tay an idle per&s;on from following his calling, <HI>Wherefore he &s;hall begge,</HI> &s;hall be driuen to &s;eeke re|liefe at other mens hands, <HI>in Sommer,</HI> in harue&s;t when his neigh|bours that tooke paines in due time, are reaping of their com|modities, and inioy plenty, which will be the greater eye-&s;ore and harts-griefe vnto him, becau&s;e it is in the nature of &s;luggards to be enuious, <HI>and haue nothing:</HI> he &s;heweth the cau&s;e of his beg|ging, namely penury and neede, when all his &s;ub&s;tance is con&s;u|med: and &s;ometimes it falleth out al&s;o by Gods righteous pro|uidence, to be the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his begging, that no man &s;hall be moued with compa&s;&s;ion towardes him, to mini&s;ter any, or at lea&s;t &s;ufficient foode or apparell vnto him.</P>
<P>&para; Light occa&s;ions will hinder carele&s;&s;e men from the doing of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> nece&s;&s;ary duties.</P>
<P>It was &s;aid in the former Chapter ver&s;. 24. that it was more then the &s;louthfull was willing to doe, to plucke his hand out of his bo&s;ome, and put it to his mouth againe.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Wherefore he &s;hall begge, &amp;c.</HI> He that will take his ea&s;e when <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct.">
<PB N="106" REF="59"> he ought not, &s;hall feele mi&s;ery when he would not.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 5.</BIBL> <HI>The coun&s;aile in the hart of a man is like deepe waters, but a man of vnder&s;tanding will draw it out.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe coun&s;aile in the hart of a man,</HI>] the &s;ecret intent of his minde and purpo&s;e of his hart, <HI>which is like deepe Waters,</HI> is by &s;ome diuers times &s;o cunningly hidden, &amp; clo&s;ely concealed in the &s;ecret corners and bottome of the &s;oule, that it is a hard mat|ter to &s;ound or perceiue the &s;ame. <HI>But a man of vnder&s;tanding will draw it out,</HI> he that is indued with wi&s;dome and di&s;cretion, will di&s;couer and apprehend what practi&s;es are in hand, and what matters are like to be attempted. So it commeth to pa&s;&s;e often, but not alwaies, nor nece&s;&s;arily, becau&s;e good men are not &s;eldome circumuented by the wiles and crafty deui&s;es of the wicked.</P>
<P>&para; Malicious men haue further reaches and plots in their heads <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> then the world knoweth of.</P>
<P><HI>Be a valiant Sonne in law,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Saul</HI> to <HI>Dauid, and fight the Lordes battailes, and I will giue thee my Daughter to Wife:</HI> but Saul <HI>thought,</HI> &s;aith the Text, <HI>my hand &s;hall not be vpon him, but the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 18. ver&s;. 17. 25.</NOTE> <HI>hands of the Phili&s;tines &s;hall be vpon him.</HI> And againe, <HI>I de&s;ire no dowry for my Daughter,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>but an hundreth fore-skins of the Phili&s;tines to be auenged on the Kinges enimies:</HI> but what moued him to offer &s;uch great kindnes vnto <HI>Dauid?</HI> Why, <HI>Saul thought</HI> &s;aith the holy Gho&s;t, <HI>to make</HI> Dauid <HI>fall into the handes of the Phili&s;tines.</HI> When <HI>Ab&s;halom</HI> had a minde to rai&s;e a rebellion at <HI>Hebron,</HI> and to con&s;pire again&s;t the State and life of the King his owne Father, what pretence had he of going thither, and drawing company vnto him? He had for&s;ooth, a <HI>vow</HI> to be per|formed<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 15. v. 7.</NOTE> at <HI>Hebron,</HI> and that with as much deuotion, and great &s;olemnity as might be. When <HI>Herode</HI> had a full re&s;olution to goe to <HI>Bethlehem,</HI> that he might murther <HI>Ie&s;us Christ,</HI> he de&s;i|reth to be informed of the wi&s;emen where he might be &s;ure to<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 2. ver&s;. 8.</NOTE> finde him, to the end that he might repaire to the place, <HI>and wor&s;hip him.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, corrupt nature hath poy&s;oned the harts of all men vnre|generate <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;.">
<PB N="107" REF="59"> with guile and &s;ubtlety in &s;uch &s;ort as that the Prophet maketh a grieuous complaint thereof, &s;aying, <HI>The hart is deceit|full</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 17. ver&s;. 9.</NOTE> <HI>and wicked aboue all thinges, who can know it?</HI> Neither are Gods owne people, no not the be&s;t of them free from that ve|nome of hidden craft lurking &s;ecretly in their &s;oules, whereby them&s;elues are many times beguiled. Did <HI>Dauid</HI> once dreame, or had the lea&s;t doubt that he &s;hould be &s;o farre carryed away with wanton lookes, and wicked lu&s;ts, as thereby to fall into &s;o foule adultery, and murder? And would <HI>Peter</HI> beleeue, though <HI>Christ</HI> did &s;peake it, that there would be found &s;uch cowardi&s;e in him, that he &s;hould for&s;ake and for-&s;weare his owne Ma&s;ter, whome he bragged &s;o much that he would &s;tand to &s;o manfully, and dye with?</P>
<P>Secondly, malice doth alwaies beare craft and fal&s;e-hood <MILESTONE N="2"> with it, making &s;emblance of one thing, and minding an other, neuer hauing keener purpo&s;es with edges of &s;wordes, then when they giue &s;weete&s;t &s;peeches with &s;moothne&s;&s;e of oyle. <HI>Ioab</HI> would imbrace <HI>Abner,</HI> and <HI>Ama&s;a,</HI> when he intended to &s;lay them, and <HI>Iudas</HI> would needes ki&s;&s;e our <HI>Sauiour Chri&s;t,</HI> when his purpo&s;e was to betray him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Sathan doth in&s;pire, and learne them his skill of de|ceit, <MILESTONE N="3"> becau&s;e they are in hand with his worke of mi&s;chiefe. By the &s;ame meanes wherby he proceedeth and &s;eemeth to pro&s;per in his owne helli&s;h attempts, he informeth them to manage theirs.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to &s;hake off this &s;inne of guile and di&s;&s;imulation, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> and let our harts be apert and &s;ingle, though not indi&s;creet, and too &s;imple. For two extremities are with great heedefulne&s;&s;e to be auoided, that we neither be deceiuers, nor negligently &s;uffer our &s;elues to be deceiued: that we be not like greene quagmires to intice others into our daunger, nor like &s;eely Birds for a baite to ca&s;t our &s;elues into other mens nets. It is not alwaies &s;afe to wade in &s;till waters which runne &s;oftly, becau&s;e they often proue very deepe, neither is it wi&s;dome to tru&s;t to faire &s;hewes of faith|fulne&s;&s;e, becau&s;e they are found diuers times to be deceitfull. It was a barbarous treachery of <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> the Sonne of <HI>Nethaniah</HI> &s;o fraudulently to &s;urprize and ma&s;&s;acre that charitable <HI>Gedaliah</HI>
<PB N="108" REF="60"> and his company, who little &s;u&s;pected any perill from him: and<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 41. v. 1. 2.</NOTE> it was too much &s;ecurity of <HI>Gedaliah</HI> not to mi&s;tru&s;t <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> e|&s;pecially being forewarned by <HI>Iohanan</HI> of the practi&s;e in hand, and the purpo&s;e of his comming.</P>
<P><HI>But a man of vnder&s;tanding, &amp;c.</HI> There be none &s;o crafty, but <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> others may be as wi&s;e to &s;ift them.</P>
<P>Fi&s;hes by long lines or nets are drawne from the bottome of Riuers: and Marriners with their plummets v&s;e to &s;ound the depth of the Sea it &s;elfe, and no mans hart is vtterly bottomeles, though it be farre and hard to peirce to the bottome thereof. They that preached <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> of enuy, would not tell the people<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. ver&s;. 15.</NOTE> what was the motiue of their preaching, and yet <HI>Paul</HI> was able to di&s;couer it. And they that heard <HI>Ezechiel</HI> &s;o negligently without con&s;cience of obeying, profe&s;&s;ed not their worldly af|fections,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezech. 33. v. 31.</NOTE> that their harts went after their couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e; (for they came to him, as people v&s;ed to come, they &s;ate before him, they heard his wordes, and prai&s;ed his &s;ermons) yet <HI>Ezechiel</HI> could conuince them of hypocri&s;ie.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Lord him&s;elfe knoweth all their intents, thoughts, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> and imaginations, and who &s;hall inioyne him to keepe their coun&s;ailes, and not di&s;clo&s;e them?</P>
<P>Secondly, he hath variety of meanes whereby he doeth im|part <MILESTONE N="2"> to his people the plots and practi&s;es of impo&s;tors, directing them &s;ometimes by ordinary rules to detect them, as by parling with them, and propounding que&s;tions vnto them, and &s;eriou&s;ly iudging of their &s;peeches and an&s;weres: and &s;o by ob&s;eruation of their ge&s;tures, of their countenance, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which now and then bewray the mi&s;chiefe which they conceiue in their mindes. And &s;ometimes by extraordinary reuelation, as <HI>Ieremy</HI> confe&s;|&s;eth, &s;aying, <HI>The Lord hath taught me, and I know it,</HI> euen <HI>then thou &s;hewed&s;t me their practi&s;es. But I was like a Lambe, or Bul|locke</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 11. v. 18. 19.</NOTE> <HI>that was brought to the &s;laughter, and I knew not that they had deui&s;ed thus again&s;t me,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>let vs de&s;troy the tree with the fruit thereof, and cut him out of the Land of the liuing, that his name may be no more in memory.</HI> As craftily as <HI>Ieroboam</HI> had contriued the matter, to &s;end his wi&s;e di&s;gui&s;ed to <HI>Abijah</HI> the Prophet, yet <HI>Abijah</HI> informed by the Lord knew who &s;hee
<PB N="109" REF="60"> was, and why &s;hee came, before &s;hee &s;et a foote within his dore. In like manner was <HI>Gehe&s;i</HI> found out by <HI>Eli&s;hah,</HI> and <HI>Ananias</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 14. v. 6</NOTE> with <HI>Sapphyra</HI> by <HI>Peter,</HI> and others by other of his &s;eruants.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to imbrace this wi&s;dome and vnder&s;tanding which <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> will de&s;erye the traines of our aduer&s;aries, and preuent their fetches, that they cannot preuaile again&s;t vs. It went to the hart of <HI>Saul</HI> to be &s;o often defeated of his purpo&s;es again&s;t <HI>Dauid,</HI> that he could neuer &s;ucceede to make a di&s;patch of him: and what was the let and impediment? The watchfull eye, and mighty hand of God, which was alwaies his &s;hield, and pre&s;ent refuge, but meanes there were be&s;ide, which <HI>Saul</HI> in di&s;content|ment declareth in the wor&s;t manner, &s;aying, <HI>He is &s;ubtile and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 23. v. 22.</NOTE> <HI>crafty:</HI> and <HI>Dauid</HI> in thankefulne&s;&s;e acknowledgeth in the be&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>By thy Commaundements thou ha&s;t made me wi&s;er then</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. v. 98.</NOTE> <HI>mine enimies.</HI></P>
<P>Terrour for them that harbour euill thoughts and affections <MILESTONE N="2"> in their harts, for they are alwaies in danger to be di&s;masked and laide open to infamy and &s;hame, for their fal&s;e-hood and lewd|ne&s;&s;e: no art can pre&s;erue them from reproch and contempt, they daunce in a net when they &s;eeme to deale mo&s;t clo&s;ely. And if a wi&s;e man can e&s;pie a di&s;&s;embler now in this world, when the one hath &s;o many couerings to hide him, and the other &s;o great dimne&s;&s;e of &s;ight to hinder him, &s;hall not all guilefull per&s;ons much more be &s;ound out, and expo&s;ed to confu&s;ion in the world to come, and at the day of the Lord, when all their cogitations and cour&s;es &s;hall be &s;tript naked, and all eyes mo&s;t clearely be|hold them? when the Iudge of the quicke and the dead &s;hall in|dict and arraigne them, before that great and generall a&s;&s;embly both of Men and Angels, and bring all their wayes to light and iudgement?</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 6.</BIBL> <HI>Many men will boa&s;t euery one of his goodne&s;&s;e, but who &s;hall finde a faithfull man?</HI></Q>
<P><HI>MAny men,</HI>] Proude and vaine-glorious per&s;ons which are many, <HI>Will boa&s;t euery one of his goodne&s;&s;e,</HI> wil publi&s;h and &s;et abroade the commendable qualities which they take to be in
<PB N="110" REF="61"> them&s;elues, and the kindne&s;&s;e and benefits which they performe to others: <HI>but who can finde a faithfull man?</HI> The interrogation doth import an impo&s;&s;ibility, that faithful men are not only rare, but none at all: yet his meaning is not ab&s;olutely that there are none faithfull for that would contradict other Scriptures, which haue te&s;tified of the vprightne&s;&s;e of &s;undry good men by name, and de&s;cribed the integrity of others which are not particularly mentioned) but that among the&s;e braggers, which are &s;o fore|ward to magnifie them&s;elues, and celebrate their owne prai&s;es, there is not <HI>one faithfull</HI> man to be found, which doeth good with a good con&s;cience, in &s;inglene&s;&s;e of hart towardes God, and loue and compa&s;&s;ion to his brethren.</P>
<P>&para; The be&s;t workes of vnfaithfull men be of no valew with God. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> They are highly conceited of that which they doe, whereas he little pa&s;&s;eth for that, but rather ob&s;erueth what ones they are. <HI>Men neuer gather Grapes of Thornes, nor Figs of Thi&s;tles. A</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 7. 16. 18.</NOTE> <HI>good Tree cannot bring forth euill fruit, neither can an euill Tree bring forth good fruit.</HI> The Phari&s;ees were knowne both in Ieru|&s;alem, and through out all the land, to giue much alme&s;&s;e to the poore, to fa&s;t, to pray, to doe diuers thinges which the world admired, and for the &s;ame had them in great e&s;timation, and yet becau&s;e the men were naught, and their harts were naught, all tho&s;e glorious painted workes were &s;innefull and loath&s;ome. Our Sauiour telleth vs of many that will &s;eeke acquaintance of him, for <HI>prophecying in his name, and ca&s;ting out of Deuils by his name, and doing many great workes in his name:</HI> and yet he will <HI>profe&s;&s;e that he neuer knew them,</HI> but bidde them <HI>depart from</HI> him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 7. v. 22.</NOTE> as being <HI>workers</HI> of iniquity.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what&s;oeuer proceedeth from an vnregenerate and fle&s;h|ly <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> man, mu&s;t needes be corrupt as a worke of the fle&s;h, and con|&s;equently vn&s;auoury and &s;innefull.</P>
<P>Secondly, all the workes of the wicked doe want good &s;ea|&s;oning <MILESTONE N="2"> by faith, and Chri&s;tian loue, without which euery thing is di&s;ta&s;tfull to God how delectable &s;oeuer it &s;eemeth to men.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the harts of hypocrites and gracele&s;&s;e men, by occa|&s;ion <MILESTONE N="3"> of any good which they performe, are much puft vp with pride, and &s;o made the wor&s;e by good actions, as here appea|reth
<PB N="111" REF="61"> by the boa&s;tes which they make of their goodne&s;&s;e: and by<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 18. v. 11. 12</NOTE> the example of the Phari&s;e glorying how iu&s;t he was, how much he gaue, how often he fa&s;ted, and what duties he di&s;charged: whereas euery good &s;eruice vprightly performed by the Godly, will cau&s;e them the more to &s;ee their vnworthine&s;&s;e, and to be humbled. When <HI>Dauid</HI> and his &s;ubiects had liberally contribu|ted towardes the building, and beautifying of the Temple, he breaketh out into the prai&s;es of the Lord, and deba&s;ement of him&s;elfe, and his, &s;aying, <HI>Who am I, and what is my people that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Chro. 29. v. 14.</NOTE> <HI>we &s;hould be able to offer willingly after this &s;ort? for all things come of thee, and of thine owne hand haue we giuen them.</HI> When <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> had v&s;ed his lips and his tongue, as faithfully as he could in the mini&s;tery of God, and for the benefit of the Church, yet at the &s;ight of Gods glory, and his owne vilene&s;&s;e he cryeth out, <HI>Woe</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">J&s;a. 6. ver&s;. 5.</NOTE> <HI>is me, for I am vndone, becau&s;e I am a man of polluted lips.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to take heede to thy &s;elfe in all thy wayes, that <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> thy integrity rather commend thy actions to Gods eyes, then that thy tongue &s;hould extoll them to mens eares: and let thy good workes be alwaies well done, i&s;&s;uing from a &s;incere affe|ction, and an heart purged by faith, that the &s;treames may bee more cleare and acceptable, for the purity of the fountaine. He that indeede is faithfull, and out of his faithfulne&s;&s;e dooth apply him&s;elfe to be fruitfull, &s;hall not neede Phari&s;aically to publi&s;h his vertues to all the towne: for <HI>Ie&s;us Christ</HI> in due time will proclaime the &s;ame to all the world: and in the meane time cau&s;e their goodne&s;&s;e &s;o to be regarded of them that be good, that the le&s;&s;e prai&s;e they &s;eeke, the more they &s;hall finde, and that reuerence which they neither aimed at, nor looked for, &s;hall without their &s;uing or &s;eeking be offered vnto them. He that is &s;ound in his &s;oule, and vpright in his dealing cannot be without honour, who&s;oeuer he be that depraueth him: and euery one that is hollow harted and wicked, &s;hall beare the &s;hame of his iniquity, what preten&s;es &s;oeuer he maketh of mercy, iu&s;tice, and piety, and how many &s;oeuer applaude him: whome&s;oeuer the Lord &s;eeth to be naught, he reputeth for naught, and will &s;hew to be naught, and after a &s;ea&s;on bring him to naught.</P>
<Q><PB N="112" REF="62"><BIBL>Ver&s;. 7. <HI>He which walketh in his vprightne&s;&s;e is iust:</HI> and</BIBL> <HI>ble&s;&s;ed &s;hall his children be after him.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HE which walketh in his vprightne&s;&s;e,</HI>] that without di&s;&s;imu|lation, con&s;tantly indeuoureth to obey the will of God, labouring to know all that the Lord requireth at his hand, and a&s;much as he can performe, al that he knoweth, and that with de&s;ire to glorifie him, and likewi&s;e with hope to be rewarded him&s;elfe, <HI>is iu&s;t,</HI> perfectly righteous by the merits of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> with|out him, and righteous by the worke of Gods holy &s;pirit within him: <HI>And ble&s;&s;ed &s;hall his children be after him.</HI> It &s;hall both goe well with him&s;elfe while he liueth, (for &s;o much is intended in this &s;entence, though not expre&s;ly mentioned) and with his po|&s;terity al&s;o who &s;hall &s;ucceede him. So doth he v&s;ually ble&s;&s;e his &s;eruants, but not at all times, &s;ome being otherwi&s;e recompen|&s;ed, and not in this manner: for many Godly men haue no chil|dren at all, and others leaue &s;uch behinde them, as proue vnhap|py and gracele&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>&para; Who&s;oeuer is &s;incere and hone&s;t, the &s;ame man is al&s;o righ|teous. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> He that exerci&s;eth the behauiour of iu&s;tice &s;hall inioy both the comfort and credit of being iu&s;t, notwith&s;tanding he be not free from faults and infirmities. St. <HI>Iohn</HI> vndertaketh to make this good, and layeth it downe as an infallible verity, &s;ay|ing, <HI>Little children, let no man deceiue you, he that doeth righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Joh. 3. ver&s;. 7.</NOTE> <HI>is righteous.</HI> Likewi&s;e <HI>Dauid</HI> in the P&s;almes, according as <HI>Salomon</HI> doth here, maketh the iu&s;t and faithfull to be all one in that his con&s;olatory acclamation: <HI>Be gladde yee righteous, and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32. v. 11.</NOTE> <HI>reioyce in the Lord, be ioyfull all yee that are vpright in hart.</HI> But what can be clearer then Gods owne te&s;timony for <HI>Iob,</HI> and that to the Deuill, his mo&s;t mortall aduer&s;ary? <HI>Ha&s;t thou not con&s;ide|red</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 1. ver&s;. 8.</NOTE> <HI>my &s;eruant</HI> Iob, <HI>how none is like him in the earth? An vpright and iu&s;t man one that feareth God and e&s;cheweth euill.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, there is neuer vprightne&s;&s;e of hart and behauiour, but <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> where &s;innes are pardoned, and who will take vpon him to charge that man with vnrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, how great an offendour &s;oeuer he hath formerly beene, who&s;e iniquities the Lord hath remitted?</P>
<PB N="113" REF="62">
<P>Secondly, as he is fully righteous which hath fulne&s;&s;e of grace, <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;o is euery one more or le&s;&s;e righteous according to the degrees of his grace, &s;o as the &s;malle&s;t mea&s;ure thereof doth denominate, and honour euery one with the title of a iu&s;t man, if it properly proceede from the holy Gho&s;t, and be in truth the fruit of the &s;pirit.</P>
<P>Thirdly, were it not that all the Godly were verily righteous, <MILESTONE N="3"> they could haue no place in the my&s;ticall body of <HI>Ie&s;us Christ:</HI> for what corre&s;pondency would there be betweene the head which is ab&s;olutely iu&s;t, and the re&s;t of the members vtterly vn|iu&s;t. Neither would there be any meete proportion, but a di|rect oppo&s;ition betweene member and member, betweene tho&s;e which are wholly holy aboue in the heauens, and &s;uch as are meerely vnholy beneath in the earth. The&s;e parts would no bet|ter accord together, then tho&s;e of the Image which <HI>Nebuchad|nezzar</HI> beheld in his dreame, who&s;e <HI>head was of fine gold, his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 2. ver&s;. 32.</NOTE> <HI>brea&s;t and his armes of &s;iluer, his belly and thighes of bra&s;&s;e, his legges of yron, and his feete part of yron, and part of clay.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, no happine&s;&s;e belongeth to any &s;auing to the iu&s;t, it <MILESTONE N="4"> is their portion peculiarly re&s;erued for them, and then con&s;e|quently it followeth that euery true harted man, of vertuous be|hauiour is vndoubtedly righteous: for <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are they that are</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. v. 1. 2.</NOTE> <HI>vpright in their way, and walke in the law of the Lord. Ble&s;&s;ed are they that keepe his te&s;timonies, and &s;eeke him with their whole hart.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;olation for poore Chri&s;tians much clogged and yoaked <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> with corruptions and infirmities, who&s;e de&s;ires of weldoing are re&s;i&s;ted by Sathan, and &s;innefull nature, that though their eni|mies hinder them from the performance of many righteous workes, yet they cannot di&s;able them from being righteous people: they &s;hall neuer be able to &s;tay Gods hand from giuing them grace to make them iu&s;t, nor to &s;toppe his mouth from yeelding his te&s;timony, and acknowledging them to be iu&s;t. Their faults are to be rebuked and repented for, as being brea|ches of Gods law, and hurtfull to their owne &s;oules, and &s;ome|times &s;candalous to others, but yet they make not a nullity of their faithfulne&s;&s;e, neither doth the Lord di&s;claime them for the &s;ame. <HI>Dauid</HI> had his &s;lips and frailties, and failed of duty in di|uers
<PB N="114" REF="63"> matters, as in his pa&s;&s;ionate heate purpo&s;ing and &s;wearing to de&s;troy <HI>Nabals</HI> whole family: in pa&s;&s;ing &s;uch a ra&s;h &s;entence again&s;t <HI>Mephibo&s;heth,</HI> to pa&s;&s;e away all his maintainance from him: in being too too indulgent to his vngratious Sonnes, <HI>Ammon, Ab&s;halom,</HI> and <HI>Adonijah,</HI> and yet the Lord pa&s;&s;eth by all the&s;e, and others of the like nature, and &s;aith, <HI>Dauid did that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 15. v. 5.</NOTE> <HI>which was right in the &s;ight of the Lord, and turned from nothing that he commaunded him, all the daies of his life, &s;aue only in the matter of Vrijah the Hittite.</HI> Let the Deuill then rage, and wic|ked men raile, and charge thee with hypocri&s;ie, arrogancy, pre|&s;umptuou&s;ne&s;&s;e, di&s;loyaltie, here&s;ie, lolardie, or with what&s;oe|uer el&s;e an helli&s;h braine may inuent, or a virulent mouth can vomit out, yet thy hart and waies depo&s;ing for thine integrity, that thou &s;erue&s;t God as well as thou can&s;t, and de&s;ire&s;t to doe it farre better if thou coulde&s;t, be not di&s;hartened at all their &s;laun|derous calumniations.</P>
<P>Reproofe of them that are only &s;ayers in ca&s;es of Chri&s;tianity, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> hauing their mouthes full of religion, and their harts altogether empty, which di&s;cour&s;e of thinges to be done, and practi&s;e no|thing, like negligent trauailours, that &s;pend the morning in their beddes, and the after-noone in the Ale-hou&s;e, and talke of their iourney, and which way it lyeth, but &s;et not one foote forwards therein. And how much better then the&s;e are tho&s;e, who doe many thinges which they ought, but nothing as they &s;hould: for they only &s;eeke their owne vaine-glory, or commodity in &s;eeming to labour for Gods glory, and prai&s;e, and &s;o dedicate his &s;eruices to pride, lu&s;t, and worldline&s;&s;e? Neither may vn&s;ta|ble per&s;ons be &s;pared here from a iu&s;t rebuke, &s;uch hauing en|tred into a good way of piety and religion, doe either reuolt, and giue vp all the exerci&s;e and profe&s;&s;ion thereof, which is a mo&s;t fearefull and dangerous e&s;tate, or el&s;e retaine the &s;ame vn|certainly by fits and &s;tarts without any con&s;tancy therein. Doe they dreame that Godline&s;&s;e is like an alley in a garden, or a gal|lery in an hou&s;e, to walke forwards, and to returne backe in for plea&s;ure, and not a voiage for trauaile, to be proceeded in, till they come to heauen? If they will &s;erue God but at &s;ometimes, they mu&s;t be reputed righteous but at &s;ometimes, and he that re|maineth
<PB N="115" REF="63"> not alwaies righteous, hath neuer yet attained to be righteous at all.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed &s;hall his children, &amp;c.</HI> Faithfull parents haue no cau&s;e <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> to dread the e&s;tate of their children after their decea&s;e.</P>
<P>Them&s;elues are righteous, as here the wi&s;dome of God doth directly pronounce them: and <HI>the generation of the righteous &s;hal</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 112. ver&s;. 2.</NOTE> <HI>be ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> as be&s;ides this pre&s;ent Text, diuers other places of Scriptures doe euidently te&s;tifie. If the Lord reckon them for theirs, as he will if they be his, he wil al&s;o for their &s;akes, through <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and in his owne loue prouide &s;ufficiently for them: If o|therwi&s;e (e&s;pecially if they are nothing guilty of their &s;innes, by mi&s;gouernment, or neglect of prayers for them) what haue they to doe to enter into Gods iudgments, and to di&s;quiet their harts about the puni&s;hments, which he hath hereafter to inflict vpon his rebellious enimies, and the aduer&s;aries of his people? See Chap. 13. 22.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 8.</BIBL> <HI>A King that &s;itteth on the Throne of iudgement cha|&s;eth away euery one that is euill.</HI></Q>
<P>A <HI>King,</HI>] The &s;upreme Magi&s;trate principally; and others al&s;o of great authority, <HI>&s;itting vpon the Throne of iu&s;tice,</HI> execu|ting his office faithfully, <HI>cha&s;eth away euery euill one,</HI> affrighteth lewde malefactors, and either cutteth them off, or otherwi&s;e pu|ni&s;heth them, or they amend their waies, or flye out of his iu|ri&s;diction, or at the lea&s;t from his pre&s;ence, <HI>with his eyes,</HI> by loo|king into cau&s;es, and taking knowledge of offences, whether it be by &s;ight or hearing, and therewith al&s;o he daunteth the wic|ked that appeare before him, his lookes and countenance being terrible vnto them.</P>
<P>&para; A vigilant ruler is a re&s;traint and terrour to vicious per&s;ons. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> It doth euidently appeare by all circum&s;tances touching <HI>Iobs</HI> life that he was not a man giuen to be &s;o &s;terne and au&s;tere, but that hone&s;t men might finde good contentment in his company, (<HI>for the eare that heard him</HI> &s;peake, <HI>did ble&s;&s;e him, and the eye that &s;awe him, gaue witne&s;&s;e to him: he deliuered the poore that cryed, and the fatherle&s;&s;e, and him that had none to helpe him: the ble&s;|&s;ing
<PB N="116" REF="64"> of &s;uch as were ready to peri&s;h came vpon him, and he cau&s;ed the Widowes hart to reioyce: he was the eyes to the blinde, and the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 29. v. 11. 12.</NOTE> <HI>feete to the lame, and a Father to the poore</HI>) yet di&s;ordered <HI>young men</HI> dur&s;t not indure the &s;ight of him, <HI>they hidde them&s;elues</HI> from his pre&s;ence. And &s;uch was the &s;euerity of his gouernement a|gain&s;t<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 8.</NOTE> vagabonds and vile per&s;ons, that they were compelled to <HI>flee into the darke, de&s;olate, and wa&s;t wilderne&s;&s;e. They were cha|&s;ed</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 30. v. 3. 5. 6.</NOTE> <HI>forth from among men, they &s;houted at them as at a Theefe. Therefore they dwelt in the clifts of Riuers, in the holes of the earth and Rockes.</HI> Neither was this his &s;harp proceeding only again&s;t tho&s;e that were young and wanted wi&s;dome, or &s;uch as were beggarly, and wanted power, but <HI>he brake the iawes of the vn|righteous</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 29. 17.</NOTE> of what e&s;tate &s;oeuer, <HI>and pluckt the pray out off his teeth.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he is armed with Gods authority, who&s;e &s;ub&s;titute he <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> is, and by him e&s;tabli&s;hed in his place, and therefore the Maie&s;ty of his glory &s;hineth forth in the execution of iu&s;tice.</P>
<P>Secondly, the Lord hath &s;et him vp, and put the &s;word into <MILESTONE N="2"> his hand, <HI>for the puni&s;hment of euill doers, and the prai&s;e of them</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2. v. 14.</NOTE> <HI>that doe well: he is the Mini&s;ter of God to take vengeance on them</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. ver&s;. 5.</NOTE> <HI>that doe euill.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, a guilty hart maketh men timerous, and ready al|waies <MILESTONE N="3"> to tremble, but e&s;pecially before him who is to &s;ift them, and to call them to account for their mi&s;&s;e-behauiour.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to &s;ubiects and inferiours that if they would &s;tand <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> before their Gouernours, and neither be driuen to runne away from, or be puni&s;hed by them, let them &s;tand again&s;t their owne corruptions, that they &s;taine not their liues with lewde conuer|&s;ation: &s;o &s;hal they finde the Magi&s;tracy comfortable vnto them, and not terrible: like milde &s;howers of raine to refre&s;h them, and not tempe&s;tuous &s;tormes to affright them: as a &s;hield for their defence and &s;afety, and not a &s;word for their ruine and de|&s;truction. And in the next place, let Commanders, and men of Authority be exhorted to watch ouer tho&s;e which are commit|ted vnto them per&s;onally, and with their owne eyes, as much as they may, for the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of vice, and aduauncement of ver|tue, and not leaue all thinges to vnder Officers, which vnder|hand,
<PB N="117" REF="64"> many times, deale very corruptly. And this the Lord ex|pecteth at their handes, that as him&s;elfe is vnpartiall, and re|&s;pecteth no mans per&s;on in his iudgements, but euery man &s;pee|deth according to the equity of his cau&s;e, and not the quality of his e&s;tate, &s;uch &s;hould they be, and deale in theirs, defending the innocency of the meane&s;t, and doing them right, and cen&s;u|ring the wickedne&s;&s;e of the mightie&s;t, and making them ta&s;t of iu&s;tice, which is indeede, <HI>to cha&s;e away all the euill with their eyes.</HI></P>
<P>Reproofe of many in high places, that eye the be&s;t and mo&s;t <MILESTONE N="2"> harmele&s;&s;e people in malice to picke quarrels, and &s;eeke aduan|tages again&s;t them, and &s;et their eyes vpon the wor&s;t, and mo&s;t di&s;&s;olute per&s;ons in way of liking to giue countenance vnto them. This is commonly to be &s;eene, and greatly to be lamen|ted in many great families, and places of iu&s;tice, a&s;well in this Nation, as in mo&s;t Kingdomes, and Prouinces through all the world. They which &s;hould driue away all theeui&s;h, drunken, bla&s;phemous, contemptuous, and quarrellous per&s;ons out of the Country, doe &s;uffer them to roo&s;t, and make their ne&s;ts in their owne hou&s;es, and feede diuers of them at their owne ta|bles, and (becau&s;e they can game, play, ie&s;t, and make &s;ports) v&s;e them as their familiar companions. And hence it is that &s;uch flockes, and flights, and &s;warmes of malefactours doe daily breede, and pe&s;ter &s;o many Townes, and Cities, and parts of this Kingdome. And adde hereunto, that &s;ometimes Magi&s;trates eares inchanted with flattery, or feare of others greater then them&s;elues, per&s;wade the eie either to winke, or el&s;e to looke on the other &s;ide: or the eyes are &s;o dazeled with the glittering glo&s;&s;e, and brightne&s;&s;e of golden bribes, that they cannot appre|hend the foule&s;t matters, which al the Country euidently behold and cry out vpon.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 9.</BIBL> <HI>Who can &s;ay, I haue clean&s;ed my heart, I am pure from &s;inne?</HI></Q>
<P><HI>VVHo can &s;ay,</HI>] Who can truely and with good warrant affirme, <HI>I haue clean&s;ed my heart,</HI> I haue vtterly, and
<PB N="118" REF="65"> for euer freed my &s;elfe from all vnlawfull de&s;ires, delights, pur|po&s;es, cogitations and motions. He beginneth at the heart, be|cau&s;e it is the Fountaine, or at lea&s;t the Ce&s;terne from whence corruption floweth; which yet mu&s;t be vnder&s;tood of his owne naturall power, and not of grace: and of perfection, and not of &s;incerity: for the Prophet doth truely profe&s;&s;e that he had <HI>clean|&s;ed his heart,</HI> though in his temptation it &s;eemed to be <HI>in vaine,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 73. 13.</NOTE> which he did by the &s;pirite of God, and in part, and by degrees, <HI>I am cleane from &s;inne;</HI> my nature &s;oule and wayes are all pure, nothing can be laid to my charge, for vnlawfull thoughts, vn|righteous actions, vnfruitfull &s;peeches, good dueties at any time omitted, or &s;infull workes euer committed: meaning by that in|terrogation, that no man hath power &s;o to walke, nor any rea|&s;on &s;o to boa&s;t. Notwith&s;tanding, this is nothing again&s;t that &s;aying of S. <HI>Paul: Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 33.</NOTE> <HI>cho&s;en? It is God that iu&s;tifieth.</HI> For he there &s;peaketh of that in|nocency that the godly attaine vnto by remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;innes in Gods pre&s;ence, who hauing receiued &s;atisfaction for them, from <HI>Christ,</HI> imputed them to him, and fully acquitteth them: and <HI>Salomon</HI> here &s;peaketh of another matter, that no man is throughly purged from originall corruption, and the impure hu|mours that i&s;&s;ue out of it. Neyther let any man obiect that of S. <HI>Iohn, Who&s;oeuer is borne of God &s;inneth not:</HI> for he &s;peaketh not<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Joh. 3. 9.</NOTE> in that place of the practi&s;e, but the dominion of &s;inne, that a regenerate man yeeldeth not obedience vnto it, as a &s;laue to his Ma&s;ter, but is taken captiue, or receyueth a wound, as a Souldier from his enemy.</P>
<P>&para; The be&s;t &s;hall haue corruptions and &s;innes cleauing to them, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> &s;o long as they liue.</P>
<P>As euery &s;onne of <HI>Adam,</HI> &s;auing <HI>Christ</HI> our Sauiour, is, or hath beene defiled by generation and conception, &s;o none of them can wa&s;h any part of their filthine&s;&s;e without his helpe, neyther may any looke for an ab&s;olute purity in earth by his a&s;|&s;i&s;tance: for that, in his holy wi&s;edome, he re&s;erued as a prero|gatiue, proper vnto his owne per&s;on, not admitting of any co|partner therein. Here vpon certainty of his ground, he propo|&s;eth the point by way of demaund, making a challenge to all the
<PB N="119" REF="65"> world, knowing that no man could euer &s;teppe forth, and iu&s;tly &s;ay; I am entirely innocent, I was neuer culpable: or at this time, I am as good as I ought to be, and as Gods law requireth. And in <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes</HI> vpon like a&s;&s;urance, hee affirmeth the &s;ame, with an a&s;&s;eueration, &s;aying, <HI>Surely there is no man iust in the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 7. 20.</NOTE> <HI>earth, that doth good, and &s;inneth not.</HI> And S. <HI>Iames</HI> comming be|hinde<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3, 2,</NOTE> very few in &s;anctification, and holine&s;&s;e of life, dooth yet profe&s;&s;e this again&s;t him&s;elfe, as well as others, <HI>In many things we &s;inne all:</HI> as if he &s;hould haue &s;aid, we children of men, we elect, we Chri&s;tians, we Di&s;ciples of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> we Apo&s;tles, we that are counted chiefe among the Apo&s;tles, we all, and euery one of vs, in diuers things doe faile of our dueties.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t that conflict which is betweene the <HI>fle&s;h</HI> and the <HI>&s;pirite,</HI> <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the one re&s;i&s;ting the other in the mo&s;t righteous, and be&s;t graced of all Gods people, is an vndenyable argument heereof. We read<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 17.</NOTE> of none that hath more preuailed again&s;t the fle&s;h by mortifica|tion, or &s;hewed forth better fruites of the &s;pirit by viuification then <HI>Paul,</HI> and yet he complaineth, that <HI>When he would do good,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 19. 21.</NOTE> <HI>euill was pre&s;ent with him: that hee did not the good which hee would, but the euill which he would not, that did he.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, our Sauiour directeth &s;o many as may call God <MILESTONE N="2"> their heauenly Father, daily to pray: <HI>Forgiue vs our debts:</HI> and the <HI>ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>Abraham</HI> and <HI>Dauid,</HI> and all that euer <HI>Chri&s;t</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4. 6.</NOTE> hath redeemed with his blood, con&s;i&s;teth in the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, which maketh it apparant that euery childe of God is daily attainted with the guiltine&s;&s;e of &s;inne.</P>
<P>Thirdly, how commeth it to pa&s;&s;e, that all men are obnoxious <MILESTONE N="3"> to &s;o many cha&s;ti&s;ements and afflictions, and &s;ubiect to death, and mortality, but that they haue their faults? If there were per|fect innocency in them, no &s;trokes of corrections could light vpon them: for it would not &s;tand with the iu&s;tice of the Lord, to &s;courge &s;uch as are free from offending. And the &s;oule could haue no pa&s;&s;age out of the body, to part company one from the other, but by occa&s;ion of the corruptions that are in them both.</P>
<P>Confutation of the Papi&s;ts, which a&s;cribing to the death of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> <HI>Christ,</HI> the beginning of iu&s;tification, doe impute the perfection of it to their owne worthine&s;&s;e by infu&s;ed grace, whereby they
<PB N="120" REF="66"> thinke them&s;elues able to fulfill the law of God: and more then that to adde an <HI>ouer-plus</HI> by workes of &s;upererogation, which may goe for payment of their fellowes debts: and &s;o they doe not onely deliuer them&s;elues from damnation, but are become pettie Sauiours, or peeces of Sauiours to others. Which are to be pittied for their ignorance, and rated for their pre&s;umption, taking vpon them to be <HI>Christ</HI> his fellowes, not knowing that Gods law requireth an exact obedience, with fulne&s;&s;e of loue perpetually, beyond all that any meere man &s;ince <HI>Adams</HI> fall, could po&s;&s;ibly performe. And it &s;erueth al&s;o to ouerthrow the hereticall opinions, and to pull down the proude conceits of the Cathari&s;ts or Puritanes, which brag of &s;uch a perfection of puri|ty already attained vnto, as that they neede no further to be pur|ged from corruptions.</P>
<P>In&s;truction for euery man to looke warily to him&s;elfe, that he <MILESTONE N="2"> be not circumuented by Satan, &s;ince &s;uch a treacherous foe, as &s;inne is, doth lie continually in waite, as neere him as may be; euen in his owne brea&s;t, to betray his &s;oule into his hands. And &s;eeing all haue their faults, and are vnable to &s;tand before the iudgement &s;eate of God in their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, therefore none &s;hould be ouer rigorous in cen&s;uring of others, and pa&s;&s;ing too heauy a &s;entence of condemnation again&s;t their poore and weake brethren for their infirmities.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 10.</BIBL> <HI>Diuers Waights, and diuers mea&s;ures, euen both the&s;e are abhomination to the Lord.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>DIuers Waights,</HI>] one heauier, another lighter, <HI>and diuers mea&s;ures,</HI> one greater, another le&s;&s;e, to buy with the grea|ter weight, and greater mea&s;ure, and to &s;ell by the le&s;&s;e or ligh|ter, or with a iu&s;t weight and mea&s;ure to &s;ell to the wi&s;er &s;ort, and with the vniu&s;t to the &s;impler, whome they may ea&s;ily de|ceiue, <HI>both the&s;e,</HI> and all &s;uch kinde of craftie and couetous dea|ling, <HI>are abhomination to the Lord,</HI> &s;uch abhominable iniquity as the Lord will &s;urely and &s;harpely reuenge, and puni&s;h. See cap. 11. ver. 1.</P>
<Q><PB N="121" REF="66"><BIBL>Ver&s;e 11.</BIBL> <HI>Euen a childe will make knowne by his conuer&s;ation, whether he be pure, and whether his worke be right.</HI></Q>
<P>NEither yong, nor old can &s;o lie hid, but that they wil by one meanes or other, at one time or other, bewray what man|ner of per&s;ons they are, and what manner of deedes they doe. If any may be vnknowne, and not made manife&s;t in both tho&s;e re|&s;pects, &s;urely tho&s;e of yonger yeares are mo&s;t likely to be they, who are not tryed in &s;uch dealings, nor in &s;o many matters as men of riper age, and yet here it is taught, that <HI>euen a childe,</HI> a yongling, being yet tender, and not growne to mans e&s;tate, <HI>will make him&s;elfe knowne by his conuer&s;ation,</HI> by his behauiour, by his ge&s;tures, by his &s;peech, by the cour&s;e of his practi&s;es, <HI>whether he be pure,</HI> whether there be vprightne&s;&s;e, and plaine meaning in him, without di&s;&s;imulation, or gro&s;&s;e and profe&s;&s;ed lewdne&s;&s;e, <HI>and whether his worke be right,</HI> whether that which he pre&s;ently doth, be with an hone&s;t minde performed, and whether hee be like to take a good cour&s;e in the re&s;t of his life to come. For euen young Plants declare by their growing and budding, what trees they will prooue to be, and what fruite they will beare hereaf|ter; &s;o little ones often &s;hew betimes, what expectation is to be had of them: they mini&s;ter matter of hope, or feare to them that conuer&s;e with them, and de&s;ire to &s;ee grace and piety in them. This is a duety laid vpon euery childe, &s;o &s;oone as he is of any di&s;cretion, and capable of in&s;truction, that he &s;hould enter forth|with into the good way, and walke con&s;tantly therein, howbeit we confe&s;&s;e that many faile therin, eyther through want of good education, and bringing vp, or yeelding afterwards to the lu&s;ts of youth, decline and fall away from this towardline&s;&s;e, which at the fir&s;t appeared in them.</P>
<P>&para; It concerneth the young as well as the olde, to be religious, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> and to liue vertuou&s;ly.</P>
<P>Pertinent to this purpo&s;e is the exhortation of the Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 148. v. 12.</NOTE> calling vpon <HI>yong men and maidens, al&s;o olde men and children,</HI> that <HI>they &s;hould prai&s;e the name of the Lord.</HI> And &s;o is that que&s;ti|on and an&s;were, which is made for their direction, in another
<PB N="122" REF="67"> P&s;alme, after this manner: <HI>Wherewith &s;hall a young man redre&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 9.</NOTE> <HI>his waies? In taking heede thereto, according to thy word.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, being godly they are &s;ure, as well as the auncient, to bee <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> rewarded with &s;aluation in the life to come, and honoured with prai&s;e and good e&s;timation in this life. Otherwi&s;e the holy Gho&s;t would neuer haue giuen them &s;o good encouragement as he doth by preferring <HI>a poore, and wi&s;e childe</HI> before <HI>an old and fooli&s;h King:</HI> be&s;ide the notable example of <HI>Io&s;eph, Dauid, Samu|el,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>Io&s;iah, Iohn Bapti&s;t,</HI> and others, as <HI>Timothy</HI> by name, whome the Apo&s;tle adui&s;eth by that meanes to pre&s;erue his reputation, &s;aying, <HI>Let no man de&s;pi&s;e thy youth, and be vnto them that beleeue an example, in word, in conuer&s;ation, in loue, in &s;pirit, in faith, and in</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 4. 12.</NOTE> <HI>purene&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, the remembrance of that goodne&s;&s;e which is exer|ci&s;ed <MILESTONE N="2"> in youth, will be a &s;ingular comfort in olde age, and &s;u|&s;teine the heart again&s;t the manifolde infirmities and tediou&s;nes thereof.</P>
<P>Thirdly, on the other &s;ide, they which liue vitiou&s;ly when <MILESTONE N="3"> they are young, &s;hall mo&s;t certainly be plagued, when, or before they come to be old, if the cur&s;e cut them not off, or weed them not out (like hurtfull bryers, or nettles) &s;ooner. And many, yea mo&s;t of them, though they liue to be olde, yet out-liue not their &s;infulne&s;&s;e, with which they infected them&s;elues whiles yet they were young; that will continue in them, and goe to the graue with them, as <HI>Zophar</HI> truely te&s;tified: <HI>His bones are full of the &s;inne of his youth, and it &s;hall lie downe with him in the dust:</HI> Ney|ther<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 20. 11.</NOTE> will it be buried and con&s;umed there, but accompany the &s;oule al&s;o to hell, and accu&s;e it before Gods iudgement &s;eate, and there cau&s;e them to be condemned and de&s;troyed for euer.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to dome&s;tical Gouernors, Mini&s;ters and Schoole|ma&s;ters, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e."> that they giue whole&s;ome precepts to boyes and girles committed to their charge, and re&s;traine them from loo&s;e and di&s;&s;olute behauiour, in hope of pro&s;perous &s;ucce&s;&s;e, whereby they may become both fruitfull trees in the Church of God, and happy inheriters of eternall &s;aluation. It was paines well be&s;to|wed by the Mother and Grand-mother of <HI>Timothy,</HI> to &s;ea&s;on him &s;o timely with the word of the Lord, that by their indu&s;try
<PB N="123" REF="67"> he knew the holy Scriptures of a childe, and therefore did &s;o much good to many, and mo&s;t to him&s;elfe when he was a man. And if it lie vpon parents &s;o carefully to educate their children, and Gouernours mu&s;t looke &s;o narrowly to the wayes of their youth, how much more ought they of the elder &s;ort, hauing mi&s;|&s;pent many yeares in the &s;eruice of &s;inne, and are not yet reclay|med from their wicked waies, to be&s;tirre them&s;elues for refor|mation afore it be too late. Their daunger &s;hould terrifie their hearts, and driue them to take a better cour&s;e, lea&s;t they peri&s;h ere they haue well thought that they are in perill: and their &s;ot|ti&s;hnes &s;hould make them a&s;hamed of their &s;luggi&s;hnes, which haue &s;uffered boyes, and wenches, and children to goe before them in wi&s;edome and hone&s;ty: and withall there is cau&s;e that hope &s;hould helpe them forwards in godly endeauours: for if grace be giuen to them that are &s;o young, and of le&s;&s;e capacity, (be&s;ide the manifolde vanities that youth and childe-hoode are &s;ubiect vnto) to purifie their hearts and rectifie their workes, it will not be denied to them, who are more apprehen&s;iue of vn|der&s;tanding, and may be better able to gouerne their affections, and order their wayes, if they faithfully &s;eeke it.</P>
<P>Confutation of that pernitious errour, which too many, both <MILESTONE N="2"> men and women illude them&s;elues with, that youth yeeldeth a priuiledge to them that are young, to bee impious, proude, ryo|tous, and wanton with impunity. It is thought that they be fooli&s;h, and mopi&s;h, and haue degenerated from their age, which will giue them&s;elues to the &s;eruice of any but of &s;inne and lu&s;t, till they be pa&s;t that age. Why then did not the youthfull Sodomites plead their priuiledge, and pre&s;erue them&s;elues from de&s;truction when the re&s;t peri&s;hed? They were taken with the manner a&s;well as others: there was notice taken of them as well as of others, for the text &s;aith, that <HI>the men of Sodome com|pa&s;&s;ed</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19. 4.</NOTE> Lots <HI>hou&s;e round about, from the young euen to the olde, all the people from all quarters.</HI> And they were burnt vp with fire and brim&s;tone, and de&s;troyed a&s;well as others. And how came it to pa&s;&s;e that the children &s;pedde &s;o ill which mocked <HI>Eli&s;ha,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>A&s;cend thou bald-head, a&s;cend thou bald-head?</HI> Why did he <HI>cur&s;e them in the name of the Lord,</HI> if children might &s;afely
<PB N="124" REF="68"> &s;ay, and doe what&s;oeuer them li&s;ted? Did not the &s;laughter of two and fourty of them made by two beares, openly declare the wrath and indignation of the Lord again&s;t them? But for al this, &s;o they will thinke &s;till, and &s;o they will liue &s;till, and therefore &s;uch we mu&s;t leaue to them&s;elues, and let them take as they &s;hall finde one day, only we may tell them what the Scripture &s;aith vnto them in this ca&s;e: <HI>Reioyce &ocirc; young man in thy youth, and let</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11. v. 9.</NOTE> <HI>thine hart cheare thee in the daies of thy youth, and walke in the wayes of thine hart, and in the &s;ight of thine eyes; but know for all the&s;e thinges God will bring thee to iudgement.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 12.</BIBL> <HI>The Lord hath made both the&s;e, euen the eare which heareth, and the eye which &s;eeth.</HI></Q>
<P>HIs meaning is, that the Lord hath formed the whole man, all the parts of his body, though he nameth only the&s;e two, as the &s;eates and in&s;truments of tho&s;e noble &s;en&s;es of hea|ring, and &s;eeing, which are mentioned with them, and the&s;e, together with all the re&s;t, he enableth and quickneth to doe their office.</P>
<P>&para; Our members and &s;en&s;es are the workeman&s;hip and gift of <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> God.</P>
<P>No art can make them, nor all the power of all creatures, if they &s;hould vnite their &s;trength together, were &s;ufficient to fa|&s;hion &s;o much as a Finger, or Toe, or any other limme, and put feeling into it. The honour hereof the Lord doth challenge to him&s;elfe in that &s;peech of his to <HI>Mo&s;es: Who hath giuen the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 4. ver. 11.</NOTE> <HI>mouth to man? or who hath made the dumbe, or the deafe, or him that &s;eeth, or the blinde? Haue not I the Lord?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is not in the power of creatures to doe &s;maller mat|ters <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> then to make eyes, and eares, they cannot make haires, nay they cannot giue coulour to their haires which are made to their handes, and grow vpon their heades: that which is blacke they<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5. v. 36.</NOTE> cannot change into white, and that which is white they cannot turne into blacke: now he that is not able to doe the le&s;&s;e, will le&s;&s;e be able to doe the greater.</P>
<P>Secondly, if any part of man, or of other liuing creatures, or <MILESTONE N="2">
<PB N="125" REF="68"> of plants, or of any naturall body, or &s;ub&s;tance might be made without Gods owne hand, he &s;hould cea&s;e to be an ab&s;olute creatour, and creatures that could doe the&s;e feates would be|come demy-creatours.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to depend vpon him for the pre&s;eruation of our <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> &s;en&s;es, and members, who is the &s;ole and only maker of them, and therefore al&s;o let them be continually imployed in his &s;er|uices. We can no otherwi&s;e deale &s;o &s;afely for our &s;elues, nor &s;o thankefully with him, as to con&s;ecrate his owne workeman&s;hip to his owne glory. It were an vnworthy part of vs, and might worthily bereaue vs of the v&s;e of our life or deare&s;t members, to be&s;tow his gifts of this nature, or valew in contempt, or neglect of him, vpon his greate&s;t enimies, &s;innefulne&s;&s;e, and Sathan. But may it not be done &s;o clo&s;ely, and with &s;uch &s;ecre&s;ie, as he &s;hall neuer know of it to take offence at it? Is it not po&s;&s;ible to delight our &s;elues with our vnlawful actions, and &s;erue our owne turnes by abu&s;ing of our tongues, and yet all be hidden from God? <HI>Vnder&s;tand yee vnwi&s;e among the people: and yee &s;toles when</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94. v. 8. 9.</NOTE> <HI>will yee be wi&s;e? he that planted the eare, &s;hall he not heare? or he that formed the eye, &s;hall he not &s;ee?</HI> But that we may inioy the right v&s;e of our &s;en&s;es our &s;elues, and not haue them infectious and noy&s;ome to our &s;oules, and may al&s;o render to him due prai&s;e for them, actually by them, it &s;hall be needefull to haue recour&s;e to him, and &s;eeke his helpe, that as they were created by his hand, and are depraued by our corruptions, &s;o he would againe repaire the &s;ame, and &s;anctifie them to &s;pirituall &s;eruices. For otherwi&s;e a man quicke &s;ighted in earthly thinges, may be &s;tarke blinde in heauenly, and he that hath a ready eare to li&s;ten vnto mens &s;peeches, may be vtterly deafe at the Coun&s;ailes of God. And that cau&s;ed <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to obraide the carnall <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in the wilderne&s;&s;e with &s;uch a palpable &s;en&s;ele&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e, &s;aying vnto them: <HI>Yee haue &s;eene all that the Lord did before your eyes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29. v. 2. 3. 4</NOTE> <HI>in the land of Aegipt, vnto</HI> Pharao, <HI>and vnto all his &s;eruants, and vnto all his land: the great temptations which thine eyes haue &s;eene,</HI> tho&s;e great miracles, and wonders, yet the Lord hath not <HI>giuen you an hart to perceiue, and eyes to &s;ee, and eares to heare, vnto this day.</HI></P>
<PB N="126" REF="69">
<P>Con&s;olation for them that profitably exerci&s;e their &s;oules and <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;en&s;es in obeying of Gods holy will, and doing good to his peo|ple, he hath more intere&s;t in their members by right of creation, e&s;pecially being al&s;o incorporated into the body of <HI>Christ,</HI> then they can haue by vertue of po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and therefore he will looke alwaies better vnto them for protection and defence, then they at any time can doe, and therefore not only their bones are kept by him, that not one of them &s;hall be broken for their hart, but likewi&s;e the haires of their head are numbred, that none of them &s;hall mi&s;carry. Keeping them&s;elues therefore in his fauour, they may bouldly expect &s;afety, or though &s;ometimes they be &s;icke, &s;ore, lame, wounded, maymed, depriued of &s;ight, decayed in their hearing, or &s;ubiect to other like impediments, yet &s;uch is the tender care of their heauenly Father towardes them, that he will be more prouident for their recuring, then any parent: and &s;uch is his skill and power, that he is more able to repaire, and heale them, then any, or all the Chirurgions, and Phy&s;itions through the whole world. If the maladies therfore of any good man doe proue &s;ometimes incurable, and cannot be holpen, it proceedeth not from the defect of his loue, as though he negle|cted to doe them good: nor from any want of ability in him, as though it were beyond his power to recure them: (for it is al|waies ea&s;ie with him to recure that which him&s;elfe did make) but from his holy wi&s;dome knowing the continuance of bodily in|firmities to be healthfull for their &s;oules, till that perfect re&s;titu|tion, and reparation be made of life, limmes, and &s;en&s;es at the glorious Re&s;urrection.</P>
<P>Confutation of tho&s;e that a&s;cribe all the members of the bo|dy, <MILESTONE N="3"> with the powers and faculties of the &s;oule to nature, gene|ration, conception, and &s;econd cau&s;es, and looke not to God who is the Lord of nature, and the cau&s;er of all mediate and &s;ub|ordinate cau&s;es. The Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> had an hart that vnder|&s;tood more, and an eye that pierced further, when he yeeldeth to the Lord the honour a&s;well of his conception, as of creation, &s;aying: <HI>Thou ha&s;t couered me in my Mothers wombe. I will prai&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 139. v. 13.</NOTE> <HI>thee: for I am fearefully, and wonderfully made. My bones are not hidde from thee, though I was made in a &s;ecret place, and fa&s;hioned
<PB N="127" REF="69"> beneath in the earth. Thine eyes did &s;ee mee, when I was without forme: for in thy booke were all thinges written, which in continu|ance were fa&s;hioned, when there was none of them before.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 13.</BIBL> <HI>Loue not &s;leepe, lea&s;t thou come vnto pouerty: open thine eyes, and thou &s;halt be &s;atisfied with bread.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>LOue not &s;leepe,</HI>] Though God graunt thee liberty to take thy re&s;t, and to refre&s;h thy weary body with <HI>&s;leepe,</HI> yet <HI>loue it not,</HI> delight not too much in it, giue not thy &s;elfe vnto it, nor v&s;e it exce&s;&s;iuely, nor otherwi&s;e giue ouer thy &s;elfe to &s;louthful|ne&s;&s;e: for vnder immoderate &s;leepe which is one exerci&s;e there|of, he comprehendeth all the re&s;t, <HI>lea&s;t thou come to pouerty,</HI> this he alleageth as a rea&s;on, why he would not haue men to be too &s;leepy and &s;louthfull, becau&s;e &s;uch idlene&s;&s;e begetteth and brin|geth forth beggary. <HI>Open thine eyes,</HI> be watchfull, and diligent|ly apply thy bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in thy calling: for many are too wakefull for playes, and cardes, and dice, and dauncing, and drinking, and other di&s;orders: <HI>and thou &s;halt be &s;atisfied with bread,</HI> it &s;hall goe well with thee, and by thine hone&s;t labours and indu&s;try, thou &s;halt po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, if not aboundance of all thinges needefull for thine e&s;tate, yet enough, and &s;o much as thou &s;halt be content with, and by Gods ble&s;&s;ing finde very &s;ufficient.</P>
<P>&para; The abu&s;e of lawfull thinges is vnlawfull and hurtfull. Mode|rate <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> &s;leepe is needfull, the word of God alloweth it, the Lord him&s;elfe be&s;toweth it, the nature of man requireth it, but to de|light in it, to exceede in it, to fall into it too often, or to conti|nue in it too long, this is &s;innefull, this is daungerous, this in|gendreth corruptions in the hart, this doth breede annoyances to the body, and this doth worke the ruine to the e&s;tate. The impediments whereby the gue&s;ts were &s;tayed from the great &s;upper in the Go&s;pel, were affaires not &s;innefull and euill in their owne nature: to buy Oxen, to purcha&s;e Farmes, to marry Wiues is no where forbidden in the Scriptures, and yet when they affe|cted tho&s;e earthly commodities, more then they delighted in Gods heauenly banquet, and cho&s;e rather in a worldly manner to be dealing with them, then in a religious manner to be refre|&s;hed<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 14.</NOTE>
<PB N="128" REF="70"> with that, they &s;hewed them&s;elues vnthankefull to the Lord, and more iniurious to their owne &s;oules, though they nei|ther &s;tole the Oxen, nor tooke the Farmes by violence, nor com|mitted Fornication. And who can deny eating, drinking, mar|rying wiues, and giuing in marriage, buying, &s;elling, planting, and building to be thinges in them&s;elues allowable, yea profita|ble, yea nece&s;&s;ary for euery mans life, for publike &s;ociety, and for the general good of mankinde? And yet when the old world would drowne it &s;elfe in them, it was by Gods righteous iudge|ment drowned al&s;o for them: and for the &s;ame cau&s;es among o|thers<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 17. v. 26. 27</NOTE> was Sodome de&s;troyed, and by the like &s;hall de&s;truction take occa&s;ion to come &s;odainly on the wicked at the end of the world, before the re&s;urrection.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;inne hideth it &s;elfe more clo&s;ely in the practi&s;e of things <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> not &s;imply euil, then in gro&s;&s;e offences, and therefore with grea|ter cunning beguileth men, and con&s;equently draweth many more into the &s;nares thereof, then fall into open wickedne&s;&s;e. There are not &s;o many theeues, as couetous worldlings; there are not &s;o many adulterers, as doe abu&s;e and peruert marriage: there are not &s;o many drunkards, as &s;uch which drinke much more then neede requireth, or for lawfull delight may be per|mitted.</P>
<P>Secondly, when men are fallen into &s;innes of this nature, it is <MILESTONE N="2"> more difficult to get out of them, and come to repentance, their harts are not &s;o pre&s;&s;ed with the burden of them: the world cry|eth not out &s;hame vpon them: their brethren be not &s;o ready to reproue them: their tongues finde matter to make defence of them: they haue the company of the mo&s;t to walke in the &s;ame way with them.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to be wary and watchfull in all our waies, to keep <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> a mediocrity, to &s;hunne the extreames. As in our vocations to be neither remi&s;&s;e, nor yet too &s;euere taske-ma&s;ters ouer our &s;elues, for the oppre&s;&s;ing of our mindes or bodies. And for our e&s;tates, to be neither negligent, nor ouer greedy, and vn&s;atiable. And the &s;ame rule is to be ob&s;erued in our apparell, in our re|pa&s;ts, in all our delights, and in euery thing that we deale in. It is a golden precept which <HI>S. Paul</HI> giueth in one of his Epi&s;tles,
<PB N="129" REF="70"> requiring that <HI>they which haue Wiues be as though they had none:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 7. 29. 30.</NOTE> <HI>and they that weepe, as though they wept not: and they that reioyce, as though they reioyced not: and they that buy, as though they po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed not: and they that v&s;e this world, as though they v&s;ed it not.</HI></P>
<P>Confutation of them that thinke the lawfulne&s;&s;e of any mat|ter <MILESTONE N="2"> will beare them out, and giue the warrant to act the &s;ame in the corrupte&s;t manner. They hold it &s;ufficient to iu&s;tifie their a|ction, if the thing may at all be done: if proofe may be brought of the &s;ame practi&s;e, though with different circum&s;tances: if e|uer any other haue wel performed it, how ab&s;urdly &s;oeuer them|&s;elues peruert it. And therefore many will make them&s;elues drudges to the world, becau&s;e it is a duty to be diligent in their callings: many will grow to be fierce and violent, becau&s;e it is good to be feruent and zealous: many will make &s;ports and pa|&s;times their continuall occupations, becau&s;e it is meete &s;ome|times to v&s;e recreations.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 14.</BIBL> <HI>It is naught, it is naught, &s;aith the buyer: but when he is gone apart, he boa&s;teth.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>IT is naught, it is naught,</HI>] Albeit the ware cheapened be good, and well worth the price demaunded by the &s;eller, yet the couetous buyer, to the end he may get it better cheape, whiles he is bidding mony for it, di&s;prai&s;eth it to the vttermo&s;t: <HI>but when he is gone apart, he boa&s;teth,</HI> after he hath bought the thing, and behind the &s;ellers backe, he prai&s;eth his bargaine, both for the goodne&s;&s;e of the commodity, and for the good pe|ny-worth which he had therein. And hereby in like manner the di&s;po&s;ition and behauiour of the &s;eller is to be vnder&s;tood, which is as forwards to extoll, and &s;et out that which is badde, as the other to finde fault with that which is good. For if they be both fal&s;e and wicked, as this te&s;timony concerneth none other, they will depart with their owne with no more truth, and equity, then they &s;eeke to come by an other mans, and the Lord doth a&s;much looke into, and loath the iniu&s;tice of the one, as of the other.</P>
<P>&para; The Lord doth take notice of all the behauiour of men in <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct.">
<PB N="130" REF="71"> their trafficking one with an other.</P>
<P>In this place he marketh and reporteth what &s;peech pa&s;&s;es be+tweene them while they are together, and what they &s;ay of their bargaine after they are departed a&s;under. In <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> he ob&s;er|ueth, and relateth what practi&s;es they v&s;e to beguile one the o|ther, and with what affections al&s;o they doe it, &s;aying, <HI>He is a</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 12. ver&s;. 7.</NOTE> <HI>Marchant, the ballances of deceit are in his hand: he loueth to op|pre&s;&s;e.</HI> In <HI>Amos</HI> he fore-&s;eeth, and di&s;clo&s;eth what purpo&s;es they haue of fal&s;e-hood, and iniu&s;tice, and how greedy they are to fall to it, being de&s;irous, if they could, to cha&s;e away, and &s;horten the Lords owne Sabbaths, and Holy-dayes, that they might be about this &s;innefull bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. And therefore, &s;ay they, <HI>When will the new Moone be gone, that we may &s;ell corne? and the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. 8. v. 5. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Sabbath, that we may &s;et f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rth corne and make the mea&s;ure &s;mall, and the price great, and fal&s;ifie the waights by deceit? That we may buy the poore for &s;iluer, and the needy for &s;hoes: and &s;ell the refu&s;e of the Wheate.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the per&s;ons buying, &s;elling, and bargayning are his, and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> therfore he hath authority to looke narrowly into their cour&s;es, that he may puni&s;h the wrong doer, and right the cau&s;e of the wronged.</P>
<P>Secondly, the marchandi&s;e and wares which are bought and <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;old are his, and his goods are abu&s;ed, when they are pa&s;&s;ed a|way, or gotten vnrighteou&s;ly.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the ordinance of bargayning and trafficke is his, and <MILESTONE N="3"> he hath appointed it: buying, and &s;elling, and exchange of commodities is by his in&s;titution, and warrant, and therefore he noteth whether it be well v&s;ed, or peruerted.</P>
<P>Fourthly, his law is obeyed, or tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, and either &s;er|uice <MILESTONE N="4"> is performed to him, or otherwi&s;e &s;inne is committed a|gain&s;t him, in all the matches and couenants that men doe make.</P>
<P>In&s;truction for vs to take notice of his pre&s;ence at our bargay|ning, <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> as he doth of our demeanour therein; con&s;ider that his eie doth &s;ee thy actions, and earne&s;tly beholdeth what thou doe&s;t with thine hand, and his eare doth heare thy &s;peeches, and &s;e|riou&s;ly hearken what thou vttere&s;t with thy tongue, beware therefore that hee finde thee not compa&s;&s;ing thy neighbours
<PB N="131" REF="71"> money or goods with iugling tricks, and deceitfull breath. If thy dealing be not allowable to be v&s;ed to the greate&s;t, attempt not to offer it at any time to the meane&s;t; and if it would not be found iu&s;tifiable being &s;ifted by the wi&s;e&s;t, thou hurte&s;t thy &s;elfe in practi&s;ing of it to the &s;imple&s;t. For who is &s;o great, and whom doth the matter &s;o neerely concerne as the Lord? And who hath &s;o much vnder&s;tanding as he which vndertaketh to redre&s;&s;e the wrongs of tho&s;e that are &s;oone&s;t beguiled? It is good di&s;cretion to feare the Pillery, and to keepe thy &s;elfe out of the Magi&s;trates danger, by &s;hunning tho&s;e offences whereby thou mighte&s;t incurre &s;uch puni&s;hment: and is it wi&s;edome to be carele&s;&s;e of hell fire, and to ca&s;t thy &s;elfe into the hands of God, that he &s;hould be prouoked to plague thee for thy fraudulent cour&s;es?</P>
<P>Reproofe of them that &s;eldome or neuer v&s;e any commerce <MILESTONE N="2"> without corruption, their bargaines for buying or &s;elling begun with lying, and concluded with oppre&s;&s;ions. And this not the fault of a few: for very few, yea almo&s;t none at all are free from it. Men come to the Market, as they were wont to come to the games of running, and wre&s;tling, and &s;triue who &s;hall bee the &s;wifte&s;t or &s;tronge&s;t, to preuaile again&s;t others, or ouercome their Antagoni&s;ts in doing of iniury, and &s;o that &s;aying of the Prophet is daily verified: <HI>Euery man hunteth his brother with a</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mica. 7. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Net.</HI> Cu&s;tome hath made fal&s;hood &s;o familiar with Chap-men and Trad&s;e-men, and tho&s;e which v&s;e to cheapen other mens wares, or haue ought to &s;et to &s;ale, and vtter of their owne, that they know not how to chaffer without it: they would &s;tand mute, vnle&s;&s;e it directed them how to parle together. Who, a|mong hundreds dooth not demaund aboue the worth of that which he hath to &s;ell? And who among thou&s;ands doth offer at fir&s;t according to the value of that he is about to buy? And both be conuicted of vntruth, before they depart a&s;under, and yet nei|ther of them a&s;hamed thereof, as if it were allowed for a poynt of good thrift, to lie for aduantage. For after they haue conten|ded a while about the matter, the one inlargeth his offer, and payeth more then (he prote&s;ted) hee euer would giue for it, and the other abateth of that he demanded, and &s;elleth for le&s;&s;e then
<PB N="132" REF="72"> (he &s;wore) he could affoord it. Ob. They are driuen &s;o to vn|der-bid, and ouer-aske by nece&s;&s;ity: for otherwi&s;e men keepe off, and not aske or giue in any proportion according to the va|lue of the commodity. An&s;w. Yeelde that, and be it that thou art otherwi&s;e like to be bid too little, will that therefore war|rant thee to demaund too much? And what though it be prized at too great a rate, and hoy&s;ted vp too high, wil that iu&s;tifie thee, if contrary to thy knowledge, thou extenuate it ouer-much, and deba&s;e it too low? No offer, nor demaund from others, dooth binde thee to &s;ell cheaper, or buy dearer then is equall, without thine owne con&s;ent, and how dare&s;t thou then &s;eeke to ward off the needle&s;&s;e feare of a &s;mall hinderance to thine e&s;tate, with the committing of a manife&s;t and great offence, again&s;t the Lord and thine owne con&s;cience? But be it thou mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily &s;u|&s;taine &s;ome lo&s;&s;e by tying thy &s;elfe to plaine dealing, becau&s;e thou wilt not defile thy &s;elfe with vntruth, and craftines, yet will the con&s;eruation of thine innocency and vprightne&s;&s;e, be gaine &s;ufficient to counteruaile, and ouerpoy&s;e it. Notwith&s;tanding all that is &s;poken, and preached, and written again&s;t this enor|mous mi&s;-demeanour, yet what is to be found any where more frequent and common then it is euery where? As though God were to be wor&s;hipped onely in the Church, and at holy a&s;&s;em|blies on the Sabboath daies, and the Diuell to bee &s;erued in &s;hoppes, and at euill meetings on Market daies. No man almo&s;t doth thinke it a &s;inne, or is a&s;hamed to be taken with a lie in this ca&s;e, though he &s;tand vpon the reputation of his trueth and ho|ne&s;ty, and accounteth it a di&s;honor to be reproued in any other matter.</P>
<P>Con&s;olation for them that meane, and &s;peake, and deale faith|fully <MILESTONE N="3"> in their Couenants and bargaines: the Lord doth incline his eare to that which they doe truly affirme; and his eyes with delight and fauour, behold the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which is exerci|&s;ed by them, and he will publi&s;h and reward it to their eternall prai&s;e and happine&s;&s;e. The matter was well handled betweene <HI>Abraham</HI> and the Hittites, for ge&s;tures, wordes, and equity<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 23.</NOTE> on both parts, and the memoriall thereof is, and &s;hall be conti|nued in the Scriptures, and Church of God to the end of the
<PB N="133" REF="72"> world, &s;o commendable, and acceptable a thing it is to &s;peake vprightly.</P>
<P>&para; Carnal men direct not their tongues &s;o much to &s;peake truth, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> as to &s;eeke their owne aduantage.</P>
<P>That is naught by their te&s;timony, which they would get for naught, though they thinke it to be good: and then it is prai&s;e-worthy, when they may gaine prai&s;e by the hauing of it. <HI>The lip of the truth,</HI> as it is &s;aid in an other place, <HI>will be &s;table for euer,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 12. 19.</NOTE> <HI>and a lying tongue, but for a moment.</HI> Where &s;ee the point hand|led more at large.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 15.</BIBL> <HI>There is gold, and a multitude of pretious &s;tones: but the lips of knowledge are a pretious Iewell.</HI></Q>
<P>THE hability, and con&s;cience, and v&s;e of fruitfull &s;peaking is here commended by Compari&s;on, being preferred before tho&s;e things which are of greate&s;t e&s;timation in the world, <HI>there is gold,</HI> great &s;tore of it, in Mynes, in Coyne, in Plate, in Chaines, and Ornaments, and diuer&s;ly v&s;ed, and much de&s;ired, and &s;et by, <HI>and a multitude of pretious &s;tones,</HI> great variety of rich gemmes, as Diamonds, Carbuncles, Rubies, Ia&s;pers, Saphires, Emerauds, &amp;c. and many of the &s;euerall &s;orts of the&s;e, <HI>but the lipps of knowledge,</HI> the mouth, and lips of a godly wi&s;e man, vttering that &s;ound and holy knowledge which dwelleth in his heart, <HI>are a pretious Ie|well,</HI> &s;urmount, and are more worth then all the trea&s;ures before mentioned, and therefore more to be accounted of. See chap. 10. ver. 20.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 16.</BIBL> <HI>Take his garment that is &s;urety for a &s;trange</HI> man, <HI>and make him giue a pledge</HI> that vndertaketh <HI>for a &s;trange</HI> woman.</Q>
<P><HI>TAke his garment,</HI>] receiue a &s;ufficient pawne of him, and prouide for thine owne indemnity, that thou be not defrau|ded of that which thou lende&s;t, and if no better &s;ecurity can be giuen thee, receiue and keepe his Cloake or Gowne, or Coate, <HI>that is &s;urety for a &s;tranger,</HI> which giueth his word for &s;uch as he
<PB N="134" REF="73"> ought not: for &s;ome vnacquainted with vs, may be vndertaken for in their di&s;tre&s;&s;es, when their neede dooth iu&s;tly require that helpe, which we cannot of our &s;elues mini&s;ter vnto them, and yet may procure by our word, at another mans hand: and &s;ome well knowne vnto vs, and of our neere&s;t kindred, may be &s;tran|gers in this ca&s;e, yea the better knowne, the more vnfit that we &s;hould promi&s;e for them, hauing experience of their vn&s;ufficien|cy, or vnfaithfulne&s;&s;e. <HI>And make him leaue agage that vnderta|keth for a &s;trange woman.</HI> A &s;trange woman in the Scriptures, is v&s;ually, and euery where, for ought we remember to the con|trary, taken for an harlot, or whori&s;h woman; the &s;en&s;e &s;eemeth to be, that if any man would offer to giue his word for an Har|lots debts, or take vp ought in his owne name to be&s;tow on a Whore, he &s;hould not be taken, nor haue any thing lent vnto him, without a morgage, or competent pledge, or &s;uch &s;ound &s;pecialty, as will certainely counteruaile the &s;umme which he is bound for. The liberty and limitation of &s;ureti&s;hip hath beene &s;omewhat more &s;poken of in the eleauenth Chap. ver. 15.</P>
<P>&para; They that ra&s;hly ca&s;t them&s;elues into debt, are not &s;o fauou|rably <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> to be dealt with, as they that fall thereinto through ne|ce&s;&s;itie.</P>
<P>In the behalfe of the poore and needy, who were driuen to borrow for reliefe of them&s;elues and their families, the Lord gi|ueth that charge to the wealthier &s;ort: <HI>If thou &s;halt receiue to pawne the garment of thy neighbour, restore it vnto him before the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 22. 26.</NOTE> <HI>Sunne goeth downe: for that onely is his couering, that is his gar|ment for his skinne: wherein &s;hall he &s;leepe? Therefore when hee cryeth to me, I will heare him, for I am mercifull.</HI> And heere a|gain&s;t laui&s;h and vnadui&s;ed &s;ureties, and borrowers, he warran|teth men, yea he per&s;wadeth them, yea he layeth a commaunde|ment vpon them, and repeateth the &s;ame in the &s;elfe &s;ame words<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 27. 13.</NOTE> in the Chapter following, that they take their garments for pledges. And as heere he directeth the creditors what they &s;hould doe, &s;o hereafter he foretelleth &s;uch manner of &s;ureties what they mu&s;t looke for: but in the way of admonition, to the end they &s;hould preuent the perrill and trouble. <HI>Be not thou of them,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that touch the hand,</HI> nor <HI>among them that are &s;ure|ty</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 22. 26.</NOTE>
<PB N="135" REF="73"> <HI>for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay why</HI> cau&s;e&s;t thou <HI>that hee &s;hould take thy bed from vnder thee?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, as it is a duety to be pitifull, and ready to helpe them <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> who&s;e neede, and indigency doth require compa&s;&s;ion and mer|cie, &s;o is it good wi&s;edome to be warie and circum&s;pect that we impoueri&s;h not our &s;elues by tru&s;ting of tho&s;e that want di&s;cre|tion and fidelity. For how may he that is carele&s;&s;e of him&s;elfe, and his own e&s;tate, by ru&s;hing into &s;nares and perrils, be thought to be prouident for thee and thine, by keeping of touch and per|forming his promi&s;es?</P>
<P>Secondly, by hard conditions and rough intreaty they may be <MILESTONE N="2"> &s;tayed at fir&s;t, or reclaymed at la&s;t, from their vnthrifty cour&s;es, when they &s;hall ta&s;te of the bitterne&s;&s;e, and feele the &s;mart and paine of them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, who knoweth the good effects which may in&s;ue vp|pon <MILESTONE N="3"> it? whether they may not thereby be tamed, and holpen to repentance, and alienated from the &s;ociety of &s;uch mates, as are wont after that manner to intangle their Companions?</P>
<P>In&s;truction not onely to &s;hunne and haue in dete&s;tation, that <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> odious, though plau&s;ible &s;inne of ra&s;h and cau&s;ele&s;&s;e &s;uretie&s;hip, but al&s;o with due deliberation, and iudgement to informe our &s;elues of their hability, and hone&s;ty whom we accept of for &s;ure|ties. It is &s;afer and ea&s;ier at the fir&s;t to reiect him that would circumuent vs, whiles we reteine our money or goods in our hands, then afterwards to hunt him, when wee haue already &s;u|&s;tained the lo&s;&s;e. But as for them that are con&s;trained &s;ome|times to follow &s;uites by rea&s;on of euil debtors, by whom other|wi&s;e their &s;tate would be impaired, and their families wronged, let them alwaies proceede more &s;trictly again&s;t a wretchle&s;&s;e &s;urety that is without care, though the due be neuer di&s;charged, then a poore wel-meaning principall, that is without meanes to di&s;charge the due. But what if he be beggarly al&s;o, and vnable to make payment? yet let him beare the burthen of his pride, and di&s;&s;imulation, that tooke vpon him the per&s;on of a rich man, and made not his nece&s;&s;ity knowne, but boa&s;ted &s;o of his wealth and hability, as if he had not onely to maintaine him&s;elfe, but to &s;atisfie other mens debts. Yet this is not to be extended a|gain&s;t
<PB N="136" REF="74"> all &s;ureties: for many dealt &s;eriou&s;ly, though imprudent|ly, when they gaue their bonds with purpo&s;e to make that good which the debtor him&s;elfe &s;hould faile of, but their e&s;tates are decaied &s;ince, a&s;well as the principals that they cannot performe it: and to tho&s;e thus already afflicted, it were inhumane to adde affliction by extremity. And many running headily into this &s;inne, when they were ignorant, doe now di&s;cerne the daunger of it, and doe vnfainedly bewaile hauing gotten vnder&s;tanding: vnto the&s;e therefore, being humbled for their fault, and &s;ubmit|ting them&s;elues, the more lenity and mercie is to be &s;hewed. And many, though them&s;elues be as fooli&s;h, fal&s;e, and vnthriftie as euer they were, yet haue wiues, and children more innocent and harmele&s;&s;e, who mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity, fall into great wants and calamities, if they be pur&s;ued with rigour. And the&s;e are &s;ome|what to be &s;pared, though not for their owne &s;akes, yet for their families.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 17.</BIBL> <HI>The bread of deceite is &s;weet to a man: but after|wards his mouth &s;hall be filled with grauell.</HI></Q>
<P>THis whole &s;entence is allegoricall, wherein vnlawfull gaine is re&s;embled to foode, the delight that it fir&s;t bringeth to the plea&s;ant ta&s;te of delitious meats, the minde to a mans mouth, and the mi&s;chiefes that follow to grit, or little &s;tones, which are very offen&s;iue to the teeth. <HI>The bread of deceite,</HI> all manner of maintenance, or commodities, craftily, cruelly, or by any vniu&s;t means compa&s;&s;ed, and gotten, is <HI>&s;weet to a man,</HI> maketh a world|ling and an vnrighteous per&s;on ioyfull and glad: <HI>but afterwards</HI> eyther in his life time, or at his death, or in the world to come, <HI>his mouth &s;hall be filled with grauell,</HI> &s;ome great and grieuous mi|&s;eries &s;hall befall him. For eyther his con&s;cience will &s;tinge and bite him, and &s;o he &s;hall be vexed with feares and horrours, or el&s;e the hand of God will inflict puni&s;hment and plagues vpon him, and &s;o he &s;hall be ouer-whelmed with angui&s;h and tor|ments.</P>
<P>&para; Nothing is &s;o plea&s;ant to the wicked, as that which is mo&s;t <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> hurtfull.</P>
<PB N="137" REF="74">
<P>By this vnlawfull lucre his neighboure is wronged, his owne con&s;cience burdened, his &s;oule and bodie both in daunger to be de&s;troyed, and that for euer; and yet it is for his tooth, it more delighteth him then his dinner. It hath beene alwaies and euery where to be found, that the baites of &s;inne are more delectable to fle&s;hly men, then the ble&s;&s;ings of God. See Chap. 9. ver. 17.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>But afterwards, &amp;c.</HI> Though iniquity, and wickedne&s;&s;e yeelde <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> plea&s;ures at the beginning, yet they will put men to paine in the end.</P>
<P>The Diuell &s;troweth &s;uger on the top of his cup of &s;inne, to in|courage them that drinke therof, to take a good draught, but he mingleth poy&s;on in the bottom, which working their de&s;tructi|on, will turne to be as bitter as gaule. Our great Grandmother <HI>Euah</HI> ta&s;ted thereof, and felt this to be true by wofull experi|ence, being deceiued by the faire colour, and delicious reli&s;h of the forbidden fruite, and by Satans fal&s;e te&s;timony, making her beleeue that di&s;obeying the commandement of God, &s;he &s;hould purcha&s;e to her &s;elfe &s;ome rare and &s;ingular happines. And all &s;eemed to be &s;o, vntil &s;he had vndoneal by drawing her husband into the &s;ame transgre&s;&s;io~ with her. And <HI>Iudas</HI> no doubt, thoght that he had made a good match, when he recouered the fauour of the high Prie&s;ts, and principall men, and gained &s;uch a &s;umme of money by &s;elling of his Ma&s;ter, but the onely beginning of the mi&s;ery which followed, did &s;oone &s;wallow vp all the delight that went before. We might proue the point mo&s;t clearely by in&s;tancing in &s;euerall kindes of &s;innes, and &s;hewing the euent of particulars, but one or two may &s;uffice for many. Concerning<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 5. 3. 4.</NOTE> Whoredome, thus te&s;tifieth <HI>Salomon: The lippes of a &s;trange wo|man droppe as an hony combe, and her mouth is more &s;oft then oyle: But the end of her is bitter as Wormewood, and &s;harpe as a two ed|ged &s;word.</HI> And again&s;t drunkenne&s;&s;e this admonition he giueth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 23. 31. 32.</NOTE> <HI>Looke not thou vpon the Wine when it is redde, and when it &s;heweth his colour in the cuppe, or goeth downe plea&s;antly. In the end ther|it will bite like a Serpent, and hurt like a Cockatrice.</HI> See Chap. 9. ver&s;e 18.</P>
<Q><PB N="138" REF="75"><BIBL>Ver&s;. 18.</BIBL> <HI>E&s;tabli&s;h thy thoughts by coun&s;aile, and by prudent adui&s;e make warre.</HI></Q>
<P>HE giueth in the&s;e wordes a caueat, that no man &s;hould leane too much on his owne iudgement, nor too &s;odaine|ly re&s;olue on enterpri&s;es, without mature deliberation, and &s;ound direction. <HI>E&s;tabli&s;h thy thoughts by coun&s;aile,</HI> that thy pur|po&s;es be not variable, and vncon&s;tant, and that thy proceedings be not without pro&s;perous &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and &s;o vncomfortable: make as &s;ure worke as thou can&s;t, both to confirme thy minde, and to manage thine affaires in the be&s;t manner, and therefore com|municate thy matters with &s;uch thy friendes as are both wi&s;e, and faithfull. And looke well to this that Gods holy word be one, and the chiefe, euen be&s;t regarded, and mo&s;t obeyed of all thy coun&s;ailours, &s;o that nothing be practi&s;ed, or hearkned to, again&s;t it. <HI>And by prudent adui&s;e make warre,</HI> e&s;pecially in all matters of weight, of which &s;ort warre is, (wherein the e&s;tates of Countries, and the liues of many per&s;ons are hazarded) let nothing be ra&s;hly attempted, but all thinges well con&s;idered of, and con&s;ultation had with men of piety, vnder&s;tanding, skill, and experience.</P>
<P>&para; A mans wi&s;dome &s;erueth him for be&s;t v&s;e, when he will not <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> re&s;t vpon it alone, but be holpen by the coun&s;aile of others. See Chap. 15. ver&s;. 22.</P>
<P>&para; <HI>By prudent adui&s;e make warre, &amp;c.</HI> Wi&s;dome and good coun|&s;aile <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> are as needefull and auaileable for warre, as &s;trength and power.</P>
<P>If there be much armour, and little policy: if many re&s;olute Souldiers to fight, and few di&s;creet Captaines to leade: if they haue &s;trong bodies, and weake iudgements, a great army may be ea&s;ily vanqui&s;hed of a &s;mall company. Though a field were full of armed Gyants, and euery one of them a <HI>Goliah,</HI> yet if they were blinde, and depriued of their eye-&s;ight, who had cau&s;e to &s;tand in feare of them? and of whom among all their enimies, had they not rea&s;on to &s;tand in feare? And who be blinder in their bodies, then they, that be ra&s;h and led with proude con|ceites, and &s;elfe-liking, are in their mindes? Now let vs &s;ee what
<PB N="139" REF="75"> other Texts of Scripture doe accord with this, for the confirma|tion of this point. In the foure and twentith Chapter of this booke, it is &s;aid: <HI>A wi&s;e man is &s;trong: for a man of vnder&s;tan|ding</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouerb. 24. 5. 6.</NOTE> <HI>increa&s;eth his &s;trength. For with coun&s;aile thou &s;halt exerci&s;e thy warre, and in the multitude of them that can giue coun&s;aile, there is health.</HI> And in Eccle&s;ia&s;ticus there is a &s;aying not much different from this in &s;en&s;e and meaning: <HI>Better is wi&s;dome then</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 9. v. 16. 18.</NOTE> <HI>&s;trength, though the wi&s;dome of the poore be de&s;pi&s;ed, and his wordes not heard. Better is wi&s;dome then weapons of warre, and one that &s;warueth from it de&s;troyeth much good.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;ucce&s;&s;e and victory are not according to the forces of <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> men, but according to the plea&s;ure of God: <HI>A King,</HI> &s;aith he,<NOTE PLACE="marg">T&s;al. 33. 16. 17.</NOTE> <HI>is not &s;aued by the multitude of an hoa&s;t, neither is the Mighty man deliuered by great &s;trength. An hor&s;e is a vaine helpe, and &s;hall not deliuer any by his &s;trength.</HI> Now whom will he be&s;t pro&s;per, but tho&s;e which are mo&s;t &s;eruiceable vnto him? And who per|forme &s;uch acceptable &s;eruice, as they which haue vnder&s;tan|ding, and &s;eeke vnder&s;tanding, which are able to giue coun&s;aile, and yet in the humblene&s;&s;e of their &s;pirits, and &s;ight of their owne wants, are diligent and &s;tudious to learne coun&s;aile.</P>
<P>Secondly, the v&s;e of wi&s;dome and faithfull adui&s;e, for matters <MILESTONE N="2"> of warre, in many re&s;pects is mo&s;t expedient and nece&s;&s;ary. It examineth whether the cau&s;e be righteous, or vniu&s;t, or whether it be &s;ea&s;onable, or vn&s;ea&s;onable to take it in hand. What ha|&s;tened <HI>Achabs</HI> de&s;truction, and cau&s;ed him to be &s;laine and pe|ri&s;h<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 22.</NOTE> at <HI>Ramoth</HI> in <HI>Gilead?</HI> His contempt of the Prophet <HI>Mi|caiahs</HI> coun&s;aile, who fore-told him of the danger in&s;uing. And for that voyage al&s;o was good King <HI>Ieho&s;haphat</HI> blame-worthy, and worthily blamed by the Prophet <HI>Iehu. 2. Chron. 19. ver&s;.</HI> 2. We read of nothing wherewith that worthy <HI>Io&s;iah</HI> might bee taxed in any &s;ort, but only this that he was too aduenturous to incounter in battaile with the King of <HI>Aegipt,</HI> without warrant, and contrary to that coun&s;aile which <HI>Necho</HI> gaue him from the<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chron. 25. 22.</NOTE> mouth of the Lord, to the lo&s;&s;e of his life, and the &s;orrow and woe of all his &s;ubiects. It findeth out the fitte&s;t times for truces, peace, leagues, and what conditions are to be offered, or yeel|ded vnto, with other thinges of like nature. It directeth to the
<PB N="140" REF="76"> be&s;t meanes of aduantages, of places, and other opportunities yet iu&s;t and hone&s;t, for the fortifying of them&s;elues, and weake|ning of the enimy, yea for the winning of the victory, and van|qui&s;hing of the enimy. And further al&s;o it proceedeth to teach how after this, the victory is to be v&s;ed, to whome mercy is to be &s;hewne, and to whom &s;euerity, who is to be &s;pared, and who is to be &s;mitten, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Reproofe of them that are not called to warre or priuate con|tentions <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> by the per&s;wa&s;ion of wi&s;dome, for the defence of equi|ty, and truth, and thru&s;t into the &s;ame by the in&s;tigation of ma|lice, pride, and couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, for mi&s;chiefe, vaine-glory, and commodity, which, what&s;oeuer their &s;ucce&s;&s;e fall out to be, may a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues that they cannot &s;peede well: though they are neuer &s;o mighty, yet they are in danger to be foyled by m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aner then them&s;elues: and though they &s;eeme to preuaile neuer &s;o much, yet then they are mo&s;t grieuou&s;ly hurt, when they haue effected their purpo&s;es, and done mo&s;t hurt. When they van|qui&s;h men, they are ouerthrowne by &s;inne, when they triumph ouer their weaker neighbours, they are ledde captiues by their &s;trong lu&s;ts: when they get great fame and booties, and in ap|pearance exalt their names, and families, they incurre much di|&s;honour, and lo&s;&s;e, and vtterly vndoe their po&s;terities. <HI>Nebu|chadnezzar</HI> of <HI>Babel</HI> in all mens opinions for that time, was mo&s;t happy and fortunate, which by his prowe&s;&s;e, and valiant exploites, made him&s;elfe famous in all tho&s;e partes of the world, he inlarged his Dominions, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, that no man in his age was &s;o mighty, pui&s;&s;ant, and renowmed as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, and yet all this tended to his owne de&s;truction, and in the end, to the igno|miny, ruine, and &s;ubuer&s;ion of his family, as the Prophet te&s;ti|fieth. <HI>Becau&s;e thou ha&s;t &s;poyled m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ny Nations, all the remnant of the people &s;hall &s;poyle thee, becau&s;e of mens bloud, and for the wrong done in the Land, in the Citty, and vnto all that dwell therein. Ho, he that coueteth an euill couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e to his hou&s;e, that he may</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 2. ver&s;. 8.</NOTE> <HI>&s;et his ne&s;t on high to e&s;cape from the power of euill. Thou ha&s;t con|&s;ulted &s;hame to thine owne hou&s;e, by de&s;troying many people, and ha&s;t &s;inned again&s;t thine owne &s;oule.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction for euery one to confirme him&s;elfe in the &s;piritual <MILESTONE N="2">
<PB N="141" REF="76"> battaile again&s;t Sathan, and his owne &s;innefull nature, by holy wi&s;dome, with the adui&s;e and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of his Godly, iudicious, and faithful teachers, and brethren. For the enimies of our &s;oules are of all others the mo&s;t crafty, and mighty, our mi&s;ery the grea|te&s;t, if we be conquered; and our victory the happie&s;t, if we o|uercome; which we may vndoubtedly expect to do, if we choo&s;e this heauenly wi&s;dome for our leader, and yeeld our &s;elues accor|dingly to be directed, and gouerned by it. It is no malice to be implacable, and to beare a deadly grudge again&s;t tho&s;e aduer&s;a|ries: neither is it cruelty to kill and &s;lay them, and to doe a&s;much hurt vnto them, as with all our might we &s;hall be able. And therefore it is good prouidence to &s;trengthen our &s;elues to this conflict, by the be&s;t meanes we can, and we can haue no better then the coun&s;aile of God out of his holy word, nor any good at all, be&s;ides tho&s;e which his word doeth pre&s;cribe, and they are all &s;pirituall.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 19.</BIBL> <HI>With him that goeth about as a &s;landerer, di&s;clo&s;ing a &s;ecret, and with him that flattereth with his lips ioyne not thy &s;elfe.</HI></Q>
<P>ALbeit it is a good thing to take coun&s;aile, yet it is not &s;afe for a man to co~municate his affaires to all &s;orts of per&s;ons: for if a &s;ecret be not kept, coun&s;aile is made fru&s;trate. Where|fore he giueth a caueat to beware, among others, of two kindes of people e&s;pecially, whereof the fir&s;t are &s;landerers, and tale-tel|lers, whom (as he did in the eleauenth Chapter ver&s;. 13.) he re|&s;embleth to Pedlers, who mingle &s;undry &s;orts of wares together, and goe from place to place to vtter tho&s;e thinges which they haue receiued from others, for that they tell that to this man, which they heard of that, and wander hither and thither to ga|ther vp tales to tell where&s;oeuer they come, and commonly re|port them otherwi&s;e, and farre wor&s;e then they heard them, nei|their is there any thing that they can conceale, what dangers or mi&s;chiefes &s;oeuer the di&s;clo&s;ing of it will procure.</P>
<P>Of the &s;econd kind are flatterers, &s;uch as will &s;peake faire, and gloze with their tongues, pretending loue, and profe&s;&s;ing good liking, when they doe only &s;ound thee to be made acquainted with thy purpo&s;es.</P>
<PB N="142" REF="77">
<P>&para; It is good wi&s;dome not to tru&s;t a &s;landerer, or tel-tale with <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> thy &s;ecrets.</P>
<P>They that complaine of others to thee, will not be &s;paring to complaine of thee to others: and he that will deale treacherou&s;|ly with one man, may be doubted that he will &s;carce deale truly with any man. And therefore the Lord by the Prophet, doth admoni&s;h his people to take heede of &s;uch, as like Thornes and Briars haue v&s;ed to &s;cratch with hand, or tongue, or other means how neare &s;o euer they are vnited vnto vs. <HI>The be&s;t of them,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>is a Briar, and the mo&s;t righteous of them is &s;harper then a Thorny hedge. Tru&s;t yee not a friend, neither put yee confidence in</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Micab. 7. v. 4. 5.</NOTE> <HI>a Coun&s;ailour: keepe the dores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bo&s;ome. Dauid</HI> was &s;o farre from admitting &s;uch manner of per&s;ons to his Coun&s;aile, as that he would not permit them to dwell in his Court, nor, (if they were conuicted of that crime, though clo&s;ely committed) &s;uffer them at all to liue in his King|dome, but vowed to <HI>de&s;troy him that priuily &s;hould &s;lander his neighbour.</HI> See Chap. 11. ver&s;. 13.</P>
<P>&para; Both con&s;ultation, and conuer&s;ation with flatterers is to be <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> auoided.</P>
<P>That which is offered to their eares, is not only lo&s;t, but per|uerted, to the hurt of him that &s;peaketh: and that which procee|deth from their lips, notwith&s;tanding it &s;eeme mo&s;t plau&s;ible, is very pernitious to him that heareth. The Prophet <HI>Dauid</HI> knew and felt much euill and mi&s;chiefe by them to his griefe and paine, and the Spirit of God knewe, and &s;awe more guile and treachery in them to their owne woe and de&s;truction, when <HI>Dauid</HI> by the in&s;piration of the Spirit doth lay &s;uch villany to their charge, and pa&s;&s;eth &s;uch an heauy &s;entence again&s;t them by way of prediction, or imprecation, both tending to one purpo&s;e. <HI>They &s;peake deceitfully euery one with his neighbour,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12. v. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>flattering with their lippes, and &s;peaking with a double hart. The Lord cut off all flattering lippes, and the tongue that &s;peaketh great thinges.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, their faire &s;peeches when they &s;hew them&s;elues mo&s;t <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> &s;mooth, and kinde, are venemous and hurtfull, like &s;urgred poy|&s;ons that are made &s;weete for the mouth, and deadly for the
<PB N="143" REF="77"> &s;tomacke, and bowels. They inchant mens eares and hearts and make them too much conceited of them&s;elues, and &s;o to loo&s;e the comfort and reward of their weldoing, when they doe well, and hinder them from repentance for their faults, and &s;o com|pell them to be plagued for their euill doings, when they doe euill.</P>
<P>Secondly, euery flatterer for the mo&s;t part is double tongued, <MILESTONE N="2"> and can readily &s;peake more languages then one: one dialect of prai&s;e, or wherewith to plea&s;e and content men before their faces; another of accu&s;ation, or wherewith to traduce men be|hinde their backes: one in &s;hew, to make them beleeue that they be their friends, and wi&s;h them well; and another in deed, to make them finde that they are their foes, and as much as they are able, worke them woe. So dealt <HI>Achitophel</HI> with <HI>Dauid,</HI> and <HI>Iudas</HI> with <HI>Christ,</HI> according as the one is complained of, and the other foretolde of, in the P&s;almes: <HI>The wordes of his mouth were &s;ofter then butter, yet warre was in his heart: his wordes</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 55. 21.</NOTE> <HI>were more gentle then Oyle, yet they were &s;words.</HI> And adde here|unto, that many times by &s;ociety and conference with them whom they will afterwards betray, they know their minds, they haue fi&s;hed out their purpo&s;es, they are acquainted with their faults, they haue matter from their wordes, or actions, to worke vpon.</P>
<P>In&s;truction not to giue incouragement to &s;uch manner of <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> men, to frequent eyther our hou&s;es, or company; they will &s;oone be di&s;cried and found out of any that is wi&s;e, and not willing to be illuded: and if he v&s;e to conuer&s;e with tho&s;e that deale plain|ly, and faithfully with him. We &s;hut our doores, and fence our &s;elues again&s;t theeues which will rifle our hou&s;es, and take away our gold, &s;iluer, or other goods which haue beene bequeathed to vs by men, or our owne handes haue gotten, and &s;hall we o|pen them, and expo&s;e our &s;elues to more perilous robbers which will ran&s;acke our hearts, and to their vttermo&s;t power, bereaue vs of our humility, and mode&s;ty, and other good graces which the Lord hath be&s;towed vpon vs. Ob. But the&s;e that commit &s;uch burglaries draw weapons vpon vs, and wil not &s;pare to &s;hed our blood. An&s;w. Tho&s;e that practi&s;e &s;uch flatteries, come vp|pon
<PB N="144" REF="78" MS="y"> vs with more dangerous weapons, and will not &s;pare with their keene tongues to bring our names into infamy, and to wound our con&s;ciences, which ought to be much more deare vnto vs, then eyther money, or our heart blood. But hee that would not be torne with the tallants, and preyed vpon with the beakes of flatterers, mu&s;t be carefull that he make not him&s;elfe a carion by ambition; for euery proude man is willing to heare him&s;elfe prai&s;ed, and then flatterers mu&s;t needes be the welcom|e&s;t gue&s;ts to his table, and he &s;hall be the &s;weete&s;t mor&s;ell for their teeth.</P>
<P>Reproofe of their folly, which contrary to this wi&s;e le&s;&s;on of <MILESTONE N="2"> the holy Gho&s;t, delight in none but &s;uch as will fawne vppon them, and claw them, they are &s;o troubled with the itch of vaine|glory. Yet their folly were the le&s;&s;e (though it be too too great) if they would be &s;atisfied with priuate claw-backes, but they mu&s;t haue approbation in their &s;infull cour&s;es, by the Mini&s;ters of the word; they would haue the Preachers in their Sermons, &s;peaking in the name of the Lord, to iu&s;tifie their voluptuou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, pride, cruelty, worldlines, and other gro&s;&s;e vices, or at lea&s;t to winke at them, and &s;ay nothing again&s;t them. He is not a good Cooke to dre&s;&s;e meate for their &s;oules which will not powder it with poy&s;on: neyther is he a Phy&s;ition for their turnes, which will not like <HI>Achabs</HI> fal&s;e Prophets, pre&s;cribe to them that which they pre&s;cribe to him, and tell them that it is a duety meete to be done, what&s;oeuer of them&s;elues they are de&s;irous to doe. Of the&s;e there were many in <HI>E&s;ayes</HI> time, and again&s;t them he maketh this complaint: <HI>It is a rebellious people lying children, and children that would not heare the law of the Lord; which &s;ay vnto the Seers, &s;ee not: Prophecy not vnto vs right things;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 30. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>but &s;peake flattering things vnto vs: Prophecy errours.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 20.</BIBL> <HI>He that cur&s;eth his father or his mother, &s;hall haue his light put in extreame darkene&s;&s;e.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>HE that cur&s;eth his father or mother,</HI>] which vttereth impre|cations, rayling and reuiling &s;peeches, &s;coffes and ie&s;ts, or a|ny manner of di&s;pitefull wordes again&s;t both his parents, or ey|ther
<PB N="145" REF="78"> of them, to their face, or behinde their backes, or after what &s;ort &s;oeuer he declareth by his words the bitternes of his heart, to bring them to contempt, and to profe&s;&s;e how lightly and ba&s;ely he e&s;teemeth of them, <HI>&s;hall haue his light put out in ex|treame darkene&s;&s;e,</HI> all his pro&s;perity, which in the Scripture is of|ten compared to light, &s;hall be turned into woe and mi&s;erie, which is v&s;ually tearmed by the name of darkene&s;&s;e. And this he &s;heweth &s;hall not be ordinary, and &s;uch an affliction as common faults are corrected withall, but exceeding grieuous and feare|full, as appeareth by the Fpithete <HI>extreame,</HI> or as it is in the He|brew text, the blacknes of darknes.</P>
<P>&para; Rebellious children, and &s;uch as vilifie their parents are &s;ub|iect <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> to &s;ome notable mi&s;chiefe and puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>Feare, &s;hame, torment, death, and de&s;truction continually pur|&s;ue them, and will at length ouertake and apprehend them, and neuer leaue till they haue haled them into hell, and accompany them there for euer, vnle&s;&s;e they repent the &s;ooner. The&s;e are numbred among the damned crew&punc; in the law, again&s;t whom the iudgement of God is denounced with the con&s;ent and acclama|tion of the people. <HI>Cur&s;ed be he that cur&s;eth his father, and his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 27. 16.</NOTE> <HI>mother: and all the people &s;hall &s;ay, Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;uch plagues are due vnto them, and iu&s;tly de&s;erued, con|&s;idering <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> the per&s;ons whom they di&s;pi&s;e, and &s;hew them&s;elues contemptuous again&s;t, their father that begate them, their mo|ther that conceyued them, the parties which haue beene cau&s;es of their generation, &s;ub&s;tance, life, and welfare, if they haue any. And who then would not deeme that tongue mo&s;t worthy of &s;euere puni&s;hment, and to be cut out of the head? and head, and it, with the whole body and &s;oule to peri&s;h together, that &s;pareth not to rate, or reproach them from whom by Gods appoint|ment it had it being, and con&s;equently the habilitie of &s;pea|king.</P>
<P>Secondly, be&s;ide the indignity offered to parents, the great|ne&s;&s;e <MILESTONE N="2"> of the &s;inne again&s;t God, doth call for &s;uch &s;troakes. For his law is violated, and his commaundement broken, and an heinous offence is committed again&s;t him, as our Sauiour te&s;tifi|eth in the Go&s;pell, by oppo&s;ing this practi&s;e to his precept, and
<PB N="146" REF="79"> iu&s;tifying the penaltie that is due for the &s;ame. <HI>Why</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>doe</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15. 3, 4.</NOTE> <HI>ye tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the commaundement of God by your tradition? For God hath commaunded, &s;aying, Honour thy father and mother: and he that cur&s;eth father or mother, let him die the death.</HI> If it be a fault for &s;eruants (who&s;e tongues God hath not &s;o &s;trictly bound to the good behauiour) to an&s;wer againe to their Gouernors: if wiues which may be bolder with their husbands, are not yet al|lowed to be malapert, as <HI>Michol</HI> was with <HI>Dauid,</HI> but mu&s;t re|uerently &s;peake to them, and of them, as was <HI>Saraes</HI> demeanour towards <HI>Abraham,</HI> then it will proue an odious crime, and bru|ti&s;h doggedne&s;&s;e, for children to &s;narle and barke at, or inueigh again&s;t their parents.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God will not &s;uffer them to <MILESTONE N="3"> e&s;cape with impunity, but calleth vpon the Magi&s;trate, and re|quireth him to proceede again&s;t them, and doe iu&s;tice vppon them, &s;aying, <HI>If there be any that cur&s;eth his father, or his mother, he &s;hall die the death: &s;eeing he hath cur&s;ed his father and his mo|ther,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 20. 9.</NOTE> <HI>his blood &s;hall be vpon him.</HI> And though men would &s;eeme more mercifull then he, and iudge it cruelty to execute this &s;en|tence &s;o &s;harpely, yet he often compelleth them to it, by putting &s;uch vnnaturall malefactors into their handes for other facts, as Rapes, Robberies, Murthers, Trea&s;ons, and &s;uch like offences, and &s;o they are cut off, a&s;well the one as the other, by the &s;word of iu&s;tice. And albeit they &s;hould not this way be brought to their end by a violent death, as it cannot be denied but that many e|&s;cape eyther tho&s;e crimes or puni&s;hments, yet certainly his own hand will bring them to a mi&s;erable death, that they &s;hall die a a cur&s;ed death, and be &s;wallowed vp of eternall death.</P>
<P>In&s;truction for all children to beware of contumelious &s;pee|ches, <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> tending to the di&s;grace of their parents, as of contumaci|ous behauiour otherwi&s;e, or of violent actions for the hurt of their per&s;ons. That which &s;hould affright them from &s;peaking trea&s;on again&s;t the Prince, namely, the feare of God, and perrill of di&s;couery, and puni&s;hment if it be di&s;couered; ought al&s;o to with-hold men from vttering opprobrious wordes again&s;t their fathers and mothers, &s;ithence it proceedeth al&s;o from impietie, and iudgements are likewi&s;e threatned again&s;t it. It is not &s;afe
<PB N="147" REF="79"> to harbour a di&s;loyall thought again&s;t thy Soueraigne, vnder whom thou liue&s;t, nor &s;o much as to whi&s;per any thing to his di&s;honour: and it is dangerous to conceiue a ba&s;e opinion of tho&s;e, out of who&s;e loynes and bowels thou ha&s;t di&s;cended, or to &s;uffer thy tongue, thine eye, or thy minde to contemne them. He that giueth this admniotion, <HI>Cur&s;e not the King, no not in thy</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 10. 20.</NOTE> <HI>thought, neyther cur&s;e the rich in thy bed chamber: for the Fowles of the heauen &s;hall carry the voyce, and that which hath wings &s;hall declare the matter:</HI> the &s;ame is the Authour of this threatning: <HI>The eye that mocketh his father, and despi&s;eth the authority of his</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouerb. 30. 17.</NOTE> <HI>mother, the Rauens of the Valley &s;hall picke it out, and the young Eagles &s;hall eate it.</HI> Woulde&s;t thou then haue a bright e&s;tate, a comfortable e&s;tate, feare parents in thy heart, honour them in thy wordes, obey them in thy deedes, and reuerence them in thy ge&s;tures. If thou ha&s;t failed in former times, amend, and reforme it now, and hence forwards: and if they be gone, that thou can&s;t not performe the&s;e dueties vnto them, be humbled before God, and repent whiles yet thy light burneth, that thou maye&s;t pre|uent, and &s;tay that hideous darkene&s;&s;e of terrour and plagues, which otherwi&s;e will ouerwhelme thee. And Parents are like|wi&s;e to be exhorted; &s;o to looke to their owne waies, and &s;o to educate and traine vp their children, that they may mini&s;ter help and not be an hinderance vnto them for the ordering of their hearts, lippes, and actions. And therefore by conuer&s;ation it concerneth them to be their patternes and precedents, and by their gouernment to be their guides and directions, neyther v|&s;ing rigour, as if they were Tyrants ouer them, nor too much remi&s;ne&s;&s;e, as though they were but equals and fellowes with them. S. <HI>Paul</HI> giueth a precept to <HI>Fathers, that they prouoke not</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 21.</NOTE> <HI>their children to anger le&s;t they &s;hould be di&s;couraged,</HI> dooth not meane that they &s;hould &s;uffer them to liue without all control|ment, and be altogether regardle&s;&s;e of them. Neither is it e|nough for fathers and mothers to take authority ouer their &s;onnes and daughters, vnle&s;&s;e there be al&s;o concord, peace, and good agreement betweene them&s;elues. For there will be par|taking, if they growe to diui&s;ion, and they that are on the mo|thers &s;ide, mu&s;t maintaine her cau&s;e by impugning the father:
<PB N="148" REF="80"> and they that take the Fathers part, mu&s;t iu&s;tifie his dealing by di&s;prai&s;ing the Mother, and it will be very difficult to cleaue to them both, or &s;peake well of them both, when there is nothing but ciuil warre in the family.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 21.</BIBL> <HI>An heritage is ha&s;tily gotten at the beginning, but the end thereof &s;hall not be ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>AN heritage,</HI>] Lands, goodes, money, offices, or promo|tions, and the like, <HI>is ha&s;tily gotten at the beginning,</HI> is of many wicked men quickly atchieued by euill meanes, <HI>but the end thereof &s;hall not be ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> the i&s;&s;ue of it &s;hall be vnhappy and cur|&s;ed, partly in this re&s;pect that it is a &s;nare to their &s;oules, and &s;top|peth their way from eternall life, and partly in this, that it is like to be as badly &s;pent as it was ill gotten, and he that ro&s;e vp to wealth &s;o &s;odainly, may as &s;odainly, or by lea&s;ure fall into want, as it is &s;aid, that <HI>a man with a wicked eye ha&s;teth to riches, and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prouer. 28. v.</HI> 22:</NOTE> <HI>knoweth not that pouerty &s;hall come vpon him.</HI> And <HI>the thoughts of the diligent doe &s;urely</HI> bring <HI>aboundance: but who&s;oeuer is ha&s;ty,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouer. 21. v. 5.</NOTE> commeth <HI>&s;urely to pouerty,</HI> &amp; partly in this that it bringeth them many perturbations and troubles whiles they retaine it. See Chap. 10. v. 22. and 12. 27.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 22.</BIBL> <HI>Say not, I will recompence euill, waite on the Lord, and he will &s;aue thee.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>SAy not, I will recompence euill,</HI>] Be &s;o farre from reuenging thy &s;elfe in deede, for iniuries done vnto thee, as not in wordes to threaten, or in minde to purpo&s;e any vengeance. <HI>But waite on the Lord,</HI> commend thy cau&s;e vnto him, and &s;tay his lea|&s;ure till he deliuer thee, <HI>and he will &s;aue thee,</HI> he &s;aith not, he will reuenge thee, and plague them, though he will doe &s;o, vnle&s;&s;e our aduer&s;aries repent, yet he would not haue vs &s;o much to thinke of, or de&s;ire that, as to put our tru&s;t in him, referring our &s;elues wholly to that which &s;eemeth him good to doe, without de&s;iring hurt to them which doe vs hurt: defence and &s;aluation to our &s;elues is that which we mu&s;t &s;eeke for, and pray (as our<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth. 5. v.</HI> 44&punc;</NOTE>
<PB N="149" REF="80"> Sauiour both did, and taught) that our enimies may rather be pardoned then puni&s;hed. Now the&s;e wordes are added to the former, both as a rea&s;on thereof, and an an&s;were to an obiection that might be vrged, or at lea&s;t conceiued again&s;t the Precept in the fir&s;t clau&s;e: If I reuenge not wronges, I &s;hall be vndone with wrongs, euery man will boldly treade vpon me. Nay, &s;aith he, there is no &s;uch perill, the Lord will take the cau&s;e into his hand, and helpe thee, and though it be not &s;o apparant at fir&s;t, yet thou &s;halt perceiue it at la&s;t that he is thy protectour, it be|ing his office to defend the innocent, and oppre&s;&s;ed. And wher|as it is &s;aid that he will &s;aue &s;uch as waite vpon him, it is not &s;o to be vnder&s;tood, that he will alwaies deliuer them that are wron|ged from their pre&s;ent mole&s;tations and troubles, that the ad|uer&s;ary &s;hall be compelled to &s;urcea&s;e his practi&s;es: for many are vexed and pur&s;ued as long as they liue, and yet depend vpon God with &s;aith and patience: but though they continue in affli|ctions till their death, yet herein they finde him true of his pro|mi&s;e that he maketh them ouer-come their enimies, and aduer|&s;ities, and are victorious by faith and patience, and thereby ob|taine eternall &s;aluation, to the which the children of God ought principally to a&s;pire.</P>
<P>&para; All kinde of reuenge is vnlawfull for Chri&s;tians. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>The law, and the Go&s;pell, <HI>Mo&s;es, Chri&s;t,</HI> and the Apo&s;tles con&s;ent together in the forbidding of it, and in many places pro|hibite it. As in Leuiticus, <HI>Thou &s;halt not auenge, nor be mindfull</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 19. v. 18.</NOTE> <HI>of wrong again&s;t the children of thy people, but &s;halt loue thy neigh|bour as thy &s;elfe.</HI> So in Matthew, <HI>Yee haue heard that it hath</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5. 38 39.</NOTE> <HI>beene &s;aied, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but I &s;ay vnto you, re&s;i&s;t not euill, but who&s;oeuer &s;hall &s;mite thee on the right cheeke, turne to him the other al&s;o, &amp;c.</HI> that is, rather vndergoe a &s;econd iniury then with a reuenging hand requite the fir&s;t. And this is the &s;en&s;e of that place, which at the fir&s;t &s;ight &s;eemeth otherwi&s;e: for the Lord would not haue vs when we haue &s;u&s;tayned any wrong, to pull an other vpon our &s;elues, &s;ithence it is a &s;inne not to take heede of an iniury fore-&s;eene, when it may be preuented. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">r <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elfe, and after him <HI>Paul,</HI> when they were &s;trooken vpon one cheeke, did not turne the other, but did greatly finde
<PB N="150" REF="81"> fault with, and complaine of the violence that was offered vnto them. So in the Epi&s;tle to the Romans, <HI>Recompence to no man</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 17. 19.</NOTE> <HI>euill for euill. Dearely beloued, auenge not your &s;elues, but giue place: for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, &s;aith the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is an v&s;urpation of Gods office, as the Text la&s;t allea|ged <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> doth te&s;tifie, and an intru&s;ion into his place: the tre&s;pa&s;&s;es again&s;t men are &s;innes again&s;t him, and he is mo&s;t offended ther|by: he alone knoweth the greatne&s;&s;e of the iniury, as beholding all the circum&s;tances, and piercing into the mo&s;t hidden and &s;e|cret thoughts of the hart, that he may render them a proportio|nable recompence: and he only hath an ab&s;olute power to re|uenge in &s;uch manner and mea&s;ure, as he &s;hall know to be right and expedient, and therefore he hath re&s;erued that as a preroga|tiue peculiar to him&s;elfe. So that he which will vndertake to be a reuenger, doth take vpon him to be a God, and attempteth to thru&s;t the Lord out of his Imperiall Throne.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is a wrong to the party on whome it is executed; <MILESTONE N="2"> for albeit a wrong doer de&s;erue iu&s;tly iudgments at Gods hand, yet there is no commi&s;&s;ion giuen to them that be wronged to take reuenge vpon him with their owne handes. The Magi&s;trate indeede is the Mini&s;ter and Sub&s;titute of the Lord, appointed to inflict puni&s;hment in his name, vpon vnrighteous per&s;ons: and for this purpo&s;e is armed with &s;trength and authority, that with a &s;tayed minde he &s;hould con&s;ider the qualitie of their offences, and without any troublous pa&s;&s;ion repre&s;&s;e the boldnes of tho&s;e which are hurtfull one to an other.</P>
<P>It is pernicious to the reuenger him&s;elfe, who receiueth much <MILESTONE N="3"> more harme thereby, then he can po&s;&s;ibly doe to his aduer&s;ary: for he is &s;ure to hurt his owne &s;oule, and to wound him&s;elfe in|wardly, whereas all that he can doe again&s;t the other, is but vp|on his body, or e&s;tate, or that which tendeth to &s;ome inconue|nience outwardly: and often it commeth to pa&s;&s;e, that euen that way al&s;o, him&s;elfe hath the wor&s;t, and increa&s;eth the hurt which he formerly receiued. Sometimes not bearing wordes, he is dri|uen to &s;u&s;taine both blowes and woundes: &s;ometimes not &s;it|ting downe by a &s;maller lo&s;&s;e, he is compelled to depart <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> greater &s;ummes: &s;ometimes not putting vp a little di&s;grace, he is
<PB N="151" REF="81"> made to take a &s;hamefull foyle. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."></P>
<P>In&s;truction to beare iniuries patiently, and according as our Text in hand doth both coun&s;aile, and command vs, to commit our cau&s;es to him that iudgeth righteou&s;ly, and will not permit any of his to be endamaged by their confidence repo&s;ed in him: he will &s;urely heare them, and helpe them, and recompence all their &s;ufferings with comfort and ble&s;&s;ings. Thus doing, a man &s;hall make his cau&s;e, and not marre it: he &s;hall get the aduan|tage of his enimy, and not lo&s;e it: <HI>Dauid</HI> knew this to be the &s;a|fe&s;t way for his pre&s;eruation, and therefore accordingly fol|lowed it.</P>
<P><HI>They that &s;eeke after my life,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>lay &s;nares, and they that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 38. 12. 13.</NOTE> <HI>goe about to doe me euill, talke wicked thinges, and imagine decent continually. But I as a deafe man heard not: and am as a dumbe man which openeth not his mouth. Thus am I as a man that hea|reth not, and in who&s;e mouth there are no reproofes. For on thee, &ocirc; Lord, doe I waite; thou wilt heare me, my Lord, my God.</HI> And our Sauiour <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> did not only practi&s;e the &s;ame, as the be&s;t remedy again&s;t his owne per&s;ecutions, and troubles, but as <HI>S. Peter</HI> witne&s;&s;eth, <HI>Left vs an example</HI> al&s;o <HI>that we &s;hould follow</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2. 21. 23.</NOTE> <HI>his &s;teppes. Who when he was reuiled, reuiled not againe: when he &s;uffered, he threatned not, but committed it to him that iudgeth righteou&s;ly.</HI></P>
<P>Reproofe of fierce men, which haue impotent affections, <MILESTONE N="2"> though they thinke them manly: that are not able to put vp the lea&s;t offence that is, or &s;eemeth to be offered vnto them, no not an vnkinde word, no not a word that &s;oundeth not to their li|king, how friendly &s;o euer it be meant. For whence doth this proceede but from weakene&s;&s;e, as all pa&s;&s;ion and di&s;temper is the imbecillity and feeblene&s;&s;e of the hart? But with the&s;e Duells, challengers, and quarrellers it is valour, fortitude, and magna|nimity: it is their boldne&s;&s;e to be vnnatural to &s;hedde the bloud of their brother, and diuers times of their deare&s;t friend and companion: it is their boldne&s;&s;e to deface the Image of God, and contemptuou&s;ly to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e his law: it is their boldne&s;&s;e to hazard their owne &s;tates, and families, &s;o many of them as haue any, and to fall into the hand of the Magi&s;trate: it is their
<PB N="152" REF="82"> boldne&s;&s;e de&s;perately to expo&s;e them&s;elues to the manife&s;t perill of their liues, to the wrath of God, to the torments of hell, and to eternall damnation: this is their boldne&s;&s;e, and this is the De|uils hardine&s;&s;e, who is their Captayne and leader, but neither for his honour, nor theirs. And this &s;erueth al&s;o for the repre|hen&s;ion and terrour of other &s;ortes of reuengers, and &s;uch as doe it by rayling, reuiling, clamours, fal&s;e accu&s;ations, threatnings, cur&s;ings, or any kinde of malicious &s;peeches: and of them in like manner who&s;e harts are imbittered, and wi&s;h much mi&s;chiefe, though they be &s;ilent through feare, and &s;ay but a little: for God doth hate &s;uch as haue bloudy mouthes, and bloudy harts, a&s;wel as tho&s;e which haue bloudy handes.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 23.</BIBL> <HI>Diuers waights are abhomination to the Lord, and deceitfull balances are not good.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>DIuers Waights are abomination to the Lord,</HI>] The Lord doeth hate the &s;inne which is committed by making of greater and &s;maller Waights and Mea&s;ures, whereby men are defrauded of their right, and as he dete&s;teth the &s;inne, &s;o will he plague the &s;inner, and make him ta&s;te of his di&s;plea&s;ure, <HI>And deceitfull Balances are not good.</HI> Balances by which men v&s;e to deceiue, as being too little, or too great, or any way fraudulent, <HI>Are not good,</HI> neither be they allowed as lawfull and warranta|ble, but condemned as vniu&s;t and &s;infull, neither bring they any profit to tho&s;e that v&s;e them, though for a time they &s;eeme gainefull vnto them, but turne to their hurt and detriment, as at la&s;t they &s;hall find in their E&s;tates, or Con&s;ciences. See Chap|ter 11. ver&s;e 1.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 24.</BIBL> <HI>The &s;teppes of man are of the Lord: And what doth a man vnder&s;tand of his way?</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe &s;teppes of man are of the Lord,</HI>] The Lord by his proui|dence hath the appointment of the cogitations, purpo&s;es, actions, and &s;peeches of all men, together with the &s;ucce&s;&s;es, and euents of all that they deale in, their goings out, their com|mings
<PB N="153" REF="82"> in, their mouings, and &s;turrings are not by their owne &s;trength, but by the power and wil of the Almighty: a child that cannot goe alone, but is borne in armes, hath not &s;o much a&s;&s;i|&s;tance from the Nurce or keeper, to vphold him, or to teach him how to goe, or &s;et his foote forwards, as the wi&s;e&s;t, or &s;tronge&s;t receiueth from God. And after a &s;peciall manner by his grace and &s;pirit, he directeth and guideth the harts and wayes of his people for his owne &s;eruices, and their &s;aluation. <HI>And what doth a man vnder&s;tand of his way?</HI> Who hath wi&s;dome and knowledge of him&s;elfe rightly to order his affaires, and to di&s;|cerne the effects and i&s;&s;ues of that which he taketh in hand, and to fore-&s;ee the thinges which &s;hall befall him?</P>
<P>&para; God hath a prouident hand in the di&s;po&s;ing of all mens waies. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>Albeit many refu&s;e to obey his commandement, yet they can|not cho&s;e but doe that which he willeth, being con&s;trained ther|to by the force of his power, though not per&s;waded by the au|thority of his word. <HI>Ieremy</HI> was well a&s;&s;ured of this, and there|fore both &s;peaketh it confidently to the Lord him&s;elfe, who knoweth and teacheth the certainty thereof, and writeth the &s;ame for the v&s;e of his people, that they might receiue in&s;tructi|on and con&s;olation thereby. <HI>O Lord,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>I know that the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 10. ver&s;. 23.</NOTE> <HI>way of man is not in him&s;elfe, neither is it in man to walke or to di|rect his &s;teppes.</HI></P>
<P>Is not this euident in the re&s;traint of the cruell, who&s;e pur|po&s;es and power &s;eeme to con&s;pire together again&s;t the inno+cent, the one in the &s;ight of &s;en&s;e, being matchable with the o|ther, and yet they can effect nothing that may annoy or hurt them. <HI>E&s;au</HI> in his owne quarrell minded to haue done much a|gain&s;t <HI>Iacob,</HI> and <HI>Balaam</HI> for hire to haue &s;poken much again&s;t <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and yet nothing was done or &s;aid by either of them, but that which was for the comfort of the parties again&s;t whom they practi&s;ed. And whence but from this commeth it, that mali|cious men are made benefactours to their enimies, and tho&s;e whome they hate. As <HI>Pharao</HI> dete&s;ting the Hebrewes, to traine vp <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> an <HI>Hebrew</HI> and by whome the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> were to haue deliuerance: the <HI>Aegiptians</HI> retayning the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> to be inriched by their labours, to giue away their goodes for the in|riching
<PB N="154" REF="83"> of the <HI>I&s;raelites: Haman</HI> (enuying that meane office of a porter which <HI>Mordecai</HI> had, that he &s;hould &s;o much as &s;it at the Kinges gate, yea maligning his life, and grieuing that he had any being among men, &s;o long, as till that di&s;mall day, when he expected that at the furthe&s;t both he, and all the other <HI>Iewes</HI> &s;hould be &s;laine) to be a directer, and to giue adui&s;e how <HI>Mor|decay</HI> &s;hould be dignifyed, how the Kings fauour to him &s;hould be publi&s;hed in the Citty, and that in mo&s;t &s;olemne manner, and with his greate&s;t honour? See Chap. 16. ver&s;. 9.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 25.</BIBL> <HI>It is a &s;nare for a man to deuour that which is &s;ancti|fied, and after the vowes to call backe.</HI></Q>
<P>IT <HI>is a &s;nare for a man,</HI>] This &s;acriledge de&s;cribed in the words following, is pa&s;&s;ing dangerous, tending to the de&s;truction of the party committing it, as the foode vnder the net, or within the compa&s;&s;e of the grinne, doth to the &s;laughter of the Birdes, and the baite vpon the hooke to the death of the Fi&s;h, <HI>to deuour that which is &s;anctified,</HI> to peruert tho&s;e thinges which are by Gods ordainance appointed for his &s;eruices, from the right v&s;e of them, to his owne priuate gaine, and commodity. When this Scripture was written, diuers thinges were vnlawfull for any to eate, but for the Prie&s;tes and Leuites only, vnle&s;&s;e it were in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity, as the &s;hew bread, and &s;undry oblations in the Tem|ple, and tithes, and fir&s;t fruits of trees, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Now he alludeth thereunto, and comprehendeth vnder the&s;e all other thinges of like v&s;e, and de&s;tinated to the &s;ame maine end, to &s;erue for his wor&s;hip. And it is not only &s;innefull and perilous to robbe God of tho&s;e thinges which him&s;elfe doth challenge, or his &s;eruaunts haue dedicated to him, but to detaine, or &s;eeke to recouer againe that which our &s;elues haue voluntarily couenanted with our lips, or harts to giue vnto him, or to any good v&s;es. And therefore he &s;aith, <HI>after the vowes to call backe,</HI> either to wi&s;h the vow vn|made, or to with-hold the thing which in hart hath beene vow|ed, or in &s;peech promi&s;ed to him.</P>
<P>This God forbiddeth in his law, where he &s;aith: <HI>If thou ha&s;t</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 23. v. 21.</NOTE> <HI>vowed a vow vnto the Lord, deferre not to pay it: for the Lord thy
<PB N="155" REF="83"> God will require it of thee, and it will be a &s;inne in thee; but if thou ab&s;taine&s;t from vowing, it &s;hall not be a &s;inne.</HI></P>
<P>&para; Sacrilegious per&s;ons cannot long pro&s;per. <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."></P>
<P>They may thriue apace, and inrich them&s;elues at fir&s;t, as other &s;inners doe by committing of other &s;innes, but as all iniquity wil bring mi&s;ery at the la&s;t, &s;o will this in a &s;peciall manner, and that to many with great &s;peede. <HI>Achan</HI> had the gold and &s;iluer<NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h. 7.</NOTE> which &s;hould haue beene deliuered to the Lordes trea&s;ury, but he could not hold it: he got it, but could not keepe it: but lo&s;t thereby his owne goodes, and ouer-turned his family, and for|faited his life.</P>
<P><HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphyra</HI> kept backe but a part of that money <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Act."> which of their owne accord, without compul&s;ion or intreaty, they profe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d to be&s;tow entirely vpon the Church, and for that, and their lyes wherewith they would haue couered it, we all know what a grieuous &s;troke of death came vpon them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is an vnworthy thing, and an heynous offence to take <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> away ought, or with-hold any thing from him, to the hinderance of his wor&s;hippe, which giueth vs our &s;elues, and all that wee haue; which made vs, and keepeth vs, and feedeth vs: which be|&s;toweth on vs life, liuing, earth, heauen, <HI>Christ,</HI> &s;aluation, and what&s;oeuer may make vs happy.</P>
<P>Secondly, this fearefull impiety is pur&s;ued with an horrible <MILESTONE N="2"> cur&s;e, and all they are &s;ubiect to the one, that fall into the other, how many, or great &s;oeuer they be; <HI>Ye are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e,</HI> &s;aith the Lord by <HI>Malachy: for ye haue &s;poiled me, euen this whole nation.</HI></P>
<P>Terrour for them that maintaine their owne e&s;tates, by that <MILESTONE UNIT="&V;&s;e."> which was allotted for the maintenance of the Mini&s;tery, and cau&s;e a number of &s;oules to &s;tarue, through want of &s;pirituall foode, that their owne bellies may be pamperd with corporall food: and the Lord &s;hall be defrauded of his &s;eruice, rather then they will part with the prey which they haue gotten. And in the &s;ame ranke are they, and &s;ubiect to the like danger, which doe not openly with a &s;trong hand, but &s;ecretly with a fal&s;e hand bereaue the &s;eruants of God that labour in the worke of his Mini&s;tery, for the &s;aluation of his people, of their wages:
<PB N="156" REF="84"> which v&s;e to pay &s;ome for all, a little for much, &s;carce the one halfe for the whole, or the wor&s;t for the be&s;t, or by one meanes or other, beguile them. If it be a crying &s;inne (as by S. <HI>Iames</HI> his<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5. 4.</NOTE> te&s;timony it is) to defeate mens hirelings of their pay, which haue reaped their fields, and holpen to inne their corne, which &s;erueth onely for the nouri&s;hment of the body, how can the &s;poile of Gods harue&s;t-men be &s;ilent, and not crie aloude for vengeance, when they that labour about the foode of his peo|ples &s;oules be depriued of their &s;tipend? And how much better is the behauiour or e&s;tate of tho&s;e which conuert to their owne pur&s;es, or v&s;es, &s;uch money or lands, as haue beene bequeathed towards the reliefe of the poore, or for maintenance and repaire of Churches, which are places mo&s;t commodious for the a&s;&s;em|bly of congregations to the wor&s;hip of God? Let all the&s;e be|thinke them&s;elues that they are in a &s;nare, though yet they feele not them&s;elues intangled: full little know they how &s;oone the cur&s;e may worke their ruine.</P>
<P>In&s;truction to &s;uch as haue offended, to &s;tay the plague wher|unto <MILESTONE N="2"> they are liable, by &s;peedy repentance and amendement. And that is both to acknowledge their faults vnto the Lord, and &s;o farre as they can to make &s;atisfaction for the wrongs which they haue done. Thus much, with an ouer plus al&s;o, dooth God re|quire in his law, euen of &s;uch as vnknowingly, haue &s;o offended, &s;aying, If any per&s;on tran&s;gre&s;&s;e and &s;inne <HI>through ignorance, by taking away things con&s;ecrated to the Lord, he &s;hall then bring for</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Leuit. 5. 15. 16.</NOTE> <HI>his tre&s;pa&s;&s;e offring vnto the Lord a Ram without blemi&s;h out of the flock, with two &s;heckels of &s;iluer, by thy e&s;timatio~ after the &s;heckel of the Sanctuary, for a tre&s;pa&s;&s;e offering. So he &s;hal re&s;tore that wher|in he hath offended in taking away of the holy things, &amp; &s;hal put the fift part more therto, &amp;c.</HI> And let Sabbath breakers al&s;o be ad|moni&s;hed to reforme their waies, though we declared not their perrill before: for they <HI>deuoure that which is &s;anctified:</HI> they abu&s;e con&s;ecrated time (which God hath &s;et apart from common v&s;es for his owne wor&s;hip) to the fulfilling of their lu&s;ts, in &s;eruing of their carnall plea&s;ures or profites. Finally it concerneth euery m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n to be wary that he grow not weary of well doing, as to re|call, or neglect, or grudgingly to performe his promi&s;e made for
<PB N="157" REF="84"> contribution for merciful, or religious v&s;es, when his hability &s;er+ueth to fulfill them. His word pa&s;&s;ed to man for &s;uch purpo&s;es is after a &s;ort in the nature of a vow made to God, who will re|quire the performance of it: and it had beene &s;afer for them not to haue &s;poken, then not to be as good as their word: and not to haue begunne at all, rather then to leaue off with offence. The admonition giuen by <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes</HI> is to be receiued as not altoge|ther impertinent to this point, e&s;pecially in regard of the rea&s;on and equity of it. <HI>When thou ha&s;t vowed a vow to God, &s;aith he, de|ferre</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 5. 3, 4.</NOTE> <HI>not to pay it: for he delighteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed. It is better that thou &s;houlde&s;t not vow, then that thou &s;houlde&s;t vow, and not pay it.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 26.</BIBL> <HI>A wi&s;e King &s;cattereth the wicked, and turneth the Wheele ouer them.</HI></Q>
<P>A Prudent Gouernour is in this &s;entence compared to a skil|full Husbandman: for as the Husbandman winnoweth or fanneth the corne, to the end the chaffe may be &s;euered from the pure graine: &s;o a <HI>Wi&s;e King,</HI> or godly Magi&s;trate <HI>&s;cattereth the wicked,</HI> breaketh the knot of drunkards, game&s;ters, theeues, robbers, &s;editious per&s;ons, and other malefactors, <HI>and turneth the Wheele ouer them,</HI> inflicteth &s;harpe puni&s;hments vpon them, as they v&s;ed in tho&s;e countries to beate out the hard corne with a Cart wheele, as may appeare by the te&s;timony of the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> who re&s;embling the Lords moderate and wi&s;e proceed|ings to that cour&s;e which the Thre&s;her taketh in dealing with his corne, &s;aith: <HI>Fitches are not thre&s;hed with an iron in&s;trument,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 28. 27. 28.</NOTE> <HI>neyther &s;hall a Cart wheele be turned about vpon the cummin, but the Fitches are beaten out with a &s;taffe, and cummin with a rodde. Bread corne when it is thre&s;hed, he doth not alwaies thre&s;h, neyther doth the Wheele of his Cart &s;till make a noy&s;e, neither will he breake it with the teeth thereof.</HI></P>
<P>&para; It is no cruelty for the Magi&s;trate &s;harpely to puni&s;h lewd and <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> di&s;ordered per&s;ons.</P>
<P>It is the worke of <HI>a wi&s;e King</HI> &s;o to doe, and commended as a fruite of his wi&s;edome. Gods word requireth it, and the be&s;t
<PB N="158" REF="85"> Princes haue laudably practi&s;ed it: yea they knew it to be &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a duety, that &s;ome of them before they came to their Crowne, haue after a &s;ort vowed to performe it, as <HI>Dauid</HI> for example, when he &s;aid, <HI>Betimes will I destory all the wicked of the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 101. 8.</NOTE> <HI>land, that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the Citie of the Lord.</HI> But who was &s;o handled by him? Vpon whom did he execute &s;uch a puni&s;hment? Fir&s;t, vpon the Me&s;&s;enger that brought him newes of <HI>Sauls</HI> death (which might haue &s;eemed very acceptable to him) for that he confe&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe to haue a<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 1. 16.</NOTE> hand in the killing of him: and afterwards vpon <HI>Baanah</HI> and <HI>Rechab,</HI> who brought him newes of the death of <HI>I&s;hbo&s;heth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Sam. 4.</NOTE> whom they had murthered: now euery one of the&s;e thought to gratifie him, and expected a reward from him, for certifying him that his enemies were &s;laine, and the Kingdome was come into his hands, and therefore he that would not &s;pare them, in all likelihood would be as &s;euere again&s;t others that were as bad as they.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Lord the righteous Iudge of all the world, by his <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> mo&s;t righteous law commaundeth that &s;innefull men &s;hould be &s;harply puni&s;hed, and appointeth death for murders, adulteries, rapes, execrable bla&s;phemies, contempt of Gouernours, and many other tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions. Now if it be cruelty for his Mini&s;ters of iu&s;tice to execute it, how &s;hall he not be cruell that doth in|ioyne them to doe it? And is it po&s;&s;ible for the fountaine of mer|cy and iu&s;tice, who is al&s;o iu&s;tice and mercy it &s;elfe to be come mercile&s;&s;e, vniu&s;t and cruell?</P>
<P>Secondly, due and well &s;ea&s;oned &s;euerity towardes gro&s;&s;es and <MILESTONE N="2"> open offendours, is v&s;efull and profitable in &s;undry re&s;pects: it may be a medicine for the curing of the harts of the parties de|linquent, to helpe them to humiliation and repentance: it may be a terrour to others which know their offences, and behold of heare of their puni&s;hment, to pre&s;erue, or reclaime them from the like di&s;&s;olute behauiour: and it will be a meanes to cleare the Magi&s;trate by whome they are corrected, and the Country or place wherein they are &s;mitten, from the guiltine&s;&s;e of their e|normous facts. And for this cau&s;e contemptuous and refractary per&s;ons, &s;uch as de&s;pi&s;e the authority of tho&s;e whome God hath
<PB N="159" REF="85"> inue&s;ted with his authority, are by the &s;entence of the Lord him|&s;elfe condemned to death. <HI>That man that will doe pre&s;umptuou&s;ly,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 17. 12. 13.</NOTE> <HI>not hearkening to the Prie&s;t (that &s;tandeth before the Lord thy God to minister there) or vnto tho Iudge: that man &s;hall dye, and thou &s;halt take away euill from I&s;raell. So all the people &s;hall heare, and feare, and doe no more pre&s;umptuou&s;ly.</HI></P>
<P>Reproofe of them which either hinder the proceeding of iu|&s;tice <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> and iudgement again&s;t malefactours, though de&s;perately notorious, or el&s;e exclaime when it is duly executed. They will labour with the Magi&s;trate to keepe his &s;word of authority &s;heathed, e&s;pecially that gracele&s;&s;e wretches be not cut off by it, or el&s;e they will draw out their &s;wordes of malice, their fal&s;e and clamorous tongues, and &s;trike at him therewith. As whom will they &s;pare, which feare not to charge the Kinges Maie&s;ty with tyrannie again&s;t tho&s;e, who traiterou&s;ly haue &s;ought his de&s;tru|ction with the vtter &s;ubuer&s;ion of his e&s;tate, family, and King|dome, notwith&s;tanding his lenity, and mildne&s;&s;e towardes them? And what be the arguments which are commonly v&s;ed for the impunity of &s;uch as haue made them&s;elues men of death, and forfaited their liues into the handes of the ruler? It is pitty he &s;hould &s;uffer, he is a proper man, a per&s;onable man: he hath a good wit, or is of good parentage: one may &s;ooner ca&s;t away a man then make a man: it is extreame dealing to vrge the rigour of the law, and to depriue a man of his life. But is it not pitty that proper men &s;hould &s;poile profitable men? that &s;uch as are witty, or of good parentage &s;hould be &s;pared to robbe or kill tho&s;e that are hone&s;t, and haue good graces? The taking away of bloudy men by iu&s;tice, is not the ca&s;ting away of a man, but the pre&s;eruation of man-kinde: neither is it from the rigour of Gods law, or mans, but from the equity and true meaning of both.</P>
<P>Secondly, and therefore al&s;o it &s;erueth for the incouragement<NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc;</NOTE> of Princes and good Iudges, and other righteous Magi&s;trates to harten them&s;elues, and not to be troubled at libels, or murmu|rings, or any &s;editious inuectiues that are made again&s;t them, by word, or writing for this cau&s;e: for he that doth commend them, will likewi&s;e defend them; and he that &s;aith, they be wi&s;e
<PB N="160" REF="86"> will make them appeare to bee &s;o, by the good effect of their wi&s;e dealing. He will vndertake the prorection of their per&s;ons, of their e&s;tates, and of their honours, what&s;oeuer is plotted, at|tempted, or divulged again&s;t them, if they will be faithfull in his &s;eruice (whereof this is not the lea&s;t part) to fanne the chaffe from his Corne, and weede the nattles out of his Garden, and free his flocke from hurtfull Wolues and Foxes.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 27.</BIBL> <HI>The light of the Lord is the breath of man, and &s;earcheth all the bovvels of the belly.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe light of the Lord,</HI>] that grace which out of his loue, he worketh by his word, &amp; infu&s;eth by his &s;pirit, <HI>is the breath of man,</HI> the very life and felicity of a Godly man, <HI>and &s;earcheth all the bowells of the belly;</HI> findeth out mo&s;t deepe and &s;ecret things: it cau&s;eth him to know the hidden coun&s;ells of God, and the &s;tate of his owne &s;oule; for as <HI>the word is a di&s;cerner of the thoughts, and intents of the heart,</HI> &s;o it informeth the man in<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 24.</NOTE> whom it dwelleth with the Nature and qualitie of the &s;ame, that he may iudge him&s;elfe with righteous iudgement, di&s;couering his corruptions to be corruptions, and his graces to be graces, that he &s;hall neither approoue of the one &s;ort as if they were vertues, nor condemne the other for illu&s;ions: or at lea&s;t (though &s;ometimes Gods children in temptations do faile on both &s;ides) yet they be ea&s;ily reduced from their errour by the mini&s;tery of the word, or by whole&s;ome conference with Godly Chri&s;tians: whereas the hearts of the wicked wanting this light, are like darke Chambers locked vp from them&s;elues, that they could ne|ver looke into them (for the word which wee tran&s;late bowells, doeth &s;ignifie Chambers) and they doe with no more &s;ound vn|der&s;tanding apprehend, either the mi&s;teries of &s;aluation, or the con&s;titution of their owne &s;ouls, then with their bodily eye they can &s;ee what is in their intrailes and belly.</P>
<P>&para; That onely is to be e&s;teemed a life which is &s;anctified with <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Doct."> grace. A man may eate, and drinke, and walke, and &s;leepe, and &s;peake, and haue the v&s;e of all his &s;en&s;es, and yet be all this while a dead corpes, through the want of Gods holy &s;pirit, Saint <HI>Paule</HI>
<PB N="161" REF="86"> giueth that te&s;timony of voluptuous per&s;ons, who make &s;hewe to be aliue, and aliue like, and of all others &s;eeme mo&s;t to inioy the benefite of life: and that which by occa&s;ion is &s;poken of one &s;exe, is true of both when he &s;aith, <HI>She that liueth in plea&s;ure is</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Tim. 5. 6.</NOTE> <HI>dead while &s;he liueth,</HI> And what on the contrary &s;ide hath hee to &s;ay for that <HI>light of God,</HI> that quickning grace which is in the re|generate? <HI>Thus I liue, yet not I now but Chri&s;t liueth in me, and in</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 20.</NOTE> <HI>that I now liue in the fle&s;h, I liue by faith in the Son of God, who hath loued me, and giuen him&s;elfe for me.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;inne where it hath dominion, doth &s;lay the &s;oule, and <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> bringeth it not onely into the &s;ubiection, but al&s;o the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of death, though the torment of it be referred for the world to come, for who&s;oeuer &s;hall be condemned before the iudgement &s;eate of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> was condemnable and receiued &s;entence of con|demnation by the word of God, before his departure hence, and here is the execution of the fir&s;t death, and there of the &s;e|cond: The cur&s;e taketh hold and killeth, &s;o &s;oone as the tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion is committed, as was the ca&s;e of our fir&s;t parents, whom God threatned that <HI>they &s;hould die in the day that they eate of the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 2. 17&punc;</NOTE> <HI>forbidden fruit:</HI> and &s;o they did: for although the &s;oule was not then taken away, nor depriued of the naturall faculties, yet was it &s;o deformed, and the naturall powers of it &s;o corrupted, as that they were both dead per&s;ons, til the Lord by the promi&s;e of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the &s;eede of the woman, re&s;tored them.</P>
<P>Secondly, where God &s;heweth his loue, and be&s;toweth his &s;pirit, there he quickneth their &s;oules, and giueth them a part in the fir&s;t re&s;urrection: hee illuminateth their mindes, hee gouer|neth their wills, he &s;anctifieth their affections, he directeth their deedes, he guideth their wordes, he frameth all the good moti|ons of the inward man, and the Chri&s;tian conuer&s;ation of the outward man: &s;o that for their pre&s;ent helpe and comfort, and their future hope and happine&s;&s;e, he is all in all vnto them.</P>
<P>In&s;truction aboue, all thinges to &s;eeke it, becau&s;e it is better <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> then all things, and without which our breath&punc; and very &s;oules were not onely nothing worth, but accur&s;ed, and mi&s;erable, and a thou&s;and times wor&s;e then nothing.</P>
<PB N="162" REF="87">
<P>Con&s;olation to euery one that hath obtained it, what&s;oeuer his e&s;tate, and condition bee otherwi&s;e: for hee may truely &s;ay with that Prophet, <HI>Thy louing kindne&s;&s;e is better then life, that my lips may prai&s;e thee,</HI> When the natural life is afflicted, this is cheer|full,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 63. 3.</NOTE> and will reuiue it with comfort: when the naturall breath is indangered, this is &s;afe, and will al&s;o be a defence for that: when the naturall breath is departed, this &s;till remaineth, and in time will attaine the re&s;titution of that againe.</P>
<P>&para; Where God worketh grace, he al&s;o giueth knowledge and <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> vnder&s;tanding.</P>
<P>His &s;pirit is not plea&s;ed to dwell in a darke habitation, &s;uch a roome is fit for Satan, the deuill is the Prince of darkene&s;&s;e: but the Lord doth euer kindle a light in the &s;oules of tho&s;e whom he doth inhabite, that they &s;hall &s;ee his pre&s;ence, and know his wil, and be made acquainted with his heauenly coun&s;ells. The cer|tainty hereof is grounded vpon his owne owne te&s;timony in the P&s;alme, where he &s;aith, <HI>The &s;ecret of the Lord is</HI> reueiled <HI>to them</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25. 14.</NOTE> <HI>that feare him:</HI> and it is <HI>his couenant to giue them vnder&s;tanding.</HI> and vpon his promi&s;e in the Prophet: <HI>I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts: and they &s;hall all know me</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31. 33. 34.</NOTE> <HI>from the le&s;t of them to the greate&s;t of them, &s;aith the Lord,</HI> and vp|on the large accompli&s;hment thereof in the new te&s;tament, as as Saint <HI>Paule</HI> Witne&s;&s;eth: <HI>The things which eye hath not &s;eene, neither eare hath heard, neither came into mans heart, are, which</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 2. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>God hath prepared for them that loue him. But God hath reueiled them to vs by his &s;pirit: for the &s;pirit &s;earcheth all things, yea, the deepe things of God.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, thereby he declareth his loue and goodne&s;&s;e, which hee <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> would haue euery one of his to be a&s;&s;ured of, that they may haue their reioycing in him, and be the more thankefull to him: which cau&s;ed the Apo&s;tle to pray &s;o ardently for the <HI>Ephe&s;ians, that they may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the bredth, and length, and depth, and height: and to know the loue of Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 3. 18. 19.</NOTE> <HI>which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge, that they might be filled with all fulne&s;&s;e of God.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, without this no man can performe any good duty to <MILESTONE N="2">
<PB N="163" REF="87"> God in due manner, &s;o well as our &s;eruants can doe our mo&s;t difficult workes, in the darke&s;t nights, without any light: and therefore if we at our charges allowe Candle to them that be|long to vs, for meere trifles in compari&s;on of his waighty &s;er|vices, will not he make his Sunne to &s;hine vpon tho&s;e that la|bour for his glory, &s;ithence it is &s;o ea&s;ie for him to cau&s;e it, with|out expen&s;es?</P>
<P>Thirdly, the way wherein hee hath appointed his people to <MILESTONE N="3"> walke towards eternal ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, is &s;o intricate and hard to be found and kept, that no man can po&s;&s;ibly attaine to it, or proceed in it, vnle&s;&s;e his word be their lanthorne, and his &s;pirit their lea|der? See Chap. 9. ver&s;e. 10.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 28</BIBL> <HI>Mercy and truth pre&s;erue the King: for his throne &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed with mercy.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>MErcy</HI>] pitty and compa&s;&s;ion towards &s;uch as are oppre&s;&s;ed, and mildene&s;&s;e and lenity towards penitent offenders, and benignity and kindnes, &s;o far as opportunity &s;erueth to &s;hew the &s;ame, towards all loyall &s;ubiects: <HI>and truth,</HI> admini&s;tration of Iu&s;tice, whereby euery one hath his due: good men, incourage|ment: euill men, correction: and all men the inioyment of tho&s;e things which are their own, and by right appertaine vnto them: <HI>pre&s;erue the King,</HI> procure the &s;afety of per&s;on, &s;tate, and honour, both of Kings, and all other great per&s;onages in authority: <HI>for his throne,</HI> his kingly dignity and power, whereof the throne is a &s;igne and repre&s;entation, <HI>&s;hall bee e&s;tabli&s;hed,</HI> made the more &s;ure; and continued the longer to him&s;elfe or his po&s;terity, <HI>by mercy,</HI> a&s;&s;ociated with trueth and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: for as here he expre&s;&s;eth that, and intendeth the other, &s;o el&s;ewhere hee ex|pre&s;&s;eth the other, and that is intended, as Chap. 16. v. 12. <HI>It is an abomination for Kings to committe wickedne&s;&s;e: for the throne is e&s;tabli&s;hed by iustice.</HI></P>
<P>&para; The be&s;t way for Princes to confirme and &s;trengthen them|&s;elues, <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> is to be good to their &s;ubiects.</P>
<P>This did <HI>Dauid</HI> forethinke of, when he knew that he &s;hould
<PB N="164" REF="88"> be King, before he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the &s;cepter of the Kingdome: and therefore doth couenant with God, and conclude with his owne heart, that when he &s;hould &s;it vpon the throne, he would gouerne his people in &s;uch vprightne&s;&s;e, as he, and his might &s;itte a long time vpon it: and this profe&s;&s;ion he maketh heereof: <HI>I</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 101. 1</NOTE> <HI>will &s;ing mercy and iudgement: vnto thee O Lord will I &s;ing.</HI> And there is another &s;entence of this booke, that con&s;enteth with this in &s;en&s;e directly, and with no great difference of wordes, which manife&s;tly confirmeth the point in hand: <HI>A King that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prou. 29. 14.</NOTE> <HI>iudgeth the poore in truth, his throne &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed for euer.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God exalteth, and depre&s;&s;eth, he &s;etteth vp, and plucketh <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> downe, he maketh men to &s;tand fa&s;t, or to fall from their places, according to his owne will: and are not righteous rulers then &s;ure of be&s;t protection, who do him be&s;t &s;eruice, and mo&s;t plea&s;e him in their gouernment?</P>
<P>Secondly, no might, or munition, no Warlike skill, or armes, <MILESTONE N="2"> or what&s;oeuer el&s;e may &s;eeme defen&s;iue, are of &s;uch force for the &s;afegard of any potentate, as are the hearty and feruent prayers of the faithfull: and what vpright and mercifull gouernour is not euery where continually inuironed with them?</P>
<P>Thirdly, the Lord out of his goodnes, in loue to his people, wil <MILESTONE N="3"> vphold and defend a worthy ruler, as he that is prouident for his flocke, will keepe and maintaine a skilfull and faithfull &s;heepe|heard. See other proofes, rea&s;ons and the v&s;es, in the &s;ixteenth Chapter. v. 12.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e. 29.</BIBL> <HI>The glory of young men is their &s;trength, and the ho|nour of the aged is the grayhead.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe glory of the young is their &s;trength,</HI>] It is an ornament vn|to them, and prai&s;e for them to be &s;trong, valiant, and full of agility and courage, if they v&s;e the&s;e gifes wel, and exerci&s;e them profitably in their callings, and for the good of the common wealth wherein they line: for otherwi&s;e, if they bee boi&s;terous, violent, and giuen to fighting and quarrelling, e&s;pecially, if they imbolden them&s;elues therewith, to robberies, or &s;uch like vil|lanies,
<PB N="165" REF="88"> they are no more commendable in them, then is the &s;trength of great Beares, or other wilde bea&s;ts which are noy&s;ome and hurtfull: <HI>Goliah,</HI> and <HI>Og,</HI> and the <HI>Ana|kims,</HI> and other Gyants were tall men, yea huge and &s;trong, and yet are neither prai&s;e worthy, nor prai&s;ed: <HI>and the ho|nour of the aged is the grayhead,</HI> the white haires which pub|li&s;h their aunciency, and the multitude of yeares which they haue liued, doe bring credite and reuerence vnto them, &s;o that they be garni&s;hed with grauity, wi&s;dome, and other vertues, as it is &s;ayed, <HI>Old age is a crowne of Glory, when it is found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Chap. 16. v.</HI> 31.</P>
<P>&para; God doth adorne men with &s;euerall giftes according to <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> the diuer&s;ity of their conditions.</P>
<P>Some are decked with iudgement, and wi&s;edome, &s;ome are armed with fortitude and power, &s;ome excell in one grace, and &s;ome in another. <HI>I haue written vnto you fathers,</HI> &s;aith S. <HI>Iohn, becau&s;e ye haue knowne him that is from the be|ginning.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Iohn. 2. 14.</NOTE> <HI>I haue written vnto you young men, becau&s;e ye are &s;trong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye haue ouer|come that wicked one.</HI> And as &s;euerall ages haue their &s;euerall ornaments for them&punc; that are Godly, &s;o haue &s;euerall &s;tates: or at lea&s;t the Lord doth qualifie his people with ver|tues and graces, &s;uch as are fit for their pre&s;ent e&s;tates: and therefore Saint <HI>Iames</HI> incourageth <HI>the brother of lowe degree to reioyce in that he is exalted: againe him that is rich, in that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jam.</HI> 19. 10&punc;</NOTE> <HI>he is made lowe.</HI> That poore Chri&s;tians &s;hold comfort them|&s;elues, in their &s;pirituall promotion, and the wealthy in their gratious humiliation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, thereby the Lord dooth &s;et forth the riches of his <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> goodne&s;&s;e and power, who hath &s;uch choi&s;e of robes in his Wardroppe to cloath his children, and of iewels to adorne them, that he can decke &s;o many, yea all and euery one of them, if neede were, with different &s;orts.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is expedient for the common good both of <MILESTONE N="2"> Church and Common-wealth, for the promoting of Chri|&s;tianity, and the pre&s;eruation of humane &s;ociety, that there
<PB N="166" REF="89"> &s;hould be variety of gifts among men, and &s;ome to excell in one kinde, and &s;ome in another. It was commodious for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> that <HI>Dauid</HI> was pui&s;&s;ant, warlike, and victorious a|gain&s;t his enemies: that God had <HI>girded him with &s;trength</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18.</NOTE> <HI>to battell, and taught his hands to fight: &s;o that he could breake a Bow of Bra&s;&s;e with his armes:</HI> And it was a great benefite to them that <HI>Salomon</HI> was wi&s;e, wealthy, and peaceable, and freed the land from warres and troubles. S. <HI>Paul</HI> be&s;towed well neare a whole Chapter in this Argument, to the Corin|thians, in declaring, and proouing, and amplifying of the matter. <HI>To one</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>is giuen the word of Wi&s;edome, to an|other the wordes of Knowledge, to another the gifts of Healing, to another diuer&s;ities of tongues: &s;ome are Apostles, &s;ome are Prophets, &s;ome Teachers, &s;ome workers of miracles, &s;ome hel|pers, &s;ome Gouernours, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction that no man be proude and high-minded, for <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> ought that he hath in him&s;elfe, more then his brethren, ney|ther yet repine, or be di&s;couraged at the gifts of his brethren beyond his owne: for no man excelleth as chiefe and prin|cipall in euery faculty, but he that taketh place before all in &s;ome things, mu&s;t be content to giue place, and come be|hinde many in other things. The eye is honoured with that nece&s;&s;ary and noble &s;en&s;e of &s;eeing, and &s;o is the eare with that worthy and needfull &s;en&s;e of hearing, and the no&s;e is preferred before them both, in that profitable and v&s;efull &s;en&s;e of &s;melling. And likewi&s;e is each member apparelled and decked with &s;uch ve&s;tures and ornaments as are mo&s;t &s;eemely for it, and proper vnto it: the hand requireth not &s;hooes, as the foote doth, nor the foot needeth gloues as the hand doth: a garter is vncomely about the necke, and &s;o is a chaine about the legge. If the members then of the na|turall body of man be &s;atisfied with tho&s;e induments, which nature hath allotted vnto them&punc; and doe willingly yeelde to their fellow members, that which belongeth vnto them, and in loue one to another, and for their own &s;ake, helpe to in|ue&s;t them with the &s;ame, why &s;hould the members of the
<PB N="167" REF="89"> my&s;ticall body of <HI>Christ</HI> be di&s;contented with tho&s;e indow|ments, where with grace hath qualified them, or di&s;dain that their fellow brethren &s;hould in any re&s;pect be made equall or &s;uperiour to them, when it is for the publique good of many? Let yong men therfore, how fre&s;h in wit or &s;trength &s;oeuer they be, yet honour, and not de&s;pi&s;e the ancient, who by long experience and ob&s;eruation are of deeper iudgment and better able to giue coun&s;ell, though they be weaker in body, and haue defects in their &s;en&s;es: and let the aged giue countenance and good encouragement to them of younger yeares, if they be hone&s;t and vertuous, and not &s;corne them as greene heads, and vnskilfull, if they be ingenuous and teachable: for albeit they haue le&s;&s;e vnder&s;tanding to &s;peake and giue direction, yet they may haue greater power to pra|cti&s;e, and put matters in execution: as the one &s;ort will &s;erue for the eyes and tongues of the Common-wealth, to finde out, and declare what is meete to be done, &s;o will the other for feete and handes to goe to the places whither they &s;hall be &s;ent, and to performe the &s;eruices whereunto they &s;hall be called.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 30.</BIBL> <HI>The blewne&s;&s;e of the wound &s;erueth to purge the euill, and the &s;tripes within the bowels of the bellie.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>THe blewne&s;&s;e of the wound,</HI>] &s;harpe corrections and &s;e|uere puni&s;hments which are argued by the effects, or fignes thereof, <HI>&s;erueth to purge the euill,</HI> is the ordinance of God, together with rebukes and in&s;tructions, to draw diuers per&s;ons that will not otherwi&s;e be reclaimed out of their &s;innes, <HI>and the &s;tripes within the bowels of the belly,</HI> &s;uch &s;trokes as pierce inwardly, &amp; make the heart to ake: not that in cha|&s;ti&s;ing it is lawfull to &s;trike &s;o hard, or &s;o much, or to v&s;e &s;uch rods, or &s;courges as will pierce into the intrailes: for that were to indanger life, and to put to death, but hee &s;heweth the manner how the euill is cured, where the correction ta|keth good effect, that it entreth into the inward parts, affe|cteth
<PB N="168" REF="90"> the &s;oule with &s;orrow and feare, and not onely the body with paine and &s;marte: that the minde is no le&s;&s;e touched with it then the fle&s;h. In this &s;en&s;e was the &s;ame word v&s;ed in the &s;euen and twentieth ver&s;e, <HI>The light of the Lord &s;earcheth into the bowels,</HI> or <HI>chambers of the belly.</HI></P>
<P>Seuere corrections are &s;ometimes to be v&s;ed, as good <MILESTONE UNIT="Doct."> medicines again&s;t great &s;innes.</P>
<P>The&s;e are to be inflicted by all &s;orts of Gouernours, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall, Ciuill, and Dome&s;ticall, but in &s;uch different manner, as the diuer&s;ity of their places, and callings doth re|quire. Saint <HI>Iude</HI> doth direct the Church, as <HI>to haue com|pa&s;sion on &s;ome,</HI> and winne them with lenity and mildene&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iude 23.</NOTE> &s;o to <HI>&s;aue others with feare,</HI> and with her &s;harpe cen&s;ures to <HI>plucke them out of the fire.</HI> And in the law, the Magi&s;trate was pre&s;cribed, that <HI>if the offender were worthy to bee beaten, hee &s;hould cau&s;e him to lie down, &amp; to be beaten before his face, ac|cording</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 25. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>to his tre&s;pa&s;&s;e, vnto a certaine number. Fortie &s;tripes he might cau&s;e him to haue, but not pa&s;t.</HI> And as touching pa|rents and &s;uch as rule in families, we &s;hall not neede to pro|duce any te&s;timonies, hauing in the former chapters in &s;un|dry places met with texts for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Lord hath in his ordinance appointed the &s;ame for a helpe and remedy again&s;t &s;trong corruptions, &amp; they <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> are as potions, launcing, letting of blood, and cauterizing from him, and therefore they to whom it apperteyneth, are inioyned to exerci&s;e them as his hands for tho&s;e purpo&s;es.</P>
<P>Secondly, he giueth a ble&s;&s;ing thereto in due time, for the &s;auing of the &s;oules, and amendment of the wayes of his E|lect <MILESTONE N="2"> people, &s;o cen&s;ured, or puni&s;hed: as was to be &s;eene in the iuce&s;tuous per&s;on, vpon whom <HI>S. Paul</HI> required to be<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 5. 5.</NOTE> layd that fearefull penalty of excommunication, that he &s;hould <HI>be deliuered ouer to Sathan,</HI> and excluded out of the Church, vntill he repented. It appeareth that he was wake|ned thereby, that he was terrified with feare, that he was pearced with &s;orrow: for the Apo&s;tle afterwards informeth the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> that <HI>it was &s;ufficient for him that he was rebu|ked
<PB N="169" REF="90"> of many: So that contrariwi&s;e they ought rather to forgiue him, and comfort him, lea&s;t the &s;ame &s;hould be &s;wallowed vp with ouer-much heauine&s;&s;e.</HI> And for corporall puni&s;hment, why may not the Ma&s;ter expect the &s;ame ble&s;&s;ing vpon it for his &s;eruant, and the Magi&s;trate for his &s;ubiect, which the Fa|ther hath a promi&s;e of, for his Sonne, it being annexed to a Precept in this manner: <HI>With-hold not correction from the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouer. 23. v. 13.</NOTE> <HI>child: if thou &s;mite him with the rodde he &s;hall not dye. Thou &s;halt &s;mite him with the rodde, and &s;halt deliuer his &s;oule from hell?</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, how&s;oeuer the worke of correction be vnplea|&s;ant <MILESTONE N="3"> for the pre&s;ent, both for him that is driuen to giue it, and to him that is compelled to beare it, the one doing that which he thinketh to be tedious, and the other &s;uffering that which he feeleth to be painefull, yet in the end they &s;hal both find comfort, if they yeeld obedience to the Lord ther|in: for as the agent and &s;uperiour hath done the duty of loue, and &s;hewed him&s;elfe faithfull, &s;o &s;hall the patient and infe|riour inioy and acknowledge the benefit of &s;uch a kindne&s;&s;e, and &s;hew him&s;elfe thankefull. Such an happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e on both &s;ides doth the Prophet <HI>Zachary</HI> &s;peake of, for the re|forming of fal&s;e Prophets, and in&s;ufficient Mini&s;ters, &s;aying. <HI>When any &s;hall yet prophecy, his Father and Mother that be|gate</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 13. v. 3. 4.</NOTE> <HI>him, &s;hall &s;ay vnto him, thou &s;halt not liue: for thou pro|phecye&s;t lyes in the Lord: and his Father and his Mother that begate him, &s;hall thru&s;t him through when he prophecyeth. And in that day &s;hal the Prophets be a&s;hamed euery one of his vi&s;ion, when he hath prophecyed, neither &s;hall they weare a rough gar|ment to deceiue. But he &s;hall &s;ay, I am no Prophet: I am an husband-man: for man taught me to be an husband-man from my youth vp. And one &s;hall &s;ay vnto him, what are the&s;e woundes in thine handes? Then &s;hall he an&s;were, thus was I wounded in the hou&s;e of my friendes.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;truction to them to whome is committed the office of <MILESTONE UNIT="V&s;e."> Gouernment, that they exerci&s;e di&s;cipline as wi&s;e Phi&s;itions mini&s;ter phy&s;icke, when it is needfull: that which is whol|&s;ome,
<PB N="170" REF="91"> &s;ome, &s;o much as is requi&s;ite, and in &s;uch manner as may be&s;t helpe the working of it. Neuer to correct but when there is iu&s;t cau&s;e, nor any other per&s;ons, but &s;uch as are in fault: for it is as great an iniury to inflict puni&s;hment vpon the inno|cent, and &s;uch as are guiltle&s;&s;e, as it is an ab&s;urdity to apply a corro&s;iue, or launcing knife to the &s;ound and whole parts of the body. <HI>Surely it is not good to condemne the iust, nor that</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prouer. 17. v. 26.</NOTE> <HI>Princes &s;hould &s;mite &s;uch for equity.</HI> And as care is to be had that the iu&s;t be not puni&s;hed, becau&s;e that were to make a wound, and not to heale one, &s;o is it not meete that the wic|ked &s;hould be &s;pared, lea&s;t they peri&s;h by their malady of &s;inne through want of &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a medicine: but let a right end be alwaies propo&s;ed, and moderation and iu&s;tice v&s;ed, rather to heale his &s;innefull hart that doth offend, then to ea&s;e his wrathfull &s;tomacke that is offended. And let them al&s;o be admoni&s;hed, who&s;e vlcers of vicious behaui|our are to be tented with the rodde of correction, that they take not the outward application of &s;tripes, or other pu|ni&s;hments to be &s;ufficient for their curing. The humours that doe feede their &s;ores, doe i&s;&s;ue from their &s;oules, what|&s;oeuer their faults be, and therefore they mu&s;t haue Godly &s;orrow, and humiliation applyed inwardly vnto them, or el&s;e all the &s;trokes that light vpon their bodies, will doe more hurt to conuince them of ob&s;tinacy, then worke any good for their amendment. And &s;o after man hath done with cha&s;ti&s;ements, they prouoke God to beginne with plagues, and cur&s;es: and then their bodily paine which they made not better v&s;e of, will be a foregoer of their &s;pirituall torment, from vvhich they &s;hall neuer bee deliuered. Happy therefore is he that &s;triketh his hart with Godly in|ternall griefe or feare, when God or Man doth &s;mite his fle&s;h, with externall afflictions or &s;courges: for that &s;hort and momentary &s;mart and mourning is made a meanes of his reuocation, and &s;o by con&s;equent of his perpetuall comfort and ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="91">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
