THe Genius of this Scripture, as it is very gracefull and pleasing in it self, so it is also very suitable to the re­spects of this day, on which we are met together. It presents unto us what we all partake of, if we be so well disposed as to see it, F [...]licitie or Happinesse. And if a single happinesse be too little, behold it is con­veyed in two streams; the silver stream, and the gol­den. It is reached forth, as it were, in both the hands of Providence. There is the happinesse of the left hand, which is Civill, in the first clause of the words; and the happinesse of the right, which is Divine and Religious, in the second. Answerable to these are the two welcome aspects of this day: the Civill aspect or reference, which ariseth from the annuall revolution, as it is Dies Principis, a day of solemnitie for the honour of the King: and the Reli­gious aspect from the weekly revolution, as it is Dies Dominica, a day of devotion for the worship of God. In these there is so evident a correspon­dence, that I cannot but congratulate, both the day to the text, and the text to the day, in regard [Page 2]of their mutuall complications. For we have, on the one side, both clauses of the text in the day: and on the other, both references of the day in the text. Happinesse is the language of all: and, that which addes to the contentment, it is Happi­nesse with an Echo, or ingemination; Happy and Happy. From this ingemination arise the parts of the text; the same which are the parts both of the greater world and the lesse. As the heaven and earth in the one, and the body and the soul in the other: so are the passages of this Scripture in the two veins of Happinesse. We may range them as Isaac doth the two parts of his blessing, Gen. 27. The vein of civill happinesse, Gen. 27.28. in the fatnesse of the earth: and the vein of Divine happinesse, in the dew of heaven. Or (if you will have it out of the Go­spel) here's Marthaes portion in the many things of the body: Luke 10.41, 42. and Maries better part in the Vnum necessarium of the soul. To give it yet more con­cisely, here's the path of Prosperity in Outward comforts; Happy is the people that is in such a caset and the path of Piety in comforts Spirituall; Yea, happy is that people which have the LORD for their God.

In the handling of the first, without any further subdivision, I will onely shew what it is the Psal­mist treats of: and that shall be, by way of Grada­tion, in these three particulars. It is De FELI­CITATE; De Felicitate POPULI; De HAC felicitate populi: Of happinesse; Of the peoples happinesse; Of the peoples happinesse, as in such a case.

Happinesse is the generall, and the first: a noble argument, and worthy of an inspired pen, especi­ally the Psalmists. Of all other there can be none better to speak of popular happinesse, then such a King: nor of celestiall, then such a Prophet. Yet I mean not to discourse of it in the full latitude, but only as it hath a peculiar positure in this Psalme, very various and different from the order of other psalmes. In this Psalme it is reserved to the end, as the close of the foregoing meditations: In other Psalmes it is set in the front, or first place of all; as in the 32, in the 112, in the 119, and in the 128. Again, in this the Psalmist ends with our blessednesse, and begins with God's; BLESSED BE THE LORD MY STRENGTH. In the 41 Psalme, contrary, he makes his exordium from mans; BLESSED IS HE THAT CONSIDERETH THE POOR: his conclusion with God's; BLES­SED BE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL. I there­fore observe these variations, because they are helpfull to the understanding both of the essence, and splendour of true happinesse. To the know­ledge of the essence they help, because they de­monstrate how our own happinesse is enfolded in the glory of God, and subordinate unto it. As we cannot begin with Beatus, unlesse we end with Benedictus: so we must begin with Benedictus, that we may end with Beatus. The reason is this, Because the glory of God it is as well the consummation, as the introduction to a Christians happinesse. Therefore as in the other Psalm he begins below, and ends upwards: so in this, having [Page 4]begun from above with that which is principall, Blessed be the Lord; he fixeth his second thoughts upon the subordinate, Blessed, or happy are the people. He could not proceed in a better order: he first looks up to Gods kingdome, then reflects upon his own; as not meaning to take blessednesse be­fore he had given it. There is no man can think, but this is the best method. It is the method of Saints, as we see 1. Sam. 25.32, 33. and 2. Chron. 31.8. First, Blessed be the God of Israel; then, Blessed be the people of Israel. Nay, it is the method of Angels: Luke 2.14. they first sing, Glorie to God; then, Good will towards men. It must also be the method of every Christian, whensoever we are about the wishing of blessednesse, either to our selves or others, to begin from heaven, and ascribe it first to the LORD. That we may re­ceive, we must give: give what we have, and give what we mean to have. To give is the way to get: both to get the thing, and to get the greater degree. It is an undeniable consequence, If beatitude be the ultimate end of man, and the glorie of God the ul­timate end of our very beatification; then it fol­lowes necessarily, That by giving more glorie to God we gain more of beatitude to our selves, be­cause more of the supreme and beatificall end. So that he who will attain to the Psalmist's comfort, must observe also the Psalmist's order: that he may end assuredly with BEATUS, he must learn to begin with BENEDICTUS. That's the first considerable thing in the order as touching the essence of true happinesse. The other is concerning the splendour, [Page 5]which flowes from the other part of the variation: in that the Psalmist doth end this psalme, as he be­gins divers of the rest, with Happy or Blessed; to represent, as it were, unto us utramquesplendoris pa­ginam, the two great excellencies of blessednesse by the double situation of it. Happinesse is both the bonum Primum, and the bonum Vltimum, of a Chri­stian: the spring of all good things, and the crown: the spire, and the basis: the first and the last of things to be desired; the first for eminence, the last for fruition. In the descents of Christianitie the first, because we move from it to inferiour ends: happi­nesse giveth law to all our actions; we move from it, that we may in time come to the possession of it. In the order of ascent it is the last: for having climb­ed once thither, we go no further, but set up our rest. It hath this resemblance with God himself, who is the Donour of it, That it is both the begin­ning and the end, before which nothing should be loved, and after which nothing can be desired. An­swerable to these two respects are the positures of happinesse in the Psalmes. As in military affairs, it is the custome of Emperours to promise the Donative to their souldiers when they go forth to warre, that they may encourage them; but not to give it till the warre be ended, that they may re­ward them for their service: In like manner (saith S. Ambrose) doth the Psalmist: velut praeco magni Imperatoris, he disposeth of beatitude both wayes: he prefixeth it to the beginning of some Psalmes, that thereby we might be invited to pietie; he annexeth it to the end of others, to teach us not to [Page 6]look for it before our work be done. So even by this we may learn how to order and dispose of our selves to happinesse. Since it hath the double refe­rence, it must have also the double honour, and the double esteem, yea and our double endeavours for the attaining of it. Then we give it the double, when we set it in both places, make it both our first and our last, the prime of our life, and the perseverance. We must look through all things upon happinesse, and through happinesse upon all: through all upon it, as not resting in any thing else; and through it upon all, as seasoning every act of our life with the thought of happinesse. Otherwise, if we think to give it our last respects without our first, pretend what we will, there is no hope to overtake it. Thus farre even worldly men will go: they are willing enough to heare that they must make it their last work, and they fulfill it in a sort to the let­ter, but not to the meaning. The love, the hope, the care of their own happinesse, they put them off all to the last: A very preposterous course for a man to begin where and when he should have end­ed, and to defer his first of motion to his last of rest. It is too late for the foolish Virgins to cry, Matth. 25.10, 11. Lord open when the doore is shut: and a vain thing to ex­pect happinesse as our end, unlesse we make it our beginning, and give it the same place in our hearts and actions, which holy David affords it in his meditations: the first place in other Psalmes, as the best introduction to all other discourses; the last in this, as a delightfull farwell to be alwayes fresh in remembrance. That shall serve for the first step of [Page 7]the Gradation, the generall part of the argument handled: It is De FELICITATE.

The second is more speciall: it is defelicitate Popu­li; HAPPY, or, BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE. In the former part of the Psalme he speaks of such things as concern his own happinesse; Blessed be the Lord MY strength, vers. 1. Send down from above, and save ME out of the great waters, vers. 7. Rid ME and deliver ME from the hand of strange children, vers. 11. And he might as easily have continued the same strain in the clauses following, That MY sonnes may grow up as the young plants, MY daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple, MY sheep fruitfull, MY oxen strong, MY garners full and plente­ous: and accordingly he might have concluded it al­so, Happy shall I be, if I be in such a case. This, I say, he might have done, nay, this he would have done, if his desires had reflected onely upon him­self. But being of a diffusive heart, and know­ing what belonged to the neighbourhoods of pie­tie, as loth to enjoy this happinesse alone, he al­ters his style, and (being in the height of well­wishes to himself) he turns the singular into a plu­rall, Our sheep, Our oxen, Our garners, Our sonnes and daughters; that he might compendiate all in this, Happy are the people. Here's a true testimonie both of a religious and generous mind, who knew in his most retired thoughts to look out of himself, and to be mindfull of the publick welfare in his privatest meditations. S. Ambrose observes it as a clear cha­racter of a noble spirit, to do what tends to the publick good, though to his own disadvantage: [Page 8]And Salvian, in his first Deprovidentia, doth re­con this as the principall thing which made the Fa­bii and the Fabricii, and other Romane Worthies so renowned in their times, That they were content to expose themselves to want and danger for the prosperitie and safetie of the publick. But (alas!) there are few such spirits in our time: It is a rare thing to find a private man, who cordially devo­teth himself to the good of the Communitie. It was the complaint of Plato in his time, That every man was impetuously carried [...] and of Thucydides the Historian in his, Ʋnusquisque rem suam urget: and of Tacitus in his, Privatacuique stimulatio, & vile decus publicum. S. Paul himself was driven to this complaint, Phil. 2.21. All seek their own. Where he left we may take it up: Our own settling, our own securitie, our own wealth, our own advancement, is all we generally look after. There is hardly any man to be found, whose bent is not towards himself: Whereas the publick is the private infinitely multiplied; and so much the more of nearer concernment, as it is of larger ex­tension: whereas again man is onely a world in a fi­gurative sense of speaking, and that but a micro­cosme or little world, that is in effect, a small part of the great; yet, as in some other things, so in this also it falls out, The Allegorie devoures the letter, the private eats up the publick, the part the whole, the overweaning respect to the little world doth every where almost overturn the greater. I know there are many which make fair shews, goodly pre­tences, great ostentation of the contrary: You shall [Page 9]have them often crying out, The Publick, the Pub­lick; and as fast as the Jews did, The Temple, the Temple: but it is with the like insincerity; for their aim is wholly for themselves. So we shew our selves hypocrites even in things civill, as well as in religion. Each godly man is of another tem­per. His word is that of S. Ambrose, Mihi parci­or, foris totus: or that of the Oratour in Salust, Ad­sum en Caius Cotta, voveo, dedóque me pro Republica. It was a brave resolution in a Heathen: but it con­cerns us Christians more. For he was onely a part of one Communitie: we, each of us have a share in two; being members of the Church, as well as the State. So there is a double tie upon us: and that we should daily remember it, it is insinuated in the Lord's prayer: in which as there is one ex­presse petition for the publick; so there is a respect had to it in all. There is nothing singular, not an I, nor a Me, nor a Mine; but all plurall, We, Ʋs, Our: noting that it is every mans duty, even in his pray­ers, to be zealous for the Communitie. But the text will not allow me that scope, to speak of this zeal to the publick as 'tis the dutie of private men, but as it is an excellencie of Kings and Princes. It's true, I might call it a duty even in them also; God requires it of them as a duty: but it becomes us to repute it an excellencie, both because the be­nefit is ours which redounds from thence, and like­wise because it is more eminent and illustrious in them, then in other men. In others it's limited and ministeriall, in a Prince supreme and universall. He is the influxive head, who both governs the whole [Page 10]bodie, and every member which is any way ser­viceable to the bodie: The glorious Sunne that gives light both to the world, and to the starres themselves, which in their severall stations are use­full to the world. Here's enough to define it an ex­cellencie, to have the care and trust of the whole in himself. Yea but further, to tender it as himself, and to set the weal of the publick in equipage with his own happinesse, and to fold them up together, his own in the publick and the publick in his own; is so high an ascent of goodnesse, that it were a great wrong to such virtue, to stile it by any lesse name then an excellencie. In this particular I might easily be large: but it requires not so much proofs, as acknowledgements and retributions. Therefore I will briefly proceed both wayes: and first give you a few examples for proofs; and then, I am sure, there is no man so unworthy, but will think him­self obliged to retributions. The first example shall be taken from Moses: whom Philo reckons among Kings; and so doth the Scripture, Deut. 33.5. For howsoever he had not the name, he had the power and authoritie: yet even in that power he was not more Regal, then in his tendernesse over the people. At one time his tendernesse was so great toward them, that because he could not do them so much good as he desired, he besought the Lord to take away his life; Numb. 11.15. At another time he was so perplexed with the fear of their destruction, that he requested of God, ei­ther to keep them still in the land of the living, or to blot him out of the book of life; Exod 32.32. [Page 11]hereby shewing himself not onely the miracle of Nature, as Philo calls him, but of Grace too, in pledging for them that which was more worth then his life, his very salvation. It was a rare example of Castor and Pollux, so highly magnified by Authours, That being twinnes, and (as the Po­ets feigned) one born mortall, the other immortall, Pollux (to shew his love to his brother) yielded so farre, as to take to himself a part of his brothers mortalitie, and to lend him as much of his own im­mortalitie: being better pleased to enjoy a half im­mortalitie with the good of his brother, then a whole one alone by himself. It is known by all to be a fiction: yet if it were true, it is farre short of this proffer of Moses. He knew full well what be­longed to immortalitie, and to the [...]avour of God: yet in effect he beseecheth God, either to take them into his favour, or to put him out of it; as content to hazard not half his immortalitie, but all, out of his love to the Israelites, notwithstand­ing they were a people ungratefull both towards him and towards God. After this of Moses I know no example so tran [...]cending as that of the Pro­phet David: who (besides that he urgeth it al­most in every Psalme, The peace of Jerusalem, The salvation of Israel, The felicity of Gods chosen, The blessing of the people) in one place he argues for it even to his own destruction: You have it, 1. Chron. 21.16, 17. It is there recorded, that seeing the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn over Je­rusalem to destroy it, he thus reasons with God for the safeguard of the publick: Me, me; adsum qui [Page 12]feci; IT IS I, EVEN I IT IS THAT HAVE SINNED: In me convertito ferrum; LET THY HAND BE AGAINST ME, AND AGAINST MY FATHERS HOUSE, NOT ON THY PEOPLE: FOR THESE SHEEP VVHAT HAVE THEY DONE? He that considers these words will hardly be able to tell what most to wonder at; the condescend­ing of his love, or the overflowing. He declared here, saith S. Chrysostome, a depth of love [...], an affection more spacious for love, then the sea for water; and for tendernesse softer not onely then water, but then oyl. To lay down, as it were, his own royall neck under the sword of the Angell, when he saw it hanging over him by a lesse thrid, then that of Damocles: To open his own religious breast, to receive the blow, that he might ward it from the people: To value the peo­ples safety so farre aboue his own, as to interpose himself betwixt the sword and the slaughter: O how farre doth he here renounce himself, and re­cede, not onely from royalty, but from life it self! It is much which is mentioned in the text, that he should name the people first to the happinesse: more, that he should offer himself first to the punishment: very much, that he should put the people betwixt himself and the blessing: farre more, that he should place himself betwixt the people and the curse. He made himself in this SPECULUM PRINCIPUM, the mirrour of Princes: a mirrour, into which (as we may well presume) our Gracious Sovereigne King CHARLES hath made frequent and usefull inspecti­ons: for it is manifest by many passages of his [Page 13]reign and happy government, that the tendernesse of his love towards his people, if it doth not fully reach, yet it comes close up to the recessions of Da­vid. It is the more remarkable, for that he hath this virtue as it were in proper and by himself, he is almost the sole possessour of it. The most of or­dinary men, as living more by will then reason, are all for holding: so stiffe and inflexible, so tenaci­ous and unyielding, even in matters of small mo­ment; that they will not stirre a hair-breadth. En­treat them, persuade them, convince them; still they keep to this principle (and 'tis none of the best) O [...]tein all, Yield nothing. It is a nobler spi­rit that resides in the breast of our Sovereign, as appears by his manifold yieldings and recessions. Of such recessions we have many instances in the course of his Majesties government. I might go as farre back as his first coming to the Crown: when he receded from his own profit, in taking upon him the payment of his Fathers debts, which were great, and but small supplies to be expected from an empty Exchequer: yet the love of justice and his peoples emolument overswayed him, and armed him with Epaminondas his resolution, Totius orbis divitias despicere, prae patriae charitate. Having but glanced at that, I might draw a little nearer to the third of his reign: when, in that Parliament of Tertio, he was pleased to signe the, so much desired, Petition of Right: a Title which, I confesse, takes me much: both because it speaks the dutifulnesse of the subject, in petitioning, although for right; and the great goodnesse of a Gracious Prince, [Page 14]who knows how to recede from power, and in some case even from prerogative, when besought by prayers; and rejoyceth, not to sell his favours, but to give them. For I have heard some wise men say, That that single grant was equivalent to twen­ty subsidies. But the time will not give me leave to dwell, as I should, upon particulars: therefore I will call you nearer to the transient remembrance (and but the transient, for it is no pleasure to revive it) of the commotions in the North. The eyes of the whole world were upon that action, and they all are witnesses what pains and travell were taken, what clemencie and indulgence was used, what yieldings and condescentions, both in point of honour and power, to purchase, as it were; by a price paid out of himself, the peace and tranquilli­ty of both kingdomes. Whereby he made all men understand, how much more pleasing it was to his Princely disposition, with Cyrus in Xenophon, [...] and to conquer, not by might, but by clemency. By clemency, I say, the word which I named before, and I cannot name it too often. It is the virtue God most de­lights in, to exercise himself; and 'tis the copie also which he sets us to write after: It is the virtue which draws both eyes and hearts unto it; in that it maketh Royalty it self, which is so farre above, to become beneficiall and sovereign: It corrects the brightnesse of Majestie, calmes the strictnesse of Justice, lightens the weight of Power, attempe­rates whatsoever might cause terrour to our mind and liking. If we never had known it before, yet [Page 15]the onely time of this Parliament would teach us sufficiently how much we ow to the King's cle­mencie. The laws and statutes which have been made this last year, are lasting and speaking mo­numents of thefe royall recessions, as well to po­steritie, as to our selves. Surely if the true picture and resemblance of a Prince be in his laws; it can­not be denied, that in the acts, for trienniall Parli­aments, for the continuation of the Parliament now being, for the regulating of impositions, pressing of souldiers, courts of Judicature, and others not a few of the like nature, are the lineaments, and ex­pressions to the life, of the perfect pourtraiture of a Benigne and Gracious Prince, who seems resolved of a new way, and hitherto unheard of, by whole­some laws to enlarge his subjects, and to confine him­self. Yet it may be said, It is not his onely hand which is in these laws: the proposall of them is from others, although the ratification be in him. Be it so: But the ratification is ten-fold to the pro­posall; nay, it is the life and essence of a law. So we ow the laws themselves to his goodnesse. Nay, and if it be granted, that the proposall of such laws comes from others; let us then look to the many gra­cious messages, which occasionally have been sent, at severall times, to that great Assemblie. In these he speaks onely by himself; and in so gracious a manner, that to read some passages, would ravish a loyall heart, as well as endear it. In some of them we may see, how he puts the happinesse of his peo­ple into the same proximitie with his own: in o­thers, how he neglects his own for our accommo­dation. [Page 16]In that of January the 20, you have these golden words: That he will rather lay by any par­ticular respect of his Own dignity, then lose time for the Publick good: That, out of his Fatherly care of his people, he will be ready, both to equall, and to exceed the greatest examples of the most In­dulgent Princes, in their Acts of Grace and Favour to their people. Again, in that of the 28 of Janua­ry there is yet more tendernesse. He calls God to witnesse (and with him the attestation of that sa­cred name is very religious) that the preservation of the publick peace, the law and the libertie of the subject, is and shall alwayes be as much his care and industrie, as the safety of his own life, or the lives of his dearest children. Lastly, in the other of the 15 of March there is more then yieldings and con­cessions; a gracious prevention of our desires: for he is pleased to excite and call upon that Great Councell, even the second time, to prepare with all speed such Acts, as shall be for the establishment of their priviledges, the free and quiet enjoying their estates and fortunes, the liberties of their per­sons, the securitie of the true Religion now profes­sed in the Church of England. What now shall we say to these things? Is not that of Solomon made good unto us (Prov. 16.10.) A Divine sentence is in the lips of the King? Have we not good cause to take up Ezra's benediction (Ezr. 7.27.) Blessed be the Lord which hath put such things as these into the Kings heart? Such things as these we were not so ambitious as to hope for: I trust we shall not be so unworthy as to forget. For my self, I could wish that, accor­ding [Page 17]to the dutie of this day, I could set them forth as they deserve. But they need no varnish of Ora­torie: neither was it my intendment to use them fur­ther, then for the proof of the proposition in hand; to shew you how this highest excellency of Prin­ces, in the care of their peoples happinesse, is radi­ant in our Gracious Sovereign. Yet you may re­member also that I told you, The point needs not so much proofs, as retributions. It cals aloud upon us for all dutifull returns, of honour, love, obedience, loyalty, and thankfull acknowledgements, into that Royall bosome, the first mover and originall under God of our happinesse. In the sphere of Nature there is none of us ignorant, how willing the mem­bers are to make return to the head, for the go­vernment and influence they receive from thence: they will undergo hardship, expose themselves to danger, recede from things convenient, nay neces­sary; they will not grudge at any plentie or honour which is bestowed upon the head; knowing by instinct that from the head the benefit of all re­dounds to them. It is likewise obvious in the Regi­ment of families, which are as States epitomized; that both honour and dutie belong to the Paterfa­miliâs, not onely for the right he hath in the house, but for the provision and support and comfort which all receive from him. Now Kings, by way of excellencie, are Fathers, who look upon all their subjects as so many children, and (with that noble Emperour) account equally as daughters Rempubli­cam & Juliam. The very Heathen, which saw onely the outside or Civill part, reputed them as [Page 18]Fathers: but the Prophet Isaiah, when he speaks of the Church, goes further, and calls them Nursing Fathers: Isa [...]. 49.23. a word which in propriety of speech might seem incongruous; because they have no more of the nurse, then the bosome; nothing at all of the breasts, if what is wanting in the sex were not supplied by their tendernesse. Benignitie, and clemency, and sweetnesse of disposition, and faci­litie of accesse, and compassion toward the distres­sed, these are their breasts, more breasts then two; the same both their breasts and their bowels, which day by day they open to thousands severally, and to all at once, for the suckling and fostering of the pub­lick. Therefore it behoves us to think of returns. By this word Christ read us the lesson, Matth. 22.21. Render, or Return unto Cesar the things which are Cesars, or the things which are from Cesar. The pro­tection of lives, and fortunes, and worldly com­forts; let him have these back again in the honour, love, fear, obedience, supplies which belong to the Sovereigne Head and Parent of a beloved people: that his throne may be established by your loyalty, his reign still prosperous by your prayers & bles­sings, his life lenghthened by years taken forth of your own: that so he may long rejoyce to say with David, Happy are the people. So I have done with the second step of the Gradation, the speciall part of the argument here handled; It is De felicitate Populi.

The third is yet more speciall: It is not onely De felicitate Populi, but De felicitate Populari, that is, De Hac felicitate Populi, or De hoc Genere felicitatis: [Page 19]Beatus cui SIC, Happy they who are in SUCH A CASE, or CONDITION. What that condition is, you may see in the former words; in which there are severall blessings mentioned, and all of them temporall. Plenty is one, in those words, That our garners may be filled with all manner of store; our oxen strong to labour; our sheep bring forth thousands. Peace is another, in these words, That there be no leading in­to captivitie, no complaining in our streets. Multi­tude of people, especially such as are vertuous, a third, in those, That our sonnes may grow up as the young plants, our daughters may be as the polished cor­ners of the temple. The safetie and prosperitie of David their King, a fourth (or rather a first, for it is first mentioned) He giveth salvation, or victorie to Kings, and delivereth David his servant from the peril of the sword. Of all these civill threeds the Psalmist twists this wreath of Happinesse; Happy they who are in such a case. Now hence ariseth the scruple; Why David, a man of so heavenly a temper, and of so good a judgement in things which concern salvation, that he is said to be A man after Gods own heart, 1 Sam. 13.14. should place felicitie in these temporalls. Devout S. Paul, who of all o­thers came nearest to Davids spirit, had these out­ward things in no better esteem, then as drosse, Phil. 3.8. or dung: and our blessed Saviour, in his first Sermon, Matth. 5. thought good to begin the chain of happinesse from povertie, and to second it from hunger, and to con­tinue it from suffering persecution. Non dixit, BEATL DIVITES, sed, BEATI PA [...]PERES, as S. Ambrose observeth. In this, I say, is the [Page 20]scruple, That Christ should begin bless [...]dnesse from povertie, and David place it in abundance: that things earthly should be as drosse to Paul, and as happinesse to David. This scruple wrought so farre with some Interpreters, that they conceived it to be a defective or imperfect sentence, and that the Psalmist uttered it in the person of a worldly man: like that of Solomon, Eccles. 2.24. There is nothing better for a man, then to eat and drink, &c. Therefore, to take off the suspicion of a paradox, they inter­pose Dixerunt: BEATUM [dixerunt] POPU­LUM CUI HAEC SUNT, Men usually say, HAPPY ARE THE PEOPLE IN SUCH A CASE. But we need not flee to this refuge: It is neither a defective nor a paradox; but a full and true pro­position, agreeable both to the tenour of other Scriptures, and also to the analogie of faith. For first, the Psalmist speaks not here, as in other pla­ces, of the happinesse of a man, but of the happi­nesse of a people: it is not Beatus homo, but, Beatus populus. In some other places, where he treats of the happinesse of a man, he circumscribes it al­wayes with things spirituall: a Psal. 32.2. Blessed is the man un­to whom the LORD imputeth no sinne, and in whose spirit there is no guile:b Psal. I 12.1.Blessed is the man that fear­eth the LORD:c Psal 40.4.Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust: and the d Psal. 65.4. & 84.5. & 128.1. like. Here otherwise, see­ing he speaks of the happinesse of a people, he might use more libertie to take in these out wardac­complishments, as having a nearer relation to the happinesse of a Nation or Kingdome, then abstra­ctively of a Christian. Howsoever Aristotle af­firms, [Page 21]in the 7^th of his Politicks, that there is the same happinesse [...], of a single man and of a whole citie: Yet there is a great deal of difference, which he, being not instructed in Christianity, could not observe. Look as on the one side, the being of a State or Nation, as a collective bodie, is not so ordered to immortalitie, nor by conse­quence to happinesse, as the being of a man: so on the other, the concurrence of temporall good things is in no wise so essentiall or requisite to the happinesse of a man, as to the being and w [...]ll-be­ing, and so to the happinesse of a State or people. Experience tells us that a man may be happy with­out children; a State cannot be so without people: a private man may keep his hold of happinesse, though poore and afflicted in the world; a State is onely then happy, when 'tis flourishing and prospe­rous, abounding with peace, plentie, people, and other civill accessions. Men are the walls for strength, women the nurseries for encrease, chil­dren the pledges of perpetuity, money as the vitall breath, peace as the naturall heat, plentie as the ra­dicall moisture, religious and just government as the form or soul of a bodie politick. Upon this ground the Psalmist well knowing how conducing these outward things are to popular happinesse, he casts them all into the definition; his present ar­gument being the happinesse of a people. In the second place, admit he had spake here of the hap­pinesse of a man, or a Christian: yet he mentions not these temporalls, either as the all, or the onely, or the chief of happinesse; but as the concomitants [Page 22]and accessories. They have not an essentiall influx or ingredience into it: but a secondarie and accidentall respect they have in these two considerations. First they are ornamenta, as garnishings, which give a glosse and lustre to virtue, and make it more splen­did. The Moralists say well, that they are as sha­dows to a picture, or garments to a comely person­age. Now as in these, the shadowing makes not the colour of a picture truly better, but onely seem better, and appear more fresh and orient; and as garments do indeed adorn the body now in the state of corruption, whereas, if man had stood in his integritie, they had been uselesse for ornament, as well as for necessity: So likewise these outward things, although in themselves they have nothing of true happinesse, yet because they render it more beauteous and gracefull, as the state of vertue now stands in respect of our converse with men, we may well reckon them without prejudice to vertue inter ornamenta. Then secondly, they are adminicula also, helps and adjuments, as hand-maids to pietie, without which vertue is impotent. Were a man all soul, vertue alone were sufficient; it is enough by it self for the happinesse of the mind: but being partly bodie, and enjoying corporall societie with others, he stands in need of things corporall, to keep vertue in exercise. Want clippes the wings of vertue, that a man cannot feed the hungry, or cloth the naked, or enlarge himself to the good of others: on the other side, this [...], as the Philo­sophers term it, sets vertue at libertie, and gives it scope to be operative. As fire, the more aire & few­ell [Page 23]you give it, the more it diffuseth it self: so the more health, peace, plentie, friends, or authoritie we have; the more power, freedome and advantage we have to do vertuously. Put now all these toge­ther, & the reason is evident, vvhy the Prophet Da­vid here placeth this happinesse in the things vvhich are vvorse; because they are serviceable to the things vvhich are better. Hovvsoever he reserves the men­tion of the better till aftervvard; Yet he vvould give us to understand, that even these inferiour things are the good blenssigs of God, and such blessings, as being put together, make up one part of the happi­nesse of a people. It is true of popular happinesse, as well as personall, It is not one single good, but the aggregation or affluence of many. In the twenty eighth of Deuteronomie, where Moses describes the blessednesse promised to the Israelites, he reckons up all sorts of outward blessings: and a­greeable to those is the conflux of these in this Psalme: The blessing of the house, and of the citie; That there be no leading into captivitie, and no com­plaining in the streets: The blessings of the basket, and of the store; That the garners may be filled with plentie: The blessings of the fruit of the bodie; That the children may be as young plants: The blessings of the field, That the sheep may bring forth thousands, and the oxen be strong to labour: The blessings of going out and coming in; That they may be delivered from the hand of strange children, and saved out of great waters. Here is briefly the compound of the many simples which make up this case or condition of a peoples happinesse. And surely if by these particulars it be [Page 24]defined, we may boldly say, The condition is our own, and men may pronounce of us, as truly as of any Nation, that we have been for a long time a happy people. Our deliverances from strange chil­dren have been great and miraculous, and our land it hath been a Goshen, a lightsome land; whereas the darknesse of discomfort hath rested upon other Nations. The blessings of the citie and field, of the basket and of the store have grown upon us in such abundance, that many men have surfetted of plen­tie: Our land hath been as an Eden and garden of the Lord for fruitfulnesse, as a Salem for peace; whereas other kingdomes do yet grone under the pressures of sword and famine. Besides these, if there be any blessing which the Scripture mentions in other places, Peace in the walls, Plentie in the palaces, Traffick in the ports, or Salvation in the gates; if any part of happinesse which it speaks of in this Psalme, for plantings, or buildings, or reapings, or storings, or peoplings; we have had them all in as much fulnesse as any part of the world, and in more then most: onely there is one particular may be questioned, or rather cannot be denied That amidst the very throng of all these blessings there are some murmurings and complainings in our streets. But it need not seem strange to us, because it is not new in the world. In the stories of all ages we meet with it, That men used to complain of their times to be evil, when indeed themselves made them so. I may be bold to say, There was cause in respect of sinne then, as well as now, especially with godly men, who are so good themselves, that it is no mar­vell [Page 25]if they thought times a little evil to be ex­tremely bad: as alwayes sinne swells to the eye of grace. But if we speak of outward pressures and calamities, I am certain there is not cause now as then: for the riches of the Kingdome were never so great, the peace of the Kingdome never so con­stant, the state of it for all things never so prospe­rous. Onely we must give leave to the world to be like it self: As long as ambition or covetous­nesse are in the world, men of such spirits will cry out, The times are bad, even when they are best; because they (in their own bad sense) still desire to be better. As nothing is enough, so nothing is plea­sing to a restlesse mind. An insatiable appetite is alwayes impatient; and, because impatient, queru­lous. Yet this is not the sole reason: for besides this humour of appetite, the very corruption of our nature leads us hereunto, To be weary of the present. It is the joynt observation both of Divines and Moralists (as of Salvian, Quintilian, Tacitus, and others, who agree as near almost in words as in opinion) Quòd usitatum est mentis humanae vitium, illa magìs semper velle qua desunt; &, vetera quidem in laude, praesentiain fastidio ponere. Our own ex­perience will tell us as much, if we will take pains to observe it, How, through the pravity of our own dispositions, whatsoever is present proves burdensome, whether it be good or bad. Salvian, in his third De Gubernatione, sets forth this humour to the life: That men of all times were displeased with all times: Si aestus est, (saith he) de ariditate causamur; si fluvia, de inundatione conquerimur: si [Page 26]infoecundior annus est, accusamus sterilitatem; si foe­cundior, vilitatem. So winter and summer are both alike distastfull to impatient men: In scarcity things are too dear, in plentie too cheap: povertie pinch­eth, and abundance nauseates. If there be a little too much drought, they cry out of a famine; if a showre or two extraordinary, they are affraid of a deluge. You shall heare in good times, Quid no­bis cum Davide? and in bad, Antigonum effodio: as we reade of the Israelites, That even when God himself was pleased to order their civill affairs, they were not contented; but still repined, as well when they had manna, as when they wanted it. The reason is (as the Greek Historian notes) [...]. But I hope we Christians are of a better temper. It beseems not us of all others to be so injurious to God, who hath singled us out to be a happy people: It beseems us not to be so unthankfull to our Sovereigne, under whom we enjoy these blessings. Howsoever it ought to be in the first place acknowledged, that the originall of all our happinesse is from heaven: yet it must be confest withall, that the chrystall pipe through which blessings are conveyed unto us, is his government: Our peace is from his wisdome; our plentie from our peace; our prosperitie from our plenty; our safetie, our very life, our whatsoe­ver good of this nature, it is by Gods providence wrapt up in his welfare, whose precious life (as the Oratour speaks) is Vita quaedam publica, the very breath of our nostrils perfumed with multitude of comforts. [...]ma. 4.20. What then remains, but that our thank­fulnesse [Page 27]should result from all, to make our happi­nesse complete? that so both receiving what we desire, and retributing what we ow, we may give cause unto all Kingdomes to lengthen this acclama­tion, and to say, Happy both Prince and people which are in such a case. So I have done with the first ge­nerall part of the text, the path of Prosperitie, an­swerable to the civill respect of the day.

I now proceed to the second, the path of Pietie, answerable to the Religious respect; Yea, happy. It's the best wine to the last, though all men be not of this opinion. You shall hardly bring a worldly man to think so. The world is willing enough to mis­conster the order of the words, and to give the pri­oritie to Civill happinesse, as if it were first in di­gnitie, because 'tis first named: they like it better to hear of the Cui sic, then the Cui Dominus. To pre­vent this follie, the Psalmist interposeth a caution in this corrective particle, Yea, Happy. It hath the force of a revocation, whereby he seems to retract what went before, not simply and absolutely, but in a certain degree, lest worldly men should wrest it to a misinterpretation. It is not an absolute revo­cation, but a comparative; it doth not simply deny that there is some part of popular happinesse in these outward things, but it preferres the spiritualls before them: Yea, that is, Yea more, or, Yea rather: like that of Christ in the Gospel, When one in the companie blessed the wombe that bare him, Lek. 11.28. he pre­sently replies, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it. In like manner the Pro­phet David, having first premised the inferiour part [Page 28]and outside of an happy condition; fearing lest any should of purpose mistake his meaning, and hearing the first proposition, should either there set up their rest, and not at all take in the second; or if take it in, yet do it preposterously, and give it the prece­dence before the second, according to the worlds order, virtus post nummos: In this respect he puts in the clause of revocation; whereby he shews, that these outward things, though named first, yet they are not to be reputed first. The particle Yea removes them to the second place: it tacitly trans­poseth the order; and the path of piety, which was locally after, it placeth virtually before. 'Tis as if he had said, Did I call them happy, who are in such a case? Nay, miserable are they, if they be onely in such a case: The temporall part cannot make them so without the spirituall. Admit the windows of the visible heaven were opened, and all outward blessings powred down upon us; admit we did per­fectly enjoy whatsoever the vastnesse of the earth contains in it: tell me, What will it profit to gain all, and to lose God? If the earth be bestowed up­on us, and not heaven; or the materiall heaven be opened, and not the beatificall; or the whole world made ours, and God not ours: we do not ar­rive at happinesse. All that is in the first propositi­on is nothing, unlesse this be added, Yea, happy are the people which have the LORD for their God. You see in this part there is aliquid quod eminet, some­thing which is transcendent: Therefore I will en­quire into two particulars; see both what it is that transcends, and what is the manner of propoun­ding of it.

The manner of propounding it, is, as I said, corre­ctive, or by way of revocation: the summe where­of is thus much, That temporalls without spiritu­alls, in what aboundance soever we possesse them, cannot make us truly happy. They cannot make happy, because they cannot make good. They may denominate a man to be rich, or great, or honourable; but not to be virtuous. Nay, Seneca carrieth it a little further, Non modò non faciunt bonum, fed nec divitem; They are so farre from making a man good, that they make him not truly rich; because they encrease desire, and riches consist in conten­tation. Not he that hath little, but he that desires more is poor: nor he that hath much, but he that wants nothing is rich. Yea, and we may go further then Seneca; They are so farre from making good, that they often make evill, if they be not sanctified: they possesse the heart with vile affections, fill it full of carnall and sinfull desires. Wheras there are foure good mothers which bring forth ill daughters, prosperitie is one. Truth begets hatred, securitie danger, familiaritie contempt, prosperi­tie pride and forgetfulnesse of God. In this I might well make a stop; but there is one degree more: They are so farre from making good, that they do not bring good, but many evils and inconveniences. They bring not the good of contentment, but infi­nite distractions: they are aureae compedes, as S. Ber­nard speaks, fetters or manicles which entangle the soul, that it cannot attend upon better things: Nor the good of freedome: they do enthrall the soul to that which is worse then it self; and it cannot [Page 30]be apprehended how a thing worse then our selves can make us happy. Lastly, not the good of safetie: for they oftentimes expose us to dangers, Multos sua felicitas stravit, as Gregorie speaks. Many men their lives had been longer, if their riches had been lesse: their happinesse made them miserable; & consolationes factae sunt desolationes, as S. Bernard again. Upon these grounds the Psalmist had very good reason to sequester them from true happi­nesse, and, by this corrective particle, to reduce them to the second place, though he set them in the first. He knew very well that they are burdens, shares, impediments to piety, as often as furthe­rances. He knew them to be vain and transitory things, Prov. 23.5. that we cannot hold. They make themselves wings, as Solomon speaks. They are onely the moveables of happinesse, Bractealis felicitas, as Se­neca; [...], as Nazianzen. What's that? S. Austin seems to translate it, felicitas fallax, a fa­bulous and personate felicitie: Nay, not onely fal­lax, but falsa, fictitious, spurious, deceitfull, which leaves the soul empty when it most fills it: that be­ing most true which the same Father adds, felici­tas fallax, major infelicitas; & falsa felicitas, vera miseria. Therefore, that I may shut up this point, let this be the use of it. We must learn from hence to regulate our judgements according to the wis­dome of the Spirit revealed in the word: And that we may do, if we keep to Gods method, and set every thing in the due place, where God hath seat­ed it. Now the Scripture constantly doth give the inferiour place to these temporall things. If to come [Page 31]after, be inferiour; it sets them there: Seek first the kingdome of God, &c. Matth. 6.33. If to be be­low, be inferiour, it placeth them there: Set your affection on things above, &c. Coloss. 3.2. Even gold and silver, the best of these things, they are seated under the feet of men, and the whole world under the feet of a Christian, Rev. 12.1. to teach us to despise it. Lastly, if to be on the left hand, be in­feriour; the Scripture reckons them there too: they are called the blessings of the left hand, to teach us to give them the same place in our affections. In one sense, we may put them on the right, by using them to God's glorie: but in love and esteem they must be on the left. S. Hierome illustrates it by this similitude: As flax when it is on the distaffe, it is on the left hand; but when it is spunne into yarn, and put on the spindle, it is on the right: so temporall things in themselves, when first we receive them, they are as flax on the distaffe, all this while on the left hand; but spinne them forth, and use them to God's glorie, they are as yarn on the spindle, trans­posed to the right. Thus we must learn to order them: to the right hand onely for use, to the left for valuation. Otherwise, if we pervert God's order, and put them on the right; it is to be feared they will set us on the left at the day of judgement: if we elevate them above, they will keep us below; and make us come after, if we set them before. The highest place they can have, is to be seconds to pie­tie: here holy David placeth them though he men­tions pietie last, yet he giveth it the precedence in this word of revocation, Yea, happie; that is, Yea [Page 32]first, yea more, yea more truly happie. That shall serve for the first particular, the manner of propounding this truth unto us.

The second is the thing it self which transcends, in these words, whose God is the LORD, or, who have the LORD for their God. In the generall it is an ordi­nary, as well as transcendent. An ordinary, because all partake of this priviledge. Whereupon S. Au­stin asks the question, Cujus non est Deus? But S. Hierome resolves it; Naturâ Deus omnium, volun­tate paucorum: In a communitie the God of all, even to the sparrow on the house top, and grasse of the field; but the God of the righteous after a pe­culiar manner. To come to the meaning; we must let go the generall, this ordo communis providentiae, as he is Dominus omnium, the Lord of all creatures: this brings not happinesse along with it: God's or­dinary and generall providence intitles not to that supreme blessednesse, which is in himself. The spe­ciall references are onely intended: and those we may reduce to these two heads. The first is ordo specialis influxûs, on God's part, the respect of his being gracious to us. Then the Lord is our God, when he shews himself benigne and propitious, when he manifests his mercie and goodnesse in the wayes of grace and means of salvation. It is so ex­pounded Psalme 65.4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest: and Psalme 33.12. Blessed is the nation, whose God is the LORD, and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Being thus taken, it affords us this meditation, That there is no true hap­pinesse, but in the favour of God, and light of his [Page 33]countenance; that is, in God himself: both because happinesse is onely from him, he is the onely au­thour of it: Non facit beatum hominem, nisi qui fecit hominem;— Qui dedit ut homines simus, solus dat ut beati simus; He onely makes Saints who makes men: 'tis S. Austin's elegant expression. Then a­gain, as it is onely from God, so it is onely in God. As the soul, saith Austin, is vita carnis; so God is the beata vita hominis, so fully, that a man cannot be happy either way, nec absque Deo, nec extra De­um: not without God, because he is the Doner; not out of God, because he is the thing it self, and all which belongs to it. As S. Ambrose of the foure beatitudes in S. Luke compared with the eight in S. Matthew; In istis octo illae quatuor sunt, & in istis quatuor illae octo: and as King Porus, when Alex­ander askt him how he would be used, answer­ed in one word, [...], that is, like a King. A­lexander again replying, Do you desire nothing else? No, saith he: all things are in [...], So in this which we are now about it holds much more: both the foure, and the eight, and all bea­titudes, they are in God, so that he who hath God, must needs have all things, because God is all things. There is no notion under which we can couch beatitude, but we may find it in God by way of eminencie: if as a state of joy, or glory, or wealth, or tranquillitie, or securitie, God is all these: if as a state of perfection, salvation, re­tribution; God is all these: not onely the giver of the reward, but the rewardit self; both our bonum, and our summum. A Christian is never truly hap­py, [Page 34]till he can find himself and all things in God. The fruition of God, it is [...](as Pelusio­ta speaks) the very top of the spire or pinacle of beatitude both here and in heaven. In hoc uno sum­mitas beatitudinis eliquatur, to use Tertullians words. Were a man in paradise, were he in heaven it self, and had not God; he could not be happy. Were he on Job's dunghill, in Daniels den, in the belly of hell with Jonah, nay in the infernall hell with Dives, and yet had God; he could not be misera­ble: for heaven is wheresoever God is, because his influxive presence maketh heaven. That's the Ordo influxûs I mentioned, for which he is said to be our God. Besides this, there is ordo Divini cultûs, on our part, The respect of our being serviceable to him: when we love him, and fear him, and honour him, and adhere unto him as we ought. To all these there is blessednesse pronounced in severall Psalmes: to those that fear him, Psal. 128.1. to those that keep his testimonies, Psal. 119.2. to those that trust in him, Psal. 84.12. If we take it thus, the point is this in summe, There is no true happinesse, but in the worship and service of God: Felices sunt qui Deo vivunt, that's S. Bernards: Servire Deo est regnare, that's S. Ambrose his expression: As much as this, The godly man is onely the true happy man. Yet we must understand it aright: It is not to serve him onely in outward profes­sion, which either makes us his, or him ours. There are many who pretend to serve him, who cannot challenge this interest: for they serve him but with their lips; in act, themselves and their [Page 35]own pleasures: in this both hypocrites and idola­ters, that under the shew of one God set up many to themselves. The Epicure he makes his belly his God, the lascivious man his lust, the voluptuous man his pleasure, the factious man his humour, the covetous man his mammon. I name this last. It is the observation of S. Austin, in his 7 book De Civitate Dei, and of Lactantius in his second De Origine Erroris, That avarice gives laws to religi­on, whil'st generally sub obtentu Numinis cupiditas colitur. Yea, and S. Paul expresseth it more pun­ctually, That covetousnesse is idolatry, Col. 3.5. And the covetous man an idolater, Ephes. 5.5. For he doth the same to his gold, that the heathen did to their idoles: he makes his gold his God; his God, be­cause his joy, and his care, and his confidence: Those pictures he worships, though otherwise he abhorres idoles; to these he offers his service, he gives them his heart, he extols them, ascribes unto them the glory of his happinesse: These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: this money got thee such a preferment, procured such a deliverance, prevailed in such a suite. It's the secret idolatrie which runnes through the world. But such men as these, they are as farre from God as from his service, and as farre from happinesse as from God. Whosoever will make sure of the Lord to be his God, he must put the idoles out of his heart, he must go out of himself, he must not willingly harbour any sinne. Sinne se­parates from God, excludes from happinesse, cuts off both priviledges, of God's being ours, and our [Page 36]being God's. Yet there is one thing more; with which I will conclude: Since it is so, that happi­nesse is seated in these mutuall intercurrences, of calling the Lord our God, and our selves his people; and seeing religion is the Vinculum unionis, which makes these mutuall interests intercurrent, and cou­ples them together; it follows as the upshot of all, That the chief and choicest part of Nationall hap­pinesse consists in the puritie of God's worship, in the enjoying of God's ordinances, in the free pas­sage of the Gospel; that is, in the truth and integri­tie of religion. In this alone there are all sweets, all beauties, all blisses, all glories. It is as the ark of God to Israel, and as the golden candlestick to the Churches, the elevating principle which advanceth a Christian Nation above the heathen, and the re­formed Churches above other Christian Nations, and this Iland in which we live (I may say without arrogancie) above all. There is no Nation in the world, which hath had the condition of religion so pure and prosperous, as we, for almost these hundred yeares. It's true, if God calls us to ac­count, we cannot say that we have answered our op­portunities: we find not wherein to boast of our righteousnesse; for vve are a sinfull people, vvhose lives (for the most part of us) are as much vvorse, as our means and professions better then in other pla­ces. It is true also, that of later yeares the love of religion in most hath grovvn cold, and the puritie by some hath been stained and corrupted: and I vvill not novv discusse vvhere the fault hath been; the rather, because it is every mans endeavour to re­move [Page 37]it from himself. Onely I will adde thus much, That wheresoever the fault is, there is no man hath shewed himself more forward to reform it then the King himself. But Princes cannot al­wayes attain their ends according to their liking, because they see with other eyes, and execute with other hands then their own. And if we should cast the faults of men upon authoritie, we should do wrong (I fear) to those who do not deserve it: for even this very yeare, notwithstanding the reforma­tion of corruptions hath been with so much zeal and diligence endeavoured, yet the end is not at­tained: Nay, in some respects, it is so farre set back that, to my understanding, the state of religion hath never been worse since the first reformation, then this present yeare: in respect, first, of the greatnesse of our distractions, which have di­vided us all one from another: then, of the multi­tude of sects and sectaries which cry indeed, as the Jews before them, Templum Domini; but with a worse addition, ut Templum Domini diruatur. Lastly, in respect of the many dishonours done to the service of God, with so much scorn and scan­dall to religion, that in forein parts they question, whether all this time we had any. No doubt all this is come upon us for our sinnes: let us remove them, and then God will blesse our studie of refor­mation. But yet in the mean time let us remember that message, which the good Bishop sent to Epi­phanius, Domine, sol ad occasum descendit. Our sun-shine is but yet declining; it may come to set, if we now begin to disgust this greatest blessing of [Page 38]religion, which God hath bestowed upon us. Let us learn to regard it more, to love it better, to blesse God for it, and for his government who upholds it: a Prince so devout and religious in his own person, that if all were like him, we should have a King­dome of Saints. In this respect, we may use Velleius his words of his Majestie, Cùm sit imperio Maximus, exemplo Major est: The lustre of his pietie surpas­seth the lustre of his empire. If therefore that of Synesius be true, That men generally affect to write after the copies which are set by their Prin­ces; it behoves us all, both to take out the lesson, and to blesse God for the copie. And moreover, as this day puts us in mind, let us all send up our most affectionate prayers, that his Throne may be esta­blished by Righteousnesse, his Crown exalted with Honour, his Scepter be for power like Moses rod, for flourishing like Aaron's; that his happy reigne may in himself outlive us all, and in his poste­ritie be perpetuated to all generations; that suc­ceeding ages may confesse, Surely God hath been fa­vourable unto this land, and hath not dealt so with any Nation. O how happy are the people that are in such a case! Yea, how happy are the people which have the Lord for their God!

SERMON I.

THis Text is able to make a dumb man elo­quent, to set open the doore of utte­rance, to the most illiterate tongue. If there be any one among us that labours of Moses imperfection, (who confessed of himselfe, that he was slow of Tongue, and impotent for eloquence) let him read this Text, and it will teach him to speake: If there be any a­mong us that have put on Davids resolution, to keepe silence even from good words, let him read againe this Scripture only, and he shall finde a way to the passage of Speech.

The Prophet here in this place takes on him the Office, and function of a Schoole-Master: having learned the Art of speaking, the heavenly art of speech himselfe, he labours to train up others to the knowledge of the same Art: and I shal [Page 2]not think much to be his scholler at this time, and to presse these words a little further then the Prophet intended them. He gives them only as a rule of direction to the people, how to pray to God, but they may serve as a rule of direction to Ministers how to speak to the people: and indeed, if this go before the other will the better a great deale follow. That you may with speed turne to God, it becomes us to turne to you; we must call upon you, that you would please to call up­on him; wee must first open our mouthes to you, that you would open yours before the Throne of grace.

And indeed I must needs confesse, that I have been too long silent from this Theame of repentance, considering what the times are. Our dangers are great, & our carelesnes is as great no man goes about to labour to meet God. I can hold no lon­ger; and when I look upon this Scripture, methinkes I may take Elihu's speech into my mouth. Behold I am full of matter, and the Spirit within me constraineth me: My belly is as new wine, which hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new bottles. I will now speake and keepe silence no longer. Me thinkes I heare the Pro­phet behind me, calling upon me as Moses to Aaron, Ʋp, hast thee, get thee to the congregation, the plague is begun, and they are all asleepe, and there is no man that spreads his Armes, and no man that lifts up his voyce to God. Speake to them, and speake to the purpose, I, speake home, call upon them, to Take to themselves words, and to returne to the Lord, and say thus, and thus to him.

And that I may doe it now to purpose, I will take the words in pieces; so they present to us these two particulars.

There is a rule of excitement.

And there is a rule of direction.

The forme of excitement, that is in these words, Take to you words, and turne to the Lord, and say to him.

The form of direction, that is in the other words, Take away all iniquitie, and receive us gratiously.

In the former of these parts, there are two things obser­veable; a double excitement; an excitement to duty of acti­on, Turne to the Lord; an excitement to the duty of elocuti­on, Take to you words, and say to him.

In the latter, there are these two parts also.

One direction is for grace, that is to be given from above; Take away all our iniquities, and receive us gatiously.

The other direction is for returne of thankes, for the mer­cies of God from below, So will we give the calves of our lips.

I begin with the first; and that is, the rule or forme of excitement, and that is double, for two duties. And the first excitement is to a dutie of action, Turne to the Lord: it is not the first thing specified in the order of the words; but it is the first that I will take in, in the order of handling them: so, it will goe well if wee read it thus, Turne to the Lord, and take with you words and say. Thus,

The first thing is for turning to the Lord; the dutie to which they were exhorted in the former verse, yet the Pro­phet doth it here again: He saw their backwardnes was great, and therefore he pricks them twise forward. He knew it was a dutie of importance, that was to be done oft, and day­ly, Et nunquam nimis dicitur, quod nunquam nimis discitur. It can never be spoken too oft, that can never be learned too oft: it can never be pressed too much, that can never be lear­ned and understood too much: as they were to do it dayly, so he cals upon them dayly in the former verse, and in this verse. This is so evident, that I need not stand further on it, I shall not need therefore to speake of it; nor yet of the oc­casion of these words, that is seene by the coherence of the Text.

The Prophet in the spirit of prophesie foresaw the great miserie that was readie to fall upon them, he foresaw the [Page 4]great captivitie that God would bring on them, therefore nowso long before, he cals upon them to prevent those mi­series; yet there was opportunitie to avert the captivitie: he speakes to them therefore, that they would bethinke them­selves; that God might turne his purpose of the captivi­tie, that they would turne now the course of their sins, that they would Turne from their evill wayes to the Lord.

The only things I will observe here in the first Phrase, are these two.

The meaning of the Phrase.

And the Propositions that may be drawne from it.

For the meaning of the phrase: it's a phrase that we oft meet with, therefore it will be worth our looking to see what du­tie that is here, to which the Prophet exhorts them: for to one of these two, it must needs be referred; either to pray­er, or to repentance, and yet it is doubtfull to which of these.

For if wee say to prayer; it is to repentance as well as that: for repentance is a turning to God as well as prayer. And if we say he exhorts them to the dutie of repentance, it seems: other­wise for conversion is but halfe the worke of repentance. Repen­tance consists of two acts, there are two parts of it.

The first part of it is contrition, or humiliation, that is the penal, or passive part of repentance.

The second part only is conversion or reforming of our wayes, and that is the active part: it seemes therefore it is not meant of repentance, because that is but halfe.

Again if we say, he exhorts to conversion, that implies but halfe repentance: for conversion it implies a turning from sinne, before wee can turne to God. Therefore the best course will be to take in all these; humiliation as the first thing in repen­tance; and aversion from sinne, as that that alway accom­panies true humiliation; and turning to God by prayer, and supplication, as that part of repentance, which is the last in act, [Page 5]but the first in intent: We may well take them in all, for the Scripture allowes us this libertie: the Scripture sets forth to us the whole worke of repentance in all the parts of it, by this one phrase of turning to the Lord, and there is no phrase used in Scripture to set out the worke of repentance ofter then this, Turne to the Lord. Therefore wee may take in both the duties, prayer, and repentance, and humiliation. So it is thus much in effect, Turne to the Lord, humble your selves before God; lament your sinnes, renounce all those transgressions you have provoked him by; cast them from you, least they cast you from him, cut them off, least they cut you off: leaving your transgressions, you may come with comfort and boldnes, to the Throne of grace, you may call on him, and pray to him. Both then are to be taken in; the dutie of prayer, and the dutie of repentance. And there is good reason for it.

They both agree to the scope of the place: for the words are either the excitement of a prophane heart, to the worke of devotion, or of a hard, impenitent heart to the work of contriti­on, and remorse: and the next words shew so much. Ashur, and your owne arme cannot save you, he is the Father of the Fatherlesse; as if he he had said, Turne to the Lord, or pray that he would deliver you: for, Ashur, and your owne arme cannot save you: and turne to the Lord by repentance, that he would pardon you, For in him the Fatherlesse sinde mercie; they agree with the scope of place.

And they agree with the coherence, Take to you words, words are as necessary to be taken to the duty of repentance, as to the dutie of prayer; necessary to both.

The penitent man, when he comes before God, he takes words, they are bitter, mournfull words, whereby he enlageth and openeth his heartto God: and the devout man he takes words, they are words of zeale and fervencie, moving, perswa­sive words, that God would be reconciled: both the peni­tent unloads himselfe this way, and the devout heart he [Page 6] enlarg eth himselfe, both take words. It agrees to the co­herence.

Lastly, all of them agree to the metaphor, it is called turning to God: repentance is a turning, as well as prayer, and prayer as well as repentance; so that the difference be obser­ved in the application of this word unto them both.

irst, repentance is a diametricall turning, a turning from the greatest evill, to the greatest good, from sinne to God. Prayer is not a diametricall turning, but a collaterall tur­ning, it is not from the greatest evill to the greatest good, but from a lesse good to a greater good; from the workes of our calling, from the exercise of lesser things, to an holie dutie.

Secondly, repentance is a finall turning, never to come back to sinne more; it is alwayes a purpose to goe forwards to God, and never to looke back to the point it is turned from. Prayer is not a finall turning, it is a temporarie turning; wee leave secular workes to have recourse to God; but when prayer is ended, God allows, and gives us leave to mannage the affaires of our calling, so it be in a decent fashion; it is not a finall turning; yet both are turnings.

Prayer is a turning as Damscaene defines it, Elevatio cordis ad deum, a lifting up of the heart to God: in that it is an ele­vation of the heart, a turning of the heart, wherein the devout soule flies above the thoughts and meditations of all earthly things, and goes out of it selfe for the fruition and enjoyment of the comforts of Gods spirit, that it may lay open its wants before God; it is a turning of the heart and of the voyce, and of every outward part of a man: in prayer, there the eye is turned, by looking up, the hands are turned by spreading be­fore God, the Knees are turned by bowing before his foote­stoole, and the heart is turned by going out of it selfe.

Prayer leaves the world, Transoendit mundum, as St. Ambrose speakes, it goes above the world, above the [Page 7]Cloudes, it rests not till it come to God; prayer is a turning.

But more particularly repentance is a turning.

A Ʋniversall.

A Totall.

A Finall turning or change that is wrought in the mind, in the actions of the bodie, in the whole man; Repentance workes a change in the whole man; not in the substance of flesh, as Ambrose speakes; not a corporall, visible change wrought in the substance of the soule or flesh, or in the quan­titie, or dimensions of it. Though repentance bring a change in that sometimes, when it brings the bodie to meagernes and py­ning: but the change is wrought in the qualities of the mind, and the actions of the bodie.

There is a perfect change.

First, it is a generall, universall turning In respect of the subject; it workes a perfect change in every part, a dark un­derstanding before, is turned to light; a servile will is now turned to libertie; rebellious affections are turned now to obe­dience; a hard heart is turned to softnesse and meeknesse: and so in the bodie, the eye of wantonesse is turned to an eye of cha­stitie; the uncircumcised eare is turned to an eare of obedience; the rough hands, as Esaus, are turned to the hands of Jacob; in every thing there is a change. This is the first thing.

Wherin a true Christian differs from a formal; a formal Chri­stian is changed, and turned, but not universally in every part. He turnes from some sin that he begins to loath by infirmitie of nature; or because his purse will not hold out to main­taine it; or the shame of the world cries him downe, or for some sinister respects: but he keepes his darling bosome sinne, O, his beloved sinne he will not part with. He will heare in many things gladly, and reforme, as Herod; he will take a half turne with Agrippa; when Paul preached, saith he, almost, al­most; he was wambling; he could finde in his heart to [Page 8]turne, but he was loath to leave his sinnes. But it is other­wise with a true penitent; as he turnes in earnest, so he la­bours to make the change discernable in all parts; he casts off all the raggs of old Adam, he casts out all sinne, he leaves not a horne or a hoofe behind. Repentance is such a grace, that it scrapes off all Leviathans skales. It is a laver that washeth away all the Lepers spots, it makes of an Aethiopian, an Israe­lite; it works not only a palpable, but an universall change. That is the first thing.

Secondly, as it is universall in respect of the subject; so it is total in respect of the act. Repentance is such a turning as goes to the contrary point: it is such a turning as keepes still a direct opposition.

And herein a true convert differs from a formall Christian: the formall Christian he turnes side-wayes; when he begins to have some detestation of sinne wrought in him, he seemes to turne a little. As a man that hath his back upon the North-point; if he turne his back to the South, he stands in direct op­position to that point he looked to before: but if he turne his face to the East, or West, he may looke to the North or South at the same time; he turnes but halfe, but side wayes, if he turne from the North to the East: So a formall convert, he turnes, but he keepes a learing eye upon sinne: he lookes to sinne, and to God at the same time; when he is in secret he lookes to sinne: but when he is in company he lookes to God: he lookes to Babylon, and Jerusalem at the same time, he will have his backe, not upon the North, but East or West, that he may looke both wayes. But a true Convert turnes point blank from the point he was in before to the contrarie; because there is no communion between grace and sin; there is no standing betweene them both. Newtrall, hovering hearts, luke warme hearts, that partake of both tempers, such hearts God abhors more then cold, prophane hearts: The godly man will not doe so; he knowes that grace and repen­tance [Page 9]stand in opposition, and contrarietie, and repugnancie with sin; he gets cleare to the other point. Sinne turns our backe upon God, repentance sets our face to God: sinne is a madnesse or distemper, the phrensie of the soule; repentance brings a man to his right minde, it brings him to himselfe: Sinne is an aberration from the marke (so some words in Scripture signifie) repentance on the contrarie, it takes the point of the heart, which is the arrow that we shoot up to Heaven in the sacrifice of Prayer and repentance, and it turns it just upon the marke againe; it sets it right, to aime on­ly at the glorie of God; that wee may glorisie God in the latter part of our life, as we have dishonoured him in the for­mer: repentance is a directing to the right marke.

Lastly, Sinne is a deviation, a turning out of the path of obedience, and from the commandements: repentance (and so the word is here used) is a turning to the right way, a bringing of our feet to that path, that God hath chalked to us. Repentance, as it is a generall turning, in respect of the subject, so it is totall in respect of the act. That is the se­cond thing.

Thirdly, as it is totall in respect of the act; so it is finall in respect of the time. True repentance leaves sinne: so as that it takes a long farewell, it takes its great, and last adieu of sinne, it saith with the Spouse in the Canticles, I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I now defile them? I have found the smart of sin, I have put off the garment of the old man: the Serpents skin is now gone, I am made partaker of the fleece of the Lamb: there is another garment of the robe of Christs righ­teousnesse is drawne over me; shall I take my old raggs againe? shall I take that which I have put off? I have ba­thed my feet, my affections; I have washed my hands in in­nocencie; I have washed my heart in the laver of epen­tance, with that laver that begot repentance, the blood of [Page 10]shall I defile my selfe any more in the wayes and workes of sinne? this is the language of repentance, it leaves sinne, to turne no more to it.

Here in a true convert differs from a formall Christian; he will turne for a time, when Gods hand presseth him; when he is driven to an exigent, and etremitie, he will leave his sinne, but as a man puts off his garments at night, when he goes to bed, to take them when he awakes. He leaves sinne in the night of affliction, and tribulation, but when the storm's over, he takes it againe to himselfe. Such Christ speakes of in the Gospell; they are compared to dogs and to swine, to dogs that returne to their vomit, and to swine, that returne to wallow in the myre, scuh as the Apostle saith, that having escaped the intanglements of the world, are defiled again the second time. Such a one was Lots Wife that turned from Sodome, but looked back a­gaine: such a one was Demas, that left the fellowship of the world, and imbraced the fellowship of the Apostle, but his resolution held not out, after, he left the fellowship of the Apostle, and betooke himselfe to communion with the World.

But on the other side, a true penitent doth not so, after he hath tasted once of the sweetnes of grace, after he hath gotten assurance of the pardon of sinne, it begets in him such a detestation and hatred, that though he fall into any of those sinnes that cost him the plowing up of his fallow ground, and the breaking of his heart, he would not change the comfort of his estate, for the pleasures of all sinnes, though they were not for a season, but for eternitie: repen­tance is a finall change, so we see the phrase cleared; repentance, and prayer is a turning.

The Prophet saith, Turne to the Lord, that is, turne your lips to him, offer the sacrifice of praise; and turne your [Page 11] hearts to him too, offer the sacrifice of a contrite spirit: so much for the meaning of the phrase.

I come to the second, that is, the Propositions that arise from this dutie of action. The propositions are two that a­rise clearely.

The first Proposition is this, that

The Prophet saw the judgement, and their miserie, and he chalks out the meanes to prevent it.

The first meanes is this, the turning to the Lord, that is the summe of all; there is no hope of removing the punish­ment, except wee turne te God by prayer. That is the first, and that is the way that the Scripture chalks out to us in diverse places after a diverse manner.

It shewes it us sometimes, by vertue of the precept God hath commanded us, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee: when trouble is nigh at hand, when any affliction perplexeth thee, when thou groanest under any ca­lamitie, loe God himselfe shewes thee the way, and that is this, Call upon me in the day of trouble, that is, pray to me, turne to me by prayer: that which he cals there Call upon me is here Turne to the Lord; they are both phrases equi­valent.

It is not only by precept, but it is set out by promise, the Scripture chalks out this by promise, take one for all 2 Chren. 7. That will suit with our occasion, and this Scrip­ture. There God makes this promise, If I shut heaven, that there be no raine, or if I command the locusts to devoure the Land, or if I send the pestilence that it break forth: If yet they shall turne to me, and seeke my face, and pray to me, and forsake their evill wayes, I will heare from Heaven, and pardon their sins, and heale their Land. There could not be a more gracious promise, [Page 12]nor a more ample promise, it is not only in generall, if that my judgements shall break forth on them: for then, it may be, they would have wanted understanding to have apply­ed it in particular judgements: therefore God instances in such, and such judgements; they may stand for all; in time of famine, and drought, if there be no raine; and if because there be no raine, there is no plentie; if they be not only in famine, but pestilence, he sets the meanes, whereby he will be induced to withdraw these judgements, If they seeke my face and turne to me, and call upon my name, and forsake their evill wayes. There are all the particulars of dutie. Then there are all the particulars of deliverance, I will heare from Heaven, and pardon their sinnes, and heale their Land: that is, I will remove the judgements, and not only so; but take them to grace and favour, so, it is chalked out by promise as well as by precept.

Nay, not only by promise, but it is chalked out, by Testi­monie and experience: take Davids experience for all, for David was one that shewed more experience of the know­ledge of Gods wayes then any other.

First, there is the experience of his owne person, 2 Sam. 22. When I was in distresse, I called upon the Lord, I cried to God, and he heard me out of his holy Temple, and my crie entred into his eares. See, David in distresse called upon the Lord, and he heard him.

If we will not believe his experience for himselfe, let us see it for others. That he sets down in diverse psalines in generall words, that The righteous crye and the Lord heares them, and delivers them from all their troubles. The order is this, when the righteous are in trouble, they crye to the Lord, and he heares them, and his hearing is his answer, and his answer is deliverance out of trouble.

See yet, if the generall will not serve; if Davids experi­ence will not serve, see it in particular Saints, Psal. 34. This [Page 13]poore man cryed to the Lord. It is worth observing, that David breakes out into such an abruption of phrase; he named none before, if he had spoken before of one of exceeding pietie, and predicated this of him, This pooro man, wee might say as the Eunuch to Philip, Doth the Prophet speake this of himselfe, or of some other man? but it is a phrase ordinarie in the Psalmes, therefore take notice of it; it is in another Psalme, Her foundations are upon the holic hill; a man would wonder who he speakes of; but he knew wee must needs understand it of the Church: therefore as in an holy rapture, and speaking of Gods government of it, he saith Her foundations, ye know whom I speake of. So in another Psalme, the Lord heare thee in the day of trouble; one would have thought he had spoken of some body before, the Lord hear thee, thee afflicted poor soule, whosoever, In the day of trouble, the Lord heare thee: so, This poore man. I know some interpret it in reference to Christ, therefore they make it a prophe­sie of Gods hearing of Christs prayer upon the crosse, and in the garden; some of the antients interpret it so: but yet it runs more directly concerning righteous men, according to the phrase of Scripture, This poore man; that is, any poore man, any righteous man: it is as much, as The righteous crie, and the Lord hears them: This psore man cried, and the Lord heard him; that is, whosoever is in distresse, and perplexitie, if he seeke to God, God will heare him, and deliver him. Wee see it by experience.

And we may see it by example too. The examples are many in Scripture, I will instance only in three; that this hath alway been the course that the Saints of God, nay, that even wicked men have tooke in the time of ca­lamitie, and distresse to flie to the Throne of grrace, and to turne to God by prayer. Moses, when God sayd he had a purpose to destroy the congregation of Israel, and con­sume [Page 14]them in a moment, presently he betakes himselfe to his knees, and he speakes to God, O Lord this peo­ple have committed a great sinne: it was the course that Da­vid tooke too, when he saw the Angel of the Lord with his sword drawn over Jerusalem, readie to destroy it, It is I that have sinned; it was the course that Hezekiah tooke, when he had a Message of death brought to him, He turned to the wall, saith the Text, and said to God, O Lord remember how I have walked before thee with a perfect heart: he turned to the Wall, that is, he sequestred himself from earthly occasions that he might Turne to the Lord, with more libertie of Spirit, and largenesse of heart. It was the course that Manasses tooke, that filled Jerusalem with blood, when he was in chaines, and captivitie, and affliction, he turned to the Lord, and called upon him, and humbled himselfe greatly: it was the course that the Prodi­gall tooke in the new Testament, when he had not bread to eate, he saith, I will goe to my Father, that is, I will turne to my Father, and say, Father I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: we see it confirmed by example, there cannot be more said.

To confirme it by reason: for this is the most easie, and the most equall, and the most successefull, and most possible course of diverting any ill wee are in, or in dan­ger of. It is the most equall and reasonable course, be­cause God is the person that is provoked by us: he is the Judge that sends the punishment, it is his Law that is bro­ken, his name that is dishonoured: to whom should wee goe but to him that wee have provoked by our sinnes?

It is not possible, that the turning away of judge­ment should be by any other way, Vaine is the helpe of man: it is not in the Arme of flesh, to save any one from that judgement that God sends. There is no care, no [Page 15]providence, no foresight of man can divert judgement: we must have recourse to God.

And it is the most successefull way of all other; no man can instance in any example of any soule that ever tur­ned to God by prayer, in the time of distresse, but if God saw it needfull in his wisedome to turne away plague or famine, he turned it away. Prayer is the most readie, and the most equall way.

And Prayer is the most easie way: can any man desire to have a blessing upon easier tearmes, then to aske and have? to turn to God, and to have him turne to us? to turn to God, & have his judgements turned from us? that is the first Proposition; there is no hope of turning away calamities over us, but by turning to God by Prayer.

Secondly, there is no hope of diverting judgements, but by turning to God by repentance; that is the second, Turne to God by prayer, and turne to God by repentance, or else prayer will not serve without repentance, If I regard iniquitie in my heart, the Lord wll not heare my prayer. The prayer of sinners is oft times accepted, but it is of penitent sinners; but the prayer of sinne never: the hands of the blasphemer, and the eyes of the Adulterer, that looke to Heaven, God lookes with indignation upon such hands, and eyes, and hearts; we must purge our hearts from wickednesse, if we will turne to God.

These two cannot stand together, God and sinne, as on the other side, pardon and impenitencie cannot stand to­gether, because pardon belongs to repentance: so sinne and repentance cannot stand together, the one takes a­way the other: sinne removes repentance, and repen­tance removes sinne; sinne makes a seperation betweene God and us, repentance knits us againe, the one destroyes the other; sinne makes God turne from the purpose of of mercie; Your sinnes have withheld good things from you: [Page 16]this I did to you, and would have done more, but for your transgressions: sin makes God turn from the purpose of mercie; on the other side, repentance makes God turn from the purpose of judgement.

Lastly, Sinne never meets with pardon, that is, impe­nitencie; though sinne meet with pardon, impenitencie doth not: it sets a man further from God then sinne, when its first committed. It is worse to goe on in sinne, then to commit it: But repentance alway hath pardon.

First, repentance never misseth of forgivenesse; if we turne to God, he is alway readie to turne to us. See in that place of the Psalme. The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him, to those that are of a broken heart, and he saves them that be of a contrite Spirt. Yet plainer in 2. Chron. 3. If ye will turne to the Lord, the Lord will not turne his face from you: yet againe, Amos 5. Hate the evill, and seeke the good, it may be the Lord will be gracious to the remnant of Jo­seph, that is, peradventure he will.

Some may say, here is some hope, some comfort, but here is no assurance: there is no assurance in this place The Lord is nigh; he may be nigh, he is nigh to all, he may be nigh to me, but yet it may be he will not turne to me in mercie: it may be he may be too neare me, as when he sends judgements, what comfort have I by that promise, the Lord is nigh? I have lesse comfort by that, It may be he will turne. Is salvation promised with it may be? It may be God will be gratious? There is but little comfort in that, Turne from your evill wayes, and God will not turne away his face. He hath turned away his face al­readie, I would have him turne againe; he will not turne from me, but will he turne againe? I, but if those places will not doe it, we will finde those places that shall doe it to purpose, for though in the Psalme he [Page 17]saith the Lord is nigh, yet in Isa. 55. Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his evill thoughts, well, and then forward, For he is readie to forgive, and will abundantly pardon. He will not only come nigh us, but forgive us, he will not only pardon us, but abundantly pardon. There is not only a little turning towards us, but a turning to us, and a turning in mercie, and in much mercie.

And againe, where it is said, God will not turne his face from them, and in Jerem. 18. it is said more plain­ly, he will not only, not turne from them, but he will directly to them. If I pronounce judgement against a Na­tion, if they turne from their evill wayes, and turne to me, I will repent of the evill I thought to bring upon them: God condiscends not only to returne, but in our language he condiscends; he cals upon us to repent, and he promi­seth to repent: it is impossible he should repent proper­ly, because he cannot change, but his repenting is an­swerable to ours; if wee returne wicked man forsake he will turne from the evill of punishment, if we repent of our actions, he will repent of his purpose, if they turn to me, I will returne to them; there is more then not to turne from them.

Lastly, where it is said in Amos, It may be the Lord will be mercifull: in Ezek. 18. it is a certainty, God wil certainely be mercifull; If the wicked man forsake his wic­ked wayes, he shall surely live, and not dye. I will spare his life, he shall live and not dye: so you see plainly, God hath promised to turne, and to turne abundantly, and in mercie to the penitent heart that turnes to him. Thereupon those Phrases are so oft in Scripture, Zech. 1. Mall. 3. Turne to me, and I will turne to you: God conditi­ons, I will come as farre to meet you, as you shall to meet me, I will take as much paines to save you, as you [Page 18]shall to save your selves, nay I will prevent you, I will turne to you first, and make you returne to me, turne to me that I may save you; God capitu­lates, as if it were an arbitration; how long will ye stand upon termes? I will condiscend, let us meete one another halfe way, Turne to me: it is not for my good that I expect it, but for yours; turne to me, and I will turne to you.

And for your better incouragement, you see plain­ly that repentance alwayes meets with pardon of sinne, and reversion of judgements: the impenitent never meets with pardon, when a man continues in sinne: in Ezek. 18. The righteous man if he forsake his righteous­nesse, and betake himselfe to a course of sinne; as a wic­ked man when he converts, he shall live, and not dye: so a righteous man when he turnes to sinne, he shall dye and not live; and The Lord will breake the hairie scalp off him that goes on in sin; that is, the Lord will pour judgments, heavie judgements, that shall fetch off haire and head, and all; he will strike him in his vitals: the Lord will breake the scalpe of him, not that commits, but that goes on in sinne, that is, of impenitent men: it is impenitencie that brings judgements upon men, or Kingdomes; for a man to thinke that he may continue in sinne, and yet God will turne away his judgements, it is presumption: that is to make God a Lyar; it is to make God a breaker of his owne truth, and rule. Wee read that God turned, and had mercie, but they still turned to him. For, that of Ahab, we reade that God sayd concerning Ahab, that he would not bring the evill in Ahabs dayes, as he had threat­ned: but the Text saith, that Ahab humbled himselfe. There is hope, it may be, saith Amos, and Ahab found it was so, he humbled himselfe, and God turned from his judgement. [Page 19]Wee reade the same of Niniveh, when God denounced judgement against it, yet Forty dayes and Niniveh shall be destroyed, yet after, God gave them a longer time, forty dayes, and forty dayes, and forty yeares, even after his owne word was gone out: but withall, we reade that Niniveh turned from their sinnes, and repented in sack­cloath and Ashes: so we reade of Israel, Judg. 10. after God had denounced judgement, it is said there, That God was grieved at the heart, because of their oppression; he began to repent, as when a man repents, there is griefe of heart joyned with repentance: so God, He was grieved at the heart, because of Israel: but we reade that They put a­way their strange gods, and confessed of themselves that they had done wickedly.

There is an instance, 2 Chron. 12. of Rehoboam, God saith concerning him, and the Princes of Judah that he would not bring those judgements, that he threatned against them, and that he would deliver them, and give them successe; but wee reade withall, that they confessed their sinnes before God, and said, The Lord is righteous: still where there is removing of judgement, there is leaving of sinne, and there is humiliation, and repentance. There­fore we cannot gather, that because God is mercifull to the penitent, he will to the impenitent; it is pre­sumption.

Secondly, it is a vaine thing, as well as a presumptu­ous, to thinke that God will cease correcting, if we do not cease committing, to think that God should change, that is not capable of change, that he should change his purpose of judgement, that is immutable, and we not change our purpose of sinne, and going on in sinne, that are made of change. Tell me if itstand not with rea­son that man should change, that is made changeable, rather then wee should hope, that God should change, [Page 20]that is not capable of change? but then he is said to change, when he changeth us, and makes us better; when men are under affliction, and he sends them prosperitie; when men are under the weight of sinne before, and he sends them salvation; when he workes this change, God is said to change: therefore the change must be on our part.

The consideration of this makes me thinke, that this poysoned arrow, that destroyes by night, and kils by day, this arrow of the pestilence, that runs through our streets, and Cities, and Townes, that takes so great a flight from the mother Cities, to the Daughter Cities, that flies in a moment, not only a few miles, but many, and picks out this Citie, and that Towne, and that Countrie, and this street in a Cicie, and this house in a street. It makes me thinke that that sword will be made more sharpe before God put it up, and that arrow head will be poysoned more before God call it back: why? because there is no thought of repenting: so farre are we from turning, that wee have not yet learned to play the Hypocrites; wee are not come so farre as the Pharisees; we are not come so farre as to dissigure our faces. There is no man al­most turnes his countenance, that turnes his eye to the ground. We are smitten, but we are not sensible, Gods hand presseth us, but we are not humbled: the Fan is sent out, but we are not winnowed: wee are a corrupt floore, and a corrupt generation that goe on still. We are out of the way, we, and our Princes, and Nobles, and as our fathers before us: so we have done evill, as Daniel saith, still we are a rebellious people.

I may aske Chrisostomes question, that he asked the people of Antioch; who is there among us all that his heart smites him? who is there among us all that once grieves for sinne? that once smites on his Thigh, [Page 21]that makes his hand smite upon his breast, to recal him­selfe to turne to the Lord? Nay, wee may say, as the Prophet of the people of Israell, Jer. 3. I called, but they would not turne, and in Jer. 8. I hearkned and heard, to see if there were any that would leave their wicked wayes; but behold there was no man, they all went on in the ima­ginations of their owne hearts, and none said, what have I done? Or as the house of Judah. Jerem. 18. I called to them for the forsaking of their sinnes, but they gave me this answer, Nay, but as for us, we will walke in the devises if our hearts, and doe that which is delightfull in our owne eyes, and according to the imaginations of our owne Spirits. It is the answer that wee returne generally to God, though we say it not with our lips, we resolve to walke according to the devises of our owne hearts: and what are those? the devises of pride and vanitie, of fraud and iniquitie, and of lying, and reviling one another: and these are the devices of our owne hearts, not the devises of Gods Spirit, and of his law; and these are the answers that we returne, Nay, but we will walke according to the devises of our owne hearts.

I cannot tell into what principle I shall resolve, what should be the cause of so much impenitencie and hard­nes. Were it so that God had set us hard conditions, I should cease to wonder, but the conditions are easie, it is but Turn to me. Were it that we were not sensible of these things, and heard not these doctrines in our eares, I should not wonder: but we heare them, and harden our heart. It can be nothing but the Spirit of securitie, and drowsinesse, that Isaiah speakes of, that possesseth us, The Spirit of slumber is on them, and they have closed the eyes of their understanding. Wee sleepe, and promise our selves good dayes, when God pronounceth evill. It were well if it were no more but a Spirit of slumber, there might be [Page 22] hope that we should awake, but it is as a Spirit of derision, of scorne, like Job's horse, that laughs at destruction, we laugh when our feare cometh: and as his horse is described there; so men goe on in sin, they rush into the battell, though they be to encounter with God, as if they were able to meet with judgements.

I have oft wondred, that upon all those inducements to seeke heaven, and salvation, that men should neglect it so much, and I see the reason is, because men love life temporall, better then eternall: earth is heaven, this world is better then the other, yet that is some reason, because this life hath som what sensible, and we are lead by sense; it must be a heart of faith that lookes after the other life, sensible men will looke to this life.

But this I wonder at, that men should not only love temporall life better then eternall, but that men should love sinne better then life. There is nothing that a man hath in this world better then life, he will part with skin for skin, arme after arme, thousands after thousands, with eye, and skin, and arme, and all to save his life; shall we be willing to part with those, and not with sinne af­ter sinne? were it once said, and all that a man had com­mitted, would he give for his life, it were something, if we would part with sinne after sinne; no, but wee love sinne beter then life, and that is the reason, though wee be in danger, we goe on in sinne. Remember the voyce of him that calleth, God could not propound to you a more gracious way, turne by prayer and repentance. There are many bonds that will put us upon it.

The bond of nature cals upon us: all creatures turne to God, the insensible creatures; the Ravens, and Lyons, they turne to God, and seeke their meat of him; shall we be more insensible then they?

There is not only the bond of nature, but of obedience, God cals upon us to turne, we owe so much obedience to his command: we owe it in dutie, it is a dutie, God will make us come in by the lure of judgement whether we will, or no.

The bond of thankefulnesse cals upon us: whatsoever we have is from God; the blessings of this life, and the hopes of a better, our health, and strength, and meanes, and countenance, our wits and comforts, the hope of salvation, and the hope of the pardon of sinne, all is from God: by the bond of thankefulnesse, let us turne to him that gives us all, that is the fountaine of all blessings, we have none but from him.

Further, there is the bond of necessitie, that if we turne not to God, we can turne no where; if he take away his countenance, we are consumed into our first dust: and it were well if wee were resolved into that, but wee are turned into Hel, when God takes away the light of his countenance; Hell is where God is not; O! whether shall I turne saith Bernard, that I may turne to the Lord, whi­ther shall I goe but to thee? say the Disciples, Thou hast the words of eternall life: whom have I in heaven but thee, or what in earth in comparison of [...]? whether shall we flie from God? if we cannot flie [...]rom him, there is a bond of necessitie that we returne to him. If there were no love necessitie should constraine us to turne to God.

Againe, there is the bond of congruitie: God turnes to us, and he turnes first; and he turnes woing, and besee­ching, and intreating, that we would returne to him, and love our selves: if wee will not love God, yet let us love our selves, and conform to Gods gracious affection, that supreame Majestie, that is pleased to descend from that high Throne, to turne to sinfull man, and to call upon him; and he turnes to us now when he speakes to [Page 24]us, and he turnes to us ever in granting our Prayers, and in exercising his long-suffering daily; that bond of congruitie, should make us turne. Yet that is not all.

There is the bond of experience in our selves, that when we have turned to him heretofore, he hath turned to us in mercie; when we have been in trouble, wee have prayed, and he hath heard us, wee have confessed our sinns, and he hath given us pardon, things have suc­ceeded well.

Nay, there is the bond of example, see it in many ho­lie, and wicked men, there was never any that returned, to God, Rehoboam, Manasses, who not? the Prodigall, the Publican when he returned; no sooner he thought of turn­ing to God, but God turned to him. We have that bond of incouragement to move us.

There is the bond also of hope; hope is grounded on the promise of God; he hath promised to turne if we turne.

Lastly, there is the bond of feare to prevaile, if love will not, feare may prevaile: let that bond move us; that is a great obligation; we are in danger, if wee turne not, he hath Whet [...] sword, and bent his bow, he hath prepared the instruments of death: he still hovers to see if we will returne, and he forbeares; and though we have been desperate in committing sinne, let us not be despe­rate in impenitencie; and though wee have been unhappie in sinning, let us be happie in retur­ning.

For simplie speaking, sinne is not so damnable, as going on in sinne, it is not so fatall and mortall to sinne, as to cotinue and goe on in sinne. As it is with health and phi­sicke, a man were better want health, then want phisicke, if a man want health, there is hope of recoverie if he [Page 25]have phisick; but if he want phisick, there is no hope of recoverie. So, repentance is the phisick, sinne is the di­sease, it is not so much danger to sinne, as to be impeni­tent: repentance that is the physick; if a man sin, there is a way to pardon, but if he be impenitent, there is no par­don; impenitencie excludes pardon. Therefore feare should make us turne to God.

Impenitencie is that only sinne, that is damnable, and mortal: impenitency is that that shuts the pits mouth: im­penitency is that that settles us on our lees, that hardens our hearts, and makes God absent himselfe for ever, it makes judgements irrevokeable; impenitencie seales up the den of the Lyons, it rols the stone to the doore, of the Sepulcher, it leaves no possibilitie of forgivenesse; it makes sinne infinite, and uncureable. Therefore let us not drowne our selves in that estate, that will shut us out from all hope, not only of having judgement diverted, but of having sinne pardoned. O! it is a theame that we should alway thinke of, and never end speaking of: it is the summe of the Law, and of the Gospell; the effect of Gods grace, & of his punishments, it is that that God expects at all times, from the best men, from the most wicked men.

Therefore to shut up all with that excellent speech of Zephanie, Zeph. 1. Gather your selves together, O Nation not desired. It suits well with us thus far, gather your selves to­gether, O Nation not desired. We are a Nation not desired, as the case stands: What then? Forsake your evill wayes, leave your sins, turn from your iniquities, and seeke Gods face, it may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger.

There is another, It may be, like that of Amos, it may be you shall be hid, it is true now, it is but it may be. It may be the day is past, the day of returning. Time was when there was more then probabilitie; it is to be feared now God is gone too farre, he hath wrestled so long, [Page 26]that he will not be now intreated; yet for all that, yet it may be, peradventure God will turne; we know not, he is rich in mercie, let us not be wanting to our selves; if that succeed not that he returne from this plague, yet he will turne from his wrath, to those that feare him.

Let it be done with one consent; all the people as one man, with one mind, and voyce, turne from sinne, if there be any prophane, let him turne from blaspheming Gods name, if there be any Drunkards of Ephraim, let them turne from their revelling; and not only Drunkards, but Sippers, that tipple, and wast their time and credit, and dream over the pot; those are worse then Drunkards; for they doe but wast that estate they have before men, but the other wast that precious time, that they should get salvation in, their hearts are after wine: if there be any that neigh after their neighbours wives, any adulterous seed, any that have hands of blood and oppression, those that grind the faces of the poor, those that have fingers of co­veteousnesse; men that have fraudulent hands, that practise the mysteries of their Trade, let them turne from their evill wayes, Gather your selves together, O Nation not desi­red; forsake your sinnes, and come to the Lord, It may be you shall be hid in the day of the Lords anger. That is the summe of this exhortation to this first dutie that the Prophet gives in these words; Turne to the Lord, and in turning, Take to you words.

SERMON II.

THERE is no commendable vertue, but it is beset with extreames on both hands, one on the right hand, and another on the left. For morall vertues it is evi­dent; and for naturall habits, whether they be outward, or inward, we may in­stance but in one for all; that is, The gift of speech, it hath extreames that hedge it in both wayes: There is one extreame in the defect, that is, Silence; and of that it is that the Prophet accuseth the Shepheards of Israel that they did betray the salvation of the people by their silence, they were as dumb Dogs that could not bark. And the other extreame is, in excesse, and that is called much speaking, and of that Solomon tells us in the Pro­verbs, in multiloquio, &c. In the multitude of words there never wants sin: It is so in naturall language, and in ci­vill kinde of speech; and it is so also in the spirituall [Page 28]language, and in the conference we have with God. Prayer is the language of the heart, and it hath ex­treames on both hands: For the extreame that is in ex­cesse, Christ toucheth it in the Gospell, he tells us of the Pharisees, that thought they should be heard for their long prayers, and much babling; that is one fault. And for the extremity in the defect, we have it in Job 21. and Job 32. where he complaines of prophane persons, those that God was not in their thoughts, and so not in their tongue, to speak of him with reverence, Who is the Al­mighty that we should serve him? or what helpe is there in the Lord that we should pray to him? The Children of Israel were guilty of both these extreames, and that kept them that they could not hit the mediocrity, to observe a good decorum in prayer to God: For the mul­titude of their words, the Prophet Malachy sets it down, Chap. 3. they were come to that height, they durst rea­son with God: Yee have robbed me, saith God: They re­ply, Wherein have we robbed thee? Yee have spoken stoutly, saith God: They reply, Wherein? They had words whereby to dishonour God, and none to please, or to pa­cifie him. And for the defect of speech in the grace of prayer, the Prophet Isaiah tells us, Chap. 64. that hee looked about and found none, that did apply themselves to call upon God, or to lay hold of him.

It is not usuall for a man to be guilty of both ex­treames in the same kinde of sin; because that extreams are contrary one to another; yet they had a double guilt upon themselves, they were full of words in world­ly matters, but altogether silent and dumbe towards salvation. To speake against God, so they abounded with words, and yet to speak to him to pacifie him, so they wanted them. Therefore it is this infirmity the Prophet Hosea here labours to cure in this people. He [Page 29]observed their defect, he saw how they turned aside; but they would not lay hold on the meanes of pacifica­tion; therefore now he directs them to see the right way, whence they should take their beginning to work attonement, and reconciliation with God. He speakes Ephata, he puts his finger (as it were) to their mouths to open them, to unbowell their hearts with the ac­knowledgement of their sins, with the in larging of their petitions to God; and thus he counsells them, Take with you words, and turne to the Lord, and say, thus and thus.

You may remember how I divided the words, they containe two things:

The forme of an excitement:

And a forme of direction.

The forme of excitement in the first part, that is to two duties.

One to the duty of action, Turne to the Lord.

Another to the duty of elocution, Take to you words, and speak to him.

Of the former I spake in the Forenoone, reading the words so, Turne to the Lord, and in turning, take to you words: And there I shewed you what was the occa­sion of this exhortation; what was the reason he pres­seth the exhortation twice upon them, of turning to the Lord, what are the duties he aimes at: To stirr them up to the work of prayer, that is one kinde of turning; to stirr them up to the work of repentance, that is ano­ther kinde of turning to the Lord: An universall turn­ing in respect of the subject, a totall turning in respect of the act; a finall turning in respect of the time, never to look on sin againe. What the propositions were that arose hence, That there is no diversion of judgements without turning to God by prayer, and turning to God [Page 30]by repentance; there is no true repentance without ca­sting away sin. This is the summ of that I delivered in the forenoone.

Now I goe on, that is, to the second excitement, to which here the Prophet would provoke and stirr them, and that is, to the duty of elocution: In the former he shewed them the way, what course they must take to God, Turne to him: In this he shewes them the way, what course they must take for repentance, Take words to themselves.

There is no difficulty in the meaning of the phrase, there can be nothing more familer to us then that phrase, which intreats of speech, and taking of words, which is onely proper to man: Yet I finde that Inter­preters make a little difference in the exposition of them.

For some will have this to be the meaning that the Prophet here excites them to a duty of obedience, Take to you words: Here me now when I speake to you in these words: That is the exposition of Mercer and Zanche, listen to my words when I exhort you to repent and turne to the Lord; that is the meaning of that phrase: But others better, that the Prophet excites them here to a duty of expression of their repentance, that that would kindle in them the flame of all good desires, by getting a wholesome forme of speech to come before God: So the meaning is, Take to you words; hum­ble your selves before God, flye to him by prayer, seeke reconciliation at his hands; but take heed that you come not unprepared, unprovided; fit your selves well before, and study how to speak to him, Take words, and then goe to him, and turne: This I take to be the more pro­per [Page 31]exposition, more genuine: For if we insist in the other, the phrase of speech will not beare it, it offers violence to the Text; it is not onely diverse, but repugnant; for if that were the meaning, Take to you words, that is, heare my words; the Prophet would not have exhor­ted them to have gotten lips, but eares, not words, but attention: He doth not here exhort them so much to listen to him, as to open their owne mouthes to God. Therefore of necessity we must take it as the words lye, for the procurement of the language of prayer and repentance, which will be most fit for the expression of their repentance to God: So taking this thus, there are these two things to be considered in this part.

One is the getting of words.

Another is for the uttering and expressing of them.

The first, in those words, Take to you words.

The second, in the other, And say to God.

And I shall onely speak of the former at this time; that is, of the words they should take to themselves.

It hath respect to the former duty I spake of in both the acceptions, Turne to the Lord, turne by prayer, turne by repentance, both wayes it looks: When you pray to God, then get words, when you repent of your sinnes, then get words: It is the observation both of Cyrill, and Chrysostome, he stirres them up that they should bring with them, Non aurum, non argentum, non oblatio­nes, sed preces; he calls to them not to bring their Gold, or Silver to Gods Treasury, not to bring their Sheep, or Oxen to his Altar; God was weary of those Sacrifices, he looked for repentance, it was onely to bring words of prayer in humbling themselves and seeking mercy, and words of repentance in acknowledging their sins; [Page 32]this was the scope the Prophet aymed at: So, I will consider in it two things.

The motives that induced the Prophet to make this exhortation, he calls upon them for words, get you words.

And the scope he propounded to himselfe in it, what is the duty he would excite them to.

First, the motive that induced the Prophet to make this exhortation here, for we have not the parallell to it in Scripture, Take to you words: It should seem they were brought to a very low ebb for piety, that they knew not the first elements and principles; that they could not goe so farr as wicked Israel that would flatter God with their mouth: that they were so farr from true contrition, that they could not so much as bring words of confession to acknowledge their sins, though it were but from the teeth outward.

We know they were a people of another temper, the Psalmist describes them, they were a people given too much to words, the Israelites: In Psal. 10. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse, mischeife and vani­ty is under their tongue. Psal. 59. the Psalmist saith, they used to belch out their words against God, Swords were in their mouthes; that is, they had all kinde of words but those that they should have, words of cruelty, Swords were in their tongues; words of deceit, the poyson of Aspes was under their lips; words of mischeife, words of rebel­lion against God, and yet for words of devotion, and words of repentance, there their hearts were barren. It was their backwardnesse to this duty the Prophet ob­served, and that made him frame this exhortation; they were backward to the worke of repentance, they hardly knew what it meant; some generall hints they had, that God was displeased, and was to be pacified, but [Page 33]they had forsaken the Fountaine of living water: They knew how to bring words to Ashtaroth, but not to come with words of repentance to the true God. There were many impediments that kept them from using words in prayer.

Partly, they were afrayd by reason of their sins.

Partly, they were ignorant, they knew not how to endite their prayers, to frame their bill, when they should preferr their suits to God.

Partly, their hearts were hardened, they were not touched within; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Where there is not repentance within, there are no words without: The Prophet observed all these defects, their backwardnesse to this duty, that made him frame this exhortation, Take to you words.

That this was their case, before, and after, and then, we may see it out of diverse places of Scripture. Before the time of this Prophet, see it in Job, see it in David: After the time of this Prophet we may see it in Jeremiah, Chap. 8. I hearkened and heard, but there was none that turned to the Lord: He tooke a Candle to looke about him, and could not finde a man that knew how to pray to God: That it was so in the time of this Prophet, see it in Isaiah, Chap. 64. he lived in the same time with Hosea, There is none that calls upon God, there is none that layes hold on him by prayer: The Prophet observed this well, that here was their errour and defect; hee might have sayd of them, as Job saith concerning his Freinds, I waited and expected if they would speake to God, but I found they were all silent: The Prophet had long expected to see, if after all those excitements they would yet turne, if they would yet learne to make but one forme of prayer, to humble themselves but in the eyes of men; but afterward finding that yet they [Page 34]would not returne of themselves, he could hold no longer, but provokes them to the practice of the duty of repen­tance, that they might now shew the language of repen­tance and prayer, Take to you words: It is as much as if he had sayd, How long will ye absent your selves? Are ye not yet sensible? Neyther the judgements that are insti­cted, nor the evills threatned, will not they yet move you? If yet they cannot stirr you up in your mindes to seek God, because he is gracious, yet look to your selves, seek to him for your selves, because you are miserable: If you cannot come to him of your selves, come to me, I will learne you; if it be feare that keeps you back, I will embolden and encourage you; though your sins be many, God is gracious; though they be great, God is mercifull; if ignorance keep you back, come, hearken to me, I will teach you the feare of the Lord: Little Children, I will teach you to pray, and set you a forme of confes­sion; though you cannot bring repentance in perfection, bring it in the principles; though the name of teares be yet unpleasant to you, yet the name of words is accep­table; what more easie then this? I call not now for the plowing up of your fallow ground, and the rending of your hearts, though God expect that, that you may come to that in time: All that I now require is, that you take words, and speak to the Lord in this forme, Take to you words.

So now in this part we may see there are two things commendable in this carriage of the Prophet.

The first thing that is commendable is this, that hee watcheth over them in their deficiencies, he hath an eye upon them, he studyed where their imperfections lay, that he might apply himselfe to cure them, that hee might lay on the salves: A Phisitian who knowes not the cause, and the nature of the disease, cannot apply a [Page 35] remedy. The Prophet searcheth, and diggs for hardnesse of heart in Israel, and having found it, he applies the remedy; he watcheth over them in their ignorance and back-slyding. See Jeremiah, he tooke a Candle to see if there were a man; I hearkned and heard, saith he. It was the course that the Apostles took: See Paul, Heb. 5. how he studies the condition of the Churches he wrote to. Some were strong, and he propounds the Oracles of God to them; some were weaker, and those he comes to in elements, and principles of Christian Doctrine: He comes to the Hebrews bringing the Milke of principles, and teaching them againe which were the first elements of Faith: It is the course that every good Minister takes; we shall never know the state of our people, unlesse we study their imperfections, and watch over them: How shall we know what Doctrines to deliver to you? It is a thing you desire, to walke in clouds that we might not observe you in your imperfections; but that you may be raised out of sin, give us leave to pry into them, to be di­ligent to watch over our Flocks and Heards, to watch which way they walke, and how they thrive, and live, that we may know which is diseased, which is wandring, and which is sound, and which keeps in the Fold: That is the first thing in the Prophet.

The second thing commendable is, he doth not one­ly watch over their weaknesse, but condiscend to their infirmities, he applyes himselfe to their temper: So the Apostle Paul dealt with the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 3. And I brethren, when I came to you, I could not come to you as spirituall, but as carnall; babes in Christ: therefore I brought not strong meat, but milke, because you were not able to beare meat, nor are not yet: The Apostle condis­cends to their capacity, he saw the state of their stomack what meat they could beare, and what they could not [Page 36] digest, and he comes to them accordingly: So Hosea here, hee observed that the people were not able to beare this strong Doctrine of the depth of repentance; therefore he comes to them in the first principles, hee reads to them the Alphabet of repentance; he would first teach them to spell repentance: For teares, and sighes, and groanes, and rending of the heart, and beating in peices of the spirit, he knew these things were requisite to repentance, but these were harsh symptomes, he pro­pounds not these now, but onely that thy bring words. It is not now, take to you teares, but words. That is the second thing commendable in the Prophet; and that shall serve for the motive that induced him to make this excitement.

The second thing, is the excitement it selfe, Take to you words, words of repentance, and words of prayer. He would instruct them in two languages at once: For e­very grace of the spirit hath a peculiar language; Faith hath its language, and charity hath her language, repen­tance hath her language, Prayer hath language for all the rest: The Prophet at once would instruct them in the language of repentance and of prayer.

First, in the language of repentance, and that is con­fession of sin; that is the tongue of repentance: Take to you words of turning, turning words, words that beseem converts, words of remorse, words of contrition, words of humiliation; take to you words that you may lay o­pen your sins before God: So, hee shewes them two things concerning the duty of confession of sin.

One is the necessity of the confession of sin to the du­ty of repentance, no repentance without confession of sin, nor no pardon where there is no repentance.

The other concernes the forme of this confession, what manner of confession men must bring to God: Take to you these words, and turne.

The first is concerning the necessity of the grace; Take to you words, confesse your sins to God; that is the ef­fect of it, because the Prophet would draw them into a course of diversion of Gods judgements; there is no diversion of judgement without the pardon of sin, and there is no pardon without confession, therefore hee presseth this duty: It is the interpretation that all take in. Confesse your sins to God, and so turne to him; because without confession there is no pardon, no for­givenesse. Solomon sets it downe so, Prov. 17. Hee that covers his sins shall not prosper; that is, he that would hide them from God; he that will not open them by confes­sion shall not prosper, as not in other courses of his life, so especially, he shall not prosper towards God, and Heaven, towards spirituall comfort; to have any comfort of pardon of sin; for God hath set this condition, if we will have him cover our sins, we must open them; if we will have him cover them, we must discover them: if we will have him shut his eyes on them, wee must open our eyes upon them, and lay them open to God that knows them; there is no repentance, and no forgivenesse without confession.

On the other side, where there is an humble ac­knowledgement, and confession of sin to God, there par­don still follows: See it in the Thesis, He that covers his sins shall not prosper, saith Solomon, but he that confesseth, and forsakes them shall finde mercy: So in the Thesis: See it in the Hypothesis in David, I sayd I will confesse my sins, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, Psal. 32. It was not onely so in the time of the Law, but in the Gospell; in Davids time, and in Johns time, 1 John 2. If we con­fesse our sins, he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins: If we confesse them, he is faithfull and just, he is not only mercifull, but faithfull: A man would have thought it [Page 38]should have run thus, If we confesse our sins he is gra­cious, and full of loving kindnesse to forgive them; no, but hee is just: Why? Because God hath promised pardon to the confession of sin; it is not onely grounded upon his mercy, but upon his truth, and therefore up­on justice: God were not just if he should not pardon sin to Penitents: If we confesse our sins, he is not onely gracious and mercifull, but faithfull and just to forgive sin: He hath bound himselfe, that hee that makes a humble confession to God in Christ, and comes with a penitent heart by Faith in Christ, he is faithfull and just to forgive sin. We see upon the hiding of our sinnes, pardon is excluded, upon the opening of our sins, par­don is assured. So it stands, saith Tertullian, both wayes, Cum accusat excusat, cum condemnat absolvit, &c. When we accuse ourselves, God acquits us, when we condemne our selves, God absolves us: Here is the ready way to get absolution, for a man to cast downe himselfe. He that takes no glory to himselfe, but all shame, and gives glory to God, God will give grace to such a soule; otherwise, let us never think that God will pardon those that we labour to hide from him, Si faves tu peccato, &c. saith Austin sweetly; if thou take upon thee to be the advocate of thy sins, to plead for them, how shall God be the acquitter, and absolver? Therefore that God may free thee from them, condemne thy selfe, lay the bond, and obligation and weight of thy sins upon thine owne conscience; that is the way to have God to ease them, that is the way the Prophet prescribes.

Beloved, we need not be discouraged at this Do­ctrine, it is not in the wit of man; and it were too bold a word to say that God himselfe could not invent a more easie way, we know not how farr God can goe, but we cannot see that God could have found a more [Page 39] facile way then for men to confesse and finde mercy, con­fesse, and have mercy: The true confession of the lips, out of contrition of spirit by Faith in Christ is most sure to meet with pardon and forgivenesse. Let any tell me whether there be a more compendious way to remission then this: It is but an easie way that is pre­scribed in the other word, Turne to the Lord, and the Lord assures the removing of judgements upon that. But confession of sin is more easie, it is that that is con­current with the other, it is that that waites on it; nay, it is that that goes before; and if there be this humble acknowledgement made, if it be not out of dissimulation, and hypocrisie, God hath assured pardon to it: So dif­ferent are the conditions of the Covenant at the first, and now; the precept that God gave to Adam was harder, Thou shalt not commit sin, but the comman­dement he gives us is easie, If thou sin, confesse thy sins to God, and he will have mercy: Confession is the salve; as God alone is the Physitian, so here he prescribes by the Prophet the salve for sinne. Nazienzen calls it so sweetly: It is the Potion that the soule takes, it is the Plaster that is to be applyed to the sore of sin. Chryso­stome enlargeth it, by making the proportion in the o­ther part: Sin, that is the disease and ulcer; and repen­tance, confession of sin, and the renouncing of our sin, that is the remedy: The remedy, saith Gregory well, be­cause it is the opening of the wound: Saith Origen, it is as the Vomit that is taken into the stomack, that clean­seth the stomack; so repentance unloads the consci­ence; confession, and casting out sin by the mouth, it is the Vomit of the soule, saith he well. Confession it is the physick, that healing Medicine that God hath prescribed to us: Austin summs up many vertues in a short compendium of words, speaking of this excellent [Page 40]grace of confession of sin to God. Confession of sin to God, is that which is the hope of Beleevers, the glory of sinners, the expeller of all vice, and all iniquity; the Te­ther to keep a man in compasse of due obedience, the sweet bond to the soule; it is that that shuts the pit of Hell, it is that that opens the gate of Paradise, because it opens the way to the mercy of God; confession of sin is the language of repentance.

That when I consider, I cannot but wonder that men that are sensible of sin, and of Gods displeasure, should be so backward to this worke, not onely of repentance, but of acknowledgement of sin. It is a common fault we all labour of. First, we commit a sinne, and then with Adam we hide our selves, and get Fig-leaves, not onely to hide our selves from men, but from God. It is true, I cannot but wonder that men are loath to make their sins knowne to God; there is impious shame that keeps men from confessing their sins to men, because unlesse we tell them there are corner sins of darknesse that men cannot finde out; but is it shame to confesse them to God? God knowes them all before, why should men goe about to hide that which he knowes be­fore it is committed? Why should I hide them from thee, O Lord, saith Austin, since thou knowest mine owne heart better then I my selfe? Yet so vaine we are, we thinke if no earthly eye see us in the commission of sin, neyther doth the eye of Heaven looke upon us: When we see not our selves, we thinke God sees us not; we desire to walke in Mists and Clouds, it is the case of every man: Tertullian sets it downe well, concerning this duty of confession.

Every may hath forehead enough for the commit­ting of sinne, their foreheads are harder then an Ada­mant to commit sinne, but then they have no forehead [Page 41]to confesse: It is shame that keeps them from men, and it is shame that keeps them from God. Et sic, &c. saith he, no marvell if they perish with that ill shame, and pudor, since they are more mindfull of shamefastnesse then salvation; for if there be any shame in confessing sins to God, there is a great deale more in hiding them. But it is so farr from shame, that it is the onely grace, it is the first fruits of repentance, confession. Children when they are first borne, cry; it is the first expression of life, crying; and hee that is borne and begotten to God againe, that is, a new borne babe, the first mani­festation of life is from the mouth, by confession of sinne.

O Beloved, let us not be so inured to hide our sins from God that must onely pardon them, not to hide them from him, that will call us to account: If wee hide them now, the time will be that he will lay them open. Christ saith in the Gospell, that that is done in secret shall be published on the house top: that that is now done in corners shall then be layd open, when all flesh shall be layd open before Gods tribunall: If now it be a little shame, what will it be then? If there be shame in sin now, what confusion will there be when it shall be the forerunner of damnation and Hell? If any thing in the World will move a man to lay open his heart, to d [...]vide his heart, and make all naked before God, it is this con­sideration that all must be layd open after, the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed: And in the meane time if he would have any comfort of the pardon of sin, now, hee must repent of them, and confesse them. Wee need not be ashamed to come to God; I shewed before, hee hath annexed pardon to confession: See it in instances and examples, the Publican he comes with the language of confession, they were not many words, it was but a [Page 42]breife confession of sin, O God be mercifull to me a sinner. There is the petition in the first part of the words, and confession in the next, I am a sinner, therefore O Lord be mercifull; see the issue, He went away justified, saith Christ; he sayd little, Peter sayd lesse, Peter went out, and wept bitterly: Lego, &c. saith Ambrose, I read that Peter wept, but not that he spake any words of confession; there was the confession of the heart; and though we read not of it, yet no doubt the voyce of the mouth went with the cry of the eye; Peter wept, and confessed his sinne: And marke, Peter was received againe to favour, and to the honour of Apostleship, yet we read not of the words that he spake. Every man supposeth, that he that comes to confesse sin, brings words with him, yet we see not his words.

If not that example, see David, Nathan comes to him, he makes a Parable, and then comes with a compendium, Thou art the man; David multiplies not words againe; there are but three in our language, there is but one in the Latine, and in the Originall; Peccavi, I have sinned: before the word was out of Davids mouth, Nathan from God gives him a publication of pardon, that hee had pardoned his sin: It could not be a shower confession then that that is made in one word, he could not speake more compendiously: Yes, we see in Psal. 32. he makes a shorter confession, he had but a thought, a purpose of confession, and God pardoned him, I sayd I will confesse: God saved him a labour of further expression, because he saw the integrity of his heart; before he sayd, I have sinned, I sayd I will confesse, upon the resolution of repen­tance, there is a resolution of forgivenesse: So gracious is God, not onely to meet us, but to prevent us: It was a sincere acknowledgement and confession that he made, and it was in that very purpose of confession.

Nay, goe further; for the Children of Israel went not thus farr as to come to a purpose of repentance, yet God was pleased to pardon them as farr as concerned outward punishment, Psal. 78. as strong a place as I know in the Scripture; David reckons up their rebellions, then after many mercies that God had shewed them, he saith, They flattered God with their lips, and lyed with their tongues; they made a confession, but it was an hypocriti­call confession, it was out of dissimulation, they flattered God with their tongues: They sayd, because of the ne­cessity of punishment, Wee have sinned, but their hearts were not touched with their sins, They flattered God with their tongues, and lyed to him with their lips: And it fol­lowes, Out of the abundance of his loving kindnesse he par­doned their sins, and destroyed them not: Not that God is pleased with such confessions; it is such a confession as never prevailes: Hypocrisie sets a man further from par­don, because it is a double sin, yet at that time when they would not be brought to a formall confession, God for­beares to punish, to encourage them after, hee forbeares the punishing of them for a time. As Ahab for his coun­terfeit humiliation, God diverts the judgement to en­courage us to true humiliation. So Jehoahaz a wicked King, he continued in the sins of Jeroboam, yet when he was affticted and humbled himselfe before God, although it were a counterfeit humiliation, he diverted the judge­ment: If he shew mercy to the confessions of Hypocrites that are full of hypocrisie and dissimulation, what will he doe to those that doe it sincerely; I say, God loves not hypocrisie, and hypocrisie is farthest from pardon; though it be, yet because they were so farr from true repentance that they would not be brought to an outward forme, when they brought that forme, God encouraged them [Page 44]to goe on further that he remitted the judgement tem­porall upon their fained, forced, humiliation.

Is it not then a great encouragement for us to repent, and confesse our sins? Confession is a grace that shines in all Christian vertues: There is no vertue that can be practised without confession of sin; whether a man doth well or ill, confession comes in, as Austin saith sweetly, If I be ill, this is to confesse to the glory of God that my sin is of my selfe, if I doe good, this is to confesse to the glory of God that all grace is from him. In evill, there we bring confession, that is, the confession of our miqui­ties: In good we bring confession, the confession to Gods praise, and of Gods grace; so every way confession is necessary, In bono fact a tuo, &c. If wee doe any thing well God must have the glory, because he workes it; if wee doe any thing ill, then wee must confesse to take shame, because all our confusion and shame is from the iniquity of our owne heart. That is the first thing the Prophet would have them bring, the language of re­pentance; the language of repentance is the confession of sin, by acknowledging them to God,

That is the first thing, Take with you words of repen­tance, confesse your sins to God, he shewes the necessity of confession.

The second thing he shewes not onely the necessity of the duty, but hee gives them direction; they are sweetly couched here, Take with you words, and goe, and confesse, that is, Take such words as become Converts, and Penitents. What are those words the Prophet bids them take, concerning the duty of confession? We will reduce them to foure heads.

First, Humble words, pride will not stand with repen­tance, I gat me to God right humbly. Looke upon all the confessions of prayer or sin in Scripture, they were [Page 45]all seasoned with the grace of humility; I am lesse then the least of thy mercies, saith Jacob, I am unworthy that thou shouldest come under my roofe, was the confession of the Centurion; I am lesse then the least of Saints, because I persecuted the Church, saith Paul. Look upon the con­fessions of the Old Testament, how they are seasoned with humility. Ezra, Ezra 9. he confesseth in the name of the people, and he begins it so, O Lord I am ashamed, and blush to come before thee, &c. It is the very same words that Nehemiah takes, in confessing the peoples sin when he was the mouth of the people, Nehem. 9. We lye under shame upon the ground, confusion covers our faces, wee and our Princes, and Preists, and our Fathers, have all been rebellious against thee: It is the forme of words that Daniel useth too in the confession of sin that he makes for the people, O Lord, to thee belongeth righteousnesse, but to us confusion. Here is then the humble straine of repen­tance and confession of sin, to give glory to God, and to take shame to our selves. Here is the proper dialect, the true Idiome of the language of repentance: Those are the first words he bids them take, take humble words; the confession of pride, a Pharisaicall confession will not doe it.

Secondly, They must be mournfull words: Teares are the lav [...]r in which confession of sin bathes it selfe. When a man is to frame the words of confession of sin to God, the eye gives Inke, and the heart gives accents; teares are the oyle in which the words of confession are steeped, and sighs and groanes are the compasse, and point, whereby the line of confession is drawne to God, they must be mournfull words; the cry of the eye, and the voice must goe together. If the heart melt, the eye will weep; if the voice houle, the eye will have sympathy; that was the forme of Davids confession, I roare through [Page 46]disquiet, I goe mourning all the day long. So we see the confession of Aaron that he made before Moses, Alas my Lord; there is not onely a word of humiliation, but a word of lamentation, Alas my Lord, for I have sinned, and done foolishly: And the Children of Israel, 1 Sam. 7. that they might expresse their humble confession of sin in such language, it is sayd that they were ashamed at Mizpeh; and what did they, they wept, and drew water, and pou­red it on the ground, and then they confessed to God that they had sinned. A man would wonder at such a ceremony, the pouring of water on the ground: What is of lesse moment then water spilt upon the ground? The Scripture useth that phrase to expresse a thing of no esteeme; and they were ashamed for that purpose, to shew that they could not weep enough themselves, they would by this, expresse the desire of their soules, that if they could, they would poure out Pailes and Rivers of teares: they wished that their heads were Rivers of waters; because they could not shed teares enow, they bring Buckets, and poure them out to the Lord. Take to you humble, and mournefull words, that is the second.

Thirdly, Take with you, simple, naked words, the words of integrity and simplicity a man must bring when he comes before God in the naming of his sin: It is not enough to confesse them in generall, because God knowes them in particuler; but God lookes that wee should search into our hearts, and dive into our soules, and fetch up all, and leave no dreggs of sin under, but evacuate all; if there be but the least behinde, it will turne to poyson: We must not come before God with a heart and a heart, and a tongue and a tongue, as we must bring simplicity of heart, so simplicity of speech: So we finde the forms of all confessions in Scripture run thus. [Page 47]They contented not themselves to say they had sinned, Pharoah, and Saul, and Judas could goe so farr, I have sin­nod, they could not speake lesse, if they sayd any thing, yet they that sayd lesse found it made good from the heart, David sayd no more; but they had not true repen­tance, because they had one tongue in their hearts, and another in their tongue; God looks to the language of the heart. As we must bring naked open hearts, so we must bring simplicity of speech: All the confessions in Scripture run thus, with naming the sins, not in generall onely, but in particuler. So the Israelites, Numb. 21. We have sinned in that we have spoken against the Lord, and his servant Moses; they name their sin: So in 1 Sam. 12. when Samuel presseth them home, and layes to their heart all the sins that they had committed, then they make confession, in naked simple words, We have sinned, and added this to all our sins, to aske a King: They did not onely confesse in generall, we have sinned; but in particuler, this is that sin that wee have provoked God by. As Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people, presently he tells God hee had sinned in this sinne of numbring the people; while his heart was hott, and the sinne lay upon him, hee opens it to God in simple, naked words. That is the third sort.

Last of all, There is another, bring with you forci­ble words, weighty words, aggravating words; such words as may exagerate your sins against your selves, such words: Lay them not onely open, but make them more if it were possible; though it be a sinne to lye to God, but though a man say with Paul, Of whom I am cheife, it is farr from dissimulation; he that knowes his owne heart, is able to say, hee is the cheife of sinners, though the World be able to lay nothing against him, be­cause [Page 48]every man knowes the sinne of his owne heart: Therefore he that comes to confesse will not bring cold words, but aggravating words: So run all the formes in Scripture, because when we aggravate, God extenuates, and when we make more, God makes lesse; but we can­not make them more, but aggravate our sins in confes­sion. Looke to that in Nehemiah, how he aggravates with words after words, We have dealt proudly and stout­ly with the Lord. So saith Ezra, Wee have hardned our hearts, and refused to obey; wee have not hearkned to his Commandements, we have rebelled against him, we and our Kings, our Princes, our Preists, and our Fathers. And Da­niel in his confession adds, The men of Judah, and the people of Israel. There are all aggravations against the persons, and against the sins, Wee have dealt proudly, wee have hardned our hearts, we have not hearkned to Gods Law, we have rebelled against him. And such were the con­fessions that David made, one we have in Psal. 106. We have sinned, and dealt wickedly, and committed iniquity; as if he wanted words to expresse himselfe, and it is the very same words with Daniel, and Ezra, in their con­fessions. David in Psal. 51. My iniquities are gone over my head, and are as a burthen too heavy to beare: See, how could he exagerate more? they are over my head, above my reach, I cannot compasse them; as the flood that o­verwhelmes a man in the bottom of the water, and he sees nothing but destruction; so my sins are gone over my head, I cannot look to the top, or bottome, or reach them; and they are too heavy a burthen, I cannot beare them; thou alone must ease me of them. Daniel and Ezra, aggra­vate sin in the same words, Our sins are increased up to Heaven; here was a high pitch he tooke to himselfe; not onely in the knowledge of them (so every sin grows up to Heaven, because God knows them) but for mul­titude [Page 49]and increase, we have piled sin upon sin. As the Giants of old, set Pelion upon Ossa, and Parnassis upon both; so we have set one sin upon another, that they are heaped up to Heaven, the Earth is weary with bear­ing of them, they reach to Heaven: So, here is the form of words, bring naked, simple, humble, forcible, aggrava­ting words.

And after all this, when wee looke upon all these formes of confession, and see the practice of the Saints of old, and see the burthen of sin, and of the commands, are we not all stirred up? are we not all ready to burst? Is it possible to hold, but to cast off such shame almost, and in the middest of much people to acknowledge wee have sinned. Lord, we have sinned, and for our ini­quities and transgressions these troubles are come upon us: If wee want words of our owne, let us borrow of those confessions in Scripture. We have need to take all helps, sin lyes close, all helpes of discovery, of remo­vall, and of comfort; so we shall be able to expresse our selves, when we see those formes that they exprest themselves in, that was the end, when the Prophet bids them take words, that is, get the language of re­pentance, goe humble your selves and your soules to God, take words, and goe, and confesse to him; that is the first thing.

I see the time is spent, and the weather is hot, yet points that are depending one upon another, are best applyed when the heart is warme; and sometimes the dependance adds so much grace to a point, that the grace of it is lost, if the season be not taken.

The language of confession and the language of prayer, Take words to you, when you turne to the Lord by re­pentance, [Page 50]then take words; and when you turne to the Lord by prayer, then take words. These two goe toge­ther, confession and prayer. In Nehem. 1. there they be joyned, I prayed before thee for the Children of Israel, and confessed to thee the sins of the Children of Israel. And in Dan. 9. I prayed to my God, and made my confession before him. There must be no prayer made to God, where there is no confession of sin; for if we multiply our pray­ers, and pray every houre, yet there goes sin betweene, and though it be a sin repented of, and though it be a sin that is pardoned before, yet David confessed his sin after it was pardoned: nothing moves so much to confession, as the knowledge of pardon. Prayer will not availe without confession, therefore I first spake of the other: Prayer without confession, saith Chrysostome, it is as if a Bird should have her wings at liberty, and her feet be tyed: Confession is as the feet, and prayer as the wings; if a Bird have the wings free, and the feet in a snare, it cannot get up: so, though the heart pray, yet if the foot of confession be in a snare, there is no hope that the heart should flye to God, it is as a Bird that hath the wings at liberty, and the foot is in a snare; therefore these must goe together, take to you words of confession and prayer. I must be breife, therefore I will reduce them to three heads.

There are three things the Prophet aimes at in this exhortation, Take to you words of prayer.

He shewes the necessity of vocall prayer, Take to you words.

He shewes the necessity of preparation to prayer, Take words: It is not onely use words and pray, but take them, think before hand.

Thirdly, He shewes what kinde of words the humble soule brings before God in prayer.

These three things I will breifly touch.

First, The necessity of vocall prayer, Take to you words. Thinke it not enough to turne your hearts to God: It is true, importunity of affection moves God more then importunity of speech, for he looks to the heart and reines, and requires truth in the inward parts: But though the heart be principall in the sacrifice, yet it is not the sole agent. All prayer is not included in conceived prayer: God will have honour of the lips, as well as of the heart; he did not make man all soule and spirit: as he made him part body, and part soule, so he will have honour of both. Honour him in the heart, that is the cheife, else the o­ther will not prevaile, when we draw neere him with our lips, if our hearts be farr from him: But the heart is not the onely thing, though it be the cheife; get words to your selves, get a good expression. For this purpose, God hath given man the use of speech, not onely that he should converse with Men, but wi [...]h God; he con­verseth with men by intercourse of speech, with God by prayer: Prayer is the language of the heart, God is delighted with that; God is delighted with the lan­guage of prayer, or else hee would not have set us so many formes in Scripture, and all those dictates. God could worke grace in the heart without Preaching, but he useth outward meanes, because men have bodies and soules, and God can accept the prayer of the heart; but God will have both parts. Seek to God with the in­ward man and with the outward man. David calls his tongue his glory, for that end; for the tongue is the inter­preter of the heart, the tongue is the Secretary of the minde, it is that Ambassador that every poor contrite soule sends to God.

Those words that flye to Heaven, and passe the Clouds, are delivered and dictated by the tongue: Therefore it [Page 52]is that God hath made some part of the body the inter­preter to all the duties of piety. Mourning is one part of repentance; the interpreter of that affection of sorrow, is the eye; if the heart mourne, the eye will weep: Humi­liation and dejection of spirit, the casting downe of the soule, that is another grace, within, and there is ano­ther interpreter without, the knee is the interpreter of that grace; if the heart be cast downe, the body will, the knee will bow. Charity is another grace of the heart within; the interpreter without is the hand; if the heart be inlarged to wish well, the hand will be inlarged to give to the poore: And if the heart be inlarged with devotion, the hands will spread; the hand and eye move as the heart dictates, and the knees bow as the heart di­ctates, every part of the body is the interpreter of the soule.

Lastly, Prayer it is a grace of the heart, but it hath an interpreter without, the tongue is the interpreter; it is the Angell or Messenger of the understanding. Clemens Alexandrinus calls it the Trumpet of the soule: The tongue, it is not onely the interpreter, but the sollicitor: The tongue is the sollicitor that the heart sends to Hea­ven; God requires not the prayer of the lips, because he cannot heare the prayer of the heart, God forbid we should think so, he knowes our thoughts before they are. A mans silence is a cry to God; he heard Moses when hee said nothing; he heares the silence of prayer, as well as the voice. Tertullian well expresseth it, he is not onely the beholder of the heart, but the hearer of the heart: The heart hath its language, and every part of the body hath its language; the eyes language is weeping, and the hands language is lifting up, and the knees language, it is bowing, and all comes from the language of the heart: God understands the language of each part; if the heart [Page 53]speake, though the tongue be silent, he understands that. When a man lyes upon his death-bed, and his speech is gone, the hands are lifted up, God heares that: A man may pray with his eyes, with his hands, with his knees, but he must not confine his prayer to these; he may pray with his heart, but hee must not confine prayer to the heart: God will not onely have us say we pray within, we pray to God, and we wish well, and never consider that God is over our heads, we send up ejaculations; but take to you words; where is the witnesse of your mentall prayer? Take to you words.

The point is this, I will but name it: ‘Vocall Prayer is a great helpe to the ejaculations of the minde.’

It hath great advantage, in publike, and in private prayer.

In publike prayer it is simply necessary; there cannot be a combination of affections, except there be vocall prayer: we cannot read the language of the heart one of another. There cannot be union of affections, except there be one voice for all: Nothing commends prayer more to God, then unity, if it be the prayer of unity; the harmony of prayer cannot be preserved in a Congre­gation without vocall prayer, except it be expressed by words, and formes, they are necessary, that I shall shew after. There must be vocall prayer used, that the Congregation may be joyned together: Therefore we pray in the last prayer, We make our common supplications. I take occasion, because people take occasion to mistake, it is not common, because they are ordinary supplications, but thus, common supplications that concerne us all.

It is needfull also in private prayer, it hath these three advantages.

First, Prayer of the tongue, it makes prayer a perfect burnt Sacrifice, when the tongue joynes in words: Prayer is a dart, zeale points it, and words feather it; when it is poynted by zeale, and feathered by words, it flyes home; when the inward and the outward man agree together, when the strings of the heart, and the lan­guage of the tongue speake one thing, then there is a perfect Sacrifice offered to God. Pray to him with the heart, and with the lips.

Secondly, The language of prayer is needfull to be exprest by the lips; because words are as bellows to the affections, they are a meanes to kindle good affections. Words restraine affections that they shall not rove; they confine the affections to holy and heavenly desires, they not onely confine, but as I sayd, they kindle affections. They are as bellows. Prayer is as Incense, zeale puts to the fire in prayer, and words are the bellows that blow it up to make it flame; they make this Incense not one­ly sume but flame. If words be wanting, prayer will coole of it selfe; it is impossible that a man should con­tinue and persevere in prayer, except he use words; be­cause the affections will rove: The heart is able to ex­presse pious ejaculations; but to persevere in prayer, without consining to formed words, or where there is a habite of prayer without words, it is impossible to con­tinue.

Thirdly, It is the meanes to glorifie God more: In prayer we glorifie God in body and soule: It is not enough that we glorifie God within, we may doe it within, but who knowes it? Then it is onely to our selves; but when it is with the lips, we doe it to others: Even the Saints in Heaven use language in the glorifying of God; they sing to the glory of God, Halelujah, that song of praise to God, and expresse it by words, because there [Page 55]may be a common participation, that they may make an eccho: Therefore David though he were a man that had a mentall gift of prayer, yet he confined not him­selfe to it: I called to God with my voice, and he heard my prayer; I will sing of thy kindnesse for ever, and with my mouth I will declare it: Marke, I will sing of it, and de­clare it with my mouth, and call to God with my voyce: Therefore because there is a necessity of Vocall prayer to glorifie God, that is the first reason the Prophet saith, Take words, that is the first duty.

Secondly, He shewes the necessity of preparation: It is not onely use words; the Heathen that thinke to be heard for much babling, they use words, but they take not words. What is that? To study, to single, and cull out words before, to cast about where to get words. Looke into the closet of your heart, and see what things you want; see what acceptable formes the Saints used, then come, and humble your selves before God, but take to you words: The necessity of preparation in the duty of prayer is briefely layd downe by Solomon, in Eccles. 5. Be not rash to utter a thing before God, for he is in Heaven. That is, Rush not upon prayer, goe not into Gods pre­sence before thou be fitted, there must be holy prepara­tion, not onely before publike, but private prayer. Be­loved, we come to pray, and the reason why our pe­titions are denyed, is, because our hearts rove. He will never come into Gods presence with reverence one day, that prepares not somewhat the day before, that sets not worldly things aside the day before. As in publike, so in private prayer, prepare before you come to Church, and after: How ever some would scare Christians out of piety, they shall not scare Christians from their duty. They say, it is superstition for a man to humble him­selfe before God when hee comes to the Church, and [Page 56]Congregation: they say, hee must joyne with the Con­gregation, there must not be a sequestration, though it be never so short to fit himselfe: It is true, a man hum­bles and prepares himselfe before, but now he comes to the performance of it. I humble my selfe before, but now I come to the performance, give me such a heart as I may joyne with thy Servants to confesse our sins, and to make knowne our wants: And this must be supersti­tion in their interpretation, because we doe not joyne with the Congregation: They make no conscience of it, if they did, they would not keepe their owne po­sture at the Creed, they to sit, and others stand: I will be bold to say, it is fancie. The hearts of Christians must not be troubled, whereby there comes a great deale of offence; they run out of the Church if a Mini­ster humble himselfe before God in the Pulpit, what they please must be superstition. No, when we come be­fore God, there must be preparation. David prayed before he prayed, Let the lifting up of my hands be as Incense. Mi­cah studyed before he prayed, Wherewith shall I come be­fore the Lord, and make my supplication? What gesture shall I use? and what preparation shall I make? So should every good Christian; and the reason is good, prayer is weighty, the tongue is slippery, and the affections ro­ving; a man had need to hedge in his heart with all pre­paration: If a man speak to men, as I come to speak to you, yet I dare not come without due preparation, and yet I speak to men, as my selfe; much more when a man comes before God. If a man when he speaks to men, labours to shun Shelves and Solicismes of speech, and to ingratiate his person, and presse it home upon the hearts of his hearers, how much more when he speaks before God, that reads the language of the heart, who is a God that heares prayer, to whose presence all flesh comes. Mo­ses, [Page 57]when he was to speak to Pharaoh, durst not goe, be­cause he wanted words, and was a man of flow speech, and so Jeremie; yet they were but to speake to men. If any man say there was a necessitie, because they went on Gods errand; that was not the reason, looke back to hu­mane oratours, Demosthenes, Tullie, see what preparati­on they made to speak before humane auditorie; yet they would correct their errours, and set every word in due place; they would get words, pick up phrases, if any tittle of pronunciation were more advangious then o­ther; they would get that, meerely to prevaile in civill causes for men; how much more when we come to God in prayer, and not only be orators, but petitioners, and for the best of his mercies, for grace, the richest jewell in all his Store-house; and God that searcheth the heart, and sees if the heart and Spirit be answerable to the tongue, and hand; a man had need to be prepared be­fore-hand: Therefore Abraham, a man that had hea­venly acquaintance with God, he fitted himselfe before he would come in prayer; see how many prefaces he useth, six times he prayes, and every prayer hath a pre­face, Let not my Lord be angrie, and I will speake. Behold I have taken upon me to speake, that am but dust and ashes. He useth those holie prefaces to ingratiate himselfe with God: knowing how great an honour it is, for God to vouchsafe a mortall creature to speake to him: so will we, if we consider the greatnesse of Gods majestie, we will pray, that we may pray, search, and examine, and see what blessings God hath bestowed, and then we shall know what to give thankes for, see what evill we have com­mitted, and then wee shall know what to mourne for; see what judgements and temptations God hath removed, and then wee shall know how to blesse him, what sinnes we are prone to, that wee may know what to pray a­gainst [Page 58]and see what temporall things wee need, and then we may know what to beg; this the Prophet would have, Take words, studie words before you come, take not perfunctorie words, use not such as come first to hand; deale not so boldly, and familiarly with the glorious presence of God: speake to God as if you did speake to men, nay as if you were to speake before the judge of all men.

Lastly, here he gives a direction what words to use in prayer. The language of prayer is of a great extent: looke how many our wants are, so many severall formes and dialects our prayer hath; and looke how various mens hearts are, so various is prayer, but for our directi­on, confine it to these particulars.

First, Take to you words, that is, holie, and heavenly words, such as becomes that glorious Majestie: there­fore our blessed Saviour hath taught us to pray to Our Father in Heaven, intimating that when we come to God, we must not only bring heavenly affections, but heaven­ly word: what are those? words that relish of heaven; words that have the coyne and stamp of the Spirit of God on them, he that brings a earthly heart and carnall, earthly words to God, cannot speed: Prayer hath a dialect proper to it selfe: bring words; that is, heaven­ly words.

Secondly, bring with you words; that is, forcible, fervent, powerfull words; (come not to God with a cold temper) they are such words that must prevaile: for there is a language that specially prevailes with God; that is, bring such words as may importune God. It is not a cold muttering of a forme of prayer that is accep­table to God; no, but pray with the heart, not only speake but call, nor call but crie, ask, and seeke, and knock; if asking will not serve, seeke, if that will not doe, knock. [Page 59]There is a delight in God, to be not only spoken to, but forced, the violent take heaven, and there is no violence, but of faith, and prayer; faith by one violence, and prayer by another. The prayer of the fervent heart breakes through the Clouds; no impediment can keep it from Gods throne, take fervent words, wooe God, intreate him, importune him, to see if he will be intreated to turne from his wrath.

Thirdly, take intelligent words, understand your selves what you speake, use not such words as doe not expresse your mind. It is a mocking of God to come to God in an unknowne language. That is the great delusion of our adversaries of Rome, the great manner of cogging to delude the people, to keepe them in igno­rance, from knowing the word of God, and what they speake to God; that as they believe by an implicite faith, so they must pray by an implicite devotion, that if the Priest that sets them the forme of prayer, or if the Church should goe about to deceive them (as they doe too too much, they might set a forme of cursing as well as pray­ing, and how can they understand it? and they must take it upon trust. These are not intelligible words, but I cannot proceed further.

SERMON III.

IT was well sayd by Saint Austin, that Art perfects nature, hee found the proofe thereof in himselfe; for it had perfected him: For minerals and vegetatives, you all know, that it is mechanick, and inferiour Arts that perfect them. Nature gives gold, and Art purifies it; nature gives Stones that are precious, and Art makes them more precious; nature gives simples, and Art makes them confections. And for man that is the most excellent of inferiour crea­tures, they are the ingenious and the spirituall Arts that perfect man. And every severall Art hath a kinde of speciall interest in some severall persons: For memory, they are the rules of method that perfect memory. And [Page 62]the rules of invention, perfect parts: the rules of disputa­tion, perfect reason, the rules of oratorie, perfect speech; and generally whether wee looke upon the bodie, or whether we looke upon the soule, if there be any thing in either that is defective, art either restores, or helpes it, if there be any thing luxurious, art pollisheth it; if any thing disorderly, art corrects it; that the Philosopher had good reason to say, Art perfects nature: for he could doe nothing but by Art: now if Art give such perfection to nature, that is so lame in it selfe, what perfection doe Christians draw from that that is the Art of all other Arts, the art of Gods booke, those heavenly rules of di­rection containd in the word of God? there is no part of man, but it perfects, for it not only perfects but changeth, it changeth our nature, not only to some de­gree, but to a totall and compleat estate. It converts the soule, it rejoyceth the heart, it delights the eye, for our acti­ons, it teacheth us to live, for our thoughts, it teacheth us to, meditate for our speech, it teacheth to discourse godly. If there were no more Scriptures, yet this one Text that I have read, shewes the proofe of it.

Its the Prophets intendment by this Scripture to worke a change in the people of the Jewes to whom he preached, to worke an alteration, to a better knowing of this by experience, that the word it corrects, and reformes, and there is in every part of it, a severall reformation, that may be wrought, if the heart be hardened, here this Scripture teacheth to humble them, Turne to the Lord, if the armes be infolded, this Scripture teacheth to spread them, if the lips be sowed up, if the tongue stammer, that we know not how to expresse our selves before the heavenly majestie, this Scripture teacheth to open them, Take with you words, &c. So, that which was intended [Page 63]by him when he spake them first, is the same that I in­tend when I handle them now.

The parts you know are two.

• A rule of excitement, and
• A rule of direction.

The rule of excitement to two duties, one to the dutie of action, Turne to the Lord, of that I spake.

There is an excitement to a generall dutie of prayer. The manner of prayer, Take with you words, and go to God. What words I shewed the last time, the words of prayer, & of confession, those are the words; and what were the kinds of both, and the necessitie of both, so far I went.

Another is this particular forme, Take words and say to him. This part I am to goe on with.

That is, and say thus unto him, in hunc modum, in haec verba, after this manner in these words. The Prophets intendment is to give them a help for their infirmities in the worke of prayer, he pens a forme for them, he sets this as an example, and patterne of prayer, whereby they should make their prayers; a forme to use when they came before God.

He prevents an objection, Take with you words, and turne to the Lord. I, faine wee would take words, but where shall we get them? what words are fit? wee are ignorant, we are not acquainted with the language, that dutie hath been a stranger to us; who will teach us and instruct us, Wherewith shall wee come before the Lord? what words shall we use when we come before him? [Page 64]He prevents the objection in these words, And say to him; I will lend you words, if ye be ignorant I will in­struct you; these are the words you shall use. Like a good instructer, he not only teacheth them the dutie, that they are to doe, but shewes them the manner of the performance; he excites them to prayer, and repentance, and shews to them a patterne of prayer, he gives them this forme of confession.

You see beloved, that formes of prayer are not now taken up only: it is not a thing so new, as that so many disgraces should be put upon set formes, especially those that concerne the whole people, a Church, and Con­gregation, they are as ancient as Pauls time. Paul is pleased to tie himselfe to a forme; and not only when he prea­ched (I doe not say he did so alway, for then there was a greater necessitie) but even when he wrote. A man when he writes, hath libertie of time for varietie, especi­ally Paul having the gifts of the Spirit, yet he ties him­self to a set prayer in al his Epistles, and makes it a token whereby it may be known, Thus I write, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. and so he shuts up all.

Not only Paul, but our blessed Saviour, he that is the wisedome of the Father, he by whose Spirit we learne to pray; he that commenceth our suits to God; he that hath the fulnesse of all knowledge, therefore all varietie of heavenly expressions; when he prayed before God, and in his last prayer that he made in the garden; thrice he prayd, Matth. 26. and all those times he useth the same forme, he speakes the same words; he went, and pray­ed first, Father if it be possible: and then in vers. 22. he prayes againe and saith the same words: and then in verse 24. he prayes and saith the same words, he could have had varietie to have exprest that notion, that is, to beg assistance of his father which he needed then as man; [Page 73]he exprest it in that forme: we have his example, it is as old as Christs time.

Nay, before Christ came, in the time of the Prophets, it is as old as Moses, and that is as farre as we can goe. For Hezekiahs time it is plaine, 2 Chron. 29. he cals to the Priests to sing to the Lord in the words of David, and Asaph: there are many particulars.

And therefore they are much to blame, that will bring an ill report on a good thing, that goe about to stumble the consciences of the weake, as though it were an im­pediment for the Church of God in publick to keep them­selves to a set forme. They might remember that there be examples, and What was written aforetime, is written for our learning.

But we have more then examples; we have Christs direction, When ye pray, pray thus, Our Father.

Besides, we reade of the happie successe that those pray­ers had; and God approved of the same, when they used and kept themselves to formes; he that approved it in other Saints, will not disdaine it in us; if it were pie­tie in them, it cannot be ill in us.

As for those flouts that they give it, that it is a stint­ing of the Spirit, a confining of the grace of God: that it is to keepe people to walke upon crutches; and making people swim upon bladders; they are emptie, vaine, windy words, that become such emptie Spirits: they are not the words of the Spirit of God; they are not words that savour of pietie, nay not of reason.

For yet, if they be scandalized at the formes that wee make, will they at the formes of Christ, and of the Pro­phets? will they say that Christ that conformed to a forme, and to the Prophets, that it was a walking upon crutches, and a swimming with bladders; if they lay such imputations upon the formes that we have, they [Page 66]will not spare to lay the same upon that of Christ, they quarrell as much against it, as at our prayers, that now superstition it must be, or I know not what vaine tauta­logie, to have the use of the Lords prayer in publick assem­blies. Why did Christ give it? It is the form that he would have his Apostles, and his Church use to the worlds end; and as one saith well, for a man to pray otherwise then Christ would have him to pray, it is to be imputed ignorance, and folly, and sinne. Our blessed Saviour had a speciall intendment of pietie, when he set that forme to his Disciples, and to the Church of God; and if therefore they finde fault with that, we may well think they will be too scrupulous to finde fault with those formes that the Church hath set.

But let them not say, that preparation to prayer is a stinting of the Spirit: no, it is not a stinting of the Spirit of God; but a restraining of our owne wandring Spirits: Preparation is not so much a confining of the Spirit, as want of preparation is an abandoning of the Spirit of God.

It is true, it is acknowledged, and cannot be denyed, that conceived prayer, is an admirable grace, where it pleaseth God to give the facultie, and power, but yet for publique prayer, though the gift were had by one, it is not by all.

There are speciall uses, and reasons, that in publicke prayers formes are to be had.

They are speciall helpes to the weaknesse of those that are not able to send up their owne suits. They are spe­ciall helpes of devotion, where the people know not what those things are, that they are to beg of God. They are a speciall meanes, to keepe in the heart, and affections within good compasse, and bounds, to hedg it in that it rove not. They are speciall helpes to com­munitie, [Page 67]and unanimitie of prayer. That which com­mends publique prayer is one heart, and voyce, sent to God; how can that be, by so many persons as meet in this congregation, if they have not one forme? if there be not uniformitie kept in that?

Besides, ordinarily, people doe not so much excell in this gift, as fitly to expresse themselves in conceived prayer, and oft those that are great ones are wanting, Wee know not how to pray as we ought. The Poet sayd, if men follow their owne desires, they seduce them: for what prayers make they?

One Poet tels us that they would beg of God that they might have opportunitie to deceive; give me grace that I may be accounted a holie, and righteous man: we may make such prayers as these, sometimes unlawfull, sometimes hurtfull, sometimes sinfull things we should pray for; and so more sinfull we should be, if we utter before God without due meditation, what we thought on before. Therfore these formes are put to us, we have mention upon record of the prayers of Abraham, of Ja­cob, of Moses, of David, of Hezekiah; of the Prophet Je­remiah, Daniel, Habakkuk, Nehemiah, Ezra, all theirs with many others are set downe upon record. To what purpose? but that we might thereby learne to fit our selves with words to attaine a habit of prayer, by stu­dying of these formes.

And it is a great incouragement to know the formes that the Saints prevailed with of old; that God accep­ted such prayers at their hand: he that accepted them then, if we send them by the same Spi [...]it will accept them now.

Therefore in the course of Scripture, for all Christian duties, for all duties of pietie there were formes s [...]t, in the old Testament; for the blessing of the people th [...]e [Page 77]is a forme soe that Numb. 6. they were to blesse them thus, saying The Lord blesse you. When the Arke removed there was a forme for that, the forme then was, Arise O Lord in thy resting place, among the many thousands of Israel. When the Arke stood still, Returne O Lord to the many thousands of Israel. For the worke of purification, when any place was to be cleansed from the guilt of blood, that lay at the doore of the Citie, thus they were to say, Lord be mercifull to thy people, and lay not guiltines of blood to us. In the time of repentance and humiliation; the Pro­phet then sets a forme for them, Joel 2. Let the Priests, the Lords remembrancers stand betweene the porch, and the Al­tar, and say, spare thy people O Lord. And here Hosea seeing the necessitie in regard of the great defects, and many wants of the people, he cals on them to call upon God: and that their prayer might be accepted, as one that ministred to their infirmities, and helped their necessities, therefore he gives them this forme: he gave it to them, and the Spirit of God commends it to us, by leaving it in Scripture as an example for us to make our prayers by: as a warrant upon occasion, especially in publick, to use such a forme, Take to you these words, that I prescribe, and say thus to him.

The Chaldee paraphrase so descants upon it, and some other Rabbies; use either these, or the like words as these, Take away all iniquitie, and receive us graciously.

So, I have done with the preparative, that is, the rule of exhortation.

Now, Secondly, the rule of direction, and that hath two parts.

One is precatorie, take away all sinne.

The other part is promissorie, So will we render the calves of our lips.

I begin with the first of these, that is, the part precatorie, and therein are two things.

The parts of which the prayer consists.

And the order of the parts.

The parts of which the prayer consists are two.

One is, Take away all ill.

The other is,

Shew us good, receiveus graciously.

The first part is for the taking away of all ill, and the worst ill, the ill of sinne. It is but short, but it is very pithie.

There are three words in it, and they all have their emphasis; it is not called sinn, but iniquitie; it is not this, or that sinne but all: it is not only, lay it aside for a time, but take it away, remove it. So, these three make three parts.

There is first the thing deprecated, and prayed against, that is, iniquitie, and sinne.

Secondly, the extent of it, how farre the deprecation reacheth, not to a few, not to some, but all, take all ini­quitie away, and leave none behind.

Then thirdly, the manner of the removing of it, a word that is very full, Take it away. We shall see the mea­ning of that when we come to it.

The first is the thing deprecated, sinne. The Prophet labours hereby, by setting this forme, to draw them to the acknowledgement of their sinne; and not only to an acknowledgement, but to an aggravation.

To an acknowledgement, in that he wisheth them to pray thus, Take away iniquitie. Saith Tertullian well, there is in all Petitions of mercie, a secret confession of sin, he that begs pardon, acknowledgeth sinne. He would not only draw them to an acknowledgement, but to an ag­gravation: Therefore he useth not the common word, [Page 70]take away sinne, but take away iniquitie, iniquitie hath a greater stroake saith Austin, it is plaine that sinne is com­mon, iniquitie is extraordinarie. There are none of us all but acknowledge our selves sinners, and we doe not think much to be so called: but men will blush, and be ashamed, and loath to be accounted those that are impi­ous, that have iniquitie. Austin shewes by it, that there is more in iniquitie, then in sin: therefore the Prophet u­seth that phrase, to teach us what is the greatest ill, against which we are to bend all our prayers, what was the great evill against which they were to millitate with their prayers? sinne and iniquitie. All a Christians la­bours, all his examinations, all his prayers and devotion are to looke this way, to the taking away of iniquitie. It is the most frequent Prayer that we are to put up; it is that daylie prayer, that wee are to put up; what e­ver we doe, and what ever wee stand in need of: there is no blessing that we are to beg of God, but this must goe in, aske in the first place pardon of sinne. If a man be to sit downe at his Table to eate meate, first beg pardon of sinne, because sinne will be a meanes to curse it to him; it cannot be good without Gods blessing; sinne may hinder the naturall worke of the creature; if a man be to goe a journey, and beg Gods protection, let him first aske pardon of sinne; for that will expose him to danger: there is no keeping of sinne in the house, and in the heart, first beg for the removing of that. If a man goe about his worke, he begs Gods blessing upon his labour, but first let him aske reconciliation and pardon of sinne: for sinne will make a mans labour unfruitfull, and unprofi­table, and bring a curse upon his labour. If a man come to the House of God, to heare the word of God, and to joyne in prayer with the people of God, O let him, though he meane to aske a blessing, that it may edisie, [Page 71]yet let him first beg pardon; for sinne stops the eares of a man in hearing, and stops the eares of God in hearing. When God speakes to us, if sinne be not purged out of our hearts, we shall not benefit by the word, and we shal have no benefit by our prayers, If I regard iniquitie in my heart, the Lord will not heare my prayer. Therefore, this is the reason the Prophet would have them bend the For­ces of their indeavours, and prayers against sinne. It is not, take away our punishment, or take away thy plague, they were in miserie now, the Prophet teacheth them, not so much to pray for that in generall, but that that they should stand upon is, Take away iniquitie.

And that is the reason, why, of all other prayers, the Devill most opposeth a man, both in making of this Pe­tition, and in the comfort by it. He contradicts this prayer especially, because it is a choice fruit of Gods Spirit: and it is that prayer that ruins his Kingdome; reconciliation puls it downe, therefore he opposeth that.

One way whereby he opposeth it, is, by keeping men from seeing their sinnes. He that sees not his sinnes begs not pardon: if we be blind, we shall be dumb in that sence.

If he cannot hinder from the sight, he will hinder from the sence; a man will never aske pardon of that that he feeles not burthensome.

If he prevaile not with that, then he will keep them from the hope of pardon, and make them believe that their sins are unpardonable, what should I beg for pardon of sinnes, my time is past?

If not that, then he labours to keepe them from en­joying the comfort of pardon, he labours to blind their eyes if they have pardon, that they may not see that comfort.

If not that, he tempts them to presumption, if he can­not hinder them of the comfort, he labours to draw them to a presumptuous opinion of their righteousnesse, that they have no sinne to beg pardon, you are not such a sinner, &c. It were well, if there were no sinne but is that a Cockatrice egg, that they should thinke they need not to aske pardon of sinne at the h [...]nds of God.

It was one of the opinions in the primitive times, but this time farre outstrips that, because worse opinions attend upon it: there were some that were gotten in unawares, I wonder whence this opinion should grow, that Christians should ever come to this height of impi­etie, to thinke it unlawfull to beg pardon of sinne: there­fore it comes from another, because God sees no sinne in his Children. But whence comes this, here is an ill bird, and an ill egge, yet it hath a dam that is older still, that is as damnable as either, that is, that Christians are not tyed to any obedience of the morall law, because they are brought under the obedience of Christ: see how they hang like Samsons foxes, that were tyed after a disorderly manner. First the Devill possesseth their hearts, that there is no obedience to the law of God, and thereby he stops up the fountain of al pietie. If there be no obedience to the Law, it must needs follow that there can be no sin, for there is no sinne without the transgression of the law, and then there no sinne for God to see, and then they need not after they are in the state of justification, beg remission they need not use this prayer, Take away iniquitie, nor that of Christ, forgive us our trespasses.

There is not any of all these opinions, but they are as I conceive sprung from the misunderstanding of some orthodox point in divinitie, that people not well understanding themselves, doe wrest.

As the poynt of justification only by faith, that point is only for our comfort: we must exclude works in justifi­cation, our works have no part in the justification of a sinner; but it doth not follow, because faith only justi­fies that thereupon they conclude; what have we to do with works, and obedience of the law? That is a mistake; for God, though he justifie us without works, he requires obedience as a fruit of justification, and as a speciall pledge of that grace that he works in the heart. There is the mistake of that.

The other, and a second branch comes from the mi­stake of another point that is comfortable, and hath its foundation in the book of God, that he that is truly in the state of son-ship cannot fall finally; that is a funda­mentall point, and of great consequence: and that is cleare, because else Gods promise should not be true, if God were mutable, and should bring us into a state of a­doption one day, and after cast us out. This is a point of great prety: But from wresting of this comes the other point, that because they cannot fall totally, that there­fore they cannot fall at all; that because a man cannot sinne finally, that justification makes him totally gracious that he cannot sinne. For though God keep them from finall sinning, yet the best Saints fall. In many things wee sinne all: And he that saith he is not a sinner, is a lyar, even of those that are converted. Wee tread awry every day, and there are many slips, and sometimes foule, grosse falls; but it pleaseth God to raise us againe, but it is by repentance and faith in Christ, the same way that we rose at the first.

So, for the third point, that men need not beg par­don, it is from a corrupt originall. It is a good heavenly point, that there is a certainty of salvation granted to many Saints; that certainty may be had, though it be [Page 92]not had by all, every one comes not to the same degree of assurance. From the mistake of this, comes the third; because we may be assured that we are in a state of salva­tion, and grace, and that sinne is pardoned, we need not beg pardon: So, they run to popery another way. Pope­ry is a thing that they disclaim, and while they would run from popery, they fall into another extream, and run to popery another way. Compare them a little; A Saint may come to perfection, and keep all the morall law, say the Papists; a Christian may come to that perfection, that he need not keep it say they. Some sins are of so easie a weight, they are not to be accounted, God accounts them no sins, the first motions. God sees not these in his Children as sins say the Papists. God sees no sin in his children say they: here is their errour. Say the Papists, if assurance may be had, why doe we beg for forgivenesse? It is fond to beg pardon, if wee have assurance: So they, because the child of God hath assurance, he needs not beg pardon. Thus they run by eschewing the contrary, into the same errour, in a worse manner then they. For of all other, these are most damnable. There is never an opinion that the Devill hath stirred up, that hath a worse savour and intendment in it then these. It over­throws the foundation of the Gospel, and of Christianity, and piety. It takes away Christ, and take him away, take away prayer, and repentance, and all at one blow.

O, when there are such fundamentall errours as these, shall we wonder if God send the plague to purge his floore, when these shall start up, and are not smothered? And those that should smother them doe not awake autho­rity. No man cares which way Religion goes, and how it thrives: God will purge this leaven, from the au­thors of these opinions, and those that should suppresse it. God will not have every man preach what he will, [Page 93]and hold, and do what he will. And if humane Lawes be offended, there is severity enough in correcting; Gods law is broken daily, and no man looks after it. Of all others, that one grosse point that Christians are come to, think it unnecessary, nay needlesse, nay sinfull, to beg re­mission of sins; then farewell Gospel, and Religion, and all.

St. Austin had some in his time that were of that opi­nion, therefore he hath diverse passages against it. They had no sinne. The forme that Christ gave, it agrees to e­very Christian, it is a forme that all Christians must use to the worlds end; they must still pray, forgive us our trespasses as long as they live, and breath. Not only all other Christians, but the Apostles, the masters of the Flock, those that were the bell-weathers, the greater sort of sheep, that Christ committed the sheep to; yet the A­postles, when they were on the crosse, in suffering, or under the axe, yet still they must pray, forgive us our sinnes.

And in another place saith he, There was never any Saint in the world, or shall be, but must make this pray­er, forgive us our trespasses: Only that Sanctum-sanctorum, Jesus Christ, he is excepted: he gave the forme, he nee­ded it not.

Yet further, and that is a sweet speech, the whole Church of God saith it, and he is a reprobate that saith it not, that he is in that condition, of all other there is no greater signe then this, it is to be feared he is in a state of reprobation that will not say, Lord forgive us our trespas­ses, pardon our sins: Therefore there was good reason why the Prophet made them make their prayer against this iniquity, that is the transgression of the law, iniquity that makes shipwrack of conscience, and exposeth to judg­ment, and deprives of all comfort, and iniquity that con­demneth to hell; therefore there they must settle this [Page 94]first petition, Take away iniquity.

Secondly, The extent, All iniquity; there is some reason why he addes that. All is a word of universality, an indefinite word; here is no iniquity mentioned, no fin mentioned, but all wound up in a clew, all in a lump propounded. Take away all. It is not take away our i­niquity, that is meant: It is not take away this, or that; pardon our Idolatry, or our rebellion, pardon our propha­nesse, or the adulterers that neigh after their neighbours wives: there be drunkards of Ephraim, pardon these sins; no, pardon all. There is some reason why the Prophet would have it thus; pardon all, take away all: I conceive these three reasons.

First, he would draw them to a generall acknowledg­ment of sinne; for however we are tyed to a particular mention, and confession of those sins that our conscien­ces are privy to, upon due search, and in our acknow­ledgment and humiliation to name them to God. This I have done, and this thou hast done, deliver me from blood-guiltinesse O God. So, for those sins that are past our me­morie; as there are many, those we wind up in a generall, implicite confession; as that Publican, O God be mercifull to me a sinner: as here the Prophet teacheth them to say, Take away all. He would have them thereby acknow­ledge their aggravation of sin. All, that is, many, exceed­ing many: nay, all, that is, all that can be said. Take away all the iniquities that we can name, and all that the Pro­phet can name, or that thou canst lay to our charge. Lord, our sins are great; as skarlet for die, as sands for number: but one wipe with the spunge of thy mercie wil take away all: they are more then we can expresse, and number, there is an all of them: It is warrantable by the example of the Saints in Scripture: And that is one of the errors of auricular confession that the Church of Rome fastens on [Page 95]men, because they tie men to reckon every sinne, that is impossible; so they lay burthens on the consciences of men.

It is true, it is the glory of Christians to honour God by confession, and he that studies his heart most, knows his life most: but those that we cannot reckon, it is an honour to God to reckon them up in generall phrases, that we may give God the glory of aggravation. I con­fesse against my selfe whatsoever I know I have done, and I confesse what I have forgotten. There are sinnes of my sleepe that I cannot remember, and of my dreames, I con­fesse them. There are sins of my cradle, I confesse to thee. There are sinnes that I took no notice of, before I had knowledge, pardon all my iniquities. The Prophet would draw them to an acknowledgement of all. Every man hath an All.

And if hee knew them to have an all, O what an all is that with which we are oppressed now? He that goes to reckon up the particulars of our general, the many species, & kinds in this age: it is an all that fils the world, that fils heaven, that fils the eares of God: our sins we confesse to thee, of thought, and word, and deed, of ignorance, of knowledge, of presumption, of infirmitie, our secret sins, our open sinnes, against thee, against our neighbours, a­gainst our selves. Thus a Christian goes on to aggravate against himselfe all these, and what ever else can bee said. He that goes about to reckon our drunkennesse, our adulterie, our backeslidings, the severall degrees of our prophanesse; the shedding of innocent blood, how it en­creaseth: there hath been more blood shedde since the sickenesse began, more duels about the City then I have heard of in two or three yeares before. As if we would aggravate sinne, when God comes to reckon with us. If a man should reckon the degrees of fraud that is [Page 96]continually practised in shops, and trades; the prophaning of the Sabbath: & sin is come to that, that it is uncontrol­lable, that all the Magistrates in this Citie are not able to controll a few boyes, and disorderly men, that wrestle in the fields. So boyes give lawes to men, and so sin runs on. The sin that every man commits, if that be so infinite, the sin that the whole commits, how infinite is it? We have an all, He would bring them to an acknowledgement, that is the first reason.

Secondly, he would bring them to a detestation, and protestation against all. They come not to distinguish when they make confession before God: take away our mortall sins, but let our veniall sins alone; our greater sins wipe away; for our lesse, we will shift as well as we can: True repentance knowes no such distinction. Though there be a difference of sins, yet in repentance, repentance makes none; not the distinction so as to exclude any. It makes distinction to mourn more for shipwracking sinnes that burthen conscience, and force, and streine our teares; it mourns most for them, but it acknowledgeth all. If it be but as a graine of sand, that it acknowledgeth, an idle word, an exorbitant thought, an irreligious gesture, indis­cretion, & folly, they are fruits of the first sin: and these, and every of these are opposite to the law. If it be a trans­gression of the law, it provokes the Divine Majestie, and is an obliquity from him, and incurs his justice, if God should be extreame. Therefore when a Christian askes pardon, he distinguisheth not; here is the sinne that I will lay aside; and this is the sin that I wil ask pardon of, no; he repents of none, that repents not of all. He distingui­sheth not the profitable, and the unprofitable sins: here is a sinne I am crucified to, saith the old man, I will aske God pardon of that: but covetousnesse sticks to my fingers ends, I will not ask pardon of that. So, when nature is [Page 97] weake in a drunkard, he will then acknowledge, I have offended God, and sinned against the creatures in the in­temperate use of them; now he dares not, for his con­sumption, or he must not, for his dropsie. It is not repen­tance that crucisies this sin, but nature: but his gam [...]ng, and intemperance, these he will keep. A true convert makes no distinction of pleasant or unpleasant sinnes: no, here is my Dalilah, begin with that first, all iniquity is to be relinquished; he that expects pardon of all, must re­nounce all.

Thirdly, there is another reason; that thereby hee might draw them to an acknowledgment of the great goodnesse of God, that he was able to pardon all. Take a­way all iniquity, all summed up together. By saying all, they acknowledg that God could and would remit all, if they repent of all, and leave all. Note, that there is no burthen of sinne so great, but God can pardon it, and take it away. There is a greater all of Gods mercie, then of our sinnes; and of Christs merits, then of our sinnes; for all the sins of the world put together, they are finite, he is an infinite Majestie: but in themselves God can num­ber them, for they are written in his booke. The alsuffi­ciency of that merit and sacrifice that Christ layd down, and the price of that inestimable blood, that is infinite. There can be no number made of the vertue of those drops of blood which Christ shed: there can be no num­ber made of that mercie, the drops of which God compre­hends us with, therefore mercie and merit is greater then sin. If we can confesse all, God can pardon all. Look as in nature, the Philosopher observed, that infinite is of that extent, that no finite can be proportionable: as an infi­nite number, though there can be none, because another number may be added: but an infinite number, ten thou­sand millions, it is as far off of infinite as tenne, because [Page 98]there is no proportion, because it may be multiplyed, and multiplyed. So, though sins be many, as millions, it hath no proportion to the merits of Christ, why? because they are infinite: that blood is of excellent vertue, it can wash white; because it is infinite, it hath sufficiency to pardon all sin, and do it easily.

So it is, as if he had said: O Lord we are ready to con­fesse all, take all away; what we can, we alleadg against our selves; we beseech thee shew mercie. We know thy mercie is greater then our sins; as we confesse all, pardon thou all.

The Scripture sets it out by an all too, the blood of Je­sus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. God hath made his pro­mise so: At what time soever a sinner repenteth, I will blot out all his wickednesse. That thereby they might be drawn to acknowledge his gooodnesse and mercie, to exclude their sins; therefore the Prophet expresseth it by this all. Their sins were innumerable, but Gods mercie is more innumerable: their sins were great, but Gods mercie is greater; if they will have God to pardon all, they must confesse all, let this be the form you will use: that is the second, the extent. Now, the third is the mayn, the man­ner of the removall they pray for, Take away: But I see the time is past, therefore I will break off.

SERMON IIII.

AS every Nation in the world hath some pe­culiar language, whereby they doe con­verse mutually one with another: so it is true also of all the graces of God which the Apostle cals the fruit of the Spirit; e­very grace of the spirit it hath a peculiar tongue, or language, a form of speech, whereby Christians converse with God.

There is one language of faith, another of repentance, another of prayer, another of zeale, another of thankeful­nesse. Each of these, they have severall words, severall kinds of dialects whereby they expresse themselves. The words of faith are victorious words; the words of thank­fulnesse are glad, and chearfull words: the words of zeale are fiery, the words of prayer are winged, the words of repentance, bitter, and heavy words.

Each of these languages, and all sorts of words, they [Page 100]have their particular tones, and acccents, whereby they expresse themselves, whereby pronunciation is made. For faith forceth out her words, thankfulnesse poures out her words, repentance drops them out, zeal flames them out, and prayer darts them out. There is none of all these languages, but we have a modell of them in this short Scripture. The language of repentance, that is in those words, Turne to the Lord. The language of prayer in those, Take away all iniquity. The language of faith in those, Receive us graciously. Of thankefulnesse in those, we will give the calves of our lips. And lest any of these should be wanting, we may find the fifth too, the language of zeale, that is in the Prophet that excited the people to these duties: Take with you words, and turne to the Lord, or turne to the Lord; and in turning, take words and say, &c.

Some of these words I have spoken of already: you may remember I divided the whole into two parts, A rule of excitement, and a rule of direction. The excitement to two duties; the duty of action, Turne to the Lord, and the duty of elocution. In generall, take to you words: and in particular it hath reference to this forme, say thus to him, make your prayers after this; if you cannot doe that, use this prayer, that was the excitement.

The rule of direction, or forme of prayer, and thanke­fulnesse that he gives them, followes. That consists of two parts.

One part is for the donation of grace, Take away all i­niquity.

The other is promissorie for the returning of grace, the grace of thankefulnesse. So will wee give the calves of our lips.

I am yet in the former of these, and that consists of two parts, the precatory.

One part is deprecatory, for the removall of ill, Take away all iniquity.

The other is supplicatory, that is, for the pouring out, or the effusion of good, the best good, the good of grace, re­ceive us graciously.

I am yet in the former part, I considered three parts, according to the three words, for they have all their phasis.

It is not, take away sinne, but take away iniquity, it is a word of weight.

It is not take away our iniquities, or this, or that ini­quity, but all, the reason of that I gave also, the extent of it for the removing of all, you heard it.

The manner of removall that the people must beg, that is in this [Take away] all, a word that is very full, of a large signification. It is more then forgive. Compare it strictly with the nature of the word, and it is more then crucifie.

The forgivenesse of sins, that properly concerns culpa. Sin may be committed where it is forgiven, according to the essence of it; it is not alway wholly crucified, and taken away. It is more then subdue, and mortifie, and keep under sinne. Sin may be mortified, though the dregs, and lees, and seeds of it are still behind, it shall never be put out wholly, out of any vessel of election in this life. But this word in the prayer extends to both: Take away, both the staine, take away the corruption, take away the guilt, take away the defilement: Take it out of thy sight, that it accuse us not, that it condemne us not, that it destroy us not, and expose us to thy judgements: and take it from us too, that it defile not, that it corrupt not, that it spread not. It is as much as those two words in Psal. 103. that forgives, and heales, and those two in two, pardon; and cleanse, it includes both, this taking away. Take it away [Page 102]from us, and take it away from thee; let it have no more residence in our hearts, no more appearance in thine eyes, from below, from above, both take it away.

Nay yet further, if we shall gather together all those phrases, and forms of speech in Scripture, to expresse the pardon, and forgivenesse, and removing of sinne, all comes within the compasse of this one phrase. Not to observe sin, not to impute it, not to remember it; to remove it, to co­ver it, to pardon it, to cast it behind his back, to shut his eyes upon it, to cast it into the bottome of the sea; in a word, to purifie, to purge, to cleanse us from it; there is as much in this one word, to take it away.

It is a word so weighty, that that frivolous distinction that is used by the Church of Rome for the defence of their doctrine of satisfaction. I wil not stand upon it, the distinction is this; that when sin is pardoned, the pardon of sin it extends in part to the guilt; but it doth not ex­tend for the removall of all punishment, because there is the penal part of satisfaction after to be performed in pur­gatorie. A distinction that will not stand before this word; to Take away: for if there be some punishment that God exacts still, sin is not taken away. It is a frivolous di­stinction that stands not with sence; for that that is taken away is not; that that hath no entity hath no guilt, that that hath no being, obligeth not to punishment.

Besides, it is not only in it selfe frivolous, but injuri­ous to the satisfaction of Christ, as if his blessed merits, and intercession were able to quench the greater fire, and not to put out the lesse, as if it were able to free from e­ternall death, and not from temporall, not a death, but a dying.

Besides, if God have pardoned, or taken away sin for the merits of Christ, then it were unjust for God to exact it; A man that forgives a debt once, it is unjust to demand [Page 103]it. If God have pardoned it, (and if he hath taken away sinne, he hath pardoned it; if he have pardoned it,) how shall he be satisfied in punishing againe? He that is gracious in pardoning, will hee not be true in keeping his promise? Nay, he that is just in pardo­ning, as the Apostle saith, hee is just and faithfull to for­give sinne; will he be unjust in exacting that punishment that he hath remitted?

It is true, the question is not about the pouring out of temporall punishments in this life; for so oft times God doth, even when he hath pardoned sinne, he pu­nisheth it in his dearest servants: but those are not punishments, but chastisements, and instructions. So Davids, it was not saith Saint Austin a punishment, but a plaister that God laid to David to cure his sinne, it was not a punishment inflicted for sinne. That is not the question about punishment continuing in this life, be­cause they have not the nature of punishments. But the question is about punishment properly so called after this life, whether it stand with Gods justice and truth, or Christs merit, that there should be any part of satisfa­ction, after God hath pardoned, and taken away sin.

It is a doctrine that will not stand before any of those words whereby pardon of sin is set forth in Scripture. In Isa. 38. God saith, he will cast their sins behind his backe; that is a full word. In Isa. 44. he saith, he will remove them as a cloud; that is another full word. In Mich. 7. he will cast them into the bottom of the Sea; another full word. In Jerem. 31. he saith, hee will not remember them, he will forget, & forgive them. And here, and in other pla­ces he will take them away. Their doctrine will not en­dure the tryall of these places, they cannot stand toge­ther. For if God punish, how doth he remove it? and if God revenge sin, how doth he cast it out of his presence? [Page 104]how doth he forget it? for to punish is not only to remem­ber it, but sharply to remember it, if the paines of purgato­ry be so sharp as they say.

But if we look to the phrases, see how God expresseth the contrary, I will cast them Behind my backe. How is that? I will not looke upon them; that that is behind God is not before; that that is not before, is not seene, is not taken knowledge of. God takes no knowledge of them, therefore he punisheth not. And so, I will re­move them as a cloud. A cloud, when the water is drawn forth of it, there is no more foot-steps, or appearance of it: so God promised to make their sins, they shall be so far from sending out vapours of provocation, that they shall be as a cloud, they shall vanish. Again saith he, I will drowne them in the bottome of the Sea. It is true, Gods eye pierceth to the bottome of the Sea, and further; he looks to hell it selfe: but he speaks after the manner of men, that that is at the bottome of the deep, is not able to be fetched backe by any creature, or by man; no man can goe to the bottome of the Sea to search for any thing that is there, that is laid up sure, that man cannot come neare it: so God will hide sin. That that is in the bot­tome of the Sea is more safe, then that that is at the bot­tome of the greatest mountaine; for Art may dig there; but Art cannot come at the bottome of the Sea: even as that that is at the bottome of the Sea is taken out of mans sight, so will I wipe your sinnes out of my sight. Farther, I will not remember them; that which God co­vers, he calls not to account for; that that God remem­bers not, he will not revenge; that that God casts behind him, he will not cast his eye upon; that that God takes away, he will not examine. If sinne come to this passe, that God pronounce it to be taken away, it shall never appeare more; that that is buryed, he hath taken it away, [Page 105]it is eternally hid. Saint Austin understood this well, when he made that excellent gradation in one of his Sermons; saith he, if God once cover sinne, then it is playn that he would not see it; if he will not see it; hee will not censure; if he wil not censure, he wil not punish; if he will not punish, he will pardon. Nay, he hath pardo­ned; that that he saith to take away, is to pardon; to par­don, is to blot out of the book of his remembrance, that it never rise for accusing, or condemning. We see that di­stinction of theirs will not stand before this word, Take away our iniquities. So, now the points hence are these two: The reasons why the Prophet chooseth this word, for he might have had great variety: not pardon thou, that is as much, not pardon, or forgive iniquity: but here is a fuller in regard of the effect. Take away. It is for these two reasons.

First, he would draw them to acknowledge that sin was burthensome, that they did detest, and loath it: For no man will have that taken away, that he delights in. It is plain, the Prophet would have them expresse such affe­ctions, that it might appeare that their sins were odious and abhominable, and they delighted not in them: no men would have that removed that they take pleasure in. While sin is but the pastime of the impenitent heart, no man desires it should be taken away: but the prayer of a wicked mans heart is contrary, Lord, that I may fulfill my lusts, that my sinnes may thrive, and goe on. Where sin is sweet, and delightfull, that man cannot wish that it should be taken away, these are repugnant. But where a man wisheth it to be taken away, and pardoned, it is plain there it appeares a burthen, and heavie. Looke, in any thing naturall, and civill: A servant, a man desires not to put him away, while he is profitable, but if he be unser­viceable. You cast not away a garment while it is usefull; [Page 106]but when you have done with it: when they will serve for your wearing, you will keepe them; no man will cast a way that that he hath profit, or pleasure by: It is either somewhat that is hurtfull, or unusefull that men cast away. So is the nature of sinne; sinne only is unprofitable: what fruit have you in those things, saith the Apostle. Sinne is that which is only hurtfull, it exposeth men to great danger: therefore if a man would truly prepare, and fit his heart, that he may speak with enlarged affections for the pardon of sinne, let him learn first to come to the sense of it, to know that sinne in its nature is a burthen. David calls it so; my iniquities are gone over my head: A heavy burthen, greater then Aetna, greater then all the mountaines pyled one upon another: but while sin is pleasing to the soule, so long it is not a burthen. Water, in its place doth not gravitare. If a man be at the bottom of the Sea, and all the waves be on him, hee feels no weight; If he be out of the sea, a paile of water is heavie. Why? in the Sea it is in its place. Sinne, when men de­light in it, is in its place, it hath no weight: he that truly desires to have it taken away, he must find it burthensom. A man that is in danger of drowning, hee will cry with fervency for help: a man that sees the danger of sinne, it will make him cry and roare. The reason why we do not cry with such fervency for the removing of sin, is, because we feele not the sting, and sharpnesse of it: Therefore a good Christian makes this a part of his study, that hee may bring himselfe to find sinne burthensome: And that may be done by these meanes.

If he oft represent the purity of that law that sin trans­gresseth, the law of God.

The glory of that Majestie that sin provokes, the Lord of Hosts.

The blood of that Saviour that sin crucifies, the Lord of life.

The honour of that profession that sinne disgraceth, the profession of Christianity.

The losse of that happinesse that sinne endamageth, the losse of heaven.

The bitternesse of that place to which sin exposeth, e­ternall condemnation.

The comfort of that conscience that sin makes shipwrack of; that is, the conscience that is within a man, that shall either be a vessel of comfort, or woe. He that layes all these together, will begin to apprehend that sin is bur­thensome, that sinne hath weight on it: and that the Pro­phet provokes them to by this word. The word signi­fies to take a burthen from a man that is over-weary: So the same word is that that John useth concerning Christ, The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. The weight of sinne lay on the world, Christ comes, and takes it away; he takes it upon himselfe, that he might take it from us: That they might understand thus much, ther­fore he chooseth this word of weight. That is the first reason to bring them to this acknowledgment that their sin was distastfull, and burthensome, because they could desire God to take them away.

Secondly, another thing it implies, is, hee would hereby bring them to the acknowledgment of the au­thor of pardon of sin. He would hereby let them under­stand who alone is both able, and willing to take away sin. That is not in the power of any creature, or man himself, or any Angell, or Prophet, or Apostle, or Saint whatsoever. Here is the second thing requisite in every true convert.

First, he must find sin burthensome.

Secondly, that he acknowledge God to be the author of the pardon of it. It is in vaine to come before God, and not to know this. He that comes to God, must believe that he is. He that comes to God to remove his sin, must [Page 108]believe that God must remove it.

Shall we come to God, and believe, and trust the merits of others to remove sinne? It is to mock God. Let our ad­versaries of Rome look to this; though they pretend God to be the author of pardon, yet let them see how it will stand with those poynts. One concerning the do­ctrine of merit: and the other concerning free-will. For if the Saints by the merit of their intercession, can pro­cure pardon; or if those, to whom the power of the keyes is committed, can properly, virtually, efficaciously, and dire­ctly remove, and take away sinne: it is plaine, they that hold these, cannot acknowledg God to be the sole author of pardon.

But the Scripture runs in another phrase: God ex­presseth it so, and testifies of himselfe, that none else can doe it. Isa. 43. I the Lord blot out your iniquities. The Pro­phet acknowledgeth so much: To thee O Lord belongeth mercie and forgivenesse. As mercie and forgivenesse belong to God; so the taking away of sinne, that is to thee alone, It hath the force of an exclusive, because the depth of mer­cie belongs to him: therefore forgivenesse.

And we are happy that it belongs to him, God knows what successe we should have, if it were trusted to men that are so unmercifull. Nay, if it were in the hands of Angels, though they be charitably, and well-affected to us, that are their fellow-members; yet there is a great deal of difference; the bowels of Angels would be strait if they were the dispensers of it. No, it must be a fountaine that cannot be drawn dry; it must b [...] an infinite hath that must wash the sou [...]e, and that cannot be done but by the bath that is taken from Christ, and the mercie of God.

The Jewes that were ignorant, and knew nothing in the time of Christ; they knew that, who can forgive sinnes [Page 109]but God? Though they misapplyed it, yet it is was true in the thesis, and in the generall, who can forgine sinnes out God? And Christ, unlesse he had been God, could not have forgiven sins; who can forgive sinnes but God? Cyr [...]l well upon the place, gives the reason, it must needs be so, because God is the Law-giver, and the Judg; saith he, to whom can it possibly belong to pardon, and passe by, and wipe away the transgressions of the law, but to him that is the giver of the law? Therefore none of the Pro­phets or Apostles durst ever arrogate this priviledge. Na­than when he was sent to David, though he had a com­mission from God, durst not speak in his own name, but the Lord hath pardoned. And if there were no Prophet or Apostle durst assume so much, shall we that are men, far inferiour in place, and piety, and those speciall intercour­ses of the love, and knowledge of God?

It is true, there is a power given to Ministers declara­torie, to publish, and pronounce pardon to the truly repen­tant: but the power of absolution properly so called, and the power of taking away, and pardoning, that onely God keeps in his own custodie. Saith Ambrose well, the Mi­nister of God doth that that belongs to his duty, when he declares, and publisheth pardon to the repentant; but he exerciseth not any power and authority, it is but Mi­nisteriall. Therefore Saint Austin observes well, that when Christ gave this power to his Apostles, and Dis­ciples, whose sinnes ye remit, they are remitted: he first pre­miseth, he breathed on them, and said, receive yee the holy Ghost. Saith he, first they received the holy Ghost, and then whose sinnes yeremit, they are remitted: For it is the holy Ghost that puts away sinne, and not you: It is Austin's observation.

And we may further observe, that Christ, when hee healed any, commonly hee pronounced forgivenesse of [Page 110]sinnes: but the Apostles, though they healed many, yet we never read that they used this word. To note, that Christ gave the power of healing to them, but he kept the power of pardoning to himselfe: Further then it is ministeriall, hee kept the power of putting away of sinne to himselfe; for it is an act of Majestie, it can­not be so to others. God may make Angels to de­clare it, or men, but the power is proper to him. Christ gave the power of healing to the Apostles, but hee kept the power of pardoning to himselfe. Saint Austin presseth it against the Donatists sweetly, who would faine have got the power to themselves. Austin askes the question, tell me the vertue of whose name takes away sinne? He speaks of himselfe; is it the name of Austin? is it the name of Donatus? it is neither the name of Paul nor Peter: who is Austin? who is Do­natus? And the Apostle presseth it, who is Paul? and who is Apollo? but the Ministers of CHRIST? But who is it that takes away sinnes? GOD Him­selfe.

This is the second thing the Prophet would bring them to know and acknowledge in this word; O Lord to thee belongs mercie and forgivenesse; thou art the Fa­ther of mercie: we can feel the smart of sinne, but cannot remove it; thou must either take it away, or else it will not be taken away, therefore shew mercie, and come among us; either take it from us, or else it will take us from thee; remove it from us, and remove it from thee: Take away sinne, and receive us graciously. I have done with the first part, the precatory part, which con­cernes Malum tollendum, the evill to be removed, the e­vill of sin.

The second is, bonum largiendum, in these words, [...]ke away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. It is in the [Page 111]Originall, and shew us good. Yet in the Originall a little further, Take away iniquity, and receive good. Like that phrase in the Psalm, He received gifts for men; that is, he gave gifts to men. Receive good; that is, shew good: shew thy grace; that is, as it is well interpreted in Eng­lish, receive us graciously.

Two things are to be considered in it.

One that I propounded in the forenoon, though I came not to it; that is the connexion of this part to the other.

The other is the order of this part with the other, why it is joyned, or added to the other clause, and why it fol­lowes it; I shall hardly speak of all.

But let us looke upon the connexion; why is this clause added to the other? Is not this enough; take away all iniquitie? It seemes this is superfluous: for where­ever sinne is pardoned, grace is conveyed: where GOD takes away sinne, he discovers grace: and where hee crucifies the old man, he stamps the image of the new: where hee frees from death, he gives interest to life; where sinne is pardoned, salvation is stated upon the soule; what need this follow? this one word, take away all iniquitie, is all the expression that need to be used.

But the Prophet would bring them to a greater en­largement, and it is added for speciall reasons, I will bring them to these three.

First, it is added as a clause of illustration, Take away all iniquitie, so shew thy self gracious & favourable. Noting this, that there is nothing doth more magnifie the good­ness & glory of God, then the pardon of sin; nothing doth more shew his grace then that: As if he had said, thou art the Father of mercie, & we have need of mercy, thou hast mercy for thousands; and we are thousands that beg it, we [Page 112]pray thee to pardon our sins, and manifest thy mercie in pardoning, by receiving us graciously: shew us grace in the pardoning our sins. It is the greatest evidence of the mer­cie of God in the pardoning of sinnes; it is that that glo­rifies God most. It is well said by the Psalmist, that his mercie is over all his works: and we may say of the grace of pardoning, that it is over all his other mercies. There are other mercies that God shewes us, that concerne our temporall estate; O, these come not within compare. Nay, spirituall mercies, if he preserve any, it is the grace of cu­stodie. If he deliver any from danger, it is the grace of liberty: If he accept our prayers, and receive them at our hands, that is a testimonie of mercie, the grace of accep­tation: but if he pardon sinne, that hath all in it; that is Gods tender mercie, in that he shewes bowels of mercie. He opens his casket of mercy in all favours; but hee o­pens his owne bowels when he pardons sinne; that in­cludes all mercies; that David calls his tender mercies: Over all our works it is, even over the worst workes of ours, which is sinne: Over all Gods works it is, euen o­ver all the best of Gods works besides, in creating, preser­ving, and keeping. It is that that shines, and breakes forth, and surpasseth all other his attributes; it is that that glori­fies God most, that honours him: yea, that God himselfe hrnours most. His grace and goodnesse appeared in the cre­ation of the world; that was a great mercy, mercie bud­ded out then, but that was not so great a mercy as the pardon of sinne. For nullitie, though it be farre off from God, yet it is nearer God then sinne and iniquity is, be­cause that is more repugnant, and contrary to his nature: it is more to pardon a sinner, then to create a world; it is more to pardon one sinner, then to make a million of men.

It is over his works of power, over his works of justice. [Page 113]Justice is seen in punishing of sin, God shews his power in that: but there is a greater power seen in the pardoning of sinne, it is plain: His power in executing of justice, it is as the strong man; but his power in magnifying his mercy is as the stronger man, for it binds the hands of justice; the stronger man comes and binds the strong man. Grace and mercie are the stronger attributes, stronger then ju­stice; though both be the same in God; yet in manifestati­on it prevailes, and exalts it selfe against justice. If Gods power be seen in punishing, much more in pardoning, be­cause mercie conquers justice.

Besides, see it in our selves; for a man that punisheth a­nother, it argues he hath power over another: but he that pardons him that deserves to be punished, shews [...] [...]ee not only hath power over another, but over himselfe, be­cause pardon is both an evidence of that power that should have been in punishing, and of a further power in sparing. So the force of mercy is double to that of justice, it magnifies Gods power more, it is the last act of divine justice, the pardon of sinne.

Therefore in Scripture, mercie hath the prerogative a­bove all other attributes in many respects.

Of antiquity, it is older, (in regard of manifestation, we speake still) for mercie and love budded out in the creati­on of the world (we speak of the effects of it) but ju­stice was not manifested till man had transgressed. It was one day older in the manifestation then judgement was; then judgement took place, when Adam transgressed, mer­cie was before.

It hath the prerogative of alliance; for though the ju­stice of God be himselfe, as well as his mercie: as all is but one act in God, his justice, and wisdome, and power, and merci [...], all are himselfe; yet mercy is his more proper work: Therefore in Scripture, judgment is called his strang [...] [Page 114]work, I will bring a strange worke; that is, I will execute justice. He calls it a strange worke, as hetrogenicall, and contrary to his nature; he is forced to execute judgement, our sinnes compell him: If it were not for sinne, he would not manifest judgements. Though both be naturall, yet mercy is more naturall in regard of the effect of it: It is nearer.

Thirdly, It hath the prerogative of latitude, it hath a greater extent: he executes justice seldome, and upon some few; all men tast of his mercie. There is no judge­ment that God executes, but mercie is mingled with it. Goe over any that were executed since the beginning of the world, still there was mercy in it: but there is mercie often manifested, when there is no judgement in it. Here is the difference, judgement is never entire, but there is some mercie in it; mercie is alway entire, and there is no mixture of judgement in it. See the effects in regard of extent, God saith he will punish to the third and fourth Generation, the Fathers upon the Children: that is a long time, but it is nothing to his mercie, I will shew mercie to thousands of generations. A thousand Generations is lon­ger then the world shall last; For there were but 42. ge­nerations from the Creation to Christ: a hundered gene­rations is like to be longer then the world shall last; yet God will be mercifull to thousands of Generations, if it last so long; or if not, hee will be so for ever, a large periphrasis, Mercy hath the prerogative of extent.

It hath the prerogative of honour, it honours God more, and God honours it more. He makes mention by his spi­rit in Scripture; when he mentions judgement and mer­cie, mercy goes first. My song shall be of mercie and judge­ment: Mercie and truth are met together, still mercie is first, God gives it the prerogative. Nay usually he mentions mer [...]twice, for once righteous: Gracious and mercifull is [Page 115]God, and righteous. And at the last day, when these two attributes shall be placed at the two hands of God, wee shall see which attribute hath preheminence, that hath the highest honour to stand at Gods right hand: judge­ment shall stand at his left hand among the vessels of wrath, mercy at his right hand among the sheepe, and the elect.

Last of all, it hath the prerogative of duration; for though condemnation (speaking of eternall condemnati­on, and eternall life,) though condemnation be a line of as great length as eternall life that lasts for ever: yet speaking of temporall punishment, compared with the mercie of God; so we see mercy out-lives justice in all the expressions of it, and that by a great disproportion.

It is a great disproportion between yeares and months. In Rev. 11. The holy Citie shall be trodden down 42. months, but they shall reigne with me for a thousand yeares. Though moneths be not moneths in that place, I come not now to examine the meaning of moneths: but see the compari­son; there is mercy for a thousand yeares, there is judge­ment for 42. moneths: they shall be troden under foote, but they shall reign a thousand yeares.

It is a greater disproportion that is betwixt weeks and yeares: see that in Dan. 9. Seventy weekes are determined for the transgression of my people, that I may compasse them with everlasting kindnesse. Seventy weeks are determined for transgression: God measures judgements by weekes, but hee reckons the continuance of his mercy by many yeares, by ages, by everlasting duration, there shall be e­verlasting righteousnesse.

Yet further, there is a greater disproportion between yeares and dayes: yet in Isa. 63. The day of revenge is in mine heart, and the yeare of my redeemer is come. Here is the day of revenge, the yeare of redemption: The day of re­venge [Page 116]is in mine heart. There days are years, and years are dayes: but in the expression of them God exalts mercie that wee may see it hath a larger sphere to move in.

Yet further, there is a greater disproportion between a moment and a yeare, nay, between that and eternity. For a small moment have I corrected thee, but with everlasting mercie I will receive thee, as it is in Isaiah. God threatens to punish for a small moment, but his mercy endures for e­ternity.

Now, to sum it up, the Prophet would make them understand thus much, that nothing magnifies Gods grace and goodnesse more then the pardon of sinne: that they might professe it, that they might make it publique to his glory; his glory it is to passe by transgressions, it is a great glory to passe by many transgressions, if it be his peculiar glory to passe by any. Where sinne hath aboun­ded, grace abounds; where grace abounds, glory abounds, where much sinne is pardoned, He cals them to acknow­ledge his mercy, and makes it an illustration of the for­mer: Take away our transgressions, and receive us graciously. That is the first, it is a clause of illustration.

Secondly, observe it as a clause of inducement, a motive and argument to perswade God to forgive them. So, it stands thus, Take away iniquity, because thou art graci­ous, because thou usest to receive favourably, therefore take away iniquity. They begge for grace in the name of grace, and mercy in the name of mercy; shew mercy, because thou art mercifull, take away iniquity, because thou art gracious and favourable, therefore take away iniquity. It is the strongest motive of all others, to presse God from himselfe to pardon sin. The point is this,

There is no such strong prevalent motive with God to shew mercy, as mercy; Mercy is the thing we sue for, and mercy must make God shew it. He expresseth it so, I will pardon for my name sake, in one place: For mine owne sake, in another place: For my owne sake will I doe this to the House of Israell. For my promise sake, in ano­ther place; For my mercy sake, in another place. Here are four, and they are all alike, to shew that mercy comes from it selfe, it hath a reciprocation, it moves circularly, it begins in mercy and it ends there. For mine owne sake, that is, for himselfe, and his mercy is himselfe. For my name sake, that is, as much as for my mercy: Thy name is as Oyle powred out, and it appeares that his name is as Oyle, by his mercy, for mercy is that Oyle that Swims over all liquors, it appeares over all other works it is manifest to all: For my promise sake, that is as much as for his mercy, for Gods Promises are Promises of mercy. So all agree in this, for my name sake, it is a name of mercy; for my Promise sake; they are Promises of mercy; for mine owne sake, he is a God of mercy.

But yet more plaine, when God speakes of shewing mercy, he makes it come round, to shew that mercy is the thing that he will give, and the ground why he gives it, In Exod. 33. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. See how it runs, it is thus, I will have mercy on whom I will, that is, because I will so, if we presse God for mercy, doe it thus. Lord be gracious, that thou mayest be graci­ous, and be mercyfull, because thou art mercyfull: Pardon because thou art gracious, thy mercy hath an everlasting Duration. The Psalmist presseth it so, Have mercy on me according to thy great goodnesse, and according to the mul­titude of thy mercies take away mine offences; See how sweetly he presseth it, Have mercy according to thy good­nesse, he makes it come to it selfe; Pardon me according [Page 118]to thy goodnesse, be mercifull because thou art mercifull: he had no other motive. In another place he hath the same Reciprocation, Doe good for thy name sake, because thou art good deliver me, because thou art good, doe good, and deliver me. It is the same reciprocation that Isaiah makes, Isa. 63. He hath beene good to the House of Israell, for his goodnesse, and because his mercies are everlasting. He hath beene good for his goodnesse. To instance no more places, in the new Testament there is the same reciproca­tion that John makes, John 1. Of his fullnesse we all receive grace for grace: mercy for mercy, it is not onely grace af­ter grace, which is a good interpretation, the first grace, and the second grace, the grace of Acceptation, and the grace of Strengthning; the grace of pardoning, and the grace of reviving and quickning, all grace is from God. But it hath a fuller signification, Grace for grace: Grace because he is gracious, because he is mercifull he shewes favour, he turnes it to himselfe. So, now the Lession is this: that, ‘When we come to sue for pardon of sin before the Throne of Grace, we have no name to come in but the name of Christ.’

The name of Christ is a name of mercy, that is Gods owne name; he that comes to plead his owne merit, comes in his owne name. He that comes to plead the Merits of any other, pleads in a Strangers name. If merit and satisfaction had been that way, then were mercy no more mercy, and grace no more grace, then all the Saints of God were out of the way, for they all went in this path: Mercy was the Citty of refuge to which they went, and the path by which they went. Mercy was the Wa­ter in the Well, and the Paile they drew it with; they [Page 119]sued for mercy in the name of mercy. The Publican, Da­vid, Peter; St. Austin saith of Peter well, I read of Peters Teares, but no man ever read of Peters satisfaction, Peter could not goe in that name. Our blessed Saviour hath taught us therefore so to pray, Forgive us our Trespasses, he taught us not to pray as the Servant in the Gospell, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all, Lord be fa­vourable a little longer, lend me a little life, and I will make thee satisfaction. No, that is not the Prayer, he that goes that way misseth; but here is the Prayer, Par­don and forgive for thy name sake, and for thy mercy sake; Take away iniquity, and receive us favourably, receiue us to grace, and Pardon for thy mercy sake.

This is the Forme that Penitent, faith full soules look to God in: No Creature is capable of merits, therefore let men never trouble themselves with the discussion of that, it is so repugnant that the Angells, though they never sinned, cannot merit, they doe but their duty. A­dam in integrity could not merit, if innocency cannot merit, sin cannot, if the State of Angells cannot merit, humane cannot. Nay, the Saints that are called out of darknesse, and sanctified by grace, those Saints, though it were possible they should never sin, not so much as in the circumstances of any good Act; that they should not be touched with veniall sins (as they call them) with no ill thought, or idle word, or unprofitable gesture, if they were borne, and sanctified from the womb, as John Baptist, and Jeremiah, and should continue in a course of sanctification, without any treading awry, they could not merit, when they had done all, they must say, They were unprofitable Servants. He that doth his duty cannot merit; ye are but Servants when you have done all you can, nay, when you have done all you should (if it were possible) that is more then all you can: For that grace [Page 120]that God gives us, though it be a good evidence of his spirit, and of justification in our hearts; yet that grace of sanctification is imperfect, and no man makes a perfect improvement of Gods gifts, no man lives according to the measure of grace that God bestowes. Therefore when we have done all we can, we come short of what we ought. Nay, if we had done all we should, all that God requires, say, you cannot merit, you are unprofitable Servants, you have done but your duty, you have done but what God requires. If the state of restitution cannot me­rit, sin and impiety cannot merit. There is in the best action that we performe, in the work of Preaching, and praying, and alms, and charity, and deeds of piety, so much Leaven, so many infirmities, that he that knowes the na­ture of sin, and the latitude, and small extent of piety, in his heart, when he Prayes he prayes not onely for the par­don of his sins, but of his Prayers. And when he preach­eth, he prayes not onely for pardon of his silence, and neglect, but of his performance; if there be infirmities in the best, there is no plea of merit. Our work is onely this, to flie to the Throne of grace, in the name of grace, that is it that is a prevaling, forcible word with God, to plead for mercy, and beg for pardon, because he is graci­ous. It is a word that so prevailes, that it carries alway mercy with it from Heaven, it is that word that God de­lights in; it is that word about which prayer clucks, as the Wings of the Cherubims, about the Mercy-Seate: The Wings of Prayer must flutter about the Mercy-seate, about mercy. That is the second thing, to shew what the foundation of the pardon of sin is; none but mercy, it is founded in grace, therefore he adds it to the former, Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, as an in­ducement to perswade God to take away all iniquity. That is the second, I will but touch the third.

The Third is, he adds it as a clause of perfection, that makes up the perfect enumeration of the graces, Take a­way all iniquity and receive us graciously. There is nothing that a Christian can beg in this World, but it may be brought in the compasse of one of these two. These two words are as the two Tables of Prayer, like the two Tables of the Law, in these two, there are all kind of Petitions, all the evill that is to be removed, is in that, Take away all iniquity, and all good that is to be conveyed in that, Receive us graciously. So, that he might make a Perfect Prayer for them, yet very short and compendi­ous, and yet full. Take away all iniquity and receive us gra­ciously, this is a Prayer that the Prophet studied, this was the Prayer that the Spirit guided him to make for them. Here are the two hands of Prayer, Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously.

If we divide Prayer, as the Apostle doth, into foure sorts, that are rather parts then kinds of Prayer, 1. Tim. 2. I beseech that Prayer, and intercession, and giving of thanks, be made to God for all men, they are all in this forme that the Prophet prescribes them: Here is the deprecatory part for the removing of ill; Take away all iniquity, here is the supplicatory part; for the pouring out of all good, Receive us graciously. Here is the gratulatory part, We will give the Calves of our lips.

Take the division of Prayer, according to that scant­ling that David makes, Psal. 34. For obedience gives the Law to Prayer, he refers the duty of a Christian to two heads, Eschew evill, and doe good, upon that hangs all the Law, and the Prophets: according to these two are the parts of Prayer, one for the removall of evill, another for the infusion of grace; here are both, the removall of the greatest evill, take away iniquity, and powre the choicest of thy mercies on us; that is mercy, Receive us graciously. [Page 122]One part of the Prayer is for expelling of darknesse, Take away iniquity, the other for the shewing of the light of his Countenance, Receive us graciously.

Lastly, if we divide it, as David divides prayer, Psal. 25. there he makes his Prayer, Remember Lord, and re­member not; these are the two heads, an affirmative, and a negative, remember not my sins, but remember me: He desires God, both to remember, and yet to forget; here are both these, here is one part of the Prayer, that God would be mindfull, receive us graciously: Another that he would not be mindfull, Take away iniquity, remove it out of thy sight, forget our sins, Here is one part, that God would open his eyes, and another that he would shut them, shut them upon our sins, open them upon our persons. The one part of the Prayer fits the sin, the o­ther the sinner: For sin, they pray that God would put it from them, and remove it; for themselves, they pray that God would take them to him, and receive them to mercy.

Men, when they punish sin, they cut off the Sinner; but they cannot take away the sin: God is otherwise in his proceeding, he takes away the sin, and spares the Sinner. To make up the perfect part of Prayer, here is the evill to be removed, and the grace to be bestowed, Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously, here is that that concernes the time past, Lord take away iniquity, what we have done thou knowest, here is that that concernes the time to come, that we fall no more, strengthen us by thy spirit, receive us graciously. As Cyprian speaks in ano­ther place, it is the breviary of the whole Gospell; as Ter­tullian saith, it is the Compendium of all Heavenly Do­ctrine. This text here is all the Gospell, and all that is good in the Law, it is the summe of the Gospell, it is like the Lords Prayer; here are six words in it answerable [Page 123]to the six Petitions. Take away iniquity and receive us gra­ciously, as Christ divides that Prayer, he refers all to two heads, one for deprecation of ill. Forgive us our Trespasses, and lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evill. The other for the powring out of all good, Hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdome come, thy will be done, and give us day­ly bread. So here is for the removall of evill, and the strengthning to grace, take away iniquity and receive us gra­ciously.

Here is a Patterne for us, one halfe of his Prayer is spent for the pardon of sin, the other halfe for the powring out of grace. For a man to neglect to beg pardon, that is to be unmindfull of the time past, he that begs not grace, is unmindfull of the time to come. By pardon we returne, and by grace we stand. He that hath the consideration of Hell, that will stir him up to beg pardon, and he that sees the joyes of Heaven will beg grace; for that is the path that leads thither: to make a perfect prayer, joine both. The Prophet to give them a full forme, he joynes these, though briefly. None of them could plead, that they were not able to learne it, he joynes these, that we might learne to joyne them in our Pray­ers. They are the things that God joynes, therefore he joines them. They are the things that the promises of God joyne, therefore he joynes them. They are the things that other Saints joyned, therefore he joynes them.

God, when he speakes of himselfe he joynes these, The Lord, the Lord, gracious, and mercifull, pardoning ini­quity, &c. They goe together in God, can a man make a better prayer to God, or more perfect, then that that is taken from those Attributes, and termes that are most e­mynent in God? The Spirit of God joynes these toge­ther in God, we may well joyne them in Prayer. As Cy­prian [Page 124]saith of the Lords Prayer, it is good to come to the Lord in his owne words, though there be no vertue in the words without the Spirit, God will accept the words of his owne Son, when we come in the name and words of Christ. So here, it is the Spirit of God that commenceth, and makes our Suites, it is the Spirit of God that frames our Bill, that Dictates our Prayers: He is the Counsellor of the Father, he knowes what the Father will grant. Shall we neglect to make such Prayers as the Spirit dictates? Can you have, sayth St. Austin, a better to Coppy your Prayers, then the Spirit of God? Then, here the Spirit of God joynes the grace and mercy of God, we must joine them in our Prayers, God will acknowledge the words of his Holy Spirit, if we come to Christ in his owne words.

As they are the words that God joynes, so they are the words that are joyned in the Promise: I will be mer­cifull to their Transgressions, and I will pardon their Sins. In many of the Promises of God these two still meet; Prayer builds upon a Promise, when Prayer gets a promise, it builds, it goes up to Heaven upon promises, there is the Ladder of promises. It is impossible Prayer should mis­carry, that takes the direction of the promise; God hath promised to pardon, therefore prayer sues for it, God hath promised to be gracious, therefore prayer begs it. These two are joyned in the promise, therefore they should in our Prayers.

Thirdly, they are the two that the Saints joyne, God be mercifull to us and blesse us, and be mercifull unto us; he delights to put these two, God be mercifull, and mercifull, God take away our sins, and receive us graciously; be merci­full in pardoning, and be mercifull in powring out, and diffusing the light of thy Countenance. O! when the Saints set before us the Patterns of such Prayers, it is comforta­ble [Page 125]to us; such Patterns as they sped with, when they were in our condition. It is a great incouragement and comfort, and assurance to a Christian, when I come with the Prayer of David, of the Prophets and Apostles: O! It is a comfort when a soule can enlarge it selfe in those Heavenly words that the Spirit of God wrought in the hearts of the Saints in former times. For this very pur­pose, the Prophet records this Prayer, that they might learne it then, and we treasure it up now, for it is full of the Jewells of Heavenly grace. That shall serve, to have spoken of that, Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously, the reason why he adds this clause to the o­ther. There is one thing behind, the Order, but that I must reserve for another time.

SERMON V.

GOOD and evill, are the two bounds that are set to all obedience. That they are the hounds of obedience, the Prophet David shews in Psa. 37. where he reduceth all the duty of man to those two heads, in shunning of evill, and following that that is good, Eschew evill, and doe good, and dwell for ever. That they are the bounds of the grace of repentance, the Prophet Ezekiell shews us, Chap. 38. Cast away from you all your Transgressions, make you a new heart, and a new Spirit. As the Apostle Paul, Ephes. 4. Put of the old man with the deeds thereof, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. That they are the bounds of Prayer, our blessed Saviour shews in those two parts, Pray that you enter not into temptation; there is the one, [Page 128]Seeke first the Kingdome of God, and the righteousnesse there­of, there is the other part. Lastly, that they are the bounds of the duty of thankfullnesse, the Psalmist shewes againe in Psal. 103. Blesse the Lord O my soule, and all that is within me blesse his holy name, that forgiveth all thine ini­quities, that Crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kinde­nesse.

All the Saints of God, they well know this, that pie­ty is excercised about these two; these two are the hin­ges upon which the Door of piety turnes, both back­ward and forward: upon these it is, that obedience turnes, in the shunning of evill, and pursuing of good; up­on these it is that Prayer turnes, in deprecating evill, and petitioning for good. Lastly upon these two, the worke of thankfullnesse turnes too, in giving God praise for the diverting of evill, and for the effusion of good.

And according to these limits we may see all these duties plainly set out in the text by the severall bounds of them. Here is the worke of Repentance, with the bounds thereof, in that clause, Turne to the Lord, to set out to us, as I shewed before, both the terme from which we must turne, the aversion of ill; and the terme of happi­nesse to which we must turne, that is, the conversion to that that is good. Put away your sins from you, turne from them, and then turne to the Lord. There are the bounds of repentance.

For the duty of Prayer, with the bounds of that, we have it in the next words, Take away all iniquity, there is the deprecation of that that is evill, and receive us gracious­ly, there is the Petition we make for that that is good.

Lastly, for the duty of thankfulnesse, we have that in the last words, with the bounds thereof, So will we ren­der, If thou wilt take away sin, we will render the prayse of that work, and if thou wilt shew, us thy Salvation, [Page 129]we will render the praise of that worke.

Of the first of these we spake already, and of the last I am to speake afterward; and in the second I am con­versant at this time: The forme of Prayer the Pro­phet sets to the people, according to the bounds of it, in which I considered before, these two parts. There are the parts of the Prayer, and the order of the parts.

The parts of the Prayer in those two.

First, for the removall of sin, Take away all iniquity, I shewed you the reasons why he directs his prayer a­gainst sin; why he would have them direct it against all sin; why he Prayes against sin, for the taking of it away.

The 2. part of the prayer is, for the powring down of the grace they stood in need of, receive us mercifully, favoura­bly, receive us to thy grace, In that, I shewed you the reasons why it is annexed to the former part, as a clause of Illustration, shew thy selfe Gracious by pardoning our sins.

As a clause of inducement, we intreat thee for the goodnesse of thy grace and mercy to shew thy selfe so in pardoning our sins; we come to God for grace, in the name of Grace, and for Mercy in the name of Mercy.

Thirdly, as a clause that makes up a perfect Ennu­meration of all wants that are comprised under these two heads. Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously. Thus sarr I went.

That that remaines in the second part, is onely the Order of these two particulars: For there is some reason why the Prophet sets them in this Order. Why not first, receive us graciously, and then Take away iniquity? for all other blessings are Originated in the love and fa­vour of God: It is from his love and grace, that he grants pardon to us of our Transgressions; there is no pardon [Page 130]of sin, where there is not grace, and favour, and love. Therefore the Psalmist Psal. 85. he sets them in another Order, O Lord thou hast beene gracious to the Land. And then followes in Vers. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquities of thy People. First God is gracious, and then he forgives iniquity, the pardon of sin must flow from his grace, and favour.

It is true, the love of God must of necessity goe before, (in the order of nature) all the effects of his love, and favour whatsoever: the cause must be before the effect, and the Fountaine before the Streame in nature. But yet the Scripture useth some difference of setting downe these particulars: for sometimes it sets the one before, and sometimes the other.

The reason is, because they are mutually infolded, and so close knit, that one cannot be without the other: There is no greater demonstration of Gods grace and favour, then the pardon of sin; if there be grace and fa­vour, there will be forgivenesse, where there is forgiveness, there is an evident testimony that God hath shewed the riches of his grace; therefore though the Prophet set it here in another order, then sometimes, it is in Scrip­ture, there is good reason for it; besides that; there may be three things said, for the justification of this order, there are three reasons of it.

Eyther as they conteine in them a Petition for the enlargement of the continuance of grace.

Or for the enlargment of the Evidence and demon­stration of grace.

Or a Petition for the enlargment of the communicati­on of his grace to them. In all these 3. sences the order is every way justifiable.

First, in putting these two together, there is a Peti­tion for the inlargment of the continuance of Gods grace, [Page 131] Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously: In these two he prayes for the giving of grace, and the duration and perpetuation of it. So the order is thus, Grace cannot be continued, till it be bestowed and given: In the first word he prayes for the giving of it, that God would receive them to a state of reconciliation. In the second, that he would continue them, and keepe them in that estate. Shew thy selfe first gracious in pardoning our sins, and shew thy selfe againe gracious in keeping us from com­mitting sin. What profits it, though our former sins be pardoned, if we continue in them? Therefore the Pro­phet teacheth them to beg, not onely for forgivenesse of sins, but for strengthening of grace to continue in it. To shew, that apenitent faithfull soul stands in need of God, after his sins are pardoned. We have not done with God when our sins are pardoned, we need a further en­largment of grace to keep us in that estate, lest we relaps. Therefore the beleiving soul makes up his Prayer of these two, Lord, thou hast been gracious, and I rely up­on thee for the time to come, that thou wilt still. The Point is this: that, ‘The faithfull soul after it hath had a tast of the goodnesse of God, in the pardon of sin, it rests not there, but goes on still to beg more grace.’

A greater enlargement of favour; it must needs be so in the order of our desires. Grace is of a ravishing na­ture, when it possesseth the heart, it inflames it. Even in Heaven, where grace is full, there is an Apetite of com­placency [Page 132]for desire of the continuance of that grace, and favour: though there cannot be a desire of more, where the Vessell is full. But in Earth, where grace is powred in by drops, there is an Appetite of desire, because there is want continually. And we never have grace, but that we see we want more, then a man loves grace more, when God powres in more, and he thinks he wants more.

It is the order in Gods proceeding, he layes this me­thod, he gives his spirit for this purpose, not onely to cleanse us from sin, but to strengthen us for new obedi­ence, not onely to Seale to us our reconciliation for the present, but to keepe us for the time to come. And both these are the free gift, and work of Gods Spirit; it is his spirit that seales to us pardon, and it is his spirit that strengtheneth us, that we may walke by the strength of that grace.

And the order of our necessity is such: For otherwise how should we doe? It is by grace we stand, and rise, and goe on, and persevere. A Christian stands in need of God in all the passages of his life, every minute, and e­very moment of time, for temporalls, for spiritualls, for na­turalls.

If we looke to those things of nature that we need. First, it is the goodnesse of God that must give a man meat for his body: And aftermear, it is a second grace to give him a Stomack: And after that, it is a third good to give him digestion: And after that, it is a fourth ma­nifestation of goodnesse, to turne it to blood and spirits, that it may be healthfull.

So for temporalls, it is one Testimony of goodnesse, that he keeps us from danger. It is a second that he keeps us in the right way: And it is a third that he brings us safe to the end of our journey.

In spirituall things much more; if God should first [Page 133] prevent us with grace, and then leave us to our selves, what security could we have? Our latter end would be worse then our beginning. We are not able to subsist of our selves one moment of time, Gods grace must have the glory and honour of all; that it may have the ho­nour, the Prophet here teacheth them thus to pray for the first grace, and the second grace, for the beginning, and for the continuance of grace, to work the will and the Deed, that he would perfect the work. First, Take away iniquity, shew thy selfe gracious in pardoning; and then continue that grace, keep us from sinning againo. That is the first justification, if we consider the enlargement of the continuance, so the order is good.

Secondly, if we consider it as a Petition for the en­largement of the evidence and manifestation of grace, so it is good. For grace cannot be manifested till it be given, there can be no demonstration of the pardon of sin, till pardon be wrought, and the greatest demonstration of the pardon of sin is this, when Gods spirit is powerfull to subdue and crucifie sin. Then it is this demonstration they beg in the second place, pardon our iniquities, and give us evidence that our sins are pardoned, that thy spi­rit affist us continually to crucifie and subdue our sins: bestow upon us grace and favour and make us know that we have it. For as our happinesse consists in the pardon of our sins, so the comfort consists in the enjoying of it. It is true, that grace and pardon of sin may be had, where it is not at all times seene and felt, and perceived; but yet it cannot be enjoyed, unlesse it be seene and felt; we may have the thing, but want the comfort sometimes. He that wants the comfort, for the time he wants the thing to himselfe, and his apprehension. Therefore when God hath pardoned, and hath shewed grace, the faithfull soul staies not there, it is a Heaven upon Earth to have the [Page 134] comfort, and assurance, and evidence of grace; that is the point: that, ‘After the pardon of sin is had, the faithfull soul staies not there, but begs for assurance, and after that, for more assurances, and still for more assurance.’

Because, there may be enlargement of assurance still, as long as we are in these dayes of misery. However it please our adversaries of Rome to make a mock of the certeinty of Salvation, the assurance of grace, they pin ma­ny scornes upon it in their writings, though they be the Learned of them; let them injoy their consolation, it is to be feared that they will want the comfort, that thus deride it. The Saints in Scripture did not so, they directed their prayers oft times, not onely for the thing, but for the comfort and assurance of it; and as they rejoyced in the thing, so much more in the assurance, for the present. Looke over those in the Old Testament, and in the New. Heare the tryumph of Job, wherein he wonderously delights and refresheth himselfe. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall see him with these eyes. There is no word of greater assurance then this, I know. Let their Thomas Aquinas speake his mind of that word, upon those words. I know whom I have belei­ved, 2 Tim. 1. sayth he, in this word, I know, there is a certainty and assurance of hope, that hope that makes us not confounded: there is a certainty in this word, I know, I know that my redeemer liveth. Therefore David, Psal. 51. he prayes not onely God to cleanse, and pardon, and purifie his sins, but then followes, Make me to heare the voice of joy and gladnesse: Cleanse me, and make me un­derstand that thou hast cleansed me, make me have the [Page 135] comfort of it. Thou hast told me already, that my sins are pardoned, I have the assurance of it by the Message sent by Nathan, but there wants comfort, and joy, in the evident demonstration of it. O make me to heare the voyce of joy and gladnesse, that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce: that I may have the evidence of thy spirit spea­king to my heart.

Looke to the New Testament, it is that perticular, in which the Holy Apostle John delights, and refresheth himselfe, not onely in the thing, but in the comfort to de­monstrate the certainty, 1 John 3. We know, there is Pauls, and Jobs word againe, We know that we are transla­ted from death to life, it is God that hath pardoned our sins, and wrought this gracious change. There is a translation of the Old man to the New, we are translated, and we know it by the fruit and effect, because we love the Brethren. And in another place, We know his spirit abides in us. He not onely comes, and goes, but dwells, he hath taken up his Habitation, it continues with us, we know it, e­ven by the Spirit; there is the evidence from the effect, because we love the Brethren, we know it by that; and from the cause we know it, because we have the Spirit. What is more then we know? And what greater assu­rance then the Spirit? Paul makes that the great evidence, Rom. 8. We know that he hath given us of his spirit: And that Spirit witnesseth, what? That our sins are pardoned, that we are the Children of God, that we are in the state of Adoption, and Reconciliation. The Spirit witnesseth to our Spirits. Our spirits have the Testimony, and the spirit adds a Testimony to that, that by the mouth of two Witnes­ses every word of God might be established to the soule. There is the evidnce of grace, and the testimony of our spi­rit, & of the spirit of God. The Apostle Paul is very free­quent in setting words of weight to evince the certeinty [Page 136]I am perswaded that neither life nor death, nor Angells, nor Principallities, nor powers, nor any thing shall be able to sepe­rate us from the love of God. I am perswaded, it is a word of great assurance, I am confident, it is as much as we know, I am assured that neither life, nor death, that nothing can seperate this bond of union, or cut this bond assunder. There is no Sword that can cut betweene the beleiving soule, and the spirit of God. It is so neare a union, that the love of God makes, that nothing can come between, I am confident, I am assured that neither principallities, nor powers, nor any thing shall be able to seperate us from the love of God, he had the evidence, and he shewes that it might therefore be had.

Yet another place, and that is that that before I na­med, 2 Tim. 1. I know whom I have beleived. It is not onely put in 2 Cor. 5. in the Singular, but in the Plur all, least men should have thought that Paul had it by illumination from God, it was revealed to him from Heaven; He knew whom he had beleived, and that none could sepe­rate him; but shall we expect to have that assurance given us? Therefore in the Corinths he takes in them, We know, he names some besides himselfe, that is, I, and you Corinthians, all beleivers, or at least those that are e­minent Beleivers, if not at all times, yet at some time, if not at every time for the particular, yet for the generall. We know that when this earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved, there is a House made without hands reserved in the Heavens. He speakes of the translation from the Houses of Clay, these bodies that we carry about us, to those Houses that are cloathed on with immortality. God hath provided a house, and we know it, and are as­sured of it. The Apostles, and Saints of both Testa­ments they laid a great deale of their comfort in this assurance, therefore they gave Testimony to it.

And so the Saints in all times, those that had most ex­perience in the working of Gods grace, the holy Fa­thers of the first times, they triumphed much in assu­rance. Bazill, he shewes how assurance of the pardon of sin and the favour of God may be had: He brings one making the Question. O Sir, tell me how I may get it? I will tell you, saith he, if there be that spirit in you, that was in him that said, I have hated all wicked wayes, you have it. For if there be the worke of the spirit of God in crucifying of sin, there is certainly before, the com­prehending grace in the pardoning of sin. Chrysostome he moves the question in another manner then Basile, up­on handling those words Rom. 8. The spirit witnesseth to our spirits, look, saith Chrysostome, after all this, what cause will there be of ambiguity, of doubting? Who is there that can doubt when he hath the testimony and witnesse of the spirit? If the evidence of the spirit shew not it selfe alway in the same measure, we must have recourse to those evidences that God gives sometimes. And Cy­prian goes on, though before him, and prosecutes the same Question, Quis locus erit ambiguitatis, &c. What place will there be for doubting & ambiguity, who can be sorrowfull & fearfull after these evidences it hath pleased God to communicate to us? let him standin fear of death, that is afraid to goe with Christ, that is not willing to goe with Christ, let him be unwilling to goe with Christ that knowes not yet that he hath begun to Reigne with Christ, there is no man can be doubtfull, saith he.

Men, they will not deny but this oertainty may be had, except they be devoyd of all experience of the working of grace. Therefore upon this weighty Pillar, Hillarie layes the Foundation of justifying faith, how shall faith justifie, if faith be doubtfull? He speakes not of faith in every particular, but of the certainty of faith in the gene­rall, [Page 138]if there may not be a certainty in the generall, how shall it justifie? I will add that place onely of St. Austin, where he solaceth himselfe, by gathering together all those grounds, and evidences of certainty God hath pro­mised, he hath spoken nay he hath sworne, Hoc est promis­sum, &c. This is that that God hath sealed with his word, nay, with his Oath, that now there should be no place left to the Children of God, to make any doubt of Gods goodnesse in the pardon of their sins, when they have those evidences of Sealing it by the fruit.

We see it here, not onely by the consent of the Saints in Scripture, but of the Saints in after times, that certainty may be had, and that the comfort of a mans Conscience doth much consist in this certainty. Though faith in the time of Temptation will hold beyond the evidence of these things, and though it be not alwayes to be had, yet it may be had, there is a certainty, and it is much comfort. Therefore Christians will pray still, when they have had Experience of the sweetnesse of Gods grace, all that they pray for, is, the enlargement of their evidence. They pray that he would give peace, and that he would speake it; that he would give Salvation, and the earnest of Salvation; that he would give the Spi­rit, and the earnest of it. Here is the second thing they pray for. First, that God would pardon, and then make it evident that he had pardoned in the continuance of his grace. That is the second thing.

Thirdly, as begging the enlargment of the evidence of the thing; so begging enlargment in respect of the com­munication of grace, so the order is justifiable. For in putting these two together, they pray for these two things, for the pardon of sin, and for the removing of pu­nishment. So the order stands good: For sin is first to be prayed against, before punishment: and the first suite [Page 139]that we are to make to God, is for pardon of sin, and then for removing of Judgment; and this method the Pro­phet teacheth them, Take away our sins that presse us, and thy hand that presseth us; pardon us, and spare us, remove thy wrath in pardoning our sins, and then shew thy selfe gracious in removing thy judgments. So the Point is this: that, ‘A true Saint of God, though he be be­set with calamities, and feare of pu­nishments, and judgements on every side, yet that is not it that takes up his first thoughts, they are taken up for the removing of his sins.’

There he makes his first Prayer, there he states the fervency of his soul; because he knows the sting of sin is sharper a great deale, then the sting of punishment, and that the displeasure of God is more heavie then any judgement. There is no judgement that is a judgement, if the wrath and displeasure of God goe not with it: For when Gods love goes with it, it is a Chastisement, and not a judgement.

If we compare spiritualls with spiritualls, then we shall see it plaine and evident. The flame of sin scorcheth more, then the very flames of Hell, and more galls the Consciences. And the fire of Hell is not so terrible as the displeasure of God. Againe, the fire of Hell is not so terrible, as the having of pardon of sin, is comfortable; mi­sery is not so evill, as the enjoying of God is good.

But if we compare spiritualls, and temporalls, then the disproportion will easily be seene? There is no pro­portion betweene temporall and spirituall mercies: there­fore the Children of God pray for spiritualls before tem­poralls.

Againe, there is no proportion betweene temporall, and spirituall judgements, therefore they pray against spiritualls judgements strst. First, against sin, Take away iniquity and then receive us to favour. Here is the order, and method that Christians set in Prayer. First, they looke to spiritualls, to pray for them, to spirituall evills, to pray against them.

Though Christ in the Lords Prayer have taught us a­nother method; first to pray for Daily bread, and then for pardon of sin. He did it to condescend to our weak­nesse, to draw us to the consideration of that that is lesse knowne, by that that is better known. We see our dai­ly bread, and the want of temporalls is discovered to us by sense, therefore these things are more familiar, and bet­ter knowne, but the weight of sin we know by the de­monstration of the Spirit, and the inward man, there­fore that is not so well knowne; therefore, that he might give us incouragement to rest on him for all estates, he would first draw us on, Give us our daily bread, and then forgiue us our trespasses. Not that there is more necessity of the former, but he condescends to lead us from the les­ser, to the greater, and from the experience of Gods mer­cy in temporalls, to rest on him for pardon of sin, not be­cause the former is better.

Therefore, this is one true triall, a part of that touch­stone whereby a Christian may examine himselfe, and the truth of his grace, if it beget indignation against sin, that he prayes against that first; that he find sin more burthen then punishment, and grace more sweet then all [Page 141] temporalls in the World. For even wicked men will goe so far as to cry out of judgement, then Ahab will humble himselfe, O, but a godly man, a beleiving soule cries out of sin. My punishment is greater then I can beare, that was the voyce of Caine. My sin is greater then I can beare, Mine iniquities are gone over my head, and are as a heavy burthen, that was the voice of holy David.

It is true, it is lawfull, and God allowes us to pray a­gainst temporall punishments, and judgements, but we must keepe the due order. It is a preposterous course to pray against that first, before we pray for the pardon and removing of sin, because sin is the cause of punish­ment. He that would have judgement removed, must strike at the Roote, the roote is sin, from that bitter roote it is, that punishment springs: cut up the roote, and the Tree will not stand long. If the wound be once healed, the Plaister of punishment will fall off of it selfe. If sin be taken away by repentance, and turning to the Lord, then there is no such Antidote against the plague as the pardon of sin, then whatsoever the punishment is, it will drop off of it selfe.

It is not onely preposterous, but sacrilegious to observe that method, when we pray more for the removall of temporall judgements, then for pardon of sin, it is a signe that we love our selves, and feare for our selves, and not God, because we hate the punishment, that is displeasing to us, more then sinne that is displeasing to God. If we rest on God for the pardon of sin, our affections will be suitable; to hate that most that God hates, that is sin: and if we hate it, we need not be intreated in the first place to pray for the removall of it. Yet many of us are so sensible of these outward things, that we continue in a preposterous course, we more feare the shaddow of judge­ment, then the body of sin, the name of punishment is more [Page 142]terrible a great deale to us then the commission of sin. We tremble if we doe but heare the report of one judge­ment, yet we are not afraid to goe on in a multitude of sins. Like distempered Patients that hate their Physick, and love their Disease, we love the Disease of sin, yet we hate that Physick that God sends to cure us.

Beloved, we have not so learned Christ; if the stamp of Christ be set on our hearts, here a Christian bends his forces. Piety keeps due order, devotion will in all the Prayers it makes. There is no affection, no word, no e­jaculation that a godly man would willingly have out of order; he looks to all within him, he will not have his joy out of order, to bestow his joy, first upon the World, and then upon God; nor his sorrow out of order, to bestow it first upon temporall callamities, and then upon sin; nor his feare out of order, first on judgements, and then on God. No, but he sets all his affections right. First, he feares God, and the first fruits of his sorrow he bestowes on sin.

It is true, now indeed we begin to be sencible of the hand of judgement that presseth us, O let us remember that there is a greater burthen lies upon us, that must be removed: The Arrows of sin are more sharp then the Arrow of the Pestilence, and if we pull off the head of the Arrow of sin, the other shall be put up in the Quiver. It is true, now the Arrow is pointed neare us: God hath his marke, and as those that are skillfull in that kind, they shoot, sometimes nearer, sometimes further, as Jo­nathan shot, when he gave warning to David; so God shoots to give us warning, he comes nearer in the Mark he propounds, he moves neere by Parishes, and by Streets, and then nearer by Houses. Punishment is neare, but sin is nearer, we carry it about us, we must make sin far off, before punishment, that is the order the Prophet [Page 143]teacheth them to keepe. First, to Pray for the remo­vall of sin, and then of punishment.

So I have done with the Petition. Take away all iniqui­ty and receive us graciously. The parts, and the Order of the parts.

I now come to the last part, that is, the promissory part of the Text.

In the former part, the Prophet excites them to get Lips, and here to give lips; there it is, Take to you words, here, powre out your words. So we will give the Calves of our Lips.

There are 3. things I will observe in it.

First, the duty the Prophet excites them to here, that they make this vow and promise of, to God, it is the duty of praise and thankfullnesse, So will we give thee the Calves of our lips. That is, so will we blesse thee, and magnifie thy name, and sing to thy glory, we will speake of thy praise all the day long.

Secondly, the metaphor under which this duty is con­veyed, We will give thee the Calves of our lips, why he u­seth that phrase.

Thirdly, the connexion, and coherence with the for­mer, So will we give thee. A man would thinke it were an ill condition, and a duty that were misplaced, would they not give the Calves of their Lips to God, except he would take away their iniquity, and remove his judgements?

The first thing, which I will onely speake of now, is this, to find out what is the duty (that is plaine of it selfe) to which he excites them in these words. So I will read it thus in the litterall sence, Take away iniqui­ty, [Page 144]so we will blesse and prayse thee. So, there are six things the Prophet would put them in mind of, by adding this clause.

Two things in generall.

And foure in perticular; all concerning thankfullnesse,

The two things in generall, he puts them in mind of, are these.

De vovendo, of making a vow and promise to God, We will give thee.

And De solvendo, of paying that vow; he labours to bring them not onely to an acknowledgement of thank­fullnesse, as due, but to a holy engagement, that they will certainly render praise for this mercy.

Resolution, it is one worke that advanceth every du­ty, every civill duty, much more duties that are spiritu­all. There is no work that a man goes on chearfully in, except he prepare and fit himselfe by resolution. Therefore it is, that many Saints of God in Scripture took this course, to bind themselves by vowes to obedi­ence; though there be bonds already lie at our doore, the bond of obedience, yet when we vow as David did, to walk holily before God, this adds another vow. He that without vows, transgresseth the Commandements of God, breaks Gods word, but he that transgresseth in a vow, breaks Gods word, and his owne too. The word that God hath given, and the word that he hath given. Therfore it is a speciall meanes to keep men in the Pale of obedience, when they hedge themselves in with ho­ly resolutions

I know Cardinall Bellarmine, and he more remarka­bly then any other of the Romish Writers, is very large and peremptory in declaring that that which is within the compasse of precept, cannot fall within the compasse of a vow, that no necessary duty can fall within the com­passe [Page 145]of a vow. But if there were not Testimony of the Saints in Scripture, the Testimony of their owne Writers are sufficient evidence against it, besides the truth it self, Alphonsus, Picus, Cajetane, Valencia, these foure they are bold all of them to expresse themselves to be of ano­ther opinion; that properly and directly that that we are tied to, by the necessity of precept, most properly falls with­in the compasse of a vow, and it is most safe; for one may safely vow, that that he is tied to doe, and the vow­ing and resolving of it, adds a second obligation, it is an awaking. Therefore David took this course, he bound himselfe by vow, and promise, and oath. I have sworne that I will performe thy righteous judgements. He excites him­selfe by these Obligations, to every duty of piety, he set himselfe those Lessons of piety, he tasked himselfe to such duties; sometimes to repentance. To thee will I con­fesse. Sometimes to obedience, I will walke in thy Com­mandements. Sometimes to prayer, At morning, noone, and evening, I will call on thee. Sometimes to thankfull­nesse, Seaven times in a day I will prayse thee. He tasked himselfe to these duties, thereby to keep, and hidge in his obedience. So will every Christian, that he may keep himselfe in the path of Piety, he will oft consider how he walks, and consider his purposes and resolutions, and strengthen himselfe in holy purposes, it is a great meanes to arme our selves. A heart will not easily be overcome with temptations, that is armed with good purposes; good purposes incite to Prayer, and practise, you take away perseverance, you take away practise and performance, you take away endeavour, if you take away resolution. Therefore if you will learne to keepe your selves in the wayes of Gods Commandements, learne oft to resolve, to purpose.

We shall tread awry when we have done the best, but [Page 146]if there be a good purpose God takes that for performance, if we arme our selves with good resolutions. Let us not take this help from our selves, since we come short of performance, let us have endeavours, and purposes. This the Prophet teacheth them when they come to per­forme their thanks, they must have purposes, We will give thee. Those are the two first things he minds them of in generall.

There are other things he minds them of, in perticu­ler, and they are these foure.

The first is this, That Thankfullnesse is due to God for all his mercies.

It is due, by right of Lordship, because God is Lord and owner of all we have, he is Lord of our life and being, there is the Fountaine of all goodnesse. Whither should the streames run but back to the Fountaine, to the Sea? sayth Bernard, let the streames of thankfullnesse run back to the Head, they are drawne from grace, they come from God, the grace of pardon, and grace must returne to God, the grace of thankfullnesse.

And it is by right of Debt his, we owe it him; it is a Debt to any man that doth us a courtesie, no lesse requi­tall can be made for the least good turne then thankfull­nesse, yet those that they doe, are small, and they are tied by the bond of Charity, and by the Law of God, and they sin if they doe it not: and those that they doe, God doth by their hands, he inclines them to it. Then, if we ac­count it a misery, if we be unthankfull to men, we owe much more of this duty of thankfullnesse to God, by ano­ther bond, because from him we have all mercy, and the choisest mercies. What hand soever reacheth us a Blessing, God is the Author, God gives it. And can we give him any thing lesse then thanks? We can give him nothing else. He gives it us when we give him thanks, [Page 147]and prayse, we pay him with his owne, we give not his mercy back in the kind, but vertually in the strength. He that gives glory to God, he gives the mercy back in strength. But we can give nothing to God, that he hath not before in a more eminent manner, whether it be praise or glory, or blessing, or reverence, or worship. His name is glorious, though we give it not; his name is ad­mirable, he will make his glory appeare, though we dis­honour him. But he so interprets it in mercy, we are sayd to give it, when we acknowledge it. He is not ca­pable of our gift, but when we testifie that he hath it, we are said to give it. The Knee when it bowes before him, worships him, and the heart when it is ravished with admiration gives him reverence, and the tongue when it speakes of his prayse, gives him thankfullnesse; if God take these as gifts at our hands, that we owe, and can add no addition by it, we can doe no lesse then acknowledge that thankfullnesse is due to God for all his mercies. That is the first thing.

A second thing, he would teach them to acknow­ledge, that thankfullnesse is especially due for the pardon of sin: when sin is pardoned, the first bud of new righte­ousnesse in the heart, O, it is thankfullnesse to God. Bless the Lord O my soule, and all that is within me; and then followes, That forgiveth all thine iniquities. We owe God praise, and glory, for all his mercy, and goodnesse, but for none more then the pardon of sin; for here is the Stock upon which other graces are grafted, when once sin is pardoned, all temporall things prove comfortable. There­fore when they beg for the Pardon of sin, say they, We will give thee the Calves of our lips.

There is thankfullnesse due to God, especially for spi­rituall mercies, and of them, for the grace of reconciliati­on, the forgivenesse of sins. A Christian will be methodi­call [Page 148]in his thankfullnesse as well as in his Prayer. I shewed before that devotion keeps good order, it prayes for spi­ritualls before temporalls, and against spiritualls before temporalls. And thankfullnesse keeps a good order, it gives thanks for the best mercies first, and most. Though all the mercies of God be good, yet there is a difference, there is a difference betweene spirituall mercies, and tem­porall. For temporall mercies. Liberty is better then Wealth, and life then liberty, and grace then all. As God hath set an order in mercies, so thankfullnesse observes an order; he doth not thanke God so much for tempo­rall mercies, as for pardon of sin, that swallowes up the heart, and takes up the whole latitude of the affections. There is thankfullnesse due for establishing us in our ci­vill Callings, but more for calling us to the acknowledge­ment of the truth. There is blessing due for keeping us in this World, but more for the hope of life in another world. Many thanks are due for Creation, but more for redempti­on, for in Creating us, he made us once, but in redeeming us, he made us againe, and in giving us the hope of life everlasting, he makes us for ever. There is great thanks due for removing temporall Plagues, but more for the re­moving of his wrath and our sins. Therefore the Pro­phet would have them understand, that as they prayed, first, Take away iniquity, so they should give thanks in that order, when their iniquities were taken away, then they should thanke God for the pardon of their sins: first for spirituall, then for temporalls.

Reason shews this order; for in our Prayers we Pray for temporall things with conditions, but for spiritualls without conditions, as we pray for them more fervently, so we should be thankfull for them with more enlarged hearts. So in taking away temporall things, we give thanks as Job did, but in spirituall things, we give thanks [Page 149]when God gives them, but none gives thanks for the ta­king them away.

It is true, when God with-holds grace, he can make grace grow out of that separation from himselfe, but that is by accident, that the want of grace should be a meanes of the propagating of grace, but properly and di­rectly none can rejoyce in the taking away of grace. We give thanks for temporalls, when we want them, but for spiritualls onely, when we have them. That is the se­cond thing.

Thirdly, another thing he would instruct them in, by adding this clause, is this, that thankfullnesse must be joyned with Prayer: first, he teacheth them to pray, Take away iniquity, but he closeth the Prayer with thank­fullnesse. These must goe together, they are Sister-du­ties; and in a large sence speaking, thankfullnesse is a part of Prayer; therefore as Prayer inlargeth it selfe in expressing of wants, so thankfullnesse, in expressing it selfe in Gods goodnesse. It is a defect we find in the Missalls of the Romish Church, where we find many Prayers made to Saints, but not one forme of thankfull­nesse. If it be lawfull to pray to them, it is lawfull to thanke them for favours received by them. What a grosse error is it in them, to make Prayers, and not to thanke them? Those are more rare, they set them at the end of their Books. Glory and praise be to the Virgin Ma­ry; but for the particular, since they make so many Prayers to the Saints, why doe they not thanke them? As in the one, they are injurious to God in praying to Saints: so in the other they are injurious to the Saints, in not thanking them, for so many mercies they receive, for the rule is firme, whom we pray to, we must give thanks to: for the mercies we may pray, we may give thanks. As Elisha spread himselfe upon the Child, [Page 150] hand upon hand, and face upon face, so in these two du­ties, the hands must be spread to God, and hands, and eyes must be fixed and fastened on God in giving thanks when we receive mercies, as they are fixed in begging, and the hands must be spread as wide in blessing God, as ever they were in praying to him, and the Knees must bow as low, and the voyce of the lips must be lifted as loud in giving thanks for mercies, as ever they were extended in praying for mercies. It is a signe of an ungratefull heart, to be fervent in begging mercies, and to be un­mindfull of thankfullnesse. Therefore the Prophet bids them joyne thankfullnesse to Prayer.

That is the third thing he minds them of, that thank­fullnesse is due for all mercies, and for spirituall mercies, and that thankfullnesse must goe along with prayer.

The Fourth is this, that thankfullnesse is to be the close of Prayer, here the Prayer ends. So will we give thee the Calves of our lips. Prayer is one of those duties that I said had a Language, there are two Letters that make up the Language: Confession of sin, that is the Alpha, and thankfullnesse to God, that is the Omega of it.

All Prayer opens with confession of sin, all Prayer shuts with thanksgiving; that is the end of Prayer. Prayer it selfe is the Key that opens to all duty, and thankfullnesse is the Key that locks up prayer.

O! How sweet will the order be observed, when Prayer makes the Way, and Thankfullnesse closeth it; Where these two are joyned, when a man is conversant in that worke, be it Morning, or Evening Sacrifice, both Sacrifices meet in this; in Confession of sin there is the Dawning of the DAY, and in giving Thanks there is the Evening Sacrifice, the Latter end, and Close of Prayer.

Christ taught us this in the Lords prayer, after he had set downe six Petitions: For thine is the Kingdome, the Powe [...] and the glory, to shew that Prayer must be shut up with thanksgiving.

The Apostle Paul shewes it, in 1. Tim. 2. Texhort that Prayers, and Supplications be made for all, with thanksgiv­ing. In Phillipians 4. Therefore let your Suites and Requests in all things, be made knowne to God by Prayer, and Suppli­cation, and giving of thanks. In both places giving of thanks comes in the last place. With Prayer, and Suppli­cation, and giving of Thanks. Why doth he set it in the last place? To shew, that thanksgiving must close up Prayer. So will we give the Calves of our lips. That is the fourth thing.

And how well doe all these, if they be put together concurr in the preparation we are to make this day for the Sacrament? Looke back to the first point delivered, and see if there be not a concurrence of all these. Re­member the three enlargements of the order of them, remember these six things, in joyning these to them. So will we render the Calves of our lips.

When we come here, we pray to God for his grace, and for the continuance and enlargement of his grace, therefore it is that he instituted the Sacrament, that it might be an instrument for the confirming and convey­ing of grace, it is the instrument that God useth. There­upon it is, that diverse of the Fathers are bold to call it, the preservative against everlasting death, the conserva­tive to everlasting life; the salve of imortallity. We come here to beg grace, and the continuance of it, we come to beg grace, and the evidence of grace too, by the confir­ming, and assuring of it: For that purpose the Sacrament was instituted to confirme our faith, that we might not want a memoriall of all those great things that Christ [Page 152]wrought for us. In this respect the Fathers call the Lords Supper, the pledge of eternity, the defence of faith, the hope of the Resurrection, because here grace is enlar­ged, it pleaseth God to enlarge and confirme it this way. For those that want certainty, here they may get assu­rance, those that have it may get an addition.

Thirdly, here we beg pardon of sin, and we give thanks for it, and we come to have that sure to us, and make acknowledgement of it, by thankfullnesse.

Lastly, here we acknowledge thankfullnesse to God for mercies, and make new purposes, and resolutions of obe­dience,, we arme our selues with new vowes.

Now this calls all those notions back to your mind, that I delivered before. It is called therefore the Eu­charist, because all Gods mercies, are here summed up in the memoriall of them, in this blessed Sacrament. And here we give God thanks, not for one mercy, but for all, and for the Fountaine and Foundation of all. Therefore the Apostle calls it, the Cup of blessing: that is, the Cup of Thankfullnesse. Our blessed Saviour gave that ground to the Eucharist, for you know that he did breake the bread with giving of Thanks; to shew to us, sayth Chry­sostome, how we should carry our selves, how we should behave and demeane our selves in receiving these blessed mysteries, how we should receive these My­steries from the hand of that gracious goodnesse, that foun­taine of mercy, that gives them with thankfullnesse re­ceive them so as Christ gave them: he gave them with thankfullnesse.

And here we have occasion of excitement for blessing God for the pardon of sin, and of blessing God, for gi­ving Christ, for giving not onely Christ to be with us, but to die for us, and not onely so, but giving us this me­moriall of it, in which is the summing up of all mercy.

So you see here is the summing up of all. Therefore let us joyne all these together, and when we come to the Lords Table, remember this Prayer. Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will we render the Calves of our Lips. So much of the first consider­ation: We looke upon the duty of thank­fullnesse, as it is set downe in lite­rall termes. So much for this time.

SERMON VI.

THE Word of God, as it is well stored with variety of figures, and elegancy of Speech, so it doth not abound with any more then with metaphors. For a metaphor is as a Glasse in which we see by reflexion, that duty which in the literall precept comes to our understanding in a more familiar manner. So, while we have any precept commended to us in both formes of Speech, there is a double benefit to us. In the lite­rall forme, God shewes us the duty, and in the metapho­ricall forme he shewes us the beauties and delight, that is to be found in those precepts that he gives us. There­fore you may observe that there is hardly any duty of piety in all the Scripture, but in one place, or other, it is commended to us in metaphoricall words.

For the grace of faith, the Apostle St. John tells us in Revel. 3. I counsell thee (sayth Christ to the Church of Laodicea) that thou buy of me Gold tryed in the fire: faith is set out in that metaphor.

For the grace of meeknesse, and innocency, St. Peter shewes us the way. 1 Pet. 2. As new Borne Babes desire the sincere Milke of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Sim­plicity and innocency is commended to us in that me­taphor.

For the grace of perseverance, St. Paul tells us in Heb. 12. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Perseverance goes on till it come to the end of the race, it is commended to us in that metaphor.

For the grace of repentance, the Prophet Joel sets it downe, Rend your hearts and not your Garments.

For Prayer, David, Let it come before thee as incense.

And for the work, and duty of Thankfullnesse, the Prophet Hosea in this place, which is one of the harshest metaphors that we meet with in all the Scriptures. As for Prayer, to be resembled to incense, there is a great deale of reason, that is obvious to any eye; there is a Holy breath, a Celestiall smoake, that goes out of fervent Prayer, as incense from the Altar that ascends up to God. Prayer hath an ascending faculty as incense hath. But for the work of prayse, and thanksgiving, to be set out under the metaphor of the Calves of the lips; it may seeme at the first view, a metaphor far fetched, but that there is no title in the Word of God, but that it is added upon speciall worth, and reason. Therefore it will be worth our labour, as before I shewed the nature of the duty of thankfullnesse, as farr as it concernes the literall part, so now to look upon it, in the Glasse of this metaphor. We will give the Calves of our lips. I told you there were 3. things that I would consider in this last part of this Scripture.

First, what the Duty is, that the Prophet aimes at, to which he would excite them, when he adds this to the former Prayer. Take away iniquity, and receive us graci­ously, so will we give the Calves of our lips. That is, so will we blesse, and praise, and magnifie thy name. Accord­ing to this acception, I spake of it in the Fore-noone, I told you this duty was added, the memoriall of it, to commend to them the remembrance of somewhat in generall: to mind them,

The prophet hereby would engage them, he makes them to give a pledge, a Hostage to God, that if he would be gracious to them, they would not be unmindfull of their Covenant againe, but returne praise and thanks.

The things he would remember them of in perticular, are these.

First, That Thankfullnesse is due to God for all his mercies.

Secondly, that it is due to God, especially for spiritu­all mercies, for pardon of sin. Take away iniquity, and then we will praise thee.

Thirdly, that thanks and praise must goe hand in hand together. There is no Prayer that we offer to God that must exclude Thankfullnesse. First he teacheth them to pray, Take away iniquity; and then to add, so will we give thee prayse and glory.

Then Lastly, that thankfullnesse is the best close of Prayer. Prayer is that that opens to all other duties, and thankfullnesse is that that shuts up prayer. These were [Page 158]the things observed in the first part in the Forenoone.

Now the second thing that I considered in it, was to look upon this duty of thankfullnesse, as it is expressed in this metaphor.

And in the third place to come to the connexion, in this Particle, So, or Then. These are the two things I am now to speake of.

The first is to looke upon the metaphor: for there is a great deale of matter couched in that if I mistake not my selfe. Therefore I will examine it in these two things.

What is the ground, the foundation, upon which this metaphor is pitched, that he should rather choose this, then any other.

Secondly, what is the reason why the Prophet rather expresseth the duty of Thankfullnesse in a metaphor, then in literall termes.

The first is this, what are the grounds, upon which this metaphor is built, or whence is it derived? The Calves of our lips. There are two words, it might have beene varied either way. For the first, Boves & capras, the Goats, or the Lambs of our lips; no, it is the Calves of our lips. And for the second word, it is not the Calves of our Stalls, but of our selves: and in our selves, not the Calves of our hearts. A man would have thought that that should have carried the sway, and turned the Bal­lance; no, the Calves of our lips. There are reasons as I conceive, to be given of all this.

The first is, for the first word, why he instanceth in this creature, rather then any other, for there were other Creatures that were offered in sacrifice. The Turtles of our lips, or the Lambs of our lips. What doe we think should be the reason why he makes choyce of this crea­ture, which if we compare Creature with Creature, seems [Page 159]the most grosse of all other to express the duty of thank­fullnesse? We cannot say, it was onely in allusion to Sacrifice, for other Creatures were used in Sacrifice, as well as Calves and Heifers. We cannot say, it was be­cause this Creature was a Type of Christ. So it was. Luk. 15. when the Prodigall came home to his Father, who is every penitent sinner, and the Father there is our Hea­venly Father, that receives sinners when they come to him. And there it is said for his entertainment, that he made ready the Fatted Calfe, and Garments, and Rings: these are to explaine to us the fruits of Christs death, and Sacrifice of himselfe, and the Garment of his righteous­nesse put upon us. As Chrysostome well sayth, the Fat­ted Calfe is Christ, Sacrificed for our sins. Therefore compared to the Calfe, Quia immaculatus, &c. Because he gave himselfe a Sacrifice of redemption for sin. And the Fatted Calfe, because of the excellency of his Merit, and the All-sufficiency of it. Yet this is not a sufficient reason, for though Christ were typified in the Calfe, he was so in the Lamb, it is so exprest by John Baptist himselfe, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World. Therefore if that were the onely reason, because it was a Type of Christ, it should run as well the Lambs of our lips, as the Calves of our lips: therefore I conceive, this reason may further be added. There is never a tittle of this Prayer, that the Prophet compo­sed for the People, but was well pondered in the Ballance of his spirit; and as I shewed in the rest, that he brought them to some consideration in every tittle, and word, so he would bring them to consideration by this phrase. In Jerem. 31. the People of Israell are compared to an un­tamed Heifer. In Hosea 4. they are called a Backsliding Heifer. Their rebellions were so great, that they are set downe by this metaphor, even Israell was an untamed Calfe, or Heifer.

Further, this Creature that they are compared to for their rebellions, it was the Creature whereby they provo­ked God in the Desart, they made a calfe, and worship­ped it. After in Jeroboams time, there were 2. set up, one in Dan, and another in Bethell, and they worshipped them, and now in the Prophets time, they said to the works of their hands, yee are our Gods. It is likely those Creatures continued in the same resemblance. They turned the similitude of God, to the likenesse of a Creature that eateth hay. By this phrase it is likely the Prophet would bring them to the consideration of their sins. Take away iniqui­ty and receive us graciously, so will we render the Calves of our lips. As it is observed of the Aegyptians, and the Israe­lites, the Israelites Sacrificed to the true God, those that the Aegyptians made their Gods. The Prophet would have them sacrifice themselves to God in that resemblance, whereby the Spirit of God, had set out their rebellion. As if they had sayed, we confesse we have rebelled from the womb, as an untamed Heifer, we have dealt unfaith­fully in the Covenant; we have made to our selves Gods of Gold, we will now bring our selves under the yoak, not onely our necks, but our lips also. We will offer our selves in that very resemblance, whereby we have disho­nour'd thee. In that creature we have dishonour'd thy name and in that very resemblance, for the acknowledgement of our sins we come to thee. So will we render the Calves of our lips. Yet, there is somwhat more in it, why he instan­ceth not onely in this creature, but in this condition of the creature. The Calves of our lips, it's not Ox or Heifer. It may seem this, they were novices in Religion, Vitulus is the first part; they were not acquainted to give the Sacri­fice of prais; now they were brought to the sight of them­selves, they would give the Sacrifice of new praise. They were inured to dishonour God, now we will sing Psalmes [Page 161]of thanks giving, and praise thee with songs of glory, and blessing. Here was a new change, it was the first fruits, the beginning of their offering, and obedience, therfore a calfe. It was not onely a new part, but they acknowledge that this sacrifice of praise was imperfect, it was not yet come to any maturity, & strength, & ripenesse, they did but bleat out praises yet, they could not come to sing songs of praise that were perfectly set, as other of the Saints had done before. We cannot give thee a Sacrifice acceptable for persection, but as well as we can, we give thee a Sa­crifice that thou art pleased to accept for the present, there is the Calves of our lips: that is the first, why Calves?

2ly Why the Calves of the lips? There is a double op­position, why not the Calves of our heards? Why not the calves that we take out of our Stalls? But the calves of our lips? I conceive why the Prophet sets it in this order; there are these three reasons.

First, he would draw them hereby from all opinion of the [...]pas oceratum, of their Sacrifice: they were too prone to think well of their sacrifice: therfore hereby by turning the word with this metaphoricall, the Calves of our lips, he would draw them to consider that God was not delighted with the offring of the sacrifices they gave, if they kept back their hearts and themselves. The Sacrifices that God expected was praise and obedience, spirituall Sacrifices, that they should not make their boast what Hecatombs they had offred, how many Calves or Lambs, these God delights not in, he expresseth him­selfe so, Psal. 50. I will take no Bullocks out of thy house. He cares not for their sacrifice, if they withdraw themselves; no, he expects a sacrifice, I wil not take it out of thy house but out of thy heart, not out of thy fold, but out of thy self. The prophet would hereby lead them to this conside­ration, that they should give spirituall sacrifice, and look in their cere­moniall [Page 162]Sacrifice to that that was morall, that God expe­cted. The Sacrifice that God looked for, was praise, the lips to be the offering, the tongue the knife, the heart the Altar; both the Priest that offered the Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice, and the Altar, all, God would have from themselves. That is the first reason why the Pro­phet sayth not, the Calves of the Stalls: David sayth in one place, Then will we offer young Bullocks upon thine Al­tar; no, sayth the Prophet, the young Bullocks of our lips. That is one thing.

Secondly, Another thing, why it is not said the Calves of our stalls, but the Calves of our lips, it was for their incouragement that they might not be backward in returning, and making retaliation to God. It is not a costly, sumptuous Sacrifice, that God expects. There is nothing more cheap then words, and words of praise, that come from a sincere heart, these God calls for. E­very man hath words ready, it is a Sacrifice as easie, as the moving of the lips; he would not burthen them; I require it not out of thy House, or out of thy Fold; they need not goe to Arabia for Spices, they need not goe as Abrahams Servant, to the Field for a Calfe; no, they had it in themselves, there was the fruit of the lips, the fruit of obedience, and praise, within themselves.

Had it beene propounded so, it is likely that Worldly men would have beene ready to have kept back. As many of us, we are readier to give God the Calves of our lips, then of our Stalls; we love not to Sacrifice to God, of that that costs us somewhat, it should be the least and the worst, if we were to make choyce of it. The Pro­phet would prevent them here, in their Worldly mind­ednesse, that no man should have excuse: the Poore man could not plead, I have not wherewith to offer, he shews that God accepts any thing that comes from a good [Page 163]heart; the Widdowes myte, the cup of cold water, the words, the Sacrifice of praise. As Lycurgus, sometimes when he set Lawes to the People of Sparta, whereby they should Worship their false Gods, and they were poore, cheape Sacrifices, and one asking him the reason why? Sayth he, that there may never be a Cessation. If I should charge them with costly Sacrifices, they would not continue to Sacrifice. So God, because he would not overcharge them with Sacrifices, he seeing the Worldlinesse of their minds, he sayth, not the Calves of your Folds, but the Calves of your lips. That is the se­cond thing.

Thirdly, the Prophet would shew hereby that God expects the choyse Sacrifice of praise, the most pure, and innocent Sacrifice, as Ambrose sayth well, Vitulus was the Calfe that was reputed an unspotted Sacrifice. To shew that he that comes to praise God must bring pure, cleane, and undefiled lips. He that regards iniquity in his heart, or brings it in his lips, he offers the Calves of his lips, but God will not be pleased with a Sacrifice from that mans mouth, whose mouth is polluted with Blasphemy and pro­phanenesse, and obscene Language. A prophane man can­not please God with the Calves of his lips, he hath blas­phemous lips. The lips that are given to filthinesse, can­not give God a Sacrifice, they are polluted. The lips that are given to lying, and fraud, they cannot give God a Sacrifice they are deceitfull lips. They are pure, and chast lips, that must be Sacrificed to God: Our lips must be of the same die, and temper, with our hearts, sincere hearts, and sincere lips, holy affections God looks for, and holy words, and holy breathings. That is the third thing, he calls them the Calves of the lips, that is, choyce, extra­ordinary lips. He would have such lips as he would have Calves upon the Altar, he would not have Calves [Page 164]that were lame & defiled; so, bring such lips as are acquaint­ed with the praise of God; these are the lips that God ex­pects. Againe, there is somewhat further, why not the Calves of our hearts, which is the cheife thing in all Sa­crifices, but the Calves of our lips? The lips, if the heart be absent, are not acceptable to God; he abhors the Pray­er and praise that is given with the lips, when the heart blasphemes him, and the life prophanes him. A man would thinke it were better, we will give thee the Calves of our lives, then of our lips, or at least of our spi­rits and hearts. For David sets out the Sacrifice of God so, to be a humble, broken heart. It is the heart that God looks to, in all these, it is neither the eyes lift up in pray­er, or the hands spread, or the Knee bowing, that is ac­cepted to God, if the heart be wanting; the heart is the life of all these. Out of the abundance of the mouth, the heart speaketh, and out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, and the eyes are lifted up, and the Knees bow, and if there be an Absence of that, nothing is plea­sing but the lips themselves are abhominable, yet he saith, the Calves of our lips. There are two reasons of that.

One is this, though he mention not the heart, yet the heart is supposed, he need not mention it, it was taken in, The Calves of our lips, that is, of such lips as proceed from a cleane, pure, honest heart, because it is taken in, it is therefore not exprest. That was a thing to be suppo­sed, that if they gave the outward man, they would give the inward: but the Prophet calls them here, because of their negligence in the expression of their thank­fullnesse in the Outwaod man. To shew them, That though mentall praise be the chiefe thing that God looks to, when the heart is there, yet it is not the one­ly thing; God will not onely be glorified in the soule, but in the body, he will not onely have the praise of the heart, but of the lips. We think to put off God, if we [Page 165]send up an Ejaculation, and give God a spirituall Sacri­fice, it is all within. The Hypocrite is all for without, and the timerous Christian is all within: though he bow in the Temple of Baal, yet if he give God his heart, he thinks it is a good Sacrifice. But God will have praise both of the inward man, and of the outward man, be­cause he made both, he sanctifies both, and will save both; he calls them therefore to vocall praise, with the Calves of their lips: they were growne so, that they knew not how to doe this, therefore sayth David, I will praise thee with a song, and magnifie thy name with unfeigned lips. God looks for vocall praise, as well as mentall, we must as well Praise him with our Lips, as with our Heart.