IF the children of Israel in the dayes of the Prophet Isaiah were fallen into such an heavy sleep of sinne and securitie, that the Prophet was commanded toIsai. 58.1. cry aloud, yea to lift up his voice like a trumpet, that he might awake them from their drowsy securitie; then what trumpet can sound loud enough to rouse men from the sleep of sinne in these last dayes, wherein our Saviour foretold, thatMatt. 24.12. Iniquitie should abound, and the love of many wax cold; and wherein experi­ence telleth us, that almost an universall securitie hath overspread the face of the whole earth? That man sleepeth soundly indeed, whom the sound of a trumpet cannot awake: how soundly therefore do they sleep, or rather lie dead in sinne, whom the ratling of thunder, even the terrible thunder-claps of mount Sinai cannot cause to startle, a­wake, and look about them? Surely this age wherein we live, hath not so much need ofActs 4.36. Bar­nabas the sonne of consolation, as ofMark 3.17. Boanerges the sonne of thunder. This our Apostle knew, and fore­told [Page 2] of these times, saying,2. Pet. 3 3. There shall come in the last dayes scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming, &c. And he knew no better means to rouse men out of this carnall securitie or spirituall Lethargie, then by causing them to understand the great peril and danger wherein they lie, who sleep secure in sinne, being environed with mighty, cruell, and raging enemies, which seek to devoure both their souls and bodies. And therefore to the same end and purpose, I thought I could not do better then to tread in his stepps, and give warning in his words; assuring my self, that he whom neither the love of his own salvation, nor the fear of hell, nor this roaring lion will move, is already dead in sinne, and past hope of recovery. But he that is touched either with the love of the one, or fear of the o­ther, will no longer snort in sinfull securitie; but Wake, and Watch, and meet his enemy in the face, and fight valiantly and couragiously for his soul and his salvation. And to move every one of us so to do, let us now open and consider the words of the Apostle, which I have made choice of to that end and purpose.

Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devoure.

These words (as may appeare to the meanest capacity) do naturally divide themselves into two parts.

1 An Exhortation in the former words, Be so­ber, be vigilant.

[Page 3]2. A Reason or Motive drawn from the dan­ger 2 wherein we stand, being continually assaulted by a fierce and cruell enemie, seeking to de­stroy us; Because your adversary the Devil as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may de­voure.

But though this be the naturall order of the words, yet because I am perswaded that I shall better and more fully enforce and apply the Exhortation, if I raise it from the Reason or Motive; I desire (with your patience) to speak first in order, of that which is last in place, in the words of my text; viz. of the Reason or Motive, which I desire to lay down as a generall ground or Point of doctrine; and then from thence to en­force the Exhortation.

First, The Reason, or Motive, Because your ad­versary I the Devil as a roaring lion &c.

The scope of the Apostle in these words, is to set before our eyes, as it were in perfect and live­ly colours, the exceeding great danger whereunto we are lyable by reason of our spirituall Arch-e­nemy: who doth daily besiege, assault, and fight against our souls. And to bring us to a full sight and knowledge of this danger, he hath here described this our spirituall Arch-enemy unto us to the full in a fourefold manner.

1. From his name, The Devil: 1

2. From his nature, or disposition towards us; 2 Your adversary.

3. From his continuall practise against us; As 3 a roaring lion walketh about.

[Page 4] 4 4. From the end which he aimeth at in all this; Seeking whom he may devoure.

1 1. First from his name, The Devil.

It is not requisite in this place curiously to dis­pute, or define what the Devil is: it is sufficient­ly known that he was at the first created by God a glorious angel of light, perfectly good and hap­py, and placed in heaven. Onely he was not Immu­tabilis in bono, that is, Immutably good; which is a property peculiar to God alone: and therefore by sinne he lost his first estate, was thrown down from heaven, and of an angel of light became an impure spirit, the most accursed of all creatures: and, as S. Peter speaketh,2. Pet. 2.4. God cast him down, and delivered him into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judge­ment: or as the former translation did read, to be kept unto damnation. That which is more to my present purpose, is to consider him (according to the scope and intent of the Apostle in this place) as he is an enemie unto mankinde. Indeed his hatred and malice was at the first, and principally bent against God himself; because in his just judgement he despoiled him, or deprived him of his state of glory & felicitie, and condemned him to eternall and unavoidable torments. And there­fore immediately thereupon he did, and alwaies doth by all means to the uttermost of his power, seek to obscure and hinder the glory of God, and to oppose himself against God. But (as one saith well) Quia in Deum nihil potest, insidiatur homini, qui ad imaginem ejus factus est: Because he cannot prevail against God the omnipotent Creator, he [Page 5] turneth his malice against the creatures; and a­mongst them principally against man the most ex­cellent of all creatures, whom God hath made after his own Image. And amongst men, his rage is chiefly bent against those which are regenerate, andEph [...]s. 4.23, 24. renewed in the spirit of their mindes, and have put on that new man, which after God is created in righ­teousnesse & true holinesse: because they are nearest, & dearest unto God. For so it is said directly, thatRevel. 12.17. The dragon was wroth with the woman (that is, the Church of God) and went to make warre with the remnant of the womans seed, which kept the com­mandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus Christ. Which made Augustine (speaking to God) to say,S [...]lileq. cap. 17. Et nunc vita mea, Domine Deus meus, ex quo cecidit, non cessat persequi filios tuos: & in odi­um tuum, ô Rex magne, cupit perdere hanc creaturam tuam, quam creavit omnipotens bonitas tua ad ima­ginem tuam, ut possideat gloriam tuam, quam ipse per­didit per superbiam suam: that is, And now ô Lord my God, which art my life, ever since his fall, he ceaseth not to persecute thy children; and out of hatred against thee, ô thou most mighty King, he desireth to destroy this thy creature, which thine omnipotent good­nesse hath created according to thine image, that he might possesse that thy glory, which he lost through his pride. But as for the wicked and ungodly reprobates, the seed of the serpent, Gregorie saith truely of them, thatMoral. lib. 24. Eos pulsare negligit, quos quieto jure possidere se sentit: that is, He desireth not to assault or trouble them, whom he knoweth to be his own, and discerneth to be already in his peaceable possession.

Now this deadly few'd, mortall hatred, and bloudy cruelty which he practiseth against all the children of God, our Apostle hath most excel­lently, and to the full described in the words of my text, beginning first (as I observed before) with his name, The Devil.

Some do rightly stile him [...], One full of names; as Argos was of eyes.Ad Heli­ [...]rum ep. lib. 2. [...]p. 6. Persequitur me hostis, cui nomina mille, mille nocendi artes (saith Hierome) An enemie pursueth me, which hath a thousand names, a thousand subtill devices to annoy or hurt us. And indeed in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testament, we finde great va­rietie of names ascribed unto him: as when he is called, a Serpent, a Lion, a Dragon, a Fox, a Cocka­trice, the Leviathan, the Evill one, the Tempter, the Envious man, the Accuser of the brethren, Satan, the Devil, &c. All which together with some others, do serve to expresse his rage and furie, either a­gainst God, or Man, or both of them.

But because the Apostle in this place hath layed down so full a description thereof, I will passe by that varietie of his names or titles, and con­fine my self onely to that which is in the words of my text, The Devil.

The originall word [...] is familiarly known to the learned to be derived of [...], which (as some,Aretius in Pro [...]. and Aretius by name, affirm) signi­fieth treacherously to take, or deceive by false and ly­ing words. And so it should seem to point out his subtilty, falshood, manifold frauds and lies, which he sometime practised against our first Parents: [Page 7] Gen. 3.4, 5 whereby he enticed them to disobey the com­mandment of God, by eating of the forbidden fruit, and thereby ruined both them and their po­steritie. In which respect our Saviour Christ cal­leth him,John 8.44. A murderer from the beginning, and also A lyar and the father of lies. But I must con­fesse that I finde that signification of the word onely in the aforesaid Authour alone. With all o­thers, whom I have seen and observed, it signifi­eth in the second or Metaphoricall acception, to accuse falsely, or maliciously, to deprave, slander, or back-bite; to cause envy against any person, or to make him become odious and hatefull. And so this name which he had given him by the Spirit of God, doth (Serm. 2. sup. 2. Cer. cap. 1. as Chrysostome hath well observed) excellently expresse his nature and his art, or pra­ctise; that so he may be tam re quàm nomine Diabo­lus, A Devil both in word and deed. For he is (ac­cording to the Etymologie of his name) a false, and malicious accuser, slanderer, and backbiter: for he falsely accuseth or slandereth

• 1. God to man:
• 2. Man to God:
• 3. One man to another.

First he audaciously slandereth God to man: for so he accused him to our great Grand-mother Eve 1 in a double manner:

1. Of a lie; which he expressely fastened upon God, viz. That whereas God had said,Gen. 2.17. In the day that thou eatest of the tree of knowledge of good and evill, thou shalt surely die: he told her in direct termes, Ye shall not surely die; Gen. 3.4. which is no lesse then to give God the lie.

[Page 8] 2 2. He accused God of Envy, pretending that the cause why he did forbid them to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, was not (as God had said) because they should die in the day wherein they did eat thereof; but be­cause he knew that when they did eat thereof,Gen. 3.5. Their eyes should be opened, and they should be as Gods, knowing good and evill: and therefore that the true cause why God did forbid them to eat thereof, was, because he envied them so happy and glorious an estate. And he runneth still the same course in wicked and ungodly persons, teaching them to cast the aspersion of their hor­rible sinnes and nefarious lives upon God: for what is more common then to heare an ungodly person, being reproved for his hellish and stigma­ticall villanies, belch out some execrable, or blas­phemous speech or other against God, or his pro­vidence? saying, It is my destinie; I cannot help it: If God had made me otherwise, I would have done otherwise; or some other such like cursed words.

2 Secondly, he is no lesse malicious in slandering and accusing of man also unto God; for he it is that is alwaies ready (when we have sinned) to cry out against us, and accuse us, requiring of God (according to the strict rule of his justice) not to spare us being offenders, but to poure down vengeance upon our heads, having justly deserved punishment. And of this we have sufficient proof, from the testimony, or confession of his own mouth in the first chapter of Job; where he ac­knowledged [Page 9] unto the Lord, that he had beenJob 1.7. compassing the earth, going to and fro, and walk­ing up and down in it, like a Promoter, or Informer, to spie out faults and offences, whereof he might accuse them unto God. But if his own confession be not sufficient, we have also the expresse testi­mony of the Spirit of God, to confirm it. For so in the Revelation of S. John, we finde that he being overcome by Michael and his Angels, and cast out of heaven, there was a loud voice heard, saying in heaven,Revel. 12.7, 5. Now is come salvation, & strength, and the kingdome of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the Accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day & night. Nay, he is not onely an Accuser of us, but also (accord­ing to his name) a false slanderer, and malicious back-biter: for he doth not onely accuse us for the sinnes which we have indeed committed, but also wresteth our good actions, and exclaimeth a­gainst us for them, pretending that they are done either in hypocrisie, or for some by; and sinister respect, &c. Yea, if he can espie but an appearance of evil in us, he will not stick to accuse us, that we have already committed that evil, whereof he doth but suspect us: so wresting and misconstru­ing all our actions to the worst sense, and making of every molehill an huge mountain. Thus wrongfully did he slander Job, that he served God for that same end, for which DemetriusActs 19.24 served his Goddesse Diana: viz. for advantage, for gain, or profit, saying,Job 1.9, 10, 11. Doth Job fear God for nought? hast thou not made an hedge about him, and [Page 10] about his house, and about all that he hath on every­side? Thou hast blessed the works of his hand, and his substance is increased in the land: But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. Thus doth he accuse and slander Man to God.

3 Thirdly, he practiseth the same course likewise between Man and Man, by his calumnies, slan­ders, and false lies, sowing the seeds of all manner of discord, strife, contention, sedition and warre between them: and by that means many times he causeth those that before were intire friends, to become mortall enemies. And that is indeed [...], to play the Devil: for so theAristot. Top. lib. 4. 5. 5. Philoso­pher maketh those two to imply the same thing, [...]. falsely or maliciously to slander, and to make friends become foes. Princes, and Potentates many times break forth into mu­tuall discord, and unjust warres: Private persons rage one against another with envie, hatred, and malice, &c. but in them all the Devil blows the coal, and increaseth the flame of their fury by his secret practises of malice, slander, &c. where­by he bringeth to passe, that small sparks of dis­cord in the beginning, do end in bloud and mur­der. Thus doth he maliciously deprave and slander God to Man, Man to God, and one Man unto another: and therefore he is rightly called [...], the Devil.

Secondly, The second part of the Apostles de­scription is taken from his Nature or disposition; not simply as he is in himself, but with relation [Page 11] to us, or in respect of mankinde. The originall word is [...], here translated an Adversary; but it properly signifiethEschines. adversarium in causa vel lite; it is a Law terme, and signifieth one that is an Adversary to another in his cause, suit, or acti­on in the law. And such an enemie or Adversary the Devil indeed is to all the children of God in the cause or action concerning their salvation: opposing himself against it, and bending all his force with might and main to hinder it. As Christ is our Advocate making intercession for us, and pleading our cause unto God, according to that of the Apostle,1. John 2.1 If any man sinne, we have an Ad­vocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: So Satan on the other part is a Sergeant, Counsel­lour, or Proctour, with all earnestnes and virulency pleading against us, and our salvation. And because he is not as a Counsellour retained by another against us, or pleading for his fee; but is his own Proctour in his own cause: he is rightly here called our Adversary, viz. which in his own cause plead­eth in his own person against us, seeking by all means to hinder our salvation, and to procure the sentence of condemnation from the mouth of the Judge against us. And BezaIn Annot. majoribus. well observeth, that the force of the Greek article here is not to be omitted, [...] Ille Adversarius, that your Adversary: Because though we have many ad­versaries, yet he is (as one saith) [...], the most warlike and malicious; as it were the Coripheus or arch-enemie of our souls and sal­vations. Or else, because that though there be [Page 12] many Devils, yeaMark 5.9 Legions of Devils, and all of them our adversaries: yet the Apostle here aim­eth atMatt. 9.12.34. Beelzebub the Prince of Devils, under whose banner all the rest of those infernall Spi­rits do fight against us.

And indeed he may well he called our Adver­sary pleading against us; because he is still rea­dy to hinder and crosse us in all our suits and prayers which we send up unto God, and in all other our godly purposes and proceedings. So, when Jehoshuah the High Priest stood before the Angel of the Lord ready to make interces­sion on the behalf of the people, SatanZach. 3.1. stood at his right hand, to resist him, or as it is in the ori­ginall, to be his Adversary: which agreeth direct­ly to the terme or title here given unto the De­vil by the Spirit of God. And again, we reade that1. Chron. 21.1. Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number the people: whereby he pro­cured Gods heavy displeasure against them, by the devouring pestilence, whereby there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. And so likewise when a good Angel was sent from God unto Daniel,Daniel 10.13. He was withstood by an evill Angell, one and twenty dayes, till Michael came and helped him. And Saint Paul writing to the Thessaloni­ans, saith,1. Thess. 2.18. We would have come unto you (even I Paul) once and again, but Satan hindred us. Thus doth Satan appeare to be truely called our Ad­versary: viz. as opposing himself alwaies against us, both in the cause of our salvation, and also in all other holy actions, and godly endeavours. Which [Page 13] was the reason why Saint Paul used those words to Elymas the sorcerer when he withstood Paul and Barnabas preaching the word of God at Pa­phos, and sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith, saying,Acts 13.6, 7, 8, 9, [...] O full of all subtiltie, and all mischief, thou childe of the Devil, thou enemie of all righteousnesse, &c. The proverb is, Such a fa­ther, such a sonne: and as the Grecians say, [...]. From an evill bird springs an evill egge: which was truely verified in him; for being the childe of the Devil, he shewed himself like his father, an enemie of all righteousnesse. For such a one doth the Devil in all things shew himself. If we pray, he laboureth to distract us by wandering imaginations; if we heare the word,Matt. 13.19. He cometh and catcheth away that which was sown in the heart, that it may not bring forth fruit in the life and conversation. And the like course he practiseth in all other holy actions, shewing himself to be truely (as the Apostle cal­leth him) our Adversary.

Again, he is in the next place described unto us III by his continuall practise against us, in those words, As a roaring lion walketh about. Wherein observe with me two things.

1. The Matter or Action; He walketh about

2. The Manner how he doth it; As a roaring lion.

1. If you desire to know what he doeth; the Apostle tells you that He walketh about. And this phrase sheweth his indefatigable pains in tempting and assaulting us: for he never ceaseth or taketh [Page 14] rest, but still night and day walketh about, seeking to destroy us. And some Expositors conceive this phrase of walking about, to be a Metaphor taken à rebus bellicis, from warlike affairs, thus: Like as a wise and politick Captain or Generall, be­sieging some citie or castle, fetcheth his compasse about, and diligently vieweth each part thereof, to the end that discovering the weakest part, he might take his advantage, planting his ordinance for battery; and after a breach made give an assault there: So also the Devil, the grand captain of all those hellish troups and forces which fight a­gainst our souls, laying continuall siege against the Church of God, and every faithfull soul there­in, in a subtill and politick manner walketh about to and fro with uncessant pains and vigilancy, to spie and discover when and where we are weak­est: that so taking the opportunitie and advantage, he may suddenly with all violence and fury charge upon us, and so discomfit us, to our utter ruine and destruction. And this is his practise night and day. AsPsal. 121.4. he that keepeth Israel doth neither slum­ber nor sleep: so neither doth the Adversary ofGal. 6.16. the Israel of God wax weary, or grant sleep to his eyes, or slumber to his eye-liddes; but with perpe­tuall vigilancy watcheth for his opportunitie to vanquish and destroy them. This is evident by his own confession formerly mentioned: wherein he acknowledged to God, demanding whence he came, that he returnedJob 1.7. from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it: whereby it appeareth that he omitteth no pains nor labour in [Page 15] seeking our destruction. He will up before God to accuse, and down again with men to tempt; and there no corner shall escape him: for he every where spreads his snares to catch our souls, as Augustine hath excellently well observed;Soliloq. cap. 16. Ecce! tetendit ante pedes nostros laqueos infinitos, & omnes vias nostras variis replevit decipulis ad capiendas a­nimas nostras: & quis effugiet? Laqueos posuit in divitiis, laqueos posuit in paupertate, laqueos tetendit in cibo, in potu, in voluptate, in somno & vigilia: la­queos posuit in verbo, in opere, & in omni vita nostra. That is, Loe! he spreadeth infinite snares before our feet, and hath filled our wayes with divers traps to catch our souls: and who shall escape? he placeth snares in our riches, he spreadeth snares in our povertie, he layeth snares in our meat, in our drink, in our pleasure, in our sleeping, in our waking: he useth his snares in our words, in our deeds, and in our whole life. He spareth no time from tempting us, but that which he imployeth either in accusiing us unto God, or else in inflicting those punishments which it pleaseth God to permit him to lay upon us. He is full of agility in changing his place, and of subtilty in framing his ginnes:Cap. 1 [...]. Versutus est enim, Domine, iste hostis, & tortuosus (saith Augustine) nec facilè deprehendi possunt circuitus viae ejus, nec cog­nosci species vultûs ejus, nisi tu illumines; that is, Lord, this is a subtle enemy indeed, winding and turning him­self many wayes, neither can the circuits and com­passes of his way be easily found out, nor the form of his countenance be discerned, except we be enlightened by thee. There is no place in the whole earth without [Page 16] the compasse of his walk; for he compasseth the earth, and searcheth out all the corners there­of. He is here and there and every where in vari­ous shap [...]s and forms, that he might shew himself the more subtill in deceiving.Ʋ [...]i su [...]rà p [...] p [...]si. Nunc hic, nunc illic, nunc agnum, nunc lupum, nunc tenebras, nunc lucem in se ostendit, & singulis quibuslibet qualitatibus, locis & temporibus, secundum varias rerum mutationes, varias exhibet tentationes (saith the same Father) He is now here and then there, he now sheweth himself a lambe, and by and by a wolf, he sometime exhibi­teth himself in the shape of darknesse, and sometime clad with light, and according to the various mutati­ons of things, he sitteth his severall tentations, to all severall qualities, places, and times. I [...]. Nam ut tristes decipiat, tristatur & ipse (saith he) ut gaudentes il­ludat, singit se & ipse gaudere: ut spirituales defrau­det, in angelum lucis se transfigurat: ut fortes compri­mat, apparet agnus: ut mites devoret, apparet lupus: that is, For that he may deceive the sorrowfull, he himself will expresse sorrow: that he may delude those that rejoyce, he will feigne himself also to rejoyce: that he may defraud them that are spirituall, he transformeth himself into an Angel of light: that he may stay or re­strain the valiant, he appeares as a lambe: and that he may devoure the meek, he appeares as a wolf. He is not onely in the publique market places, among the shambles, and in the shops, but also he fol­loweth us into our private houses, yea, into our se­cretest bedchambers and closets; watching there for his best advantage against us. And in a word, in the very churches of God, and at these sacred [Page 17] assemblies, you shall have him as busie in distract­ing mens hearts and mindes, as the Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in informing their souls; as busie to hinder the fruit of the word, as he is in sowing the seed thereof in their hearts; as busie to work their destruction, as he is to build them up unto salvation: Yea heaven, earth, and paradise seem all to be within the compasse of his walk and circuit. Which moved Augustine to say;In ser. [...]m. s [...]r. 4. Posuit in coelo bellum, in Paradiso fraudem, odium inter primos fratres, & in omni nostro opere zizania seminavit: that is, He made warre in heaven, used fraud in paradise, he sowed discord between the two first brethren, and sowed tares in all our works and labours. And though he cannot overcome us at the first, but be beaten, foiled, and forced to retire; yet will not like a base coward, desist, and fight no more, but like a true souldier, and valiant captain, he will gather up his forces, fetch his compasse, walk about, and upon the first advantage inces­santly give a new charge, and set upon us again. Thus much appeareth plainly from the words of our Saviour Christ;Matt. 12.43, 44. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked then himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse then the first. And thus you have now seen the Pra­ctise set forth according to the Matter, or Action [Page 18] performed by him; He walketh about.

II 2. We are next to consider the Manner of it, As a roaring Lion.

As the lion is an Embleme of diverse things in Hieroglyphiques: so also is it used diverse waies Metaphorically by the Spirit of God in the holy Scriptures.

1. In respect of his singular strength, courage, and generosity, as being the king of beasts. Christ himself is represented by a Lion, and cal­ledRevel. 5.5. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. And such a description doth Jacob make of the tribe of Ju­dah.Gen. 49.9. Judah is a Lions whelp: from the prey, my sonne, thou art gone up: he stouped down, he couched as a Lion, and as an old Lion: who shall rouse him up? Which he spake to foreshew, that that tribe should be more warlike and powerfull then the other tribes; and should for a long time possesse the scepter and kingdome over them all. And when the Prophet would describe God as a mighty warriour vindicating his people from the power of their enemies, he useth this simi­litude of a Lion, saying,Isaiah 31.4 Like as the Lion, and the young Lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: So shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Sion, and for the hill thereof. And so also by the comparison of a Lion doth Homer set forth Diomedes; and Virgil doth the like in the story of Aeneas.

2. In respect of his mighty roaring voice, be­ing [Page 19] heard farre and neare, and terrifying both men and beasts: the Spirit of God doth thereby signifie and represent the powerfull preaching of the Word of God, which is the roaring and terrible voice of the King of kings to men;Amos 3.8. The Lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesie?

3. By reason of his cruelty and rapacitie: be­ing ravenous, and living upon the prey, he doth represent both wicked and bloudy Tyrants, and also the Devil himself.

Now then our Apostle in this place applieth it to the Devil, thereby to set forth the manner of Satans practise, or walking about. And indeed it doth fitly agree unto him, in the first and third acception: and so this comparison doth excel­lently expresse unto us two things in our Adver­sarie the Devil:

1. Strength and might, as he is the king of beasts excelling in power.

2. Bloudy cruelty, as he is a beast of prey, living upon the spoil.

1. The Apostle by comparing him to a Lion 1 would imply unto us that he is a mighty, strong, and powerfull Adversary: so that (if the Lord should permit him so to do) he is able to raise the winde, and stirre up tempests (as he did a­gainst JobsJob. 1.19. sonnes, thereby beating down the house upon their heads) or to bring down fire from above (as he did upon Jobsverse 16. sheep and shepherds, consuming them) and to work a strange confusion suddenly amongst the creatures placed [Page 20] here below the heavens. And therefore is he by the Holy Ghost compared to those creatures that are most strong both in the sea, & on the land. So in this place he is compared to a Lion, the king & mightiest of the beasts; yea to a roaring Lion, which hunting after his prey, hath his strength redoubled by his hunger. And likewise he is called a Dra­gon, yea, aRevel. 12.3 Great red Dragon, having seven heads and ten horns: whose strength was so great, that his tail drew the third part of the starres of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And elsewhere he is calledIs [...]i 27.1. Leviathan, the piercing serpent, even Le­viathan that crooked serpent: Job 41. whose force is described by God himself to be invincible by the power of man. And lest you should think, that (being compared to such beasts) he should be indeed strong, sturdy, and boisterous; but withall should want wisdome and policy, which are the chief sinews of warre: and so might, notwith­standing his mighty strength, easily be vanquish­ed by man, who though he be not the strong­est, yet by his wisdome is the Lord, and ruler of all these inferiour creatures, Lions, Dragons, Serpents, &c. He is also compared to man, and to the mightiest amongst men; in which respect our Saviour Christ calleth him,Luke 11.21, 22. Fortem firma­tum, A strong man armed, keeping his palace, and his goods in peace, and that in despight of all the power of man; untill one stronger then he (which is Christ) cometh upon him, and overcometh him, and taketh from him all his armour wherein he trust­ed, and divideth his spoils. Yea, and (whereas [Page 21] Princes amongst men are most eminent for an­thoritie, celsitude, and power) our Saviour also calleth him, [...]oh 14.18. The Prince of this world. And Sain [...] Paul goeth further, and calleth the Devils those evil Spirits,Eph [...]s 6.1 [...] [...], The Rulers of this world. And if all these comparisons be not suf­ficient to expresse his might and power; yet that setteth it forth to the full or highest degree that can be intimated, when by the same Apostle he is stiled2. Cor. 4.4. [...], the God of this world. And all this might and power he useth with all manner of fraud and subtilty against the Church, and children of God.August. S [...] ­liloq. cap. 17. Nunc ut Leo, nunc ut Dra­co; manifestè & occuliè, intus & extra; d [...]e & no­cte insidiatur, ut rapiat animas nostras. T [...]at is, One while as a Lion, another while as a Dragon; openly and secretly; within and without; day and [...]ght he treacherously lieth in wait, that he may destroy our souls. And therefore he is no common adversary, that we should contemne him, or slightly regard him when he roareth against us as a Lion: we fight not, as the proverb is, Cum umbra asini, with some phantasticall shadow, that is, some base, im­potent, and contemptible Adversarie:Ephes 6.12. We wrestle not against flesh and bloud; but against principalities, and powers; against the rulers of the darknesse of this world, against spirituall wickednesse, or wicked Spirits, in high places.

2. And secondly, the Spirit of God compareth him to beasts, to teach us to expect nothing from him, but beastly and brutish cruelty. And there­fore is he here compared to a lion roaring after his [Page 22] prey; which is so hungry, & ravenous, that he desi­reth nothing so much, as to seise upon & devoure that which he pursueth. He hunteth as fiercely and greedily after the souls of men, as the hungry roaring lion doth after the bodies of those crea­tures which he useth to prey upon: yea herein he farre exceedeth the Lion, whereunto he is compared: for the Lion rageth but against the bo­dy; whereas his malice is chiefly bent against the soul: and whereas the Lion devoureth the bo­dies of men and beasts onely to satisfie his hunger, the Devil practiseth the same cruelty against mens souls for sport and pastime, onely because he delighteth in bloud and cruelty. And therefore is he fitly compared to the great red Dragon: Revel. 12.3. of which kinde of beasts Plinie and others which write the naturall historie of the creatures, re­port the same thing, viz. that he devoureth the bodies of men, not onely for hunger, but also for pleasure and delight. It is manifest by the history of the Gospel written by the foure Evangelists, that the Devil, this roaring Lion, exerciseth great cruelty upon the bodies of them whom he posses­seth; horribly vexing, and miserably excruciating & abusing his members. He draweth their mouthes awry, stoppeth their breath, causeth their tongues to hang out of their mouthes, writhes their necks about, sinks their eyes into their heads, rolleth their bodies together like a ball, andMark 9.18, 22. tear­eth them that they fome and gnash their teeth, and pine away, and ofttimes casteth them into the fire and into the water to destroy them. This is evident by [Page 23] the examples of those whom our Saviour Christ dispossessed, and by divers others, which have been in lamentable manner possessed and abused by him. But if I could as fully expresse the rage and cruelty exercised by him upon the souls of the damned, which come into his possession: you would confesse all the former torments inflicted upon the bodies of such as are possessed by him, to be but as a flea-biting, as a sport or pastime, or as a nothing in comparison thereof. Whether we speak of the wofull horrours and tormenting pains of a guilty & despairing conscience in this life (the horrour whereof no tongue is able to expresse, nor can it be fully discerned but by lamentable ex­perience) or of the cruelty which he inflicteth upon the souls of the damned in the infernall pit. Whereof Bernard giveth us a shadow or glimpse, in these words,Serm. 10. Ibi clamabit pilosus ad pilosum, unus ad alium, Daemon ad Daemonem; Percute, dila­cera, interfice, velociter spolia, inter prunas, & e­bullientibus impone lebetibus. &c. There the hairy friends will mutually call one to another, and the De­vils each to other; Smite, rend in pieces, kill, destroy speedily, bring hot burning coals, throw them into the boyling cauldrons. Thus you see how our Adversary the Devil walketh about as a roaring lion:

• 1. With might and power.
• 2. with bloudy and brutish crueltie.

4. The last part of our Apostles description, of this our mortall enemie, is taken à fine, from the end which he aimeth at in all this whereof we have spoken, Seeking whom he may devoure. And [Page 24] here again observe with me these two things.

1. His diligence, expressed in the phrase of Seeking.

2. His aim or scope therein; To devoure.

1. His diligence is intimated in that one word [...], Seeking, which seemeth to have relation to the persons, as the former phrase of walking had unto the places. And therefore like as before I observed, that no place in the whole earth is out of his walk or circuit: so here also his seeking or diligent searching implieth, that he leaveth no man free, but sifts and tries the sonnes of men ad unum, to every individuall person. He leaveth none unassaulted, he assaileth and tempteth, not onely the wicked, as he did Saul1. Sam. 19.9 to kill David with a speare: JudasJohn 13.2. to betray Jesus his Lord and Master, and afterwardMatt. 27.5. to go forth and desperately hang himself: Ananias and Sappni [...]aActs 5.3. to lie unto the holy Ghost, &c. But also the godly, as he did David through pride1. Chron. 21.1. to cause the people to be numbred: So­lomon his sonne, through the instigation of his strange wives, to the grosse sinne of1. Kings 11.1. Idolatrie. The Apostles of our Saviour Christ,Luke 22.24. to strive a­mong themselves which of them should be accounted the greatest: S. Augustine to procrastinate his repen­tance, &c. Not Paul, nor Peter, nor Job, nor Moses, nor Lot, nor Noah, nor Adam himself (though in paradise) went scot free; but they were all to the uttermost sought out, sifted, and strongly assaulted by him. Yea so impudent and audacious was he, that he presumed to fight a bat­tell in heavenRevel. 12.7 against Michael and his Angels: and [Page 25] to set upon our Saviour Jesus Christ himselfMatth. 4. in the wildernesse by a threefold furious assault, and temptation: and that also after he was proclaimed from heaven to be the Sonne of God by that voice from his Father, saying,Matth. 3.17. This is my beloved Sonne, in whom I am well pleased. So carefull is he that none may escape his wilie nets, and subtill snares: and so diligently doth he seek to finde some on whom he may fasten his Harpy-like claws, and exercise his might and power, and his bloudy and hellish crueltie.

2. And therefore in the second place we are to consider the end which he aimeth at in all this his walking, and seeking, in all this his pains & di­ligence. And the Apostle telleth us directly, that it is to devoure; Seeking whom he may devoure. In the originall it is [...], of [...] & [...]: and it si­gnifieth Absorbere, Epotare, to swallow down, or drink up, as it were at one draught: Eurip. in C [...]e. [...]. or more usually deglutire, devorare, to swallow or devoure. And it is here used to expresse the ravenous and greedy manner of the Devils devouring, and seek­ing to devoure those whom he doth with such pains and diligence hunt after and pursue: as if he would swallow them down at once, or drink them up at a draught; which is indeed the true and onely end which the Devil aimeth at. Like as the Li­on hath no other aim in pursuing his prey, but to devoure it being taken by him; so this infer­nall Lion of hell, the Devil, aimeth at no other end in tempting and assaulting men, but to de­voure and destroy both their souls and bodies. [Page 26] Hoc catut est continuum studium ejus, hoc unicum de­siderium ejus, ut animas quas creasti, devoret (saith S. Augustine speaking to God,S [...]lil [...]q. c [...]p. 1 [...]. and of the D [...]vil) For this is his continuall study, this is his onely d [...]ire, that he may devoure those souls whom thou hast crea­ted. Our Saviour Christ saith,John 4.34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work; thereby intimating, that he took as much plea­sure and delight in finishing that work, for which God the Father sent him into the world, the re­demption or salvation of mankinde; as car­nall men did in feeding and refreshing their hungrie bodies with meat and drink. But the Devils disposition is directly contrary thereunto: for his meat and drink, that is, his chief pleasure and delight, is to increase his insatiable crueltie, by hurting and destroying the bodies and souls of men. In which regard he is truely stiled, [...], one that rejoyceth onely in that which is evil continually. And whether he vanquish us by main force, as enemies, or allure us by subtill enticements to submit our selves unto him, the case is all one: for he in the end rewardeth those that serve him, and obey him obsequiously all the dayes of their lives, with the same mea­sure wherewith he repayeth those that oppose themselves as enemies against him; but are vanquished and overcome by him.Greg. in homil. Nullo pla­catur obsequio; No manner of dutifullnesse, or humble service can incline him to pitie and com­passion. As he is a bloudy and cruell Adversary, so he is a mercilesse Master: for nothing will suf­fice [Page 27] him howsoever the case be, but devouring of their souls and bodies for ever. Indeed it is written of the Lion, that he is of that royall and generous disposition, that he spareth those that submit themselves before him, and lie prostrate at his feet: but if they once offer to depart from him, then in his rage he fasteneth his paws upon them, and teareth them in pieces. And in like manner, the roaring Lion of hell doth sometimes spare the wicked and ungodly for the present, when they yeeld, and submit themselves unto him, to be led by him: but if they once offer to de­part from him, or but to turn their faces towards heaven; he presently sheweth himself in his co­lours, and like a develish fiend seeketh to de­voure their bodies and souls. Whereof Pharaoh the Egyptian king was a true type; under whom the children of Israel had rest and lived quietly in the land of Goshen, so long as they submit­ted themselves to him, and yeelded to be his ser­vants: but when he was compelled to let them go, then he played the Devil, and pursued them inExod. 14.5 hostile manner, seeking utterly to destroy them.

And thus have you now the full description of the mortall enemie of our souls and our salva­tion set before you. Whereby it may appeare, how dangerous our case is in this present world, considering that we are dayly and hourely pur­sued and assaulted by such a false and malicious, watchfull and diligent, powerfull and strong, bloudy and cruell Adversary: And that the ra­ther, [Page 28] because this danger is perpetuall, so long as we live in this world: which made Augustine to call himSoliloq. [...]unt suprá. Adversarium nostrum quotidianum; qui, sive dormiamus, sive vigilemus, sive comedamus, sive bi­bamus, sive quodcunque opus operemur, omnibus mo­dis instat, die ac nocte, fraudibus & artibus, nunc palàm, nunc occultè, sagitias venenatas contra nos dirigens, ut interficiat animas nostras. That is, Our daily Adversary, which, whether we sleep or wake, eat or drink, or whatsoever we do else, is by all means instant day and night, by fraud and subtiltie, openly and secretly, directing his poisonous darts against us, that he may destroy our souls.

II Secondly, the Exhortation, Be sober, be vigi­lant.

The extream danger wherein we stand by rea­son of this roaring Lion hath to the full appeared unto us; the consideration whereof may well move us to be affected like unto Saint Peters au­ditours, that is to say, (being pricked in our hearts) to enquire with them, saying,Acts 2.37. Men and brethren, what shall we do? And surely upon serious deli­beration herein, I call to minde that question of our Saviour Christ,Luke 14.31. What king, going to make warre against another king, sitteth not down first, & con­sulteth whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him that cometh against him with twentie thousand? According to which rule of spirituall policy, it is a true point of godly wisdome, for us, who are so weak in our selves, to consider how we may be prepared and enabled, to meet and en­counter him that is so mighty and strong. For [Page 29] alas, if we proceed against him armed onely with our own strength and force, it will prove Impar congressus, a very unequall match, and we were sure to be vanquished and foiled in the fight. And therefore Saint Paul exhorts us to be strong in the Lord, and in the p [...]wer of his might: E [...]hes. 6.10, [...]1. and to put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil: and to that purpose also hath described, or pointed out unto us all the severall parts of that armour of God (à capite ad calcem, from the head to the foot) wherewith we must be prepared both for de­fence and offence:verse 14. The girdle of verity, the breast-plate of righteousnesse, the shoes of the pre­paration of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith (as the principall part) wherewith we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked: the hel­met of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. But seeing that Solomon ob­serveth, thatProv. 24.6. by wise counsell we are to make warre, because counsell and policie do usually more prevail in warlike affairs, then either numbers or weapons: a principall point there­fore here to be considered, is, how the Christian (being thus armed with the whole armour of God) is to manage his weapons, and demean himself in withstanding, and resisting this malici­ous, mighty, and bloudy enemie, this roaring Li­on of hell, which daily seeketh to devoure him. And herein it is, that the Apostle in this place doth desire to instruct us, and this is the end and scope which he aimeth at in this exhortation, Be [Page 30] sober, be vigilant. Wherein the Apostle com­mendeth unto us two singular Christian vertues, or graces, no lesse requisite for the spirituall souldier, then all the former armour and weapons prescribed unto him. For what are weapons without wisdome, and skill to manage and use them? Did not little David1. Sam. 17 40.49.51. with a scrip and a sling overcome great Goliah, notwithstanding the corpulency of his body, and his huge and boisterous armour, and cut off his head with his own sword? And if we desire in like manner to prevail against this infernall Goliah, our Adver­sary the Devil; the Apostle exhorts us to march against him, not onely armed with the whole armour of God, but also furnished with two Christian graces, which he here commendeth unto us,

• 1. Sobriety.
• 1 2. Vigilancie, or watchfullnesse.

1. Sobriety; Be sober. Wherein he implieth, that b [...]ing beset with so many dangers, it beho­veth us not to carry our selves loosely, and secure­ly as if we neither regarded life nor death, hea­ven nor hell, but to passe our time in fear and trembling, and in Christian moderation and so­brietie.

Sobriety is commonly opposed to Ebriety, and therefore the Schoolmen affirm, that it is in ge­nerall nothing else, but Abstinentia ab omni inebri­ativo, Abstinencie from every thing that doth inebri­ate, or cause drunkennesse. And we are hereto consi­der farther, that there is both a double Sobri­ety [Page 31] and a twofold Ebriety. The one carnall of the body: And the other spirituall, of the soul, or inward man. Ebrietie of the body, is when it is distempered by the immoderate use of wine, or some such other things, which do trouble the sen­ses, and intoxicate the brain. Ebriety of the soul, is when it is spiritually drunk with the sweetnesse of pleasures, lusts, and concupiscence or with Idolatrie, and theApoc. 17.4. Spirituall cup of abomina­tions. And on the contrary, sobriety both of soul and body doth appeare to be nothing else, but a continuall abstinence from all such things as cause any distemper, surfet, or drunkennesse, either in soul or body. For so Augustine saith,August. Sobrietas est mentis & sensus, membrorum omni­um corporísque tutela; criminúmque & vitiorum om­nium fuga; that is, Sobrietie is the due keeping, or ordering of the minde and the senses, & all the mem­bers, and the whole body; and the fleeing or avoiding of all sinnes and vices: which description hath re­lation both to soul and body. Now the [...] Satan our Adversary, this roaring hellish Lion, usually prevaileth not against such as having put on the armour of God, do passe their time in sincerity of life, in fear and trembling, in moderation and sobrietie; but against them, which by riot and excesse, and by their wicked and sinfull lives do give Satan advantage against them. For what power hath a man corporally drunk, to resist his enemies, though weaker then himself. He that can­not well stand on his leggs, or govern himself, how shall he manage his weapons, or resist his Ad­versary? [Page 32] And surely that soul which is spiritually overtaken with surfetting and drunkennes through the bewitching power of superstition, or the sweetnes of pleasures and sin, is altogether as unfit to use his spirituall weapons, or to resist this roar­ing lion, which seeketh to devoure both his bo­dy and soul. And therefore doth the Apostle so earnestly exhort us, Be sober.

2 2. Vigilancie, or watchfulnesse; Be vigilant. This is the other grace or vertue required of us: and it is a Metaphor taken a rebus bellicis, from war­like affairs. For like as when any citie, fort, or castle is besieged; or when an army lieth in the open field; they never dare give themselves over wholly to security; but alwaies night and day have their Scouts, Sentinells, or Corps-du-guard, to keep watch and ward, lest the enemie sudden­ly approaching, and taking his advantage, should surprize them and destroy them. So likewise Sa­tan with all his troups and hellish forces, lying in wait, and continually besieging our souls, seeking to destroy, or devoure them, the Apo­stle requireth that we never give our selves over to sinfull securitie, but that we be vigilant, and keep a continuall watch and ward against the enemies of our souls, and our salvation. And this vigilancy and watchfulnesse is partly of the body, & partly of the soul. The bodily watching is a moderate abstinence from naturall sleep, to the end that we may give our selves to prayer, and be the more fit to perform other godly and Christian duties. The vigilancy of the soul is [Page 33] when we do not rest secure in our sinnes being rockt asleep in the cradle of carnall securitie; but do shake off our spirituall drowsinesse by un­feigned repentance, & rising to newnesse of life. To which also the words of the Apostle to the Corin­thians do very fitly agree; Awake to live righteously, 1. Cor. 5.34. and sin not. Whereby it appeares, that to live righ­teously, and not to sinne, is to keep the spirituall watch. Now both these kindes of vigilancy are here required of us, but especially that of the soul: though the body of necessity must sometimes sleep, yet the soul should never sleep in sinne and securitie: but it is our parts herein to be like unto the Spouse, which saith, I sleep, Cant. 5.2. but my heart wa­keth. The Devil watcheth continually for an op­portunity to set upon us when we are most secure: and then (finding us unarmed) he soundeth the alarm, and chargeth us with so sudden an on­set, that many times we are vanquished before we perceive the danger, or can prepare and arm our selves. And therefore doth the Apostle here so instantly urge the necessity of this vigilancy. And so doth our Saviour Christ also,M [...]th 26 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. And again,Luke 21.34, 36. Take heed to your selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting, and drunkennesse, and cares of this life. Watch ye therefore, and pray continu­ally. And in the writings of S. Paul nothing is more frequent, then such like Exhortations: and he prefixeth sobriety before vigilancy; because those that are to keep watch and ward, had need to be sober; or else how shall they be fit both [Page 34] to fight themselves, and also to give warning to others when the danger approacheth.

The scope then of the Apostle in this exhortati­on, is, by the consideration of our mighty & strong, bloudy and cruell, diligent and watchfull Adver­sary the Devil, to stirre up all Christians to shake off all sleepy drouzinesse and carnall securitie, and to keep a continuall spirituall watch, against this roaring Lion, that seeketh to devoure their bo­dies and souls. But alas, how justly may I here complain in Augustines words, and say;Solilo [...]. cap. 16. Et ta­men, Domine, pessima insania nostra, quia cùm con­tinuè videamus contra nos Draconem ore aperto pa­ratum ad devorandum, nihilominus dormimus, & lascivimus in pigritiis nostris, tanquam securi ante cum, qui nihil aliud desiderat, quam ut nos perdat. That is, And yet, ô Lord, such is our most wicked fol­ly, that although we continually see the Dragon with open mouth bent against us, and ready to devoure us, yet notwithstanding we sleep secure, and luxuriate in our lazy wantonnesse, as being secure before him, who who desires nothing else but to destroy us. Secure worldlings, in stead of fighting the Lords battels, spend their time in sinne and wantonnesse, in lusts and uncleannesse, in surfetting and all voluptu­ousnesse, in covetousnesse and idlenesse, as if there were no warres intended against them, nor ene­mies to assault them; as if Satan was some meek lambe, and not a roaring Lion ready to devoure our souls. They revell and runne riot with all excesse in the midst of all these deadly dangers:Exod 32.6 Sitting down (with the children of Israel) to eat [Page 35] and drink and rising up to play. They make this world of vanity, and wildernesse of sinne, the place of their joy and delight, without thought or fear either of enemie or danger. What are these but the Devils revellers? he need not to play the roaring Lion with these, for they are his friends, and haveIsai. 28.15. made a covenant with death, and are at agreement with hell. These make them­selves drunk with the cup of voluptuous plea­sures, surfet in the sweetnesse of sinne, and lie snorting in the dead sleep of carnall securitie: not so much as once dreaming of their danger, and approaching ruine, untill it suddenly fall upon them, verifying that of Solomon,Eccles. 9.12 As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare: So are the sonnes of men sna­red in the evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

Now then, as it is true which our Saviour ob­served, thatLuke 16.8. the children of this world are in their generation wiser then the children of light: so let us labour in respect of the world to come, to be wi­ser then they. Let it be our spirituall wisdome to be warned by the examples of those whom this roaring Lion hath seised upon, and devoured in the midst of their revelling, and carnall secu­ritie. Remember, I beseech you, that when Bel­shazzar the king was quaffing, and carousing in the consecratedDan. 5.2. golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchad-nezzar had taken out of the Temple, which was in Hierusalem: in the same houre came forth fingers of a mans hand, and [Page 36] wrote upon the plaister of the wall over against him that heavy sentence, MENE MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN, foretelling the utter ruine and de­struction both of him, and his kingdome. WhenJudg. 4.21. Sisera lay sleeping and snorting upon the ground, then was the nail of the tent driven into his tem­ples by Jael the wife of Heber, and he died. When Ish-bosheth the Sonne of Saul2. Sam. 4.5, 6. lay sleep­ing on a bed at noon, then was he smitten Ʋnder the fift ribbe by Rechab and Baanah, and slain. When the rich Churle had built him bigger barns, and therein bestowed all his fruits and goods, and gave himself over to sinnefull securi­tie, saying to his soul;Luke 12.19 Soul, thou hast much goods layed up for many yeares, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry: then came that stinging sentence against him from the mouth of God, saying, Thou fool, 20 this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? Even so our hellish enemie, this roaring Lion, waiteth but for such a time of drou­sie securitie, wherein he may suddenly seise upon us, and rend us in pieces with his ravenous paws. And therefore if we desire to withstand him, and to free our selves from his Harpy-like devouring talons, we must put on the whole armour of God, leade our lives in holy sobrietie, use vigilancy, and shake off all drowsie, and carnall securitie. And because he is so indefatigable, that after one, two, or many repulses, yet he walketh about, and setteth upon us again: we must beware, that we never grow secure, but alwaies be prepared, [Page 37] and stand upon our guard.Epist. lib. 3. adversus Vi­gilantium. Nulla securitas est, vi­cino serpente, dormire: potest fieri ut me non mordeat; tamen potest fieri, ut aliquando me mordeat. There is no securitie (saith Hierome) to sleep the serpent being at hand: it may be that he cannot bite me, so it may be another time that he may bite me. As in calm weather the carefull mariner provideth all things against the time of tempest; and the wise & valiant captain in the time of peace, provideth all things ready against the time of warre. So when there seemeth to be most security & cessation of spirituall armes, let us conceive the most danger to be at hand, and therefore then prepare and arme our selves strongly against the day of battel. For Hierome saith truely.Ad Hesiod. lib. 2. Ep. 6. Tunc maximè oppugnaris, cùm te oppug­nari nescis; Thou art most assaulted, when thou feelest no assault. When this roaring Lion seemeth to sleep, he doth but watch for an opportunitie to runne upon us, and devoure us with his cruell paws. Oh my beloved, if the souldier sleeps not on feathers, but makes the ground his bed, and the clod of earth his pillow: if the fisherman doth patiently passe away the night in watching his nets: if the shepherd cannot rest for his masters flocks; if Jacob wasGen. 31.40. Consumed in the day by the drought, and by the frost in the night, and his sleep departed from his eyes; lest Labans lambes should miscarry, and his sheep be stollen: how much more ought we to be vigilant and watchfull over our souls, lest this bloudy and cruell roaring Li­on devoure them? If we were assured that some fearfull enemie was upon his march, and ap­proaching [Page 38] towards us with sword and fire, the trumpets sounding, the drummes thundering, the horses neighing, and the Canons roaring: what watch and ward would we keep? how would every one bestirre him? and who would not thrust himself into the danger, and be ready to stand in the gap, to save his countrey, his life, his friends, his libertie, his lands, his goods? &c. But Satan our Arch-enemie, who seeketh to de­stroy that which is farre more precious unto us, then all those things, yea, then all the world (Mark 8 36. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, & lose his own soul) is not onely approaching neare unto, but also encamped against us with all his forces. And shall we now then sleep in sinne, and be senselesse in grosse securitie? It was Saint Augustines complaint long since;Soliloq. cap. 16. Inimicus ut oc­cidat, semper vigilat sine somno: & nos ut custodia­mus nos nolumus evigilare à somno. That is, Our ene­mie, that he may slay us, is alwayes vigilant and never sleepeth: but we for our own preservation will not awake from sleep. Doth he watch continually to devoure us, and shall not we be vigilant to with­stand his assaults, and prevent his force and ma­lice? Is he alwaies in arms to overthrow us? and shall not we watch night and day in our Christi­an armour, with all sobrietie to defeat his poli­cies? And because he is a subtill Adversary, full of fraud, and his wily snares are not alwaies trans­parent to mortall eyes, and carnall sense (for, as Hierome saith,In vita Hilarion. Diabolus nunquam apertâ fronte se prodit; That is, The Devil never appeares in his own [Page 39] likenesse. It behoveth us to seek to be enlighten­ed by God with true heavenly understanding, whereby we may discover and discern them. For as Augustine saith,Soliloq. cap. 17. Domine, quis evadet laqueos istos multos, nisi videat cos, & quis videbit eos, nisi quem illuminaveris lumine tuo? That is, Lord who can escape those manifold snares, unlesse he see them; and who can discern them but he onely whom thou dost enlighten with thy light? for he being the Fa­ther of darknesse, hideth his snares in obscuritie, that he might take therein all those that are the children of darknesse, and see not the light of God, wherein whosoever walketh, needeth not to fear any danger. Now Christ Jesus is theJohn 8.12. light of the world; and by his Gospel he enlight­eneth our souls, that we may discern, and avoid all the snares of the Devil: and therefore to that end we ought to labour continually to be enlight­ened thereby. And especially we must beware, that we be not so ridiculous as to think to please him, or pacifie his rage against us by yeelding or submitting our selves unto him: for Diabolus ce­dendo non placatur, sed resistendo fugatur; The De­vil is never pacified by yeelding, but is chased away by resisting: according to that of Saint James,James 4.7. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. To which also the counsel of this our Apostle in the verse next after my text, doth directly agree,1. Pet. 5.9. Whom resist stedfast in the faith.

To conclude, let us embrace his advice here, let us be sober and vigilant. And because we are not able of our selves to withstand him, much [Page 40] lesse to overcome him: let us to our sobriety and vigilancy joyn hearty prayer unto the LordCol. 1.11. To strengthen us with all might according to his glorious power: and causePsal. 34.7. His Angels to encamp round about us, and deliver us: that so; he beingRom. 16.20 The God of peace may bruise, or tread down, Satan under our feet; and give us full victory over him, through the victoriousApoc. 5.5. Lion of the tribe of Judah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To which let all those that love their own souls and salvation, say, Amen.

OMitting all circumstantiall pream­bles, concerning Solomon him­self, or this book in generall, com­monly conceived to be penned by him in testimony of his repentance; observe with me, that this present chapter consist­eth of two chief branches.

1. In the first he exhorteth to the duty of mu­nificence and bounty, in releeving the poore, in the six first verses.

2. In the other he laboureth to withdraw men from sinne and impietie by inculcating the memoriall and infallible necessity of death, and the judgement to come, from the sixth verse to the end of the chapter.

My purpose is, not to speak any thing at this time concerning the latter branch; which pertain­eth not to the matter which is now to be treated of: But in the first part observe with me, that the Wise man doth with varietie of reasons, mo­tives, allegories, and allusions, urge and inforce the duty of Charity, or almes-deed. Take a short view of them.

In the first verse he propounds the duty in an Allegory, and presseth it with a strong reason; Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt finde it after many dayes.

In the next verse he expoundeth the former Metaphor or Allegorie, and strengtheneth it with another forcible motive; Give a portion to se­ven, and also to eight, for thou knowest n [...]t what evil shall be upon the earth.

In the third he allureth us to the practise of this duty, by a double allusion from the clouds and the trees: If the clouds be full of rain, they empty them­selves upon the earth; and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth there it shall be.

In the fourth he laboureth to remove the or­dinary obstacles which hinder the practise of this duty; as stumbling at the ingratitude of the poore, curiosity about their persons, whether they be worthy to be received or not, posting off the duty till a more fit time, &c. He that obser­veth the winde, shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds, shall not reap.

In the fifth verse he answereth this objection; How shall I know that after many dayes I shall finde it? which way, or wherein may that ap­peare? Which doubt or scruple he satisfieth by a reason, or demonstration, drawn from the secret manner of Gods works in the winde, or spirit, and in an Embryo: As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the wombe of her that is with childe; even so thou [Page 3] knowest not the works of God, who maketh all.

In the last verse of this part he concludeth with an Exhortation to the diligent practise of this duty, not conditioning before-hand with God, but leaving the successe to him, trusting him in the point of remuneration: In the morning sow thy seed, in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Out of all these I have made choice of the first, to be the subject of my discourse at this time; Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt finde it after many dayes.

Solomon by his great wisdome had formerly discovered a disease, which doth much haunt riches, or rather rich men:Eccles. 5.10. He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this is also vanity. Co­vetousnesse is a spirituall dropsy.Ovid. 1. F [...]stor. Quò plus sunt potae, plùs sitiuntur aquae; The more men drink of such waters, the more their thirst after increaseth. Now the Preacher being a spirituall physician, before the conclusion of his sermons, prescribeth a re­ceipt, medicine, or remedy, for this maladie. And herein he proceedeth according to the true methode of healing: for having discovered the cause of the disease to be a kinde of Plethorie, or fulnesse, or an infallible desire of riches, which we commonly call avarice; he proceedeth in the cure thereof, according to the generall physicall rule, Contraria curantur per contraria; Contraries are best cured by contraries: and therefore he re­quireth [Page 4] that the cure, or remedie be by evacua­tion; Cast thy bread upon the waters. For like as when evil humours grow predominant in the body, if there be not some evacuation by incisi­on, phlebotomie, purgation, &c. they do in time suffocate the body, and hasten the ruine thereof: So do evil affections, being predominant in the heart or minde, (without some spirituall means for evacuation) endanger the destruction of the soul. And therefore the Wise man hath here ac­cordingly prescribed a medicine, and such a one, as (being rightly applied) will not a little con­duce to the cure of the former disease, viz. by evacuation, Cast thy bread upon the waters. For (as one saith truely) this vice cannot be washed away, nisi per fontem liberalitatis, but by the fountain of liberalitie: for so Zaccheus professed that he wouldLuk. 19.8. give the half of his goods to the poore, and make restitution foure-fold of whatsoever he had ta­ken from any man by false accusation, or forgery, be­fore our Saviour Christ said unto him,vers. 9. This day is salvation come unto thine house. But that I may speak briefly and methodically, observe with me in these words two parts.

1 1. The Precept or Commandment; or if you will so call it, an Exhortation; Cast thy bread upon the waters.

2 2. A Promise, which is to the other (according to the Rhetoricall terme) tanquam ratio movens, suadens, & inducens; as a moving or perswading inducement; For thou shalt finde it after many dayes.

[Page 5]I. The Precept or Exhortation.

The Precept is in these former words, Cast thy bread upon the waters: wherein the scope of the Spirit of God is, to excite men to boun­ty, liberalitie, or munificence, in releeving of the poore: a doctrine if needfull in those daies and that golden age of plenty, wherein silver was no­thing accounted of; (for1. Kings 10.27. the king gave silver in Je­rusalem as stones, or (as some read) made it as plenti­full as stones) then how much more now? For this is the age, and these seem to be the times wherein the Apostle fore-prophesied, that men should be2. Tim. 3.2 lovers of themselves, covetous, &c. and wherein our Saviour foretold,Mat. 24.12 that iniquitie should abound, and the love of many wax cold. And therefore if Solo­mon, much more hath the Preacher cause now to say, Cast thy bread upon the waters: especially at this season, when the hand of God doth presse so strongly byAnn. Dom. 1630. 1631. famine upon these wretched and miserable waters. I may well say of his precept, as Hierome did of the seven Catholick Epistles, that it isIn prooem. sup. 7. Epist. Catholicas. breve verbis, longum sensu; short in words, long in sense: comprehending more in substance, then it makes shew of in words.

That I may the better open the whole scope of it, observe therein these three circumstances.

1. Of the action,Quomodo. or rather the manner how this duty is to be performed, Cast.

2. Of the matter to be given, thy bread. Quid.

3. Of the object of our liberalitie,Cui. upon the waters.

The consideration of these will open the Pre­cept [Page 6] 1 unto you. 1. We are to consider the action or manner of the duty, in that one word, Cast. The whole verse is a continued Metaphor, that is, an Allegorie taken a re rustica, from the man­ner, and use in husbandry, requiring a seeding in the beginning, and promising an harvest in the lat­ter end. And so have we in this first part of my text, the Precept, 1. The sowing, Cast. 2. The seed, thy bread. 3. The field wherein it is to be sowen, upon the waters. Neither let any one think it a strange or farre-fetched Allegorie; for the Spirit of God in the writings of S. Paul, hath both familiarly used it, and also at large prosecuted it: for exhorting the Corinthians to charitie and almesdeeds, he saith,2. Cor. 9.6, 9, 10. He which soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully: and further pres­seth that allusion in certain verses following, as Solomon hath also done in the beginning of this chapter; which (by the way) admirably shew­eth the harmony and consent of holy Scriptures, being dictated by the same Spirit. So is charitie in giving to the poore, compared to sowing of seed; and the Metaphor of Casting implieth with what minde & affection it ought to be performed; viz. as the husbandman soweth his seed, cheere­fully, freely, and liberally. To which end it is, that (as theAristot. Philosopher observeth) Deus fecit manum aptam ad spargendum; God hath framed the composition of the hand in a fit manner for scattering or sowing, with incisions, or divisions of the fingers, for vents in the action of sowing: as if every one of [Page 7] them (in the spirituall seeding) should be a seve­rall vent or passage for our bounty. The whole hand being likeJoh. 5.2. Bethesda, the house of mercy, with his five porches, pipes, or conduits. And Da­vid speaking of the same duty of charity, useth another word agreeing to this,Psal. 112.9 [...] dispersit: He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poore, his righ­teousnesse endureth for ever. And indeed, that is the best kinde of charity which is so dispersed or scat­tered abroad. Many littles given unto many being in distresse, is better then much conferred upon one; more being refreshed by our bounty, & more thanksgiving redounding unto God thereby. But let me observe with you, that the Metaphor of Casting, doth chiefly imply two things in the man­ner of our professing the duty of charity.

1. That it be performed freely: for who com­pelleth 1 the husbandman to cast or sow his seed up­on his land? it is his own free and voluntary act,Liberè, freely cheerefully and willingly performed in expectati­on of a future harvest. So ought this our spirituall casting or sowing, to be free and uncompelled; as (to use S. Pauls own words)2. Cor. 9.7 not grudgingly, or of necessitie: for God loveth a cheerefull giver. It is called Eleemosyna, a work of mercy; which it can­not be properly called, except it be libera, non coa­cta, free and without compulsion. If it be by com­pulsion, it is obedience to a commandment in­deed, but not a work of mercy, wherein mercie and compassion should be the primum movens, the first mover. 2

2. That it be done liberally, or bountifully:Liberaliter, liberally. [Page 8] for what wise husbandman will (as we say) pinch his land of seed? what hope shall he then have of a rich and plentifull harvest? And what saith S. Paul of our spirituall sowing these almes-deeds or works of charity? This yet remember, that2. Cor. 9.6 he which soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly; and he which soweth liberally, shall reap liberally. And therefore also doth Solomon here after the words of my text, so earnestly presse this circumstance of liberalitie and bounty; Give a portion to seven, and also to eight. And again, In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand. The ex­presse quantum or proportion can hardly be as­signed, because it is to be measured both according to the ability of him that giveth, and also the ne­cessitie of him that receiveth. But if we desire to have God to accept it, and repay us bountifully with a rich harvest, we must do it cheerefully and freely (not as of necessity or compulsion) but libe­rally, or (as the Apostle saith)2. Cor. 9.5. as a matter of boun­tie, and not of covetousnesse. But, me thinks, I heare carnall covetous men, and churlish Nabals answer­ing me, as the Apostles once answered our Savi­our Christ, disputing of the eating of his flesh and drinking his bloud, or else they had no life in them; [...]h. 6.60. Hic durus est sermo; This is an hard saying, &c. Carnall men cannot away with casting so freely: they are hardly brought to beleeve this, and with much more difficulty to perform it. And the reason is, because they are deluded with two false grounds.

First, Epicure-like placing their summum bonum, [Page 9] chiefest felicity in these earthly things, they hold that common errour concerning them, that The more a man hath the safer and better he is; whereas the truth is, that he which hath a moderate and competent estate (not wanting necessaries) is Do­mi tutior, & in via expeditior; Safer at home, and more expedite and nimble in the way to heaven. It is not without cause that the Apostle saith,1. Tim. 6.9, 10. They that will be rich fall into temptations, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition: for the love of money is the root of all evil. Nor may we think it was without ground, that our Saviour Christ speaking of a rich mans going to heaven, first calls itMark. 10.23, 27. [...], an hard thing; and after, [...], impossible with men. God must (as it were) work a miracle, for else it cannot be. And that this casting mitigateth the difficultie, and helps them forward in the way to heaven, seems cleare by the example of Za­cheus: for no sooner had he professed that he would makeLuk. 19.8. restitution of all his goods unjustly got­ten, with advantage, and give half that he had to the poore; but Christ answered, 9 This day is salvation come unto thine house: so doth this seem to be a de­luding and false ground.

Secondly, many stumble at the ingratitude or unworthinesse of the poore, as a just barre to their bounty in casting; whereas S. Austines rule is,De Civit. Dei. lib. 21. cap. 27. Elee­mosyna non cui detur, sed quo animo intendit Christus; that is, Christ regardeth not to whom, but with what affection we bestow our almes-deeds. And it is well known what the Philosopher answered, being re­proved [Page 10] for giving of almes to a nefarious fellow being in great distresse, Non mores, sed hominem com­miseratus sum; I had compassion upon him, not because he was evil, but because he was a man. Or (as others have it) Non homini dedi, sed humanae sorti; I regard­ed rather humanitie, then the person of the man. Yet many strain hard at this point, as if it was indeed a full and absolute reason to restrain and keep them back from the practise of this duty of charitie. But Oecolampadius wrote a peculiar Tract or Sermon, De non habendo delectu pauperum, Against respecting or putting a difference between the persons of the poore: And Hierome saith peremptorily,In epist. Quisquis in quacunque necessitate morituro suc­currere potest, si non fecerit, occidit: that is, Whoso­ever in any necessitie is able to help him that is ready to die, and does it not, he is guilty to his death. I know very well the rule of S. Paul,2. Thess. 3.10. He that will not la­bour let him not eat. And I willingly joyn with S. Paul, to have discipline used against idle, lazie per­sons; but withall I say, let them neither want di­scipline nor relief. Compell them to their duty, but withall, shut not up yourCol. 3.12. bowels of compassi­on towards them, suffering them to starve for want of relief. But alas! we need not to be too curious of this point in these dayes: for when so many thousands in this hard time seek and desire work, and yet have not to eat; how can we want fit objects of our bounty and liberalitie?

But enough concerning this point, the Manner how we are to exercise our charitie.2. The matter.

The Matter thus to be cast, or the seed thus [Page 11] freely and bountifully to be sown and dispersed, is bread: no strange thing, or hard to be obtained; but thy bread, such as thou hast, and which none of the richer sort, to whom Solomon chiefly di­recteth this precept, do want; that so he might pre­vent all objections arising from the difficulty of obtaining that which is so freely and liberally cast, sown, or bestowed. But for the better and more full understanding of this circumstance, con­sider two things;

• 1. The scope and signification of the word bread.
• 2. The propriety of it, it must be thy bread.

1. Doth he intend onely bare bread? Must no­thing else be given?Varro. Varro, so much extolled for the Latine tongue, deriveth panem, à pascendo; bread, of feeding; in which sense it imports food or feeding in generall. And Divines go further, and say, Per panem intelliguntur omnia necessaria; By bread we are to understand all necessary things. Which they distinguish into two kindes; In panem necessitatis, & panem dimensi; Into the bread of necessitie, and the bread of our portion. Under the first they compre­hend meat, drink, apparrell, and all such necessa­ries without which life cannot be maintained: and under the other, those things which we call sola­tia vitae; such things as help to make this life com­fortable unto us, although life be no way hazard­ed or endangered by the defect or want of them, &c. In a word, it is usuall with Interpreters to re­ferre us to the fourth Petition in the Lords pray­er, for the right understanding of the extent of the [Page 12] word bread; viz. in these words,Mat. [...].11. Give us this day our daily bread: for eadem est regula dandi & accipi­endi; The same rule is to be observed both in giving and receiving. And in that Petition (by the consent of the most Expositors) we crave all necessaries both for soul and body, this life and the life to come: for (as Christ saith)Matth. 4.4. Man liveth not onely by bread, &c. Will you then briefly heare the scope of this word bread? This is it, To pray for the sinners, to teach the ignorant, counsel the weak, comfort the afflicted, reprove the vitious, correct the stubborn, forgive offences, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, lodge the needy pas­senger, visit the sick, comfort the captives, and bury the dead. And (as Nazianzen saith) Si nihil ha­bes, collacryma; If thou hast nothing to give, yet shew thy compassion by thy teares. That is (as the Apostle saith)Rom. 12.15. Weep with them that weep. Thus farre ex­tends the word bread, implying that we should (ac­cording to our abilitie) be helpfull to such as are in any kinde of distresse, whether in respect of bo­dy or soul, this life or that to come. And this is the matter, or that which we are to cast, or the seed which we are to sow so cheerefully and so libe­rally.

2 We are next to consider the proprietie of the word bread. It must be thy bread: which implyeth two things. First, that it must be given, Si tuus, if it be thine. Secondly, it must be bestowed, dum tu­us, while it is thine: or else thou doest not cast thy bread. First, Si tuus, if it be thine: that is, the bread wherein thou hast a true and just propriety. Let [Page 13] the Wiseman be his own Interpreter;Prov. 5.16, 17. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, & rivers of waters in the streets: but let them be onely thine own, and not ano­thers with thee. Cast thy bread, Purè tuum, that is, that which thou hast lawfully obtained by right of inheritance, free-gift, or Gods blessing upon the labour of thine hands in some honest vocati­on: according to S. Pauls advice,Eph [...]s. 4.2 [...] Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth: not that which thou hast gotten unlawfully, by oppression, fraud, &c. not to be bountifull of another mans purse, or (as the Proverb is) to cut large thongs of another mans hide: or (as one saith) parum dando, & multa reci­piendo; getting much by rapine or violence, and gi­ving a trifle out of it unto the poore▪ which is just the case which the Prophet speaketh of, like stealing a sheep, and offering the fat in sacrifice to God. Chrysostome saith,H [...]. 87. in M [...]tth. If thou shouldest see two per­sons, the one naked, the other clothed; shouldst thou not do wrong to take the garment of the clothed, and give to the naked? Ità qui Deo ex rapina eleemosynam pa­rat, (saith he) Such if his case which out of wrong, rapine, or oppression, prepareth a sacrifice or an almes­deed to offer unto God. God would none of1. Sam. 15.21. Sauls sacrifices, of the sheep and oxen reserved from the prey taken from the Amalekites, though they were of the best and fattest; because they were unlaw­fully gotten, by open disobedience to the expresse commandment of God. But if that thou givest be purè tuum, lawfully and truely thine; then God ac­cepteth [Page 14] it according to thy abilitie, were it but one of the widowsLuk. 21.2. two mites: yea (as S. Austine saith)In Nat. 1 [...]3. Deus intus coronat bonitatem, ubi non invenit fa [...]ul­tatem; that is, God doth crown, or reward, the good affection of the heart within, where he findeth not pow­er and abilitie without. And therefore let the bread which thou givest, the seed which thou doest cast or sow, be purely, truely, and rightfully thine. Secondly, Dum tuus; It must be cast, given, or sown also while it is thine. The manner of too many, is wholly to deferre the preferment of this duty untill the houre of death, when they can neither any longer enjoy that they have, nor spend any more of it in lascivious, riotous, or wanton manner: and if then (having been un­mercifull and uncharitable all their life-time) they bequeath a little legacie to the poore, or to some other godly use; they think they have so abun­dantly satisfied and pleased God, that their swel­ling hearts can hardly be kept down from think­ing that they have done a work either of Merit or Supererogation; whereas it is scarce a work of charity in them: for in that case S. Austine saith truely, that the danger is, Nè mortua sit morientis eleemosyna; Lest the charitie of the dying prove to be dead. Neither indeed were it charity properly, but rather (as I said before) a thong cut from an­other mans hide: for he is but a steward under God over that which he hath, and that at the fur­thest but for term of life: and therefore then onely to give, when he is summoned with aLuk. 6.2. Redde ratio­nem villicationis tuae, Give an account of thy steward­ship, [Page 15] is not properly to part with any thing of his own, but rather to take so much from the next succeeding steward. It is a rule in husbandry, to till and sow betimes for a good crop: and so is it in this spirituall husbandry, wherein2. Cor. 9.7 God loveth a cheerefull giver, but he likes not of delayes.Stobans. Mo­râ ingratum redditur, & parùm amabile quicquid de­deris; that is, Whatsoever thou bestowest delay makes it the lesse acceptable, and the lesse regarded. He that gives quickly doubles the value of the gift; which moved the Philosopher to say,Sen [...]ca. Optimum beneficit condimentum celeritas; Nothing seasoneth a benefit so well as celeritie in the performance of it. And there­fore, though I must needs grant these deeds of charitie to be better on the death-bed, then not at all; Better late (as we say) then never, and would not otherwise be understood; yet the Wisemans counsel is to give or cast thy bread whilest it is thine: and he exhorteth us to do it both early and late;Eccles. 11.6. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.

3. The object of our bounty, or the field where­in 3 we are to cast or sow this seed so freely and li­berally, is now last of all to be considered: and that is upon the waters: for, according to the conceit of the vulgar sort, that is reputed lost which is so bestowed: and the Greek Proverb, [...], Thou sowest upon the waters, is usually understood of such as bestow benefits upon the ungratefull, or where they are utterly lost: and therefore this phrase seemeth very dark and obscure. But I shall presently open the Allegory, and make it plain [Page 16] unto you. Waters in the Scriptures have a two­fold Allegoricall signification. First, they some­times signifie miseries; in which sense they are fre­quently used by David in the book of the Psalmes:Psal. 69.1, 2 Save me, O God, for the waters have come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing. I am come into deep waters, where the flouds overflow me. And elsewhere,Psal. 18.16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. In which places, and diverse other such like speeches, the Spirit of God expresseth the miseries and troubles of the children of God, by this Metaphor of Waters. Secondly, Waters do also signifie people; for so the Angel expoundeth the vision of the great Whore of Babylon unto S. John:Rev. 17.15. The waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth, are peoples, multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Now then in few words, if you put these two significations together, the Al­legory will be opened plainly; for miseries and peo­ple, spell in plain English miserable people. And in­deed those are the waters upon which we must cast our bread: viz. the poore, the needie, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the prisoner, the captive, &c. Upon the face of the waters: Super facies aquas scilicet emittentes, (In locum. saith Munster) that is, Ʋpon the waterish faces, or upon the faces which send forth waters: qui propter casus adversos lacry­mantur (saith he) which through adversitie are for­ced to water their faces with teares. This is the Lords field, and though at the first it seemed ridiculous to sow any seed in, or upon it; yet you shall finde it a very rich and fertile soil, and blessed are all [Page 17] they which freely and liberally sow their seed up­on it. But we are fallen into a strange age, where­in I may well complain and say with Ravenna, Ne­scio quam iniqua natura comparatum est, ut hi, qui minus habent, semper aliquid addunt ditioribus: that is, I know not how it cometh to passe, that nature seem­eth to have induced such a custome, that these which have lesse are alwayes giving to such as are more rich. Elisaeus vasa vacua implebat, & deficientibus olim de­dit: Hodie vero contemnuntur vasa vacua, & plena superimplentur: ligna in sylvas, & aquae in maria de­feruntur; arenti terrae aqua subtrahitur, & flumina, quae non indigent, irrigantur (saith PeterIn quodam sermone. Raven­na) Elisaeus filled the empty vessels, and gave oyl to them that wanted it: But in our dayes the empty ves­sels are despised, and the full are more replenished; timber is carried into the woods, and water into the seas: from the dry ground water is drawn, and the streams which want not are more abundantly watered. How many wait at the gate of the rich and migh­ty with gifts and presents? but how few such mes­sengers tread upon the threshold of the poore and needy? How many feast the rich? but how few call the poore to their tables? But our Sa­viour Christ teacheth us a better lesson;Luk. 14.12, 13, 14. When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsfolk, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recom­pence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poore, the maimed, the lame, the blinde, and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. [Page 18] And thus have I finished the first generall part of my text, the Precept or Exhortation.

II II. The Promise, Reason, or Motive; For thou shalt finde it after many dayes.

The malice of our arch-adversary, Satan, is well known to God; viz. that like as he hath been alwayes busied with the best men, so doth he most strongly oppose himself against the best things, and consequently against the prime duty of cha­rity or almes-deeds. For (as one saith truely)Chrysost. in locum. Dilectionis flammas Satan ferre non potest: The De­vil can by no means endure the burning flames of love and charitie. As in all goodnesse, so especially in this he opposeth himself against God: for where­as2. Cor. 9.7. God loveth a cheerefull giver, he loves a chur­lish Nabal, and miserable Dives: whereas God saith,Luk. 6.35, 38. Lend, hoping for nothing again: and, Give, and it shall be given to you: he saith, Yea, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And therefore the Lord knowing his malice in this kinde, doth not here content himself with a bare command­ment; but also allureth us with a gracious pro­mise. He that might peremptorily require, doth in a sort intreat; and he that might absolutely command, is willing tanquam conducere praemia; as it were to hire us for a reward; Thou shalt finde it after many dayes. In locum. Lavator observeth, that it is in the Originall, In the multitude of dayes: Which (saith he) implyeth, that God will prolong the dayes of his life, that soweth upon these waters: for if he live not long, how can he finde it in or after a multi­tude of dayes? But that doth not so necessarily [Page 19] follow alwayes; for as God doth remunerate the bountie and liberalitie of some in one kinde, and of others in another; so he doth it to some sooner, and to others later; some finding it in themselves, and some in their posterity; some in this life, and some in the life to come. Abundantly sufficient it is, that God interposeth himself as the poore mans surety, and bindeth himself by promise to repay the debt: Thou shalt finde it again after many dayes. It had been no injustice in him, to have re­quired absolute giving; but he is content that we shall but lend, and he himself will become both the pledge and the pay-master; After many dayes thou shalt finde it again: for that is the true sense of this place. Though that which is cast upon these waters seemeth utterly to be lost; (as I have be­fore observed) yet it is not so, it is but lent, and the Lord will repay it. Let Solomon be his own Inter­preter:Pro. 19.17. He that hath pitie upon the poore lendeth unto the Lord, & that which he hath given will he pay him again. Not a widows mite, notMat. 10.42 a cup of cold water given to one of Christs little ones, shall in any wise be unrewarded.Serm. de Divite. Foecundus est ager pauperum, citò reddit donantibus fructum (saith S. Austine) The field of the poore is very fruitfull, and returneth a speedy increase to them that are charitable; yea and the har­vest which it yeelds is rich and plentifull, it re­turns fruit cum foenore, with great increase: for our Saviour Christ saith,Mat. 19.29 Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my names sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting [Page 20] life, so rich is this soil, and so manifold is the in­crease which it yeeldeth: Thou shalt finde it after many dayes; in thy self, or thine; in this life, or that to come. And so David saith,Psal. 41.1, 2, 3. Blessed is he that considereth the poore: the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing; thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse. And again,Psal. 11 [...]. [...], [...], [...]. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: surely he shall not be moved for ever. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poore, his righ­teousnesse endureth for ever, his horn shall be exalt­ed with honour. Infinite are the places which shew how highly God regards and rewards charitie.Isa. 58.7, If thou deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the poore that are cast out, to thy house; and when thou seest him naked, 8 if thou cover him: Then shal thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall spring forth speedily, and thy righteousnesse shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. 9 Thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, 10 Here I am. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfie the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscuritie, and thy darknesse be as the noon-day. 11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfie thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters sail not. It opens Gods-eares to our prayers, according to that of S. Austine,ubi suprá Ideo rogans Dives non exauditur in tormentis, quia [Page 21] rogantem pauperem non exaudivit in terris: Therefore was not Dives heard when he prayed in torments, be­cause he hearkened not to the poore that begged of him when he was upon the earth. And it is no small praise and commendation of charity, whichSuper Mat. S [...]rm 9. Chrysost. expresseth in those words; It is a friend to God, alwaies neare to him, obtaining favour, dissolving the bonds of sinne, allaying wrath, and opening the gates of heaven: to whom none of the keepers dare say, Quae tues, vel unde? Who art thou, or whence co­mest thou? When Daniel had interpreted Nebu­chadnezzars dream, and declared the calamities which God would bring upon him, he gave him this advice;Dan. 4.27. Wherefore, O King, let my counsel be ac­ceptable to thee, and break off thy sinnes by righteous­nesse, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillitie: or (as some read it) an healing of thine errour. So true it is, that he which casteth his bread upon the waters, he which soweth seed cheerefully and li­berally in this field, shall finde it again after many dayes in a rich and plentifull harvest, both in this life and the life to come. See now then how far the counsel of the Wise man, or rather of the Spi­rit of God in this place, and the course of the worldling or carnall man do differ: for such an one doth think to keep and increase his estate, and to make himself and his posterity happy, by gather­ing greedily, and hording up miserably, theLuk. 16.9, 11. un­righteous mammon, the wealth and pelf of this world, stopping in the mean time his eares at the cry of the poore, and turning away scornfully his [Page 22] eyes from their watery faces. But Solomon by the direction of the Spirit of God, teacheth here a clean contrary way, viz. that the true way both to keep and increase Gods blessings upon us in these earthly things, is by casting them, or some competent portion of them at the least, upon these waters: for herein is that of the Poet found to be most true, ‘Quas dederis, solas semper habebis opes:’ Onely that part of thy goods which thou bestow­est to charitable and pious uses, shal continue thine, and benefit thee for ever. Which moved our Sa­viour Christ to teach us that excellent rule of spi­rituall and heavenly policy;Luk. 16 9. Make to your selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousnesse, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitati­ons. And again,Luk. 12.33 Sell that ye have and give almes, provide your selves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approach­eth, neither moth corrupteth. To conclude then, as I lately spake unto the poore, exhorting them pa­tiently to submit themselves under the mighty hand of God, and to seek by good and lawfull means to pacifie his anger, and seek his favour, that the light of his countenance may again shine upon them: So now you see that the scope of this my Exhortation is directed to the rich, to stirre them up in these hard times to shew their compassion to the distressed members of Jesus Christ, by casting their bread upon the waters, upon those faces which by reason of the sharpnesse of this present famine, are so often covered with water, that is, [Page 23] bedewed with teares: for God is come now to try both the poore and the rich, that he may know what is in your hearts. He is come to try the pa­tience of the poore, and the charitie of the rich. Now therefore is the time for such as God hath blessed with the riches of this world, to shew up­on the members, the poore distressed members of Jesus Christ, what love they beare to Christ him­self: for whatsoever ye do to them, he takes it, and accepts it as done unto himself: for so in his de­scription of the last judgement, when he pronoun­ced that happy and sweet sentence upon the go [...] ­ly,M [...]t. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king­dome prepared for you from the foundation of the world, he alleadged the reason to be, 35 because he was hungry, and they gave him meat; he was thirsty, and they gave him drink; he was a stranger, 36 and they took him in; he was naked, and they clothed him; he was sick, and they visited him; he was in prison, and they came unto him. And when they answered him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, 37 and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? 38 or naked, and clothed thee? when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? He replied and said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, 40 in as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. If therefore ye will be godly and wise merchants, let me per­swade you to venture some part of your goods upon these waters; you need no ships, the gain is very great, and there is no hazard in this traf­fick: [Page 24] for the Lord himself hath undertaken that ye shall not miscarry, nor lose by it; For thou shalt finde it again after many dayes. Indeed the Poet saith truely, that ‘Ovid.Pollicitis dives quilibet esse potest:’ Men may be forward in promises, but slow in performance: but withTitus 1.2. God that cannot lie, di­ctum & factum, saying and doing are both alike. Like as in the creation, Dixit, & facta sunt; He spake the word, and all things were created: so also in his providence in governing the whole world, his saying is an absolute doing; and all his promi­ses are2. Cor. 1.20 Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus. Trust him therefore, take his word, beleeve his promise, ven­ture some part of your goods in this kinde; my life for yours, you shall finde him both a true pay-ma­ster, and a bountifull rewarder. If you will not trust him with a little parcell of your goods, how hardly would you part with your lives for his sake, if the case did so require? We never saw these waters so plentifull as they are now amongst us, never more watery faces. Let therefore (I be­seech you) these ruthfull spectacles, which in every place present themselves as objects of your sight, move you in the tender bowels of compas­sion, to cast your bread upon these waters freely and liberally, that you may finde it again after many dayes. But if with Dives you refuse to cast your veryLuk. 16.21, 24. crumbes upon these waters; take heed lest with him hereafter being in torments, you cry and begge forLuk. 16.21. drops of water to cool your tongues, and be denied them also as he was. Whose heart [Page 25] will not rend asunder within him at the terrour of that sentence of the Apostle,Jam. 2.13. He shall have judge­ment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy. How much more at that of our Saviour Christ?Matth. 25.41, 42. De­part from me ye cursed into everlasting fire: and why? for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not.

The Lord therefore so incline our hearts to mer­cy, that we also may finde mercy in the day of the Lord Jesus. AMEN.

THis whole Chapter consisteth of three distinct parts.

1. The history of the seventie disciples elected by our Saviour; vers. 1. unto the 25.

2. The Lawyers question to the point of ob­taining eternall life, with Christ his resolution of it; vers. 25. unto the 38.

3. The manner of Christs entertainment by the two sisters Martha and Mary; vers. 38. unto the end of the chapter.

In the first of these (which onely pertaineth to my present purpose) we have these three points.

1. The ordination and embassage of the se­ventie, with the commission or charge given un­to them by Christ; vers. 2. to the 17.

2. Their return, with a relation of their suc­cesse; vers. 17.

3. A most excellent and divine speech of our Saviour Christ, upon that occasion; vers. 18. to the 25. Which speech he directeth in a threefold manner.

1. To the disciples, confirming the truth of [Page 2] their successe in their office; vers. 18. in the words of my text; I saw Satan, &c.

2. The next part is also directed unto them, in­larging their commission, and (for their better encouragement) adding thereunto a promise of di­vine protection,vers. 19. Behold, I give you power to tread upon serpents, and scorp [...]ons, and over all the power of the enemie: and nothing shall hurt you.

3. He rectifieth their judgement in the point of their joy; teaching them the true ground of sound and solid joy,vers. 20. Neverthelesse, in this rejoyce not, &c.

Now then the words of my text appeare to be a confirmation and illustration of the former re­lation of the seventie: for they told our Saviour,vers. 27. Lord, even the Devils are subdued unto us through thy name. To which Christ Jesus replieth confirm­ing, and by a similitude taken from lightning, illustrating the truth thereof, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

For the more orderly and profitable handling of these words, observe three things:

1. The Matter which Christ confirmeth to be true, viz. Satans falling from heaven.

2. The Manner of it; like lightning.

3. The Testimonie whereby he confirms it, viz. of himself; I saw, or beheld.

1. The matter confirmed.1. The matter confirmed.

The matter confirmed is, Satans falling from heaven; wherein we have two things. 1. The person, Satan. 2. The matter testified of him; his falling from heaven.

[Page 3]1. The Person.1. The Person

For the Person, I will onely shew (as it were in three words) who, or what he is.

It is cleare from the 17 verse that he speaketh of the devil, who is rightly stiled [...], one full of names, as Argos of eyes; being called a li­on, a dragon, a serpent, a fox, a woolf, a cockatrice, le­viathan, a tempter, an accuser, &c. In this place he is called by an Hebrew nameSatan. Satan, which signifi­eth an adversary, or enemie: for so is he from the beginning to God and his whole Church. And this name is above others here fitly given unto him, because our Saviour in this place speaketh of a battell fought against him, and a victory obtained over him to his mine and destruction. So that it is in effect as if he had said, I saw the common, pro­fessed, and sworn enemie of God and his Church (being vanquished and overcome) fall from heaven.

2. The matter2. The matter. confirmed.

This appeares to be his falling from heaven: which all Interpreters do not understand alike. A double exposition I finde: many leaning to the one part, and many to the other. The first is of the ancient Fathers and Interpreters: the other of the modern Divines and Expositours.

1. The first interpretation.

Some suppose that Christ here speaketh of that fall of Satan, otherwise called Lucifer; whereby in the beginning, presently after the creation (as the most do suppose) for his pride and presum­ption against God, he was by the Almighty, to­gether with all the Angels which adhered to him, [Page 4] cast down from heaven; and whereby they were all transformed from glorious Angels of light, in­to the most accursed of all creatures, Devils; and2. Pet. 2.4. delivered into chains of darknesse to be kept unto damnation. Of which fall some understand that of the Prophet;Isa. 14.12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, sonne of the morning? though the pro­phesie in the letter be directly against the king of Babel. And hereunto some also referre thatApoc. 12.7, 8, 9. bat­tell fought in heaven, between Michael and his An­gels, and the Dragon and his Angels: wherein the Dragon and his Angels were vanquished and cast out of heaven, and the Saints rejoyced that the ac­cuser of their brethren was cast down, Vers. 10. which accused them bef [...]re God day and night, &c. And of this opinion (as I said before) are many ancient, and some few modern writers, viz. Ambros. l. de fuga seculi cap. 7. Cyprian. lib. de tentat. & jejun. Christ. Hieron. in Isa. 14.12. Gregor. Moral. lib. 23. cap. 4. Chrysost. Hom. 10. de poenit. Beda in locum: A­quin. in catena aurcâ, Dionysius Carthusian. Hu­go Cardin. Toletus Cardin. &c. I forbear to cite their words: I onely shew this to be their opi­nion, &c. And hereupon it was that Dionysius Carthusianus moved that nice doubt, how he should be said to fall from heaven; seeing he ga­thereth from these words,Isa. 14.13. Thou saidst, I will ascend into heaven, that he was not in heaven be­fore. And he satisfieth it with no lesse curious a conceit or fiction (as I esteem it) viz. that he was at the first creation placed in the Emperiall heaven, and from thence aspired into the heaven [Page 5] of heavens; and therefore was cast down, &c. dis­senting therein from other Divines, which call the Emperiall heavenAquir. in 1. q. c 6. 3. c. 3. Locum beatorum hominum, The place or residence of blessed men.

Now those that thus understand the words, ap­ply it to this end; viz. That Christ (perceiving that there was in the joy of the seventy some mixture of vain glory, by reason of the extraordinary gifts and graces given unto them, to cast out Devils, heal the sick, &c.) propounded to them the example and ru­ine of the Prince of pride: that thereby he might ex­pell all arrogancy from their mindes, and teach them true humility. For so Cyprian affirmeth,Ʋbi suprà. Dominum eorum pr [...]sumptionem increpare, ac reprimere voluisse hisce verbis; That the Lord would check & suppresse their presumption by these words. AndƲbi suprá. Hierom saith to them in the person of Christ; Ʋnde ille cecidit per superbiam, vos ascendatis per humilitatem; Whence he fell by pride, ascend you thither by humility. And being thus understood, there ariseth from it an ex­cellent admonition, to beware of that hatefull sinne of pride, either by reason of spirituall graces, or temporall gifts and blessings: seeing that it hath ruinated and destroyed so many both men and Angels. For God [...]uc. [...].5 [...]. casteth down the mightie from their seats, and exalteth the humble and meek: Vers. 51. Scat­tering the proud in the imagination of their hearts. And our Saviour Christ saith, [...]uc. 1 [...]. He that exalteth himself shall be brought low; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

2. The second Interpretation.

2. Some others do not understand this fall of [Page 6] Satan from heaven literally, but figuratively and spiritually, or mystically, of his ruine by the pow­er and preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, blessed forever. And so also I finde it to be taken or applyed in a double manner; viz. either Gene­rally or Particularly.

1. Generally.1. Generally.

Some take it generally thus: That Satan after he was cast out of heaven for pride, and thrust down into this world of darknesse (untill he shall also be wholly banished from hence, and confined to the bottomlesse pit of hell) got him a kingdome in this world, and as it were built him a new heaven here upon earth. And thereupon is he stiled by the Apostle,Eph. 6.12. [...], The ruler of the darknesse of this world: and by the same Apostle elsewhere,2. Cor. [...].4. [...], The God of this world. For in this world he got him a seat with all nations, whom he so bewitched with idolatry, superstiti­on, and an unbridled licentiousnesse of sinning; that he seemed to possesse almost the whole world. And therefore Christ here calleth this power, glory, and celsitude which Satan had a­mongst the Gentiles and nations (before the co­ming of the Sonne of God into the world) by the name of heaven, that is,Coelum Me­t [...]ph [...]ricum. a Metaphoricall heaven: as if he had said; Surely before this time Satan was every where worshipped in idols: he did every where set up his kingdome by monstrous sinnes, and horrible wickednesse, and every where both places and persons were possessed by devils. But after I put on humane flesh, the nature of man, and the Gospel began to be preach­ed; [Page 7] presently Satan began to be disturbed, and detruded from his kingdome, wherein (as in a kinde of heaven) he before did reigne and rule, &c. Thus dothHomil. Quod Deus non sit author malo [...]um. Basil understand it in his Homilie, in which he proves that God is not the author of evils. And Cyrill affirmeth, that before the coming of Christ the devil was worshipped by almost all people and nations. Ʋbique extabant delubra in illius honorem erecta (saith he) ubique arae, ubique sacrificia: post­quam autem Ʋnigenitum Dei Verbum de coelo descen­dit, ruit ille ut fulgur: In every place temples were erected for his service, in every place altars, and every where sacrifices: but after the Onely-begotten Word of God descended from heaven, he fell down like light­ning. And to this interpretation agree Euthymius, Cajetan, Maldonate, Calvin, Beza, and other later Divines with one consent. And indeed most true it is, that the devil had so large a kingdome, or heaven upon earth before Christ, that all people worshipped him, and offered sacrifices unto him: yea, scarce was there any countrey in the whole world, where he had not men or children offered in sacrifice unto him. For so it appeareth by the veryDiodo [...]. Sic. l. 20. heathen writers, that they offered in sacri­fice to Saturn children in Candie, in Rhodomene, in Phoenice, and divers other places. TheTertul. in Apolog. Latines sacrificed the tenth or tithe of their children to Ju­piter: and the Carthaginians did the like service to Hercules. And in Affrica they continued to sacri­fice men, untill the time that Tiberius was Pro­consul there, in whose time our Saviour Christ suffered death upon the crosse, &c. These things [Page 8] Lib. de ab­st [...]nentia. Porphyrius, the professed enemie both of Christ and all the Christians, doth report unto us.

What need is there that I should trouble you with any other such like testimonies? In Rome it self, though the Senate had condemned such sa­crifices fourescore yeares before the birth of Christ Jesus (asLib. 30. cap. 1. Plinie reporteth) yet for a long time after, the people so doted upon their old de­vilish superstition in this kinde, that every yeare upon the same day that men were wont to be sa­crificed, the altars in stead thereof were washed with mans bloud. These things made a nobleSeneca. Philosopher, which lived about S. Pauls time, say of these gods, that they required such a service, as neither Busiris nor Phalaris durst ever have demanded. This movedLib. [...]o rebus sanati is. Quintilian to say of them, that they could be no other then witlesse and stark mad. And he that is acquainted with the history of the Old Testament, cannot but know that many also amongst the very peculiar people of God, the Jews themselves, were strongly be­witched with these devilish superstitions. For so David saith directly;Psal. 1 [...] 6.37, 38. They offered their sonnes and daughters unto devils, and to the idols of Canaan, and the land was defiled with bloud. And the same thing is also related of them, Deut. 32.17. and 2. Kings 17.17. &c. And it is said directly of Manasses king of Juda,2. Chr. 33.6 He caused his sonnes to passe through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom, a place famous, or rather infamous in that kinde. Neither is it to any purpose, to pretend that the most of these sa­crifices were offered to idols, & not to devils: for [Page 9] the Apostle S. Paul saith in expresse words, That the 1. Cor. 10.19, 20. idol is nothing, but those things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils. So farre and with such strange superstitious crueltie was the devils kingdome then extended: which might the more fitly be called an heaven, because in it he was wor­shipped as a God. But when the Sonne of God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, was come into the world, and his Gospel preached to the world; all his miracles, and oracles, and sacrifices, and whole kingdome so vanished, that scarcely some few prints or footsteps thereof remain in any corner of the earth. Which madeEp ad pop. Medan. Austine in his time to cry out unto them; Ʋbi sunt dii vestri, ubi pro­phetae, ubi oracula, aruspices, sacrificia? Where are now your gods become, where be your prophets, where your oracles, soothsayers, sacrifices? &c. Yea and Porphyrius, that wrote in defence of this king­dome of the devil, confesseth that it was over­thrown by Christ: Since the time (saith he) that Jesus hath been worshipped, we have taken no benefit by any of our gods. Such a great and sudden change and innovation was wrought in the whole world by the coming of Christ, and preaching of the Gospel. For before,Isa. 60.2. darknesse covered the whole earth, and grosse darknesse the people; and then it pleased God (as the Apostle saith)Act. 14.16. to suffer all the Gentiles to walk in their own waies: and then the devil reigned in the world as in heaven. But by the coming of the Sonne of God, a new light a­rose unto the world;Luc. 1.78, 79. The day-spring from an high did visit us, To give light to them that sit in dark­nesse, [Page 10] and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace, as Zacharias sang in his Bene­dictus: A light to be revealed to the Gentiles, and to be the glory of his people Israel; as old Simeon sang with our Saviour in his arms in his Nunc dimittis. the word of salvation also was preached to all na­tions of the world. And then idols fell down, oracles were silent, the worship of heathenish gods vanished, superstitions breathed their last, and the unbridled licentiousnes of sinning which was a­mongst the Gentiles, was taken away. And so did Satan fall from his heaven, &c.

1. Particularly2. Particularly.

Some others to the same sense do particularly apply it to the present ambassage of the seventie: as if our Saviour Christ should have answered them thus;V [...]rs. 17. You bring me word with joy that the devils are subdued unto you through my name; wherein you shew me no new thing: for when at the first I sent you forth to preach, I knew before that the power and kingdome of Satan would be ruined by the power of the Gospel: and when and where you preached it, I saw him fall from heaven, and all his strength and force to vanish. And so in this sense the Lord Jesus would bring his di­sciples (sticking with amazement in the admirati­on of that miracle, that the devils were subdued unto them through his name) to the considerati­on of the true cause thereof, viz. the power and efficacy of the ministery of the Gospel, whereby it is that the devil is cast out of his whole king­dome or heaven upon earth. And soHarmon in locum. Calvin saith, that Christ commendeth the efficacie of his Go­spel, [Page 11] when he saith that by it Satan is cast down in a moment; intimating that he commanded the Gospel to be preached by them to that very end, Ʋt regnum Satane everteret; That he might overthrow Satans kingdome thereby. And this sense doth (as I conceive) very fitly agree to the place, and may best be received.

But whether you take it Generally, or Particular­ly, it tends (for the main) to the same end; viz. To shew that the prime means whereby the king­dome of Satan is ruined, and he cast down from his heaven on earth, is by the power and efficacy of the Gospel preached. Collocatur Satan in aere cum suis Angelis: (saithIn annotat. major. Beza) Inde vero dicitur detrudi, & quidem cum impetu, quando voce Evan­gelit ejus potestas aboletur. Evangelium enim poten­tius est, quam ut possit coram eo consistere. Satan is placed in the Ephes. 6.12 aire together with his Angels; But he is said to be detruded from thence, and that with vio­lence, when by the voice of the Gospel his power is abo­lished. For the Gospel is of more mightie power, then that he should be able to stand before it. For as it isRom. 1.16. the power of God unto salvation to every one that be­leeveth; so is it also the power of God to the de­struction of Satan and all that fight under his ban­ner against it. And therefore is it compared toHeb. 4.12 a two edged sword, and said to be mighty in operati­on. And1. Joh. 2.14 S. John imputeth the victory over the wicked, or evil one, that is, the devil, to it. And therefore doth S. Paul say;2. Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnall, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. And elsewhere,Eph. 6.1 [...]. We [Page 12] wrestle not against flesh and bloud, but against principa­lities, against powers, against the rulers of the darknes of this world, against spirituall wickednesse, or (as the new Translatours in their marginall note) a­gainst wicked spirits in high places. So that this is the chief weapon which we must use against Satan in all the course of our Christian warfare, and spi­rituall encounters with him. And herein our Savi­our Christ himself is our President: for in that great combat which he had with him in the wil­dernesse, in all those three most furious assaults, he still repelled him by this onely weapon,Eph. 6.17. the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Against Satans first assault wherein he (knowing Christ to have fasted fourty dayes and fourty nights) said,Matth. 4.3. If thou be the Sonne of God, command that these stones be made bread; he opposed that which is written in the book of Deuteronomie;Deut. 8.3. Man liveth not by bread onely, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And when in the second place the devil cunningly alledged Scripture to move him toMatth. 4 6. cast himself down from a pinacle of the Temple;Psal. 91.11, 12. For God hath given his Angels charge over thee, and with their hands they shall lift thee up, l [...]st at any time thou shouldest dash thy foot against a stone: he answered him with another Scriptum est; It is written again, Deut. 6.16. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And last of all, when he allured him with that powerfull bait, wherewith he had insnared many thousands to their destruction;Matt. 4.8, 9 shewing him all the kingdomes of the earth, and the glory of them, and saying, All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall [Page 13] down and worship me: he used no other weapon but the same word of God, Avoid Satan; for it is writ­ten, Deut. 6.13. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him onely shalt thou serve. And therefore though Saint Paul in pointing out our spirituall armour saith,Eph. [...].1 [...]. Above all take the shield of faith, wherewith we may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one; yet these two may and must stand together; for this faith is of the Gospel, and comes by the Gospel. The Apostle tells us, thatRom. 12. [...]7 Faith is by hearing, and hea­ring by the word of God. De verb. Dom. Serm. 5. Austine could say of the wonderfull prevailing power of the Gospel, The words of fishermen are read (for such were the Apo­stles) but the necks of Oratours (or Kings) are sub­dued. We may say more; The very devils are cast down from heaven, and their kingdome destroyed. Thus much of the first point, the matter confirm­ed by our Saviour Christ.

2. The manner2. The manner. of it.

Our Saviour Christ hath described the manner of Satans falling from this his heaven, by a simili­tude taken from lightning; [...], as lightning, or, like lightning. This also by Interpreters is re­ferred in a double manner. By some, to the per­son of Satan: By others, to his kingdome on earth.

1. Some take it with Chrysostome,1. Of his perso [...]. de naturae Angelicae splendore & acumine; of the excellencie and glorious splendour of the Angelical nature: and then they referre it to the first fall thus; Like as light­ning at the first hath a great splendour, but lasteth but a small time, being soon extinct again, and with the [Page 14] fall or flash is suddenly turned into darknesse: so also Satan was at the first created by God in a superlative degree of light and glory, wherein notwithstanding he abode but a small time; and it being extinct, he fell from heaven, and was cast into utter darknesse. To this interpretation agree Ambrose, Origen, Hie­rome, Theophilact, Titus Bostr [...]nus; and in gene­rall, so many as do understand it of the first fall of Satan from heaven.

2. Of his fall.2. But others in my judgement farre more pro­perly and truely, referre it to the fall of Satans kingdome on earth; viz. to expresse the manner of it. Hugo Cardinalls saith, Sicut fulgur, id est, velo­citer, terribiliter, irrevocabiliter; Like lightning, that is,1. Speedi y. speedily, terribly, and irrevocably. 1. The flash of lightning is violent, sudden, quick and speedie; so was the fall of Satan, and the ruine of his kingdome.2. Terribly. 2. The flash of lightning is ter­rible and dreadfull: so was the falling of Satan from heaven.3. Irrevocably. 3. The flash of lightning is irrevo­cable, being once extinct it can never be recalled again: so was the fall of Satan, and the destruction of his kingdome. And to this agree divers others.Ʋbi supra. Calvin speaketh well to this point, affirming Sata­nam ad Evangelii tonitru instar fulguris cadere: That Satan at the thunder of the Gospel fell down like light­ning. As the crack of thunder doth violently and terribly cast down or dash the lightning against the ground; so the voice of God like thunder in the Gospel preached, doth with no lesse terrour and force dash or beat down Satan and his kingdome. And such was the manner of his fall, and the ruine [Page 15] of his heaven upon earth in the Primitive Church, as I shewed before. And so is the voice of God in the Gospel preached still like thunder, to beat down and demolish Satan and his whole kingdome. For so saithIn [...]osh. Hom. Origen; As the walls of Jericho could not be overthrown but by the trumpets of the priests (which then prevailed more then all the weapons of the Israelites) so the for­tresses of Satan, iniquitie and sinne cannot be laid along, but by the voice of the priest, the teaching of the Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And thus much of the second point, the manner of Satans falling from heaven, like lightning.

3. The confirming testimonie.

I saw, or (as the new translatours) I beheld. We have for the truth of this a testimony which is omni exceptione majus; above or without all exception, viz. the witnesse not of any mortall man whose breath is in his nostrils, whose heart might be deceitfull, or whose lips and tongue (not being unfeigned) might dissemble, or speak guile; but of him that is very God, and therefore it isHeb. 6.1 [...]. impossible that he should lie; the Sonne of God our Lord and Savi­our Jesus Christ, which to us Christians should be of more force then [...], ipse dixit, the master hath said it, in the school of the Philosopher. And whereas the saying is, Plus valet unus oculatus testis, quàm mille auriti; One eye-witnesse is of more credit, then a thousand which go by heare say: he speaketh not by report, but as an eye-witnesse; I saw, or I beheld. The seventie had seen a little of the effect of their preaching; but Christ tells them [Page 16] that he saw and knew much more. SoIn locum. Theo­philact, Licèt hoc homines non viderint, ego tamen invisibilium spectator vidi; Though men saw it not, yet I which behold invisible things, did clearely discern it. AndIn scholiis in locum. Piscator speaking in the person of Christ to the seventie; I doubt not but you relate the truth unto me, for though I was absent in body, yet by the pow­er of my Deity representing things absent to my minde, I beheld and saw the Prince of devils è sublimi detur­bari, thrown violently down from above. I need say no more herein: for no sober Christian will once call into question, that which he heareth confirm­ed from the mouth of the Sonne of God, and Saviour of the world. And thus much also of the third point, the witnesse or confirming testimony, I saw, or beheld.

The use or application.

This point may be diversly applyed in the use of it: wherein I will endeavour to use such brevi­tie as I formerly did in the interpretation.

Ʋse 1 1. It prescribes to our speciall comfort, the one­ly remedie and sure refuge against all Satans tem­ptations, wherewith he doth at any time assault us, seeking thereby to vanquish us and to rob us of our souls and salvation; viz. Eph 6.17. This sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, whereby (as ye have heard from Christ his own mouth) Satan and his whole kingdome may be utterly ruined and destroyed. Great Princes use in time of peace to have their armories furnished with all manner of munition, artillerie, and whatsoever else is requi­site against the day of battell, when any forein [Page 17] enemie shall assail them. But in this spirituall war­fare the comfort is, that the poorest Christian may easily have as rich an armorie, and be as fully furnished to stand against the assaults of the devil, andEph. 6.1 [...], 13. resist in the evil day, as the greatest Potentate of the world. For this sword of the Spirit, the word of God, is rightly stiled a [...], because it doth furnish us with all manner of weapons, defensive and offensive; against whichMatt. [...]6.1 [...] the gates of hell can never prevail. Yea, against which the devil, the world, and the flesh, with all their favourites drawn into one main battalion, are too weak to make resistance. There is no maladie (saithIn Gen. Hom. 2. [...] Chry­sostome) either of body or soul, but may receive a medicine out of Gods word. It is (saithIn Psal. 2. Basil) a common mart of soul-medicines; out of which [...]. every­one of us may choose a medicine proper and fit for his own maladie. Yea, by this onely weapon the least2. Sam. 17.50. David may be enabled to march against the greatest Goliah, evenApoc. 12.3 the great red dragon of hell, and victoriously to overcome him. Our Saviour Christ hath been ourMatt. 4.1, 2 President herein as you have heard; it is our parts (being souldiers under his banner) to tread in his steps, and follow the ex­ample of him our Generall, the victorious Lion of the tribe of Juda.

2. We may here observe how fearfull a judge­ment Ʋse 2 it is, to be without this sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Where no vision is (saithPro. 29.18. Solomon) the people perish. Where there is not a watchman to stand upon the watch-tower, and give warning, [Page 18] the sudden approach of the enemie may en [...]nger a totall ruine.Abbot. in son. Ser. 1. There is no miserie to be [...]ompared with this; to be blinde, and to have no guide, and yet walk where treading awry is tumbling into hell. When God would threaten the extreamest of evils, he menaced his people with this, viz. that he would bring aAmos 8.11, 1 [...]. famine, not of bread; nor a thirst for water: but of hearing the word of God, so that they should wan­der from sea to sea, from the North to the East to seek it, and not finde it. Z [...]ch. 13. [...]. Where no shepherd is, the sheep must needs be scattered. Take away the Captains and the Generals, and the rude body of the Army, consisting of common souldiers, will soon be dis­ordered and perish. And what is it to be without this weapon, but to sleep unarmed in the midst of all our spirituall enemies encamped round about us? and so to lie open to Satan, to be wounded and destroyed by him at his pleasure? Look upon those places where it is wanting, and see if experi­ence doth not shew that there Satan doth rage most of all, and iniquitie most abound. Let then such as grone under the defect, bewail their mise­ry, and (according to our Saviours advice)Lu [...]. 10.2. pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send forth la­bourers into his harvest.

3. It serves for the terrour of the carelesse, or tongue-tied non-praedicants (for are there not such amongst us? I would there were not) I can call them no lesse then traitors against the Lord Jesus, which (being sent out armed with this weapon to be Generals and Captains over the armies of the Lord of hosts) let it [...]ust in the scabbard, and so [Page 19] betray the cause of Jesus Christ, and suffer, for their parts, his souldiers and kingdome to be en­dangered by Satan at his pleasure. These can ex­pect no other guerdon from their Master, but the wofull reward of traitors. I am sure S. Paul saith,1. Cor. 9.16 Wo to me if I preach not the Gospel: and such asHeb. 13.17 watch no better over mens souls, how shall they give up their accounts with joy? Especially what murderers of souls are they in the Church of Rome, which wholly deprive the people of the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, suffering none of them to heare it or read it, without speci­all license obtained in that case?

4. It discovers unto us, what an inestimable Ʋse 4 benefit those places do enjoy, where God doth gra­ciously bestow this benefit, together with a faith­full and understanding Minister, like a spirituall Captain to lead the way, and teach the right use of it. David said confidently,Psal. 3.6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that should beset me round about: and why?Vers. 5. For the Lord sustained me. So though legions of devils, the whole power of hell encamp about us; yet may we be as confident as he, if we have this spirituall sword to defend our souls. Then let such as enjoy this high favour, whereby they escape the Harpy-like paws of the1. Pet. 5.8. roaring lyon, seeking to devoure them, make their hearts perpetuall instruments of praise, and glory, and thanksgiving unto the God of their salvation.

5. Let all this teach us to esteem it as a jewell Ʋse 5 of price, love it, embrace it, treasure it up against the evil day: and above all things beware of the [Page 20] contempt of it, the usuall forerunner of destructi­on; as appeares in the Jews once Gods Israel, now vagabonds over the face of the earth: the seven Churches of Asia, once famous for the Gospel, nowApoc. 18.2. cages of impure birds: Matth. 11.21, 23. Chorazin, Bethsai­da, Capernaum. Let their example be our warn­ing, lest by our contempt we become in effect murderers.

And now my prayer is, that God will by this weapon give us a full victory over sinne and Satan, and fulfill the promise of our Saviour unto us,Apoc. 3.21. To him that overcometh, I will grant to sit with me in my throne: which He grant for his mercies sake.

AMEN.

THe Apostles rule prescribeth a Mi­nister of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, to studie to deliver not onely [...], good things; but also [...], matters seasonable. Ta­king which for my ground, I thought I could not make choice of a more seasonable subject, then the forsaking of sinne, and preventing of the fur­ther and future judgements of God upon us, and our posteritie: and that for two reasons.

1. Because the generall end and scope of all our 1 preaching, and all your hearing the word preach­ed, is thereby to raze and beat down the king­dome of sinne and Satan; and to erect, build up, and establish the kingdome of Christ Jesus. The Priests of the Lord of Hosts must sound the sil­ver trumpets of the word of God very loud, and thatJosh. 6.19. seven times, that is, oftentimes, that the walls of Jericho may fall down flat before them. For so is the Lords expresse charge unto the Prophet,Isa. 58.1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sinnes.

[Page 2] 2 2. Because I am to speak in these last dayes of sinne and apostasie, wherein our iniquities do send up a louder cry then the bloud ofGen. 4.10. Abel, into the eares of the Lord of Hosts for vengeance against us. And therefore this is no time toEzek. 13.18 sow pillows under mens elbowes. The sweet songs of Sion serve now but to lull men more soundly asleep in sinne: the terrible thunder-claps of Mount Sinai are more fit to rouze them up, and make them startle and awake from the dead sleep of carnall securitie. And therefore to that end and purpose have I made choice of these words, which in the shallow reach of my judgement are pregnant and powerfull to that purpose. I will go and return un­to my place, untill they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face.

In handling of these words (remembring to avoid that imputation or complaint of Bernard, that Multi student magìs alta, quàm apta proferre; Many study to produce such things as may rather ex­presse deepnesse, then tend to edification; and know­ing that a mournfull habit, suiteth best for an hea­vy and tragicall discourse) I will strive rather to touch the conscience to the quick by the piercing power of the word of God, then to please itching eares with curious deepnesse, or with a compt stile, and filed phrase of speech. For I had rather wring the teares of unfeigned repentance from the eyes, and the sighs and groans of true contrition from the heart of one poore penitent sinner, then by sweet and delicate words to move the affecta­tion of all that heare me.

But the matter which I have singled out being so copious, and the limits of time being prescri­bed; I may not be so unthrifty as to spend any more thereof in such like preambles, lest in the conclu­sion I presse too farre upon your patience. And therefore omitting to speak of the authour, the time, and the generall Analysis or resolution of this whole Prophesie, I come now abruptly to open the words themselves.

I will go and return unto my place, till they ac­knowledge their fault, and seek my face.

The summe of these words is a Commination,A Commina­tion, and the circumstances of it. or a Denuntiation of an intended judgement. For the more absolute unfolding and applying where­of unto our selves, I desire you to consider with me foure circumstances.

1. Of the Author who threatneth.

2. Of the Persons who are threatned.

3. Of the Reason or moving cause why they are thus threatned.

4. Of the Manner how they are threatned: I will go and return unto my place, till they ac­knowledge their fault, and seek my face.

Of the first I shall speak somewhat sparingly, and in few words, not onely because they are not inserted in the very body of my text, though they be very requisite to the interpretation of it; but also because I do especially aim at the fourth and last, which is the text it self; I will go and re­turn, &c.

Though the words were spoken by the mouth of the Prophet Hosea,The Author of the Commina­tion. yet was he but the in­strumen [...]; [Page 4] and the Authour indeed of the Com­mination, is the great God of heav [...]n and earth, Jehovah-tzebao [...]h, the Lord of hostes, whose armies roy [...]ll [...]onsist of all the creatures in hea­ven and [...]arth; which all are ready in their order to ex [...]cute his will and pleasure; who hath An­gels, Cherubims and Seraphims, water, fire, sta [...]res, and stones to fight in their order from hea­ven against his enemies: El-Shaddai, God Al­mighty, whose power no creature, no nor all the creatures in the world are able to resist, who made all things by hisPs [...]. [...]4 [...].5. word, and by the same word is able to destroy all things, or bring them into the first Chaos of nothing, whereof they were created; [...] Who measureth the waters in his fist, and counteth the heaven with a spanne, comprehendeth the dust of the earth in a measure, and weigheth the mountains in s [...]ales, and the hills in a balance: who hath not onely a store-house of mercy, but alsoJob. [...]. [...]2, 2 [...]. treasures of wrath, andPsal 2. his rod, or mace of iron, to b [...]uise the ungodly, and break them in pieces like a potters vessel: whose voice renteth the cedars of L [...]banon, at whose anger the earth trembleth and quaketh, andPsal. 18.7. the foundations of the mountains move and shake, whose throne is heaven, and whose footstool is the earth: who hath said,Heb. 10.30 Vengeance is mine, I will repay: who, if he but breath upon us, all our daies are gone, and we return to dust. And therefore this is no idle matter, lightly to be regarded, but with fear and trembling to be recei­ved and respected by us. For he hath spoken it by his Prophet, and will perform it, that hisPsal. 34.16. face [Page 5] shall be against them that do evil, to cut off their re­membrance from the earth; yea and thatPsal. 11. [...]. upon the wicked he will rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup. And therefore who will not fear when God threat­neth? who will not startle when he shall enter in to judgement, armed with vengeance and threat­ning, to makeD [...]ut. [...] 4 his arrows drunk with bloud? For hisIs [...]. 3 [...].3 [...]. breath is as a river of brimstone, and his wra [...]h as the fire of hell: and if once our sinnes cause it to burn in jealousie, all the water in the sea is too little to quench it, and whatsoever else can be na­med in the whole world: except onely the streams of the immaculate bloud of hisMatth. 3.1. Onely beloved Sonne, in whom onely he is well pleased. Let this cir­cumstance therefore of the Authour prepare our hearts with awfull reverence and due attention, to receive that which out of these words, as out of his mouth, shall be delivered unto us.

2.2. The pers ns th [...]a [...]ned. For the circumstance of the Persons threat­ned, I shall not need long to insist upon it: for if you do but cast your eyes back a little to the first verse of this chapter, there you shall finde the Lords citation; wherein he doth exp [...]sly mention whom he calleth to this intended in [...] ­ment. For it is a generall summon, not of [...]e particular person, family, or tri [...]e; but of [...]e whole kingdomes of Israel and Judah, and [...]ll estates and degrees therein. For he citeth

1. [...] The Clergie (as we call them) [...] this, O ye Priests.

2. The Commons:2. C [...] And hearken, O ye hous [...] [...] Israel.

[Page 6] 3. Nobles.3. The Nobles: And give ye eare, O house of the king. And who knoweth not thatZanch. in locum. the body of a commonwealth consisteth of these three estates? So that he summoneth the whole kingdome, and telleth them in the next words, that judgement is towards them, that is, that he hath a controversie with them. There was a generall apostasie or de­fection in all estates and degrees; they were all corrupt and did abominably before the Lord: and therefore now he sitteth down upon his royall throne of judgement, calls them all unto the barre, arraigneth them for their sinnes, and de­nounceth the sentence against them. And no mar­vell; for if it be many times seen that a multitude are punished for one private mans offence, as theJosh. 7. children of Israel were for the sinne of Achan: what could be expected in this case, but a swift and sharp sentence? For it seemeth they were come to that passe, that God might have said of them as he did once of Jerusalem;Jer. 5.1. Runne ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can finde a man, or if there be any that executeth judge­ment, that seeketh the truth, and I will pardon it.

3 The reason of the Commina­tion.3. We are next to enquire what it might be which moved the Lord so peremptorily to enter into judgement with the whole kingdome, and all estates therein; what nefarious offence had they perpetrated, which might so farre provoke him, that is2. Cor. 1.3. the Father of mercie, and the God of all consolation.

Surely it was for their horrible and abominable [Page 7] sinnes, which were now grown so great, come to such an height, and sent up such a loud cry into the eares of the Lord of hosts, that though he be in­deed (according to his own description of himself)Exod. 34.6, 7. Mercifull and gracious, long-suffering, and abun­dant in goodnesse and truth; keeping mercy for thou­sands, forgiving iniquitie, and transgression, and sinne: yet now his patience abused too much, is turned into furie; and therefore he will bear no longer with them, but denounceth sentence against them.

If you desire more particularly to know the provocations wherewith they had provoked the Holy one of Israel;The sinnes of Israel, which were the Lord by the Prophet here in this Chapter (as it were in a large inditement) chargeth them with many, and those no small of­fences.

1. That they were not onely evil themselves,1. Seducers. but also that they did entrap and seduce others;Vers. 1, 2. Ye have been a snare in Mispeh, and a net spread upon Tabor.

2. He chargeth them with the sinne of murder,2. Murderers. a great crying sinne;Vers. 2. And the revolters are profound to make slaughter. Of which kinde of malefactors David saith,Psal. 55.25. The bloudy and deceitfull men shall not live out half their dayes.

3. He imputeth whoredome unto them;3. Whore­mongers. Vers. 3. O Ephraim, thou committest whoredome, and Israel is defiled. And after again,Vers. 4. The spirit of whoredome is in the midst of them; which if we understand of bo­dily whoredome, it is a fearfull sinne, and most odious in the sight of God: but if we take it for spirituall whoredome, then it is farre worse; Cri­men [Page 8] laesae Majestatis; High treason against the God of heaven▪ viz. by robbing him of his glory, and as it were thrusting him out of his throne, or at the least placing another wit [...] him in his throne. And take it how you will, I am sure S. John saith, that bothApo [...]. 22.15 [...]ap. 2 [...].10, 14 whoremongers and idolaters shall be shut out of the new Jerusalem; yea, and shall have their part in the lake which burn [...]th with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

4. Ignorant of God.4. They were sottishly ignorant, and affected­ly wilfully forgetfull of that God, which had brought t [...]ir fathers out of Egypt, given them the land of Canaan, and done so many and so great things for them;V [...]rs. [...]. They have not known the Lord. So that their fathers sinned expresly against theD [...]ut. 6.7. law, in not teaching their children; [...]nd so brought themselves and their children in danger of perish­ing for want of knowledge.

5. Proud.5. They were also deep in th [...] hatefull sinne of Pri [...]e: as vers. 5.V [...]rs. 5. The pride of Israel doth te­stifie to his face. A sinne which turned Angels into Devils,D [...]. 30.33. Nebuchadnezzar into a beast, and in all ages hath been hatefull in the sight of God and man.

6. Fraudu­lent. Vers. 1 [...].6. They were overtaken with the sinne of deceit, fraud, or coosenage: as ver. 10. The prin­ces of Judah are like them that remove their bounds. A sinne which now although it be grown so common, (I mean deceit and coosenage) that few men think it a sinne, many account it a good trade to live by, and not a few conceive that there is no living here of any trade without it; yet [Page 9] doth the Lord so farre abhorre it, that he threat­neth here toV [...]r [...] [...]. poure out his wrath like water upon them, for this very sinn [...].

7. They yet provoked th [...] Lord with another most grievous sinne:7. Seekers of [...]elp, bu [...] not of G [...]d. viz. in their necessity they sought for help elsewhere, and not of God: as ver. 13. When Ephraim saw his sicknesse, and Judah saw his wound; then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to King Jar [...]b. A sinne which is seldome men­tioned without a wo or curse annexed unto it;Isa. 3 [...].1, [...]. Wo to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel but not of me, which go down into Egypt to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and trust in the shadow of Egypt and,J [...]r. [...].5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.

Lo then, these were the abominations where­with they had so highly provoked the Lord. And no marvell (when he found such a s [...]venfold cord of iniquity) if he proceeded in judgement, and de­nounced the sentence against them. For the sinnes of Sodom, which p [...]rished fearfully byGen. 19.24, 25. fire and brimstone out of heaven, are reckoned byEz [...]k 1 [...].4 [...], 50. Ezekiel to be these five; 1. Pride. 2. Fulnesse of bread. 3. A­bundance of idlenesse. 4. Not strengthening the hand of the poore and needie. 5. Abomination, or strange lust. But here Sodom is out-stripped two degrees: for here is a sevenfold knot of sinnes no waies infe­riour to the most of the sinnes of Sodom. And so much therefore the Lord in that place told them to their faces;Vers 47.4 [...] Thou hast not walked after their wayes (speaking before of Samaria and Sodom) [Page 10] nor done after their abominations; but as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more then they in all thy wayes. As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daugh­ters, as thou hast done and thy daughters. To which that of the Prophet Jeremiah agreeth,Lam. [...].6. The ini­quitie of the daughter of my people is become greater then the sinnes of Sodom, that was destroyed in a mo­ment, and no hands laid on her. And therefore if So­dom perished by a sulphurous storm of fire and brimstone, what might Israel now in due propor­tion expect at the hands of the Lord, having out­stripped them in sinne?

Thus have I now (according to my promise) briefly passed over the three first circumstances: 1. Of the Person threatning. 2. The Persons threatned. 3. The causes or reasons of the Com­mination. Now I proceed to the fourth and last circumstance, the Commination it self in the ve­ry words of my text.

4. The Commi­nation it self.4. Let us then take a view of the judgement or sentence it self denounced against them: I will go and return unto my place, till they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face. For the better under­standing, and more orderly unfolding whereof, I beseech you to consider with me in this Com­minatory sentence three circumstances.

1. The man­ner.1. The manner of the Lords proceeding in his judgement or sentence against them, pedetentim, by degrees.

2. The matter2. The matter of the commination; I will go and return unto my place.

[Page 11]3. The measure,3. The measure proportion, or extent of it; Till they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face.

1. The manner.1. The manner.

1. The manner of Gods proceeding in judge­ment with them, is to be collected by comparing the words of my text with the former part of this chapter: which whoso advisedly considereth, he shall finde that Almighty God in this place (as his manner is) in the midst of judgement remem­breth mercy; and in punishing sheweth a more evident point of clemencie, then of severitie. For though he had to do withIsaiah 1.4. a sinfull nation, a peo­ple laden with iniquitie, whose sinnes deserved that Tophet, like Nebuchadnezzars fornace,Dan. 3.19. should be made at once seven times more inflamed for them, then it was wont to be; yet he doth not sud­denly (as David saith)Psal. 78.38. suffer his whole displea­sure to arise, nor at once consume them in his fiery wrath. But as a father full of compassion and pi­tie, he beginneth with a milde and gentle check, and so proceedeth lentè & pedetentim, slowly and by degrees, untill he cometh to the very height of his judgements in this life; that so he might leave nihil intentatum, nothing unassaid, if so be they would by any means be reclaimed. Lend me your attention whilest I once again go back to the beginning of this chapter, and point out the manner of it unto you: for it is remarkable and worthy of your consideration.

1. He beginneth with a milde reproof, vers. 2. I have been a rebuker of them all. But it appeareth by the third, fourth, and the beginning of the fift [Page 12] verse, that a milde rebuke was too gentle, and pre­v [...]iled not with th [...]m: and therefore

2. He g [...]oweth a little sharp [...]r, vers. 5. Israel and Ephraim shall fall in their iniquitie: Judah also [...]hall fall with them. But that moved them not, and therefore he proceeded further.

3. He threatneth desolation, vers. 9. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke. A very sufficient commination to move them, if they had either the fear of God, or any love of themselves. But this also proved too light for such obstinate and rebellious spirits; and therefore he proceedeth yet to a further degree of s [...]verity in the next place.

4. For vers. 10. he sai [...]h. I will therefore poure out my wrath upon them like water; Sicut unda undam, as if calamities should, like the waves of the sea, follow one in the neck of another: or as if he should threaten to rain down whole showers of his wrath upon them, as thick as the drops of rain which fall from the clouds. But yet their stiffe necks and stubborn hearts would not yeeld and rele [...]t for this, and therefore he is forced to pro­ceed.

5. And in the fift place, vers. 12. he saith, I will [...]e unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as a rottennesse; or (as our new Translatours) a worm. That is, I will destroy them by secret insensible judgements; so that as a cloth or gar­ [...]nt th [...]t seemeth at the first view to be very sound and good, yet is sound to be so eaten and consu­med with moths, that it is utterly unfit for any use: Or as a tree or piece of timber at the first sight ap­peareth [Page 13] sound, full of heart, and sit for use; but being better tried, is found so eaten and consumed with the worm, and rottennesse within, that it is sit for nothing but for the fire. So when they pro­mised unto themselves most safetie, and their state seemed most secure, then secret plots and conspi­racies, with sudden and unexpected judgements from the Lord should break forth, and consume them, and bring them to nothing. A most fearfull kinde of judgement, but by them not much re­garded; and therefore

6. He seemeth to speak in fury, vers. 14. saying, I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I will teare, and go aw [...]y; I will take away and none shall rescue him. The lion is an embleme of crueltie among other things; and the rage of the devil of hell against mankinde is expressed by1. Pet. 5.8. [...] a roaring lion seeking whom he may devoure. And therefore this phrase of speech must needs imply some kinde of wofull and cru­ell destruction, like tearing in pieces with the li­ons paws. And yet even this also proved insuffi­cient, to cause them to repent and turn unto the Lord their God, that he might also turn unto them and heal them. And therefore he cometh to the last step, and highest degree;

7. And that is in the words of my text;V [...]rs 15. I will go and return unto my place, till they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face. which (as you shall after understand) is one of the highest, heaviest, and most fearfull judgements of God, which can befall a nation or people in this life. And thus [Page 14] have we God here as it were acting the part of a spirituall Chirurgeon, and that with admirable art and dexteritie. For when the wound is green, he useth suppling salves, and closing balsames: but when it festreth and ranckleth, he applieth that which is piercing, & will eat to the quick, and take away the proud flesh. If it be overgrown with a thick skinne or brawn, he hath his caustick medi­cines; and if it once grow desperate, then he will trie a desperate cure upon a desperate sore. So that if ever it was true which David saith, that GodsPsal. 145.9. Mercy reacheth to the clouds, & is over all his works; here we finde it most true, & have it pourtraied to us in most perfect and lively colours. For what a wonderfull height of love & bottomelesse depth of mercie was this in our God towards them, that he which in his justice might have turned them to ashes like Sodome and Gomorrah; in his mercie would not forsake them, untill he had first tried & proved all means for their conversion & salvation?

Thus you see the manner of the Lords proceed­ing in judgement with them; and this is his usuall guise with sinners, as it is excellently shadowed out unto us by the Prophet in the similitude of a vineyard, which after fencing, digging, planting, & pruning &c. yeelded nothing butIsaiah 2.5. sowre grapes: and yet the Lord or Master of the vineyard did not forsake it and leave it to be destroyed, untill after he had tried all means: he said,V [...]rs. 4. What could I have done more for my vineyard that I have not done for it? This sheweth the truth of that in Ezekiel,Ezech. 33.11. As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of a sin­ner, [Page 15] but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn you, turn you from your evil wayes, for why will you die, O ye house of Israel? Citò struit Deus, tarde destruit: (saith Bernard) God is quick in making, but slow in destroying. He is more ready to spare then to spill, preserve then to destroy. And if it come to that passe that he be forced to it, see with what grief he goeth about it, and how loth he is to do it; ^r I sought for a man amongst them (saith he,Ezek. 22.30, speaking of Judah and Jerusalem) that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. 31 One Noah, one Job, one Daniel, or a Lot had been enough to have staied his hand: yea and many times when he cometh to the very doing of it, he re­membreth his mercy, and will not do it; as this our Prophet sheweth in these words uttered by the Lord, when he was about to destroy Israel:Hos. 11.8, How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within m [...], my repentings are kindled together. 9 I will not execute the fiercenesse of my wrath, I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God, and not man. Oh how sweet is this meditation, and how effectuall should it be, to move us to turn unto the Lord our God by true repentance, and not despise the riches of his mercy and compassion toward us miserable sinners!

2. Now let us come to consider the matter, or judgement it self which the Lord here threatneth: [Page 16] I will go and return unto my place, &c.

The Lord perceiving that neither suppling s [...]lves, nor yet strong corrasives, and violent cau­ [...]rizing would prevail with the cankered ulcers of his patients (for he had already played the lion among them, and passed through all means, fromVer [...]. [...].1 [...]. rebuking to renting and tearing) at the last, as the f [...]rciblest means of all other, he betaketh himself to this, I will go and return unto my place: which if it prevail not, he may well give them up, and pro­nounce them incurable. But let us sift the sense of these words, and see what the Lord threatneth therein. And to that purpose observe in them two things.

1. The phrase of speech here used by the Spi­rit of God, I will go and return unto my place.

2. The summe of the matter signified thereby.

1. For the phrase, (I will go and return unto my place) it seemeth to presuppose a place wherein God was before; and from whence he here threat­neth to depart. And therefore I may well object and say as Solomon did concerning the Temple,1. King. 8.37. But will God indeed dwell in the earth? Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot con­tain thee? And my answer is, that though it be a true position in Divinitie, that Deus est ubi{que}, God is every where, or in every place; yet be­cause in heaven, and from heaven the power and help of God is better declared, and his pre­sence is more apparantly manifested there then elsewhere; therefore heaven is called the proper place of God. For that is his.I [...]i. [...]6.1. Throne, and the [Page 17] earth but his Footstool: and when the king sitteth upon his throne, though his feet be also upon h [...] footstool; yet if speech be of the place where the king is; we answer, in his throne, without menti­on of his footstool. And though our Saviour wil­l [...]d us to pray unto him that is every where; yet he taught us to say, Our Father whi [...]h art in heaven. And likewise though it be true in proprietie of speech, that Deus non loco movetur, viz. quoad essen­tiam; God is not moved from place to place in respect of his essence: yet because he doth in a sort seem unto us to be moved, in regard of his effects and works in the world; therefore when he doth any speciall work either of mercy or judgement, be­cause thereby he sheweth his presence there in speciall man [...]; he is said to come down from heaven, the chief seat of his residence, unto that place. And when he ceaseth in any place here be­low, to do any such speciall work of punishing sinne, or shewing signes of favour, &c. he is said to depart from that place; viz. per [...], a figure, whereby theEc [...] Spirit of God speakeh accor­ding to the capacitie of man: as Theodoret saith,I [...] G [...]es. q [...]. 5 [...]. Scriptura divina loquitur prout hominibus expedit, & pro captu auditorum varias habet loquendi formas: The holy Scripture speaketh as it is most expedient for men; and hath diverse variations of speech, according to the capacitie of the hearers, &c. And Polanus saith, that Gods going and returning is,S [...]ag. Th [...]. [...]b. 2. chap. [...]2. Non mu­tatione loci, neque essentia; sed declaratione vel m [...]seri­cordiae vel justitiae: Not by changing the place, or by his essence; but by declaration e [...]ther of his mercy, or his justice.

[Page 18]2. As for the sense and meaning, or the matter signified2. The matter signified. by this phrase of speech; some take it one­ly to imply, that when the sinnes of Israel and Ju­dah were come to an height, and cried loud in the eares of the Lord; he did by them as he did by So­dom in the like case, viz. Gen. 18.22 Come down to see. And finding it so indeed, threatned captivitie to both kingdomes; which the words Rapiam & tollam; I will teare or spoil, and take away, ver. 14. seem to im­port; which when he had brought upon them, he would return unto his place from whence he came. To whichIn locum. Theodoret and Theophilact seem to in­cline in these words; Revertar post praedam ad locum meum, ut solent leones satiati sanguine; I will after I have spoiled them, return unto my place, as lions satia­ted with bloud use to do. But for my part, I conceive that there is a further matter implyed by this go­ing away, viz. that God would withdraw himself, and deprive them of his presence. And so the Chalde paraphrase understandeth it;Chalde pa­raph. Auferam majestatem meam, & revertar in habitaculum meum, quod est in coelis; id est, Puniam vos, & recedam, abe­róque à vobis, nec sentietis auxilium meum: I will with­draw my majestie from you, and return into my dwel­ling place which is in heaven; that is, I will punish you, and then depart and absent my self from you; neither shall you any more discern my help or aid amongst you. I speak not of the presence of God, [...], his essentiall presence: for his essence is infinite, incom­prehensible, and not circumscribed within any li­mits, but filleth all places, being contained in no place; neither doth it loco movere, change the place, [Page 19] or move from one place to another. But besides this, Divines do distinguish the presence of God into some other kindes. The best approved & most fol­lowed, is the distinction of the Greek Fathers, now generally received by Divines; and they make it fourefold.

1. [...], According to his power: which extendeth to all places, according to that of Da­vid,Psal. 135.5, 6. The Lord is great, and our God is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleaseth, that doth he in heaven, and in earth, and in the seas, and in all deep places: yea, in hell it self he is powerfully present to pu­nish. And this is called by Melancthon, Praesentia universalis; the universall presence. And of this kinde of presence is that usuall saying to be under­stood, Enter, praesenter Deus hîc, & ubique potenter.

2. [...], According to his glory: which is properly in heaven; for that which is seen here is but a glimpse of his glory. Moses himself could see but hisExod. 33.23. back parts; which differ as farre from that fulnesse of glory, wherein we shall be­hold him (as he is) face to face, as one drop of wa­ter from the vast ocean.

3. [...], According to his grace: whereby he is present with his Church, the elect and rege­nerate in this life, shewing unto them his love, mercy, grace, and favour; not onely in preserving their lives, &c. but also by stirring up in them mo­tions pleasing unto himself, and yet he is not visi­bly discerned by them, as he shall be seen in the life to come.

[Page 20]4. [...], By subsistence: which is a speci­all or singular kinde of presence, and farre differing from all the other kindes or degrees, whereby onely the second person of the Deitie, namely, that EternallJoh. 1.1. Word, assumed humane nature of the Vir­gin Mary, and united it unto himself, not onely in­separably, but also in such a manner, that the Word assuming, and the Nature assumed, are one Person. And this is called by other Divines, Prae­sentia unionis personalis; The presence of the personall union. Now then the presence which he threat­neth to withdraw, cannot be the second of glorie, which they had not; nor yet the fourth of subsist­ence, which continueth to all eternity: but the first, of his power to protect, defend, deliver, and pre­serve them; or the third, of his grace to blesse them with heavenly things, and guide their feet into the way of peace.

The summe of all is, as if God had said; See­ing that ye are so hardened in your sinnes, that neither a rod, nor a staff, nor a sword will move; I will try what the depth of miserie, and a full mea­sure of calamitie (untill the cup of my wrath overflow again) will work with you. For I will forsake you, I will no longer be graciously present among you to defend you, deliver you, blesse and preserve you, &c. But laying aside all care and fur­ther respect of you, I will go and return unto my place, leaving you unto your selves, and to your own wayes, and exposing you as a spoil to your enemies, and a prey to them that hate you. I will deliver you into the cruell and unmercifull [Page 21] hands of the Caldeans, and Assyrians; and there without any respect of you or your miseries, I will withdraw my self, and leave you hopelesse to be a hissing stock unto all the nations of the earth. And so Cyprian saith,Cy [...]an. Perinde est acsi diceret, Non feram opem donec ab hostibus vestris in captivitate intereatis; It is as if he had said, I will not help you un­till you perish by your enemies in captivity. And Moses Egyptiacus:Dire [...]tor. dubior. lib. 1. Deseram vos, & dimittam omnibus ad­versitatibus expositos; I will forsake you, and leave you exposed to all manner of afflictions. The Lord had put his1. King. 9.3 Name in the Temple which Solomon built, and he had promised that it should be his house, and that his eyes and his heart should be there perpetually; 6 But withall he told them in the same place, that if they did turn from following him &c. then he also would forsake both them & their Temple; and the house which he had hallowed for his name would he cast out of his sight, 7 and make Israel become a proverb and a by-word among all people. What is this but the same which the Lord did long before foretell unto Moses, and by him unto the children of Israel?Deu. 31.16 This people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land whither they go, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then mine anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, 17 and I will hide my face from them, & they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; So that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not amongst us? Lo then, see here the end and reward of obstinate and rebelli­ous [Page 22] sinners, which makeZech. [...].12 their hearts like an ada­mant, and will not be moved by the rod of corre­ction: in the end, they bring this wofull and most fearfull plague upon themselves, that the Lord doth forsake them utterly, and withdraw his gra­cious presence from them. Indeed (as I formerly observed) he beginneth like a Father with a check or a rod, but if he finde them obstinate, he pro­ceedeth to a whip, a staffe, a sword; and if all these prevail not, then as the highest step, he goeth and returneth to his place, leaving them to their ene­mies; and which is worse, to themselves; & which is worst of all, to sinne and Satan. And this I esteem the greatest measure of calamity and misery that can possibly befall any nation, people, or person, in this life. When God being highly provoked to anger against the children of Israel for theirExod. 32.4 gold­en calves, told them by Moses,Cap. 33.2, 3, 4. That he would send an Angel before them, to cast out the Canaanites &c. but he would not go up with them; the people [...]mented, and would not put on their best raiments. And Moses so highly esteemed the Lords gracious and power­full presence with them in that journey, that he said unto God,Vers. 15. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For like as in his presence in heaven is the fullnesse of glory; so in his gracious presence on earth is the fullnesse of all consolation, joy, confidence, andRom. 14.17. peace of conscience, which passeth all understanding. And consequently the with­drawing thereof must needs be the forerunner of all misery,Example in the Jew [...]. and calamitie. See a pregnant example hereof, and a full complement of this prophesie [Page 23] in Jerusalem, and the Jews; for though the Lord for their obstinacie, and manifold sinnes, brought very many heavie judgements and calamities up­on them, and gave them many fearfull and prodi­gious signes of his wrath and indignation, viz. (as Josephus witnesseth)De bello Ju­da [...]c. l. 7. c. 12. A blazing starre like a sword, and a comet for a whole yeare together: A light in the night about the Altar and the Temple, as clear as the day: A lambe brought forth in the Temple by an ox, which was brought forth to be sacrificed: The east­gate of the inner Temple, of brasse, so heavie that twen­tie men could hardly shut it, opening of its own accord: Strange sights of iron chariots, and armed troups in the aire compassing the Citie about. Yet their miserie of miseries did not overtake them, Ʋntill upon the day of Pentecost in the night, the Priests celebrating their ho­ly rites after their manner, they heard motum quen­dám{que} strepitum; and after that a sudden voice which said, [...], Let us depart hence. And after that, they had not a day of comfort, nor a gra­cious look from their God; but a fatall and unpa­rallelled desolation, by those foure great plagues sent from God at once upon them to destroy them: the sword of the Romans, under Vespatian & Ti­tus without; and civill warre, famine, and the pesti­lence within the walls of Jerusalem. This is the fruit of obstinacie against God, and obdurate hard­nesse in sinne.

3. The measure or extent of this judgement,3. The mea­sure or extent of the judge­ment. is in the last words of my text; Till they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face. In which words the Lord manifestly sheweth what he aimed at in all, [Page 24] viz. not their destruction, but their conversion; not their perdition, but their salvation. And there­fore he sheweth plainly that he purposed not to absent himself for ever (except their obstinacie forced him thereunto) but he hath his Donec untill he had brought to passe that, for which end and purpose he did first afflict, and then forsake them: Till they acknowledge their faults, and seek my face. He useth all these sharp proceedings but as good phy­sick, (though they seem so terrible) but as whol­some pills (though so bitter) and if the fault be not in the patients, he will seek no more therein, but the health of the parties. He punisheth, that he might not destroy; and forsaketh for a time, that he might not forsake for ever.

Affliction is a forcible means or instrument, whereby the Lord doth whet our devotion, and drive us unto repentance; and therefore is it com­pared to aMatth. 3.12 fanne in Christs hand, wherewith he doth winnow and purge us from the chaffe of our sinnes: to a fornace or fining pot, whereby he doth try and purifie us from the drosse of our ini­quities: to a pruning instrument, wherewith he doth scrape off, weed out, and prune away the mosse, weeds, and other superfluities of our sin­full souls: It is the Lords hammer, wherewith he doth hew and square us, to be fit living and spiri­tuall stones, to be laid in that holy building of God, whereofEph. 2.20. the Prophets and Apostles are the foundation, and Christ Jesus the head or chief corner stone. Dolavi eos per Prophetas (saith the Lord)Amos 6.5. I have hewed, cut down, and squared them by the Pro­phets. [Page 25] For like as one that had not knowledge and experience, would wonder to see how a Mason will beat and hammer a stone, as if he made no account of it, but would break it to powder: (but he knoweth well that thereby he shall in the end bring it to an excellent passe, and make it fit to be laid in the most beautifull part of the building So doth the Lord by cutting, hewing, and squa­ring us, make us sit living stones to be laid in that most beautifull and glorious spirituall build­ing of God. The Lord knoweth that to be true which Origen hath observed, thatHom. 27. in Num. Our flesh is like to flesh in the shambles, which if it be not powdred with salt, will in a short space putrifie, corrupt, and stink: and so would ours without the salt sharp­nesse of affliction, to purge out vitious and sinfull humours. There is no moving ofNum 22.31 Balaam, till he see the Angel with his sword ready to strike; and then he boweth himself, and falls flat on his face, and cries, I have sinned: 34 but no sooner is it sheathed again, but all is forgotten: we are no longer quick in Gods businesse, then the sharp spurre of afflicti­on doth prick us forward: we wax dull when we are not remembred with the rod: doth not expe­rience in our selves, and in this very Citie tell us, that sicknesse, or plague, or famine, or warre, or any speciall judgement from the Lord, causeth more prayers, and more seeking to God in one day, then otherwise are ordinary in a week? It is too true in us whichMemoral. lib. 3. Xenophon observed in ma­riners and sea-fairing men; that when the danger is upon them, they are very observant; but when the storm [Page 26] is blown over, they return to their old bias again. And therefore the Lord in wisedome, knowing that without these we would grow wanton, and be rea­dy with the untamed heifer, to kick against our Maker, and runne headlong without repentance to our own ruine: to prevent all this, he doth winnow us, purge and fine us, prune us, hew and square us, and salt and season us, to make us the fitter for himself. But we must look to it how we carrie our selves under the Lords hand: for if we yeeld unto him, and suffer him to obtain the end which he aimed at therein; then he will not forsake us forever, but withdraw his rod, and be still graciously present with us, and then all these things shall be unto us (as Augustine saith) Medicina, non poena; casti­gatio, non damnatio: A medicine, not a punishment; correction, not damnation. But if he findes us ob­stinate, he will still absent himself, and leave us to perish in our sinnes for ever. See here then how long he threatneth to be absent from these his sick patients; Till they acknowledge their fault, and seek my face: Two things required of them. wherein he requireth two things of them,

1. That they acknowledge their fault.

2. That they seek his face. If they be stubborn and will not do these, the Lord will still pursue them, untill they utterly be consumed; but if he may once reap this fruit of their miserie and cala­mitie, then he will presently be appeased towards them, and return unto them in love and favour again.

1. Till they acknowledge their fault. In the Ori­ginall [Page 27] there i [...] but one [...] word to expresse this ac­knowledging of their fault, which cometh of a [...] ra­dix diversly taken. 1. The primary & proper signifi­cation of it is, peccare ignomimosè, seu sceleratè delin­quere; to sinne, to offend shamefully or horribly. But the sense of the place will not beare that reading, till they have sinned; for they had already sinned, and that to the purpose, as I have shewed. 2. It hath al­so both in the Scriptures and in Authors, diverse secondary or Metaphoricall significations. Some­times it signifieth to be guilty, as in Levit. 4.22. And so the new Translatours have in their margin here, untill they be guiltie. But so also they were already, and that of horrible sinnes and iniquities. Rabbi Abraham hath, till they be desolate: but that is the same which was threatned before, vers. 9. Hierome saith, Donec perierint, Till they perish: ra­ther to the sense, then the signification of the word. Pagnines translation hath, Donec deficiant, Ʋntill they fail: but elsewhere he saith,Ʋpon the ra­dix [...] that some do more curiously expound the word to signifie, Ob culpam aut poenam afflari, ac cum flatu quodam abo­minationi esse, & horrori: By reason of sinne or punish­ment to be as it were blasted, and with a kinde of blast to become an abomination, &c. And so indeed it came to passe with the Jews in the end. But (under cor­rection) my opinion is, that the interpretation of Rabbi David Kimchi doth best agree with the place: And it is twofold; First, upon Lev. 4.13. he interpreteth the word to signifie, agnoscere deli­ctum, to confesse or acknowledge a sinne or fault: and elsewhere he taketh it to signifie,In lib. rad. to bring an offer­ing [Page 28] for sinne. And so it is used very often in the book of Leviticus, and elsewhere; and the Noune Asham or Ashmah, [...] which cometh of it, is translatedLevit. 6.6. a sinne-offering, or offering for sinne. Now these two significations may well be joyned together into one: for he that confessed his sinne under the Law, brought an offering also to make an atone­ment for it: and he thatChap. 7.1. brought an offering for his sinne, was bound to acknowledge and confesse it; or else it was in vain for him to bring an oblati­on for it. And so it is plain from hence, that the first thing which God aimed at, and expected from them, was that they should turn unto him in an humble acknowledgement and unfeigned confessi­on of their sinnes, which was not then to be per­formed without oblations or offerings, which were the legal means to obtain remission of sinnes. And indeed this doth wonderfully please the Lord, and appease his wrath, when he shall see thy knees bent to the earth, thine eyes lifted up to­wards heaven, thy cheeks bedewed with teares, thy heart rent and broken with sorrow and contri­tion, and thy tongue confessing and saying,Luk. 15.21 Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne. Augustine saith,Super Psalm. 3 [...]. Quando homo detegit, Deus tegit: cùm homo caelat, Deus nudat: cùm homo agnoscit, Deus ignoscit: When man discovereth his sinnes, God covereth them: when man hideth, God discloseth: when man acknow­ledgeth, God pardoneth. And Ambrose saith confi­dently,De Paradi­so. Non potest quisquam à peccatis justificari, nisi peccatum antè fuerit confessus; No man can be justi­fied [Page 29] from his sinnes, except he first confesse his sinnes. And Boetius giveth a reason for it;De Philos. consol. Si enim ope­ram medicantis expectas, oportet ut vulnus tuum dete­gas: For if thou wilt use the benefit of a chirurge­on, there is a necessitie that thou discover thy wound. David professeth the truth hereof from his own experience,Psal. 32.3, 4, When I kept close my sinne, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, my moi­sture was turned into the drought of summer. Then I acknowledged my sinne unto thee, 5 and mine iniquitie have I not hid; I said, I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquitie of my sinne. And the wise Solomon his sonne treading in his fathers steps, affirmeth as much;Prov. 28.13 He that co­vereth his sinnes shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy. For (as Cassio­dorus saith)In Psal. 32. Illis non Judex sed Advocatus est Chri­stus, qui se propriâ confessione damnârunt: Christ is not a Judge but an Advocate to them, that by their con­fession do condemne themselves. And thus have we the first thing required of them by God, An hum­ble acknowledgement and confession of their fault.

2. And seek my face: This is the other point ex­pected and required, the seeking of Gods face. Which we are not here to understand literally, conceiving with the grosse Anthropomorphites, God to have the parts & lineaments of an humane body, like the Papists, which paint him in their Churches like an old man: But we must know that it is spoken [...]. fi­guratively, the Spirit of God stouping to our in­firmitie, [Page 30] and expressing the wayes of God which are above our capacitie by the parts and actions of men wherewith we are best acquainted. The face then signifieth his favour, being understood of the God of heaven, as Solomon useth it of the gods upon earth:Prov. 9. [...] Many seek the face of the prince, that is, his love and favour. To open this phrase more fully, we are to know that the Lord is said to shew his face, or,Psal. [...].6. the light of his countenance (as David calleth it) when he manifesteth his grace and goodnesse towards us by conferring his bene­fits upon us, which are to us in a sort like radiant beams wherewith we are enlightened: And he is said to hide his face, when he declareth his severitie and wrath by the punishments which he layeth upon us; for so David saith,Psal. 30.7. Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled: Or else he hideth his face, when he seemeth to forget us, and not to be affe­cted with our miseries: for so the Psalmist again;Psal. 13.1. How long wilt thou forget me (O Lord) for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? In a word, then do we seek the face of God, when by true faith we seek the favour of God in Christ Jesus. And this dutie the Lord elsewhere expresly requireth of us by the Prophet,Isa. 55.6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is neare: and annex­eth his gracious promise unto it;Amos 5.6. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live. And the originall [...] word impli­eth an earnest and extraordinarie kinde of seeking: for so David useth it;Psal. 3 [...].25. I never saw the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. That is the seeking which pleaseth God, appeaseth his wrath, [Page 31] and winneth his favour, when we seek him and his face as earnestly as the poore begger, driven by pinching hunger and thirst, craveth for a morsell of bread, or a few drops of drink to preserve him from perishing. And this is the second thing ex­pected by God. To conclude, it isIn totum. Zanchius his observation, that by these two he implieth true repentance, and also that by them he expresseth both the parts, and also the order thereof.

1. The parts, viz. a true knowledge and ac­knowledging of sinne; which if it be indeed true, and serious, and solid, is not without a detestation and forsaking thereof, which is expressed in the first; and true faith whereby in Christ Jesus, who is the true face of God, we seek for, and apprehend the face, that is, the favour and grace of God de­clared in the second.

2. And from the order of these two he shew­eth that no man can seek the face of God aright un­till he first know and confesse his sinnes: well may he seek, but finde him he cannot, till then. From whence it appeareth, that the first step to true re­pentance is the knowledge, and acknowledging of our sinnes. And thus you see what the Lord re­quireth; which if he finde, then will he absent himself no longer, but graciously return again unto them; but till then he will not. And if they prove obdurate in sinne, and will never be moved to per­form these; then will he never return again to be graciously present any more with them, and to shew them the light of his countenance, but will ab­sent himself for ever, and leave them to perish.

Thus have I now delivered unto you the whole summe of these words; but yet have I not done with them. For hitherto you have heard of them but in the generall, or as they concerned the Israe­lites then Gods people: Now give me leave with your patience (I beseech you) to bring them a little nearer to our selves now Gods people, and make it our own case; for therein is the life of preaching. And to that end I intreat you to consider with me these three things.

1. Whether our sinnes be not like the sinnes of Israel and Judah, and come to the same height or degree with theirs.

2. Whether the Lord hath not gone as farre with his comminations and judgements, and by the same steps with us, as he did with them.

3. What we do, and what we ought to do in this case to turn away his wrath, and move him to be still graciously present amongst us. Of these in order.

1. First then, may we not compare with Israel and Judah for our sinnes? The Lord called their whole kingdome, or kingdomes unto judgement in the first verse; because all people, all estates and degrees had corrupted their wayes, and done abo­minably before him. And is it not so with us? is it not our case? may not the Lord justly have a controversie with our land? have not 1. All ages; 2. All sexes; 3. And all degrees amongst us done the like? So that if the Lord now againGen. 6.12. behold the earth, as he did before the floud, he shall finde, as he did then, that all flesh have corrupted their way upon the earth.

[Page 33]1. For ages.1. All ages. I purpose not to follow the Philo­sophicall distinction of the life of man into seven ages. It may suffice to shew it, 1. In children. 2. In young men. 3. In old men.

1. To begin with children:1. Children. who doth not see and know that they abound with stubbornnesse, diso­bedience to parents, and infinite other vanities and vices?Prov. 21.15 F [...]olishnesse is bound (saith Solomon) in the heart of a childe. Now as Solomons fool is the wicked and ungodly man; so is the foolishnesse which he saith lodgeth in the heart of a childe, wickednesse, vanitie, sinne, and ungodlinesse. For children, if they want instruction and the discipline of thatIbid. rod, which Solomon saith, driveth folly farre away from them; their hearts will be as much overgrown with vanity, vice, and ungodlinesse, as the fallow grounds untilled, with thistles, briers and brambles. But especially I desire that generall notice be taken of that one most odious sinne in them; viz. that so soon as they can but speak per­fectly, and use their feet, theirPsalm. 10 mouthes are full of cursing, yea, and swearing, lying and blasphemie. And these things increase in them together with their strength & yeares: for in many places of this Land, a man cannot walk the streets where they are frequently assembled, but for every pace or step he taketh, an oath or a curse flyeth through his eares; I grieve to speak it, and I tremble to think of it: For if thezech. 5.3, 4. Curse of God go forth over the whole earth, to cut off every one that sweareth, and to enter in­to the house of him that falsly sweareth by Gods name, to remain in the midst of it, and to consume it with the [Page 34] timber thereof, and the stones thereof, as the Lord told the Prophet Zechariah; then how many houses amongst us can hope to be without the curse of God to cut them off, if not to consume them, with the timber and stones?

2. Young men2. And for young men, what shall I say? It is reported of John Baptist, thatLuk. 1.80. he grew and waxed strong in spirit: and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, thatLuk. 2.52. he increased in wisedome and stature, and in favour with God and man. But now alas! they grow not so fast in yeares as in vices, but their sinnes increase faster then their daies; & still the longer they live, the more they degenerate. Their heads, which should be musing and meditating upon the word of God, are full of drunkennesse; their eyes, which should be busied in contemplation of the ministers of their salvation, are2. Pet. 2.14 full of adulterie: their tongues, which should speak out the words of truth and sobernesse, are full of filthie communi­cation, vain oathes, and horrible blasphemies: and their hearts, which should be receptacles of Gods holy Spirit, and holy mansions whereinEph. 3.17. Christ should dwell by faith, are like cages of impure birds, highwayes, and common passages for all manner of sinne and iniquitie;Gen. 6.5. all the imaginations of their hearts being onely evil continually. I con­clude concerning the farre greater part of them in the Apostles words,Rom. 3.16, 17, 18. Destruction and miserie are in their wayes: But the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

3. Old men.3. And as for old men, too many of them think it as much too late for them to repent and become [Page 35] godly, as young men think it too soon. They have been so long accustomed to the waies of wicked­nesse, that they cannot turn from them to walk in the way of peace. So that I may well apply those words of the Prophet unto them;Jer. 13.23 Can the Ethiopian change his skinne, or the Leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil. And if at any time they be drawn to go a step or two for­ward in theMatth. 7.14 narrow way which leadeth to life; yet are they soon allured by the remembrance of the sweetnesse of their old sinnes, to turn to their old bias again: like the children of Israel, which being forward in their journey towards Canaan,Num. 14.3, 4. turned their backs, and wished themselves by the flesh-pots of Egypt again. And though being old they decline apace; yet may it well be questioned whe­ther they decay faster in body or in soul, carnally or spiritually. Nay, it is without question in too many of them, that their souls are dead spiritually within them many yeares before their bodies go unto the house of rottennesse; so that their living bodies are nothing else, but filthie graves wherein their dead souls lie buried untill the day of their dissolution.

2. Let us come to take a view of both sexes,Both sexes. men and women; of which I cannot speak several­ly, because I must hasten: and therefore a word or two of them joyntly.

I might instance in many horrible sinnes, wherein Sub judice lis est, it is hard to determine, whether sex doth carry the bell; and I would enter into them, did I not fear on the one part want of time, [Page 36] and on the other, lest I should offend your chaste eares. But one I cannot passe by, and that in this short speech shall suffice, viz. that endlesse con­tention between them, which shall excell each other in strange new-fangled & disguised fashions of attire, together with painting, powdering, fri­zling, curling, and I know not how many other such like toyes and fopperies. This strife I fear will never be ended but by the approach of the last day, which shall put an end to all things here on earth; at which time the greatGen. 18.25 Judge of all the world will determine it to neither of their likings: But especially me thinks it is strange to see how the women do usurp upon the mens attire, contra­rie to the expresseDeut. 22.5. law of God; and come so neare therein, that by some part thereof you can hardly discern them from men; yea (give me leave to speak it) hardly from beasts. For, if according to the proverb, Ex ungue Leonem, the whole may be judged of by some small part; then if accordingly we should judge them by their hair, that is, their tires, and periwigges; either fame and report do strongly delude me, or else we should amongst the greatest Gallants of the Court and this Citie finde as many goats as women. If Bernards rule be true, Exterior superfluitas vestium interioris hominis indi­cium est, The outward superfluitie of the garments doth discover what the man is within; then I know not what it should more truely be taken for, then an outward mark, who are goatishly affected within.

3. A [...]l estates and degrees.3 Nor shall we finde our selves much short of Israel and Judah, if we cast our eyes upon all [Page 37] estates and degrees amongst us. The Magistrates and great men should be gods;Psal. 82.6. I have said, Ye are gods, that is, they ought to be not onely power­full, but also just, holy, wise, and mercifull like unto God. And certainly herein we have great cause to blesse the name of our God; for he hath blessed us with many Nobles, Judges, and Magi­strates, which strive to be such indeed: whose zeal is for the glory of God, whose care is for the good of the kingdome, and whose desire is to execute justice and judgement. But yet would to God I might not say of too many amongst them, that they turn justice into oppression, andAmos 5.7. judgement into wormwood andCap. 6.12. gall, delighting in crueltie,Pro. 24. [...]3. knowing faces in judgement, setting their hearts upon covetousnesse, receiving bribes,Isa. 5.8. joyning house to house, and land to land, andPsal. 13.4. eating up the poore like bread, so metamorphosing themselves from gods to men, yea to beasts, if not devils, &c.

And for my brethren of the Clergie, oh that I had nothing to accuse them of! But alas! is it not too manifest, that in many places of this kingdome those that should beJoh. 5.35. burning and shining lights like John Baptist, are like darknesse it self? those that should beMatt. 5.13. the salt of the earth to season others, have not a grain of the salt of grace in their hearts? those that should beEzek. 33.7. watchmen over the Israel of God, over other mens souls, have more then need of others to watch over their souls? those whose voices should beIsa. 58.1. lifted up like trum­pets to shew the people their transgressions, are as mute as fishes; and they which should say with the Apo­stle, [Page 38] 2. Cor. 12.14. I seek not yours but you, turn it a clean contra­ry way, and say, I seek not you, but yours; regarding the flock onely for love of the fleece.

And last of all, as for the multitude, I know nei­ther where to begin, nor when to end with them; as they consist of the concourse of all sorts of peo­ple, so shall you finde among them, colluviem omnium peccatorum, a very sink of all sinnes. The Poet truely stiled them,Horat. Epist. 1 Bellua multorum capitum; A many-headed monster; whose form is deformitie it self, and whose heady and violent rage carri­eth them into all unbridled licentiousnesse of sin­ning, &c.

Thus you see we have sinned as generally as they did; children, young men, old men, men, women, Magistrates, Ministers, and the common people or multitude: so that if the Lord should now again (as in Davids time)Psal. 13.3, look down from heaven upon the children of men; he might again ut­ter that complaint, 4 All are gone out of the way, they are all corrupt, there is none that doth good, no not one.

But now let us come to the particular sinnes laid to their charge, and see if we can plead otherwise then guilty unto them all.

1. First, among them were found such as were snares in Mizpeh, and nets spread upon Tabor; that is, seducers of others, enticing them to sinne and ungodlinesse. And have not we also such as are not onely evil themselves, but also seducers of others, saying,Prov. 1.11, 12, 13, 14. Come with us, let us lay wait for bloud: Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them up as the grave, and whole as those [Page 39] that go down into the pit. We shall finde all pretious sub­stance, and shall fill our houses with spoils. Cast in thy lot among us, let us have all one purse. But especial­ly we have enticers of souls, viz. the Jesuites and Seminaries, which1. Tim. 3.6. creep into houses, and lead ca­ptive simple women laden with sinnes, and led with di­verse lusts; yea, and insnare the souls both of men and women, making them drunk with theApo [...]. 17.4. cup of abominations, to their eternall perdition. I know not how to give you a more lively pourtrature of them, them in Cyprian his description of Nova­tus; Who (saith he) was Epist. 49. curiosus ut prodat, adula­tor ut fallat, fax & ignis ad constanda seditionis incen­dia, &c. They are curious to betray, flatterers to deceive, firebrands and fire it self to cause flames of sedition, whirlwindes and tempests to work shipwrack of faith, haters of quietnesse, adversaries to tranquillitie, and enemies to peace. Happy was it for the Church of Christ amongst us, if she had stronger nets, and better means toCan. [...].15 take these foxes, which destroy her vines. So have we snares as well as they had in Mizpeh.

2. Their second sinne was slaughter and mur­der. Vers. 2 And are we free from this sinne? is not our land defiled with bloud? For besides those se­cret plots of poysoning, &c. which many times no eye seeth, but those piercingProv. 15.3. eyes of God, which in every place behold the evil and the good; do we not heare of it almost in every publick Assize?

3. As for the third sinne of fornication or adulte­rie; Vers. 3 have not we also such harlots as Solomon speaketh of, which say,Prov. [...].18, [...]9, 20. Come, let us take our fill of [Page 40] love untill the morning: let us solace our selves with loves. For mine husband is not at home, he is gone a journey farre off. He hath taken a bagge of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed? Are there not amongst us too many such as Jeremy speaketh of, whichJer. 5.7. rise up in the morning like fed horses, neighing after their neighbours wives? In a word, is not fornication amongst our Gallants ac­counted but as a trick of youth, and whoredome made but a jest?

Vers. 4 4. Though in many parts of this Land, the word of God be plentifully preached; yet are there not too many places, where the people perish for want of knowledge and the means of salvation, being like sheep without a shepherd? Yea, and where the word is preached, are there not too many found as ignorant and sottish (I had almost said as very Pagans) in the knowledge of God, and my­steries of salvation?

Vers. 5 5. And as for their sinne of Pride, I will not say that it is crept in amongst us; for it reigneth like a King, from the Princes palace to the poorest penthouse against the wall; and that in such a su­perlative degree, as if we did conspire therein to put down Lucifer himself, the Prince of pride; nei­ther do I beleeve that either Jerusalem or Sodom (one of whoseEzek. 16.49 sinnes it was) did overmatch us in this sinne.

6. As for deceit and coosenage, I am perswaded that to eat and drink is not more common. It is crept into all trades, yea taken by too many for the chiefest of all trades; onely they have (to co­lour [Page 41] the matter) clad it in the habit of a vertue, specie virtutis & umbrâ; calling such as are best skilled in fraud and coosenage, Good and fair chapmen, &c.

7. We also as well as they have them amongst us, which in their afflictions never look or seek to God for either counsel or help, but to secondary means, seeking to remove them by strength, by friends, by mony, by riding & running to the Phy­sician, without looking up to God; yea, to Sorcerers and Witches, and are ready to say with him in the Tragicall Poet, ‘Fleó [...]ere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo: If it will not come from heaven, it shall be fetched from hell.’

Thus you see, and I think will confesse with me, that if we have not offended to the same degree; yet we have walked in the same wayes, & trode in the same steps with Israel and Judah: Yea, the day would fail me, if I should go about to particularize all the other sinnes which we have added moreo­ver unto these. For we are full of usury, whereof the Wiseman saith, He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pitie the poore, Prov. 18.8. We are drowned in the horrible sinne of drunkennesse, whereof the Father said,August. in Serm. quodam Ebrietas est blandus daemon, dulce ve­nenum, suave peccatum; quam qui facit, non facit pec­catum, sed totus est peccatum: Wine is a flattering fiend, a pleasant poyson, a sweet sinne; with the delight where­of whosoever is taken, doth not commit sinne barely, but is wholly become sinne. To these I might adde [Page 42] atheisme, idolatrie, lukewarmnesse, blasphemie, swearing, lying, cursing, sacriledge, theft, treason, contempt of Gods word, profanation of the Lords day, Sodomy, with such a catalogue of other sinnes, as my memorie faileth me to recite. Thus then we see in this first point Israel and Judah ve­ry neare parallelled by ourselves, and in some sort farre out-stripped.

2. In the next place, see if the Lord hath not dealt with us, and proceeded against us for these things in like manner as he did against them; wherein I must be brief, because the time com­pels me.

1. Hath not the Lord been now for a long time, above fiftie yeares together, an admonisher of us all, by his holy word so graciously vouchsafed unto us under the late reigne of Queen Elisabeth of blessed memorie, and our dread Sovereigne, now happily swaying the scepter of this king­dome? what multitudes ofMatth. 9.38 painfull labourers hath the Lord sent forth into this his harvest, un­der their severall reignes? All which diligentlyJude 15. re­buked all the ungodly among us, of all their wicked deeds, and sought by the terrours of Gods wrath and vengeance, to come to affright them from their ungodly wayes.

2. Did not God threaten a fall to this king­dome, especially to the Church and state of reli­gion, in the bloudie Marian daies? whose heart did not then faint and quail within him, for the little hope that was left?

3. Was it any lesse then a desolation, which he [Page 43] did threaten, when the invincible Armado (as they stiled it) was sent forth to invade this our island in the yeare 1588.

4. Did he not seem to poure out his wrath like water upon us, when he seconded blessed Queen Elisabeths death with such a continuing and devouring pestilence and famine, 1603.

5. Have we not often been menaced to have the heart of our kingdome and state eaten out with moths, and worms, that is, with secret trea­cheries, and close and cunning plots of treason, be­fore we were aware thereof? especially by the most matchlesse, barbarous, hellish, and inhumane late attempted Powder-plot, wherein we were so neare unto destruction; and from which the Lord delivered us so, that we were as azech. 3.2. fire-brand snatched out of the fire?

6. Did he not lately play the Lion among us, as it were with one of his paws rending away the second hope of our happinesse, that peerlesse Pa­ragon of pietie, and all princely vertues, Prince Henry of happie memorie? of all which, I may well speak as Chrysostom once did of a famine and a pestilence together in his time;Contra De­metrium. These things come by sinne provoking; and God is the more offended, since such and so great things do no good at all.

7. If all this move us not, what can we expect in the next place, but that he proceed to the next, which is the last and highest degree, viz, that he go, and return unto his place; that is, withdraw his gracious presence from us, and leave us unto our selves, untill we acknowledge our fault, and seek his [Page 44] face. Thus have you the second point cleared, That God hath proceeded in the same, or the like steps or degrees in his comminatorie judgements with us, as he did against Israel and Judah. Come we now to the third and last point, What we have done, and what we ought to do in this case.

3. I make no question but we all desire to be freed from these and other future judgements, and to continue the Lords gracious presence amongst us still. But alas! what do we in this case to have it so? Doth the Lord reap the end and fruit which he aimed at in all these things? Do we in true re­pentance turn unto the Lord our God, humbly confessing our sinnes, and acknowledging our faults? Do we seek his face and favour with all our hearts, and with all our souls? Oh that it was so with us indeed! But alas! who is he amongst us that laieth these things to his heart, and is moved thereby to alter his wayes? who goeth not on still? Are we not (as Bernard saith)Contra De­metri. Humiliati, sed non humiles &c. Humbled, but not humble; stricken, but not grieved; dressed by the Lord, but not cured? May I not justly take up the Prophet Jeremies complaint and say,Jer. 5.3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not greived, thou hast con­sumed them, but they have refused to receive correcti­on; they have made their faces harder then a rock, they have refused to return. For who leaveth that sinne of pride, covetousnesse, swearing, lying, drunken­nesse, &c. which he before frequented? Is it not still true amongst us, which this our Prophet said of them, thatHosea 4.2. by swearing, and lying, and killing, [Page 45] and stealing, and whoring, they break forth, and bloud toucheth bloud? Do the Pastours more diligently teach, and the people more devoutly attend? do the oneJoh. 5.25. shine as lights, and the other walk after those lights? Oh no: but rather (as the Prophet saith)Isai. 1.5. We fall away more and more. The most that we do when we feel these heavie judgements upon us, is but (as the same Prophet saith) toChap. 58.5. afflict our souls for a day, hanging down our heads like a bul­rush. But (as Bernard saith)De duobus discipulis euntibus ad Em­maus. Horâ compunctionis transactâ, superbi sumus sicut anté; The houre of com­punction being once past, we are as proud and wicked as we were before.

Oh beloved, deceive not your selves, vainly ho­ping that God will be pacified although ye go on in your sinnes. Remember that stinging sentence,Amos. 9.8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinfull king­dome, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth. And therefore if he be provoked by our sinnes to stand up in judgement against us,Nah. 1.6. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierce­nesse of his anger? his furie is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. If such judge­ment and fearfull desolation overtook the Sodo­mites which had but the law of Nature; what then may we look for, if we commit the sinnes of So­dom under the light of the Gospel? And therefore I say again, Be not deceived; forGal. 6.7. God will not be mocked. If we will not be reclaimed, but continue obstinate in our sinnes; he will go and return unto his place, depriving us both of his gracious presence here, and also of his glorious presence in the world [Page 46] to come; and then wofull will our estate be: for in this life we can expect nothing but misery and fearfull calamities, & in the life to come after, that dolefull and heavie sentence passed upon us,Matth. 25.41. Ite maledicti, &c. Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, pre­pared for the devil and his Angels, to be carried with sighes and teares from God and his Angels, by the fiends of hell into the palace of eternall darknesse; Ʋbi clamabit pilosus ad pilosum, (saithSerm. 10, Bernard) unus ad alium, daemon ad daemonem; Percute, interfice, dilacera, velociter spolia, infer prunas, & ebullienti­bus impone lebetibus, &c. Where one hairy Satyre will cry to another, each to other, one devil to another; Strike, slay, teare in pieces, speedily destroy, bring coals, and put these into boyling cauldrons, &c. And just it is, that he that in this life made no more account of Gods gracious presence, should in the life to come be excluded from his glorious presence for ever­more. For if we will not let him reap honour by our lives and salvation; he will have it by our death and destruction, as he had ofExod. 14.17, Pharaoh at the Red sea.

And certainly for my part here I cannot but admire, that men can talk of heaven, and hope for heaven; and yet live in all manner of licenti­ousnesse and sinne, as if God did even delight and take pleasure therein. But the truth is, that sinne is contrary to the nature of God, and therefore he cannot harbour sinners in his own bosome. God in the golden chain of our salvation, hath linked together grace and glory, holinesse and happinesse; and therefore whereas many would fain be happy [Page 47] in heaven, which regard not to be holy on earth; many desire to be glorified Saints in heaven, which will not be crucified and mortified Saints on earth: Alas! they do but delude themselves with a vain hope; for God will never suffer the links of that golden chain to be violated or dissolved; but for ever grace shall be the way to glory, and onely ho­linesse shall lead to happinesse; forHeb. 12.14. without holinesse no man shall see God. Though the serpent might come into the earthly Paradise; yetApoc. 21.27. no unclean thing shall enter into the new Jerusalem. The Spouse of Christ Jesus is described to be likeCant 6.10. the morning; yea, fair as the moon, and cleare as the sunne. And certainly if heaven spewed out the Angels which became wicked, it will never receive the refuse and vomit of the earth into it. Horrible presumpti­on it is therefore, when blasphemers, idolaters, traitours, and filthy and profane persons shall think themselves fit companions for the God of heaven, and the thrice-blessed and sacred Trinitie. He that will have God hereafter say to him, Come and reigne with me; must now say to God, Come and reigne in me, and over me. For he that biddeth God depart now, God will bid him depart for ever hereafter.

To come to the point then, How may Gods gra­cious presence be still continued amongst us, and his hand be kept back from us?Mic. 6.6, 7. Shall we come before him with burnt-offerings, and with calves of a yeare old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oyl? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for [Page 48] the sinne of my soul? No no: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what he requireth of thee; to do justly, and to love mercy, and to humble thy self, to walk with thy God. That which he expecteth, is to be just, mercifull, humble, and walk with him; that we yeeld and bend under his hand like young twigs, lest he break us in pieces for our stub­bornnesse. It is he whom we have offended, and to him must we go: for he onely that hath smitten us, can heal us; he onely that hath wounded us, can cure us.August. super Psal. 74. Non est quò fugias Deo irato, nisi ad Deum placatum; There is no place whither to flee from God being offended, but to God being pacified and ap­peased: Idem lib. de poenit. Ab ejus severitate, ad ejus bonitatem; From his severitie, unto his bountie and goodnesse. What shall we do then? shall the sight of many and great sinnes strike us into despair, and make us crie out with Cain,Gen. 4.13. Our sinnes are greater then can be forgi­ven? Not so: for S. Austine saith expresly,August. in Gen. 4.13. Men­tiris Cain; major enim Dei misericordia, quàm omni­um peccatorum miseria; Thou liest Cain; for the mercy of God is greater then the depth or miserie of all sinnes. There is mercie with him,Psal. 103.9. he will not alwayes chide, nor keep his anger for ever, nor will he absent himself for ever. And the means to obtain his mercie, turn away his wrath, and retain his pre­sence graciously amongst us, may from that which hath been spoken appeare to be twofold. The first concerneth some of us in particular: and the other respecteth all and every of us in generall.

1. The first hath relation to the Right Honou­rable and Right Reverend Judges of this land, to­gether [Page 49] with the rest of the Magistrates, and such as are in place of office and authoritie, viz. That at the sight of these great and manifold sinnes, ra­ging, if not reigning in this land; their just and holy zeal and indignation inflame their hearts to pro­ceed against them with courage and resolution, seeking by the sword of justice put into their hands, to suppresse, and (so farre as lieth in their power) utterly extirpate and root them out. For the due execution of justice and judgement upon delinquents, and the due punishing and restrain­ing of sinne by Magistrates, is a speciall means to appease the wrath of God. So when the children of Israel had very grievously sinned by commit­ting whoredome with the daughters of Moab, the Lords wrath was fiercely kindled against them: but whenNum. 25.7. Phinehas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest (moved with zeal at the sight of the horrible villanie between Zimri, and Cozbi) took a javelin in his hand, and following them into the tent, thrust them both through, even through their bel­lies; it was so acceptable to the Lord, and pleasing in his sight, that he said to Moses,Vers. 11. Phinehas the son of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the Priest, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel (while he was zealous for my sake among them) that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousie. And in the time of Joshua, when Achan had offended in taking the execrable thing, the Lord would not be paci­fied towards Israel, untillJosh. 7.1, 24, 25. Achan with his sonnes, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had were stoned [Page 50] with stones, and burnt with fire. Likewise in the dayes of David the land was vexed with a grie­vous famine for three yeares together; and when2. Sam. 21.1, 6. David asked counsel of the Lord, he found that it was because judgement was not executed upon the bloudy house of Saul, for the cruell and unjust daugh­ter of the Gibeonites. And therefore when seven men of the posteritie of Saul were taken and hanged up before the Lord in Gibeah, then the Lord was ap­peased with the land. That was it which the Pro­phet Jeremy said to Jehoiakim the sonne of Josiah;Jer. 22.15, Did not thy father eat and drink, and prosper when he executed judgement and justice? And because he did not the like, treading in his fathers steps, the Pro­phet denounced a fearfull curse against him, viz. that he should be buried as an asse is buried, 19 even drawn and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem. The Philosopher could say,Aristotle Nec Hesperus, nec Lucifer formosior justitiâ; Neither the evening nor the mor­ning starre is more glorious and beautifull in the hea­vens, then justice is upon the earth. And certainly exceeding pleasing it is to the Almighty, when the^b gods on earth are like the God of heaven, just and impartiall to all whether great or small, refusing to know faces, that is,Prov. 24.13. respect persons in judgement; when the laws are not like spiders webs, to take the small or little ones, and let the strong and mighty break through; but Potentes potenter tormen­ta patientur; the mighty offending, shall mightily suffer punishments: when they regard no mans person, or who he is; but his cause, and what he hath done against the Lord, remembring that it is his cause [Page 51] and quarrell, and that (as Jehoshaphat said in his charge to the Judges)2. Chr. 19.6 the judgement is not theirs, but the Lords. To which agreeth that of Bernard, Qui recto & composito Dei zelo ad poenam exigendam agitur, non suiipsius causam, sed Dei agendam suscipit: He that with a right and setled zeal of God is moved to inflict punishment, doth not undertake to manage his own, but Gods cause. May I then presume (Right Honourable) to put you in minde to be zealous for the Lord of hosts; remembring that idolatry, blasphemy, swearing, profanation of the Lords day, murder, adultery, oppression, and all other such like sinnes, are the Lords quarrells, and there­fore with zeal and resolution to be undertaken. For (as Hierome saith)In Ezek. lib. 4. Homicidas, sacrilegos, & venereos punire, non est effusio sanguinis, sed legum mi­nisterium; To punish murderers, sacrilegious, and la­scivious persons, is not shedding of bloud, but the due administration of the laws. So shall you be not the least part of the means to turn away the wrath of God from us, and continue his gracious presence amongst us.

2. The other concerneth us all in generall, without which the Lord will not be pacified, and return unto us with love and favour; and that is ex­pressed in the words of my text, viz. that we turn unto the Lord our God by true and unfeigned re­pentance, acknowledging our faults, and seeking his face. And this must be performed by all without exception: for as Chrysostomes comparison is, In cythera non satìs est, in uno tantùm nervo concentum efficere; universos oportet percuti, & numerosè & de­center: [Page 52] Ità, &c. Like as upon an harp it is not suffici­ent to the expression of a full harmony, to strike one string; but they must all be touched, and that in due measure and proportion: So that the melody of our re­pentance may sound sweetly in the eares of the Lord, it is to be performed not by one, or by some few, but with an universall harmonie of all estates and degrees, and according to the rule and direction of the Word and Spi­rit of God. Let us therefore all and some, great and small, sorrow with Hezekiah, weep bitterly with Peter; let our hearts melt with Josiah, and let us with DavidPsal. [...].6. cause our beds to swimme, and water our couch with our teares. Let us fall down at his foot­stool, and cry, Peccavimus; We have sinned, Lord, we have sinned; wo unto us that we have so done; but have mercy upon us deare God, have mercy upon us; yea again have mercy upon us; and according to the multi­tude of thy mercies do away our offences. And let us all amend our lives, forsake our sinnes,Isa 1.17, 18 cease to do evil, and learn to do well: and then though our sinnes were as crimson, they shall be made white as snow: though they were red like scarlet, they shall be as wooll.

Oh beloved, let us beware and be warned in time, let us be wiser then Israel and Judah; for they would not return, acknowledge their fault, and seek Gods face; and therefore you know what a wofull and unparallelled desolation did overtake them. Optimum est alienâ insaniá frui: Happy are we if their folly be our warning. God is indeed a God of mer­cy, and (as David saith)Psal. 145.9. his mercy is over all his works: yet is he also just, and if he be provoked too farre, Patientia laesa vertitur in furorem: His patience [Page 53] too farre abused, turneth at the last into fury. Take heed therefore, for if the flie play too long with the candle, at the last she scorcheth her wings, and loseth her life; so if the sinner dallie too long with God, he is in danger of scorching his soul with the fire of hell, and perishing eternally.

Object. But we have peace and tranquillity (may some say) and therefore what relation hath all this to us?

Sol. We have the more cause to fear and look about us; for all this while the Lord doth but shew his forbearance, and expect our repentance: and if in stead thereof we continue wicked and ungodly, we shall in the end finde the truth of that of the Apostle,1. Thes. 5.3 That when we shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction shall come upon us as travail upon a woman with childe, and we shall not escape.

Beware then, for the arrows of the Lord are very swift, & strike very suddenly. Little thought Sodom and Gomorrha,Gen. 18.19 when they pressed about the doores of Lots house, to satisfie their filthy lust upon the strangers which he had entertained, that they should the very next day be burnt to ashes with fire and brimstone from heaven. Little thought Absalom, marching in battell array in the morning, that he should the same day be [...]. Sam. 18.19 hanged on an oak by the hair of his head, thrust through with darts, and ignominiously cast into a pit, and covered with stones. Little thought Jezabel, when with her painted face she2. King. 9.30, 31, 33, 36 stood in a window of her palace in Samaria, perking and braving over Jehu with that oppro­brious taunt, Had Zimri peace which slew his master? [Page 54] that she should that very day be troden under foot of horses, and eaten of dogs. Little did Nebuchadnez­zar think, whenDan. 4.29, 30, he walked in the royall palace of Ba­bel, and said, Is not this great Babel that I have built for the house of the kingdome, by the might of my pow­er, and for the honour of my Majestie? that the same houre he should be driven from men, and eat grasse as an ox, 33 till his hairs were grown as eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws. Little thought the rich Carle in the Gospel (when he was so busie inLuk. 12.18, 20. pul­ling down his barns, and building greater wherein to lay up his fruits) of that sentence from God, Stulte, hac nocte, &c. Thou fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee. Little thought Lots wife when theGen. 19.16, 26 Angel led her by the hand out of Sodom, and charged her not to look behinde her, that she should the same houre be turned into a pillar of salt. And surely the Lord is the same for ever; and therefore if we despise his chastisement, and will not acknowledge our faults, and seek his face; he willPsal. 7.12. whet his sword, and bend his bow, and go to his quiver, and take forth a strong and swift arrow, a sweating sicknesse, or a sweeping plague, &c. and sud­denly smite us therewith: or (which is more dreadfull) go and return unto his place, departing from us, withdrawing his gracious presence, and leaving us unto our selves, and delivering us into the cruell hands of them that hate us.

To conclude; let us therefore return unto our God in confession, contrition, and true repentance; let our teares shew our sorrow, our sorrow work repentance not to be repented of, and our repen­tance [Page 55] be the beginning of a new lifeLuk. 1.75. in holinesse and righteousnesse before God. So will he be graci­ously present with us, andMal. 4.10. open the windows of hea­ven, and poure down blessings upon us in this life, and crown us with everlasting glory in the life to come. To which blessed estate he bring us, who hath so dearely bought us with the price of his most precious bloud: to Whom with the Fa­ther, and the holy Spirit, we render and ascribe all possible praise, glory, and thanksgiving, now at this present, and for evermore.

AMEN.

I Am loath to spend time in speaking by way of preamble, of the authour, or stile, and phrase of this epistle: Onely in brief, you may please to take notice, that the whole epistle is a kinde of Syllogism, though expansà manu, in a rhetoricall manner. The Proposition and Assumpti­on whereof are in the former part, unto the words of my text: And the Conclusion from thence unto the end.

This whole verse that I have made choice to treat of at this time, is Oratio translatitia, a bor­rowed or figurative speech, or continued Meta­phor throughout. The generall scope, and argu­ment whereof, is matter of exhortation. And for orders sake, I divide it into two parts.

1. The exhortation it self, or the matter whereunto we are exhorted, in these words, Let us runne the race that is set before us.

[Page 2]2. The circumstances whereby the Apostle in­forceth his exhortation; which are these three:

1. An inducement or motive; Seeing that we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses.

2. A direction how to prepare, & fit our selves to the performance of the dutie to which we are exhorted; Casting away every thing that presseth down, and the sinne which hangeth so fast on us.

3. The manner how we are to runne this race; With patience.

This shall suffice for the Analyticall resolution of the words; for these points thus enfolded in order, will (as I suppose) make the whole matter plain and evident.

1. We are to consider the exhortation it self, in these words; Let us runne the race that is set before us. It is a Metaphoricall speech familiarly used in the writings of this Apostle, as appeareth not one­ly here, but also in sundrie other places of his epi­stles: for so he speaketh to the Corinthians;1. Cor. 9.24 Know ye not, that they which runne in a race, runne all; yet one receiveth the prize? So runne that ye may obtain. And to the Philippians;Philip. 3.14 And follow hard towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And by this Metaphor the Apostle admonisheth us of the condition of our life, which is like a race, wherein runners do exercise them­selves, and strive for the prize. Chrysostom set­teth out this Metaphor more plainly and fully, af­firming our life, to be a race, the law and the gospel, to be the two rails or lists; God and the Saints, to be spectatours: that we are the runners, and that Je­sus [Page 3] is at the goale or mark, as a rewarder, to give the prize, which is eternall life. The life there­fore of a Christian is not (as the carnall professour accounteth it) a stool and a cushion, matter of ease. We must not think to be carried to heaven in a feather-bed; our faith is not sedentaria fides, a sitting, but a running faith; not an idle, but a work­ing faith; if the Poet said truely,

If such as runne for an earthly prize, (which commonly is nothing but a whiffe of vain glorie, which perisheth in the enjoying) endure so much both in preparing themselves, and also perform­ing the race; then what pains, what labour should seem too great to us, which runne for a heavenly and everlasting prize? we must not conceive that we are brought into this life, ad otium & delicias; to be idle and voluptuous; but to sustain labour, and endure pains and sweat; not to see others runne, but to runne our selves. And therefore we are not to dream of ease and pleasure, in the possession of Christianitie, but let us runne. This life isBern. via re­gni, non regnum; but the way to the kingdome, not the kingdome it self. There is no expecting the prize, untill the race be ended. We must not look for2. Tim. 4.7, 8. the crown of righteousnesse, with S. Paul, untill with him, we have sought the good sight, finished our course, and kept the faith.

Let us runne the race.] A race is a swift motion, with all earnestnesse and striving: and such must [Page 4] our progresse be in the way to heaven: not creep­ing like snails, but swift as an eagle,Philip. 3.1 following or pressing hard towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus. The originall word [...], is observed to signifiePareus in locum. both the place to runne in, which the Latines call stadium, a race-plot, & also the action it self of running therein. And in the proprietie of the signification thereof, it pointeth out the manner of the race which we are to runne, viz. that it must be performed with labour and striving, more athletarum, after the manner of champions, or wrestlers: for so I finde the word used by our Apostle in the 4. verse of this chapter,Heb. 12.4. Ye have not yet resisted unto bloud, [...], striving against sinne. And thereforeJob 7.1. Job compareth the life of man to a warfare upon earth. And the Apostle affirmeth the way to heaven, to beAct. 14.21. through many afflictions. Which moved him to encourage Timothie, and stirre him up in these words,2. Tim. 2.3. Thou therefore suffer affliction, as a good souldier of Jesus Christ. In the race we shall meet, and must encounter with ene­mies: though it be a race, yet it is Certamen cursori­um; a running fight, or a fighting race, whether you please. And therefore the Apostle directs us toEph. 6.11. &c. put on armour, even the whole armour of God, in­structing us in every part thereof, from the head to the foot: and that being so armed, we play the souldiers, and2. Tim. 4.7. fight a good fight. And indeed, if the race and way were plain, and without impe­diments, there needed no such earnest exhortati­on, to inforce us to enter into it; for who would [Page 5] refuse? But we must runne with resolution to out-runne, and to overthrow whatsoever doth oppose us in the way. We must be like those Jews which repaired the Temple in the time of Nehemiah, which being beset with many enemies seeking to oppose and hinder them,Neh. 4.17. wrought upon the wall with one hand, and with the other held the sword, ready to defend themselves, and beat back others that would attempt to hinder them: so must we be ex­pedite and nimble in gathering up our feet to runne the race toward heaven; and yet withall carry our weapons in our hands, ready to beat back and over­throw all such enemies as shall oppose us, stop our course, or turn us out of the way. If this was not so, every one would be ready to enter into the race: but Hinc illae lacrymae; this is that which dis­courageth the carnall man: he would gladly go to heaven, but he cannot endure to heare of this la­bour and pains, this running, and sweating, and fighting. He could heartily wish, with the sonnes of Zebedeus, toMat. 20.21, 22. sit at the right hand or left hand of Christ in his kingdome: but he cannot endure to heare of drinking of his cup, nor being baptized with his baptisme of the crosse: seeing heaven must cost so deare, he had rather bid it farewell, and with De­mas,2. Tim. 4.10. embrace this present world. But what race is it, that with so much labour and pains, courage and fortitude must be performed of us? Let the Apostle answer in his own words, The race that is set before us. The wicked run in their race, and that very swiftly, and with great resolution:Jer. 8.6. E­very one turneth to his race, as the horse rusheth into [Page 6] the battell, through thick and thin, no dromedarie swifter: but alas! it is not in the race set before us, but in a race of their own choosing; not in theMat. 7.1 [...], 14. strait way that leadeth unto life, but in the by-paths of sin which lead unto destruction, and the broad way which tendeth unto hell and damnation. We must not runne thus; for then the swifter we are, the more we hasten to our destruction, and the sooner we arrive at hell gates. But our race must be the race set before us, our course is limited; we must be sure to keep within the two lists or rails of the Law and the Gospel, wherein God hath set and pointed out this race before us. For therein every Christian may finde out a double race appointed by God for him to runne; 1. The generall race of Christianitie, which all without exception are bound to runne: and it is that which David promi­seth to perform;Psal. 119.32 I will runne the way of thy com­mandments. 2. The particular race of every man his vocation or calling, concerning which the Apostle hath an expresse rule;1. Cor. 7.17 As God hath di­stributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And again,Vers. 20. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. For both these callings we have full and absolute dire­ction in the word of God, in the Law and the Go­spel; and whatsoever we finde therein commended unto us, that is the race set before us. This therefore doth directly crosse a double point of Poperie. First, their voluntary afflicting themselves by whippings, pilgrimages, and such other like inven­tions of their own brain, for which they have no [Page 7] ground from the word of God, neither Law nor Gospel. This is not toMar. 8.34. take up the crosse of Christ and beare it, but to devise and frame a crosse unto themselves of their own devising. This is not to runne the race set before us; but a race of their own inventing, as if they were wiser then Christ, and could finde out a better way to heaven, then he hath set before us in his Gospel. Secondly, the like may be said of all manner of will-worship, whereof the greatest part of the religion of the Church of Rome consisteth; viz. their holy wa­ter, their holy ashes, pilgrimages, adoration of reliques, &c. whereof our Saviour Christ saith,Mark 7.7. In vain ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men: all which when they shall plead by way of merit at the last day, Christ will answer them as God did sometime the Jews in the like case,Isa. 1.12. Who required these things at your hands? For these are not the race set before us, but idle inventions and traditions of men.

To conclude, by this phrase of speech, the Apostle implieth, that God is [...], a race-ma­ster, who bringeth us into this world, as into a race, to runne, and out-runne; to strive and fight, before he give us the prize, which is the crown of glorie: and therefore our race must be directed according to his will, or else we runne in vain, and lose the prize. This consideration of the Au­thour, or Master of the race, doth yeeld unto us a double use.

1. To stirre us up with cheerfulnesse and ala­critie in running this spirituall race; because we [Page 8] have Deum praesidem cum coelesti brabio, God the pre­sident of the race with the heavenly prize. Which cannot but notably encourage us in the way of pi­etie, and an holy conversation; according to that which is said of our Saviour Jesus Christ, that,Heb. 12 2. For the joy that was set before him, he endured the crosse, despising the shame, and is set at the right hand of the throne of God.

2. The will and presence of God ought to arm us with patience and constancie against all manner of wearinesse, trouble, and difficultie in this race; especially remembring that of the Apostle,1. Cor. 10.13. God is faithfull, and will not suffer us to be tempted above that we be able, but will with the temptation also make away to escape, that we may be able to bear it: for it is as if our Saviour Christ should reach out the heavenly crown towards us, and say, Here it is; winne it, and weare it: or (as Austine saith) as if God should crie from heaven,In Psal. 39. Specto vos, lucta­mini adjuvabo, vincite ego vos coronabo; I behold, strive and I will help you, overcome and I will crown you. For so he promised unto the Church of Smyr­na;Apoc. 1.10. Be thou faithfull unto the death, and I will give thee the crown of life. And thus much shall suffice concerning the exhortation.

2. We are to treat of the circumstances infor­cing the exhortation, which before appeared to be three. I shall not need to repeat them, but to handle them in order.

1. The first, which offereth it self to our consi­deration, is the motive, or inducement to excite us to the practise of this dutie, in these words, [Page 9] Wherefore seeing that we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses. In this inference wherefore, he sheweth to what end it was that he recited so long aHe [...]r. 11. catalogue of Saints, whose faith was famous, and excelled under the law, viz. that by their ex­ample he might excite and encourage us to tread in their steps, and follow their example. And there is an emphasis in these words, [...], let us also: If they did so happily runne the race, & finish their course, much more ought we to do the like, because of our happie estate above theirs,Heb. 11.40. God providing a better thing for us, that they without us should not be perfect; they but expecting and de­siring that which we have seen in the full comple­ment. The Apostle draweth his argument ab ex­emplo, because examples are matter of sense, and for the most part move more then precepts: and also to shew that he doth not perswade us to an im­possibilitie; because he sheweth apparently that it hath been done by others before us. It is in effect the same with that of Saint James,Jam. 5.10. Take (my bre­thren) the Prophets for an ensample of suffering ad­versitie, and of long patience: as if he had said, Look upon the examples of the Prophets, Patriarchs, & Saints of God, which have runne the race with faith and patience before you. But let us consider the words themselves: Seeing that we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses. Wherein we may observe three things. 1. Why it is called a cloud. 2. Why it is termed great. 3. Whereof it is said to consist; viz. of witnesses.

1. The word cloud is here used Metaphorical­ly,Paraus in locum. [Page 10] pro condensata & copiosa Patrum multitudine; for the copious and condensate multitude of the Fa­thers. And they are so called (according to the ancient Fathers) for two reasons: the one whereof is taken from the Cause, and the other from the Effect.

1. From the cause; viz. As clouds are by the heat of the sunne extracted or exhaled out of the grosse substance of the elements of the earth and water; but being elevated and sublimed towards the upper region of the aire, are rarefied and made of a more subtile and celestiall nature: So the Saints of God are by theMal. 4.2. Sunne of righteousnesse, as it were, exhaled out of the grosse and sinfull masse of mankinde lost in Adam; but are by him sublimed and transformed into a more excellent, spirituall, and heavenly nature, and at the last trans­lated into heaven it self. SoJam. 5.17. Elias was a man sub­ject to the like infirmities as we are; and yet2. King. 3.11. went up by a whirlwinde into heaven. But especially here­unto alludeth that of our Saviour Christ himself,Joh. 1 [...].32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

2. From the effect; because they produce a pa­rallell effect with the clouds; notProv. 15.15 clouds without rain, butIs [...]. 45.8. clouds that drop down righteousnesse; like unto aChap. 18.4. cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For so areIn locum. Lyra his words; Propter vitae fastigium, & doctri­nae stillicidium, congregatio Sanctorum dicitur nubes; For the excellencie of their lives, and the sweet distil­ling showers of their doctrine, the societie of the Saints is called a cloud. For like as sweet showers of rain [Page 11] falling from the clouds, refresh the dry and thirsty ground; so do the examples of the faith and holi­nesse of the Saints, and the patience of the Mar­tyrs of Christ Jesus, together with the sweet di­stilling drops of their heavenly doctrine, refresh those that are in the1. Pet. 4.1 [...]. fiery triall. August. Sanguis martyrum est semen Ecclesiae; The bloud of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church.

To these two reasons of the ancient Fathers, M^r.In locum. Perkins hath added a third, viz. that as the children of Israel had their cloud to guide and di­rect them through the vast wildernesse unto the land of Canaan; so now also, that the Church orGal. 6.16. Israel of God might not be destitute of a cloud for their direction through the wildernesse of this world to the spirituall Canaan, the land of ever­lasting life, this cloud of witnesses is propounded as their pattern. To which purpose their eyes should be alwayes fixed upon this cloud of wit­nesses.

2. It is called a great cloud, because it consists of so many thousands & myriads of Patriarchs, Pro­phets, Saints, and Martyrs. And so much also the other epithite doth expresse, [...], com­passing us about, or placed round about us: so that which way soever we turn our selves or cast our eyes (as if the whole aire was filled with this cloud) we may behold famous examples for us to imitate and follow. And this cloud may fitly be compared to Eliah his cloud, which at the first was but a little one,1. King. 18.44, 45. arising out of the sea like a mans hand; but after a short time it overspread the [Page 12] heaven which was black therewith: so this cloud at the first appeared very small, consisting but of one single person, viz. of righteousGen. 4. Abel under the Law, and ofAct. 7. Stephen the Protomartyr und [...]r the Gospel. But it is now increased to an exceed­ing greatnesse, consisting of thousand thousands.

3. This cloud is said to consist of witnesses; for so the Apostle stileth the Patriarchs, Prophets, A­postles, Saints, and Martyrs of Jesus Christ. And they are so called, Activè, & Passivé; Actively, and Passively.

1. Actively, because they did both in their life and doctrine admirably testifie Gods goodnesse, truth, mercy, power, providence, &c. and also by their example gave a singular testimony of the excellencie of their faith and pietie, whereby one­ly we may please God. And hereof the Apostle speaketh at largeHeb. 11.4. in the former chapter, from the fourth to the 34 verse.

2. Passively, because they suffered with faith, pa­tience, and constancie, manifold afflictions; and some of them martyrdome it self, for the testimo­nie of the truth of God, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this also our Apostle hath excellent­ly set forth in the former chapter;Ibid. ver. 35, 36, 37.38 Others also were racked, and others were tried by mockings, and scourgings: yea moreover, by bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, were slain with the sword, they wandred up and down in sheeps skinnes and goats-skinnes, being de­stitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered in wildernesses, and moun­tains, [Page 13] and dens, and caves of the earth. And that is it which maketh a perfect witnesse, when the truth is sealed unto by afflictions, and (if the case so re­quired) by laying down their lives, and shedding of their bloud [...] to which the original word [...] agreeth; which may be translated either witnesses or martyrs; a Martyr being nothing else but a witnesse suffering death in the cause of Christ Jesus and his Gospel. And well may these be cal­led witnesses: for as they have already witnessed in this kinde while they lived upon earth, so also when theMal, 3.5. Lord shall come to be a swift witnesse in judgement, this cloud of witnesses shall again com­passe us about, and witnesse (if we hold the same course which they have done) with us; and if not, against us. This then is the inducing reason & mo­ving cause wherewith the Apostle doth excite and encourage us to the dutie of running the race set be­fore us; viz. that seeing so many famous Saints and Martyrs have with faith and patience runne the race before us; and now (having finished their course) enjoy the prize, and sit crowned with glory in heaven; we also (moved with their ex­ample) do with the like zeal and pietie, faith and patience, runne the race set before us; that we also in our due time may receive the prize, even the crown of glory and immortalitie.

2. The Apostle doth not content himself to have exhorted and moved us to undertake the duty of running the race set before us, and also to have encouraged us thereunto by the examples of the Saints and Martyrs of Christ; but also knowing it [Page 14] to be a matter not onely of high consequence, but also of great difficultie) he proceedeth to teach us in the second circumstance, how to prepare our selves that we may be the more fit and able to per­form this great task required of us, viz. in these words (as they run in the originall) Casting away every thing that presseth down, and the sinne that hang­eth so fast on. And the manner of his direction for preparation consisteth in removing such impedi­ments as might prove heavie and troublesome, and so hinder us in the race. And these impedi­ments are here expressed, 1. in generall; 2. in par­ticular.

1. In generall, he exhorteth us to cast away every thing that presseth down. The originall word [...], Beza translateth in Latin, pondus, a weight; Erasmus, onus, a burden; and others crassam & tar­dam molem; whatsoever is grosse, heavie, and bur­densome, or troublesome in the way. Wherein he al­ludeth to the Metaphor of running in a race: for like as nothing doth sooner cause the champions to come short, and lose the prize, then grossenesse of body, or any heavie burden which they sustain and carrie with them: So neither is there any greater impediment to the agilitie and nimblenesse of the soul in the race and way to heaven, then those things which are burdensome to the spirit, and do depresse and keep it down from mounting aloft, and soaring towards heaven. Of which kinde are the delights of the world, the cares of this life, the lusts of the flesh, securitie, riot, and whatso­ever else being heavie and troublesome doth hin­der [Page 15] us in the spirituall race. All must be laid aside and cast away that we may runne inoffenso pede, without tripping or stumbling, without let or impe­diment, to the end of the race, that we may obtain the prize. Under this [...], the ancient Fathers do reduce all manner of impediments; not onely the having or using of things unlawfull, but also the abuse, or inexpedient use of things indifferent or commanded. For prayer may bePsal. 11 [...].7. turned into sinne; and our table may be madePsal. 69 22. a snare to catch us withall, and our prosperitie, our ruine. The guests which were invited to theLuk. 14.16, 18, 19, 20. great sup­per, intangled themselves with farms, and oxen, and wives; things indifferent, and very lawfull to be used: but yet were they so used, or rather abused by them, that they proved sufficient impediments to exclude them for ever from that heavenly sup­per; as appeareth by that peremptorie and diffini­tive sentence of the Master of the feast, I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, Vers. 24. shall taste of my supper. Lawfulnesse without expediencie, is not to be followed: & therefore the Apostle doth well exhort us to1. Cor. 7.31 use this world, as if we used it not: for all these worldly things must be laid aside; and with the same Apostle, bePhil. 3.8. accounted as dung and cast away, so farre, or when we finde them impe­diments in the race and way towards heaven; that so we may not be insnared, or shackled with the gives and fetters of these earthly things. It is dan­gerous toHabac. [...].6. lade our selves with thick clay; which made our Saviour Christ say of a rich mans enter­ing into heaven;Mat. 19.24. It is easier for a camel to go through [Page 16] the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heaven. Yea, and S. Mark speaking of the same point, he affirmeth it to beMark 10.27 [...], impossible with men, though all things be possible with God. To conclude: it is the same in effect with that of our Saviour Christ,Mat 5.29.30 If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy mem­bers perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast in­to hell. Whatsoever thou possessest in this present world, though it be as deare unto thee as thy right eye, or thy right hand; yet if it prove to be an im­pediment unto thee in thy way or race towards heaven, cast it away and abhorre it for ever: yea, though it be more precious then farms, and oxen, and worldly pelf; even as thy father that begat thee, thy mother that bare thee, or thy wife in thy bosome. Remember that heavenly counsel which Hierome gave to Heliodorus, exhorting him to renounce this present world, and follow Christ:Epist. lib. 2. epist. 6. Licèt parvulus ex collo pendeat nepos, licèt sparso cri­ne & scissis vestibus ubera quibus te nutrierat mater ostendat, licèt in limine pater jaceat; per calcatum perge patrem, siccis oculis ad vexillum crucis evola: Though thy prettie smiling son hang about thy neck, though thy mother with her hair cast about her shoulders, and gar­ments rent, should hold forth and beseech thee by those breasts that once gave thee suck; yea, though thy father should lay himself crosse the threshold to stop the passage; yet trample upon him, passe over him, and with dry eyes haste thee to the banner of the crosse, the standard [Page 17] of Christ crucified. And a little after, Solum pictatis genus est, in hac re esse crudelem: It is a singular kinde of pietie (saith he) to be cruell, untractable, or such a one as will not be intreated in this case. With such resolution therefore should we reject lusts, plea­sures, riches, honours, and whatsoever else doth presse down, and hinder us in the way to heaven. For our Saviour Christ saith,Luk. 14.26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And again,Mat. 10.3 [...] He that loveth father or mother more then me, is not wor­thie of me. And these are the generall impediments which must be cast away, because they presse down, and hinder us in running the race set before us.

2. The Apostle in particular points out the chief impediments which we must especially above all other, as the most troublesome and dangerous, be­ware of, and cast away, viz. sinne. Which he doth therefore describe by a fit epithite to expresse the nature of it. [...], the sinne that hangeth so fast on. WhichI [...] locum. Chrysostom saith may be taken either Actively, v [...]z. which doth easily circum­vent us; or Passively, viz. which may be easily circumvented by us. But I conceive the Active more properly to agree to this place; for I suppose that the Apostles intent & scope here, was not by this epithite to extenuate, but rather to aggravate the trouble of sinne; and to set it forth as a chief and principall impediment in running the race set before us. And according to this sense Beza doth translate it,In Annot. Et peccato ad nos circumcingendos pro­clivi; And the sinne which is so prone and readie to in­close [Page 18] close us, or compasse us about. Erasmus readeth it, Et tenaciter inhaerente peccato; And the sinne which doth adhere and cleave unto us: which agreeth in the sense, though it answer not expresly to the words; [...] (as Beza observeth) being never found in that signification, though there want not some which think, that the Apostle did allude to that place of the ProphetEzek. 24.6. Ezekiel, where the wicked are compared to a pot, whose rust, or scumme cleaveth so fast to it, that it cannot without great difficultie be scraped or rubbed off. And indeed sinne is very fitly so called from the effect, as then which nothing is more apt to compasse and inclose us, and as it were with strong bonds to detain us, & so hinder us in the race: so that when we should be nimbly running, orPhil. 3.14. pressing forward toward the mark; our feet, the feet of our souls, which are our affections (according to S. Austine) seem to be tied, or settered together with the bonds of sinne and naturall corruption.I : locum. Semper est in prom­ptu, ut cursum nostrum ad vitam beatam impediat, (saith Tremellius) It is ever at hand to hinder our progresse to everlasting life. And soƲbi suprà. Beza also; Nos undique peccatum obsidet, ità ut excurrere non possi­mus: Sinne so besiegeth us on all parts, that we cannot runne directly on to the end of the race: yea, the na­ture of sinne is like a scorpion, to embrace and clasp a man, and winding the tail about to sting and destroy. And this may be understood either Gene­rally of all manner of sin, as hath already appeared; or else in Particular of some one peculiar kinde of sin. And so there are too kindes to which the word [...], hanging so fast on, doth most fitly agree.

[Page 19]1. If we understand in particular by it, pecca­tum illud inhabitans in carne etiam sanctorum; that sinne dwelling in the flesh even of the regenerate: which by no studie, labour, nor industrie can be utterly suppressed; but it will still trouble and hinder the godly, and assay to turn them out of the right way, which leadeth to life everlasting. This is that originall concupiscence dwelling in the flesh, whereof the Apostle complains so bitterly:Rom. 7.23, 24. But I see (saith he) another law in my members warring against the law of my minde, and bringing me into captivitie to the law of sinne which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deli­ver me from the body of this death? And elsewhere he calls it (according to divers interpreters) [...]. C [...]r. 1 [...].7, [...]. A prick in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him; and saith, that thrise he besought the Lord that it might depart from him, but received no other an­swer, but My grace is sufficient for thee: and there­fore it may very fitly be called [...], the sinne that hangeth so fast on. And it seemeth that the Apostle having this experience in himself former­ly, and being yet mindefull thereof, exhorteth the Hebrews especially to labour to cast it off; not that in this life it can be wholly cast away and utterly rooted out; but yet by that grace from above, power is granted to the godly so to suppresse it, that it may not carry them awayRom. 7.2 [...]. captive unto sinne, orChap. 6.12. reigne in their mortall bodies; or ensnare them suis insidiis, with his subtile stratagems.

2. If we understand it of some one particular be­loved darling-sinne, wherewith a man is most de­lighted: as every man living hath first or last a pecca­tum [Page 20] in deliciis, a darling sin, which seems unto him but peccatillum, some small pettie sinne, though it be never so great. And commonly this kinde of sinne is so sweet unto the sinner, and so entirely affected, that a man will forsake all that ever he possesseth, yea and adventure life it self rather then forsake it: yea many a one hath lost heaven to enjoy it. And therefore this kinde of sinne also may fitly be cal­led [...], the sinne that hangeth so fast on. And the sinner will be contented to part with all other sinnes, that he may still enjoy this sinne. Hereof Naaman is usually alledged as an example, who acknowledged to Elisha that there was2. Kin [...]. [...]. 15, 1 [...], no God in all the world but in Israel; and promised to of­fer neither burnt-sacrifice, nor offering unto any other God, save unto the Lord: but with condition that he might still enjoy his darling sinne of covetousnesse and ambitious desire of honour; to which purpose he must be dispensed with, to be an idolater still, as his own words seem to import; 18 Herein the Lord be mercifull unto thy servant, that when my master go­eth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and lean­eth on mine hand, and I bowe my self in the house of Rimmon; the Lord be mercifull unto thy servant in this point. And therefore is not this the sinne that hang­eth so fast on? So HerodM [...]rk. 6.20. feared John Baptist. know­ing that he was a just man & an holy) and reveren­ced him: & when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly, untill he touched upon his darling sinne, saying,Verse 18. It is not lawfull for thee to have thy brothers wife. But when that came into que­stion, he resolved that John Baptist should lose his head, and he himself hazard his life and kingdome, [Page 21] rather then part with his darling & beloved sinne. And so likewise S. Austine confesseth, that after his conversion his peccatum in deliciis, his darling sinne would not leave him of a long time; but still did as it were whisper into his eares inticing words, O wilt thou forsake me now? &c. And therefore it is cleare, that he also found it to be a sinne that hang­eth fast on, and is not (without great difficultie) forsaken, or cast away. And therefore well might the Apostle point out sinne, and especially such sinnes as these, as the chief impediments in running the heavenly race; which if we desire, with the cloud of witnesses, to finish with joy, that we may ob­tain the prize of eternall glorie, we must cast away every thing that presseth down, all impediments in generall, especially that sinne which hangeth so fast on: And above all other sinnes these bewitching, beloved, and darling sinnes, which do so strongly depresse, ensnare, and hinder us in the way; that we may be the better fitted and enabled to runne the race set before us. And this may suffice concerning the second circumstance of Preparation.

3. In the last place the Apostle directeth us for the manner, how this race must be runne; viz. be­ing directed by the word of God, encouraged by the cloud of witnesses, and prepared by removing or casting away all impediments, the race must be runne with patience. For all that went before is not suffi­cient; the prize will not be obtained except this also be added, that we hold out to the end of the race with patience. Every man is ready to set for­ward busily at the beginning, but their winde fail­eth before they come neare to the end of the [Page 22] race; and so they faint, come short, and lose the prize. The way to heaven is fitly compared toGen. 28.12. Jacobs ladder, which stood upon the earth, but the top of it reached up to heaven: and therefore it is to little purpose to ascend one or two of the rounds or steps of that ladder, and no more: there is no step­ping into heaven untill we have passed them all; we cannot go to heaven per saltum, by a leap or jump; it is not had in a trice, but by going forward by steps and degrees, and holding out with pati­ence unto the end. We must strive, and sweat, and labour, and yet persevere without fainting: for our Saviour Christ saith,Mar. [...].13. Whosoever shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved. For if in the way we wax weary, and with theMat 25.4, 5 foolish virgins fall asleep; we shall be sure with them to be excluded when the Bridegroom cometh. It is not enough to begin well, nor to continue for a time onely; but we must runne [...], with patience: of [...] and [...], of enduring under any thing: like a man that standeth under some weightie burden, readie to presse him down, and yet he resolveth with pa­tience to sustain and endure it. So must we in this race be letted by no impediments, nor faint and be short-winded, but runne it throughout unto the end. Now therefore it appeares, that to the run­ning of this race aright, the Apostle requireth three speciall vertues of us.

1. Diligence: for we must runne, not walk, or creep like snails; according to that prophesie of the Gentiles flocking to Christ;Isa 60. [...]. Qui sunt isti, qui vo­lant ut nubes, &c. Who are these that flie like a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? The way to hea­ven [Page 23] is not easie, or a short journey, which every dreaming droan or creeping snail may perform with ease, going and staying at his pleasure; but (as Christ saith)Matt. 11.12 Regnum coelorum vim patitur, & violenti rapiunt illud; The kingdome of heaven suf­fers violence, and the violent take it by force. A man must be earnest and zealous in his religion: for if he be butApoc. 3.16. luke-warm, God threatneth to spew him out of his mouth. God loveth zeal and ferven­cie, but he cannot away with half-service, nor such as areAct. 26.28. almost Christians, like Agrippa. Under the Law he would not take lame, or halting sacrifice; and under the Gospel he abhorreth slow, lame, and imperfect service. Saint James saith,Jam. 1.19. Be swift to heare: and what he requireth in that one, is re­quisite in all other Christian duties.Jer. 48.10. Cursed (saith the Prophet) be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently. Peter and JohnJoh. 20. [...]. ran both together, stri­ving who should come first to the sepulchre of Christ. How much more ought we to runne, and strive to outrunne others, that we may come first to be with him in glorie?

2. Abstinence: Whatsoever letteth and hin­dereth us in the race, must be cast away: we areJob. 7. [...]0. burdens to our selves, and therefore had need to be free from all other impediments which might molest and trouble us in the way, when we should be nimbly footing it towards heaven.

3. Patience: For if we be short-winded, and faint in the way, we lose the prize, and run in vain. And this last vertue of Patience, is required for two reasons:

1. For suffering, and enduring afflictions and [Page 24] other impediments: for patience will teach us to passe through all the pricks, even with joy. When we consider, or cast our eyes upon the manifold troubles, afflictions, crosses, and enemies, which we must encounter with in the way; our spirits may peradventure begin to faint and droop with­in us: but if we lift up our eyes from the earth, and look to Christ calling, the Spirit assisting, the Father blessing, the Angels comforting, the Word directing, and the Crown inviting; it will make us like thePsal. 19.15. Sunne, which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoyceth as a mightie giant to run his race. And therefore the Apostle insinu­ateth this motive to stirre us up to patience in the race;Heb. 12.2, 3. Looking unto Jesus the authour and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, en­dured the crosse, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider therefore him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied, and faint in your mindes. Look to the prize with the cloud of witnesses; and that will give us patience in the midst of all troubles and afflictions. The hope of that made Jeremiah his prison patiently to endure, Isaiah his saw, Andrew his cruell crosse, and Lau­rence his burning gridiron: this moved Peter and Andrew to imbrace, and kisse the crosse, whereon they were presently to be crucfied: for they re­joyced to suffer here, because they expected a kingdome elsewhere, knowing that if they suffered with Christ, they should also be glorified with him. This filled the heart of Paul with courage to an­swer the brethren, (which besought him with [Page 25] teares, not to go up to Jerusalem, because the daughters of Philip the Evangelist being prophe­tesses, foretold what grievous afflictions should befall him there) in these words,Act. 21.13. What mean ye to weep, and to break my heart? for I am readie not to be bound onely, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. This example is worthie of our imi­tation, that so nothing may terrifie, daunt, discou­rage, or stay us in the race. Remember that Hierom saith to Heliodorus,Hierom. epist. ad Heli­odorum. Paupertatem times? Sed beatos Christus pauperes appellat. Labore terreris? At nemo athleta sine sudore coronatur. De cibo cogitas? Sed fi­des famem non timet. Super nudam metuis humum exe­sa jejuniis membra collidere? Sed Dominus tecum jacet. Doest thou fear povertie? but Christ saith, Blessed are the poore. Doth danger afright thee? but no champion is crowned without labour. Art thou carefull for thy food? but faith feareth not famine. Art thou afraid to commit thy body, consumed with fasting, to the naked ground? but the Lord will lie there by thee. Can the souldier be in the battell, and not fight? the ship among the waves, and not be tossed? or the Chri­stian in the Church militant, and not be buffetted? No, no; these and other such like troubles will meet us, and oppose us in the race. Delicatus es, Hierom. ubi suprà. si & hîc vis gaudere cum seculo, & postea regnare cum Christo, Thou art too delicate and tender, if thou de­sirest both to take thy pleasure with this world here, and also to reigne with Christ hereafter. Remember that of our Saviour, spoken to his disciples,Luk. 21.16, 17. Ye shall be betrayed also of your parents, and of your bre­thren, and kinsmen, and friends: and some of you shall they put to death: And ye shall be hated of all men for [Page 26] my names sake: and the counsel which he gave them in that case,Vers. 1 [...]. In your patience possesse your souls.

2. The Apostle saith truely, thatHeb. 10.36. we have all need of patience, that we might continue, and hold out to the end of the race; or els the happie prize is lost for ever. We must not in this race be like those carnall Israelites, which after they were come to the very skirts of Canaan, then looked back to theNum. 11.5. flesh-pots of Egypt, remembring the fish which they did eat in Egypt for nought, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but as we have be­gun, so must we2. Tim. [...].7. finish our course, andPhil. [...]. [...]2. work out our salvation with fear and trembling. You shall finde a man which begins well, but faints and quails be­fore he come to the end of the race. How many sh [...]ll we see for a fit very devout,Bern. de du­obus di [...]. eu [...]. ad Em­ma [...]. Quorum oculi sunt sicut piscinae Heshbon prae multitudine lacrymarum; sed (horâ compunctionis transactà) ità superbi sunt sicut anté? Whose eyes are like the pools of Heshbon, for the multitude of their tears: But (the houre of compunction being past) they are as proud as they were before, and return to their old bias again? Many make goodly glorious shews for a time; but miscarry before the end. This is not to run the race which is set before us, with patience and perseverance: Ger. 32.24, 28, 19. Jacob wrestled (all the night) unto the breaking of the day, be­fore he prevailed, and obtained the blessing. And our service to God should be like his mercies to us, whichPsal. 136. endure for ever. Jacob servedGen. 29.18, [...]0. sev [...]n yeares for Rachel; and the Scripture testifieth, that they seemed to him but a few dayes, because he loved her. Then why should we think much to serve all [Page 27] the dayes of our lives for this prize? For what was Rachel to heaven? The sailer oftentimes passeth the main sea in quiet, and yet suffereth shipwrack in the haven: the corn sometimes promiseth a rich harvest in the blade, and yet is blasted in the eare: the tree pretendeth plenty in the blossom, and yet affords but withered fruit.Lu [...]. 1 [...].32. Remember Lots wife; Conversa est in columnam salis, ut te condiat (saith Austine) She was turned into a pillar of salt, to season thee with the salt of grace, to beware of the like sin. Judas lived with Jesus, and for a time ranne well; and yet playing the Apostate, and betraying his Lord and Master, became his own executioner, and is now gone to his place. So unlesse thou, having laid a strong foundation, dost build upon ChristMat. 7.24. the rock, and endure in love, continue in faith, and runne with patience to the end of the race; thou art but like a patient that was almost recovered from a dangerous disease; but falling into a relapse, is more deadly, or incurably sick: Or like unto a man that had almost ascended to the top of some tower, or steep rock; but slipping falls headlong to the bottome, without hope of ever attaining to his desire.Luk. 9.62. He that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdome of God. And therefore labour still at thy plough, that thy task may be finished: walk still on thy way, that thy journey may be ended: run out thy race with pa­tience, that the prize may be obtained. If the hus­bandman doth fallow his ground diligently, and stirre it as carefully; but goeth not on to sow his seed, harrow it, & gather out the weeds: what crop shall he reap at the time of harvest? The tree that [Page 28] hath goodly stems and branches, with fair leaves, but no fruit, is provided but for the fire: & thatMat. 25.30 ser­vant which increaseth not his talent, shal be cast in­to utter darknes: there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Some have seemed to nestle in the clouds, yea have beenRevel. 1 [...].4 starres of heaven; and yet cast down to the earth, with the dragons tail. Vidimus lucem ob­tenebrâsse, & de tenebris lucem processisse (saithSoliloq. cap. 2 [...]. S. Au­stine) We have seen the light turned into darknes, and light proceed out of darknes, or (as our Saviour saith) Publicans and sinners enter into heaven, & the children of the kingdome cast out into utter darknes. We must not therefore content our selves to begin well, nor to have made a commendable progresse for a time in the spiritual race; but as the childe increaseth & goeth forward in strength & stature, untill he come to the perfect pitch of a man: so must we go for­ward, and grow in grace, fromM [...]t. 12.20. smoaking flax, to a burning flame: from a grain of mustard-seed, to a branched tree: from grafting, to growing: from grow­ing, to increasing: from increasing, to strengthening: from faith, to hope: from hope, to love: from love, to good living: so marching onPsal. 84 7. from strength to strength, never staying untill we all appeare before God in Sion. Let us therefore, both in the generall race of Christianity, & also in the particular race of our private callings, begin in faith, continue in pa­tience, andPhil. 2.12. work out our salvation with fear and trem­bling: that so having, with the Apostle,2. Tim. [...].7 fought the good fight, finished our course, & kept the faith, we may at last, with the cloud of witnesses, obtain the prize, e­ven the crown of righteousnes, 8 which the Lord, the righ­teous judge, shal give to all them that love his appearing.

IF I should enter into disputation, who this Job was, whether of the posteritie of Abraham, by Esau, and the same which Moses calledGen. 36.33 Jobab, the sonne of Zerah, of Bozrah, whom he mentioneth as the secondVers. 39. of the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel; of which opinion Austine seemeth to be, affirming thatDe civit. Dei. lib. 18. cap. 47. he was neither a native Israelite, nor a Prose­lyte adopted by their law; but born and buried an Idu­mean: Or of the posteritie of Abraham by Keturah his second wife, whomGen. [...]5. he took after the death of Sa­rah; whereof there seemeth to be no small pro­babilitie, because Abraham sent the sonnes which he had by herVers. 5. away from Isaac his sonne (while he yet lived) Eastward, unto the East-countrey: And [Page 2] here it is said of Job, thatJob [...].3. he was the greatest of all the men of the East; which also best agreeth with the genealogies ordinarily prefixed before our late impressions of the holy Bible, or sacred Scri­ptures: Or of the posteritie of Nahor, brother of Abra­ham, Intradic. [...]. i [...] Ger. Rab. S lomon as Hierome and Isidore, with Rupertus, Hugo and some others contend: Or a Canaanite, as some of the Hebrew Rabbies would have him: And also, whether he was a king or not: together with some other such questions handled by ex­positours by way of preface to this book: I should but weary you that heare me, spend the time, and lose my self. And therefore, knowing the words which I have singled out for the subject of my present discourse, to be very copious, I resolve to passe them over in silence, and briefly to proceed unto the text it self. And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about, &c.

This holy man Job, is generally reputed and acknowledged as a mirrour of Patience: inso­much that not onelyIn Job. Lyra, but also many others do repute him therein as a type of Christ Jesus,Phil. 2.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Who being in the form of God, thought it not rob­bery to be equall with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likenesse of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crosse: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bowe, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things [Page 3] under the earth: And that every tongue should con­fesse, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. For, who ever in the world, of eminent estate, was lower depressed and cast down then Job? and from the depth of misery, andJob 2.8. sitting among the ashes, who was higher exalted then Job? For though before his miserie he was a man of great estate; yea,Chap. 1.3. the greatest of all the men of the East; yet doth the Spirit of God testifie, that after he was restored again, the Chap. 42.10. Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. But we may fur­ther remember that he was famous, not onely for that single and singular vertue of Patience, but al­so for all other vertues and graces; so that by the testimonie of Gods own mouthChap. 1.8. there was none like him in the earth. Amongst all which his hea­venly vertues, we have him here set forth in the words of my text as a pattern of the pietie, zeal, and care of parents over their children: watch­ing over their souls, for their good, and everlast­ing salvation. And when the dayes of their feasting were gone about, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offer­ings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sonnes have sinned, and cur­sed God in their hearts: Thus did Job continually. In which words we have the description of a most religious and heavenly duty, carefully per­formed by a most holy father, for the spirituall good of his deare and beloved children. Of which dutie we may, for orders sake, observe foure cir­cumstances.

[Page 4]1. Of the time when it was performed by him, which is expressed in the first, and last words: And it was so when the dayes of their feasting were gone about. Thus did Job every day, or continually.

2. Of the manner of his performing of it: Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning.

3. Of the matter performed by him: And of­fered burnt-offerings according to the number of them.

4. Of the reason, or the moving cause: For Job thought, or said, It may be that my sonnes have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Of these in order.