EXERCITATION 1.Aph 1. Psal. 144. end opened. Blessedness what. Solo­mons scope in Ecclesiastes. Why he stiles him­self Coheleth. His testimony concerning the creatures. Their threefold transcendent vanity. Intellectual accomplishments brought under the same censure, by reason of the folly, enmity, anxi­ety and insufficiency that attend them. An apo­strophe to the world.

§. 1. THis is a case, which hath long since been deter­mined by the Prophet David, who in Psalm the hundred four­ty fourth, after he had twice charged those, whom he calls strange children, with a mouth speaking vanity, once in the eighth, and again in the eleventh verse, goeth on to record (as good Interpre­ters ancient and modern do conceive) Augustin. Ge­nebrard. Ains­worth. Jo. Baptist. Folen­gius in Psal. 144. the substance of their vain talk in a way of boasting about their flourish­ing condition in reference to thriving of children, Our sons, say they, are as plants grown up in their youth (not wish­ing they might, as we reade it, but [Page 3] boasting they were) our daughters as Exerc. 1. corner-stones polished after the similitude of a palace; To plenty of provision, Our garners are full affording all manner of store; To increase and usefulness of cattel, Our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets, Our oxen are strong to labour; To peace and tranquil­lity of estate, There is no breaking in, nor going out, no complaining in our streets. Hereupon they applaud themselves, and as placing their happines in such outward accommodations, say, as it is in the former part of verse the fifteenth, Happy is the people that are in such a case. Beatum dixe­runt populum cui haec sunt. Which sense is extremely favoured, not onely by the vulgar Latine, inserting Dixerunt, but also by the Septuagint, who render it by [...], both concur ring to have it read, They pronounced the people blessed that were in such a case. Then come in the last words according to this interpretation, as the Psalmists re­solution in the point, by way of Epa­northosis, or in express contradiction [Page 4] rather to so gross a mistake, yea blessed are the people which have the Lord for their God.

§. 2. There is one centre in which the desires of all men meet, however distanced in the circumference; One port, for which they are all bound, although imbarked in severall vessels, and affect­ing different winds to sail by. That centre and port is Blessedness, which may admit of this description. It is the acquiescence of rational appetites in an object so full of reall and du­rable goodness, as to be able fully to satisfie all their longings. The questi­on debated in Ecclesiastes is, whether any thing under the sun be such an object. The Preacher resolves it in the negative, by reason of that universal vanity, which overspreads the whole creation. Therefore it is, that the eye Eccles 1. 8. (as he telleth us) is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing, because these two senses of discipline, when they have given their utmost intelli­gence [Page 5] cannot present the soul. of man, with any created accommodati­ons perfectly good without defect, and perpetually good without de­cay. Solomon was one that had both men and money at command, to assist him in making difficult and costly ex­periments; a wise heart able to dive into natures secrets; a peaceable reign, in which he met with nothing to take him off from the work, or disturb him in it; strong inclinations and con­stant endeavours to finde out the ut­most of what could possibly be dis­covered in any creature, yet he it is that concludes, upon triall, not upon hear-say, or conjecture, Vanity of vani­ties, Eccles 1. 1. saith Coheleth, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

§. 3. Coheleth, which is the style he gives himself in that Book, comes from a root, that signifies to collect and gather, and, though it be of a fe­minine termination, is, for want of a common gender in the Hebrew [Page 6] tongue, (as other words of the like form) capable enough of a masculine construction. To him it may be thought agreeable upon four different notions, each whereof contributeth much validity to what he testifies. First as a Preacher, who having gathered sun­dry arguments to convince the sons of men of the insufficiency of all things below God himself to render them happy, in that Discourse speaks as to a Congregation; whereas in the Proverbs he had spoken as to one man, frequently using this compellation, My son. So Hierom, and Cajetan. Se­condly as a writer, who had collected into a Synopsis all the opinions of those, who had been taken for wise men by their severall followers concerning happiness, confuting such as vvere erroneous. So Grotius. Thirdly as a Student, who had gathered much wis­dome by observation and experience, which he there gives demonstration of. So Broughton. Lastly as a Penitent, [Page 7] who having by his gross idolatry and other sins fallen from communion vvith the people of God, and being desirous to have his return stand upon record, and to testifie his repentance in that book, for the Churches satis­faction gathers together many experi­ments of his own personal folly, and makes an humble confession of them: whereupon he was restored, and again gathered into the bosome of the Church. So Cartwright and Junius. The witness vve see is beyond exception.

§. 4. In his Testimony, Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities all is vanity, the Assertion is repeated, as in Pharaohs dream, to shew its certaintie; and the term of vanity doubled, partly to manifest the transcendency thereof, as the most holy place was styled The Ho­ly of Holies, and the most eminent Canticle The Song of Songs: and part­ly to note the multiplicity, as Scri­pture calleth that the Heaven of Hea­vens, which, being highest, contains [Page 8] many heavens within its circumfe­rence. For there is in the creatures a threefold transcendent vanity; as may appear in that they are

First so unprofitable, as to be hurtfull withall. Upon this the Preacher seems to have had a speciall eye, because after All is vanity, he subjoyns imme­diately What profit hath a man of all his Eccles 1. 3. labour, which he hath taken under the sun? He hath done nothing but filled his hands as it were with air, who hath been toyling all his days to replenish his chests with wealth: And what pro­fit Eccles 5. 16. hath he that hath laboured for the wind? Just so much, and no more, then that Emperour got, who having run Septimius Severus. through various and great employ­ments, made this open acknowledge­ment, Omnia sui, sed nihil prosuit, I have been all things, but it hath advantaged me nothing at all. Neither are they simply unprofitable, but this sore evil did Solomon see under the sun, name­ly, Riches kept for the owners thereof to Eccles 5. 13. [Page 9] their hurt. They often prove prejudici­all to the outward man, exposing it to danger. Who ever robbed a poor beg­gar, or begged a poor fool? more often to the inward: whence that of Agur, Give me not riches, but feed me with Prov. 30. 8, 9. food convenient for me; lest I be full, and deny thee, and say who is the Lord? As if abundance made way for Atheisme in those that know not how to manage it. Plenty betrays many souls to sla­very. Which made the good Empe­rour Maximilian second of that name, when a mass of treasure was brought in, refused to have it hoarded up, pro­fessing himself A keeper of men, not of Hominum [...]on opum mihi de­mandata est custodia; quibus si semel capiar illico è Rege servus futurus sum. Beyer­linck. Apoph­theg. Christi­an. pag. 210. money, and fearing lest by falling into love therewith he should cease to be a Sovereign Lord, and become a ser­vant to the mammon of unrighte­ousness.

§. 5. Secondly so deceitfull as to frustrate expectation when mens hopes of advantage by them are at the highest. Let him that would rightly [Page 10] conceive of vanity (saith a late Ca­suist) imagine the Idea of a thing made D. Sanders. praelect. de Jurament. pag. 40. Jonah 2. 8. up of nothing as the matter, and a lie as the form of it. Scripture speaks of lying vanities, and useth the terms de­ceitfull and vain as equipollent. Fa­vour (saith Bathsheba) is deceitfull, and Prov. 31. 30. beauty is vain. The Poet interprets Va­nus Virg. Aeneid. 2. carm. 80. by mendax; and in old Latine va­nare was the same with fallere. The creatures are wont shamefully to fru­strate mens hopes, and seldome or never make good to the enjoyer what they promised to the expectant. Yea as Jonahs gourd (having done him no ser­vice in the night, when he needed it not) withered in the morning, when he hoped for most benefit by it against the ensuing heat of the day: so the blessings of this world frequently wi­ther at such times as we looked to finde the most freshness in, and re­freshment from them. None but Ha­man was invited with the King to Queen Esthers banquet; this filled his [Page 11] bladder with windy hopes, which ended soon after in his ruine.

§. 6. Thirdly so inconstant and mutable as to be gone all on the sud­den without giving their owners warning. That is said to be vain which vanisheth. Man is like to vani­ty, Psalm. 144 4. his days are a shadow that passeth away. Accordingly the two sons of the first man carried in their names a memo­randum of what they and their poste­rity were to expect. Cain signifies pos­session, Abel vanity: All the posses­sions of this world are of a vanishing nature, and liable to a speedy decay; or rather, they are not Possessions but Quod mirari [...] pompa est. Ostenduntur istae res, non possid [...]ntur, & dum placent transeunt. Senec. epist. 110. Pageants, which whilest they please us, pass away from us in a moment. Those we have here are running ban­quets, delicate, and served in with state, but soon over. How many doth swift destruction snatch every day out of the arms of worldly felicity, and stab to the heart at one blow! Be­hold Belteshazzar in the midst of his [Page 12] cups and concubines struck into a deadly trembling. Herod, when the people had newly invested him with a Godhead presently, ere it was well on, had it pulled over his ears, and became a prey to worms. The rich man in our Saviours parable invited himself to a feast of delicacy, and talked of prosperity laid up for many years; but that very night was his soul required of him to pay the rec­koning.

§. 7. These things duely weighed, I could not but be affected with that gallant speech of a Christian writer, If P. De la serv's myrrhour p. 85. the fruition of all the world were to be sold, it would not be so much worth as the labour of ones opening his mouth onely to say, I will not buy it: Yet wondered less at it, when I remembred how much some even heathen Philosophers have dis­dained Major sum, & ad majora ge­nitus, quàm ut mancipium sim me [...]corporis. Senec. epist. 65. to think of scraping to them­selves an happiness out of the worlds dunghill, how generously they have professed their living above such ac­commodations [Page 13] as it affords. I am re­ally greater (could Seneca say) and born to far greater things then that I should become a slave to my out­ward man. For there are some higher acquests gloried in by more sublimed flesh and bloud, as much more con­ducing to blessedness, I mean intel­lectual accomplishments of wisdome and learning. Yet, as when the enqui­ry was Where shall wisdome be found and where is the place of understanding? The Job 28. 13, 14. depth said it is not in me, and the sea said it is not with me; So if the like questi­on be put concerning Happiness, worldly wisdome it self must return the like answer, and say It is not in me, by reason of the folly, enmity, anxie­ty and insufficiency that attend it, so as the Preacher might well deter­mine even of it, This is also vanity. Eccles 2. 15.

§. 8. I. Folly. The wisdome of this world is foolishness with God. So the A­postle, 1 Cor. 3. 19. who speaking elsewhere of those who bore the name of most [Page 14] knowing men, saith They became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart Rom. 1. 21, 22. was darkned, professing themselves wise, they became-fools. With men indeed a little science may make a great shew; but he onely is wise in Gods esteem who is wise to salvation. Give me a man as full of policy as was Achitophel, of eloquence as Tertullus, of learning as the Athenians were in Pauls time; If with Achitophel he plot against the people of God, with Tertullus have the poyson of asps under his lips, with those Athenians be wholly given to su­perstition; for all his policy, elo­quence, and learning, one may be bold to call him fool in Scripture-language. The learned Logician, whom Satan day­ly deceiveth by his sophistry, and keeps from offering up to God reasonable ser­vice, is no better then a fool for all his skill: Nor the subtle Arithmetician who hath not learned to number his days that he might apply his heart to saving wisdome: Nor the cunning Oratour, [Page 15] who although he be of singular abili­ties in the art of perswading men, is of Agrippa's temper himsef but almost per­swaded to be a Christian.

§. 9. II. Enmity. The wisdome of the Rom. 8. 7. flesh is enmity against God. He that cal­leth it so, found it to be so indeed in his own experience; for Paul was no where more opposed then in Greece the eye of Acts 17. v. 16. 18, 32. the world, more derided then at Athens the eye of Greece. Whence it is that S. James, not contenting himself with the epithets of earthly and sensuall, James 3. 15. brands it also with the name of De­vilish wisdome. What else was Mat­chievel but the Devils professour in po­liticks, as Arius, Socinus, and such like masters of errour have been in Divini­ty? And of such Devilish wisdome what other issue can be expected but that it should leade men to the Devil from whom it came? where Bernard Sinete sapientes hujus seculi alta sapientes, & terram [...]nge [...]ter sapienter de­scendere in in­fernum. De vita solitar. leaves them saying, Suffer the wise men of this world to go wisely down to hell.

§. 10. III. Anxiety. Wisdome is [Page 16] neither attained with ease, as requiring much study which is a weariness to the flesh; neither doth it, when attained, administer ease, but the contrary ra­ther: for when study hath been mid­wife to knowledge, knowledge be­comes nurse to grief. Let Solomon speak; I gave my heart to know wisdome, I per­ceived Eccles. 1. 17, 18. that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdome is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sor­row. Many and dreadfull are the damps that seize upon such as dig deep in the mines of learning. Sharp wits like sharp knives do often cut their owners fingers. The deep reach of a prudent man makes him aggra­vate such evils as are already come up­on him, by considering every circum­stance so as to accent every sad consi­deration, and anticipate such as are yet to come, by galloping in his thoughts to meet them. Had not Achitophel been so wise, as to foresee his inevitable ruine in the remote causes of it, when [Page 17] Hushai's counsel was embraced, he would never have made so much hast, as he did, to hang himself.

§. 11. Lastly Insufficiency to ren­der men either holy or happy. For when the worldly-wise have dived into the bottome of Natures sea, they are able to bring up from thence in stead of these pearls of price, nothing but hands full of shels and gravell. Know­ledge indeed and good parts managed by grace are like the rod in Moses his hand wonder-workers; but turn to serpents when they are cast upon the ground, and employed in promoting earthly designes. Learning in religi­ous hearts like that gold in the Israe­lites ear-rings is a most pretious orna­ment: But if men pervert it to base wicked ends, or begin to make an idol of it, as they did a golden calf of their ear-rings, it then becomes an abomi­nation. Doubtles these later times, wherein so many knowing men are of a filthy conversation, and have [Page 18] joyned feet of clay to their heads of gold, would have afforded good store of additional observations to him that wrote the famous book concerning the vanity of Sciences, which appeareth Corn. Agrippa. in nothing more then their inability to produce sutable deportment in such as enjoy them; without which there can be no solid foundation laid for true happiness.

§. 12. Wherefore bething thy self at length, O deluded world, and write over all thy school-doors, Let not the Jerem. 9. 23. wise man glory in his wisdome; Over all thy court-gates, Let not the mighty man glory in his might; Over all thy Ex­changes and Banks, Let not the rich man glory in his riches. Write upon thy look­ing-glasses that of Bathsheba, Favour is Prov. 30. 31. deceitfull and beauty is vain; Upon thy Mewes and Artillery-yards that of the Psalmist, God delighteth not in the strength Psal. 147. 10. of an horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man; Upon thy Taverns, Innes, and Alehouses, that of Solomon, Wine is [Page 19] a mocker, strong drink is raging, and who­soever is deceived thereby is not wise; Upon Prov. 20. 1. thy Magazines and Wardrobes, that of our Saviour, Lay not up for your selves Matth. 6. 19. treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, & where theeves break through and steal. Write upon thy Counting­houses that of Habakkuk, Wo to him Habak. 2. 6. that increaseth that which is not his, how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay. Thy Play-houses that of Paul, Lovers of pleasure more then lovers 2 Tim. 3 4. of God. Thy banquetting houses, that of the same holy Apostle, Meats for the belly and the belly for meats, but God shall 1 Cor. 6. 13. destroy both them and it; Yea upon all thine Accommodations that of the Preacher, All is vanity and vexation of Eccles. 1. 14. spirit.

EXERCITATION 2. A gloss upon Psalme 36. 8. God in Christ a soul­satisfying object. The circular motion of hu­mane souls, and their onely rest. A threefold fulness of God and Christ opposite to the threefold vanity of the creatures.

§. 1. VVHat shall we then say? Are the sons of men, in whom such strong desires and long­ings after blessedness are implanted left without all possible means of at­taining that in which rationall appe­tites may acquiesce? God forbid. They shall be abundantly satisfied, with the fat­ness Psal. 36. 7, 8. of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures: so Da­vid to God concerning such as put their trust under the shadow of his wings. Creature-comforts are but lean bles­sings in comparison, there is a fatness in Gods house, such as satisfies, and that abundantly. They afford but drops, Christ a river of pleasures. Look as when an Army of men comes to drink [Page 21] at a mighty river, a Jordan, a Thames, Exerc. 2. they all go satisfied away, none com­plaining of want, none envying ano­ther, because there was water enough for them all: whereas had they come to a little brook there would not have been found enough to quench the thirst of every one. So here. The creatures are small brooks that have but a little wa­ter in them, yea broken cisterns that hold Jerem. 2. 13. no water: No wonder if souls return empty from them. But Christ hath a ri­ver for his followers, able to give them all satisfaction. We must not expect more from a thing then the Creatour hath put into it. He never intended to put the virtue of soul-satisfying into any mear creature, but hath reserved to himself, Son and Spirit the content­ing of spirits as a principall part of divine prerogative. To such as expect it elsewhere, that person or thing they rely upon may say as Jacob did to Ra­chel, Am I in Gods stead? Gen. 30 2.

§. 2. Certain it is that none can [Page 22] make our souls happy but God who made them, nor any give satisfaction Neque enim facit beatum hominem nisi qui sent homi­nem Deus. Aug. epist. 52. to them but Christ who gave satisfa­ction for them. They were fashioned at first according to the image of God, and nothing short of him who is sti­led the brightness of his Fathers glory, and Heb. 1. 3. the express image of his person can replenish Ad imaginem Dei facta ani­ma rationalis caeteris omnibus occupari potest, repleri non po­test. Bernard. Serm. de bo­nis deserend. them. As when there is a curious im­pression left upon wax, nothing can adequately fill the dimensions and li­neaments of it but the seal that stamp­ed it. Other things may cumber the minde, but not content it. As soon may a trunck be filled with wisdome as a soul with wealth; and bodily substances nourished with shadows, as rationall spirits fed with bodies.

Whatsoever goodness creatures have is derivative, whatsoever happiness they enjoy stands in reduction to the Origi­nall of their being. The motion of im­mortall souls is like that of celestiall bodies purely circular. They rest not without returning back to the same [Page 23] point from whence they issued, which is the bosome of God himself. Fishes are said to visit the place of their spawning yearly, as finding it most commodious for them; and sick pa­tients are usually sent by physicians to their native soil, for the sucking in of that air from which their first breath was received. Heaven is the place where souls were produced; the spi­rit of man was at first breathed in by the Father of spirits, and cannot ac­quiesce till he be enjoyed, and heaven in him.

§. 3. Witness was born to this truth by the Amen, the faithfull and true witness, when speaking of those whom the Father had given him, he uttered that remarkable assertion, This John 17. 3. is life eternall that they may know thee, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Also when he made his followers that pro­mise of rest, Come unto me all ye that la­bour, Matth. 11. 28, 29. and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, &c. and [Page 24] ye shall finde rest to your souls. God would not rest from his works of creation till man was framed: Man cannot rest from his longing desires of indigence till God be enjoyed. Now since the fall God is not to be enjoyed but in and through a Mediatour: Therefore when any man closeth with Christ, and not till then, he may say with the Psal­mist, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. That which the King of Saints testi­fied will be most readily attested by all his loyall subjects. Enquire of such as are yet militant upon earth, wherein their happiness consists, the answer will be in their having fellowship with 1 John 1. 3. the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Let those who are triumphant be asked what it is that renders their heaven so glorious, their glory so incomprehen­sible, ye shall have no other account but this, it is because they have now attained a complete fruition of that alsufficient, alsatisfying, ever-blessed [Page 25] and ever-blessing object God in Christ.

§. 4. Nor can it easily be denied by such as consider that in this object there is found a threefold fulness, oppo­site to the threefold vanity in the crea­tures, which I discoursed of before. First a fulness of utility opposite to their unprofitableness. Infinite goodness extends it self to all cases and exigents without being limited to particulars, as created bonity is. Hence in the Scripture God and Christ are compared to things most extensive in their use, and of most universall concernment. Philosophers look at the Sun as an uni­versal cause: Christ is called the Sun of Malac. 4. 2. righteousness by the Prophet; and The Psal. 84. 11. Lord God, saith the Psalmist, is a Sun and shield. In a Tree the root beareth the branches, and the branches fruit. Christ is both root and branch. A root in Isaiah, In that day shall there be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of Isa. 11. 10. the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. A branch in [Page 26] Zechariah, Behold I will bring forth my servant the Branch. In a building the Zech. 3. 8. foundation and corner-stone are most considerable in point of use. Christ is both. Thus saith the Lord God, behold I Isa. 28. 16. lay in Sion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pretious corner-stone, a sure founda­tion. In military affairs what more usefull for offence then the sword, for defence then the shield? The Lord is both. Happy art thou O Israel who is like Deut. 33. 29. unto thee O people? saved by the Lord the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thine excellency. In civill commerce mo­ney is of most generall use for the ac­quiring of what men need, of which Solomon therefore saith It answereth all Eccles. 10. 19. Quicquid nummis prasen­tibus opta, & veniet; clausum possidet arca Jovem. Petron. Arbit. things (whence it is that worldlings look at a full chest as having a kinde of Deity in it, able to grant them what­soever their hearts desire) of God in Christ it is most true. He onely can an­swer all the desires, all the necessities of his people; and is accordingly said to be their silver and gold as Junius ren­ders [Page 27] the place in Job. To him a soul may not onely say as Thomas did, My Job. 22. 25. Erit Omnipo­tens lectissi­mum aurum tuum, & ar­gentum, vi­ré [...]que tibi. Lord and my God, but as another, Deus meus & omnia, My God and my all.

§. 5. Secondly a fulness of truth and faithfulness opposite to their deceit. The creatures do not, cannot perform whatsoever they promise, but are like deceitfull brooks, frustrating the thirsty travellers expectation. We reade of Semiramis that she caused this Mot­to to be engraven upon her tomb, If any King stand in need of money, let him break open this monument. Darius, having perused the inscription, ransacks the sepulchre, finds nothing within, but another writing to this effect, Hadst thou not been unsatiably covetous, thou wouldest never have invaded a monument of the dead. Such are all the things of this world. They delude us with many a promising Motto, as if they would give us hearts ease; but when we come to look within, instead of content­ment, afford us nothing but conviction [Page 28] of our folly in expecting satisfaction from them. With God it is otherwise. He is faithfull that promised, saith the A­postle; Heb. 10. 23. And again, Faithfull is he that 1 Thess. 5. 24. calleth you, who also will do it. I am the way, saith Christ of himself, the truth John 14. 6. and the life. In him beleevers finde not less, but more then ever they looked for; and when they come to enjoy him completely are enforced to cry out, as the Queen of Sheba did, The half was 1 Kings 10. 7. not told me.

§. 6. Thirdly a fulness of unchange­ableness opposite to their inconstancy. This God challengeth to himself, I am Malac. 3. 6. the Lord, I change not; And Jesus Christ is said to be the same yesterday, and to day, Heb. 13. 8. and for ever. Another Apostle, speaking of the father of lights, from whom descends James 1. 17. every good and perfect gift, (therein al­luding, as Heinsius conceives, to the Heinsius in locum. High Preist his Urim and Thummim, that is lights and perfections; to Urim in these words father of lights, to Thummim in these Perfect gift) tells [Page 29] us that with him is no variableness nei­ther Exerc. 3. shadow of turning. The metaphor is [...]. Pareus in loc. thought by some to be borrowed from the art of painting, wherein pictures are first rudely shadowed; then drawn to the life. In the creatures we finde a full draught and lively pourtraiture of muta­bility; but not so much as the rudi­ments of a draught, as the least line or shadow of it in God and Christ.

EXERCITATION 3. Two conclusions from Psalm 73. 25, 26. The Psalmists case stated. The frequent complication of corporal and spiritual troubles. How God strengtheneth his peoples hearts against their bodily distempers; how under discouragements of spirit. The secret supports of saving grace. What kinde of portion God is to the Saints. A congra­tulation of their happiness herein.

§. 1. FRom that patheticall passage in one of the Psalms, Whom have Psalm. 73. 25, 26. I in heaven but thee? and there is none up­on earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength [Page 30] of my heart, and my portion for ever. these two conclusions may be raised.

1. There is no person or thing in heaven or earth short of God in Christ to be looked upon and de­sired as our utmost good.

2. The fruition of God in Christ is able to make and to continue a man happy even in the midst of utmost extremity.

The former I have treated of in the foregoing exercitations, intending to handle the latter in this. That I ac­count an utmost extremity as to kinde, (though as to degrees it may be either more intense or more remiss) when there is a complication of sufferings both in body and minde at once. Such was the Psalmists case here. It is not flesh alone, or heart alone, but my flesh and my heart, in conjunction, both failed him at one and the same time. Such is the sympathy of soul and body, that when it fares ill with one, the other commonly is disturbed. If the soul be [Page 31] in an agony, the body languisheth. Satans buffeting Paul with blasphe­mous thoughts, as some conceive, proved a thorn to his flesh. On the other 2 Cor. 12. 5. [...]. side, if the outward man be torment­ed, the inward is wont to be dismaied, even to failing of heart. The Stoicks indeed, those magnificent boasters, talk of an Apathie, and Plutarch tells us that Agesilaus, when he lay sick of the gout, and Carneades, who came to visit him, observing what pains he con­flicted with, was about to leave him as one not in case to be spoken to, bad him stay, and pointing at once to his own feet and to his heart said, Nothing Mane Carnea­des, Nihil enim illine huc per­venit. comes from thence hither; as if his minde were no whit disquieted for all the sufferings of his flesh. But far better men then any of them have born wit­ness to the contrary. Our flesh had no 2 Cor. 7. 5. rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. So Paul. David in one of his Psalms thus, O Lord heal me, for my bones are Psal. 6. 2, 3. [Page 32] vexed; my soul also is sore vexed. In an­other thus, There is no soundness in my Psal. 38. 7, 8. flesh; I am feeble and sore broken, I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

§. 2. But as when Peter walking upon the waves, and perceiving how boisterous the winds were, began to sink, Jesus immediately stretched forth his hand and caught him: So when the Psalmists flesh and heart failed, God even then was the strength of his heart; according to the Original The rock of it. Rocks are not more fortifying to Cities and Castles built upon them, then God is to his peoples hearts. A sincere beleevers soul is therefore as­similated by our Saviour to an House Matth. 7. 25. founded upon a rock; which was every way assaulted, in the roof by rain de­scending upon that, in the foundation by flouds washing upon it, in the walls by winds blustering against them; and yet stood because it was strong, was strong because founded on a rock. [Page 33] Such a rock is our God, and that even in such a case as hath been described.

§. 3. Hezechiah whom God had Isa. 38. 1. chosen to life, was sick unto death. Lazarus whom Jesus loved, sickned John 11. 3. and died. Timothy had his often infir­mities. 1 Tim. 5. 23. The Psalmists flesh failed him, or, to speak in Pauls phrase, his out­ward man perished; yet God mean­while 2 Cor. 4. 16. was the rock and strength of his sick servants heart. First by pre­serving therein an expectation of such fruit as saints use to reap from such tryals. Fruit which relates partly to sin and partly to grace. To sin by way of cure. Diseases when sanctified drain the inward as well as the out­ward man, and help to spend out the bad humours of both. Sickness (saith Isidore) woundeth the flesh, but healeth Adversa corpo­ris remedia sunt animae. Ae­gritudo car­nem vulnerat, mertun curat. Isidor. l b 3. de Summ. bono. the minde; is the bodies malady, but the souls medicine. For instance, weakness kills the itch of worldliness. Let pleasure open all her shops, and present a sick man with her choicest [Page 34] rarities: Let Mammon bring forth all his bags and gingle them in his ears; produce all his Crowns, Sce­ptres, Mitres, and lay them at his feet, how ready will he be to cry out, Away with them. Behold I am at the point to die (as Esau once reasoned) and what Gen. 25. 32. can these vanities profit me? The like may be said of self-confidence and pride which are also frequently anti­doted by diseases. A speciall end (as Elihu tells Job) which God aims at in his chastening with pain is to hide Job 33 17. pride from man, that is, to remove it, as what we hide is removed out of sight. A Christian Emperour, one of the Fer­dinands, Ab. Scultetus Idea Concion. in Isaiae cap. 9. pag. 1. 7 In agone Invistis­simi titulum agnos [...]e [...]e no­ [...]bat, &c. when his Chaplain Matthias Cittardus came to visit him as he lay upon his death-bed, and according to the mode of the Court styled him most Invincible Emperour, finding himself overcome with sickness, would not admit of that compellation, but char­ged him not to use it more: where­upon the Chaplain made his next ad­dress [Page 35] on this wise, Go to dear brother Fer­dinand, endure hardship as a good souldier of Jesus Christ.

§. 4. Next to Grace, in point of growth. The rise of grace is sometimes occasioned by a sore disease. Beza tells Morbus isle verae sanitatis principium, &c. Epist. praefix. Confessioni. us of himself, that God was pleased to lay the foundation of his spiritual health in a violent sickness which be­fell him at Paris. The growth of grace is always promoted when God makes use of this means. It is not more usu­al with children to shoot up in length, then with Christians to wax taller in grace in or after a sickness. See it ex­emplified in the famous Protestant Divines: Olevian said upon his death­bed, In this disease I have learned to know Mel. Adam. in vitis Germ. Theol. p 601. aright what sin, and what the majesty of God is. Rollock upon his, I am not ashamed Idem in vitis Exterorum. pag. 189. to profess that I never reached to so high a pitch in the knowledge of God, as I have attained in this sickness. Rivet upon his, Danberi Orat. funeb. in ex­cessum An­dreae Riveti pag. 90. In the space of ten days since I kept my bed, I have learned more, and made greater pro­gress [Page 36] in Divinity, then in the whole course of my life before.

§. 5. Secondly by infusing and ex­citing a principle of Christian pati­ence, which is therefore able to sup­port and strengthen the heart when Philosophical Stoical patience cannot do it; because it self is strengthened from such divine Topicks, as Philoso­phy knows but little, if any thing, of. I shall instance in two, The pains of hell deserved by us, and the pains of Christ endured for us. Well may the consideration of Hell-torments due to us all, as being by nature children of wrath, conduce to the working of pa­tience in us under these petty suffer­ings in comparison. For what are these rods to those scorpions? A feaver to those everlasting burnings? The stone or gout to that fire and brimstone? A sick-bed to Hell, where the fit never goeth off, the fire never goeth out, the worm Mark 9. 44. never dyeth? So also when upon our beds of sickness we think of that gar­den [Page 37] wherein Christ lay prostrate upon the ground, in our fits of his Agony, in our sweats of his water and bloud; the consideration of his torments, and of our interest in them, may well mi­tigate the sense of our present suffer­ings, if not wholly swallow them up, as Aarons rod devoured those of the magicians. Art thou afflicted with sore pain in this or that part? He had hard­ly any member free. Are thy spirits feeble and faint? His very soul was ex­ceedingly Matth. 26. 38. sorrowfull even unto death. Dost thou cry My God, my God, why hast thou afflicted me? Jesus cryed with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou Matth. 27. 46. forsaken me?

§. 6. Yea but how manifest soever it be that when the flesh faileth the heart may be strengthened, how the heart it self should fail and yet be strengthened is not so evident. I am therefore to make it appear in the next place; that these two clauses, My heart faileth, and God is the strength of my heart, may both [Page 38] be verified at once without a paradox in different respects. By reason of remainders of unbelief in the most re­generate on this side heaven, when Sa­tans temptations shall strike in with their corruptions, holy men may be induced in a fit of dejection because the Lord hath cast them down, to conceive and say he hath cast them off. David once said, I had fainted, unless I had beleeved to Psal. 27. 13. see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Such fainting flows from not beleeving; such unbelief is much fomented by not considering that (as no outward blessing is good enough to be a signe of eternal Election, see­ing God often filleth their bellies with hid treasure, who treasure up to them­selves wrath against the day of wrath, so) no temporall affliction is bad enough to be an evidence of Reproba­tion; seeing the dearest son of Gods love was a man of sorrows, and acquainted Isa. 53. 3. with grief. Yet may the same heart at the same time be strengthened from [Page 39] another cause, namely God, who ea­sily can, and usually doth supply such effectual grace as is able to keep the head above water, when the rest of the body is under it, able to preserve the Spouse in a posture of leaning upon her Cant. 8. 5. beloved in a wilderness; to make one with Abraham beleeve in hope against Rom. 4. 18. Job 13. 15. hope, and say with Job, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him. Faith can sup­port when Nature shrinks; call God father when he frowns; and make some discovery of a sun through the darkest cloud. When it sees no light it may feel some influence, when it cannot close with a promise, it may lay hold upon an attribute, and be ready to make this profession, ‘Though both my flesh and my heart fail, yet di­vine compassions fail not. Though I can hardly discern at present either sun, or moon or stars, yet will I cast anchor in the dark, and ride it out till the day break.’ Time was when Jonah said, I am cast out of thy sight, but Jonah 2. 4, 7. [Page 40] added with the same breath, yet will I look again toward thy holy temple; and presently after, when my soul fainted with­in me, I remembred the Lord, &c.

§. 7. The connexion of these words in the psalm My heart faileth, but God is Quaecunque me angustiae corpo­ris aut animae urunt, Tu meo anims es robur, dum te aeternam mihi haeredita­tem fore spero. Simmius in Psal. 73. the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever, may seem to imply some such thing; to wit that in times of lan­guishment, God affords a strengthen­ing support in secret by encouraging a beleever to wait upon himself as his portion for ever, notwithstanding all his sufferings for the present. There can be no better, or more sovereign cordiall then this, if we consider the sutableness, and sufficiency of God to this purpose. In the choice of a por­tion as of a wife, fitness is chiefly to be regarded; she is a wife indeed, who is a meet help, that a portion indeed, which is sutable to the soul of man. God onely is so. For the soul is a spiri­tuall and immortall substance, therefore to her worldly accommodations are [Page 41] unsutable, because they are, most of them corporeall, All of them temporall. But God who is a Spirit, and who onely John 4. 24. hath immortality, fits her exactly in both respects. The uncreated Spirit becomes a portion for ever to this his everlasting 1 Tim. 6. 16. creature. As for sufficiency, the souls appetite is too vast for any creatures to fill up the measure of its capacity: but when she hath once pitched upon God self-sufficient in his being, all-suffi­cient in his communications, she then hath enough, and is ready to profess with David, The Lord is the portion of Psal. 16. 56. mine inheritance and of my cup: the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea I have a goodly heritage. Indeed what can one wish in an heritage that is not to be found in God? Would we have large possessions? He is immensity. A sure estate? He is immutability. A long term of continuance? He is E­ternity it self. I shall therefore shut up this with a serious congratulation to the Saints, and an high applause of [Page 42] their blessedness. Happy, thrice hap­py you, dearly beloved in the Lord, Quid potest co esse selicius cu­jus efficitur suus conditor census; & haered [...]tas ejus dignatur esse ipsa Divi­nita [...]? Prosper de vit. con­templat. lib. 2. cap. 16. because when those men of the world which have their portion in this life, as Da­vid speaks, part with theirs (as they must all do at death, if not before) you are led to a fuller fruition of your portion. Theirs at the best is but some good blessing of God, that will in time be taken from them; yours is the good God himself, blessed and blessing you for ever. He is so at present, and he will be so to all eternity; A portion of which you can never be plundered. Impoverished you may be, but not un­done; discouraged, but not disinherited. Your flesh perhaps, yea and your hearts too may fail, but God will be the strength of your hearts, and your portion for ever. I shall add no more, but onely reminde you of what is written in the hundred fourty and sixth Psalm, Happy is he that Psal. 146. 5. hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

EXERCITATION 4.Exerc. 4. The first Inference grounded upon Isaiah 55. 1, 2. by way of invitation, backed with three encouragements to accept it, viz. The fulness of that soul-satisfaction which God giveth, the universality of its tender, and the freeness of its communication. The second by way of expostu­lation, and that both with worldlings and saints. A conclusion by way of soliloquy.

§. 1. IN the synagogues of old upon the eighth day of the Feast of Ta­bernacles, called by the Jews Hosanna Rabbah the great Hosanna, and by the Evangelist, The last day, the great day of Jos. 7. 37. vid. Ludov. de Dieu in loc. the feast, four portions of Scripture were wont to be read. viz. The close of the fifth book of Moses, called Deu­teronomy, the last words of the Prophet Malachy, the beginning of Joshua, and that passage concerning Solomons rising up from his knees after his prayer, and blessing the people with a loud voice in the eighth chapter of the first book of Kings. Then did Jesus, who was the end of the Law and the Prophets, [Page 44] the true Joshua and Solomon stand up saying, If any man thirst, let him John 7. 38. come unto me and drink. He that beleeveth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But why did he then speak of waters? Tre­mellius giveth this account of that out Annot. in loc. of the Talmud. The Jews, saith he, up­on that day used with much solemni­ty and joy to fetch water from the ri­ver Siloah to the Temple, where being delivered to the Priests, it was by them poured upon the altar, the people in the mean time singing out of Isaiah, With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells Isa. 12 3. of salvation. Our Saviour therefore to take them off from this needless, if not superstitious practise, telleth them of other and better waters, which they were to have of him, according to what he had elsewhere said by the mi­nistery of the same Prophet in these most emphatical words, Ho every one Isa. 55. 1, 2. that thirsteth come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, Come ye, buy and eat; [Page 45] yea Come; buy wine and milk without mo­ney and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Words that, besides an intimation of the fore­mentioned truths concerning the crea­tures inability, and the sufficiency of God in Christ to satisfie souls, clearly hold forth a double improvement thereof, one by way of invitation, the other by way of expostulation.

§. 2. The Invitation is set on with vehemence and importunity, Ho come, but as not content with that, he doubleth it, yea Come ye, and tripleth it, yea Come. Not Come and look on, or Come and cheapen, but Come and buy, buy and eat. They may be rationally said to Come who frequent the Ordi­nances, wherein Christ is usually to be found; They to buy, who part with somewhat, are at some cost and pains in pursuit of him; They to eat, who feed on him by a lively faith. Care­less wretches will not so much as [Page 46] vouchsafe to Come, by reason of their oxen, or farms, or some other impediment, the Lord must have them excused. Formal professours Come indeed, but refuse to Buy, will lay out no serious endeavours in searching the Scriptures and their own deceitfull hearts, but are merely su­perficial in such undertakings. Tem­porary beleevers (whose hearts are re­ally, though not savingly wrought upon) seem to have bought, yet do not eat, for want of that spirit of faith, which ingrafts men into Christ, and makes them as truly one with him as the body is with the meat it feeds up­on. Want we encouragements to ac­cept of this invitation? The place it self presents us with three.

§. 3. One from the fulness of that satisfaction which is here tendered un­der the metaphors of water, wine, milk, and bread: the last whereof is implied partly in those terms of opposition, For that which is not bread, as if he had [Page 47] said, ye might have had that of me which is bread indeed, partly in the verb Eat, which cannot so properly be applied to any commodity here mentioned, water, wine, and milk being liquids, as to bread. Now there is some­what in Christ to answer each of these. His flesh is bread, his bloud is wine, his John 6. 51. Matth. 26. 28, 29. John 7. 38, 39. 1 Pet. 2. 2. Spirit is waters, his doctrine is milk. But because I conceive the Holy Ghost in this place doth not so much intend a parallel of these, as a declaration of that sufficiency which is to be found in Christ and his benefits for saving to the utmost of all those that shall come unto God by him; I shall onely pitch upon that consideration, and by ad­ding unto this a like place in the Reve­lation, briefly demonstrate from them both how all-sufficient a Saviour he is. This in Isaiah holds forth some­what proper to every sort of true be­leevers. Milk for babes, water for such Vinum Lac senum. as are young and hot, wine for the aged, bread for all. The other is that of [Page 48] Christ to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea, I counsel thee to buy of me gold Rev. 3. 18. tried in the fire that thou maist be rich, and white raiment that thou maist be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not ap­pear, and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou maist see, where he commends his gold for such as is tried in the fire, his raiment for such as will take away shame, and his eye-salve for a special vertue to make the blinde see. Take them together, and there is in them enough to supply our principal de­fects, viz. unbelief in the heart for which there is here gold tried in the fire, where­by we may probably understand the grace of faith, concerning which we read in Peter, That the tryal of your faith, 1 Pet. 1. 7. being much more pretious then of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise. And unholiness in the life, for which there is the white rai­ment, if by it we understand inherent righteousness, according to that in the Apocalypse, To her was granted that she Rev. 19. 8. [Page 49] should be arraied in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Lastly Ignorance in the minde, for which there is his Eye-salve to re­move it, according to the Apostles prayer for his Ephesians, that God would give them the spirit of wisdome Ephes. 1. 17, 18. and revelation, the eyes of their understand­ing being enlightned &c.

§. 4. A second encouragement is from the universality of this offer. Ho every one that thirsteth come; so he do but thirst he shall be welcome, how un­worthy soever he may be in other re­spects. Dabit deside­ranti gratiam, qui dat gratiam desiderii. He will give grace to the thir­sty, who enables them to thirst after grace. Christ is far from turning such persons away; yea but for such he would have no customers in the world; his commodities must lie by him dead for want of vent; seeing others will not take them off, but leave them still upon his hand, as things in which they see no need, have no esteem of. This let all men know for certain, that such as [Page 50] thirst so as to come, come so as to buy, buy so as to eat, will never have cause to repent of their bargain. I have some­where read of a great Commander, who being extremely tormented with thirst, sold himself and his Army into enemies hands for a draught of cold water; which when he had drunk he repented and said. Oh quantum ob quan­tillum! How very little is that for which I have parted with so very much! Belee­vers may take up the like words, but in a far different sense: O how much grace, how much happiness have I got for a little thirsting, a little trusting in Jesus Christ!

§. 5. A third from the freeness of communication, amply declared in this clause, Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. In the place hitherto insisted upon, the word money occurs thrice, twice in the first verse and once in the second, but not in the same signification. In the first it is clearly interpreted by price and [Page 51] signifies merit; They are said to have no money, who being conscious to themselves of their having nothing of their own to answer divine justice with, to fetch them in pardon, peace and righteousness, wholly disclaim all self-sufficiency, and come unto Christ as to one that expects not to receive but to be received; looks for little or nothing from us but that we be no­thing in our selves, desirous to have all from him, and to partake of his fulness grace for grace. In the second it is expounded by labour, and denotes industry. Men are said to spend mo­ney for that, which they lay out their pains about. Money answers all, saith the Preacher: The Heathens have a pro­verb Eccles 10. 19. D [...]i laboribus om [...]ia vendunt. which ascribes as much to la­bour. We say not with them, that God sells his benefits to us for our pains; but this we acknowledge, he giveth them so as to require our industry about them. Yet is not this any pre­judice to the freeness of his grace, or [Page 52] any contradiction to that clause Buy without money and without price, because our labour can no way merit his bles­sings. As when a Schoolmaster teach­eth a boy gratis, the youth cannot pos­sibly attain to learning unless he be in­dustrious, and take pains at his book; but it doth not therefore cease to be free on the teachers part, because the learners pains are required. So it is here.

Yet some in all ages have been so vain as to dream of bringing their mo­ney with them whenever they come; I mean that, which if not in it self, yet in their opinion seems to deserve what they come for. So the Pharisees of old, and the Papists of late. Inso­much as Cornelius à lapide in his com­ment Emptio est dis­positio liberi arbitrii. upon this very place, which maketh altogether for the contrary doctrine, countenanceth the popish te­nents of free-will and merit of con­gruity. Emitur pretio non condigno, sed congruo. So Elephants, they say, are wont before they drink to bemud the [Page 53] water, which, if it were suffered to re­main clear, would discover their de­formity to them.

§. 6. I proceed to the Expostulati­on contained in the next words, Where­fore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which sa­tisfieth not? Words applicable both to worldlings, and to such beleevers as have not yet got clear of the world. First to worldlings, who manifestly spend not their money onely, but their souls for that which is not bread. In the Lords prayer Bread is put for all necessaries, and used in the Lords sup­per to signifie the absolute necessity of receiving Christ, by whom spiritual life is supported, as the natural life is by bread. Now the accommodations doted upon by men of the world, and often purchased with the loss of sal­vation are justly said not to be bread, because they are neither absolutely ne­cessary to be had, nor able to support such as enjoy them. A mans life, saith [Page 54] our Saviour, consisteth not in the abun­dance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12. 15. Wealth indeed is an accessory good, but no necessary blessing. None are made really happy by it (though La­tinists use the same word Beatus to signifie both rich and blessed) A Chri­stian may be happy without it; really happy, yea and really wealthy too, for he is abundantly rich that possesseth Assatim dives est qui cum Christo pauper. Christ in the midst of poverty; and doth not make treasure his God, as the servants of Mammon do, but God his treasure.

§. 7. Furthermore, as the expressi­on there is, They spend their labour for that which satisfieth not. A late Jesuite Cornel. à la­pide Com­ment. in Isa. 55. 2. tells us a story of a feast made in Ger­many by a certain Magician for Noble men, who whilest they sate at table with him received good content, and fared to their thinking very delici­ously, but when they departed found themselves hungry, as if they had eaten nothing at all: which indeed [Page 55] was their case; if the Jesuites relation of the magicians art and fact may be credited. Such entertainment doth this present world afford its principal guests. They are not fed with satisfy­ing substances, but with deluding sha­dows rather. Surely every man walketh in Psal. 39. 6. a vain shew, surely they are disquieted in vain. David speaks it of such as heap up riches: of whom also Solomon saith, The rich mans wealth is his strong city, and Prov. 18. 11. as an high wall in his own conceit. A strong city in his conceit, but indeed a castle in the air. One that applies the scaling ladders of Scripture and reason to such walls, may easily climb so high as to reach and pull down those ensignes of vanity, which makes such a flourish on the battlements thereof. Sooner shall men gather grapes of thorns and figs of thistles, then finde that a fountain of all good to any soul, the love where­of Paul hath branded for the root of all 1 Tim. 6. 9. 10. evil. It drowns in perdition; how can it then crown with happiness? Oh that [Page 56] ever so rich an heir, as the soul of man, should run away with so servile a thing as money is, or give the least consent to a match so far below her birth and breeding!

§. 8. Let authority be added to wealth, and great honours to great re­venues, yet will the product of both sums be not soul-satisfaction and bles­sedness, but vanity and vexation of spirit. How often is the sword put in­to mad mens hands, the bramble ad­vanced to rule over better trees, and walls of mud shined upon while mar­ble pillars stand in shade? How often do goats clamber up the mountains of preferments whilest the poor sheep Ambitio te ad dignitatem nisi per indigna non ducit. Senec. Natural. quaest. in Praefat. lib. 1. Ambitio chari­tatis simia. Cha­ritas patiens est pro aeternis, am­bitio pro terre­nis. Didac. Stella de Con­temptu mundi part. 1. pag. 88. of Christ feed below? yea how often is greatness acquired by base, and con­founded by weak means? Flattery held Absolons stirrup. He that is every ones master now, was a while since at every ones service. Well might Stel­la call Ambition, Charities ape; for it also beleeveth all things, hopeth all things, [Page 57] yea and beareth all things too till what it hoped for be attained, then grows intolerable it self. It may further be observed that God usually taketh a course to break the staff of such pride by confounding the power of worldly Potentates, not with Lions and Tigres, but as Pharaohs of old, by frogs and lice. The Apostle I remember saith An Idol is nothing, and yet the silversmiths cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Diana then was a great nothing. Such are those men of place idolized by common people, when the Lord be­gins to blow upon them in his wrath, like those nobles of Idumea concerning whom Isaiah said, All her Princes shall Isa. 34. 12. be nothing.

§. 9. Secondly, as for those saints whose wings are still somewhat clog­ged with the birdlime of this world, I humbly desire them to consider, how ill it becomes the offspring of heaven to go licking up the dust of this earth, the womans seed to content it self with [Page 58] the serpents food; Any one of the po­sterity of Japhet, after he hath been per­swaded into the tents of Sem, to bring on himself Canaans curse, A servant of servants shalt thou be, by subjecting his soul to that, which God made to serve its servant the body. Verily if this pre­sent world, or any thing in it be over precious in thy sight, O Christian, thou Cujus anima in oculis ejus est pretiosa, in ejus oculis mundus est parvus. Di­ctum Hebraeo­rum apud Bu­xtorf. in flori­leg. p. 225. Pecuniam ha­bes? vel teipsum, vel pecuniam vilem habeas necesse est. Senec. art become vile in the eyes of God, yea in thine own: for none can set an high price upon things without him till he have first undervalued his soul. Time was when Satan shewed our Saviour all the king­domes of this world, and the glory of them. If ever the world appear unto thee temptingly glorious, suspect it for one of Satans discoveries. Sure I am the Scripture useth diminishing terms when it speaks of creature-comforts; as in styling the pomp of Agrippa and Act. 25. 23. 1 Joann 1. 17. Bernice much phansie, no reality; in cal­ling mens temporal estates this worlds Matth. 13. 22 goods, not theirs but the worlds, deceitfull 1 Tim. 6. 17. Habak. 2. 6. Amos 2. 7. and uncertain riches, thick clay, and dust [Page 59] of the earth, winde, grass and the flower of grass, the least things, hardly things. So­lomon Eccles 5. 16. James 1. 11. Luke 16. 10. 15. brings them down to the low­est degree of entity, yea to nullity, say­ing, Labour not to be rich, wilt thou set Prov. 23. 4, 5. thine eyes upon that which is not?

§. 10. Let Diotrephes then say, It is good for me to have the preeminence, Judas, It is good for me to bear the bag; Demas, It is good for me to em­brace this present world. But do thou, O my soul, conclude with David, It is Psal. 73. 28. good for me to draw near to God. Thou art now as a bird in the shell, a shell of flesh, which will shortly break, and let out the bird: This crazy bark of my body ere long will be certainly split upon the fatal rock of death; then must thou its present pilot forsake it, and swim to the shore of eternitie. Therefore, O everlasting creature, see and be sure thou content not thy self with a transitory portion. I do not Lord, thou knowest I do not. Of a small handfull of outward things I am [Page 60] ready to say, It is enough: but that which I long so passionately for is a large heart full of God in Christ. Thou art my sun, the best of creatures are but stars, deriving the lustre they have from thee: Did not thy light make day in my heart, I should languish for all them in a perpetuall night of dissatis­faction. There are within me two great gulfs, a minde desirous of more truth, and a will capable of more good then finite beings can afford; Thou onely canst fill them, who art the first truth, and the chief good. In thee alone shall my soul be satisfied as with marrow Psal. 63. 5. and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lips.

EXERCITATION 1. The safe conduct of Saints, signified by the pillar Exerc. 1. in Exodus, performed by the counsel of God him­self, the abridgement whereof we have in the doctrine of Christian Religion. How that tends to blessedness.

§. 1. THere is no possibility of arriving at Blessedness without a safe conduct, nor at glory without guidance; No infallible guidance but by the counsel of God himself. All which the Psal­mist is like to have had in his eye, when in his humble address to God he expresseth himself in this manner, [Page 62] Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, Aph. 2. and afterward receive me to glory. The Psalm 73. 24. husbands duty in relation to his wife is to be the guide of her youth. Such Prov. 2. 17. hath Christ (one of whose names is Counsellour) been to his Church in for­mer Isa. 9. 6. times, is at this day, and will con­tinue to the end of the world. In Exodus we meet with the history of the Jewish Church, her youth, and her strange manner of guidance; which when the Levites in Nehemiah came to Nehem. 9. 19. commemorate they do it thus, Thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. It was not onely a seasonable act of mercy to them in that age; but may be looked upon as an emblem of that safe conduct, which the Church in all ages may expect from Jesus Christ. For as in that cloudy-fiery pil­lar there were two different substances [Page 63] the sire and the cloud, yet but one pil­lar. So there are two different na­tures in Christ, his Divinity shining as fire, his Humanity darkening as a cloud, yet but one person. As that pil­lar departed not from them by day or by night, all the while they travelled in the wilderness. So whilest the Churches pilgrimage lasts in this world, the safe conduct of Christ by his Spirit and Ordinances shall be con­tinued. But as at their entrance into Canaan, a type of heaven, the pillar is thought to have been removed, be­cause not mentioned in the sequele of the story, and because when Israel pas­sed over Jordan we reade not of the pil­lar but the Ark going before them; So when the Church shall arrive at hea­ven, her resting place, the mediatory conduct of Christ is to cease, and the Ordinances, which are here of use, to disappear.

§. 2. Mean while this infallible counsel of God hath been most ef­fectually [Page 64] administred by the Prophets and Apostles, especially by Christ him­self, whose words were such as led di­rectly to everlasting bliss. Insomuch as when Jesus said to the twelve will John 6. 67, 68. ye also go away? Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. As if he had said, Go whither we will to other teachers, we shall be sure not to meet with words of eternal life any where else. Such are proper to Christs school taught onely by himself, and his under-offi­cers: whereof one hath left this pro­fession upon record, That which we have 1 John 1. 3. seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and tru­ly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. So the Disciple whom Jesus loved in his first epistle. Another this, I take you to record this day, Act. 20. 26, 27. that I am pure from the bloud of all men: for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. So Paul in his vale­dictory speech to the Elders of Ephesus. [Page 65] Which he could not have said, had not the doctrine he preached among them been sufficient to have led all his hear­ers to the fruition of God in Christ, and therein to complete happiness. That by the counsel of God he intended to decipher Christian Religion is ma­nifest, because that was the sum of all his ministery, as we finde him decla­ring elsewhere, Having obtained help of Act. 2 [...]. 22, 27. God, I continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead &c.

§. 3. Counsel it is, and therefore styled sometimes mystery, and that a great one, Without controversie great is 1 Tim. 3. 16. the mystery of godliness. [...], of Re­ligion, as others render it; meaning the Christian, an epitome whereof fol­loweth, God manifest in the flesh and 1 Cor. 2. 6, 7. sometimes wisdome, and that not among punies and novices, who see not into [Page 66] the depth of things, but among them that are perfect. Sometimes, The wisdome of [...]. Just. Ma [...]t. Expos. fidei. God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdome, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory. Which made an ancient wri­ter affirm, that the mysteries of our Re­ligion are above the reach of our understand­ing, above the discourse of humane reason, above all that any creature can comprehend. Yea it will be found the Counsel of God himself, and not of man, if we do but consider a few of its materials; viz. principles above the reach of mans wit, A resurrection of the dead, a mysticall union of all beleevers among them­selves and to their head; A Trinity of persons in one Essence, two Natures in one person; God reconciled to men by the bloud, men to God by the spi­rit of Christ, with others of the like elevation. Doctrines contrary to the bent of mans will. As that of original sin, which represents him to himself as a childe of wrath, worthy, before he see the light, of being cast into outer dark­ness. [Page 67] And that of self-deniall, which taketh him off from confidence in his own abilities; whereas proud Nature challengeth a self-sufficiency, and will hardly be content with less. Lastly, Promises and threatnings beyond the line of humane motives and dissuasives, exhibiting to the sons of men, not temporal re­wards and punishments onely, but the gift of eternal life and the vengeance of eternal fire: Things which not any of the most knowing Law-givers and Princes of this world did or could hold forth, till the onely wise God was pleased to reveal and urge them in the sacred authentick records of Christia­nity.

§. 4. Now Christian Religion pro­motes our guidance to the fruition we treat of these two ways, viz. by disco­vering God in Christ, and by uniting to him, the former it performeth as Christian, the latter as Religion.

First as Christian it discovers God in Christ, which other Religions do not. [Page 68] No man hath seen God at any time, the one­ly begotten Son, which is in the bosome of the John 1. 18. Father he hath declared him. So the Evan­gelist, or, as others think, the Baptist. All things are of God, who hath reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19. us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministery of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ &c. So the Apo­stle. The poor Pagan knoweth nei­ther God nor Christ, but ignorantly turneth the truth of God into a lie, worshipping creatures; and in stead of Christ is directed by his Theolo­gy to the service of a middle sort of di­vine powers, called Daemons, and See M. Mede his Apostasie of the latter times. pag. 9, 10, & sequent. looked at as Mediatours between the celestial Sovereign Gods, whom the Gentiles worship, and mortal men. The modern Jew acknowledgeth the true God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but owneth not Jesus the son of Mary for the true Christ; yea dis­owneth him so far, as not onely to expect another Messias, but (if writers deceive us not) to blaspheme and curse [Page 69] him and his followers. The deluded Mahometan confesseth one God, the Creatour of heaven and earth; yea con­ceiveth so well of the Lord Jesus, as not to suffer any Jew to take up the profession of a Musulman, till he have first renounced his enmity against Christ: yet will neither acknowledge his satisfaction, upon which our sal­vation is founded, nor his Divinity by vertue whereof that satisfaction is me­ritorious. Whereas the true and pious Christian is by his Religion taught to say with Paul, in direct opposition to all the three forementioned sects, We 1 Cor. 8. v. 4, 5, 6. know that an Idol is nothing in the world; and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called Gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be Gods ma­ny and Lords many) yet to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

§. 5. Secondly as Religion, (a term which both Austine and Lactantius de­rive [Page 70] à religando because by the true Re­ligion improved mens souls are tied and fastened to the supreme Being) it unites us to God and to Christ. The graces of union are especially Faith and Love; Christian Religion is made up of these two. Kiss the Son, saith David, Psal. 2. 12. which implyeth the affection of love; Blessed are all they that put their trust in him, which holds forth an expression of faith. Hold fast the form of sound 2 Tim. 1. 13. words, saith Paul, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love, which is in Christ Je­sus. Love is the fulfilling of the Law, faith the fulfilling of the Gospel, both the fulfilling of Christian Religion. These two pipes being rightly laid from a Christians soul to the fountain of living waters fetch in from thence a dayly supply of such grace as will certainly end in a fulness of glory: whereas worldlings all the pipes of whose spirits are laid to cisterns, bro­ken cisterns that can hold no water, must needs continue empty still; and [Page 71] for want of Christ (who is not seen but by those two eyes, nor embraced but by those two arms) fall short of happiness, how eminent soever they may be in the pursuit of by-ways. Thus to discover and to unite are acts of prerogative not communicable to other professions. For to maintain (as some do) that a man may be saved in an ordinary course (I meddle not with extraordinary dispensations, but leave the secrets of God to himself) by any Religion whatsoever, provided he live according to the principles of it, is to turn the whole world into an Eden; and to finde a Tree of life in every garden, as well as in the paradise of God.

EXERCITATION 2. The insufficiency of other Religions for bringing men to the enjoyment of God inferred from their inability to discover his true worship. John 4. 24. opened. God to be worshiped in and through Christ a lesson not taught in Natures school. Faults in Aristotles Ethicks.

§. 1. IT hath appeared already in part by what hath been hitherto dis­coursed, that as the other Patriarchs sheaves made obeisance to Josephs, so other Religions must bow down to Christianity, by name those three grand competitours, Paganisme, Ju­daisme, and Mahometisme: as also those other leading books, by name the Talmud, the Alcoran, and the much applauded writings of heathen Philo­sophers must all do homage to the Bi­ble. Yet will it not, I suppose, be un­worthy of my pains and the Readers patience further to clear the insuffici­ency of all exotick doctrines by an ar­gument taken from divine worship, [Page 73] to which I proceed by certain steps.Exerc. 2.

I. Religion is a thing which distin­guisheth men from beasts more then reason it self doth. For some brute beasts have appearances of reason, none of Religion. Man is a creature addicted to Religion may perhaps be found as true a definition, as that which is commonly received, Man is a living creature indued with reason.

II. Some kinde of Deity is ac­knowledged every where throughout the world, and wherever a Deity is ac­knowledged, some kinde of worship is observed. Should a Synode of mere Philosophers be convented to consult about the matters of God, I make no question but in the issue of their de­bates they would pronounce one Ana­thema against Atheisme, and another against Irreligion. Among the Romanes Parcus Deorum cultor & in­frequens. Horat. lib. 1. Ode 34. to worship sparingly was accounted the next door to being an Atheist.

III. None but the true God can dis­cover what the true worship of God [Page 74] is. As that glorious eye of heaven is not to be seen but by its own proper Desine cur ne­mo videat sine Numine Nu­men Mirari; Solem quis sine sole videt? light; A million of torches cannot shew us the Sun: so it is not all the natural reason in the world that can either discover what God is, or what worship he expects without di­vine and supernatural revelation from himself.

§. 2. IV. Before the settling of Christianity and spreading the Gospel throughout the world, many every where were unsatisfied concerning the worship they performed, and inquisi­tive after some teacher who might help them therein by his advice. This may be gathered not onely from that, which was said by the woman of Sa­maria in that dispute of hers with our John 4. 25. Donec in terris apparuerit sa­cratior aliquis qui fontem ve­ritatis aperiat, &c. Marsil. Ficinus in vi­ta Platonis. Vid. Livium Galan. prae­tar. pag. 8. Saviour about worship, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. But also by what Ficinus reporteth con­cerning Plato, to wit, that being asked by one of his scholars, how far forth [Page 75] and how long his precepts were to be obeyed, he returned this answer, Un­till there come a more holy one, by whom the fountain of truth shall be opened, and whom all may safely follow.

V. The precepts and practise of such as teach and profess other Religi­ons are inconsistent with those Gospel­rules which Christ and his Apostles have given for the regulating of divine worship. Two whereof I shall in­stance in.

The first is that which fell from our Saviours own mouth, God is a Spirit, John 4. 24. and they that worship him, must worship him in Spirit and in truth. Where Spirit in the latter clause seems to stand in opposition partly to the formality of the Jews, who did so wholly addict them­selves to outward observances in a spi­ritless way, as to give our Saviour oc­casion of saying, well hath Isaiah prophe­sied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they wor­ship Mark 7. 6, 7. [Page 76] me, teaching for doctrines the command­ments of men. Partly to the Idolatry of the Gentiles, who in stead of tendring ser­vice sutable to a spiritual Being, wor­shipped God in and by representati­ons and images of this or that visible creature. The word Truth in like man­ner may probably seem to be opposed partly to the typical worship of the Jews, in which there were many resemblan­ces and shadows of things to come, as sacrifices, incense and other rites, the truth whereof was exhibited in Christ and in Gospel-service: partly to the perfunctory worship of the Gentiles, who for want of Scripture-light framed to themselves sorry forms of devotion, which the wisest among them were al­together unsatisfied with, yet as know­ing no better, and being loth to give offence, observed them onely for fashi­ons sake, so worshipping in shew, ra­ther then in truth.

§. 3. Doubtless what Seneca pro­fest in his time, was a principle, which [Page 77] the most judicious Heathen walked by, both in that and the ages forego­ing. He, speaking of their religious observances, plainly said, A wise man Quae omnia saptens servabit tanquam legibus jussa, non tan­quam Diis gra­ta. Sic adora­bimus ut memi­nerimus cultum magis ad morem quàm ad rem pertinere &c. August. De Civit. Dei lib. 6. cap. 10. will keep them all as things commanded by our laws, not as things acceptable to the Gods; for custome rather then conscience sake. Thereby shewing (as Austine ob­serveth) that he himself misliked what he practised, and did not approve his own adoration. What else was this but mock-worship? And although it must be granted that some of them were more serious in that way of supersti­tion which the Gentiles Theology pre­scribed, yet was not their worship in Truth; for being destitute of Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life, they John 14. 6. Psal. 51. 6. wanted that Truth in the inward parts, required by God in all holy services. The Pelagians indeed were of opinion that those vertues which appeared in heathen Philosophers and others of eminent note for morality, though they had not received the knowledge [Page 78] of Christ, were true graces. But if Au­stin may be credited, this above all their Hoc est unde vos maximè Christiana de­testatur Eccle­sia. Contr. Ju­lian. pelag. lib. 4. cap. 3. corrupt tenents was that for which the Christian Church did most abominate them & their doctrine. Yea Paul, whom we are bound to beleeve, in the fourth Chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, is thought to have concluded the con­trary: we finde there the life of the Gen­tiles Ephes. 4. vers. 17. 18. 21. 24. clearly opposed to the life of God, which they, saith he, were alienated from; as also to the truth as it is in Jesus, and to that true holiness, or holiness of truth wherewith every spiritual worshipper is endued. And so far is the Apostle in that place from excepting their philo­sophers, that, as Grotius thinks, he aims especially at them; because his phrase in the seventeenth verse, That ye Vide Grotium in Ephes. 4. 17. & in Rom. 1. vers. 21, 22. walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the va­nity of their minde, is fully parallel with that in his epistle to the Romanes, They became vain in their imaginations: which is certainly meant of their philoso­phers, for it follows professing them­selves [Page 79] to be wise [...] (the name where­by that sort of men were commonly known, witness the seven wise men of Greece) before Pythagoras invented that other of [...] lovers of wisdome, as more modest.

§. 4. The second grand direction a­bout the manner of worship is, that it be performed in the name, and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, who saith of himself I am the way, No man Joh. 14. 6. comes to the Father but by me: And of whom Paul saith, Whatsoever ye do in Coloss. 3. 17. word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus; whereupon Luther was bold to Quicquid ora­tur, docetur & vivitur extra Christum est idololatria co­ram Deo & peccatum. Luther. tom. 3. edit. Jenens. p. 300. assert, That all the prayings, teachings and actings of men are out of Christ idolatry and sin in the sight of God. Now although the first direction were not altogether unknown to some of the Gentiles, as may be gathered from sundry passages in their writings, cited by Grotius in his notes upon John the fourth at the four and twentieth verse, and by Do­ctour Meric Casaubon in his second book [Page 80] De cultu the third chapter: yet of this second they had no knowledge at all; for it is not a lesson to be learned in Natures school. The heavens indeed, and so the earth, with all the creatures in them both, declare the glory of God in himself; but the glory of God in the face of Christ as mediatour is not de­clared by any of them. Insomuch as Paul tells the Ephesians, that while they Ephes. 2. 11, 12. were Gentiles, they were at that time with­out Christ; although Ephesus then was full of Philosophers and eminent scho­lars, witness the proverb of Ephesian let­ters, [...] Act. 19. 19. and that story in the Acts, which mentions the burning of books there to the value of fifty thousand pieces of silver, by such as were taken off from the study of curious arts upon their con­version to the faith. As for Jews and Mahometans, the former we know have espoused long since another Messias, and the latter set up that impostour Mahomet for their mediatour.

§. 5. Now the argument built upon [Page 81] the foundation of these premised con­siderations stands thus, No religion or doctrine can bring us to the fruition of God but such as instructs us how to worship him aright; No religion or doctrine but Christianity teacheth the right worship of God; Therefore none but it can bring us to enjoy him. The proposition is bottomed upon that ne­cessary connexion which is between the fruition of God and his adoration; he being wont to communicate himself in or after acts of worship, according to these and the like places. He that hath Joh. 14. 21. my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest my self to him. Behold I stand at Rev. 3. 20. the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. The Assumption hath been already cleared. But if further proof be needfull, I shall add one argument more. So far is the light of nature from making a full dis­covery [Page 82] of what belongs to divine wor­ship, that the wisest Philosophers in their morall tractates have not onely been silent as to faith in Christ, and re­pentance from dead works and such other eminent duties of religion, but commended to their readers some ha­bits and actions for vertues and du­ties, which in Scripture are represent­ed as vices and sins. For example, Aristotle one of Natures high priests, in his Ethicks, one of the choicest pieces of morality extant, maketh a vertue of Eutrapelia, which Paul under that very term prohibits as a thing inconveni­ent for Christians, Neither filthiness, nor Ephes. 5. 4. foolish talking, nor Eutrapelia Jesting, which are not convenient. So also Neme­sis, that is, grief and indignation at the prosperity of unworthy men is by him reckoned among such affections as are near of kin to vertues, but condemned at large by David in Psalm the thirty seven, and by Solomon in the Proverbs, saying, Fret not thy self because of evil Prov. 24. 19. [Page 83] men, neither be thou envious at the wicked. Another of his vertues is [...] Ma­gnanimity, which he describeth to be the judging of a mans self worthy of great things when he is so. Whereas our Sa­viour directeth us even when we have Luke 17. 10. done all things that are commanded us, yet to say we are unprofitable servants. He would have such a person a despiser [...]. and contemner of others, which is plainly Pharisaical; thinks all that savoureth of humility unworthy of his magnanimous man, whereas Solomon telleth us, It is better to be of an humble Prov. 16. 19. spirit with the lowly, then to divide the spoil with the proud. Yea he alloweth him in case of contumely to speak evil of his adversaries, whereas our Saviours rule is, Bless them that curse you, pray for them Matth. 5. 44. that despitefully use you.

EXERCITATION 3. Oracles of God vocal, or written. Books of Scri­pture so called in five respects, viz In regard of their declaring and foretelling, their being con­sulted, prized and preserved.

§. 1. IN the epistle to the Hebrews these two phrases The first prin­ciples Hebr. 5. 12. and 6. 1. of the oracles of God, And the prin­ciples of the doctrine of Christ import one and the same thing, implying also that Scripture Records are the onely Store­house and Conservatory of Christian Religion. I shall therefore from hence take occasion to shew, That books of Scripture are oracles of God, why they are so called, and wherein they excell other oracles. For the first. There were two sorts of Oracles belonging to God, vocal and written. The vocal were those answers he gave from be­tween the Cherubims on the top of 1 Kings 6. often and Chapt. 8. 6. the Mercy-seat which covered the Ark, by reason whereof the Holy of Holies, where that Ark stood, was styled the [Page 85] Oracle. The written are the two tablesExerc. 3. of the Law, called by Stephen the live­ly Acts 7. 37. oracles, and the Canonical books of Scripture, as well those of the old Te­stament of which Paul speaketh when he declareth it as the great priviledge of the Jews, that to them were committed the Rom. 3. 2. oracles of God; as those of the New, to which Peter is like to have had a pe­culiar respect in that saying of his, If 1 Pet. 4. 11. any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God, [...]. Especially if his meaning be to admonish such as speak in congregations, publick teachers, or as another Apostle styleth them Mini­sters 2 Cor. 3. 6. of the new Testament, that they be carefull to deliver Scripture-truths in Scripture-words, New-Testament­matter in New-Testament-language, taking the particle [...] in that text for a note, not of similitude, but of identi­ty; as when it is said, We beheld his John 1. 14. glory, the glory as of the onely begot­ten of the Father, it is not meant of a glory like his, but the very same; So [Page 86] let him speak as the Oracles of God, that is, the self-same things which Vid. Gerhard Coment. in 1 Pet. 4. pag. 631, 634. God hath spoken in his word.

§. 2. The word [...], whereby heathen writers had been wont to express their oracles, (chiefly such are were uttered in prose, while such as were delivered in verse went under the name of [...]) was enfranchised by the holy Ghost, and applied to the books of Scripture to intimate (as I conceive) that these books were to be of like use to Chri­stians, as those oracles had been to In­fidels; whereof take a five-fold ac­count.

I. Those declared to heathen men the will of their Idols, whence also they had their names of [...] from [...], and oracula from orare, quod inerat illis Deorum oratio, as Tully giveth the ety­mologie, because they contained what the Gods spake, and delivered to be their minde. The Scriptures in like manner contain the minde of Jehovah. Somewhat of his nature we may learn [Page 87] from the creatures, but should have known little or nothing of his will, had not canonical Scripture revealed it. We use to call a mans Testament his last will, because in it he makes a fi­nal declaration of what he would have his executours do. He that would ex­actly know the will of God, must look into his two Testaments: there he shall finde it fully expressed, and no where else.

§. 3. II. Those foretold future events, which made them to be so much fre­quented by such as thirsted after knowledge of things to come. These reade every one his destiny, and ac­quaint him aforehand with what he may or may not infallibly expect ac­cording to his present and future qua­lifications. Not to mention prophe­sies in the New testament, whereof the principal magazine is the Apoca­lypse, the old contains very many pre­dictions beyond the activity of hu­mane foresight. For although such ef­fects [Page 88] as depend upon natural causes (which are uniform in their work­ings) may be foretold by a skilfull na­turalist; and a wise Statesman, obser­ving the present constitution of a go­vernment, may prognosticate what e­vents are like to ensue upon those counsels and courses which he sees ta­ken: yet the quickest eye upon earth cannot foresee such future contingents as have their dependance upon the mere free-will of persons yet unborn; and whereunto, when they are born, not common principles, but heroick impulses must incline them. Whereas in the Scriptures we meet with the names of Josiah and Cyrus, and with their performances long before they had a being. We finde old Jacob fore­telling the respective fates of all his children, and of their posterity; Isaiah speaking of Jesus Christ, as if he had written an history rather then a pro­phesie; And Daniel, who lived under the fitst, describing the severall revolu­tions [Page 89] under all the other Monarchies, as if he had seen them with his eyes.

§. 4. III. Those gave advice in doubtfull cases, and were in all under­takings of moment consulted with by devout Heathens, who as Strabo testi­fies, Lib. 16. in de­script. Judaeae. in their chief affairs of state relied more upon the answers of their oracles then upon humane pollicies. These were Davids delight and his counsellours, Psal. 119. 24. as we use to advise with those friends, whom we take most pleasure in. He had many wise men about him, but in all their meetings for advice the word of God was still of the Quorum, and no­thing to be concluded of in the result without its consent. Scripture must not onely be heard in all our debates, but when any thing comes to be vo­ted, always have a negative voice. Con­cerning Achitophels advice it was said, what he counselled in those days was as if a man had enquired at the Oracle of God; 2 Sam. 16. last. which words (being as it is well said by Peter Martyr, Comparatio non aequipa­ratio, [Page 90] a comparison onely, not a parallel) suf­ficiently intimate that all the Oracles of God are to be consulted, and also that their counsel is to be rested in. I shall therefore be bold to say to him that reads, whoever he be, as Jehosha­phat once did to Ahab, Enquire I pray thee 2 Chron. 18. 4. of the word of the Lord to day; As Paul to his Colossians, Let the word of Christ Coloss 3. 16. dwell in you richly in all wisdome. yea as Christ to his hearers, Search the Scri­ptures. Joh. 5. 39. Other books may render men learned to ostentation, none but these can make them really wise to salvation. Philosophical speculations, quaint no­tions and strains of wit, if compared w^th these oracles, are but as so many spiders webs to catch flies, fitter for the taking of phansies then the saving of souls.

§. 5. IV. Those were exceedingly prized by such as enjoyed them, as the great advantage of their States, and the great donative of their Gods, who were thought to gratifie their worshippers by nothing more, then by oracular dis­coveries. [Page 91] These are certainly the high­est priviledges wherewith a people can be gratified; witness that discourse of Paul in the beginning of his third cha­pter to the Romanes; where he handles and decides the controversie between Religionum vin­cula sunt ar­ctissima. Reli­gionum odia sunt acerbissi­ma. Reddimus ob­stoenae convitia debita genli, Quae genitale caput propudiosa metit. Septima quae (que) dies turpi da­mnata veterno, Tanquam las­sati mollis ima­go Dei. Rutil. Itiner. lib. 1. Jew and Gentile about precedencie. Consent in Religion is wont to tie the fastest knots of mutual accord; but there are no greater animosities then those that arise from diversity of pro­fessions. The Jews of old abhorred the Gentiles as uncircumcised, igno­rant Idolaters; the Gentiles on the other side derided the Jews for their circum­cision as savouring of obscenity, & for their sabbaths, as favouring idleness: Paul who was by birth a Jew, by office a teacher of the Gentiles, well knew what fewds, and also what odds there were between them; yet equally in­volves them in the guilt of original sin throughout the whole second chapter. And because the Jew, who stood upon his points, esteeming himself every [Page 92] way the better man, would be ready to take offence at this, and to say, as it is, in the first verse of the third chapter, What advantage then hath the Jews, or what profit is there of circumcision? The Apostle answereth by way of conces­sion: and though he hold his conclu­sion firm (which is that both Jews and Gentiles, considered in their na­turals, are all under sin, and that in this Rom. 3. 9. 22. respect there is no difference) yet he rea­dily granteth that in some regards the Jews far excelled the rest of the world. Divers of their priviledges are insinu­ated in the former part of the second verse, Much every way; in the latter one instanced in, as most considerable, Chiefly because unto them were committed the Oracles of God.

§ 6. V. Those were preserved with much solicitude. History telleth us how great care the Romanes took for Vid. Molinaei Vates, lib. 3. cap. 12. the safe custody of the Sibylline ora­cles in their Capitol after Tarquin had bought them: when the Capitol was [Page 93] burnt and those books in it, what means were used to get other copies out of Greece; and how a Colledge of Priests was appointed to keep them safe. These do surely deserve as much and more care in every suitable, pos­sible way. The antient Jews preserved the letter of Scripture entire, but lost the sense; as the Papists now keep the text, but let go the truth. A good Christian will not be backward in giving all diligence to hold-fast both, by laying the Scripture up in his judgement, conscience and memory. We are all desirous to have fair and well-printed Bibles. Beleeve it, the fairest impression of the Bible is, to have it well printed on the readers Acts & Mo­num. vol. 3. edition last. p. 705. heart. M^r Fox telleth us of one Crow a sea-man, who being shipwrackt lost all his wares, and also cast five pounds in money into the sea, but kept his New Testament hanging still about his neck, so swimming upon a broken mast, till after four days (all the rest of [Page 94] his company being drowned) he was discovered and taken up in that posture alive. The onely way of preserving souls from being drowned in eternal perdition, is having the grace and truth of Scripture so bound upon the heart as to be willing to part with money or any thing else, for the safety of them. It is well worthy of our best considerati­on how much and how often Solomon in the proverbs presseth this. It is known how carefull the most are to get and keep silver and gold, but Receive Prov. 8. 10. my instruction (saith Wisdome there) and not silver; and knowledge rather then choice gold. Yet as well as men love money they will rather let go that then lose their members, whereof none are more dear then the apple of the eye. My son (saith Chap. 7. 1, 2. he) keep my words, and lay up my command­ments with thee: keep my commandements and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye. Yet skin for skin and all a man hath will he give for his life: if the loss of a mem­ber or two will save that they shall go. [Page 95] His advice to his son is, Take fast hold of Chap. 4. 13. instruction, let her not go; keep her for she is thy life. Yet the martyrs parted even with their lives to save their souls; our keeping of these is really as of great concernment as the keeping of our ve­ry souls, for so saith Solomon, He that Chap. 19. 16, keepeth the cōmandment, keepeth his own soul.

EXERCITATION 4. How Scripture-Oracles far excell those of the hea­then in point of perspicuity, of piety, of veracity, of duration, and of authority. The divine autho­rity of Scripture asserted by two arguments. An inference from the whole Aphorisme.

§. 1. HAving shewed wherein they Exerc. 4. agree, I am now to make known wherein these Scripture-Ora­cles differ from and excell those other. viz.

I. In point of perspicuity. Apollo's oracles were delivered in so dark and ambiguous terms, as gave the Greci­ans, though they were his chief wor­shippers, occasion to style him by the [Page 96] name of [...], because he seldome an­swered directly in doubtfull cases, but Euseb. praepa­rat. Evangelic. lib. 4. used such a form of words as might be diversly interpreted, to the end his cre­dit might be salved, whatever event the business had about which he was consulted with. Whereas Scripture is so framed, as to deliver all things ne­cessary to salvation in a clear and per­spicuous way. There are indeed some Pascimur aper­tis, exercemur obscuris, illic fames pellitur, hic fastidium. August. obscure passages in it to exercise our understandings, and prevent our lo­thing of overmuch plainness and sim­plicity: yet whatsoever is needfull for us to satisfie hunger, and nourish our souls to life eternal, is so exprest (I do not say that it may be understood, but so) as men that do not wilfully shut their eyes against the light, cannot pos­sibly but understand it.

§. 2. II. In point of piety. The heathen were put upon many ungodly practi­ses Plutarch. in Publicols. Livius lib. 21, & 22. S^r Walt. Ra­leigh, lib. 5. pag. 374, & 393. by their oracles, if good historians may be credited, even by those of the Sibyls, which were of greatest esteem [Page 97] for sanctity. But the frame of Scri­pture is according to godliness. Piety sparkleth in every leaf, and through­out the whole there runs a constant exaltation of God in Christ. Well nigh all sorts of Poems (to instance in them) with which we meet in hu­mane writings have their parallels in the Canonical books; but they are such as carry in them a genius and strain of godliness far beyond any thing that occurs in the Poems of men. There are [...], Songs of victory; but such as exalt, not the prowess of man, but, the glory of God. So Exodus the fifteenth. [...] funeral songs, but such as cele­brate Christs death and the good will of God therein; so Psalm the twenty second, and Isaiah the fifty third. [...] songs of love, but such as set forth the love of Christ to his Spouse the Church, and her mutual affection to him. So Psalm the fourty fifth, and the Canticles. There are also [...] sa­cred pastorals, but such as magnifie no [Page 98] other Shepherd but God alone, so Psalm the three and twentieth. Yea [...] too, but such as ascribe all to him. So Psalm sixty fifth. Let Virgil be asked Quid faciat laetas segetes, he will wholly insist upon this or that secon­dary cause of fertility. Ask David, he presently falls in his Georgicks upon praising God as the authour of all fruit­fulness. Thou visitest the earth and water­est it, Thou makest it soft with showres. Thou blessest the springing thereof; Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, Thy paths drop fatness, &c. in the end of that forecited Psalm.

§. 3. III. In point of veracity. Ma­ny falshoods were uttered, much flat­tery practised by their oracles. As when Socrates was declared by the father of lies to be the wisest man upon earth, Helvicus p. 18. notwithstanding the two great Pro­phets Haggai and Zechary were his contemporaries: and when Apollo was said [...] by reason of his so palpable Vide Sirenium de fato l. 9. c. 12 & 13. favouring of king Philip in his respon­ses. [Page 99] Whereas Scripture is free, not one­ly from all degrees of falshood (for of it we may say, Verity of verities, all is verity) but of flattery too. Insomuch as it may be observed concerning the pen-men of holy Scripture, that, con­trary to the custome and guise of hu­mane writers, they are not more free, full and impartial in any relations, then in those which concern their own failings, and theirs who were nearest and dearest to them. Moses his unbelief, Davids bloud-guiltiness, Jonahs pettish­ness, Jeremies impatience, Pauls perse­cution are recorded by their own pens. And whereas the other Evangelists in the enumeration of Christs Apostles barely name Matthew for one, without setting any brand upon him, he himself telleth us what he had been before Christ called him, Matthew the publicane. Matth. 10. 3. Yea whereas Paul in his epistle to the Galatians had brought in a charge a­gainst Peter for Judaizing, and spoken Galat. 2. 11. of his own resisting him openly, because he [Page 100] was indeed to be blamed; yet Peter for all this in his second epistle (which was written a good while after) styleth him his beloved brother Paul, and com­mendeth 2 Pet. 3. 15, 16. not his wisdome onely, but all his epistles, even that wherein he him­self was reproved. As for their carri­age toward others, Moses who loved the Hebrews so well as to wish him­self blotted out of Gods book, rather then they should perish, yet spareth not to relate their many rebellions, with the aggravations thereof to the full. The idolatry of his brother Aa­ron, the murmuring of his sister Miri­am, the frowardness of his wife Zip­porah, are as freely recorded by him, as any other historical passages what­soever. Luke who was Pauls compa­nion and scholar telleth us in the Acts what havock he had made, and how sore an enemy he had been to the Church of Christ. Mark, whom Peter 1 Pet. last. 13. styleth his son, aggravateth the story of his dear fathers sin against Christ, [Page 101] more then some of the other Evange­lists. Luke and John telleth us barely of his denying; but Mark addeth further Mark 14. verse 68. 70. 71. that he began to swear and curse, saying, I know not the man.

§. 4. IV. In point of duration. Sa­tan, who is Gods ape in very many things, had his oracles also of both sorts, Vocal; as at Delphi and Dodona, which Ovid in that respect joyneth to­gether in one verse, Non mihi si Delphi, Dodonáque diceret ipsa; Written; as in the Sibyls books contained at first in three volumes, two whereof, as it is said, were purposely cast into the fire by her that presented them, because Tar­quin Plin. natur. hist. lib. 13. cap. 13. would not go to the price of them; and the third sold for as much as was demanded in the beginning of the treaty for all three. Now provi­dence so ordered things that there was was a remarkable failing of the former sort upon the coming of Christ in the flesh, and a total cessation of them not long after his death, insomuch as Plu­tarch [Page 102] wrote a book of their defect: and a destruction of the latter after Christi­anity —Sibyllinae fata cremavit opis. Vide Baron. tom. 4. ad an­num Christi 389. n. 56. & Molin. Vates p. 182. had taken root in the Romane empire, when Stilico burnt the Sybils books as fomenters of paganisme and profaness. He that was manifested to destroy the works of the devil stopped the mouths of those evil Angels that gave answers by oracles. The Sun of righteousness arose, and those wilde beasts were forced to betake themselves to their dens. Then was the prince of this world judged, and his Angels dislodged, for the Lord Christ had ejected them. But the old Testament Scriptures received a strong confirma­tion from Christ by his appealing to them, arguing from them and ex­pounding of them. Yea so far were the Oracles of God from any diminu­tion by his coming, preaching and dying, that they received not a con­firmation onely but a glorious au­gmentation, in that within a while af­ter there was added to them by his [Page 103] Secretaries the Evangelists and Apo­stles another Volume, I mean the books of the New Testament; upon the pub­lishing whereof there came out from God as it were a second edition of his Oracles much enlarged.

§. 5. Fifthly and lastly. In point of authoritie. Those were from the father of lies, as hath been said; but these from the Father of lights. Scripture is of divine authority: Holy men of God 2 Pet. 1. 21. (saith Peter) spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. They wrote according­ly. All Scripture, saith Paul, was given 2 Tim. 3. 16. by inspiration of God. It is not more true that they are oracles for their use, then that they have God for their authour. Many large volumes have been writ­ten for to make good this assertion. It is a thing wherein the Spirit of God, who indited the Scripture, gives such abundant satisfaction to the spirits of godly men, as to make other argu­ments, though not useless, yet to them of less necessity; He alone bear­ing [Page 104] witness to the divinity of holy writ, and to the truth of his own testi­mony, so putting a final issue to that controversie. But because there is need of other reasons for the conviction of other men, I have produced certain ar­guments T [...]ctica Sacra. lib. 2. cap. ult. elsewhere, and shall here make an addition of two more, which are not mentioned in that discourse, one from consent, another from con­tinuance.

§. 6. From consent thus. Writings of men differ exceedingly one from another, which made Seneca say, Phi­losophers Tunc inter Thi­losophos conve­niet quando in­ter Horologia. would then be all of one minde when all clocks were brought to strike at one and the same time. Yea it is hard finding an au­thour that doth not differ from him­self more or less, if he write much, and at various seasons. But here is a most harmonious consent. The word since written fully agrees with that which in former times was delivered to the Patriarchs, and transmitted by word of mouth. As the word God is the same [Page 105] to day, yesterday and for ever, al­though not incarnate till the fulness of time came, and then made flesh: So the word of God, although till Moses received a command to put it in writing, there wanted that kinde of incarnation, was for substance the same before and after. And as the written word agreed with the unwritten, so doth one part of that which is written harmonize with an­other. The two Testaments, Old and New, like the two breasts of the same person give the same milk. As if one draw water out of a deep well with vessels of different mettal, one of brass, another of tin, a third of earth, the water may seem at first to be of a different colour; but when the vessels are brought near to the eye, this diver­sity of colours vanisheth, and the wa­ters tasted of have the same relish: So here, the different style of the historio­graphers from Prophets, of the Pro­phets from Evangelists, of the Evange­list from Apostles may make the [Page 106] truths of Scripture seem of different complexions till one look narrowly into them and taste them advisedly, then will the identity both of colour and relish manifest it self.

§. 7. From continuance thus. Not­withstanding all the confusions that have happened in the world, all the fires that have been kindled, the mas­sacres that have been executed, and the battels that have been fought against the true Christian Religion, the store­house thereof hath continued to this day, and these Oracles of God been preserved in spite of hell. Solomons phi­losophical treatises, which the world had no spleen against, but a liking of, are long since lost; whereas his Cano­nical writings are extant still. When the earth clave asunder to swallow up Ko­rah & his company, there are that think some of his children were taken up by the hand of God into the air till the earth closed again, then set down with­out having received any harm because [Page 107] in the titles of sundry Psalms mention is made of the sons of Korah, whom Tirinus in Numer. 16. notâ ultimâ. they suppose then preserved to propa­gate these whose service the Lord had a purpose to use so long after. How often hath persecution opened her mouth from age to age, and swallowed up millions both of men and books! Yet the bible hath been continued still by the over-ruling hand of heaven, yea, which maketh it more remark­able, God hath so befooled the devil herein, as to preserve his own Book many times by the hands of his and its enemies. It is too well known how small friends the Jews are and have heretofore been to the truth contained in the old Testament, yet of them did the Lord make use to keep it, and they proved carefull feoffes in trust for ma­king over the assurances of life to us Gentiles. Concerning one book of the New Testament, viz. the Apocalypse, it is very observable that when the au­thority thereof was questioned of old, [Page 108] the Church of Rome struck in with her testimony, and was a special means to have it kept in the number of Ca­nonical books; not without a special providence. God, who made Pharaohs daughter a second mother to Moses, whom he had appointed to bring de­struction afterwards upon her fathers house and kingdome; did then make the Romish Church a drie nurse to preserve this Book (whose meaning she knew not) that it might bring de­solation upon her self and her children afterwards. Well may we therefore conclude and say of the holy Bible, as Gamaliel once did of the Apostles Acts 5. 38, 39. preaching, Had this work been of men it would have come to nought longere this, but being it is of God, the devil and his complices have not been able to overthrow it.

§. 8. Learn we also from that hath been said, to magnifie the grace of God, who in order to the promoting of our blessedness, hath brought us of [Page 109] this nation to the knowledge of Chri­stian Religion, for want whereof ma­ny millions in other parts still sit in darkness and the shadow of death. It was a memorable act of Witekindus, S^r H. Spelman in Aspilogia p. 71. one of the Dukes of Saxony, who flou­rished about the nine hundredth year of Christ; after his renouncing paga­nisme, and receiving the faith of the gospel, he caused the black horse, which he had formerly born in his military colours, to be laid aside, and in stead thereof a white horse to be born, in testimony of his triumphant joy for that great change: perhaps because a­mong Qui candore cum nive cer­tabant. Pom­pon. Laetus. the Romanes the manner was to make use of such coloured steeds in their triumphs. It put me in minde of what we reade in the sixth of the Re­velation verse the second, where Christ is described as going out in the mini­stery of the Gospel, which was then newly embraced by that Prince; Be­hold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bowe, and a crown was givne unto [Page 110] him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. Yea whereas there are sundry modes of the Christian Religion, we are therefore to have our hearts and mouths filled with the highest praises of God, because we have it in the pu­rest, that is, the Protestant way, which allows the people in general a free use of Bibles in their native language. In In Hispania in Indice librorum prohibitorum Regulae sexta sic habet. Pro­hibentur Biblia in vulgari lin­gua cum omni­bus suis partibus. Azor. Instit. moral. Tom. 1. lib. 8. cap. 26. pag. 714. Anglia, mons, pons, sons, Ec­clesia, foemina, lana. sundry parts even of Europe it is far o­therwise, particularly in Spain, where the Bible in their vulgar tongue is rec­koned among prohibited books, and sufficeth to bring him that reads it into danger of the Inquisition. Wherefore let such as list make their boast of other things which England is said to be fa­mous for, as beautifull Churches, brid­ges, women, &c. If I were asked what advantage have English men and what profit is there of living in that Island, mine answer should be much every way; but chiefly because to them are cō ­mitted the Oracles of God, & liberty to reade their fathers minde in their mother tongue.

EXERCITATION 1. 1 Corinth. 15. 34. expounded. Opinionists com­pared Exerc. 1. to sleepers and drunkards. Three observa­tions from the end of the verse. What knowledge of God is unattainable in this life. What may be had. The knowledge we have concerning God distinguished into Natural, Literal, and Spi­ritual.

§. 1. AWake to righteousness and sin 1 Cor. 15. 34. not: for some have not the knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame. These are the Apostles ex­press words to his Corinthians. Which will be better understood, if we con­sider.

I. That there was a time, whenAph. 3. of all the Nations in the world Greece was held the most licentious, and Co­rinth of all the cities in Greece; inso­much as in common speech revellers were said to play the Grecians, and for­nicatours Pergraecari. [...]. to play the Corinthians. Al­so that after the grace of Christ (who came to call sinners to repentance) had appeared there in planting Chri­stianity, this riotous humour was no­tably fed in false brethren by those false teachers, who opened a gate to all profaness by denying the resurrection.

II. That of such teachers and pro­fessours Paul speaks in this chapter, How say some among you that there is no re­surrection? Verse 12. and calleth upon them in the beginning of this verse to awaken unto righteousness, because the many and gross vapours that ascended from this heresie had cast them into a deep sleep, wherein all their spiritual senses were bound. Hereticks may perhaps pretend to the highest strains of devo­tion, [Page 113] and make their boast of strong­est assurances: yet all this be but like the talking or walking of men in their sleep, or like the quick and nimble phantasmes of dreaming students. Their devotion is but a dream of pie­ety, their assurance will prove but a dream of happiness.

§. 2. III. That the word [...] there used by the Apostle is very em­phatical, and properly signifies an a­waking out of such a sleep as hath been occasioned by too much drink. Thus Noah awoke from his wine, and Awake [...] Gen. 9. 24. [...]. Joel. 1. 5. ye drunkards saith Joel. Neither will it be difficult to discern in a sensual opini­onist the symptoms of a drunken man. Ye may see him reeling to and fro, now entertaining this odd conceit, to mor­row that, and the next day a third, un­stable in all: well if not vomiting too and casting out scornfull reproaches up­on all that are of a contrary judge­ment, as upon dark and low-spirited men. Ye may perceive him full of [Page 114] tongue, as drunkards commonly use to be, prating, and venting his own apprehensions every where; yea per­haps boasting of himself and his party as too many, too hard for all their op­posites. So one drunkard, our proverb saith, is fourty men strong. Who so at­tempts to reason with him will easily finde him as uncapable of convicti­on, as Nahal was of Abigails nar­ration 1 Sam. 25. 37. till his wine was gone out of him.

IV. That the cause was manifest why such men had a charge given them not to sin, Awake unto righteous­ness, saith the Apostle, and sin not. For that the desperate opinion they had embraced was an high-way to abo­minable courses. The deniall of a re­surrection hath a natural tendency to loosness of life, inclining men to say, as they did, Let us eat and drink for to 1 Cor. 15. 3 [...]. morrow we shall die. And the more li­centious any man is, the more willing to close with such an opinion. Accord­ingly [Page 115] among the Jews, whereas most of the common people adhered to the Pharisees, who professed strictness, and amused them with outward forms of godliness, the Gentry and such as gave themselves most to voluptu­ousness became followers of the Sad­ducees, who denied the resurrection. Such men (saith Theophylact) are not so [...]. Theophyl. in 1 Cor. 15. easily perswaded of a resurrection, be­cause they are afraid of punishments in another life, if any be.

§. 3. V. That these especially were the persons whom Paul there censureth for gross ignorance, such as they had just cause to be ashamed of. He had said before in the twelfth verse, Some among you say there is no resurrection: in the four and thirtieth speaking still of the same men, Some have not the knowledge 1 Cor. 4. 14. of God. Onely whereas in case of per­sonal affronts to himself and his fel­low-preachers he had appeared much more milde in the fourth chapter, I write not these things (saith he there) to [Page 116] shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. Here he setteth an edge upon his rebuke, and telleth them he spake it to their shame; because the heresie he stri­keth at, struck at the root of all religi­on, and became an in-let to Epicu­risme, yea to Atheisme.

VI. That from the latter part alone, Some have not the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame, three observations may be raised without offering vio­lence to the words, one as implied, the rest as expressed, to wit,

• 1. There is a knowledge of God to be had.
• 2. Some have it not.
• 3. The want of it is a matter of shame.

All which I intend to insist upon in this and the following Exercitations.

§. 4. Concerning the first. There is a knowledge of God to perfection, which is always saving; and another to salva­tion indeed, but as yet imperfect. The former hath been proudly challenged [Page 117] by some sons of delusion, and account­ed attainable in this life by the sole im­provement of reason. For we reade of Aetius that he dared to say, I so know God, [...]. Epiph. haeres. Totum quod Deus est huma­nâ ratione com­prehendi posse O siand. hist. Eccles. centur. 12. p. 265. as I do my self; yea I do not know my self so well as I do God. A certain evidence to make it appear, that the wretch nei­ther knew himself, nor God. And Pe­trus Abelardus is said to have maintain­ed this assertion, That the whole of Gods essence may be comprehended by humane rea­son. But the truth is, it is neither at­tainable in this life, as being reserved for another world (according to the Apostles doctrine, We know but in part. 1 Cor. 13. 9, 10. When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away) nor at all by the sole improvement of reason. The lesser cannot comprehend the greater; God is greater then our heart, 1 Joh. 3. 2. faith S^t. John, therefore incomprehen­sible by the shallow reason of ship­wrack'd nature. He and the Sun are alike in this, both refresh wary behold­ers, but put out the eyes of curious [Page 118] pryers. However faith may look upon God with much comfort, for reason to stare too much upon him is the way to lose her sight. When she hath tired and wildered herself in searching af­ter the true God her return must be Non est inventus, He is not to be found, at least not by me. Faith onely can finde him out, yet not to perfection nei­ther, although to salvation it may and doth.

§. 5. Which is the latter kinde of knowledge above-mentioned, and that I am now speaking to, as attainable here. Even the lowest rank of Chri­stians, whom John styleth his little chil­dren are described by their having known 1 John 2. 13. the father: And because the new cove­nant runneth thus, They shall all know Jerem. 31. 33. me from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord. But although it be most true, that there is a saving know­ledge of God attainable here, yet for any man to presume, that whatever knowledge of God he attaineth, it will [Page 119] certainly save him is a most strong de­lusion. For whereas there is a Natural and a Literal as well as a Spiritual knowledge, it will be manifest by the sequel of this discourse, that none is saving but the third. The first is that which may be fetched out of the book of nature without any further manu­duction of higher principles. Antony the religious Monk, when a certain Philosopher asked him, how he did to live without books, answered he had Socrat. Eccles. histor. lib. 4. cap. 23. the voluminous book of all the creatures to study upon, and to contemplate God in. ‘Be­leeve me, said Bernard to his friend, as one that speaketh out of experi­ence, Bern. epist. 107. Aliquid amplius invenies in syl­vis quàm in libra. There is sometimes more to be found in woods, then there is in books. Trees and stones will teach thee that, which is not to be learned from other masters.’ The Book of Scripture without doubt hath the pre­eminence in worth by many degrees; but that of the creatures had the pre­cedency in time, and was extant long [Page 120] before the written word. We may therefore well begin with it.

EXERCITATION 2. That there is a God, the prime dictate of natural light; deducible from mans looking backward to the creation, forward to the rewards and punish­ments dispensed after death, upward to the An­gels above us, downwards to inferiour beings, within our selves to the composition of our bodies, and dictates of our consciences, about us to the various occurrences in the world.

§. 1. THere are six several acts which every man of understanding is able to exert in a way of contemplati­on: He may respicere, prospicere, suspi­cere, despicere, inspicere, and circumspi­cere. Whosoever shall advisedly exer­cise any of these will undoubtedly meet with some demonstrations of a Deity; much more if he be industri­ously conversant in them all.

I. If he do respicere look backward to the creation of the world (which the light of nature will tell him had a [Page 121] beginning) he will see and understandExerc. 2. the invisible things of God by the things that Rom. 1. 20. [...] [...]. Hex. are made, even his eternal power and God­head, as Paul speaks. Basil therefore called the world a school wherein reasonable souls are taught the know­ledge of God. In a musical instru­ment when we observe divers strings meet in an harmony, we conclude that some skilfull musician tuned them; when we see thousands of men in a field, marshalled under several colours, all yeelding exact obedience, we in­fer that there is a General, whose com­mands they are all subject to. In a watch, when we take notice of great and small wheels all so fitted as to concur to an orderly motion, we ac­knowledge the skill of an artificer. When we come into a Printing-house and see a great number of different let­ters so ordered as to make a book, the consideration hereof maketh it evident that there is a composer, by whose art they were brought into such a frame. [Page 122] When we behold a fair building, we conclude it had an architect; a stately ship well rigged and safely conducted to the Port, that it hath a Pilot. So here. The visible world is such an Instru­ment, Army, Watch, Book, Building, Ship, as undeniably argueth a God, who was and is the Tuner, General, and Artifi­cer, the Composer, Architect and Pi­lot of it.

§. 2. II. If he do prospicere look forwards to the rewards and punish­ments, to be dispensed in another world, (which the heathens Elysium Vid. Livium Galant. Chri­stian. Theo­log. cum Pla­tonica com­parat. lib 12. pag. 341. & sequent. and Tartarus shew them to have had a sleight knowledge of by the light of nature) he cannot but acknowledge some supreme Judge, whom they are dispensed by; and that he is a searcher of hearts, wherein piety and sin do chiefly reside; seeing it were impossi­ble for him otherwise to pase righte­ous judgement without mistaking good for evil, and evil for good. Some discourses of Plato, and some verses of [Page 123] Menander, besides many other testimo­nies make it appear that the notion of [...]. Menand. these things was entertained by the wi­ser sort both of Philosophers and Po­ets, and that which they held of a world to come is a topick sufficient to argue from, for the being of a God in the world that is.

III. If he do suspicere, look up­wards to a rank of creatures above himself, I mean good and evil spirits, of which the heathens were not igno­rant; witness their large discourses of Demons, of Intelligences, and of a bo­nus & malus Genius. For if such crea­tures as Angels be acknowledged, so good, holy, wise and powerfull as they are said to be by all that take no­tice of them, they must have a maker better, holier, wiser and powerfuller then themselves; seeing the cause is al­ways more noble then the effect, and hath that perfection which it commu­nicates much more eminent in it self. If there be Devils, whose mischief and [Page 124] might are both of them so confessedly great, there must needs be a God to re­strain and countermand them; else the world would soon be turned into a a mere hell, full of nothing but abo­minations and confusion.

§. 3. IV. If he do despicere, look downward to things below himself, whose nature is inferiour to that of man; the contemplation of elements, plants and brute beasts will extort the confession of a Deity. The heavens de­clare Psal. 19. 1. the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy-work. Nor these alone, which have so much of magnificence in them: but the least flie, if it could be anatomized, would be found to have in it more miracles, then parts; such proportion of members, distin­ction of offices, correspondence of in­struments, as speaketh the infinite power and wisdome of the Maker. Well might Job say, as he did, Ask now Joh. 12. 7, 8, 9. the beasts and they shall teach thee, and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or [Page 125] speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

V. If he do inspicere, look within himself, and that either to the compo­sition of his body, or to the dictates of his conscience. We are so fearfully Psal. 139. 14. Galen. lib. 3. de usu parti­um, Compono hic canticum in Creatoris nostri laudem, &c. Multa miser ti­meo, quia feci multa protervè, Exempli (que) metu terecor ipse mei. Ovid. l. 1. A­mor. Eleg. 1. and wonderfully made, that the great phy­sician Galen, though an heathen, being amazed at the wisdome which he dis­covered in the frame of every member in mans body, could no longer con­tain himself, but fell to praising the Creatour in an hymn. As for consci­ence there is nothing more common then for wicked men after the com­mission of gross sins to be inwardly tormented and affrighted by reason of somewhat it suggests, the substance whereof is, that there is a God, and that he will judge them for what they have done. Calvin telleth us of a cer­tain profane fellow who was ranting at his Inn, and blasphemously wrest­ing [Page 126] that of the Psalmist, The heaven of heavens is the Lords, and the earth hath he given to the children of men, as if God left us to do what we list upon earth, con­fining himself and his providence to the heavens; thereby as far as he open­ly durst disavowing a Deity. Where­upon he was struck suddenly with ex­treme torments in his body, and be­gan to crie out O God, O God. So na­tural it is even for the worst of man­kinde to acknowledge a God in their extremities; and for others more in­genuous, even among those that want Scripture-light (as Tertullian hath ob­served) to be frequently saying, God seeth. I commend it to God, God will re­compense: which drew from him an ex­clamation that must be warily under­stood, O the testimony of a soul naturally O testimoni­um animae naturaliter Christianae! Tertull. A­polog. Christian!

§. 4. VI. If he do circumspicere, look round about him to the various occur­rences in the world; the great deli­verances vouchsafed to some, the great [Page 127] calamities brought upon others, both beyond all expectation. The Lord is, Psal. 9. 16. and cannot but be, known by the judge­ments which he executeth; so by the bles­sings which he bestoweth. Who can see a Daniel rescued from reasonable li­ons, unreasonable men, a Moses preser­ved in an ark of bulrushes, a Noah in a deluge of waters, others in a furnace of fire? Who can behold a Pharaoh pla­gued, an Herod eaten up with worms, an Achitophel making away himself, a Judas bursting asunder in the midst, an Arius voiding of his bowels, and not crie out, as it is in the Psalm, Verily Psal 58. last. there is a reward for the righteous, doubt­less there is a God that judgeth the earth? We meet with a passage in Atheneus not unworthy, as I conceive, to be taken notice of, and recorded here. When at a publick meeting in some place of re­ceit, a beam of the house suddenly fal­ling had dashed out the brains of a no­toriously wicked man in the sight of many by-standers to whom he was [Page 128] known; one Stratonicus brake out into a speech so emphatical in the Greek, as [...]. Athen. Deipnoso­phist. l. 8. it can hardly be translated without much loss, yet take it thus: Sirs, said he, the beam of light which I have, convinceth me that there is a God; if any of you be otherwise minded, this beam of wood may suffice to beget in him the same perswasion.

§. 5. But notwithstanding all this, as it fared with the wise men from the east, who, although they were assured by the appearance of a star that a King of the Jews was born, yet needed the prophets manuduction to give them no­tice who he was, and where they might finde him: so though natural reason improved can make it appear that there is a God, yet there is a neces­sity of Scripture-revelation to inform us who and what he is, in regard of his Essence, Subsistence, and Attributes; in all these the written word goes far beyond whatever was or could be dis­cerned in Natures school, and becomes [Page 129] the fountain of that literal knowledge which we are now to treat of.

EXERCITATION 3. Reasons three ways of discovering God fall short of manifesting what he is. The expression in Exod. 3. 14. most comprehensive. A brief exposition thereof. Satans impudence. Nature and Art both unable to discover the Trinity. What Scripture revealeth about it. Basils memento. Julians im­piety. Socinians branded. The three Persons com­pared to those three wells in Genes. 26.

§. 1. DIvines tell us of three ways, Exerc. 3. whereby reason goes to work in her enquiry after God; but none of them all is able to make a full discovery of his Essence. The first is via causalitatis, when from the creatures, whereof God is the supreme universal cause, reason begins to contemplate him as their efficient, because they could not make themselves. But hi­therto it onely discovereth Quod sit, that there is a God, to whom all things ow their beings; not Quid sit what he [Page 130] is. The second is via remotionis, when it considereth the several imperfections of creatures, and removeth them all from God, as inconsistent with a Dei­tie. Thus it conceiveth him immortal, impassible, impeccable, because to die, suffer, sin, are imperfections. But this onely sheweth Quid non sit, what he is not; she is still to seek for what he is. The third is via eminentiae, when rea­son considereth the sundry perfections, which are scattered here and there a­mong created beings, and ascribes them all to God in an eminent and transcendent way. As when finding in Angels and men wisdome, holiness, and strength, it conceiveth God to be most wise, most holy, and most strong. Yet even this doth but shew Qualis sit, non quis, what kinde of being God is, not who is he. Reason for that must be beholding to revelation. In which respects I cannot but applaud the wise answer of that Philosopher, (Epictetus, as some report) who when his hear­ers [Page 131] said to him, S^r you have uttered ma­ny excellent things concerning God, Joh. de Car­thag. hon il. Catholic. lib. 1. hon il 8. p. 47. but we cannot as yet understand what he is, told them plainly, Were I able fully to set forth God, I should either be God my self, or God himself cease to be what he is. Si omnino ego Deum declararem, vel ego Deus essem, vel ille Deus non foret.

§ 2. Were all such passages set aside as are not originally the Heathens own, but borrowed from Jewish or Christian authours, I should not be afraid to affirm, that there is one very short expression in Scripture, to wit this, I am that I am, which revealeth Exod. 3. 14. more of God, then all the large vo­lumes of Ethnick writers. An expres­sion so framed as to take in all differen­ces of time, according to the idiome of the Hebrew tongue, wherein a verb of the future tense, as Ehieh is, may signifie time past and present, as well as that which is to come. Hence ariseth a great latitude of interpreta­tion; [Page 132] for according to different read­ings it implieth different things. Read­ing it, as we do, I am that I am, it im­porteth the supremacie of Gods being. The creatures have more of non-entity then of being in them: It is proper to him to say I am. [...]. so the Septua­gint. Or the simplicity thereof; whereas in creatures the Thing and its Being, Ens and Essentia are distinguishable, in him they are both one. Or the ineffabili­tie; as if the Lord had said to Moses, enquiring his name, I am my self, and there is nothing without my self that can fully express my Being. Which put Scaliger upon inventing that admi­rable Scalig. de Sub­tilit. Exercit. 365. § 2. epithet [...], that is, Ipsissimus Ipse. Or lastly, the Eternitie thereof; since there never was, never will be a time, wherein God might not, or may not say of himself I am. Whence it is that when Christ would manifest his goings out from everlasting, as Micah phra­seth Micah 5. 2. it, he maketh use of this expres­sion, Before Abraham was, I am, not I Joh. 8. 58. [Page 133] was; for that might have been said of Enoch, Noah and others who lived be­fore Abrahams time, yet were not eter­nal, but I am. If it be rendered I am what I was, as Piscator would have it, then it speaketh his Immutability: I am in executing, what I was in promising, Yesterday and to day and the same for ever. If, as others, I will be what I will be, then it denotes his Independency. That es­sence which the creatures have depend­eth upon the Creatours will; None of them can say I will be, not having of and in it self any power to make it self persevere in being, as God hath. It may perhaps intimate all these, and Quae verbulo hoc continentur omnium homi­num capacita­tem transcen­dunt. Andr. Rivet. in Exod. 3. 14. much more then the tongues of An­gels can utter. Verily it is a speech containing more in it (as a learned writer acknowledgeth) then humane capacities can attain.

§. 3. I shall therefore forbear to en­large upon it. Let me onely observe before I leave it the notorious impu­dence of apostate spirits. Satan not [Page 134] contenting himself to have got the name of Jove in imitation of Jehovah, the incommunicable name of God, prevailed with his deluded followers to ascribe unto him that, which the Lord of heaven and earth assumeth to himself in this mysterious place of Ex­odus, saying I am that I am. For over the gate of Apollo's temple in the city of Delphi, so famed for oracles, was en­graven in capital letters this Greek vvord [...]. which signifies Thou art, vvhereby those that came thither to vvorship, or to consult Satans oracle, vvere instructed to acknovvledge him the fountain of being, and the onely true God: as one Ammonius is brought in discoursing at large of this very thing in the last Treatise of Plutarchs morals, vvhereunto I refer the reader.

§. 4. As to the point of divine sub­sistence, Jehova Elohim, Father, Son and Holy Ghost: three persons, but one Deus indivisè [...] in Trini­tate, & incon­fusè trinus in unitate. God; or in Leo's expression, One God without division in a Trinity of Persons, and [Page 135] three Persons without confusion in an Unity of Essence; it is a discovery altogether supernatural: yea Nature is so far from finding it out, that novv when Scri­pture hath revealed it, she cannot by all the help of Art comprehend, or set it forth as she doth other things: Grammar it self wanting proper and full words whereby to express, Logick strong demonstrations whereby to prove, and Rhetorick apt similitudes whereby to clear so mysterious a truth. The terms Essence, Persons, Trinity, Generation, Procession and such like, which are commonly made use of for want of better, have been and will be cavilled at as short of fully reaching the mystery in all its dimensions. Of the similitudes usually brought for its illustration that which Hilary said is Omnis compa­ratio homini po­tiùs utilis ha­beatur quàm Do apta. Hilar. lib. 1. de Trin. most true, They may gratifie the under­standing of man, but none of them exactly suit with the nature of God. For example, Not that of a root, a trunk, and a branch; the trunk proceeding from [Page 136] the root, the branch from both, yet but one tree: because a root may for some time be without a trunk, and a trunk without a branch, but God the Father never was without his Son, nor the Father and Son without their coe­ternal Spirit. Neither that of a chry­stall Ball held in a river on a Sunshine­day, in which case there would be a Sun in the Firmament, begetting ano­ther Sun upon the chrystall Ball, and a third Sun proceeding from both the former, appearing in the surface of the water; yet but one Sun in all: for in this comparison two of the Suns are but imaginary, none reall save that in heaven; whereas the Father, Word and Spirit are distinct Persons indeed, but each of them truly and really God.

§. 5. Well therefore may Rheto­ricians say, It is not in us and in our similitudes fully to clear this high point; Logitians also, It is not in us and in our demonstrations fully to [Page 137] prove it. For however reason be able from the creatures to demonstrate a Godhead, as hath been said, yet it can­not from thence a Trinity; no more then he that looks upon a curious pi­cture can tell whether it was drawn by an English-man, or an Italian, onely that the piece had an artificer, and such an one as was a prime master in that fa­culty: because the limbner drew it as he was an artist, not as one of this or that nation. So the world is a production of that Essence which is common to all three, not any personal emanation from this or that subsistent; which is the reason why a Deity may be inferred from thence, but not any distinction of Persons, much less the determinate number of a Trinity. The doctrine whereof is like a Temple filled with smoke, such smoke as not onely hin­ders the view of the quickest eye, but hurts the sight of such as dare with un­due curiosity pry into it. A mystery, which my faith embraceth as revealed [Page 138] in the word, but my reason cannot fa­thome. Whilest others run themselves on ground, and dispute it till their un­derstandings be non-plust; may I be enabled to beleeve what Scripture te­stifieth concerning an unbegotten Father, an onely-begotten Son, and an Holy Spirit proceeding from both; Three, yet but One: and therein to acquiesce without en­quiring as Mary did, when the Angel foretold her miraculous conception, How can this thing be? To which que­stion my return should be no other but that of Austine, who notwithstand­ing his fifteen books concerning the Trinity, modestly said, Askest thou [...] me Nescio, & li­benter nescire profiteor. Au­gust. serm. de tempore 189. how there can be Three in One, and One in Three? I do not know, and am freely willing to profess my ignorance herein. Ve­rily this light is dazling, and our eyes are weak. It is a case wherein the wi­sest clerks are punies, and the ablest Oratours infants.

§. 6. Yet is the mystery it self written in Scripture as it were with [Page 139] the Sun-beams. I reject not as inva­lid, but onely forbear as less evident the places commonly cited out of Mo­ses and the Prophets; choosing rather to insist upon New-testament disco­veries, when the vail which formerly hid the Holy of Holies from mens sight was rent in pieces, and the secrets of heaven exposed to more open view, then whilest the Church was in her minority. At our Saviours baptisme there was a clearer manifestation of the Trinity then ever before; as if God had reserved this discovery on purpose to add the greater honour to his one­ly Sons solemn inauguration into the office of Mediatour-ship, which was then most visibly undertaken. Who so casts his eye upon the third chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, will quickly discern the Father in an audible voice, heard but not seen, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well Vers. 21, 22, 23. Voce Pater, Na [...]us flumine, Flamen ave. pleased. The word made flesh now in the water, receiving baptisme, and after [Page 140] praying, so both heard and seen. The Spirit like a Dove descending and rest­ing upon Christ, seen but slot heard. Insomuch as the Catholicks were wont in the times of Athanasius to send the misbeleeving Arians to Jordan, there to learn the knowledge of a Trinity.

§. 7. Behold after this a clear no­mination of the three coessential Per­sons in that commission which Christ our Lord sealed to the Apo­stles before his ascension, in the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, when he sent them out to make disciples in all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Who can but see a Trini­ty [...]. Ba­sil. epist. 78. here? How can any who by vertue of this institution hath been baptized, refuse to beleeve it? It becomes us (saith Basil) to be baptized as we have been taught, to beleeve as we have been baptized, & to glorifie as we have beleeved, the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit. This the great [Page 141] Apostate Julian, was not a little sensible of; wherefore considering that he could not fairly disclaim the Trinity, till he had renounced his baptisme, he took the bloud of beasts offered in sacrifice to the heathen Gods (as Nazianzen tells Nazian. Orar. 1. aduers. Ju­liar. circa me­dium. us from the report of his own domesti­cal servants) and bathed himself there­in all over; so, as much as in him lay, washing off the baptisme he had for­merly received. Add hereunto that impregnable place (which hath hi­therto, and will for ever hold out a­gainst all the mines and batteries of hereticks) in the first epistle of John, There are three that bear witness in heaven, 1 Joh. 5. 7. the Father, the Word, and the holy Spirit; and these three are One. Where a Trinity is proclaimed both in numero numerante, there are three; and in numero numerato, telling us plainly who they are, Father, Word, and holy Spirit: And that the same Essence is common to them all. For these three are One.

§. 8. Yet is there a late genera­tion, [Page 142] of men commonly known by the name of Socinians, who although they maintain against Atheists the Persona­litie and Eternitie of God the Father, have confounded Christian Religion by denying the Eternitie of the Son, whose Personalitie they acknowledge; and the personalitie of the Spirit, whose Eternitie they confess. Methinks it fares with these three blessed Persons, as with those three noted wells of which we reade in the twenty sixth of Genesis. Two of them Isaacs servants were en­forced to strive for with the herdmen of Gerar, which made him call the one Esek, that is, contention, the other Sit­nah, that is, hatred. A third they got quiet possession of, and he called the name of it Rehoboth, saying, Now the Lord hath made room for us. The Fathers Godhead is like the well Rehoboth, which there was no strife about, the Sons divinity like the well Esek, we are forced to contend for that, as also for the Deity of the Spirit, which is [Page 143] as Sitnah to the Socinians; they hate theExerc. 4. thoughts of it, much more the ac­knowledgement.

But can any man say by the Spirit of God, that the Spirit is not God? Is it not as clear by Scripture-light that Christ is God, as by Natures light that God is? Are they Christians and Spiritual, who denie the divinity of Christ and the Spi­rit? Let the judgement of charity en­joy its due latitude: but for my part, I would not for a thousand worlds have a Socinians account to give at the end of this.

EXERCITATION 4. Divine Attributes calling for transcendent respect. They are set down in the Scripture so, as to curb our curiositie, to help our infirmity, to prevent our misapprehensions, and to raise our esteem of God. Spiritual knowledge superadding to literal clear­ness of light, sweeteness of taste, sense of interest and sinceritie of obedience.

NExt to the Essence and Subsistence of God, his Attributes are to be [Page 144] considered; concerning which I pre­mise this rule.

§. 1. The degrees of our respect are to keep proportion with degrees of worth in persons and things; ordinary worth requiring esteem, eminent calling for reverence, supereminent for admirati­on, yea and adoration too, if it be an un­created object. Hence the Psalmist up­on contemplation of God crieth out as in an extasie, O Lord, our Lord, how ex­cellent Psal. 8. 1, and 9. is thy Name in all the earth! His At­tributes are his Name; their worth so superexcellent, as far to transcend the utmost pitch of that observance, which we, poor we, are able any way to render. Seeing as the stars of heaven disappear, and hide their heads upon the rising of the Sun that out-shineth them: so creatures seem not to be excel­lent, yea, not to be, when the being and excellency of their Maker displayeth it self, according to that, All nations be­fore Isai. 40. 17. him are as nothing; and they are count­ed to him less then nothing and vanity. The [Page 145] best of them have but some perfecti­ons: God either hath (as manna is supposed to have had the relish of all meats) or containeth all; Sovereign­ty comprehendeth inferiour honours. The best of their perfections are mix­ed with some defects: but God is light, 1 Joh. 1. 5. and in him is no darkness at all. They may be perfect and good in their kinde: He is perfection and goodness it self. In them we may finde matter of won­derment, but of astonishment in him, wit­ness that eminent place Nehem. 9. 5. Blessed be thy glorious Name, which is ex­alted above all blessing and praise. Nature, though not altogether silent upon this argument, to wit the divine Attributes, yet enjoyeth but a dim light to disco­ver them by, whereas the Scripture re­presenteth them most magnificently in sundry respects.

§. 2. First, so as to curb our curiositie. For which end it expresseth divers of them negatively, as when God is said to be infinite, immortal, invisible, un­searchable: [Page 146] whereby we are taught that it is easier for us to know what he is not, then what he is; which is known onely to himself. The best terms (as Scaliger hath it) for men to manifest Scalig. de Sub­ [...]ili [...]. Exercit. 365. § [...]. [...]. Nazi anz hymn. ad Deum. Meliùs seitur nesci [...]ndo. Aug. lib. 2. de or­dine. their understanding of God by, are those which manifest that they under­stand him not. Thou, O Lord, saith Na­zianzen, hast produced all those things of which we speak; but art unspeakable thy self. All that can be known by us is from thee, but thou thy self canst not be known. Yea Austin was not afraid to affirm that Nescience is the better way of knowing God.

Secondly, so as to help our infirmitie. For whereas we are not able by any one act of our finite understandings to comprehend that infinite Essence, which is it self one simple Act, but comprehensive of all perfections; Ho­ly Scripture, condescending to our weakness, alloweth us to take up as it were in several parcels, what we can­not compass at once; and in contem­plating the Attributes to conceive [Page 147] some under the notion of divine proper­ties incommunicable to creatures; such as are Immensity, Independency, Eter­nity, Simplicity, Self-sufficiency, All­sufficiency, Omnipotence, Omnisci­ence, Omnipresence. Others under that of divine faculties; such are Un­derstanding, Will, and Memory ascri­bed to God. It gives us leave to look at some as divine affections; such are his Love, Hatred, Anger, Grief and Delight. At others as divine virtues; such are his Mercy, Justice, Pati­ence, Faithfulness, Holiness, Wis­dome, &c. and at other some as divine excellencies resulting out of all the for­mer; such are Majesty, Blessedness and Glory.

§. 3. Thirdly, so as to prevent our mis­apprehensions. The Attributes of God however diversified in our concepti­ons (as hath been said) are identified with his Essence, which is but One: though to us they appear to be different each from other, and all from it; as [Page 148] the vast ocean, though but one, re­ceiveth divers names from the severall shores it washeth upon: so however Justice, Mercy, Power and the rest, be severall names suited to different ope­rations; yet God is but one simple Act under those various denominations. Lest we should therefore apprehend them to be such qualities as our virtues are, really distinguishable, yea and sepa­rable from our being (as appeared when the first man fell from his holi­ness, yet continued a man still) Scri­pture doth sometimes predicate them of God in the abstract: as when Christ is styled Wisdome; when it is said, God Proverb. 8. 1 Joh. 1. 8. 1 Joh. 5. 6. is love, and the Spirit is truth. Men may be called loving, wise and true: God is love, wisdome and truth it self. The Apostle telleth us that if God swear, he doth it by himself and no other; yet we Heb. 6. 13. finde him in the Psalm swearing by his Psal. 89. 35. holiness: whence it followeth that his holiness is himself. Christ is usually said to sit at the right hand of God; but [Page 149] in one place it is exprest by sitting on the right-hand of power: Therefore God Mark 14. 62. is Power, as well as Love. There is the same reason of all his attributes.

§. 4. Fourthly, So as to raise our esteem of God. Some there be which are frequently called Communicable Attri­butes, because in them the creatures share, as being, immortality, good­ness, and wisdome. Lest we should in this respect have lower thoughts of God then becomes us, Scripture is wont to ascribe them to him in such a way of supereminence as, (however they be participated by Angels and men yet) he onely is said to have them. Witness these texts, There is none Isa. 49. 6. besides me. Who onely hath immortality. 1 Tim. 6 16. and Chap. 1. 17. Matth. 19. 17. God onely wife. And There is none good but God. Because in him they are all infi­nite, all eternal, all unmixed, and without the least allay of imperfecti­on. An apostrophe borrowed from a devout, though popish, writer, shall shut up this. O abyss of divine perfections! [Page 150] How admirable art thou, O Lord, who pos­sessest in one onely perfection the excellecy of Fr. Sales. Love of God. lib. 2. cap. 1. § 3. pag. 74. all perfections, in so excellent sort, that none is able to comprehend it but thy self!

§. 5. There is yet behinde, a third kinde of knowledge far exceeding both the former. A knowledge of God not proceeding from the light of Na­ture alone, as the first doth; nor of Scripture alone, as the second; but from effectual irradiations of the Spirit of Ephes. 1. 17. wisdome and revelation, accompanied with purging and cheering influences from the same spirit. Look as the Li­teral maketh an addition of further dis­coveries to the Natural (which hath been sufficiently proved) So this Spi­ritual knowledge of God superadds even to the Literal sundry particulars, not unworthy of our serious conside­ration, viz.

First, Clearness of light. Since the Canon of Scripture was perfected, the things which the Holy Ghost disco­vereth are no other for substance, but [Page 151] those very things which are contained in the written word: onely he affords regenerate persons clearer light to discern them by, then any they had be­fore their conversion. Take a man that is now become a learned Critick, turn him to the same Authour which he perused when he was a young student; he will finde the self-same matter, but see a great deal further into it, because he hath now got further light. So is it here.

Secondly, Sweetness of taste. I sate Cantic. 2. 3. down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. So the Spouse. O taste and see that the Lord is Esal. 39. 8. good. So the Psalmist. Upon which place the School-men have founded their distinction of knowledge of sight and a knowledge of taste. Spiritual science Scientia visûs gust [...]. is steeped in affection; taking delight in the things known, and not barely apprehending, but relishing and sa­vouring what it apprehendeth with abundance of love and complacency. [Page 152] Whence those expressions in Solo­mons song, Because of the savour of thy Cantle. 1. 3. Nescit divina, qui non optat, qui non amal. Jo. Euseb. Nicomb. The­opolit. pag. 91. good ointments, thy name is as an ointment poured forth, therefore do the Virgins love thee, He doth not know the things of God (saith a late writer well) who doth not desire and love them.

§. 6. Thirdly, Sense of interest. Of the Zidonians God said, They shall know that I am the Lord: But of his own peo­ple Ezek. 28. 22. compared with verse 26. Ephes. 1. 13. Israel, They shall know that I am the Lord their God. Paul of the beleeving Ephesians concerning Christ, In whom ye trusted, after that ye had heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Others may consider the Gospel as a word of truth, and a doctrine holding forth sal­vation; but such as are savingly en­lightened and sanctified by the Spirit, view the salvation it holdeth forth as theirs, and are ready to say of every truth therein contained, This is good and good for me. Happy man, whosoever thou art, that canst look by an eye of faith at the Gospel as the Charter of [Page 153] thy liberties, at the condemning Law as cancelled by thy Surety, at the Earth as the footstool of thy Fathers throne, at Heaven as the portall of thy Fathers house, at all the creatures in Heaven and Earth as an heir is wont to look at his fathers servants, which are therefore his, so far as he shall have need of them, according to that, All 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23. are yours, and ye are Christs, and Christ is Gods.

Fourthly, Sincerity of obedience. No doubt but Elies two sons, being Priests had a literal knowledge of God; yet being profane, they are said expresly not to have known him. They 1 Sam. 2. 12. were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord. When Lucius a bloudy persecuter of­fered to confess his Faith, in hope thereby to beget in the auditours a good opinion of his orthodoxy, Moses the religious Monk refused to hear him, saying, The eye might sometimes judge Ruffin. histor. Eccles. lib. 2. cap. 6. of ones faith as well as the ear: and that whosoever lived as Lucius did, could not be­leeve [Page 154] as a Christian ought. Fully conso­nant hereunto is that of James, I will James 2. 18. shew thee my faith by my works. That of John, He that saith, I know God, and keep­eth 1 John 2. 4. not his commandments is a lyar, and the truth is not in him. And that of Job, Be­hold the fear of the Lord that is wisdome, Job 22. last. and to depart from evil is understanding.

EXERCITATION 1. Exerc. 1. God described from goodness and greatness both without and within the Church. A lively pour­traiture of his goodness in the several branches thereof. Exod. 34. 6, 7. Bowels of mercy im­plying inwardness and tenderness. Our bowels of love to God, of compassion to brethren. Mercy not to be refused by unbelief, nor abused by presum­ption.

§. 1. THe most learned among the Heathen made ac­count they had sufficient­ly characterized their Jupiter, when [...]. Optimus Maxi­mus. they styled him Good and Great, yea the Best and Greatest of Beings. Nei­ther can it be denied that these two at­tributes, [Page 156] if we take them in their lati­tude,Aph. 4. comprehend very many of those perfections, which commonly go un­der other names. And this perhaps may be the reason why David in Psalm one hundred fourty fifth (which the Rabbins are said to have esteemed so Coppen in ar­gumento Psal. 145. highly of, as to determine, but with more superstition then truth, that whosoever repeated in thrice every day might be sure of eternal life) having set himself to extoll God and to bless his name, as appeareth by the first and se­cond verses, insisteth chiefly on these two. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be Psal. 145. v. 3. praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Shortly after, They shall abundantly utter Vers. 7. 8, 9. the memory of thy great goodness. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works. I shall accordingly treat of both, and first of his Good­ness.

§. 2. Moses was skill'd in all the Acts 7. 22. [Page 157] learning of the Egyptians; yet as not con­tent herewith, he becometh an humble suiter to God for some further and bet­ter knowledge, I beseech thee (saith he) Exod. 33. 18. shew me thy glory. Other notions may fill the head of a moral man: nothing short of the knowledge of God can sa­tisfie the heart of a Saint. Wherefore in answer to this request, the Lord ma­keth him a promise, saying, I will make Verse 19. all my goodness pass before thee. The thing desired was a sight of his glory; the thing promised a view of his Good­ness. Which intimateth that however in themselves all the Attributes of God be glorious, yet he glorieth most in the manifestation of his goodness, neither doth any bring him in so much glory from the creatures who are wont to magnifie this most. I will mention the Isai 63. 7. loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the prai­ses of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us; and the great good­ness towards the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them, according to his [Page 158] mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. So the Church in Isaiah.

Now the forementioned promise made to Moses in Exodus the three and thirtieth, was made good in chapter the thirty fourth, where the Lord is said to have passed by him, and pro­claimed, The Lord, the Lord God merci­full Exod, 34, 6. 7. Totum hunc lo­cu [...] ad bonita­tem Dei perti­nere asserit Lu­dovic. de Dieu Auimadvers. in loc. and gracious, long-suffering and abun­dant in bounty and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgres­sion, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children unto the third, and to the fourth ge­neration. All which clauses, (even the latter, expounded by most of Gods Ju­stice) may be so interpreted as to relate to his Goodness rather.

It is twofold, one Essential, that wherewith God is good in himself, the other Relative, that whereby he doth good to his creatures. The former is here set forth by the term Jehovah, [Page 159] which is doubled, and doth most fully serve to express it, as coming from a root, that signifieth Being. For Good­ness and Entity are convertible, and Diabolus in quantum est, bonus est. August p. de Natur. [...]. c. 5. every thing so far forth as it partaketh of Being, partaketh also of Bonity: wherefore God in whom all degrees of Entity meet is undoubtedly most good. The latter in the title El, which as a learned Jew affirmeth, doth not less clearly express his influence, then Jehovah doth his Essence: El and Elohim Abarbanel a­pud Joann. Buxtorf fil. in Dissertat. de Nominibus Dei Hebraicè thes. 39 & 41. in their most proper notion (as he tel­leth us) signifying the authour and producer of things by an infinite pow­er. Of this Relative goodness there are sundry distinct branches mentioned in this superexcellent Text, which are spoken to in their order.

§. 3. The First is Mercy. The nature [...] [...] [...] intra viscera recepit, [...]. Luc. 1. 78. whereof may receive much light from the Hebrew word which is here made use of. It cometh from a root that si­gnifieth shutting up in ones bowels, as child-bearing women retain and [Page 160] cherish their dearest offspring within their wombs. Accordingly we reade in Luke of the bowels of Gods mercy; a phrase which implieth both inward­ness and tenderness. First inwardness, our bowels are the most inner parts: The mercy of God springs from with­in, and hath no original cause with­out himself. Humane affection is com­monly both begotten and fed by somewhat without, in the thing or person beloved; as culinary fire must be kindled and kept in by external ma­terials: But God loveth because he loveth, Deut. 7. 7, 8. Exod. 33. 19. and sheweth mercy on whom he will shew mercy; as celestial fire is fuel to it self. He freely extendeth mercy to us in ma­king us good, then doth us good for being so; is not this a mercifull God? Secondly tenderness. The forecited passage in Luke runneth thus in our translation, Through the tender mercies of our God. Of all parts the bowels re­lent and earn most. In them we are wont to finde a stirring, when strong [Page 161] affections of love or pity are excited, as Joseph did upon sight of Benjamin. Gen. 43. 30. God speaking after the manner of men useth this pathetical expression con­cerning his people, How shall I give thee Hos. 11. 8. 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 me, my repentings are kindled toge­ther. His people accordingly crie to him, Where is thy zeal, and thy strength? the Isai. 63. 15. sounding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies are they restrained? Of all humane bowels those of mothers are the tenderest. Can a woman (saith the Lord) forget her suck­ing Isai. 49. 15. childe that she should not have compas­sion on the son of her womb? Yet sooner shall all the mothers in the world prove unnatural, then he unmercifull: for so it followeth, yea they may forget, yet will not I forget thee.

§. 4. Well may this notion of mer­cy put us in minde of returning bow­els of love to God, according to what David said in the beginning of Psalm [Page 162] the eighteenth, I will love thee O Lord my strength; where the word cometh from [...] Ex intimis vi­sceribus diligam te. Psal. 18. 1. the same forementioned root, and in­timateth exercising love out of his most inward bowels: as also of ex­tending bowels of compassion to those especially that stand in nearest re­lation to him, according to that of John, Whoso hath this worlds goods, and seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up 1 Job. 3. 17. his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? But that is not all the improvement we are to make of this Attribute. As it is a most tender affection, so is it to be most ten­derly used. Take we therefore diligent heed, as of refusing it by unbelief, so, of abusing it by presumption.

First, of refusing mercy by unbelief. Ma­ny, Jonah. 2. 8. as the phrase is in Jonah, forsake their own mercie, by giving way to ob­jections arising from the flesh, like smoke out of that bottomless pit in Revelation. Say not therefore God is so angry with me, the arrows of the [Page 163] Almighty stick so fast, and the poyson thereof doth so drink up my spirit, that I cannot expect any mercy from him. Know that the Lord is wont even in wrath to remember mercie: and that the Habak. [...]. 3. correction which thou at present look­est at as an argument of wrath, may perhaps be an evidence of love, and an act of mercy. God is not about to hew thee down, as thy unbeleeving heart imagineth, but to prune thee for pre­vention of luxuriancy. Be sure the right hand of his clemency knoweth what­ever the left hand of his severitie doth. Thou hadst better be a chastened son, then an undisciplined bastard. There is no anger to that in Isaiah, Why Isai. 1. 5. should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: That in Ezekiel, I will Ezek. 16. 42. make my fury towards thee to rest, and my jealousie shall depart from thee; and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry; That in Hos. 4. 17. Tunc magis ira­scitur quando non irascitur. Super o [...]nen iram miseratio ista. Bernard. Hosea, He is joyned to idols, let him alone. Then is God most angry of all, when he refuseth to be angry; yea there is no [Page 164] anger of his to be compared to this kinde of mercy. Men that are fatted to destruction often go prosperously on in the world, have few afflictions in their life, no bands in their death: but as Erasmus once said, From this prosperitie Absit à nobis, chrissimi, alis selicitas. Erasm. in concione de misericordia. good Lord deliver us.

Say not I am unworthy, and must therefore despair; for mercy is free, and if God should shew mercy to none but such as are worthy of it, he should shew mercy to none at all, seeing All have sinned and come short, as of the glory, so, of the mercy of God. Say not my sins are many and great, too many and too great to be pardoned: but oppose to the multitude of thy transgressions that multitude of tender mercies mention­ed Psal. 51. 1. by the Psalmist; not forgetting the gracious invitation by another Pro­phet, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughtss; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, or, multiple pardon, as [Page 165] the original phrase imports. To the greatness of thy sins oppose the riches of Gods mercy, and greatness of his love spoken of by the great Apostle. God, saith he, who is rich in mercy, for his Ephes. [...]. 4. great love wherewith he loved us. Lo here a vast heap, whereunto men may come with confidence, be it never so much they have need of, because these riches are not impaired by being imported. The mercies of an infinite God are in­finite mercies, and so able to swallow up all the sins of finite creatures. What though thou hast heretofore delighted in sin? despair not, for he delighteth in Micah 7. 18. mercy, mercy pleaseth him, as much as ever any sin did thee. What though thy re­bellion hath been long continued? The Psalm 103. 17. mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to ever­lasting upon them that fear him. Yea what though to former guilt thou hast added back-sliding, and relapses to rebellion? yet remember that in Jeremiah. Return Jerem. [...]. 22. ye back-sliding children, and I will heal your back-slidings, together with that in the [Page 166] last of Hosea, where Israel had no sooner said, In thee the fatherless findeth mercy, but it followeth immediately, I will heal Hos. 14. 3, 4. their back-slidings, I will love them freely. But lest any should surfet on these sweet meats, take we heed.

§. 5. Secondly, Of abusing mer­cy by presumption. Mercie improved openeth to us the surest refuge; Mercy abused brings upon us the sorest vengeance. It would be con­sidered that there is one kinde of pre­sumers whom mercy it self is resolved to have no mercy on, so long as they continue such: to wit, those that dare expect it, notwithstanding their reso­lution to go on in their impenitence, and ignorance of God. For thus saith the God of heaven concerning him, Who blesseth himself in his heart, saying, I Deut. 29. 19, 20, 21. shall have peace, though I walk in the ima­gination of my heart, to add drunken­ness to thirst, The Lord will not spare him, but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man; and the curses [Page 167] that are written in this book shall lie upon him; and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven; and shall separate him unto evil. And again, It is a people of no Isa. 27. 11. understanding; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour. Such shall at length finde to their costs that the Justice of God, as well as his Mercy endures for ever: And that as nothing is more calm then a smooth, more ra­ging then a tempestuous sea; nothing more cold then lead when it is taken out of the mine, nor more scalding when it is heated; nothing blunter then iron, yet when it is whetted no­thing more sharp: So none more mer­cifull then God, but if his patience be turned to fury by our provocations, none more terrible. Because I have purged thee, saith the Lord, and thou wast not purged; thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord have spo­ken Ez [...]k. 24. 13, 14. it, and I will do it I will not go back, [Page 168] neither will I spare, neither will I repent &c. Wo and again wo to them all, against whom mercy it self shall rise up in judgement. Look as the power of God, though infinite, receives limi­tations from his will; He could have made millions of worlds, would make but one: In like manner his infinite mercy is also limited by his will; and his word the interpreter of his will; plainly telleth us that, as Physicians be­gin with preparatives, so he begets fear in their hearts, whom he intendeth mercy to. Look as a father pittieth his his children, so the Lord pittieth them that Psal. 103. 13, 17, 18. fear him. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, to such as keep his Covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Not they that presume, but that fear; not such as break, but as keep his Covenant; not those that for­get, but that remember his Com­mandments to do them; or at least whose earnest desires and endeavours [Page 169] are that way bent, may expect and shallExerc. 2. receive mercy from him. They shall finde by sweet experience the infalli­ble truth of what Mr Peacock once said M^r R. Boltons Instructions pag. 87. upon his recovery out of a deep and long desertion, viz. That the sea is not more full of water, nor the sun of light, then the Lord is of mercy.

EXERCITATION 2. Grace what. From it spring Election, Redemption, Vocation, Sanctification and Salvation. A Cave­at not to receive it in vain. It purgeth and cheereth. Glosses upon Titus 2. 11, 12. and 2 Thess. 2. 26, 17. The exaltation of free grace exhorted to. Long-suffering not exercised to­wards evil Angels, but towards men of all sorts. It leadeth to repentance; is valued by God, and must not be sleighted by us. A dreadfull example of goodness despised.

§. 1. A Second branch of Gods good­ness is Grace, which relates to unworthiness, as the former did to mi­sery. God is mercifull to the ill-deser­ving, Gratious to the undeserving. So far [Page 170] are we from being able to merit so much as the crumbs which fall from his table, that even temporal favours are all from grace. Noah was preserved in the deluge. Why? because He found Gen. 6. 8. grace in the eyes of the Lord. Jacob was en­riched, and had enough. How came it to pass? Because God, said he to Esau, Gen. 33. 11. hath dealt graciously with me. But beside that common favour which all share in more or less, there is a more special grace, which the Psalmist prayeth for, Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people; O visit me with Psal. 106. 5. thy salvation.

§. 2. This third is drawn through­out the whole web of salvation, and there is not a round in the ladder to heaven, which doth not give every one that steppeth upon it just occasion of crying, Grace, Grace. Did the Lord elect thee to life and glory, when so many were passed by? What reason can be given of this but free grace? Paul styleth it the election of grace in his Rom. 11. 5. [Page 171] epistle to the Romanes; and telleth his Ephesians that God had chosen them in Ephes. 1. 4, 5, 6. Christ before the foundation of the world, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glorie of his Ibid. vers. 7. grace. Hast thou obtained redemption through the bloud of Jesus? That al­so, saith he there, flows from the riches of his grace. Hath the Lord effectually called thee? Bow down thine head and adore free grace, as the cause thereof. For he saveth and calleth us 2 Tim. 1. 9. saith the same holy Apostle, with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. So in the Acts, when a great num­ber beleeved, and were turned to Christianity, Barnabas saw the grace of Act. 11. 21. 23. God, shining forth in their conversion. Hast thou received any abilities tend­ing either to thine own sanctification, or to the edification of others? Do the like upon this occasion too, as Paul did, saying, By the grace of God I am what 1 Cor. 15. 10 I am; and his grace, which was bestowed up­on [Page 172] me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly then they all; yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. In a word, dost thou finde in thy self any beginnings of salvation, any hopes that it shall be perfected? Remember what that great asserter of free grace hath left upon record to all posterity. By grace Eph. 2. 8. ye are saved through faith; and that not of your selves, it is the gift of God. Remem­ber it so, as

§. 3. First, to beware of receiving the grace of God in vain, it being ordained for better ends, to wit, purging and cheer­ing of such as receive it. The grace of Titus 2. 11, 12. God that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodli­ness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. All partakers of grace should not one­ly denie that gross ungodliness of con­versation, which the very sons of mo­ralitie decrie and abhor; but also worldly lusts, which others are secretly indul­gent to. Neither should they content [Page 173] themselves with a negative purity, such as that of the Pharisee was, I am not as Luke 18. 11. other men; not as this publicane; not an ex­tortioner, not an adulterer, (Logicians say of this particle Not, that it is of a mali­gnant nature; Divines know that the malignant Church is much built up by such negatives) but also practise positive holiness, by living soberly, righ­teously and godly, and that too in this pre­sent world: not putting on a vizard of these, as the manner of some is, on a sick bed, or death bed, when they can no longer look at themselves, as men of this world, but of another. As for cheering, remarkable is that prayer made in behalf of the Thessalonians, Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God 2 Thess. 2. 16, 17. even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts. It implieth that whereas we cannot possibly raise from our selves any ground of hope, or have any lasting, much less everlasting consolation from [Page 174] the creatures, Grace is a firm founda­tion for both. And this is it, which hath put the prince of darkness (whose desire it hath always been to keep men in as hopeless and comfortless condi­tion as he can) upon using his utmost endeavours in all ages of the Church, either to obstruct the doctrine of free grace, as by Pelagian and Arminian te­nents, or to poison this fountain with corrupt deductions and inferences, as by Antinomians and Familists. Wherefore remember it so, as

§. 4. Secondly, In all thy tenents and discourses to magnifie and exalt that to which thou owest so very much, indeed thine All that good is. Think it not enough, with some, of a Non est devotio­nis dedisse prope totum, sed frau­dis retinuisse vel minimum. thousand parts to ascribe nine hundred ninety and nine to free grace, reserving but one for free-will: for as Prosper re­solves the case well, It is not devotion to give almost the whole to God, but deceit to retain the least part. And again, Grace is Gratia Dei tota repellitur, nisi tota suscipiatur. wholly repelled, where it is not wholly enter­tained. [Page 175] I list not now to dispute the point: Onely let me have leave to com­mend to thy reading and observation a paper of verses, inserted by certain Divines that were present at the Synod of Dort, into their suffrage, and com­prehending a brief decision of the five Articles there debated, with a pious in­ference from thence; because with me they have ever been of great esteem since I first met with them in the Acts of that Synod.

In English thus,

§. 5. A third branch of divine good­ness is Long-suffering; whereby God hath been pleased to put a notable dif­ference between Angels that fell, and the lapsed sons of Adam. Of them Pe­ter saith, God spared not the Angels that 2 Pet. 2. 4. sinned, but cast them down to hell, and deli­vered them into chains of darkness, to be re­served unto judgement. This was quick and speedy work. But the Lord saith 2 Pet. 3. 9. the same Apostle, is Long-suffering to us­ward. He exerciseth much patience, ve­ry much, even towards all, though vessels of wrath. For so Paul, What if Rom. 9. 22. God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long­suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to de­struction? How profane was the old world? How wicked a place was Je­richo? yet was he one hundred and [Page 177] twenty years in warning those of that age, before he brought the deluge up­on them: And he that made the world in six, was seven days in destroying that one city. The great Doctour of the Gentiles was not much more then thirty years old, when God converted him: yet we finde him looking at this as infinite patience, as all long-suffer­ing, that he was born with so long. I obtained mercy (saith he) that in me first 1 Tim. 1. [...]6. Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffer­ing. How sensible then ought they to be of this Attribute, whom God hath born with fourty, fifty, sixty years, and still continueth to cry unto, as it is in Habakkuk, Wo to him that increaseth that Habak. 2. 6. which is not his: How long? as in Jere­my, O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wick­edness, Jerem. 4. 14. that thou maist be saved: How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? And again, Wo unto thee O Jerusalem, wilt Jerem. 13. 27. thou not be made clean? When shall it once be. All which places declare sufficient­ly that the long-suffering God doth in [Page 178] a manner long to see our conversion to him.

§. 6. And that indeed is the most proper use we can make hereof accord­ing to Pauls expostulation, Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, Rom. 2. 4. and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Verily we cannot meet on this side hell with a worse temper of spirit then that which inclines a sinner to despise the forbearance of God, and to kick against the bowels of his goodness: As that profane Arian did, who was executed at Norwich, concerning whom M^t Greenham acquainteth us with this strange and prodigious narration. M^r Greenham in his treatise intituled, A sweet comfort for an afflicted conscience on Prov. 18. 14. circa medium. ‘This hellish heretick, saith he, (for so were the deniers of Christs Divi­nity accounted of in those days, whatever thoughts be had of them in these) a little before he was to be executed, afforded a few whorish tears, asking, whether he might be saved by Christ or no? When one [Page 179] told him that if he truly repented he should surely not perish; he brake out into this speech, Nay, if your Christ be so easie to be intreated indeed, as you say, then I defie him, and care not for him.’ Horrible blasphemy! despe­rate wickedness for a man to draw himself back from repentance by that very cord of love, whereby he should have been drawn to it. The next de­gree of impiety is, when men are there­fore bold to continue long in sinning, because he with whom they have to do is a long-suffering God. A vice which the Preacher of old took notice of. Be­cause sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. But let such fear and tremble at what followeth, Though a sinner doth evil Eccles 8 11, 12, 13. an hundred times, and his days be prolonged; yet surely I know it shall not be well with the wicked. The Lord valueth every mo­ment of his forbearance, as in the pa­rable, Behold these three years I come seek­ing Luke 13. 7. [Page 180] fruit on this fig-tree, and finde none. Christ sets an high price upon every exercise of his patience, as in the Can­ticles, Open to me, for my head is filled with Cantic. 5. 2. dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. Take we heed of sleighting that which God and Christ value. Know and con­sider that patience may be tired, that however the Lord be long-suffer­ing, yet he will not suffer for ever, but be weary of repenting in case men will not be weary of sinning. Hear what was once said by himself to Jerusalem, Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou Jerem. 15. 6. art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee: I am weary with repenting.

EXERCITATION 3.Exerc. 3. The bounty of God declared by his benefits, viz. gi­ving his Son to free us from hell, his Spirit to fit us for heaven, his Angels to guard us on earth, large provisions in the way, and full satisfaction at our journeys end. Joh. 3. 16. James 1. 5. and Psal. 24. 1. Glossed. Isai. 25. 6. Alluded to. In­ferences from divine Bounty, beneficence to Saints; not dealing niggardly with God, exempli­fied in David, Paul, and Luther. Truth in God is without all mixture of the contrary. It appears in his making good of promises, and threatnings; teaching us what to perform and what to expect.

§. 1. OUr Bibles in the next clause, making use of the generical term, have it, Abundant in goodness. I will make bold to vary a little from the common translation, and to reade it, Abundant in bounty, because the word, as Zanchy and others have observed, most properly signifieth that kinde of [...] propriè significat beni­gnitatem, seu liberalem bene­ficentiam. Zanch. de Na­tur. Dei, l. 1. c [...]. 18. Vide Fulleri miscel­lan. lib. 1. c. 8. goodness, which we call Bounty or Benignity, and which maketh a fourth branch. This God is abundant in: witness the greatest of his gifts, by which we are wont to measure the [Page 182] bounty of benefactours. I shall in­stance in some of the chief. He bestow­eth upon us,

First, His son to free us from hell. God Joh. 3. 16. so loved the world that he gave his onely be­gotten Son. He did not grant him upon Non concessit, sed purissime dedit. Stella. the request and earnest suit of lapsed creatures; but freely gave him unask­ed; not a servant but a Son; not an ad­opted son, such as we are, but a begot­ten, begotten, not as Saints are, of his Jam. 1. 18. will by the word of truth, but of his Na­ture; he himself being the Word and the Truth; not one of many, but an one­ly Son thus begotten; and this not for the procuring of some petty delive­rance, but that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Well might this gift of royal bounty be ushered in with a God so loved the world. Majesty and love have been thought Non bene con­veniunt, nec in una sede moran­tur Maj [...]stas & amo [...]. hardly compatible. Yet behold the majesty of God bearing love, and that to the world, the undeserving, yea ill­deserving world of mankinde. Herein [Page 183] is love, (saith S^t John elsewhere, let me say, herein is bounty) not that we loved 1 Joh. 4. 10. God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Loved, and So loved; that particle is most em­phatical, and noteth the transcendency of a thing, either good or evil. Paul speaking of the incestuous Corinthian decyphers him thus, Him that hath so 1 Cor. 5. 3. done this deed; so impudently, so abomi­nably, so unchristianly. The officers being astonied at our. Saviours do­ctrine, cried out, Never man spake so as Joh. 7. 46. this man; so excellently, so powerfully, so incomparably. Here, God so loved the world, that is, so freely, so infinitely, so unspeakably. The Apostle himself, who had been rapt up to the third heaven, and there heard things not to be uttered, wanteth words, when he cometh to utter this; and useth an ac­cumulation of many; because no one could serve his turn to express it suffi­ciently. Not content to have styled it love, mercie, grace; as not having yet [Page 184] said enough, he calleth it great love, glo­rious grace; rich mercy, yea, exceeding ri­ches Ephes. 2. 4, 5, 7. of his glorious and mercifull grace, in his second chapter to the Ephesians.

§. 2. Secondly, His Spirit to fit us for heaven. Our heavenly Father is he that giveth the holy Spirit to them that ask Luke 11. 13. him. The Spirit thus given worketh in us regeneration (we are therefore said to be born of the Spirit) and that real ho­liness, Joh. 3. 5. 6. concerning which the Apostle saith, without it no man shall see the Lord: Hebr. 12. 14. So preparing us for that place, which our Lord Jesus is gone before to prepare Joh. 14. 2, 3. for us. A daily conversation in heaven is the surest forerunner of a constant abode there. The Spirit, by enabling us hereunto, first bringeth heaven into the soul, then conducteth the soul to it. Whence it is that Nehemiah, record­ing the acts of Gods bounty to Is­rael, reckoneth this as one of the prin­cipal, Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to in­struct Nehem. 9. 20. them.

Thirdly, His Angels to guard us on [Page 185] earth. After David had said, The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that Psal. 34. 7, 8. fear him, and delivereth them, he addeth immediately, O taste and see that the Lord is good; herein good, in bestowing such a guard upon us. It was an act of royal benignity towards Mordechai in king Ahashuerus, to make Haman the favou­rite, his attendant as he rode through the streets: Lo here a far greater; the holy Angels, those favourites in the Court of heaven, are all ministring spirits, Hebr. 1. 14. sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. A task which they perform without grudging, (although in themselves more noble creatures then we are) both out of love to their younger brethren, of whom they have a most tender care; and out of obedi­ence to God, their Father and ours, Psal. 91. 11. Mittis Unige­nitum, immittis Spiritum, nè quid vacet in coelestibus ab o­pere solicitueli­nis, Angelos mittis in mini­sterium. who hath given them charge so to do, as it is in the Psalm, He shall give his An­gels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Lay this to the former (as Ber­nard did) and we shall see the whole [Page 186] heaven at work for our preservation; God the Father sending his Son to re­deem us; the Fathet and Son sending their Spirit to guide us; the Father, Son, and Spirit sending their Angels to minister for us. O taste and see that the Lord is good, bountifully good!

§. 3. Fourthly, Large provisions in the way. We consist of body and soul; he provideth plentifully for both; giving 1. Tim. 6. 17. us richly all things to enjoy, as one Apostle phraseth it, yea as another, giving unto Jam. 1. 5. all men liberally and not upbraiding. Where­as ordinary benefactours, by reason of their stinted abilities give either but a few things, or to a few persons onely, or if to many, but sparingly; and are besides apt to corrupt and blemish their good turns by casting them in the Authores pere­unt garrulitate sui. Martial. receivers teeth, and making their boast continually of them: all these are here removed from God, whilest he is said to give unto all men, and that liberal­ly, yea and so as not to upbraid; al­though [Page 187] whatever men receive, yea whatever they are, (sin excepted) be wholly his. That of the Psalmist is very emphatical, and well deserveth our consideration. The earth is the Lords, Psal. 24. 1. and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. The house wherein a man dwelleth, may be his landlords; but the furniture his own. Here we are told that not the earth onely, but the fulness of it is the Lords. Both house and furniture may be anothers; but he that inhabiteth it his own man. Here they that dwell therein are the Lords, the inhabitants themselves, as the room and the stuff. To which a­greeth that of S^t Paul, ye are not your own; 1 Cor. 6. 19. and that of an ancient writer cited by Heinsius. Our very being is none of Nostrum non est quod sumus, multò minùs quod habemus. ours; much less the things we have in possession. As for spiritual provisions, his people use not to be scanted in them. Another particular reckoned up by Nehemiah, when he set himself to ce­lebrate the acts of divine bounty to­wards [Page 188] Israel [...], was the institution of Ordinances. Thou camest down also (saith Nehem. 9. 13. 14. he speaking to God) upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and ga­vest them right judgements and true laws, good statutes and commandements; and madest known unto them thy holy Sabbath. One way whereby great Princes are wont to manifest their royal bounty is the making of great feasts, as Ahasuerus, and Solomon did: we may safely allude to the Prophets expression (though the place have another meaning) and say of the Church in that respect, In this mountain doth the Lord of hosts make Isai. 25. 6. unto all people a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. Good Ser­mons and Prayers are like well refined wines: and as Christ himself is a Sa­viour full of merits, so is his Gospel a doctrine full of promises; his Supper a Sacrament full of mysteries; his Sab­bath a day full of opportunities; all his Ordinances fat things full of marrow.

§. 4. Fifthly, Full satisfaction at our journeys end. Now indeed, as the natu­ral, so the spiritual eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the spiritual ear with hearing; because we see but as through a 1 Cor. 13. 12. glass darkly, not face to face, and know but in part that of which we hear. Then shall eye and ear have enough, when we shall see God as he is; and hear Christ 1 Joh. 3. 2. saying, Come ye blessed of my Father; inhe­rit Matth. 25. 34. the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Here, although beleeving souls have fellowship with Sistitur appe­titus in via, sa­tiatur in patria. God in Christ sufficient to stay their stomachs as at a breakfast; yet that de­gree of fruition is wanting which should satiate them fully, as at a feast beyond that of Ordinances. What shall there be enjoyed will replenish every chink of rational appetites; the first Truth filling up our understandings, and the chief Good our wills to the very brim. Then shall that be to the utmost verified, which David once said of re­generate persons, They shall be abundantly Psal. 36. 8. 9. [Page 190] satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures: for with thee is the fountain of life, in thy light shall we see light.

§. 5. For improvement hereof. As our Saviour once said, Be ye mercifull: so Be ye bountifull, let me say, as your father is bountifull. S^t Paul having praised the Macedonians for their deep poverty abounding unto the riches of their liberality, urgeth the grace and benignity of Christ as a principal mo­tive to excite his Corinthians to a like exercise of bounty towards the poor Saints at Jerusalem. For ye know, saith 2 Cor. 8. 2, 9. he, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he be­came poor, that ye through his poverty might be-rich. More especially let us all learn from hence not to deal niggardly with God himself; but to think no pains too great, no expence too much, no time too long that is spent in his ser­vice: Not, as the manner of some is, who so manage the profession of reli­gion, [Page 191] as if their main care and study were how to serve him with most ease, and to come off with the cheapest per­formances. David, Paul, and Luther, were men of another spirit. The first, as he delighted in the commemoration of divine bounty to him, saying, I will Psal. 13. 6. sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me: And again, Return Psal. 116. 7. unto thy rest O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee; so he was no niggard in his returns, but ever and anon enquiring what he should do to testifie his thankfulness, What shall I Psal. 116. 12. render unto the Lord for all his benefits to­wards me? And as providence offered occasion laying himself out for God; witness that his resolution, testified to Araunah the Jebusite, not to offer unto the Lord of that which cost him no­thing. 2 Sam. 24. 24. The second was willing to 2 Cor. 12. 15. spend and to be spent in the work of his ministery; and not to be bound one­ly, Acts 21. 13. but to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus, who had there [Page 192] suffered not bonds onely, but death for him. ‘The third, during his retire­ment in the castle at Coburga for the Nullus abit dies quin ad mini­mum tres horas, casque studiis aptissimas in orationem pa­rat. Melch. Adam. in vita Lutheris. pag. 138, 142. safety of his person, having then more time to spare for devotion then his many publick employments had been wont to afford him, was no niggard of it; But as one Vitus The­odorus, who then lived with him, in­formed Melanchthon, spent no less in prayer to God then at least three houres every day, and those such houres as were fittest for study.’ And yet O the business of some mens spi­rits! whose services cost them very lit­tle or no intention, whilest in stead of using the world, as if they used it not, they use good duties as if they did not use them; pray as if they prayed not, hear as if they heard not, keep the Sabbath as if they kept it not, and re­pent as they did no such thing: Who although they profess beleeving in Christ, and know that God spared not Rom. 8. 32. his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, [Page 193] yet deal so sparingly with the Lord, as to grudge him (I say not every drop of bloud, but) of sweat, yea almost every minute of time that they spend in his immediate service. Let such men know that to be over-thirfty in our expenses upon God is the worst piece of hus­bandry in the world. I shall dismiss them with that of Moses to those un­thankfull men of Israel, Do ye thus re­quite Deut. 32. 6. the Lord, O foolish people and un­wise!

§. 6. A fifth branch is faithfulness. One letter of this glorious name is A­bundant in truth, that is, in faithfulness. Multus fide, so Junius renders it. These two are frequently joyned in Scri­pture, as exegeticall of each other. So when Christ is styled the Amen, the Apoc. 3. 14. faithfull and true witness, and the coun­sels of God said to be faithfulness and Isa. 25. 1. truth. God abounds in it so as to have no mixture of the contrary, although the best of men have some. Whence that of Paul, Let God be true, that is, Rom. 3. 4. [Page 194] owned and acknowledged for such, but every man a lyar. A lightsome body may have somewhat of darkness in it; for example a precious stone some speck or cloud, but light it self admits of none. God is light, and in him there is 1 John. 1. 5. no darkness at all: So God is truth, and in him there is no falshood at all. God that cannot lie, saith the Apostle. Satan is so the father of lies, as that he doth Tit. 1. 2. Deus est veritas siac fallacia, bo­nitas sine ma­litia, selicitas sine miseria. Fulgent. lib. 1. ad monim. 2 Tim. 2. 13. Diabolus semper fallax est, sed non semper men­dax. notwithstanding at times speak some truth, to the end he may deceive the better: God so the father of truth, as that he can never lie, no more then he can deny himself; which is utterly im­possible. If we beleeve not, yet he abideth faithfull, he cannot deny himself. Now his truth appeareth especially in two things.

First, The fulfilling of all his promises; which shall as surely receive their ac­complishment in due season, as that of Christs Incarnation did when the fulness Galat. 4. 4. of time was come; and that of bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt at the Exod. 12. 41. [Page 195] end of four hundred and thirty years; which was most exactly performed the self-same day in which that number of years was expired. The Greek word for truth (as some think) according to its Etymology implies not forget­ing [...] ab [...] particula nege­tiva & [...] oblivio. what one hath promised. God re­membereth whatever he hath at any time said, and that so effectually, as to make every one of his promises good, although perhaps long after the ma­king of them; yea and after many ap­pearances to the contrary. See it in A­braham. He receiveth a command to Gen. 12. 7, 10. go out to a land which the Lord should shew him, and a promise that it should be given to him and his. He goeth; but meeteth with a great famine at his first coming thither, which forced him to flee into Egypt for bread, because he was like to starve there. Yet afterwards it proved a land flowing with milk and honey to his posterity. An­other grand promise made to Abraham Gen. 15. 5. was that his seed should be as the stars of [Page 196] heaven for multitude: yet Isaac the son of promise was not born till a good while after; and being grown was like to have been offered up for a sacrifice at Gods command. But the Lord spared Gen. 25. 20. compared with 26. him, and a wife is at length procured for him; yet for twenty years together after his marriage he hath no issue by her. All this while how small appea­rance is there of a numerous seed? Nei­ther did the posterity of Isaac begin to multiplie of a long time after this: for all the souls of the house of Jacob Gen. 46. 27. which came into Egypt were no more but threescore and ten. In Egypt a course was taken by Pharaohs tyranny to keep them from increasing. But behold the faithfulness and truth of God, who be­ing mindfull of his promise, caused such fruitfulness amongst them, not­withstanding all obstacles, that there were numbred in the second year after their coming out of Egypt, more then Numb. 1. 1. compared with chap. 2. 32. 33. six hundred thousand fighting men, be­sides women and children, and the whole tribe of Levi.

§. 7. Secondly, The accomplishing of all his threatnings, as it is written, I the Ezek. 24. 14. Lord have spoken it, it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent. Accord­ingly when the seven Angels appeared with the seven last plagues, they that stood on the sea of glass, said in their song, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, Just and True are thy Rev. 15. 1, 2, 3. ways, thou King of Saints. And when the third of them poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of wa­ter, an Angel out of the altar said, Even Rev. 16. 4, 7. so Lord God Almighty, True and righteous are thy judgements. If it be objected that destruction was threatned to Nineve at the end of fourty days, but not then executed, the answer is at hand; Their repentance prevented their ruine. For as some of Gods promises are made with the condition of faith and perse­verance; so his threatnings are denoun­ced with the exception of repentance; which though concealed for the most [Page 198] part, is always included, and some­times expressed, as in that place of Je­remiah, At what instant I shall speak con­cerning a nation and concerning a kingdome, Jer. 18. 7, 8. to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pro­nounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. Be we admonished from hence,

First, What to practise in reference to God, to wit Truth in our promises to and covenants with him, that so our returns may be answerable in kinde to our receits. All his ways are mercy and truth Psal. 25. 10. to us-ward; therefore all ours should be truth and faithfulness towards him. Thrice happy we, whatever our out­ward condition prove, if we be able to profess in the sincerity of our hearts, as they did in Psalm the fourty fourth, All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgot­ten thee, neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant. Our principal comfort flows from Gods keeping his Covenant of grace with us; it should therefore be [Page 199] our principal care to keep touch with him.

§. 8. Secondly, What to look for in re­ference to our selves. To wit, an exact fulfilling of all promises and threat­nings that are conditional, according to their severall conditions. Hath the faithfull and true witness said, He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that beleeveth not shall be damned? Let no unbeleever then, whilest he continueth in that estate, expect salva­tion: neither any that beleeveth and walketh in Christ fear damnation, see­ing he hath Truth it self engaged for his safety; and seeing the faith of Gods Tit. 1. 1, 2. elect, according to S^t Pauls doctrine, should go hand in hand with the hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promi­sed before the world began. Let all that wish well to Zion make full account that in due time, The mountain of the Isai. 2. 2. Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it; [Page 200] because it hath been promised of old. Let them also know assuredly, that the Lord will consume Antichrist with the spi­rit 2 Thess. 2. 8. of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming; because this com­mination standeth upon the file in ho­ly Scripture, and is not yet completely verified. Former ages have seen Anti­christ Nascent, when the Bishop of Rome first usurped authority over all the Churches; Antichrist Crescent, when he began to maintain the doctrine of adoring Images, and praying to Saints departed; Antichrist Regnant, when he exalted himself above Kings and Em­perours, setting up his mitre above their crowns; yea Antichrist Triumphant, when he once became Lord of the Ca­tholick faith, so as none might beleeve without danger more or less, or other­wise then he prescribed. To this obser­vation made by one of our own learn­ed countreymen, let me add; we our D^r Crakan­thorp. in his Vigilius dormi­tans chap. 13. § 24. selves have seen him Antichrist Cadent, falling and waining ever since Luther, Calvin, Perkins and others were set on [Page 201] work by God to unmask him. And noExerc. 4. doubt, if we do not, our posterity shall see him Antichrist morient, dying and gi­ving up the ghost: for the Lord faith­full and true hath not onely threatned his ruine, but foretold that his day is coming.

EXERCITATION 4. Keeping mercy for thousands explained. Men exhorted to trust God with their posterity. Lu­thers last Will and Testament. Iniquity, trans­gression and sin what. Six Scripture-expressions setting out the pardon thereof. Gods goodness there­in. Faith and repentance the way to it. Pardon in the Court of Heaven, and of Conscience. The equi­ty and necessity of forgiving one another. We are to forgive as God for Christs sake forgiveth us viz. heartily, speedily, frequently, throughly. A twofold remembrance of injuries, in cautelam & in vindictam.

§. 1. THe sixth branch of divine goodness, is the Lords keeping mercie for thousands; which phrase ad­mitteth of sundry notions, worthy of diligent consideration.

First, Keeping it as in a store-house. God is said to be rich unto all that call upon Rom. 10. 12. him, and we reade of the riches of his goodness. These riches are laid up with him, and kept as in a magazine, to be made use of upon all occasions accord­ing to the emergent necessities of his people. Whence it is, that we also reade, of their obtaining mercie, and find­ing Hebr. 4. 16. grace to help in time of need.

Secondly, Keeping it for the present age, as well as having dispensed it formerly to pre­decessours. Our fathers were all liberally supplied out of Gods forementioned Treasury, as it is in Psalm the two and twentieth, Our fathers trusted in thee; Psal. 2 [...]. 4, 5. They trusted, and thou didst deliver them; They cried unto thee, and were delivered; they trusted in thee, and were not confound­ed. This should be no disheartning to us, as if his Treasury were exhausted; but encourage us rather, as Pauls exam­ple did succeeding beleevers. For this 1 Tim. 1. 16. cause I obtained mercie (said he) that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long­suffering, [Page 203] for a pattern to them which should hereafter beleeve on him to life everlasting. Which is the next observable.

Thirdly, Keeping it for time to come, as well as dispensing it at present. God hath mercy in hand, and mercy in store. We now say, as it is in the La­mentations, It is of the Lords mercy that Lam. 3. 22. we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. The same will they have occa­sion to profess that shall come after us. God keepeth mercy, and mercy keep­eth us. Created goodness indeed, be­ing limited, may be justly suspected of penurie. Esau might have somewhat to plead for his saying, Hast thou but one blessing my father? But Divine goodness is like an ocean without either banks or bottome. Our heavenly Father hath blessings reserved, as well as bestow­ed: many more blessings then one, yea for many more persons then one; as it followeth.

Fourthly, Keeping mercy for thousands, and that not of persons onely, but, as it is in [Page 204] the Chaldee, for thousands of generations. One generation goes, saith the Preacher, and Eccles. 1. 4. another generation cometh; but the earth abi­deth for ever. Not one of all these gene­rations but coming and going tasteth of mercy; and the whole earth, during Psal. 33. 5. the time of these revolutions are still full of the Lords goodness. When the ark rested Moses said, Return, O Lord, unto the many Numb. 10. 36. thousands of Israel. He that charged his providence with the thousands of Is­rael, is ready to charge it with the thou­sands of England, both in this and after ages, if they do not apostatize from him, and so forsake their own mercy.

§. 2. Well may we therefore trust God with our posterity, seeing he that hath shewed mercy to us keepeth mercy for them. As that fountain of light the Sun is not weary with shining; it gi­veth us light, and keepeth light for our Antipodes: so this fountain of mercy is never tired with communica­ting goodness to one generation after another. Good parents in bad times [Page 205] are often troubled with great solici­tude, when they think what will be­come of their children after them. Let such consider that they leave them in his hand, who is a God keeping mercy for thousands: as Luther did, who had this passage in his last Will and Testament. Lord God I thank thee for that thou hast Melch. Adam. Vit. German. Theol. p. 134. been pleased to make me a poor and indi­gent man upon earth. I have neither house, nor land, nor money to leave behinde me. Thou hast given me wife and children; I re­store them to thee. Lord, nourish, teach and preserve them, as thou hast hitherto done me, O thou that art a Father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows. Let them remember how much mercy is entailed upon the issue of beleevers by vertue of these and the like places, He will bless them Psal. 115. 13, 14. that fear the Lord both small and great. The Lord will increase you more and more, both you and your children. The just man walk­eth Prov. 20. 7. in his integrity; his children are blessed after him. And that Satan never can, God never will cut off this entail, un­less [Page 206] either the children degenerate; or the parents, distrusting providence, make use of some unlawfull means for their promotion. In which case, Wo to him, saith the Prophet, that coveteth an Hab. 2. 9, 10, 11. evil covetousness to his house, that he might set his nest on high—Thou hast consulted shame to thy house—For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. If Jeroboam out of design to secure the kingdome, and settle the crown in his own line, will take the practise of Idolatry as a means to this end; This thing becomes sin unto the house of 1 King. 13. 34. Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. No wonder then, if when Gods own peculiar peo­ple begin to distrust him, and by rea­son of unbelief take irregular courses for their advancement in the world, this very thing prove an obstruction to that mercy, which they and theirs might have otherwise been partakers of. Such as would be sure to finde him a God shewing and keeping mercy unto Exod. 20. 6. [Page 207] thousands, must be carefull to be found in the number of those that love him and keep his commandments, as he himself in­formeth us in the Decalogue.

§. 3. The seventh branch is forgi­ving iniquity, transgression and sin. Where the terms are multiplied to note the readiness of God to forgive our offen­ces, how many soever they be, though transgression be added to iniquity, and sin to transgression. How great soever See Muis on Psal. 51. 2. they be Pescha, which signifieth rebel­lious, as well as Chattaah, which im­ports failings; and of what kinde soe­ver they be, whether original, viz. the crookednes & perversnes of nature, in­timated in Avon the word used in that speech of David, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, or actuall, expressed by the two other terms. To help our understand­ing herein, the Holy Ghost in Scripture is pleased to make use of sundry expres­sions very significant, when he speaks of Gods pardoning sin. viz.

I. Taking it away, as in that place of [Page 208] Hosea, where the Church is directed to make her addresses on this wise, Take Hos. 14. 2. with you words, and turn to the Lord, say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips. Not as if when iniquity is for­given it were presently to be taken out of the memory; but that which the Saints desire is to have it taken out of the conscience, that their hearts may accuse them for it no more. As a thorn in the hedge is a fence, but an offence in the midst of a garden: So sin in the memory may do well to keep us from relapsing, but is a grievance in the con­science. Which made Austin after assu­rance Quid retribuam Domino quòd recolit haec me­moria mea, & & anima mea non metuit inde? August. Con­fess. lib. 2. c. 7. of forgiveness, when he had made confession of his former aberrations, bless God that he could now call them to minde without being affrighted at the consideration of them.

II. Casting of our sins behinde his back. So in Hezekiahs song, Thou hast in love to my soul, saith he, delivered it from the Isa. 38. 17. pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins [Page 209] behinde thy back. This God doth with a purpose never to view them more Ocu­lo vindice, so as to take vengeance for them, though Oculo judice, he cannot but by reason of his Omniscience see and discern them. All the while Davids sins were before his own face, and he ma­king a penitent confession of them as in the one and fiftieth Psalm, I acknow­ledged Psalm 51. 3. my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me, they were cast behinde the back of God, as the Prophet Nathan as­sured him, saying, The Lord hath put 2 Sam. 12. 13. away thy sin, thou shalt not die.

III. Scattering them as a cloud, or as a mist. So the Geneva translation hath it in that cheering passage of Isaiah, I have Isa. 44. 22. put away thy transgressions like a cloud, and thy sins as a mist. Sin is that which in­terposeth it self between the soul and the light of Gods countenance: But whether it be a slender mist or a thick cloud, an infirmity or a rebellion, the sun of righteousness eyed by faith can and will dispell it so, as to make it va­nish.

§. 4. IV. Covering or hiding them. So in the Psalm, Blessed is he whose transgression Psalm 32. 1. is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Men ne­ver Si texit peccata Deus noluit ad­vertere; Si no­luit advertere noluit animad­vertere; Si nolu­it animadverte­re noluit punire. August. in loc. punish hidden sins, because the law taketh notice of none, but such onely as come to light, by breaking out in words or actions. God is according­ly said to cover and hide those sins as it were out of his sight, which he never intends to inflict punishment for.

V. Throwing them into the depth of the Sea. Thus in Micha's Prophesie, Who is Micah 7. 18, 19. a God like unto thee that pardoneth &c. He will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea. Alluding perhaps to what befell Pha­raoh and his host in the red sea, which drowned the greatest Egyptian Com­manders, as well as the meanest com­mon souldier. The vast Ocean over­floweth both the lowest sands and the highest rocks: that of Gods pardon­ing grace removeth both the smaller prevarications, and the grosser abomi­nations [Page 211] of all such, as are truly peni­tent beleevers.

VI. Blotting them out, as in Davids petition, Have mercy upon me, O God, ac­cording Psal. 5. 1. to thy loving kindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wherein he alludeth to the custome of Creditours, who use to set down what every one oweth, and when debts are either forgiven, or paid, to blot them out. Our sins are called debts in the Lords Prayer: Christ as our surety hath given satis­faction to divine Justice for them; When this is once apprehended and applied by a lively faith, God issueth out a pardon; drawing as it were, the lines of Christs Cross over the lines of his debt-book; so as he may still see the sum we were indebted in, but sees it cancelled, never to be exacted more.

§. 5. Be we then advertised from hence in the first place, to acknow­ledge the singular goodness of God to [Page 212] us in this particular, of forgiving our iniquity, transgression and sin. David in the place last cited speaketh of it as a special evidence of loving kindness and tender mercies. The Apostles Creed, having premised the articles concerning Christ, by whom all bles­sings were procured for the Catholick Church, when it comes to recite them, nameth forgiveness of sins in the first place, as the choisest priviledge on this side heaven. And in that compendious prayer, which our Saviour taught us, there is a remarkable connexion of two petitions by a conjunctive parti­cle, not to be found in any of the for­mer. Give us this day our dayly bread, And forgive us our trespasses. To shew that as our dayly sins make us unwor­thy of dayly bread, so there is no sweet­ness in them till the other be pardon­ed. Bread and all other outward mer­cies a man may receive from an angry God: pardon of sin never cometh but from favour and special love, yea riches [Page 213] of grace, as Paul expresseth it, speaking of Christ, In whom we have redemption Ephes. 1. 7. through his bloud, the forgiveness of sins ac­cording to the riches of his grace.

§. 6. In the second, to beleeve and repent, that we may be found in the number of those to whom this choice blessing is imparted. Scripture telleth us men must be turned from darkness to Acts 26. 18. light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified, by faith that is in Christ. Also that God hath exalted him with his right hand to be a Acts 5. 31. Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Observe the method, Repentance first, and then forgiveness. God doth not bestow his distinguishing favours upon all men promiscuously. Pardoning mercy doth indeed come from him with ease (he is called a God ready to pardon) but Nehem. 9. 17. droppeth not from him at unawares, that I may allude to what Seneca said Sinum habet fa­cilem, sed non perforatum. de benefic. of his liberal man. He will know [Page 214] whom he bestoweth his forgiveness upon. Unbeleeving, unrepenting sin­ners never obtained it; faithfull peni­tents never yet went without it. They may perhaps not be so sensible of it in times of temptation and of desertion: but, to make use of a known distin­ction, whereas there is a double for­giveness, one in the high Court of heaven, of which the Lord speaketh in his answer to Solomons prayer, Then will 1 Chron. 7. 14. I hear from heaven and forgive their sins. (all authentical pardons are coined there; the stamping of them is a part of prerogative royal; and it is no less then high treason in the Pope to have his mint of Indulgences going at Rome) Another in the Court of conscience, spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews, The worshippers once purged should have had no Hebr. 10. 2. more conscience of sins: it may safely be asserted that forgiveness is certainly passed in the Court of heaven, when­soever Christ is received by faith; ac­cording to that, Be it known unto you, [Page 215] that through this man, meaning Christ, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that beleeve are justified from all things, from which they could not be justi­fied by the law of Moses. Yet may there for some space of time after this, not determinable by any man, be wanting a seal upon earth to this pardon; and the beleever continue not so fully ac­quitted in the court of his own consci­ence, as to be assured of forgiveness till the Lord hath taught him by experi­ence to see and acknowledge, that as­surance of pardon is a free gift of his, as well as faith, or pardon it self.

§. 7. In the third place, To be follow­ers Ephes. 5. 1. and 4. 32. of God as dear children, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us. We should

First, Forgive one another. The equi­ty and necessity whereof are both ex­ceedingly pressed by our Saviour, to the end we might not look at it either as unreasonable, or as arbitrary. The former by his parable in the eighteenth [Page 216] of Matthew. The wrongs we suffer compared to the sins we commit, are Matth. 18. from verse 23. to the end. but as an hundred pence to ten thou­sand talents; great odds both in num­ber and weight: for number, ten thousand to one hundred; and for weight, the one sort are talents, the other pence. What more equal then that we who have so many talents for­given us, should be ready to forgive so few pence? The latter in an express declaration annexed to the Lords pray­er. If ye forgive men their trespasses, your Matth. 6. 14, 15. heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, nei­ther will your Father forgive your trespasses. Whence it followeth, that persons ad­dicted to revenge, so oft as they repeat that petition Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us, do in effect make a dreadfull impreca­tion against themselves; and fetch down a curse from heaven in stead of a blessing. For he that saith with his tongue, Lord, I pray thee forgive me, [Page 217] as I forgive others; but meanwhile saith in his heart, I cannot, I will not forgive such an one, doth he not by consequence say to God, Forgive not me? doth he not pronounce himself unworthy of pardon, and in effect sub­scribe to the sentence of his own con­demnation? Yet alas how common a sin is revenge! As the heart in the na­tural body is the first member that li­veth, and the last that dies: so revenge in the heart is a lust that soonest ap­peareth in children, and is often long­est ere it be healed in the regenerate. Molanus telleth us that the Christians Augusti [...]i secu­lo ad vocem Nobis quilibet Christianus pe­ctus suum tun­debat. Jo. Mo­lanus. Theol. practicae com­pend. p. 211. of old in Austins time, were wont to beat upon their breasts in a deep sense of their sins, at the Nobis in the begin­ning of the forementioned Petition, Forgive Us: well may the most of men now adays beat their breasts for grief, and hang down their heads for shame at the Nos in the latter clause, As we for­give. For how few are there that do it aright? Seeing that,

§. 8. Secondly, we should forgive o­thers, as God for Christs sake hath for­given us. to wit,

First, Heartily without dissembling. Christ denounceth a terrible threat­ning against such, as do not from their Matth. 18. 35. hearts forgive every one his brother. It is not a making a fair shew in outward car­riages, not binding up, as it were, the broken bones of peace with good looks and sweet words, that God ac­cepteth, if the heart be full of worm­wood and gall. Joab kissed, and stab­bed, Judas kissed and betrayed. Hail Master, said the one to Christ; Art thou well my brother? said the other to Amasa. How hatefull is such dissimulation to God and man? Forgiveness is a fruit of love: My little children, saith S^t John, let us not love, so say I, let us not for­give 1 Joh. 3. 18. in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Secondly, Speedily without delay. Be Nehem. 9. 17. Bis dat, qui cito. like God, ready to pardon. As in bestow­ing, he doubleth his benefit that giveth [Page 219] betimes: so in pardoning, he forgi­veth twice that forgiveth with speed; his forgiveness receiveth a double wel­come, and shall have a double reward. It is not for Christians to harbour ani­mosities in the course of their lives, and think to salve it by saying we forgive all the world, when they lie upon their death beds. For that may be applied to pardoning, which Divines usually say of repenting, True forgiveness is never too late, but late forgiveness is seldome true. Wherefore let not the sun go down upon Ephes. 4. 26. your wrath, as Paul adviseth his Ephesi­ans. If that which was but a mote at Ira festuca, est odium trab [...]. August. first, be watered and cherished with the fresh suspicions of some few days, it will turn to a beam, and go near to put out the eye of love.

Thirdly, Frequently without stint or li­mitation. God multiplieth pardon; so Isai. 55. 7. should we. When ye stand praying, for­give, Mark 11. 25. saith Christ; and Paul bids us Pray 1 Thess. 5. 17. continually. We should therefore be in­clined to forgive continually; and to [Page 220] make actual performance whensoever there is an opportunity. Peter thought he had offered fair when he asked, How oft shall my brother sin against me, and Matth. 18. 21, 22. I forgive him? adding till seven times, as making account that surely that was often enough. But our Saviour maketh nothing of that number; would by no means have him stay there. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee till seven times, but untill seventy times seven: putting a certain definite number for an indefi­nite, and thereby intending to teach that his followers should forgive To­ties quoties so oft as they shall be trespas­sed against.

§. 9. Fourthly, Throughly, as without ex­cepting, so without remembring any offence. God excepteth not any of our sins when he affordeth us pardoning grace. 1 Jo [...]. 1. 9. But if we confess, he is faithfull & just to for­give us our sins, & to cleanse us from all un­righteousness. Should he reserve but one unforgiven, that one would sink our souls to hell. It is our duty to imitate [Page 221] him herein. Forgive, saith Christ, if ye have ought against any. Whoever the per­son, Mark 11. 25. and whatever the thing be, you must forgive. One of the Evangelists setteth down the petition thus, in our Saviours form of prayer, Forgive us our Luke 11. 4. sins, for we also forgive every one that is in­debted to us. It must then be performed without excepting any either person or essence. As also without remem­bring any. God doth so forgive our sins as not to keep a register of them. I, even I am he, saith the Lord, that blot­teth Isai. 43. 25. out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Yet with us what more frequent then saying, I forgive such a man, such a wrong; but shall never forget it or him? A distin­ction that came not out of Christs school, but Satans mint. Paul was of a different spirit; witness that remark­able passage of his to the Galatians, Brethren, I beseech you be as I am, for I am Galat. 4. 12. Vide Bezam & Grotium in loc. as ye are; ye have not injured me at all. Where he seemeth to desire that every [Page 222] member of the Church in Galatia would be to him as an Alter ego, ano­ther self, seeing he was affected as ano­ther self to each of them. But had they not injured him? yes very much, in preferring the false Apostles before him, questioning his doctrine, yea be­coming his enemies, and that for tel­ling them the truth; yet behold him professing here, Ye have not injured me at all, because these wrongs were as no wrongs in his estimation, it was not his purpose to impute them; he speaks as one that had really forgotten them by reason of his resolution to forgive them. There is I confess, a kinde of re­membrance not inconsistent with true forgiveness, when prudent men re­member offences and offenders in cau­telam, so as to beware for the future of exposing themselves to the like inju­ries: But Christians ought not to re­member in vindictam, so as to revenge themselves upon the delinquents for wrongs done in time past. I say to re­venge; [Page 223] for otherwise a Christian mayExerc. 5. seek to right himself in a legal way, yea and to bring offenders to condign pu­nishment; still retaining a charitable minde towards them: even as God, though he have forgiven justified per­sons, may notwithstanding and often doth chastise them with his fatherly corrections.

EXERCITATION 5. The latter clauses of Exod. 34. 7. so translated and expounded as to contain an eighth branch of divine goodness, viz. Clemency in correct­ing. Equity in visiting iniquities of the fathers upon the children. Clemency in stopping at the third and fourth generation. A lesson for Magi­strates. A speech of our Q. Elisabeth. Gods pro­clamation in Exod. 34. Improved by Moses in Numb. 14.

§. 1. THe following clauses have somewhat more of difficulty in them then any of the former, as be­ing variously rendered and expounded by Interpreters. The most reade as we [Page 224] do, That will by no means clear the guilty, visiting &c. But amongst these that do agree in the translation there is some difference about the meaning of the words. The major part of that com­bination apply them wholly to the Justice of God in taking vengeance upon obstinate sinners. Some few (whereof M^r Ainsworth is one) respect­ing the scope of the whole con­text, which is to set forth the Good­ness of God, consider this also as re­lating to that. His words are these. ‘This his Justice upon the wicked is a part of his goodness towards his people, as it is said, The just shall re­joyce, when he sees the vengeance. He Psalm 58. 11. shall wash his feet in the bloud of the wicked.’ A gloss that may receive con­firmation from certain passages in Psalm one hundred thirty six. Where the destruction of opposite Princes is recorded as an evidence of Gods mer­cy to his Church. He slew famous kings, for his mercy endureth for ever. Sihon king [Page 225] of the Amorites, for his mercy endureth for ever. And Og the king of Bashan, for his Psal. 136. v. 18, 19, 20. mercy endureth for ever. As also from that in the first of Nahum, The Lord is good, a Nahum 1. 7, 8. strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him: But with an overflowing floud he will make an utter end of the place thereof, that is, the op­pressing city Niniveh, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

§. 2. But the learned Critick Ludo­vicus de Dieu, considering that in other places, by name Zechar. 5. 3. the word Nakah signifieth to make void, and to cut off, by altering the translation of these words, puts them into a posture of looking directly at the goodness of God, and not with an oblique glance. He renders them thus, Evacuating, cut­ting Evacuando non evacuabit, suc­cidendo non succidet. Lud. de Dieu. Ani­madvers. in Exod. pag. 81, 82. off or destroying, he will not evacuate, cut off, or destroy; visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation: making this the sense, ‘So great is Gods goodness, that even when he is angry and punisheth, yet [Page 226] he will not utterly overthrow: He visiteth indeed the sins of the fathers upon the children, but it is to the third and fourth generation onely, not for ever.’ Now according to this interpretation (which for ought I know may well be received) the ex­pressions import an eighth branch of divine goodness, to wit, Clemency in cor­recting, here set forth by a generall de­claration, and by a particular in­stance.

First by a generall declaration in these words, VENAKKEH LO IENAK­KEH, destroying he will not destroy, that is not altogether, not so destroy as to make a full end, according to the expres­sion in Jeremy. Thus in like forms of Jerem. 46. 28. speech, Delivering thou hast not deli­vered, that is, say our Translatours, Neither hast thou delivered this people at all. Redeeming he cannot redeem, that is, say they, None of them can by any means Exod. 5. 22. Psal. 49. 7. redeem his brother. Proportionably here, Destroying he will not destroy, that is, God [Page 227] wil not at all, he wil not by any means utterly destroy his people, however he may correct and chasten for some time. Suitable whereunto is that in Amos his Prophesie, Behold the eyes of the Lord God Amos 9. 8. are upon the sinfull kingdome; and I will de­stroy it from off the face of the earth, saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

§. 3. This sense is exceedingly fa­voured by a parallel place in Jeremy, I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee. Jer. 30. 11. Though I make a full end of all Nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure. Then followeth, VE­NAKKEH LO ANAKKECA, which Pa­gnin rendereth, And destroying I will not destroy thee. It may further, and yet more strongly be confirmed by a passage in the fourteenth of Numbers. The hand of faith having once fastned upon God, will not readily let go his hold. Moses had taken fast hold of that disco­very, which the Lord was pleased to [Page 228] make of himself in this place of Exo­dus, and accordingly upon occasion improveth it, by pleading with him for Israels preservation from a totall ru­ine; which was then deserved and threatned, making use to that end of those very terms the discovery was made in, and among others of those now under debate, as most argumen­tative in the sense contended for. It is as if he had said, ‘Wilt thou, O Lord, Numb. 14. 17, 18. bring an utter destruction upon this whole people? What shall then be­come of that goodness of thine which it pleased thee to proclaim to thy servant in Sinai? If thou beest resolved to punish them, yet remem­ber what thou hast said, Destryoing he will not destroy. If their iniquities must be visited upon their children, O let it not be for ever, Lord, but onely to the third and fourth generation, as thou hast spoken.’ Whereas from the words in that other sense, which is commonly received, Moses could not [Page 229] possibly have drawn so strong a plea. For if God will by no means clear the guil­ty; all Israel having at that time con­tracted a deep and deadly guilt, what inference could be made from thence, but that all Israel were of necessity to perish?

§. 4. Secondly by a particular in­stance contained in the last clause, Vi­siting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, un­to the third, and fourth generation. For the cleerer explication whereof, it will be requisite to demonstrate that God in so doing exerciseth both equity, and clemency, lest either should be doubt­ed of. Concerning the former; Al­though by an express law Magistrates Deut. 24. 16. compared with 2 Kings 14. 6. Vide Grotium de jure belli & pacis. lib. 2. cap. 21. §. 14. be forbidden to put children to death for their parents sins; yet God, who is authour of life and death, hath reserved to himself a liberty of so doing, when­soever it pleaseth him, by reason of his supreme dominion over all: and therefore for him to inflict inferiour [Page 230] temporal punishments in that case, cannot but be accounted just. The ra­ther if we take into consideration that children may be accounted part of the parents themselves: for as a mans wife is himself divided, so his children are himself multiplied. However they are undoubtedly part of their parents goods, and so esteemed. When God had once said concerning Job, Behold, Job 1. 12. all that he hath is in thy power, Satan by vertue of that Commission slew not his cattel and servants onely, but his sons and daughters. And when he had determined concerning Achan, Let Josua 7. 15, 24, 25. him, and all that he hath be burnt with fire, the Israelites in obedience to that com­mand burnt his children, together with his other substance.

§. 5. As to the latter, Gods visiting on this wise will be found an act of clemency, as well as of equity, if it be considered,

First, That it is but to the third and fourth generation, not to all generati­ons, [Page 231] and for ever, according to the Psalmists expostulation, Wilt thou be an­gry Psal. 85. 5. with us for ever? wilt thou draw out shine anger to all generations? Not to do thus is mercy, witness that in Nehe­miah, For thy great mercies sake thou didst Nehem. 9. 31. not utterly consume them, nor forsake them: for thou art a gracious and mercifull God.

Secondly, That all sorts of sinners are not so punished, but onely or mainly such as are guilty of the most hainous provocations; chiefly Idola­ters and worshippers of false Gods. For the second commandment (which is the first place of Scripture wherein we meet with this expression) hath it thus, I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, Deum odisse in­sacris literis pe­culiariter illi di­cuntur qui fal­sos Deos colunt; ita ut neget Maimonides alio sensu id lo­quendi genus re­periri. Grotius in explicat. decalogi. visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth genera­tion of them that hate me. that is, of them that manifest their hatred of me by committing spiritual adultery with Idols, which, as some affirm is the most proper and onely notion of that phrase throughout the Scripture.

Thirdly, That it is seldome done, but where children tread in their fa­thers steps, and are guilty of the same sins with their progenitours. Then no wonder if what we finde in Isaiahs pro­phesie be accomplished to the full, Be­hold, it is written before me; I will not keep Isa. 65. 6, 7. silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosome your iniquities, and the ini­quities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burnt incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosome.

Fourthly, that it is never done but with mercifull intentions; namely to restrain men from sin upon this ground, because their children, whom they affect so dearly are like to smart for it. He is a truly miserable heir that inheriteth his fathers sins with his lands: the one will quickly eat out all, and more then all the comfort he can expect from the other. Now there is scarce any penalty more grievous in [Page 231] Chrysostomes opinion, then for a man to see misery brought upon his offspring, [...]. Chrysost. ho­mil. 29. ad Gen. 9. and that for his sake.

§. 6. Rulers should imitate God herein, by not dealing against male­factours to the utmost of rigour, but exercising clemency in their correcti­ons: not writing all their laws in bloud, as Draco of old is said to have done; not dismembring where a plai­ster will suffice, nor applying scorpi­ons where a rod will serve the turn. Humanity is a manlike, cruelty a dia­bolical principle. In wrath God al­ways remembereth mercy, so should they of whom it is written, I have said ye are Gods. The sword of his justice is always furbished with the oyl of lo­ving kindness; so should theirs. Our Queen Elizabeth is reported to have professed, That next to the Scriptures D^r Hackwel on Psal. 101. p. 28. she knew no book, which had done her so much good, as the often reading of Seneca's treatise De clementia.

§. 7. To shut up this so long dis­course [Page 232] with a review of Moses his ex­ample touched upon before in the third paragraph; Look as some kinde of artificers after long poring upon a piece of black work, finding a dim­ness in their sight, are wont to take an emerald, or some other green thing, by the verdure whereof their eyes may be refreshed and their spirits cheered: so beleevers, when puzled & dulled with the consideration of sad events, should for their spiritual relief make use of this glorious proclamation made by God himself concerning his goodness and the several branches thereof; which are all cheering to faith. Moses did so in the fourteenth of Numbers. The spies were then newly returned with their dismal report; the people fallen into their two epidemical diseases, rebelling and murmuring, excepting onely Ca­leb and Joshua. Hereupon God being highly provoked threatneth to disinhe­rit them, vers. 12. to kill them all as one man, vers. 15. It was now time for Mo­ses, [Page 233] who loved them as his own soul to bestir himself, to become their ad­vocate, and beg pardon on their be­half, as he doth in the 17, 18 and 19 verses, grounding his plea upon two topicks: the former Gods power in these words, I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great. Let it be, that is, be manifested, and appear to be great. But what hath power to do with pardon? Much every way. Forgiveness is an act of potency as well as of clemency. We know that in all Civil states pardoning such as the law hath sentenced is a prerogative belonging to the Supreme Power. His second topick is Gods truth engaging him to make good what had formerly been proclaimed by himself concerning his goodness in Moses his hearing. To an active be­leever, such as Moses approved himself in his whole course, every revelation of God is like a clear and distinct voice uttered in an arched vault, which re­soundeth again and again. God hath Psal. 62. 11. [Page 234] spoken once, saith David, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God. Ac­cordingly Moses, as he heard this ad­mirable discovery of divine goodness, when the Lord first uttered it on mount Sinai: so now he heareth it o­ver again, and upon this signal occa­sion maketh a due improvement of it, by founding his plea for Israel upon it. According as thou hast spoken saying, The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, &c.

EXERCITATION 6. Job 11. 7, 8, 9. expounded of divine Greatness. Three reasons of that Exposition, with the resolu­tion of a question about it. The height of Gods universal, unaccountable, omnipotent Sovereign­ty proved and improved.

§. 1. ZOphar in Job, being about (as I now am) to set forth the greatness of God, premiseth this inter­rogation, Canst thou by searching finde out God? Job. 11. 7. to implie the truth of what is [Page 235] elsewhere clearly expressed by the Pro­phetExerc. 6. David, Great is the Lord, and great­ly Psal. 145. 3. to be praised; and his greatness is unsearch­able. It could not otherwise be His. For as one saith well, Non esset Deus magnus, si non esset major captu nostro. Such is the shallowness of mans understanding, that God should not be really great if he were not greater then our capacities. The description he maketh thereof fol­loweth in these words. It is as high as Job. 11. 8, 9. heaen, what canst thou do? deeper then hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer then the earth, and broader then the Jea. Where by height Zophar seem­eth to understand the Omnipotent So­vereignty, by depth the omniscient wisdome, by length the everlasting du­ration, by breadth the omnipresent immensitie of God. The grounds of this interpretation are chiefly three.

First the dimensions here enumera­ted are those whereby we are wont to estimate the greatness of things: and I finde all the forementioned Attri­butes [Page 236] spoken of as branches of divine greatness in other places. Omnipotent Sovereignty; Great is the Lord, and of Psal. 147. 5. great power. Omniscient understanding. God is greater then our heart, and knoweth 1 Joh. 3. 20. all things. Everlasting duration; Behold, Job 36. 26. God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. Omnipresent immensity; Great is our 2 Chr. 2. 5, 6. God above all gods. Who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him?

Secondly, each particular dimensi­on is elsewhere applied to these very attributes, though some with more clearness then others. Height to Gods Sovereignty. He that is higher then the Eccles. 6. 8. highest regardeth, and there be higher then they. Depth to his Omniscience. O the Rom. 11. 33. depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! Length to his Eter­nity. He asked life, and thou gavest it to him; even length of days for ever and ever. Psal. 21. 4. Which Calvin and the Chaldee para­phrase, apply to Christ, understanding [Page 237] thereby the eternal duration of his kingdome. Lastly breadth to his Omnipresence, but covertly in that of Isaiah, The glorious Lord will be unto us a Isa. 33. 21. place of broad rivers and streams; to signi­fie that protection and safety, which his presence with his Church in every place affords to all the members there­of, like a broad river encompassing a fenced town on every side.

Thirdly, Me thinks there is some­what exprest in Zophars speech which as to the two former particulars, tends to this interpretation. For having said, It is as high as heaven, he presently adds, What canst thou do? meaning perhaps what are thy weak abilities to his omnipotence? He in regard of his So­vereign power can do all things; but thou, alas! what canst thou do? And after affirming, It is deeper then hell, he subjoyneth, what canst thou know? as if he had said, what are thy shallow ap­prehensions to the depth of his thoughts? He in regard of his omni­scient [Page 238] understanding knoweth all things, but thou, poor man, What canst thou know?

§. 2. If it be asked, why I expound all these clauses of God, seeing the par­ticles It and Thereof (It is high as heaven, The measure thereof) seem to relate unto somewhat else. My answer is, that Ex­positours differ much about this very thing, and according to their several apprehensions translate the words after a different manner. The vulgar Latine and our old English translations carry all to Almighty God, who was men­tioned in the verse before, Canst thou finde out the Almighty? reading it thus, He is higher then heaven, what art thou able to do? His length exceeds the length of the earth &c. Others considering that di­vers words in the original text being fe­minine will not agree in construction with Eloah and Saddai, whereby God is there exprest, have therefore looked back to the sixt verse for an antecedent, where they meet with [...] Wis­dome, [Page 239] and expound all of it, inserting the word Sapientia into their Latine translations, as Oecolampadius and Juni­us do. But for my part, there is I con­ceive a word nearer hand, which will serve the turn better, and that is [...] Perfection. Canst thou finde out the Almighty unto perfection? It, that is, the Perfection of God is as high as heaven &c. And herein I joyn with Castellio, whose translation is fully squared to this sense; for so he readeth the place, Tune Dei intima pervestiges, aut ipsam adeò perfectionem Omnipotentis inve­nias? Quae cùm coelum altitudine adaequet, quid ages? &c. Now I interpret the words, as before, because however they be read, whether God, or wisdome, or Perfection be taken for the antecedent, it cometh to one and the same issue, for the Wisdome of God is himself; and his Perfection comprehends not Wis­dome onely, but all his other excellen­cies whatsoever; insomuch as Lessius intitleth his book concerning the At­tributes, [Page 240] De perfectionibus divinis. The way thus cleared, I now proceed with­out further interruption to single out the particular dimensions, and dis­course of them in their order.

§. 3. Seeing all divine perfections far transcend humane capacities, the safest way, as I humbly conceive, for us to make a due estimate concerning the height of Gods sovereignty is to com­pare it with that of earthly potentates, which is within the compass and reach of our understandings. Verily it is not without cause that S. Paul styles him the 1 Tim. 6. 15. blessed and onely potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords; that Moses, Melchisedech and Abram, entitle him the most high God Gen. 14. v. 18, 19, 20, 22. four times in one chapter. For upon search it will appear that his Sove­reignty excels that of the high and mighty ones upon earth in point of Extensiveness, of Unaccountableness, and of Almightiness.

I. In point of extensiveness His king­dome Psalm 103. 19. ruleth over all. The whole earth [Page 241] and sea, which make but one globe, is to the Universe but as a little central point; the mightiest potentate hath no more but his share in that little. Whereupon Seneca bringeth in his wise & vertuous man with this censure and sarcasme in his mouth. Is this that Point, Hoc est illud pun­ctum quod inter tot gentes ferro & i [...]ni dividi­tur? O quàm cidiculi sunt mortalium ter­mini! Punctum est istud in quo na­vigatis, in quo bellatis, in quo Regna disponi­tis minima &c. Senec. Natu­ral. quaest lib. 1. in Praefa­tione. which so many Nations of the world do so strive to divide among themselves by fire and sword? O how ridiculous are the bounds of mortal men! All that in which they sail to and fro, manage their wars, and set up their petty kingdomes is but a Point. Whereas the Sovereignty of God extendeth it self to the whole earth and sea, yea to heaven; and the heaven of heavens, gi­ving laws not onely to the visible host of sun, moon, and stars, but also to the invisible host of Angels, who are said to Psalm 103. 20. excell in strength, and to do his command­ments, hearkning unto the voice of his word. Yea there is not a Devil in hell that can go beyond the length of his chain, for even those legions of darkness are, though much against their wils, sub­jected [Page 242] to the empire of the father of lights.

Yea whereas the dominion of worldly Potentates reacheth but to the outward man, and their laws cannot directly oblige the conscience, so as to bring upon it a guilt binding over the soul to death; his do. And in this re­spect S^t James telleth us that there is one James 4. 12. law-giver, one and but one, who is able to save and to destroy. The style which Paul giveth earthly governours is masters Ephes. 6. 5. according to the flesh; but Moses cal­leth Numb. 17. 16. God, the God of the spirits of all flesh; to imply that however there be many, who lord it sufficiently over the flesh and outward man, there is no Lord of our spirits but God alone, who onely is greater then our hearts, as S^t John speak­eth. 1 John 3. 20. This made the good Emperour History of the Bohemian per­secutions En­glish in 8^o chap. 39. § 2. Maximilian the second say, That whoso­ever assumed to himself a power over the con­sciences of men, set himself down in the throne of God. His son Rodolphus who succeed­ed him in the Empire resolved to walk [Page 243] in his fathers steps, yet was once un­happily wrought upon by the subtle­ty Ibid. chap. 40. § 1. of the Jesuites to give way to the passing of an Edict for shutting up the Protestants Churches during some time. But that very day news was brought him that Alba Regia the chief city he had in Hungary was taken by the Turks. Whereupon in great asto­nishment he is reported to have said, I Expectabam tale quid postquam hodie Dei regi­men, quod est conscient arum usurpa [...]e coepe­ram. Joh. Laet. compend. hist. pag. 666. expected that some such mischief as this should befall me; seeing this day I began to usurp the government belonging to God, which is of consciences.

§. 4. II. In point of unaccountableness. The greatest Princes upon earth do, or should govern by laws, to the making whereof others concur as well as they. But our God is a law to himself. He onely can write upon his imperial E­dicts, My reason for it is my will. Yet be­cause Stat pro ratione voluntas. of the holiness of his nature his will is always most just; so as he ne­ver enacted any thing, but what is in it self equal and reasonable, although [Page 244] perhaps to our shallow understand­ings it may appear otherwise: as to our eyes turrets and steeples how up­right soever, if their height be exceed­ing great, do often seem crooked, and look as if they stood awry; which should deter us from censuring any of his Decrees, or Dispensations, as some great but unhallowed wits are wont to do; of whom Luther maketh this sober and sad complaint, ‘They require that God act jure humano, according Luther de ser­vo arbitrio. cap. 173. to what the sons of men do com­monly account right and just, or o­therwise that he would cease to be God. Tell not them of the secrets of his Sovereign Majesty; let him ren­der a reason of his being God, if he speak, do, or will any thing, but what appeareth equal to men. Proud flesh cannot vouchsafe the God of heaven so much honour as to be­leeve any thing to be good or right, which is spoken or acted above what the Codex of Justinian, or the fifth [Page 245] book of Aristotles Ethicks defineth to be just.’

I confess indeed that God often con­descendeth in his holy word to give men a reason of some proceedings, and to clear them up to our understand­ings: but it is more then he needeth to do, more then we ought to expect in all cases. It will therefore be our wisdome to forbear playing the Cri­ticks upon his decrees and administra­tions; considering that he alone is [...], unaccountable, not to be called in question for any of his do­ings: and always remembring that of Paul, Nay but, O man, who art thou that Rom. 9. 20, 21. repliest against God? Hath not the potter power over the clay? Together with that of Job, God is greater then man: why dost Job 33. 12, 13. thou strive against him? for he giveth not ac­count of any of his matters.

§. 5. Thirdly, In point of Almightiness. In the Princes of this world [...] and [...], Authority and Power are often se­vered: their authority may be great, [Page 246] when their power to manage it is but small. David was King, yet could not act as he desired, for the sons of Zer­viah were too strong for him. But in God they always go hand in hand for the accomplishing of what his wis­dome hath designed. Therefore I cal­led it Omnipotent Sovereignty. I know, Job 42. 2. saith Job, that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee, meaning that God cannot be hin­dered in the execution, or bringing to pass of whatsoever he hath in the thoughts and purposes of his heart. The Angel to Mary, With God no­thing Luke 1. 37. shall be impossible, Paul to the Ephesians, He is able to do exceeding ab­undantly Ephes. 3. 20. above all that we ask or think. Other Scriptures may seem opposite to these, but are not. God that cannot lie. Tit. 1. 2. He cannot denie himself, saith S^t Paul. For 2 Tim. 2. 1 [...]. answer to these and the like instances, we must distinguish of Impossibles. They are of two sorts, Impossibilia natu­rae, Voetius Disp. Theol. part. 1. [...] 109. and Impossibilia naturâ. First there [Page 247] are divers things impossible indeed to nature, such as in the ordinary course of secondary causes cannot be done, which yet to God are most feaseable; for example, working of miracles, gi­ving sight to such as were born blinde, raising up children to Abraham out of the very stones in the street. Secondly, Some other things are impossible not to nature onely, but in nature; and that either in reference to the nature of God, when they are such as argue im­perfection in the doer, as to sin, and to die: or in respect to the nature of the things themselves, when they are such as implie contradiction, as for a crea­ture to be made independent. The for­mer Si ista passet De­us, non esset omnipotens. Magna in Deo potentia est non posse mentiri. August. lib. 1. de Symbol. cap. 1. of these God himself cannot do; not through want, but through height and abundance of power. He cannot sin, lie or deny himself, and that be­cause he is Omnipotent: it is for im­potent creatures to be liable unto such kinde of imperfections as these are. Neither can he do the latter: yet is it [Page 248] not through any defect of power in God, that such things cannot be done, but through want of capacity in the things, which are simply impossible. So then, when we ascribe Almighti­ness to God, the meaning is, that whereever divine Understanding can be a principle of direction, and divine will a principle of injunction, there divine power can shew it self an able principle of execution. Or in plainer terms, That God can do whatsoever he will: and the onely reason why things that do either argue imperfection, or imply contra­diction fall not within the compass of his power, is because they are such, as for want of goodness or entity cannot become objects of his will.

§. 6. Now if the perfection of God be so very high in regard of his Omni­potent sovereignty, think of thine own lowness, (O man, or rather, O worm, and no man) and be confounded within thy self, upon comparing thy servile condition by nature with his [Page 249] Sovereignty; thy imbecility with his Omnipotence. Adam indeed, so long as he stood, was an universal Mo­narch, having dominion both over himself, and over the creatures: But every man since the fall is a slave born, a servant to divers lusts and pleasures: Neither is there any way for getting out of this estate, but getting into Christ, who restoreth all such as close with him to a spiritual Sovereignty, Making them kings to God and his father; Rev. 1. 6. and upholding them with his royall Spirit, as some reade that in the Psalm. Till then Psal. 51. 12. what are whole Nations of men, but, to speak in the Prophets language, as the drops of a bucket, which in their fall Isa. 40. 15. are so licked up by the dust of the earth as they are no more discernable; or as the small dust of the ballance, which is of no moment at all towards turning of the beam one way or other? And if Nations be so inconsiderable, what shall we say of particular per­sons? I will suppose a mighty Prince, [Page 250] but an unbeleever styled your High­ness, or your Majesty at every word; and be bold to present him upon this occasion with Zophars interrogatory, What canst thou do? When God leaveth thee to thy self, how impotent are thy best abilities, as to the things of a bet­ter world? Seeing they are such as no natural man can either receive, for they are foolishness to him, and must be spiritual­ly 1 Cor. 2. 14. discerned; or close with when they are discovered: for the carnal minde is Rom. 8. 7. enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

May these and the like considerati­ons work so kindly upon us, as Canu­tus his not being able to set bounds to the ocean did upon him. It is an histo­ry worth the remembring. This Canu­tus Cambden Bri­tannia out of H. Hunting­ton. was one of the ancient kings of England, who really to refute the flat­terers by whom he was told that all things were at his command, caused his royall Pavilion to be set upon the sands, when the tide was coming in, [Page 251] then said to the sea, ‘Thou belong­est to my dominion, and this earth which my throne standeth upon is mine. I charge thee therefore not to flow in upon my ground, nor to wet the feet of thy Sovereign Lord.’ But in vain, for the tide kept its course, and came up to his feet, with­out doing him any reverence. Where­upon he removed further off, and said, ‘Be it known to all men in the world that the power of Princes is but a vain empty thing, and that none ful­ly deserveth the name of a Sovereign Lord, but he at whose beck heaven and earth yield their obedience,’ who can say to the sea, hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be staid. It is also reported that after this he never put on his crown more.

O that all the sons of men would accordingly learn from this branch of divine greatness never to boast more of their own abilities! but to throw [Page 252] down all their crowns at the feet of Christ, who, though omnipotence be incommunicable, leaveth upon such as receive him by faith some im­pressions and footsteps of it. For whereas divine Almightiness standeth in two things especially, to wit, in Gods being able to do all things that are regularly possible, and his not be­ing able to do any sinfull thing; there are some prints of both upon Christians, I can do all things, saith Philip. 4. 13. S^t Paul, through Christ that strengthen­eth me. And whosoever is born of God, 1 John 3. 9. saith S^t John, cannot sin, because he is born of God.

EXERCITATION 7.Exerc. 7. The depth of divine Omniscience seen in discerning the deep things of man, yea of Satan, yea of God. Our Nescience discovered and acknow­ledged. The longitude of Gods perfection stated. Eternitie proper to him. Not assumed by, or a­scribed to men without blasphemy.

§. 1. THe second dimension is the depth of Gods Omniscience, which appears in that he is able to found and fadome the deepest things, whether of man, or of Satan, or of the Divine essence and will.

First, There are deep things of men. Their words are deep: and again, The Prov. 18. 4. words of a mans mouth are as deep waters. Their hearts and counsels much more. Both the inward thoughts of every one of them, and the heart is deep. So David of Psal. 64. 6. the churches enemies. Counsel in the Prov. 20. 5. heart of man is like a deep water. So Solo­mon of wise sages. who are therefore compared by a learned writer to coffers with double bottoms, which when o­thers [Page 254] look into, being opened, they see not all they hold on the suddain S^r. Walter Ra­legh's hist. book 5. p. 359. and at once. But these are no depths to God, to whom David said, There is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Psal. 139. 4. thou knowest it altogether. And elsewhere, The Lord searcheth all hearts, and under­standeth Chron. 28. 9. all the imaginations of the thoughts. Neither is it the least act of Gods good­ness to mankinde, that he is pleased to reserve the searching of hearts to him­self, as part of his own prerogative royal, because if men were able to dive into one anothers thoughts, there would be no quiet in the world; no peaceable living one by another, in re­gard of that hidden hypocrisie and malice which lurks in the most.

§. 2. Secondly, Deep things of Satan, spoken of in the Revelation; As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not Revel. 2. 24. known the depths of Satan, as they speak. Seducers are wont to boast of their mysterious tenents, and to speak of them as great depths, not to be fadom­ed [Page 255] by common christians. Christ in that Epistle of his to the church of Thy­atira, makes use of their own term, Depths as they speak; but so as to brand them for Depths of Satan fetch'd from hell, whereas they perhaps held them forth as new truths, glorious lights and revelations from above. Thus popery is a mystery, but a mystery of iniquity, as Paul styleth it, and Socini­anisme a depth, but a Depth of Satan. There is not a serpentine winding or turning in any of those corrupt opini­ons, which pester and poyson the Church of Christ at this day, but God seeth and knoweth it, how hard soever it be for his servants to discover and refute. To these may be added all those other hellish designs which go under other names in the Scripture, as The wiles of the divel, and his devices; Ephes. 6. 11. 2 Cor. 2. 11. all which dark secrets are not in the dark to divine understanding. And he that now sees them all will one day reckon with Satan for them, yea, and [Page 256] sink him so much the deeper into hell, by how much his depths have done more mischief upon earth. I say into hell, where he shall have those agents and factours by whom he now carrieth on his cursed work, for his cursed com­panions to eternitie, according to that in the Apocalyps, The divel that deceived Rev. 20. 10. them was cast into the lake of fire and brim­stone, where the beast, and the false prophet are; and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

§. 3. Thirdly, Deep things of God, of the divine Essence and Will, con­cerning which the Apostle saith, The 1 Cor. 2. 10. Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. Things which the clear­est understandings of men and Angels entertain with amazement: we can­not but bewray our balbutiencie when we treat of One in Three, and Three in one; such a mysterious gulf is the Trinitie: so when we discourse either of the Personal Union, or the The­andrical acts of Christ. And no won­der, [Page 257] seeing we meet with such secrets and depths even in Gods revealed Will, The greatest divines have ac­knowledged many [...], Things hard to be understood; yea, diverse [...], knots that cannot be untied, till there either come further light into this world, or we be translated into a better. Such as every modest christian will be rea­die to say of, as the learned Cajetan did concerning the reason of that dif­ference, which in the Hebrew Text is observable betwixt the title of Psalm 121. and those other Psalms of De­grees, Reservo Spiritui Sancto, I reserve the solution of this and that doubt to the holy Spirit. For to him and the other Divine Persons such things are no riddles; though to us they be dark and Enigmatical, yea, perhaps un­searchable. Although we ever and a­non meet with cause of crying out as Saint Paul once did, How unsearchable Rom. 11. 33. are his judgements, and his waies past find­ing out? Let us alwaies remember and [Page 258] believe that of S^t. James, known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the Act. 15. 18. world.

§. 4. Well may the prudent conside­ration of what hath been said concern­ing the depth of Divine Omniscience put the wisest of men in minde of their Nescience; keep them from leaning to their own understandings; and give them just occasion to think of an an­swer to Zophars question, What canst thou know? If the secrets of nature do so puzzle thee, what canst thou know concerning those much greater secrets of grace and glory? of which Luther Quid si philo­sophia haec non capit? fides ta­men capit. ma­jor est verbi Dei authoritas, quam nostri in­genii capacitas. major Sp. San­ctus quàm Ari­stoteles. Luther de captivit. Ba­bylonic [...]. Psal. 147. 5. very excellently, Philosophy receives them not, faith doth. The authority of Scri­pture is greater by far then the capacity of our wit; and the Holy Ghost then Aristo­tle. Well may the depth of Divine un­derstanding, which the Psalmist saith is infinite, Great is the Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite, cause us to reflect upon the shallowness, the finiteness, yea, the folly of our own. [Page 259] For if the foolishness of God be wiser then men, as the Apostle telleth us it is, 1 Cor. 1. 25. what is his wisdome? Add if the wis­dome of this world be foolishness with God, 1 Cor. 3. 19. what is its folly? No wonder if one learned man wrote a book of the va­nity Cornel. Agrip. of Sciences, others of the Nullity, Anton. Verde­rius. Franc. Zanch. M. D. Hoc unum scio quod nihil scio. Socrates. Quo magis stu­diis incumbimus eò magis nos vi­dere quàm nihil scimus, Ap. Jo. Bevoricium. Epist. quaest. p. 86. Quod nihil scitur. If the wise heathen profest, the onely thing he knew was this that he knew not any thing at all. If Fri­er Paul of Venice the judicious author of that excellent history of the Coun­cel of Trent was wont to say. The more we studie, the more we see how little or no­thing we understand; yea, if more know­ing men then any of these abounded in acknowledgements of their own igno­rance. Asaph, So foolish was I and ignorant; Psal. 73. 22, Prov. 30. 23. I was as a beast before thee. Agur, Surely I am more brutish then any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdome, nor have the knowledge of the holy. So true is that of our great Apostle, If any man think that he knows any thing, he 1 Cor. 8. 2. knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

§. 5. Next followeth the third di­mension, which is Longitude, in this expression, The measure thereof is longer then the earth. For the better stating whereof let it be considered, that whereas the word here translated Mea­sure relateth not to extension onely, but also to duration; and the earth hath a double longitude, one of space, the other of continuance; which the Scri­pture taketh special notice of in other texts, as in that of Ecclesiastes, One ge­neration Eccles 1. 4. passeth away, and another genera­tion cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. I conceive the latter may here be al­luded to, viz. the earths long continu­ance, as in some low proportion fit to resemble that everlasting duration of God, which cannot be adequately re­presented by any creature. Sure I am by the Ancient of days in Daniel the eter­nal Dan. 7. 9, 13. Jehovah is described; by length of Prov. 3. 16. days in wisdomes right hand, of which in the Proverbs, many Interpreters un­derstand the blessings of Eternity: And [Page 261] this very place of Job is expounded by Gregory in this sense. His words are, Terrâ longior, quia creaturae modum peren­nitate Greg. Moral. lib. 10. cap. 7. suae Aeternitatis excedit.

All creatures had an original, all but some few shall have a dissolution. Of the Creatour, and of him onely is that of the Psalmist verified, From everlasting Psal. 90. 2. to everlasting thou art God. He gave be­ginning Principium sine p [...]incipio, finis sine sine. to all things, but was himself without a beginning; is the end for which all things were made, but him­self without end. The best of men, alas! are but of yesterday, and know not where they shall be to morrow, according to that of Bildad, We are but Job 8. 9. of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow. His being God from everlasting to everlasting should encourage us to walk in the way everlasting, having this everlasting conso­lation Psal. 139. last. 2 Thess. 2. 16. and good hope through grace, that he will save us with an everlasting salvation; because he wanteth neither power to Isa. 45. 17. effect it, for his strength is everlasting; Isa. 26. 4. [Page 262] nor will, for his mercy is so too, as Da­vid testifieth, The mercy of the Lord is Psal. 103. 17. from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.

§. 6. The more to blame were some overweening sons of Adam for daring to assume unto themselves, and ascribe to other persons and things this in­communicable perfection of God. Of old the heathenish people of Rome were wont to style their Emperours, yea and their city Eternal. Concerning which Rev. 13. 1, 5. Infronte purpu­ratae merelricis scriptum est no­men blasphemiae, id est, Romae Aeternae. Hierom. ad Algusiam quaest. Aeterna cum dicitur quae temporalis est, utique nomen est blasphemiae.—cùm supplices dicunt, Altari­bus vestris, Pe­rennitati vestrae &c. Prosp. de praedic. & pro­miss. in Dimid. temp. cap. 7. practise of theirs, two ancient writers, Hierome and Prosper interpret those names of blasphemy mentioned in the Re­velation. They accounted such no less then blasphemers as called Rome the E­ternal city, and saluted the Emperour thereof by the title of your Eternity. A thing usually done among them. Yea this Calenture had taken the brains of some even amongst the Christian Em­perours: so exceedingly contagious are words and examples that contain blasphemy in them. Ammianus Marcel­linus [Page 263] reporteth of Constantius an Arrian Exerc. 8. Prince, that being puft up by the osten­tation Ammian. Mar­cell. initio lib. 5. of his flatterers, and the prospe­rous success of his affairs, he was come to that height of insolence as to pre­sume he should never die, and in his writings to style himself Our Eternity. His words are these, Immunem se deinde fore ab omni mortalitatis incommodo fidenter existimans, confestim à justitia declinavit ità intemperanter, ut Aeternitatem meam ali­quoties subjeceret ipse dictando. Yea Justini­an himself feared not to say concerning some of his Edicts, Nostra sanxit Aeter­nitas. Vid. Contem. politic. lib. 7. cap. 4. § 3.

EXERCITATION 8. Divine Immensity shadowed out by the breadth of the Sea. Divine Omnipresence cleared and vin­dicated. The proposall hereof as an antidote a­gainst sinning in secret. Five practicall Corol­laries from the greatness of God in generall.

§. 1. THe fourth dimension is still behinde in that clause, Broader [Page 264] then the Sea. It may be thought to re­late unto divine Omnipresence and Immensity; which is, though not set forth to the life, yet some way sha­dowed out by the breadth of the Sea: In that the vast ocean stretcheth its arms far and near (so we call them arms of the Sea) to the embracing of certain shores, very much distant each from other; and is in that respect in a manner omnipresent with the several parts of the earth, which it is united to in one Globe. So, and much more then so, the Immensity of Gods essence is such as to render him actually, and at all times present with every creature in the upper and lower world; for which cause he is said to fill the heaven Jerem. 23. 24. and the earth. To a certain Philosopher, who asked one of our profession, Where is God? the Christian answered, Apud Jo. Ger­hard. in Exe­ges. pag. 797. in 4^o. Let me first understand from thee where he is not, to intimate his being present eve­ry where. Which he is, not onely by his power and providence, as some [Page 265] would confine it, but also by his es­sence; according to the true meaning of that which Paul said at Athens con­cerning God, He is not far from every one Acts 17. 27, 28. [...]. Chrys. homil. 38. in Act. Apost. of us. For in him we live and move, and have our being. He said not (as Chryso­stome observed) By him we live and move, but in him; to note the intima­cy of his presence, and that with all sorts of things, whether they be such as have life, or motion without life, or barely Being without motion. Yea where-ever they be, whether in hea­ven, or earth, or hell, as the Psalmist expresly, If I ascend up into heaven, thou Psal. 139. 8, 9. art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there; If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea; even there shall thy hand lead me. To which accords that of Seneca, Turn Quocunque te slexeris, ibi il­lum videbis oc­currentem tibi. Nihil ab illo vacat. Opus suum ipse im­plet. Senec. de Benefic. li [...]. 4. cap. 8. thy self which way thou wilt, thou shalt there see him meeting thee. There is not any thing void of him, He filleth whatsoever he hath made.

§. 2. This truth having been so ful­ly [Page 266] acknowledged by a wise heathen, it will argue but too much weakness in any Christian to stumble (as some notwithstanding have done) at this sorry cavil against it. It seems unwor­thy of God, say they, to afford his pre­sence with all things, even the least and filthiest. Neither do we see how he can possibly do it without receiving some defilement from them. For if God were not lessned by creating the mean­est things, then surely he is not by af­fording his presence to them after they were made. As for defliement, there can be no fear of that. Can the sun shine upon dunghils and worse places with­out being thereby defiled? and shall not Gods essence, which is infinitely purer then the light, preserve it self from contracting filth from any thing it cometh near unto! The soul of man united to a sickly and leprous body, doth notwithstanding retain its puri­ty. Much more God in the forementi­oned case. Be we therefore carefull, in [Page 267] spite of all heretical cavils firmly to beleeve the truth of divine Omnipre­sence and Immensity; for the clearing up whereof to our understandings, Divines have invented sundry compa­risons; two whereof I shall instance in. One out of Austin, The whole world, Augustin. Confess. lib. 7. cap. 5. saith he, is so in God, as a little sponge in a vast ocean. The Sea besides its encompassing the sponge on every side, doth also through­ly penetrate, moisten, and sustain the whole substance within, and every part of it. An­other out of Lessius. He compareth Lessius de Perfectionibus divinis lib. 1. cap. 3. § 20. the world to a crystal Ball hanging in the light of the Sun. In which case the light would intimately pierce the whole Ball, and also extend it self far and near, round about it. Such and so intimate is Gods presence with every creature in every place.

§. 3. The contemplation whereof should be effectual for the preventing of all sins, especially such as are usual­ly committed in secret, upon this grand presumption, which the Pro­phet [Page 268] denounceth a curse against the subjects of, saying, Wo unto them that Isai 29. 15. seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord. and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? a presumption that there is none by to take notice of them. Suppose it were so; yet men are bound to reve­rence themselves: That of Ausonius is excellent advise, When thou art about to act any thing unseemly, be afraid of thy Turpe quid au­surus te sine te­ste time. self, although there be no other witness. But so it is not; for conscience is by; con­cerning which Lactantius produceth an admirable speech out of Seneca, O thou mad man! what will it profit thee to Demens, quid prodest non ha­bere conscium habenti consci­entiam? have none conscious of thy crime, so long as thou hast a conscience that is? But that thou wilt say is part of thy self. True: wherefore I add, God is by; of whom the Apostle emphatically saith, If our 1 John 3. 20. heart condemn us, God is greater then our heart, and knoweth all things. Consci­ence we are wont to say, is a thousand witnesses; and let it be withall consi­dered, [Page 269] that God is as a thousand con­sciences; both for intimacy of pre­sence, and perspicacity in discerning. It is worth observing how the men­tion of Gods immensity is brought in by the Prophet in that forecited place of Jeremy, where the whole verse runs thus; Can any hide himself in secret pla­ces, Jerem. 23. 24. that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord? Our most secret sins are, in re­ference to God, no more secret, in re­gard of his Omnipresence, then if committed in the most open light. Witness that in Moses his prayer, Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret Psal. 90. 8. sins in the light of thy countenance. Jacob once said of Bethel, God was once in this Genes. 28. 16. place, and I knew it not; How fearfull is it? Let every place be a Bethel to thee, O watchfull Christian, a place of fear, and in some sence an house of God, be it market, or shop, or field; be sure the Lord is in that place, not present onely, but looking on; nor onely [Page 270] looking, but weighing and pondering, whatsoever thou doest there in all the circumstances and aggravations there­of, as Solomon testifies, The waies of man Prov. 5. 21. are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pon­dereth all his goings.

§. 4. Having alreadie made im­provement of the several branches, let me now for a conclusion draw cer­tain Corollaries from the greatness of God in general; in number five.

First, Let him be greatly praised for this by all mankinde. 'Tis the Psalmists inference, Great is the Lord, and greatly Psal. 145. 3. to be praised. The world is wont to commend greatness both in persons and things. Great Princes have had Panegyrical Orations made in their praise, as Trajan by Plinie; great cities, as Grand Cair; great monuments, as the Colossus are greatly extol'd by wri­ters and travellers. How much more should the great God? whom the Pro­phet accordingly magnifies, saying, [Page 271] Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the bal­lance: Isai. 40. 14, 15, 16, 17. behold he taketh up the isles, as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not suf­ficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof suffici­ent for a burnt-offering. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less then nothing and vanity. The drop of a bucket is nothing to the whole ocean, nor the dust of the bal­lance to the whole earth: no more is the whole earth with all the inhabi­tants of it to God. In so much as if he were to be sacrificed to, proportio­nably to his greatness, all the beasts in Lebanon would not suffice for a burnt­offering, nor all the wood thereof for a fire, nor all men in the world for a priest to offer it.

§. 5. Secondly, Let him be greatly con­fided in by all his people. That of S^t. John, 1 John 4 4. Ye are of God, little children; and greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world, should be made use of by the Saints as a precious receipt against the [Page 272] most deadly poison that can at any time be administred to them. The Church indeed is very often put upon renewing Jehosaphats complaint, and crying out, We have no might against this great company (perhaps both of 2 Chro. 20. 12. wicked men, and wicked spirits) that comes against us; neither know we what to do. But so long as she can add, as he there doth, Our eyes are upon thee; Tit. 2. 13. this contemplation of her great God and Saviour may support her against the fear of them all. The divel is mighty, I confess it, said Luther, but he will ne­ver be Almighty, as my God and Saviour Esto diabolus magnipotens, nunquam erit omnipotens. is. upon these grounds a believing Christian, living up to his principles, may well say, ‘Shew me a danger greater then my God, a Destroyer, greater then my Saviour, I will then fear it and him. Till then pardon me if I do not let my confidence go. what though Jacob be small, as the Prophet speaks, By whom shall Jacob a­rise? Amos 7. 5. for he is small. Yet arise he shall [Page 273] in spight of opposition, and that be­cause Jacobs God is great.’

Thirdly, Let the world learn to seek after interest in him. Many, saith Solo­mon, Many seek the rulers favour. And Prov. 29. 26. reason good; because he is able to protect the persons, and reward the services of his followers. Behold here a Ruler indeed, whose favour was ne­ver sought in vain, if sought in time; Dulcis inexper­tis cultura po­tentis amici; ex­pertus metuit. Horat. one that can protect from hell, and bestow heaven; yea that which is the heaven of heaven, the fruition of him­self. Being great with great men is a thing much affected by some, although in experience it often becomes not a burden onely, but a mischief: where­as the love and favour of the great God, and our Saviour, alwaies proves, (shall I say, beneficial? that's too lit­tle) it proves, and that alwaies beatifi­call.

Fourthly, Let such as have obtained in­terest from him look for great things from him. To Baruch it was once said, Seek­est Jerem. 45. 5. [Page 274] thou great things for thy self? seek them not: because he sought them in the creatures; but if we seek them from and in the great Creator, we may law­fully seek great things, neither shall our doing so be attended with disap­pointment. For open thy mouth wide, saith Psal. 81. 10. the Lord, and I will fill it. We are wont either not to open our mouthes at all, or not wide enough; and there­fore it is that most of us continue so empty. Ye have not, because ye ask not; James 4. [...]. so the Apostle: let me say, ye ask per­haps, and yet have but little, because ye do not expect much. O Consider, as Samuel once bespake the men of Israel, how great things God hath already done for 1 Sam. 12. 24. you, that so your experiments may be your encouragement, to expect yet greater: remembring that of our bles­sed Saviour to Nathaniel, Believest thou? thou shalt see greater things then these. John 1. 50.

He in whom ye trust, O believers, is a great God, and loves to do all things like himself. Wherefore look [Page 275] for great things from him, great as­sistances, great enlargements, great de­liverances: yea the forgiving of great sins, and the obtaining of great sal­vation.

§. 7. Fifthly, Let such as have received great things from God, maintain a certain greatness of spirit sutable to their interest in him. I do not mean an haughty spirit, swelled with pride, for that is altoge­ther unsutable to a saving interest in God, who beholds the proud afar off; but Psalm 138. 6. an humble spirit greatned by continu­al converse with the great God; who by raising vp his servants hearts to the contemplation and fruition of higher objects, maketh them too big for this world. It is reported of Moses, that when he was come to years, or according to the original, when he was waxed great, Hebr. 11. 24, 25, 26, 27. (in spirit perhaps, as well as in sta­ture) he did overlook the preferments, pleasures, and riches of the world, which are all there intimated, yea the menaces of it too: for it is there also [Page 276] said, He feared not the wrath of the king, but endured, as seeing him who is invisible. His conversing with the great God, had made all these to appear to him as pet­ty things. To a soul truly great no Animo magno nil magnum. worldly matter hath any true greatness in it: As if one could take a station in heaven, whatsoever is here below would appear but small in his sight by reason of its distance. It is accounted by some a great matter to have the frowns and ill word of a great man: But S^t John, whose conversation was in heaven, made nothing of it. Speak­ing of Diotrophes his malignancy and reproachfull speeches he phraseth it thus, prating against us with malitious John 2 epistle v. 10. [...]. words. The term properly signifieth trifling. Though Diotrephes were a great prelate, and his words very malitious; yet the Apostles spirit was raised so far above them, that with him all were but trifles, and by him contemned as such.

EXERCITATION 1.Exerc. 1. How predestination cometh to be treated of here. E­lection described from the Nature, Antiquity, Ob­jects, Products and Cause of it. Rom. 11. 33. 2 Tim. 1. 9. with Tit. 1. 2. Ephes. 1. 4. with Matth. 25. 34. opened. Of Acts supposing their objects. Of Acception of persons, what it is, and that Predestination doth not import it. Acts 13. 48. Expounded and vindicated. Whether one Elect may become a reprobate? The negative maintained, and 1 Cor. 9. 24, 25, 26. cleared. Ephes. 5, and 11. enlightned. Concerning the good pleasure of Gods will and the counsel thereof.

§. 1. I Durst not wholly wave the doctrine of Predesti­nation, (no not in this [Page 278] Treatise of Principles) after I had due­lyAph. 5. pondered that grave admonition of Ambrose, or according to others of Pro­sper, Quae Deus oc­culta esse voluit, non sunt scru­tanda; quae au­tem monifesta fecit non sunt neganda: ne in illis illicitè cu­riosi, in istis damnabiliter in­veniamur in grati. De vo­car. Gent. cap. 7. Such things as God would have kept secret must not be pried into by us; nor such denied as he hath openly declared: lest we be found in the former attempt unlawfully curious, in the latter damnably unthankfull. And also laid to heart the endeavours, not of foreiners onely, but of certain late English writers to possess their readers with vehement and strong pre­judices against the long-received truth in those points. One of them telleth us, It is sacrilegious to grant that God hath I. G. Red. Re­deem. pag. 243. lin. 7. Ibid. pag. 278. lin. 46. from eternity elected a certain number of men personally unto salvation, whom he pur­poseth to bring thereunto infallibly &c. Else­where styling it, That capitall errour of personal Election and Reprobation. Another speaking of preterition, or negative reprobation hath these words. This is T. P. Divine philanthropy defended. c. 4. § 2. one of the [...] which have been infa­mously invented to disguise and palliate the frightfull rigidness of their doctrine. Not [Page 279] long after he calleth it canting, (pretends the lamentable distinction (as it is there by him styled) to be no more then a trick insufficient to buoy up a sink­ing cause) and in another book of his The dream of absolute preterition. Mean Divine purity defended. pag. 97. while where alas! is the reverence and submission due to Scripture, that one­ly card and compass by which we are to sail in this ocean, that onely clue by the help whereof this labyrinth is to be traversed? It directly opposeth Rom. 11. 7. [...]. Electi and Reliqui, the elect and such as were passed by, in that saying, The ele­ction hath obtained, and the rest were blind­ed. In it we reade of a book of life con­taining Revel. 13. 8. 21. 27. 26. 15. the names of all those whom God hath chosen, and of others whose names were not written in that book. Of some whom the Lord knoweth for 2 Tim. 2. 19. Ma [...]th. 7. 23. his, and others to whom he will say, I never knew you. Of Christs sheep gi­ven John 10. 26, 28, 29. to him by the father, and of such persons as were not his sheep, nor ac­cordingly so given to him. This, I [Page 280] hope, is no canting; there is neither Errour nor Trick in all this, but to proceed.

§. 2. Election (as to our purpose which concerns the choise of men onely, not of Angels) is that secret un­searchable decree of God, wherein he did from everlasting single out of the rest of mankinde a definite number of particular persons, ordaining them in­fallibly unto the attainment of holi­ness here, and happiness hereafter, ac­cording to the counsel and good plea­sure of his Will. Which description offers to the readers consideration as things material, and not unfit to be treated of, provided it be soberly done, the Nature, Antiquity, Object, Products and Cause of Election.

First, The Nature of it. It is a se­cret unsearchable decree of God. The two principall emanations of God's Will respecting intellectual creatures, are his Decrees, and his Commands. They differ, as in sundry other things, [Page 281] so, in point of perspicuitie. The Commands are plain; he that runs may read his duty in them; the De­crees abstruse: Our destinies cannot be so easily read, as our duties may. And whereas divers secret things may yet be discovered upon diligent search, according to that Proverb of Solomon, Counsel in the heart of man is like deep wa­ter: Prov. 20. 5. but a man of understanding will draw it out. The Decrees of God are so se­cret, as to be withall unsearchable. Whence the Apostle, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of Rom. 11. 13. God! How unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out! where by Judgements it is, as I conceive, most proper to understand the Decrees of [...], from [...], whence cerno, decerno, & decretum. his Will; by Waies, the Administra­tions of his Providence in order to the execution of those Decrees. Some in­novatours there are indeed, who have so modelled the mysterious Doctrine of Predestination, as to leave little or nothing of mysterie in it. Our Re­monstrants [Page 282] think themselves able to wade, where our Apostle was past his depth, and forced to crie out, [...]! Their way pretends to give a clear rea­son why one is elected, another repro­bated, one converted, another not, but for my part I had much rather with S^t. Paul be ignorant still then over-learned, (that I say not over­sawcie) with Arminius and his fol­lowers.

§. 3. Secondly the Antiquitie. 'Tis from everlasting: An eternal Decree. So Paul, According as he hath chosen us in Ephes. 1. 4. him before the foundation of the world. This expression notes eternity. The king­dome we are elected to, is said to have been prepared [...], from the foundation. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared Math. 25. 34. for you from the foundation of the world; in reference to the third heavens, that place where the kingdome is to be set up and inherited, which was in the beginning of time created by the [Page 283] builder and maker of it, as God is sti­led. But the Decree whereby we were Hebr. 11. 10. designed thereunto, to have been [...], before the foundation of the world. That is, from everlasting; as may be further gathered from other phrases in the writings of our Apostle; this by name, Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our 2 Tim. 1. 9. works. but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Je­sus, before the world began. This both Erasmus and Calvin interpret of prede­stination. Compare we it with another speech of the same Apostle to Titus, In hope of eternal life, which God that can­not Tit. 1. 2. lie, promised before the world began. The meaning whereof will no longer be obscure, if it be considered that the first-born of election was Christ him­self (who applied to himself that which God said of old by the Prophet Isaiah; Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well­pleased.) Matth. 12. 18. That certain persons were [Page 284] from eternity given to Christ, whom the Father had constituted Head of all his elect, to be his members, & by him brought to eternal blessedness, accord­ing to what we read in S^t. Johns Gospel, Thou hast given him power over all flesh, John 17. [...]. that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. That in this transaction there passed promises from the Father to the Son in the behalf of himself and all his members. And that this is the grace which was given us in Christ Jesus, these the Promises of e­ternal life before the world began, spoken Promisit vitam aeternam, non tantum initio mundi praedi­cando e [...]m pri­mis parentibus in paradiso, sed etiam paciscendo de ea ante con­ditum mundum cum Filio desi­gnato mediatore nastro in soedere redemptionis. David Dicson Exp sit. Ana­lytic. in Tit. 1. 2. August. l. de Praedestin. & grat. cap. 5. of in the forecited places to Timothy and Titus: upon the latter whereof I meet with the same Gloss from a Reverend Scotish writer, whose name and words are here presented in the Margine. I shall add no more concerning the an­tiquitie of this Decree, save onely a brief saying of Austin, Intra mundum facti sumus, & ante mundum electi sumus. We were made within the world but chosen before it.

§. 4. Thirdly, the object of electi­on is a definite number of particular persons singled out of the rest of man­kinde. We learn from S^t Luke that the Luke 18. 7. Elect cry unto God day and night: And S^t John in his Apocalypse telleth us what one of their principal cries is, They Rev. 6. 10, 11. cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud? As also what answer they had from heaven, It was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little sea­son untill their fellow-servants and their bre­thren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. From the collation of which texts it may be inferred that their number is set, and shall in due time be completed; for that is the thing related to in the word [...] shall be fulfilled. It is then a definite number, and that of particular per­sons, whose names are elsewhere said to be Luke 10. 20. Phil. 4. 3. written in the book of life, Names in Scri­pture being often put for persons; as in the Acts, The number of names together Acts 1. 15. [Page 286] were about one hundred and twenty. and in the Revelation, In the earth-quake were Apocal. 11. 13. [...]. slain of men seven thousand; it is in the original, Names of men. They do cer­tainly shoot beside the mark, who so confidently teach that predestination is terminated not upon persons, but qua­lifications; and that not this or that man in particular is elected or repro­bated, but onely in general, whosoever beleeveth and persevereth belongeth to election, whosoever continueth in un­belief, to reprobation; and that so as the same person may be to day under the one, and to morrow under the o­ther decree, according to the change of his qualifications. But if so, it would not in likelyhood have been said, The foundation of God standeth sure, 2 Tim. 2. 19. [...]. Novit Deus qui sint sui; Non quales sed qui. Rom. 9. 15, 18. having this seal, The Lord knoweth who are his, but rather, what kinde of men are his. Nor to the Romanes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And again, He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth (which [Page 287] doth clearly relate to persons) but ra­ther, what sort he will.

§. 5. Against what hath been said in this and the former paragraph there are two principal objections; where­of neither is to be waved, lest it should be thought unanswerable. The first is borrowed from philosophy, and runs thus. Acts suppose the being of their objects; The decrees of God are di­vine acts, and therefore could not pass upon mens particular persons before the world was, because there were then none in being. I answer that whereas the Acts of God are either Immanent a­biding within, or Transient passing from him, and terminated upon some­what without himself; His transient Acts do either suppose, or produce the being of their objects; suppose it as his Rewarding and Punishing, pro­duce it, as his creating acts. But those that are immanent (of which rank his Decrees are) do not necessarily require the preexistence of their ob­jects [Page 288] in esse reali in a way of reality; for it sufficeth that they have it in esse cognito, in the forekowledge of God. Je­sus Christ our Mediatour is styled a Lambe foreordained before the foundation of 1 Pet. 1. 19, 20. the world; yet had he no existence as such till after his incarnation. God who had designed Josiah to special ser­vices, 1 Kings 13. 3. vid. Junium & Piscat. in locum. called him by his name, and foretold what should be done by him, full three hundred and thirty years be­fore he did it. So elsewhere (Cyrus is See Scultetus on Esai. 45. pag. 623. fin. named, and hath a service allotted him in the foreknowledge of God one hundred and fourty years before he was born. It is reported by Procopius Procopius. that when Misdates king of Persia was dead without issue, but had left his wife with childe; the Persian nobility set the crown on the Queens belly be­fore she quickned, thereby acknow­ledging her issue that should be for their lawfull Sovereign. So as Sapores (which was afterwards the childes name) began his reign before his life. [Page 289] If such acts when done by men seem not irrational, why should any think it strange for the onely-wise God to set the crown of election upon the head of certain persons, while as yet they have no being, save onely in the womb of his decree?

§. 6. The other objection is taken from such places of Scripture as deny God to be an accepter of persons, which they say he must needs be, if considering mankinde in an equal con­dition he chose some to life, and passed by others.

In order to the solution hereof, I shall first Distinguish between Accepta­tion and Acception of persons. We finde them both mentioned by S^t Pe­ter as it were with one breath, in that short saying of his, (Of a truth I perceive Acts 10. 34, 35. that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him) the one as attributable to him, the other as not. Were it not for his acceptation of [Page 290] persons, wo and nothing but wo to the sons of men. It is the joy of their hearts to consider that there are certain men of his good will; as some reade that [...] Luke 2. 14. in the Angels song: and to remember that the Church is by her head and hus­band styled Hephzibah that is my de­light is in her; because the members thereof are, as Paul speaketh, accepted in Ephes. 1. 6. the beloved. Next Declare the true noti­on of Prosopolepsie or acception of per­sons in Scripture-dialect.

Besides the prime importance of these words [...] in Greek, and Perso­na in Latine for an individual intel­ligent substance, (so, The gift be­stowed 2 Cor. 1. 11. upon us by the means of many per­sons is the blessing of recovery granted upon the prayers of sundry men and women) They have a secondary im­portance, and are sometimes put to si­gnifie a vizard, property or counter­feit resemblance assumed by any such individual. So in Seneca, Nemo potest personam diu ferre, that is, None can play [Page 291] the hypocrite long: and in the Epi­grammatist a gray-haired man having put on a black periwig to conceal his age, is told of it thus,

Now because these vizards and pro­perties are things external, not at all belonging to the Essence of the party assuming them, hence it cometh to pass that these words at the next re­move signifie such relations, accom­modations Thom. secun­da secundae. q. 63. artic. [...] 1. in Conclus. Ad personam refertur quae­cunque conditio non faciens ad causam. and and accomplishments as being external to the essence of a man, as also to the merit of his cause, ought not to incline a Judge to pronounce a sentence on his behalf, or in the distri­bution of justice to regard him above others to whom such helps are want­ing. He who is swayed in judicial pro­ceedings by such outward things is in the Scripture said to be an accepter of persons. So in Leviticus, Ye shall do no Levit. 18. 15. unrighteousness in judgement: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the [Page 292] person of the mighty; but in righteousness thou shalt judge thy neighbour. And in the New Testament these two terms [...] righteous judgement, and [...] Rom. 2. 5. compared with v. 11. accepting of persons are directly op­posed. Divines have received it for a Thom. pri­ma secundae qu. 98. art. 4. in resp. ad se­cundum. Pererius super Rom. 2. pag. 157. in 4^o. maxime. That acceptation of persons is not found in gratuitis, in acts of boun­ty, wherein the doner is at liberty to dispose his free gifts as pleaseth himself, but in debitis in acts of justice and right, wherein there lieth an obligation upon him that distributeth to give every man his due. Hereupon they conclude that in divine praedestination Almigh­ty God, who is no debtour to any of his creatures, and who acteth therein not as a Judge, but as a Sovereign Lord and liberal benefactour, chooseth some and passeth by others, as without injustice or wrong to any, so without any shew of that which the Scripture properly calleth Acception of persons, because he was not moved by any ex­ternal thing in doing so.

If any Reader think it not safe to credit this upon my single testimony, behold in the margine further security, Potest Deus absque vitiosa personarum ac­ceptione non mo­do ex duobus ho­minibus pror­sus aequalibus unum eligere ad vitam aeternam alio praeterito; sed etiam illum eligere quem praescivit pluribus & gravionibus peccatis implicandum, illo relicto quom prae­vidit pauciora & leviora admissurum. Bannes in 1^am. Thomae quaest. 23. ar­tic. 51. Injusta personarum acceptio locum non habet ubi quis ex mera liberalitate de suo dat inaequaliter aequalibus; sed ubi in dispensatione rerum debitarum quis uni savcat prae altero ex respectu ad aliquam personae circumstantiam quae est ex­tra causam meriti. Jam vero Deus eligens ad regnum gloriae unum prae alio non agit ex debito justiti [...]e, sed ex dono munificentiae; neque respicit nobilitatem. divilias, ingenium, aut aliam qualitatem quamcunque, (unde [...] nomen inve­nit) sed liberalitatem & bonitatem suam juxta illud Matthaei 20. Licet mihi quod velo facere de meo. Davenantius in disserto de Praedestin. & Reprobat. cap. 3. p. 133. to which it were easie to add. much more, if need were.

§. 7. Fourthly, The products of Divine Election are chiefly two. First, Holiness here. God is said to have Ephes. 1. 3, 4. blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy. Where spiritual blessings are pointed at as the streams, and ele­ction as the fountain from whence they flow. It as the root, and holiness as the fruit. So elsewhere, We are [Page 294] bound to give thanks alwaies to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God 2 Thes. 2. 13. hath from the beginning chosen you to Sal­vation, through Sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. Here we finde not onely Sanctification in general, but faith, which is the flower of holi­ness, derived from Election. The same Apostle stiles it, The faith of Gods elect. Tit. 1. 1. And S^t. Luke in the Acts, speaking of the success which S^t. Pauls preaching had among the Gentiles, saith expresly, As many as were ordained to eternall life, be­leeved. Acts 13. 48.

A Text which the soundest divines look at, as a most pregnant place to prove a causal influence of Divine Predestination upon the work of sa­ving faith. Others, I know, there are, (and they not a few, nor incon­siderable) who have strongly endea­voured to turn the edge and strength of this place another way, by render­ing the word [...], not (as we do) Ordained, but Disposed, or well-affected [Page 295] to eternal life. Unto whose corrupt Gloss, I oppose the following consi­derations.

First, If it were to be so read, then all that heard the Apostles Sermon there recorded, even all and every one without exception should have beleev­ed, seeing there is not a man in the world, and therefore none in that congregation who was not disposed, and well-affected to the reward of e­ternal life (the will of man being ne­cessarily carried to the desire of bles­sedness, which none are so bruitish as not to affect) for that unto which these are said to be [...], is not conversion, but life eternal.

Secondly, Disposedness in their sense doth not alwaies precede faith, nor faith alwaies follow it. When Saul was in the full career of his perse­cuting madness against the Saints, what disposedness was there in him unto conversion, unless fury be a dis­position to faith? yet then did he first [Page 296] believe. In that young man who came to our Saviour, of whom it is testified, That he was not far from the kingdome of God, which of their dis­positions was wanting? yet he went away sorrowfull, and believed not.

Thirdly, Faith it self is the first sa­ving disposition that any man hath, because it first laies hold upon Christ, and of life by him; in so much as none is formally disposed to eternal life till he have believed.

Fourthly, S^t. Luke doth no where use [...]. & [...], either in his Gospel, or in the Acts for disposedness, but for ordination and constitution divers times, therefore our reading here, As many as were ordained to eternal life, is to be retained.

§. 8. But learned Grotius will by no means allow of this interpretation. They (saith he) who apply this Text to Predestination, Nihil vident, see no­thing at all. Yet by his favour, a [Page 297] man that saw as far into the Mysteries of Divinity, as also into the idioms of the Greek tongue, as Grotius him­self (be it spoken without disparage­ment to his great learning) Chryso­stom I mean, applys it so in his Com­mentary [...] Chrys. Hom. 30. in Act. Apost. upon the place. And his [...], by which [...] is ex­pounded Erasmus translates Praefiniti à Deo, Predestinated of God. Three things are alleadged by Grotius, for o­verthrowing of this sense; but all in vain. His first plea is, that 'tis not u­sual for all of a city, a congregation that are predestinated, to believe at one and the same time, therefore that which we assert is not like to be the meaning here. For answer, I acknow­ledge it is not usual; no more is it to have three thousand inhabitants of one city brought in to God on one day. But what if God willing to glorifie his Gospel, and the power of converting Grace, as he called three thousand Jews in one day, by Peters Ministry, [Page 298] Acts the second; so here by S^t. Pauls, at his first solemn undertaking to preach unto the Gentiles, Acts the 13. were pleased to work upon as many in that congregation as did belong to the election of grace? shall any man dare to prescribe, and plead custome to the contrary? His second Argument runs thus. All that truely believe are not Predestinated unto life. Therefore that for which we contend is not to be thought a proper sense. Answer. This reason is founded upon a grand mi­stake, viz. That faith is common to all, whether elect, or non-elect, al­though Paul stile it, the Faith of Gods e­lect, as before; and Christ tels the Jews, Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. John 10. 26. He argues in the third place, from S^t. Lukes unacquaintedness with the se­crets of God. It was not in his power to tell who of that company were ele­cted, who not; therefore by his [...], he must not be conceived to have understood such as were in that [Page 299] sense ordained to eternal life. I an­swer, Although the pen-man did not, the inditer, viz. the Holy Ghost did exactly know whose names were writ­ten in the book of life, and whose were not. Now he it was that in the history of the Acts suggested and dedi­cated to his secretary both matter and words.

§. 9. The second product of electi­on is happiness hereafter. According­ly the objects of this Decree are those whom God hath not appointed unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus 1 Thes. 5. 9. Christ. Salvation is that which they are said to be chosen to; and that where­in their names are written, called, The 2 Thes. 2. 13. book of life. For as in military affairs, Phil. 4. 3. Commanders have their Muster-rolls, wherein are contained the names of all the souldiers whom they have listed, whence the phrase of Conscribere milites; and in Common-wealths there are Re­gistries kept wherein are recorded the names of such as are chosen to offices [Page 300] of trust and other preferments, whence the title of Patres conscripti ascribed to the Senators of Rome. So the Scripture condescending to our capacities and speaking of God after the manner of men, attributeth to him a book of life, wherein it supposeth a legible writing and Registring the names of all those persons whom he hath irreversibly predestinated to life everlasting. I say, irreversibly, for if that of Stoicks be true, In sapientum decretis nulla est litura, In the decrees of wise men there will be no blotting and blurring; how much more may it be asserted concern­ing those eternal Decrees of the onely wise God? If it became Pilate to say, What I have written I have written, it would certainly mis-become the great John 19. 22. God to blot so much as one name out of the Lambs book of life written by himself before the world was. We may take it for granted that this book will not admit of any Deleatur, or of any See my Tactica Sacra. lib. 3. cap. 2. §. 9, 10, 11. & sequent. Expurgatorie Index, whatever some pre­tend [Page 301] to the contrary, whose arguments have been elsewhere sufficiently an­swered. I shall onely here propound, and endeavour to satisfie another ob­jection, whereof no mention is there made. Paul knew himself to be a chosen vessel, for Ananias had told him Acts 9. 15. so from Christs own mouth: yet speaks of himself as of one in some danger, at least in some possibility of becomming a Reprobate, in these words, I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any 1 Cor. 9. 27. means, when I have preached to others, I my self should be a castaway, or, as o­ther translations have it, a Reprobate. Ergo, the decree of Election is not ir­reversible.

Resp. To prepare the way for a full answer, let it be considered, 1. That the places cited in the objection are not fitly opposed; because the former is not necessarily to be understood of election to salvation, but may proba­bly be limited to Pauls being chosen [Page 302] an Apostle: Neither is the latter in­fallibly meant of that reprobation, which is contradistinct to the said ele­ction, but of somewhat else. Yea al­though it be true, and may strongly be inferred from other texts, that Paul knew his own election to life eternal, the reprobation spoken of in the end of the verse is not to be taken in the most rigid sense, but in a milder. 2. That our Apostle, (according to his custome in sundry epistles) was in the end of this chapter fallen upon the use of terms agonistical, borrowed from the Olympick and other Grecian games in that age; as appeareth in the foregoing verses. Know ye not that they 1 Cor. 9. 24, 25, 26. who run in a race &c. Every man that stri­veth for the mastery &c. I so run, not as uncertainly. So fight I, not as one that beat­eth the air. And that in the last verse he hath no less then four allusions to these exercises. One in [...] to cuffing, wherein the combatants were wont with their blows to make one another [Page 303] livid under their eyes; so did he by acts of mortification beat himself as it were black and blue. A second in [...] to the exercise of wrestling, where­in the antagonists mutually strove to cast each other to the ground, and to keep them under. So he, the better to subdue his body of sin, was carefull to keep down his body of flesh, which if pampered, is apt to rebell. A third in [...]. We reade in the second to Timo­thy chapter the second, verse the fifth, of their striving lawfully, that is, accord­ing to the rules and laws prescribed for that game respectively, in which they were to strive for the mastery. The of­ficer by whom these laws were pro­pounded to the combatants was called [...], Paul in allusion thereunto saith of himself [...], because in the dis­charge of his Apostolical office he had acquainted them with the rules & laws of Christianity. A fourth in [...] un­approved, a term of disgrace put upon those whom such as were to judge and [Page 304] pass sentence upon the combatants dis­allowed. Whereas those whom the judges rewarded were called [...] ap­proved ones. 3. That this unappro­vedness may either relate to God him­self, or to good men. If to God the su­preme judge, then whosoever carrieth himself amiss in any particular course of living, offendeth the Lord, falleth under his fatherly displeasure, and is as to this particular, a person disallowed and rejected, how firm soever his sta­tion may be as to the main. If to good men, who are subordinately to judge of their preachers doctrine and con­versation, a teacher is then said to be unapproved of them, when upon ob­servation of some unfaithfulness, or looseness in his demeanour, some sen­suality or unlawfull indulgence to his body, they begin to disesteem him, in comparison of what they did before, yea perhaps to cast him out of their af­fections, and of their prayers, of which till then he was a partaker.

These things premised, let it now be observed whether the meaning of the place contested about be not clear­ly this, or to this effect. ‘I Paul well remembring what I am, a member and minister of Jesus Christ, am and shall continue carefull to exercise my self in all the duties of mortification, not making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof: lest I who by mine office am bound to declare unto others the grand rules of Chri­stian practise, particularly of tempe­rance, which I urged but now, say­ing, Every man that striveth for the ma­stery is temperate in all things, should by any sensual demeanour of mine own, not onely prove a castaway as to the esteem I formerly had in the hearts and consciences of good peo­ple, and to the interest I enjoyed in their devotion; (which I should ac­count a loss far exceeding that of ho­nour, or estate) but also fall under the wrath and fatherly displeasure of [Page 306] my God, and be cast out of fellow­ship with him, though but for a short space of time; which to me who have lived in the sense of it, un­der the constant light of his counte­nance, and found his loving kind­ness better then life, would be worse then any death.’ And if this really be the utmost importance of the text, (as for ought I know it is) without ex­tending it to further or other kinde of reprobation, I hope the objection built upon it will not need any further or other kinde of answer.

§. 10. Fifthly, The Cause of divine Electionis tuae causam in te quaere, nec in­venies quod quaeris, & quod invenisse te ex­istimas jam per­didisti quia ibi quaeris. Heins. homil. in Job. 17. 9. pag. 38. election, about which the world is so filled with disputes, is not to be found in any thing without God himself. the disputers indeed of this world lay out many thoughts, and put out many books concerning such contrivements as our corrupt reason would perhaps better allow, and our corrupt wils better affect: but holy Scripture re­solveth all into the sole will of God; [Page 307] the good pleasure and Counsel whereof the Apostle celebrateth as the causes of our predestination. Having predestinated us Ephes. 1. 5, 11. unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. And again, Being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who work­eth all things after the counsel of his own will. Words so very plain and full as would certainly have put an end to al­tercations, and silenced disputes in these points; but that corrupt reason is extremely talkative, and the wis­dome of flesh direct enmity against God, Rom. 8. 7. and therefore such as will never yield, till its corruption be removed; for en­mity cannot be reconciled, the enemies may. Whence that excellent speech of Melancthon, worthy to be had in ever­lasting remembrance, Dulcescet nostra de predestinatione sententia, ubi impiae ratio­nis judicium Spiritus Dei stultificaverit. Then and there onely will our do­ctrine of predestination have a sweet rellish, when and where the Spirit of [Page 308] God shall have befooled the con­ceits of wicked reason. That which Paul celebrateth as the true cause of our election is,

1. The good pleasure of Gods will, ac­cording [...]. to which he disposeth both of persons and things arbitrarily, as him­self liketh best. And in this our reason would better acquiesce were it throughly defecated by grace: That of Christ, which never had any corru­ption in it, fully did: as appeareth by that famous address of his to God the father; I thank thee, O father, Matth. 11. 55. 26. [...]. Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.

2. The counsel of his will. Although [...]. God may be truly said to act arbitrarily, yet he never doth any thing unadvisedly, but according to the counsel of his will, which is always rational, though our shallow reason in this state of de­generacy and mortality be not able to [Page 309] fathome the depth of its contrive­ments, and thereupon ready to cavil at, and call in question the equity of them. Such as do so; (if any such shall cast an eye upon these papers) must give me leave to say unto them, as one of our ancient writers did to their fore­fathers. ‘The Apostle (saith he) having discoursed of these mysteries ac­knowledgeth Hieron. in epistola ad Ctesiphontem. their depth and adore­eth the wisdome of God in them. Dignare & tu ista nescire. Concede Deo potentiam sui Nequaquam te indiget de­fensore. Be thou also willing to be ignorant of such things. Leave God himself in the modelling of his de­crees and dispensations. He will be sure to do it so, as not to stand in need of any apology or defence of thine.’ To which let me add a say­ing of Luther, and with it conclude Tu, Ratio, stulta es, non sapis quae sunt Dei. Itaque nè obstrepas mihi, sed ta [...]e, non judica, sed audi verbum Dei & [...]. this Exercitation. ‘Reason (saith he) thou art a fool, and dost not un­derstand the matters of God.’ Where­fore be not obstreperous, but hold thy ‘[Page 310] prating; make not thy self a judge of these things, but attend to the word of God and beleeve.’

EXERCITATION 2. Preterition described. The term defended. Ephes. 1. 4. compared with Revel. 17. 8. Ephes. 1. 9. and Rom. 9. 13. expounded. God not bound to any creature, except by promise. The parable in Matth. 20. urged. The three consequents of negative reprobation. D^r Davenants Animad­versions against M^r Hoards book recommend­ed. The goodness of God manifested in Election, as in a most free, peculiar, ancient, leading, and standing favour.

§. 1. HAving so fully discoursed of Election, (by which the De­cree of preterition is to be measured) there will be less need of enlarging much upon that. Take onely this de­scription of it; after a brief explicati­on whereof, I intend, if God will, to proceed unto other concernments. Preterition or negative Reprobation is an eternal decree of God purposing [Page 311] within himself to deny unto the Non-electExerc. 2. that peculiar love of his, where­with election is accōpanied, as also that special grace which infallibly bringeth to glory: Of which negations, permis­sion of sin, obduration in sin, and dam­nation for sin, are direct consequents. This description carries in the face of it a clear reason, why the thing de­scribed goeth under the name of Nega­tive reprobation, because it standeth mainly in the denial of those free fa­vours which it pleaseth God to bestow upon his elect. As for the term of pre­terition, we neither are, nor ought to be ashamed thereof, however some bold writers have jeered it, because it is very significant, and hath been made use of by their betters. Prosper by name, and that both in verse and in prose. For in one of his Poems he recordeth this as a Pelagian tenent

[Page 312] That of all mankinde the Grace of Christ passeth by none. And in his Trea­tise de Vocatione Gentium he beginneth the thirteenth chapter of his first book with this saying, Quòd si aliquos Salvan­tis gratia praeterierit &c. If saving grace have passed by any, it is to be referred to the unsearchable judgements of God, and those ways of his which are past finding out by us in this life. This pre­mised, let us take a transient view of the chief particulars in the descri­ption.

§. 2. It is First an eternal decree, coeternal with that of election; for the very choosing of some to salvation implieth a passing by of such as were not chosen. Let the Reader compare that passage in Ephes. 1. 4. He hath cho­sen Agnoscendum est secreti hu­jus profundita­tem nobis in hac vita patere non posse. us before the foundation of the world, with that parenthesis Rev. 17. 8. whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

Secondly a decree which God pur­posed in himself. We reade in one place [Page 313] of the purpose of God according to Election, and in another of Gods good pleasure, Rom. 9. 11. Ephes. 1. 9. Deus in negatio praedest nationis non egreditur extra s [...]ipsum. Institut. l. 3. cap. 22. which he hath purposed in himself. The like may be said of preterition. His good pleasure is the sole fountain of both. The root of both is within himself and not in any thing without him; as hath been well observed by Calvin.

Thirdly, the eternal purpose of God was to deny the Non-elect that pecu­liar love, wherewith his election is ac­companied; in which respect he is said to hate them. Jacob have I loved, but E­sau Rom. 9. 13. have I hated. A term by which some Divines are willing to understand no more, then his not being willing to be­stow everlasting happiness upon them: because Hatred in Scripture is often put to signifie a less degree of Love. We may not beleeve that Leah was odious to her husband; yet the text saith, God saw that Leah was hated, which is certainly to be expounded out of the verse foregoing, where it is said of Jacob that he loved Rachel more Gen. 29. 30, 31. [Page 314] then Leah. He loved Leah perhaps less then he ought, surely less then he did her sister, and in that respect is said to have hated her. That to the Romanes concerning Esau, some interpret in proportion to what is there said con­cerning Leah, and among the rest A­quinas. God (saith he) loveth all men In quantum qui­busdam non vult hoc bonum, quod est vita aterna dicitur eos habe­re odio vel repro­bare. Tho. part. 1. qu. 23. art. 3. ad [...] ^um. in as much as he willeth some good to all; but in as much as he doth not will to all men the chief good, viz. eternal life, he is said to hate and to reprobate them.

§. 3. Fourthly, His purpose was to deny unto the non-elect that special grace, which brings infallibly to glory those whom God bestows it upon. No creature can challenge effectual grace at the hands of God, as a due debt ei­ther to his nature, or to his labour. There be many that speak and write of God sawcily, as if he were bound to give this and that and the other grace, even where they can produce no pro­mise by which he hath made himself a debtour. I cannot but commend the [Page 315] zeal of Peter Lombard against such men. To me (saith he) this word Ʋt mihi videtur hoc verbum De­bet venenum ha­bet—nec Deo proprie competit qui non est debito [...], nobis nisi forte ex promisso. Lib. 1. senten­tiarum, Dist. 43. He ought, or he is bound seems to have much poyson in it; and cannot be properly applied to God, who is no debtour to us, save onely in those ca­ses wherein he hath passed some pro­mise. Sure I am, our Saviour telleth his Disciples plainly, It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven, but to them it is not given, Matth. 13. 11. And the housholder in the Pa­rable stops the mouths of those mur­murers that repined, as expecting more from him then it was his pleasure to give, with the sole consideration of its being his will to have it so. Friend, I do thee no wrong. Take what is Matth. 20. v. 10, 13, 14, 15. thine, I will give to this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawfull for me to do what I will with mine own?

Fifthly, The consequents of the forementioned denials, are, 1. Permis­sion of sin, particularly of unbelief. John 10. 46. Ye believe not, because ye are [Page 316] not of my sheep. 2. Obduration in sin. Romans 9. 18. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hard­eneth. 3. Condemnation for sin, Re­vel. 20. 15. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. This last is that which by Divines is usually styled Positive Reprobation, and is clearly distinguishable from the Negative, in that the one is an act of punitive justice respecting sin commit­ted and continued in. But the other an absolute decree of Gods most free and Sovereign Will, without respect to any disposition in the creature. I call them consequents, not effects; be­cause, though Negative Reprobation be antecedent to them all, it is not the proper cause of them. This difference between the decrees Aquinas long since took notice of. ‘Election (saith he) Thom. part. 1. quaest. 23. Ar­tic. 3. ad [...] ^um. is a proper cause both of that glory which the Elect look for hereafter, and of that grace, which here they enjoy. Whereas Reprobation is not [Page 317] the cause of the present sins of the non-elect, though it be of Gods for­saking them; but their sin proceeds from the parties themselves so pas­sed by and forsaken.’ But I am un­der a promise of brevity, and there­fore shall add no more but onely ad­vise the English Reader, who is desi­rous of further information in these deep points, to procure and peruse that excellent piece of the profound Doctor Davenant printed at Cambridge, Ann. 1641. under this Title, Animadversions written by the right Reverend John Bishop of Salisbury upon a Treatise intituled, Gods love to mankinde: where he will not onely meet with the doctrine of Predestination modestly handled, but also with ample satisfaction to most of those wicked cavils which flesh and bloud have been wont to suggest a­gainst it.

§. 4. Having thus finished that pre­amble, which the daring Heterodoxie of some modern writers put me upon [Page 318] a necessity of, I proceed to the ma­king good of two Assertions, tending to cleare the former part of our present Aphorisme, viz. That the Goodness of God is abundantly manifested in his Decree of our Election; and his Great­ness no less in that of Preterition. In or­der to a demonstration of the former, I desire to have it considered, how free, how peculiar, how ancient, how lead­ing, how lasting a favour Electi­on is.

First, A free favour. It is therefore called Election of Grace; and spoken of Roman. 11. 5. as tending to the praise of the glorie of free grace. The Lambs book of life Ephes. 1. 6. (so named, because the Lamb Jesus stands there inrolled in the head of it, as the head of all the Elect, and the Captain of that salvation whereunto they are chosen) is a book of love. Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, Ma [...]. 12. 18. in whom my soul is well pleased. It was so said of Christ, and may be applied to all the Elect in their measure. Hence [Page 319] Paul stileth his Thessalonians, Brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God had chosen 2 Thess. 2. 13. them to salvation: and God expresseth the Election of Jacob, by Jacob have I lo­ved, to shew that free love on Gods part is the fountain of this favour. We love persons or things, because they are lovely. God loveth them first, after makes them lovely, then loves them more for being so. The cause of our love is in the objects; of Gods, in him­self: we are predestinated aster the Ephes. 1. 11. counsel of his own will, not after the good inclinations of ours.

Secondly, A peculiar favour. Rari­ty much enhaunceth a benefit. Im­munities and priviledges are therefore [...]. Plato. Privilegium gaudet paucitate much valued and stood upon, because they are not common to many, and are therefore more rejoyced in, because but few partake of them. There were but eight persons saved from the De­luge of waters in Noahs time, who is accordingly said to have fround grace in Gen. 6. 8. the eyes of the Lord, in that he and his [Page 320] were preserved when all the world be­side perished. And in regard the De­luge of fire that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah swept away all the other in­habitants, but Lot onely, and his near­est relations were exempted from it: God is said to have magnified his mercy toward them, as Lot acknowledged, saying, Behold thy servant hath found Gen. 19. 19. grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnifi­ed thy mercie which thou hast shewed unto me. We should all have perished in the Deluge of fiery indignation, had not God elected some few whom he hath not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation by 1 Thess. 5. 9. our Lord Jesus Christ. They are but few, as Scripture tels us again and a­gain, Many are called, but few chosen. Mat 20. 16. & 22. 14. The goodness of God is therefore to be more acknowledged in so peculiar a favour.

§. 5. 3^ly. An ancient favour. Old things, if evil, are so much the worse for that; Old leaven is to be purged out, and the 1 Cor. 5. 7. Ephes. 4. 21. old man to be put off. But every good [Page 321] thing is commended by its antiquity. One said well that Old wood is best to burn, old friends best to trust, and old Sir Fr. Bacon. books best to read. What price do Scho­lars put upon an ancient Manuscript? Doubtless the oldest of all Manu­scripts, is the book of life: and the writing of our names therein the first­born of all Gods favours. If God so value the first-fruits of our services, as he doth; how carefull should we be to magnifie the first-fruits of his goodness? If old charters be of so great esteem as they are in the world, how great an estimate should we set upon the most ancient Magna Charta of our Election, having this seal, The Lord knows who are his. 2 Tim. 2. 19.

Fourthly, A leading favour. Those are the most valuable blessings that have influence upon sundry others, which they draw infallibly after them. Such is Election. Paul makes it the first linck of his golden chain, and shews how introductive it is of all the [Page 322] rest. whom God did predestinate, them he al­so called; and whom he called, them he also Rom. 8. 30. justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Here is a chain which God Quatuor annuli sunt unius cate­nae, quâ è coelo demissa Pater in coelum trahit e­lectos. Primus est Pr [...]destina­tio ad vitam in Christo. Secun­dus, Vocatio ef­ficax ad Chri­stum; Tertius, Justificatio per Christum; Quar­tus, Glorificatio cum Christo. Zanch. Tom. 7. col. 177. lets down from heaven that by it he may draw up his Elect thither. The first linck of it is Predestination, taken in a restrained sense for the Election of grace. The next Effectual Vocation; into this the former hath a causal influence according to what the Lord once said by his Prophet Jeremy, chap. 31. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindenes, have I drawn thee. Election having once pitch't upon a man, it will finde him out, and call him home, where ever he be. Zacheus out of cursed Jericho; A­braham out of idolotrous Ur of the Chaldeans; Nicodemus and Paul out of the Colledge of the Pharisees, Christs sworn enemies; Dionysius and Damaris, out of superstitious Athens. In what dunghil soever Gods jewels be hid, Election will [Page 323] both finde them out there, and fetch them out from thence. The third linck is Justification; the dependance thereof upon Election may be ga­thered from that passage in the same chapter to the Romans, Who shall lay Rom. 8. 33. any thing to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifies. As also from the vision in Zechary, where Joshuah the high priest representing the people, appeared clothed with filthy garments in signe of guilt by them contracted, Zechar. 3. 34. till God had commanded, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. Ib. v. 5. Behold, I have caused thine iniquitie to pass from thee. Whereupon there was a fair Miter put upon his head, and he clothed with change of gar­ments, in reference to their change of condition from guilt to free ju­stification; the spring whereof is hinted to in that speech, The Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke Ib. v. 2. thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. [Page 324] The Fourth and last is Glorification, That takes in both the beginnings of glory in sanctification (of which Paul in his second to the Corinthians the third chapter and last verse, We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord: and of which he telleth us else­where, that all the graces of which it consists proceed from this prime grace of Election, (saying, God hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, ac­cording Ephes. 1. 3. 4. as he hath chosen us in him) and the consummation of glory in hea­ven; the foundation whereof is by our Saviour clearly laid in the Fathers giving us to him by Election at first, This, saith he, is the Fathers will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath gi­ven me I should lose nothing, but should raise John 6. 39. it up again at the last day. So true is that of a Modern writer, Election depends Caetera pendent ab Electione, Electio à Deo. Heins. Hom. in Job. 17. 9. p. 46. upon God alone, all other blessings upon E­lection.

Fifthly, A standing favour. The fa­vours of men may be suddenly chan­ged into frowns; as those of King A­hashuerus towards Hamon were: who but he over night in the Kings e­steem? next day he will not endure the sight of him. But God's are im­mutable. All the blessings of the Co­venant of grace are sure mercies, ac­cording to that by the Prophet Isaiah, I will make an everlasting covenant with Jsai 55. 3. you, even the sure mercies of David; Ele­ction in a special manner. Our A­postle accordingly intimates in one place, that the purpose of God according Rom. 9. 11. to election must stand: and affirms in an­other, that this foundation of God stands 2 Tim. 2. 19. sure, having this seal, The Lord knows who are his. In which few words, we have no fewer then three grounds of its stability; a Foundation, a Seal, and a Science. Election is the Foundati­on of God; a firm Foundation that stands sure. With us things founded upon a rock, have great stability; the [Page 326] rock of ages, as he is called, even God himself, his good pleasure and coun­sel Isal. 26. 4. is that upon which our Election is founded. With us, writings once seal­ed receive a confirmation thereby, and become unrepealable. God hath set his seal to this Decree. With us, knowledge or science is of things cer­tain and unalterable, not as opinion, which being of things onely proba­ble may be changed; The seal here is, The Lord knows who are his. No wonder then if the Lord be for ever found to make good that which he said by his Apostle, God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew. If having na­med Election in the foregoing verse, he presently subjoyns, The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Rom. 11. 2. Rom. 11. 29.

EXERCITATION 3.Exerc. 3.

An Introduction to Romans 9. Most part of that chapter expounded, together with sundry passa­ges in chapter 10, and 11. for proof of these two conclusions. 1. That Paul in Rom. 9. doth upon occasion propound and prosecute the doctrine of Predestination. 2. That he derives the Decree of preterition from the Sovereign greatness of God. A Consectary shewing how usefull the said doctrine is to sober mindes.

§. 1. FOr a full proof of our second Assertion, That the greatness of God is abundantly manifested by his decree of Preterition, we must of necessity have recourse to the ninth chapter of Pauls Epistle to the Romans, as unto the proper seat of that argument; al­though divers from abroad, and some at home by forreign interpretations, forced Glosses and strained Paraphra­ses, have endeavoured to carry the sense quite another way; against the poy­son of whose endeavours our people may perhaps stand in need of an Anti­dote.

It shall be my care, by Divine assi­stance, (which is alwaies needfull, es­pecially in the debating of such my­steries) to present them with one: and in as calm a way as may be, with­out provoking, however without re­proching such as are contrary minded, to demonstrate these two Conclusions, viz. That Paul in the ninth to the Ro­mans doth upon occasion propound, and prosecute the doctrine of Predesti­nation. And that he plainly derives the Decree of Preterition from the Sove­reign greatness of God. But before we enter upon so great a depth (which I do with fear and trembling) let it be observed that our Apostle from the end of the eight, to the beginning of his twelfth chapter, continues a profound complicate discourse wholly about the main concernments of his countrey­men the Jews; and that the best help we have for enlightening certain clau­ses in the ninth, ought to be fe [...]ched from passages in the tenth and eleventh [Page 329] Chapters: the neglect whereof, I verily think, hath occasioned the mis­carriages of so many in their interpre­tations of that Scripture. I shall hope to improve the Observation to good purpose.

§. 2. Concerning the former of our Conclusions, there will be no need of going far to seek the occasion of Pauls falling upon this Doctrine. He had carefully and continually preached faith in Christ, as the onely way of salvation, in opposition to all others. This, however embraced by divers Gentiles, could by no means finde en­tertainment with the Jews. Be pleased to compare Chapter 9. 31, 32, 33. Israel which followed after the Law of righteous­ness, hath not obtained to the Law of righ­teousness. Wherefore? because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law: for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written, Behold I lay in S [...] ­on a stumbling-stone, and rock of offence: [Page 330] and whosoever believes on him, shall not be ashamed, with Chapter tenth, verse 2, 3, 4. I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to know­ledge. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submit­ed themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. This their stumbling at Christ, as they generally did, caused a great stum­ble in the thoughts of considering men, who could not but stand a­mazed to see, that whereas God had set up but one onely way to be laid hold upon, for the attainment of blessedness, his own onely people in the eye of the world, should al­most universally decline that, and venture their souls upon another. Yet this they did, even they who are here so magnificently described, Chapter 9. verse 4, 5. Who were Is­raelites; [Page 331] to whom pertained the Adoption, and the glorie, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises: Whose were the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever­more, Amen. Hereupon some were apt to crie out, ‘All is undone, The word of God it self hath taken no effect. The Promise to Abraham is fallen to the ground. All Sermons and other Ordi­nances have been but a sso much rain upon rocks that glides off and leaves no impression.’ Our Apostle to re­cover them out of these dumps, leads them by degrees into the knowledge of Divine Predestination, as the root of all this: giving them first to under­stand, that all who bore the name of Israelites, and enjoyed the Ordinan­ces, were not indeed such children of God, as belonged to the Election of grace, and therefore did not close with Christ in the use of them▪ as some few did, upon whom the word [Page 332] of grace weas effectual, and in whom (as few as they were) Gods promise to Abraham was preserved. As for those unto whom his Gospel was hid, they were as he elsewhere tels the Corin­thians, a sort of lost men and wo­men. 2 Cor. 4. [...]. For this see Chapter 9. verse 6, 7, 8. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Neither be­cause they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. Where the Elect people of God (who one­ly are accounted the spirituall seed, and who onely in the conclusion will concur to constitute Christ Mystical) are styled children of the Promise, perhaps in reference to that grace and Promise of eternal life, given to them in Christ Jesus before the world began, to which I have spoken before in this [Page 333] Aphorisme, Exercitation the first, Pa­ragraph the third: however in allusi­on to the birth of Isaac, who was pro­duced above the power of nature, by vertue of a promise declaring Gods will and pleasure to have it so; for the Elect in the respective hours of their conversion, are all of them born again John 1. 13. not of bloud, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God Who of his James 1. 18. own will begetteth them with the word of truth, that they should be a kinde of first­fruits of his creatures.

§. 3. Having thus given a more ob­scure intimation of some few elect ones complying with the Gospel, al­though most part of the Jews were re­cusants as to that interest; he goeth on to profess it more openly in the be­ginning of the eleventh chapter, God hath not cast away his people which [...]e fore­knew verse the second, the infallible meaning whereof may be gathered from that in Peter, Elect according to the 1 Pet. 1. 2. foreknowledge of God the Father. And [Page 334] more plainly yet in verse the seventh and eighth of the same chapter, The Election hath obtained, and the rest were blinded; According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. But to re­turn to our ninth chapter. Who can advisedly reade that passage in his dis­course about Jacob and Esau, That the purpose of God according to Election might stand, and consult the circumstances of of it (viz. the childrens not yet being born, nor having done good or evil; as also a choice no way founded upon him that willeth, or upon him that runneth, but up­on God alone who sheweth mercy) and not reflect upon that election by me described in the first Exercitation un­der this Aphorisme §. 2.? Add hereun­to those Apostolical distributions of men into those on whom the Lord will have mercy, and those whom he will har­den in verse the eighteenth, that is in other terms, Elect and Reprobate. Al­so [Page 335] into vessels of mercy, and vessels of wrath verses 22, 23. What if God willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory? Where I de­sire to have it punctually observed that the vessels of wrath are onely said to be fitted to destruction, without naming by whom, God, Satan, or themselves; whereas on the other side God himself Electio non est caus [...] tantum salutis, sed & o [...]nium corum quae causae ra­tionem habent ad salute [...]. R [...]probatio v [...]rò neque damna­tionis, [...]eque pe [...]ati quod meretur dann a­tionem est pro­p [...]iè causa sed antecedens tan­tum. Ames. medu [...]. l. 1. c. 25. thes. 40. is expresly said to have prepared his chosen vessels of mercy unto glory. Which was purposely done (as I humbly con­ceive) to intimate a remarkable diffe­rence between election and preteriti­on; in that Election is a proper cause not onely of salvation it self, but of all the graces which have any causal ten­dency thereunto; and therefore God is said to prepare his elect to glory: Whereas negative reprobation is no proper cause, either of damnation it [Page 336] self, or of the sin that bringeth it, but an antecedent onely; wherefore the Non-elect are indeed said to be fitted to that destruction which their sins in the conclusion bring upon them, but not by God. I call it a remarkable dif­ference, because where it is once right­ly apprehended and truly beleeved, it sufficeth to stop the mouth of one of those greatest calumnies and odiums which are usually cast upon our do­ctrine of predestination, viz. that God made sundry of his creatures on pur­pose to damn them: a thing which the rhetorick of our adversaries is wont to blow up to the highest pitch of aggravation. But is as soon blown away by such as can tell them in the words of the Excellent D^r Davenant, B. Daven. Ani [...]adve [...]s. on Gods l [...]ve to mankinde. pag. 89. ‘It is true that the elect are severally created to the end & intent that they may be glorified together with their head Christ Jesus: But for the Non­elect we cannot truly say that they are created to the end they may be [Page 337] tormented with the Devil and his Angels. For we may then say, God maketh such a thing for such an end, when he giveth the thing a nature and qualities fitted for such an end.’ (e. gr. that he made the sun to enlighten the world, because he filled it with lightsomeness.) ‘Now no man is created by God with a nature and quality fitting him to damnation. Yea neither in the state of his inno­cency, nor in the state of the fall and his corruption doth he receive any thing from God which is a proper and fit means of bringing him to his damnation. And therefore damna­tion is not the end of any mans cre­ation.’

§. 4. We have seen our Apostle propounding the doctrine of predesti­nation in this his discourse; see how he prosecutes the same more ways then one.

I. By producing certain instances. The persons he instanceth in, if not as so­lemn [Page 338] examples, yet, as types and fi­gures are at least, of election Isaac and Jacob; of reprobation, Ismael and Esau. It is the grand priviledge of Gods elect to have his covenant established with them in special manner. The Messias, saith the Angel in Daniel, was cut off, Dan. 9. 26, 27. but not for himself; And he shall confirm the Covenant with many. The word is Larabbim with those excellent ones, by whom Piscator understandeth the elect, those Many whom God's righteous servant is said to justifie, Isaiah 53. 11. where we meet with the same word. If so, who more fit to figure out them then our father Isaac? concerning whom the Lord said to Abraham, I will establish Gen. 17. 19. my Covenant with him for an everlasting Covenant, and with his seed after him. A­gain, the style of all those who are writ­ten in heaven, that is, of the Elect, is Hebr. 12. 23. the generall Assembly, and Church of the [...] st­born. If so, who more fit to typifie them then Jacob, a man of all others most famous for procuring a primo­geniture [Page 339] in an extraordinary way? As for reprobation, the obiects whereof are castaways, well might Ismael stand for a figure of them, because of him Sarah said unto her husband, Cast out Gen. 21. 10, 12. this bond-woman and her son, for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And her word was ratified by God himself, saying to A­braham, In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy [...]eed be called. As also Esau, who here falleth under two sad characters; One of Gods hatred, then which nothing more dreadfull, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, verse 13. the other of servitude, verse 12. The elder shall serve the younger. Concerning which, M^r Ainsworth hath these words, Servitude ‘came in with a curse and figureth re­probation, Ainsworth on Gen. 25. 23. Gen. 9. 25. John 8. 34, 35. Gal. 4. 30, 31. Therefore from hence the Prophet teacheth that God loved Jacob, and hated Esau, and the Apo­stle gathereth the doctrine of electi­on [Page 340] and reprobation,’ Romanes 9. 10, 11, 12, 13. So he.

§. 5. The main exception, which our adversaries hitherto have been wont to take at this and the like expo­sitions, ariseth thus. Jacob and Esau are considerable in a double capacity, the one Personal, as they were this and that individual member of mankinde; the other Patriarchal, as they were heads of several Nations, Jacob of the Israelites, Esau of the Edomites or Idumeans. They suppose we cannot safely apply the oracle delivered to Rebecca unto their persons, seeing Malachy long since expounded it of their posterity in these words, Was not Esau Jacobs brother? saith Malach. 1. 2. 3. the Lord? yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness &c.

My conceptions concerning this matter (which as I would not impose upon any, far be such presumption from me, so I would have no Reader [Page 241] contemn, till he have considered them) are as followeth. According to their double capacity, the answer of God to Rebecca about them seemeth to have had a double aspect: One to their poste­rity regarding temporal things especi­ally, of which Malachy speaketh, ano­ther to their persons eying chiefly their spiritual concernments; and of that Paul treats in Romanes 9. as the context importeth. Nor can this be wondered at by such as consider how usuall it hath been with God, as to discover himself by degrees (witness that in Deuteronomy, The Lord came from Sinai, Deut. 33. 2. and rose up from Seir unto them, he shined forth from mount Paran) so to reserve more spiritual discoveries for Gospel­times.

§. 6. Whereas it is further objected that the Elders serving the Younger was never verified in the person of Esau, who did never servilely submit to Ja­cob; I answer. 1. He that should go about to prove that negative, would [Page 342] finde an hard task; but suppose it pro­ved, yet in point of right Esau as ha­ving sold his birth-right became ser­vant to him that bought it. For in this respect it is said to Cain the elder brother concerning Abel, Unto thee shall Gen. 4. 7. be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 2. In point of fact, time was when Esau became a very humble suppliant to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Feed me▪ I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for Gen. 25. 30. I am faint. Now The borrower, saith So­lomon, is a servant to the lender. How Prov. 22. 7. much more he that craves to him that giveth? Besides if the word serve be taken in a large sense, Esau served Ja­cob wel-nigh all his life long, and brought him much nearer to God by vexing him. Non obsequendo, sed perse­quendo, as one saith, not by obeying, but by opposing. Which put me in minde of that story in Bromiardus con­cerning an apprentice that had served an hard master, by whom he had been often sore beaten. These blows the [Page 343] Lord had made a means of the mans conversion; whereupon, lying upon his death▪bed, and his master standing by, catched fast hold on his hands and kissed them, saying, Hae manus perduxe­runt me ad paradisum, These hands have helped to bring me to heaven. 3. The Patriarchal capacity doth not exclude, but comprehend the Personal; for Ja­cob and his Israeli [...]es, Esau and his Edo­mites make a Nation. In which re­spect, when David put garrisons in Edom; 2 S [...]m. [...]. 14. throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became Davids servants; Esau himself in his off-spring might not un­fitly be said to have served Jacob in his. Lastly, If no more can be had then this bare acknowledgement that our exposition must be confined to their posterity, even that will go nigh to serve our turn, and to suit with the A­postles scope, if it be considered, how exceeding fit the Israelites were to typi­fy election, of whom God said, Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Deut. 14. 2. [Page 344] Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are on the earth. The Edomites to figure out reprobates, seeing of them it is said by the Prophet, They shall call them Malac▪ 1. 4. the border of wickednes, and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.

§. 7. 11. By resolving certain queries. The first whereof is that in verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there unrighte­ousness with God? God forbid. Had the doctrine of predestination which Paul taught been the same with that of our modern Remonstrants, viz. God's electing upon foresight of mens being in Christ by faith, and reprobating up­on foresight of their final unbelief and impenitencie, there would then have been no occasion for the quere; for reason how corrupt soever would soon have closed with the equity of such decrees to render par pari, like to like. It is God's awarding paribus im­paria unlike destinies to men of like conditions considered in the same [Page 345] lump, and doing this arbitrarily, ac­cording to the good pleasure and counsel of his own will, that setteth it on crying out of iniquity in Gods pro­ceedings. But what doth Paul answer? He abhorreth the thoughts of such a thing. God forbid, it is as if he had said, far be it from every one that pretends to a rational being, much more then every Christian to entertain the least thought of a possibility of injustice in any decree of God, whose will is the supreme rule of righteousness. The judgements of God (as Austin hath said truly of them) can neither be ful­ly Dei judicia ne­mo plenè com­prechendit, nemo justè reprehen­dit. August, de Civi [...]. D [...]i. lib. [...]. cap. 2 [...]. Isaaci Junii Antapologia in paraenes. ad Remonstran­t [...]s. pag. [...]1, & 2▪ Freti axiomati­b [...]s rationis ob­liqu [...] & distor­t [...]e.—Revo­catis omn [...] Dei consilia sub hu­manam incu­dem &c. comprehended, nor justly repre­hended of any. Let me desire such as are so very apt to be cavilling at them, to swallow and digest by a serious con­sideration, those admonitions and re­proofs which a late Belgick Contra-re­monstrant hath handed to their fel­lows. ‘Calceati Deum aditis &c. You draw near (saith he) with shoes on your feet to him that dwelleth in an [Page 346] unaccessible light, and presuming upon certain Axiomes of crooked and distorted reason, pass sentence upon the decrees of God.—we blame you in this regard especially, for in­truding your selves into things which ye have not seen, and giving answers about the secrets of heaven with so much confidence, as if ye sate at Gods counsel-table. You exa­mine his counsels by the rules of hu­mane proceedings; and if any thing concur that suits not with your pre­conceived opinions about free-will expunge it quite out of the number of Gods designs as unworthy of him.’

Yea, Our Apostle not content with a bare expression of abhorrency, goes on to free the decrees of God from all ini­quity, each by it self. Election, because it is an act of mear bounty & free grace, in performing whereof God cannot possibly be unjust, as being under no law, but at absolute liberty to dispose of his free undeserved favours accord­ing [Page 347] to the good pleasure and counsel of his own will, to which purpose that is cited out of Exodus 15. For he saith to Mo­ses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion upon whom I will have compassion and that inferred v. 16. So then it, that is the the purpose of God according to election, of which before v. 11. is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. As for reprobation rightly stated, no iniquity will be found therein, if the grand laws of the universe be duly heeded, which is that all creatures be subservient to their makers glory ac­cording to the proverb. The Lord hath P [...]ov. 16. 4. made all things for himself, yea even the wic­ked for the day of evil: Seeing the end of re­probating any is mainly this, that God may thereby be exalted, as Paul tel's us here v. 17. in the instance of Pharaoh. For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

§. 8. The nex Querie is that in v. 19. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth [...]e yet finde [...]ault? for who hath resisted his will? He had said concerning God in the words immediately foregoing, He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Corrupt nature catching at the latter clause, is ready to impute unto God himself, (as injustice before, so from hence) ri­gour and cruelty, for that notwith­standing his own willing in a sense the hard-heartednesse of Reprobates, he yet findes fault with them for it. yea, and damns them in the conclusi­on, although his will be irresistible. The substance of this cavil, namely what influence the Will and Provi­dence of God hath into mens indura­tion, and how guilty themselves are of it, shall hereafter be made to ap­pear (if the Lord will) in explication of the following Aphorisme. Mean­while, it is carefully to be observed how S^e. Paul, as provoked by the ma­lapartness [Page 349] of men, who though con­scious to themselves of their own hardening themselves, will be laying the blame upon God, strikes in with his Apostolical authority, and gives them this severe check, Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Qui ex adverso respon [...]as Deo, as it is well rendred by Beza in reference to the continual and manifold bublings up of carnal reason against divine dis­pensations N [...]lo à me quae­ra [...], &c. Audi­at hon [...]o, ne pe­reat [...]omo pro­pter quem D [...]us sactus est homo. Aug [...]stin. de ver [...]. Ap [...]st. Ser [...]. 7. & 11. Quis [...] ille at­t [...]nde, quis sis [...] a [...]tende. Ille D [...]us [...], [...] h [...] ­me. Se [...]m. 22. de verb. Ap [...]st. Quar [...] tu ra [...]i­onem, [...]go exp [...] ­vescam altitu­dinen▪ Turati­ocinare, ego mi­ror. T [...] dis [...]u [...]t, ego credam. Al­titudinem [...]idc [...], ad presundum non perve [...]io. ib. Serm. 22. pro­pe sia [...]m. and decrees, that which our English Proverb calls chopping Logick with god. A vice which our very being men should suffice to wean us from. So as the word, O man here seems to carry an emphasis in it, which Austin long ago observed in sundry passages of one and the same set of his Sermons. ‘Ask me not an account (saith he) of Divine dispen­sations, why things are carried so and so, towards this and that person. I am a man of whom thou askest; thou that enquirest art a man. Let [Page 350] us both attentd to the man that said, O man! Who art thou that repliest against God? Let man hear, lest man pe­rish, for whose sake God himself became man. And again: minde it well who he is against whom thou repliest, and who thou thy self art that repliest against him. He is God, thou art but a man.’ And yet again most fully. ‘Thou askest a reason of this and that, I will trem­ble at the depth; thou arguest, let me wonder. Do thou dispute, I re­solve to believe. I see the depth, but the bottom I cannot reach.’

§. 9. His third way of prosecution is, by alledging certain testimonies out of Moses and the Prophets. I shall onely fix upon one, namely that in Romans 9. 27. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel; Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. Who so list, may see this and the following verses expounded to our purpose by the learned Ludovic. de Dieu [Page 351] of Gods, Decrees, yea which (is more) Paul himself interpreting the remnant of Gods Elect in Rom. 11. 2, 3, 4, 5. where the conclusion is, Even so then at this present time also, there is a remnant accord­ing to the Election of grace.

And now, Reader, judge I pray thee between us; and tell me after all this, that hath been produced, whether a vehement agitatour in these points, had J. G. Exposit. of Rom. 9. in his epistle to the Reader. [...]. 3. any just cause to say as one did, ‘That to him who shall narrowly and at­tentively weigh and consider the te­nour, and process of the Apostles discourse, Romans 9. from verse 6. to the end, it will be found as clear as the light at noon day, that there is nec vola nec vestigium, neither print nor footstep, neither little nor much of any such thing, as either Election or Reprobation in it.’ Meaning (as he there expresseth himself) a peremptory Election and Reprobation from eter­nity of a determinate number of men, under a meer personal consideration.

§. 10. As for the proof of our second Assertion, those words in verse 20. 21, 22. Shall the thing formed, say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto houour, and another unto dishonour? What if God willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fit­ted to destruction? clearly hold forth to my apprehension the Sovereign great­ness and power of God, as the foun­tain of Negative Reprobation; and contain a direct allusion to that in Isa­iah, 45. 9. Wo unto him that striveth with his maker. Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What mak [...]st thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Now if the Prophet and Apostle, or rather the Holy Ghost by them, do rightly infer the silence and submissi­on of the clay from its relation to the Potter; much more may the quiet [Page 353] submission of Non-Elect persons to the disposing will of God, be from hence concluded; (as Lessius demonstrates) seeing mankinde hath much more de­pendance See L [...]ssius de perfection. di­vinis l. 10. c. 3. §. 19. upon the Sovereign Lord of all, then a Potter can challenge over any vessel whatsoever: and this not­withstanding they are not yet fully convinced of the reason of all Gods proceedings with them. Such as still expect that, and therefore flie in the face of God for want of satisfaction in this and that particular, must give me leave to send them to the Morals of Gre­gory Semetipsum ho­mo considerans tacet, & di­vina judicia discutere metu­it, qui esse se pulverem agnos­cit.—Ratio­nem de occul [...]o Dei consilio quaerere, nihil est aliud quam contra e [...]us con­silium super­bire. Cum er­gò factorum cau­sa non depr [...]henditur, restat ut sub factis illius cum humilitate taccatur: quia nequaquam sufficit sensus carnis, ut secreta penetret majestatis. Qui in factis 'Dei rationem non videt, infirmitatem suam considerans, cur non videat, rati­onem videt. Gregor. Exposi [...]. moral. in Job. 9. cap. 8. for the learning of better manners. Man (saith he) considering himself, holds his peace, and he that acknowledgeth him­self but dust, is afraid to discuss the judge­ments of God. For him to seek a reason of Gods secret Decrees, is nothing else but to rise up proudly against the counsel of his Will. Wherefore when the cause of any fact of his [Page 354] is not discerned, it calls for our silence and humility; for the sense of flesh suffi­ceth not to pierce into the secrets of Maje­stie. So as he that sees not a reason of that or that Divine dispensation, by considering his own infirmity, sees a clear reason why he sees it not.

§. 11. But, say Gregory what he can, yea and Paul himself what he will, the fault is not like to be mended so long as carnal mindes have to do with these points. We are all by nature Enemies in our mindes, as our Apostle Coloss. 1. 21. tels the Colossians: yea, the carnal minde, or the wisdome of the flesh (as he speaks to the Romans) is enmity against Roman. 8. 7. God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be: whence it is that one or other of the great Masters of Reason (as they would be accounted) although they be not unwilling to yield an independant Sovereignty and Arbitrary working to some men, as in the Eastern parts of the world most do to their absolute Monarchs as at [Page 355] this day, and the Romane Senate did of old to Augustus Cesar, witness Dion [...]. Dion Cass. Roman. hist. lib. 53. p. 516. in ant. edit. Graec. Lat. Cassius in his history; The Senate, saith he, freed him from all the necessity of law, so as he might do or not do what he list, as having both himself and the law at his dispo­sal: yet out of their deep enmity and malignity against God, deny him the like prerogative, and will therefore be always found opposing his Decrees, and those most, that are most Arbitra­ry. This hath been the root of that notorious piece of opposition in la­bouring that the decrees of God should be wholly silenced, and either not stu­died, or if studied, not disputed, or if disputed, not preached of. Some such there were in Austins time, against whom he bends his discourse in the 14, 15, and 16. Chapters of his book, De Bono Perseverantiae. And some there are at this day that ranck the points of Predestination among Fruitless and Sapless Speculati­ons.

Holy Bucer was of a far different judgement. He in one of his first Le­ctures S [...]h [...]jus Electi­onis memoria & meditatio nobis auferretur, Bone Deus! quomode resiste­remus Diabole. Quoties enim Diabolus tentat fidem nostram, (nunquam au­tem non tentat) tunc sempe [...] ad Electionem est nobis recurrea­dum. at Cambridge upon the epistle to the Ephesians, after published by Tre­mellius. Si hujus electionis &c. If the me­mory and meditation of Gods election were taken from us, good Lord, how should we resist the Devil! For so of­ten as Satan tempts my faith, which he is ever tempting of, then do I always betake my self to free election &c. A little after he asserts the doctrine of election as a principle ground not of solid comfort onely, but of solid pie­ty, and of true love to God; in which regards he would by [...] all means have it preached in coetu fidelium, in the open congregation. Verily this famous Uni­versity is likely to continue famous, so long as it continueth orthodox. We may expect to share in the Apostles benediction, and hope that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit will be with us, so long as we teach, [Page 357] to the praise of the glory of free grace, the love of God in electing freely what persons he will; the grace of Christ in dying freely, and with a special intention for those whom the Father had elected; and the communi­cation of the Spirit in freely convert­ing and finally preserving those whom the father had so chosen, and the Son so died for. Sure I am our blessed Sa­viour once said to his Disciples, In this Luke 10. 20. rejoyce that your names are written in hea­ven; and that nothing doth more in­flame a Christians love then a firm belief of his personal election from eternity, after he hath been able to evi­dence the writing of his name in hea­ven, by the experience he hath had of an heavenly calling, and an heavenly conversation. When the Spirit of God (whose proper work it is to assure, as it was the Fathers to elect, and the Sons to redeem) hath written the law of life in a Christians heart, and there­with enabled him to know assuredly [Page 358] that his name is written in the book of life; he cannot then but melt with flames of holy affection, according to that most emphatical speech of Ber­nard, Amat ille non immeritò, qui amat [...] est sine merito. Amat sine [...]ine, qui sine prin­cipio se cognoscit amatum. Bern. epist. 107. God deserveth love from such as he hath loved long before they could deserve it. And his love to God will be without end, who knoweth that Gods love to him was without any begin­ning. I confess indeed that the book of life, like the tree of life in paradise, hath a tree of knowledge growing hard by which cannot with safety be tasted of. There are some nice and needless que­stions started about it that might be spared, and should be forborn. But these high walls and sons of Anak should by no means prevail with us to play the unworthy spies, and bring up a bad report, or give way to any brought up by others upon a land that floweth with so much milk and ho­ney as the doctrine of predestination doth. Surely for men to silence it, were to stop up those wels, which the Pro­phets [Page 359] and Apostles, especially Paul, Exerc. 4. have digged in their writings for the refreshing of thirsty souls; yea to en­deavour the cancelling of that first and great charter of our salvation.

EXERCITATION 4.

Creation what. Pythagoras and Trismegist. Hebr. 6. 3. opened. Scripture-Philosophy. Ex nihilo nihil fit, how true. Creature what. Gods goodness in works of creation, particularly in the framing of Adam. The consultation upon which, pattern after which, parts of which he framed. Two histories, one of a Priest, the other of a Monk. The original of body and soul improved.

§. 1. THe word Creation hath divers acceptions. It is taken either largely, for the production of any thing remarkably good or evil; so ma­gistrates in a Common-wealth, and Graduates in an Universitie are said to be created, God is said to create a clean Psal. 51. 52. Eph [...] 2. 20. heart, and we are called his workmanship oreated in Christ unto good works: [Page 360] and for evil, Moses in Numbers speaking of the remarkable judgement inflicted on Kora [...] and his complices useth this expression, Si creationem creaverit Deus, if God created a creature: the radix is [...] Or limitedly, with some restraint; and that either strictly, for the genera­tion of living creatures in a natural way, so in Horace, Fortes creantur [...]or­tibus & bonis, and in Virgil, Sulmone cre­atos quatuor h [...]c juvenes. Whence also, procreare, or more strictly, for the ma­king of a thing out of some praeex­istent matter, but such as is naturally indisposed and unapt for that pro­duction, whereas in generation there is always materia habilis & disposita; as when God created man of the dust of the earth, and woman of mans rib, or most strictly, for the production of a thing without any praeexistent matter at all out of mere nothing; we are to speak of it in the two latter senses, for so it belongeth to God alone. Thus Is [...]. 44. 24. saith the Lord thy Redeemer, and he that [Page 361] formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth sorth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by my self. Yea so necessary was the confession of this truth with the utmost hazard to distinguish God from Idols, that to the end the Jews, who were then captives in Babylon, might not be wholly to seek for a pro­fession of their faith, they had this verse in the Hebrew Bible written then, and so still in Chaldee letters, Thus shall ye say unto them, The Gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these hea­vens. Jerem. 10. 11. 'E [...] [...]. Just. Mart. de Mo­narthia Dei. [...]. Tris­megistus. Not unsutable whereunto is that of Pythagoras long since cited by Ju­stin Martyr, Whosoever would from hence­ [...]orth challenge any Diety to himself, must be able to shew such a world as this, and to say in truth, This is of my making. and that of Trismegist (an heathen too) in one of his books; There are mainly three to be considered; God, the World, and Man: the world made for man, and man for God.

§. 2. But we have a more sure word of Prophesie, and to that let us take heed: It will shew us, First, How we Christians by faith understand that the Hebr. 11. 3. worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Well might a Gilb. Voetius Disput. Theol. part. 1▪ p. 881. late writer conclude his Discourse of Creation with this Epiphonema, Quantum est quod nescimus! The truth is it is but little that we can learn from Philosophers, even concerning Crea­tion it self, (the onely Article of the Creed which they speak fully too) un­acquainted with Scripture. Which made Maximilian the first to say, that the Audi [...]ndi sunt Eth [...]ici, non [...]anquam Philo­me [...]e, sed tan­quam Ranae. Apud Voeti­um ibid. pag. 680. Ethnicks were to be heard not as singing Nightingales, but as croaking frogs: And two great Physicians betake them­selves to the study of Scripture for un­derstanding the secrets of Nature. One Sennertus, who findeth much fault with those who perverted the text of Moses, and interpreted him out of hea­then writers, ausu infelici, (saith he) & [Page 363] non tolerando by an unhappy and into­lerable undertaking. The other Valle­sius, Huic lectioni consecrari se­nectutem.—sta­tui in his phi­losophari &c. Vallosius. who in the Preface to his Sacra Philosophia telleth us that whereas he had in the former part of his life com­mented upon all Aristotles Acromasticks, and many pieces both of Hippocrates and Galen, he was resolved to devote the remainder of his days to the study of the holy Scriptures, and to seek his Philosophy out of them for time to come. By faith we understand. A Chri­stian firmly beleeves those truths con­cerning the time and manner of the worlds creation, because he hath Scri­pture testimony for them. That the worlds were framed, speaking after the Jewish mode, though there be indeed but one world, in the plurall number; for the Hebrews then were wont to mention a three [...]old, viz. an inferiour, a middle, and a superiour world, as Ca­mero Cameron. My­rothec. pag. 288. telleth us. Framed by the word of God, saith this place. When Solomon was to build a magnificent Temple, he needed [Page 364] many workmen, and they many tools. Not so God, who did all without any coadjutour, any instrument, by the sole word of his command. By the word of Psa [...]. 33. 6. the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Let Psal. 148. 5. them prai [...]e the name of the Lord, for he com­manded, and they were created. Art can work, if Nature first afford it some complete matter: Let an artificer have a stone, he can make a statue, other­wise not. Nature can work if there be a principle to work upon, though in­complete; Let there be seed, it can pro­duce a plant, let there be spawn, a fish. But to work without praeexistent mat­ter, D^r Jacksons Commentary on the Creed 2^d part. chap. 6. § 4. pag. 64. so as to bring forth the first plant without seed, the first fish without a spawn, yea the first principles of these and all things else out of nothing, by his sole word, is proper to God. So that things which are seen (as it followeth here) were not made of things which do ap­pear. That Rule, Ex nihilo nihil fit, holds in natura constituta, now that God hath [Page 365] set nature in a course of working by se­condary causes enabled to produce effects like themselves; but in natura constituenda: it was otherwise, when God wrought by his word of com­mand, and is therefore called Elohim by Moses two and thirty times in his history of creation, as Mercer obser­veth.

The Schoolmen for the most part express that which is here called, Things that do not appear, by the term Nothing, either simply Nothing, or No such thing, as it appeared to be at first: yet when they speak of Non-ens, they take not the word materially, as if mear Nothing were the matter of which a­ny Being were framed; but Termina­tively, as the term from which the Creatour moved. For example, the Angels, they say, and the souls of men, together with the Essential forms of natural bodies were not then edu­ced ex potentia materiae, (as they are since in the ordinary course of generation by V [...]ssii Thes, p. 12. [Page 366] particular agents;) but induced in mate­riam by God himself the universal cause, and had an immediate Production by the Creatour: whereas some other things, as the Sun & Mans body, had a mediate creation, as being produced ex non-ente tali from such things as of themselves could not have caused such effects, but by virtue of Gods creative word. B. Hall con­templat. of creation. Doctor Hall hath given us the true no­tion of this in a compendious saying of his, God made something out of nothing, and of that something, all things. So as if all things be run to their first Original, they will be found to come up out of the womb of Nothing, from whence nothing but Almightiness could have fetch't them.

§. 3. That although the creatures be now subject to vanity, yet the good­ness of God did shine forth in their first production, and is still abundant­ly manifested in them. The creature, saith Paul, speaking of its present state, Rom. 9. 21. was made subject to vanity. Whatsoever [Page 367] thing had any being of it self, and was not for ever, but did receive a being in time, and that from God, is a creature, saith Daneus well: thereby excluding the Divinity of Christ which was Creatura est res omnis quae neque à sci [...]sa est neque semper fuit; sed ut aliquando & à Deo producta est. Daneus Physic. Christ. in p. 59. from everlasting, as the Angels were not, but produced by God in time; and sins of all sorts, because though God be someway an actor about, yet he is no author of them; as also works of art, for which God enables men, but produceth them not. The vanity which all such things are subject to, is partly Negative, a non-ability to serve man as they did before the fall; after it the Lord said to Adam, Cursed is the Gen. 3. 17. ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Partly Positive; whence that of Solomon, Be­hold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Eccles. 1. 14. Yet if any shall hereupon conclude, that it was so from the beginning, Moses will expresly confute him, by whom we are told, that when God at the very end of his creation Saw every Gen. 1. 31. [Page 368] thing that he had made, and behold it was very good; which to me is a demon­stration that the Angels were not then fallen. Yea if any shall deny that the goodness of God is still visible in them, let that saying of the Psalmist stop his mouth, The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. What he predicates Psal. 35. 5. of the earth, I am not afraid to extend to the sea, and to all other parts of the Universe, They are all at this day full of the goodness of the Lord: the sea especially, which we Islanders are es­pecially bound to take notice of by way of rejoycing, and to glorifie God for, according to these direct places, Glorifie ye the Lord, even the name of the Isaiah. 24. 15. Lord God of Israel, in the isles of the sea. And in the Psalms, The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoyce, let the multitude of the Psal. 97. 1. isles be glad thereof. Well may the earth rejoyce herein, because if the Lord did not so reign as to set bounds to that (whose natural place is above the earth, as Psalm 104. informs us) it [Page 369] would all quickly be overflown. Well may the multitude of the isles be glad thereof: for what are they in regard of the Ocean that surrounds them, but as so many nutshels in a great vessel of water; how suddainly drowned, if God did not reign so as to restrain that element?

§. 4. But I must not allow my self too much scope, I shall therefore re­strain my future discourse upon this head to the sole creation of man, and shew how goodness appeared in it. It is reported as the speech of Favorinus; Nihil est in ma­crocosmo mag­num praeter mi­crocosmum. That in the vast world of creatures, there is nothing truly great except the little world of man. Surely, next to the knowledge of God, there is nothing of more con­cernment to us; and therefore let none wonder at me, who cannot go over all, for singling out his creation to be insisted upon: concerning which I intend to shew out of certain texts in Genesis, the consultation upon which, the pattern after which, and [Page 370] the parts of which he was made at first.

For the first, It is the manner of Artificers to deliberate much, and to put themselves to more then ordinarie pains about their Master-pieces. Man was to be the Master-piece of this visi­ble world, and accordingly Moses speaking of God according to the manner of men, brings him in con­sulting about so prime a piece. God said, Let us make man: whereas most o­ther Gen. 1. 26. things were made with a word speaking, Let there be light, and there was Gen. 1. 3, 24. light. Let the earth bring forth, and it was so. Here the Creatour calls as it were a solemn Councel of the sacred per­sons in Trinity, when he is about to proceed to the making of man. Which is to be taken notice of, both because other Scriptures use the plural number where mans creation is spoken of (as in Eccles. 12. 1. Remember thy creatour: ac­cording to the Original, Creatours; and Job. 35. 10. Where is God my maker? He­brew, [Page 371] Makers: and because it should restrain us from deriding any mans deformity, for fear of our reproching his Maker. To which purpose that history is very remarkable. An Em­perour Fitz Herb. of policie and re­ligion. Part. 1. pag. 54. out of Guil. Malms. l. 2. c. 10. of Germany came upon a Lords­day morning unattended to a poor countrey Church, where, pretending himself a souldier, he was present at Mass, which was said by the parish Priest, a man so deformed, that he was saith mine Authour, Poenè portentum na­turae, almost a monster in nature. And as the Emperour wondred with in him­self, that God, (whose beauty and Majesty is infinite) would be served by so deformed a creature, it came to pass that the Priest reading the hun­dred Psalm, which was in the course of his Liturgy to be rehearsed upon that day, pronounced the second verse thereof, Know ye that the Lord he is God, it is he that hath made us and not we our selves, in such a different tone and voice from that which he before used, [Page 372] that the Emperour apprehended it as a thing ordained by Almighty God to meet with and answer his present co­gitation, and began to entertain so re­verent an opinion of the Priest, that having informed himself after Mass of his great virtue, he made him Arch-Bishop of Colen, much against the good mans will: who notwithstand­ing behaved himself in that great charge with singular commendation, and left a most sweet savour behinde him.

§. 5. For the second. The pattern after which man was made, is some­times called Image alone. So, God Gen. 1. 27. created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; sometimes like­ness Gen. 5. 1. Gen. 1. 26. Mos est Hebraeis duo substantiva ita conjungere ut diuersae res esse videantur, cùm tamen alterum adjectivi & epi­theti significatio­nem habeat. Andr. River. in Gen. Exer­cit. 4. alone, In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. Sometimes both, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: which makes a wise interpreter think that when they are joyned, it is by Hendiadys, and that the Holy Ghost meaneth an I­mage [Page 373] most like his own, ad imaginem & similitudinem suam, that is, ad quàm si­millimam sui imaginem. It is exceeding much for mans honour, that he is an Epitomie of the world, an abridge­ment of other creatures, partaking with the stones in being, with the stars in motion, with the plants in grow­ing, with beasts in sense, and with Angels in science. But his being made after Gods Image is far more. As great men are wont, they often erect a state­ly building, then cause their own pi­cture to be hung up in it that specta­tours may know who was the chief Founder of it: so when God had cre­ated the Fabrick of this world, the last thing he did was the setting up his own Picture in it, creating man after his own image. Now there is a three­fold sense of this phrase: for the image of God is taken, first, in a large sense, and so it is appliable unto all men in regard of the substance of their souls, which are invisible, incorporeal. and [Page 374] intelligent, as God is. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man. And Gen. 9. 6. again in James, Therewith curse we men James 3, 9. which are made after the similitude of God. We read of the Emperour Theodosius, that having exacted a new tribute from the people of Antioch, there a­rose See Theodor. hist. lib. 5. c. 21. a commotion, in which the peo­ple broke down the Statue of the Em­press Placilla his late wife. He in a rage sent his Forces against the city to sack it. One Macedonius a Monk inter­ceded thus. If the Emperour be so much, and so justly offended that the image of his wife was so defaced, shall not the king of heaven (said the Monk) be angry at him if he shall deliberately deface and break the image of God in so many men as are like to perish in this Massacre. What a vast difference is there betwixt reasonable creatures, and that brazen image? we for that image are easily able to set up one hundred, but the Emperour with [Page 375] all his power is not able to restore so much as an hair of these men, if once he kill them. upon which admoniti­on Theodosius, it is said, forbore his de­sign. Secondly, in a strict sense. So 'tis appliable onely to Christ, who is the image of the invisible God; the bright­ness Colos. 1. 15. of his glory, and express image of his Heb. 1. 3. person. For all the three things that go to make a perfect image, viz. Likeness, Derivation, and Agreement in nature are concurrent here. The kings i­mage is in his coin, and in his son, but after a different manner. In his coin there may be likeness and deriva­tion, but not identity of Nature, which is also added in his son. In Saints there are the former; they are like to God in their qualities derived from him; but in Christ all three. Thirdly in a middle sense, neither so largely as to extend to all men, nor so strictly as to be restrained unto Christ alone, but between both. So taken, it is nothing else but that conformity [Page 376] to God from which all men fell in the first Adam, and unto which none but Saints are restored by the se­cond.

§. 6. For the third, The parts of which man consisteth, are body and soul; Moses at first speaks to both, The Gen. [...]. 7. Lord God (saith he) formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul. God had before made Spirits by themselves, and bodies by themselves, some celestial, others ter­restrial; now on the sixth day for a conclusion of his works, he frames a creature consisting of a spirit and a bo­dy joyned together, in whom he includes the choice perfections of all the former. One observes that God Weemse Portra­cture. p. 41. hath joyned all things in the world by certain Media. The earth and water are coupled by slime; the air and wa­ter by vapours; Exhalations are a middle between air and fire; Quick sil­ver a middle between water and met­tals; [Page 377] coral between roots and stones, so man between beasts and Angels. Manilius hath comprehended much in Manil. lib. 4. apud Lip [...]. Physiolog. l. 3. dissert. 2. few verses,

In English thus,

Where he doth in effect call his body [...] a little world, and his soul [...] a little God. In the pursuance Charron of wisdome pag. 16. of the former, the Stoicks were wont to say, That it was better being a fool in an humane shape, then being wise in the form of a beast. Yea Solomon himself in the twelfth of Ecclesiastes findeth in his head both Sun, Moon, and Stars. Well therefore may his head resemble the heavens where these lights [Page 378] are (as our eyes also are in our upper parts) without which the world would be a dungeon; his heart the fire, it being kept hot by continual moti­on, and conveying natural heat to the whole body; his bloud and other hu­mours the water; his spirits the air; and his flesh and bones the earth. In prosecution of the latter, Tully a Pla­tonist Scito te Deum esse &c. Lib. de somn. Scip. goeth so far as to bid a man take notice that he is a God, and some Di­vines Bonaventurae Amatorium. pag. 601. col. 2. finde a resemblance of the Tri­nity in mans soul. The understanding, will and conscience, three faculties, but one soul; as Father, Son, and holy Ghost, three persons but one God: Let us all mean while, taste and see how good the Lord is in preparing us such bodies, and infusing such souls into us: but withall so as to consider and improve the Original of both.

§. 7. Seeing Adams body had its original from the dust of the earth, the consideration hereof should be an an­tidote against pride in all his posteri­ty. [Page 379] Art not thou the son of Adam? was not he the son of dust? was not that the son of nothing? when the Lord would humble Adam after the fall he put him in minde of his being dust. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat Gen. 3 19. Gen. 18. 27. thy bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And when Abraham would be low before God, he styleth himself dust and ashes, Behold now I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. Ecclus 10. 9. Why art thou proud O dust and ashes? saith Siracides, and Bernard, Cùm sis humi li­mus, cur non es humilimus? Why art not thou most humble, O man, seeing thou art but the dust of the earth. As for the soul, that was purely from God, Divinae particula aurae as an ancient Poet calleth it, for God saith Moses, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. This should render us restless till that Image after which Adam was made be renewed in us by [Page 380] regeneration. The relicks of it found in men unconverted what are they but magni nominis umbra, the mere shadow of a great and glorious name. How unlike are natural men to God for all them? Our Queen Elizabeth once in her progress observing some pi­ctures of hers hung up for signs to be very unlike her, caused them to be ta­ken down and burnt. Burning must be the end of those that continue un­like to God; whereas such as are by converting grace changed into the same 2 Cor. 3. 18. image (as Paul speaketh) from glory to glory shall at length arrive at that perfection of glory, which is also the image of God, as David hath it, As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.

EXERCITATION 5.Exerc. 5. The same and other attributes of God declared from his providentiall dispensations, the interchange­ableness whereof largely discoursed of and applied from Ecclesiastes 7. 14. A gloss upon Isaiah chap. 10. 11. Chearfulness a duty in six respects; Crosses how to be considered.

§. 1. THe vicissitude of divine dis­pensations (which I am to treat of next) is exactly recorded by Solomon, saying, In the day of prosperity Eccles 7. 14. be joyfull, but in the day of adversity consi­der: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should finde nothing after him. It is most clear from hence, that there is an intermixture of dispensations, adverse and prosperous, in the course of divine Providence, and that we may see much of God therein. It will appear in six particulars.

There are times. I. Wherein things go very ill with a man in refe­rence to his private affairs, yet well with the publick, which keepeth him [Page 382] from sinking into despondency. Me­phibosheth was cheated by Ziba of half his lands; yet Let him take all, said he, 2 Sam. 19. 29, 30. for as much as my Lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house. The woman of Sparta, whom we reade of And. Camerar. cent. 3. pag. 174. in Plutarch, being told that all her five sons were slain in the battel, but with­all that the enemies were worsted, and her countreymen victours, uttered this Heroick speech. Lugeant ergò miserae; Ego victrice patria beatam me esse judico. Let such as are miserable lament; I cannot but account my self happy now that my countrey hath had the better.

II. Wherein a mans personal com­forts are multiplied, but the Churches misery damps his mirth. Nehemiah was much in favour at the king of Persia's Court, yet his countenance could not but be sad when he heard that the city Nehem. 2. 3. the place of his fathers sepulchres lay waste, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. We read of Terentius an orthodox [Page 383] captain under Valens an Arrian Empe­rour, who having done some eminent Theodoret. lib. 4. cap. 2. 8. service was willed by the Emperour, who intended him a just recompence, to ask of him what he would. He pre­ferred a petition in behalf of the or­thodox Christians, that they might have a Church allowed them by them­selves to worship God in. Valens dis­pleased, tore the petition and threw it away. He gathered up the scattered pieces, and profest that seeing he could not be heard in the cause of Christ, he would make no suit for his own ad­vantage. That of Esaias, Rejoyce ye with Isa. 66. 10, 11. Jerusalem &c. that ye may suck and be sa­tisfied, is both preceptive and argu­mentative. Jerusalem is compared to a nursing mother, beleevers to her sucking children; If the Nurse be in health, the Childe hath cause to re­joyce in that, and shall fare the better for it: If she be distempered, the childe will go near to suck the disease from her.

§. 2. III. Wherein long prosperi­ty followeth after much adversity, as in Josephs case. He had been envyed, sold, imprisoned; His feet were hurt in Psal. 105. 18. the stocks, the iron entred into his soul. Yet afterward, Pharaoh giveth him his own Gen. 41. 42, 43. ring, arrayeth him in vestures of fine linen, putteth a gold chain about his neck, maketh him ride in the second chariot he had, caused the people to cry before him. Bow the knee, and appoint­ed him Ruler over all the land of E­gypt, in which height of honour he lived and died.

IV. Wherein adversity treads upon the heels of long prosperity, as in Jobs case. The candle of God had long shi­ned upon his head, and the secret of God been upon his tabernacle. His children then were about him, he had washed his steps with butter, and the rock poured him out rivers of oyl. His Vers. 3, 4, 5, 6, 19, 20. root was spread by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon his branch. His glory was fresh in him, and his bowe [Page 385] renowned in his hand, which are his own expressions Job 29. But ere long, his servants are slain with the edge of the sword, his castle taken away by the enemy, all his children killed at once vvith the fall of an house in vvhich they vvere feasting, he himself afflict­ed in body, vexed in spirit, grieved by his comforters, in a vvord brought from the throne to the dunghil, so as to give just occasion to the proverb, As poor as Job.

Fifthly, Wherein crosses and com­forts take it by turns, so as a man goes out of one into another, in a successi­on of vicissitudes. Thus it fared with Ezechiah. After his comming to the Crown for divers years the Lord was with him, and he prospered whithersoever he went forth. But in the fourteenth year of his reign, the tide of prosperi­ty begins to turn. Sennacharib comes up against him with a most formida­ble host, and took his fenced cities. He betakes himself to prayer, and the [Page 386] Lord delivers him by a miracle, send­ing an Angel to destroy one hundred eighty five thousand of his enemies in Chap. 20. 1. &c a night. But the next news we hear, is that Ezechiah was sick unto death; yet he dies not, but had fifteen years added to his life, and was assured by a sign from heaven of his recovery. Yet presently after all this he receives a sad message from thence concerning the loss of all his treasure, and the wo­full condition of all his posterity. See what a strange succession is here; af­ter glorious victories, comes the loss of his fenced cities, and an alarm given to Jerusalem it self. After that a miraculous deliverance, then a mortal sickness, then a cheering sign, but e're long a Message of very sad concern­ment.

§. 3. VI. Wherein pleasure and sorrow, joy and grief are so interwo­ven one with another, as a man may seem happy and miserable both at once. Jacob is at once scared with hear­ing [Page 387] of Esau's four hundred men, and cheered with the sight of an host of An­gels sent to gaurd him. He doth at once receive an hurt in the hollow of his thigh, and a blessing from the An­gel that wrestled with him. David at once is hated by Saul, and loved by Jo­nathan. Ahashuerus at once enjoys the glory of an absolute Monarch, and is sleighted by his own wife. Haman at once swims in an ocean of Court­delights, and is tormented for the want of Mordechai's knee. As one the one side, Out of the strong comes sweet­ness; [...] Pet. 4. 14. when the spirit of glory and of God rest upon a suffering Saint, because he is a Saint and a sufferer: so on the o­ther, Even in laughter the heart is sorow­full. Prov. 14. 13.

That is,

§. 4. This God doth for divers good ends and purposes. As first to mani­fest his wisdome in compounding pas­sages of Providence, so as one shall qualifie another: prosperity allay the sowreness of adversitie; & this asswage the swellings of that. As the painters skill appears in tempering bright co­lours, and dark shadows; the cooks in mingling sweet & tart ingredients; the musicians in raising harmony out of discords; Oratours in making up curi­ous Librat in An­tithetis. sentences by a fit opposition of contrarieties.

II. To magnifie his goodness. The frame of our spirits is such, that if pro­speritie were continued without inter­ruption, we should be apt to swell and presume; if adversitie without intermis­sion, to sinck and despair. Our weakness such, that we should never give a due e­stimate to blessings, were we not some­times taught by experience what it is to [Page 389] be under pressures. We learn by sickness to prize health, & by restraint to value libertie. A calm is much more pleasing to us after a tempest; and the shining forth of the Sun after an elipse. It is therefore an act of much mercy in God thus to intermingle favours & crosses, lest by a constant course of the former, we should grow wanton and effemi­nate, or by continuance of the latter, sottish and stupid.

III. To keep up and maintain his re­spect in the world. God will be known to be the Sovereign Lord of all persons and things; the great disposer of all af­fairs in such a way as seemeth best to himfelf, & therefore gives out blessings and crosses interchangeably, so as man shall be at no certainty what to expect, but live in a constant dependance on him, who keeps the disposal of prospe­rity and adversity in his own hands, to the end that man should finde nothing certain but this, that there is a great un­certainty of future events. Wherefore,

§. 5. First, take notice from hence what we are to look for in our pilgri­mage here. viz. vicissitudes and chan­ges from one condition into another. If Solomon had no where said, There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh, expe­rience Eccles. 3. 4. would soon have forced us to acknowledge that our whole course is chequered with prosperity and adver­sitie; that most of a Christians drink in this life is Oxymel, most of his food, Bitter-sweets. Whilest Israel marched throughout the wilderness, the black­est night had a pillar of fire, and bright­est day a pillar of cloud: so in this world, things never go so well with the Israel of God, but that they groan under some affliction; never so ill, but that they have some comfort afforded them.

Secondly, Learn to maintain in our selves a mixture of affections suitable to this mixture of Divine dispensati­ons. Rejoyce with trembling. Leaven and Honey were both excluded under the Psal. 2. 11. Levit. 2. 11. [Page 391] Law from offering by fire: Leaven for its excessive soureness; Honey for its excessive sweetness; To shew (saith Ainsworth) that in Saints there should nei­ther be extremity of grief, nor of pleasure, but a mediocrity. We should be carefull in time of prosperity to fear affliction with a fear of expectation, though not of amazement; with such a fear as may cause preparation, but no discourage­ment. Look at a very fair day, as that which may prove a weather-breeder, and usher in storms. On the other side, in time of adversity hope for re­freshment. The Psalmist did so, Psal. 42. 7. 8. Nemo considat nimiùm secun­dis; Nemo de­speret meliora lapsus. Sen. Trag. All thy waves are gone over me, yet the Lord will command his loving-kinde­ness.

Thirdly, Observe the difference that is between this present, and that other world. Dying Aristotle is reported to have said, I rejoyce that I am now going out of a world of contraries. This indeed is so. But that which dying men go into is without such mixture. All tears [Page 392] shall be wiped from the Saints eyes; & impenitent sinners shall have judge­ment without mercy. Briefly, in this militant Church, as in the Ark of old, There is a rod, and a pot of manna Here up­on earth we have little Manna with­out some rods, little welfare without some sharp affliction; few Rods with­out some Manna, not many afflictions without some measure of consolation: whereas in Heaven there is nothing but Manna, in Hell nothing but Rods, or Scorpions rather.

§. 6. IV. Keep we our selves in a frame of cheerfulness, that we may be alwaies prepared in the day of pro­sperity to rejoyce. This will appear a duty which we are bound to,

I. Because God doth not onely ap­prove and like it. (He loveth a cheer­full giver, so a cheerfull thanks-giver 2 Cor. 9. 7. and worshipper. Nehemiah was afraid Nehem. 2. 2. to be seen sad in the kings presence. Mordechai durst not go into the court gates with his sack-cloth on: dejected Esther. 4. 2. [Page 393] looks, and the sack-cloth of an un­cheerfull carriage do ill become the servant of the king, the followers of the court of heaven:) But also require and command it, Serve the Lord with glad­ness. Psal. 10 [...]. 2. The Jews of old were command­ed to rejoyce in their solemn feasts: Deut. 16. 14. 15. which were accordingly to be kept in the most cheerfull seasons. The Pass-over at the first ripening of corn, Pentecost at the first reaping, and the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of Har­vest.

II. Because Jesus Christ was anoynt­ed to give us the oyl of joy for mourning, Isa. 61. 3. and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He himself indeed was a­noynted with the oyl of gladness a­bove his fellows, but such as are re­ceived into fellowship with him should, and shall, if the fault be not in themselves, partake with him in some degree of the same unction.

III. Because the Spirit of Christ is a spirit of cheerfulness. His two first [Page 394] fruits mentioned Galat. 5. 22. are Love and Joy. Yea when it is said, Grieve not Ephes. 4. 30. Sanctam hilari­tatem admitte. Nè quis nimio moerore magnum illum hospitem ossendat. Heins. in locum. the holy spirit of God, Heinsius thinketh this to be part of the meaning. Be cheerfull after an holy manner. Let none offend that great guest, the spirit of God by overmuch sadness. And Drusius telleth us in the Preface to his Praeterita of an usual saying among the Hebrews, Spiritum sanctum non residere super hominem moestum, that the holy Ghost is not wont to reside upon a sad-spirited man.

IV. Because our adversary the De­vil, being a melancholy spirit himself, delighteth in our sadness. The prince of darkness loves to see the servants of God in a dark condition. He is grati­fied and gets advantage by our un­cheerfulness. Therefore Paul writeth to his Corinthians concerning the ince­stuous person, that upon his repen­tance they would comfort him and prevent his being swallowed up with overmuch sorrow, lest Satan, saith he, [Page 395] should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2. 7, 11.

V. Because if we look to our selves, cheerfulness is advantageous both to our bodies, therefore compared to the best food, such as men use to have at feasts. He that is of a merry heart hath a Prov. 15. 15. continual feast. and the best physick too. A merry heart doth good like a medicine: Prov. 17. 22. but a broken spirit drieth the bones. And also our spirits. Uncheerfulness maketh the soul of a man drive heavily, as the chariots of Pharaoh did in the red sea; but the joy of the Lord oyleth the wheels. Cheerfulness supples the joynts of our hearts, and so rendereth them nimble and active in holy perfor­mances. See Nehemiah 8. 10.

VI. Because if we cast our eyes up­on others, the uncheerfulness of pro­fessours often bringeth a bad report upon the profession; and maketh the world ready to beleeve that Christians serve a bad master, or have but an hard service of it, whereas their rejoycing [Page 396] in the ways of the Lord would help to bring others in love with religion, See Acts 9. 31. and Esther 8. the two last verses.

§. 7. Fifthly, Endure afflictions so as in the day of adversity duly to con­sider the Nature, Authour and Ends of Crosses.

I. The Nature of those afflictions that befall men in Christ. They are not Inter vincula carnisicis & Chirurgi. Cha­mier. Panstrat. from vindicative justice, which is wholly removed from such by the me­diation of him in whom they have be­leeved, and so not formally punish­ments: but from fatherly discipline, whereby it cometh to pass that al­though the matter be the same, there is as much difference between the suffer­ings of beleevers, and of ungodly per­sons out of Christ, as there is between the cords wherewith an executioner pinioneth his condemned malefa­ctour, and those wherewith the indul­gent Chirurgion bindeth his patient; the ones design being to kill, the others [Page 397] to cure. They are crosses indeed which beleevers undergo, but no curses, and have no such malignity in them as the world imagineth.

II. The Authour, Well might Eli­phaz Job 5 6. say, Trouble springs not out of the ground, for it cometh from heaven, and that out of love. As many as I love, Rev. 3. 19. saith Christ, I rebuke and chasten. How bitter soever the cup be, which I am to drink, and by whomsoever it is handed to me, the comfort is, it was of my hea­venly fathers mixing, who I am sure would not put any poysonfull, al­though he do put some displeasing in­gredients into it. I will therefore say, Christ enabling, as Christ himself did; The cup which my father hath given me, shall John 18. 11. I not drink it?

III. The Ends, Which are specially three. 1. The mortifying of our cor­ruptions. By this shall the iniquity of Ja­cob Isa. 27. 9. be purged, and this is all the fruit to take away his sin. All the harm which the fi­ery furnace did the young men in Da­niel [Page 398] was to burn off their cords; our lusts are cords, cords of vanity in Scri­pture-phrase; the fiery tryal is sent on purpose to burn and consume them. Afflictions help to scour off this kinde of rust. Adversity like winter-weather is of use to kill the vermine; which the the summer of prosperity is wont to breed. 2. For the enlivening and quickning of our graces. I spake unto Jerem. 22. 21. unto thee in thy prosperity and thou saidst, I will not hear. But elsewhere, Lord in Isa. 26. 16. trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer when they chastening was upon them. These two places compared shew how apt prosperity is to make men Gallio's, adversity to render them Ze­lots. As bruising maketh aromatical spices to send out their savour; and collision fetcheth fire out of the flint, which was hid before; so pressures excite devotion. The cold water of persecution is often cast in the Churches face to fetch her again when she is in a swoon. 3. For the [Page 399] furthering of our glory. Christ went from the Cross to Paradise; so do Christians. He was made perfect through Heb. 2. 10. sufferings; so are they. It became him to Luke 24. 26. suffer, and to enter into his glory: It becomes them to tread in their masters steps. When the founder hath cast his bell, he doth not presently hang it up in the steeple, but first try it with his ham­mer, and beat upon it on every side, to see if any flaw be in it. Christ doth not presently after he hath converted a man, convey him to heaven, but suffers him first to be beaten upon by mani­fold temptations, and after advanceth him to the crown spoken of Jam. 1. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptations, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. this crown the cross makes way for; although no cross can merit it but that of Christ. Yet as law is said to work wrath occasionally. So Our light afflictions which are but for a moment work 2 Cor. 1. 17. for us a far more exceeding & eternal weight of glory.

EXERCITATION 1. Introduction concerning the contents of this Aphorisme. Providence over all created beings. Preservation of men to be ascribed to God himself, not to good men, yea not to good Angels, in whom heart-searching and patience wanting. Provi­dence reaching to humane affairs: Oeconomical, Civil, Military, Moral and Ecclesiastical. Ana­stasius his design frustrate. Rome and our nati­on instanced in. I. G. castigated.

§. 1. THis Aporisme requireth a clear demonstration of these propositions. 1. That divine providence extends it self to all [Page 401] created beings. 2. That it reacheth toExerc. 1. all humane affairs. 3. That it is espe­cially seen in such affairs as concern the Church. And 4. That although God be not the authour of sin, yet his pro­vidence is an actour in it. Unto these when I shall have added an answer to objections, and from each proposition an inference, the whole will be com­pletely handled.

The first proposition, which I am to begin with, is, Divine providence ex­tends it self to all created Beings. Well may we strike in with the Levites in that form of acknowledging God, wherein they went before the people, saying, Thou even thou art Lord alone. Nehem. 9. 6. Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of hea­vens with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein; and thou preservest them all. David bringeth it down a little lower, Thy judgements are a great deep, O Lord, Psal. 36. 6. thou preservest man and beast. Job lower yet, What shall I do unto thee, O thou pre­server Job 7. 20. [Page 402] of men. As God made all things by the word of his command, He com­manded and they were created, so he upholds them all in being by the word of his Psal. 148. 5. Heb. 1. 3. power. Heaven, earth, sea, man and beast, especially man. It is not with God, as with carpenters and ship­wrights, who make houses for other men to dwell in, vessels for others to sail in, and therefore after they are made look after them no more; God who made all things for himself, looks to the preservation of all. It is accord­ingly said of Christ, All things were created by him and for him, and by him all Col. 1. 16, 17. things consist. The creatures are all as vessels, which if unhooped by with­drawing of Gods manutenency, all the liquor that is in them their several vertues, yea their several Beings would run out, and they return to their first nothing. Schoolmen compare God to the sun, creatures to the air. The sun shines by its own nature, the air one­ly by participation of light from the [Page 403] Sun. So whatever good the creatures have, is by derivation from Jehovah, the fountain of Being. Take away the light of the Sun, the air ceaseth to shine, and so it is here. As things Artificial are preserved in their being by the duration of such natural things as they consist of v. g. an house by the lasting of stones and timber: so things natural which depend upon God by the continuance of that Divine in­fluence by which they were at first made.

§. 2. It is not in good men to pre­serve themselves or others. They de­rogate from God exceedingly that a­scribe too much in this kinde to any man, as some luxuriant French wits did to Cardinal Richelieu: of whom they said, That God Almighty might Howels Lustra Ludovici, p. 166. put the Government of the world into his hands. That France in Gods and the Cardinals hands was too strong; that what Idem in the proem to [...]is h [...]st [...]ry of Lewis 13. fol. 2. the soul was to the body, the same was he to France. Si foret his nullus, Gallia nulla [Page 404] foret. Yea one frivilous pamphleter profanely and ridiculously called him, The fourth person in the Trinity. Yea, not in good Angels themselves; Who Hebr. 1. 14. though they be all ministring spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? yet are none of them go­verning spirits, appointed to provide for mankinde the utmost rewards and punishments. They are wanting in two qualifications which should ena­ble them hereunto; one is the know­ledge of mens hearts where the truth of grace, or venome of sin lieth: the other patience, whereof no An­gel hath enough to bear with men without destroying them for their con­tinual provocations. Whereas in God there is a meeting of both these. See for the former, Jerem. 15. 9, 10. The heart is deceitfull above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart; I trie the reins, even to give every man according to his waies, and according to the fruit of his [Page 405] doing: And for the latter, Hosea 11. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger: I will not return to destroy Ephra­im, for I am God and not man: we may add and say, God, and not An­gell.

§. 3. The second proposition fol­lows, viz. That Divine Providence reacheth to all humane affairs: which we may for methods sake subdivide into Oeconomical, Civil, Military, Moral, and Ecclesiastical. Humane affairs are,

I. Oeconomical, such as do belong to a Family. For example, Riches and Poverty, Preferment and Debasement, which in Hannah's song are ascribed 1 Sam. 2. 7, 8. to the sole Providence of God. The Lord (said she) maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghil, &c. yea, to instance in blessings highly prized by Christian Families, Grace and Peace, which are the things prayed for by the [Page 406] Apostles in most of their benedictions. We read of Saints in Cesar's houshold, Quisquis Cristi­anum se esse coa. fitetur, is tan­quam generis hu­mani hostis, sine ulteriore sui de­fensione capite plectatur. Ca­merar. Orat. 1. cap. 39. p. 135. Phil. 4. 22. Nero, that monster of men, was Cesar then; he that had published a bloudy law, That whosoever profest himself Christian, should be apprehended as an enemy to mankinde, and put to death without any further defence. Yet even in his house the Providence of God hath so wrought, as to convert and pre­serve such men as were men of grace; Saints indeed, not onely in his Empire, and under his Government, but in his Family, and under his Roof. As for Peace, that of the Rabbins, although it be somewhat a quaint, yet, may be Take [...]the first letter of [...] out of [...] Vir, and [...] out of [...] Foe-mina, there re­mains [...] Ig­nis. M. Ga [...]a­kers Serm. on Eleazars pray­er Gen. 24. 12, 13, 14. p. 8. an usefull observation. Take the first letter (say they) of Gods name, out of the name of the man, and the last out of the womans name, and there remains nothing but fire; implying, that there is like to be nothing but the fire of contention and strife, jealousie and heart-burnings between man and wife, where they come not together in [Page 407] Gods name. Whereas if wisdome make the match, as it doth when people marry in the Lord, happy are they who are so met, For her waies are waies of pleasantness, and all her paths are Prov. 3. 17. peace.

II. Civil, such as belongeth to Kingdomes, Republicks, Corporati­ons, or to men as combined in such Societies. Many are the contrivements of men to work themselves and others into places of Government: but when all this is done, that of the Psalmist is most true, Promotion comes neither Psalm. 15. 6, 7. from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he pulleth down one, and setteth up another. And that of Daniel, He changeth the times Dan. 2. 21. and the seasons; he removeth kings, and set­teth up kings. Witness this history: Anastasius a Grecian Emperour having no Male issue to succeed him, was de­sirous to transfer the Throne to one of his three Nephews, whom he had bred up; and not being able to re­solve [Page 408] which of them he should take, put the thing to lot thus. He caused to be prepared three beds in the Roy­al-Chamber, and made his Crown to be hanged within the tester of one of these beds, called the Realm, being resolved to give it to him, who by lot should place himself under it. This done, he sent for his Nephews, and Causinus his Holy Court. part. 2. pag. 239 after he had Magnificently entertained them, commanded them to repose themselves, each one choosing one of the beds prepared for them. The eldest accomodated himself according to his fancy, and hit upon nothing; the second did the same. He then ex­pected the youngest should go dire­ctly to the Crowned bed; but he prayed the Emperour that he might be permitted to lie with one of his bro­thers, and by this means not any of the three took the way of the Empire, which was so easie to be had, that it was not above a pace distant. Ana­stasius, much amazed, well saw God [Page 409] would transfer the Diadem from his race, as he did afterward to Justine. Who can read and consider such ex­amples without saying as he did,

That is,

Remember Daniels four beasts, and the seven heads of that beast in the A­pocalyps, conceived by interpreters to resemble the seven forms of Govern­ment which Rome was to undergo suc­sessively; from a Common-wealth to Kings; from Kings to Consuls; from Consuls to Dictatours; thence to De­cemvirs; thence to Tribunes of the people; thence to Emperours; thence to Popes. Reflect upon this Nation of ours, which hath been governed at first by Britains, then Saxons, then Danes, then Normanes: one while in the way of an Heptarchy, another [Page 410] while of a Monarchy, and now of a Republick; and, if thou canst, refuse to crie out, O the depth!

§. 4. III. Military, such as belong to the managing of Wars. It is not for nothing that God is so often sty­led, Lord of hosts in the Old Testa­ment. We finde him so called no less then one hundred and thirty times in two of the Prophets, Esaias and Jere­my. Because in ordering of Martial affairs, he in a manner doth all. Ca­ptains, and superiour Officers may, and do consult, but God determines. They throw the dice, he appoints the chance; they set their men as it plea­seth them, he in the issue plays the game as it pleaseth him. Hear David in that Psalm of his which he made in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, speaking of his own experiments, and cele­brating God as assisting him both in the field, and at sieges, By thee I have [Page 411] run through a troop, and by my God have I leaped over a wall: giving him Psal. 18. 29. strength, activity, skill. It is God that girdeth me with strength. He maketh my feet like hindes feet. He teacheth my hands Verse 32, 33, 34. to war, so that a bowe of steel is broken by mine arms. Yea, success and victory. Thou hast girded me with strength to the Verse 39. 40. battel; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also gi­ven me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me. In the New Testament, we seldome or never meet with that title. That which comes nearest it is, Lord God Almigh­ty; and this occurs twice in the Reve­lation, when mention is made of the victories which it pleaseth God to give to the Reformed Churches against An­ti-Christ and his adherents, once in these words, We give thanks, O Lord Rev. 9. 17. God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And again in these, Great and marve­lous & 15, 3. [Page 412] are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy waies, Thou King of Saints.

IV. Moral, such as belong to good manners. or in more Gospel terms, To living soberly, righteously, and godly in Tit. [...]. 12. this present world. The two former I well know are pretended to by men unregenerate, yea, by heathens. So­crates (they say) lived so soberly, as not to be discomposed by any outward e­mergency, to shew himself alwaies the same man. Fabritius so righteously, as that it was commonly said of him, To turn the Sun out of its course would be found more easie, then to turn him from the way of justice. But for godliness, which is the third, it were hard, if any should pretend to that without strong impres­sions from God in Christ, yet the Pe­lagians of old did, asserting those vir­tues which appeared in Moral men, who had not received Christ Jesus the Lord, nor known what it was to walk in him, for true graces: for [Page 413] which very fault, as S. Austin tels us, above all others, the Christian Church August. contr. Julian. Pelag. l 4. [...]. 3. did most detest them: yea, a Christi­an Minister of late hath in print dared to collect from that saying of Paul, All men have not faith, an implication, J. G. Preface to the Reader before Red. Redeemed, fol. 6. à fine. ‘That men who act and quit them­selves according to the true princi­ples of that reason which God hath planted in them, cannot but believe, and be partakers in the precious faith of the Gospel.’ But we have been taught, and must teach that it is not in the power of any inferiour cre­ature so to improve it's faculties, as to raise up it self to a superiour rank. No tree can make it self a beast, no beast a man, no man a Saint by the Omnis insideli­um vita pecca­tum est, & nihil est bonum, sine summo bono. ubi enim deest agnitio aeternae & incommuta­bilis voluntatis, falsa virtus est & in optimis moribus. Prosper. sent. 106. bare improvement of his reason, whence he comes to be a man. Moral principles prove to such as relie upon them, and seek no further, Mortal prin­ciples. We believe that of Prosper ‘The whole life of an unbeliever is sin. Neither is there any thing good,’ [Page 414] where the chief good is wanting—but false virtue in the midst of the best manners.

V. Ecclesiastical, such as belong to the Church, and the legitimate mem­bers of it. In that Song of Loves, Psal. 45. 9. Upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Ophir, is meant the Church. Look as an indulgent Prince, besides the common affection he bears, and protection he gives to all his subjects, hath a peculiar respect to, and converse with his Princess: so there is a peculiar providence of God toward his Church; the handling whereof at large I refer to the next Exercitation.

EXERCITATION 2.Exerc. 2. Deuteron. 11. 12. opened. Gods care over the Church proved from the provision he makes for inferiour creatures. From Israels conduct. From the experiments and acknowledgements of saints in all ages. Experiments of the Virgin Mary, Rochellers, Musculus, acknowledgements of Ja­cob, David, Psalmist, Austin and Ursin. From Gods causing things and acts of all sorts to coope­rate unto the good of the saints. Isaiah 27. 2, 3. explained. The Church preserved from, in, and by dangers.

§. 1. OUr third proposition is, That divine Providence is seen more especially in such affairs as con­cern the Church, and the members thereof. In order to the clearing where­of, I intend to insist upon two places of Scripture. The first is that in Deu­teronomy, 11. 12. Where Moses describing the land of Canaan, saith of it thus, A land which the Lord thy God careth for: The [...]. LXX. hic. eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year. That land was then the onely habitation of Gods Church, and besides, a lively type of the Catholick [Page 416] Church which was afterwards to be spread over the whole face of the earth, whence it is that beleevers in all places were styled inward Jews, and the Cir­cumcision. Rom. 2. end. Philip. 3. 3.

This continual care of God over his Church and the members thereof ap­peareth,

I. From the provision made by him for inferiour creatures. So our Saviour argueth. Behold the fowls of the air: for they Matth. 6. 26. sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in­to barns, yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better then they? They have no caterers to bring in pro­vision from them; no barns to fetch provision out of; yet want it not, but go cheerfully on, chirping continual­ly, because God feedeth them: and that sometimes in a way little less then miraculous, if that be true which is re­ported by some good writers, namely, that when the young ravens are for­saken of their dams and left bare, out B. Andrews pattern of Ca­techistical do­ctrine pag. 60. of their own dung there ariseth a [Page 417] worm which creepeth to their mouths, and becomes nourishment to them.

§. 2. II. From the conduct of Israel after the flesh in former times. A bre­viate of that Nations story will pre­sently let us understand how they were brought into that land, (whereof this place in Deuteronomy speaketh) and cared for there by a thousand pro­vidences. Time was when Joseph was raised up to be a nursing father to them, & that by a most remarkable dis­pensation. He had been formerly sold into Egypt, was imprisoned without cause, cast as Junius thinketh, into that prison whereunto such were put as had most highly offended the king, to be sure into one where his feet were burt Psal. 105. 17, 18. in the stocks, and he laid in irons. Had not his prison-house been so bad it is like he should not have had opportunity to make himself known to butler and baker of Pharaoh, who were his fel­low-prisoners. The butler being re­stored to his place according to Josephs [Page 418] interpretation of his dream, forgets to acquaint Pharaoh with him till all o­ther means had been used to quiet the kings minde, and none found effectu­al: then he speaketh, and then is Jo­seph speedily advanced. Being so he be­cometh a preserver of the Church in his father, brethren and their families. Afterwards when there was risen ano­ther generation that knew not Joseph; and the king of Egypt had set himself by force and art to extinguish Israel, the bush, although burning was not consumed in the midst of the fire: their burdens were increased, yet their per­sons multiplied; and Moses ere-long raised up to deliver them out of their bondage. A man preserved by the daughter of that Pharaoh, whom he was called to destroy, and by that means brought up at court, yea instru­cted there both in the Art and Govern­ment, and in all the learning of the E­gyptians. Under his conduct God did for them (as one Prophet speaketh) ter­rible [Page 419] things which they looked not for. Puls them out of Pharaohs bosome in spite Isa. 64. 3. of his heart, at their departure sendeth them laden away with the jewels and treasures of Egypt; maketh a passage for them through the sea, and accom­panieth their hosts into the wilderness. There providence fetcheth them water out of a rock, then which nothing dri­er; and bread from heaven, which is wont to grow out of the earth. There their food is Manna & Quails; a cloud and pillar of fire their guides, when this servant of God was dead, up steps Joshua in his room, bringeth them in­to and settleth them in the promised land; which proved to them after their settlemement by lot, an habitation of righteousness and mountain of holiness. A land flowing not onely with tempo­ral, but also with spiritual milk and honey, after Solomon had erected a ma­gnificent Temple for them, which was the wardrobe of those ceremonies wherewith God was then to be served. [Page 420] Then were they (as the Psalmist hath it) abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Gods house, and made to drink of the river of his pleasures.

But their sins having at length cast them out of that good land, and occa­sioned the burning of their Temple, God left them not destitute of his help, but ordained for them sundry refresh­ments in the time of their captivity. This among others in Esthers time. King Ahasuerus under whom they then were in a state of captivity had his sleep taken from him, would spend the time not in this or that exercise but in reading; of all books, cals for that of the Chronicles; of all places hath that read to him which concerned a good service done by Mordechai a Jew; doth not onely take notice of it, but enquire what reward had been given him; un­derstanding he had received none causeth Haman his favourite to be cal­led; putteth him upon doing singular honour in the view of all men to this [Page 421] Mordechai, giveth his wife Queen Est­her occasion of impleading this Haman, discovering his plot against all the Jews, and preventing that massacre of them, which should speedily have been executed. Yea providence went on to work so happily in the hearts of those Monarchs, who then held them ca­ptives, as not long after to proclaim their deliverance, and liberty for them to rebuild both Jerusalem and the Tem­ple; which they also attempted.

Whilest the second Temple was building by Herod, not so magnificent as the former, yet in some respect more glorious: if Josephus misinform us Nunquam in­terdiu nè inter­rumperetur aedi­ficatio pluisse. Joseph. Antio. Judaic. lib. 15. cap. 14. not, for the space of almost ten years it never rained all that while in the day time, the providence of God so order­ing it, lest the work should be inter­rupted. Yea so remarkable was the power and greatness of God in assist­ing the builders then, that we finde him in Haggai and Zechary, their Pro­phesies, which were both written a­bout [Page 422] that time, frequently styled by that name, The Lord of hosts, particu­larly five times in four verses of Hag­gai. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, yet once Hagg. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9. it is a little while, and I will strike the hea­vens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater then of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. That which raised the glory of this se­cond above that of the first Temple was the personal presence of Jesus Christ in it. His coming, preaching, suffering, so ripened the sins of this people (who began again to degene­rate after their return) as hot weather doth the corn, that ere long they and their Temple became a prey to the Ro­mane Eagle.

§. 3. III. From the experiments [Page 423] and acknowledgements of godly per­sons in several ages. The Blessed vir­gin Mary after her journey to Bethle­hem, and lying in of her childe there, may be probably thought to have been straitned in her means, as being but poor, and not to have sufficient for the maintenance of her childe, her self and Joseph in the journey they were to take presently after into Egypt. See Chemnit. harmon. how God provideth; hard before that, he sendeth the wise men from the east, and they bring costly presents with them, gold among others, which was certainly of no small use for defraying their ensuing charges. In the year 1573 when the Protestants were besieged in Rochel by the French kings forces, God Collection of French mas­sacres p. 288. sent them in daily with the tide an in­finite number of small fishes: such as before that time were never seen with­in that haven, and presently upon the end of the siege retired again. We reade of Wolfangus Musculus, a late Germane Divine, that having received by Lu­thers [Page 424] books, the light and sence of the Gospel, he forsook his Monastery and married: that after this he was so poor, as to let his wife go out to ser­vice, and betake himself to work with a weaver, who proved an Anabaptist. That during his abode there, he sola­ced himself with this distich,

That is,

That the Anabaptist within a while turned him off, and he being then to seek for maintainance, was hired to work at Strasborough about the town ditch, which was then to be new cast and enlarged, and to have begun the next morning. That Bucer having no­tice [Page 425] hereof, and of his parts, prevailed over night with the Consul to give him a call to the work of the Mini­stry, which he gladly embraced.

Suitable to these and the like experi­ments are the following acknowledge­ments. Jacob, I am not worthy of the Ge [...]. 32. 10. least of all thy mereies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant: for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. David, Thou hast been my help, leave me not, nei­ther Psal. 27. 9, 10. forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Another Psalmist, Psalm, 71. 5, 6, 7. Thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb. Thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb: my praise shall be continually of thee. I am a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. Sic gressus meos considerans, &c. veluti si totius creaturae obli­tus, tantùm me solum consideres. August. solilo [...]. c. 14. Austin again and again to this purpose. ‘The Lord hath so looked after me, as if he had in a manner forgot the [Page 426] whole creation, to consider me and my ways. He so careth for every Saint, as if he cared for none be­sides;’ Deus ità curat unumquemque nostrûm tan­quam solum cu­raret; & ità u­niversos ut sin­gulo. Id. con­fess. l. 3. c. 11. so for all, as if he had but one to care for. And Piscator in Ursins life reports, that he, to wit, Za­charius Ursinus was wont to say, I had often lyen in the streets, had not the Provi­dence of God been mine hostess, and afforded me a lodging. Nisi hospita fuisset divina providentia.

§. 4. IV. From the effects of care as­cribed to God, when Scripture speaks of him after the manner of men. For example, we men are by our cares made sollicitous and thoughtfull a­bout the person or the thing cared for. So the Psalmist saith of God, I Psalm. 40. ult. am poor and needy, and the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my delive­rer, make no tarrying, O my God. We are rendred inquisitive what to do for them. So the Scripture brings in God, saying, How shall I do for the daughter Jerem. 9. 7. of my people? O Ephraim, What shall I do Hosea 6. 4. [Page 427] unto thee. We are grieved if they mis­carry. Of God it is said, His soul was Judges 10. 16. grieved for the misery of Israel. We are not content till we have taken a parti­cular survey of whatever concerns them. So of God it is said, That he Matt. 10. 30. numbreth their hairs, bottleth their tears; Psal. 56. 8. hath a book of life for their names, Luke 10. 20. Psalm. 139. 16. a book of providence for their mem­bers, and a book of remembrance for Mal. 3. 16. their discourses. Lastly, as men ende­avour the good of such as they receive into their special care, and do what they can to make things operate to that end; so we know (saith S. Paul) that all things work together for good to them that love God; to them who are the called accord­ing Rom. 8. 28. to his purpose. Make me this asserti­on good, and the abundance of his care will be presently visible to any man. Now this may be done by shewing how God makes use of things, and of acts of all sorts to this end.

§. 5. I. Of all sorts of things, whe­ther [Page 428] Natural, or Artificial, Necessary, or Contingent, Real, or Imaginary. The reflexion of the Sun-beams up­on water is a natural thing; If Provi­dence orders so, as the Moabites taking 2 Kings 3. 22, 23, 24. it for bloud, conjecture a mutiny in the armies of the king of Israel and Ju­dah, come up disorderly, and perish. So this deceptio visus in them, wrought for the Churches deliverance. Those Trumpets, Pitchers and Lamps in the seventh of Judges were things artificial, no way able of themselves to produce such an effect, as the defeat of an huge hoste: yet the Lord so disposeth of the sound of the Trumpets, breaking of the Pitchers, and burning of the Lamps, as by them to strike a terrour into the great army of Midian, and make them flie. That the fire should burn, and the sea keep it's channel according to the order of nature, were necessary things: yet did providence so over-rule in the case of those three Worthies in Daniel, that the fire, [Page 429] though it burnt up their accusers, should not so much as scortch them; and semblably in the Israelites case, that the sea, though it swallowed up the Egyptians, their enemies, should afford a safe passage to the Hebrews. What more contingent then that Pha­roah's daughter should go with her maids to wash in the river at that ve­ry place where Moses was exposed? that seeing an infant, she should ima­gine it an Hebrew, be moved into pitty towards it, adopt it for her own son, and light upon the childes own Mother to be it's nurse? yet up­on this did Israels redemption much depend. There were such real altera­tions in the heavens, that the stars are said to have fought against Sisera in their Judges 5. 20. 2 Kings 7. 6, 7, &c. orders. Elsewhere an imaginary noise was so apprehended by the Syrians, as to make them flie, and leave their tents, whereupon followed great plenty after a famine.

II. Acts of all sorts, whether vo­luntary, [Page 430] or involuntary, gratious or sin­ful. Augustus his taxing the Roman Em­pire, & requiring every one to repair to his own city, was a voluntary act on his part to enrich himself: but ordered by Providence to further ends: for here­by the virgine Mary comes to Bethleem, and Christ was there born in the place so long before prophesied of. Austin was once out in his Sermon much a­gainst his will; but providence dispo­sed it to the conversion of a soul. The storie is this. That holy man fell one day in the pulpit upon a large dis­course against the Manichees, contrary to his purpose and intention when he came thither. At his return home spake of it, asked Possidonius and o­thers whether they did not observe it. Credo quod ali­quem errantem in populo Domi­nus per nostram oblivionem cu­rari voluit. Possidonius in vita August. Their answer was, they did, and wondered. Whereupon he said, ‘God I believe hath made use of my oblivion and errour to cure some one or other of the peo­ple.’ Some two days after one Firmus a merchant comes to him, and falling [Page 431] down at his feet with tears, confesseth he had been nursed up for many years together in the heresie of the Manichees, but was that day by his Sermon right­ly informed, truely converted, and made a Catholick: which Austin and others then hearing, ‘glorified and Profundum con­silium Dei admi­rantes ac stupen­tes glorificave­runt ejus nomen, qui eum volue­rit, & unde ve­luerit, & quo­m [...]do voluerit, per scientes, & per nescicntes a­n marum opera­tur salutem. Idem. Ibid. admired the profound counsel of God in converting souls when he will, and by whom he will, whe­ther the Preacher know of it or not.’ How gracious acts, such as Obadiah's hiding and feeding the Prophets, E­bed-melech's helping Jeremy in and out of prison, are subservient to Providence in procuring the Churches good, is ea­sie to discern. It is so even in sinfull acts themselves. Such was the Phili­stines invading the land of Palestina, yet there was a time when their doing it was so disposed of, as to be a means of preserving David and his men. Saul was then ready to seize upon his prey, but was diverted by this news, coming in that very nick of time. Saul [Page 432] went on this side the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: 1 Sam. 23. 26, 27, 28. and David made hast to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land: where­fore Saul returned from pursuing after Da­vid, &c.

§. 6. The second Text I have made choise of to insist upon, is in the Pro­phesie of Esaias, Chapter 27. verse 2, 3. In that day sing ye unto her; A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. The Prophet had said before of this vineyard, that God looking it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wilde grapes. But it be­ing Esal. 5. 2. since purged, here he calls it a vineyard of red wine, that is of the best, according to that in Solomons Proverbs, Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, Prov. 23. 31. when it gives his colour in the cup, when it [Page 433] moves it self aright. So as we are here by it to understand a reformed Church. Such at this day are the Pro­testant Churches come out of Popery: For we may distinguish a four-fold face of the Christian visible Church spoken of by Divines. The first fair, in the Apostles time, she was then a virgin undefiled: the second Spotted, in the succeeding age of Fathers and He­reticks, wherein traditions began to prevaile, she was then a Wanton: the third Deformed, when Popery over­spread all; she was then an Whore: the fourth Reformed, since Luthers time: she is now a Matrone, and may ex­spect, so far as it shall be for her good, and her keepers glory, that continuall irrigation, and constant custody, which is here spoken of. Such as wish and project (as some have done the total and final ruine of the visible Church) must effect it in a time that neither belongs to day nor night: for the Lord hath here promised to keep it, [Page 434] lest any hurt it, yea, to keep it night and day.

There is a three-fold preservation, which it, and the members of it may look for from Divine Providence. One from, another in, and a third by dangers. First, from dangers, accord­ing to the promise in one of the Psalms, Because thou hast made the Lord which is Psal. 91. 9, 10. my refuge, even the most high, thy habi­tation: There shall no evil befall thee, nei­ther shall any plague come nigh thy dwel­ling. ‘Austin had appointed to go to a certain town to visite the Christi­ans Agnoscunt om­nes miram Dei providentiam, cui ut liberatori gratias meritò egerunt. Possi­donius in vita August. cap. 12. there, and to give them a Ser­mon or more. The day and place were known to his enemies, who set armed men to lie in wait for him by the way which he was to pass, and kill him. As God would have it, the guide whom the people had sent with him to prevent his going out of the right way mistook, and led him into a by-path, yet brought him at length to his jour­neys [Page 435] end. Which when the people understood, as also the adversaries disappointment, they adored the Providence of God, and gave him thanks for that great delive­rance.’

II. In dangers. So in Job 5. 19, 20. He shall deliver thee in six troubles, yea in seven, there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death; and in war from the power of the sword. In time of famine the widdow of Sa­repta's store was made to hold out. The Providence of God was with Da­niel in the lions den, shutting up the mouths of those furious beasts; & with the men in the fiery furnace, giving a prohibition to the fire that it should not burn, when they were in the jaws of danger, yea of death. The Church hath always been a Lilly among thorns, yet flourishes still. This bush is yet far from a consumption, although it have seldome or never been out of the fire.

[Page 436]III. By danger. there is a preserva­tion from greater evils by less. No poyson, but providence knoweth how to make an antidote; so Jonah was swal­lowed by a whale, and by that danger kept alive. Joseph thrown into a pit, and afterwards sold into Egypt, and by these hazards brought to be a nursing father to the Church. Chrysostome excel­lently, Fides in periculis secura est, in secu­ritate Homil. 26. ope­ris imperf. in Matt. periclitatur. Faith is endangered by security, but secure in the midst of danger, as Esthers was, when she said, If I perish, I perish. God preserveth us, not as we do fruits that are to last but for a year, in sugar; but as flesh for a long voyage in salt, we must expect in this life much brine and pickle, be­cause our heavenly father preserveth us as those whom he resolveth to keep for ever, in and by dangers themselves. Pauls thorn in the flesh which had much of danger and trouble in it was given him on purpose to prevent pride, which was a greater evil. Lest I, said [Page 437] he, should be exalted above measure through abundance of the revelations, there was given 2 Cor. 12. 7. me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Sa­tan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Elsewhere, having com­memorated Alexander the copper-smith 2 Tim. 4. 14, 15, 17, 18. his withstanding and doing him much evil, yea Nero's opening his mouth as a lion against him, and the Lords de­livering of him thence, he concludeth as more then a conquerour. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly king­dome; to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

EXERCITATION 3. Hard-heartedness made up of unteachableness in the understanding, untractableness in the will, un­faithfulness in the memory, unsensibleness in the conscience, and unmoveableness in the affections. metaphors to express it from the parts of mans body, stones and mettals. A soft heart. Mischief, searedness, and virulency attendants of hardness. God concurring thereunto by way of privation, Negation, permission, presentation. Tradition to Satan. Delivering up to lusts, and infliction.

§. 1. OUr fourth proposition is still behinde, viz. Divine provi­dence is an actour even in sin it self. I shall single out hardness of heart, a sin common to all sorts of men, though in different degrees, intending to de­clare, I. What hard-heartedness is. II. That it is a sin. III. That God is an actour in it.

For the first, This word Heart is of various acceptions in the Scripture. Sometime it signifieth the understand­ing, as when it is said, God gave Solomon 1 Kings 4. 29. largeness of heart, as the sand. that is, He [Page 439] had an understanding full of notions,Exerc. 3. as the sea-shore is full of grains of sand. Sometimes put for the will, as when Barnabas exhorteth the Christians of Antioch to cleave to the Lord with purpose Acts 11. 23. of heart. that is, with the full bent and inclination of their wills. For as to know is an act of the understanding, so to cleave is an act of the will. Some­times for the memory, as when the blessed Virgin is said to have laid up all Luke 2. 51. our Saviours sayings in her heart. that is, kept them under lock and key, like a choice treasure in her remembrance. Sometimes for conscience. So the A­postle speaketh of a condemning and not 1 John 3. 20, 21. condemning heart. Now Gods deputy in point of judicature is conscience; which Nazianzen therefore calleth [...], a domestical tribunal, or a judge with­in doors. Lastly, Sometimes for the affections. So the Prophet Ezekiel saith of people, that when they sate hearing the word, their heart went after their co­vetousmess. Ezek. 33. 31. that is, their fears, and hopes, [Page 440] their desires, love and other affections were upon shops, ships, land and other commodities even while they were bu­sied in the worship of God. Each of these faculties called Heart in the book of God is liable to its peculiar indis­position and distemper. All put toge­ther make up the hard-heartedness, of which we are treating; the particular ingredients whereof are these that fol­low.

I. Unteachableness in the understanding. Scripture joyneth blinding of eyes and hardning of hearts as near a kin. He hath John 12. 40. blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be con­verted. It is proverbially said, Lapidi loqueris; One had as good speak to a stone as to an unteachable man: and we are all so by nature. Whence that of Paul, The natural man receiveth not the 1 Cor. 2. 14. things of the spirit of God, for they are foo­lishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Such [Page 441] are often present at Sermon, so are the pillars of stone in the Church, and they understand both alike.

§. 2. II. Untractableness in the will. There was reason enough spoken to Sihon by Moses his messengers; but all would not incline him to yield a pas­sage to the army of Israel in an amica­ble way, because he was hardened. Si­hon king of Heshbon, saith Moses, would not let us pass by him, for the Lord thy God Deut. 2. v. 27, 28, 30. hardened his spirit, and made his heart ob­stinate, &c. So was there enough said and done to Pharaoh but still the bur­den of his story is this, He hardened his heart and would not let Israel go. Steep a stone in oyl, it continueth hard still. Pharaoh had sundry mercies showen him, being delivered from one plague after another upon Moses his prayers; but the oyl of mercy could not soften him. Beat upon a stone with an ham­mer, it is a difficult thing, and in some cases impossible to make an impres­sion. The hammer of Gods word in [Page 442] the mouth of Moses and Aaron, held as it were by the handle of ten notable miracles, gave ten mighty blows at Pharaohs will; yet could make so little impression, that after the ten plagues his heart was ten times harder then before.

III. Unfaithfulness in the memory. Per­tinent hereunto is that upbraiding pas­sage of our Saviour to his Disciples, Have ye your heart yet hardened? do ye not Mark 8. 17, 18. remember? they seemed to have at pre­sent forgotten two of Christs miracles, and are therefore charged with hard­heartedness. Let water fall upon flesh it moisteneth it, upon earth it soaketh in and rendereth it fruitfull: let it fall upon a rock it runneth presently off and leaveth no footsteps behinde it. Where hardness of heart prevaileth (as Vers. 19, 20. here it did not, and therefore the disci­ples a little awakened by Christs in­terrogations were able to give an ac­count of his miracles) there is com­monly no more of a chapter, sermon [Page 443] or pious discourse remaining in the hearers memory, then there is moi­sture upon a rock after a good showre of rain.

IV. Unsensibleness in the conscience. S^t Paul speaketh of some past feel­ing, Ephes. 4. 19. 1 Tim. 4. 2. and of others that had their con­sciences seared with an hot iron, without all sense as a member once cauterized. Smite a stone as long as you will, beat it while you can stand over it, it com­plaineth not; lay a mountain upon it it groaneth not. Such are some mens consciences. Let God beat upon them with sermon after sermon, cross after cross; let them have worlds of oaths, lies, cheats, & other sins to answer for, they feel not the load of these moun­tains, complain not of them, but per­haps with Judas go out from the Sa­crament to play the traytour, and with king Ahaz sin yet more in their distress. Although temperance, modesty, and the like dispositions be in some mea­sure quite extinguished, yet if consci­ence, [Page 444] like Jobs messenger be still left to report the story of this desolation, there is some hope; but if, as David sometime dealt with the Philistines, all be slain, and none left alive to bring the tidings, if not onely al ingenuity be banished, but the very mouth of con­science also stopt, the case is despe­rate.

V. Unmoveableness in the affections. See an instance thereof in king Zedekiah, of whom it is said, He did that which was 2 Chron. 36. 12, 13. evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet, speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck and har­dened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Zedekiah's heart was so obdurate, as not to have his affections Non magis in­cepto vultus sermone move­tur, Quam si dura silex aut Marpesia caut. Virg. moved with any thing that Jeremiah could say or do. Let a man go about to make an oration to a stone, be it ne­ver so eloquent and pathetical, the [Page 445] stone is not affected with it; No more are many hard hearts with the voice of Gods word or rod. Tell them of the beauty of Christ, they are not per­swaded to love him; of the ugliness of sin they are not induced to hate it; of the torments of hell, they are not mo­ved to fear and shun it. Such is the nature and composition of hard­heartedness, which was the first thing to be spoken to.

§. 3. The second particular is, the sinfulness of that frame, which ap­peareth from the expressions, the op­posites, and the attendants of it men­tioned in holy Scriptures.

I. From the expressions, which are borrowed some from the bodies of men liable to a double [...], others from mettals, and others from stones. [...] signifieth not onely the thick brawny skin that groweth over the labourers hand, and travellours foot, rendering that part insensible: but also among Physicians that knottiness which [Page 446] groweth upon the joynts in some dis­eases as in a long-continued gout, by them called nodosa podagra, and pro­nounced [...] durities in artubas. Budae. com­mentar. incurable by physick, Tollere nodosam nescit medicina podagram. Hard­ness of heart is expressed by this, Mark 3. 5. John 12. 40. Elsewhere from met­tals, as in that of Isaiah, Thou art obsti­nate, Isa. 484. thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass. When men will no more stoop to the precepts of Christ, then a beast would to the yoke, if his neck were of iron: sinews are instruments of mo­tion, they all go down from the head to the body by the neck; if the neck should be stiff and the sinews of iron it would not be possible for the head to bow down. Such is the state of ob­stinate persons. Yea and further, the Prophet here ascribeth to them a brow of brass. The brow is that place where shame is wont to discover it self; this is said to be of brass to note their im­pudency. An hard heart is frequently accompanied with a brazen face. And [Page 447] in other places from stones. (An hard heart is usually called an heart of stone) Ezek. 11. 19. and chap. 36. 26. Zechar. 7. 12. Yea the hardest of all stones, the Ada­mant. They made their heart as an adamant stone lest they should hear the law &c. stones are drier, and more inflexible then met­tals themselves. Chymicks can distill mettals, and alter the shape of them to serve their turns. But Moses could not, O duriora sanis Judaeorum pe­ctora! findun­tur petrae, sed horum corda durantur!—Horum im­mobilis duritia manet orbe concusso. Am­bros. without a miracle, fetch water out of a rock, nor can men by the help of fire, change the shape of a stone and render it flexible. ‘Well might one of the Fa­thers cry out by occasion of what befell at our Saviours passion, O the hearts of the Jews harder then rocks! the rocks rent, but their hearts were further from rending then before. The earth quaked, but their hard­ness continued unremoved,’ almost unmoved. As in Jeroboams time when the Prophet cried, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord, It heard and rent; Jero­boams heart was harder then the very stones and rent not.

§. 4. II. From the opposites of hard-heartedness; the chief whereof is spiritual Evangelical tenderness, promised in the covenant of grace, where it is said, I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within Ezek. 11. 19. you: and will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that is a soft and tender heart. I do not mean that natural tenderness, caused by constitution or education, of both which it is true, that it softens the manners, and keeps them from Emollit mores, nec sinit esse se­ros. fierceness, ascribed to Rehoboam, of whom it was said, He was young and 2 Chro. 1 [...]. 7. tender-hearted and could not withstand the children of Belial. Such men are fitly compared to ripe plumbs and apri­cocks, which however soft and smooth on the out-side, yet have an hard stone within: like a brick, at first soft when the clay is fashioned, and continues so till the Sun have hardened it, yea, by pouring on of water, softened again; but if once [Page 449] baked in the brick-kill, no fire will melt it, an whole sea will not moisten it afterwards. So it fares with sundry men formerly tender-hearted, when once hardened by conversing in the world, and baked, as it were, in the kill of custome. That which I in­tend, is Spiritual tenderness, ascribed to Josiah, Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thy self before God: 2 Chr. 34. 27. and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord God. As mettals are melted with the fire before they be cast in a new mold, so must every heart be melted and softened, before it come to be moulded anew. The new creature is alwaies a tame and tender creature. This is that temper which hardness of heart is opposite to, and therefore sin­full.

III. From the attendants thereof. Divers have been already mentioned. I shall instance in some few more. He Prov. 28. 14, Job. 9. 4. that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mis­chief. [Page 450] Who hath hardened himself against God and prospered.? Crying sins are commonly answered with the Eccho of roaring judgements. Hardness be­ing in genere culpae one of the greatest evils, there must needs be mischief due unto it in genere penae. Hereunto may be added stubbornness; for when hardness is risen to an high degree, both senses of discipline are obstru­cted; the ear, They resisted to hearken, Zech. 7. 12. and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears that they should not hear; yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone. The eye, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts; that they should not John 12. 40. see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts. Also searedness with an hot iron, which is the next door to hang­ing; 1 Tim. 4. 2. such as are formerly burnt in the hand, if they fall again into the hands of justice, are commonly de­nied their book, and sent to the gal­lows. Notorious malefactours are stigmatized, so are hard-hearted sin­ners.

Lastly, virulency or bitterness of spirit against the waies and people of God. When divers were hardened, and be­lieved Act. 19. 9. not, but spake evil of that way be­fore Omnis apostata est osor sui ordi­nis. the multitude. No such bitter ene­mies to religion as those that after some relentings return to their for­mer frame of hard-heartedness: as the worst travelling is when it hath freez­ed after a thaw: so the worst conver­sing is with men of that spirit.

§. 5. I am now to shew in the third place, that the providence of God is an actor even in this sin, and that both in partial hardness, which often befalls the elect of God, according to that, O Lord, why hast thou made us to erre from thy waies? and hardened our Isa. 63. 17. heart from thy fear? Return for thy ser­vants sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. And from that which is total and fi­nal, found in Reprobates of whom Paul therefore saith, Whom he will he Rom. 9. 18. hardeneth; and again, The election hath Rom. 11. 7. obtained, but the rest were blinded or hard­ened. [Page 452] Now this is done divers waies.

I. By way of Privation. As when the sun departs, darkness followeth; yet the Sun is no cause of darkness, but the absence thereof: so when God departs in that, be it never so lit­tle, Matth. 13. 12. suppose but restraining grace, hardness followeth, yet God is not the efficient of it. Time was when Pharaoh had restraining grace, while it lasted there were no violent hands laid upon Moses and Aaron, by whose mi­nistry all the plagues were brought upon him. He is no sooner deprived of that, but his cruelty is let out to the full; Moses threatned with death the last time he saw his face, and all pursued with a bloudy intent. Pha­raohs heart had somewhat of softness, and malliableness in it all the while this fire remained, upon the remo­val whereof, it returned to it's own hardness and coldness, as mettal would. As when a man holds a staff [Page 453] in his hand, let him but take away his manutenencie, the staff falls imme­diately to the ground by its own poyse.

II. By way of Negation. As when God either refuseth to give a people softning means, or denieth his blessing upon them. So when Moses called to all Israel, and said unto them. Ye have seen Deut. 29. 2, 3, 4 all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land. The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signes and those great miracles: yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day. In so doing, God himself is said to harden (as S. Austin hath it) when Dicitur Deus indurare quando non en oll [...]t; excoecare quan­do non illuminat. De Praed. c. [...]. Non indurat Deus impertien­do mal [...]tiam, sed non impertiendo gratiam, Aug. Epist. 105. he softens not, and to blinde when he enlightneth not. As the Sun freezeth and congealeth the water, not by im­parting coldness to it, but by not im­parting heat, and shining upon it with fervent beams. So it is (saith the same Father) in Gods hardening, who [Page 454] doth not do it by imparting malice, but by not imparting grace. Neither doth this denial affix any unlawfulness upon him; as the like would do upon a good man that had to give, and to spare what his neighbour stood in ab­solute need of; for it is not the same cause throughout, betwixt God and man: there is a mutual tie of the crea­tures one to another. All men are made of one bloud, (as in the Acts) they are therefore bound by the law of nature to mutual helpfulness. Not so between God and the creature: for the dependance, and consequently the tie is not mutual. We depend upon God, not he upon us; therefore for us not to do what he requireth, is abso­lutely sinfull, but no law bindeth him to give whatsoever is needfull for us; therefore not to give, it is no sin. If he please to indulge it, it is grace, and not debt; if not, the clay must not contend and finde fault with the potter.

§. 6. III. By way of Permission. Hard-heartedness is one of those evils, which God permitteth, but approveth not, and accordingly included in that speech, God in times past suffered all na­tions Act. 14. 16. to walk in their own ways. There­fore the School-men upon those Texts, Deus non volens iniquitatem, tu es, and Psalm. 5. 5. Esai. 66. 4. Quod non volui elegerunt, have founded a notable distinction between Velle, Nolle, and Non velle, which is not in­considerable here. God is said to Will a thing, when he so approves it, as to effect it. To Nill a thing, when he so dislikes it, as to prohibit it; Non velle, not to will it; when he so dislikes, as not to prohibit, yea, and not to effect it, yet permits it to be for good ends. Of the Lord, it is truly said, That he wills an heart of flesh, and that he nills a heart of stone; as for hard­heartedness, although he frequently permit it, yet we must say he is not altogether willing to have it, however willing to suffer it. Our temper must [Page 456] be that of Austin, In a wonderfull and unspeakable manner even that which is Miro & inessa­bili modo non sit praeter ejus vo­luntatem quod etiam sit contra ejus voluntatem. Quia non fieret nisi sineret, nec utique nolens si­nit, sed volens. Aug. Enchir. l. 160. Non sineret bo­nus fieri male nisi omnipotens etiam de malo posset sacere be­ne. Id. Ibid. done against his will, is not done without his will; for it would not be done, if it were not permitted; neither doth he per­mit it without, but with his will. And again, He is so good as that he would never suffer evil, if he were not so Omnipotent, as to bring good out of evil.

IV. By way of presenting objects of which our corruptions make a bad use. E­saias his Evangelical Ministry made the heart of that people fat, and made their Isal. 6. 10. ears heavy, and shut their eyes. The hotter the Sun is wont to shine, the more the dunghil is wont to sent. Men grow hardest under the most Go­spel ministry. So under mercies of all sorts. He that observeth the passa­ges of Pharaohs story, shall finde that his corruptions took many occasions from the carriage of things to harden him yet more and more. After he had been freed from two or three [Page 457] several plagues by Moses his prayer upon his hypocritical relentings, he might perhaps begin to think that the God of Israel was such an one as might be deceived with fair shews, and so fear him less. It pleased God not to strike Pharaoh himself with any plague by Twiss. Vind. part. 2. p. 94. the hand of Moses; nor to suffer his people to rise up against him and free themselves by main force. This might happily tend to his further hardening, and put him upon saying, ‘If he be so great a God, why doth he not smite me in mine own person, or carry out his people without me?’ Besides, the same plague was never twice inflicted: he saw that, and might think when one plague was o­ver, that would not come again, and there could not come a worse then that: the God of Israel had surely done his worst already. Come we to the last scene of his Tragedy after Israel was departed, things were so carried as to cram his corruption, and [Page 458] to make his heart fatter then before. The Hebrews are all found in a place with the sea before them, and great mountains on each side. Their being so pent, encourageth Pharaoh and his host. The sea is ere long divided for Israel; the waves stand as walls on either side, the people passe through as on dry land. Why should not the sea, might he think, make way for me as well as for them? The prey is now in view, let go this one opportu­ty, they are gone for ever. If the waves stand up but a while longer (as they have done a good while already) the day is ours. They pass on, and perish.

§. 7. V. By way of tradition to Satan. Who although he have not any power of enforcing, yet hath a notable slight of perswading, and by this means of Non babet po­tentiam cogendi, sed ast utiam suadendi. hardening. No doubt but Pharaoh being deluded by the Magicians, who were suffered to counterfeit the same miracles which Moses did, was there­by [Page 459] hardened through the operation of Satan. We reade of an evil Spirit from 1 Sam. 16. 15. God troubling Saul, and after that of many hard-hearted prancks by him plaid, such as never before: and of John 13. 2. the divels having put into Judas his heart to betray Christ, after which he was rest­less till he had done it; As they must needs go, our Proverb saith, whom the divel drives. 'Tis strange how that mans spirit declined into further, and yet further degrees of hardness; but less strange if we consider that the di­vel was entred into him. Judas was first a cunning dissembler; the disci­ples suspected themselves as soon as him, and therefore said, Master, is it I? Afterward a secret thief; for he bare the bagge and filched: then a bold traytour, What will ye give? and Hail Master. In the conclusion, a desperate self-murderer, as the most interpreters judge, in making away himself.

VI. By way of delivering men up to their own lusts. Hear God of his own people. [Page 460] My people would not hearken to my voice: and Israel would none of me. So I gave them Psal. 81. 11, [...]2. up unto their own hearts lusts; and they walked in their own counsels: how much more is this true of God's enemies? Pharaoh by name. See how these three lusts of his, Idolatry, Ambition, and Covetousness concurred to the ma­king of him so hard-hearted towards God; so hard to be prevailed with by Moses. As an Idolater, he was loath to receive a message from the God of Israel, whom he knew not. Vid. Twiss. vindici. part. 2. pag. 94, &c. Who is the Lord, said he, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. As an Ambitious Prince it went to his heart to have Moses control him in his own dominions, and to admit the commands of any superiour Lord, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, was as fire to his bones, and enraged him, who would not hear of any lord over that people but himself. As a Covetous man, he was loth to have [Page 461] so fat a collop cut off his flank, to hear of parting with a people by whose pains in making bricks he had such daily comings in.

VII. By way of infliction and penalty. One sin is often made the punishment of another, and hardness the punish­ment of many sins oft reiterated. When Exod. 9. 34. Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. The harder they were the more they sinned, and the more they sinned, the harder they were. Affected hardness is frequently followed with inflicted hardness. Men by customary sinning make their hearts as an adamant stone (so Zech. 7. 12. the phrase is in Zechary) of which it is said,

That is,

[Page 462] Unregenerate persons of hard hearts usually grieve their godly friends, who are cut at the heart to see their obstina­cy, as Christ grieved for the Pharisees hard­ness. Mark 5. [...]. At non inciditur ipse. But such an one cannot heartily grieve for himself. His heart till it come to be steeped in the bloud of Christ, who is that Scape­goat in Leviticus, relenteth not, or not to purpose. It were easie to add much more: but I shall now shut up all concerning this proposition God har­deneth, Grave est audi­tu, & non fa­cile recipit hoc pia mens: non quia quod dici­tur non bene di­citur, sed quia quod bene dici­tur non bene in­telligitur. Hugo de S. Victor. lib. 1. de sacram. part. 4. cap. 12. with the saying of Hugo de sancto Victore concerning that, God willeth evil. This is irksome to the ear, and a pious minde doth not easily receive it; but the reason is not because what is said is not well said, but because what is well enough said is not half well understood.

EXERCITATION 4.Exerc. 4. Objections against, and Corollaries from the foregoing propositions. The least things pro­vided for. Luthers admonition to Melancthon. Maximilians address. Plinies unbelief. The Psalmists stumble at the prosperity of the wicked. His recovery by considering it was not full, was not to be final. The superintendency of Provi­dence over military and civil affairs in particu­lar. The Churches afflictions. Promises cautioned. Duty of casting care upon God. He no authour of sin. The attestation of this State, and of this writer.

§. 1. TWo things are still remaining, viz. Objections against, and Corollaries from the formentioned propositions: to which in their or­der.

Objection against the first. Some think Ex hoc Deus beatus est quia nihil curat, ne (que) habet ipse nego­tium, neque al­teri exhibel. Lactant. de ira Dei cap. 4.—Credat Ju­daeus Apello. Non ego, nam (que) Deos didici se­curum agere aevum. Hor. the extending of divine Providence to all created beings, how mean soever, unsutable to the perfection of God, whom, they say, it doth not become to stoop so low. Epicurus is cited by Lactantius, as speaking to this purpose, and after him Horace.

Answ. They speak like heathens, not knowing the Scripture, nor the power of God. The Psalmist other­wise, Who is like unto the Lord our God, Psal. 113. v. 5, 6, 7, 8. who dwelleth on high? Who humbleth him­self to behold the things that are in heaven, and in earth. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghil. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, to be a joyfull mother of children. Of his care and providence it is be­leeved Providentia Dei nec fallitar, nec fatigatur. Eam nec magna onerant, nec parva effugiunt. Molin. Enod. quaest. p. 23. and asserted by divines, that it is neither deceived nor tired, & that as the greatest things do not overburden it, so least things do not escape it. That of our Saviour to his Disciples is a most express assertion. Are not five Luke 12. 6, 7. sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all num­bered.

Wherefore, by way of Corollary from hence, let God himself alone be acknowledged the Preserver and Go­vernour of all things. Let no man [Page 465] think by his strength of parts, or ex­tremity of pains to take the work out of his hands. ‘Melancthon was be­yond Monendus est per vos Philip­pus ut desinat esse Rector mundi. Wolf. memo­rabil. measure solicitous about Church-affairs in that age where­in he lived: insomuch as Luther once wrote to his neighbour-mini­sters that they should do well to give him a serious admonition not to attempt the government of this world any longer.’ That of Maxi­milian the Emperour in the time of Pope Julius the second, was an honest acknowledgement. Deus aeterne nisi vi­gilares, Historia Pon­tificum Ro­manorum con­tract. per Ja­cobum Revi­um. pag. 259. quàm male esset mundo! quem regi­mus nos; Ego miser venator, & ebriosus ille ac [...]sceleratus Julius! O eternal Lord God if thou thy self shouldst not be watch­full, how ill it would be with this world, which is now governed by me, a miserable hunter, and by this drunk­en and wicked Pope Julius!

§. 2. Against the second proposi­tion it hath been objected that there is no such thing as the providence of [Page 466] God superintending humane affairs, especially considering the great prospe­rity which is enjoyed by wicked men. Pliny the great Naturalist speaketh of Irridendum est, si quis putet il­lud, quicquid est summum, agere curam re­rum human [...] ­rum. Natur. hist. l. 6. c. 7. Psalm 73. v. 2, 3. it, as a thing to be entertained with laughter rather then belief. And the Psalmists words are these, As for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipt. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Behold, V. 12, 13. these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

Answ. That which then satisfied him, should now suffice to answer us. He went into the sanctuary of God, then un­derstood V. 17, 18. he their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places, thou castedst them down into destruction. Their prosperity was not full, was not to be final. I. Was not full. The places wherein they stood were slippery: their felici­ty varnished over, but rotten within. That in S. John and onely that is per­fect [Page 467] prosperity, when the inward and outward man thrive together, I wish 3 John 2. above all things (saith he to Gaius) that thou maist prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. With them it is quite otherwise. They have, it may be, fat bodies, but lean souls; full purses, but empty heads and hearts; blest in their estates, but cursed in their spirits. Have Lament. 3. 65. houses and lands worth many thou­sands, but hearts little worth, accord­ing to that The tongue of the just is as Prov. 10. 20. Nulla verior miseria quam falsa laetitia. Nihil infelicius felicitate pec­cantium. choice silver: the heart of the wicked is lit­tle worth. Call you this prosperity? It is in truth nothing less. It is unhappi­ness rather, and there are those who have not stuck to name it so. II. Was not to be final. Thou castedst them down into destruction. The world came in fast upon them one way; and the wrath of God came as fast another. This fair day of theirs is but a weather-breeder; as a calm before an earth-quake. To Deut. 32. 35. me belongeth vengeance and recompence, saith the Lord, their foot shall slide in due time: [Page 468] for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. David expresseth it most empha­tically, I have seen the wicked in great Psalm 37. 35, 36. power: and spreading himself like a green bay-tree. (A tree that retaineth its vi­ridity and freshness even in winter when fruit-bearing trees have cast their leaves) yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: yea I sought him, but he could not be found. Let such an one be sought in his counting-house, which was wont to be the temple, wherein he worshipped his God Mammon; he is not there. At Court where he was so magnified, and almost adored; he is not to be found in the lodgings there. He that would finde him, must seek him in hell. For there he is. This is the end of such worldly prosperity as cometh from God, and yet defieth him.

§. 3. The Corollary from hence is, let the superintendency of divine pro­vidence over all humane affairs, in particular over Military and Civil be [Page 469] humbly acknowledged. I. Over mi­litary. Those French-men were un­doubtedly to blame, who in their flat­tering applauses of Richelieu, did ascribe Howels lustra Ludov. p. 166. the reduction of Rochel solely to him, insomuch, as one of their Chroniclers writeth, That in the taking of that town, neither the king, nor God Al­mighty had a share in the action, but the Cardinal himself. How much sa­fer is it for us to follow the tract of Scripture? which to shew how effectu­al the influence of divine providence is upon actions of that nature, is wont to compare God unto whatsoever is necessary to secure a city besieged, for example, unto weapons, walls, forti­fications, watchmen and souldiers. To weapons both offensive and defensive. Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto Deut. 33. 29. thee, O people, saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency. To walls, I saith the Lord, will be unto her Zech. 2. 5. a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. To fortificati­ons, [Page 470] We have a strong city, salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. If be­sides Isa. 26. 1. bulwarks a city be compassed about with a river, chiefly if with the sea it self we account it strongly forti­fied. Hear the same Prophet, The glo­rious Isa. 33. 21. Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams. To watchmen, Ex­cept Psalm 127. 1. the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Lastly to souldiers, The Lord is a man of war: yea the Lord Exod. 15. 3. is a whole army of men, both Van and Reer, The Lord will go before you, and Isa. 52. 12. the God of Israel will be your rere-ward.

II. Over civil affairs. I have been told that during the late treaty of a match between the Prince of Wales that then was, and the Infanta of Spain, the Earl of Bristol, ‘then Embassadour at Madrid, when things went ex­ceeding Reported by M^r Stephen Marshall. cross to his designes, fell into a deep perplexity, could not rest for divers nights, till a Gentle­man that lay in his chamber took the boldness to speak to him and [Page 471] said, My Lord, I have observed much perplexity, and thereupon much restlesness in you. I humbly beseech your Lordship to consider that the world was well governed five thou­sand years and more before you were born, and will be so when you are dead. I pray you therefore be not troubled at any thing, but refer the issue to God. Whereupon he is said to have fallen to rest.’ Our way to be quiet is to do the like upon all occasi­ons; to drive up things to divine Pro­vidence, and there to rest. Time was when Daniels head and heart was fil­led with the visions of God; by which the great changes that were to happen in the government of the world had been newly made known to him: viz. the wheeling about of Monarchy from the Babylonians (who then were in the highest of their power) to the Persi­ans, thence to the Grecians, and thence to the Romanes; from an head of gold, to a breast and arms of silver, from [Page 472] them to a belly and thighs of brass, and from them to legs of iron, and to feet part of iron, part of clay; yea in the end to a little stone cut out without hands, which brake the whole image in pieces. He notwithstanding quarrel­leth not with Providence for intend­ing so notable, so destructive changes to the government then in being; goeth not about to demand any account thereof from God of such alterations, but betaketh himself quietly to the praise & admiration of him, by whose wisdome and power they were all in their seasons to be accomplished. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of Dan. 2. 19, 20, 21. God for ever and ever. For wisdome and might are his: And he changeth the times and seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings. We should do well, however things go, to make Austins resolution Felix sit mun­d [...]s, evertatur mundus: bene­dicam Domino, qui fecil mun­dum. August. ours; Let the world sink or swim, be ruined or prosper, I will still bless the Lord who made the world. As for the [Page 473] late wheelings of Providence here in this Isalnd, and alterations thereupon. I for my part say with Anselm once Si quis potest intelligere, Deo gratias agat: si non potest, non immittat cornua ad venti­landum, sed submittat caput. ad venerandum Anselmus Epi­stola de fide ad Ʋrbanum Pap. cap. 2. Archbishop of Canterbury. If any be able to understand them, let him give thanks to God: if any be not, let him however bow dovvn his head to vvor­ship God; not lift up his horn by vvay of debate and ventilation.

§. 4. An objection against the third proposition, concerning Gods special care and providence over the Church, and the members thereof, may be formed thus. The Church of all Soci­eties, the Saints of all men, are the most in sufferings. Yea some Churches, by name those seven in Asia, which vve reade of in the Revelation, have been extinguished. From vvhence some are apt to infer vvant of care, and provi­dence rather.

Answ. Be it granted that the mili­tant Church is for the most part in a Non oportet membra delicia­ri sub capite spinis coronato. suffering condition, and that Christ our head, being a man of sorrows, typi­fied [Page 474] by the brazen altar upon vvhich the fire vvas continually burning, a vvife of pleasures did not become him, nor members used to overmuch deli­cacie. That every vessel of mercy must expect scouring in order to brightness; and hovvever trees in the vvilderness grovv vvithout culture, trees in the orchard must be pruned in order to fruitfulness, and corn-bearing fields broken up, vvhen barren heaths are left untouched; yea that in some par­ticular instances the candlestick hath been removed and the place unchurch­ed, yet the inference is not solid, be­cause first, All afflictions are advan­tagious to the godly. They often help to make bad men good, alvvays to make good men better. David could say, It is good for me that I have been af­flicted. Psal. 119. 71. Of the godly captives of Judah the Lord saith, He had sent them out of Jer. 24. 5. that place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. Secondly, because the pro­mises made concerning the Churches [Page 475] preservation (such as I insisted upon above in the second Exercitation of this Aphorisme) are for the most part mis­understood, and consequently misin­proved. Learn vve for the future to embrace them vvith these three cau­tions.

§. 5. I. That they do in especial manner concern the Church Catholick, not this or that particular Nation or Congre­tion. If that in the beginning of Esai­as the tvventy seventh vvere to be con­sidered as a National Church, vve all knovv it hath been ruined long since notvvithstanding the promise there made, vvhich must therefore be under­stood of it as a type of the Church uni­versal; that is so vvatered and kept as to be inexpugnable. Look as by vertue of the Covenant made vvith Noah that the vvhole earth should never be again overflovvn vvith a general deluge, vve may be sure it never shall: yet there have since, and may still be divers in­undations, whereby some parts of the [Page 476] earth have been, and may be laid waste: so by virtue of Gods promi­ses, we may be confident that the gates of hell shall never prevail a­gainst the whole Church of Christ; yet may divers particular Churches be ruined (as those in Asia have been). No man knows how many more may have the same line of Desolation drawn over them. Mean while the Catholick Church, still, not one­ly continues, but thrives, because like the sea, it wins in one place, what it loseth in another; like the Sun, it riseth to the Antipodes, when it sets to our Hemisphere.

II. That a particular Church in case it degenerate, cannot challenge such interest in them, as it might, if it had continued pure. There was to be a time when the vineyard in E­saias should affoard red wine; then it Isa. 5. 4, 5, 6. might look for watering every mo­ment, and being kept from all hurt. But there was also a-time when it de­generated, [Page 477] and instead of red wine, brought forth wilde grapes; when in­stead of keeping it, the Lord threat­ned to take away the hedge, and pull down the wall thereof: instead of preserving it from hurt, to let it be eaten up, broken down, and laid waste; instead of watering, to com­mand the clouds that they rain not upon it. Who knoweth but the Lord hath said of us in this Nation, as con­cerning the old Jewish Church? Their vine is of the vine of Sodome, and of the fields Deut. 32. 32, 33, 34. of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the poyson of dragons, and the cruel ve­nome of asps. Sure I am, he hath alrea­dy begun to cut our Vine till it bleed; and if repentance step not in to turn away wrath, may be provoked to say of England as he once did of Palestina. I had planted thee a noble vine, holy, a right seed: How then art thou turned into a de­generate Jerem. 2. 22. plant of a strange vine, unto me? May the spirit of Reformation pass [Page 478] through us all! So shall not iniquity be our ruin, as it otherwise may and will.

III. That they use not to be ful­filled all at once, but by certain peri­ods, so as to have their gradual ac­complishments. I shall instance in that of Esaias formerly mention­ed. Piscator and Scultetus upon the place interpret it of that preservation which God vouchsafed the Jewish Church under Ezra, Zerubbabel, and Nehemiah in a state of peace and puri­ty, notwithstanding the opposition made against it. Others expect a fur­ther accomplishment thereof, when the Jews shall be called in a glorious manner, and when the deliverer shall come out of Sion, and turn away ungodli­ness Rom. 11. 26. from Jacob. So Justus Heurnius in his Evangelical Embassie to the In­dians Pag. 139, &c, toward the beginning of the fourth Chapter. And the Authour of an English Treatise concerning the calling of the Jews, published by D^r. [Page 479] Gouge, in the year 1621. But the ful­lest accomplishment of it, is reserved for that period, after which, time shall be no more; when all the Israel of God shall be watered with that pure river of life, clear as Christal, pro­ceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb, spoken of in the last of the Revelation. Of this period, I finde the place expounded by popish Commentatours, by name Sanctius, Haec ad dien [...] judicit pertinent. Gladius quo tunc occidetur Diabolus est sen­tentia Judi­cis &c. Cornelius à Lapide, and Tirinus, the last whereof understands by the vineyard of red wine, Ecclesiam beatorum, the Church Triumphant: yea, and by some also of our own writers, Oeco­lampadius in particular, who saith, The things there spoken of, have respect to the day of judgement.

§. 6. The Corollary from hence should be that of S. Peter, a serious lesson of casting all our care upon God, 1 Pet. 5. 7. for he careth for us. This hath been by experience found the onely best way of obtaining Christian tranquillity of [Page 480] minde: witness that of Wenceslaus, King of Bohemiah, who after the root­ing and flight of his Army, being himself taken captive by the enemy, and asked how he did, answered, ‘Ne­ver better; for heretofore when I had B [...]yerlinck. A­potheg. p. 20. Ex Aenea Syl­vio. Nunquam melius, &c. all my men about me, I could finde but little time to think of God. Now being stript of all them, I think onely of him, and betake my self wholly to his Providence, who I am sure will hear me when I call upon him.’ That of Bishop Hooper (in a consolatory letter to cer­tain Mr Fox, Acts and Mon. Vol. 3. godly Christians) taken in Bow-Church-yard at prayer, and laid in the Counter. ‘Let us (saith he) now we be called, commit all other things to him that calleth us. He will help the husband, he will com­fort the wife, he will guide the ser­vants, he will keep the house, he will preserve the goods.’ Above all, that of our Father Abraham, who when Isaac had said, Behold the fire and Gen. 22. 7, 8. & 13, 14. [Page 481] wood, but where is the sacrifice for a burnt-offering? readily answered, My son, God will provide himself a burnt-of­fering: and when he beheld a Ram unexpectedly provided, to be offered up in lieu of Isaac, called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh, That is, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. See we imi­tate him who is the father of the faith­full, in casting all our care upon God, both for our selves, and our poste­rity.

I. For our selves. Behold a sure warrant for that from the pen of David, Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall Psal. 55. 22. sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righ­teous to be moved: Yea, from the mouth of Christ himself; The very hairs of your Matth. 10. 30, 31. head are all numbred; fear ye not. Thou (saith Austin) that shall not lose one Times ne ani­mam perdas qui capillum non perdes? Aug. in Psal. 96. hair, how comes it to pass that thou art afraid of losing thy soul?

II. For our posterity. There be many that seem to rest upon Provi­dence for themselves, who do yet ma­cerate [Page 482] their hearts with carking and caring for their children, with thoughts what will become of them when they are gone. As Philip once said, Two hundred peniworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of John 6. 7, 9. them may take a little. And Andrew, There is a lad here which hath five barly loaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many? So do these men say in their hearts, What is my small estate divided among so many children? I am not like to leave enough for every one to take a little. O fools, and flow of heart to believe! have ye for­gotten what God said to your father Abraham? Read, and recall. I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou Gen. 17. 1, 7. perfect. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting co­venant, to be a God unto thee, and unto thy seed after thee. Why may not this God be trusted with thy children too? Sure I am he should. Tell me, Who pro­vided [Page 483] for them before they were born? Who put care and tender affections in­to their mothers heart, milk into their nurses breasts? Did not God? Is not he that made provision for them all before they came into this world, and hath comfortably maintained them e­ver since, fit to be trusted with them still, though thou beest gathered to thy fathers, and seest Corruption? Doubt­less he is.

§. 7. The better to help us in the performance of so important a duty as this, take along with us the following directions.

I. Get and keep assurance of a pe­culiar interest in the love and fa­vour of God in Christ. We neither trust known enemies nor doubtfull friends with what we account preti­ous. They that know God to be their enemy, they that doubt whether he be their friend or no, cannot with confidence cast their whole care upon him. But he that can groundedly [Page 484] say with David, I am thine, may go on as he doth, Lord, save me. He that Psal. 119. 94. can say with assurance of faith, The Lord is my shephard, may confidently Psal. 23. 1. add, I shall not want. The spouse may go leaning upon her beloved with all her Cant. 6. 3. 7. 10. 8. 5. weight, when she hath first been en­abled to say, My beloved is mine, and I am his. I am my beloveds, and his de­sire is towards me.

II. Continue in well-doing. Let them that suffer according to the will of God (saith S. Peter) commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faithfull Creatour. Look how much care a man hath to please God, so much confidence may he have to cast all his care upon him. Whilest the people of Israel went up to the place of Gods publick worship, all the males that were of age, thrice in a year, leaving none but women and children at home, so giving the enemy fair oportunity for invasion: God undertakes they shall not so much [Page 485] as desire or think of such a thing. Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear be­fore Exod. 34. 23, 24. the Lord thy God, thrice in the year.

III. Treasure up the promises, chiefly such as are made on purpose to assure us of Gods caring for us: that in particular, Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with Heb. 13. 5. [...]. such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Where there is in the Original an ac­cumulation of many negatives to make the assertion as strong as may be, it is as much as if he had said, I will never, in no wise, in no case for­sake thee. We are wont to call the bils and bonds of able men, good security. The promises of God all-sufficient are certainly so.

IV. Reflect upon former experi­ments, and let them be encourage­ments for time to come. The Psalmist did so when he said, I have considered Psal. 77. 5, 10. [Page 486] the days of old, the years of ancient times—I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high, I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old. Some enquire why Da­vid when he asked for a sword, and Abimelech told him there was none at hand but that of Goliah, called for it, and said, There is none like to that: it is 1 Sam. 21. 9. probable he might have found some of better mettal, or as good: and some perhaps fitter for his strength, but yet prefers this above all because of his experiment. God had formerly blest him in the use of that.

§. 8. Against the fourth and last proposition of Providence her activi­ty even in sin; it may be objected, and usually is, that this tenet cannot be maintained without making God the Authour of sin, which opinion is an abhorrencie to the mindes of all sound Divines.

I answer, so it is, and ought to be; neither doth that assertion want the [Page 487] attestation of this State. Witness a mo­dern, but pregnant occurrence, yet not generally known, and therefore inserted here in perpetuam rei memoriam. In the year of our Lord, 1645. there was published in London an English book, wherein God was expresly made the Author of his peoples sins, though not without some limitations. The Assembly of Divines then sitting at Westminster, took offence at this, (though some of them, being acquaint­ed with the man, whose name it bore, were ready to say of him, as Buchol­cerus Habuit cor bo­num, sed non caput regulatum, Sculter. Annal. D [...]c. did of Swenckfeldius, He had a good heart, yet without a well regulated head) made complaint of it to both houses of Parliament. They both cen­sured the said book to be burnt by the hand of the common hangman; and the Assembly of Divines agreed upon a short Declaration, Nemine contradi­cente, by way of detestation of that a­bominable and blasphemous opinion, which was also published under that [Page 488] Title, July 17. 1645. and in which we meet with these among other expressi­ons; ‘That the most vile and bla­sphemous Assertion, whereby God is avowed to be the Authour of sin, hath hitherto by the general consent of Christian Teachers and Writers, both ancient and modern, and those as well Papists as Protestants, been not disclaimed onely, but even de­tested and abhorred.—Our Com­mon adversaries, the Papists, have hitherto onely calumniously charged the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches with so odious a crime (in the mean time confessing that we do in words deny it, as well as they themselves) now should this book be tolerated, might insult over us, and publish to the world, that in the Church of England it was openly, and impudently maintained, That God is the Authour of sin, then which there is not any one point, whereby they labour in their Ser­mons [Page 489] and popular Orations, to cast a greater Odium (though most inju­riously) upon the Reformed Chur­ches.—We are not, for the Reve­rence or estimation of any mans person, to entertain any such opi­nions as do in the very words of them asperse the honour and holi­ness of God, and are by all the Churches of Christ rejected.’

This premised, I now assert positive­ly and considerately (yet without ob­liging my self to make good every phrase that hath fallen unadvisedly from the pen of every w [...]ter) that what Protestant Churches say in their pub­lick Confessions, and allowed Prote­stant writers in their books, concern­ing Gods having a natural influence into the sinfull acts of creatures, but without a moral influence into the sin­fulness of their acts; his inflicting hardness of heart as a punishment to former sins; his directing and order­ing great sins to great good, as Joseph's [Page 490] vendition to the Churches preservati­on, yea, the crucifixion of Christ, to the salvation of the Elect, do neither really, nor in due construction a­mount to the making of God the Au­thor of sin. To what hath been else­where further said of this copious ar­gument, I refer the capable reader to my Tactica Sacra, Lib. 1. Cap. 1. §. 5. & ibidem cap. 6. §. 4.