A COMMENTARY upon the Fourth Book of Moses, 〈…〉 NUMBERS.  
CONTAINING, The Foundation of the Church and Commonwealth of the Israelites, while they walked and wandered in the WILDERNESS.  
Laying before us the unchangeable love of God promised and exhibited to this people; The comely order established and observed among them; Sundry examples of his horrible judgements against obstinate sinners; The Fatherly chastisements and corrections of the faithful offending; and the dangerous plottings and devilish policies of the Church's enemies, are detected and discovered.  
Wherein the whole body of Divinity is handled touching matters 

dogmatical: Of God, of Christ, of the Gospel, of the Law, of Sin, of Faith and justification of the Scriptures, of the Sabbath, of Magistrates and of the Ministry, of the Resurrection, of Prayer and the lawfulness of set forms, of Tithes and Impropriations, of the Sacraments in general, and in special of Baptism and the Lords Supper, of Duelles and Duelists, of Excommunication, of Repentance and remission of sins, of restitution, of War, and of the lawfulness of the marriage of Cousin germane.  
Ceremonial: Of the calling of the Priests and Levites, and of the first borne▪ of the waters of jealousy, of the vow of the Nazarites of the daily sacrifice, of the jewish Feasts of the year of jubilee, of the new Moons, of afflicting the soul, of the Feast of the Passeover and Pentecost, of the Trumpets and of the Tabernacles, of the urim and Thummim of the seven Lamps and the making of the two silver Trumpets, of the pillar of Fire and the Cloud, of the meat Offering and drink Offering, with the uses of them all toward ourselves, together with a description of sundry weights and measures used of the jews.  
polemical: Or Controversies between the Church of Rome and us, as of the Scriptures, of the Church and the notes of it, of the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, of the Mass, of Purgatory, of , of Prayer in a strange tongue, of justification by Works, of the Sacraments, of Vows, of auricular Confession, of Relics, of binding and losing, of Temples, of Tapers and wax Candles, of Sanctuaries, and of Images and Idolatry.    
Herein also the Reader shall find more than five hundred Theological Questions, decided and determined  
By WILLIAM ATTERSOLL, Minister of the word.  
LONDON, Printed by WILLIAM JAGGARD, 1618.   

TO THE RIGHT Worshipful, Sir Walter Covert, Knight, one of his majesties justices of the Peace, in the County of Sussex: And to the Right Worshipful, the Lady jane Covert his Wife: Grace and peace from jesus Christ.  
I Undertake (Right Worshipful) in this Work, to expound one of the Books of Moses, a part of the Church's Treasury, committed to writing by the hand of one of the best Workmen, and one of the greatest Prophets of the Church. And howsoever sundry parcels thereof may seem at the first view to offer unto us little profit, as containing only sundry names of persons and places, which may be thought little to concern us: yet as the whole Scripture given by inspiration, is profitable for Doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 〈◊〉 righteousness, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope, 
2 Tim. 3, 16  Rom. 1●, 4: so if we look into this present parcel with a single eye and a pure heart void of partiality and a prejudicate opinion, we shall oftentimes find much substance to lie hidden under shadows, and as it were rich Mines where the soil may be taken to be barren. And as this book beareth in the front of it the name of Numbers, so it hath this peculiar above the rest, that it layeth before us the numbering of the people, and the excellent and exquisite order that God commanded to be observed among them, in their tents, in their marching, in their removing, in the unfolding and wrapping up of the instruments of the Tabernacle, and in the Priests and Levites that attended upon it. All Arts and Sciences before they can be learned, must be reduced into order and method. There is an order in God himself, as we see in the blessed Trinity: for albeit all the persons be coeternal and coequal, and the essence itself of the Deity undivisible; yet there is the first, the second and the third person. And as it is in God, so it is in the creation and works of God, from the heaven of heavens to the centre of the earth. The elect Angels that do his commandments, and hearken unto the voice of his word, 
Psal. 103, 20  have an order among them; there are Thrones and Dominions, Powers and Principalities, Ephes. 1, 21. Col. 1, 16. and an Archangel, that at the last day shall blow the Trumpet, 1 Thess. 4, 16. And as it is among the Angels, so it is among the Saints, the souls of just men perfected; albeit all have enough, and none of them any want, yet there is a difference in the measure of their glory, inasmuch as every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour, 1 Cor. 3, 8. Dan. 12, 3. The Stars are not all of one magnitude, but there is one glory of the Sun, another of the Moon, and another of the Stars for one star differeth from another star in glory; so also is the resurrection of the dead 1 Cor. 15, 41, 42. Gen. 1, 16, 17. Psal. 136, 7, 8.9. Thus it is also in the works beneath, that God may every where appear to be the God of order, 1 Cor. 14, 33. Some creatures have only a being: some have being and life: others, Being, Life, and Sense: and others besides all these, have reason and understanding. A Camp well disciplined, is a perfect pattern of good order. He that would order a battle aright (saith Vegetius) hath respect to the Sun, to the dust, 
Veget. Cap. 14.  to the wind; because the Sun and dust hinder the sight, and a contrary wind weakeneth the blow. The Church of God is ruled by order, while there are some to teach, and some to hear. Neither may any of these seem strange, forasmuch as there is a kind of order, even in the place of all disorder and confusion, even in hell itself, prepared for the devil and his angels, Matth. 25, 41. 
Matth. 25, 41.  for there also are principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, Eph. 6. ●2: and among these one is chief and principal, as it were an head over this body, called therefore the prince of the devils, Matth. 12.24. So then we see, that in the Creator, and in the creatures, in the Angels, in the heavens, in the camp in the church, yea in the place of darkness and desolation itself, there is ●●me order, from whence sprang the common Proverb, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is, There is nothing so profitable as order.  
When Moses had received the law of God as from the mouth of the Lawgiver, and published it among the people, and had finished the Tabernacle of the Ark and Sanctuary, he mustered all the Tribes and families of Israel: and having seen what forces and number of men (fit to bear arms) were found in every Tribe from 20. years of age upwards, he appointed unto them (by direction from the Lord) such Princes and Leaders as in worth and reputation were in every Tribe most eminent. 
Numb. 1, 46.  The number of the whole army was 603550. men for the wars, besides women and children: also beside the strangers which followed them out of Egypt. This great body of an army was divided by Moses into four gross and mighty Battalions, each of them containing the strength of three whole Tribes, having Captains and Colonels appointed unto them. Thus did the blessing which Israel gave to his children, and God himself before to Israel, take place among them.  
In the midst of the four great armies, sorted under their several standards, was the Tabernacle, 
Numb. 3, 8  as a portable or movable Temple, carried; which was surrounded by the Levites, and the Levites also by the other Tribes: so that not only the Pagans and Heathens were forbidden access unto it, 
Verse 38  but the sentence of death passed upon every soul of the Israelites themselves that durst approach it, who were not of the Levites to whom the charge was wholly committed. So sacred was the Tabernacle of the Congregation, 
Numb, 1, 39  and with such reverence guarded and regarded, that two and twenty thousand Priests were dedicated to the service and attendance thereof. For, as the industry in framing every the least part thereof, the curious workmanship bestowed upon it, 
Exod. 31, 3, 4  and the charge and expenses about it were exceeding great: so the dutiful observance in the preserving and laying up of the holy vessels, the solemn removing thereof, the vigilant eye in attending thereon, together with the prudent and provident defence of the same, served to procure all due reverence to the holy things of God, and to increase zeal and devotion in such as approached near unto him: even as on the other side, this is the main cause of the profanation of the Sacraments, and of the contempt of the Word and Prayer, and of so little practice of true piety among us, because there is so little fear and reverence in the hearts of men towards the worship of God, and the parts thereof.  
Great was the zeal and forwardness both of Princes and people, as appeareth both in making the Tabernacle and all manner of work for the service of the Sanctuary, Exod. 36, 5. & in offering afterward. For after that Moses had taken order for all things necessary, written in the Laws, numbered his armies, and divided them into several Regiments or squadrons, whereof the Tribe of judah led the Vanguard: the twelve Princes or Commanders of the Tribes, renowned of the Congregation, and the heads of thousands in Israel, Numb. 1, 16. brought their Offerings before the Lord, to wit, six covered Chariots and twelve Oxen to draw them, thereby to transport (as they marched) the parts of the Tabernacle, Numb. 7, 2. with all the appurtenances; the Sanctuary only excepted, which for more reverence and regard, was carried upon the shoulders of the sons of Kohath, unto whom that care and charge was committed, Numb. chap. 3. verse 31.  
Nevertheless, after so many mercies of God upon them, having seen so many miracles showed, so many victories achieved, so many remissions obtained, so many benefits received, and so many judgements inflicted upon the disobedient; yet they as a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright, Psalm 78, 8. & whose spirit was not steadfast with God, never ceased to provoke him by their sins, and oftentimes as it were made a general Conspiracy against him and Moses his servant, so that Miriam and Aaron were not free, 
Arist. Rhetor. lib. 2. cap: 24.  Numb. 12.1. verifying the saying of the Philosopher, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is, Even a man's Kindred know how to envy at him. But among all other mutinies and murmurings recorded in this Book, none was greater than that which happened after the return of the twelve Adventurers or Discoverers sent out by Moses into the Territories of Canaan, as well to inform themselves of the force of the inhabitants and fertility of the Country, as also to take knowledge of the Ways, Passages, Rivers, Foards, Plains, and Mountains thereof, that nothing might be hidden from them. For the wrath of God was turned against Israel, being kindled by the violent breath of their rebellion, Numb. 14.22.30.31. so that he punished the same in a most fearful manner, 
Jude verse 5.  and almost extinguished every soul of the whole multitude which he had brought out of Egypt: for only two, Caleb and joshua were excepted.  
And albeit Moses was the mildest and meekest man upon the earth, 
Numb. 12.3.  and often prayed unto God for them, to renew his wont mercies, and to consider that their destruction would increase the pride of the Heathen Nations, both of the Egyptians from whence they came, 
Numb. 24, 13.  and of the Canaanites to whose Land they were going; and prevailed by his wonderful prayers with him, (For the prayer of a righteous man availeth much, if it be fervent, as the Apostle james saith, chapt. 5. verse 16.) yet they ceased not to murmur against him; witness hereof amongst others, the insolent behaviour and conspiracy of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their Partisans, Numb. 16. verse 1. who for the contempt of God and his Ministers, and seeking to overthrow the order and discipline of the Church, were some of them swallowed up alive, and by the earth (opening her mouth) devoured; others, even two hundred and fifty in number, which offered Incense with Korah their Captain, were consumed with fire from heaven, besides fourteen thousand and seven hundred which justified the former mutiny, were stricken dead with a sudden pestilence, as Numb. 16. verse 49.  
Thus while the wicked multitude usurped ecclesiastical authority, and endeavoured to subvert the power of the Church-government, and to bring in a parity, that is, an horrible confusion, by making all men alike, by pretending that all the Congregation are holy every one of them, as Numb. 16. verse 3. and by rebelliously contending against the high Priest, and the chiefest Magistrate to whom God committed the oversight of all; the Almighty altered the course of Nature, that They died not the common death of all men, neither were visited after the visitation of other men, Verse 29. but he made a new thing, and wrought one of the greatest wonders and miracles which fell out in all the time of Moses his government. And the better to assure his people and in his great goodness to confirm them touching the election of Aaron and his sons to the Priesthood, it pleased him also to approve the same by a great miracle of the Twelve Rods, given in by the hands of the twelve Tribes, of which Moses received one of every Head and Prince of his Tribe; all which being withered and dry Wands, and on every rod the name of the Prince of the Tribe being written, and Aaron's name on that of Levi: it fell out that the Rod of Aaron received by the Omnipotent power of God a vegetable soul. For, being laid up in the Tabernacle of the Congregation one only night, it had upon it Buds, Blossoms, and ripe Almonds, whereby the power of God was manifested, the calling of Aaron confirmed, the mouth of the Conspirators stopped, & the whole Congregation of Israel persuaded to rest themselves upon the ordinance that God had appointed and settled among them.  
It were almost endless to rehearse all the other murmurings against Moses, and provocations against God. For when they came to the Mountain Hor, after the death of Aaron, Numbers 33. verse 38: who died in the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year, after their departure out of Egypt, all the people murmured most violently against Moses, by reason of the scarcity of water, when neither the punishments by fire from heaven above them, nor the opening of the earth under them, nor and swallowing of them up, nor the often and sudden Pestilences that seized upon them, nor any miracle formerly showed among them, neither the love or wrath of God could prevail any longer with this stubborn and rebellious people, then while their bellies were filled, and their appetites satisfied, Numb. 20. but in stead of seeking for help and relief at God's hands in their necessity, when they suffered hunger, or thirst, or any other want, they repined and repent of their estate, casting into his teeth (who least of all deserved it) all their misadventures. And albeit they were entered into the fortieth year, wherein all travails, troubles, and miseries were to take end, and that they were even in sight of the land promised, yet again they tempted God as obstinately as in former times, and neither trusted his promises, nor feared his judgements, nor regarded his miracles.  
Neither are we to think, by way of justification of ourselves, or condemnation of Israel, that we are by nature better than they, or they a worse people than ourselves: for it hath always been the disposition of the common sort, to wax weary of present things, and to desire some change and alteration.  
The multitude (as Polybius doth not unfitly speak) is like the sea, where a small gale of wind causeth a great Tempest. 
Cicer. pro domo sua ut Demost. in orat. de fa●s. legate.  They are changeable and unconstant, and as variable in their opinions as the weather is. And so often as I remember the dislike and discontent of this people with such Governors in the Church and Commonwealth as God had set over them, (who had they been changed, and others placed in their room, would have liked them no better) I cannot forget a memorable example that fell out among the Campanes in the City of Capua during the second Punic War, through a mutiny among the people against their Magistrates, as Livy reporteth; 
Livy decad. 3. Lib. 3.  when as the Commons abusing their liberty, would needs depose the Senate, to which they were maliciously affected, and weary to be under their government any longer, and agreed to put them to death; Pacwius Calavius the head Magistrate, willing to save them, when they had passed sentence upon one Senator to have him executed, bad in his stead to choose a good Senator and a righteous. At the first, all were silent and as still as midnight for default of finding a better. Afterward, when some odd groom past all shame and reverence seemed to nominate one to succeed, by and by they grew to loud words and great clamours, while some said flatly they knew not the man; others, laid to his charge sundry lewd and naughty vices, and others objected against him baseness and beggary, or else some dishonest kind of Trade and Occupation whereby he gate his living. Thus fared they, and much worse a great deal, when a second or third Senator was named to be substituted in the room of others; so as it was well seen that the men bethought themselves better, and repent of that they had done already, considering how much they failed and were to seek when they should appoint another in his place, etc. And so at length they were content to keep their old Senators. It is not therefore without cause, 
Decad. 3. lib 4.  that the same Historiographer describing the beast of many heads, saith well; Haec natura multitud●nis est, aut seruit humiliter, aut superbè dominatur: libertatem, quae media est, nec spernere modicè, nec habere sciunt, that is; See the nature and disposition of the multitude, either they serve basely, or rule proudly: Liberty that is the mean between them both, they have neither the skill to despise with reason, nor the grace to entertain in measure.  
But to pass over these things, and to see how Israel passed forward toward the Land of Canaan, I cannot omit, that Moses omitted nothing before his death that might serve for the good of the people, and to shorten their journey what he might, and therefore sent Messengers unto the Prince of Idumea, 
Numb. 20, 17.  praying him that he might pass with the hosts of Israel through his Territory, into the Land promised to their Fathers, which bordered it. For this was the nearest way of all other from the city of Kadesh where Moses then encamped: whereas otherwise taking his journey by the Rivers of Zared, Arnon, and jordan (which afterward he was constrained to do) he might have run into many hazards in the passage of those Rivers with his great Army. And albeit Moses used many strong and forcible reasons to persuade the Prince of Idumea, remembering him, that he was of the same race and family with Israel, calling him by the amiable name of a Brother, they being as sons of one Father, to wit, Isaac: inferring thereby, that he had more reason to favour and respect them, than he had to affect the Canaanites; & making a short repetition of God's blessings bestowed upon them, as also of his purposes and promises concerning them in the time to come, & assuring him that he would no way offend him or his people, neither yet wrong any by military insolency, but would restrain his army within the bounds of the common and King's highways, paying money for whatsoever they used, yea even for the water which themselves or their Cattle should drink: 
Deut. 2, 27, 28  yet the King not trusting fair words, & knowing the strength of his own country rampard with high and sharp Mountains, and withal suspecting (as a natural wise man) that so mighty an army of strangers (consisting of more than six hundred thousand) being once entered into the heart of his country, it would rest in their own wills to give him law, and to refuse directions from him, and so be at their own discretion and disposition, whether to abide there, or to departed thence; resolutely resisted their passage that way, and returned this answer to the messengers, That if they attempted to enter upon his frontiers, he would take them for no other than enemies, and resist them by all possible means: & to make his deeds answerable to his words, not tarrying to see how Moses would digest this denial, or whether it would satisfy or exasperate, he gathered the strength of his country together, and came out against him with much people, and with a mighty power, Numb. 20, 20. Wherefore Moses being commanded by God, not to provoke the children of Esau, to whom he had given mount Seir, Deut. 2, 4. and considering that the end of his enterprise was not the conquest of that Country which was prohibited, but of the land of Canaan which was promised unto them, refused to meddle with them, and to adventure the army of Israel against a Nation, which being overcome, gave only a passage or thoroughfare to the invasion of others, and so he turned himself to the East, and marched toward the Deserts of Moab.  
When Arad a King of the Canaanites understood this project, 
Num, 21, 1, 2  and that Moses had blanched the way of Idumea, knowing that it was Canaan that he aimed at and not Edom, he thought it his best and safest way, according to the surest rules of war, rather to find his enemy in his neighbour's country, then to be sought out by them in his own Dominion. To this purpose he led the strength of his people to the edge of the Desert, and set upon some part of the host of Israel; which for the multitude occupied a great space, and for the many Herds of cattle that they drove with them, could not encamp so close together, but that some quarter or other was evermore subject to surprise, whereby it came to pass, that he slew some few of the Israelites, and carried with him many prisoners.  
Now it is very probable that it was this Canaanite, or his predecessor, which joined his forces with the Amalekite, Numb. 14, 45. & gave an overthrow to those mutinous Israelites, which without direction from God, or permission from Moses, would have entered Canaan from Cadeshbarnea. For it seemeth that the greatest number of that army were of the Canaanites, because in Deut. 1.44. the Amorites are named alone, & are said to have beaten the Israelites at that time. But whereas it is said, that the Israelites utterly destroyed the Canaanites and their Cities, 
Numb. 21, 3  they are much mistaken which think that this destruction was presently performed by the Israelites, or in the days of Moses; whereas it is rather to be understood to have been done in the future, to wit, in the time of joshua the successor of Moses, who fought these battles of the Lord. For as we have declared in Numb. 12, 3. many things dispersed here and there throughout the books of Moses, seem to me to have been added (but by the special direction and inspiration of the same Spirit by which Moses himself wrote) by some other Prophet after they were come into the land of Promise. And doubtless if Moses had at this present entered Canaan in the pursuit of Arad, they could not have fallen back again into the Deserts of Zin and Moab, and afterward have fetched no less dangerous than wearisome compass by the rivers of Zered and Arnon, of which we spoke a little before, Numb. 21, 12, 13, 14. Again, if we consider the mutiny that followed immediately after the repetition of this victory, it is sufficient to prove that the same was obtained afterward by the conquest of joshua, and not at the instant of Arads assault. For had the Israelites at this time sacked the cities of Arad, they would not the next day have complained for want of bread and water, when they spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, 
Numb. 21, 5  etc. all this had been needless, inasmuch as they had store and abundance both of the one and of the other: because it cannot be doubted, but where there are great cities, there is also plenty of water and bread. So then we must understand, that it was in the time of joshua, 
joshua 12, 14  that the Israelites took this revenge, and after they had passed jordan, to which Moses never came: but joshua the General of this great army of Israel then governed them, who nameth this Arad by the name of his city so called, and with him the king of Horma, unto which place the Israelites pursued the Canaanites, and he nameth them among those kings which himself vanquished and put unto the sword.  
After this assault and surprise of Arad, Moses finding that all entrance on that side was blocked up and defended, he led the people Eastward to compass Idumea and the Dead Sea, and to make his entrance by Arnon, and the Plains of Moab, at that time in the possession of the Amorites. But the Israelites (to whom the very name of a wilderness was terrible and troublesome) began again to rebel against the Lord and their Leader, till the Lord chastised them by a multitude of fiery Serpents which stung them to death, Num. 21.6. For by the mortal biting of these Scorpions, whose venom inflamed them, and burned them as fire within their bodies, he made them know their error, and so afterward according to the plentiful measure of his grace he cured them again by beholding an artificial Serpent set up by his commandment upon a pole, Numb. 21, 9  
These victories achieved whiles Israel sojourned in the valleys of Moab, the Midianites and Moabites (over both which Nations it seemeth that Balak the king of the Moabites than commanded in chief) sought earnestly according to the counsel and advice of Balaam, both by alluring the Hebrews to the love of their daughters, 
Numb. 31, 16 revel. 2, 14 Mic 6, 5 2 Pet. 2.15  and by persuading them to honour and serve their Idols, to divide them in affection and Religion among themselves, thereby the better to defend their own interest against them, as also to beat them out of Moab and the countries adjoining.  
The Israelites as they had ever been inclined to these evil courses, so were they the more easily persuaded to hearken with both their ears to the Siren songs sung by that Sorcerer, and acted by those enemies, 
josh, 13, 22. & 24, 9,  whereby they drew upon themselves a grievous plague and pestilence, whereof many thousands perished, Numb. 25, 8. 1 Cor. 10, 8. but when Phinehas the son of Eleazar the high Priest rose up, and executed judgement, the plague ceased, and the wrath of God was appeased, Psal. 106, 30.  
In this valley Moses caused the people to be numbered the third time, and then there remained of able men fit to bear arms and to draw the sword six hundred and one thousand, seven hundred and thirty, Numb. 26, verse 51. but amongst these there was not a man of them whom Moses & Aaron the Priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai: for the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness, and there was not left a man of them save Caleb the Son of jephuneh, add joshua the Son of Nun, Verse 64.45. This muster being taken, Moses (as his last enterprise) appointed out of them twelve thousand to be chosen out to invade the Cities of Midian, 
Numb, 31, 5.  who together with the Moabites had practised with Balaam to curse Israel, Deut. 23, 4, 5. and to allure them from the worship of the true God to the service of Baal-Peor, & to the rest of their beastly idolatry: over which Companies Moses gave the chief charge to Phinehas, who slew the five Princes of the Midianites, who were or had lately been the vassals of Sehon king of the Amorites, 
Numb. 31.8.  as appeareth in joshua, chap. 13, 21. Thus having subdued all their enemies on this side jordan, and none of them being able to stand before them, Moses is commanded by God before his death (which followed immediately after) to charge the Israelites to bond out the land so soon as they were come into it, 
Numb, 24, 2. and 35, 2  and to assign to the Levites certain cities taken out of the inheritance of their possession, that there might be no division nor contention among them when once they were passed jordan, which haply otherwise might have disturbed and disquieted them.  
This is the historical part of this Book, which hath intermingled with it many and sundry ceremonies of the levitical Law; as touching their Fasts and Feasts, the year of jubilee, their feasts of Trumpets and Tabernacles, as also of the Passeover and Pentecost: a few chapters whereof I published certain years past, which I have now reviewed, and added the interpretation of the whole Book from the beginning to the ending, which I presume to offer unto your Worships, as a testimony of my love and duty toward you. The jews in the Gospel commend the Centurion, and make it a motive to persuade Christ our Saviour to heal his servant that was dear unto him, being sick and ready to die, because he loved their Nation, and had built them a Synagogue, Luke 7, 5, 4. So I may truly affirm of you, that you love our nation, and are true friends of the church, & love the preachers of the Gospel, which is so much the more worthy praise and commendation, as there are few in these evil days (especially of your rank and calling) that affect either the one or the other. It is a true saying, as proceeding from the mouth of the author of all truth, Them that honour me, I will honour, & they that despise me shallbe lightly esteemed, 1 Sam. 2, 30. It is the chiefest honour that we can receive in this world, to honour the Lord, which is the beginning of that honour which shall never decay; whereas all other without this is vain and uncertain. And albeit I confess you need not any help or furtherance from me in the race of godliness wherein you run, neither is my weakness able to afford any thing that way; yet I am so far from being discouraged hereby to press into your presence, that I acknowledge it as a special reason to induce me to this, because I offer the same to you that are able to judge, whose learning and sufficiency that way all men know perfectly that know your person, & in that both of you are well exercised in the Scriptures, and in the doctrine which is according to godliness: so that I nothing doubt, but at vacant hours from weightier affairs, you will vouchsafe to peruse this Commentary, or at least some part of it, it being a duty belonging to all, high and low, rich and poor to search the Scriptuaes, in which our hope is to have eternal life. Thus craving pardon of my great boldness, and hoping of your Worship's good acceptance, and praying the Almighty to increase the saving graces of his Spirit upon you, I humbly take my leave; resting ever  
Your Worships at commandment, William Attersoll.   

A Recapitulation of the particular Doctrines handled throughout every Chapter of this Book of NUMBERS.  

Doctrines out of the Preface.  
Observations by the way of preface, touching the Author of this book, fol. 1.  
2 Observations by way of preface touching the Writer of this book, fol. 6.  
3 Observations by way of preface touching the Title of this book. fol. 8.  
Observations by way of preface touching the principal substance and use of this book. fol. 10.  
5 Observations by way of preface touching the division and parts of this book. fol. 12.   

CHAP. I.  
1. THe people of God may lawfully make war, fol. 16  
2 God knoweth the number and names of all such as belong unto him, fol. 20  
3 It is our duty to perform obedience to God's commandments, fol. 29  
4 The promises of God made to his children shall be accomplished, fol. 41  
5 It is the office of the Minister to do the duties proper to his calling, fol. 49   

CHAP. II.  
GOd delighteth to have a comely order observed both in Church and commonwealth, fol. 55  
2 Magistrates and rulers are needful to be set over the people of God, fol. 63  
3 Gods judgements are always tempered and seasoned with great mercy toward those that be his fol. 71  
4 The Tabernacle of the Congregation is placed in the mids of the host, fol. 80  
5 God bestoweth his gifts and graces freely, to whom he pleaseth, fol. 85  
6 Every one ought to be content with the present condition wherein God hath set him, fol. 98  
7 God oftentimes maketh choice of inferior things to effect great matters, fol. 105  
8 It is a duty belonging to all God's children to yield obedience to all God's Commandments, fol. 109   

CHAP. III.  
AMong all people under heaven, the Ministry above all other things ought to be established, fol. 118  
2 Godly Parents have oftentimes ungodly and disobedient children, fol. 130  
3 In God's worship we must not be carried by our own devices, but by his direction. fol. 137  
4 God hath sole authority to ordain the Officers and Offices of his Church, fol. 146  
5 The first borne were sanctified to the Lord, and the uses thereof to us. fol. 158  
6 The word of God ought to direct all the actions of our life. fol. 167  
7 God raiseth up honourable instruments from mean places to do him service. fol. 175  
8 Every one in the Church hath his proper & peculiar Office. fol. 179  
9 It is the Ministers office, carefully to look to his charge. fol. 188  
10 God will have all places and people taught, how small and mean soever they be, fol. 197  
11 The Office of the Ministry is an high, worthy, and honourable Calling, fol. 206   

CHAP. four  
1 THe Ministers must be men of gravity, sobriety, and moderation. fol. 216  
2 Every one must know & learn the duties of his own special calling. fol. 224  
3 The holy things of God must be handled of us reverently and religiously. fol. 228  
4 It is lawful for the Ministers to make repetitions of such things as they have formerly taught. fol. 235  
5 How mean and low soever our places be, we ought not to murmur at them, or be discontented with them, fol. 241  
6 When the will of God is made known unto us, we must yield obedience to the same. fol. 247   

CHAP. V  
OBstinate sinners are to be excommunicated and cast out of the Church. fol. 258  
2 All sin is foul, filthy, and infectious in the sight of God. fol. 277  
3 The consideration of God's presence, must provoke his children to well-doing. fol. 283  
4 God is evermore present with his people. fol. 285  
5 No church ought to tolerate or wink at filthy livers, and notorious offenders. fol. 288  
6 All sin (even the breach of the second Table) is committed against God himself. fol. 296  
7 Whosoever looketh for forgiveness, must confess his sins to God. fol. 312  
8 Restitution is required of all such as have taken any thing away wrongfully, fol. 320  
9 Whatsoever is done to his Ministers, GOD accounteth it as done to himself, fol. 328  
10 The blood of Christ taketh away our sins, & reconcileth us to God the Father. fol. 339  
11 The Ministers of the Church that labour in the Word and doctrine, aught to be maintained of the Church, fol. 342  
12 It is the part of a good man to interpret all doubt full things to the best as much as may be. fol. 350  
13 None are to be accounted guilty before they come to answer for themselves, fol. 362  
14 The name of God is never to be used or taken up in an oath, but in cases of necessity, fol. 370  
15 Adultery, fornication, and all uncleanness, albeit secretly committed, is notwithstanding punished of God. fol. 378  
16 God punished by proportion in the same things wherein men and women offend, fol. 390  
17 Howsoever the righteous may be slandered, suspected, and falsely accused, yet God will make their innocency known, fol. 396  
18 God oftentimes bestoweth more upon his Children then they ask of him, and they are blessed far above all their desires. fol. 403  
19 All secret sins hidden from men's sight, are notwithstanding known to God, fol. 409   

CHAP. VI  
AMong the jews the vow of the Nazarites was in practice, etc. fol. 417  
2 A set form of prayer is lawful to be used publicly and privately, p. 424  
3 It is the duty of all good Ministers to pray unto God for the people, fol. 428  
4 God is to be prayed unto to be the keeper and protector of his Church, fol. 430  
5 We must chief pray for God's favour, & for the peace of conscience. fol. 432  
6 The work of the Ministry is made effectual by the blessing of God, fol. 434   

CHAP. VII.  
A Good work begun, must not be given over till it be finished. fol. 437  
2 Such as are of highest place aught to be more forward in good things than others, fol. 439  
3 Such as have greatest blessings and gifts, must be more forward in God's service. fol. 442  
4 We must serve the Lord with the best things we have fol. 445  
5 The good works done by God's children shall come in account before him, fol. 449  
6 The blessings of this life are oftentimes bestowed upon God's children in this life, fol. 453  
7 God is present in a special manner in places set apart for his worship. fol. 455   

CHAP. VIII.  
THe Candlestick and the Lamps in the Sanctuary signified, etc. fol. 459  
2 The Church is the Candlestick appointed to hold the light of the word, fol. 463  
3 The Ministers & all others that draw near unto God to perform any duty must be cleansed. fol. 467  
4 The Ministers of the Church were ordained by imposition or laying on of hands, fol. 469  
5 The Ministers are the Lords servants to serve him in the work of the Ministry, fol. 473  
6 The Ministers must be tried before they be admitted to teach the people. fol. 474   

CHAP. ix.  
OF the feast of the jewish Passeover, & of the signification thereof to us. fol. 477  
2 It is great grief to God's children, when they are any way kept from God's service, fol. 482  
3 In all doubts we must ask counsel of God, by his Word, and by his Ministers, fol. 484  
5 Open offenders and impenitent persons should be put from the Lords table. fol. 487  
6 Such as carelessly omit the Word and Sacraments or any part of God's worship, lie under the wrath & judgements of God, fol. 489  
7 It is necessary for all Christians to partake the Sacraments of the Lord at the times appointed by the church, fol. 491  
8 Christians ought to have churches or Temples decent and seemly to meet together for the service of the true God, fol. 493  
9 Christ is the substance of the Sacraments, both of the old and new testament. fol. 497   

Chap. X.  
OF the two silver Trumpets appointed, and the use of the concerning & belonging to us, fol. 502  
2 God would have Order observed among all those that belong unto him, and at all times, etc. fol. 506  
3 There ought to be a communion of earthly blessings among the faithful and such as are God's children. fol. 508  
4 The servants of God are allowed to use a set form of prayer, fol. 511  
5 The wicked are all the enemies of God, & do utterly hate him, whatsoever they plead and pretend for themselves, fol. 515  
6 The enemies of the church of God, are the very enemies of God himself. fol. 516  
7 God resteth and dwelleth for ever among those that are his people. fol. 519  
8 God hath a world of much people, even a great multitude that belong unto him. fol. 520   

CHAP. XI.  
1 IT is the property of carnal men, whensoever any thing falleth not out according to their corrupt desire, to murmur against GOD. fol. 523  
2. Among other judgements of God, fire is one. fol. 521  
3 Knowledge and the light of Gods will and word received into our hearts, increase sin & judgement. Ibid.  
4 The judgements of God that befall unto men are both punishments and instructions. fol. 526  
5 Sin is dangerous to be entertained of any land or particular person. fol. 528  
6 Many are in the profession, who are not true mebers of the Church. fol. 529  
7 One evil man marreth and corrupteth another by his evil. Ibid.  
8 The things of this world by carnal men are preferred before heavenly things. fol. 530  
9 God hath in great mercy provided a large and liberal diet for his children. fol. 531  
10 Magistracy is a great burden, and Magistrates are for the people's good. fol. 534  
11 God punisheth in the midst of our meats, as well as with want and scarcity. fol. 536  
12 Many are the failings even of the best servants of God in faith and obedience. fol. 538  
13 Natural reason and carnal wisdom are oft-tentimes enemies unto faith. fol. 539  
14 Things unpossible in the eyes of men, are possible with God. fol. 540  
15 It is the duty of masters to reprove their servants. fol. 541  
16 Inferiors must show subjection, and use speeches of reverence toward their superiors. Ibid.  
17 Young men are ordinarily rash in judging and censuring of others. fol. 542  
18 Envy is to be shunned and avoided of all God's people. fol. 543  
19 The godly do hearty desire the good & growth of the whole Church. fol. 544  
20 God giveth good things by means. fol. 546  
21 The judgements of God do often fall upon men suddenly before they be aware. fol. 546   

CHAP. XII.  
1 GOds children oftentimes find great discomfort at their hands of whom they expect the greatest comfort. fol. 553  
2 Contentions and strife are often in the Church, between the members of the same body. fol. 554  
3 Ambition and desire of pre-eminence are the greatest plagues to the Church. fol. 555  
4 Proud and ambitious men do show themselves most envious and outrageous against the most excellent & most painful servants of God. fol. 557  
5 God understandeth all the ways of men, how secret soever they seem to be. fol. 558  
6 Every man in his own cause should be meek and gentle, ready to put up wrongs and injuries. fol. 560  
7 God never bringeth judgement upon any, but he searcheth and findeth sufficient cause. fol. 562  
8 God revealeth himself to one more than to another, and giveth greater graces to some than he doth to others. fol. 563  
9 The Church or faithful people of God are rightly and truly the house of God. Ibid.  
10 It is required of all the Ministers of God, that they be found faithful and conscionable in their places. fol. 564  
11 The wrath of God is justly kindled and stirred up against all offenders. fol. 567  
12 God heareth not their prayers that lie in their sins, and are not reconciled unto him. fol. 568  
13 We ought to be humbled for the sins we have committed, albeit we feel no punishment upon us. fol. 569  
14 Albeit Gods children put up wrongs and pray not against them, yet God will not put them up.  
15 Such as have the chief hand in sin, are principally subject unto punishment. fol. 572  
16 God doth mingle his chastisements with much mercy, and doth not deal with us according to our sins. fol. 573  
17 None can be free from judgement having sinned. fol. 574   

CHAP. XIII.  
1 IT is our duty to use means to further Gods providence. fol. 577  
2 The faithful must deal wisely in all their enterprises. fol. 579  
3 Wicked men speak fairest, when they mean foulest. fol. 580  
4 The greatest part are for the most part the worst fol. 581  
5 God hath ever had some witnesses of his truth in all ages. fol. 584  
6 The evil of others (though they be many) may not be followed of us. fol. 585  
7 It is our duty to exhort and stir up one another to good things. fol. 586  
8 Hypocrisy (though long covered) is at length uncased. fol. 588   

CHAP. XIIII.  
1 We are naturally ready to hearken to seducers and deceivers. fol. 591  
2 Wicked men add sin unto sin, and proceed from evil to worse. fol. 592  
3 The faithful are grieved for the sins of others. fol. 594  
4 GOD is a shield to his, but taketh no care nor charge of his enemies. fol. 595  
5 Such as are God's servants shall be evilly entreated. fol. 596  
6 Among all judgements sent for sin, the plague and pestilence is one. fol. 597  
7 threatenings of God's judgement conditional, fol. 600  
8 The means to call back judgements is prayer, fol. 602  
9 It is a good plea to move the Lord to mercy, to put him in mind, etc. fol. 605  
10 God is of much patience & long-suffering. fol. 606  
11 The blessings which we enjoy, etc. fol. 608  
12 Sin generally entertained, bringeth with it a general destruction. fol. 610  
13 The Word delivered not regarded, etc. fol. 612  
14 Sin and the punishment of sin, etc. fol. 613  
15 God visiteth the sins of the fathers on the children, fol. 615  
16 The chiefest offenders shallbe chief punished. fol. 618  
17 Sin is pleasant in the beginning, etc. fol. 619  
18 Wicked men having given themselves to sin, do wilfully run on therein, p. 622   

CHAP. XV.  
1 Of the meat and drink offering. fol. 625  
2 The Church is as one body, etc. fol. 627  
3 Whatsoever we have, we have it from God. fol. 630  
4 Ignorance of God's word is agreevous sin. fol. 631  
5 There is a difference between sin and sin, fol. 635  
6 Sin is come to the height, etc. fol. 636  
7 Every sin is so much the greater, etc. fol. 638  
8 God punisheth for sins of ungodliness, etc. fol. 640  
9 The Sabbath day must be kept holy. fol. 643  
10 All must have knowledge in the Scripture, fol. 647   

Chapter 16.  
1 Whatsoever evil men do, etc. fol. 649  
2 The Ministers by their office, etc. fol. 651  
3 The greater our means are to prevent sin, fol. 652  
4 To despise and resist the Ministry, etc. fol. 653  
5 Obstinate sinners revile their reprovers. fol. 655  
6 Gods children ought to be angry at sin. fol. 656  
7 God respecte●h not the works of evil men, fol. 657  
8 The Ministers must continue in teaching, fol. 658  
9 Such as have society with wicked persons, fol. 660  
10 God never striketh, etc. fol. 661  
11 Conspirators shall come to destruction, fol. 663  
12 When man sinneth and is punished, etc.: fol. 667  
13 The works of God's justice, etc. fol. 668  
14 Wicked men will not be warned, etc. fol. 669  
15 Great is the necessity of the Ministry, fol. 671  
16 The force of prayer is very great. fol. 673  
17 Christ the mediator between God and man. fol. 675   

CHAP. xvii.  
1 God is very desirous to have sinners, etc. fol. 678  
2 God can work miracles above nature. fol. 679  
3 Obedience is required of all God's servants. fol. 683  
4 God is better than his word, etc. ibid.  
5 God is able to give life, etc. fol. 684  
6 Gods miracles are wrought openly. fol. 688  
7 God is to be acknowledged to be just. fol. 691   

Chapter xviii.  
1 Those sins are greatest, etc. fol. 693  
2 A good Minister is a special gift of God. fol. 695  
3 The The Ministers ought to have a care. fol. 699  
4 Ministers must be liberally maintained. fol. 701  
5 Ministers of mean gifts must be heard. fol. 706  
6 A sin to reap the profit of any place, and not to discharge the duty. fol. 709   

CHAP. XIX.  
1 ALL penitent persons shall be received into God's favour. fol. 713  
2 The water of separation & the uses thereof. fol. 716   

CHAP. XX.  
1 ALL flesh is subject to death. fol. 726  
2 It is a necessary duty to bury the dead. fol. 728  
3 In all wants we are ready to murmur, etc. fol. 730  
4 In all wrongs and injuries offered unto us, we must fly to God, and seek help of him. fol. 732  
5 Many are the falls of God's children. fol. 734.  
6 We live by God's appointment, etc. fol. 737  
7 God chastiseth his own children, etc. fol. 739  
8 We must use all lawful means to further Gods providence. fol. 743  
9 The Church destitute of help, is often driven to crave succour of the enemies thereof. fol. 747  
10 The consideration of our communion one with another, must draw us to duties of love, etc. fol. 749  
11 Among all mankind is a certain brotherhood and common kindred, fol. 750  
12 The miseries of the Church of God should move others to pity them, etc. fol. 753  
13 Many are the afflictions laid upon the Church by the enemies thereof. fol. 756  
14 The consideration of God's love to his children, must move us to show mercy toward them. fol. 757  
15 God loveth & favoureth his own people. fol. 759  
16 Gods people must abstain from wrongs. fol. 761  
17 The enemies of the Church are merciless. fol. 763  
18 Gods threatenings are always accomplished. fol. 766  
19 The Church must be left in good estate, after our departure out of this life. fol. 768  
20 The levitical Priesthood passed from one to another. fol. 771  
21 The chief of the Church being taken away, the rest are to be grieved. fol. 772   

CHAP. xxi.  
1 Enemy's are oftentimes suffered to prevail over the Church. fol. 776  
2 Affliction is of excellent use, etc. fol. 779  
3 It is lawful to vow to God, etc. fol. 780  
4 God heareth and granteth the prayers of his children. fol. 784  
5 Though the Church lie long under the Cross, yet God leaveth it not for ever. fol. 786  
6 Our weakness is such, that we are ready to fall again in the same sins which we have renounced. fol. 792  
7 Naturally we soon wax weary and wanton of God's gifts, and contemn his blessings. fol. 794  
8 All punishments and visitations are inflicted upon us by the hand of God. fol. 796  
9 God hath all creatures▪ etc. fol. 799  
10 Wicked men are often driven, etc. fol. 801  
11 We must witness our true repentance, etc. fol. 804  
12 It is our duty to pray one for another, etc. fol. 806  
13 God is merciful to grievous sinners, etc. fol. 809  
14 The brazen serpent was a figure, etc. fol. 812  
15 The faithful are foreigners, etc. fol. 822  
16 All wars are ordered by God. fol. 824  
17 Thanksgiving to God, etc. fol. 827  
18 All superiors must give good example, etc. fol. 830  
19 The persecutors and enemies, etc. fol. 835  
20 The people of God must abstain, etc. fol. 838  
21 The wicked hate the godly without cause. fol. 841  
22 God oftentimes punisheth one wicked man by the hand of another as wicked as he. fol. 843  
23 Gods children are oftentimes brought, etc. fol. 845  
24 Poetry is ancient and commendable. fol. 847  
25 It is our duty to remember & publish, etc. fol. 850  
26 Great is the misery of war. fol. 852  
27 Idolaters lie open to judgement, fol. 856  
28 The enemies of the church. etc. fol. 858  
29 Experience of God's favour, etc. fol. 861  
38 Enemies of the church not to be feared. fol. 863   

CHAP. xxii.  
1 Evil men fear, where no fear is. fol. 874  
2 Enemies of the Church (differing among themselves) join against the Church, fol. 879  
3 Wicked men in troubles resort to Witches. fol. 882  
4 Wicked men rest upon vain things. fol. 885  
5 Gain, gifts, and rewards are dangerous, fol. 886  
6 God sometimes revealeth his will to evil men, fol. 888  
7 Promotions ofttimes draw from God. fol. 893  
8 Reproving of sin by an ironical taunting, etc. fol. 895  
9 The rage of the wicked against the church, fol. 897  
10 God delivereth those that are his etc. fol. 902  
11 God worketh above nature. fol. 905  
12 We have no use of the senses, etc. fol. 908  
13 Evil men are oftentimes reproved, etc. fol. 911  
14 Idolaters and Infidels were wont, etc.  
15 Wicked men though reproved, continue in sin. fol. 916   

CHAP. xxiii.  
1 All religion pretendeth order and zeal. fol. 921  
2 Evil men are often constrained, etc. fol. 923  
3 The church of God is an holy people, etc. fol. 925  
4 The church abounds with many children. fol. 927  
5 The wicked have oftentimes good mntions. fol. 930  
6 The reasonable soul of man is immortal. fol. 933  
7 The▪ hope of the wicked is vain, fol. 937  
8 Enemies leave no means unattempted, etc. fol. 930  
9 The wicked in their evil successes, etc. fol. 942  
10 All reverence is due to the word, etc. fol. 946  
11 The Lord is unchangeable in all his ways. fol. 952  
12 To all the members of the Church, etc. fol. 954  
13 It is a privilege of the Church, etc. fol. 658  
14 It is a privilege belonging to the Church, to have the pure use of the Word. fol. 962  
15 No attempts shall overthrow the Church. fol. 964  
16 The church shall have victory, etc. fol. 967  
17 It belongeth to the Ministers, etc. fol. 971  
18 Many profess piety in the tongue, etc. fol. 974  
19 The wicked are wise in their kind. fol. 978   

Chap. xxiiii.  
1 The things of God are unknown, till he reveal them to the sons of men. fol. 984  
2 divers things God revealed in old time, etc. fol. 986  
3 The church is more excellent then, etc. fol. 988  
4 The Church hath the upper hand of enemies far stronger than they. fol. 991  
5 God willbe merciful to those that show mercy. fol. 993  
6 Things unlawfully attempted, have ill ends. fol. 998  
7 Worldly business should not withdraw us from Christian duties. fol. 1000  
8 It is a grievous sin to give evil counsel. fol. 1003  
9 The Church sometimes hath rest & glory. fol. 1009  
10 The church shall have victory. fol. 1012  
11 Christ jesus is the daystar arising, etc. fol. 1015  
12 Wars are of great antiquity. fol. 1017  
13 God punisheth in the same kind and measure as men provoke him. fol. 1019  
14 The judgements of God fall suddenly. fol. 1022  
15 Such as are in greatest authority, etc. fol. 1025  
16 Such as gape after evil gain, are oftentimes deceived of their expectation. fol. 1027  
17 The devices of evil men intended against the Church, do come to nothing. fol. 1030   

CHAP. xxv.  
1 It is the practice of all false teachers, etc. fol. 1036  
2 temptations from pleasures are dangerous. fol. 1040  
3 The malice of the enemies of the Church is unsatiable. fol. 1044  
4 Such as are impure in religion, etc.  
5 It is dangerous to the Church to have fellowship with the wicked. fol. 10●9  
6 Fornication calleth down great plagues, etc. fol. 10●2  
7 Superiors and men of high places he open to grievous judgements as well as others. fol. 1050  
8 It is the duty of Magistrates to do justice. fol. 1057  
9 Evil men proceed from worse to worse. fol. 1061  
10 Actions unlawful are made lawful. fol. 1060  
11 When sin is punished, God is appeased. fol. 1070  
12 Sin depriveth us of God's protection. fol. 1074  
12 Gods wrath being provoked is full of rage. fol. 1077  
14 The faithful bring a blessing upon their houses and posterities. fol. 1980  
15 It is lawful sometimes to reprove desperate sinners by name. fol. 1084  
16 God beginneth to chasten his own Church and children. fol. 10●0  
17 The people of God may take arms. fol. 1093  
18 The seducers and the seduced shall be punished together. fol. 1100   

CHAP. xxvi.  
1 Irreligion, prophanensse, and impiety, make places and persons infamous and reproachful. fol. 1104  
2 It is a most wicked & impious thing to oppose authority, and to withstand government. fol. 1108  
3 It is no disgrace for godly children to descend & come of ungodly par nts. fol. 1109  
4 It is hard to shun and break off society with wicked men, etc. fol. 1112  
5 God provideth for all his people. fol. 1113  
6 It is a sin to decline from the pure worship of God set down in the word. fol. 1117  
7 An whole multitude cannot clear itself from God's judgements when he sendeth them. fol. 1118   

CHAP. xxvii.  
1 In all wrongs and injuries we must resort to the Magistrate. fol. 1120  
2 We may make ourselves guilty of other men's sins. fol. 1123  
3 Sin is the cause of death & all misery. fol. 1125  
4 Propriety of goods is Gods blessing. fol. 1127  
5 Many want outward signs that are partakers of the inward grace of the Sacraments. fol. 1130  
6 Many are punished temporally, that are not condemned eternally. Ibid.  
7 God is the Creator and maker of the soul, fol. 1132  
8 Kings and Princes have and hold their places & callings immediately from God. fol. 1134   

CHAP. xxviii.  
1 The first and chiefest care is to be had of the Church & matters of religion. fol. 1135  
2 Of the morning & evening sacrifice, etc. fol. 1136  
3 Of the jewish Sabbath, and the uses to us, fol. 1140  
4 Of the new Moons, and the uses to us. fol. 1143  
5 Of the Passeover, and the uses to us. fol. 1146  
6 Of the feast of first fruits or Pentecost. fol. 1149   

CAP. xxix.  
1 Of the feast of Trumpets, with the uses. fol. 1150  
2 Of the feast of fasting or afflicting the soul, together with the uses thereof to ourselves. fol. 1152  
3 Of the feast of Tabernacles, & the uses to us. fol. 1155   

Chap. thirty.  
1 Lawful vows are to be performed. fol. 1159  
2 Great is the jurisdiction of parents over their children. fol. 1166  
3 The husband is the wives head. fol. 1169   

CHAP. xxxi. Sundry Doctrines directing wars and warriors.  
1 Before men go to battle, an host of men must be mustered, and gathered together. fol. 1173  
2 An army levied, must be sent out. Ibid.  
3 An army must be sent out by public and lawful authority. Ibid.  
4 He against whom we wage war, must be known to be an enemy. fol. 1174  
5 All sin must be avoided carefully by such as are employed in war. Ibid.  
6 Wicked men, though they be suffered long, yet at length God taketh vengeance of them. fol. 1176  
7 Princes, Potentates, and great men lie open to judgements as well as others. fol. 1177  
8 Sins of omission and neglect of duties which men are bound to perform are displeasing to God, fol. 1179  
9 Every man's death and destruction cometh from himself. fol. 1181  
10 Things in themselves unseemly to be uttered, are modestly to be spoken of. fol. 1184  
11 The Lord as he will destroy the wicked, so he will do it fearfully and severely, fol. 1186  
13 For benefits received, we return praise to God, fol. 1188  
14 It is our duty to return thanksgiving to God speedily. fol. 1189  
15 It is our duty in extraordinary blessings to return extraordinary thanks. ibid.   

Chapter xxxii.  
1. The love of this world is dangerous. fol. 1191  
2 The Ministers of God must reprove sharply and earnestly, zealously and powerfully, fol. 1194  
3 It is a grievous sin to give offence to others, or to discourage our brethren from well-doing, fol. 1197  
4 It is an usual thing with the Lord, to punish the sins of parents with the sins of their children, 1200  
5 We must have a fellow-feeling of the miseries & afflictions of God's people. fol. 1203  
6 The only cause of judgement is sin. fol. 1205  
7 It is the duty of all God's children, to put forth their hands to help the Church. fol. 1206  
8 The relics of idolatry to be utterly abolished, and all occasions that might draw unto it to be taken away. fol. 1209   

Chapter 33.  
1 God preserveth his Church in the midst of dangers, and delivereth it out of slavery and bondage. fol. 1212  
2 The 42. Mansions of the Israelites in the wilderness. fol. 1214  
3 No familiarity is to be used with idolaters, fol. 1219  
4 Coldness in God's cause is a grievous sin. fol. 1222   

CHAP. 34.  
1 God setteth bounds to every man's possession, and limiteth what he shall have. fol. 1225  
2 The estate of God's people is such, that some among them do always stand in need. fol. 1229  
3 Faith apprehendeth and applieth all God's promises as present. fol. 1232   

CHAP. xxxv.  
1 The Ministers must be provided for. fol. 1237  
2 All men by nature are prove to revenge. fol. 1240  
3 Murder is an heinous sin in the sight of God. fol. 1244  
4 To do lawful things without a calling is unlawful. fol. 1247  
5 GOD will have no innocent person put to death. fol. 1252  
6 Inferiors ought to reverence their superiors. fol. 1255  
7 Laws touching the inheritance of the Israelites. fol. 1257   

CHAP. xxxvi.  
1 The marriage of Cousen-germans is lawful. fol. 1267    

A Commentary upon the Fourth Book of Moses, called NUMBERS. General Observations out of the whole Book, by way of Preface or Introduction.  
BEfore we come to the Exposition of this Book of Moses, and to the handling of the particular points contained therein; it may not be thought unprofitable or unnecessary to prefix somewhat by way of a Preface, that our minds may be enlightened, and our hearts prepared, and our judgements settled, for the better conceiving and receiving of that which followeth. Now as in the Book of Genesis, Moses hath delivered the creation of the world, together with the original and first beginning of the church, laying (as it were) an happy foundation as well of the one, as of the other; and in Exodus hath handled the publishing and promulgation of the Law, together With the miserable thraldom and bondage of the people of God in Egypt: and in Leviticus, hath particularly expressed the sacrifices and oblations, as Types of the sacrifice and oblation of Christ the promised Messiah, together with the inauguration of Aaron and his sons, and the consecration of the Tribe of Levi: so, in this Book of Numbers, that in order followeth after the other, Moses declareth the performance of Gods promise touching the multiplying of their seed, together with the miraculous government of that people, wandering up and down, and journeying here and there, without any settled estate, more than 38. years in the Wilderness.  
When Moses was to be gathered unto his Fathers, 
Deut. 32, 49 50.  and to go the way of all flesh, GOD commanded him to go up unto the Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab; and from thence to behold as it were in a moment, the Land of Canaan, and the several parts of it. In like manner, if we from this place, as from an high Mountain, and as it were, looking from the upper ground, shall take a view of the parts & proportion of this book, we shall thoroughly understand, what is the purpose and purport of it, and what are the ends for which it was committed and commended unto us. Wherefore for our better and more orderly proceeding herein, let us generally observe and consider these particular points. First, we will speak of the Author of this book; secondly, of the inscription or Title thereof; thirdly, of the ends and uses; and last of all, of the several parts and division of it.  
The Author (for that is the first branch) is double, either principal, or instrumental. The chief author of this book is God. For who is the inditer of the Scripture but he? or from what spirit can it proceed but from his? The Prophets always begin their preaching and prophesying with this note, 
b Esay 1, 10. Hab. 1, 1. & 2, 1.  Thus sayeth the Lord: Hear ye the word of the Lord: the vision of Isaiah; the burden which Habakkuk did see. Thus the Apostles show their calling from God, 
c Rom. 1. ver. 1 Galat. 1, 1. Revel 1, 1.  Paul a Servant of jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by jesus Christ. The Revelation of jesus Christ, showed to his servant john. Thus Zachary in his song teacheth, that 
d Luke 1, 70.  God spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets which were since the world began. To this accordeth the saying of Peter, 
e 2 Pet. 1, 20.21  No prophesy of the Scripture is of private motion: for it came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost. And the Apostle affirmeth, 
f 2 Tim. 3, 16.  That the whole Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Al which serve to teach us, that the words of all the holy Prophets, are to be received and embraced as the words of God: but the doctrine handled in this book, is a part of the word of one of the most ancient, most holy, most excellent, and most divine Prophets; and therefore consequently, the doings here registered, and the doctrines here delivered, are to be holden as a portion of the undoubted word of God. So then, as Christ spoke to his Disciples, 
g Math. 10, 20  It is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you: so may we truly say, it is not Moses that speaketh here, but the Spirit of God that spoke in him, and wrote by him; in which respect it may justly be affirmed, He that heareth him, heareth God: and he that despiseth him that is the writer, despiseth God that is the inditer.  
And as the Author of this Book appeareth to be the Lord himself, by an argument drawn from the general to the special: so the authority of it will evidently appear, and easily be demonstrated out of sundry particular places and circumstances out of the book itself. Such is the full consent and sweet agreement between the old and new Testament, that one of them serveth to confirm, ratify, and establish the other. Hence it is, that Christ jesus himself, and his Apostles writing by his spirit, do allege sundry examples, produce sundry testimonies, prove sundry doctrines, and disprove sundry errors, as by an authentic witness taken from this book of Moses, which now we have undertaken to expound. Moses the man of God, reciteth and reckoneth up in sundry places 
h Numb. 20, 21. & 25. compared with 1. Cor. 10, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc.  of this Book; on the one side the great mercies of God to his people; that he gave them, and they did eat Manna, that is, bread from heaven; and drank water out of the rock: and on the other side, their wretched unthankfulness toward him; they lusted after flesh, they murmured against him, they committed fornication, and perished many thousands of them. The truth of these things is confirmed by the Apostle Paul, 1. Cor. 10. testifying, that they did all eat the same spiritual meat, and all drank the same spiritual drink, drinking of the rock that followed them: and thereupon alluding unto the history, he saith; 
i Num. 21, 6, 8 compa●d with 1 Corin. 10. john 3  Let not us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Again, we read here, how ●od brought among them in the wilderness fiery Serpents 
k Numb. 12, 6, 7 compared with Hebr. 3, 2, 5.  that destroyed them, but upon their repentance and humiliation, he was reconciled, & commanded Moses to make the resemblance and representation of those fiery Serpents, and set it upon a pole, that so many as were bitten, might look upon it, and live: The truth of these appeareth both by the testimony of Paul, 1 Cor. 10, 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted him, and were destroyed by Serpents: & by the words of Christ himself, john 3, 14, 15. As Moses lift up the Serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be life up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Moses in the 12 chap. saith; 
l Num. 11, 29. compared with james 4, 5.  If there be a Prophet of the Lord among you, I will be known to him by Dream or vision: my servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all his house. Hereunto the Apostle to the Hebrues alludeth; Consider Christ jesus the high Priest of our profession, who was faithful to him that hath appointed him, even as Moses was in all his house. Moreover, in the former chap. when joshua saw the two Elders in the host to prophesy, 
m junius in parallel.  he feared that Moses his reputation and authority would be diminished, & therefore ran to him in haste that he should forbid them: but Moses said unto him; Enviest thou for my sake? Hereunto the Apostle james alludeth; Think ye that the Scripture saith in vain, Doth that spirit which dwelleth in us lust unto envy? Lastly, to omit sundry Testimonies that might be produced, 
n Numb 24, 14. and 31, 16. compared with 2 Peter. 2, 15. Jude 12. Reu. 2, 14.  and are remembered by others, we have at large laid before our eyes the example of Balaam, hired to curse the people of God, 
o john 5, 34, 36.  who gaped after gain and promotion, and gave mischievous counsel to the Moabites and Midianites to work their death and destruction. This truth is confirmed by sundry the Apostles, Peter, Jude, and john, in the new Testament; who mentioning this history, declare both that be loved the wages of unrighteousness, and laid a stumbling-block before the children of Israel to entrap them, & was reproved for his iniquity by his Ass, Who spoke with man's voice, and forbade the foolishness of the Prophet. These things being duly weighed, and thoroughly considered, do sufficiently teach us, who is the author of this Book; not man, but God: and that the authority of it, is divine, and not human. Now let us see what use may be gathered from hence, and how it may be profitably applied to our instruction.  
Seeing the Author of this Book, and so of Use 1 the rest of holy scripture, is not man, or Angel, or any creature, but the Lord of heaven and earth, we learn, that they want not, nor stand in need of the confirmation and approbation of the Church, or of men, seeing they are approved unto us by a greater authority, and as it were, warranted unto our consciences from on higher Court, where God himself sitteth present and precedent of the same. So then, as Christ our Saviour speaketh, ᵖ I receive not the record of man, but I have a greater witness than the witness of john▪ We may truly say the same of his word; we have a better ground to stand upon, and a fairer warrant than the testimony of the Church to bear record of the dignity and authority of the word. Hence it is, that he saith in the same place, The works which the Father hath given me to finish, do bear witness of me that the Father sent me: and the Father himself which hath sent me, beareth witness of me. This serveth to convince the Church of Rome of the spirit of error; which teacheth, that the scripture receiveth authority and credit from the Church: insomuch, that some of them are not ashamed to avouch, 
q Eckius. in Euchirid. de autho. Eccl.  That the authority of the Church is greater than of the Scripture: and others fear not to blaspheme, 
r Hermannus.  that they should have no more authority in regard of us then Aesop's Fables, except the authority of the Church did procure it. And as they are bold to maintain, that the Church is above the Scripture, 
s Bellar. de verbo dei. li. 4. cap. 12.  so they teach, that the Scriptures are not in themselves necessary, neither were written to be a rule of our Faith. Thus they fall from one heresy into another, & proceed from worse to worse, as evil men do. But the assurance of our Faith touching the Scriptures is not builded on the Church's authority, but upon the illumination of God's spirit, shining evidently in the Scriptures themselves. The holy Ghost openeth the eyes of those that are his, that they know & discern his voice from all others. For, as the Sun is not seen by any light but his own; so we judge of the truth and all false Doctrines by the Scriptures. How do we discern sweet from sour but by it own taste? And how can we better discern the relish of the Scripture 
t Psal. 19, 10.  Which is sweeter than the Honey and the Honeycomb to the taste, then by the goodness and excellency of itself? True it is, we do not reject and refuse contemn or condemn the testimony & authority of the true church, as the Papists slander us: 
u What the office and authority of the Church is.  but we confess these points of the Church. First, it is as the keeper of the rolls and records, to preserve them, not to authorize them. He that is custos rotulorum doth not give authority to the writings, but hath them of trust committed unto him.  
Secondly, it is as a touchstone to distinguish them from bastard & counterfeit Scriptures, not to make that Scripture which is no Scripture. The touchstone of the Goldsmith doth not make gold, but discerneth and distinguisheth gold from other metal, what is base, and what is rich stuff: so doth the Church.  
Thirdly, it is as the voice of a 
x Chrisost. hom 1. in Epist. ad Tit.  crier, to preach, and publish, and promulgate, and teach the truth, as a crier pronounceth and proclaimeth the Edicts and Decrees of his Prince, but cannot add to them, nor take from them, nor authorize them, nor any way alter & change them.  
Fourthly, it is as an Interpreter and expounder to expound and interpret them according to the Scriptures. As the man of Law delivereth the sense of the Law, but doth not make it to be Law. These are holy and honourable services of the Church, and these we willingly acknowledge to belong unto it. But that the Scriptures should receive credit from it, or be of no authority without it, we cannot admit or acknowledge. For they are clear, perfect, firm, and worthy of all respect and reverence without the testimony of the Church for the Author's sake. The Apostle saith, 
y 1 joh, 5, 6, 9:  It is the Spirit that beareth witness, for that Spirit is truth: and afterward, If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. Thus than we see, that the chief cause why we believe that the Scriptures were delivered from Heaven, is not the witness of the Church, nor the authority of man, but because the Spirit speaketh evidently in them; so that we can no more doubt of the truth of them, though the Church should hold her peace, then if we heard God openly speaking unto us from the highest heavens. Let us therefore detest the wickedness and blasphemy of such as say, the authority of God's word dependeth of the testimony of man, which were to prefer man before God, to make all his promises hang upon the uncertain credit of man, and to make the handmaid take place before the Lady and Mistress; which were a presumption and sauciness not to be endured.  
Secondly, we learn from hence, who is the Use 2 best Interpreter of the Scriptures, and who is the sole and sovereign judge thereof, namely, God himself, who is the author and inspirer of them. For as the authority of them dependeth not upon the Church, so the interpretation of them dependeth not upon the will and pleasure of man, according to the saying of the Apostle, 
z 2 Pet. 1  No prophesy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. Every man is the expositor of his own work: every Lawgiver knoweth best the meaning of his own Law: 
a 1 Cor. 2  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man, which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God: for God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Our adversaries teach, that the Church is the supreme judge of the Scriptures, and hath absolute authority to expound the same, and by the Church they understand the rabble of Priests, and Jesuits, and Cardinals, and Counsels, and by them all at last the Pope, who holds the Oracles of God shut up in his breast, whose judgement also they hold to be infallible, so that he cannot err. Thus they will have Scriptures, Fathers, Counsels, and the Church itself pass under the sentence of his Consistory. Thus 
b Reason why the ●pists refu●● the Scrip●●●● to be Iud●● all controversies.  they do, partly because they know and their hearts condemn them, that the greatest number of the causes & controversies debated between them and us, have no foundation of the Scriptures to lean upon, and therefore must of necessity stagger & fall down, 
c Andrad thod. expli●  unless they be supported by traditions: and partly because they would make themselves judges in their own cause, which notwithstanding is against all Law of God and man. For they disable the Scriptures from being the rule of our faith, and cast them down from the chair of honour, in which they were seated by the author of them; and cast all power upon the Church, and then they define the 
d Bristo 〈◊〉 12. in ma●  Catholic Church to be the Roman Church, 
Rhem. annot. in Rom. 1, 8.  and make the Catholic and Roman faith all one: who seethe not hereby and smileth not at it, that seeing the Church is made the rule of faith, and their Roman Church the true catholic Church of Christ, that they mean to stand to no judgement but their own, and be judged by no other judge but themselves, and to receive nothing for truth but their own opinions? Indeed, we cannot deny but they cast many shadows to blind our eyes▪ and pretend at every word the Catholic Church; but they mean nothing thereby but the Pope's determination, which verifieth in them the common Proverb, Ask my fellow, if I be a thief. Thus they are made judges that are parties, and partially refer all things unto the tribunal of their own judgement. We teach and affirm that the Holy Ghost and the Scripture itself have chief authority to interpret the Scriptures; the Scriptures must expound the Scriptures, and out of themselves the meaning of them must be taken. Our Saviour teacheth 
a john 5, 47.  that they which believe not Moses writings, will not believe him. The Apostle teacheth, 
b Ephes. 2, 20:  We are all built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Christ himself being the Head-corner-stone, in whom all the building is coupled together by the Spirit: 
2 Tim: 3, 15:  and that the Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation. Thus it is said, 
c Nehe. 8, 8:  that the Levites read distinctly the Law to the people, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand it by the Scripture itself. Thus did the men of Berea read the Scriptures, 
d Acts 17, 11.  and by them tried the Apostles doctrine whether those things were so or not. So then we conclude, that the judgement of all men is uncertain and doubtful, that resteth upon their sole authority, and that the Scriptures are to be expounded by the same Spirit whereby they were written for hereby only we can know assuredly the undoubted meaning of them, and from hence we can appeal to no superior judge.  
Use 3 Thirdly from this consideration of the Author of the Scriptures we have a direction to the Minister what he must preach unto the people; not the inventions of his own brain▪ not the conceits of his own wit, not the excellency of words▪ not the enticing speech of man's wisdom, 
e 1 Cor: 2, 14:  which Paul disclaimeth and disalloweth in his own practice: but he must come in the plain eu dence of the Spirit and of power▪ that the knowledge of God may be furthered, and the conscience informed in the ways of godliness. He must deliver nothing to the people, but the pure and precious word of God; he must content himself with the simplicity thereof, and be able by the scriptures to warrant the doctrine that he delivereth, so that he may truly say with the Prophets, Thus saith the Lord. Thus doth the Apostle ground his doctrine as upon a sure and certain foundation, 
f 1 Cor. 11, 23  1 Corinth. 11, 23. I have received from th' Lord, that which I also have delivered vn●o you. This doth the Apostle Peter require at his hands, 1 Pet. 4. 
g 1 Pet. 4, 11:  If any man speak, let him speak as the words of GOD. We see therefore what must be the matter and subject of our Sermons, and from whence as from a plentiful storehouse we must furnish ourselves, not from Fathers, or Counsels, or Doctors of the Church, much less from Poets, Philosophers, Orators, Historiographers, to paint our exhortations with the flourishing colours of human learning, which may for a season tickle the ear, and delight the outward man, but can carry no weight to the Conscience, nor transform the inward man into the obedience of the will of God. Such as seek to please men that have itching ears, do beat the air, and labour in vain, neither must they think to win a sou●e thereby to the knowledge of the Gospel. This doth the Prophet jeremy set down, chap. 23. 
h jere: 23, 22  If they had stood in my counsel, and had declared my words to my people, than they should have turned them from their evil ways, and from the wickedness of their inventions. here than we have a direction what to do, and in what manner to furnish ourselves to the work of the ministry: we must be as good Stewards set over the Lord's house to feed the family with bread, not with wine: with wholesome food, not with chaff, that we may discharge our duties with comfort, and the people be builded up in knowledge and obedience.  
Lastly, seeing God only is the Author Use 4 of the whole Scripture, and of every particular book and branch contained therein, which are the rule of our life, and the foundation of our faith; it belongeth as a special duty to the people of GOD, to read them, to receive them, to study them, to reverence them, to obey and keep the doctrines delivered in them, forasmuch as they proceed from such an Author. We learn to put a difference between the speeches of person and person, and we use to give better audience and greater reverence unto the word of a Prince then to others, we will not lose a word willingly that cometh from his mouth: and according to the Majesty of the person so is our respect, and so we attend unto him. If one should contemn a Prince, and not regard him speaking unto him, he would be judged worthy of death, or of some sharp and severe punishment. Every word of God is the word of a great person▪ and every part and parcel of it is the Decree of a King, nay of the King of Kings, to whom all Kings and Princes are subject, and must rise up from their Throne when they appear before him whose Throne is the Heaven; and though they be Lords of the Earth, they must resign their Crown unto him that hath the earth for his footstool: and therefore, the greatest regard and respect must be given unto it. For 
a Heb. 2, 2, 3.  (as the Apostle teacheth, Hebr. 2, 2, 3.) If the word spoken by Angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be preached by the Lord, and afterward was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? Woe unto them therefore, that reject the food of their souls, and surfeit of this heavenly Manna, and do not hunger and thirst after the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby. Neither let any object, Objection. If God did speak, we would hear: and if he did call, we would answer: if he did threaten, we would fear: and if he did teach, we would obey: but so long as all proceedeth from man as sinful as ourselves, we cannot be so affected.  
Answer. This was the Objection of the Reprobate rich man in the Gospel; who albeit his Brethren had Moses and the Prophets, yet he would have Lazarus sent from the dead unto his Father's house, to testify unto them, 
b Luke 16, 28, 29, 30, 31,  Lest they should come into that place of torment. But what was the answer of Abraham? If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded to amend their lives, though one arise from the dead again. If we reason on this manner with the rich man, and put on his affection, let us also take heed, lest we have that recompense of reward that the rich man had. He supposed that extraordinary means would work extraordinary effects, and undoubtedly procure the conversion of those to whom they were sent; but therein he was utterly deceived: and if we were not Fools, and blind, we would not follow so foul and fearful an example.  
Wherefore, to inform our judgement aright, and reform our affection, we are to observe two points: first, we must acknowledge that it is God's mercy to speak unto us by men like unto ourselves, and subject unto the same infirmities and passions that we are, who applieth himself to our weakness, and respecteth our capacity, who are not able to abide his presence, who is so glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. We see this in the Israelites at the delivery of the Law, when the voice of God sounded in their ears, they ran away and could not abide it; they feared to be consumed at once, & cried out unto Moses, 
c Exod. 20, 19  Talk● thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God talk with us lest we die. When the Lord revealed a part of his glory, sitting upon an high throne, the angels covered their faces, & were not able to abide the beauty & brightness of his majesty, the lintels of the door cheeks moved, the house was filled with smoke, & the Prophet himself said, 
d Esay 6, 5.  Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of polluted lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of polluted Lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. In like manner, if God should appear unto us, and utter his voice from heaven, we should fear, and quake and fall down as dead men, and cry out with great astonishment; Alas we shall die, because we have seen and heard the Lord; as many of the Fathers did: then we would make request to have the Ministers of the word speak unto us, whom now we despise, and whose word we contemn as base and contemptible. It is therefore to be accounted and received as a notable token of his great mercy toward us, that he sendeth us to school to learn of our Brethren, to whom we may freely and familiarly resort for counsel in our doubts, for comfort in our afflictions, for knowledge in our ignorance, for instruction in godliness, and for resolution in all our wants. Secondly, we must labour to persuade our own hearts, that it is his word which we hear, and his Ministers that speak unto us; and that it is our duty to hear them as the Lord himself, whose Messengers they are, whose calling is from him, and whose mouths he hath opened to speak his word with boldness as it ought to be spoken. Let us crave this mercy at God's hands to resolve us of this point, and to settle our consciences in the, full assurance of it: This will be a forcible means to make us hear it, and regard it, as Gods own ordinance ought to be heard and regarded. And until we have learned this Lesson, we can never reverence the preaching of the word as is required of us, either for the advancement of God's glory, or the comfort of our own souls.  
Let us therefore persuade ourselves of this, and set it down as a principle and firm conclusion; that as the words of the Prophets and Apostles are of great authority, even the word of the eternal God, most undoubtedly to be received▪ and most assuredly to be believed: so likewise the words of all Gods true and faithful Ministers, truly expounding, and faithfully giving unto us the natural sense and meaning of the Scriptures, and gathering sound doctrine out of them for the instruction and edification of the people of God▪ & grounding all they teach on the sure foundation of the Prophets and Apostles; the words. I say, of God's Ministers in these days are no less to be esteemed and acknowledged the word of God himself▪ then if Esay or jeremy, them if Paul or Peter, or any of the rest did write or speak unto us. For the Scripture standeth not in words, letters, or syllables, but in the sense & understanding. So long then as the Minister uttereth not the conceits of his own brain, nor delivereth the traditions and precepts of men, but holdeth himself to the doctrine of the Scripture, which is the touchstone to try truth from falsehood, & to discern the word of God from the word of man, he is no otherwise to be heard, and the Gospel no otherwise to be received from his mouth, then if some Prophet of God, or Apostle of Christ were among us. For, we must not have the Faith of our glorious Lord jesus Christ in respect of persons: but when the same faith, the same truth, the same word is preached, both by the former Prophets and Apostles, and by the ordinary Ministers of the Church of the times wherein we live, if it should be received when it is published by them, and rejected when it is delivered by these, 
a james 2, 1.  we should have the faith of Christ in respect of persons; which is forbidden & condemned by the Apostle. Hence it is, that our Saviour speaketh to his Apostles, 
b Math. 10, 20 Luke 10, 16.  It is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh within you. And to the 70. Disciples, and in them to all his true Ministers to the end of the world; He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. For this cause the Thessalonians practising this point, are commended by the Apostle, that they esteemed and received the doctrine delivered unto them, 
c 1 Thes. 2, 13. Rom. 1, 16.  Not as the word of men, but as it is indeed the word of God, which is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth. They are the Ambassadors of God, sent out of him to call us to repentance; and therefore their word, or rather the word of GOD spoken by their mouth, is to be heard with reverence, marked with diligence, and practised with obedience.  

The writer of this book was Moses.  Thus much touching the chief and principal Author of this book, as of the other Scriptures, to wit, God: now followeth the less principal, or instrumental; namely, Moses. The Lord could if it had pleased him have written this book, as he did the moral Law contained in the ten commandments, with his own finger, without the ministry of mortal man; but it stood with his will and Heavenly pleasure, to inspire his word into the hearts of some holy men set apart for this purpose, and to make their pen 
d Psalm 45, 1,  as the pen of a swift Writer.  
The writer of this Book, as also of the three former, and of that which followeth, was Moses, faithful in the house of God; of whose stock, parents, birth, preservation, banishment, and return into the land of Egypt, from whence he brought the children of Israel, we read at large in the Book of Exodus. Him God having set apart from his mother's womb to be the deliverer of his people, doth call (as it is 
a Psal. 78, 70, 7●, 72.  said of David) and took him from the Sheepfolds, even from behind the Ewes with young, brought he him to feed his people in jacob, & his inheritance in Israel: so he fed them according to the simplicity of his heart and guided them by the discretion of his hands. Him also did God choose to be one of the Scribes to pen a part of his word, the first and most ancient Scripture, sufficient to guide that people into all truth necessary to be believed of them. For as Princes and Noblemen have their principal Secretaries, whose persons and pens they use to what purposes they please: so hath GOD his selected instruments to write his will, and to indite what things he revealed unto them, by whose Spirit they were wholly guided and directed that they could not err, 
b 2 Pet 1, 21.  for the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost. Such a one was Moses the first chosen vessel of God to pen & publish his word, that it might be known and conveyed unto all posterities: to him 
c Num. 12, 8. Deut. 34, 10.  God spoke mouth to mouth, and by vision, and not in dark words; like to him there arose not a Prophet in Israel, whom he knew face to face. These Prophets of God, may rightly be called second Authors of the Scripture, all of them God's Secretaries, but Moses as his principal Secretary.  
This consideration of Gods choosing men to be as his organs and instruments to put his Use 1 whole will and word in writing, doth offer to us divers good uses, which briefly we will run over. First, it convinceth all those that think and gather, that neither this book nor the other four were written by Moses, as now they are left unto us, but by Esdras or some other more ancient Scribe that lived before his time. Add hereunto, 
d Iren. lib. 3. cap 25. Tertul. lib. de bab. mul. clem. Alex. lib. 1. storm. Hieron. adverse. Helu. Euseb. in Chronic.  that many of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church maintained, that when jerusalem was assaulted & sacked by the Chaldeans, all the books of Moses and other Scriptures, were burned together with the Temple, and were afterward written again and brought to light through the help of the divine memory of Esdras, who remembered all that was written in the former copies. But this conjecture so much stood upon by the Ancients, be it spoken with their patience and pardon, is no better than a fable, & may be convinced by evident demonstration of undoubted reasons. True it is, the fourth of Esdras telleth in sober sadness this dream, 
e Esdr. lib. 4. c: 4, 23. & cap. 14, 21.  but every one knoweth that book to be Apocryphal, & almost as full of lies as leaves; insomuch that the Church of Rome over bold to add to the Canon, yet 
f Bel. de verbo Dei, lib 1. cap: 20. & lib. 2. cap: 1.  are ashamed of this book to make it Canonical. And we never read that the Babylonians ever attempted this sacrilege; and if they had, it seemeth unlikely and unpossible that ever they could bring it to pass, the books being dispersed into many men's hands, and extant in sundry copies in sundry places. The Assyrians which were sent as certain Colonies to inhabit in the waste rooms of the ten Tribes, the Kingdom of Israel being overthrown by Salmanasar, when they were disturbed and destroyed by Lions that tore them in pieces, 
g 2 Kin: 1 7, 27  were instructed by one of the Priests in the Law of Moses, and no doubt had it among them. Antiochus a most bloody tyrant, commanded the books of the Law to be cut in pieces & burned, so many as he could find, yet did the faithful preserve them safe and sound, with the danger of their own lives, 1 Mach. 1, 59 Besides, it is not to be imagined, that Ezekiel and Daniel, continuing in Babylon the seventy years of the captivity, wanted the word & law of God all that time, to say nothing of jeremy the Prophet, and Gedaliah the Prince, were they all so careless, or forgetful, that in the ruin of the City, and spoiling of the temple, they would neglect the Law, and not save one book out of the fire? Was there never a godly man left that was mindful of the book of God? But what place is there left for any such surmise and suspicion, seeing the prophet Daniel had both the prophecies 
h Dan: 9, 2, 11  of jeremy, & the Law of Moses? Moreover, it appeareth by the testimony of Ezra himself, the Scribe of God, 
i Ezra 6, 18.  that the people being returned from their captivity had the Law of Moses amongst them, before Ezra came into judea, which no doubt Zorobabel and jeshua brought with them. Hereunto agreeth the saying of Christ our Saviour, 
k Ioh: 5, 46, 47  If ye had believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me: but if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my Words? Whereby we see, that the very writings of Moses himself were then read, and to be read in the Church. Thus also speaketh Philip to Nathaniel, 
l john 1.45.  We have found him of whom Moses did write and the Prophets. Lastly, to this purpose is Abraham brought in by the Evangelist speaking to the rich man, 
m Luke 16: 29  They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them. All these testimonies, to which we might add a surplusage of many others, do directly teach us, that we are not to doubt, or to call in question the ministerial or instrumental author of this book, but acknowledge it to be, not Ezra, nor any before or after him, but Moses himself, who was the first penner of it.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duties carefully to read the scriptures, and diligently to be conversant in them being thus published. For wherefore were they put in writing? Was it not that we should peruse them, study them oftentimes & search them with carefulness? This was the purpose and intent of God. joshua the successor of Moses in the government of the people, and General of the host of Israel had weighty affairs of Church & Commonwealth to look unto, yet he is charged 
n joshua 1, 8.  not to suffer the book of the Law to departed out of his mouth, but to meditate therein day and night, that he might observe and do according unto all that is written therein, forasmuch as thereby he should make his way prosperous, and have good success in his affairs and enterprises. To this end Christ willeth us to search the Scriptures, not to read them carelessly or cursorily, but painfully and diligently, as they do that dig for Mines of silver and gold, that go deep and spare no labour to come to that which they seek after. So then, there is required of us study and prayer to God to open unto us the mysteries of his word, otherwise our reading will be in vain.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this serveth to convince the position and practice of the church of Rome, who forbidden the people the reading of these books, and nuzzle them in ignorance the mother of superstition and blind devotion. Moses delivered the Law when he had written it, to the Priests, and commanded them 
o Deut: 31, 1 3.  to gather the people together, men, women, and children, & the stranger that was within their gates, that they may hear, and learn, and fear the Lord their God, and keep and observe all the words of this law: that their children which have not known it, may hear it, and learn to fear the Lord their God, as long as they live in the Land. The Scriptures are the only weapons which we must fight withal against our spiritual enemies: and without them we lie open unto them to take away our lives, and to destroy our souls. Wherefore we are commanded to take unto us, 
p Eph: 6, 17.  The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. When Christ was tempted of the devil in the wilderness, he resisted him, and overcame his temptations by no other weapon than this, saying, 
q Math: 4, 4 7, 10.  It is written. This example of Christ our Lord and Master must be followed of us; we must take this sword into our hand, and be able to handle it as men of knowledge, that we may be able both to defend ourselves, and to offend our adversaries. If we be thus armed, the day is ours, the field is won, the victory is gotten, we cannot be overcome. But if we presume to fight without it, if we leave it behind us as soldiers that would go light, we shall never return without some dangerous or deadly wound. Let us not therefore be so foolhardy, as to go into the battle without our armour. We are all warriors, we must fight the Lords battles; we have enemies that seek our destruction, against which we must be watchful, being strong in Faith.  
Lastly, this reproveth the cursed crew, and damnable sect of the Manichees, and their Use 4 offspring the Anabaptists, a pestilent sort of brainsick Heretics; sick indeed as well of pride as of folly, which spew out open and odious blasphemies against God; and stick not to affirm, that it was not the true God, but the Prince of darkness that spoke to Moses; and so would thrust him out of the church because he hath a veil over him; alleging, or rather depraving the words of the Apostle, 
r 2 Cor. 3,  There remaineth unto this time the same covering untaken away in the reading of the old Testament, which veil in Christ is put away. from whence they gather, that Moses with his covering is by Christ quite abolished. But this is to corrupt, not to interpret. The covering indeed remaineth, but to whom? Is is to us, who behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with open face? Not to us, but to the jews, who hearing Moses read, and cleaving to the letter of the Law, do despise the Gospel which is the ministry of the Spirit, and willingly put out their own eyes. Neither doth the Apostle say, that Moses is taken away by Christ, but the covering of Moses; which is done, not by the abolishing and abrogating of Moses, but by the lightning of the jews, & by their conversion to Christ, 
a 2 Cor. 3, 16.  For after their heart shall be turned to the Lord, the Veil shall be taken away. Again, they object, that Moses was a servant, Heb. 3, 5. But the servant abideth not in the house for ever: it is the Son that abideth for ever, john 8, 35. therefore the Son being come, the servant is to be cast out of the house, that is, Moses out of the Church: otherwise we should parallel and make equal the servant to the Master. A most fond collection, and such as overthroweth themselves. For if this be true, that the servant hath no place in the presence of the Master; than not only the Prophets and Apostles, but all Pastors and Teachers, yea the Anabaptists themselves, with such as seduce them; who glory to be servants of Christ, must be thrust out of the Church, that the servants departing may leave the house empty for the Master. Again, the words of Christ are maliciously wrested against Moses (who is expressly honoured by the Lord himself to be a most faithful servant) which are spoken against him that is the servant of sin. For thus the words lie in order, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever committeth sin is the Servant of sin, and the Servant abideth not in the house for ever, etc. Therefore wicked servants, such as these frantic heretics are, shall not abide in the house of God: but good & faithful servants, 
b Hebru. 3, 5.  such as Moses was in all his house, shall continue in the house. Lastly, it is no sound consequent to conclude, that the servant is not to be heard, because the Master is rather to be heard; neither is this to equal or prefer the servant before the Master, to hear the servant bear witness of his Master. For we are taught that he heareth the Lord, that heareth the servant as the Ambassador of his lord.  

The Title of this Book.  Hitherto of the Author and writer of this book: now let us come to consider the second point, which is the Title or inscription, being called the book of Numbers. The Hebrues have a threefold manner which they use in the entituling of books. For their custom is to call & name the books either of the first words in the book, as the five books of Moses and the Lamentations; or of the authors and persons spoken of in them as the Prophets; as job, Samuel, Ruth, Ezra▪ Ester, Neh●mi●h: or else of the matter and principal part handled; as the Kings, the Chronicles, and such like. The jews call this book by two names; the first, by the first word wherewith it beginneth, Vaiedabber, that is, and he spoke. The second, Bemidbar; that is, in the wilderness: either because this word is also used in the beginning of this book; or else because herein are expounded and expressed such things as were done & dispatched in the wilderness, the space of more than 35. years. The Grecians and Latins, whom we in English follow, do call it The book of Numbers, by reason of the often numbering that is used in it above other books. For, as the ᶜ first book of Moses is called Genesis, 
The reasons of the names of the books of Moses.  because it containeth the creation of the world, and the generation of the first Fathers: and as the second is called Exodus, that is, a departure; because the first part thereof is spent in showing the going of Israel out of Egypt, wherein they were held in bondage: and as the next is named Leviticus, of the Tribe of Levi, because it setteth forth the Office and function of the Priests and Levites, together with the Sacrifices and Ceremonies belonging thereunto; their Feasts and solemnities the purifications and differences between clean and unclean beasts: so doth this book bear the Title of Numbers, because beside the History of the peregrinations and murmurings of the people, he numbereth them up particularly under several Regiments, and rangeth them in order for their better proceeding and travailing in their journeys in the Wilderness.  
The Reasons why this Book hath this name above all other, are these. First, 
Causes why this Book is called Numbers.  because there is comprised herein a double numbering of the people; One in the Desert of Sinai, which is described in this Chapter: the other, in the Plain of Moab, over against jordan, mentioned in the twenty & sixth chapter of this Book. Secondly, by reason of the numbering of the Levites, who were consecrated to the Office of the Priesthood, and separated for the Ministry of the Tabernacle, which is reckoned up in the fourth chapter. Thirdly, the Book may have this Title in regard of numbering up particularly the gifts and Offerings which the Princes of the Tribes at the consecrating of the Tabernacle and the Altar offered, of which we read a large rehearsal in the 7. chapter. Last of all, for the enumeration and numbering up of the 42. places of abode, where the children of Israel pitched their Tents after they were come out of Egypt, described from journey to journey in the 33. chapter. Thus we see the causes rendered, wherefore this book hath the inscription of Numbers given unto it.  
Let us see what uses may be gathered from Use 1 this Title, which is made peculiar and proper to this book. First we learn, that the holy Scriptures of God, given by inspiration, are distinctly to be retained in the Church, without mixture and confusion. For to what end and purpose are the titles given, but for difference & distinction sake▪ to know the one from the other? Thus is this book by this Title discerned from every other book of the old & new Testament. The Church must have a special care of this point, seeing the Scriptures 
d Rom. 3, 2,  are committed as a Treasure to their trust; & therefore it is required of them that they be found faithful, and answer the credit that is reposed in them. The Church of the jews was careful in this point, & did not content themselves to preserve the Scriptures whole & entire, but retained them severally and distinctly, that one book might be known from the other. If a body had all his parts without addition 
a Hor de a●t▪ poet.  of any strange member, or detraction of any that is natural; yet if the parts were huddled and confounded together, that the arm did grow out of the leg, and the legs be wrapped about the neck, and no limb remain distinct from the other, but all shuffled together, it were a deformed & misshapen body and no member could perform his office. ●f all parts of the world were so confounded▪ that the Elements were huddled in one rude lump or undigested Chaos, that fire were jumbled together with the earth, and the air with water, what place were there for any creature? Or what profit could these elements yield? In like manner if the whole volume of the Scriptures, which is as a body consisting of many distinct members, were put into one confused heap, albeit no part were lost, yet the comeliness, and profit, and beauty of them were taken away. For the body 
b 1 Cor. 12, 4.9▪ 20.  is not one member, but many: for if they were all but one member, where were the body? but now there are many members yet but one body. So the Scripture is not one book, or one part, but it hath many books, and sundry parts to make it a perfect and a complete body, and all must remain in their proper place, that they may be known one from another. This appeareth by the words of Christ, conferring with the Disciples going to Emaus, and expounding unto them the doctrine of the Gospel more perfectly, 
c Luke 24, 44  when he said unto them; These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was with you, that all must be fulfilled which are written of me in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms. Whereby we see, he divideth the Scriptures into three parts; the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms: so that they were distinguished one from another, so that the old Testament is divided into three parts. This is farther confirmed unto us in the Sermon of Paul preached at Antioch●a, where he saith, 
d Acts 13, 33.  God hath fulfilled the promise made unto the Fathers, unto us their children, in that he raised up jesus, even as it is written in the second Psalm: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. From hence it appeareth plainly, that as the books themselves were severed the one from the other; so likewise every part of one and the same book kept his order, and the proper station wherein it was set by the first Author. This reproveth all confounding and unfit usage of the holy Scriptures, mingling one book in another; the old Testament with the new, that the distinct parts cannot appear. The Turks receive the Law of Moses, and some other parts of the old Testament, but so disfigured & deformed, so corrupted and confounded with their horrible superstitions, and the abominable impieties of their wretched Alcoran, that it ceaseth to be the Scripture of God, and is turned into a most detestable idol. Wherefore it standeth us upon, to keep the scriptures whole and sound, without intermingling one part with another; that the comely proportion of every part may appear to every one that looketh upon them; whereas if we shall confound book with book, and part with part, we shall lose the beauty of them, and turn them into a misshapen and deformed monster; which were monstrous impiety and presumption.  
Secondly, by this Title we learn, that all Use 2 the works of God are made in number, weight and measure: and created exceeding good, in regard of the goodly order and comely beauty of every one of them. For that which is said of this book, is true also of the other Scriptures, and verified of all the rest of the works of God. Where no order is there is all tumult and confusion. A good Father of a family taketh order in his house that every one do his duty. A wise Pilot in a Ship looketh that every one know his place, and so manageth it with discretion. A prudent and provident Magistrate appointeth order in his City and Commonwealth; and ordaineth laws to keep men in unity. The order of the heavens, and the setting of times and seasons, teacheth us the wisdom of the Creator, who governeth all things above and beneath, by a wise and wonderful disposition: So that he is called by the holy Apostle 
e 1 Cor. 14, 33  The God of order, and not of confusion. True it is, it cannot be denied, we see it with our eyes, there is great confusion and much disorder in the world; but from whence doth it come? who is the author of it? and to whom shall we ascribe it? Not unto God, who hath made all things good, and governeth all things well. And if not unto God, to whom but to the spirit of the devil, & the ugliness of sin, which have altered the workmanship of God, and blemished the glory of his creatures? The wiseman in the Book of Ecclesiastes leadeth us to this consideration, 
f Eccle. 7, 3 1  Lo only this have I found, that God hath made man righteous: but they have sought many inventions. If then there fall to be any disorder in the creature, we must not accuse the Creator; but the corruption of man is to be blamed from whence it proceedeth. It is sin that hath turned all things upside down, and brought a spectacle of all miseries, as Moses showeth, Gen. 6, 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and all the imagination's of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually. Thus we learn to magnify all God's works, and to acknowledge from what spring and fountain, as well order as disorder do proceed. God is the God of peace and of order, and requireth that all things be done honestly, and in order. It is Satan th●t is the author of strife, contention, and confusion; who laboureth to bring all things out of order. But of this we shall have occasion to speak more in the second chapter, where Moses describeth the order of the Tents, and the names of the chief Heads and Captains of the Israelites.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing there is divine numeration in this Book, let us read it diligently, & be more and more in love with it, and with the rest of the Scripture, which have the same author, handle the same matter, resemble the same form, respect the same end, and work the same effect in the hearts of men. Many there are that come to the Church, and profess themselves members of the same, that are most ignorant in the Scriptures which are the helps of our Faith, the keys of our comfort, the means of our salvation, and are able to make us wise to eternal life. Some know no difference between them and other Books, but make them all alike, containing some things true, and some false. Others are so ignorant that they know not the number of the Canonical books, nor the argument of them, nor the order how they stand; which plainly bewrayeth, that they are little conversant in them. Others, when they hear any book or chapter of the book read unto them, full of names, either of men or places, or of both; of which sort are sundry in this Book: they slake their attention, they think it belongeth not unto them; they persuade themselves there is no profit to be learned by it. But we must know and understand that the whole Scripture was given by inspiration, and came by the will of God. When such parts and parcels of the word are read unto us, the use whereof we see not, the purpose whereof we understand not let us observe these few rules and directions following.  
First, let us condemn our own ignorance, and sit in judgement upon the darkness of our own hearts, who of ourselves are able to understand nothing, except it be revealed from above. It is the saying of Christ to Peter after his worthy confession, that he was the son of the living God, 
a Math. 16, 17  Blessed art thou Simon the son of jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And the Apostle witnesseth as much, 
b Rom. 8, 7. 1 Cor. 2, 10, 14  The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God▪ for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. Likewise in another place. God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: but the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God▪ for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The manner of many in reading the Scriptures, when they come to that which passeth their capacity, is, to condemn them, & not themselves. But if we would profit aright, and benefit ourselves by them, we must set this down as the first rule, and as a principle of our faith, that the fault is in ourselves, and in our own weakness.  
Secondly, it is required of us to be of humble spirit, which is a thing much accepted of God. Such only are right hearers, and such God requireth us to be when we hear him come and speak unto us. This appeareth by the Prophet Esay, when he bringeth in the Lord speaking unto us, 
c Esay 66, 3.  To him will I have respect, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my words. The scripture is compared by one to a great and high palace, but the door that entereth into it is very low, so that the highminded and proud presumptuous man that standeth upon the high conceits of his own mind cannot run in; but it is necessary that he stoop down low & humble himself, whosoever intendeth to have any passage into it. This spiritual pride is the mother of all error, but humility leadeth us into all truth, 
d james 4, 6.  For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the lowly.  
Lastly, we must come to the Scriptures, to hearing and reading of them with prayer, desiring him to direct us, and craving his blessing upon our labours. The word of God is as an hidden treasure laid up in the Lords Coffers, Prayer is the Key to open it, the way to come to it, the hand to receive it. The Prophet David prayeth oftentimes to God to open his eyes, and to give him understanding, 
e Psalm. 119 18, 34.  that he might see into the wonders of his Law. We have a gracious promise from God, that he which asketh, shall receive; he that seeketh, shall find; and he that knocketh, shall have the door set open unto him. Many of God's Servants have attained to more knowledge and understanding in the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, by prayer, then by their own study, labour, reading, and searching. If then we shall join it to our reading and hearing▪ it shall bring a great blessing with it, & reveal the secrets of God unto us. Thus much touching the Title of this book.  
Let us now proceed to handle the Uses, 
The ends and Uses of this Book.  and special ends of this Book, for which it was written, and thereby take a general view of the benefit that may redound unto us. There are many chapters that seem to be very bare and barren, and to contain nothing in them but a naked Catalogue of places and persons: but we shall plainly perceive in the particular handling of the special matters taught therein, that we have great cause to give attention, and to mark what is offered to our considerations: forasmuch as whatsoever was written aforehand, was written for our instruction, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures▪ might have hope, Rom. 15. And albeit the uses come after to be spoken at large, yet it shall not be amiss to give a taste of them in the beginning, thereby to set an edge upon us to procure us an appetite to hunger after them.  
First, we see in the state of the Israelites as Use 1 in a glass, what is the condition of the Church and of all the godly in this life; they are as a bark tossed on the Sea, ready to suffer Shipwreck, and to be cast upon every rock, unless they cast out the anchor of hope sure & steadfast, that they may in time appointed arrive in safety at the haven desired. For even as the Israelites never rested in the wilderness, but traveled from one place to another, until they came into the Land of promise: so the Church in this world is as in a wilderness, they have no certain abode, no settled dwelling to assure them any continuance, but they walk and wander up and down as poor banished men, until they be translated into their heavenly Country. We are here as pilgrims and strangers, our hope is not in this life, 
a 1 Cor. 15, 19  For then of all men we were the most miserable. We know we must all leave it, and we know not how soon. We look for a life to come, and most earnestly desire to be translated to that heavenly inheritance.  
The Apostle hath many meditations to this purpose, Phil. 3. 
b Phil. 3, 20, 2 Cor. 5, 6, 7. Heb. 11, 13, 14  Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence we look for a Saviour, the Lord jesus: and 2, Cor. 5. Whiles we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight. And Hebr. 11: speaking of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, he saith, They confessed that they were strangers and Pilgrims on the earth, for they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a Country. We must not look to find Heaven upon the earth, we shall here meet with many afflictions, and it is profitable for us, to exercise our faith, patience, and prayer, lest the flesh should wax proud against the spirit, and lift up itself against God.  
Secondly, we learn who is the Patron Use 2 and protector of the Church, namely, GOD himself, he is the shield and buckler of it to defend it. How many were the troubles and dangers, and enemies, and wants of the Isralites, while they lived in the wilderness? Yet did God marvelously and miraculously nourish and preserve them. Is he the God of the jews only▪ and not of the Gentiles? yes, even of the Gentiles also. For as he kept them, and carried them as upon the eagle's wings, so he is with his Church at all times, & when it seemeth most to despair of help, then cometh the help and comfort of God from on high, and delivereth them out of their distress. O that men would therefore confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men. Let us also look for help from him, from whence our salvation cometh, 
c 1 Sam. 2, 6  Who (as Hanna the mother of Samuel singeth in her Song,) kelleth, and maketh alive; bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up. In dangers therefore let us trust in him; in wants let us rely upon him; in chastisements, let us humble ourselves before him; in troubles▪ let us fly unto him; in temptations▪ let us fight under him, and in all necessities let us pray unto him, and call upon his name.  
Thirdly, we have in this book a lively picture Use 3 of the state of the Church, what it is in this life, and of what persons it consisteth: it standeth not wholly of such as have received the grace of sanctification▪ but it hath many hypocrites mingled with them, and many wicked persons are found among them, and come as the Guest did in the gospel's, who came without his wedding garment. In this body are many members, but are not all living, a great part are dead and rotten members. Yea they which are indeed Saints by calling, are not so sanctified that they live without sin. For as 
d 1 Cor. 13, 12  they know in part, and believe in part, so they are sanctified in part, not fully and perfectly; which shall not be until the next life, when we shall know even as we are known, and see even as we are seen of God. Among the Israelites which did bear the name of the Church, were many wicked livers, of whom the Apostle saith, 
e 1 Cor 10, 5.  1 Cor. 10. With many of them God was not pleased, but they were destroyed in the Wilderness. Yea, such as were the chief among them, and excelled in godliness above the rest as the Cedar doth the low shrub, had their failings and infirmities, as we see in Aaron, in Miriam, and in Moses himself, as we shall see afterward in this book. Wherefore they are deceived that seek for a Church in this life without spot or wrinkle. Such in former times were the Donatists, and such in our days are the Anabaptists, who shall look until their eyes fall out, before they shall find any company or society wholly separated from all contagion of hypocrites, Epicures, Libertines, and such like lose livers. Christ compareth the Church unto a draw net cast into the Sea, which gathereth fish of all sorts, both good and bad. Again, here is comfort for the sincere Ministers of the Gospel, to whom the dispensation of the Word and sacraments is committed, that they ought not to forsake their calling when they behold the greatest part of their charges and Congregations, to take no profit and to receive no instruction by their ministry but to continue and wait with patience▪ until 
f 2 Tim. 2, 26.  God will give them repentance that they may come out of the snare of the devil, of whom they are holden captive to do his will.  
Fourthly, we learn the unchangeable love of God toward his people. It is evident by Use 4 this book more than by the former▪ how diversly they provoked him to wrath by their sins, as their lust, murmuring impatience, unthankfulness, idolatry, and fornication, they tempted him in the wilderness whereby they deserved not only to be deprived of the Land of Canaan, but to be excluded out of the Kingdom of heaven. Notwithstanding God continued their merciful Lord still, so that his election is immutable, 
g john 13, 1.  and whom he loveth, he loveth him to the end. What then? shall we sin, that grace may abound? God forbidden: nay, how shall we that are dead to sin, yet live therein? As his graces & gifts are without repentance, so they must lead us to repentance, and cause us to express back again unfeigned love unto him who loved us first.  
Use 5 Fiftly, we have set before us many fearful examples of Gods heavy indignation against sin and sinners. He punisheth the murmurings of the people, fretting & fuming against God in their extremities: he taketh vengeance on their idolatry, and committing fornication: he chastiseth their sedition, emulation, breach of the Sabbath, contempt of authority, lust, tempting of God, and such like wickedness, that thereby we might learn the fear of God, and be admonished to avoid the same sins which will bring upon us the same, or gteater judgements, even temporal and eternal punishments. For God is the same God to them and to us, he will show himself just and righteous in all his ways: 
a Psal. 5, 4.  that he is not a God that loveth wickedness, and that evil shall not dwell with him. Hence it is, that Paul alluding to these famous and remarkable examples of his justice, saith, 
b 1 Cor. 10, 11  These things came unto them for examples, and were written to admonish us, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Let him therefore that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. If his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, blessed are all they that trust in him.  
Lastly, as we have fearful examples and Use 6 threatenings of the Law manifested in this book, so on the other side, we have comfortable promises of the Gospel, touching our salvation and redemption by Christ jesus, who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. For he is truly and plainly preached in this book, a type of whom we have in the brazen Serpent, 
c Num. 21, 9 john 3, 14, and 12, 32.  lifted up in the wilderness, and healing those that were bitten of the fiery Serpents; which Christ expoundeth, joh. 3, to be meant of his death and lifting up upon the Cross, That every one which believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Likewise the Rock which Moses did strike, yielding unto them abundance of water, as out of a plentiful Fountain, the Apostle expoundeth of Christ; for he saith, 
d Num. 20, 10: and 21, 16. 1 Cor. 10, 4.  They did all drink the same spiritual drink, (for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them) and the Rock was Christ. The like we might say of Manna, of the ashes of the red Cow, of the Nazarites, besides the sacrifices and ceremonies,  offerings, meat offerings▪ and purifications, which were figures painting and pointing out the sacrifice ●nd sufferings of Christ jesus. But because we have spoken somewhat of them before, and more remaineth to be spoken hereafter, we will pass them over at this time without farther consideration. This serveth to confute those which hold that all things were carnal to the Fathers, that they had no knowledge of the Messiah, but only a carnal imagination of earthly things. These are disciples brought up in the damnable school of servetus an arch-enemy to the faith, who contradict the Apostles in many places, and make the jews as Swine fatted in a Sty, groveling upon the earth, and never lifting up their heads to a better life. The Apostle Peter reasoning against such as taught the necessity of circumcision, saith, 
e Act. 15, 10, 11  Why do ye tempt God to lay a yoke on the Disciples necks, which neither our Fathers nor we are able to bear? but we believe through the grace of our Lord jesus Christ to be saved, even as they do. Thus we see Christ was only the way to God's Kingdom, and that by faith in him the Fathers looked for salvation as well as we. Our Saviour testifieth, 
f john 8, 56.  that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, and saw it, and was glad. So the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, saith, 
g Heb. 13, 8.  jesus Christ, yesterday, and to day, the same also is for ever. As therefore the Covenant of GOD touching life and salvation, is for substance one and the same, so there is one faith, one hope, and way to attain to the Kingdom of heaven, for the Fathers in the time of the Law, and for us in the time of the Gospel. Thus much of the general uses of this book.  
The last point which we propounded in the beginning to be handled, 
h The division of this book into his parts.  is the division of this book, that we may orderly proceed in the several parts of it. Some do divide it into two parts, according to the Chronology or computation of time observed herein: for in the first nineteen chapters he handleth those things which happened in the wilderness, from the second year of their departure out of Egypt to the fortieth year: and in the chapters following to the end of the book, he setteth down such things as fallen out in the fortieth year. The former part they cut into matters legal and historical: the legal are partly civil, partly ecclesiastical. The civil things belonging to policy or the Commonwealth, are of the numbering of the Israelites, & of the order of the Tents; of the leprous and polluted to be cast out of the host; of their going forward, and of making the silver Trumpets. The Ecclesiastical are touching the ministry of the Levites, and the office of the Priests, touching their age fit for service, touching the Nazarites, the Passeover, the red Heiffer, and the water of purification. The matters historical, offer unto our view, the obedience of Moses, the offerings of the Princes, the murmuring of the people, the calling of the Elders, the sending out of the Spies, the emulation of Miriam, the sedition of Corah, and the flourishing Rod of Aaron. The latter part handling the acts of the last year, is also partly historical, and partly legal. The historical is touching the sin at the waters of strife, touching the battles and victories obtained against the Canaanites, Moabites, & Midianites, intending by their horrible curses and ban of Balaam to destroy the Israelites; touching a new numbering of the people, touching the several places of their abode, and such such. To the legal part we may refer such things as are Ecclesiastical, as their feasts and solemn assemblies, the vows of men, of wives, of widows, and maids, what shall stand, and what not stand: and likewise such as are civil, as touching their inheritance and division of the Land, of the Cities and Suburbs of the Levites, of the Cities of refuge, and of inheritances not to pass from one Tribe to another.  
Thus may the book not unfitly be divided and handled: but for the greater plainness & perspicuity, we will divide it into three parts. The first is the preparation of the people, and a fit ordering of them to take their journey at the Commandment of God, in the first ten chapters. The second part toucheth those memorable events which happened unto them in their journey, to the 26, chapter. The last is of matters belonging to their entrance into their inheritance, and of taking possession thereof, from the 26 chapter to the end of the book. I am not ignorant, that others frame unto themselves another order, 
Tostal. in nitio Numer. Lyra in Annot.  and stand upon another division: but what method soever we follow, we may easily feel the finger of God in it, and out of this division let us learn some good uses for our instruction.  
Use 1 First, we see here again, that which we noted before, that God always useth an excellent and exquisite order in the handling of his word, though always it be not discerned of us. True it is, he is more exact in some parts then in others, and observeth greater art in penning some parcels of the Scriptures than others, as appeareth in the original of divers Psalms and the Lamentations, 
Psal. 111. and 112, and 119. and Lament.  both to manifest their dignity, and to strengthen man's memory: but every part of his word is full of divine method, to teach us to acknowledge the worthiness of the same. For how should he be any way confused, who ordereth all his works aright in heaven and earth? and therefore he is called the God of order.  
Secondly, we have from hence a good direction Use 2 for the Ministers of the word to follow this example. For seeing God hath divided his word into fit parts, and ordered it to our capacity and understanding, it belongeth also unto the Ministers to set their work in good order for the greater good of the people committed unto them. Things that are distinctly handled, 
Macrob. Saturn. lib. 1, in praef. Seneca Epist. 8.  are better and surer kept. A Carpenter having provided matter sufficient to build his house, & having framed his work he setteth every part in his proper place. The Minister is appointed to build the lords house every one his portion, 
Cyprian. de umi. Eccles.  and to square the rough and ragged stones, that they may be fit for the building. When they have gotten together out of their treasure things both old and new, they must bring them forth as good stewards, and set them in the best order they can. This is it which the Apostle persuadeth unto, 2 Tim. 2. 
2 Tim. 2, 15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, dividing the word of truth: declaring that it is not enough for them to teach the truth, but they must teach it wisely, orderly, distinctly, and discreetly. Then shall they teach with comfort, them shall they see a greater blessing upon their labours: and then shall the people hear with reverence, attend with diligence, and remember with carefulness the things they have heard.  
Thirdly, seeing God hath disposed his word in an exact manner, and ranged it into good Use 3 order, we must be careful to know it and understand it: and where God useth the greatest art, we must use the greatest care. This duty hath many parts, 
Duties to be practised in hearing the word.  and doth spread itself into sundry branches. Now we shall show ourselves to respect his word, if first of all there be in us a ready and willing mind to receive it. Even as a man taketh willingly his friend's gift, and doth not turn away his face, nor shut his hand when it is offered unto him: so must we be ready and prepared to entertain the Teachers of God's word. Secondly, it is required of us to show labour & diligence without weariness. Even as worldlings cease not to attain the corruptible treasures of this world: so must we imply our industry and spare no pains taking to enjoy the heavenly riches, which far surpass all earthly substance. Thirdly, we must attend and listen with the ears of body and mind, to that which we hear, as men begin to lift up their ears when they hear of some matter of profit. Nothing can yield us the like benefit and profit that the word doth: all is but trash and trumpery in comparison of it. Fourthly, we must look to our memories, and hide his Commandments within us. As then, men lay up their jewels, and keep them under lock and key, lest they be lost and taken from them: so must we hear with all attention, and not suffer the doctrine of the word to slip out of our minds, but keep his word steadfastly, and settle it firmly in our remembrance. The fift means is to incline our hearts unto the wisdom of his word: Our religion must not be outward, nor stand in ceremonies, as the religion of hypocrites doth. The ground that receiveth the seed sown in it, if it be out of heart, it brings forth no fruit: but if it be in good hart it bringeth forth fruit in abundance. So is it with us; if we have hollow and barren hearts, we never profit though we hear all day long: but if we have good & honest hearts when we hear the word, we keep it & bring forth fruit with patience▪ some an hundred, some sixty, and some thirty fold. We have many that hear in these days, but they are as ground that is out of heart, they bring forth nothing but weeds, & thistles, brambles and briers, no good Corn can be seen to spring up and grow in them. The sixth and last help is fervent prayer, and an earnest begging of God's blessing at his hands, which if we be careful to ask, his promise is sure, & gone out of his mouth, which he will never call back; nay, which he can never call back: namely, that we shall receive.  

jam. 1.5. 1. Kin. 3.6.9.  The Apostle Saint james saith, If any man want wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all frankly, and upbraideth no man. If then we be not wanting unto ourselves, God will not be wanting unto us, but open the gate of his mercy, if we knock thereat. Thus much of the general observations by way of Preface: now let us come to the particular handling of the book itself.  

CHAP. I.  

1 THe Lord spoke again unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, in the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the Land of Egypt, saying:  
2 Take ye the sum of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, after their Families, the households of their Fathers, with the number of their names: to wit, all the males man by man. And so forward unto the end of the 16. verse.  
WE have showed already, that Moses in the ten first chapters, prepareth the people of Israel, to undertake their journey toward the promised Land, the land of Canaan. If they had been taken unprepared and unprovided, it would have stopped their course, and hindered their way, and encouraged their enemies. Wherefore there is order taken in the first place, that all should be in readiness, fitted to go, and rightly disposed to attain the end of their desires. In these chapters, we must consider three things. First, the numbering of the people, & taking the sum of them. Secondly, laws are prescribed how to keep themselves pure and holy in their journeys. For how should the Lord their God go with them, unless they walked in holiness? Thirdly, the manner of their going is delivered, in what sort they were to proceed. The numbering of the people is set down in the four first chapters. The laws of sanctification are handled in the five chapters following, to wit; the 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 chapters. The manner of their journey in the tenth and last chapter.  
The taking of the number of the Israelites, and setting down the sum of them (which is the argument & drift of the four first chapters) is of two sorts; the one of the people, the other of the Priests and Levites that ministered before God, and served in the Tabernacle of the congregation. The gathering of the sum of the people is in the two first chapters: the numbering of the tribe of Levi is in the 3. & 4. chap. Touching the numbering of the people, we have a rehearsal and reckoning up of their persons in the first chapter: and of the ordering and disposing of them under several Ensigns and Regiments in the second chapter.  
This first chapter, into which we are now entered, containeth these two points: the former is the taking of the sum of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai: the latter is the exempting of the Levites, together with the cause wherefore they were not numbered. So then, we see who they were that were numbered, and then who were not numbered. Touching the former, it comprehendeth both the commandment of God to number them, and the obedience of Moses. The commandment of God is amplified by sundry circumstances, as of place, of time, and manner of doing. The place is twofold, general in the desert of Sinai, where the Law was given: and special in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, from whence God promised he would declare himself unto them, 
Exod. 25.22.  and tell all things which he would give in commandment unto the children of Israel. For we must know there were three places, out of which God gave audience to Moses, 
In what places the Lord used to speak with Moses.  and used to speak unto him. One was at the door of the Tabernacle, where the Altar of the  offerings was, as Exod. 29, 42. This shall be a continual  offering in your generations at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, where I will make appointment with you, to speak there unto thee. Another was out of the cloud of pillar, Num. 12, 5. But this for the most part did concur with the other, inasmuch as the pillar of the cloud did most usually stand in the door of the Tabernacle, whensoever the Lord did from thence speak unto Moses. The third was the Mercy-seat, which was the chief and principal place, Numb. 7, 89. When Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from the Mercy-seat, that was upon the Ark of the testimony between the two Cherubims, and he spoke to him.  
The second circumstance, is the time when God commanded the people to be numbered, that is, the first day of the second month, and of the second year, after they were come out of the land of Egypt. By this it appeareth that the Israelites abode in the desert of Sinai almost an whole year. For they came into that wilderness, the first day of the third month, in the first year, Exod. 19, 1: and they continued in that place unto this time, neither did they remove their Tents before the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, as appeareth, chap. 20, 11, of this book. The cause of this long stay and continuance in this wilderness was, because God would have his people thoroughly taught and instructed in all things belonging to his worship and service, before they inhabited and possessed the Land of promise. For within this space of time, the Lord published the Law in Mount Sinai, commanded the Tabernacle to be builded, which Moses erected the first day of the second year, and in the days following of the first month, he gave them Laws touching the sundry sorts of sacrifices, and touching the difference of clean and unclean, prescribed at large in the book of Leviticus.  
The third circumstance is the manner of their numbering, namely, that Moses & Aaron must take other Princes, the heads of the house of their Fathers to be helpers and assistants unto them, who joining with them, must take the sum of all the Congregation of the Children of Israel, after their families and households of their Fathers from 20 year old and above, all that go forth to the war in Israel. Whereby we see in this particular numbering, who are excepted and exempted; to wit, first, all that were strangers from the Children of Israel, Moses did not meddle with them. Secondly, women, for he was charged to take account only of the males. Thirdly, such as were under twenty year old. Fourthly, old men that were not fit for Shield and Spear, or to draw the sword. Fiftly, such as were maimed, or impotent, or sickly & diseased, are also essoined by this Law, and have as it were a passport given unto them, being cashired and discharged from service, and left out of the numbers that are enroled and recorded.  
Question 1 In this division two questions arise, which are to be answered. First, touching this numbering, whether it were the same which is mentioned in the Book of Exodus? I answer▪ Answer. there is a threefold numbering of them described by Moses; first, that in Exodus, chapped. 30. The second is in this chapter: the last is afterward in this book, chapped. 26. These sums were taken upon several occasions, at several times, for several ends, and differ much in the number of such as were accounted, as may appear by the several comparing of one of them with another.  
Secondly, it may be demanded for what Question 2 cause God commandeth a particular account & sum to be taken of his people, to whom they were well known. I answer, Answer. not because God would understand whether they were sufficient for number, or able for strength, to buckle and encounter with their enemies, forasmuch as nothing is unknown to him, nothing is hard to him, or unpossible for him to bring to pass, who is able to save as well with a few, as with many. The causes are these: First, for order sake▪ that there should be no occasion of contention for primacy or precedency, but that every Tribe and family should know his place and time when to remove, and when to stand still; when to fight with their enemies, and in every point what to do. Secondly, that such things as were to be paid for the use of the Tabernacle, might the more easily be collected and gathered, when they were separated according to their Tribes, and the Tribes according to the families, & the families according to the household, man by man. Thirdly, to make manifest the truth of his promise, and the power of his hand: his truth, in performing his promise, made long ago to Abraham, 
Gen. 15.  that he would increase his posterity: in power, partly in multiplying the people so greatly in so short a time, and partly in feeding and sustaining them in the wilderness, without harvest or husbandry, without planting or tilling, without sowing of Corn, or without feeding & breeding of cattle. Fiftly, to testify his exceeding great love toward them, and special care over them. Such things as are dear unto us, we delight oftentimes to look upon them and to take the number of them, lest any of them should be lost. A faithful shepherd will many times tell the sheep committed unto him, lest any of them should be missing. So in this Commandment to have all his people numbered, is set forth an infallible token of his care and providence toward them. Lastly, they are severally and distinctly numbered every Tribe by himself, that in time to come it might be certainly known and perceived, of what Tribe & family Christ jesus the promised Messiah should be borne: for as much as according to the ancient promise uttered by the mouth of jacob and other Prophets, he should be borne of the Tribe of judah, and of the house of David, to whom also he is often promised. Now let us come to the doctrines of this division.  
Verse 2, 3. Take the sum of all the Congregation of the Children of Israel, etc.: from twenty year old and above, all that go forth to the war in Israel, etc. We see in these words who is the Author of this numbering of the people, not Moses, not Aaron, not the heads of the house of their Fathers, but God alone who hath sole authority both over Princes & people. From hence we might observe, that God is the director, commander, and instructor of his people: and therefore we should depend upon him, and ask counsel at his mouth. But we will not stand upon every particular circumstance▪ nor examine every word; here let us mark who they were that God would have numbered, not women, but males: not children, not old men, not impotent men, but such as are able to handle the sword, and to draw the bow, and to fight against their enemies for their lives, for their wives, for their children, and for the maintenance of God's worship. Doctrine 1 This teacheth us, that a godly man may lawfully be a warrior. 
A godly man may lawfully be a warrior.  If war were not in itself lawful, God would never take order in this place, to have a muster taken of such as are able to bear arms True it is, every good ordinance and profession may be abused, and nothing is so well instituted, but by man's corruption it may be wrested, and the right use thereof overturned. We see in this place, in this Commandment of God▪ that his Church and people may lawfully take up weapons, and make war against their enemies. Abraham is said to be the Father of the faithful, and the faithful to be carried into his bosom, and to sit down with him in the Kingdom of Heaven: Yet he made war, 
Gen. 14, 14, 18  and over threw the enemies that had spoiled Sodom, and carried away the riches of it as a prey; and was not reproved of Melchizedech, the Priest of the living God, but refreshed together with his army. The like we might say of Moses, joshua, the judges, and other godly Kings, 
1 Sam. 17, 47 and 2 Sam. 25 28.  who fought many battles by the commandment of the Lord. The Scripture teacheth that David a man after Gods own heart, did fight the battles of God, and the people of God standing in battle array against the Philistims, are called, The host of the living God. When the Soldiers heard the preaching of john, the forerunner of Christ, they came unto him, and asked of him what they must do: he did not dissuade them from war, or persuade them to cast away their weapons, but gave them directions how to behave themselves in that honourable profession, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, 
Luke 3, 14.  and be content with your wages. Neither did Peter, being sent for to come to Cornelius, a captain of the Italian Band, a devout man, and one that feared God command him to follow a new trade of life. Neither did Paul persuade Sergius Paulus the Deputy, 
Acts 10, 3, 4. and 13 7, 12  a prudent man, to renounce that calling: which no doubt they would have done, if the profession of Chivalry, had not stood with the profession of Christianity. The Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, teacheth touching the faithful, 
Heb. 11, 33, 34  that through faith they subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained the promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, of weak were made strong, waxed valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. All these testimonies and examples of the old and new Testament, set forth expressly this truth, that it is a lawful thing and allowed to the godly to follow the wars.  
The reasons to confirm this truth do follow. Reason 1 First, God doth command it▪ and therefore doth allow it as just and lawful For he doth not will things because they are just, but they are just because he willeth them. Now the holy Scripture affordeth sundry testimonies of this truth, and setteth down the precepts & commandments that God gave to his people to be their warrant to use their weapon. So he commanded them to destroy the Canaanites, 
Deut. 7, 2, 3.  The Lord thy God shall give them before thee, and thou shalt smite them, thou shalt utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor have compassion on them. Thus he commanded Saul to slay the Amalekites, 
1 Sam. 15, 2.  who set upon the people of God when they were come out of the Land of Egypt; and as God commanded the work, so he gave a blessing unto it, so that those enemies were brought to destruction. For we read in the holy history, that God said unto him, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how they laid wait for them in the way, as they came up from Egypt, now therefore go and smite Amalek and destroy ye all that pertaineth unto them, and have no compassion on them, but slay both man and woman, both infant and ●uckling, both ox and sheep, both Camel and Ass. Many other precepts are found in the word of God, which we cannot stand upon. But God the Lord of hosts commandeth nothing that is unjust & unlawful, therefore war rightly used is lawful & warranted.  
Secondly, as God gave direct and express Reason 2 commandment, so the people of God going forth to battle were to call upon him for a blessing, and to sanctify the work by prayer, and in so doing have been heard. Things in their own nature unlawful, are so foul and filthy, that no prayer and invocation of God's name can cleanse them: nay▪ they make such prayer foul and abominable. If an idolater going to worship his Idol, and serve the creature which is the work of man's hands, should pour out his prayers all day long, 
1 Kin. 18, 26.  as the Priests of Baal did to be heard, O Baal hear us: what were this but a bellowing or beating of the air, or what profit should they receive by it? But the people of God having prayed for good success, building themselves upon the commandment of God, upon the promise of blessing, and upon the example of the faithful, have earnestly prayed, and effectually obtained that which they asked and desired. This we see in the practice of the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of half the Tribe of Manasseh, 
1 Chr. 5, 19  Valiant men, able to bear shield and sword, and exercised in war: when they made war against the Hagarims, they were helped against them, & they delivered into their hands; for they cried to God in the battle, & he heard them because they trusted in him. Seeing therefore God commandeth, and blesseth, and heareth, and delivereth such as go to war, it must needs follow▪ that war & true religion may well stand together, so that one and the same man may be both a warrior and yet religious.  
Let us make use of this point. First, it serveth Use 1 to convince the cursed sect of the Anabaptists and other spiritualists, who glory of the Spirit, and under a colour of seeking peace, and establishing unity and concord over all the world, do bring in detestable doctrines and absurd opinions, as if none were the true Church but only themselves. True it is, it were to be wished, that all persons and nations maintained amity and league one with an other, and that there might be no more use of the sword: but this is rather to be wished, then expected: and may sooner be spoken, than it will be obtained and effected. They object the Law of God, Thou shalt not kill, Objection 1 Exod. 20, and the words of Christ, Resist not evil, Answer. Math. 5. But these and such like places must be understood of private persons, and of private revenge. It is unlawful for any person without a public calling to that duty, to kill another: but a public Officer may and aught to do it. So did Moses kill the Egyptian: 
Exod. 2, 12. with Act. 7, 25 Numb. 25, 8. 1 Kings 18, 40  so did Phineas those that committed fornication, as appeareth afterward in this book: so did Eliah to the Priests of Baal that committed Idolatry, and seduced the people. And thus it is in all lawful wars, for soldiers have a public calling, they seek not private revenge: and therefore the battle is said, 
2 Chro. 20, 15.  Not to be theirs, but the Lord of Hosts. Likewise there is a private revenge which Christ forbiddeth and condemneth; but the public revenge committed to the Magistrate who beareth not the sword in vain, must be duly and diligently executed, that evil may be taken away out of the City of God. For as in necessity it is good for man's body to cut off a rotten and dead member betimes, lest the sound parts be corrupted, and the whole body perish: so it is profitable for the safety and security of human society, to sweep away as dung hurtful and noisome Citizens, before they infect others that live among them. Wherefore so long as wicked men live up on the face of the earth, and so long as the Devil stirreth up his instruments to set themselves against God and his truth, and his servants, so long there will be use of the sword and of the Magistrate to handle it. Wherefore the Apostle calleth upon us to call upon God for Kings and Princes, and them that are in authority, that under them we may live a peaceable and quiet life▪ 
1 Timoth. 2, 2 Ro. 13.1.2, 3.  in all godliness & honesty. If then these be the ends of Magistracy, to maintain peace, to settle quietness, to establish religion, and to confirm honesty of manners, surely it may be discharged and performed by one that is religious and fearing God. Besides, God promised as a special grace and favour to the Church of Christ in the new Testament, that Kings should be the nursing Fathers, & Queens the nursing Mothers of it: 
Esay 49, 23.  which could not be unless a godly and faithful man might bear the Office and discharge the calling of a Magistrate, and take vengeance of the wicked, & maintain the cause of the righteous.  
Secondly, we learn hereby, that no calling Use 2 and condition whatsoever, so it be accompanied with faith and the fruits thereof can separate us from salvation, and shut us out of God's Kingdom. For seeing a man may be a good Christian▪ and a great warrior, which profession many times is most stained and corrupt; it cannot exclude any from eternal life, if themselves by infidelity & iniquity do not exclude themselves. And albeit such persons many times have no regard of equity, or honesty or word, or oath, or Law, or shame, or conscience, but entitle themselves to all that their hand can lay hold upon, as men wholly bend upon spoil and rapine: yet the cause hereof is not in the profession, but in the professor: not in the war, but in the warrior: and therefore it pleased GOD to show forth his great mercy in calling to his marvelous light many men out of that kind of life. Such were the Centurion that came to Christ to have his servant healed, 
Math. 8, 5. Acts 10, 3.  who is commended for his excellent faith: Cornelius is reported to be a godly man, and to have under him godly soldiers.  
Seeing therefore warfare is no hateful Use 3 kind of life in itself, such as are soldiers and fight in the field have no less access to salvation than others, and shall rest in Abraham's bosom, who was also a warrior as well as they; if they labour to be the children of Abraham, and study not so much to be soldiers, as Christian soldiers, which aim at the glory of God in all their actions, and not seek to satisfy their own lusts. How many are there that delight in nothing but in effusion of blood and all oppression? in doing violence, and robbing without difference of friend or foe, brother or enemy? If we profess the name of Christ jesus, and believe to be saved through his name, let us so live in war, as we remember under whose banner we fight, and whose name we do profess, and whose blessing we look for.  
If we be assured and persuaded of the lawfulness of the war, why do we not carry ourselves as men that fight not our own battles, but the battles of the Lord of hosts? And if we do not run as desperate men, or as the horse that rusheth into the battle, why do we not consider that our soul is in our hand, that we are in continual danger of death, and must give an account of the things done in this flesh, whether they be good or evil?  
Lastly, as the godly may lawfully make War, so they must be careful to observe such conditions as make it lawful and allowable: otherwise, the running of men together in hostile manner after the manner of wild beasts, to shed blood, and to take away life, is of itself most savage & barbarous.  
The conditions to be observed are these. 
Conditions to be observed in wars.  First, it must be proclaimed by the Magistrate, and such as have authority: otherwise it is private revenge, not public justice. We must not be like Simeon and Levi, the sons of jacob, who having wrong and indignity offered of the Shechemites, revenged their own cause without authority or calling; for They drew their sword, 
Ge: 34, 25, 29.  and went into the City boldly, and slew every male, and took the spoil both of the place and people. They had no commandment or commission from jacob their father, as appeareth in the reproof uttered unto them, & the curse denounced against them, Ye have troubled me, 
Gen. 34, 30.  and made me to stick amongst the Inhabitants of the Land. And in another place, Cursed be their wrath, 
and 49, 7.  for it was fierce: and the●r anger, for it was cruel: I will divide them in jacob, and scatter them in Israel. We see therefore that the people must not run upon their own head, nor take arms in hand at their own pleasure, but must look for the warrant and direction of the Magistrate.  
Secondly, it belongeth to such as go unto war against another nation and people, to offer them conditions of peace▪ and to receive such to mercy as yield unto them, thereby to avoid the shedding of blood, and to show themselves inclined to mercy. This proclaiming of peace is taught by the Lord himself. Deut. 20. 
Deut. 20, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.  When thou comest near unto a City to fight against it, thou shalt offer it peace: and if it answer thee again peaceably, and open unto thee, then shall all the people that is found there n, be tributaries unto thee, and serve thee: but if it shall make no peace with thee, but make war against thee, than thou shalt besiege it, and smite the Males thereof with the edge of the sword. Likewise when joab pursued Sheba, a Traitor against David, and besieged him in Abel, so that they cast up a Mount against the City, & began to cast down the wall, There cried a w●se woman out of the City: 
2 Sam. 20, 16, 17, 18.  Hear, hear, I pray you, say unto joab, Come thou hither, that I may speak with thee: and when he came near unto her, the woman said: Hear the words of thine handmaid, they spoke in the old time, saying, They should ask of Abel, and so have they continued. In which words she alludeth unto the former Law, that before any City were overthrown, or any people put to the sword, peace should be propounded, and the Citizens that yielded be received to mercy.  
This is so equal and reasonable, that the unbelievers among the Gentiles thought it expedient and necessary to accept of such as yielded; 
Cic. de off●c. li. ●  albe t the Ram (a warlike instrument in those days, described by josephus in the wars of the jews) had shaken the wall, 
I seph. de be l● judat. l. 3. cap 9  that is, were even ready to fall down. And the Turks themselves (proud and merciless enemies) that spare not to shed Christian blood, 
Turk. histor. in the lie of M●h●m●t the g●a●  and pour it out as water, are persuaded that God will not prosper them in their affairs & assaults▪ except they first make unto their enemies some of●er of peace. This putteth us in mind, that we should indi●e our hearts to s●e● mercy as much as may be; and not rage with fire and sword, but remember the common condition of mankind, the uncertainty of all human things, and the danger that may fall upon ourselves.  
Thirdly, keep all lawful promises, even to the enemy; which is a token of an upright heart. When the spies that were sent to jericho, and made a faithful promise, and bound it with an oath to save Rahab and her father's house from the common destruction of that City, joshua the General of the host, was so far from denying to stand to that oath, that he called the two men that had spied out the Country, and said unto them; 
joshua 6, 22.  Go into the Harlot's house, and bring out thence the Woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her. Therefore the Prophet teacheth, that he shall dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord, 
Psal. 15, 4.  and rest in his holy hill, That sweareth to his own hindrance, and changeth not. If there be no faith in our words, nor truth in our dealings, nor constancy in our promises, but that we can take up the name of God in our mouths and use it as a colour to hide our bloody deseignes; we must not look for any blessing from GOD, nor to have him to go out with our armies.  
Fourthly, let the ends of our wars be holy and righteous, not tyranny, not vainglory, but to maintain the honour and glory of God, to defend the Church and Commonwealth from violence and invasion, and to establish peace and concord in our borders. The Heathen by Nature's light saw these three ends of a just war, first to withstand force by force, 
Cic. de office l. 1.  and to defend themselves and the things that belong unto them. Secondly, to recover things lost, and regain things taken away. Thirdly, to revenge wrongs and injuries offered, being before provoked. Many examples are set down in the Scriptures, of the godly Kings, and other Governors, who propounded these ends unto themselves, and so were able to warrant to themselves and others, the bearing of Arms.  
Fiftly, we must not suffer lewd & evil persons, incorrigible and unreformable, to remain in the host of God, who may endanger the whole host, and bring the curse of God upon them. For how should God give a blessing to such wicked instruments? or how should he fight their battles that fight against him? Hence it is, that he commandeth, Deut. 23. 
Deut. 23, 9, 10  When thou goest out with the host against thine enemies, keep thee then from all wickedness. etc. When the Israelites gathered themselves together to smite At, they could not prosper, but were smitten down & overcome by their enemies, 
Iosh ●7, 11, 12.  Because they had sinned and transgressed the covenant of God which he commanded them, for they had even taken of the excommunicate thing, and had stolen and dissembled also, and put it even with their own stuff. So long as Achan remained among them, who had taken two hundred shekels of silver, a goodly Babylonish garment, and a wedge of gold contrary to the commandment of God, they could not stand before their enemies, but were constrained to turn their backs.  
This example doth Phinehas afterward propound as a warning to the Tribe of Reuben & Gad▪ and the half Tribe of Manasseh, ch. 22 Did not Achan the son of Zerah trespass grievously in the excommunicate thing and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Israel? 
josh. 22, 20  and this man alone perished not in his wickedness. This is the cause why our wars do not prosper, that when we have sent out our armies by thousands, they have returned by hundreds: and when we have sent out hundreds, they have come home by tens, because they have given themselves to all wickedness and ungodliness: they have broken out into all disorder, and committed all abominations with greediness, and none is careful to restrain them and reform them. They have not desired God to guide them, and as a Captain to go out with their armies; they have had nothing to do with him, nor he with them: they have been led by the devil, he hath gone out with them and returned home with them, & taketh the government of their whole lives; they live to him, and without repentance they die to him. Sixtly, that we may use our wars aright it behoveth us to put our trust in God alone, to depend upon him, to pray unto him, and to look for safety and help from him. It is not the Shield that can defend us, it is not the sword that can deliver us, it is not the horse that can save us: the best shield is, The Shield of faith, 
Eph: 6, 14, 16, 17  the surest armour is The breastplate of righteousness the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Prophet jeremy teacheth, chapped. 17. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, 
Ier: 17, 5  and withdraweth his heart from the Lord. David putting confidence in God when he went to encounter with Goliath, put off saul's armour, and said, Thou comest unto me with a sword, 
1 Sam: 17, 45: 1 Sam: 14, 6  and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of boasts, the GOD of the host of Israel, whom thou hast railed upon. Thus did jehosaphat arm himself when he was assaulted by his enemies. 2. Chron. 20. 
2 Chr. 20, 3.12  There is no strength in us to stand before this great multitude that cometh against us, neither do we know what to do: but our eyes are toward thee. Saneherib glorying in his own strength, and boasting of his own power, is driven to flight with his whole army, 2 Kings 19.25. We have seen sometimes the swift not to gain the prize in running, nor the valiant the victory in fight▪ nor the strong the praise in wrestling: for as Sa●omon saith, Prou. 21. 
Prou. 21, 31  The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but saluat on is of the Lord. Such therefore as trust in the greatness of their own strength, and do not put their confidence in the living God, lie open as a prey to their enemies▪ and cannot look for God o be their deliverer. seventhly, no man should go out to warfare but with grief of mind, and sorrow of heart. For albeit the war be lawful yet when the enemies are slain in battle, it is a defiling of men's hands, and a defacing of God's Image. God hath imprinted his Image in man, as he teacheth, Gen. 9, 6: in as much as in the image of God he made man. Likewise when David would have builded a Temple unto God, it was said unto him 1, Chron. 22. 
1 Chro. 22, 8, and 28, 3, 2 Sam: ●, 13  Thou hast seed mu●h blood, and hast made great battles: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, for thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Not that he imputeth it simply for a crime, but to give every one a lesson and direction which is constrained to fight against his enemies▪ though the cause be just▪ and the quarrel lawful, that they should be grieved, to see the order of nature so troubled and perverted by reason of men's sins and wickedness. We ought so to live together, and love one another as brethren, and acknowledge our own flesh in all that are created after our likeness what corruption then and confusion is this that we shall be driven to destroy each other after this fashion? Wherefore, even in the time of war, he that putteth on armour against his enemies, and girdeth his sword by his side, must do it after a sort against his will, and with sorrow conceived in his hart, knowing that such outrage happeneth not without great iniquity of men; and desiring rather to live quietly, and to maintain peace and concord with all men, as far as it is possible, and as much as lieth in us, as if our hands were tied behind us from committing any outrage or evil deeds. Lastly, because the liberty & licentiousness of Soldiers is many times left free, and is without bit and bridle to restrain them, it belongeth to Captains and Governors of the host to range the common Soldier in good order and military discipline, that they break not out to endamage or destroy those whom they ought above all to protect and defend. War is judged and esteemed of them to be the time wherein laws are silent, and all things held lawful that their own heart lusteth after. Hence it cometh to pass, that there is such thirsting after goods, deflowering of virgins, ravishing of wives, slaughter of parents, robbing of houses, burning of Churches, and scorning of religion and all holy things, yea making a mock of Christ our Saviour. So then, if severe discipline be not used, & order taken that the people living in peace be not abused, all things will be held lawful beside right and honesty: injuries will be accounted good dealing, and all things taken to be common, and to belong to him that first can seize upon them. It is said of the Centurion in the Gospel, that his authority was such over them that belonged to his band, that none durst oppose themselves against him, or resist his charge that he gave unto them, saying, I am a man also under the authority of another, 
Math: 8, 9  and have Soldiers under me; and I say to one, go, and he goeth: and to another, Come and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it. This was a commendation both of the Captain that so ordered and ruled them, that he had them so obedient and serviceable unto him; and likewise of the Soldiers that would submit themselves unto his authority, and suffer themselves to be governed according to the martial laws of a well trained garrison. But of this point occasion will be offered to speak in this book afterward, chap. 21. ver. 28. and chap. 24. verse 20. and chap. 25. ver. 17. & chap. 31, 7.  
[Verse 5] These are the names of the men that shall stand with you; of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur, etc.] As this Book of Moses beareth the title of Numbers; so a great part of it is spent in numbering of the people, to assure us that God hath numbered those that are his, he keepeth the tale of them, & none are hidden from him, none escape his knowledge, 
Doctrine 2. The Lord knoweth the number & the names of all such as belong to him.  or sight. We learn from hence that the Lord knoweth perfectly who they are that are his, both what their numbers and what their names are. When Israel had corrupted their ways and set up idolatry, so that Elias thought himself left alone; what said the Oracle of God, that made answer unto him? 
1 King. 19, 10, 18. Rom. 11, 3, 4.  I have reserved unto myself seven thousand men, which have not bowed the knee to Baal. Where we see, the Lord saw not as man seethe, he knew those whom Elias could not know. To this end the Prophet saith, Psalm 147, 5. 
Psal. 147.5.  He counteth the number of the stars, and calleth them all by their names: albeit to man it be incredible and unpossible, that he should number and name the stars in the firmament, yet this to him shall not be hard, much less unpossible. Thus sayeth the Lord also by the Prophet Esay, 
Esay 40, 26.  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, and bringeth out their armies by numbers, and calleth them all by names: by the greatness of his power and mighty strength, nothing faileth. Hereunto we may refer that usual phrase of speech in the Scripture, that the names of the elect are said to be written in the book of life which God hath made: 
Exod. 32, 32. Psal. 69, 28. Philip. 4, 3. revel. 20, 12.  which is a borrowed speech from such records as are kept in a City, wherein the names of the Freemen and Citizens in the same are written. All these testimonies are so many consents of the Scripture to prove and confirm this truth; namely, that the servants of GOD are known to him, and approved of him; not only in general, but specially and particularly, so that he is able both to number them, and to name them.  
The reasons are not hard to be gathered. Reason 1 First, the knowledge of God is so exact and perfect, that most secret things are known, and the smallest are regarded of him. What is a less matter, or of less moment than a Sparrow that doth fall to the ground? Or the hairs that fall from the head? yet even these are ordered by him, and his divine providence overswayeth them. This Christ our Saviour putteth in our minds, in the tenth chapter of Saint Matthew, and the 29, 30. verses. Are not two Sparrows sold for a Farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father: yea, and the hairs of your head are numbered. If then, things so small and slight, and little regarded of men, be numbered of Almighty GOD; much more are we respected of him? And if our very hairs be numbered, much more are our names.  
Secondly, Christ jesus setteth forth himself Reason 2 as the true Shepherd of his Sheep. A Shepherd knoweth his own Sheep, whereof he hath taken the charge and oversight. Christ is the Shepherd, the Church is the Flock: his word is the staff whereby he ruleth, and the pastures wherewith he feedeth them; and therefore he knoweth them all by their names. A good Shepherd oftentimes numbereth his Sheep, and misseth none of them but he seeketh the lost one. So is it with Christ: he is a far better Shepherd and more faithful than those that have the guidance and governance of such as are but for the belly and the slaughter; For he giveth his life for the Sheep. This he teacheth at large in the tenth Chapter of Saint john, and the 2.3. and 11. verses. I I am that good Shepherd: that good Shepherd that giveth his life for his Sheep: to him the Porter openeth, and the Sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own Sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Seeing then, Christ is a faithful Shepherd, he cannot be ignorant of our numbers, or our names, or our natures.  
Thirdly, all his people are evermore present Reason 3 with him, wheresoever they be; yea albeit they be absent from him; yea albeit they have no being. He seethe them when they are from him, he knoweth them when they are not. Nathaniel was seen of Christ, 
john 1, 47.  and known by name, being far from him, while he was under the Figtree. josiah was named of God long before he was borne, as we see in the first book of the Kings, chap. 13. and the second verse: (and so is Cyus, 
Esay 45, 1, 2.  as appeareth in the prophesy of Isaiah.) For, when the Prophet was sent to cry out against the Altar at Bethel, he said; O Altar, Altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be borne to the house of David, josiah by name, and upon thee shall he sacrifice the Priests of the high places that burn Incense upon thee, & they shall burn men's bones upon thee. This was threatened long before josiah was borne, yet God knoweth his name before he was, and revealeth him as if he had been alive in that time.  
The like we may say of Cyrus the deliverer of the jews, whom the Lord nameth and appointeth to free his people from the bondage & captivity wherein they lived: albeit at that time he was not borne, nor in an hundred years after, nor josiah in three hundred after his name was published. Seeing therefore the very hairs of our heads are numbered; seeing Christ is the good Shepherd of his Sheep; and seeing all things both past and to come are present with God, so that he beholdeth them with one act; we conclude, that the people of God are known to him, and that particularly.  
Use 1 The Uses. First, this giveth singular comfort to all God's children, if any thing else be able to minister them comfort. If an earthly Prince should vouchsafe to look upon us, & show us this favour to single us out from the rest, and call us by our names, how would we rejoice, and how much would we esteem that the King would stoop so low as to know us? So doth this doctrine seal up to our hearts this great consolation, that the King of heaven doth know us by our names. Are we then in trouble and persecution? Are we accounted silly men, obscure, base, and unregarded? Do we live as contemptible persons to the men of this world? and will they not once vouchsafe to know us? Let not this trouble or grieve us; let it not dismay or discomfort us, we cannot sink down in destruction; but rather let us lift up our heads, assuring ourselves, that albeit they turn themselves from us, yet God looketh upon us; though they reproach us, yet he will respect us: and though they seek to root out our names from the earth, yet he will know us, and call us by our names. Thus the Lord speaketh to Moses, and encourageth him. Exod. 33. and showeth how he regardeth him in all trouble, because he knew him by name, Thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 
Exo. 33, 12.17  Where we see, he joineth these two together, Finding grace in his sight, and knowing him by name. The like doth Christ say to his Disciples that returned from preaching of the Gospel, 
Luke 10, 20.  In this rejoice not, that the spirits are subdued unto you: but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. And indeed, what greater comfort can there be then this? If thou hadst all the delights and pleasures of this life for a season, and hadst thy name written in the black book of reprobation, and thy condemnation graven in thy forehead, what could the former allurements comfort thee? Or how could they drive horror and heaviness from thy heart? So when he sent out his Apostles, and gave them power to cast out unclean spirits▪ and to heal all sicknesses, having taught them that the hairs of their head were numbered; 
Math. 10, 28.  he addeth, Fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. So then, here we have the foundation of sound comfort laid before us, and this we must lay up in store against the day of tentation and time of trouble. For albeit we live now in time of peace and plenty: yet we know not how long they shall continue, and how soon they may be taken from us, and we be scourged with the contrary judgements  
It is a rule in our holy Religion, that the Church must taste of the Cross▪ and God will try us this way, that we may be acquainted with our own infirmities; that we may be preserved from many grievous sins; that we should not be condemned with the World; that others beholding Gods hand correcting his Church for sin, might learn thereby to hate and abhor sin, and to love righteousness; and that the Church might gain glory to God's name, by striving for the truth unto the death. But when the cross is any way up on us▪ and we feel the sharpness of his rod we are ready to sink down to desperation and to say we are no more had in remembrance, as Psal. 10, 1. Why standest thou far off O Lord, and hidest thee in due time, even in affliction? And afterward, Psal. 22, 1, 2. My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me, and art so farr● from my health, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry by day, but thou hearest not: and by night, but have no audience. Thus are we inclined to judge in our miseries, and to think God to have forgotten us, and to be utterly absent from us. But if we in time of trouble remember him and his name, he will remember us and our names for good, & not for evil. If we can say in trouble, I will delight in thy statutes, I will not forget thy word: 
Psal 119, 16, 6●, 163.  behold mine affliction & deliver me, for I have not forgotten thy law: we may lay this up as a truth, & plant it as a chief plant in the ground of our hearts, that God will never forget us, nor put us out of his sight for ever. True it is, he will prove his people, and try their faith for a season, but he will never forsake them, nor leave them as a prey in the jaws of their enemies, who rejoice at their fall, and delight themselves in their adversities. And as true it is, that the ungodly triumph over them, & trample upon them, even as abjects and men out of the favour of God; but if we wait a little while, he will remember his people according to his mercy, and recompense his adversaries according to their iniquity. This doth the Prophet declare, Psal. 10. where he complaineth of the fraud, wrong, rapine, and tyranny of the ungodly, He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hideth away his face, 
Psal. 10, 11, 12 14.  and will never see: yet thou hast seen it, for thou beholdest mischief and wrong, that thou mayest take it into thine own hands, the poor committeth himself to thee, for thou art the helper of the fatherless.  
Howsoever therefore the faithful say they are forsaken, and the unfaithful judge them also to be forsaken: yet there is great difference between the tentation of the one, and opinion of the other. The godly speak of themselves according to their present feeling and utter such words while the tentation is heavy upon them: howbeit at that time they are unfit judges of themselves & of their condition how it standeth between God & their souls. They are ready to speak according to their tentation; the ungodly utter their rash and uncharitable opinion: the devil broacheth his false and forged suggestion. The faithful indeed do oftentimes cry out in the bitterness and anguish of spirit, 
Psal. 13, 1. and 42, 9, 11. & 44 23.24, 25, 26. and 74, 19 & 77, 7, 8, 9, 10.  How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? And again, I will say unto God which is my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning when the enemy oppresseth me? Why art thou cast down my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait on God, for I will yet give him thanks, he is my present help, and my God. And Psal. 44. up, why sleepest thou, O Lord; awake, be not far off for ever: wherefore hidest thou thy face & forgettest our misery, and our affliction? For our soul is beaten down unto the dust, our belly cleaveth unto the ground: rise up for our succour, and redeem us for thy mercy's sake. And in another place, Will the Lord absent himself for ever, and will he show no more favour? Is his mercy clean gone for ever, doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be merciful? Hath he shut up his tender mercies wholly in displeasure? And I said, This is my death, etc. Thus do the faithful cry out and complain, as if they were without both faith and feeling of any favour of God: and yet in all these distresses and afflictions God is not absent from them, neither hath forgotten them. Some diseases of the body are so forcible and violent▪ that they seem to have taken away all life, and to have brought present death, yet afterward there is a recovery and raising up again contrary to the feeling of the person diseased, and the judgement of the beholders: thus standeth the case with many dear servants of God, who in the extremity of affliction, and brunt of tentation, seem to themselves and others to have utterly lost the life of faith, and light of grace, which in former times they have felt and enjoyed. The trees in winter seem to be dead, without sap, without leaves, without life; nothing appeareth to yield any hope of future fruit in time to grow upon them: but when the winter season is passed, & the Spring approacheth, they show forth by lively effects that they had life in them, and were not dead. The hour of tentation with the faithful is the time of Winter, they seem benumbed for a short season: but as they gather strength, and faith beginneth to spring up, they shall find and feel a present operation of unspeakable comfort. And hereunto our present doctrine in hand maketh a way, when it teacheth that God will show his help in time of need, seeing he knoweth the numbers and the names of us. When the Church was in great misery in Egypt, so that his people sighed for the bondage & cried, their cry for the bondage came up to God; and he said, 
Exo. 2.23. and 3, 7.  I have surely seen the trouble of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, because of their Taske-maisters: for I know their sorrows. The Prophet Esay to this purpose joineth together their affliction and God's compassion, chap. 49. But Zion said, 
Esa. 49, 14, 15.  The Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me: Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her Womb? Though they should forget, yet will I not forget thee; behold, I have graven thee upon the palm of mine hands, etc. Lo here what comfort is given against all the discomforts that happen unto us, and against all the disgraces and distresses that are thrown upon us: though men will not know us, but stand far from us, yet GOD will know us, and not be ashamed of us. Our particular estates, our particular names are not unknown to him: so that we may every one of us say with the Prophet, The Lord hath called me from the womb, 
Esay 49, 1. and 43, 1.  and made mention of my name from my mother's belly. Let us apply this promise unto ourselves and esteem little to be judged by the corrupt judgement of man: neither let us sit in judgement upon ourselves to esteem of ourselves by our present feeling: for we are not upright judges in time of tentation, and we must walk by faith, not by feeling. For there may be faith, when we are void of feeling, as we heard before in the former examples: we suffer a kind of eclipse as the celestial lights do, but in the end recover the light which we seemed to have lost.  
Secondly, we may gather from hence the Use 2 woeful and wretched estate of all the ungodly, that think themselves happy and blessed men, and yet they find in the end, that they are the only unhappy men in the world, and that it had been good for them if they had nevet been borne. For better never to be borne, then to be borne to hell and destruction. 
Gal. 4.9.  Now as it is a great part of the comfort of all God's children, that he will know them; who as they have a regard to know God in this life, to know him in his word and other means appointed for their salvation, so shall they be known of God in his kingdom, and acknowledged before the Angels in heaven: so this is not the least of the misery belonging unto all that work iniquity, that God will not know them.  
here some man may say, Objection. It skilleth not what they do, or how they live, if GOD will take no knowledge of them. I answer, Answer. these men might think themselves in good case if God were ignorant of them, and knew not their lives. But all things are naked to him, & open before his eyes with whom we have to do. 
Heb. 4.13.  This the Prophet jeremy confirmeth in his prayer to God, Thou showest mercy unto thousands, 
jer. 32, 18, 19  and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of the children after them. O God the great & mighty, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in work, for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give to every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his works. If then he know and understand all things past, present, and to come, and all persons are evermore in his eye, how can he be said not to know the ungodly? The answer is, there is a twofold kind of knowledge spoken of in the Scripture. One is, that knowledge whereby he alloweth, accepteth, and approveth of his creatures to be his, vouchsafing to them his special favour, & loving them as his own children: of this the Psalmist saith, The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous or godly, 
Psal. 1, 6,  but the way of the wicked shall perish. So the Apostle saith, Rom. 11, 2. God hath not cast away his people whom he knew before, that is, whom he approved and loved The other is that knowledge whereby he disalloweth of the wicked, and disavoweth them to be his; and therefore he will not show forth his mercy toward them: and of this we now speak, which setteth forth the greatness of their misery and unhappiness. Though he know them by the general knowledge of his power and providence, 
Psal. 34, 16. job ●9, 21. Psalm 31, 3. jeremy 9, 12. Exod. 6, 6. Psal. 110, 1. & 114, 7. & 27, 8, 9  yet he will not see them with the eye of his pity, nor touch them with the hand of his favour, nor hear them with the ear of his bounty, nor speak unto them with the mouth of his goodness, nor compass them with the arm of his protection, nor come unto them with the feet of his presence, nor behold them with the Face and countenance of his loving kindness. Can there be a more miserable condition described, and felt then this is? Yet these are they that count themselves happy, and entitle themselves to the Kingdom of heaven. But as soon shall they bring heaven and earth together, and make an agreement between fire and water, between God and the devil between righteousness and unrighteousness, as procure the love and favour of God toward them, so long as they walk in their evil ways. For, as they regard not to know God, in his word; so he regardeth not to know them with his grace in this life, and to crown them with his glory in the life to come. These are they that job speaketh of, chap. 21. ver. 14, 15. Who say unto God, Depart from us: for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we should pray unto him? Though they speak not this with their tongues, nor utter such words with their mouths: yet such corruption and Atheism is in their hearts. For there is a double kind of voice, and a twofold speaking. One with the tongue, the other with the heart: and the fool speaketh with them both, sometimes with the former, and sometimes with the latter. On the other side▪ the Lord recompenseth them according to their words and works, and meeteth with them according to their sins: for he will profess unto them his despising of them as they have despised him, and his passing by of them in the day of judgement, as they have passed by him in the day of his mercy. This is it which Christ himself speaketh in the manifestation of the just condemnation of the Reprobate, Math. 7, 23. Then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me ye workers of iniquity. here is a description of the estate of all unreformed and unrepentant persons, God disclaimeth them, & commandeth them to departed out of his sight. Both these are joined together, and both of them are most fearful. If God once disclaim us, who can lay claim to us but the devil? If we may not enjoy the presence of God, whose fellowship shall we enjoy but the devils? And mark with me how God justly repayeth such men, and findeth them out in their own wickedness. They say to God in their life, as we heard before out of job, Depart from us: and God in the last day shall say to them, Depart from me. They say in their life to God, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways: and he shall say in the end of the world, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity. They will not know the Lord who he is, and the Lord will not know them with his favour, but with his fury: not with mercy, but with judgement: not with glory, but with shame and contempt poured upon them.  
Hence it is, that in another place amplifying the last judgement he saith, Then shall they begin to say, 
Luk: 13, 26, 27  We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets: But he shall say, I tell you, I know ye not whence you are; depart from me ye workers of iniquity. Let us therefore all betimes seek to know the Lord, to have him dwelling in our hearts, to call upon him, and to attend unto his word with fear and reverence, that he may know us and accept of us. When a certain man going down from jerusalem to jericho fell amongst thieves, was rob of his goods, 
Luke 10, 31, 32, 33.  stripped of his raiment, wounded in his body, and left half dead, did it not increase his sorrow and misery, that a certain Priest saw him and passed by on the other side? And that likewise a Levite came near to the place, looked upon him, and departed his way without counsel or comfort, without succour or assistance? This did add to the heap of his misery: but how much more lamentable shall it be, when we shall lie not half dead, but without any life of God in us▪ without any pity showed unto us, without any Samaritan to have compassion upon us, to bind up our wounds, to pour in oil and wine, to give us any ease, or to make provision for us? When God will not know us, none of his creatures shall acknowledge us, or comfort us, or call us by our names. It shall be with us, as with the rich man, to whom the Scripture vouchsafeth to give no name, as not worthy to be spoken of, 
Luke 16, 19  verifying the saying of the Wiseman, Prou. 10, 7. The memorial of the just shall be blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. Seeing therefore, God promiseth to take notice of all such as are his, it followeth, he will not know, that is, love or allow the wicked or their deeds, and therefore their condition must needs be miserable, as being out of his number.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing all that are Gods are numbered of him, and have their names written in his book, this serveth to seal up the assurance of our salvation and election to eternal life. For, if God know us even by name, our names shall never be blotted out of his account, but remain there graven for ever. This the Apostle teacheth, 2 Tim. 2, 19 The foundation of God remaineth sure, and hath this seal; The Lord knoweth who are his: and let every one that calleth on the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Where he showeth, that God's decree is infallible and unchangeable, and built upon a sure foundation, that cannot be removed. True it is, Satan will not cease to winnow us, the world to allure us, the flesh to corrupt us, and sundry other temptations to set upon us; yet the elect shall not be seduced and perverted by those subtleties and suggestions, but only the Reprobate which were of old ordained to condemnation. 
Jude 4. 1 Peter 2, 8.   
Christ our Saviour foreshoweth of the perilous times that are to come, that there shall arise false Christ's, and false Prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; 
Math. 24, 24.  so that if it were possible, they should deceive the very elect. He addeth, if it were possible, because it is altogether unpossible, both by reason of Christ's intercession, john 17, 20, 21. & 16, 13. and also through the holy Spirit which is in them, comforting them, and leading them into all truth, Hereunto also he hath respect when he saith unto Peter, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to winnow you as wheat: 
Luke 22, 32.  but I have prayed for thee, that thy Faith fail not. For the elect are the members of his body, which he will save: 
john 10, 26.  the Sheep of his pasture, which no man shall take out of his hand: they are his people, whom because he hath justified, he will also glorify. He hath loved them, and whom he loveth, he doth love to the end; so that no creature shall be able to separate them from his love.  
Objection. here a question may be demanded, whether the gifts and graces of God may be lost, or not? Whether they may decay and die in us or not? And whether the elect may lose their salvation or not? I answer, Answer. we must consider that there are divers gifts of God, some general, others particular: some lesser, and some greater. First therefore we must know, that the general or common gifts may be utterly taken away, and quite lost, as if they had never been given, never been received. This we learn in the parable of the sour, Luk. 8, 13, 14. many that are hearers of the word receive it with joy, and believe for a season, yet in time of tentation fall away. So the Apostle to the Hebrews showeth, that some who have been enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, 
Heb. 6, 6.  and made partakers of the holy▪ Ghost, may fall back again, and crucify to themselves the Son of God, and make a mock of him. There are other graces and works of the Spirit, which are special, and of an higher nature, & of greater importance; these are proper to the Servants of God: such are faith, repentance, regeneration, sanctification, and other fruits of election, these are of another nature; and shall never be lost, but are as a light that shall never be extinguished.  
This the Apostle john setteth down, 1 joh. 3, 9 Whosoever is borne of God, sinneth not, that is, cannot quite fall away by sin: because his seed remaineth in him; neither can be sin, because he is borne of God. Hereunto Paul accordeth, Rom. 11, 29. when he saith, The gifts & calling of God are without repentance. This appeareth evidently unto us in inferior things of this world. Consider the seed that is sown and cast into the earth. Some corn is sown and never riseth, but rotteth in the ground: some springeth up and promiseth hope of a plentiful harvest, yet shortly after withereth: this is soon up, and soon gone. Some proceedeth farther, it groweth up to an ear, and showeth beautiful, yet it is blasted: othersome by God's blessing continueth, and cometh to a timely and seasonable ripeness. And as it is in corn, so we may see the like in trees. Some trees are planted, and never take any root: some take root, and never have blossom: some bear blossoms, but never bring forth fruit: and some by the blessing of him that is The true Husbandman, both root deeply, 
john 15, 1.  and blossom fairly, and bring forth fruit plentifully in due season. So is it in this matter, touching the gifts of God.  
Some, when they have heard the word, which seemeth sowed in the furrows of their heart, do give a show, and offer an hope, but they decay by and by, and whither as fast as they began to flourish. Others have taken deeper root of earth, and hold out a long time, and make promise of better things, yet they decay at the last as corn blasted in the ear, & deceive themselves and others. Others continue to the end; these are planted surely, and builded upon the rock, who may be shaken, but cannot fall; neither shall ever be plucked up by the roots, but grow and prosper with much increase. These are described, Psal. 1, 3. & 92, 13, 14. He shall be like a Tree planted by the rivers of waters, that will bring forth fruit in due seasen, whose leaf shall not fade, so whatsoever he shall do shall prosper. And also in another place, Such as be planted in the house of the lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God: they shall bring forth fruit in their age: they shall be fat & flourishing. Thus than we see, that some graces may die and whither away, and also what they be, namely, such as are general, and common to the godly and ungodly.  
Secondly, touching the gifts pertaining to salvation, they are also of two sorts, some are simply necessary, without which a man cannot be saved; such are faith and sanctification. Other be less necessary, not always going with faith, but sometimes only, & sometimes are separated for a time from it; of this sort are, a plentiful feeling of God's favour, boldness in prayer, joy in the holy Ghost, and a full assurance of salvation: these not being absolutely necessary, nor always found in them (though only proper unto them) may for a time be wholly lost in the best and most approved servants of God. Thirdly, we must know that the gifts that are simply necessary to salvation; without which, no man of years can enter into the kingdom of heaven, as Faith and Repentance (considered in themselves) may both wholly and finally be lost: for there is nothing in them or their nature, or in us and our nature to make them or us unchangeable. The state of the elect Angels is changeable, who keep their original estate by the power of God confirming them therein. We see innumerable companies of the Angels fell down from heaven, when they were left unto themselves, 
Jude 6. 2 Peter 2, 4.  And are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day. Nothing is in it own nature unchangeable but GOD, 
james 1, 17.  With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Hence it is that the Apostle calleth him the King everlasting, 
1 Tim. 1, 17.  immortal, invisible, the only wise God. Thus we see that this title of immortality and unchangeableness is proper to God alone.  
Fourthly, those gifts and graces of absolute necessity may perish fully and finally, unless they be confirmed in us by the grace of corroboration: so likewise it was with the Angels, they were subject to fall without special strength, whereby they are enabled to stand, and to hold fast their habitation in heaven. So then, the reason why the elect after their calling do not fall from grace, is not in the nature of faith, or the constancy of grace itself, but it proceedeth wholly from the merciful promise of God made to the faithful & to their faith, which he cannot frustrate; and therefore we cannot be deceived, because he that hath made the promise cannot lie We know and are not ignorant, what Christ saith to Peter, Math. 16, 18. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  
Lastly, these gifts of God, though they cannot totally and finally be lost in regard of God's promise, yet the enemies of our Faith and obedience may greatly assault them, and grievously weaken them, and pitifully diminish them, and thereby make a deep wound and impression in our souls, so that thereby we may lie languishing, gaping and gasping for life, and draw as it were to the point of death. The Prophet felt few or no effects of the Spirit working in him, when he said, There is no hope for me in my God. So then, albeit it be sure & certain, that the saving gifts of GOD are without repentance, and that a true justifying faith (peculiar to the elect) cannot totally and finally be lost; yet when we have received them, if we wax proud and wanton; if we grow secure, and give ourselves to commit iniquity, these graces of God may so decay in us, as that in our own judgement and feeling, and in the opinion of others, it may seem that they are quite lost, and the Spirit of God to be departed from us. Take the Galathians for an example, who were truly called by the Gospel, and received Christ jesus to salvation, as appeareth in that they received the Apostle as an Angel of light: 
Gal. 4.19, 9, 11, 14.  yet by false teachers they so fell away and so dangerously, as that Christ was without fashion in them, & the Apostle did travel in pain with them as a woman in childbirth, until Christ were anew fashioned in them. David, by giving liberty to the flesh, and committing of sin, & not watching over his own ways, was brought into that horror and anguish of spirit, as that he entreateth God to create a new heart in him, 
Psal. 51, 10, 1  & not to take his holy Spirit from him; the work of grace seemed wholly perished; and the graces of the Spirit touching▪ his own feeling, were quenched. When a man by the force of a violent tentation, as it were a sore tempest beating him down, hath profaned the gifts of God, and checked & grieved his Spirit, quenching with sin as it were with cold water, the heavenly graces kindled in his heart, wherewith he was sealed to the day of redemption, it will cost him dear, draw from him many sighs and sobs, drive him into great horror and grievous agonies, and cause him to shed many tears, before he shall recover himself again: yea, he would give the whole world to see the loving countenance of God toward him, to hear God speak peace to his conscience, to feel with comfort the joy of his salvation. The sin of relapse is a fearful sin, as the relapse into a sharp disease is dangerous to the life. God did whip and torment the conscience of David, that he roared as a Lion for the disquietness of his heart, 
Psalm 6, 6.  and caused his bed to swim, and watered his couch with tears. The like we see in Peter after his falling and denying of his master, 
Math. 26, 75.  He went out & wept bitterly, before he could find the favour of God renewed again toward him. Thus than we see that albeit upon this ground that our names and our numbers are known to God, we learn that our salvation is sure, and our state unchangeable: yet we must not grow secure, but use all means whereby his graces in us may not be in vain, but be cherished (as a fire is with Fuel put unto it) that they go not out, and die in us.  
Fourthly, seeing God vouchsafeth in mercy Use 4 to number us▪ let us labour to learn the Art of numbering & measuring our days and times▪ that so we may be wise hearted. It is a great skill & a divine to number aright as we ought. If a man could understand all languages, & speak with the tongue of men & Angels, and were not able to utter the language of Canaan, it should little avail him. We must all prepare ourselves, if we would have the name and reputation of good Linguists and Artists, to learn the heavenly Arts and the true liberal Sciences. Many there are that are accounted deep Scholars, great Linguists, profound Philosophers, good Grammarians, excellent Mathematicians, sharp Logicians, cunning Politicians, fine rhetoricians, sweet musicans, & rare in all witty conceits: yet while they wax old in human learning, and spend all their time therein to delight themselves and to please others, they are utterly ignorant oftentimes of the right use of those arts; catching after the shadow of them they leave the substance; and studying the circumstances, they omit the marrow and pith of them. There is a divine Grammar, a divine Arithmetic, a divine Geometry, a divine Astronomy, divine Music: there are Christian Ethics, & Economics, Christian politics and Physics which are to be known of us and studied by us, without which the other cannot profit. He is the best Grammarian, that hath learned to speak the truth from his heart. It is the greatest incongruity that can be, when the heart and the tongue (between which two there ought to be a concord) do not agree together. If we do not for an advantage lie one to another, we have gotten the right art of Grammar, which teacheth to speak truly. They are the best musicans that have learned to sing the praises of God, 
Ephes. 5, 19  Speaking to themselves in Psalms, and Hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in their hearts, giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father, in the name of our Lord jesus Christ. He is the best Astronomer that hath his conversation in heaven, and treadeth under foot earthly things; that setteth his affections on things that are above, and not on things that are beneath. He is the most expert Arithmetitian that useth daily to number not only his years and months, but his days, and the short times of his life that he is to live upon the earth. He is the most skilful Geometritian that measureth his days with a right line, and considereth that while the chain is in his hand, some part of his life is consumed and cut shorter. Whosoever amendeth his life, and every day groweth better and better, is cunning in the Ethics. Whosoever traineth up his family in the fear of God, is a good Oeconomic. Whosoever is wise unto salvation, and prudent in giving and taking godly counsel, is a good Politician: and if he know aright his own state how he standeth with God, he is a right good statesman. But what shall it profit a man to be a good Linguist, and not be able to speak the language of Canaan? to abound in the persuasive words of human wisdom as an Orator, and to want the evidence of the Spirit? to be skilful in consort, and to have jar and discord in his own heart? to be able to measure the whole earth, & yet not to measure the narrow compass of his own life? What shall it advantage a man to be cunning in the heavens, and to have one foot in hell? to number his kine, his sheep, his cattle, and not to number his own days? job was a very rich man, the richest among all the men of the East, yet the number of all his beasts was known, 
job 1, 3.  His substance was seven thousand Sheep, three thousand Camels, five hundred yoke of Oxen, and five hundred shee-asses. There is no Shepherd but knoweth the number of his whole flock, and oftentimes telleth them that he may not be deceived. No man is so simple but he can reckon the number of his cattle, & rehearse the names of his Oxen. What extremity of folly than is it to have skill to number up his sheep and other goods, and yet in the carelessness of his heart, to suffer whole years to pass over his head, and the greatest part of his age to fly away, and never number his days, thereby to get spiritual wisdom? We see that Merchants & other Tradesmen have their counters and counting-houses to cast up their accounts, and to make even reckonings: but alas, it is more than childishness, and worse than madness to keep right reckonings between man and man, and never to reckon with God, nor to make level with him, The Prophet setting down the shortness of man's life, that his time is threescore years and ten, which pass away as a thought, doth break out into this effectual prayer, 
Psal. 90, 12.  Teach us so to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. This is divine arithmetic and most heavenly numeration, to enter into our counting houses, that we may understand how short a space we have to live, and thereby become circumspect and heedy how we spend the time of our life that remaineth. If then we remember our last end, and think upon the hours of our age that run away swiftly, we deserve the praise and commendation of good Arithmetitians, and we may be said to have the best art and habit of numbering that can be in the world. All other knowledge of numbering without this, is of less value than a cipher. Besides, the greatest part of men that would be thought cunning in the practice of this faculty, are out of their numbers & much deceived; they evermore busy themselves in addition & multiplication, and dream of many years that they are to live: whereas we must be careful to practise subtraction & diminution, knowing that every day, nay every hour & moment cutteth off a part of our time. The rich man in the Gospel was a bad cypherer & an evil Arithmetitian, when he set down a false sum to his own soul, saying, 
Luc. 12, 19  Thou hast much goods laid up for many years. He set down years for days, like the deceitful tradesman that writeth pounds for shillings. The Prophet David was more skilful in this art, and had learned better to cast accounts, saying, Ps. 39 Lord, let me know mine end, 
Psal. 39, 4, 5, 6  and the measure of my days, what it is, let me know how long I have to live. Thou hast made my days as an handbredth and mine age is nothing in respect of thee, surely every man in his best estate is altogether vanity: Doubtless man walketh in a shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain, he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them. In which place, howsoever some impatience appeareth in regard of the present troubles wherewith on every side he was encumbered and compassed about yet he confesseth the vanity of his life, the shortness of his days, and the uncertainty of all his actions. We are ready to promise unto ourselves a long life, and to multiply the thoughts of many years, which drowneth us in the desires of this world, and taketh away the meditation of heavenly things. job in sundry places teacheth us this art of numbering, ch. 14. Man that is borne of woman, is of a short continuance, & full of trouble, he shooteth out as a flower, 
job 14, 1.2.  & is cut down etc. Let us learn of these godly men the art of arithmetic, and know that we have profited well in that school, when by skilful diduction we can bring the years of our life unto a consideration of the number of our days, which pass away and not be recalled.  
Lastly, seeing the Lord knoweth us, it is our Use 5 duty also to seek to know him in all love and obedience. He knoweth us not only with that knowledge wherewith he knoweth the wicked; but with a special knowledge of his favour & good pleasure. This must be considered of us. For some man might say Is this any privilege that God will know us? doth he not also know the wicked? or is there any thing dim & dark to him, or hidden from him? He doth know the ungodly, even all their thoughts and imaginations, their doings out, & their come in for evermore. It were good for than if he knew them not, with his all-seeing providence▪ for than they might escape the vengeance of his powerful hand. But they shall know in the end, that he knoweth them to their final condemnation. His knowledge of his dear elect is far otherwise, he knoweth them to protect & defend them, to justify and save them. He knoweth them as a father knoweth his children, or as a friend loveth his friend, he knoweth them particularly and by their proper names, he loveth them with an unfeigned love. On the other side, it standeth us upon to know him with an especial knowledge, as the child knoweth & loveth his father after a special manner and in an earnest measure even from a feeling of that love wherewith the father loveth him. True it is, the child loveth others, but in a general sort; but his own father he knoweth more particularly, & with an inward affection of the heart he knoweth his voice, and can discern it from others. So is it with the sons of God, who have a blessed experience of his love toward them, they love him, they delight in him, and they rejoice in him; as john 3.29. 
john 3, 29.  He that hath the Bride, is the Bridegroom, etc. We must all of us begin to know him here in this life, that we may know him perfectly in the life to come. here we must see him as it were through a glass darkly, that hereafter we may see him face to face fully. If we do not know him in his Word and Sacraments, we shall never know him in his kingdom. For the word is the path way that leadeth unto it, and therefore is called the Gospel of the Kingdom. This teacheth us to consider diligently the saying of Christ, john 17. 
john 17, 3.  This is eternal life that they know thee to be the only very God, and whom thou hast sent, jesus Christ. If then we desire eternal life, we must labour to know God, lest he say to us in his wrath, 
Wherein the knowledge of God consisteth.  Depart from me, I know you not. This knowledge of God necessarily required of us, consisteth in these points following. First, we must confess & acknowledge him to be the sovereign and highest good, 
Dan. 4, 32.  incomparison of whom 〈◊〉 things are reputed as nothing being as dross & dravery, and nothing to be desired with him as Christ saith, Why callest thou me good, 
Math. 19, 17  there is none good but one, even God. If we equal aught with him, or prefer any thing in heaven or earth before him, we are ignorant of him and know him not.  
Secondly, it behoveth us to depend upon him, and to put our whole trust in him alone, not in any man or Angel: for than we make flesh our strength, and so lean upon a broken staff that cannot stay us, but will deceive us.  
Thirdly, we must draw near unto him in time of need, as to the fountain of all goodness, with all reverence and humility craving all things of him by hearty and fervent prayer. If we call upon him, he hath promised to reveal himself unto us.  
Fourthly, we must give him thanks for all blessings received from him, not only in prosperity, but in adversity. Now we shall show ourselves thankful unto him by doing that which he commandeth, by avoiding that which he forbiddeth by praising and advancing his name for all his works, whether they be works of his mercy, or whether they be works of his justice, in correcting of his Children, and in punishing his enemies.  
Fiftly, we must seek the knowledge of his ways & word and increase in the knowledge thereof, which bringeth us to eternal life. As we grow forward in knowledge, so we grow forward unto life: and when our knowledge shall be perfected then our life shallbe perfected in the next world. Now if eternal life consist in this knowledge, doubtless death is to be found in the ignorance of God. The Apostle joineth these two as companions together, ignorance and death, They have their understanding darkened, 
Ephes. 4, 38.  here is the ignorance of God: & are strangers from the life of God, here is death. For the privation or want of the life of God is eternal death. Wherefore whosoever desireth to live the life of God, must avoid ignorance, which is the forerunner & cause of death. And what is the darkness of ignorance as it were a mist before our eyes, but the beginning of utter darkness in the pit of destruction, where shall be weeping & gnashing of teeth? Hence it is that Christ saith, john 10, When he hath sent forth his own sheep, 
john 10.4.5.  he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice, and they will not follow a stranger, but they fly from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. If then we would approve ourselves to be the sheep of Christ, we must have this eare-mark, we must know his voice, we must hear his word, we must partake his Sacraments; otherwise we shall be Goats, not Sheep. Many there are that would be accounted Sheep, but they want this badge & cognizance, they are not hearers, but contemners of his word; they follow not Christ jesus the Shepherd, but fly from him: they know not his voice they are not acquainted with his call, but they think themselves in the best case when they are farthest off from the hearing of it. The Lord calleth us by his word, the preaching of the Gospel is his voice: if we regard it not, woe be unto us, we exclude ourselves from his sheepfold, and renounce our being in the number of his Sheep. Lastly, we must yield all obedience unto him and his word. For as all his Sheep are hearing Sheep, and none of them deaf & dull eared, so are all obedient Sheep. They have their ears opened, which maketh them hearers: and they have them bored to their heart, which maketh them obedient, and to offer up themselves as a sacrifice well pleasing unto God. But all our hearing shall hinder us, and serve to further and increase our condemnation, unless we join unto it a careful obedience, according to the doctrine of the Apostle, Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, 
jam. 1.22.  deceiving your own selves. If these things be found in us, than we know God aright, & then we may be assured we shall be known by him, and not denied of him. This is that use which Christ himself toucheth, john 10. I am the good Shepherd, and know mine, and am known of mine. Where we see, that the consideration of Gods acknowledging us to be his, should be a forcible means to make us endeavour to know him. For who are we that he should know us? Yea, what is man, that he should be mindful of him, or the son of man that he should consider him? We are dust and as●es, rottenness and corruption, yea lighter than vanity, no better than enemies to him, and the heirs of wrath as well as others. Seeing therefore the bountifulness and love of God toward us hath appeared, so that of his mercy not our merits, he hath saved us by ●he washing of the new birth, 
Titus 3.5.  and the renewing of the holy Ghost, let us pass our pilgrimage here in fear, and above all things let us labour to know him in his own ordinances and to se●k● the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, that in the end of our days we may be known of him to his glory, and our endless comfort in Christ jesus our blessed Lord and Saviour.   

Verse 17. Then Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names.  
18. And they called all the Congregation together in the first day of the second Month, who declared the r kindreds by their families, and by the houses of their Fathers, according to the number of their names, from twenty year and above, man by man.  
19 As the Lord had commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sanai.  
HItherto we have heard and handled the Commandment of God, 
The obedience of Moses and Aaron.  requiring Moses and Aaron to number the people: now followeth their obedience without any delaying or deferring the matter. It is meet that the servants obey the commandment of their Master: and that subjects perform the decrees of their Princes. Hence it is that Moses taking to him Aaron and the heads of the Tribes, do address themselves to take a survey of the people, discharging their duty with all diligence. He doth not here as afterward in this Book, ch. 20. where he obeyeth with doubting: but he executeth the charge laid upon him with readiness and willingness. This obedience of Moses and Aaron is set down, first generally, then particularly. Generally in these words; particularly in the verses following. here a question may be demanded, Objection. whether it were lawful for them to number the people. We read in the holy History, 2 Samuel, 24, that David was sharply reproved, and severely punished, because he did number them: yet Moses numbereth them in this place, and is approved and iustified● Some think, Answer. that David is reproved, not simply for numbering the people, but because he would have all numbered, and not only from 20 year old and above. But this was not the true cause of David's offence, and of God's judgement: in as much as it is very evident out of the words of the Text and circumstances of the place, that such only were numbered, as were strong men, and able to draw out their swords. 
2 Sam. 24.9  Others make this the reason, because the Lord promised to multiply the seed of Abraham as the stars of Heaven, which are innumerable, and as the sand on the Sea Shore, which cannot be told, 
Oleast in Exod.  and therefore he was angry & sore displeased when they were numbered, as if it were a calling of his promise into question. But if this reason were good and to be granted, it would follow that they could never be numbered without sin. Neither was this the cause of God's anger, as others imagine, 
Sim●●r. in Exod  because after his numbering of them▪ he caused not the tribute to be paid that God had appointed; 
Exod. 30.12.  for Moses did not always enjoin any such polle-mony to be paid whensoever he numbered their persons, and besides; the punishment should be inflicted upon David, not for numbering the people, but for want of payment. The true causes why Moses is commended, 
Differences between Moses and David in numbering the people.  & David condemned for their numbering of Israel, are these. First Moses was enjoined unto it, & had the express commandment of God to direct and warrant him: but David was not commanded of God, he was stirred up of Satan, who tempted him to this evil in setting before his eyes, 
1 Chron. 21, 1  his glory and excellency, his power & victories. 
Aug. quaest. 134 in Exod.  This is one difference. Secondly, it was lawful to number the people, when any public collection or contribution was to be made of tribute or subsidy; for unless an exact account were taken, some should be omitted, others ouerburthened, and injustice committed. This maketh it lawful for Princes to number their people, & muster them by hundreds or thousands, albeit they have no special warrant or particular commission from God. Thus did David in another place, and at another time number them without sin. 2 Sam. 18, 1. Again, when any Army is to be gathered, & forces to be levied, it is necessary the people should be assembled and mustered, that fit choice may be made of such as are to go to battle: as David did number them without sin. 2 Sam. 18, 1. when he sent an army against Absalon: but in this place he did not intend any of these ends, either that Tribute should be gathered, or that soldiers should be mustered: and therefore the warrant of his work, was not answerable to the calling of Moses. Thirdly, as they were stirred up by divers causes, so they respected divers ends. David propounded to himself an evil end, he did it to set forth his own glory, to rejoice in himself, to put his whole affiance and confidence in the multitude of his men: and therefore his pride and presumption, his haughtiness and ambition, his rashness and unthankfulness were punished of GOD. Thus we see, how one and the same thing is praised in one, and reproved in another, because howsoever the deed were one, yet the cause was not one from whence it proceeded, neither were the ends one whereunto it was referred.  
[Verses 17.18.19. Moses & Aaron took these men, etc.: And as the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them.] here we have an example of the obedience of Moses & Aaron, who lingered not the time to discharge the duty that God had laid upon them. This example offereth unto us this instruction, that it Doctrine 3 is required of all God's servants, 
t is our duty to obey God's co●mandements.  to perform obedience to God's commandments. Whensoever God speaketh unto us, we must hear and obey his voice. Noah received a Commandment from God to build the Ark, Genes. 6 ver. 13. Whereby he and his household might be saved: many hindrances might have stayed him, and sundry inconveniences might have stopped him, and infinite dangers might have terrified him from that enterprise; the greatness of the Ark, the labour of the building, the continuance of the work, the tants of the wicked, and an hundred such like troubles stood in his way; all which he did overstride, as the Apostle witnesseth, Heb. 11, 7. By Faith Noah being warned of GOD of the things which were as yet not seen, moved with reverence, prepared the Ark to the saving of his Household, through the which Ark he condemned the world, and was made heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  
In like manner, 
Gen. 12, 4. Heb, 11, 8.  Abraham received an express commandment to go out of his Country, and from his Kindred and Father's house; and he also by Faith (when he was called) obeyed, to go into a place, which he should afterward receive for inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. So when God charged him to circumcise himself, his son, and all his household, he did not delay the time, 
Gen. 17, 23. & 22, 1, 2, 3. Heb. 11, 17. & 18, 19  but did it the same day: and when he commanded him to take his son, his only son, even Isaac whom he loved, the son of promise, through whom all Nations should be blessed; By Faith he offered up Isaac, when he was tried; for he considered, that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from whence he received him also after a sort.  
When God called Samuel, and determined to reveal unto him the destruction of Elies' house, and the calamity that hanged over all Israel, he said unto him, to testify the willingness of his heart to obey, Speak Lord, 
1 Sam. 3, 9, 10  for thy Servant heareth. This the Prophet David witnesseth, Psal. 27, 8. When thou sayedst; Seek ye my face: mine heart answered thee: O Lord, I will seek thy face. 
Luke 5, 4, 5.  When Christ commanded Peter to launch out into the deep, and to let out their Nets to make a draft: Simon answered and said unto him; Master, we have travailed sore all night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word, I will let down the net. The examples are infinite and endless that might be alleged to this purpose: but these are more than sufficient, to show, that whensoever God hath a mouth to open, and a tongue to speak, and a voice to utter unto us, we should prepare and make ready an ear to hear, and an hearr to obey whatsoever is enjoined unto us, and required of us.  
The Reasons are many, to enforce us to Reason 1 yield hereunto. For first of all, GOD hath all authority in his own power; he is our Creator, and we are his creatures; he is our Shepherd, and we the Sheep of his pasture: he is our Father, we his Children: he is our Master, we his Servants: he is our King, we his Subjects: he is as the Potter, we as the clay. Is not the creature bound to obey the Creator? Is not the child to show all duty to his father? Is not the servant to stoop down to his Master? And doth not the subject own honour and homage to his Prince? The Scripture showeth, and nature teacheth, that they do. This is it which the Prophet Malachi declareth, chap. 1. ver. 6. A son honoureth his Father, and a servant his Master: if then I be a Father, where is mine honour? And if I be a Master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts, etc. These titles of honour given to God▪ and these titles of subjection ascribed to ourselves, do serve as so many bands obligatory, to persuade us and draw us to obedience.  
Reason 2 Secondly, obedience is so valued and set at such an high price, that it is better worth than all sacrifices that can be offered: and on the other side the Lord abhorreth and detesteth disobedience and rebellion against him as the sin of witchcraft. True it is, God allowed and commanded sacrifices, & he greatly abhorreth sorcery: yet he preferreth obedience before the one, and hateth disobedience as the other. This Samuel teacheth Saul, when he reproveth him to his face, 
1 Sa. 15, 22, 23  Hath the Lord as great pleasure in  offerings and sacrifices, as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, & to hearken is better than the fat of Rams: for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and transgression is wickedness and idolatry; because thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, therefore he hath cast away thee from being King. This reason is thus framed; If obedience be better than sacrifice, than it is due to God, and with all care to be performed to him. But it is better than sacrifice, therefore it is due to God. Again, if GOD hate nothing more than the disobedience of his commandments, then is disobedience to be avoided. But he hateth nothing more, inasmuch as he esteemeth it no better than witchcraft or idolatry; therefore it is to be avoided.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, such as are disobedient are sure to be punished. Obedience hath a promise of blessing annexed unto it, and a recompense of reward depending upon it, as appeareth Exod. 19.5, 6. 
Deut. 28, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Exod. 2.14.  If ye will hear my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, than ye shall be my chief treasure above all people, though all the earth be mine. On the other side, God abhorreth disobedience to his will and commandments, as a Prince hateth rebellion raised against him▪ which he will not leave unpunished. So doth God esteem those that stubbornly transgress his Laws as traitors unto his person, and rebels against his laws; and therefore such as are rebellious against his word shall be rejected of him, and punished by him When Sau● did cast away th' word of the Lord, God proceeded also to cast away him. This the Prophet jeremy declareth, chap. 4●. ver. 6, 10, 17. when the Captains of the host promised whether it were good or evil▪ they would obey the voice of the Lord God he assured them of his mercy, that God would build them, and not destroy them: he would plant them, and not root them out. Contrariwise, if they would not hearken to his voice, and submit themselves unto him, he threateneth that they should die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, so that none of them should escape from the plague that he would bring upon them. Thus doth he command Moses to speak to Pharaoh, Exod. 8.2. & 10 4. Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go that they may serve me: 
Deut. 28, 15. 1●  but if thou wilt not let them go, behold, I will smi●e all thy Country with Frogs, etc. This reason may be framed in this sort: If the obedient shall be blessed and rewarded, and if the disobedient shall be rejected and punished, than it behoveth us to acknowledge all obedience due unto God: but the obedient and disobedient shall be both rewarded; the one according to their righteousness, the other according to their wickedness.  
Let us now come to the Uses of this Doctrine. First, this serveth to reprove divers Use 1 and sundry abuses that creep into us, which make our service and worship of God abominable and detestable in his sight. 
The 1. reproof  And first of all, there are too many that refuse to hear and to lend their outward ear to listen to the word of the eternal God, to whom all attention is due. These men, as if they had no souls to save, nay, as if there were no God, no heaven, no hell, have shut their eyes lest they should see, and stopped their ears, lest they should hear.  
This reproveth the desperate disease of our days: men are so far clogged and cloyed with hearing, that they loathe the heavenly food, the bread of life. Who seethe not how we decline in care and zeal, and how the light of the word beginneth to be extinguished? Our change from better to worse touching seeking after knowledge is most fearful, a token that God hath given us deadness of heart, to prepare the way to some judgement. 
Math. 12, 42.  The Queen of the South shall rise up in judgement, and condemn this froward generation, who thought it worthy her labour to make a long journey to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and yet the mystery of the heavenly wisdom of God laid open in the ministry of the word, 
1 Pet. 1, 12.  The wh●ch the very Angels desire to behold, passeth the human wisdom of Solomon, and of all other men in the world. Wherefore to turn away our backs, when we should turn our faces to the word, is a grievous sin, and we shall give an account therefore in the great day of vengeance. This is set forth plainly in the first chapter of the proverbs, and the 24.25, 26. verses. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out mine hand, and none would regard, I will also laugh at your destruction, and mock when your fear cometh.  
Thus doth the Lord lay open the people's sins, 
jer. 2.27, & 7 13, 23, 24, 25. & 15.2, 3, 6.  and his judgements by the Prophet jeremy: I rose up early and spoke unto you, but ye would not hear, nor answer: I said▪ Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you: but they would not obey, nor incline their ear, but went after the counsels and stubbornness of their wicked heart, & went backward and not forward: I have sent unto you all my servants the Prophets, rising up early every day, and sending them, yet would they not hear me, but hardened their necks, and did worse than their Fathers. Thus he layeth open their sin, therefore no marvel if that he threaten to stretch out his hand against them, so that the famine should pinch them, the sword should slay them, the pestilence should waste them, the dogs should tear them, the wild beasts destroy them, and the fowls of the heaven devour them.  
Secondly, as it reproveth those that refuse to hear, 
The second reproof.  so it condemneth such as only hear, and go no further; these rest in it as if they had done their duty▪ and as if no more were required at their hands. But know this and mark it, that outward service separated from inward obedience, is not respected, but rejected of God. This naked hearing is an halting with God which he cannot suffer. If we keep from him the heart, he careth not for the eye, or the tongue, or the ear. This is it which the Prophet saith, When ye fasted and mourned in the fift and seventh Months, 
Zach. 7, 5, 6, 7  even these seventy years, did ye fast unto me? Do I approve it? Should ye not hear the words which the Lord hath cried by the ministry of the former Prophets, when jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the Cities thereof round about her, when the south and the plain was inhabited? To like purpose is Esaiah bold, and saith, What have I to do with the multitude of your Sacrifices, 
Esay 1, 11.12, 13.14.15.  saith the Lord? I am full of the  offerings of Rams, I desire not the blood of Bullocks: when ye come to appear before me, who required this of your hands to tread in my Courts? Bring no more Oblations in vain: Incense is an abomination unto me: I cannot suffer your new Moons, nor Sabbaths, etc. they are a burden unto me, I am weary to bear them: and when you shall stretch out your hands, I will hide m●ne eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not hear. Were not these his own ordinances? Did not he appoint the solemn times of his worship, and command sacrifices and oblations to be offered unto him? Yes, he set them in his Church, and was the Author of them; but they performed them in an evil manner without faith, without repentance, without love, without conscience, and therefore as they did them, God loathed them. So may it be said of our common and customary hearing, removed from faith & obedience, Who required it at our hands? The Lord cannot abide it he cannot suffer it: it is a burden unto him that he cannot bear. God joineth hearing and obeying together, and cursed is he that maketh a divorce between them. This doth the Prophet jeremy denounce against all hypocritical hearers chapped. 11. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
jere. 11, 3, 4, 5  Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this Covenant which I commanded unto your Fathers etc. He protested unto them and their Fathers rising early, and saying, Obey my voice, yet they would not obey nor incline their ear, but every one walked in the stubbornness of his wicked heart: thus they made a conspiracy against God▪ and he brought his curses upon them, Thus our Saviour teacheth it shall be with many in the last day, that saw his person, and heard his doctrine, they conversed and continued with him, and were partakers of his miracles and ministry; who shall then begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets: 
Lu. 13, 26, 27.  but he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are: depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. Woe shall then be to all such hearers, and cursed shall their state and condition be. These have an heavier account to make then such as never were hearers, and never had so great mercy offered unto them. Hence it is that Christ pronounced sundry woes against Bethsaida, Corazin, and Capernaum, who had the word and other means of salvation offered unto them, yet lived without repentance, and are pronounced to be worse than the Sodomites. For the greater mercies are abused, the deeper judgements are deserved. Let us set this Capernaum a City in Galilee before our eyes, and look upon it as in a glass, that therein we may behold ourselves. The Lord jesus was brought up there, and because he did so much frequent it, and was conversant there, many thought he had been borne there, so that it is called his own City, Mat. 9, 1. Secondly, the miracles which he wrought there were many, he healed the servant of the Centurion, and a man that had an unclean spirit, 
Math. 8, 5.  in so much that the Nazarites as it were envying and repining thereat, that that place should be preferred before them, said unto him, Whatsoever we have h●ard done in Capernaum, do it here likewise in th●ne own Country: 
Luc. 4.23.  thereby implying that the greatest part of his miracles had not been done among them, but among the Capernaites. Thirdly▪ there he began to preach, saying, Repent, 
Math. 4.13.17 Mark. 1.14. john 6, 59 Luc. 4.31.32.  for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand: and there he preached of the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood: likewise he taught on the Sabbath day in their Synagogue with power and authority, so that they were astonished at his doctrine. In all these respects and privileges▪ partly of the presence of his person, partly of the working of his miracles, & partly of the preaching of his Gospel, Christ pronounceth that they were lifted up to heaven, 
Mat. 11, 23.24  & highly advanced above many other Towns & Cities that wanted the seeing and hearing of him: but because they became unthankful, and to all these did not join true obedience, he denounceth against them that they should be brought down to hell: the reason hereof is rendered in the next words, For if the great works which have been done in thee, had been done among them of Sodom, they had remained to this day: but I say unto you, that it shall be easier for them of the Land of Sodom in the day of judgement, then for thee. An heavy doom, and a most fearful sentence, and yet most just and righteous, if it be weighed in the balance of justice. 
The sins of Capernaum greater than of Sodom. Gen. 19, 3. Rom 1, 27, 28. Ezek. 16.  Sodom indeed was guilty of uncleanness and beastliness one with another, whereby man with man wrought filthiness, & received in themselves such recompense of their error, as was meet; their sins were fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, contempt of the poor, and pride of life: yet Capernaum treading under foot the glorious Gospel, and despising the word of salvation was the greater sinner, against which sort of sinners, the Apostles were commanded to shake off the dust of their feet, as a witness against them; the which showeth the horribleness of their sin that make no reckoning of the preaching of God's word offered unto them to reconcile them to God. Sodom had the light of nature that shined in their hearts, and preached within their consciences in that they were men, that those sins were unlawful; of which the Apostle sayeth, That light shineth in the darkness, 
john 1, 5.  and the darkness comprehended it not: but Capernaum had a greater and perfecter light, even the light of grace to teach them, and the Sun of righteousness to shine upon them, which far excelled the other, and gave them a more certain direction to lead their lives. Sodom indeed had Lot, an holy and righteous man among them, 
2 Pet. 2, 8.  whose soul they vexed from day to day by their unclean conversations: but Capernaum had a greater than Lot, they had the gracious presence of Christ jesus, whose word was with authority, and not as the Scribes; whose glory was as the glory of the only begotten Son, full of grace and truth, john 1, 14. Again, Sodom had not so much as the types and shadows of the Law, they wanted the sacrifices and ceremonies which the jews had: but Capernaum had the body itself, they saw him, they touched him, they heard him, they handled him, yet they repent not, but remained disobedient. Sodom had only the making of the Creatures, and the workmanship of the Heavens as Gods great book to behold and look upon, to be their schoolmasters & instructors, 
Psalm 19, 1 Rom. 1, 20, 21.  which declare the glory of God, & show forth his Deity: but Capernaum had more, even a plain path beaten before them to walk in, and a sit light to guide them in all their ways, the eternal word of God that endureth for ever. If then Sodom shall be whipped, surely Capernaum must be scourged. If Sodom rebuked, Capernaum punished. If Sodom imprisoned and damned, Capernaum shall be thrown down into the nethermost hell and gulf of perdition. If the burden laid upon Sodom be grievous, that laid upon Capernaum shall be more grievous and intolerable. For God will reward every man according to his works, so that with what measure we meet, 
Roman. 2, 6.  with the same it shall be measured to us again. Sodom was the less sinner, & therefore liable to the less punishment: Capernaum was the greater sinner, a greater contemner of greater blessings, and therefore guilty of the greater damnation. To what end, may some say, doth this comparison serve? or what have we to do with Sodom which was consumed to ashes with fire and brimstone long ago? or what doth Capernaum belong to us? Yes, it concerneth us, and if we change the names, the times, and the places, this whole comparison teacheth us wisdom, and toucheth us nearly. For hath any nation under the heavens been lifted up higher toward the heavens than we? Hath not the word been plentifully preached among us? Have we not had the Sacraments duly administered unto us? Have we not received his mercies abundantly poured upon us? yet what people hath been more unthankful? more disobedient? more rebellious? What could the Lord have done for us, that he hath not done, and shall we so reward him with unkindness for his mercies? Let us take heed lest if we be like Capernaun in sin, the threatening do fall upon us, that it shallbe easier for Sodom & Gomorrah in the day of judgement, then for us. For if Sodom did not escape the hand of God, who had only the light of nature, not the lantern of the Scripture to shine among them, & to give light unto them: how shall we escape, or be without excuse, if we tread under foot the Son of God, if we cast out of our hearts the Gospel of peace, if we count the blood of the Testament as an unholy thing, and do despite the Spirit of grace? Thirdly, 
The 3. reproof  this doctrine reproveth those that are ready to hear, and content to obey, but it is no farther then standeth with their own lust and liking. These are like Saul in obedience, they think they have great wrong to be charged with rebellion and disobedience, they have open mouths to say, 
1 Sa. 15, 13, 20.  Blessed art thou of the LORD, I have fulfilled the commandment of the Lord, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, I have gone the way which the Lord sent me, etc.: yet he is there charged with treason and rebellion against God, and threatened to have the Kingdom rend from him. Thus is it with many in our days, they profess obedience, but their life swarmeth with the fruits of disobedience: like to the son, who being commanded of his father to go & work in his vineyard, answered, I will Sir, but he stood still & went not. 
Math. 21.30.  These are they that draw near to God with their mouth, but are disobedient in deed, & their real disobedience shall procure a real vengeance on them.  
It is strange to see how many of this sort of men pretend a willingness to obey, & would be accounted in the number of obedient children, as if they were wholly made of obedience; and yet they will not submit themselves wholly to the will and pleasure of GOD, but mince the matter, and part stakes with God: somewhat they will do to stop men's mouths and to get the applause of the world, and to be accounted religious; but they are not minded to deal sincerely and entirely with God, like those that having a journey to go, are soon weary and stand still, when they are gone half the way.  
These are they that will not be Atheists, but have the true God for their God; yet do they love their riches, their pleasures, their bellies, and their delights above him, 
revel. 3, 16.  and set their affections wholly upon them. They cannot abide Idolatry, nor to be esteemed idolaters; yet they make no conscience of the worship of the true God, of praying unto him publicly and privately, neglecting the ordinances of God, hearing of his word, reading, meditation, conference, and such like helps; being in the number of those the Apostle reproveth, Rom. 2, 22. Thou abhorrest Idols, yet committest sacrilege. They will not forswear themselves, nor fall into perjury: but they will swear and lie too for an advantage. They will not seem to abuse the titles of God, and to take his name in vain; but ye shall hear them even in their communication to swear by their Faith and troth, and they engage them so long, until they have little left, or none at all themselves. They will not work upon the Sabbath, nor go to Plough: but they will not stick to go to play, and use pastimes; to follow idleness, and to be ordinarily absent from the holy ordinances of God. They scorn to be accounted rebels, as too gross a term for them: yet they can disobey superiors, yea mock and deride those that are set over them, both Magistrates and Ministers. They abhor the name of a murderer: but they can fight and quarrel, brawl, fret and fume against others; forgetting the rule of the Apostle, Whosoever hateth his Brother, 
1 john 3, 15.  is a manslayer: and ye know that no manslayer hath eternal life abiding in him. They will not be Adulterers & Fornicators but they break out into wantonness, and nourish the occasions that engender them, surfeiting drunkenness, idleness, wanton looks, wanton company, wanton dalliance, and such like. They hate the name of thieves and robbers, and those that will stand by the high way and take a purse: but they will cozen and cirumvent their neighbour, defraud and oppress him in buying & selling and bargaining with him, if by any means they can go beyond him; never remembering either the commandment or punishment set down by the Apostle, Let no man oppress of defraud his Brother in any matter: 
1 Thes. 4, 6.  for the Lord is an avenger of all such things, as we also have told you before time, and testified. These are they that will not bear false witness; but they are inventors of evil, or spreaders abroad of evil reports to the hurt of their brethren, & make no conscience at all of a lie. These are not dutiful children which obey to halves, & so fail in their obedience. For (as the Apostle teacheth) Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, 
jam. 2, 10, 11, 12.  & yet faileth in one point, he is guilty of all, etc. Thus than we see by this doctrine, they are reproved that contemn the word, and will not hear: that are content to hear, but will not obey: and such as obey, but it is not fully and faithfully; it is so far forth as pleaseth themselves, not regarding to please God, to whom they either stand or fall.  
Secondly, seeing our duty to ●ods Commandments Use 2 consisteth in obedience this teacheth that it is necessary for all men to know them. We cannot call upon him of whom we have not heard: we cannot believe that which we never learned: we cannot practise those things which we do not understand. A servant can by no means do his Master's will before he knoweth what is his will. This showeth the miserable condition of ignorant people, besotted in their own simplicity, and muffled in the mists of palpable darkness: none are more grossly misled, none more disobedient to God than these ignorant persons; none greater enemies unto the serving and obeying of God, than such as are enemies or hinderers of the teaching and preaching of his word. Our Saviour sending out his Apostles into all the world, 
Math. 28, 20.  charged them to teach them to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them. First then, there must be teaching before there be observing: so that ignorance is the mother of all disobedience. This appeareth in Moses, Deut. 4, 1. Harken, O Israel, unto the ordinances, and to the Laws which I teach you to do, that ye may live and go in, and possess the Land which the Lord God of your Fathers giveth you. The Israelites were commanded to learn the commandments of God that they might do them; so that there is no doing and discharging of the works and will of God without knowing them: nor no true knowledge where there is no practice. For indeed we know no more than we make conscience to do & perform. Wherefore (my Brethren) be careful to learn the ways of God, and to know what he requireth, that you may be fitted to do them: and assure yourselves, that they are the greatest enemies of God, and of your salvation, yea the most proud and pestilent instruments of the devil, to cause him to be honoured, and to erect the kingdom of darkness, that do disgrace teaching, and dissuade from hearing. And let us set this down as a rule, that such as are undutiful to God in the chiefest works and the highest duties, will never make conscience of the smaller & lesser. Such then as any way hinder the publishing of the Gospel, and seek to stop the free course of it from passing among men, do overturn all godliness, and shake the very ground— work and foundation of true obedience. The greatest and best works commanded of Christ are the duties of the first Table; to preach and to hear his word, to be often exercised in his worship, to be religious, to visit his Courts where his name dwelleth, whereof the Prophet saith, 
Psal. 68, 16.  God delighteth to dwell in it, yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever. He that maketh no conscience this way, will make no conscience of the lesser and latter duties, to wit; of the fruits of righteousness.  
Hence it is, that our Saviour saith to the Sadduces, Math. 22, 23, Are ye not therefore deceived, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the pow●r of God? 
Mark 12, 24.  The ignorance of God's word is the true cause of all error. If we did know the Scriptures, they would direct us to all duties necessary for us both to know and practise. And as knowledge is the beginning of all obedience, because we must know before we can obey; we must learn before we practise: so it is required of us all to get knowledge and understanding, howbeit it is not necessary for all to have knowledge, alike. Wherefore, that we may be instructed aright, and be guided what our knowledge ought to be, and what measure thereof should be in us, it is requisite that we mark and remember these four rules following, all of them being grounded upon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles. No man must be ignorant, no man shall be excused for his ignorance: every man must attain to some knowledge. First, our knowledge must be according to our age. 
Rules directing us what our knowledge ought to be.  If GOD have blessed our days with many years and long life, he looketh for greater knowledge at our hands, than he doth of babes and sucklings. This the Apostle pointeth out unto us. 1 Cor. 14, 20. Brethren, be not children in understanding, but as concerning maliciousness be children, but in understanding be of ripe age. In these words the Apostle intimateth a double kind of knowledge; one fit for children, for God would have none brought up in his School, and to belong to him, that are non proficients: he would have children taught and trained up in the faith and fear of God. 
2 Tim. 3, 15.  It is noted of T●mothy, that he had the knowledge of the holy Scriptures of a child, which are able to make him wise to salvation, through the Faith which is in Christ jesus. This doth the Prophet David teach. Psal. 119, 9 Wherewith shall a young man redress his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. Such as are young in years, must learn to serve God in the flower of their age, and to serve him with the first fruits of their life. Howbeit though their knowledge cannot be great and at the full, yet it is such as is fit for their years, and it sufficeth that they be young in knowledge as they be young in years, & that their understanding be little, as their stature is.  
There is also a second kind of knowledge, and that is for men of riper age; God requireth more of them and looketh to receive increase at their hands in greater abundance. Hath he granted us our life for nothing? And hath he doubled and trebled the years of the former sort that we should stand at a stay? No, he would have us that have been planted in his Church, to be growers forward in knowledge as we are in years. But doth the case thus stand with us? Are our old men grown also old and ripe in Faith and Religion? Are we more expert in the ways of godliness now then we were twenty or forty years agone? Can our aged men that live among us stand forth and avouch this, or speak it in the truth of their hearts, & to the comfort of their souls, and to the honour of God, that they are bettered in judgement, and increased in obedience? that albeit the outward man decay and perish, 
2 Cor. 4, 16.  yet they are renewed daily in the inward man? Nay the greatest part are so sapped in ignorance, that they are as blind as the Mole, as deaf as the Adder, as senseless as the stones, and as rude & ignorant as the brute beasts; nay more dull of understanding than they, as the Prophet chargeth the people of Israel, Esay 1, 3. The Ox knoweth his owner, and the Ass his Master's crib, but Israel hath no● known, my people hath not understood. They should be examples to others in godliness, but many of them are Ringleaders to all kind of wickedness. Many children go before them in knowledge, and may instruct them in the princiciples of religion. My Brethren, these things ought not so to be.  
The second rule is this▪ that our knowledge ought to be according to the means that God hath afforded unto us, and according unto the plenty or scarcity of those means doth he require a growing and proceeding in us. There is no Master, but exacteth at the hands of his Scholar, an increase in learning proportionable to the greatness of his labour. The Husbandman that hath sowed much, looketh for a plentiful harvest. The Gardener that hath long digged and delved about his trees, and dunged them with great diligence, hopeth to have much fruit in the end. So is it with God, the best Master, the true Husbandman, when he hath taught us often, and sowed good seed in the ground of our hearts, and watered the dry furrows of our consciences with the water of life, he looketh to reap much fruit, and to find great increase.  
This the Apostle teacheth, when he reproveth the Hebrews for their dullness in hearing and slowness in profiting, Heb. 5, 12, 13, 14. Whereas concerning the t●me ye ought to be teachers, yet have ye need again that we teach you what are the first principles of the words of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat: for every one that useth milk, is inexpert in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe: but strong meat belongeth to them that are of age, which through long custom have their wits exercised, to discern both good and evil. Where he teacheth them, that after so long teaching they might become teachers of others: and he saith it to their shame, that after the having of plentiful means to further them in their knowledge, they were very novices and young scholars, not able to bear strong meat. Hath God set up the preaching of his word among us, as a candle set on the candlestick, to give light to all that are in the house? Hath he caused it to be truly preached & applied unto us? Have we the means also in plentiful measure afforded us to bring us to godliness? Let us take heed to ourselves, & look to our ways, God will not be mocked. Where he hath sown plentifully, he will reap plentifully; and upon whom he hath bestowed much, he looketh to receive much again.  
This he setteth down to strengthen the rule that now we deliver, Luke 12.48. Unto whom much is given, 
●at. 25.14.15  of him shall be much required: and to whom men commit much, the more of him will they ask. If a man should have much teaching, and go long to school, & yet should be always in his hornbook, and stand at A, B, C. like a little child, and never go forward, we would account him a very dullard: so is it with us, if we have spent much time in his school, where we have had a liberal diet prepared for us, and been feasted at his table richly furnished, and yet stand at one stay, we do not use the means aright, but deceive the hope and expectation of God, who hath in such manner and measure blessed us from heaven.  
The third rule touching our knowledge, is, that it must be answerable to the gifts that God hath given unto us. He hath not furnished all men with gifts alike, he hath not bestowed an equal measure of his graces upon all; to one he hath given more, to another he hath given less, according to his own pleasure. This is declared unto us in the Parable of the talents, Math. 25, 14, 15. A certain Nobleman going into a far country, called his servants, and delivered unto them his goods; Unto one he gave five talents, 
●uke 19, 12, 13  and to another two, and to another one, to every man after his own ability. If then he have given unto us five talents, he looketh that we gain five other with them. If he have bestowed two upon us, he will require of us the gain of two others; not the increase of five, as of the former. If we be not wholly barren and unfruitful in good things, he will accept and approve of us. This is a notable comfort to all those that have a little portion and few gifts given unto them: albeit we be nevet so simple, yet if we have single and simple hearts, it shall be said to us, It is well done good servant and faithful, thou hast been faithful in little, I will make thee ruler over much; enter into thy Master's joy. He that by employing and diligent use of his gifts had gained only two talents, had gotten little in comparison of the former servant that had increased five talents, yet he is commended by Christ our Saviour for a good and faithful servant.  
In like manner, 
Math. 13, 23.  when he commendeth the saving hearers, and compareth them to good ground, he saith; He that received the seed in the good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, and some thirty fold. The ground that yieldeth thirty fold, is little in comparison of that which yieldeth the increase of an hundred fold, not half so much: yet it is accounted good ground. All ground is good in God's account, that is not altogether unfruitful: and every one receiveth praise and commendation from him, who hath a good heart, albeit it be mingled with many wants, and much imperfection. This must not make those that are weak and simple to please themselves in their weakness and simplicity, nor cause them to be puffed up with envy toward such as have a greater measure and better portion of gifts than they have; but seeing God hath appointed his word to give unto the simple sharpness of wit, it must stir them up to do their best, to strive with all their strength to be led forward to perfection, and to crave a continual supply of God's grace, which in the midst of all their infirmities and imperfections shall be sufficient for them. Then it shall come to pass, that albeit they behold a double portion in others, and a poor pittance in themselves, yet they may truly say unto the Lord, Thou wilt require no more of thy servant than thou hast given him. To this end speaketh the Apostle writing to the Philippians, 
Phil. 1, 6. and 2, 13,  I am persuaded of this same thing, that he which hath begun this good work in ●ou, will perform it until the day of jesus Chr●st: for it is God that worketh in you, both the will and the deed, even of his good pleasure.  
The fourth Rule touching our knowledge is, that we must all labour to have so much, as that we may be able to give an account of our faith, when we shall be lawfully called thereunto. It is not enough for us to say, we believe as well as the best, and then cannot declare how we believe; neither is it enough for us to have the implicit faith of the church of Rome, to believe as the Church believeth, & then cannot tell how or what the Church believeth. This is the Collier's faith, not the Christian faith: this will not shield us from the darts and devices of the devil, but layeth our hearts open to all his fiery temptations. The ancient Christians that believed in the Son of God, were able not only to make confession of their own faith, but to defend and maintain the true faith against their enemies and persecutors, as all histories do declare. 
Hab. 2.4. Ro: 1, 17 Gal: 3, ●1 Heb: 10, 38.  The Prophet teacheth us, That the just shall live, not by another's, but by his own Faith. We are all taught to say, I believe, not, we believe: and therefore it is requisite that we be endued with true faith, and have such a certain and particular knowledge of the chief and fundamental points of our religion, that we be both able and ready to render a reason thereof; which cannot be, unless we have learned the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Hence it is, that the Apostle Peter exhorteth to this rule, 1 Pet. 3, 15. Sanctify the Lord in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that ask●th you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness & reverence. The practice hereof we have in Stephen, and Peter, 
and 4, 19 and 7, 2. and 22, 1. and 26, 2, 3.  and Paul, and others in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 2, 15. and 3. chapped. who made confession and profession of their Faith with boldness and cheerfulness, so often as the glory of God did require it. Now albeit the Apostles teach, that we must be enabled to confess our Faith, and to show before all men how we have profited, having a good conscience, that when they speak evil of us, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed which slander our good conversation in Christ: yet he doth not require such exactness and perfection to be able to dissolve all doubts, to answer all questions, and to unloose all knots, which is not to be looked for at the hands of the teachers themselves: but as we must know the fundamental points of true religion, whereupon our Faith is builded, so we must be strengthened and grounded in them, that we may be able all of us both young and old, to show in whom we have believed; what we are by creation, what by reason of our transgression, and what by Faith in Christ and by the fruits of regeneration. No man must be ignorant of these substantial points, that we may understand what title and interest we have to the inheritance of the heavenly Kingdom.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing obedience is so necessary a duty, without which we cannot please God, let us labour to perform our obedience unto him aright: to which end, we are to be careful to observe these rules of ordering and directing our obedience, that it may be approved in his sight. First of all, we must be assured that we do these things that are warranted in the word of God, and that they be done according to his will. He will not be served of us by good intentions, or human traditions, or blind superstitions, but he will be worshipped according to his own pleasure. This the Prophet Esay expresseth, chap. 29. verses 13, 14. This people come near to me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but have removed the●r heart far from me, and their fear toward me was taught by the precept of men. This our ●auiour teacheth to be a vain and idle serving of him. 
Math. 15, 8.  If our obedience be framed to the doctrine of man, not of God, it is foolish and without understanding. Such is the Religion for the most part of the Church of Rome, where men's inventions are set up, and many times magnified above the ordinances of God. There are many great fears wrought in the consciences of the poor people from the impositions of men, as heavy burdens laid upon them to observe and keep, as eat not, 
Col 2, 21.  taste not, handle not upon peril of condemnation: and there are many fair promises offered to men for their zeal in running on pilgrimage, honouring of Relics, visiting of Idols, invocation of Saints, saying of Masses, offering for the dead, Dirges, and such like dregs, which are not in the word, nor according to the word, but beside the word, nay against the word: 
Col. 2, 23.  which things indeed have a show of wisdom in voluntary religion & humbleness of mind, and in not sparing the body which are things of no value, sith they perta●ne to the filling of the flesh. All these therefore are false fears false devotions, false dangers, false promises, false prayers, false comforts, and briefly false worshippings, which are of no value or virtue, of no worth or reckoning. The least duty that God requireth that may be called the work of Christ is better than all the stately works of men: and so to take up a rush (if it stand with the will of God) to make clean platters, or spits, or shoes, is more acceptable to him, if it be our calling, then to build memorials or Monasteries for idle and superstitious Monks without word or warrant.  
Secondly, as our obedience must have the word for a foundation, so we must perform the same hearty: not for outward show and fashion, or to be seen of men, but do all as in the sight of him that looketh upon the heart. It is said by the Prophet, Psal. 40, 7, 8. In the volume of thy Book it is written of me, I desired to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy Law is within my heart. Our obedience must not be parted and divided between God and the Devil. God will have entire obedience, or accept no obedience at our hands. Hence it is, 
prover. 23, ●  that the Wiseman exhorteth us, To give God our heart, and let our eyes delight in his ways. 
2 Tim. 2, 22. Luke 8, ●. R●● 10, 10. john ● 18. Rom: 6, ●● Col. 3, 21, 2.  This discovereth the sin of all hypocrites, who pray, but not with a pure hart; they hear, but it is not with good and honest hearts: they believe but it is not with the heart: they love, but it is not in deed and in truth: they obey, but they are not obedient from the heart unto the form of doctrine: and whatsoever they do, they do it ceremonially and externally, not hearty as to the Lord, but hypocritically as to men; like idle and slothful servants, who perform no more to their Masters but eyeservice as men pleasers. If then our heart be away, all is away, the soul and life of every action is wanting: and we offer the dead carcase of a sacrifice to God, which stinketh as an unsavoury thing in his nostrils. This made the Prophet say, Psal. 25, 1, 2. Unto thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. And Psal. 108, 1, 2. O God my heart is prepared, so is my tongue, I will sing and give praise. If once the affection of the heart be settled, the tongue tarrieth not behind, but is ready to publish the praises of God. Thirdly, our obedience must be done with all our power cheerfully and willingly: which dependeth upon the former, albeit distinguished from it. Although we fail in many circumstances, God will not lay it to our charge, nor stay the course of his blessings from coming unto us, so long as he seethe in us a willing heart. He respecteth more the affection to obey, than obedience itself: and alloweth of our good desire, more than of the performance of the duty.  
We see this in the poor widows mite which she cast into the Treasury, of which our Saviour saith, Mark 12, 43. Luke 21, verse 23. Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor Widow hath cast in more than all they that have cast into the treasury. She had not cast in more, if we considered the quantity and greatness of the gift (for what was two mites but a quadrin?) but it was more in regard of the quality and affection of her heart, which is much set by of Almighty God. Hereupon it is that the Prophet sayeth, Micah 7, 18, 19 Who is a God like unto thee, that taketh away iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his wrath for ever, because mercy pleaseth him: he will turn again and have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, and cast all their sins into the bottom of the Sea. Thus we see how favourable the Lord is toward his children that are desirous and willing to serve him.  
To this purpose speaketh the Prophet Malachi in the third Chapter, and the seventeenth verse, They shall be to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day that I shall do this, for a flock: and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. The Father, when he shall set his son to any business, if he show his good will and endeavour to do his best, will be pleased with him and accept of the work, though it be done unperfectly, rawly, and untowardly. He takes in good part his good desire. Even so is it with Almighty God, if he see in us willingness, we shall find from him forgiveness, and our imperfections to be passed over. The Apostle S. Paul teacheth this in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter eight, and the twelfth verse. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that a man hath not. Thus doth God encourage us in our obedience, assuring us that the measure of grace that he bestoweth upon us, shall be sufficient for us.  
Fourthly, we must perform the fruits of our obedience entirely, not to halves; sincerely, not parting stakes between God and the Devil, and ourselves, as we noted before. Many will do so much readily as may stand with their own liking, and agree with their own ease and profit, but they will go no farther: they are content to do diverse good things, but they continue and persever in some sins that mar all. They can hate pride, but they contemn the Gospel: some will show love to the Gospel, but are lascivious, hardhearted, unjust, doers of wrong, and evil speakers. It is a foolish conceit of many, that think they may lawfully live in some known sins, and yet be God's servants still: these deceive themselves, and discover the hypocrisy of their hearts. Such as continue in drunkenness, fornication, Adultery, uncleanness, hatred, and covetousness, will presume to come to the place of God's worship, and shroud themselves into the company of the faithful, and present themselves in the presence of God, and receive the lords Supper once a year, and then think that God will and must have respect unto them. These are like the dissembling and deceitful jews mentioned by jeremy the Prophet, jerem. 7, 9, 10. Will you steal, murder, and commit Adultery, and swear falsely, and burn Incense unto Baal, and walk after other Gods whom ye know not? And come and stand before me in this house whereupon my name is called, and say, we are delivered, though we have done all these abominations? Saul would do the works of GOD in outward pretence, 
1 Sam. 15. Mark 6, 20.  and show himself obedient in part: but he kept Agag alive, and spared the fattest of the Cattle, contrary to the commandment of God. Herod heard john willingly, reverenced him, received the word with joy, and did many things at his preaching; but he would not leave his Incest, and departed from his brother's wife. The godly do not deal thus falsely and fraudulently with God; they give him the possession of their whole hearts, and keep not back a part thereof. josiah is commended for walking in all the ways of God, 
2 King: 23, 25. Psal: 119, 6  and for taking away the abominations of the land. The Prophet David witnesseth, that he had respect to all the commandments of the law. Moses professeth boldly before Pharaoh, that they must carry their Cattle with them into the wilderness to offer sacrifice, 
Exod: 10, 26  and he would not leave an hoof of them behind him. Let us labour after this sincerity, otherwise our obedience is stained with hypocrisy: for God that made all, will have all, or none at all.  
Fiftly, our obedience must be a constant obedience, it must not be by fits and pangs (as the coming of an Ague) for a day, or a short and set time. Such as are sick of an Ague, have a cold fit at the first, & then an hot: with these time-servers it is quite contrary, they are hot at the beginning, and afterward wax cold at the latter ending. But we must continue out to the end. There is no promise made but to such as persever. He that endureth to the end, shall be saved: 
Matth. 10.22. and 24.13. revel. 2.10.  and if we be faithful to the death, We shall receive the crown of life. If we would give right judgement of a man how his case standeth with God and what his conversation is, we must judge of him by the whole course of his life, not by this or that action, no nor only by his behaviour at the hour of death, for that is a deceitful rule, and may lead us into error. If a man in the course of his life yield obedience, and seek to approve himself unto God, we have good and firm hope of such a one that he is the child of God, yea albeit at the end of his days, by violence of some sickness and want of natural rest and distemperature of the brain, and impatience of the flesh, he should talk idly, rave grievously, and blaspheme horribly: we are to judge of such a one by the strictness of his life, not by the strangeness of his death. If his life have been sound and sincere, his unperfect obedience shall be accepted, and all his frailty shall be remitted: so that an evil end never followeth a good and godly life. But if the course of a man's life be wicked and his ways crooked, though he die calmly, and go away quietly like a lamb, and cry, Lord have mercy upon me: yet he may be a reprobate and go to the pit of destruction. Hence it is, that the ungodly are described, job 21. to say unto God, Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways: 
job 21.13.14.15.23.25.  who is the Almighty, that we should serve him, and what profit should we have to pray unto him? yet for the most part they live pleasantly, and having no bands in their death, they die quietly, they spend their days in wealth, and are not tormented with long sickness. They are not afflicted and affrighted as other men. Contrariwise, the godly are daily punished, and chastened every morning, they die in the bitterness of their soul, & never eat with pleasure, Psal. 73.4.14. Eccle. 9.1.2. Who doubteth of the integrity and sincerity of job and jeremy? we know they were just and eschewed evil: yet they cursed the day of their birth, and the night wherein it is said, 
job 3.1.2.3. jer. 20.14.15.  there was a manchild conceived. And if they had died presently, they had been saved undoubtedly, albeit the corruption of the flesh for a time prevailed: even as it fell out with jacob, who wrestled with the Angel, but his thigh was so crushed, that he halted ever after. So may it fall out with many of God's children, the force & fierceness of sharp diseases, proceeding from hot causes, may so disturb the head & distemper the powers of the mind, as that they may break out even into blasphemy, yea be so distempered and distracted by the violence thereof, as that they far as men out of their wits and right mind: yet they may notwithstanding all this, remain still in God's favour, and die in his fear. For they may say, and say truly with the Apostle, 
Rom. 7.17.18.19.20, 21.  It is not I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. He saith, his whole desire was to give himself to the serving of God, yet he was hindered and hampered by his own nature which was overweake: so that in striving against sin, he ceased not to receive many wounds, and to take sundry foils & blows, and therefore could not accomplish the good that he desired. Let us all be constant unto the death, & then our obedience shall have his recompense of reward. Lastly, our obedience must not be delayed from time to time, supposing we shall find a fit time hereafter to hear the Lord speak unto us. The longer we defer the time of repentance & the practice of obedience, the more unfit, unready, and unresolved we shall find our hearts to be. Every sin helpeth to harden the heart, until we be turned and transformed into stones. Wherefore the holy Ghost saith, 
Heb: 3, 7, 8, and 4, 7:  To day if ye will hear his voice, etc.: The acceptable season is the present time. So soon as God commandeth & revealeth his will unto us, let us not linger or prolong the time, but immediately prepare our ears to hear, our tongues to speak, 
Bernard. de praecep. & discipl.  our feet to walk, our hands to work, & every part of us to perform his Commandments. He loveth such a servant, he accepteth such a service. Will we regard such a servant, as when we speak unto him, & show him what we would have done, turneth his back from us & regardeth not our business, or saith he will do it another time, when he is at fit leisure? If we will not take such service at his hands, or put up such contempt, shall we think the Lord will be mocked to his face, & dallied withal as with a child? When he saith, Come, shall we answer, we will not come? When he comandeth us to hear his voice to day, shall we answer, we will not hear it to day, but the next day, or peradventure the next year? When he saith, This is the acceptable time, shall we answer, I will find a fit & more convenient time hereafter? If he shall say unto us, the time of repentance is the present time, shall we presume to cross him, and to reply, the time to come is the best time, which God hath reserved in his own hand, & is to us unknown? How many are there that have neglected the voice of God calling them & crying unto them, that were prevented by sudden & untimely death, and thereby taken away in their sins? The foolish Virgins delayed so long, 
* Mat: 25, 10  that the Bridegroom came, & they were shut out of the Kingdom, where they knocked, but could not be received. To conclude, let our obedience be surely grounded upon the infallible rock of the scriptures: let it be performed hearty, not hypocritically: let it be discharged cheerfully, not grudgingly: let it be done entirely, not to halves: let it be constant, not intermitted and interrupted: lastly, let it be present, not put off from day to day: then shall we be sure to be accepted, and that God will crown our obedience in this life, with a full and final recompense in the life to come.   

20. So were the sons of Reuben 
Reuben.  Israel's eldest son, by their generations, by their families, & by the houses of their fathers, according to the number of their names, man by man, every male from twenty years and above, as many as went forth to war.  
21. The number of them, I say, of the Tribe of Reuben, was six and forty thousand and five hundredth.  
22 Of the sons of Simeon 
Simeon.  by their generations, their families, and by the houses of their fathers, according to the number of their names, man by man, every male from twenty years and above, as many as went forth to war.  
23 The sum of them I say of the Tribe of Simeon, was nine and fifty thousand, and three hundredth.  
24. Of the sons of Gad 
Gad.  by their generations: and so forward unto the end of the Chapter.  
In the words before we have seen the obedience of Moses set down in general, that he did all as the Lord had commanded him. here we are to consider the same more particularly, what was the sum of every Tribe: wherein somewhat is set down common to them all, that they are numbered, first, by their generations, secondly, by their families, thirdly, by the houses of their fathers, four, according to the number of their names; fifthly, man by man sixthly, every male: seventhly, from twenty year and above: eightly, as many as went forth to war. These things are noted of every Tribe particularly: somewhat is set down that is proper to each Tribe, to wit, to what sum it accrued, to wit; 

1. Of the Tribe of Reuben were numbered, 46500.  
2. Of the Tribe of Simeon, were numbered, 59300.  
3. Of the Tribe of Gad, were numbered, 45650.  
4. Of the Tribe of judah, were numbered, 74600.  
5. Of the Tribe of Issachar, were numbered, 54400.  
6. Of the Tribe of Zebulun, were numbered, 57400.  
7. Of the Tribe of Ephraim, were numbered, 40500.  
8. Of the Tribe of Manasseh, were numbered, 32200.  
9 Of the Tribe of Benjamin, were numbered, 35400.  
10. Of the Tribe of Dan, were numbered, 62700.  
11. Of the Tribe of Asher, were numbered, 41500.  
12. Of the Tribe of Naphtali, were numbered, 53400.  
The total sum— 603550.    
Here is a particular view and survey taken of this people together, with the general sum of the whole. From hence divers Questions arise, that are to be answered before we do handle the doctrine proper to this Question 1 place. First, it may be demanded, how this people could multiply to so great a number in so short a time. For from the birth of Isaac, to the muster here taken, are not much above 400, years, and they went into Egypt with a few souls; how then could one family, the Tribe of Levi also excluded, and the unwarlike company of women and children, of old and sickly persons not comprehended, how I say, could one family grow to so great a multitude? The Atheists account this incredible and unpossible, Answer. and therefore make a mock at it, as they do at many other parts of holy scriptures, which they wrist to their own destruction. Neither is this to be believed by the authority of the Church rather, then through the testimony of the Scripture and the holy Spirit speaking in it, 
Cocleus. lib. 2. de author. Eccles. et Script.  as some of the Papists speak of many like places. Herein appeareth indeed the wonderful blessing of God in increasing seventy persons to such a multitude, in the space of two hundred & sixteen years; for so long was it and no longer from the coming down of jacob into Egypt with his family, unto this numbering of them by Moses in this place: whereby God did make good his promise unto jacob, 
Gen. 46.3.  I will make of thee a great Nation. For as his justice appeared and the severity of his hand, that of all this great multitude which came out of Egypt, only two of them, to wit, Caleb and joshua entered into the Land of Canaan, all the residue, because of their murmuring, idolatry, and disobedience perished in the wilderness; some were slain with the sword, some were swallowed up of the earth, some were consumed with the pestilence, some were stung with the serpents, some died a natural death; 
Numb. 14.  so that neither their eyes saw, nor their feet trod upon the Land of promise, as the Lord threatened them: so the wonderful mercy, & exceeding blessing of God was seen & showed in this wonderful multiplication, until they came to so huge a multitude. 
August. de civit. dei. lib. 18. cap. 7. Mornae. de ver rel. Christ. c. 26.  Neither need we to hold (as many do) that this was miraculous, and contrary to the course of nature: or that every one brought forth two or three at every birth. We see by experience in numbering, that a small number by addition and multiplication, and doubling thereof, in a small time ariseth to a great and an innumerable company. Some in our time yet living, avouch, that they have known in their own days, one woman, who saw of her posterity that came out of her own womb, an hundred and sixty persons, and yet a principal part of them had no issue at all, some of them leading a single life, others being prevented by death. The heathen report in their Histories, that the Egyptian women bring forth many at one burden: but to leave them, it is most probable, that all the Hebrew women were very fruitful, 
Willet. Hexapl. in Exod. cap. 1. p. 9 & cap. 12. Simler. in Exod.  and none of them barren; and that they began betimes to bear children, and continued long, the LORD thereby making a way for the execution of his decree, and the accomplishment of his promise, notwithstanding their cruel bondage, heavy yoke, & intolerable labour wherewith they were oppressed and oppugned. Now to give a taste of this increase how it might be effected by ordinary means (albeit by an extraordinary blessing, that God might verify the word spoken unto Abraham) consider with me, that seventy persons in thirty years, supposing they begat every one but one only in a year (as many might do more) will bring forth two thousand & one hundred persons. If we cut off the odd hundred, and admit that the third part only of the former number was apt for generation, to wit, six hundred, which make three hundred couples, and so many marriages; these considered as the former, in thirty year more will beget and multiply nine thousand; and yet we are come but to sixty years after their coming into Egypt. The third part of this nine thousand being three thousand, maketh fisteene hundred couples or persons to marry, who having every year one child (who in less than a year may have more than one) will increase the next thirty years forty five thousand, which bringeth us to the ninetieth year after their coming into Egypt. The third part hereof being fifteen thousand, will make seven thousand four hundred couples or marriages, omitting the odd hundredth, which may beget by the twelve year 222000. persons: the third part hereof being seventy four thousand, maketh thirty seven thousand couples, and will begat at the hundred and fifty year, 1110000. souls. The third part hereof being three hundred seventy, thousand persons, maketh one hundred eighty five thousand marriages, which will multiply by generation the next thirty years, which falleth (being expired) into the 180. year, 555000. souls: the third part hereof being one hundred eighty five thousand, maketh besides the odd thousand, 920000. marriages, which will beget by the two hundred and tenth year, 27600000. that is, seven and twenty thousand and six hundred thousand. This particular supputation we have made, to show that the Israelites bringing forth abundance of increase, as the spawn of the fish in the waters, did not multiply by a miraculous generation, but by an extraordinary benediction, GOD giving a special blessing unto them, partly to vex their enemies; and partly to verify his own promises.  
Question 2 Secondly, it may seem strange in this place, that Reuben the eldest son of jacob, and the beginning of his strength, placed also in this muster in the first rank, cometh far behind many other, in the number of posterity. For, if we compare that Tribe with those that follow, and namely, with Simeon, Issachar, Dan, and Naphtali, we shall find they are much more populous. joseph was one of the sons of jacob, and one of the last and youngest, yet he exceeded and surmounted him almost half in half. But in the Tribe of judah, the blessing of God doth most apparently show itself according to the ancient prophesy of jacob.  
I answer, though Reuben had the privilege to be the first born, Answer. yet he lost his birthright, and for his wickedness committed against his Father, he was thrust down from that seat of honour. This is it which jacob foretold long before, Genesis 49, 3, 4. Reuben mine eldest son, thou art my might, and the beginning of my strength: the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power, etc. Thou shalt not be excellent, because thou wentest up to thy Father's bed, than didst thou defile my bed, thy dignity is gone. This threatening was denounced by the mouth of his Father, but he was therein the mouth and minister of GOD, and therefore it must be in time accomplished. God maketh way for the effecting of it; and this was a sign of the fulfilling of that curse, that his posterity is diminished, and others taste of God's blessing before him. And, as the birthright had two privileges, 
Gen: 4, 7.  the rule over his Brethren, and a double portion of the Father's inheritance: the former fell to judah, upon whose posterity the kingdom was cast; the latter to joseph, 
1 Chr. 5, 1, 2.  whose two sons had a twofold portion; so that Reuben lost the one and the other. For it standeth with God's justice, that he who climbed up where he ought not to have touched, should be thrust from that which of right to him belonged; according to the saying of Christ in the Gospel, 
Luke 14, 11. and 18 14. Math: 23, 12.  Whosoever lifteth up himself shall be cast down and he that humbleth himself shallbe exalted. This is the cause also that judah and joseph so much increased & multiplied above their fellows, to the end, that God might make good the promise he made unto them: For heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot or tittle of this word shall not pass, but be fulfilled. But of these things we shall have occasion offered to speak more in the next chapter, whereunto I refer you for farther direction.  
Thirdly, the question may be asked, for Question 3 what cause Moses numbering the Tribes severally, useth the same words, and maketh so many repetitions, whereas he might have comprehended the same in a shorter sum? For, he saith of every Tribe, that they were numbered by their generations, by their Families, and by their Father's houses, according to the number of their names, every male from twenty years and above, as many as went forth to war: was it not enough to have said so once for all, but he must repeat it so often? I answer, Answer. there are no vain and needless repetitions in the Scripture; every word, & syllable, and letter hath his use, and standeth for some purpose, albeit we do not always know so much. 
* Reasons rendered why Moses useth so many words.  One cause may be in respect of God; to teach, that as with him is no respect of persons, so he hath a care as well of one as of another; he is a common Father of them all, he neglecteth none, but remembreth them with his kindness, and spreadeth the wing of his protection over them. Thus doth God deal with us at this day, he keepeth us in his book of remembrance, no less than he did the Jews, inasmuch as there falleth not a Sparrow to the ground without his will, 
Mat. 10, 29, 30  and the hairs of our head are numbered.  
The second cause may be, to graft in our minds, and imprint in our memories this so great a blessing in multiplying them unto the number of so many thousands in so short a space. If he had spoken it once, and in few words, it might soon be forgotten, & lightly pass from us: now he standeth upon it at large, that the often repetition and commemoration might engraffed and engrave it in our hearts, that there it might continue; for we are apt to ascribe God's works to nature, and to take them to ourselves, & so to make no profit of them.  
Thirdly, he maketh as honourable mention of one as he doth of another, without any difference, that one should not envy at another, neither one condemn another, but that mutual love and friendship should be maintained among them as among Brethren. A little title of honour and dignity is able to make us swell one against another. Lest therefore he should seem to neglect one, and prefer another, he keepeth an even hand, and equalleth one with another, so far as lieth in him. He giveth no occasion of advantage to such as were ready to seek all occasions: but cutteth them off, by speaking that of one, which he had affirmed of the other. Thus much of the Questions that may be made and moved out of this division: let us now come to the Doctrines that are to be gathered for our instruction.  
[Verse 20, 21, etc. So were the sons of Reuben, etc.] Moses setteth down in this place, the particular number of every Tribe, & then the general sum of the whole gathered together into one, the which amounteth unto 603550. persons that could draw the sword. This may seem very strange unto us, that so small an handful of 70. souls should multiply so greatly in the space of 216. years. But herein we are to consider the truth of God joined with his power, who because he is true of his word, and able of his power, performed that to this people which he promised long before to their Fathers. For we must fetch the cause of this extraordinary increase a little higher, and observe that God had passed his promise long before to Abraham, that albeit he were old, and his wife both old and barren, yet he would bless him with a great seed & posterity, as the dust of the earth, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand on the sea— shore which could not be numbered, as Goe 12, 3. I will make of thee a great Nation, I will bless thee, & make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And chap. 13, 14, 16. & 15, 5. & 17, 2, 4, 5, 6. 
Rom. 4, 17, 18 Heb. 11, 12.  Lift up thine eyes now, and look from the place where thou art, Northward and Southward, Eastward and Westward, I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed be numbered. Likewise Chap. 15. he brought him forth, and said, Look up now unto heaven, and tell the Stars, if thou be able to number them, and be said unto him, So shall thy seed be. So Chap. 17. I will make my Covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly, Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but Abraham, for a Father of many Nations have I made thee; & I will make thee exceeding fruitful, & will make nations of thee, yea Kings shall proceed of thee. The same promise is likewise renewed to jacob, Gen. 46 2, 3. I am God, the God of thy father, fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great Nation. Thus did God speak from time to time to the patriarchs, and thus did he promise to bless them, & did renew the promise for their farther assurance and consolation. Behold here, the accomplishment of the same promise, and the verifying of it to the full, 
Ps. 105, 24, 37  for he increased his people exceedingly, & made them stronger than their oppressors: yea, he brought them forth with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among their tribes. From Doctrine 4 hence we gather this doctrine, 
God will perform all the promises that he maketh to his people.  that all the promises of God made to his children, shall in due time be accomplished, so that he will not fail nor falsify the word that is gone out of his mouth. The truth hereof appeareth by sundry consents of Scripture. This is it that joshua declareth, chap. 21, 44, 45. The Lord gave rest unto Israel round about, according to all that he had sworn unto their Fathers, there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; for the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand, There failed nothing of all the good things which the Lord had said unto the house of Israel, but all came to pass. Where he showeth, that as God promised to defend his, & to defeat their enemies, and to give his people peace, so he failed them not, but fulfilled his promise. In the Book of the Kings mentioning the siege of Samaria, we read, that in the great famine wherein the City was pressed, 
2 King. 7, 1, 18  the Prophet Elisha prophesieth, that to morrow this time, a measure of fine flower shall be sold for a shekel, & two measures of Barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria. And howsoever this seemed unpossible to such as were blinded with unbelief, & looked upon ordinary means that showed themselves before them, who feared not to say, Though the Lord would make windows in heaven, this thing could not come to pass: yet it did come to pass, & nothing was left unperformed, for the people went out and spoiled the camp of the Aramites, so that a measure of fine Flower was at a shekel, and two measures of Barley at a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. True it is, God sometimes promiseth that which he doth not by and by accomplish, because the promise is for the appointed time; but in the end it cometh and shall not stay. In the beginning of the world it was said immediately after the man's fall, Gen. 3, 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed & her seed: he shall break thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Many years passed over the heads of God's people before this was performed, yea many Kings and Prophets, and righteous men desired to see these days, that longed for the coming of the Messiah, and the consolation of Israel: 
Gal. 4, 4, 5.  but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, and made under the Law, etc. God promised, and Noah prophesied, and the Scripture hath published, 
Genes. 9.27.  that God should persuade japheth that he may dwell in the tents of Shem, so that the Gentiles should be converted unto the faith, and won by the ministery of the word, not by the force of the sword to embrace the Gospel. This promise was long deferred, yet in the end truly verified, when the Apostles were called to preach unto them, prepared for it by the gift of tongues, and enabled to go through the work, as appeareth at large in the Acts of the Apostles. The old and new Testament do give testimony one to another. The old Testament containeth many and sundry prophecies: and what is the new, but an accomplishment of the same? All these allegations, as a cloud of witnesses, confirm this point; that God, as he maketh his promises in mercy, so in justice and righteousness he accomplisheth the same.  
Reason 1 Neither let this seem strange unto us. For first consider with me, who it is that maketh the same; not man who is deceitful, but God who never failed or falsified his word. He is true in all his sayings, and faithful in all his doings: he is as ready to perform, as he is to promise, and never repenteth or recalleth that which is gone out of his mouth. This the Apostle as a faithful witness testifieth, Rom. 3, 3, 4. 
Psal. 36, 6. and 57, 11. and 89, 33.  What though some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbidden: yea, let God be true, and every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, and overcome when thou art judged. The reason used in this place is this; God is true in his word, and constant in his promise; therefore he never deceiveth nor deludeth those that are his with vain words, whose truth reacheth unto the clouds.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as he is true in nature, so he is unchangeable in will; he is not like man that he should lie. Man is subject to vanity & inconstancy, as to speak, and not to do it: to promise and not to keep it: but it is not so with God, who hath opened his mouth, & will perform it. This doth job plainly declare, Chap. 23, 13. He is in one mind, and who can turn him? Tea, he doth what his mind desireth: for he will perform that which is decreed of me, and many such things are with him. There is no variableness with him, neither shadow of turning, he remaineth the same evermore. To this purpose Moses declareth that Balaam could not curse the people of God, but was constrained against his will to bless them, 
Numb: 23, 19  because God is not as man that he should lie, neither as the Son of man that he should repent; Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken, and shall he not accomplish it?  
Thirdly, he is powerful, and of himself Reason 3 able and sufficient to work out his own will; so that nothing shall hinder him, or delay the doing thereof when the time is come. It falleth out oftentimes with man, when he hath promised to accomplish a work, that he is not able to perform it, either through weakness in himself, or through the overruling power that is in another. It is not so with God; whatsoever he decreeth, he doth: whatsoever he willeth, he worketh and performeth. When after God's gracious promise to give flesh unto his people in abundance, Moses doubted thereof in regard of the want of those means which he saw not, and the multitude of the people which he saw; the Lord said unto him; Is the Lord's hand shortened? 
Numb: 11: 23.  Thou shalt now see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee, or not. Seeing therefore, God is true of his word, unchangeable in his will, and powerful in his works, we may build our faith upon this truth, that his promises shall never fail any of his children.  
Let us now apply this doctrine to ourselves. Use 1 First, is this certain that God will perform whatsoever he hath promised? Then we may conclude this, that whatsoever promises are not yet fulfilled, shall in due time be accomplished? How many promises hath he already verified? Can any power or strength of man prevail against him to frustrate them, and to make them of none effect? Many there are that he hath made which are yet to come, they also shall be made good; for even they are as easily brought to pass as the rest which we see already performed. We have a prophesy & promise of the calling of the jews, that they shall be gathered into the Sheepfold of Christ and profess his name, for God is able to graft them in again. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, 
Rom: 11, 23.  I would not Brethren that ye should be ignorant of this secret (lest ye should be arrogant in yourselves) that partly obstinacy is come to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. See then hereby the prophesy inverted. Once it was, as we heard before, that God should persuade japheth to dwell in the tents of Sem: but now the promise is, that God will persuade Sem, to dwell in the Tents of japheth. As therefore the church of the jews is brought in praying for the conversion of the Gentiles, so should we by an holy emulation from them, apply unto them, and for them, their own words, Cant. 8, 8. We have a little Sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our Sister when she shall be spoken for? The calling of the Gentiles once seemed as unprobable and unpossible, yet did God take away all obstacles and stumbling-blockes, and brought them unto the faith by the power of his two-edged sword: so we cannot doubt (for faithful is he that hath promised) but in his good time he will in mercy look upon the natural branches, and according to his ancient bountifulness, graft them into their own Olive tree. They are the first borne of God, and as it were the elder Brethren of the house; albeit they seem disinherited for a season, and cast out of the house, yet God will admit them again, & receive them into the adoption of sons. And our doctrine serveth us as a prop and pillar to underprop our faith touching this point. Again, God hath promised that he will free us from all sin and misery, 
Reu. 7, 16, 15.  that he will wipe away all tears from our eyes, and make us without spot and wrinkle, so that we shall hunger and thirst no more. We see not this with our bodily eyes, neither are we made partakers of this promise: For behold unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, 
1 Cor. 4, 11, 12.13.  and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain abiding place: we are reviled, and yet we bless: we are persecuted, and suffer it: we are evil spoken of, and we pray: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, unto this time. This doctrine therefore serveth to uphold our faith in this point. Thirdly, God hath promised to raise up our bodies that have lain in the dust, and are rotten in the earth, by his almighty power, who calleth things that are not as if they were. True it is, it goeth above natural reason to conceive & understand this truth; 
Rom. 8, 11.  yet the Apostle saith, If the Spirit of Christ that raised up jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies. How soever then our bodies be either burned, or drowned, or devoured, God will raise them, for with him nothing is unpossible. We see what men are able to do by Art and workmanship: of ashes, they are able to make costly and curious glasses; by distillation they are able to extract the spirit and quintessence of sundry things: out of one metal it is not hard with them to draw another; as Silver out of Lead by melting and refining: by sowing their corn that rotteth in the earth, we see it hath a new body given it. Therefore it is not impossible in itself. Notwithstanding we see not this as yet performed; the bodies of the Saints remain in the earth, and see corruption. This doctrine therefore serveth to uphold our faith in this point, & to make us rest in hope, that he will not always leave them in the grave, nor suffer them to perish therein for evermore.  
Lastly, God hath foretold that there shall be an end of this world, that the Lord jesus shall break the heavens and come to judge all flesh, so that the dead shall rise, and all shall stand before his judgement seat to receive according to their works, whether they be good or evil. Then shall the faithful be fully glorified, and inherit the crown of eternal life. This howsoever it be oftentimes and faithfully promised of God, yet hath been and is derided of many, who shall in the end pay the price of their folly and infidelity, & feel that God's truth is stable, and surer then the heavens. 
2 Pet. 3, 3, 4.  This is it which the Apostle Peter testifieth, This first understand, that there shall come in the last days mockers, which will walk after their lusts, and say, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the Fathers died, all things continue alike, from the beginning of the Creation. But whatsoever these Atheists dream of the glorious appearance of Christ his second coming, and howsoever they put the evil day far from them: yet the Lord of that promise is not slack (as some men count slackness) but is patiented toward us, and would have no man to perish. Nevertheless, the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a noise, and the Elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein, shall be burnt up. This we see not yet performed, 
1 Thess. 4, 17.  neither are we made partakers of eternal life, when we shall ever rest & remain with the Lord, and nothing shall separate us from his glorious and comfortable presence. This doctrine therefore serveth to uphold our faith in this point. And whensoever we read of any promise that God hath in mercy made to his Church, albeit it be for a time deferred, not presently accomplished, let us wait with patience, and build our Faith upon the experience of his former promises, which we see already fulfilled; and say with the Apostle, 
2 Tim. 1, 12,  I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day. We are sure we build not in the air, we beat not the air, but we build upon assure foundation, that shall never decay or deceive us. For who ever put his trust in him, and was confounded? Or who did set up his rest on him, and went away ashamed? Hence it is that Christ saith, Math. 5, 17, 18. Think not that I am come, to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I am not come to destroy them but to fulfil them: for truly I say unto you, till heaven and earth perish, one jot or one title of the Law shall not scape, till all things be fulfilled. This is needful for us to consider & remember, for our faith is often shaken with doubting and infidelity: that which we see not we many times believe not; and so we are shaken through our weakness as with the wind: but we must make God our rock, and rest on his unchangeable word, who is truth itself, and cannot lie.  
Secondly, seeing Gods promises are so Use 2 surely grounded upon the immutability of God's truth, that it is unpossible that they should fail, or he deceive; this teacheth that it is as true, that his judgements shall not fail, but follow the wicked at the heels. For God is as unchangeable in the one, as in the other. It is a foolish error to imagine that God will undoubtedly perform the promises of his mercy, and not the threatenings of his justice. True it is, many presume of his goodness, but they doubt of his righteousness. This is to set up an abominable Idol in our hearts, and to deny the infiniteness of his glory and majesty, and to devise a God made altogether of mercy. If God be true in the one, he is also as true in the other: if he fail in the one, he changeth also in the other. This use is directly concluded by joshua in the exhortation that he maketh to the people, that they should not join themselves to the idolatrous Nations, but love the Lord their God, and cleave unto him with full purpose of heart, when he saith, Chap. 23. ver. 14, 15. Behold this day do I enter into the way of all the world, and ye know in your hearts, and in all your souls, that nothing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised you, but all are come to pass unto you, nothing hath failed thereof: Therefore as all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promised you, so shall the LORD bring upon you every evil thing, until he have destroyed you out of this good Land which the Lord your God hath given you. In which words he teacheth, that his threatenings are of the same nature with his promises, and his judgements as certain as his mercies. 
2 Kings 7, 1, 2 17.18.  This appeareth by a notable example which God showed at the breaking up of the long siege of Samaria: he promised to the faithful that would believe, plenty and abundance the next day; and he threatened to the Prince, on whose hand the King leaned, that he should see it with his eyes but he should not eat thereof. Here God did promise good, and threaten evil. Did he show forth the work of his mercy, and not of his judgement? of his goodness, not of his wrath? Yes, of his wrath and judgement; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, so it came to pass. This serveth to show the woeful estate and condition of all ungodly men & unrepentant sinners: for howsoever they flatter themselves, & put away the evil day far from them, being deluded, and as it were charmed with a proud presumption of God's mercies, yet the threatening of God, the curse of the Law, and the terror of their conscience which standeth against them shall abide for ever: and therefore so long as they go forward in sin, and proceed in the wickedness of their hearts, they have just cause to mourn and lament, forasmuch as the threatenings manifested in the word, are inviolable and unchangeable. Let all those that lie in any sin repent, & while it is called to day hear his voice, lest the curse of the Law, which shall certainly be fulfilled, do seize upon them, and they be carried to utter destruction. The Prophet Esay denounceth many woes against wicked men, 
Esay 5, 8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22.  Woe unto them that join house to house, and lay Field to field, till there be no place for the poor. Woe unto them that rise up early to follow drunkenness, and to them that continue till night. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cartropes. Woe unto them that speak good of evil, and evil of good; which put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, & sweet for sour. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, & prudent in their own sight. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and to them that are strong to pour in strong drink. here are many woes, and fearful threatenings of many miseries, and do the ungodly think to escape? or that these things do not deeply concern them? Our Saviour denounceth a great woe, against all contemners of the Gospel, & telleth them, It shallbe easier for tire & Sidon, nay for Sodom and Gomorra in the day of judgement, 
Mat. 11, 22, 24  then for them. Must not these denunciations be accomplished? Or do we remain as Infidels, and think they shall never be performed? Or if they be performed, that we shall be exempted or excused? It cannot be that his word should fall to the ground, and take none effect. Let us fear these terrible threatenings, humble ourselves before him, and forsake our evil ways: let us betake ourselves unto him, and let us turn unto his word, for the word will never turn unto us, and bend itself to our pleasure. The Scripture is full, & replenished with such heavy threatenings, as may serve to strike a fear and terror into our hearts. The Prophet Amos 
Amos 6, 1, 3.  denounceth a Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, that put far away the evil day, and approach to the seat of iniquity, and are not sorry for the affliction of joseph. The Prophet Malachi foretelleth, 
Mal. 4, 1.  that the day cometh which shall burn as an Oven, and all the proud, yea all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, and shall leave them neither root nor branch. These threatenings are surer than the heavens which shall pass away, but these shall never pass away: and therefore woe to them that repent not, nor return to the Lord; for they must needs be taken suddenly in them as in a snare, and no man shall be able to deliver them. They may think themselves forgiven, or at least forgotten, but poor souls they are deceived. It is not length of time that can help them, nor strength of their arm that can save them, nor the wedge of Gold that can deliver them: for Riches avail not in the day of wrath, 
prover. 11, 4  nor serve to pacify his indignation; but righteousness delivereth from death.  
Thirdly, as we learn the truth of God in Use 3 his threatenings, so there ariseth from hence a most excellent ground of assured comfort for all God's servants, to establish their hearts in the immutability of all his promises. Many are the particular promises set down in the word, & as many as are there mentioned, so many particular comforts are ministered unto us as from the hand of God, to the end that we believing them, and as it were, clasping our arms about them, might have strong consolation and boldness to come to the throne of grace. Wherefore, whensoever we feel the weakness of our faith, we must have recourse to his word. As they which have a dim sight and weak eye, use the help of their Spectacles, and thereby find comfort: so should we when we are at any time troubled with doubting, help our spiritual eyesight with often looking into the glass of his word, and meditating continually upon his promises. It were endless and infinite to speak of all his gracious promises mentioned in his word: some are of temporal blessings, and other of spiritual and eternal; in both we ought to rest upon the unchangeableness of his will, who is not as man that he should any way deceive us; as those that use to promise much, & perform little. His promise is certain, and very good payment, if we dare trust him of his word. 
Psal. 37.25.  It is he that hath said, I have been young, and am old, yet I saw never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. It is he that hath spoken, 
Heb. 13.6, 7.  I will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The Lord is mine helper, neither will I fear what man can do unto me. 
Matthew 6, 33  It is he that hath promised, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be ministered unto you. We see how much many men vex & torment themselves about earthly & transitory things; they fear they shall want before they die, and give themselves to unlawful shifts to maintain themselves and their estate: the reason hereof is, because they have unbelieving hearts; they cannot cast themselves and their care upon the Lord, they will not seek his love and favour, they labour not to be reconciled to him in Christ jesus, and whatsoever he promise unto them of his word, they believe nothing at all.  
Take an example of God's providence over his people, whiles they walked and wandered in the Wilderness, they had neither seed time nor harvest, and they were an huge multitude, of more than six hundred thousand, beside women and children, yet he sustained them, and provided for them till he brought them into the land of Canaan. He is not as a poor Father that hath more children than he is able to sustain; or as a state that is constrained to disburden itself of their superfluity and overflowing multitude, and so to send out many Colonies to plant themselves in other places: he hath all the earth in his own power, & is able to provide for all his children that wait upon him, and put their trust and confidence in him. This must be our comfort in time of trial and tentation, that he hath promised never to fail us nor forsake us: and albeit man's promises may deceive us, and his deed come short of his word, yet no jot or portion of God's promises shall remain unfulfilled; and therefore in all our necessities, let us possess our souls with patience, and wait constantly for the accomplishment thereof, which in due time shall take good effect. The fault is in ourselves, who will not lay hold upon the same, he hath said he will be our tower of defence, and City of refuge to shield us from danger & all distress; but we will not trust him of his word, but use unlawful means for our deliverance. That which hath been said of transitory and temporal blessings, may also be spoken of eternal. God hath promised the renewing of our hearts, the forgiveness of sins, and the kingdom of heaven, as jer. 31, 32, 33. Heb. 8, 10, 11, 12. Esay 40, 1, 2. I will put my Laws in their mind, and in their heart I will write them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more.  
These are great and precious promises: here are sweet comforts of life and salvation offered unto us on God's part: let these be to us as the Anchor of our souls both sure and steadfast. These are immutable things, 
Hebrew: 6, 18.  Wherein it is unpossible that God should lie, and therefore let us be established in them, and lay hold upon that hope which is set before us. And if we believe not, yet abideth he faithful, 
2 Tim. 2, 13.  he cannot deny himself. No greater comfort can be given, no greater promise can be made, then to assure us of the pardon and forgiveness of our sins, which make a separation between God and us. To have a feeling of this mercy, is as sweet Incense unto the soul, and as precious balm unto the heart. Let us therefore comfort ourselves with this promise, & howsoever Satan sift us, and seek by all means to take from us this peace of conscience which passeth all understanding, we must shroud ourselves under the safety of his word which abideth for ever; and when we are tempted to doubt of his goodness in the remission of our sins, let us lay hold on the former promises, and know that the heavens themselves shall fall and be moved out of their places, before the truth of his word (which is truth itself) shall be diminished or disannulled.  
Fourthly, is God constant of his word, and Use 4 faithful of his promise, than it is required of us to be like our heavenly Father in truth and faithfulness. When God hath promised any blessing to his people, he is true of his word, and bringeth it to pass. The Lord said to them, 
jet. 29, 10, 11. Dan: 9, 2.  After seventy years be accomplished at Babel, I will visit you, and perform my good promise toward you, and cause you to return to this place; for I know the thoughts that I have thought toward you, even the thoughts of peace and not of trouble, to give you an end, and your hope. This did he accomplish by the means of Cyrus, whose spirit he stirred up to make a proclamation throughout his kingdom, that whosoever would, should go up to jerusalem to build it and inhabit there. Now, as God is faithful in his word, so let us follow his example, and make conscience of our words & sayings, that thereby we may assure ourselves to be the children of our heavenly Father. We must therefore know that all just covenants and contracts, all promises & bargains must be performed, albeit they be made to our hurt and hindrance, and bind us in conscience and duty, by the Law of God & man, so far forth as he pleaseth to require them, to whom they have been made. The Prophet ask the question, Who shall dwell in the Lord's Tabernacle, & rest in his holy Hill, maketh this answer, He which sweareth to his hurt and changeth not. 
Psalm. 15, 4. josh. 9  This we see in joshua toward the Gibeonites: and in the book of judges, chapt. 1. when the Spies saw a man come out of the City, and said unto him, Show us we pray thee the way into the City, and we will show thee mercy: 
judg. 1, 24, 25.  when he had showed them the way into the City, they smote the City with the edge of the sword, but they let the man & all his household departed. Hence we should learn, to be wary and watchful in our promises, considering as well, whether we be able to perform them, as whether we be willing, and examining our hearts whether they be in our own power nor not, and whether (if they be) it be lawful for us to perform them. For some things are lawful in themselves to pay and perform, which are in no sort in our power: and other things may be in our power, which are not lawful to be done. This fidelity in keeping promise, is a weighty point of the Law, Math. 23, 
Math. 23, 23. Gal. 5, 22.  and a fruit of the Spirit: and therefore it standeth us upon to make conscience thereof. If any man were asked the question, whether he think it his duty to endeavour to be like God, and to strive to resemble him, as the child resembleth his father, he would be ready to answer. It is his duty to do it, and his comfort that it is so: If then we acknowledge the necessity of it, let us follow him in constancy and true dealing, studying to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. This is that use which the Apostle urgeth, 2 Cor. 1. 
2 Cor. 1, 17, 18, 20.  When I was thus minded, did I use lightness? Or mind I those things which I mind, according to the flesh, that with me should be yea, yea, and nay, nay? Yea, God is faithful, that our word toward you, was not yea and nay: for all the promises of God in Christ are yea, and are in him, Amen, unto the glory of God through us. The Apostle in these words declareth that he was wrongfully slandered, and unjustly charged with looseness and lightness of promise, and unconscionable breaking of his word; inasmuch as he had always before him the example of God, whom he acknowledgeth to be faithful in his words and promises. This serveth to reprove those that will rashly promise any thing, as Saul did to David, as Laban did to jacob, and then changed their mind as the weathercock doth at every blast of wind. These are like the reed that bendeth too and fro; but it must not be so with us, we must purpose, and not alter; we must promise, and then perform carefully what we have promised.  
Lastly, whensoever God hath made good Use 5 the words of his mouth, and accomplished his promises unto us, which we have long looked for & expected, it is our duty to praise his name, and to give him the glory of the work, to whom alone it is due. Hath he fed us in time of famine, and made us to see, 
Deut. 8, 3. Matthew 4, 4.  that Man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of his mouth? Let us not sacrifice unto our net, nor burn incense unto our yarn, but say with the Prophet, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, 
Psal. 115, 1.  but unto thy Name give the glory, for thy loving mercy and for thy truth's sake. This duty we see practised by King Solomon, 1 Kings 8. 
1 Kin. 8, 15, 20  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it: the Lord hath made good his word that he spoke, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the Throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. A worthy pattern and precedent for us to follow, whensoever we taste of the grace and bountifulness of God, to offer up unto him a song and sacrifice of thanksgiving. And if we must do this for temporal blessings, much more are we bound to do it for such as are spiritual. If God have for a season hid his face from us, that we have seen no light of his grace, but all these things have been covered with darkness and discomfort, as it were the Sun in a Cloud; if our sins as the waves of the sea have gone over our head, and been a burden too heavy for us to bear, and yet in the end God hath remembered his mercy towards us, and not shut up his kindness in displeasure; why have we still unthankful hearts, & why have we shut up our mouths in silence as dumb men, and why do we not confess the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men? Who is it that liveth upon the earth, and hath not found by daily experience the faithfulness of the Lord, in making good his promises unto him? yet where are they that return to him again with a grateful remembrance of his grace, and an holy acknowledgement of his truth toward him? We are like the Lepers in the Gospel, who were all cleansed, 
Lu. 17.14, 11●  but God was not praised of them all, only one was found, who returned to give God the praise. Let us not be like these unthankful Lepers, that swallowed up the goodness of God toward them, and never confessed the receiving of it. He will not suffer such swine to devour his benefits, that can open their mouths wide to taste of his mercies, as the earth that gapeth to receive the showers of rain; but have learned to keep them shut when they should praise God's name with a loud voice. Their tongues are eloquent and learned when they are to crave, but when they have received, they are tongue-tied and cannot speak. Let us be far from such practices, and as we see them, learn to detest them, that God may have the glory, and be all in all. Let us not tread in the steps of such persons, as albeit the Lord doth continually remember them with his kindness, yet do forget him and the works of mercy that he hath showed toward them.  
The former part of the Chapter consisted in numbering of the Tribes: in the latter he declareth that the Levites were not numbered, who were not for the wars, but to serve in the Tabernacle of the Congregation. We shall see them afterward numbered by themselves, but they were not put in the common rank and reckoning, because God had chosen them to be his possession, and separated them from the rest of the people. And lest any man should think, that Moses did extraordinarily exalt, and ambitiously prefer the Tribe of Levi, whereof himself descended, he showeth he did it not of his own head, but by the special commandment of God. Their office is declared, to take the charge of the Tabernacle and worship of God, that when they were to take their journey, they should carry it; and when they were to stay and pitch their Tents, they should set it down, and look to it with all diligence. And as God would not have them entangled and encumbered in affairs unproper to them, and impertinent to their calling: so he would not have others that were not of their Tribe and family, to break into their function, as it were to invade another man's possession; nay he denounceth death to such as were strangers from that Tribe, that should presume to meddle with those holy things, or set their hands unto them. An example hereof we have in Vzzah, 2. Sam. 6. who, because he touched the Ark of God contrary to the Law, was punished with sudden death, and stricken with the immediate hand of God that fell upon him, to the terror of others, and to work reverence in the hearts of all men toward the sacred things of his service. God did not admit all men without difference to minister before him, but separated only the Levites, lest holy things should be polluted and profaned; and withal to teach that all men are in themselves unworthy to stand before him and come into his presence, except they have a calling from him. Thus than we see the charge laid upon the Levites, what it is; they are distinguished from the other Tribes who were numbered for the war: but these are kept to serve in the Tabernacle, to minister in the holy place, to meddle with the holy things, and to take the charge of the worship of God, lest vengeance come upon the Congregation of the Children of Israel. These things they ought to do, but touching things of another nature, they had nothing to do. We learn from hence, that it is the duty of the Ministers of God's word, Doctrine 5 to exercise themselves only in things of their calling, 
It is the Mistress duty, to do the duties proper to his calling.  they must wait and attend upon the office to which they are chosen and appointed. They are not to be distracted from their calling by worldly matters that no way belong unto them: but considering to what uses and ends they are set apart from others, they should be intentive thereunto. This is set down afterward more plainly and particularly touching the Tribe of Levi. Bring the Tribe of Levi, 
Num. 3, 6, 7.  and set them before Aaron the Priest, that they may serve him, and take the charge with him, even the charge of the whole Congregation, to do the service of the Tabernacle. This is it which Moses setteth down touching Levi, Deut. 33, 9, 10. He said unto his father and mother, I have not seen him, neither knew he his brethren, nor knew his own children, for they observed thy word, and kept thy covenant: they shall teach jacob thy judgements, & Israel thy Law, they shall put Incense before thy face, and the burned Offering upon thine Altar. The Apostle Paul setting down the offices & Officers of the Church, gives every one his charge, and bindeth them within the limits & precincts thereof, out of which they were not to walk or wander, Rom. 12. 7, 8. Seeing we have gifts that are divers, etc.: whether we have an Office, let us wait on the office: or he that teacheth, on teaching: or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that distributeth, let him do it with simplicity, &c. where he assigneth to every one his proper duty, as it were his own ground to till and manure, that they should not enter into the possession of another. Thus doth the Apostle Peter charge the Elders whose office was to teach the people, 
1 Peter 5, 2  Feed the flock of God that dependeth upon you. All these testimonies tend to this point, to show that the Ministers are not to encumber themselves rashly in matters estranged from them, but to wait and attend upon the Office unto which they are called.  
And doubtless it is great reason that they should content themselves with their own Reason 1 callings, that so they may please him that hath called them, and forego all that may distract & disturb them in the course and calling whereunto they ought to tend. We must be like soldiers that are called to bear arms. The reason and comparison is pressed by the Apostle to this purpose, 2 Tim. 2.3, 4. Therefore suffer thou affliction, as a good soldier of jesus Christ: no man that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, because he would please him that hath chosen him to be a soldier. This is the order and discipline of war, so soon as the soldiers are enroled and have given their names to their Captains, they leave their houses, they forsake their families, and forego whatsoever is dear unto them, to the end they may do their duty to their Captain that hath chosen them, and fight the battles to which they are appointed. If this honour be done to mortal men, what ought we to do to the Son of God, when he is so good and gracious, as to receive us into his service, to give us our press-money, and to pay us our wages? He could want us well enough, he hath no need of us. Were it not then a great shame, and an horrible reproach for us, that poor soldiers who fight & know not wherefore, should notwithstanding do this honour to a mortal man, to forget all their affairs and business: and yet we should be so nice and delicate, that we can bear & forbear nothing for the service of Christ?  
Secondly, the multitude is great, and the Reason 2 difficulty much of those things which are required of the Minister, belonging rightly & duly to his calling, in regard whereof we may say with the Apostle, 2 Cor. 2, 16. Who is sufficient for these things? Were that a wise servant, who having both his hands full, and more than he can well do, should besides his masters work undertake a new and another burden of some other man's business, which of right doth not belong unto him? Or were he a wise Steward, who having enough to do, to provide meat for the family in due season, should meddle with other matters unfit for him? In like manner, it cannot be approved, that the Minister of God should intermeddle with things not incident to his office, considering on the one side, the worthiness and weightiness of his calling, which will require all the gifts he hath (if he had a far greater portion) and on the other side, his own weakness and infirmity to stand under so great a charge, which is able to weary the strongest man: inasmuch as the taking upon him two several callings, will cause him to leave undone in one, so much as he performeth in the other. We see this in the example of the Apostles, Acts 6, 2, 3, 4, who were of most eminent and extraordinary gifts, yet their ministry did so busy them and set them on work, that they would admit no other charge with it, but did disburden themselves of that which they had, and cast the care of attending upon the poor to others, It is not meet that we should leave the word of GOD to serve the Tables: wherefore brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the holy Ghost and of wisdom, which we may appoint to this business, & we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministration of the word. The Apostles found themselves not able to discharge both these callings, to provide for the poor, & to preach the Gospel. Have any been endued with like gifts, or were they able to match them? If they were not, how can they take upon them that which these maister-builders refused? So then it appeareth that the Ministers must not entangle themselves with any thing besides their ministry.  
Use 1 Let us come to the uses. First of all, are they to employ themselves and their time in such duties as are peculiarly belonging unto them? 
The first reproof.  Then this serveth to meet with many abuses that are crept into the Ministry; as namely to begin, such as are idle and do nothing, such as are slothful and slow bellies, that live to themselves, and feed themselves, but feed not the flock that dependeth upon them. Idleness is unfit for any calling, and unlawful in any person: but much more in the Minister of the word. The Prophet Ezekiel is earnest and vehement in reproving these drones, chapt. 34, 2.3. Thus saith the Lord, woe be unto the Shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves: should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the sheep. Such as will do nothing in the Church, nor take any pains in their places, are worthy of nothing, who seeing they will not labour, are not worthy to eat. Such are to be sent to school to the brute beasts, who by the light of nature have learned to shun idleness. Solomon saith, Go to the Pismire, O sluggard, behold her ways and be wise: for she having no guide, governor, 
Prou. 6, 6.  nor ruler, prepareth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in harvest. It is a foul spot and blemish, especially in a Minister, to be branded with the infamous note of idleness. We see in the Commonwealth, where the fault is not so grievous or so dangerous, how idle persons are evil spoken off, reproached, unpitied, and oftentimes punished: we see how laws are daily sharpened against them to compel them to labour, and to work with their hands, or else to make them smart for it. When any grow lazy and loitering about their business, we commonly send them to the house of correction. But the idleness of the Minister is a greater offence, and bringeth with it the ruin of themselves and many others. There cannot be a greater scar or scab in the Church, then to have it pestered & plagued with such sores. Informer times of superstition we were wont to be troubled with dead Idols: but blessed be God they are pulled down and destroyed, and the names of them are almost unknown unto us. Notwithstanding in these days of the light of the Gospel, we are troubled with living Idols, which do as much harm as the other, and annoy the Church with great danger, and undermine the good estate of it another way. These are Idols that are muffled and tongue-tied; they have eyes and see not, they have ears and hear not, they have mouths and speak not, neither doth any voice pass through their throat. Let these men know, that they omit the duties of their calling, & therefore cannot have any comfort in their places. Let them be labourers, or else be no Ministers. Secondly, this reproveth such as are content to take pains in the Church, 
The second reproof.  who would be ashamed to be accounted loiterers, and yet this doctrine seizeth upon them and arresteth them as debtor to God and his people. These are Preachers of the word, but withal they give themselves so much to matters of this world, that they cannot follow their studies privately, nor teach the people publicly as they ought. These have taken upon them to be Ministers, and yet they will be farmers and grazeyers: they will be both spiritual and temporal: they will serve God and the world. But the more these men enwrap themselves in earthly things & thoughts, the more they neglect heavenly: and while their heads are busy in contriving and dispatching worldly matters, they must needs neglect better studies. For the greater their care is in the one, the more their carelessness is in the other: and the more deeply they dive into the world, the more shallow are their meditations in the word. The office of the Deacons to attend upon the poor (to receive the alms with one hand, and to distribute them with the other) was merely Ecclesiastical; and therefore being in part of the same nature, might with more ease and less trouble be annexed to the Ministry of the word; yet the Apostles (as we heard before) cast it from them as a burden unto them: how then shall we in these days, not to be compared with the Apostles, and for dispatch and expedition, but children to them, presume to mingle and shuffle matters of the world with our Ministry, that are of divers, nay contrary nature, and think to manage and order them both very sufficiently? He would be accounted a fond and unwise man, who having an heavy burden already upon his shoulders as much as he is able to bear & endure, should notwithstanding lay hold of another as weighty as the former, and yet suppose himself to have sufficient strength to carry it with the same facility.  
But some man may object, that Peter and Objection 1 the other Apostles were fishermen. and did also go to fishing after they were called to be Apostles: and Paul became a Tentmaker, labouring with his hands, and exercising a manual occupation.  
I answer, Answer. this doth not allow the Ministers of the Gospel to be tradesmen, or fishermen, where there is a Church well established and reform; they are only tolerated in the ruins and desolations thrreof. In these cases it is lawful for the Minister to join to his calling another calling, in the poverty of his own person, not otherwise able to maintain his estate, and in the general want and need of the Church, not able sufficiently to provide for him. The causes and occasions of Paul's labouring with his hands, were partly that he might not in that point be inferior to the false Apostles, who took no wages or stipend, thereby seeking to win credit to themselves, and to disgrace the true servants of Christ, in regard whereof he sought to cut away occasion from them which desired occasion; 
2 Cor. 11, 12  and partly that he might help to ease and support the need and poverty of the Church. The Apostles did this in case of necessity: but what is this to justify and bear out the practice of worldly minded men, who do it to be great men in the world, to grow rich and wealthy, and to raise up their posterity to be mighty upon the earth? These are so much choked with the thorns of cares of this life, and deceitfulness of riches, that they can preach seldom, and that so coldly, and rawly, and undigestedly, as that it may well appear they have earth in their minds and mouths, that their voices are stopped, and their gifts are decayed, and their zeal is quenched. What then, will Object. 2 some say? Would you have us always poring upon a book? or would you not have us provide for our family that God hath given us? I answer, Answer. it is lawful to do the office of the father of a family, to order the matters of his own household aright. GOD commandeth it, man willeth it, nature requireth it, and law alloweth of it; so that Whosoever provideth not for his own, 
1 Tim. 5, 8.  especially those of his family, hath denied the faith, and is worse than an Infidel. Neither are men always bound to be in their studies as in a Prison; that which wanteth seasonable rest, cannot long endure and continue. The mind is as a man that travaileth a long journey, in the end he will wax weary, and must have rest: or as a bow that cannot stand always bend, lest it be overmuch weakened. If an archer should continually shoot in his bow and never unbend it, he would in short time break it into shivers, and make it unprofitable. So when the Minister hath wearied himself in the weighty works of his holy calling, he is not denied leave and liberty to refresh himself other ways. If it be in shooting, or grafting, or planting, or such like, he sins not: provided that there be a difference made between recreation and an occupation, and that they hinder not his general or particular calling.  
Every Minister, if aright he consider of his place, shall find he hath as much as he can turn his head and hand unto, when they do their best endeavour.  
We are commanded to give no offence to jew or Gentile, or to the Church of GOD. 
1 Cor. 10, 32  But for us, that profess ourselves spiritual men, and yet to live as temporal men, is offensive to the people, and layeth a stumbling block before them, and therefore it is to be avoided of us.  
Let us set before us the example of Christ jesus and his practice, Luke 12, verse 13. who refused to divide the inheritance among the brethren; having respect unto the bounds and limits of his calling: declaring thereby that it belongeth in no wise to the Ministers of the word to intermeddle in the judgement of such causes. He failed not in any duties that fell out in the compass of his calling, but performed them willingly: this office he utterly refused, and therefore no doubt was impertinent to the Minister. Likewise when the people would have taken him and made him King, he conveyed himself out of their sight, and would not accept such honour at their hands. Thus he also refused to pronounce sentence upon the harlot that was brought unto him, 
john 8, 11.  saying, I do not condemn thee, go thy way and sin no more: so that he would not meddle with civil and criminal causes. And as he practised himself, so he taught his Apostles, and others that professed to be his Disciples. When one that was called to follow Christ, 
Math: 22, 25. Luk. 9, 59, 60, 61, 62:  said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father, jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou & preach the Kingdom of God. Then another said, I will follow thee Lord, but let me go first and bid them farewell which are at mine house; jesus said unto him, No man that putteth his hand to the Plough, and looketh back, is apt to the Kingdom of GOD. To conclude therefore, no man must over-burden himself, with things that belong not to his calling. And albeit some have done such things in the poverty of the Church, yet we must make a difference between those that do it to sustain necessity, and others that thereby maintain superfluity: the one doth it through defect, the other in all pomp and excess. Thirdly, this reproveth those that albeit they do not entangle themselves in worldly business, 
The third reproof.  yet they entangle themselves with sundry livings, that it is not possible for them to do the duties proper to their calling. For while they labour in the one, they cannot labour in the other, and if they be present at the one, they are absent from the other. But the calling of the Minister requireth personal pains, and admitteth not an ordinary Deputy; no more than the Levites could put out their charges to others, who are reproved by the Prophet, Because they kept not the ordinances of the Lords holy things, 
Ezekiel, 44, 8.  and themselves had set others to take the charge of his Sanctuary. Neither can this be any discharge unto us, that we have others to labour for us, men of gifts & knowledge: seeing as the charge is ours, and belonging to our persons, so the discharge should also be ours, and touch our own persons. But of this, we have already spoken more at large elsewhere 
* In the exposition of Philemon. , and therefore will omit it, referring the Reader to that place for farther resolution.  
Secondly, this doctrine serveth for comfort Use 2 to all those that are truehearted Levites, and leave all by-matters that stand not with their calling, to serve God aright in their places. If we be truly answerable to the weight and worthiness of our Ministry, and are careful to bring forth the fruits thereof, and are faithful in performing the duties that God hath bound us unto, we may say with the Apostle, 2 Tim. 4, 7, 8. I have fought a good fight, and have finished my course: I have kept the faith, henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that time: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Paul at this time was near unto death, and the day of his departure was at hand: was he now without comfort? or did he doubt of God's favour? No, he was not afraid of death, but always acknowledgeth it should be gain and advantage unto him, 
Phil: 1, 21, 23  so that he desired to be eased, and to be with Christ, which is best of all. What was then his comfort, and wherein did his rejoicing consist? In that he had faithfully done the duties of his calling, and kept faith and a good conscience. This point doth more lively and notably appear in Christ our Saviour, in that comfortable prayer which he offered up as Incense unto his Father, making intercession for us; I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do: 
john 17, 4, 6.  I have declared thy Name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. This work of redemption and reconciliation of man, is proper to Christ: but every Minister in his calling doth glorify God, and shall receive glory of the Father, whose work he hath finished, whose name he hath declared, whose word he hath published. If he that giveth a cup of cold water, shall not go away unrewarded: surely he that hath distributed the bread of life with a free hand, & the water of life with a full cup, shall receive a Prophet's reward, which the Prophet of all Prophets shall give unto him. To this purpose, Daniel to comfort such as should suffer death in the troublesome times & bloody persecutions under Antiochus saith, 
Dan. 12, 3  They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament: and they that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever & ever. A notable encouragement this is unto us to do our duties; we rise not early & late, we watch not, we wake not in vain & for nothing, though we have a cold reward many times for our pains of our unthankful people: God that setteth us on work and seethe our hearts, will in his good time remember our effectual faith, and diligent love, and the patience of our hope in jesus Christ. To this purpose the Apostle Peter putteth us in good assurance of a sure recompense, 
1 Pet, 5, 4  Feed the flock of God which dependeth upon you, etc., and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory. Here is a duty, & a dignity; a work, & a reward; a direction, & a consolation. If we care for the flock more than for ourselves, the great Shepherd of the sheep will make us partakers of everlasting life. But if we enter upon the flock for the fleeces sake, and do that which we do constrainedly, not willingly: we have our reward, we cannot look for any recompense at his hands, that is the great owner of the sheep. Woe unto all such idle Shepherds, their estate shall be fearful in the fearful day of account, who have gifts given them, and have not used them to the comfort of themselves, to the benefit of the people, & to the glory of the giver. These are like unto the Ostrich, which hath wings, but flieth not with them: so they have gifts, but they employ them not, and it had been better for them, that they had never received them, then to receive them, and not to bestow them to those ends for which they were first given. The stomach that receiveth meat into it, carrieth it over to other parts, and keepeth it not to itself, from whence followeth the health and strength of the whole body. Thus ought it to be with all those that have obtained knowledge and other gifts; they must turn them and transmit them to the good of every part, but if they keep them locked in their own breast, they will putrify & corrupt, as meat retained still in the stomach never digesteth. What comfort can these men have, when they shall go the way of all flesh? Nay, what discomfort shall they not find, & what horror and fear shall they not feel, to consider how unprofitable servants they have been? But if we have received gifts, and have been conscionable in the using of them, we have comfort in God, that he will receive us and reward us. Though our gifts be small, yet if we have laboured to use them well, we shall be accounted good, and profitable, and faithful servants.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it is required of every Minister to be painful in his place, and to preach in season and out of season, and to give attendance on the flock, Over which the holy Ghost hath made him Overseer. We must therefore be faithful in our callings, observing therein two rules, first, looking to ourselves; secondly, to the flock or people committed to our charge. It is not sufficient for us to teach the will of God to others, but we must do it ourselves. Our Saviour requireth of his Disciples, not only to preach to others, but themselves to observe his Commandments, 
Math. 5, 19  Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments, and teach men so, he shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall observe and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. It is not therefore enough to teach them, unless we have ourselves care to observe them; it is our duty to teach others, but specially & principally ourselves, for doing must go before teaching, and observing before edifying. This order doth the Apostle Paul set down to the Elders of Ephesus, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, 
Acts 20, 28.  and to all the flock whereof the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of GOD, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Whereby we see, he instructeth them in the first place to have a care of their own ways, and thereby to give a good example unto them. If then we have a regard to preach to others, we ought much more to preach to ourselves; and in vain he instructeth others, that suffereth his own heart to be disobedient. He that preacheth well and liveth ill, confuteth and convinceth himself. To all such the same Apostle saith, Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? 
Rom 2, 21, 22, 24.  Thou that teachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest; a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? etc.: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you.  
There are two Pillars of a Pastor's charge, piety of life, and piety of doctrine. He must not be severe toward others, and lose in respect of himself: he must not lay load upon others, and spare himself. Wherefore the Apostle saith to Timothy, chapt. 4. verse 16. Take heed unto thyself and unto learning, continue therein: for in doing this, thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Thus doth the Apostle always teach all men, and specially the Ministers, to begin the work of reformation with themselves, and plough up the furrows of their own hearts.  
And that this is the best order, first to practise upon ourselves as good Physicians, 
Reasons why the Minister is first to look to himself.  and that from sanctification wrought in us, we should endeavour to work it in our hearers, may appear unto us by these reasons. First, unless we be doers as well as speakers, we utter words with our own tongues that shall condemn ourselves, as Vriah, that carried about him a letter to further and procure his own death. So shall we often pronounce the sentence of condemnation upon ourselves, and it shall be said to us as to that slothful servant in the Gospel, 
Luc. 19, 22  Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, O evil servant. We shall need no other to condemn us, than ourselves; we shall be produced as witnesses to convince us, and to stop our mouths, that we shall have nothing to answer for ourselves. Secondly, a minister cannot with comfort and conscience preach to others, until in his own person he be a practiser of those things that he teacheth. For if he speak from the heart, the spirit of God must incline it to the obedience of it: such than as are not touched with a feeling of the Word, are but verbal teachers, and may save others, but cannot save themselves. The Apostle would have the Church of God to comfort their brethren by the comfort wherewith themselves are comforted of God: 
2 Corin. 1, 4.  but how can they comfort others in any affliction, that have not tasted of the sweet consolation of his Spirit inspired into them? In like manner how shall the Minister either teach, that is not taught of God; or comfort, that is not comforted of God? Such as are endued with the Spirit of God to teach others, are led by the same Spirit into all obedience. Thirdly, such as are teachers and not doers, do seduce the people, and lead them into all evil ways, and do pull down with the left hand of evil life, faster than they set up by the right hand of wholesome doctrine. Such a confusion doth this work in the people. For while they hear him for his doctrine to sit in Moses chair, 
Math. 23, 2.  and behold him for his life to sit in the devils chair, they regard not his preaching, but are ready to run with him into the same excess of riot. What do they care for his words, so long as they see his deeds? Deeds and works are wont to pierce deeper, and to carry a surer impression to the Conscience, then bare & naked words. If a man should ask the right way to any place of another; and whiles he pointeth out one way, discern him walking another way unto it, he will rather follow his footsteps, than the sound of his words; for he will by and by conceive, Surely if that were the right way, he would walk in it himself. So then the ill life of the Minister is dangerous, not only to himself, but to others, and it shall corrupt more than his doctrine can convert. Lastly, the fruit and efficacy of the word sealed up in our own hearts, is one of the most notable helps for the opening of it unto others. Such a Teacher is worth an hundredth other. He that teacheth from experience of the power of it in himself, is the most profitable Teacher: and except we feel it working in ourselves, how can we fitly work by it obedience in others? As than our Saviour said to Peter, 
Luc. 22.32.  When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren: so may it be said of the Ministers, when they are moved, they shall move others: and when they are taught, they shall teach others. Again, when once we have laboured and prevailed with ourselves to become doers of the word as well as publishers of it, than we must not stay and stand there, but we must teach the same faithfully, & bend ourselves to seek the salvation of others. By these fruits we shall be known to be faithful Stewards in his house. True it is, we should aim at the saving of the souls of the people, but this is not the essential property of a godly and faithful Minister, seeing other may do it, and these not do it; but the doing and teaching of the word and will of God. If our consciences can witness with us, that our care hath been to preach the word in sincerity, & to win them by example of life and soundness of doctrine, whatsoever the effect and success hath been, we have comfort in the discharge of our calling with diligence. The Prophet complaineth that he had laboured in vain, and spent all his strength in vain. 
Esay 49.4, and 6, 9  And Paul to this purpose declareth, that we are the sweet savour of Christ, as well in them that perish, as in them that are saved. To conclude, 
2 Cor. 2, 15, 16  we must have these three things in some measure in us: first, a care to win them, a desire to convert them, and an earnest hunger and thirst after their salvation. Secondly, we must labour earnestly to work their conversion, and not cease or hold our peace when we see them untoward, but hold on in a constant course, 
2 Tim. 2.  Proving if God at any time will give them repentance to come out of the snares of the Devil of whom they are holden captives. Lastly, we must testify our sorrow for our people, & mourn for the hardness of their heart, and be hearty grieved to see their untowardness, that though the Sun shine never so clearly, yet they shut their eyes and will not behold the light of the truth, whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded, and hardened their hearts, lest they should be converted and saved. This affection of unfeigned sorrow was in Christ our Saviour, when he had preached with great power, but small profit in the hearers, He looked round about on them angrily, mourning also for the hardness of their heart. 
Mark. 3, 5.  If these things be found in us, readiness of mind to care for the people, painfulness in our places to turn them to God, and sorrow of heart for their hardness and infidelity, we may truly comfort ourselves, and be assured to be honoured of Christ both in this life and in the life to come.    

CHAP. II.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying;  
2. Every man of the Children of Israel shall camp by his standard, and under the Ensign of their Father's house: far off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch.  
IN this Chapter is set forth the disposing and ordering of their Tents. For in the former chapter, we have heard how the people were numbered, the Tribes distinguished, and over every one several Princes appointed, who were choice men, even the heads of the house of their Fathers, to be Rulers & Governors over this great multitude. For what is the people without Princes, but as an host and army of men without Captains to lead them, as a ship without a Pilot, or as a body without an head, or as an house without a master? The heathen have seen thus far, that the multitude is as a monster with many heads, 
Horat. Epist:  resembling the confusion that was at Babel. Wherefore the necessity of overseers being so great, it pleased GOD first of all to appoint them Magistrates to take the muster. Now we have here to consider another testimony of God's mercy toward them, in that he doth divide and distribute them into certain ranks and regiments, and maketh choice himself in what order they should pitch their Tents and likewise march forward toward the Land of Canaan, in what manner they should make a stay, and in what manner he would have them remove. This was both necessary and profitable, and not to be omitted, seeing nothing can be more foul and deformed, then to see a company of men gathered together without order, and mingled together in all confusion.  
The causes of this dealing of God toward his people, are three: 
Three causes why God assigneth to every Tribe his place and order.  one in respect of himself, another in respect of Israel, the third in regard of the enemies of them both, of God and his people. The cause respecting God is, that they and all other might see what a wise God they serve. For he would have his name not only known in Israel, but magnified throughout all the world. If they professing the knowledge and service of the true God had wandered up and down in the wild and waste wilderness, in such troops and bands of men, in a confused and disordered manner, not knowing who should go before, nor regarding who should follow after; the name of God would have been dishonoured, his wisdom impaired, and his glory diminished. It pleased him therefore, even in regard of himself, to make manifest his wisdom and excellency, in leading them forth in most excellent and exquisite order, and to assign to every one his proper place, that they might say, What god is like unto our God? Or who is to be compared with him? Who is so glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 
Exod. 15, 11  Let us therefore confess that he is wise in heart, yea the wisest; and mighty in strength, yea the mightiest: so that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, 
job 9, 4: Esay 31, 2: 1 Cor. 1, 25:  and therefore to this God only wise, must be praise and glory through jesus Christ for ever.  
Secondly, he leaveth them not to themselves, but assigneth to each Tribe his proper mansion, to take away from them all confusion, and to cut off all matter of contention. For except he had established as by a law, the order that should be observed among them, and thereby decided all questions and controversies that might arise touching priority & precedency, many hurliburlies and heart-burnings would be entertained, and part-taking would be nourished; which being kindled at the first as a little spark of fire, would afterward break out into such a fire and flame as would spread further, and in the end hardly be quenched. For the tribe of Reuben challenging the pre-eminence in regard of birthright would not easily lose his right, but would take it done in contempt and to his reproach, to be put behind & to come after any other. On the other side, their hearts were not so high and haughty, to lift up themselves above their brethren, but the rest of the Tribes would have thrust them down as low, and to their perpetual disgrace and dishonour have sunk them down to the bottom, and appointed them the last and lowest place, in regard of the curse of jacob that lay heavy upon them, who had said long before, 
Gen: 49, 4.  Thou shalt not be excellent, thy dignity is gone. Again, a new trouble and tumult would arise touching the sons of the Concubines; for such as were borne of Rahel and Lea, the two wives of jacob would never yield nor think it fit to make them equal to themselves, much less to suffer them to go before them, and so to carp and crow over them. For as it was in their fathers (while the corn was in the grass, & hope of posterity was in the cradle) so it would be in the children. We see the emulation that was between Isaac and Ishmael, between jacob and Esau, & likewise between the sons of jacob, who were the founders and fountains of the twelve Tribes.  
Moreover, such as did exceed the other in multitude of men and strength of arms, & had tasted of God's blessings before others, would judge themselves worthy to be honoured and preferred, and themselves wronged & injured, unless they had not only the right hand of fellowship given them, but the upper hand of jurisdiction & authority granted unto them and thus the sons of Simeon would never have suffered themselves to be brought into order, and have pitched under the standard of Reuben, but have judged themselves worthy of the place of superiority, and have made the other their underlings, & as a footstool to tread upon. For the Tribe of Simeon were far more in number then the Tribe of Reuben: how far they exceeded them, and the cause thereof, we declared in the former chapter. It is natural to those that are blessed in children & a fruitful increase, to glory therein, and to triumph over those that either have none, or do come behind themselves. When Rahel conceived, she said, 
Gen: 30, 23. Luc. 1, 25:  God hath taken away my rebuke. This appeareth in the behaviour of Peninna toward Hanna (who were the two wives of Elkanah) who mourned and wept sore because her adversary vexed her from day to day, 1 Sam. 1, 6, forasmuch as she upbraided her, because the Lord had made her barren.  
Lastly, if none of all these occasions of murmuring and muting had broken out, or if they being broken out, had been presently pacified and appeased among them, yet a new broil might arise touching the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. For either the rest might grudge and repine, that joseph being but one of the sons of jacob, should have a double portion of inheritance, which tended to their detriment and disparagement: or else a controversy might fall out not easy to be decided, whether of these twain should obtain the supremacy and superiority either of other. Wherefore to end all strife, & to leave no starting-hole to raise any quarrel or question among them, the Lord himself determineth the controversy, and so disposeth of them, that every Tribe must needs know his own place, and acknowledge the order assigned unto him.  
Thus we see the reason in respect of the Israelites themselves, that moved God to range them into order, to wit; that all contention and emulation might be cut off and taken away. This teacheth us to take notice of ourselves, and to learn what we are by Nature; we are prone to ambition and vainglory, & cannot content ourselves to abide in the vocation and calling wherein God hath set us. We see this plentifully confirmed in this Book, 
Numb. 12, 1. & 14, 1. and 16 2. and 20, 4.  how Aaron and Miriam, and many other rise up against Moses, and seek to overthrow the order and ordinance of God left among them for the administration of matters belonging to the Church & Commonwealth. The like we see in the Disciples of Christ, he had given them a pattern and example of all meekness and lowliness of mind, yet such was their ambition, 
Math: 20, 25. Luk. 22, 24, 25  that they strove amongst themselves who should be the chiefest. It is the counsel of our Saviour, when we are bidden of any man to a wedding, not to set ourselves down in the chiefest place, but to take the lowest room; & from thence he raiseth a general doctrine, 
Luke 14, 8, 11  Whosoever exalteth himself shall be brought low; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Let us conclude therefore, 
1 Cor. 11, 16.  if any lust to be contentious, We have no such custom, neither the Churches of God. Let us have the same mind that was in Christ jesus, who being in the form of God, made himself of no reputation, 
Phil. 2, 3.  and took on him the shape of a servant: let nothing be done through contention or vainglory, but that in meekness of mind every man esteem other better than himself.  
Thirdly, they are mustered and marshaled into an exact and exquisite order, to dismay and terrify their enemies, as also to confirm and encourage their own hearts. There is nothing doth more strengthen an enemy, and give him hope of victory, then to behold an army put out of array; in which case, such as have been defeated and overcome, have gathered their dispersed and despised Companies together, have renewed the fight, & put their enemies to flight. Contrariwise, to behold an host of men settled in battle array, as it were a Tower not to be shaken, or a Mountain not to be removed, doth daunt and dismay all adversary power whatsoever, and maketh them put their surest trust and best confidence in their heels. Great is the force of unity, peace, and concord. One man serveth to strengthen and 'stablish another, like many staves bound together in one. Many sticks or staves joined in one bundle, are not easily broken: but sever them and pull them asunder, they are soon broken with little strength. Thus the case standeth in all societies, whether it be in the Church or Commonwealth, or in the private family. If our hearts be thoroughly united and fast glued one to another, we need not fear what man can do unto us, or work against us. But if we be at jar and war between ourselves, we lie open to our enemies to work us any despite and indignity whatsoever. I would to God we had not learned this by woeful and lamentable experience, and sealed up the truth of it by homebred contentions, so that we may renew the old complaint, For the divisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart. 
judge 5, 15.  Every one seethe with grief the increase of our adversaries, they begin to lift up their hearts and hands against us, they hope to have their Masses, their Maskings, their superstitions, their trumpery up again; all men confess it and complain of it. But will we not behold the cause of all this? and consider that we minister them weapons, and (as it were) put a two-edged sword into their hands to wound ourselves? It is our own strife, they are our own contentions that help and hearten them, when brother is set against brother, and striketh one another with the fist of iniquity. So long as these bitter roots of envy and emulation, & the coals of contention are kindled by the mouths and pens of those that love contention, we have much deceived ourselves, if we think to suppress the enemies of the grace of God, who make an advantage of our divisions. We may therefore say with our Saviour; Woe be to the world, because of offences: 
Mat. 18, 7, 6.  for it must needs be that offences shall come; but woe be to that man by whom the offence cometh. It were better for him that a Millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea. Thus we see the danger that cometh by hatred and debate: let us therefore follow peace, and stop (so much as lieth in us) all occasions of divisions, that we may live in peace one with another, cleave unto the gospel of peace, and then the peace of God shall be with us.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the reasons & causes for which God prescribeth to every one his order, 
The division of this Chapt.  and limiteth to every Tribe his proper place. In this Chapter we are to observe two things; First, the commandment of God directed to Moses and Aaron, telling them and instructing them what his pleasure is touching the order of their marching and proceeding. Secondly, a general subjection and obedience yielded unto this commandment: for so soon as they understand what the will of God was, they murmur not against it, they inquire not the reason of it, they stand not upon their own privileges, there is no man thinketh better of himself then others, nor offereth to break the order & transgress the Law given unto them, But they did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 
Verse 34.  The former point that concerneth the Commandment of God, is double; First, it is set down generally in the two first Verses, what belongeth to all the Tribes indifferently, namely, that they must encamp every one by the Ensign of his Father's house: then particularly what concerneth the tribes in special, in the residue of the chapter.  
[Verse 1, 2. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying; Every man of the children of Israel shall Camp, etc.] here he beginneth to rehearse the order that was to be observed among them. For there are two things which are most needful in every thing that is done aright, to wit; number, and order. Wherefore, after the description of their number, he beginneth to direct them in the order which was to be kept among them. We learn from Doctrine 1 hence (to omit sundry impertinent collections and unprofitable Allegations, 
God delighteth to have a comely order observed in the Church & Commonwealth.  which many stand upon, serving rather to please the ear, then to profit the heart; and to delight the outward man, rather than to edify the inward man:) I say we learn, that God commandeth a comely order to be observed as well in the Church, as the Commonwealth. When Balaam the false Prophet, mentioned hereafter in this book, saw the Israelites thus ordered in their Tents, as God appointeth in this place, he was carried into an admiration of it, Numb. 24, 5, 6. How goodly are thy Tents, O jacob, and thy habitations, O Israel? As the valleys are they stretched forth, as Gardens by the rivers side, as the Aloe trees which the Lord hath planted, as the Cedars beside the waters. As if he should have said; The Church of God consisting of this people, is the very picture and resemblance of most goodly order. This speaketh the Prophet of the place that God had chosen to set his name in it, Psal. 122.3, 4, 5. jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together in itself: whereunto the Tribes, even the Tribes of the Lord go up according to the testimony to Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord: for there are Thrones set for judgement, even the Thrones of the house of David. This Paul saw, and observed, and commended in the Church of the Colossians, Chapt. 2. verse 5. Though I he absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, rejoicing and beholding your Order, and your steadfast Faith in Christ. These things, to which we might add and annex sundry other testimonies, are sufficient to show unto us, that God will have all things in the Church and Commonwealth done in order.  
The Reasons are evident. For first, God Reason 1 is the Author of order, and not of confusion. He appointeth in this Book the order to be observed in their mansion, in their peregrination, in their possession of the Land. The Apostle giveth us this instruction touching God. 1 Cor. 14, 33, God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as we see in all the Churches of the Saints. Hence it is, that we see an order in God himself, even in the holy and blessed Trinity: though all the persons be coequal and coeternal, yet there is an established order of the first person, of the second person, and of the third person; not in regard of essence which is indivisible, yet for better order of teaching and instructing of us to attain to so much knowledge of his nature as the Scripture hath delivered, and we are able to conceive. Hence it is, that the Father is first, the Son is conceived and delivered in the next place, and the holy Ghost proceeding from them both, is expressed in the last place; not thereby insinuating any inequality, because none is in nature before or after other; none is greater or less than other; but only intimating an order in existing or working, as he hath manifested himself in his word unto us. As then God hath order in himself, so he commandeth and commendeth an order to be used of us.  
Secondly, all wise men will order their affairs Reason 2 with wisdom and discretion, and will dispose of them with seemliness & comeliness. An expert Captain that goeth against his enemies, will keep his Soldiers in good array, whether he march or retire. If he fly out of the field out of order, one is ready to overthrow another; and all are left to the mercy of his adversary. Hence it is, 
Veget. lib. 14  that they have an eye to these things, to the Sun, the Wind, and the Dust; that the Sun be not in their faces; that the Wind be not against them; that the Dust be not carried upon them. For the Sun shining in their faces, taketh away sight; the Wind blowing contrary, abateth their strength and the blow, but helpeth the weapons of the enemy; the Dust cast upon them, filleth and shutteth their eyes, to their great hindrance. A provident housekeeper, knoweth the necessity, commodity, and profit thereof, in the administration of all his business and affairs, 
Xenophon speaking of Socrates.  that nothing is so good as the right ordering of them. The Philosophers in all their teaching show us this, who have brought the Arts and Sciences into Method and good order. Common experience declareth, that we love order, when it is wanting we do wish and desire it; when it is present we rest in it; and at all times we praise and commend it.  
Thirdly, the Church is not a confused Reason 3 multitude, shuffled and jumbled together, where no man knoweth his place or his Office; and one encroacheth upon another; but it is the house of the living God, 
1 Tim: 3, 15  the pillar and ground of truth. Now in an house well ordered, is to be seen the Master as the Ruler, & the family subject to his government, every one employing his proper gifts, and no man usurping the place and calling of another. If this be to be seen in our private houses, which have a weaker foundation to bear them, a less anchor to hold them, a feebler shore to underprop them, and unsurer means to contain and continue them: how much more must we conceive this of the Church of God, 
Hebrews 11. Esay 5, 1. Ephes. 5.  which is the house that he hath builded, the vineyard that his right hand hath planted the spouse of Christ which he hath loved, the mountain of the Lord, which he hath prepared, and the peculiar people which he hath chosen? Thus we see the doctrine sufficiently cleared and confirmed.  
Let us before we come to the uses, divert a little as it were out of the way and ordinary path, to answer an objection Objection. that may arise from this doctrine. For some man may object, the world is full of mixtures and confusions, so that all is vanity under the Sun. We see good men to suffer evil, and to be oppressed every day: on the other side, evil men enjoy the good of the Land, & have all things that heart can wish or desire. The godly are afflicted, the ungodly are most respected and rewarded: are not these great disorders? I answer; Answer. first, confusions as they are thus confused, are not of God: as they are out of order, they proceed not from the God of order, but from the Prince of darkness that ruleth in the air, and the author of confusion that governeth in the earth. The proper cause of disorder, is the Devil, who first disordered himself, and kept not his first estate, but left the heavens and habitation wherein he was form: he by deceiving our first parents, and tempting them to sin, brought upon them and their posterity, ruin and destruction. So then such as are simply disorders, were brought in by sin, and sin by the Devil. Of this we spoke before in the Preface.  
Secondly, we must understand that there is order even in disordered and distempered things; the which, albeit it do not appear to us, by reason of the veil of corruption crept in, that shutteth our eyes, yet it is known to God, to whose judgement we must submit ourselves, and to whose wisdom we must subscribe, of whom the wise man saith, He hath made every thing beautiful in his time, 
Eccles. 3, 11  howsoever it seem deformed to us.  
Thus much of the objection: the uses follow. Use 1 First, learn from hence to acknowledge an exquisite order in all God's words and works above and beneath, in heaven & earth, and in all places. If we do not always see the same, it is our weakness and want of sight: and it should move us to call upon God to open our eyes to behold the same: and if we do see it, yet to crave we may see it more and more to his glory and our comfort. Let us lift up our eyes and behold the work of creation, he hath made all his creatures in a most pure and perfect order, in number, weight, and measure. He hath appointed the Sun to rule the day, and the Moon to rule the night. The earth with all her furniture, Trees, Herbs, Plants, Corn, and Grass for cattle and the use of man. The waters with all their store keep their comely course and order, He hath set them a bound, which they shall not pass, 
Psal: 104, 9  so that they shall not return to cover the earth. He hath divided the parts of the year, as winter and summer, heat and cold, day and night, which continue in a constant course, according as they are disposed of him. He hath assigned and appointed Kings and Princes, Rulers, and Magistrates to govern his people in all good and godly order. We shall not need to wander far off to learn this, if we can come homeward and enter into ourselves, we shall find sufficient testimonies to confirm this point, in our souls and bodies. For as we cannot be ignorant, how in the frame of this Universe, the matter, form, privation, simplicity, mixture, generation, corruption, action, passion, compounded of unlike Elements, of earth, of water, of the air, of fire, is notwithstanding preserved by due and distinct proportion which the parts have severally: and as in the family, the husband and wife, the father and children, the master and servants are knit together by the same reason of analogy: so is it in this little world of man; we behold therein the footsteps of this comely order, in the soul, mind, understanding, memory, heart, reason, speech, and such like powers: the like might be said of the members of the body, placed in a profitable and pleasant order, manifestly declaring the wisdom of the Creator. And as the admirable works of God are seen in natural and civil things, so much more in spiritual and heavenly things.  
If we enter into the consideration of the goodly and golden chain of the causes of our salvation, we shall see a notable order of them so linked and joined together, that no confusion at all appeareth therein, but all tend to the setting forth of the glory of his great Name. This the Apostle teacheth, Rom. 8, 30. Moreover, whom he predestinated, those also he called, and whom he called, 
Rom: 8, 30.  them also he justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. This course is never broken off, the links of this chain can never be put asunder, no man can make a divorce and division between them. This connexion of causes is to be looked into, and we must dligently mark the coherence of them. We must not aim only at the last in our desires, as Balaam did, but we must learn to join them together, and then we shall find comfort in them. And as there is a distinct order in our generation and regeneration, so there is in our resurrection and glorification: nay there is the perfection and consummation of all order.  
To this purpose the same Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 15, 22, 23. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; but every man in his own order, the first fruits is Christ, afterward, they that are of Christ at his coming shall rise again. Albeit therefore the grave seem to bury all things in confusion and the Chambers of death to be as a Land of darkness, 
●b 10, 21, 22.  where no order is: yet the resurrection being as the shining of the day, and the bringing of all things unto light, shall make manifest an heavenly order that God observeth therein. Likewise he speaketh in the same chapter, There is one glory of the Sun, 
cor. 15, 41, 42  another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars, (for one Star differeth from another in glory) so also is the resurrection of the dead, etc. This order we must reverence and acknowledge, this we must believe and hope for; and this we shall have a blessed experience of, in our own persons, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal be clothed with immortality. But among all the works of God, none doth more abundantly show forth the glory and majesty of him that is the God of order, than the word which he hath magnified above all other names. The work of creation setteth forth the glory of the Creator, inasmuch as the invisible things of him, that is, 
Rom. 1, 20.  his eternal power and Godhead are seen thereby: but the power, and wisdom, and goodness, and truth of God appeareth much more brightly in those sacred oracles brought unto us from his own mouth. True it is, the manner of setting down and placing the several parts of Scripture as they stand in our printed books, 
What order of the Scripture is human, and what divine.  is merely human and proceedeth from man, and is diversly published by divers persons (some putting that book before, which others place after) as we see the books of history are joined together, all the greater Prophets follow them, and the lesser Prophets conclude the volume and Canon of the old Testament. The like we might say of the books of the new Testament, the placing of the four Evangelists first, the annexing of the Acts of the Apostles next, the setting down of Paul's Epistles as now they stand, to wit, the Epistle to the Romans first, to the Corinthians next, etc., is man's appointment & not God's ordinance: but if we consider these books in themselves, and the matter contained in them, the grace of speech that floweth from them, the power and effect that is wrought by them, the whole body of them (thus understood) is inspired of God, and the order of them is divine, inasmuch as the Prophets, Apostles, and Evangelists were moved by the holy Spirit, and led by him in the delivery of the matter and manner, both of the things and words. This the Apostle Peter acknowledgeth, 2 Pet. 1, 20, 21. No prophesy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost. 
2 Ti. 3, 16, 17.  Paul also agreeth hereunto, saying, The whole Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable to teach, to convince, to correct, and to instruct in righteousness. We must therefore both search the Scriptures, & search into the order of the Scriptures, which is most divine and heavenly: whereof we may say, This is the singer of God. here we shall see the whole agreeing with every part, and the several parts agreeing with the whole. When the Queen of Sheba upon the report of salomon's wisdom was come to jerusalem, and there saw the sumptuousness of his buildings, the greatness of his wisdom, the meat of his table, the sitting of his servants, the order of his Ministers, the vessels of his house, the multitude of his offerings, and the answering of her hard questions, she was greatly astonished, and said, I believed not this report till I came, and had seen it with mine eyes, 
1 Kin. 10.7, 8.  but lo, the one half was not told me, etc.: Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants which stand ever before thee, and hear thy wisdom. But as our Saviour saith, A greater than Solomon is here: so we may truly say, greater wisdom, and better order is here, in the divine wisdom of the word that shineth in God's house. And albeit we hear never so much of the excellency of this word, yet if our delight be in it, and our meditation upon it day and night, we shall in the end be constrained to cry out, Lo, the one half thereof was not told me. Let us all taste of the sweetness of it: let us continually look upon the beauty of it: let us lift up our ears to attend to the melody of it: let us prepare our hearts to lay up the treasures of it. And let us from a feeling of the worthiness and wisdom of it, and seeing the order of it, confess with the Prophet, Oh, how love I thy Law! 
Psal. 119, 97.  it is my meditation continually.  
Secondly, this reproveth such as know no Use 2 order but bring in all confusion and disorder in Church or Commonwealth: these have nothing to do with God, but are the Children of the Devil, that hath transformed them into his image and likeness. For from whence are seditions and confusions, but from our own lusts, inflamed and kindled from his furnace? Many there are that can abide no order at all, others will not set themselves against all order to pervert it, but make such a mingling & mangling of it, that they utterly change the nature of it. The Church above all other societies ought to be the picture and representation of right order and comeliness, which is as bright as the Sun, as fair as the Moon, 
Cantic. 6, 9  as terrible as an army with banners. We see how God hath commanded it to be ruled; every one hath his proper calling, his proper office, his proper gifts for the discharge thereof. If then disorder creep in it, how great is that disorder? Consider the members of our natural bodies, if the head would presume to walk and usurp upon the office of the feet: or if the hand would take upon it to see and direct the body; if the ear encroach upon the function of the tongue and think itself able to speak: or if the foot would suppose itself to be of greater eminency and excellency, than the heart or the head, and strive for the highest room, or swelling with envy and pride, to behold greater gifts in another member, should refuse to do the office of the foot, what would follow, but the overthrow of the whole body? Who would not but complain of this confusion as most monstrous and unnatural? Let us now consider how the case standeth with the Church. Are there not many, being bold and blind, that teach before they have learned, and run before they are sent, that being without gifts, and almost the shadow of gifts, take upon them the places of Pastors, who were fit to feed sheep, and to go to some trade or occupation; or to be sent to the Plough tail, to earn their living by the sweat of their brows, rather than by murdering the souls of the people, 
Hos. 4.6.  who many times perish for want of knowledge? Another notable confusion and eyesore in this body of the Church, is when private persons enter upon the office of the Minister, and dare intermeddle with the holy Sacraments, from which they ought to be as strangers. For what have these men or women to do with setting the authentic Seals to God's promises, who hath committed to them no such office, nor given unto them any such gifts? Who required this at their hands, or if they will be intruders or usurpers, will God accept their service? nay rather will he not punish their sacrilege? Have they any greater privilege than Vzzah had, 
2 Sam. 6.6.7.  who putting his hand to the Ark of God when the oxen did shake it, was smitten with sudden death, and tasted the fruit of his high presumption? Every Sacrament is as the Ark of God, it must not be touched with unwashen, that is, with common and unsanctified hands. Good intentions shall not go for good payment, nor be able to warrant evil actions. Will-worship is odious to God and abominable in his sight, who will be worshipped according to his own will: so that it is in no wise lawful to transgress the rule and break the order that God hath set. Object. Neither let any in the profaneness of his heart, or the ignorance of his mind object; Cannot private persons use the words of Baptism in all points as well as the Minister? observe the words of institution, and power on water upon the child, which are the essential parts of that Sacrament? I answer, Answer. they are able to do this, but forasmuch as they do it without a calling, their doing is as no doing; their pouring on of water is no better than a defiling of it. For who gave them their commission so to do? When possession of any house is given by delivering a white wand and turf, another man may do as much in show, he may take a wand & turf as good as the others, and make a delivery of them; and yet those actions may be idle, being done without warrant, neither can assure the bargain and sale. It is no great matter or hard to do, to take bread and wine, and deliver the same by reciting the words of institution: and yet if it be undertaken without a calling, it is a plain and manifest profanation of the Supper of the Lord. If they judge this unlawful, how can they hold the other lawful? The people of God, or any among them were as well able to handle and carry the Ark as the Levites, they were an holy people to God, they were all circumcised, they did all carry about in their flesh the mark and impression of the Covenant, yet the Lord sorted out the Tribe of Levi, to bear the Ark of his Covenant, 
Deut. 10.8.  to stand in his presence, to minister unto him and to bless in his Name. He will have us wholly to obey his word, he regardeth not our blind zeal, or purpose to serve him, except it be ordered aright. To proceed, Hath God only placed order in the Church? and not in the commonwealth? yes in the commonwealth also wherein every one both superiors and inferiors must do their duty. He hath appointed the Magistrates their office, to minister justice without partiality and respect of persons, 
2 Chron. 19 5, 6.  considering that they execute not the judgements of men, but of God, who will be with them. This is the comely order that he hath set; this is the way wherein he will have them walk; this is the ordinance that he hath established. If then laws be bought and sold, or if they be made as the spider's web to catch the silly fly, but to let the hornet escape, or if they punish the poor and let the rich escape, if the weak that cannot resist be entangled, and the mighty be delivered; this is a great disorder, and the Lord will not have these things handled so confusedly. Let such set before them the example of God, who will reward every man according to his works. He doth not spare the wicked, 
Rom. 2.6.  and revenge himself upon the Godly: but he showeth mercy to thousands of these, and will not hold the other innocent. So such as God hath called to execute judgement and sit upon the bench of justice, must know what God requireth of them; they must not pervert the right & overturn the Seat of equity; they must not turn the edge of the sword upon the poor, because they are poor, nor put it away from the rich, because they are rich, or from the mighty because of their might, or from the greater sort, because they have many friends; but they must smite them with the sword of justice, that deserve to be smitten, and defend them from that wrong, that the malice of the oppresser would lay upon the innocent. On the other side, God requireth that such as are inferiors should obey Princes and Magistrates, submitting themselves unto them, reverencing both their places and persons. They therefore are reproved as breakers of this order of God, and overturners of States and Common wealths, that rebel against them, and move sedition among the people. Such walk in the steps of Corah and his company, who were consumed and destroyed according to their deserts, as appeareth afterward in this Book. 
●hap. 16.  These proud spirits and ambitious men have never prevailed, but ever been punished. Such are they that Solomon speaketh off, Eccle. 10. 
●ccles. 10.6, 7  Folly is set in great excellency; and the rich set in the low place; I have seen servants on horses, and Princes walking as servants on the ground. Such persons as seek to take away the crowns and kingdoms of Princes, are the very plagues of human society, and go about to take away as it were the Sun out of the firmament, and to leave us in miserable darkness; nay to take from us the breath of our nostrils, and to expose us as a prey to all violence and villainy. Let all such know that they fight against God; and therefore cannot prosper or prevail. All sedition is pernicious to the contriver and author thereof: and no injury received can be any sufficient cause for any man to plot Treasons and rebellions. Let every soul therefore be subject to the higher powers, considering there is no power but of God: and that whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the Ordinance of God, and therefore purchase to themselves damnation.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing God requireth orderly observation of his ordinances, we learn this duty, that we must be careful to observe it and practise it with a due regard of his Commandment. This is the general rule that the Apostle commendeth unto us, 1 Cor. 14. 
1 Cor. 14, 40.  Let all things be done decently, and in order. Order is nothing else but the means of peace, and the avoiding of confusion; or it is a disposing of divers things, 
August. de civit dei lib: 19 cap. 12, Cicer. de effic: lib. 2.  giving to every one his proper place. The end of all good order tendeth to profit; as on the other side, the end of confusion, to loss and destruction. The more common & general a good thing is, so much the better it is, and the more to be esteemed above all other. The benefit of good order stretcheth far, to the land and Sea, and to the house and ship, to the Commonwealth and Church. If it be commendable to appoint a profitable order in the lesser charge of a private family: it is a great deal better and more excellent to manage a Commonwealth prudently, and to govern the Church wisely. Government that is right presupposeth order, because it is unpossible that any man should rule rightly and duly without order. For government is a right disposition of those things whereof a man taketh charge, to bring them to a convenient end. This is done in the Church of God, when there be Pastors and Teachers to preach the word truly and to minister the Sacraments sincerely, & when the people hearken to them & are ready to seek the law at their mouths. This is seen also in the observation of these rules; First, 
Rules of order to be observed in the Congregation.  when one alone prayeth: for many cannot pray with a loud voice together without confusion. The Minister is to be the mouth of the people to God, his voice is in public place to be heard, that the people may join with him with pure and humble hearts, and testify in the end their consent by saying, Amen. 
1 Cor. 14.16.  Hence it followeth that he must not whisper to himself or utter a prayer in a low voice, but he must speak with a loud voice that he may be heard, and with a distinct voice, that he may be understood. Secondly, when the action of singing is in hand, it must be performed by many, and not by one alone. For as one is to pray for the rest, so all are to join together in praising God with the Congregation, 
Coloss: 3.16. Ephe. 5.19.  teaching & admonishing themselves in Psalms, and Hymns, and spiritual songs; singing with a grace in their hearts to the Lord, and making sweet melody unto him. Thus did the whole Church in Hezekiahs' time, 2 Chron. 29.28. Thirdly, this must always be observed in teaching and exercising ourselves in the Word, that only one speak at once, and that the rest be silent. This is the Apostles rule, 1 Cor. 14. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace: 
1 Cor. 14.30, 31.  for ye may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn, and all may have comfort. But if many should speak together, and utter their voices at one time, no man can take profit, no man can receive comfort: so that many voices sounding together, hinder edification, & bring confusion, which ought carefully to be avoided in our assemblies. For where disorder is, there is not the God of order. Now as our Church meetings must have all things done in order, so must they be decent. Decency is that seemliness which some things of their own nature bring unto divine actions, which is not of the substance or essence of the thing, nor necessarily required to the being of it; but rather to adorn it, & to procure the greater reverence unto it: as for example, in the celebration of the Lords Supper; to have a fair Table, a fair Cloth, a fair Cup, the finest Bread, the best Wine, which of their own nature joined to the Sacrament, do bring some great respect to the action, and serve to stir up devotion in the hearts of the Communicants. Order is opposed to confusion: decency to vanity, pomp, ostentation, and uncleanlynesse; all which ought to be far from the Church of God. Both these are seen in a house well governed. An house is said to be decent, when all filth that may offend the sight or other senses, is purged out; and all things are found in a seemly sort and manner, without riot and excess: likewise to be in order, when it is divided and distinguished into superiors and inferiors, and every one doth his duty; when there are settled times and seasons of dining, of supping, of labouring, of lying down and rising up, whereby the peace and tranquility thereof is preserved. The Church is the house of God, as we showed before, and therefore therein must be decency, that the place be clean, the vessels pure, and that all the actions of Pastor and people, both public and private, may be finished gravely without all lightness, modestly without filthiness, soberly without superstition, as it were in the presence of God, and his elect Angels: also order, that all things may be done in fit time, that there be some to teach, and others to hear, that there be set times & distinct for preaching, praying, singing, baptizing, and Communicating, whereby all disorder is prevented, and the profit of the Church is procured.  

Orders must be in the Commonwealth.  To leave the Church, and to come to the Commonwealth; God looketh for this duty at the hands of all Magistrates, that as the principal end of Magistracy is to maintain order, and to banish all disorder, so they must proceed orderly in their places. They bear not the sword in vain, their office is to punish evil doers, and to weed them out of the city of God. But it is not enough for them to minister justice, except they consider the order that God hath set down. They must have the fear of GOD always before their eyes, and have a special care for the advancement of God's glory, which will be as a guide to direct them not only to correct sin, but in what manner to do it. For grievous offences must not be punished slightly, & slight offences grievously, but there must be a due proportion between the offence and the punishment; that the greater faults may be punished with the more grievous punishment. They therefore that observe another order, begin at a wrong end, and consequently have not that success they desire, neither meet with that blessing that they look for. If a man would stop the course of a stream, he must not look to the channels, but begin at the fountains. If he stop the spring, the course of the river will in short time be dried up. The foundation of all true obedience is the first Table; all unrighteousness among men, proceedeth from the neglect of the duties that belong to God. The Apostle writing to the Romans declareth, that because the Gentiles dishonoured his name, and profaned his worship, and stained his glory, he gave them up unto their hearts lusts to work uncleanness with all greediness, 
Rom. 1.24.26.  and so committed all kind of wickedness condemned in the second Table. The commandments of the first Table, are the first and great Commandments, 
Matth. 22.38.  and therefore the chiefest care of all aught to be, to see them performed. A reproach or disgrace offered to a Prince, is greater than to a subject, as his calling is higher, and his person worthier: so an offence committed against God, is more heinous than an offence against Prince and people. It is therefore a foul disorder and great confusion to punish the offences committed against ourselves, and to wink at the sins committed against God: to punish thefts, murders, rapes, and such like enormities as touch the persons of men or the state of the Commonwealth; and never to revenge the dishonour done to God and the diminishing of his glory, the advancement whereof ought to be more dear to us then our own lives. If then the swarming of sins against the second table, proceed from the swerving and departing from the first Table, we must consider that the cause of the abounding of thieves, murderers, adulterers, drunkards, and such like malefactors, proceedeth from the indulgence and slackness of punishing such as dishonour God, & live in the open contempt of his glorious name. Wherefore if we would have the number of these enormities lessened, and the Commonwealth purged of such pestilences, (as indeed these wretched persons are the plagues of all societies) the edge of the sword and force of punishment must be turned directly and principally against Atheists, Idolaters, blasphemers, perjured persons, profaners of the Sabbath, contemners of true religion and scorners of the service of God. The Lord our God, who is jealous of his honour, and will not give his glory unto any other, put it into the hearts of all Christian Princes and godly Magistrates, to be more earnest to see God obeyed, and his worship maintained; especially seeing thereby they shall procure God to be served, and their own estates to be secured. To leave the farther prosecuting of this point, Is order only to be regarded and esteemed in the Church and commonwealth? hath it place only in these ecclesiastical and civil assemblies? No, it stretcheth a great deal further, and extendeth itself through every part of human life. 
Orders must be showed in the lives of all men.  For there can no kingdom, no house, no City, no society stand without order. The Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, describing wicked persons that lived within the compass of no obedience, noteth them by this mark, they were without order; nothing was first or last with them, or at the least, the last was done first, and the first practised last, they did all things in disorder and confusion. Hence it is that he saith, chap. 3. We warn you brethren, 
2 Thes. 3.6.7.  in the name of our Lord jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh inordinately, and not after the instruction which ye received of us: for ye yourselves know, how ye ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves inordinately among you. A good action done in a confused manner, is as good as not done: forasmuch as the Lord rejecteth things done not only disorderly, but also preposterously. If this be so in all actions, much more in the commandments of the Lord. We see this in the sons of Eli; they did not profanely omit to sacrifice, 
Sam. 2.17.  yet because preposterously they served themselves first, they are noted to be wicked men & exceeding sinners against the Lord. Whiles the meat was seething, they fetched it out of the pot or cauldron with flesh hooks, for the Priest's diet, and afterward they burned the fat for sacrifice, the which which should have been the first in order: thus they shifted for themselves, in the first place which should have been last, and gave the Lord his portion in the last place, who in religion and reason should be the first, and thereby even by this disorder they provoked the wrath of God against themselves. This appeareth also in the example of the two sisters mentioned in the Gospel, 
Luk. 10.40.  which declareth to us the truth of this point, and what is the order allowed and appointed for us to follow. It was not unlawful for Martha to minister to Christ, to entertain him, to provide necessaries for him, and to busy herself in serving of him: but she did it in a wrong course, she should first have chosen Mary's part to sit at his feet to hear his preaching, before she had cumbered and entangled herself with much serving, and therefore she is reproved, and her sister commended. For he regardeth more to be heard diligently, then entertained delicately, 
Ver: 41.42.  so that he saith, Martha, Martha, thou carest, and art troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: Mary hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her. And if we would have a plainer direction, what ought to be first with us, and what second, yea, a perfect platform of ordering our ways, our Saviour showeth us in the Gospel, Mat. 6. 
Matth. 6.33.  First seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these things shall be ministered unto you. Here is a plain and perfect order, he that keepeth this order is blessed: he that breaketh it, hath no promise of blessing from him. There is a method to be used in all arts, and much controversy hath been what it is, and of how many sorts it is: but behold here the right method, the only method to learn the art of arts, and the science of all sciences; here is first, and here is second. The first thing that we must begin withal, is God's kingdom, then follow worldly things, which are the second. Thus are we taught to make an entrance to religion, and how to proceed, 
Prou. 9.1.  by him that is Wisdom itself; here is the most exquisite order laid before us, let us take knowledge of it in our minds, love it with all our hearts, and express it in our lives. We must not be like to him in the Gospel, that was called to follow Christ: he did not absolutely deny it, nor directly refuse it, but he would follow him after his own fancy; he must first take leave of his friends and bid them farewell that were in his house, 
Matth. 8.19. Luk. 9.60.91  and afterward he would be a follower, and a disciple. Thus it is with all men of this world, who have not learned Christ aright, they are preposterous in their ways, they invert all good order, they make the first to be the second, and promote the second into the principal place. If a man that knoweth learning, should come into a school, and see those of the lowest form set in the uppermost seats, and the best scholars thrust down into the inferior places, he would think it to be a great confusion, & by and by condemn it as a place without all order.  
We should every one erect a school of God and godliness in our own hearts, in which we must set heaven and heavenly things in the highest room, and earthly things beneath: and then we shall make it manifest that we have learned the best and the rightest method. As for those that prefer Mammon before God, and this world before the world to come (of which sort are too many, as daily experience telleth us,) they are no good Artisans, they are ignorant of the right method, and therefore they run into a thousand mazes and confusions, wherein they lose themselves, and oftentimes their own souls.  
To conclude, 
The rules of order prescribed.  let us all take notice of this general method, that shall much help us when we come to the particulars, and bear away these few rules of direction. First, we must forsake the evil, and then choose the good. True it is, we must do both, 
Esay 1.16. Psal. 34.15.  but both in order: first we must pluck up the weeds before we can sow good seed in the garden of our hearts: we must grub up the tars before we can gather the good corn into the barn: first we must remove the rubbage before we can build our house aright. Secondly, we must observe an order both in choosing the good, and in refusing the evil. For as the former rule guideth us to forsake the evil, and then to cleave to that which is good: so this goeth farther and pointeth out an order as it were with the finger, what order to take herein; which is, that in refusing the evil, the greatest evil is most of all to be hated and eschewed, and the lesser in the next place. Contrariwise the greatest good is with the greatest strength to be pursued after, 
1 Cor. 12.31.  until we overtake it, the lesser is to be chosen in the last place; seeing the very heathen in their deliberations were wont to inquire, of two honest things, which is most honest. Thirdly, we must know that the greatest good, and best work, 
Dan. 12.3.  shall have the best and greatest reward: on the other side the greatest and grossest evil shall in the first place and in the heaviest manner be punished. 
Luk. 12.47.48  Every work shallbe rewarded of God, whether it be good or evil, the one of mercy according to his promise, the other of justice according to desert; but their recompense shall be best that are best, and their punishment most heavy that are most hateful in his sight.  
This is the right method of true Divinity, and until we know this, we have learned nothing as it ought to be learned, nor can discern between things that differ, as between good and evil, between evil and evil, and between good and good.   

3 On the East side toward the rising of the Sun, shall they of the standard of the host of judah pitch, according to their armies: and Nahshou the son of Aminadab, shall be Captain of the sons of judab.  
4 And his host and the number of them were seventy and four thousand, and five hundredth.  
5 Next unto him shall they of the tribe of Issachar pitch, and Nathaneel the son of Zuar, shall be the Captain of the sons of Issachar.  
6 And his host and the number thereof was four and fifty thousand, and four hundredth.  
7 Then the tribe of Zebulun, and Eliab the son of Helon, Captain over the sons of Zebulun:  
8 And his host and the number thereof, was seven and fifty thousand, and four hundredth.  
9 The whole number of the host of judah, are an hundredth fourscore and six thousand, and four hundredth, according to their armies: they shall first set forth.  
What order and policy God would have generally observed among his people, hath been before declared in the former words, namely, that every one should camp by his standard, and under the ensign of his father's house: now, in these words and the other following, he divideth the twelve tribes of Israel, into four chief standards, & assigneth to every standard three tribes, whereof one was principal, the other two were assistants and helpers. 
The first standard,  The first standard is committed to judah, to whom he adjoineth Issachar, and Zebulun: this is contained in these words, and in this division. Behold here the wisdom of God. He honoureth judah with the first place of the first standard, thereby to make as it were a beginning and to give a little taste of the verifying of jacob's prophesy, who foretold of the pre-eminence should be given unto him above his brethren. He was the fourth son of jacob by Leah; 
Gen. 29.35.  with whom he associateth such two tribes, as were in reason most likely to submit themselves to him, inasmuch as Zebulun and Issachar, were the sons of Zilpah, 
Gen. 30.18.20  Leahs maid, whom she gave to her husband, 
The second standard  and set in her own place. The second standard is committed to Reuben, under whose Regiment were placed Simeon and Gad. This tribe coming of the eldest brother, the first borne of jacob, might justly be thrust down into the lowest rank, yet God leaveth them not wholly without comfort, and therefore assigneth them the second place in this army. The two tribes joined with him, were such as could not, nor would not take it grievously to fight under his banners, and to be led into the field by his authority, seeing Simeon was his own mother's son, 
Gen. 29.33. and 30.11.  being so near in blood, as they lay both in one womb, and Gad was borne of Zilpah his mother's maid: these therefore could not refuse to submit themselves to his ensign. The third standard is appointed to Ephraim, 
The third Ensign.  one of the sons of joseph, under whom are ranked Manasseh and Benjamin, between whom was the nearest band of consanguinity, and therefore this part of the army could not be put into better order. Ephraim and Manasseh supplied the place of joseph their father, who had a double portion given unto him, and therefore these are reputed to be as it were the sons of Rahel, of whom joseph came, to whom Benjamin is joined, who also was the son of Rahel, whom she bore to jacob, in the land of Canaan: 
Gen. 30 24. and 35.18.  these therefore are confedered and combined together as children of the same mother; a notable means to move to peace and concord, and to take away all occasion of contention.  
The fourth and last standard, 
The fourth standard.  is assigned to Dan: he was indeed one of the sons of the handmaid, and preferred in degree of honour and dignity, before the lawful son of Leah, and the other son of Rahel, the two wives of jacob: from hence might hurly-burlies and heart-burnings arise, which are all pacified and compounded by the express commandment of God, who joineth to Dan, Naphtali his mother's son (for both of them were the sons of Bilhah Rahels' maid) and Asher the son of Zilpah, Leahs maid. 
Gen. 30.6.8.12.   
Thus was the whole host of Israel divided as it were into four several battles, and to every one his chief Captain assigned.  
The sum of all is this, 

Of the first standard were 

judah  
Issachar  
Zebulun.    
Of the second standard were 

Reuben  
S●meon  
Gad.    
Of the third standard were 

Ephraim  
Manasseh  
Benjamin.    
Of the fourth standard were 

Dan  
Naphtali  
Asher.      
Verse 3. On the East side toward the rising of the Sun, etc. here we have a description of the first standard. The use of a standard or ensign is manifold in War, to give direction in fight and in sudden alarms that fall out, to encourage the hearts of the soldiers, and to strengthen them with hope of victory; and half their substance and goods were kept by them, that no thought of forsaking the standard might enter into them, but that they should fight valiantly for the same. What the ensigns of the Israelites were, the Hebrews do not accord among themselves. Some affirm that every one had the badge or arms of his ancestors, as that in the standard of Reuben was the figure of a man, 
Gen. 49.3.10  because jacob said, Reuben my first borne: in the ensign of judah a Lion, because it was said of him, judah as a lions whelp. In the standard of Ephraim the figure of a bullock, because Moses likeneth his beauty to a bullock: in the standard of Dan, the likeness of an Eagle, which was given unto him in stead of a Serpent. Thus in their ensigns they will have the four beasts noted, which Ezekiel also saw in his vision mentioned in his first Chapter. What truth there is in these allusions we know not, and therefore we leave the credit thereof to the authors and relaters of them. It is more to the purpose to consider, 
God's promises are often deferred.  that albeit jacob promised the crown and kingdom to that tribe, yet it is not by and by accomplished; so that albeit, his promises shall all be performed, yet they are not straightway verified, but are oftentimes long deferred. True it is, that the tribe of judah surmounted all the rest of the tribes at such time as God delivered them out of Egypt, yea Nahasson had the pre-eminence when the people were to be numbered, when the Captains of the tribes were to be chosen, and when the offerings were dedicated in the Sanctuary. Notwithstanding, all this was but a dark shadow of the former prophesy, for juda still remained without kingdom and principality. Besides, the former prophetical speech might seem to many to carry little truth or likelihood with it, inasmuch as we see God appointeth Moses of the tribe of Levi, to be the governor of them. After his death and decease, joshua was Captain and ruler over them, who was of the tribe of Ephraim: after him succeeded the judges, who were extraordinarily stirred up to judge his people & deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, sometime of one tribe, and sometime of another. Then came Saul, who was chosen king, of the tribe of Benjamin: all this while there is no mention of judah, as if the prophecy were buried in deep silence, and the birthright were utterly forgotten: yet in the end the Lord declareth that his word is not a jest, and that jacob though he were old, yet did not dote when he foretold the same. But to omit those things, let us observe that God providing here for the good of his people, and the ordering of them, appointeth officers and Magistrates over them, and leaveth them not unto themselves, which would have been the occasion of all contention. Thus we see, how he appointeth a captain and leader Doctrine 2 over every tribe. 
Magistrates and rulers are needful to be set over the people of God.  From hence we may observe, that God giveth to his people rulers to fight their battles, and to guide them in order, and godliness. Faithful Magistrates are needful for Church and Common-weath, who are not only a portion among believers, but the chief parts and stay of them in well-doing, not only in peace but in war. This we see plentifully proved unto us in the book of judges, where it is testified, that the Lord raised them up judges, 
judg. 2, 16, 18.  who delivered them out of the hands of their oppressors: and afterward, when the Lord had raised them up judges, the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord had compassion of their groanings, because of them that oppressed them and tormented them. This is it which jethro the father in Law of Moses saw to be profitable and necessary for the people, when he admonished him, to provide men of courage, fearing God, men dealing truly, hating covetousness, 
Exod. 18.21.  and to appoint such over them, to be Rulers over thousands, Rulers over hundreths, Rulers over fifties, and Rulers over tens, and to let them judge the people at all seasons. This is it which Hiram acknowledgeth, 2 Chron. 2. Because the Lord hath loved his people, 
2 Chron. 2.11  he hath made Solomon king over them. This doth the Prophet Esay testify, chap. 22. 
Esay 22.20, 22  In that day will I call my servant Eliachim the son of Hilkiah, the Key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so he shall open and no man shall shut, and he shall shut, and no man shall open. To these testimonies we might add infinite others, but in foe plentiful an argument; these shall suffice to teach us, that the people of God stand in need of Rulers to go in and out before them, and to order them in the duties of piety and honesty.  
The reasons are evident. First, they are as the props and pillars of the house, and Reason 1 the cause of good order among the people of God, and the means to keep them in all obedience. On the other side through want of them, many abuses are committed, and much iniquity is practised. While joshua lived, and the Elders that outlived joshua, 
judge 2.7.  the people served the Lord all their days, which had seen his great works that he had done for Israel: but when they were gone and gathered unto their fathers, the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And again, chapter 4. 
Chap. 4.1.  The children of Israel began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud was dead. And before, Chapter 2. 
Ch. 2.19. and 8.33. and 17.6. and 19.1 and 21: 25.  When the judge was dead, they returned and did worse than their fathers, in following other gods, to serve them and worship them; they ceased not from their own inventions, nor from their rebellious way. Add unto these, the conclusion of this book; In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was good in his own eyes; Whereby we see that so long as God blesseth a land with Princes and Magistrates, it is stayed from ruin and destruction: but when they are taken away, it falleth Reason 2 to the ground, and cannot stand upright.  
Secondly, no society can continue without Magistrates, neither defend itself. If an host be without a General, or a city without a Ruler, or an house without a governor, it needeth not foreign force to pull it down and dissolve it; it sufficeth in short time to destroy itself, and from among themselves will men arise, that shall bring it to nothing. Parity is the mother of all mutiny and confusion, whiles every one, underprizing another's value and virtue, denieth to be commanded, and being wedded to self-love, esteemeth himself the best able and most worthy to command in all the company. So then, whiles men overvalue their own worth, & esteem better of themselves then others, contrary to the rule of the Apostle, 
Phil. 2, 3.  they are cast away by the tempest of dissension, and torn in pieces as a body without a head by mutual emulations. These diseases of a divided and distracted multitude, without unity and authority of government, caused the Lord to take order for his people that when they should come unto the land which he had promised to give them, 
Deut. 17.14.  and that they should possess it and dwell therein, they should set a king over them from among their brethren. Wherefore seeing Magistrates are a stay to the people in all well-doing, and the want of them is the occasion of all confusion, we cannot but conclude them to be so necessary, as that they cannot be wanted or spared.  
Use. 1 The uses remain to be taught and learned of us. 
The first reproof of the Anabaptists.  First, it reproveth the hellish and more than heathenish Sect of the Anabaptists, that overturn this order that God hath settled to continue for ever; namely, that they are a necessary good for the commonwealth: whereas these damnable heretics hold them neither necessary, nor good, but unnecessary evils, that ought not to be planted, nor grow among God's people; and where they have been planted, ought as superfluous branches to be topped and lopped, or as noisome weeds to be rooted up and removed. But the Scriptures of the old and new Testament commend unto us captains in war, and governors in peace. But those men acknowledge neither the calling of captains, nor the lawfulness of war. 
Rom. 13.1.  The Apostles of Christ, at what time Magistrates are evil, both profane idolaters, and bloody persecutors, command every soul to be subject to the higher power, inasmuch as there is no power but of God. The ancient commandment of the moral Law, establisheth this as a perpetual ordinance never to be disannulled, until the universal frame of the heavens be dissolved, that we must honour father and mother, that is, not only such as are fathers of the family, 
Exod. 20.12.  but such as are fathers of the Country. He that said, Thou shalt have no other Gods but me, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery; said also, Honour the King, 1 Pet. 2.17. For, as the house cannot stand without governors to rule it, no more can the Commonwealth. And as themselves take upon them to order their own houses, and exercise authority and dominion over such as are under their roof, and Regiment: so is the Magistrate called to manage the affairs of state, and to do that within the walls of the city, which he doth within the walls of his house. The father hath government over his son, the master over his servants, the husband over his wife, the teacher over his scholars: and why then, not the Magistrate over his subjects? Neither doth the Gospel subvert the order appointed by God in the dispensation of the Law: for Christ jesus, who first preached the Gospel, chargeth us to give Caesar those things that belong to Caesar, and the things that are Gods, 
Matth. 22.21.  we must give to God. So his Apostles teach, that we must rather obey God then man, when their commandments cannot stand together; but when God is not disobeyed, themselves preached and practised obedience, and reproved and condemned all disobedience. Secondly, 
The second reproof of the Pope and his Clergy.  here the Pope and all the Romish Hierarchy and Clergy are reproved, who exempt themselves from the authority and jurisdiction of Princes and Magistrates. These call themselves the spiritualty, and claim an immunity both in regard of their persons and of their goods, wherein they are confederate and join hands with their brethren the Anabaptists, as wretched enemies to the crowns and sceptres of Princes, as themselves. Only here lieth the difference, the Anabaptists confess that Magistrates must be obeyed, but they deny that there ought to be any in the Church. Contrariwise the Pope with all the rabble of his horned Bishops, confess that there ought to be Magistrates, but they utterly deny that themselves ought to be subject unto them. Now, it is in effect all one, whether we take away Magistracy, or whether we yield not to their authority. And if there be any inequality between these, the Anabaptists seem to be the better, who live peaceably and obediently under them whose power notwithstanding they deny. He is an evil child that denieth his father, but he is worse that is obstinate & stubborn, that will not obey him, but resist him. How many ways the Popish Religion is enemy to Princes, we have showed elsewhere. 
In the exposition upon the Epistle to Philemon.  I speak not now of the wicked practices of their Assassinates that murder Princes, but of their doctrine taught for sound and Catholic, by all their schoole-divines, not by some few only of them. For they teach that their persons in causes Ecclesiastical, Civil, and criminal are exempted from the Courts and Consistories of temporal Magistrates, as appeareth in their public disputations, and by the judicial proceed of Paulus the fift, against he Venetians, who were excommunicated and the city interdicted, so that their religious men ceased from ministering Ecclesiastical Sacraments. And as they challenge a freedom of their persons, so they claim a freedom from paying tributes and like taxes to Princes,? and will be bound to them in no respect. To the and we may see the truth in these points, 
Objections answered, ●hereby the ●ope and his Clergy claim freedom from temporal Princes.  & be armed against their Arguments, let us see the grounds whereupon they stand: and afterward produce sundry reasons out of the word of God to convince their proud and false assertions. First, they object that the superior ought not to be in subjection to the inferior; but contrariwise the inferior must Object. 1 be subject to the superior: this is the Law of God and man. But the Ecclesiastical Regiment is distinguished from the Civil and political state, and set far above it by the Law of God, 
Bellar. de cleri lib. 1. cap. 28.  as the soul is above the body: therefore Ecclesiastical causes ought not to be judged by temporal Magistrates. I answer, Answer. by distinguishing the several callings: for Princes are superiors and inferiors: and Ecclesiastical persons are superiors and inferiors: both of them are above others in the proper duties of their callings. If any reply, to be superior, and yet to be inferior, to be above, and yet to be beneath, are contrary: I rejoin, they are contrary, and yet not contrary; they are contrary, if meant of one, and the same thing, and spoken in one and the same respect: but if they be diversly considered, in respect of divers objects, there is no contrariety at all in them. To apply this to the point objected, I say that the superior cannot be subject in those things wherein he is superior, but he may be, and aught to be, in those things in which he is inferior. Now, the Ecclesiastical government, albeit, it be higher than the politic, in the essential duties belonging unto it, to wit, the preaching of the word of God, and the administration of the Sacraments, yet it is inferior in those things that belong to Civil subjection and obedience. Prince's must obey so far as the word of God commandeth in matters of faith and piety, neither have they any authority to invent and frame a new Religion, or to change and alter the Religion set down in the Scripture, or to decide and determine the Controversies of Religion at their own pleasure, or to preach the word themselves, or to dispense the Sacraments of the Church. But in respect of Civil power over all persons, they must acknowledge no superior, no equal, they are above all, and under none within Object. 2 their dominions. Secondly they object, It is absurd and unreasonable, that the sheep should judge the shepherd, or rule over him; but all the Laity in respect of the Clergy, are as sheep to the Shepherd. Therefore the Ministers of the Church may not be judged or censured of Lay men. I answer, Answer. this whole argument is figurative, and therefore cannot be demonstrative, by the rules of their own School. A figurative speech cannot conclude necessarily, but only probably. If we take the word sheep and shepherd in their proper signification, the sheep being brutish and unreasonable cannot judge the their shepherd. But if the words be taken metaphorically or by way of similitude, the Magistrate is not a sheep in all things, but only in Spiritual things, belonging to doctrine and faith and a good conscience, wherein the Ministers are Shepherds. If we speak of Civil things, and providing that all things be done decently and orderly in the Church, the Magistrates are shepherds of the people, and all the Clergy are his sheep, because they are citizens and subjects of his city and Sovereignty. As then the Magistrate cannot prescribe to the Minister what doctrine he shall teach: so it were pride and presumption for the Minister to set down rules to tie the Magistrate to his lure, in the duties of his calling, for then the sheep indeed should judge their Pastor. Thirdly, Object. 3 it seemeth absurd that an earthly judge should take and punish the servants of the chiefest and highest judge, and those men that are consecrated unto him. I answer, Answer. an earthly judge that sitteth upon an earthly bench, is also the servant of the most High GOD, the Minister of the heavenly judge, 
Rom. 13.4. 2 Chron. 19.5.6.  and the Lieutenant of the Almighty, exercising the judgement not of man but of God. It belongeth to his office to judge others that are Gods servants, so far as they are subject to him, as sheep to their shepherd, by the Law of God and man. If one of the Clergy break the Law of God, and of the kingdom wherein they live, by committing murder, theft, perjury, false witness-bearing, or such like, he is punished not as the servant of God, but as the servant of sin; and an offender against the Commonwealth. Against those supposed reasons, we oppose the authority of God's word, that subiecteth all persons to the power of the Magistrate; Let every soul be subject, 
Rom. 13.1. Ti. 3.1. 1 Pet. 2.13.14.  put them in remembrance that they be subject to the principalities and powers, and that they be obedient and ready to every good work, therefore submit yourselves unto all manner ordinance of man for the Lords sake, whether it be unto the king, as unto the superior, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent of him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. We heard before that Christ requireth obedience, and as he commanded it to others, so he practised it himself, for he was subject to his parents, 
Luk. 2.51. Matth. 17.27.  and to the Magistrates; he paid polle money for himself, and for Peter, not using the privilege he had, and the liberty he might use, for offence sake, lest another emboldened by his example should use the pretence of liberty that indeed he had not. Paul also teacheth subjection both by word and deed, by his doctrine & practice. For he was subject to the Magistrates and used their authority for his safety when he appealed from the malicious Pharises unto Caesar. 
Act. 26.32:  
Chrysost. homil. in Roman. Bernard eptst. 42.  Thus we see what Christ did, what the Apostles did, what the Christians did, they exempted not themselves from the secular power, but whether they were Apostles or Evangelists, or Prophets, they submitted themselves, and claimed no freedom from their jurisdiction: wherefore they are led by another spirit that broach and practise a contrary doctrine. 
The third res proof:  Thirdly, they are reproved, that are seditious persons, and move rebellion and insurrection against Princes, who always or for the most part are met with all in this life, and receive according to their deservings. Of such persons jezabel spoke truly, 
2 King 9.31.  Had Zimri peace that slew his master? as if she should have said, Can any Rebel or Traitor, or any that riseth against his superior and Sovereign, prosper and have good success? For Z●mri a Captain of the host conspired against Elah the son of Baasha king of Israel, & smote him that he died, & usurped the kingdom: But the time of his reign & the continuance of his sitting on the throne, could not be numbered nor reckoned by years, 
1 King 16.9.15.18.  nor by months, nor by weeks: he reigned only seven days, and then being hardly besieged, he was constrained to burn himself and the king's house with fire; so that as he came to his kingdom by usurpation, and held it a while by effusion of blood, so he ended his days in desperation. Read to this purpose, 2 Kin. 15. where we have set before us the examples of Shallum, 
2. King. 15.10.13.25.30.  who conspiring against Zachariah, the son of the second jeroboam, and smiting him in the sight of the people, and reigning in his stead, did not long enjoy his kingdom, but sat in his throne the space of a month; and then himself was slain, & so he found according to his works, so that as he spared: not to shed blood, so his blood was not spared: Likewise the example of Pekah, who conspired against Pekahiah, and smote him in Samaria, in the place of the king's palace: but did he escape for this treason, and end his days in peace? No, as he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and departed not from the sins of jeroboam the son of Nebal, so Hoshea wrought treason against him, smote him, and slew him, and paid him home in his own kind. So in the former Chapter we see, that when the servants of joash king of judah, wrought treason against their master, & slew him, his son did not suffer their hoar heads to go down to the grave in peace, but so soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand he slew his servants which had killed the king his father. 
2 Kin 14, 5.  Thus it appeareth, that a discontented head, a muttering spirit, and a seditious mind are dangerous, and bring a just reward of rebellion upon their heads that are the contrivers of it, so that they fall into the pit of confusion that they made for others. This is the end of rebellion, and such recompense have Rebels against Princes. Hence it is that such pernicious persons, being the common plagues of kingdoms and Commonwealths, are hated of God and man, & odious to every one, yea even to those that used them to serve their own turns in disloyal and wicked actions; 
Plutarch in the life of Romulus.  so that albeit they love treason well, yet they hate the Traitor. For he that betrayeth his Prince, his country, and kindred into their hands, to whom he is not tied with such near and necessary bands, will not keep his faith entire to them, but betray them also when occasion and opportunity shall serve. The Law of God saith, 
Exod. 22.28.  Thou shalt not rail upon the judges, neither speak evil of the Ruler of thy people. If he be guilty of punishment that raileth, and revileth them, what punishment and revenge is sufficient for him that seeketh after their life, and plotteth after their death? we have a notable example of a loyal heart in David toward Saul, who albeit he were elected and anointed King, and were persecuted and pursued of Saul, yet he would not lay violent hands upon his person, nor seek to deprive him of his kingdom: The Lord (said he) keep me from doing that thing to my master, the Lords Anointed, 
1 Sam 24.7. and 26.9.10.  to lay mine hand upon him: for who can lay his hand on the Lords Anointed and be guiltless? As the Lord liveth, either the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish; the Lord keep me from laying mine hand upon the Lords Anointed. This was the protestation of David, but it is a word of direction to all, that Prince's persons should be inviolable, as sacred and sent of God, whether they be good or evil, whether they be just or unjust, whether godly or ungodly. It is not unknown what manner of king Nabuchadnezzar was, even he that took jerusalem, namely, a great oppressor, robber, & cruel tyrant: yet the Prophet Ezekiel affirmeth, that God gave him the land of Egypt, 
Ezek. 29.18.19. Dan. 2.37. and 4.14.  for the reward of his work, and for the wages of his army wherewith he had served him: and Daniel declareth that God changeth the times and seasons, he taketh away kings, he setteth up kings, that living men may know, that the most High hath power over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he w●ll, and appointeth over it the most abject among men. And in the second Chapter he saith, O king, thou art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  
Who could be a greater tyrant than Pharaoh? who could enact more barbarous and bloody decrees than he did? Or what people could be in greater misery, or endure harder bondage and slavery than the children of Israel in the land of Egypt? 
Exod. 2.23. & 3.7.17. & 5, 7.  Yet they performed obedience, they never prepared or provided to resist the king, they never took up arms, their only weapons were supplication to God & to man. Let us consider a little, what the Lord himself saith, by the mouth of the Prophet jeremy: 
●rremy 27, ●6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ●1.  I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power, and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it pleased it me: But now I have given all these Lands into the hands of Nabuchadnezzar my servant, and the beasts of the field have I also given him to serve him, And all Nations shall serve him, and his son, and his sons son, until the very time of his Land come also: and the Nation & Kingdom which will not serve the same Nabuchadnezzar King of Babel, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the King of Babel, the same Nation will I visit (saith the Lord) with the sword, famine, and pestilence; wherefore serve the King of Babel, and live. Out of these words we observe these three points; who it is that divideth & bestoweth kingdoms, to whom he giveth them, and what end remaineth for those that resist them. He that setteth the Crown upon the heads of men, is God; all power is from him, for promotion cometh not from the East, nor from the West; he setteth up, and he pulleth down at his own pleasure. He giveth the same sometimes to evil men, and these he maketh his servants to serve his providence, and to do his will which he hath to be done by them. And therefore such as oppose themselves against them, do set themselves against God, and all that resist, shall receive to themselves condemnation. 
●om. 13, 2  He will have Tyrants to be obeyed and honoured, because they are lifted up to the seat of honour and throne of majesty by his hand.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn that it is a great blessing to have good and godly Princes set over us, to rule us in justice, peace, and righteousness. 
●say 32, 2. ●am. 4, 20.  They are a covering against the heat, the breath of our nostrils, an hiding place from the wind, and a refuge from the tempest, as rivers of waters in a dry Land, & as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land. Where they are wanting, the Sun is as it were pulled out of the Firmament, and all things are left in miserable darkness, the weak are a prey to the strong and mighty, as the lesser fish are devoured of the greater, and every one doth that which seemeth good in his own eyes, Hence it is, that the Queen of Sheba, seeing the power and magnificence of Solomon, whom GOD had set upon the Throne of his father David, 
Kin. 10, 8.  said, Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants which stand ever before thee, and hear thy w sedome. To this purpose speaketh the wise man, Eccl. 10, 16, 17. Woe to thee O Land, when thy King is a Child, and thy Princes eat in the morning: Blessed art thou, O Land, when thy King is the son of Nobles, and thy Princes eat in time, for strength and not for drunkenness. We must therefore acknowledge it as a great blessing and mercy upon a Land, when he giveth faithful Magistrates, wise Kings, wise Counsellors, wise Nobles, wise judges, wise justices, wise Officers, to govern the State, & to sway the Commonwealth. Blessed are such Rulers, nay blessed are the people that are under such Rulers; and blessed is that government and policy so well and wisely ordered. It is a token of God's heavy judgement upon a kingdom, when he taketh away the Overseers of it. It is a token of the ruin of an house, when the shores and stays that underpropped it, are removed. When the Tree is pulled up by the roots, the branches must needs die, the leaves whither, and the fruit fall away. When the feet of a man fail that bear up the rest of the body, he cannot but fall: and when the breath of his nostrils is stopped, he is gone, 
Psal. 104, 29.  & quickly returneth to the dust, out of which he was taken. Our Rulers and Magistrates are as the props & pillars that keep the house upright: they are as the root of the Tree, that giveth life, and sendeth forth sap and juice into all parts and corners of the Land, which are as the body of this tree: they are as the heads, that is, the choicest parts of the Commonwealth; and yet as the feet, in respect that they bear the whole frame that standeth upon them. Hence it is that the Prophet threatening from God a grievous judgement to fall upon the Land for the sin of the people, saith, Behold, 
Esay 3, 1, 2, 3, 4  the Lord of Hosts will take away from jerusalem, and from judah the stay and the strength: even all the stay of bread, and all the stay of water, the strong man and the man of war, the judge and the Prophet, the prudent and the aged, the Captain of fifty, and the honourable, and the Counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent man, and I will appoint Children to be their Princes, and babes shall rule over them. If then the removing and taking away of the chief parts be a punishment, surely the giving of them, and the continuing of them must of necessity be the giving of a blessing unto us, & the continuing of a blessing among us. When they are gone, the light is taken away, and we live in darkness: our defence is gone, and we lie open to the enemy: the foundation is pulled away, & the house falleth: the breath is gone, and the whole body dieth. The benefit which we receive by our Kings and Princes, by our Rulers and Governors, will yet farther appear, if we consider the discommodities and confusions of an Anarchy, wherein is no Ruler, but every one would sit at the stern, and command over others: the sword of justice is banished, and the sword of injustice is in a mad man's hand, nay in thousands and millions of mad men; force and violence bear sway, riotousness is set at liberty, good men are oppressed, innocency is trodden under foot, and all wickedness is set aloft. These effects and infinite other not to be numbered, of the same nature, must needs follow, where Magistrates bear not rule: but where they are settled, the godly are encouraged, & the ungodly fear. To conclude therefore this point, it is an happy Kingdom, wherein the Princes are obedient to the Law of God and nature, & of the Land; Magistrates to the Princes, private men to Magistrates, children to their parents, servants to their masters, and all men keep themselves within the limits of their callings, and being linked in love one with another, & all of them with their Prince, do enjoy the sweet fruits of peace, and true quietness of mind.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this must put Magistrates in mind of their duty. For wherefore are they necessary to be over the people, and to what end hath GOD lifted up their heads above their brethren? Is it to give them bare titles of honour and dignity, and to tread upon their brethren, and to trample them under their feet? No, God advanceth no man for such purposes, but it is in respect of his people to do them good, to procure their wealth, and to provide for the welfare both of their souls and bodies. As than they are to have much honour, great reverence, and due obedience performed unto them, so they must know that sundry duties are to be practised of them. First then, 
The duties of Magistrates.  it is required of them to maintain and set up true religion: to give entertainment to it, and those that do profess it. They must procure that God may be worshipped and served, to which end they are made keepers of both the Tables, to see that God be glorified among his people, as Psal. 78, 70, 71, 72. He chose David his servant, and took him from the Sheepe-folds, even from behind the Ewes with young brought he him, to feed his people in jaacob, and his inheritance in Israel: so he fed them according to the simplicity of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands. It is not enough for them to have a care that peace and tranquillity may be maintained among their subjects, (for so far the Gentiles proceed that know not God) but they must take order that the Law of God may be observed, 
1 Tim. 2, 2.  and piety and godliness continued among the people committed to their charge. True it is, a peaceable and quiet life are great blessings, and most worthy effects of a wise & religious Magistracy, but these are not sufficient, nor the principal duties to be regarded, forasmuch as it is not enough to lead a civil life, but a sanctified life, that hath the glory of God evermore before it: and therefore they must consider that they shall give an account at that great day, not only how peaceably and politicly they have ruled, but how religiously and zealously they have governed their people. Secondly, it appertaineth unto them to deface Idolatry, and abolish all monuments of superstition, and to cast out all Idols, not only out of their Temples, but so much as lieth in them, out of men's hearts. This duty God commended to Moses, in sundry places, Deut. 7, 5, 6. Thus ye shall deal with them, ye shall overthrow their Altars, and break down their Pillars, and cut down their Groves, and burn their graven Images with fire: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a precious people unto himself above all people that are upon the earth. And what his zeal was in maintaining God's honour, and in revenging the dishonour done unto him in this kind, 
Exod. 32, 1, 19, 20, 28.  appeareth by his defacing and destroying the golden Calf that was erected in his absence; for when the people saw that he tarried long ere he came down from the Mountain, they said, Make us Gods to go before us, etc. but as soon as he came near to the host and saw the Calf & dancing, his wrath waxed hot, he cast the Tables out of his hands and broke them in pieces, he ground the Calf to powder, he strewed it upon the water, he made the Children of Israel drink of it, and caused about three thousand of them to be slain with the sword. It is recorded to the everlasting commendation of Asa, 
1 Kin 15, 12, 13, & ●8, 4, 5 and 23, 4, 5, 6.  that he took away the Sodomites out of the Land, and put away all the Idols that his Fathers had made, and he put down Maachah his mother also from her estate, because she had made an Idol in a grove, & Asa destroyed her Idols, and burned them by the brook Kidron. The like we might say of Hezekiah and josiah, whose names are blessed in the book of God, and renowned for the discharge of this duty. Thirdly, Idolatry being defaced, and Idols taken away, they must provide that pure and sincere doctrine may be delivered & preached by the Ministers of the word. For in vain it is to abolish superstition, except care be had of the true religion, that the name of God may be known upon earth, and his saving health may be spread abroad among all their people. When the King of Ashur heard that the Colonies that he had planted in Samaria were devoured of Lions, he commanded that one of the Priests which had been brought from thence, 
2 Ki. 17, 26, 27.  should be carried thither, to teach them the manner of the God of the Country: so that the superstitious King thought it his duty to see them instructed in the truth. A notable example of a godly and religious care this way is in jehosaphat, who, 
2 Chron. 17, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.  so soon as he had taken away the high places and the groves out of judah, he sent out sundry of the Levites, that they should teach in the Cities: and they taught in judah, and had the book of the Law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the Cities of judah, and taught the people. This is the foundation and stay of all Kingdoms▪ to give entertainment to the word of God, this maketh a wise King and a wise people. So long as Magistrates countenance the truth, and Preachers of it, they secure their own estates, and are blessed of God; which ought to be an encouragement unto them, not to be slack or slothful in spreading abroad the Gospel of Christ. Lastly, because it were troublesome and tedious to go about to rehearse all their duties, we briefly number up the rest. It is their duty therefore to be good examples of piety and godliness of life to the people, and to provide for them all things necessary for the body, to ask counsel of the mouth of the Lord in their weighty affairs, that is, the ministry of the word, and to yield obedience unto it; to exhort their inferiors in time of public calamities to earnest repentance, and to express the same by prayer and fasting; to know the cause thoroughly before they proceed to give sentence; to punish evil doers, and defend the innocent, and to establish such positive laws as are necessary for the maintenance of order and decency in the Commonwealth.  
Use 4 Lastly, seeing Magistrates are necessary for the Church and Commonwealth, it putteth those that are under them in mind of their duties, partly in regard of themselves, partly in regard of the Magistrates, and partly in respect of God. Touching themselves, they must know they be no burdens to the Commonwealth, nor superfluous parts that may be spared: they are as the head or heart of the body, or as the eye in the head, all depend upon their welfare; so all depend upon the Kings and Prince's welfare. If he be upholden, the Commonwealth standeth: if he be unregarded, the Commonwealth falleth. He is as necessary as the Sun in the Firmament, yea as fire and water, and breathing, without which we cannot live. If we judge otherwise of this ordinance of God, we are deceived, & wrong both them and ourselves.  
Again, we learn that their life and continuance is greatly to be desired of God's servants. It is the part and duty of all Subjects to crave their safety and protection, that they may safeguard and protect both Church and Commonwealth. Yea Rulers themselves in regard of this end, which ought daily to be before their eyes, may desire of God to lengthen their days, and to continue their happy reign, that together with the Saints they may do service to God in his Church: in this respect I say, they may desire life, not so much aiming at their own private good, (for in that respect it were better to be dissolved & to be with the Lord) as respecting the general utility of their people. What greater glory, what higher honour can they have then this, to be the stay and defence of the church, that otherwise were like to decay and go to ruin, and to continue the several parts of it in well-doing? That good King Hezekiah foreseeing by the word of the Lord, the miserable estate of the Church that should be after his death, and considering with great anguish of heart, the woeful effects that were like to follow, he turned himself in his bed to the wall and wept, and was grieved to departed hence, 
Esay 38, 18, ●.  saying: The grave cannot confess thee, death cannot praise thee: they that go down into the pit, cannot hope for thy truth: but the living, the living, he shall confess thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall declare thy truth. He desired of God to live, and prayed unto God to prolong his days, not to lift up himself above his brethren, not to glory in the smoke of lofty titles, not to tyrannize over the people, not to command the things that are unjust, or to punish such as do not deserve it: but to do good to the Church, and to set forth God's praise. Death indeed, which bringeth the dissolution of nature, is a welcome guest to them that are the Lords, all the godly do make themselves ready to receive him, to meet and entertain him; and so Kings & Princes among the rest: howbeit, in this respect, that the Church may be benefited by them, it is no matter of impiety to desire a longer continuance among God's people: much more than is it the duty of such as are under them, and governed by them, to desire their continuance as the days of heaven, and as the course of the Sun, to be Nurses to the godly. This was wont to be a common salutation used of the people toward their Princes, not only of the Infidels, but by the faithful servants of God. 
Dan. 2, 4, and 6, 21, and 3, 9, and 5, 10.  When the King came to visit Daniel, being cast into the den of Lions, the Prophet so soon as he heard him, said, O King, live for ever, that is, GOD grant unto thee a long life.  
Last of all, whensoever we have a wise and worthy, a godly and religious Prince given to us, it is our duty to be thankful. If the Lord grant unto a Land, a prudent and provident Prince to reign over them, whose heart is bend to seek the Lord, and to serve the GOD of his fathers, the people that breath under his shadow must praise the holy name of God. It is their duty to pray that princes may be such, and to commend them to God with all faithfulness. For if they must pray for others, much more for them? When Solomon was anointed with oil taken out of the Sanctuary, they blew the Trumpet, and all the people said, God save King Solomon. 
1 King. 1, 39  So the Apostle writing to Timothy, exhorteth that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, For Kings and for all that are in authority, 
1 Tim. 2, 1, 2, 3  that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. Now, as we are to pray for them, so we are to praise God for them: we are not to forget the least blessings, nor to be unmindful of smaller benefits: and therefore we are much more bound to be thankful for the greater, among which this is one of the greatest. The Prophet praying for the prosperous estate of the Kingdom of Solomon, saith, Give thy judgements to the King, O God, 
Psal. 72, 1, 2.  and thy righteousness unto the King's son: Then shall he judge thy people in righteousness, and thy poor with equity. This duty belongeth to us, and this aught to be our prayer and petition: and as God hath blessed us with a gracious Prince & his hopeful issue, contrary to the expectation of many malcontents and hollow-hearted enemies of us and our Religion; so we are often to call to remembrance the joyful and happy time when GOD in his great goodness brought him to this Kingdom, and to sit upon the Throne lineally descended unto him: so that we may say with the Psalmist, 
Psal. 118, 23, 24.  This was the Lords doing, & it is marvelous in our eyes: this is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice & be glad in it. Hereby did God allay the bitterness of sorrow worthily conceived, for the decease of our late Sovereign, so that the setting as it were of the Moon, was recompensed with the bright shining of the Sun; and the closing of the eyes, as it were shutting the windows of declining age, with a greater perfection of age, of sex, of gifts, and many other prerogatives. Thus doth one and the same day minister matter and occasion both of sorrow and of gladness; 
The 24. day of March, Anno Domini 1603.  of discomfort, yet of comfort: of weeping, yet of rejoicing; as a medicine composed of contrary ingredients: so that we may say & sing with the Poet; 
jamque dies (nisi fallor) adest, quem semper acerbun,  
Semper honorandum (sic dij voluistis) habebo:  

Virgil. Eneid. lib. 3.  Hunc ego Getulis agerem si Syrtibus exul,  
Argolicove mari deprensus, & urbe Mycenae,  
Annua vota tamen, solennesque ordine pompas  
Exequerer: strueremqque suis altaria donis.   
That is; 
This, this day, ever-dolefull shall,  
and ever joyful be:  
Yea merry-sad, and bitter sweet:  
(thus God did it decree.)  
If I were cast among the Moors,  
and lived a captive slave,  
Yet yearly vows and duties due,  
the Altars high should have.   
Thus may we, and a great deal more justly say of the day above named, which is heavy, and yet happy; threatening a storm, and yet shining clearly. Who did not greatly fear, and whose hearts were not full of perplexed thoughts, to consider what dangers were likely to fall upon our heads, when God should call unto himself, Queen Elizabeth, and gather her unto her Fathers? But behold Gods great providence, dealing in mercy toward us, who shut up the mouth of the Lions, and put up the sword of the enemy, and quenched the violence of the fire, so that no noise, no tumult, no crying was heard in our streets, no sacking of Cities, no tumbling of garments in blood was seen, no alarm of battle was discerned of any, not a dog lifted up his tongue, 
Esay 9, 5.  but all things were submiss and quiet: Thus God brought King james unto the kingdom with a train of all estates, degrees, callings, companies, and conditions, with Olive branches of peace in their hands, sinesudore & sanguine, that is, without sweeting and bloodshedding. No man lost his goods, no man lost his life, no babylonish confusion followed, but every one held his own with greater certainty and security then before: whereat the enemies of our peace and religion fret and rage, and gnash their teeth for anger, and are like to burst for envy, seeing their expectation is frustated, & all their hopes are defeated. Yea Lord, disappoint them more and more, cast them into the pit which they have digged, and roll the stone upon themselves which they have stirred: let them be consumed and confounded in their own devices, and taste of the fruit of their own malice: let their eyes look for a day of comfort and refreshing, until they fall out of their heads, according to that saying, 
Rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis, 
Horat. lib. 1. Epist. 2.  at ille  
Labitur, & labetur in omne volubilis aewm.   
That is; 
They wait until the River waxeth dry,  
But he doth run, and shall eternally.   
So then, to use the words of the Prophet Esay, ch. 5, 24. As the flame of fire devoureth the stubble, & as the chaff is consumed of the flame: so their root shall be as rottenness, and their bud shall rise up like dust, because they have cast off the Law of the Lord of Hosts, and contemned the word of the holy one of Israel. On the other side, let us acknowledge it to be our duty, to render humble and hearty thanks to GOD for his goodness toward us, in delivering us from the dangers that did hang over us, in frustrating the policies of the ungodly, in continuing among us the Gospel of peace, in maintaining concord and unity among us, & all these, by placing our dread Sovereign over us, and thereby removing a thousand calamities that threatened shipwreck and final desolation. Let us not now grow secure, but oftentimes remember the benefits that we have received. It is noted, that when Solomon was set upon the seat of David his father, 
1 Kin. 1, 48.  the people came up after him, yea they piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rang with the sound of them. So when Hiram King of Tyrus heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly, and said, 
1 Kin. 5, 7.  Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this mighty people. Likewise, when the Queen of Sheba saw the glory of Solomon, and knew it to be a chief sign of God's favour to have godly and wise Rulers sit in the Throne of justice and judgement, she broke forth not only into an admiration of his wisdom, and his servants happiness, but also into an open thanksgiving, Blessed be the Lord thy God which loveth thee, to set thee on the Throne of Israel, 
1 Kin. 10, 9  because the Lord loved Israel for ever, and made thee King, to do equity and righteousness. These are good examples for us to follow, and teach us what we ought to do, when God blesseth us with an upright David, with a wise Solomon, with a zealous Hezekiah, with a religious josiah, with a reforming jehosaphat: it is our duty to return praise and glory to God, and withal to pray hearty for the prosperous and happy continuance of such among us, that they may live long upon earth, to promote his glory, to advance the Gospel, & to establish peace, plenty, and prosperity among their people.   

10. On the Southside shall be the standard of the host of Reuben, according to their armies, and the Captain over the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.  
11. And his host and the number thereof were six and forty thousand, and five hundredth.  
12. And by him shall the Tribe of Simeon pitch, and the Captain over the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zuri shaddai.  
13. And his host and the number of them, were nine and fifty thousand and three hundredth.  
14. And the Tribe of Gad, and the Captain over the sons of Gad, shall be Eliasaph the son of devil.  
15. And his host and the number of them, were six and forty thousand, six hundredth and fifty.  
16. All the number of the Camp of Reuben, were an hundredth and one and fifty thousand, and four hundred and fifty, according to their armies, and they shall set forth in the second place.  
In these words we have a description of the second standard, as appeareth in the shutting up of this division, where it is said, They shall set forth in the second place. In this standard, the principal is Reuben, his assistants joined with him are Simeon and Gad. In which combination we see, the particular number of each of them declared, their Captains are specified, and then the total sum is reckoned up. We showed before, that Reuben was the eldest son of jacob, to whom as to the first borne, the birthright did of right belong: yet we see in the former words, that judah was set before him: thus doth God show himself a just judge in punishing sin, and declareth how odious and abominable it is in his sight. But see how God dealeth in mercy with him, that is, with his posterity. He deserved utterly to be razed out of the number of God's people, and to be forgotten for ever by reason of his horrible incest: and no doubt the rest of the Tribes were ready to hate him, to reproach him, and prefer themselves before him. But behold the goodness of God, that though he will punish sin, yet he doth it in mercy, not with severity: gently, not rigorously: for correction, not seeking the ruin and destruction of those that belong Doctrine 3 unto him. From this example of Gods dealing toward Reuben, 
God's judgements are always tempered and seasoned with mercy toward those that are his.  we learn, that God's judgements are tempered and mingled with great mercy and mildness toward those that are his. Reuben committed horrible incest, and thereby deserved not only to be thrust into the lowest place, but to be cast out of the account of jacob's posterity and to be honoured neither of God nor man, neither alive not dead: yet though judah have the first place, Reuben hath the second; so than albeit he was punished justly, he was punished gently. Thus God dealeth evermore, he correcteth both moderately and mercifully: and as the Physician allayeth the bitterness of the potion with some sweetness, so God assuageth the greatness of his punishment with some mildness and favour that he mingleth with it. This doth the Prophet declare, Psal. 89, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. If his children forsake my Law, and walk not in my judgements: If they break my statutes, and keep not my Commandments: then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with strokes; yet my loving kindness will I not take from h●m, neither will I falsify my truth, etc. God will chastise his for their sins, but in the midst of his punishments he remembreth his mercy toward his, and will not utterly forsake them, though he afflict them for a time. So the Prophet Esay testifieth the like, chap. 54, 7, 8. For a little while have I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee: for a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. He correcteth his own people, because they are sinful: he correcteth them gently, because he is merciful. This will yet better appear unto us▪ if we take a view of the examples of Gods dealing toward his servants in their afflictions. When Miriam rose up against Moses, she was stricken with leprosy, 
Numb. 12, 10, 14.  and shut out of the host seven days, and afterward was received again. When David had sinned in numbering the people, 
2 Sam. 24, 13, 16.  the Lord threatened three days pestilence in the Land, & the Angel stretched out his hand upon jerusalem to destroy it: notwithstanding when David repent of his sin, the Lord also repent of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is sufficient, hold now thine hand. When Zachariah the Priest would not believe the message that was sent him from God, and delivered by the Angel, that he should have a son in his old age, (than which, what greater dishonour could be done to God? what greater disgrace to his messenger?) It was said unto him, Behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not be able to speak, 
Luke 1, 20.  until the day that these things be done. If Miriam had been stricken with leprosy as many years as she was days, or David with the pestilence, or Zachary with dumbness, they could not have complained against God, but must have acknowledged their sins had deserved more: so that such is the dealing of our GOD toward his children, that he evermore mitigateth the bitterness of the cup of his wrath with the greatness of his mercy, so that his justice and goodness go together.  
This will farther appear unto us, by setting Reason 1 before us sundry reasons, which will put this doctrine out of all doubt. For first of all, he punisheth his people as it were unwillingly, as enforced and compelled unto it by our disobedience. He had rather spare us, and not correct us, if it were for our good: but he seethe it to be for our benefit, and to further our salvation, who before we be afflicted, do go astray and wander out of the right way. This is the reason urged by the Prophet jeremy, Lam. 3, 32, 33: 
Lam. 3, 32, 33.  Though he send affliction, yet will he not forsake for ever, but have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies: for he doth not punish willingly, nor afflict the Children of God. If then he take no delight nor pleasure in it, but doth it of necessity for our profit and amendment, it followeth that he dealeth gently, and not cruelly: mildly, and not rigorously with us.  
Secondly, he is as a loving Father that spareth Reason 2 his son that serveth him. He dealeth not as a tyrant or a tormenter that setteth upon the Rack, and showeth exquisite punishments upon such as offend: but he correcteth his Church, as a father doth his children which come out of his bowels, and therefore it must be done with great compassion. This reason is often rendered to enforce this point of doctrine, as Deut. 8, 5. Know therefore in thine heart, that as a man nurtureth his son, so the Lord thy God nurtureth thee: declaring thereby, that his afflictions are signs of his fatherly love toward us. Likewise 2 Sam. 7, 14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he sin, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the plague of the Children of men, but my mercy shall not departed away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I have put away before thee. So then, he dealeth not extremely with his people, but spareth them, 
Malac. 3, 17.  as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, as his nature is to show mercy, so knoweth he the matter whereof we are made, and he considereth that we are but dust. If he should deal with us according to our deserts and pay us home as we have provoked him by sinning against him, he should bring man to nothing, and consume him for ever. Wherefore the Lord saith, I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth, 
Esay 57, 16.  for the spirit should fail before me, & I have made the breath. We are as a wind that soon passeth, as a breath that is easily stopped, and as the dust that is quickly blown away. The Prophet calleth this to our remembrance, which we ought to learn without the word by daily experience, Psal. 103, 13, 14, 15, and 78, 38, 39 and 30, 5. As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him, for he knoweth whereof we be made, he remembreth that we are but dust: the days of man are as grass, as a flower of the field, so flourisheth he. And in another place, He being merciful, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not, but ofttimes called back his anger, and did not stir up all his anger: for he remembered that they were flesh, yea, a wind that passeth and cometh not again. If then we consider that God punisheth unwillingly, that he showeth mercy, and remembreth our frailty, we must needs conclude with the same Prophet, that he endureth but a while in his anger, but in his favour is life: weeping may abide at evening, but joy cometh in the morning.  
Let us now observe the uses that may be gathered from this doctrine. First, mark the Use. 1 difference between God and man, whose ways are not as our ways, nor his works like unto our works. It is not with God as it is with man. 
Esay 27, 4.  Albeit he be daily provoked and offended, yet he is not easily moved; and upon our submission and repentance, he is quickly appeased, and his wrath by and by is turned back. 
Psal. 103, 8, 9, 10, 11.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, and of great kindness, he will not always chide, neither keep his anger for ever: he hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities: for as high as the Heaven is above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. But when man is once moved, he seldom keepeth any mean or moderation, & he can hardly or never will be appeased again, albeit he that hath offended and provoked him, do submit himself unto him, and crave pardon for his offence. Hence it is, that God is constrained to restrain the outrage and cruelty of man in his Law, that as a violent stream breaks out, & can be kept within no bounds of reason; where he giveth in charge, that if the wicked be worthy to be beaten, 
Deut. 25, 2, 3  the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten before his face, according to his trespass, unto a certain number, forty stripes shall because him to have, and not past, lest if he should exceed, and beat him above that with many stripes, thy brother should appear despised in thy sight. This law declareth, that so soon as we are injuried, a fire is kindled within us, we conceive rancour and choler, we fret and fume with indignation, and cannot be reconciled; we are filled with our passions, we lay on load and know no moderation. If the Lord should deal with us as we measure to our brethren, we were not able to bear it and abide it. If he should be so fierce and full of rage against us, we should utterly be destroyed and consumed: but there is always mercy with him, that he may be feared.  
Secondly, this serveth greatly to comfort Use 2 all the faithful servants of God, to consider the moderation of his chastisements, and the gentleness of his hand in all his corrections. We see by daily experience how he forbeareth us, and poureth not out all his wrath upon us. If it were not so, it would oftentimes go hard with us. Albeit his hand be sharp upon us, yet we must needs confess, our sins have justly deserved greater plagues, longer plagues, sharper plagues. And when his judgements are ceased and withdrawn, our sins are found to be as great and sometimes greater than before, so that we deserve other plagues and punishments to come in place, & immediately to follow the former. Our deliverance therefore is for his mercy's sake. Hereupon the Prophet saith, 
Psal. 30, 5.  He endureth but a while in his anger, but in his favour is life, weeping may abide in the evening, but joy cometh in the morning. In like manner, sorrow may happen in the morning, but joy and comfort shall abide within the evening, that we may acknowledge the greatness of his mercy, and the shortness of his wrath. We heard how sorrowful a message, and what heavy tidings David had brought unto him so soon as he was up; but this sorrow was soon turned into joy, and this heaviness into gladness, when the Angel of vengeance is commanded to stay his hand, and to put up the sword of justice into his sheath. To this purpose the Apostle teacheth the Hebrews, chap. 12. 
Heb. 12, 9, 10, 12.  We have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us, and we gave them reverence, should we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, that we might live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he chasteneth us for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  
We must evermore remember, that it is his mercy that moveth him to stay his hand and to call in his judgements, and to make our plagues to cease. We cannot stand to plead with GOD, we must not justify ourselves, we ought not to hold ourselves innocent; but rather persuade ourselves that God hath a just quarrel and controversy against us. Hath he visited our brethren that dwell near us, as good and peradventure better than ourselves, and yet hath not touched us? Hath he freed us, when others have felt the stroke of his rod? Have we stood upright, when others have fallen down? When his arrows fly abroad, and stick in the flesh, and enter into the bones, hath he passed over us, and hid us under the shadow of his wing, as in a place of safety? Oh consider this, and let us not forget the favour of God toward us: O let us remember his loving kindness, and engrave it in our hearts to work in us the fruits of obedience. Let us enter into our own selves, and examine our consciences aright, and reason with ourselves after this manner: How cometh it to pass, that we have sinned, and yet are spared? that we have been in danger, and yet are delivered, and are not destroyed? seeing so many of our neighbours die round about us daily, how is it that we are spared? Have not our sins deserved to be swept away? or can we say, we are not guilty? If we search our hearts and ways thoroughly, and deal truly with God and ourselves, we must confess that there is nothing in ourselves but matter to kindle his wrath, and to cut us off, and to punish us with greater plagues than he hath hitherto inflicted upon us. It is his mercy that we live, and have a longer time of repentance given unto us: he might have cut us off as rotten branches, fit for no other use then to be cast into the fire. We must be thankful unto him for this goodness, and not abuse his patience and long suffering, lest we kindle his wrath again, and he reserve us for a greater plague, and so we bring a more heavy condemnation upon ourselves. Blessed are we if we can make this holy and sanctified use of affliction, the which, albeit for the present time it seem grievous, and not joyous: 
Heb. 12, 11.  yet afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness unto them which are thereby exercised.  
Thus we see how this doctrine is the cause of much comfort and consolation, if we behave ourselves as we ought to do under the Cross.  
We have not to do with an hard and cruel father that will not regard us: nor with a weak and impotent father that cannot relieve us: for our God is in heaven, he is able to do whatsoever he will. Little children do oftentimes receive great hurt being far from their father's sight, and left unto themselves: it is not so with us; we are always in the presence of GOD our Father, he is our eye, to see for us, our ear to hear for us, our hand stretched out to help us, and deliver us. For how should not he that made the eye see? and that made the ear, hear? 
Psal. 94, 9  It is said when Israel was in Egypt, and there oppressed with cruel bondage, that GOD looked upon the children of Israel, 
Exod. 2, 25.  and God had respect unto them: so that he did not look upon their miseries as an idle beholder of them, or as one that took pleasure to see their calamities, but as one that was moved with compassion toward them, and pitied their poor estate and condition; for as he saw their troubles, and knew their sorrows, 
Exod. 3, 7.  so he came down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Hec it is that giveth diligent care to all our groans and sighs, he knoweth in what case we stand, and what pains we feel, he taketh so great care and keep of us, that he suffereth not any of our tears to fall to the ground, but putteth them into his bottle, and layeth them up in his register.  
Thus doth GOD remember us in trouble, heareth and helpeth us at all times, hath a continual care of us, that we should not be discouraged, nor drink a full cup and draught of affliction, to be left without comfort under the waves thereof, that might drown our souls. This is the staff of comfort, which Christ giveth unto his Disciples, and all that believed in his Name, even to so many as should see the ruin and horrible destruction that should come upon the City and the Temple, Math. 24, verse 22. 
Math. 24, 22  Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, nor yet shall be hereafter: and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elects sake, those days shall be shortened. In these words the faithful are comforted by consideration of the mercy of God in the mitigation of those judgements which he would bring upon jerusalem. True it is, some do understand them of the second coming of Christ with power and great glory, according to a rotten prophesy of one of the Rabbins, setting down the standing and continuing of the world, namely, Two thousand years before the Law: 
A worm-eaten and motheaten prophesy of one Elias.  two thousand under the Law: and two thousand under Christ, but for the Elects sake, those days should be shortened. The examination of this counterfeit and wormeaten prophesy, belongeth not to this place, nor time: the two first parts being untrue, & the third both untrue, uncertain, and unsettled, having no sure ground or foundation to stand upon. For touching the true meaning of the place, it is not to be understood of the day of judgement, but of the destruction of jerusalem. For when Christ speaking by the Spirit of prophesy, foretold of the taking and ruinating of the Temple, so that one stone should not be left up on a stone that should not be cast down, the Disciples (upon occasion hereof) asked the question, when these things should be, and what should be the signs of his coming to judgement? To these two questions he answereth distinctly, not confusedly: and first of all to the first, wherein he giveth them sundry signs going before the sackking of the City of jerusalem: as for example, 
Math. 24, 15. Luc. 21.20, and 19, 43. Math. 24.19, 20  when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, that is, the Roman army (as Luke expounds it) sit in the holy place, know that the end is near: then being touched with a commiseration of their sorrows, he saith, Woe to them that are with child, and give suck in these days; pray that your flight be not in the winter, etc. Such were no fit persons to fly, such is no fit time to fly from their cruel and bloody enemies, nor to escape the rage of barbarous and merciless soldiers. Then shall be such trouble and tribulation, as no tongue can express, no pen can write, no language hath words to utter. The sword devoured without, and both sword and famine raged & consumed within, 
joseph▪ de bello judai. li. 7. c. 8.  so that they were constrained to eat their own children. during the straightness of the siege. These be the days of vengeance; to fulfil all things that are written. Immediately upon the mention of these woes and tribulations, follow these words, Except those days should be shortened, 
Luc 21, 22.  etc.: as if he should say, If God had suffered those sharp afflictions to continue, and the enemies to rage against them as they desired, and their sins deserved, none of that Nation had escaped, all the jews had been rooted out as one man. No flesh, that is, not a man among the jews had been left alive. 
Rom. 9, 1, 2, 3  But for the elects sake, that is, because GOD had a remnant among them according to grace, even his elect and chosen people (which he would not cast away) for their sakes the days of their great distress in the Land, 
Luc. 21, 23.  and of wrath over this people, should be ended and finished: which declareth how precious and dear the faithful that fear God are in his sight, that because of their company he would cease to scourge & afflict the nation any longer: even as at the intercession of Abraham, he would have spared Sodom and Gomorrha, if ten righteous persons had been found there, Gen. 18. So God showed mercy to the host of Israel, because jehosaphat was present with them. And therefore when jehoram the son of Ahab complained for want of water, the Prophet Elisha answered, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the Prophets of thy father, 
2 Kin. 3, 13, 14  and to the Prophets of thy mother: as the Lord of hosts liveth, in whose sight I stand, if it were not that I regard the presence of jehosaphat the King of judah, I would not have looked toward thee, nor seen thee.  
So then we see, to return to the former point, that he speaketh of ending the troubles of the jews, and siege of the City, not of cutting shorter the day of judgement.  
Thus God knows how to mitigate the sorrows, and shorten the calamities that threaten the ruin and subversion of his servants. And who is it but desireth comfort in time of trouble? If then we would be assured that these things belong unto us, 
How we may comfort ourselves in trouble.  & take comfort in the meditation of them, let us observe these points as special rules for our edification.  
First, it is our duty to acknowledge God's mercy to be great, who might lay a greater load and an heavier burden upon us. When the Angel stretched out his hand to destroy jerusalem, the Lord stayed his hand, & caused the plague to cease, so that when thousands fell down on the right side, and ten thousands on the left side, they were spared and not touched.  
Whence did this difference arise? And how came it to pass that the City was passed over, & the rest of the Land punished? Was it because these were worse livers or greater sinners? or was it because there were better people in jerusalem then in other corners of the country? Was it because of the goodly buildings in the City, or because of the multitude of rich and wealthy Citizens, or because of the sumptuous stones of the Temple, or because of the sacrifices and service of God solemnised in the Temple, or because the seat of the King and the Thrones set for justice were there? If we think it was for all these, or for any of these, or for any such like outward respect, we are deceived. Indeed the Temple was an occasion of vain confidence to carnal men, who cried out, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, 
●er. 7.4.  this is the Temple of the Lord; whereas they remained impenitent and unreformed: but as yet it was not builded, for Solomon built him an house. As for the City and the Citizens, 
Acts 7.47.  we must look for no great good there; there was want of true piety, store of pride, cruelty and oppression, which had enclosed, nay infected the walls with the contagion thereof. In what state it stood, David declareth, who calleth to God for help, and saith, There is not a godly man left, the faithful are failed from among the children of men, 
Psal. 12, 1, 2.  so that every one dealt deceitfully with his neighbour, and spoke flattringly with double hearts. To this purpose speaketh jeremy, chap. 5, 1. Run too and fro by the streets of jerusalem, and behold now, and know, and inquire in the open places thereof, if ye can find a man, or if there be any that executeth judgement, and seeketh the truth, and I will spare it. Thus doth the Prophet Ezekiel 
Ezek. 22, 7, ●, 9, 12.  complain, & painteth out as in a Table the wickedness of jerusalem, chap. 22. There did abound shedding of blood, contempt of superiors, oppression of strangers, wronging of the fatherless, iniurying of the widows, profaning of the Sabbaths, carrying about of tales, committing of idolatry, taking of bribes, perverting of judgement, biting by usury, defrauding of their neighbours by extortion, and forgetting of the Lord. This was the estate of jerusalem, and therefore the cause why the pestilence did not walk through the midst of the City, and the Angel is commanded to stay his hand from destroying that place which was such a sink of all filthy sins, was the Lord's mercy only, who was willing to spare it, & to give them longer time of repentance. This must we confess, when we are spared, or we are most unthankful unto God. For we have experience of his goodness toward us.  
Secondly, we must in time of our affliction pray unto him, and call upon his name, and come with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may put him in mind of his mercies. Thus doth the Prophet behave himself when he heareth of the havoc and waste that should be made among the people of GOD, he prayeth hearty for the faithful, saying, O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and was not afraid: 
Hab. 3, 2.  O Lord revive thy work in the midst of the people, in the midst of the years make it known, in wrath remember mercy. What greater motive can there be to make us repair to God, then to consider how mildly and gently he dealeth with his people, when he doth afflict them? This was it that moved David to make choice of the pestilence having the choice of two other judgements propounded and laid before him, because he was most gracious and full of compassion: Let me now fall into the hand of the Lord, 
1 Chr. 21, 13.  for his mercies are exceeding great, and let me not fall into the hand of man. He had experience both of God's mercy and of man's cruelty. We never profit aright by our afflictions, unless they drive us nearer to God, and cause us to call upon his name. It is the Commandment of God, that we should call upon him in the day of trouble.  
Thirdly, if we would have comfort in the feeling of God's hand, we must thereby be drawn unto repentance, acknowledge our sins to deserve far greater judgements than yet we suffer, and consequently, turn unto him with all our hearts. If we remain stubborn and rebellious under the Cross, GOD will not leave us so, but double his strength and strokes upon us, until we be either reclaimed or convinced in our own consciences, and made without excuse. The Lord commanded his Prophet to go and cry these words, Thou disobedient Israel, return, 
jerem. 3, 12.  saith the Lord, and I will not let my wrath fall upon you, for I am merciful, and will not always keep mine anger. The end that God aimeth at in afflicting his people, is to bring them unto him, and to make them seek him early: and until affliction work in us repentance & newness of life, we have no right use nor true fruit of it.  
Fourthly, it is required of us to praise the name of God for his mercy and goodness in sparing of us, and not pouring out the full viols of his wrath and indignation upon us, and not coming out with all his fury and forces against us. The practice of this praise we see in David, after the plague was ceased; 
2 Sam. 24, 25  he built an Altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and the Lord was appeased toward the Land, and the plague ceased from Israel. He did not only call upon God, but offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving unto him. Except we follow his example, and practise this duty, we rob God of his honour, and provoke him to take away his blessings from us. When we are in affliction, we are eloquent enough, and have tongues to utter many prayers to have the plague upon us removed from us: but when we are helped and the judgement is taken away, we forget both God's mercy and our own duty, we consider not from whence our deliverance cometh, nor what it challengeth at our hands.  
Fiftly, we must remember, that we think not ourselves hardly dealt withal, but take heed to ourselves that we be far from murmuring and complaining against God. The Lord complaineth by his Prophet, against such hypocrites, 
jere. 3, 4, 5.  jeremy 3: Didst thou not still cry unto me, Thou art my Father, and the guide of my youth? will he keep his anger for ever, will he reserve it to the end? Thus they flattered with their lips, when malice was in their hearts; they spoke fair to God, and pretended a great desire they had that they would feign please him, while his hand is upon them, and while he striketh them with his rod. But what answer doth GOD give and they receive? It followeth in the next words, Thus hast thou spoken, but thou dost evil even more and more. And as it was with this people, so is our case, when God at any time taketh us in hand, we speak him fair, we humble ourselves before him, and stoop down to take correction; but either we think the time too long while his rod is upon us, and so will prescribe him the time when to take it away; or else we fret & fume against him as doing us wrong, and we sustained injury at his hands. But if we were acquainted either with our iniquity, or with his mercy, we would be otherwise minded, and would confess that all kinds of punishments are due to us, and indeed too little for us: yea, we would easily perceive that GOD is more sorrowful for the correction which he is constrained to lay upon us, than we are grieved for the sins which we have committed against him. If these things be found in us, if we acknowledge God's mercy toward us in our troubles, if we call upon him earnestly, if we turn unto him unfeignedly, if we praise his name cheerfully, and do not think ourselves hardly dealt withal, we shall not want comfort in our sufferings, but be able to comfort both ourselves and others.  
Lastly, it is our duty to be patiented under Use. 3 the cross, not to discourage ourselves in our troubles, whatsoever or how great soever they be, nor to murmur and repine at them: seeing our doctrine teacheth us, that he never poureth upon us all his wrath, nor giveth us a full cup to drink up, even the dregs thereof; but tempereth & seasoneth it in such sort, that together with the affliction we may taste of his compassion. Now to the end we may not despise the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when we are rebuked of him, but may possess our souls with patience and endure constant unto the end, we are to consider three things. First of all, we must remove all lets and impediments that may hinder us in the course of patience. Secondly, we must learn and mark the motives that may move us to the embracing of this Christian and heavenly virtue. Thirdly, we must examine & prove ourselves, whether this grace of GOD be in us or not, seeing upon it as upon a pillar resteth the life of our christian profession, as we shall show afterward. Touching the first, it standeth us upon to cut off and to cast away from us all such things as may any way hinder our patience. The Apostle writing to the Hebrews, and commending the constancy and patience of the Saints, draweth this exhortation: Wherefore, 
Heb. 12, 1.  let us also, seeing that we are compassed with so great a Cloud of witnesses, cast away every thing that presseth down, and the sin that hangeth so fast on, let us run with patience the race that is set before us: whereby he declareth, that the means to hold on our course with patience, is to remove the lets and impediments that stand in our way.  
The first hindrance is self-love, 
The hindrances of patience.  the very bane and poison of all good and holy duties. We love ourselves and our skin so well, that we shrink back our shoulders, and pull in our heads when any peril beginneth to hang over us, as if some storm and tempest were imminent and ready to fall upon us. So long as this thorn sticketh in the flesh, we cannot love the Lord, nor yield obedience unto him in bearing the cross. Hence it is that our Saviour Christ saith, Math. 16. verse 24. If any man will follow me, let him forsake himself, and take up his cross and follow me. It is to our nature and the natural man hard to suffer, who desireth to sleep in an whole skin.  
The second hindrance is desire of revenge. For these two, patience and revenge, are as contrary one to the other, as peace and war, as fire and water, as light and darkness. If joseph had looked to the injurious dealings of his brethren toward him, and to their wicked purposes intended against him, he would never have said unto them, 
Gen. 45, 5, 8.  Be not sad, neither grieved with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: you sent me not hither, but God, who hath made me a father unto Pharaoh, and Lord of all his house, and Ruler throughout all the Land of Egypt. If job had rested and contented himself in the attempts and robberies of the Sabeans and Chaldeans, he would never have broken out into these words, The LORD hath given, 
job 1, 15, 17, 21  and the LORD hath taken away. It belongeth not unto us to take or to seek revenge: but to commit ourselves and our causes to the God of vengeance.  
The third let is infidelity, when we have in us an unfaithful heart, and cast off all confidence in God, who maintaineth the lot of all those that trust in him, and depend upon him. What was the cause that the jews, suffering want in the wilderness, sometimes of bread, and sometimes of water, murmured against God and his servant Moses? And albeit they had most manifest experience both of the power and mercy of GOD, in helping them in all times of need, yet they broke out into impatiency, Exod. chap. 16, verse 3. Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the Land of Egypt, 
Exod. 26, 3.  when we sat by the fleshpots, when we did eat bread our bellies full.  
The cause of this was an unbelieving heart to departed away from the living God. If therefore we believe not in him, 
●●m. 20, 12. ●●al. 78, 22.  to sanctify his Name, and to trust in his help, if we do not commit all our ways unto him, who hath promised that he will never forget us nor forsake us, it is unpossible that ever we should possess our souls with patience.  
The last impediment is want of premeditation and consideration how we may continue and go through stitch, without starting back from our profession. This is the cause that maketh men impatient and to give over when we are tried, because we never weigh the danger before we are tried. We must cast our accounts, what it hath cost others, & what it may cost ourselves; It is worthy counsel given unto us by our Saviour Christ, Luc. 14, 28, 29, 30. Which of you, minding to build a Tower, sitteth not down before, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to perform it? lest that after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to perform it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to make an end. It is a dangerous case to be found unprepared and unprovided for the assault. It hath wrought a relapse and apostasy in many, so that they have denied the faith, and made shipwreck of religion. Hitherto of the hindrances of patience: now let us consider the motives that may persuade us to seek after it, and to lay hand and hold upon it.  

Motives to move us to patience.  First of all, we must know, that as all affliction is of God, so he will be with us, & have care over us under the Cross. Why then should we be dismayed, or discourage ourselves in any troubles whatsoever, seeing we are still in God's sight, and have him ready to hear us? otherwise it could not but go hard with us. It had gone hard with Moses being cast into the River among the reeds, except God had looked down from heaven upon him, and directed Pharaohs daughter to take him up. The like we might say of joseph, when he was in irons, and his feet held in the stocks: 
Psal. 105.18. 1 Sam. 24, 2, 3. jere. 38, 6. jonas 1, 17. Dan. 3, 21, & 6, 16.  of David, when he wandered in the wilderness on the Mountains and in Caves of the earth: of jeremy, when he was cast in prison: of jonah in the whales belly: of Daniel in the den of Lions; and of his fellows in the fiery furnace: all these had experience of God's assistance, who was not far from them in the day of trouble. So it shall be with every one of us: his countenance doth evermore behold the just in all their sufferings & calamities, as the Psalmist saith, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, & his ears are open unto their cry. 
Psal. 34, 15.  And indeed we should be most wretched and miserable in all our afflictions, in war, famine, and pestilence, and whatsoever chastisements befall us, except God had an eye to see us, an ear to hear us, an heart to pity us, and an hand to save and secure us.  
Secondly, we must consider what we have deserved, and how we may justly be punished, not only in that manner, but in a greater measure. This was the confession of the penitent thief hanging upon the Cross, and speaking thus unto his fellow, Luc. 23. 
Luc. 23, 41, 42  We are indeed righteously here: for we receive things worthy of that we have done: but this man hath done nothing amiss. We show ourselves to have a sensible feeling of our sorrows, but are many times without feeling of our sins. If GOD should lay more upon us, he were not unjust, inasmuch as we have justly brought it upon ourselves. We see this in the Prophet David, acknowledging the same, Psal. 119, 75. I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right, and that thou hast afflicted me justly. We must confess that nothing belongeth to us but shame and confusion of faces.  
Thirdly, this meditation must enter into our souls, and never departed from us, that God will turn all our sorrows & sufferings unto the best: so that neither tribulation, nor anguish, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord. This is it which the Apostle teacheth, Rom. 8, 28. We know that all things work together for the best unto them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose. This promise is assured unto us, that he will sanctify unto our singular good, not only his blessings, but his very chastisements and afflictions, so that they shall bring us nearer to God, as the Prophet David confessed, he had received good by them, Psal. 119. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word.  
Fourthly, we are made to suffer here, that we might not suffer elsewhere. For we are chastened in this life, lest we should be condemned in the life to come. If therefore we be without correction, whereof all the sons of God are partakers, then are we bastards & not sons, as the Apostle speaketh to the Hebrews. Let us call to our remembrance, what Abraham answereth to the rich man, Luke 16 25. Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains: now therefore is he comforted, & thou art tormented. The rich man enjoyed the desires and delights of his own heart in this life, therefore he was tormented in hell in the life to come. Let us patiently abide that which God layeth upon us, wishing rather to suffer here such troubles as are temporal, than the torments of hell after this life, which are eternal.  
Fiftly, it is the will of God that we should suffer, to which we must readily obey, and humbly submit ourselves, as the Apostle showeth, Phil. 1, 29. Unto you it is given for Christ, that not only ye should believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. The heathen were wont to use this as a reason to bear the cross, because there is no remedy or redress, & that it cannot be otherwise. Seeing then, they could not choose but suffer, they taught that it is better to make a virtue of necessity, then brutishly or childishly to despair under it; and seeing it must needs be so, they must be contented, resolving, as Christ saith, Acts 9, 5. It is hard to kick against pricks. But we have a better and stronger motive to move us to suffer, than the forcible weapon of necessity, even the unchangeable purpose of God, whose gracious will it is, that through manifold tribulations we should enter into the kingdom of heaven.  
Lastly, we must have an eye cast upward to the rich recompense of reward that shall be given unto us. For the greater our trials are, the greater shall our reward be. It is said by the Apostle, that Moses chose rather to suffer adversity with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, because he had respect to the recompense of the reward. 
Hebrews 11,  The afflictions of this present life are all temporal and transitory, they have an end in a short space: but the glory prepared and reserved for the Saints in the next life, 
2 Cor. 4, 17.  shall know no end; for our light affliction which is but for a moment, causeth unto us a far more excellent and an eternal weight of glory: while we look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Our afflictions shall not continue long upon us, they shall speedily have an end; which ought to devour the bitterness thereof, and swallow up the tediousness that creepeth upon us. Thus much of the means or motives to work patience in us. Now it remaineth, that we examine ourselves, whether it be in us or not. 
The signs of patience.  For if we be without patience, we shall never be able to hold out our profession unto the end. It is as salt that must season every duty. If then this be not found in us, we are but as time-servers, that continue for a season; or as the morning dew which vanisheth at the rising of the Sun; or as the grass upon the housetop, which flourisheth for a while, and afterward withereth away. Let us therefore consider the signs and tokens whereby we may try ourselves, and prove whether it be in us or not.  
One sign is an heart resolved to abide whatsoever is laid upon us, whether it be for sin or for trial. For we must understand, that some afflictions are laid upon us for our sins, and some for our trial. Examples of both we have in the Scriptures, to inform us in these points. Touching sin, the Prophet saith, Lament. 3, verse 39 Wherefore is the living man sorrowful? Man suffereth for his sin. When Christ had cured the man that had lain eight and thirty years at the pool of Bethesda, he found him afterward in the Temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, 
john 5.14.  lest a worse thing come unto thee. He had suffered a great judgement, yet the Lord threateneth him with a greater: he had been diseased many years, yet he was to fear a worse evil. Touching trial, we may look upon job, all whose sufferings were for trial of his faith, obedience, and sincerity. The like speaketh Christ to the Disciples, seeing a man which was blind from his birth, and ask him, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was borne blind? For he answered them, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, 
john 9, 1, 2, 3.  but that the works of God should be showed on him. Now then, whether our afflictions be to chastise us, or to prove us, the faithful man is persuaded and resolved to bear them; If his sins be remitted, and the guilt of them removed, he careth not though the cross abide and continue still. He that standeth thus affected, hath laid up a good sign to be known for his patience. The pardon of our sin must more rejoice us, than the feeling of the cross can dismay us.  
Secondly, when we suffer, and suffer much, yet we must not cease to love the Lord that striketh us. Though the punishment be bitter, we must not hate the hand that giveth the stroke, but embrace it hearty, and love it still. This affection was in job, when he had sustained the loss of his cattle, of his servants, of his sons, and of all his substance, he hated not GOD, nor murmured against him, but acknowledged in the midst of all, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, 
job 1, 21.  and naked shall I return thither: the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the Name of the LORD. Where we see he blesseth God, not only for his giving, but for his taking away, not only for his blessings, but for his chastisements. A notable example for us to follow, and a certain sign to make trial of our patience. It is the ordinary manner of wicked men, when they have received gifts, and are filled with good things, to give God thanks, and to say, God be thanked: but if their riches, honours, peace, and gifts be taken away, all is done, their thanks are ceased, their mouths are stopped, and their tongues are tied. It is a notable saying of the Prophet, Psalm 130, 3, 4. If thou O LORD, straightly markest iniquities, O LORD, who shall stand? but mercy is with thee that thou mayest be feared.  
If our love of GOD be proved, when his justice is showed: and our fear, when his mercy is extended toward us, we may assure our own hearts we have the spirit of patience within us. It is truly said, he loveth the party well, that can love him when he hath done him injury. True it is, GOD can do us no wrong, nor deal unjustly with us; but if he lay heavy punnishments upon us, and we do patiently abide them, and love God still hearty and unfeignedly, it is a great comfort that we are his. For who can love God, when he is wounded by his hand, but he that is undoubtedly in his favour and friendship? Wherefore, as God chastiseth those that belong to him, because he loveth them: so it is their duty to love him, because he chastiseth them.  
Thirdly, another sign of patience is humility, and humbling ourselves under his blows and strokes laid upon us. If once we begin to reason and dispute of the causes for which we suffer, and say, why should the Lord thus deal with us? or to vaunt of our sufferings in the spirit of vanity, and say, who is like unto me? or what man hath endured such things? it is plain and evident, we are far from true humility, and consequently from true patience. job is made a mirror of patience to all posterities, to the end of the world, which did evidently appear to be in him by the lively fruits thereof. And albeit he suffered much more than others, yet in the mids of all his sufferings and losses, he did not sin, 
job 1.22. and 2.10.  nor charge God foolishly: who being moved to confess his hypocrisy, and being judged an extraordinary wicked man, by his extraordinary afflictions, he answered; Thou speakest like a foolish woman: what? shall we receive good from the hand of God, and not receive evil? In all this did not job sin with his lips. Thus let us stoop down, & bend the knees of our hearts unto God, acknowledging the chastisement to come from him, and looking for deliverance to come from him also.  
The last property to discern it, is cheerfulness, and joy in suffering: when we are so far from murmuring under it, that we rejoice in it. The Apostles of Christ, being accused for preaching Christ, as for an evil work, & scourged as malefactors by the enemies of the Gospel, 
Act. 5.41.  departed from the council, rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for his name. This was a sign and proof of their patience. For this are the Saints commended, Rom. 8. who albeit they were killed all day long for his sake▪ and counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet in all these things they were more than conquerors, 
Rom. 8.37.  through him that loved them. They are persuaded, that neither life nor death, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall separate them from the love of God. The Apostle testifieth touching the Hebrews, that they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods, 
Heb. 10.34.  knowing in themselves, how that they have in heaven, a better, and an enduring substance. It was a lamentable case, to suffer the loss of all their substance, gathered together with great labour and sweat, or left unto them by their parents: but to suffer this spoil and pillage at the hands of their kinsfolks, and countrymen, and Magistrates (whose help they were to call upon, and who ought to have aided and assisted them) this no doubt did double and treble their sorrow and misery: yet such was their Christian patience, that they received those injuries and indignities with joy and great comfort. Not that they rejoiced at their own miseries, as men that were without feeling, or human affections, (for if they had been without sense, they could not be renowned for their patience;) but albeit they were touched with grief and heaviness for their adversities and afflictions, yet they were mindful of their profession, and of Christ's promise, that whosoever shall forsake houses, or brethren, or sisters, 
Matth. 19.29.  or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for his Names sake, he shall receive an hundredth fold more, and shall inherit everlasting life. This meditation was it that made them account light of the wrongs they had received, this hope of an eternal recompense swallowed up the sadness that arose in their heart, and wrought in them great gladness. For, what cause hath he to mourn and lament, that maketh an exchange of copper for gold? of chaff for wheat? of dross, for pure metal? So great is the price and excellency of heavenly things, above earthly, that we must be ready to bear with patience and alacrity, the lack and loss of them, especially considering we are not so much owners of them as stewards: neither shall it bring poverty upon us, because God will make us a plentiful amends and recompense: neither shall our enemies thrive with them: or enrich themselves by them: because as thieves and robbers they shall not escape the kingdom of God, but he will feed them with shame, and cloth them with dishonour, and reward them with confusion in the end.   
17 Then the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall go with the host of the Levites, in the mids of the Camp as they have pitched, so shall they go forward, every man in his order according to their standards. 
We have spoken already of two of the standards, and two other remain behind to be spoken off. In this verse, Moses enterlaceth the placing and situation of the Tabernacle, which was so environed with the Levites, and they flanked and fortified with the whole host, that it remained in the mids, to wit, in a place of the greatest safety and security, fittest for access in regard of the people, and hardest for access in regard of their enemies. For being placed in the mids of all the host, the Israelites might more easily approach, having a commodious ingress and egress, and regress unto it: and the enemies (if any should enterprise to trouble them) should not be able by any means to disturb and disquiet them, albeit they deferred it never Doctrine 4 so much. So then we see, that the place of the Tabernacle was not set in a corner of the host, 
The Tabernacle was placed in the mids of the host.  or at the one side, or out of the host, but is commanded to be pitched in the midst of the people. Hence it appeareth, that when the Lord was angry with his people, and would no longer reveal himself unto them by his presence among their tents, it is said, Moses took his Tabernacle and pitched it without the host, and called it Ohel-moed, that is, the Tabernacle of the Congregation; Exod. 33, ver. 7. 
Exod. 33.7.  here the people were to meet together: here the people were to ask counsel of God: and here the Oracle of God would give answer unto them. True it is, this is not to be understood of that holy place, made to be a worldly, 
Heb. 9.1.  that is, an earthly and temporal Sanctuary, called the Tabernacle, whereby they might have a visible testimony of the presence of God, 
Caluin. harmony. in hunc locum. Caietan & O east. in Exod.  (albeit some are of that opinion) whether we consider the time, or the coming of Moses from the mount, or the order of the History. In respect of the time, because the making of that great Tabernacle followeth afterward, Exod. 35. In respect of coming from the mountain, because Moses was newly descended, the idolatry of the people newly revenged, and no sufficient leisure afforded for so great a work: lastly in respect of the order of the history, because it must be inverted and transposed. Neither was it some peculiar Tabernacle which Moses erected specially for the service of God (as others suppose and surmise) seeing we read of no such commandment given unto him, 
Osiander and Simler in Exod.  and it is not to be thought, he would invent any thing in the service of God, for which he had no word or warrant. For if in the building of the great Tabernacle he did frame all things, even to the rings and pings, to the snuffers & snuffe-dishes, 
Exod. 25.40. and 39.42.43  according to the pattern showed unto him in the mountain: how shall we imagine he would set up a Tabernacle of his own head without the warrant and direction of God? Now, assuredly we cannot understand it of the great Tabernacle, much less of any peculiar tabernacle beside, whose author God is not remembered to be: but of the Tent or Tabernacle of Moses, which serving first for his private use, is here appointed the place where God would manifest himself unto them; so that the removing of it out of the host, is made a sign of his anger and displeasure. To this purpose Moses speaketh afterward, when the work of the Tabernacle was finished, The cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, 
Exod. 40.38  and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all his journeys: where he showeth what was the place appointed for it, namely, to be ever in the sight of all the Israelites. Thus doth Moses speak in the second verse of this chapter, Every man of the children of Israel shall camp by his standard, and under the Ensign of his father's house, far off about the Tabernacle of the Congregation shall they pitch. This doth the Prophet Ezekiel testify, Chap. 37. 
Ezek. 37.26, 27.  I will make a covenant of peace with them, and I will set my Sanctuary among them for evermore, my Tabernacle also shall be with them, etc.  
This ordering of the place of the Tabernacle, Reason 1 was not without reason. For first, God doth hereby admonish them, that they should always have him before their eyes, lest they should forget his worship, or offend him with their sins. Hereunto cometh that which the Lord saith, levit. 26. 
levit. 26.11.12.  I will set my Tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not loath you: and I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. If the place had been farther removed from their sight, they would have forgotten God and his worship, and more easily have broken out into sin against him.  
Secondly, he had respect indifferently unto Reason 2 all the tribes. For if any had pitched their tents farther than others from the Tabernacle, they would have quarreled and complained, that they had been contemned and despised. Every one would have been ready to give wrongful judgement, and to interpret it as done of set purpose to his disgrace. Now, by this situation of it, the mouths of all persons are stopped, and perpetual silence enjoined unto them, that they should quietly keep their standings, and rest contented with the ordinance of God.  
Thirdly, the Levites were hereby put in mind of their duty, and therefore are lodged Reason 3 about it, as likewise it was about the Temple, 
1. Chro. 9.29▪ 27.  as afterward we shall see by the example of Solomon. It was their duty to look to the worship of God, and to instruct the people that should come unto them: 
Malac. 2.7.  for their lips must preserve knowledge, and the people should seek it at their mouths, seeing they are appointed to be the messengers of the Lord of hosts. Neither need they go far to learn this, inasmuch as they could not abide in their places, but they had a warning before their eyes, to perform their office.  
The uses, of placing the Tabernacle after Use. 1 this manner, are many. First, it assureth us of this excellent promise, that God will ever be in the mids of us, and settle his rest and residence among us. Hereunto cometh the saying of Moses, Leuit. 26. 
levit. 26.27.  I will set my Tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not loath you: and I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people. So the Prophet having assured them, that his Sanctuary should be settled, and his Tabernacle placed among them, doth add, 
Ezek. 37.27.  yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Seeing therefore the situation of the Tabernacle was such, set up in the mids of the Tribes, so that three of them pitched before, three of them behind, and three of each side, in this respect God is said to dwell in the mids of them, because his Tabernacle which he made his habitation, was in the mids of the host. Now we must know how God is said to dwell among us. For we must make a difference between his general presence, and his special presence. His general presence is in all places: his special presence is in his Church His general presence is of his power: his special presence is of his grace and favour. There is a common manner of Gods being every where, and in all things, by his essence: there is another special way of Gods being present, as that which is loved is present in him that loveth; according to that which Christ hath said, joh. 14.23. If any man love me, 
●b. 14.23.  he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and he will come unto him, and will dwell with him. It was (we see) Gods will to have the Sanctuary seated in the mids of all the people: not that he was enclosed in that Ark, or in the Tabernacle, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain: but to give them a visible token, that they should not doubt at all of him. For such is our weakness and infirmity, that we are always ready to suppose, that he turneth his back to us, and thinketh not upon us, and is too far absent from us, to secure and sustain us with his hand. Therefore than it was the pleasure of our God, that the Tabernacle should be among the people, as a certain warrant of his power and presence, of grace and goodness, which he hath promised to all the faithful. And no man can indeed call himself a believer, unless he be thoroughly persuaded, that God is with him: yea, this is our comfort and bringeth peace unto our souls, to consider that God is in the mids of us. True it is, God doth sometimes seem to be absent from us, and to hide his countenance from us, and utterly to forget us: yet even then he is with us, and within us, albeit it pleaseth him to try our faith & patience by that means. Again, it is most true, we have not now the Tabernacle with the instruments thereof: yet notwithstanding he standeth not far from us, neither casteth us off from him, but this favour is bestowed upon us in more plentiful measure and in a more ample manner, than it was upon the ancient people under the Law. This appeareth unto us many ways. For first we know, how God is joined unto us in the person of his own only Son. For this cause also is Christ called Emmanuel, that is to say, God with us. 
●atth. 1.23.  In him dwelleth the fullness of the godhead, so that he is God manifested in the flesh, and we are made members of his body. Though he be now ascended up into heaven, yet he faileth not to fill all, and we are made bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh; so that there is no greater conjunction between the husband and the wife, then is between the Son of God and us. He said to his disciples, I am with you, even unto the end of the world, Matth. 28. Whereby he meant to strengthen them in all the dangers and conflicts which they should sustain.  
Secondly, we have with him the preaching of the Gospel, whereby God is as it were brought down to reside and remain among us. So long as the word which is the sceptre of his kingdom is with us, we shall not need to fear he will go from us, neither shall be constrained to make long journeys to seek him out. When once his word is departed, and the Gospel gone, his standard is removed, and he is quite turned from us. It is in vain to dream to find him, when we cannot find him in his word. Hence it is, that Abijam telleth jeroboam that made Israel to sin, that God was gone from them, seeing he had driven away the Priests of the Lord the sons of Aaron: and on the other side he joineth together the presence of the Lord and the preaching of his word, saying, Behold this God is with us as a Captain, 
2. Chron. 13.12.  and his Priests with the sounding trumpets to cry an alarm against you. This then is a special token of God's special presence, when he sendeth his word as a gracious rain upon his inheritance, and thereby watereth the dry furrows of the barren hearts of his people.  
Thirdly, we have the promise of his presence and the seals thereof in his Sacraments, whereby we are at one with him, and he with us. Whensoever we meditate of our baptism, the Son of God doth witness unto our spirits, that we are clothed with his righteousness, as with a garment: 
Gal. 3.27.  for all such as are baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Whensoever we receive the Supper of the Lord, he showeth us that he is our food, and that the bread which we eat at our tables, and in our houses, doth not nourish us better, than we be nourished by his substance at his heavenly table, insomuch that we live in him, by him, and through him: according to the testimony of john, Ch. 6. 
joh. 6.54.55.  Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day: for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Thus we are spiritually one with him, and mystically he is one with us, so that we have a communion with him as the members have with the head: so that we must receive it as most true which the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 10. 
1 Cor. 10.16.  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? for we that are many are one bread and one body, because we all are partakers of one bread.  
Fourthly, when we come together in the Church to call upon his Name, he is near unto us, and most familiar with us. For our LORD jesus Christ assureth us, that he is there among us, whensoever we are assembled in his Name; and by lifting up our eyes, and holding up our hands toward heaven, we show that our coming thither is to present ourselves in the sight & presence of our God To this purpose our Saviour saith, Math. 18, 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them: so that we must consider, that we are here not only before the Angels of heaven, but also that the Son of God both seethe and heareth us. True prayer doth ascend up to Heaven as Incense, and lifteth us up to talk familiarly with God, and bringeth down his blessings upon us: except we use this heavenly exercise whereby we speak to him, he is a stranger to us, and we are strangers to him.  
Lastly, he dwelleth among us whensoever he preserveth us from evil, and delivereth us from our enemies. If the favour of GOD were not a shield & buckler about us, to preserve and protect us from our enemies, we should lie open to ten thousand dangers and deaths. If our Lord had not a continual care over us, and stood not mightily for our defence, we should be a prey to the jaw of the Lion, and should perish every minute of an hour. We are of ourselves over-weake, and have no means to deliver ourselves: this is our comfort, that God is on our side, & dwelleth among us. Let us also take heed we walk in fear before him, and do not provoke him to wrath and indignation against us by committing evil in his fight, who can abide nothing that is profane or polluted, as Deut. 6, 15. The Lord that is in the midst of thee, is jealous, beware therefore that his wrath kindle not, lest thou be rooted out of the Land which the Lord thy God hath given thee. To this purpose the Apostle speaketh, 2 Cor. 6. 
2 Cor. 6, 16, 17  Ye are the Temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell among them, and walk there: and I will be their GOD, and they shall be my people: wherefore come out from among them, and separate yourselves, saith the Lord, and touch none unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. This showeth, that we ought to walk always as in God's presence, and to consider evermore that his eye is upon us. Our bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost for him to dwell in. If then we shall defile them, and make them as swine-styes, we grieve the holy Spirit whereby our adoption and redemption are sealed, and drive him from us, and chase him away out of our hearts.  
Use 2 Secondly, albeit the placing of the Tabernacle in the midst of the host be gone and passed long ago, and were verified among the jews under the shadows of the Law: yet it serveth to teach us to what end God hath instituted civil States and Commonwealths in this world, to wit, to be stays and props to the Church, to uphold and strengthen the same, that the people of God may assemble together in peace and quietness, and be free from all dangers of malicious enemies that labour to do evil to the Sanctuary. To this purpose the Prophet teacheth, 
Psal. 102, 2● 22. and 122, 3, 4.  that The Name of the Lord shall be declared in Zion, & his praise in jerusalem, when the people shall be gathered together, and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord. And Psal. 122. jerusalem is builded as a City, that is compact together in itself, whereunto the Tribes, even the Tribes of the Lord go up according to the Testimony to Israel, to praise the name of the Lord. Hereby we are put in mind of three notable duties.  
First of all, let all persons, Princes, and people, high and low, do good to the Church of God, and employ their best endeavours to promote the glory of God, and the safety of the Church. For wherefore was the Tabernacle taken and pitched in the midst of all the host, not placed in a corner, nor set in the skirts of that mighty army, but was environed round about with the strength of Israel: but to teach us, that this must be the end we ought all to aim at, that it is our duty to the utmost of our power to procure the peace of Zion, & the prosperity of jerusalem, all the days of our life? For even as the hills and mountains did compass about jerusalem, to defend it from all dangers and invasions of enemies: so ought all the faithful that are the friends of the Church, seek to defend it from all such as seek the ruin and destruction thereof. They have a promise made unto them, that they shall prosper that prefer it, Psal. 122, 6. Pray for the peace of jerusalem: let them prosper that love thee. Such was the zeal of David for the house of God, 
Psal. 132, 1, 2 3, 4, 5.  that it even consumed and eat him, as the people declare, Psal. 132. Lord, remember David with all his afflictions, who swore unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of jacob, saying, I will not enter into the tabernacle of mine house, nor come upon my pallet or bed, nor suffer mine eye to sleep, nor mine eyelids to slumber, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of jacob, etc.: Lo, how great his care and zeal was to build the Temple, and to further the worship of God: he spared no cost, but opened the treasures of his house to employ them this way. Thus it ought to be with us, it is the chief end why God doth bless us with the blessings of this life, that we should pay him his tribute, and be content to departed from them when his glory & worship do require it. If we care not how bountifully we spend and lavish in unprofitable, nay in ungodly uses, and pinch for a penny and an halfpenny employed to charitable and godly purposes: we make it manifest to all men that the glory of God is not before our eyes, nor his worship any whit regarded of us. And hence it is, that God oftentimes curseth our store and substance, and bloweth upon it, that it flieth away as the wind that cometh not again. Let us therefore be wise hearted, to refer our goods, our lives, and all that we have, to seek the good of the Church, that it may be safe; and then shall we be safe under the shadow of it. On the other side, the Lord denounceth a sore and severe threatening against all such as do wrong to the Church, so that he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy pate of him that walketh in his sins. This appeareth by the prayer of the Church, 
●l. 74.2, 3.  Psal. 74. Think upon thy Congregation which thou hast possessed of old, and on the rod of thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed, and on this mount Zion wherein thou hast dwelled: lift up thy strokes, that thou mayest for ever destroy every enemy that doth evil to the Sanctuary. Such shall never prosper, (albeit they may flourish for a time) that hate the Church which God loveth.  
Secondly, it is the duty of all persons to assemble together, to hear his word, all excuses and delays set apart. For wherefore was the Tabernacle placed in the mids, but to bind all persons alike to come to the exercises of religion, and to perform public worship to God? jeroboams calves (who made Israel to sin) were set, one in the North part of the land, the other in the South; but the Tabernacle of God was settled in the mids among them, that all men should have access unto it, and that no man should colour his absence with any pretences. Hence it is that the Prophet, declaring, that GOD had chosen Zion and loved to dwell in it, saying, This is my rest for ever, 
●al. 132.13, ●, 7.  here will I dwell, for I have delight therein, doth add, We will enter into his Tabernacles, and worship before his footstool. A notable encouragement to move us to resort & repair oftentimes to the place of God's worship, seeing he maketh it his habitation and resting place, and the house where he will dwell, and where we shall find him in time of need. A strong persuasion to work a desire and delight in us to go to the Lords courts, 
●al. 68.15, 16 impaired ●th 10.  that we may behold the majesty of the king of glory. To this purpose speaketh David in another Psalm. The mountain of God is like the mountain of Bashan, it is an high mountain as mount Bashan: Why leap ye, ye hie mountains? as for this mountain, God delighteth to dwell in it, yea the Lord will dwell in it for ever. Where he teacheth, that God's Church, in regard of merciful promises, heavenly graces, and noble victories, doth excel without comparison all worldly things, and all earthly places. All assemblies though never so glorious and glittering outwardly, must give place to it, and are as nothing being matched with it: inasmuch as the excellency, beauty, and continuance of the Church goeth beyond all other congregations of men. Hereupon he inferreth, Thy Congregation dwelled therein: for thou, O God, hast of thy goodness prepared for the poor. If then we would dwell with God, let us repair to his house: if we would see him, we shall see him there: if we would hear him, we shall hear him there: if we would know him, we shall know him there: for his face is to be seen there, his voice is to be heard there, his presence is to be found there. O let us prefer one day in his courts before a thousand elsewhere. Let us rather desire to be dore-keepers in his house, than dwellers in the palaces of the wicked. If they were called and accounted blessed that stood in the presence of Solomon: how much more blessed and happy are they that stand in the presence of God, and worship toward his holy Temple. Let the same mind and affection therefore be in us which was in David, to say with him with a feeling heart, One thing have I desired of the Lord, 
Psal. 27.4.  that I will require, even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to visit his Temple. Where shall we find in our days this longing, and holy desire to speak with God in his word and worship? where are the ancient wishes of the Saints, 
Psal. 42.1. and 84.2.  thinking it long before they came and appeared in the presence of God? where is now the panting of the soul, and fainting of the heart, and the rejoicing of the flesh in the living God, like unto the earth that gapeth for the showers of rain to refresh it? We are an unthankful people, whom plenty and abundance have glutted, and made to loath the heavenly Manna given to us.  
Thirdly, let us not stand in fear of any enemies, as if they could bear and beat down the Church before them, and raze the foundations of it to the ground; neither let us as graceless children forsake our mother, for fear of troubles that may come upon her. True it is, the Church of God hath many enemies that threaten the ruin thereof, and employ all their wiles and fetches to work the subversion of it, as if an huge and heavy millstone were cast at it, or as if a mighty tempest were fallen upon it, or as if a sudden flood of waters did overflow and overwhelm it. Nevertheless the Church is set in a safe place, they shall not be able to hurt it: it hath a safe keeper that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth; they shall not be able to destroy it: the gates of hell, and the power of the devil are set against it, but they shall never have victory over it. They may well assault this City of our God, cast their trenches against it, build Forts and Barricadoes against it, yet they shall never win it, but their losses shall be greater than their gains. Let us comfort ourselves in this, that it is unpossible the Church should fall, being borne up and upholden by so strong a pillar. For as when we become the enemies of God, & despise his majesty, he is able quickly to consume & confound us: so when we be in his safe keeping, he will maintain & defend us in such sort, as the Lions & asps, the dragons & wild beasts (whereof we are most afraid) shall not be able to destroy or annoy us. Therefore the Lord speaketh, Deut. 7. 
Deut. 7, 21, 22  Thou shalt not fear them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a God mighty and dreadful, he will root out all these enemies before thee by little and little. First he willeth them not to be afraid of their enemies, and afterward he addeth the reason, because God is among them. We are all of us as in the Tabernacle and tuition of God; let us put on the shield of faith, to repulse all fear: he will not leave us, nor forsake us, so that we may boldly say, The Lord my deliverer, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Let us hold ourselves to his promises, and assure ourselves of his succour.  
Use. 3 Lastly, this situation of the Tabernacle serveth to conclude the full and final happiness of the faithful, which is begun in this life, but shallbe consummated in the end of the world. Then will God dwell with us, and we shall dwell with him: then we shall be admitted into his presence, and never be cast out: then no evil shall touch us, or come near us, and no good thing shall be wanting unto us, that we can desire. Hereunto the Apostle alludeth, Revel. 21. 
revel. 21.3.  I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them▪ and they shall be his people, and God himself will be their God, etc. Consider here the blessedness of that people that shall ever enjoy the immediate presence of such a God as is the fountain of all happiness. True it is, God doth dwell among his people in this life, and he is not far from every one of them, inasmuch as they have their spiritual life and birth from him: howbeit, it doth not appear to others, nor sometimes to ourselves what we shall be.  
The Tabernacle of God seemeth now to be removed out of our sight, and to be set in a dark corner, where it lieth hidden. We are here subject to many temptations of sin, to many sicknesses and sorrows, to many pains and aches, to many losses & troubles, which often cause us to sigh and lament: we have not hearts of iron and steel, nor bodies of stone or oak, that cannot be touched with any feeling. We must all pass through these afflictions and tribulations, as the children of Israel passed through the red sea. But when the Lord (who is an infinite and endless treasury of all good things) shall bring us into his heavenly Tabernacle in the new jerusalem, we shall stand in need of no good thing, we shall stand in fear of no evil thing, in both which consisteth true felicity. The old jerusalem, though it were called the holy City, and place of God's worship, had many unclean persons dwelling in it: the Tabernacle of the Testimony, though it figured the conjunction of God with his Saints, had many profane persons resorting to it: but in the heavenly jerusalem, and the heavenly Tabernacle (which is the Kingdom of glory) there shall be no unclean thing, there shall rest no vile person, all shall be holy and pure indeed. In them shall be no confusion, no disorder, no broils, no tumults, no turmoils, no tempests, no sin, no sinful thing, no effect of sin. The Apostle saith, We look for a new heaven & a new earth, according to his promise, 
2 Pet. 3, 13  wherein dwelleth righteousness. Then we shall weep and lament no more, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor pain, nor crying: the tears which we shed shallbe wiped away: the sins which provoke God, shall be blotted out: the kingdom of the devil shall be thrown down, and the kingdom of Christ set up: death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire, and whosoever is not written in the Book of life: long white robes shall be put upon us, we shall hunger and thirst no more, neither shall the Sun shine upon us, neither any heat come near us, 
revel. 7.17.  For the Lamb which is in the mids of the throne shall govern them, and shall lead them unto the lively fountains of waters, etc. This is the dignity unto which we are advanced by Christ our Saviour: we shall dwell with God, the great king of glory. Now we are tossed with many storms and tempests. Sometimes we are persecuted and banished from our country: sometimes we are imprisoned, and destitute of things necessary; poor, hungry, thirsty, naked, weary, cold, faint, and feeble, yea subject to a thousand mischiefs, and dangers, miseries and encumbrances. In the mids of this boisterous sea of confusions, this is our comfort, that God will rid us, and release us out of them all, and bring us into the quiet haven of rest and happiness. Why then should we be cast down in our temptations, or why should we think that God hath forsaken us? We shall shortly be with the Lord, and the Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world, he will feed us with all heavenly▪ and spiritual dainties. Here we assembled together in tabernacles and Temples, and Churches for the performance of divine duties, where God vouchsafed to be present according to his promise, 
Matth. 18.2  Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there I am in the mids of them. There were the Sacrifices and Sacraments, there was the Law and the Gospel taught. These were worthy and notable signs of God's presence. But the heavenly jerusalem, the mother of us all, hath neither tabernacle, nor Temple, nor material building, nor place of instruction, nor sacrifices, nor Sacraments, nor sign of the presence of God. For john describing the state of glory after this life, saith, I saw no Temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty, 
Re. 21 22, 23▪ 24, 25, 26, 2●.  and the Lamb are the Temple of it: and this City hath no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the light of it. Happy are they that enter into this city, where God is the Temple, where God is the Sun, where God is the Moon, where God is all the light thereof, and all the glory and defence thereof. It is a glorious thing in this life, to be Kings and Princes, and to sit upon the throne of majesty: but when they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, they shall lay down all earthly pomp and magnificence, receiving so great glory in that glorious city, that the glory which they had as kings and Princes shall vanish away, as the light of a candle at the shining of the Sun. The glory of the least of God's Saints is so excellent, that Solomon in all his glory, was never arrayed nor advanced like one of these.  
The end of all this is, to teach us that we ought to be even ravished with an earnest and longing desire to dwell in this heavenly tabernacle, and to labour to have our hearts purged from an evil conscience, knowing that no unclean thing shall enter into it, 
●●uel. 21.27.  neither whatsoever worketh abominations and lies. Every one will seem desirous to dwell in the Lord's Tabernacle, and to come to heaven: but they are loath to leave their sins.  
But let us not deceive ourselves, neither let us sooth and flatter ourselves in our evils; if we follow our ungodly ways with greediness, and will not forsake our wickedness, we shall have the door of God's kingdom shut against us.   

18 The standard of the Camp of Ephraim, shall be toward the West, according to their armies: and the Captain over the sons of Ephraim, shall be Elishama, the son of Ammihud:  
19 And the host and the number of them, were forty thousand, and five hundredth.  
20 And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, and the Captain over the sons of Manasseh, shall be Gamliel the son of Pedahzur:  
21 And his host and the number of them, were two and thirty thousand and two hundredth.  
22 And the tribe of Benjamin, and the Captain over the sons of Benjamin, shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni:  
23 And his host and the number of them, were five and thirty thousand and four hundredth.  
24 All the number of the Camp of Ephraim, were an hundred and eight thousand, and one hundredth, according to their Armies, and they shall go in the third place.  
We have heard before how the Tabernacle of the Congregation was placed in the midst of the host, and compassed about, both in front and flank, standing strong in battled in their array, ready to receive a shock, if any enemies should offer to enter upon them. In these words is laid before us the third company of this mighty Army, the principal whereof was Ephraim, and his Partisans are Manasseh and Benjamin, appointed to march under his Ensign, and to be after a sort ranged under his colours. It is not unknown to any that are meanly conversant in the holy Scriptures, that joseph and Benjamin were the only children of Rahel, the true and beloved wife of jacob, and that both Manasseh and Ephraim, were the children of joseph, and that the elder was Manasseh, the younger Ephraim, who notwithstanding hath the first place of honour and pre-eminence assigned unto him, and Manasseh the first borne is compelled to be his underling. What could Ephraim claim above his brother, or what had Manasseh done to be put behind? It pleaseth God oftentimes to make the first last, and the last first: to thrust down the elder into the place of the younger, and to advance the younger into the seat of the elder.  
This appeareth in many places of the Book of Genesis, and is so ordinary and common, as it need not to be set down. To insist only upon the present example, we read that when joseph brought his two children before his sick father, 
Gene. 48.14.18.20.  jacob stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim's head, and his left hand upon Manassehs head, directing his hands of purpose, neither could be drawn to remove them, but blessed them that day, and said, In thee Israel shall bless and say, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh; and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.  
Thus God's judgement is oftentimes contrary to man's, and he preferreth that which man despiseth. A notable example whereof we have in Samuel, when he was sent to anoint David King, and had the eldest son of Ishai before him, he said, 
1 Sam. 16.6.  Surely the Lords anointed is before him: but the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for God seethe not as man seethe, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord beholdeth the heart. Samuel was an holy Prophet of God, yet he faileth in binding God's grace to the ordinary course of nature. Doctrine 5 We learn from hence, 
God bestoweth his gifts and graces freely to whom he pleaseth.  that God bestoweth his gifts freely, both when he will, and where he will, and to whom he will. He giveth as a bountiful and gracious father, the graces of election, adoption, justification, sanctification, and all other his benefits of his free love and favour. He lifteth up whom he will, he passeth by, he forsaketh, he putteth and pulleth down whom he pleaseth. Some gifts are temporal, and some eternal: some earthly, and other heavenly: and of both sorts it may be truly said, Who separateth thee? 
1 Cor. 4.7.  and what hast thou that thou hast not received? if thou hast received it, why rejoicest thou, as though thou hadst not received it? This is set down in the song of Hannah, The Lord maketh poor, 
1 Sam. 2.7.8.  and maketh rich: he bringeth low and exalteth: he raiseth up the poor out of the dust, & lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among Princes, and to make them inherit the seat of glory. This appeareth most plainly and evidently in the gifts of God, 
Our whole salvation is of God's free grace.  belonging to a better life, and accompanying salvation. The free grace of god in Christ, is the fountain from whence salvation floweth, yea it is the beginning continuance, & ending of our salvation. The truth hereof may be made plain by the particular rehearsal of the several parts thereof, if we consider our election, redemption, calling, faith, justification, regeneration, love, good works, remission of sins, and perseverance in good things unto the end. No man can be saved, and obtain eternal life, except he be predestinated and elected thereunto, before the foundation of the world: for the kingdom of heaven is not given but to those to whom it is prepared of the Father, Matth. 20.23. and 25.34. But election is not of works, but of grace, and therefore is called the election of grace. 
Rom. 11.5.  This appeareth, Ephe. 1. 
Ephe. 1, 5.6  He hath predestinated us to be adopted through jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, etc. No man could be saved, except Christ had come, and had satisfied the justice of God for the sins of the world by his precious blood; for there is no other name under heaven, whereby we must be saved, Act. 4.12. but all his benefits proceed from grace and the everlasting love of God toward us, as joh. 3. 
joh. 3.16.  God so loved the word, that he hath given his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. No man can be saved, except he be effectually called to Christ and his Gospel, outwardly by the word, and inwardly by the Spirit: but whence proceedeth this grace, but from grace? as the Apostle testifieth, 2 Tim. 1. 
2 Tim. 1.9. Gal. 1.6.  He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us through Christ jesus, before the world was. No man can be saved, except he hath faith in Christ; for the just shall live by faith, Hab. 2.4. and without faith it is unpossible to please God, Heb. 11. But from whence have we faith? By grace, as the Apostle witnesseth, Ephe. 2. 
Ephe. 2.8-  By grace ye are saved through faith, & that not of yourselves. None can be saved, except he be justified, as Psa. 34.15, 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry; but the face of the Lord, that is, his anger and indignation, is against them that do evil, to cut off their remembrance from the earth. But our justification cometh from grace, as Rom. 3. 
Rom. 3.24.  We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ jesus. No man can be saved, except being justified by faith, he be also sanctified and renewed by the spirit of regeneration; for except a man be borne again, of water and the holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, joh. 3. But whence have we this, but from the grace of God? as the Apostle expresseth, Tit. 3. 
Tit. 3.6.  The bountifulness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, and according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of the new birth, and the renewing of the holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through jesus Christ our Saviour. No man can be saved without good works, and a careful and constant endeavour to walk in them; for we are his workmanship created in Christ jesus, unto good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in them, Ephe. 2.10. But how are we enabled to perform them, but by the grace and free gift of God? as Ezek. 36. 
Eze. 36.26, ●●  A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your body, and I will give you an heart of flesh: and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.  
The like may be said of remission of sins. No man can be saved without continual forgiveness of sins, for into many sins and offences we fall daily, jam, 3.2. But this is given us through his grace only, as the Prophet teacheth, Esay 43. 
Esai. 43.25.  I, even I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine own sake, that is, for no deserts of thine, but through grace and favour, and will not remember thy sins. and Ephe. 1.7. We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to his rich grace. Lastly, no man is saved, except he persevere and continue in faith, in love, in Christ, in repentance; in Christ, and in all good works, as Matth. 24. he that endureth unto the end, he shall be saved, and revel. 2.10. Be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee the crown of life: but from what root and fountain proceedeth this gift? and from whence hath it his beginning? The Apostles and Prophets tell us most plainly and directly, as jere. 32.39.40. 
jer. 32.40. ●.  I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not departed from me. 
Phi. 1.6.29. and 2.13.  God that hath begun his good work in his Saints, will perform it until the day of jesus Christ. Now as we have said of all the rest, so we may say of eternal life, 
Rom. 6.23.  that it is the free gift of God, and therefore all his gifts, and our salvation, come not from our our merits, but from his mercies; not from our deservings, in whole, or in part, but from his free favour in Christ jesus.  
Let us come to the reasons, and consider Reason 1 aright the causes hereof. First of all, God will have the praise and glory of his own works, and will not give and grant over the same to another. But if the graces of his Spirit were well deserved of us, and not freely bestowed upon us, we had matter of rejoicing in our own selves, and of boasting against God. The Apostle having showed that the righteousness of God is made manifest without the Law, saith, Where is then the rejoicing? 
Rom. 3.27. and 4.2.  It is excluded. And touching Abraham th● father of the faithful he sayeth, If Abraham were justified by works, he hath wherein to rejoice, but not with God.  
Likewise writing to the Ephesians, chap. 2. By grace ye are saved through faith, 
Ephe. 2.8.9.  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of GOD, not of works, lest any man should boast himself. So then he giveth all his gifts freely, that he may have the whole praise of his mercy. But so much as we take to ourselves, so much he loseth of his glory.  
Reason 2 Secondly, he knoweth we have nothing of our own, we crave our daily bread and drink at his hands. We are beggars and destitute of all good things, and never are able to supply our own wants. Our own penury is such, that we have nothing to boast off, but our misery, poverty, blindness, nakedness, and wretchedness. We were (saith the Apostle) dead in trespasses and sins, 
●he. 2.1, 2.  wherein in times past we walked, according to the course of this world, and after the Prince that ruleth in the air, even the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. We are unable to think or to do any thing: it is God must work in us the will and the deed: it is he must draw us before we can run after him, or come unto him: and without him we can do nothing, no not so much as think one good thought, or speak one good word, or practise one good work.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, he is a debtor to no man, neither can any of right challenge any thing at his hands. He loved us first, and not we him: he made us, and not we ourselves: he gave to us, and not we to him: we receive of him, not he of us. 
●●m. 11.34, ● 36.  The Apostle saith, Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who was his counsellor? or who hath given unto him first, and he shall be recompensed? for of him, and through him, and for him are all things: to him be glory for ever, Amen. Whereby we see he freely bestoweth all things, he oweth nothing of duty he offereth injury to no man, whether he grant, or withhold; whether he give little or much, liberally, or sparingly: to many, or to few. Seeing then, we are to acknowledge his glory▪ and our own poverty, and seeing he oweth nothing to any man, neither is run behind hand in arrearages, as being thereby bound to help him: it followeth that God offereth his gifts and graces freely and frankly unto us.  
Use. 1 What is now to be learned from hence? and what may be gathered for our instruction? First, it serveth to reprove the Church of Rome, that maintain the rags and relics of the old Pelagians, and refuse to have the grace of God freely bestowed upon them, lest they should be too much beholden unto him, and therefore they build the castle of man's salvation upon themselves, and lay the groundwork of it upon their own strength, and refuse to set it upon the pillar of God's grace. This appeareth in three respects, in their doctrine of foreseen works, in their doctrine of merits, and in their doctrine of man's free will to good. Thus they build the tower of Babel, that is, of confusion, and establish false causes, touching the order of man's salvation, and err grievously in the beginning, continuance, and perfection thereof. Now, that we do them no wrong at all, in charging them thus far, let us make it manifest in ever particular. 
Touching foreseen works.  The first stone of this tower they lay in such works, as (they say) serve to prepare men to justification, & so they make the foreseen faith of the elect, to be the cause of the election to grace and glory, & that God hath chosen those to eternal life, whom he foresaw would believe and persevere therein unto the end. This hangeth the whole frame of salvation upon the pin of man's faith, as the moving or procuring cause, and not upon the purpose and pleasure of him that calleth us: whereas man's salvation abideth sure and firm, stable, and certain, through him only that hath loved us, and called us to his excellent knowledge; and therefore faith foreseen, is not the cause of it. The Apostle reasoning of the cause of our election, never affirmeth it to be of him that believeth, 
Rom. 9.11. and 11.5.  but of him that calleth: for than it might be said to be of ourselves, Ephe. 2. which cannot be. Again, if we observe the golden chain, wherein the causes of our salvation are linked together, we may strongly conclude this point. For our faith is in time after the grace of God, and therefore cannot be the cause of grace, and consequently of election. It is against all rules of right reason, that that which cometh after, should be any cause of that which goeth before. But faith is one of the effects of election, in as much as God hath chosen us, not because he knew we would believe hereafter, but to the end we should believe, that is, that he might bestow upon us faith, and so save us in his own Son, Ephe. 1.4. 
Ephe. 1.4.  Tit. 1.1. 
Tit. 1.1.  Act. 13.48. 
Act. 13.48.  We are elected, that we should be holy; and faith is said to be proper to the elect, and so many believed, as were ordained to everlasting life.  
Thirdly, we are elect, as taken out of the common mass of corruption, as the sons of wrath, borne dead in sins, while we were yet enemies unto him. Now, such as God justifieth, such he also chooseth, and decreeth to justify, as Rom. 4.5. and 5.8. 
Rom. 4.5. & 5, 8  Unto him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness: and God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. But in the sons of wrath, and in such as are borne dead in sins, no faith at all could be foreseen: so that the foreseeing of faith could not be the cause of election. For if that which doth come after, cannot be the cause of that which goeth before, as we have showed already: much less can that which is not at all, be the cause of that which is.  
Fourthly, faith is the gift of GOD. It is given of God to us, and the work of GOD in us, joh. 6.29.44. 
joh. 6.29.  This is the work of GOD, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. So the Apostle saith, 
Phil. 1.29.  Unto you it is given on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also for to suffer for his sake, Phil. 1.29. It is he that bestoweth it, and increaseth it. Before this gift, there is nothing in us but infidelity and unbelief. As it is not in man's power to repent when he will, but when God will, Lament. 5.21. jerem. 31. Psal. 51. Act. 11.18. 2 Tim. 2.25, 26. so it is not in man's power to believe when he will, joh. 12.39, 40. albeit he have the means, though he hear the word, and partake the Sacraments; wherefore this cannot be the cause of God's election, as if he were moved to elect us by that as by a cause, which he bestoweth upon us, after we are elected: for then the same thing should be the cause of itself, and before itself, which is against natural sense, right reason, and true religion.  
Lastly, if faith foreseen were the cause of election, than infidelity foreseen should also be the cause of reprobation: but this is false because then all mankind should be reprobated and rejected, forasmuch as the whole mass of mankind is corrupt, and God could foresee nothing in it, but incredulity and unbelief. Thus we see, that our election dependeth not upon our own works, or our own faith, or any thing in ourselves, but on the mercy & love of God; there was no cause in us to move him. For if any thing had been in us, we might be said to have the first stroke in our salvation, & to lay the first stone in that building, and God should come after us, or behind us. True it is, he hath determined to elect us, and to save us of his good pleasure, but he will bring it to pass by means, to wit, by the merits of Christ, by calling of us, by giving of us faith, by justifying of us, by sanctifying of us, and by working in us such like effect.  

Against man's merits and deserts.  Secondly, this doctrine overthroweth all merits and deserts of man, which abolish the free grace of God. God's mercy is our merit; our works are not, neither can be our merit. If our election be by grace, than it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace: But if it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work were no more work, as the Apostle concludeth, Rom. 11.6. We are justified through faith in Christ: in him standeth our salvation, and by his merits we are made righteous. Christ jesus is the corner stone of the building, Ephes. 2. he is the foundation of the building forasmuch as other foundation none can lay, 1 Cor. 3. he is also the highest stone of the building, notwithstanding the mountains, 
Zach. 4-6.  that is; the strongest opposition of enemies. But let us see what merit is, 
What merit is.  that our understanding may be the better, and our judgement the sounder touching this matter. Merit is a work undue, to which we are not bound, making the reward and recompense that was not due to be due. When a debtor satisfieth his creditor, he payeth that which he oweth him, he giveth no more than is due unto him by Law and equity, by reason and conscience: neither doth he deserve any thanks, but through the fault of men, as the heathen knew well enough, 
Terent. in Phorm. Act. sc. 1.  who confess that such was the corruption of the times, that when a man brought to another, even his own, he was to be thanked. Christ our Saviour, a better master, teacheth us this more fully, Luk. 17.8. 
Luc. 17.8, 9.10.  When a man hath a servant, who girdeth himself, and serveth him till he have eaten and drunken, Doth he then thank him because he hath done the things that were commanded him? I trow, nay; so likewise ye when ye have done all those things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do. Wherefore, we make a weak plea to plead our own merits, who have nothing but by the merits of Christ. But it will be objected, Objection. that we find in Scripture no mention at all of the merits of Christ. I answer, Answer. It is true concerning the word itself. Nevertheless, if they will conclude any thing against the merits of Christ, because the bare name in so many letters and syllables, is not extant in the word of God, they may as well gainsay the Trinity, refuse the Sacraments, deny the Catholic Church, and hold the Son not to be consubstantial with the Father; Forasmuch as none of these are expressed there. But if they mean, and understand the thing itself, than we have the merits of Christ plentifully preached unto us in the holy Scripture, to whom the whole work of our salvation is ascribed. The Apostle teacheth, 
Ephe. 1, 14  that our redemption is a possession purchased by him, that is, purchased by the merit of his death. And in the former Epistle to the Thessalonians, 
1 Thes, 5.6.  he saith, God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord jesus Christ, that is, procured unto us by his merits. So in the twentieth chapter of the Acts, Paul, in his exhortation to the Elders of Ephesus, willeth them carefully to feed the flock of God, 
Act. 10.28.  which he hath purchased with his own blood: where he maketh the blood of Christ meritorious. And elsewhere he saith, we are justified by his blood, and reconciled to God by his Son, and so shall be saved by his life, Rom. 5.9, 10. 
Rom. 5.9, 1●  If then we challenge any thing to ourselves, we take so much from Christ's worthiness. He was not bound in any bond unto us, who, being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal to God. Wherefore, our works can challenge nothing at God's hands, for as much as whatsoever we can do, is as due debt unto him. Thus the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 8. 
Rom. 8.1-  Brethren, we are debtor, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh; whereby he understandeth the contrary, as a member opposed; but we are debtor to the Spirit, to live after the Spirit.  
So then our spiritual life, is called a debt, which is true in many respects. First, 
How all the we can do, ● due unto God.  in regard of our creation: Secondly, in regard of our redemption: Thirdly, in regard of our glorification. Our spiritual life is due to God in regard of our creation, because it is God that hath made us, and not we ourselves: we are the work of his hands, who hath created us according to his image, and thereby bound us; as by a strong band to know him, and worship him. Hence it appeareth, that Adam himself in his estate of innocency, could have claimed nothing of God by merit, because whatsoever he was, he was it by him; & whatsoever he had, he had received it through his gift, so that he should have paid him with his own, which deserveth no thanks, as we heard before. True it is, man fell away, defaced and deformed this image, and made himself liable to eternal destruction: howbeit, he could not thus shake off the yoke of his neck, nor the fetters from his feet, nor acquit himself of the debt and obligation, when of a debtor to God, he made himself a bondslave to the devil. A debtor riotously wasting his goods, and carelessly consuming the stock and substance that he hath, and thereby making himself a bankrupt, is not discharged of his debt, but standeth bound to pay it as before. God will not lose his right, nor let go his hold, and therefore, albeit we are started back from him, he remaineth the same; & as he made us, so we remain obliged unto him. Hence we see, what is the reason, why God commandeth duties of us in his Law, that neither we, nor our fathers are able to perform.  

●ow God re●ireth impossibilities 〈◊〉 our hands.  If a father should require that of his son, or a master exact of his servant that which were unpossible to do, as to travel an hundred thousand mile in one day, or to fly up to heaven, might he not be thought to be a tyrant? But the case standeth not between God and us, as between a father and his children, or between a master and his servants. For he chargeth no more upon us, than he had enabled us to do, and had given us strength to perform, so that if there be any impossibility to do it, the fault resteth in ourselves, and not in God. It is no cruelty in him to require so much of us as he doth, but iniquity in us that doth disable us. He abideth the same that he was, but we abide not the same that we were: so that there is no change in him, but the change is in us: so that where he had graciously bestowed much, he may justly require the more. Again, our spiritual life is a debt, and our works due to him in regard of our redemption, justification, and sanctification; in consideration of all, the which we own ourselves wholly unto God, and he in justice may require all the service that we can possibly perform unto him. A servant bought with money and redeemed out of bondage, is a debtor to his master, and is wholly at his commandment, because he oweth to him his life, his liberty, and all that he hath. How much more than must we consider ourselves to be wholly the Lords, to serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives, being redeemed from the bondage of sin and slavery of Satan, not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a Lamb unspotted and undefiled, 1 Pet. 1. 
1 Pet. 1.19.  Neither were we once only made free men, but moreover are laden with many benefits by this our Saviour and redeemer, being regenerated with his Spirit, to walk before him in newness of life. So that our unthankfulness is exceeding great, if forgetting the greatness of our deliverance; we return to our vomit again, as dogs, 
2. Pet. 2.22.  and lie wallowing in the mire as filthy swine.  
Lastly, in regard of the benefits to come, which by the Spirit of Christ, we do certainly expect and look for, to wit, our resurrection of the body, and glorification in the heavens.  
These being exceeding blessings, do make us infinite debtor unto God. Hence we learn to detest the heresy of Popish hypocrites, that dare boast of the merits of the Saints, and of works of supererogation, an evident argument of intolerable proud spirits. For debt and merit are quite contrary; they are so opposite the one to the other, that the first being established, it overthroweth the second, as Rom. 4.4, 5. 
Rom. 4.4, 5.  To him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt: but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  
If then our whole life be a debt of the Spirit, it must of necessity be false, that there is any meriting of life and salvation by any works, either of congruity, or condignity, or supererogation. For whatsoever it pleaseth them to prate of merits, either publicly, or privately to their disciples, dare any of them when they are ready to go the way of all flesh, and must be presented before the eternal judge, dare any of them, I say, desire of God to give them according to their merits? dare any in the pride of his heart so exalt and lift up himself, as to pray, Lord, I am worthy of thy mercy, I have deserved thy kingdom, pay me that thou owest unto me, I desire nothing at thy hands gratis, or freely, my works are truly and properly meritorious, I have a right to heaven, and deserve it worthily? I expect not eternal life as an alms, but as a price due unto my labours, I am content thou enter into judgement with me, for I have righteousness in mine own person, and therefore I crave not to be accepted in thy beloved, 
Ephes. 1.6. 1 Pet. 2.5.  but in myself. Lord, thou hast made me able to merit heaven for myself, and therefore repay me according to my worth.  
I think none of them are come to this presumption, to plead for themselves with God, & therefore whatsoever they writ, whatsoever they speak, whatsoever they resolve and determine in their schools and pulpits, they deny it, & renounce it wholly at the point of death, & with their own mouths condemn their own folly. In their life they talk of merits, but at their death they are glad to call for mercy: & so by their own practice prove and confirm the truth of the doctrine of the Protestants, howsoever against the light of their own consciences they oppose themselves flatly as enemies unto it. The debt of the creature, even of the man regenerate, is greater than he is able to pay the thousandth part; nay the more he payeth, the more he oweth; and is bound to pay, forasmuch as the benefits of God do daily grow and increase toward him, and abound in a wonderful measure, that they augment the debt, & strengthen the obligation. Neither can they escape and avoid the force of this, Objection. by a frivolous and false distinction, that our works are not indeed meritorious in the rigour of justice, or absolutely considered in themselves, but that they are so by the ordinance and acceptation of God. Answer. For albeit God accept of our works, and reward them even to a cup of cold water, Mat. 10. yet he accepteth them not as merits, but as the due obedience of his sons, which he recompenseth freely and fully, because he that cannot lie or deceive, hath promised the reward. Neither is it the ordinance of God, that we should merit by our obedience, but that we should perform the worship and honour that is due unto him, Tit. 3.4. Act. 15. Let them therefore show us, where God hath made any such promise unto us to accept our works as merits, and we will believe them. The Lord gave the Israelites the land of Canaan, not for their works, 
Deut. 7.8. and 9.5.  but for his own love, and mercy. If they could not merit the earthly Canaan, how should any deserve the heavenly? We are taught to pray to GOD to give us our daily bread. If we cannot merit the food of this life, no not one morsel of bread, but must crave it of him as poor beggars do an alms, at the doors of men: much less can we merit everlasting life, which is the gift of God, Rom. 6.23. 
Rom. 6.23.  For what is a bit of bread in comparison of the kingdom of heaven? or what is the food of the body, in respect of the food of the soul? Lastly, this doctrine destroyeth another bulwark of the Church of Rome, 
Against man's free will.  whereby they set up man's nature, and that is free will, teaching that there is a cooperation of man's free will, with God's free grace in the first act of our conversion. A doctrine full of pride and folly, as well as the former, for as much as this is to part stakes between God and ourselves, and to divide our conversion between him and us, and consequently to ascribe as much to man as to God. Christ saith, that without him we can do nothing, 
Phil. 2.13.  we cannot come unto him, except the Father draw us, joh. 6. It is God that doth work in us the will and the deed, saith the Apostle. We are all by nature corrupt, there is no part sound in us, or without us. We are not only as crazy or sick, but as dead men. God doth all, and we nothing in good things. He preventeth us with his grace, he prepareth us by his word, he inclineth us by his Spirit, and worketh both the beginning and the ending of our Salvation. Wherefore the Church of Rome is deceived, that make us to be as the man that fell among thieves who left him wounded and half dead. We ar● f●llen into the hands of a more cruel and ble●●●y tyrant, who left us not half dead, but hath taken away life from us, and brought us under the dominion of death. We teach that we are able to do no good; we have stony hearts, and are strangers from the promises of God. They divide our goodness between God and man, as when an horse is hardly able to draw a Coach, another cometh, who being coupled with him, do work and walk together: so as that which one could not do alone, he is able be●●g helped by another, who by their joint labour's stir it forward. True it is, to use ●eanes to obtain faith and repentance, is in our own power after a sort. A man may go from place to place, enter into the house of God, or not enter, hear the word or not hear, meditate upon it, or not meditate; as it is said of Herode an unregenerate man, Mar. 6. 
Mar. 6.20.  that he heard john gladly when he preached the word. This therefore is left unto us, and put as it were into our hands to make us without excuse, and to teach us to condemn ourselves and not God. How many are there that are ready to lay the fault of their infidelity upon God, because (they say) he giveth them not faith, so that it is not in their power to believe? But why do they not that which is in their own power? True it is, God is not bound to give faith to any, or to turn his heart. The cause of infidelity is in himself. Nevertheless, God hath not left himself without witness, nor man without excuse. He carrieth a judge in his own bosom, that shall be able to convince him.  
For why do not men that which they are enabled to do? why do they not attend to his word, as to his ordinance? why do they not make conscience of absenting themselves from the preaching of it? They may come if they will, but they will not. They excuse themselves as the guests in the Gospel: they have ears to hear, but they regard not: they have feet to carry them into the Church, but they are slow to this duty, and swift rather to any other: they have eyes to read the Scripture, yet they seldom or never read it: they have hearts to meditate on the word, but they think upon nothing less. Therefore all these outward helps shallbe sufficient witness against them  
Now then, albeit we may perform such duties before remembered touching the means of our salvation, yet to assent to the word by faith, that thereby we may be converted, enlightened, called, and regenerated to eternal life, is in the hand of God only, and cannot be performed of us.  
Use. 2 Secondly, seeing Gods gifts are freely given by him, it is our duty to depend upon him, and to ask them at his hands when we want them. We learn to whom to go, and what way to enter that we may obtain them. We all stand in need of his help for our souls and bodies. In the soul is ignorance, presumption, blindness, and hardness of heart: pray to him to remove these evils, and as it were to pluck these noisome & loathsome weeds out of our gardens by the roots. If we think ourselves able to do it, we deceive ourselves. If we feel the burden of our sins to press us, and to lie heavy and hard upon our souls, we must go to him that hath borne them in his body, and is able to take them away. He calleth such unto him as are weary and heavy laden, with promise and purpose to ease them. 
●ath. 11, 29.  If we want any thing for our body, he that is the Creator of the body will not suffer us to pine away, he will not leave us and forsake us. Let us not trust to our own labours, nor riches, nor abundance, as the rich man did in the Gospel, Luk, 12: considering that no man's life consisteth in the multitude of his riches. Hence it is, that our Saviour willeth us to ask, and we shall receive: to seek, and we shall find, Math. 7. If we suppose we may attain unto his blessings any other way then by prayer, we are altogether ignorant of the way that leadeth to his Treasury. For, Except the Lord keep the City, the watchman waketh but in vain: & except he build the house, they labour in vain that are the builders of it, Psal. 127, 1. 
〈◊〉. 127, 1, 2.  It is in vain for us to rise up early, and to sit up late, and to eat the bread of sorrows, which worldly men take to be the only means to thrive: it is the blessing of GOD upon the hand of the diligent that maketh rich. Let us therefore season and sanctify the works of our hands & the labours of our callings, that so we may have comfort and find rest in this troublesome sea. This will make our labours sweet and pleasant, when we get our living in the sweat of our brows. Besides, when we find any defect of grace in us, or any weakness in spiritual things, as all the faithful do more or less, let us come to him that giveth freely and liberally, and reproacheth no man. He it is that will supply our wants, and increase his gifts in us. This coming unto him for all needful graces, hath many branches that belong unto it, which Christ pointeth unto, Math: 13: when he saith, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in the field, 
●th. 13, 44.  which when a man hath found, he hideth it, and for joy thereof departeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. If we will attain unto grace, we must departed with somewhat, we must sell all that we have. That which is our own is sin; but we are loath to leave it and departed from it. It cleaveth fast to the ribs, & sticketh fast in the bones, that it will hardly out of the flesh. We delight in it, we make make much of it, we are wholly addicted to it. It may seem a strange speech, that we are said to sell all that we have, and buy that we have not. For what have we to sell unto God? or what can we give unto him? or what are we able to buy at his hands? Our selling of all, is our parting or departing from our sins; our leaving of them, our renouncing of them, so that we are determined to keep them no longer. As it is in bargains and purchases between party and party, whosoever buyeth any thing, giveth and taketh; he parteth with somewhat, and receiveth somewhat by exchange: so must it be between Christ and us in this spiritual bargain and sale. We leave that which is evil, we receive that which is good. There is no man that selleth one sin for nought, he hath his reward a thousand fold, because he selleth it to Christ, the best rewarder. All men are content here to sell to him that will give most. Christ is the best chapman, the best buyer, he giveth eternal salvation to us. To draw us from our sins, that do us the greatest hurt, and bring infinite danger upon soul and body, he offereth to recompense us an hundred fold more for withdrawing our hearts from our sins, than the world can reward us for the using of them. Art thou not steadfast in religion, but as a reed shaken with the wind, sometimes carried one way, and sometimes inclined another way? Sell this thy doubting and wavering unto Christ, be no longer unstable & unsettled, and he will give thee constancy to continue unto the end, 
Psal. 68, 28.  and will strengthen that which he hath wrought in thee. Art thou puffed up with pride in apparel? Sell this corruption, and he will garnish thee with better garments; he will clothe thee with his innocency and righteousness, that the filthiness of thy nakedness shall not appear. Art thou poor and needy? Christ saith unto thee, The Foxes have holes, 
Math. 8, 20.  and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head; Wilt thou provide for thy children & thy household? David saith, I was young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread, Psal. 37, 25. Now in this selling of our sins, and parting from them, we must observe these particulars.  
First, that it must not be for a short time or for a season, but for ever. We must not sell our sins for a season only, but renounce all right, title, interest, and propriety in them; we must departed from them with a full purpose and resolution never to take them up again, never to practise them any more. To sell any thing, is to alienate the property of it from ourselves. Blessed are all such sellers. In this point therefore we must not be lender's, as they that challenge the right of being owners, but quite and clean put from ourselves all title to our former sins. Many indeed lay them down for a time, as hypocrites do, wiping their mouths with the harlot, and returning to their vomit with the dog, 
Prou. 30, 20. 2 Pet. 2, 22.  or to their wallowing in the mire, with the swine. Thus it fareth with such as come to the word and Sacraments of God, with profane and unreformed hearts. They seem godly while they are in the Church; but their righteousness is but as the morning dew, they hang down their heads as a bulrush for a time, & afterward they are as bad or worse than they were before. This is nothing in the sight of GOD, except we utterly forsake our sins. True it is, the faithful and godly man may fall into some sins which they have forsaken, 
Gen. 20, 2.  as Abraham did in denying his wife, but they must do it, as strangers to it, not as owners of it, for it is none of theirs, they have given over the use of it, and the right unto it. It is the man that is unregenerate, he may lay lawful claim unto it: as for us, it is no more ours, than the house that we have sold, and so alienated it from us.  
Secondly, there is another kind of sale that is faulty and deceitful, which is, when we are content to sell some of our sins, but we will not sell all of them. Some there are so covetous, that they will part from nothing, they will sell nothing: Though they be never so well offered, they are so in love with their own faults and folly, that they will keep them still, albeit to their infinite hindrance & loss, even the loss of their souls. Others are content to lend their sins, but they will not leave them: they are willing to abstain from them for a time, but they will not renounce them for ever. These are like the Israelites, who albeit they were brought with a strong hand out of Egypt, 
Numb. 11, 5.  yet they had a mind to return thither again, they thought upon the fish which they did eat there, and remembered the Cucumbers and the Melons, the Leeks, the Onions, and the Garlic; these they lusted after with all their soul. Or as Lot's wife being delivered out of Sodom, as a firebrand out of the burning, or as two legs, or a piece of an ear out of the mouth of the Lion, Amos 3, 12, and 4, 11: even a little remnant out of the common destruction of the City: 
Gen. 19 Luke 17.  she looked back again toward Sodom, and had her mind there upon such things as she had left behind: which showeth she had not sold all, but as he that dareth his goods looketh for them again, so would she feign return to those things that yet she retained in her heart. If the case be better with us, and that our righteousness exceed these, yet let us not flatter ourselves, and deceive our own souls, forasmuch as we must go farther, and step many degrees beyond them. For albeit we can be content to sell, and to sell for ever, yet there is more required of us, so that we may say with Christ, One thing is wanting, we must sell all, and must keep back nothing. We must not sell as Ananias & Sapphira did, they kept back part of the price: so many make sale, but they are deceitful Merchants, they will not pass all, but leave out somewhat in the bargain. So do many deal doubly with God, they desire to forego their sins, but they will keep somewhat. But he cannot be mocked or cozened of us. We must renounce our sweet sins & our profitable sins, with all the appurtenances and dependences unto them. We must abstain from all appearance of evil. We must pull up these weeds by the roots, that they grow not in the gardens of our heart again. God will have all that is ours left, or else he accounteth nothing truly left. Herod was content to hear john, to fear him, to reverence him, to do many things that he required, 
Mat. 14, 4.  and to reform many evils that he reproved, and himself had practised, but when he told him, he must not marry his brother's wife, he stopped his ears and would not hear, he was determined to keep that one sin. The hypocrites in Micah are ready to come before the Lord, and to bow themselves before the most high, 
Mic. 6, 6, 7, ●.  to offer Rivers of oil and the fruit of their body for the sin of their soul: nevertheless the Prophet telleth them that God liketh not of this bargain, inasmuch as he requireth of them to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God. We are like unto the young man mentioned in the Gospel, whom Christ is said to have loved, 
Mar, 10, 22  When he was bidden to sell all that he had, he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved. When Moses was come to age, he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter, 
Heb. 11, 25.  and chose rather to suffer adversity with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: but we would be content to serve Pharaoh and God also: to join ourselves to the Church, and yet to be friends with the world: to live in the Spirit, and yet to follow the delights of the flesh together. The Apostle accounted all things as loss, and esteemed them as dung, that he might win Christ, Phil. 3, 8. Wherefore let us follow his steps, and be able to say with the Apostles, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee, Mar. 10, 28. If then we make show of selling all our sins, and retain any part or parcel of them unto ourselves, it shall do us no more good, than it did Ananias & Sapphira to sell their possession, and to keep back part of the price, which kindled such a fire, as that it consumed them both.  
Thirdly, there is another error in the sale of our sins, when we exchange sin for sin. These men sell one sin to buy another, which is a base and beastly kind of merchandise, & a carnal and corrupt trading, which God never accepteth or commendeth. It is no true repentance to turn from one sin unto another, as unruly beasts that break out of one ground into another. True repentance is a turning of the heart from all sin. The repentance of one sin truly, bringeth with it the repentance of all known sins.  
Whosoever forsaketh riotousness of life, & betaketh himself to covetousness, changeth his sin, but not his heart: as he that is vexed with one kind of fever, by disordering of himself turneth that into another, into a worse fever. Such a man getteth not health, but altereth the disease. So is it in the diseases of the soul, we chop and change with God, we run out of one evil into another. When we are escaped out of one snare of Satan, he is ready to catch us with another. When we are plunged out of the gulf of despair, wherein we stick fast as in a deep pit of mire and clay, he faileth not to tempt us unto presumption, and to carry us aloft in his arms, that he may give us the greater downfall. Hence it is, that Christ our Saviour willeth us daily to pray unto the Father, 
●at. 6.13.  that we may not be led into tentation, but be delivered from evil. For he is an enemy that never resteth, but seeketh as a roaring Lion whom he may devour. If he cannot keep us in superstition he will draw us to profaneness. If he cannot hold us in the ways of the Gentiles, he will make us lead our lives as lose and licentious Christians. If he cannot deceive us to believe there are many Gods, he will tempt us to think that there is no God, no hell, no heaven: This is to pass from one extreme to another, as it were from drunkenness to thirst: whereas true repentance is a changing of the mind, going out of one extreme into the mean, in which we ought continually to continued. And thus we do sell all that we have, all that is ours: howbeit this is not enough: for we must also buy this pearl and treasure, that it may be made ours, which otherwise is not ours. To this are required these three things: First, we must hunger and thirst after it. Secondly, we must receive and retain it. Thirdly, we must grow strong by it, and steadfast in it. Touching the first, we must know that there must be in us a spiritual appetite, that our hungry and thirsty souls may be refreshed by the holy ordinances of God. We must come unto Christ the fountain of all grace; if we be athirst, he will not send us away empty. Indeed we ought to have a feeling of our own misery, but this must always be joined with a desire to drink of his mercy. The knowledge of our own wants must go before, but the feeling of his goodness must follow after. Hence it is, that the Apostle Peter saith, 
Pet 2, 2, 3.  Desire the sincere milk of the word, but he addeth this condition, If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Secondly, it is our duty to receive & retain that which we have bought, and not suffer it through carelessness and negligence to slip from us. The wiseman exhorteth us to buy the truth, but not to sell it. 
●ou. 23, 23.  We have liberty given us at our own discretion to chaffer and change for temporal commodities, we may buy and sell, we may sell and buy, we may let go from us or purchase unto us: but we must take heed we do not so with heavenly things, they are of another nature. When we have sold for gain an earthly thing, we may buy it again at our pleasure or leisure: but if we forego heavenly wisdom and riches, it may be we shall never get it again, we are in danger to leave it and lose it for ever. Wherefore Christ our Saviour speaketh to the church in Thyatira, which▪ we ought all to hear and receive as a commandment given unto us; 
revel. 2, 25.  Hold fast till I come. We see how handfast worldly men are in the things of this life, they will by no means let them go, nor suffer them to be wrung and wrested from them. O that we would do the like in better things; when we have gotten true religion in our hearts, and planted the fear of God in them, as it were in the doors of our houses: O that we would deny and defy whatsoever goeth about to pluck it & convey it from us. If the world, or the flesh, or the Devil, our three mortal enemies shall assault us, to hold us in their snares, let us break their bands, & cast them to the ground, and tread them as dung under our feet. Lastly, it is our special duty to increase daily in grace, and to grow strong in it, as men that go from strength to strength. It is the exhortation of Paul to Timothy his son, that he should be strong in the grace that is in Christ jesus, 2 Tim. 2, 1. writing to the Philippians, he stirreth them up to stand fast in the Lord, Phil. 4, 1. He warneth the Ephesians to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Eph. 6, 10. He admonisheth the Corinthians, to stand fast in the faith, to quite them like men, and to be strong, 1 Corin 16, 13. The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, prayeth for them, that the GOD of peace would make them perfect in every good work to do his will, working in them that which is well pleasing in his fight, through jesus Christ, Hebr. 13, 21. It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, Heb. 13, 9: and that we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we are all well assured that our labour is not in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 15, 58. We must have our hearts settled and constant in good things, that we be not as children, carried about with every vanity. We must be resolute in the truth, and stand, having our loins girt about with the truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, etc. As we grow in age, so let us grow in grace: and as every year addeth to our life, so let it add to our faith. If we stand at a stay, we shall never come to the end of our race: but if we grow in the knowledge of our Lord jesus Christ, we shall receive the end of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls.  
Thirdly, we learn to confess from whence Use. 3 we have received life temporal, spiritual, and eternal, one following another, and all begun in this life and to acknowledge our thankfulness to God for these his blessings. The temporal is common to us with the wicked, but the other two, to wit, the spiritual and eternal life are proper to the elect, and make them Citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Hence it is, that the Prophet saith, Bless the Lord, 
Psal. 103, 2, 3.  O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases: who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. He respecteth not what we are, or what we are worthy of, but as he loved us before we were, which argueth the bottomless sea of his grace toward us, so he never ceaseth to follow us with his mercy, & to add love to his love, always preventing us with his liberal blessings. True it is, the gifts of God are great toward us in regard of temporal things, which are of the least and lowest nature, forasmuch as in him we live, & move, 
Acts 17, 28.  and have our being: he blesseth us, he keepeth us, he preserveth us, he defendeth us, and suffereth nothing to do us hurt: but besides these, he giveth us to believe, he calleth us to the knowledge of his truth, he justifieth us, he sanctifieth us, he redeemeth us, he establisheth us that we shall never be removed; and all these are freely and frankly bestowed upon us, not purchased by us. Howbeit, we shall never understand the foundation of God's mercy, nor learn the height, the breadth, and bottom of his love, until we come to behold and consider our free election and salvation to be merely by his grace. And if once we come to the understanding hereof, it will be most forcible above all the former reasons to move us to magnify his goodness, and to give up ourselves wholly to him, and consecrate all that is in us to his glory. Indeed this consideration that we have received life & health, and peace, and liberty, & all things belonging unto them (if we had no farther cause) ought to move us to thankfulness & obedience: but this layeth the groundwork, and reacheth to the top of all, that he loved us before the world was, and therefore we must love him again, extol his praise, confess his Name, and fear to offend him, and serve him in righteousness and true holiness all the days of our life. This is the beginning and as it were the first step to true humility; it is a forcible weapon to strike down all pride and presumption, and to give them their death's wound: it stoppeth the mouths of arrogant men, who would gladly sacrifice to their own nets, and build their salvation upon themselves. Therefore the Prophet saith in the Name of the Lord, 
Ezek. 16, 62, 63.  I will establish my Covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: that thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee, for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. He will have no flesh to rejoice in itself: he will have the whole glory of our salvation: he saw us polluted in our own blood: he found us cast out into the open field, to the contempt and loathing of our person: he set his love toward us, and spread his skirt over us, and covered our nakedness, and said unto us when we were in our blood, Live, to the end we should challenge no part of his work to ourselves. Undeserved love is a great binder. There is no love comparable to this love, which began before we began, and shall live when we are dead and buried. Our salvation having so sure a foundation, is more firm than the frame of heaven and earth: whereas if it were builded upon ourselves, and committed unto ourselves to be kept, alas, it would quickly fall down as a ruinous Palace, or a tottering wall, and we could have no certainty or assurance of it, yea, albeit we were renewed to our first innocency, as appeareth in Adam, who fell in the garden, as the Angels themselves had done before that were in heaven. But seeing it is hid with God and put into his hands as a faithful Creator, no creature shall be able to take it from us, as no creature could give salvation unto us. So then, it behoveth us to give him praise for beginning his work in us, for the continuance of it in us, and to crave of him the full & perfect finishing of it unto the day of JESUS CHRIST.  
Fourthly, this putteth us in mind to use Use. 4 all meekness and moderation toward others that are not yet called to the knowledge of the truth, but wander as blind men that cannot find the way. For seeing our calling and conversion, and every good gift is of God's grace, 
Rom. 3, 9  it showeth that there is no difference between them and us by nature, but by grace; we have nothing of ourselves, being as far from heaven as the most profane, but all is of God's good pleasure. We are all equal and no way better: we are all the children of wrath, as well as others. It is a true saying, that there are many sheep without, and many wolves within. We see this in the examples of the Gentiles, of Manasses, of Mary Magdalen, of Paul, & many others, 
Chap. 5.  of whom we shall speak afterward. The Church of the jews confess, 
Cant. 8, 8.  that they had a little Sister which had no breasts: and Christ himself teacheth, he hath other sheep which are not of this fold, whom also he must bring home, & they should hear his voice, so that there should be one fold, and one Shepherd, john 10, 16. Thus it should come to pass, when the time appointed was come, that GOD would enlarge japhet, that he should dwell in the tents of Shem, Gen. 9, 17. This use hath many branches, as a fruitful Tree that spreadeth itself many ways.  
First, it belongeth unto us to pity them that go astray, & to bewail their ignorance. What grief doth it move, and how great compassion doth it work in us by the instinct of nature, to see a man blind, or dumb, or deaf, or in any misery and necessity? But this is the condition of all unregenerate persons, they are blind and see nothing, 2 Pet. 1. They are dumb, and deaf, and dead men, Eph. 2, 1. They have not the life of God in them, they can stir neither hand nor foot toward the kingdom of heaven.  
Secondly, if any of our brethren be fallen, let us put under out hand to stay them or raise them up, knowing that it is our duty to exhort one another, lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin; 
〈◊〉. 3, 13, and ● 25.  and so much the rather let us be careful herein, because the day of the Lord draweth near. If the Ox or Ass of our enemy be ready to lie down under his burden, we are commanded to help him up: and therefore much more we ought to do it unto our brother.  
Thirdly, we must condemn no man rashly, nor sit down in the seat of God to judge another man's servant, which standeth or falleth to his own master. Let us set before us the example of God, who is very pitiful and merciful. He calleth at all hours, who hath the times and seasons in his own power, Math. 20, 6. Acts 1, 7. as the householder that hired labourers into his Vineyard all the day long, even unto the last hour. Besides, we are warned not to judge, lest we be judged, Math. 7, 1. So that with what measure we meet to others, with the same it shall be measured to us again. Let us beware of rash judgement, & headstrong and headlong affections. Let us judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, 1 Cor. 4, 5. Many things are hidden for a while, which time shall discover: for though the darkness of the night may cover them, or the ignorance and wilfulness of man hide them, yet they shall be revealed, and shall not be unpunished.  
Lastly, it is our duty to pray for their conversion that are not converted, and to offer them the means that they may be converted. We must be gentle unto all men, and patiented toward them, instructing them with meekness that are contrary minded, proving whether God will give them repentance, that they may be recovered out of the snare of the Devil, 2 Tim. 2, 25. We see how Christ prayed for his enemies, that they might have their ignorance pardoned, Luc. 23, 34. Stephen desired that the sins of his persecutors might not be charged upon them, Acts 7, 60. Paul earnestly wished & craved that Agrippa might be converted, and altogether be made a christian, Act. 26, 29. Hence it is, that many which persecuted Christ, and crucified the Lord of glory, though they were most horrible transgressors, yet heard the word, were pricked in their hearts, and did lay hold on eternal life, Acts 2, 41, 37. Let us commit the success evermore unto God, that hath the hearts of all men in his own hand. If notwithstanding the word of salvation offered unto them, they shut their eyes, and stop their ears, & harden their hearts, & will not turn, lest they should be saved; let us not be curious to search the causes why they do not believe, or expostulate the matter with them through impatience, but rather leave them to the mercy or justice of GOD, whose judgements are unsearchable, and as a pit whose bottom cannot be sounded: and give unto him humble thanks that hath opened our ears, that we may hear, & our eyes, that we may see clearly into the secrets of his Law. Let us praise him for revealing his truth to us, rather than inquire why he dealeth not so with all others.  
Lastly, seeing the gifts of God are freely Use. 5 bestowed, let us follow the example of our heavenly Father, that is, let us give freely and liberally, and be content to lend to the poor, looking for nothing again, according to the counsel of Christ our Saviour. God looketh for no good turn at our hands, our well-doing cannot extend unto him, Psal. 16. He standeth not in need of our help, he wanteth nothing. This use is concluded in the latter end of the fift chapter of S. Mathewes Gospel, where Christ exhorteth to love our enemies, & to do good to them that hate us, etc.: That we may be the children of our Father which is in Heaven: 
Math. 5, 45.  for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, etc. We are commanded to abound in this grace of liberality toward the poor members of Christ, as GOD hath abounded in the fruits of love toward us. We are not ignorant of Christ's dealing toward us, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich, 2 Cor. 8, 9 Our abundance must supply the want of others, that there may be an holy kind of equality, as it was among them that gathered Manna, He that had gathered much, had nothing over: 
Exod. 16.  and he that had gathered little, had no lack. Hence it is, that the Apostle james saith, He shall have judgement without mercy, that hath showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgement. Whosoever therefore hath this world's good, and seethe his brother in need, how dwelleth the love of God in that man, if he shut up his bowels of compassion from him? 1 john 3, 17. We see this in the example of the rich man in the Gospel; he had occasion of showing mercy offered unto him, poor Lazarus lay at his gate; but he closed his eyes and would not see him; he shut up his heart and would not relieve him: and therefore it came to pass that as he denied the crumbs that fell from his table, a small alms: so he could not obtain a drop of water, a small refreshing. As he stopped his ears, and would not hear, so he asked only to have the tip of the finger dipped in water to cool his tongue, and yet could not be heard. When the Sodomites had once filled up the measure of their sins by pride in themselves, & contempt of the poor, God reigned down storms and tempests of fire and brimstone, so that they were utterly consumed, Ezek. 16, 49. Gen. 19, 24. Hence it is that Christ our Saviour saith, Make to yourselves friends of unrighteous, mammon, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations, Lu. 16, 9 He meaneth not by the Mammon of unrighteousness, such riches as are wrongfully and unjustly gotten; for GOD accepteth not such alms or gifts at our hands, neither is he well pleased with such sacrifices, though we give them to the poor, and should relieve thereby the necessities of the Saints: but he calleth them so and giveth them that title, because they may fraudulently, wickedly, and wrongfully be taken from us: so that it containeth the force of a reason, why we ought not niggardly and sparingly to hoard them and heap them up to ourselves, forasmuch as we may be rob of them by the unfaithfulness of servants, by the violence of thieves, by the cunning of forgers, by the force of oppressers, by the deceitfulness of borrowers, by the unconsciablenesse of sellers, by the covetousness of Landlords,, by the biting of usurers, by the falsifying of measures and weights, by the cozening of bankrupts, and by such like instruments of injustice. The things of this life are all uncertain, we may return to the earth and leave them, or they take their wings and fly up to heaven, and leave us. True it is, we are not to give hand over head without discretion and difference, neither to maintain strong and sturdy beggars, neither idle and loitering persons, that are able▪ to labour and will not: but wear to consider the wants of such poor as are diligent in their places, especially the poor Saints, and those that are of the household of faith. The alms of Cornelius did ascend up in remembrance before God, Acts 10, 4. Tabytha is commended to be full of good works, and alms deeds which she did, so that the widows showed unto Peter the coats and garments which she made while she was with them, Acts 9, 36.39. And howsoever this be a sacrifice well pleasing unto God, sweet in his nostrils as incense, yet it is unpleasant and unsavoury to many men, so that they shun it, and take no delight in it. Hence it is, that they have many shifts to put it off, and are wise to invent and allege many reasons to spare their purses. Some say for themselves, Alas, I am Object. 1 poor and have but a little, and therefore how should I give relief unto others? I answer, we must remember the poor widows mite, Answer. she had but little, and yet is commended, that she cast it into the Treasury, Luc. 21, 4. If we have but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, Eliah must have part of it, and be relieved with it, 1 Kings 17, 12. All that do not receive, should give. The man that getteth his living by his labour, and the servant that earneth wages, should lay up somewhat for the poor. Such as are married and keep houses, and have a family of their own, for which they are to provide, have many ways of employment for their money, and many charges lie heavy upon them both of Church and Commonwealth, besides the care of housekeeping and bringing up their children: the servant hath none of these burdens lying upon him, he hath none to maintain but himself, and therefore he may better spare somewhat for the poor than many others. And who seethe not, that for the most part they spend their wages a thousand times worse, in reveling, in rioting, in drinking, in dalliance, in feasting, in apparel, and in such like excess? One penny bestowed upon the poor, shall be more acceptable to God, and more comfortable to themselves, than many pounds spent in vanity. And howsoever it be a more blessed thing to give then to receive, Acts 20, 35. yet if God have denied us the ability, and means to do good, he accepteth the desire instead of the deed: If there be in us a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not, 2, Corin. 8, 12. Again, others say, they must Object. 2 spare for their children; God hath given them many, and if they should not provide for them, they were worse than Infidels, and have denied the faith. They can allege, that the fathers must provide for the children, not the children for the fathers. But they must know, Answer. that such as spare more than is meet without conscience of this duty, without care of the poor, without employing their substance to the ends for which it is given, do gather without mercy, and bring a curse upon their riches, that shall make havoc of them in a moment, and as a swift wind blow them away. We read of many in holy Scripture, that have been cheerful givers, and distributed in the simplicity of their hearts: shall we think that these had no families to maintain, no children to bring up, no daughters to bestow, no kindred to relieve? Yes, no doubt many of them had particular charges of their own, wives, children, fathers, mothers, kinsfolks, and yet they forgot not this distribution. 
Acts 2, 45.  The first Christians sold their substance and laid it down at the Apostles feet, to be divided as every one had need. And the Churches which were in Macedonia, sent relief to others even above their ability, 2 Cor. 8, 3. They were poor themselves, and yet of their poverty they were content to departed with somewhat. Albeit they had little, yet of that little they were willing to give somewhat. Oh, but if Object. 3 we should follow such examples, we may want ourselves; and bring our wives & children unto beggary. I answer, Answer. if we extend our liberality, and the bowels of pity unto other, GOD that hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, will move them to pity us, that we shall taste the fruit that we have sown, and find others as merciful to us as we have been merciful unto others. Liberality is as seed that is sown in the earth. It shall yield a plentiful harvest, and it shall bring to some an hundred fold, to some sixty, and to some thirty fold. As we sow, so we shall reap: if we sow plentifully, we shall reap plentifully: if we sow sparingly, we shall reap sparingly. It is a fruit of infidelity and unbelief, to call the promises of God into question, and when he promiseth to bless us, to fear that he will forsake us. He hath given us his word, that he which dareth unto the poor, shall not lack, and assureth that he will pay us again. Would we desire a better paymaster? Can we desire or wish for any that is better able, or more willing? The Prophet speaking of his own experience telleth us, that he was young and now is old, yet he never saw▪ the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging Object. 4 bread, Psal. 37, 25. Lastly, others pleading for their Corban, and loath to part with any thing, allege, that the poor for the most part are lewd and lazy, ungodly and unthankful, wicked & unworthy to have any relief, they cannot afford a good word to their benefactors. I answer, 
answer.  that albeit idle persons are rather to be punished then maintained in their idleness, yet the Apostle after reproof of such persons, addeth this exhortation, But ye my brethren, be not weary in well doing, 2▪ Thess. 3, 13. Be it that it fall out so (as sometimes it doth fall out) that the tongues of these evil men curse us, yet their loins shall bless us, as job 
●●b 31, 20.  testifieth, chapped. 31. Declaring that albeit many things fell out to restrain the course of liberality, as their multitude, importunity and ingratitude that are in need, yet he could not be hindered by any of them, from showing mercy unto them, 
●eut. 24, 53.  considering, that if we feed them, their bellies shall bless us: if we cloth them, their loins shall bless us: if we visit them in sickness, their bodies shall bless us; nay their souls shall bless us, albeit their tongues revile us, and their mouths be full of cursing and bitterness. Let us therefore turn ourselves from them unto God, who will reward every good work, even to a cup of cold water. Hereby we shall testify our religion to be sincere: hereby we shall be like our heavenly Father, & assure our hearts that we are his children: hereby we shall be made conformable unto jesus Christ our head, who being equal in glory with his Father, and being in the form of God, made himself poor that he might enrich us: hereby we shall provide well for ourselves, by making us friends with the riches of unrighteousness: yea hereby we shall heap coals of fire upon the heads of all unthankful persons, doing good for evil, and showing mercy to them that do not deserve any mercy at our hands.   

25. The standard of the Camp of Dan shall be on the North side by their armies: & the Captain of the children of Dan, shall be Ahiezer the son of Amm●shaddai.  
26. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.  
27. And those that encamp by him, shall be the Tribe of Asher: and the Captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.  
28. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand, and five hundred.  
29. Then the Tribe of Naphtali: and the Captain of the Children of Naphtali, shall be Ahira the son of Enan.  
30. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand, and four hundred.  
31. All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan, were an hundred thousand, and fifty and seven thousand, and six hundred: they shall go hindermost with their standards.  
We are now come to the last standard, expressed in these words. These three, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, that is, the Tribes that descended of them, being three of the sons of jacob, doth the Lord in this place cast into the last squadron to make up the fourth battailion. And albeit they were set in the last and lowest company of the army, yet we do not read that during the long time of their tarriance in the wilderness, (which was the space of 40, years,) they opened their mouths against the ordinance of God, or murmured through impatience and discontentment at the order established among them; neither did other murmur at them, albeit some of the children of the handmaids were preferred before the natural sons of Leah and Rahel. An host of men consisting of great multitudes, is like a full or corpulent body that needeth not any external means to throw it down, it being ready to overweigh and oversway itself through it own heaviness. Many estates and kingdoms arising from small beginnings, as it were large stoods from little fountains, have proceeded & swelled so great, 
Livy in the Preface to his History.  that the bigness thereof is cumbrous to themselves, and the puissance of so mighty people hath wrought their own destruction. Thus it fell out in the commonwealth of Rome, whose proper power & strength (wanting a foreign enemy to encounter with all) wrought it own ruin; so that it had no greater opposite than it own too great felicity. 
Epito. Flor.  But not to trouble ourselves with foreign examples, let us briefly touch the example of the Disciples of Christ: they were few in number, they were a little company, like a small boat that might be easily ruled and governed, inasmuch as they had the best Master that ever was to stand at the stern: yet they no sooner heard of Christ's departure out of the world, but they condemned parity, and contended for superiority, Math. 20, 20. Thus we see what our nature is: one man cannot abide any to be his equal, another cannot suffer any to be before him. Wherefore to cut off all occasion of emulation, and to teach them the benefit of contentation, the Lord assigneth to every Tribe his standing place: and they in humility and obedience rested in the room & rank that God in mercy appointed for the general benefit of the whole, and the particular good of every one among them.  
Verse 25, 26. [The standard of the Camp of Dan, shall be on the, etc.] The three combined together in this army (whereof Dan was principal, the other two, Asher & Naphtals', were assistants) are indeed the children of the handmaids, inasmuch as Rabel in grief of her barrenness, giveth her maid unto her husband, who beareth him Dan and Naphtali: Leah also following her sister's example, giveth him her maid, who beareth & bringeth forth Asher. There can no reason be assigned by man, why they should go march in this order then in any other, but only the good pleasure of God: yet they are quiet, and strive not one against another, being brethren one to another. From hence we learn, that every one Doctrine 6 ought to be contented with his present estate: I say, 
Every one is to be content with the condition wherein God hath set him.  how mean soever our condition be, yet God requires it as a special duty at our hands, that therewith we be content. Hereunto cometh the commandment given by the Apostle, 1 Corinth. 7, 20, 24. Let every man abide in the same calling, wherein he was called. To the same purpose he teacheth elsewhere, that Godliness with contentment is great gain: and afterward, 
1 Tim. 6, 8.  Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. And as he delivereth this doctrine by precept, so he sealeth it up by practice and experience, Phil. 4, 11, 12. I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content: I know both how to be abased, & I know how to abound: every where, and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. It is a great and wonderful knowledge, and very hard to be practised, to know to be rich, that is, to use riches soberly: it passeth our reach, unless we have a special and extraordinary grace given unto us. We must learn also, what it is to be poor, which is as hard a lesson as the former; forasmuch as we are ready to murmur under the Cross: whereas though we should walk naked, be hungry and thirsty, be afflicted and pass by the sword, yet we ought to be patiented, & our trust must not fail which we have in God, who will feed us in the time of famine.  
Reason 1 The reasons hereof are of great force, and carry authority unto our consciences. First, God knoweth what is best for us, far better than we ourselves do. We seek oftentimes to be aloft, but God seethe it better for us to be below: we desire to be rich, God seethe it better for us to be poor. Had it not been much better for Hamman that was advanced to honour, to have sat in the dirt, or on the dunghill all the days of his life, them in all the height of his honour, to be hanged on the Gallows which himself had set up for another, 
Ester 7, 10.  and so to taste first of the punishment he had devised? Had it not been better for the rich man to be clothed with rags in stead of purple robes, & to eat a dinner of green herbs in stead of his delicious fare, then after all his pomp and pride to be tormented in hell fire? 
Luc. 16, 23.  We are oftentimes ignorant of that should do us good: God is ignorant of nothing. We are ready to embrace that which will do us hurt, it is God that in mercy withholdeth it from us, and us from it. A sick person longeth greatly for those things which increase his disease, and bring him in danger of death; but the learned and expert Physician will not suffer him to taste of them. A child thinketh he is hardly dealt withal, that he is restrained of his desire, but his wise and discreet parents are constrained to bridle him of his lust, and that for his own good. So dealeth God with us, we are as sick persons that must be dieted, we are as little children that must be overruled: the Lord our God is a loving Father, he is a tender Physician over us, who albeit he deny us that we desire, yet he will withhold nothing from us that he knoweth to be good for us.  
Secondly, we have this comfortable promise from him, that he will never fail us, nor Reason 2 forsake us, whether we have little or much, whether we be in prosperity or adversity. It is he that feedeth the fowls of the air, it is he that clotheth the Lilies of the field: much more than are we assured that he will feed us and clothe us, who are more of value then all the rest of his Creatures. This is the reason urged by the Apostle, Heb. 13, 
Heb 13.5, 6.  Be content with those things that ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Where he putteth us in mind of the continual care of God for us, and that his providence watcheth over us, which he opposeth as a buckler against the common tentation that assaulteth us, to wit, the fear of being quite forsaken of him, and left unto ourselves, from whence ariseth distrust in our hearts.  
Thirdly, nature itself is content with a little, Reason 3 inasmuch as this is the common condition of all mankind, Princes and people, high and low, noble and unnoble: it brought us naked into the world, and naked it will earry and convey us out of the world, according to the saying of job 
job 1, 21.  concerning himself, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, etc. There are two points of man's life, his entrance into the world, and his departure out of the world: there is but little distance, as it were a step and a stride between them. For what is our life but a vapour? The space that is in the midst, which is the time of our life between our birth & our death, hath many differences and diversities that make us unlike one to another: some are poor, and some rich, some have great abundance, some have nothing at all. But in the point from whence we come, and in the point to which we tend, we all meet: the beginning of our life, and the ending of our days are both alike, there is no difference between them. Dust returneth unto dust, and earth into the earth again. If a man have a little journey to make, and a small way to travail, it is folly and vanity to make great provision for it; as he that hath need but of one pitcher of water, shall not deal wisely to go about to draw out a great River. So then, to desire superfluities, is to make open war against the order of nature. This reason is set down by the Apostle, in the place before alleged, where the doctrine had his confirmation; for having showed that when God granteth us raiment to clothe our bodies, and giveth us food to fill our bellies, we ought to be content, he annexeth this consideration to strengthen it, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 
●im. 6, 7.  We see men die daily, and led to it as flocks of sheep: and when we have taken care day and night what to eat, what to drink, and what to put on, we bear nothing to the earth, but a winding sheet to cover our shame, and to hide our nakedness.  
Fourthly, let us consider the contrary fruits. Reason 4 Such as have a resolute purpose to grow rich, do refer hereunto all their thoughts, words, and deeds, they so thirst after the treasures of this world; that nothing is so sacred and religious, which they will make any conscience to violate, but they overthrow all law of God and man, and nourish in them the root of all evil, and fall into a bottomless pit of all mischiefs. This the Apostle meaneth, when he saith, They that will be rich, fall into tentation and a snare, 
●im. 6, 9  and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction. Such are as poor beasts that are fallen into the snare of the hunter. The devil is a mighty hunter, he hath many grins to catch us and entrap us, walking about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour. We are compassed about with the devil and his angels, as with an army of wolves and wild beasts; oppressed with injuries, and overborne with violence: yet being under the protection of our God, we cannot fail, but be well counterguarded. He hath promised he will have a care of us, so that the Lions shall want and suffer hunger, and not always be able to find their prey, though they be cruel and ravenous: but the faithful man though he have neither teeth nor paws, nor take any man's goods away by fraud or force from him, yet God feedeth him and supplieth all his wants; so that every one should be pleased with his present estate and means of his maintenance, how mean soever.  
The uses follow, which naturally arise from Use 1 hence; and those of reproof shall have the first place, which are of divers sorts. 
The first reproof.  They break out and transgress against this principle, that are discontented with their present estate, and do murmur & grudge at the hand of God upon them, and withal repine at the good estate of others. Thus it fared with the people of Israel sundry times, sometimes▪ through want of bread, Exod. 16, 2. Sometimes through want of water, Exod. 17, 2. Sometimes through want of flesh, Numb. 11, 4. Sometimes through fear of their enemies, Numb. 14, 2. Sometimes through danger of the way, by which they were to pass, Numb. 21, 5. They were never long contented with one estate, but broke out through impatience against God, and brought upon themselves divers plagues and judgements whereby they were consumed. Thus is it with many in our days, if we be pressed with any want of good things; or if we be chastened with the feeling of any evil things, we break out into rage and choler, and will not submit ourselves to him that striketh us. If we be bitten a little with famine, and have not our necessities by & by supplied, we cry out against God and man, we are ready to say, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we put on? If we fall into any sickness, that continueth with us, we think God hath forgotten us or forsaken us, if he do not presently remove his hand from us, and that no man hath felt that which we feel. If we be in any trouble by losses of temporal things, though they be but trifles, by and by we imagine we are undone, it is too late with us to think how to live, and we are more out of patience, then if we had lost the love and favour of GOD. Thus doth the bitter root of infidelity stick in our hearts, & it brancheth forth into open rebellion against God, like the child that murmureth under the rod; for as that is the cause that the father taketh up the whip to whip him again, so our resisting the hand of God when it is heavy upon us, doth not call in the judgement, but rather constraineth the Lord to scourge us again, & to lay upon our backs more strokes and stripes than he did before. The way to call in his corrections is, to submit ourselves unto him▪ to confess our offences, to acknowledge his just judgements, according to the saying of the Prophet, I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it, Psal. 39, 9  
Secondly, it reproveth such as use unlawful means, ungodly shifts, 
The second reproof.  & wicked policies to enrich themselves. These men care not what ways they use, or what courses they take to get goods, & to heap up riches for themselves & their posterities, whom they desire to raise up on high, and to make great in this world. This unsatiable humour is as the dropsy, or rather as the grave that never saith it is enough. It is ever craving more, as a gulf or whirlpool ready to receive, but not apt to show what it hath received: and therefore doth God oftentimes cross, and not give any blessings to their labours. These make themselves unfit for holy desires, for heavenly meditations, and for the kingdom of God. If any should ask them, whether their meaning be to make themselves drudges to the world, bondslaves to the Devil, and so to cast themselves headlong to destruction both of body and soul, they would quickly answer, No; and defy those that should charge them with it. Notwithstanding, this inordinate affection bewrayeth what lieth in the heart, and discovereth that they go about to cast themselves away wittingly and willingly, and to undo themselves utterly. Wherefore, to the end we may use our riches aright, 
How to use our riches aright.  we are to practise two points: First, we must be poor in spirit, not glutted in them, nor glued to them, for than we shall be deceived by them; according to the counsel of the Psalmist, 
Psal. 62, 10.  Trust not in oppression, become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. We must not be tied to our riches that we can never get from them, but so to account of them, that whensoever it shall please God to make us poor, and to take our riches from us, to render up the whole into his hands, to forego them willingly, and to resign them up to him that gave them, & is able to restore them. When job had lost all his cattle and children, and was fallen from the top of felicity to the lowest vale of misery, he could say with a quiet spirit, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, it is he that hath given, it is he that hath taken them away. This willingness to departed from them at the Lords call, doth make it manifest that he never made the wedge of gold his hope, nor said to the fine gold, 
job 31, 24.  Thou art my confidence: he rejoiced not because his wealth was great, nor because his hand had gotten much, as he declareth in the protestation that he maketh of his integrity. Whereby he showeth, that there passeth a secret communication & conference between the rich man and his riches, applauding himself for his money that he hath. True it is, a man will not speak unto his riches, nor cannot hear his riches answer him: there passeth not an express dialogue between the moneyed man and his money, when he openeth his chest, or unlocketh his coffer: but he useth this manner of speech by way of feigning the persons, to set forth the folly & vanity of such as have store and abundance; they make a secret kind of compact and conspiracy with their gold and silver, they set down their rest in it, they repose their trust upon it, and will rather leave all then depart from it. Nevertheless, he doth not reprove all joy and gladness when their goods increase. It is lawful to rejoice in all the blessings of God that he giveth, and we receive. He requireth this at our hands, as it is expressed, Deut. 12, 7. Ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shal● rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. This mirth and gladness is so far from displeasing God, that it is rather a fruit of the faith and fear which is in us toward him, 
Calu. Serm. on job.  forasmuch as we learn thereby to praise his name, to confess his goodness, & to yield him thanks for the benefits which he bestoweth upon us. He speaketh therefore of a blind rejoicing, of carnal mirth and profane jollity, such as is among worldlings, who are carried away with a love of their riches, so that they forget God & remember no more their own frailty and mortality. This is a frantic joy that turneth us away from God, and maketh us drunken in the pleasures of this life. Secondly, while we enjoy & possess the things of this world, we must not keep them to ourselves, but know how to use them moderately, as God hath commanded. They are given unto us to be used, they are as a talon committed unto us, for which we must give an account. And when the day of audite cometh, & we can say no more than that we have glutted ourselves with them, and starved our neighbours, woe will be unto us, the rusting of them shall be a witness against us, and shall eat our flesh as it were fire. It was not so with job, 
job 31, 16, 19  whose example we alleged before: he did not withhold the poor from their desire, nor cause the eyes of the widow to fail: he did not eat his morsels himself alone, but the fatherless did eat thereof: he never saw any perish for lack of clothing, nor any poor without a covering. This was the use he made of his goods, to show pity and mercy when he saw any in adversity. If we say only, My friend, God help thee; & never secure him, it is no better than a mere mockery, & hypocrisy, to make show of love, and yet to do them no good. God hath made us stewards of his goods which he hath committed unto us; if we shall devour all ourselves, and not communicate any thing to such as have need, we shall one day pay sweetly for this rigour and cruelty, when we shall receive according to our deserts: for we also ourselves must appear before God, who will deal with us as we have dealt with others. He hath showed all goodness & kindness unto us, and this aught to have been a rule & example unto us to show mercy to our brethren: but because we have shut up our compassion from them, we shall receive judgement without mercy: and as we would not hear them in their necessity, so God will stop his ears against us in our misery. If we be careful of these two points in the use of this world's good, that we do not put our trust in them, but employ them to the good of others, we shall never be drawn away by the nets of Satan, to take away other men's goods wrongfully, to snatch and catch what we can from them, and to cirumvent them in our dealing with them. Thus then are they met withal, that use deceit and fraud to beguile & deceive whom they can. This is the tradesman's sin, that careth not how he selleth. He spreadeth his net to catch his brother; and all is fish with him that cometh into the net: he preieth upon him that cometh unto him, as if every buyer or brother were an enemy. He will not stick to swear & to forswear himself, he maketh no conscience to lie at all assays. He forbeareth not to use naughty devices and wicked practices to enrich himself and impoverish another. The root of all these is discontentment with our estate, that we have not learned to rest ourselves well pleased with that condition wherein GOD hath set us, and therefore we covet to rise higher than God affordeth means, and to catch from others that which belongeth not unto us.  
Secondly, hereby direction is given unto Use 2 us touching the things of this present life, what we may crave and desire of God in our prayers. This is called in the Lord's prayer, Our daily bread for the day, Luc. 11, 3. 
●●c. 11, 3.  We have liberty only to pray for competent and convenient food, and that only for the day. This we see in the practice of jacob, Gen. 28, 
●en. 28, 20.  If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God. He desireth not great riches, or honours, or might, or majesty, or earthly excellency & renown, but food and raiment. These two necessary things he contenteth himself withal, and suffereth not his affections to wander farther. Hitherto cometh the prayer of Agur, Prou. 30, 7, 8, 9 
●o. 30, 7, 8, 9  Two things have I required of the Lord, deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty, nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny thee, & say, who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the Name of my God in vain. This aught to be the substance and subject of our prayer: a competent measure of earthly things ought to content us: we must ask bread, not fullness of bread: raiment, not costly raiment: necessaries, Objection. not superfluities. But may not a man provide for the time to come, and lay up in store for the times of need? I answer, Answer. yes, he may, he ought, as God shall afford the means. This is a point of wisdom that God alloweth. It is a token not of niggardliness and miserableness, but of frugality and foresight, when goods gotten are for good uses reserved, and afterward profitably employed, 
●autions to ●e observed ●laying up.  and therefore is not forbidden. But we must remember these cautions and conditions: First, they must be justly gotten. Things evilly gotten, are as evilly kept, & oftentimes as evilly consumed. A little well gotten, is better than the treasures of iniquity. One morsel of bread obtained by the sweat of our brows, is better than an house filled with robbery. That which is not well gotten, is not ours, but another man's. Secondly, as that which is laid up must have a sure foundation, it must be justly and rightly gotten, so we must not put our trust and confidence in it. If God do but blow upon it, he can drive it away, as chaff before the wind: and if he do not take it from us, yet he can make it to be unprofitable unto us. Though he take not away our garments, he can make them that they shall not warm us: and our food that it shall not nourish us; so that albeit we have bread, we shall not have the staff of bread; to teach us, that Man liveth not by bread only, 
Math. 4, 4.  but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Thirdly, it must not be laid up to be meat for the worm and the canker, but to be spent in lawful uses. Our families challenge one part, the Church of God another, the poor Saints another, yea we are debtor to them that dwell afar off, even to the Turks and Infidels, so it be done in Christ, not against Christ: for we must do all for the truth, nothing against the truth. These rules of restraint being observed, it is required of all, especially of those of mean condition, to have an eye to the time to come. We must consider, not only how we may live presently, but how we may maintain ourselves hereafter. Now we live in health, in wealth, or at least in a competent measure: we live in days of plenty, of peace, of liberty, and freedom to follow our business. We have our limbs and strength of body able to labour and take pains. We know not what times and tempests hang over our heads. We may be visited with sickness, or pinched with poverty, or have our limbs taken from us; we may be stricken with blindness, or lameness: and if none of all these afflictions come upon us, yet the infirmities of old age will overtake us, which is as the night wherein we cannot work. 
Eccl. 12, 3.  Then the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders shall cease because they are few, & those that look out of the windows shall be darkened: so that we should labour in the days of our youth, & in the flower of our age, while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Age is an hasty thing, it tarrieth for no man, 
Cicero de Senect.  it will creep upon us sooner than we are aware. Wherefore doth GOD give unto us all these means and this blessed opportunity▪ (which being once gone cannot be called back) but that we should make use of it? There is no day, but it hath his night: there is no calm, but it hath his storm: there is no peace, but it hath his war: there is no health, but it hath his sickness. Though we have now sufficient, we know not (alas) what experience we may have of want, and how soon also. We should therefore provide in time of our health, to keep us in our sickness: we should labour in youth to keep us in age: and lay up in time of plenty, to furnish ourselves against dearth and scarcity. We see the providence that was in joseph, he laid up corn in the plentiful years, to serve them & save them in time of famine, and therefore he preserved the lives of many thousands, Gen. 41, 48. The Apostles provided afore hand to send succour and relief to the Church of judea, being fellow-members of the same body, 
Acts 11, 28.  and professing all one communion of Saints. So the Apostle teacheth, 1 Tim. 5, 8. If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an Infidel. But Christ our Saviour saith, Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, Objection. where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, Math. 6, 19 If then he forbidden all men to lay up, who shall dare to hoard up any thing? I answer, Answer. he forbiddeth in some sort, not simply: to wit, to lay up with respect to our own private profit only, without respect of the good of the Church or Commonwealth; as if he had said, Take heed that ye gather not riches for your own use and benefit alone, as if none should live in the world besides yourselves, and so make your treasures your trust, & place your happiness and felicity in them. But our happiness must be in heaven, and in the life to come, where it cannot be taken from us. Again, Objection. it will be said that Christ forbiddeth the care of the things of this life, and to take thought what to eat or what to drink, or what to put on, Math. 6, 25. I answer, there is a double care, Answer. a lawful and an unlawful, a godly and an ungodly care. The lawful and honest care is that, whereby a man provideth for things needful in time to come. For if then we should begin to provide: necessaries when we are presently to use them, we should be like to soldiers, that are to seek for armour when they should put it on; or like the foolish Virgins mentioned in the Gospel, 
Math. 25, 10.  that went to buy oil for their Lamps when it was too late. There is an unlawful care, which is joined with distrust. Such men do neither deal uprightly and justly in their callings to labour the thing that is good, and to get the thing that is honest in the sight of all men; neither yet commit the success of their labours to the blessing of God, but use shifts that stand not with equity and a good conscience. This maketh the heart heavy, & withdraweth us from prayer, from hearing the word, and from the worship of God. This is that which Christ forbiddeth in this place. If it be farther objected, Objection. that Christ saith, Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take thought for itself: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof; Math. 6, 34. I answer as before, Answer. that the purpose of Christ is not to persuade any to sloth and idleness, or to slake in us diligence in our callings, but to draw us from all inordinate and distrustful care for the morrow, whereby we vex our minds with trouble and turmoil for things unnecessary. Every day by reason of man's sin, hath grief enough, and therefore should every day content itself with his own care, and not cast his projects for days and years.  
But while we condemn the unlawful carking, let us take heed we do not cast away that honest and holy care of providing things needful in time to come. Christ our Saviour had a bag to keep provision for himself and his Disciples, which judas bore, john 13, 29. Hence it is also, that he gave commandment, 
john 6, 12.  that they should gather up the broken meat, and addeth this reason, that nothing be lost. This serveth as a notable instruction for men of mean ability and small means, to teach them to provide in time for the maintenance of themselves and their families. This concerneth artificers & tradesmen, husbandmen and day-labourers, to seek as thrifty men to save somewhat (as they say) against a wet day. They must labour and take pains while their strength is great, and their sight is good: that when they shall be old, or weak, or blind, and every way unable to follow their calling, they may find means to maintain them of their own, and not seek relief abroad, and so be a burden unto others: yea when GOD shall call them out of this world, (as we hold our life and all things else with the greatest uncertainty) we may leave our wives and children wherewith they may live with comfort, and not depend upon the kindness and courtesy of other men. This is a point little regarded of drunkards and unthrifts, who, if they may have for the present to satisfy their lusts, care not though they bring their seed to beggary. Woe be to such merciless Creatures, more cruel than the Tiger or the Bear, exposing their posterity to a sea of miseries. These are worse than the savages & infidels, and have denied the faith.  
Let all poor men beware of idleness; let them not spend in a moment that which hath been long in getting: let them not consume that little which they have in belly cheer, & delicious fare, and in costly apparel, but use the creatures of God soberly, moderately, & sparingly; considering both the shortness of their own lives, and the hardness of other men's hearts. Let them not give sleep unto their eyes, nor slumber to their eyelids. Let the sluggards go to the Ant, and learn wisdom by her ways, which having no guide, overseer, nor ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest, Prou., 6, 7, 8.  
Thirdly, seeing it is required of us to have Use 3 contented minds, it putteth us in mind of this duty, that we avoid covetousness which is directly contrary to contentation. It is a common corruption that taketh hold of our corrupt nature, & a fruit of the old man which must be mortified of all the children of God, and so much the rather because it stealeth upon us at a sudden, and draweth away our hearts from God and godliness. This is the use directly touched and taught by the Apostle, Heb. 13. 
●●b. 13.5.  Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have. The greatness of this sin is such that it causeth a man to be an idolater, as Ephe. 5.5. Col. 3.5. This ye know, 
●●h. 5.5. CoI. ●.  that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of God, and of Christ. 
●ow the co●●●ous are idolaters.  The covetous are idolaters or worshippers of idols two ways. First, because they prefer their riches in their affections before God, the gift before the giver of them; depending upon them as upon God, trusting in them, 
●●b 31.24.  as in God, saying unto them, Thou art my confidence, as we heard before out of the book of job.  
Secondly, because they account their life to consist in their riches, and to rest upon their wealth, rather than to stand on the providence of God, failing of all comfort, and hope, and joy, when their wealth faileth them. Satan used this bait to bring Christ himself to idolatry, when he offered unto him the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. How easily we slip into this sin, appeareth by the example of the rich man that came unto our Saviour; when he was bid sell all that he had, he went away pensine and sorrowful, Matth. 19 Hence it is that he saith in another place, 
●●k. 12.15.  Take heed and beware of Covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. We are ready to flatter ourselves, and to say to our soul, Thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry: until it be said unto us, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee, than whose shall those things be, 
covetousness ●y be in the ●ore, as well in the rich.  that thou hast provided? This is a sin, not only in the rich, but also in the poor. True it is, such as are in want and necessity, do wash their hands as innocent in this matter, but they do it as Pilate did touching blood, which notwithstanding did cleave so fast unto his loins, that all the Fuller's earth, and all the waters in the Sea, could not wash away the guilt, and stain thereof from him. So the poor for the most part, put this sin far from them, and think it doth not belong unto them: they cry out against the rich, because they are covetous, as blind men deceiving themselves, and beholding their own faces in a false glass. For first of all, they use ungodly shifts, and unlawful means to store themselves, which is right covetousness. They care not how they come by meat, money, corn, or any thing so they may have it.  
Again, they bear not the burden of poverty patiently, but murmur and grudge at it, nay, at him that sendeth it: but whosoever disdaineth his present state, because it is not higher, richer, and better, is covetous: therefore the poor may be covetous.  
Furthermore, they are oftentimes idle, and live by the sweat of other men's brows, and break out into pilfering and stealing, and so not only covet, but catch and convey unto themselves other men's goods. This also is covetousness, and this is a common sickness and disease of the poor. For as pride may walk and jet up and down in a russet coat, so may covetousness lodge in a simple and smoky cottage. But in whomsoever it be, whether in the rich or poor, it is a dangerous evil, it bringeth the covetous man to destruction of body and soul. 
2 King. 5.22.  It brought the leprosy upon Gehazi, that coveted the silver, and garments that Naaman offered, Elisha refused, but he accepted. It brought a more heavy plague upon the soul and conscience of judas, 
Matth. 27.5.  for when he had betrayed his master for thirty shekels, in horror of himself, and of his fact, he went and hanged himself. He was brought up with Christ and lived with him, who had instructed him not to covet after silver, nor gold; he heard his doctrine, and beheld his miracles, yet he was infected with this disease, worse than the dropsy or the hungry evil. 
The description of a covetous man.  It seethe nothing in another without grieefe and sorrow, and is never well contented until he have it himself, and then he cannot be satisfied, but still he would have more.  
The more he hath, the more he thinketh he hath not. The more full his coffers are, the more he judgeth them to be empty: for as much as he wanteth as well those things that he hath, as those things that he hath not. It is a great blessing of God, 
Chrys. in Math. 26. homi. 81.  that the earth yieldeth the fat of wheat: but the covetous man is not a little grieved, that in stead of ears of corn, it doth not shoot and send forth leaves of gold, that every river doth not run with streams of gold, and that the barren mountains have not gold to be digged out of them, in stead of stones. He is oftentimes grieved at the seasonableness of the weather, at the fruitfulness of the seasons, at the plenty of all things, at the increase of the earth, and at the sweet influence of the heavens; he taketh it heavily, when there is store and abundance, that there is no want, nor crying in our streets; because he cannot fallen his corn, his cattle, and commodities at the dearest rate. He hateth all men, both rich and poor: the rich, because he doth not possess that which they have: and seethe them to abound as well as himself, whereas he cannot abide that any should enjoy any thing, and thinketh it lost that passeth by his door: the poor, because they crave somewhat of him, which he is as unwilling to leave as his life: and therefore as if he were hurt, and wronged with all, he is angry and offended with all.  
The more he hath, 
The more the covetous man hath, the more he coveteth.  the more he craveth and coveteth. Even as the drunken man is more vexed with thirst, than he that useth to drink with sobriety and moderation, and is therewith contented: so the covetous person, that hath the greatest plenty, is much more tormented with desire of more, than he that is satisfied with a small portion, or pittance of the things of this life.  
It falleth out oftentimes that such as have least charge lying upon them, are most overcharged with this, as with a most heavy burden. This is that vanity that Solomon pointeth out, 
Eccle. 4.8.  Ecclesiastes chapter 4. There is one alone, and there is not a second, yea, he hath neither child, nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? It is not abundance, or masses and mountains of gold and silver that can quench this unsatiable thirst, but thereby it is rather increased. For as more would put to the fire, augmenteth the flame and the heat: so the desire of many by addition of wealth, is multiplied. He is fitly compared to the man possessed with an unclean spirit, 
Chrysost. in Matth. 8. hom. 29. & in Mat. 26. hom. 82.  who wore no clothes, but had his dwelling among the tombs and mountains: no man could bind him nor tame him, but he broke the fetters and pulled the chains asunder, and cut himself with stones, Mar. 5.3. Luke 8.27. He was exceeding fierce, but covetous men are far worse. He that was possessed, was delivered by the word of Christ, and the devil was driven away, and left his hold: but they that are servants, or slaves to their money, will not hearken unto Christ; they have so much of this earth in their ears, or rather in their hearts, that albeit they hear him daily preached unto them and sounding as a shrill or loud trumpet, yet they believe not, they yield not, they obey not. The man possessed spared not such as came near him: but they spoil and ravine as well afar off from them as hard by them; they spare none whom they catch in their snares, not friends, not kinsmen, not brethren: they tear them, and rend them in pieces, whomsoever they can compass. He went naked: but these cloth themselves sumptuously (except such as grudge themselves apparel) with the spoils of others, as if they had taken them prisoners in the day of battle, and make them go naked, or in threadbare coats that come in their way. He smote himself, not knowing what he did: but these smite and kill others secretly, they grind the faces of the poor, and pull off the skin from their backs. He abode among the graves and tombs of the dead; but these are very sepulchres themselves. For what is a tomb, but a stone covering the body of the dead? What then? are not their bodies much more wretched and miserable than those stones, which cover their dead souls, dead in sin, and as stinking carcases casting out a loathsome savour? And to this purpose Christ speaketh to the Pharisees, Matth. 23.27. 
Matth. 23.27.  Ye are like to whited sepulchres, full of extortion & excess, full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  
This sin hath diverse branches under it, according to the divers practices of it, first, 
The branches of coetousnesse.  when men seek only or principally for worldly goods, neglecting or not regarding spiritual graces in comparison of them. We are charged to lay up our treasure in heaven, 
Matth. 6.19, 20, 33.  where the moth cannot corrupt it, nor thieves steal it. We are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. But whatsoever God require of us, the greatest sort do what they list: for as Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, Heb. 12.16. 
Religion 〈◊〉 regarded.  So do profane men sell their souls for old shoes, and salvation purchased by Christ at a most dear rate, for a song. This may seem strange unto some, but there is nothing will appear more true, if we consider the course of the world, and observe the lives of men. This is the sin of our age, wherein the least profit and pleasure is cared for above true religion. Every drunken feast is cause sufficient with us to intermit the worship of god. Every profane meeting of profane men, is valued and prized above the word of the eternal God. Every feast that after a heathenish manner is yearly solemnised, giveth occasion to multitudes to profane and pollute the Sabbath that ought to be sanctified with public and private duties agreeable unto it; and to set that banquet at nought to which God inviteth us by his Ministers. Our thoughts, our meditations, our desires, our delights, are so taken up with earthly things, that though there be much preaching, there is little profiting; though there be much teaching, yet there is little hearing, little obedience.  
The second branch of covetousness, is to put our trust and confidence in the things of this life, which is the idolatry of the heart, as we noted before. If we set our hearts upon our goods, we make them our God, and the earth our happiness. Hence it is, that Christ maketh it so hard a matter for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, as for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle, Matth. 19 
Matth. 19 ●●  because they trust in their riches, Mar. 10.24. 
Mar. 10.24.  Likewise the Apostle chargeth Timothy to charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, neither trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, 1 Tim. 6.17. The third branch is, when we regard and respect only ourselves. It is not enough, that we do no harm with them, God requireth that we do good. Christ shall say at the last day, I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick and in prison, and ye visited me not: go into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels. That evil servant that did not divide his substance among his fellow servants, perished through his covetousness: and he that received one talon, and digged in the earth to hide it, had it taken from him, and heareth this sentence denounced against him: Thou wicked and slothful servant and unprofitable. 
Matth. 25. ●  God bestoweth not his blessings upon us to fat ourselves with them, as Oxen in a stall, or as swine in a sty, without all consideration of the Church, or Commonwealth, or of the poor: but he hath made us stewards and disposers of them to the glory of God, and the good of others.  
[Verse 31. All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan, etc.:] We see in this place that this last standard beareth the name of Dan; whereby we see that God raiseth up as a chief instrument in this mighty host, one of the lowest sort, one that was obscure in the family of jacob; which serveth to magnify the mercy of God, & to depress the pride of man. jacob in his last will and testament, foretelleth the estate of this Tribe, Gen. 49, 17. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward: which declareth, that the power & might of this Tribe should not be great, but prevail rather by fraud and deceit. 
〈◊〉. 15, 76.18, 27.  Thus Samson prevailed against the Philistims, and afterward they overcame the City Laish, 
doctrine 7. ●●d oftentimes maketh ●ise of the ●●kest interments.  and burned it with fire. We learn from hence, that it pleaseth God oftentimes to choose and use the weakest & meanest men, to be instruments for the accomplishing of his greatest works. He maketh choice of inferior things to perform his decrees, and to do good to his Church, and to serve him wheresoever he purposeth to employ them. This appeareth clearer than the Sun throughout the Scriptures, in preferring the younger before the elder, in the calling of many judges, in the election of many Kings, in the separating of many Prophets, and in the ordaining of many Apostles, who were of little reckoning and estimation before their honour and advancement, to verify that which the Psalmist saith, Psal. 75, 6, 7. Promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South, but God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Saul was a seeker of his father's asses, and though he found not them, he found the kingdom, Samuel being sent to anoint him, 1 Sam. 10. David was the youngest of his father's house, and the lowest among one of the lowest families, left with the sheep in the wilderness, according to that in the Psalm, He chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepe-folds, 
●●al 78, 70, 71  from following the Ewes great with young, he brought him to feed jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. And as God chose him from feeding a flock of sheep, to feed a better flock, so he chose some of his Apostles from catching fish, to catch fowls. Peter was a fisherman, as before him Amos was an herdsman. Thus did God throw down the strong walls of jericho, not by might of men, nor by munition of war, but by Rams horns, which were blowed by the Priests, josh. 6, 20 In the creation, he brought light out of darkness, the fowls out of the waters, and all things out of nothing, Gen. 1, 3, 20. Heb. 11, 3. Christ wrought many of his cures in like manner, in healing the blind man; for he spate on the ground, & made clay of the spittle, and then anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay: then he had him wash in the pool of Siloam, who by and by went his way, & washed, and came seeing, john 9, 6, 7. Likewise in the work of our redemption, the truth of this is more apparent, for he wrought by contraries, bringing life out of death. He came down to the earth, to lift us up into heaven, 
Beza. Confess. chap. 3. art. 29.  Eph. 2, 6. He suffered the punishments of our sins, that he might make us free from them, Math. 11, 28. 1 Pet. 2, 24. He perfectly fulfilled all righteousness, that he might cover our unrighteousness, Rom. 5, 19 And to the end he might fully satisfy for our sins, he was made sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Corin. 5, 21. He was bound, that we might be loosed: he was condemned, that we might be acquitted: he was crucified in his body, that he might nail our sins to his Cross, and fasten them there for ever, Col. 2, 14. He took upon him the curse due to us, that he might appease the wrath of his Father against us, Heb. 10, 10. He died for us, that we might live: he was buried and laid in the grave, that he might overcome death in his own cabin and den, Acts 2, 24. Lastly, he rose again as a Captain and Conqueror from the dead, and could not be holden of the sorrows of death, that we should walk in newness of life, Rom 6, 4. All these examples, of Saul, of David, of Amos, of Peter, of Christ, of the patriarchs, of the Prophets, of the judges, and of the Apostles, serve to teach us this truth, that it is the manner of God's dealing, to make choice of small means to effect great matters, and to single out weak instruments to work out worthy enterprises.  
Neither ought this to be marveled at, as Reason 1 strange in our eyes. For if there were no other reason to induce us to believe it, the only will and good pleasure of God ought to be sufficient, as being the highest moving cause, and indeed the cause of all causes. His will is a law, and who shall herein control him of error, or convince him of folly, or condemn him of unsufficiency? If he will let the full & rich go away empty, who shall say unto him, Why dost thou so? Or who can accuse him of rashness? This is that which Christ our Saviour setteth down, Luc. 10, 21. In that hour jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Where we see, he maketh the pleasure of God to be the stay of himself: so it ought to be with us, if we once come to know what seemeth good in the eyes of God, though we know no more, though we can see no farther, and though ten thousand reasons as a mighty army may seem to encounter against it, yet we must rest ourselves upon it as upon a rock, and build our house upon it as a foundation.  
Reason 2 Secondly, this serveth best to make manifest the glory of God, when as great things are done by a weak hand. Now, the weaker the instruments are, which he setteth on work, the more evidently is his power seen, and the better doth his praise appear. This gave David comfort and assurance being a stripling, unarmed and untrained to the field, to encounter hand to hand in a single combat with a mighty giant: he doubted not to overcome him, but was persuaded in his heart of his help that never forsaketh his that trust in him and call upon him, that he should smite him with his sling, & take his head from him with his sword, and give the carcases of the host of the Philistims, unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth: and he maketh this the reason of all, That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 1 Sam. 17.46. 
1 Sam. 17.46.  This also doth the Apostle infer and enforce in another kind, speaking of our salvation and redemption, and of those that are counted worthy to be partakers of them, 1 Cor. 1.26. 
1 Cor. 1.26, 27, 28, 29, 31.  You know your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, nor many mighty, nor many noble are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: the weak to confound the mighty: the base and despised to bring to nought things that are magnified in the eyes of men, That no flesh should glory in his presence, etc. according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. His glory is less advanced and set forth by great persons; they are as a cloud before our eyes, or as amist▪ and veil to overshadow us, and to keep from us the glorious light of the bright shining Sun, I mean the glory of the mighty God: as the Lord himself teacheth Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me, judg. 7.2. 
judg. 7.2.  So then, whether we do consider the first moving cause which is the will of God, or the last final cause which is the glory of God, it appeareth he will oftentimes accomplish great things by means and instruments of low degree.  
Use 1 Let us proceed to the uses, and handle them briefly. First, forasmuch as God advanceth weak things to work out the decree of his providence, we may truly conclude from hence the powerful hand of God, that is able to bring to pass whatsoever he pleaseth. He worketh after the pleasure of his own will, sometimes by weak means, sometimes by no means, sometimes above means, and sometimes contrary to means. When the chiefest among the sons of men will bring any thing to pass, they make choice of the fittest and forwardest means, even such as are most likely in the eyes of men, and in the judgement of the world. When Solomon purposed to build the Temple for the worship of God, he made choice of the fittest wood, 
1 King 5. ●.  and of the fittest workmen: it was in him to choose them, but it was not in him to qualify them whom he findeth in themselves to be unfit. But it is not so with God, he oftentimes employeth the most backward, untoward, unlikely, unpossible; because he is able to fit them and furnish them with power, strength, and ability to go through with the work that he setteth them about: so that we may cry out with admiration, How great and wonderful is his Name in all his actions! This is concluded directly, Psal. 8. 
Psal. 8.1, 2.  O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens: out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. Where we see, that upon God's choice of weak and infirm instruments, he gathereth the excellency of his Name, and the greatness of his power, which he repeateth again in the last verse, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth. There is none is above him, none is equal unto him, none can be matched or compared with him: all things are put under his feet.  
Secondly, we learn another truth to be Use 2 acknowledged of us, that all things are not to be respected according to the outward appearance. We are oftentimes deceived, and cannot see into the works of God. Our Saviour speaketh notably to this purpose against the Pharisees, Luke 16. 
Luke 16.15.  Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God. This may not any way seem strange unto us, forasmuch as God respecteth no man's person, as Gal. 2. where the Apostle proving himself to be an Apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by jesus Christ, who called him from heaven to preach the Gospel, saith, Of these, 
Gal. 2.6.  who seemed to be somewhat (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me; God accepteth no man's person) for they who seemed to be somewhat, in conference added nothing to me. In these words he speaketh of the Apostles, Peter, james, and john, that had been poor fishermen, and men of small reckoning and respect, yet they were honoured of God to be Apostles and planters of Churches, so that he saith, It skilleth not what they have been in times past. Every man therefore is to be esteemed according to his calling, and to be accounted off according to the grace of God given unto him. Many that are first, shall be last, and the last shallbe first. We must esteem of men, not as they have been, but as they are. When men have repent, we may not upbraid them with their lives past, nor cast in their teeth, their former offences. We must not take occasion by the infirmities of men's actions to contemn their persons. Such is the merciful dealing of God toward us, that he accepteth not of us as we have been, but as we are when we repent and return unto him.  
It is the policy of Satan, and the impiety of his instruments to object the weakness and slips of our life past: but we say unto him, and unto them all, Tell us not what we have been: but tell me what by the mercy of God I am, and what by the strengthening Spirit of God I will be. I am a sinner, I confess it: howbeit, I am a penitent sinner. We are not therefore to be carried away with the consideration of men's persons and outward quality or condition of life, as country, or kindred, or sex, or age, or birth, or riches, or poverty, or learning, & such like; for as much as God giveth not his gifts according to the outward appearance of the person, but according to his wisdom and pleasure, which are always just, and respecteth not the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands, job 34.19. 
〈◊〉 34.19.  This doth the blessed Virgin acknowledge, 
●e 1.48.  Luk. 1. that the Lord regarded the low estate of his handmaid, so that thenceforth all generations should call her blessed. Hence it is that he reproved the human judgement of Samuel, beholding the person of Eliab the eldest son of jesse, and saying, Surely the Lords anointed is before him: Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for the Lord seethe not as a man seethe; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart, 1 Sam. 16.7. 
●am. 16.7.  Those whom God honoureth we must honour, and despise no man for the meanness of his place, and baseness of his person, and lowness of his condition. They are therefore justly to be reproved that reject the Ministry of the word, in regard of the simplicity of their persons that are the Ministers: as they dealt with Christ our Saviour, 
●●ke 4.22. ●●rke 5.23.  Is not this joseph's son? from whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him? Is not this the Carpenter? the son of Mary? the brother of james and joses, and of juda and Simon? and are not his sisters with us? Thus they were offended at him. Hence it is, that Christ saith unto them, A Prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house, Mar. 6.4. 
●arke 6.4.  It skilleth not whether the Ministers be rich or poor, wise or simple, noble, or unnoble; if they say unto us, Silver and gold have we none but such as we have we give unto you, Act. 3. 
●ct. 3.6.  we must accept of them and of the word of reconciliation, and account their feet beautiful that bring glad tidings of good things. Though they bring heavenly treasures in earthly vessels, yet the excellency of the power is of God: so that the meaner the person of the Minister is, the more we ought to magnify the Author of their ministry, remembering always that we ought not to have the faith of our glorious Lord jesus Christ in respect of persons.  
Thirdly, for as much as God vouchsafeth Use 3 to choose weak agents to promote his causes and to further his works, we conclude from hence that fearful is the estate of the wicked; if their eyes were opened to behold it, and their hearts enlightened to take notice of it. Howsoever they set their horns & heads on high, and exalt themselves in their own pride, yet the poorest and simplest means strengthened of God, and armed by his power, shall be able to bring them down to the ground, and to lay their honour in the dust. They shall know one day that they fight against God, and rebel against the most High, who wanteth no weapons to destroy them; he can arm the least things against them, as we see in the destruction of the Egyptians, to wit lice, flies, frogs, grasshoppers, and such like, all brought upon them by the rod of Moses. This use is concluded by the Prophet Esay, Chap. 27.11. 
Esay 27.10.11  When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding, therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that form them will show them no favour. He showeth in these words, and in this place, the certainty of the destruction of the enemies of the Church, their defenced cities shall be desolate and left like a wilderness. But how shall this be? God needeeth not the power of mighty enemies, he needeth not armies of men, or legions of Angels, or such like strong means to effect it, the women shall come and set them on fire, that is, weak means and silly creatures, even such as are by nature fearful, an army of Hearts shall have strength and courage enough when God setteth them on work. Great is the force of weak Soldiers under such a Captain. If they that have the least power and policy be made the Lords workmen, and employed in his service; who shall be able to daunt them and to drive them from their work? who shall fray them and affright them, and make the rest of them turn their backs? They have their calling and commission, and they cannever cease, until they have ended the business, and finished the work to which they were sent; according to that which Gamaliel saith of the preaching of the Apostles, being in themselves, & of themselves simple and unlearned men, Refrain from these men, and let them alone, etc. for if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found even to fight against God, Act. 5. 
Act. 5.38.39.  This is little regarded or considered of the enemies of God, and the persecutors of the Church, they run on in their wild courses, & think they can do what they list: whereas they lie open to every judgement, and every creature shall be able to work out their destruction.  
Use 4 Fourthly, seeing it seemeth good to God to accept of their service that seem farthest off and most unlikely to do him service: let no man presume upon the greatness of his gifts, and the excellency of his calling: let him not lift up himself above others, to think himself better & prefer himself before his brethren, neither contemn them of lower degree, of meaner place, of lesser gifts. The heart is of the Lord, the blessing is of the Lord, the success is of the Lord. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, 
1 Cor. 4.6, 7.  Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou, that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 4.7. Our Saviour rebuketh a young man that would not give over the world, and telleth him, 
Matth. 19.30. and 20.1.16.  the first shall be last; and the last, first, Such as in the visible Church have the chief place, and in the opinion of men are in greatest account, because they carry the greatest name of piety and holiness, are nothing less inwardly then that which they appear outwardly, and therefore notwithstanding the room and reputation that they hold in earth, they shall be quite shut out of the kingdom of heaven, as was verified in the Scribes and Pharisees, and all hypocrites, who for a pretence made long prayers, but shall receive the greater damnation. This he showeth farther by the similitude of an householder, who hired labourers at all hours into his vineyard, and thereupon concludeth the point again, that the first shall be last, and the last first. Presume not therefore of thyself, neither glory in thine own works, nor boast of thine own gifts: it may please God to sanctify others to go before us, and to make them out run us that set out after us. He accepteth them that are of smaller gifts and lower place, and therefore we ought not to reject them or contemn them. When he chose special witnesses of those things that he spoke and did, and sent them out to heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cleanse the lepers, to give sight to the blind, and to preach the Gospel, he did not call the learned & wise men of the world, but simple fishermen and such as the world accounteth idiots, and men of no fashion, or estimation. Such then as seem to be behind, are taken forward, and made more profitable than those that were before them. We see this in Amos, 
Amos 7.14, 15  He was no Prophet, nor a Prophet's son, but an herdman and a gatherer of Sycamore fruit: the Lord took him as he followed the flock, and said unto him, Go, Prophecy unto my people Israel. 
1 Tim. 1.13. 1 Cor. 15.8.9. Act. 8.1. and 9.1. Ephe. 3.8 Gal. 1.23.  The like we might say of Paul, he was most unlike to be called and to be employed in the affairs of the Church, as himself confesseth, and the history of the Acts importeth, 1 Tim. 1.13. 1. Cor. 15.8, 9 Act. 8.1. and 9.1. Ephe. 3.8. He confesseth that before his conversion to the faith, he had been a persecuter, a blasphemer, and injurious: consenting to the death of Stephen, and breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord: one borne out of due time, the least of the Apostles, the least of all Saints, not meet to be called an Apostle, but rather a destroyer of the faith of the brethren. But when he came to preach the faith which before he destroyed, he was nothing inferior to the chief Apostles; 
2 Cor. 11. ●  more than a Minister of Christ, in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft; loving him very much, of whom he had received much, so that he gave no place to the residue of the Apostles.  
Even as in the manner of the natural generation, we see that oftentimes, such as are of weakest nature and constitution of body, are blessed with increase of children, and a plentiful posterity, more than those that are of stronger complexion: so such as have mean gifts, and lesser knowledge, and perhaps never trained up in the schools of the Prophets, may save more souls, and bring more to God than such as have taken many degrees, and have attained to a great depth, and profoundness of learning, as we shall have occasion farther to show in this book. What then? 
Chap. 8. Objection.  are Universities to be despised? are schools of learning to no purpose? No: Answer. they are nurseries of knowledge, human and divine. They are as those rivers that water the garden of God. The Lord bless them that bless those places, and curse them that are enemies to the peace and prosperity of them, and thrust through their loins that wish their hurt, neither let them which go by, say, The blessing of the Lord be upon such, we bless you in the Name of the Lord. Nevertheless, the Lord is not bound to such as are brought up in those places: but maketh the labours of those that want the Arts and Tongues, being conscionable in their callings, very available, to the glory of his Name, and to the saving of many souls.  
Lastly, we are put in mind of this duty, that Use 5 we ought not to rest upon flesh and blood, as upon a reed that will deceive us, but upon God the Rock of our salvation. Some put their trust in horses, and some in charets, Psal. 20. and some in Princes, Psal. 146. We can make no resistance against the weakest things, which are as warlike weapons, that never return empty, but even they shall be able to push us down and to prevail against us, and to destroy us utterly. Let us not therefore lift up our minds against God, but humble ourselves before him. Our strength is nothing, our multitudes are nothing, our Armour and munition is nothing, if God fight against us. Let us not think to escape his hands, who is able to arm few against many, and the weak against the strong, as 1 Sam. 14.6. 
1 Sam. 14 6.  where jonathan saith to the young man that bore his armour, Come and let us go over unto the Garrison of these uncircumcised, it may be that the Lord will make for us: for there is no restraint of the Lord, to save by many or by few. The same in effect David speaketh to the Philistime, The Lord saveth not with sword and spear, 
〈◊〉 ●7. 47.  (for the battle is the Lords) and he will give you into our hands. Thus also Asa cried unto the Lord his God, when a great host of a thousand thousand, came out against him: Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, 
〈◊〉 14.11.  whether with many, or with them that have no power: Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy Name we go against this multitude; O Lord; thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee. We must therefore renounce all pride in ourselves, and that vain confidence which will deceive us. We have to do with God. If he will destroy us, and deliver us as a prey into the jaws of death, 
〈◊〉 praelect. 〈◊〉.  though there be no enemy to resist us, nor power of man to overcome us, yet we may not secure ourselves, nor suffer our hearts to be compassed about with presumption, as with a chain, he is able with the breath of his nostrils to blow us away, that we shall be no more.  
This use is concluded by the Prophet jeremy, chapter, 37.9.10. 
〈◊〉 ●7. 9.10.  Thus saith the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely departed from us: for they shall not departed. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. Whereby we see that destruction of a kingdom, or of a city dependeth not upon a multitude of men, or upon the valiantness and violence of soldiers, but upon the pleasure of God, who executeth his judgements by what hands soever he will. For when a few and poor remnant remain, and those of wounded men half dead, and wholly unable to resist, even such as are thrust thorough with the sword, gasping for life, and ready to give up the Ghost: yet shall they recover the battle that was lost, and obtain the victory, and conquer the conqueror, and strike down as bulrushes the strongest and choicest men that before prevailed and had the upperhand.  
A notable example and memorable exploit whereof we have recorded in the Turkish history, 
〈◊〉. history ●e life of ●rath the 〈◊〉  concerning a Christian soldier, who sore wounded and all bloody, seeing Amurath the third king of the Turks, coming after the victory that he had obtained, to take a view of the dead bodies, which without number lay on heaps in the field like mountains, seeing him I say, rose up as well as he was able in staggering manner (as if it had been from death) out of an heap of slain men, and making toward him, for want of strength, fell down divers times by the way as he came; at length drawing nigh unto him, as though he would have craved his life of the tyrant, and in honour of him have kissed his feet, suddenly stabbed him in the bottom of his belly with a short dagger, so that the conqueror was conquered, and presently died.  
Thus it is with poor weak men when God strengtheneth them, for the feeble become strong, and the strong feeble.   

32 These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, all those that were numbered of the Camps throughout their hosts, were fix hundred thousand, and three thousand, and five hundred, and fifty.  
33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.  
34 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.  
Hitherto, we have spoken of the order prescribed unto Moses, and the people, to be observed: now followeth briefly the execution of the commandment, as the conclusion and shutting up of the Chapter, in these 3 verses. Howbeit before the performance thereof, Moses addeth two cautions necessary to be observed and considered. First, the total sum of them that were numbered before, which amounted to the number of six hundred thousand, and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. Lo, how great the blessing of God was in multiplying his people, and what the truth of his promise is, that he made to Abraham.  
Secondly, the exemption of the Levites, who were acquitted and discharged out of the former muster, being appointed to another office of another nature, verse 33. Then is annexed the obedience itself, to the commandment of God: set down both generally, The children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: and then particularly in two points, They pitched by their standards, and they set forward every one according to their families, according to the house of their fathers. No man murmured at the order of God, no man envy his superior, no man contemned his inferior, but all of them rested in his ordinance, & marched according to his direction and appointment. We learn from hence, that it is the duty of God's children Doctrine 8 to yield obedience, not only to some, 
It is our duty? o yield obedience to all God's commandments.  but to all the commandments of GOD. God requireth at our hands, a full and entire obedience.  
Do we require commandments to confirm this unto us, or would we have examples? Let us consider both. And first for precept. The Apostle is plain, 2. Corin. chap. 7.1. 
2 Cor. 7.1.  Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Where we see he persuadeth to make a through work, to cleanse ourselves, not only from some filthiness, and to retain some, but from all: not only of the body, but of the soul, even of the whole man. Likewise, in the former Epistle, 
1 Cor. 5.7.  chap. 5.7. purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. He confesseth that they were renewed and regenerated in part, and therefore concludeth, must proceed and go forward until the work be wholly finished. For the word is compounded, signifying not only to purge, but as much as may be possible to purge out quite and clean, as the Israelites were commended, when they celebrated the Passeover to put away all leaven from them, so that whosoever had any in his house, should be cut off from his people.  
To this purpose cometh the exhortation of the Apostle, Heb. 12.1. 
Heb. 12.1.  Seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience unto the race which is set before us. As if he had said, forasmuch as we have so great a multitude of believers (which he compareth to a cloud that is thickened, compacted, or gathered together in the middle region of the air, of vapours) we must do as they that run in a race; they do not only cast away clogs and impediments, but whatsoever may hinder them in their course, as the cares of this life, the delights of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and generally every thing that may cloy us, and clog us in our spiritual journey.  
Thus we see, how we are commanded to cleanse away all filthiness, to purge out all leaven, to cast aside every weight. Behold, how the Apostle addeth universal notes in every of these places. But are these precepts without examples? are they mere speculative considerations without their use? No: we have in the Scriptures of the new Testament, many among the faithful that receive this commendation from the mouth of God. It is noted concerning Noah, Gen. 6.22. 
Gen. 6.22.  that he did according, to all that God commanded him, even so did he. It is recorded of Moses, that when Pharaoh did give them and their children liberty to go into the wilderness, to serve the Lord, only their flocks and their herds should be stayed: he answered boldly, Our cattle also shall go with us, 
Exos. 10.26.  there shall not an hoof be left behind, Exodus chapter 10.26. It is testified by the Evangelist Luke, touching Zacharie and Elizabeth, that they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless, Luke 1.6. 
Luke 1.6.  All these particular testimonies do teach us, that it is our duty to labour earnestly and carefully to perform a pure and perfect obedience unto all the commandments of the Lord, that we may be entire, wanting nothing.  
Now we come to the reasons, that we may Reason be farther confirmed in this truth. First, consider the nature of God, he is perfect in himself, and perfect in all goodness toward us. He faileth in nothing, so that he may truly say, what could I have done more than I have done? we must therefore answer in duty and obedience unto him. Hence it is, that Christ saith, Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven, is perfect, Matth. 5. 
Matth. 5. ●  If then we must be like him, and resemble him, we ought to strive to be like him in perfection.  
Secondly, Christ jesus is a perfect Saviour, Reason a perfect redeemer, a perfect mediator. He hath fully finished our salvation, and he died to satisfy for all our sins. If he were but half a Saviour, a party obedience might be sufficient on our part. But he never left the work of our redemption, until he had appeased the wrath of his Father, and nailed all our sins unto his Cross. This caused the Apostle to say, He gave himself for us, 
Tit. 2.14.  that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Tit. 2.14. Seeing then that Christ jesus hath redeemed us from all sin, it followeth necessarily that we should follow after all righteousness, and make conscience of all sin.  
Thirdly, in respect of the commandments Reason 3 themselves; 
Cicer. de off●●● lib. 2.  for as an heathen man said of moral virtues, that they were linked together as in a chain, so that he which had one truly, had all of them: so we may much better say of the Laws of God, that as there is one lawgiver which is the Author of them all, so they are all knit in a knot together, that the knot cannot be loosed, but all are dissolved. Or they being ten words are as a band, having ten conditions; if one of them be broken, the whole band is forfeited. The testimony of the Apostle james fully accordeth and agreeth hereunto, chap. 2. 
jam. 2.10. ●  Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet faileth in one point, he is guilty of all: for he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the Law. Whosoever breaketh one commandment, and maketh no conscience thereof, but saith he doubteth not to be dispensed withal for it, and that he shall find God merciful unto him therein, hath made himself guilty of the whole Law and of the punishment due to the transgressors of it.  
Fourthly, there is nothing done of us in Reason 4 this flesh, but GOD will bring it into judgement. We run into many evils, because they seem little, and the hedge of God's word is easily leapt over. The wise man teacheth us, Eccl. 12. 
Eccle. 1●. 1●  that God will bring every work unto judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. If he said, God will bring many things to judgement, we might have hoped some things should be exempted. But forasmuch as we must account with him for all things, 
〈◊〉. 12.36,  even for every idle word, (as our Saviour teacheth) it followeth that we ought to make conscience of all our ways and works whatsoever.  
Fiftly, all things commanded of God from Reason 5 the greatest unto the least, are most just and equal, and therefore to be observed diligently without all parting or partiality. The Prophet reproveth the house of Israel, that said, The way of the Lord is not equal. But the Lord saith, 
〈◊〉. 18.29.  O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? This reason is urged by the Prophet David, 
〈◊〉 119.128, 172.  Psal. 119. I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right: and I hate every false way. His testimonies are righteous and very faithful, which he hath commanded, and therefore he hateth from the bottom of his heart all wicked ungodly ways. So then, whether we consider the nature of God, that he is perfect; or the redemption of Christ, that it is perfect; or the dignity of the law that it is perfect: in all these respects, we conclude this truth as honey gathered from many flowers, That it concerneth every one of us to yield obedience to all the Laws and commandments of God.  
Use 1 Now let us come to the uses which giveth an edge to the doctrine itself. And as it serveth to reprove, so the reproof is of divers sorts.  

●e first reprefe.  First of all, it condemneth those that waste themselves, and spend their strength chief about the things of this world, and never labour after regeneration and the things of the Lord. These men never think of any obedience: How far then are they from perfect obedience? when will these come to the journeys end, that are not yet set forward in the ways? When will they finish their salvation, that have not yet made a beginning? How do they look to receive the price, that sit still, and do not yet run in the race? or how shall they obtain an incorruptible crown, that do not strive for the mastery? These think they have no souls to save, or that there is no God to serve, or that there is no life to come, or else they would not live as beasts, or as the horse and mule that are without understanding. If they live as men that regard not the kingdom of heaven, they shall one day know that there is an hell: and if they regard not to obey God, they shall hereafter reap the fruit of their disobedience. Samuel teacheth, 
●am. 15. ●  that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity, and therefore all such as reject the word of the Lord, he will also reject them from his kingdom, and from the glory of his presence.  

●e second proof.  Secondly, such are reproved as content themselves with a small measure of knowledge and obedience, of faith and repentance. For many there are in the Church that think they know enough, or at least that much knowledge is not necessary; like to the Deputy mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, that the doctrine of Christ, was a matter needless, frivolous, impertinent, and unnecessary, and a curious question about words and names, whereof a man might be ignorant without danger.  
Thus do these judge of religion and of the Law of God, they account basely of it, as a thing that may best be spared. If they had truly tasted of the sweetness of God's word, it would bring them altogether into love of it. Let us therefore labour to grow in grace until we come to perfection, 2 Pet. 3. For whosoever thinketh he hath already attained unto it, greatly deceiveth himself: we have as yet scarce laid the foundation, and do we as men besotted with folly and spiritual pride, imagine we are come to the top? We are like unto them that are in a dream, that think they are eating to the full, and behold when they awake they are hungry and empty: or they that deeply conceit they are drinking, and when they arise, they see they are thirsty: so is it with these men, they are fast asleep; and do but dream, when they suppose all the world is made of knowledge: whereas if they had shaken off this spirit of slumber, and were thoroughly come to themselves, they would bewail their own ignorance, and as poor blind souls condemn their own foolishness.  
Let us therefore store ourselves with it: we shall herein (if in any thing beside) find the prover be most true, that store is no sore. It is the ground of our obedience: forasmuch as we can obey no farther than we know. The servant can obey his masters will, no farther than he knoweth it. An ignorant servant must of necessity be a disobedient servant. So is it with every Christian man, his obedience cannot go beyond his knowledge.  
Thirdly, 
The third reproof.  it serveth fitly and fully to reprove those that do halt with God, and yield a maimed obedience unto him. The sacrifices of God under the Law, must be whole & sound, not halt, not maimed, not lame: so should our obedience be under the Gospel. Men will not allow of a servant that performeth such service as he requireth at his hands, when it is done to halves: and do we think to be accepted of God, when we cut off his worship in the mids? We deal with God as the king of Ammon dealt with David's messengers; he shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, 2 Samuel chapter 10. verse 4. So do we shave off half of his service, and think to make him be content with that or with nothing. If Christ jesus had so rewarded us in performing the work of our redemption, and had left off before he had brought it to perfection, woeful had our condition been, it had been good we had never been borne. For if he had not thoroughly finished it, we could not have been saved. Hence it is, that in his prayer to his Father, he saith, I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 
joh. 17.4.  john 17. Why do we then reward him so unkindly? or what evil hath he done unto us, that we should deal so with him? As he teacheth, that we cannot serve God & Mammon: so we cannot serve God and ourselves. There is no parting of stakes with him. He hateth particoloured Christians, he will have the whole man, the whole obedience, or else he rejecteth all.  
Saul performed part of his will, but because he did not all that he required, he was cast off, 1 Sam. 15. Would we have him partly to love us, and partly to hate us? partly to be pleased with us, and partly to be offended? God doth not thus divide his love and hatred. Whom he loveth, he loveth freely, wholly, effectually. He so loved us, that he spared not his own Son, but gave him for us. The like love ought we to return unto him again. 
Mar. 6.  Herod hearing john Baptistpreach the word, reform himself in many things, Mar. 6. 
Act. 8.13.  Simon Magus was baptised, and professed the faith, and continued among the people of God, and wondered at the signs and miracles that were done. But except our righteousness do exceed the righteousness of these men, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. All these are half Christians that serve God to halves, like the jews that spoke half Hebrew, 
Neh. 13.24.  and half Ashdod: and worship God in one part, and the devil in another, like the Colony of the strange nations transplanted in Samaria, 
2 Kin. 17.41.  that feared the Lord, and served their graven images also; who while they would needs do both, are expressly charged not to fear the Lord, 
Verse 34.35.  neither to do after the statutes, and ordinances, and commandments, which the Lord commanded the children of jacob, whom he named Israel. So is it with all such as yield an unperfect and unsound obedience; they think they serve God and obey his commandments, but they are greatly deceived, and they may justly be charged not to serve him at all.  
For who required this half or halting obedience at their hands? Against all this maimed and mangled duty, we will oppose the practice of David, a man after God's heart, in the 119. Psalm, where he many times discovereth his zealous affection, as verses 5.6. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments. 
Psal. 119.5.6.13.101.  And verse 13. with my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth. And verse 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep thy word. Where we see his manner of serving the Lord, how far different it is from ours: he had respect unto all his commandments, & not to some only: he refrained his feet from every evil way, & not from some only. Let us follow his worthy & holy example, and do that which is right in the sight of the Lord, 
1 King 15.5.  and not turn aside from any thing that he commandeth us all the days of our life; so shall God's name be glorified, so shall he be well pleased with us, and so shall we have comfort, and others instruction through our obedience.  
Lastly, they are also reproved, 
The fourth reproof.  that think it enough to serve God outwardly to be seen of men, and worship him through hypocrisy, like unto them that look to the garment, but neglect the body; so do these look to the body, but neglect the soul. For as we showed before, that he who maketh no conscience of one commandment, but of purpose and custom breaketh the same, is guilty of all, because if like occasion were offered▪ he would break all the rest, james chapter 2. verse 10. So such as look only to the outside, and to turn their face toward religion, do make it manifest that there is no religion in them at all.  
It is strange to see how smoothly and devoutly some will carry themselves, who notwithstanding bewray the hollowness of their hearts. These are they that make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter: 
Matth. 23.25.27.  that are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness, Matthew chapter 23.25, 27. Thus it fared with judas, he served God outwardly, and the devil possessed him inwardly. If a man could deceive the eternal God, as well as blind the eyes of a mortal man, there might be some colour for this colourable worship. But God is not mocked. He that framed the heart, looketh into the heart, and searcheth into the corners and secret chambers of the heart. And albeit it be deceitful above all things, yet it cannot deceive him. There was never in any age, place for hypocrisy: but in regard of the lose and corrupt times into which we are cast, if we were but politic and wordly-wise, we would be any thing, rather than hypocrites, 
Nothing worse than hypocrisy.  which is to expose ourselves to all infamy, contempt, and reproach. Religion among the greatest sort is made a byword, and the religious make themselves a prey. What wisdom then is in us to lay open ourselves to such indignities, obloquys, slanders, and false accusations, and in the mean season to want the inward peace of a good conscience, and true comfort of a pure heart, and that which is more than all, to want the favour of God, and his loving countenance toward us, who hateth us as his secret enemies for our hypocrisy? Hypocrites therefore are justly abhorred of God & man. They draw near to God with their mouths, but their minds are far from him, Matt. 15. Their worship is like to counterfeit money, which is gilded outwardly: but within is nothing but brass, or such like base stuff, so that all is not gold that glistereth: Or like the apples which grow at the dead Sea (where sometimes. Sodom and Gomorrha stood) which are fair in colour, beautiful in show, and marvelous in greatness; but when you come to touch them, or to handle them, they turn to dust, and cast out a filthy savour, more unpleasant to the nostrils, than they were pleasant before to the eyes. Thus it is with hypocrites, they appear beautiful before men, they love to be well thought off by them, and have many times more glorious shows then other that are more sound within, because they study nothing else but how to get the applause and praise of the world. Such a one was judas among the Apostles: Such were Ananias and Sapphira among the disciples. Let us take heed we be not like them, or if we will be like them, let us know, that as we join with them in their sin, we must also partake with them in their punishments; who died not the common death of men, but the one hanged himself, the others were smitten with sudden death at the voice of Peter, as with a thunderbolt, so that they fell down, and never rose up again. A just reward of all such as have a conscience gilt, or rather guilty of the horrible sin of hypocrisy. If a man go about to deceive his neighbour, how is he spoken against? but if he go about like a wretch to cousin his master, or his father, how do all men point at him as a varlet, and abhor him as a beast? God is our Master, our Father, our Husband, our King, all Titles of honour are due unto him, and too little for him, forasmuch as no dignity, or excellency, or superiority, can be given unto him, but his Majesty and honour surmounteth them all: shall we then go about to deceive and cirumvent him, though we could carry it away cunningly, and not be espied? Know therefore, that he detesteth all such wickedness, more than man doth the deceitfulness that is practised against himself.  
The first example of hypocrisy, that we have in the Scripture, 
Gen 4 5.  is Cain; he came to the worship of God with his brother, but because his heart was not upright, God had no respect unto him, nor to his offering, no more than if he had cut off a dogs neck, 
Esay 66.3.  or had offered swine's flesh, but rejected both his person and his oblation. The like he speaketh to the Israelites, that pleased themselves in outward ceremonies, and turned the worship of God into a lie, 
jerem: 7.8.9.10, 11.  Behold, ye trust in lying words that cannot profit: will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other Gods whom ye know not, and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my Name, and say, We are delivered, to do all those abominations? Is this house which is called by my Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord, etc. Where we see, we cannot deceive the eye of the Lord with a lie, he knoweth our wicked hearts, and will find us out to bring us to shame in this life, and to destruction in the life to come. We may not dally with him, we cannot deceive him: notwithstanding all our windings and turnings, and altering ourselves into all shapes, he will find us out to the contempt of our persons, to the shame of our faces, and to the astonishment of all that behold us.  
Secondly, seeing it is a special duty belonging Use 2 unto us, to yield obedience to the whole will of God and to all his commandments, we have from hence a preservative from the poison that is cast out against us, as it were dung in our faces, to make us deny the faith, renounce our Religion, and start back from our most holy profession. For seeing we must perform perfect obedience, and not limited as we think good, we have direction how to serve him, that he may accept of us, and be well pleased with us. If then Satan the master of all mischief, and the author of all confusion, raise up cursed instruments, brought up as cunning scholars in his own school, to scoff at us, and to scorn at our obedience, we must comfort ourselves in the Lord, and commit ourselves to the word of his grace, knowing that it is God who requireth this entire obedience at our hands, and delighteth in such sacrifice as is without blemish.  
Let it not trouble us that we hear such slanderous words, such false reports, and devilish lies, cast out against us: let us commit our causes to him that judgeth uprightly, who will justify us in the end, and condemn our enemies. Let us be able to say with the Prophet▪ All this is come upon us, 
Psal. 44.17.  yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. These are the days of sin, wherein iniquity hath already gotten the upperhand, and such as are truly religious are made a proverb. God requireth of us that we be pure: but who are in greater disgrace, than such as study after purity and true holiness?  
If we labour to lead our lives according to the Laws of God, we shall be upbraided with Puritanisme: and as the enemies of Daniel could find no accusation against him, 
Dan. 6.5.  except they find it against him, concerning the Law of God: so do our enemies deal with us; when they can catch no advantage against us, they pick a quarrel with us about the Scriptures and our profession, as if it were a shame to read the Scriptures, or a disgrace to follow after holiness of life.  
The Apostle teacheth, 
Phil. 2.15. and 4.8.  that we must be blameless, and pure, as the sons of God in the mids of a naughty and crooked nation, among whom we are to shine as lights in the world, Philippians chapter 2.15. And again, Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report, think on these things. Our Saviour, the author of our salvation, and the finisher of our faith, 
Matth. 5.8.  pronounceth that the pure in heart are blessed. Paul willeth his scholar Timothy to keep himself pure, and to take heed lest he make himself partaker of other men's sins. 1 Tim. 5.22. 
1 Tim. 5.22. and 2.8. and 3.9.  He commandeth all men to pray, every where lifting up pure hands without wrath or doubting: and to have the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. And in the second Epistle, 
2 Tim. 2.22.  he chargeth him to fly the lusts of youth, and to follow after righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with them that call on the Lord with pure heart. here we see what God requireth of us and what he speaketh unto us; this is his voice that ought to sound evermore in our ears, Be blameless, be pure, be the sons of God, in the mids of a naughty nation; blessed are the pure: have pure consciences, pure hands, pure hearts; whatsoever things are pure, and of good report think on them. True it is, there have always been hypocrites in the Church, 
Prou. 30.12.  and there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness, Pro. 30.12. What then? shall we whip their faults upon the backs of those that are of no kin unto them? For the faithful, though they have in them many frailties, and infirmities, yet are washed by the blood of Christ, and by the Spirit of God from their sins, that they have no dominion over them, and exercise no kingdom in them. Was it ever allowed in any court of justice and judgement, to take one for another, to accuse one for another, & to condemn one for another? It is the Law of God, 
Ezek. 18.4.  that every soul should bear his own sin: that neither the father should bear the iniquity of the son, nor the son of the father: that the righteousness of the righteous should be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked should be upon himself, There was one hypocrite in the family of Christ: should this tend to the reproach of Christ himself, or of the rest of the disciples? aught they to bear the blame of his iniquity? or aught all to be censured alike? or aught we to make no difference? Thus it was in the family of Adam from the beginning, he had not only faithful Abel, but faithless Caine. Thus it was in the family of Noah, before the Flood, he had as well cursed Ham, as blessed Shem. Thus it was in the family of Abraham, and of Isaac, after the Flood; and where not almost? So that we are not to condemn all for some, one for another, the godly for the hypocrites.  
But if we cannot call them back from this false judgement, and rash censuring of the innocent, let us comfort ourselves in the uprightness of our own own hearts; and when we cannot secure ourselves from their unjust accusations, let us be careful and watchful over our ways, that we give them no just occasions. This shall be Armour of proof, and as a brazen wall, to give no offence, and to keep a clear conscience before GOD and men. If then they reproach us, and speak all manner of evil against us, let us possess our souls with patience, 
1 Pet. 2.20. and 3.16. and 4.13.14.  and let us rejoice and be glad, in as much as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings. The Spirit of glory, and of God resteth upon us. Let us not be ashamed, but glorify God in this behalf. Thus we shall make them ashamed, that falsely accuse our good conversation. It falleth out no otherwise with us, than it hath done with the Saints, and dearest servants of God.  
The Apostle putteth us in mind of this truth, by occasion of that fell out in Abraham's house, which then was the visible Church of God, Gal. 4. 
Gal. 4.29.  As than he that was borne after the flesh, persecuted him that was borne after the spirit: even so it is now. It seemeth strange unto them, that you run not with them unto the same excess of riot, and therefore they speak evil of you, who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead, 1 Pet. 4.5. 
1 Pet. 4.5.  But let not us think it strange to suffer for Christ's sake, who suffered much more for us, the just for the unjust, and bore our sins in his own body on the tree, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps. If any man therefore suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this behalf, knowing that hereunto he is called. Affliction for the Gospel is the badge of Christ, and an exceeding honour before men and Angels: so that when we are reviled, and reproached, let us not render like for like, nor be dismayed or pulled back from our profession, but go lustily forward, as good soldiers of jesus Christ. according to the exhortation of the Apostle, Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, but be partaker of the affliction of the Gospel, according to the power of God. 2. Tim. 1.8. 
2 Tim. 1.8.  that we may be able truly to say, I know whom I have believed, 
Verse 12.  and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. It is better to obey God then man: and to incur the displeasure of man, then to procure and purchase the indignation of God.  
We have not yet resisted unto blood, neither have we endured the fiery trial, as many of our dear brethren and sisters have done before us.  
Let us not be daunted with a word, or with big looks, and stern countenances, but rather prepare ourselves for a fresh assault and new encounter, and say with the Apostle, With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgement, yea, I judge not mine own self, 1 Cor. 4.3. 
1 Cor. 4.3.   
Lastly, considering the manner of that obedience Use 3 which we own, and aught to perform to God, it is our duty to endeavour to please him in all things, and to labour to obey him carefully & circumspectly in all his commandments. The nearer we come to the mark set before us, the more we please him; & the more we please him, the better we are accepted of him. The Apostle Paul had run long in this race, he had made many strait steps toward the kingdom of heaven, yet he saith, I have not already attained unto perfection, but I follow after, 
Phil. 3, 12, 13.  if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ jesus: this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, & reaching forth unto those things which are before. Such as come nearest to obey all the laws of their Prince, are most of all commended, and are accounted the best Subjects: such as perform all the commandments of their masters, are accounted to be the best servants: and such as execute the will of their fathers, and please them in all things, are reputed to be the best children. How then cometh it to pass, that whereas zeal is commended in every one, in the subject toward his Prince, in the soldier toward his Captain, in the servant toward his Master, etc. such should be least commended, nay altogether discommended and disgraced, that perform most duty to GOD, and labour to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ? 2 Cor. 10, 5. It is strange to see how precise the most men are in all other things, and how lose and licentious in the matters of God, wherein notwithstanding we ought to be most conscionable. It is to be wondered at, to behold the preciseness that is in the world, in all matters, except in religion. We are very curious to have our apparel sit neatly and smoothly, that it be without spot or wrinkle: much more than ought we to be curious and careful in the discharge of our duties unto God, according to the rule of his word. In all things that concern the body, whether meat, or drink, or apparel, or our own delights, no man is ignorant how straight and strict men are. Their eyes are so quick, their ears so dainty, their taste so delicate, that if the least thing be amiss, or out of square, they are displeased and discontented: and yet these men, in things of an higher nature, and concerning a better life, run so wide, and take such liberty, that they think to please God with any thing, and to make him take half stakes with them. If we have any garments made for us, and brought unto us, which have any thing amiss in them, that we find them not exactly fit for us, but either too big or too little, too long or to short, to wide or too straight, we fret and fume, we chide and chafe, as men beside ourselves. Oh, that there were such hearts in us to please God Oh, that we would look so narrowly to our own souls. In our apparel, nothing must be out of order in matter or form, to the very skirts and borders of them: but in our lives we can be content to be out of frame, to have poor, rent, and ragged souls, and never to put upon us the righteousness of jesus Christ, as the richest robes, 
Rom. 13, 14. Galath. 3, 27  and most precious garment. The like we require in dressing our meats, which we do in attiring of our bodies; which are ordained for the belly, 
1 Cor. 6, 13.  and the belly for them, albeit God w●ll destroy both it and them, 1 Cor. 6, 13. The least fault is soon espied, the offenders like to be turned out of service, and we soon driven out of our little patience. Nay, in our ordinary delights and recreations, which serve only to please the ear, we see how he that is skilful in music, cannot abide the least jar and discord, if he espy one finger set out of order, or hear the missing of one minim rest, how impatient is he? how much discontented? how doth he testify his dislike with hand and foot? But touching the leading of our lives and the ordering of our actions, whereupon dependeth the everlasting salvation or damnation of our souls, though there be a thousand jars, and ten thousand discords in them, we think the harmony good enough, and all things to be in tune. This use that now we urge, hath many branches, as furtherances of purity and perfection in us.  
First, we must labour to have pure and upright hearts, 
The branches of this use.  which giveth life to all our actions, and is much accepted of God. It is the counsel of the wise man, Prou. 4. 
Prou. 4.23, & 23.26.  Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life: and chap. 23. My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. It is as the wheel of the clock, that moveth all the rest: it is the root that giveth life to the boughs and branches, and maketh the Tree yield his fruit. It is the fountain that sendeth forth sweet or bitter waters. Hereupon the Apostle exhorteth, Heb. 3. 
Heb. 3, 12.  Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. A pure heart is the scourge of hypocrisy, and as a strong hammer that serveth to break it in pieces. This is first to be looked unto; reform it, and thou art all clean. It is the direction that Christ giveth unto us, Math. 23. 
Math. 23, 26.  Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the out side of them may be clean also. It is a vain thing to be clean without, & unclean within: to have the outward man appear fair and smooth; and the heart to be foul and filthy. Such then as begin not at the hart, begin at the wrong end. They take long and needless pains, that think to stop the streams, while they let the spring alone. The hart in the body is the member that first hath life in it: so is it in the spiritual life. Hence it is, that the Scripture commendeth unto us the simplicity of the heart, Eph. 6, 5. Col. 3, 21 the circumcision of the heart, Rom. 2, 29: the meditation of the heart, Psal. 19, 15: the uprightness of the heart, 1 Kings 3, 6: a wise & an understanding heart, 1 Kings 3, 9: a perfect heart, 2 Kings 20, 3. 1 Chron. 28, 9: a faithful heart, Nehem. 9, 8: an upright heart, Psal. 11, 2: a pure heart, Psal. 24, 4. Math. 5: a prepared and fixed heart, Psal. 57, 7, and 108, 1, and 112, 7: an honest and good heart, Luc. 8, 15: joyfulness and gladness of heart, Deut. 28, 47; a broken and a contrite heart, Psal. 51, 17: a tender heart, 2 Chron. 34, 24: an heart of flesh, Ezek. 11, 19: a new heart and new spirit, Ezek. 18, 31, and 33, 26: a purified hart, Acts 15, 9: an enlarged heart, 2 Cor. 6, 11: the good treasure of the heart, Luc. 6, 45: and a true heart, Heb. 10, 22. These and many such like testimonies, teach us to begin our repentance from dead works and reformation of life at the heart, & that until we set our hearts and our souls to seek the Lord, we dally with God, and never seriously set upon that work.  
Secondly, we must be free from any purpose to live in any known sin, and must be inclined to every thing that is good, so that we should be able to say with Paul, 1 Cor. 4, 4. I know nothing by myself, yet I am not hereby justified, but he that judgeth me is the Lord. The Apostle knew nothing for which he should condemn himself. Hence it is, that the Prophet saith, 
Psal. 119, 112, 106.  Psal. 119. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end. And a little before he saith in the same Psalm, I have sworn and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements. So ought all the faithful to bind themselves by a solemn vow and promise to stir up their zeal, and kindle their affections to all good duties. It is recorded to the perpetual praise & commendation of Asa, that he moved the people of judah and Benjamin to enter into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul, That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman: And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with Trumpets, and with Cornets: And all judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and he was found of them, and the Lord gave them rest round about, 2 Chron. 15. 
2 Chron. 15, 13, 14, 15.  Happy are they that set before them this example, as a pattern and precedent unto them, to resolve fully with themselves to cast from them all sin as a filthy cloth, and to settle their hearts to seek the Lord, and to hate with an unfeigned hatred, whatsoever may be any hindrance or impediment unto them.  
Thirdly, we must all take notice of our own wants and imperfections, and earnestly bewail them and mourn for them. It is a degree toward perfection, to acknowledge & confess our imperfections, and to be grieved for them. For no man can have a feeling of infirmities, but by the work of God's sanctifying Spirit. It is a grace of God to know the want of grace. The ungodly are not acquainted with it, they think themselves full, they hunger and thirst after carnal things, but never after spiritual and heavenly things. The blessed Virgin in her song showeth, that He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away, Luc, 1, 53. 
Luc. 1, 53.  There is a perfection in God's children accompanied with much imperfection, and strength mingled with much weakness, Phil. 3, 15. So that albeit the faithful find their own infirmities, yet they do not please themselves in them, but continually strive against them, and more and more get the upper hand of them.  
Fourthly, we must make conscience of the least sin, that we may be afraid of the greatest. When David had cut off the lap of saul's garment, his heart smote him, 1 Sam. 24, 5. How could he be induced to shed one drop of his blood, that confessed he ought not to have touched the lap of his garment? The Apostle requireth of us to abstain from all appearance of evil, 1 Thess. 5, 22. If we cast out the mote that is in our eyes, we cannot suffer a beam to stick in them. If we would learn indeed and in truth to strain at a gnat, we should not so easily swallow a Camel. The wages of all sin is death, and therefore we should fear to run into any sin. Pull out the sting of this serpent in the beginning. Cure this sickness at the first, lest it grow incurable. Cut down the tree while it is young and green; one stroke now will do more good, than an hundred when it is grown old, and tough, and hard. The labour is little at the beginning, but custom in sinning, groweth into another nature.  
Fiftly, we must grow from good to better. We must not always be babes and sucklings, children and weaklings, but evermore grow in grace. There is a perfection of Christians to which we must be led, as Heb. 6, 1: where he moveth them, that leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, they should go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Not that any perfection can be attained in this life, as the Anabaptists and other fantastical persons dream off most falsely, not knowing themselves nor the law of God: but we must aim at it as at a mark, and make it the end of all our works, forasmuch as in the School of Christ we must wax old, evermore learning somewhat. God accounteth us as pure, 
The faithful sa●ctified in part, are accounted pure.  & accepteth us as pure (albeit we attain not unto the parts of perfect purity,) for these causes and considerations of apprehension, regeneration, imputation, and glorification. For though we be sanctified in part, yet Christ calleth the Church his Love, all fair, pure as the Sun, clear as the Moon, bright as the Morning; because we lay hold on the righteousness of Christ by faith, the work of regeneration is begun in every one of us, and goeth forward by degrees; the perfect purity and perfection of Christ is ours for the present, in whom we are accounted pure: and for the time to come, we have the promise of glorification, when we shall be without spot or wrinkle, and made so absolutely pure, as if we had never been defiled with sin.  
Lastly, it is our duty to pray unto God to give us upright hearts, which in themselves are crooked and corrupt. The Apostle in the shutting up of the Epistle to the Hebrews, prayeth for them, that God would make them perfect in every good work to do his will, 
●●b. 13, 21.  working in them that which is well pleasing in his sight, through jesus Christ. That which we desire for another, we ought much more to crave and ask for ourselves. Hence it is, that the Apostle assureth his own heart, that the LORD would deliver him from every evil work, and preserve him unto his heavenly Kingdom, 2. Tim. 4, 18. If this means be diligently practised of us, we shall grow more and more in good things, we shall abolish the kingdom of sin and Satan in us, so that the Lord which hath begun his good work in us, will perfect the same unto the coming of our Lord jesus Christ.    

CHAP. III.  

1. THese also are the generations of Aaron and Moses, in the day that the Lord spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai.  

exod. 6, ●3  2. And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadah the first borne, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  
3. These are the names of the sons of Aaron the Priest, which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the Priests Office.  
4. And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the Priest's Office in the sight of Aaron their father.  
WE have already showed, that the numbering of the Israelites (which of a small stock grew to so many millions) is of two sorts, one of the people fitted for the wars, the other, of the Priests and Levites that were to minister to God. This whole multitude consisting partly of the people, & partly of the Ministers, are all of them warriors and soldiers, howbeit there is a twofold war, civil, and sacred. Now, of such as were to wage the civil war, we have spoken before in the former chapters. It remaineth to entreat in this and the Chapter following, of such as follow another war, and belong to another warfare, and are another kind of warriors. The former is opposed against temporal and bodily enemies, but this against spiritual: and both of them have their several Captains, their swords, their armour, their furniture, their victories. The former war is carnal & profane; this is sacred and holy. The General is Christ jesus, The Captain of the Lords host, josh. 5, 14. The enemies are Satan, the world, and the flesh: the armour, is as the war, wholly spiritual; for our warfare is not carnal, yet mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. 10, 4, 5. We fight not against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, Eph. 6, 12. And therefore our whole armour must be of the same nature, that it may be of proof, 
Eph. 6, 16.  able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked: our breastplate must be made of righteousness: our shield must be of faith, which is our victory: our helmet must be of salvation: our sword wherewith we are to be girded, is the word of God. Hence it is that the Apostle exhorteth Timothy a Minister of the Gospel, to be strong in the grace that is in Christ jesus, and to endure hardness as a good soldier of jesus Christ, 2 Tim. 2, 1, 3. Now then, as we observed in the two former chapters, concerning the mustering of the people, both their number, and their order: the like we are to consider in handling the rest that remain, who were exempted out of the former training, to wit, the Priests and the Levites. For first of all, Moses numbereth them according to their persons, then according to their order and ministry. Touching their persons, in this chapter: touching their ministry, in the fourth chapter. So then in this place the Tribe of the Levites is numbered, who were selected and separated to the work of the ministry, that they might therein serve God and his people.  
In this Chapter we are to observe two things: first, 
The parts of Chapter.  a transition or passage by way of preface to this holy numeration, distinct from the former in the 13. first verses: secondly, the numbering itself, in the rest of the chapter. Touching the first point, which is the entrance, we must consider in it two other points, first, a description of the Tribe of Leui● and of the family of Aaron; forasmuch as Moses and Aaron the two heads of the people, descended out of that Tribe, as is more at large declared in the book of Exodus: and this is amplified by the circumstance of time, in the beginning of the first verse, In the day that the Lord spoke with Moses in Mount Sinai: 
Exod. 6, 16.  as if he had said, Now it is time to proceed to speak of the Tribe of Leni, and to set down how great the number of them was, when God commanded them to be numbered at Mount Sinai, 
Osiand. in Numb. cap. 3.  (for as yet the people was not departed from thence where the law was given) but first I will rehearse the names of the sons of Aaron, who, above or before others were appointed to the Priesthood. Secondly, the presentation of the Levites before Aaron to be numbered, which we will reserve to be handled afterward in his proper place.  

The description of Aaron's family.  Touching the description of Aaron's house and family (whereon the numbering of the Priests depended) First, his sons are reckoned, and their ministry declared, verse 2, and 3. of which we have heard more particularly in the book of Leviticus, chap. 8, and 9 Then the destruction of two of them (which were the eldest) is set down: 
levit. 10.  for when they transgressed the Commandment of God, & offered strange fire before him, they were consumed and confounded; which is briefly repeated in the 4. verse, but at large expressed in the 10. chapped. of Leviticus: whereby it came necessarily to pass, that two being cut off, and leaving no issue behind them, that there remained only two heads or families of the Priests, to wit, of Eleazar and Ithamar.  
[Verse 1. These are the generations of Aaron, etc.:] We see in this place, how Moses immediately after the numbering up of the people, that meddled not with the ministry of the word, or killing of the sacrifices, or administering of the Sacraments, or serving in the Tabernacle, or carrying of the Ark, or teaching of the people, handleth in the next place the form and fashion of the ministry, that laboured and spent themselves in the former things. For let there be never so great order, or good policy in the Commonwealth, yet if the care of the ministry be neglected, all is to little purpose. We see from hence, the goodly order that GOD observeth in this great army, he establisheth among them most carefully the holy Ministry, to the end they might be taught and instructed in the word. Doctrine 1 Hereby we learn, that among all nations & people under the heavens, 
There is an absolute necessity of a standing Ministry among all people.  the ministry of the word ought to be planted and established. I say, there is a great and absolute necessity of a standing and settled ministry among all sorts and conditions of men, to guide them in the ways of godliness. This appeareth evidently from the beginning: for rather than there should be no teaching, God himself was the Pastor and Teacher, the Priest and Prophet of his Church, and instructed them immediately by his own voice, without the ministry of man: he was then the Shepherd, and they the sheep: he the master, and they the Scholars. So he appeared to Adam and taught him, and likewise his posterity after him. Then there was no need of any other Doctor or instructor, he was all in all. For as a man need not light a Candle at noon day thereby to see, when as the Sun shineth clearly in his strength: no more needed man in his innocency to be taught by man, seeing he enjoyed the bright Sunshining of Gods glorious presence. But when once mankind began to multiply and increase out of one house into divers families, as a tree displaying itself into many branches, God raised up ordinary and extraordinary Teachers. For the father of the family, was the King and Priest of it: a King, to rule: a Priest, to teach the will of God to his children. Hence we read, that Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied of the second coming of Christ to judgement, 
Jude 14.  with ten thousands of his Saints, to execute judgement upon all ungodly sinners. So then he was a Prophet raised up of God in those corrupt times, to reprove sin, and to convince all that were ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they ungodly committed. After him he stirred up Noah, 
2 Pet. 2, 5.  a Preacher of righteousness, while the Ark was in preparing, when the long suffering of God waited an hundred & twenty years for their conversion. Besides, that the people of God might be sufficiently provided for, the first borne were also sanctified to this Office, as we shall see afterward in this chapped, and the chap. following: and lastly, in their stead the Tribe of Levi were set apart, in whom alone it continued (excepting the Prophets that had a special calling) while the Synagogue stood, even unto Christ: who, when he ascended and led captivity captive, gave gifts unto men at his pleasure, and appointed some Apostles, some Evangelists, some Pastors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, 
Eph. 4, 12.  and for the edifying of the body of Christ. We see in this place, that so soon as the law was given in Mount Sinai, God appointed those that should publish and preach the same: and so soon as the Tabernacle was erected, he ordained Aaron and his sons to attend upon it, and to perform their several duties according to his direction and appointment. Thus also did the Apostles deal, so soon as they had preached the Gospel, according to the commission and commandment they had received, & thereby gained a people unto God, they settled a ministry to continue, and appointed Elders and Pastors over that people, for the propagation of true religion, and the strengthening of God's servants in all good duties. This appeareth in the Acts of the Apostles; Paul and Barnabas confirmed the souls of the Disciples, and exhorted them to continue in the faith, and when they had ordained them Elders in every Church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed, Acts 14, 23. Likewise the Apostle left Titus in Crete, that he should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every City, as he had appointed him, Titus, 1, 5. Thus we see what the practice of the holy Apostles was toward the Churches which they had planted, so that in all kingdoms, and Countries, and Congregations converted to the true faith, the ministry of the word must be firmly established, well seen unto, and regarded, both to bring them to God, and to settle them in God, and to continue them with God, that they may abide his for evermore.  
Reason 1 Let us search into the reasons hereof, for the confirming of us farther in this truth. First, a certain and settled ministry, is an evident sign and token that God hath a Church and people to be won and begotten by the precious and immortal seed of the word, which is the seed of regeneration, and by their ministry, whom he sendeth and sanctifieth to teach them in the truth. Where he will have much labour to be bestowed, and more planting & watering to be used then in other places, he hath much people to be gained and gathered unto him: where he will have little pains bestowed, there he hath a small people and a little company to be saved. Where he will have no teaching, he hath no Church to be collected and converted unto the faith. When Paul had preached the Gospel, & planted a church at Corinth, and was ready to have departed, The Lord spoke unto him in the night by a visian, 
Acts 18, 9, 10.  Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this City. He must labour more plentifully and abundantly among them, because God had a greater people in that place. On the other side, where he would not have them exercise their ministry, it is a sign and token he hath no people there. No labourers, no corn: no harvest men, no harvest: no shepherds, no flock. Hence it is, that when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the Region of Galatia, they were forbidden of the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia: and after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bythinia, but the Spirit suffered them not, Acts 16, 6, 7. Thus we see that a standing ministry is a sign of a Church, and where the word is not, there is no Church.  
Reason 2 Secondly, without the light of the word, the people remain in darkness and cannot see, they grope at noon days, and know not what they do, as it was in Egypt, when the plague of palpable darkness was sent among them, they saw not one another, neither arose any from his place, Exod. 10, 23. Thus it fareth with those that want the light of the candle, or the shining of the Sun of God's word among them; they lie under one of the most heavy plagues that can be: but when the word is sent unto them, they have a great light to direct them in their ways, according to the saying of the Prophet, Esay 60, 2, 3. The darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee: and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, & Kings to the brightness of thy rising. Such then as have not the ministry of the word, are as a crew or company of infidels, & as an heard of brute beasts and cattle that are running on heaps to their destruction; or like to those swine of the Gadarens, into which the devils entered at the permission of Christ, so that they ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters, Math. 8, 32.  
Thirdly, the necessity of a ministry is so Reason 3 clear and evident, that all the Gentiles had their Priests and Prophets that attended on their profane and superstitious Altars: and it was their first care to establish a religion, such as it was, among them. This were easy to be showed by the testimonies of antiquity out of all histories and records, to have been observed in all places, at all times, among all people. After that Rome was builded, and a sufficient people assembled in it, immediately they established the worship of their gods, indeed a false worship of false gods, but thereby they testified their great devotion, and their service and sacrifice done unto them, so that they erected a College pontifical, 
Plutar. in vita Numae.  & ordained Bishops, and instituted an Highpriest to have authority over their Ceremonies and Laws. 
Virgil. Eglo. 3.  From hence cometh the saying in the Poet, A jove principium: that is, Let us make beginning with GOD. But to omit these, we see how jeroboam that made Israel to sin, setting up his two Calves, appointed his Priests to attend at them. Ahab and jezabel had their idolatrous Chaplains & many Prophets of the groves, 1 Kings 18, 19 The colony brought from Babylon, and placed in Samaria, are said to make a mixture of religion, and to make unto themselves of the lowest of them, Priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places, 2. Kings 17. 
2 King. 17, 32.  Thus we see, that among the very infidels, No Priest, no religion. If it were thus among them who saw darkly, and were without the true light of the Scripture: much more ought we to learn it, that have been taught better things, and have the sure word of the Prophets to guide us.  
Fourthly, such is our frailty and weakness, Reason 4 that notwithstanding we live under a settled ministry, and have given our names to the faith, and have yielded some obedience to the truth, yet we are ready to start back again. For as the body is prone to pine away without supply of daily food, so are our souls ready to perish, being destitute of the heavenly Manna of the word of God. The wise man saith, Where is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he, Prou. 29, 18. The preaching of the word, is the ordinary means of salvation, and therefore without it the people perish. The people of Zabulon and Naphtali, were in the shadow of death, until Christ came among them, and was revealed unto them, Math. 4, 15, 16. The Prophet teacheth, that the people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hos. 4, 6. When Moses was absent from the host of the Israelites only forty days, they fell into idolatry, & worshipped the Calf, Exod. 32. So where the Minister and ministry of the word is wanting, there for the most part no evil is wanting, but swarms of drunkards, adulterers, swearers, thieves, liars, and all kind of impieties do abound and overflow. These are (alas) too rife where the word is taught diligently, and published in season and out of season: nevertheless, where it is duly and conscionably preached, without respect of persons, it toucheth the hearts of some, represseth the corruptions of others, & is as a warning piece and watchword unto all: so that all persons and people whatsoever, & wheresoever, must live under the ordinary hearing and frequenting of the word of God.  
Use 1 The uses remain to be handled, which ought especially to be marked of us. First, there is offered unto us this truth arising from the doctrine itself, that the preaching of the word by the Minister, and the hearing of it by the people, is no ceremony nor a matter of indifferency, such as may either be done or left undone at our own discretion or disposition; but it is such a part of the public service of God, as ought not to be omitted or neglected without great sin, and breach of the fourth Commandment, which serveth to establish the ministry of the word. It is above the works of mercy and compassion, & therefore the most profitable work that can be done to the sons of men. It is a more excellent and much greater gift to do good to the soul, then to do good to the body, inasmuch as the soul is more precious than the body.  
Hence it is, that the Apostles gave over ministering to the poor & attending to their necessities, because they would give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word, Acts 6, 4. 
Acts 6, 4, and 2.42.  And before this in the second chapter, describing the Church after the ascension of Christ, he saith, the Disciples continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Where he placeth continuance in the Apostles doctrine and breaking of bread, before fellowship and communion in temporal things. It is one special mark of a man and woman truly fearing God, to be a diligent hearer of the word of God, and a continual resorter to the preaching of it, and a careful frequenter of the house of God. We see this in Simeon; he came often into the Temple, and thereby he found Christ, when his parents brought him in their arms, to do for him after the custom of the Law, Luc. 2, 27, 37, 41. The like we might say of Anna a Prophetess, which departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings & prayers night and day, verse 37. 
Luc. 2, 27, 37, 41.  So joseph and Mary went to jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passeover, by custom and commandment. This was the cause of the great godliness and wonderful zeal that was in David, that he desired nothing more, then to appear before the face of God among his Saints. This his affection he testifieth in many places, Psal. 27, 4. 
Psal. 27, 4, & 42, 1.2.  One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his Temple. There is always good hope of such persons, so long as they use the means to be recovered. A sick person may not be despaired off, so long as he is content to use the help and counsel of the Physician, albeit he be very dangerously sick: but when once he refuseth his direction, than we may look for nothing but death. Thus the case standeth with all men; so long as we forsake not the word, there is hope of salvation: when once we refuse it, there is fear of destruction both of soul and body. Wherefore, we are to judge well and charitably of such as are religious frequenters of the holy exercises of faith: such are never past hope, there is some sign of life in them: and we have more comfort and greater assurance of such, albeit unjust & unclean, then of any civil man that refuseth the means.  
Many in the world stumble at the offensive lives of evil professors; but certainly whatsoever men judge, there is more hope of the worst professor that heareth the word and attendeth unto it, 
More hope of evil professors, then of civil men  then of the best civil men that in profaneness of heart refuse it, and that for two reasons. First, these men though they be evil, yet use good means, which have from time to time done good upon others as bad as they, & therefore may in time to come by the mercy of God, and blessing upon the means, do good also unto them, & be effectual in them. If it do not prevail at one time, yet it may at another. The reformation of a sinner is not wrought at a sudden, but by little & little, like the water that pierceth the hard stone by customable and continual dropping upon it. If thou seest two men most dangerously sick of divers diseases, and all mortal except they be cured, and one of them putting himself under the physicians hand, the other rejecting altogether both physic and the Physician; whether of these is more likely to be restored and to live? Is not he that taketh the receipt and medicine that is ministered? So is it in the sicknesses of the soul. If we harken to the word, which is a spiritual medicine to heal every malady, we may be reclaimed. The word is as a draw-net cast into the Sea, which gathereth of every kind, Mat. 13. Yea, it is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, Heb. 4, 12. Secondly, it is a sign that those which use the means are not yet sold and settled to continue in sin: for there is no man whose hart is fully set in him to do evil and follow wickedness, that can patiently endure & be content to be an ordinary frequenter of religion, whensoever it is publicly taught and preached. True it is, they may sometimes come to the word for custom, or company, or fear, or praise, or because they have nothing else to do, and cannot tell how else to spend away the time: but if they come ordinarily & continually, they are not become desperate. The hammer of God's word may break their hearts, and enter into their souls. As for those that regard not to serve GOD, and use not the assemblies of his worship, they are of all other most wicked and profane, and may justly be said to be of the forlorn hope. They are at the point of death, they lie gasping for breath, nay they are come to the brink of hell. Thus than we see that the preaching of God is of absolute necessity, whether we be converted or not converted, whether we do believe or not yet believe, nay, it is in a manner the only necessary thing. It is the opinion of many wretched men that are not worthy to breath in the common air, that it bringeth a great charge and heavy burden upon the people without any necessity, and that it is a needless work; but they are far deceived, as we shall see afterward. Wherefore Christ our Saviour commending the practice of Mary, that sat at his feet and heard his word, saith unto her sister, 
Luk. 10, 41, 42  Thou art careful, and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. See how contrary these men are unto Christ, and their words to the words of Christ. Can they then be good Christians that are led by a spirit contrary unto Christ? He telleth us that the hearing of the word is necessary: they say it, & by their practice seal to it, that it is not necessary. Can light and darkness be more contrary than these two? He teacheth that this is one necessary thing; they are not ashamed to affirm with tongues set on fire of hell, that among all unnecessary things this is most idle and unprofitable. This is a deep judgement of God upon them for their contempt of his ordinance. This bewrayeth the corruption of their hearts, that indeed they are of no religion. For he that learneth not religion by the word, never yet knew what true religion meaneth. Such then as have not a settled ministry and Minister to resort unto, 
james 1, 6.  are for the most part unsettled in their opinions, unconstant in religion, and unstable in all their ways. Sometimes they hold one thing, sometimes another, and sometimes nothing at all; 
Math. 11, 7.  as a reed that is carried to and fro with the winds, as a weathercock that turneth often in a day, and stagger hither & thither like a drunken man. And such as live under a ministry planted according to the institution of Christ, but have not their ears settled to hear the fame, forasmuch as they come once, and miss twice, slip in & out of the Church at their pleasure, hear one Sermon, and absent themselves from another; their conscience is seared with an hot iron, & their sin is come up to heaven. Ignorant they are, & will learn nothing: they are fickle in matters of faith and godliness, knowing no point of religion as they ought to know, neither being able to give an account of the hope that is in them. These starters that come and go when they please, have not so much as the outward show of a true Christian, much less the truth of the heart that is within: neither can they look for any blessing from him from whom all blessings do proceed, as from the Father of lights. To conclude then, the power of Satan is great to hold man in sin, but the word is as the Sceptre of God to break it, that we may escape, and to overthrow his kingdom. The seventy Disciples, sent out by Christ into every City and place whither he himself should come, returned again with joy, saying; Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy Name. And the Lord said unto them, 
Luk. 10, 17, 18  I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven, Luke 10. Behold, how necessary the preaching of it is to all people, to which we ought all to subscribe.  
Secondly, it serveth to reprove divers abuses, Use 2 I will name three in particular. First, such as think & spare not to say, that the ministry is a vain and superfluous thing, and that the Ministers are men that may very well be spared, as if they were a sixth finger upon the hand, or a sixth toe upon the foot, that is, bringing a burden rather than a benefit; and that their labours may be spared also, inasmuch as they bring with them, in their opinion, needless charges and unnecessary expenses. For as they account the Sabbath the loss of one day in a week, the loss of one week in a month, & the loss of one year in seven: so they account the maintenance of the ministry the loss of their goods and substance, and a departing with the tenth part of their labours to no purpose. These have learned another language than the tongue of Canaan: they do not the works that beseem christians, and they cannot speak as beseemeth those that profess the fear of God, if so be they do profess so much. Is it a needless thing to have the light of the Sun in the Firmament, without which all things are covered with darkness, and nothing can have life and quickening? But the Sun is not more necessary to be in the world, them the light of the word in the church to give life and light unto them that sit in darkness, Math. 4.16. Is a candle needless to be in the house in the night season, to give light to them that are in it? The Church is the golden candlestick, & the word is the candle that shineth in our hearts to guide us in all our ways, Mat. 5, 15. Luk. 8, 16. Is it needless to have labourers to reap down our corn in time of harvest? To have meat brought unto us and provided for us, when we are hungry? or drink, when we are thirsty? The preaching of the Gospel is as light in the Firmament, as a candle in the house, as the eye in the body, as the meat in the stomach, and as the labourer in time of harvest, Matth. 9 The want of this blessing is to cover the earth with darkness, to put out the light of the eye, & to suffer good corn to perish for want of reaping and gathering into the barn; as the state of Egypt was when it wanted corn, and cried out to joseph for bread; or as judaea, when it wanted the light of the Sun. Miserable therefore, and thrice miserable are those people that want this, albeit they were stored with abundance of all earthly commodities under heaven. If they had all the riches of the world, that every nation borrowed of them and they of none, what should they help them wanting this only? Can the other save them, or make them a blessed people? No, no, in the midst of these blessings, they must needs be accursed. Is not that Land miserable that is compassed about with enemies, & yet is without armour? Are they not as a naked people that lie open to become a prey to them that gape after their destruction? Thus notwithstanding it is without the Ministers, who are the Chariots and horsemen of Israel, 2 Kin. 2, 12. 
2 Kings 2, 12, and 13, 14.  Is it not a miserable thing to go into wars, and to have no Captains to lead the battle? What hope can there be of victory? Nay, what can be looked for but present destruction? The Ministers are the Leaders and Overseers of the Lords host to rule them and keep them in order, Heb. 13, 7. Is it not miserable to see a flock of sheep without a Shepherd, wandering up and down from the fold, and ready to be devoured of the wolves? But such as are without a teaching Minister, are scattered abroad as silly sheep are without a Shepherd to lead them in green pastures, Mat. 9, 36. Is it not a woeful & miserable thing to see Satan's kingdom flourish, and to see him ruling in the hearts of men, and as it were dancing in their souls? No grief or sorrow should be like unto this, to see so many thousands perish everlastingly. But there is no other way to destroy his kingdom, & to make him fall down like lightning, then to have the glad tidings of the Gospel spread abroad in the earth, Luke 10, 42. Is it not a miserable thing to see a City besieged round about, and to have no watchman to watch it, and give warning of the approach of the enemy? Who can doubt but such a City is near to be taken and surprised? God hath made the Ministers his watchmen, they must blow the Trumpet, 
Ezek. 3, 18, and 33, 9  and warn the wicked, that they turn from their wickedness and evil ways, and so die not in their iniquity. Is it not a grievous thing to have meat ready to putrify and corrupt, and yet want salt to season it? The Ministers of the word are not only the light of the world, but also the salt of the earth, 
Math. 5, 13.  without which, the people are as unsavoury flesh and stinking carrion in the nostrils of God, or else what needed this salt? Lastly, is it not a miserable thing to be pitied of all men, to stand upon the shore and to see many ready to be drowned and cast away? To behold them tossed up and down with the waves, and at every blast of the wind, like to be swallowed up in the seas? But thus it is with us by nature; we cannot choose but perish, except this means be provided for us as an Ark to save us. Alas, how many dead carcases may we see swimming and floating in the glassy sea of this world, that have no life in them? This point is pointed out unto us in the vision that appeared to Paul in the night, 
Acts 16.9.  There s●●od a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us; whereby he gathered assuredly, that the Lord had called him to preach the Gospel unto them. There are many things may bring us into misery, & are able to make us miserable; but the want of God's word and the saving hearing of it, bringeth a misery of all miseries, even an heap of all miseries, which are as it were included in one by the Spirit of God, speaking of the estate of the ten Tribes that had driven away the Priests of the Lord: 
2 Chr. 15, 3.  Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, & without a teaching Priest, and without law. Where mark that the holy Ghost joineth these three together, God, the Priest, and the Law: they that were without a teaching Priest, were also without God: and he that is without God, is without all those things that should do him good. The like we see in the 13. chapter of the same book, where Abijah concludeth against Israel that they could not prosper, because they had banished the Priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron from them: and on the contrary he saith, concerning himself and judah; As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him, 
2 Chr. 13, 10  and the Priests which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 
Verse 12.  and afterward, Behold, God himself is with us for our Captain, and his Priests with sounding Trumpets to cry alarm against you: O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your Fathers, for you shall not prosper. If then we would have God to be with us, we must be content to accept and make account of his Ministers: if we cast them out with contempt from us, we say to the Lord also, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways: 
job 21, 14, 15.  who is the Almighty that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? job 21, 14, 15. Likewise the Prophet complaining of the desolation of the Sanctuary, Psal▪ 74, 9 saith, We see not our signs, there is no more any Prophet, neither is there among us any, that knoweth how long! It was a great punishment inflicted upon Cain to be driven from the face of God, Gen. 4, 14 also upon Agar & Ishmael, the bondwoman and her son, to be cast out of the house of Abraham, which was the Church of God, Gen. 21, 14, 21. For that is as much as to be separated from God, to be banished from the word, to be separated from his kingdom. The Ministers are the guides to lead us the way, without them we cannot but wander out of the way; we are blind & understand nothing, they open our eyes that we may see the truth, Acts 8, 31, and 26, 18.  

●he second ●proofe.  Secondly, this reproveth the vain conceit and proud imagination of their hearts, who having learned the principles of religion, and some grounds of knowledge, proceed no further, as if they had no more use of the word: whereas there is matter of instruction always to be learned out of the word for all persons. When we have eaten one kind of meat one day, we eat the next day as hungerly of it as we did before. So ought we to come to the great Supper that God hath made us, again and again, always hungering and thirsting after the same. This is most certain, and set it down as a most true rule, the more knowledge we have, the more still we desire knowledge; the greater our faith is, the more we desire to have it strengthened. It is our daily prayer, that God would give us our daily bread: 
Math: 6, 11.  how much more than ought we to crave at God's hand the gift of spiritual food belonging to our souls, that we may be nourished to eternal life? He is a foolish builder that when he hath begun to build, and laid the foundation, giveth over, 
Luk. 14, 29.  and never proceedeth to finish the work, but suffereth all men that pass by to laugh at him. There is no people ought to be without the ministry, it must always remain among them, that it may build them up forward, 
Eph. 4, 13.  and finish that which is begun, Till we all come in the unity of faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Would we have it said of us, and objected against us, This man began to build, but was not able to make an end? This man laid his hand to the plough, but now he standeth still and looketh back. There is as great use to be made of the word, after we are converted to the faith, & regenerated by the Spirit of God, as when we first believed. They then are greatly deceived, that being puffed up with an opinion of their exceeding great knowledge and wonderful gifts, (which no man seethe or can see in them, but themselves that are deceived by self-love) suppose they need not frequent the hearing of the word, as if it were for novices or ignorant persons only that know nothing. Hence it is, that they flattering themselves in an overweening persuasion of that which it is to be feared is not in them, say, What can they teach us, that we knew not before? Can they make us go from the many wiser than we came unto them? Or can they devise any new points of religion, or set up new Articles to be believed that we never heard off before? I answer, we go not about to broach any new doctrine, neither do we coin any new counterfeit faith. 
Gal. 1, 8.  If we or an Angel from heaven teach any otherwise then the Fathers believed from the beginning, we are accursed. We teach jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever, Hebr. 13, 8. The end of the preaching of the word is not chiefly or principally to plant knowledge: whereas these make it the only end. If a man had all knowledge, and could speak with the tongues of men and Angels, yet ought he to come diligently into the house of God, and to attend carefully to his word. For albeit we have knowledge for the time present, yet we may forget our knowledge, so as that which we hold this day, we may let slip from us to morrow. And there is nothing which we know, but we may know it better, and more fully and distinctly. Besides, the word serveth to kindle our zeal, and to stir up our affections, as it were to blow the coals by kindling the sparks, that the fire go not out.  
Lastly, 
The third reproof.  they are reproved that extol to the skies, the Kingdoms and Commonwealths of the heathen, as the only prosperous, flourishing, and happy Nations: which indeed excelled in outward glory, and thereby dazzled the eyes of many; yet indeed were no better than assemblies and companies of men destitute of religion, and consequently of salvation. Their peace and prosperity, their wealth and dignity, were all carnal and momentany, rising out of the earth, and sinking down into the earth again; their praise also is of men. It is the maintenance of true religion that maketh a people truly happy: and the means of spreading abroad true religion, is the ministry of the word; there is no way to know it & to practise it but by this. Such as embrace it are truly wise; such as forsake it and reject it, have no wisdom in them, jer. 8, 9 No kingdom or State can flourish, no Commonwealth can prosper, no Prince, no Potentate, no people can be wise or blessed in their government, but by honouring, and obeying of Almighty God as he hath commanded. Hence it is, that Moses saith, I have taught you statutes and judgements, 
Deut: 4, 5, 6.  even as the Lord my God hath commanded me, etc. Keep them therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the Nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise & understanding people. Likewise the Lord promiseth, that this obedience to the precepts of God, without adding or diminishing, should make them blessed every way, in the fruit of their bodies, of their fields, of their cattle, 
Deut. 28, 3, 4.  and in every thing that they put their hands unto: wh●ras if they did not keep the Law of the Lord their God, his judgements and statutes which he had commanded them, he threateneth to bring all curses upon them, as famine and hunger, nakedness and poverty, dissolution and captivity, until he had cast them out of the Land which he had given unto their fathers, Deut. 28. All Cities & Commonwealths are to be the hosts of the Church, and dwelling places for the faithful: without giving entertainment to the truth & Gospel, they are as Lanterns without a light, or as the Firmament without the Sun. There is no kingdom, no town, no family, no person that can attain unto happiness and true blessedness, except they worship the Lord aright according to his word. If we be with him, he will be with us: he will honour those that honour him, and despise those that despise him, 1 Sam. 2: 30. It is true religion that establisheth our seats, and maketh them prosperous: contrariwise, impiety, and superstition, and false worship, are the certain ruin and destruction of the Nation that embrace them. But it will be objected, Objection. What say you of the kingdoms of the heathen? Had they not large Dominions? Were they not the Monarchies of the world? & did they not greatly prosper in this world? I answer, Answer. it is true, they wanted not outward peace, honour, dignity, wealth, pleasures, dominions, and largeness of Empires: howbeit the cause of their prosperity was not their idolatry, and false worship: this is to allege a false cause in stead of a true; forasmuch as their detestable abominations and horrible profanations of the service of God, were the causes of their final overthrow, which never ceased to call and cry for vengeance to God, until he with his thunderbolts from heaven had stricken them down to the ground. The true causes of the prosperity of Pagans and heathen are these: 
The causes why heathen Commonwealths flourished. Matth. 5, 44  the first, is the great mercy and goodness of God, who doth good to the unthankful and ungodly: he letteth his rain to fall upon the fields of the just and unjust, and causeth his Sun to shine upon the godly and ungodly, the Christian and the heathen. And albeit he be provoked every day, and therefore may justly pour down the full viols of his wrath & indignation upon the earth, yet he is a God of patience and long suffering, waiting for the conversion of men; so that if they repent not, both they are made without excuse, and the justice of God is cleared when he judgeth. This is one cause why he suffereth them to flourish. Another is, that he may give than the greater overthrow. For the higher their heads and horns are lifted up, the more is their fall when they go to ruin. The greater their sin is, the greater must their punishment be. God hath made himself known among them, and not left himself without witness, 
Acts 14.17.  in that he did good, and gave them rain from heaven, & fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness. He gave much unto them, and therefore required much of them again. Thirdly, it was his pleasure to provide for his Church, that lived and sojourned among them, that they might be as Inns to lodge them, and as Cities of refuge to entertain them, when they fled unto them from the avenger of blood. He gave them peace, that the Church also might enjoy peace among them: he made them to flourish, that his people that lived with them might flourish also. If they had been grievously afflicted, the Church must also have tasted of the same cup in some measure. Thus were the people of God commanded to pray for the peace of Babylon, the place whither they were carried captive, which was given them as a Sanctuary and place of retire, jer. 29. 
jer. 29, 7:  Seek the peace of the City whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof, shall ye have peace. God giveth the Infidel's prosperity, and blesseth them with an extraordinary peace, howbeit he respecteth the good of his Church therein. Lastly, herein we are to consider also the justice of God. For the Lord purposing to execute his just judgements upon the Kings of the earth for their idolatries, oppressions, violences, tyrannies, murders, adulteries, and such like impieties, hath raised up from time to time, some to serve him in the execution of his high justice against them, punishing those that are evil, by others as evil as themselves. For this cause, to make way for the accomplishment of his decrees, he maketh some Nation to grow strong and mighty as the oaks of the forest, and to flourish for a while as the Cedars in Libanus, that he may use & employ them as a staff in his hand, to chastise the rebellions of the ungodly: and when he hath poured out his wrath upon them, and executed his indignation to the full, he casteth the rod into the fire, & raiseth up another for the consuming of them. The Assyrians, 
The four Monarchies overthrown, one another.  the first Monarchy of the world, ruled in a manner all Nations for many years. After them arose the Persians, who subduing the Assyrians, obtained the Monarchy, and reigned likewise a long space, many Kings succeeding one another in that royal seat, Then came the Grecians, who prevailed against the Persians, as they before had done against the Assyrians, made themselves monarchs and masters of them, and almost of the whole world. Last of all, all these being cut down, and so grubbed by the roots, that the place of many of them is no more to be known; the Roman Empire abolishing the former, succeeded in the sovereignty, & possessed the dignity first in Rome, and after in Constantinople. Thus the sword of one hath been drawn out against another, & all hath been ruled by the just judgement of God, to punish those that neither loved nor embraced the truth. The like we might say of Tamerlane the Tartarian, the scourge or God & terror of the world; he was raised up of God and had his time, who whipped the Turks by him, as they had served others. All these horrible tyrants prospered in the world, but it had a sudden end, because it was never well grounded. But to leave them, and to come home to ourselves, let us learn what maketh us to prosper, what shall make our names great, and our families to flourish, when all other shall whither as the grass that to day is green, and to morrow is cast into the Oven: it is the embracing of true religion. Bethlehem was in itself little among the thousands of judah, 
●ich. 5.2. ●ath. 2, 6.  yet it was notwithstanding exalted and advanced, because out of it came Christ to rule his people Israel. The Temple of Solomon was of wonderful glory and renown, yet the Lord telleth the people after their return out of captivity, that the glory of the second Temple, 
●ag. 2, 9  even of that latter house, should be greater than of that former, and in this place he would give peace by him that is the Prince of peace. In like manner he telleth josua, that if the book of the Law depart not out of his mouth but that he meditate therein day and night, & observe to do according to all that is written therein, than he shall make his way prosperous, and shall have good success in all his enterprises. 
●osh. 1, 8.  Do we then desire to be happy? Do we wish blessedness? Labour to be truly religious, and to have the power of godliness dwelling in thy heart: Advance it, And it shall advance thee; 
Prou. 4, 8. and ●, 4.  it shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace it. This is the way to find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. As for others, that make a mock of religion, and do not choose the fear of the Lord, that never regard to set it as a precious plant in their souls and in their houses, they may peradventure build their nests on high for a time, and make their children great upon earth for a season, but in the end their names shall consume as dung, their root shall be rottenness, and their bud as dust that is suddenly blown and borne away with a violent wind.  
Use 3 Thirdly, must the ministry be established among all people under heaven? Then let every one of us be careful for our parts to plant it among us, and to bring it home to the places of our abode. In the most corrupt and ruinous times of the Church, the people were careful of this duty. Micha in the book of judges is said to have entertained and maintained a Levite to instruct him and his family, and said, Now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my Priest. judg. 17, 13. It is noted in the Acts of the Apostles, that when Paul and Barnabas were come to Salamis, they preached the word of God in the Synagogues of the jews, & they had john also for their Minister. Every place therefore aught to have their proper Pastor, as every flock their Shepherd, and every City their watchman. David was careful above all Princes to settle good order among the Levites, that God might be served, and the people edified. He divided them into certain orders, 
Acts 13, 5. 2 Sam. 6.2. & 1 Chr. 23, 6.  that so their labours might be equally & indifferently divided for the benefit of all persons. He was zealous in bringing home the Ark of God. jehosaphat sent out Levites to instruct the people. This is a duty that doth nearly concern us & our families, not only to be content to hear it abroad, and to resort to it in other places, but to join together to bring it home to our own doors or parishes, that we may have provision of food ourselves, and not be driven to seek for it elsewhere. A point wherein (alas) we are too careless, and thereby make little conscience to seek after knowledge. For how many think themselves discharged from hearing the word, and attending to the ministry of it, because they have not the word ordinarily taught among them? If it were settled among them, they could be content to give the Ministers the hearing: but if they have it not, they never think it any part of their duty to resort to the places where they may be instructed, 
2 Kin. 4, 23.  as the people on the Sabbath days and other solemn meetings, repaired to the Prophets, when the Priests either were ignorant & could not teach, or else were idle & would not teach. But herein they greatly deceive themselves. Others, when they may hear it & do hear it in other places, think themselves in good case and feel no want; and so neglect the ordinary means of edifying their consciences, and of advancing the Gospel and kingdom of God, every one in the place whereunto by more special duty he is bound, and where he may have a more special promise of blessing. They then that are careless to provide an ordinary sufficient Pastor in their several parishes, whereby the people are for the most part untaught, as a field that bringeth forth weeds & briars for want of tillage, do greatly fail in this duty that now we urge & deal withal, to wit, that every flock should have his own Shepherd. This containeth many branches under it. First, we must use the ordinary means that God hath sanctified to this purpose, we must pray to the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest. We are ready to pray for an healthy body when we are sick, but we forget to beg an healthy soul when we are ignorant. We that are the Lords remembrancers, let us give him no rest until he repair, and until he set up jerusalem, the praise of the world. Esay 62, 7. 
Esay 62, 7.  We want these labourers, because we are wanting unto ourselves: whereas if we did constantly crave this blessing, we should find grace in time of need, Mat. 9 The Ministers are our spiritual Physicians under Christ. This we pray, when we crave that God's Kingdom may come every where, and that every Lantern may carry a bright shining light in it. Secondly, we must be content rather to bestow somewhat to attain to this blessing, then want it, it being a precious pearl, which when a man hath found, he selleth all that he hath, and purchaseth it, Matth. 13. 
Math. 13, 46.  Solomon that was not ignorant of true wisdom, Prou. 23, 23. counseleth all men to buy the truth, but not to sell it. This will try us, what account we make of this blessing, and in what price we have it. Thirdly, it is our duty to rejoice in spirit when it is liberally bestowed upon us, and graciously supplied unto us; which serveth to put us in mind of these profitable meditations. We must testify our thankfulness to God for his holy ordinance set up among us, lest he be constrained to take it away from us: for if once he pull up his standard, he will remove also and be gone. We must submit and subject ourselves under it, that our judgements may be rectified, and our wills and affections settled in the truth. We must confess it to be no small part of our happiness, that with us are the Ministers of the Church, and the seals of the Covenant, 2 Chron. 13. Let us prefer his Courts before all other places of resort, Psal. 27, 4. and 84, 10. Let us lament the estate of jews and Gentiles, and all particular places among ourselves, that want these signs of God's favour, and tokens of the Covenant, to wit, the Word and Sacraments, and the Ministers of them both. Who can but lament to see so many silly sheep ready to be devoured of the wolf, and as a prey in the jaws of the Lion? We ought to have compassion upon such, if there be any bowels, and pity and mercy in us, and if we have not stony hearts, we ought to melt and mourn for these things. Lastly, let us earnestly long for their joining to the Church, that such as wander from the sheepfold, may be joyfully brought home upon the shoulders of the Ministers who ought to seek them out. Then we shall have one Shepherd, 
Ezek. 37, 22 john 10, 16.  and one sheepfold: then we shall with one mind and mouth glorify God. Thus is the Church of the jews brought in by Solomon in his Song, chapt. 8. desiring most hearty the conversion of the Gentiles, 
Cant. 8, 8.  We have a little Sister, and she hath no breasts; what shall we do for our sister, in the day when she shall be spoken for? Thus ought we to be affected toward the jews, We have also a sister that hath no breasts to nourish up children: let us have a desire to procure and further her salvation, forasmuch as we have a promise that the jews shall be called and converted unto the faith of Christ, Rom. 11.  
Use 4 Fourthly, let the Ministers be careful to discharge their calling, and to teach the people in season and out of season. They must be lights of the world, and as savoury salt to season them with wholesome doctrine. It is a straight account that they are to make, not for silver, or gold, or such like corruptible things committed unto us, but for men's souls the price of Christ's blood, Acts 20. Never was there such a reckoning, never was there such an account either given or taken, as shall be at the great audite, when it shall be said unto us, Come, give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward, Luke 16, 2. This consideration is profitable both for the people and the Pastor himself. Let the people think with themselves, that we do not trouble them more than is needful, & busy ourselves more than we have thanks for our labour. True it is, we serve many thankless masters, that could be content we should spare our pains; but we cannot so discharge our consciences, & deliver our souls. Let the Minister think, 
1 Cor. 9, 16.  that a necessity is laid upon him, and woe unto him if he preach not the Gospel. Oh, that this day of account were ever set before our eyes, how would it set us on fire, and kindle our zeal and diligence? This doubtless were enough, and more then enough, to open the mouths of them that now are dumb and cannot speak, and make them lift up their voices as a Trumpet, to tell the people of their sins, and the house of jacob their iniquities. But the watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant, 
Esay 56, 11.  they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark: they can look to their own gain, but they endeavour not to gain souls to God. There is not a soul that perisheth by our negligence, but we must answer for it, when the blood that we have shed shall be required at our hands. This will be an heavy day, when the blood of many souls shall cry out for vengeance, and shall accurse us that ever we came among them to be the occasions of their destruction and damnation. Now we must know, 
Motives to move the Ministers to diligence.  that in the Scriptures we have many motives to spur us, and to stir us up to diligence, and to increase all care in us to do our duties. First, the excellency of our Office. It is a worthy Calling, 1 Tim. 3, 1. If we were employed in some base office, not beseeming our persons, we might have some colour and pretence to shun and avoid it. But having an excellent function, wherein the Son of God, jesus Christ served before us, it were intolerable pride to scorn it, as too simple for us. We may be a means to bring men to salvation, which we must account our crown and glory. Secondly, the glory of God ought to move us, which is to be preferred before all things in the world. Thirdly, the love of Christ, the Prince of all Pastors ought to constrain us, who gave himself for his sheep.  
We must therefore understand, that they are not so much our sheep as his: he hath a special care of them, or else he would never have paid so dearly for them. His wonderful care of their good, appeareth in this, that demanding of Peter, whether he loved him, 
john 21.15.  and ask the question of him again and again, he said, Feed my Sheep, feed my Lambs: thereby giving all the Ministers a rule of trial, to prove themselves whether they love the Lord jesus or not.  
If all were examined by this rule, and their love to Christ proved by this note, it is to be feared, that little or no love at all would appear in them, toward their Saviour and Redeemer. As all men have tasted abundantly of the love of Christ, so all men profess to love him again, as well as Peter, and would be as ready to answer, Lord thou knowest that I love thee. It is easy to profess it, but it is not so easy to approve it, and manifest it▪ If we would assure our own souls, that the love of Christ is in us, let us feed the flock, let us speak boldly in the Name of the Lord, without respect of persons; 
●ucan. institu. ●c. 13. de midst.  let us teach, improve, correct, instruct, admonish, exhort, comfort, and strengthen, as we see the state of the flock to require.  
Let us duly administer the Sacraments, according to Christ's institution: let us rule and govern the Church committed unto us: let us pray for them, and be examples unto them in life, that when the great Shepherd of the sheep shall appear, we may receive an incorruptible crown of glory.  
Use 5 Lastly, let the people carefully attend to the Ministry of the word, where it is settled and planted, with a good conscience, as to God's holy ordinance, vouchsafed unto them. Let them bring attention in hearing, diligence in marking, and obedience in practising. Let them put away all pretences and excuses, let them not invent carnal reasons against themselves, and their own souls. Let them not use any delays to shift off the performance of this duty. But there are many men in the world, that are wise to their own destruction, and seek sundry colourable devices to hurt themselves, and hinder their own good. For this ordinance, albeit comfortable and necessary, aiming at nothing else but our salvation, findeth through the malice of Satan and opposition of his instruments, strong enemies that assault it and undermine it, to make it fall down. He knoweth well enough that if this were thoroughly received, and generally established in all places, his kingdom could not stand, but would fall down as lightning, as we heard before, Luke 10. When the trumpets sounded that God appointed, though they were of Rams horns, the walls of jericho fell down, josh. 6.20. 
●osh. 6.20.  The preaching of the Gospel seemeth a weak and contemptible thing, and is accounted of them that perish to be foolishness, 1 Cor. 1.18. 
● Cor. 1.18.  But if it were as unlikely to do any great work, as the rams horns, yet being employed of God, it shall be able to cast down all imaginations, and high things, that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, 2 Cor. 11.5. 
● Cor. 11.5.  Forasmuch as to them that are called, it is the wisdom of God and the power of God, 1 Cor. 1.24. 
● Cor. 1.24.  Hence it is, that the great enemy of our salvation hath stirred up his disciples the Anabaptists, and other detestable and damnable heretics, to subvert the faith of many, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine unto them. These seduced persons, seeking also to seduce Objection 1 others, reason thus; No creature can work faith and regeneration in us, it is God that doth it alone. But the word preached is but a creature, nay, it is the voice only of a creature, and a bare sound consisting of letters and syllables, so that the virtue of it can be no more, but to signify unto us the will of God. I answer, the word preached, Answer. and the use of it are to be distinguished. The right use thereof, is to understand it, to meditate upon it, to endeavour to believe it, and to obey it. The word preached is of force and of power, not simply, because it is uttered and published, and the bare sound thereof cometh to the ears of the hearers; for then all men should know and understand it, receive it by faith, and practise it by obedience: but because when it is preached, through the blessing of God, and his secret work in us, we hear it with an attentive ear and a tractable heart: so that his spirit and his word, go together, Esay 59.21. 
Esay 59.21.  our hearing with the ear, and his opening of the heart, accompany one another, Act. 16.14. 
Act. 16, 14.  Hereupon it is called the power of God to salvation, that is, 
Rom. 1.16.  an effectual instrument of his power to every one that believeth. The Ministers are said to be labourers together with God, 1 Corin. 3.9. to be workers together with him, beseeching us not to receive the word of God in vain. 2. Cor. 6.1. and as the Ambassadors of God, to pray us in Christ's stead, that we be reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5.20.  
Secondly, others object, None can be saved, Objection 2, but such as are elected: but all ordained to eternal life shall be saved, whether they hear the word preached or not; forasmuch as all the elect shall of necessity be saved: and therefore there is no need of hearing, to bring us to salvation: election is sufficient. Answer. I answer, this is a dividing of those things that cannot be divided; and a separation of those things that cannot be separated. If any should reason touching the temporal life, as these ignorant persons do, touching the eternal, every man would soon espy the fraud, and be able to answer the objection, and put to silence the folly of the obiecters. For we might as well reason thus, All that are appointed of God to live, shall live: and therefore it skilleth that what they do, whether they eat or drink, or sleep, or cloth themselves, or whether they do none of all these things. This conclusion is of the same nature & force with the former, and both of them stark nought, and deceitful. Every one hath knowledge and understanding enough to answer the latter, and to say that as God hath appointed us to live, so he hath appointed us the means to maintain life, and therefore if we would live, we must feed ourselves, cloth ourselves, refresh ourselves. In like manner, they that are ordained to eternal life, cannot but hear the word, I say they must and shall of necessity hear it, they can do, they will do no otherwise; as Act. 13.48. 
Act. 13.48.  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed. All then that are ordained to the end, are also ordained to the means: forasmuch as whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them be also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified, Rom. 8.30. 
Rom. 8.30.   
Objection 3 Thirdly, to these that would seem learned, and to know somewhat more than their fellows, are joined as brethren in evil, sundry of the common sort and profane persons. The Preachers (say they) are weak and frail, simple and sinful men. If we might hear Christ himself or an Angel from heaven to teach us, we would believe The voice of our sweet Saviour would move any man that: hath any goodness in him. Answer. I answer, the people of Israel could not hear and bear the voice of God, but desired of him that Moses might speak unto them, Exod. 20.19. 
Exod. 20.19.  and now, that we have our own request, and he hath sent us in a Moses, I mean a Minister, will we call for God again? will we have sometimes God, & sometimes Moses, at our own pleasure, like wayward and wanton children that will be pleased with nothing? When God speaketh, then in all haste we must have Moses; and when Moses speaketh, we cry out for God, whose voice notwithstanding shaketh the heavens, and cleaveth the rocks in pieces; and moveth the foundation of the earth out of his place: so that this was a common saying among the people of God, We shall surely die, because we have seen God, judg. 6.22, 23. & 13, 22. 
judg. 6.22, 23. and 13, 22.  It is therefore Gods great goodness (which we must not abuse) to put his heavenly treasures in earthly vessels, that man might be instructed by the Ministry of man, to the end that the glory might be his, and the benefit ours Such as hear them, do hear Christ: 
Luke 10.16.  such as despise them, despise Christ himself. Dost thou then desire to hear Christ? hear his Ministers, who hath put the word of reconciliation into their mouths, and in his stead beseech us to be reconciled unto him.  
Objection. Fourthly, others of the same spirit, object in this manner, We have the Scriptures in our houses, we can read them, ●or we hear them read unto us at home: there are set down the most perfect Sermons of Christ, of the Prophets, and of the Apostles: can our preachers amend them? Answer. I answer, the Sermons of Christ and his servants are most absolute and perfect, and profitable in themselves, as also all-sufficient: but not so to us, until they be explained and applied to the consciences of the hearers, in the ministry of the word. A loaf made of the finest & fattest of the wheat is nourishable in itself, but it is unfit for our nourishment, until it be cut and divided into pieces, that every one may have his portion, and therefore whosoever is a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, must rightly divide the word of truth, 2. Tim. 2.15. 
2 Tim. 2.15.  The Eunuch sitting in his chariot, had the Scriptures with him, and read in them in his chariot, as well as we do in our houses; yet when Philip said unto him, Understandest thou what thou readest? he answered, 
Act. 8.31.  How can I except some man should guide me? Thus we see, that albeit we have the Scriptures lying by us, in which we are to read, that they may dwell in us plentifully: yet we shall always want the gifts of the Minister for the interpretation of them, as children do the help of one to cut their meat when it is prepared and provided for them, or else they shall remain an hungered.  
Lastly, there are others, whose consciences Objection 5 condemn them of wickedness and profaneness, that object, There are none worse than those that are common and continual hearers of Sermons: if then it be so good, why doth not the word make them better? Answer. I answer, this is a common and a cursed slander. This is the old language of the devil, and of his instruments. If job be accounted a just man, fearing God, and eschewing evil the devil will not stick to face it out, that he is an hypocrite. The Pharises, which were his hired servants, could say, None regarded Christ, but the people that are accursed. joh. 7.48, 49. 
joh. 7.48.49.  Wherefore, it is false that all are so: they only utter the gall and malice of their devilish hearts, who envy the grace of God in others, and cannot abide that any should be more forward and fervent than themselves.  
Secondly, if this be granted and yielded unto them, the which notwithstanding, is most uncharitably surmised, and unconscionably alleged of them, yet they show themselves wrangling Sophisters, arguing from a false cause: forasmuch as this badness and beastliness that appeareth in the lives of many hearers, is not an effect of preaching or hearing, but a sin resting in the persons and proceeding from the profane and unregenerate hearts of those that hear, 
Luke 8.11.  as when good corn is sown in barren and unfruitful ground, or as if an husbandman should plough up the fruitless sand, or sow among thorns. These instruments of Satan, that seek to disgrace the saving hearing of the Gospel, and whip the faithful for the faults of hypocrites, never cry out against open and notorious offenders, against blasphemers, against whoremasters, against drunkards, and such like Profane beasts; but if any be an hearer of the word, and study to reform his life according to the straight line thereof, he is a great eyesore unto them, because the light that shineth in them, serveth the better to discover the darkness of their lives. Thus many filthy swine and foule-mourhed dogs, have liberty to profane the holy things of God. The hearers of Christ's Sermons, were of four sorts, three were evil, 
Matth: 13.3.  and received the word no otherwise, then if seed should be cast in the high way, or in stony ground, or else among thorns, where it bringeth forth no ripe fruit: only the last sort heard the word with good and honest hearts, & brought forth fruit with patience; Whereas these that are carried away with rash judgement make all alike, put no difference between one and another, and will have all hearers to be bad men.  
Thirdly, God hath appointed the preaching of the word, not only to convert the elect, but to harden the wicked: as the Sun serveth not only to soften the wax, but to harden the clay. Hence it is, that many are made worse by the word; 
●atth. 13.15.  but that falleth out through their own corruption, not through the nature of the word. Hence it is that the Lord saith, Make the heart of this people fat, and make their hearts heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and convert and be healed, Esay, 6.10. 
●say 6.10.  Be it therefore that none are commonly worse than common hearers, who hear indeed, but do not understand, and see indeed, but do not perceive: yet is the word to be preached and published, though it be the savour of death unto death, in those that hear it. It is as the rain or snow that falleth from heaven, which returneth not thither again, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bud and bring forth, that it may give seed to the sour, and bread to the eater: so is it with the word that goeth forth out of the mouth of God, it doth not return unto him void, but it accomplisheth that which he pleaseth, and prospereth in the thing whereunto he sendeth it, Esay 55. 
●say 55 10.11.   
Lastly, the wickedness of evil hearers ought to be no bar against the preaching of the word, forasmuch as evil persons are oftentimes won by the Gospel. Publicans and harlots are brought by it to the kingdom of God, Matth. 21.31. 
●atth. 21.31.  Many of these that crucified the Lord of life, and put our Saviour to death, were pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Act. 2.37. 
●ct. 2.37.  They gladly received the word, and were baptised, so that in one day there were added to the Church about three thousand souls. The like we might say of the jailor, notwithstanding his cruelty and persecution of the Apostles, he came to them and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Act. 16, 30. 
●ct, 16, 30.  Who preached unto him faith in Christ, by whose Ministry he was converted. Shall we then reason as these men do, Hearers are wicked, and as bad as others that hear not: therefore away with the word out of the Church, pull down the chair of Moses, and down with all preaching? let us have no more hearing, and let the sound of the word be buried for ever? O foolish reason! O damnable conclusion! Nay, we may infer contrariwise, Such as heard long, are sinful still, therefore let them hear more cheerfully, and let the Minister deal more roundly with them. Let them be told and taught that God will take an account of their hearing, according to the means he hath afforded unto them: that by the word they shall be judged at the last day: and that as much hath been committed unto them, so much shall be required at their hands again: that they are to hear the voice of God, while it is called to day, and are to take heed they neglect not the accepted time: and that as Christ hath knocked long at the doors of their hearts, so they know not how suddenly he will departed from them.  
Verse. 4. [And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, etc.] We have already declared, how God immediately after the ordering of the Armies of the Israelites, describeth the tribe of Levi that was exempted and privileged out of that muster and multitude, and of what family Aaron came. Now we are to show what became of his sons, who, albeit they were the sons of one man, yet they neither lived nor died after one manner. For the two eldest Nadab and Abihu, 
levit. 10.4. Num. 26.60.  presuming to offer incense to God, and to burn it with strange fire, were themselves consumed with fire: there went a fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord with sudden death. Thus by the same thing wherein they offered, they perished: strange fire brought down a strange judgement, to declare the justice of God against sinners: but of this point we shall have better occasion to speak farther in the fift Chapter. Thus it fell out in the family of Aaron, his two sons died by fire, even they died before their father, 
1 Chron. 24.2  and had no children to whom the Priesthood might descend; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the Priest's office. When the Levites did offer sacrifice in the Tabernacle, God sent fire from heaven, 
levit. 9.24.  to consume the sacrifice: whereupon he commanded the Priests that the fire should be kept evermore burning upon the Altar, and never be suffered to go out, Leuit. 6.13. Which the Gentiles also observed by a foolish imitation.  
So then, their transgression against God, consisted in these two things: First, they used strange fire, contrary to the commandment of God, whereas they should have taken it from the Altar, Leuit. 1.8. 
levit. 1.8.  Secondly, they entered into the holy place, which was not lawful for the high Priest himself to do, but under certain conditions, and at a certain time, Levi. 16.1, 2. 
levit. 16.1, 2.  Exod. 30.10. 
Exod. 30.10.  Heb. 9.7. 
Heb, 9.7.  Thus then, as they sinned openly, so God punished them openly, and made them public examples unto others that should succeed them, and come after them in that office, as he speaketh, 
levit. 10.3.  Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spoke, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people, I will be glorified. 
Babing●on Leuit. ch. 10. obser. 6.  It was but yesterday as it were that Aaron and his sons had a famous and a glorious consecration into the greatest and highest dignity upon earth, but these sons so lately exalted and honoured, now lie destroyed before their father's face, to his overmuch grief and anguish, not by any ordinary and accustomed death, but by fire from heaven, for their sins, and breach of the Law, and commandment of God. We learn from hence, that Godly parents have Doctrine 2 oftentimes ungodly and disobedient children. 
Godly parents have oftentimes ungodly children.  Such as are reform themselves have children unreformed. We see this in Adam the first father, he had not only Abel the righteous who obtained good report that he pleased God, but also Cain who was of that evil one and slew his brother, 1. joh. 3. 
1 joh. 3.12.  Because his own works were evil, and his brothers good. Noah a just man and perfect in his generations, Gen. 6.9. had cursed Ham, as well as blessed, Shim, Gen. 9.26. We see this in Abraham's house the Father of the faithful, who rereceiveth this commendation from the mouth of God himself, Gen. 18. 
Gen. 18.19.  I know him that he will command his children and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him: yet he had in his family (which was the Church of God) not only Isaac the son of promise in whose seed the nations of the earth should be blessed, but Ishmael that was borne after the flesh, that mocked his brother, & persecuted him that was borne after the spirit, and in the end was cast out of the Church, Gen. 21.9, 10. 
Gen. 21.9.10.  Gal. 4.30. 
Gal. 3.30.  And as it was with the father, so was it with the son: for we see this in the children of Isaac, who strove and struggled within the womb of their mother, Gen. 25.22. and when the time of her deliverance came, she brought forth, not only jacob, 
Gen. 32.24.  who afterward was surnamed Israel, obtaining a far more honourable name then all the Affricani, or Germanici, or Asiatici among the Romans, whose praise was wholly from the earth, and a blast of the mouths of mortal man; whereas he wrestled with God in Peniel and prevailed: but also profane Esau, 
Heb. 12: 16.  so branded as it were in the forehead by a mark of iron, by the Spirit of God, who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. For the children being not yet borne neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to the election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, It was said unto her, jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, Rom. 9.11.13. 
Rom. 9.11.13  Samuel was a man that feared God exceedingly, and governed the people uprightly, so that he appealed to the people, and to the consciences of all men, to witness his innocency and integrity, what wrong he had done them, whose ox he had taken, and whose ass he had taken, or at whose hand he had received any bribe to blind his eyes, 1 Sam. 12.3. 
1 Sam. 12.3.  Yet when he was old and made his sons judges over Israel, they walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, they took bribes and perverted judgement, 1 Sam. 8.3. 
1 Sam. 8.3.  David was a man after Gods own heart, yet he had not only Solomon that was beloved of God, 
2. Sam. 13.14 and 15.16. 1 Kin. 1.5.  but also incestuous Amnon, ambitious Absalon, and treacherous Adonijah: the first defiled his own sister, and wrought folly in Israel; the other two rebelled against their father, and sought to take away the kingdom from him. The like we might say of Eli, who sat upon a seat by a post of the Temple, and by his residence on his charge and daily attendance, to give answers to the people that came unto him, gave testimony of his godliness: yet his sons were the sons of Belial, and knew not the Lord, 1 Sam. 2.12. 
1 Sam. 2.12.   
To conclude (for the examples that might be brought to this purpose, are infinite) who was more Godly than josiah, who remembered his creator in the days of his youth, and reformed religion betimes in his kingdom? yet his children followed not the ways of their father, but did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that their wicked forefathers had done, 2 King. 23.32, 37. 
2 King 23.  jere. 22.18. 
jere. 22.18.  To all these testimonies of Scripture, if we add also the testimony of common experience, of all ages and times, and places and persons, we may gather, that all the children of the faithful, have not been always continued under the covenant of God, nor followed the steps of their faithful parents to be like unto them.  
Now, because this is a point diligently to Reason 1 be marked of us, let us consider the reasons whereby it may be better confirmed unto us. First, to show the election of God, which is the highest step of our salvation to stand upon the free will and purpose of God, and not upon ordinary succession, or natural generation, or any causes in our own selves: to the end that all, both parents and children should confess, that such as have received this power and prerogative to believe in the Name of Christ jesus, are borne, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, joh. 1.13. 
joh. 1.13.  This reason is noted concerning jacob, 
Rom. 9.11.  that the purpose of God might stand according to election, not of any works, but by him that calleth: this was it that made difference between him and his brother.  
Secondly, that the best servants of God Reason 2 may acknowledge, that they can by no means convey to their posterity the graces of God, the gifts of sanctification, & repentance from dead works, which themselves have received from God by supernatural means, and not by natural: they begetting naturally children of wrath, as well as other men, even sinful children tainted and defiled with original corruption. Adam begat Seth in his own image, that is, in his natural inclination to evil. Gen. 5.3. 
Gen. 5.3.  Hence it is that David acknowledgeth, he was shapen in iniquity, and that in sin his mother did conceive him, Psal. 51. 
Psal. 51.  So then as the corn that is purged from the chaff and made clean, bringeth up corn again, together with the chaff: and as the father that is circumcised begetteth children that are uncircumcised: so such parents as are sanctified themselves, cannot leave to their issue any sanctifying graces, which must come only from above, from the Father of lights.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, God hath a purpose to show his justice in the destruction of the stubborn and disobedient, as he doth his mercy in the salvation of those that are godly and obedient. This is the reason rendered by the Spirit of God, that albeit the sons of Eli were reproved by their father, yet they harkened not unto his voice, because the Lord would slay them, 1 Sam. 2.25. 
● Sam. 2.25.  God is determined to glorify himself, and his great Name in their destruction, as they resolved and settled themselves & their whole lives to dishonour him, to their confusion.  
Reason 4 Lastly, the children even of faithful and godly parents do oftentimes want the good means of a godly education, and therefore no marvel if their hearts, not being ploughed up, do bring forth cockle and darnel, in stead of good corn. For the children of God, do themselves through human frailty and infirmity sometimes fail in the performance of this duty. They cocker them and are too choice and nice over them, they dare not offend them, or speak a word against them; which overweening and suffering of them to have their will too much, God punisheth in their children: whereof we have a worthy example in David toward Adonijah, who exalted himself against his father, saying, I will be king, and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. The occasion of this presumption, and rebellion is noted to be thus, 
King. 1.6,  His father had not displeased him at any time, in saying, Why hast thou done so? He failed toward him, more than Eli did toward his sons; for he said, It is no good report that I hear, ye make the Lords people to transgress.  
But David was loath to displease his son, but sought to please him in all things, and (behold) what came of it; it turned to his hurt, and in the end, to his utter overthrow. If then we lay these several points together, that God will show our election, and the election of our seed, to stand firmly and only upon the purpose of his will, and cut off all occasion of boasting from us that we are able to derive grace unto them, lest thereby we should ascribe their regeneration & conversion to ourselves, & so take the glory from God to whom only it is due, unto ourselves to whom in no sort it is due: that God in his counsel purposeth to destroy some of them, and that they often want education, a good means to bring them to God: we may truly conclude this point with which we deal, namely, that godly parents which do believe, have many times ungracious and unrighteous children that do not believe.  
This often falling out to the most faithful Use 1 that desire to leave an holy seed behind them, let us consider what we are to learn from it. And first, this sealeth up this truth: as a principle that never faileth, namely, that the father is not saved by the child, nor the child by the father. The Prophet saith truly, 
Hab. 2.4.  The just shall live by his faith; not by the faith of the father, nor by the faith of the son, but by his own faith. The faith of the godly father shall not save the ungodly child: neither shall the faith of the godly child, save the ungodly father. Thus are Gods ways cleared, to be equal, which are oftentimes challenged and slandered to be unequal. This doth the Prophet Ezekiel 
Ezek. 18.4, 5.13, 14, 17, 20. and 33.20.  handle at large, Chap. 18. and 33. Behold, all souls are mine▪ as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth shall die. If a man be just and do that which is lawful, and right, if he beget a son that is a robber, or an oppresser, he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him. But if he beget a son that seethe all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth and doth not such like, he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live: The soul that sinneth it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shallbe upon him Where he showeth, that if the father that is righteous beget a son unlike unto himself, the righteousness of the father shall nothing profit or avail him, he shall receive such a recompense of reward as is due to his impiety. He mentioneth in this place three several persons, the grandfather, the nephew, and in the middle between them both, 
Calui. praelect. in Ezek. cap. 18  he setteth the son of the former, and the father of the latter.  
Of them all he setteth down this rule, that every one shall be rewarded as he hath lived, and receive according unto his works. The blessing of GOD shall rest upon all those that are just, whatsoever their posterity shall be, as Esay Chapter 3.10. 
Esay 3.10.  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings: and to that purpose we read in the Psalm, 
Psal. 58.11.  Men shall say, verily, there is reward for the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth. God is a just judge, and therefore rewardeth every man as his own life is. They therefore do greatly deceive themselves, that run into all excess of riot, and think to have mercy showed unto them, because of the godliness of their parents: whereas rather this shall serve to heap up farther judgement upon their heads. On the other side, it serveth to comfort those that forsake the wickedness of their parents & progenitors, forasmuch as god will accept of them and embrace them in the arms of his tender love, and never charge upon them those sins, nor upbraid them with the same. Blessed therefore are all that walk in his ways, but unto them that turn away from righteousness, and commit iniquity, and do according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth, all his righteousness that he hath done, shall not be mentioned, in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Wherefore to conclude, it is required of us not to stand upon the goodness of our ancestors, but upon that which we find in ourselves: inasmuch as many of the godly and righteous servants of God have had children appointed to wrath and destruction. The people of the jews gloried and boasted that they had Abraham to their father, albeit they did not the works of Abraham, but of their father the devil, joh. 8.44. 
joh. 8.44.  Hence it is, that john the Baptist exhorteth them to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, 
Matth. 3.8, 9  and not to think to say within themselves, We have Abraham to our father, forasmuch as God is able of the stones to raise up children unto Abraham. It is a vain thing in earthly things, for a man to boast of his predecessors. The heathen man could say, 
ovid. Metam. lib. 13.  that stock and ancestors, and such things as ourselves have not done, we may scarcely call our own. Much more doth this hold in heavenly things, and in true religion, which go not by kind or kin, they descend not from father unto son, as temporal inheritances do: no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him, Matth. 11. 
Matth. 11.27.  Let every man labour to know God, and to plant the fear of him in his own heart, that so we may live by our own faith, as his life is maintained and continued by his own soul.  
Use 2 Secondly, let no man be discouraged, though they see their seed untoward, and ungracious. Religion cannot be conveyed to children by parents, as house and land, neither can they leave it unto them, as they leave them a possession, to descend by a continued succession from the father to the son, and to the sons son in one race and generation. Godliness cometh not to us by natural generation, 
Godliness is no inheritance from father to son.  but by spiritual regeneration: neither hath the first-born greater title to it, than the second. That which the Apostle speaketh of the Ministry, that Paul may plant, and Apollo water, but it is God that giveth the increase, may be truly spoken of the bringing up of children in the nurture and information of the Lord. We may and aught to take pains to teach them in their youth what trade they shall take, but we cannot give a blessing unto our own labours. The husbandman may plant and sow, yet he cannot bring down the early and the latter rain: and if he could do this, he could not make the corn grow for the use of man. So is it with us, we may teach and reprove, exhort, and admonish, but except GOD open the heart, the heart remaineth unreformed. It is not to be doubted, but Samuel bestowed great labour and diligence in discharging this duty, both because he was a faithful and godly man, Heb. 11.32. 
Heb. 11.32.  And because he had seen with his eyes, an example of overmuch lenity in Eli, and had heard with his ears, a fearful threatening of judgement against him, revealed by the Lord: yet his children followed not his steps, but declined from the ways wherein he walked. Let all godly parents therefore comfort themselves in the consideration and contemplation of such like examples, knowing that they can only use the means, and that it lieth not in their power to make them truly religious. In deed if we have been negligent in bringing them unto God, and let them run into all riot, and not restrained them, we have cause to lay it to our consciences, and to think with ourselves, that we that gave them life, have also been instruments of their death. But if we have done what lieth in us to do, if we have warned them, and they would not be warned: if we have taught and trained them up in the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, and they have broken the bands asunder, and cast the cords of duty and discipline from them; we may comfort ourselves as the Minister doth, when he seethe his labour is spent in vain.  
If he have been faithful and conscionable in his place, whether men regard the word, or not regard it: whether they believe, or do not believe: whether they obey, or do not obey, he is the sweet savour of Christ, 
2 Cor. 2.15.  even in them that perish, because even then it worketh the will of God, and accomplisheth that for which it is sent. The Prophet prophesying of Christ's coming among the jews, bringeth him in with this complaint, I have laboured in vain, 
Esay 49.4.  I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain, yet surely my judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God. God respecteth us according to our work, & not according to the event, or success of our labour: he will reward us according to our conscience in teaching, not according to the people's diligence in hearing of us. Thus it shall be with all Christian parents, to their endless comfort: God will not be unmindful of their pains that they have taken, albeit they see not that fruit of their labours that they desire. Object. here some man peradventure may object that the Apostle saith, The woman shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith, and charity, and holiness with sobriety, 1 Timothy chapter 2. verse 15. 
2 Tim. 2.15.  Where he seemeth to hang the salvation of the mother, upon the faith of the children, as if she could not be saved, except they continued in the truth. I answer, Answer. this place is in deed so understood, and wrested by many interpreters: but that cannot be the true meaning. Jerome an overgreat praiser of virginity, and none of the greatest friends of matrimony, draweth the words to that sense, that he may by this means commend the single life; and withal withhold women from marriage, while they hear that they can no otherwise be saved, then if their children continue faithful unto the death.  
The purpose of the Apostle in this place, as appeareth by the the circumstances going before, is to comfort the woman, that she should not cast away all confidence as one without hope, as being the cause of one of the greatest sins which brought the ruin of all mankind.  
The feeling of this heavy burden, lying upon her conscience, might terrify her and work much fear and amazement in her soul and apprehension of the wrath of God, and therefore he comforteth her, and giveth her hope of salvation. But if the former exposition be received, that her salvation be suspended upon many others, he should cast down Thunder and Lightning upon her head, able to appall and dismay her; he should not comfort her, but terrify her: he should not lift her up with hope of life, but cast her down into despair, through fear of death, when she should understand that she could not possibly be saved, except her children did persevere in the faith.  
Again, it lieth not in the power of women, to give them faith and love, much less the grace of perseverance, to continue constant unto the death: so that the Apostle should lay a burden upon their shoulders and put a yoke about their nekes, which neither they, nor their fathers were able to bear. This is not the easy Yoke, nor the light burden of Christ. For albeit they strive with all their strength, and labour with all their power, to bring up their children in godliness, yet oftentimes they are obstinate, stubborn, headstrong, froward, perverse, and rebellious; so that they can do no good with them, because they will not obey them, nor hearken to their commandments.  
Furthermore, this care of the instruction and institution of children, is a duty required rather of the father who is better able, then of the mother who is every way the weaker vessel, as appeareth by the Apostle, Ephes. 6.4. Father's provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  
Lastly, the virtues here commended bebelong rather to the mothers, then to the children, as when he requireth of them holiness with sobriety, as Tit. 2.3, 4. it appeareth: The aged women that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, etc. that they may teach the young women to be sober, etc. If any farther object, 
●biect.  that if the Apostle had meant to refer these last words to the woman, he would have said, if she continue in faith and charity, not, if they continue: I answer, Answer. nothing is more common and usual than the change of number, especially one of the words being a noun of multitude. For it is plain and manifest, that the Apostle doth not point out some one certain woman, but speaketh in general of womankind, or of all women.  
Thus doth the Apostle vary and alter the number in this present Chapter, sometimes speaking in the plural number, as of many, In like manner, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel: 
Verse 9  sometimes speaking in the singular number, as of one, Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 
Verse 11.  This is also easy to be showed in other places, as Galat. 6.1. Ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Where we see, he beginneth the sentence with the plural number, and endeth it with the singular.  
Wherefore, to return unto our purpose, from which we have digressed to answer an objection, and to open the interpretation of this Scripture; faithful parents, who have endeavoured to sow the seed of eternal life in the minds of their children, are not to be censured and condemned, because they have lewd and ungodly children, that give evident tokens rather of reprobation then of salvation, as if it were their fault and offence: for as much as they may be careful to use all means of faith, and furtherance to eternal life, and yet notwithstanding fail of their end. If they do not discharge their duties, they shall be guilty of their blood: but if they do teach them, they are free, they have delivered their souls. If we have used diligence, and be evil spoken off, let us comfort ourselves in the Lord, and rest ourselves in the clearness of our own consciences, and comfort our hearts in the testimony thereof, being well assured that in the great day of account, the LORD shall acquit us, when the mouth of iniquity shall be stopped. Use 3  
Thirdly, from this ground ariseth great consolation to all faithful parents, who are to comfort themselves in this, if among many children and a plentiful issue, they have some few of them, yea, but one only that appeareth to be the faithful child of GOD, albeit it be otherwise with the rest. GOD indeed will receive glory in all, though some of them be reprobates: this must prevail with our natural affections, and teach us to suppress our grief and sorrow. No doubt it is cause of the greatest grief, and maketh their head as waters, and their eyes a fountain of tears, that they make their bed to swim and water their couch with weeping; which striketh nearer unto them, to behold their ungodly ways, then to see them suffer a thousand deaths. Abraham was exceedingly moved, when he was commanded to cast out of his family, his son Ishmael, 
Gen. 21.11. and 17.18.  for the thing was grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son; and before this, he had said, O that Ishmael might live in thy sight: yet nevertheless he yielded to the will of God, who would therein be honoured.  
So when GOD respecteth us, and confirmeth his covenant toward us, and taketh unto himself any of our seed, we ought rather to praise God for this mercy and goodness toward us, in saving one, then murmur against him, or ask the question of him, why he calleth not all. If it please God so to deal in mercy toward us, that he vouchsafeth to be both our God, and the God of all, I say, of all our seed, we are bound unto him in so much greater duty, and he requireth of us the greater obedience, and looketh for a sacrifice of greater thankfulness. He dealeth not so with all good men, even such as have faithful souls, and desire to approve their service unto him: who when they have given them what education they can, and hearty craved of GOD his blessing upon their holy endeavours, yet have found many crosses, and such inward griefs, as have been ready to break even their heartstrings, and to bring their grey hairs with sorrow to the grave.  
Nevertheless, we must not suffer our overstrong affections to prevail too far within us, and to swallow us up with overmuch heaviness, when we behold with our own eyes the wickedness of our children that are come out of our own loins and are of our own blood, when we see them without hope of being reclaimed and reform, as those that run into all excess of riot: no, though we should see them taken away in the profaneness of their hearts. For why should we repine at it, to consider how God glorifieth himself, albeit it be in the destruction of some of ours? Of this we have two most notable examples in Aaron, and in Eli, never to be forgotten of us, recorded in the Books of Leviticus, and of Samuel. Touching Aaron, his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, (of whom we now speak) sinned against the Lord in offering strange fire, and serving of God otherwise then he appointed; which is a thing detestable in his eyes, and there came out a fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.  
here was a grievous sin committed, here was a grievous punishment executed upon them; and their father did behold it with his eyes, and how they were carried out of the camp in their coats. Moses told him, that the LORD would be sanctified in them that come nigh him, and before all the people, he will be glorified, so that Aaron held his peace, Leviticus chapter 10. verse 3. So touching Eli, when he heard a fearful judgement denounced against his posterity, he said, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good, 1 Samuel 3.18.  
Thus ought we to do, and not vex and turmoil ourselves without reason, for that which we cannot remedy and redress. All the children of the faithful, are not the children of the promise: they that are the children of the flesh, are not the children of God, Galatians chapter 4. verse 23. All that are the seed of Adraham, are not the children of Abraham, Romans chapter 9 verse 6, 7. neither are all the Israel of God, which are of Israel.  
here it may be objected, which the Apostle Objection 1 Peter speaketh to the jews, The promise is made to you, and to your children, Acts 2.39. God is the God of the faithful, and of their seed.  
I answer, The Apostle answereth this in the next words, Answer. even as many as the Lord our God shall call. So many as have God to be their God, shall in his good time be called to the knowledge of the truth. Hence it is, that in the promise annexed to the second commandment, it is said, 
Exod. 20.6.  he showeth mercy to thousands that love him, and keep his commandments. Thus he limiteth the promise of mercy, he restraineth it to those that love him. This promise is performed, when it holdeth in any, albeit a far off.  
Another objection ariseth out of Paul's words to the Corinthians, where the seed of Objection the faithful are said to be holy, that is, sanctified and cleansed, The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, 
1 Cor. 7.14.  and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean, but now are they holy. If then they be all clean and holy, it followeth they are also under the election of grace.  
I answer, they are holy touching the outward covenant, and general election, Answer. as to be of the visible Church, to have right in the Sacraments, and to have interest in the outward privileges thereof, as in the word, prayer, and such like. Thus the whole nation of the jews are said to be chosen, and thus they may be said, 
Rom. 11.16.  and are said to be sanctified.  
They are therefore deceived that think the Apostle meaneth that they are legitimate borne in lawful wedlock, for as much as the children of infidels are borne Legitimate, and not base borne: so that if he were so to be understood, he should ascribe no more to the children of believers, then of infidels, because before the conversion of either of them, their children were lawfully begotten: and therefore no doubt but they remained so afterward.  
The question in this place is, whether a faithful person that is married, might lawfully dwell with the unfaithful? He proveth it ought to be so, because the unfaithful person, is sanctified by the faithful, so that their marriage is holy and pleasing unto God: which he confirmeth by an effect of their marriage, because the children begotten in it, are not unclean, that is, are not Gentiles, but Christians; they differ from the seed of Pagans and infidels, that are aliens from the Church.  
Object. If any ask what we are to think of the infants of such as are Christians. 
answer.  I answer, we must judge of them according to charity, who have interest in the outward covenant, until by infidelity when they come to years of discretion, they shall cut off themselves; grounding ourselves upon the promise of God made to Abraham, I will be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, Gen. 17.7. Nevertheless, albeit some cut off themselves, yet if the covenant be confirmed unto some of them, we have cause to comfort ourselves herein. 
joh. 4.  The Apostle john writing to the elect Lady, rejoiceth greatly that he found of her children walking in the truth: he saith not indefinitely, her children, nor generally all her children, but among her children, that is, some of thy children which inferreth that they did not all become faithful, although herself a most worthy and faithful woman, and had used (no doubt) the means of their conversion and continuance under the grace of GOD. We must content ourselves with that favour which GOD showeth unto us, whether he call many of our children or very few of them.  
Use 4 Lastly, let all parents, be careful of their children's benefit, and seek to do them good, and not evil all the days of their life. We do all by a natural instinct love them, and are inclined to show compassion unto them, and to seek their promotion and preferment in temporal things. Our Saviour saith, 
●uke 11.11, ●2.  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? We will not give them what we know will hurt them, albeit they should earnestly desire it, and request it of us. We all desire to leave an happy issue behind us: and some are more careful for them, both living and dying, then for themselves. This duty hath many branches: for though all seek to leave them great, and taking deep root in the world, yet all do not take the right course. Some give themselves that liberty, that they are like to leave them little in the world.  
Wherefore the first branch is to begin with ourselves, to seek unfeignedly to fear God, and to lead our lives according to his commandments. This doth the Lord himself deliver, Deuter. 5.29. O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.  
If parents themselves will fear the Lord, and obey his will, they have a promise made to them, and to their children: but if they will not be the Lords faithful servants, woe to them, and their posterities also. All parents that fear God aright, do not only lay up a good foundation for themselves, but provide well for their children after them, and are profitable instruments to derive God's blessings unto them abundantly after their departure. God hath promised and cannot deceive, to show mercy to thousands, of them that love him and keep his commandments, Exod. 20.6. If then we truly love our children, not only their bodies, but their souls, and chief their souls (which is the truest and soundest love,) we must endeavour above all things, to lead a godly life, and to go in and out before them, by a good example: 
Psal. 101.2.3.  We must behave ourselves wisely in a perfect way: we must walk within the doors of our house, with an upright heart: we must set no wicked thing before our eyes.  
Contrariwise, 
Wicked parents are the greatest enemies to their children.  such parents as fear not God, themselves bring a downfall and ruin to their families and posterities, and are the greatest enemies unto their children. How unnatural, or rather how monstrous a thing is it for parents to be instruments to bring children into the world, and then when they have brought them forth, to be the chief means to send them to hell? How woeful and lamentable a thing is it to cast their progeny and posterity into the curse of God, more bitter a thousand times then death, and more cruel, then to thrust them upon the sword's point? It is noted in the Scriptures, 
levit. 18.21. and 20.2. 2 Kin. 23.10. and 21.6.  and all men are ready with one voice, and one consent to acknowledge it, as an horrible impiety in those parents (forsaken of God, and given over to fill up the measure of their sins,) that spared not to make their children pass through the fire, and to offer their sons and daughters to devils. We condemn this all of us to the pit of hell, as a foul and fearful practice: and yet how many, (alas) how many in the world do practise this, nay, that which is ten thousand times worse than this? For all such wicked and profane parents as are careless and negligent of the fowls health of their children, committed as a precious treasure unto them, and do give them evil examples of all abominations, do give them an easy passage into hell fire, and do make them no better than a sacrifice to the devil.  
Hence it is, that the LORD saith, Deut. 28.46. Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness and a good heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore these curses shall be upon thee for signs and wonders, and upon thy seed for ever.  
The second branch of seeking their good, is to give them good education, and to plant in them the principles of religion, that they may know GOD betimes. So did David to his son Solomon, 1 Chron. 28.9. to know the GOD of his Father, and to serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind. So doth Solomon instruct parents to train up a child in the way that he should go, 
Prou. 22.6.  and when he is old, he will not departed from it. So doth Paul exhort fathers to bring up their children in the nurture of the Lord, Object. Ephes. 6. 
Ephe. 6.4.  If any object against these commandments, They will be unruly and disordered, albeit, they be never so well brought up: and though their parents be very careful, they will be very careless; and therefore they were as good hold their peace, as to speak to them, and not to be regarded.  
Answer. I answer, so it is sometimes, but always it is not so. Many that have feared GOD with all their households, have received much comfort by their children and servants, that have had good instruction put into them, as pure and wholesome liquor, into a vessel, and have seen the fruit thereof, to the unspeakable joy of their hearts. This we might show at large, in the reformed families of Abraham and Cornelius, and sundry others. As they planted and sowed good seed in the parts of their families, as it were in a fruitful field, so they reaped a plentiful harvest. Abraham had servants that were also God's servants, 
Gen 24.12. and 14.14. Act. 10.7.  and prayed earnestly unto him. Cornelius had a soldier that waited upon him, that feared God, yea all his band of Italian soldiers, were Christian soldiers. Again, we must trust GOD with the effect and success of the education that we give them. He will work thereby by his Spirit in all that belong unto him, as seemeth good to his heavenly wisdom. If he do not give a blessing for causes unknown to us, but known to him, let us leave Gods secret, yet just judgements to himself.  
The third particular branch, is to pray to God for them to guide them in his ways, and to bless them in his fear, and to bless our labours bestowed among them. This we see in job, 
job 1.5.  Chapter 1. toward his children, When the days of their feasting were gone about, he sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for he said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. He was careful for those which were committed unto his charge, and feared they might offend God in their meetings, albeit he knew no such evil by them. The wise man saith, Happy is the man● that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart, shall fall into mischief, Prou. 28. 
Prou. 28.14.  A like example we have in David, Psalm 72. where he prayeth for Solomon, Give the king thy judgements, O God, and thy righteousness to the king's son, he shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgement. So then, the faithful are to entreat and crave from God, the continuance of his covenant to their children, and to beg from his hands, an holy and sanctified seed: We must not presume, because we are faithful, and have received to believe, that therefore our seed must of necessity be so likewise: for than we shall but deceive ourselves. Let not us therefore fail in craving a blessing from God upon our children, if we desire to make them heirs of blessing.  
Fourthly, it is required of us, to rejoice in the blessing of God upon them, and to give him praise and glory, when he vouchsafeth to show mercy upon them, and upon us. If he did leave them in their sins, and in that corruption which they received from us, 
Psal. 51.  as it were by inheritance, we could not find just cause of complaint against him, who is bound neither to us, nor to our children: but forasmuch as he showeth much mercy to our posterity, as he hath done unto us, we have matter of praise and thanksgiving given unto us, whereby also we shall procure their farther good. It is noted of the jailor, Acts 16. 
Act. 16.34.  that he rejoiced that they of his household also believed in the Lord. He accounted it not sufficient for himself to believe, nor rejoiced only in his own salvation: but forasmuch as God had vouchsafed greater mercy unto him, to call his family also to the faith, this cheered his heart much more. If we have tasted of the like mercy, let us not be forgetful of the like duty.  
Lastly, it belongeth unto us for the furtherance of their good, to give those all good encouragement in well doing, that are conscionable in their duties to God and to us▪ we are bound to praise and commend them, to comfort them, to cheer them up, and to defend them against all malicious enemies, that seek to disgrace them. The Apostle Paul willeth parents not to provoke their children, lest they be discouraged, Coloss. 3.21. It is a means to cool and quench zeal, to find discouragements in godly proceed. On the other side, we ought to show all dislike and hatred against evil, and an angry countenance toward such as are unreformed. The Prophet, touching the right ordering and good government of his house, declareth that he would not know a wicken person, and him that hath an high look, he will not suffer: 
Psal. 101.4.5.  His eyes should be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with him, he that walketh in the perfect way, he shall serve him.  
This is a good means to make both houses to prosper, and kingdoms to flourish, when the godly are advanced, and the evil doers are beaten down: but when evil is set aloft, and goeth unchecked and uncontrolled, and godliness is driven to the wall, it prognosticateth, and foretelleth the ruin and utter desolation of those societies, albeit for a time they may continue.  
When they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness. We have hitherto spoken of the destruction of Aaron's sons before the face of their father: now let us see for what cause it was done. The sin of his sons is remembered to be this, they offered strange fire, that is, such as was not appointed and commanded of the Lord; they took not the fire from the altar to burn incense with— all; which came down from heaven, and was preserved by the diligence of the Priests, until the captivity of Babylon. Now, whereas the author of the second book of Macchabees telleth us, that when their fathers were led into Persia, the Priests that were then devout, took the fire of the altar privily, 
Macch. 1.19  and hide it in an hollow place of a pit without water, where they kept it sure, so that the place was unknown to all men, hath no testimony of truth out of the sacred Scriptures, as we shall show more in the 26. Chapter of this Book of Numbers. Moses maketh mention of this example of the sin and punishment of Aaron's sons, to the end the Levites should be more wise and wary in the execution of their office, because God hereby showeth, that they shall never escape his hand, that do not rightly discharge the duties committed unto them. For the examples of God's judgements upon the corrupters and contemners of his worship must make us more careful and fearful to offend. Now, whereas they are punished according to their sin, that is, their offering strange fire with strange fire, we shall speak afterward in the fift Chapter.  
here we will observe, that this fact of these, may seem in the eyes of many to be a small offence, and not to deserve so heavy a censure, and so grievous a punishment. For it may be said in defence or them, either that they had a good intent and meaning, though they miss in the manner; or that this fire which they offered, would serve to burn the incense as well as any other, and what skilleth it by what fire it be done? But all these are Doctrine 3 vain pretences, forasmuch as God had commanded the contrary. 
a God's worship we must ●ot be led ●our own devices, but ●y God di●ection.  We learn from hence, that nothing in matter or form, concerning the worship of God, or the administration of the Sacraments, aught to be added or altered, or detracted, but all must be done as God hath determined and directed. Our own dreams and devices must not sway us in the matters of God, but it is his will and word, that must will and govern us. The Lord himself challengeth and defendeth his authority, in laying down the manner and way of his own service, not leaving it to the liberty of any creature, men or Angels to intermeddle with it, forasmuch as he will have all things done, as himself hath prescribed. He is well pleased and contented, that men shall make Laws and statutes for human matters, concerning their temporal estates in this world, as shall be fittest for the places where they rule and for the persons whom they rule, as touching treasons, murders, thefts, oppressions, slanders, routs, riots, and such disorders: but for the divine worship how God shall be served, we must leave it unto him, he only can prescribe what must be done, he only will appoint what must be left undone.  
It is true, the strange fire that Nadab and Abihu took, was as well able to burn the incense, as that which burned evermore upon the altar: and yet because God had not sanctified it for that purpose, they were fearfully and dreadfully devoured with fire from God. When God instituted the Passeover in remembrance of his merciful deliverance in passing over the houses of the Israelites, when the first borne of the Egyptians were destroyed, 
Exod. 12.3.  the whole order is set down both for the matter and manner of celebrating and solemnising that ordinance: he instructeth what they shall take, what ceremonies they shall use, what gesture they shall observe, and what he will have them not to do. Moses doth many times in the book of the Law, give this direction, Deuter. 4.2. 
Deut. 4.2. and 12.8.32.  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you: and in the 12. Chapter, ye shall not do after after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes: and afterward, What thing soever I command you, observe and do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. On the contrary, we see how Saul was punished with the loss of his kingdom, because he would offer sacrifice contrary to the express will of God made known unto him, 1 Sam. 15.23. The like might be said of jeroboams two golden calves erected at Dan and Bethel, without warrant, and worshipped without warrant, it was the overthrow of himself and his posterity, 1 Kings 14.7. etc. For this cause the Apostle speaking of the institution of the Lords Supper, saith, 1 Corin. 11. 
1 Cor. 11.23.  I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord the same night, in which he was betrayed, took bread, etc. whereby it appeareth that it is no small matter, it is no toy or trifle to worship GOD otherwise then he in his word appointeth unto us, considering the saying of the wise man, Add not thou unto his words, 
Prou. 30.6.  lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.  
This crosseth man's devices which are Reason 1 bold to step up in God's place, and therefore let us see the reasons. First, God will be acknowledged to be the only Lawgiver, the king of his Church, and the only Prophet to instruct it in the will of God. This is that which the Apostle james witnesseth, 
jam. 4.12.  chap. 4. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, that can cast body and soul into hell fire, Matth. 10. He is the master of the house, that must set down orders for the government of his house. None can make a Law in the kingdom, but by authority of the king: none can alter it being made, but the king, So is it in the Church, none can appoint any word, any Sacrament, any worship but God himself, none can reverse any institution without him. So that additions, or detractions, or alterations, or any mixtures whatsoever, are so many abuses of the Sacraments, of the word, and of the worship of God.  
Reason 2 Secondly, there is promise of blessing to them that serve him with a perfect heart: and there is threatening of most heavy curses, and judgements to come upon their souls that worship him after the commandments and precepts of men. Our Saviour chargeth his disciples to observe all things, whatsoever he commandeth them, 
Matth. 28.20.  and then he addeth, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world, Matth. 28.20. It appeareth in many places of the book of judges, the Israelites are delivered over to their adversaries for transgressing in this kind, 
judge 2.12.14.15. 2. Chron. 26.18, 19  even for worshipping him after other ways than he had appointed. There is a fearful denunciation in the shutting up of the Revelation, against all that shall dare either to add or detract any thing in the holy things of God: 
revel. 22.18, 19  I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesy of this Book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written, in this Book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this prophesy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of life, and out of the holy City, and from the things which are written in this Book. Wherefore it is no small matter, to follow the private wills of men in the worship of God, and not to suffer ourselves to be guided and directed by his word and commandment.  
Objection. This may seem to tie up the desires of man too strictly, and therefore his wisdom that he hath by nature Ministereth many objections against this truth, to which we are to give answer as briefly as we can. First the question may be asked, whether Princes have not power to make laws in the Church? have they nothing to do with the Church? may they intermeddle only with the Commonwealth? hath not God made them overseers of both states, as also committed the charge unto them of both Tables? Answer. I answer, the care of Religion belongeth to all Princes, and therefore the godly kings of judah made it their first labour to establish God's worship.  
But touching the worship of God, we must observe that Church laws and constitutions, are of three sorts, Material, Ministerial, or circumstantial. Laws that concern the matter, substance, and parts of God's worship, are already established by God in the word; nothing is left to Princes or Pastors of the Church, nothing ought to be invented of man, nothing may be hammered in the forge of our brains, which are too shallow to meddle in such deep and profound matters; as Christ teacheth, 
Matth. 15.9.  Matthew chapter 15. verse 9 In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men.  
These Laws we are to leave to God only, which touch the substance of his worship. Ministerial Laws, are such Canons as command the practice and execution of the former Laws, wherein the Prince is as it were the Minister, commanding under God. It belongeth to him to see both Ministers and people to do their duty, 2 Chronicles, chapter 30. verses 12.16. and to provide that all his subjects reform themselves in those things that pertain to the worship of God: and to punish idolaters, Exodus chapter 22. 
Exod. 22.20. levit. 24. 1● Deut. 13.5. Numb. 15.35.  verse 20, blasphemers, Leviticus chapter 24. verse 16. false Prophets, Deuteronomie 13.5. and profaners of holy things, Numbers chapter 15. verse 35. These belong unto him, these he is to look unto.  
Lastly, other Laws are circumstantial, such as are constitutions made in things merely indifferent, which vary according to times, occasions, places, and Churches. These Laws also he hath authority to make and meddle withal, provided that the rules of the word, be not transgressed, but carefully observed. So then, albeit the Prince ought not himself to execute the things of God, as to preach the word, or to administer Sacraments, or to practise the discipline of the Church, yet he is bound to see them done, and that all things be done in order & comeliness in the Church.  
Again, it may be objected, Object. that the Scripture doth often mention, that sacrifices were offered otherwise then God appointed, & yet accepted. They ought to be brought to the door of the Tabernacle, and not offered elsewhere. I answer, Answer. the question is not so much of the fact, as of the right: not what was done, but what ought to be done.  
This is the cause that the Lord complaineth both against their persons and their doings, and brandeth them both with a mark of dishonour, in this manner; jehoshaphat did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, 
1 King. 22. 4●  but the high places were not taken away: he walked in all the ways of Asa his father, he turned not aside from it; nevertheless the people offered, and burnt incense yet in the high places.  
The like is remembered of jehoash, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days, wherein jehoiada the Priest instructed him; But the high places were not taken away, the people still sacrificed and burnt Incense in the high places, 2 Kings 12.2, 3. When Manasseh was brought again to jerusalem into his kingdom, he sought the Lord his God, & took away the strange gods, and repaired the Altar of the Lord: 
●●r. 33, 17  nevertheless, the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only. God required to be worshipped not only as he appointed, but where he appointed, and therefore the contrary practice is noted to be a transgression & a breach of the Law of God.  
Thirdly, it may be said, that the Prophet's Objection 4 of God, who could not be ignorant of their duties, did not sacrifice as God commanded, and yet are blameless. They did not bring their sacrifice to the Tabernacle, nor unto the place that God had chosen, but offered in other places, as Samuel in Mispah, 1 Sam. 7, 9 and elsewhere, chap. 16, 2.  

●●●wer.  I answer, he did it as one of the Prophets, who were extraordinary persons, and not tied to the ordinary rules in all their actions. So we see Elijah offered in Mount Carmel, 1 Kin. 18. But we are not to follow extraordinary matters without a special calling, forasmuch as we live by laws, not by examples. So than it was lawful in the Prophets, in regard of their personal vocation, which without it had been utterly unlawful.  
Lastly, it may be objected that David is Objection 4 commended, because he intended to build an house to the Name of God. He had received no commandment from God to build the Temple, it was his good meaning and good intent, yet he is expressly commended of God, 2 Chron. 6, 7.8. where Solomon in praising God, saith, It was in the heart of David my father, to build an house for the Name of the Lord God of Israel: but the Lord said to David my father, forasmuch as it was in thy heart to build an house for my Name, thou didst well in that it was in thy heart. If then David having no word or direction from God did well, how is all will-worship evil?  

answer.  I answer, in this God respecteth not the deed itself, but the intent of the doer: so that when it is said, Thou hast done well, it is as much as if the Lord had said, I know thou hadst a good meaning in it; as it appeareth by the reasons used in the second book of Samuel, where David saith to Nathan the Prophet, 
Sam. 7, 2.  See now I dwell in an house of Cedar, but the Ark of GOD dwelleth within Curtains: where he compareth himself with God, and his own house of Cedar, with God's Ark within Curtains. This reason carrieth with it a great show of comeliness & seemliness. For some might think with themselves, was it meet that himself should dwell in his seeled house, & the Lords house lie waste? Notwithstanding in matters of God we are not to reason according to our own opinion and outward appearing, but according unto the word of God. 
comment. Pet. martyr, in 2. ●an. c. 7.  And herein was David deceived, that he went beyond the Commandment of God. To build a Temple to God, is not in itself evil, GOD had promised that the Tabernacle and the Ark should have a resting place, Deut. 12, 5, 6. 1 Kings 8 but to seek to prevent God, was to be reproved. As to set a King over them was not in itself unlawful, Deuter. 17, 15. but when they attempted it before the time, and waited not God's Commandment to go before them, they are reproved and punished for it, 1 Sam. 12, 16. David in this place had received no direction touching this matter, either of the time, or of the place; there was no Commandment either who should build it, or when it should be builded, or where it should be builded. Hence it is, that the Lord sent Nathan unto him, who said unto him, Shalt thou build me an house to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelled in any house since the time that I brought up the Children of Israel out of Egypt, 
2 Sa. 7, 5, 6, 7.  even to this day, but have walked in a Tent and in a Tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the Children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the Tribes of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of Cedar? So then seeing it might be said to him, Who required these things at thy hands? Who commanded of thee any such work? Who ever spoke unto thee to do it? Howsoever his purpose might be commended, yet the fact is reproved. And God useth two reasons to call him back from his desire and enterprise, one taken from his own person, the other from the person of David. From the person of God, because hitherto he had lived in a Tabernacle, so that there was no cause in respect of him to trouble himself with the building of a Temple. From the person of David, because he was to consider that there were many in Israel besides him, many judges and Princes beside him and before him, yet none of them had any such charge laid upon them, or committed unto them, or required of them: so that he ought not to have enterprised that which was commanded to none of them, nor to himself. True it is, GOD saith in the book of Deuteronomy, that there should be one place where he would be worshipped, but what, or where that place was, he did not foreshow; & therefore his farther pleasure to be revealed, was to be expected, and an express commandment to be waited for. For we see in the Scriptures, that oftentimes somewhat is commanded, which cometh not by and by to be practised and executed: as we declared before, touching the choosing of a King from among their brethren, 
Deut. 17, 14.  when they came into the Land which the Lord their God had given them. So Christ sent out his Apostles into all the world, and commanded them to teach all nations; but at what time they should go forth, they were to expect a new commandment and commission: 
Matth, 28.19. Luke 24.49.  so that albeit they were bidden to go, yet if they had gone before they had known when to go, they had offended. The sum and effect of this answer cometh hereunto, that David's thought and purpose was good and godly, if we consider the root of it, inasmuch as it proceeded from a desire of promoting true religion: nevertheless although God approved his intent, yet he suffered him not to go forward, because he wanted his word to warrant his intent, and therefore did not obey God, but follow his own mind and device.  
Thus we see the cause why God forbade David to build him a Temple, and yet afterward the people in the days of Haggai are reproved, 
Hag. 1, 4.  being returned from captivity, because they builded not. here he forbiddeth, that which there he commandeth. These things seem not to agree together, but to be contrary one to the other, and yet, though different in show, they agree very well in deed & in truth. For in this place David is pulled back from his purpose, as running too fast, traveling as it were without his guide, and sailing without his compass, because he had not the word of God: whereas they were reproved, because, albeit they were stirred up by the Prophets, and called continually to that duty by the word of God, yet they could find no leisure to fall to work, but followed wholly their own profits and pleasures. Thus we have answered the objections: let us now come to the uses, & see what we are to learn from hence.  
Use 1 First of all we are taught, that touching things that are to be done or not to be done, we are not to judge by the false rule of our own carnal and corrupt reason, but according to the sure word of the Prophets and Apostles. It seemeth a small thing in our own judgement to burn Incense with strange fire: but it is a most grievous sin, and deserved a most grievous punishment, if we consider the word of God thereby transgressed, or respect his commandment thereby violated. For these two sons of Aaron died not the common death of all men, nor were visited after the ordinary visitation of the rest of the sons of men, but God wrought a strange work, he brought fire from heaven, and consumed them. 
Numb. 16, 18.  The like we might say of Corah and his company, they contented not themselves with the ordinary calling of the Levites, to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them, but they would also take every man his censure, and put incense in them, but they sought the Priesthood also, and usurped the office peculiarly appointed to Aaron and to his sons. It might seem a small thing, to set up others to burn incense, and a man might say, Why might not Korah do it as well as Aaron? What skilleth it by whom it be done? But hereby the will of God is broken and little regarded, yea, God himself is contemned and little esteemed in our eyes. This then bindeth every soul to humility, not to think any thing better, wiser, or more expedient and profitable to the Church, then that which is prescribed unto it; neither yet to account any thing idle or superfluous, or unnecessary, or that might be amended. There be many profane men that think most basely and contemptibly of the most excellent things of God, as of the Word, of the Ministry, of the Sacraments, and of the prayers of the Church. It seemeth to many a slight thing, not to be washed with the water of Baptism: but it is not so with God, who hath instituted that Sacrament, and therefore woe unto them that neglect it, or despise it. The like we might say of the Lords Supper, it is accounted among many a small matter, whether they come to the Table of the Lord, or not. But we must measure the necessity of it, not by the outward show of the outward actions, but by the Commandment of God: because whatsoever Christ hath instituted for the perpetual use and benefit of the Church, we are commanded to yield obedience unto it. Whosoever neglecteth to do what he appointeth, sinneth most grievously against him. Wherefore the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 11. 
1 Cor. 1●  As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lords death till he come. Such then as come seldom to this Sacrament, declare plainly that they regard not the death of Christ. They look to receive life and salvation from him, but they do not esteem the means whereby they may be made partakers of them. The Apostle speaking of the word of God in his Epistle to the Galatians, declareth that by the preaching thereof, Christ jesus was so clearly set forth, 
Gal. 3, 1.  that he was as it were crucified among them: much more may this be said of the Supper of the Lord, which is a most lively remembrance of his death, and of the shedding of his most pure and precious blood? This use hath many branches. First, we must think ourselves fools in the matters of God, that we may be made wise: such as think themselves wise, do thereby profess themselves to be no better than fools, 1 Cor. 3, 18. Secondly, to account God only wise, yea, wisdom itself, as the wise man saith, Prou. 9, 1. Wisdom hath built her an house. Thirdly, add nothing to the word of the Lord, which were to make ourselves wiser than God, and to show ourselves to be worse than mad men. We must not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, Deut. 5, 32. 
Deut. 5, 32. and 28, 14.  nor decline from any of the words which he hath commanded us, Deut. 28, 14. for that were to wrestle against the Lord, who is too strong for us: his will must stand upright, when our will shall be overthrown and cast down to the ground. Lastly, we must think nothing small or little in God's service. He took order for the least things in the Tabernacle, and left them not arbitrary. A little thing done amiss, bringeth all out of square in the worldly affairs of men: and so it is with God's matters. In the business that concerneth ourselves, wherein we take ourselves to be any way interessed, we account nothing little; if we be injuried or wronged therein, we take it to heart, we cannot abide it, we storm against them that cross us. And shall we think God is careless what becometh of his service, and consequently of his glory? Woe unto us, if we judge so of honouring him.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth (seeing all worship of God ought to be guided by his word, and directed by his commandment, not by the private wills of men) to reprove the wonderful pride of men in all ages, who have always presumed to add somewhat of their own to the ordinance of God in his worship, and accounted it too gross simplicity to cleave to the bare and naked word, & so have made a mixture of his religion with our own invention, as it were to sow our field with divers seeds. The Scribes and pharisees, added the traditions of their fathers, as washings of cups, of beds, and of tables: 
●ark. 7, 3.  yea, they so abounded in them, that they made the Commandments of God of none effect, thinking it great reason they should give place to their devices. The Papists have added to the word of God, apocryphal books; many unwritten verities; the decrees and decretals, the inventions of their Popes; which they hold in as great reverence as the holy Scriptures. They have added unto the two Sacraments instituted by Christ, five other; to make the number amount to seven. To baptism, they have added exorcisms, spittle, salt, cream, and other such like trash and trumpery. To the Supper, they have added Transubstantiation, the real presence, the merit of the work, the Mass propitiatory for the quick and dead, cross & creepings, elevation, reservation, preservation by sea and land, in wars and in journeys. To the Ministry of Pastors & Teachers, they have added an idle rabble of Pope, Cardinals, Abbots, Monks, Friars, Jesuits, Votaries, Nuns, Acolytes, Exorcists, & a multitude of drones, as croaking frogs arising out of the bottomless pit. To prayer and pure invocation of the Name of GOD, they have added prayers to Saints, prayers in a strange tongue, prayers before Images, and in their Idol Temples, prayers said by tale, and numbered, or rather mumbled upon their beads, their canonical hours, and such like superstitions, partly idolatrous, and partly heathenish, and partly blasphemous. Thus they have corrupted God's worship, and defiled whatsoever they touch, and turned his truth into a lie. It is reported of Gregory Bishop of Rome, the best of all those that followed, but the worst of them that went before him, that in a most grievous and contagious plague, he invented and appointed sundry superstitions and supplications directed to Saints, set down in the Litany; 
Babing. on Leuit. 10. not. 1.  having neither commandment, nor example, nor any warrant in the word: but God so revenged this boldness and presumption, that in one hour, fourscore of those that so prayed and rehearsed those suffrages, suddenly fell to the earth, and breathed out their last breath. Thus God disliketh and disclaimeth the devices of men in his service. 
God disliketh the devices of men in his service. Col. 2, 23.  Of all which practices, which are no better than mere dotages, the Apostle saith, They have a show of wisdom in will-worship, but they bring a bondage to the rudiments of the world, from which Christ hath freed us, and therefore ought not to be entangled by them, being after the commandments and doctrines of men. The heathen knew by the light of nature, that every God must needs be served according to his own will, and not according to the will of them that are their worshippers. All voluntary worship is utterly condemned, 
Vatabl. annot. in Deut. 4.  and GOD toeth us strictly to his word, without adding or diminishing. Our good intents cannot prevail with him, when the thing we do, is not warranted unto us. Hence it is, that the Lord saith not, You shall not do evil in your own eyes, but, Thou shalt not do that which seemeth good in your own eyes: they must keep them precisely to his commandments. There is a way (saith Solomon) which seemeth right unto a man, 
Prou. 14, 12.  but the issues thereof are the ways of death. Wherefore, let our conceit be never so good, yet it profiteth nothing, being not grounded upon the word, but upon man's wit. Our Saviour foretelling the troubles that shall come upon the people of God that profess his Name, saith, They shall excommunicate you, yea, the time cometh, 
john 16, 2.  That whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth God service. They imagine they do good in such persecutions, as no doubt it fell out in Paul before his conversion. What then? Shall their good intent excuse their evil actions? and go for current payment with God? No, in no wise; because he measureth not our doings by our purposes, but by his own precepts. When Peter bade Christ his Master to pity and spare himself, Mat. 16, 22. and the Disciples forbade little children to come unto Christ; 
Mark. 10, 13. Lu. 9, 54, 55.  and at another time would have commanded fire to come down from heaven to consume the Samaritans; did they not offend, or can any defend them, because they had no evil intent? Why then is Peter called Satan, and bidden to come behind? And why are the Disciples reproved for discouraging the people that brought little children unto him, who ought rather to have encouraged them? Or why doth Christ tell them, they knew not of what spirit they were? joshua had no evil meaning, when he advised Moses to forbid those that prophesied in the host, Numb. 11, 28. Peter's meaning had no hurt in it, when he would not permit Christ to wash his feet, john 13. 
john 13, 8.  Yet doth Moses reprove joshua as one carried away with the spirit of envy: and Christ telleth Peter, that if he washed him not, he had no part in him. So then, we are to understand, that as there is a God, and that God will be worshipped, so he will be worshipped according to his own word and will. If we decline from his will expressed in his word, we may well please ourselves, but we cannot please him: we may think ourselves wise, but he holdeth us for no better than fools: we may for a time go on in our ignorant courses, but he will in the end call us to a reckoning for them, and set all in order before us, to the confusion of our faces.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to study to acquaint ourselves with the Scriptures, and let us read them with all diligence. The word is a Christian man's true and perfect guide, and in all doubts it is his Counsellor. Let it not grieve us to be ruled by it, nor account it an heavy burden, or an uneasy yoke to be held hard unto it, 
2 Pet. 1, 19  seeing it is so sure a way for us to walk in. Let us take this to be our guide, and we shall never step one foot awry. As the Teachers of the word are not to deliver that which they never received of the Lord to his people: so we must follow no more than is warranted unto us from thence: it must be showed unto us there, before obedience be yielded unto it. He hath prescribed in it a form of serving of him, that only he accepteth, other he abhorreth and punisheth. The examples of Nadab and Abihu, mentioned in this place, & afterward again in this book, do preach this doctrine unto us, and cry out aloud as with a lively voice, that we should take heed by their harms. In other things God is full of patience, but in this he is full of wrath, and his jealousy burneth as fire. He hath authority over his house, to appoint his own worship, and he cannot endure to have it taken away from him by any man. Wherefore it behoveth us to search the Scriptures, that we may learn his will; and we must suffer them to dwell plentifully in us, that we may obey his will. First, we must know it before we can obey it: if we decline and departed never so little from it, our work is out of square. The Prophet reproveth Saul, because he performed his will to halves, and saith unto him, Hath the Lord as great delight in  offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice: and to hearken, than the fat of Rams, 1 Sam. 15. 
1 Sam. 15, 22.  He commanded joshua 
josh. 1, 8.  to have the book of the law continually before him, and he pronounceth those blessed that delight in it, and do meditate upon it day and night. 
Psal. 1, 2.  Woe then unto those that hide the book of God from the people, and take away the key of knowledge, that they should have no entrance into the kingdom of heaven. These are they that are the murderers of many thousand souls, that might come to the knowledge of the truth, if these false Prophets did not lock up and keep close the Scriptures from them: and therefore they are guilty of shedding blood, and bring a famine, not of bread; a thirst, but not of water: the people cannot hear the words of the Lord. They feed them with lying legends, with deceitful fables, and with human traditions, which do no better then starve them, and are not able to keep life in them: whiles in the mean season they hide the Scriptures in an unknown tongue, so that albeit they hear them, yet they cannot profit by them. Thus the blind lead the blind, until both the leader, and he that is led, fall into the ditch. And woe unto those also that live in the Sunshine of the Gospel, & yet shut their eyes that they should not see. They have the light brought unto them, they need not say, Who shall ascend into heaven, 
Deut. 30, 12, 13, 14.  or who shall descend into the deep to bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? Neither need any say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. It is brought unto our doors, & preached upon the house tops, that is, it is set forth openly, it is published by authority, it may be professed with liberty of conscience, and no man is endangered to lose life or limb, or to have one hair of his head touched for it. Such are the days wherein we live, that we may truly say with the Apostle, If our Gospel be hid, it is hid in them that are lost, 
2 Cor. 4, 3, ●.  in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ (who is the Image of God) should shine unto them. As these men are ignorant, so they are willingly ignorant; they know nothing, because they will not understand. They profess themselves to be Christians, and yet they have many of them no more knowledge of Christ then Turks and Infidels. What a lamentable thing is it that such as bear the Name of Christ, should know nothing touching Christ? It will be thought strange, that any such should be found in such a flourishing Church as ours is, where the Gospel is sincerely taught, & hath had a free passage so many years. It is true indeed, it may seem very strange, and yet (alas) it is too common. Let the Ministers of the word take an account of those that come to receive the Supper of the Lord, what they have learned, let them make a through search and survey how they have profited, and they shall find that to be true, which I affirm. Many know nothing at all what Christ did for them, neither ever heard what he should do for them: his Name they confess hath often come to their ears, and they have heard very many speak of him, but they know not how or which way they should be beholden to him, or indebted unto him for any thing or what he hath done for them. Is it not possible that many of the Saracens or savages should hear & know more of Christ jesus, than these falsely called Christians? As this is enough to break the hearts of the Ministers, and to make them labour more conscionably than they have done, so it should stir up the people to seek after knowledge, which is as the light of the eye, or as a candle in the house, whereby we may see what we do, and how we serve God, whether truly or falsely, and whether we go right or wrong. It is enough with the greatest sort, to do as most do: and to practise that manner of the worship of God, which is countenanced and continued by authority, albeit they can give no reason of it, neither know how to warrant it. It belongeth unto us not only to profess the truth, but to be able to maintain the truth which we profess, against all gainsayers, and such enemies as seek to rob us of it. It is a duty required of us, not to content ourselves to do as the rest of our neighbours do, but to be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness of spirit, 1 Pet. 3, 15. 
●et. 3, 15.  Every man presumeth he hath the truth, and therefore they never inquire farther into the matter, nor labour to satisfy their own hearts upon what grounds they stand. They do as their honest neighbours: they think it no good manners to differ from them: they account it folly to seek to be wiser than their forefathers: & so they jump with the Church of Rome, that teacheth her Disciples to believe as the Church believeth, albeit they can yield no reason how the Church believeth. Whereby it appeareth, that albeit all men are worshippers of God, yet the greatest sort know not how they worship God; so that we may say unto them, as Christ spoke to the woman of Samaria, Ye worship ye know not what, john 4, 22. 
●●●n 4, 22.  Let all such know, that they want true comfort in their worshipping, forasmuch as they know not whether they please God or not. They are like men that shoot at a mark, which know not whether they shoot short, or shoot beyond the mark; or whether they shoot wide or how much they are wide, or whether they hit the mark. Thus it fareth with ignorant worshippers, they are wholly ignorant whether they go astray in the matter or in the manner of his worship, whether they do that which God requireth, or that which he condemneth. For this is no otherwise, nor no where learned but by the word: so that all such as are ignorant thereof, are in a wretched case and woeful condition, and not far from destruction, whatsoever they do esteem of themselves, or others judge of them.   

5. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
6. Bring the Tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the Priest, that they may minister unto him.  
7. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole Congregation before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, to do the service of the Tabernacle.  
8. And they shall keep all the instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the Tabernacle.  
9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.  
10. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their Priest's Office: and the stranger that cometh nigh, shall be put to death.  
11. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
12. And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, in stead of all the first borne that openeth the matrice among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine.  
13. Because all the first borne are mine: 
Exod. 13, 1. levit. 27, 26. Luc. 2, 23.  for on the day that I smote all the first borne in the Land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the first borne in Israel, both man and beast, mine they shall be: I am the Lord.  
Hitherto of the first part of the Preface, consisting in a description of Aaron's sons, and in a relation what became of them: part of them dying in their sins, and part succeeding in the Priests Office. Now followeth the second part in these words, which is a presentation of the Levites before him. Touching this whole Tribe, we must observe that it was divided and sorted into two ranks, whereof the first is the Priests; and the second, the rest commonly called by the common name of Levites, who were not admitted into the former order, as appeareth more evidently in the 16, chapter following, as also in the 18, chapter.  
Touching the Priests, they are of two sorts, 
Of the high Priest.  the one was as the head, the other as his hands: one was the chief above all the rest, the other were inferior, as assistants unto him. The chief was the high Priest, 
Sigon. de rep. Heb●ae. li. 5, c. 2.  of whom the Scripture setteth down four things.  
First, his consecration; he was brought before the Altar, he was washed with water, he was clothed with those holy garments that God had appointed, he had the sacred oil powered upon his head; lastly, sacrifice was offered on the Altar for his sanctification, and his garments were sprinkled with the blood of it.  
Secondly, the things that were required in him being consecrated in the former manner, which are chiefly these; he might not be defective or deformed in body, his wife must be a virgin of his own people, he might not uncover his head, rend his garments, nor go in to mourn for any that was dead, though it were his father or mother.  
Thirdly, the Scripture setteth down his employment, which was to go daily into the Sanctuary, to light the Lamps, to burn Incense, and every week to provide the showbread, on the feast days to offer the people's sacrifices with the other Priests, and once in the year, on the day of expiation to enter into the Holiest of all, to make prayer for himself and the people.  
Fourthly, his attire or holy vestments in which he was to perform this service of God, which were these six in number, a breastplate, an Ephod, a rob, a broidered coat, a mitre, & a girdle.  

Of the inferior Priests.  Touching the Priests of inferior condition, they had the same kind of consecration which the high Priest had, in sacrificing they were like unto him, and in the service of the Sanctuary, in burning incense, in providing the bread of proposition, and in preparing & looking to the lamps and lights. This was the difference in these between him & them, that he was the chief, and they were helpers: he was the director, they were directed and guided by him. Besides, this was peculiar to the high Priest, that he consulted with God by urim and Thummim, 
Exod. 28, 30. levit. 16, 30.  and entered into the holiest place to make atonement, to cleanse and hollow it from the sins of the people. Their vestments were the same, saving that the high Priest only had the breastplate and an Ephod of gold; 
Sigon. de rep. Hebr. lib. 5. cap. 3. & Eucherio.  which is to be noted, because the rest of the Priests did sometimes wear a linned Ephod. They might have no blemish or deformity, Leuit. 21, 18. They might drink no wine nor strong drink when they were to enter into the Sanctuary, Leuit. 10, 9 They might not defile themselves by the dead, nor come nigh any that was dead, except it were their father or mother, son or daughter, or sister unmarried, Leuit. 21, 1. They might not shave their heads nor beards, nor cut their flesh; they might marry no harlot, nor woman divorced, Leuit. 21, 5, 7. The first that were consecrated to this office, were Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. From Eleazar in David's time (who established an exact order among them) were issued 16, families, 
1 Chron. 24, 4  and from Ithamar, eight; that is from them both, 24, families. These he sorted and separated into four and twenty classes or courses, & named each of them after the name of him who was the chief of each family; and concerning the ordering of them, and setting one before another, (to avoid contention) they cast lots. All of them could not attend every day without confusion and disorder, & they must have intermission and times of vacation, so that one course performed the service one week, and another course another week. Hence it is, that it is said in the book of Chronicles, 
2 Chron. 23, 8  that jehoiada the Priest dismissed not the courses; that is, he sent not away the troops and companies of the Priests that attended the service of the Temple, when their time of waiting was expired; so that according to the order appointed, they should have departed, and the next course have succeeded: because he meant to make good use of them in the deposing of wicked & usurping Athalia, and in the establishing of the royal throne of joash the lawful King of judah. This also appeareth in part in the new Testament, Luk. 1, 8, 9 It came to pass, that Zachariah of the course of Abia, executed the Priest's Office according to the custom of the Priests, etc. Thus much touching the Priest's Office, who were Aaron and his sons, whom God chose out of all the families of the Tribe of Levi to minister before him.  
It remaineth to consider, 
Of the Levites.  how the rest or residue of that Tribe were employed. They were not to be idle, but to serve also first in the Tabernacle which Moses erected, and afterward in the Temple which Solomon builded. When these grew up and increased in great number, they were sorted by David for order's sake into four ranks. 
Sigon. de 〈◊〉. Heb. lib. 5. ● 4, 5, 6, 7.  Some were appointed to be Ministers of the Priests and Temple: some to be singers: some to be porters: and others Scribes and judges.  
Touching the first, specially called Levites that attended the service of the Sanctuary, their Offices were to carry the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant in the removes of the people, until God according to his promise fixed and settled them in one certain place, whither the Tribes should resort; and then they were to take care of them, and the vessels appointed to be used in the service of GOD. Unto these offices in latter times were added the flaying of the beasts that were to be offered, as 2 Chron. 35, 10, 11.  
Touching the second rank, to wit, the sweet singers of the songs of Zion, we read in the first book of the Chronicles, chap. 25. 
1 Chron. ●●  they were to sing prophecies with haps, with viols, and with cymbals.  
Touching the Porters, which were the third rank, they were appointed to see, that no uncircumcised, no polluted or profane person should enter into the house of the Lord, 1 Chron. 26: and to guard the same in such sort, that all things therein might be in safety, as the sacred vessels, the treasure of the house, and the treasure of the dedicated things.  
Touching the Scribes, which are the last rank, they were such as read the Scriptures, and expounded the Law of God in the Temple at jerusalem, and in the Synagogues that were in all parts of the Land; who were also called Doctors, that is, Interpreters of the Law of God. All which we may read at large in a learned Treatise of the Church, Lib. 5. Cap. 5, & 6. 
D Field, of t● Church. lib. 5. cap. 6.   
Having thus briefly considered the distinct offices of such as were set apart to the Ministry among the people of GOD, who made his Covenant with Levi, of life and peace: 
Mal. 2, 4, 5.  let us now return to the words of Moses, and proceed to the second part of the Preface, which is the presentation of the Levites before Aaron, to be as his hands and helpers, that they might minister unto him. Wherein we are to observe two points; first, the commandment of God to Moses; and secondly, the reason of the commandment. For touching the execution of it by Moses according to the commandment of God, which is in other places most usually added, is in this place omitted, but must be supplied and understood from that which followeth: for when once the Levites were offered and presented, then presently he proceeded to the numbering of them, so that his obedience in this respect is sufficiently justified.  
Touching the commandment of God directed unto him, we are to mark these several points, and of them the Author is GOD; for in divine matters nothing must be attempted without commandment from him, he must warrant them, or else they are not to be allowed.  
First, the substance of the commandment, verse 6, 7, 8. The Levites are given to Aaron the Priest, that they may minister unto him, and that they may do the service of the Tabernacle, and that they may keep the instruments or vessels thereof.  
Secondly, the order, that Aaron and the Priests should be superior unto them, and be as Overseers of them, providing that no stranger should thrust himself into this calling, contrary to the ordinance and appointment of God, Heb. 5, verse 4. No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron: so that he excluded from the ministry of the tabernacle, all other that were not Levites; 
●. 7, 13.  of the other Tribes no man gave attendance at the Altar, they were strangers from the Priesthood, and the Priesthood from them. Not as though in the new Testament, there should be one only family separated, to which the administration of holy things should belong. For after Christ was ascended, 
●bac. in ●●b. cap. 3.  and had led captivity captive, the distinction of Tribes and families was taken away in regard of the functions of the Church: so that the Ministers may be ordained and called out of any estate & degree whatsoever, being furnished with sufficient gifts for that purpose.  
Thus much of the commandment: the reason followeth, verse 11, 12, & 13: in which God himself assigneth the cause why he did take unto himself the Levites to succeed in place of the first borne. For unto this time, the first borne both in the private families & in the public assemblies of the Israelites did execute the Priest's office, as persons consecrated unto God, as we have showed and expounded, Exod. 13, and 19, chapters, and as we shall show farther in this chapter. Hence it is, 
●w the first ●ne are said be the ●ds.  that he saith, Every first borne is mine: which is to be understood, not in regard of the common right of creation, as sometimes the earth and all that filleth it, is said to be the Lords, and all the beasts of the Forest, but they are so called in another respect.  
For the better understanding whereof, 
Things are said to be the Lords in three respects  we must consider that things are said to be the Lords in three respects.  
First, in regard of duty and service. Thus all creatures are the Lords, because he is their Creator and maker, in regard whereof every thing created oweth a duty to him, as to the great Lord, to whom all things visible and invisible own their homage, as Psal. 24. the Prophet saith, The earth is the Lords, and all that therein is: and he rendereth this reason; For he hath founded the world, etc.  
Secondly, all creatures are said to be the Lords also, in regard of that power and authority whereby he ruleth all, to which jurisdiction of his, all men, how wicked & perverse soever they be, are subject. Thus Cyrus' King of Persia, though he knew not the Lord, yet is said to be the Lords Shepherd, and his anointed, and to perform all his pleasure, Esay 44, 28, and 45, 1. He did the work of the Lord ignorantly and blindly, yet God was his Lord, and he his servant in proclaiming that jerusalem should be builded, and the foundation of the Temple erected. So the Prophet speaking of the world, and of all things therein contained, saith, They continue this day according to thine ordinances, for all are thy servants: 
Psal 119, 91.  as if he should say; All creatures in heaven and earth continue safe and sound, even from the beginning to the present times wherein we live, and so they shall do unto the world's end, through thy word and appointment: so that as they were created by thy word, and are preserved in their estate, so they are at thy commandment to do thy will, even as servants obey their masters. Thus the devils, though they resist him and rebel against him, may be said to be his servants, because they are constrained to serve his providence. They be far from yielding faithful service and dutiful obedience unto him, yet they must stoop down unto him; he hath in such sort put his hook in their nose, and his bridle in their lips, and his chain on their hands, and his fetters on their feet, that they cannot start from him, but they shall do him service for the execution of his secret will. Therefore the Prophet saith, Psalm 135, verse 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the sea, and in all deep places. To the same purpose the Apostle writing to the Philippians, and speaking of the power of Christ jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal unto God, saith, chap. 2, verse 9, 10, God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, & things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess, that jesus Christ is the Lord, unto the glory of GOD his Father. Thus also the beasts of the Forest are the LORDS, and the cattle on a thousand Mountains, Psal. 50. Not only because all creatures own a duty unto him, but because they are governed by his rule, ordered by his power, and ruled by his providence.  
Thirdly, some things are said to be the Lords, in respect of a propriety and immediate right that he hath in them, being separate from the use of man. For then they become the Lords, when they are alienated from men. Thus tithes in the word are said to be the Lords levit. 27, 30. All the tithes of the Land, both of the seed of the ground, and of the fruit of the trees is the Lords, it is holy unto the Lord. Where the last words expound the former, according to the usual manner of the Scripture, and show in what sense tithes are the Lords, because the propriety is not in man, but in God only: forasmuch as that which is holy to the Lord, is separate from man and from his use, and cannot be alienated by him without sacrilege and usurpation. So in this place, the Levites are said to be the Lords, and the first borne are said to be the Lords, not only in respect of their duty to him, and of his power over them; for thus all creatures are his, all people and nations of the earth are his: and in these respects, not only the tithes are the Lords, but the other nine parts as well as they. But they are sanctified to him, and are to be employed in his service, being separated from the use of man, as the rest are appointed and left to the use of man.  
Thus than the Lord challengeth authority to bestow the tenths of their increase, so that man could not employ them to himself without sacrilege. If any of the Levites s●ould be taken from the Altar & sent into the wars; they had profaned God's service, and abused their persons to another end than GOD had ordained. The like might be spoken also of the Sabbath, that is the Lords day; he claimeth it to his own use, he separateth and sanctifieth it to his own service. The six other days are ours, and God giveth us liberty to call them ours, and to bestow them as ours, in our own business, Exod. 20, 9 revel. 1, 10.  
Such therefore as make no conscience to take the LORDS day from him, and use it as their own, are spiritual thieves, and meddle with that which is not their own. If their servants should deal in such sort with them, and employ any of the six days in their own work, and leave their business undone, they would quickly complain of the injury. Or if any of their neighbours should come into their house, and take away any part of their goods, we would bid them learn to know their own, and be ready to call them thieves. But we deal with GOD a thousand times worse than we would suffer other men to deal with us. We can take the Lords day, nay the Lords days, one after another, and spend them about our own profits and pleasures, and vanities, and yet never consider the wrong & injustice we offer unto the Almighty. Oh that men would lay this unto their hearts, so often as they profane the Lords Sabbaths; that so they might call it a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord, and learn not to follow their own pleasures and pastimes, nor to speak their own words therein.  
[Verses 7, 8. They shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole Congregation, etc.] Hitherto of the meaning of the words: let us now come to the doctrines arising from hence.  
We see in this division, that Aaron and his sons being consecrated to the office of the Priesthood, have also the Levites given unto them, to help them in that holy calling. Moses is commanded to present them before Aaron the Priest, that they may minister unto him: and all this is done by the authority and appointment of God. Moses was a great Prophet, to whom God spoke face to face, like unto whom arose none before him, nor yet after him: nevertheless he durst not presume to do this, until he had received commission from God.  
From hence we learn, that God hath sole Doctrine authority to ordain the Officers and the Offices of his Church. 
It belonge● to God a●● to appoint Officers and Offices of ● Church.  No ministry is allowed and approved, but that which hath warrant and direction from God. We see this in the setting apart of the Tribe of Levi among all the rest to this office, Leuit. 8. verse 2. The Lord said unto Moses, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, etc.: and Deuter. 18, verse 5. 
Exod. 29, 4.  The Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy Tribes, to minister in the Name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever. This truth is noted oftentimes in the new Testament. In the conference between john Baptist and the pharisees, when he said plainly, he was not that Christ, nor Elias, nor a Prophet, they replied, 
john 1, 25.  If thou be neither Christ, nor Elias, nor of the Prophets, why baptizest thou? This had been a weak argument, and an unlearned question, if john might have executed some other function than that which was ordinary in the Church, and instituted of God.  
Hence it is, that the Baptist, to establish his special calling and extraordinary function, allegeth the word of God, Mark 1, verse 1, 2.3. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make strait the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias. So that both ordinary and extraordinary offices, have their allowance out of the high Court of heaven. When Christ asked the question concerning the baptism of john, whence it was? Whether from heaven, or of men? 
Math. 21, 15  he meant thereby to confirm his ministry. In like manner, when he was teaching in the Temple, the chief Priests and Elders of the people came unto him, and said, Math. 21, verse 23. By what authority dost thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? declaring that no man ought without authority and commission from God to execute any function in the Church, so that no man should take this honour unto him, but he that is called of God, as Aaron was. We see then by the whole practice under the law, that the Ministers thereof both ordinary and extraordinary, had their calling from heaven, not from the earth; from God, not from man. And in the new Testament, the Apostles had their calling from Christ, 
●th. 10, 1.  He chose them, he sent them out, to him they gave an account. He appointed the seventy Disciples, and sent them two and two before his face into every City, 
●k. 10, 1.  Luke 10, verse 1. And when he led captivity captive, he gave Pastors and Teachers, for the work of the Ministry, Eph. 4, verse 11. When a new Apostle was to be chosen in the room of judas, who purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out; Peter allegeth unto the Church the word of God: It is written in the book of Psalms, Let another take his charge or office. 
●l 109.8. ●s 1, 20.  Albeit then the callings of the Ministry be executed by men, and the Ministers that were to continue in the Church, were chosen by men like to themselves, yet the Office is of God: so that as it was not lawful to bring in any strange doctrine, so it was not lawful to teach the true doctrine under the names and titles of any other function than was instituted by God. He that hath set down the doctrine hath also set down the Teachers of the doctrine: he that hath appointed what shall be taught, hath also appointed who shall teach it and deliver it to his people.  
This is taught unto us by sundry reasons. Reason 1 First, observe with me the types that the scripture useth to express this point: I will name these three for example; the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Temple. The Ark was a lively figure of the Church, all that were out of it were drowned in the waters. God leaveth nothing to man's wisdom or policy, though never so wise or righteous, but he appointeth to Noah, the matter and form, the length, and breadth, and height of the Ark, the wood and several sorts of it, Gen. 6, 14: and as GOD would have it builded, so he appointeth the builder.  
In the work of the Tabernacle, the Church is more expressly showed; 
exod. 31, 3.  God stirred up the spirits of those that should be the workmen, and left nothing to the will of Moses, but set down the pings, the snuffers, the boards, the bars, the hangings, and the vessels; all was finished according to the pattern that he had seen in the mount where he talked with God, Exod. 39, 42. Heb. 8, 5.  
Likewise, touching the Temple, which came nearer to the times of Christ, Solomon was appointed to build an house to God, who did nothing in it, 
Chr. 24, 19 Chr. 29, 25.  either touching the building of it, or the vessels in it, or the beauty of it, but according to the form and fashion that was enjoined him.  
Again, the titles whereby the Minister's Reason 2 are called, and the names whereby they are named, do enforce the acknowledgement of this truth,; they are called sometimes the servants of God; sometimes the builders of his house; sometimes the sowers of his ground; sometimes the watchmen of his City; sometimes the Captains of his host; sometimes the Shepherds of his flock; and sometimes the Stewards of his family. Shall the servant attempt any thing of his own head, and exercise dominion without the appointment, or contrary to the appointment of his master? It is noted to the commendation of Moses, that he was faithful in all his house, as a servant to him that appointed him, Heb. 3, 5. The Ministers are builders, and the people are God's building, 1 Corinth. 3, 9 It is in God therefore to make choice of the builders, and to lay the whole plot before them. They are the seedmen, Mat. 13, verse 3: the watchmen, Ezek. 3, verse 17: the Leaders, Heb. 13, verse 17: the Shepherds, Eph. 4, verse 11: the Stewards, Luke 12, verse 42. Shall the Ministers then, being Officers only under another to serve him, presume to do any thing in their own name, and not acknowledge their subjection unto another?  
Thirdly, the ministries that are expressed Reason 3 in the word, are all sufficient to bring the church to perfection, and to make it a complete body; as appeareth by the Apostle, where he serteth down the Officers that have received gifts for the instruction of the Church of Christ, Eph. 4, 11, 12, 13. Christ gave some, Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers; for the perfecting of the Saints, and for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. If then these suffice for the bringing of the work to perfection, all other invented by men, are needless and superfluous, and may be cut off as superfluous branches.  
Lastly, none can appoint new Officers or Reason 4 strange Ministers in the Church, but he that can give them gifts to discharge the Callings that they undertake. For what is an office with out strength and ability to execute it, 
Eph. 4, 10.  but an idle name without the thing, as it were an empty box without the ointment? But no man hath it in his power to bestow any gifts to set up a new office, neither ought he to set on work the gifts that God hath given, otherwise than he appointeth, as it were to till the earth with another man's heiffer: & therefore it belongeth not to any man to institute any new ministries, or to employ them that are warranted, contrary to the will of him that hath called them: and consequently it is God only to whom it belongeth to choose such as shall minister before him, as the master appointeth his own servants that shall serve him in his house, and do his business.  
Use 1 Let us in the first place see what profitable uses arise from this doctrine. First of all, we learn that no man hath any authority or jurisdiction to pervert or evert that order that God hath set in his Church, whether it be by devising new ministries, or by destroying & diminishing of the old. For as well do they err in building, that add such as are not warranted, as they that take away such as are established in the word. It is a true saying, worthy to be observed, delivered by Christ our Saviour, Every plant which mine heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up, Matth. 15, 13.  
It is the word of GOD that endureth for ever; all man's devices are as the flower of the field that fadeth in a moment. There is nothing shall continue constant which standeth not by the strength of God. The traditions of men, howsoever they may seem to be firmly rooted, and strongly backed by the best devices and policies that flesh and blood can devise, yet they are as chaff which the wind driveth away, and they shall not be able to endure. It is truly spoken of Gamaliel, though it be evilly applied, Acts 5, 38. Refrain from these men, and let them alone, for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come to nought. The Church is the body of Christ, wherein nothing is too much, nothing too little, 1 Corinth. 12, 12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so is it in the mystical body of Christ whereof he is the head. In the natural body of man, if it should have three legs, or three ●ands, or divers heads, it would be a monstrous body; it would not rejoice or take pleasure in that excrescence or abounding of proud flesh: Or if it had only one leg, or one eye, it could not delight in it, but would be grieved at the defect. So is it in the body of Christ, which is the Church. God hath made it a perfect body, he hath given it hands & eyes to guide itself into the way of peace, and to bring it unto the kingdom of glory. If we will add other eyes, or other hands, than God hath fitted: or tie them that it hath from employment to the good of the body, we do injury to the body of CHRIST, and make the Church disfigured and deformed. If we should see a man in our days, like to the giant mentioned in the second book of Samuel, whose stature was exceeding great, that should have on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, 
2 Sam. 21, 20.  four and twenty in number, we would think it uncomely and ill-favoured, and no ornament unto the body. So is it with the Church, which ought to have her form and feature in every part. It is for beauty and comeliness compared to a company of horses in Pharaohs Chariots, Cant. 1, verse 9, and to a row of jewels. It is said to be beautiful as Tirzah, Cant. 6, verse 4. and comely as jerusalem, that is compact together, Psalm 122, 3. It is said to look forth as the morning, to be fair as the Moon, clear as the Sun, and terrible as an army with banners, Cant. 6, verse 10. If then we shall strip the Church of any of her ornaments, if we shall wound it, and take away her veil from her, Cant. 5, verse 7. If we shall give her any new parts, or rob her of any of her true parts, we make her no longer beautiful and beloved, to say of it as Christ doth, Thou art all fair my Love, there is no spot in thee, Cant. 4, verse 7. We make it deformed as a body that is either maimed or monstrous. 
Eph. 5, 26, 27.   
This is the commendation of the Church, that her glory is absolute & perfect throughout all the parts of her, and that it hath no spot, no blemish, no imperfection. Such a glorious body is meet to be joined with so glorious an head as Christ is. When we suffer the Church to be all black and foul, full of wrinkles and withered deformities, how should it be united unto him?  
Happy is that Church that hath all her parts, and none but her parts, like a body that retaineth the natural lustre. But if it want any members that it ought to have, or have gotten an overplus that it ought not to have, they serve to no other use but to disfigure the body, and to disgrace the head. The true natural parts are much ashamed both of those wants, and of those superfluities: the which, the more they are, the farther is that Church from perfection.  
Some Churches have somewhat too much that aught to be pared away: some Churches have too little, that aught to be restored: and some Churches are deformed both ways, they have too little one way, and too much another way: and yet (alas) they see it not, they know it not, they feel it not. Or if they do know it, they will not acknowledge it: or if they feel it, they will not reform it, and if they see it, they glory at it and rejoice in it. It were a strange thing to see any body to be merry and make a triumph of it, because it wanteth an eye, or an hand, or a foot? But thus the case standeth with many Churches, they consist of confused bodies, one member encroaching upon the office of another, they want their eyes to see withal, and yet they dream of perfection, and despise other that are more fair and forward in good things than themselves.  
Nothing continueth long at one stay in this life: nothing is so well ordered, but Satan and his instruments seek to put it out of joint. We must pray to God to open our eyes to see our wants and wrinkles, and to labour earnestly, as well to restore that which is wanting, as to cut off that which is abounding.  
Christ is the King of this Church: shall any presume in his kingdom to set up or pull down, to place or to displace, to plant or to destroy? This is God's office, it belongeth unto him only to do them: such therefore are no better than usurpers.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth to reprove the state of the jews, as it stood in the days of Christ. It was time for him to come to reform and restore all things, they had many strange plants growing in the garden of God, which his right hand had never planted, that were as naughty and noisome roots to be pulled up; and as biles and blisters in the body. We heard before, that in the Church under the Law there was found no other Ecclesiastical ministries which were ordinary, than those orders of the high Priest, the inferior Priests, and the rest of the Levites, all which were appointed by the law of God. And if any were raised up extraordinarily, the same had their calling confirmed from heaven, either by inward motion of the Spirit, or by working of miracles, or by evident testimonies of the mouth of God. But this government of the Church stood not long without change and alteration: for though the field were sown with good seed, yet the envious man sowed tars in it, so that in latter times there arose many sects and sorts of teachers among them, who by schisms were ready to rend that body in sunder, departing from the simplicity & sincerity that was established by God's instistution.  

Epiph. count haer. lib. 1.  Some of the ancient, that have taken pains to discover to the world, the heresies that sprung up and grew apace where once they took rooting and footing, and so to give notice of them that they might be avoided, do testify, that seven several and principal sects arose among the jews, 
Seven sects among the jews.  whereof some are mentioned in the Scriptures, and other are not.  
The first, was that of the Scribes, 
Scribes.  who were Interpreters of the Law, but withal (as if the law were too base a thing to stick only unto it) they delivered many traditions as from their Elders, not contained in the Law, and sought (taking counsel of human wisdom) to bring in a more exact kind of the worship of GOD, than Moses and the Prophets ever taught, consisting in many voluntary observations and customs devised by men, which they are wont to magnify & prefer before the Commandments of God, Mat. 15. Colossians 2. Thus would man become wiser than GOD, 
Deut. 4, 2.  who forbade all adding or taking from his word.  
The second sect were the Sadduces, 
Sadduces.  which were of the race of the Samaritans, and had their name of one Sadoc a Priest: these denied the resurrection of the body, and believed not that there is any Angel or spirit, Acts 23, and consequently overthrew all religion, as 1. Corinth. 15. For if there be no resurrection of the body, or immortality of the soul, then are we of all men the most miserable that profess Christ. In vain we believe in his Name, and in vain we fight with beasts at Ephesus, in vain we suffer crosses and afflictions for the Gospel's sake; it were better for us to do as the most do, and to be wicked and ungodly, if there were no other life or reward in another world. If the dead rise not, 
1 Cor. 15, 16, 17.  then is not Christ raised: and if CHRIST be not raised, our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins.  
The third sect were pharisees; 
pharisees.  these were the strictest of all others, and most reverenced and best esteemed: these believed the rising again of the dead at the last day, and that there were both Angels and spirits (as the Scribes also did) and that all shall come unto judgement, to receive according to the things they do in this flesh, whether they be good or evil, Acts 23. 
Acts 23, 6, 7.  When Paul, being accused by his enemies, perceiving that they were partly pharisees, and partly Sadduces, he cried out in the Council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am called in question. They much honoured virginity and single life, they paid tithes of the smallest things they possessed, Luke 18, verse 12. They washed cups, platters, beds, and all kind of vessels that they used, they fasted twice every week, and differed in their habit from other men. Against these are many woes denounced by our Saviour Christ in the Gospel, Math. 23, verse 23, for their hypocrisy, that delighted more in outward shows, then in the truth of the heart.  
The fourth sect were the Hemerobaptists, 
Hemerobaptists.  or Quotidian washers, who thought, that no man could be saved, if he were not washed every day, that so he might be cleansed from the impurity and filthiness of sin. It is not the water in the whole sea, nor any fountain can wash away the sins and corruptions of our life, or of our heart. It hath no force in it, either by any natural power, or by any voluntary use. Christ is our Purgatory and purification: it is he that must wash us, or else we remain unpure and unclean. He is the water of life, whereby our consciences must be sprinkled: 
Heb. 10, 22.  he is the laver of regeneration, by whom we are borne again, and washed as with pure water. If he make us clean, than we are clean indeed. His passion and the shedding of his blood, must be communicated to us, and the sanctifying grace of the Spirit of God. And this is necessary unto salvation, not any outward washing of the body, which may cleanse the flesh, but cannot touch the soul. This is made available three ways. First, by faith, which serveth to apply Christ unto us and all his benefits. Secondly, by repentance from dead works, whereby we die unto sin, & rise again unto newness of life. Thirdly, by the use of the Sacraments, which require both the former points, to wit, faith and repentance.  
The fift sect were the Essees, 
Essees.  who are not spoken off in the Gospel, because they retired and withdrew themselves from the society of men. They despised marriage, and lived without the company of women. They had no children of their own, but they adopted as their own, such as voluntarily came unto them, 
joseph. antiq. li. 18. cap. 2. & de bell. judai. lib. 2. cap. 7.  and betook themselves to their sect: in regard whereof they continued for many generations, and never failed. These were like the Anchorites that lived in the wilderness, and choosing a solitary life, sequestered themselves from the company of others. These Essees were as it were Popish Monks: and the Monks were a kind of jewish Essees, and both of them chose a manner of living not allowed of God. For he never appointed that any of the godly should renounce & abjure marriage, which the Scripture pronounceth to be honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, Hebr. 13, 4. He never allowed them to hide themselves in caves or cloisters voluntarily, or to institute new rules and laws that he never commanded. Nay, Christ commandeth his Disciples to observe whatsoever he commanded them, Mat. 28, 20. The Scripture commendeth to us the works of charity, james 1, 27, and requireth of us to do good to all men, and forbiddeth to separate ourselves from the communion of Saints, Heb. 10, 25. The more good we do to our brethren, the more we please God: but these choose a kind of life, wherein they can do little or no good to others. To whom it may be said, Who required this at your hands?  
The sixth sect among the jews, were the Herodians 
Herodians.  which are mentioned in the Scriptures, Math. 22, 16. Mar. 3, 6, and 12, 13. who were indeed of the jewish religion, but thought Herod to be Christ, because the Sceptre was departed from judah, and the Lawgiver from between his feet, when Herod obtained the title and power of a King, and ruled over the people of God. But the prophecies that went before of the Messiah, can in no sort agree to Herod, nor to any but to Christ jesus. For the Messiah promised by the Prophets, must not be a foreigner, but one of the jews; for salvation is of the jews, john 4. 
john 4, 22.  He must be of the Tribe of juda, and of the stock of David, Psal. 110, 1. He must be borne at Bethlehem, & borne of a virgin, etc.: none of which can agree to this alien or counterfeit Christ. These than were such as depending upon Herod had made a mixture of religion, partly from the Pagans, and partly from the jews, as also the Samaritans had done long before.  
Lastly, another sect among them were the nazarenes, 
Nazaraei.  who in all other things were jews, but held it unlawful to kill any living thing, or to eat the flesh of any thing wherein the spirit of life had been; they condemned the bloody sacrifices appointed in Moses Law, and therefore could not be induced to think that so good a man as Moses was the Author of those books, that bear that title, & pass as current under his name. These jewish nazarenes are a kind of paganish pythagoreans: and the paganish pythagoreans are a kind of jewish nazarenes. True it is, 
ovid. Metamorp. lib. 15.  many are of opinion, that flesh was not eaten until the flood: but they were held as Sectaries, that held it afterward to be unlawful. Yea, whether it were ever forbidden from the fall to the flood, is altogether uncertain: & rather it may be thought, that GOD permitted the free use of clean beasts for meat, 
Flesh eaten before the flood.  as well as for sacrifice, than that mankind was restrained from them the space of more than sixteen hundred years: for so long it was unto the flood. It is confessed, that it was lawful to offer them in Sacrifice, and then why not to eat them? Especially considering there were other kind of sacrifices wherein the sacrificer and the bringer of the sacrifice had his part, as well as the whole  offering which was all consumed? Abel is renowned in scripture, that he offered the first fruit of his Sheep, 
Heb. 11, 4 Gen. 4, 4.  and the fattest of the fold: but it had been a small praise for him to offer the firstlings & the fatlings, if they were such as himself had no use off, if he were not accustomed to eat of them. It had been all one to him, to offer the fat or the lean, the first or the last, the weak or the strong, the male or the female. But herein no doubt he is commended, that he preferred the service of God before his own private use and benefit: which verifieth the saying of the Apostle, Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? And who can deny, 
1 Cor. 9, 7.  but he had as fair a warrant to feed himself with the flesh, as to clothe himself with the wool of his sheep. And if it be lawful to kill them for apparel sake, how can we think it standeth with the will and counsel of God to have the flesh cast away, inasmuch as Christ in the Gospel commanded his Disciples to gather up the broken meat, 
john 6, 12.  that nothing at all be lost?  
Again, if the eating of flesh had been forbidden so long, the earth would in that space have yielded such abundance of increase, that the cattle would have annoyed mankind, and consumed the fruits that should have nourished themselves. The Lord promiseth it as a mercy toward the Israelites, that he would not destroy the Canaanites before them, Deut. 7, 22. Lest the beasts of the field should increase upon them. For these helped to destroy them, and did eat the unclean, as swine and such like, both which by their multitudes might have been an annoyance unto the people of God. But there was greater fear of overspreading the earth with herds of cattle as with swarms of bees before the flood, if man had not been permitted to feed of them, and so to diminish the number of them.  
Thirdly, we read in the Scripture some footsteps, albeit dark and obscure, whereby to trace out this truth, serving as marks to give us light in this matter: for the beasts were killed, and man was clothed with their skins, Gen. 3.21. Why then might he not as well eat them as kill them, and cloth himself with them? Besides, there was even from the beginning a difference between clean and unclean beasts, 
●en. 7.2.  long before the flood, not only in regard of sacrifice, but also in respect of common eating, as appeareth in the reviving of this law afterward, Leuit. 11.47. That there may be difference between the clean and unclean, and between the beast that may be eaten, and the beast that may not be eaten. Whereby we see, why some of the beasts were said to be clean and some of them unclean, namely, because some might be eaten, and some might not be eaten.  
Lastly, in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 9 Where the eating of flesh is most of all expressed and mentioned, there seemeth to be made no new grant in those particulars, which in that place are remembered, but only the old privileges renewed, as the fruit of multiplication, the dominion over the creatures, and the replenishing of the earth. Wherefore seeing all these were in use before, it is very probable, 
Gen. 9.3.  that as the green herbs were eaten before, so was the flesh of fish, and of the beasts, albeit there be not express mention of them made before: Every moving thing that liveth, shall be meat for you, even as the green herb, have I given you all things. These things being true, the former sect of the peevish and perverse Nazarees, are more strongly convinced and overthrown, forasmuch as they make that unlawful, which from the beginning was used and practised as lawful. These were the sects among the jews, which they invented unto themselves, when they departed from the purity and simplicity of the word of God. 
D. Willet. Hex in Gen. 1. qu. 35.  This we may read largely and learnedly handled elsewhere.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this reproveth the hierarchy of the Church of Rome, from the highest to the lowest, their Popes, their Cardinals, their Abbots, Monks, Friars, Priors, Nuns, Jesuits, and the rest of that race and rabble, which are as croaking frogs, or devouring locusts, that covered the face of the earth, and ascended out of the bottomless pit: of which the word hath not spoken any thing, but quite overturneth that whole generation. For to set the government of the whole Church upon one man's shoulder and to put all other under his feet, is a burden able to break his neck, and to crack his shoulders, which no man is able to bear. This man of sin they make the head of the Church, 
The Pope is not head of the Church.  and the vicar of Christ. This is to thrust down Christ from his dignity, and to depose him from the headship of the Church, or else they make it a monster of two heads, or rather of many heads. For this is an high honour peculiar to Christ, to be the head of the body, which is his Church, Ephes. 1.22, 23. and 4.12.15. and 5.23. Coloss. 1.24. and 2.19. And that for these causes: First, by way of excellency. Secondly, by reason of fullness of grace. 
Turrecrema. sum. lib. 1. cap. 44.  Thirdly, because from him floweth all graces of faith and other blessings, into his members. He it is, that gave some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, and some Pastors and teachers, to build up the Church to the end of the world. These he thought to be sufficient without Popes, and Cardinals, that is, without such heads and shoulders. He called his Apostles, and made them all equal, none superior, none inferior to other: but commanded them indifferently, to preach the Gospel to every creature. The Commission which he gave unto them, was equal, in feeding, in binding, in losing, in remitting, and retaining, none was before or after other: as Luke 9 He calling the twelve Apostles, gave them power over all devils, and to heal diseases, and sent them to preach the kingdom of God. They had all of them the keys of it, equally committed unto them. But they will object Object. the words of Christ to Peter, Matth. 16. I say unto thee, that thou art Peter: and upon this Rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Answer. These words we acknowledge to be the words of Christ, howbeit they are too weak a pillar to bear up the Papacy. First, let us speak of Peter, and then of the Pope, that claimeth to be his successor. For if Peter himself in those words, had no superiority or Monarchy bequeathed unto him, or sole regiment of the Church, than he could not leave it as a legacy to the Bishop of Rome, nor make him his heir of so fair a patrimony, that he might claim authority and supremacy from him. This is without all question, and both sides yield unto it, that Peter could give no more than he had himself, and the successor can have no more jurisdiction than he had, into whose room he succeedeth.  
Now, touching Peter, observe this as another rule, which also is received without controversy; that nothing in this place is given to Peter, but promised only, as appeareth by the form and phrase of speech that is used, and by the words uttered in the time to come. For Christ saith unto him, I will build my Church upon this Rock, I will give unto thee the keys of heaven; the gates of hell shall not prevail: whatsoever thou shalt bind, whatsoever thou shalt lose: so that the manner of speaking in the time to come, argueth that nothing is here really granted, but only graciously promised to be granted. He doth not say unto him, I do build my Church, I do give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but I will build, I will give. 
Bellar. lib. 1. de Pontif. Roma. cap. 10.  This is so plain, that our adversaries are necessarily constrained to yield unto it. So then I ask the question, and demand of them, where this is given, and how this promise is performed? Whatsoever Christ promiseth, his word is not yea and nay, he cannot lie, he will not fail his people. Objection. If any reply, it is no great matter where we read the promise to have been performed, seeing no doubt Christ meant to be as good as his word? 
Solution.  I answer, It mattereth much to understand where it is, forasmuch as there can be no better way to make trial of the promise, then to know the gift.  
To which purpose they are wont to allege two places, and we are content to stand to both of them. The one is in the Evangelist, Matthew, chap. 18.18. Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shallbe bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Where we see Christ speaketh to all the Apostles, and not to Peter alone, or to him more than to any other, but applieth the same power of binding and losing, to every one without exception or limitation. The other place is in the Gospel according to john, chap. 20. where Christ standing in the mids of them, saith unto them, Receive ye the holy Ghost, 
joh. 20, 22.23.  whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, & whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. In which words Christ also doth equally speak unto them all, whose sins ye remit, whose sins ye retain: not, whose sins, thou Peter, remittest or retainest: so likewise he saith, whatsoever ye (all) bind on earth, whatsoever ye (all) lose on earth; not whatsoever thou Peter alone bindest or losest on earth. And this is acknowledged to be the power of the keys by the Romanists themselves. The use of keys is to open and shut: so than they that have their sins forgiven, and as it were the bands loosed, have the gates of heaven opened wide unto them: and contrariwise, the doors of heaven are barred fast as with lock and key, against them whose sins are retained: So that we may rightly conclude that seeing the power of binding and losing, is the power of the keys, and given to all the Apostles, that it is not peculiarly and properly bestowed upon Peter alone, excluding and shutting out all the rest. If then here were an headship promised and bestowed, we must have a body with twelve heads, according to the number of the twelve Apostles: for every Apostle must be an head, as every of them had authority to bind and lose, to remit and retain, that is, had the keys of the kingdom of heaven delivered unto them.  
Object. But it will be further said, Christ speaketh by name to Peter, I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, 
Solution.  To thee I will give the keys, etc. I answer, he saith indeed, he will give them unto him, but he saith not, I will give them to thee alone: he will bestow them upon him, but not upon him alone: for here is nothing either expressed or understood, to exclude the other Apostles. The Lord saith to joshua, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee: 
Iosh 1.5.  shall we conclude from hence, that he will leave other of the faithful, because he speaketh particularly unto him? will God renounce or disclaim others that fear his Name? No, in no wise: for albeit he uttered it unto him, yet it is to be stretched to all believers, and as true toward them all, as toward him, as appeareth evidently in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 
Heb 13.6.  It is one thing therefore to speak unto Peter, and another thing to speak unto him only.  
But will some say, Objection. why doth not Christ name others, as well as him, if he understood others as well as him? for that might have put the matter out of all doubt, and stayed much contention that hath been about these words in the world. I answer, Answer. the words are not doubtful, but to those that purpose to make them gainful. They are plain to such as will understand. Peter spoke in the name of the rest, as the mouth of the Apostles: Christ answereth to him also in the rest.  
He had asked the question of them all, 
Matth. 16.15.  Whom say ye, that I am? All of them could not answer without confusion, and disorder; it was necessary that one should be the speaker, as it were the foreman of the jury: and Peter in the behoof of others, as well as of himself, confessed that he was the son of the Living God. Shall we say, the rest did not believe as much? A like example we read in the second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where, they being filled with the holy Ghost, and speaking with divers languages, are derided of many, and accused to be drunken: Peter standing up with the eleven, did lift up his voice, and say unto the jews, Be it known unto you, and hearken unto my words: 
Act, 2, 14, 15.  for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, etc. Doth he plead only for himself? and not rather undertake the common cause of them all? yes: he is only the mouth of the rest, and speaketh for the rest. So in this place he made a free confession of his faith, and the faith of the Apostles, who believed no less than himself: and Christ, suiting and shaping his answer according to Peter's confession, speaketh unto him, but in him understandeth all the rest.  
Neither let us go about to gather more from them, than Christ scattered, or the Apostles collected. For they did not conceive, that Christ by those words before remembered gave any supremacy or superiority, any primacy, or principality of power to Peter; for than they would never afterward have contended which of them should be the greatest and the chiefest, forasmuch as this whole controversy had been decided and determined by the mouth of Christ. But long after this, there arose a great strife among them, 
Luk. 22.24.  which of them should be accounted the greatest. Therefore they acknowledge no more authority given to Peter by those keys of the kingdom of heaven, then to themselves. Neither doth Christ build his Church upon Peter, nor call him the Rock: for it is builded upon the Rock which Peter confessed, that is, upon the Son of the living God, 
Cor. 10.10.  so that the Rock (as the Apostle saith) is Christ. Hence it is, that Matthew distinguisheth between Peter and the Rock, Peter is one, and the Rock is another; otherwise Christ would have said, Thou art Peter, & upon this Peter I will build my Church, or upon thee will I build it: he speaketh not after this manner, but, Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock; which must necessarily be referred to his former confession, the name and person being changed.  
Again, there is an express place in the Apostle, which teacheth that no man can lay any other foundation than hath been laid, which is jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 3.11. Paul inspired by the Spirit of Christ can find no other foundation of the Church, than jesus Christ: they then that acknowledge, and receive, and teach any other, are moved by the spirit of Satan, and speak in the spirit of Antichrist. Furthermore, Peter was one of the master workmen, or master builders of the Church, as he is bidden to feed the flock of Christ, 1 Cor. 3. so that he cannot be called properly the foundation of the Church, and a builder of the Church; the foundation being one, and the builder (that layeth the foundation) another: for that were to confound the workman, and the work; the founder, and the foundation: the builder, and the building. The builder buildeth upon the foundation, and therefore it is against natural reason, that the Carpenter which layeth the foundation, should himself be the foundation, unless peradventure by a new kind of transubstantiation, never heard of before this time, as senseless as the old (if that may be called old which had no footing in the Church, for a thousand years after Christ) whereby they turn the labourer into his labour, and the builder of the house into the groundwork of the house.  
But suppose all this had been spoken to Peter alone, that to him alone had been given the keys, that he alone should open and shut, bind and lose, remit, and retain at his own pleasure, and that the Church had been builded upon him, as upon a sole foundation; which notwithstanding is all false, the rest being made equal with him: what is all this to the Bishop of Rome? who is neither Peter, nor any builder of the Church, but rather a destroyer and puller of it down. Peter is not now upon the earth, neither doth Christ speak any one word of his successors, for than he would have said, Upon thee and thy successors, I will buid my Church; whereas Christ saith not, either upon him or upon his successors, but upon the Rock, which neither he nor they were. And if Christ had said, upon thee and thy successors I will build my Church, what had this been yet to the Bishop of Rome, more than to the Bishop of Constantinople, or of Alexandria, or of Antioch, where also Peter sat? what is there uttered, or what can there be gathered out of Christ's words, sounding for him more than for them? So then as the Romanists crave of us to produce one place of Scripture to prove the continued succession of our Churches: so we ask of them one place of Scripture to prove this succession of Peter, or this deputation which they challenge to themselves. For as they claim to be his lawful heirs alone, and to receive from him a twofold sword which Peter himself did never handle, and a triple crown, such as Peter himself did never wear, who preached but Lorded it not; whereas they Lord it, & preach not: let them bring forth the Tables, and produce the Testament, let us see the writings, that we may examine the truth, and discuss his title; than which nothing can be demanded more just and equal. But mark a little, even ye that have but half an ear, how partial judges, and corrupt esteemers they are of things, that any way go against them! In the point of justification, when we teach agreeable to the Scriptures and to all antiquity, That we are justified by faith alone, they cry out that we abuse the people and falsify the word, forasmuch as the Scripture never saith by faith alone ye are justified. Whereas in the controversy of Peter's Primacy, they deal deceitfully, and teach that the Church is builded upon Peter alone, that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are given to Peter alone, that he is ordained to bind alone, and to lose alone; as if he might play fast and lose, at his pleasure, and send thousands of souls into hell, and yet no man to say unto him, sir why do you so? as the Canonists teach. They can never prove that either Christ spoke or meant all these, or any of these to Peter alone: but in the question of justification by faith alone, though it be not found in so many words & syllables in the Scripture, yet the sense and substance of them is found, nothing being more usual in the Scripture than this, that we are justified not by works, but without works; not of the law, but without the law, Rom. 3.20. and 9.11. and 11.6. Gal. 2.16. Ephes. 2.8. 2 Tim. 1.9. Tit. 3.5. If then we be not justified but by faith, what is this, but by faith alone? So that we add no more to the meaning of Paul, than Christ added to the meaning of Moses, which was nothing at all; and yet where Moses saith, Thou shalt serve the Lord, Christ saith it is written, 
Deut. 6.13. and 10.20.  Thou shalt serve him only, Matth. 4.10. This then is one note of their partiality, that they may add and alter, correct, and corrupt at their pleasure: we may not explain and expound the true meaning of the Scripture, by the addition of one word. Another is this, when we say that these words of Christ in the Evangelist, To thee I will give the keys: and whatsoever thou bindest or losest, are not to be restrained to Peter alone, but aught to be communicated to the rest of the Apostles, in whose name he answered: they cry out with a loud voice, and storm mightily at it, that we do extreme wrong and injury to Peter the Prince of the Apostles, whiles we stick not to extend and apply the same words to others, which are peculiarly spoken unto him; and thereupon they urge against us in the very words, I say unto thee, and Thou art Peter, and will not suffer us by any interpretation (though never so evident) to departed one jot from the syllables, but tie us fast, and keep us close to these particulars, and as it were pin us to Peter's sleeve. Whereas by this limitation, they cease not to wound themselves more than us, even unto the heart, and yet do not feel the force of the stroke, that tendeth unto death. For they are not afraid to stretch these words in length, until they crack again: and albeit they be uttered in the singular number, yet they extend them to all the Bishops of Rome, from Peter who (they say) was the first, unto Paulus Quintus, that now sitteth in that Sea; as if Christ had said, I will build my Church upon thee Peter, and upon all the Popes of Rome after thee: and thus (as I have heard) they bear the simple people in hand that take up all things at the second hand, that Christ said, I will build my Church upon the Bishop of Rome.  
What is now become of the words themselves which they pressed against us? did they not tell us that Christ said, Thou art Peter? have they forgotten what was spoken, I say unto thee? It is the fairest flower of the Pope's garland, and as it were the soul and life of the Papacy, to enlarge the words as far as may be, and to understand them of the whole rabble of usurpers, and devils incarnate, that have ruled in these last days: and yet they cannot abide, or endure that we should extend them to all the Apostles. And if I should ask them, how the Bishops of Rome can challenge a right to be Peter's successors, forasmuch as they can never evidently prove by any testimony of holy Scripture, that Peter ever was at Rome, it would trouble their patience, and put them into a sweat, and yet do no good: forasmuch as the contrary rather appeareth, 
Coment. on Phile. p. 469.  as I have showed elsewhere. Thus much of the partiality of these men, who like envious persons are content to pull out both their own eyes, that they may put out one of their fellows.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the counterfeit head of the Church of Rome: the like might be said of the rest of that proud generation, who by sacrilege, and usurpation, are grown to be great princes and lords of the earth; and namely of the Cardinals, the Pope's late creatures, who glory to be called the prince's Electors, and think themselves to be equal to the greatest kings of the world, who not long since were content to be Parish Priests. He hath advanced them, and they advance him, and one claweth another. There is no testimony of antiquity, nor footstep found in the word of God, 
Apol. Bellar. contra M●●● praef.  to justify or warrant that calling; and the greatest Rabbins that are clothed in Scarlet, and have written in defence of it, do show themselves more then ridiculous, in their Apologies, wherein they do nothing but vent their own vanity, and publish their own shame, to the view of all men.  
The like might be said of the swarms of Monks and Friars, and those pestilent Orders that trouble heaven and earth, Church and Commonwealth, true religion, and external peace and policy in bodies politic. Are these officers or offices ordained of God? are they any plants of his setting in the Church? have they received any authority from his mouth? Or is there any syllable in the Scripture to avouch these Orders? or are they not rather the Pope's dear sons, and of his creation? jesus Christ never knew them, they grew up while his servants slept that should have looked better to their false fingers. 
Matth. 13.25  He never instituted this kind of life, he never commanded or counseled men to go into the wilderness, or to coop up themselves in a Monastery, or to vow single life, or to renounce their temporal possessions, or to betake themselves to voluntary poverty, thereby to follow a new rule of life, and to prefer the commandments of men before his Gospel, and to place the state of perfection, 
The perfection of Votaries wherein it standeth.  in the observation of certain vain traditions which they have undertaken.  
The vows that they have taken upon them to observe, are these three, the vow of poverty, the vow of obedience, and the vow of chastity. First, touching poverty, or rather beggary, as it pleaseth them to boast off, which indeed they profess, more than practise, like to such as Solomon painteth out, Prou. 13.7. There is that maketh himself poor, having great riches: Christ never ordained such a kind of life, neither taught any to enter into it; for himself had bags and money to buy things necessary, as appeareth, joh. 12.6. and 13.29. Nay he saith, It is a more blessed thing to give, then to receive, Acts 20.35. The like we might say of the Apostles, they never vowed such a life themselves, nor approved of it in others. For albeit they forsook all, that they might follow Christ, and preach the Gospel, yet they reserved and retained the propriety of them, it is the use of them, and the pursuing after them; that they gave over. When Christ on the Cross, said unto john. Behold thy mother, from that hour he took her home to his house, joh. 19 but how could he take her to his own, if he had nothing his own? And when Peter after the Passion of Christ said, I go to fishing, joh. 21. it is not likely he hired a ship, and used another man's nets, but rather had them of his own, which he had left and forsaken for a season. Again, neither did Christ ever say to his Apostles, or the Apostles to any others, Vow ye poverty: but rather, Give ye alms, Luke. 11.41. remember the poor, Gal. 2.10. distribute to the necessities of the Saints, Rom. 12.13. He that soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly, for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. 9.6, 7. To do good, and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased, Heb. 13.16. These things they could not perform; but of their own substance, except they should give the Mammon of iniquity, taken away wrongfully from others. Hence it is, that the Scripture so often exhorteth to works of mercy, to fruits of love, and liberality toward the poor, that we should lend unto them, looking for nothing again, Luke 6. Ephes. 4. 2 Cor. 8. promising that if we give, it shall be given unto us. They therefore that vow poverty, cast away the blessing of God and such helps as might serve them to show their love and liberality unto their brethren.  
Lastly, beggary is threatened as a punishment, and therefore not to be undertaken as a state of perfection. David complaining of his slanderous and malicious enemies, doth under the person of judas, devote them, or proscribe them: Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow: let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg, let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places, Psal. 109.9.10. If then it be a state of perfection to be a beggar, it is also a state of perfection to have his posterity cut off, to have the extortioner catch all that he hath, to have none to extend mercy unto him, to have his name blotted out in the generation following, and his memory razed out of the earth: all which, and many other like, the Prophet joineth with begging of bread in that Psalm; which being heaped upon one man, would keep him from perfection. And if with begging of bread were always annexed this, that none should show favour unto them, nor extend any mercy to their fatherless children, it is like it would bring out of use, this beggarly occupation in a short time. The same Prophet noteth it as a special blessing of God upon his government, I never saw the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread, Psal. 37.25. It is the ordinance of God, that there should be no beggar in Israel, Deut. 15. The wise man prayeth against that estate, Prou. 30.8. that he might have neither superfluous riches, nor extreme poverty. Now then, either the state of perfection is not so glorious a thing as they boast off, or else the wise man prayeth against this perfection, which these hypocrites do embrace and voluntarily choose unto themselves.  

Touching the vow of obedience.  Secondly, touching obedience to be performed to the superiors of their orders, they profess to follow his rules and injunctions, as the Franciscans must follow the rule of Saint Francis, and so the rest bind themselves to observe the precepts of their governors; which sometimes are sottish & senseless, and sometimes impious and blasphemous, whereby they leave the commandments of God to execute traditions. The Apostle saith, Ye are bought with a price, be not servants of men, 1 Cor. 7.23. But such as vow Monkish obedience in things not prescribed in the word, make themselves servants and slaves of men.  
Again, he reproveth them that said, 
1 Cor, 1.  I am Paul's, I am Apollo's, I am Cephas, because they addicted themselves as bond servants to men: they then are much more to be condemned that are the slaves of Dominicke, of Francis of Ignatius, and the rest? The Apostles themselves never made any such vow, nor taught it to others: they could not abide to have any disciples consecrated unto them to bear their names. Christ our Saviour showeth, that no man can serve two masters, because one only is our master. For when they command contrary things, we cannot cleave unto them both: but such things may superstitious superiors and governors command, nay have commanded. Besides, it is folly to lay a burden of human precepts upon other men's shoulders, when as we cannot perfectly observe and fulfil the commandments of God.  
Thirdly, 
Touching the vow of single life.  touching continency and single life, which they call chastity, they all praise it, but not many practise it They think this vow to be very rightly and religiously observed, and that they have fulfilled it to the full, if they lead their life out of marriage, and renounce chaste wedlock: for when they speak of the vow of continency, they understand nothing else but single life. They suppose it and both openly and odiously defend it, 
The Jesuits teach it to be a less sin to live in fornication, then to marry a wife.  to be a more heinous sin, for any of the Clergy to marry a wife, then to have the company of an harlot, and to embrace the bosom of a stranger. Costerus the jesuite maintaineth (to whom others assent) that a Priest that is married, sinneth more grievously, than he that keepeth a concubine, or committeth fornication. The time was, when it was made a capital crime worthy of no less punishment than death, for a Clergy man to marry; but when the same Law was urged to be established against such also as entered into stews and brothel-houses, and kept harlots, it could not pass, but was nipped in the head, as the green herbs with a frost. Thus while they forswear and forbear to have wives of their own, 
Vide Epistol. jesuit. Dan. Chamieri.  to avoid fornication, they do not abstain from whoredom and uncleanness. Thus they prefer abominable whoredom, before honourable wedlock, strange flesh before the bed undefiled, and the laws of men, before the commandment of God. For no man can vow continency, but he to whom it is given from above, to be able to contain and continue a single life, as our Saviour hath taught, Matth. 19.11, 12. He that can take it, let him take it. And he showeth, that all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. So the Apostle to the same purpose saith, I wish all men were as myself, But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that, 1 Cor. 7.7 We have not in our own power the things that are Gods: the gift of God is one thing, the power of man is another: again, to be willing is one thing, and to be able is another. The gifts of others are not in our power: but the gift of continency is the gift of another, to wit, of God. Therefore it is not in our power.  
Again, the Scripture commandeth them to marry, that cannot abstain without burning, as 1 Cor. 7.2, 9 They that cannot contain, let them marry. Also he saith, To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife; It is better to marry, then to burn. And he writeth to Timothy, 
1 Tim. 5.14.  I will that the younger women marry, etc. giving none occasion to the adversary, to speak reproachfully. Nothing must be vowed against the commandment of the holy Ghost: but they which cannot contain, and yet vow continency, sin against the commandment of the holy Ghost. Therefore such persons ought not to vow continency.  
Lastly, this sort of votaries is a new doctrine, or rather dotage. For neither under the Law of nature, nor under the Law of Moses, did ever any utter or minister such a vow of virginity, albeit we read many laws concerning vowing, levit. 27. Numb. 6. and 30. Deut. 12. and 23. Yet nothing concerning any such matter. In the Law of nature, it was said, Increase, and multiply, Goe 1.28. In the garden of Eden, even in the time of man's innocency, God the author of marriage, said, that cannot lie, It is not good for man to be alone, Goe 2 18. Christ himself, though he lived most purely and perfectly, yet made no vow of continency, The like might be said of the Apostles. To conclude, it is the property of heretics, and the very doctrine of devils to forbid marriage, 
1 Tim 4.1, 3.  and for religions sake to dissolve it. Thus did Martion, and the Manichees, and therefore are condemned.  
Use 4 Fourthly, we learn from hence a notable comfort, having assurance that our calling is of God. Let every one look to the Lawfulness of his calling, and to the warrant of his work, and be able to approve it to his own conscience. The word of God is able to give us peace and comfort. We are sure, if we do our duties, to meet with many enemies and oppositions. How often did the people murmur against Moses? was not Eliah esteemed the troubler of Israel? was not jeremy borne as a man of strife, and a man of contention to the whole earth? was it any better with Christ himself and his Apostles? The LORD of life was hated and persecuted and crucified, being delivered into the hands of sinners. The Apostles were made a spectacle unto the 
2 Cor. 4.9.  world, and to Angels, and to men, being sent forth as men appointed to death. It fareth not much better with the Ministers of the Gospel, who succeed them in the government of the Church; they are slandered and reviled, they are mocked and misused, and accounted as the offscouring of all things. We shall never go through with the work of the Lord, that is in our hands, except we rest in God who hath called us to the Ministry. Thus did David comfort himself in the Lord, when they would have stoned him, 1 Sam. 30.4. The like we see in the Apostles, when they were threatened, and commanded to speak no more in the Name of Christ, they answered that they could not but speak the things which they had seen and heard, Acts 4.19.20. and professed that they ought to obey God, rather than man, Acts 5.29. The consideration of their calling, warranted unto them from God, put comfort into them, and gave them all boldness to set themselves against their enemies, and made them pray earnestly to Christ jesus, the Lord of the harvest, and the great Shepherd of the sheep, to stand by them, and to be present with them in the business he had committed unto their charge. Wherefore, whensoever we see the truth of God oppugned, and our Ministry any way resisted, let us comfort ourselves from hence, that we are not usurpers, or intruders into this office, but having our calling sealed up unto us, let us boldly proceed, and go forward to make known the truth of God to the consciences of all men. That which the Lord saith of the first borne in this place, that they are his, may be said of all the Ministers of the Gospel that succeed them, and therefore he will secure and sustain them.  
If then we find this in our own souls, that we entered into this calling, not as thieves that come in at the window to steal, and to kill, and to destroy, joh. 10.10. not as soldiers, that seek their prey and booty to enrich themselves; not as idle drones that seek to live at ease, and in pleasure: but to work in the Lord's vineyard, and to labour in his harvest, we shall be sure to have God on our side. He will not send us out, and then see us to take the foil: he will not put us into his service, and then lay us open, and leave us naked to the contempt of every base companion. Let us not shrink back as fainthearted soldiers, when a cross word is cast out against us, which is but as a brutish thunderbolt, that can do no harm: but let us remember our calling, and who it is that hath set us in that function. When Amos was slandered and reviled by the Priest of Beth-el, and had no less crime laid to his charge, then high treason, and conspiracy against the king, he did not sink under the burden, or cease to Prophesy any more, but he confirmeth himself, and hardeneth his face, and remembreth who put him in that place: The Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, Prophesy unto my people, Amos 7. What greater comfort could Paul have against the oppositions and blasphemies of obstinate enemies that he found at Corinth, than the gracious words of the Lord? Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee, to hurt thee: for I have much people in this City, Acts, Chapter 18. verses 9.10.  
So is it with us, and in this manner doth the Lord speak to every of us; if we be assured in our own conscience, that God hath ordained us and set us apart to our office, he chargeth us not to be afraid of the faces of men, he giveth us certain hope of his presence, and will suffer no man to do us hurt. On the other side, if our office be of men, and we entered into it also to enrich ourselves, not to feed the people of God, we can have no comfort in the evil day, nor promise to ourselves any hope or expectation of a blessed issue of our labours. We entered not in at the door, and the shepherd of the sheep will not acknowledge us to be his servants, but account us as hirelings that serve ourselves and our own bellies, and care not for the sheep whether they sink or swim, whether they prosper or pine, whether they live or die.  
Use 5 Lastly, when God setteth up the Ministry of his word among us, as a light that shineth in dark places, and as a beacon upon an hill, it is the duty of the people to hearken reverently and attend diligently unto it, as unto the voice of jesus Christ, and not as to the word of a mortal man. We must not consider the Ministers that speak unto us in the Name of the Lord as bare or mortal men, albeit they be so indeed, and subject to the same infirmities that we ourselves are: but we must observe of them that they sustain another person than their own; they are Gods messengers unto us, 
● Cor. 5.20.  the Lord hath sent them as his ambassadors, they come from the high court of heaven, to tell us the will of him that hath called them.  
The want of this due consideration, that the Ministers sustain two persons, one private, to wit, their own: the other public, to wit, of God: is the main cause why the Ministry is so slenderly regarded, and so few are edified by it. When a Prince employeth a mean person in his service, and sendeth him to make known his will unto us, if we only respect his person as he is of himself, and consider not the person whose mouth he is, and in whose name he speaketh, we will never regard the message he bringeth as we ought. So it is in the matter of the Ministry  
The king of heaven and earth determineth to call a Church, and gather a people unto himself; he sendeth out the Ministers as his messengers to make known his will unto us, and so putteth heavenly treasures of great price and value in earthen vessels: if we respect the men no otherwise then according to their names and persons, and not according as God hath vouchsafed to employ them, we can never receive the word with meekness and reverence, that is able to save our souls. Know it therefore, and learn it diligently, that a Minister is not only a man as all other are that bear the image of God, but more than a common man, even a Minister of the Gospel, and a messenger of jesus Christ: so that whosoever receiveth them and heareth their words, entertaineth Christ himself; and whosoever despiseth them and their sayings, rejecteth Christ himself, and shall be arraigned as guilty of the contempt of his person. The Apostle writing to the Hebrews, showeth, that God hath spoken by his own Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, Chapter 1.2. 
Heb. 1.2. and 2.1.  and thereupon concludeth, that we ought to give the more earnest heed to the the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.  
Thus duty hath many branches under it, which spread themselves far and near, but I will briefly touch some particulars.  
First, we are to consider that in hearing the word, we have to do with God. If we exempt ourselves from his presence, who hath promised that whensoever two or three are gathered together in his Name, he will be in the mids of them, we shall never profit as we ought, nor consider the work we go about. It is noted of Cornelius, Acts 10.23. That when Peter was come to tell him and to teach him what he ought to do, he said, We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Thus ought it to be with us, when we are entered into the house of prayer, we must remember that we sit down in the presence of God; not of men only like unto ourselves, but of him that is the searcher of the heart. Let this be our first rule: and except we do this, we do nothing in our hearing as we ought to do.  
Secondly, we must empty ourselves of all clogs and emcombrances that may hinder the saving hearing of the word. 
Heb. 12.1.  Let us cast off every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us. Let us disburden ourselves of the cares of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, 
Luke 8.  and the lusts of other things, which if we bring with us overlaying our hearts, they will stop our ears, that the things cannot enter into us. Therefore the wise man giveth this counsel, Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5. verse 1. Keep thy foot when thou interest into the house of God, and be more ready to hear, then to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.  
Thirdly, set a price upon the word above all things of this life that may be most dear unto thee. Desire it more than gold, yea, than much fine gold: labour to find it sweeter to thy taste then honey & the honey comb, Psal. 19.10. 
Psal. 19.10. and 119.103.127.  Love it above all riches, and rejoice in it more than they that find great spoils. Account the merchandise of it better than the Merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof more precious than Rubies, so that nothing that we highly esteem can be compared unto it. Prou. 3.13, 14. Magnify it as a treasure of that value, that rather than thou wilt leave it, thou wilt be ready to forsake all that thou hast, Matth. 13. There is nothing that more slaketh and shaketh off our devout attention, then to account the precious word of God vile and base in our eyes, according to the corrupt custom of many in our days, that prefer husks fit to feed swine, before the fat of wheat that is sent to nourish the sons of God.  
Fourthly, we must know that there is great hope of those that refuse not the means, but submit themselves unto it: but none at all of those that utterly refuse it. What God may work extraordinarily, who sometimes feedeth by miracle from heaven, as he did the Israelites, 
Exod. 16.15. 1 King. 17.6.  and Eliah in the wilderness, we cannot affirm, and they that wait upon such vanities, forsake their own mercy. But of this point, we have spoken already.  
Lastly, it is our duty, to lay up the Word in our hearts, that it may not be taken from us: but that we may practise it, and profit by it. For all our hearing must aim at profiting. We must desire the sincere milk of the Word, 
1 Pet. 2.2,  that we may grow thereby. Now, it can never take root, except we hear it with an honest and good heart. 
Luke 8.15.  If we have it only running in our mouths, or swimming in our brains, it is as the grass upon the house top, 
Psal. 129.6.7.  which withereth afore it groweth up, wherewith the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom. Let us therefore first of all, give our hearts unto God, pray him to reform them, and to open them, that so we may attend to those things that are delivered unto us. As for those that have their mouths open, but their hearts empty of the word, they are as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal; they may please themselves, and deceive others for a time, but their hypocrisy shall be uncased, their deceitful dealing manifested, and themselves proved to be no better than vessels that make a noise, but are without all substance in them.  
[Verse 11, 12. And I, behold, I have taken the Levites, etc.] Hitherto we have spoken of the commandment of God, directed unto Moses, that he should present the Levites before Aaron the Priest, that they may minister unto him: now we are to proceed to the reason of the commandment, where we see the cause rendered why they should be given unto him, because even unto this time the first borne had executed the Priest's office, being consecrated unto God, and preserved out of the common destruction, when the first borne in Egypt were destroyed. He putteth them in mind of God's mercy toward them, who might justly have destroyed them as well as the Egyptians, if it had pleased him. When we see a common desolation or destruction, and ourselves as a remnant taken out of the common calamity, it ought to make us thankful unto God, and to acknowledge that we hold our life of him in chief.  
Thus did Noah stand affected, when he offered sacrifice to God, after he was come out of the Ark, and was preserved with his family from the flood of waters. Thus doth Daniel 
Dan. 5.20. ●●  teach Belshazzar the king to humble his heart, knowing the heavy judgement that God brought upon his father, and took his glory from him. We must profit by the examples of God's works, both of his mercy and judgement upon others, We learn from hence, Doctrine that the first borne were from the beginning the Lords, 
The first bo● were sanctified to the Lord.  and consecrated to serve him, and to instruct others. This dignity and pre-eminence of the first borne began among the sons of Adam, and continued in his posterity, as well before, as after the general destruction of the old world: the eldest ever succeeding in the kingly and Priestly office, unless for some open impiety, or other secret cause best known unto God, and unknown unto the Church, he were rejected; so that there was evermore some excellency, until that Israel came out of Egypt, and the Church became national.  
Hence it is, that God saith to Cain, the elder son of Adam, If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou dost not well, sin lieth at the door: and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him, Gen. 4.7. To this purpose jacob speaketh to Reuben, 
Gen. 49.3.  Thou art my first borne, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Thus he was by privilege of birthright, and thus was every son by creation that first opened the matrice. 
Luke 2.23.  Whereby we see, that in the family of the faithful, from the first man that God created, until Aaron was sanctified to be a Priest unto God in stead of the first borne, the eldest of the family ordinarily had both the kingly and Priestly direction of the rest of his brethren. As we saw this before in the house of Adam, so it appeareth also afterward. For when Cain the eldest son of Adam, to whom the dignity of the first borne did pertain, was for his iniquity rejected from that honour, and excommunicated from the Church, which was a spiritual kind of banishment; God raised up Seth, who being taught by his father, touching the fall of man, touching the punishments of sin, and the promised Saviour, assisted him while he lived in guiding his family, and succeeded him after his death in the government of the Church of God, which was as a little flock in comparison of the race of Cain's posterity, that married many wives, and increased in great multitudes. In like sort Enoch succeeded Seth, and dying, 
●ield of the ●rch. lib. 5. ●. ●et. 2.5, ●● 4. ●  left that honour to Kenan: Kenan to Mahalaleel, etc. These were preachers of righteousness and repentance, & some of them endued with the spirit of prophesy, to convince that wicked generation.  
These Preachers of God being contemned and despised in the world, (such entertainment have his servants ever found) the flood came and swept them away. Noah governed as a father the Church of God before and after the Flood, and left the same dignity and office to Shem his second son (japhet his eldest son being put behind for secret causes known unto God) even as his father had committed it unto him. 
●en. 10.21.  Thus we might proceed and go forward to show in succeeding ages of the Church, how God continued this favour to the first borne, and thereby set as it were a crown of honour upon their head. Hence it is, that at the giving of the Law they are called Priests, Exod. 19.24. Thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee: but let not the Priests and the people break through, to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. At this time Aaron and his sons were not consecrated to the office of the Priesthood, neither was the tribe of Levi chosen to come near to the Lord: and therefore these Priests could be no other but the first borne that were sanctified unto the Lord, which is the point that now we deal withal.  
Reason 1 This will farther appear unto us, if we consider what their dignity was, and wherein it consisted, who excelled from the beginning in three things.  
First, he was Lord over his brethren, according to that of Isaac when he blessed jacob the younger in stead of the elder, and thereby preferred him to the dignity of the first borne, Gen. 27.29. Be Lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's children bow down unto thee. The like we see in the book of the Chronicles, Chap. 21.3. touching the sons of jehoshaphat, Their father gave them great gifts of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in judah: but the kingdom gave he to jehoram, because he was the first borne.  
Secondly, he had a double portion, Deut. 21.17. that is, two parts of all that the father had, whereas the rest were contented with a single portion. And this was so firmly established and decreed, that no man upon private affection, aught to be disinherited: and the reason is rendered, for he is the beginning of his strength, and therefore the right of the first borne is his.  
Thirdly, he was holy unto God, and was the Priest of the family under his father, whom for the most part he used as an assistant unto him, in the managing of all the affairs thereof. All this appeareth plainly in the dissoluteness that fell out among the sons of jacob, which was sufficient to have wrought the dissolution and desolation of that family: when Reuben sinned against his father, and defiled his bed by horrible incest, he was disinherited, and his excellency was divided among his brethren, judah gate the sceptre, Levi had the Priesthood, and joseph obtained the double portion, 2 Chronicles, Chapter 5. verses 1, 2.  
Again, as nothing is more natural, then Reason 2 that the father instruct and direct his children, and set them forward in the ways of godliness and well doing: so nothing is more seemly among brethren, then that the elder should help the younger, the stronger assist the weaker, and the richer help the poorer. Now, none could be fit to assist the father in the Kingly and Priestly office while he lived, and to second him in them both when he died, than the first borne, who is said to be the beginning of his strength, the excellency of dignity and of power, Genesis Chapter 49. verse 3. Seeing then, it is just, and right, and profitable, it ought to be confessed and acknowledged of us.  
Lastly, hereunto in process of time was Reason 3 added another reason, and a new necessity of lifting up their heads, when GOD destroyed all the first borne in the land of Egypt, so that there was no house wherein there was not one dead. Now, 
Exod. 12.29.  inasmuch as the first borne of Israel escaped out of this common calamity, as it were a brand taken out of the fire, God saith unto Moses, Sanctify unto me all the first borne, whatsoever openeth the womb, among the children of Israel, etc. it is mine, Exodus, Chapter 13. verse 1. From hence we may conclude that all the first borne were consecrated unto GOD, and were to be employed in his service.  
This is indeed a type and figure, and hath Use 1 not place among us: howbeit, it is written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, and offereth many good and profitable instructions for our edification. This teacheth who are chief bound to serve the Lord. The greater our gifts are, the fit we are for God, and none is to disdain to employ themselves, and all that is in them, to his service.  
To this purpose cometh the saying of the wise man, proverbs, Chapter 3. verse 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase. Such as have received the greatest measure of grace, are bound to yield unto him the greatest honour, and to bring forth the greatest obedience, as the field that hath most cost bestowed upon it, giveth the greatest increase. Such as have received five talents, should gain with them other five.  
If he have made us as the first borne, & preferred us before many other, and doubled his Spirit upon us, as it were a double portion, let not us content ourselves in any wise, to give him a simple and single gift or recompense of all his labours bestowed upon us.  

The first reproof.  This reproveth those that scorn the Ministry as base, and reject the calling itself as needless, and superfluous in their eyes; that account it too contemptible to employ the best and chiefest of their children in it. In former times the first borne were teachers of the families, and Ministers of the Church, until God set apart the tribe of Levi, to serve at the altar & in the temple. The best things that we have are not too good for God, even to give them unto him all the days of their life. For whom are the best fittest, but for him that is best? He challenged the eldest to serve him, the rest he permitted to the father, to be employed as he saw good.  
First, God will be served, as it is great reason he should be, and afterward he giveth us leave to serve ourselves. jesse served the king with his eldest son in the wars, 
1 Sam. 17.13.  and kept his youngest at home, and bestowed him about his own business. If any think his first borne to be too good to minister before the Lord, he honoureth them above the Lord. Doth any think himself too good or too great a man to be sent as an ambassador from the Prince to foreign estates? or rather do not men sue for such high places, and think themselves happy when they attain unto them? How cometh it then to pass, that men of countenance are ashamed to see their children to be the ambassadors of the king of kings, and to be employed in the greatest service, to make peace between God and man, and to save souls from death and destruction? If a man be blessed with many children, if any be more toward in wisdom, in learning▪ in judgement, in staidness, and in gifts, he were fittest for the Lord. But the Ministry of the word in our days, through the abundance of sin and of iniquity getting the upper hand, is grown into disgrace and contempt, because men cannot abide to be reproved: whereas to them that are sanctified and shallbe saved, it is the power of God, 
1 Cor. 1.24.  and the wisdom of God. Such are ready to say with the Apostle, Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things? 
Dan. 1.3, 4.  Nabuchadnezzar chose men to wait on him among the jews, such as were of the king's stock, comely, witty, and every way well qualified both for lineaments of body, and ornaments of mind; he required that the chiefest should attend upon him, he would not have the refuse to stand in the king's court. Shall they then that are to stand up in the Name of the LORD, be of the basest and of the offscouring of the people? If a man have many sons (such is the contempt of the Ministry) the eldest he must be the heir: if any be more beautiful or personable than the rest, he must be a Courtier: if any be disfigured or uncomely, he is set apart (if he list) to the Ministry.  
This is not to honour God with our first fruits, this is to serve him with the blind and the lame, and to give unto him such as are not fit for any thing else. But of this we shall have better occasion to speak farther afterward.  
Secondly, 
The second reproof.  this sanctifying unto God the best thing that we have, serveth to reprove such as never offer unto God the first and flourishing part of their age, neither sanctify unto him their young years: but as if they were too good for him, they will serve sin and Satan first, and afterward when they can follow them no longer, than they will think of sadder matters. Hence it is that young men for the most part do think themselves exempted and privileged by their age, to commit sin with greediness, and without controlment, and that they are free to do what they list, to fetch their vagaries, and to run into all excess at their own pleasure. But the holy Ghost is so far from giving liberty unto them, that he provoketh them in good time to dispose of their life, and even then especially when their affections begin to boil in them, and endeavoureth to pull them in as it were with the cords of discipline, and the Law of God.  
Solomon is so far from allowing this reason, to warrant the looseness of young men, that is, to say, We are yet as youths, and therefore we may be let alone a while, we will be wiser hereafter; that rather with a sharp, but yet just taunting & laughing it to scorn, he speaketh to this age, Rejoice, O young man, 
Eccle. 11.9.  in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the light of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into judgement. As if he had said, If thou wilt needs go forward, and wilt not be reclaimed, be it so, take thy pleasure, pass on thy days in thy delights, follow the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, glut thyself with chambering and wantonness, and take thy fill of dalliance: yet know that at the last thou shalt be called unto judgement, & give account for those things which thou hast committed. The children that mocked the Prophet, and reproached him for his infirmity, were torn in pieces with Bears that came out of the wood, 2 King. 2.24.  
Therefore doth Solomon exhort them in another place, 
Eccle. 12.1.  to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. God hath honoured them as his first borne, and given many gifts unto them, as learning, wit, knowledge, beauty, strength, health, quickness, and readiness, to do all things, which are not so common to every age; let them not abuse them, but honour him with them, that gave them. If you spend your first days loosely, and licentiously, and offer your old age to the LORD, when you can follow the pleasures of sin no longer, that endure for a season, he will not accept such a service and sacrifice at your hands. If you would have God to be your God in your old age, serve him in your youth, lest as you regarded not to know him in your youth, so he give you over, and know you not in your elder years. For if an earthly man have the wisdom and discretion, not to admit, and receive into his service, a doting and decrepit man, such a one as can stand him in no stead, but will readily answer him, Go thy ways, thou art no servant for me, let him that had the use of thy younger days, take that fruit of thy old age, that thou canst yield unto him: Shall not the Lord, the most wise God reject and cast us off in age, if we pass the flower of our youth, in serving sin, Satan, and the world? What assurance can we have, to be accepted when and at what time we list? may he not justly say unto us, Thou hast all thy life time served mine enemies, of whom I said unto thee, Serve them not; and now at last, when thou canst serve them no longer, comest thou unto me? How often have I called thee and offered ro be a master unto thee, but thou refusedst to become my servant? now it is just with me to stopppe mine ears at thy cry, Go thy ways: Let him that had thy youth, take thine age also: let him that had the beginning take also the ending. If we spend our strength in vanity, and our days in folly, thus will the Lord answer us: God is the creator of the young man, it is he that hath made him, and not he himself: he is subject to death in his youth, as well as the old man in his age: the glass that is newly made, is as brittle as the old: the Lamb goeth to the shambles, as soon as the sheep. And the young man shall be brought to judgement for his tricks of youth: for God shall bring every work to judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, Eccle. 12.14.  
Wherefore to conclude, let young and old honour the Lord with the first fruits of their increase, & give the best things that they possess: yea, the more we have, the more he requireth of us. Such as are rich, and have this world's good, must not be as barren trees, and unfruitful in good works. Whatsoever we enjoy, we have received it of his goodness, it is as a stream issuing from his fountain, and therefore we must return the glory to him and communicate the benefit thereof unto our brethren.  
Use 2 Secondly, another spiritual application of this type and figure of the first borne is, that it calleth to our remembrance what we are both by nature and by grace. 
What we are by nature.  By nature, that we are all the children of wrath and destruction, without the mercy of God freeing & delivering us from the sentence of death gone out against us; Even as the children of Israel had been all the children of death, as well as the first borne of Egypt, had not God in great mercy and compassion spared them. For albeit he delivered Goshen where the Israelites were, from the plagues that wasted and wearied the Egyptians: was this, think we, because Israel deserved to be spared? or because God could not in justice commence any action against them? No, they had learned too much the manners of Egypt▪ they believed not the word of the Lord for their deliverance, but murmured against the Ministers of God, sent unto them, albeit they had seen his wonders and signs that were wrought among them. Their first borne therefore had been in no better case than the first borne of Egypt, had not God been merciful unto them and showed pity upon them. So then we are all put in mind of our natural corruption by sin derived from Adam, in regard of which corruption which is spread as a foul and filthy leprosy over all the powers of the soul and parts of the body, we are guilty both of temporal, and eternal death, unless we have redemption by Christ the promised Saviour of the world. We are by nature wretched and miserable sinners, borne as it were out of due time, and deserve the wages of sin, that is, death, 
1 joh. 1 8. Tit. 3.3.  Rom 6.20. We ourselves were in times past, unwise, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. There are many branches of this corruption and sundry points necessary to be known of us concerning the same. First, we must acknowledge no difference between ourselves and others. Are we better, or more excellent than they? No, in no wise. We all lie under sin, and have the seeds thereof within us. Rom. 3.9. and are ready to fall into all the most horrible sins can be named, if we be not stayed by the hand of God. Secondly, we must look into the Law of God, as in a glass, that we may see our defects and deformities. We are blind, and cannot see: the Law is a true glass, and will show us our face truly: it telleth what is amiss, and flattereth no man, for by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin, Rom. 3.20. There cannot be the least spot, but it will be made to appear: so that he which is ignorant of the Law, knoweth not himself. Thirdly, we must confess the love of God to be great toward us, in freeing of us from the bondage of sin, and setting us at liberty to be the servants of righteousness.  
Thus doth the Apostle, Rom. 7.24, 25. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through jesus Christ our Lord, etc. Fourthly ' we must learn the vileness and greatness of our fall, which Paul calleth the disobedience of one man, containing all sins of what kind and nature soever, 
Adam's sin how great.  which may be considered in those few particulars.  
First, he regarded not the promise of God, whereby he was willed to hope for everlasting life, so long as he continued to eat the tree of life.  
Secondly, he despiseth the commandment of God, restraining him from the forbidden fruit, and maketh no account of it.  
Thirdly, he breaketh out into horrible pride, and ambition, whereby he would be equal unto God, and seek an estate higher than that wherein he had set him. He was not content with his present condition, albeit it were most excellent.  
Fourthly, he showeth an unfaithful heart to departed away from the living God his creator, so that he did not believe or not regard the threatening of God, which was, that when he sinned, he should die: he becometh the most unkind and unthankful wretch that could be, not considering what infinite benefits he had received for himself and his posterity, and that he was to lose them, and leave them in such sort, that they departed both from himself, and from his posterity.  
Lastly, he broke out into foul and fearful Apostasy, from God to the devil, from his maker to the tempter, giving more credit to him that charged God with lying, with envy, and with malice, then to the Almighty, of whose goodness he had so great experience. Thus he preferred the father of lies, before the God of all truth. So that in the first sin of man, 
August. Enchir. ad Laurent. ca 46.  we may discern many sins, if it be divided into his particular parts, and considered severally as it ought to be of us.  
The fift branch is, that we must all of us take notice of the fruits and effects of the former disobedience, whereby the image of GOD, after which we were created at the first, is blotted out, only some few remnants remaining of it; so that in stead of wisdom, power, truth, goodness, holiness, and righteousness, wherewith our first parents were clothed, as with garments more precious than the carpets of Egypt, and all the ornaments of gold and silver, wherein the Nobles of the earth are attired, he punished them with the contrary evils, and pulling these from them and stripping them stark naked, they appeared most deformed, through blindness, weakness, falsehood, foolishness, profaneness, and unrighteousness, which swarmed in them, and all their children. A cursed root, cursed fruit: a wretched cause, a woeful effect. Hence it is, that we are prone to fall into all evil, and not able to think one good thought, 1 Cor. 2.14. 2 Cor. 3.5. we are borne dead in sins and trespasses, Ephe. 2.1. jer. 17.19. job 15.15. And yet this is not all our misery; but it brought in as by a violent wind, or a raging flood, an heap of sicknesses, diseases, aches, and a train of ten thousand calamities that attend upon our whole life, until they bring us into the chambers of death.  
Lastly, when we have taken good notice of the former miseries and bondage, under which we lie, and thought well upon them with due meditation, they will drive us out of the love of ourselves, and make us labour to be regenerated and borne again by the spirit of God: 
joh. 3.5. Ezek. 36. ●  we must seek to repair the decayed image of God, & to be renewed in our minds, that we may be no longer the servants of sin, but of righteousness. Our old man must be crucified, that the body of sin may be destroyed. 
Rom. 6.5.  Let it not therefore reign in our mortal body, that we should obey it in the lusts thereof: neither let us yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield ourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  
Again, 
What we are by grace.  as the figure of the first borne expresseth the natural condition of all mankind, deserving to be destroyed, so it setteth forth the prerogative of the faithful, and showeth what we are by grace. For as Christ being the first borne among many brethren, Rom. 8.29. is the Priest of his Church, because he offered up himself to his Father, as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy his wrath for our sins, and maketh intercession for us: and the king of his Church, because he hath authority in heaven & in earth: so he maketh us kings and Priests unto God his Father, revel. 1.6. and 5.10. Priests, that we should make known his will, call upon his Name in spirit and truth, and offer up ourselves to him a spiritual sacrifice: and kings that we should conquer sin, Satan, and the world, through faith in Christ; for this is our victory, even our faith, 
1 joh. 5.4.  that overcometh all these enemies. We have also the adoption of sons, and we are a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of him, who hath called us out of darkness, into his marvelous light, 1 Pet. 2.9.  
Thirdly, this layeth before us the dignity Use 3 of Christ jesus our Saviour, touching whom we learn, that he is in deed and in truth, the first borne of God, by whom we are delivered from the wrath of God, and redeemed from hell and destruction, forasmuch as he was consecrate unto God, and made a sacrifice of atonement for us, who by sin were become his enemies, as we noted before. Now he is the first borne in these four respects: first, 
How Christ is the first born  according to his divine nature, being begotten of the Father before all creatures, after an unspeakable manner, being of the same substance with him, and is therefore called the first borne of every creature, Coloss. 1. verse 15. Rom. 8. verse 29. He is the eternal son of God, being borne of him before any creature was created. Whereby we learn against the blasphemous opinion of the Arrians, that he is true GOD, not a made or a created God, but being God from all eternity.  
Secondly, according to his human nature, even as he took upon him our flesh, and was borne of the virgin Mary, so he was also her first borne, Matthew 1. verse 25. Luke 2. verse 15. Not that the blessed Virgin had other after him, but because she had none before him. For he is in Scripture called the first borne, that first openeth the matrice, whether other be borne after or not.  
Thirdly, he is called by this title, because he was the first that arose out of the grave, & made a way for us unto everlasting life, because it was unpossible that he should be holden of the sorrows of death. And therefore he is said by the Apostle to be before all things, the beginning, and the first borne from the dead, Col. 1, 18. This is a notable comfort unto us, that forasmuch as our elder Brother Christ jesus arose from the dead to the everlasting possession of eternal glory in heaven: it followeth, that we also shall rise again, and not for ever lie in the grave; and then be partakers with him, of that blessed inheritance prepared for us from the beginning of the world. He is gone before to prepare us a place, and when he cometh again, we shall enter into that blessed estate and condition, every one according to the measure of the grace and gift of Christ. 
Psal 45, 7.  For as Christ was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, so he was rewarded with the possession of glory above his brethren, and highly exalted far above all principalities and powers, who ascended above all heavens, that he might fill all things, Eph. 4, 10. Neither let any object, that some did rise again before him, for they arose again to this present life, and died again: but he arose again to die no more, death had no more dominion over him: but to take possession of the kingdom of heaven; and therefore it followeth in the next words, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.  
Lastly, as the first borne was set apart, and then sacrificed unto GOD, I mean the first borne among the beasts that were killed: so Christ was separated from sinners, Heb. 7, 26. as the unspotted Lamb of God, holy, and acceptable; and then made a perfect oblation of himself, not for himself, but for the sins of his people, Heb. 7, 27. He must be holy both in his conception and life, that he might be a merciful and faithful high-Priest, and make reconciliation for us. For he that must be a Mediator between God and us, and restore us into his favour, must of necessity be himself in the favour of God, and never have offended him. Neither could he have access to the Throne of God, who is most holy, to make intercession for us, unless he had been holy, harmless, undefiled, and made higher than the heavens.  
Hence also we have unspeakable comfort, we are assured that the wrath of God is pacified, the curse of the Law is canceled, and all our sins are purged and done away: Who is it now that shall be able to lay any thing to our charge, 
Rom. 8, 33.  or to the charge of any of the elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, and maketh intercession for us. There is nothing then that shall be able to separate us from this love of Christ, neither tribulation, nor distress, neither persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword, neither life, nor death; forasmuch as in all these we are more than Conquerors, through him that loved us.  
Lastly, seeing God separated the first borne Use 4 or eldest of the family from the rest of his brethren, as also he did the Levites from the other Tribes to serve him, it teacheth, that all the faithful aught to be separated from the company of wicked men, and to abhor them as a sink of all filthiness and annoyance, that we may more freely and faithfully serve the Lord: as the Prophet saith, Psal. 119. 
Psal. 119, 115.  Away from me ye wicked, and I will keep the Commandments of my God. Thus we see the Church of God to be described to be an holy people elected out of the rest of the world, Numb. 23.9. They shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the Nations. God revealeth his will to them, he governeth them, he protecteth them, he careth and provideth for them, no less than parents for their first borne. Hence it is, that he willeth Moses to go to Pharaoh, and to say unto him, Israel is my son, even my first borne: let him go that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, Behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first borne, Exod. 4. 
Exod. 4, 22, 23  The like we read in the prophesy of jeremy, chap. 31, 9 I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first borne. He hath a greater care of them then of all other nations and people. The elect are the first borne of God, 
Annot. job. Feri. in Exod. 4.  because they are most dear unto him, and chosen before the foundation of the world. For even as men among all their sons, do most of all delight in their first begotten, as in the beginning of their strength, rejoicing most of all in the good that befalleth them, and grieving most in the evil that cometh unto them, Psal. 89, 27. Zach. 12, 11. So doth God express his special love toward us, not only by calling us his sons, but by calling us his first borne sons. Among the sons of men it was always an honour and privilege to be the first borne, it is but one among many can attain unto it; it is not common to every one. But the sons of God are all of them as his first borne, they are dear unto him, as they that are dearest. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the first borne sons of God! therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. So sometimes the faithful are called the first fruits of his creatures, 
jam. 1, 18.  because as the first fruits in the time of the Law were a small portion gathered out of the rest, and offered to God: in like manner are the people of God as an holy kind of offering, taken out of the residue of men, few in number but precious in account with God, jam. 1, 18. Thus than we must know that we are consecrated unto God to belong unto him, and to serve him: as for the company of the wicked, 
The company of the wicked, is as the forbidden fruit.  they are forbidden to us as the touching or tasting of the forbidden fruit was to our first parents, as bringing great danger and destruction unto our souls. The wise man saith, Be not among wine-bibbers, 
Pro. 23, 20, 21  among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Hereunto cometh the direction of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5, 11. I have written unto you, not to keep company: if any that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one, no, not to eat. And in the next Epistle he exhorteth to come out from among them, and to touch no unclean thing, and then GOD will receive them, be a Father unto them, and they shall be his sons and daughters, 2 Cor. 6, 17. Likewise he chargeth the Thessalonians, and commandeth them in the Name of the Lord jesus Christ, that they withdraw themselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of them, 2 Thess. 3, 6. All flesh resort to their like: and every man will keep company with such as he is himself. For how can the lamb agree with the wolf? Or how can two walk together, except they be agreed? The heathen Philosopher, 
Senec. epist. 7.  sequestering himself to a strict kind of life, confesseth, that he could never bring home again those manners that he carried abroad with him: but what he had well ordered in his life, was easily disturbed and disordered; and those vices that he had put to flight, quickly returned upon him. Even as it befalleth a sick person, that hath kept long within doors, being recovered of some weakness or sickness, cannot without danger walk abroad in the open air, but straightway he is cast down again: so it happeneth unto us, whose hearts have begun to shake off the sicknesses of sins and vices, the conversation of the wicked multitude is a great enemy like the infectious air unto us: every mate being ready to commend unto us, and to thrust upon us, both by word and practice, some noisome vice or other, some to bring us to drunkenness: some to uncleanness: some to riotousness: some to gamings: and so to infect us therewith at unawares. Whereby it cometh to pass, that we seldom go unto them, or keep company with them, or continue long with them, but we learn some evil, or unlearn some good, and so return from them more profane and polluted then before. This duty hath under it many branches.  
First, it standeth us upon, to make choice of our company that we frequent, as a man that chooseth out his ground before he build: and not to be more careful what we eat or drink, then among whom we eat or drink. Unwholesome meats may pester or poison the body, 
Senec. episi. 19  but ungodly company many times destroyeth the soul. We see how careful men are about their meats and drinks, what they eat, and what they drink, every little thing doth trouble and disquiet them: but in matters of far greater danger, as blind men we swallow many a fly, and converse with such as we may justly fear they may bring us to perdition, as men that strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.  
Secondly, we ought to pray to God daily, that we may not be led into temptations. It is the direction that Christ our saviour giveth, that so we may be delivered from evil, Math. 6, 13. Daily prayer for wisdom is a preservative against the wicked. Such as walk in the morning in noisome airs, carry somewhat in their mouths to keep them from infection. If we pray faithfully, we are fenced and fortified against the assaults of evil persons. This was the practice of David, wherein he hath given us an example, Psal. 141.3, 4. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips: incline not mine heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity. If then we are to pray to be preserved from such tempters and temptations as would draw us into evil, and withdraw us from good: surely we are not wittingly and willingly to run into them; for than we mock and dally with God, & become tempters unto ourselves. And how shall we dare to kneel down in the presence of the eternal God, and to desire of him not to lead us into tentation, and so soon as we are gone from prayer, and the house of prayer, by and by to haunt evil houses, and seek out allurements, and wait for occasions, & wish for our companions, until we return home worse than we were before?  
Thirdly, it is our duty, and a special point of wisdom, not to presume upon our abilities, nor to glory in our own strength. There cannot be a more deceitful bait then this is, when men foolishly persuade themselves, that albeit they run into evil company, and hold familiarity with drunkards, and continually haunt alehouses and places of disorder; though they be haile-fellow well met with them, and join hand in hand with them, yet they can keep themselves from infection; so that they will never be overtaken with their sin. And as well may a man rush headlong among such as have plague sores above them, and live with them, and yet never be infected: whereas few dare adventure their bodies in such cases. But put the case it were lawful; yet all things that are lawful are not expedient: all things that are lawful, edify not. 
1 Cor. 6, 12, 1 10, 23.  We must take heed we do not give offence to others, neither destroy him for whom Christ died. So then, the best way for us to avoid evil, is to take knowledge of our own weakness, and to strive against our own infirmities, and to fly as far as we can from danger.  
Fourthly, let us not flatter ourselves with an idle conceit and foolish opinion, that we by keeping them company shall be able to draw them and persuade them to goodness. For we see this by the ordinary course of human affairs, that when the good and evil meet together, and are joined in friendship, the godly are rather corrupted by the ungodly, than the ungodly corrected by the godly. This may appear unto us in Solomon, a man greatly beloved of God, and greatly blessed with wisdom: 
●he. 13, 25  nevertheless, even him did outlandish women cause to sin. This was signified also in the Law, holy flesh carried in the skirt of a garment did not make it holy: but the polluted person, 
●g 2, 13, 14.  touching any thing, did pollute it, and make it unclean with his filthiness. It is an harder thing to cleanse and purify, then to defile and make unclean: and therefore they will sooner tempt us, than we shall teach them. 
●●iect.  What then? Is vice of more force than virtue? and shall evil prevail more than good? I answer, 
answer.  we consider not good and evil as they are in themselves, but as they are in us: not as they are being separated from us, but joined to us. The evil men are wholly evil, whereas we are but in part good: and therefore they are strong, we are weak: they are wholly flesh, we are not altogether spirit, but only in part regenerate: so that they hale us and hold us with all their power, with all their might, and with all their strength, that we must use violence to get from them, or else we are undone. They are as men that set all their strength to the work, and labour night and day with both their hands; we have our strength divided, and work as it were with one hand, and set too but one shoulder. They run in the ways of evil, we do as it were halt with one foot, like jacob when he wrestled with GOD, 
●n. 32, 25.  whereby he had the hollow of his thigh put out of joint. They far as men that descend down a Mountain with great violence, and have no stay of themselves until they come to the bottom: we creep up toward the top with all four, like jonathan, 
●am. 14, 6.  that went over to the garrison of the uncircumcised; we are feign to climb up rocks and cliffs, and craggy places, upon our hands and upon our feet, with much labour and great sweeting, and oftentimes faint by the way. That which they do, they do with ease & pleasure: but we find many enemies to buckle withal, and are constrained not only to fight with beasts at Ephesus, but to wrestle hand to hand, 
〈◊〉. 6, 12.  against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places: so that it is more than need to take to us the whole armour of God, that we may be able both to stand, and to withstand in the evil day.  
Fiftly, thou must esteem of evil company, as of him that hath a running sore of an infectious disease, and hate all vice in thy dearest companions, more than the plague. They that have sound eyes are fearful of themselves, & careful to refrain from looking upon their eyes that are sore and bleared, 
ovid.  lest they should be hurt. Can a man have his conversation among thieves, and not at one time or other be rob of his treasure? Such as have nothing are sure to lose nothing: but they that have treasure about them, by conversing with deceitful couzeners and cheating companions, are in danger to be deprived of it. So if we live among these spiritual thieves, that are more common and subtle, and therefore more dangerous than the other, we cannot but he spoilt and stripped naked of the precious pearls of God's graces which every our souls, and are more of value then all the gold and silver that is digged out of the earth.  
The sixth and last branch is, to teach us to be in love with good company, whereby we may be bettered and edified. Evil persons that infect, as a filthy dunghill that casteth up an unsavoury sent, are compared to pitch that defileth, to leaven that soureth, to the canker that consumeth, and to the scabbed sheep that infecteth an whole flock. But good and godly company is as the sweet ointments or perfumes of the Apothecaries, a man cannot come among them, but all his garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia. They are anointed with the oil of gladness in their measure, and delight greatly the nostrils of such as live with them. If we converse among them we shall somewhat savour of them. So then by the works that we practise, it may be known what company we frequent. The wise man saith, Prou. 13, 20. He that walketh with wise men, shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Great is the force of company, whether it be to good or to evil. With the good, we shall learn goodness, & reap the fruit of it to our souls. Among the ungodly, we shall learn nothing but wickedness, and in the end receive nothing but a crop of care, and shame, and dishonour, and rebuke, and that which is more than all the rest, death and destruction for ever.   

14. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,  
15. Number the children of Levi, after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward, shalt thou number them.  
16. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded.  
We have spoken hitherto of both the parts of the preface, that go before the enumeration of the Levites, consisting partly in the description of Aaron's sons, and partly in the presentation of that Tribe before Aaron and his sons to serve in the Tabernacle. Now we come to speak of the numbering of them, which is done apart in a peculiar manner from the rest of the people. For God would not have the Levites numbered with the rest of the Tribes, to the end he might free them from the wars, and except them as a chosen portion to himself from civil affairs; and that they might more diligently, more seriously, & more carefully, without all disturbance and distraction apply and employ themselves in that holy function whereunto they were appointed. So then, after that the people are numbered and ordered exactly and exquisitely, Moses proceedeth to the numbering of the levitical Tribe, which only remaineth unnumbered.  
This is done two ways: first simply, being considered in themselves without reference and relation to others: secondly, comparatively, being compared with the first borne, in whose place and room they succeeded. The simple enumeration is twofold, first general, in these words; and then particular in those that follow. The general numbering hath two parts, the commandment, and the execution of it. The commandment is amplified by the author of it, The Lord spoke unto Moses; then by the place, in the wilderness of Sinai, there it was given: for as yet they were not gone from the Mount where the Law was given. Thirdly, by the manner, number them by their families, after the house of their fathers. Lastly, the persons to be numbered, every male from a month old, and upward. The obedience of Moses is in the 16, verse, where he is commended by the manner of it, he did it according to the word of the Lord, in all points as he was commanded. The particular numbering, being set down in the verses that follow, we are to reserve to his proper place.  
In this division two questions arise, upon the different order observed in the numbering of this Tribe, 
Questions answered.  compared with the numbering of the former Tribes, which are to be decided. For here Moses is commanded to number all the males from a month old and above, but he did before number the other Tribes from twenty years old and above, 
Numb. 1, 3.  chap. 1, 3. Wherefore, first of all the question may be asked, why the Levites are not numbered as the rest are, from twenty year old, but from a month old? Secondly, why they were not numbered as well so soon as they were borne and brought forth into the world, as when they were a month old? Wherefore we are to inquire, why they were numbered so soon, and then why no sooner?  
Touching the first, to wit, why they were Question 1 numbered from one month and upward, and not at twenty years old and upward, as the rest were, it was done for three causes.  
First of all, the Levites were numbered at a month old, because at that age they were fit to be presented before the Lord, and offered unto him, Luke 2.  
Secondly, another cause of taking their number according to these young years, was, to bring the number of this Tribe unto an equal proportion with the other Tribes; for at this God aimed, as we shall see afterward: whereas if the number had been taken only from twenty year & upward, it should never have been known what number there was of the first borne, and so the recompense and satisfaction would have been altogether uncertain and unjust.  
This showeth, both that the Tribe of Levi was in comparison few in number, even the least of all the rest, and that by this gracious dealing and merciful favour of God, the people ought to be inclined, more quietly, patiently, willingly, and cheerfully to pay the tax and tribute that was laid upon them for the overplus among themselves.  
Thirdly, they are numbered at that age, because it was not necessary they should be fit for the wars, whom GOD had exempted from such service, which was one difference between the Levites and the other Tribes. They were numbered at twenty years old, because than they were holden and judged fit to go out to war, as among us and in our Commonwealth, the State thinks it fit to have all warned from sixteen to threescore years, as able men to bear arms, and to serve their Prince, and to fight for their country. Whereas the Levites had nothing to do with handling the sword, and putting on armour, and following the wars: they were to attend on holy things, and to minister in the Tabernacle: they are made word-men, not sword men: they are fishers of men, not fighters with men: and albeit they walk in the flesh, yet they do not war after the flesh, 2, Cor. 10, 3.  
Touching the second question, to wit, Question 2 wherefore they were not numbered before the month was expired? This was done, because all the male children by the ceremonial law, were unpure and unclean for the space of one month, Leviticus 12, verse 4. as also all the maid-childrens were unclean threescore and six days, Leviticus 12, verse 5. At what time the mother brought unto the Priest, a lamb of a year old, for a sin-offering, who offered it before the LORD, and made an Atonement for her, Leviticus 12, verse 6, 7.  
So then, as the male children were unclean an whole month, so after that space of time limited and determined, they ought to be purified.  
True it is, they did belong unto GOD at all times, for unto such pertained the Kingdom of Heaven from the beginning: he had evermore a right unto them, who had said unto Abraham, I will be thy GOD, and the GOD of thy seed, Gen. 17. Notwithstanding they could not be presented unto him, because they were holden as unclean, according to that law that continued for a season, & for that cause God would have those only reckoned in this account which were a month old. This did put them in mind, as also it teacheth us, that we are all by nature sinners and unclean. We are conceived and borne in sin, and from that which is unclean, who can bring that is clean? Our natural estate is notably described by the Prophet Ezekiel, chap. 16. under the similitude of a wretched infant polluted in his blood. There is not one that doth good, no not one: so that every mouth is stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.  
[Verse 15. Number the children of Levi, after the house of their, etc.] here is set down a commandment directed to Moses, and a commendation of Moses, who was faithful in the house of God as a servant. A servant will do nothing before he know the mind of his master; and when he knoweth his will, he is ready to accomplish it. The house is the Church: the master of it is God: the Stewards of it are the Teachers, who rule in this house at the appointment of God: and none of them durst presume to do any thing therein without his direction: so it is said in this place of Moses, that he followed not his own device, but did all things as the mouth of God directed him.  
We learn from hence, that the word of Doctrine 1 God is able to inform the Church generally, 
〈◊〉 our acti●s must be ●●rected by ●e word of ●od.  and every man particularly, in all things pertaining to this life, and to direct them, both what they are to do, and what they are not to do. Whatsoever falleth out into the parts of man's life, must receive warrant from the will and word of God. This doth the Prophet David teach in many places of the Psalms, By them thy servant is warned: 
●sal. 19, 11, & ●9, 9, 98, 99  by them the youngman may by taking heed, cleanse his ways: by them all men shall be made more wise than their enemies, more learned than their teachers, more prudent than the ancient: by them they shall make their way prosperous; 
●●sh 1, 8.  and by doing according to that which is written in them, they shall have good success. Of this is Solomon also another witness, Prou. 2, 9 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments within thee, etc.: then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgement, and equity, & every good path. This is directed not only to Princes and Magistrates, (as appeareth in the Epistle to the Hebrews) but to all the children of God, 
Chap. 12, 5.  of what calling soever they be. So the Apostle speaking of our ordinary meats and drinks, declareth that they are sanctified by the word of God, and by prayer, 1. Tim. 4, 5. That which he speaketh of our use of the creatures, must be understood of all things else, and stretched to all our actions, forasmuch as the word must be our warrant, when to do every thing, how to do it in a good manner, how to fly evil, and how to use christian liberty in things that are in themselves indifferent.  
Reason 1 This is so evident, that we want not many reasons to confirm it unto us. First, the titles given to the word, do teach it. For it is called the statute law of God. Are not the statute laws of the kingdom, sufficient to direct us what to do, and what we ought to do? They are able to secure us from danger, without any foreign helps. Hence it is, that the Prophets cry out in every place, for obedience to the statutes of God, 
Deut. 4, 1, and 5, 1, and 6, 1. Psal. 119, 24.  they will tell us what we ought to do. Likewise the word is said to be our Counsellor, as it were a man of Law, to which we ought evermore to resort, as we see men in matters of doubt, repair to their learned counsel, that they may do nothing without advice.  
Secondly, the Apostle setteth down this Reason 2 rule, that whatsoever we do, whether we eat, or drink, or enter into any action, we must set before us, as the chief and high end of all, the glory of God. There may be indeed, and are other ends of the things we do, but this aught to be the principal. If this be wanting, what other ends soever we have, the work is defective and unholy unto us. But no man can glorify God in any thing without obedience; and there is no obedience, but in respect of the commandment and word of God. The Prophet saith well, Hath the Lord as great delight in  offerings and sacrifices, 
1 Sam. 15, 22.  as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of Rams. Hereupon therefore it followeth, that the word of God directeth a man in all his actions: whereas all things done without the testimony of the word of God, are without obedience. The rule is general, 
1 Cor. 10, 31.  Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God: and therefore nothing which is done without the warrant of the word can be done to the glory of God.  
Thirdly, the Apostle speaking of things Reason 3 that are in their own nature indifferent, concludeth that whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, Rom. 14, 23. If any say, the Apostle meaneth a full persuasion of that which he doth to be well done: It is true; but from whence can that assurance grow unto the conscience, but from faith? and how can we persuade ourselves that we do well, but when we have the word of God for our warrant? The argument than is thus framed, wheresoever faith is wanting, there is sin: but in every action not commanded and allowed, faith is wanting: therefore in every action not commanded and allowed, there is sin: and consequently to approve our actions, we must have the precept and commandment of God, and the allowance of his word.  
Let us after these things thus confirmed Use 1 to our consciences, proceed to the uses. First, forasmuch as we must fetch the warrant of our actions from the pure fountain of the word, it teacheth us the perfection and all-sufficiency of the word of God. It needeth no human verities or popish traditions to be patched or put unto it, which were as much as to add a rag to a new garment that needeth it not. 
Psal. 19.7. 2 Tim. 3, 16.  The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, saith the Prophet. The whole Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, saith the Apostle. It is able to make us wise unto salvation, and to furnish the man of God to every good work. 
john 5, 39  Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have eternal life, saith Christ. But are all things that we are to do, expressed in the word? I answer, all things are not expressed word for word in so many syllables, 
Whit. contro. 1. de Scrip. Quest. 6.  but all things are contained in the Scriptures. For we must know the rule of Nazianzene, and it is a sure one, that such things as are gathered out of the Scriptures, are even as if they were written, they are of like nature, of like force, of like authority.  
First, some things are not in deed and in truth, and yet are said to be in Scripture, as that God sitteth, that he hath eyes, ears, hands, mouth, and such like.  
Secondly, some things are in deed, and yet are not said to be, to wit, expressly and in so many words; so that though the words be not there, yet the doctrine is, as that the holy Ghost is God, that he proceedeth equally from the Father and from the Son; that there are two Sacraments, that Christ is God of himself, and consubstantial with his Father, and an hundred such points, which are necessarily collected and concluded from them, as he that saith twice two, saith four: and he that saith twice twenty, affirmeth forty, though not in so many words.  

Nazian lib. 5. de Theolog.  Again, some things neither are, neither are said to be, as that an image and an idol are different in themselves. And lastly, some things are, and are said to be in the Scriptures, as that there is one God and one Mediator between God and man. Now we say, that all things necessary are contained in them, but not expressed, as the baptism of infants, and original sin, yet are distinctly and demonstratively inferred out of them: and so are all things that belong to faith or obedience, whatsoever we are either to believe or to practise. 
Luc. 16, 29.  Abraham saith to the rich man, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them: if they hear not them, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. He understandeth hereby the writings of the old Testament: these he opposeth against all visions and revelations, as we also do against all traditions: these, these I say are sufficient to bring us to Christ, to salvation, to heaven. These are sufficient to keep us from hell and destruction, and every evil way. Wherefore, whatsoever belongeth to doctrine or to good life, is found in them, we have direction by them to all things whatsoever belong unto us to do. It is the commendation of a good Law to leave as little undecided and undetermined, and out of the compass of the Law as is possible. Such as write of the government of Commonwealths do give this rule, that it behoveth these rules that are well made, 
Arist. 1 be● li. ● 1. cap. 4.  as near as may be to determine of all things, and to leave as few as they can to the arbitrement and discretion of the judges. Men are oftentimes passionate, & passions hinder judgement and the finding out of truth. The jews, to whom were committed the Oracles of God, were directed by them in the least things they had to do. Our estate is not left worse than theirs, who, beside the same direction that they had, have also the noble addition of the new Testament, which were written that we might believe, and in believing have everlasting life, john 20, 31.  
Secondly, this doctrine serveth to direct & inform the Ministers what to teach & preach Use 2 unto the people, and the people what to believe, wherein to rest, whereupon to build their faith, and to settle their conscience. The matter given them in charge to deliver and commend to the care and consideration of the hearers, is the word of God. They are to teach nothing else, but what Christ their Lord and Master hath commanded to be observed, Mat. 28, 20. We must follow the example of Paul, 1, Cor. 11, 23, who delivered nothing to the Corinthians, but what he had received of the Lord. If they strike at sin any otherwise, their weapon is not sharp enough to cut it down; for whereas they should draw out the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 
Eph. 6, 17.  they give it a blow with a leaden dagger: and whereas they should overthrow it with the push of a pike, they run at it with a bulrush. It is the word that is mighty in operation, and entereth into the soul, & is able to cast down every thing that exalteth itself against the kingdom & knowledge of jesus Christ. It is the word only that is the food of the soul, and is able to afford wholesome nourishment. Let us not teach the people our own devices, which is, to feed thenwith chaff that hath no strength in it. Let us deal as workmen that need not be ashamed, dividing the word of truth aright. 
2 Tim. 2.  And concerning the people, they must not affect such teaching as is most plausible, but such as is most profitable: not that which may please the ear, but that which may move the heart. The end of our coming to the house of God, must not be to delight ourselves, but to reform our lives. Neither ought we so much to attend what learning they show, as what sin they reprove, that so we may come to repentance. The more they open our understandings by the key of the Scriptures, the better we are to account of them.  
Thirdly, it serveth to reprove those that Use 3 do rush headlong & headstrong in their actions and course of life, not caring what they do, as desperate men that fear not their flesh, or as foolish Mariners, that run their Ship upon the Rocks, and never ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord. If any ask how this may be done? 
●ct.  and say, we desire nothing more than to know the mind of the Lord: but how can this be, seeing he is in heaven, and we are upon the earth? I answer, 
●●●●er.  it is not hard or unpossible for us to consult with God, and to resolve as from God, and to know his will. We must search into his word; for he yet speaketh unto us in the Scriptures. When the word speaketh, know that God speaketh unto thee: and set it down with thyself as a certain truth that is surer than the heavens, that when thou hearest the word, thou hearest him: and whensoever thou despisest the word, thou despisest him. The Scripture is as the voice of God, and therefore the Prophets so often repeat this to the people in all their sermons, 
● 1, 4, & 22 ●d 23.2.  Hear ye the word of the Lord, thus saith the Lord. A man will not adventure upon a temporal possession, without the advice of his learned counsel: nor a sick person upon strange meats, without the advice of his Physician. How then shall we dare, in matters that concern our souls, and may put us in hazard of our salvation, to undertake sundry actions without knowledge of the word, and so without warrant & assurance whether they please God?  
Hence it is, that God oftentimes reproveth his people, because they did that which he had not commanded: & the Prophets charge them with this as a sin against him, because they entered upon those things whereof he had not spoken, and which never entered into his heart, as jer. 7, 31, 32. They have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. And to that purpose saith the Prophet Esay, chap. 30, verse 2. They walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, etc.  
Neither let any object, that this is spoken in matters of great weight and importance, as in points of faith, or of the worship of God, without which a man cannot be saved, and which the word in other places hath determined: for this were great injury to the word of God, to pin it and pound it up in so narrow a corner, & so short a compass, that it should be able to direct us only in the chief & principal points of our religion, and not in matters of lesser moment of our profession. This doth mightily shrink up the sinews of the Scripture, and bind up the arms of it, which otherwise extend far and near. Remember that in the book of joshua, 
●. 9, 14.  the children of Israel are charged by the Prophet, that they asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord, when they entered into covenant with the Gibeonites: and yet that covenant was not made contrary to any commandment of the Lord. For howsoever it seemeth to many, that they ought to have been put to the sword, and to have died the death, because they were in the number of those Nations that dwelled in the inheritance of the people of God, promised to Abraham and his posterity long before: yet if the matter be well considered, it will not be hard to understand, that with condition of yielding themselves to the subjection of the jews, and of conformity to the true religion of God, they might be received. For what was the cause that they were forbidden to enter into league with them, but this, that they dwelling among them, might draw them to a false worship of God? 
Deut. 20, 18.  Lest they teach you to do after all their abominations which they have done unto their gods, so should ye sin against the Lord your God. But when they offered to yield themselves to the jewish, both religion and subjection, there was no fear of defiling them, or of withholding and withdrawing them from the service of God.  
True it is, if they did resist or withstand them, as the greatest part of the Canaanites did, who came out to meet them, and provoked them to battle, and were so far from submitting themselves to God & his people, that they stirred up one another, and joined their forces together to stand out unto death; it was not lawful to spare either sex or age, either women or children, either young or old. If it had been utterly unlawful, and against the express word of God to make any league with any of the Canaanites, joshua and his Princes had done wickedly to have kept their oath with them, after they had understood their fraud and falsehood; considering that all oaths made directly against the word of God and his express commandment, are utterly unlawful, and consequently to be broken, lest we add sin unto sin.  
The Spies also sent out by joshua 
josh. 2.  had done evil, which entered into a league with Rahab the harlot, and bound themselves with an oath: which oath notwithstanding was solemnly observed. Yea, Solomon had done evil, who in his best and flourishing state of his kingdom, received the Amorites, which voluntarily yielded themselves unto his obedience, and (that which is more) to the obedience of the Lord; who notwithstanding grew into one body of the Church of GOD with the people of Israel, 
1 Kin. 9, 20.  and joined themselves with them freely & forwardly in the restoring of the Temple. The like we might say of David, (whose example we touched before) albeit the LORD had expressly revealed in his word, that there should be a standing place, where the Ark of the Covenant should rest, and the Tabernacle with the service belonging unto it, should have a certain abiding; and albeit there was no express word of God that forbade him to build the Temple, yet the LORD reproveth his resolution, albeit he commendeth his zeal and good affection, because he had given no commandment concerning the person that should build it, 2, Samuel, chapter 7, verse 7; or the time when it should be builded.  
So then, we learn by all these examples, as well by such as did against the commandment, as by those that did attempt and adventure upon things without a commandment, that they are justly reproved, that never regard the word of God in any of their ways, neither ask counsel at his mouth, that never consider what GOD alloweth and approveth, but rashly break into the practice of things incident to their life, and yet have no other guide to lead them, nor counsellor to advise them, nor teacher to instruct them, nor warrant to bear them out, otherwise then their own mind and meaning, which in matters of God, and parts of his worship are blind and perverse. Ask these men what approbation they have from God; or what assurance to their own consciences that they please him, they are able to say nothing at all. Let me tell these men, that which I would have them mark, and oftentimes to think on it upon their beds, even between the Lord and their own souls, as they will answer it before the great judge of all the world, when they shall appear before him; that whatsoever you do, though they be good things, yet to you that are ignorant, and know not what you do, to you it is a sin, and in you it is no virtue. It is a notable duty to hear the word of God, it is one mark of Christ's sheep, and one step into his kingdom: but if ye come to this ordinance of God, 
Ezek. 33, 31.  as the people commonly use to come, only to do as your honest neighbours do, and because the law requireth it, & have no other knowledge of it, your hearing is abominable in you, and no more pleasing in the sight of almighty God, then if you should cut off a dogs neck to offer unto him, Esay 66, 3.  
We are commanded to come often to the holy Supper of the Lord, and to prepare ourselves reverently and religiously to that action. It is a worthy instrument of God which he hath ordained for the confirmation of our faith, & many of us come often unto it, all of us at Easter; but if we come unto it only because it is a common custom so to do, and we are loath to be singular, and know not that both God commandeth the practice of it, and our own infirmity crieth out for the necessity of it, his table is made a snare unto us, and we sin against Christ: so that we receive no more benefit by eating the bread and drinking of the cup of the Lord, than the Gentiles that were partakers of the table of devils, 
1 Cor. 10, 21.  and did drink the cup of devils, and did offer sacrifice unto Devils.  
Woe then to all ignorant persons, that take upon them to perform duty and service unto God, and yet know not what duty & service he requireth at their hands. Oh that they would or could understand, that the best works which they do perform, even such as God commandeth, are no better than sins and abominations in them, that do they know not what, as blind men that shoot at a mark. Oh, that they would or could pray unto God to open their eyes, to see their own wretchedness, and to consider that the most holy parts of God's worship which they perform, are a sacrifice of fools that know not that they do evil. Then would they learn the difference between things done in knowledge, and such as are done in ignorance: then would they praise GOD for the light of his truth revealed unto them: and then would they confess with all their hearts, that they would not stand in the former state wherein they lived, if an whole kingdom, or all the pomp and glory of the world were given unto them.  
To conclude, let them bear this away with them also, that God will not be served with good meanings or good intents, which is all that the greatest part can say for themselves, we are simple people, we are not book-learned, we mean well, we hope we have as good souls unto God, as the proudest of them all, we do what we can, we hope God will bear with the rest.  
This is the religion of such as think themselves devout, but is indeed the language of the devils. God respecteth not such foolish devotions, he requireth of all persons the knowledge of his word, as we shall show afterward, and he will be worshipped according to the knowledge thereof.  
The Apostle reproveth the jews for their zeal, a virtue that ought to be in all the faithful, forasmuch as God will spew all that are lukewarm out of his mouth: nevertheless he accepteth it not in them, because it was not according to knowledge. 
Rom. 10, 2  We must know what God alloweth, if we would have him allow & approve of us. If we regard not to know him, we may well assure ourselves that in the day of account he will not know us, but turn away his face from us.  
The second reproof 
The second reproof.  meeteth with all such as do things doubtfully and waveringly, not knowing whether they do well or ill: these do attempt things, either against their conscience, or without the comfort of a good conscience: and therefore, albeit it be good in it own nature which they do, and good in regard of the will of God, yet to them it is not so, because they are not assured by the word, whether it be lawful or unlawful, and therefore it is turned into sin. This is that which we heard before out of the Apostle, Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, Rom. 14, 23. All such need not another to condemn them, they condemn themselves in that which they do.  
The unfaithful and unregenerate man sinneth in every thing he doth, even in his best actions. We must please god before any of our works can please him. The Apostle saith, Unto the pure, all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled, Tit. 1, 15. And S. james in his Epistle, chap. 1, 7, 8. He that wavereth, is like a wave of the sea driven with wind and tossed: for let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord; a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Wherefore it standeth us upon, 
●eral rules direct our ●ons.  to consider the three general rules set down by S. Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans, chap. 14, to direct us in all our actions.  
First, he is happy that condemneth not himself in the use of those things which he knoweth to be lawful. This concerneth those that are strong. 
●n. 14, 22.  This is a golden rule, and a great honour & happiness of Christian men, that their own consciences do not accuse them to allow and admit of that which they judge not to be good and lawful. They know by due trial and examination, that the same which they do, agreeth with the word of God so that they are assured to build upon the rock. Though all men should accuse them and condemn them, yet their conscience grounded upon the word of God, would acquit & discharge them, which cannot but give an inward peace and sweet contentment to their souls. This the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 1, 12. Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, etc. To the same purpose job speaketh, chap. 27, 6. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Likewise john in his first Epistle, saith, I four heart condemn us, 
●oh. 3, 20, 21.  God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things: beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. This comfort of a good conscience they cannot but want, which doubt whether that which they do, please God or not; they are far from this happiness which the Apostle pronounceth upon such as know well, and are thoroughly assured what they do: the rest are like drunken men that stagger & reel too and fro, & cannot keep themselves upright upon their feet.  
Secondly, no man must do any thing with a doubtful conscience, for such a one woundeth his own conscience, & offendeth God. The Apostle saith, He that doubteth, is condemned if he eat, 
●m. 14, 23.  because he eateth not of faith. He that is not persuaded that it pleaseth GOD which he doth, cannot direct it to his glory. Every work that cometh short of his end, is sin: and therefore Abraham is commended, that he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, Rom. 4, 20. This rule belongeth to those that are weak, who waver up and down in their opinions, like a ship that tottereth hither and thither in a tempest. Woe unto such, they need no other witness or judge against themselves, but themselves. They do many good things that do displease GOD, which would please him, if they were well and rightly done. If then thou wouldst have any fruit and comfort in those things which thou dost, inform thy conscience aright, be persuaded thoroughly of that which thou dost, and build thy faith upon the sure and infallible rock of God.  
Thirdly, whatsoever proceedeth not from faith, is a sin committed against God, and condemneth him that doth it, forasmuch as without faith, it is unpossible to please God. 
Hebr. 11, 6.  Outward shows and appearances, though they be never so pompous and glorious, are not respected of him: he inquireth whether those things we do, proceed from true obedience, & whether we believe by the word that they are required of God, and so please him. This last rule engendereth two other: first, whatsoever proceedeth from pure naturals is unpure, and whatsoever cometh from the force of our free will, is sin in the sight of God. Such as the fountain is, such are the streams: as the root is, so are the branches: like mother, like daughters: like cause, like effects. Doth a spring send forth out of the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the figgetree bear Olive berries, 
jam. 3, 12. Math 7, 18.  either a vine, figs? A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Secondly, all the virtues and actions of the infidels and unbelievers, albeit in regard of themselves and the substance of the works, and as they are the gifts of God, they be not evil, but good: yet in the judgement of God they are sins. The whole life of unbelievers and unregenerate men is nothing else but a whole practice of sin in a continued course without stay or interruption from the beginning to the ending, 
August. in Psal. 31. et epist. 105  but they are like those that run a great pace out of the way. They may do many things beautiful in show, but they are more in show, then in substance: in appearance, then in deed and truth. All their virtues are shadows, and therefore called by one of the fathers, splendida peccata, beautiful sins. 
August. de civit. dei.  They lay an evil foundation, & have a wrong beginning, they do them without faith: and they also propound to themselves an evil end, as either vain glory to be esteemed of others, or the merit of the work, that they may be rewarded of God, and do not refer them to his glory. But not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth, 2 Cor. 10, 18. Who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, & then shall every man have praise of God, 1 Cor. 4, 5. Wherefore all their works are as the apples of Sodom, which are fair in outward appearance, and yet are rotten and corrupt. So may unbelievers do sundry works that are beautiful in outward show, but they are like unto painted sepulchres, which appear glorious to the sight, but they are within full of dead men's bones, and all uncleanness. For their heart, which God especially beholdeth and searcheth, is foul & filthy, and can no otherwise be made clean, then as it is purified by faith.  
Let all men therefore take knowledge of their natural condition, that they are of themselves abominable, and to every good work, reprobate, until they be borne again, and regenerate by the Spirit of God.  
The third reproof 
The third reproof.  is of such, as notwithstanding the necessity of the word to direct our actions, which without the light of it to shine in our hearts cannot please God, yet regard not the knowledge of it, but contemn both it, and the means that lead us the way unto it. This is an horrible sin to forsake our own salvation, and as it were to cut our own throats, or to cast ourselves wilfully into the midst of the seas. It is a grievous sin to be ignorant of the Law of God, not to know what he commandeth, or what he forbiddeth: but it is more fearful to despise knowledge offered, and so as it were to despite the Spirit of grace: what remaineth for such, but a fearful looking for of judgement and indignation, which shall devour the adversaries? Heb. 10, 27. Such can have no comfort or consolation in any of their actions. For as the eye is the light of the body, and directeth the rest of the members in all things they go about, or else the feet might carry them into some pit of destruction: so is the word of GOD our Lamp or Candle, 
Psal. 119, 105.  whereby we see how to walk and direct ourselves into the way of peace; we know what we ought to do, and from what to refrain. And as the body runneth violently into an heap of dangers where the eye is blind, and can perceive nothing, until it fall headlong into them: so is it with such as regard not the knowledge of the scriptures, but say unto GOD, as may appear by their practice, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, job 21, 14. This world is as a wilderness full of Lions, Bears, Tigers, and other ravenous and venomous beasts; or as a sea standing out with rocks & replenished with quicksands. We can no sooner step out of doors, but we shall be assaulted one way or other, nay we ourselves are temptations unto ourselves. For rather than we should lack tempters, we tempt ourselves, like unto a State, that wanting foreign enemies, falleth out within themselves, and by civil wars destroy one another. So is it with us, when we are free from open enemies, we become enemies to ourselves. If then we want the guidance and governance of the word, we are in danger to be overcome, and to take the foil. Our Saviour willeth us as we heard before, to search the Scriptures, because in them we think to have eternal life: and therefore without the knowledge of them, we deceive ourselves if we dream of eternal life. So in another place he maketh the ignorance of them, to be the cause of all evil and error in judgement, as Mark 12, verse 24. Are ye not therefore deceived, because ye know not the Scriptures?  
Object. But some peradventure will say, it belongeth to the Ministers only to search them: it is their office to look into them.  
I answer, Answer. it is a duty belonging unto all persons to know them. Christ exhorted the people to search them. It is required of all to have them dwell in them plentifully, Colossians 3.  
If we would be preserved from error, we must know them: if we desire salvation, we must search them: if we would be able to resist the temptations of Satan, we must be armed with them. They are as the will and Testament of Christ, whereby he hath bequeathed unto us an heavenly inheritance, and a most rich possession, and therefore it behoveth us to read the will, to know how we hold it. Thou wilt object, Object. they are hard, and I am simple: they may lead me into errors, as many have fallen into strange opinions by reading of them. Art thou simple, them thou art the rather bound to read them, for they were written, Answer. 
Prou. 1, 4.  to give unto the simple sharpness of wit; and to the child knowledge and discretion. The whole Church is commanded this duty, both jews & Gentiles; were there no simple men and women among them? Neither oughtest thou to be afraid to be led by them into error; for they were written to preserve thee from error, and to lead thee into all truth. It is the unstable that wrist them to their own destruction. Read them with humility, with reverence, and prayer. Be thou lowly in thine own eyes, and take heed of a proud spirit: be conversant in them with reverence, 
Esay 66, ●.  & learn to tremble at his word: crave the assistance of God's Spirit to guide thee, and to open thine eyes that thou mayest understand his secrets; and thou shalt not need to stand in fear of being carried into error. And touching the hardness of them, be not discouraged from the reading of them. Some things indeed are hard to be understood, but there is nothing hard in one place, but it is made easy in another, and it shall he made easy to us by diligent meditation in them.  
Besides, all things that are necessary to salvation are plainly set down, that the people may understand them. It is the lying spirit of the devil in the false Prophets of Antichrist that crieth out, The Scriptures are hard and full of knots; the people may not read them. Believe not every spirit, 
2 Thes 2, 3.  but try the spirits whether they be of God or not, for many false Prophets are gone into the world, 1 john 4, verse 1. They are blind leaders of the blind: they play fast and lose with the people, as jugglers do with the simple, and cast a mist before their eyes, that they should not espy them. They lead them into error, and then take the light from them, whereby they might be convinced.  
It is the great policy of that great Antichrist, and man of sin, not only to forbid the reading of our books, but the free use of God's book. Let that once have a free passage, and none is so simple, but he may soon discover a pack of devices, who are wise in their generation: and therefore they suffer none to read it but such as it pleaseth them. Separate some time to this purpose, and thou shalt quickly see that to be most true which I say unto thee.  

●ct.  If thou wilt say unto me, I cannot read the Scriptures, I was never brought up unto it.  

●er.  Be it so; yet do not allege this to excuse thy ignorance, or to shift off from thee the knowledge of them; forasmuch as every one must know the Scriptures. Recompense that want by much study and often meditation. Let not the love of the world thrust out of thy head & heart, the cogitation of better things. Many that cannot read, are more prompt and ready in the Scriptures, than such as have that gift. God will bless them that endeavour to know him and his word, and will one way or other supply their wants. 
● 6, 6.  Such as hunger & thirst after knowledge, shall be satisfied and replenished. Acknowledge this want mourn for it, and if it be possible (though thou be old) learn to read. It is never too late to begin to do well: the benefit will easily make amends for the time bestowed upon it. Few there are, but every year spend more time in vain, either in gross idleness, or in much sleep, or in vain company, or in unnecessary cares for the world, which might this way be better employed and redeemed. The mind is all in all, it is not any hardness in the matter itself that should discourage us. He that hath once determined to do it, hath overcome the difficulty of it which standeth in resolving and hath more than half attained unto it. But if we cannot or will not strive to come to this gift, we must know that ignorance shall excuse no person: and he that knoweth not his master's will cannot escape, 
●e 12, 48.  he shall be beaten. If there be no knowledge of God in the Land, he hath a controversy against it, and will cause it to mourn: if it will not lament for their own ignorance, he will make them lament for the judgements that shall fall upon them, Hos. 4, 1, 2.  
But we cannot plead ignorance through want of means, we have the means and are weary of them, as Israel was of Manna; we make account of it as a light meat, and are wilfully blinded: we have the light among us, & yet shut our eyes, that we should not see.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is needful for us to be careful to take profit by reading the Scriptures, that so we may have direction in all our ways, and learn how to please GOD, and to abstain from all things that do displease him. It is not the bare having of the Scriptures with us in our houses, or a naked reading in them by ourselves, without farther consideration, that will serve to direct us in all the actions of our life, but there is farther required of us an applying of them, & an edifying of ourselves by them, that it may be seen how we profit in them. This duty hath many particular parts or branches belonging unto it. 
Branches of this use.   
First of all, we must have recourse unto God the Author of the Scriptures, he only is able to unlock them, and so to bring us into the secret chamber of his presence. We ought to pray unto him earnestly, that he would vouchsafe to teach us the way of his statutes, to give us sound understanding of his will, & to direct us in the paths of his commandments. We see this by the practice of the Prophet David, Psal. 119, 
Psal. 119, 18.  who craveth oftentimes to have his eyes opened to behold the mysteries of his words, and the wondrous things of his law. Our eyes naturally are shut, and we cannot conceive them, which are spiritually discerned.  
Secondly, we must keep such order in the reading of them, as may stand with our calling and state of life, and take all opportunity to do it. It were to be wished, that we would set apart some part of every day to be employed in this exercise, that so we might read over the whole Scriptures oftentimes: and if at any time we be hindered by necessary occasions, which happen to us without our searching of them, to redeem the time afterward, 
Eph. 5, 16.  and so to recompense that which we have left undone. This is an holy restitution much pleasing unto God.  
Thirdly, we must understand to what ends and uses the Scriptures were written. They were penned to teach, that we may learn the truth: to improve, that we may be kept from error: to correct, 
2 Tim. 3, 16. Rom. 15, 4.  that we may be driven from vice: to instruct, that we may be settled in the way of well-doing: and to comfort, that in trouble we may be confirmed in patience & hope of an happy issue.  
Fourthly, we are to remember, that the Scriptures contain matter, concerning all sorts of persons and things, which may be reduced to five heads.  
First, touching religion and the right worshipping of God: they teach how to serve him, and what to believe touching God, and touching mankind: That he is one in essence, and three in persons. Touching ourselves, that by creation we were made good, holy, and righteous. By our fall, we are become wretched by reason of sin, and not able to think one good thought, or to stir one foot forward to the kingdom of Heaven. By regeneration we are borne again, and made the sons of God by adoption, and by faith we lay hold on Christ, our wisdom, our sanctification, our righteousness, 
1 Cor. 1, 30.  our redemption. Touching the Church, we are instructed by them, that it is the company of the faithful that have been from the beginning: we are led also by them to know the two Sacraments, and what to believe of the general judgement that shall be of the godly and ungodly.  
Secondly, they inform us touching kingdoms and commonwealths, and touching the duties of Magistrates and Subjects, how the one ought to rule, and the other to obey: and neither the one nor the other do their duties for conscience, till the word inform them.  
Thirdly, they handle matters touching families and household affairs, in which are the husband: and wife, parents and children, masters a●d servants: no duty required of them is omitted, but contained in them.  
Fourthly, touching the private life of every particular person, how to behave ourselves in wisdom and folly, in love and hatred, in sobriety and incontinency, touching mirth & sorrow, speech and silence, humility & pride, to embrace the one, and fly from the other.  
Fiftly, touching the common life of all men, we learn in them how to lead our lives in every estate, whether we be rich or poor, whether we be high or low; we can be in no estate, but we shall find sufficient store of heavenly precepts and examples to teach us the way wherein we are to walk.  
Lastly, we must have the doctrine of the Scriptures plentifully dwelling in us, not in the mouth, but seated in the heart: that we may be able to stand in the truth, to continue unto the end, to rise up being fallen. We are every hour subject to be tempted of the devil: his temptations are many and strong: he is an expert and experienced captain: he looketh where we are weakest: he is a spy that cometh to search and see the nakedness of our souls. And therefore we must be able to draw out the spiritual sword put into our hands upon every occasion, that we may put him to flight. This is the way to resist him: this is the way to overcome him, jam. 4. We have the example of our Lord jesus Christ, the head of his Church, he said, It is written: he handled this sword at every tentation, 
Math. 4, 4.  to teach us to furnish ourselves plentifully with the doctrine thereof, that so we may remember to apply the same to every present purpose.   

17. And these were the sons of Levi, by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.  
18. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon, by their families: Libni, and Shimei.  
19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Vzziel.  
20. And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli, and Mushi: these are the families of the Levites, according to the house of their fathers.  
Hitherto we have spoken of that numbering of the Levites which is general; the particular followeth, which is both propounded and concluded: the former beginning here, continueth to the end of the 37, verse: the latter is comprised in the 38, and 39, verses. This particular reckoning up of the Levites is performed, by setting down such sons or issue, as were begotten immediately of Levi himself: then such as descended of his sons: and lastly, such as proceeded of his sons sons. The sons of Levi were three in number, Gershon, Kohath, & Merari, Gen. 46, 11. 
Exod. 6, 16  These are described according to the number of their families: so that of Gershon, came two families, the Libnites, and the Shimeits. Of Kohath came four families, the Amramites, the Izeharites, the Hebronites, and the Vzzielites. Of Merari were spread two families, the Mahlites, and the Mushites.  
In this division is laid down before us a description of the genealogy or generation of the Tribe of Levi, by their names and by their families: wherein is set down, both what children Levi had, and what were his children's children: insomuch that many did spring and spread themselves as branches out of that root. This we also find set down afterward, chap. 26, 
Numb. 26, ●  and in other places of the word of God: and yet it may seem unto some very unprofitable, and to minister little or no instruction at all to the Church of God. Besides, the Scripture speaking of Genealogies, doth oftentimes call them endless, and fruitless, and brand them with this note, to minister occasion of strife and contention, rather than of godly edifying, which is in love, 1 Tim. 1, 4, and Tit. 1, 4, and 3, 9 But we must know that the Apostle condemneth not all Genealogies, 
All Gene●gies not condemned.  forasmuch as the Scriptures are full of them, and the jews kept public and private records of their tribes and families, Numb. 1, 18. Nehem. 7, 62. This was observed until the desolation of the City and the Temple. Paul was able to prove himself of the stock of Israel, 
Phil 3, 5.  of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew, of the Hebrews, by lineal descent, if any had doubted of it. The first book of the Chronicles is full of such genealogies; so is Ezra and Nehemiah, and few historical books of the old Testament without them. Hence it is, that the Apostle joineth foolish Questions and Genealogies together: where he condemneth not the moving of every question, in handling the word, or conferring of it; for both Christ asked his Disciples many things, Mat. 16. and there are many questions godly and profitable, whereof we may inquire and reason, which breed sound knowledge, wholesome instruction, and fruitful edification to the hearers. He is marked out as with a note of folly, that rashly and headily believeth every thing, Prou. 14, 15. And therefore the questions that are to be suppressed, he calleth foolish questions, that is, idle, superfluous, vain, and unnecessary, serving to no use or profit.  
The same title, as a brand set upon the head of them, is to be stretched also to Genealogies, foolish genealogies must be stayed, such as are of no moment, such as serve to nourish vain glory, and serve not to the benefit of the faith of the Church. But such as the Scripture setteth down, are very profitable, sometimes to teach us the accomplishment of God's promises, sometimes to give light to other Scriptures, sometimes to show the continuance of the Church, from age to age, sometimes to discover the enemies of true religion which often drive it into a corner of the world, and sometimes to manifest the true Messiah, that the sceptre departed not from judah till his appearing. But to omit this, here we are to consider and to compare the curse of jacob, with the blessings that we see descend upon this tribe. Simeon and Levi, instruments of cruelty in the destruction of the Sichemites, have an heavy curse laid upon them by their father, Gen. 49. Yet God raised out of the same these honourable families, and turned the curse into a blessing, as he promised to that tribe, for their zeal in destroying the idolaters. 
doctrine 1. ●od chooseth ●eake and ● likely ●eanes ma● times.  We learn from hence, that God many times chooseth his servants, as his instruments to bring worthy things to pass, even out of low and mean degrees. He chooseth weak means and unlikely in the eyes of the world, and maketh them his instruments to work his will.  
This doth Hannah confess; she was contemned and reproached by her adversary, which caused her in the anguish and bitterness of her soul, to pray to the Lord: but having experience of his mercy toward her, she saith, The Lord maketh rich, 
Sam 2.6, 7, ●  and maketh poor: he bringeth low, and lifteth up: he raiseth up the poor out of the dust, & lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among Princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory. So he dealt with joseph, he brought him out of prison, and lifted up his head above the Princes of Egypt, Gen. 41.40. Thus he speaketh to the Israelites, Deut. 7.7, 8. and putteth them in mind of their natural condition: The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number then any people, (for ye were the fewest of all people) but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. The like doth the blessed Virgin confess, Luke 1.48. 
Luke 1.48.49. and 2.8. ●oh 7.46.  He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed: for he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is his Name. She was a poor despised handmaid in Israel, yet chosen to be the mother of Christ. The Apostles were many of them taken from base trades, & other from ignominious offices: some were fishermen, called as they were mending their nets: Matthew was one of the Publicans, which were contemned of the people of Israel; yet God made them master builders of his Church, and appointed them to lay the foundation, and so had the highest and chiefest place of honour and preferment, to be made planters of Churches throughout the whole world. God therefore useth when it pleaseth him, persons of inferior place and condition to effect great and mighty things.  
And, why should it not be so? forasmuch as Reason 1 all things are ruled and ordered by his providence, he disposeth of them in his wisdom, as seemeth good unto himself, for the pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath set the world upon them, 1 Sam. 2.8. All the frame of heaven is whirled about the poles: this is the order that God hath set, and who is able to alter it? whatsoever things come to pass in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, are all the works of his hands, he setteth up, and pulleth down at his own appointment, and who shall be able to control them?  
Secondly, in the choice of simple and untoward Reason 2 means, such as have little or no force in them, his glory is most of all seen. Now, he will maintain his own glory, and will have it acknowledged and magnified of his creatures, and requireth that he which glorieth, should glory in him, as 1 Cor. 1.29. he will have no flesh glory in his presence, 
jere. 9.23.  neither the rich man in his riches, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wise man in his wisdom, but let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord. So then, he chooseth foolish things before the wise, & weak things to confound the mighty, and base things of the world, to bring to nought things that are, because he hath respect to the manifestation and setting forth of his own glory.  
Thirdly, we are not to marvel that God Reason 3 maketh such a choice of his instruments, which carnal men might account an evil and ungrounded choice; because he respecteth the heart, and not the outward appearance. 
2 Chr. 28.4, 5.  When David the least, and so the most unlikely both in his father's family, and in the eyes of the judgement of men, was anointed to be king, & chosen as he followed the Ewes great with young, to feed his people in jacob, and his inheritance in Israel, the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on the countenance of the eldest, nor on the height of his stature, 
1 Sam. 16.7.  because I have refused him: for the Lord seethe not as man seethe: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Thus than we may conclude, that God raiseth up weak instruments to honour him, and employeth them to serve him in the works to which it pleaseth him to fit them.  
Let us therefore make some uses of this Use 1 Doctrine, which serve unto us for great profit. First of all, it ministereth great comfort to such as are poor, and of low degree: for albeit men contemn them, and disgrace them; albeit they are ready to tread them under their feet, and thrust them to the wall; albeit they be hissed at in the streets, and oppressed by the mighty, yet God vouchsafeth to respect them, and in great mercy to look upon them. This we see in our spiritual estate and condition. What are we but a mass of sin, the children of wrath and condemnation? yet God vouchsafeth to elect us, and call us by his grace to the knowledge of his truth from our natural life, led in the time of our ignorance. It was the mercy of God to call David from the sheepefolds, and from following the Ewes great with young, Psal. 78. But it was a greater mercy to call us from the greatest bondage and slavery that ever was, bound faster than with chains of iron, which giveth us no time to rest or breath, or feed, or sleep, but setteth upon us continually day and night. This thraldom is worse than that of Egypt, it is endless, intolerable, deadly, and without intermission. What an honour and dignity than doth God do unto us, who were strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us, to deliver us from this captivity, and to bring us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God? Our perdition is of ourselves, Hos. 13.9. but our salvation is of the Lord, revel. 7.10. He will not give his glory to any other: 
● 42.8.  and therefore let not us ascribe it unto ourselves, or to any creature, but magnify the goodness of the Creator, who is blessed for evermore. We are raised up from the greatest misery to the greatest glory, as the lowest ebb hath the highest tide; and therefore let us show all thankfulness and obedience unto him. 
●●t. 9.4.  Before the children of Israel entered into the land of promise, he gave them warning and a watchword, that they should not say in their hearts, nor speak it with their mouths, that it was for their own righteousness they were brought into Canaan: and shall we think, that we are delivered from the slavery of sin and Satan, and made the freemen of jesus Christ, by our own deserts, and so give the glory of our salvation to ourselves? Let this be far from us, even as far as he hath removed our transgressions from us. So then, 
●l. 103.12.  here is matter of great comfort, that our sins are forgiven us, and though the remnants of them remain in us, yet they have received their deaths wound, and shall in the end utterly die in us. And in the mean season, while we bear about with us the body of this sin, 
●m. 8.9.  the Lord calleth us spiritual, and esteemeth us according to his grace, not according to our corruption. If there be one spark of grace, and one drop of faith, as a grain of mustard seed, God acknowledgeth us to be his; 
umb. 23.21.  he seethe none iniquity in jacob, he beholdeth no transgression in Israel. He that is evil can see nothing in God's servants but evil; if sin be in them, Satan will charge them, that sin reigneth in them. It is otherwise with God, he judgeth not of us by the relics of sin, but by the beginning of grace. If we have the first fruits of the new man in us, the remnants of the old man shall not hurt us. Satan would persuade us we are wholly carnal, because we are in part unregenerate: but God receiveth us as his children, and accounteth us his Saints, because we are in part sanctified; so that we have hence exceeding comfort, that of such base slaves of all sin, he vouchsafeth to accept of us, passing by what we are by nature, and acknowledging us as we stand by faith.  
Secondly, considering what instruments Use 2 God maketh choice off, in his service, they that are rich in this world, ought not to despise the poor, neither yet the high those that are set in low places, who indeed are most subject to contempt. This the Apostle james 
jam. 2.5, 6.  inferreth, Chap. 2. Harken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom? but ye have despised the poor, etc. This is to cross the proceed of God, and to set ourselves against him, casting down those whom he lifteth up, and lifting up those whom he casteth down. This falleth out many ways: First, when they are afflicted & persecuted by the mighty men of the world. Our poor brethren before us had woeful and lamentable experience of this point, who suffered for the religion of Christ, for the defence of the Gospel, for the profession of their faith, and the testimony of a good conscience. This Christ foretold, Matth. 10.22. Thus the Apostles found it, and such as followed them, and believed their doctrine, had no better entertainment: for the world is always like itself, we shall never prove it to be any changeling. An enemy it was to the saving knowledge of the word, an enemy it is at this present, and an enemy it will be in the ages to come,  
Secondly when the rich men of this world deal hardly and harshly with them, in the affairs of this life, wring and wresting from them unconscionably, and deceitfully what they can. This is forbidden in the Law, Leuit. 25.14. If thou sell aught unto thy neighbour, or buyest aught of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another. And the Apostle in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, 
1 Thes. 4.6.  Let no man overreach or defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such.  
Thirdly, 
Esay 3.15.  when they waste and were out their bodies with toilsome labours unrewarded, as the Egyptians did deal with the Israelites: and as the Apostle james complaineth at large, Chap. 5. that the rich lived in pleasures on the earth, and fatted themselves as in a day of slaughter, 
jam. 5.4.  and kept back the hire of the labourers by fraud that reaped their fields.  
Fourthly, we must consider that the elect are not always eased of the burden of poverty, but it lieth heavy sometimes upon them, that God may try their patience, and others benevolence. God maketh them objects of our pity, and therefore he will not have all to be aloft. Our Saviour teacheth, 
Matth 26.11.  that the poor we must always have with us. The love and favour of God must not be measured by the deceitful rule of outward things. He maketh the poor oftentimes to be rich in faith, and heirs to a kingdom, while he sendeth the rich empty away.  
Are we then in want? and do we stand in need of the things of this life? we must take up our cross willingly, and follow our master cheerfully; 
●th. 8.20.  he saith, The Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath no where to lay his head. We are by Christ made heirs of glory, let us by faith wait for that inheritance, which shall abundantly supply all our wants.  
Fiftly, let those that have this world's good, look to themselves, that they be not highminded, 
●m. 6.9, 10.  neither trust in uncertain riches, 1 Tim. 6. God can make them low when it pleaseth him, and therefore they are not to advance themselves above their brethren. He can lay their honour in the dust, and make all their glory vanish away, as the flower of the grass: and therefore let him that is rich, rejoice in that he is made low, jam. 1.10.  
Lastly, let us not have the faith of Christ in respect of persons, neither esteem of the religion of Christ by outward things, as the greatest sort do. Who are judged (by such indeed as want judgement) to be in the best case, but such as flow in wealth and abound in riches? who are most admired, and accounted the only men of the world, and set before us as examples and precedents in all things to be followed, 
●al. 17.14.  but such as have their portion in this life, whose bellies the Lord filleth with his hid treasures, and they leave the rest of their substance to their babes? To do as they do, to live as they live, to love as they love, is made as the star, by which all should sail and guide the ship. If they be irreligious, and no fear of God before their eyes, others take this as a good warrant to themselves to be contemners of holy things also. If they think scorn to attend upon the ordinance of God, and to be conscionable hearers of his word, it were no good manners for the meaner sort to go before their betters, and to be more forward than they.  
Thus are men become partial judges, when they account such as carry the greatest pomp and show, to be the only religious men, and patterns for other to follow: by which means such as are religiosu indeed, grow vile and contemptible. Hence it is, that the Apostle james 
●am. 2.1.  saith, Chap. 2. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. The meaning is not, as if the higher places did, not pertain to the higher persons, and the chief rooms to the chiefest degrees among men; but that in matters of religion, we must not be carried away with a prejudicate opinion to cleave to those, and to their judgement that are mighty in the world, only because they are mighty; and to reject those and the truth which they profess, because they are poor and lowly in the eyes of the world.  
The persons of men, that is, the outward qualities of their birth or honour, or riches, must not set a bias upon our judgement to sway us that way, to conclude that they are of a false religion that are poor in this world; and contrariwise, that their religion must of necessity be sound, because they are great, or honourable, or wealthy, or noble, or prosper in the earth. This is a deceitful rule, and yet it is the square whereby the greatest sort measure all things. If they see a multitude follow one course in matters of faith, and run by heaps and throngs all one way, they also for company thrust in themselves among them, and conclude, that this must needs be the best way, because the most walk in that broad and beaten path: forgetting the commandment of God in the Law, 
Exod. 23.2.  Thou shall not follow a multitude to do evil: and the counsel of Christ in the Gospel, The gate is wide, and the way broad that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat, Matth. 7.13. Wherefore we must learn, that multitude is no note of true religion, nor riches, nor prosperity, nor glory, nor outward blessings: forasmuch as these are common to the godly and ungodly, to the believers, and to the infidels; The word of God must be our rule in this life, which shall be our judge in the life to come. This is no way partial, neither can it deceive any.  
Lastly, seeing persons weak and contemptible Use 3 in the world, are oftentimes highly regarded of God: it teacheth us to praise the Name of God for it, and to acknowledge it to be his gift, and to return him the glory, who out of the mouth of babes and sucklings ordaineth praise unto himself, Psal. 8.2. We see this in the song of Hannah, 1 Sam. 2.1. she prayed and praised the Lord, her heart was enlarged over her enemies, she rejoiced in his salvation. So in the song of the blessed Virgin, Luke 1. My soul magnifieth the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, for he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaid, etc. In like manner Christ gave thanks to his Father, that had hid the mysteries of his kingdom from the wise and prudent of the world, and revealed them to babes, Matth. 11.25. Thus doth it belong as a special duty unto us, whensoever we see these works of God (as if we open our eyes, and will not be blinded, we may daily see them) to adore them, and to magnify his power, and to praise his Name.  
This hath many particular branches. First, we must confess ourselves miserable by nature, and no good thing in us to raise up ourselves above others, being no way better than others. We cannot too far cast down ourselves, nor pull down the pride of this flesh that is ready to lift up itself against his Maker. We are a lump of earth, and worse than the bruit beasts▪ and the dust out of which we were taken. We are fallen from God, our excellency is gone.  
Secondly, whatsoever we have, it is his gift, we have received it at his hands, it cometh down from above: and therefore let us not glory, as if we had not received it, 1 Cor. 4.7.  
Thirdly, let us walk worthy of our calling, even of those mercies, which we have tasted, and acknowledge ourselves to be unworthy, of them. Then we are indeed thankful unto him, when we are dutiful unto him.  
Fourthly, let us be humble in our own eyes, and not boast of any thing in ourselves, or in our own merits, neither let us think ourselves worthy to be regarded of him. This is the way to stop the course of his mercies, to boast of our own merits. jacob did not so, he accounted himself less than all the mercies of God, and the truth which he had skewed unto his servant, Gen. 32.10. The Saints do all, and always, cast down themselves before him in true humility; whereas hypocrites are puffed up with the wind of their own conceits, and swell aloft like the Surges of the sea, as we see by the example of the Pharisee, Luk. 18.11. he gave thanks to God for fashion sake, but pride possessed his heart, and wrought in him the contempt of his brother, that was more righteous than he.  
Fiftly, from hence we may assure ourselves of greater mercies, and farther blessings. One mercy draweth on another, until they flock together on a heap. If we be thankful for lesser, we are assured of greater. They are as the first fruits that sanctify the whole. Paul having found by experience that God had oftentimes delivered him from present death, hath his confidence in him that he also will deliver him, 2 Cor. 1.10. This is as a sure staff to lean upon in all distress, to be assured that he is unchangeable, with whom is no shadow of turning; 
●n. 3.10.  he is said to repent of the evil that he hath spoken that he would do, and not to do it, but he repenteth not of the good that he showeth to his servants, forasmuch as whom he loveth, he loveth them to the end.  
Sixtly, let us keep a register of his blessings, and so settle them in our hearts, that we never forget them, but may thereby be provoked to set forth his praise. We cannot open our eyes in the day, nor think upon him in the night season, but we have innumerable testimonies of his love toward us. Let us not therefore be silent and hold our peace, but say to our own souls, with the Prophet, Psa. 103 1.2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name; bless the Lord, O my soul, & forget not all his benefits. Give him therefore the glory in all things, and let us provoke others to praise him, and tell of his wondrous acts. It is a sweet smelling sacrifice that God delighteth in, he smelleth the savour of it a far off, and is well pleased with it. This duty ought to be the continual practice of our life, it should arise with us in the morning, and lie down with us in the evening. We have received much from God's good hand, shall we return nothing to him again like the barren earth that yieldeth no increase? The waters that by secret conduits, or conveyances do come to the sea, return openly into it again, so that all men see it and behold it, how the rivers run into the sea, Eccle. 1.7. So the graces of God's Spirit as the waters of life, which God doth secretly convey into the hearts of the godly, ought publicly to have their recourse unto him again, by praise and thanksgiving. There is no great Lord that bestoweth any possession or tenement upon his tenant, but he reserveth some rent, to acknowledge the service and homage he oweth. God hath bestowed much upon us, we are all his Copyholders', we hold at the pleasure of our grand Lord: The rent that he hath reserved, is praise and thanksgiving: if we withhold this from him, and will not pay him, we have forfeited our estates, we have deserved to have all taken from us and seized into the Lords hands again, from whom they came.   

21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.  
22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them, were seven thousand and five hundred.  
23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle Westward.  
24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.  
25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon, in the Tabernacle, of the Congregation, shall be the Tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
26 And the hangings of the Court, and the Curtain for the door of the Court, which is by the Tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it, for all the service thereof.  
We have seen already the numbering up of the sons of Levi in general: and then in particular such as come immediately of his sons, whose posterity are farther set forth unto us in this division, and afterward, according to the three chief and principal families. Of all observe in general thus much, touching the order, that there are five points set down by Moses; First, the families are numbered that came of them. Secondly, the particular number of the persons is described. Thirdly, their place of abode is limited and appointed. Fourthly, the chief overseer, or superintendant of the house is named. Fiftly, their office and charge is assigned to every one, as it were a field in which they ought to labour, and as a garden in which they ought to plant.  
The truth of these things shall farther be opened unto us in each of them, in the families of the Gershonites, and in the families of the Kohathites, and in the families of the Merarites. Touching the Gershonites, they are described unto us in these words, from the 21. verse, to the 27. The families descended of Gershon are two, the Libnites, and the Shimeites in the 21. The persons amount in the whole to seven thousand and five hundred, in the 22. their mansion was behind the Tabernacle Westward, in the 23. the chief captain of them was Eliasaph, the son of Lael, in the 24. Lastly, their order and office was to carry the covering and the hangings of the Tabernacle, in the 25. verse. Thus we see, that things were not shuffled and confounded together, but every one of them knew their station. All things were not confusedly committed to all, but every one had his peculiar office and charge, which was as it were the vineyard that they were to dress. We learn from hence, 
doctrine 1. ●ery one the Church ●th his pro●r and pecu●r office.  that every one in the Church, both Minister and People, have their proper and peculiar charge different from other. The Lord did by precept distinguish not only between the calling of the Levites and the people, but between Levite & Levite. For the Levites were either called Priests, or by the common name of Levites which were not Priests. The Priests were either the high Priest, as Aaron the father, and Eleazar his son after him, etc. or such as were under him over the rest, as Eliasaph, the overseer of the Gershonites, or Elizaphan the overseer of the Kohathites, or Zuriel of the Merarites. Their office was publicly to teach, to pray, to offer sacrifice, and to keep the vessels of the Sanctuary. The office of the other Levites was to minister and serve the Priests in all things belonging to the discharge of their necessary duties. Thus God allotted to every one his several office to be as his standing place in the army, out of which he should not step forth one foot either to the right hand, or to the left. This appeareth most notably in the first book of the Chronicles, where David setteth a particular order among the families of this tribe, 
● Chro. 24 1. ●nd 25.1. and ●6. 1.  and sorteth out to every one his special charge, both for the Priests & Levites, who should be singers, who should be porters, who should have the charge of the treasures, and who should be appointed officers and judges. This appeareth more plainly in the new Testament, as, 1 Cor. 12.28.29. God hath set some in the Church, first Apostles secondly, Prophets; thirdly, teachers: after that miracles: then gifts of healings, helps in government, diversities of tongues. Are all Apostles? are all Prophets? are all teachers? etc. All have not one office; all have not one gift; but as he noteth in the beginning of that chapter, there are diversities of gifts, diversities of administrations, diversities of operations: and afterward, 
Vers. 8, 9, 10.  To one is given by the spirit, the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit, and to another the working of miracles, to another prophesy, to another discerning of spirits, etc. This he showeth also expressly in the Epistle to the Romans, chap. 12.6. Seeing we have gifts that are divers, according to the grace that is given unto us, whether we have Prophesy, let us Prophesy, etc. or Ministry, let us wait on our Ministering. etc. 
1 Pet. 4 14.  The Apostle Peter hath a general sentence tending to this purpose, As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Lastly, we read in the Epistle to the Ephesians, chap. 4.7.11. Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ, who gave some to be Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, some Pastors and Teachers. Thus God hath appointed, that every one should have his proper function and office.  
For as it is in the natural body, so is it in Reason 1 the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church. But in our natural body every part hath his office, and knoweth his place, and dischargeth his duty without intermeddling, and encroaching upon the right of another. So should it be among the faithful, we have divers and distinct gifts, for the good of the Church. This is the reason of comparison, used by the Apostle in sundry places, as Rom. 12.4, 5. As we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Where he teacheth, that as we have in our natural body many members, so we have in one Church many members: as all members in the natural body have not one office, so all the members of the Church have not one office: as the many members in the natural body, have one head wherein they are, so many members in the mystical body, have one wherein they are: and last of all, as in the natural body, every member is another's, so in the Church every member is not his own only, but another's, and is set in the body for the benefit of the whole. The same similitude, to the same purpose, is used in the former Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. 12.12.14. As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ, etc. for the body is not one member, but many. For if they were all one member, where were the body? but now there are many members, yet but one body: therefore also there must be many members in the body of the Church.  
Again, such as transgress this rule, and Reason 2 break those bounds that God hath limited unto them, cannot prosper. For as Christ our Saviour maketh this a general rule as the ordinance of the eternal God, which none must dare to violate, Those things which God hath joined together, let none put asunder, Matth. 19.6. So is this also a certain rule to be observed, to the end of the world, That whatsoever things God hath separated, no man must presume to join and jumble together. For as the Lord knew this order of distinguishing offices to be very expedient and good for the Church: so he hath not ceased to punish the breakers, and to revenge the contemners of it most severely, of what calling and condition soever they were. This we see verified in Corah, Dathan, & Abiram; they presumed above their vocation, & would needs take upon them the Priesthood, 
●ob. 16.10.  to burn incense before the Lord, contrary to the ordinance of God, & therefore went down into the pit, and died not the common death of other men: for the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up with all that they had, and fire came down from heaven, and consumed the residue. When Vzza supported the Ark being ready to fall (for the oxen stumbled) the anger of the Lord was kindled against him, 
●ro. 13.10  & he smote him, because he put his hand to the Ark, so that there he died before God. The like we might say, touching Azaria the king of juda, who was stricken with an incurable and unrecoverable leprosy, because in the pride of his heart, he forgot the office of a Prince, and usurped the office of the Priest, and went into the Temple, 
●ro. 16.18  to burn incense upon the Altar. All which direful and dreadful examples ought to teach us how acceptable this comely order of several callings is to God, both to breed in our hearts a care and endeavour to keep it, and a fear and terror to break it.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, Christ is as a wise master of the house, that fitteth to every man his standing: he is the Lord of the Church, he appointeth callings, and hath in himself fullness of grace, from which every one receiveth his measure, joh. 1.16. Col. 1.19. Hence it is that he is compared to a great Prince, who, going into a strange country, called his servants, and delivered them his goods, 
●t. 25.14, 15  to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man after his own ability, and straightway went from home. As we have wisdom, skill, knowledge, and experience given unto us to deal, so God dealeth with every man. A Captain in war, is careful to set every one in his proper place, that he may know his Captain, his colours, his standard, his march: out of his standing he dareth not to remove, that he may please him that hath chosen him to be a soldier. 
●h. 5 14.  Christ is the General of his Church; the faithful are his soldiers: all their life is a continual warfare, which costeth them great pains and much sweeting, & sometimes they must resist unto blood, 
●b. 12.4.  striving against sin. As than soldiers in war have and hold every one his standing place in the sight of their captain: so every Christian should keep his several calling in the presence of the Lord of life, who hath in great mercy and wonderful wisdom appointed them thereunto.  
Use 1 Now the uses remain to be opened & expressed for our edification. And first of all, it teacheth that distinct callings in the Church and commonwealth are the ordinance of God and his appointment, not the inventions and devices of men. The Apostle saith, He gave some to be Apostles, and some Prophets, 
Eph. 4.11.  and some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers: and elsewhere he addeth, Are all Apostles? 
1 Cor. 12. ●  are all Prophets? are all Teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gift of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? The like he speaketh of the private families, and of the duties that belong to every one therein, both to husbands and wives▪ to masters and servants: to parents and children. As than God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. 
1 Cor. 7.17.  This is ordained to be observed in all Churches. We shall never learn to perform our duties to God, and to each other, except we be persuaded and resolved in this point. The husband will be ready to forego his authority, and the wife will presume to step up into the place of her husband. The child will behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. 
Esay 3.5.  We shall see folly set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place: it will not be strange to behold servants aloft upon horses, 
Eccle. 10.6.7  and Princes walking as servants upon the earth. Hath God placed us in the calling of a servant, and set masters over us? We ought to learn & know whence this is, and to consider from whom it came. It is the Lords doing, who can abide no disorder and confusion, but will have some inferiors, and some superiors, according to his own law, Honour thy father and thy mother. 
Exod. 20.12.  This doctrine serveth to establish that commandment, and to make it a perpetual ordinance to remain for ever. God hath not made all men excellent alike, he hath not qualified them alike, but hath given more to one, then to another, and would have one to receive profit from another. And herein doth his infinite wisdom wonderfully appear, and diversly show itself. God is in himself most excellent, worthy of all honour and reverence, and having all things under his feet, he would have a pattern of that excellency and subjection imprinted in his creatures. In the Angels he hath set a difference, and made degrees and orders among them, one, an Archangel; other, principalities; other, thrones: 
Col 1.16.  other, dominions: some are called, Seraphims; other, Cherubims: and therefore there is a distinction between them, as he hath made every star to differ from another in glory, 1. Cor. 15.41. He created man to rule over the fowls of the air, over the beasts of the earth, and over the fishes in the sea. The Apostle teacheth that in a great house are diversity of vessels, some to honour, 
2 Tim. 2 20.  and some to dishonour. There is no man great, but he hath his greatness from him that is the greatest. There is no man made low, but he must acknowledge that the Lord hath set him there. The servant must know that God hath put him in that service, and not seek to break the bonds wherewith he is tied: but thereby receive encouragement in the performance of such duties as lie upon him.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth to reprove sundry errors and abuses of such as transgress against the truth of this doctrine. And first hereby falleth to the ground, the heresy and impiety of the Anabaptists, who utterly evert all orders and ordinances that God hath established both in the Church and commonwealth, and in stead thereof bring in all confusions and tumults into the world. For, the end of Magistracy is not wrongful usurpation over others, tyranny and oppression of mankind, as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord, 
〈◊〉 10.9.  grew thus to be great; but that we should lead a peaceable and quiet life in all godliness and honesty, 1 Tim. 2.2. They then that abolish Magistracy, overturn peace, concord, honesty, and piety: inasmuch as the Magistrate is the preserver and maintainer of all these, and when there is no king in Israel, every man will presume to do what he list, and who shall control him? Hence it is, that all Christians are oftentimes called upon to perform obedience to the civil Magistrate & the higher power, 
●. 13.1.2. ● 2.13, 14  both to the king, as to him that is supreme; and unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. We must therefore detest those Libertines, who hold that Christians need no Magistrates, but that every man should be a law unto himself, and not be controlled by any other, how wretchedly soever he live, how unjustly soever he deal, how profanely soever he walk. Nevertheless, though these be most mad and monstrous opinions, yet these monsters will not seem to be mad without reason, as we have declared elsewhere in sundry places. First, they say all Christians are the Lords freemen, 
action.  and therefore must not be brought under the subjection of any, 1 Cor. 7.22, 23. I answer, 
●er.  liberty is twofold, outward and inward, or bodily and spiritual. For servants may be freemen, and freemen may be servants. 
●l free●e and ●age.  Civil freedom is a right or power resting in the person to do according to his own purpose and pleasure, without being forbidden or hindered and interrupted by any other. Contrariwise, servitude or bondage is a depriving of one from this right, whereby he is bound to live according to the discretion of another, and to do as he is enjoined and appointed by another, so that he cannot live as he list. There is besides this, another kind of freedom & bondage, 
●stian li● and ●tude.  which is wholly spiritual. This is a freedom of the faithful, from the wrath of God, from the power of Satan, from the dominion of sin, from the curse of the Law, from the kingdom of darkness, from the terrors of eternal death, as also from the burden of ceremonies, and the bondage of human traditions; obtained to us & purchased for us through Christ jesus. This is called Christian liberty, the freedom of the spirit, the freedom of the Lord, and of Christ, and such like. Now, there is also a Christian servitude, not contrary to this freedom; or opposed against it, but set under it and well agreeing unto it; which is an obligation whereby we are tied to serve God in holiness and righteousness. On the otherside, the bondage that is contrary to this freedom, & bondage of the spirit, is, the slavery and captivity under sin and Satan, and therefore called the bondage of the flesh, of sin, and of unrighteousness. This servitude is damnable, and more to be shunned and eschewed, then to be taken captive of tyrants, and to be holden of them in a deep dungeon, or in a close prison, or in chains of iron. From this it is, that the Scripture dissuadeth and discourageth us, 
Rom. 6.21.  because the end of it is death. Some of the Philosophers of the strictest sect, 
Cicer. parad. 5.  maintained this assertion and opinion, that Only the wise are free, and that all fools are slaves. This hath been accounted an hard saying, 
Only the wise are freemen, and all fools are slaves.  and a strange position: but it is most true in the Church of God. For such as know God, and believe in jesus Christ his son, are truly wise, and truly free; free I mean from sin and death, even the freemen of God and of Christ, 
joh. 8.36.  according to that saying in the Evangelist john, If the Son shall make you free, than ye shall be free indeed; whereas all infidels and wicked ones, are fools, and servants of the flesh, yea bond servants of sin and death. This distinction between freedom of the body, & of the conscience being retained, will shut the mouths of all those enemies that reason against Magistracy under this colour, because we are the Lords freemen: Forasmuch as we have showed, how far we are free, & how far we are not free; what freedom God hath given, and what he hath not given.  
Secondly, Object. they pretend that the just need no laws to guide them, or restrain them, but are a law unto themselves. 
Tim. 1.9.  The Apostle teacheth, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless & disobedient, for the ungodly, and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, etc. I answer, Answer. this savoureth rankly of the Novatian heresy: for no man is wholly or perfectly just as these suppose, but they leave many good things undone, and they do many evil things: so that in many things we sin all, 
jam. 3.2.  & therefore we stand in need of the law to admonish us, to teach us, to reprove us, to threaten us, yea, to curse us and condemn us, and so to urge us to that which is good. For who is so righteous & reformed, that he needeth not the law to be a spur unto him, to be clapped in his sides to help him? or who runneth so swiftly that he needeth not some encouragement to amend his pace? And if the law of God were not made against them, yet it is for them & their benefit. And if they should commit no evil in all their life; yet they might suffer much wrong & injury from the hands of others, wanting the defence of the Law to protect them.  
So then, the Law in some respect was given to the just man, and in some respect it was not. So far as he is regenerate by the Spirit of God, he obeyeth the will of God cheerfully, and willingly, and so needeth not the Law: but so far as he is in part unregenerate and sinneth daily, he standeth in great need of it. The Apostle hath to do with false prophets, which maintained and taught that the Law was necessary, and sought justification by it. This he reproveth and rejecteth in two respects, First touching justification, which we cannot attain by the law, but must seek it in Christ. Secondly, touching the rigour of the law, and the commination annexed unto it, which serveth to terrify the ungodly.  
Objection 3 Thirdly, they say they need no protector, but the Lord: he it is that keepeth Israel, that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. He is our buckler and shield, that we want not the help of the Magistrate to bear us out. I answer, 
answer.  The protection of the Law, is the protection of the Lord, forasmuch as it is his ordinance: as when the Laws of men protect us, so that we have benefit by them, it is the Magistrates protection. True it is, God hath promised that he will not leave us, nor forsake us, nor suffer an hair to fall from our heads without his providence; yet we must not separate his providence and the means whereby it is executed, one from another, whereof this is one means. The Magistrate is nothing else but the Minister of God for our good, who sitteth in his seat, and executeth his judgement; so that they are not contrary one to another, the one being set under the other.  
Objection 4 Lastly, the badge of Christians is love, which covereth a multitude of sins, and never seeketh to revenge or resist evil by carrying of tales, and complaining of others before Magistrates. I answer, Answer. It is true, love bringeth a cloak to cover all things that ought to be concealed, it hopeth all things, it believeth all things, 1 Cor. 13.7. It is not ready to believe an evil report flying abroad from one talebearer and whisperer to another: it is ready to interpret doubtful matters in the better part: it is ready to keep secret the offence of our neighbour, if by private admonition he may be won: it will not relate bare words against the sense and meaning of his brother. True it is also, that Christians must suffer, not offer, and rather bear two blows, then give one; which is the meaning of Christ's words, Mat 5.39. commanding not to resist evil: and charging that whosoever shall smite us on the right cheek, we turn to him the other also. But notwithstanding all these things, we may lawfully defend ourselves by the law, though we do not offend others against the Law. The word therefore forbiddeth not the use of the Law, but teacheth us how to use it aright. And when we use the help of the Magistrate, & call upon him to do justice upon our adversaries, it is no unlawful, or private revenge, which only is forbidden: but to go to the ordinance that God hath appointed, that is, to the Magistrate, who is the Vicegerent of God or his Lieutenant, to take vengeance on evil doers, Rom. 13.4. 1 Pet. 2.14.  
Secondly, it reproveth all such as think all callings to have their ground out of the ground, and to fetch their foundation from earthly men out of the earth, by chance or fortune, and never have so much as any thought arising in their hearts, whence their calling should come: whereas we must set this down as a rule, That the Lord himself is the author of every lawful calling; the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 7. As God hath called every man, so let him walk. We are therefore in our calling by the appointment of God, as the soldier is in the Camp, by the assignment of his Captain, and not by the bare will & pleasure of men themselves.  
Thirdly, it convinceth them of sin, that live in no warrantable calling. Every man must live in some lawful calling, wherein he is to exercise and occupy himself. Adam was employed in a calling in the Garden of Eden. Cain was a tiler of the ground: Abel was a shepherd: Noah an husbandman. All the patriarchs, brought up their sons and daughters frugally to labour, none was allowed and permitted to be idle. The Law is general, Gen. 3.19. In the sweat of thy brows, shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground. Such than are condemned as live in idleness, all Rogues & Vagabonds, that run up and down among us, cozeners, shifters, cheaters, carders, dicers, such as live by maintaining houses of gaming, such as live by playing, and by delighting to follow those corrupt courses, which are against the word, and have no print or footstep out of it. But is it not lawful to use recreation? I answer, it is in itself a thing indifferent. Indifferent things must be used without offence. They should have this end to fit us to better things. No recreation must be made a vocation, or an occupation, for than it ceaseth to be recreation, and changeth his nature. It must not be used to hinder us in our estates, much less to our undoing or decaying: for that argueth great unstaidness of affections, and want of discretion, that cannot bridle themselves in such trifles. 
A request made to gamesters.  If such as pretend the use of recreation for the abuse of these things, were entreated to give away their gains and win to the poor, and to bestow them upon good and charitable uses, as relieving of the needy, redeeming of Captives, raising up such as are in debt and decay, maintaining of learning, establishing of the Ministry, and doing good to widows, strangers, and fatherless children, it could not be obtained at their hands by any means: which argueth that it is another thing that possesseth the heart, which they respect and aim at, and more than a naked recreation. If there were a law made to bind all such as play at any games, to give but half of their win to the poor, I think few or none would approve of it, or use any pastimes at all. As then all lawful and honest callings are of God, so are all unlawful of the devil, he is the master teacher of them.  

●e fourth proof.  Fourthly, it convinceth all such as are not content with that place wherein God hath set them, but are disturbed and disquieted in mind, through the troubles that arise from thence; as there is no calling but hath some crosses accompanying it, and attending upon it.  
The common calling of a Christian, is not without his crosses; whosoever will be the Disciple of Christ, must take up his cross and follow him. The Prophets and holy men of God, have suffered many injuries and reproaches.  
As then the former sort that live out of a lawful calling, are as members in the body that are out of joint, & gone out of the place wherein they ought to be: so these that are carried away with discontentment of their own, and so break into other men's callings, are like beasts that leap over other men's hedges, and eat up their pasture, and are not content to go into such places as are appointed for them. We are ready to cry out against brute beasts and unreasonable creatures, that will not tarry in the pastures fitted unto them; whereas oftentimes the owners of them are more unruly and unpatient, that bear the image of God, and profess the Name of jesus Christ, and therefore aught to learn contentation in all estates. Such hath been the weakness of many, that they have not been able to bear and brook the injuries and indignities that have been offered unto them, & thereupon have been ready to forsake their places, and to leave their callings.  
Hence it is, that Christ willeth his Disciples to possess their souls with patience, Lu. 21: and Paul chargeth the Philippians, to let their patiented and equal minds be known to all men. But of this virtue of contentation, we have spoken at large before.  

●he fift reproof.  Fiftly, it reproveth such as contemning their own callings as vile and base, become malcontent, and think better of themselves and their own gifts then there is just cause, and better than they would indeed, if they rightly and truly knew themselves. Such are all ambitious and aspiring spirits, that love to be aloft, and scorn to be below: that seek for themselves an higher place, and a better estate than God hath allotted unto them, as if the bramble should seek to be promoted over the rest of the trees.  
If our first parents, through the tentation and instigation of Satan, grew discontent with that estate wherein they were created, & sought to be as Gods, knowing good & evil, Gen. 3, verse 5: no marvel if their posterity draw this corruption from them, as the child that sucketh the breast of his mother.  
Absolom through his high mind, 
2 Sam. 15, 4.  was moved to fawn upon the people, and to seek his father's kingdom and life also, judging basely of his present estate, and climbing up to an higher. What caused the Scribes and pharisees to contemn and disdain Christ and his Disciples, 
Mat 23, 6, 7.  but this, they loved the chief places at feasts, and desired the highest seats in the assemblies, and looked to be greeted and saluted by men, Rabbi, Rabbi?  
What was the cause that Diotrephes would not receive john, and the other faithful Ministers of the word, 
3 john 9  but did prattle with malicious words against them, neither would he himself receive them, nor suffer others to entertain the brethren? He loved to have the pre-eminence in the Church. Lo here the horrible plague, and as it were the rank poison of pride, vainglory, and ambition! These are the causes of all confusion and disorder. These weeds must be pulled out of our hearts by the contrary graces, if we would have any wholesome herbs grow therein. We have many sharp tools lent us, & put into our hands, if we list to set them on work to grub them up by the roots.  
First, we must consider the state of our bodies what it is. We are but dust and ashes, 
Means to pull down pride and ambition.  and to dust we must return, Gen. 3. What a vain and foolish thing is it to think so highly of ourselves, that were raised out of the earth, & do carry about us the matter of our mortality? If we had come down from heaven, and had our beginning above the Clouds, we should have had wherein to glory: but being all of us frail and mortal creatures, that are here to day, and lie in the dust to morrow, like the grass of the field, 
Math. 6, 30.  which flourisheth for a time, and by and by withereth away: what vanity hath possessed our hearts, that earth & ashes should wax proud? Our life standeth wholly in uncertainty; it is appointed to all men, once to die, and after death cometh judgement, Heb. 9, 27. Neither do we know at what hour the Lord will come, Math. 24, 42. Why then should we soar so high, seeing we must lie so low? Why should we say in our hearts, I will ascend into heaven, seeing our pomp shall be brought down to the grave, and the worms must cover us?  
Secondly, we are altogether set upon sin, and bring forth the bitter fruits of our corruption, in regard whereof we are more wretched than other creatures. They sin not against God, they provoke him not to anger, but keep their original condition wherein they were created: but we miserable sinners are turned out of the right way, and become abominable; so that there is none that doth good, no not one, Rom. chapt. 3, verse 12. If then we will glory of ourselves, or any thing in ourselves, we must glory in our shame, having nothing of our own, but sin and iniquity.  
Thirdly, we are not able of ourselves so much as to think one good thought, neither are we sufficiently furnished to do the least and smallest duty that God requireth of us: we have the spawn and seed of all sin in our nature. We are ready to fall into the most horrible sins, except God sustain us, and hold up our heads, and strengthen our weak knees. We cannot set forward one foot toward the kingdom of heaven. It is as unpossible for us to do any good, as for a dead carcase to fly. We are as poor miserable wretches, that are dumb, and cannot speak: blind, and cannot see: deaf, and cannot hear. The Prophet acknowledgeth that he is a man of unclean lips, 
Esay 6.5.  and another confesseth, he could not speak: 
jer. 1.6.  our ears also are stopped, so that we cannot hear the voice of God, that we might live: 
joh. 8.47. Matth. 13.13.  our eyes are closed up so that seeing, we see not, but grope as blind men in the darkness. The light shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it no, joh. 1.5. Men naturally take themselves to be sharp eyed, and quick sighted, 
joh. 9.41.  but because they say, We see, therefore their sin remaineth: because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8.7.  
Fourthly, whatsoever gifts are bestowed upon us, we must think meanly and humbly of ourselves and of them. The Apostle willeth us to deck ourselves with lowliness of mind, 
Phil. 2.3.  and that each esteem other better than themselves. We know that our best gifts are stained with many blemishes: we feel our own corruptions, more than the corruptions of other men, so that God's grace, and our nature are joined together in one subject. We are not therefore to despise other men, or dwell in the contemplation of their imperfections: but be always working upon ourselves, and considering our own unworthiness, that so we may more and more mortify the deeds of the flesh, and grow in the graces of God's Spirit.  
Fiftly, let us set before us, the example of our Lord and Master, jesus Christ: we must be ready to learn of him the lesson that he offereth to teach us, by word & example. Hence it is, that he calleth all to him, that are weak and weary, and saith, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, Matth. 11.29. He disdained not to wash the feet of his disciples, to teach them humility, not only by doctrine, but by practice. He is a perfect pattern, as of all other virtues, so also of this: and therefore the Apostle setteth him before us, for our imitation, Phil. 2.5, 6. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, etc. He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. When the disciples began to contend for place of superiority, so that a strife arose among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest, he propoundeth unto them his manner of living, and conversation, and thereby dissuadeth them from ambition, Luke 22.27. Whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. The whole life of Christ, even from the first moment of his conception, unto the last period of his assumption and ascension from the earth, do preach unto us, as with a lively voice, his wonderful humiliation, that he made himself as a worm of the earth, who was equal in glory with his Father. If this example of him that is the author and finisher of our faith, will not move us to true humility, nothing in the world will move us.  
Lastly, pride is the preparation of us unto a fall, and the ready way that leadeth to destruction. The proud man that climbeth aloft, worketh his own overthrow and confusion: and the higher we ascend, the greater is our downfall. Solomon in the book of his proverbs, beateth much upon this point, as Chap. 11.2. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom: and Chap. 16.18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall: & chap. 18.12. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. This may be farther confirmed unto us by three famous and memorable examples recorded in the Scriptures, to wit, Nabuchadnezzar, Haman, and Herod. The first, whiles he was boasting of great Babylon, which he had built for the chamber of the Empire, by the might of his power, 
Dan. 4.30.  and for the honour of his majesty, was driven from the company of men, and had his habitation with the beasts of the field, and did eat grass as oxen.  
The second, to wit, proud Haman, swollen with the conceit of his own greatness, while he thought to be clad in royal apparel which the king used to wear, to be mounted on horseback that the king rideth upon, and to have the crown royal that he weareth to be set upon his head, was driven to play the lackey on foot, and to dance attendance as a Page, 
Ester. 6.10. and 7.9.10.  and not long after fell from the highest top and tower of honour, to the lowest degree of shame and reproach.  
The third and last example is of Herode, who being puffed up with the Siren songs of Sycophants and Flatterers, thought himself worthy to take upon him the honour of God: 
Act. 12 2●.  but immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten up of worms. Behold here, how the greatest sort of men are wonderfully deceived in their own imaginations, deeming pride as a stirrup to mount up into the saddle of honour, whereas it is a step to bring them-downe, and a means to make them fall into shame and confusion.  

●e sixth reproof.  Lastly, it reproveth such as envy at the better and higher callings of others. These are even ready to die & consume away, when they see others placed in greater places, and adorned with greater gifts than themselves. This is a common sickness and sin, and the cause of many evils that swarm in Church & commonwealth. When joshua heard the Elders in the host to prophesy, he envy them for Moses sake. 
umb. 11.28. ●. 3.26.  The like we see in john's disciples when they heard of Christ's glory and fame increasing more & more, they feared it would turn to the diminishing of the credit and estimation of their master. The remedies, to prevent this mischief before it come, or to pull it up when it hath taken hold of us, are many. First, let us acquaint our hearts, to rejoice at the good that doth befall them, and to be glad when any thing befalleth them for the comfort of their souls or bodies, as when one member is had in honour, all the rest are cheered and refreshed by it. 
Cor. 12.26.  Secondly, we are to consider that all places of preferment come from God, as the Prophet teacheth: Promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, 
●l. 76.6, 7.  nor from the South: but God is the judge, he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Thirdly, we must all of us make this account of our gifts, that they are bestowed for the common good, and not only for the private benefit of such as possess them: so that the eye cannot say to the hand, 
Cor. 12.21.  nor the head that is highest to the foot that is lowest, I have no need of thee, without the destruction of the whole body. Fourthly, the fewer our gifts, and the lower our places, and the smaller our callings are, the lesser & lighter account we are to make; whereas such as have the greatest charges have the greatest account to make, according to the rule of Christ: 
●e 12.48.  Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.  
The higher therefore a man is exalted, the more is he bound to God, and to them over whom he is set, and to those among whom he liveth; so that there is no gift, no honour, no calling without his burden and account. For as the stars have light▪ but for man's use: so we have gifts, but for others benefit. Lastly this consideration (if there were no other) is sufficient to correct all pride and ambition in us, to wit, to examine our own ability, and we shall find, that there cannot be so small a charge committed unto us, but the same is able to make our shoulders shrink and crack, yea to bow and break, if we do our duties as we ought to do. For our infirmities are so great, and our strength so little, that whosoever sifteth himself thoroughly, and trieth his own gifts without hypocrisy and flattery, shall find that he is able to do as good almost as nothing at all. If we think upon these things, it will be as a bridle to restrain us from soaring and climbing so high, and a forcible means to breed in us contentation in our places whatsoever they be, whether high or low, whether great or little.  
Thirdly, it is a comfortable thing to a man's Use 3 conscience, in life and death, in prosperity and adversity, to remember that we have thus served God, & fulfilled the callings with a good conscience that he hath laid upon us. The faithful servant, that hath given to his fellow servants their portion of meat in due season, shall be most happy, and be made ruler over all his goods. He that occupied his master's talents, and gained by them, heard this comfortable voice, 
Matth. 24.47. and 25.23.  Well done good and faithful servants, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Every calling fitted unto us, is as a field given us to till. We may praise and commend the greater farms, 
Virg. Georg. lib. 2. Laudalo ingentia rura, Exiguum co●to  but it is better to husband the lesser, forasmuch as our eye may more easily oversee it, and our loss shall be the less if we neglect it. We shall find enough to do in the manuring of a little ground, if we will keep all things in a right order. So it is, much more, in those places wherein God hath set us: the highest calling, deserveth greatest commendation, howbeit, it draweth with it the greatest duties, it requireth the greatest gifts, and bringeth the greatest account. Wherefore the lesser our calling is, the better it may be employed, and the more easily it may be dispatched. If we look into the duties of the lowest callings, we shall see they require great labour, diligence, care, and faithfulness. The greater our employment of those gifts hath been which we have received, the more shall our comfort be, when we must go the way of all flesh. We see this in the Apostle Paul, 2 Tim. 4.7.8. who being in a manner at the point of death, found great joy of heart in the remembrance of this, that he had endeavoured with a good conscience toward God and man, to walk in his calling: I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand; I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that that day, etc. Thus it shall be with us, if we walk in his steps: if we be faithful in our places, we shall find the same comfort in our death and departure out of this world, and say with joy of heart, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant departed in peace, Luke 2. The contrary practice will be most fearful and terrible unto us. He that is a wicked man and an unprofitable servant and slothful, that hideth his talon in the earth, or smiteth his fellow servants, and beginneth to eat and drink, and to be drunken, persuading himself that his master delayeth his coming, shall have his talon taken from him, and be cast into utter darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
If then we would have this comfort to belong unto us, and this threatening to be put far from us, we must be careful to perform the duties both of our general and special callings. If we perform the general & common duties of Christianity, and yet fail in the particular parts of our callings, we shall want this joy of heart, which we desire to feel in ourselves. 
Every one hath a double calling.  Every one of us hath a double calling: and we must show ourselves to be the servants of God, not only in doing general duties, as in coming to Church, in hearing the word, in receiving the Sacraments, in following peace, and walking in righteousness; but also by employing ourselves, in our particular vocations, as in being a Magistrate, or Minister, or householder, or subject, or servant, or child, or Artificer, or husband, or husbandman, and such like: that so we may please God by bearing ourselves in them with good conscience, and thereby receive occasion to rejoice before him. There can be no comfort unto them, that they belong to God in jesus Christ, that do follow the general, and fail in their particular calling. The Minister that liveth in all common duties, unblamable in life, devout in prayer, fervent in love, careful in the fruits of righteousness, cannot comfort himself, if he be a dumb dog, and an idle shepherd, not able to guide the people of God, and to feed them with the wholesome word of life: Forasmuch as he is an evil Minister, and a fearful woe pertaineth unto him, 1 Cor. 9.17. The governor of a family, that regardeth not the education of his children in the fear and information of the Lord, and to provide necessary things for them, (so far as God shall enable him) with a good conscience, is a wicked parent, howsoever he seem otherwise never so devout and religious. What we are in truth, is better discerned by our carriage at home, than abroad: in our private families, then in the company of others. Many are religious, because the company is so, and because they are present with those that do affect it. But we must not be esteemed & judged off, by one brunt or pang, which may deceive; our heart shall better be made known by our ordinary demeaning of ourselves, among those with whom we have our callings. It was a notable testimony of true piety▪ & a religious heart in David, when he professed that he would walk within his house with a perfect heart, Psal. 101.2. Every hypocrite will talk of religion, when others do so, but we must make it our talk and communication within our houses, reforming them according to the ordinance of God, and instructing them that live under our roof in the word of God.  
Lastly, it is our duty, as we have received Use 4 a proper and peculiar calling, so to walk in the particular duties of our several callings, whereunto we are called, that so we may serve him that hath set us in them, and receive occasion to rejoice before him. As he hath called us, so let us walk, whether we be Ministers or people, husbands or wives, in Church or Commonwealth. This is the general rule often remembered by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7.20, 24. Let every man abide in the same vocation, wherein he was called, and a little after, Let every man wherein he was called, therein abide with God. Let us not stretch ourselves beyond the bounds of our calling. If the hand through envy of the greater gifts of the eyes, would needs take upon it to see, and by seeing to direct the body: or if the eye, not contenting itself to see for the whole, would seek to speak and utter a voice, as the tongue: if the head would attempt to walk and take up the office of the feet: or if the left hand having the same gift with the right, would malign it, because it is more apt, strong, ready, quick, and able to execute the function belonging unto it; who would not complain of this confusion, as most unnatural and monstrous, threatening the ruin of the whole body? This duty hath many branches. First, it teacheth, that every one ought to have a proper and personal calling, wherein he is to walk diligently, carefully, and painfully, whether he be high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, all without exception, must have a particular vocation of his own. Christ is called in the Gospel the Carpenter, Mar. 6.3. Moses kept his father's sheep, Exo. 3.1. 
Psal. 78.72. Ephe. 4. ●●  David followed the Ewes great with young. Every one must labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.  
Secondly, it is very comfortable to us to be busied in them: we must look for a blessing upon us and them, while we continue in them. God appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the mids of a bush, while he kept the flock of jethro his father in Law. David was chosen and taken from the sheepefolds to feed the people of God. The Lord took Amos 
Amos 7. ●●  as he followed the flock, and said unto him, Go, Prophesy unto my people Israel. While the shepherds were attending their flocks by night, and abiding in the fields, an Angel of the Lord brought them tidings of great joy which should be to all people, that to them was borne that day in the City of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord, Luke 2.10, 11. The like we might say of jacob, while he was faithful in his calling, the Lord appeared unto him. He chose his Apostles as they were busy in their callings and painful in them: 
Gen. 31. ● Matth. 4● 21 and ●●  Peter and Andrew, as they were casting a net into the sea: james & john his brother, as they were mending their nets, for they were fishers: Matthew the Publican, as he sat at the receipt of custom: he saith unto him, follow me; who arose immediately & followed him, Mat. 9 While we walk in our callings, we may look for a blessing, but when once we go from them, and either forsake our calling, or busy ourselves in other men's callings, we can expect no blessing at his hands; for when we leave them, he leaveth us: when we return to them, he returneth to us.  
Thirdly, every one must judge and esteem his particular calling to be the best and fittest for him. The Apostle confirmeth this by his own practice and example, Phil. 4, 12. I have learned in whatsoever estate I am, therewith to be content. This will arm us against all discontentment and murmuring against God, and make us quietly to keep our own standing. When Absalon was not content with the place of a Subject, and to be accounted the King's son, but said, O that I were judge among you, 2 Sam. 15, 4. then he sought his father's kingdom. 
●. 20, 24.  When the sons of Zebede contented not themselves with the calling of Disciples, but were inflamed with the thirst of honour, and desire of dignity, to be the greatest in the kingdom of Christ, then arose envy and heartburning among them. It is altogether unpossible, that we should rest well pleased with our callings and conditions, and not climb aloft above the places wherein we are set, except we set down this as our rest, that our calling, such as God hath appointed, is the fittest and meetest for us.  
Lastly, every one is bound to glorify God in his calling, though it be never so mean or base. Wives are charged to be obedient to their own husband, that the word of God be not blasphemed, Tit. 2, 5, 10. Servants are commanded to please their masters in all things, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things, Tit. 2, 10. That the Name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed, 1 Tim. 6, 1. This aught to be propounded unto us, and set before our eyes, to make it the end of all our actions, that whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we may do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. It is not the highness or lowness, the greatness or meanness of our calling, that God so much respecteth, as the sincerity of the heart of him that walketh in his calling. If it be not sound, all our actions are corrupt. We must not think, that only men of high callings are to give glory unto God, it is a common duty required of all: and woe unto us, if we do it not. The heavens declare the glory of GOD, much more ought man, endued with reason and understanding.   

27. And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Vzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.  
28. In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the Sanctuary.  
29. The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the Tabernacle, Southward.  
30. And the chief of the house of the families of the Kohathites, shall be Elizaphan the son of Vzziel.  
31. And their charge shall be the Ark, and the Table, and the Candlestick, and the Altars, and the vessels of the Sanctuary; wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.  
32. And Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest, shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, & have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the Sanctuary.  
Now we come to Levies second son. We have spoken before of Gershon, of whom came the Gershonites. It followeth to speak of Kohath, for to him & his posterity were committed the most honourable offices, as we shall see afterward in the next chapter. Touching whom, we may observe (as we did in the former) these particular points: First, the families that descended of him, which are four in number; the Amramites, the Izeharites, the Hebronites, and the Vzzielites, verse 27. Secondly, the number of the males that came of them, to wit, eight thousand and six hundred, verse 28. Thirdly, the place where they pitched, to wit, the Southside of the Tabernacle, verse 29. Fourthly, the overseer, or superintendant of them, namely, Elizaphan the son of Vzziel, verse 30. Fiftly, the charge and function committed unto them, were the chief things within the Sanctuary, verse 31. Sixtly, the overseer of all these overseers, and the chief of them that were the chief, was Eleazar the son of Aaron, who had authority over all the Priests and Levites, verse 32. He was under Aaron appointed to have the oversight of them that had the charge of the Sanctuary. For Aaron himself was the high Priest, and his eldest son Eleazar was under him, as it were the second Priest: even as in the reign of Zedekiah, the high Priest was Seraiah; the second Priest was Zephaniah, as we read in the second book of the Kings, chap. 25, 18. The Captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief Priest, & Zephaniah the second Priest, and the three keepers of the door. 
See the notes on the Geneva Bible.  The second Priest is thought to be one appointed to succeed in the high Priests room, and to supply his place, if he were sick, or otherwise hindered and letted by necessary occasions.  
Of this family of the Kohathites came Moses and Aaron. And albeit the Lord appeared in special manner to Moses, called him to be a most excellent Prophet, to whom he revealed himself as it were face to face, and chose him to be the Governor of a mighty people, yet he would have his children to content themselves to be ranged among the ordinary Levites, though they were not advanced to be in the number of the Priests, much less to be the high Priests. And note the sincerity of Moses himself, that he is not ashamed to set down this in writing, and to commit it to posterity; so that he cannot be suspected of any show of ambition, or to give any the least occasion to the ungodly of slandering him. Thus do the writers of holy Scriptures deal, without all partiality, even in matters that do concern themselves. This we see in David, Psal. 51, in the title of it, who mentioneth his committing of adultery with the wife of Vriah, and his repentance for the same. The Prophet jonah 
jonah 1, 3, 17.  reporteth his flying from the presence of God, and the judgement that fell upon him for it, in that prophesy. The Apostle Paul spareth not to tell the Church, and to leave it to all posterity, that he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an oppressor, 1 Tim. 1, 13. One borne out of due time, the least of the Apostles, not worthy to be called an Apostle, because he persecuted the Church of God, 1 Cor. 15, 8, 9 Behold therefore the purity of the word of God, & learn to confess it, and endeavour to find this effect of it in our hearts.  
Besides, we are to observe and mark from hence, that the Tribe of Levi of small and little beginnings did make wonderful proceed: for whereas he begat three sons: Gershon had only two: Merari two, and Kohath four; who could have expected so fruitful a posterity, that twelve men in so short a time should swarm into so many thousands? Thus doth GOD work mightily by weak means, both in the natural generation, and in the spiritual regeneration, that his glory might more brightly and beautifully appear. We have seen and showed already, how God, even when his people were most vexed & oppressed, did then most of all increase and multiply them, and so manifested his power in their preservation.  
Likewise also we see in the new Testament, he chose out twelve Apostles, and sent them into the world, not furnished with carnal weapons, 
Erasm. praefac. in Iraeneum.  nor armed with the force, or favour, or friendship of mortal men. By such as were unskilful, he overcame the wisdom of the wise: by few in number, he subdued very many Nations: by the weak, he vanquished the strong: by an unwarlike company, he conquered every high hold that lifted up itself against God, & laid it equal with the ground: by such as were unnoble and unknown, he dimmed & darkened all the glory of the world: by silly and simple sheep, he tamed the fierceness of roaring Lions, that is, the cruelty of bloody tyrants: and by innocent Doves, he drove away wily and subtle serpents.  
Last of all, albeit Kohath were not the elder brother, and consequently the Ruler of Levies house, yet in the common ministry he was preferred before the rest, and had the chiefest pre-eminence and place of honour above them; to teach us that God showeth mercy from the fountain of his own holy will and pleasure, even as he advanced Moses, and called him from feeding his father's sheep, without any dignity or desert that was found in him. Let us all confess this, when we receive any kindness and mercy from him: otherwise we rob him of the glory due to his name. But of these points we have spoken elsewhere: and therefore we will come to the doctrines.  
[Verse 27. And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, etc.] We are to note that which was expressed before, and is repeated again hereafter, but especially is pointed out in this division; that the office committed to this family, is called a charge and ministration, they had the charge of the Sanctuary, verse 28. Again, their charge shall be the Ark, and the Table, and the Candlestick, verse 31. And afterward, Eleazar shall have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the Sanctuary, verse 32.  
From hence we learn what the office of the Doctrine Ministry is, namely, 
The M●●●●ry is an 〈◊〉 of charge.  that it is an office of charge. It is required of all the Ministers, carefully to look to the Churches and charges committed unto them, and to attend to the flock that dependeth upon them. The Ministry is a great burden, and a work full of employment. This doth Peter by way of exhortation teach the Elders, Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, etc.: 1 Pet. 5, 2. Thus doth Paul instruct the Elders of Ephesus, Acts 20, 28. Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. And when he writeth to Timothy, he saith, This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a Bishop, 
1 Tim. 3, 1, ●  he desireth a good work. So likewise in the same Chapter, If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God? And in the second Epistle, chap. 4, verse 1, 2. I charge thee before God, and the Lord jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and dead at his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all suffering and doctrine. Whereby we see, that the Ministry is an oversight, and the Ministers, Overseers, and the end of their office, a caring for the Church of God diligently and uncessantly.  
This may farther be showed unto us by the Reason 1 force of reason. First, all the titles that are given unto them, are as so many goads to prick them forward, or as spurs clapped to their sides: I will only speak of two, that they are Shepherds and Watchmen. The Ministers are Pastors or Shepherds, 
Ezek. 34.2. Eph. 4, 11. jere. 23, 1:  & the church of God is as a flock of sheep subject to many enemies, as the devil, seducers, deceivers, heretics, evil doers; even as an herd is to many wolves, and therefore they must be carefully looked unto. Besides, they are called watchmen, the Church is as a City besieged day and night by strong and mighty enemies, Ezek. 3, 17. Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, & give them warning from me. It behoveth therefore the spiritual watchman, to keep diligent watch.  
Secondly, the Ministers are fitly called the Reason 2 Lords committees, and therefore they must give an account for the souls committed unto their charge. Our life must go for their lives, & our soul must answer for their souls, if they perish through our default. This the Apostle declareth, Heb. 13, 17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, 
●. 16, 2.  that they may do it with joy, & not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. Some offices have no accounts, or easy and very small belonging unto it: but this hath an heavy and straight accounts: because the blood of such as perish, shall be required at the watchman's hands that hath neglected his duty.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, we have a gracious promise of a great reward. Our pains shall be so rewarded, that greater reward shall be for greater pains, as the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 3, 8. He that planteth, and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour. The Apostle Peter concludeth this, chap. 5, 4. When the chief Shepherd shall appear, 
●. 12, 3.  we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. This aught to encourage us to our duty, to consider that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.  
Use 1 The uses remain. First, seeing the Ministers must keep watch & ward over the souls of the people, it serveth to reprove such as make it a matter of ease, and therefore when they are once entered into that calling, do give themselves to idleness and security, 
●e first re●ofe.  not considering that it is a work, full of labour and employment, full of difficulty and business. True it is, the Ministry is an honour, but withal it is a burden: so that whosoever will have the honour, must bear the burden upon his shoulders, for these cannot be separated. These two are as companions that cannot be divided. Every one is willing to hear of the dignity, but every one is not willing to discharge the duty: every one is ready to be preferred, but every one is not so ready to profit others. God requireth of all Pastors, that they should instruct the ignorant, 
Tim. 3, 16. ●ek. 34, 4. Thess. 5, 14.  bring home them that wander, heal the diseased, comfort the distressed, support the weak, admonish the disorderly, convince the erroneous, reprove the vicious: but these sluggards that sleep and delight in sleeping, will do nothing at all, regarding the fleece rather than the sheep, and the benefit to themselves, more than profit to their hearers. Woe unto such idle bellies; woe unto such hard masters, who reap where they have not sown, and gather where they have not strewed, who hiding their talents, are convinced of grievous iniquity in the sight of God and man. For besides those evils which they have of their own, they are guilty of the death of other men, not only as accessaries, but as principal procurers of their destruction.  
This is a certain truth, never to be forgotten, but to be engraven in the hearts of every Minister, as it were with a pen of iron, or the point of a Diamond, that so many we do kill, and even murder their souls, as we suffer through our negligence and silence to perish, 
Gregor. hom. 11 in Ezek.  & so to fall into the claws and jaws of the devil, who goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Devil standeth at receipt as a cunning huntsman to catch his prey. Now he hunteth for souls, a more cruel hunter then ever Nimrod was, and these are as the devils dogs to drive them into his nets.  
If we will approve ourselves to be true Ministers indeed, we must confess that we are bound with a triple band of necessity, to discharge our duty, as it were with 3, strong chains that are not easily broken; one, in regard of ourselves; another, in regard of the people; and the third, in regard of God and his glory, that ought evermore to be before our eyes. The Apostle saith of himself, 1. Cor. 9, 16. A necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the Gospel. They are subject to the curse of men, that in time of famine & dearth, do withhold the corn, Prou. 11, 26. Such the people shall curse, but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. In like manner, such as withdraw the food of men's souls, and gather it as engrossers into their own hands, are accursed, not of men only, but also of God, and his curse shall enter into their souls, and not leave them until he have rooted them out: because they feed not the flock, but feed upon it: prey upon it, but do not pray for it. In regard of the people, our Saviour saith, Luke 10, 42. One thing is necessary, and woe to them that hear not the Gospel: for as great a necessity is laid upon the hearer, as upon the Minister, so that where there is no vision, the people perish. 
Prou. 29, 18.  If then we take heed to ourselves, and unto the doctrine, and continue in them, in doing this, we shall both save ourselves, and those that hear us, 1 Tim. 4, 16.  
Lastly, the consideration of God's glory ought to be as a spur to prick us forward to do our duties. The Apostle speaking of the Thessalonians, a most worthy Church abounding in all heavenly graces, calleth them his glory, his joy, his hope, his crown in the presence of our Lord jesus Christ at his coming. 
1 Th. 2, 19, 20.  Howbeit his glory was joined with the glory of God, otherwise his glory would have turned to his shame. Hereby is the Father glorified, when we bring forth much fruit to the obedience of the Gospel: and therefore the love of God should compel and constrain us to publish the glad tidings of salvation Hence it is, that Christ exhorteth Peter again and again, as he loved him, to feed his sheep and his lambs, john 21, 16, 17. So then, such as are negligent in their duties, declare plainly, that they neither love God, nor care for the people, nor regard their own souls.  

The second reproof.  Secondly, they are reproved that are ignorant and cannot, as they that are idle and will not teach: they that are unskilful, as well as they that are wilful in detaining the word of life, the food of the soul from the people. These have no knowledge themselves, and therefore cannot build up others in knowledge. They starve themselves, and therefore have no bread to bring forth to save the lives of others. They have nothing in them, and therefore cannot show any old or new store. They are poor, and therefore have no treasure to bestow upon others.  
No man ought to adventure his own soul, though he might advantage himself thereby, to win the whole world, as Christ teacheth, Math. 16, verse 26. For what should this profit him in the end, when he hath cast up his accounts, and compared his gains and losses together? But these foolish men, to get not the gain of all the kingdoms of the earth, but the tithes and revenues of some one little parish, do hazard their own souls nay more than that, the souls of many people, whom they rob sacrilegiously of the means of their salvation. These also are cruel mothers, or land-monsters, that in stead of feeding their children, do starve them, being worse than the sea monsters, 
Lam. 4, 3, 4.  who draw out the breasts, and give suck to their young ones; whereas these are become cruel, like the Ostriches in the wilderness, so that the tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst, the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They are silly watchmen, that in stead of warning the people, do deliver them & betray them into the hands of the enemy. They are miserable shepherds, who in stead of pasturing their sheep, do pester them and poison them rather, and suffer the wolf to rend them in pieces. Christ sent out his Disciples, as sheep among wolves, Math. 10: but these are wolves among sheep, sent out by Satan to annoy the Church. They take upon them to be Captains to conduct the host of God, but they have no skill to do it, and therefore woe to the people that are under them. It were better for them to take the place of a common soldier, and comfortably to serve in it, then by taking upon them an higher charge of command than they can manage, to destroy themselves, and overthrow many others that depend upon them. It were better for them to learn, then to teach: and to be hearers of others, than speakers to others. Let them not despise this counsel given unto them, who are fit to be governed and commanded by others, then to rule and command over others, lest they repent when it is too late.  
Thirdly, seeing the office of the Ministry is an office of trust, 
The third reproof.  it reproveth all such as take the charge of souls themselves, and commit them to a curate or substitute, contenting themselves to reap the profit, but contemning to discharge the duty which they ought to do. They go away with the fattest of the fruits of the earth, and have oftentimes poor hunger-starven deputies to supply their places, whose mouths they stop with a little morsel, by which means also, the people go away with hunger-starven souls. Christ preached not to the people by substitutes, to ease himself, or enrich himself, or magnify himself, sitting Doctor-like at home; but took pains in his own person, he went about from City to City, teaching and preaching in their Synagogues, taking all occasion to do good to their souls and bodies; to their souls, by instructing of them: to their bodies, by healing of them. He was anointed as the Prophet of the Church, 
Esay 61, 1. Luke 4, 18.  to preach good tidings unto the meek; and was sent to bind up the broken hearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives: he doth not account his duty discharged, by sending out his Apostles, like to those that lay heavy burdens upon other men's shoulders, and will not touch them with their little finger; but he joined his labours with theirs, jointly to build up the house of God. The Prophet saith, Woe to the idol Shepherd that leaveth the flock: the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened, Zac. 11, 17. These are no better than hirelings, who care for the hire, but not for the heard: they are willing to catch from them what they can, but deliver unto them little or nothing. It is a ruled case by the Apostle, Rom. 12. He that hath an office, let him attend on his office: if then themselves must wait, they cannot be discharged of their waiting by any deputies, where their presence in their proper persons is required.  
Hence it is, that the Apostle joineth their own labour, and their own reward together, 1 Corinth. 3, verse 8. If then labour be not proper, the recompense should not be proper: if it be another man's pains, it ought to be another man's reward. If then they labour by another, they shall be rewarded by another; and therefore let them take heed, lest as they deprive the Church of their labours, themselves also be deprived of their reward, when the great Shepherd of the sheep shall appear in glory.  
Let them therefore always have in remembrance the good affection of the Apostle toward the people, 2 Corinth. 12, verse 14. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome unto you, for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. here is the duty of a right Pastor, not to seek gain by the sheep, but to save the sheep. His desire was not to enrich himself but the people. The mark that he aimed at, was not covetousness; but to plant godliness in the people, and so win them to God.  
Woe unto them that are otherwise minded, for God will reveal it in due time. What then? should not the Minister live of his labours in the Church? 
●ect.  Or is it unlawful to take any recompense of his hearers? Was not Paul the father of the Philippians, because they maintained him, and ministered unto him being absent? Or was none of the rest of the Apostles a father, because the Churches supplied their wants? I answer, the Apostle hath no such meaning: 
●wer.  forasmuch as natural parents themselves are to be nourished by their children in their old age, or when they fall into decay, as we see in the example of joseph, who preserved alive both his father and brethren in the years of famine: but he declareth, that whatsoever he did unto them, proceeded from a fatherly affection toward them, and that as a father he desired to enrich them with heavenly blessings in Christ, being careful by all means to gain their souls to God, not their wealth unto himself. O that all such as are entered into this office, & have taken this charge upon them, were thus minded! O that the zeal of God's house had even eaten them up, that they would prefer the salvation of his people, before their own greedy and covetous affections! O that they could in these days set before their eyes, the account that they are to give for the sheep committed unto them!  
Give me leave in this place, though it be not according to mine ordinary manner, to lay before you a parable, which also is a true history, and therefore may not unfitly be called an historical parable, or a parabolical history, it being indeed both of them: and for our better knowledge, I will set down certain marks in stead of the men, 
●tis pro no●e signis. Ho● de art. Poet.  defining the persons by certain letters, but concealing their names.  
G. A certain man traveling by the way, & meeting with a Minister that was also holden skilful in the laws, said unto him, Sir, I am glad I have met with you so fitly at this time, for I am like shortly to come into some trouble, if I do no not look to myself to prevent the danger: now I have always taken you for my friend, and therefore let me be so bold as to ask a question of you, wherein I understand and know very well, that you are able to resolve me in this and a far greater matter.  
C. The Minister answered, I am no lawyer; yet (my friend) I will do what I can for you, and give you the best counsel that lieth in me.  
G. Sir, the case is this; There was a Gentleman not far from us, committed to my custody certain sheep to keep, and indeed I cannot deny, he gave me a great charge of them, and promised me a good reward for my labour, so that I undertook the looking to them, and the feeding of them. But because I had other sheep of mine own also, so that I could by no possible means look to both flocks; I put them out to another, who agreed for a certain stipend covenanted between us▪ to look unto them: yet he was careless altogether in the business, so that some of them straggled from the flock and were lost; others starved for want of feeding; others were too high of the gall; others the worms did gnaw and eat unto the bones; and others died of the rot; woeful is the state of that flock. To be short, and not to trouble your patience any farther, the owner of them refuseth to deal with him that suffered the flock to go to havoc, but cometh upon me, and requireth them at my hands, and threateneth to trouble me for them.  
C. No marvel, said the Minister: you are bound to answer for them: you undertook the keeping of them, and therefore you are to be charged with them. If I commit a treasure unto you to keep, I must ask it again of you, and not of another. If you put out your child to nurse, you will require it again of the Nurse that undertook the keeping of it.  
G. I confess (answered the other,) this to be true: but by your leave Sir, the case is altered in my matter. For there seemeth unto me small reason in it, and little conscience, to require that parcel of sheep at my hands, forasmuch as I designed them over to another, and he promised before many witnesses to discharge me.  
C. The Minister replied, That is no matter, it is a plain case; you took upon you to see unto them, and therefore it is great equity and conscience, that you make them good. This standeth with good reason, & is grounded upon the law of God and man. I dare assure you, the law will pass against you by any verdict of twelve men in England, and you will be constrained to pay for them. The Gentleman trusted you with them, and not your deputy, and therefore I know no remedy for you, nor any way to help you.  
G. I am now satisfied, I think you have given a right judgement. But good Sir, if the case be thus, how cometh it to pass that you do the like, and yet do not see it, or if you do, yet think yourself blameless? The great Shepherd of the sheep, Christ jesus, hath committed his sheep to you; and you having also other sheep, have committed one parcel to your Curate and Substitute, who is careless and unconscionable, and suffereth them to perish: how is it then that you, who went about to persuade me, do not persuade your own heart, that his negligence shall not excuse you, but that the master of the sheep will require them at your hands? Is it law against me, and not against yourself? Is it equity, reason, and conscience, that I should answer for them that are lost: and doth it not stand with as great equity, reason and conscience, that you should answer for such as you suffer to perish? I may say therefore to you as Nathan did to David, You are the man. The case is yours, and the danger is turned upon your own head. Repent and amend, lest Christ say unto you, Thou evil and slothful servant, 
Luc. 19, 22.  out of thine own mouth will I judge thee. To leave this parable, let us learn to look to our several functions with all diligence, remembering the great charge we have taken upon us, the maintenance that we do reap from it, and lastly, the accounts we shall give of it.  
Use 2 Secondly, it teacheth the Ministers, as they desire the salvation of their people, whom Christ hath redeemed with his most precious blood, so they ought to be diligent in preaching the word in season and out of season; that their consciences may bear them witness, that above all things they seek to glorify God in the instruction, conversion, and salvation of the people. Great was the care of the Prophets to warn the people of God of their sins. They stood upon their watch towers to descry the enemies. They attended the flock committed unto them. We have a multitude of examples as it were a cloud of witnesses that have gone before us in this office: but especially let us look unto jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, O what diligence unspeakable appeared in him? The Evangelist noteth this out by many circumstances, Math. 9, 35, & 4, 23. jesus went about all the Cities and Villages, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness, & every disease among the people. The very word of going about from place to place, doth carry with it a manifest signification of painfulness. He refused to tarry long in one place, as appeareth in his answer to the Samaritans, john 4. It was his meat and drink to do the will of his heavenly Father, for therefore he was sent. He preached and wrought miracles, not only to those that came unto him, or were brought before him, but of his own accord he went about unrequested.  
Secondly, it is a sign of no small diligence, in that he offered his travel, not only to one place, but to many: not only to great Cities, but also to small towns and to little villages; as appeareth in the perambulation or visitation that he made for the instruction of the souls of the poor people that wandered as sheep without a Shepherd, preaching diligently in every place as he went.  
Thirdly, he leaveth not unvisited and unfrequented every Synagogue or place of public assembly for the preaching of the word, he took all occasions, and watched all opportunities to do good; he taught in the City, in the wilderness, in the high ways, on the seashore, in the Ship, on the plain, on the Mountain, in the public Temple, in private houses, in the corn fields, and where not?  
Fourthly, the matter which in his doctrine he handled, namely, the Gospel of the kingdom, serveth to commend his painfulness unto us: forasmuch as truly and sincerely to preach the Gospel, is a work of much labour, wonderful care, and great diligence.  
Fiftly, his desire was to do all good that might be, not only to their bodies, but to their souls: seeing he did not only teach them, but healed, not some sorts, but all kinds of sicknesses and diseases. None of them, though never so dangerous and desperate, were to him incurable.  
Lastly, he could not be stayed from preaching sound doctrine, and healing unsound bodies, by the uncharitable slanders and wicked reports of the Scribes and pharisees, who, ascribing the working of his miracles, to the power of Beelzebub the Prince of devils, spoke all manner of evil against him. This worthy example and perfect pattern of all righteousness, the chief Pastor of the sheep, ought we all to imitate that are entered into this calling: let it be as a glass to behold our faces, and as a rule or squire to examine all our actions by it, that thereby we may stir up ourselves to be diligent in our Ministry. 
Several branches of this use.  This hath sundry branches pertaining to it, & issuing out of the same root.  
First of all, all Pastors must be diligent to know the state of their flocks, and to take heed to their herds, as Prou. 27, 23, 24. Forasmuch as riches are not for ever, and the crown endureth not to every generation. Such as are absent from them ordinarily, cannot possibly know in what state they stand, they must of necessity be ignorant of their condition. When the master of the family is away, the fellow servants begin to smite one another, & to eat and drink with the drunken, Mat. 24, 49. When Moses was in the Mount, & absent from the people, they fell into idolatry, and worshipped a golden calf, Exod. 32. The presence of the Minister ought to be an example of virtue, and a stay to them in all well-doing.  
Secondly, we must not be discouraged by the ungodly speeches & venomous tongues of wicked men, thereby growing negligent in our functions. Christ himself was evilly entreated, counted a devil, called a Samaritan, esteemed a wine-bibber, and branded to be a glutton, a friend of Publicans and sinners; yet he ceased not to teach and preach in every city and village. Eliah is charged to be a troubler of the state, yet he shrinketh not back, nor spareth to rebuke the idolatries of the Priests of Baal, 1 Kings 18, 17. 
Acts 16, 20  Paul and Silas are reported to trouble the City (as Eliah before was to trouble Israel) yet they continue and are not afraid to preach the Gospel of salvation. Amos was accused to the King by Amaziah, to have conspired against him, 
Amos 7, 10.  yet he would not give over, nor hold his peace. This is a common practice of lewd and profane persons, to persuade men of great countenance and high places, that we preach against them, and that it is not the word of GOD that reproveth them, but that we single them out, and so entitle them to our reprehensions; verifying the saying of the Prophet, They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly, Amos 5, 10. But sin must not be left unreproved, and we must with deaf ears, and dumb tongues, and blind eyes pass over such slanders, as unworthy to be answered or regarded; and let us, endeavouring to carry a clear conscience, go forward diligently and earnestly in the course of our Ministry, remembering the example of Christ our Saviour, whom no cavils nor quarrels of his enemies, could restrain from preaching the word to instruct the soul, neither from working miracles to do good to the body; and considering that he pronounceth all those blessed that are reviled, persecuted, and slandered for the truth's sake, Because after the same manner they dealt with the Prophets that were before us, Mat. 5, 11, 12.  
Thirdly, we must not be afraid of the faces and frowns of men. It is the weakness and frailty of many men, that they are ready to stand still and start back at every high and big look of the wicked, and thereby wax feeble and fainthearted at the great threatenings of the mighty.  
Hence it is, that the Lord saith, Ezek. 3, 8, 9 I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads: as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. So he willeth jeremy to speak unto the people all that he commanded him, and that he be not dismayed at their faces, 
〈◊〉 1, 17.  lest he be confounded before them.  
Lastly, we must wisely apply the word to the capacity and understanding of all. To speak generally to all, is as it were to hover in the air, and in effect to speak to none. The hearts of men are stony, and are not easily broken. They are as tough wood, that must have many strong blows to cleave it. This is to divide the word of truth aright, 
●im. 2, 15.  to give every one his portion of meat in due season. Then doth the word become effectual and is made profitable unto us, and preached with power and authority, when it is brought home to the doors of our hearts, and applied unto our consciences.  
True it is, we cannot abide to have our sores touched, and our wounds searched: but this is the only true and right means to be cured. We must therefore make much of such teaching and of such Teachers, and as we tender the salvation of our souls, so we must desire to have the word thus opened, & when it is so delivered and handled, let us submit ourselves unto it with all reverence and carefulness. It is a spiritual knife to lance us, and to let out our corruptions, which are ready to fester within us, and to hinder the work of it.  
Lastly, this serveth for instruction in a necessary Use 3 duty required of the people toward their Pastors, that seeing they have a great charge over them to teach them, they ought willingly to give unto them recompense of their labour, and a liberal maintenance for the work of the Ministry. It is the ordinance not of man, but of GOD, that they which spend their time, their study, their gifts, their strength, their substance, and even themselves in the most profitable and necessary service of the Church, 
1 Cor. 9, 14.  should be bountifully provided for, and have no just cause to complain of want. This will appear very plainly unto us, 
How the Levites were maintained under the law.  if we consider what allowance was given to the Levites under the Law, and how the maintenance of the Ministry standeth under the Gospel.  
First of all, the Scripture teacheth, that they had 48, Cities, and two thousand cubits of ground from their walls, which I may call as it were their glebe lands, Numb. 35. This was to them a liberal portion, and in so small a country, a great proportion.  
Secondly, they had the tithes of corn, 
Num. 18, 21. Leu. 27, 30, 32  of wine, of oil, and of all fruits & herbs, together with the tithes of the herds and flocks.  
Thirdly, 
Exod. 34, 19, 20.  they had the first borne of all sorts of cattle, as of beeves, of Sheep, & of Goats, as also the prices of the rest according to the Priest's estimation, Ezek. 44, 30. Neh. 10, 36. Likewise they had the first borne of men redeemed at a certain price, to wit, at five shekels a man.  
Fourthly, there was appropriated unto them the first fruits of wine, of oil, of wool, of corn, and of their dough, Numb. 18, 13. 
Deut. 18, 4. Nehe. 10, 35.   
Fiftly, he had all the oblations and vows, and whatsoever was dedicated unto God and separated from the common use, Numb. 18, 8. Ezek. 44, 29, 30.  
Sixtly, the meat offerings, the sin offerings, & the trespass offerings, the heave offerings, and the shake offerings, and the showbread, Numb. 18, 9, 11. levit. 24, verse 9 Mat. 12, 5.  
seventhly, the abundance and multitude of the sacrifices yielded unto them a great allowance: of the peace offerings they had the breast and the shoulder; of others, they had more, of every sacrifice they had somewhat. Numb. 18, 18. levit. 7, 31, 32, 34. Deut. 18, 3. levit. 7, 8.  
Eightly, all the males were to appear thrice a year before the Lord, Exod. 23, 15, and 34, 20: but none were to appear empty before him.  
Ninthly, if any man had defrauded his neighbour, and purloined his goods from him, and he have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, the trespass is to be recompensed to the Lord, even to the Priest, Numb. 5, 8. The doer of wrong is not to retain it, but it shall remain to the Priests use, in case the owner be dead and have left no kinsman behind him.  
Lastly, all these former duties were to be paid in kind; if any desired to redeem them, he must pay, not after his own pleasure or price, but according to the Priest's valuation, and must add a fift part thereunto: if any part or parcel were detained, 
levit. 5, 15, 16  he was to bring a Ram for an offering, & to make good that which he withheld, & as an overplus to add a fift part thereunto. Wherefore, all things being duly considered, the maintenance of the Priests and Levites was both liberal and honourable. Liberal, in regard of quantity and quality. Honourable, in respect of the manner, inasmuch as they were commanded to bring their offerings or gifts into the Temple, 
Philo de honour. Sacerd.  that from thence they might receive them as from the hands of God himself, lest the people when they brought any of their duties should upbraid the Priest, as if he were beholden unto them. This is the fashion and corrupt course of many unthankful wretches in these our days, that plead for nothing but for their backs, and bellies, and coffers, that care not whether religion go forward or backward, that hit the Ministers in the teeth with their payments and liberality toward them, & think they live an easy and pleasant life by the sweat of other men's brows.  
So then, seeing the Ministers under the law that served at the Altar had such means of maintenance, that they might give themselves wholly to holy things: much more ought the Ministers of God in the time of the Gospel to be well provided for. For as their office is greater, so the reward of their labours should be better. Our Saviour teacheth, Math. 11, verse 11. that he which is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than john and the Prophets; that is, the Ministers of the Gospel have received an higher calling than all that went before them, and therefore there ought not to be a lower respect had unto them. God therefore would have them well maintained, as not pompously, so not poorly: as not wallowing in superfluity, so not wanting through necessity. They must be relieved bountifully, not live beggarly: liberally, not sparingly or pinchingly, to the end they attend and employ themselves in the duties of their callings, and not to be driven or distracted from them through penury. The Apostle pointeth unto this in the Epistle to the Galatians, ch. 6, v. 6. Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth, in all good things. And in the 9 chapter, verse 7, of the former Epistle to the Corinthians, he confirmeth this truth at large, Who goeth a warfare at his own cost? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit of it? etc. The Ministers are the Captains or Colonels of the Lords host; they are the planters of his vineyard; they are the shepherds of his flock: and therefore aught to have maintenance from the Church.  

1 Cor, 9, 9, 10.  Secondly, it were a kind of wrong and injustice to muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn: 
1 Tim. 5, 11  the calling of the Minister is laborious, they are the Lords ploughmen, seedmen, and harvest-men. His ploughmen, to plough up the ground of men's hearts, jer. 4, 3, 4: to harrow them, and as it were to fashion them anew, that so they may be fitted to bring forth fruit, when all thorns and thistles are grubbed up and removed. His seed-men, to sow the precious and immortal seed of the word in their hearts, whereby they are regenerated and borne anew, Luke 8, verse 11. 1 Pet. 1, verse 23. His harvest-men, to gather his corn into his barn, that the sons and daughters of almighty God may have the food of life broken unto them, and not perish through famine.  
Thirdly, the Minister communicateth spiritual things unto the people, which are of much more value than all temporal and earthly things. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Is it then a great matter, if we reap your carnal things? As if he should say, 
1 Cor. 9, 11.  If we bestow upon you the greater, we may well receive the lesser things, not as a benevolence, but as a recompense, albeit no sufficient compensation of our labours can be bestowed upon us, forasmuch as they own unto us, even themselves, as Paul speaketh to Philemon.  
Fourthly, as the levitical Priests for their service in the Sanctuary had a large and liberal maintenance, so ought the Ministers of the Gospel: They which minister about the holy things, live of the things of the Temple, 
D. Down●● in his ser●●● of the dig●●● and duty of the Minister.  and they which wait at the Altar, are partakers with the Altar: even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel, 1 Corinth. 9, verse 13, 14. This condemneth the covetous practices and niggardly dealings of worldly minded men toward the Ministers, who account them that attend upon this calling unworthy any allowance, as being in their foolish opinion and devilish conceit, an idle, and needless, and fruitless function. These men are of so wretched and corrupt consciences, and so void of the fear of God and man, that whatsoever they can cunningly purloin, and fraudulently convey away from them, they think it well gotten and gained. But let these men know, and lay it up in their hearts, and apply it to their consciences, that as the Ministry of the word is the ordinance of God, and the maintenance of the Ministry is the ordinance of God: so such as set themselves with might and main against it, either to disannul the preaching of it, or to hinder the free passage of it, whether it be openly or covertly, whether it be directly or indirectly, do fight against God, provoke his wrath against them, sin against their own souls, and overthrow the salvation of many thousands that might be called and converted by it.  
Many damnable hypocrites there are in the world, that dare not openly speak against the Ministry of the word, and the preaching of the Gospel; for then all men would condemn them, and be ready to cry shame upon them, all men would paint and point them out with the finger, and hiss at them as they go in the streets: every one would shun them as devils incarnate. Whosoever should forbid the Trumpet to be blown in time of war, would be taken for a traitor, and as one that goeth about to betray the army into the hand of the enemy. Or he that should forbid the soldiers to gird their swords by their sides, would he not be esteemed to be an hollow hearted friend, and secretly to favour the contrary side? So is the case of such, as would not have the Minister cry aloud, to lift up his voice as a Trumpet, 
●●y 58, 1.  and show the people their transgressions; nor to strike at the sins of men with the sword of the Spirit, they do undermine the City of God, and utterly betray the cause of religion. If we look to have religion prosper, we must look to the Ministry that it be upholden: if we let it alone, & have no regard unto it, whether it flourish or decay, and suffer every base and beastly companion to flout at it, and insult over it, we strike at the heart of religion, and give a deadly blow unto the cause of God. Wherefore, they are constrained to put on a vizard, and as it were to mask themselves, that they may play their parts, & not appear in their proper likeness: so that all their quarrel is against the Ministers in outward show, they are made the causes of all divisions and contentions in the places where they live & preach the word. These Sycophants would make the world believe, that Preachers make debate among men, and they know whole towns divided one against another, since they had a teaching Minister; so that whereas before they lived & loved together as honest neighbours & good friends, now there is dissension sown among them, and they hate one another as enemies. These are they that hold, that the dogs are the cause why the sheep and wolves do not agree, whereas if they were tied up, the whole flock would quickly be a prey to the wolves. Thus did Ahab charge Eliah to trouble Israel, 1 Kings 18, 17. So the Apostles are accused to trouble the City, 
●●●s 16, 20, 21  while they taught the people.  
If Paul cry out against Diana and the gods that are made with hands, and the idolatrous worship done unto them, there will arise no small stir among those that seemed quiet before: 
●●●s 19, 29.  forasmuch as Demetrius and the rest of the workmen of like occupation (that thrive by such means, and get their gain by unlawful ways) will be full of wrath, and fill a whole City with confusion.  
There is a carnal peace which is in the flesh, which Christ professeth he came to dissolve & disannul, Math. 10, 34. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword, etc. God and the devil cannot agree together, light and darkness will not be companions: the godly and the wicked cannot be at one. So then, the fault of contention is to be laid upon the wicked and ungodly, who fret and rage against the word, because it layeth open their filthiness, and bewrayeth their corruptions. While darkness covereth the earth, much foul matter is hidden and is not seen: but when the day appeareth, and the Sun shineth, it can no longer be kept secret, for the light, 
1 Cor. 4, 5▪ ●  as the Apostle saith, doth manifest all things, even the counsels of the heart.  
But to return to the point before handled, from whence we have a little digressed, to answer the objections of these cavillers, whose mouths must be stopped, who, while they take from the Ministers their maintenance, do through their sides give a sore wound to the word itself, and take away the key of knowledge from the people. The wise man faith, Prou. 20, 25. It is a snare to the man, who devoureth that which is holy. Tithes are consecrated unto God and to his service, and therefore are not to be applied to common uses, or detained from the right owners of them. Properly God challengeth them as his own, and he hath assigned them to his Ministers. When Belteshazzar abused to common & profane uses the golden vessels of the Temple, 
Dan. 5, 2, 5●  which Nabuchadnezzar carried away, he enjoyed not his pleasures long; for in the midst of all his jollity, came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote his destruction upon the plaster of the wall of his own Palace. It was sacrilege in Achan, to take away any part or parcel of that which was consecrated to God, 
josh. 7, 20.  and in the end the Lord found him out, and he was stoned. It was sacrilege in Ananias and Sapphira his wife, to detain any whit of that which themselves had consecrated unto God, 
Acts 5, 2, 3  and might before been lawfully enjoyed: yet was that possession a snare unto them, and brought sudden death by the heavy hand of God upon them. O that all Church-robbers, and Minister-robbers, and Religion-robbers would have these examples as fearful spectacles continually before their eyes, and be moved thereby liberally to give that which they cannot conscionably detain: forasmuch as it is an audacious and sacrilegious robbing, not of man, but of God himself. It is an infamous crime to be a thief and a robber, but it is much more reproachful to be a spiritual stealer.  
Hence it is, that the LORD saith by his Prophet, Will a man spoil his gods? yet ye have spoiled me. But ye say, wherein have we spoiled thee? 
Malac. 3, 8.  In tithes and offerings. Where we see, the Lord accounteth it a spoiling of himself, even because the right of the tithes and offerings was alienated & averted from the right use, and thereby his service was greatly profaned, and the edification of the people shamefully hindered.  
If these rhinges will not enter into our stony hearts harder than the adamant, if the glory of God, which should be more dear than our lives, be not precious unto us; if the destruction of thousands souls, for whom Christ died, be not regarded of us; if the decay of religion and the ruin of the Gospel, be as a toy or trifle unto us: yet at least let us always have before us the judgement of God upon ourselves, and be well assured, that the wrongful and unjust detaining of the Lords portion from the Lords Pastors, shall bring such a curse upon the rest of our substance, that it shall be as the ears of corn that are blasted: yea, it shall kindle such a fire in the midst of our houses, that it shall consume them with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof. The Lord having by the Prophet Malachi, charged his people with spoiling him in tithes and offerings, he addeth this in the next words, Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have spoiled me, 
Mal. 3, 9  even this whole Nation. The zeal that David had for the house of GOD was very great, so that he professeth, it had even eaten him up, Psal. 69: and indeed he showeth no less by his own practice. For when Araunah the jebusite, as a King in the willingness of spirit, offered to give to David Oxen for  sacrifice, and the threshing instruments for wood, that he might build an altar and offer thereon: he would not accept of it at his hands, 
2 Sam. 24, 24.  neither offer to the Lord his God that which cost him nothing, as one esteeming (in so doing) the precious things of GOD, light and of small account. O how far are these men from this heavenly affection of this holy servant of God? He accounted nothing too good to give to God: but they account it an happy turn, if they might go away scotfree, and pay nothing at all toward the maintenance of the Ministry of the word. It is strange to see how bountiful many are, and even prodigal, that they care not what they waste and consume in following their own pleasures, pastimes, and vanities of their corrupt hearts; and yet how backward and pinching they are oftentimes for one halfpenny that is going from them, and coming either toward the poor, or toward the Minister. But mark the secret and just judgement of God upon them, and tremble at it, or rather fear him that inflicteth it, and payeth them home in their own kind, & punisheth them proportionably according to their sin: for he detaineth his graces from them, and sendeth them poor and lean souls that are ready to famish and perish, through want of heavenly and spiritual food. 
Two extremes touching the Ministers.  True it is, there have been two extremes in the world, both touching the estimation of their persons, & touching the compensation of their labours. In former times, the people did so highly account of them, that they did stick and cleave too much to their persons, and therefore Paul saith, 1 Cor. 3, 5, 7. Who is Paul? and who is Apollo? but the Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man: so then, neither is he that planteth, any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that gave the increase: but in our times, there appeareth not such forwardness, wherein they are contemned & despised. This is one extreme. Likewise, in former times, they were ready to give all, and yet they thought all to be too little: now they would willingly (if they might) take away all: so that if some positive laws did not stay them and restrain them, their consciences are so large, 
How the Ministers are dealt withal.  that they would suffer them well enough to take the corn, and feed the Minister with the straw: they could be content to fill themselves with the Calves out of the stall, and to eat the fattest of them, and then to reserve the refuse for the Minister, and to give them the bones to gnaw upon, which they offer to their dogs, and yet think that too good for them. A goodly recompense for their great pains! They are not ashamed to share the wool of the flock among themselves, and to clothe themselves therewith: and then to cast the tails to their Teachers, and to stop their mouths with the dung and dravery that is good for nothing. Thus are they affected toward religion, and the promoting of the word and worship of God: they care not though all rudeness and barbarism were among us, and the world were become a receptacle of all atheism, like a wilderness overgrown with nettles, briars, and all noisome weeds, if so be they might get any advantage by the ruin and overthrow of the Gospel. In the late days of superstition (which many now living can yet remember) the people generally were most bountiful to their sacrificing mass-priests, who fed them with corn that is musty and mouldered, or rather with husks, fit for swine then for the servants of God: and yet they thought nothing too good for them, nothing too much to bestow upon them, as the idolatrous Egyptians nourished their idolatrous Priests in the years of famine, Gen. 47: 
Gen. 47, 22.  so that their Land was not set to sale, having a portion assigned unto them of Pharaoh, and eating the portion which he gave them. Now our people are better taught, yet they pay all duties and demands for the most part grudgingly, and murmur at all things that go from themselves, as if a man did cut a piece of flesh out of their sides, or let them blood at the hart vein. Then they had a zeal, though not according to knowledge; and a conscience, though it were blind: now indeed, by reason of the labours of the Ministers which stretch out their hands all the day long, & spend their strength among them, they have science, but little or no conscience; the Gospel would be welcome unto them, at least in word, provided that it do not any way displease them or disease them, neither be costly or burdensome unto them: otherwise, if they must departed with any of their morsels, they care not for it, nor esteem any thing of it, nor will be ruled by it, nor order their lives after it.   

33. Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.  
34. And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.  
35 And the chief of the house of the families of Merari, was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the Tabernacle Northwards.  
36. And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari, shall be the boards of the Tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto.  
37. And the pillars of the Court round about, and their sockets, and their pings, and their cords.  
38. But those that encamp before the Tabernacle toward the East, even before the Tabernacle of the Congregation Eastward, shall be Moses and Aaron, and his sons, keeping the charge of the Sanctuary, for the charge of the children of Israel: and the stranger that cometh nigh, shall be put to death.  
39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses & Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, throughout all their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.  
We have already handled the numbering of two of the families, that have their foundation in the sons of Levi, to wit, the Gershonites and the Kohathites. Now followeth the third and last, that is, the Merarites; touching whom, we are to consider sundry particular points, as we have done in the two former divisions. For first, the families descended of Merari are named, which are two, the Mahlites, and the Mushites, verse 33. Secondly, the number of persons: the sum of them according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, was six thousand & two hundred, verse 34. Thirdly, the Overseer, or superintendant of them all, was Zuriel the son of Abihail. Fourthly, the place of their abode in the host, was on the northside of the Tabernacle, verse 35. Lastly, the office and function committed unto them, was the woodworke, and the rest of the instruments. These things were committed to their charge and custody.  
Hitherto we have handled the numbering of this Tribe, simply considered in itself, according to the particular families of it: now let us observe how it is concluded. In this conclusion set down in the two last verses of this division, we are to mark two points; first, the persons that went before the Ark of the Covenant on the eastside: secondly, the total sum of the whole Tribe is reckoned up. The persons that were to pitch on the forefront of the Tabernacle toward the East, are these: both Moses himself as the chief Captain & Commander over the whole, and also Aaron with his sons the Priests, ministering unto God and his Church: whereunto is annexed a certain proviso, that none should dare to thrust himself into their office, verse 38.  
Secondly, the total sum of all the former particulars is brought together, and the accounts cast up, which are said to amount to two and twenty thousand, v. 39 Out of which general number, must be deducted the Priests and the first borne of the Levites themselves; for otherwise the whole Tribe of Levi, consisting of the Priests and such as are called by the common name of Levites, amounted to the number of twenty and two thousand, and three hundred souls.  
[Verse 33. Of Merari was the family, etc.] In this division, we see more plainly and particularly that which was in part noted before, namely, the several mansions and situations that these Levites had about the Tabernacle, which being the place of God's public service, they compassed it round about, that they might not be far from any of the people of God, but always resident among them. The Gershonites pitched behind the Tabernacle westward, verse 23. The Kohathites pitched on the southside of the Tabernacle, verse 29. The Merarites pitched on the north side of the Tabernacle, verse 35. Now, lest any part should be left unfurnished and unprovided, Moses and Aaron and his sons are commanded to take up the forefront of the Tabernacle, and to pitch on the eastside. GOD might have put and placed all the Levites in one corner of the host, if it had pleased him: but in great mercy both toward the Levites and people, they are seated in the midst of the army, and charged to compass the Tabernacle round about, to the end they might serve the better for giving direction and instruction indifferently to all the rest of the Tribes that were to use their Ministry. Thus we see, that neither the Teachers were constrained to go far to their hearers; nor the hearers to take any tedious journey to their Teachers.  
This teacheth us, that God will have every part of his people taught. Such is the goodness Doctrine 1 of almighty God, 
God will have all places and people taught even the smallest.  that he will have none of his servants untaught, how small soever the places be, how mean soever the persons be. None are too high in regard of their great places; none are too low in regard of their obscure callings; none are too good to be taught, whatsoever their degrees be.  
We see this most evidently in the Tribe of Levi itself: To what end and purpose were they divided in jacob, and scattered in Israel, Gen. 49, 
Gen. 49, 7,  but that all the Lords people might be instructed from the highest to the lowest, and have their portion in due season allotted unto them of God? This is given as a commendation of the Levites, and of jehoshaphat that sent them, 2 Chron, 17, 9 They taught in judah, and had the book of the Law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the Cities of judah, and taught the people. This we see in the Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, and setting down the notable fruits and ends of the Ministry of the word, Eph. 4, 13. He gave some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, some Pastors and Teachers, Till we all meet together in the unity of faith, unto a perfect man, and the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ. Touching the practice of this duty, we have a notable example in Christ our Saviour, in many places of the Evangelists, Luke 8, 1. It came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every City and Village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and chap. 13, 22. He went through the Cities & Villages, teaching and journeying toward jerusalem. The like we read of the twelve Apostles, who walked in the steps of their master, going through the Towns, preaching the Gospel, and healing every where, Luke 9, 6. So also it was with the seventy Disciples, the Lord sent them two and two before his face, into every city and place, whither he himself would come, Luk. 10, 1. Seeing then the Priests and Levites, Christ & his Disciples, went about through all the Cities of judah, published the Gospel in every city and village, preached every where, and went into all places, we conclude, that it is the ordinance of God, that all places, great and small; all persons, high and low: all congregations, big and little, should have the word of God established and settled among them.  
Reason 1 This will be made plain and clear unto us by divers reasons. First, consider with me the titles that are given unto God in the Scriptures. He is worthily called the King of his Church, and the Lord & Master of his house-Is not he the Shepherd of Israel that leadeth joseph like sheep? Psal. 80, 1. Will a Shepherd that hath any care of his Sheep, or any love unto them, look unto some of them and not to all? Or will he not rather, if any be gone astray, 
Lu. 15, 4, 5, 6.  leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, and seek that lost one until he find it? So is it the will of our Father that is in heaven, that not one of these little ones should perish, Mat. 18, 14. He commandeth, that not one of these little ones should perish, Mat. 18, 10. He maketh us to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth us beside the still water, he restoreth our souls and leadeth us in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake, Psal. 23, 2, 3. jacob, that fed the sheep of his father in law, testifieth touching his care, that the drought consumed him in the day, 
Gen. 31.40.  and the frost pinched him in the night, and sleep departed from his eyes: so that whatsoever was torn of beasts, or stolen of thieves, was required at his hands, he bore the loss of it. Much more than will the Lord care for the sheep of his pasture; his rod and his staff shall comfort them, and although they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they shall fear no evil. Will a king regard only the chief Cities and most populous places of his kingdom, and suffer the rest to live as they list, without laws & good orders? Or will the master of an house look to some in his family, and not to all? If then, God be our King, if he be our Master, he will look to all his subjects and servants whatsoever they be, that they shall have their meat in due season.  
Secondly, such is the grace and goodness of God, that he would have all his people Reason 2 come to knowledge. Such as know not his will, are none of his servants. If then he require the understanding & knowledge of his ways, not only of rich men, of great men, of learned men, and of the Ministers, but of all the people, of what calling and condition soever they be, how mean and simple soever they be: we must hereof conclude, that he hath ordained, that all of them should have the means of knowledge and salvation offered unto them, and published among them. To this purpose the Apostle saith, He will that all men shall be saved, and come unto the acknowledgement of the truth, 1 Tim. 2, 4. And Peter in his second Epistle, chap. 3. teacheth, that The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (as some men count slackness) but is long suffering to us ward, 
2 Pet. 3, 9  not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This is that which the Prophet Ezekiel setteth down, chap. 18, 11, 23, 32, and 33. Have I any pleasure at all, that the wicked should die, saith the Lord? and not that he should return from his ways, and live?  
Thirdly, the word of God was penned for all estates, degrees, and conditions of men. It Reason 3 serveth as eye-salve to clear the eyes of all persons, and to make the simple wise, Psal. 19, 7. and 119, 99, 100 It cleanseth the way of the young man, if he take heed thereunto with all diligence, Psal. 119, 9 The book of the proverbs of Solomon the son of David, King of Israel, was written to give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion, Prou. 1, 4. The Apostle john 
1 john 2, 13.  wrote to the Fathers, because they had known him that is from the beginning: he wrote unto young men, because they have overcome the wicked one: he wrote to little children, because they have known the Father. If then the word do serve for all sorts, and sexes, and ages whatsoever, it followeth, that all must be taught from the greatest to the least, from the highest to the lowest.  
Fourthly, all persons, whatsoever they be, have souls to save; simple persons, small congregations, Reason 4 little assemblies, as well as others that are many in number. We consist not only of bodies, we must not only provide for this present life, but we have also souls to save and must prepare for the life to come. We shall all give an account of the things that we have done in this life, whether they be good or evil: forasmuch as the Lord will reward every man according to his works, Rom. 2.6. The day of our particular death, and the day of the general judgement, are both of them days of reckoning and account: and as the soul is most precious, so the account to be given for it is very great: and therefore from these premises we may necessarily deduct this conclusion, that it is the will and pleasure of God, that every place and person should be carefully instructed.  
Use 1 It remaineth therefore that we come to the uses, and as from a good tree, gather such fruit as groweth from thence. First we learn, that it is God's ordinance and appointment, that every congregation should have a learned Minister, to teach them the true religion and fear of God. It is not enough, that there be a settled & standing Ministry in one place or corner of the land, or in every great city; but he will have his people in all places, whether great or small, to be cared and provided for, & every Church have a sufficient Minister to instruct every member of it. Hence it is, that the Evangelist declareth, Acts 14.23. that the Apostles Paul and Barnabas, ordained Elders by election in every Church, and then they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed. And in the Epistle to Titus, Paul saith unto him, Chap. 1. verse 5. For this cause left I thee in Creta, that thou shouldest continue to redress things that remain, and shouldest ordain Elders in every City, as I appointed thee. By every Church and every city in those places, we must understand, that wheresoever there is a body of people gathered together fit for a Congregation, there ought a Minister to be chosen, appointed, and set over the same. For wheresoever a Church is planted, and a distinct congregation established, there is an absolute necessity of a settled Ministry, (as we have showed before in the beginning of this Chapter) so that it is altogether unpossible that without it religion should prosper or continue. The Lord had no sooner given his law concerning the erecting of the Tabernacle, but Aaron & his sons were anointed, and the whole tribe sanctified to the office of the Ministry, to attend on holy things, to teach the people, to offer sacrifices, & to perform such duties as were required of them. He knoweth that every man standeth in as great need of food for the soul, aa he doth of nourishment for the body: and that as the body decayeth without sustenance, so the soul famisheth and pineth away without the bread of life. Wheresoever the Ministry of the word is wanting, there wanteth one of God's ordinances, one of his special blessings. We see by common and continual experience, when the corn is blasted, and the harvest of the field is perished, and the labour of the husbandman is destroyed, what crying & lamentation is made: how much more ought we to be grieved, to see the famine of the word brought upon us, and thousands perish through want of this ordinance of God? yet nevertheless many never lay it unto their hearts.  
Secondly, it is required of the Ministers of Use 2 the Gospel, whom the holy Ghost hath made overseers of their several flocks, to look to their whole charge from one quarter or corner of it to another. Neither may they think they have discharged their duties by casting an eye over some part of their congregation, but they must overlook and overview it all throughout, considering they are to give an account for every soul that dieth through their ignorance, or through their negligence. There is none of them, but they are content to take benefit and to receive maintenance from the poorest and lowest that depend upon them: and therefore as they are not ashamed to receive temporal things of them, so they ought not to disdain or refuse to minister unto them in spiritual things. For if we take from them their goods, and seek to do no good to their souls, we rob them and steal from them: nay so much as lieth in us, we are no better than murderers and manslayers. Wherefore we must endeavour to set up the candle upon the Table in the Lord's house, that it may shine and give light to all that are in it. Let us as the Lords trumpeters sound the silver Trumpet of the word aloud, that all the host of God may hear the sound thereof, or at least may be without excuse, if they do not prepare themselves to battle. A good Prince taketh care for all his poor subjects, and receiveth them into his protection, and beareth the sword for their preservation. The soul of man quickeneth the whole body and every part of it, it giveth life to the hand as well as to the head, and to the foot as well as to the eye, as well to the parts that are lowest as to such members as are highest: so that no limb is destitute of the functions and operations of it. The head serveth to the benefit of every member which by certain joints and bonds are knit unto it, that they receive plentiful increase, and want no succour or strength necessary for any part, how little and mean soever it be. So ought it to be with the Ministers of the Gospel, who are made as it were stewards of the Lords family, 
Luke 12.42.  which is the Church, they must give them their portion of meat in due season: Blessed is that servant whom his master when he cometh, shall find so doing, Mat. 24.46. This serveth to reprove such as absent themselves from their charges, because they are small; and all proud and lofty spirits that think it a disgrace and dishonour unto them, to submit themselves to the lower sort, and to take pains to bring them to the knowledge of true religion. Hereby indeed they starve the fewest souls, but the loss of one soul is more heinous than the kill of many bodies. For the body may die, yet the soul may be saved in the day of the Lord. And this is one cause of Nonresidency, in that such as are of proud spirits, do scorn the simplicity and poverty of their hearers. Wheresoever there is an haughty man and highminded, 
A rule to be observed.  there can by no means be an heart to serve the Lord in his Ministry. Where ambition and vainglory bear sway, they are always joined with the contempt of others; which ought not to be among the Ministers: for how then shall the poor, the weak, the simple, be instructed by them? The Minister of the word must be affable, easy to be spoken withal, and familiar with the meanest and lowest: he must abase himself to reason and confer, and converse with the poor Artificer and tradesman, as well as with the Yeoman, or Gentleman, or rich man. The Apostle hath laid before us his own example, how he behaved himself when he was at Ephesus, Acts 20.18, 19, 20. Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations which befell me by the laying in wait of the jews: and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, etc. He was not inferior in gifts to any, even the deepest doctors in our days, but went far beyond them all; 
2 Cor. 12.2.4.  he was caught up to the third heaven, even into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter: yet he made himself equal to the lowest, and stooped down to every degree, 
1 Cor. 9.22.  that by all means he might save some: Humility is a notable virtue, that decketh & adorneth all Christians, and is necessary to be in all that profess the fear of God, Col. 3.12. and is oftentimes commended unto us among the fruits of a regenerate person, which the Spirit of God would have us beautified withal. The Apostle Peter, chap. 5.5, 6. giveth this exhortation, Be all of you subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and gives grace to the humble: humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. This heavenly gift is opposed to that vainglory, pride, and ambition which naturally groweth in us, as Phil. 2.3. Let nothing be done through strife, and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Howbeit this virtue is most notable and necessary above all other, to be in the Ministers of God's word, as Christ himself both by word and by example in his continual practice taught his disciples, Matt. 11.29. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. And when he had washed his disciples feet, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? If I your Lord and master have washed your feet, ye also aught to wash one another's feet: for I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you, joh. 13.14, 15. The place of the Apostle is worthy of our remembrance to this purpose, 1 Thess. 2.7. We were gentle among you, even as a nurse that cherisheth her children, etc. Where Saint Paul, noting out his meekness and diligence in preaching unto them, showeth it by a familiar comparison, taken from a natural nourse-mother, who thinketh no service too base or mean in the washing, and wring, in wiping and cleansing, in feeding and bringing up her tender infant. What is it that she will refuse to do? what pains will she not take for her child? what savours is she content to endure? how ready is she to break her sleep and rest in the night season, and never repineth at it? and albeit it be tasty and wayward, yet she maketh much of it, and loveth it never a whit the less. Thus it ought to be with the Ministers, whensoever any, even of the lowest that pertain unto their flock, when the tradesman, the Shoemaker, the Weaver, the Husbandman, when the servant, & the poor soul that hath scarce what to eat, or what to drink, or what to put on, shall resort unto them for comfort or counsel; then is there place especially for this grace of humbleness and lowliness of mind, they must make much of such as come unto them, and bear themselves familiarly and plainly toward them, entertaining them with all gentleness, and giving them encouragement with all patience▪ in hearing of them, and in bearing with their wants and imperfections. But many there are that take themselves to be such profound doctors, such learned clerk, such deep Divines, and jolly fellows, that they think it were a great disparagement unto them, to bestow their labour and learning among such sots. They say, I could be content to take greater pains to teach Gentlemen, and those that are more civil; but these rudesbies, and Russet coats, who can abide to live withal? who can endure to spend his days among Clowns and clouted shoes? Thus they deal with Gops' people, thus they speak of God's people, for whom Christ died: Thus they account of those that hunger and thirst after knowledge: thus they bewray the pride of their own hearts, and testify against themselves, the little love they bear to the sheep, to the sheepfold, and to the shepherd of the sheep. Let them step but one step forward, and then they will plainly discover their own hypocrisy, and evidently show that they differ little or nothing from the Papists themselves. For they, to discourage simple people from reading the Scriptures, 
Ce●s●. C●●●▪ ● 13.  call them dogs and swine, to whom holy things are not to be delivered; and to that purpose allege the words of Christ, 
Matth▪ 7.6.  Give not that which is holy, unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine: lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you: so these men account them as clowns and Coridon's, and cast out what words of contempt they can against them: they bid them follow the plough tail, get them into their shops, and busy themselves in their trades; as though conference and communication with them were in no sort to be admitted, or as; though they had no souls to save: so that in short time peradventure these high minded men will esteem them as dogs and swine also, which ought not to tread in the LORDS courts. These are far from the mind and example of Christ, who being equal with God, made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant; he vouchsafed to confer with rude and simple men, he taught men and women, high and low, rich and poor, he refused none. He taught indeed in the Temple, and in great cities, and in populous assemblies, but he disdained not to teach also in their villages and towns, and to instruct plain countrymen, and had oftentimes more comfort of his labours among such, then among men of greater callings. In like manner we that are called to this office, and have our special and particular place of teaching assigned unto us, aught to know that we must be no choosers, When the Lord of the harvest hath sent us into his field, the chief Shepherd of the sheep hath set us over his flock, and the householder hath hired us to labour in his vineyard, it is our duty to follow the example of our Lord and Master, and to apply ourselves in our charges, that we may discharge them faithfully, zealously, carefully, and diligently. Let us not dislike our places in the country which we have taken, because the people are few, or rude, or simple, or poor, or of mean conceit and understanding in them. These men will do nothing in secret, but seek to be famous and to be known openly: they affect honours and promotions; they resort to great places, and solemn assemblies, and desire to preach in the Universities, at the Court, at Paul's, at the Spittle, or to be heard of great men, and noble personages: and in the mean season, absent themselves from their own cure of souls which are like to perish, for whom they must give account and come to their reckoning; and so disdain to have any dealing with such as are simple, as if they were too good, and the people too base. Let us seek to shake off this high conceit of ourselves, and take heed of a scornful and disdainful heart, which naturally accompanieth all, and especially those of great gifts, & of high places. We see this in Christ's own disciples, notwithstanding his own example of humility daily before their eyes, even when he was preaching most seriously and earnestly unto them of his death and departure, of his Cross and Passion, of love and humility, Luke 22.22, 23. they began to strive for superiority, & contend which of them should be accounted the greatest.  
Thirdly, we have warrant and direction Use 3 from hence, to desire most earnestly that the kingdom of God may flourish every where: Christ our Saviour teacheth us to pray that his kingdom may come, Matth. 6.10. and so to be erected in the hearts of men. It was an holy affection in Moses, to desire that all the Lords people were Prophets, Num. 11.29. so ought we to crave that God's word might be established among all men, and made manifest to all people of the world. This use consisteth of many branches: 
Branches of this use.  First, it is our duty, to bewail such places and persons as lie in darkness and ignorance, and consequently in the shadow of death. Christ had compassion of such, and his bowels yearned within him. Such as have not the light of the Gospel shining among them, are said to sit in darkness, and to live in the region of death, Matth. 4.16. There are many places of the land, & many thousand poor desolate souls that lie in great ignorance, and have no knowledge of the ways of God dwelling in them. The fields are overgrown with briars and nettles, which should be white unto the harvest, joh. 4.35. The devil smileth at it, and rejoiceth to behold the desolations of the Church, because it is the exalting of his throne, and the setting up of his kingdom. He is the king of the world, as Christ is of the Church: and his sceptre is ignorance, as the sceptre of Christ's kingdom is his word. And therefore when the seat of wickedness is overthrown by preaching of the Gospel, we may see Satan as lightning fall down from heaven, Luke 10.18. If then we can behold the ruins of the Church, and the destruction of many of our brethren through want of knowledge, and yet are not grieved at it, nor lament for it, we have not the affection in us of Christ the head, neither the grace of compassion that ought to be in us toward our fellow members.  
Secondly, we are bound to desire, that wheresoever there is a candlestick, there may be a candle; and where there is a lamp, there may be oil in it; and where there is a Church set up, it may bear in it a burning and shining light: forasmuch as the doctrine that we deal withal doth teach us that it is the ordinance of God, that all places and persons wheresoever and whatsoever should be instructed. We see this in the counsel that Christ giveth to his disciples, Matth. 9.37, 38. When he saw the people scattered abroad as sheep without a shepherd, he said to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. It is our duty to pray for the preaching of the Gospel, as it were the standard of God, with all other ordinances of God, whereby his kingdom may be erected and established in perfect beauty, that it may be bright as the Sun, fair as the Moon, and terrible as an army with banners.  
Thirdly, our desire must be, that the publishing of the Gospel may be blessed, where God hath vouchsafed it; for as the wanting of this comfortable means of salvation offereth much matter of mourning: so the planting of it in any place, aught to draw from us many prayers, for the more free passage, and good success of the word, that God may more and more be glorified by it. This we see in the blessing of Moses, the man of God, wherewith he blessed the tribe of Levi before his death, Deut. 33.11. Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands, smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Hath God then bestowed this blessing upon any people? Crave the continuance of it where it is once settled, to the glory of God, and the good of his people: for this is the way that leadeth to the kingdom of immortality. Heaven is as a City: the Church is as the Suburbs that giveth passage or entrance into it: and the word is the statute-law by which it is ruled and ordered. The Prophet craveth oftentimes the blessing of God upon his Church, and his ordinances that are therein, Psal. 51.18. and 122.6.  
Fourthly, we learn that it is required of us to be thankful to God, and to praise his name, when he hath been favourable to Zion, and builded the walls of jerusalem, and sent faithful Pastors according to his heart, that may feed his people with knowledge and understanding, jere. 3.15. When he hath enlarged his Sanctuary, and spread abroad his saving health, we ought to conceive great joy of heart, and express our thankfulness by duties of obedience under the Ministry of the word. For as the want thereof is a token of God's great judgement and displeasure, so the enjoying of the means, is a testimony of his great goodness toward the people of those places; and therefore it ought to draw from us a subjection to his ordinance, and an acknowledgement of his free favour toward us, and a furtherance of us in his fear and our faith.  
Fiftly, we must all labour in our several places, and according to our several callings, to embrace the love of God's service and Sanctuary, hungering after the salvation of our brethren. One neighbour is to call another, and one friend is to speak to another, 
Esay 2.3.  as if he invited them as guests, to a royal and sumptuous feast. This we see in the Prophet, Many Nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and the house of the God of jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths, etc. Mich. 4.2. A farther practice of this we see in Christ's disciples, so soon as they had found Christ, they guided others in the way, 
joh. 1.45. and 28.29.  and pointed him out with the finger, that he might be known of their brethren. If we lay all these things together, and deeply consider with ourselves in the meditation of our hearts, of the estate of our present times, in which we live, and compare them with the days of Christ our Saviour, it will cause us to wish with the Prophet, that our head were waters, 
jeremy 9, 1.  and our eyes a fountain of tears, that we might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of our people. If Christ were now again upon the earth, and should make a visitation of this kingdom, as once he did of Galilee, he would (alas) have just cause to complain of the estate of the Church among us, and to account of a great many Congregations, as he did of them, namely, to be poor silly sheep scattered and wandering abroad without shepherds, and therefore might as truly say of us now, as he did of them then, The harvest is great, but the labourers to gather the harvest are few, etc. There wanted not in those time's store of Priests, Scribes, Pharisees, but these were loiterers, not labourers: idle bellies, not painful teachers: so there is plenty of Ministers in our times, no place is empty no Church is void, no assembly is destitute, nay the number of them is in so great abundance, that many wander up and down the country, as servants without a master, or travelers without a dwelling, ready to be hired for a little, if any Micah will give them their diet, and ten shekels by the year, and a suit of apparel, judg. 17.10. being glad to serve for a piece of silver, and a morsel of bread, as the Lord threatened the posterity of Eli, 1 Sam. 2.36. But concerning faithful shepherds, and painful Pastors that make conscience of their places, and keep their watch day and night in their watch tower, to descry and discover the approach of the enemy, and to lead their sheep in the green Pastures of holiness & righteousness, the number is small, so that in many shires and countries, scarce the twentieth parish is provided of one that is able and willing to teach them. In some places we have non-resident, that post over their charges to others: in other, we have men of great gifts, but of little grace to make conscience of their duty: in many there is no ability or sufficiency to stand up before the people, and to divide the word of truth aright unto them. All these are as Caterpillars that devour the fat of the land; or as locusts and cankerworms, that take the spoil of whatsoever they can lay hands upon. No marvel therefore, if there dwell in the people such horrible and palpable darkness, like that of Egypt, so that the greater part of them may well be likened and resembled to the horse and mule, in whom there is no understanding. For where there are idle shepherds, there are also idle hearers: and where the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch, Matth. 15.14.  
Lastly, this doctrine serveth as an instruction to all Magistrates (as their places serve Use 4 them) to further the preaching of the word, and to furnish such places as belong unto them with able teachers. This is required of all godly Magistrates, whether they be supreme or subordinate, that they endeavour to be nursing fathers to the Church, Esay 49. that they by their authority may encourage and countenance, all such as are Pastors and teachers, to the end they may go boldly forward with that worthy work which is in their hands. A notable example hereof we have in those Princes that were sent out by jehoshaphat: for albeit they did not preach to the people, in the cities to which they came, nor minister the Sacraments, nor offer the sacrifices, nor burn incense, inasmuch as they had the Levites with them to do that service: yet it is not to be omitted or concealed, that they did countenance them, and accompany them; and this their authorizing or backing of them is called a preaching, 
Chro. 17.7.  because it made a plain way, and set open a wide door for the people's better receiving of the word with readiness, cheerfulness, and obedience.  
The example of great personages is of great force, and is a strong cord to draw inferiors after them. Whensoever such men of high place make account of the Ministers, & highly esteem of their message and Ministry, it moveth others most mightily to show reverence to this holy ordinance of God. Especially it belongeth to them that are patrons, & have the presentation and collation of spiritual promotions, to have an especial care and regard that the Churches committed to their tuition may be sufficiently furnished, and that as well the small flocks, as the greater herds be provided of godly and learned teachers: for as much as Christ himself, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom from place to place, as occasion served, and the necessity of the people required, delivered the joyful news and glad tidings of salvation, as well to the people of little villages, as to the inhabitants of famous towns and populous Cities: not only to thousands that flocked to hear him, but to hundreds and tens that came unto him. He shunned popularity, and the applause of men, and showed not himself always openly, nor any otherwise then as he might do most good to the people, and gain greatest glory to his Father. He was not ambitious, or vainglorious, nor sought the praise of men, joh. 7.10. and 5.41. and 8.50. When God determined to destroy the Cities of the plain, at the request of Lot in mercy he saved Zoar, a little town, Gen. 19 God hath his people whom he created, and jesus Christ redeemed, even in little places as well as in great parishes: in small villages, as well as in large Cities. These have souls to save as well as others. Little flocks would have their shepherds, as well as great herds: such as are poor servants of the family, would be glad to have food to eat, as well as the chiefest persons. To instruct a countrey-village, is a work of mercy, as well as to teach the mother-Cities of a kingdom: and to be careful of the high or head places, but careless of little hamlets, is as unmerciful a part, as to pamper up a great family, and to let a little one starve for hunger: or as if a Prince should provide for the safety of great multitudes of his subjects, and neglect the lesser companies that abide in poorer villages: or as if a man should tender the welfare of his head, and never regard his foot, or his finger. Wherefore all Magistrates must set before their eyes the example of God, as a clear glass to look upon, appointing the ordering of the Levites in such sort, that all the Tribes might be instructed, being so divided & scattered among the rest, that their labours might be communicated to all: as also the example of jesus Christ, who in the days of his flesh, taught and preached every where, not only at jerusalem, but in Galilee, and other desert and desolate places; so that they ought to have an especial care and regard, that every Congregation have his sufficient Minister. And that they may be constrained to yield to this truth, or at least persuaded to the practice and performance of this duty, or if not persuaded, yet convinced in conscience that it should be done, and that it is their sin if it be left undone: let us a little consider somewhat farther the fact of God, how careful he was thereof, in the land of Israel, that as well the little towns, as the greater Cities might have able teachers.  
Hence it is, that he commandeth the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites, the ordinary teachers of the people, of the inheritance in their possession, Cities to dwell in: all the Cities which they were to give to these Levites, were eight and forty, Num. 35.2, 7. The accomplishment whereof, we may read at large in the book of joshua, chap. 21.4, 5, 6, 7. In every Tribe they had four Cities, and so were by the ordinance of God divided in jacob, and scattered in Israel, according to the ancient prophesy of jacob, Gene. 49. For out of the Tribes of judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, they had 13. Cities, verse 4. Out of the families of the Tribe of Ephraim, and out of the Tribe of Dan, and out of the half Tribe of Manasseh, they had 10. Cities, verse 5. Out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the Tribe of Asher, and out of the Tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, they had 13. Cities, vers. 6. Lastly, out of the Tribe of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, they had given and granted unto them 12. Cities, verse 7. By this means was the instruction of God's people provided for plentifully, through a multitude of Cities appointed unto them, not altogether, or in one place of the land, but dispersed here and there according to the infinite wisdom of God, and the absolute necessity of the people. We heard before, what wonderful care godly jehoshaphat the king of judah had, who sent the Levites throughout all the Cities of his kingdom, which carried with them the Book of the Lord, and taught all the land, and his zeal was rewarded with riches, honour, and great prosperity in abundance, 2. Chron. 17.5.9. The like commendation is given of josiah, who appointed the Priests to their several charges, and encouraged them to the service of the Lord, and said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, 
2 Chr. 35.2.3.  which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy Ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build, etc.  
So then, for as much as Christ preached to small villages, as well as to bigger towns: forasmuch as it was the wise policy of God, to place the Levites round about his Tabernacle, and to grant unto them cities throughout every Tribe; forasmuch as it was the carefulness of jehoshaphat and josiah to have all places of their kingdom replenished with good and able teachers; and forasmuch as the Apostle would have Elders chosen by election in every City: let all those that are patrons of benefices, and bestowers of Ecclesiastical livings, look out godly and learned preachers where there is want, that even small preferments in little Parishes and villages, may have Ministers of more ability then commonly they have, lest even the blood of them that perish through the ignorance of the one, and default of the other, be required at their hands. If the cure or Congregation be small, it is by many thought to be a sufficient cause to bestow it upon an unsufficient person, and sometimes upon their porters or other servants, if so be they can in any reasonable or tolerable sort read English, and satisfy the Law, they think no more is required at their hands: and all this is practised, because (forsooth) it is a little Parish. But Christ hath showed by his own example, that little Parishes are to be instructed as well as great and wide Cities. And if this example cannot teach us, it shall be able to condemn us of unfaithfulness, and of want of mercy and compassion toward the souls of men.  
The Lord put it into the hearts of such as are to dispose the livings of lesser Congregations, to set over them such Pastors, as may feed them with the bread of life, that is, with the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom.   

40 And the Lord said unto Moses, Number all the first borne of the males of the children of Israel, from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.  
41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord) in stead of all the first borne among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.  
42 And Moses numbered as the Lord commanded him, all the first borne among the children of Israel.  
43 And all the first borne males, by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numdred of them, were twenty and two thousand, two hundred, and threescore, and thirteen.  
44 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
45 Take the Levites in stead of all the first borne among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites in stead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.  
46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred threescore and thirteen, of the first borne of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites,  
47 Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece, by the poll, after the shekel of the Sanctuary shalt thou take them: the shekel is twenty gerahs. 
Exod 30.13. levit. 27.25. and 18.16. Ezek. 45.12.   
48 And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.  
49 And Moses took the redemption money, of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites.  
50 Of the first borne of the children of Israel took he the money, a thousand, three hundred and threescore and five shekels of the Sanctuary.  
51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the numbering of the Tribe of Levi, simply without any relation to others. Now we are to speak of it comparatively. For in this place the Levites are compared with the first borne among the people, whom God commanded to be redeedeemed by substitution of the Levites, and appointing of them in their room. This hath two parts: First, the enumeration itself, comparing the persons to be redeemed with those that are to succeed them, and come in their places, to the 44. verse.  
Secondly, the manner of matching or equalling of them both, whose number was different, to wit, the Levites, and the first borne, by a Pecuniary redemption of those that did amount to more than the Levites, to the end of the Chapter. Touching the first, we are to consider these particulars: first, the commandment of God, charging Moses to number the first borne that are males among the children of Israel (the Levites being already numbered, as we have heard in the former part of this Chapter,) from a month old and above, and to take the number of their names; and then commanding him to substitute the persons of the Levites for his service, and their cattle for the cattle of the first borne. Secondly, the obedience of Moses to this commandment; all the first borne of the males being numbered, amounted to the number of two and twenty thousand, two hundred, seventy and three.  
The second point is the paralleling or equalling of them both, by redeeming the overplus of the first borne, wherein also we may behold the commandment of God, and execution of it by Moses. The Lord commandeth the Levites to succeed the first borne, and whereas there were 273. more of the first borne, then of the Levites, he ordaineth that five shekels of the Sanctuary should be paid of the people, for every person that was above that tribe, which money was to be given to the Priests. The execution of the commandment followeth in the three last verses, wherein we may see how Moses obeyeth in them both; for he took the redemption money of the people, and gave the money of them that were redeemed to Aaron, and to his sons according to the word of the Lord.  
Out of this division six questions may be demanded, all which we will run over, and briefly dispatch, that we may proceed to the doctrine.  
Object. 1 The first question may be asked, how the number of the first borne which came to 22273 surmounted the number of the Levites which amounted to the number of 22300. For if we consider what Moses hath expressed before in the particular sums of the several families mentioned in this Chapter, it may seem at the first sight, that the Levites were more in number then the first borne, & exceeded them by 27. persons. For the sum of the family of the Gershonites, was accounted to be 7500 persons, verse 22. The sum of the family of the Kohathites, was accounted 8600. verse 28. Lastly, the sum of the family of the Merarites, was said to be 6200. The total sum of these three particulars amounteth to 22300. whereas the first borne amounted only to 22273. 
answer.  I answer, this difference is only in show, and not in substance; for in the family of the Kohathites, the Priests also were comprehended, and the first borne of the Levites: so that, whereas the number of these amounted to three hundred, the Levites are rightly said to be two and twenty thousand, verse 39 and the first borne among the Israelites to be two and twenty thousand, two hundred seventy and three.  
Object. 2 Secondly, the question may be asked, how the money commanded to be given for the redeeming of the 273. persons that were above the number of the Levites, was paid: whether by the first borne that were last numbered, or by the people? Answer. I answer, by the people, to Moses, for the Priests: for so doth common equity require, that one might not be eased, and another burdened. But if these first borne had borne the burden, and others been freed from the payment of this sum appointed and enjoined, there had been no equity nor equality observed, which the dignity of holy things seemeth to require.  
Object. 3 Thirdly, it may be asked, wherefore God challengeth the first borne to be his? I answer, we see the cause, Answer. Exod. 13. because he preserved them, when he had made a general destruction of the first borne among the Egyptians.  
Fourthly, wherefore would God have the Levites taken in stead of these first borne? and Object. 4 to seru him in their room? I answer, Answer. first he did it in mercy toward their parents, who might through this liberality use them as their own, and employ them in their service: so that whereas before they were the Lords, now they are returned to their parents. Secondly, to show the accomplishment of jacob's prophesy, that they must be scattered among the other Tribes, Gen. 49. Thirdly, to commend the dignity and worthiness of the Ministry, in that they succeeded such worthy and honourable persons, who were the flower of all the family.  
Fiftly, whereas the price of redemption Object. 5 and satisfaction for the 273. is commanded and appointed to be five shekls for every person, after the weight of the Sanctuary: the question may be asked, what a shekel is, and what is the shekel of the Sanctuary, and how it differeth from the common shekel. Answer. I answer, first touching the shekel, then touching the kinds of it.  
The shekel was partly a piece of money, and partly a weight. The value of it according to our coin and common money, seemeth to be two shillings sixpences, and weighing half an ounce in weight, as the best Hebrew writers testify: of which you may read at large in the learned Commentaries of our own men, set forth in our English tongue, 
D. Willet on Exod. 30.  the sum whereof is this: That two several pieces have been seen and weighed, one weighed just half an ounce, which had upon one side the pot of Manna, with this inscription, Shekel Israel, and on the other side was stamped Aaron's rod, with this title; jerusalem Kedeshah, holy jerusalem, in the ancient Samaritan characters. Likewise, there is another piece with the same pictures which was but half so much in weight, being but half the shekel.  
Beza setteth down the very same description of the shekel, Matthew, chapter 17. verse 24. which was given unto him by Ambrose Blancerus. Arias Montanus affirmeth also, that while he was at the Council of Trent, there was brought unto him by a friend, an ancient piece of silver, with the very same figures, and Characters, which he likewise found to weigh half an ounce.  
Touching the diverse kinds of the shekel, there are divers opinions why it is called the shekel of the Sanctuary. Arias Montanus affirmeth that it is called the sacred shekel, because it was the shekel that the Israelites used, who were an holy people unto God. But forasmuch as God speaking to his own people, & Moses writing to this people make this difference, it seemeth rather that there was a difference of shekels, not only between the Israelites and the Gentiles, but among the Israelites themselves; otherwise that distinction had been needless and superfluous. Others hold, that it is called the shekel of the Sanctuary, because the standard measure was kept in the Sanctuary, that there might remain a just and full weight without imminution or corruption: forasmuch as the weights and measures that were commonly used, were oftentimes altered and changed according to the covetous affections of corrupt men, as the Prophet Amos noteth, chap. 8.5. When will the new Moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the abbath that we may set forth Wheat, making the Ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? That is, in selling, they used small measures, and in buying great weights, so that they did buy with one weight, and sell with another. But howsoever many of the learned lean to this opinion, yet in my judgement it seemeth unprofitable, forasmuch as we never read (to my remembrance) that any weights or measures were kept in the Sanctuary, which was a place for holy things, and a figure of things to come, so that both the whole and every several part had their several significations, and looked unto Christ to come. Besides, the Apostle writing to the Hebrews, chap. 9.4. setteth down the particular things that were contained in it, as the golden Censer, the Ark of the Covenant overlaide round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had Manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the Tables of the Covenant, and over it the Cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat, etc. Where we see, he mentioneth what was in the Sanctuary, what was near unto it, what over it, etc. yet we have no naming of keeping any shekel in it. Furthermore, if this weight were there, to avoid the practices of injustice, why had they not also the like provision in other weights and measures also, as well as in this? was there no fear of fraud, but in this? or must the arms of injustice and wrong be tied up in one kind, and left at random in all the rest? Why had they not also the Gerah of the Sanctuary, the Omer of the Sanctuary, the Ephah of the Sanctuary, and so of the rest? Lastly, to omit other circumstances and considerations, this most holy place seemeth of all other, to be most unfit for the keeping of such human and worldly things, whereunto also the people could not have free ingress, and egress, and regress, at their pleasure, when they should try the truth of their weights and measures. Seeing they had not access to this place when they would, it was not fitted to such a purpose. The third opinion whereunto the greatest number of writers do accord, which seemeth most likely, to which also I incline, is, that there are two kind of shekels, the one common or profane, the other sacred or holy called the shekel of the Sanctuary, double so much as the former; the common shekel amounting to two shillings sixpences, the valuation of the other coming to five shillings, according to our money, that is in use among us.  
Sixtly, where it is said that the shekel is Object. 6 twenty Gerahs', verse 47. the question may be asked, what a Gerah is? I answer, Answer. the shekel being justly valued, it will easily appear what a Gerah is; but because we shall have fit occasion to discuss this point afterward, in the fift chapter, we will refer the reader to that place.  
[Verse 41. Take the Levites in stead of all the first borne, etc.] We see here, that the Levites were substituted in the place of the first borne, who did first of all execute the Minister's office. The Lord, if it had pleased him, could have served the Church with them for ever: but for the causes before rehearsed, he exempted them from this service, after that for a small time and a few years, he had tried their obedience to his holy will and commandment. Now, in their stead he taketh the Tribe of Levi to minister unto him, and for his Doctrine 1 people. We learn hereby, 
The office 〈◊〉 the Ministry is an high and worthy ca●ling.  that the office of the Ministry, is a most worthy and excellent calling. This is that which the Apostle saith writing to the Hebrews, chap. 5.4. No man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron; If then it be an honour to be called to this office, it followeth to be an high and honourable calling. Likewise, writing to the Romans, and declaring that none can preach except they be sent, he addeth out of the Prophet, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things? Rom. 10.15. And instructing Timothy touching this office, he saith, This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a Bishop, he desireth a worthy work; and afterward in the same Epistle, cha. 5.17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, specially they who labour in the word and doctrine.  
Seeing then, the Ministry is an honour as the Priesthood of Aaron was, seeing the office is a worthy work, and seeing the feet of the Ministers that bring the word unto us, are beautiful, so that they are worthy, not only of single, but of double honour; it followeth that the calling is exalted above many others, and aught to have a reverent and special account among us.  
The truth hereof will farther appear Reason 1 unto us by the force of reasons, as so many props to stay it up. First, we must consider the title given unto them of an Ambassador: what greater honour, then to be the Ambassador of a Prince? The Minister is more, he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts, 
Mal 2.7. 2 Cor. 5.20.  and cometh from the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is in stead of Christ, appointed and sent of him to reconcile men to himself, and to save them.  
So then, the Ministers supply the office, and sustain the person of the Son of God, who is the word and wisdom of his Father. Not that he would have the Ministry of his word less esteemed, then if he should speak from heaven with terrible signs of Thunder and lightning; but that he might by this means teach in a more familiar manner, and so make the better trial of our obedience. Therefore the Apostle saith, He that knoweth God, heareth us: 
joh. 4.6.  he that is not of God, heareth us not, hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. We must hear the word preached by man, not as the word of man, but as it is indeed the word of God, 
Thess. 2.13.  and so set ourselves in his presence. Hence it is, that he saith to the disciples whom he had sent out, 
●ct. 10.33.  He that heareth you, 
●●rk, 10.16.  heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. If then the Ministry be an embassage sent unto us from God, whereby God after a sort sueth to us for reconciliation, it serveth to set forth unto us the honour of this calling.  
Secondly, the honour of the Ministry is to Reason 2 save men's souls, which of all works, is the highest, the holiest, the heavenlyest, the greatest. What other calling can compare with it in this respect? Other professions and ordinances, respect the good of this life, as peace, or health, or wealth, and such like: but the end of the Ministry alone is the salvation of souls. Paul willeth Timothy to take heed to himself, and unto doctrine, adding this reason, 
Tim. 4.16. ●biection.  for in doing this, thou shalt save both thyself, and them that hear thee. It will be objected, we are saved by Christ only, as I have been oftentimes answered: we have salvation by no other than by him. 
answer.  It is true indeed, Christ hath performed so much as is sufficient for the salvation of all, yet none are actually saved, but they only to whom the benefits and merits of the Messiah are communicated. Now his merits are applied two ways, by the Ministry of the word, and by receiving of the Sacraments, for which cause the power of salvation is ascribed unto them. We do not teach that men are saved by the preaching of the word, to drive men from Christ thereby, or to build our salvation upon any other; for we preach nothing, we regard to know nothing, but Christ and him crucified. We go not about to lay any other foundation, but the question is of the means how we shall come to the saving knowledge of Christ, which is ordinarily done by the sound and sincere preaching of the Gospel: so that this calling is a most excellent calling.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, this truth is farther confirmed and strengthened by the contrary, in that without it ordinarily no man can attain to salvation, as may appear by the means whereby it is effected, and by the degrees whereby it is finished. None shall be saved but such as are effectually called: but what is the Church other, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  than a company of men called? and they are called by the Ministry of the Gospel, made powerful and effectual by the Spirit of God: Ye are called by our Gospel, 
2 Thes. 2.14.  to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord jesus Christ. By it, our minds are enlightened to see our own miseries, and Gods infinite mercies, and then by it, 
Luk. 1.79. Act. 26.18. Esay 53.1.  as by the strong arm of God we are drawn unto him. Again, none are saved, but such as are justified, being acquitted from their sins, and accepted in Christ as righteous, and as heirs of eternal life But we are justified by faith, and faith cometh by hearing the word of God, 
Rom. 10.17. 1 Cor. 3.5.  so that the Preachers are the Ministers by whom we believe. Lastly, none are saved, but such as are sanctified by the Spirit of regeneration, and whosoever is in Christ, is become a new creature: 
1 Pet. 1.23.  but we are borne again by the immortal seed which is the word of the eternal God, so that we are begotten into him by the preaching of the word. In this respect the Ministers are called spiritual fathers, 
1 Cor. 4.15.  because they beget us as children by the Gospel of jesus Christ. Thus than we see the worthiness and excellency of this calling, and what we are to esteem thereof.  
As than we heard the reasons, so let us hearken Use 1 to the uses. First of all, this aught to be a strong motive unto us to move us to desire this calling. It is an encouragement unto us to enter into it, & a good warrant that it is lawful to desire it. Who doth not desire honour & excellency in this world? Saul, being threatened to have the kingdom rend from him, desired that Samuel would honour him among the people. God lifteth up the heads of those that are fitted to this calling, 
job 33. Object.  who are as one of a thousand. But is it indeed lawful, will some say, to affect this calling, & to desire the office of a Bishop? may a man seek and sue for it? I answer, Answer. neither every man nor all desire is warranted. There are two sorts of men, & two sorts of desires. Some men are fitted, and some are unfit. There is a desire that is good, and there is a desire that is evil, according as the fountain is out of which they issue & proceed. The corrupt desire ariseth sometimes from ambition, and sometimes from covetousness, delighting to set out themselves, or coveting to enrich themselves. For some are possessed and puffed up with the spirit of pride and vain glory, setting out themselves with shows of worldly wisdom, and magnifying themselves and their gifts, to tickle wanton and delicate ears: others make the Ministry as their last shift and refuge, when they have made shipwreck of a good conscience, and know not otherwise how to live. This is a wicked & preposterous desire. For as such as have neither learning nor honesty, neither are willing to labour for their living, when they can no longer maintain themselves, their last remedy is to turn alehouse-keepers, and to set up tippling houses: so such as have gotten a little smattering knowledge, as shreds or scraps gathered from other men's tables, & have peradventure baited their horses in the University, though they be as far from sound or settled skill in Divinity, as their horses, when they know not which way to turn themselves to live, neither can shift any more, their scandalous and lascivious courses, being descried and perceived of all men, begin to think of the Ministry, and make that a means to maintain them idly, loosely, and wickedly. This desire is sinful and carnal, woe unto such as thus desire the calling: woe unto such as help them to it, and as it were hold the stirrup unto them, while they mount up into Moses chair: woe unto them that suffer them to have entrance and give them easy passage to make hovocke of the sheep of Christ: and woe unto that people that have such a plague sent in among them, to destroy their souls. But besides this, there is an holy and godly desire coming from the true fear of God, and the zeal of his glory, when he giveth unto a man this purpose and resolution, to consecrate himself to the Ministry of the Church, and to put in practise such gifts as are bestowed upon him. The former sort desire the honour, not the work: the maintenance, but not the pains. Such as desire it to be reverenced, are ambitious: such as affect it, to be maintained, are covetous. They that are set in this calling ought to be reverenced, but they ought not to respect that as the end of their entrance into it: they ought to be maintained, but that should not be their principal mark, but God's glory and the people's good.  
Blessed are they that have this godly desire; blessed be God, that hath put it into their hearts: and blessed are that people that have such a conscionable Pastor set over them to reveal unto them the counsels of God and the mysteries of salvation. These men feeling the blessing of God upon their studies, and themselves in some good measure fitted and furnished for this function, are willing to exercise their gifts, and employ their talon, which is indeed one part of their calling. Hence it is that Paul saith, Ro. 1.15.16. So much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also; for I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth, etc. He acknowledgeth himself a debtor unto all men: God is the creditor, who hath given out his money to every one of his servants, that they should gain every one to their master, not to themselves: the money committed is his gifts and graces that he hath distributed unto them according to his own pleasure: so that we having received, not only to believe ourselves, but to teach faith unto others, ought to be ready, willing, prompt, and prepared to employ such gifts as are bestowed upon us. Thus also doth the Apostle Peter teach the Elders, 
1 Pet. 5.2.  to feed the flock of God which is among them, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, etc. And in the old Testament, the Prophet Esay, (when his tongue had been touched with a coal from the Altar, and that he had heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send?) doth of his own accord offer himself and his service, Behold, here I am, send me. Wherefore, 
Esay 6.8.  whomsoever the Lord God shall call immediately by his Spirit, and furnish with gifts requisite for a Minister, he will also touch his heart with willingness and readiness to employ those graces, and to set them on work; he will give him a desire to glorify him in the service of the Church, and to gain souls to his Master Christ.  
Secondly, it reproveth sundry abuses of Use 2 such as transgress against this truth, and dash their foot against this doctrine, as against a stone; as if they meant violently to oppose themselves against it, or knew not that therein they fight against God; which may be reduced to three heads. First, such as abuse their persons, and tread upon them as their footstool: Secondly, such as contemn the Ministry itself as base and vile: Thirdly, such as deny them any maintenance fit for their calling. One sort are wretched and profane, another proud & highminded, the third worldly and covetous.  
Touching the first sort, 
The first reproof.  it is too common a practice in the world to scorn and scoff at the Ministers of the Gospel, which is as much as to make open profession to be void of all soundness and sincerity of religion. For such as hate them and despise them, because they are Ministers, do despise, nay despite God himself, and Christ our Saviour, as Luke 10.16. He that despiseth you despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. Where Christ setteth down this as a rule, whereby every man may examine his own heart, and make trial of his religion and piety toward God, even by his affection and behaviour toward the Ministers of God. It was never known since the world stood, that he did ever so much as savour of any goodness, that could not abide a faithful Minister. I deny not, but he may deceive himself, but God is not mocked: he may pretend piety, but it is nothing but cursed and cankered hypocrisy. The word is the seed of regeneration: it cannot therefore be that such as have been brought to the state of grace and salvation by this precious seed of the word, should abase & abuse those by whom they have been begotten. Will a son, except he do degenerate and become a monster, revile him that brought him into this world, and gave him life and breath? So is it as unnatural, and much more, to contemn the spiritual fathers of our souls: forasmuch as of the fathers of our bodies, we receive only temporal life, but of these, eternal. It is well said by one of the ancients, 
Ignat. ad 〈◊〉  that whosoever despiseth the Preachers of the Gospel, is an Atheist and profane person, and a despiser of Christ himself.  
These do not only sin against God, and against the Gospel, but against their own souls; they hinder their own salvation and the salvation of many others, and so make their means unavailable, and commit a sin more heinous and horrible then that of Onan, who spilt his seed on the ground, lest he should give seed unto his brother, Gen. 38.9. The seed of the word is immortal and remaineth for ever, and therefore is of greater price; so that they are spiritual murderers of thousand souls that seek to spill it and spoil it, as water on the earth, lest it should fructify in the hearts of men. If we should see a man pull out his own eyes that he might not see, or cut off his ears that he might not hear, we would all pity his case, and say he were running mad. But thus it fareth with these irreligious people; they make themselves blind, that they might be without seeing, they make themselves deaf that they might be without hearing, and they harden their hearts that they might be without feeling. 
●s de Sacer. ●3. cap. 5.  This is spiritual and desperate madness to despise so great a blessing without which we cannot be saved, nor obtain any good things promised unto us. And howsoever these men, to excuse their own impiety and to blind the eyes of the simple, will pretend love and liking to the word itself, yet they utterly deceive themselves: for this is one rule to be observed and learned of us, that whosoever abuseth the Ministers despiseth also the Ministry, as he that liketh the Physic by which he is to be recovered, will also make much of the Physician, whose counsel he hath used. Whosoever accounteth not the feet of those beautiful that bring glad tidings of peace, will not much esteem the Gospel itself: and whosoever despiseth the Messenger, will not regard the message that is delivered unto him.  
For the Ministry is the ordinary means, whereby it pleaseth God to save those that believe, Rom. 1.16. 1 Cor. 1.21. Let this be also another rule, that whosoever account the Ministry of the Gospel as vile in their eyes, it shall be easier for them of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, then for them, Mat. 10.15. and 11.24. yea, Christ our Saviour willeth his Apostles to shake off the dust of their feet, 
●ct. 13.51.  as witness against them that hear not their words, neither receive their persons. Wherefore this also shall be another rule, that to abuse the Ministers of the word, and esteem them as the ofscouring of the world, whose feet (as we heard) are beautiful to all the elect, because they bring glad tidings of peace and of all good things) is an horrible sin highly displeasing to God, grievously provoking him to anger, and swiftly calling down judgement upon their heads. Wherefore he saith in the Prophet, Touch not mine Anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. And Moses prayeth to God on the behalf of Levi, 
●eut. 33.11.  to smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. The persons of Ambassadors are by law of all Nations, sacred and inviolable; 
Cicer. in Verr. act. 1. Orat de Harus. resp & pro leg. Manilia.  the heathen saw it and set it down, and never ceased to revenge the wrongs done unto them, both upon particular persons, and upon whole Cities. The Law of God and man, sacred and profane, account the injuries done unto a messenger, as done against him who sent him: and therefore they were wont to be safely guarded and protected, not only in times of peace, but amid the weapons and naked swords of the enemies. David revenged most sharply the injuries and indignities offered to his Ambassadors with the overthrow of the Ammonites, 2 Sam. 10. and never did he show the like exemplary punishment in that extreme manner. Do earthly Princes and States revenge the wrongs offered to their servants sent out by commandment and commission from them: and shall we think that the Lord of hosts, the king of kings, who is the God of vengeance, will suffer the opprobries, contumelies, and contempts offered to his messengers, to go unpunished? The Ministers are the high Ambassadors of God, so that they send not themselves, but are sent out of him, and they execute not their own wills, but his will: and therefore the infinite Majesty of almighty God is violated and abused in the indignities that are offered unto them, and doubtless he will avenge his servants which cry day and night unto him, 
Luk. 18.7, 8.  though he bear long with his enemies. I tell you, he will avenge them speedily. No man offending in this kind of unkind abuses toward them, ever escaped the punishments of God. How often did God plague his people in the wilderness, when they rose up against Moses and Aaron, the Ministers of God for their good, who taught jacob his judgements, and Israel his laws? When jeroboam stretched out his hand against the Prophet to lay hold on him, 
1 Kin. 13 4.  his hand wasted and withered, so that albeit he put it out, yet he was not able to pull it in again. The two Captains with their fifties, 
2 Kin. 1.10.12  sent out by Ahaziah to apprehend the Prophet, were destroyed with fire from heaven, and never returned to bring their master word how they sped. The lewd and ungracious children that mocked Elisha, 
2 Kin. 2.23, 24  and upbraided him with his baldness, were torn in pieces by two Bears that came out of the wood upon them. The people of Israel that misused the messengers of God, and contemned the Prophets, 
2 Chro. 36.16.  that spoke unto them early and late, were rejected and carried into captivity, into the land of their enemies. Neither is it to be marveled at, 
Act. 5.39.  that God hath sent such strange examples of his wrath and indignation upon the contemners of his Ministers, forasmuch as they are as Cyants that fight against God, 
Deut. 17.12.  and therefore he appointed death to him that rebelled against the Priest, as those rebels were swallowed up of the earth that made insurrection against Aaron, and usurped the Priesthood contrary to the institution of God: in which place, Moses saith, It is not Aaron that you strive against, but even against God himself, Numb. 16.11. If we follow these men in their practices, let us also fear to fall into their punishments. For God will not be mocked, though the Ministers be misused: and his hand is not shortened, though they be taunted and reviled of us. He will account these reproaches to reach unto heaven, and they shall be of sufficient force to cast us down into hell, except we repent of these evils.  

The second reproof.  But let us pass from their persons, and come to the function itself. Many there are that are grown a degree farther in impiety, who making no conscience to go out of the way, do wander farther from home then many other. There are indeed some who stick not to account of the Ministers as the filth of the earth; they will give no reverence unto them, they acknowledge them not to be sent to reconcile men unto God, but disgrace them and dishonour them what they can: howbeit they will not break out in open contempt of the Ministry itself, but seem to esteem highly and reverently, and religiously of it. There is some hope of these, that by the mercy of God, they may be reclaimed and reform. Others spare not to speak against the calling itself, and utter slanderous words against God's ordinance, as men that are come to the height of sin, and have filled up the measure thereof to the brim. These are like Ahab; when Eliah came into his presence, he charged him to be the troubler of Israel, 
1 King. 18.17.  Art thou he that troubleth Israel? They are the Captains and Cavalleers that were in the company of jehu, that accounted him who came to anoint jehu, 
2 King 9.11.  a mad fellow, What said this mad fellow unto thee? Paul and Silas are accused to trouble the City, and to turn the world upside down, and to teach customs which were not lawful to receive and observe, Act. 16.20 Tertullus an eloquent Orator, abusing a good gift to an evil purpose, chargeth him deeply to be a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the nazarenes, Chapter 24.5. To contemn this calling, is to contemn God: and to dishonour it, is to dishonour God: and yet the Ministers for the most part are esteemed according to their low and mean estate in this world. If they be poor, they are indeed poorly accounted off. If they be not great in the world, they are not regarded and respected of worldly minded men; but these account themselves better than the Minister, because they are richer. But such as are rightly religious, are otherwise minded. Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's house, refused not to do reverence to the Prophet, to the contemned Prophet Eliah, 1 King. 18.7.9. joash the king disdained not to visit Elisha when he was sick and lay on his deathbed, and to weep upon his face, and said unto him, O my father, my father, the Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof, 2 King. 13.14. Thus it was in former times, when Kings and Princes were not ashamed to acknowledge them: but as sin aboundeth, so the Ministry is contemned.  
The third reproof, 
The third ●●proofe.  is against those that are so taken up with the thoughts of this world, that they refuse to allow them any means of maintenance, and grudge them meat and drink to relieve themselves and their families. This is a fruit of the former sins, and proceedeth from a contempt, either of their persons, or of their calling, or of them both. For when they are grown to contemn them, no marvel if they grudge to maintain them. Some think the calling needless, and superfluous, and well gotten that is detained from them. Others account it voluntary, and arbitrary, which they may give, or not give, yield or not yield, at their own pleasure: others will needs pay it, howbeit not as a duty, but as a gratuity: not as a recompense of their pains, but as a benevolence at pleasure: they will have nothing bestowed as due, but as an alms to the beggar that cometh to their doors. The first sort are plain Epicures, earthwormes, knowing no God but Mammon, and serving no God but their belly. The other two carry more show of profession, and yet they make little conscience of God's religion, or of their own salvation. For if they did hope to inherit heaven, they would be forward to magnify and further the means that lead us unto heaven, and account it an honour in equity and justice due unto them, to yield unto them a sufficient maintenance, which cannot without sacrilege be detained from them. Who is it that provideth not for his oxen and cattle, that labour for him? who feedeth not his sheep in sweet pastures, that feed him and clothe him? What hearts then have we harder than stone, that do not any whit regard to see them comfortably and competently maintained, that labour for us, search the Scriptures for us, are careful to provide for us, and to feed us with much better food? If a man should see any of us lying in a pit like to be drowned, and reaching out his hand unto us should draw us out, how would we esteem of them? The Ministers draw body and soul out of the deep dungeon of eternal death, and from the pit of destruction, and guide them into the way of peace: and therefore it is great reason, that having received comfort from them, we should comfort them again, and thereby show how we respect them.  
If we were borne blind, and wanted the light of the eyes, as the poor man mentioned in the Gospel, and one should restore our sight, we would account nothing too dear for him, nothing too good for him, if we gave him all the wealth and treasure of our house.  
But this is our condition spiritually, we sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, we know no more of God naturally, then serveth to make us without excuse. 
●at. 5, 14. ●uc. 1, 79. acts 26, 16.  The Ministers are the light of the world to enlighten them, to open their eyes, and to bring them out of darkness into a marvelous light: and yet the idolatrous Priests among the heathen were more esteemed, and better rewarded, than the true Ministers of Christ among us; which redoundeth to the shame and reproach of such as profess themselves to be sound Christians. But Christ saith, Object. to his Apostles, Freely ye have received, freely give, Mat. 10, 8. How then may the Ministers receive any reward for their labours? I answer, 
answer.  Christ speaketh in this place especially of working miracles, as appeareth in the words immediately going before, where he willeth them to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, to raise up the dead, and to cast out devils. If they be extended farther, because he willed them to go and preach, 
●ath. 10, 7.  saying, The Kingdom of God is at hand: he forbiddeth them to set the Gospel to sale, as that which standeth at offer and proffer: so that the Minister must not be given to filthy lucre, 1 Tim. 3, 3. Tit. 1, 7. So then, they do give freely, who do not intend gain as the reward of their labours, nor set it before their eyes as the mark they aim at, but desire nothing more than the glory of God, and the salvation of the Church, and refer thereunto all their studies and endevourss. They that only or chiefly seek their own wealth, are truly called hirelings; whereas the servants of God have him before their eyes of whom they are sent, that so they may feed the flock with knowledge and doctrine. 
●biection.  Again, it may be said, that Paul witnesseth he took nothing of the Corinthians, and that he laboured with his own hands, Acts 20, 34. 1 Cor. 4, 12. I answer, 
answer.  the Apostle in taking nothing of that Church, considered what did belong to the edification of that Church: nevertheless, the brethren that came from Macedonia, supplied his wants, and helped him in his necessities. But of this we spoke more at large in the former doctrine.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let no man presume to refuse and reject the Ministry, as thinking themselves or their children too high, or this calling too low for them; thinking themselves too honourable, and this office too contemptible for their persons. No man is too good to serve God at the Altar, and to minister in his Sanctuary. If any refuse the Ministry in regard of his birth, and his wealth, or worth, or gifts, he deceiveth himself, and overvalueth his own condition: for who is sufficient for these things? 
Cor. 2, 16.  We are a thousand fold more unworthy to be Ministers, than the Ministry can be thought unworthy of us. Noah was the Prince of the world, yet a Preacher of righteousness, 2 Pet. 2, 5. Melchizedech was both King of Salem, and a Priest of the most high God, Heb. 7, 1. Gen. 14, 18. Samuel was both a judge of the people, and a Prophet of God, 1 Sam 3, 20. and 7, 15. David was both a King & a Prophet. And albeit certain Kings have been Prophets, yet it was no greater credit to the Ministry, that Kings were Prophets, than commendation to Kings themselves that they were Prophets: as it was a greater glory to Kings that they have been Philosophers, than credit to Philosophy, that Kings have studied, professed, and embraced it. The Son of God, our Lord jesus Christ, before his incarnation was the Teacher of his people; for by his Spirit he spoke in the patriarchs & Prophets, and was the Messenger of God, and therefore called the Angel of the Covenant: and after that he took our flesh and nature upon him, being the seed of Abraham, he professed that he was sent to preach deliverance to the captives, & the acceptable year of the Lord, Luke 4, 18, 19, 43. He was equal in glory with the Father, yet this was his calling and work while he lived upon the earth. God the Father thought it a meet office to be committed to his only begotten Son, and should it seem a reproachful office to his servants? If he were anointed to be both our King, Prophet, and Priest, let not us despise prophesy. Nay, not only the Son of God, as he was man, disdained not this function, but God himself in Paradise was a Preacher of the Gospel, Gen. 3, 15. The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head: 
Math 17, 5.  and the Spirit of God is as it were a fellow-worker with the labours of the Ministers. Besides, the Angels themselves, most glorious creatures, that always behold the face of the Father that is in heaven, have not refused to be the publishers of this message, Luke 2, 9, 10. Wherefore, all such as GOD hath blessed with forward and toward children, as a special mercy toward them, and withal bestowed the goods of this world upon them, enabling them to maintain them in schools of learning, aught to further the building of God's Church, and to think it no disgrace or disparagement unto them, to apply their sons to be workmen in this spiritual building, and so to dedicate them unto God, as godly Hannah gave Samuel unto the Lord, that so long as he lived, he might be given unto the Lord, 1 Sam. 1, 28. It is a thing greatly to be lamented, that this high office of preaching the word is so contemned by all of high calling, that the Nobility utterly shun it, & the greatest part of the Gentry of the Land generally refuse it, either as base in itself, or at least as base to them, or in them. Great men's children are set to study man's law, but it beseemeth not their greatness to study God's law. To be sent on Embassage in the affairs of a Prince, is a great honour; but to be sent with God's message in his mouth, is esteemed a disgrace. Ye fools and blind, whether is greater, God or man? Whose message is most honourable, Gods, or else man's? We see in the Popedom, how men of countenance and estimation are not ashamed to give their children to the Pope's service, and bear the mark of the beast, and refuse not to have them nearly and ill-favouredly shaven, until they have scarce one hair of an honest man left unto them: 
Cardinal Pool.  nay, some of the blood royal have taken upon them the orders or rather the disorders of that Hierarchy, as we have examples in our own Chronicles. Princes themselves have renounced their crowns and kingdoms, and entered into Monasteries, & have put their sons and daughters into Cloisters. It is very apparent, that Princes among the Heathen, were also Priests. Shall not these being poor blind Idolaters, that knew not GOD aright, stand up at the day of judgement against us to condemn us, that have so little care or love to the Lords Temple, that the serving of him there, is become so vile a thing, as it is not beseeming a man's son of any countenance and reputation in the world? So that they will not set their hand to the Lords Plough, but scorn it almost as much as to go to plough and cart. The Prophet Esaias (as it is probably collected) was of a very noble lineage, 
See the Argument of the Geneva translation. Prolego. Ursini in Esay.  son to Amos, who was brother unto Amaziah King of juda, and therefore thought to be of the blood royal, as the Hebrew writers agree, who had the books of Genealogies extant among them. The Prophet Daniel, with Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah, were of the King's seed, Dan. 1, 3. We heard before that Christ himself the Lord of life, and the most honourable person of highest descent that ever lived upon the earth, who was not only of the lineage and stock of David, and heir unto the Crown & Kingdom, but the son of the eternal God, yet he disdained not to serve, but vouchsafed to minister in this office, and hath given example to all posterity, that none should account themselves unworthy of it, or it unworthy of them: forasmuch as the Gospel began to be preached of him, Heb. 2, 3: who is the brightness of glory, and the express image of his person, and upholdeth all things by the word of his power, Heb. 1, 3.  
Seeing then Princes and Peers, and noble men, yea such as have been of the King's blood have employed themselves to the Lords service: seeing sundry of these among both Pagans and Papists have exercised this function: seeing some of the elect Angels were Preachers of the Gospel: what a slander and reproach is it for us that are dust and ashes, and worms of the earth, and no better; that are called Christians, and would be accounted great professers, who, in so great want of labourers and harvest men to reap down the corn, do bestow our youth, rather any way then this that is the best way? It is incredible what great good such might do in the church. O what a furtherance would it be to true religion, and a notable means to gain many souls to God! For how many be there, that contemn the Ministry of the word, and consequently the word itself, because (for the most part) they are mean and poor men that are the Ministers and Preachers of it? Even as when the professers of the truth consist of the lowest sort, it hindereth the faith of divers, to consider that none of the rich or of the Rulers believe in him, but the people that are accursed: 
john 7, 4●.  so is it in the Ministry also. When such as are ignorant of true religion, cast their eyes upon the poor condition of the teachers of it, and behold the worshipful and noble shun it, and shake it from their shoulders, they are offended, and grow into hatred and contempt of the Calling, and regard not such as have taken it upon them. Whereas, if the men of great places would stoop down unto it, (if this may be accounted a stooping down) and as well preach Christ as believe in him, it might be a forcible and effectual means to further and foster true religion. Is it not a comfort to all godly parents, to see their children well bestowed? Can we have them better bestowed, then to serve the Lord, and to labour in his harvest, and to be made Rulers or Stewards in his house? Is there any thing we should rejoice more to see, than our sons put in trust with the price of the blood of Christ, and by preaching to win many souls, and send them to heaven? How do men seek to shroud themselves under the cloth of noble men, and are glad of places and offices under them; like to Zebedees' children that would sit at the right hand and at the left hand of Christ in his Kingdom? But the Ministers are the servants of the most High, they serve the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, than which, what service can be more holy or honourable? The Prophet Haggai complaineth, chap. 1, 4, that the whole people from the highest to the lowest, neglected the building of the Temple, and followed their own profits & pleasures, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your sieled houses, and his house lie waste? And therefore he threateneth in the words following, to punish those grievously, that were so reckless and careless for the helping forward of this building. Let Zerobabel and jehoshua with the remnant of the people diligently consider this point, and meditate seriously upon these things. And let all have a tender regard to employ and set apart some of theirs to work in the Lord's vineyard as painful labourers.  
True it is, some go about by pilling and polling to bring the Church to beggary and slavery: but this ought not to discourage any from serving in this calling, nor to withdraw any of his children from preaching of the word. The earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof, Psal. 24, 1. All the silver and gold in the world is at his commandment, Hag. 2, 8. He will never leave nor forsake those that be his. He will pay good wages to all that are his servants.  
They shall be sure of their pay that reap his corn, and bear the burden of the work, and the heat of the day. He hath the hearts of all Princes and Potentates in his own hand. He moved the minds of pagan and heathen Kings, to contribute things necessary for the repairing of the material Temple, as appeareth in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah: 
●zra 3, 7. ●eh. 2, 8.  and therefore he will not suffer such to lack, which labour in his spiritual Temple, under godly and christian Princes. Seeing then, we ought to make a great account, and have a reverent estimation of the Preachers of the word, and esteem the Calling given them an honourable office, inasmuch as Christ the everlasting Son of the Father, the wisest, the worthiest, the noblest, the notablest person beyond all comparison, of all that ever were, or shall be, or are, in heaven or earth, hath taken up the office of a Preacher, Priest, and Prophet, to teach the people and to pray for them; let us also further this work by all the means we can: and let the Ministers comfort themselves in this their holy vocation, having a multitude of such excellent predecessors, as it were a cloud of witnesses going before them, to be examples to encourage them; and let us not be discouraged by the taunts & opprobious terms of the ungodly, to dislike and forsake our function, or to be ashamed of it, or to think scorn to labour in it, howsoever many scorn at it, as too mean and base a thing for themselves. For albeit the Ministry above all other callings, is most subject to the contempt and disgrace of profane and godless men: yet let us be assured, that as it is in itself, & in regard of the ordinance of God, as also of the benefit of it unto mankind, a worthy and excellent calling, so they that enter into it, shall be honoured of all those which are the children of God. Let us tread those disgraces & contumelies under our feet, and be so far from being dismayed at them, that rather we ought to account ourselves happy for them, Mat. 5, 11, 12. Seeing we are thereby made conformable, not only to the Prophets and Apostles of Christ, but to our Saviour himself, and shall in the end be like unto him in glory and eternal life. Yea, we are assured that in the midst of all disgrace and defacings of us, we are the sweet savour of God, not only in them that are saved, but in them also that perish. 
● cor. 2, 15, 16  And albeit we spend our strength in vain, and for nothing, yet our judgement is with the Lord, and our work with our God, Esay 49, 4, 5. In the mean season, let our labour be answerable to the greatness of our calling, that so we may be worthy of that honour.  
Use 4 Lastly, seeing the function of the Ministry is of great excellency and dignity, we must understand, that great gifts are required in the Ministers, and they must in a good measure be qualified thereunto. This use doth the Apostle make, 1 Tim. 3. The office of a Minister is a worthy work, therefore he ought to be of blameless conversation, and apt to give instruction to the people. He must show both integrity of life, and light of doctrine, which is as the urim and Thummim that the Priest did bear on his breastplate of judgement. 
Exod. 28, 30.  It is the best harmony that can be made, when life and doctrine agree together; otherwise, we are as jarring cymbals.  
Hence it is, that the Prophet speaking of the Covenant of life and peace made with Levi, Malac. 2, 6, saith, The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips, etc. and he did turn many away from iniquity. The Ministers are called by Christ, both the light of the world, and the salt of the earth. In like manner Paul exhorteth the Elders of Ephesus, Acts 20, 28. Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which, the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers, 
1 Tim 4, 16.  to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. They must take heed to themselves, by living well: and to the flock, by feeding well with wholesome food. They must show themselves patterns of good works, Titus 2, 7, 8. If the calling were mean, mean gifts would serve to furnish them that are chosen and exalted to that calling: but seeing it is great, we ought to labour after great gifts, and to be adorned with worthy graces.  
They that watch over souls, aught to have a quick and sharp sight, that they may descry the crafty wiles and guiles of Satan. They ought to have a wonderful care of their duty, that are to attend the flock of God day and night, and be able to teach all, and to deal with all sorts of men, as Math. 13, 52. He must be a Scribe taught of God. No young scholar, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed who see and try his work, dividing the word of truth aright. They must be able to seek out that which is lost, able to strengthen the weak, able to heal the sick, able to bind up the broken. No skill is sufficient for these works, to be the Lords husbandmen, to dress and husband the Church, that it become not an unfruitful and barren wilderness. No skill in us is sufficient to make us the light of the world, Math. 5, the salt of the earth, the builders of Christ's body, the coworkers of God, 1 Corinth. 3, 19: the Ambassadors of Christ, 2 Corinth. 5, 20: the Stewards of the house, Titus 1, 7: the fathers of the Church, 1 Corinth. 4, 15: the fishers of men, Math. 4, 19: the Ministers of the Spirit, 2 Corinth. 3, 6: the builders of the Temple; the Shepherds of the sheep, Eph. 4, 11: the planters and waterers of the garden, 1 Corinth. 3, 6, 7: the watchmen of the City, Ezek. 33, 7. Heb. 13, 17: the Trumpeters of the host, and the stars of the firmament, Revel, 1, 20. Dan. 12, 3. The City of God which is the Church, is a more glorious and beautiful work, then is the fabric or frame of the whole world besides. On the other side, see the misery of blind guides, and the mischief that cometh by dumb dogs, yea, the desolation that cometh upon the people that have such Pastors or Shepherds: they are altogether unworthy of that calling. No man will make him his horsekeeper, that hath no knowledge nor skill in horsemanshippe, nor any experience that way; nor his Cook that cannot tell how to dress his meat: nay, not his swineherd that is no better than an Image or Idol, and cannot tell how to guide or govern them. And yet behold the simplicity and sottishness of the world, and wonder at it! They regard not to commit the souls of men, that are most precious, to such as we will not willingly commit an heard of bruit beasts to be kept. Ezek. 33, 6. The watchman that is blind and dumb, and the City that setteth up such an one, shall perish together: and our Saviour testifieth, that if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch, Mat. 15, 14. Woe unto such leaders; woe unto such as are thus led.  
These make this a base calling, as if jeroboams Priests were fit enough, that were taken from the lowest of the people.    

CHAP. four  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses, and Aaron, saying,  
2. Take the sum of the sons of Kohath, from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers.  
3. From thirty years and upward, even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
4. This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, about the most holy things.  
IN this Chapter we have an other numbering of the Levites: howbeit, it is in another kind than the former in the former chapter. For in the third chapter, the Tribe of Levi is numbered according to the persons: but in this chapter it is numbered according to their office and Ministry, so that there is a great difference between this and the other. True it is, 
Difference between the numbering in this chapter and the former.  in them both, this Tribe is numbered, but not this Tribe only, nor all the same persons, nor yet to the same end. We saw before, a general enumeration of the families of the Levites, as they succeeded in the room of the first borne, who had been separated & sanctified to the worship of God, to the Ministry of the word, to the service of the Church, and to the spiritual government of the people: so that as well the first borne as they are numbered: But in this chapter, only the Levites are numbered, not all, nor any of the first borne, who were now freed and exempted, and fully discharged from that ministration. Again, in the former chapter, all the Levites are numbered from a month old & upward: but in this, only such as were fitted by their years to undertake and execute the office of the Ministry, which lawful age is here defined and determined to begin at thirty, and to end at fifty years. Lastly, that numbering in the former chapter, was to another end and purpose then this. There they were all numbered from one month, that it might be known what overplus there was of the first borne: but here they are accounted from 30. years old to 50. that according to the number of the persons, there might be an equal division and distribution of their functions.  
Now for the better understanding of this numbering, here commanded and executed, we must know that the reckoning up of the Levites, is not done after one manner, but is much differing, not only from the other tribes but also from itself: so that this Tribe is numbered divers ways. The first is from a month old and upward, as we have learned out of the third chapter, because than they were fit to be offered to the Lord. 
Numb. 3, 15.  The second is at five and twenty year old, at what time they began to be tried and proved, whether they were fit or not; this is set down, chap. 8, 24. The third is at 30. years of age until 50, when they executed their office fully without any denying or gainsaying. Thus we see the different account that is taken of this Tribe, and the reasons thereof: now let us proceed to the order observed in this chapter.  
Herein we are to observe two parts. The first containeth a commandment touching the numbering of the Levites from 30. years old unto 50. together with a description of the proper and distinct office of every family. Secondly, the obedience of Moses, in the execution of the commandment of the Lord. Touching the commandment of God, we are to consider, that the whole service of the Tabernacle is parted according to the will and pleasure of almighty God the author of the Ministry, among the three families, springing out of Levi, and spoken of in the former chapter, namely, the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merarites. here Moses doth a little invert the former order, and beginneth with the Kohathites, because the Priests were chosen among them, and he insisteth longer upon them, then upon other, both because many things are spoken of them, which notwithstanding are not properly to be restrained to them alone, but generally to be applied to the rest; and likewise because they had a more worthy & honourable office, so that the chiefest charge was committed unto them. The commandment is general in this division, & then particular in the verses following. The general showeth who among them were to be numbered, to wit, all persons from thirty years old to fifty, to do the service of the Tabernacle. Thus much touching the order.  

●o object. ●wered.  Before we come to the doctrines, we are to answer two questions, thereby as it were to unloose the knots that might trouble those that are weak in knowledge, and slender in judgement. 
gestion.  As first of all it may be demanded, why the Lord commanded the Levites in this place to be numbered that were full 30. years old, 
●swer.  and not before? I answer, it was, because he would have those that served him in the Sanctuary, and did as it were represent his person to the people, and were to teach them, to be ripe in knowledge, in judgement, in experience, in moderation, in learning, and such like gifts of his holy Spirit. Young men for the most part have green heads, light brains, rash wits, shallow judgements, headstrong passions, being altogether unsettled and ungrounded. Thus it was in Rehoboams Counsellors, 1 Kings 12, 8. where we see young Counsellors, young counsel; grave Counsellors, grave counsel; as the men are, so is their counsel. Such as were to follow the wars, were numbered from 20. years old and upward. Moses the muster-maker took their names, and enroled them at the age of twenty: but such as were the Lords warriors to fight his battles, 
●ings 2, 12.  and as it were the Chariots & horsemen of Israel, must not be freshwater, or white-livered soldiers; they must not turn their backs to their enemies, nor be afraid to look them in the face, nor shrink back at the push of the pike, nor have their sword rusty in their sheath, but always be prepared, & stand ready for the encounter. But if such had been admitted to this office as were young in years, their lightness in gesture and behaviour, might have cast a contempt upon the holy things of God, and caused the people to abhor the word which they deliver, and the Sacraments which they administer: whereof we have an example, 1 Sam. 2, in Elies' sons, The sin of the young men was great, and they caused the people to contemn the offerings of God. To this end the Apostle adviseth and admonisheth Timothy, chap. 4, 12. Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an ensample to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. But of this, we shall have occasion to speak more afterward.  
Secondly, a man may ask the question, 
Question.  whether the Priests and Levites ceased the execution of their office at the age of fifty? For seeing God commandeth in this place, all to be numbered that were employed in the work of God, and none were numbered that were under thirty, and above fifty; it may seem to some, that they did nothing afterward. What then? Were they as soldiers dismissed of their service, and put to their yearly pension? Or were they released from all labours, as those sword-players, 
Horat. epist. lib. 1. epist. 1.  that had a rod delivered unto them in token of discharge? I answer, this was done for divers causes. Answer.  
First, such as execute this holy calling ought to be qualified with judgement, gravity, sobriety, integrity, diligence, yea with power, courage, strength, and to have agility and ability in mind and body, that they may do all things wisely, exactly, studiously, & constantly. But all these agree to a man most fitly and fully between the age of 30. and 50. limited in this place. Youthful age may be adorned with strength, courage, and earnestness: but it is not so well furnished with judgement, gravity, skilfulness, and staidness. On the other side, old men in their declining age, albeit they be filled with knowledge and understanding, and seasoned with moderation of affections, yet through weakness of nature, debility, and other infirmities that follow them, grow dull and heavy, 
Analys. jun. in 3. Numer.  slow and cold, and have not that quickness and readiness of dispatch, which they had, and others have: so that their body is not answerable to their mind, nor the outward man to the inward.  
Again, this was the ordinance of God, that they should give place to younger men, that under them they might be trained up to the service of the Sanctuary, that he might never want any to attend in that calling. Whereas in the multitude and increase of that Tribe to so many thousands, if they had all served during the term of their lives, many of them could never have been employed, whose labour might be profitable in the church. So then, they were at that age to cease, to make way and passage for the employment of younger men.  
Thirdly, as religion is more precious than all earthly things, so God hereby took order, and provided, that the weakness and infirmities of the Ministers, should not bring the holy ordinances of God into contempt.  
Lastly, this law seemeth to be restrained to such Levites as bare the burden of the Tabernacle, the Sanctuary, & all the instruments of it. For God will have no man to live without a calling, he alloweth idleness in no estate and condition. What then did the Levites? 
What the Levites did after 50. years of age.  They trained up younger men, they instructed them, and were no doubt as the Overseers of the schools of the Prophets: in them were the younger sort brought up, and called the children of the Prophets. Besides, they preached to the people, and taught the Law of the Lord, which is no idle work, but a matter of great labour & exceeding pains, so that albeit they bore not material burdens, which required strength of body; yet they bore weightier burdens than those, they had the charge of men's souls lying heavy upon them, which is able to press down the feet, and to weary the shoulders of the strongest man.  
Last of all, no doubt they were present & precedent at the oblations that were brought, they offered sacrifices, and burned incense unto God in the Tabernacle, so many of them as were of the number of the Priests; as appeareth by the age of Aaron, who ministered in the place of God's service after the age of fifty. It is noted of Zachary the Priest, that he was an old man, 
Luc. 1, 7.  he was well stricken in years, which cannot be supposed or imagined but he was above 50. years of age; yet he ceased not to execute the Priest's office before God, in the order of his course, and burned incense in the Temple. Nay, the circumstances of the text in that place do rather guide us, and as it were lead us by the hand to think, that he was more than threescore, peradventure fourscore, and it may be above, otherwise there had been no great bar and impediment on his behalf, but he might have a child; whereas he objecteth against the Angel, not only the age of his wife, but also his own age, Whereby shall I know this? 
Luc. 1, 18.  for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years? So then, all the Levites being come to the age of fifty, trained up young men under them, they were as tutors unto them, & taught the people knowledge, sitting in the chair of Moses, and the Priests offered sacrifice to God, first in the Tabernacle, and after in the Temple: their time of vacation therefore was granted from such labours and service as required the strength of the body, which Moses himself seemeth to point unto afterward in this book: From the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, 
Num. 8, 25, 26  and shall serve no more, but shall minister with their brethren in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service, etc.  
Verses 2, 3. Take the sum of the sons of Kohath, etc.: from thirty years old and above, etc.] See here a different manner observed in numbering of this Tribe from the former. Before they were numbered at a month old, because than they were fit to be presented to God, but yet not fit to execute the office of the Ministry, or manage any business of charge and importance. Now none are numbered under thirty, because before they were not capable of this office. Such as were to serve in the wars among the other Tribes, were numbered at 20. years old: but such as were to appear before the Lord to do the warfare of his service, 
Numb. 8, 25.  as the Scripture speaketh, must be 30. years of age; so that he requireth greater maturity in the gifts of the body and mind, greater wisdom & understanding in such as minister in the Tabernacle, then in such as pitch up their Tents, and go out with an army. There is wonderful skill required in leading an host of men against the enemy: but to be a Captain over the Lord's people, and to conduct them into the field against the spiritual enemies of our souls, where the danger is greater, is a matter of deeper knowledge, policy, experience, and judgement. We learn from hence, how the Doctrine 1 Ministers of the word ought to be qualified; 
The Minis● of the wo●● must be man of gravity 〈◊〉 moderance their affections.  they must be men of gravity, wisdom, sobriety, and moderation of all their affections. For if this were required of those that served in the Tabernacle and the Temple in the time of the old Testament, that only they of 30. years old and above, even until fifty, should enter into that calling, who then were in the prime and flower of their age, and had the greatest gifts: much more is it necessarily required of the Ministers of the Gospel, that they be men of sobriety, constancy, staidness, wisdom, judgement, and diligence. Such as were to build the Tabernacle, and to frame all the instruments of it, and appurtenances unto it, were filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, 
Exod. 31, 3.  and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. All such as had any hand in the erecting thereof, were fitted to it, for God did put wisdom in the hearts of all that were wise-hearted, 
verse 6.  that so they might make all that he had commanded them. The building up of God's Church is a greater work, and therefore the workmen appointed to the edification of it, must not have lesser gifts, or base qualities. Hence it is, that the sons of Eli are noted to be wicked men & grievous sinners that knew not the Lord, 
1 Sam 2, 1ST  because they bore themselves without sobriety, temperance, and discretion: they were full of lightness, wantonness, excess, and covetousness. The sins of jeroboam are set out, that he made not choice of the Tribe of Levi, 
1 Kings 12 ●  but took the scum of the people and the basest of them, men of evil note. Christ willeth his Disciples, to be wise as serpents. 
Math. 10. 1 Tim. ●●. Titus 1, ●.  The Apostle Paul describing what the Ministers ought to be, teacheth, that they must be unreprovable and blameless, they must be wise, just, patiented, temperate, discreet, not selfe willed, not soon angry, not given to fight and brawling. So that the Ministers set apart for the work of the Ministry, must not only be apt to teach, and able to divide the word of truth aright, but there is farther required of them, that they be qualified with wisdom, with knowledge, with gifts of government & discretion in their calling and conversation.  
As this is plainly proved unto us by these consents, so it may be strengthened by these Reason 1 few, yet forcible reasons. First, because they have oftentimes given unto them in the scripture, the name of Elders. Many titles are given unto them, and every one of them carrieth some instruction and admonition with it unto the conscience. They have not their names in vain, they are not idle sounds of vain words, but they offer the signification of some duty to be performed, and lead to the consideration of some thing to be practised, as Shepherds call to their remembrance to be busied in feeding: watchmen, to prove to them that they ought to have a vigilant care of the City of God, and to be on their watch tower: Messengers, that they must not do their own business, but his that sent them. So they are called Elders, 1 Tim. 5, verse 17, 19 1 Pet. 5, verse 1. Acts 14, verse 23. and 15, 2. and 16, 4. and 20, 17. to imprint and engrave in their hearts, the cogitation and consideration of the care, wisdom, sobriety, and staidness that ought to be in men of that calling: all which gifts are for the most part proper to that age: for days shall speak, and the multitude of years teach wisdom, job 32, verse 7. And therefore they are resembled unto them, not because they are so always in age, but because they should be like unto them, and have the properties and qualities of them.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the Ministry is an high calling, of great weight and worthiness, of great excellency and importance, standing up not only in the place of the people to offer up their prayers, but in the room of God, to declare his will to the people. If then the work be so worthy, if the office be so weighty, if the calling be so honourable, than it followeth by a good and necessary consequence, that such aught to be well fitted and filled with wisdom, gravity, and sobriety, that undertake it. This is the reason urged by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 3, 1, 2. He that desireth the office of a Bishop, desireth a worthy work: a Bishop therefore must be unblamable & unreprovable. Who is it that mindeth to build an house, but he will look out a fit workman for his purpose? Or who will commit the government of his family to an unwise Steward, that knoweth not how to manage the affairs thereof, to give every one his portion in due season? Then much less ought the Church of Christ to be committed to unwise, unlearned, undiscreet men, that are ignorant both how to rule it, & which way to reform it.  
Thirdly, such as are called to this office, Reason 3 must be careful to look unto their ways, that their calling be not blemished, and their Ministry reprehended, so that they ought to bear themselves worthily and wisely. Every one in the profession must labour to adorn the Gospel, and walk unblamably in the midst of a naughty and crooked generation, Philip. 2, 15. It is required of wives to be chaste, and keepers at home, that the word of God be not blasphemed, Titus 2, 5. and of servants, to count their masters worthy of all honour, that the Name of God and his doctrine be not evil spoken off, 1 Tim. 6, ver. 1. Much more than ought the Ministers to magnify their office, to beautify their calling, to watch in all things, and to make full proof of their Ministry, 2 Tim. 4, verse 5. They ought to shine as bright and burning candles, and as Christ saith, they must be lights of the world, 
Math. 5.  being set as a City upon an high hill, which cannot be hidden.  
Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Give no offence in any thing, 
2 Cor. 6, 3, 4.  that the Ministry be not blamed, but let us in all things approve ourselves as the Ministers of God, in much patience, in necessities, in distresses, etc. If only our persons should be blamed, and receive a check, the matter were the less: but the Ministry itself shall be reproached, and the ordinance of God reviled, and therefore we ought to look more carefully & circumspectly to our ways, that have the eyes, ears, & tongues of all men turned toward us. Their eyes are fixed upon us to behold our actions: their ears are prepared to hear whatsoever they can of us: their mouths are opened, and their tongues unloosed, to speak every where of us, so that we are set as upon a stage, & can by no means cover our persons or our practices from the sight and knowledge of all men.  
Lastly, the Ministers is to utter the word Reason 4 of wisdom, whereby both himself and his hearers shall be made wise unto salvation. The Apostle putteth Timothy in mind, that he had been brought up in the Scriptures of a child, which are able to make him wise unto salvation, 2 Tim. 3, verse 15. and Psal. 119. the Prophet thereby was made wiser than his teachers, than his enemies, than the ancient. Hereupon the Apostle Paul saith, 1 Corinth. 12, verse 8. To one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. And in the first chapter of the same Epistle, verse 23, 24. We preach Christ crucified, unto the jews, a stumbling block, and to the Grecians, foolishness: but unto them which are called, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  
Seeing then, we are to utter the words of wisdom, so called, both because they are the words of the most wise GOD, and because they are able to teach us the truest wisdom, we are to speak them, as it becometh them to be spoken, to the end, that in nothing we may be blamed or ashamed.  
To conclude these reasons, and to bind them all in a bundle together, forasmuch as the Ministers of the Church are Elders, both in name and nature, and we are to utter the words of wisdom; forasmuch as the Ministry that we have obtained, is a weighty and worthy calling, and that it ought no way to be blotted and blemished of us by any undiscreet and undecent carriage; it followeth, that such as are set apart to this work, must be men of wisdom & moderation, of experience and excellent government of themselves, of their words, of their gestures, and of their ways, whether they be public or private, whether they be open or secret, whether they be at home or abroad.  
Use 1 We will now proceed to set down the uses of this doctrine, that we may be benefited and instructed by it. First, it serveth to reprove divers sorts of persons that go against this rule, who, albeit they be ready to receive this truth, and to approve of it in judgement, yet they transgress it, and cross it notoriously in their practice.  

The first reproof. Children made Ministers in the Church of Rome.  And here we are to meet with the shameful abuse, and detestable corruption, that is too common in the Church of Rome, where children and boys have been admitted and ordained to Ecclesiastical dignities, before they had any understanding what the office requireth, or how it can be discharged. Thus hath the Bishop of Rome, that challengeth to be the high Priest of the world, the Vicar of Christ, and the successor of Peter, profaned this calling, and promoted, sometimes through covetousness, sometimes through favour, and sometimes through a respect they had to advance their kindred, such as are altogether unfit for such high places.  

Pelarg. in 4. cap. Numer.  Hence it is, that Sixtus the fourth, is justly charged and challenged, to have instituted the son of Ferdinand King of Naples, being a child, to Ecclesiastical orders, which the heathen, for a reverent respect they had to sacerdotal dignities, would never have done; and gave him the oversight and circumspection of the Church of Tarentum. Leo, the tenth of the house of Medici's, being a child of thirteen years of age, was made Cardinal by Innocentius the eight. Thus hath the chair of Moses been defiled, if Moses chair haply were then among them, whereof we may dispute and demur, not without just cause. The wise man saith in his Ecclesiastes, chap. 10, 16. Woe to thee, O Land, when thy King is a child: so we may say truly, Woe unto thee, O Church, where thy Minister is a child, that knoweth not how to go in and out before the people. This is a foul abuse, and cannot stand with the institution of God: well may such unseasoned timber serve to build up Babel, but in the house of God it can have no place. It is as untempered mortar, fit enough to set together a false church. Where the people are children, carried about with every wave, and are without knowledge, nay, refuse the means of knowledge, it is God's judgement to send them children to be set over them, that so one child may lead another by the hand, children in age. such as are children in gifts. We conclude then, that the popish Church is a childish Church, and the Roman bishop, is a childish Bishop, or else he would never have ordained children to that calling, and laid his hands upon them, and appointed them to such functions.  
Secondly, it reproveth such, as having the oversight of the Church to make Ministers, 
The second reproof.  do indeed commit a foul oversight through carelessness and neglect of their duty, and so thrust upon the church such as are unwise and undiscreet, who are as unconscionable in executing, as they were careless in choosing of them. For albeit these that are thus ordained be not young in years, yet they are young in manners. There are two sorts of young men, and there are two sorts of old men. Some are young in age, others are young in conditions: so that albeit they do not make choice of little children, yet they make choice of such as are little better; whereas men of gravity and entire conversation ought to be elected, and not rash headed persons obtruded upon the Church. This was the cause why Paul left Titus in Crete, that he should ordain Elders in every City: and for this cause he chargeth Timothy, that he should do nothing through partiality, neither lay his hand rashly upon any man, lest he were partaker of their sin. For when as a man is ordained through favour and friendship, or other sinister and sinful respect, who, having the door of entrance opened unto him, maketh havoc of the Lords flock, partly by teaching corruptly, and partly by living scandalously, he that doth ordain him is guilty of those crimes, and himself may be charged to be a false teacher, and an evil liver. For whosoever doth not hinder the sins of others, but give way unto them that they pass forward, is partaker of them: he that beareth with them, and winketh at them, is as well guilty, as he that walketh in them. Hence it is, that he exhorteth Timothy to keep himself pure, and unspotted.  
But peradventure they will object, Objection they knew not what he was, they were ignorant of his wickedness and looseness. Answer. But this doth not excuse them, because they ought not rashly to have given him admission, until they had made diligent search and inquisition. Such as were to buy a bondslave, were wont to demand the Physician touching him, to ask of the neighbours, and to require a time to make trial of him: and therefore much more ought there (if in any thing else) to be advise, and deliberation taken, when any is to be admitted to the calling of a Minister, and no place left, either for fear or favour, 
Basil. M●●●. ●  either for hatred or covetousness. For judgement is corrupted four ways.  
Sometimes through fear, when we shake and shrink back from speaking the truth, for fear of offending great persons. So did Pilate wrest the Law, and sin against his own conscience, for fear of Caesar: because they cried out, We have no King, but Caesar: 
john 19, 12.  if thou let this fellow go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Sometimes through covetousness, when we are corrupted through bribes, and hired for money, which blind the eyes of the wise, 
Exod. 23, ●.  and pervert the words of the righteous. So did Felix gape after gain, and looked for rewards, Acts 24, 26. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Peul, that he might lose him.  
Sometimes, through hatred and malice; for as Naboths vineyard was Ahab's sickness (a strange disease) so he dealt corruptly with Michaiah, because he hated him, and could not abide him, 1 Kin. 22, 8, 27. He put him in prison, and fed him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, yet he had done nothing worthy of imprisonment or of death.  
Lastly, through favour and friendship when we seek to gratify and pleasure our kinsmen or acquaintance, as Pilate did to please Herod, and for that care not what wrong we do to others. Wherefore the Lord would not have the poor man countenanced in his cause, Exod. 23, 3. And Festus the Deputy saith, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, 
〈◊〉 25, 16. 〈◊〉 7, 51.  before that he which is accused, have the accuser's face to face, and have licence to answer for himself. All which corruptions of justice, if they ought to be far from the tribunals of earthly judges, much more ought they to be removed from the Courts and Consistories of the Church-officers, whensoever the question is in hand of admitting any to the holy Ministry, or of removing any from the Ministry.  
This is a capital sin, and yet (alas) there is not that conscience made of it that ought to be. It is a sin that draweth on many others, as it were with cartropes. It giveth encouragement to him that is ordained, to go forward in his sins, when he considereth by whose means he was admitted. For thus he strengtheneth and emboldeneth himself to go forward, If I were not in good case, such persons as sway the matters of the church, would never have given me entrance. It heartneth and helpeth forward others of like quality, to resort unto them for spiritual preferment and promotion, who say to themselves, Why may not I get into the Ministry as well as such a one, I am not worse and more unworthy than he; I cannot be a more beast than he is; and indeed as well the one as the other are unfit & unmeet to have the charge of sheep, or of old shoes. It discourageth those that labour painfully in this calling, and weakeneth the hands and hearts of those that are diligent in their office. It bringeth a slander upon the Church of God, and emboldeneth many to go forward in sin, while there is for the most part, like Priest, like people: like master, like man: like mother, like daughter. And last of all, it bringeth inevitable perils and dangers upon the people, whose souls perish through their ignorance and wickedness that are entered into this calling.  
The third reproof 
〈◊〉 third reefe.  is the haste, which for the most part, young men (that run before they are sent) make to the Ministry: wherein the common proverb is true, That haste maketh waste. The zeal of these persons is very preposterous, forasmuch as they have not that judgement & knowledge, that wisdom and experience, that grace and gravity, that staidness and moderation in ordering and bridling their affections, that is needful in those that are to teach others the way how to do it: lest it be said unto them, Physician, heal thyself, Luke 4, 23. and as the Apostle showeth, Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Rom. 2, 21. In former times of the Church the Prophets well qualified hung back, and shunned the burden: but we are fallen into another extreme, whereby it cometh to pass, that we desire to be soon employed, albeit rawly furnished, as if a Captain should lead his soldiers unto the battle, before they be half harnessed and prepared.  
But some may say, Objection. Are none to be chosen to the Ministry that are young men? Or is this Law given to the Levites, remembered here, a moral precept to which the Church is necessarily tied? None were to serve in the Tabernacle or Temple, until thirty years, 
1 Chr. 23, 3.  is this precisely to be kept in the new Testament? I answer, Answer. not all that are of that age are to be admitted, nor all under that age are to be refused. For as there are two sorts of young men, set down before, so there are two sorts of Elders, some are old men in years, and some are old men in gifts: and thus may the Ministers be said sometimes to be both old and young: young in age, old in the graces given unto them necessary for this calling: as on the other side, a man may be old in years, and have many grey hairs on his head, and yet in regard of necessary gifts that ought to have been in him, be a young man, a child, an infant.  
If it be farther said, Object. john Baptist began to preach at that age; and so did Christ himself: yet had these great gifts, and who is like to them? or who may compare with them? Answer. I answer, these examples are not to be drawn into imitation, to make of them perpetual Canons and constitutions of the Church. And this was indeed a long time after observed in the Church, & all such kept out as by a strong bar, that had not attained to that age. We have laid before us the doctrine and life of Christ to be followed, not the years: ability, not age. The Apostle warneth Timothy, so to behave himself, that none should despise his youth, 1 Tim. 4, verse 12. He would have him learn, before he go about to teach others. It is said in the book of job, chapt. 12, 12. With the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days, understanding.  
Nevertheless, albeit this be ordinarily seen, yet God is not tied to any age, but bestoweth his gifts, where and unto whom he pleaseth, as appeareth in joseph, jeremy, Samuel, Solomon, Daniel, David, Timothy, Titus, and sundry others. Howbeit such examples are not common, but rare and unwonted, like a shining star in a cloudy Firmament. 
Aristotle.  No man chooseth young men to be Generals of an army, saith the heathen Philosopher. That Physician is thought to be the better, who hath most conversed and lived longest among the sick. 
Plato. lib. 3. de rep.  In the host of Alexander the Great, 
Q. Curtius.  none was suffered to lead the bands into the field, that was not elder than threescore. In the state and commonwealth of Rome, none under full age were chosen to bear any office. None was chosen to be a Senator, before 25. years; nor Praetor, before 30: nor Consul, before 43. How much more is this to be regarded in the regiment of the Church, where, as the calling is weightier, so the danger is greater, when these pastoral charges are bestowed upon unfit persons. For a special care must be had, that such as are advanced and promoted, whether young or old, do not cause their ministry to be contemned, especially considering that it falleth out (as we see) by continual experience, that even his doctrine is little regarded, whose person is despised. Some are old in years, but young in wisdom, 
Esay 65.  and at an hundred years old, are as children, touching use and experience; who stain and disgrace their hoar heads & white hairs with foolishness, sottishness, and more than childishness. In the art of navigation, 
Nazian. in laud. Basilij.  this law was wont to be precisely observed, that none should be chosen Master of the Ship, or Master's mate, that hath not first been a scholar and rowed with oars, and from thence been promoted to sit at the stern. In military discipline, a man was first chosen a soldier, than he rose higher to be a Centurion, before he could be General of the host. God would have the Levites to be at the first as it were probationers, before they were allowed to be practitioners. They were taken in for trial at 25. years of age, as it followeth in the 8. chapter, and so continued unto 30. at what time they were suffered to minister if they were found faithful and painful. But it may be said of many in our church, that they run before they be sent, 
jere. 23, 21.  and thrust themselves into the Vineyard before they be hired. These are young in years, and as young in qualities and conditions required of a Minister, that have not yet shed their colts teeth, nor scarce sowed their wild oats, as we say in our common Proverbs: so that we may say with the Prophet Hosea, chap. 9, 7. The Prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad. And another Prophet, Her Prophets are light, and treacherous persons, her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have done violence to the Law. Zeph. 3, verse 4.  
Use 2 Secondly, it teacheth a good duty and profitable to the Ministers, that remembering this lesson, and considering how they must be adorned, and with what gifts endued, they look to themselves that they give no occasion of scandal and offence, of evil speeches and contempt of their calling, but keep themselves unspotted and uncorrupted. This the Apostle teacheth his Timothy, 1. ch. 4, 12. Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example to the believers, etc.: and 2 Tim. 2, 15. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And afterward, verse 22. Fly youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. When Elies sons, light headed persons, meddled with the sacrifices, the people began to abhor the offerings of GOD, 1 Sam. 2. There are many several branches of this use, 
Branches of this use.  sorted out into many particular points.  
First, every Minister must consider how precious his calling is, and what person he sustaineth, that he is as the mouth and messenger of God to the people, and the Interpreter of his will: he is as it were the Lords hand in separating between the precious and profane, the holy and the unholy: he is to keep the people out of the snares of the devil, and therefore not to deliver them as a prey unto him through his evil life.  
Secondly, they must often enter into this meditation with themselves, that they are as actors upon a stage, or as beacons set upon an hill to give light to others. They are seen afar off, and a little blemish is soon espied in their coats. Every thing that they speak or do, is observed and marked, so that some follow them, and others carp at them; some are grieved and offended, others revile the whole Ministry, for the sin and scandal of a few.  
Thirdly, let us labour to stop the mouths of the enemies, that are ready to open them against their actions and persons, and thereby take occasion to blaspheme the Name of God and the glorious Gospel of Christ, and through their evil life, wound the truth itself. Hereby they shall be means to gain them to the faith, that such as receive not the truth, nor the love of the word, may without the word, beholding the pure and holy conversation of the Ministers thereof, embrace the word. On the other side, the profane lives and lewd examples that many in that calling give, do make the true religion stink in their nostrils, and become loathsome and noisome unto many, and so lay a dangerous stumbling block before such, as being blind, are made more blind, and being haters of good things are more hardened in heart. Woe be to such as give offence: it must be that offences come, but woe to them by whom they come, Math. 18, 7. These are glad to lay hold upon every small occasion, to speak evil of the word & ways of God, as also of the Ministers, Ministry, and the profession of the Gospel. The Apostle admonisheth the Minister, 1 Tim. 3, 7, that he must have good report of them that are without, lest he fail into reproach, and into the snare of the devil. We ought so to behave ourselves, that the enemies of God and his word, may have no just cause to speak against us, or to complain of us through our desert. But if we be without fault, and have the testimony of a good conscience to witness with us, it ought not greatly to trouble us, though we be burdened and borne down with false reproaches & calumniations: nay rather we have matter of rejoicing offered unto us, if we suffer for righteousness sake, Math. 5, 10: and we must boldly go forward, through good report and evil report, 
Cor. 6, 8.  always bearing about in our body, the dying of the Lord jesus, that the life also of Christ jesus might be made manifest in our body.  
Lastly, it is the duty of the people to yield them reverence, and to make a good account Use 3 of them, in regard of that weighty and blessed work that is in their hands. This is a notable sign and fruit of our love toward them. For if it be required of the Ministers to be thus qualified, it followeth, that they ought to have the honour and estimation that is fit for them, as Leuit. 21, 8. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore, for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the Lord which sanctify you, am holy. And the Apostle, 1. Thess. 5, 12, 13. saith, We beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love, for their works sake, etc. We showed before, how basely and brutishly every base & brutish companion accounteth both of the Minister and of his calling; as we saw in Ahab, in the Captains, and sundry others: and all this falleth out, because they rebuke and convince the world of sin, as jeremy found by experience, and acknowledgeth, chap. 15, 10. Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife, and a man of contention to the whole earth: I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury, yet every one of them doth curse me. This duty hath many branches under it, as it were divers sciences that come out of one root.  
First, we must pray for the Minister, that the Lord would give him wisdom & knowledge in all things, 
branches of ●s use.  2 Tim. 2, 7. Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. There is a carnal and fleshly wisdom, which is corrupt and devilish: and there is a wisdom which is true and heavenly. We must desire such only as is grounded on the word of God.  
Secondly, the Church must take notice what her power and authority is in choosing of Ministers. It hath no absolute authority to ordain whom it listeth, and then to obtrude them unto the people; but it is hemmed about and compassed within certain lists and limits, out of which it ought not to wander any way.  
Thirdly, it is the duty of the people, so to use themselves toward their painful & careful, and faithful Ministers, that they may take occasion to rejoice in their calling and charge over them, that they may see they have not laboured in vain, as Hebr. 13, ver. 17. Obey them that have the rule over you; and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Nothing doth effect this more, than when we profit by their labours, and fructify by their husbanding of us, and when we gain knowledge, faith, repentance, and salvation by their Ministry. This doth refresh the weary spirits, and cheer up the heavy hearts of the Ministers, who are oftentimes made sad and exceedingly humbled by the ignorance and profaneness of a perverse people. But when they see the word of God cast behind men's backs, and though the seed be plentifully sown, yet nothing cometh up but weeds and thistles, so that the field yieldeth nothing but a crop of cares, than they hang down their heads, their joy is gone, their crown is taken from them, and they go mourning all the day long. This we see oftentimes in the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinth. 2, verse 3. where he testifieth this affection; I wrote this same unto you, lest when I come, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.  
It is a common case with the Ministers that labour abundantly, they receive sorrow at their hands that ought to have rejoiced them: and have much affliction from those that should minister comfort unto them. And afterward in the same Epistle he saith, chap. 12, verse 20, 11. I fear, lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you, such as ye would not; lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults; and lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repent of the uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness which they have committed.  
The Minister hath no other true and hearty rejoicing, but the growing of his people forward in good things. The Apostle saith, What is our rejoicing? even you in the day of the Lord, 1 Thess. 2, verse 19, 20. and chap. 3, verse 7, 8, 9 If they stand fast, the Ministers are alive, Col. 2, 5.  
We cannot render sufficient thanks for the faith, love, patience, and increase that we see in the Church, when the kingdom of Satan is cast down, and the kingdom of jesus Christ is set up. The contrary, is the greatest grief and sorrow, anguish and vexation of spirit that can be. This also he doth often complain of, as Galath. 4, verse 19 My little children, of whom I travel in birth again, until Christ be form in you. And in the Epistle to the Philippians, chap. 3, 18. Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies unto the Cross of Christ.  
Fourthly, the hearers ought to joy in the joy of their Ministers, 1 Cor. 2, 13. But many please themselves in nothing more, & rejoice in nothing more, then in the heaviness and sorrow of their Minister: nay, they delight to disturb and disquiet, to vex & trouble him, and offer him daily occasions of affliction. Thus did the jews deal with the Apostles, they killed the Lord jesus, & their own Prophets, and have persecuted them that preached the Gospel, 1 Thess. 2, 15. They can never profit by him, whom thus they spurn at and despise. The Nazarites that heard Christ, could not believe his word, because they contemned and hated his person, Luke 4.  
Fiftly, we ought to be ready to hear and obey in all things delivered and made known unto us out of the word. We must not single out what we list in part to follow, and cast from us another part of the word: but whatsoever we hear, whether judgements or promises, let us say with Hezekiah, The word of the Lord is good, 
Esay 39, 8.  that thou hast spoken.  
Lastly, let us love them sincerely and hearty, this will cause reverence and regard of them: let us account them as our spiritual fathers, 1 Cor. 4, 15. Though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. Moses speaking of old age, giveth this precept to young men, that they rise up before the hoar head, and honour the person of the old man, Leuit. 19 The Ministers are Elders of the Church, and the Fathers of our souls, to whom we own reverence, as a due debt unto them, forasmuch as they watch over us for our good. But we can never reverence those whom we do not love. Let us not say as Ahab did touching Michaiah, I hate them. It is the common practice of the world, to hate those that reprove them, and to account them our enemies that tell us the truth. We love to be flattered, and desire to have pillows sowed under our elbows, according to the saying of the Prophet Amos, chap. 5, 10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. We would sleep securely in our sins, and go to hell with ease. We cannot abide to be roused up, nor be disturbed in our evil ways. This is the cause that the Ministers are hated, & accounted men of strife and contention. But if we did indeed love ourselves, we would also love them: & if we had any care of our souls, they would be most dear unto us, that watch over our souls, and desire nothing more than to bring us to salvation. Every man by the light of nature will love those that love him, and it is no singular thing: but let us assure ourselves, there is no love comparable to the love of our souls: and they love our souls, that seek to gain them to God, and to put them in possession of heaven. If we knew these things aright, and had a true feeling of them, we would esteem of the Ministers of God as our fathers, and the word which they teach, as the seed of regeneration.   

5. And when the Camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it.  
6. And shall put thereon the covering of Badgers skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.  
7. And upon the Table of showbread, 
Exod. 25.30,  they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal; and the continual bread shall be thereon.  
8. And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of Badgers skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.  
9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the Candlestick of the light, and his Lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it.  
10. And they shall put it, and all the vessels thereof, within a covering of Badgers skins, and shall put it upon a bar.  
11. And upon the golden Altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of Badgers skins, and shall put to the staves thereof.  
12. And they shall take all the instruments of Ministry, wherewith they minister in the Sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of Badgers skins, and shall put them on a bar.  
13. And they shall take away the ashes from the Altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon.  
14. And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the Altar: and they shall spread upon it a covering of Badgers skins, and put to the staves of it.  
15. And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the Sanctuary, and all the vessels of the Sanctuary, as the Camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
16. And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest, pertaineth the oil for the light, 
Exod. 30, 34. Exod. 30, 24.  and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the Tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the Sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.  
In this division, the particular charge beolnging to the sons of Kohath, is both propounded and confirmed. Touching the special parts here remembered; First Aaron and his sons (as overseers of the rest) are charged when the host of God removeth, to cover the Ark of the Testimony, the Table of show bread, the Candlestick of light, the vessels of oil, and such like. Secondly, the duty of the Kohathites, is set down, that so soon as Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the Sanctuary, and all the instruments of the Sanctuary, they must come to bear both it and them, as it was delivered unto them: provided that they did not touch any of them, or meddle with them until they be covered, lest they be destroyed. Thirdly, the office of Eleazar the Priest, the son of Aaron is specified; to him belonged the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, with all the oversight of the Tabernacle. These several points thus largely laid open, may seem needless and unprofitable to be thus particularly rehearsed: but as all things were done in types and figures unto them, so they had their uses to them, and serve also for our instruction to the end of the world.  
Touching the instruments belonging to the Tabernacle, and the vessels that were used, as the oil, the lamps, the candlesticks, the show bread, the incense, and what were the significations of them, we have already declared in the books of Exodus, and Leviticus. Now we will only call to remembrance these three points, and briefly note what we are to learn from thence: First, the Tabernacle was removed from place to place, and the parts of it taken asunder, and joined together. This was a figure of the Church, and showeth that the faithful, so long as they live in this Tabernacle of the body, 
●. Pet. 1.13.  are absent from the Lord, and so shall continue, until they obtain a stable inheritance in the heavens. We are not as yet come to the rest, 
Deut. 12.9.  and to the inheritance which the Lord our God shall give us. We have here no continuing city to dwell in, we are as Pilgrims and strangers in this world. We seek a country elsewhere. Let us therefore use this world, as though we used it not, 1. Cor. 7.31. Be not deceived with the glorious and glittering shows of earthly things. If we did consider the frailty and uncertainty of all human things here beneath, that they are the subtle and sugared baits of Satan, which catch and condemn many thousands in the world, 
Tim. 6.6.  and bring men to many foolish and noisome lusts that drown them in perdition, and destruction, we would not so easily wound our consciences, and sell our souls for gain, as the manner of many is, who in all things wherein they have dealings and doings with others, regard nothing but their own wealth, albeit it be joined with decay and undoing of our brethren. Secondly, observe in this place that the Sanctuary together with all the frame and furniture thereof was covered with badgers skins, a very sure covering: to teach us that the whole Church, & every particular member thereof, are under the protection of God, as it were under a covering. Hereunto the Prophet alludeth, Psal. 27.5. In the time of trouble he shall hide me, he shall set me up upon a Rock. And the Prophet Esay, chap. 4. 5, 6. The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for upon all the glory shall be a defence: and there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. This ministereth great comfort to all the faithful servants of God, to consider that howsoever the Tabernacle was subject to the violence of wind and weather, yet it could sustain no harm, because it was most surely and safely covered against all injuries, tempests, and storms whatsoever. None lie open to such troubles and turmoils as the Church: none are so guarded & regarded as they are. It were unpossible that we should hold out and continue in our profession against such dangers, except we had a covering upon us as the helmet of salvation. He is our defence, and a buckler round about us. He will never leave us, nor forsake us, so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my deliverer, I will not fear what man can do unto me.  
Lastly, we see the Tabernacle had divers and sundry instruments in it, belonging to the worship of God, and sanctified and set apart to holy uses: so is it in the Church of God; the word, the Sacraments, the preaching, the praying, the praising of God, the gifts of sundry sorts bestowed upon the Church, are all of them sacred and holy, by the special institution of God. Hereunto doth the Prophet Zachary allude, chap. 14. 20, 21. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord, and the pots in the Lord's house, shall be like the bowls before the altar: yea, every pot in jerusalem, and in judah, shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts, and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: for in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. The things that God hath appointed to the glory of his Name, and the furthering of his worship, are all of them holy: and there is as it were graven upon them, 
Exod. 28.36.  as once on the forehead of the high Priest, Holiness to the Lord. Hence it is, that the word is called the holy Scripture, and all other things belonging to the service of God, are holy also. This teacheth how we should be affected when we present ourselves in the presence of God, and come to be partakers of the ordinances of God. here are holy things, for such as are holy: if we come unto them with sanctified hearts, and touch them with sanctified hands.  
Such as come profanely unto them, receive no benefit by them. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is abominable. If we come wickedly and unworthily to the Lords Supper, we eat and drink our own damnation. Let us therefore examine ourselves, and prepare our hearts before we come, that so we may be meet partakers of those holy mysteries.  
Object. Before we come to the doctrine offered unto us in this division, we are to answer one objection that ariseth from hence. For the question may be asked, whether this charge here spoken of, were perpetually enjoined to the Levites, that they should carry the instruments of the Sanctuary, and the Ark, whether I say, they were always to bear the Ark, Answer. or not? I answer, this commandment was temporary. It was their duty for a time, until the Priests were increased and multiplied in number, that they were sufficient and enabled to carry it, Deut. 31, 9 But afterward all the examples of the histories mentioned in the books of joshua and the judges, of Samuel and of the Kings, do manifestly declare, that it was the office of the Priests themselves, josh. 3, 6. 1 Sam. 14, 18. 2 Sam. 15, 29. 1, Kings 2, 26, and 8, 3, 4. For the most worthy things were to be handled by the more worthy persons, thereby to testify the worthiness and dignity of the things themselves, and to procure the greater reverence and respect unto them. Wherefore, the commandment enjoined in this place, was for a season only, until there were a sufficient number of the Priests to do it. 
2 Sam. 6, 3.  The setting of the Ark upon a Cart, was David's infirmity, though otherwise a man after Gods own heart; for Princes may err, the best of them may be deceived. They followed not the ordinance of God, and caused it not to be carried on the shoulders, either of the Priests, or Levites, but followed the example of the Philistims, who made a new Cart, 
1 Sam. 6, 7, 11.  and laid the Ark of the Lord upon the Cart: so did David and all the people, they set the Ark of God upon a new Cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab. Again, we read sometimes in the Scriptures, that the Levites did it, 1 Chr. 15, 2. Then David said, None ought to carry the Ark of God, but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the Ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever. Thus was David made wiser by the former breach of God's wrath among them, whereby Vzzah was destroyed. Howbeit we must understand hereby, the Priests that were of the Tribe of Levi, as appeareth by the 26, verse of that chapter, It came to pass, when God helped the Levites to bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven Bullocks, & seven Rams. Where we see, that such as did bear the Ark, did also offer sacrifices; but the Priest's office only was to offer sacrifice; therefore they only did carry the Ark. For all the Priests were Levites, but all Levites were not Priests. The name of Levites, was a common name to all that belonged to that Tribe, whereof some were called Priests, & other by the common name of Levites. But concerning those that executed the Priest's office, and were not of that Tribe, they were no better than intruders and usurpers.  
[Verse 5, 6, etc. And when the Camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come and his sons, and they shall take down, etc.] Moses mentioneth and setteth down in this place, the particular calling of all the Levites, what they ought to do, and what they ought not to do: wherein they are to busy themselves & exercise their gifts, and how they may approve themselves in their places: as if he should bring every one of them into their proper field that they were to till. For even as a master of a family, appointeth every one of his servants their task and work that he will have them do: so doth the Lord our God deal with his Ministers and all his people; he giveth them their peculiar office, and showeth how and wherein they must employ themselves. We learn Doctrine 1 from hence, that every man, whether out of the Ministry, or in the Ministry, 
It is the duty of every one to know and learn the duties of his own calling.  must learn and know the duties of his own calling: what charge God hath laid upon him, and what service he requireth at his hands. At the giving of the law in Mount Zion, every one had his standing place assigned unto him, which he might not pass: for as God hath set bounds unto the sea, that though it rage, yet it can go no farther than he hath appointed; he hath said, hitherto it shall go, and it can go no farther: so Moses is charged to deal with the people, that they do not break through unto the Lord, Exod. 19, 12. Thou shalt set bounds unto the people, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the Mount, or touch the border of it, etc. Thus also the Lord speaketh to jeremy, chapt. 1, 5, 10. Before I form thee in the belly, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a Prophet unto the Nations. The Prophet jonah is reproved, that being to go to Niniveh, 
jonas 1, 3.  rose up to fly unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Thus doth Paul speak to Timothy; for having set down before him the duty of his calling, he saith, 
1 Tim 4.15, 16. Tit. 1, 5, and 2, 15, and 3, ●  Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Every one is taught to labour with his hands the thing that is good, Eph. 4, 28. and to withdraw himself from every brother that walketh inordinately, and not according to the doctrine received. The reasons to confirm us Reason 1 in this truth, are many. First, we can never practise the duties of our callings, except we know them. This is the eye that leadeth us to the doing of them, from the beginning to the ending of them. The blind man cannot see his way, joh. 13, 17. If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. When once we know what duties are laid upon us, we are already entered into the way to do them and perform them.  
Reason 2 Secondly, such as transgress the bounds set before them, shall surely perish and be punished. When the people before the Law was given, were limited how far to pass, Moses addeth, 
●d. 19.12.  whosoever toucheth the mount, shall be surely put to death: and the Apostle prosecuteth the threatening further, 
〈◊〉. 12.20.  If so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart. So then the consideration of the punishment threatened, & denounced against all that break the lists set unto them, (which is farther confirmed by sundry examples of Vzzah, and of Corah and his company,) ought so far to prevail with us, as to teach us to continue in the works of our own callings.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, it bringeth great confusion in family, in Church, & in commonwealth, when one executeth the calling of another. If the private person should step into the place of the Magistrate and handle the sword of justice, it would overturn the whole State. When Peter drew out his sword, and cut off the ear of the high Priests servant, Christ said unto him, 
●tth. 26.52.  Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword. Every one would be a Magistrate, and presume to sit in the seat of justice, and no man would be content to lead a private life, if he might do what he list. The like we might say of a family. All men should know their standing: the wife must not leap into the place of the husband, nor the servant into the place of the son: but every one do his own duties, and we shall find enough to do our callings, if we be faithful and diligent in them.  
Use 1 The uses are next to be considered. First, it reproveth such as are altogether ignorant, and neither know, nor desire to know their duties. A fault in all, but especially in the Ministers of the word, that should give light to others. God requireth of them to teach the people, Mal. 2.7. The Priest's lips should preserve knowledge, that so they may show themselves to be the messengers of the Lord of hosts. They must out of their treasury bring forth things both old and new. They can never teach, until they be taught: but these occupy the place of teachers before they have learned. It is a most ridiculous thing for a man to take upon him to run a race, that wanteth his legs: or to be an Orator and eloquent pleader that wanteth his tongue. Christ jesus taught his Apostles, before he sent them to teach into all the world. This was shadowed out under the Law, Aaron must put on his bells, 
exod. 28.35.  that his sound might be heard, when he went in unto the holy place before the Lord: but now we have Idol-ministers that have mouths, but cannot speak: the bells lack the clappers: they may be moved, but they cannot be heard. It were fit, that he which is to build up the house of God, should be ignorant of nothing, if it were possible: for he may at one time or other, make use of his knowledge. john instructed the soldiers, the Publicans, and the multitude that repaired and resorted unto him, Luke 3. he shall be better able to apply his doctrine, when he hath skill in every man's trade and occupation: Especially he ought not to be ignorant of the Scriptures, but to know them plentifully, and labour they may dwell in him abundantly, that from them as from a storehouse, he may furnish himself with plenty of all good things. Ignorance is a fault in any that would be accounted a Christian: it is a double fault in him that is a Minister. Secondly, it reproves such as omit their own duties, but rush upon the callings of other men. These are as a servant that is too diligent. These are not idle, but are busi-bodies in others men's matters, as 2 Thess. chapt. 3.11.12. We hear that there are some that walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies: them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.  
So then, whether we be idle, and do nothing, or else busy in the duties belonging to other men, in effect it is all one, both are evil, and vices to be reform in us. And the same Apostle, 1 Tim. 5.13. setteth down an heap and multitude of many sins, They learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, & not only idle, but tattler also, and busy-bodies, speaking things which they ought not. here is knit together as in a chain, a company of vices: the idle, wanderers, prattlers, curious, and uncomely speakers. The fountain of all is idleness, which is ranged in the forefront, and draweth after it a tail and train of divers evils, like a fruitful mother that hath many children. He speaketh by name against women, who ought to be painful, not idle: keepers of the house, not walkers and wanderers out of the house. The virtue that adorneth that sex is silence, and therefore they should not be tattler and prattlers, or their tongue like the Aspen leaf, that never standeth still. They should meddle with their own business, and not be busy in other men's.  
Secondly, seeing God hath set every one in Use 2 his calling, it is our duty to walk as we are limited by the word. The word of God is the warrantise of all callings. We must do our duties with faithfulness, diligence, patience, and wisdom. These are required to be performed in duties between man and man. This is to walk worthy of God, who hath called us unto his kingdom of glory, 1 Thess. 2.12. Many there are that profess the fear of God, and bear themselves as the disciples of Christ, who neglect the duties of their particular callings. True it is, the blessing of God is all in all. For except God build the house, 
Psal. 127.1, 2.  the labour of the builder is in vain, and except God watch the City, the labour of the watchman is in vain. We confess also, that God requireth of us to search the Scriptures, to pray unto his Name, and seek after knowledge: nevertheless, these do not discharge us from following the duties of our private callings. It is not enough for us to say, that God will provide for us, that he hath promised to bless us and to supply our wants, and that he hath said, he will never leave us nor forsake us. For God hath promised no blessing to them that be idle; he sendeth them to school to learn of the Ant, which provideth her meat in Summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 
●. 9, 10, 11.  Prou. 6, 8. Solomon calleth aloud to such, How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep: a little slumber: a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man. As for those that pretend God's providence, & hold out the doctrine of it as a buckler to defend them in their evil and idle courses, they do most shamefully abuse it, which is to be furthered by the means that GOD hath appointed, and in his wisdom annexed thereunto. Neither let any think to obtain any thing at his hands, that sit still & do nothing, that say, they will trust God with their life, & are sure that he will provide for them. The heathen men by the light of natural reason, saw well enough the foolishness and absurdity of these men's doings. They commend the prayers of that Captain, 
●ar. in the ● of Paul. ● milius.  that prayed for victory with his sword in his hand, and fight, did call for aid: and on the other side, dispraise the practice of him that withdrew himself out of the battle, so soon as it was begun, under colour & pretence of praying for good success, affirming, that God doth not accept the sacrifice of Cowards, neither receiveth their prayers, because they are unreasonable. For they held it no reason, that he which shooteth not, should hit the white: nor that he should win the victory, that abideth not the battle: neither that he should have any good, that doth nothing toward it. As than victory is won by labour, not by sloth; so shall we attain the blessings of God by our endeavour, not by our idleness. It is required therefore of every one of us, to consider our callings wherein we are placed. We have not all of us one calling, but divers. Some are set in the private family, and some in the commonwealth, and some in the Church of God: all have not one office, but divers. We are travailers in this world, as passengers in a Ship, 
●ut. in compa. ● Lygur. and ●uma.  who being there, some for one business, and other for another purpose, do never meddle one with another, but every one careth for the discharging and dispatching of his proper office. So ought it to be with us, we have our proper calling, and proper duties to be performed therein. Be diligent in the duties of it, and thou mayst look for a blessing upon thy labours. Sanctify thy daily labours with daily prayer; but presume not that prayer shall help thee without thine own labour. If thou shouldst pray to God all the day long, to feed thee, to clothe thee, to sustain thee and thy family, the idle man's prayer availeth nothing. We must pray unto him when we begin our labours; and bless his name when we have ended our labours: but to call upon him, determining with ourselves, not to take pains, or not determining with ourselves to take pains, is no better than to dally with GOD, and deceive ourselves.  
Lastly, it is our duty to seek to be acquainted Use 3 with the word, where we shall find that plainly and particularly set down, which we would know. In what state soever we are set, we shall have a sure guide to begin the works of our calling, to go forward in them, and to persevere unto the end. Hereby we shall be able to warrant our works, and know what duties God accepteth, and what he accepteth not. It is a light unto our eyes, and a lantern unto our steps, Psal. 119, 105. It is the commendation of God's children, to be conversant in it. In darkness we cannot go safely without the help of a lantern: so are we borne and brought up in ignorance, and continue therein, unless we be guided by the word of God and his Spirit. Many that want the knowledge & direction of the Scriptures, think they live in the light, walk in the light, and behave themselves as children of the day, and are in as good a case, and have as good souls toward God, as they that study the Scriptures, and meditate in them day & night. They think it is not for simple men to meddle with the Scriptures, but for Preachers and Divines. They think that knowledge maketh men worse, and that none are worse men, that none will deceive a man sooner than they; and therefore such as seek to know God, and to serve him according to his word, they call in contempt and derision, Scripture men. But these ignorant beasts, speak by the spirit of the devil, and oppose themselves against the express commandments of God, and the approved examples of his setuants. The Lord himself speaketh, Hos. 4, 6. My people perish for want of knowledge. The Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 14, 20. Be not children in understanding, but in maliciousness, be as children. The men of Berea are commended, 
Acts 17, 11.  because they searched the Scriptures privately, to prove the truth of the doctrine which they had heard delivered publicly. But if knowledge, as is pretended, do make men worse, than is it evil in itself, and not good: forasmuch as that which is good, cannot make a man evil. What then? Dare any two-legged beast presume in the profaneness of his wicked hart, to say, that to know God and his will which is most pure and holy, can make a man any worse? Or, that the more a man knoweth of jesus Christ and christian religion, the worse he should be? A vile blasphemy: O detestable impiety. Will it make a servant worse, to know the will of his Master? Or a subject, to know the Prince's laws and statutes? It will be farther objected, Object. There was never more knowledge, and less practise: a man may hear many speak much out of the Bible, who notwithstanding are naughty men. I answer, 
●wer.  be it so: yet the cause is not their knowledge, but want of grace: it is not in the word, but their own corruption. 
●. 1.22.  They are fools (saith Solomon) that hate knowledge, and are enemies unto it. For all well doing in our callings, proceedeth from faith, and faith is grounded upon knowledge, and doth increase through knowledge. Where there is no knowledge of God's sacred and heavenly will, 
●s. 4.1, 2.  men break out without all conscience into swearing, lying, stealing, whoring and killing. Moreover, all they that can talk of the Scriptures, & make show of them to others, have not by and by the knowledge of them: for as much as they may allege more a great deal than they understand. 
●biect.  Shall none then be saved, will some say, but such as know the Scriptures; can we not be led by God's Spirit, and serve him, except we be conversant in them? I answer, 
answer.  no. The Spirit guideth no man without the word. We are begotten anew, by the immortal seed of the word, 
Pet. 1. ●m 1.  saith Peter. Of his own accord, he hath begotten us by the word of truth, saith James. If then we be begotten by the word, to a new life, we are dead without it, or rather have no being of a true Christian. No man can truly serve God, until he know how to serve him. It is God that teacheth how he will be served, and he teacheth only by his word. He hath no other schoolehouse, but the Scriptures: such as think to learn his will otherwhere are much deceived, and will in the end prove themselves the disciples of the devil, not the scholars of Christ: forasmuch as he that is of God, 
●h. 8.47.  heareth God's word: ye hear it not, because ye are not of God. No man can be saved without faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God: but faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, Rom. 10.17. No man can be saved, except he be regenerated, for except we be borne again, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God, joh. 3. but wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his ways, but by taking heed thereto according to his word? Psal. 116.9. No man can be saved, except he fear God▪ forasmuch as the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Prou. 1.7. whereas fools despise wisdom and instruction: But none can possibly come to the fear of God, but such as earnestly endeavour to know God, as we see, Pro. 2.1.5. My son, if thou receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee, etc. then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. None can be saved that are foul and filthy in their lives, and impure in all their ways, for no unclean thing shall enter into his kingdom: but where there is no knowledge of GOD, there the mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, the throat is an open sepulchre, the feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways and therefore the Prophet saith, I have hidden thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee, Psal. 119.11. If his word dwell in us, we have a bridle to restrain us from evil doing, and when we are ready to break out into sin, it pulleth us back, and saith unto us, Do it not. It layeth before us the will and wrath of God, it teacheth us what we ought to do, and telleth us the danger if we do it not. It is our duty therefore to pray to God to give us the understanding of his word, and to resolve with ourselves to perform whatsoever we read in it. If then we have a warrant for that which we do out of the word, we have comfort in our callings: but if we follow the motion of our own brains, and have no other light but of our own nature to direct us, we live in darkness. Such as have the light of the Sun, do travel safely in respect of their bodies: 
2 Pet. 1.19.  so if we have the sure word of the Prophets and Apostles, as a light that shineth in dark places, we are in the safe way to salvation, and are certain we cannot miss of a perfect direction touching all the duties of our callings.   

17 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,  
18 Cut ye not off the Tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites.  
19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die: when they approach unto the most Holy things, Aaron, and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service, and to his burden.  
20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.  
The particular duties of the Kohathites, being declared, the reason is added and rendered in this division, and then he passeth to the duties of the next family. here then Moses showeth the cause why the Priests ought to cover all the Sanctuary, and the appurtenances, so that they ought not to be handled of the Kohathites, until they were covered, lest such as presumed to pry into them, or to meddle with them, otherwise then became the dignity, honour, and estimation of them, were stricken with sudden death, and so perish in their sins. Thus God restraineth the curiosity of man's nature, and teacheth it to be wise according to sobriety. We are wont to contemn the duties of our own calling, as vulgar and common: and to search into the things that belong not unto us: yea, the more we are forbidden to meddle, the more we are desirous to be meddling. The reason in this place, is framed thus, 
If the unreverent handling of holy things procure the wrath of God, and our destruction, than we must take heed to the charge belonging unto us.  
But the unreverent handling of holy things doth so: Therefore we must take heed to the charge belonging unto us, and not curiously meddle with other things.   
Thus doth God hate, and his soul abhor the contempt of holy things, when men give way to their own affections, and through curiosity search farther, than God alloweth.  
Object. Before we proceed to the doctrine, a question may be asked out of these words, why God permitteth the Priests only to handle the instruments of the Sanctuary, but forbiddeth the rest of the Kohathites, upon whose shoulders he layeth the burden to bear them: so that he bindeth their hands from touching of them, and restraineth their eyes from beholding of them, under a great penalty, lest they die. I answer, Answer. this was done for divers causes; in respect of the ordinances themselves, in respect of the other Tribes, in respect of the Levites, and in respect of the Priests themselves.  
First of all it was prescribed to procure greater reverence unto these holy ordinances of God, among the people. For when they should see how carefully they were to be handled, how circumspectly to be covered, and how orderly they were delivered from one to another; it served to touch the hearts of all men, with a reverent regard and opinion of them, and to deliver them from the contempt of men.  
Secondly, when the rest of the Tribes of Israel should behold, that many even among the Levites themselves, albeit they were to minister to the Priests, to do the service of the Tabernacle, and to draw near unto God, above the rest of their brethren, yet even they were kept from the touching of the Sanctuary; I say the rest of the tribes▪ were more humbled by it, were touched with a feeling of their own unworthiness, and were moved to give honour to the Priests of God, and those that were appointed to be their teachers.  
Thirdly, all occasion and matter of envy was quite banished and taken away, when the rest of the Levites heard with their ears, and saw with their eyes, that their brethren the Kohathites had a charge so full of danger put upon them, and committed unto them. For God threateneth to destroy all such as presumed to touch any thing that was forbidden them. An example whereof we have in the men of Bethshemesh, whom the Lord smote with a great slaughter, because they looked into the Ark, 1 Sam. 6.19. which showeth the greatness of their sin.  
Lastly, the Priests themselves, the sons of Aaron, were admonished to take heed, lest through their negligence and carelessness, they destroyed their brethren: forasmuch as if any thing remained uncovered, it would turn to their destruction. Hereupon two other questions 
Questions.  may arise; first, how it standeth with God's justice to punish the Kohathites for the fault of the Priests? and whether the sons of Aaron should escape, whose fault it was, if aught remained uncovered? I answer Answer. the fault is not the Priests alone, nor the Kohathites alone, but they partake together in the sin, and should suffer together in the punishment, as they are threatened, Exod. 28.43. We see it also in the example of Nadab, and Abihu, who were consumed with fire, because they offered strange fire before the Lord, Leuit. 10, 1, 2. But most plainly, Num. 18.3. The Lord said unto Aaron, Thy brethren of the Tribe of Levi shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the Sanctuary, and the altar, that neither they, nor you also die. Where we see, God doth threaten Aaron and his sons, as well as the rest of the Levites.  
Verse 18.19. Cut ye not off the Tribe of the families, etc. We have in these words the reason of the former institution: it is drawn from the danger that will ensue the careless and unreverent handling of the instruments of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons must appoint to the Kohathites their several offices, and show them what part every particular person must bear, to the end the wrath of God do not break in among them, and cut off every soul that sinneth. The consideration therefore of the wrath and indignation of God, ready to come upon the offenders, aught to increase their care to do the duty that God requireth. We learn from hence, Doctrine 1 that all holy things must be handled rightly, 
Holy things must be handled reverently and religiously.  reverently, and religiously. Whatsoever matters of God we meddle withal, whether it be hearing of his word, or receiving of the Sacraments, or calling upon his Name, or reading the Scriptures, or conferring with others for the increase of our knowledge & obedience, we are to be careful to do them with all possible fear and reverence. This duty the Lord urgeth by his Prophet, Esay 66.2. To him will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite Spirit, and trembleth at my word. The Apostle writing to the Hebrews, persuadeth to labour to have grace, whereby they may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, Hebr. 12.28. They that will please God in the duties of his worship, must be humbly affected, and base in their own eyes. Hence it is, that Christ willeth us to be careful, not only what we hear, Mar. 4.24. but also how we hear, Luke 8.18. We must regard not only the matter that is delivered, but the manner how it is received: forasmuch as we may hear the word, and yet sin in our hearing Thus were the servants of God affected, when they came before him, to pray unto him, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to life. up my face to thee, my God, for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens, Ezra 9.6. Wherefore whensoever we have to do with God in any part of his word, or worship, let us come in humility and lowliness, let us approach near unto him with a broken heart, with a contrite spirit, & with an humble soul falling down flat before his footstool, and worshipping toward his holy Temple.  
Reason 1 The reasons hereof are evident. For first, we have to do with God in matters of religion. When the word is preached or read, the Lord speaketh to us: when we pray to God, we speak to him that is glorious in power and praises. Abraham praying unto God, confesseth his own baseness and unworthiness, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes, Gen. 18.27. And Daniel in his prayer saith, O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day. Dan. 9.7. Children dealing before their parents will be wary how they behave themselves: subjects in the presence of the Prince will be most dutiful: so ought it to be, and much rather, when we appear before the King of kings, considering with whom we have to deal. So likewise touching the word, it is not man that doth deliver it, God is the Author of it, and therefore we are oftentimes commanded to hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches, revel. 2. and 3.  
Reason 2 Secondly, such as come without reverence, and due regard into his presence, do lose the fruit and benefit of their coming. We are willed to give earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip, Heb. 2.1. This is it that Christ our Saviour teacheth. Lu. 8. For having given warning that we take heed how we hear, he giveth this reason, Mar. 4.24. With what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear, shall more be given. Where we see, God will deal with us, as we deal with him, and serve us as we serve him. Such measure of attention as we bring with us, 
●eoph. enarr. cap. 4. Mar.  such measure of grace shall we receive from him. If then we come careless, it is no marvel if we depart fruitless. Lay then these two things together, that we have to deal with a most terrible and fearful God, who is even a consuming fire; and that with what measure of reverence and attention we meet, it shall be measured unto us again: it followeth from them both, that God must be served with fear and trembling.  
Use 1 Let us now come to the uses of this doctrine, which remain to be considered of us. First, this reproveth all such as come without reverence, to the exercises of religion, never considering whereabout they go, but rashly and unreverently, disorderously, & undecently behave themselves in the house of God. If a man should come to hear a speech uttered by his Prince, so contemptibly, all men would cry shame of him, and account him worthy severe punishment, and censure him as guilty of the contempt of his person. I should think I had done a great work, and laid a worthy foundation, if I could thoroughly teach you this one lesson, and ground you in this one point, to behave yourselves with reverence in the place of God's worship. He that hath learned to come reverently, and behave himself in the service of God, as in his presence, hath made a notable beginning & a good entrance to work in him right hearing and careful practising. Scarce one among an hundred maketh conscience of this duty, and our ordinary assemblies have scarce the outward face of a Church, in regard of the want of this duty, in the greatest part of hearers. If the lest occasion be offered, our eyes and feet, and tongues and hands, are set on work another way, that we have quite forgotten God, his word, the work in hand, the matter, the time, the place, and ourselves also, as if we were an assembly of fools. What is now become of our hearing? or where is the attention that ought to be in us? If any man come into the Church, our eyes are fixed upon him, our feet are ready to carry us unto him, our mouths are opened to speak unto him, our hands are stretched out to draw him as it were with violence unto us: and sometimes whiles one haileth him one way, another pulleth him another way, that we seem to strive who shall most forget himself, and be author of the greatest disorder and confusion in the house of God, wherein all things ought to be done decently and in order.  
When Christ came to Nazareth, and as his custom was, went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day to preach the Gospel, the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue, were fastened on him. Our eyes, either are not fastened on the speaker, or if they be, they are soon removed. Every fancy carrieth us away, that we seem to mind nothing less, then the business in hand; or as if it were of so small importance, that it skilled not what we did: or as if our friends that come into the Church, were to be respected above God. In the time & place of God's worship, our minds ought to be settled and attentive to the work we have in hand, that we should know no friends, nor gaze after the comers in, but cut off all lets and impediments, that may hinder the saving hearing of the word. When we have done all that we can, & laboured earnestly to gather home our wits from wandering, & straying from the matter we are about, we shall find all to be little enough: but if we nourish occasions to withdraw our minds and are glad to catch hold of them, when they are offered, we shall never want occasions, but an army of them will present themselves before us, and so entangle us in their snares, that we shall never profit ourselves by the word, nor suffer others that would to profit, but hinder them greatly that desire to be better employed. Our feet, which have brought us into the house of God, and set us in our places, ought there to rest, until the time of our departure. The Psalmist saith, 
Psal. 221.1.  Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O jerusalem.  
We must not therefore stir up and down, and remove out of our seats to the loss of God's word, whereunto we should attend. It is noted to the commendation of king josiah, when the Law was read in the ears of the people, 
1 Chr. 34.31.  that he stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments. This also shall be our praise and profit, if in time of hearing the word of God, we keep in our places, and abide in them without removing to other men. We use our hands to pull in others, when we should use our own ears to hearken after the sound of the word: we use our tongues to talk unto them, whereas the fittest ornament that becometh the Church, is the silence of the hearer, to give audience to the speaker Neither let any object, they can do both, attend the word, and intend others, hear and speak at one time, and use their ears and mouths together. For the one is an occasion to distract and disturb the other. Our minds are not infinite, but finite: we cannot occupy them about matters of a divers nature, but one object is ready to thrust the other out of place.  
Besides, the word is so precious, that it worthily craveth all the powers and faculties of the soul! Whosoever busieth himself in other things, as removing, talking, beckoning, nodding, and such like gestures, while he is hearing, heareth but with half an ear, if with half an ear, whereas both are too little for so high a work. For as the Apostle speaketh of preaching the Gospel, so we may say of the hearing of it, 
2 Cor. 2.16.  Who is sufficient for these things? The occasions that hinder the saving hearing of the word, are many in number, I will reckon up a few of them, which all are to be cast away as clogs and impediments from us, and enemies to our attention.  
The first is, straying & wandering thoughts; whereas the powers of the soul should wait upon the voice of the Preacher, and follow him whithersoever he goeth, our minds are musing upon other things, sometimes upon our coffers, sometimes upon our pastures, sometimes upon our pastimes, sometimes upon our companions, sometimes upon our worldly business, whereby it commetth to pass, that being present, we are absent: being in the Church, we are out of the Church; being hearers, we are no hearers. For albeit we be present in body, we are absent in mind, and make ourselves idol-hearers. The Scripture noteth a kind of idle and Idol Pastors, that have mouths and speak not: so the number is not small of idle and idol hearers, which have ears and hear not: who sit in their seats as images in glass windows, or like to the pictures of dead men upon their tombs, bending their knees, lifting up their eyes, holding up their hands, keeping silence, and yet are never the wiser, nor the better, nor the holier. So do these living images, they make show of one thing with the outward man, & perform another with the inward. We must desire of God to give unto us, constant, steady, and stayed hearts, that having ears to hear, we may hear indeed.  
The second unseemly, and unsavoury gesture, which is another great impediment, is a wandering eye, gazing and gaping after every occurrent and occasion that is offered. It is wisely spoken of the wise Solomon, The eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth; 
Pro 17.24 Eccle. 2.14.  and on the other side, he saith, The wise man's eyes are in his head. Take heed to this abuse, which quickly draweth the heart after it.  
The third hindrance is, removing of the body, not only shifting and stirring of it up and down, but arising out of our places, and removing to place other, or beckoning with our hands, or nodding with our heads; which bewray manifestly that the mind is otherwise occupied and exercised then about the present work which we would seem to regard, and aught indeed to attend. One thing, saith Christ, is necessary: 
Luk. 16 4●  busying of ourselves in other matters is not necessary, but bringeth with it apparent hurt, and detriment to the soul.  
The fourth impediment is unreverent talking and uncivil laughing, as if the Temple of God (which is the house of prayer) were a Theatre for sights, or a place of mart and exchange for commodities, where every man might single out companions. When any man heareth the voice of a crier ready to utter a Proclamation in the name of the Prince, he is ready to hold his peace and keep silence. The Ministers are as God's Heralds, or as the voice of a crier, 
Mar. 1.3.  they come as sent on a message unto us from God, and therefore all must hearken what they bring unto us, and none withdraw his ear from hearing of the Law.  
The fift is a secure and senseless sleeping, when we have drowsy ears, and cannot hold up our heads an hour: for some are no sooner in their seats, but their hearts and bodies are asleep. Some men regard not the word at all, they care not for it, they will not come unto it, albeit it come unto them, and be brought home unto their doors. The world accounteth this no sin at all, or at lest a venial sin, because the laws of men lay not hold on them; but Christ accounteth it a great and capital sin. He willeth his disciples to shake off the dust of their feet, as a witness against those that wilfully contemn this ordinance of God, as if the earth itself were infected, and the places of their abode corrupted by the contagion of their sins: and in the next Chapter, he maketh such to be worse than the Sodomites. For the contempt of the word is an abridgement of all sin gathered together in one. Woe unto us for this neglect and contempt of the word, we are so far from trembling at it, that some will not step out of their doors: others, are content to come, but they are so far from showing reverence, that they fall fast asleep and will not be awaked. These unreverent actions and gestures show they regard it not, neither are touched with a feeling of it. Do these men tremble when the Minister reproveth sin? Do they examine their hearts whether they be guilty or not? Do they say unto their own souls, What have I done? Alas, 
●erem. 8, 6.  how can they, when they have heard nothing? Neither let them go away in the dark, and seek to cover their drowsiness of spirit, under the name of an infirmity, or weakness that is in them: for they are not sometimes overtaken with it, but make a daily practice of it: they never strive against it, but nourish it in themselves, as those that are delighted in it, They cannot say, they do that evil which they would not, 
Rom. 7, 19  but that which they would do. They frame their bodies, and settle them of purpose to sleep, and so they may do it closely that they be not espied, they regard no more. They never call themselves to an account what they have heard: nor whether they have been overtaken this day; neither if they have, do they resolve with themselves, they will sin no more. If ever they had truly repent of this sin, they would endeavour not to be overcome again by it. If ever they had been truly sorrowful, it would bring forth in them a watchfulness over themselves, and a care to prevent it in time to come.  
The last abuse is in careless coming, and shameless departing out of the Church, and separating ourselves from the Congregation, before it be dismissed and dissolved. We use to reprove those and complain greatly of them, when they are invited as guests to a feast, that come too late, and make the rest of the company to stay for them; or make haste to be gone away before the feast be finished. We desire that all our neighbours that are invited, should sit down together, and arise up from the table together. The word of God is a continual feast, the exercises of our religion are as a dainty banquet, we should come unto them, as men do to good cheer, & feed hungerly and hearty upon them. The Prophet witnesseth concerning his own practice, that he had gone with the multitude into the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, as they that keep a feast, Psalm. 42, 4. Is it so with us? Do we flock together to the hearing and handling of holy things, as we do unto a feast? If we did hunger and thirst after the word of God, as we do after bodily food, we would be as greedy to be partakers of the one, as we are forward to taste of the other. But the case is with us, as it fareth with those that have full stomachs: we desire not spiritual food, and therefore make no haste unto it. Now one cometh, and then another: now one droppeth away, and then another, and they think they have tarried too long. This is an open protestation or proclamation, that we are weary of holy things, and loath them more than Israel did Manna. These men are Church-sicke, 
●ill men ac●unt the church as a ●son.  or Sermon-sicke, a common disease among common hearers. The Church is with them as a prison: they are as weary of staying in the Church, as the malefactor is of lying in prison: for as the prison holdeth them where they would not be, and from the place where they would be: so do profane persons account the Church as a place that restraineth their liberty, that they cannot do what they would do, nor be where they desire to be, nor resort to that company that they better affect, nor follow those sports and delights wherein they take the greatest pleasure.  
The faithful in former times have accounted it a punishment to be driven from the house of GOD: but these men account it a sore punishment to be there. They desired to dwell in it all the days of their lives, but we care not if we never come thither. They judged it the greatest famine to want the word, but if we be held never so little a time from our dinner, we complain as if we were like to starve. They longed to have the Sabbath day come, 
Psal. 84, 2.  but these men would feign have it ended, and think it to be the longest day that is in the year, and the most tedious.  
Secondly, it is the duty of the Minister to preach the word & administer the sacraments Use 2 with all due regard and respect to the person they sustain, and the things that they meddle withal. We must do nothing that may make our Ministry fruitless, and bring it into contempt, but seek to adorn it and beautify it by all reverent carriage of ourselves in it, and in the discharge of the duties of it.  
This hath many branches: First, 
Particular branches of this use.  it behoveth us to set ourselves in God's presence, and consider that we are his messengers, & speak in his name, and are as it were his mouth. How shall the hearer learn, that in his hearing he hath to do with God, and cometh to hear what he shall say unto him by our mouths, Acts, chapter 10, verse 33. if we do not remember that we stand in the place of God, and do after a sort represent his person? This is the counsel that the Apostle Paul giveth to Timothy, 1 Tim. chap. 2, 15. Study to show thyself approved unto GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Whensoever we get up into the Pulpit, before all things we must know, being placed in that office, whose message we deliver, and that if we speak not uprightly as becometh his Majesty, we must give a reckoning unto him. Wherefore, we must so teach, as if God were present with us, as if a Secretary should speak before a Prince: for he is his instrument, who is Lord over al. We must be able to make this protestation before men and Angels; I stand here as it were a chosen vessel before the Lord, to bear his Name unto his people: I am not to be the messenger of mine own words, but to be his mouth: I must lay aside whatsoever passions are in me, & utterly disclaim mine own affections, that I may protest indeed, that whatsoever I speak, is from God, and have drawn and derived it from him.  
Secondly, it is our duty to aim at his glory that hath called us. We must not sit down in Moses chair to preach ourselves, and to get credit to our own names: if we make this the end of our preaching, it cannot be, but we shall profane the holy word of God, and disguise it one way or other. The Apostle regarded little to be judged of men, 
1 Cor. 4.3.  and esteemed nothing the vain applause of the world, but preached Christ among them, and him crucified. Hence it is, that our Saviour saith, How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, 
joh. 5.44.  and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? It is a note of a true teacher, to seek his glory that sent him, as contrariwise it is the note of a false teacher, if any in delivering his doctrine, seek himself rather then God. This is the difference between a true and false teacher, as Christ showeth at large, joh. 7.17, 18. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself: he that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. That is true doctrine that giveth glory to God, and they are true teachers that seek to set it forth only. Let us consider of this a little farther.  
If any be desirous to know, whether any doctrine be true, and have God the Author of it, let him labour to find it by this note. The doctrine of predestination hath been taught diversly, one way that it is of foreseen works, another, of the purpose of God according to election, Ro. 9.11. If any desire to know whether of these two opinions is the truer, let him examine them both by this rule, and try them by this touchstone; which of them doth best serve to set forth the glory of God? Not that which imputeth our predestination, to ourselves, and our own works, but the other which ascribeth all to his good pleasure, who hath elected us to the praise of the glory of his grace, Ephe. 1.6. The like we might say of justification and salvation of the elect, touching which are different doctrines delivered: Some teach that we are justified by faith alone, that is, by Christ's satisfaction apprehended and applied by faith: others, that we are justified by men's merits, and not by Christ's obedience alone. These two opinions are clean contrary, and cannot agree together, if one of them be true, the other is false. Now by this we shall be made able to judge, mark whether of them giveth God the glory alone: They that set up man's merits and deserts, and make him to have power to work out his own salvation, do give the glory to man, and so rob God of his honour and glory, and therefore they cannot teach the truth. But they that impute justification to Christ's righteousness, who is our merit, do commend his grace and mercy alone; and therefore they teach that doctrine which is of God. If this course were well noted and observed, it would shake in pieces many articles in controversy between the Church of Rome and us. We should not have occasion to dispute so often, and to reason with them touching man's freewill, indulgences, pardons, intercession of Saints, and such like points, which lead away our minds from God and his glory, from the Creator, to the Creature. Let all the Ministers of God therefore prove themselves and their teaching by his note; let them set his glory before their eyes, according to the example of Christ their Master, joh. 8.50. I seek not mine own glory, there is one that seeketh and judgeth.  
Thirdly, it belongeth to the Ministers duty, to come well prepared and provided as a wise Scribe taught to the kingdom of heaven, bringing forth out of his treasure, things both old and new, Matth. 13.52. The Ministers must come with good advisement and premeditation, and so handle the word with fear and reverence. There is no man that is sent on an embassage, but will think before hand what to say: much more is required, and aught to be practised of the messengers of God. They must eat the roll of God's book, 
Ezek. 2.1. Esay 6.7.  and have their tongue touched with a coal from the Altar. They must not utter whatsoever cometh into their mind, but that they have before well chewed and digested. He that speaketh suddenly, shall never speak profitably: but presumeth too far upon his own gifts, regardeth not as he ought the good or the people, and cannot have that comfort to himself which were expedient.  
Fourthly, they must regard not only the matter which they handle, but the manner of handling. Some are so negligent and careless in delivering the word, that they regard not what words they use, and so let slip from them such homely phrases, as it were kitchen-stuff, that it bringeth the Minister, and his ministry, and the word itself into contempt. It is noted of Christ, that there proceeded gracious words out of his mouth, Luke 4.22. according to the saying of the Prophet, Grace is powered into thy lips, Psal. 45.2. Let us so speak the word of God both for matter and manner, as it ought to be spoken, and as we are persuaded, Christ and his Apostles would have spoken it, if they had delivered it to the people. Our ordinary talk and communication should be as it were seasoned with salt, and minister grace to the hearers: how much more therefore when the word of God is in our mouths, and uttered by us? If we set this as a rule and caution before our eyes, it will serve as all-sufficient to inform us, and make the word reverent in our mouths. Some take upon them to reprove sin, but it is in such a foolish manner, in such a jesting vein, and after such a scoffing fashion, that they rather persuade to sin, then dissuade from sin, and bring the people in love with it rather than out of the love of it.  
Therefore let this be another rule added to the former, that no man must gird and glance at sin, to show forth his own wit, and to magnify himself, to be accounted and esteemed that way. Rather let us pierce the very heart of it, with the two edged sword of God's word, 
●4. 12.  and strike downright blows at it with the hammer of God's word, 
●. 29.  that so it may be broken in pieces. Sin is grown to a great head: it is not to be dallied withal. He that playeth with a serpent, may happily be stung of it, before he be aware.  
Fiftly, it is required of the Minister to speak to the people with understanding. We must not fly aloft above the reach and capacity of those to whom we speak; and consider not so much what is lawful for us to deliver, but what is fit for the people to hear. It is better to speak five words with understanding, than ten thousand in a tongue that is not understood, 1 Cor. 14.19. as the Teacher of the Gentiles testifieth, who spoke languages and tongues more than all we. We are commanded to lift up our voice as a trumpet, to tell Israel their sins; 
8.  but if the trumpet make an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle? The Apostle allegeth it as a judgement upon the hearer, not as a praise and commendation of the speaker, 
●r. 14.22. Esay 28.  With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people.  
Our Auditors are all, or at lest for the most part, rude and ignorant, and it is our duty to bow and stoop down to their capacity: and when we think we speak plainly, we shall find oftentimes that we speak darkly and obscurely, not plainly and familiarly enough.  
Lastly, let us content ourselves with the purity and simplicity of the word, which is sufficient in itself to expound itself, and able, yea, only able to give direction and satisfaction to the conscience. It may be truly said, that the Minster sitting in Moses chair, is, as it were set upon a stage, whose smallest actions and gestures all the people behold; and therefore albeit he be never so precise in the discharge of his calling, the hearers that can see but the outward actions, and not inward affections, will judge of the heart by the appearance, and of the substance by the circumstances: so that if any lightness or dissoluteness appear, they by and by conceive that all is amiss, and little regard any thing that he doth deliver and speak unto them. True it is, this is their fault and infirmity, howbeit we must provide that we give no occasion, and cut off occasions from all such as are glad to lay hold on occasions.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty, when we come to the house of God, to take heed to our feet, lest we depart from the Church, as the foolish virgins from the gates of heaven. We must learn how to prepare ourselves, that we may profit thereby, as the Lord would have the people sanctified before the Law was to be delivered, Exod. 19  
This preparation to be duly performed hath many particular parts, as several branches issuing out of one root.  
First, it is our duty to come together into one place to hear the word, and to call upon his Name. For albeit we must read the Scriptures privately in our houses, yet we must have them publicly expounded and interpreted: and albeit private prayer be not unprofitable, and private exhortations be oftentimes available: yet our public assemblies have a more special blessing promised unto them, Matthew, Chapter 18. verse 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the mids of them. Before we can hear the word, it is required of us to come to the place of hearing, Psal. 34.11. and 122.1. The Centurion telleth our Saviour that he had such servants under his authority, that if he said to one Come, he cometh, Matthew, 8.9. God our greatest Master, under whose authority we are, and he under the authority of none, sendeth out his messengers, and calleth his guests, Come and eat of my meat, 
Prou. 9.5.  and drink of the Wine that I have drawn: yet we seem deaf, and cannot hear: senseless, and cannot move.  
The unreasonable creatures, even the worms that creep in the earth, put us to shame and serve to condemn us: when God in the beginning said, Let there be light, It was so: Gen. 1.24. Let the earth bring forth her living creatures after their kinds; the earth did so. When God intended to bring a plague upon the Egyptians, and called for the grasshoppers and Caterpillars, Psalm 105. verse 34. He spoke, and the Locusts came, and Caterpillars, and that without number. When he asked for them, they delayed not, but went out to do his will. But GOD hath spoken many times to us, and we regard not his call: and if we come sometimes at his bidding, we think we have done our duty, and him a pleasure.  
We must come constantly and continually, Blessed are they that dwell in his house, Psalm 84. verse 4. The Church is not as an Inn to sojourn in, but an house to abide and dwell in, that Christ may find us there: but many prefer the Inn and Alehouse before it. It is better for us to be found in the Temple, then in the Tavern, and in the house of prayer, then in a den of thieves. Let the zeal of his house eat us up. Let us consecrate the Sabbath as holy to the Lord, and make it a day of holy rest, not of unholy and ungodly riot.  
Secondly, as we must come diligently, foe we must attend carefully, when we are come, otherwise what benefit can we have, or look for by our coming? The Prophet joineth these together, and coupleth them as two friends in one chain, Psal. 34.11. Come, and hearken. If it were enough to come and hear a voice, the ox and ass might do that, as well as we: for they can apprehend an outward sound. Therefore we must do more than that, we must set our minds upon that which we heave, or else we hear no otherwise then the beasts that are without understanding. This attention is a notable virtue, it is a jewel for the ear. We see how many in our days delight to have Rings and jewels hanging at their ears, and they account it a great ornament unto them. I will not say unto them, as the heathen Poet in scoffing manner answereth, 
Plaut. in poenulo.  that it is because they have no fingers on their hands, as if the fingers, not the ears, were made for rings: but this I will say, that if we had the richest jewels that the East or West could afford unto us, if we have not an ear boared through to the heart, to hear the word of God, they are no better then as jewels put into a swine's snout. Happy is he that weareth this jewel of attention, a jewel of infinite price and value: this is to have an hearing ear, whereas all others have ears and hear not.  
Thirdly, we must remember what we have heard, and not suffer it to slip from us. For what availeth it to be attentive for the time, and so soon as we are departed to forget all, thereby suffering the birds to pick up that which is sown? that is, Satan to steal out of their hearts that which hath been taught them. The Apostle james compareth such a man to one that beholdeth his natural face in a glass, 
jam. 1.24.  who goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what manner of one he was. The word of God that saith, O my people hear my Law, Psal. 78.1. saith also elsewhere, My son forget not my Law, Pro. 3.1. The Lord commanded the Israelites to bind his words upon their hands for a sign, that they should be as frontlets between their eyes, and write them upon the posts of their houses, and gates of their Cities: all these were as helps for memory against forgetfulness, as if he had said unto them, Have them always in remembrance. Of all persons old men seem to have the weakest memories, which decay with their age; and these do most of all complain of them: howbeit the heathen man telleth us that there is no man so old, 
Cicero, lib. de Senect.  that hath forgotten where he laid up his treasure. All men remember the things they most regard, & such as they love, they will not forget, forasmuch as Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also, Mat. 6.21. If then we remember not the things of God, the chief cause is because we do not much esteem of them. Set an high price upon them, value them above thy silver and thy gold, esteem them beyond all pearls and precious stones, and thou shalt find thy memory much bettered and increased.  
The fourth is, to plant in us true godliness, and reform our lives, as it were to rid our ground of all briars & bushes before we sow any thing in it. The gate of God's house is the gate of righteousness, because none but the just and righteous aught to enter into it, Psa. 118.19, 20. This is the cause that jacob, when he went to Bethel to worship God, first cleansed his house of the filthiness of idolatry, and commanded his household to be clean, 
Gen. 35. ●.  and change their garments; thereby understanding the purity of the heart, and the changing of their minds, by the renewing of them according to true godliness. Thus doth the Lord command the Israelites to wash their clothes, and sanctify themselves, before they came to hear the law at his mouth, Exo. 19.14. To this purpose David saith, Psal. 26.6. I will wash mine hands in innocency; so will I compass thine Altar, O Lord. If we come into God's presence, without sanctification, we offer a sacrifice full of blemishes which his soul abhorreth. He rejecteth our prayers as abominable, and our hearing of his word is turned into sin.  
Lastly, we are bound to lay up in the heart that which we hear, for God especially requireth the heart. If that be wanting, he misseth it by and by, he espieth it so soon as we come; as he did him that came to the marriage feast without his wedding garment, Mat. 22.11. There is no man hath any treasure that leaveth or layeth it commonly and carelessly, but he locketh it up, that no man should take it from him: the word is a pearl, and a pearl of such price, that when he hath found it that knoweth the worth of it, 
Matth. 13.  he selleth all that he hath to buy it: the heart is as it were the coffer where we ought to keep it. If we hold it in our hands, or have it in our heads, or suffer it to dwell in our mouths only, and cannot afford to give it room and lodging in our hearts, it is in danger every foot to be taken from us, and we surprised of it. 
Esay 29.13.  Such persons honour him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him, Matt. 15. The blessed Virgin is commended that she kept those sayings in her heart; So did Isaac go out into the fields to meditate, 
Luk. 2.10. Gen. 24.63.  at eventide: he chose a solitary place and fit season, to call to mind such things as he had heard. Wherefore, let us also lay up in our souls and ponder in our hearts, such good things as we have learned, and let us hide them as in the casket of a good conscience, that in all times of need, we may bring forth these precious treasures to help us. We know not into what troubles and perplexities we may come, how we may be tempted & assaulted, & into what dangers of spiritual enemies we may fall: how bitter will those days be unto us, if we have no word of God dwelling in us, to comfort us, & raise us up again? It will then be too late to go and buy oil in our lamps, when we should use it. Let us store ourselves with plenty of heavenly meditations, that we may never be too seek; and arm ourselves with such sufficient furniture, that wheresoever the enemy seek to foil us, and to make a breach into our souls, we may be able to resist him, and to stand fast in the power of God against all the wiles of the devil.   

21. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
22. Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families.  
23. From thirty years old and upward, until fifty year old shalt thou number them: all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
24. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens.  
25. And they shall bear the Curtains of the Tabernacle, and the Tabernacle of the Congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
26. And the hangings of the Court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the Court which is by the Tabernacle, & by the Altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, & all that is made for them: so shall they serve.  
27. At the appointment of Aaron and his sons, shall be all the service of the sons of the Gersbonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge, all their burdens.  
28. This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Priest.  
Hitherto, Moses hath spoken of the Kohathites, and he hath done it more largely than he doth handle the other families, for the causes noted before. In the next place he proceedeth to the Gershonites.  
Touching these; first, God commandeth them also to be numbered, and t●●ir age is appointed and limited, as in the fo●mer, from thirty years old and upward, until fifty.  
Secondly, their proper and peculiar charge is expressed, what burdens they are to bear, to wit, the Curtains and the coverings, the cords, the veils, and all the instruments appertaining to their service.  
Thirdly, all these things before mentioned, must be done at the commandment of Aaron and his sons.  
[Ver. 22, 23. Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, etc.] Observe with me in this division, that Moses repeateth sundry points that are set down in the former chapter, as will evidently appear unto us, if we make trial and comparison, in every one of the three families; as for example, touching the Kohathites, that which he speaketh of them in this chapter, verse 5, 7, 9 compare it with the 31. verse of the third chapter. Secondly, touching the Merarites, which are another of the families, what he saith of them, verse 31, of this present chapter, compare it with the 36, and 37, verses of the former chapter. Lastly, touching the Gershonites, the 25, ver. of this fourth chapter, with the 25, verse of the third chapter: and we shall see, he telleth them again and again, what burdens they are to bear, and what service they are to perform. He might have referred us to that which he had before set down, but he doth again particularly rehearse and repeat it. God forbiddeth needless repetitions in prayer, and condemneth much babbling that bringeth no benefit with it: & therefore he useth it not himself, neither do any of the Penmen of the holy Scriptures, who wrote as they were inspired by the Spirit of God, the Author of them. They were chosen vessels of God, and as it were his Secretaries, so guided by him that they could not err in writing, no more then in speaking of it.  
We learn from this practice of Moses in this place, 
Doctrine. It is lawful for the Ministers, to repeat the points that formerly they have taught.  that it is lawful for the Ministers and Teachers of the Church to make repetitions of things formerly taught, and to deliver the same points and parts of religion again and again, both for matter and form, not thereby to ease themselves, or to maintain sloth in them, but for the benefit of the Church. Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, repeateth to the people, many things done before, and expressed in the former books, and therefore it is fitly called a repetition of the Law; and there he rehearseth the ten Commandments again, Deut. 5. So do the Evangelists declare, how Christ our Saviour often repeateth the same things, and preacheth again the same points he had delivered before: and therefore his practice may well be our warrant, and his example our direction. Thus doth the Apostle Peter show what he did, and what he will do, 2 Pet. 1, 12. Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. And afterward in the same Epistle, he professeth, that he had written to them of those things, whereof his beloved brother Paul had written in all his Epistles. The Epistle of Jude is a repetition of those things handled by Peter in his second Epistle, and is as it were an abridgement of it. So the books of Chronicles do repeat many things before set down in the books of the Kings: albeit it be done with much access of matter & profit to the reader, as we shall see by diligent observation in the reading of them. In like manner the Apostle john, wrote unto them those things which they had been taught before, I have not written unto you, because ye know not the truth but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth, 1 john 2, 21. This may plentifully appear unto us, in the comparing of the old Testament with the new; one strengtheneth and confirmeth another, and sundry things are repeated in the new, which are delivered in the old. We see the Gentiles in the Acts of the Apostles, 
Acts 13, 42.  besought Paul and Barnabas, that the same words might be preached unto them the next Sabbath day, which they had first offered unto the jews. All which examples, as it were a cloud of witnesses, do confirm the lawfulness of their practice, that teach again what they have taught, and deliver the same points which before they have delivered, and so bring forth out of their storehouse, things both old and new: for this custom could not be used without some access and addition of new matter, according to the manner of God, used in the holy Scriptures.  
Reason 1 This is not done without cause and good reason. For first, men are commonly dull in hearing, slack in coming, weak in remembering, and slow in practising. They are as a tough oak, that is not felled at one stroke, & as an hard stone, that is not broken in pieces with one blow: they are as marble, that is not pierced with once dropping of water upon it, but requireth a constant and continual falling upon it, according to the Commandment of God, directed to his Prophet, Ezek, 21, 2. Son of man, set thy face toward jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and Prophesy against the Land of Israel. For albeit we be often taught and plainly instructed, here a little, & there a little, yet we cannot conceive and carry away the things we hear. The Apostle saith, 
Heb. 5, 11.  We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing: where he giveth this reason, why he had need begin again the first rudiments of Christian religion, as it were to lay the foundation of the house again, before he went forward with high mysteries, even in regard of their dullness and slackness in learning.  
Reason 2 Secondly, it is safe and sure for all hearers to have often repetitions. It hath his good use, and special benefit. Many witnesses do make sure work, and confirm strongly and steadfastly the things taught. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, writing to the Philippians, chap. 3, 1. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous: and for you it is safe. That which is once spoken, is through our infirmity and corruption, as good as never spoken; as one witness is no witness. GOD would have every truth confirmed by two or three witnesses: and forasmuch as the history of the life and death, of the doctrine and miracles, of the resurrection and ascension of Christ, is so main a pillar of our religion, in the knowledge whereof, our salvation consisteth, he would have it confirmed by four authentic witnesses, and Christ carried by them as on a fourfold Chariot in triumph like a mighty Conqueror, that hath subdued all his and our enemies. Thus doth God provide most plentiful means to remove our infidelity, to take away our doubting, and to remedy our infirmity.  
Thirdly, repetition worketh a deeper impression Reason 3 in us, and serveth to beat it into the conscience, as well as into the understanding. It is necessary that we be stirred up & quickened to the practice of good things by the goad of repetitions. This consideration made the Apostle say, I think it meet, 
2 Pet. 1, 13.  as long as I am in this Tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Practice is an hard thing and rare. We are not easily brought to perform such things as we know. If then, once speaking take not hold on us, it may the second time, being commended unto us again.  
Fourthly, we ought not to forbear from Reason 4 this course, because our life is short, we know not how soon we may be called out of this world, and give an account of our Ministry, how careful we have been to gain souls unto God. The Apostle having declared, that he would not be negligent to put them in remembrance of the same things, and that he thinketh it very meet to do so, addeth this as a reason & motive to move him, which also ought to encourage us, Knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, 
2 Pet. 1, 14, 1●  even as our Lord jesus Christ hath showed me: Moreover, I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance. And then indeed we have done our duty, when we have taught the truth in this manner to our people, not only once and away, as it were glancing at it, but continually dwelling upon it, teaching them line upon line, and precept upon precept; like masters that teach young scholars to read, that must not content themselves once to tell them, but must oftentimes put the same things into their mouths and minds, or else they forget them straightways.  
Let us now make application of the Doctrine, which is the life of instruction: forasmuch Use 1 as teaching without applying, is as the body without the soul. First of all, we learn hereby, that the perpetuity & standing course of teaching, is most needful and necessary in every Congregation. It is the Ministers duty to sow, and to continue sowing: to weed, and to continue weeding: to teach, and to continue teaching: to convert, and to continue converting: to convince, and to continue convincing: to instruct, and to continue instructing. For as we have always need of meat, and that as we eat, so we must continue eating, or else we famish and perish: so the Minister must feed, and weed, and watch over his people, and abide continually in it without ceasing and intermission. This is it the Apostle teacheth Timothy, 1 Tim. chap. 4, verse 16. Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine, continue therein: for in doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee. So then, it is not enough to take heed unto himself and his doctrine, to live well, and to teach well, but he must continue in them both, and not give over. It was well said of the heathen man, 
●2. de  It is no less virtue to keep, then to get; to preserve, then to obtain. Many know how to get, but they know not the art how to save that which they have gotten, and therefore it passeth away suddenly, as grease that melteth before the Sun. If the husbandman should only plant and never water, he might look for no fruit to come of his labour. It is not enough for the watchman to have discovered the enemy once or twice, unless he descry him so ofter as he maketh an approach: so it can be no discharge to the spiritual watchman of souls, to have given warning by blowing the Trumpet, unless he do it during the whole time of the war, which is perpetual and continual. We can take no truce, nor make no league with our spiritual enemies; Our adversary the devil goeth about continually, 
〈◊〉, 8.  seeking whom he may devour.  
Hence it is, that Christ requireth of Peter, not only to feed, but to feed again and again; 
●1, 15.  Feed, feed, feed, according to the charge committed unto him: and Paul would have Timothy be instant in season and out of season: 
●4, 2.  so that there is required diligence, faithfulness, painfulness, and continuance in teaching. It is worthy to be well considered which the Lord saith in the Prophet Esay, ch. 62, 6. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. We know not at what time the Lord will call effectually, and touch the hearts of those that we teach. He must first feed with milk, before he give them strong meat: for every one that useth milk, is unskilful in the word of righteousness, inasmuch as he is a babe: but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, Hebr. 5, 13, 14. It is the Ministers duty to ring the alarm bell continually; he hath some work always to do, to strengthen & fortify, to comfort and raise up, to exhort and admonish, to heal the sick, to bring home them that wander, to encourage the weak, to establish them that are strong, and to answer doubts that arise among his people. If it were possible, to teach all truth particularly that is required of a Christian man, yet we have not then time to be idle, and sit down at our ease, but even then we must go over the points again, that our people that have learned them, may learn them again: and if they know them, they may yet know them better: if they remember them, that they may remember them better: if they practise them, that they may practise them better and better. Yea, if we be grown old in learning, we must learn still: for we must live and die, learning something. Every one both Minister & people, must be a scholar in the School of Christ. Timothy himself must give attendance to reading, 
●m. 4, 13.  to exhortation, and to doctrine: all men must stir up the gifts that are given unto them, 
2 Tim. 1, 6.  which will soon decay without use and diligence, as the fire will go out, except the coals be kindled, and more wood added. When Christ had distributed his talents among his servants, he said, occupy till I come. Albeit then by the Ministry of the word, we have received to believe, 
Luke 19, 13.  yet this must not abate our diligence in hearing, but we ought as carefully to seek the food of our souls afterward as before: forasmuch as without continuance of attendance to this ordinance, it is unpossible that any should be saved, God not suffering the means of salvation appointed by him to be neglected or contemned.  
Secondly, this reproveth sundry abuses, Use 2 both in the Ministers and in the people, as first of all the niceness of many Teachers, who because they would be singular and popular, gaining to themselves many followers, and seeking the praise of men, more than the glory of God, labour to bring new doctrines into the Church, never heard off before, not proportionable to the ancient faith of the Prophets and Apostles, but of a new coin and stamp. These cannot abide to be beating upon old points, they think it a discredit and disgrace unto them, to tread in the beaten path trodden by others that went before them; they must ever be seeking of unknown and uncouth ways; this is their delight, and in this they glory. This hath been the poisoned and pestilent humour of heretics and of false teachers, to draw away the minds of the simple and unlearned from the ancient truth received from the Scriptures, and to turn them out of the right course followed by all the faithful. Such were those false Apostles that troubled the faith of the Galatians, and brought into that Church, another Gospel, even a new Gospel. 
Gal. 1, 6.  Such are they in these days, that hammer cockle and darnel upon the anvil of their own brains, broaching strange positions long since buried, & raking them out of the graves or ashes of Pelagians, and other forlorn heretics. These glory in their own wits, and account themselves happy, that they can maintain new assertions, & trouble the peace of the Church with them. Secondly, they are reproved, that scorn to take this course which Christ and his Apostles took, to deliver precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. They think it no way agreeable to their learning and high places, to insist upon one thing, and to beat upon the same matter: who are like unto a master that is greedy to teach his scholar faster than he can learn. But having taken upon us the charge of souls, we must submit ourselves to the slow and slender capacities of the people, and make it our chief end to profit them. And touching the people themselves, it brandeth those with a note of fickle and itching eared hearers, that loathing the old wholesome doctrine of salvation, turn their ears from the ancient truth, and being like the Athenians mentioned in the Acts, 
Acts 17, 21.  do hunt after novelties, and only do like new doctrines, new teachers, new matters, that they never heard off before; lusting after change of diet, like to their wicked forefathers, that loathed the heavenly Manna (whereof they had often tasted) as a light meat: they must have variety, and be fed with quails to fill their delicate and dainty stomachs. There is little hope to do any great good upon these nice and new fangled hearers, that are overgone and overgrown with a dangerous disease. Of such the Apostle hath foretold, 2, Tim. 4, 3, 4. The time will come, when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, & shall be turned unto fables. Such were some of the Galatians, who were bewitched by false teachers, that they should not obey the truth, before whose eyes jesus Christ had been evidently set forth and crucified among them. Gal. 3, 1. Many such are in our days in town and city, that surfeit through plenty, and wax wanton through abundance of God's blessings. Were not he an unwise man, that would leave his old Physician, to whom he hath been long accustomed, and who knoweth by long experience the state of his body, and foolishly long after others, that neither he knoweth them, nor they know him. So is it exceeding folly to loath the known Physician of thy soul, that knoweth the state and condition of thy soul, and consequently is most likely to do thee most good; and to haunt after new teachers, that may feed thee with wind in stead of sound and wholesome nourishment: or at least, though he teach sound, yet cannot speak so powerfully, and apply his word so profitably, and know thy necessity so fitly, as thine ordinary teacher that hath the oversight and charge of thy soul.  
Use 3 Lastly, this admonisheth all hearers to be content to be ordered in this manner, and not to think amiss of their Ministers for delivering unto them known truths which they have read, and heard, learned and known long before. For it is the old commandment, the common and ancient faith which they must teach, and teach again, which are the true Pastors. He that bringeth in another Gospel then that which hath been already received, if it were an Angel from heaven, let him be accursed. 
Gal. 1, 8.  Wherefore, whosoever findeth fault with them for these repetitions, reproveth Christ himself, and checketh the holy ordinance of God. These are they, that while they would be thought wise, become fools: they will take a course by themselves, & set Christ and his Apostles to school to learn, as if the blind should teach them that can see, to hit the mark. For if we will consider the matter, and judge it aright, the truth is more fit to be remembered and recommended to them that do already know it, then to those that are ignorant of it. This is the duty whereunto john doth prepare his hearers in his first Epistle, 
1 john ● 21.  chapped. 2. Brethren, I writ no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye have heard from the beginning: I writ unto you, babes, because ye have known the Father: I writ unto you fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have not written unto you, because ye know not the truth, etc. We that are in the number of God's people, must learn to know our own good, and hear greedily & diligently, the same things which we have heard and learned, as they that have eaten hungerly of one dish of meat to day, come to it without any loathing the next day again.  
But some will say, 
Obiecti●●  what need have we to hear the same things, as coleworts twice sodden? especially considering there is such variety and diversity of matter for the Minister to insist upon. I answer, Answer. there are many causes to bear out this practice, as we noted before. For, who knoweth any thing as he ought to know? And who practiseth any duty, as he ought to practise? Who hateth any vice so fully and perfectly as he ought to hate it; or is so armed and strengthened against the assaults and temptations thereof, as is required? Who is so fenced against errors and heresies, but he may daily fortify himself better, and scour up his rusty armour? Or who remembreth any thing so well as he should, and is not prone to forget what he hath once known and learned? It may be we have received to believe, and obtain Christ to repent and fight against sin: howbeit our knowledge, our faith, our obedience are imperfect: our combats with Satan are mingled with much weakness, and oftentimes we are constrained to take the foil: so that it is necessary, that we should be continually put in remembrance of these things. The Apostle writeth to the Philippians, 
Phil 3, 1.  that it grieved him not to write the same things: there is more cause to speak the same things, then to write them, because the things spoken, pass away and are soon forgotten, whereas the things written, remain and continue. Where are they then, and how great is their ignorance, shall I say, or folly, that when they hear one doctrine twice, or peradventure thrice, do repine and disdain at it, and think it not worthy to be spoken and commended unto them again, or themselves too worthy to hear of it again? but if it fall out to be delivered the second time by a meaner Minister than it was before, inferior in degrees, or weaker in gifts, than they abhor it so much the more, and cry out aloud, that they are shamefully abused. They reply, Can he say any more in it, then hath been said? I heard this point learnedly discussed at such a time, and such a place, by such a profound scholar and a great Clerk, and I need hear it no more, I will be gone. O beware and take heed of this spiritual pride & queasic stomach, that ●fuseth wholesome meat, because he liketh not the messenger, or the dish wherein it is brought, or because he hath tasted such food better dressed. The herb is not rejected that is wholesome for the use of man, because the Gardener that planted it, was inferior to many other gardiner's, that were more excellent and cunning handed. Will any, coming into a garden, refuse the sweet and pleasant flowers, because he hath seen and smelled such before? In like manner ought it to be with us, when the savour of the word of God, more precious than all the spices and sweet perfumes that are of the earth, shall come unto us, albeit we have been delighted with the fragrant smells thereof a thousand times, yet ought we no less to be desirous of it then we have been before. As the Minister must one day give an account how he hath taught; so must the people how they have heard. He oftentimes blesseth the faithful labours of poor and mean workmen, & furthereth their holy endeavours, according to his gracious will and pleasure. Let us not therefore discourage the hearts, and weaken the hands of the dispensers of God's word, nor refuse to hear it at their mouths, albeit other have greater gifts. For God hath not variably disposed of them, and given unto one a greater portion, and to another a less, that one should be honoured, and the other contemned; one heard, and the other not heard: but to set forth his own mercy, and to further the good of the Church. In the building of the material Tabernacle, 
〈◊〉 35, 22, 23  not only they are accepted, that brought gold or silver, or blue silk, or purple, but also such as were poor, and brought Goats hair, Badgers skins, a little Sittim wood, & such like stuff of inferior nature and less value. There is great variety and diversity of God's gifts, given for the building of his spiritual Temple, and all of them profitable. Such as he hath bestowed mercifully, such should we bring cheerfully, and such shall be accepted: to teach us at this day, to despise in no man what the Giver himself approveth. Away then with all disdain and pride of heart, to reject those whom he accepteth. The small gift of the poor widow that cast her mite into the treasury, 
●ke 21, 2.  was better accepted & commended, than the rich offerings of those that cast in of their superfluity. Let us therefore despise no man that aimeth at a good and right end, and bendeth all his gifts to profit the Church. For if we, upon whom God hath bestowed much, shall proudly scorn, & contumeliously disdain and deride him that hath little, and yet is faithful in dispensing of that little, to the greatest gain of his Lord and Master, God doth behold it and abhor it, and he will surely and severely punish it. What is it that we have not received? And how do we deceive ourselves, to think that we are full, who (alas) are either dry brooks and empty vessels, or at least hold very little water?  
Let us then humble ourselves before him that only giveth the increase, and cast up our eyes and hearts unto him tha● is able to make us more lowly in our own eyes, remembering that as some men want of that measure of learning, wisdom, knowledge, eloquence, and such like gifts to build withal which we have: so in like manner do we want as great a portion of others, who as far excel and exceed us, as we in our own conceits go beyond other men. And let us all that be hearers, set before us the example of the blessed Virgin, 
Luke 2, 19  who kept all those sayings, and pondered them in her heart, which she heard of the Shepherds. These were poor simple men, to whom the birth of Christ was first revealed by an Angel, as they abode in the field, 
Verse 8.  and watched their flock by night; whereas it was hidden from Herod, from Pilate, from the Scribes and pharisees, and from the noble and rich men that lived in judea: but as Christ took upon him the state of humility, so he manifested himself to these poor instruments, and commanded them to publish abroad what they had seen and heard. The Virgin Mary had been informed and instructed touching the incarnation and birth of the Messiah, by a more worthy instrument: the Angel Gabriel was sent unto her, who told her the matter before hand: and what learned she by the words of these shepherds, which she knew not before? yet she scorneth not to hear the same again by the mouth of these shepherds, and layeth it up also in her heart. She did not say to the shepherds, wherefore do you come and tell me this? Or what need so much ado? It is no news to me, I know it far better than yourselves, I have been told it before by an Angel from heaven. Wherefore should I give ear unto it again, as if I had nothing else to do? She doth not reason in this sort, but is humble and lowly in her own eyes, Luke 1, 48. as often as God hath a mouth to speak, she hath also an ear to hear. She knew well enough, she had not so learned it, but she had need to be confirmed in it by the mouths of other witnesses. The more the witnesses were in number, the greater strength of faith she gained. She considered that it was God that had revealed this matter and mystery unto them, who guideth the tongues and hearts of all men, and therefore it was meet, that she should mark attentively, and hearken diligently to every word that should proceed from them,  
It standeth every one of us in hand that are present, to reason thus with ourselves, 
Use of repetitions to the godly.  What is that which I hear? I have heard this oftentimes before: I thought with myself, I had learned this point sufficiently, but I see I am far deceived: God will have me learn it yet better: it may be, he seethe, I shall have farther use of it in the practice of my life, he knoweth the weakness of my judgement, of my faith, and of my obedience, he would have me thoroughly confirmed in this truth. It is his love and mercy unto me, I see it, I confess it, I praise his Name h●mbly and earnestly for it, and therefore I will hear it as diligently, and carefully, as though I had never known of it before at any time. If I hear the doctrine of the Trinity preached, I must consider, I am not sufficiently armed against heretics that may shake my faith in this Article: if I hear the deity of Christ proved, I must not suffer it to pass slightly from me, as a plain point that needs no confirmation or demonstration out of the Scriptures; but lay hold of it, and know that the Arrians and other enemies of God are many and strong, that may seek to undermine my faith, and take my shield from me.  
When I hear the trueness of Christian religion so much stood upon, remember that many false Prophets are gone into the world, who devise subtle arguments, as it were weaving the spider's web, that they may not be espied: there are sundry Atheists and Libertines that fear not to shake the foundation of all the building, and we shall lie open unto them as a prey, except we be daily fenced against them. When we hear any gifts and heavenly graces of God commended unto us, ●s patience and such like, think not there is 〈◊〉 ●re ado a great deal made about them, 〈◊〉 is need; we know not what storms and 〈◊〉 ●ts hang over our heads, and what af● 〈…〉 may befall us, and therefore we have 〈…〉 ●uch patience, that after we have done 〈…〉 God, we may receive the promise. When 〈…〉 ●re any doctrine in controversy, between the Church, of Rome and us, mark the points wherein we agree, mark wherein we do dissent: learn how to answer their objections: and though we hear these things often, yet we must not hear them negligently; we know not what use we may have of these weapons, and how soon we may be called to give a reckoning of the hope that is in us, 1, Pet. 3, 15. Our adversaries grow every day more subtle than other, and therefore we must not be simple, lest we fall into their snares. 
Use of repetitions to the ungodly.  This is the use of repetitions toward the godly. Moreover, when such as have refused to hear the word of the Lord, and pulled away their shoulders as disobedient children, do again hear the same doctrine sounding in their ears, the same vices reproved, & the same threatenings doubled and trebled upon us, as it were a stroke driven to our heads with the two edged sword of the Spirit; should they contemn it again? and suffer it to pass from them without taking heed? Nay, they also ought to make good use and instruction of these repetitions; and say with themselves in a feeling of their former negligence, Why doth God offer me this again? Doth not he know my sinfulll heart, that I have heretofore despised it, as a vain word concerning me? and that I would not suffer it to enter, but put it from me far o●? It is he that searcheth the hearts and reins, he understandeth the imaginations of my thoughts: it is his kindness and favour toward me, to offer it unto me yet once again. Now is the acceptable time; now it is called to day; now God knocketh at the door of my conscience: 
revel. 3, ●  if I do not at this present entertain him, I know not whether ever he will offer it unto me again. Lord, I am unworthy of the least of all thy mercies, I have grievously offended against thee, and I have rewarded thee with unkindness, contemning so often thy word, and casting it behind my back. Lay not this sin to my charge, but for thy goodness & truth's sake be favourable unto me. Now give me grace to lay hold on thy word, and not suffer it to pass from me, as I have done heretofore. Blessed is that man that can make this use of the word of God, & stretch forth his hand, or rather openeth his heart to receive & embrace it, before it go from his doors, never to return any more. As for all those that are often invited, and yet will not come to this feast; that are called, and will not answer, fearful shall their condemnation be.   

29. As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers.  
30. From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
31. And this is the charge of their burden, according to their service, in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, the boards of the Tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof.  
32. And the pillars of the Court round about, and their sockets, and their pings, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.  
33. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the Priest.  
The last of the families remaineth, to wit, the Merarites: touching whom, first, the numbering of them is commanded, from thirty years old and upward, even until fifty. Secondly, their office and charge is rehearsed; they are to carry the boards and bars of the Tabernacle, the pillars, the pings, the sockets, the cords, and all the instruments. Thirdly, the superintendant or Overseer of them, is appointed to be Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Priest.  
Thus we have seen how the several offices are distributed among these families, to stop contention, to repress ambition, and to avoid confusion. The wise man saith, Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom, Prou. 13, 10. We see by experience, how ready we are to wander out of the way, except we have our bounds set unto us. Wherefore, to make an end of all controversies, the Lord himself interposeth his authority, bridling the out-courses of the unruly, and keeping every one within his compass. True it is, the sons of Kohath have a more honourable function committed unto them then the rest, which proceedeth from the mere mercy of God, not from any merit in themselves, who had not so much as the privilege of the birthright by nature, so that they had no cause to lift up their heads above the rest: for neither might they contemn their brethren, neither their brethren envy them, forasmuch as they usurped not this prerogative of themselves. They had the keeping of the Sanctuary; not that it was lawful for them to handle any part thereof with their hands, or to see when they were covered, lest they died: but their office was to carry on their shoulders the instruments and the vessels wrapped together, folded up, and covered by the Priests. For when they were to take their journey, God commandeth the sons of Aaron to gather together the parts of the Sanctuary, and with all care and diligence to cover the veil, the Altar, and other instruments, before the sons of Kohath come to carry them, to the end the people of GOD might have the worship, service, and Sanctuary of God in greater reverence.  
[Verse 31, 32. And this is the charge of their burden, etc.] The sons of Kohath had the most honourable charge. The charge committed to the sons of Gershon and Merari, were in comparison of the other, of little value and estimation: besides, they were very cumbersome & troublesome, and consequently, the work hard and servile: and among these two, the sons of Merari had the least and lowest charge: yet notwithstanding, they pulled not away their shoulders, they shrunk not under the burden, they disdained not their brethren, they were not ashamed of their office, they were not hindered from the execution of their function through pride, or weariness, or envy, or contempt. All of them had not one office, but every one bare his part, The body is not one member, 
●or. 12, 14  but many: if they were all one member, where were the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If all had one office, it would minister much occasion of contention. And as in the body every part is not alike excellent and honourable, yet every one contenteth himself with his proper place; so was it among the Levites: some of the charges were worthier than other, yet they that had the charge of least importance did patiently and quietly undergo it. We learn from hence, that how mean Doctrine 1 and low soever our places are, 
How low soever our places are, we ought not to murmur at them.  we must not murmur at them, but be contented with them. No man ought to disdain at the dealing of God toward him, in that he hath placed him no higher. Those labourers in the Gospel that wrought in the vineyard, are reproved, because they were discontented that others were made equal unto them, and had their penny as well as they, Mat. 20, 11. they grudged that themselves had no more, they repined that others had so much; & so murmured at the good man of the house. The wiseman saith, Pro. 10, 22 The blessing of the Lord maketh rich; and he addeth no sorrow with it. And chap. 13, 25. The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want. The Apostle giveth us this direction, that having food and raiment, we should therewith be content, 1 Tim. 6. 
1 Tim. 6, 8.  This rule that he giveth & teacheth to other, he had learned himself, in what soever estate he was, he murmured not at it, but was contented with it, Phi. 4.11. All which testimonies serve to prove, that no man ought to show any dislike or discontentment, as if his place and estate were too base and low for him.  
This is not so easily persuaded as it is spoken, Reason 1 and therefore we are to use a few reasons for farther confirmation and strengthening of it to the consciences of all of us. First, contentation is a ready and approved medicine for all miseries and maladies whatsoever. No man is troubled with any grief or disease, but he is most willing to hear of a salve for it. This is sovereign for this purpose. It easeth the burden of all afflictions, it taketh away the smart of all sores: it poureth wine and oil into our wounds, and of half dead, maketh us alive again: it maketh a rough way plain, & crooked things straight. It casteth down high hills, and maketh the path easy before us. It turneth outward wants into inward comforts. It maketh the bond to be free, the poor to be rich, the sick to be whole, the miserable to be happy, & such as are owners of nothing, to be Lords of all things. Give an hearty draft of this strong drink, to him that is ready to perish, and a cup of this wine, to him that hath an heavy heart; it will make him forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. This we see in the Apostle Paul, he had drunk of the wine of contentation, 2 Cor. 6, 9, 10. and therefore saith, As unknown, and yet well known: as dying and behold, we live: as chastened, and not killed: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as poor, yet making many rich: as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. These things seem to some to contain flat contradictions, & to be directly opposite the one to the other; but this is the benefit of contentation, that it reconcileth things contrary, & maketh them good friends to live together in one subject: so that when he did undergo many kinds of affliction, he was refreshed in spirit, & cheered up in all his sufferings.  
Reason 2 Secondly, we have a gracious promise from the mouth of God, that cannot lie, or deceive or defraud us, that he will not suffer us to lack, nor leave us destitute of help, but will supply our wants, and minister unto our necessities. Many troubles may set upon us on all sides, as an host of armed men, but they shall not prevail against us, we shall overcome them all at the last. They may threaten, but they shall not hurt us, for God hath pulled out the stings of these serpents. The Prophet David had good experience thereof in his own feeling, Psalm. 34, 9, 10. O fear the Lord, ye his Saints: for there is no want to them that fear him: the young Lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but they that seek the LORD, shall not want any good thing. And Psal. 37, 4, 5. Delight thyself in the Lord, & he shall give thee the desires of thine heart: commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. If a man of great account and estimation in this world, should behold a poor man, and give him this comfort in his necessity, Be of good cheer, I will never see thee want, as long as I live; how would this revive the spirits of a man, now almost at the point of death? It is GOD that saith unto us, 
Hebr. 13, 5.  I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee: shall we not then boldly say, and in the assurance of faith conclude, The Lord is my deliverer, I will not fear what man can do unto me? So that there is no just cause of discontentment, whensoever we are brought into trouble, albeit we see no way to get out, forasmuch as he is able to break the bars of brass, and break a bow of steel, and make an happy issue, as he caused the chains of Peter when he was in prison, to fall from his hands, and the iron gate to open of his own accord. Act. 12, 9, 10.  
Thirdly, the providence of God ruleth all Reason 3 things, so that nothing cometh upon us, or befalleth unto us, by his will and pleasure, & therefore we ought to rely ourselves wholly upon him, and submit our wills unto his will; our corrupt wills, unto his most holy will. Our Saviour teacheth his Disciples, Math. 10, 29, 30. to rest upon his providence, Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father: but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. This is an effectual argument to move us, and thoroughly to persuade us to contentation of mind, & to bear whatsoever befalleth with patience and comfort, forasmuch as he, that is infinite in wisdom and knowledge, and infinite in grace and mercy, doth so order, dispose, & govern all things by his overruling and overreaching hand, that neither a Sparrow lighteth upon the ground, nor an hair falleth from our head without his appointment. This reason is used by Christ our Saviour, Mat. 6, 26. where, persuading us to lay aside all carking & caring for worldly things, and to rest wholly upon God, he doth chiefly beat upon this point, & groundeth his reason upon God's providence, who clotheth the Lilies, feedeth the Ravens, and ministereth food to all living creatures.  
Lastly, no man hath so mean an estate and condition, but he may gain some glory to Reason 4 God in it: yea, all that befalleth unto us is for the best: & the calling wherein we live, howsoever it may seem to us evil and full of misery, is unto us most good and profitable, seeing as it is allotted & allowed unto us of God, so if we be found faithful in it, we may glorify his great Name in it; so that we may conclude with the Prophet, The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage. Though our estate be not best considered in itself, yet it is best to us: and we ought to praise the Name of God for that which we have, and not murmur for that which we have not: to content ourselves with things present, and not desire the things that are absent, considering the dealing of God in mercy and compassion toward us, withholding nothing he knoweth to be good for us.  
The uses of this doctrine are to be known of us, that we may reap benefit by this benefit Use 1 of contentation. First, it reproveth those that are never satisfied with the mammon of this world, but so set their hearts upon the earth, that the more they devour, the more they desire, like men unsatiable, as the grave or the barren womb, that never saith, It is enough. 
Pro. 30, 14, 15  They are like the lean kine of Pharaoh, when they had eaten up the fat ones, themselves were in never the better liking: or like the dropsie-man, who, the more he drinketh, the more he calleth for drink: or like the horseleech, that ever crieth out, Bring, bring. The wise man telleth us, there is no end of covetousness: he that is infected with it, coveteth greedily all the day long, but the righteous giveth, & spareth not, Pro. 21, 26. And in the book of Ecclesiastes, He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver, Eccl. 5, 10. nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. An example hereof we have in Ahab King of Israel, he had the wealth and riches of a Kingdom, and yet he greedily and unsatiably coveteth after Naboths vineyard, 
1 Kin. 21, 3●  vexing his heart more for that little which he had not, then taking joy in all the abundance & superfluity which he had, which cost poor Naboth both his life and his living. So the rich man in the Gospel had filled his house, but not his heart: and therefore resolveth to enlarge his barns, 
Luke 12. ●  and to make them answerable (if it were possible) to his mind: which was a foolish conceit, it being altogether unpossible to find a proportion between that which is finite, & that which is infinite. For when he had builded more, & added more to that, and multiplied more to that he had added, and filled them also full to the top: yet that would not have satisfied him, because the capacity of his hart was far greater; and as the fruits of the earth had increased, the hart would still have swelled like the surges of the sea more and more, and never made any end.  
These are they which place their felicity in the abundance of riches, and put their trust in their wealth. Such are called and accounted by the Apostle, worshippers of images, Col. 3, 5. The covetous man can never be satisfied, albeit his coffers be filled: the more he heapeth together, the more he hopeth after. Those treasures, which while they were only desired, seemed great to them that desired them, when once they are purchased and possessed, are lightly esteemed, and other which yet they want, are coveted. Solomon saith, Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied, Prou. 27, 20. And as all Rivers run unto the sea, 
●. 1, 7, 8.  yet the sea is not full: so riches haste unto the covetous, yet the covetous man is never full. How wretched is their estate, that are evermore pressed & pinched with hunger and thirst, and cannot be satisfied? So is it with those that are sick of this sickness of covetousness: for all discontented persons want that they have, as well as that they have not: as fast as money increaseth, the love of it increaseth, so that the richer they are, the poorer indeed they are. Sufficiency standeth not in abundance of the things possessed, but when the concupiscence of the heart is limited. If our unsatiable desires be confined within the compass of contentment, we shall find sufficiency in the meanest estate. Thus we may be rich in the midst of poverty, and it shall be truly said of us, which the Spirit speaketh to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna, I know thy poverty, but thou art rich, Revel. 2, verse 9 He only is rich, who groweth rich toward heaven, and setteth his mind on Eternity, considering, 
●●mbros. ad ●●plic. epist. ●. 3, 10.  that godliness is great gain with contentation, 1 Tim. 6, 6.  
Use 2 If we live according to nature, we shall never be poor: if according to opinion, we shall never be rich: if according to godliness, we shall ever be content. Nature desireth but a little; opinion is evermore unsatiable, godliness directeth us to set our affections above, where is all happiness and contentation.  
Secondly, we learn from this truth to derive and deduct another, as it were a stream from the fountain, to wit, to acknowledge it to be the will and heavenly pleasure of God, to make some low and poor in this world, and to set them in places inferior to others. It is not his ordinance that all should be alike, or that all should be aloft, or that all should be rich.  
True it is, it lieth in his power to make them so, who is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, & hath all treasures at his commandment to bestow them as pleaseth him: but he hath variably disposed his blessings in great wisdom, to one he giveth much, to another he giveth little: to one, great riches; to another he sendeth poverty and want. In a great house and noble family, all servants are not equal, neither have they all one office, neither have they all one wages; but one receiveth more, another less, according to the different place wherein they are set. The Church of God is a great house, there are many servants and many offices in it; some are placed over others, and some appointed under others, and every one should continue in his state and standing, without breaking the bounds limited unto him. If he be cursed of God and man, 
Deut. 27, 17.  that removeth his neighbours Landmark; much more are they to be reproved, that exalt themselves beyond their callings, like the servants that break from their masters. The Elements keep their places, and the whole frame of heaven & earth stand by the appointment of him that set them, and set forth the glory of God therein: so ought it to be with us, 
Psal. 19, 1.  we have our places assigned unto us. In every estate, whether we want or abound, whether we be full or empty, we should be content, Philip. 4. and not wittingly murmur against God, or enviously grudge against our brother, or fradulently purloin away his goods.  
For first of all, may not the Lord of all, do with his own what he will? Math. 20, verse 15. Or, is our eye evil, and our hand false, because his eye is good, and his hand liberal and bountiful? Or who are we that thus dispute with him? Is it not enough to be of the King's household, but we must also climb higher, and seek to be of his privy counsel? Or is it not sufficient to be servants in the family, but we must also be Stewards over others? Is it not foolishness, and extreme madness, to refuse to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, because we may not be choosers of our own way? as if a servant should scorn to do his master's service, except he may wait upon him in a better coat than his fellows. We were wont to say in a common Proverb, that beggars must be no choosers: we are all of us poor beggars, and live by alms: for albeit others beg of us, yet we all stand at the gate of God's mercy, and beg our bread of him, saying, 
Math. 6, 11.  Give us this day, and this day our daily bread. We cannot live one hour without him: nay, in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17 28. If he stop our breath, we are gone, and therefore we must depend on him.  
Again, it is the preserving of human societies & commonwealths, that some should be superiors, and some inferiors: some should honour, and some be honoured: some rich, 
1 Sam. 2, 7.  and some poor: some weak, and some be strong: some learned, and some unlearned: some noble, and some unnoble: without this no policy can stand. No man must think the condition wherein he is placed, more unfit for him then for another: nor imagine that he hath deserved better than another at GOD'S hand, to be preferred before him, nor surmise that he hath any thing which he hath not received, nor judge by overvaluing: himself and his own worth, that he hath merited much more than he enjoyeth.  

1 Cor. 12, 18.  We see how it is with us in our natural bodies, every part is not an head, or an hart, or an eye; we have also hands and feet, and these are necessary in their places. Some members are more excellent, and some less excellent, but none can be spared. Such then as lift themselves up above their brethren, and disdain the places appointed for them, because they are not high enough, do carry about them even in their own bodies, a sufficient witness against themselves.  
Thirdly, the Lord thus dealeth to manifest the glory of his wisdom and power; he will cast down those whom he purposeth to advance, and many times afflict them with poverty, whom he meaneth to enrich with endless glory. The Apostle james calleth us to the consideration of this point, ch. 2, 5. Harken my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? It is a general rule set down by Christ our Saviour in the Gospel, whosoever lifteth up himself, shall be cast down, and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. Thus he dealt with joseph, with David, with Moses, with Hannah, and divers others, yea, with his own Son, Luke 24, to whose image we must be like, who must suffer many things at the hands of sinners, before he entered into his glory: and the liker we are made to him, the more happy are we.  
Fourthly, let us consider that we are here as it were in a prison or pilgrimage, in a place of bondage or banishment. This world was not made to be our heaven or Paradise, where we should have joy without sorrow, pleasure without pain; abundance without want, health without sickness, riches without poverty, and happiness without misery. We are here as pilgrims and strangers: when we come into our Country, and enter into that City, 
Heb. 11, 10.  the builder and maker whereof is God, we shall rest from our labours, and receive an incorruptible crown of glory. It were too great covetousness, to desire two heavens, one in earth, another above the earth, one in this life, another after this life. Our Saviour speaketh unto us as unto his children, Fear not, little flock: for it is your Father's good pleasure, to give you the Kingdom, Luke 12, 32. We are not now at home, but from home, neither can we obtain any thing here that can make us happy: we are like to vanity, and our days are as a shadow that vanisheth away. We sigh and are burdened, because we would be in our own habitation. This world and all things in it, shall have an end, and there is no trust in it.  
Fiftly, it is Gods will to prove our patience how we will bear affliction, and take up our cross, following him as becometh the good Disciples of Christ. Not thereby to gain any knowledge unto himself, but to bring us to the knowledge of ourselves. Hence it is, that the Apostle james 
james 1● Rom. 5, 4.  saith, The trying of your faith worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed. We think ourselves strong, before we come to the battle, but what our courage is, cannot be known until the field be fought. If we have resisted the enemy in the face, and not given back when we have been assaulted, we have sealed up to our own souls, what we can suffer for Christ's sake, knowing that which the same Apostle saith afterward, Blessed is the man that endureth tentation; for when he is tried, 
james 1, 12.  he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  
Lastly, let us set before us the example of Christ, who being the natural Son of God, Lord of heaven and earth, the heir apparent of Gods glorious kingdom, took upon him the form of a servant, humbled himself, 
Phil. 2.7.  and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. As his birth was, so was his life: and as his life was, so was his death. He was conceived of a poor Virgin; he was borne in a stable; he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger: he was persecuted of Herod: he was tempted of the devil: slandered of the pharisees; condemned of Pilate; and crucified by the jews. He that is the first begotten of the dead, the Prince of the Kings of the earth; he that is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; he that hath the seven stars in his hand, and the keys of hell and death, was despised and rejected of men, 
Esay 53, 7.  and brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as asheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. We cannot compare in highness and greatness with him whose eyes are like fire, and his feet like brass, who is the beginning of the creatures of God, yet none hath sunk down so low into sorrow as he hath done, neither been baptised with the baptism that he was baptised withal, Math. 20.  
Let us not therefore think it strange that we are made low, but rejoice that we are made like unto Christ himself, while the wicked are so pampered with delights, and fatted as Oxen unto the slaughter, that pride compasseth them about as a chain, and violence covereth them as a garment, Psal. 73.6. Luke, chapter 16, 25.  
Lastly, let us use all good means that God Use 3 hath appointed to begin in us this sweet grace of contentation. There is no heavenly gift, but God hath appointed some ways to breed it and beget it in us.  
The first means is to resign up ourselves wholly to the will and pleasure of God, and to submit our wills to his will, that as we pray, God's will may be done, we may be careful indeed to do it, and that for divers causes. First, as he is infinite in wisdom, so he knoweth much better than we ourselves, what is best for ourselves, especially for the salvation of our souls.  
We see how children take no care nor thought for things of this world, how they shall live, what they shall eat, and what they shall put on. We are content when we are sick, to accept upon the Physicians word, of any receipt: yea oftentimes bitter pills and potions which our stomach loatheth; because we know he loveth us, and that his skill exceedeth ours. We are desirous of riches, or of honours, to be great in the world; he in his great wisdom denieth them, because he knoweth they are hurtful to us, not healthful for us, but as it were windy meat, which would not nourish our souls, but puff them up with pride, and make them poor in grace: so that we should be as unfit to enter into the straight gate and narrow way, as the Camel to go through the eye of a needle. This reason is used by our Saviour, Math. 6, verse 32. After all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Where he laboureth to work contentation in us by this consideration, because God our heavenly Father knoweth better than ourselves whereof we stand in need. Again, he is Almighty, and therefore fully able to supply our wants: as he can give riches without contentment, so he can give contentment without riches: for it is he, that can satiate the weary soul, 
●●n. 31, 25.  and replenish every sorrowful soul: so that we have no cause to doubt of his sufficiency, who hath said, he is God all-sufficient. He filleth the hungry with good things, and sendeth the rich empty away. Moreover, he is as merciful as he is powerful, and infinite in love toward us, who hath so dearly loved us, that he hath not spared his own Son, but given him to suffer death for us, that so he might bring us to life and salvation: and if he have given us his Son, how should he not with him give us all things else? 
●. 8, 32.  There is no son but resteth in the care and provision his father maketh for him: and by this we may prove whether we be sons or not.  
Another means, is to live an holy & godly life, serving him in sincerity of hart and uprightness of life. Godliness is a jewel of such value, that it will enrich us, and fill our houses with treasures, because it is profitable unto all things, 
●m. 4, 8, ●6, 6.  and hath the promises of this life and of the life to come. The Prophet saith, He will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly, Psalm 84, 11. It is a good conscience, that maketh a continual feast, Prou. 15, verse 15. God is rich in promising, and gracious in performing: he oftentimes performeth more than he promised, neverlesse. He saith, If we seek first of all the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all outward and earthly things shall be ministered unto us, Math. 6, 33. He maketh a merciful promise, howbeit he addeth a condition, which on our part must be performed. If we be not behind in this duty, we may safely, yea securely cast ourselves upon his promise and providence, having sure interest in them, and a good title unto them. But such as live in their sins, and mind not the matters of his kingdom, can never have this contentation, because they can never with comfort and assurance of his help fly unto him, as a child to his father: but rather run away from him, as the malefactor from the judge, or the traitor from his Prince, who beareth the sword to take vengeance on him for his evil deeds and deserts.  
Thirdly, it is our duty to be thankful for things present: let us cast our eyes unto them and look steadfastly upon them, and never turn ourselves from him that is the giver of them, and consider that we have not deserved the thousand part of that which is bestowed upon us. Be it that we want many things, yet hath God dealt graciously with us, and sent a gracious rain into our hearts: the good things that he withholdeth, he doth not of malice and envy, 
Gen. 3.  as the devil persuaded our first parents, but in love and mercy toward us, as we noted before. If he should take from us all his blessings, which are innumerable, & bring upon us all his judgements for our sins, we could not complain against him, forasmuch as they have justly deserved it. Besides, how many blessings do we enjoy, that others have not, who are no worse than we are, and peradventure better? And from how many calamities are we freed, which have fallen upon others, who were not greater sinners than we are, and peradventure lesser? It is a sign of unthankfulness, to lessen the gifts we have received, and to value them as matters of no worth, in comparison of such blessings as ourselves do want, or as others have obtained.  
If this point be well observed, it will condemn many of us, who are guilty of grievous sin against God this way.   

34. And Moses and Aaron, and chechiefe of the Congregation, numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers.  
35 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the Tabernacle of the congregation.  
36. And those that were numbered of them by their families, were two thousand, seven hundred, and fifty.  
37. These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number, according to the commandment of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.  
38. And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the houses of their fathers.  
39 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the Tabernacle of the congregation:  
40 Even those that were numbered of them throughout their families, by the houses of their fathers, were two thousand, and six hundred, and thirty.  
41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number, according to the commandment of the Lord.  
42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families by the house of their fathers,  
43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the Tabernacle of the congregation:  
44 Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.  
45 These he chose that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.  
46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron, and the chief of Israel numbered after their families, and after the house of their fathers:  
47 From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the Ministry, and the service of the burden in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand, and five hundred, and fourscore.  
49 According to the commandment of the Lord, they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses.  
In the former part of the Chapter, we have spoken of the commandment of God, wherewith Moses and Aaron were instructed to take the number of the Levites: now of the obedience yielded unto it, which is answerable to the commandments. A threefold commandment bringeth forth a threefold obedience. So then, we are to observe, that as they received the commandments, they executed them in order as they were directed unto them. When God required three things at their hands, they accounted not themselves discharged by performing one of them, and leaving the other two: nor by performing two of them, and leaving the third undone, as if the doing of part should bear out the neglect of the other part: but three they received and three they executed. Their obedience therefore was perfect and entire. A point worthy of our imitation, an example that should be put in practice of us. We must show ourselves to be his children, by our obedience: forasmuch as his servants we are to whom we obey.  
Besides, in the numbering of these families, they did not follow their own humours, to do that last which they were commanded to do first, or first which they were appointed to do last; but without all show of innovation, or desire of Sovereignty, or note of partiality, or suspicion of vainglory, or contempt of any family, they observed the course and order precisely, which God charged them to observe. He willed them to number the family of the Kohathites first, than the Gershonites, and last of all the Merarites.  
Thus then do they testify their obedience, for they number them all, and they number first the Kohathites, secondly the Gershonites, and thirdly the Merarites. This is done two ways, first particularly, then generally. Particularly, touching the Kohathites, he setteth down the lawful age of all that were to be numbered from 30, years old and upward, unto 50. years old. Secondly, the sum of the family, which amounted to 2750. 
2750.  persons, ver. 36. Thirdly, the end of this numbering, that they might do service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, ver. 37. The second family is of the Gershonites, of whom we are to observe, 1. the lawful age of them. 2. 
2630.  the just number of them. 3. the end of numbering of them, as we did in the former. The last family is of the Merarites: first, he showeth at what age they were numbered. 2. to what sum they amounted: and 3. the end of their numbering. 
3200.  And this is the particular sum of them: the total sum of all the families put together, 
8580.  is handled in the last part of the Chapter. Where also mark the age of all that were brought within the compass of this numbering, to wit, all from thirty year old to fifty, fit to do service in the Tabernacle. Secondly, the manner of the performance of their obedience, ver. 49. according to the commandment of the Lord.  
Before the doctrine of this place cometh to be handled, 
Question.  certain questions arising out of the words, are first to be answered. First, it may be asked, how so many could be employed in the Ministry? I answer, Answer. not all ministered at one time, but in their courses and turns, as we may see, how David afterward did distribute them, and so divide their labours according to their families, 1 Chron. 24, 1. and in the new Testament we read that Zachary the Priest was of the course Abia, Luke 1.5.  
Again, it may be demanded, whether all these that are here numbered, served in the Tabernacle, or not? Are we to think that all could be fit for the Lords service? or that who so would, might be consecrated? and that none of all these or of their children, were kept from the altar? I answer, Answer. as before, they had their courses, and several offices, some for burden, some for sacrifices, and such as were sufficient for teaching, taught the people: and when unlearned Levites, occupied the chair of Moses, God stirred up Prophets extraordinarily, to whom the people resorted, 2 King. 4.23. But touching God's ordinance, we see he would have his Church richly furnished, and plentifully provided of able teachers, that all might be instructed, and that none should be ignorant of his ways.  

●●estion.  Thirdly, how doth this stand with the commandment of God, in the first Chapter? There he chargeth Moses, that he should not number the Tribe of Levi, chap. 1.49. here he is appointed to number them. Hath God now changed his mind, and altered his purpose, to command that which before he forbade? I answer, 
●●●wer.  the meaning is to be taken out of the words themselves. For he saith in the place before named and mentioned, Thou shalt not take the sum of them among the children of Israel, that is, while thou art reckoning the number, and taking the muster of the other Tribes, thou shalt not meddle with this Tribe, who were exempted from the wars. And the reason thereof is rendered, Num. 1.50. Thou shalt appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong unto it. He calleth it sometimes the Tabernacle of the Congregation, because the people assembled at it for the worship of God: and sometimes the Tabernacle of the Testimony, 
●●mb. 17. 8. ●●abl. annot: Nume. 1.  because in the Tabernacle was placed the Ark, and in the Ark, the two Tables of the Testimony, in which the ten commandments were written, whereby God testified his will to the Israelites, both what he would have them do, and what he would not have them to do.  
[Verse 34. 35. And Moses and Aaron, and the chief of the Congregation.] In these words beginneth the execution of the Commandment of God, Moses numbering the Levites according to their families, and assigning to every one of them their several offices and charges. This obedience of his is worthy of great praise, inasmuch as in this description of the numbering of these families, he removeth far from himself, all suspicion of giving scope to his own affections: and therefore he signifieth that he did nothing of pride, or partiality, advancing the Levites before the other Tribes, or preferring the family of the Kohathites before the rest of the Levites; but hath dealt in all things, as became the true minister of God, even according to the commandment and commission that he had received, of whom it is said afterward, chap. 12. My servant Moses is faithful in all mine house; 
●umb. 12.7. ●eb. 3.5.  even as in the building of the Tabernacle, he added nothing of his own, but did all things according to the pattern that was showed him in the mount. We learn from hence, that whensoever we have heard the word, and had the will of God revealed unto us, we must yield Doctrine 1 obedience to the same. 
The word heard must be obeyed.  It is a duty required of us to practise so much of God's truth, as is in mercy made known unto us. So did Noah Gen. 6.22. when he was commanded to make an Ark, he did it as God commanded. So did Abraham when he was commanded to circumcise himself and the males in his family, Gen. 17. This is it that Moses teacheth the people after all his teaching and exhorting of them, Deut. 10.12.13. Now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul? that thou keep the commandments of the Lord, & his ordinances, which I command thee this day, for thy wealth? And in the beginning of the next chapter. 
Deut. 11.1.  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgements, and his commandments always. The Apostle james urgeth this duty upon those that are swift to hear, and have received the word with meekness, which is able to save their souls, chap. 1.22. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own souls. Christ our Saviour, describing the good hearers, by the good ground, saith, They bring forthwith patience some sixty fold, some thirty fold, 
Luke 8.15. Matth. 13.23.  and some an hundred fold, every one some fruit, no man is barren altogether.  
To conclude this point, it was the exhortation of Moses, and of the Priests and Levites, 
Deut. 27.9, 10  which they spoke unto all Israel, Take heed and hearken, O Israel, this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God: thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments, and his statutes which I command thee this day. So then, we must all know what is required of us, to wit, to be doers, and not bare hearers: to be practisers, and not talkers: to be obeyers and followers, not idle professors.  
Marvel not at all at this. For first, to incline Reason 1 our hearts to walk in his ways that we have learned, is an infallible sign that we truly fear God. This we see in the example of Abraham, God tempted him, and said unto him, Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a  offering: he preferred the commandment of God before the love to his own son: God accepted his willing mind, and therefore he heareth this comfort, Lay not thine hand upon the lad neither do thou any thing unto him: 
Gen. 22.12.  for now I know thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. Not that he was ignorant before, but because he made that known to himself and to others, which before was known to him alone, and not thoroughly to Abraham himself. For what is in us we know not certainly ourselves, until we be proved. Thus than we see that Abraham's notable obedience in so great a trial, was an evident testimony that he truly loved God.  
Reason 2 Secondly, obeience is always joined with recompense, God-rewarding it to the full, who is a most rich paymaster. No man shall serve him for nought. If Laban could say thus to jacob, 
Gen. 29.15.  Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? will not the Lord much rather say to us, because ye are my children, should ye therefore serve me for nothing? The Prophet David, setting down the singular fruits and effects of the word of God, saith, By it is thy servant made circumspect, 
Psal. 19.11.  & in keeping of it, there is great reward. Consider briefly how it was with Abraham, of whom we spoke before, he received an hard commandment, himself to offer up in sacrifice his only son; yet because he delayed not to put it in present execution, he received a threefold reward, first God delivered his son from death: secondly, he commendeth the faith of the father: and thirdly, he repeateth the promise to him, and confirmeth his faith in it Gen. 22.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, if we harken unto him, he will hearken unto us: if we serve him, he will not be backward or behind hand with us to serve us. This doth the Prophet Esay point out unto us, chap. 58.9. Thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am: On the other side, if we will not hearken to obey him, he will never hearken unto us, neither regard when we call upon him. The wise man bringeth in wisdom crying without, and uttering her voice in the streets, 
Pro. 1.24, 25.26.  Because I have called, and ye refused: I have stretched out mine hand, and no man regarded: but ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh.  
Such measure as we meet, it shall be measured unto us again, and God will deal with us as we deal with him. If we set our faces against him, 
levit. 25.17.23.24.  he will set his face against us. If we will not be reform, but will walk contrary unto him, than he also will walk contrary unto us, and with the froward he will show himself froward.  
Fourthly, they are to be obeyed that have Reason 4 no absolute authority, but are themselves under the authority of others. God commandeth to honour father and mother, Exod. 20. albeit themselves are to honour God. Thus doth the Centurion reason from the less to the greater, Matth. 8.8, 9 from himself to Christ: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my servant shallbe healed: for even I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth: to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it. If then such as are mean men and have inferior places of command, are notwithstanding obeyed by those that are under them, much more ought the Lord himself to be obeyed, who is above all, and all under him.  
Reason 5 Fiftly, the Rechabites obeyed jonadab their father, and received a blessing for their obedience. He restrained them from many profits and pleasures of this life, and his charge unto them might seem very hard and harsh, being restrained of wine, and forbidden to build houses, to sow seed, and to plant vineyards: and when they had these set before them, they answered, We have obeyed the voice of jonadab, 
jer. 35.8.13.14.  the son of Rechab our father, in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and daughters.  
This example is the Prophet jeremy commanded to set before the people of God, to show them their sin, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and tell the men of judah, and inhabitants of jerusalem, will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words, saith the Lord? The words of jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed, for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, but ye harkened not unto me. Shall we make less account of God, than the Rechabites did of their father? and value his commandments less worth than they did their father's commandments? If we have had the fathers of our flesh, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the father of spirits, and live? Hebr. 12.9.  
Lastly, there is a special relation between Reason 6 God and his people. The subject oweth obedience to his prince: the servant to his master: the child to his father. God is all in all; he is our king, and we his subjects; he our master, and we his servants: he our father, and we his children, according to the saying of the Prophet Malachi, A son honoureth his father, 
Mal. 16.  and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts? So that disobedience is as the sin of rebellion, and God detesteth those that commit it, as rebels against him. All these reasons serve to preach obedience unto us whensoever the word and will of God is made known unto us.  
The uses of this doctrine are very profitable Use 1 unto us. First, learn from hence, and let it work an impression in our hearts, that nothing can be more agreeable, or a more effectual mark of our Christian profession, then to obey and hearken unto the voice and word of God.  
This made Samuel say to Saul, 
1 Sam. 15. 2●.  Hath the Lord as great delight in  offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? behold, to obey, is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams. When the Lord was to deliver his Law in mount Sinai, he said, If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my Covenant, than ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, Exodus, Chap. 19.5.  
By the voice of God we are to understand not the letters or so many syllables of the Scriptures, but the preaching and publishing of the same according to the doctrine, interpretation, exhortation, reproof, comfort, and such like. For the word taught and applied, according to the true sense and natural meaning of the Scriptures, is as well the word, as that which is written; forasmuch as by the gift of interpretation bestowed upon his servants, the mind and meaning of them is opened. That then is not Scripture only which is expressed in so many syllables; and therefore the Apostle saith, when they deliver pure doctrine with integrity and gravity, 
●. 2.6.7.  they deliver the wholesome word which cannot be reproved. They are the seedmen, the word is the seed; and therefore they deliver the word. The voice of God's messengers in the ministry of the word, is to be heard and esteemed as the voice of the everliving God, and not as the voice of a mortal man. The Prophets call upon the people, 
●s. 4.1.  to hear the word of the Lord, when themselves spoke unto them, and not the Lord immediately. The Apostle declareth that God in old time spoke by his Prophets, Heb. 1.1. according to the saying of Christ, that whosoever hear his disciples and Ministers, hear him: and they, who contemn them, contemn him, Luke 10.16.  
Thus in all ages have the faithful esteemed the Ministers as the messengers of God; and the Ministry of the word, as the voice of God himself. This is witnessed by sundry testimonies of holy Scripture, speaking of the Church generally, and of the servants of God particularly; The Church saith, Esay 2.3. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. Cornelius having sent for Peter, saith, he was present before God to hear what he would speak unto him by Peter's mouth. Acts 10.33. The Thessalonians received the word, not as the word of man, but as it is indeed the word of God, 1 Thess. 2.13. Thus must we esteem of it in judgement: thus must we obey it in practice. When sin is reproved, it is God that reproveth it. When the sinner that is penitent is comforted, God is the comforter. If the word find out our secret sins, we must be no less terrified and humbled, then if God should proclaim open war against us, and utter his Thundering voice against us. If the sweet consolations of Christ are offered to them that mourn in Zion, and hang down their heads through feeling of the wrath of God, for their manifold sins, they are to be comforted as well thereby, as if the Lord himself from the highest heavens, should comfort them, and speak peace unto their consciences. There cannot be a greater enemy to the saving hearing of the word, then to imagine this, that we have nothing to do with God, but all with man, when we hear the word. This shaketh attention, cooleth zeal, breedeth negligence, and hindereth obedience.  
Secondly, this serveth to reprove all such Use 2 as yield no obedience unto God and his will, but rebel against him openly and stubbornly, and will do nothing at all that he commandeth. These are not unfitly called traitors and rebels against God. The name of a traitor is most odious among all men, no man can abide to be so accounted. But what shall it avail us to be faithful unto men, and unfaithful to God? to obey them, and to disobey him? Moses telleth the people of Israel, that they have been rebellious against the Lord, 
Deut. 9.24.  from the day that he knew them. Such as rose up against Aaron, and would not submit themselves to God's ordinance in his Ministry, are called the children of rebellion, Numb. 17.10. and they are exhorted not to rebel against the Lord, Numb. 14.9. It is a vain thing to say, we are no traitors, we hate the name of treason: if we nourish open rebellion against God, who is the King of kings. Such as set themselves against God's word, and yield no obedience unto it, are rank traitors, and we need crave no pardon, if we call them the children of rebellion.  
Secondly, it reproveth such as prolong the time with God, & have no leisure to hearken yet unto him, and so make him attend upon them. No man man must stand to debate or consult with flesh and blood, whether he should obey God, or not: the wisdom and policy of man must not be our counsellors, they will deceive us, and withhold us from yielding obedience unto God's commandments. In his matters we must not plead policy, but when he commandeth, we must with all speed yield obedience. 
1 King. 13.9.18.19.21.26.  The Prophet that contrary to God's commandment did eat bread and drink water in the house of the old Prophet, was devoured of a Lion: this was the judgement denounced against him, Foras much as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, etc. thy carcase shall not come into the sepulchres of thy fathers. The fruit of all disobedience is our own destruction, notwithstanding our own good intents, which may please ourselves, but cannot please God. When we have his word, we must not suffer ourselves to be deluded by traditions, by visions, or by pretended revelations. The only word revealed unto us must put all other means to silence, and make them give place. He that was commanded by the word of God, to strike the Prophet, and refused it, was slain by a Lyon. 
1 King. 20.35  Let these examples make us wise: and their falls teach us to stand upright. It is extreme folly to yield to the false and feigned persuasions of ignorant men, who go about to tell us, that it is not so necessary a duty to obey the word of God delivered unto us, as many would make us to believe: that we shall be hated and derided of all men, and therefore it is better for us to seek the favour and good will of men and the applause of the world, then to be singular, and so contemned. Let not us be lulled asleep with these sweet songs, which are no better than cunning enchantments; neither be led a side by such deceitful counsellors as go about to bring us into eternal perdition.  
Thirdly, it reproveth such as part stakes between God and themselves, and regard not to yield entire obedience unto him, but obey to halves; For as Agrippa was persuaded somewhat to become a Christian, so are these resolved a little to obey. Saul was commanded to root out the Amalekites, with all that was theirs from man to beast: but he set his own wisdom before the wisdom of the Lord, sparing Agag and the better part of the sheep to offer sacrifice unto him. But God spared not him, for his kingdom was rend from him, and given to his neighbour that was better than he. The children of Israel were straightly charged of God to destroy the nations, into whose land he would bring them, lest by suffering them among them, and by joining themselves with them, they should learn their manners, and serve their Idols, which would turn to their ruin and destruction. They executed part of his commandment, they destroyed many of them, & took their cities: yet because they saved a part, and spared a remnant of them, they found them by woeful experience to be thorns and pricks in their flesh, 
judg. 2.3.  and afterward they lived many years in their slavery and subjection, as the book of judges doth witness. God looketh for full and perfect obedience, so that there is no halting or faltering before him. We see how Ananias and Sapphira were smitten with sudden death, because they kept back part of the price of that which they had vowed and dedicated unto God, Act. 5. This turned to their utter destruction, albeit they were taken to be zealous and forward disciples. So shall it be with us, if we be like unto them. Let us take heed of hypocrisy: let us labour to be entire, and give him the whole heart.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us seek after knowledge and understanding of the will of God. For how can that servant practise and perform his masters will, that never knoweth nor regardeth to know what he requireth? or can that subject obey the law of the Magistrate, that is wholly ignorant of the Law? The Apostle requireth, that the word of Christ dwell richly in us in all wisdom, Col. 3.16. The true knowledge of God is the fountain and foundation of all true obedience. From hence as from a root spring forth and spread abroad faith in Christ, hope in the promises, love to the brethren, the true worship of God and fear of his holy Name. As on the other side, from ignorance proceed, infidelity, distrust, despair, presumption, hatred of God, malice, superstition, idolatry, disobedience, and all impiety. Hence it is, that the Prophet Hosea complaineth, that God had a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, and that there was much riot and excess of unrighteousness among them, by stealing, lying, whoring, swearing, and killing, because there was no knowledge found in that people: thereby implying, 
Hos. 4.2.  that they were utterly destitute of all grace and goodness, of all piety and true religion. Such as know not God, nor his will, are ignorant what pleaseth, or what displeaseth him, and therefore cannot but offend him in both. He that doth the will of God ignorantly, like the blind man that hitteth the white, cannot be accepted of him, or look for any reward at his hands. God will accept of none to be his servants, that know him not.  
Will any man receive into his service one that cannot see to dispatch his business? and shall we think that God will admit blind men, that regard not to understand his ways, and want their spiritual eyes to discern between good and evil? This we see by sundry examples, as Psal. 95.10. where the Lord rendereth this reason, why the people erred in their hearts, and grieved him forty years in the wilderness, 
Psal. 95.10.  because they had not known his ways. It was the cause why the Sadduces denied the resurrection, Matt. 22.29. Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. This caused the jews to crucify the Lord of life, Act. 3.17. Now brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers: for if they had known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of life. This is it that maketh the proud justiciaries of the world to rest in their own righteousness, 
Rom. 10.3.  because they know not the righteousness of God. This was the cause of the idolatry of the Gentiles, Gal. 4.8. When ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no Gods. So what was the cause, but ignorance, that moved Paul to persecute the Saints? he rendereth this as the reason, 
1 Tim. 1.13.  I was before a blasphemer, and a persecuter, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And as it is the root that brancheth out into many sins: so it is as pitch that defileth whatsoever it toucheth, & turneth good affections into evil, and maketh them to decline and degenerate into sin. Religion, devotion, hope, fear, being joined and guided with the eye and light of knowledge please God; whereas without this sight they highly displease him.  
For religion joined with ignorance, begetteth and bringeth forth idolatry: devotion accompanied with ignorance, is no better than superstition: hope joined with ignorance, worketh presumption: fear joined with ignorance, engendereth desperation. If we have not knowledge to support and season us, we err out of the right way, and are deceived beyond all measure. love blinded with ignorance, becometh sottish. Zeal, patience, and such like corrupted with ignorance, are turned into brutish and savage passions.  
This reproveth three sorts of men. First, the practice of the Church of Rome, 
●re●  that taketh away the key of knowledge from the people, and seeketh to bring in palpable darkness. These false teachers cannot endure that the people should enjoy the light of the Scriptures. They read them in an unknown tongue, persuading them they may be most devout, when they are most ignorant; that it shall go well with them though they have no faith of their own, but an implicit faith to believe as the Church believeth, albeit they know not what it believeth. These are they that notably abuse the people to their perdition, and bewitch them with spiritual socery, as they that bring Gods judgements upon their heads: 
●●8. ● 13. and 〈◊〉 1. ●. 10. ●. 1. 8.  for when a land is destitute of the knowledge of God, all things are covered with darkness, and the persons are liable to his fearful judgements, as is evident by sundry places of Scripture. David saith, the blind and lame that mocked at him were hated of his soul: so that such should not enter into his house, 2. Sam. 5.8. Such as are spiritually blind, shall never enter into God's kingdom, they are all seers that shall come thither.  
The want of natural sight is nothing in comparison of the want of the eyes of the mind. Our Saviour pronounceth them blessed that are pure in heart, 
● 5.8.  because they shall see God. This sight of the mind is two fold, partly in this life, & partly in the life to come, one of them unperfect, the other perfect, when we shall see him as he is This is eternal life to know God: 
● 3.2.  it is eternal death not to know him, and to be ignorant that God is our father, that Christ is our redeemer, and that the holy Ghost is our sanctifier.  

●●econd ●ofe.  The second reproof is of those that are children in knowledge, that live in the light, and yet can see nothing. The Sun shineth brightly in their faces, yet they shut their eyes. Many think they have religion enough, if they have a good mind and meaning, and lead a civil life among their neighbours, who like not such busy fellows that will be meddling evermore with the Scriptures. They are accounted honest men, and are well liked of all, they pay that they own, they are just of their word, they deceive no man. But this civil conversation and honest behaviour shall profit them nothing, nor be able to bring them into the favour of God, nor give them any title to the kingdom of heaven, so long as they are destitute of knowledge: forasmuch as they have God their adversary, who will contend with them, and plead against them: neither will he know them, that regard not to know him. Others despise it and contemn it, like the fool or idiot, that casteth away a pearl or precious stone not knowing the value or worth of it. These come to the Church sometimes, and hear the word of God both read & preached, and yet are not so much as acquainted with the histories of the Scripture, & the principles of religion, which are as milk for young children. They know not what faith is: they are not acquainted with the means of our justification: they know not the difference between the Law and the Gospel, neither the use of the one or the other: they cannot discern any thing between the religion of Christ and of Antichrist.  
Lastly, 
The third reproof.  it serveth to stop the mouths of all proud and malicious slanderers of the Gospel, that accuse the preaching and publishing thereof, as the cause of the sins and enormities that abound among us, as also of the plagues and pnishments that God hath inflicted upon the land. These men, uttering the froth and scum of their soul mouths, and belching up the venom of their poisoned hearts, cry out. It was never well since this new religion sprung up, & since there was so much teaching and preaching: that we have so much knowledge and learning, that we are well the worse for it. The cause of God's judgements is not the preaching of the Gospel, but the contempt of the Gospel: and because we have the light, but love darkness more than the light. God justly giveth over such profane beasts into a reprobate sense. Our great ignorance is the cause of our sins, and that we are children of darkness, rather than of the day: of the night, not of the light. Are not these ashamed to say, that the light of the Sun causeth men to stumble and go out of the way? that the Chirurgeon and his salve make the soar? that the judge maketh the thief; and the law the malefactor? For they may as well affirm all this, as that the word is the cause either of our sins, or of our punishments: which serveth to keep us both from Use 4 the one and the other.  
Fourthly, hereby we must try who be good hearers of the word, and who be not. All of us should come constantly, diligently, and continually: but many among us come seldom. We would be loath to be accounted recusants: but if we should come a little less, we might worthily be so accounted. We would be loath to be accounted Papists, and indeed I think we should have injury done us to be so called: forasmuch as we live more like unto Atheists. We would think ourselves greatly slandered to be reputed worshippers of a false God: and indeed we might so, forasmuch as we are found to worship no God at all. They will plead no doubt for themselves, that they are saved and sanctified hearers, as well as the best: and they would be ready to complain of great wrong, if they should be charged to be in the number of evil hearers. 
Matth. 7.21.  But as Christ saith in the Gospel, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven: so, not every one that challengeth the title of a right hearer, is a good hearer indeed; but the obedient hearer that bringeth forth fruit. The end of the Law, is obedience, as Deut. 6.1, 2, 3. These are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land which ye go to possess: that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy sons son, all the days of thy life, etc. hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with thee, etc. Wherefore, the doctrine that now we deal withal, is as a touchstone to try what we are, whether we be fruitful or fruitless hearers. It will be no hard matter (if we set our minds unto it) to make proof and trial, whether we be altogether barren in bringing forth fruits or not. The fig tree that had nothing but leaves upon it, and no fruit at all is cursed, and hath this denounced against it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever, Mar. 11.14. The dresser of his vineyard said of another figtree, whereon he sought fruit and found none (for there is store of such) Behold, 
Luke 13.7.  these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none, cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? john the Baptist preaching repentance to such as came out of jerusalem to his baptism, saith, Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire, Matth. 3.10. The Apostle writeth to the Hebrews, to stir them up to be more zealous, 
Heb. 6.7, 8.  and telleth them that the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns ana briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. If any be an hearer of the word, 
jam. 1.23, 24.  and not a doer, the Apostle james maketh him like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. No man thinketh it hard to be able to discern of land whether it be fruitful or barren, forasmuch as the crop that the field yieldeth will easily discover and descry the nature of the soil. If the seed of the word that is sown in our hearts do spring up, and bring forth new obedience, it is a good heart, fear it not, doubt not of it: but if there follow no growth or increase at all, it is a barren heart, look to it, plough it up, dig about it, and dung it, that it may bear fruit, otherwise it shall be cut down and cast into the fire. If we must all undergo this trial what hearers we are, woe unto very many that are among us, fearful will their estate be, and lamentable will their bareness and barrenness appear to be in good things. There is no tree more destitute of fruit, than their hearts are of faith and good works. There is no ground so full of thorns & bushes, as their hearts are of sin and corruption. How many are there that live in the Church, that hear many instructions, exhortations, admonitions, & threatenings from the word, that might make the stones relent? yet nevertheless, the more they hear, the more deaf they are: the more they are charged to do, the less they regard to practise; the more the word would soften them, the more their hearts are hardened and set against the truth; 
Psal. 58. ●  they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. These are they that come together, not for the better, but for the worse, 1 Cor. 11. and make the word to be the savour, not of life to life, but of death unto death, 2 Cor. 2. How many are there that have had and heard many persuasions to piety and godliness of life, and yet show themselves more wretched and profane then before? like unto Pharaoh, who when he had heard the word of the Lord, hardened his heart, and would not let the people go: or like the Israelites, who being moved to repentance, that they should make their ways and their works good, answered desperately, 
jere. 18, ●.  We will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. How many are there, that have been often stirred up to sobriety and temperance, in the use of God's good creatures, that are so far from bridling their unruly & riotous lusts, that they are grown more excessive & intemperate in drinking and quaffing, and spare not to rise early to follow drunkenness, until the wine inflame them, and take away their wits from them? 
Esay 5.11.  Woe saith the Prophet, to all such. When the commandment came unto them, sin revived, so that the commandment which was ordained unto life, is found to be unto death. The like we might say of divers and sundry sins, reproved by the word. God hath said, Swear not at all, 
jam 5.11.  neither by heaven, nor by earth, neither by any other oath, but let your yea, be yea: and your nay, be nay: lest ye fall into condemnation: Let us see, what this hath wrought, & still worketh in us: have not many the more enured themselves to that horrible and detestable sin, committed against the high Majesty of God? Is not every other word almost an oath? can they speak without it? Is it not become in the opinion and practice of the most sort, a grace and ornament to their speech, and a gentlemanlike exercise? Are they not accounted fools and Puritans, that use it not themselves, or seek to reprove it, & repress it in others? Some will say, It is a foolish custom that I have gotten, and I cannot leave it, but I mean no harm or hurt by it to any man. Thus do men go about to excuse sin which they have no purporse to forsake, but rather a desire to continue in it. Do you call it a foolish custom? nay, it is a vile & wicked custom. Give it his true name, and disguise it not; name the child aright, call it with Christ, a devilish custom, it cometh of that evil one. 
Matt 5. 3●.  This is so common a sin among men and women, among old and young, & hath taken such deep roots, that the axe of God's word and of his judgements, cannot cut it down. The fathers infect their children, and one learneth of another, until the greatest part are become licentious and abominable. Let us come to the sanctification of the Sabbath; the more many hear of it, the oftener the commandment is urged unto them and pressed upon them, the more dissolute and disordered they grow in the profanation of it. They cannot be ignorant, that they ought not to follow their pleasures on that day, but to call the Sabbath a delight, 
〈◊〉 8.13.  and honour him on it, not doing their own ways, nor finding their own pleasure, nor speaking their own words: but when this holy day of the Lord cometh, they forget all, their pleasures so round them in the ear, that they run madding every one after his own vanities, and the least occasion draweth them from the exercises of religion, as if they meant to bid defiance to God, and to provoke him to battle, which they do against their own souls. For are we stronger than he? or able to make our party good against him? No, no, we deceive ourselves; we are no fit matches to deal with him, who is able to arm the smallest & weakest creatures to our confusion.  
Use 5 Fiftly, we have all need of patience, without which we shall never be able to go through with our obedience. It is no easy thing to yield obedience. We have many enemies and oppositions that stand in our way to hinder us. We have many corruptions within us: we have the world & a thousand allurements without us, all of them set in battle array to encounter with us. We are like ground that yieldeth nothing of itself but thorns and thistles, without much labour and pains, without often ploughing and tilling, and turning up. Hence it is, that the Apostle entreateth the Hebrews, 
〈◊〉. 13.22.  and beseecheth them to suffer the words of exhortation. We do not easily brook and digest the word, but with great difficulty. It is hard meat lying heavy upon the stomach, and will not soon concoct. To mortify sin is to deny ourselves, and as it were to cut off the right hand, and to pluck out the right eye, Mat. 5. It is not done without great grief and anguish. It is almost death to the Swearer to obey this exhortation, My brethren swear not at all, jam. 5. It is as painful to him, as if you cut off a piece of his tongue, or sewed up his lips, or dashed out his teeth. It is in effect to strike off a limb, to tell the drunkard, he must live sober, and not run into excess, and that drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God: he judgeth it so hard a doctrine, as if he were in danger to die for thirst. Seeing therefore obedience to the word is painful, we have need of patience to stay us up, that we shrink not away, and go clean backward. Besides, we do not by & by enjoy the promises that God maketh unto us, they are for an appointed time, he will try us in waiting for them. So he dealt with Abraham, he had promise of a son, but it was not immediately accomplished, he was feign to expect long time for it. So the Psalmist speaking of joseph, confirmeth notably this point: He had sundry dreams, which were predictions, and presages of his future advancement: yet after this he was sold for a servant, his feet were hurt with fetters, 
Psal. 105.19.  and he was laid in iron, until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. We must be faithful unto the death, and then we shall receive the crown of life. God trieth us all at one time or other, and one way or other: we see not his promises by and by performed unto us: let us wait for them with patience, and put on the hope of salvation as a shield: for surely they will come, and he that hath spoken the word cannot lie. Lastly, we must here endure sundry afflictions, and shall meet with many scorns and scoffs of wicked men, seeking to turn us from our due obedience to God and his word; and therefore we have need of patience to hold us constantly in the faith without wavering, Heb. 10.36. Christ jesus forewarning his disciples what troubles hanged over their heads, that they shall be persecuted, and delivered up to the Synagogues and into prisons, and be brought before kings & rulers for his Names sake, giveth them this exhortation, 
Luke 21.19.  In your patience possess ye your souls. As Ishmael persecuted him that was borne after the Spirit, even so it is now, and ever will be, Gal. 4.29. Many have turned back from the truth through these temptations. They cannot abide to be reviled, though it be for righteousness sake. Let us not think the Christian man's life to be an easy and lazy life, nor the way to it pleasant, nor the gate that leadeth and openeth to it, broad and wide: it is a continual warfare, 2. Tim. 2, 3. suffer affliction as a good soldier of jesus Christ. hereupon we are charged to strive to enter in at the straight gate, Mat. 7. There is no salvation without striving: we must suffer many a blow, and endure many a wound. We must be content to bear many showers and sharp storms. The husbandman suffereth much labour before he reapeth. We must not dream of the victory before the battle. Our Saviour speaking of the good and saving hearer of the word, such as all of us ought to be, describeth him by these notes, 
Luke 8.5.  that with an honest and good heart he heareth the word, keepeth it, and bringeth forth fruit with patience. This is so excellent a virtue, that God vouchsafeth to be called the God of patience, Rom. 15. When once we begin to yield obedience to the word, and to frame our lives according thereunto, and to bring forth the fruits worthy amendment of life; when we are freed from the tyranny of Satan, and made citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we must look for the cross and persecution to follow us: forasmuch as all that will live godly in Christ jesus, must suffer persecution, 2 Tim. 3.12. This virtue do those hearers want, which in time of peace and prosperity will profess the same, but when trouble ariseth, forsake the faith and give over their profession, and embrace this present world. But we must learn better things, we must build upon the rock, that we be not shaken.  
This maketh us stand assured of God's promises, and breaketh the stroke of all afflictions, that they cannot hurt us, nor be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord, but maketh us in the end to be more than conquerors through him that loved us, Rom. 8. so that we may glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience: and experience hope: and hope maketh not ashamed.  
Use 6 Lastly, it is our duty to labour to grow in obedience. It is not enough for us to bring forth some fruits, but we must strive to perfection, and to the greatest measure of fruitfulness. This is laid before us in the parable of the sour, Mat. 13. some bring forth fruit an hundred fold, some sixty, and some thirty fold. Let it be with us, as it is with worldly minded men, that seek to increase their stock and store, 
Several branches of obedience.  and to make it greater. This duty hath many branches, as it were appurtenances depending upon it; First, we are not to be discouraged, though we attain not to the highest degree & greatest measure of obedience. For such as are evermore growing, have not yet attained to the end of their growth. There are divers degrees of good ground, and there are divers steps before we can come to the top of any high thing. The husbandman, though he receive not a crop of an hundred fold, yet will think it well and count the ground good, and his labour well bestowed, if he might receive sixty or thirty fold. Wherefore, albeit we be not the best ground, yet we may be good ground, as he may be a good servant, that is not best of al. No good ground shall be rejected, it is the barren ground that he accepteth not. If we bear any fruit, he will make much of us, and work in us more obedience, as joh. 15.2. Every branch that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit. So then, there is fruit, and there is more fruit: First we must labour to bring forth fruit: then we must strive to bring forth more fruit. Secondly, we must beware that we do not decay in grace, and so grow every day less fruitful than other. This is contrary to that growth that ought to be in us. This is the estate of many professors and sluggish hearers, that were more forward and fervent many years passed then now they are at this present, to whom belongeth the exhortation given to the Church of Ephesus, I have somewhat against thee, 
revel. 2.4, 5.  because thou hast left thy first love: remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. The Apostle, writing to the Galatians, was afraid of them, lest he had bestowed all his labour among them in vain, Gal. 4. For as the Minister, through want of teaching and using of his gifts, becometh unprofitable to himself and the Church, and suffereth his gifts to decay: so is it with many hearers, if we stir not up the gifts given unto us, we shall grow cold and fruitless in good things. Thirdly, we must take heed to ourselves while we are growing, lest Satan cast his darnel among us, and make us grow proud of our proceed, and measure the forwardness of our obedience, by the backwardness of others disobedience. This we are ready enough to do, and to esteem highly of ourselves. The Apostle declareth that lest he should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations, 
2 Cor. 11. ●  there was given unto him a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure. We cannot so much as think one good thought. We have nothing whereof to be proud and highminded. When any good work is done in us, it is not we that do it, but the grace of God in us. Fourthly, it is required of us, not to disdain or contemn others that come farther behind us, both because GOD accepteth of their mediocrity, though they have not attained to the greatest measure, neither are gotten up to the top; yet so long as they are climbing up the ladder that reacheth to heaven, they are in the right way, and therefore we must take heed lest by our unseasonable disgrace of them, and carping at them, we drive them out of the path wherein they walk. 
1 Cor. 4.7.  Whatsoever we ourselves enjoy, We have received from the gift of God, and we are indebted unto him for it, so that we are not to boast ourselves as if we had not received it, neither ought we to lift up ourselves above or against our brethren, lest God's hand in justice pull us down, which in mercy did set us up. Fiftly, it behoveth us to use all good means both to come to obedience, and to continue us in the fruits of obedience, all the days of our lives. God hath commanded no good thing, but he hath appointed unto us the means whereby we shall attain unto it. And he hath appointed no means in vain, but they are sanctified and blessed to those that carefully use them, to the bettering of their souls, and the increasing of his graces. The first means commended unto us for this purpose is the sound preaching, and the saving hearing of the word, which is of great force and effect to change our hearts and to work obedience in them, as Rom. 1.17. the Apostle Paul desireth to preach to them at Rome, because by the preaching of the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Another means is prayer. God hath bound himself by promise, he cannot go back from his word, nor deny himself, forasmuch as he is unchangeable in goodness. He hath spoken it, and he will perform it, that if we ask, we shall receive: if we seek, we shall find: and if we knock, it shall be opened unto us. A third means to work obedience may be meditation of the things that we have heard; an infallible testimony of our love to the truth, and of our delight in it.  
That which we often think upon we love much, 
● 19.15.  O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Such are pronounced blessed by the Prophet, 
●. 2.  that meditate in the Law of God continually, for they shall be as trees planted by the rivers of waters, which shall bring forth their fruits in due season. The last is conference with others, thereby stirring up one another, and receiving benefit by the company of others.  
This was the practice of the Prophet David, 
● 19 63.  he was a companion of all them that feared God, and kept his commandments. He joineth these two together, the company of the faithful, and the keeping of his laws, because the one is a principal help unto the other. Thus I have run over the chief means that serve to further us in obedience, by these we must seek it, or else we shall never obtain it. The more we use them and frequent them, the greater shall our growth be in obedience. The less we use them, the less obedient we shall be. They that use them not at all, can have no measure at all of obedience. Shall we think to walk in the ways of godliness, and never exercise ourselves in the means appointed for us? Or is it possible for such to please God in obedience, as neglect such ways as he hath left unto us? Do we then see men contemn the word of God, and make no conscience to attend unto it? neither regarding diligently to resort to the hearing of it, nor hearkening carefully to it, when they are come to it? Are there not many that never call upon God, nor beg of him the graces of his Spirit, and that have not the spirit of prayer, to ask of him such things as they stand in need off? Is not meditation with ourselves, and conference with others grown out of use, and rarely to be found among men? An evident token that there is little obedience to be found in the world, but a sea of disobedience that overfloweth all places. For where there is little conscience in hearing, little care in praying, little use of meditating and conferring, we may boldly pronounce without fear, that there is little obedience yielded to the laws and commandments of God.    

CHAP. V.  

1 ANd the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying.  
2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp, every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:  
3 Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them, that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell,  
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out, without the camp: as the Lord spoke unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.  
HItherto we have spoken of one part of the preface, wherein we have seen a rehearsal of the order commanded of God to be observed in the mansions and remooving of the children of Israel. Nevertheless, one thing is wanting, to wit, that order be taken, that this multitude be free from all pollution and impurity or uncleanness, and follow after sanctification. For what is an unregenerate and unsanctified company, but a rout of rebels, and an heap of confederates, conspiring together against God? Wherefore, we are now to proceed to the second part of the Preface, which concerneth the purity of this people. The former Chapters serve to manifest them to be a great people: the chapters following, to make them an holy people. The former show what they are; the chapters following what they ought to be. The former chapters declare what they are by the course of nature: the next will declare what they are by the means of grace.  
Herein we are to observe two things: first, the laws that are given them to this end. Secondly, the laws concerning the manner of their removing and marching in the wilderness. The laws that concern their sanctification are either general and common, or else particular and special. The general are in the 5 and 6 chapters, and come first to be handled: the particular are in the 3 chapters following. The general laws are of two sorts, some are necessary and commanded in the law; other are voluntary or vowed, being undertaken by a free profession of their religion. Moses handleth in the first place such laws as are commanded, and necessarily to be practised, and setteth them down in this chapter. The vowed or voluntary service is noted in the chapter following.  
In this fift Chapter he entreateth of the means of sanctification, & it containeth two parts. First of sanctification in matters fully and certainly known: Secondly, of sanctification in matters that are doubtful and unknown, depending upon the opinion or suspicion of others. The first kind consisting in matters certain, is double; first, he entreateth of casting out of the unpure and unclean out of the host, in the four first verses. Secondly, of cleansing and purging the trepasse and damage done to our neighbour, to the 11. verse. The second part, standing in that which is doubtful, is the trial of the honesty and innocency of the suspected wife, to the end of the chapter. 
Pelarg. comment. in Numc. cap. 5.  Thus we see, that as soldiers are wont to be cassired and turned out of the camp, and put from their wages: so when God numbered the people that were fit for profane and sacred war, he doth after a sort depose and dismiss all those that were defiled through any impurity of body or mind, thereby declaring both what manner of persons he would have all those be that profess to worship him, and how he abhorreth and detesteth whatsoever is foul and filthy, polluted and profane: and therefore he willeth all lepers, all that have an issue, or have touched any dead corpse should be cast out of their tents. Moreover, all deceitful and fraudulent persons, that have beguiled their neighbours through falsehood and forgery, shall no otherwise be accepted, then by confession unto God and restitution unto men. Lastly, the jealousy of the suspicious husband, is so corrected & reform by a ceremonial observation, as by a special remedy, that either he is compelled to acknowledge his suspicion to be false, or else if the affection be just, he understandeth it to be approved by the testimony of God himself; and so evil is taken away out of Israel by the sentence of God the avenger.  
Touching the first point, which is concerning the putting out of their tents the unclean, we are to observe 2 things. First, the commandment of God: secondly, the execution thereof. The commandment is propounded, and then confirmed by strength of reason. It is propounded both by his parts, and by the manner of it. The parts of the commandment are three, distincty set down; first, touching the lepers, they must be put out from among them, and have a place assigned unto them to dwell apart by themselves, out of the tents of the rest of the Israelites, lest by daily conversing with them, they should infect and corrupt others. Secondly, touching such as have running issues about them, of which we have spoken before, in the book of Leviticus, these also must departed out of the host. For albeit there were no fear of infection in these, as also in those that follow, yet there was a legal impurity, and a ceremonial uncleanness in them, putting them in mind of the foulness of sin. Thirdly, such as have touched a dead carcase, must also go out of the host; these were also unclean for a certain season. The first sort, to wit, of the lepers, was infectious: the two latter were accounted unclean and abominable, in respect of the law and ordinance of God that forbade those ceremonies, until the time of the restoring of all things: and yet some of them could not be avoided, as the touching of the dead.  
These are the parts: the manner followeth, showing that this commandment is general, and toucheth all ages and sexes, young and old, male and female, Prince and subject, rich and poor, there must no partiality be used, God will have none of these unclean persons to be spared or suffered among his people, from the king that setteth on his throne, to the beggar that lieth on the dunghill. Hereupon Moses saith, both male and female ye shall put out, without the camp shall ye put them. And in the book of Deuteronomy, it is said, 
Deut. 24. ●  Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the Priests & Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do: Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt. She was the sister of Moses and Aaron, & had gone before the women in singing the praises of God, for their deliverance at the red sea; yet when she spoke against Moses, 
Num 12.14  she was shut out from the camp seven days, according to the law, 
Levi. 13. 4●  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him, he shallbe defiled, he is unclean, he shall dwell alone, without the camp shall his habitation be. The practice hereof we see in Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, because he had taken two talents of silver contrary to the will of the Prophet, he said unto him, 
2 Kin 5.27.  The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever; and he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. In the siege of Samaria by the Syrians, it appeareth that four leprous men dwelled out of the city, who for fear of that great and mighty host abode at the entering in of the gate, 
2 King. 7.3.  and were the first messengers of glad tidings, that the enemies had broken up their camp in haste and were fled away. When Ahasiah presumed in the pride of his heart to execute the priest's office, the Lord smote the king, 
2 King. 15. ●  so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelled in a several house. Thus we see how this law was executed without all respect of persons or degrees and estates of men, high and low, bond and free, master and servant.  
The reasons of the former commandment follow, which are two in number: the one drawn from the nature and condition of these unclean persons: the other, from the person and presence of God, The former reason concerning the foulness of the leprosy, in these words, lest they defile their camp, may be thus concluded, 
If the lepers defile the places of their abode,  
than they are to be removed.  
But the lepers defile the places of their abode,  
Therefore they are to be removed.   
The conclusion of this argument, is the commandment itself mentioned in the 2 verse: so also is the second part in the end of the same verse. The first proposition is to be supplied. The next reason, drawn from the Lord himself, in these words, I dwell in the mids of them, is thus concluded, If God dwell among his people, than no unclean thing is to be tolerated among them. But God dwelleth among his people, Therefore no unclean thing is to be tolerated among them.  
The parts of this argument are partly expressed, and partly understood, as we showed in the former that went before, and therefore need not be repeated.  
Thus much of the commandment: the execution hereof followeth in the 4. verse, set down, first generally, and particularly. Generally, the children of Israel did so, Particularly, they put them out of the camp, as the Lord spoke unto Moses. Now whereas the tents among the Israelites were threefold: one, of the Tabernacle: another of the Levites: the third of the Tribes: 
〈◊〉 in Nun. ●5.  sundry of the Hebrews hold that such as were leprous were banished from them all three: that such as had running issues, were suffered in the camp, but neither in the court of the Tabernacle, nor among the tents of the Levites: and that such as were defiled by touching the dead, were only banished and excluded out of the court of the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle itself. But these are more curious speculations, than well grounded observations, whereof the Hebrew Rabbins are full, and seem to be overthrown in this place, where they are thought to be established, forasmuch as Moses joineth all these 3. together, and turneth them out of the host.  

●biect.  Before we proceed to handle the doctrines of this division, it shall not be amiss for us to answer one objection, which we will do briefly, and that is, whether God, in requiring the lepers to be put out of the camp, do respect the bodies of his people, or not? forasmuch as the leprosy was a contagious and infectious disease. 
answer.  I answer, I am not ignorant how diversly divers men do carry this, and understand hereby, that God as a prudent and provident Lawgiver, giveth wholesome counsel and direction, lest contagious diseases should creep among the people, and so infect one another. But this is too weak a conjecture and collection, & reacheth not to the purpose, nor attaineth to the intent of God, who respecteth the soul rather than the body. For he doth not in this place give counsel as a Physician that provideth for the health of his patient: but he dealeth as a Physician of the soul, and therefore under these outward rites and ceremonies, he would train them up, & teach them to give themselves to holiness of life, to study to attain unto, and acquaint themselves with purity, and to beware of all filthiness and uncleanness. This appeareth in the example before set down of such as were driven from the company and society of men, being stricken with the leprosy by the hand of God. Besides, this reason is rendered of their casting out of the host, lest they should defile the camp in which the Lord dwelled. Lastly, we see that such as have issues in the flesh, & such as touch the dead, which are no infectious diseases, and the one no disease at all, are joined with the leprosy in this chapter, so that the drift & intent of God in this place, is, not to provide for the body, or to keep the people in health and strength, but for the soul, that they may be preserved from sin, & from the infection of sin.  
Now, if any ask whether the disease of the leprosy be not contagious, and therefore whether it be not expedient, that all such as are taken and touched with it, should be barred and banished from the society of men: I confess this is true and convenient, & aught to be so: but this was not the chief and principal end that God respected, and therefore this is left to the Physicians and Masters of that profession to judge according to the rules of art and experience. God committed the matter to the Priests, that they should order all things according to the directions given unto them: it had been much safer to have committed and commended the matter to such as had judgement in that faculty.  
Moreover, we must consider, 
The leprosy of three sorts.  that as this disease was foul and filthy, ugly and fearful, so there are three sorts of it named in the law, to wit, the leprosy of the body, the leprosy of the garments, and the leprosy of the house: so that it is most probable according to the opinion of the learned, that the jews in a proper and peculiar manner (unknown to us at this day, and unknown to the jews themselves at this day) were troubled and tormented with this disease. Even as we, that are cast into the last age of the world, have diseases that follow some sins, which in former times, were not known to the Physicians themselves. And hereupon no doubt profane writers took occasion to devise sundry lies and slanders against, the whole nation of the jews, as if it were hereditary unto them, and that all the posterity of Abraham were full of botches and blisters and itches, and therefore were driven out of Egypt by force, 
joseph. antiq. lib. 9  lest they should corrupt the rest with their infection. This forged surmise had ancient Authors to rest upon, 
Cornel. Tacit. justin. lib. 38.  and is as likely to proceed from the Egyptians themselves, a proud and haughty people, as from any other; who being ashamed of the plagues that were sent among them, and inflicted among them, and desirous to blot out the memory of the reproach of their nation, and of the vengeance of eternal God, turned the judgement of scabs & blisters that fell upon them, from themselves, to the people of Israel, as if they had infected them, & were for that cause compelled to banish them out of Egypt, lest they should corrupt the whole country with their maladies. But if this had been the true reason of their departure, why did they retain them so long among them, and in the end, bestow upon them silver and gold, jewels and precious stones, thereby spoiling themselves to enrich their enemies? or why did they persecute them with such hatred at the red sea, that themselves were drowned? Furthermore, among the curses that God denounceth to bring upon his people for the contempt of his word, & disobedience to his laws, 
Deut. 28.27.  he threateneth to smite them with the botch of Egypt, and with the hemrohds, and with the scabs, and with the itch, whereof they should not be healed.  
Lastly, if the people of God had been haunted and vexed with any such filthy diseases, the Lord would never have established such sharp and severe laws among them, the like whereof were not to be found among foreign nations, whereby such were separated from the company of men, as had any loathsome and noisome ulcers and sicknesses following them: yea, if any suspicion did arise, they were severed and sundered from the rest for a time, until the truth were thoroughly known, and found out, as appeareth at large in the book of Leviticus.  
[Verse 2. Command the children of Israel that they put out, etc.] here we have a plain and express commandment of God, charging Moses to put out lepers & unclean persons from the Congregation. The Apostle Paul speaking of fornicators and incestuous persons that were unclean livers, unclean in body and in soul, useth the same word, Put out such from among you, 1 Cor. 5.13. thereby Doctrine 1 showing what God intended by this Ceremony: 
Obstinate sinners are to be cast out of the Church.  the substance whereof teacheth this truth, namely, that obstinate sinners are to be cast out of the Church. All open offenders and unreformed persons by the dreadful and direful sentence of excommunication, as it were by the two edged sword of God, are to be cut off from the fellowship of the Church, and from all the privileges that belong unto the faithful. This ordinance of God hath good ground upon the separation mentioned in this place, which was not commanded as a civil policy to keep the whole from the sick, but as a part of Ecclesiastical discipline, inasmuch as the Priests the sons of Aaron had the whole knowledge of the cause, as well the shutting of them out, as the receiving of them into the host, as we showed by sundry examples before. There are that draw the original of this Church-censure even from Adam, whom the Lord cast out of Eden, and set an Angel at the entry of the garden, who by shaking the blade of a glistering sword, feared him from re-entering, and suffered him not to touch or taste of that tree which was a Sacrament of life unto him. The like do the Hebrew interpreters observe touching Cain, 
Gen. 3.24.  whom the Lord cast out and banished from the face of God, 
Gen. 4.14.  as the lepers were cast out of the fellowship of men. For what else is the face of God, but the place appointed for his worship, where he was wont to appear to the Fathers, and where Adam and his family met together to serve him and to sacrifice unto him? And all ●his was before the law, when the sons of God were manifestly distinguished from the sons of men, Gen: 6.1. In the time of the Law, we have many ceremonies to this purpose. We see that the unclean were kept from coming to the Tabernacle, from entering into the Temple, from the partaking of the sacrifices, and from eating the Passeover. 
Num 19 ● 20. and 9 ●  So in another place, the Lord threateneth, that he shallbe cut off from his people, that being unclean eateth of his sacrifice, and that the sacrifice shall profit him nothing, nor be accounted to him to take away his sin, but that it shall remain upon his own head. These are no obscure types & dark shadows, but lively pictures and patterns that represent unto us the nature of excommunication. Let us come to the new Testament. 
Mat. 16.13. and 18.18.  The use of the keys to open and shut, and the words of binding and losing, come directly to this purpose. And as this truth is taught by precept, so it is farther enlarged and warranted by sundry examples. Abraham is commanded to cast out the bond woman & her son, 
Goe 21.10, ●  out of his family which was the Church. Hymeneus and Alexander, 
1 Tim. 1.13. ●  concerning the faith made shipwreck, & are delivered up unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. The Apostle commandeth the Church of the Corinthians to purge out the old leaven, that is, 
1 Cor. 5.7.13.  as it is expounded afterward in plain words, put away from yourselves that wicked person. Wherein he alludeth to the law of Moses: such as were to eat of the Passeover, were bidden to put leaven out of their houses, 
Exod. 12.15 ● 23.18. and 3● 25.  and to provide that no leavened bread were found among them. The Israelites were not to kill the Passeover, before they had rid their houses of it. It was not enough for them, not to use, or not to touch leavened bread, but they were charged to remove it from them, and then they should be sure not to be partakers of it, nor to be tempted by it, to eat thereof. To these evident proofs, it were easy to add sundry other, but these are sufficient to show unto us, that open and obstinate sinners are not to be fostered in the Church, but to be put out of it.  
The reasons hereof are divers, and that in Reason 1 divers respects, both in respect of God, and in respect of the Church, and in respect of the offenders themselves. First, it would be reproachful to God and his son jesus Christ, if they that lead a wicked and wretched life should be admitted freely to his Table, as if his people were a company or conspiracy of profane persons: 
Col. 1.24.  whereas the Church is the body of Christ. If then his body should consist of such filthy loathsome & stinking members, the reproach of it, would redound unto the head. The Apostle telleth the jews that the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through them. 
Rom. 2.24.  If then wicked men should be suffered and cherished in the Church, the enemies of the Gospel, would take occasion thereby to blaspheme the Name of God, as if the Christian faith did either make men wicked, or did wink at wickedness, or did encourage them to live wickedly.  
Secondly, by continual company with the Reason 2 wicked, the godly are corrupted. We are all prone to evil, as Adam to lay hand on the forbidden fruit, we are ready to go out of the way: and when we have evil examples before our eyes, we soon take the occasion that is offered, as when fire and to we come together.  
This reason is urged by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5, 6, 7, 11. Your rejoicing is not good: know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? There is danger to the rest of the Church to retain among them evil men. It is a means to spread sin abroad into every part, until the whole body become abominable, and therefore it is better that one member be cut off, then that the whole body of the Church should perish. The offender than is to bear the punishment of his sin, that the rest may be kept from sinning.  
Thirdly, they are to be cut off, to the end Reason 3 that such as are wicked livers, may begin to be ashamed of themselves and their wickedness. It is profitable to themselves, that their ungodliness should be punished, that they by the feeling of God's chastisement may awake out of their sleep, who, by sufferance & winking at their sin, would grow more obstinate. This is the reason set down by the Apostle in many places. The incestuous person, that had committed such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, must be barred and banished from the city of God, and delivered unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord jesus, 1, Cor. 5, 5. We must have no company with scandalous livers, that they may be ashamed. 
●●ess. 3: 14.  In like manner also heretics must be proceeded against, and cast out by the highest censure, that they may learn not to blaspheme.  
Before we come to the uses, let us answer Objection 1 a few objections, thereby to clear this point which hath been gainsaied and contradicted by many. First, there is objected against it, the Parable of Christ, Math. 13, 30. touching the tars, where the householder commandeth his servants to suffer the tars and wheat to grow together until the harvest, that is, the end of the world, verse 39 then shall the tars be gathered and bound in bundles to be burned, but the wheat shall be gathered into the barn. This they expound, as if Christ should command the Ministers not to excommunicate any of the wicked, but to tolerate them together with the godly. But this were to make Christ to speak with two tongues, 
●er.  and to utter things contrary one to another: for in the 18. chapter of that Gospel, he doth expressly command it to be practised. Besides, we are not to sift every part of a Parable, but to mark the scope. Now, his purpose is not to set down the duty of the Ministers, but to comfort all the servants of God, when they behold public scandals and open offences every where to arise, even in the midst of the Church, so that it cannot be clean purged; forasmuch as in the end it shall come to pass, that albeit notorious sins break out as ulcers in a body, yet all stumbling blocks shall be removed and taken out of the way, and all that work iniquity shall be cast into hell. This is it that he teacheth, chap. 18, 7. Woe to the world, because of offences: for it must needs be that offences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. And the Apostle saith, There must be heresies, that they which are approved, may be made manifest, 1 Cor. 11, 19 here the faithful and hypocrites are mingled together in the Church, as wheat and chaff in the floor, and as good fish and bad in the net. When we see this, we ought not to be discouraged, but rather labour that we may be good Corn, fit to be gathered into the Lord's Garner, when he shall send his Angels to gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; then he shall cast them into a furnace of fire, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Math. 13, 41, 42. That this is the drift of Christ, and the meaning of the Parable, appeareth by the interpretation that is given of it in that place, wherein he maketh no mention at all of those servants which are supposed to represent the Ministers: which, if it had been as these would infer, he would not have left out. But he insisteth chiefly and principally upon this, that when all things shall be dissolved, all offences and offenders shall be gathered together, and cast as it were one bundle into hell. They then are deceived, that think it is not necessary to purge out the great and gross offenders. The Church is the City of God, excommunication is the sword: it is the School of Christ, this is the rod, as the Apostle calleth it: it is the Temple of God, this is as it were the whip, to scourge out such as abuse it & themselves: it is the body of Christ, this is as a medicine to cure the diseases of it: it is the vine and sheepfold, this serveth to keep the foxes and wolves from it.  
Secondly, some object that it is not needful Objection 2 under a Christian Magistrate, who is charged to punish such as live dissolutely and disorderously, inasmuch as he beareth not the sword in vain, Rom. 13. It belongeth unto him to take away life or limb, according to the nature and quality of the offence. What place then is there for excommunication and Ecclesiastical judgements? I answer, Answer. Christ hath settled this as a perpetual order in the Church, Math. 18, 17. If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a Publican. Where, alluding to the custom of the jewish Church, he showeth also, that the Christian Church cannot want this spiritual jurisdiction. These them are not contrary, they stand well together, neither doth the one hinder or overthrow the other. Neither are we to think, that Christ pointeth out the civil Magistrate, when he saith, Tell the Church: as some suppose, 
Erast. thes.  but an Ecclesiastical Senate. Neither doth he mean when he saith, Except he hear the Church, let him be to thee as an heathen or a Publican, except he hear the Magistrate that is of the same faith and religion with thee, thou mayst go to law with him, as if he were an heathen or Publican, and have him before the Roman Magistrate that is profane. For Christ speaketh not only to the jews that then lived, but giveth a remedy to be used at all times. The promise that followeth, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, etc. belongeth not to one time, or to one place, or to one people, nor to the civil Magistrate, nor to civil wrongs; but pertaineth to the conscience, and had been impertinently & unproperly added, if Christ had spoken of seeking civil remedy, against civil harms and injuries: which will farther appear by the reasons following.  
First, if by the word Church, the civil Magistrate were to be understood, then the words concurring in the text touching binding and losing, and used elsewhere to the same effect touching opening and shutting, remitting & retaining of sins, showing the Church's power, do not signify spiritual power, but civil: but they do not so signify, neither were ever so understood of any until our times.  
Secondly, the authority here spoken of was such, as the Disciples present should sometimes in person exercise and execute, for so Christ saith unto them, verse 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, & whatsoever ye lose in earth, shall be loosed in heaven. But these exercised not civil power, but spiritual jurisdiction: therefore this authority here spoken of, was spiritual, not civil.  
Thirdly, Christ's words are in this place imperative, Tell the Church. Whosoever saith that these words are but permissive, only suffering men so to do, and not imperative, enjoining the same, he goeth against the letter of the text and propriety of the words. But Christ commandeth no man to prosecute his brother civilly offending him, before the civil Magistrate. He commandeth to forgive him and to be ready to take another injury, rather than in law to pursue him, Math. 5, 40. Therefore, this action here in this sort enjoined and required at the offended brothers hands, in that Christ saith unto him, Tell the Church, is not a civil action, but must needs be a spiritual duty, whereby the offender's soul (abiding in sin, and so in danger to be lost) is to be recovered, if it may be by this means.  
Fourthly, the ground and matter of this action (whereupon the whole is inferred) is not civil, for than it should more fitly have been named, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, an injury: but here it is not so called, but it hath the express name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, sin. Therefore the remedy also is spiritual, and the means to bring it to pass.  
Likewise, he teacheth a little before of offences spiritual, and of the cure of them: then he showeth our duty of seeking and recovering even one brother going astray, 
Math. 18, 12, 13, 14.  comparing this to the seeking and recovering of a lost Sheep straying from the flock in the wilderness, which also is a spiritual affair and business. These things being thus laid together, with the words immediately following, and both compared together; there is no show of reason, why it should not concern the same matter with the former, there being still one coherence and knitting up of the argument, and that most fitly in this discourse.  
Lastly, Christ was no civil Lawyer, neither set any civil Courts and courses of law, neither was this his calling. But this was his office, to give order for his Church, and to establish the government thereof. Neither was there any special occasion to speak of civil going to law: here was no question put to him concerning any such matter, so that he should thus have answered nothing to the purpose. Wherefore, by these particular considerations we may conclude, that to take the word Church for a company of civil Magistrates, using civil, not spiritual authority, for a bench of justicers, or a Senate of Magistrates, hath no approbation of any author. In profane writers, it signifieth a whole ordinary assembly of people met together for ordering civil affairs, guided therein by some Magistrate. They then are very much deceived, that take the word in a civil sense, & understand it of civil proceed.  
Again, when the Apostle, speaking of the incestuous person, 
1 Cor. 5.  willeth him to be delivered to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, they expound it of an extraordinary punishment inflicted upon him by the devil, whereby he tormented his body. Such a miraculous punishment was laid upon Ananias and Sapphira by Peter, and upon Elymas by Paul. But this is not the right interpretation & true exposition of this place. For albeit God oftentimes use the devil as his instrument, both to chastise his children, as we see in job, and to punish the ungodly, as we see in Saul, so that the power of Satan is the power of God; yet this is not intended by the Apostle, 
Parae. i● 1 C● 5. quest. 1.  as appeareth by the circumstances which may be observed in this chapter.  
For first, he reproveth the Corinthians, that they had cherished a most wicked man among them, and had not long before put him out, as verse 2. Ye are puffed up: but he did not, neither could he reprove them, because they had not wrought a miracle, because the gift which Peter and Paul had as the Apostles of Christ, was not common to every Christian, nor to all Churches: therefore he reproved them because they neglected an ordinary duty.  
Secondly, he commandeth them that themselves should take him away, saying, Put him out from among you: but it had been unreasonable to require a miracle at their hands, which he knew they were not able to work.  
Thirdly, if he had intended such a miraculous action as they performed against hypocrites and enemies of the truth, what need had there been of a solemn assembly and consent of the Church? But in putting of him out, the Congregation had an interest, ver. 4. When ye are gathered together; etc.: my spirit, with the power of our Lord jesus Christ. 
●r. 5, 4.   
Fourthly, this appeareth also by the end for which he was to be delivered to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord jesus; 
●r. 5, 5.  that is, that he may repent of his wickedness in this life, and so be saved in the life to come. This also is noted to be the end wherefore he delivered Hymeneus and Alexander to Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme, that is, that they might renounce their heresies, and embrace the true faith, and so repent of their former impiety and iniquity. Therefore he would not have him smitten with sudden death, and taken out of this life, and so the time and gift of repentance to be cut off from him.  
Fiftly, what it is to deliver to Satan, and to take away, the Apostle expresseth in other places; keep not company with them, with such eat not, purge out the old leaven, that they may blush and be ashamed, & so amend their evil ways.  
Sixtly, if this had been meant of such extraordinary punishments, the Apostle might have done this by his Apostolical authority, and needed not to have troubled the whole Church with it.  
seventhly, that which the Apostle here commanded, the Church no doubt practised: but they did not take him away out of this world by any miracle, neither delivered him to be possessed and punished bodily by the devil, but rather proceeded against him with the censures of the Church, as appeareth in the second Epistle, where he willeth them to comfort him being afflicted, 
●or. 2, 6, 7.  to receive him being penitent, and to cure him being wounded.  
Lastly, if he had willed them to kill him, he had willed them to rush into the Magistrate's seat, which he would never do: for this is proper to the Magistrate alone that beareth the sword. Seeing therefore we have the commandment of Christ, and the practice of the Apostle, to warrant the sentence of excommunication, there shall always be place for it in the Church, even where the Christian Magistrate is settled & established. Paul would have them assemble together in the Name of Christ, 
●or. 5, 12.  that is, by his will & commandment: and afterward he showeth that the Church's office is to judge them that are within, albeit the Magistrate have a sword put into his hand by the ordinance of GOD. What then? There is a twofold sword, material, and spiritual; he taketh up the material sword, and striketh with it. The Church handleth the spiritual sword, which is the word of God: so that the Magistrate taketh away the wicked one way, the Church another way. The Magistrate killeth and taketh away life, if the cause require: the Church meddleth not with corporal punishment and shedding of blood. The Magistrate proceedeth directly according to the Laws against offenders, albeit they repent; because he respecteth the execution of justice, and the revenge of the dishonour done to God: The Church proceedeth not in that order, but observeth the degrees appointed by Christ, 
Math. 18, 15.  If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone, etc.: and if the offenders repent, they are ready to forgive them. For this is the mark whereat excommunication aimeth, and the end whereto it tendeth, that the sinners being ashamed, may be brought to repentance, & that such as live in the church might not be corrupted, forasmuch as a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.  
Lastly, it may be said that we should rather Objection 3 labour how and which way to bring more into the Church, then to exclude any out of the Church. Men are ready to go fa●● enough out of it, but they return slow enough to it. We are to endeavour to call men to the Sacraments, which be encouragements to godliness, rather than to keep them from them for their wickedness. It is a sign we lack charity toward them, when we hide from them that which should do them good. I answer, Answer. it is our duty to do both of them, to wit, both to encourage them to godliness, and yet to keep them from them so long as they lie in open wickedness not repent of: not the first without the latter, nor the latter without the first, lest we be compelled to give that which is holy to dogs. Did the Lord himself want charity toward Adam, when he sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, 
Gen. 3, 22.  lest he put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of life, and eat, & live for ever? The Sacraments of God cannot profit or help wicked men. The Supper of the Lord is only available and comfortable unto them which come worthily, to wit, with true repentance, with sound faith, and with unfeigned charity: touching others, it turneth to greater judgement and condemnation. This doth the Apostle teach, 1 Corin. 11, 27. Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Is it not a work of charity to stay his course that is running into danger, and like to hurt himself? to hinder our brother from such an action as that he eateth judgement to himself, and maketh himself guilty of horrible sin? This were a strange kind of charity, to suffer a man to thrust himself through with his sword, or to cast himself down headlong from a steep Rock, when we may hinder him from so doing. The Apostle Jude giveth us other direction in his Epistle, that we should have compassion of some making a difference, and others save with fear, 
Jude 22, 23.  pulling them out of the fire. Wherefore, there is no wrong done to impenitent persons, if they be excommunicated, and consequently barred from the Supper: but rather a great benefit is bestowed upon them, and their salvation furthered by this means. Neither let any say, Object. that the Church usurpeth upon the Magistrate, and taketh from him his office. For if this were a good reason, Answer. it was never lawful, neither ever shall be, for the Church to excommunicate any offenders: because it belongeth to the Magistrate as his duty to punish offences, whether he be a Christian, or no Christian. How then is it, that we take away this authority from the Church, in the time of a Christian Magistrate, and yield it to the Church when a wicked Magistrate is set over it, forasmuch as there is like reason and office of them both? If it be farther objected, Objection. that there are some sins which an evil Magistrate will not meddle withal, as blasphemy against Christ, heresy, and such like, as Gallio the Deputy of Achaia, accounteth the mystery of religion concerning Christ, a question of words and names, and professeth, he will be no judge of such matters; whereas, if it were a matter of wrong, he would hear them, Acts 18, 15. Wherefore, under a wicked and idolatrous Magistrate, excommunication may be used, not otherwise. I answer, Answer. from the lawfulness of it under a Magistrate that is no Christian, we cannot conclude the unlawfulness of it under a Christian Magistrate: for this is no good consequent, neither is it a sufficient cause against the express commandment and institution of Christ. 
Zanch. de redempt. li. 1. c. 19  The cause of the institution of excommunication is not the punishment of sin, but the salvation of a sinner, the edifying of the Church, and the glory of God. But the scope of the civil Magistrate and his office, is to punish sin, and respecteth not either the salvation or damnation of the sinner, so that albeit he repent, yet he spareth him not, but suffereth the law to proceed against him. The Church according to the doctrine of Christ, smiteth none with the spiritual sword, but such as are impenitent; and doth not this unto death, but unto life, and therefore receiveth them that repent. Again, the manner that they both use in correction is divers: the Church correcteth by the word, the Magistrate by the sword, or such like outward punishment. To conclude this point, 
The use of excommunication ought to be perpetual in the church.  the use of excommunication ought to be perpetual in the Church, whether it have a Christian Magistrate or not, whether he do his duty, or do it not. For first, the doctrine of reproving our brother between us and him alone, as also of taking two or three witnesses, aught to remain in the church and have continual use, whether the Magistrate be a Christian or Pagan. Therefore that also which followeth, If he hear not the Church, let him be to thee as an heathen or a Publican, whereby the doctrine of excommunication is established, aught to be perpetual. If one part of this discipline stand in force at all times, then doth the other also, forasmuch as Christ maketh no exception between the one and the other. Again, it is lawful for the Church, whether the Magistrate be a Christian or no Christian, to lose them that are bound, and to receive into the Church such as are cast out for their contumacy and continuance in sin, when once they repent. Therefore also it is lawful to cast out, and to bind those that are impenitent: and as the first is always ratified in heaven, so also is the latter. For Christ without any difference or distinction gave both these jurisdictions & authorities to the church, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven, Mat. 18, 18.  
Lastly, 
Paraeus co●ment in 1 C●. ●  where the causes of the Law are perpetual & universal, there the law must also be acknowledged to be perpetual and universal. But the causes of this power of the church, are perpetual & universal, as first the commandment of Christ, Mat. 18, 18. 1 Cor. 5, 5. Secondly, that obstinate sinners being made ashamed, may be brought to repentance. Thirdly, that no others should be infected by their evil life and corrupt example. Fourthly, because it is the ordinary office of the Church to judge them that are within. Therefore, 
1 Cor. 5, 12.  the Church hath this authority, when it hath christian Magistrates, as well as when it is without them.  
Thus far touching the removing of objections. Use 1 The doctrine being cleared from all doubts that might distract us, let us now come to the uses. And seeing there ought to be excommunication of scandalous and impenitent offenders, it should move us to inquire and learn what excommunication is, not as it is commonly used, but as it ought rightly to be practised, to the end we may esteem of this censure and sentence, and stand in fear of it: Excommunication therefore is a sentence of the Church, whereby a member thereof, 
Excommunication, what it is.  convicted of some grievous crime, and by no means brought to repentance, is driven out of the Church, and cut off from the communion and fellowship of the faithful, that thereby he may be driven to repentance. This description consisteth of divers parts: first, it is a sentence of the Church: secondly, it must be executed upon him that is a member of the Church. Thirdly, the party delinquent must be convicted of some grievous crime or crimes. Fourthly, it stretcheth to him that cannot be otherwise brought to repentance. Fiftly, he is driven from the visible and outward communion of the Saints. Lastly, the end or use of it, is to make him ashamed that hath offended. These six several points touched before in the former description, have evident confirmation out of the word of God, which I will briefly prove, and then make use of every particular.  
First, I say, that excommunication is a sentence of the Church. 
●irst part ●e descrip●  Our Saviour commandeth to tell the Church, Math. 18, 17. Lo here, to whom he sendeth us. Again, he saith, If he hear not the Church, etc. So the Apostle speaketh, 1 Cor. 5, 4. When ye are gathered together in the Name of our Lord jesus Christ; From hence we learn sundry points: first, such as are themselves out of the Church, and no true parts of it, have nothing to do with it. They have no authority committed unto them, and therefore whatsoever they shall do in this behalf, is of no force, and no better than a sword in a mad man's hand. The keys of the Kingdom of heaven are committed to the Apostles, and to their successors by Christ himself, that they should open the gates of heaven to the penitent and believers, & shut the gates of hell: on the other side, open hell to receive the impenitent, and shut up heaven against them.  
Secondly, we are taught from hence, the honour and dignity of the Ministry, how great it is, to bind and lose offenders, to open and shut heaven, to remit and retain sins: so that it belongeth not to private persons. It is accounted, and most worthily, a miracle to be wondered at, that Elias did by his prayer shut up heaven, that it reigned not on the earth; and again opened it, so that the heaven gave rain, 
●es 5, 18.  and the earth brought forth her fruit. But this power of the Ministry is more marvelous, inasmuch as he brought only a temporal punishment of famine upon the land, but they inflict an everlasting judgement upon the unbelievers and impenitent persons. Great is the authority of Princes and Rulers of the earth. They may banish from their kingdoms such as are offenders, but they cannot banish and exclude any from the kingdom of God. They may bind the hands and feet of the body, but they have no power to bind the soul and conscience. The Magistrate may say, Take his body; but the Minister may say, Let him be delivered to Satan.  
Lastly, we see from hence, that those Churches are deceived, that cast from them this holy ordinance of Christ jesus: they are as a body subject to many diseases, yet want a sovereign medicine to cure them. For albeit they have the Christian Magistrate to assist them, and to resist evils: yet his judgement is external, not internal: he may punish, he cannot amend and reform. Every Church therefore aught to have this remedy, to take away evil out of Israel.  
The second point in the description of excommunication is, 
●e second 〈◊〉 of the demption,  that it must be executed upon him that is a member of the Church. For as it is the sentence of the Church, so it extendeth only to such persons as are professors in the visible Church, and have given their names to Christ, and submitted themselves to the doctrine and discipline thereof. This is expressly grounded upon the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5, 11, 12. If any that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a drunkard, etc.: with such a one eat not. 
2 Cor. 2, 6.  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? In like manner, Christ in the Gospel prescribing this spiritual physic to recover dangerous sinners, saith, If thy brother trespass against thee.  
From hence we learn, what person is to be excommunicated, to wit, such an one as was called our brother, and registered in the number of the children of the church. For how can he be excommunicated, that is, cast out of the communion, who never was in the communion? Wherefore it belongeth nothing at all to those that are out of the church, as Turks, Persians, jews, Pagans, and other Infidels, that were never baptised in the name of the holy Trinity, neither had entrance into the church. This censure concerneth such as are reckoned among brethren, and not accounted strangers from the faith, and aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel. Hence it is, that when Paul had written in an Epistle to the Corinthians, that they should not keep company with fornicators, lest they should think he wrote this of all the fornicators of this world, he expoundeth himself, that he understood it not of all wicked persons in general, for than they must needs go out of the world, 
Verse 10.  but of such as were members of the church, and would needs be called brethren. These are they that give scandal to the enemies of God and his Gospel: through them the Name of God is blasphemed, the church is contemned & slandered, the word is reviled, the weak are offended, and the rest of the parts infected, and therefore deserve worthily ro Bee excommunicated. The church taketh care of all her children, she is as a careful mother and tender Nurse that hath promised to bring them up, & to see them rightly ordered and governed, and therefore aught to use all good means for their recovery, that their spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.  
Again, we are put in mind hereby of the folly and corrupt dealing of the Church of Rome, who directly cross the doctrine of the Apostle, and set themselves in the place and seat of God. For as they have defiled the most holy ordinances of God, the word, prayer, sacraments, and worship of God, so they have horribly abused the institution of excommunication, as we shall see farther afterward. The truth is, they have nothing to do with excommunication, they are fallen from grace, they have denied the faith, they have defiled themselves with Idols, they will not have Christ's righteousness imputed unto them, they set up their own works, & seek justification by them, they will not receive Christ to be their only King and Priest, they will merit salvation for themselves, and therefore they are not a true, but a false Church. But excommunication is the Churches right, it is none of theirs, that are not the Church: so that albeit they curse us and ban us every year, yet it hurteth us not, forasmuch as the curse that is causeless, shall not come. But suppose they were the true Church, and we out of the Church, (who hold all that refuse to be subject to the Pope's supremacy, to be no Church at all) how cometh it to pass that they dare excommunicate us, who never were of their communion, and do not belong to their jurisdiction? They teach, we are out of the bosom of the Church; and Paul affirmeth, that the Church is not to judge them that are without: they are therefore abusers and profaners of this ordinance, even by their own confession. Let them either admit us to be parts of the true Church, or else remit us to the judgement seat of God, who judgeth them that are without. 
1 Cor. 5, 13.  For as a Prince draweth out the sword against none but his own subjects, so is this censure to be drawn out against none but such as are subject unto it; that is, the Church. If the Church proceed any farther, it may be said unto it, Who made thee a judge and Ruler over them?  
Lastly, let not ungodly persons & atheists that are out of the Church, be encouraged hereby to continue in sin, neither let any envy their freedom and liberty, because they are not to be touched with Church-censures: but rather let them consider that they shall not escape scotfree; they have God the Father, high possessor of heaven and earth, a sharp and severe judge against them and all their evil deeds: for them that are without, God judgeth, who will give to every one according to his deserts. Thus much of the second point.  

The third part of the description.  Let us go forward in the description. The third thing necessary to be observed in excommunication, is, that the person offending be convicted of some grievous & heinous crime either against the first or second Table of the law. Hence it is, that the Apostle nameth, not only whoremongers, covetous, drunkards, railers, 
1 Cor. 5, 11.  and extortioners, but also idolaters: so that as well heretics and worshippers of Images, sorcerers and enchanters, and such like brethren, as drunkards and adulterers, are to be excommunicated. In like manner, Christ himself expresseth not the several kinds of sins, for which the brother that offendeth, is to be excommunicated, but contenteth himself to say only in general, If thy brother trespass against thee. So the Apostle Paul teacheth, Tit. 3.10. A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject. Hereby than we see, that a man is not to be excommunicated and put out of the Church for every trifle, or for every sin, but for scandals and offences that are notorious. A master will not discharge out of his house a servant that hath served him, for every trespass: neither doth the Magistrate draw the sword for every breach of the law. So ought it to be with the officers of the Church. Again, excommunication must not be used at the first, but as the last remedy. A Chirurgeon accounteth lancing, searing, & cutting, a desperate cure. When he cometh to his patient, and findeth swelling and soars in the body, he doth not by and by proceed to cutting off an arm or leg: he useth first purging and other gentle means to try whether he can do any good that way or not. So should it be with us, according to the counsel and commandment of Christ, he requireth private admonitions & exhortations, private reproofs and rebukes: and then two or three with us, 
Mat. 18, 1●.  that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. There is required of us, patience and much lenity, waiting whether he will by this means be amended. Lastly, we may gather from hence, that whiles sin is secret and unknown, no man can be excommunicated: but then only when it is made public and manifest unto all. Now than it is made public, when the Church is acquainted with it.  
The fourth point in excommunication, 
The fourth part of the description.  is this, that it stretcheth to him only that cannot otherwise be brought to repentance. The cause then, why the church is compelled to proceed so far against some of her children, is, obstinacy & impenitency. For when there is in such offenders, both open wickedness, whereby the Church is offended; & notable stubbornness, whereby the church is contemned, so that they can by no means of the word publicly, & of the admonition privately, be reform, excommunication must follow of necessity, that hereby (if it be possible) some good may be wrought in them. Hereupon Christ himself saith, If he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen, or a Publican, Mat. 18, 17. Such therefore as have offended, and truly repent of their sins, giving evident testimonies of their unfeigned conversion, aught to be spared, & not censured: to be comforted, not terrified: to be retained in the church, not rejected & cast out of the Church. Secondly, this showeth that impenitency is a most grievous sin, and next to infidelity the greatest. For as faith is the mother of repentance, so is an unbelieving heart the cause of impenitency. Of all judgements that God bringeth upon the sons of men, none is greater than the want of repentance, to have an heart that cannot repent. To fall into whoredom & drunkenness are grievous sins, and wound the conscience, & weaken our comfort and assurance: howbeit to continue in them without feeling of them and turning from them, is worse than the committing of the sins themselves. This made the Apostle say, 
Rom. 2, 4●.  Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearing, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thine hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgement of God. Among all the blessings of God given unto us, we must make great account of a soft and tender heart, which the Prophet calleth an heart of flesh, opposed and set against the stony heart. Such are soon checked and controlled. Lastly, we learn from hence to make a difference between sin and sin, and between sinner and sinner. All men fall into sin, and if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and make God a liar. Nevertheless, some are penitent sinners, they hate their sins, and do with might and main strive against them. They fight against them as against their enemies. Others, cherish sin in themselves, and are resolved to continue in them. They make no conscience of them, and cannot be brought to repent for them. Such are not fit to be held members of Christ, and Citizens of the kingdom of heaven, & therefore justly deserve to be cast out of the church.  

●fth ●f the de●on.  The fift point containeth and includeth in it the substance of excommunication, namely, that it driveth impenitent offenders from the visible and outward communion of the Saints from whence also it hath his name. Open sinners and scandalous livers are not worthy to live among the faithful, nor to come to public prayers, nor to be partakers of the Sacraments, nor to be admitted to the assemblies of the Church; forasmuch as they would profane all they touch, as Adam, the tree of life, and therefore was driven out of the garden. Hence it is, that Christ would have us account them as heathen and Publicans. The Gentiles for religions sake were enemies to the church, and therefore in religion the jews were to abstain from their society & fellowship, whereas in common affairs of this life they were not so restrained. 
●t the ●icanes 〈◊〉.  The Publicans were such as had received an office from the Romans (to whom the jews were subject) to gathet tribute, being as it were Collectors of subsidies, tasks, and tallages impoled upon the jews, who thought it unfit and unjust that they being the Lord's people, should pay tribute and custom to the Gentiles, as appeareth in the history of Hezekiah, and of joachim in the books of the Kings, and by the question propounded unto Christ in the Gospel, 
●h. 22, 17.  Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cesar, or not? Wherefore they were accounted the enemies of the people, and the betrayers of their own Nation, they coupled them with sinners, and hated them unto the death, albeit they professed the same religion, and oftentimes met together in the place of God's worship. They abhorred these, and could by no means brook & abide these men, who for the most part were extreme covetous and catchpolles, 
●e 19, 8.  exacting more than was due for them to receive, or the people to pay: howbeit they hated them not as the enemies of their religion, but as men of a wicked & offensive life. The Apostle likewise decreeing and determining what should be done with the incestuous person, willeth the church to deliver him to Satan, 
〈◊〉. 5, 5, 7, 13  to purge out the old leaven, and to put away from among themselves that wicked person. Hereby than we see, that these obstinate offenders are to be separated from those good things which the Lord commandeth & communicateth in his church, as the word, sacraments, & prayers. These are holy things for holy and sanctified persons; but they are as filthy swine, to whom holy things may not be cast, and as dogs, to whom the children's bread doth not belong. Now one of the chiefest ends of the censures of the Church, is to preserve holy things in their purity, and to deliver them, as much as may be, from contempt. Objection. If it be said, the word is the ordinary means of salvation; if then they be denied the word, they be barred from the means of repentance. I answer, Answer. these are such as the bare word can work no good upon, and therefore they are unworthy of it: except peradventure when some part of the Scripture is expounded, and such doctrine delivered, as by all probability and likelihood may serve to bring them to repentance. To admit of them at such times, may seem not altogether unprofitable, as for example, when the Minister shall have or take occasion to handle excommunication, and to show what a fearful thing it is to be cast out of the Church, and to be delivered to Satan, the enemy of mankind, and to become his bondslave. Besides, they want not altogether the means of repentance, seeing they are privately to be admonished, not to be hated and counted as enemies, but every one is to labour their conversion. This appeareth farther in these four points. First, 
Duties to be performed to excommunicate persons.  we must love the persons of the excommunicate in the Lord, and thirst after their soul's health. Secondly, it is our duty to exhort and rebuke them, so that albeit we love them, we must take heed we do not flatter them, and so harden them in their sins. Thirdly, we are bound to pray for those that are bound by the Church censures. We are not to pray with him, but it is required of us to pray for him, that God would open his eyes & turn his heart. Lastly, we are to assure him, that upon his repentance we are ready to embrace him and to receive him as a brother: forasmuch as there is joy in heaven for one sinner that converteth. Again, it teacheth us to avoid the conversation of such as are cast out of the Church, so far as we can, & are not by some necessary duty as by a band or chain tied unto them, as we shall farther declare afterward. To be familiar with such, giveth them encouragement to continue in that dangerous and damnable estate. Lastly, we see it is the duty of the Church, to purge it of such offenders, as a corrupt body of gross and superfluous humours. We see in the time of the Law, they had in the Tabernacle, not only the Candlesticks and the Lamps, to give light: but also pots, pans, shovels, beesoms, snuffers, snuffe-dishes, & such like vessels and instruments as served to carry and convey away all filth and uncleanness from the place of assembly of the Congregation.  

Prou. 25, 4.  The Lord will have the dross taken from the silver, that there may come forth a vessel for the finer: neither will he have any root that bringeth forth gall and wormwood to be among his people.  
Now we are come to the last, but not the least point to be observed in excommunication, 
The sixth part of the description.  which is, that the principal scope and end of it, is the salvation and recovery of the offender, and the bringing of him out of the wilderness into the sheepfold of Christ, from which he wandered and went astray. By his repentance the knot is loosed, which before was strongly tied. It is a medicine, bitter indeed, but wholesome: unpleasant to the flesh, but profitable to the soul; as an hot iron that seareth and putteth to pain, but it tendeth to health: it worketh sorrow, but it is the godly sorrow that causeth repentance not to be repent of. The Apostle showeth this at large in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, speaking of the fruit of the excommunication of the incestuous person, it wrought many worthy effects of true repentance; he was ashamed of himself and of his sin, he had sorrowed greatly for it, and was very near to desperation, so that he willeth them to forgive him, 
2 Cor. 2, 7, 8.  to comfort him, to love him, and to receive him again as a Christian brother. Let no man therefore condemn this censure, or open his mouth against this ordinance of God, so sovereign, so profitable, so necessary: forasmuch as the Church casteth them out for a season, that it may receive them again for ever. Secondly, let no man condemn such persons as stand excommunicated; though we cannot admit of them as Christian brethren, yet they are natural brethren, & may belong to God's eternal election. The incestuous Corinthian was judged of many, 
2 Cor. 2, 6.  and put out of the society of the Church; yet he was brought to repentance, & laid hold of the promises of the Gospel. We have this notable example commended unto us, that we should make good use of it. He suffered a grievous punishment for a grievous offence, but it was only to humble him, and to bring him to see his sin, which otherwise he could not, he would not. Lastly, we see that whatsoever power is given to the Pastors of the Church, is given to edification, and not to destruction, 2 Cor. 10, 8. God intendeth and the Church respecteth the destruction of the flesh, and the mortification of the deeds of the old man, but the salvation of the spirit in the day of the Lord. If then this ordinance work not this saving effect, it cometh through their fault that do abuse and contemn it.  
Secondly, seeing obstinate sinners are to Use 2 be excommunicated, 
The fearful estate of excommunicate persons.  it doth show unto us the fearful estate and condition of such as are justly excommunicated, & cut off from the society of the Church, and from the company & communion of believers. They are dragged as dead carcases out of a City, that others should not be annoyed with the stench and contagion of them. This may appear unto us by many particulars.  
First, they have their names blotted out of the number of the people of God, Gen. 17. Luke 6, 22. This maketh their names to rot, & as dead branches to whither away. No man looketh upon them but with remembrance of their sin, & with terror and detestation thereof. This is the highest punishment in the church, it is as a piercing thunderbolt cast down from heaven upon the heads of dissolute livers and incorrigible persons. What greater honour can there be, then to be the sons and daughters of God, whereby God is made their God? as for others, they are cut off from his protection, they can look for no blessings to come from him, but all plagues and curses to overtake them. This is a misery of all miseries: for as he is the God of his people, 
Hebr. 1●.  so he is a consuming fire to burn up all his enemies. If then we be his people, he loveth us, he defendeth us, he heareth us, he receiveth us, he honoureth us: if not, he hateth us and withdraweth his grace from us, he leaveth us as a prey to our spiritual enemies, and clotheth us with shame as with a garment. For as the Psalmist pronounceth that people blessed, 
Psal. 144, ●  whose God is the Lord: so we may truly affirm on the contrary, Cursed is that soul that hath not the Lord for his God. So then, the excommunicate are contemptible persons, and as it were outcasts, the shame of men and the contempt of the people. They are the sons of the earth, and may worthily blush to have any of God's servants look upon them. They may wander up and down in the night times, like Owls that hate the light, but may be ashamed to come out of their houses in the day. It were happy for them if no man did know them, or did speak of them; whereas now they are never remembered without a brand of reproach. All men point at them in the streets, and are ready to hiss them out of their sight. No man regardeth them that regard not the Lord and his law.  
Secondly, the sentence that is pronounced on earth, is ratified in heaven. These men think and persuade themselves that they have to do only with men, and so shake it off and set lightly by it, that it might not fit in their conscience: but being justly pronounced against them in the Consistory of men, it is strongly confirmed in the highest Court of Heaven, as Christ testifieth, 
Mat. 18, 1●. 19, 20,  What soever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven. Let no man therefore diminish his sin and lessen his disobedience, as if it were done only unto men, or published only by the Minister, forasmuch as the Lord verifieth the sentence pronounced by him. For Christ jesus is the Author of it, 1 Corinth. chap. 5, ver. 4. the Corinthians being charged to put out from among them him that had offended, must do it in the Name, that is, by the commandment of CHRIST. It is no device & invention of man, for than it it might be either contemned, or less esteemed; but it is the sentence of the great judge, more fearful than the message of death, instituted of him for the recovery of such as are fallen, and he will make all his ordinances available and sufficient to accomplish his wil The end of it is not, to make him that was our friend, to become an enemy: him that was our brother, to become an alien: him that was in the covenant, to become a stranger to the covenant: but the use of it rather is, when a man is become an enemy, to reconcile him unto us: and when he hath made himself a stranger from the covenant and Church of God, to call him back to an holy communion with us. For the Ministry of the word, and the discipline of the Church, do tend to the salvation of men, as we noted before. If the Ministry of the Gospel fall out to be the savour of death unto death, it is not the proper effect of the Gospel: the fault is in them that perish, and are of old ordained to destruction, 2 Cor. 2, 15, 16. So then, this censure shall not be without his effect one way or other, but shall work either the destruction of the impenitent, or the salvation of the penitent. Seeing therefore God himself ratifieth this solemn sentence, we should stand in fear of it, & take heed we contemn it not. Let it move us unto repentance, being assured that it shall not be in vain. Is not the prisoner afraid of the sentence of the judge? and when that is published, doth he not cry out for mercy? When the Lion roareth, do not the beasts of the forest tremble? Let us not therefore be more senseless than the Ox and Ass, than the Horse and Mule that are without understanding, but tremble under the mighty hand of God's chastisement, as the child under the rod, considering, that when the Minister pronounceth the sentence on earth, God denounceth judgement from heaven, and threateneth to perform it to the utmost.  
Thirdly, the excommunicate are barred from the Word and Sacraments, and from the prayers of the Church. The word can do them no good, the sacraments would do them hurt, we cannot join with them in prayer, nothing will prevail with them. We cannot bless them & salute them in the Name of the Lord. We pass by them without acknowledging any fellowship or brotherhood with them, neither do they which go by, say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you, 
● 29, 8.  we bless you in the Name of the Lord. They are swine that must be kept from the food that God hath prepared and provided for his children. Who doth not account the state of Nabuchadnezzar, most wretched and lamentable, when for his pride and presumption against God, he was driven from the company of men, 
● 4, 25, 33, ●d 5, 20.  and did eat grass as Oxen? He that before was fed with the fattest and finest of the wheat, when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened, had his glory taken from him, and was deposed from his kingly throne. But the condition of these beasts is worse, they want the food of eternal life, and are fed with husks; they are not suffered to sit at the Lords Table, nor to be in company with his people. They are as runagates and fugitives from the face of God, as Caine. They are possessed in a fearful manner with Satan, as judas. The Spirit of God is departed from them, and an evil spirit is upon them, and vexeth them as Saul. Their hearts are hardened, and they are turned into stones, as Pharaoh. They are stinking channels and filthy sinks, and are swept away like dung, as the house of jeroboam. They are most profane, and have sold their birthright, as Esau. They say in their hearts, there is no God, like the foolish atheists. They pray not unto God, and if they should, their prayers are not acceptable, but abominable. All that they do, is rejected and despised, so long as they continue in this estate. If these things were duly considered, as hitherto they have been opened unto us, and that they had eyes to see them, they might be all-sufficient to break their stony and steely hearts in pieces, and to enforce them not to remain one hour in this condition. But behold, yet greater things and more fearful than these.  
Fourthly, our Saviour teacheth, that they are to be called and accounted as the heathens and Publicans, Mat. 18, 17. We see then, what we must account of them, no otherwise than Christ hath taught us, though they were our wives, or our husbands, or our children, or our servants, or our kinsfolks, or our friends, they have their names given unto them, they are no better than the heathen and the Publicans. He speaketh in these words according to those times, as if it were said to us for our better understanding: Let him be to thee no longer a Christian brother; let him be no part nor member of the Church; account him no faithful person, but as a Turk or Sarazin. We glory in the name of Christians, but such are not to be held in the number of them, but are as rotten members to be cut and pulled from the body. The heathen had no communion with the jews, nor the jews with them in matters of religion. The Publicans were men given over to covetousness, unrighteousness, 
Excommunicate persons are infamous.  extortion, oppression, and to all kind of iniquity. If a man should meet them, and tell they are as the Pagans and Paynims, or call them Publicans & sinners, they would scarce endure it, they would be at defiance with him, they would think they had wrong offered unto them. Nevertheless, we hear and cannot be ignorant, what Christ hath pronounced with his own mouth; shall he say, that if these cannot be gained, neither by the private admonition of the brethren, nor by the public warning of the Church, Let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a Publican: and shall we be afraid to speak as he speaketh, to call them as he calleth, and to name them as he nameth them? These are as true & as fit names for them, as that which they received at their baptism. If they be ashamed of the names, let them also be ashamed of their sins: and if they scorn to be branded and up braided with them, let them consider the cause which maketh them to deserve them. Wherefore, all excommunicate persons are infamous, and of evil note. Every man must think of them, and speak unto them, as they deserve, that they seeing how others are ashamed of them, may learn at last to be ashamed of themselves.  
Fiftly, the Apostle teacheth, that such are to be delivered over to the power of the devil, that they may be known not to be the members of Christ, but limbs of Satan: neither to be heirs of heaven, but inheritors of hell: not under the protection of GOD, but in the power of the Prince of darkness: forasmuch as such as contemn the admonition and reprehension of the Church, have lost the communion of Saints, and are become the bondslaves of the devil. This we see very plainly, 1 Cor. 5, 3, 4, 5. For I verily as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the Name of our Lord jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together and my spirit, with the power of our Lord jesus Christ, To deliver such a one unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, etc. So was Hymeneus and Alexander delivered unto Satan, 
1 Tim. 1, 20.  that is, cast out of the Church of Christ. The reason of this manner of speaking, is this, because Christ is the head of the Church, and promiseth that he will be our King, and maintain us by his power. Wherefore, whensoever we are cut from the Church, and have Christ no more to be our head, needs must we be laid open and naked as a prey, to the tyranny of Satan. For Christ reigneth among his own, he keepeth his sheep in his fold; such as wander from it, are left to be devoured of the wolves. He speaketh of two persons whom he singleth out for examples sake. We are not so moved with judgements as we ought to be, and therefore it is requisite, that we have some men set before our eyes, that we may consider better of ourselves and learn to walk in fear before him, and carefully to take heed to our ways. And if by this separation from the Church, and deliverance to Satan, they be not reform, yet it shall shut their mouths, and bridle their tongues from speaking evil against God and his truth, and preserve the Church in purity and verity. For to this end he setteth a note of infamy upon them, and brandeth them with a mark in the forehead, (as we see malefactors burned in the hand) that they might no longer be of any eredite, either to hinder the salvation of the godly, or to draw the weak to destruction. If any man had the question asked of them, whether they would willingly be delivered over to Satan, to have him their Lord to rule them, their Prince to lead them, their God, to have the whole government of them, they would shake and tremble at the thought of it. For who would openly profess himself to be the servant of such a master? & the bondslave of such a tyrant? Notwithstanding, this refusal and denial in words, all excommunicate persons must know, that while they remain out of the Church as filth cleansed out of the street, or as dung swept out of the house, they are committed to the custody of Satan, as prisoners to a jailor, who will keep them safe and sure if possibly he can. For who reigneth out of the Church but the devil? The world is his kingdom, and their hearts are his throne, where he sitteth as in a principality. These men, so long as they continue thus separated, cannot be saved; forasmuch as out of the Church there is no salvation, but a fearful looking for of judgement, and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.  
Sixtly, this also serveth to note out the most fearful and dreadful condition of all excommunicate persons, because, being cast out of one Church, they are banished out of all churches. All are to take them as Gentiles and heathen men, wheresoever they live; all are to shun them, among whomsoever they come. This point also notably showeth the greatness of their punishment, and serveth to add somewhat to the heap of their judgements. When they are cast out of one Church, if they might be received into another, and by changing their dwelling, be admitted as members of that Church, it might much mitigate the sharpness of the censure; for that were but as it were to leave one house and betake them to another, as a stranger that is driven out of one chamber, and lodged in another. But it is not so with them. The Churches throughout the world, as loving sisters, do hold communion one with another, whom one receiveth, all do receive: whom one rejecteth, all do reject: and such as have dealt otherwise, have been sharply reproved, as were easy to be showed out of sundry Histories, Fathers, and Counsels, 
Aug epist. 14  if it were expedient or necessary. If a servant that belongeth to one certain family, did certainly know, that being cast out from thence, he could be received nowhere beside, it would make him careful to please his master, and fearful to offend him. If a man that hath his dwelling in a house where he is well entertained, did know that if he should be turned out of it, he could be suffered to dwell in no other place, but must wander up and down as a sheep from the sheepfold, it would make him make much of that house, and to take heed he were not removed and displaced out of it. Thus should it be with every one of us; the Church is God's house, and his children are of his family: if we be put out of it, as a servant turned out of service for his misbehavior and misdemeanour, whither shall we go? or who shall receive us? we must say as the disciples did to Christ, To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life, john 6, 68  
The Churches of God have all cast him out, whom one hath cast out: and therefore he is become a member of Satan, and a limb of his Church. For as God hath his Church, so the devil hath his chapel. If we be not parts of the Church of God, we belong to the Synagogue of Satan. It were good therefore that all those that are Church-officers would look to this, and have a great care that no excommunicate persons, such as they hear or know to be excommunicated in other places (as well as those that dwell among themselves) do shroud in themselves as the guests that had not on his wedding garment came unto the feast, Mat. 22, 12. When they are cast out of the Church, and cannot resort to their own parish, they betake themselves to other, being ashamed to be of no Church: albeit so long as they stand in that estate, their hearing and praying are abominable. Let not us therefore harbour any such unruly and disordered persons, who shake off the cords of discipline from their shoulders, & suffer not themselves to be tied with any chains of order and obedience.  
Lastly, to these things we might add sundry decrees and constitutions established by human laws and ordinances of Princes; the which albeit they be not instituted of God, and expressed in his word, yet they are not contrary to the word, but serve to add farther strength to these things, and to set forth the horrible and hideous condition of such persons as are put out of the Church: to the end that such as will not be won by a love of the word, may by increasing of the punishment, & as it were by doubling of the strokes, be made to stand in more fear. They are reputed as outcasts and outlaws: we heard before, that they were out of God's protection: now we must understand, that they are out of the Prince's protection, and have no benefit by the law. Others shall have actions against them, but they against none: others may sue them, and recover their right from them, but they can wage law against none. They are not allowed to dispose of their goods, and to make their last will and testament to set their house in order. They are not thought worthy to be witnesses to testify any truth: for whatsoever cometh out of their mouth, is holden either false or suspected. They are not to be buried in Christian burial, but as they are out of the Church in their life, so they should not come near it after their death; and as they would not live among the faithful, so their bodies should not lie among the faithful, nor come into the sepulchres of their fathers, that they might not be honoured either dead or alive. Thus standeth the case with these wicked men, this is the fearful condition of such as are justly excommunicated: they are shut out of the Church (where only salvation is to be sought and can be found) as heathens and Turks; they are accounted as dogs and swine, to whom holy and heavenly things do not belong: they have no title or interest to the kingdom of God: they are excluded from Christ, & remain under the subjection of Satan: they have no right in the privileges of the Church: they have not God for their Father: they have not Christ for their Redeemer and Saviour: they have not the holy Ghost for their Comforter and Sanctifier: they have not the Church for their mother: they have not the faithful for their brethren: they have not the Angels for their guard: they have not the use of the word and prayer with the Saints: they have no remission of sins, 
john 20, 23.  and therefore can look for no resurrection to life and immortal glory: for that they are in worse case than dogs, than swine, than toads, than serpents, while they stand in that heavy state. They are bound on earth, and therefore do remain fast bound in heaven. We have profited well, if we have learned to fear the bloody stroke of this censure, which woundeth deeper than a two edged sword. If any say, how can the Church of God deal thus toward any, Objection. which is a loving and tender mother, not an unjust stepmother? I answer, the Church of Christ is not only a tender mother to the obedient, Answer. but a sharp executioner against the disobedient, having vengeance committed unto her of God, to correct and punish, nay, without repentance utterly to destroy. Hence it is, that Solomon in his most excellent song, describeth it to be comely as jerusalem, and terrible as an army: 
Cant. 6, 7.  and Psal. 149, 6, 7. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, & punishments upon the people. Hence also it is, that Jude exhorteth the church, in taking pity of some, to save others by fear, pulling them as it were out of the fire. 
Jude 22, 23.  But the Church in those days had no other means to strike any fear into the hearts of stubborn persons, & obstinate offenders, that were as it were firebrands half burnt and consumed, but by this Ecclesiastical punishment. Such are to be cured with mercy & compassion, as sin of ignorance and infirmity: but such as otherwise are incurable, must be terrified & affrighted as it were with the stroke of a thunderbolt, and the flash of a lightning, and the force of a sword, that if it be possible, they may be saved with fear and terror. True it is, the means of fear are two, 
Two ways & means to put men in fear. Rom. 13, 4.  the one civil, by the power & authority of the Magistrate, who beareth not the sword in vain against offenders, as the Apostle teacheth, If thou do evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he is the Minister of God, a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that doth evil. This means, which is in itself an wholesome preservative, the Church wanted at that time, and therefore it cannot be understood in this place. The other means is spiritual which indeed is that which the Apostle: meaneth, respecting the soul, not the body. This is of three sorts, 
Three censures of the Church.  and all of them have their proper time, and place, and use, and object, according to the nature of the offence, and party offending, to wit, admonition, suspension, and excommunication. The first is admonition or exhortation to amendment, which also is joined with reprehension and denunciation of God's judgements against the party not repenting. This is done with words alone. The practice hereof we see in God toward Adam, Gen. 3, 11, and toward Cain, Gen. 4, 6, 7. The abuse of it we see in the high Priests & Scribes Acts 4, 18. who threatened the Apostles straightly, and commanded them not to speak henceforth, nor teach any more in the Name of jesus. This is the beginning and first degree of the Church-censures. The second proceedeth farther, and that is suspension, which taketh place when the former taketh no place. Suspension is a punishment inflicted, whereby the offenders are for a time barred from the Lords Supper. This is not a separation from all the holy things, but from some only: which howsoever those of the separation that are fled from us, scoff at and deride, yet it hath good warrant and sure foundation out of the word. And as it is an higher censure than admonition, so it is lower than excommunication. Of this the Apostle seemeth to speak, 2 Thess. 3, 14. If any man obey not our word, by this Epistle note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed, yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. The person excommunicated, must be counted as an heathen and a Publican, the party suspended as a brother: these two, to be accounted as an heathen, yet respected as a brother, cannot well agree together. This was shadowed out in the book of Leviticus, by the ceremonial law, chap. 13. where the Priest is commanded to judge of the plague of leprosy, if at the first the leprosy did not appear manifestly, by such signs as are there described, he should shut him up seven days: and at the seventh day, he should look upon him again: and if as yet it did not appear plainly and evidently what it was, he was to shut him up seven days more, and afterward should pronounce him clean or unclean, according as he should find by the tokens and arguments prescribed in the word of GOD: even so in judging of the spiritual leprosy, the like wisdom or rather greater is to be used by the Governors of the Church under the Gospel. If a brother should be vehemently and publicly suspected to have committed some notorious crime, to the dishonour of God, to the wounding of his own conscience, and to the scandal of the Church, and thereupon the Church-governors after citation of him, should enter into the examining of the matter, and at the first, find only great presumption, or some cause of suspicion or probable conjecture, but no plain or manifest proof against him; it is meet they take farther time for more certain trial of the matter, and in the mean season suspend him from the use of the Sacrament, but not from hearing the word, until it may farther appear and better be gathered (if it be possible) whether he be guilty or not guilty: and charge the faithful to have no fellowship with him, that he may be ashamed. The third censure is excommunication, which is a separation from all holy things and the privileges of the Church, casting out of their public communion and private fellowship, such members as openly offend by some grievous crime, 
Gen. 17. ●● Ezr. 10, 8 Math. 18, ●● 1 Cor. ●. ●●  because to their sin they add the obstinate contempt of the admonitions given unto them: to the end themselves may be ashamed, and others warned & feared by their example, and kept from the like infection. We are forbidden to eat and drink with such, if they be known to be so: and to keep company with them familiarly, as their friends, fellows, and companions: for this were to be one with him that is as an heathen and Publican, and delivered up to Satan. Seeing then, this censure is so full of horror and terror being used according to the word of God, it followeth, that they which do not reverence and regard it, are desperate sinners, of whom we can have little or no hope so long as they continue without the public means of salvation. They are as it were the forlorn hope, and near unto destruction, while they lightly esteem this sword drawn out against them, or do make a sport at it, or are not humbled by it, or seek not to be absolved from it. They that are thus minded, stand not in fear of God or the devil: they regard neither heaven nor hell, neither salvation nor damnation. They are under God's wrath, and yet feel it not: they dwell in the suburbs of hell, and yet know it not: Satan hath set up his throne in their hearts, and yet they see it not: they are shut out of heaven, and yet they mourn not for it: they are captives and bondslaves under sin, and yet they have no desire to be restored into the liberties of the sons of God, nor any care to have their lives reform. They cast up a savour in the nostrils of God & men, which annoyeth the house with the loathsome and filthy stench of it. Such as are hotly pursued by enemies, and fly to some City for succour or sanctuary, if the gates be shut against them, they are left as a prey to the mercy of others that are merciless. God hideth those that be his, in his Tabernacle, and keepeth them safe as it were under his wings: but these are delivered up to the devil, who governeth them and worketh in them, yet (alas) they are not afraid to serve such a master. God hath left them and forsaken them, who have left and forsaken him, and even shut up heaven gates against them, as it were with strong bars, which were enough to astonish them, if they had any life of God's Spirit in them: notwithstanding, all this cannot enter into their dead hearts.  
God give them grace (if they do belong unto him) to think upon these things, and seriously to consider of them in their hearts, while the acceptable time is: if not, he will glorify his great Name in their confusion, as he did in the destruction of Pharaoh, Exod. 9.16. And we that hear these things this day, must perform these four things. First, we must mourn for them as for the loss of a member, though themselves do not: and pray for them earnestly, to him that hath the hearts of all men in his own hands, that he would open their blind eyes, albeit they cannot pray for themselves. Secondly, we must beware and look to ourselves that we come not into that estate. Happy is he, whom other men's harms can make watchful. Thirdly, we must take heed we be not a means to harden them in their sins, but seek to reclaim and recover them. While they stand in this desperate estate, we must have no delight in them, but shun them and avoid them. What greater means can there be, to move such to repentance, then for them to mark how every one shuneth them, and separateth himself from them, and accounteth them as Turks and Pagans, and no better? The incestuous person that was at Corinth, being thus censured, and delivered for a time unto the power of the devil, (than which what could be more fearful?) being, I say, thus thrust out of the Church and banished from the liberties of it, and abandoned of all good men, and seeing himself in a manner forsaken, that none would keep him company, or vouchsafe once to drink with him, began to bethink with himself what he had done for which he was shunned, and shamed, and abhorred.  
Then he was thoroughly touched with sorrow for his offence, than he asked forgiveness of the Church, than he desired to be restored, and the Apostle writeth to the Church in his behalf, 
●or. 2.6, 7, 11.  sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many: so that contrariwise they ought to comfort him and forgive him. Lastly, we must be careful over our ways, that we do not commit close and secret sins, which we may keep from the sight and knowledge of the world. For albeit the Church judgeth them that are within, yet it cannot judge such sins as are hidden in darkness, for that were to judge before the time. Nevertheless, we must know, that albeit we be not bound on earth, yet we may be bound in heaven; as on the other side it may fall out, that we may be bound on earth, and yet not be bound in heaven. For such as are appointed to handle the keys, may take a wrong key, which will neither open, nor shut. But albeit all men should acquit us, and discharge us, yet if sin remain upon us unrepented of, God will not remit us, or lose us, we stand bound in heaven. God cannot err or be deceived, man may: for he often bindeth those that should be loosed, and looseth them that should be bound; 
joh. 9.34.  as the Pharisees cast him that was borne blind, out of the Synagogue, who deserved better to be in the Church, than themselves.  
Thus they are stricken with the edge of the sword, that have done nothing worthy to be touched with the back of it. Notwithstanding, whatsoever befalleth us among men, we must remember that so often as we harbour any notorious sin or sins in our hearts, and can carry them away cunningly, that none can condemn us or accuse us, yet as they are registered in the book of our conscience, so they are sealed up in heaven, and bind us to undergo everlasting punishment, except we repent. Many escape in this world, but none shall escape in the world to come: many sinners are not known of men, but none can be unknown to God, before whom all things are naked and open: here they may walk and jet up and down as free men, but when the Lord shall come to judgement, and make the counsels of the heart manifest, 
1 Cor. 4.5.  he will bind them hand and foot as poor prisoners, and cast them into destruction, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Thirdly, this serveth to reprove sundry abuses Use 3 that are crept into this holy and wholesome ordinance of God. There is no ordinance so just, but it may be abused, as we see in the word and Sacraments. First, it reproveth the Church of Rome, 
The first reproof.  and all other Churches that doth draw out this sword of God upon every light and slight occasion. He were not worthy to have a sword committed unto him, that would always have his hand upon it, ready to pull it out. For as Christ our Saviour speaketh concerning divorce between man and his wife, It is not lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause; 
Mat. 19.3, 9  so may it be said touching excommunication which is a divorce between a Christian and the Church, that it is not lawful to cast out a member of it for every cause. It is a spiritual banishment from the city of God, and the privileges thereof. No incorporation taketh away the freedom of the city and the liberties of it for small matters, it is for some heinous crime: so should it be in the Church of God, none should be denied the benefit, and as it were the enfranchisment of the Church, except by his offence and obstinacy therein, he have made himself unworthy and uncapable thereof: All laws should not be written with blood: nor all offences take away the liberties of the Church. No judge will draw blood, and take away life for every cause. It is the next way to bring this high ordinance of God into contempt, where this divine justice is executed for toys, and becometh as the fools dagger, that is always ready to be pulled out, to strike the standers by for trifles. Matters of smaller weight and importance, are to be censured by admonition, and reprehension, and are not to be punished with this fearful sentence, than which there cannot be a more fearful. All the abuses of this ordinance proceed from the Church of Rome, and are as it were the tail of that beast. A Chirurgeon that for every swelling, & all superfluous proud flesh, would cut off a member, were not worthy nor fit to be so much as an horseleech, nor to have our swine committed to him. The abuse of this that now we deal withal, was practised in the jewish Church, joh. 9.22.23. and 12.42. and 16.2. and it creepeth also into other Churches, among whom many times not only the good are punished, but also the bad are tolerated. When this is used against any without just cause and good advise, 
P. Martyr. comment. in 1 Cor. 5.  as for default of appearance or want of payment, it is no longer a sharp two edged sword, but as a leaden dagger, or paper shot, or painted fire, if it be so good. It is but a show or shadow of excommunication, which maketh it indeed ridiculous and contemptible, and not feared of any as it ought to be, if it were rightly administered and executed. Many times also it falleth out, that such are not able to pay the fees and demands that are required of them, who deserve rather to be pitied, then to be punished so deeply.  
Hence it is, that in the Church and courts of Rome they censure those that make default in appearing or in paying, when as in the mean season they leave adulterers, drunkards, railers, oppressors, incestuous persons, and such like altogether unpunished. Again, as all things are set to sale among them, and bought, and sold for money, so these covetous merchants, these spiritual, or rather carnal judges, bind for money, and lose for money, playing indeed fast and lose with the souls of men. They excommunicate out of the Church for money, and they receive into the Church again for money. They keep a market or rather a solemn Fair to set forth and sell, and send abroad their pardons and indulgences, absolving men from their sins at their own pleasure. They never regard whether they repent or not, but whether they have money, or not: they say not unto offenders, Repent of your offences, but, Pay your fees and be gone, discharge the court and get you hence. It is noted touching Ireneus, that he earnestly reproved Victor Bishop of Rome, because he went about to excommunicate many Churches in Asia, not for matter of heresy or apostasy, neither for any other cause then this, that they would not agree and consent with the Church of Rome, in the celebration of Easter.  
Thus we see how that Church was always prone to draw out this censure for things indifferent and matters of a mean nature, like quarrelers that have their hand upon their dagger for every word speaking. Again, as it is an abuse through lightness and rashness to pronounce and denounce so sharp a judgement, 
The second reproof.  to cut off offenders as a razor from the body of Christ, without just & weighty cause: so it is a great fault, when through remissness and negligence, this wholesome severity is not executed. Thus partly through levity, and partly through lenity due discipline is omitted, when just occasion requireth it should be practised. For as letting of blood is not to be used for every cause, so to preserve life it is to be used. Great is the reverence that is to be used when we come to any of the exercises of our faith and religion, and therefore the mysteries of God and godliness are not through great licentiousness, and without any punishment to be profaned, and so holy things to be prostituted and set open to adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, blasphemers; contentious persons, and to all kind of vicious and sinful livers. This were as Christ our Saviour teacheth, Matth. 7.6, To cast precious things before dogs and swine. For as it is an offence to denounce the sentence of excommunication when it ought not, and where it ought not: so is it also, not to denounce it both when and where it ought. As justice is one of the sinews of the Commonwealth, so is it of the Church.  
Beside this, there is also another danger to the Church itself. For it is to be feared, lest the rest of the body be infected with the same contagion, forasmuch as one scabbed sheep infecteth the whole flock: yea, themselves that be such, do heap up and double their condemnation, when they presume to come without repentance to the Lords Table. This fault was found by Christ with the Church of Pergamus and Thyatira, revel. 2.14, 15, 20. It had those among them that maintained the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing Christ hated: and suffered the woman jezabel to teach and to deceive his servants, to make them commit fornication, & to eat meats sacrificed to idols: which things ought not to have been winked at. It is the duty of the Church to purge the body from such, and to ease itself of them. It is worthy counsel given by the Apostle, Hebr. 12.15. Look diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness, springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Where he chargeth the Church not to suffer profane persons to remain among them, to the infection of others, & that they should provide that no poisoned root continued with them.  
This is to be understood rather of the persons, then of the crimes committed by the persons, as is that place also, Deut. 29.18. from whence it is taken, and to which he alludeth. This is a fault in many good and flourishing Churches, as it were a blemish in a fair face, or a spot in a comely garment: and this is a great occasion of stumbling, to those that have separated themselves from us. They think us to be no better than a crew of conspirators against God, and as a rout of rebels, and a confused multitude of disordered persons. Wherein albeit they are deceived, yet that is not enough to clear ourselves, forasmuch as we ought to consider, whether we do not lay a stumbling block before them to make them fall. True it is, it may be a Church where this key is not rightly handled, and where excommunication is not, as life in that body that is full of evil humours which are not purged out. So may it be where the Sacraments are disorderly administered and received, and where they are not. For excommunication is not of the essence of the Church, 
●mmuni●n not of ●ssence ●e church  no more than the wall of a city is essential to the city, or the hedge essential to the vineyard.  
The wall may be cast down, and yet the City stand: the hedge may be pulled up, and yet the vine remain. 
●or. 5.2. ● 1.2.  The Church of the Corinthians was touched and blamed sharply for this default, in that they retained the incestuous person among them: yet he writeth to them as to the true Church of God, sanctified by Christ, and Saints by calling. The discipline is not the heart or life of the Church: it is only as the pulses, and serveth as it were to feel the strength of it: or it is as a purgation that serveth to procure the health of the body: so the want thereof is the sickness and disease of the Church, and maketh it not so fair, so glorious, and so beautiful as it would be, neither so strong and mighty to keep out wolves and other noisome & ravenous beasts that would root up the vineyard, or at least deface it and disgrace it: because, where it is practised & duly executed, it as a wall of brass, that the enemies cannot break into the field of God. We confess therefore, that albeit we have the Church of God among us, which is the body of Christ, yet is it not without some imperfection. We have very many trees of righteousness growing in this Orchard of God, planted by the rivers of water, & bringing forth fruit in due season; yet bushes and briars that are fit to be burned, are not cut down by this axe of God, that aught to have been laid to the roots of them long ago. It is a foul fault to the garden, to permit such bitter roots to spring up in it, and not to hook them and root them out by fit tools provided for that purpose.  
These noisome plants are to be displaced and displanted, being more bitter than gall and wormwood: and they ought to be so far from remaining in the Church itself, that they should not be suffered to sit in the Church porch. They ought to be so far from coming to the Lords Table, that we should not permit them to sit at our own table. We ought to be so far from keeping them company, that we should not bid them GOD speed. We ought to be so far from delighting in them and resorting to them, that we should not eat and drink with them. We ought to be so far from suffering of them in the house of God, that we ought not to come to their houses. For so often as the word cannot prevail with such, the sword of God must be taken in hand against them. Lastly, 
The third reproof.  it reproveth the proud Bishop of Rome, that taketh upon him to excommunicate Kings and Princes to depose them from their crowns, to deprive them of their kingdoms, to free their subjects from their allegiance, and to bestow their dignities & dominions to whom he pleaseth. This is highly to abuse this high censure, as they do also other ordinances of God. What is more comfortable than the Supper of the Lord? yet they have horribly and shamefully profaned it, nay, they have altogether abolished it and brought it to nothing, by the abominable idol of the Mass, which they have set up in stead thereof. Suppose this man of sin had jurisdiction and authority to excommunicate for sin, yet from whence had he right to apply it to the deposition of kings and alienation of subjects, and other temporal matters, but from him that is the author of sin, to wit, the devil? 
Lib. 1. de Consider.  It was well said of Bernard, to the Bishop of Rome, Your power standeth in censuring crimes, not in taking away possessions: but a kingdom is a possession: and therefore his power extendeth not unto it.  
Besides, the committing of any heinous crime is not a sufficient cause to deprive them of their Crowns and Sceptres. When a private person is censured with excommunication according to the merit of his offence, he loseth not his substance, he forfeiteth not either house or land, he loseth no part or parcel of his possessions, neither is there any cause why he should, neither was there ever any such claimed, or challenged, or practised, or assayed. What then? is the nature of this censure changed when the Bull roareth against Princes? & shall it take from him his possession, which it doth not from any other? The law of God saith, Thou shalt judge the small as well as the great, and not respect persons in judgement, Deut. 1.17, But according to the corrupt proceed in their courts, it were better to be a private man then a Prince. To ascend a step higher, that we may pull down the pride of Rome a step lower; is it otherwise in the degrees of honour and dignity, whereunto men are advanced, then with private persons? when a Knight is excommunicated, is he disgraded of his knighthood? hath he his spurs smitten off with a knife hard by the heels? hath he his coat of arms torn from his body, 
Stows Annal. in the reign of Edw. 4.  and other ornaments and ensigns of renown and worship taken from him? ●r doth the noble man forfeit his nobility, & lose his Barony: or of a Baron is he made no Baron? This was never attempted or heard off: The lightning that descended from the Vatican never touched either the private man's possession, or the noble man's honour: how then should it go worse with the king himself, then with all his subjects, that he should lose his royalty, and not the Baron his Barony? Moreover, it is the Apostles rule, That God judgeth those that are without: the Church cannot give sentence against such as are not of the Church, 1 Cor. 5.12, 13. as we noted before. Some are in the Church, and some are out of the Church.  
The Church is the house and City of God, the faithful are his household servants, they live and abide under his roof, they eat of his meat, and therefore happy is their condition. Such as are not of the Church, are not of his house, and therefore must perish, as all they were drowned that entered not into the Ark, and as all perished in the sacking of jericho, that were not in Rahabs' house, and therefore their condition is woeful and miserable, as revel. 22.15. These shall not go unpunished, God shall enter into judgement with them, the Church hath nothing to do with them: God will proceed against them, so that they shall not escape, let us therefore remit them to his seat of justice. But the Church of Rome holdeth that we are heretics, & schismatics, and I wots not what else, and so out of the bosom of the Church. For so many as do not submit themselves to the Pope's supremacy, him they adjudge and condemn of heresy. If then we be none of the Church, they cannot smite us with their censures, nor thunder against us with their excommunications, whereby notwithstanding they have especially raised up their state to the top of greatness, and have laid such a burden upon their heads, that in time is likely to break their necks. Excommunication then, being a cutting off from the Church of such as are of the Church, it cannot touch us even in their own judgement, whom they teach in all their books of Controversies to be out of the Church. Furthermore, this is such a censure, as never any of the Apostles, nor their successors practised, to meddle with such as were heathen & Pagans, or to touch their persons, or to take away their possessions.  
This is a bar or block that lieth in the way to hinder the conversion of kings that are Gentiles. For who among them would willingly embrace the Christian religion, who being before an absolute Prince, should by his embracing the faith, and receiving the Gospel, put his head under the Pope's girdle, and offer his neck to be led up and down in a string, at the discretion of his good lord and master, and be a king no long than it pleased him? He shall make his estate much worse, than 〈◊〉 his people, as if the Church were a tender mother to private men, but a step mother unto Princes. Again, God hath provided by this ordinance, that none should be censured but he only that hath committed the fault: and that such as have not offended, should not be punished and chastened. The kingdom is an inheritance, and admitteth a successor of the same line. If the father be dethroned and deprived of his kingdom, and it be given away to another, or left to him that can seize upon it, the son cannot reign by succession from his father, albeit he be innocent; he shall not inherit the kingdom, albeit he be in no fault at all: so that the son must bear the iniquity of the father, contrary to the Law of God, Deut. 24.16. and the practice of the godly, 2 Kings 14.6. The Prophet Ezekiel handleth this at large, chap. 18. ver. 20. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. What justice then is this, to strike the innocent with the guilty, and to bind them together as it were into one bundle? It was well said of Abraham in his prayer to God, Gen. 18.24, 25. Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou also destroy, and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee, to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the judge of all the world do right? If this be far from God, it ought also to be far from the Church of God. If the judge of all the world will do right, shall he that holdeth himself to be the head of all the Church, delight to do open wrong? But these men regard not to pluck up the wheat with the tars, which a good husbandman will not: and to pull by up the roots wholesome herbs with unwholesome weeds, which a good gardener will not: and to cut off good citizens together with the bad, which a good Magistrate will not.  
Lastly, in the censure of excommunication there is place left for repentance, nay, this is the end of every censure of the Church, not to destroy, but to amend and reform: so that when the offender returneth again into the way, he holdeth his place that he did before in the Church, neither receiveth any hurt, or loss, or reproach, by the fault which he hath confessed and forsaken. This is the institution and ordinance of God, this he hath appointed; of this had Peter experienee after his threefold confession that followed his threefold denial. Of this also had the incestuous person experience, when he sorrowed for his fornication; for than he was joyfully received again, forasmuch as even the Angels in heaven rejoice at the conversion of a sinner. 
Luke 15.  But he that being excommunicated is driven out of his kingdom, and seethe it translated to another, hath no place left him to recover his kingdom, his repentance cometh too late to do any good to himself. The usurper that hath once invaded his seat, and set himself down in his throne, will not easily departed from it and let it go again, until a stronger than he cometh, and overcometh him: he shall never attain to his right again, neither shall find place for repentance, though he seek it carefully with tears.  
This is to arm Prince against Prince, and to set kingdom against kingdom: forasmuch as the right owner will never give over his right, so long as he is able to right his own cause. Thus we have seen, how excommunication is abused in the Church of Rome, and that which was by institution from God an wholesome medicine, to save, not to condemn; to help, not to hinder: to edification, not to destruction; is now by corruption of man turned upside down, and the nature of it quite overturned.  
The injury that is offered to none of the lowest rank is offered unto Princes, who are thereby in worse condition than any of their people. A Christian Prince is made in worse condition than an heathen. The heir is punished for his fault, to whom he is heir: the son, for the father: the successor for the predecessor: the innocent, for the nocent: the infant, for the aged: the child unborn, for him that is borne: and lastly, he that repenteth, cannot be restored into his place again, so that it is all one to be penitent or impenitent. All these injuries, indignities, and miseries, to which we might add the shameful arraigning, endighting, condemning, and burning men for heretics after their death; all these exorbitant courses proceed from the abuse of this censure: and of all who is author, but the Pope of Rome, who advanceth himself above all that is called God, 
●ss. 2.4.  and is an utter enemy to Princes?  
Use 4 Fourthly, seeing such as are incorrigible, are to be thrown out of the Church, it followeth that all such are to be shunned, and their company to be avoided. We must have no fellowship with them, lest we be defiled by them. If there were that sense of sin in them that ought to be, they should not need to be separated and sequestered from the company of others, forasmuch as themselves would be as open Heralds & public criers against themselves, saying with the lepers in the Law, I am unclean, I am unclean, Leuit. 13.45, 46. But because they have no feeling of their spiritual leprosy, but thrust themselves among the faithful, like to the generation that are pure in their own eyes, although they be not washed from their sins, it is the duty of all the faithful to avoid them. 
●t.  If any ask the question, 
●er.  from what things the excommunicate persons are to be excluded; I answer, not only from the use of the Sacraments, but from the privileges of the Church: they must be strange unto us, and we strange unto them, so that we must not live and converse with them, we must have no society, conference, and communion with them, otherwise then for necessity, and rather than haunt their company, if we see them come at one side of the street, we should go to the other. The Apostle speaking of suspension, a lower and lesser degree than excommunication, maketh two parts of it: first, 
●ss. 3.10.  he must be noted, as Cain was, Gen. 4. God set a mark upon him. He meaneth, he must be branded as with a mark of shame and ignominy, we must not spare his name, but put him to all the reproach we can, we must set him out in his colours, and make it known what he is. True it is, before the sentence published, while they continue in the Church, we must as with a cloak cover the multitude of sins through love, as Shem and japheth did the nakedness of their father, while by private admonition they may be won: but when once they be cast out of the Church, we must forbear them no longer, that others may beware and be warned of them. For there is no better means to do them good, but this: and if this way they will not be reclaimed, they can no way be brought into the way. It is better in this world to suffer a short reproach for our good, then endure everlasting contempt in the world to come, Dan. 12.2. This is one point to be observed and practised: another point is seen in refraining his company that is so made infamous, as 1 Cor. 5.9. I wrote unto you in an Epistle, not to keep company with such fornicators. This is fitly and not without cause added to the former. For if we be familiar with such a man as with a friend, we harden him in his sin, and as much as lieth in us, we keep him from repentance, and so from salvation.  
The use of shunning and eschewing of him is, that he may be ashamed: and the end of shaming of him is, that he may come to amendment of life, and consequently to be saved. But when no man avoideth him, and abhorreth from his company, it is so far from working shame in him, that it maketh him think well of himself. Such as delight to be evermore with them, are partakers of their sins, and become as loathsome and shameful as they. Moreover, the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 5.11. Now I have written unto you, not to keep company: if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one eat not. We ought not to receive him into our houses, nor bid him God speed, 2 joh. 10. but wholly decline from him, and shun him, as we would him that hath a plague soar. To sit at the Table is a sign of friendship and familiarity, as with a brother or neighbour: but we must hold no friendship with such as are enemies to God, and are at war and defiance with him. jehoshaphat is reproved for a less matter, 2 Chro. 19.2. If any man ask, Object. whether the children must shun their father, the servants their master, the wife her husband, etc. I answer, Answer. we must have no such familiarity, as is free for us to refuse and deny, neither voluntary society which we may avoid. Unnecessary fellowship is forbidden and is offensive, such as is for pleasure and delight. As for children, servants, subjects, wives, and such as are bound by band of duty, and obliged in the family or commonwealth, they are not by this doctrine discharged from their duties, but must be subject even to such as are excommunicated, provided that they take heed so far as lieth in them, that by their conversation with them they do not consent to their sin, like of it, delight in it, defend it, commend it, but rather according to their place and calling, mourn that they are compelled to be with such, and therefore must exhort and admonish them to return to the Church, as it were to the fold of Christ. This then serveth to reprove all such as delight & make choice to be in company with excommunicate persons, such as receive them to their houses, such as ordinarily eat and drink with them, knowing them to stand in that fearful case. These partake with them in their sins, and keep them from repentance, as much as in them lieth. While we are familiarly conversant with the wicked, it will be hard not to be stained with their sins. For how can a man walk among thorns, and not wound himself?  
Use 5 Lastly, we are warned hereby, to lead our lives circumspectly and soberly, that we be not cast out. Let us hold faith and a good conscience, as the Apostle saith, 1 Tim. 1.19, 20. Which while some having put away, concerning faith have made shipwreck, of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. This use hath divers particular branches.  
First, we should desire evermore to live in the Church. It was the prayer of David, Psal. 27.4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his Temple. It is recorded to the great commendation of Anna, that she departed not from the Temple, 
Luke 2.37.  but served God with fastings and prayer night and day. We must therefore live orderly, not as fools, but as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil, that we may continue as children of the light, and members of the Church. If once we become profane, and as dogs and swine, we must be kept from holy things, and barred from the word and Sacraments. It is the duty of the Church to keep the holy ordinances of God from all contempt. Some that live in the Church, are open blasphemers of the name of Christ: others are heretics and corrupt the faith: many give scandal and offence to others by their looseness of life; all these are to be barred and excluded from the word & Sacraments. For a man living in the mids of the Church, may be worse in the practices of his life, than an open enemy, of which the Apostle Paul speaketh, Tit. 1.16. They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. This care of keeping his ordinances from open profanation, Christ himself showed in reforming the abuses of the Temple, when in great zeal of spirit that had eaten him up he whipped the buyers and sellers out of the temple, 
Mat. 21.12, 13.  because they had made his Father's house (which was the house of prayer) an house of merchandise, and a den of thieves.  
Secondly, we must do nothing, and speak nothing, that may give occasion to the world, to revile the religion of God, or slander our holy profession. This is Paul's charge to servants, that they so carry themselves toward their masters, that the Name of God and his doctrine be not evil spoken off, 1 Tim. 6.1. The faults of men are wont to be cast upon the doctrine which they profess, and to be whipped upon the back of the author from whence it came. Such as men's life is that they lead, such is the doctrine and religion judged to be which they believe. Wherefore we must take heed, lest the Name of God be blasphemed through us, Esay 52. David is said by his sins to cause the enemies to blaspheme, 2 Samu. 12.14.  
Thirdly it is our duty, to pray that the word of God may be glorified, 2 Thes. 3.1. It is that which we are taught to ask in the Lords prayer, Matth. 6.9. that his Name may be hallowed. Now, God's word is his Name, forasmuch as thereby he is known unto us, Psal. 138.2. It was David's prayer, Psal. 119.39. Turn away my reproach which I fear, for thy judgements are good. As if he should say, keep me from doing that which may bring rebuke or reproach to thy word.  
Fourthly, it is the duty of all faithful Pastors and Ministers, to keep the people from profaning the holy thing, jer. 15 19 they are as the Angels of God set with a glistering sword, to keep the way to the tree of life. It is the duty of the shepherd to sever the infected sheep from the sound. The dispensation of the Sacraments is committed to the Ministers, to deliver them to such as are worthy, & to withhold them from such as are unworthy, lest we give them a sword into their hand to kill themselves: because obstinate sinners that come unworthily & impenitently to the Supper of the Lord, do eat and drink their own damnation. john the Baptist would not admit unto his baptism any, but such as confessed their sins, and was persuaded they had truly repent, Mat. 3. But is it not enough for them, to say they repent? No: for every hypocrite may thus repent. A man may confess in words, that which he denieth in his deeds: and therefore he must have the undoubted testimonies of true repentance, weeping, humiliation, prayer, amendment of life, & such like. Besides, by this account, every one that cometh to the Lords Table, repenteth, and no man cometh unworthily, or without repentance, forasmuch as every one will say he repenteth, no man will confess he is impenitent. Nevertheless, we cannot account him to be a true penitent, that hath given no sign of repentance.  
Fiftly, this sentence is to be denounced with meekness and moderation, with all patience and long suffering, yea with much grief and sorrow. It must not be done ordinarily and commonly, The cutting off of a member is no usual thing: the Physician trieth all ways and means before he attempt that desperate cure: and oftentimes he findeth it fit not to cut off a part, then to bring the life of his patient into danger. So should it be in the Church: it may be willing and desirous to keep itself within the degrees of admonition, exhortation, & reprehension, rather than to proceed to the utmost, to wit, to excommunication. We must remember to take heed of extremity, and be sure always to temper severity with compassion, setting the example of God, evermore before our eyes, who in judgement remembreth mercy, Haba. 3.2. The Church hath the help of the Christian Magistrate, he will take order and make laws, that the obstinate shall be chastened, if any presume to contemn the first, second, and third admonition; so that the sword of excommunication shall seldom and sparingly be drawn out, 
●tractat. de ●●municat.  as it hath fallen out in many Churches. But when these will not serve and suffice, the Church ought to proceed further, lest contagion as an infectious disease, enter in among the sheep of Christ, to the destruction of many souls.  
Lastly, it is evident that this discipline, prescribed by Christ, delivered by the Apostles, and practised by the Churches, aught to have place in every congregation: and where it is not, let the Pastor supply that want by his duty and diligence, in teaching and preaching of the Gospel: which is as his fan to blow the chaff away, and as the shrill trumpet waxing louder and louder to make them afraid. Especially we must beware, lest we should condemn that to be no Church, where there is want of this censure, or where it is not duly executed, as if there could be no school without a rod. This was the opinion of the Donatists in former times, and this the sect of the Anabaptists holdeth at this day: which is as absurd, as if one should say, that it could not be a sound body that never had member cut off, nor that be a good Physician, that never came to cutting and caulterizing; neither that an expert Chirurgeon, that useth not a saw, and other tools to pair away, and to open. If we have the right use of the word, let us submit ourselves unto it, which is able to cut off the head of sin, as with a sword, and to burn up our corruptions, as with violent and devouring fire, and to break in pieces the stony hearts of such as go forward in their iniquities, as with an hammer.  
[Verse 3. Both male and female shall ye put out,] After that we have set down the particular parts of God's commandment, touching putting out of the camp the lepers, and such as had issues, and them that were defiled by touching of the dead: we are now come next in order to the manner of the commandment, showing how far it is extended; it layeth hold on all sorts and degrees, both male and female.  
And we showed before, divers examples of the truth hereof, in the beginning of this Chapter: from whence we might observe, that the ordinances of God must be handled without partiality and respect of persons. The word of God serveth, not only to reprove the lowest and poorest, but as well the highest and chiefest. And the Ministers of God have their office committed unto them to reprove sin for all, and not sow pillows under the elbows. So ought it to be in the censures of the Church. But to pass over this point, let us come to the reasons serving to confirm the former doctrine, whereof the first is, that because sin defileth, therefore the obstinate sinner is not to be suffered.  
The strength of this reason enforceth the putting out of the Church the leprous, that is, sinful persons, in consideration of the nature of sin, that it is filthy and infectious. So that the consideration of the contagion of sin ought to move the governors of the Church, to remove such out of it, as are of a corrupt and wicked life. But to omit this also, we see how he expresseth the nature of sin, it defileth their camps: and it defileth three ways, persons, actions, and places. From hence we are to learn, that all sin is foul and filthy, unclean and loathsome, 
Doctrine. All sin is contagious unto men, and foul in the sight of God. Lamen. 1.9. Zach. 13.1.  infectious and contagious in the sight of God. Hereunto cometh that which Moses saith, levit. 18.24. Defile not yourselves with any of these things: for in all these, the nations are defiled, which I cast out before you. The Prophet Ezekiel warneth the people of Israel to take heed, they did not defile themselves with idols, Ezekiel, 20.18. Our Saviour reproving the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, maketh the point plain with which we deal, Matth. 15.19, 20. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornieations, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, These are the things that defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands, defileth not a man.  
Hereunto we may add directly to the purpose, the exhortation of the Apostle Paul 2 Corinth. 7.1. Having these promises, dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And in the Epistle to Titus, chap. 1. ver. 15. he saith, Unto the pure, all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled, and unbelieving, is nothing pure: but even their mind and conscience is defiled. The Apostle james calleth sin filthiness and superfluity, chap. 1. verse 21. whereunto we might add sundry other places, Zeph. 3.1. revel. 21.27. and all of them aiming at this, that as all sin is contagious unto men, so it is also foul and filthy in the sight of God.  
Let us see this yet farther assured and confirmed Reason 1 unto us by the word of GOD, first; by such comparisons as the Scriptures use, to express the nature of it. It is as an unclean cloth, Esay, chapter 64. verse 6. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. It is compared to the blood of pollution, for which the menstruous woman was put apart seven days, so that whosoever touched her, was unclean until the even, Ezek. 16.6, 9, 12. levit. 15, 19 We come into the world more defiled in soul, then polluted in body: and more unsavoury in the nostrils of God, than a dead carrion lying long in a tomb, is stinking in the nostrils of men, Matth. 23.27, 28. Can you name any thing more unsavoury and unwholesome than these things? who doth not loathe them at the naming of them? and yet sin is more odious and abominable than all these.  
Reason 2 Secondly, all sin defileth the soul, more than mire and dung can defile the body and garments of those that are soiled with it. It defileth the person that doth commit it and continue in it without repentance; it polluteth and profaneth the actions of greatest devotion in the service of God. The Prophet Haggai saith, Hag. 2.13. If one that is unclean by a dead body, touch any holy thing, he maketh it to be unclean unto him. It defileth also the land and places wherein sinners are conversant, Leuit. 18.24, 25. God loatheth the houses and habitations of such soul persons, albeit they be decked with ornaments of gold and silver. Sin depriveth a man of all those graces that did adorn him in the sight of God and men, and causeth God to turn away his favour and loving countenance from us, Deu. 23 14. In his favour is life, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore: if he turn away his face and favour from us, and deny his loving kindness unto us, nothing shall do us any good.  
Use 1 We are now to handle and hear the uses that arise from hence. First, we may conclude that such are blessed as keep diligent watch and ward over themselves, lest they fall asleep in carnal pleasures, in the cares of this world, and securely wallow in sin, and so be spoiled of the precious rob and raiment of the soul, which is given us in Christ jesus. This admonition is often given in holy Scripture, especially in the new Testament, because as the world groweth nearer to his end, so sinful men will grow less wary and watchful in mind to good things, and therefore we must look the better to ourselves. This use is concluded, revel. 16.15, Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and men see his filthiness. If we had spiritual eyes to see and discern the ugliness of sin, and could behold it in it own nature, we would account them happy that escape it. On the other side, their condition is cursed and wretched, that give themselves over to the lusts of all kind of sin, 
Man's wretched condition in regard of sin.  they are polluted and abominable in the sight of God. If we should see a man wallowing in the mire, or tumbling himself in his own dung, that nothing appeared upon him but filthiness, how would we loathe him and shun him? how squeamish would we be to come near him? how fast would we fly from him? Or if we should see a man turning to his own vomit, how would our stomachs abhor and rise against him? we would account such as dogs and swine, and no better.  
But thus the case standeth with all unregenerate persons, whose whole life is a continual practice of sin: they wallow in the most stinking and filthy mire that may be found, and turn to their own vomit, and eat up worse than their own excrements. No spots and blemishes are like to the spots and blemishes of sin, that do leave a stain and guiltiness in the soul. This doth the Apostle Peter aim at in his second Epistle, chap. 2. ver. 22. It is happened unto them according to the true proverb: the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.  
True it is, sin carrieth with it a beautiful show, howbeit, it casteth a false light; it carrieth with it a false gloss, like the harlot that painteth her face that she may seem fair. It is like the forbidden fruit, whereof our first parents did taste, the tree seemed good for food, 
Gen. 3.6.  and pleasant to the eyes, and to be desired to make one wise; but when they had once eaten, they saw the filthiness of their own nakedness, and hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. It is like the harlot mentioned in the proverbs; she caught a young man void of understanding she kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, Come, 
Pro. 7.18.  let us take our fill of love until the morning, let us solace ourselves with loves. With much fair speech she caused him to yield, and with flattering of her lips she forced him, till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. And in another place the wise man saith, Pro. 5.3, 4, 5. The lips of a strange woman drop as an honey comb, and her mouth is smother than oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword, her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of hell. here we have a most true and lively description of the nature of sin: look upon this picture of an harlot that Solomon hath drawn before our eyes, behold the shape and image of it, and we shall quickly and easily know what sin is. It fawneth upon us and flattereth us, it speaketh fair unto us, but in the end it will destroy us. It is like unto joab, and is ready to serve us as he served Amasa: 
2 Sam. ●0. ●  He said unto him, art thou in health, my brother? he took him with the right hand to kiss him, but withal he smote him with his sword and shed out his bowels to the ground. Or it dealeth with us as jael dealt with Sisera, jud. 4.18. &. 5.26, 26. She cried unto him, Turn in my lord, turn in to me, fear not. He asked a little water to drink, and she gave him milk, and brought him butter in a lordly dish; but withal she put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer, and with the hammer she smote him and then cut off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. Thus doth sin come to us masked and covered, it offereth us many sweet delights, many carnal pleasures, many goodly profits and commodities, so that we will turn in unto it, and commit it without fear: but the issues thereof, are the issues of death, it taketh an hammer and knocketh us on the head. In the book of job, Zophar, speaking of the state and portion of the wicked, compareth sin to sweet meats, which oftentimes have sour sauce. Let us hear it in his own words, job 20.12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue, though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth: yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of Asps within him: he hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again, God shall cast them out of his belly, he shall suck the poison of Asps, the viper's tongue shall slay him. Sin is as an hook that is cunningly baited every way to catch us and entrap us, but the wages of it in the end is death. It dealeth with us as the devil dealt with Christ, 
●●h. 4.9.  he showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, but then he must fall down and worship him. Woe unto them therefore that have their eyes closed and shut up, that they cannot see the deformity of sin in his natural colours, but look upon it in a deceitful glass. It fareth worse with such, then if they had many foul diseases about them that can only annoy the body, but are not able to hurt the soul: whereas sin infecteth the soul in which it dwelleth.  
For as a man consisteth of two parts, the body, and the mind: so he is afflicted with two kind of maladies, and the evils of the mind are greater than the evils of the body, 
●in de lin●in praefa.  and more danger cometh from them then from these. We must have a true and right judgement of sin. The common sort think him to be much more miserable that hath a dropsy, who, the more he drinketh, the more he desireth, than the man that is possessed with covetousness, which is a spiritual dropsy, and is never satisfied. As on the other side, they hold him to be more happy that hath a fair and comely body, than such a one as hath a fair and beautiful mind adorned with all good qualities of piety, and the fruits thereof. These prefer the body before the soul, and earth before heaven.  

●●e diseases ●he soul ●●se than ●●e of the ●●dy.  The diseases of the body are many in number, but the sicknesses of the soul are in a manner infinite and cannot be told, and as they are more in number, so they are worse in working and in their effects, they corrupt the best part of us, and make us evil and miserable. So do not the diseases of the body, they may vex us and pain us, afflict and disquiet us; but though we were sick from the crown of the head, to the sole of the foot, though no soundness were in the body, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying soars, as it was with job, who seemed a very picture and pattern of all misery, yet they cannot make us evil men, they cannot hurt the soul, they cannot separate us from God. Nay, the diseases of the body, are so far from destroying of us, that oftentimes they are medicines to cure the diseases of the mind, and chastisements are notable instructions; whereas the maladies of the body, do for the most part arise of the maladies of the mind. For sin is the cause of sickness. If we had not transgressed, we had not been visited with such diseases, and in the end with death.  
Moreover, those bodily diseases are judged to be most dangerous and desperate, that take away from the sick party all sense and feeling of his estate, all grief and anguish of his misery▪ forasmuch as the less he feeleth, the more fearful is his estate, & the more near to his end. He that is afflicted with the gout or the stone, and crieth out of his misery, and willeth the Physician to be sent for in all haste, is in better case and hath more hope to be eased and healed, than he that hath a lethargy, or frenzy; of which, one thinketh himself sound, the other assaulteth the Physician that cometh unto him to do him good. Such for the most part are the diseases of the soul, and such for the most part, is the condition of sinful persons: they think themselves to be sound men, they think they need not the help of the Physician, they would defy him that should tell them, that they are dangerously sick even to the death. They are captives and bondmen, and know it not. They have one foot in hell, and see it not. They are in great misery, and feel it not.  
Besides, the mind is able to judge of the diseases of the body: but how shall it tell and declare the diseases of the mind, seeing it is itself diseased? If that part be sick, how shall it judge of sickness? A Physician that is sick cannot judge of himself, but resorteth to some other, because his mind is troubled, 
Aristo. polit. lib  which is the instrument of judging. So is it with all unregenerate persons, they want a right reformed judgement to judge of themselves, and therefore oftentimes take, or rather mistake vice for virtue, darkness for light, and error for truth. Hence it is, that they colour and disguise the face of vice, that it might not appear ugly and deformed, as it is in his own proper likeness.  
The unquenchable thirst of getting and having, is called providence and forecast: envy is accounted zeal: the love of himself is reputed to be wisdom: evil speaking is covered with the title and stile of liberty in speaking.  
Lastly, the diseases of the soul are more foul and infectious, they pierce deeper, and spread farther than those of the body. The diseases of the body though they seize upon some part, yet they leave other free that they come not near: if they be in the feet, they do leave the eyes and ears, and sundry other parts whole and sound: yea, such as have some one disease, are observed to be free from the rest.  
There are some diseases that do not touch or trouble old men; some that vex not young men. But it is not so in the diseases of the mind; they corrupt the whole mind, and bring a train and tail of other with them, so that one cometh not alone. These are as the plagues and pestilences of the soul, they spare not any degree, any age, any sex, they cannot be kept within any bounds, but wander over the whole world with wonderful speed and celerity. Wherefore this reproveth all such as make a mock of sin, delighting in it, and dallying with it. Who will play with a serpent, or sport himself with the cockatrice? Sin is worse, it bringeth all diseases, plagues, pains, and miseries whatsoever. It is great folly to shun sickness and death, as most fearful things, and not to shun the causes of them.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing sin defileth both the persons that commit it, and the places where it is committed, it is our duty to walk so circumspectly, that we beware of the contagious nature of it, and that we be not soiled with it. This one use hath divers branches, and by them spreadeth itself hither and thither. First, it teacheth us to look to our footing, that we do not fall, but that if God have given us grace to stand, we pray him also to give us grace to continue and persevere unto the end. It is a great mercy that God vouchsafeth unto those that are his, when he keepeth them from evil, that it hurteth them not.  
The sorrows of death compass us, and the pains of hell get hold upon us: we find trouble and sorrow, we want not sundry enemies that environ us round, and seek to prevent us and to cirumvent us: they wait upon us, and watch over us for evil: we have the devil our enemy: the world our enemy: our corruption our enemy: what shall we then say, but pray to the Lord in the midst of all these dangers, 
Psal. 11●. 4.  O Lord, I beseech thee deliver my soul? And when he hath heard our prayers, and we found his help at hand, and secure in time of need, what can we but in thankful feeling of his favour, cry out with the Prophet, Return into thy rest, 
Ver. 7, 8.  O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee: for thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling? We must vow unto him a faithful serving of him, and perform our vow before him in the truth of our hearts, saying, 
Ver. 9  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. We must return the praise and glory unto him, to whom alone it is due, uttering this voice of thanksgiving in a sweet meditation of his goodness, What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? 
Ver. 12 23  I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. Wherefore, albeit we have many perils without us, and within us, yet we rest in the arms of Christ, and abide under the shelter and shadow of the Almighty: so that we have this comfort, his left hand is under our head, 
Cant. 8.3  and with his right hand he doth embrace us. If it were not for this protection and upholding of us, we could not endure here in the world.  
Secondly, it warneth all those that are cleansed to keep themselves in such sort, that they be not polluted, Deut. 23.9. This shall bring great comfort to the conscience, and great peace that passeth all understanding. The  child dreadeth the fire: he that hath once been in danger of drowning, will hardly be brought or drawn to the banks side: an horse that hath once been plunged in some deep quag-mire, will with much ado pass that way again. He that once hath found and felt the grievousness of sin, and the terrors of conscience, and the wrath of God, and the flashings of hell fire, will fear to fall and offend again. If we did duly consider how dearly it did cost Christ our Saviour, to redeem a soul from damnation, and that the weight of sin did make him sweat drops of blood, and to cry out upon the Cross, 
Psal. 22.1. Matth. 27.46  My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, when we have been once cleansed, it will make us careful to keep ourselves clean: when we have washed our feet, it will work a care in us, that we do not defile them. It is such an heavy burden, that whosoever hath once felt the weight and smart of it, dareth not stand under it again.  
Thirdly, this circumspect walking before him warneth us to forsake the company of the wicked, and society with them, as 2 Cor. 6.16. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. Our doctrine teacheth us that sin defileth and polluteth a man, so as there is no filth or dung upon the earth defileth the body, as sin defileth the whole man before God, and therefore we should loathe the fellowship of evil men and wicked persons.  
If a man should offer himself into our company that had wallowed and tumbled in some foul and filthy channel, we would shun him and be ashamed of him, we would not abide him, but thrust him from us. For we know we could not be near him a little while, but he would make some of his filth to cleave unto us. Thus it is with bad men. As themselves are loathsome and filthy, so they will leave part of their filthiness behind them, among whomsoever they converse, like unto some beasts that leave such a rank savour after them wheresoever they become, that it may easily be known thereby, as by an infallible token, that they have been there.  
If we cannot draw these men from iniquity, let us withdraw ourselves from their company. There is not a more deceitful bait to catch us, then to come within their reach. Many have been stricken down with this stroke, that have stood as valiant and invincible men against many other dangers. Let us be wary by their harms, and learn wisdom by their folly, and to bear ourselves upright by their falls. 
●on.  But it may be demanded, whether all keeping company with them be unlawful, 
〈…〉.  or not? I answer, all company with them is not absolutely forbidden, but to be familiar with them is forbidden, to delight in them, to be of one heart and of one mind with them, to be yoked unto them, & so to delight to be among them, that we like better of them then of any other, and never think ourselves well until we be with them. If any farther ask the question, 
●on.  in what cases it is lawful to be among them? 
〈…〉.  I answer briefly, first when we seek to reclaim them; when we have this end to confer with them, to instruct and admonish them, as the Apostle speaketh of an heretic, that he must be once or twice admonished, & then being obstinate, he must be avoided, Tit. 3.10. That which he speaketh particularly of an heretic, may be spoken generally of every wicked person that is incurable. Secondly, when we are bound by the band of a necessary calling to be in their presence and company. For God hath set us in our several standings, out of which we may not departed. We showed in the former doctrine, that if a man were excommunicated by the Church, yet such as belong unto him in the family or in the Commonwealth, aught to be subject and obedient unto him. The wife must yield to the husband due benevolence, the child must honour the father, and a servant his master, so far forth as they do not encourage him in his sins, nor join with him in a liking of them.  
Lastly, it teacheth us to avoid all occasions and inducements to sins, yea, all appearances of evil: Hence it is, that Jude saith, ver. 23. Hate even that garment which is spotted by the flesh, not only the sins themselves, but the occasions of them. And hereby we may try ourselves, whether we make conscience of sin or not. Every commandment that forbiddeth any sin, forbiddeth all the allurements that may draw us into the same. This is one of the general rules that help us to understand the law, & to come to the true meaning thereof.  
Lastly, seeing sin soileth and defileth, we learn to put this duty in practice, to crave of God to wash us and cleanse us from the defilements of sin. Let us follow the example of the leper, Matth. 8.2. who fell down at the feet of our Saviour, and besought him that he might be cleansed, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean: so ought we to come into the presence of Christ, and worship him, and crave of him to cleanse us from the filthiness of our sin. It so staineth and polluteth, that none can wash away the blots and spots that stick so fast unto us, but he. This we see in David, Psal. 51.2, 3. Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin: for I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. True it is, God sometimes willeth us to wash ourselves, as he commanded the Israelites to wash their garments when they were to hear the law, Exod. 19 jer. 4.14. O jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. And jam. 4. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you: cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. What need God to wash us, will some say, seeing we are willed to wash ourselves? God doth not by these commandments attribute a natural power and strength to man's will, as if they were able to wash themselves, but he stirreth them up to use the means, that so they may be washed by him.  
Whensoever we use the instrument of the word, which is a pure word, whereby the ways of a young man are cleansed, Psal. 119.9. together with prayer and invocation of God's holy Name, and such like means to be washed; we may be said after a sort to wash ourselves, because God doth wash us by us, and not without us: as also he that made us without us, is said to save us not without us. For a desire to be washed is our washing of ourselves.  
So the Minister is said to save himself, 
1 Tim. 4.16.  when he delivereth his soul from the curse denounced against unconscionable watchmen, and useth the means by which God will save him and them that hear him. It is the work of God alone to wash and to cleanse us, Ezek. 16.9. Where he telleth his people, that he had washed them with water: and joh. 13.8. Christ declareth to his disciples, that except he wash them, they had no part in him: for that which he speaketh unto Peter, he speaketh to them all. And the Apostle john teacheth us, that he hath washed us from our sins in his blood. 
revel. 1.5.  Wherefore we must go unto him to have this pure water and clear streams to wash our souls. We are foul and filthy creatures by nature. No leper so foul and ugly. We can no more cleanse ourselves, by our own power, than the Ethiopian or black More can change his skin, or the Leopard his spots.  
This use hath many branches contained under it. First, we must labour to come to the knowledge of our sins, and to be touched with a feeling of them. For we can never be earnest in prayer to God for mercy, or have assurance that our request shall be granted, until we come to have a sense of the grievousness of sin: as they that know not their disease, make no haste to send or seek to the Physician. We must therefore have our eyes opened to see sin, and to understand what dependeth upon it, that we may prevent it, or recover ourselves being fallen into it. Hence it is, that so many sin with greediness and eagerness, because they do not thoroughly weigh and consider themselves what they have done, as Luke 23.34. jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And the Apostle speaking of the ignorance that is among men concerning Christian religion, saith, Doubtless if they had known it, 
1 Cor. 2.8.  they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. They delight in swearing and blaspheming, because they know not how fearful a thing it is, to take the Name of God in vain. They make no conscience of the Sabbath, because they know not what danger it is to profane it. Secondly, we are put in mind to confess our sins and uncleanness, that so we may be washed by him that purgeth us. So long as Adam did hide his sins, he was not cleansed of them. It is not with God, as it is with men: if we confess unto men, we are oftentimes taunted for them, and upbraided with them, and checked for them. But if we acknowledge them unto our gracious God, he will never hit us in the teeth with them, 
1 joh. 1.9.  but he is merciful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But because we shall have fit occasion to speak farther of this point, in the next division, I pass it over. Thirdly, we must know what means God useth to sanctify us; it is by the blood of his own Son, for the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin, 1 joh. 1.7 and Heb. 9.14. The blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, shall purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Naaman the Syrian washing in the flood of jordan seven times, was healed of his leprosy, and had his flesh come to him again, like the flesh of a child: how much more than shall we be cleansed from the leprosy of sin, when the Lord shall wash us in the blood of his Son? Fourthly, we must seek mercy while it is offered unto us; when our hearts are terrified for sin, let us have recourse to the fountain of his love which can never be drawn dry. This did the Prophet Psal. 51.1.2. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions: wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. And the Prophet Esay calleth the people to repentance, cha. 55. ver. 6, 7. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. God hath his time of mercy, when that is gone and passed, the time of justice cometh.  
While we have ears to hear, let us hear; when the ears are made dull of hearing, we may hear, but we shall not understand. While we have eyes to see, let us behold his goodness and mercy toward us: when they are once shut and closed up, we may see, but we shall perceive nothing at all. While we have soft and tender hearts, let us humble ourselves before him, and tremble at his word: if once our hearts be hardened as a stone, and become past feeling, there is little hope of our conversion, that we should turn and be healed.  
Fiftly, we must buy of Christ white garments to cloth us, and to cover our deformity, revel. 3.18. that the filthiness of our nakedness do not appear. True it is, there is nothing properly bought and sold between Christ and us, but this is spoken by way of resemblance. For in bargaining a man that will buy, first understandeth his want: then he cometh to the place where it is to be bought; afterward he cheapneth it: and lastly he maketh exchange with money, or some other commodity.  
So he that will come to Christ, must first feel himself to have need of Christ, and see his own misery, otherwise he will never desire him. Secondly, he must hunger after Christ to be partaker of his merits. Thirdly, he must prise Christ above all other things, Phil. 3.8. Lastly, he must make exchange, he must give him his sins, and lay them upon his shoulders, that so we may receive to us his righteousness. We remain foul and filthy in God's sight, until we be clothed with the glorious robes of his righteousness. Last of all, it is our duty to forsake our sins, and to walk in the statutes of God. This is the exhortation of the Prophet, Esay 1.16, 17. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well. To this purpose speaketh Ezekiel, chap. 20. ver. 18, 19 Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgements, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes and keep my judgements, and do them. We are then washed from our sins, when we have learned to walk in the ways of God. If we do not bring forth the fruits of obedience, we lie wallowing in the mire of our sins, and God will find us out. There is no hiding of our filthiness from him, his eyes see the sons of men, and ponder his paths.  
That they defile not their camps in the midst whereof I dwell. We have spoken already of the first reason drawn from the effect of sin; it defileth our persons, our actions, and our places. The second reason is taken from the consideration of God's presence. From which reason he reasoneth thus, I dwell among you, Therefore ye must be an holy people, and hate all uncleanness and unholiness, and do that good which I command you.  

●ct.  But here some will say, how is God said to dwell among his people? The heaven is his Throne, and the earth his footstool: he dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, forasmuch as the heavens of heavens cannot contain him that filleth with his presence and power both heaven and earth. Doth he not dwell also among the ungodly and infidels that know him not? Or can any hide himself in secret places, 
●er.  that he shall not see him? I answer, this phrase is a borrowed speech from the sons of men, whereby is understood, that God is conversant with us, & doth keep his mansion in our hearts, ruling in us by his Spirit and by his Word. Even as a master of a family ruleth and guideth his house wherein he dwelleth: so doth God rule us & overrule us, and taketh up his rest and residence among us, determining to continue with us. He is present among the ungodly by his power, but not by his grace: they cannot hide their faces from him, but he hideth his favour from them. So then, this manner of speech, importeth these three things. 
●w God kelleth aung his ●●●ple.  First, it showeth the effect and efficacy of his presence, whereby he possesseth & governeth the faithful which are as his Temple to dwell in, having dominion over them, enlightening them to know, and guiding them to practise his will made known unto them. Secondly, it signifieth that his presence is perpetual and permanent, and continual, for when a man meaneth to inhabit in any place, it is a sign he doth not determine to flit away, as a bird that wandereth from her nest, but to abide there without departing away. He is not as a guest that lodgeth with his friend for a day or two; nor as a stranger that taketh up his Inn for a night or two; nor as a sojourner that meaneth to remove when his term is out: but as an owner and possessor, that meaneth to set down his rest, and not to leave that place, as john 14, 16, 17. I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever: even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seethe him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Thirdly, it noteth the manner of his presence, not by the infiniteness of power, as he is present with all his creatures, to sustain them and uphold them, but by his grace and gracious effects, uniting us to Christ, regenerating us to be lively members of his body, crying in our hearts, Abba, Father, and witnessing thereby our adoption, Rom. 8, 9 Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Christ is also said to dwell in our hearts by faith, Eph. 3, 17. Now let us examine the reason, included in these words, in the midst whereof I dwell: and consider the strength and power of it, how he provoketh them to study to be an holy people, separate from all pollutions and provocations of sin, by the assurance of his gracious presence.  
We learn from hence, that the consideration of God's presence and help that ever goeth Doctrine 1 with his children, 
God's presence and help must provoke us to well-doing.  must provoke them to well-doing. His presence ought to move us to all good duties. This point is taught in many places of the word of God, as Numb. 35, 34. Defile not the Land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel. Where we see, he reasoneth thus; I dwell among the Israelites, therefore they must take heed they defile not the Land. Thus also he speaketh in Deuteronomy, chap. 23, 14. The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy Camp be holy, that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. here he moveth them to holiness toward him, because of his continual presence with them. Thus doth the Lord speak to Solomon, concerning the house which he was building. If thou wilt walk in my statutes, 
1 Kin. 6, 12, 13  and execute my judgements, and keep all my commandments, to walk in them: then will I perform my word with thee, which I spoke unto David thy Father: and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So the Prophet Esay reasoneth, chap. 52, 11, 12. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence: touch no unclean thing: go ye out of the midst of her: be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord: for ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your reward. In all which places, the presence of God that is most holy, is brought in, urging us to the duties of holiness of life.  
The reasons are very plain to prove the same. First, because God is the Lord: he is of Reason 1 absolute power to command and rule over all, and therefore he being the Lord God, his presence with us must provoke us to watch over all our ways, and to walk in fear and trembling before him. This reason is expressed in the first chapter of the book of joshua, verse 9, where the Lord saith unto him, Be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee, whither soever thou goest. Where he concludeth and assureth him thereby, that God is with him, because he is the Lord.  
Secondly, the consideration of his presence Reason 2 must work in us obedience toward him, because he hath graciously promised, that he will never fail nor forsake those which are his. He will not leave us in the work which we undertake, but be with us when we begin it, and when we finish it. This reason is given by Moses, encouraging the people to fight the battles of God against the Nations, whom he had promised to deliver into their hands, Deut. 31, 6. Fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Where he proveth the truth of his presence by the comfortable effect of it, that he will deliver them in time of need, and will not leave them as a prey in the hands of their enemies.  
Use 1 The uses are in the next place to be handled. First, we learn from hence for the increase of our faith, to conclude the happy and blessed estate of the faithful, that have such a faithful deliverer, and so sure a promise of deliverance. They are esteemed of the greatest part of this wretched world, to be as men unhappy and forlorn, and so to be far from true happiness. But seeing they have his help ready at hand to keep them from danger, and to preserve them in danger, being always safe and sure under his protection, who is as a shield round about us, it showeth apparently and most certainly, that they are a blessed people that are thus, and may comfort themselves herewith, in the midst of all discomforts and discouragements that they shall meet withal. This doth the Prophet David declare, Psal. 40, 1, 2. He waited patiently upon the Lord, who brought him out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set his feet upon the rock, and ordered his doings. Where we see, that God's gracious deliverance and preservation provoked him to depend upon him, and to praise his Name: whereupon he inferreth in the next words, Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. None therefore are comparable unto them, none are happy but they.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing we have God's presence ever with us, to be an instructor and admonisher of us, and as a guide and governor to us in well-doing, let us be of a good comfort, and cheerful in all duties that God layeth upon us, and requireth of us. It cannot be denied but we have many and sundry discouragements and pul-backes to hinder us from the execution of all good duties both general and particular in our callings: but this consideration and meditation is able to overweigh them all. This serveth as a wonderful comfort to all sorts, both to the Ministers and people, and should never be forgotten of us. Touching the Ministers, it is given by our Saviour, Mat. 28, 20. Acts 18, 9, 10. Exod. 4, 12. If his presence must be as a spur unto us, to quicken us being dull and heavy, and ready to draw back: let it put life into us, and cause us to teach the people cheerfully to observe whatsoever Christ hath commanded us. What though we have many crosses in our way, and many enemies that set themselves against us, yet greater is he that is with us, than they that are against us: Satan cannot be so malicious to hurt us, as God is gracious to deliver us: and his instruments shall not be so strong to cast us down, as the Lion of the Tribe of juda shall be victorious to hold us up: and therefore let us not fear them that can kill the body, but him that is able to cast body & soul into hell fire. Touching the people, it serveth also to comfort them, and to work in them perseverance in their callings. Let them boldly go forward in hearing and professing his word, forasmuch as his presence doth guide us thereunto. To this purpose doth Moses call joshua, and say unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong, and of a good courage, 
Deut. 31, ●  for thou must go with this people unto the Land which the Lord hath sworn unto their Fathers to give them, and thou shalt cause them to inherit it: and the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, etc. Having therefore so sure a Rock to rest upon, it is a sign of great weakness and infirmity, or of want of faith, to start aside from our holy profession, and not to rest upon him that hath given us the promise of our deliverance, and the assurance of his presence.  
Lastly, seeing God is in the midst of us Use 3 to succour and save us, and thereby to stir us up unto well-doing, let us open our eyes, and behold the great works that he hath done in the earth for his own people. Let us not forget his mercies toward us, but keep a register of them, as the Prophet exhorteth, Psalm. 46, which is a Psalm of thanksgiving, which the Citizens of jerusalem sung to God, for the preservation of jerusalem, against certain terrible and troublesome enemies that did assault it, ver. 8, 9 The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of jacob is our refuge: Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath done in the earth. Where we may see, that upon this consideration that God was among them, as in an high place whereunto they should resort, he provoketh them to a serious contemplation of such works of mercy and judgement, as God had showed in their defence against their enemies. This use concerneth no people under the heavens, more than us. We have found and felt the gracious and glorious presence of God to be with us and among us. We have had a wonderful experience of wonderful deliverances against close, and subtle, and malicious enemies. They have opened their mouths as the grave: they have stretched out their hands against us, and their feet have been swift to shed blood. They have prepared their fireworks; they have dived down to the nethermost hell to take counsel against us: and they have sought to quench the light of Israel. Destruction and calamity hath been in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known: so that except God had been on our side, they had swallowed us up quick, and the waters, even the swelling waters had gone over our soul. But God hath broken their snare, and quenched their fire, he hath preserved Prince and people, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and called upon him. As for his enemies and the enemies of his Church, they have been consumed with the flame of that fire which themselves had kindled, as they were burned that cast the three children into the Furnace, Dan. 3, 22. and as the Lions broke their bones in pieces, and tore them in sunder, that had cast Daniel into the den, Dan. 6, 24. Thus shall it be with all persecutors that plot the ruin of the Church. They may gather themselves together, but they shall be scattered: they may pronounce a decree, but it shall not stand: they may dig deep to hide their counsels, but they shall be discovered, & come to nothing. He hath not made his Church a prey unto their teeth, but hath utterly destroyed them, and made havoc of them, that they became dung to the earth, and a prey to the fowls of heaven. They then are greatly to be reproved, who behold every where and at all times the works of God, both of his mercy toward his people, and of his judgements against his enemies, and yet are never moved to glorify his Name, nor to walk in obedience before him.  
[In the midst whereof I dwell.] We have heard the strength of the reason, and how necessarily and demonstratively it concludeth: The presence of GOD with us is a forcible means to prick us forward, and to provoke us to holiness of life, and to all well-doing. Now let us consider the words in themselves, without the consideration of others. Wherein we see, he giveth his promise for his presence, or setteth down plainly unto them, that he is continually among them, to wit, the holy God among his holy people.  

●ine. ●euer●●resent 〈◊〉 peon  This teacheth us, that God is evermore present with his people, he is in the midst of them, he is never absent from them. He watcheth over them for their good, he never slumbereth nor sleepeth, he never forsaketh them, that he should bring them into danger. This appeareth in the example of joseph, Gen. 39, 21, 23. The Lord was with him, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Where having showed that God was with joseph, he expoundeth and expresseth what his presence was, and wherein it consisted, and how it was manifested. He was cast into prison, and lay in great misery, yet did not God forsake him, but was with him, even in prison. God abhorreth not the loathsome prisons▪ into which his servants are cast. He commandeth us to visit his Children that are put in prison, much more therefore will he do it himself. This is set down in the prayer of David for Solomon his son, Arise and be doing, and the Lord be with thee. 1 Chron. 22, 11, 16. and in the prayer of Solomon, at the dedication of the Temple, 1 Kings 8, 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our Fathers, let not him leave us, nor forsake us. This also is that merciful promise which he maketh to his people, Exod. 29, 45, 46. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them, I am the Lord their God. Hereby doth the Prophet comfort himself, Psal. 23, 4. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear none evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff doth comfort me. This is such a principle as is so plain, that it needeth no farther confirmation, that wheresoever two or three are gathethered together in his Name, he is in the midst of them, Mat. 18.  
I will propound a few reasons, and that Reason 1 briefly. First, he will save those that are his. His presence is not a vain presence, neither is he an idle beholder of things that are done, but his presence is to prosper and to save. The end of his being with us, is the salvation of us. This is the reason that God giveth to his people, and the promise of deliverance after long trouble, jer. 30, 11. I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all Nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. And to the same purpose he speaketh in the 42, chapter, Be not afraid of the King of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid: be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. We must not therefore dream of a presence that effecteth nothing: he is not one that standeth still and doth nothing, as he that is in a dream, but rather willeth his people oftentimes to stand still, while he worketh all in all.  
Secondly, they have good success in their Reason 2 lawful labours and honest endeavours, so that he maketh the works of their hands prosperous. Except the Lord do build the house, & watch the City, the labours of the builder, and the cares of the watchman, profit nothing at all. This reason is rendered in the example of joseph, Gen. 39 God was with him, and he made all that he had to prosper. So it is said in the book of the judges, The Lord was with judah, 
judges 1, 19  & he drove out the inhabitants of the Mountain. In like manner we read concerning David, 2 Sam. 5, 10. David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. Seeing then, God saveth his people in times of danger, and prospereth the works of their hands that they undertake in his fear, it followeth, that he is continually with them.  
Let us now come to the uses that arise from Use 1 hence. First, for the increase of a sound faith in God, in whom we are to trust, we may conclude, that seeing God is with his servants, therefore they shall not fall down, or take the foil, but shall prosper and prevail. He leaveth them not to themselves, he withdraweth not his strength from them, he delivereth them not to the lust and pleasure of their enemies. This is it which he telleth joshua after the death of Moses, judg. 1, 5. There shall not any be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. Whensoever we prosper in our ways, & find the blessing of God to have been with us in our actions, let us not ascribe it to our industry and policy, to our own diligence and endeavours, but acknowledge from whence it springeth and proceedeth; it is because God is with us. This is a notable comfort unto us, to consider that the gates of hell shall never be able to prevail against the Church, to deface it and to root it out and to destroy it. If the Church fail, God shall fail with it. If this be unpossible, so is the other. If the church should fail, Christ must also fail, and all the benefits of his death and passion: which can never come to pass, forasmuch as he died not in vain, but will make his death available in all the members of his body unto the end of the world. Let us evermore lay hold on this, especially when we see the enemies of the Church multiply, and to affront the true servants of God: the presence of God must stay us up, and support us in the midst of all dangers.  
Use 2 Secondly, this teacheth us this good duty, that we take heed we do not defile ourselves with the pollutions of sin. For how shall we dare to commit sin, that is so highly displeasing in his sight, forasmuch as he is with us to behold us and all our actions? Nothing is more loathsome to GOD, than the filthy stench that sin casteth up in his nostrils: so that we should hate it in all men, but especially in ourselves with a perfect hatred, even more than the devil of hell himself. True it is, many men cannot abide to hear him named, they defy him in words, but they do not deny him in deeds. We hate him as he is deformed, not as he was form: not as the creature of God, but as he is degenerate from his original estate. He is the creature of God, but sin is the work and child of the devil, john 8, 44. he is said to be a liar from the beginning, and the father thereof: and as he is the father of lying, so also of all other sin. He is said to be a murderer from the beginning, and the pharisees are charged to be his children. 
Gen. 3, 15.  The wicked are named his seed; and Cain is said to be of that evil one, because he slew his brother, 1 john 3, 12 We must therefore be afraid of sin, and be as unwilling to entertain it, as to entertain a child of the devil. If once we lodge it, it will not be easy for us to dislodge it: if once we suffer it to fasten upon us, it will be very hard to lose his hold again. It will stick fast upon us as pitch, and defile us also, as dirt and dung. The means to bridle and suppress it, is to set before us the presence of God. The Subject will do nothing unseemly in the presence of his Prince, nor the child in the sight of his father. We are always in God's eye, he beholdeth all things that are done of us. This is that of which Moses putteth the people in remembrance, Deut. 23, 14. The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy Camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee, therefore shall thy Camp be holy, that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. No unclean thing like to the uncleanness of sin, it is worse than all excrements which we do loath and abhor. It driveth him from us, that he will no longer walk among us to do us good. Thus speaketh Phinehas the son of Eleazar the Priest, to the Tribes that inhabited beyond the River, 
josh. ●●  This day we perceive that the Lord is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the Lord: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord. Where he proveth, that they had rightly learned, and also reverently regarded the presence of God, because they had learned thereby to abstain from sin, which is abominable and filthy before him. For this cause the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 6, 17. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you. Then he promiseth to dwell in us, and to walk among us; he offereth himself to be our God, & to account us to be his people. All men will in words confess, that they believe the presence of God in all places, and his allseeing eye reaching and stretching over all persons: howbeit this confessing in word is not an argument of sound believing in hart: forasmuch as many acknowledge it with the tongue, that do utterly and openly deny it in their deeds. If his presence work in us a conscience of sin, and a care to please God in all things, it is an evident token that we are good Scholars, & remember this lesson well, which is here delivered unto us, touching his presence every where. Let us oftentimes examine ourselves by this rule: and know that we have so far profited in the doctrine of it, as it bridleth our corruption in us, and no farther. If we be lose in life, and every where profane, never regarding what we do, or what we speak, or how we break out into all wickedness, we may well talk or tattle of God's presence, but we turn him into an Idol, and with the Epicures make him sit idle in heaven, to know all things, but to regard nothing.  
Lastly, it is our duty to have a care to promote Use 3 his worship and service, in all things to farther it, and to cut off all impediments and hindrances that stand against it. This is the use that is often made of this doctrine, as Exod. 25, 8. Let them make me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Where the Sanctuary of God is, there will he be: where it is not well looked unto, but wholly neglected, there is he gone from that people, and departed. This we see in the words of David, exhorting and commanding all the Princes to help Solomon his son in building of the Temple, 1. Chron. 22, 18, 19 where he saith, Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? For he hath given the inhabitants of the Land into mine hand, and the Land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people: now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God: arise therefore, and build ye the Sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built to the Name of the Lord. As they had experience that he was among them, so he would have them go lustily forward in furthering of his worship & the means of it. Can their enemies have taken the foil, and been delivered as a prey unto them, who had so long dwelled among them, and taken deep root in the earth, as a Tree that could not be shaken with the wind, except the Lord had been with them, and helped them, and fought their battles for them? Thus they were assured of God's presence with them, and therefore they ought to be sttong and courageous in promoting his glory and setting up his service, that he might remain among them, and never departed from them. To this purpose speaketh the Prophet Haggai, when he saw the wonderful backwardness of the people of Israel, in building the Lords house, that they gave themselves to their own profits and pleasures, but let the Temple lie waste, chap. 2, 4. Be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord, & be strong, O jehoshua, son of josedech the high Priest, and be strong all ye people of the Land, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. There he gave them visible signs of his gracious presence, and was not called upon in vain; which mercy is called dwelling among them.  
This use hath many branches: First, we must give cheerfully for the building & preparing of a place decent for him to be served. So did the people in the time of Moses. God must have a fit place for his service. Our churches are as the Tabernacle and Temple to the jews, they are as an house to him. They must not be suffered to decay.  
Secondly, the profaners and spoilers of the places of his worship, are worthy of severe punishment, forasmuch as God accounteth of it as a spoiling of himself, Mal. 1. If any were asked, whether they would spoil God himself or not, they would deny it, and constantly avouch it, and be offended with them that should affirm it: nevertheless, if we be careless of the means of his worship, he accounteth it as sacrilege, and condemneth it as a robbing of himself.  
Thirdly, seeing it is the house wherein he dwelleth, it teacheth with what zeal & forwardness, with what desire and delight we should resort unto it, with what reverence we should remain in it, and how unwillingly we should departed from it, before the end of those holy exercises. Touching our joy in coming to it, the Prophet David testifieth in many places: when he was hindered by his persecutors, that he could not be present in the Congregation of God's people, he was sore troubled, and grievously complaineth of it, Psal. 42, 1, 2. He came to the house of God, as we go to the house of our neighbour, being invited to a feast. So Psal. 26, 8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. And Psal. 122, 1. I was glad, when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Thus ought it to be with us, we should love it above all other places, & delight in it greatly, rather than elsewhere. We should never be weary of it. Touching our reverent behaviour when we are come, we learn it by jacob; he had no sooner perceived the presence of God, but he was touched with fear, Gen. 28, 16, 17. Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not: and he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place? This is none other, but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. When we come to tread in the Lords Courts, we must be stricken with fear, and set before us his presence, and say to our own souls in a comfortable meditation of it, Surely the Lord is in this place. We must not think only, we shall meet with men there like unto ourselves, but there we shall meet with the Lord himself, and shall have his presence. And thus did Cornelius stir up himself and the rest that were to hear Peter, Acts 10. And touching our departure, it ought not to be before the end, as we have showed at large elsewhere. The latter end belongeth unto us, as well as the beginning: and then peradventure we may hear that which we shall never hear again. The Word is no more at our choice to divide, & to choose what we will hear and what not, than the Sacrament. If we should see a man at the Lords Supper, when he had received the bread, which is one of the outward signs, to departed out of the Church before he had received the cup containing the wine, which is the other sign, all men would be ready to condemn him of intolerable contempt, and that most justly. The whole word preached, and all the prayers that are offered up to God, belong to us as well as the whole Sacrament. God will not have us know a part only of his will, but all his will, and learn his whole counsel. If the Subject should deal so unreverently in hearing his Prince speak, as we unconscionably deal with God, when he speaketh, he might well gather he were contemned. The Minister therefore must make an end of speaking▪ before we should make an end of hearing the word that he delivereth unto us from the mouth of God.  
[Verse 4. And the children of Israel did so, and put them out, etc.] The commandment that God gave to Moses of putting out these unclean persons out of the Camp, together with the reasons whereby it is confirmed, hath hitherto been handled. Now we see in these words, the execution thereof set down generally and particularly; they did put them out, and suffered them to remain no longer among them. When God had once decreed and determined they should be removed, they durst not permit them to have any residence with them. The commandment was given unto Moses, the execution of it is done by all Israel. The Governors pronounced the sentence, the whole Congregation gave their consent. It was done in their presence, and they did approve of it.  

Doctrine. No Church ought to tolerate open offenders.  This practice teacheth us this doctrine, that no Church should suffer among them open wicked persons to live unpunished and uncensured. No Church ought to tolerate, wink at, or bear with any filthy livers, or unclean persons, or notorious offenders among them, as Deut. 23, 17. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a Sodomite of the sons of Israel. The Corinthians are sharply reproved, because they suffered one incestuous person to live among them, 1 Corinth. 5, 1, 2. It is reported commonly, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife: and ye are puffed up, & have not rather mourned, that ●he who hath done this deed, might be taken away from among you. So the Apostle, giving rules of direction to the church how to live, Eph. 5, 3, 5. saith, Fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh Saints: such have no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven and of God. Christ our Saviour reproveth sundry Churches in the Revelation, that suffered wicked persons to rest in their bosom & did not cast them out, revel. 2, 14, 20. as namely the Angel of the Church in Pergamus, and the Angel of the Church in Thyatira, & therefore he had a few things against them: so that we may conclude, that no Church can without blame and blemish tolerate among them such as are wicked livers and notorious offenders.  
This truth may be farther strengthened by Reason 1 many reasons. For first, it is a comely thing for the Saints of God to do so: that as they differ from heathen men, so they may differ from heathen meetings. Moses teacheth, that they ought to put out evil from them, because they are an holy people, Deut. 23, 14. The Apostle would not have fornication and uncleanness to be once named among them, because so it becometh those that are Saints to do, Eph. 5, 3. Now they were made light in the Lord, that were sometimes darkness, and therefore they must walk as children of the light.  
Secondly, for the neglect of this duty, the Reason 2 wrath of God falleth upon the sons of men. He is the God of order, and requireth that all things in the Church be done in order. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, Col. 3, 6. For such things sake, the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience. And we have sundry examples of this, in the people of Israel, who were diversly destroyed, because of their sins, 1 Cor. 10, 5. With many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the Wilderness. If then notorious sins bring down God's wrath, notorious sinners are not to be winked at, to the end that his wrath may be turned away.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, we showed before that they were as swine and dogs, or as unclean beasts, and should not be admitted to the fellowship of Christ's sheep which are clean, lest they defile them and corrupt them through their contagion, and tread down with their feet, the residue of their pastures. The Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 5, 6. Do ye not know, that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Sin therefore being infectious, the sinner is not to be tolerated in the assembly of the righteous.  
The uses remain to be handled. First of Use all, it should minister great matter of much grief and sorrow to every society of Christian men and women, when any of the Congregation grow to be thus profane and defiled with the contagion of sin. Is it not a great grief to have any one member of the body cut off? Or can any endure it without pain and anguish? So should it be when any that is called a brother, is put from the rest of the body of the Church, and severed from the external communion of Saints. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Corinth. 5, 2. Ye are puffed up, and have not sorrowed. This reproveth those that regard not this censure, whether it be executed upon themselves or others, neither are touched with the dishonour that is done to God, when heinous and horrible sins do break out of the bosom of the Church. The Prophet testifieth, Psal. 119, 136. that his eyes gushed out Rivers of tears, because they kept not his law. So the Lord speaketh to the man that was clothed in linen, whom he appointed to preserve such as were his, Ezek. 9, 4. Go through the midst of the City, through the midst of jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for all the abominations, that be done in the midst thereof. If any man be present, and behold the Chirurgeon ready to cut off the arm or leg of another, he is moved with a kind of compassion and commiseration, and is touched with grief for it: how much more ought we to be grieved, when a brother is cut off from the communion of the Church, which is the mother of us all? The Prophet rejoiced, when they said unto him, Let us go into the house of the Lord: so it ought to minister matter of mourning, when any have this grievous punishment laid upon them, as to be turned out of the Church. It ought therefore to be accounted, neither matter of joy, nor matter of gain, neither should we be glad to hear that any are so proceeded against.  
Secondly, it is a cause of great mercy, and Use 2 of a wonderful blessing from God, when such as transgress, are resisted and punished. So long as sin is suffered, God is offended, and his wrath is extended over those places and persons. He hath a controversy against those that sin against him. 
josh. 7, 1●, ● 8, 1, 2.  The host of Israel could not prosper so long as Achan remained among them, the enemies prevailed against them, and they turned their backs unto them: but when he was taken away, and the glory of God revenged which he had defaced, Israel prospered and had the upper hand. They could not stand before their enemies, until they had put the accursed thing from among them. And how much he hateth sin, he declareth sometimes in his own servants: for jonah must be cast into the sea, or else the Ship and the passengers in it shall ever be in jeopardy; & therefore he said unto the Mariners, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea, so shall the sea be calm unto you: 
〈◊〉 12. ●.  for I know, that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. If then he spare not his own people, how should he spare others that are his enemies? We have a notable example of this, afterward in this book; when the people of Israel began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, & bowed down unto their Gods, and so coupled themselves unto Baal-peor, God brought a fearful judgement upon them, 
〈◊〉. 8, 9  and there died▪ in that plague, four and twenty thousand, But Phinehas the son of Eleazar rose up from the midst of the Congregation, and with his spear he smote the adulterer and the adulteress, so the plague ceased from the children of Israel, the anger of God being turned away from them. A contrary example is to be seen in Eli, 1 Sam. 2. he winked at the wickedness of his ungodly sons, and it brought down a grievous judgement upon them, and upon himself, and upon the people. Such churches therefore as are careful to put from among them notorious offenders, are blessed of God. Sin is the cause of all judgement, and the removing thereof bringeth all blessings with it.  
Thirdly, every Congregation is bound to Use 3 purge their own body from such excrements and filthiness as annoy it. We must have herein true zeal & godly courage in the cause of God and his truth. We must not stand in fear of the faces of men, though they be never so great and mighty. The censures of the Church must not be like the spider's web, which catcheth flies and gnats, whereas the bigger creatures break from it. They must be administered indifferently, without all respect of persons: otherwise it layeth open a gap to destroy religion, faith, honesty, justice, and equity, & maketh a way to wrong and all impiety. This reproveth such as dare not deal with great men, rich men, and mighty men: they are afraid to touch them, lest they purchase their displeasure. 
〈◊〉. in Phor. 〈◊〉. 1.  These are like to fowlers, that pitch not the net to catch kites or Hawks that do hurt, but for such as do no hurt. They suffer great men to do what they list▪ and see them not: they let them alone, & either through negligence they will not, or through fear they dare not control them: according to the saying of the Poet, 
〈◊〉 satyr. 2.  Dat veniam coruis: vexat censura columbas. They that are censors or chastisers of the manners of others, do pardon such as are most wicked and greatest malefactors, but do condemn them that walk in innocency, or at least sin of infirmity. But whatsoever the men are, when they wax impenitent, the Church must spew them out, as an unprofitable burden that lieth upon the stomach. It reproveth those also that would not have the poor complained off, or brought before them, whatsoever they commit, and how much soever they offend, because they are not able to fill their purses, or to pay their fees, or to give them money. These are such Officers as regard their private gain before the churches good: and measure all things by their own profit, not by the Church's benefit: and seek to enrich themselves, not to reform the offender: and to advance their own estate, not to promote the glory of God. But the Church ought not so much to look upon the persons of men, whether they be high or low, rich or poor, as upon the cause: not so much what they are able to pay, as what their sins deserve: following the example of our heavenly Father, who rewardeth every one according to his deserts.  
Lastly, Is no Church to tolerate any open Use 4 offenders among them? then they must use the censure of excommunication as an ordinance of God, not an invention of men: and not only know the nature and use of it, but practise it to the glory of GOD, and to the good of others. This is it which our Saviour Christ hath left and commanded to be executed among us, Math. 18, verse 17. If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church; but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a Publican.  
This use hath many particular branches, but before we come unto them, we are to make it appear, that in this place Christ our Saviour speaketh of excommunication. For the words themselves going before, and following after, are plain and evident. In the circumstances before, it is manifest that he spoke of private admonition, this here delivered is a public censure: that was done before two or three, this before many. And afterward our Saviour saith, Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. What is it to bind, 
What it is to bind & lose  but when the Church knoweth a man to be frozen in the dregs of sin, separated from the spiritual communion of Christ and the Church, and made the bondslave of Satan, to pronounce and declare him to be an impenitent person? and to remain as a captive bound in the chains of Satan, and to keep him out of the Church, as a prisoner kept in prison, until by this sharp remedy he be healed & brought to repentance, as it falleth out to the elect, who are always bettered by it? And what else is it to lose, then when the Church seethe by the true fruits of his repentance, that he is freed, delivered, and loosed from the hands and bands of Satan, by the mighty power of Christ's Spirit, to pronounce him set at liberty to have communion & fellowship with the members of Christ.  
Let us now come to the several points to be observed in this ordinance. First, observe what excommunication is, that we be not deceived in the practice of it, passing over those that ought not to be passed over, and striking those that ought not to be stricken. For sometimes they are smitten with the sword, that deserve not to be touched with the scabbard: and they feel the bluntness of the back, that deserve the sharpness of the edge. Excommunication therefore is an action of the Church, performed in the Name of Christ, whereby a brother grievously offending, and remaining impenitent, is separated from the Communion of the faithful, in those things especially that pertain to the worship of God; aiming thereby at the good of the Church, the salvation of the excommunicate person, and at the glory of God. No man ought to deny, that this authority is given to the church, or to make any doubt of it, and so call it into question.  
Objection. But peradventure some man will say, that Christ saith not, Let him be to the whole Church an heathen, or a Publican; but to thee against whom he hath trespassed, and to whom he will not be reconciled: whereas excommunication separateth from the whole body. Answer. I answer, this is a frivolous objection, and a poor shift to shake this holy ordinance of God in pieces, which is not able once to stir and remove out of his place. For no man ought to be esteemed and accounted as an heathen and Publican, of any particular member, who is acknowledged by the whole Church to be a brother, and communicateth with other of the brethren in all the privileges of the Church. And as though he hath not offended the Church, 
Z●nchi. lib. 1. in quart. praeep. cap. 19  who beside the offence, whereof he was reproved, and wherewith being now revealed and manifest, he hath hurt the Church, hath been stubborn and obstinate against the same, nay stubborn & stiffnecked, obstinate and obdurate against the word of God, by which he was convinced, and exhorted. The Church hath not one cause and I another to esteem of him, and to judge of him, but we proceed by one and the same rule. Seeing therefore the whole Church hath the same cause which I have, why he ought to be reputed as an heathen and a Publican: to wit, sin committed and perpetrated, and joined with stiffness and stubbornness, with contumely and contempt: what reason can be rendered, the cause being common, why he should be to me alone as an heathen and Publican, and not also to the whole Church?  
Moreover, the end why he ought to be unto me as an heathen & a Publican, is the same with the Church in all respects, namely that the brother not repenting nor returning, should be ashamed, and as it were by force & compulsion, be drawn & driven unto repentance. Therefore as well to the whole Church as unto me, he ought to be as an heathen and a Publican, that is, an excommunicate person: so that under the person of one, we must understand the whole Church, as if Christ had said, Let him be unto thee, and to all the brethren, and to the whole Church, as an heathen and a Publican. They then that restrain these words, Let him be unto thee, to one member of the Church alone, are like to the Doctors of Rome, who, because Christ said to Peter, To thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, 
Math. ●●●  conclude, that they were given to Peter alone, that thereupon they may build the foundation of a counterfeit and supposed supremacy: whereas he gave them to all the Apostles alike, as if Christ had said, I commit the keys to thee, and to the rest of the Apostles, and to their successors. So when he saith in this place, Let him be to thee as an heathen and a Publican, he meaneth, both to thee and to the rest of the parts of the Church, one being named in stead of all the rest.  
Lastly, the text itself being rightly weighed and considered, will make it plain and apparent, that this is a foolish cavil and a slender evasion, to understand the words thus, Let him be to thee, that is, Let him be to thee alone and to no others: for Christ having said, Let him be unto thee as an heathen man: to the end he might strengthen and confirm this, that he would ratify all this in heaven above, he annexeth immediately after, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Behold here the change of number used by Christ. Tell me then, wherefore, when he had said in the singular number, Let him be unto thee, as speaking of one, he spoke afterward in the plural, whatsoever ye shall lose, whatsoever ye shall bind, as speaking of many? What was the cause of this difference, but only to signify, that under one person he understood the Church? To shut up this first point, we are not to doubt, but that Christ gave power and authority to the Church, to excommunicate wicked persons that are obstinate and impenitent, when by private admonition they cannot be won, as we shall show more at large afterward.  
Secondly, we must consider, when any man is to be excommunicated; the fit season whereof is, when he hath contemned all admonitions and exhortations of private men, and is waxed proud and self-willed, & setteth himself against the Church; and not before. For than he manifesteth, as clearly as the light that shineth at noon day, not only his obstinacy & resolution to go forward in sin, but his contempt of the word, and of the Church, and of Christ himself, the author of the word, and the head of the Church: so that he is separated from the communion which all the faithful servants of GOD, have with jesus Christ and the Church, whereof we say in the Articles of our faith, I believe the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints. Whereby it appeareth, that he who is excommunicated, is not properly by the Churches censure separated from God and his people, but is declared & pronounced to be separate: forasmuch as properly it is sin which separateth, 
〈◊〉 ●, 2.  Your iniquities have separated between you and your God: and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Excommunication then doth not separate, but serveth to show who are separated: even as the fan doth not make the chaff, but showeth it manifestly, which before lay hid among the good Corne. Whensoever therefore sinners grow obstinate, it is high time to draw out this sword of justice, to cut off from the City of God, such incorrigible persons.  
Thirdly, Christ our Saviour showeth to whom excommunication belongeth, and who are subject unto it. He is under it that is called a brother, and being exhorted, will not hear; being admonished, will not obey: being reproved, will not repent. He must be a brother, he must be admonished, reproved, and convinced. He must be told of his fault or faults privately and publicly. He must be one that hath confessed Christ, and called upon God the Father together with us, albeit he have denied him in his deeds. It is the Lord that will judge them that are without, 
〈◊〉. 5, 12.  the Church hath nothing to do with them. God will punish those that are in the Church, & those that are out of the Church, forasmuch as all belong to his jurisdiction: it is not so with the Church, they have nothing to do with such as are infidels, and never gave their names to Christ, as Turks, jews, Pagans, and such like. For as they that never were in the Synagogue and of the Synagogue, could not be put out of the Synagogue: and as they that were not of the communion, cannot be thrust out of the communion: so they that were never of the Church, or in the number of the faithful brethren, cannot be cast out of the Church. For these only are they that are spots and blots to the church: these are they that cause the Name of God to be evil spoken off: these are they that lay stumbling blocks before the weak: these are they that regard not the first or second table of the Law: these are they that tread under foot all counsels, persuasions, and admonitions made out of the word of God: these are they that are settled and resolved to continue in evil, whatsoever the Church say unto them.  
Fourthly, he is to be excommunicated only, that hath in this manner offended; neither is it to be suffered, or allowed, or practised, that one should be excommunicated for another, except peradventure he also offend, and be entangled in the same sin, or have given consent unto it. The son is not to be excommunicated for the father, nor the father for the son. The rule of the Apostle is to be observed, Gal. 6, 5. Every man shall bear his own burden. It is a common proverb among us, Every vessel shall stand upon his own bottom, that is, every one shall bear the punishment of his own sin. This is it which the Prophet jeremy teacheth, chap. 31, 30. Every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. To this purpose speaketh Paul, Roman. 14, 12. Every one of us shall give an account to God for himself.  
If any object, Object. that we are to give an account to God, not only for ourselves, but for these also that belong unto our charge, as the father for himself and his children, as we see in Eli; the Shepherd for his sheep, and the watchman for the souls of the people, as the Lord saith, His blood will I require at thy hands, Ezek 33.10. and Hebr. 13, verse 17. They watch for your souls, as they that must give an account. Answer. I answer, they shall indeed give an account and be punished, howbeit it is for their own sins, and no farther. Parents, Masters, Magistrates, and Ministers, shall not answer for their sins that are committed unto them, for the sins of their children, their servants, their subjects, and their hearers, but for the sins which themselves commit by their negligence, because they do not look unto them, nor admonish them, nor reprove them, nor restrain them, as it is plainly expressed in the Prophet Ezekiel, chap. 33, verse 8, 9 If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand: Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul So then, he that is impenitent, is to be excommunicated, even he only, and not others that are not partakers of his sin. S. Augustine hath a notable Epistle to this purpose written to a certain Bishop called Auxilius, 
August. epist. 75. in the behalf of one Classicianus.  who being a young man, for the offence of the master of the house, excommunicated all the rest of his family, and would not deliver the Sacraments to his children and household: whom he persuadeth to lay aside anger, and to reverse his sentence, lest the man perish that is a friend, & the devil rejoice in it that is an enemy. In this case in a manner do they offend, who refuse to baptise the children of them that are excommunicated, & such as are borne in fornication, because their parents are impenitent, as though the son should bear the iniquity of the father, or the wife of the husband, or the servant of the master, or he that is not yet born, the iniquity of them that are borne. What hath the infant offended that is borne in the Church, that he should not be baptised of the Church? The Prophet saith, The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father, 
Ezek. 18, 20.  the iniquity of the son; but the soul that sinneth, it shall die. This also is the resolution of Beza in one of his Epistles, 
Beza epist. 10.  proving that the children of the excommunicate may be baptised. We conclude therefore, that they only, which have offended, and remain obstinate in their offences, are to be excommunicated: forasmuch as Christ never said, if he hear not the Church, let him and all that belong any way unto him, be as heathens and Publicans, but let him be unto thee, that is, him only. This serveth to condemn the horrible and abominable tyranny of the Bishops of Rome, who have not only raged upon the bodies of the Saints, but also exercised dominion over their consciences. These are they that send out their curses, and smite the chiefest monarchs of the world, as it were with thunder & lightning. They pronounce sentence of excommunication for trifles, and they absolve from it for trifles. They excommunicate one for another, and they absolve one for another. They cast out of the Church, those that do not belong to their jurisdiction: for what have they to do with Princes? When Princes are supposed to have offended, they curse & condemn whole states and Kings, as they have served heretofore the Kings of this Land, and lately thc State of Venice. They have interdicted whole Realms, they have forbidden divine service to be said, and the Sacraments to be administered.  
Fiftly, we must learn from what things excommunicate persons are excluded, that we may the better know how to behave ourselves toward them. Christ saith, let such be as heathens & Publicans; that is, abstain from such false brethren, and communicate not with them, either in matters of religion, or in common conversation. But how far we must forbear their company and conversing with them, we shall speak afterward. The word excommunication and to excommunicate, note out a cutting off from the communion; which Christ noteth by the branches that bring forth no fruit: 
john 15, 6.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. The Evangelists also call it to put out of the Synagogues, 
john 16, 2.  that is, out of the fellowship of the faithful, met together in one place. Hence it is also, that they were said to be accursed, being out of the Church, as they are blessed that abide in the Church, having a communion together in matters of religion, and fellowship one with another. Now we must understand, that there is a twofold communion, from whence an excommunicate person may be said to be excluded: 
Communion is twofold, inward and outward.  the one is inward and spiritual, the other outward and corporal. The inward communion is that, which every faithful one hath by faith and love, first with God, and then with the Saints of God, and therefore in the Creed it is called, the Communion of Saints. For all the Saints are joined together with Christ their head, by the band of the Spirit, & among themselves, and with the whole body of the Church, 1 Cor. 10, 16. The bread which we break (in the Supper of the Lord) is it not the communion of the body of Christ? saith Paul. And the Apostle john in his first Epistle, That which we have seen & heard, declare we unto you, 
1 Ioh●●.  that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son jesus Christ. From this fellowship, can none be excluded but by sin. The Prophet saith, 
Esay 5▪ ●  your sins have separated between me and you. And john teacheth, that if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, 
1 john 1, ●  we have fellowship one with an other, and the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, showeth particularly, that there is nothing under heaven can separate us from Christ and from the love of God, neither death, 
Rom. 8.3▪ ●  nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature: among all which he doth not reckon sin, and therefore it is sin alone which can separate any man from the grace of God, and from communion with him. The excommunication of the Church can bar and shut out no man from this communion. For if any man be truly engrafted into Christ, endued with faith in Christ, and repentance from dead works, being a member of his body in deed and in truth, excommunication shall hurt him nothing at all, in regard of that spiritual communion; forasmuch as the sentence so given, is void and frustrate, and the door is shut up & locked fast with a false key. Such an excommunication is a blessing not a cursing. Again, albeit a man justly deserveth to be excommunicated through his sin, & to be separated from God, yet excommunication is not the first or chief cause of it, but his own sin, and the continuance in it: seeing it doth not sever him from God, but declareth him to be severed through his impenitency, as the Priests under the law, putting out the leprous, did not defile them with the leprosy, but pronounced them to be defiled; & as the judge giving sentence upon a malefactor, doth not thereby make him a malefactor, (for he was so before) but pronounce him to be so; and as a thief that is found guilty, is not thereby made a thief. But here a question ariseth, how can it be, Object. that any having a true fellowship with Christ, can be separated from it through sin? Can he that is a member of Christ, be made no member? All men are either reprobate or elect. The reprobate are not, neither were, neither ever shall be partakers of this communion: how then should they be separated from it, that were never of it or in it? And touching the elect, they can never fall from the grace of election; the foundation of God remaineth sure, 
2 Tim. ●, ●  & hath this seal, the Lord knoweth who are his, so that it is unchangeable. Besides, such are also engrafted into Christ, and cannot be separated from his communion, according the saying of Christ, john 6, ver. 37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me: and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. And the Apostle john 
1 john ●, ●  saith, They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. If then the reprobate were never of this communion, and the elect can never fall from this communion, it may seem that none can be said to be truly excommunicated, that is, to be separated from that spiritual communion which we have with Christ and with all the Saints by faith, 
●.  hope, and love. I answer, that which is affirmed of the elect and reprobate is most true, nevertheless that which is concluded from thence is most false, as the learned have well observed. For first of all, touching the reprobate, that being hypocrites were once in the Church, though they were never of the Church, neither truly partakers of this spiritual communion of the Saints, yet than they are said to be separated from it, when they are manifested & declared to have been always strangers unto it, and separated from it: as when David prayeth in the Psalms, that they might be blotted out of the book of life, Psal. 69, 28. as if he had said, declare it & show it plainly, that they were never written in the book of eternal election. Secondly, touching the elect, the question is more difficult, and yet the knot is not so intricate or entangled, but it may be loosed. For albeit they cannot be cut off from the grace of election, because his gifts and calling are without repentance, Rom. 11, 29. neither can be wholly and altogether excluded from that communion which they have by faith with Christ, and by love with the Church, both by reason of the stableness of God's promises, and by reason of the efficacy & force of Christ's prayer heard of the Father, 
〈◊〉 ●7, 21, ●.  Luke 22, 32. Yet in some sort & in some respect they separate themselves as much as lieth in them, when they fall into grievous sins, as David, when he committed adultery, and Peter, when he denied his Master. The gifts of the holy Ghost are as a flame of fire kindled in us: such sins are as water powered upon them to quench it: and except GOD did grant his Spirit to dwell in them, and preserve it as fire hidden under the ashes, they would lose it wholly, & be quite and clean excluded from this spiritual communion. Notwithstanding, our salvation is sure for his promise sake, who hath promised to put his fear in our hearts, that we should not departed from him, and for Christ's prayer, who prayed for Peter & all the elect, that their faith should not fail. Hence it is, that he keepeth a remnant of grace in them, and cherisheth the fire of his Spirit, that it should not go out; so that the flame is slaked, and the heat is diminished. But in his good time, he kindleth the fire, and stirreth up the heat, sometimes by his word, and sometimes by his corrections; and therefore the Apostle willeth Timothy to stir up as coals, 
〈◊〉. 1, 6.  the gift of God that was in him: & David having experience hereof, prayeth unto him, to create a new heart in him, and not to take away his Spirit from him. Ps. 51, 10, 11. Thus we see how the faithful are not wholly, but yet in some part separated from the communion of Christ, because they are deprived of the sweet comforts that they felt before, & of the large measure of grace which they find greatly diminished by the committing of sin and continuing in it. This is the spiritual communion.  
The external communion standeth in a common partaking together in the word, in prayers & in the receiving of the Sacraments, and in familiarity and friendship one with another, as Luke speaketh of the Church of Christ after his ascension, Acts 2, 42. They continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Excommunication separateth from all these. But some will say, Object. doth excommunication take away all commercing and conversing one with another? May not one in any sort live with such? Or doth it dissolve all bands of nature and policy? I answer, Answer. no. There are some bands so firmly and closely knit & tied together, that nothing can lose them, and abrogate them. Some duties are natural, some domestical, and some civil, which no excommunication can diminish or dissolve, or dispense withal. The Apostle giveth this as a general precept, If thine enemy hunger, 
Rom. 12, 20.  give him meat, and if he thirst, give him drink. If an excommunicate person be in want and in any distress, we must help him and minister unto him such things as are necessary for his preservation: we must not cast away all care of him, and all love unto him, forasmuch as God hath made us keepers one of another. Again, it is lawful to buy of him, & to sell unto him, and to bargain with him, albeit we should not converse and commerce with him as with a friend. Moreover, if we own personal duties to such a one as is in the family with us, we cannot shake them off under any colour or pretence of excommunication. The wife must perform due benevolence to the husband, the children must obey their parents, the servants must count their masters worthy of all honour, and contrariwise: provided always that they do not cease to pray for them, to admonish them, and to hate their sins, and that they look to themselves that they do not defend them in their wicked courses, and join with them in opinion, for than we make ourselves partakers of their sins.  
Lastly, let us set before us the ends of excommunication, which also have been considered in part already. One end of it is, the good of the person excommunicated, that if it be possible he may be won. 
Tit. 2, 11. Rom 1, 6.  Christ delivereth the doctrine of salvation, & the Gospel is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth. For whereas Christ jesus saith of himself, 
Math. 10, 34.  that he came to send fire and sword into the world, and that he is appointed for the fall of many in Israel, Lu. 12, 46, & 2, 34. & that the Gospel is the savour of death unto death, 2 Corinth. 2, 15. Yet this is not the proper end of Christ or the Gospel, but as it were beside their purpose through the malice and wickedness of men. The Apostle speaking of the Law, saith, Rom. 7. It is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. The like we may say of the discipline of the church; it was ordained not to destruction, but to salvation: and if it attain not to this end, the fault is in the person impenitent, not in the ordinance of God: as when a good & approved medicine well applied, recovereth not the patiented, the fault is not in the Physician, but in the desperateness of the disease. This aught to teach all persons excommunicate for their sins, to submit themselves to the stroke of Gods own hand, that thereby they may be healed. Impenitent persons are as those that are diseased: sins are as sicknesses, or wounds, or soars; excommunication is as physic for the soul, and a sovereign medicine to recover them: and the Governors of the Church, are as good Physicians, or tender chirurgeons, who, when all other remedies of admonition, and exhortation fail, are compelled to sear, and cut, and lance, and apply as it were desperate cures: not that they delight to be sawing and searing, but because the cutting off of one member, serveth to preserve the rest of the body. Let us be content to suffer for the benefit of the soul, as we are for the health of the body. Remember the counsel of the best Physician that ever was, Christ jesus, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: 
Mat 5, 29, 30. and 18.8.  for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. The end of excommunication, is the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. It is a bitter medicine, and unpleasant to the taste, howbeit it is wholesome and healthful. It is as a saw that cutteth off a dead member, or as an hot iron that seareth an ulcer: howbeit the effect is pleasant and profitable. It maketh sad, howbeit it is godly sorrow that causeth repentance never to be repent off. It is like the seed, the which, except it be cast into the earth and die, it can bring forth no fruit. But it may be objected, Objection. how can excommunication make to the good and salvation of him that is excommunicated, forasmuch as it cutteth him off from the body of Christ, and from the communion of Saints, that he may be no longer a member? A member that is once cut off from the body, receiveth no more life from it, neither can be joined to it again, as a branch that is cut from the vine, withereth, joh. 15. How then can excommunication be any way profitable? I answer Answer. as before, that all they who are in the body of the church, & enroled in the number of the faithful, are not after one manner members of the church, neither are all cut off alike by the two edged sword of excommunication. Some are in the church as evil humours in the body, but are not of the Church, as all hypocrites, who have given their names to Christ, but are not Christ's, 
Z●ch 〈◊〉 rede●●●.  because they have not the Spirit of Christ. They have a show of faith & godliness, but they are as Idols, that seem to be that which they are not. They seem to have a communion with Christ, but they have not; like to one that hath a wooden leg so artificially joined to his body, 
Beza. 〈◊〉.  that there is none which taketh it not to be a true leg indeed, whereas notwithstanding it is not so. When the Church proceedeth to excommunication against these, it cutteth them off and casteth them away altogether, so that such a separation cannot tend to their salvation, but is a forerunner of their destruction. Others are true members of the church, & have a true communion with Christ & his Church. These are of two sorts, some are so kept by the power of the Spirit in obedience, that albeit they sin, (for who is it ●hat sinneth not?) yet they give no offence to the Church, & are not obstinate in their sins, but being admonished, or without admonition they repent and amend. Now, where there is repentance from sin, and amendment of life, there is no need of excommunication. There are another sort that want this remedy, and cannot otherwise be cured; the fiery darts wherewith Satan hath wounded them, are so deadly. These the word cannot restore, and the admonitions of a few and of many they contemn: to these, excommunication is profitable, when all other means fail. This foundation being laid, the answer to the former objection is easy, to wit, that it cannot be profitable to be separated from the body from whence it had life, no more then for the branch to be cut away from the vine: forasmuch as we must consider, that there is a twofold separation, in whole, or else in part, and therefore the similitude is not to be presfed farther than the purpose of it. That separation which doth altogether separate any member from the body, cannot be profitable unto it. But excommunication maketh not such a separation, neither divideth the elect (of whom we speak) wholly and finally from the body of the Church, but only in part, in respect of the flesh, not according to the Spirit, in regard of the corruption of the old man, not in regard of the renewing of the inner man. The second end of excommunication is the salvation of the whole Church; for the Corinthians are willed to put away the evil one from among them, and to purge out the old leaven, 
1 Cor. 5.  that they might be a new lump. Where the Apostle showeth, that the casting out of a wicked man from the company of the faithful, is to this purpose, that if he will not repent, yet at least others should be provided for, th●t they be not infected with his impiety, as it were with a leprosy. The third end is, that the rest may fear, and be kept within the bounds of their duty. That which the Apostle speaketh of public rebuking, Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear: 
1 Tim. ●.  may also be applied to excommunication, namely, that the stiff-necked should not be spared no more than wolves be suffered among the sheep, to the end that others by their example may take heed. This is to pull out of the fire, and to save with fear. It is better for us to learn by the punishments of others, then to be censured ourselves for our own sins. Daniel, setting before Belshazzar the king his manifest offences, who was weighed in the balance, and found wanting, doth aggravate and increase his sins, 
〈◊〉. 21.  that he had seen his father deposed from his kingly throne, and driven from the sons of men, and fed with grass like oxen, yet he had not humbled his heart though he knew all these things, but lifted up himself against the LORD of heaven. So when we behold any cut off from the society of the Saints, and do not fear the same sentence, it argueth that we are as members benumbed, and want that lively feeling which ought to be in the members.  
The fourth end is, that those punishments, which hang over the Church for sin, may be avoided. For so long as they that deserve to be excommunicate, remain in the Church, God is provoked to plague that Church, as we saw before in the example of Achan, josh. 7.11. When the Church hath done what lieth in them to do, God is appeased▪ and his wrath turned away, as we noted by the zeal that Phinehas showed against the adulterer, and the adulteress, Numb. 25.7. Psal. 106.30. he stood up and executed judgement, and so the plague was stayed.  
Lastly, the glory of God which is the end of all good things, is another end of excommunication. This the Church ought to aim at, and if this be before their eyes, that are the governors of the Church, it will keep them from declining either to the right hand, or to the left hand, both from sparing the guilty, and from punishing the guiltless, from winking at the sins of great ones, and censuring the faults and infirmities of those of low degree too sharply; from winking at great beams in some, and having Eagles eyes to pry into the motes of others. This will make us walk in the beaten path of God's word. If then, 
●or, 10.31.  in the least things, as our eating and drinking, we must do all to the glory of God▪ how much more ought we to respect it, when we are to deal in so serious and weighty a cause? For his name is honoured and glorified in the salvation of the Elect, and in the just condemnaon of the reprobate, both which are furthered by this ordinance of excommunication being rightly used.   

5 And the Lord spoke unto Moses▪ saying,  

●●●it. 6.3.  6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty:  
7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall reoompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fift part thereof, 
levit. 6.5.  and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.  
8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the Priest: beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.  
9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the Priest, shall be his.  
10 And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the Priest, 
levit. 10.12.  it shall be his.  
The first part of the Chapter hath hitherto been handled, touching the putting of lepers and other polluted persons out of the host: the second part followeth concerning falsehood committed, whereby our brother is damnified, beguiled, and deceived, to the 11 verse. Our neighbour trusteth us, and reposeth confidence in us at our word, but we often make no conscience to deceive and defraud him, so it may be to our own gain and commodity, against the common rule that nature taught the Gentiles themselves, Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets, Matth. 7.12. In this division therefore we are to consider two things: first▪ the promulgation of the law instituted of God to amend and correct this fault. Secondly, the application of this particular to the general law touching the Priest's maintenance. The law is first propounded and enacted, and then amplified by a proviso or exception set down by way of preventing of an objection. The substance of the Law is this. If any man or woman have dealt falsely with his brother in any part of his goods, by circumventing of him fraudulently, or detaining any of them wrongfully, whereby he is injured, and God is offended, so that his own conscience accuseth him & witnesseth against him: this course is to be taken, he must seek to blot out and wash away his trespass and offence which he hath done, three ways. First by confession: secondly, by restitution: thirdly, by reconciliation.  
First, he must confess his sin, and crave pardon from the bottom of his heart; he must submit himself unto God, and acknowledge freely & willingly, what he hath done, knowing that he can by no means hide his sin, nor by any colour keep it from the sight of God. It booteth him not to deny it, or defend it, or excuse it, or diminish it, or turn it over upon others. If he would receive pardon and forgiveness, it is necessarily required of him, that he use hearty confession, both of this, and all other trespasses and transgressions.  
Secondly, we must make satisfaction to him whom we have wronged, and from whom we wrested any thing. It is not enough to make open confession unto God, unless also we make actual restitution unto men. For the sin is not pardoned, except that which is taken away be restored. Wherefore, that the party offended should be recompensed, and the party offending should be punished, he must together with the principal, make good the damage, and put a fift part more thereunto, and give it unto him against whom he hath transgressed. This is done, to discourage injurious persons, and to make them afraid to do wrong, whether by fraud or violence. For if they should only restore the principal, they knew, if their offences were found out, they should be no losers.  
Thirdly, he must seel ● reconciliation and atonement with God, by offering up of a ram in sacrifice, which figured out the suffering of Christ, and offering up of himself once upon the Cross, for the discharge of our sin, and appeasing of the wrath of his Father. It is in vain to make satisfaction unto men, except we know how God will be satisfied: and it shall profit us nothing to be at peace with men, except we be at peace with our God.  
This is the enacting of the Law: an exception is annexed by way of prevention. For the offender that hath trespassed against his neighbour, might object and say, How can I restore that I have taken? it may be the party is dead; it may be he hath neither son nor daughter; neither brother, nor kinsman: may I not then lawfully conceal it and justly retain it unto myself? I answer, nay; the Lord answereth, Thou shalt by no means detain the goods that are not thine own, if thou look for any good at my hand: as if he should say, when thy neighbour is any way damnified, let the loss be recompensed, and the damage restored, provided always, and be it farther enacted, that if the owner be dead or unknown, and he have none of his kindred and alliance living to be his heir, it shall not be thine, it is the Lords, and he giveth it unto the Priest for a recompense of his labours in the Tabernacle, and his service of the Lord, and his teaching of the people, God is the Lord of the soil, he challengeth it at his own, and he disposeth it at his own pleasure.  
Thus much touching the Law: the applying of it followeth, where God ordaineth it as a Law, that all such things as are purloined and conveyed away from the right owners and possessors, should (in case they or any of them fail) be bestowed upon the Priest, which is amplified by an equal comparison of the like; all other things offered should be his also, and might not be altered to any other use: as if he had said, As I have given them the offerings of the people, so I have given to them this also, that they shall have right as well to the one as to the other by my gift.  
[Verse 5. When a man or woman shall commit any sin, & o.] After we have seen the order of the words, let us make a collection of doctrine. And first observe, that Moses speaketh in this place, not of any sin committed against piety and godliness, but against the equity and justice that ought to be among men: not of the immediate worship of God prescribed in the first table, but of wrongs done to our brethren, forbidden in the second table, as appeareth by sundry circumstances, both because he speaketh of making him recompense, which no man can give to God, it being unpossible to make satisfaction to him for the least offence; and because the trespass shall be recompensed to the Priest: yet notwithstanding he calleth it a trespass against God. Hereby we learn, that all sin, 
Doctrine. All sin 〈◊〉 committed against God himself.  even the breach of the second table, is committed against God. Whatsoever injuries and offences are done against our brethren, are sins and offences committed against God. This appeareth evidently in other places of the Law, as Leuit. 6.2, 3, 4. If any man sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and deny to his neighbour that which is taken him to keep, etc. Where he teacheth, that to deny the thing committed to our keeping, to break the trust reposed in us, to rob our neighbour violently, to take his goods from him, to deny that which we have found and our neighbour hath lost, are all of them sins against God, though trespasses against men.  
The charge also that Nathan layeth upon David, together with his answer, make this truth most plain, 2 Sam. 12.9.13. The Prophet reproving him saith, Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. To this heavy message from God delivered by his servant the Prophet, doth David submit himself, and in the humility of his soul confesseth, I have sinned against the Lord. This is that which joseph witnesseth, when he was enticed to commit folly with his wanton mistress; (but yielded not unto the tentation) he saith unto her, 
Gen. 39.9.  How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? He doth not say, against my master, and so render evil for good unto him, as he might truly have said, but he speaketh with a feeling conscience that he should sin against God, in offending against his master.  
To all these we may also add the testimony of the Lord himself uttered unto Cain that had conceived malice and murder in his heart against his brother, a sin against the second Table, the sum whereof is, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Gen. 4.6, 7. Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance cast down? if thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou dost not well, sin lieth at the door, etc. It is a notable exhortation that Moses giveth in the behalf of the poor that were among them, Deut. 1.5.6. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release is at hand, and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Whereby we see, that not only such as take away other men's goods wrongfully, do commit sin against God, but they that detain their own goods covetously, and do not bestow them upon the relief of the poor: so that a man may sin in his own, as well as in other men's, in overmuch sparing, as well as in wronging others. To the same purpose he speaketh in another place against the oppressing of an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he were of their brethren, or of the strangers in the land, Deut. 24.15. At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the Sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it, lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. All these places prove unto us, that all sin is committed against God, and respecteth him, either immediately when we sin against the first Table, or mediately when we sin against the second Table.  
This will better appear by such reasons as Reason 1 are grounded out of the Scriptures, and serve to confirm this truth, and to establish our consciences in it. First, sin is nothing else, but the breach of the Law of God, 1 joh. 5.17 and the party that is offended properly & directly, is God himself. For except there had been a law given of God forbidding or commanding, there could be no offence against any creature. If God had not said, Thou shalt not steal, theft had not been a sin: and lust could not be accounted as a sin, except the Law had said, 
〈◊〉. 7.7.  Thou shalt not lust, as Paul confesseth he had not known sin, but by the law. And in another place he testifieth that where there is no law, there is no transgression, forasmuch as by the law cometh the knowledge of sin. 
〈◊〉. 4.15.  If God had not said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, David had never offended Vriah in taking his wife. If he had never said, Thou shalt not kill: it had been no offence to take away life. Absalon had never transgressed in dishonouring his father, Cain in murdering his brother, Ziba in slandering his master if God had never published a law against these things. Hence it is that the Apostle john saith, Whosoever committeth sin, 
〈◊〉. 3.7.  transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the Law. This is a full and perfect definition of sin, so that as the definition, and the thing defined, are both one, so are sin, and the breach of the Law. For as every sin is the transgression of the Law, so every transgression of the law is sin, and nothing else but sin; as every man is a reasonable creature, and every reasonable creature is a man. If then by sin the law of the eternal God be broken, we see how it toucheth him nearly, so that his Majesty is offended, and his justice violated.  
Secondly, every sin is liable to judgement, Reason 2 against whomsoever it be committed, it is punished of God, he taketh the matter into his own hand, as Rom. 1.18. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, which hold the truth in unrighteousness. And chap. 2.9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man, that doth evil, of the jew first, and also of the Gentile. To this purpose speaketh the Apostle james, cha. 4.12 There is one Lawgiver, that is able to save, and to destroy. He punisheth sin in whomsoever he findeth it, and letteth not the transgressor escape scot free; that so he may be acknowledged to be a just and upright God, that hateth wickedness, and loveth righteousness. For he will show himself just, as well in his reproofs and threatenings, as in his judgements and corrections. Now, he could not correct all sin, except all sin were committed against him. And if he should, he should be an unjust judge through too much rigour and severity, as the Apostle concludeth in the Epistle to the Romans, cha. 3.5, 6. Is God unrighteous which punisheth? (I speak as a man) God forbid: for then, how shall God judge the world? Forasmuch as he which is to judge all the world in righteousness and truth, cannot but deal justly and uprightly, Gen. 18.  
Thirdly, as he punisheth all sin, so he only Reason 3 can forgive sins. This is that which the Prophet setteth down: Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back, Esay 38.17. And to rhis purpose speaketh Micah, chap. 7.19. He will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. If then it belong to God alone to forgive sins, it followeth that they are committed against him.  
Fourthly, the love of our brethren is made Reason 4 the fufilling of the whole law, and the trial of ourselves whether we love God, or not. This the Apostle maketh plain, Rom. 13.8.9, 10. Own no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law: for this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, etc. it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law. In setting down the sum of the whole Law, Christ and his Apostles oftentimes pass over the first Table, and make no mention of the duties thereof. He calleth the most weighty and principal matters of the Law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity, Matth. 23.23. and when the young man in the Gospel, asked the question, what commandments he must observe that he may enter into eternal life, he sendeth him not to the first Table, but to the second, and saith unto him, Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt commit adultery, etc. thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, Matth. 19.18. He might have taught, that he should have no other God, but the true God of Israel, and that he must love him, believe in him, and put his trust and confidence in him: but the obedience hereunto stood for the most part in the inward affection of the heart, or in outward ceremonies. The affection of the heart doth not appear outwardly, and the outward ceremonies of his worship are oftentimes counterfeited through hypocrisy: but the works of charity are witnesses of true righteousness. Our outward works toward men are signs of our inward piety toward God: so that he will have our faith toward him to be known by these fruits. Wherefore, forasmuch as we have plainly showed and firmly proved, that all sin is a transgression of God's Law, that he is a punisher of sin, rewarding every one according to his works, that he only can forgive sins, and that he trieth how we perform our duty toward him, by our love and charity toward our brethren: it followeth necessarily, that howsoever men are many ways and oftentimes greatly wronged, yet therein also God is most highly offended.  

An objection answered.  Now, albeit the doctrine may seem sufficiently strengthened by these consents and reasons, yet some scruple and doubt may remain in us, except we shall remove one objection. For in that prayer which the Lord taught his disciples, we are taught to ask forgiveness our sins at the hands of God, forasmuch as we also forgive our debtors, Luk. 11.4. The creditor is God, the debtor is man, the band or bill is the Law, the debt is sin, the prison is hell. Hereupon the question may be asked, Object. how all sin can be made to be committed against God, seeing we are also said to sin against men, and to be indebted unto them: for debt and sin are used indifferently the one for the other? If then we be said to sin against God only, how are we said to trespass against our brother, and our brother to trespass against us? 
Luke 17.3.4 Answer.  and how are we said to forgive one another? I answer, in every trespass that we do against our neighbour, we are to consider two things: first, the injury done to man: secondly, the offence done against God. The loss and damage that man receiveth, either in his body, when he is wounded, or in his substance, when it is purloined, or in his good name when it is abused, he may forgive and remit: but the sin against God and his Law, God only can remit and release. If a man be slandered, and thereby receive much hurt, he may pardon that, as we see in David▪ who, flying from his sons rebellion, was cursed with an horrible curse by Shemei, one of the family of the house of Saul: he accused him to be a bloody man, 
2 Sam. 16.7.  and reviled him as a man of Belial; yet he put it up, and would not be revenged of it, neither suffer others to take away his life. Nevertheless, as his vile slanders and false surmises were forbidden in the ninth commandment, and were breaches thereof, he did not, neither could he forgive, he hath nothing to do with that; nay, all the men in the world are not able to make it no breach of the law, and consequently no sin against God. If a man cause a blemish in his neighbour, he may forgive the blemish he hath received, as Stephen his persecutors that stoned him to death, and prayed for them; but he cannot blot out the stain that the sin maketh in his soul, nor forgive the breach of the sixth commandment. If a man have his goods stolen, he may pardon the thief, but he cannot remit the theft; for as much as the eighth commandment will take hold of him as a Sergeant, and judge him as guilty in the sight of God.  
Besides, as there is a twofold trespass, 
Vrs●n 〈◊〉 part. 4.  so there is a threefold kind of remitting or forgiving, to wit, remission of revenge, remission of punishment, and remission of judgement. Remission of revenge belongeth to all persons, both public and private, and restraineth the hands of Magistrates and subjects; for neither superiors nor inferiors, aught to do any thing in malice and grudge, or to satisfy their own lusts. If a judge in proceeding against malefactors, pursue his own quarrel rather than execute justice, he sinneth and offendeth, albeit the party be guilty, and deserve death: for vengeance belongeth to the Lord, and we are not to requite like for like. Remission of punishment belongeth to private persons that bear not the sword: but as all cannot inflict, so all cannot remit punishment. For the Magistrate though not sometimes, and in some cases, and in some persons he may remit, which are not needful here to remember; yet not always, nor all offenders, 
Rom. 13.4  nor in all offences, because God will have the sentence of the law proceed, and the execution of justice have his course. This extendeth not to Magistrates, for then evil doers should not be punished, nor evil deeds rooted out of the city of God. Remission of judgement, is when we conceive a good and charitable opinion of those that have offended us. But thus we are not bound always to forgive, neither to remit the censure which evil men justly deserve for their evil deeds. For the Prophet Esay pronounceth a woe against all such as call evil good, 
Esay 5.12.  and good evil: sweet sour: and sour, sweet. It is lawful for us to retain our judgement and opinion of wicked men, so long as they be impenitent. Of this Christ speaketh, Luk. 17.3 If he repent, forgive him, that is, that hard censure of him, and count him as a brother. But of this we have spoken at large elsewhere, 
〈…〉.  and therefore this shall suffice for the answer to this objection.  
The uses that arise from hence are many, and Use 1 of special note. First of all, is all sin, even the trespass against men, committed against God? doth it offend him, and violate his law? yes doubtless: not only man is injuried, but God himself is offended, as hath been sufficiently proved: and therefore it should teach us what a grievous and fearful thing sin is, in what account it ought to be with us, and how every one should learn to aggravate and augment with God his own sin for his farther humiliation. This was it that grieved and vexed David, and as it were pierced his very bowels in the matter of Vriah, namely, that his sin was against God, who knoweth sin perfectly, and beholdeth it in his natural colours, so that neither it nor we can deceive him. Wherefore, this lesson must duly be considered of us, and enter deeply into our hearts, Who it is that we offend. This was it that moved David to know sin, and to mourn for it, Psal. 51.4, Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Where note, that he is not content to say once, against thee, but he doubleth it against thee, against thee: and addeth with great force and vehemency, against thee only. 
●ion.  But did he not sin against man? or is not murder a breach of the sixth commandment, and adultery of the seventh? I answer, 
〈◊〉 1.  yes, these sins are condemned in the second Table. He had slain Vriah with a sword; 
〈◊〉 sin ●eat it  he had committed adultery with his wife; he had been the chief cause and principal means of the slaughter and destruction of others, and so brought blood-guiltines upon himself; he hardened the Ammonites in their sins, who opened their mouth to slander the word, and to blaspheme the holy Name of God; he sinned against the child that was misbegotten, which also died through that unfaithful act; he sinned against his own house, in that he kindled a fire throughout his family, & brought sticks with his own hands to raise up the flame that was not easily to be quenched: 
〈◊〉. 13.14. 〈◊〉 16.22.  for one of his sons taketh up the sword, and killeth another, the brother committeth abominable incest with his own sister of the half blood; and another of his own sons taketh his wives and lieth with them not in the dark of the night, or in a secret corner of the house, but he spread a tent openly, and in the sight of the sun. Lastly, he sinned against the whole Church and people of God, who by means of his sin were offended, and troubled with tumults and seditions, so that the whole land was in an uproar and insurrection from one end to the other. All which points show that his sin went far against men, it touched Vriah, it touched Bathshebah, it touched the child, it touched the Ammonites, it touched his family, it touched the whole Church: yet these bloody, and crying, and heinous sins so far as they concerned men like himself, he seethe to be as nothing (albeit they were notorious) in comparison of God against whom they were especially committed: he had rather have all men set against him then to have God his enemy, and to come out in battle array against him, and therefore he crieth out in great anguish and bitterness of spirit, O against thee, against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight. As if he should say, Although the whole world should absolve me, and no man could accuse me of sin, yet this troubleth my conscience, this stingeth and striketh me to the heart, that I must have thee to be my judge. I am free from the judgement seat of men as being myself supreme, and under the jurisdiction of no other: but (glass) what can this comfort me, so long as I have thee to give sentence upon me! He that is thus overburdened and overwhelmed with a feeling of the greatness of God's judgement, as David was, needeth no other accuser, forasmuch as God standeth and serveth in stead of a thousand.  
If the whole world should accuse a man, and conspire together to charge him with any crime, yet if God acquit him, his own conscience will minister peace unto him, and comfort against all slanders and imputations laid against him. For if God be on his side, 
Rom. 8.31.  who shall be against him? but if God be against him, and lay grievous things unto him, woe, woe, unto him, who shall speak for him, though he had the praise and applause, though he had the gain and glory of all the world? If he condemn, who shall justify? if he say guilty, who dare plead, not guilty? He found out Adam, 
Gen. 3 9  when none accused him, when there was no man upon the face of the earth to accuse him, and said Adam, Where art thou? He sound out Achan, who had stolen the Babylonish garment and wedge of gold: he had hidden it privily, and conveyed it closely into his tent, howbeit he could not hide himself, but the eye of God easily espied him: so that the host of God could not prosper, so long as he remained in it, 
josh. 7.4.  but received an overthrow at the siege of Ai.  
Wherefore, what shall it profit us to be absolved by the voices and sentences of all men, or to be winked at, as if we were clear & innocent, when our conscience accuseth us before God, or he be displeased with us, and angry against us? We must enter into ourselves, and consider how the case standeth between God & us, and not think it enough to know how the case standeth between man and us. What though we can bribe them, and stop their mouths, and make them hold their pieces, and cause them to be content to take a little at our hands (when we have done them much wrong) rather than they will go to law with us, because they are weak, and we mighty, they are poor and we rich, they are empty and we full? we shall not be able to bribe the Lord, who is stronger than we are, and taketh the cause of the oppressed into his hand. When we have offered injury unto them, it is not enough to confess our fault unto them, and to humble ourselves before them, and to seek to make amends unto them; all this we may do, and then go to hell; yet there are many that do not come thus far. So then, we must remember whom we offend, that is, God; and thereupon to account all sin heinous and capital, forasmuch as it is against the highest Majesty of infinite power and authority. The greater the person is that is offended, the greater the sin is. If a man speak evil of the judge or justice, he shall be imprisoned; howbeit it is not so heinous, as to rail at the Prince, because his person is greater and higher. But what are all Princes, but mortal men whose breath is in their nostrils, whose bodies must go into the grave, and turn into dust, out of which they were taken, in comparison of the immortal God, who is a person of infinite and incomprehensible Majesty? If he give us once the sight of our sins, and touch our hearts with a feeling of them, though they were as hard as steel, as senseless as the dead, and seared as with an hot iron, he can make them alive, quick, and tender enough, that we shall go roaring all the day long, and find comfort in nothing: if his hand be heavy upon us, he will turn our moisture into the drought of Summer, and make all our bones that are broken to clatter: so that our life shall abhor bread, and our soul dainty meat, and our flesh shall be consumed away, that it cannot be seen. It is not therefore for us to dally with him as with a child, or to play with his justice, as the fly doth with the candle, till she be consumed: but rather let us remember the exhortation of the Apostle, Heb. 12.28. Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear, because our God is a consuming fire. If his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little, blessed are all they that trust in him. As than we are to mark what we do, so we are to mark against whom we do it, lest we taste of destruction at the last, and then would give all the world (if we were owners of it) to be eased and released of our horrible plagues, as it fared and fell out with the rich man in the Gospel, Luk. 16. Let us not think to escape from him, by denying our sins, as the reprobate shall do at the last day, who being accused of sin committed against God, 
Matth. 25.44.  shall answer, When saw we thee a stranger, or naked, or hungry, or thirsty, or in prison: but Christ jesus will reply against them, and take away all excuse from them, and so stop the mouth of iniquity, Verily, verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me. And hereby we may try ourselves, whether we have truly repent of sin, or not, if this note that abounded in David be found in us. For his conscience doth not so much accuse him for any fact and offence committed against Vriah, as against the Lord himself, and from hence came the lively feeling of his sin. So if our conscience accuse us much more for offending of God's infinite Majesty, then for the injury which we have done unto man; if we stay not beneath upon the earth, but lift up our hearts unto God, and consider that we have to do with him, we have attained to a good measure of true repentance. But so long as we regard nothing but men, we shall never behold the true face of sin, nor see it as it is in his own likeness. To conclude, let us learn, that of all enemies, God is the most fearful and terrible, if he set himself against us.  
Secondly, seeing God is the person that is Use 2 hurt and offended, we learn that vengeance belongeth unto him only. When injury is done unto any, we must esteem the wrong as done not only unto men, but to God, and therefore is to be left unto him, whose commandment is transgressed. For except the Law of God had been violated, the creature should have had no cause to complain of any injury. It is the law that maketh it a sin and an injury, as we showed before out of the Apostle, Rom. 7. No man therefore is to revenge his own cause, but must commit vengeance unto God, and to that person that sustaineth God's person on earth, to wit, the Magistrate, who beareth not the sword in vain, whose judgement is the judgement of God, whose revenge▪ is the revenge of God. This doth the Apostle set down as a rule to guide us, Rom. 12.19. dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord. A lesson often urged, always confessed, and yielded unto, but smally regarded and seldom practised. For as if there were no God in heaven, no Gods on earth that bear his name and title, men run together like wild beasts, or as horses that rush into the battle, and revenge their own quarrels, as if sin were wholly committed against themselves, and not at all against God; as if they were specially interessed in it, and God had little to do with the matter: as if the wrong touched them, and no way concerned him. From hence it cometh to pass, that whiles they go about greedily to revenge wrong done unto them, judgement falleth upon their own heads, and God executeth vengeance upon them for their revenge: and so while they go about to hurt others, the greatest hurt falleth upon themselves; and while they show themselves enemies to their brethren, they draw an heavier enemy upon themselves, to wit, God himself. Before we pass from this so necessary a duty, it shall not be amiss for us, both to observe such motives as may stir us up to the practice of it, and to answer such objections as may hinder us from yielding obedience unto it. First of all, let us lay before us the example of Christ the author and finisher of our salvation; who had greater wrong offered unto him than he had? who was more innocent than he, that was as a sheep dumb before his shearer, and opened not his mouth? and therefore the Apostle Peter saith, chap. 2.22. Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. This farther appeareth unto us, in that he prayed for his enemies that persecuted him. He had power in his own hand to have resisted their force, 
〈◊〉. 34  & revenged his cause. He could have prayed to his Father, & he would have given him more than twelve legions of Angels: yet notwithstanding he suffered patiently, 
〈◊〉 ●6. 53.  the just for the unjust, 
〈◊〉. 18.  that he might bring us to God. If any think or allege, that this example is too high for us above our reach, and too eminent in regard of his person, who is God above to be worshipped: let us set before us the examples of the faithful servants of God, that have lived in all ages, in the time of the law, and under the Gospel, 
●ed mo●.  that this may be another motive unto us. How often did the children of Israel murmur against Moses and Aaron, and sometimes went about to stone him? yet he never sought revenge against them, albeit he had been able to right his own cause by force. When Miriam & Aaron spoke against him by reason of the woman of Ethiopia, 
〈◊〉 12.2, 3  and said, What? hath the Lord spoken only by Moses? hath he not also spoken by us? Moses held his peace, and gave not taunt for taunt, & rebuke for rebuke; he was a very meek man, above all the men that were upon the earth. Thus was it with David, a man indeed after Gods own heart, though he were a king, and wanted not servants to execute his will, yet he would not himself revenge, neither suffer any other to take revenge on Shimei, albeit he cursed the king with an horrible curse. Saul sought his life, 
〈◊〉. 16.9,  and preferred him to be his son in law, for no other cause, but to lay a snare before him, & when David had his life oftentimes in his hand, to save it or to destroy it, ye he was so far from seeking revenge, 
〈◊〉 26.9. 〈◊〉 24.5.  that his heart smote him for cutting off the lap of his garment. When Stephen had made a worthy defence for himself and his own innocency, that the enemies could take no just exception against him, their hearts braced asunder, and they gnashed at him with their teeth, & ran upon him violently all at once: 
〈◊〉. 60.  but he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. The Church of Rome are not ashamed to teach, thereby to strengthen the hands of traitors & rebels that rise up against Princes, that Christians of old deposed not Nero, and Dioclesian, and julian the Apostata, and Valens the Arrian, and such like persecutous and heretics, 
〈◊〉 de Rom. ●●b. 5. c. 7.  because they wanted temporal power, and if they had had power, they would have done it. If this be true, all their patience was perforce, and is not thankworthy. But they testify in many places that they had power sufficient, but held it unlawful to resist and rebel. They had filled all places, Cities, islands, castles, boroughs tents, tribes, bands, palaces, 
●. Apolog.  the Senate and Court not excepted, so that they wanted neither number nor strength to make their party good. They profess, that albeit they be equal in power, yet with them it is more tolerable to be killed, then to kill. They affirm freely, God forbidden that his religion should be maintained with fire, and sword. They acknowledge no other weapons to be put into their hands, but prayers & tears. 
Arma nostra sunt pre●es & lacrymae, Tert.  They never practised any revenge against their persecutors, and those that hated them. One night with a little fire would have served and sufficed them largely to be revenged of their enemies, but they accounted it unlawful to requite evil with evil. But to leave this consideration to another occasion, let us come to a third motive, 
A third motive.  & that is, the office which is proper unto God, to whom it belongeth peculiarly to take vengeance, and is therefore in holy Scripture called the God of vengeance, 
Psal. 94.1.  O Lord God, the avenger: O God the avenger, show thyself clearly. It is a grievous sin to sit down in God's seat, and to rob him of his right and royalty. Let the enemies of God and his people know, that he is the God of revenge, as well as the God of salvation, and that he will as well right their causes, as save their souls. He is a just God, & will recompense tribulation to all that trouble those that are his, and therefore hath said, 
Deut. 32. 3●.  Vengeance and recompense are mine: but he never said to private persons, Vengeance is thine, neither did he ever put the sword into their hands. A fourth motive, 
A fourth motive.  to persuade us to lay aside private revenge, is drawn from the gracious promise that God hath made unto us, namely, that he will take our causes into his hand, and pay them home that do oppress us. For God doth not restrain us, & as it were tie up our hands, to expose us to all injuries, and to leave us as a prey in the jaws of the Lions, but because he hath passed his word unto us, I will repay, 
Rom. 12.29.  saith the Lord. So then, we must know that God is called the author and executer of vengeance, not only because the power and right belongeth unto him, that he is able to take vengeance of all our enemies, how many and mighty soever they be, but because he hath used this power & executed this office from the beginning of the world, and as yet useth it, and will use it to the full, in the great day of the general judgement. He knoweth best of all the greatness of the injury that is done unto us, because he searcheth into the thoughts of the heart, and understandeth not only what is done, but the manner how it is done.  
Seeing then, he hath promised to pay them home into their bosoms that wrong us, it were a fruit of infidelity in us, not to believe him at his word. A fift motive, 
A fift motive.  which ought to be very effectual, is the consideration of the forgiveness that we receive at the hands of God. We are much indebted unto him, there is no sin that we commit, but increaseth our debt, so that we are no way able to pay it. He is content for his son's sake to forgive us all, & therefore we ought to put off anger, wrath, malice, and revenge; and on the other side, to put on the bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and long suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, 
Col. 3.13.  if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave us, so also we must do. Hence it is, that Christ teacheth us to ask forgiveness at the hands of God, as we show ourselves ready and willing to forgive: for we say, Forgive us our sins; as we also forgive the trespasses that are done unto us: and he addeth immediately after, If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 
Matt. 6.14, 15.  but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. If then we carry grudging spirits and revenging minds boiling in us, we turn this comfortable petition into an horrible imprecation against ourselves, and pray that God would not forgive us, but condemn us, forasmuch as we determine not to forgive, but to be revenged on our enemies that offend us. If we could be persuaded of this truth, than which nothing can be truer, we would not seek revenge to gain a kingdom, considering that we call down vengeance with our own mouths upon ourselves, which is a most fearful case. For do we think that when sin lieth at the door, vengeance will be far from us, and not come near us, except we cry for it ourselves? Let us take heed we do not dally with God, who will in justice repay us, because we take upon us to repay, and will power upon us the vengeance which we ask against ourselves. 
The sixth motive.  Lastly, we are moved to put up wrongs & suffer injuries, to refer all revenge unto God, and not to requite evil for evil, because it is against all good law, right reason, & common sense, that any man should be accuser, witness, judge, and executioner. But every one that taketh upon him to right his own cause, 
A revenger executeth the office of four men.  and to revenge himself, doth all these together, he executeth the office of four several men. It is no reason that he which layeth any accusation against us, should be admitted to be witness against us, because a witness should not be partial nor any way suspected to be party. Whosoever refuseth to refer his cause to the judgement of God, and will take up the weapon and instrument of revenge into his own hand doth more than this; he cannot be content to be an accuser and witness of wrong, but will also sit as judge to ccndemne, and as executioner to punish, which is against all right, law, equity, and conscience. No man therefore aught to engross so many offices which of right belong unto several men. It is unpossible, that there should be just proceeding, where matters are carried in this order. If then we would be Christ's disciples, let us possess our souls with patience, and commit our causes unto God, that the spirit of glory and of God may rest upon us.  
Notwithstanding all these motives, which may serve as so many bands to tie us to this duty, Objections answered. the nature of man that is corrupt, striveth to break them all, and to be at liberty to do what it list, and therefore ministereth many objections which are but carnal reasons to warrant the practice of private revenge. Let us see what they are, and apply several remedies to every one of them, to stay us up from offending this way. First of all, it will be said, If we Object. should put up wrongs, this were to make ourselves as fools for every one to laugh at, and as blocks for every one to insult over us, and to tread upon us. I answer, Answer. it skilleth not what the world esteem of us, and what they speak against us. If we were of the world, the world would love his own, but because we are chosen out of the world, 
joh. 15. ●●  therefore the world hateth us, revileth us, taunteth us, and speaketh all manner of evil against us. If we regard the judgement of God, we must pass very little for the judgement of men: & if we receive praise of God, it skilleth not if we be dispraised of men. And as they speak evil of the servants of God that are themselves evil: so they will account us fools that are indeed fools themselves. For there is no fool like to the wicked man, and therefore he is in Scripture oftentimes branded with this name and note. As for those that account godliness folly, and place wisdom in committing wickedness, let us leave such wisdom to the wise of this world, and be content to be esteemed as simple fools, to the end we may be like to the wise God, who is a God of patience, and so be partakers of the heavenly nature. He turneth the wisdom of this world into foolishness, and the foolishness of this world he accepteth as true wisdom. Wherefore, let us hearken to the counsel of the Apostle, 
1 Cor 3.18.  Let no man deceive you: if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. It were better for us to be accounted fools in this world by wicked men, then to be judged fools for ever in the world to come.  
Again, some will object, If we always sufser Object. 2 wrongs, we shall make ourselves a prey, & set an edge upon others to lay on load upon us. For we shall never be quiet, but evermore be abused. I answer, Answer. the condemning of vengeance, is not a taking away of just defence. God tieth up our hands from unjust revenge, but he shutteth not our mouths from just complaint. For we may claim the help of the Magistrate, either for the preventing of wrong, or for the punishment of the doer of wrong. The Magistrate is God's deputy, and his office is to relieve the oppressed, to defend the innocent, & to execute judgement on malefactors. When certain of the jews, more than forty men, banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had killed Paul, 
Act. 23. ●●.  he sent to the chief captain, to be defended from their conspiracy.  
And when he saw the malice of his nation against him, that they ceased not to lay grievous complaints to his charge, he appealed unto Cesar that he might not be delivered into the hands of the jews that sought his life, and thirsted for blood, I stand at Caesar's judgement seat, where I ought to be judged: 
〈◊〉 ●. 10.  So then, God hath not left us as it were to the wide world, to shift for ourselves, but he hath appointed the Magistrate to be his Lieutenant. As in the private family where many servants are, he hath not left one servant to quarrel with another, and to draw upon another; he hath set the master over them all, for the punishment of evil doers, & for the praise of them that do well. 
〈◊〉 ●. 14.  If any of thy fellow servants do wrong thee, give not hurt for hurt, or blow for blow, or taunt for taunt; for that will make thee guilty of sin, though otherwise thou be innocent, and thy cause be just and righteous: ye have one common master that is set over you, go unto him, plead your cause before him, & accuse him in whom any wickedness is found. Every man is presumed to be partial in his cause, let the master be judge between you, who is no way interessed in the business. And as the master is judge within the walls of his own house, and appointed to decide the controversies that arise therein: so the Magistrate is his ordinance to end the matters that fall out between neighbour and neighbour, and therefore we must not think ourselves wiser to determine our cause then he, or God himself. So then, we must practise two points, first, we must bear wrongs patiently, and put away all revenge far from us, whereby we hurt ourselves much more than we do our enemies: for we may annoy them in their bodies or goods, but we make a deep and dangerous wound in our own souls. And therefore Christ saith, I say unto you, 
〈◊〉 6.39.  Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, etc. Secondly, we are to use the Magistrates help when we are wronged. For always to suffer the rod of the malefactor upon our back, & never to seek redress, were to make ourselves Asses to receive every burden that will be laid upon us. Albeit therefore we are not to resist evil, but if any man will sue us at the law and take away our coat, 
〈◊〉 ●0. 41.  we should give him our cloak also: and whosoever will compel us to go a mile, we must go with him twain, to wit, rather than we should revenge ourselves (for this is to be understood as spoken by comparison) yet we are not forbidden hereby to have recourse to the Magistrate, who beareth not the sword in vain, to whom every soul ought to be subject. 
〈◊〉 3.1.  For as it is a fault to suffer nothing, so it may be our fault as well to suffer too much, namely, when we will bear all things whereby we shallbe gulled, and forbear to crave and call for the help of the Magistrate. God is offended as well when lawful means are not used, as when unlawful means are practised.  

〈◊〉 3.  Thirdly, the question may be asked, what if a man be violently assaulted, either in the private house, or in the high way, whether by thieves that would rob us, or by quarrelers that would wound us, may we not resist & revenge, Object. to save our lives or our goods? I answer this is a case of necessity, wherein a man cannot have the benefit of Magistracy: but is himself a Magistrate unto himself. A man being thus assaulted, must use the sword as the last remedy and refuge. Wherein we must observe these cautions & conditions. First, we must not thirst after blood, nor be willing to take away either life or limb, if we can choose. Secondly, we ought to the utmost of our power, to strive to free ourselves from them & their assaults and invasion, that there be no blood shed, if it be possible, using all good and lawful means we may in favour of life. Thirdly, we are so to behave ourselves, that we rather defend then offend, and seek more to save our own lives then to take away another man's. Fourthly, if we can no way escape the hands of the oppresser, by flying, or calling for the help of the Magistrate, it is lawful so far to stand in our just defence, as that we should choose to kill rather than to be killed: for now God calleth us to be a Magistrate to ourselves, & puts a sword into our hands, to execute revenge upon our adversary. Hence it is, that albeit God saith unto private men, resist not evil: yet might they lawfully kill a thief in the night season, without breach of law, & guilt of blood, 
Exod. 22.2.  If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. This is to be understood of the night thief, when a man being assaulted, cannot run to the Magistrate, and therefore God alloweth him to be an officer & minister of justice, even in his own cause wherein necessity pleadeth for his defence. Lastly, if a man in this case be compelled to take away life, & to shed blood, he must be grieved and mourn for it, that he hath defaced an image of God. These conditions being observed, a man may lawfully withstand force by force, and violence by violence, & defend the goods that God hath given him, even with the sword, if it be used as the last remedy and in the last place.  
Fourthly, others will say, it is a commendable Object. 4 thing to put up wrongs patiently, I would I could do it, I wish it with all my hart: but we are flesh and blood, we are not able to bear the injuries that are offered unto us, they are so great. I answer, Answer. never lay the blame upon flesh & blood, never accuse them of this fault. For thou makest them in such sort a common packhorse to bear the burden of all thy sins, as that thou art resolved to be flesh & blood still. Thou never desirest God to give thee grace, and to guide thee by his spirit: thou never labourest with thine own heart to pull out the root of revenge. Answer me one question which I will demand of thee, Thou sayst thou art flesh and blood, and flesh and blood cannot put up these things: but art thou flesh and blood only, or in part? art thou nothing but a lump of flesh, or else art thou partly flesh, and partly spirit? One of these two thou must needs be; both of them thou canst not be.  
Tell me thy meaning, and express more plainly what thou art. 
Such as are only flesh, are not yet the Lords.  If thou be nothing else but flesh & blood, than woe be to thee. Thou confessest against thyself that thou art yet carnal, unregenerate, dead in sins and trespasses, the bondslave of Satan, the heir of destruction, without Christ, 
Ephes. 2.12.  without hope, without God in the world, an alien from the Commonwealth of Israel, and a stranger from the covenants of promise. For flesh & blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God: and if ever we look to be saved, and to be partakers of eternal glory, we must be more than flesh & blood. Thou wilt therefore be ashamed to confess that thou understandest by flesh and blood, that thou art nothing but a lump of flesh. What then? art thou flesh in part, & spirit in part? as thou must acknowledge thyself to be, if thou be the Lords. Why then dost thou not perform the works of the spirit? 
Rom. 8.5.  They that are after the flesh do savour the things of the flesh; 
Ver. 6,  but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. To be carnally minded, is death; 
Verse 7.  but to be spiritually minded, is life and peace. The carnal mind is enmity against God, 
Verse 13.  for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, 
Ver. 14.  ye shall live. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of GOD: 
Vers. 8.  so than they that are in the flesh, cannot please God. Thus we see, that the flesh and the spirit are always opposed the one to the other: so that by this we may prove ourselves whether we be regenerate or not. Let us not therefore boast ourselves that we are flesh & blood, forasmuch as such as are only flesh, cannot yet assure their own hearts, that they are the Lords.  
Object. 5 Fiftly, it may be objected, that to repulse wrong, is a note of courage and fortitude; and to put up wrong, a token of pusillanimity and of a faint heart. If then, I must not revenge, I shall be accounted not only a fool, but a dastard and coward. Answer. I answer, this is no better than the devils sophistry, and openeth a gap to the common practice that is in the world, to quarrel for every word speaking. It is no argument of courage to be ready to draw the sword and dagger, but rather of rashness, headiness, unstaidness, and of a ruffian like spirit. And it is no disgrace to be of a bearing and forbearing nature. Our chiefest honour consisteth in fight against sin unto the death, and showing all might and manhood in the subduing of it. He is stronger that overcometh his own passions, than he that winneth a city. We must remember that we are made kings and Priests unto God the Father: and therefore let us not make ourselves slaves and captives to Satan, to sin, and to the world. This then serveth to meet with three sorts of men, 
Perk. on Mat. 5.39.  & to condemn their evil courses, whose whole life pleadeth for nothing more than private revenge. First, they are reproved that for every cross word & supposed injury are ready to challenge one another into the field; & the accepting of that challenge when it is given. This fight a single combat is unlawful That which the natural man accounteth valour, God esteemeth a vice; and therefore it is no disgrace to refuse it, but rather true grace in yielding obedience unto God. For we must set down this as a rule, that no man must sin against God for the saving of his credit & reputation among men. And if we did duly consider what sin is, against whom it is committed, and what punishment is procured thereby upon ourselves, we would never question the former ground set down unto us. Secondly, out of the case of challenging the field, the common practice of fight & quarreling is condemned, which are no better than forerunners of murder, and have a bloody face in the sight of God. The Apostle john saith, 
1 joh. 3. 1●.  Whosoever hateth his brother, is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Many there are that hold it utterly unlawful to give the first blow, but if another strike them, than they think that thereby they are warranted to strike again. If any give the occasion of a fray, they hold him worthy to be condemned: but if they be provoked by another, they account themselves to be bound to return him the like. This is directly contrary to the doctrine of Christ, whereunto all must submit themselves that will be the disciples of Christ. He would have us take many wrongs, and not seek to revenge ourselves. And it is contrary to the practice of Christ and of his Apostles. When one of the officers of the high Priest smote jesus with the palm of his hand, 
joh. 18. ●●.  because he held his peace & would answer nothing, he smote not again, as these men think he was bound to do for his honour. But this was no disgrace or reproach to Christ, how then should it be any shame for a true Christian? We will needs be accounted Christians whosoever say nay, but we scorn and disdain to follow the example of Christ. 
Act. 23.1.  Ananias the high Priest commanded them that stood by to smite Paul on the mouth: he reproveth him for it, but he smote not again; & this was no infamy, but a glory unto him. Lastly, their opinion also is condemned, that make it a matter of praise, and an argument of valour, to turn away his face from no man. This indeed is foolhardiness. It is the commendation of Magistrates to be men of courage, to fear the face of God, but not the faces of men. They must accept no man's person in judgement, neither decline to the right hand or to the left. But a private man may turn his back to his adversary without any impeachment of his credit, or diminishing of his valour, or lessening of his honour, or slander to his reputation. But of this we have spoken sufficiently before, & therefore we will proceed.  
Lastly, it may be objected, that under the Object law of Moses, when any man had killed his neighbour, the avenger of blood might slay the murderer whensoever and wheresoever he met him, Numb. 35, 19 If a man had killed any person at unwares, and hated him not before, he must fly to one of the Cities of refuge, and abide in it unto the death of the high Priest, which was anointed with the holy oil: but if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the City of refuge whither he was fled, 
〈◊〉. 27.  and the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the City of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. If then he be not guilty of blood, how is it that God alloweth no private revenge, but commandeth to render good for evil, to pray for them that curse us, and to do good to our enemies, and such as persecute us? I answer, the politic laws serve not to bring men to perfection, such as are made for civil government. When God speaketh as king of Israel, and maketh statutes tending to outward peace and tranquillity, he aimed not at the spiritual perfection which is contained in the moral law, which is the rule of all holiness and righteousness. Hence it is, that God tolerated many things among his people, which he never allowed simply, as appeareth in the case of divorcement, 
〈◊〉 4, 1.  and many other of like nature. So he suffered the next of kin to pursue him to death that had slain his kinsman, if he were taken out of the City of his refuge; but God nevertheless did never approve of this, to set upon the person that had done him no harm, neither alloweth any to follow the rage of his choler, and to execute the malice of his heart: so that this law hath no place among us. For we must mark this as a certain rule, that civil government cannot change any thing in the ten Commandments, or set down any thing to the prejudice of them. Many things were permitted unto the jews, because of the hardness of their hearts, Math. 19, 8. but from the beginning it was not so. They than that would put away their wives for every cause, might as well allege the law of giving them a bill of divorcement, as others produce the avenger of blood to justify the prosecution of private revenge: forasmuch as the one is a breach of the seventh Commandment, the other is a breach of the sixth Commandment, And thus much in answer of the objections.  
Thirdly, we are put in mind of this duty, Use 3 that seeing all sin is committed against God, we should be afraid to sin against him, and aught above all things to take heed of his wrath and indignation. We are rather to choose any course, or take any way, then run into his displeasure. Thus it was with joseph, of whom we spoke before: he was content rather to be slandered unjustly, and accused falsely of his lewd and lascivious mistress, yea, to be imprisoned and punished by his over-credulous master, than he would make a breach in his own soul, & sin against God. Let a man once perish his conscience, the wrack is not easily made up again. It is like a watercourse, which is not easily stopped. It is better to fall into the hands of men, then of God; for he can make our innocency known, and the uprightness of our cause to appear, that it shall break out as the light, and shine as the Sun at noon days, as we shall show more evidently in the end of this chapter. True it is, the greatest sort of men make it a common matter, & because it is common, they account it a small and light matter to sin against God. When they hear that by committing evil they sin in God's sight, and provoke him to anger, they regard not much those threatenings, they make a mock of sin, and fear not the event of it; not considering they play with a serpent, that will in the end sting them unto death, when it hath wrapped them fast, as it were in fetters that they can by no means escape. We must account no sin to be in it own nature little as a mote, but esteem of it as a great beam, albeit there be difference between them, and some be greater than other. This cogitation once taking place in us, 
How we may understand the grievousness of sin. Eph. 5, 3.  will make us fear and tremble at the naming of it. The Apostle speaking of fornication and uncleanness, and such like evils, saith, Let it not be once named among you, as it becometh Saints. For the Scripture layeth hold on our straying thoughts and wandering motions of the mind, though we never give assent unto them, but labour to remove and repel them so soon as they arise in us, and abhor them and ourselves for them. These first motions and lusts are a breach of the Law, Rom. 7. and deserve condemnation: how much more therefore the transgressions of our whole life that are much more abominable?  
Besides, we are taught, not only to look into the glass of the law to see the heinousness of our transgressions, but also to consider the punishments due unto them in this life, and the life to come: for thereby we are subject to all woes and miseries and death itself, as we may see by the examples of our first parents, of the old world, of Sodom, of Pharaoh, and his host, of the jews that were carried captive, and many of Gods own people, that by infirmity have fallen and felt sore chastisements from his hands, as appeareth in Moses and Aaron, in David, in Hezekiah, in josiah, in Solomon, and sundry others.  
Lastly, we may behold the grievousness of sin in the example of Christ our Saviour, who albeit he were without sin, and none iniquity was found in his mouth, yet bore he in his body our sins, and felt that burden which would have crushed us in pieces, and broken all our bones in sunder: forasmuch as he apprehended the wrath of God in his soul, which caused him to sweat water and blood, and to cry out upon the cross, My God, 
Mat. 27.46.  my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Such then as never fear to offend God, have no feeling of God's justice, no feeling of Christ's suffering, no feeling of the vileness of sin, no feeling of their own punishments that hang over their heads, & shall (without repentance) seize upon them to their final damnation.  
Let us awake cut of our deep sleep, and take care of our salvation: let us take heed we grow not senseless and hardhearted. Let us learn to know ourselves better, and consider what we have done. Let us fear to offend God, and stand in awe of his judgements: so that if we sin against him, we may be well assured to be punished for it. But some will say, Object. God is gracious and merciful, he will not plague us and strike us though we sin, he is not hard as many would make him: doth not the Scripture tell us that he is merciful? and shall we not believe the Scripture to be true? Let them say what they will, I will believe the Scripture. Answer. I answer, in saying thus, thou dost nothing but deceive thyself, and dally with the word of God: and indeed dost not believe it to be true? For if thou didst acknowledge God to be the author of it, thou wouldst submit thyself to every part of it, thou wouldst not embrace what thou likest, and refuse what liketh thee not. Thou mayest as well say in plain English, that part of the word of God is false, and there is no truth in it, and I will sin without controllement of it: nay, while thou reasonest in that profane manner, thou sayest in thine heart, Tush, God is not God, but an idol that sitteth still, that hath eyes and seethe nothing; that hath hands, and doth nothing: that hath ears, and heareth nothing. True it is, men are ashamed to utter these reproachful words, and to belch out of their filthy mouths, such horrible blasphemies: but if we will rip up to the quick their former presumptions, we shall find their case and condition to be little better. If they were demanded what they think of the word, and of God the author of the word, they would acknowledge the Scriptures to be most true, both the promises that are made, and the threatenings that are contained in it; they would confess that God is a most just God, even visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation: yet it skilleth not what they speak with their tongues, so long as we may even openly read the secrets of their thoughts, and the imaginations of their hearts in their outward practices. For touching the word of God, it is most true, and it cannot be denied, we read oftentimes that God is also merciful, 
Rom 2.4. Ephe. 2.  we read of the riches of his grace and bountifulness; of his abounding in compassions, and reserving mercy for thousands. What then? or what is all this to them? shall we continue therefore in sin, that grace may abound? aught not rather the riches of his bountifulness, and patience and long suffering lead us unto repentance? Shall we after our hardness and hearts that cannot repent, heap up unto ourselves as a treasure, wrath, against the day of wrath and the just declaration of the judgement of God, who shall give to every man according to his works? It is a good lesson which the Prophet teacheth us, that there is mercy with God, not that we should presume of his mercy, and run into all excess of riot, but to the end he may be feared, Psal. 130.4. Hence it is, that Moses, Deut. 29.20. strippeth all such, as flatter themselves with hope of pardon, and conceit of mercy, and opinion of escaping, from that foolish imagination; He that blesseth himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon ●im, & the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. These persons may call for mercy, but he will not answer them in mercy: they may seek him early, but they shall not find him: because they hated to be reform, and did not choose the fear of the Lord, Prou. 1.28, 29. He is very gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, Psal. 103.17, 18. Howbeit, it is to the penitent only, not to the obstinate.  
The Prophet saith, The mercy of the Lord, is from everlasting to everlasting, and his righteousness unto children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Where we see, the Scripture maketh a difference and division between man and man, and giveth to every one his portion, so that albeit he be merciful, yet it is to those only that keep his commandments. For although all be sinners, and thereby seek to creep away closely that way, as it were in the dark, that they might not be espied, yet we must know this, that some are repentant sinners, for whom there is mercy in store; some are obstinate sinners, the Scripture hath no mercy for them, but terrors, & threatenings, and judgements, and punishments, because upon such wicked he will rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest, this shall be the portion of their cup, for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright, Psal. 11.6, 7. Now such as continue in the course of their sins, are ready to believe that God is merciful, but they believe not the Scripture, that he is merciful only unto such as repent: they persuade themselves falsely that they may run on in evil ways, and yet find mercy at the latter end, which is directly contrary to the whole doctrine of the Scriptures. And yet these men ask, shall we not believe the Scripture to be true? Whereas they believe one part of the Scripture, but they call into question another part: they lay hold on his promises, but they stop their ears against his judgements: nay, they do not so much as believe the promises aright, neither will learn to whom they are delivered, & in whom they shall be verified; which savoureth altogether of infidelity and unbelief. Besides, as they derogate from the verity of the Scriptures, so they deny God after a sort, and turn him into a lie, & make him an idol to stand still and do nothing. For to imagine in our heart a GOD wholly compact of mercy, that seethe sin, but will not punish it: that knoweth who sinneth, but will let him alone: is to deny the true God, who as he is merciful, so he is also just. This the Prophet Nahum testifieth in the beginning of his prophesy, The Lord is jealous, 
●●m. 1, 2, 3  and the Lord revengeth: the Lord revengeth, and is furious, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, & great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked, etc. And hereunto accordeth the description of him, Exod. 34, 6, 7. The Lord God, merciful, and gracious, long suffering, & abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation. Such then as think they may proceed and go forward in their transgressions, without controlment or punishment, because God is a merciful God, do utterly deceive themselves, & make a snare to entrap their own souls. The wise man saith, that to justify the wicked, and to condemn the innocent, are both of them an abomination unto the Lord, Prou. 17, 15. If then he hate it in all the sons of men, how shall we imagine, that the Lord will do, or can do either of them? Let us therefore so conceive of God, as he hath taught us in his holy word: let us not make a counterfeit god, nor set up an Idol in our heart: for he will be served no therwise then he hath appointed. To conclude we must know that whosoever denieth 〈◊〉 of the threatenings denounced in the word, denieth a part of the Scripture, and (as much as lieth in him) maketh God a liar, who will as well execute his judgements, as perform his promises, forasmuch as he is faithful in both. And whosoever imagineth that God is only merciful, & consequently denieth his justice, hath not the true God for his God, but committeth horrible idolatry in conceiving wrongfully of his Majesty.  
Use 4 Fourthly, seeing such damages and injuries as are offered to our brethren, do reach to God, & are condemned as sins against him, it should teach us to look to our own ways, to practise justice and equity toward them, & to take heed of all fraud, forgery, falsehood, & oppression whatsoever, forasmuch as he will take an account of us, and bring us unto a reckoning. He that thinketh he can make sufficient amends to men, that there shall be no farther inquiry into the matter, reckoneth without his host, and therefore must reckon once again. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, 1. Thess. 4, 6. Let no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all such. We must know that God hath to do with it, and will punish severely for the breach of his law. There are many sorts of conjunctions whereby mankind is coupled & combined one to another, as the conjunction of consanguinity, of affinity, of amity, of city, of country of humanity: some have more of these bands linked together, & all have some of them to unite them in one, and thereby as it were to bind them to the peace, & to their good behaviour, that they should abstain from all violent and fraudulent conveyances one from another. Among all knots that serve to link us and lock us together as friends which are as our own soul, none is greater or faster than that conjunction which we have with Christ our head, and which the members of his body have one with another: whereby it cometh to pass, that we are all made in himself, of twain, one new man, Eph. 2, 15. and every man of us members one of another, Rom. 12, 5. This spiritual conjunction is more effectual to procure the mutual good of the parties conjoined, then either that which is natural, or that which is civil. Nevertheless, we must do no wrong to any man, God hath made us keepers of the body, of the substance, of the dignity, of the honour, and of the good name of our brethren: if they be men, and be allied unto us no other way but by the common band of humanity, we must do them no injury, although they be our utter enemies. If we have farther bands to chain us together, it is so much the greater sin if we break those cords, and will not suffer ourselves to be tied with them. And mark the reason that the Apostle urgeth, he doth not say. If we do any way defraud them or cirumvent them, the judge shall judge it, or the Magistrate shall punish it, but God is the avenger of all such dealings, and will not suffer them to escape. The like threatening we read in Moses, Exod. 22, 22, 23, 24. If the oppressed cry, God will hear their cry, so that they shall be delivered, and their oppressors punished. If we could suffer this consideration to enter into our hearts, that though all should acquit us, or no man durst lay hold upon us, yet God himself will take their cause and quarrel into his hands, & execute sentence upon their enemies, it would be an effectual argument to move us to make conscience of all sins; even of such as immediately and directly do concern men, and not only of such as concern God and his worship. If we were assured, that the injuries which we do unto others, should be answered before the Magistrate, and we stand at the bar to plead guilty or not guilty, we would be afraid to deal hardly with them or to show any indignities toward them. How much more than ought we to tremble and to quake every joint of us, to consider that the time of vengeance shall come, when we must appear before the throne and tribunal seat of jesus Christ our Lord, to receive according to the works that we have done in this flesh? 
Four crying sins mentioned in the Scriptures.  Sundry of the ancient have observed four crying sins mentioned in the Scriptures, the which albeit they go away many times unpunished in the world, yet vengeance will not suffer such to live, but God findeth them out in their sins; as the crying of blood, the lust of the Sodomites, the noise of the oppressed, and the hire of the labourers: these are often passed over with silence, and tolerated among men, but they sound shrilly in the ears of God, & ascend up to his judgement seat. Albeit there be no man to accuse them that commit these sins, yet without farther process or inditement they suffer them not to rest, but summon them to his bar, and call without ceasing for judgement against them.  
The first is wilful murder, and shedding of innocent blood; for when Abel the righteous was slain, 
Gen. 4, 11.  the Scripture saith, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground; whereby is signified, that the godly, though secretly and seditiously slain of the ungodly, & patiently bearing the injuries offered them without murmuring and complaining, yet after death, when their mouths seem to be stopped, and their tongues tied, cease not to accuse their murderers as guilty before God, and to lift up their voices out of the earth, to call down vengeance against them. The Prophet saith, Psal. 116, 15. The death of the Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord: and Psal. 72, 12, 14. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also and him that hath no helper: he shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. So likewise the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, 
revel. 6, 10.  cry with a loud voice, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge & avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? This aught to minister contentment unto them, and to teach them patience, forasmuch as God hath a care of them, and a tender respect unto them. He numbereth the hairs of their head, Math. 10. He gathereth their tears in a bottle, Psalm. 56, 8. He heareth their sighs, Psal. 69, 33. He telleth their steps, and ordereth their doings, Psal. 56. He understandeth their complaints, Psal. 145. He hearkeneth to their prayers, Psal. 34, 6. and he keepeth all their bones.  
The second crying sin, is lust and uncleanness, of which the Lord speaketh, Gen. 18, 20, 21. Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me: and if not, I will know. True it is, those Cities were culpable of sundry sins, as Ezek. 16, 49. Pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and contempt of the poor: howbeit when the Lord saith, their sin is very grievous, he pointeth out this outrageous and accursed sin, which the pure God abhorreth as a fruit of impurity. See here the difference between the Spirit of God, and the spirit of the devil. Such as are filthy livers, and possessed with the spirit of uncleanness, do account fornication and adultery to be tricks of youth and sports of pleasure; whereas God maketh them in his word to be sins that lift up their voices, & cry unto him for vengeance. When Pharaoh King of Egypt had taken away Sarah, Abraham's wife, 
Gen 12. ●  The Lord plagued him and his house with great plagues, until he had restored her. If a bare purpose to commit adultery, and that ignorantly, called for judgement upon an heathen king; how much more shall the living in this sin bring more stripes upon us that live in the light of the Gospel, & have the truth plainly revealed unto us? forasmuch as he that knoweth his masters will & doth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.  
The third crying sin, is the oppression of such persons as are destitute of help, which is joined with cruelty: as for example, such as are widows, fatherless, strangers, poor, & innocents, whose cry God hath promised to hear, and to help them. This we heard before out of the book of Exodus, If you afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, 
Exo. 22, ●● Deut. 154.  I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children, fatherless. The Prophet Habakkuk prophesieth against such, and painteth out their sin in lively colours, chap. 2, 9, 11, 12. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil, etc. The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. One shall say, Woe to him that buildeth a Town with blood: another shall make answer, and stablisheth a City by iniquity. These oppressers do suck out as it were the blood and life of the needy, that have none to whom to cry out for redress, but in the ears of the Lord. They dare not buckle and encounter with the mighty, for as when the pot of earth and of iron meet together, the earthen vessel is dashed in pieces; so when the mighty and the needy strive, the poor man striveth against the stream, and bringeth much misery upon himself. Their help is only in God, the Father of all consolation. If men stop their ears against them, and will not rescue them out of the snare of the fowler, and the net of the hunter, let them abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and shroud themselves under his wings, who will cover them with his feathers, and hear them in their afflictions.  
The last crying sin, is the poor labourer's wages that are wrongfully and unjustly detained; this also crieth aloud, and never ceaseth, until God harken to the cry of it. Many think it goods well gained, that can be gotten from the poor, but they shall find it fret as a canker, and consume as a moth the residue of their substance. Hereunto cometh that law of the Lord, Deut. 24, 14, 15. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor & needy, etc. thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the Sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it; lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. Where we see, that this consideration of committing sin against God, aught to enter into us to restrain us from doing wrong against any, especially the poor and needy brother, or the stranger that is in the Land. And to this purpose speaketh the Apostle james, chap. 5, 4. Behold, the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields (which is of you kept back by fraud) crieth, & the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Saboth. 
●ld ●cry●  Whereby it appeareth, that there is a double kind of crying, one of iniquity and wickedness, the other of the oppressed and afflicted. If one of these cease, yet the other shall never cease crying. It falleth out oftentimes through the power and might of the greater sort, that the poor dare not mutter or murmur, & if they begin to cry out and complain, their mouths are soon stopped, because their angry looks make them afraid of their displeasure, & their severe threatenings are too heavy a burden for them to bear: but the other shall never give over crying; the sin of the oppressors shall cry against them for vengeance, as we see when Abel could not cry, yet his blood cried and was heard. Sin hath a voice more shrill than the sound of a Trumpet, for that, be it never so loud, vanisheth in the air, & cannot pierce the Clouds; whereas the noise that issueth and proceedeth from sin, outreacheth the Clouds & entereth into the ears of the Lord of hosts. What then? Must we imagine that sin is a bodily thing, 
●he cry ●e it.  that hath a mouth to speak, & a voice to cry? No, this cry is nothing else but the unchangeable order of God's justice punishing sin, even as at the instance and importunity of the innocent party, a just judge cannot but relieve the oppressed, and punish the guilty, and so do justice according to the office committed unto him. As if it were said, blood will have vengeance, uncleanness will have vengeance, oppression will have vengeance, fraud and deceit will have vengeance: God cannot but punish all these crying sins, because he is a just judge, otherwise he were unrighteous. It is the nature of all sin to provoke God to enter into judgement with the sinner, but especially these horrible and abominable crimes mentioned before. And as it is the nature of sin to cry out to GOD for vengeance, so it is the nature of God to punish sin, and to take vengeance of it. Therefore they greatly deceive both themselves and others, that make him like to one of the gods of the Gentiles, not to be offended at all, or very little displeased with sin, and not to regard what men do. As if justice were not essential unto him, or as if he could deny himself, or as if he could cease to be God: for as soon he may do these as the other. But if it can in any sort agree to him, 
●ent. Pa● in Gen. 4.  that he can be not willing to punish sin, than he can also not hate sin, forasmuch as to hate, is nothing else but to be willing to punish & reject. And if it be incident to him, not to hate sin, than also it will follow, that he can love and like sin. If he can love sin, he can deny himself and destroy himself, he can like of the works of the devil, which is unpossible to do, and horrible blasphemy to affirm.  
Lastly, seeing whatsoever is of the nature of sin, is against God, it directeth us what Use 5 we are to do when we have any way sinned, and desire to have peace of conscience; we must not go to Saints or Angels whom we have not offended, who are not able to be revenged of us; but it is our duty to call for mercy at his hands against whom only we have sinned, and to seek to be reconciled to him whose laws we have transgressed, and who is able to cast body and soul into hell fire. For seeing we offend him, to whom should we repair and come for pardon, but unto him that is offended? It is he that can give us pardon both of sin and punishment. The practice hereof we see in the Prophet David, who because he had sinned against God, against God only, he flieth unto him for the forgiveness of his sins, Psal. 51, 4. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, 
Verse 1.  according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions; 
Verse 2. Verse 4.  wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, etc.: against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight. Let us not continue in sin, but labour earnestly and speedily to come out of it, as he that is fallen into a pit, desireth nothing more than to get out, and putteth to all his strength to be delivered. If we get not a general pardon for all our sins, woe unto us, we are in a most wretched and miserable condition. One sin left unpardoned, is able to cast us out of God's kingdom, and to give us our portion among the unbelievers. We see this in the fall of the Angels, who left the state and habitation wherein they were set, they sinned, and were cast out from the presence of God, and are reserved to destruction. It is a good sign, and a true note of repentance, to thirst after mercy. This is the penitents song: he never pleadeth merit, but evermore prayeth for mercy, and prizeth it above all other things. First, we must see our sins against God, and the sentence of death pronounced against us: and then confess the same to be just and equal against ourselves. As than our sins cry to God for vengeance (as we showed before) so let them cause us to cry unto God for deliverance from them, and the forgiveness of them. Though we have sinned against him, yet let us not despair of mercy, for that were willingly and wittingly, and wilfully to cast ourselves into the lions den, with whom is no pity or compassion; as if he that were like to be drowned, should refuse to be helped out of the waters. Let us not say that God hath forsaken us & cast us out of his sight: let us not think we are out of the hope of his favour. When we seek not God, he will seek us out, and he seeketh out no man, but he findeth him And herein appeareth the infiniteness of his love, the bottom whereof, no man can sound, whereof many can speak to their endless comfort, and to his endless glory and praise. Such as sought not the means to bring them home to God, God hath brought the means home to them, and directed them to use them to their consolation and salvation. Not that we should abuse or neglect the means, but to kindle our love and zeal unto them so much the more. For if he have been found of them that sought him not, much more will he offer himself in kindness and mercy, to those that with pure hearts and upright consciences seek unto him and crave a blessing of him: as sometimes he hath rewarded temporally those that have humbled themselves hypocritically and unsoundly, to declare how greatly he regardeth true repentance indeed. From hence is reproved the doctrine and practice of the Church of Rome, that teach, that the Pastors of the Church have full and absolute power to forgive sins as Christ had, as though whosoever doubteth of their right and jurisdiction, might as well doubt whether Christ have authority to remit sins. This is the pride and presumption of the man of sin, to challenge this pre-eminence, who setteth himself down in the seat of God, and boasteth himself as God. For this is one of the regalities and prerogatives of God, which he will give or impart in whole or in part, to none other. It is an honour that belongeth peculiarly unto him. This the Scribes and pharisees confessed in the Gospel, Math. 9, 3. Mar. 2, 7. Who can forgive sins, but God only? Christ therefore is the only author of reconciliation, the Ministers are only the Lords messengers and ambassadors to declare his will out of his word, 2 Cor. 5, 18. All things are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. If the Bishop of Rome had this authority, 
The Bishop of Rome cannot forgive sins.  than we ought to crave mercy at his hands, and say unto him, Have mercy upon me, O Lord God the Pope; which is intolerable blasphemy, & impiety against God. Objection. But it may be said, If he do not sometimes forgive sins, than it shall seem to be false which Christ saith, Whatsoever ye bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whose sins ye remit, they are remitted, etc. I answer, Answer. this power given to the Apostles and their successors, is a commission in the Name of Christ, to declare and pronounce remission of sins to them that are truly penitent. They have no power actually to remit sins, they are only as dispensers and stewards: they are not made competent judges, but only as the Lords messengers to publish the will of God out of his word. They are as Ministers, not enabled to reconcile men unto God, but to pray and beseech them to be reconciled through Christ. 
2 Cor. 5, 20.  Christ then is the reconciler, they are the Ministers of reconciliation. Their commission stretcheth no farther, but to declare the Prince's pleasure. If then God only forgive sins, surely no man can do it, doubtless the man of sin cannot forgive sin, he cannot forgive himself, much less another. He is a sick man himself, and needeth the Physician, if haply any physic will do him any any good, which is much to be doubted. He cannot be an absolute Physician to others, that needeth the Physician himself; he cannot save others that cannot save himself, neither reconcile others to God, who hath himself need to be reconciled by another. Christ jesus himself could never have reconciled us to his Father, if he had needed his Mother, or any Saint or Angel to reconcile him to God. We must all, high and low, rich and poor, go together to the Physician that he may heal all of us. It is Christ's shedding of his blood that remitteth sins, it is he that hath made satisfaction to God, so that it belongeth to God only to forgive sins properly. It is Christ that calleth all unto him that are weary and heavy laden, 
Mat. 11, ●  and promiseth to refresh them. The Lord saith in the Prophet, I am the Lord thy God, 
Esay 43 ● 25.  the holy one of Israel thy Saviour: and afterward, I, even I, am the Lord, and besides me there is no Saviour: and yet again more plainly, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Neither doth Christ reprehend the Scribes because they confessed this point of God's power (for they did rightly affirm, 
Allem ●●tise of the power of Pri●hood 〈◊〉 sins, chap. 1.  that none could forgive sins but God only, Luke 5, 20, 21,) but this was their error, in that they did not acknowledge Christ to be God, who, in the person of the Mediator, even in the state of humility while he lived here, and was conversant upon the earth, might by his divine authority forgive sins, as likewise by the same power he did heal sicknesses and diseases among the people. God then doth properly and absolutely forgive sins committed against his law and eternal Majesty. The Minister by his appointment doth assure all penitent sinners of the forgiveness of their sins, through the mercy of God, and the merits of his Son jesus Christ: and therefore in this sense he is said to forgive sins, as he is also said to save men's souls, 
1 Tim. 4. ●●.  to whom he preacheth salvation. An Ambassador is said to make peace or war, when he declareth according to his commission, his Prince's pleasure and determination touching either of them. The King's Deputy or Lieutenant (having warrant from him) offereth and granteth pardon to rebels or other offenders, when notwithstanding he doth only make known the Prince's pleasure in remitting their offences, and releasing their punishments, forasmuch as it is in the Prince's power only to pardon traitors & transgressors. The Minister of the word, as Christ's Deputy or Lieutenant, is said to retain or remit sins, even as the Priest in the time of the Law is said to make the Lepers clean or unclean. 
●, ●, 7  His sentence touching that disease, was but declaratory, pronouncing who was stricken, or who was healed by the hand of God: he had not power himself to strike or to heal, to lay it upon any, or to take it away from any person. So it is the ordinance of God, that the Ministers should be declarers, interpreters, and expressers of his will and word concerning remission of sins: 
ogive sin ●e a ●ne.  not properly pardoners, forgivers, and remitters of sins (for then they must also take away sins) as though the sentence in heaven did depend upon the sentence on earth, whereas the censure of men must depend upon the sentence of God. To forgive sins properly, is to take them away, and to remove the punishment. But God only can do this: to God therefore alone let us fly, of him let us look for mercy, and from him let us never go to any man. If we have recourse unto him, we shall find mercy in time of need, which is better than thousands of gold and silver. This is able to appease the inward trouble of a distressed conscience, and ministereth sound comfort to the afflicted soul that is humbled and cast down to the gates of hell. If we had all the jewels and precious stones that can be found, we were not able to buy out the punishment of one sin. The Prophet saith, Ps. 49, 6, 7, 9 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give a ransom to God for him, etc. The value & worth of the whole world is too vile and base to answer for one trespass: for it cost more to redeem one soul. It could not be done with silver and gold, and such like corruptible and transitory things, but with the precious blood of Christ, 
●1, 19  as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot. If we would come before him with  offerings and calves of a year old, or would think to please the Lord with thousands of Rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, or persuade ourselves that we can make satisfaction for the sins of our souls by the fruit of our bodies, even by giving our sons and daughters, we deceive ourselves, and know not the grievousness of sin, nor the infinite wrath of God, nor the exceeding value of the death of Christ, nor the endless torment due unto sin, nor the unspotted purity of the law of God, which is transgressed by it. If we had all things, and wanted his mercy, we have nothing: if once we have it, it is sufficient to cover all our infirmities, and to blot out all our iniquities, according to the saying of Solomon, Prou. 16, 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Such as never felt the burden of sin, never regard the benefit of mercy: but such as have their hearts in any sort touched with it, acknowledge them blessed that find it, and all those miserable that are destitute of it. It is not instruments of music, it is not dainty fare, it is not outward delights, it is not merry company, it is not riches, or honours, or friends, or nobility, or pleasures, or sports and pastimes, that can allay and appease a troubled mind & perplexed conscience. David wanted not any of these, he was the sweet Singer of Israel, he might have his consort, he could not want mirth and music of singing men & singing women: yet he preferred a drop of mercy before all these; he followed not the practice of Saul, who when an evil spirit sent of God, vexed him and disquieted his mind, listened unto them that told him of a cunning physician to play before him: but he never sought to God, nor craved mercy at his hand, and therefore albeit he were eased for a time, yet his trouble returned more fiercely upon him then before, and ended in a fury and frenzy, so that nothing could pacify or appease him. This is the common course of the men of this world, if at any time their hearts accuse them, and sin begin to terrify them, & judgement press sore upon them, they seek by merriments, and drink, & feasts, and their companions to put that terror away. And this is the only counsel their friends can advise them to take. Like friends, like counsel: carnal friends, carnal counsel. But they and their friends are greatly out of the right way, and are wholly ignorant of the true means of comfort. All sound comfort cometh from God and from his word: 
All sound dofort cometh from God. 2 Corin. 1.3.  and therefore he hath this title given unto him, to be called, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation. He sendeth his holy Spirit into our hearts, when they are cast down, who, by way of excellency, is called, the Comforter. 
john 14, 26, & 16, 26.  He will not leave us without comfort, if we crave it of him. We must go unto him, and never give him over. He is a fountain that can never be emptied and drawn dry. Besides, we have his word, which being reverently heard and read, is able to raise up and cheer up our heavy hearts. The Apostle showeth, that the Scriptures were written, 
Roman. 15, 4.  that we through patience and comfort of them, might have hope. And the Prophet David in sundry places setteth down this effect, which himself from time to time had found and felt in his troubles: as Psal. 19.8. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes: and the 119. Psalm 
Psalm. 119, 24  is a plentiful storehouse to furnish us abundantly with matter of comfort, Thy testimonies are my delight, and my Counsellors: and again, My soul melteth for heaviness, strengthen thou me, 
Verse 28  according to thy word. This is the true way sanctified unto us to drive away heaviness: this means the children of God have used, & have found by experience and good proof, the force and effect of it. It hath been very available unto them, and filled their bones with marrow and fatness. To this end he saith afterward, 
Verse 92.  Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction. Thus do the faithful rejoice in his Testimonies, as much as in all riches, forasmuch as his statutes do rejoice the heart, make wise the simple, enlighten the eyes, and convert the soul; than which it is unpossible to find greater matter of comfort.  

Two means of comfort.  To conclude, we have seen, that there are two means to obtain comfort: the one is from the work of God in our hearts by his holy Spirit, which leaveth us not desolate and destitute. The other is the use of the word, which is sweeter than the honey and the honeycomb, and more to be desired then much riches. Let us have an heap of sorrows cast upon us through enduring of the Cross, and let us sink never so deep into afflictions, the word of God is able to raise us up again, & to cheer up our hearts.  
[Verse 7. Then they shall confess their sin which they have done.] We showed before, that Moses setteth down three ways, how this damage offered to men, is to be blotted out. The course which they ought to take to purge it away, is first of all to make confession of their sin to God, forasmuch as where the confession of man goeth before, there the forgiveness of God followeth after. We cannot lie hid from him, nor conceal our offences, and therefore it is best to acknowledge them before him.  

Doctrine. Whosoever looketh for forgiveness, must confess his sins to God.  From hence we learn, that whosoever looketh for forgiveness, must confess his sins to God. This is the practice and property of a true penitent, to lay forth his sins to God, both original and actual, and to discover them in his sight. This we see in sundry examples remembered in the old & new Testament. When David was reproved of Nathan the Prophet, who set his sins in order before him, he answered, 
2 Sam. 12.  I have sinned against the Lord. The Publican, going up into the Temple to pray, and standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, 
Luke 18, 13.  saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. The prodigal son having wasted his substance with riotous living, when he came to himself, he went to his father, and said unto him, 
Luke 15, 21.  Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. The like confession we read in Daniel, chap. 9, 5, 6, 7. when he perceived by the word of the Lord, that the seventy years were accomplished in the desolations of jerusalem, he prayed unto the Lord his God, and made his confession, We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements, etc. The like we might show out of Ezra 9, 5, 6. and Nehem. 9 and many other places, which teach, that it is a duty required of us to make humble confession of our sins unto God.  
Reason 1 The reasons are weighty and effectual to enforce this duty. First, we showed in the former doctrine, that all sin is committed against God. Howsoever we may hurt men, and damnify them in their bodies and goods, yet the chiefest dishonour is done against God, whose law is broken and transgressed; as Psal, 51, 4. Against thee, even thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight. If then the injury done to man, be an iniquity committed against God, we are bound to confess our sin unto him. But all the wrongs offered to our brethren, are sins against God: and therefore confession ought to be made unto him.  
Secondly, we have showed also before, that Reason 2 it is in God's power only to forgive sins, and free us from the punishment due unto sin. He only can give pardon for sin, 
Cypri. Ser. 5. de Lapsis.  that carried our sins on his body. The Scribes and pharisees had grievously corrupted the purity of doctrine by the leaven of their own traditions: yet they held sound and sincerely this principle, that God only forgiveth sins. They falsely interpreted the law of God, and perverted the true meaning of it by their gloss, yet they retained this truth, that none can forgive sins but God only, Mark. 2.7. If then God alone can forgive sins, than we must confess them unto him. But he alone can forgive sins, and therefore we must confess them unto him.  
Thirdly, without confession of our sins, Reason 3 there is no forgiveness nor hope of pardon: for God cannot in justice forgive us, except in humility we confess unto him, seeing without it we have no promise made unto us to find favour at his hands. If we be not ashamed to uncase and uncover our sins, he will not be ashamed of us, but show mercy toward us; as Prou. 28, verse 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but who so confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy. And the Apostle john affirmeth the same, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 john 1, verse 9 The like remedy Paul delivereth to the Corinthians, who, for their unreverent & unworthy partaking of the Lords Supper, were some of them weak, some sick, and some dead: If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord. 1 Corin. 11, 31. And the Prophet David declareth the same by his own experience, Psal. 32, verse 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. If then there be no forgiveness of sins without confession, it followeth, that it is our duty to confess them before him.  
Fourthly, where there is no true confession Reason 4 of sin, there is no sound repentance for sin. For the inward sight of sin and humbling of ourselves for it, will open our mouths, & cause us to lay them open. As then the confessing of them with the tongue, is a sign and testimony that the heart hath forsaken them: so on the other side, the shutting up of our mouths and hiding of our sins, is an evident token, that as yet we lie in them, and have no purpose and resolution to departed from them. We have never truly repent, until our iniquities be confessed. When David had numbered the people, and his heart did smite him for it, he cried out, O Lord, I have sinned exceedingly, 
●4, 10.  in that I have done: now, O Lord, I beseech thee, take away the trespass of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly. If then we would assure our own hearts, that we have truly repent of our sins, and do not yet lie wallowing in them as a sow in the mire, let us by this fruit of our lips, confession to God, assure it. If we do not assure it this way, we shall never be sure.  
Fiftly, this confession tendeth to the glorification Reason 5 of the Name of God. The hiding of our sins and the smothering of them, as fire under the ashes, dishonoureth him; whereas by revealing of them, his Name is honoured, forasmuch as we make manifest thereby the glory of his mercy, of his patience, and of his justice. Of his mercy, in sparing of us, and showing compassion toward us. Of his patience, in long forbearing of us, and waiting for our repentance, whereas he might have suddenly destroyed us. And of his justice, by acknowledging, that if he should punish us and proceed against us, we had our desert, he should do us no wrong, that so he might be just in all his doings, Psal. 51, verse 4. This is that reason which joshua urgeth unto Achan, josh. 7, verse 19 My son, give I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done, hide it not from me. Where we see, he joineth giving glory to God, and making confession of sin, together, so that the one cannot be separated from the other. For sin doth no more serve to the dishonouring of God, than the sincere confession of sins serveth to the glorifying of his Name: and as the committing of it causeth his Name to be blasphemed, so the confessing of it causeth his Name to be honoured and magnified. Such as cannot repent of their evil ways, do by their hardness of heart and obstinacy of mind, more dishonour and reproach the Name of GOD, then by committing most grievous sins. For to settle the heart upon wickedness, with a purpose to continue therein, and so to oppose himself against grace, against the calling and threatenings of God, is no better than to accuse God of lying and injustice. Of lying, whiles he calleth us unto him, and denounceth his judgements against us. Of wrong and injustice, whiles he chastiseth us for our sins, and doth not spare us.  
Use 1 The doctrine being thus fully confirmed, the uses arising from hence are to be learned. And first it serveth to reprove sundry abuses of those that fail in the performance of this duty. 
●stre. ●.  Among which enormities, the corrupt practice of the Church of Rome is not the least, who abuse this doctrine of confession, and make it as an hook to catch men's goods, to know all men's secrets, and consequently a means to enrich themselves, and to impoverish others.  
Hence it is, that they teach auricular confession to be necessary under the pain of damnation, for every one that receiveth the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, immediately before it.  
First, they will have all men confess, 
Against auricular confession.  and then they must hear Mass: a fit door to such an house. And what are their Priests for the most part, to whom they send us to make confession, but ignorant persons, not able to minister a word of comfort in due season? Are we to acknowledge all our sins unto him, that hath an ear to hear us, and not a tongue to instruct us? But many of their Clergy are unlearned, and yet of greater learning than conscience; so that men ought no more to reckon up their sins to such confessors, then in sickness, to take counsel of one that is ignorant in physic. We have showed before, that the Priest cannot properly pardon sin, forasmuch as he cannot pronounce pardon and forgiveness to any man, except he be truly contrite and penitent before God. But God only and the party penitent, know and understand the contrition of the heart, without which, the dearest sellers and setters out of pardons, dare not say that a sinner is pardoned. For hypocrites may dissemble in their confessions, and by their dissembling, deceive such as have the quickest sight, and the greatest knowledge, and the deepest judgement, who, by all their skill, are not able to dive down into the secrets of the soul.  
If then God only know the heart, 
1 King. 8, 39  and understand the imagination of all thoughts of the children of men, how can their Priests simply and absolutely take upon them to forgive sins, seeing they are not able to judge of the soundness and sincerity of the heart? Nevertheless, the consciences of these men are so seared and so senseless, that without any colour of truth, or show of godliness, they are not ashamed to teach, 
Allen of the power of Priesthood, chap. 9  that the want of their popish penance, will drive all men, either to desperation, or to security and presumption: whereas the clean contrary is an evident truth. For the doctrine concerning that supposed and pretended Sacrament, offereth manifest occasion both of presumption and of desperation, as might be made plain by many examples. Of presumption, in them that are carnally minded. Of desperation, in them that have broken hearts and tender consciences. Such as are secure, it maketh them more secure; and such as are too much cast down already, it driveth them directly toward the pit of hell. For the one thinketh with himself that he hath a very easy remedy for his sins, and that he need not to trouble himself much with them, nor break one hour of sleep for them, nor forbear one jot of pleasure to be eased of them; he can quickly discharge them and easily disburden them into a Priest's ear, and thereby hath a passport given him to commit sin afresh? the other, 
The part of popish penance.  considering the impossibility of confession to be performed, and the unsufficiency of the satisfaction enjoined, which notwithstanding are made the parts of this counterfeit Sacrament, can find no comfort in the Priest's absolution.  
Object 1 But they object, that after Christ was risen again, he sent out his Disciples, and breathed upon them, saying, Receive ye the holy Ghost; whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosoevers sins ye retain, they are retained, john 20, 22, 23.  
I answer, Answer. they can never establish their shrift out of these words, but do plainly show, that either they want their eyesight, or else they think others to be stark blind. For seeing Christ sent his Apostles into the whole world, 
Math. 10.  that they should preach the Gospel upon the house tops, that is, openly and evidently, who will be so foolish as to imagine, that this can be understood of Auricular confession? This authority is joined with the Ministry of the Gospel, as the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 5, verse 18, 19, 20. God hath reconciled us unto himself by jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that GOD was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, etc. Thus we see, that sinners are reconciled to God, and obtain remission of sins by the Ministry of preaching the Gospel, apprehending and receiving the benefit thereof by faith, not by confession: forasmuch as we have in the word, neither precept nor example of reckoning our sins in secret unto the Priest, to the end we may obtain forgiveness of them. All the examples and commandments mentioned in the Scriptures, call us with a loud voice, and carry us the direct way unto God, advising us to speak to him, who we are sure will answer us: to crave of him, who we are certain will hear us. The Prophet saith, I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord, and thou forgavest me. Psalm 32, verse 5. The same we read in Hosea, chap. 14, verse 2. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips. Yea, the servants of God were so far from binding themselves to number up all their sins, that David saith in the Psalm, Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults? Psalm 19, 12. and 38, 5. True it is, many of the ancient do oftentimes speak much of confession, but it is of public confession in the face of the Church, made by him that had committed some public and notorious crime, and given scandal to the whole Church: whereas there was no law set forth of this auricular confession before Innocent. the third, who first of all made an act and decree touching the same. For they call men back from running unto men to tell them their sins, 
Chrys●●● Laz●. 〈◊〉 G●●●●●  who may put them to shame and rebuke, make them blush, and hit them in the teeth with them, and also bring them to the knowledge of others: but to the Lord that careth for us, to him that is our Physician, and cureth our wounds: as the servant, when he hath offended, craveth not forgiveness of his fellow-servant, but at the hands of his master. And why should we fear to unburden our conscience of that, which we feared not to commit in his presence? If we come unto him, we may be assured he will turn away his face from our iniquities.  
Again, some object the words of the Apostle Object 2 james, chapter 5, verse 16. Confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. Lo, say they, here is an express commandment given unto us to confess our sins. And we see the practice of it to john, Math. 3, verse 5, 6. To whom went out jerusalem and all judea, and all the regions round about jordan, and were baptised of him in jordan, confessing their sins. These are the Scriptures that the Rhemists use to establish their error, as the groundwork of their building.  
I answer Answer. unto them both; and first to the commandment, then to the example or practice of it.  
Touching the precept or commandment, howsoever it may carry some show, yet if we mark it, the place rather marreth their market, then helpeth the matter. For the confession of faults here spoken off, is in time of sickness at the private houses of the diseased, when the sick person acknowledgeth to the standers by that come to visit him, wherein and in what manner he had offended them; & the standers by, wherein they had offended him; and both of them desired to be reconciled one to another, and so departed hence in peace, Math. 5, verse 23. It was not made therefore alone and apart in the Church, in time of health, in the ear of the Priest, in the supposed holy time of Lent, a little before Easter, or before they prepared themselves to hear Mass.  
Secondly, here he requireth that we confess our sins and offences one to another, not all to one: so that this text belongeth to mutual confession, not to sacramental confession. Whereby we may evidently prove, that their popish Priests are as well bound to confess themselves to laymen, as the laymen are bound to confess themselves to popish Priests. Otherwise, how can we be said to confess one to another? If any confess unto me, and I confess unto none, how have we kept this rule? How have we confessed our faults one to another?  
Thirdly, as we are commanded to confess our faults one to another, so we are also charged to pray one for another: for the Apostle joineth these two together.  
But they are ashamed to say, that this pertaineth only to the Priest to pray for others: wherefore then should confession pertain unto him more than the prayer here spoken off? forasmuch as there is a like respect of both these, Confess one to another, and pray one for another. This point therefore is so clear, that the Rhemists themselves confess, 
●em. Annot. ●lam. 5.  that it is not certain, but only probable, that the Apostle speaketh here of sacramental confession: and besides, Cardinal Caietane, in his Commentaries upon the same place, observeth, that it cannot be understood of the Sacrament of Confession, 
betan. com●n. in jam. 5.  because the Apostle doth not say, Acknowledge your faults to the Priest, but one to another. Touching the practice of the people that came to john's baptism, they confess their sins in general, and not all of them in particular: not compelled unto it, but voluntarily moved. For if they had confessed their sins particularly, john must have stood from morning to evening many years together, because jerusalem, and all jewry, and all the Country about jordan came unto him: in which number no doubt were many thousands, and an innumerable company that were never shriven before; so that their confessions must be very long, & he must of necessity have shriving work enough all the days of his life, & therefore it was unpossible there should be a particular enumeration of all their sins.  

●he second ●proofe.  Secondly, it reproveth such as hide their sins, and cannot be brought to confess them. Such as do deny them, fail in this duty, and are far from true repentance, and consequently from free forgiveness. They have skill and will to set out other men's sins, and to stretch them at large to the uttermost, that they may make them seem greater than they are: but touching their own offences, either they will not understand them, or they will excuse them: and you shall be sure to get them to confess no more than you can prove against them. Look what you can convince them off, they will confess, because they cannot deny it: where you stick at the proof, they will stick to lay open themselves, and they will go no farther than you can go, but impudently deny the rest. They will never be brought to confess they have sinned, until they be taken in their sin, so that the first time of their taking, shall be the first time of their sinning.  
This is a corruption, the which we have drawn from our first parents, to hide our sins, as Adam. When he was examined by the most upright judge, he posted the matter over, from himself to his wife, Gen. 3, 12, 13. The woman that thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the woman after his example, went about to clear herself, and laid all the blame upon the Serpent; The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. But all this served not their turn, God found them out, and punished them for their sin. In this number we may range all such as keep silence, and hold their peace, when they have committed sin, albeit they hear it inquired into: as Achan did, when he had stolen away the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment, josh. 7, 16, who hide his sin until he saw it detected by others. Thus do very many account it a notable point of wisdom to keep their own counsel; and if they can cunningly carry it away, they glory in it, and rejoice in their own wicked devices. Others that are driven to speak somewhat touching their offences, will notwithstanding answer nothing to the purpose, as Gehazi did, whose confession was no confession, 
2 King. 5, 25.  Thy servant went no whither. When God called Cain to an account for the horrible parricide he had committed against his own natural brother, and began to question with him about it, Where is Abel thy btother? he answered, I cannot tell, 
Gen. 4, 9  am I my brother's keeper? He would not confess it, but stood in defence of it, or at least would shake it off from him, as a matter impertinent unto him, and no way concerning him. This was a sign of his impenitency & hardness of heart: it is a sure testimony, that as yet he had no touch of conscience, nor feeling of sin, nor regard of punishment. Thus the case standeth with many among us they care not how they run on in their sins, yet cannot be brought to confess them to GOD, that they may find mercy. Such have no comfort of heart, nor peace of conscience, but lie under the wrath of God, and come far behind judas, the son of perdition.  
Thirdly, there is another sort, 
The third reproof.  that will not hide their sin altogether, but yet mince it & diminish it, as if it stuck between their teeth, and they were loath to utter it, so that they are unwilling to declare what they have done. They can amplify the sins of others, but they will extenuate their own: and confess them so slightly and coldly, that thereby they farther discover their own wickedness▪ and that they are not touched at the heart with a feeling of them. A cold confession bewrayeth and argueth a cold repentance, and shall bring as cold an effect and fruit of consolation. For like confession, like consolation. If a Subject that hath offended his Prince, should crave pardon of the Prince, in such sort as many ask forgiveness of God, he should be assured to find little favour. If he should say unto the Prince, I confess I have rebelled and offended, but many others have offended the Law, as much or more, I was not the principal agent or doer in it, I was drawn into it by others; would this submission be accepted at his hands? How then shall we think that God will approve of us, when we cut short our sins in confessing, which we have enlarged in committing? We are not ashamed to say, I am not the greatest sinner; I pray God I may never do any thing worse, and then I hope I shall do well enough; I am not the first that have sinned, and I am sure I shall not be the last; I am not alone, but others are as bad as I; let every one look to himself; I am (I thank God) neither whoremaster, nor thief, nor murderer, nor drunkard. These are they that justify themselves, like the Pharisee in the Gospel, Luke 18, verse 11, 12. who prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. These are they, that peradventure will not stick with you to acknowledge some of their sins, especially such as are in the eyes and ears of the world, seen and heard of all men: but they will not confess all, nor the greatest, nor the chiefest, nor the most secret: like unto those foolish Mariners that go about to stop the least and smallest holes in the Ship, and let the greatest and widest alone; or like unwise patients that would show to the Surgeon their lightest wounds, & hide from him the most deep and dangerous; or like a watchman that should discover a little band and troup of enemies coming to assault the City, and conceal a great army that is ready to enter, and to cast down the walls. We must keep none of our sweet sins, nor of our profitable sins, but confess them all to him that hath promised to cover them, and not to impute them unto us. Such are in the right way to true blessedness; as for others, they are out of the right way. For it condemneth such as are content to confess in general terms, that they are sinners: but you shall as soon wring water out of a flint, as any particular confession out of their mouths; they are too much in love with themselves, they are too much in love with their own sins.  

Particular confession required of all men.  If we look for pardon at the hands of God, we must not be ashamed, or afraid, or astonished to set them out at large, with their parts and circumstances, at what times, in what places, after what manner, and among what persons we have committed them. Thus have the faithful servants of God done, and found comfort by it. This is the right way to obtain forgiveness, and to procure a blessing at the hand of almighty God, & a plain proof of true humiliation: without which there is no forgiveness at all can be assured unto us.  
Use 2 Secondly, this confession of our sins unto God, ministereth wonderful comfort to all such as are truly grieved, and hearty sorrowful for them. When we can freely pour out our meditations before him, and lay open our secret sins, that neither friend nor foe knoweth, or can touch us withal, when we can hate with an earnest hatred our best beloved sins, that have been as dear unto us, as our right hand, or our right eye; when we can complain of them, speak evil of them, deface, and every way disgrace them, as carnal men do their utter enemies, it is a true sign that our hearts are touched by the Spirit of God; as our Saviour Christ teacheth, john 16, verse 8. When the Comforter is come he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.  
We have no greater enemies than our sins, which are many in number, strong in power, deceitful in snaring, and dangerous in subduing of us. They are in number as the sand on the sea shore, that cannot be reckoned, and more than the hairs of our head, or then the hours that we have lived. They are as strong as an army of men set in battle array, who by their power and puissance, have struck down the chosen men of Israel. They deceive with their pleasures, as the bird is taken in the snare, and as the subtle harlot that flattereth with her mouth. They bring danger both to soul and body, and leave us not till we perish for ever, and be cast into the pit of hell, from whence there is no redemption.  
Seeing then their nature is such, that they carry us headlong with violence into perdition, we should also malign them and hate them as death, nay, as him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebr. 2, verse 14. If we find them too cunning and crafty for us, and ourselves too weak to deal against them being armed with all the forces of Satan and of the world, let us go to him that being stronger than that strong man, is able to take away all his weapons, (Luke 11, verse 22.) and bind him in chains, even the Lion of the Tribe of juda, (revel. 5, verse 5.) that is able to stop the mouth of that roaring Lion, which seeketh whom he may devour, 1 Pet. 5, 8. He knoweth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust.  
And as he is of power to help us, and subdue our corruptions, so he is of infinite mercy to pardon us our sins. He knoweth what is in us, better than we ourselves know ourselves: forasmuch as he is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things.  
If then we confess our sins truly and unfeignedly, as he is faithful and just, (1 john, chap, 1, verse 9) so he will forgive us: he hath made the promise, and the word is gone out of his mouth, which he cannot call back again: he hath uttered his voice, and he cannot deny it, no more than he can deny himself.  
If he should retain our sins, we being penitent, he should forfeit and falsify his truth, which cannot agree to the divine nature, and therefore (as one rightly speaketh) he should be a greater leeser then we. This is evidently to be seen in the Psalms of repentance penned by the Prophet David, as Psalm 32. At the first he sought by all the means that he could, to hide his sins, he sendeth for Vriah, and useth sundry shifts to convey him unto his house, and thereby to cover his sin. When that policy would not serve, he sendeth secretly to joab, to put him in place of danger, and then to retire from him, that he might fall by the sword of the Ammonites. But whiles he seeketh all means to cover it, God, the searcher of hearts, doth discover it, and sendeth his Prophet unto him, to reprove him. Hereby, even by the Ministry of the word, his heart is touched, and he is made to see the grievousness of his sin, & against whom he had sinned; then he is not ashamed to acknowledge it, and to leave a memorial of it in the Church for the good of others. Thus he found wonderful comfort by his confession, and could find none without it, I acknowledged my sin, and thou forgavest mine iniquity. Psal. 32, 5. The consideration of the multitude of our sins is able to bring us to despair: but the confession of our sins is able to raise up to hope again, and to stay us up with the mercies of GOD, which are as flagons of wine to refresh us. When David had thus confessed that he had sinned, God sent him a comfortable message that cheered his heart and quieted his conscience. The Prophet that before threatened & thundered out the Law, now apply precious balm, and poureth wine and oil into his wounds▪ saying unto him in the Name of God, Thy sin is pardoned. They that are escaped by the mercy of God (as it were from a dangerous shipwreck) out of their sins, would not come into the same case and condition again, for to gain a kingdom, nay, all the kingdoms of the world. When the sinful woman confessed her sins by shedding abundance of tears, and wiping the feet of Christ with the hairs of her head, he answered concerning her as the Lord of life and comfort, Many sins are forgiven her, for she loved much, Luke 7, verse 47. Thus he spoke graciously and comfortably to the penitent thief on the Cross, accusing himself, reproving his fellow, justifying Christ, confessing his faith, and ask forgiveness, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Luke 23, 43. The more often we go unto God, and confess our sins before him, the better it is for us, the more mercifully he will deal with us, the greater grace he will bestow upon us, the farther he will remove his judgements from us, and the nearer he will approach unto us.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us all labour after a right confession. Many have confessed their sins, and yet found little comfort, as Pharaoh, Saul, judas, the Israelites, and many others. If we hope to speed better than these men, than we must confess better than they did. If we sin with them, and confess as they did, we shall reap no better fruit than they did. We are apt to favour and flatter ourselves, we are possessed with self-love. We cannot look upon other men's virtues, nor our own vices: we are blind in seeing our own faults, whereas we are sharp sighted and quick eyed to espy a little mote in other men's faces. We should rather consider our own wants to be humbled for them, than the graces we have, to be puffed up by them. No man seethe the spots that be in his own face: so he discerneth not the sins that are in his own soul. He that would know his deformities, taketh a glass, 
james 1, 23.  which showeth unto him what he is, and how he is: so if we would understand our secret & open sins, we must behold our faces in the law of God, for by the law cometh the knowledge of sin, Rom. 3, 20. We must therefore examine ourselves touching this duty of confession, and observe diligently the true properties of it. Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Not every one that saith, I am a sinner, I am unclean, is a true convert, and a right penitent. Nothing is more common than to hear men say, I confess myself a sinner, all men are sinners, there is no man that sinneth not, God be merciful unto us: this is the ordinary confession of every man. These are no better than words of course, it is rotten at the root, it is blasted in the ear; it is green in the leaves, but beareth no fruit; it is beautiful without, but soul and filthy within; it is formal in show, but fading in substance. Wherefore, that we may not deceive ourselves as a great part of the world do; 
The properties of right confession.  we are to understand the properties of true confession, that we may comfort ourselves in them, if we find them in us: or else labour to attain unto them, if we feel the want of them: and seek to increase in the knowledge of them, if we have already received them.  
First of all, we must confess to God our special and particular sins, as the patiented that would be cured, not only telleth the Physician that he is sick, but acknowledgeth in what part and in what manner, & how long he hath been sick. When men complain to Magistrates, of the wrongs that have been done them, they will express in what particulars and in what sort they have been damnified. Shall we not much rather seek to the Physician of our souls, and acknowledge to him how sorely we are sick, especially considering he knoweth our diseases better than ourselves? If there were no other motive to stir us up to this duty of confession, this were sufficient: because we cannot hide them from him. We may conceal them from the knowledge of men, but with all our craft and cunning, with all our devices and policies, with all our fetches and falsehood, we cannot conceal them from God, whose eyes pierce into the bowels of the earth, and into the depth of hell. This is that which the wise man delivereth, Hell & destruction are before the Lord, how much more the hearts of the sons of men? Pro. 15, 11. So that there is nothing so deep, nothing so secret, which can be hidden from the sight of God. Hence it is, that David confessed oftentimes, that he had sinned: & addeth in what kinds, in blood-guiltiness, 
Psal 51, 14. 1 Chr. 21, 8.  and in numbering of the people: so Paul confessed, that he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an oppressor, the chiefest of all sinners, 1 Tim. 1, 15. We see then to whom we must go to confess, and in what manner we are to perform it: which serveth to reprove those, that when their sins are discovered and come to sight, that they can no longer hide them, do submit themselves unto men, and stoop down to them, but never humble themselves before God, whom they have offended, nor acknowledge how shamefully they have broken his laws. We have many false tears shed to blind and blear the eyes of men, but they never seek unfeignedly to reconcile themselves unto him that is able to save and to destroy, 
james 4, 12. Math. 10, 28.  and never stand in fear of him that can destroy body and soul in hell fire. Let us take heed of this hypocrisy, which is a most vain and fruitless kind of humiliation, of which we shall speak more afterward.  
Secondly, we must set out our sins in their right colours, 
The second property.  as beggars that uncover their sores to men, that they may behold them and show mercy. We must be so far from making our sins lighter and lesser than they are, that we should enlarge them to the full, and labour to make them appear vile & heinous as they are. A notable practice of this we have in David, Psal. 51, 5. he ascendeth up from his present sins to his original corruption, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The like we see in Ezra, chap. 9, verse 6. when the people had transgressed by making affinity with strangers, taking of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, he fell upon his knees, & spread out his hands unto the Lord his God, and said, O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. We must confess, when, and where, and how we have sinned. We must confess how much we have dishonoured God, and scandalised the Church, and how long we have lived and continued in our sins. We must confess, that if he should condemn us, he should do us no wrong, but we must clear him and the course of his justice, when he proceedeth against us. We heard how Paul confessed his sin in the time of his ignorance, that he had persecuted the Church of God extremely, and made havoc of it horribly, Gal. 1, 13. and therefore was not only the least of all Saints, but the greatest of all sinners. Neither doth he, in uttering this speech, 
Pernar. de vita sol●tar.  make a lie, or speak for modesty sake, but as he thought in his heart, esteeming no man's sin like his own, nor understanding another man's as he doth his own, nor feeling another man's as his own. Thus do the servants of God deal with themselves, & with their sins, and thereby show that they were out of love with themselves and their sins. This reproveth those that content themselves with a word and away, they cannot abide to stand long in their confession, as if they were afraid to humble themselves too far: whereas we cannot make ourselves too vile, nor hate our sins too much. Many confess them, as if they meant presently to return unto them, like to the harlot that wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have not committed iniquity, Pro. 30, 20. whereas we should hate them with a perfect hatred as our utter enemies that seek our destruction  
Thirdly, 
The third property.  our confession must proceed from the heart, it must be sound at the root, otherwise the fruit will be blasted, rotten, corrupt, and unsavoury, as Prou. 4, 23. Keep thine heart with all diligence, for thereout cometh life: and chap. 23, 26. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes delight in my ways. Thus it was with David, Ps. 6.7, 6. whose soul was troubled very sore, I fainted in my mourning, I cause my bed every night to swim, and water my couch with my tears, and the more he was afflicted, the more unfeignedly he came to God. Such was the confession of the Publican, when he smote his breast, and said, Lord be merciful to me a sinner. When he laid his hand upon his breast, if it had been possible, he would have touched and taken his hart to have offered it up to God. If we bring unto God only an outward confession, fetched no farther than from the mouth, it returneth empty to us again, and never obtaineth any blessing. This lip-labour God hateth as a lame offering, and a maimed sacrifice, The hart is as salt that seasoneth every part of the worship of God, & every exercise of our religion, & every fruit of our most holy faith. This is commended to have been in Ephraim by the Prophet, After that I converted, I repent: and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. jer. 31, 18. Hypocritical confession is no confession.  
Fourthly, 
The fourth property.  we must confess our sins with an hatred of them. For where there is no feeling of sin, there can be no pardon of sin: and therefore Christ calleth such to him as were weary and heavy laden, and ready to faint & fall down under the burden of them, Mat. 11, 28. The Prophet confesseth, 
Psal. 38, 4, 5.  that his sins were as a weighty burden too heavy for him, so that he went crooked, & bowed very sore. So long as sin appeareth unto men small as a mote, light as a feather, pleasant as a sport, that it groweth to be as common with them as going in the high way, drinking iniquity as water, and delighting in it as in meat & drink, it is plain they know not the nature of it. Many hypocrites like judas have confessed their particular sins, who said, he had sinned in betraying innocent blood; 
Math. 27.4.  but it is of custom without conscience, or of passion without remorse, or of fear without change: because they are weary of the punishments that lie upon them, but are not weary of their sins that are the causes of them: their plagues seem heavy, but their sins seem light, 
●e should ●e grieve, 〈◊〉 punished.  whereas the sins that are in us, should more grieve us, than the judgements that are upon us. Such men are for the present touched with the stroke of God's hand; but after they have confessed, and the punishment is removed, they are the same that they were before, and are found no changelings, they return again to their old sins, as the dog to his vomit, and practise that which before they seemed to abhor. Let us therefore hate sin much more than the punishment, lest we be as malefactors that oftentimes cry out for the punishment, but seldom or never for their offence. Sin is the breach of God's law, and the procuring cause of all punishment. If we be careful to stay the cause, we shall quickly and easily stay the effect: and if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord. Fiftly, 
●e fift prouty.  our confession must not be extorted or enforced, but freely and willingly performed. Many men confess their sins, but this is no free will offering, they are forced unto it by the rigour of the Law, or by the anguish of the soul, or by violence of sickness, or by fear of death, or by the crack of God's judgement, or by the censure of men. If we be as forward to confess them to the glory of God, as we were forward to commit them to his dishonour, we have comfort in the performance of this duty, and it will work in us repentance never to be repent of. But if necessity compel us to this, as it did Pharaoh and judas, and Achan, while the rod was upon their backs, or God otherwise had found them out, it is our crosses that make us confess, and not our sins, as Psa. 78. When the wrath of God was heavy upon them, so that he slew them, and consumed their days in vanity and their years hastily, than they sought him and they returned, and sought God early, they remembered that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer: but they flattered 'em with their mouth, 
〈◊〉. 78.36.  and dissembled with him with their tongue. Every duty must be performed to God cheerfully, if it be done otherwise, God regardeth it not.  

〈◊〉 sixth pro●y.  Sixtly, this must be observed in our confession, that we ought not so far to dwell upon the meditation of our sins, that we forget the mercies of God, and faith in his promises, and forgiveness of our sins. judas confessed against himself his own particular sin in betraying his master, and shedding of innocent blood: howbeit this being wrested from him, through horror of his conscience, and the fearful apprehension of God's wrath, he never expected any mercy, but went his way solitary, 
〈◊〉 27 5.  and hanged himself desperately. He had no belief of pardon, nor hope of favour, nor desire of repentance, and therefore his confession served to no other end, but to acknowledge as on the one side the justice of God, and the equality of his ways, so on the other side, the merit of his own punishment, and the sealing up of his own just condemnation, by his own mouth. It was far otherwise with Peter, after he had denied and abjured his master, 
Mat. 26.75.  he repent of his sin and wept bitterly for the same, he believed the promise, and laid hold on mercy, and was saved. This confession was joined with faith, which sanctified it to his comfort. Confession joined with infidelity is no confession, for unbelief is as a bitter root that poisoneth it, and maketh it unsavoury and unhealthful.  
seventhly, 
The seventh property.  it belongeth unto us and to our confession, to join prayer to God for the pardon of our sins. It is our duty together with our acknowledging of our faults, to ask forgiveness, and to pray for mercy to the God of all mercy, against whom we have trespassed without which all is in vain. Thus did not Cain that despaired and cried out, that his sin was greater than he could bear, 
Gen. 4.13.  and therefore received no comfort nor grace in time of need. How many and great soever our sins are▪ let us never give over prayer for pardon. It is one of the engines of the devil whereby he betrayeth our souls, and he catcheth many in his snare. He knoweth, that they are holden fast as slaves in chains and fetters, that are persuaded to give over prayer. He is in the way to Atheism, that prayeth not at all, Psal. 14.4. He is forsaken of God that thinketh it needless and superfluous, as appeareth in Saul when the noise that was in the host of the Philistims spread farther abroad, he said unto the Priest that brought the Ark of God, Withdraw thine hand, as if he had said, 
1 Sam. 14.19.  There is now no time to ask counsel of the mouth of God, Numb. 27.21. It is otherwise with the servants of God, though they have been overcome by the strength of their corruption, by want of watchfulness, by the subtlety of sin, and by the tentation of Satan, yet they would never shut up their mouths from the invocation of the Name of God, and from calling for mercy at his hands. We see this in David, both in the book of Psalms & in other places, Psal. 51.1. We see it in the penitent Publican, Luk. 18.13. and 15. ●1. and in the prodigal son that returned to his father's house. We see it in the Israelites, and in many others. To this doth the Prophet exhort them, Hos. 14.3. Take unto you words and turn to the Lord; and say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips.  
Thus we see, confession of sin, and ask of pardon, must join hand in hand and go together as friends that are agreed: so that we should not hope for pardon, but pray for pardon of God, 
Exod. 34.7.  whose nature is to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin, that is, sins of all sorts, how great and heinous soever they be. If we sin against God, and never ask forgiveness of God, we shall never receive forgiveness at his hands.  
Lastly, we ought so to confess our sins, 
The eighth property.  as that we have also a purpose to leave and to forsake our sins. We must not think to find mercy, so long as we have a desire to continue in them.  
Hence it is, that the Prophet saith, Esay, 55.7. Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his own imaginations, and return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he is very ready to forgive. This is true repentance to fly from sin, forasmuch as every one that nameth the Name of Christ, must departed from iniquity, 2 Tim. 2.19. This is a faulty confession of sin, when there appeareth no change or alteration in them that do confess. We must confess both some of our sins and all of them, 
job 20.12.  and keep none of the sweetness of them under our tongues, as job speaketh: but refrain from them, and be afraid that they will be unto us as the gall of Asps. We must cast aside every thing that presseth down, and the sin that hangeth so fast on: 
Heb. 12.1.  he will bring all sin unto judgement, and therefore we should confess all of them, if we would have pardon of all of them. We desire to have them all pardoned, so that we must hide none of them, nor conceal them, for thereby we shut up God's mercy, and are enemies to our own peace.  
And shall restore the damage thereof with his principal, and put the fift part of it more thereunto, etc. The second means of expiation of our sins, or of receiving forgiveness of them, is restitution; which is set down three ways. He that hath wronged his neighbour must restore, first the principal: secondly, the damage: and thirdly, he shall add a fift part thereto: to the end that all persons should be terrified from committing this or the like sin, and the owner may have a full amends, and receive a perfect satisfaction. True it is, our offences are forgiven freely without our deserts, and certain it is, we cannot make amends and satisfaction to God: but we can, and may, and aught unto our brethren which are damnified by us.  
Now, if God had ordained, that such as purloin from men their goods, either by open oppression, or by forged cavillation, or by violent extortion, or by colourable circumvention, should only restore the principal portion which they have taken away, it might have encouraged many in their wicked ways, and have strengthened the hands of the fraudulent dealer. For he might reason thus with himself, I will enrich myself with my neighbour's goods, and draw unto me that which is his: I will go closely and covertly to work, it is a thousand to one that ever it be known, or I espied: and if it come abroad to the open light, I know the hardest and the worst that may befall, he can have but his own again; and so, though I be no winner, I am sure I shall be no loser. To prevent this mischief, and to stop the mouths of all those that are ready to do wrong, the Lord decreeth, that such a one shall restore not only the principal, but he shall repay the damage that the owner hath sustained by the lack or loss of his goods and besides he shall add a fift part thereunto, whether it be more or less that he hath taken away. From hence we learn, that whatsoever is unjustly taken away from the right owners, 
Doctrine. Restitution i● required or 〈◊〉 such, as have taken any thing wrongfully.  aught to be restored unto them again. It is a duty required at our hands to make restitution to our brethren, whensoever we have wronged them, and whatsoever we have taken from them. When Abimelech had taken away Abraham's wife, while he sojourned in Gerar, the Lord said unto him in a dream, Deliver the man his wife again, for he is a Prophet, and he shall pray for thee, that thou mayest live: but if thou deliver her not again, be sure that thou shalt die the death, thou, and all that thou hast. Gen. 20.7. Abimelech is commanded to restore her again to him, whose by right she was, and to whom only she pertained. Many laws to like purpose are set down in the book of Exodus, chap. 22.1, 3, 4, 5, etc. If a man steal an ox or a sheep, and kill it, and sell it, he shall restore five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep, etc. If a man do hurt field or vineyard, and put in his beast to feed in another man's field, he shall recompense of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard. So in the book of Leviticus, chap. 6.1, etc. the Lord ordaineth, If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, it shall be, because he hath sinned, that he shall restore, etc. And to this purpose, Samuel appealeth to the consciences of the people 1 Sam. 12.3. Behold here I am: bear record of me before the Lord, and before his Anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? or whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received a bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. Every one that hath government over others, cannot truly say thus, but every one ought to do thus. Whereby we see, that howsoever God commandeth us to confess our sins which we have committed unto him, yet that is not sufficient, unless we also make actual restitution to him whom we have offended.  
This truth is yet better to be confirmed Reason 1 by strength of reason. And first we must know that it is a fruit or sign of true repentance and turning unto God, and of an heart touched with a feeling of his former offences, that he which hath stolen, will steal no more. This we see in the example of Zacheus, Luke 19.8. when once he believed in Christ, who had as it were lighted a candle within his heart, that he began to see his own unrighteousness, and so his unworthiness to receive any good thing, he stood forth and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor▪ and if I have taken away any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. He testifieth his repentance by his readiness to make restitution; whereas he that keepeth stolen goods, stealeth still, and is no better than a thief, and consequently far from repentance.  
Reason 2 Secondly, without restitution there can be no remission: forasmuch as repentance is falsely counterfeited, and not truly practised. God will not forgive such as retain with them their neighbour's goods. To steal from them, and to keep that which is stolen, is a plain token that we are resolved to continue in sin. He that is persuaded and determined not to departed from stolen goods which are sweet morsels unto him, is resolved to be a thief, and not to give over. Thus God is mocked and dallied withal, and his law neglected and despised. This the Prophet Ezekiel pointeth out, chap. 18.7, 9, 12, 13. and 33, 15. He that hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God: but he that hath oppressed the poor and needy, and hath spoiled by violence, and hath not restored the pledge, etc. he shall surely die, his blood shall be upon him. Seeing then, such as restore and so make recompense of that they have taken away, have promise of forgiveness, & contrariwise, such as never make restitution have a terrible threatening of death denounced against them, it followeth that this is a duty required of all persons.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, the performance of it is a very special means to bring a blessing upon us: a blessing, I say, from him to whom restitution is made. For, when he shall see how God hath touched their heart with a feeling of their sin, that they can no longer keep that which is not their own, albeit power be in their hand to do it, it shall stir him up to desire and procure their good: and to crave a blessing to come down upon them. This is that which we read in Moses, Deut. 24.12, 13. If the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge, etc. that he may bless thee. This end is not to be neglected, forasmuch as the ears of God are always open to hear the cry of the poor, and he hath promised to help them, and to bring a curse upon all their oppressors, to their destruction.  
Reason 4 Fourthly, as the loins of the poor shall bless them that restore, so God will accept it, as a work of justice and righteousness, and as a fruit of his spirit, justifying us by the righteousness of Christ jesus his Son, and sanctifying us to his glory. In the place of Scripture before remembered, Moses teacheth this, and layeth it down as a strong reason, Deut. 24.13. where speaking of such as had taken pledges of the poor, he saith, In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the Sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, etc. and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. This also is a most forcible reason to move us to restitution, forasmuch as God sets it down as an infallible testimony of a justifying faith, and therefore the contrary is a fruit of infidelity; so that we shall never repent us of that we have done, nor wish it to be in our own hands again.  
Reason 5 Fiftly, the unjust retaining of other men's goods, hindereth many good things from us, inasmuch as God will accept no service nor duty at our hands, until we have rid our hands of things evilly gotten. We may come to hear his word, and to call upon his Name, and sit among the Saints and servants of God in the Congregation: howbeit, we hear without fruit, and we pray without profit. For this poisoneth and corrupteth unto us the best things of God. This is that which Christ teacheth us in the Gospel of Matthew, chap. 5.23.24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar, and there remember'st that thy brother hath aught against thee (but he hath some just action against us, so long as we keep any of his goods wrongfully from him) leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. If then we desire that God should hear our prayers, or be well pleased with the hearing of his word, we must be careful to make recompense and satisfaction for such injuries as we have offered, and our brother hath sustained.  
Now let us come to the uses, which are as Use 1 it were the life and soul of this point, that hath been proved. First of all, it serveth to reprove all such as neglect this duty, and so offend against this doctrine. 
The first reproof.  And among them, it meeteth directly & chief with those that commit sacrilege, robbing the Church, and defrauding the Ministers of that portion which God hath granted unto them in his holy word. The wise man saith, Pro. 20.25. It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy: and after vows to make inquiry. Our Saviour himself saith, Matth. 10.10. The labourer is worthy of his wages. The Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 9.14. The Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel. This sin came first from the man of sin, by whom tithes were first alienated, and impropriations erected, and Church-livings spoiled, for the maintenance of idle persons that sat still, and did nothing but eat and drink, and fat themselves in cloisters, as oxen in a stall: and these deal with the goods of the Church, as the soldiers did with the garments of Christ, 
Matth. 27.35. Psal. 22.28. Luke 7.5.  they parted his garments among them, and cast lots for his vesture. The Centurion is commended in the Gospel, that builded a Synagogue for the jews: but these men do what they can to pull down Churches, and to impoverish the Ministry, and to destroy the souls and salvation of many whom Christ redeemed. These spiritual thieves and Church-robbers, must learn to pay their due, and not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn, 1 Tim. 5.18. They rob God greatly of his honour, and dishonour him more than the heathen did their idols which are no gods.  
These men glory in their Christianity, and yet are enemies unto Christ. So that the Gentiles that knew not God, shall arise in judgement against them, and condemn them. 
The second reproof.  Secondly, it reproveth all oppressors that fill their houses with the spoils of the poor and needy: as Esay 3.14.15. The Lord will enter into judgement with the ancients of the people, and the Princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of hosts? And to this purpose speaketh Micah, in his prophecies against this sin, chap. 3.3. They also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. In the day of judgement, when an end of all things shall come, such shall be cast into hell as are covetous and have not given of their own, who have seen the naked, and not clothed them; the hungry, and have not fed them; the thirsty, and have not given them drink: the sick, and have not visited them: how much more shall they be condemned, that behold their brethren clothed, and take away their garments: that see them to have meat and drink, and spoil them of it? The example of the rich man teacheth this, Luke 16.23. He took nothing from Lazarus, he rob him not of his rags, he took not from him a crumb of bread, or a drop of water, and yet he is accounted cruel and unmerciful, and is cast into torments. This man shall rise at the day of judgement, & condemn many among us, who not only do no good, but much harm, and exercise cruelty and oppression over the poor that dare not lift up their voice against us. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, Matth. 3.10: and not that tree only that bringeth forth evil fruit. Hence it is, that it is said by Elihu in the book of job, cha. 34.28. They have caused the cry of the poor to come before the Lord, and he hath heard the cry of the afflicted.  

The third reproof.  Thirdly, it reproveth the poor that steal from the rich, and think they may do it lawfully, and are not bound to restore what they have taken. Poverty, how great soever it be, is no privilege or protection, to take one sheep or Lamb out of the flocks of job that was so rich, and had so many: or one lock & handful of wool from the wealthiest Cloathier: or one pound or penny, out of the house of the best moneyed Merchant: or one remnant of cloth or parcel of ware out of the shop of the stored Tradesman. In times of dearth and famine, when it goeth hard with the meaner sort, they think they have a warrant to shift for themselves howsoever they can, & to get for themselves whatsoever they are able. But the Law of God serveth as a bridle to restrain all persons, both rich and poor, both high and low, in times of plenty and scarcity, 
Exod. 20.15.  Thou shalt not steal. When the Lord forbiddeth theft generally, wilt thou mince it, and distinguish where he doth not distinguish, 
Matth. 6.11.  & say, I will steal in time of need? It is our duty to pray to God to give us our daily bread, and not to take from others their bread. What needed the wise Agar mentioned in the proverbs, 
Prou 3 ●●  to pray unto God not to give him poverty, if he might lawfully relieve himself so easily by the store and substance of others at his own pleasure? burr some will object the words of Solomon, Object. Prou. 6.30. 
Prou. 6 30.  Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul, when he is hungry. To this I answer, Answer. that the wise man speaketh not simply, but comparatively. For he compareth two sins together, adultery and theft, the greater with the lesser. It is a great shame to take away other men's goods from them, howbeit theft is not so foul a fact and fault, as to defile another man's wife: for the thief may make restitution, and thereby after a sort put away his discredit: whereas the adulterer cannot make amends, nor blot out the reproach, neither will the husband of the whorish woman be reconciled, or forget the wrong offered unto him. True it is, he that did steal to preserve life, was to be punished by the law of God, Exod. 22.1. for he was to make restitution, or to be sold as a bondman; but the adulterer and the adulteress were to die the death. The purpose of Solomon therefore is not to defend the thief, or to excuse the theft, or to abrogate the Law, or to plead for malefactors, or to open a gap to the committing of evil: 
Prou. 23, 24  forasmuch as he saith afterward Whosoever is partner with a thief, hateth his own soul: And Paul teacheth that thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6. and in another place he exhorteth, that he which hath stolen should steal no more, Ephe. 4. Nevertheless, albeit theft be a foul sin in itself, and excludeth from everlasting life▪ yet in comparison of a greater and fouler sin, it doth not appear and show itself so filthy. So the Prophet Ezekiel, chap. 16. saith, that the Sodomites were better than the people of jerusalem, who by their greater ungodliness justified them: not that he exempteth them from blame, but because the other were worse and worthy of greater blame. The objection being thus answered, and the place cleared, we return to the former point and conclude, that no pretence of poverty or allegation of necessity can excuse theft, forasmuch as the Law of God standeth evermore in his full force.  
The Scripture chargeth us to get our living with the labour of our hands, and to eat our own bread in the sweat of our brows; to ask our food of God, and to depend upon his providence, and rather to perish for hunger then to rob our brother and offend against God. Moreover, our Saviour setteth it down as a certain rule to guide us in our dealings one with another, Matth. 7.12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets. If then being rich, we would not have the poor steal from us, we ourselves being poor. ought not to deceive and defraud the rich.  

●●e fourth ●●p●oofe.  Fourthly, it convinceth many in the Church of Rome, that slander us, and bring up a false report of our doctrine and profession, who teach and publish to the view of the world, that we require not of any persons to make real restitution of goods wrongfully gotten. This is a notorious and notable slander, and testifieth how much destitute they are of true accusations, when they are compelled to make such open and odious lies against us. We require restitution to be actually made, as well as they. We teach, that there is no repentance, nor forgiveness without it. Indeed we cannot make amends for our sins to God; that is done only by the sacrifice of jesus Christ, which cleanseth us from all sin. 
joh. 2.2. and ●9.  So then, our doctrine being plain and evident, their mouths are stopped, and they are convinced to be liars, as in this, so in many other points of greater importance: and therefore they do us wrong which affirm that we hold, that doers of wrong should not restore.  

●he fift ●●proofe.  Lastly, such are reproved also, as get and gather into their hands, other men's goods by flattery & fair promises to make restitution, and then never regard to pay what they have borrowed. They care not how deeply they run in other men's books and bands, but are slack to return that is due debt unto them, and to make payment of that which they owe. This also is a breach of the eighth commandment, and made a note of a wicked man by the Prophet, Psal. 37.21. The wicked borroweth, & payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth. here we see, who they are that never repay nor restore that which they have borrowed, they are such as are justly branded with the title of wicked men A little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many wicked, forasmuch as their riches many times are not their own, if every bird had his feather, and every owner could get that which hath been taken from him. It is the property of the ungodly, to hold fast other men's goods which they can get to themselves. These are of two sorts, some are rich, and some poor.  
There are some rich men, who, albeit they be proud and prodigal, yet are careless to pay their debts, which through their riotousness and excess they run into: or if they pay them, it is so hardly wrested from them, that they show how unwilling they are thereunto. If they set men at work, they are backward to pay them their wages, and to give the recompense of the labours of their hands. Others do store and enrich themselves by borrowing wares and other like commodities, and then of purpose break, rather than of necessity: if they be cast into prison, they live delicately and at ease with their stolen goods, as I have showed at large elsewhere. Thus are many poor men, 
●ent. on ●de. ver. 20. 〈◊〉. Doct. 1.  their wives & children, oftentimes undone by these bankrupts, of whom we may say, it skilled not if they were also neck-rupt, rather than so many innocents should perish through their wickedness.  
Some again are of the poorer sort, and earn their living by daily labour, who had rather follow idleness, and live of other men's purses, then busy themselves painfully in their callings. These are constrained through their own folly to borrow what they can, and are so importunate, sometimes by complaint, and sometimes by flattery, that they get money into their hands of other men's; and when they once can seize upon it, as a prey or booty, they no sooner obtain it, but they lavish it out in eating, in drinking, in gaming, in feasting and good fellowship (as they call it) as if they had found a treasure, or as if it had been freely given them, and as if they should never give an account for it, or restore it to the owner. These men, when they are asked again those things which they have received, do reproach their creditors, and return unto them evil words for their good wills.  
They are not ashamed to tell them, that they are no Christians that ask again that which they have lent, and by such like cozening tricks they seek to delude, and do dally with their creditors. When they come to borrow, they speak with other tongues, and have learned another language: then their words are softer than butter, than they will promise any thing. But when the day of restoring cometh, they have forgotten their own words, and they have lost the conscience which before they seemed to have had: so that we may say to them as it is in the Psalm, 
Psal. 52.3.4.  Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying▪ rather than to speak righteousness: thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. Both these kinds of men are to be avoided of us, and their practices are to be abhorred, as they that savour altogether of impiety, and no whit beseem the profession of Christianity.  
Secondly, it is not sufficient for men to get Use 2 goods into their hands (a thing that most men do aim after) by raking, and scraping, and scratching, to become rich; but they must know how they are gotten, and with what conscience they are kept and detained, forasmuch as goods evilly gotten, shall never prosper, but will surely bring vengeance upon their heads which withhold them, as Prou. 22 16. He that oppresseth the poor, to increase his riches, shall surely come to poverty. We have many examples of this point left unto us in holy Scripture, both of the old and new Testament, That we should beware by their harms, and be wise by their falls, and take heed by their ruins. Achan did steal away the wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment, but it cost him his life, josh. 7.25. Ahab took possession of Naboths vineyard, whom he had caused to be stoned to death but it brought the destruction of him and his posterity. 
1 King. 21.19.  Gehazi coveted after an evil covetousness, and gave himself to receive bribes, 
2 King. 5.27.  but he got with it the leprosy, so that his loss was a thousand times greater than his gains. judas sold his master for thirty pieces of silver, but he was never quiet after he had received it, so that he brought back the money, and went and hanged himself, Matth. 27.5. The like we might say of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, and was hired with love of reward, to curse the people of God; he went his way without his hire, and lost his life among the Midianites, Numb. 31.18. It is not enough to get goods, but we must get them justly and lawfully. It is not enough to eat bread, according to the exhortation of the Apostle, 2 Thes. 3.11, 12. We hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busi-bodies: them that are such, we command and exhort by our Lord jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. Our Saviour teacheth us to ask at the hands of God the Father our daily bread, Matt. 6.11. and not other men's. For it is so called, because it is gotten by our lawful labour, and by honest means, and is provided for us of his liberality. If we do not consider this carefully, we may get goods, and withal get a curse with them, so long as we have the least jot of other men's in our own keeping.  
And howsoever we judge of ourselves, we are no better than thieves, so long as we retain in our houses or our hearts, other men's goods. Let us remember the saying of the Apostle, Ephes. 4.28. Let him that stole, steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Many there are that make no difference between their own and othermens', as if all things were common. They care not whose they have, so that they have what they lack. It is sweet unto them, whatsoever they can fasten and lay hold upon. But evil gotten goods go never alone, the curse of God doth ever go with them, which will bring upon them all miseries of soul and body. If this were always set before our eyes, it would be sufficient to restrain our hearts from coveting, our eyes from desiring, our hands from handling, and our houses from holding other men's substance, lest while we catch after that which belongeth to our neighbour, we lose for ever that which is our own.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it serveth to admonish all that possess any thing wrongfully, to restore it again accordingly. There can be no excuse to such as hold fast what they have once gotten. They are much worse than judas, and come far behind him. He cometh nearer to repentance than they, forasmuch as they go not beyond the reprobate, nay, they come far short of them. For when he felt the wrath of God, and the horror of his conscience, he brought back again the thirty pence which he had taken of the pharisees to betray his Master, and cast them down in the temple. This example will be a witness against these men, in the day of judgement, and be sufficient to condemn them. True it is, Satan will move us, and our own nature will persuade us, that there is profit in keeping, and no such danger in retaining other men's goods, but rather that it may bring hurt to our substance, shame to our persons, and reproach to our name, to restore the riches of iniquity, and so to make our faults publicly known. But we must not hearken to such evil persuasions of a corrupt counsellor, that never giveth good and wholesome counsel, Wherefore the question may be asked, whether restitution Objection 1 be necessary to true repentance; so as without it, we cannot repent at all. I answer, Answer. it is necessary, as we showed before in the example of Zacheus, Luke 19 and therefore it is a common, but a corrupt custom and practice of such as in death seem devoutly to bequeath their souls into the hands of God, & their evil gotten goods into the hands of their heirs, children and friends without restitution. It is usual with most men, when they are to go the way of all flesh, to make show of repentance, of forsaking their evil ways and turning unto God: but this repentance is no repentance, so long as the things of our neighbour remain in our houses. No man can give any legacies or show any liberality of that which is not his own, forasmuch as he hath no right unto it. If he should give it unto the poor, it is no sacrifice that God accepteth; it may do some good to the receiver, but it can bring none at all to the giver. Indeed, 
Heb. 13.16.  we are bidden to give alms to the poor, that they may receive us into the heavenly habitations, Luke 16.9. but we must not be liberal of other men's goods, but of our own: neither open others men's hands, and shut our own; neither bestow other men's, but restore them justly and truly. Besides, this bringeth a curse upon the residue of our goods; & causeth God to blow upon them, so that albeit we leave them to our heirs, yet they seldom enrich our posterity.  
But it may farther be said, What if a man Objection 2 be not able to restore? he may peradventure have good will, but no ability by reason of his poverty. I answer, Answer. where the deed cannot be, if there be a willing mind God accepteth it, according to the rule of the Apostle, 2 Cor. 8.12. In this case it is our duty to acknowledge our fault to God, & withal to submit ourselves to him whom we have offended; and make a covenant with God, with our own hearts, and with our brother, to make actual restitution, whensoever God in mercy shall give us sufficient to do it. Let our promise be joined with a full purpose to do it, for God is not mocked, or deceived. We may deceive our neighbour, and our own hearts, but we can never deceive the Almighty, who searcheth the hearts & the imaginations of all thoughts. In the mean season, poverty may be some dispensation, because where there is nothing, the king loseth his right, and necessity hath no law, as commonly we say in our common proverbs. But although there cannot be a real restoring, there ought to be an hearty desire, which, we may assure ourselves, God in mercy will accept. 
twofold re●●●●●tion.  For there is a twofold restoring, and both well pleasing to God, the one actual; the other mental. The actual required of such as are able, when we return back willingly, whatsoever we have taken away unjustly. The mental is only in purpose and desire of the mind, when we are able to do no more, and to go no further; which is accepted of them that are poor, and are sorry that they have it not in their hands to give to the owners which they have taken away. Again, it will Objection 3 be said and pretended, If I must of necessity restore, it will undo me, it is as much as I am worth, all that I have will do no more than pay it. I answer, 
answer.  the contrary will rather undo thee. To restore stolen goods, will undo no man: it rather bringeth a blessing with it. For take this for a certain truth, & set it down as an undoubted rule, that no man shall be undone by yielding obedience to the law of God. But to restore is God's ordinance & appointment, & therefore none shall undo himself by following of it. This then properly is no loss, but gain; and albeit we depart with somewhat, yet in the end it shall bring more with it, forasmuch as God is able to bless our store, and to give us more than that. When Amaziah should send back his hired soldiers at the commandment of God, who would not give a blessing by them, because God was not with them, he would not give victory by them; and he seemed unwilling to do it in regard he had paid an hundred talents before hand to have their help: the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee more than this: showing thereby, 
Chron. 25.9  that if we depend upon him, we shall not need to be troubled in worldly things. If we leave ourselves never a penny, let us not despair, but trust in God's providence, who will supply our necessities, and not suffer us to want any good. Lastly, it will be objected, what Objection 4 if the parties be dead, how can we possibly restore any thing to them? may we not in this case keep it to ourselves? I answer, if the owner be dead, 
answer.  restore it to his heirs, even to such first as are nearest of kin, and if he have none such, to such as are farther off. If there be none, either nearer or farther off, we must restore it to God, that is, to the maintenance of the Ministry, and service of God, or to the relief of the poor; bestow it upon godly uses, but to ourselves we may not keep it. God would not have the Priests, that served in the Tabernacle, & ministered at the altar, to be enriched by the hurt of others, as we see in this place: neither would he have injurious persons freed from blame, if they should offer that to the Priests, which they had taken away from others.  
Wherefore, if there were none to whom they could restore, yet he would have their houses to be blameless, and no part of filthy gain to stick and cleave unto their fingers, seeing it is required of us to have pure hearts, and clean hands. Except God had thus determined, no wicked person would have spared to catch and snatch, by force or fraud, the goods of the dead, especially if he were childless.  
Lastly, this duty of restitution rightly and Use 4 religiously practised, ministereth great comfort and contentment, to feel himself ready to do this to any that charge him justly with any wrong or injustice. Paul a Minister of the Gospel, and an Apostle of jesus Christ, appealeth to the people whom he had taught, how he had behaved himself among them, Acts 20.18. Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the jews. Samuel a Magistrate of the people and judge of Israel, when he was to resign his office, and to give place to the king whom God had chosen and set over the land, maketh them witnesses of his soundness and sincerity. 1 Sam. 12.3. he asketh of them whose ox or ass he had taken? or who could accuse him of oppression, or corruption? and they said, thou hast not defrauded us, 
Ver. 4.  nor oppressed us, neither haste thou taken aught of any man's hand. Yea, he proceedeth farther, and calleth God to record of his integrity, The Lord is witness against you, 
Ver. 5.  and his Anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in mine hand: And they answered, He is witness. If then we desire peace in our soul, we should thrust away from us as it were with both our hands, whatsoever we have wrested from others, and wrongfully gotten, & say to it with detestation and indignation, as the Prophet willeth men to say to their relics of idolatry, Get thee hence. Now that we may have indeed comfort herein, it shall not be amiss for us to consider more particularly the doctrine of restitution, and to learn what it is, whether the same thing which is taken away aught to be restored, whether it be sufficient to restore the principal, 
Compend. summae Theolog. Tho. Aquinat.  whether a man be bound to restore that which he never took away, whether it be always necessary to make restitution to him of whom we have received somewhat, whether he be always bound to restore that he hath received, whether they which have not taken or received any thing, be bound to restore, and lastly, whether a man be bound to restore forthwith without all delay or deferring the time, or else whether he may lawfully put off the time of restoring. 
What restitution is.  To restore properly, is to set a man again into the possession and dominion of his goods, which is taken, either with his good will, as in that which is borrowed or committed to our custody; or against his will, as in theft and robbery.  
Restitution therefore is an act of justice, whereby we make some recompense for that which we have wrongfully withholden.  
Secondly, it is demanded whether it be necessary to salvation, to restore the same which is taken away? 
It is necessary to salvation to restore, and in what so 1. August. Epist. 54. ad Mace●don.  And the answer is affirmative, that it is necessary, so far as it may, and it is possible. Austin saith truly, if another man's goods may be restored & are not, repentance is not practised, but counterfeited, because justice and equity are not observed. If the thing itself cannot, then that which is equal unto it (as near as may be) ought to be restored. He that hath maimed his neighbour in any of his members, aught to make recompense in money, or otherwise as the judge shall determine. He that hath taken away his brothers good name, & raised up a false report of him, aught to confess his fault, & restore his good name to the uttermost of his power, and acknowledge that he hath done evil: and if this be not sufficient to repair it, he ought otherwise also to make amends.  
Thirdly, the question is asked, whether it suffice to restore the principal. It is sufficient, 
How it is sufficient to restore the principal, and how not.  when the party wronged is no whit damnified: but if he have received any hurt by want of his own, or by receiving wrong, he is also to have some amends made unto him, and therefore beside the principal, the doer of wrong must recompense the loss: and this hath warrant out of the place that now we deal withal. As for the fourfold restitution of Zacheus, it is no work of supererogation, but an act of his liberality, and a fruit of his repentance, a testimony of his love to jesus Christ, a signification of the greatness of his sin, and a voluntary confession that he had gotten his goods fraudulently, unjustly, and wrongfully. Fourthly, we are to know, whether a man be bound to restore that which he never took away? 
A man is not to restore that which he never took away.  Answ. A man is not bound unto it: forasmuch as the rule of justice cannot exact this at our hands, wherein there could be no equality, but one party should be wronged. A man may be damnified two ways, when somewhat is taken away which he had actually, or which he might have had being in the way, or in a good forwardness to have. When that is taken away which we had already in possession, the loss is to be recompensed by restitution of that which is equal unto it. When we hinder our brother that he cannot compass & obtain that which he was in possibility to have, we must restore somewhat; but the restitution ought not to be equal to the benefit that might in time to come redound unto him, and the loss must be esteemed as it is in the time present, not as it might be hereafter. For first of all, it is a less matter to have a thing in possibility then to have it actually: and herein the common proverb is true, that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Secondly, otherwise we should not only restore the principal which was taken away, but multiply it beyond measure, which we are not bound to do, and so for nothing we should restore something, & give that which is, for that which is not. Thirdly, we are not charged to equal a loss that may be, and give a certain benefit for an uncertain damage, because the good that might fall unto us, may many ways be hindered, and we cannot make ourselves sure of any thing until we have it in present possession. We say commonly, & we say it truly, 
Erasm. de 〈◊〉 ●hil● ad p●aelur. 5. A●● & li. noct. All●. lib. 13. ●●, 17. Erasm. 〈◊〉. chil. 2. 〈◊〉. 2.  that many things fall between the cup and the lip, between the meat and the mouth: the meaning whereof is this, that nothing is so certain, but it may be prevented, nothing so near, but may be disappointed, and therefore we are not to make ourselves too sure of any thing. He that hath sowed his seed, hath not yet ripe corn, neither hath seen the time of harvest: & he that hath money, hath not yet gotten gain by it: we must therefore take the loss as it is, not as it may be. To return to the point that is in hand, we hold that no man is bound to restore to another that which he took not away: forasmuch as that were to accuse himself falsely, and rather to give then to restore. True it is, the Prophet saith, He restored that which he took not away, 
Psal. 69 4.  but he complaineth of the wrongs & injuries which he received and suffered wrongfully; wherein he was a notable type and figure of Christ, who suffered punishment for the fault which he committed not, which after a sort, may be called a restitution; he was not guilty, but died for us that are guilty: he was innocent, and yet suffered for us sinners: he did no evil, yet was crucified for us evil doers: He stood in our place, the just for the unjust.  
The fift point to be considered, is, whether we ought always to make restitution to him, of whom we have received and taken somewhat? The answer is, whatsoever belongeth to another, 
How far we are bou●● to restore.  and is not our own, aught to be restored, because there ought to be an equality of commutative justice: and the Apostle willeth us to render unto all men their dues; 
Ro●. 13 7.  tribute to whom tribute is due: custom to whom custom: fear to whom fear: honour, to whom honour. Nevertheless, if that which is to be restored be hurtful to him to whom restitution should be made, or to any other, it ought not to be restored, but rather to be kept close, and laid up safe, that when better occasion and fit time serveth it may be restored. For restitution rightly made respecteth his profit and benefit to whom it is made. When a thing is given unlawfully, so that the gift itself is unlawful, as we see in Simony (when holy things are bought and sold, as sheep in the market) no restitution is to be made to the giver, that deserveth justly to lose whatsoever he hath given; neither ought the receiver to retain it, because he can lay no just claim and title unto it: so that it ought to be bestowed upon godly and holy uses. 
Cicero de 〈◊〉 ●ibr. 1.  The heathen man speaking of justice, and making it a part of it, to give to every man his own, maketh this exception, that it is unlawful to deliver into a mad man's hand his own sword, which he committed unto us: and sometimes the case falleth out, that a man is by no means to keep his promise that he hath made. And to this purpose he setteth down these two general rules to be observed in the particular duties of justice, first, that we hurt no person▪ then that we serve the common profit of men, forasmuch as we are servants unto all. Moreover, if he to whom we are to restore, be unknown unto us, we must make diligent inquiry to know him: if he be dead, restore it to his heirs that he hath left behind him: if he be removed far from us, it ought, if it be possible, to be sent unto him: if it cannot be done safely and fitly, it ought to be laid up in some safe place, and then the matter must be signified to the owner, that he may take order by some means to have it, or to dispose of it at his own pleasure.  
The sixth doubt is this, whether he be always bound to restore which hath taken any thing? I answer, he is always bound so long as he hath any thing in his keeping. Restitution belongeth to satisfaction: but he that hath offended aught to satisfy. 
●●w restituti●● to be ●de by him 〈◊〉 hath ta● anything.  Now albeit he that hath taken away any thing, have it not in his own keeping, but another, yet because the owner is destitute of his goods, he is bound to restore them in regard of the injury that he hath done, or to procure the restoring at his hands that hath them in his possession. Besides, a man is bound to open and uncover his own fault, not only to God by confession, but to his brother by satisfaction. Many will never acknowledge the matter, until they be taken with the manner. Moreover, when many jointly together have taken away from any man, that which belongeth unto him, and some one of them hath made satisfaction unto him, fully so much as he can require, the rest are bound to content him that hath satisfied the person injured, they are not to pay it unto him that was damnified. For than he should be paid doubly, which double payment he cannot receive without injustice, seeing he that is wronged may as well offend by taking too much, as they that do wrong by restoring too little. Therefore they are repooved, that having had their share and portion in evil gotten goods, say, what need I to give any thing back? the party wronged is satisfied. But if one man have returned as much in value and quantity as many took away, the rest that were partakers of the booty are bound to satisfy him that hath paid the whole, not him that was wronged, because he hath received so much already as he could challenge.  

〈◊〉 as in 〈◊〉 own ●ons have ●aken a● any ●g, may be ●d to re●.  seventhly, we are to know and inform ourselves, whether they that have not themselves in their own persons taken away any thing, may notwithstanding be justly bound to make restitution, and tied necessarily to this duty? I answer, that even such as have not taken any thing with their own hands, are charged to restore, because they may be the cause of unlawful taking, if not directly, yet indirectly. For the Apostle saith, that they are worthy of death not only which commit evil things, 
Rom. 1.32.  but such as consent to them that do them, or have pleasure in them. And we may be partakers of other men's sins, and so draw upon ourselves the punishments due unto them. We are ready to justify ourselves and to wash our hands when we practise not evil; but it is as Pilate washed his hands, who made himself guilty of innocent blood by consenting to the jews and by pronouncing sentence against him to please & pleasure them, as well as they that were the executioners, and pierced his hands and feet: so that all the water in the river jordan, or in the wide sea, is not able to clear him and acquit him of putting the Lord of life to death. Now, if we desire to know how we may be accessaries to other men's sins, and draw them as it were with cartropes upon ourselves, it may be considered of us in those few words, 
jussio, consilium, consensus, palpo, recursus,  
Participans, mutus, non obstans, non manifestans.   
Whosoever is any cause of any unjust dealing is bound to restore; such are they that command, or counsel, or consent to evil; such as flatter any in their evil by commending them for it: such as are abetters to them, receiving, aiding, helping, and assisting them: such as are companions of them and take part with them: he that is dumb and holdeth his peace as if he neither saw nor heard any evil committed, albeit he see it with his eyes, and hear it with his ears: he that suffereth it to be done, and doth not hinder it and withstand it, being able to do it: Lastly, such as seek shifts and shelters by all means to cover evil, and do not disclose the same when they are privy to it. For he that hideth it, doth show thereby that he favoureth it, and furthereth it so far as he can. By all these ways we are made partakers of other men's sins: and not only doth he trespass and offend which executeth and practiseth any sins, but he that is by any of the former means, a cause or occasion of them. Notwithstanding, among these there is some difference. For flattery, and counsel, praising them that do evil, and counseling them to do evil, do not always oblige and bind to restitution, but then only when it appeareth evidently, that unjust dealing hath proceeded chief or only from these causes: where he that is principal in the action, is principally bound to restitution, to wit, he that requireth & commandeth, than he that executeth it. And concerning the rest, to wit, such as do not bewray, or not hinder, or not reprove a thief that stealeth, are not always bound to restore, but then only when an absolute necessity lieth upon them, and no great danger follows by this negligence & default.  
Lastly, it remaineth to show this doubt, whether a man be bound to restore by & by, or whether he may put off and delay the discharge of this duty? 
No man is to delay restitution, but by consent.  Every one is charged necessarily to hasten restitution, so soon as he is able and conveniently may do it. God loveth a cheerful giver, and restorer: whereas delay in any good duty, argueth an unwilling mind. It showeth that we are not thoroughly resolved to do it. It maketh us every day more unfit than other. It manifesteth, that we are more than half willing to keep it by us still. He that hath hired a poor servant to do his work, must give him his hire before the Sun go down, Deut. 24, 13.  
And as it is a sin against justice to take away another man's goods, so it is likewise to detain it with us, because the owner thereby is hindered from the use thereof, and so a double injury is done unto him: but no man is allowed to stay any time (though it be short) in sin. Nevertheless, if a man be not able to make present restitution, he is to crave pardon and desire respite of him whom he hath wronged: but without his consent that is damnified, he hath no liberty to keep evil gotten goods, that is of ability to make restitution. The counsel that Solomon giveth to the man that hath this world's goods, that he must give speedily, and not bid his neighbour come again unto him, (Prou. 3, 28.) if he have at the present for him: it must also serve as a good direction to him that hath gotten and engrossed into his own hands, other men's goods; he must not say, I will restore them to morrow, if he be able to do it to day.  
If we be careful to practise these things which now have been rehearsed, we shall find much comfort in them, and assure our own hearts that we have truly repent of our sins.  
[Verse 8. If the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the Priest.] In these words, we have an amplification of the former law, by way of preventing an objection, of which we have spoken before: or rather, of many objections together, couched as it were upon an heap. For it may be asked, What if the party be dead and gone from whom we have taken? The answer is, Restore to his child. What then, if he have no child? Restore to his brother's children. What if he have no brother, or sister? Restore to his next kinsman. But put case he have no kinsman at all? Restore it to the Lord, even to the Priest. As if he should say, Though sometimes it fall out, that thou shalt find no kinsman, yet thou shalt never have the Lord to seek, neither the Priest whom he hath set over you. The point then here to be observed, is this, that the Lord and the Priest are put as both one, for it is in the original, To the Lord, to the Priest: so that the restitution to the Priest, was a restitution to the Lord. 
Doctrine. Whatsoever is done to the Minister● done to the Lord.  We learn from hence, that whatsoever is done to the Ministers of the word, God accounteth it as done unto himself. If we do good unto them, we do good unto the Lord: if we do evil unto them, we do evil to the Lord himself. We see afterward in this book, chap. 16, verse 11. when Korah and his company lifted up themselves against God's ordinance, and the authority of Moses and Aaron, he saith unto them, Thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? They thought they had to do with his servant, but he showeth, they had to do with the Lord. When the people required of Samuel, that he would make them a King to judge them, like all the Nations, the Lord said unto him, 
1 Sam. 8, 7.  Harken unto the voice of the people, in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. Their gathering together against the Prophet, was a muster, and mutiny, and murmuring against God.  
This is that which Christ spoke unto the seventy Disciples, and to the Apostles before them, He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. Luke 10, 16. Math. 10, 40. Whereby we see, that this is the dignity and authority of the Ministry which God hath established, that how mean soever the persons of the Ministers are, yet he so magnifieth their office, that what is done to them, is offered unto him.  
The reasons hereof are most evident. First, Reason 1 they are the Messengers of God, sent out of him to do his message, and to execute his will, and to speak in his Name, and to deliver that which he shall put into their mouths, and to discharge the commission that he hath given unto them. After that God had made a covenant with Levi, so that the law of truth was in his mouth, and he turned away many from iniquity, he setteth down this as a rule, Mal. 2, verse 7. The Priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the Messenger of the Lord of hosts. To this purpose Paul speaketh both touching himself and the rest of the Ministers, 2 Cor. 5, 20. Now than we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. If then the Messenger be to be respected as he that sent him, the Minister is to be acknowledged to represent the person of God, in whose Name he speaketh.  
Secondly, it pleaseth God to work salvation Reason 2 in his people by them and their Ministry. For as the Gospel is the power of God, so the Preachers of the Gospel are workers together with God.  
Indeed we deny not but he is able and sufficient of himself, to save the souls of men, without the Ministry of men, as he created them without the help of men: Nevertheless, he will use their Ministry at his good will and pleasure, and he will convey his treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Not that he standeth in need of any help, or could not attain to the end of his purpose without our labour (for who are we that can add any thing to his perfection?) but he doth it for our own good, and to manifest his greater love and mercy toward us. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 6.1. We then as workers together with him, beseech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. And in the former Epistle saith, 
● Cor. 3 9  We are labourers together with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. Seeing then, the Ministers are workers together, and labourers together with God, so that they are the means by whom we believe, God accounteth that as done to himself, which is done to them, as we are to account that God doth that unto us, which they do being directed by his word.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, he accounteth that which is done to any of his servants and children, as done to himself, whether it be good, or evil, whether it be right or wrong: forasmuch as Christ and the faithful make one mystical body, whereof he is the head, and they are the members. In the day of judgement, Christ will acknowledge that to be done unto himself, which is done to the least of them that believe in him, and belong unto him, Matth. 25.40. In like manner when Paul was going to Damascus, to bring them bound to jerusalem that called upon his Name, he called unto him from heaven, 
acts 9 4.  Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Christ jesus is touched in his members, when any of them are troubled, so that their persecutions are his persecutions, & their afflictions are his afflictions, according to the saying of the Apostle, Col. 1.24. I Paul am made a Minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake, which is the Church. The faithful are as parts & members of Christ's body, of his flesh, and of his bones, Ephes. 5.30. and he is the head over all things, Ephe. 1.22. So that as the head hath a feeling of these things that befall the body, so is it with Christ, he doth after a sort suffer with us, and rejoice with us.  
Use 1 The uses therefore are to bestood upon, that the truth of this may be applied to our instruction, without which the doctrine is as bread cast upon the waters, or as seed that rotteth in the earth, that is, cometh to nothing. First, we are directed hereby, what ought to be our behaviour toward their persons; we must take heed that we do neither wrong them, nor hurt them, neither rise up against them, considering that God will take their wrongs and injuries as done unto himself. If a Prince should give us in charge, to beware that we do not hurt some special servants of his house, and should add withal, that he would account their wrongs, if any be offered, as done in disgrace and despite to his person: there is no doubt but every one would take diligent heed that he did not hurt them. Thus the case standeth with every one of us. The Ministers are Gods servants appointed to do his will, and separated to preach the Gospel of peace: and God hath laid a charge upon men, that they offer no injury nor indignity unto them. If they do, they touch the apple of his eye, which is most tender, Zach. 2.8. and therefore they incur his wrath and heavy displeasure.  
This is it the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 105.15. He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine Anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. They▪ then shall not escape the revenging hand of God, that set▪ themselves against the servants of his house, and the truth of his word that they deliver. Their word is mighty and shall prevail, it is God's word that they bring unto us, and he will take their cause into his hand. It is true indeed, they are above all other persons and callings in the world, subject to many and great abuses, they are made a reproach to men and Angels, they endure the nips and quips of wicked men with silence and patience, so that we may cry out with jeremy in the bitterness of our souls, Woe unto us, 
jerr. 15.10.  we are borne to be men of strife and men of contention to the whole earth. But seeing God hath a sight and sense of these unjust and injurious dealings toward them, and accounteth them and accepteth them, as done against himself, we see it is no small sin to wound them with the tongue of malice, to smite them with the fist of iniquity, or to spurn and kick them with the heel of contempt and reproach. It stirred up David to show exemplary punishment upon the wretched and wicked Ammonites that abused grossly and grievously his servants whom he sent among them; for he put them under harrows and iron saws, and so revenged thereby with rigour, the disgrace brought upon them, as if they had done it to his own person.  
They could not more have offended him and provoked him to wrath, if they had cut off his garments in the mids, and shaved off the one half of his beard, 2 Sam. 10.4. and so done him all the villainy that might be. This therefore giveth us a notable warning, to beware that we offer no hard measure unto the messengers of God, lest we make ourselves guilty of insurrection and rebellion against God, and of resisting his will, forasmuch as we shall answer unto him for this sin committed with an high hand.  
Let us remember the saying of Christ touching the Ministers of the word, joh. 13.20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. here are three persons named and joined together that are received, the servant, the Lord jesus, and the heavenly Father. He that receiveth and entertaineth one of the 〈◊〉 takes them altogether: he that receives the servant, receiveth the Lord: he that admitteth the least, admitteth withal the greatest of them, as Christ himself speaketh, That which ye have done to the least of my brethren, ye have done to me. 
revel. 3.20.  If any were asked the question, whether he would willingly open the door to Christ and sup with him, when he cometh unto us standing at the door, knocking, and desiring to be admitted of us, he would answer, We would have him to dwell with us & to reign over us, we would rejoice to see him come under our roof. And if we should be charged to stop our ears, and to pull away our shoulders, and to refuse to hearken unto his voice, and to make him dance our attendance without the doors, as if he were a stranger to us, and we strangers unto him: we would complain of great wrong done unto us, and say, we were notably abused. But hereby we are to try ourselves, as gold is by the touchstone: we must measure our affection to Christ, by our affection to his Ministers; if we receive the Lord, we must for his sake entertain his servants.  
Besides, this order is to be observed in the receiving, albeit the Lord jesus be the sender, yet first of all, we must receive the servant, that is, the Minister, and then the master himself. For mark this, that Christ doth not say, he that receiveth me, receiveth the Minister whom I send unto you; but contrariwise, He that receiveth him whom I shall send, receiveth me. On the other side, whosoever refuseth one of these refuseth them all jointly together: he that refuseth the least of them, refuseth the greatest; as at the last judgement Christ shall say, 
Matth. 25.45.  Inasmuch as ye have not done it to one of these little ones, ye have not done it to me. It is a vain pretence and frivolous excuse to surmise that we love the Lord jesus, the shepherd of the sheep, when we reject the Ministers of the word, that seek to make us of the number of his sheep, and to bring us home into the sheepfold. If than none do receive the Lord jesus, but such as receive his Ministers, the number is small of those that entertain Christ, whatsoever they think of themselves, or howsoever they glory in themselves.  
Use 2 Secondly, this doctrine serveth for reproof of sundry abuses and gross corruptions. The measure which we meet to the Ministers of God, is meet to God himself; which first meeteth with those that excuse their contempt of the ministry of man, 
The first reproof.  and say, If we had the Lord himself present among us, we would hear him, and do all to please him. They do deceive themselves, and teach their tongue to lie. For learn this of me, and set it down as a certain rule, Whosoever receive not the servant, will not receive the master himself. He that regardeth not to hear him that is sent, will not respect him that is the sender of him. He that doth kill the servant, would also put the Lord himself to death, if he were able. The reason is, because the hatred of the Lord, is the original cause of hatred against the servant, so that they persecute the servant for the Lords sake. We know the parable of the vineyard, let out to unthankful husbandmen, Mark 12.1. The labourers caught the servants, and beat them, 
Ver. 4.  they handled them shamefully, and killed some of them: but did they entreat any better their masters only begotten Son and heir, when he came among them? No, they said among themselves, This is the heir, Come, let us kill him, 
Ver. 7. Ver. 8.  and the inheritance shall be ours: so they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. True it is, no man is so profane to utter such reproachful and blasphemous words against Christ jesus, nor so desperately given over to all wickedness, to say openly in the audience of all men, Let us kill him: but if they would take notice of their secret corruptions, and examine their inward thoughts, they should find as little love to the Lord, as they bear to his Ministers, and when they contemptibly use the one, they spitefully hate the other. Hence it is, that Stephen reproving his persecutors that would seem jealous of the Law, Acts 7.52. joineth these two together, and maketh them walk hand in hand one with another, the persecution of the Prophets, and the murdering and making away of him that is the head of the Prophets: Which of the Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of that Just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.  
Where we see, that the betraying of the Lord, and the evil entreating of the servant, are sins near of kin, so that the one springeth from the other. If then God account that done to himself, that is done to his Ministers, he will bring them to a new account, that never set themselves in the presence of God when they are to hear his word. The Israelites could not abide to hear the voice of God that showed itself in fearful manner, but desired that Moses might speak unto them; if they should hear him speaking unto them again, they should die, Exod. 20.19. It is Gods great mercy to speak unto us by men subject to the same infirmities that we are. Let not us abuse his goodness, and contemn his word, & reject his Ministers, forasmuch as the contempt of them is joined, not only with the contempt of his ordinance, but also with the contempt of his person. Secondly, 
The second reproof.  it reproveth such as regard not what they say unto them, neither care for the words that come out of their mouths, whether it be word of promise, or of threatening; whether of exhortation, or of reprehension: whether of peace and reconciliation, or of war and evil tidings: whether of joy and gladness, or burdens and yokes of punishment heavy to bear.  
These think and persuade themselves that they have to do only with men, and are not guilty of any contempt against God; but they are greatly deceived, and shall one day know, that they despise not the word of mortal man, but of the almighty and eternal God.  
Hence it is, that we are charged on the contrary, to take heed how we hear, Luk. 8, when we come into his house. Christ teacheth, that in hearing the Ministers, we hear him, and in refusing them we refuse him, Math. 10. The Apostle commendeth the Galatians for the performance of this duty, that they were as careful to hear him as to hear Christ himself, chap. 4, 14. My tentation that was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an Angel of God, even as Christ jesus. What could he say more for them? Or how could he better set forth their zeal, then to give this testimony of them, that they accounted of him in regard of his pains in the ministery, not as an ordinary man, not as a faithful Minister only, not as an elect Angel only, but as Christ himself, the head of men and Angels, whose person he did represent, and whose Church he did feed with wholesome doctrine? This example should all of us follow; this doth the Lord require of all true Christians, that they receive his Ministers as his Messengers, and reverence them as himself, in regard of their doctrine, and have them in singular love for their works sake. This we see to be worthily practised by Cornelius, as well became a religious Captain and a devout Christian, Acts 10. 
● 10, 33.  We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Lo, how great the dignity of the Ministry of the Church is: lo, how great the excellency of the Ministers of God is; we must hear them as if we heard God, forasmuch as they are sent of him, they preach his word, they deliver no more than they have received, and he hath commanded them to publish it in his Name. But alas, it is most horrible to behold the contempt that they suffer, and the baseness that is cast upon this calling, which is one of the causes of those grievous plagues and judgements that are brought upon the world. The disgrace and ignominy under which they lie, grieveth the hearts of all the godly: and not only grieveth their hearts, but pierceth the Clouds: and doth not only pierce the Clouds, but reacheth up to heaven: and doth not only reach up to heaven, but entereth into the ears of the Lord of hosts: and not only entereth into his ears, but doth stretch itself unto God himself, and return upon Christ, the Prince of all Prophets; which ought indeed to pierce and enter into the hearts of all profane persons, and serve to terrify all those that revile them, and speak all manner of evil against them for the truth's sake. Let us remember the saying of the Apostle touching the Thessalonians, 
2 Thess. 2, 13.  When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. This is a worthy commendation of this Church, and a notable example which we ought to set before us to follow it: so that we must hear the word as God's word, whose force it carrieth with it. Many hear it, that do not hear it as God's word. It is a rare thing to find such an hearer. Some hear, and then rage and storm when they are reproved, Acts 7, 57, & 17, 18, and 22, 23. Others refuse to hear at all, and think such as make conscience of hearing, to be more curious & precise then there is cause. Others embrace the word, but yet not as the word, as we see in Papists and hypocrites. The Papists affirm, that the Scripture or word written, hath no authority in itself, except it be allowed & approved of the Church. What other thing is this, then to embrace the word, but not as the word? The hypocrites also do not receive the word with due reverence, nor express it in true obedience, as their life doth witness against them. These have men only in their thoughts, and have not God in their sight: they may be said after a sort to receive the word, but they cannot be said to receive it altogether as the word. For if they did seriously and earnestly acknowledge it to be of God, and to have him the author of it, they would not lead their lives in that lose manner that they do.  
Thirdly, it reproveth those that contemn the doctrine of the Gospel, 
The third reproof.  for the poor and obscure condition of the Ministers that preach it. For what I pray you, was the estate of the Apostles? Were they rich and renowned in the world? Peter and john, going up together into the Temple, at the ninth hour of prayer, answered the lame man that expected to receive something of them, Silver and gold have I none. 
Acts 3, 6.  Were they much befriended & applauded of men? The Apostle declareth and complaineth, that all men had forsaken him, and no man stood with him. 2 Tim. 4, 16. And Christ himself foretelleth, that they should be hated of all men for his Names sake. Math. 10, ver. 22. Were they honoured and magnified above others? Or did they live at ease and in pleasure? Paul spareth not to paint out their life, 1 Cor. 4, 9, I think that God hath set forth us the Apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to Angels, and to men. Were they clad in purple, and fared they deliciously every day? Did they dwell in gorgeous houses and Princely palaces? In the words following, he telleth us how it fared with him and the rest of his brethren, they were not attired in soft raiment, they did not surfeit through excess, 
Verse 12.  but even unto this present, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place. And yet notwithstanding these manifold adversities and trials, the Son of God pronounceth of them, He that heareth you, heareth me, and judgeth the wrongs to be done to himself, which they suffer. Let not us therefore require honour, or riches, or glory, or pomp, or outward dignity, in the Ministers of the Gospel, but rather consider the goodness of God toward us, who, knowing that we are not able to bear and abide his infinite Majesty, hath instituted the Ministry of his word, that by men equal unto us and like to ourselves, he might teach us his will, and instruct us in his word. We showed before, that when the Lord himself in his own voice preached to Israel, at Mount Sinai, they were so terrified and afraid, that they asked for Moses, that he might speak unto them. If the matter stood thus with them that had seen the wonders of God in the Land of Egypt, and not many days before had passed the red sea, as it were by dry land, what shall befall us, if he should utter to us his terrible voice, as a most mighty thunder? If then we hear patiently, and obey readily the word that is brought unto us by weak and frail man, it is a service that is well pleasing in his sight: forasmuch as we show thereby, that we do not depend on the pleasure of men, but rely ourselves upon the authority of God. And as it is the praise and trial of a good subject, who is content to believe and obey the lowest messenger and least officer that cometh unto him with a message and commandment from his Prince: so hereby it appeareth, that we are true Citizens of the kingdom of God, & his adopted children, if we hear his word with fear and reverence, albeit it be preached unto us by the meanest and poorest of all God's servants. On the other side, as it is a note of contempt toward the Magistrate himself, to disobey or resist any Sergeant or servant that cometh from him, how base soever he may seem to be: so we make ourselves guilty of rebellion and high treason against GOD, when we despise such as speak in his Name, and contemn them that have authority committed unto them from the most high. All such as loath the truth for the Teacher's sake, when their own consciences convince them that it is the word of God which soundeth in their ears, let them assure themselves and persuade their own hearts, that the contempt of their persons redoundeth to the Son of God, yea to the Father himself. Let them mark this point & weigh it diligently, who take it heinously when they are reproved of men equal unto them, or inferior to them, or if they be contemptible to the world, by reason of their poor estate.  

The fourth reproof.  Lastly, it reproveth those that go about to shake the faith of many, and to weaken the assurance and certainty of our salvation, having the promises thereof propounded unto us in the doctrine, and by the writings of the Apostles.  
Hence it is, that sundry scoffers and profane spirits, ask the question, who is Paul, and who is Peter, or what is john, that we should of necessity believe them? Who gave them authority, or whence have they power in the Church, to set down and prescribe unto us a rule of faith? The doctrine that now we deal withal, serveth very fitly to stop the mouths of these Atheists, and containeth a sovereign preservative against the poison that they offer unto us, inasmuch as Christ the eternal Son of God, maketh them his messengers, his witnesses, & his heralds, to spread abroad his saving health, and avoucheth, that he speaketh in them, & acknowledgeth himself to be author of that truth which they deliver, 
Gal. 1, 8.  so that if an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel then that which they have preached to the Churches, he must be holden accursed. This therefore we ought to apply unto ourselves, and gather as an argument of great comfort, that when remission of sins and eternal life are promised to them that are truly penitent, and lay hold upon Christ by a lively faith, according to the doctrine of the Apostles, we must assure ourselves it is the voice of Christ, and he will ratify it in the highest heavens. Neither is this true only touching the Apostles themselves, that had their calling from God, and not from men, and were conversant with Christ in the days of his flesh: but likewise of all the faithful Ministers of jesus Christ, that have the keys of the kingdom of heaven committed unto them. When we assure forgiveness of sins to those that have contrite and broken hearts, it is no doubtful or uncertain assurance, but graven with a diamond, and written as it were with a pen of steel to continue for ever, forasmuch as it is the assurance of Christ, and of God himself. The voice of the Minister is not the voice of a private man, but of one that is a public person; it is as the voice of Christ himself. Art thou humbled and cast down for thy sins, and doth thy soul cleave unto the dust? He sendeth his Minister unto thee, and putteth the word of reconciliation into his mouth; so that if thou unfeignedly turn unto God, be as well assured of the mercy of God toward thee, as thou heardst Christ himself say unto thee, as he did sometimes to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, 
Math. 3, 2.  thy sins be forgiven thee.  
Again, when the Ministers of God on the other side, do threaten and thunder out the sentence of condemnation against the unbelievers and such as cannot repent, this also is no less the voice of the Son of God, which no power of the world, nor authority of man can hinder or call back: forasmuch as whose sins they retain, they are retained. 
john ●  This judgement, howsoever it be either denied, or derided, or doubted off among the ungodly, yet will Christ make it good, and execute the same upon them to their confusion.  
This doctrine reacheth to the true Ministers of the word, who have their calling from God & his word. As for the Bishop of Rome, that challengeth sole authority to forgive sins, and will have all his decrees and decretals no less acknowledged than the word of God, it is more than childish and ridiculous. For he hath nothing common with the Apostles, and cannot prove his succession wherein he glorieth by any sound reasons, and yet arrogateth more unto himself then GOD gave, or the Apostles took, or the Church acknowledged to be due unto the Apostles: forasmuch as the Lord tied them by an express commandment, that they should teach the people to observe those things which he had commanded them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this serveth to inform the Ministers, that it concerneth them much to adorn their calling, and to magnify their Ministry, that it be not blemished and evil spoken off through their default. This aught above all other things to be a spur unto us in our sides, and as a fire kindled within our bowels, to inflame our hearts with a zeal of God's glory, with a love of his people, with a care to discharge our office committed unto us, & with an earnest desire to increase the kingdom of Christ jesus. For seeing God accounteth us as his own Ambassadors, sent out to do his will, and vouchsafeth to join our labour with man's salvation, we are bound in duty and conscience to preach the Gospel truly, purely, painfully, sincerely, and sound. It is required of us, not only to teach, but to teach the truth, and to teach the truth with a right affection. For we can never challenge the names and titles (of being the Messengers of God) unto ourselves, and to be respected as the person of Christ himself, except we preach the pure word of God, and commend to the Church the pure doctrine of Christ. If we preach corruptly, and make merchandise of the word of God, and mingle wheat with chaff, and good corn with darnel, or that which is worse; we are not to be accepted & received as Christ, but to be rejected and refused as false teachers, that speak in their own names, and not in the Name of God. They cannot say, Thus saith the Lord; but, this I say unto you: not, hear ye the word of the Lord, but, hear ye my word: not that which God commandeth to observe, that do ye; but keep my word, 
●h. 15, 3.  the commandments of men, the traditions of the Elders, the superstitions of the Fathers, and such like human ordinances, whereby they make the word of God of none effect. This carrieth no authority to the consciences of the hearers, but it is as a sword that is blunt, whose edge is turned, that it cannot cut or enter into the flesh. The word thus delivered, can never open the corrupt heart of man, or do any good unto the conscience. If then we do not teach the flock of God, both by sincerity of doctrine, and by innocency of life, we show ourselves to be messengers of Satan, not the Ministers of God: to be false Prophets, not true Teachers. We are joint labourers with God, and therefore he will be sanctified in all that come near unto him. He feedeth the flock by our hands, he converteth the souls by our Ministry, and he saveth the hearers by our preaching, and therefore we must not cause our office to be hated and contemned, but by all means maintain the dignity and authority of it, to the uttermost of our power. It is not only the corrupt doctrine but the evil life of the Ministers, that maketh their calling to be vile and void in the eyes of worldly men. If the persons that preach it, be profane, they reject Ministers, Doctrine, and Calling, they set all at nought, and let all alone. And this is the deep policy and subtlety of Satan, when he dareth not openly oppose himself against the doctrine that is according to godliness, nor encounter with the word of truth, hand to hand, he goeth to work another way, that he may cunningly undermine it: to which purpose he striveth to make it hateful and contemptible, by occasion of the Ministers, and he duly observeth their errors, their faults and failings, that with some colour he may cavil, and so countenance his evil proceed. Christ our Lord and Saviour did well and wisely foresee this, and carefully did prevent this. The treachery of judas was well known to the jews themselves, he betrayed his master, forsook the Apostles, 
Mar. 26, & 27.  joined with the pharisees, and in the end hanged himself. This must needs bring a great scandal, and much hinder the proceeding of the Gospel, cause the Disciples to be evil spoken off, and the truth itself to be reviled. Besides, the Apostles might be afraid, lest all their labour should be in vain. Wherefore to the end the Lord might add strength & courage unto them, and repress the slanders & calumniations of the enemies of the Gospel, and withal leave a perpetual direction unto the whole Church, that no man should refuse the purity of doctrine, for the impurity of the lives of such as are the Teachers, he uttereth and oftentimes repeateth this sentence, Verily, I say unto you, he that heareth you, heareth me; 
Math. 10, 40. Luke 10, 16. john 13, 20.  and he that heareth me, heareth him that sent me: he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. In these words he establisheth the authority of the Apostles doctrine, and reproveth all those that judge of the doctrine by the Ministers, and esteem of the truth by the teachers. For even as Kings and Princes will not lose their right, nor diminish the authority of their commandments, albeit their Officers or Ambassadors should exceed their calling, and go beyond the bounds of their commission: in like sort, whatsoever the Ministers of the Gospel shall be, yet the word always remaineth the same, the promises and threatenings that are written in it, shall be ratified, & by it we shall be judged at the last day. We must turn unto it; that shall not bow and bend to us. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man, is as the flower of grass, The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 1 Pet. 1, 24, 25.  
To conclude therefore, we must not cast our eyes so much upon the Ministers that are the disposers of the mysteries of God, as upon the author of the Ministry▪ which is the Lord himself: neither be so careful and attentive to hear their voice, as Christ himself speaking in them, in whose Name they are Ambassadors. Doubtless, they shall incur the displeasure of God, and receive grievous punishment, whosoever are evilly affected to the Ministry of the word: and their impiety shall detract and diminish nothing from the worthiness of the doctrine itself, which directeth us to one God, through our only Mediator jesus Christ, and teacheth us to serve him with a true faith, with a pure life, & with a love unfeigned.  
Use 4 Fourthly, we ought from this ground of doctrine here delivered, to give them double honour, and not withhold from them the wages of their work, and the recompense of their labours that is due unto them, but as every labourer must have his hire, so ought the Ministers above the rest, that labour in the word and doctrine, to be maintained of the Church. As the Church dependeth upon them for their allowance, so they depend upon her for their maintenance. Thus the Pastor and the people do feed one another, as a flock of sheep nourisheth the Shepherd, who eateth the milk of them, & clotheth himself with the wool of them; and again the Shepherd coucheth them into green pastures, and leadeth them by the still waters. The people feed him with the bread of this life; he feedeth them with the bread of everlasting life. They minister to him in carnal things: he to them in spiritual things. They cannot lack him in regard of their souls: he cannot be without them in regard of his body. Thus than they do feed one another, or at least ought to do. If he receive food of them, and give none unto them again, he robbeth them of their goods, and murdereth their souls. If they on the other side receive food of him, so that they be taught of him, and yet make him not partaker of a part of their goods, they rob him, and cause him to departed from them, and so become murderers of their own souls, as if they did lay violent hands upon themselves, or rather as if they did famish themselves by refusing bread provided for them: inasmuch as where vision ceaseth, there people perish, Prou. 29, 18. Nay, the Lord accounteth of this sin in another kind and nature, he chargeth such Church-robbers, to be robbers and spoilers of God, no less than they that stand by the high way and take a purse. I doubt not but very many will be ready to scorn this comparison, & say, What? Do you liken us to thieves? Do you make no better of us? We are true men and honest, we pay every man his own; no man can ask us a penny. But if it be so, yet what shall this avail us, if we be found false to God, and stick not to rob him? The tithes are God's portion; if we wrongfully detain them from those to whom he hath assigned them, we are no better than thieves & robbers, whatsoever we account of ourselves. The Prophet Malachi shall be my warrant, to charge this upon them: and if they think I slander them, let them bring their action against him. Hence it is, that he saith, chap. 3, 8, 9 Will a man spoil his gods? Yet ye have rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we rob thee? In tithes and offerings: ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have rob me, even this whole Nation. In which we may observe these particular points.  
First, that it hath been an old and ancient practice, to invert the ordinance of God, and to alienate the right of the Church, and to defraud the Ministers of their due. This aught to comfort us when we find ourselves injuriously dealt withal; it fareth not worse with us, than it hath fallen out in the Church in former times. The Priests of God whose lips preserve knowledge, had this portion assigned unto them; they had no inheritance in the Land, as the other Tribes had, yet greedy cormorants and covetous wretches grudged this allowance also unto them, and detained it from them.  
Again, observe that these caterpillars that devour the fat of the earth, albeit they sin grievously, yet never want pretences and excuses to colour their sacrilege: they have somewhat to say for themselves; they will never be brought to acknowledge their offences: they think it well gotten, which is gotten from the Church: they are of opinion that the Ministers have too much, and therefore think it good policy to shave them once a year, and use them as men do their flocks, who shear the wool from their backs, lest it should grow to be a burden unto them. So is it in our days, partly by unproper titles, partly by injurious customs, and partly by unconscionable convaiances, the Ministry in many places is left bare and naked, and the Ministers have not wherewithal to sustain themselves and their families.  
Thirdly, notwithstanding the shifts that these men have invented and devised, GOD setteth out their sin in lively colours, & calleth it plain robbing and spoiling of God. For what is theft, but a getting of other men's goods to ourselves, whether it be by violence or by other conveyance? Behold the difference between the judgement of God, and the judgement of these men concerning themselves. They account themselves honest men, and pronounce of themselves, that they are just and true: but God calleth them spoilers and robbers of him. They oppress the church, they deceive the Ministers, they spoil God himself, and they hinder the salvation of many poor souls.  
Lastly, the Prophet setteth down their reward which followeth their sin, They have rob him, and are cursed with a curse. God curseth them, and the souls of many that perish do curse them: and therefore albeit they bless themselves, it shall not help them. The Gentiles by the light of natural reason, saw that their Priests which waited upon the service of God, were to be maintained bountifully, and to be provided for liberally, & therefore no marvel though God account the detaining of tithes, and deceiving of the Ministers, to be no less sin than a robbing of his Majesty. This we see evidently in the time of famine that was in Egypt, when no Corn did grow for the space of seven years; for in the common dearth and want of others, they were relieved. For whereas we read the words, 
●n. 47, 22.  The Land of the Priests he bought not, for they had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore the Priests sold not their Lands: some translate the words otherwise, 
●●●im.  and understand them of the chief Officers, or Ruler's, or Princes in the Commonwealth. But albeit the word do sometimes signify so, as 2 Sam. 8, 18. where David's sons are called by that name, 
●hro. 18, 17.  which could not be in the number of Priests, for they pertained to another Tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the Altar: and job 12, 19 He leadeth Princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty. 
●en. 41, 45.  Where he maketh the Princes and mighty as both one, and addeth the latter to expound the former: yet nevertheless we rather follow the common translation, and the received interpretation, that joseph bought not their glebe Land, because the King gave them an allowance, during all the famine, that they should not be constrained to sell their ground. For thus do the seventy Interpreters read it: 
●iq. judaic. ● cap 4. ●● in Eu●●. Di●dor. ●ho. 2.  thus do josephus & Philo understand it: thus also do the testimonies of other Historiographers warrant us to take it, which teach that the Priests of Egypt were wont to have their allowance and portion, publicly provided for them, and supplied unto them as their maintenance for their service. Neither doth it prejudice this truth, or hinder it any whit, because they were Idolaters, and so deserved to be distributed rather then relieved and sustained. For first of all joseph sinned not, 
●: commen●n Gen.  because he distributed the corn, not at his own pleasure, but at the King's appointment: not by his own discretion, but by the King's commission, who would have them provided for. And Pharaoh himself failed in his duty, but sinned not in his liberality: not in nourishing the Priests, but in cherishing Idolaters, and in not reforming the worship of God, which is an office both beseeming and belonging properly to Kings and Princes, I mean to purge and cleanse his service from all superstition, 
Gen. 35, 2.  as jacob did put away the strange gods that were in his house.  
The maintenance of the Ministry is God's allowance, and therefore such as detain it, and so take from God his part, do oftentimes lose their own portions: not that God hath need of these things, but because it is the wages & recompense, which he that is the true owner of all that belongeth unto us, hath appointed for their use that wait upon the worship of God, and serve in the Ministry of the Gospel. This sin is not a bare theft, but stealing in the highest degree, even a sacrilege against God, a wasting of his house, a spoiling of his worship, and a ruinating of his kingdom: as Nehem. 13, 10. by reason of keeping back the tithes and oblations, the Levites, the Singers, and the rest that served in the work of the Lord, were through extreme poverty and pinching of them, constrained to leave the Temple, and to go home unto their own houses. It is no new thing to have the Ministers defrauded, and the work of the Lord lie waste for lack of labourers. And in the tenth chapter, verses 35, 30, 37, 38. the Israelites promise, that they would truly pay their due to the Levites, that they would bring their first fruits, the first borne of their sons, of their cattle, of their Bullocks, & of their Sheep, and the tithes of the Land unto the Levites and Priests that minister in the house of God: but when Nehemiah was absent, they were slack in performance of their promise. We may observe besides, who they are that have the chief hand in this sin, not the men of least account or lowest degree, but the chief sort had the chiefest hand in this trespass. For who are they that most rob the Church, and pill and pol the Ministry, and make themselves fat with the spoils of the tithes, but those that should be greatest friends unto it, even great persons, who make themselves greater by making Church-livings lesser? This we see plainly in the place named before, where Nehemiah saith, chap. 13, 10, 11, 12. I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, for the Levites and the Singers that did the work, were fled every one unto his field. Then contended I with the Rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? and I gathered them together, and set them in their place, etc. Such therefore, albeit they be great & mighty, are to be reproved. It is the duty of the Magistrate to see so these things, and to correct the abuses that creep into the Land, and by all good means to release the oppressions that lie heavy upon the Ministers of the church. If God take the matter into his hand, he will take an account of them that spoil the church, and make them feel the grievousness of their sin. It is better that Nehemiah should correct the sins of the people, than Nabuchadnezzar. If God scourge us by cruel enemies, woe be to us; they are without all mercy and compassion. Thus than we learn, how and what to account of this sin, to wit, the withholding of maintenance from the Ministers, that it is robbing and spoiling of God, a defacing and deforming of his kingdom. This maintenance is the homage and tribute that God doth require of us, for the setting up and continuance of his kingdom among us; whereby it followeth, that tithes are holy & sacred things, not to be detained, nor employed to any other use. The Apostle therefore saith, Gal. 6, verse 7. Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  
Use 5 Lastly, from hence ariseth comfort to such as do good to the Sanctuary, and to the uttermost of their power, further the worship of God: they may assure themselves, that God will account it & reward it as done unto himself. Whatsoever is given to the maintenance of God's service, and the furtherance of true religion, and the propagation of the Gospel, is given to God himself, & serveth to advance the glory of his Name, as appeareth by sundry examples in holy Scripture, worthy both of commendation, of admiration, and of imitation.  
One example 
The first example.  we have in Obadiah, who lived in the days of grievous persecution, when jezabel made havoc of the Church of God; the Altars were cast down, and the Prophets slain: then did he take an hundred of the Lords Prophets, and hide them by fifties in a Cave, and fed them with bread and water, 1 Kin. 18. It is an easy matter in the days of peace and quietness to show a love to the Ministers of the word, and to pretend ourselves to be friends and favourers of the Gospel: but let us not flatter ourselves, for we may herein deceive ourselves. This is no evident trial or certain demonstration to prove our zeal to be right: forasmuch as we may do all this, more for the applause of the world, and to be well thought of among men, then for love we have to the truth, or to them that bring the truth & glad tidings of good things. But when all things are in an hurry and uproar, when persecution is raised for the Gospel's sake, and jezabel sendeth a messenger to Eliah, 
1 King. 19, 2.  that his life shall be taken away from him, or when the Ministers are in disgrace and contempt of the world, & turned out of house and home, when they are left succourless & comfortless, then to stand to them, to relieve them, to countenance them, and in a good cause to defend them, is a notable sign of a lively faith, and of receiving the truth in truth and sincerity. God will not forget their effectual faith, and diligent love, and the patience of their hope in jesus Christ: he will have them in continual remembrance, & reward it as done unto himself; as God showed himself in mercy to Obadiah, and for his sake sent a gracious rain upon his inheritance, and filled their hearts with joy and gladness. For even as Elisha said to jehoram King of Israel, when they had no water for the host, nor for the cattle that followed them, What have I to do with thee? Get thee to the Prophets of thy father, and to the Prophets of thy mother: as the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, Surely, were it not that I regard the presence of jehoshaphat the King of judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee, 2 Kings 3, 13, 14. jehoshaphat was a good and godly King, who feared the Lord, and in all distresses called upon them evermore to ask counsel of the Prophets of the Lord: and God suffereth his word to be declared to the wicked themselves many times, howbeit it is because of the godly that are among them: even so doth God deal with Ahab, he would have suffered him to follow the false Prophets that he fed, and to be seduced by them, and to perish in that famine, but that he regarded Obadiah and that small remnant for whose sake he showed mercy upon the Land. He had showed mercy to the Lords Prophets, the Lord showeth mercy unto him again, and is mindful of his goodness, as if he had done it unto himself.  
Another example 
The second example. 2 Chr. 24, ●6.  we have in jehoiada, he was honoured alive and dead, so that they buried him in the City of David, among the Kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward his house. He set his heart to honour God, and was zealous for his glory, he reform religion, he destroyed idolatry, he freed them from tyranny, he established true piety, and did much good to the Church and Commonwealth: and as he was careful to honour God, so God honoured him, and remembered him for good, according to the greatness of his own kindness, and according to his servants goodness.  
The like we might say of Nehemiah, 
The third example. Nehem. 13, 26  when the secret enemies of the Church had defiled the Priesthood, and the covenant of the Priesthood, and of the Levites, and that many of the chiefest among the jews, withheld the tithes and offerings from them to whom they were due by the express gift of God, 
Verse 11.  so that the house of God was forsaken: he was merciful unto him again and spared him, and made him to be magnified of all the people, according to the saying of the Lord, 1 Sam. 2, 30. Them that honour me, I will honour: and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed.  
Consider with me farther another example, to wit, touching Ebedmelech, 
The fourth example.  when as the Prophet jeremy by false suggestions and accusations was thrust into the dungeon, where was no water but mire, so that he sunk down and stuck fast in it, and must of necessity perish in short time, if he were not speedily delivered, this stranger spoke to the King for him, and was content to take upon him the envy of many that he might expose himself unto: My Lord the King, these men have done evil in all that they have done to jeremiah the Prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the City, jer. 38, 9 So he drew him up with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon. What then? He that remembered jeremy in prison, hath his own life given him for a prey: and he that lifted up the Prophet out of the dungeon, is assured also of his own deliverance; God doth greatly accept of the compassion he showed, and rewarded it to the full, so that jeremy is sent unto him with this joyful message in those miserable days, when jerusalem was taken by the enemies, the Princes were slain with the sword, Zedekiah the King had his eyes put out, & his sons were slain before his face, the King's house was burned with fire, the walls of the City were broken down, and the remnant of the people were carried away into captivity: in the midst of all these tumults & public calamities, I say, the Prophet receiveth a commandment from God, to go unto this godly Ethiopian, being one of the eunuchs that was in the King's house, and to say unto him, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring my words upon this City for evil, and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee: but I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD, and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid: for I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee, because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord, jer. 39, 16, 17, 18. He had done good to jeremy, God doth good unto him, and accounteth it as done unto himself.  

●ift exie.  The last example shall be out of the New Testament, mentioned by the Apostle Paul, 2 Tim. 1, 16, 17, 18. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: but when he was at Rome, he sought me out very diligently, & found me: the Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. Where he prayeth, that he might reap as he had sowed, and gather as he had scattered, and receive as he had bestowed, to wit, mercy for mercy, goodness for goodness, and kindness for kindness: and no doubt God heard his prayer, according to his promise, and recompensed him that had refreshed the Apostle. This is that which the Lord promiseth in the Prophet Malachi, chap. 3, 10. If they would rob him and spoil him no more, but bring all his tithes into his house, he passeth his word toward them, that they should see plenty upon their labours, and a removing of those means that caused famine and misery to fall upon them, and to come among them; as before he threatened & denounced, that as they spoilt God, so God spoilt them: and as they caused famine to be in his house by keeping back his portion, so he caused scarceness of bread and cleanness of teeth in their houses, causing extreme want to be in the midst of them, in withholding and keeping back his blessings, and in sending upon them his grievous plagues. Now he telleth them, that if they murmur not at the maintenance of his Ministers, but pay them truly, and sustain them conscionably, he will satisfy them with good things, and remove from them evil things, He would open the windows of heaven unto them, and pour out a blessing without measure.  
And thus we see how we may find comfort unto ourselves, and strengthen our faith by such examples as the Scripture affordeth unto us.  
[Beside the Ram of atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.] In these words we are to consider the last, but yet the chief and principal means of sanctification, which also is a satisfaction to God, and a putting and purging away of the sin of defrauding our neighbour. And herein indeed standeth the only way of expiation & blotting out iniquity, howbeit set down in the ceremony. For neither can confession of our sins to God, nor making restitution of our evil gotten goods to man, put away our sin: we may confess all the day long, we may bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and give our bodies to be burned, and yet our sins shall lie heavy upon us, and press us down to the gates of hell; it is only the blood of Christ, as a Lamb unspotted and undefiled, that can do it.  
Neither is it enough for us to say, Christ hath washed us from our sins, he hath paid a sufficient price for them, and therefore it skilleth not, whether they be acknowledged to God, or recompensed to men. For we have seen that GOD requireth besides the Ram of atonement, that such as have wronged their brethren, must both confess and restore, or else they can have no benefit of reconciliation to God by the death of Christ. We are therefore in this place to mark how our sins are purged; which is expressed under a type & figure.  
True it is, the blood of Bulls and other beasts is not able to take away sin, 
Heb. 9, 12, and 10, 4.  neither is it possible that the offering up of gifts and sacrifices could make holy concerning the conscience him that did the service, 
Verse 9  and sanctify the comers thereunto, Hebrews 10, verse 1. For sin is an offence done to God, a breach of the Law, and a wounding of the conscience. But what is the blood of Bullocks able to do, touching the curing of these mischiefs and maladies? Will I eat (saith the Lord) the flesh of Bulls, or drink the blood of Goats? Psal. 50, 13. Doubtless such things of small account and reckoning, have no force or efficacy to appease the wrath of God, which is infinite. Besides, the justice of GOD required▪ that man himself, not Calf or any cattle should undergo the punishment for sin, because the soul that sinned, shall die the death, Ezek. 18, verse 4. and the threatening must be true, that because man sinned, he should die, Gen. 2. Thou shalt die the death. So that it was necessary, either that all mankind by reason of sin, must perish everlastingly, 
Heb. 9, 15.  or else Christ the Mediator of a better testament must become a surety for us, and satisfy the wrath of God kindled and conceived against us for sin. If any ask the question, 
Question.  if the blood of Bulls & Goats could not take away sin, why did God command them to be offered, and to what end were they appointed? I answer, Answer. this was not done in vain, but to good purpose. For albeit they could never take away sin, nor purge the conscience from dead works, yet they served fitly to shadow out the death of Christ, and to assure the heart, that it is washed by the blood of the Messiah. This was a notable comfort to the people of God from the beginning, & taught them to look for redemption through him. Objection. If it be farther said, that God speaketh every where in the Law, that the blood itself of Bulls and Beasts cleanseth and purgeth sin, as Leuit. 17, 11. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the Altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. I answer, Answer. that place speaketh not properly, but sacramentally: as in the new Testament he calleth in the institution of his last Supper, 
Math. 26, 26.  the bread his body, because it is a figure of it: so in this place, to the outward sign he giveth the name of the thing signified, and to the type he ascribeth the proper effect of the blood of Christ, which only is the blood that is able to make atonement for our sins. Otherwise those offerings of beasts should be called in vain, 
Heb. 9, 24, & 10, 1.  the similitudes and shadows of good things to come. As for those heretics that dream, that those oblations did really and indeed cleanse away the sins of the fathers, not by their natural operation, but by the acceptation of God, and therefore were not types of Christ's sacrifice washing away sin, they are evidently convinced by the places before alleged, and throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews.  
Object. If any ask, how these can be figures of Christ, seeing GOD witnesseth in his word, that he never required them, When he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me; in  offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Psal. 40, 7. Heb. 10, verses 5, 6. If then God would have none of them, how could they be the figures and images of better things?  
I answer, Answer. God may be said to allow them, and yet to disallow them; to reject them, and to regard them in divers senses. He willed them as he commandeth them, and commendeth them as a sweet savour unto him, performed in faith, and as types referred to the coming of the Messiah, and the time of reformation. 
Heb. 9, 10.   
On the other side, he may be said to refuse and reject them, for these three causes. First, when the manner of doing is evil, doing that which God requireth, but doing it in a corrupt manner, to wit, without faith and obedience, as the Prophets in every place reprove the sacrifices of hypocrites & wicked persons: as Esay 1, 11, 12. I delight not in the blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs: who hath required this at your hand? Your new Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: and the reason of this is rendered in the words following, 
Verse 1●.  Your hands are full of blood. Again, God would not that they should remain & continue for ever, but that, though they had place in the Church for a time, they should cease at the coming of the Messiah. Therefore Christ being come into the world, and manifested in the flesh, God willed them no longer, but would have them abolished. And this sense doth the Apostle principally intend in this place, that the shadows must give place, when the body itself was come in person. Lastly, it may after a sort be said, that God never willed them, that is, approved & allowed of them as the principal part of God's worship, and as the very price of our redemption, & the ransom for our sins, & our reconciliation unto God: albeit he would have them observed of his people, and used for a time as certain rudiments & rites to bring them to Christ, & to confirm their faith in him. Let us shut up this with the comparison that the Apostle expresseth, Heb. 9, 13, 14. If the blood of Bulls and of Goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? In these words he compareth the shadow & the body, the type & the truth, the ceremony and the substance together. 
Doctrine. Christ jesus hath made a● atonement between G●● and us, by h●● blood.  From hence we learn this doctrine, that the blood of Christ taketh away our sins, & reconcileth us to God the Father. Christ jesus hath in the performance of his Priesthood, freed and delivered us from the guilt & punishment of our sins. This appeareth evidently unto us, by considering & laying before us, the end, the parts and fruit of his Priesthood. The end of the levitical Priesthood, and of this figured by it, was to offer sacrifice for the ignorances, 
Hebr. 9, ●.  that is, for the sins of the people. The distinct parts of it are two, satisfaction, and intercession. His satisfaction consisteth partly in suffering, and partly in obedience. The second part of his Priesthood standeth in intercession, in that he is become our perpetual and perfect Advocate, that thereby God might be appeased for them, and we reconciled unto him. The fruit thereof is this, that we are delivered, redeemed, ransomed, justified, and freed from the guilt of sin, from the burden of ceremonies, from the curse of the Law, from the wrath of God, and from fear of condemnation. This truth is taught in many places, joh, 1, 29. john seeing Christ coming unto him, saith, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And the same Apostle in his first Epistle, chap. 2, ver. 1, 2. If any sin, we have an Advocate, jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Likewise in the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle, magnifying the mercy of God, and setting out the merits of Christ, he saith, chap. 3, verse 24, 25. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. The Apostle to the Hebrews declareth, that Christ was to offer up himself once, and not often, as the Highpriest entereth into the high place every year with blood of others: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: 
Heb. 9, 26.  but now once in the end of the world hath be appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. By all which testimonies it appeareth, that Christ is our Advocate, and hath wrought our peace and atonement, and thereby made an end of all other sacrifices.  
The reasons are plain. First, because God Reason 1 thereby is well pleased, and his wrath appeased, so that he accounteth his death as a full price and sufficient ransom paid for them. So the Evangelist witnesseth, that a voice came from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Math. 3, 17. And in the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Apostle saith, chap. 5, verse 2. Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling savour. It is noted in the book of Genesis, that when Noah being come out of the Ark, builded an Altar, and offered burnt offerings, the Lord smelled a sweet savour; 
Gen. 8, 21.  which was not the smoke of the sacrifice that ascended, (for what sweetness could there be in that?) but it was the sweet & precious sacrifice of Christ for which his wrath was appeased, being shadowed by that ceremony.  
Reason 2 Secondly, Christ took the whole burden of our sins upon his shoulders, presenting himself before God in our person, and offering us to God in his person: so that he took upon him our unrighteousness, and imputed to us his righteousness. This the Prophet Esay did most clearly prophesy off, chap. 53, verses 4, 12. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, and powered out his soul unto death, etc. He bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. And the Apostle teacheth, that in Christ we are reconciled to God, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2, Cor. 5, 21. And in the Epistle to the Colossians, chap. 2, ver. 14, 15. he setteth out the fruit of Christ's death, that he hath forgiven us our trespasses, hath put out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, he took it out of the way and fastened it to his Cross, he hath spoiled principalities and powers, hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumphed over them in the same Cross. This was notably prefigured and foreshowed in the rites of the Law. For when any propitiatory sacrifice was to be offered for the people, the Priest was to present the beast before the Lord, to lay his hands upon the head of the beast, and to confess the sins of the people upon it, and so it bore their iniquities; the truth whereof, is Christ himself.  
Thirdly, there could otherwise be no remission Reason 3 of sins: so that it is the blood of Christ in the suffering of the Cross, that purgeth away our sins, as Hebr. 9, verse 22. Almost all things in the Law are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission: and therefore it was necessary that Christ should purge and purify us by his blood. The greatness of our sins could not otherwise be pardoned, nor the person that is offended, satisfied: they are infinite, and so require a sacrifice of infinite price and value. No treasures, no riches, no creatures, no sacrifices, no ceremonies could do it, it cost more to save a soul, and to redeem the captives and prisoners that are holden by Satan in slavery to do his will: Knowing that we are not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from our vain conversation, received by the tradition of the Fathers: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb undefiled and without spot. 1 Pet. 1, verses 18, 19  
Fourthly, nothing but the death of Christ could quench the scorching wrath of God as Reason 4 a consuming fire kindled against us, & countervail his severe justice. Hence it is, that the Apostle, writing to the Hebrews, having showed that the blood of Bulls and Goats could not possibly take away sins, addeth immediately after, When he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou ordained me. Heb. 9, 5. Our sins have a bloody face in the sight of God, and we are enemies unto him, so that the robes of the Saints must be dipped in the blood of the Lamb, revel. 7, ver. 14. All the nitre and soap, and Fuller's earth in the world, are weak and unsufficient, and have not power and strength enough in them to do it; So that we must say with the Prophet, Psal, 50, 7. Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Thus than we see, that Moses mentioning here the Ram of atonement, whereby an atonement is to be made for sinners, teacheth under this type, this certain and undoubted truth, that Christ our Saviour hath by his blood made an atonement between God and us, & thereby reconciled us unto his Father.  
The uses of this doctrine are of great weight and importance. First, it offereth to our considerations Use 1 this meditation, what sin is, & how it is to be esteemed. It is a most fearful and grievous thing, & the wrath of God against it is exceeding great: so that nothing in heaven or in earth could satisfy for sin, but the death of Christ jesus: the Son must die for the servant, or rather for the enemy: for we are by nature the children of wrath as well as others. The justice of God would not spare him, though he were his only and well-beloved Son: but forasmuch as he was to bear our sins in his body, he must die for it, Rom. 8, 32. He spared not his own Son, but gave him to the death for us all. We are not therefore to be lightly carried into the practice of sin, but to be much grieved at it, to strive with all our force against it, and to endeavour to overcome it; and among other things this is not the least that should trouble us, that we have by sin brought such misery and shame upon the Son of God. We ought to lament for this, and to bewail it every day. For if we had not sinned, and by sin been deprived of the glory of God, he had not taken upon him the shape of a servant, neither been humbled to the death of the Cross. We do daily cry out upon the jews, and think hardly of them, because they crucified the Lord of glory: but if we would enter into ourselves, and consider what we are, we should find our nature as bad as theirs: our sins are they that crucified him: they are the nails that did pierce his hands and feet, and the spear that entered into his side, and shed his blood, Zach. 12, 10.  
Use 2 Secondly, this confirmeth us in a principle of our Christian religion, that remission and forgiveness of sins is by the merit of Christ, because the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all, Esay 53, 6. And to him give all the Prophet's witness, that through his Name, all that believe in him shall have remission of their sins, Acts 10, 43. And the Apostle saith, that in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Eph. 1, 7.  

What forgiveness of sin is.  Now then, if we would know, what this freedom and forgiveness is, we must understand, that it is a blessing of God upon his people, procured by the death and passion of Christ, whereby God esteemeth of sin as no sin, or as not committed. This is figured out by many borrowed speeches in the Scripture, as Esay 44, 22. I will put away thy transgressions as a Cloud: and chap. 38, 17. He hath cast them behind his back: alluding to the common practice of men, who, when they will not remember or not regard a thing, do turn their backs upon it, and put it out of their sight. Likewise the Prophet Micah, chap. 7, ver. 19 He will cast all the sins of his people into the bottom of the sea, alluding to Pharaoh and his host that perished and were drowned in the red sea. The benefit of this is endless and uncountable; the remission of our sins, the redemption of our souls, and the reconciliation of our persons into the favour of God, being the most wonderful blessing that ever can come to mankind. For every man that hath his sins detained, is more miserable and wretched than the most vile creature that ever was. The dog, the serpent, the toad are not so base; for when they die, there is an end of all their woe and sorrow: but when man dieth and departeth out of this life without this blessing, then is the beginning of his anguish, first in soul until the day of judgement, and in soul and body for evermore, after the general resurrection. This consideration caused the Prophet to cry out, Psalm. 32, 1, 2. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered: Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. This was the voice of David, this was the feeling that he had, though otherwise he had the pleasures, and royalties of a kingdom. Ask carnal and corrupt men, who are blessed and happy in this world: some will say, the rich man: some, the wise: some, the fortunate: some, the healthy: some, the honourable: and some, those that are in favour with Princes: or if they will not say so, yet they show evidently that they think so. But this point is never thought upon, it is accounted but a common matter, and therefore it never cometh into their minds, or entereth into their hearts. Alas, alas, how many are there that did never rightly know, what sin is, what it worketh, how it corrupteth, whom it defileth, and whereunto it bringeth. These are drowsy Protestants of dead hearts, and almost desperate. If we had the right knowledge of ourselves, and the least feeling of sin, as it were with the tip of our finger, we would find our hearts so foul, and our estate so fearful, and the wrath of God so bitter, that if the gain and glory of the whole world were set before us on the one side, and the pardon of our sins on the other side, we would choose the free forgiveness of our sins, before ten thousand worlds, and all the pomp of them. So then, we must hold that the redemption of our souls, is a most dear and costly thing, the dearest thing in the world, and of greatest value. It cost the precious blood of the Son of God, the least drop whereof, being the blood of God, is more worthy and of greater merit, than all the world. The servants of David said unto him, Thou art worth ten thousand of us: 
2 Sam. 18, 3.  so we may say of the Son of God, our Lord jesus Christ, that he is more of worth than ten thousand of us; and yet he accounted not his own life to be dear and precious unto him, but he was content to lay it down for our salvation: and therefore Paul saith to the Elders of Ephesus, Acts 20, ver. 28. that God redeemed to himself a Church by his own blood, his sacrifice being propitiatory, and sufficient to purge our sins, and to make us clean again.  
Thirdly, if we will have any comfort that Use 3 our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ, whereby the atonement is made, and we reconciled to God the Father, we must leave them and forsake them, and lead an holy and godly life. The Apostle Peter teacheth this point, and enforceth this duty upon us from the consideration of the death and passion of Christ, 1 Pet. 4, ver. 1, 2. Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin: that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. And the Apostle john saith, If we walk in the light, 
●n 1, 7.  as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, & the blood of jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. They than cannot assure themselves that Christ died for them, that make no account of committing sin, that drink in iniquity as water, and wallow in it as swine in the mire, and cast out sin from their profane hearts, as the dog doth his vomit. Let us mark this as a good note, and set it down as it a rule, that Christ is not dead for us, except we be dead to sin: and he is not risen again for us, except we be risen to newness of life. Indeed he died, it is an article of our faith, but what benefit have we by it, if we feel not the power of it working effectually in us? Besides, this is another principle which is surer than the heavens, that we are not redeemed, except we be sanctified. For are we so foolish to imagine, that he would redeem us from sin, that we should commit sin afresh, and that we should serve sin again? Will any man ransom a prisoner, and pay a great price for him, that so soon as he is freed, he should by and by serve his enemy? So do we deceive ourselves, if we imagine that Christ would pull us out of the snare and power of Satan, to the end we should entangle ourselves again, and give up ourselves to his service, who is the sworn enemy of God; whereas we are delivered out of the hands of our enemies, that we should serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life, Luke 1, 74, 75. Labour then to be in Christ, and examine thyself, whether he be in thee or not: study to be partaker of the benefits of his passion, and to be washed from the filthiness of our corruption. This is a privilege belonging unto the Church of God, as the Prophet Esay noteth, chap. 33, verse 26. The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: and the people that dwell therein, shall be forgiven their iniquity. What then? Shall we continue in sin, because sin is pardoned? Or shall we turn the grace of God into wantonness, because grace hath abounded? God forbidden: how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Roman. 6, 2. We are baptised into the death of Christ, and are buried with him by baptism into his death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life. Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hence forth we should not serve sin. The more we profit by the death of Christ, the more we grow in sanctification, and the farther we proceed in mortification. It is one thing to talk of the death of Christ, and another thing to feel his death working in us: it is one thing to know that he died, and another, that he died for us. It is not enough to reason of his death, and to confer of it, except it be as a strong purgation to cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Holiness in the soul, is as health in the body, and peace in the City, and marrow in the bones. It is the righteousness of Christ that giveth life unto us: so that so far as we live, we are sanctified. The life of an unregenerate man is no life, but rather a death: they are twice dead, dead in soul, and dead in body; there is no life of God in their minds, or wills, or consciences, or affections. They may well breath in the air as the brute beasts do, but they have no heavenly breath, or celestial motion in them. They have the natural life, but they are utterly ignorant what the spiritual life meaneth. But he that is spiritual indeed, and truly sanctified, the farther he proceedeth, the weaker the motions of sin are in him, even as the nearer a man draweth to death, the less motion is in him. If we be once in Christ, and dead with him, the pleasures of the world, the delights of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, the pride of life, and the vanities of carnal men will move us nothing at all. They that were our familiar companions in sin, will be shunned of us, bitter unto us, and banished from us. The evil works wherein before we took our whole delight, will be grievous & Irksome unto us, so that we will by no means abide to hear and see the unrighteous deeds of the wicked, which before did minister matter of sport & contentment unto our soul.  
Lastly, seeing the death and shedding of the blood of Christ, is the means of our salvation Use 4 and free pardon of our sins, we are to rejoice at it, and to comfort ourselves in it above all things in the world, as that which hath procured the greatest blessing that can befall us: so that if we can find but one drop of his blood, to be by the power of the Spirit sprinkled upon our consciences, to purge us from dead works, it should rejoice us more than the gaining of a kingdom, or the increasing of our corn and cattle. If a man should live in health & wealth, in honour & preferment, in favour and friendship of the mighty, in credit & estimation of men, in the praise & applause of the world, so that he had no experience of sorrow and sickness, of misery & calamity; yet if he have not this principle written in his hart, that Christ shed his blood for him, and nailed his sins upon his Cross, and carried them with him into his grave, to bury them in perpetual forgetfulness: What comfort could all these things bring unto him? Or what sound delight could he take in them? Or what were he nearer for them unto salvation? But if we should want all these blessings, of honour, of riches, of favour, of preferment, and such like: and on the contrary side, taste of the cup of affliction in great measure, and drink up the dregs of it, if we should endure poverty, banishment, infamy, injury, disgrace, distress, discredit, slanders, perils, persecution, need, nakedness, and all kind of adversity: yet these could not make us miserable, 
Rom. 8, 39  nor separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord. It is he that died for us, yea rather which is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, and maketh intercession for us. Who then shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect, who have a discharge given them from all their sins? As for troubles and afflictions, they are sanctified unto them, and serve to bring them nearer unto God, and are approved means whereby they are brought to a conformity with Christ. True it is, 
job 2, 4.  our nature abhorreth nothing more than affliction, so that it is grievous for the present, and not joyous. It is well observed, that when jesus went up to the Mountain to preach, all his Disciples went with him, none forsook him nor fled from him: but when he went to Mount Caluarie to suffer, they all left him alone. He hath at all times many that are ready to follow him by professing, but few are willing to follow him by patiented suffering. We are content to go with him into the Temple, but we will not accompany him to the Cross. Peter showed this too plainly, both by his words and by his practice. When Christ once made mention of his suffering, he said unto him, 
Math. 15, 22.  Master, pity thyself. And when he was in the High-Priests hall, & was assaulted and tempted, for fear of the persecutors, and danger of death, he denied his Master. Notwithstanding, we must fear to sin against Christ, more than to suffer with Christ: forasmuch as if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him. There is nothing can make us miserable, but that which bringeth us out of favour with God, and separateth us from him: now there is nothing can separate us from God, but sin; nothing can destroy the soul, but sin, and sin is able to do it. They therefore are truly happy that have the power and strength of sin abolished, and are no longer servants of corruption, but the Lords freemen. Let them rejoice and be glad, because their names are written in heaven. Christ willeth the seventy Disciples to rejoice in this, and not so much that the devils were subdued unto them: 
Luke 10.  so ought it to be with us, we should find no joy or comfort in our riches & treasures, and in our store and abundance of earthly things, in comparison of those unspeakable benefits which we receive from Christ, and enjoy by Christ. If we had all things without him, they might delight the eye and outward man, but they could not comfort the heart, nor refresh the weary soul: 
Math. 16, 26.  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Let us then learn hereby, what true comfort is, and wherein it consisteth; there is no comfort without Christ: he is the substance of the Gospel, and there is no glad tidings can come to the soul where he is not.  
[Verses 9, 10. And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the Priest, shall be his: & every man's hallowed things, etc.] In these last words of this division, we have the application or conclusion of the former law, amplified by an argument of the like. God had appointed in his Law, that the Priests should receive the oblations and hallowed things to sustain them, Leuit. 10, 12. Now, even as these things belong unto them, so God appointeth that such things as are stolen, and have no owner or heir alive, shall be brought to them, in case the persons be dead, or not known to whom they might of right belong. Thus doth God provide for the maintenance of them that served him.  
We learn from hence, that the Ministers of the Church, that labour therein, 
Doctrine. The Mini●●● of the ch●●● ought to be maintained.  aught to be maintained of the Church. I will not handle in this place, whether tithes be due by a divine right, or not: but rather come to the equity of it, that in the time of the Gospel, the Pastors of the Church ought to live of the Gospel. For if in time of the Law, the Priests that served at the Altar, had a plentiful allowance, as it were a liberal diet, as we have showed before; forasmuch as they had benefit by the sacrifices and oblations, by first fruits and tenths, and such like: than it followeth necessarily, that the Ministers of the new Testament should have also a good reward and recompense for their pains and labours. And it followeth not by equal comparison, but from the less to the greater, seeing their office is greater, the least in the kingdom of heaven, being greater than john Baptist. Math. 11.11. and therefore the hire of their labour ought not to be less. To this purpose speaketh the Lord by the ministry of Moses, in many places of the Law. In the book of Genesis, when Abraham returned from the slaughter of the Kings, 
Gen. 14. ●● Heb. 7, 4  he gave him tithes of all the spoils that he had taken in war. God had dispersed the Levites among all the Tribes, and assigned them Cities to inhabit in all their quarters, to the intent that sound doctrine should be taught throughout the whole Country. They had no inheritance allotted and assigned unto them; God promiseth to become their portion, and therefore the people ought not to defraud them. 
Deut 12, 12.  The Levite was ever to be with them that was within their gates. He assigned also to Aaron and his sons, a worthy portion, so that none that served at the Altar, had any want. To this purpose the Apostle speaketh to the Galatians, chapter 6, verse 6. Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  
This precept the Apostle giveth to them that are taught toward their teachers: wherein he layeth down these particulars; first, that the Ministers are to be maintained. Secondly, they are to be provided for at the costs and charges of the Churches. Thirdly, that they are to be sustained honestly, liberally, and bountifully, to the end the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn, might appear not to be muzzled. The elders that rule well, aught to have double honour given unto them, 1. Tim. 5.18. Not that all aught to be given into the Ministers hands, that they should abound, and others want: that they should live richly or riotously, & others beggarly, as hypocrites dealt among the pharisees, and as it is now in the Church of Rome, where they devour widows houses, and under a colour of this commandment, have drawn dry the treasures of Princes, and eaten up the fat of the land, as their Abbeys and Monasteries every where testify, so that they have builded them palaces and castles like Princes, of the spoils of other men: but the Apostles meaning is, that they ought to have an honest pension and contribution given unto them, not abounding in superfluity, but contenting themselves with a sufficiency, according to the rule of the Apostle, Having food and raiment, let them be content.  
Reason 1 This truth is farther confirmed unto us by the force of reasons, as it were by strong cords that cannot be broken. First, the Apostle writing to the Corinthians, handleth this argument at large: where he setteth down sundry similitudes which serve fitly and notably to illustrate the same, as it were so many lights brought forth to open and discover the nature of things that are dark and doubtful. The soldier that goeth forth to battle, 
●or. 9.7.  fighteth not at his own costs, but hath his pay and wages of his Captain that hath called him. The Planter that planteth trees, eateth of the labour of his hands, and tasteth of the fruit of the things he hath set and grafted. The Shepherd, that feedeth a flock, eateth of the milk of the flock. The sour, that goeth out to sow, reapeth that which he hath sowed, and gathereth it into the barn. The Ministers of the Gospel are the Lords soldiers to fight his battles against sin and Satan, by the two-edged sword of the word: they are the chariots and horsemen of Israel: 
King. 2.12. ● 13.14.  they plant as gardiner's, they sow as husbandmen, they feed as shepherds; and therefore they all ought to have a recompense for their labours, and maintenance for their persons, answerable or agreeable to the work that is in their hands.  
Reason 2 Secondly, such as are taught and instructed by the Ministers, are debtor unto them. All honest men are bound to pay their debts, or else they are no better than thieves. There is a mutual band and conjunction between the Minister and the people: and either of them oweth a necessary duty unto the other. It is a part of natural equity, that when we have received a benefit, we should recompense our benefactors. They that have received much are bound to return the more. This is the reason which the Apostle pointeth out, Rom. 15.27. making the Macedonians and those of Achaia to be debtor to them that are of jerusalem; It hath pleased them verily, and their debtor they be: for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. Where he calleth the faith of the Gospel and Christ with all his treasures, the goods of the brethren at jerusalem, because Christ was promised to the jews, and from them salvation came unto the Gentiles, according to the ancient promise and prophesy, Esay 2.3. Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from jerusalem. As then the Gospel came from them, so now they wanted the carnal goods of the Gentiles, and stood in need of their alms. Now, what are carnal goods, that is, uncertain and unsettled and unstable, in comparison of the spiritual riches and treasures of Christ, if they be weighed in a balance? Surely nothing at all, & therefore were the Gentiles more than debtor unto the jews. Thus also doth the Apostle reason, 1 Cor. 9.11. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing, if we shall reap your carnal things? Seeing then the hearers are debtor to them that have taught them, they shall never be able to discharge themselves of this debt, except they give according as they have received, and in am of thankfulness communicate unto them that have painfully and plentifully instructed them.  
Thirdly, all labourers are worthy of their Reason 3 wages. It is a rule of equity to pay all that have laboured for us: and therefore it cannot without injustice and fraud be denied, or detained: as Luk. 10.7. Where he saith to the seventy which he sent before his face into every City whither he himself would come, 
Matth 10.11.  Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house: and in the same house remain eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. But the Ministers of the Gospel are labourers: they labour to husband us to God, and to plant us as fruitful trees in his garden: they dig and delve about us: they plough up the ground of our hearts, and sow good seed in the farrowes thereof. They labour in the word and doctrine, and care for the Church day and night, and therefore have right and reason to be maintained of the Church that are partakers of their labours. Every trade maintaineth the tradesman, and every art the artificer. Should it then go worse with the Minister, then with other Sciences and handicrafts? and shall he alone complain that his profession (which is the best of all) hath that recompense which is least of all?  
The uses follow to be handled and considered. Use 1 First, this serveth to reprove such wretched and miserable men as deny them the maintenance that is fit for them, and appointed unto them. Many there are among us that think it lost and utterly perished, that is given unto them: that pay them somewhat for a time, but it is thought to be a work more than needs, and therefore afterward grow weary, as of a burden that they cannot bear. These are never weary of superfluous expenses which they might both with credit and a good conscience cut off: howbeit if they lay out any thing to further piety and true religion, they repine and grudge at it, as if they were undone.  
Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, We should not grow weary of well doing, Gal. 6.9. forasmuch as in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. For having in the former words exhorted the people to give their teachers temporal things, and to communicate unto them of their goods; he inferreth this conclusion, Let us not be weary of well doing. He that fainteth in a good course, and giveth over before he come to the end, is like to a slothful husbandman, who, having made an entrance to plough and sow, giveth over and goeth back, before he have fully finished his work: or like unto him in the parable mentioned in the Gospel, Luk. 14.28. who intending to build a tower, did not sit down first, and count the cost, whether he had sufficient to finish it, and therefore after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to go through, all that beheld him, began to mock him, saying, This man began to build, but was not able to make an end. This hath been the continual practice of this corrupt world, to think it evilly bestowed, which is bestowed this way, being like unto judas, when a precious ointment was powered upon Christ, and his feet anointed with it, he cried out, What needeth this waste? this might have been sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor, joh. 12.5. So likewise whatsoever is given to the Ministers of Christ, is accounted to be bestowed in waste, & such as might as well be spared, as so spent. The zeal of our forefathers in former times was great, they gave to the Ministers, and pulled not nor pared from them. The Idolatrous Priests that served Baal, and attended at his altars were well provided for, and wanted nothing, Gen. 47. Four hundred false Prophets were richly maintained at Iezebels table, 1 kin. 18.19. where— as the poor and painful Levites, that taught the people diligently, have been glad to catch at a crust, and to serve for a morsel of bread, and a suit of apparel. The Popish Priests that worship idols, and maintain idolatry, have had abundance, and know not what it is to want, they have no experience of necessity. Nothing was thought to be too much or enough to set up and continue a will worship after the precept and tradition of men.  
Such as lived in blindness and palpable ignorance, had a zeal to religion, such as it was, and it shall be sufficient to condemn our coldness and backwardness. It was well said and observed, that in old time they were wont to say, What shall we give the man of God, 1 Sam. 9 but now the Church-robbers say, Come, and let us take the houses of God in our possession, Psal. 83.12. This is an evident token that there is small devotion in men for the maintenance of true religion, as we shall show afterward.  
Secondly, it putteth the Ministers in mind Use 2 of their duty, that they ought to labour among them that do maintain them, and teach them in the word. It is great reason that he which looketh for his hire, should do his work: and that he which intendeth to live of the Gospel of Christ, should preach to others the Gospel of Christ. Such as are Drones and will not labour to bring honey to the hive, are not worthy to eat of the honey. Such as are dumbe-dogges and cannot bark, may not eat of the children's bread, nor expect or receive the maintenance that is due to the Ministers which are painful. Such will not or cannot labour, and therefore ought not to eat, 2 Thess. 3.10. We must care more for the feeding of the flock, then of ourselves; and fear more the loss of the sheep, than the lack of the fleece: for which I pray you, is more to be desired and of more price, the sheep itself, or the fleece it carrieth? Is not the sheep? is it not for them that Christ died? and aught we not to leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, and seek out that which is lost, or strayed, that it starve not, and perish? 
Ezek. 34 2.  Woe therefore unto the shepherds of Israel, that eat and clothe themselves with the wool: that strengthen not the diseased neither heal the sick, nor bind up the broken, nor bring again that which was strayed, neither seek out that which is lost.  
Woe unto such as are entered into a painful calling, and yet will take no pains in it: that have a great work to do, and yet lead an idle & lazy life: that take upon them the labour of the Ministry, & yet follow their pleasures and pastimes, and do nothing less than labour. What calling requireth greater study, to furnish themselves with matter, and to bring out of their treasury, things, both old and new? And yet many there are that are entered into it, that scarce bestow one hour in a day, and sometimes in a week to preach the word, and to give every one in the family their bread in due season.  
Hence it is, that some preach not at all, neither think it to be their duty to preach to the people. Others do it so rawly and unreverently, that the stuff they bring will not abide workmanship, and the meat they set forth, is undigested. Such is their pride and ignorance that they dare utter whatsoever cometh into their idle brains and their foolish minds: and they fear not to sit down in the chair of Moses, that are not worthy to stand at the plough tail, or to sit in the Artificers shop: forasmuch as none of these ordinary trades and occupations can be discharged and performed without some preparation; and yet these dare ascend into the Pulpit, and stand above the people in the Name of God, without any meditation. Others there are that are of no ability, neither have any gifts to teach. None more forward to catch from the people, and none more backward to preach to the people; for indeed they are not able. What should the Church do with such blind guides? When Christ sent his disciples before he went to jerusalem, to a town that was over against them, and told them they should find an ass bound, and a colt with her, commanding them to lose them & bring them unto him, 
●. 21.3. 19.29.  and charging them, If any man said aught unto them, to say that the Lord had need of them: so it were fit that these two-legged and dumbe-tongued asses were loosed & sent away; howbeit we cannot say, that the Lord hath need of them, or that the Church hath need of them. 
●. 5 13. ● 14.34.  Neither can we say, they are the salt of the earth, forasmuch as they have lost their savour, and therefore are thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, neither are they meet for the land, nor profitable for the dunghill, but to be trodden under foot of men.  
To these we may join such as are better able to teach, but no whit more willing; that hide their gifts in the earth, and cover them under a bushel, like to that unfaithful and slothful servant that exercised not the talon he had received. The more God hath bestowed upon them, the more he requireth at their hands. Use and practise increase the gifts that are given unto us: but idleness and sluggishness do diminish them. Though they have mouths to speak, yet if they open them not, they may be called dumb dogs, as well as they that are ignorant. Though they have tongues and throats to utter a voice, yet if they hold their peace, they may be called idle shepherds, forasmuch as they are the work of men's hands, and not of Gods; Though they have their eyes in their head, and can see far, yet if they shut them and close them up, they may be called blind guides, that take upon them to direct others, but cannot govern themselves. For it is all one to the people, whether their Ministers be ignorant, and cannot teach: or whether they be idle, and will not teach: seeing both these ways the Church goeth to ruin. And if there be any difference, such as are able to preach and will not, do the greater hurt. For touching these poor and silly souls that can do nothing, they are not much regarded, or followed, every man can point them out easily: but as for those that are counted great Clerks, and take themselves to be no small fools, they draw many eyes after them, the people have a great opinion of them, they submit themselves unto them, and seek no further. They begin to think, that if hearing of the word were so necessary for them as some green heads & precise fellows would make them believe, surely then those Ministers would preach more often; for they know Gods will, they are not ignorant of his word. So then, the blind and unlearned Ministers are hurtful, but the meanest sort of men in a manner can say of them, Alas, our Minister is no body, he is not able nor meet to teach us, and therefore we must seek food abroad, or else we are like to be famished: whereas the other sort are counted grave and stayed men, deep Divines, and great scholars, and the hearers so hang upon their sleeves, that they will hear no other; they check those that go about to control him or his doings: they say, If we were out of the way, he would tell us, and if so much teaching were needful, he would teach us: if these things were evil, he would not use them, for he knoweth what is what as well as the proudest of them all.  
Nevertheless, Christ our Saviour teacheth, 
Luke 10.42.  that one thing is necessary, and that is, the hearing of his word: but these have learned a heerer way to heaven then Christ could show them; and more wisdom than he could teach them. But let them take heed that their wisdom be not turned into folly, and while they seek a nearer way to the kingdom of heaven, let them beware lest they never come there. For if they will learn nothing but when they list, and how they list, and of whom they list, and content themselves with a cold collation once in a month, or twice in a quarter, or four times in a year, they will hardly attain to sound knowledge and understanding in the mysteries of godliness, and they shall be as far from science as their teachers are from conscience. Other Ministers there are that so overlade themselves with livings, that their maintenance is greater than their labour, and are willing for single work to take double wages. They labour in one place, and receive recompense for their labour in two places. If we should see a day-labourer work diligently all the year long with one man, and at the years end ask his hire at the hands of two men, we would account it injustice, and deny to pay him. These men that now we speak off, who are like unto Issachar compared to a strong ass couching down between two burdens, can labour but among one people, 
Gen. 49.14.  and yet they will have maintenance of two Parishes. If they object, that they divide their labours, and take pains among them both: I answer, that helpeth not the matter, forasmuch as while they are absent from them and come not among them, they take as much of them as when they preach unto them. If the day-labourer (of whom we spoke before) should work half the year with them, and require of them payment for the whole year, they would not be so simple to grant it, though they would be so shameless to demand it. These are they that make the calling of the Minister, gainful rather then painful, and seldom or never think of the account which they are to make for the souls committed unto them: and yet will be sure to have the greatest maintenance that the Church, or Churches can minister unto them.  
Use 3 Lastly, as this duty and doctrine serveth for the direction of the Ministers, that as they look to be maintained, so all are not fit for this office, because they must preach in season and out of season, and not entangle themselves in matters and business of the world, that they cannot intend to give themselves to reading, to exhortation, and doctrine: so it teacheth the people to have a special care of their Ministers, that they leave them not destitute and distracted for want of necessaries. They watch for our souls, and therefore we ought to provide for their bodies. We heard before, that the Apostle willeth the Galathians 
Gal. 6.6.  to communicate of their goods to their Pastors that labour among them. Whereby it appeareth, that in those days so soon as the Gospel began to be planted, the Ministers of the word began to be neglected in their daily ministration. For as the word itself was contemned, so were they also that preached it. If the word itself be had in price and estimation, the feet of them that bring glad tidings of peace, will be beautiful unto us, Rom. chapter 10. verse 15. And by this note we may prove ourselves, whether the word be precious unto us, or not. If we regard not the Ministers in what condition they live among us but leave them in a most poor & necessitous estate, it is evident that we make little reckoning of the word itself. Where the Ministers are vilified and basely esteemed, it is manifest that the horrible contempt of the word itself reigneth there. And this is a notable policy of the devil, whereby he undermineth us and cunningly getteth ground of us. For he defraudeth the Ministers of their maintenance, that the Church may be spoiled of her Ministers. He knoweth well, that if the Church should want the Ministers, and have them taken out of the way, he might rage's and raven at his pleasure, kill and murder freely as he listed: 
Plutar. in the life of Demosthenes.  as if the wolves could get the dogs that kept the flock into their hands, they would destroy the sheep without mercy. The devil is a cruel and savage wolf, the Ministers are the keepers of the flock, and watch over it: if they be any way removed, the devil will suddenly pray upon them, and make havoc of them.  
Hence it is, that the Lord saith in the book of Deuteronomy▪ chap. 12.19. Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite, as long as thou livest upon the earth. And in the 14. cha. 27 verse, he repeateth this exhortation again, The Levite that is within thy gate, thou shalt not forsake him: for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. The Levites were appointed of God to serve him, and to teach his people, that his Law might be known among them: and therefore it was great reason they should have wherewith to maintain them. A part of the inheritance belonged unto them, as they descended of the lineage of Abraham: howbeit God had put them from it, to the end they should not be cumbered with earthly things, neither troubled with tillage, nor distracted with any other business, but wholly give themselves to the performance of their duties. And the people also must do their duties unto them. Great is the unthankfulness of this unthankful world. The wretched Idolaters that worship they know not what, spare no cost to maintain their Priests; whereas in the mean season, such as serve God purely in their places, are in no account, and men are content not only to set light by them, but utterly to forsake them. And what is the cause of this? surely because they reprove us for our sins, and suffer not every man to do what he listeth: which made the Apostle say, Gal. 4.16. Am I become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? We all by nature desire liberty, and cannot abide to be touched by God's word, we will not be reproved. We had rather maintain such as would never speak word unto us, than such preachers as exhort diligently, and rebuke sin powerfully, and discharge their duties carefully. How many are there, that had rather nourish and keep with great charge a great rabble of greasy Friars, and an whole Covent of idle Monks, to chant and howl all the day long, then to find one painful preacher to speak unto them as he ought to do? And how many are there if they might have their own choice, that had rather pay their tithes and give their money to ignorant persons and idle bellies, that can do nothing or will do nothing, then to faithful Pastors that are according to Gods own heart, and might turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto eternal life? Wherefore it is not without cause, that the Lord would not have the Ministers forsaken which publish true doctrine in his Name. Neither doth this tend to the benefit of the Ministers, either only, or principally: but to the good of the people themselves. For such as refuse to maintain those that bring home unto them the doctrine of salvation, do bereave themselves of the food of their souls, and the bread of life: which is all one as if they should go about to starve themselves for hunger. When the Ministers teach this truth of God, that maintenance is due unto them, they are censured to preach for themselves and to seek their own profit, and to plead their own causes: howbeit this serveth for the common benefit of the whole people, and the general welfare of the whole Church of God, that true religion might be maintained, obedience toward God continued, and the unity of faith established.  
So then, the people, in doing some good to the Ministers, do more good to themselves: they minister to them in temporal things, but they receive at their hands spiritual and eternal things: and therefore they are not to leave them and forsake them, but to maintain them, profit them, & to comfort them of whom they receive comfort.   

11 And the Lord spoke unto Moses saying,  
12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,  
13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner,  
14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, & he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:  

●ent Pe●●● Numer.  It is well observed by some writers, that Moses entreateth in this Chapter of removing of three impediments and hindrances that were among the people of God, one of uncleanness, another of unrighteousness, the third of suspicion. We have spoken already in the former part going before, how impurity is to be banished, and how wrong and injustice is to be purged. Now we come to consider, how evil surmises and suspicions are also to be taken away; which is done, by setting down the try all of the suspected wife, whereby the innocency of the woman is revealed, and the jealousy of the husband is removed, and the truth of the matter before hidden, is tried. Before we spoke of such crimes as are open & manifest: now of that which is not certain, but only suspected: not clear in itself, but doubtful.  

●●t iealou●●●?  But first let us speak of jealousy in general, which is the bane and poison of marriage, and maketh that sociable life, to be uncomfortable, and mingleth it with worse than gall and wormwood. jealousy therefore is a grief of mind, arising from hence, that another is judged to enjoy that which we desire to have wholly and properly as our own, and none beside us to possess any part with us. here then we cannot abide any community, but hate it as our enemy and the right cause of this jealousy. Or we may describe it otherwise on this manner, It is an affection proceeding from fear to have that communicated to another, which we challenge and covet to retain as peculiar and proper to ourselves alone.  

●ereof jetty cozen.  From hence it appeareth farther what the nature of jealousy is, to wit, that it is mixed and compounded, partly of love, partly of fear, and partly of anger. Of love, which admitteth no fellow partner in the thing he loveth. 
Th m. ●. second quaest. 28. art. 40.  For as the king will suffer no companion to be equal unto him, or partaker with him in his kingdom: so will the husband suffer no corrival to mate him in his love. Of fear, lest another enjoy the use of that which we cannot abide or suffer he should enjoy. Of anger, whereby it cometh to pass, that he is ready to break out to seek revenge and punishment upon him that hath offended him that way: as Pro 6.34. he beareth no ransom, For jealousy is the rage of man, therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance: he will not regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. For in this doth the husband suppose, the estimation of his own person, the dignity of his children, and the honour of his whole family to consist, whiles the wife keepeth the marriagebed chaste and undefiled, and giveth no just occasion to be suspected of dishonesty and uncleanness. And on the otherside, he accounteth all things in the house turned upside down, his person disgraced, his children embased, and his family turned into a stews by the false dealing, and the lewd practice of his unchaste wife. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, A virtuous woman is the crown of her husband: 
Prou. 12.4.  and contrariwise she that maketh him ashamed, is as rottenness in his bones. Wherefore God established this special Law in this place, both that false suspicion might be resisted, and that no crime (though never so closely and cunningly committed) should be vndetected. For albeit it be practised secretly, it shall be discovered openly, according to the saying of our Saviour oftentimes repeated in the Gospel, 
uke 13.2. & 8.17. Matth. 10.26.  There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: neither hid that shall not be known. Now let us come to the order of the words.  
In this trial of the woman suspected of adultery, we are to consider two points: first, 
The order of the words.  the setting down of the Law. Secondly, the conclusion of the whole matter. In setting down the law, we are to observe three points; first, the propounding of the cause is noted. Secondly, the determination of the cause is handled. Thirdly, the issue or event of the whole process is declared. Touching the matter or cause it is propounded in these four verses, to wit, from the 11 to the end of the 14 verse: which is twofold in one and the same point of jealousy; one, if the woman have committed adultery, from whence ariseth a just and lawful jealousy: the other, if she have not committed adultery, whence proceedeth a foolish and an evil grounded jealousy. The first point is propounded on this manner, Put the case a man have a wife that hath gone aside and deceived him, and committed fornication, and he doth not certainly know it, neither can evidently prove it, because he can produce no winesse that saw her, and she will not make a voluntary confession of her fact committed. This is handled in the 11, 12, 13, and part of the 14. verse. The second is set down in this sort, Put case she have not gone astray, neither hath been defiled, which is briefly signified in the latter end of the 14. verse. In both these, whether she be guilty, or not guilty, the case is doubtful, & the husband in perplexity of the matter: and therefore in the next words that come hereafter to be considered, the Lord himself delivereth the way and means how the doubt may be dissolved, and that which is secret may be cleared and decided. Thus much touching the order.  
Before we come to the doctrine that ariseth from hence, it shall not be unprofitable or any whit from our purpose to answer such Object. 1 questions as arise out of this division. And first of all, forasmuch as nothing doth more cross the law of love and rule of charity, then to suspect evil of our neighbour, it may be demanded, to what end and purpose God giveth liberty to the husband to pursue his wife, following his corrupt humour, and suffereth him to call his wife's name and credit into question, defaming and shaming her with suspicion of adultery, when as oftentimes she is innocent? I answer, Answer. that God dealt with his people two ways: sometimes he commandeth that which is simply and in itself good and honest, and forbiddeth that which in itself and own nature is evil, as when he commandeth to restore, and forbiddeth a witch to live, and infinite such like precepts.  
Again, sometimes he winketh at some evils that could not be avoided, as it were bearing with an inconvenience, to remedy and to prevent a mischief. To the end they might sly from the greater, he tolerateth and permitteth the lesser evil. This we see evidently in the cause of divorce, Deut. 24.1. He suffereth them to put away their wives upon private grudge and dislike, as he doth allow it simply in the case of adultery, Matth. 5.32. and 19.8.9. Not that he ever approved of it, but Christ saith it was for the hardness of their hearts, howbeit from the beginning it was not so. The like we might say of marrying many wives, a common custom among the patriarchs and godly kings, which was as a mighty stream bearing all things before it, it was permitted but never allowed: 
Mal 2.15.  it was practised, but never pronounced to be lawful. Sometimes therefore God giveth laws, as Lord and God to their consciences, which did bind them for ever: and sometimes as a Lawgiver, he tolerateth that which he could not take away, as Princes do such abuses as have taken root among their subjects, and are grown to an head, so that custom is turned into another nature. For to bear with corruptions is one thing, and to remove them is another. So in this place, howsoever the jealous head of the surmising husband offendeth against God, when upon every light occasion and suspicion he accuseth his wife that is innocent of adultery; yet lest he being wayward and headstrong, should rage's and rise against his wife in fury, and lay violent hands hands on her, and so be his own judge and executioner, it pleased God to remedy that mischief, allowing them an ordinary means, to make trial of their wives, whether they were guilty, or not guilty of unfaithfulness and falsehood toward them. In the mean season God always condemneth jealousy & suspicion arising without just causes, & forbids to receive a false accusation, not only against their wives, but against any their friends, neighbours, or enemies, as we shall show more afterward. And the Priest in this case, if he saw no cause of suspicion that he could approve off, no doubt, both might and did put back the husband and reject his needless trial; and therefore he is commanded, when he intendeth such a matter, to go first of all to the Priest, even as the lepers were sent to the Priest, who did pronounce them either clean or unclean, and was made a competent judge in the matter. So that all husbands were not altogether left to their liberty, to accuse without cause, & to try without proof, and to suspect without occasion. And albeit the same allowance be not given to the wife, to make trial of the suspected husband, yea though the spirit of jealousy come upon her: yet the husband was warned hereby that he is no less guilty in the sight of God, who would also find him out in his sin: and that he ought to deal with all meekness and moderation with his wife, as it is noted touching the Pharisees, when Christ said to them that would have the woman taken in adultetery to be stoned, 
joh. 8.7 9  Let him that is without sin among you, cast the first stone at her, they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: Thus much touching the first Question.  
Again, others may object and say, What Object. 2 needed this solemn means of purgation, which was to be put in practice by so many several ceremonies, some to be done by the husband, some by the wife, & some by the Priest: forasmuch as there was a nearer course, and a more ready way to bring the matter to light? For the high Priest having on his breastplate, might in all doubtful and difficult cases whatsoever, have asked counsel of God, and given answer unto men, as Numb. 27.21. Exod. 28.30. and in the books of Samuel. This was practised oftentimes, when the people of God were in distress, and uncertain what to do: Whereas this law of trial of the suspected wife, was not often, if at any time it was practised. As for that which is read and found in the forged and counterfeit Gospel of james, 
Da●●d 〈…〉  that the blessed Virgin espoused to joseph, had these bitter waters given unto her, and that she drank of them, and thereby cleared herself, is no better than a gross fable of some idle head, hammered in the times of darkness, and vented abroad to deceive the simple. I anwere 
answer.  to the objection, that the having of one means is not the taking away of another. True it is, that it is needless to be done by more which may be done by fewer: but repetition and iteration of more means in God's matters is not needless. In earthly things we say commonly, that store is no sore: and that if a man have two strings to his bow, it is the better, 
atle. 4.9.  so that in all things two are better than one. A more plentiful provision doth not hurt, but help. Howbeit, it pleased God to add this means also to divers others, to declare how greatly he hateth and detesteth adultery, and that thereby he might terrify all women, and make them afraid to commit secret sin, through the reproach and infamy they were compelled to undergo, if they should give any suspicion of adultery unto their husbands.  
Object. 3 Lastly, the question must be asked, what is meant in this place by the spirit of jealousy, when it is said, If the spirit of jealousy come upon him, verse 14. 
answer.  I answer, it is an Hebrew phrase and manner of speaking, noting thereby an eager and earnest desire, a fervent and forward inclination unto any thing; which are deeply rooted in their hearts. So that the Hebrews call all earnest inclinations, and passionate affections by the name of the spirit, as the spirit of lying, 1 King. 22.13. the spirit of giddiness, Esay 19.14. the spirit of drowsiness, Esay 29.10. the spirit of uncleanness, Zach. 13.2. the spirit of fornications, Hos. 14.12. the spirit of error, 1 joh. 4.6. In all which places it signifieth the exceeding forwardness and wonderful proneness of man's corrupt nature unto those evils, as though the soul were wholly set upon them, and minded nothing else.  
Again, by a figurative speech, it pointeth out unto us the chief author and principal cause from whence it is derived, even Satan the unclean spirit, the evil spirit, the worker of all wickedness, the first father and founder and fountain of all sin whatsoever. For even as when we read of the spirit of wisdom and meekness, the spirit of knowledge and understanding, the spirit of grace and prayer, the spirit of prophesy, of faith, of a sound mind, and such like, it signifieth not only the several effects and gifts, but the author and giver of them from whence they proceed, to wit, the holy Ghost: so likewise, to apply these things to the point and purpose we have in hand, the spirit of jealousy mentioned in this place, giveth us to understand two things: first, the swing and sway that this corrupt affection did bear in this people; as they transgressed sundry ways against their wives, both by taking many wives together, and by putting them away so soon as they displeased them, so they gave themselves exceedingly to nourish evil thoughts, suspicions, and surmises against them, as if they might use them at their own pleasures, and were not given them to be their companions, 
Mal. 2.14.  and so made two persons in one flesh.  
Secondly, we learn thereby from whence jealousy cometh, to wit, from the evil spirit; the devil is the author of it, who soweth the seeds of malice, and setteth debate between a man and his wise, and disturbeth their peace and tranquillity, and kindleth dissension as it were a fire burning among them, that they might pull down their house with their own hands: forasmuch as an house divided against itself cannot stand, and every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to nought. Matth. 12.25.  
Wherefore, hereby they are put in mind to beware and take heed, lest by these blind and uncertain suspicions, they offend the Majesty of God, that hateth and abhorreth all false suspicions, trouble the quietness of their own family, corrupt the ordinance of marriage, and bring a perpetual slander and reproach upon themselves.  
Thus much of the questions: now we come unto the doctrine.  
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, etc. In these words we see God maketh a Law touching the jealousy of the husband toward the wife whom he suspecteth of adultery. And albeit this ceremony here touched be a part of the legal worship which hath no place of practice in the Church of Christ, where no such thing is permitted; and though we never read of any that used this remedy to rid himself of jealousy, & to detect his wives adultery: yet there is a moral equity in it, which concerneth us & all others to the end of the world: & indeed it belongeth to the observation of the seventh commandment, and of the ninth commandment, which require the chastity of the person, and the innocency of our good name. The end of the seventh commandment, is to teach, both that as God is the author of marriage, so he is the revenger of the breach of it, being the most holy covenant of all other: and that women should not pollute and prostitute themselves to be common through hope of impunity and of escaping without punishment. The scope and drift of the ninth commandment, which forbiddeth false witness-bearing, is to take order for the honour and estimation and good name of our brethren, that they be not slandered and defamed: and if of all our brethren and neighbours, much more of the wife which is the nearest neighbour. So then, God restraining such breaches and abuses, declareth evidently, that he doth not allow the jealousies that every fond or harebrained husband conceived in those days; neither doth enact or establish this Law in favour of them, but rather in favour of the innocent wives, that they be not headily and hastily cast off without cause, and thereby a way made for more usual and more often divorsements, which were too common already among that people.  
Wherefore, he reproveth and checketh this evil spirit of tormenting jealousy, as having no good ground or warrant from God and his word. From hence we learn, that it is the part of a good and godly man, 
Doctrine. We must interpret all doubtful things to the best.  to interpret all doubtful things to the best, as much as may be. This we see practised by jacob, when he saw the particoloured coat of his son joseph stained with blood, and knew not what was become of him, he said, It is my sons coat an evil beast hath devoured him, 
Gen 37.33.  josepth is without doubt rend in pieces. The matter was doubtful, how he should come to his end, and very suspicious, the circumstances were to be examined: his brethren were thoroughly to be examined of the time and place, when and where they found the garment, the place was to be viewed where he is supposed and suspected to be devoured, forasmuch as some part and parcel of him would have remained. When jezebel was eaten with dogs the skull and the feet, 
2 King. 35.  and the palms of her hands remained: so might somewhat of him be found out, or at least the men of that place were to be asked whether any ravenous beast haunted those quarters. But jacob was so overcome with sorrow, that he hath the evil beasts in his own house, and yet cannot discern them, and is so carried away with credulity to believe the forged tale of his treacherous sons, that he lest suspecteth where the greatest cause of suspicion was, forasmuch as he could not be ignorant that they hated him in former time. 
Gen. 37.4.  But not knowing where the fault lay, nor able to try out the fact, he interpreteth and expoundeth all in the better part, he concludeth that surely some ravenous beast had torn him in pieces. The like we might say of Izhak the father of jacob, when he came to him in the name and garments of his eldest brother, being doubtful who it should be, because the voice was jacob's voice, but the hands were the hands of Esau, 
Goe 27.22.23.  in the end he concluded that it was jacob, and so blessed him. We have many examples serving for confirmation of this truth in the new Testament. In the first Chapter of Matthew, when the virgin Mary was found to be with child by the holy Ghost, and joseph was ignorant what to think of it being espoused unto him, he reasoned with himself that either she had committed adultery after their contract, or else fornication before the contract: in the end of after he had considered this seriously in his mind he resolveth upon the lesser, that she had committed fornication, and so belonged to another rather then to him: as Matthew 1.19. joseph her husband being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily, to wit, that she might be given to wife to him that had accompanied with her.  
In like manner after that Peter had reproved the jews, because they had denied Christ in the presence of Pilate, preferred a vile cutthroat and murderer before him, & killed the Prince of life, whom God had raised from the dead and glorified in heaven, and set their sins in order before them: he exhorteth them to repentance, saying unto them, Now brethrens, 
Acts 3. 1●.  I wot, that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.  
All sin is committed either of infirmity or of obstinacy; either of settled purpose, or of frailty: either of knowledge, or of ignorance: and howsoever it be committed, it cannot be excused, 
Luk. 12. 47.4●  because the servant that knew his Lords will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes, but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes▪ shall be beaten with few stripes, etc. 
Heb. 6.9.  Now the Apostle judgeth and persuadeth himself the best things of them, that they sinned of ignorance rather than of malice.  
And in the 26 Chapter of the same book, Paul, that he might win Agrippa the king to the kingdom of God, and persuade him to become a Christian, saith unto him, O king Agrippa, believest thou the Prophets? 
Acts 26.27.  I know that thou believest. It was uncertain, whether he would believe or not, and therefore by this rhetorical communication he judgeth the best, that he believed. All these testimonies serve to move us to the practice of this duty, that when things are doubtful and may be diversly taken, we ought to expound them with the most favourable construction, and friendly interpretation, and gentle mitigation.  
This point is farther to be strengthened Reason 1 unto us by the force of reason. First of all, it is a sign of charity not to stretch things to the uttermost: as contrariwise it betokeneth little love and much malice, when we open our mouths to speak all manner of evil of our brethren. Hence it is that the wise man saith, Prou. 10.12. Hatred stirreth up strife, but love covereth all sins.  
And the Apostle teacheth as much of charity, 1 Corinth. 13, 5, 6. It doth not behave itself unseemly, it seeketh not her own, it is not easily provoked, it thinketh no evil, it rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. If then there be any true charity in us, to seek the good, or desire the good of our brethren, we ought to testify it by this, even by judging of their minds and meanings, of their words and actions according to this rule.  
Secondly, it is the rule of common equity, Reason 2 which nature itself teacheth, that as we wish to be dealt withal, and to be done unto, so ought we to do & deal toward others. Now there is none of us all, that would willingly be expounded wrongfully, and censured uncharitably, but crave to have all things taken in the better part. We would not have our words altered, wrested, corrupted, stretched, and strained beyond our meaning, as  upon the tainters above measure: and therefore we ought so to behave ourselves toward others. This doth Christ our Saviour deliver to his disciples, Matth. 7.12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets. We are in this case so to deal with others, as we desire that others should deal with us: so that as the former reason was grounded upon charity●, this is grounded upon equity.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, it is a sign or fruit of heavenly wisdom given unto us of God, which teacheth us how to carry ourselves in our callings one toward another. This doth the Apostle james lay before us in his Epistle, chap. 3.17. The wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. If then, we be ready always to judge the best, to speak the best, and to think the best of things that are doubtful, we shall show ourselves to have the grace of heavenly wisdom, which is a perfect guide to direct us in the parts of our life. On the other side, to carry ourselves strangely and uncharitably toward our brethren, is the note of a man carried away with that wisdom, which is earthly, sensual, and devilish: which is bred beneath in the earth, savoureth of our corrupt nature, and is taught unto us by no other master than the devil.  
Use 1 Let us make use of this point to ourselves. First, it teacheth, that to be whisperers and takers of all in the evil part, is a testimony of an evil conscience, and a token of an evil man. He that is a good man himself, doth hardly think others to be evil: he that hath a sound heart, and is a true Israelite in whom is no guile, doth not easily suspect others to be hypocrites and dissemblers. Such as come into the Lords courts and present themselves before him, in conscience of their duty, in reverence of his Majesty, and for their increase in true piety, are with much ado drawn to believe, that others draw nigh unto God with their mouth, and honour him with their lips, 
〈◊〉. 15.8.  and that their hearts are far from him. Such as labour above all things, to approve themselves before God, the searcher of all hearts, and to do that which they do in godly sincerity, cannot lightly be persuaded that others are so carnal, as to do all to be seen of men, 
〈◊〉 6. ●.  and to please themselves with the foolish praise of mortal men. Contrariwise, such as are profane in heart, lose in life, filthy in talk, and every way carnal in conversation, do judge the same of others, and measure them by the deceitful rule of their own actions. This is noted as a capital evil by the Apostle, Rom. 1.29. where he joineth together maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, such as are without natural affection, unplacable, and unmerciful, and showeth that such are full of all unrighteousness. Whisperers 
What whisperers are.  are they, that by close and secret accusations raise suspicions and surmises, and sow the seeds of strife and contention, whence is reaped too plentiful a crop of malice and mischief. They set friends together by the ears, and oftentimes as with a violent wind overthrow whole houses and cities, and turn them into dust and ashes: assuring ourselves that where envying and strife is, 
jam. 3.16.  there is confusion and every evil work. Whatsoever they hear of others, they are ready to carry to others with a swift foot, and a corrupt tongue, and a malicious heart, to kindle the coals of hatred among men. They live by the fall out of others, and thrive by jars, as the carrion crows do upon the carcase. If they know any occasion of anger to arise, they are at hand to turn it into wrath and malice, and to make the parties thereby to be farther from reconciliation; like to Achitophel when David and Absalon were up in arms, who by his devilish policy devised a means to cut off all hope of reconcilement and of uniting them together again. 
2 Sam. 16.21.  Or they are like to malcontents, that had rather live upon the spoils of others, then take pains themselves, wishing that all things were in a tumult, confusion, and combustion, that they might catch the goods belonging unto others, & holding this principle, that it is good fishing in troubled waters.  
Wherefore it is a notable exhortation of the wise man, Prou. 6.16, 17, 18. 19 These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren. Of this kind there are many several sorts: first, a relation of the bare words against the meaning, as Matth. 26.69. At the last came false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the Temple of God, and to build it in three days. Christ spoke some such words, joh. 2.19. but neither altogether the same, neither to the same end and purpose, because he spoke of the Temple of his body.  
This is a breach of the ninth commandment, the which albeit it be more cunning in the rest, yet it argueth greater malice, when for want of other matter, and better proof, we set their own words upon the rack, and stretch every joint of them out of their place.  
Secondly, to open the secret sins of our neighbour to any man, especially if he commit them of infirmity; contrary to the general rule of Christ, Matthew 18. verse 15. If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  
This is the right and ready way to gain our brother, to make his sin secret and as it were to cover it with a garment, so long as there is any hope by private exhortation and admonition to win him. To blaze abroad and to publish to the knowledge of others their frailty, is not the way to gain them, but to stir them up against us, and to harden their hearts, and to stop their ears when we speak unto them. For except it appear unto those whom we exhort or reprove, that we love them, and that our admonitions proceed from that fountain, we shall never do them any good, neither will they ever regard our words, but they will seem harsh and unpleasant unto them.  
Thirdly, evil suspicions, when nothing can be done of our brother, be it never so honest or religious, but we suspect the worst of it, and speak the worst of it; whereas love is not suspicious, but hopeth all things, endureth all things, beareth all things, believeth all things, 1 Cor. 13.7. Hence it is, that the Apostle teacheth, that the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned, 1 Tim. 1.5. and in the last Chapter of that Epistle, he yoketh envy, strife, railings, and evil surmisings together, the which whosoever follow after, do know nothing concerning godliness.  
Lastly, to accuse our neighbour for that which is true and certain through hatred and malice, and with a purpose to hurt and destroy (if we can) him that we accuse, and against whom we complain: as appeareth, 1 Sam. 22.9. in the example of that dogged and devilish enemy Doeg, who was appointed over the servants of Saul: he said, I saw the son of Ishai when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, who asked counsel of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and the sword of Goliath: of whom David saith in one of his Psalms, Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs, 
Psal. 52.2, 3, 4.  like a sharp razor, working deceitfully: thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather then to speak righteousness: thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. All these particular points teach us, to beware of whispering, and construing of all things in the evil part.  
Use 2 Secondly, it condemneth all rash judgement, when we judge amiss of others, both of an evil mind, and for some evil end. Christ giveth us warning to beware of this wickedness, Matth. 7.1, 2. judge not, that ye be not judged: for with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. And the Apostle james maketh the like exhortation, chap. 3.1.2. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, for in many things we offend all. 
Cicer. act. 2. in Verr.  These rash and rigorous judges never regard nor consider their own offences: they can search and sift into other men's actions, as men winnow wheat, and yet are careless of themselves. The heathen accounted it intolerable, to reprove other men when themselves are as faulty. This is no better than pharisaical hypocrisy. This is done diverse ways. The first is, when a man hath done good things holily, purely, 
The fir●● 〈◊〉 of iudge●●●●  and sincerely, we judge them done hypocritically, dissemblingly, and wickedly.  
This judgement is a wrong judgement, and forbidden in the word of God. This was the practice of the devil toward job, chap. 1.9. and 2.4. He was a just man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Satan charged him to do all hypocritically, only because God had blessed him, and made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he had on every side, so that his substance was increased in the land: and therefore he suggesteth, that if God would put forth his hand now, and touch all that he had, he would curse him to his face. As the devil himself dealeth, so deal the children of the devil with the faithful. He is the old serpent which deceiveth the world, and accuseth our brethren before our God day and night, revel. 12.9.10. so also do his children that bear his image, and are transformed into his likeness. These are unjust and wrongful censurers of the deeds and actions of other men, whereof there are many in the world.  
If the godly give themselves to prayer, a duty that God so often commandeth, and his children have so often practised with great fruit and success, and would not omit or give over, though it should cost them their lives, Dan. 6.11. it is censured to be counterfeit holiness. If they be troubled more than other men, and are chastened every day, their enemies hit it in their teeth, that they are plagued for their sins. If they be afflicted in conscience, that they feel the burden of their sins pressing sore upon them, they are judged to be mad and out of their wits. If they delight to hear the word publicly, and to be conversant in reading and searching of the Scriptures privately, they are accused to be precise: and whatsoever they do, they shall be charged to do it, not sincerely, but corruptly: not in truth, but in outward show: not from the heart, but from the mouth and lips only. This was the offence of Eli toward Hannah, he being a weak man full of infirmities, though otherwise godly and diligent in his office. For when he saw, how only her lips moved, 
1 Sam. 1.13 14.  but her voice was not heard, because she spoke in her heart to God by prayer, he thought she had been drunken, and he said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. See, how ready he was to judge amiss of her action, and to call good evil. This was also the sin of jobs wife, and of his friends, they thought him to be an hollow hypocrite, and a deep dissembler, because they saw him strangely visited by so strange a visitation, job 4.7. Thus did the wicked jews usurp authority over the Gentiles, and censured them at their own pleasures, they said unto them, Esay 65.5. Stand apart, come not near me, for I am holier than thou; and yet they were grievous sinners themselves, as a smoke in God's eyes, and as fire that burneth continually.  
So when the Apostles, were filled with the holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance; others mocked them, and said, They are full of new wine, Acts 2.13. This judgement is justly condemned, being quite contrary to the rule of love, which doth interpret all things in the best part, and is in nothing suspicious: and therefore we ought not to judge wrongfully, corruptly, and maliciously of those godly actions, which we see the children of God to do. And if it shall fall out at any time (as it may fall out many times) that we be laden with the burden of such surmises and sinister suspicions of hypocrisy and a double heart; yet we are not to be daunted and dismayed by them, or to give over our hold in the faith, but know assuredly that this is no new thing, and therefore no strange matter is befallen unto us. The dearest Saints and servants of God have felt this evil, and have had experience of this mischief of the tongue. We must not look for an higher estate, or better condition, than Christ and his Apostles had. When he sought to destroy the kingdom of Satan, and cast out devils by the finger of God, they charged him to do it by the power of Satan, Matth. 12.24. It were intolerable pride and presumption, for the servant to climb higher than his Lord, or the disciple to strive to be above his Master.  
The second kind of judging, 
●●e second ●●d of judgement.  is when men have committed evil things, which of themselves are worthy to be condemned, and we judge them that have so offended to be without all hope of repentance or recovery, and to be cast off for ever, to be out of God's favour, and to be reprobates. This is not only to arrogate a mastership over them, but to step up into the seat and secrets of God. For who hath revealed that unto us? or who hath been of his counsel? The things revealed in the word belong unto us and to our children, but secret things to the Lord, Deut. 29.29. That this judgement is altogether forbidden, may appear both by precepts that restrain it, & by examples that condemn it. Evil men must be instructed with meekness, not condemned with rigour and rashness, proving if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him to do his will, 2 Tim. 2.25 26. Likewise the Apostle setteth down the like commandment, 1 Cor. 4.5. judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. Let us to these precepts add such examples as we find in Scripture, and out of many, select and sort out some few. Manasseh king of Israel is one of the most memorable objects of God's mercy; he was a sorcerer and conjuror, an idolater and murderer, he made his sons pass through the fire, he dealt with a familiar spirit, and used witchcraft, he made judah, and the inhabitants of jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel, 2 Chro. 33.6.9. yet when he humbled himself, and prayed unto God, he was pardoned. Marry Magdalene was a woman defamed and defiled with much sin, out of whom were cast seven devils, yet she was converted and accepted. Paul acknowledgeth himself not worthy to be called an Apostle or disciple of Christ, he had been an oppressor, a blasphemer, and a persecuter of the Church of God; yet he was received to mercy, because he did it ignorantly through unbelief, 1 Tim. 1.13. The jailer mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles dealt very roughly with Paul and Silas, and cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks: but when God once touched his heart, suddenly he called for a light, and came leaping in, and trembled, saying, Sirs, 
Acts 16.30.  what must I do to be saved? I will conclude this point with the example of the thief that was condemned for theft, and crucified with Christ, he had spent all his days in his wicked and ungodly courses, he was no better than his fellow, they had one purse and determined to fill their houses with spoil, and privily laid wait for the innocent without cause, and continued thus until the end of their lives: yet God in mercy looked upon one of them, and called him to the state of grace, as it were at the last gasp, and pulled him as a brand out of the fire, saying unto him, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Luke 23.43. A man would have thought that these, at least some of them, had been desperate persons, forlorn men, without hope of repentance or likelihood of salvation: and yet behold how God that hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, turneth whom he pleaseth into the right way and when it pleaseth him, like the householder in the Gospel, in who called labourers into his vineyard at all hours of the day, Mat. 20. The meditation of these things ought to stay us from corrupt judgement, which argueth that we are destitute of true love toward our brethren, to guide us in all our dealings with them.  
The third kind of judgement 
The third kind of judgement.  is occupied about things indifferent. The first was touching good things: the second touching evil things. The first is when good men are made hypocrites, the second is when evil men are made reprobates. The first is, when good actions are made bad: the second, when bad actions are made worse than they are, as if they separated and secluded from heaven. The third is concerning indifferent things, that in themselves and their own nature are neither good nor evil. In this we offend, when men do things indifferent, which being things Lawful may be done either in faith or without faith, either with a clean heart or an unclean: and we judge such an action to be wicked; which notwithstanding cannot be so censured, but is to be accounted good or evil according to the intention or affection of the doer.  
Our Saviour Christ did converse much with Publicans and sinners, to the end he might do them good by drawing them to God from the kingdom of Satan, and making them inheritors of the kingdom of his Father. A work which in all respects was most righteous and holy, yet they judged him to be a friend and favourer of wicked men, as Luke 7.33, 34. john Baptist came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath the devil: the Son of man is come, and eateth and drinketh, and ye say, Behold, a man which is a glutton, and a wine-bibber, a friend of Publicans and sinners. So when we speak lovingly and kindly, we are censured to be flatterers. Thus was David's kindness ill accepted, and worse rewarded of Hanun king of the Ammonites: for when he sent his servants to comfort him after the death of his father, 
2 Sam. 10.3.4.  his Nobles persuaded him that he sent not his servants to show him any kindness, but to be as spies to search the city, and to seek means to overthrow it.  
This kind of judgement the Apostle forbiddeth, Rom. 14.3.4. Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not, judge him that eateth, for God hath received him: who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth: yea, he shall be holden up for God is able to make him stand. Eating or not eating, is a thing indifferent, & therefore free to do or not to do, so that it be without offence. Wherefore it is a breach of charity (which cannot judge of the secrets of the heart) to make a rent in the Church for so small a matter, as it were of a spark to kindle a great fire. Such as were strong in faith, and did eat all things without difference, knowing that they are sanctified by the word of God and prayer, 
1. Tim. 4.5.  did despise the weak that did not eat, and were persuaded they ought not freely without difference to eat all things: they called them to use their liberty and eat of all that is sold in the shambles, and such as refused, they laughed them to scorn as jews by imitation not Christians by profession. On the otherside, these weak ones, not instructed in the liberty that Christ had purchased, did disdain them as profane persons, as enemies of Moses, and transgressors of the Law of God and made scruple of conscience, to eat that which they accounted unclean. Thus did both sorts sin, and offend against God and their brethren.  
The like we might say, touching difference of days, which we spoke before of diversity of meats; 
Rom. 14.5.  This man esteemeth one day above another day, & another man counteth every day alike: let every man be fully persuaded in his mind. Thus we see, that in things indifferent, 
Conte● always about the● in different  even in the Apostles times, the Church hath been oftentimes shaken, and in a manner rend and torn in pieces, like a ship that is riven and in danger of drowning. For it hath so bitterly contended about ceremonies, that it hath been like almost to lose the substance; as if the servants in a house should wrangle so long whether it be swept clean enough, until every one in a manner forget to do his duty. And if such contention arose while the master builders were yet alive, and the chief pillars of the house of God remained to bear up the building, and to put them to silence that sought to undermine it: alas how may we think it went with the Church, after their departure? It is needless here to remember, what a trouble and Tragedy, Victor, 
Euseb 〈◊〉. 5. cap. 14.  sometimes Bishop of Rome, stirred up in the Church, about the keeping of Easter, and touching unleavened bread: as men should contend and go together by the ears about the shadow of an ass, or the hair of a goat, 
Eras●● 〈◊〉▪ cent. 3. 〈◊〉. 1.  or strive about smoke and matter of no value.  
And yet this controversy occupied the heads and pens, and tongues of the learned, almost in all places where the Gospel was preached, and Christianity professed: yea, they proceeded in bitterness of spirit so far, that some were ready to excommunicate others. But we need not fetch examples so far from home. I would we had not lamentable experience of the truth hereof among ourselves, these stirs and hurly-burlies remaining in remembrance, and as it were freshly bleeding before our eyes, the which every one should carry water to quench, rather than pour oil into the fire to make the flame greater: and bring a garment to cover the nakedness of those that have raised them, rather than lay them more bare.  
The peace of the Church ought to be so dear unto us, that we should buy it though at an unreasonable rate; and albeit it fly from us, we ought to pursue after it, so that it should not be forsaken through us, neither should brethren contemn or condemn one another for trifles. Let the strong yield and condescend to the weak, and this is to their praise and glory. God receiveth both the strong and weak as his children, so that they are partakers of the adoption of sons: and therefore it is a great shame and reproach to despise or despite one another, forasmuch as that dishonour returneth upon God their Master.  
Let us account those as the sons of God, as the members of Christ, and as parts of the Church, which profess the faith, and join with us in the word and Sacraments, and profess the same communion of Saints. 
Rom. 1. ●●.  Let us not condemn another man's servant, as if we had jurisdiction and authority over him: but the strong have no power over the weak, nor these have no power over them; for neither of them are masters over other, both of them being servants of one common Lord and Master, who accepteth and receiveth them for his own servants. Both of them then are another man's servants: both of them are fellow-servants, & subject alike to their Master, before whose judgement seat we must appear, Rom. 14, 10, 12. and every one of us give an account of himself too God. Wherefore, it is an unjust thing for one servant to judge another servant, much more to condemn him. Let every man be persuaded of his work in his own heart, and do nothing with a doubtful conscience, whether it please God or not. Let the word of God be the rule of our faith, whereby his will is fully known, and sufficiently proved. Let us in all things give thanks unto God, whether we be strong or weak, young or old in the faith: and let this be the end of all our actions, and of our whole life, to wit, the glory of God. For as he is the beginning, of whom are all things: so he is the end to which all things tend and are to be referred, inasmuch as he hath made all things for himself, so that we must conclude with the Apostle; Of him, and through him, and for him are all things, to him be glory for ever, Amen, Rom. 11, 36. Let us know, that as we are not to live unto ourselves, so we shall not die unto ourselves. We are not our own, to do what we list, for that were to live to the flesh: if we live, we must live to the Lord, that when we die, we may die to the Lord. Let us consider that it belongeth to Christ to judge of the works & consciences of others, we shall stand to be judged at the tribunal seat of this common judge, & therefore ought not to judge one another. Let us not lay snares to entrap, and stumbling blocks to offend our brethren, and baits to entangle them, and hooks to catch them, that we may pray upon them: For woe to that man by whom the offence cometh; 
●th. 18, 7.  which is as much as to lay a stone in the way, whereat the unwary passengers may stumble. Let us walk by the rule of love, and take heed we hurt not our brethren, for whom Christ died: and as in the members of the body, we favour and tenderly touch that part which is weak, and if need require, bind it up and heal it: so it ought to be in the mystical body of Christ jesus, that is, the Church; we must love, cherish, and strengthen one another, and do service one to another. Such then as grieve, vex, hurt, and damnify one another, are destitute of charity, which is a band to knit us together. Let us not strive about things indifferent, that are neither good nor evil: the kingdom of heaven doth not stand in them, neither doth the doing or not doing of them simply please God, neither doth the salvation of the Church consist in them, according to the saying of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 8, 8, 9 Meat maketh us not acceptable to God, for neither if we eat, have we the more; neither if we eat not, have we the less: but take heed lest by any means this power of yours be an occasion of falling to them that are weak. And in the Epistle to the Romans, he saith, chap. 14, 17. The kingdom of God is not meat, nor drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost: and 1 Tim. 4, 8. Bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable to all things, etc. To conclude, let us do those things that belong to peace, and beware of strife & contention; if any man list to contend about these things, we have no such custom, neither the Churches of God: let us join heart & hand together to edify the Church, as they that build an house do communicate their labours, until they have finished and made an end of their work.  
But some man may say, Objection. Is all manner of judgement unlawful? Or is a man in all cases forbidden to judge? I answer, Answer. No: there are some judgements lawful, and these both are public and private.  
The first is the judgement of the Magistrate, whose office is to try the lives and actions of men, that they may punish offenders, and reward them that do well. It is their duty to sing both mercy and judgement. 
Psal. 101, 1.  They bear not the sword in vain, 
Rom. 13, 3.  but are appointed as well for terror of evil doers, as for the praise of them that do well.  
The second is the judgement of the Minister, who, in the dispensation of the word, and preaching of the Gospel, judgeth the actions of his hearers, reproving and condemning them for their sins. Thus the unbeliever is said to be judged, 1 Cor. 14, 24. If all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. Hence it is, that Noah a Preacher of righteousness, is said to have condemned the old world, Hebr. 11, 7. When the unbelieving jews heard Peter preach unto them touching salvation through Christ whom they had crucified, they were pricked in their hearts, and said to him & to the rest of the Apostles, 
Acts 2, 37, and 14, 26.  Men and brethren, what shall we do? Felix the Governor, hearing Paul prophesy, that is, to reason of righteousness, temperance, and judgement to come, trembled, and was afraid to hear him any longer, being convinced by the word and his own conscience. The word of God is lively and mighty, it pierceth deep, and entereth into the thoughts, discovering the things that are most secret.  
The third is the judgement of a Christian and faithful brother, exhorting and admonishing us for our good. This is commanded in many places of the Scripture. Moses warneth us, that we should not hate our brother in our hearts but plainly reprove him, and not suffer sin to dwell in him, or to rest upon him, or to prevail against him, Leuit. 19, 17. It is our duty to stir up one another to good things. When an house is to be reared & set up, all the neighbours gather together, and set to their hands to help it forward; no man is idle, but every one is busy, some by lifting, some by carrying others by ordering the whole business to finish the frame: so ought it to be among us that have a better building in hand, we are God's building, 1 Cor. 3, 9 and God's house, Heb. 3, 6. If we hold fast that confidence and rejoicing of hope unto the end: and therefore as we have a greater work in hand, so we ought to be more faithful in it, and more busy about it, exhorting one another while it is called to day, lest any of us be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, Heb. 3, 13. and considering one another, to provoke unto love & to good works, not forsaking the fellowship that we have among ourselves, as the manner of some is: and so much the more careful aught we to be hereof, 
Heb. 10, 25.  because we know the day of the Lord and of our account draweth near. And as we sit in judgement upon others by exhorting of them, so we do by threatening and reproving much more, as occasion serveth, and need requireth. Thus did john the Baptist call the Pharisees & Sadduces that came to his baptism, a generation of vipers: 
Math. 3, 7. and 23, 14, 23, 25.  so Christ calleth the Scribes and Pharisees oftentimes hypocrites, desiring to do all things to be seen of men, Math. 6, devouring widows houses under a colour of long prayer, tithing mint & cummin, making clean the utter side of the cup and platter, but within were full of bribery and excess, Mat. 23, 14, 23, 25. Thus he painteth them out in their colours, that others might beware of them, and none be deceived by them. So he called Herod a fox, discovering his subtlety and deep devices, that other men might be admonished to take heed of him. So then to conclude, we must understand, that the things commonly reprehended, are either doubtful, or manifest. The doubtful are not to be reprehended, whether in themselves they be true or false, worthy or not worthy of reproof, because as it was said before, love is not suspicious, but covereth the multitude of sins, and interpreteth all things to the best, and expecteth with patience until the light manifest, and time discover the things that are as yet hidden in darkness. This is to be observed in doubtful things, wherein lieth such a difficulty, that we cannot judge them without deserving to be judged ourselves; and yet the ungodly and profane persons fear not to proceed against the godly in this kind. Those things which are manifestly known, are either good, or evil. A thing which is good, is to he commended of us, and nothing to be detracted from the worthiness and excellency thereof, whether it be in our friends or enemies: nay, we are to praise and laud the Name of God for his graces bestowed upon them, and to take them as a pattern to follow. If it be evil, we are commanded to admonish and exhort, and reprove our brother: and if he be our friend, 
Deut. 13, 6.  which is as our own soul, we ought so much the rather to do it, howbeit always in love, mildness, patience, and compassion. The evil deeds which are manifest, as they must be reprehended, so they may be judged, considering that Solomon saith, Prou. 24, 24, 25. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse; Nations shall abhor him: but to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Of such deeds as are manifestly good or evil, the Prophet Esay speaketh, chap. 5, 20. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.  
Whereby we do learn, how to answer the ignorant objection of foolish men, Object. who when they offend by continual and common swearing, by lying, by blasphemy, by profaning of the Sabbath, by the contempt of the word, by whoredom, by drunkenness, & such like works of darkness, being reproved for the same by the word, & God's judgements threatened against them, are ready to say, You are not to judge of me, no more than I am to judge of you: there be many now adays will take upon them to judge men, I am sure they do not learn that in God's book, which saith, judge not, and ye shall not be judged: They go beyond their commission, they take upon them God's office, for he is our judge. See here the peevishness and partiality of these men, to whom it may said, that out of their own mouths they may be judged. For who are they that trespass against their brethren, & transgress against the Law of God more than they, or who sit in the seat of God proudly, & usurp a mastership and authority to judge even the thoughts of men's hearts beside themselves? Who are they that bolster out evil in themselves, in their companions, and consorts, and cannot abide that any good should be done by others, like those that would neither enter into the kingdom of heaven themselves, neither suffer them that would enter, but forbade them? Lu. 11, 52. Every tree is known by his fruit. If I see a tree bring forth good fruit, am I become a judge, if I say, this is a good tree? And if I see evil fruit, or no fruit, do I step up into the place of God, if I say, this is an evil tree? In like manner, if a man see a common drunkard, or hear a wretched swearer, or mark a continual contemner of the Lords day, and such as make a practice of all sin boldly, and are not ashamed; if he say, assuredly this is a naughty fellow, doth he judge, because he speaketh the truth, and telleth what he is, and warneth others to beware of him What? Shall he account him a good man, when he seethe he is stark nought? but then he should be under the Prophet's curse, and bring a woe upon his head, because he calleth evil good, and bitter sweet; and darkness light; as we heard before. And indeed if we will speak the truth, such need not to be judged of us, inasmuch as they have given judgement of themselves, and have showed evidently what they are.  
Touching the words of Christ alleged and pretended by them, judge not, and ye shall not be judged, Math. 7, 1. they do not forbid all kind of judgement, but condemn that which is corrupt, rash, and unlawful, which one man giveth unjustly, unadvisedly, and undiscreetly of another; as when we can espy quickly, small faults in others, & are blind to discern grosser and greater in ourselves. This practice of rash judgement breaketh out of themselves, as evil savours out of a rotten & corrupt body: for let a man be more careful than themselves to serve God, and to walk in his ways, they will by and by enter into the secrets of his heart (which God only knoweth) & not stick proudly & peremptorily to pronounce that they are hypocrites: whereas let a man show them out of the plain word of God, the profaneness of their hearts manifested by the grievous corruptions of their lives, & the open abominations committed by them in all their ways, they will answer readily, you ought not to judge: so that it falleth full upon them, which the Apostle allegeth against such men, Rom. 2, 1, 2. Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judgest, dost the same things: but we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them that commit such things.  
Use 3 Lastly, be careful of this duty to maintain the good name of our brother, which is more worth than all riches, and of greater value than precious stones. We ought to think of every one as well as may be, and extend our charity as far as possibly we can, albeit they be our utter enemies; forasmuch as love thinketh not evil, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 13, 5 and in the practice of love we are to be followers of the example of God himself, that we may thereby show ourselves to be his children, who maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good, 
●●th. 5, 45.  and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. So ought we to love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us. john in his first Epistle chargeth us to love one another in deed and in truth, 
●●hn 3, 18.  not in word or in tongue, or from the lips only. And Paul chargeth us to esteem of others, better than of ourselves, through lowliness of mind, Phil. 2, 3.  

●●nches of 〈◊〉 use.  This use is as a stock that hath many branches, and disperseth itself divers and sundry ways. First of all, we are willed to rejoice and be glad, when the pleasant savour of our brothers good name (as a precious & sweet ointment to the nostrils) cometh abroad to his praise and commendation. To hear evil of him should no more affect us and delight us, than an evil smell which we abhor and cannot abide, but shun it as far as we can, and testify our dislike of it. We are to be glad for the credit and good estimation of our neighbour. This is a most worthy and principal fruit of the Spirit, set down by the Apostle, Gal. 5. ver. 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And in the Epistle to the Romans, he thanketh God for them all, because their faith was spread abroad throughout the whole world, Rom. 1, 8. In like manner jethro the father in law of Moses came unto him in the wilderness, and rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, when he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and brought them over the red sea, Exod. 18, 9 So it ought to be with us, whensoever any good befalleth others, we ought to account it as our own; as we have our part in the profit of it, so ought we to rejoice for it. It is so in the members of our natural body, and it should likewise be so in the members of the mystical body of Christ jesus.  
Secondly, we are bound to acknowledge the good things we see in our neighbours, and to speak of the same. The Apostle warneth us, that we should speak evil of no man, Tit. 3, 2. For this is unseemly and unlawful for them that profess the faith of Christ, and the fear of God. Which reproveth those that in company of others, at common feasts & meetings make many of their brethren their tabletalk, and defame them with their evil reports. The Apostle speaking of Timothy, noteth that the brethren reported well of him. Acts 16, 2. provided always, that we allow not of the faults & offences that are in them, as 2 Chron. 25, 2, & 27, 2. Contrary to this duty are many abuses which we are to consider; First, to hide the good things that are in them, and to smother and conceal them, as fire is raked up in the ashes, or a treasure buried in the earth, or a pearl cast into the Sea. Secondly, to forge tales to their hurt and discredit, whom the Apostle calleth inventors of evil things, Rom. 1, verse 29. This is to have Satan in our heads. Thus do many invent wickedness in their beds, and put it in practise when they arise. These have not God in their thoughts. Thirdly, to receive and believe them (being invented by others) without ground and warrant: whereas we should not credit flying tales, & uncertain rumours and reports, without just and sufficient cause, though it be bruited and blazed never so commonly, confidently, and constantly. When a fame ariseth upon one man's report and relation, or peradventure more, it may proceed from an evil mind, or some private grudge, or hatred of his person, or dislike of his profession, or other secret cause; and therefore it ought to move us to see farther, & to search deeper into the cause, before we believe the matter, as Exod. 23.1. Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. To this purpose David said to Saul, Wherefore givest thou an ear to men's words, that say, behold, David seeketh evil against thee? Such men have the devil in their hearts that believe, and in their ears that hear with delight such slanderous words.  
Thirdly, to spread abroad lying and flying tales, invented, heard, and believed. Thus one evil draweth forward another, and maketh no end until all be evil: and one mischief followeth in the neck of another, & is fruitful in begetting children like unto itself. This sin is made the more grievous & heinous, when we hear tales and taunts begun and furthered by others, and ourselves add somewhat of our own, as same for the most part increaseth by going, & every foot getteth new strength; as we see, 2 Sam. 13, ver. 32. When Absolom had encouraged his servants to kill Amnon his brother, because he had defiled and deflowered his sister Tamar; tidings by and by came to David, 
Verse 30.  saying, Absolom hath siaine all the King's sons, and there is not one of them left. See herein our great corruption, and take notice of it, and seek to redress and repress it every day more and more. We are ready to detract from our brethren in good things, and contrariwise to add unto them, and to overlade them with evil things. Thus we will seem to know more of them, and to see farther into them, than they do themselves. Wherefore Moses delivereth this as a warning unto us, Leuit. 19, 16. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. The devil is in the tongues of those that tell these tales, and in their feet that walk up and down with them from place to place, from person to person, & from house to house. For this cause Solomon saith, Pro. 26, 20. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.  
The third branch of the use is this, that we are bound to keep secret the offence of our neighbour, and not to blaze it abroad, if by private admonition he may be won. So dealt joseph with Mary, when he perceived that she was with child, Math. 1, 19 He would not make her a public example. But it may be objected, Objection. that by this means we shall make ourselves partakers of other men's sins. I answer, Answer. no man must flatter another in evil, for thereby he hurteth his soul, and hardeneth his heart. Solomon saith, Prou. 27, 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. This is a grievous sin in any, but more grievous in the Minister, and doth the greatest harm. Hereupon the Apostle speaketh of himself and the rest of the Ministers, 1 Thess. 2. We used not at any time flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness. And in another Epistle, writing of such as caused division and offences, contrary to the doctrine of Christ, he saith, They that are such, serve not the Lord, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple, Rom. 16, 18. Of such also the Lord complaineth by his Prophet, jer. 6, 14. They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace. So then, we must know that we make ourselves accessaries to other men's sins, except we admonish them; for albeit we are to conceal their imperfections, yet we are not to abstain from admonitions. If any be fallen through infirmity, 
Gal. ●. 1.  they that are spiritual must restore such a one by the spirit of meekness, considering themselves, lest they also be tempted. If any man do err from the faith, we must labour his conversion, assuring ourselves, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins, jam. 5, 19, 20. It is our duty therefore to cover their frailties, while there is hope of amendment: but if by this means the sin concealed be not reform and repent of, we are bound to proceed farther, even in love and charity to declare it and make it known to those that may correct the persons, and amend the sins. So did joseph deal toward his brethren, Gen. 37, 2. He brought unto his father their evil report. And Christ saith, If he hear not thee, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. Mat. 18, 16.   

15. Then shall the man bring his wife unto the Priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an Ephah of barley meal: he shall power no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon, for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.  
16. And the Priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord.  
17. And the Priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust that is in the floor of the Tabernacle, the Priest shall take it, and put it into the water.  
18. And the Priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the Priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the allegation or propounding of the cause which is put in the former words. Now we must go forward to see the proceeding in it, how it is decided and determined, whereby it cometh to pass, that the same which before was doubtful, unknown, and uncertain, to wit, whether the woman were defiled or not, now becometh plain and manifest. That which from the beginning, was known only unto God, and the persons themselves that sinned or else are suspected to have sinned, is made known to others, both to the Priest, and to the whole Congregation. This is done two ways; first, by setting down such things as go before the trial: secondly, by adding such things as are joined more nearly with it. The things going before are of two sorts, to wit, the works or actions that are used, and then the words that are spoken. The actions used, are in this division; the words of execration that are uttered, are to be considered afterward. These works that are commanded and are here in order rehearsed in the text, do concern either the duties of the husband, or of the Priest to, whom she was brought. First, the husband must bring his suspected wife to the Priest with an offering, to wit, the tenth part of an Ephah of barley meal, that is, an Omer, as appeareth, Exod. 16, 36. but he is charged to power no oil upon it, nor to put any frankincense to it, forasmuch as it is an offering of jealousy, and bringeth iniquity to remembrance, either committed, or supposed and suspected to be committed.  
Before we proceed any farther, we are from hence to answer sundry questions that may be Question 1 asked and demanded in these words. For wherefore is the husband charged both to accompany and bring his wife, and to set her before the Priest, that trial might be made of her: and not rather some other man? I answer, 
answer.  first because he supposeth himself to be injuried, and no man else; and therefore seeing it most concerneth him, it is fittest to be done by him. Or if he be not wronged, he wrongeth his wife by needless suspicions. Besides, he was to be an eye-witness, either of her innocency, or of her guiltiness, that he might esteem of her accordingly, and know where the fault resteth, in himself, or in his wife. Lastly, it behoveth that the people of God be free, not only from crime, but from suspicion of crime, and to abstain not only from evil, but from all appearance of evil, 1 Thess. 5.22. as we shall show more at large afterward.  
Question 2 Again, it may be asked, why he bringeth barley meal rather than other, and why without oil and incense? I answer▪ 
answer.  is was an offering of the lowest and meanest grain, used of the poorest of the people, forasmuch as this was a sign that should put the woman in mind to humble herself, being now brought by her husband, not only into the presence of the Priest, but into the presence of the Lord himself. It must be offered without oil and frankincense, because they have no affinity or concord with this matter, neither was this offering of the nature of others. Oil did signify the graces of God's Spirit, and therefore it is said that Christ was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, Psal. 45, 7. Heb. 1, 9 Psal. 133, 2. Incense was a sign of sweet savour, and delight that we should take in the service of God, and of God's acceptation of his gifts, and our duty performed unto him in his Son Christ. Psal. 141, 2. where the Prophet saith, Let my prayer be directed in thy sight, as incense, and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice: so that neither of them did accord or agree with this oblation, wherein there was no gladness nor joyfulness of heart, forasmuch as the cause or original of it was sadness, pensiveness, and discontentment. And this is the reason rendered by Moses himself, verse 15. For it is an offering of jealousy, not an offering that they could go unto with alacrity and cheerfulness. For wheresoever there is either a party suspecting, or a party suspected, there can be nothing but fear, sorrow, care, and a train of such like tormenting affections.  
Thirdly, here is mention made of the tenth Question 3 part of an Ephah. The question hereupon may be asked, what the Epha was, a measure much used, and oftentimes mentioned in the old Testament, both in the Law and the Prophets? I answer, Answer. the first place that mention is made of it (to my remembrance) is at the gathering of Manna, when the people were in the wilderness, where it is said, that every man was stinted, and had an Omer for his allowance, and Moses addeth in the end. that an Omer is the tenth part of an Ephah. 
Exod. 16.36.  If then we learn what an Omer was, we may quickly, easily, and readily know what the Ephah was, to wit, ten times so much: If we follow the account and estimate that some of the Rabbins make, which seemeth to be the most sound and most certain, we may hold, 
What the Omer is.  that the Omer maketh just three pints of our ale-measure: so that the Ephah by this reckoning containeth near half of our bushel, not full out four gallons. For thus doth Rabbi Shelomo take the computation, 
D. W●l●et. Hex ap●●n Exod. chap. 16.  as we may read in the learned and laborious commentary set out upon that book; 
The Ephah containeth three of the measures called Seah.  
Every Seah held six of the measures called Cabi.  
Every Cabi held so much as 24. Eggs.  So then the Omer being the tenth part of the Ephah, containeth 24. Eggs, which maketh just three pints of ale-measure: and as the Omer is three pints of our ale-measure, 
What the Ephah is.  so the Epha being ten times so much, containeth almost half of our bushel. Neither may this seem strange, or against that which we read in the book of Ruth, that she gleaned, 
Ruth. 2, 17.  & gathered every day an Ephah of barley, and carried it home to her mother; but rather strengtheneth and confirmeth that which hath been said: for as it was not a burden too great for a woman to bear, so it was not a measure too great for a woman to gather; many in our days sometimes using to do as much, who have not that extraordinary favour showed unto them, which she had, albeit she were a stranger. By all this that hath been spoken, we may easily see and perceive, that this tenth part of the Ephah here mentioned, (which was also offered) amounted to three pints of barley flower of our ale-measure. I am not ignorant that many enlarge these measures much more, and in a manner double the account that I have followed, but this seemeth to be the truer computation: neither will we contend with any in a matter of no higher nature; let the Reader follow that which carrieth greatest show of reason. And thus much of the questions arising out of the first point.  
Secondly, having now declared what the husband did, we come to show in the next place, what the Priest did: he must bring her near which is suspected of adultery, and set her before the Lord, 
Verse 18.  that is, before the Altar of  offerings, standing within the Tabernacle, to the end she should consider, that she stood as it were ready to hold up her hand at the bar of God's judgement seat, where and when she should not escape, if so be she were faulty and guilty of that crime. He taketh holy water in an earthen vessel, and dust from the floor of the Tabernacle, and putteth it into the water, so that they were mingled together: Then he uncovereth her head, putteth the offering into her hand, and holdeth the bitter water in his hand, that causeth the curse.  
In this part of the division containing the Question 1 actions of the Priest, sundry questions are to be considered and dissolved. As first, whence the Priest had this water here mentioned? From what place did he take it? I answer, Answer. either it was the water of separation, sprinkled with the ashes of the red heiffer, so called, because it was applied unto them, which for their uncleanness were separated from the Congregation, to the end that being washed and cleansed with it, they might be received again into the host: for which cause it is also named the water of sin, of which we read at large afterward, Numb. 19 or else it must be water taken out of the brazen laver, 
Exo. 30, 19, 21  wherewith the Priests used to wash themselves before they ministered in the Tabernacle. And indeed many understand it of the former. But that was the water used to purge and cleanse, as we noted before, which hath no use in this place, forasmuch as the woman should after a sort be reputed as guilty, and be condemned of the crime, whereof she was suspected & accused, as if it were to be purged by it; which were to condemn the person, before the fact be proved, a thing that cannot be practised without injustice. This then is the difference between those waters, that was to purge, this is to discover. Forasmuch therefore as it could not be that water, it followeth, that it was the water which was set in the Tabernacle, and taken out of the brazen laver appointed for the Priests to wash withal.  
Question 2 Secondly, it would be known, why this water was called holy? Was there any purity or holiness in it? Or was it better than any other? Or had it any secret force in it to make any man holy? I answer, Answer. it was so called, not in regard of the substance of it, or of any natural strength it had in it, but in regard of the use, because it was appointed and set apart to an holy use, 
2 Kin● 〈…〉 john 5, ●  as the water and washing in jordan, cleansed Naaman, and the pool of Siloam healed the diseased. Thus the instruments of the Tabernacle, the Ark, the showbread, the Candlestick, the Lamps, and the rest of the vessels used in the service of God, were all of them consecrated and hallowed, not in regard of the matter whereof they consisted, neither in regard of the form after which they were fashioned, because they had the one from nature, the other from art: but in respect of God's ordinance that had separated them to an holy purpose. So we see in the new Testament, when Christ instituted his last Supper, and thereby commanded his Church to keep a perpetual memory of his death and passion until his coming again, the bread and wine that he set apart to that purpose, are said to be blessed; 
Math. 26, 26. 1 Cor. 10, ●6.  & Paul calleth it, the cup of blessing; not that they have any holiness inherent and included in them, or any power to sanctify all the comers and communicants that do receive them, for then no man should eat of that bread, or drink of that cup unworthily, nor make himself guilty of the body and blood of Christ: whereas the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 11, 29. that whosoever eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh his own damnation, not discerning the Lords body. And the Church of the Corinthians was generally chastened of the Lord for this abuse & contempt, as he showeth in the same place, 
Verse 30.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. It remaineth therefore, that these outward elements are holy, only in regard of God's ordinance and our use, and sanctified to them that come aright prepared unto them. So is it touching the water mentioned in this place, it is called indeed holy water, howbeit not in regard of any holiness that was in it, but partly in regard of the use to which it was applied; partly in regard of the person by which it was used, partly in regard of the vessel into which it was poured, and partly in regard of the Tabernacle, in which it was placed. Touching this holy water, we shall have occasion to speak more in the 18. chap. of this book, and to declare how it was and is abused in the Church of Rome, partly to drive away devils, and partly to wash away sins: and therefore we will defer the farther handling of it until we come to that place.  
Thirdly, the question may be asked, why Question 3 these waters ate called bitter waters? Was it because of the taste of them, that they were like the waters of Marah, so that the people could not drink of them? Exod. 15, 23. or those naughty waters and unwholesome, which Elisha healed? 2 Kings 2, 22. I answer, Answer. they are not so called in regard of any property that was in them, for they were as other waters: but in regard of the effect, because that when once they were drunk, they brought to the woman that was polluted and defiled, a curse, and a cruel death, and an extraordinary judgement, as it followeth hereafter. For if she did undergo all these works, and proceeded in them unto the end, and then was found guilty, it argued great impenitency and hardness of heart, and in a manner open apostasy and impiety, not much inferior to Atheism, as if there were no God at all, or at least no God that was able to find her out in her sin; and therefore her punishment was more strange, and not according to the ordinary visitation of others, so that the unchaste, woman was made a woeful and miserable spectacle of God's heavy wrath.  

〈◊〉. 2 9  As the tree forbidden to Adam in the garden was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not as though it were endued with reason to know good and evil, nor as though by eating of it, it could give to our first parents the use of reason and free-will, neither yet had it this name of the lying promise of getting knowledge, whereby the old serpent deceived the woman, Gen, 3.5. forasmuch as God called it so, before the communication that passed between them: but of the event, which God (by giving this name) signified should follow, if man did not abstain from it: for thereby he should know by woeful experience, what great difference is, between the good of obedience, and the evil of disobedience: and should prove to his great hurt and loss, how great good he had forfeited, and contrariwise how great evil he had purchased, and drawn not only upon himself, but upon his posterity, insomuch that he as it were from an high top or tower of happiness, had plunged himself into a deep pit of all misery and wretchedness.  
Question 4 Fourthly, wherefore is the Priest to take the holy water, and put it into an earthen vessel, and not of any other matter or metal? The answer 
answer.  it, because it did belong and was employed in bringing uncleanness to light, if any were committed: not in any holy thing, and therefore God would have no monument to remain of it, but the remembrance to be forgotten and put out of mind, so that after the trial made, and the use of it ended, it was broken as we read in cases much lesser; as Leuit. 6.28. and 11.33. and 15.12. The vessel wherein the sin offering is sodden, shall be broken: but if it were sodden in a brazen pot, it was only scoured and rinsed in water. If the earthen vessel touched any unclean beast, it was to be broken: and if he touch it that hath any issue, it must be broken.  
Question 5 Fiftly, why was the Priest to take of the dust that is in the floor of the Tabernacle, and then put it into the water, as if they made Lie? 
●●●wer.  here we are to consider two things, the dust that was taken, and the holy place from whence it was taken. As it is dust of the feet, it is base and vile; as it was taken from the Tabernacle, it was holy and pure: both these were needful in this business. For the dust showed the matter to be foul, filthy, and unclean which was in question and controversy: and the place appointed had relation to the sacred action, to wit, an heavenly adjuration, whereby the woman suspected was caused to swear, that so the issue and event of the whole matter might be acknowledged and received as coming from God's determination.  
Sixtly, why did the Priest uncover the woman's Question 6 head, which seemeth to be unseemly, and against the law of nature, 1 Corinth. 11. doing that unto her which she might not do unto herself? seeing the woman ought to have a covering on her head, in sign she is under the power and protection of her husband, and that it is a shame for her to be without this covering? Answer. The cause is not as many suppose, to shame her and bring her to public infamy and open reproach, as if the band of marriage were broken; but because she standeth now upon her purgation, and cometh to be tried whether she be faulty or not: whereas if that were true, she should be condemned before she were convicted and found guilty.  
But the reasons were two especially; first, by this gesture the woman, being to swear and purge herself by oath, was as it were for the time present freed from the subjection of her husband, and the matter was as it were for a time held in suspense, whether she were his wife or not; and she had the reins of authority put into her own hands that she might swear, to the end that being cleared and acquitted, she might cover her head again, and so be restored unto her husband, that ever after he might be the veil of her eyes, and the defence of her person from infamy and injury: or if it fell out otherwise she might undergo the punishment and reward of her offence, and the judgement of God. For while she was suspected, it was very doubtful whether she were her husbands, or not.  
Secondly, by this and other ceremonies so solemnly acted, it might be perceived with what mind, with what boldness, and with what constancy she entered into this action. Hence came the proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
Eras. adag. chil. 3. cent. 4.  to do any thing with bare heads, that is, openly without all shame. Such as attempted any shameful act, were wont to cover their heads, as we see in Thamar, Genesis, chapter 38. verse 14. She covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat down in Pethaenaim, which is by the way to Timnah, etc. when she went about an ungodly and unclean action: those therefore that did not so, were accounted impudent, and past all shame.  
Lastly, wherefore was the woman to hold Question 7 the offering in her own hands, whilst the Priest did hold the water of bitterness? The reason is, because both the woman and the Priest stood before the LORD; Answer. she as the party accused, he as the Minister of GOD to attend the issue. She stood to be judged, he to be the instrument of the judgement. She was to come unto judgement, he to bring her unto judgement. Thus we have run over the principal questions that were to be touched, 
Analys Junii in Numer.  in handling whereof, I have followed the judgement of the learned, who have discussed and resolved these doubts and difficulties before me. Now we are to proceed in order to the doctrine arising from hence.  
[Verse 15.16. Then shall the man bring his wife unto the Priest, etc.] We see in these words, that the man is to bring his suspected wife to the place and means of her trial. If every one that was suspected might be put away, many husbands not loving, but growing weary of their wives, would readily entertain any the least flying report, and thereupon take occasion to be divorced from them. Wherefore, to the end that every one suspected, should not by and by be condemned, the Lord ordaineth, that he should bring his wife to the Priest, and before him undergo such trial as is appointed for her. 
Doctrine. None is to be accounted guilty before trial.  We learn from hence, that it is God's ordinance, that no innocent person should be oppressed in judgement, and none at the private pleasure of any aught to be condemned before their trial. Every person must hold up his hand at the bar before he be pronounced guilty. This appeareth plainly in the Law of Moses, decreeing against idolatrous cities; if the children of Belial have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods which ye have not known, 
Deut. 12.14, 15, and 19.18.  Then shalt thou inquire and make search, and ask diligently: and behold▪ if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you, thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city, with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly and all that is therein, etc. Where we see, that in the matter of idolatry, which God above many other sins abhorreth as that which goeth nearest to his heart, and as it were pierceth into the very marrow of his worship and service, he would not have every suspicion to be taken, or every report to be received, but he will have the matter examined, and the truth tried out and searched to the full, before any process be made out against them. Hence it is, that Solomon complaineth of the contrary course oftentimes observed, Eccles. 7.15. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in h●s wickedness.  
To this purpose speaketh the Apostle james, chap. 5.5.6. against the abuse of their power in rich men: Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton: ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter: ye have condemned and killed the just, and he doth not resist you. Thus we set it is no new thing to see innocency itself trodden under foot, and innocent persons condemned. The Apostle Peter setting down the duties of Magistrates, willeth those to whom he wrote, to submit themselves to every ordinance of man, for the Lords sake, whether it be to the king as supreme, 
1 Pet: ●3, ●  or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. So that it is the ordinance of God, that evil doers should be punished, and that such as do well, should be commended and rewarded: and therefore no innocent person ought to be discountenanced or put to death.  
This truth is strengthened unto us many Reason 1 ways. First, by example, which is beyond all comparison and exception: for no man may compare with him: no man dare except against him: I mean the example of God himself, who goeth before us in the practice hereof, that we should follow him in this duty. Before he brought upon the world confusion of tongues, he is said to go down among them to see their fact, Gen. 11.6. Thus he dealt with Adam before he pronounced him guilty, and denounced judgement upon him, he called unto him, Adam, Where art thou? he examined him, and asked him farther, 
Gen. 3.11.  Whether he had eaten of the fruit of the tree in the mids of the garden, of which he had said, Thou shalt not eat thereof, lest thou die. In like manner he dealt with Cain, chap. 4.9.10. before he pronounced him cursed from the earth, which opened her mouth to receive his brother's blood from his hand, and that he should be a vagabond and runagate, first he examineth him, Where is Abel thy brother? then he endighteth and convinceth him, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me for vengeance. So in the eighteen chapter of the same book, before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha with fire and brimstone from heaven, he said to Abraham, Gen. 18.20, 21. Behold, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me: and if not, I will know. Whereby he would instruct us, that before we enter into judgement with any person, or pronounce sentence upon any people, he first taketh good consideration of the fact which causeth his punishment. So ought it to be with every one of us, we must lay before us this example, if we would be the children of our heavenly Father.  
Secondly, it is the end of all Magistracy, Reason 2 to protect and countenance the Godly, but to root out and destroy the ungodly: to be a praise and protection to the one, but a terror and fear to the other, as Romans chapter 13. verse 3. Magistrates are not to be feared for good works, but for evil: wilt thou then be without fear of the power? Do well: so shalt thou have praise of the same, etc.  
After that jehoshaphat had been reproved by the Prophet, he called the people again to the honouring of the Lord; he set judges in the Land throughout the cities of judah, and said unto them: Take heed what ye do, for ye execute not the judgement of man, but of the Lord: and he will be with you in the judgement: wherefore now, let the fear of the Lord be upon you, take heed and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, neither respect of persons, nor receiving of reward. 2 Chron. 19, 6, 7. He would not have the stronger to oppress the weaker, and the high to overbear the low, and the rich to eat up the poor, like the greater fish that devour the less, but that every one should receive according unto his works, whether good or evil.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, it is an abomination to God, for any to oppress the innocent, and as great a sin as to justify the wicked. We ought none of us to do that which is abominable in the sight of God, the which he greatly abhorreth. A judge may offend two ways, both by oppressing the innocent, and by delivering the guilty person: by pronouncing the transgressor righteous, and the righteous man a transgressor. This is set down, Prou. 17, verse 15. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination unto the Lord. Such a one spareth the wolf, and hurteth the lambs: turneth the edge of the sword upon the godly, and the back of it toward the wicked and ungodly.  
Reason 4 Fourthly, God would have no man put to death without witnesses. For wherefore doth he often establish this in the Law, that the witnesses shall come face to face, & be heard, but that no man should perish being innocent? Wherefore doth he ordain that one only witness shall not be taken as sufficient, but that he would have the cause cleared by more witnesses? This is the decree of God, Deut. 17, verse 6. At the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death, die: but at the mouth of one witness shall he not die. He will not by any means have innocent blood shed.  
Reason 5 Fiftly, innocent blood crieth to heaven for vengeance, and shall not suffer him that sheddeth it to escape. It is one of the crying sins, as we showed before in this chapter, which ascend up and enter into the ears of the Lord of hosts. There is indeed no sin so little, but cometh up in remembrance before him against whom it is committed: his eyes see, and his ears hear all the works of men, 
〈◊〉 4, 13.  which are all naked and open before his eyes, and nothing kept from his knowledge: nevertheless, to note out the horror and heinousness of some sins in comparison of others, the Scripture teacheth, that they cry unto the Lord. Moses, to show the greatness of Cain's sin, committed against his natural brother, bringeth in God speaking unto him, Behold, the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me: and to show the barbarous cruelty and inhumanity of the vexing and exacting Egyptians, whereby they overcharged and overburdened the people of God, he saith to Moses, I have seen, I have seen the oppression of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, because of their Taskmasters. Exod. chap. 2, verse 9 Thus also he speaketh to Samuel at another time of their oppression by the Philistims, I have looked upon my people, and their cry is come unto me, 1 Sam. chap. 9, verse 16. Thus God heareth the cry of the afflicted, job, chap. 34, verse 28. They have caused the voice of the poor to come unto him, and he hath heard the cry of the afflicted. This is the reason urged by the Lord himself, Exod. chap. 23, verse 7. And jeremy protesteth and professeth as much to the face of his enemies and persecutors that sought his destruction, chapter 26, verse 14, 15. As for me, behold I am in your hands, do with me as ye think good and right: but know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this City, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you, to speak all these words in your ears.  
Thus we see, how God showeth himself an enemy against all wrong judgements, and he will not suffer them to escape unpunished, but will enter into judgement with such partial and corrupt judges.  
The uses hereof are to be marked diligently Use 1 of us. First, this serveth to reprove all rashness, headiness, and heedlessness of such as make haste to inflict punishment before an exact knowledge of the fact and fault. Such are no better than cruel wolves, that seek and suck the blood of the innocent lambs. This was the sin of wicked jezabel, that caused Naboth to be stoned to death, 1, Kings 21.  
We read in the Acts of the Apostles, how the chief Chaptaine commanded that Paul should be scourged, that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. Acts 22, verse 24. here is a preposterous course, to punish first, and to inquire of the fault afterward: so that the punishment shall be certain, whiles the offence is uncertain. But this is the lot, and ever hath been of God's children; they are punished here oftentimes as malefactors and evil doers, and their enemies both rage and rush most furiously upon them that do possess their souls with patience, and do not by violence resist against them. They are more hungry than Bears, more merciless than Tigers, more ravenous than Wolves, more greedy than Lions, more fierce than dogs against them; they show no mercy, and they extend no compassion at all toward them.  
They hate them in their hearts, they slander them with their tongues, they smite them with their fists, they grin and grind their teeth at them, they nod at them with their heads, they cirumvent them by fraud, they oppress them with sorrow, they take oftentimes their lives from them. Thus did the persecutors deal with joseph, with jeremy, with David, with Daniel, with Paul, with Silas, with john Baptist, with Stephen, with james, with Peter, and many others. But God will in the end make their innocency known, and the justice of their cause manifest to all men. It is noted by the Evangelist touching Pilate, that albeit he confessed he found no fault at all in Christ, yet he would scourge him & let him go. He was the judge, yet by his own mouth he may be judged himself, that adjudged him worthy to be scourged that was unworthy to receive a stripe, in whom he could find nothing blame worthy. He called together the high Priests, and the Rulers, and people, and said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverted the people; and behold, I have examined him before you, and have found no fault in this man, of those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod, for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done of him; I will therefore chastise him, and let him lose. Luke 23, 14, 15, 16.  
And as it befell the Master, so the lot fell unto the servants, that they might drink of the cup that he drank off, and be baptised with the baptism wherewith he was baptised. For the Apostles were diligent in preaching Christ, and teaching in his Name, so that their enemies were not able to withstand the Spirit of God that spoke in them; and albeit they oftentimes examined them, yet their best arguments, and chiefest reasons, and strongest motives to put them unto silence, were beat, scourge, threatenings, and imprisonments, for otherwise they were not able to deal against them.  
Hence it is, that when Gamaliel exhorted them to take heed to themselves, 
Acts 4, 35.  what they intended to do touching those men, to refrain from them, 
Ver. 38. Ver. 39  and to let them alone; If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot destroy it, lest ye be found even fighters against God. They agreed unto him, and left off their consultation of killing them and putting them to death: and albeit they could not convince them of error, neither were able to lay false doctrine to their charges, 
Ver. 40. & 4●.  yet they suffered rebuke, and were beaten for the Name of Christ.  
Thus do the enemies of God deal in all ages with the godly; they hate them for no other cause, but because they follow goodness, Psal. 38. and will not follow them into all excess of riot, 1 Pet. 4. They can lay nothing to their charge, and yet they think them worthy of punishment. They can accuse them of no crime, and yet they cease not to accuse them. They are not ashamed to cry out upon them, and to speak all manner of evil against them; and yet when they have devised what mischief they can against them, broached what slanders they can, and uttered all their malice, the greatest fault that they can find in them, is this, that they serve God in the sincerity of their hearts, and labour to please him with uprightness of life. When the enemies of Daniel sought occasion against him to bring him out of favour with the King, and into danger of his life, they could find no matter against him in the affairs of the kingdom, albeit they desired nothing more: so that when after all searching and watching of him, they were at their wit's end, in the end they concluded thus, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him, concerning the Law of his God. Dan. 6, verse 5. This was the heinous crime that they laid to his charge, as if he had committed felony or treason, that he prayed to God, and made his petition unto him. verse 13.  
Thus fareth it with all those that are the worshippers of the true God, and make conscience of their ways, the wicked wretches of this world revile them and make hue and cry against them, as if they were some great malefactors, and had committed somewhat worthy of death: and yet when all cometh to the upshot, what hath the righteous done? or what matter is it that they have against them? Surely no more than the Precedents and Princes had against Daniel, the cause they have against them, is concerning the Law of their God: they cannot abide them, because they are too precise in keeping the Sabbath: they will not swear and blaspheme the Name of God: they will not drink and be drunk with them: they will not run riot, and play the good fellows with them: they are never well but when they are reading, or praying, or reasoning and conferring of the ways of God: they are always reproving us, and finding fault with us for one thing or other, I think we shall do nothing for them shortly.  
To be short, they deal with the faithful, as Ahab spoke concerning Michaiah, 1 Kin. 22, verse 8. There is one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. But did he not speak the truth? the King did not, nor could not charge him with uttering lies. He prophesied evil unto thee, O Ahab, because thou wast evil: if thou hadst been good, he would have spoken good unto thee. And this is the cause why the ungodly hate the godly.  
If then we be thus dealt withal at any time, let it not discourage us, but therein let us rejoice, because we are made like unto the Prophets that were before us, we are made like unto the Apostles, nay we are made conformable unto our Saviour Christ himself. We must not look it should go better with us, than it did with them: forasmuch as the world will always be like itself, and unlike to them.  
Secondly, no man is to be condemned upon Use 2 suspicion only, or upon presumption, or bare surmise, or another man's accusation: for if it were enough to be accused, innocency itself cannot escape, and the most innocent shall be soon made away. True it is, the godly must give no just cause to be evil spoken off▪ but abstain from all appearance of evil, and cut off occasions from them that seek occasions: howbeit, whether occasion be given or not, every man may suspect what they list, and how far they list, and of whom they list, and who can say against them? So that it is not enough to condemn a man or to account him guilty, to be suspected. Some have such jealous heads and unsettled brains, that they will make occasions of suspicion, 
●d. in Trinun.  which are no occasions. Suspicion is in another man's heart or head, & therefore we cannot always avoid suspicion, except we had the government of their hearts and heads, the which themselves evermore have not. We must be careful to avoid the fault, though we cannot the fame: we must take heed of the sin, though we can prevent the suspicion. The fault and offence is in ourselves, 
〈◊〉 Ethic. l. 1.  suspicion is in another. Even as honour is in him that honoureth, not in him that is honoured; and as contempt is in him that contemneth, not in him that is contemned, (forasmuch as it lieth not in our power, to be honoured, or to be despised) so it is with suspicion, 
〈◊〉 comment. Tim. 4.  it hath place in the mind of another, and it lieth not in our choice, whether we will be suspected, or not, no more than it doth in him that is despised, who would willingly be honoured. The brethren of joseph were suspected to be spies, and to come to see the weakness of the Land, Gen. 42, 9 True it is, he dissembled with them, & concealed himself from them: but if indeed he had so conceived or rather misconceived and misjudged of them, who could hinder or help it? or how could they prevent or redress it; as it fell out with the messengers of David, that he sent to Hanun the son of Nahash King of Ammon: for his Princes said unto him, 
〈◊〉. 10, 3.  Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Hath he not rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the City, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? This they suspected, & returned evil for good. These messengers behaved themselves uprightly in their Embassage, they gave no more occasion of these surmises to Hanun, than joseph's brethren did unto him: yet who could stop them in so doing? Who was more innocent than joseph, that harkened not to the temptations and allurements of his mistress, nor desired or delighted to be in her company: 
〈◊〉 9, 19, 20.  yet his over-credulous master, hearing the words and accusation of his wife, not only held him in suspicion, but took him as guilty, and put him into prison: and joseph could by no means satisfy his master, nor blot out the wrong opinion he had conceived of him. The like we might show touching Saul toward jonathan his son, and David his servant, that were notwithstanding loyal & faithful unto him. He conceived in mind that all had conspired against him, 
1 Sam. 22, 8, & 29, 4.  yet there was none would show him that his son had made a league with the son of less, there was none sorry for him, or showeth unto him, that his son had stirred up his servant against him to lie in wait to take away his life from him. These two innocent men had made indeed a league together, but not against the King their father; a league of amity, not of conspiracy, neither had they given the least cause of suspicion to be so hardly censured, and sinisterly judged off, yet who could remove out of his mind that jealousy, or persuade him that they intended no hurt or mischief against him? In like manner dealt the proud men with jeremy, 
jerem. 43, 3.  they charged him to have spoken falsely, and that the Lord had not sent him, to charge them not to go down into Egypt: they suspected that Baruch had set him on against them, to deliver them into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put them to death, and carry them captives into Babylon. This was the devise of their own brains, & the imagination of their own hearts, yet what could jeremy do against it, or which way could he stay them from suspecting thus. When as Paul having appealed to Caesar, had escaped shipwreck and was come safe to Melita, the Barbarians, seeing a viper fastened on his hand, 
Acts 28, 4.  said among themselves, This man surely is a murderer, whom, though he have escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. Thus we see, that albeit we do not commit any crime worthy to be accused or censured, yet we cannot hinder those that are credulous, from misdeeming and mistrusting of us. It lieth in us wholly to give no just cause of suspicion, but lieth not in us wholly to prevent suspicion. For evil persons may suspect what they please without ground and foundation, without reason and occasion. The Magistrates censured Paul to be a troubler of the City, Acts 16, 20. the jews traduced him to be a polluter of the Temple, Acts 21, 28. and a Preacher against the Law. Tertullus accused him to be a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the nazarenes, Acts chap. 24, verse 5. Thus he is suspected, and how could he avoid it? Wherefore good men depend not upon the opinion of other men, but stand upon their own innocency: they do not rise or go down, stand or fall, as it shall please other men to conceive of them; for that were to walk upon other men's feet, or to lean upon the staff that resteth in another man's hand that may deceive than, but they build their house upon the foundation of their own virtues, and have, or at least ought to have matter enough within them to commend themselves. It must not seem strange to the godly, when they feel the bitter fruits of these suspicions. It hath evermore fared thus with them. This than ought not to make us waver, or to weaken us in our profession, but rather encourage us to walk through good report and evil report, and to furnish us to pass through fire and water, life and death, knowing that God is able and will in the end bring our cause into the light, and make the innocency of our persons, and the justice of our cause manifest, to the glory of his Name, to the comfort of our hearts, & to the confusion of his and our enemies, as we shall show afterward. Thus he dealt with joseph after he had tried his patience by suffering for well doing: 
Psal. 105, 18. Gen. 3●, 21.  for though he were laid in irons, and his feet hurt with fetters, yet the Lord was with him, and showed him mercy, & gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison, to whom no doubt he showed his uprightness, and cleared himself of that wickedness which was laid to his charge. So also he dealt with David, with jeremy, and the rest of the righteous. This doth David entreat oftentimes, when he was laden with the reproaches of his enemies, when he was bitten with the teeth, and smitten with the tongues of the malignant, Psal. 7, 3, 4, 5, 6 Thus we see, if suspicion were cause sufficient to condemn and censure any, no man could stand in judgement, but equity should be turned into iniquity, truth into falsehood, & innocency itself should receive a check and counterbuff. Let not then the wicked triumph, as if they had gotten the victory, and given the godly a foil, when they can allege against them, how many ways, & of how many persons they are suspected, for that as much may be suspected of them, when as nothing at all can be proved by them. It is not the suspicion, or the accusation, or the condemnation, or the execution that maketh a man guilty of evil, or to deserve death: but the offence that is committed worthy of punishment. If then they be free from crime, they are happy when they are judged unhappy, and may rejoice and be glad when their enemies have cause to weep and wail.  
Use 3 Lastly, let Magistrates and all that are in authority, whether in the commonwealth, or in the family, put this in practice. For seeing every one should be tried before he be censured, and that examination must go before condemnation, let them not receive every complaint and accusation, but let them do justice and judgement, defend the poor and fatherless, relieve the weak and oppressed, & rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Let this be the end of their government to sing mercy and judgement, and diligently to consider the causes that come before them. To this purpose there is required of them two things, wisdom, and patience, without which they shall never proceed aright in taking away evil; but sometimes pluck up good corn instead of weeds, or suffer thistles to grow instead of wholesome herbs. Wisdom is required to find out particular offences, to know the number, the nature, the measure, the proceeding in them, the increase of them, and all circumstances, as we see, Eccl. 7, 20, 21. This will teach us when to correct, and when we may defer correction in hope of amendment, it being the discretion of a man to defer his anger. 
Prou. 20▪ 30.  And albeit the blueness of the wound cleanseth away evil, yet a man ought not to give scope to his anger, neither yet exceed measure.  
Secondly, there is required patience, that we be not too hot and hasty upon those that have offended, but to quiet our minds, and hear their answers, what they can allege for themselves, as job 31, 13, 14. He did not despise the cause of his manservant, nor of his maid-servant▪ when they contended with him; & he grounded himself upon two most notable & worthy considerations, one from the person of God, another from the law of creation. From the person of God, he used mildness toward them, because with him is no respect of persons: What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? If he should not deal mercifully and moderately with them, how should he be able to answer it to God, who is the Lord both of master and servant? forasmuch as we all serve one common master, to whom we must give an account: and as our servants come to answer before us, so we must come to answer before God, Col. 4. It shall one day be said unto us, Come, give an account of thy Stewardship, for we may be no longer Stewards, Luke 16. This consideration, if it were duly marked of us, were sufficient to stir up all masters & Magistrates to just and equal dealing.  
Again, from the common condition of our creation, there is one author of life, in him both master and servant live, and move, and have their being, and both of them must of necessity die and departed out of this life. How mean or how high soever our place of government be, to moderate our affections is a notable virtue in all Governors; albeit by our authority we may command them silence, and stop their mouths, and lad them with stripes, yet we should give them leave to answer for themselves, and to plead their own causes, and to debate the matter freely with us.  
True it is, Paul requireth of servants, that they should be obedient unto their masters, 
Ti●. 1, ●.  and please them well in all things, not answering again: howbeit the Apostle meaneth giving of cross answers, replying again with unseemly and firelike words, such as stand not with the bounds of their calling: but they mutter and murmur with their tongues, so that though they be reasonable in their service, yet they are unreasonable in their cutted and crabbed answers. This is the answering that here is reproved in servants, who oftentimes abuse the lenity and mildness of their superiors. job by his own practice showeth that there was no pride, haughtiness, or cruelty in him, he abused not his superiority and authority over them, he exercised not tyranny upon them, he did not trample upon them and cast them under his feet, as if they had been dogs or bruit beasts: but he mastered his affections, and bridled his anger, & did bear with them with all gentleness and lowliness of mind. And there are many motives to persuade to this meekness and mildness toward such as are under us. 
●nes to ●ade to lenesse ●d infer   
First, we are all of one mould and matter: all are of the earth, we are no better in reg●●d of our original than those that are under us, albeit here we be above them. We are all dust, and to dust we must return. The master is dust as well as the servant. When the poor jews complained against their oppressors, to whom they had mortgaged their houses and lands, and given their sons and daughters into bondage, they use this ●eason, Nehe. 5.5. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children. To this purpose the Prophet warneth, that we hide not ourselves from our own flesh, Esay. 58.7.  
Secondly, we have all one common creator, he that made the master, made also the servant, and he that created the rich, created the poor; 
●. 22.2.  God is the maker of them both, as Solomon teacheth in the book of the proverbs: and this we noted before out of job, who confesseth, that he which made him made them, and that they had one which fashioned them in the womb.  
Thirdly albeit we ha●e superiority and sovereignty over them yet we must consider we have one master in heaven, 
●s. 6.9.  to whom we must give an account: so that as we are masters over them, so we have a master over us: and as we have servants under us, so we are servants under God. Such then as are superiors cease not to be subjects, forasmuch as God is above all, that will judge every one according to their works, even toward those that belong unto us. The masters among the Gentiles never considered, that they were as stewards, and must give an account of their calling and government, and therefore they abused it at their pleasure, having power of life and death over their servants: but the Apostle putteth them in mind that the high possessor of heaven and earth ruleth all, and will bring all unto judgement. Seeing then, God hath knit such a fast knot between mankind, that cannot be loosed, to wit, that we have all one matter one common maker, one common master: surely such as shall cut this knot in sunder, deserveth to have his name razed out of the number of men, because he acknowledgeth not the nature which God hath put into us, but thinketh he hath the bridle put into his own hands to vex and oppress such as are under him.  
True it is, he hath a pre-eminence over others, and it is meet he should rule as a master and Magistrate in his own house: howbeit such as serve him and are of low degree, ought not to be contemned as abjects, or accounted as our footstools.  
Fourthly, as there is one master both of masters and servants, so there is no respect of persons with him. This is the nature of our heavenly master, he will not sit in judgement upon men according to their nobility, power, greatness, or riches, but deal with them according to their works, as 1 Pet. 1 17. If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's works, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. When men of might and power vex and tread upon the poor, weak and simple, that dare not resist or withstand them, they go away with it for the most part, every one is afraid to oppose against them, or to defend the cause of the innocent, because men are blinded, or daunted by the outward glory of their persons, and so they dream, that God is like unto themselves. But the Apostle layeth before their eyes, 
Ephes 6.9.  or rather unto their hearts, that they should put away threatening, and deal mildly and gently toward them, forasmuch as God accepteth of no man's person.  
Fiftly, they shall receive themselves great benefit and profit by their service. This the Gentiles, though God suffered them to wander in ignorance, knew well enough; and the Philosophers used to move all masters to equity and gentle dealing toward their servants. True it is, manservants and maidservants in those days were not as they are in our times: they had them not by covenant for years, they served them not for wages, but they were bondslaves to live and die with their masters, and they possessed them for ever as their oxen or horses, and had power to save them or to kill them at their own pleasure, no man could speak against it, or call them to answer and account for it. Nevertheless, the wise men among them saw by the light of nature, that there was a common equity to be used toward all reasonable creatures, and therefore exhorted them to use their servants well, and to refrain their anger toward them, in consideration of their own gain and profit that should come unto them thereby. They saw not into the force of the former reason, that they must give an account to God, but they moved them in regard of their own good & benefit; as also Paul doth Philemon, 
Philem. 11.12  who should find his servant profitable unto him, and therefore he sent him again, and would have him receive him again. The heathen could say, Whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another; which is according to the rule of Christ, Matth. 7.12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets. If then we respect not equity, let us be moved by our own commodity.  
Sixtly, we are all as brethren in Christ jesus▪ howsoever many be of low degree, and despised in the world, yet Christ himself accounteth all that believe in him to be his brethren. If we have God to be our Father, we must confess his children to be our brethren. If we be ashamed to account thus of others, let us take heed lest Christ be ashamed of us, when he cometh in his glory. The Apostle speaking of him saith, Heb. 2.17. In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining unto God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 
Ver. 12.  And in the same chapter he bringeth in Christ speaking, I will declare thy Name unto my brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee. True it is, there is a difference between man and man in outward things, but in the chiefest things they are equal: the lowest have as good a title to salvation and the kingdom of heaven as the highest: there is neither jew nor Grecian, there is neither male nor female, there is neither bond nor free, but we are all one in Christ jesus.  
seventhly, this mild dealing toward them serveth to give them encouragement in well-doing. For when they shall see such kindness in their masters, that they are content to hear them patiently, to bear with them meekly, and to entreat them gently, so that they use no unmerciful, or unmeasurable, or unreasonable rigour toward them: how is, or at least how ought the heart of the servants to be cheered and comforted in their obedience to them, and in yielding all possible good service to them in the singleness of their hearts? By too much lenity they grow saucy, and oftentimes outrageous. The wise man saith, Pamper up a servant, 
Prou 29.21.  and he will be as thine own son. Give servants the reins of liberty, they wax proud, and know neither their masters, nor themselves, nor their duties: so soon as they are set on horseback, they gallop beyond all measure. There is a moderation to be kept between two extremes, too much and too little, and we may offend by the one as well as by the other. Hence it is, that Paul setting down the duties of fathers toward their children, Col. 3.21. saith, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged, or out of heart. Gentle natures are soon dismayed, they are rebuked by a word, and by a look: we must take heed we be not bitter to them.  
Lastly, look how we would be dealt withal by others, in like manner ought we to deal with others, and behave ourselves toward others. There is none of us all but we desire to have the servants that are under us deal well with us, to serve us willingly, to obey us cheerfully, to honour us readily, and from the heart: we therefore, in our commandments toward them ought to use all humanity and equity, and this the Apostle calleth to do the same things toward them, Ephes. 6.9. Again, as we desire that God should forbear threatenings toward us, and forgive us upon our unfeigned repentance; so ought we to do, we ought to forbear threatening, and to forgive them that have offended us, when we see the fruits of a true conversion and turning unto God in them. And this doth the Apostle require at the hands of Philemon, howsoever in former times the servant had purloined from his master, as we have noted at large upon that Epistle.  
To conclude therefore, seeing God will have the innocent protected, and not oppressed in judgement, it behoveth every one to look to the duties of his calling: as the servant should not rise against the master, so the master ought not to oppress the servant. Let all men learn mildness toward their inferiors, that God may be served above all.   

19 And the Priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, if no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another in stead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse.  
20 But if thou hast gone aside to another in stead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man hath lain with thee beside thine husband:  
21 Then the Priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the Priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse, and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell.  
22 And this water that causeth the curse, shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: and the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.  
Hitherto we have showed such actions as were used to try the faith and fidelity of the suspected woman: now we come to the words that are spoken, declaring the manner how it was performed, from the 19 verse, to the end of the 22. verse. Herein we have laid before us two things: first the oath itself. Secondly the assent of the woman unto the oath. Touching the oath, we have here a prescript form of it, and the words prescribed unto her are ministered to her by the Priest, who uttereth it by his voice, conditionally on both parts; If thou hast not gone astray, and broken the band and covenant of marriage, so that no man hath known thee carnally, be free from this curse: But if thou hast offended this way, and that thou be defiled, the curse come upon thee.  
The assent of the woman followeth, being expressed by a common note used in the conclusion of all prayers, Amen, Amen. Wherein we are to observe two things, both the signification, and the repetition of the word. Touching the signification, it signifieth as much as, so be it, as the Septuagint expound it. There is a double use of this word, first, to express our desire, secondly, to testify our faith in the assurance of receiving those things that we crave: both which are to be practised in prayer, and are expressed by Christ, Mar. 11.24. Whatsoever you desire when ye pray, believe that ye shall have it, and it shall be done unto you. Where he teacheth, that there ought to be in us both a desire of grace, and an assurance of faith. In this place it is taken in the first sense, to wit, for a bare assent, subscribing to the truth of that which is spoken, and wishing that it may be so, as Deut. 27.15. where speaking of the curses pronounced on mount Ebal, he saith, All the people shall say, Amen.  
So doth the woman in this place crave and desire against herself, if she be culpable of the crime whereof she is suspected, and have defiled the marriage bed that ought to be honourable, that the curse here threatened, may turn upon her and enter into her. For as the curse that is causeless shall not come, so that which is duly and truly deserved, shall undoubtedly come, and shall not tarry.  
The repetition of this word is here set down to note the fervency of her zeal, the innocency of her cause, the uprightness of her conscience, and the purity of her heart: that she cometh not hanging down her head to this trial, as a malefactor that is guilty cometh to the bar, but lifting up her head as going to the place of her delivery where she is sure to be acquitted: not fearfully & doubtfully, but boldly and confidently, as one that is assured what will be the issue of the matter.  

●●ct 1.  In this division some questions arise, which are to be handled. First the question may be asked, what need there was of these words of adjuration to cause her to take the oath, that the Priest should minister it unto her, and pronounce the form of it unto her, and she answer him again, and then drink up the water, as it followeth afterward? The causes hereof are these, 
●er.  first to teach that every sign or Sacrament should have the word joined to it, that it be not a bare & naked sign, as it were an empty box without his ointment. Secondly, it respecteth the public edification of the whole people, when they should see that she pronounced sentence upon herself, and that the judgement of God took event according to the truth that before lay hid, all might justly fear and tremble under his mighty hand.  

●ct. 2.  Secondly, the question may be asked, what is meant by these words of adjuration, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people? I answer, 
●er.  the meaning is as much as if the Priest had said, God make thee wretched and miserable, yea so unhappy and infamous that it may turn into a proverb, Let that happen to thee, which hath happened to this woman: so that the curse coming upon her shall be alleged as an example of the like to come upon others: both because she had committed so heinous a fault, and because she added unto it these two crimes, impudence, an especial stain and blot in that sex: and perjury, a capital crime in all persons. For it argued great arrogancy and audaciousness to undergo all these means of trial one after another, and yet evermore to conceal her offence, and not confess it, like to Achan, who having committed a trespass in the accursed thing, did what he could to hide it: 
josh. 7.16.  the tribe of judah was taken, but he was not moved: the families of judah being brought, the family of the Zarhites was taken, and yet he was not touched: the families of the Zarhites being brought man by man, Zabdiwas taken, 
Verse 17.  and yet he hath no feeling of it, until himself was taken, and that he was pointed out, Thou art the man: or like unto judas that betrayed the Son of God, he knew Christ was apprehended, and yet he repent not: mocked, buffeted, spit upon, and yet he repent not; he saw him condemned to the Cross before he thought, 
Matth. 27.3.  What have I done? So in this suspected wife to go forward from the first action to be performed, and from the first word to be pronounced even until the last without any stay or remorse, was a testimony of shamelessness and of hardness of heart.  
Besides, if none of all these could have entered into her, and pierced her heart harder than stone, yet a man would have thought when she came to be charged with an oath of cursing, she would have stuck at it, and not have swallowed this being greater than a Camel: so that to add to adultery the sin of perjury, as it were drunkenness unto thirst, argued a person given over and forsaken of God, and such a one as had filled up the measure of sin: 
Heb. 12.16.  being like unto profane Esau that sold his birthright for one morsel of meat, and swore to his brother, and despised the birthright, Gen. 25.33. As he regarded not to commit sin, so he regarded not an oath, that he might finish it, and give himself wholly over unto it.  
[Verse 19 And the Priest shall charge her by an oath, etc.] In these words we have a solemn manner set down of the woman's either absolution or condemnation. After that the Priest hath put the holy water in an earthen vessel, and taken dust from the pavement to be cast into it, he conceiveth words of cursing, to which she is to answer: he goeth before to rehearse them, she is not left to utter what she please lest she should seek evasion by any mental reservation. Thus than she is constrained to appeal to God, and to use his Name, & to purge herself by an oath: which is done to humble her, & to give her warning to take heed that she double not her fault, and join to one great sin another greater, a breach of the first Table, to a breach of the second, that is, perjury to her adultery, an offence against God to the offence against her husband. 
Doctrine. An oath is to be used only in case of necessity.  We learn hereby, that the Name of God is never to be used, but only in cases of necessity: when all other means fail, than it is lawful to take up an oath, whether it be publicly or privately, whether it be before the Magistrate or before any other. This we see in Abraha●, who said to the king of Sodom Gen. 14.22▪ I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take any thing that is thine: By this gesture he did appeal unto God, as a witness of his swearing, and a revenger of all forswearing, to bind himself from covetousness; that as before he had overcome his enemies, now he might overcome himself and his own affections, 
Cicero orati. pro Marcel.  which was a greater and nobler victory than the former.  
Thus he showeth himself religious toward God, as well as righteous toward men. The like we see in the Law set down by an express commandment, Exod. 22.10, 11. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast to keep, and it die, or be hurt, 
Deut. 21.8.  or driven away, no man seeing it: then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods, and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. This precept directeth when and in what cases to take an oath, to wit, when the matter is doubtful, and cannot otherwise be decided: forasmuch as the owner of the goods is charged to rest therein, and to acknowledge himself well satisfied. This we see farther in the Apostle Paul, 2 Cor. 1.21 I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet to Corinth. He did not break out into this swearing of an ordinary custom, but the glory of God and the salvation of that Church required it; in which cases we are allowed and warranted to use it, and not otherwise.  
Reason 1 The reasons will better confirm this unto us then bare testimonies taken out of the Scriptures, which nevertheless out to be sufficient where no farther proof is used. First, God will not hold him guiltless that abuseth his Name negligently or unnecessarily. He will surely punish them that swear vainly. This penalty or punishment is annexed to the commandment, Exod. 20. The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain. It is an heinous sin, albeit it be thought light before men; and then the judgement also shall be heavy that hangeth over their heads that transgress this Law. The free forgiveness of sins is the fountain of all happiness, both present and to come; 
Psal. 32.1.2.  for the man is blessed whose sins are forgiven, and whose iniquity is covered, blessed is that man to whom God will impute no wickedness: and therefore we must needs be in continual misery, so long as our sins are retained. This is a fearful thunderbolt to affright us from the profaning of his Name: he will honour those that honour him, but such as despise him shall come to destruction.  
Secondly, the end of practising an oath is Reason 2 to decide strifes, and to determine controversies, which disturb peace, and hinder Christian charity. It cannot be but offences will come, and many occasions of quarrels and contentions about matters of this life arise daily between man and man, which could not conveniently be taken up, except we had the lawful use of an oath to confirm some necessary truth; as when it serveth to manifest the glory of God, or to clear the good name of our brother, or to obey the commandment of the Magistrate, or to maintain our own credit. This is set down, Heb. 6.16. Men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. I call that a necessary truth, when a doubtful cause called into question, cannot be decided without an oath, as we see the practice, Rom. 1.9. God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit, in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. It was necessary for the furtherance of the salvation of the Romans, that they should be persuaded of the Apostles affection toward them, but the testimony of men failed to prove this truth, and therefore he was driven to take up an oath, and to appeal unto God. This is also at large delivered by Solomon in that prayer which he made at the dedication of the Temple, 1 King. 8.31. If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house, then hear thou in heaven, and do and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked to bring his way upon his head, and justifying the righteous to give him according to his righteousness. Thus we see the constant and continual use of an oath among God's people in matters of weight and importance, in their most serious and substantial affairs.  
Thirdly, the Name of God is most fearful Reason 3 in praises, glorious in holiness, great in might and doing wonders: and therefore it ought not commonly to run in our mouths without necessary cause. This is urged by the wise man, Eccles. 5.2. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. And the Lord saith, Deut. 28.58. 
judg. ●  If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name, The Lord thy God, he will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, etc. If then the Name of God be great and glorious, it is not commonly to be used of us, to be turned in our tongues, and to be trodden upon with our feet.  
Use 1 Now let us consider what uses may be made of this unto us. It reproveth sundry abuses & corruptions, both in opinion and practice, in judgement and in life. As first of all the Anabaptists, a proud and fantastical crew of cursed and damnable heretics, that trouble heaven and earth, overthrow Church and Commonwealth, destroy Magistracy and Ministry, disannul the word and Sacraments, and make religion to be no better than a doctrine of liberty. These teach that it is unlawful to swear at all, either in private use, or in place of judgement. This is to run into another extremity, and to fail as much in the defect, as other do in the excess. For albeit all swearing be not lawful, yet it followeth not that all swearing is unlawful. But to abolish all manner of swearing, and all use of an oath, because some abuse it, and use it vainly, 
●r in vita ●g.  is like unto him, who to take away drunkenness, abolished the vines, and would not suffer any to grow in his commonwealth: or as if a man would suffer no corn to grow, because some will surfeit with it. There is no good thing, but hath been or may be abused. The doctrine that is according to godliness is many ways abused. When Paul magnified the mercies of God in his son Christ, so that where sin abounded, 
●. 5.20.  grace abounded much more, men of evil spirits arose that abused this to carnal liberty, and turned the grace of God into wantonness, and wrested the Scriptures to their own perdition.  
sect 1 The objections of these heretics are not many, but somewhat they allege for themselves. First, they object the commandment of the Lord in the exposition of the Law, Mat. 5.34. I say unto you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, etc. If it be forbidden to swear at all, than it is made utterly unlawful.  
I answer, 
●wer.  the purpose of Christ is to reprove the false interpretations of the Scribes and Pharisees, who wrested the Law, and restrained it contrary to the meaning of the Lawgiver. They taught the people to beware of perjury, and swearing falsely, and that if so be men swear truly, it was lawful to swear commonly, as if God took no regard of our ordinary communication, and of our common talk, contrary to the doctrine of Christ elsewhere, that of every idle word, much more than of idle oaths, men shall give an account at the day of judgement, Matth. 12.36. His purpose is not to condemn the right use of an oath, 
●6. 13.  which is expressly commanded of God in many places, and practised by the patriarchs, Gen. 14. by the Prophets, 1 king 17.1. by the Apostles, 1 Cor. 15. by the Angels, revel. 10.6. by the judges, judg. 15.12. by the kings, 1. Sam. 24. and by the Lord himself, Psal. 110.4. Heb. 6.17. And therefore simply it is not a sin to swear. If any reply in their name and behalf, that once it was lawful, but now it is not: in the time of the old testament, but not in the new; we must know, that the Prophets, prophesying of these times of grace under the Gospel, declare that the Church or Christ should swear by the Lord, Esay. 1●. 1●. jere. 4.2. and therefore he never wholly for bad it, who came not to destroy the Law and abolish the Prophets, but to fulfil and perform the Law, Matth. 5.17. Moreover the Pharisees, that were the teachers of Israel, taught that it skilled not, though men swore vainly, by heaven, by earth, by the creatures, so long as they suppressed the Name of God. Wherefore Christ the true interpreter of the Law. teacheth the contrary, to wit, that it is a sin against the third commandment, not only to forswear, but to swear vainly, and commonly, by what name, and in what manner soever it be yea albeit the Name of God be not mentioned, considering that he which sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, 
Matth. 23.20 21, 22.  and by all things thereon: he that sweareth by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein: and he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. This error of these Pharisees is maintained, or at the least practised commonly by the common sort, they think they may swear as they list, so that they swear truly: and if they have truth on their side, they take liberty to swear and swear again without controlment.  
Secondly, they allege also the saying of the Apostle james, chap. 5.12. Object. 2 Above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea, be yea; and your nay nay: lest ye fall into condemnation.  
I answer, Answer. we must not always take the words of Scripture generally as they seem to be carried, but limit them according to the circumstances of the Text, and the scope of the words. The Apostle saith, All things are lawful for him, 1 Cor. 6.12. but it must be restrained to things indifferent not forbidden in the Law: for such things as are forbidden, are not lawful. If then we would understand Scripture aright, and not wander from the sound interpretation of it, we must seek and search out the sense according to the intent and meaning of the Spirit of God; otherwise, not only infinite inconveniences, but divers absurdities, impossibilities, heresies, contradictions, and impieties will follow: as when Christ saith, joh. 10.8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, etc. Shall we conclude from hence, that Moses, Esay, jeremy, john Baptist, and all the Prophets were no better than thieves and robbers, because they went before Christ in time? No, he pointeth out such as profess themselves to be the door of the sheep, and received or showed any other than himself. So Paul saith, he took all things to be lawful for him: what then? might he do what he list? might he be an idolater, an adulterer, a blasphemer, and such like? no, but herein he preventeth an objection, and answereth by supposition, that albeit all things were lawful, yet he would not be brought under the power of any thing. So in another place he saith, I am made all things to all men, 1 Cor. 9.22. Doth he hereby make himself a Libertine, or establish Libertinism, or purchase a protection for every man to do what seemeth good in his own eyes? Not so, but in matters that are indifferent which may be done or not done with a good conscience, he changed himself into all fashions, and applied himself to the conditions of all, that by all means he might save some. So in this place, when the Apostle saith, swear not at all, we must not cleave servilely to the letter, nor stick to the bare words, but know that the Scripture standeth in the right meaning: so that the doctrine of the servant is not different from the Lords and Masters that sent him, to wit, to condemn lightness in swearing, whereby the Name of God is defiled, directly, or indirectly; which ought to be accounted of all men most holy, and used with the greatest respect and reverence that can be. But in cases of importance and necessity, we have examples beyond all exception, of God himself▪ of the Prophets and Apostles that have used an oath, as we noted before, which could not have been, if the use of an oath had generally and utterly been unlawful.  

The second reproof.  Secondly, to omit this sect, and to proceed, it reproveth such as take the oaths of persons that are unfit and unmeet to take any oaths. For seeing an oath must be taken up soberly, discreetly and advisedly, and only in cases of necessity, when the truth cannot otherwise be decided, it convinceth such of temerity and want of discretion, that make no difference of whom they take an oath. The end of an oath ought to be to confirm the truth; but the testimony of some is suspected, and of others presumed to be false. Many are not to be admitted as witnesses, as children, furious persons, drunkards, common liars, such whose bodies are withered, and consequently their memories decayed, such as are idiots and lunatikes, common swearers, ruffians, and such as are of evil report, rogues and stragglers that have nothing to lose, nor no where to dwell, infidels, heretics, and unbelievers, all these are as it were boared in the ear, or burned in the hand, or branded in the forehead for unsufficient persons: because either they do not know the virtue and validity of an oath, nor the difference and distinction of matters whereupon they are produced, and which are to be decided: or being accustomed to evil, may easily be drawn to add one sin of perjury to the heaps of their other wickedness: or may easily be brought to lift at an oath for a little lucre and base gain; or make little account to renounce and sell Christ himself for thirty pence, as judas d●d, that is, for a small advantage. Such than must be sought out to testify the truth, as are worthy of credit, as fear not the faces of men, as evermore have God before their eyes. As then such are to be chosen, so these that can do nothing with judgement and discretion, with advise and deliberation, aught to be refused, of which the Prophet saith: 
Esay 4●.  Hear ye this, O house of jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come out of the waters of judah: which swear by the Name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness. Hence it is that the Prophet requireth, that our oaths be performed in truth, in righteousness, and in judgement, jer. 5. which cannot be expected of us, or performed of them.  
Secondly, this doctrine directly meeteth Use 2 with the common, but yet corrupt practice of our times, in which swearing is turned into a custom, so that every one garnisheth his ordinary talk with graceless and needless oaths, if this may be called a garnishing, and not rather a disgrace. That communication is gracious which ministereth grace to the hearers, other talk is rotten, and reckless, when men make no conscience of taking the Name of God in vain. This is a grievous sin in young and old, in men and women, in rich and poor. It is accounted a special ornament to our speech, and we think it carrieth no credit nor countenance, except it be now and then spiced with an oath. It beginneth every where to be esteemed the part of a gentleman, and a note and cognizance to know him and discern him from others. He is judged a puritan and a precise fool that reproveth it, and useth it not. Alas, to what height of sin are we come? the measure is filled up, the judgement is at hand. Herein, O Lord, be merciful unto us: and indeed thou art merciful, a God of pity and patience, or else the land were not able to bear us. The practice of it is of the devil, & yet we are not afraid of it, few men make conscience of it. The children that play in the streets have learned to swear, so soon as they can speak, and are weaned from their mother's breasts. The Rogues and Vagabonds that settle themselves in no family or society, take the sacred Name of God in their mouth, & make it their occupation to beg with it. The chapmen that sell their wares to others, are as ready to sell their souls to the devil to get sometimes one penny. He is not accounted a good shop-man that is likely to thrive, that doth not burnish and varnish his bad wares with the glorious Name of God, he is not reckoned worth a chip that will not swear at every word to deceive those that deal with him: and yet God threateneth that he will cut off as well on this side as on that, 
Zach. 5.3.  every one that sweareth so that the curse shall remain in the mids of his house, and shall consume it, with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof. But some will say, we do not Object 1 swear by the Name of God, we swear not but by our faith, or troth, or by our Lady, or the Mass, or by Saint Mary. Be it so: Answer. yet even these also are breaches of the law of God. Faith and truth are precious jewels that adorn the heart of a Christian, they must be kept there as safely as a treasure. Will a man lay a pearl to gauge for every trifle? or will a man defile his best raiment with the worst mire? It is to be feared, that these have little faith in the heart, that have it so commonly in the mouth. As for the cross, or the mass, or the rood, and such like relics, they are abominable idols, of which the Prophet complaineth, 
●c. 5.7.  They have sworn by them that are no gods. This is called a forsaking of God. 
●os 8.14.  The Prophet saith, They shall fall, and never rise again. And the Prophet Zephany declareth, that the Lord will destroy man & beast, because they did swear by the Lord and by Malcham. 
●ph. 1.5.  We see hereby what religion and fear of God is in the greatest multitude, for not one of an hundredth feareth an oath, or refraineth from swearing. Not a day passeth over their heads, but they break out this way. No occasion is offered unto them to speak, but an oath shall be at one end of their talk. They are so far from striving against it, that they delight in it, and make no more conscience of an oath, then of a word, and use swearing more than eating and drinking. Where the laws of the land do bridle men, there is some abstaining from sin, and few in comparison of the rest offend. It is true indeed that no punishment, will restrain all persons: yet notwithstanding the most are terrified by severity and sharpness, as in cases of treasons, of murders, of thefts, etc. There are few in comparison of others that are guilty of these: and why? because they are looked unto, that offend this way. If men were let alone in these also to themselves, we should have rebellions, and robberies, and shedding of blood as common as oaths. For where conscience of sin is wanting, fear of punishment and terror of death must keep in awe. But where the laws of Princes are most remiss, there a floodgate is set open to all impiety that overfloweth the banks and overwhelmeth all before it without measure; as swearing, and blaspheming, contempt of the word, profaning the Sabbath, whoredom, etc. These are common, this is the broad way, and wide gate that many enter into without controlment. The causes of this general abuse and common sin of swearing are these four. 
●e causes of ●mon ●aring.  First, custom, and common use, whereby many think themselves excused. Tell them of their sin, and advise them to leave it, They will answer, I confess it is nought, and I am to blame for it, it is a custom I have gotten. Thus they defend themselves by custom, & plead prescription: but in the mean season they hold their wicked and unreasonable custom still, and will by no means be brought from it. And yet if we will speak the truth, what is it te pretend custom to countenance sin, but to confess we do and speak all things without the fear of God? For from whence proceedeth this custom of sinning, but from this root? to wit, that we commit sin upon sin, one day after another, 
Muscul. comment. in Mat. cap. 5.  without any reverence of the Majesty of God. Wherefore, it standeth us upon to break this corrupt custom by a contrary custom, & to leave this use by disuse thereof. Although it may seem hard unto us at the first, yet if we labour to discontinue it, we shall find it easy at the last. The second cause is evil examples, when we keep evil company, we hear them, & we learn of them. We cannot frequent the company of swearers, but we shall have oaths rife in our ears. The passage is easy from the care to the tongue. That which we commonly hear, we commonly talk off. If then oaths be rife in our ears, they will quickly be ready in our mouths. And the reason is, because the often practise of any sin, maketh us to have the less sense and sorrow for sin, less hatred and detestation of sin. As it is in them that commit sin, so it is in them that are present at it. Touching these that are the practisers of it, the Prophet saith, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, 
jet. 13.23.  etc. So is it also with these that frequent the society of common swearers, it is hard to be with them, & to come from them, but we shall one way or other be partakers of their sins. This sin of swearing is not made the less by multitude of evil examples set before us, forasmuch as the multitude of them that sin doth rather make the sin more to be abhorred, then excused, and provoketh God's wrath more fiercely. We are not to follow a multitude to do evil. If we sin together, 
Exod. 23.2.  we shall also suffer together: and if we offend with others, we shall be punished with others. The third cause is want of admonition. For many sin this way, that do not know they sin, many have a custom in swearing, that are ignorant they do swear, or at least that they swear so often, or that the sin & offence is so great; who are of that flexible nature, & good disposition, that if they knew the grievousness of the sin, or the greatness of the danger, would abstain from doing evil. It is an offence indeed in those that swear, albeit they do it of ignorance: so is it also in those, that pretending love and friendship to those that use it, do not by admonition seek to reclaim them. The wise man saith, 
Prou. 9.8.  Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee, etc. It is a fault generally among us, that we do not exhort one another. A word spoken in due season is comely and profitable, like apples of gold in pictures of silver, pleasant words are as an honey comb, 
Prou. 25.11. and 16.24.  sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. No words are so sweet to the taste, as those that aim at the soul's good. We may by this means be an occasion of saving a soul: & by want of the performance of this duty, and by keeping silence when we ought not, we may be partakers of their sins, and we may be a means of damning their souls. For what knowest thou, O man, whether thou mayest win thy brother? The last cause, that shall now be touched, furthering the sin of swearing, is want of punishment. It were to be wished that the Magistrate would sharpen the Law against this sin, and other of the first Table that are of like nature, & concerned directly the glory of God. The punishment is little or none at all against it, which maketh it so common. And I would to God, that they who should be most forward to redress it, had not the chief hand in this trespass. We are as men afraid to touch this sore, and they that ought to reprove it, have taught their tongues to use it, I mean the Ministers of the word. How then should they teach others that cannot teach themselves? or how should they exhort others not to swear, that have learned commonly to swear themselves? Let all those therefore that are in authority, whether their place be higher or lower, look to those that are under them. There is no smothering of sin, or dealing gently and tenderly with it, if we will repress and redress it. 
Sin is like to a nettle.  Sin is like unto a nettle, the more lightly you handle it, the more it stingeth: the way is to crush it harder. If we deal mildly with sin, we make it thereby to gather strength. It is the blueness of a wound, saith Solomon, that purgeth evil. Sin is like a serpent in the egg, or like a wolf and lion that is young; if they be suffered, they sting unto death, and make us their prey. 'Slight and sheet punishment of any sin, is after a sort an inviting & encouragement unto it. But some man will farther object, without swearing men Object. 2 will not believe me: they doubt of my word, an oath putteth the matter out of question. I answer, Answer. he that will not believe thee without an oath in thy communication, neither will he with an oath. For he that is a common swearer, may well be presumed or suspected to be a common liar: & whosoever maketh no conscience of the greater, will make no conscience of the lesser sin. The prophet Hoseah, complaining of the corruptions that reigned in his time, joineth these together, & as it were coupleth them in one yoke, 
Hosea 4.2.  by swearing and lying they break out, It is not thy facing & outfacing, thy swearing & staring that can procure thee credit among those that are sober minded: forasmuch as they that will commonly swear, will also forswear. Solomon teacheth that in many words there wanteth not folly: 
Prou. 10.19.  so in many oaths there wanteth not perjury. wouldst thou be believed? and have men rest in thy sayings without doubting or gainsaying? accustom thy tongue to speak the truth: be ashamed to be taken with a lie: gain a good report to thyself by government of thy tongue, and setting a watch before the door of thy mouth, pondering thy words before thou utter them, and examine thy speech Object. 3 before thou speak it. But some will pretend a necessity whereby they are urged, and say, they cannot live without swearing; they object that men will not buy of them, and that they shall never be able to utter their wares without it. Nay, Answer. the wiser sort believe thee the less, and buy of thee the less. It maketh them look the better about them, and watch thy fingers that hast set no watch before thy mouth. They see thou makest no more conscience of an oath, than a dog doth to wag his tail: but thou must remember that goods gotten by forgery, lying, deceit, and swearing, shall not prosper long, nor continue ever. 
Hag. 1.6. Prou. 13.11. and 1.2. 〈◊〉 12.27.  They put their gains in a bottomless bag. Solomon is plentiful in handling this point in divers places. Wealth gotten by vanity, etc. The treasures of wickedness, etc. Albeit evil men may prosper for a time, yet they shall not long enjoy their stolen goods. For goods wrongfully gotten, are stolen: and thou hast no better title unto them, than the thief hath to the true man's purse. Thou professest to show friendship unto him, but art ready to cut his throat. Thou speakest fairly, but thou meanest foully. We must not suffer our tongues and hearts to wander so far asunder, but remember that he which keepeth his mouth, 
Prou 13.3.  keepeth his life, etc. A little gotten with a good conscience shall bring a blessing with it upon us and our children, The just man walketh in his integrity, his children are blessed after him. 
Prou. 20.7.  And howsoever many will account this light gains which is so gotten, yet in the end it shall make an heavy purse, according to the true proverb. As for all wicked and unconscionable gains, they are accursed in us, and our posterities to whom we leave them, and by which we think to enrich them, shall feel the smart of our sins. This is the portion of a wicked man with God, etc. 
job 27.13. ●  To draw to an end, let us set this down as a rule, that no man ought to swear or lie for an advantage: neither shall our swearing and lying in the end turn to our advantage, but to our loss: forasmuch as sin shall bring profit to no man. It cannot profit a man to win the whole world, and then to lose his own soul. 
Matth. 16.26  Such get a penny and forego a pound: they gain hell and lose heaven: they make the devil their friend, and God their enemy. If we would thus reason with ourselves, and cast up our accounts, we should soon see little gotten by these sins, & that when we have attained to the greatest wealth, only godliness is the greatest gains, which shall never be taken from us.  
Lastly, it is our duty to be careful to use an Use 3 oath aright. It is the great goodness of God toward us, that doth so far honour us, and abase himself, to give us leave to take up his Name, and to be present at our controversies, being ready to determine of them. We are unworthy of this pre-eminence, and therefore we ought to rectify our judgement, and swear aright, to the end we take not his Name in vain. And that we may do this, we are to consider these few particulars: 1 what an oath is, 2. who is the author of it, 3. what are the parts of an oath, and whereof it consisteth, 4. what is the form thereof. 5. what is the end: lastly, what be the properties of it. Of these in order as we set them down.  
Touching the first, an oath may thus be described. It is a solemn appealing to God, 
What as 〈◊〉 is.  whereby we testify that we speak the truth. It is a kind of invocation of God's Name, though it be used unto men, or before men: it is a referring of ourselves to God, and therefore Paul calleth God to record. 
●or. 1.23. ●●m. 3.35.  We should consider therefore that we have to do with him, & set him before our eyes for the farther provoking of ourselves to fear and reverence, & the farther removing from us all falsehood & untruth. Again, it is said, that we by our oath do testify that we speak and utter the truth with our tongues, but it must be from the hart root. This is the reason that oaths are in use, that the truth, which otherwise lieth hid, may come to light. This truth must be spoken, not to halves, or to hurt by it: but we must speak the truth plainly and sincerely in the simplicity of our hearts, without all glozing or dissembling through fear, or flattery, or favour, or profit, or pleasing of men: we must speak the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  

●●e author an oath.  The second point to be considered in an oath, is, who is the author of it. It is commanded of God, by whom we are to swear, inasmuch as he alone is to be called upon, & worshipped, to whom we ascribe a knowledge of all things, a searching of our hearts, a presence in all places, and infinite wisdom in ordering all things. For an oath consisteth not of manifest matters, whereof there is good evidence, but of hidden and uncertain things, in which God only can judge, whether men deceive us or not. True it is, if there were that perfection in us every way, that ought to be, there should be no necessary use of any oath with God or man. If there were no wavering in us, God needeth not to swear: if there were no forging in us, man needed not to swear: so that unbelief and untruth were the principal causes that brought it into practice. The cause why God sweareth, is for our profit. He is truth itself, 
●umb. 23.19. Sam. 15.29. Tim. 2.13  and cannot lie, he cannot deceive, or repent, or deny himself; howbeit we are frail & weak creatures; though God promise never so faithfully, and give us his word never so certainly: yet we are full of infidelity and doubting, like to Thomas one of the twelve Apostles: he had the word of God, the promise of Christ, & the testimony of the disciples, yet he would not believe, 
〈◊〉. 20.25,  except he might see in his hands the print of the nails, and put his finger into the print of the nails, and put his hand into his side. It was not enough for him, that he might be no longer faithless, but faithful, to see his wounds with his eyes, but he must touch them, and felt them with his fingers; and then he would believe. Hence it is, that God sweareth unto us for our better assurance, that we should not doubt, but have sure consolation in his promise, and confirmation in his truth. Again, there should be little or no use of an oath between party and party, if there were that honesty & fidelity among men that ought to have been: for if we were accustomed only to speak the truth, and that we hated lying, as we do the father of it, what need we any oath? or what should we do with swearing? All men will seem to hate the devil, the father of lies: but all hate not his works. They love lies more than to speak the truth, and therefore an oath came in, when the truth could not be found out with much difficulty and long examinations.  
The third point is the parts of an oath 
The parts of an oath.  whereof it consisteth. In every oath pass these four things, confirmation, invocation, confession, & obligation. First, there must be the confirmation of a truth that cannot else be known but by our oath, 
Heb. 6.6.16.  An oath for confirmation is among men an end of all strife. An oath is not a customary thing, or a matter wherein we may dally: there must be somewhat that needeth to be confirmed. Where all things are apparent, there is no place for this ordinance. Secondly, there is an invocation of God's Name, who is witness of the truth, and a judge to be avenged of us, if we lie. It is not enough for us to use an asseveration, or to make a solemn protestation: there must be a lifting up of the heart to God, and an appealing to his divine Majesty, as the men of God were always wont to do, as we noted before. Thirdly, there should be confession that God punisheth perjury, either expressed or implied, either openly or secretly. For there is a secret kind of acknowledgement in every oath, of God's purpose & power ready to chastise and correct all such as dishonour God and profane the seat of judgement. Fourthly, an obligation, professing and protesting that we are willing to undergo the punishment at God's hand, if we perform not the condition. It is very fit and expedient, that all such as are to take an oath, diligently consider and remember these particular parts, that they have them not only before their eyes, but engraven in their hearts, to keep them from all falsehood.  
The fourth thing is the form of an oath, 
The form of an oath.  which is described by the Prophet jeremy, 
jere. 4.2.  Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth, in truth, etc. Behold here, the manner that is to be observed in our swearing, it must be performed truly, discreetly, & righteously. Truly, lest we make God a liar: justly, lest we commit impiety: in judgement, lest we be rash and heady with ought not to be in so weighty a matter. Truth ought to be the ground of all our speeches. The Apostle saith, Cast off lying, 
Ephe. 4.25.  and speak every man truth unto his neighbour, for we are members one of another: howbeit then especially, when we take the God of all truth to witness, we should be careful to speak nothing but the simple words of truth without all mixture or error or falsehood. As God is the God of truth, so ought we to be like unto him, if we would have him to be our Father, or assure ourselves to be his children. We cannot swear lawfully except we swear truly, & therefore we must be sure before we swear, that we swear nothing but the truth. For we come not into the presence of God, and before the deputy of God which is the Magistrate, to deliver our own foolish opinions, drowsy dreams, private thoughts, or uncertain matters such as we conceive; but what we know and are thoroughly persuaded off. Truth and knowledge are unseparable companions. Again, he that sweareth lawfully should swear in judgement. When we are called before a judge to testify the truth, or are to witness in any other lawful cause which can by no other means be found out but by an oath, we must deal in such matters soberly, we are to swear with good discretion and advisement, not lightly, not rashly, not hastily, not headily, but with diligent trial and due consideration of every particular which we are to testify. Lastly, our oath must be taken in righteousness, and be agreeable to right and equity and equity & justice, which serve to give to every man his own, and to God also his due. Thus we see wherein the life and as it were the soul of an oath consisteth: which reproveth the common abuses of those that are sworn men. Our oath must not be an hired oath, nor we hired men to swear whatsoever others will have us: for that were as much as to sell our soul's t● Satan for money. If we would have peace and comfort to ourselves, we must not take an oath for fear, or favour, or friendship, or flattery, to do our friends a pleasure, and our enemies a displeasure: but in a godly zeal of the uprightness of the cause, and an earnest desire that God's Name may be glorified in the manifestation of the Truth. Let us also learn to detest the corrupt practice of all double-hearted Papists, who have learned the doctrine of Equivocations, that swear one thing and think another. These men are content to say any thing, because they have their mental reservations that they keep to themselves, like unto Hushai, who pretended friendship unto Absalon, and to join with him against David: Whom the Lord and this people, 
2 Sam. 16.18.  and all the men of Israel shall choose, his will I be, and with him will I dwell, pretending this to Absalon, but intending it to David: he maketh show to speak it of one, but understandeth it of another. This legerdemain he hath bequeathed to his disciples the Jesuits, who are grown much more cunning & crafty than their master. These are they that dissemble with God and man, and have one heart for the Prince, another for the Pope, who is the greatest enemy the Princes have. Against these and others that take the Name of God in vain, we are taught here how to swear, which every one doth not know, & few practice aright these rules. We must not be ignorant, that it ought to be done in truth: such love to God & our neighbour should b● in us, that we are to deal without colouring of matters, without hypocrisy, without forging, so that truth should prevail, and have the upper hand. Secondly, in judgement, for fear of rashness. We must not deal rashly but discreetly: not foolishly, but wisely, and when necessity requireth and urgeth an oath of us. An oath is as a medicine. No man taketh physic for wantonness, being not well advised, but upon necessity, either to prevent, or to preserve, or to restore. So no man useth an oath for delight or pleasure, but sometimes to prevent a mischief, sometimes to preserve from wrong, & sometimes to restore a man to his right. And this is to swear in judgement. Lastly, it must be done in righteousness, to wit, for the good & profit of our neighbour. For when we are called to an oath, that which we promise or undertake must be honest and righteous, that we do not sin in swearing, which were to heap one sin upon another; as we see in Herod the king, who, 
Mar. 6.21.  because he had promised with an oath, sent and beheaded john in prison: and in the enemies of Paul, 
Acts 23.12.  who bond themselves with a vow, that they would eat nothing, until they had killed Paul.  
The fift point in an oath, 
The ends of an oath.  is the end wherefore it was ordained: one end was in respect of God, the other in respect of men. In respect of God, the end is his own glory, who made all things for the magnifying of his Name, and the manifestation of his glory. This we ought to aim at in all things, Whether ye eat or drink, 
1 Cor. 10.  or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Secondly, in respect of ourselves to confirm some truth, and decide some controversy, as when our name, or goods, or life are in question. To come to particulars, the ends of a lawful oath are these four: 
Four ends of a lawful 〈◊〉  first, allegiance and obedience to Princes, as we see in the elders of Gilead, who, entreating Iphtah to be their captain, & to fight their battles against the Ammonites, swore unto him that he should be their head and governor, 
judg. 11.10.  and that they would be subject unto him, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not according to thy words. In like manner jehoiada the Priest, making joash king, whom he had preserved from the massacre executed against the blood royal, and hidden six years in the house of the Lord, took an oath of the captains & guard, that they should obey the king whom he showed unto them. 
2 Kin. 2.11.4  Whereby we may conclude that Christian Princes may bind their subjects by an oath, and that subjects may & aught to swear to do all homage unto their Princes: so that it argueth a treacherous intent & meaning in the Popish sort that refuse to take the oath of allegiance, as if they meant to perform no duty to their lawful Princes. For all such as are the Pope's subjects cannot be true subjects: & if he that challengeth a supremacy be their Prince, the Prince cannot be supreme. Again, an oath may lawfully be taken to confirm a league and establish a covenant between man and man, to assure those we deal with, that we for our parts mean faithfully, & purpose to keep it inviolable. And we have sundry examples hereof in holy Scripture Abraham entered into a league with Abimelech, 
Gen. 21.23.24. & 26.21.29.31.  and confirmed the same by oath. For when Abimelech said, Swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, etc. he answered, I will swear. The like is showed afterward, how Abimelech maketh a covenant with Isaac at Beer-sheba; he said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, etc. and they arose up betimes in the morning, and swore one to another. The like agreement by oath passed between jacob and Laban, Gen. 31.53. So did David and jonathan make a faithful league between them, and confirmed it with a solemn oath, 1 Sam. 18.3. and 20.8. and 23.18. As than we may swear to witness our allegiance to Princes, so also we may, for the confirmation of covenants betwixt others and ourselves. Thirdly, it is lawful to take an oath for the deciding of controversies that arise between party and party, which otherwise cannot be ended. Some things are committed and conveyed away in such secret manner, that they cannot possibly come to light, but only by an oath, so that Magistrates are forced to put men to an oath, to witness the truth in the Name of God. When one is found slain in the field, and it is not known who hath slain him, the Lord commandeth that the elders of that city which are next unto the slain man, shall come into his presence, and to say, Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto their charge, Deut. 21.8. So we showed before out of the Epistle to the Hebrews, that the end of an oath is the confirmation of a truth. Woe therefore unto them that use it, and fear not to take it, for the confirmation of an untruth. Lastly, we may lawfully swear to justify our religion, and to bind ourselves thereby unto his worship. When men grow cold and careless, or stand wavering and halting between two opinions, as if they knew not whether they should worship God, or Baal: we may strengthen ourselves, and confirm our hearts in the purity of religion; as in the days of Asa, they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers, 
〈◊〉. 15. ●, 14. and ●, 32.  with all their heart, and with all their soul: that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman: and they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. These are the chief ends of an oath: and therefore in every Christian Commonwealth it ought to have place: without which many evils would lie hidden and unknown, many men would be hindered in their right, and many good duties would be unperformed. It is a good duty to testify our subjection to our Princes and Magistrates. It is a good duty to give assurance to men of our faithfulness in keeping covenants. It is a good duty to end controversies, and thereby to become peacemakers. It is a good duty to bind ourselves not to start back from our holy religion & profession, but to continue constant unto the end: all which are the benefits that proceed from an oath.  
Lastly, the adjoined properties of an oath, 
●roper. ●f an oath.  are to be considered. For as every oath is not unlawful, so every oath is not lawful: & therefore we are to mark, what are lawful, & what unlawful. Those are lawful that disagree not with God's word: those are unlawful that are contrary to it. The lawful oaths are undertaken of such things as are true, certainly known, possible, godly, necessary, profitable, weighty and worthy so great a confirmation. If these or any one of them be wanting, the oath becometh wicked: if they concur and meet together, so that we be duly prepared thereunto, it ought to be performed. On the other side, if the matters undertaken be false, or uncertain, or unknown, or unpossible, or unprofitable, or unnecessary, or wicked, or frivolous and light, the oath is unlawful, and to perform it, is to add sin to sin, as we noted before. For he that sweareth to perform that which is false, maketh God that is truth witness of an untruth: he that taketh an oath o● uncertain things, sweareth with an evil conscience, and considereth not what he doth, neither regardeth the presence, the power, and punishment of God, when he presumeth to make God a witness of the things which he knoweth not whether they be truth or untruth: he that taketh an oath of any wicked thing, maketh God to favour and approve that which he hath forbidden in his Law, and is flatly contrary to himself: whosoever taketh an oath of unpossible things, mocketh God and man to their faces, forasmuch as he cannot have a purpose and resolution to perform that which he speaketh and sweareth. He that taketh an oath lightly, declareth that he hath no reverence or fear of God before his eyes. And this is a most certain rule, that whosoever commonly sweareth, commonly forsweareth, or at least will make no bones of it, if he see any advantage to come by it: because he that maketh no conscience of the one, will not make any of the other. Thus we have handled the doctrine of oaths: let us now make conscience of them, & take heed we take not the Name of God in vain. He is jealous of his honour and glory, let us not abuse his patience. Though he be slow to anger, yet he is great in power: and albeit he bear long, & forbear much, 
Nahum. 1.3.  yet he will not clear the wicked. Although Princes do not make statutes against it, yet the statute law of God hath decreed against it, and condemned it, & set a great penalty upon the breach of it. We have sundry laws that none abuse our names: but we have none for the preservation of God's Name, and therefore God will look to it, and take order for it. No commandment hath had more visible judgements executed upon the breakers of it then this. The plague of God shall not departed from his house that is a swearer, one judgement or other shall overtake him: and if he do escape, the greater torment is reserved for him in the life to come The Prophet Zachary 
Zach. 5.4.  telleth us, that God will consume the timber and stones of his house.  
The son of the Israelitish woman that blasphemed the Name of the Lord and cursed, is brought forth without the camp, and stoned to death, Leuit. 24.14, 15. and thereupon a Law established, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin, It is lamentable to consider the wretchedness of profane men, notwithstanding the grievousness of this sin. Many are of such a ruffianlike spirit, that they fear not to tear in pieces the Lord of life, and to crucify again the Son of God, as much as in them lieth. We ourselves are jealous of our own names, and the names of our parents and posterity: no marvel then if God be exceeding jealous over himself. If we will not glorify him, he will glorify himself, and his Name in our destruction. He may wink at us for a time, as also at our manifold and monstrous oaths, but he hath not forgotten them; he keepeth a book of accounts as a register against us, and when the great day of the Lord shall come, he will bring forth the records, and set our sins in order before us. Let us not think to escape, 
Eccles. 8.11.  because sentence is not speedily executed: the more he delayeth, the more he hoardeth up punishment for us. The longer the arrow is in drawing, the deeper it will pierce when it is shot out against us. He suffereth them to live in security for a time, but they shall taste of severity in the end, job 24.23. and 21.30. The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction, & they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.   

23 And the Priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water.  
24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.  
25 Then the Priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the Altar.  
26 And the Priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the Altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.  
Hitherto we have seen the things that go before the trial: now we come to such as are more nearly joined with it, which are these. He must write the curses in a book, and then blot them out with the waters of bitterness before remembered. But before the woman drink of the waters, he must take the offering out of her hand, and wave it before the Lord, and then offer it unto the Lord. Lastly, he is to burn a part of it upon the altar, and afterward cause the woman to drink the water.  
Object. here the question may be asked, wherefore the curse must be written, and afterward blotted out? If it must be blotted out, what need it to be written? If it must be written, why should it be blotted out? I answer, Answer. it was written to note out the stableness of God's judgements, and the certainty of his truth. And therefore also it was uttered in words, expressed in actions, and established by writing. In word, of the adjuration: in work, of the drinking up of the water: in writing, of the whole fact, as it was done before the Lord. Nevertheless, this writing was so extant, that it continued not long, but was so clean defaced that none could read it; because God would not have the remembrance of such filthy causes and iealice, and suspicions to remain to posterity, lest any be inflamed with the like passion, and so bring into imitation such like practices.  
[Verse 23.24, etc. And the Priest shall write these curses, etc. We see in this place the former ceremonies, and circumstances farther urged and pressed near to the conscience of her that was suspected and stood before the Lord to be tried. She is caused and commanded to drink of these waters prepared for this purpose. These waters that cause the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.  
This is the means that God will use to manifest things that yet are hidden in secret, and such as should bring an heavy judgement upon her that was guilty. We learn from hence, 
Doctrine. Adultery, ● albeit sec● co●●●● punished of God.  that whoredom is always punished of God, and never escapeth unpunished. Howsoever adultery be not regarded among men, and thought either no sin, or a little and venial sin, yet God findeth it out, and ceaseth not to plague and punish it both temporally and eternally, both in this life, and in the life to come.  
This we see set forth before us at large throughout the whole book of God. 
Gen. 6. 1●.  What was the cause that brought the flood upon the old world, and swept away the inhabitants thereof? was it not for their uncleanness, and the lusts of their eyes, and the looseness of their life? The like we might say of Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, who giving themselves once to fornication, 
Jude 7.  and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. When Balaam was not suffered to curse the people of God, he gave the Moabites and Midianites this damnable counsel, to allure them to commit fornication; by which means many perished, as we shall show afterward in the 25 chapter of this book: whereunto also the Apostle alludeth, 1 Cor. 10.8. when he saith, Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. It must needs be a grievous sin that brought down so grievous a judgement. A like fearful example we have in the book of judges, when the Levites wife was abused unto death, there followed the destruction of the beniamites, 
〈◊〉. 20 35. 〈◊〉 21.3.  so that there fell of them five and twenty thousand, & almost one whole tribe of Israel was wanting. This is it which the Lord threatened to his people, Leuit. 18.24.25 20. Ye shall not defile yourselves in any of these things: (among which this was one, to defile themselves with their neighbour's wife by carnal copulation) for in all these, the nations are defiled, which I will cast out before you, and the land is defiled, therefore I will visit the wickedness thereof upon it, and the land shall vomit out her inhabitants. The Prophets are full in all places of the like threatenings. There is a notable testimony to this purpose, jer. 5.7, 8, 9 where the Lord complaineth of this iniquity, and of the abuse of his manifold benefits, Though I fed them to the full, yet they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by companies in the harlot's houses: they rose up in the morning like fed horses, every man neyed after their neighbour's wife: shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? We read in the book of Genesis, that when Pharaoh at the commendation of his Courtiers had taken Abraham's wife into his house, the Lord plagued him and his house with great plagues, 
〈◊〉. 12 17.  and they ceased not until he had restored her again, and given his servants commandment to do him no hurt.  
The like we might also speak of Abimelech the king of Gerar, when he also sent and took her, though he had not yet come near her, but only purposed evil, yet the Lord came to him in a dream by night, 
●. 20.3.  and said unto him, Behold, thou art but dead, because of the woman which thou hast taken, for she is a man's wife. So then there is ordained for all adulterers and fornicators both temporal and eternal punishments. These sins shall bring a man to beggary, even to a morsel of bread, Prou. 6.26 they shall root out his house, destroy his posterity, consume his flesh, waste kingdoms, yea shut out of God's kingdom, and bring to the condemnation of the devil; forasmuch as no unclean thing shall enter into the heavens, but all murderers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and whoremongers shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.  
Reason 1 The reasons hereof are these. First, the wrath of God is kindled against such. In his favour is happiness, but if his wrath be kindled but a little, blessed are all that trust in him. For this cause the Apostle saith, Ephe. 5.6. Let no man deceive you with vain words, for, because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. In the words going before he had showed, that no whoremonger, or unclean person hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God; the reason is, because such lie under the heavy wrath of God. He is angry with them, and therefore woe unto them. If the child see the father angry with him, how is he grieved? what saith the Lord unto Moses, concerning the sin of Myriam his sister? 
Numb. 12.14.  If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? And the Apostle to the Hebrews, chap. 12 9 We have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us, and we gave them reverence, shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? What subject can bear the displeasure of a Prince? The fear of a king, saith Solomon, is like the roaring of a Lion, Prou. 19.12. and 20.2. and 16.14. who so provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul. If the lion hath roared, who would not fear? as testifieth the Prophet. Seeing then the wrath of a king is as messengers of death, what shall we think the wrath of the King of kings to be? who is even a consuming fire, Hebr. 12.29. and devoureth all as straw and stubble before him.  
Secondly, it appeareth to be a grievous sin, because it is worse than theft, as Solomon Reason 2 maketh the comparison, Prou. 6.30.32. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul, when he is hungry, etc. but whoso committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh understanding: he that doth it destroyeth his own soul. It is an odious name to be called a thief: but it is more odious to be called an whoremaster. A thief when he hath stolen is carried to the gallows: but the adulterer deserveth it much more. What an horrible offence is it to destroy a man's own soul? we pity him that layeth violent hands upon his own body, and killeth himself. Who doth not account Saul, and Achitophel, and judas most infamous, who perished with their own hands? but the adulterer doth a thousand times worse, he destroyeth his own soul, which is a greater price than the body.  
Thirdly, adultery and uncleanness defile Reason 3 the land: not only the persons and the houses, but whole cities and countries, until all become abominable, and the land become full of sin: and therefore no marvel though it be punished of God. To this purpose the Lord speaketh in the Law of Moses, Leuit. 19.29. Do not prostitute thy daughter to cause her to be a whore, lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness. This sin is of an infectious nature above other: suffer it but a little▪ and it will quickly increase, like fire that is kindled in dry wood, which suddenly taketh hold, and easily passeth from one to another until the whole be inflamed.  
Fourthly, we must know what our calling Reason 4 is. The Gentiles that knew not God, and were ignorant of his law, defiled themselves with these abominations, and were cast out before his face: for the land did spew them out as loathsome. But we have learned better things, and God hath vouchsafed us greater mercy; he hath called us to be an holy people to himself, and redeemed us that we should serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. This the Apostle noteth, 1 Thess. 4.3, 4, 5, 7. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God, etc. for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. To this we shall add sundry other reasons afterward, when we make use of this doctrine.  
Use 1 This serveth to teach us sundry instructions both touching our knowledge, and concerning our obedience. First, let no man flatter himself in this sin. It is accounted of the greatest sort, a small and slight matter, a venial sin, a trick of youth. Such scoffers as these, it seemeth, were in the Apostles times, but now they are more common, as the sin is more commonly practised, and aboundeth every where. This doth the Apostle declare, 1 Cor. 6.9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate shall inherit the kingdom of God. It is a fire that shall devour to destruction, and bring strange punishments upon the workers of such iniquities, 
The first reproof.  job 31.3.12. This serveth to reprove divers sorts of men: first, such as think fornication to be a thing indifferent, and no great matter to be stood upon. But is it a thing indifferent unto us, whether we ever come into God's kingdom or not? or is it a trick of youth to lose heaven, and to be banished from the comfortable presence of God? We showed before that whoredom is worse than theft, and to rob any of their chastity, is a thousand times more heinous then to take from them their money. It bringeth with it the heinous sin of idolatry. 
Rom. 1.28.  It spoileth a man's neighbour of an unrecoverable benefit that can never be repaired or restored, being once lost. It dishonoureth & embaseth the children that are so begotten, depriving them of the common right of inheritance that belongeth unto others, Deu. 23.2. It bringeth dullness and deadness of heart upon men and women, making them senseless in sin, and to rush without conscience into many, or rather into any other, as the Prophet Hosea teacheth, chap. 4.11. Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. He joineth together two sins that are near neighbours and very familiar one to another, to wit, uncleanness and drunkenness, which above all other brutish pleasures besot us, and bereave us of understanding, and reason, will and affections, so that we delight and take pleasure in nothing but in sensuality. The better the Lord doth feed us, and the more liberally he multiplieth his blessings upon us, the more we abuse them to wantonness, and spend them in voluptuousness. Such is our unthankfulness to God, that the more he enlargeth our prosperity, the more we kick against him, and lift up our heels to spurn at him that giveth us our meat in due season, and satisfieth our souls with marrow and fatness. Such is the great corruption of our natures, and the contagion of sin that dwelleth in us, that it infecteth Gods good creatures, and turneth his benefits into curses. The more our gracious God doth remember us, the more ought we to remember him again: and the more he serveth us, the better ought we to serve him, the more zealous we should be of his glory, the more dutiful and diligent to please him in all things. We are like to the Sodomites; they inhabited a place very fruitful, 
Gen. 13▪ 1● 13.  it was like the garden of God, wherein Adam dwelled: howbeit they turned Paradise into hell, and abused all his good gifts, to pride, gluttony, drunkenness, 
Eze. 16. ●9.  wantonness, filthiness, and to all manner of unlawful and unnatural lusts. The more the Lord in mercy bestoweth upon us, the greater obedience we ought to yield unto him: and where he giveth greatest wages, he worthily and justly requireth the greatest work. Woe then unto such as give themselves over to the beastly pleasures of the flesh, that make wise men fools, and turn men into beasts, insomuch as men endued with common sense and natural reason may wonder at them. Their carnal lusts so blind their eyes that they run headlong into all mischiefs. They regard not their good names, neither care what other men think of them. They spend their strength and life upon harlots, they waste their bodies and consume them with foul and filthy diseases. They esteem them of greater excellency than any other; they cast off all care of their wives, of their children, and of their families, as if they were strangers or enemies unto them. They cut short their own days, and waste their substance, & sometimes bring themselves to extreme beggary; and that which is more fearful than all these joined together and bound in a bundle, they dam and destroy their own souls.  
Hence it is that the holy Scripture best able to define wisdom and folly, and to set down who are the greatest fools, doth by way of eminency and excellency, brand the sin of uncleanness with the title of folly, and calleth all adulterer's fools. When jacob's sons understood that Sichem had deflowered their sister, they were grieved and exceedingly offended at it, because he had wrought folly in Israel, Gen. 34.7. Tamar dissuading her brother from forcing and ravishing of her, useth this reason, No such thing ought to be done in Israel, do not thou this folly, 2 Sam. 13.12. Solomon is preferrred before all the Princes that were before him, or should come after him for his singular wisdom, and he gave himself above others to know wisdom and folly: 
Eccle ●●.  and therefore let us hear what he saith of it. In the sixth chapter of the proverbs, 
Prou. 6, ● & 7. ●●.  he teacheth, that whosoever committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh understanding. And in the chapter following, describing the lewdness of wanton persons, he saith, At the window of my house I looked through the casement, and beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, etc. yea, such is his resoluteness to go forward, and madness that infatuateth him, that he compareth him to an ox led to the slaughter, and as a fool to the correction of the stocks: and such is their rage and violence in their distempered and disordered lusts, that jeremy compareth them to fed horses, because they neighed after their neighbour's wives. Many there are that follow these follies, that think scorn to be ranged and marshaled among thieves, horses, 
●3. 18.  dogs, and to have their impieties expressed with such comparisons: but we need crave no pardon of them, if we call them as the Scripture calleth them, which knoweth who they are, and what they deserve, and by what names they are to be named. Let us now rip up these things afresh, and examine the difference between the judgement of the most pure and holy God, and the judgement of the impure & unclean men. They account whoredom and adultery to be kindly sins, tricks and toys of youth: but the glass that God setteth before our eyes maketh them look as ugly creatures and most deformed monsters, such as none should be enamoured off. These fleshly lusts fight against our souls, 
●. 11.  and make continual war upon us, seeking to destroy us utterly. Is it a trick of youth to waste our bodies, and to bring upon our names a perpetual blot? Is it a thing indifferent unto us, whether we save our souls or destroy them? Is it indifferent unto us, whether we be reputed wise, or fools: men, or beasts: such as are made after the image of God, or pampered horses, unclean swine, and filthy dogs? Is it a venial sin to defile the land, and replenish it from one corner to another, with all wickedness? Let such take heed, lest in the end they find no pardon at the hands of God for these venial sins: and beware betimes lest these light offences be so heavy a burden upon their hearts, that they weigh them down to hell. Then they shall find to their cost and sorrow, that it was the greatest folly in the world to run headlong into these evils, and to defer their repentance till it be too late.  

●nd ●.  Secondly, it reproveth such as live cunningly and secretly in these sins of uncleanness, and think if they can hide them from the eyes of men, and from the sight of the world, all is well, no hurt or harm shall befall unto them, and come upon them. If they profess Christian religion, and resort to the Church, and hear the word of God, and present themselves to the Lords Table, they suppose they live in no danger, they account themselves as good Christians as the best. This is a course taken to deceive ourselves, and such do no better then make a covenant with death, and a league with hell, Esay 28. He hath delivered many threatenings in his word against this sin, which must needs be accomplished: because he is not as man that he should lie. It is in vain therefore to flatter ourselves with the foolishness of security, or hope of secrecy, or the ignorance of men, or the darkness of the night, or the solitariness of the place, or the cunning of hypocrisy, or any other means of concealment, forasmuch as we have to do with God, before whose eyes all things are naked and open. This committing of sin in secret, and presuming to carry it away close, because no man seethe us, is on the one side to turn God into an idol, making him to sit idle in heaven, and on the other side to transform ourselves into Atheists, as if God could be blinded and deceived of us. This made the Prophet to say, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? 
Psal. 139.7, 8, 11, 12, 13.  or whither shall I fly from thy presence? if I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there, etc. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me: yea, the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee: for thou hast possessed my reins, thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.  
So then, where the knowledge of man faileth, and the hand of man ceaseth to execute punishment against this sin, God's eye taketh notice of it, and his justice will cause him to proceed against it, so that there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; 
Luke 12.  neither hid, that shall not be known. Many indeed are cunning hypocrites, and can deceive the faces of men: but they cannot so colour their sins as to cousin God thereby, who will pluck off their vizards, and wash away their paintings, and open their disguise, that the hollowness of their hearts shall be made manifest to all men.  
The last reproof is of the Church of Rome, 
The third reproof.  that erect a stews in all places where Popery is professed, and so warrant the toleration of fornication. The Law of God is manifest, Deut. 23.17. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be an whorekeeper of the sons of Israel. God condemneth the thought, and therefore cannot allow the fact of simple fornication, for that were to make the spirit of God contrary to itself. All enticements and provocations unto sin are reproved, of which this is a principal. How then can he that boasteth of his Holiness warrant by the word of God the erection and continuance of his stews, albeit he gain thereby a yearly rent into his coffers? Or how could that monster and devil incarnate, Sixtus the fourth, set up a stews of both kinds, that is, of men and women, whereby he obtained some years 20000, and some years forty thousand ducats as a yearly pension, which those filthy persons paid for the free liberty of that sin? This was most base and beastly gain, though the man of sin think it sweet gain that is gotten by worse than the excrements of Rome. A man would think it most strange that they should open their mouths in defence of open sin and impiety: and yet many among them are not ashamed to become proctors for the stews. It is well known how commonly the Priests themselves resort unto such infamous places, & therefore no marvel if some of them shame not to open their mouths in defence of their own practice, among which are two of no small note among them, to wit, Harding 
Hard. Consut. pag. 162.  and Parsons. Harding in his pretended confutation of the apology of the Church of England, calleth the stews a necessary evil for the avoiding of a greater mischief: and though (being charged) he dare not deny there be twenty thousand of that generation in Rome that prostitute their bodies for gain, yet he excuseth them all, and telleth us that we are too young to control the city of Rome in her doings.  
The like we might say of Parsons, for he in his confutation of john Nichols recantation, hath thought it a matter well beseeming his labours to handle this point at large (who is often said to have been under the Chirurgeons hand for this sin) and so to justify the doings of himself and of his fellows. I will set down their reasons, that we may see, know them, and examine them, and disprove them. Nothing is so impious & wretched that some men will not go about to justify. It is well known that a Divine, a great Divine among them wrote a treatise in defence of Sodomy, as these do in defence of whoredom. And this is the deep judgement of God upon those that not only restrain but utterly forbidden marriage to their Clergy, 
1 Tim. 4.  (which the Apostle calleth the doctrine of devils) to give them over both to defend and practise all kind of uncleanness. But let us see their reasons, whereby they would prove this evil to be necessary. Object 1 First, they allege the heat of the country, and therefore not fit that Harlots should be banished from among them. I answer, Answer. this is no sufficient warrant to set up stews, no more than it is to marry many wives. It becometh not a Christian man, much less a professor of Divinity to hold, that where there is greatest heat, there may be greatest whoredom.  
This is the rule of God's word, that wheresoever the greatest allurements and provocations are to any sin, there ought to be more watchfulness to cut off all occasions. And why I pray you might not they among the Indians justify the marrying and keeping of a multitude of wives, where the heat far surpasseth the heat of Rome, and of all Italy? or wherefore doth God restrain the jews his own people from whoring and committing fornication, where the climate is as hot and much hotter than in Popish places where stews are erected? Doth whoredom defile the land, and is it a necessary evil? But enough of this reasonless reason, whereof I think the Popish sort are ashamed, if they have any shame or any reason left in them. A second argument is this, that a civil Magistrate, & consequently Object 2 the Pope, may, for the avoiding of a greater inconvenience, tolerate and permit this sin, without fault and without being charged with any allowance of the sin itself. It is one thing to approve, and another to allow a thing; as God permitteth many wicked acts in the world, which notwithstanding he detesteth. I answer, Answer. the comparison is unequal, that I say not, it is blasphemous. It is the fearful judgement of God upon his enemies, to make such monstrous and misshapen conclusions. God hath a royal prerogative above his law, and is not subject unto it, but to the righteousness of his own will. He permitteth the abominations that are committed, that by his infinite power and wisdom he may turn all things to the glory of his mercy or justice. It is not so with the Magistrate, he must be obedient to the law of God, and all his authority is to be subject unto it: it is his office to punish known evil, and not to permit it: neither is he able to turn evil into good by his suffering of it. Besides, it will not follow from hence, to speak nothing of the Pope's temporal jurisdiction, and of the right he claimeth to be a temporal Prince; neither can it any way justify his practice, who raiseth rents and taketh fines for bawdry, and therefore maketh himself no better than a bawd to whores and knaves, forasmuch as he maintaineth them, and they maintain him. They have streets and houses assigned unto them where they shall dwell, and he taketh their money which they pay with ease, and live in bravery and excess with the rest.  
Lastly▪ we may conclude from this reason, that Magistrates if they list, may permit all manner of wickedness, and suffer it to escape unpunished, and not be charged with the allowance of it. For if this reason do hold in one particular (God may permit, therefore the Magistrate may) it is good in all; which were to open a gap wide to all profaneness, Libertinism, Atheism, and Epicurism. A third argument Object is this, a naughty thing may sometimes be necessary, and being necessary, and consequently impossible to be removed, it must needs be tolerated without fault, as they go about to prove by testimony of Christ, there must be offences, Matth. 18.11. and of Paul, there must be heresies, 1 Corinth. 11.19. here is a necessity of offences and heresies, yet Christ and Paul were not in fault, neither did they allow heresies. I answer, Answer first I would know, whether they mean, every wicked thing, or only some wicked thing. I suppose they mean not in general, that every naughty thing is so necessary that it should be tolerated; for than they must speak plainly with the devils tongue, and openly utter his language. Do they then understand it of some naughty and wicked thing, that is necessary, and so to be tolerated? Then the reason must be framed in this manner, Some evil is necessary, and therefore to be suffered: but the stews is some evil that is necessary, and therefore the stews ought to be tolerated. Every one meanly seen in the art of reasoning knoweth that: the form of this reason is stark nought, and neither necessary nor to be suffered: for of particulars nothing can follow. Again, they pervert and corrupt the meaning of Christ and his Apostle. Such things as cannot be avoided, may be accounted necessary according to the decree of God. When he purposeth to try his children, & to have them discerned from hypocrites, oftentimes evils, yea, even heresies break forth from the corruption of men. This is true, we confess: and so much the places prove and infer. So then we must distinguish of toleration, which is of two sorts, there is a toleration of necessity, and a toleration of negligence. The one is good, as when a Magistrate having a subject that committeth treason, or such heinous crime that he cannot punish by reason of his own weakness and his subjects power, this he must bear of necessity, because he hath no remedy; so David dealt toward joab, when he had slain Abner with the sword, 2. Sam. 3.39 I am this day weak, though anointed king: and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil, according to his wickedness. Where we see he tolerateth the evil which he could not remedy, and referreth the execution of justice unto God that was of ability and power to punish it. So may the Magistrate bear with patience for a certain season, not failing in his duty: howbeit this must not be always, for when there is no such cause to suffer a known sin to escape unpunished, he may not wink at it and bear with it. There is also a toleration that is evil, which is done of negligence, carelessness, and overmuch lenity and indulgence; this is no necessary toleration, as when Eli bore with his sons in his old age, & did not chastise them for their offences; this way do they offend, that punish not at all those that are to be punished, or punish lightly such as are to be punished severely. This toleration of negligence cannot be implied from the former places of Scripture, seeing that to justify the wicked and to condemn the innocent are both of them equally an abomination unto the Lord. proverbs 17.15.  
Lastly, I would gladly understand, whether our adversaries would reason thus, Heresies must be, therefore tolerate heresies, and suffer heretics to remain: therefore burn not heretics, confute not heresies, but let them alone? If they dare not reason thus, why do they press us with the like consequent? if they will needs conclude after this manner, what wrong have they done to our brethren, and how much innocent blood have they shed in the late days of persecution? O that this argument had been coined and urged in Queen Mary's days among us, or might now prevail with the Spanish Inquisition: then should not the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, 
Revel 6.9, 10.  and for the testimony which they held, cry out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood, on them that dwell on the earth? The last argument is this, that the Protestants permit usury by their laws, and do not punish Object 4 men for taking ten in the hundred: which is done to meet with a greater inconvenience or mischief: and so doth the Pope with his stews.  
Hereunto we may add, that which Parsons patcheth together after his trifling manner, namely, that we allow not the Catholics absenting themselves from the Church, and yet we make them pay for their recusancy? I answer, Answer. to the first instance, that if we punish not all biting gain, or suffer the poor to be oppressed, we cannot be excused, but are to be blamed: forasmuch as the word of God forbiddeth to oppress the poor by usury, Exo. 22.25. levit. 25.35, 36. Deu. 23.19. Touching the second instance or example that he giveth of taking a fine of Catholics by way of punishment for not coming to Church, as the Pope doth a yearly pension to punish the harlots: it is a very unequal comparison, and he dealeth with us as in the former reason. It is of necessity, saith Christ, that scandals must come, therefore the stews must be permitted. That is one false conclusion. Another is like unto it, It must be permitted, therefore it must be let alone without punishment: so that they understand a thing that must needs come, to be all one with this, a thing of necessity must be winked at, and left without punishment. So touching their Recusants, the comparison is many ways faulty. First, if the penalty were duly inflicted upon these his friends, it would pinch them & sting them much more, than the payment which the Pope receiveth from the stews: forasmuch as the Courtesans make such a gain of that filthy market and sale of their bodies, as that they pay that money with ease, such is the custom they have coming in. Secondly, the Papists are not suffered openly to have their Masses, nor to exercise idolatry, nor to have places allowed them in one certain place in all cities and countries, as harlots are permitted to commit whoredom freely, and to recover their hire by action at the Law, in case any deny to pay the price agreed upon between them. If they had free liberty given them to practise their superstitions, it were somewhat that is said of them: but forasmuch as they are restrained, the comparison holdeth not. Thirdly, the Papists cannot make an apparent gain above that which they pay for their not coming to Church, and therefore it differeth much from the Pope's punishment, who allow them the means to enrich themselves by the overplus that they retain to themselves. Before we shut up this point, 
Reasons against permitting the stews.  let us use some reasons against this sufferance of open whoredom, not to be suffered in any Christian Commonwealth and therefore wheresoever the Gospel of Christ is openly professed, and freely received, the stews and brothel houses are pulled down, and are dispersed and scattered away as clouds before the Sun.  
First, no Magistrate may suffer any sin ordinarily unpunished from generation to generation, and take a yearly rent for it, which impeacheth the glory of God, hurteth the Church, and annoyeth the Commonwealth: but to suffer unchaste women in a certain place, and to permit the people without danger of law, or fear of punishment to resort unto them, is ordinarily to suffer sin unpunished; therefore the Magistrate, who is the Minister of God, bearing his person, and ministering his justice, and executing his sentence, may not, and cannot without contempt of God suffer unchaste women in his kingdoms & dominions: forasmuch as he carrieth not his sword in vain, 
Rom. 13.  but is an avenger in wrath to him that doth evil.  
Again as no man in general, so no Magistrate in particular may do evil, that good may come thereof, whose damnation is just, saith the Apostle, Rom. 3.8. But to permit a stews and to take a rent (not one half of their foul and filthy gains) to the end that adultery may be forborn, is to do evil that good may come of it; forasmuch as to commit any sin is to do evil, 
Gal. 3.12.  and to fail in any thing is to transgress the Law, 
jam. 2.10.  and not to punish when we ought to punish, as we see in Saul that spared the Amalekites, 1 Sam. 15. and in Ahab that suffered Benhadad to escape out of his hand whom the Lord had appointed to utter destruction, 1 King. 20.42. Therefore no Magistrate may suffer whoredom to go unpunished, under what colour and pretence, to what end and purpose so ever he do it, though it should be to remedy a greater evil  
Moreover it is utterly unlawful to lie, albeit it might redound to the glory of God, Rom. 3.7. and therefore I may not suffer my brother to lie, if by lawful means I may keep him from it. We may not in God's cause speak iniquity or use deceit, job 13.7.8. Will you speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him? will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God? Much less therefore accept the person for avoiding adultery, and take yearly rend of the stews.  
Lastly, no Magistrate may openly suffer that to be, which God hath expressly said in his word shall not be: but it is expressly and directly forbidden to suffer a whore in Israel, 
Deut. 23 17.8. levit. 19.29.  and to take the wages of an whore for his house, and therefore for the Church. This sin is abominable to the Lord, and draweth down his wrath wheresoever it is committed, and therefore albeit they say that in judgement they do not allow it, yet in the judgement of God and his word they maintain it; and so much the rather, because the prohibition of marriage in sundry Orders beareth sway among them. What thing will not these men presume and be bold to defend that spare not to open their mouths and sharpen their pens to maintain incontinent living and confessed filthiness? Or when may we think they will begin to reform the Church of God, that in so long a time cannot redress their open stews? It was truly said by Bernard, 
Sam. 〈◊〉 Ca●●.  Take once from the Church honourable marriage and the bed undefiled, and thou fillest the same full with Brothel-houses, with keeping Concubines, with incests, with pollutions, with wantoness, and with all sorts of filthy persons: how then is not he guilty of these horrible abominations that forbiddeth marriage, yet calleth himself the Vicar of Christ, the head of the Church, and the holy One of Israel? We must abandon vain and vicious remedies which are more grievous than the manifest diseases. Tertullian 
Tert●●●● animo.  testifieth truly, that stews are execrable and accursed before God. And the Emperor justinian notwithstanding all forged necessity & falsely named policy, 
Au●●●. 〈…〉  straightly commandeth that harlots be banished out of all towns.  
Secondly, seeing God is the punisher of all Use 2 whoredom and uncleanness, it is our duty to eschew harlots, as the most dangerous creatures in the world. It is well said of Solomon, Prou. 2.18. Their house tendeth to death, and their paths unto the dead, And afterward chap. 23.27. he saith, An whore is a deep ditch, and a strange woman is as a narrow pit: and therefore it is good to keep ourselves from falling or entering into the same. So in another place he describeth the practices, the allurements, and the deceits of such, Prou. 9.15.16.17.18. She sitteth at the door of her house on a seat, in the high places of the city, to call passengers who go right in their ways; who so is simple, let him turn in hither and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret, is pleasant; but he knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depth of hell. Such naughty women are called every where in this book strangers, though they be too familiar and well known, and thrust themselves into the company of others; because they should be strangers unto us, and not of our acquaintance. There is nothing more common in them, then to entice young men by wanton gestures, lascivous words, and plausible persuasions, to dalliance and delight: It is a great favour of God to be preserved from their baits, and kept from their snares, yea, it is a far greater mercy to be secured from harlots, then to be kept from the pestilence: & they show greater wisdom that shun and pass by their houses and company, than they that forsake places & persons that are infected with some dangerous and deadly disease. Every one is forward to beware he come not near any pesthouse for fear of his life: but if we assemble into harlot's houses, we run in danger of soul & body. It is an easy matter to fall into a pit where a man may be drowned, but it is not so easy to get out of it. The wanton woman is as a deep ditch, and a narrow pit, and a dangerous hole, whereinto a man may slip hastily & at unwares; but he shall hardly come out from thence, or deliver himself, without the special goodness of God, pulling him as it were out of the fire, and setting his feet in safety. For as a thief lurketh in a den or wood to get a prey, so doth she lie in wait, and useth baits to steal away the hearts of men, and thereby prevaileth mightily with many in the world. Among all dangers, this is not the least that Solomon speaketh of, 
●. 2, 19  None that go unto her, return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. These words do not absolutely deny repentance to them that are fallen, or shut the gate of mercy against them that have sinned, but the meaning is, that few, yea very few escape destruction, & return to salvation, because they seldom repent. It is a very rare thing to see a penitent adulterer: they leave the sin when it leaveth them, because they can follow it no longer, but they do not repent of it, they do not sorrow for it, they do not fly from it. Hence it is, that you shall hear many old men, whose strength is decayed, whose bodies are withered, whose feet are already entered in a manner into their graves, laugh hearty at the remembrance of their tricks of youth, and talk wanton & filthily of the pranks which they have played; so that from the abundance of the heart, 
●h 12, 34.  the mouth speaketh, and their corrupt communication testifieth, that they never sound repent of their uncleanness. No marvel therefore if the wise man peremptorily declare, that few or none of those that are given over to this lewdness of life, do come to repentance: for albeit some few find grace, yet in comparison of such as run on headlong, & live securely to the end in their wickedness, they may worthily be said to be none at all. They are so blinded & besotted, that they cannot see their own filthiness; they are so dull and deaf, that they cannot hear those that admonish them, nay they hate those that reprove them. The Apostle Paul exhorting the Corinthians to fly fornication, 
●. 6, 18.  which was most common in those days, 
●●es to a ●fornica  and esteemed a slight or no sin at all, useth many notable reasons of great weight & importance, & worthy to be considered of us. One reason or motive is this, that our bodies are the Lords, and must be serviceable unto him, 
●. 6, 13.  The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord. Wherefore hath he given to us our body, but that we should serve him in our body? We are not to yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, 
●6, 13.  but we ought to yield ourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and so make our members as instruments of righteousness unto him. First therefore the Apostle reasoneth from the end of our creation. Secondly, the Lord jesus is ordained & appointed to be the Redeemer & Saviour, not only of the soul, but also of the body, & therefore he saith, the Lord for the body. 
1 Cor. 6, 13.  Fornication and sanctification cannot stand together, but are contrary one to the other, so that they cannot abide in one subject. Christ came into the world to this end that he might redeem our bodies by his death out of the power of the devil, and sanctify them by his Spirit. If then we give ourselves as servants to obey the lusts of the flesh, we make void the glorious work of our redemption, wherein mercy, justice, and truth kissed one another. For herein we see the truth of Gods promise accomplished, 
Gen 3, 15.  that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head: and the truth of his threatening fulfilled, that man offending, should die the death. Herein we may behold the wonderful justice of God, that because man had sinned, man must be punished; for otherwise he had not been a just God. Lastly, hereby appeareth the unspeakable mercy of God toward mankind; who, albeit his justice were such, that rather than sin should go unpunished, he would punish it in his Son, 
1 Pet. 2, 24. Esay 53, 12.  who bore our sins in his body, and made intercession for our transgressions, yet found out a way how to redeem us, when we cast ourselves headlong into all misery, and made ourselves subject to the greatest thraldom that ever was. We are delivered from the hands of our enemies, sin, the world, and the devil, that we should be holy unto him that hath called us. The third motive is drawn from the glorious resurrection of our bodies, as the former was from the gracious redemption of our bodies. If we would have them live with him for ever that shall raise them up, we must abstain from filthy lusts which defile the body; & therefore the Apostle saith, God hath both raised up the Lord, 
1 Cor. 6, 14.  & will also raise us up by his own power. The author of this great benefit and wonderful work, is God, which passeth and exceedeth man's reason. Hence it is, that he putteth us in mind of his power, because he is almighty. If it were not unpossible unto him to create our bodies out of the dust of the earth, why shall it not be possible to raise them out of the dust again? Nay, if he were able to make them of that which was nothing, inasmuch as the Apostle teacheth, 
Heb. 11, 3.  that the things which are seen, were not made of things which do appear; how much more shall he be able to give to every one his body which he had before? Again, he teacheth, that God hath raised already the Lord Christ from death to life, & therefore will raise us also. We are the members, he is the head. Therefore if the head be alive, he will no● leave the members dead, so that if he be risen from the dead, we shall rise again. How then shall we that are appointed to glory, defile our bodies beastly lusts, the end and wages whereof is shame and ignominy? Seeing then Christ jesus hath determined to make our bodies glorious, let us not make them foul and infamous, for as much as the reward of fornication is shame, not glory. If then we look that these frail and mortal bodies should be partakers of immortality at the last day, let us keep them as fit vessels to receive honour and glory, and everlasting life. It is no small offence to pollute the body of Christ with filthiness and uncleanness, which God raiseth from the dead, and maketh it sit most glorious in the heavens. The fourth motive to work in us the detestation, and to lay before us the danger of whoredom, is this; the members of Christ are not to be made the members of an harlot: but our bodies are the members of Christ, therefore we ought not to make them the members of an harlot. Now the bodies of the faithful are called the members of Christ, because Christ is the head of the church, and performeth the office of an head unto it, into which all the elect are grafted by faith. If any man were asked, whether he would willingly rend or pull away a member from Christ's own body, to make it the member of an harlot, he would utterly deny it, he would be ashamed of it, he would be ready to defy him that should charge him with it. Howbeit, the Apostle feareth not to lay that imputation upon such as commit fornication; they separate themselves quite away from Christ, so that it must needs be a deadly sin which parteth and pulleth us from him. Wherefore he saith, Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? 
1 Cor. 6, 15.  Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbidden. Hereby than we must learn, how heinous whoredom is, because we are the members of Christ; but by it we make our bodies the members of an harlot: which is as much in effect, as to turn Christ himself into an harlot, and to make him a whoremaster, than which nothing is more reproachful and dishonourable unto the glory and majesty of Christ. 
Colos. 1, 18. Eph. 1, 22.  For the Church is the mystical body of Christ, which he hath redeemed with his blood, whereof he is the head; and by his Spirit so joineth it to him, that it is made one spiritual body with him. So then, every faithful person is one member for his part of the body of the Church, and of Christ the head, joined with him by faith, & quickened by his Spirit. He that joineth himself therefore to an harlot is made one body with an harlot, so that of the members of Christ, he shall make them the members of an harlot, and thereby cease to be any longer the members of Christ; than which, what can be more dangerous to us, or more reproachful to Christ, or more dishonourable to God? The fift motive to dissuade from fornication, is because this sin is committed against the body, whereas all other sins are without the body. He that committeth whoredom defileth and abuseth his own body, and leaveth a proper stain and blot upon it, making it both the subject and the object of his sin. It is not so with the thief, or the murderer or the slanderer: they deal with the life, with the goods, and with the good name of another. But the whoremaster useth his body as the instrument, and sinneth against his own body more than any other. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, Fly fornication every sin that a man doth, is without the body: 
1 Cor. 6. ●.  but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body. If a man kill himself, he hurteth indeed, his own body, howbeit he useth sword or knife, or fire, or water, or some such like instrument which is out of the body: but the fornicator both useth and abuseth his own body, he maketh it either instrument or object, or subject, or all of them.  
The sixth motive that is used, is this; That our body is the Temple of the holy Ghost: whereupon the Apostle would have it inferred, that a fornicator is a sacrilegious person, because he hurteth and wrongeth the temple of God. But Whosoever defileth the Temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple we are, 1 Cor. 3. ver. 17. Temples are ordained and appointed for holiness and pure actions, and are not therefore to be profaned with filthiness, forasmuch as they be consecrated and dedicated to God which is most pure and holy. To this purpose he speaketh and argueth, What? 
1 Cor. 6, 13.  Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God? If our bodies be Temples, they ought to be kept clean and decent of us. The Apostle nameth the body in this place, as he did also before, in regard of the matter he hath in hand, to the end he might withdraw us from the defiling and polluting of our bodies. We heard already, that our bodies are the members of Christ, & here he saith, Our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost; not that our souls are excepted and exempted, for they are made partakers of Christ, and we are the Temples of God in soul and body, as he speaketh in the second Epistle, Ye are the Temples of the living GOD. 2 Cor. 6, 16. If he dwell in us, let us beware of fornication, because he will not inhabit and abide in defiled bodies. He is the spirit of purity, therefore we must be pure: he is the spirit of holiness, therefore we ought to be holy, otherwise we are not his. He will dwell in a clean house, therefore not in a sty of unclean and filthy swine. Let us take heed, we grieve not the spirit of God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph. 4. The Gentiles knew by the light of nature, that they ought to keep their temples swept and garnished. Christ whipped out of the temple such as bought & sold in it: yet what are these, but lime & stone, and such corruptible stuff: how much more than ought we to look to ourselves, our souls & bodies, that we do not defile them, and God destroy them. The Temple of jerusalem was burned, and the Ark carried away for the sins of the people: there is no holiness of place can privilege us, if sound Religion be wanting in them that inhabit it. Thus was it also at the destruction of jerusalem foretold in Scripture, after the Gospel of Christ was preached, the abomination of desolation was set in the holy place, so that one stone was not left upon another that was not thrown down. If then, God spare not most holy places consecrated to his service, through their sin that abuse them, let us not doubt, but our own bodies shallbe smitten by the hands of God, except we keep them pure and undefiled.  
The last motive to keep us from this sin, is to know that we are wholly Gods, and not our own, to do what we list, or to dispose of ourselves. We are Christ's, therefore it is our duty to glorify him by living chastened and continently. He hath redeemed us from the power of the devil, by paying the price of his precious blood, as of a Lamb unspotted. God hath good right to challenge us as his own, forasmuch as he bought us at a dear rate, and we cost him more than a world, nay a thousand worlds of riches and treasures. Christ gave his life for us, a price far greater than all men ca● conceive. For what can be imagined so precious, as the dignity, the majesty, & the glory of God, which were all after a sort, changed and diminished, when he took our nature upon him, and suffered in it the cursed and shameful death of the cross. Therefore it is that the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 6, 19, 20. Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, for they are Gods. It is the property of justice to give to every one his own, and not to use that which is another man's as his own. Our bodies are another man's right, therefore we may not abuse them to filthiness at our own carnal pleasures. We have not authority over ourselves, to dispose of ourselves; therefore we are as another man's servants. We belong to Christ and to GOD, therefore we must live according to his will. Christ hath bought us with a great price and hath redeemed us from hell, from satan, from death, and from sin, therefore we be Christ's; we pertain as a proper possession to him, and no man can lay claim unto us. Let us live as becometh his servants, our profession, our calling, and our redemption: but they that follow after fornication serve his enemy, forasmuch as our sins were the enemies that put him to death.  
Use 3 Lastly, let all married persons live chastened, and keep the vessels of their bodies in holiness and in honour. There is indeed a twofold chastity, one of the single life, the other of the married. Chastity of single life, is with all carefulness, with fasting and prayer, to keep their minds, affections, and bodies in holiness. Chastity in marriage is, when the pure and holy use of wedlock is observed. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, Heb. 13, 4. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Matrimony is an holy league or covenant, as it is called in the Scripture. If a man forge or falsify a covenant that is made in bargain and sale, either by conveying some secret title or interest to himself, or by suborning false Witnesses, it is, and aught, to be sharply and severely punished. But behold by an unclean life, the chief and most holy Covenant that can be in the world, is broken and violated. A solemn declaration is made of the faith that the husband oweth to the wife, and the wife to her husband: they come into the church (as it were) into the presence, and before the face of God, they call upon him to be a witness and judge, if either of them keep not promise: yet oftentimes all this vanisheth away and cometh to nothing. Hence it is that the Lord complaining against the people of Israel, and convincing them of whoring, and such like wickedness, threateneth them, that Therefore the Land shall mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein, shall be cut off, with the Beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heaven, and also the Fishes of the sea, shall be taken away. Hosea chap. 4. and the 2. & 3. verses.  
This sin spreadeth far, like a foul and unclean Leprosy, 
The several kinds of whoredom.  and catcheth hold of one part after another, till the whole body be defiled; like to fire, that being once kindled, runneth from one place to another, until all be consumed. There is an adultery of the heart, Math. 5, 28. condemned by our Saviour Christ, which being once entertained, is compared to a burning or boiling, 1 Cor. 7.9. that so disturbeth and disquieteth the soul, and the exercises of the soul, that it cannot suffer a man to serve the Lord in a quiet mind and a pure conscience. There is an adultery of the eyes, which are as the windows of the heart, 2 Peter chap. 2. verse 14. as Saint Peter speaketh of fleshly minded men, Whose eyes were full of Aduiterie. This made job to make a Covenant with his eyes, that they went not astray, and caused him to go astray. The looking after a woman to lust after her, is called by Christ, the committing of Adultery. And the Prophet reproveth the daughters of Zion, because they walked with outstretched necks, and wanton eyes, Esa. chap 3, verse 13. There is an adultery of the ears, the which we fall into, when we listen unto unchaste and unclean talk uttered by others, when we have itching ears after it, and are content to hear it, and yet show no dislike unto it, no hatred of it. There is another adultery, and that is of the tongue; when we take delight in unchaste speeches, and filthy Ribaldry, by which, the hearts of others are corrupted, and our own are manifested to be corrupt already, forasmuch as from the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh, Mat. 12. What religion soever we profess, it is in vain, we deceive our own hearts, except we learn to bridle our own tongues, jam. 1, 26. And the Apostle giveth this exhortation, Ephes. 4, 29. that no corrupt communication should proceed out of our mouths, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. And in another place he teacheth, 
1 Cor. 15, 33.  that evil communications corrupt good manners. Lastly, there is an adultery which is outward in fact, and is called sin finished: all the former are as steps & degrees leading to this, and in the end bring it forth as a birth which they have conceived. For wherefore do unclean persons nourish in themselves the adultery of the heart, of the eyes, of the ears, and of the tongue, but because they purpose to commit the outward act when time, and place, and person, and other occasions shall be offered unto than? But we must be careful to avoid all these kinds, which should not be named among Christians, 
Ephes. 5, 3.  as becometh the Saints of GOD. No marvel therefore, if this wickedness be punished of God with heavy judgements, as that which in an high degree sinneth against God, 
The grievousness of the sin of adultery.  against our neighbour, and against ourselves, as we have noted in sundry particulars before. We sin against God, because we resist and withstand his will, whose pleasure it is that we bring forth the fruits of sanctification; we pollute and profane the holy ordinance of Matrimony; we make the members of Christ the members of an harlot, and so seek to draw (as much as in us lieth) our blessed Saviour into a filthy fellowship of our sin; 
Down. Lectur. on Hos. 4, 2.  we defile the Temples of the holy Ghost, and turn them into stews. Against our neighbour, because this sin is not committed alone, but we draw some other to be partakers with us in the same wickedness & punishment; we sin against the wife or husband of the married-party, whom we wrong in the chiefest treasure & possession that she or he hath: we sin against the fruit of our own body, whom we disgrace & brand with a note of perpetual infamy, which for the most part prove a degenerate brood through want of good-education, and especially through the secret judgement of God: we sin against our own families, which we oftentimes overturn by defiling of them, & turn our houses into stews: we sin against the Cities, societies, & kingdoms where we abide, because we defile the land, and cause it to vomit out the inhabitants: we sin against the church of God, both by hindering the propagation thereof, 
Malach 2, ●5  which increaseth by an holy seed, and by causing it to be evil spoken of by others, as if it were a company of unclean persons. Against ourselves, because we make our bodies the instruments of sin and sathan: we weaken them, and make them subject to divers diseases, and we plunge souls & bodies into the pit of hell, which burneth with fire and brimstone. Such then as are adulterers, do not go into hell alone, they carry other company with them. If then the judgements of poverty, beggary, infamy, infirmity, folly, and impenitency will not move us to make conscience of this sin, yet let this prevail with us, that thereby we destroy our own souls, and exclude ourselves from his presence. Let us therefore be watchful over our own ways, let us pull up the root of this sin, and all other of the same sort, and mortify the deeds of the flesh, Col. 3, 5. Let us cut off all occasions that may draw us to them, as surfeiting, drunkenness, idleness, wantonness, profane company, and such like. And above all these things, let us observe these three things: First, let us remember that as God is holy, so he requireth an holy people to serve him. It is his will that we live in sanctification, so that without holiness no man can see God, or have fellowship with him, Heb. 12. Secondly, we must learn to fear God in his word, and mark the commandment that forbiddeth adultery. Nothing maketh us to fall into sin, but the forgetting of the Law, which saith, thou shalt not sin. This stayed up joseph in a strong tentation, which being yielded unto, did set before him a fair show and goodly train of all pleasures, profits, & honours; but being withstood, did threaten him with a multitude of miseries, hatred, poverty, sorrow, shame, imprisonment, destruction, and death itself: yet he eschewed the sin by this means, Shall I do this, 
Genesis ●5. 3●  and sin against God? The word of God must be made our wisdom and direction, our guide, and our counsellor; it is able to deliver us from the stranger that flatteteth with her words. This is it that Solomon setteth before us, My son, keep thy father's commandments, 
Prou. 6, ●●, ● 23, 24.  and forsake not the law of thy mother: bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck, etc. For the Commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light, etc. to keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. He teacheth, that the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey comb, and that her mouth is smother than oil, but her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword: how then shall we be delivered from her, if the word of truth be not in our mouths, and that which is more, in our hearts, to rule and reform us, and to order our paths aright? Such as are ignorant of the word, are soon overtaken, and they that have not the love and power of it dwelling in them. The foolish woman, that sitteth at the door of her house, and calleth the passengers that go right in their ways, 
Prou. 4, ●  maketh choice of such as are simple and want understanding, to turn in unto her.  
Lastly, let us keep inviolable the Covenant of marriage, made in the presence of God, of Angels, and of men: let the married persons make one another the delight of their eyes, and the joy of their hearts, and be careful to perform the duties they own one to another. And, as the unlawful & impure conjunction of man and woman is detested of God: so is holy matrimony ever accepted of him, and adorned with many blessings, and crowned with a continual supply of the fruits of his love and favour. The Prophet sayeth, Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, & walketh in his ways; 
〈◊〉 28, 1, 2,  for thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee: thy wife shall be as a fruitful Vine by the sides of thine house, thy children like Olive plants round about thy table: behold that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. Riches are the inheritance of parents, but a prudent wife is a special gift of God, and we receive her as at his hands. The Apostle doth beautify it with an honourable title, when he calleth it honourable in all. It is the spirit of error which calleth that unclean which God hath sanctified. Adultery is foul and unclean, but the marriage bed is undefiled. Damnable then is the decree of Pope Syricius, that marriage itself is the pollution of the flesh, & that the married cannot please God. Devilish also is the law of forced chastity, restraining some orders and degrees from it: whereas to avoid fornication, every man is commanded to have his own wife, and every woman her own husband.   

22 And when he hath made her to drink the water, than it shall come to pass, that if she be defiled, and have done a trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot; and the woman shall be a curse among her people.  
28 And if the woman be not defiled but be clean, than she shallbe free, and shall conceive seed.  
We have showed already, that in setting down this law of trial, Moses observeth 3. things. First, the cause is propounded. Secondly, the question and controversy is determined. And lastly, the event of the whole is delivered. The two former have been handled before. Now we come to consider the issue and effect of the whole matter according to the determination of God. For, as he foretold what should come to pass, so he faileth not in it, but accordingly verifieth the same. Whatsoever he hath spoken shall fall out, whether he promise any thing unto us, or threaten any thing against us. He is not as man that he should lie, neither as the son of man that he should repent, as Balaam by the Spirit of God prophesieth hereafter in this book, Chapt. 23. verse 19 And Christ our Saviour teacheth. Math. 5, 18. that Heaven and earth must pass away, but one word of his mouth shall not pass away, but all shall be accomplished and fulfilled.  
This event here mentioned is twofold: First, respecting the guilty in the 27. Verse, where it is showed, that she shall perish according as she sinned, and her name shall turn into a Proverb of cursing. Secondly, in respect of the innocent; because by drinking of the water, she shall receive and feel no hurt, but God will turn that wrongful suspicion, and causeless calumniation into a great blessing, and so reward her innocency, that he will turn the heart of her husband toward her (who hath the hearts of all men in his power, and turneth them about as pleaseth him) so that they shall mutually love one another, and be blessed in their children that shall be given unto them.  
Now the question may be asked, Object. whether this force, to discern between the guilty and the innocent, and to bring to light the things that were hidden in darkness, were in the water itself, and a quality inherent in it, and infused into it? I answer, Answer. we must ascribe no power to the water itself, which in regard of the substance, was no other than common Water, forasmuch as both the guilty and the unguilty did drink of it, or at least might drink of it. The whole force proceeded from the operation of God, and his holy institution. The brazen Serpent, set upon a pole, and looked upon by them that were bitten by the fiery Serpents, did heal them; so that albeit they were stung, yet they died not. How came this to pass? Was it in regard of the matter? or of the form? Surely, of neither; but all the virtue proceeded from GOD, the author of it.  
When Christ healed the blind man, john 9 verse 6. He spate upon the ground, and made clay of the spittle, he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and bade him wash in the pool of Siloam, who went his way, and washed, and returned seeing. All men know, and can easily judge, that this could not by any natural operation, restore sight to the blind; so that it was Christ that healed him, not the spittle, not the clay, not the anointing, not the washing. This may be expressed and conceived by the miracle that Christ showed upon the woman that had an issue of blood, Mat. 9, 20. 
Mark 5, 28.  She came behind him and touched the hem of his garment, for she said, If I may touch but his clothes only, I shall be whole: what then? Did his garments heal her? or were they the cause that her fountain of blood staunched and dried up? No, it was the power of Christ that gave a blessing to the weak means; and therefore he saith to his disciples, Some body hath touched me, 
Luke 8, 46.  for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. He saith not, out of the border of my garment which she hath touched. She touched indeed the garment of Christ, but it was her faith in Christ that made her whole.  
So in this place, both sorts that came to be tried, drunk of the water, and according as they were either innocent or not innocent, so it fell out unto them: howbeit it was God that understandeth all secrets that brought the truth to light, not any inherent strength that was in the waters.  
[Verse 27. And when he hath made her to drink the water, etc.] here we have observed, that the success of the whole business is contained: wherein Moses declareth, what doth follow, and most certainly come to pass, if the woman have been abused. here is set down the temporal punishment that shall come upon her. The more she hath stood upon her purgation, and the greater her impudence and shamelessness hath been, the more notorious is her sin, and the more notable is her punishment. God having all means in his own hand, could have punished her (if it had pleased him) otherwise: but to make it the better appear, that he is the maintainer and preserver of marriage which is his own institution, and that all might acknowledge the judgement to be from his hand, he punisheth her in those parts wherewith she had offended. He hath all diseases in his own power to bring upon the breakers of his ordinance, and the transgressors of his Law: he might therefore have stricken her with the leprosy, or with plague and pestilence, with the consumption, with incurable agues, or with such an issue of blood, as we heard off before in the woman that was cured by touching of Christ's garment; but to brand her with a perpetual mark of infamy, and to show how he hateth adultery, he meeteth with her in her own kind, and punished those parts of her body which she had abused. 
Ezek 16.25.  She had opened her feet, as the Prophet speaketh, to every one that passed by, so that she became as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers in stead of her husband. Her filthiness was powered out, and her nakedness discovered, her belly and thighs communicated to another: howbeit her pleasure should be turned into pain, and she should be judged as women that break wedlock: she should feel the curse of God, & end her days in reproach: for as she had sinned with her belly, so her belly should swell through greatness and anguish: and as she had opened her thighs, so they should rot away, so that she should be punished where she most deserved, and become a fearful spectacle of a forlorn creature and a living carcase, consuming in her flesh, and dying being yet alive. We do all learn from hence, 
Doctrine. God punisheth in the same things wherein men and women offend, and in the same manner.  that God doth not only punish sin, but he punisheth sin in his own kind. He dealeth with men and women in his punishments, as they deal with him in their transgressions: so that according as we sin, so we are punished.  
We see this by infinite examples laid before us in the word of God. Consider with me, the enemies & persecutors of Daniel that sought his life, and caused him to be cast into the lions den; but how doth God meet with them? he might have revenged himself upon them by his own immediate hand; but he would not, for they perish and are punished the same way: 
Dan. 6.14.  for the king commanded to bring those men that accused Daniel, and to cast them into the den of Lions, who had the mastery over them, and broke all their bones in pieces, or ever they came at the bottom of the den. David sinned in committing of adultery with the wife of Vriah his faithful servant, and destroyed him with the sword of the Ammonites: 
2 Sam. 11●  he is paid home and punished in his own kind: for God, by way of rewarding and serving him as he had served others, as a just judge doth raise up evil against him out of his own house. His own sons break out into the same sins, and he kindleth such a fire in his own family, that they rise up against him, and one against another. Absalon spreadeth a tent, and lieth with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel: Amnon deflowreth his sister Tamar; to revenge this, Absalon killeth his own brother. Experience teacheth us, that blood requireth blood, so that the murderer requireth vengeance of God, albeit peradventure he escape the hand of the Magistrate. We see this in joab, he shed innocent blood, and escaped a long time as if it had been forgotten, but at length his blood was shed, and his hoar head went not down to the grave in peace. This is it which Christ telleth us, 
1 King 2. ●  Matth. 7.1, 2. judge not, that ye be not judged: for with what judgement ye judge, ye shallbe judged: and with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. He that rashly and unjustly censureth others, feeleth at one time or other the smart of it in the like kind: for God raiseth up others justly, albeit they defame him unjustly, that thereby he may be recompensed. This is that which Samuel bringeth into the remembrance of Agag the king of Amalek, 1 Sam. 15.33. As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women: so he hewed him in pieces before the Lord. Neither need we go far to fetch examples of this truth, or turn over histories of ages past, for we have it sealed up to us in our days and times wherein we live, I mean in those of the pretended holy league in our neighbour kingdom: they confederated themselves to root out true religion and the professors thereof, out of the face of the earth; they bend all their forces to effect it: but the Lord that sitteth in heaven laugheth them to scorn, and hath them in derision: he hath rewarded them to the full, and that in their own kind, he turned their weapons upon themselves, and sheathed their swords in their own bowels, as he dealt with the Midianites that slew one another. 
judg. 2. ●●.  The example of Haman is famous and well known, he set up a gibbet to hang Mordecai, because he bowed not unto him: 
Ester. ●. ●●  howbeit himself was hanged upon it, and fell into the pit he had prepared for another; but Mordecai escaped, and was delivered, and advanced, who spoke good for the King, as appeareth in the book of Ester.  
Reason 1 The reasons are evident to be seen, and easy to be found out. First, the justice of God is thereby cleared, and the mouth of iniquity stopped. For what have we to allege or answer for ourselves, when God retaileth us according to the sin that we have committed? Doubtless, we have no excuse, or pretence, or allegation for ourselves; but we must confess with our own mouths, even against ourselves, that God is righteous, and we are unrighteous. This appeareth in the book of judges, in the example of Adonibezek being taken by joshua and the people, he had his thumbs and great toes cut off: for he confessed, that the justice of God had found him out, and requited him in his kind, according to his own cruelty, judg. 1, ver. 7. Threescore and ten Kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my Table: as I have done, so God hath requited me; and they brought him to jerusalem, & there he died. If then God be just, he cannot but measure all his actions by justice, for no unrighteousness is found in him, as he will make men themselves confess.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the Lord cannot abide a measure and a measure, they are an abomination unto God, as Prou. 20, 23. divers weights are an abomination to the Lord, and a false balance is not good. The judge of all the world, cannot but deal justly and truly. This reason is expressed by the Angel of the waters, revel. 16, 5, 6. Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and waste, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. Where he concludeth, that their blood must be shed, that delighted to shed the blood of others, because God is a righteous Lord. His justice shineth among men, in all places, in that he recompenseth the wickedness of men by a like punishment sent from him, so that their punishment is answerable to their sin.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, the ungodly are fully worthy of such punishment. It is meet that malefactors have their deserts: how then can they complain of iniquity or injustice, so long as they receive their own, and he payeth them the debt he oweth them with their own money? GOD will give to every man according to his works, Rom. 2. and give their wages according to their merits. This reason is also added in the former place of the Revelation, where the Angel chargeth them that they had shed the blood of the Saints, and putteth them in mind, that God had done them no wrong, when he gave them blood to drink: then he annexeth the reason, for they are worthy. 
●euel. 16, 6.  If then we consider the deserts of men, how great they are, we cannot marvel, when at any time we behold the hand of God stretched out against them in this manner, and recompensing them with such measure.  
Fourthly, let us mark what God requireth Reason 4 at the hands of Magistrates in his Law, to wit, that they recompense like for like. Moses saith in the Law, Thou shalt pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe, Exod. 21, 24. Such a blemish as he hath made in any, such shall be repaid to him, Leuit. 24, 20. Neither was this law repealed or disliked by Christ our Saviour, Math. 5, 38. Forasmuch as in that place he only condemneth the abuse of it by private persons, according to their private affections and lusts of revenge, who are not Magistrates. If then the Lord will have the higher powers recompense the sinner according to the manner of his sin: we may not doubt, but he that is above all, will measure his works according to the rule of justice, which is most equal. Therefore, whatsoever measure we meet, 
Luke 6, 38. Matth. 26, 52. Esay 33, 1.  it is just we should receive the like again: that he which taketh the sword, should perish with the sword: that he which spoileth, should be spoiled: that he which leadeth into captivity, should be led into captivity, revel. 13, 10. That what a man doth, the same he should suffer: that by what a man sinneth, by that he should be punished: that evil should hit the worker, and the offender be pressed with his own example. This is the law of equity and equality, that men suffer the same things of others, which they have offered unto others. Thus than we may conclude this truth very strongly, upon the ground of these reasons, that God punisheth men and women in the same things wherein they offended & dishonoured him.  
Let us make use of this doctrine, which I Use 1 purpose at this present, briefly to point out, because we shall have fit occasion to handle it afterward in this book. First, this aught to teach us to set a watch over ourselves, to keep out the practice of sin, that carrieth such a tail and train after it. The sinner shall never escape, but find a punishment answerable to his sin. This is a notable bridle to induce us to abstain from all manner of sin. We see this in whoredom, which is the point that is aimed at in this chapter. Forasmuch as men are slack and careless in punishing of it, God bringeth upon them that continue in this sin, and follow it with greediness, such loathsome and noisome diseases, as our forefathers never knew, neither heard off. If we be wise to commit new sins, shall not the wise God catch us in our wisdom, 
1 Corin. 3, 19  and be wise enough to find out punishments that be proportioned according to our transgressions? Let us therefore watch over our hands and hearts, over our tongues and mouths, over our eyes and ears, and over all the members of our body, lest to our great grief and sorrow, we find and feel the fruit of our iniquities. This is that which Christ in one particular pointeth out, Math. 7. judge not, that ye be not judged, etc.: teaching us that all such as censure others, procure and provoke judgement upon themselves; so that we ought to keep the door of our lips, and govern our tongues aright. This is one main cause of slanders and defamations that are so common in the world, the beginning of them for the most part, is in the person himself that is defamed. It is the ordinance and appointment of God in his wisdom & providence, that such as give rash judgement, should have rash judgement given of them. here is then a lesson to be learned, to make us beware of all sin, considering it hath such a penalty going with it, or following it hard at the heels, and lying at the doors ready to enter upon us. If we did only hear and understand that God will certainly punish sin, & that none shall be able to escape at what time he shall search jerusalem with lights, 
Zeph. 1, 12.  and visit the men that are frozen in the dregs of their evil ways: were not this sufficient to withhold us from it, and cause us to abstain from all wickedness? For how can we hide ourselves from him, or how can we deliver ourselves from his presence? He that made the eye, shall he not see? and he that made the ear, shall he not hear? But the doctrine that now we deal withal, doth not only teach us that God will assuredly punish, but that he will punish us according to our sins. It is one part of justice to punish, and another to punish as we have sinned. Both of them do serve to clear God of injustice, and to stir us up to consider, that so often as we provoke him to anger by our sins, he sleepeth not, neither hath his sword rusting in his sheath, but draweth it out after he hath whet it, and striketh the sons of men with a terrible stroke. Nay, that which is more, when we transgress his commandments, & walk stubbornly against him, he holdeth the balance in his own hand, that he may weigh us out our punishment with an equal weight: and when we have filled up the measure of our sins, he will also give us a full measure pressed down, and running over.  
Hence it is, that the Lord threateneth, Leuit. 26, verse 24. that if we walk stubbornly against him, he will also walk stubbornly against us, and smite us yet seven times for our sins. If we set our faces against him, and will not obey him, 
Verse 17.  he will set his face against us, & will chastise us seven times for our sins in his sore anger and heavy displeasure, and bring seven times more plagues upon us, according to our deservings. When we have sinned against him, and will not be reform, it might bring comfort, or at least some ease, if we might be assured that our punishment should be mitigated. For the consideration of a slight and slender punishment, might slake our care and endeavour of striving against sin. But we are taught, that our transgressions against God, and his afflictions upon us for them, shall be squared one to the other. A lesser sin shall not have a greater punishment; neither shall a greater sin have a lesser punishment: but with what measure we meet to him, with the same it shall be measured unto us again. This doth our Saviour Christ press against the jews, Math. chap. 23, verses 32, 35. Fulfil ye the measure of your fathers, that upon you may come all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar. So then, it standeth us upon to examine ourselves, and to consider how greatly we sin, and how grievously we offend the Majesty of God. If we add sin unto sin, we may be sure he will add judgement unto judgement. A necessary point carefully to be marked of us, who have received the mercies of GOD in greater measure than many others. If they escape not that have received little, doubtless they shall not escape that have received much. If they shall be beaten with few stripes that know not the will of their master, they shall be beaten with many, that know it and do it not. Luke 12, ver. 47, 48. If Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed with fire and brimstone, which knew not the Law nor the Lord, than Capernanm which was lifted up unto heaven, must be brought down to hell: For if the great works done in it, had been done among them of Sodom, they had remained unto this day. Mat 11, 23. Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required, aed to whom men much commit, the more of him will they ask. If we be not careful to walk in his ways, we are of all people the most unthankful: so that as our blessings have been great, our plagues and punishments shall be grievous, except we repent.  
Secondly, as God threateneth to punish according Use 2 to the manner of our sinning, so he will bless those that please him and serve him in fear and trembling, according to the manner and measure of our walking before him. here then on the other side we have a gracious promise, not only of a blessing, but of a blessing answerable unto our obedience. This is a notable encouragement unto us in well-doing, and as it were a spur to prick us forward to perform such duties as he requireth at our hands. This is it which he promiseth to Abraham, Gen. 12, verses 2, 3. I will make thee a great Nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee etc. If any did good to Abraham, he should receive good again: if any were a friend to him, he should have God to be a friend unto him. This is that which God performed to Ebedmelech, he saved the life of jeremy, and therefore he had his own life given unto him as a prey. jer. 39, 18. For when the Prophet was cast into a deep dungeon, where he stuck fast in the mire, the Ethiopian went unto the King, and spoke for him, so that by his means his life was saved, and he was taken out of the pit, where he must have perished. What then? Doth he lose his reward? or is GOD unmindful of him? No, he receiveth blessing for blessing, mercy for mercy, and life for life: and therefore when the King of Babylon took the City, and put the people to the sword, he was delivered, and was not given into the hand of the men of whom he was afraid. Do we then any good to God's Church and Children? it shall not go unregarded and unrewarded to a cup of cold water: we shall receive measure for measure, good for good, blessing for blessing. Can we desire or look for a better recompense? Or would we have a farther means to incite us to follow our calling. We have a double encouragement to serve such a master, who will reward us according to our service. For while we do good to others, we do as much good to ourselves. Will any man be an enemy or hindrance to himself? Do we not by the light of nature love ourselves, make much of ourselves, help ourselves, & wish all good to ourselves? This is the way to attain unto our desires, and to receive a blessing from the hands of God, to do good to others: for then God hath bound himself by promise, to be merciful to us. There is that scattereth, saith Solomon, & there is more increased. The way and means to receive & increase our substance, is to give and to distribute, like the husbandman that must sow his seed before he can reap his fields, and gather in his harvest. The covetous man thinketh otherwise, because like an Idolater he trusteth in his money; but in the end it bringeth him nothing home. The Prophet Eliah was sent of God to Sarepta, to a widow in the days of famine, she had no more left but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, so that she was gathering sticks to dress it for herself and her son, that they might eat it, and die. Nevertheless, of her penury she sustained the Prophet, she made him a little cake first, and brought it unto him. She did good to the holy Prophet of the Lord, howbeit she did more good thereby to herself and her son: she relieved him, and thereby relieved herself, For the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Eliah, 1 Kings 17, 16. Luke 4. The like we might say of Obadiah; he hide the Prophets of God by fifty and fifty in a cave, 
eggs 18, 13  and fed them with bread and water, when many other perished: howbeit he did hereby no small good to himself, forasmuch as thereby he obtained rain, and plenty of all things. This is it which our Saviour promiseth in the Gospel, to his Disciples that followed him; There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospels, but he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life. Mark. 10, 29, 30. job is commended in Scripture, to be a just man, fearing God, and eschewing evil, and by occasion of his friends taxing of him with hypocrisy, and accusing him of iniquity, is compelled to stand upon his own innocency, and to make a solemn protestation of his integrity, job 31, 19 that he had not seen any to perish for lack of clothing, or any poor without covering, he was an eye to the blind, a father to the fatherless, and as an husband to the widow. He had his children, and his substance taken from him, and he bore his cross with patience. What then was the end that the Lord made? or how was he blessed of God? The end of the history declareth this at large, the Lord gave job 
job 42, 10.  twice as much as he had before; and as he had comforted others, and visited them in their necessities, so his brethren and sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, resorted & repaired unto him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: and as he had been bountiful to others, so every man gave him a piece of money, 
Verse 12.  and every one an earring of gold: yea, the Lord blessed the latter end of job more than the beginning, so that he obtained many sons and daughters, and a great increase of cattle. Onesiphorus oft refreshed Paul, and was not ashamed of his chains: the Apostle prayeth, that the Lord would grant unto him, that he might find mercy of the Lord in the great day, 2 Tim. 1, 18. This poin● being thoroughly learned, will minister great comfort to every one of us, being assured that as God punisheth in manner as we sin, so he will bless us and reward us after the manner of our obedience. Have we comforted others? God will comfort us, & turn the hearts of others to comfort us also? Have we done good to others? he will stir up others to do good to us. Have we relieved others? we have laid up a good foundation for the time to come, we shall be relieved by others in our necessities. Do we give unto the poor? 
Prou. 19, 17.  We do not only lend unto the Lord, but we provide well for ourselves, forasmuch as that we give shall be paid unto us again.  
We read in the book of Nehemiah, not only how zealous he was for the glory of God, but also how careful to show compassion to the people of God, and to provide for them in their necessities, and to deliver them from the oppressions of the mighty: in consideration whereof, he is bold to entreat the Lord to think upon him for good, according to all that he had done for his people, Neh. 5, 19 So is it lawful for us to crave of God to be mindful of us in goodness, according as we have done to others, and dealt toward them. If we remember God, we may be assured that he will remember us. If we be careful to hear his word, he is careful to hear our prayers according to his promise. He will return like for like, care for care, hearing for hearing, and blessing for blessing. If we be careful to hear his voice, his ears are open to hear us: and if we bless him, he will bless us. And as he hath promised to hear them that hear him, so he hath threatened not to hear them that will not hear him. Prou. 1, 28, 29. They shall call upon me, but I will not answer: they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. And to this purpose speaketh the Lord in the Prophets; 
Micah 3, 4. Zach. 7, 13.  They shall cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. This is a grievous threatening, and full of all discomfort. It is as it were the top of all misery, to have God stop his ears against us. To live in this sort, is worse than a thousand deaths. If a Subject had a petition to put up to the Prince, and knew he would turn away his face from him, how near would it go unto him? and how would he be discouraged? Or if a child knew, that whatsoever he asked of his father should be denied unto him, except he obeyed his father in that whereunto he exhorted him; I suppose it would stir up the son to do the will of his father. In like manner it ought to be with every one of us. Seeing God hath bounded and limited his hearkening unto our voice, when we speak unto him, with this condition, that we harken unto his voice when he speaketh unto us; it ought to move us to hear his word with fear & reverence, and to express the power of it in obedience, that so we may comfort ourselves with assurance of God's mercy toward us, in regard of our zeal and affection toward him.  
Thirdly, from hence we may learn to be Use 3 patient under the punishments that do befall us. For seeing God will punish us in the same manner that we offend, when we feel & perceive that he meeteth with us, and hath found us out, and that we can no longer be hidden nor our actions from his eyes, let us stoop down under his hand, and hold our peace, because he hath done it. Let us not fix and fasten our eyes upon the earth beneath, nor dwell upon the meditations of men's dealings toward us: but lift our hearts unto God, who always punisheth us justly, he being the righteous judge of all the world, to whom is incident no unrighteousness. If we be slandered and defamed by others, let us consider whether we have not done the like to others, and therefore the Lord recompenseth us in the same kind, and as it were taketh our feet in the snare that we have laid for others, and casteth us into the same pit which we digged for them, as it fell out to Haman, who was hanged upon his own gallows: so that as we have wronged others, it falleth out that we must receive wrong from others. This is the use that Solomon pointeth out in the book of Ecclesiastes; 
Eccl. 7, 21 ●  Take no heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth, that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. Let us therefore be patiented in injuries; let us not slander them that slander us, nor revile them that revile us, nor speak evil of them that speak evil of us. Moses is commended, that when Miriam and Aaron rose up against him, and moved sedition by reason of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, he possessed his soul with patience and bare all their reproaches with meekness of spirit, for he was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth, Numb. 12, 3. 
Numb. 1●, 1.  It is said of Saul, being made King of Israel, that when the children of Belial said. How shall this man save us? and they despised him in their hearts, he gave them not taunt for taunt, nor rebuke for rebuke, he commanded not the standers by to take away their lives, albeit they deserved it, and he had power in his hand to do it, but he held his peace, 
1 Sam 10, 1●  and passed by their reproaches, as a blind man that saw them not, as a deaf man that heard them not, and as a man without sense, that felt them not. When Shemei reproached David, and cursed him with an horrible curse, David with patience abstaineth and with persuasion refraineth others from revenge, that offered themselves to take off the head of that dead dog: so that he said, Let him alone; 
2 Sam. 16, ●2  it may be that the Lord will lock upon mine affliction, and requite good for his cursing this day. He could have returned upon him curse for curse, nay wounds for words: but he knew well enough, and teacheth it to others in another place, that he which loveth cursing, the same shall come upon him; 
Ps. 100LS, 1●, ●  and he that delighteth not in blessing, it shall be far from him, because as he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so it shall come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. It is well said of an heathen man, 
Sent●●.  Fear none more than thine own conscience. This is the right and ready way to get a good name, and to keep it being gotten, to judge of others with right judgement and christian equity, carrying a charitable opinion of every one, thinking well of them, speaking the best of them, and covering the multitude of infirmities, as Shem and japhet did the nakedness of their father. This is true charity indeed, and hereby we may assure our own hearts, that we love not in word and tongue only, but in deed and truth. The counsel of the Prophet is good & wholesome to this purpose, Psal. 34.12, 13, 14, 15. What man is he that desireth life? and loveth many days that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile: depart from evil, and do good: seek peace and pursue it. The reason is, because the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry; whereas the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut out the remembrance of them from the earth.  
Lastly, we may conclude from hence the Use 4 woeful estate and condition of all cruel and merciless oppressors, that grind the faces of the poor, and pluck off their skins from the flesh, and the flesh from the bones, by their covetous and corrupt dealing; who measure hard measure unto others, and pull from them that which is their own, without conscience of sin, or feeling of judgement to come. These are they that regard not how they rack the poor, how they engross and withhold the fruits of the earth; they make the Epha small, and the shekel great, that is, they sell little for much, lessening the measure, and enhancing the price, they sell a little come for a great deal of money; they make a dearth without scarcity, and bring a famine upon others, when God hath given plenty to themselves. For it falleth out oft-tentimes, when GOD is liberal to us, we deal niggardly one toward another: and when the Lord heareth the heavens, 
〈◊〉 2, 21, 22.  and they hear the earth, and the earth heareth the come, and the wine, and the oil, and all they hear Israel, what a shame, nay what a sin is this, that we will not hear one another, so that the cry of the poor people is not heard of us, nor the misery of them that are in need, is not felt of us? When GOD sendeth fruitful times and seasons, 
〈◊〉 28, 23.  that neither the heaven over the head is as brass, nor the earth underneath our feet, is as iron, but that they yield their rain and fruit in due season; how cometh it to pass, that our hearts are as hard as iron, as tough as steel, and as inflexible as brass one to another? And seeing the eye of God is good to us, how cruel are we that make our eyes to be evil toward our brother? 
●se 34.  These are they that wish with all their souls for dearth and famine, nay they not only desire it, but cause it, when God hath not caused it; and send it upon others, when God hath not sent it upon them. This is to them a day of joy and delight, of feasting and banqueting, of merriment and pastime, when as their poor brethren weep and lament with their wives and children. This is the day that they long looked for, and they stir up themselves to rejoice and be glad in it, that they may enrich themselves with the spoils of them that are in necessity. But let them know, that this sweet meat hath sour sauce belonging unto it, and that a fearful woe belongeth unto them, which shall come upon them, and seize upon their bodies and souls, and sons & daughters, and goods, and all that belongeth unto them, when they shall be dealt withal by others, as they have dealt and distributed the measure unto others. They shall find as little favour in the day of trouble, as they have showed unto others in their trouble. Consider the example of the rich man in the Gospel, when poor Lazarus lay at his gate, he called for mercy in his misery, 
Luke 16, 21.  and craved the crumbs only that fell from his table, but they were denied unto him. And what was the issue? or how sped he in the end? We read in the Parable, that himself in the end called for mercy at the hands of Abraham, but could not have one drop of water to cool his tongue and quench his heat, being tormented in the flames of hell that never go out. He would not grant to Lazarus a small request, the crumbs of his table, nay the crumbs that fell from his table: 
Luke 16, 24.  and he cannot obtain himself a little water, not so much that Lazarus might dip the tip of his finger in water, to give him thereby any ease & refreshing. To conclude, he that would show no mercy, findeth judgement without mercy, torment without ease, heat without cooling, and misery without end. The time was, when he was prayed and sued unto, but would not hear: now he prayeth and entreateth, but cannot be heard. All human things are frail and uncertain. He that is to day aloft, may be cast down low enough the next day. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Pride goeth before destruction, and an high mind before the fall: for every one that exalteth himself, shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. The Lord in the Law forbiddeth to trouble the widow, to vex the fatherless, and to oppress the stranger, lest he punish those that oppress them. But how will that be? and in what kind doth he threaten to punish? he saith, My wrath shall be kinled and I will kill you with the sword, 
Exod. 22, 24.  so that your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. See how the Lord threarneth to bring woe upon them that work woe to such as are in misery, and add affliction to them that are in affliction, and multiply sorrow upon them that are in sorrow. This is the use urged by the Prophet I say, chap. 33, 1. Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled, & dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee: when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled: and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee. God suffereth them to have their times, when he holdeth his peace, and letteth them alone to fill up the measure of their sins: howbeit God hath his seasons also, and hath concluded and determined what to do unto them, and how to deal with them; the spoiler shall be spoiled, the robber shall be rob, the oppressor shall be oppressed, & they that do wickedly to others shall have others to deal wickedly against them. This is that which Christ our Saviour speaketh unto Peter, that went beyond the bounds of his calling, and forgot that the weapons of their warfare were not carnal, but spiritual; and that the sword which he was to draw out and to fight withal, was the two edged sword of the Spirit, coming out of the mouth of God, Math. 26.52. Put up thy sword into his place, for all they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword. God will set sword against sword, and wound against wound, yea, and life against life. In the book of the Revelation, the Spirit prophesying of the destruction of the Roman Monarchy, which oppressed the church, and persecuted the Saints of God with cruel slaughter, showeth that it should be cast down, and pass the same judgement they gave against others, chap. 13, 10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. It is a just thing in all ages and times with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble his Church. Indeed we do not see such judgements executed, and such threatenings performed by and by: we are not to prescribe to God his seasons; he knoweth when to strike, and how to punish. It is well said by the Prophet, Hab. 2, 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. For albeit God may seem to us to defer the time, or to forget his servants, yet he will try our patience and obedience, as we see in the place named before, here is the patience and faith of the Saints, revel. 13, 10. We must not make too much haste, but wait for the accomplishment of those things, having withal a lively faith and full assurance to believe, that in God's appointed time they shall come to pass. He is faithful that hath promised, and cannot lie: he is true of his word that hath spoken, and cannot deceive. Woe therefore unto all those that deal unjustly and violently with God's inheritance: they touch his anointed, and they that do them harm, do touch the apple of his eye, so that they cannot escape vengeance.  
[Ver. 28. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean, than she shall be free.] In the former verse Moses hath showed the punishment that shall come upon the guilty person; which punishment is suitable to the sin committed, thereby to clear his own justice, and to terrify all persons from committing sin. In these words we have matter of wonderful great comfort for the innocent person. For howsoever GOD setteth down divers hard and heavy threatenings, as grievous burdens to be borne, against all wicked and ungodly persons; yet he is evermore careful of his children▪ that they be not oppressed with sorrow and overmuch heaviness of mind, forasmuch as he hath a remnant that call upon him, 
Luke 7.  & wisdom is always justified of her children. Behold here a contrary effect and operation in drinking of these bitter waters, according to the contrary condition of those that drank of them. Such as were guilty of the sin of adultery, they turned to their horrible destruction, and became as it were rank poison; their bellies swelled, their thighs rotten, and the parts which they had shamefully abused, miserably perished. But such as were indeed innocent, suspected without just cause, and accused without due proof, and examined without sufficient trial of the fact committed, through the jealousy of their uncharitable husbands, and had kept the marriage bed undefiled; those bitter waters should not be bitter unto them, they should not hurt or hinder them at all, neither work any dangerous effect in them, but rather be wholesome and healthful unto them. God himself the just GOD and the maintainer of justice, will bring the truth to light that was hid in darkness, and turn the hearts of their husbands toward them, so that they should live in godly love and charity together, and see to their endless joy and comfort, the fruit of their bodies, the hope of their houses, the staff and stay of their age, I mean their children, the heritage of the Lord.  
We learn from this first promise, Doctrine. that God maketh known the innocency of his servants. 
God will m●● the innocency of his servants ●ro●●  For howsoever the faithful may be falsely accused, and have many slanderous imputations laid unto their charge, yet God will make their cause to be rightly known, and discover the truth in despite of their enemies. This is confirmed unto us by many examples in the old and new Testament. joseph being sold into Egypt, was grievously accused by his mistress, and cruelly imprisoned by his master: impudence and incontinency in the one, cruelty and credulity in the other, 
Gen. 39, ●●  were the causes that he was put into prison in the place where the King's prisoners lay bound: his case might seem now to be desperate, and he to be for ever in displeasure and out of favour, and no hope left unto him to be delivered from thence where his feet were held in the stocks, and he laid in irons: 
Psal. 100LS, 1●.  yet when the appointed time came, and the counsel of the Lord had tried him, he made his cause known, Gen. 39 The Lord was with joseph, & showed him mercy, and got him favour in the sight of the master of the prison, etc. Whereby we see, that at the first he was used hardly, and had fetters of iron cast upon him as an evil doer; but afterward he was more mildly and mercifully handled, when as his innocency was made known. The like we might say of David, who in all his dealings toward Saul, carried himself wisely, obediently, and uprightly, as became the King's son, subject, and servant: yet he was persecuted from place to place, and hated even unto the death, and hunted as a Partridge upon the Mountains, yea he found no rest for the soles of his feet, like the Dove sent out of the Ark in the time of the flood, and overflowing of the waters, Gen. 8 9 But when Saul saw that the lap was cut off from his garment, and the spear and pot of water that was at his head, taken away, he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rendered me good, and I have rendered thee evil: and thou hast showed this day that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the lord had closed me in thine hands, thou killed'st me not, etc. but my soul was precious in thine eyes. 1 Sam. 24, 18. and 26, 20, 21. So did God deal with jeremy, when he was slandered and falsely accused to be a conspirator, and to weaken the hands of the people; and when he was cast into prison, the Lord raised up some to favour him, who made his case known, and he was delivered. Christ jesus was charged to be a blasphemer of God, an enemy of Caesar, an author of sedition, and a disturber of the peace: howbeit his greatest enemies that sat in judgement of him, pronounced him innocent, and confessed that the Pharisees and Priests for envy had delivered him.  
I will add one example more, and that shall be the blessed Virgin, who being betrothed to joseph, before they came together as man and wife, she was found to be with child by the holy Ghost. Math. 1, 18, 19, 20. Then she began to be suspected of incontinency, and joseph being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away seretly. What then? doth God leave her destitute, and him perplexed? her in suspicion, and him in his resolution to departed from her? No: for as she was innocent and not faulty of that crime, so did he make her innocency and integrity known; for whiles he thought these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, joseph the son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her, is of the holy Ghost. All which testimonies make this apparent, that God will one way or other make the innocency of his people to be known.  
Reason 1 The reasons of this doctrine will farther confirm us in the truth of it: whereof the first may be from the office of God, who is the judge of all the world. Surely the Lord will not pervert judgement to do unrighteously, neither will he take rewards, nor subvert a man in his cause.  
Hence it is, that Abraham, making intercession for the Sodomites, that those Cities might be spared, saith, Gen. 18, 25. Be it far from thee from doing this thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be even as the wicked, be it far from thee: Shall not the judge of all the world do right? And to that purpose reasoneth the Apostle, Rom. 3.5. What shall we say? Is God unrighteous, which punisheth? God forbidden: else how shall God judge the world? If then this title belong unto him of right above all others, than he will at last come forth, though he tarry long, to plead the cause of his servants, & will bring their righteousness into the open light.  
Secondly, God is evermore an helper in Reason 2 time of need, who, albeit he suffer his servants to be exercised and tried by slanders & grievous afflictions, as we heard before concerning joseph, yet he appeareth for their deliverance, and cleareth their names from reproach. When they are in greatest danger, then is he nearest at hand, and so giveth the issue with the tentation. This doth the Prophet David acknowledge, Psalm. 118.6, 7. and 56, 4, 11. The Lord is on my side, I will not fear what man can do unto me: the Lord taketh my part with them that help me, therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. And this doth the Apostle teach us to apply to ourselves, because every one may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, 
Heb. 13, 6.  and I will not fear what man can do unto me.  
If then he have promised to take our part, and to help us in time of need, when we are oppressed with the evil speeches of our enemies, he will not be far from us, but succour us and sustain us that we shall not fall.  
Thirdly, we know well, that howsoever Reason 3 many things are covered here in darkness, partly through hypocrisy in some, and partly through ignorance and weakness that is in all, we are not able to enter into the actions of men, and dive down so low as to see with what purpose they do them, yet the time shall come when they shall be discovered and manifested. This is the general rule delivered by Christ our Saviour, Luk. 12, verse 2. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: neither hid that shall not be known. This is true, not only touching the hypocrisy of the wicked, but also touching the innocency of the righteous: for all shall be known in the end, when the secrets of all hearts shall be discovered.  
From hence we have offered to our wise Use 1 considerations, very many profitable uses, whereof I will point out the principal. First, we are put in mind from hence to commit all our ways and works to God, and to depend upon him to bring to light the truth of our hearts. Let us put our trust in him, and delight ourselves in the Lord. Let us possess our souls with patience, when we are slandered and traduced, and resign up ourselves to him that ruleth all things. Let us cast our eyes upon his providence, who careth for us, and watcheth over us.  
The children of God, when they see the prosperity of the wicked, and how all things in this world for the most part go well with them, are sore troubled, they begin to waver, and sometimes to fret & murmur, as if there were no God to govern all things. This made the Prophet David to say, Psal. 73, 12, 13, 14. Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world, and increase in riches; verily, I have cleansed mine heari in vain, & washed mine hands in innocency; for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning. But God will not forget us or forsake us, if we trust in him, we shall not be deceived. So often as we have evil rewarded unto us for good, and are overladen with the slanders of the ungodly, we are ready to fret and fume, and to seek revenge against them: we have many doubts arise in us, as if it were lost labour to worship God sincerely, and to deal with our brethren justly.  
It is not the pleasure of almighty God, that our righteousness should always lie hid in the dark, and as it were creep into corners, forasmuch as he will make it shine as the Sun, and bring it into the open light. This is the use that the Prophet teacheth us to make, Psal. 37, 5, 6. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, & he shall bring it to pass: and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noon day. Wherein he alludeth fitly unto the night, the darkness whereof, the morning arising, scattereth away.  
Are we then hardly used? are we shamefully entreated? are we oppressed with slanderous things laid to our charge? and doth God for a time hold his peace, as if he heard them not? or doth he shut his eyes, as if he saw them not? Let us not take it to heart, or be discouraged, this aught to trouble us no more, than when the darkness of the night covereth the earth, because we look for the morning to appear, and the Sun to shine. When all things are dark, that nothing can be discerned, when we know not white from black, nor chalk from cheese, nor fair from foul, we are not to be grieved or disquieted by it, because we live in expectation of the light which we know cannot be far. Then we shall know one thing from another, when all will show themselves in their likeness. From this consideration we are admonished to commit our ways unto the Lord, who will make a notable issue of them, by giving judgement on our side, and delivering of us from the venom of the evil tongue. He forbiddeth in the law, 
Exod. 20, 16.  any to bear false witness in judgement. Now he is a false witness that holdeth his peace, when he may by his testimony relieve his brother, justify his person, clear his good name, or defend his goods, or right his cause in any matter called into question, as well as he that speaketh in a cause, 
Exod. 23, 2.  to decline after many, to wrest judgement. He hath made us keepers of the credit one of another: so that we may offend God and our neighbour, as well by not speaking the truth, as by speaking of an untruth.  
The law itself requireth such love to be among us, that although we be not requested, yet we should never be wanting to another, but always be willing and desirous to maintain his good name and estimation, according to the commandment of our Lord and Master, Matthew 7, verse 12. Whatsoever ye would that other men should do unto you, even so do ye unto them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Doth God require this at our hands, and will not he perform it toward us? Must we clear our brother's good name, and will God himself fail to do it? or do we think we can have a better or greater care of the name of our brother, or of our own name, than God the righteous judge of the world, hath of us all? That cannot be, he is jealous of our good names, and will not have the truth smothered with a lie, nor innocency buried in the earth. Shall we make ourselves more righteous than GOD, and justify ourselves above our Maker? There is not a spark of that truth which is in GOD given to us: true it is, he honoureth us by vouchsafing this mercy unto us, to open our mouths to speak his truth, which he is able to avouch and justify against all gainsayers a thousand ways. If we then that are evil, know how to acquit our brethren, we may be well assured, he will be more just and righteous in all his dealings toward us, than we have been or can be one to another. And if we have means at any time to free our brethrens from infamy, we may fully and certainly be assured that he will be ready to bring to light our innocency.  
Secondly, seeing God hath promised to make our innocency that is derided or denied, Us; e 2 to be known, let us know that it is our duty to go boldly to the Throne of his grace, and to pray unto God to perform his promise toward us.  
It falleth out oftentimes that we see no way to bring the truth to light, and we think it unpossible that ever we should be cleared: howbeit we have to do with God, to whom nothing is secret, before whom all things are manifest, he is able to bring us into credit again. We take therefore a wrong course, and provide evilly for ourselves, to rage and storm against those that revile us and speak all manner of evil of us falsely for Christ his sake: whereas we ought to repair into the presence of GOD, and to crave of him that he would make the justice of our causes to appear.  
If any object, Object. Is not God without prayer able to make the truth of our causes known? Or hath he need to be put in mind of his office, which is to justify the godly, and to condemn the wicked?  
I answer, Answer. as GOD is able of himself to do it, so he also hath appointed the means how he will do it. And among them all, none is more excellent than prayer: so that his almighty power doth not exclude prayer, but rather imply it; neither should it keep us from prayer, but rather encourage us to prayer; forasmuch as almighty God useth it as an instrument for the performance of those things which he hath promised, and appointed. He that goeth to warfare, prepareth horse & armour, and levieth soldiers, and getteth what provision and furniture he can; he will by no means be brought to leave them behind him, or to send them back again, and to rush into the battle without them, because they are instruments by which God is wont to give the victory to such as it seemeth good to him, so that he cannot without rashness lay them aside: so is prayer necessary, by the which the LORD is accustomed to give unto us those things that we want, and therefore it were horrible presumption to neglect it under pretence of his knowledge understanding our cases, or of his power enabling him to do all things, or of his providence determining all things. As God hath appointed armour to them that desire victory, so hath he ordained prayer for them that would be relieved in necessity.  

●it God ●eth what ●eed, yet ●er is need  True it is, GOD knoweth what we need, better than ourselves that are in need: & yet is not prayer to be holden superfluous, because God hath commanded us that in the day of trouble we should call upon him, Mat. 7. he hath promised to hear us, and deliver us, Psal. 50. He hath made no promise to us of any blessing, except we ask the same of him: he keepeth us in fear and reverence, and maketh us to acknowledge him to be the giver and author of all good things: he declareth his love unto us that humbleth and abaseth himself to hear our requests & complaints particularly, and thereby inflameth us to love him again, and to put our trust in him: by this familiar communication with him, we grow after a sort familiar with him, and we are bold to shroud ourselves under his wing, as the child flieth to his father: and lastly, as we confess that whatsoever good things we enjoy do come from him alone, so it is our duty to return to him the thanks, and to use them to his glory. Wherefore, whensoever we find ourselves wronged of our neighbours, we are not to turn upon them in a rage, like unto the dog that runneth after the stone that is cast at him, and not at him that did cast it: but let us run with boldness unto God, and pour out our supplications before him, desiring him to help us and right our cause. This doth the Prophet David in many places, Psal. 4, 1, and 69, 13. Hear me when I ●ill, O God of my righteousness, thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress, have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. He acknowledgeth in his prayer to God, that he was the witness, judge, and defender of his innocency and uprightness toward Saul or any other: declaring by his own example, that when men unjustly condemn us, we must fly unto God by humble and earnest prayer, who is the patron and pleader of the causes of his people. And in the seventh Psalm, verse 6. Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself, because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgement that thou hast commanded: and afterward, verse 8. The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. If God did not lay to his hand and help him, he confesseth that he were utterly destroyed: and therefore he prayeth to be delivered from his persecutors. Whensoever therefore men will not judge uprightly, and have their eyes blinded through malice or favour, we ought by prayer to refer our causes to him that hath no respect of persons and so commit our causes to him that judgeth righteously. 
1 Pet. 2, 23.   
Howsoever the innocent cause of the godly may be hidden for a time, and overwhelmed by the slanders of the ungodly, yet if we be not wanting unto ourselves, continuance of time the daughter of truth will bring it to light. We cry out against the wicked, but let us go the right way and cry to God: we lift up our voice against them, whereas we ought to lift up our voice unto him who hath his ears open to hear our prayers, and will blow away the storm and tempest by the blast of his mouth.  
Thirdly, doth God promise to right our cause, and take upon him our defence? Then Use 3 let us do good for good, and return unto him like for like; let us yield defence for defence, and plead his cause that hath pleaded ours. For it is our duty to undertake his defence, whensoever his truth is gainsaid, or his name evill-spoken of.  
There is no man but is very careful and circumspect to maintain his own name and credit in the world, whensoever it is any way questioned: ought we not then much more to regard the upholding and bearing up the Name of God, which is great and holy through all generations? Hereunto doth joshua seem to allude, chap. 7, verse 9 complaining unto God of the overthrow that the Israelites had received at the siege of At, The Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the Land shall hear of it, and shall compass us, and destroy our name out of the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy mighty Name? He had greater care of God's glory than he had of his own: and it went nearer unto him to hear Gods Name dishonoured, then to have his own destroyed out of the earth.  
So it ought to be with us; let it not trouble us to be hated and maligned of the unthankful world, and our honour with all contempt and disgrace laid in the dust; but be evermore ready to say, Not unto us, Lord, not unto us; but unto thy Name give the glory. Psal. 115.1.  
If we be to open our mouths for our brethren, (as we shall see more at large afterward) when they are laden with scandals and reproaches, much more than ought we to do this in God's cause, and for God's glory. Let us not be ashamed of his truth, lest he be ashamed of us. Let us confess his Name before the sons of men, and we shall be sure to be confessed before the sons of God. If we acknowledge his truth, he will acknowledge us before the Angels and before his Father. This Christ teacheth his Disciples, Whosoever confesseth me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven; 
Math. 10, 32.  but whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. What a shame and reproach will this be unto us, that God should defend our cause, and we shrink back through fear to defend his? Christ our Saviour doth oftentimes take upon him to defend his Disciples, when they were assaulted and set upon by the Pharisees, and therefore no marvel though he charge this upon them so earnestly, that they should not be ashamed of him and of his words in that adulterous and sinful generation. We must be all ready to say with the Apostle, Rom. 1, 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth. He defendeth his Disciples being reproved because they did not fast often, which was the bodily exercise which the Pharisees so much practised, Luke 18. and wherein they so much gloried, Math. 9, 14. He defendeth them being accused of the breach of the Sabbath, when they were seen to pluck the ears of corn and eat them, Math. 12, 2, 3. He defendeth them being charged to transgress the tradition of the Elders, in that they did not wash before they had eaten bread, Mat. 15, 2, 3. Yea, such was his great & wonderful love to those that followed him, that when his own credit was touched as well as theirs, he seemeth to neglect his own, and maintain theirs, as we see, Luke 7. When Christ was entertained in the house of one of the Pharisees, a woman in the City which was a sinner, knowing that he sat at meat, brought an Alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet, washing them with her tears, 
Luke 7.39.  wiping them with her hairs, kissing them with her lips, and anointing them with the ointment: but when the Pharisee, which had bidden him, saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a Prophet, would have known, who, and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner. He conceived hardly of Christ, as well as of the woman: and judged wrongfully of him that he was no Prophet, as well as of her that she was a sinner; yea more corruptly of him then of her, forasmuch as she had been so; whereas he was not only a Prophet, but the Prince of Prophets, yea, the King of his Church, 
Verse 47.  yea, the Son of God: yet he forbeareth to make any apology for himself, & wholly defendeth her, telling him that her sins, which are many, are forgiven her, for she loved much. Hath the Lord jesus this singular care of us, and shall not we be zealous of his glory? Shall we suffer his name to be trodden under foot, and never offer to uphold it? Shall evil men speak evil of his truth, and we say nothing against them? The Apostle Peter giveth this commandment, Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, 1 Pet. chap. 3, verse 15. When the Apostles were charged to preach no more in the Name of jesus Christ, Peter and john answered and said unto them; Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye: for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Acts 4, 19 Woe then unto those that see and hear God notoriously dishonoured, and yet will neither hear it nor see it: they make a law against themselves, and shall taste of the same measure measured unto them again, they shall be censured of others, when they shall have none to defend their causes. This they will judge to be an injury to themselves, and yet cannot perceive the iniquity which they commit against God. If then they will have GOD show this mercy to them in making their innocency known, let them perform this duty to him in pleading his cause, when his truth is evilly spoken off, or any way overborne. Use 4  
Fourthly, forasmuch as this is the merciful dealing of GOD toward us and our good name when it is impeached, that he will make the truth to be known, let us acknowledge this blessing, and give him the praise of it. This also is another duty that we are put in mind off to be performed unto him. For as we are bound in regard of our own good to pray unto him to make manifest the secrets of our hearts, and to bring to the light the truth that is hidden: so whensoever we have found the hand of GOD to be with us, and to have scattered the clouds and mists of falsehood, slanders, and evil surmises, and so made the goodness of our cause, and the clearness of our conscience to appear, as the Sun that shineth in his strength; it belongeth unto us to confess his loving kindness, and by all means to be thankful to him for it, and to express our thankfulness by obedience. Let us not be like unto the Lepers in the Gospel, who were very desirous to be cleansed of their leprosy, they lifted up their voices and said, jesus Master, have mercy on us, Luke 17, verse 13. Howbeit when once they were healed, they went their ways, and never remembered him that recovered them; like to Pharaohs chief Butler, that gave the cup into his hand, 
Gen 4●, ●1  who forgot joseph so soon as his head was lifted up, and he restored unto his place, 
Verse 14.  albeit joseph had entreated him to think upon him, when it should be well with him, and so to show kindness unto him, for that kindness which he had received. Only one of these ten lepers that were cleansed, returned back to jesus to give him thanks, and ascribe praise and glory to be due unto him for that work. Thus it is with many of us, we are ready to call and cry out for the wrongs that we sustain, & we are as desirous to have our names cleared, as the Lepers were to have their bodies cleansed: but when God hath helped to clear us who were not able to clear ourselves, and so hath wrought means for our good, we rejoice in ourselves and not in the Lord; we praise ourselves, and not the Lord: we do so magnify ourselves, that we never glorify him: we are so jealous of our own name, that we are never a whit zealous of God's Name. Is it so small a benefit to have our good meaning manifest, and our righteousness known, that it is not worth thanks? If a man should come as a witness on our side, when our case seemed desperate and out of hope, would we not think ourselves beholding unto him? It is the Lord that is the God of our righteousness, it is he that will give judgement on our side, and therefore to him we own praise, glory, thanks, and all honour. This we see performed in David, Psalm. 18, 20, 24, 47, 49. being a Psalm of thanksgiving in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, & from the hand of Saul, of whom he was accused to affect the kingdom, and to seek his life. He confesseth how good God had been unto him, that he rewarded him according to his righteousness, and according to the cleanness of his hands he recompensed him; that it was God that avenged him, and subdued the people under him, and delivered him from the violent man: whereupon he concludeth; Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy Name. Thus must we do, and this aught to be our song when we have received the same favour. We are acquainted with his goodness in this kind, but he cannot be acquainted with our thankfulness. We can be content to swallow with a wide and open throat his benefits, but when we should confess his mercy to his glory, our mouths are stopped, and our tongues are tied, and our throats are dried, and our hearts are straightened, that we cannot utter a voice nor deliver him a word for the deliverance that we have had experience of.  
Use 5 Fiftly, as our doctrine putteth us in mind of duties belonging unto God, so it offereth us instruction how to behave ourselves toward our brethren. Is God careful of our good name? and will he make known our innocency? Then let the same mind be in us one toward another, which is in the Almighty toward us all, let us follow the example of our heavenly Father, and be careful to maintain the good name of our brethren, & show that mercy unto them which we have received of God. We cannot have a better example set before our eyes, than the example of God, who chargeth us to be merciful as he is merciful, Luk. 6, 30. As he is ready to forgive us, so ought we to forgive from our hearts, the trespasses that are done unto us, Ephe. 4. As he made all things in six days, and rested the seventh, so ought we to rest from the labours of our callings, and sanctify the Sabbath day, Gen. 2. Exod. 20. As Christ washed the feet of his Disciples, so he gave them an example that they should do as he had done to them; for he is meek and lowly in heart, & they shall find rest to their souls, joh. 13. As he being in the form of God, & thinking it no robbery to be equal to God, made himself of no reputation, & took upon him the form of a servant; so the same mind ought to be in us that was in him, that so in lowliness of mind we should esteem each other better than ourselves, & have a kind of emulation among us, who should cast down himself lowest, Phil. 2, 5. As he suffered for us, so he hath left us an example that we should follow his steps, 1 Pet. 2.21. As he was reviled, and reviled not again: as he suffered, & threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, so should not we give taunt for taunt, and reproach for reproach. And as Christ defended his Disciples when as they were falsely charged, & wrongfully accused, as we showed before, so ought we to deal toward our brethren. When we hear false reports, which have no ground or good beginning, such as in our own knowledge & conscience we know to be invented in hell, and broached in earth, such I say, as are spread abroad through malice of our brother, and hatred of his profession: what must we do? shall we believe them, & give credit unto them? Shall we increase them, & add somewhat of our own? or shall we laugh at them, & make ourselves merry with them? No, we must not only stop the stream, and stay the reports, & keep ourselves and others from receiving of them; but we must open our mouths in the cause of the dumb, and oppose ourselves against those that are their enemies. A good name is a precious jewel, 
Prou. 22, 1.  it is better than silver and gold. It commendeth us to God & his Angels. It is a precious ointment and a sweet perfume that maketh us acceptable to the sons of men, and winneth their hearts: yea, sometimes it maketh our enemies to be at peace with us, and to favour us. It seasoneth the gifts that we have received, and maketh them profitable unto others. If our gifts be never so great and excellent yet if we have not a good name to grace them and counrenance them, we can do very little or no good with them. If we see a man stealing away the goods of our neighbour, and secretly purloining them away, and we hold our peace, are we not accessary to his theft, and partakers of his sin? So if we hear any raising evil reports of him, and robbing him of his good name, which is more in value then all things in the world, are we not slanderers as well as he, while we join with him, & so become guilty of the same transgression? A good name is many a man's living; take that away, and impair his credit, he is utterly undone, & not able to maintain himself: you hurt him as much as if you took away house and land, corn & cattle from him, or any other thing of worth that is dear unto him. If then it be so rich and precious a treasure, we must be careful to maintain our brother's credit & estimation, being made keepers of his life, of his goods, and of his good name, doing the same unto him, which we desire he should do unto us. This is a sign of true love, that we love him indeed, when we will not spare to take upon us his just defence: and on the other side, it is an evident token of cold love, or no love at all, when we see them abused, and do not regard it: the Lord will raise up others in his righteous judgement, who shall do as little for us, as we do for those that stand in need of us.  
Use 6 Lastly, as this doctrine hath offered unto us sundry good meditations of duties, concerning God and our brother, so it sendeth us not away without comfort concerning ourselves. Are we slandered and reviled? Are we falsely charged with things which we never spoke or did? Let this be our comfort, the time shall certainly come, when the slanderers shall be detected, and put to silence. It ought not to seem strange to us, when such flying tales are noised abroad, rather it might seem most strange as a great wonder if it were not so. The devil will be the devil still, who is the head and prince of all slanderers, and all his instruments will be like him. God's people above all others are falsely accused; they are not of the world, 
john 15, 19  but chosen out of the world, and therefore the world hateth them. joseph was accused to be incontinent: job was condemned to be an hypocrite: Daniel was charged with disobedience; Amos of conspiracy, Eliah of troubling Israel, David of seeking saul's life; Paul was suspected to be a murderer, Christ our Saviour was reputed an enemy to Caesar, and his Disciples were accused, and judged worthy of stripes, and censured to be movers of sedition among the people: howbeit all this is but as a cloud, which will quickly be dispersed, & as a dark mist that shall suddenly be scattered away. It is a notable comfort to hear these things, that GOD will not suffer us to sink down under taunts and rebukes of men, but lift up our heads and pronounce sentence of absolution on our side. Let it not trouble us to be condemned of men, so that we be assured to be justified of God. If a man were wrongfully condemned in an action of slander, or felony in an inferior Court of justice, and there judged to be guilty of some heinous crime; yet if he were sure to be acquitted and discharged by appeal to an higher Court, where he is persuaded he cannot but have justice, because there is no corruption of judge, or witness: how would he be comforted? and how little should the overthrow he had taken, be regarded? forasmuch as he knoweth the next trial will set all to right again. So is the case with us. It is our lot and condition here to be persecuted and reviled for righteousness sake, 
Mat. 5, 1●, 1●  and we shall be condemned of wicked men unjustly: howbeit this ought not to trouble us, how greatly soever they resist us and rage against us: this is but a condemnation of men upon the earth: we may lawfully appeal from them to an higher Court, and to a greater judge. When Paul was falsely accused by the jews, and could have no justice at the hands of the high Priests, he appealed to Caesar, that is, 
Acts 25, 12  from inferior Governors, to the Emperor that was supreme. So must we do, when we are burdened and oppressed by the poison of evil tongues, and condemned as evil doers of all men, we know there is a judge that sitteth in heaven, who will acquit us when we come before him, and take the cause into his own hand. And if we see not this always accomplished in this life, it shall most certainly be performed in the life to come, when all the secrets of every man's heart shall be opened. Sometimes he maketh their light so to shine in this world, that they reap great fruit of their godliness, and the Sun beams as it were to refresh them and make them alive again. But if it happen not in this life, yet it shall not fail in the next life, when Christ shall appear in glory, and say, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit ye the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world, Math. chap. 25, verse 34. When he shall break the heavens, and come to judge the quick and the dead, let us lift up our heads and rejoice, for our redemption draweth near. This is the time of our refreshing, here we are overwearied with bearing the burden of other men's malice. Then shall all tears be wiped from our eyes, and we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known, as we read, Math. chap. 13, verse 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun, in the kingdom of their Father: he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. To this purpose speaketh Paul, Colos. chap. 3, verses 3, 4. Your life is hid with Christ in God: when Christ, who is our life, 
1 john 3, ●  shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  
If then our righteousness be covered here as with a garment, and be hidden as a treasure that is buried in the earth, yet our life shall not always lie in obscurity; for when the night is past, the day will appear, and when falsehood hideth her face, the truth will be made manifest.  
Let us acknowledge the power of God that is able to do this: and let us rest patiently in him that is our stay. Let us not fret our selves, because of him that prospereth in his way, and bringeth wicked devices to pass. contrarywise, the ungodly have from this doctrine matter of sorrow and heaviness, because howsoever they rule here for a time, and will not be controlled; they say their tongues are their own, who is Lord over them; they think themselves privileged to devise and disperse what lies they list, and none may call them to an account: yet God will one day call them to an account, when they shall receive according to their works: For yet a little while, 
〈◊〉. 37, 10, 13  and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be, the Lord shall laugh at him, for he seeth his day coming. Then it shall be said to all the wicked, 
●th. 25, 41.  Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels. The truth may be over-borne and smothered for a time, yet it cannot be disgraced and concealed for ever. It were well for them, if they might lie for ever in the grave, and never come into the light: it were well for them if their works might never come to be examined & might die as the untimely fruit of a woman, that never saw the Sun: but it shall not go so well with them, they must not then look for avie comfort, like the rich Glutton who was denied a drop of water to cool his tongue. If then they would give a thousand worlds for one day of repentance, or for one drop of Faith, or for oil in their lamps, they cannot obtain it. here life is either won or lost: here salvation is begun, or else we never have it. Then all things shall appear as they are, though many things are that do not now appear. Then the vizard of the hypocrite must be pulled off, and he shall deceive no more by shows of honest dealing.  
[And she shall conceive seed.] In these words we have a second promise made to the Woman suspected of adultery, against whom nothing could be proved. For God maketh a twofold promise to the innocent party. The first was set down before, that she should be free from the imputation of the sin, and from the castigation of punishment. Now cometh the second promise to be considered, which reacheth further than the former, wherein God doth wonderfully recompense the slander charged upon her, and declare himself to be a maintainer of chastity and innocency. For what could a woman in this case have desired, but to have her innocency made known to her husband, and to the whole Church? It was an hard case to undergo this trial, and to have her name in this manner called into question: but after she is tried, God doth abundantly recompense her sorrow and affliction, and doth not only clear her good name, but giveth her issue, making the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. He doth not only set her free, the thing which she desired: but withal, maketh her fruitful, which is more than she could have expected. We learn hereby, 
Doctrine. God bestow●th more mercy upon his hildrens, than they desire.  that howsoever the faithful are many ways tried and troubled, yet all their sorrows are turned to their good. When the innocency and righteousness of the godly is once made known, God is more gracious unto them than they could desire or crave at his hands. We see this in the examples alleged in the former Doctrine, as in a glass most clearly. Remember what we said of joseph; albeit he lived for a time as a prisoner and was clapped in the stocks, yet he was delivered, and his innocency revealed. But was this all? Or did God content himself to bring his sincerity to light? No, he was advanced to honour, 
Gen. 41, 41.  and made ruler over all the land of Egypt, which he never dreamt of, nor looked for, nor gaped after. And as it was with the son, so was it also with the father. For jacob vowed a vow to God, that if he would be with him and keep him in his journey that he was to go, 
Genes. 28, 20. with ●2, 9, 10.  And would give him bread to eat, and raiment to put on, than the Lord should be his God. His desires are not extended far, but he is contented with a little, he craveth of God his daily bread, the which Christ also willeth and warranteth us to ask, Mat. 6 nevertheless, God was more gracious to him then so, and gave him great riches, as himself confesseth to God his loving kindness: I am not worthy of the lest of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant, for with my staff I passed over this jordan, and now I am become two bands. The like we might speak of job the faithful servant of the Lord; who may be compared to him in the suffering of adversity? Or who can match him in patience? He sustained the loss of his Children, and of his goods, and yet these were but the beginnings of sorrows, forasmuch as he was deeply afflicted in body and mind. What then? did he desire of God in his misery, 
job 42, 10.  to have his Asses and Camels, and cattle doubled upon him, and all the substance of his house to be increased? He had no such thought in his hart, and yet it came to pass according to the saying of the Apostle, james 5, 11. Ye have heard of the patience of job, and have seen the end of the Lord, for the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. Let us also call to mind the example of David, the least in his Father's house, he was called of God from feeding his sheep, and following the Ewes great with young, and was anointed to be King, and appointed to feed his people in jacob, and his inheritance in Israel. whereof he never dreamt, Psal. 78, 71, 72. The like we might say of Daniel, of Mordecay, of Ester, and many other children of the captivity, who saw great dangers ready to fall upon the church, as it were a gaping gulf ready to swallow them up quick, or as a huge rock threatening shipwreck; if they had only tasted of the mercy of God and his power in working their deliverance, they would have magnified his great goodness, and sung his praise with the Psalmist, 
Psal. 34, 19, 20  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all: he keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken, Psal. 34, 19, 20. But besides this, he gave them favour in the sight of Princes, 
1 Sam. 2, 8.  and raised them from the dunghill, to make them inherit the Throne of glory, as Hannah singeth, who had good experience of it, who was contemned, but now regarded: who asked of God one son, and obtained not him alone, but three other sons, and two daughters. From all which concents of holy Scripture▪ we conclude, that the faithful and righteous servants of God are oftentimes blessed, not only above their deserts, (which are none at all) but above their desires and demands.  
Reason 1 The Reasons that serve to confirm this truth to our consciences, are to be considered of us. First, God is infinite in his love toward his people: he is no niggard of his goods, he keepeth not all to himself, as the covetous man. He is as the liberal man, that freely bestoweth where he seethe need: we are as poor beggars that have nothing our own but rags and rents; or as poor cripples that can boast of nothing but wounds and sores full of corruption. His grace is the true riches, and by it he hath abounded toward his church. Hence it is that the Apostle writing to the Ephesians, commendeth in many places of the Epistle, the overflowing grace of God, and showeth that he is rich in mercy, and aboundeth in kindness, chap. 1, 7. & chap. 2, 4, 7. he setteth out his great love wherewith he loveth us, & the exceeding riches of his grace, and his kindness toward us through jesus Christ. And chap. 3, 8. he calleth his grace toward us unsearchable riches. He doth not keep us to a diet, as though he meant to pine us or famish us: he doth not allow us only so much as serveth to keep us in state, and hold body and soul together, but he dealeth bountifully towards us, & maketh our cup to over flow. If then he be rich in mercy and goodness, and abundant in kindness, if there be in him exceeding riches, unsearchable riches, riches of his grace and glory, it is not to be marveled at, that his children find him gracious toward them, above all that the tongue can desire, or the heart can think: forasmuch as his mercy is over all his works.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God is evermore better than his word, and performeth more than he promiseth. He is not as man that he should lie, nor as the son of man that he should deceive, all his promises are yea and Amen to the praise of his mercy. He promiseth little, and performeth much. He is a Prince indeed that never falsified his word, neither could the unbelief of some that did not believe, make the saith of God without effect, Rom. 3, 3. he remaineth always true and faithful, constant and sure. If we obtain not the promises, the fault is not in the promise of God, but in the infidelity of man; forasmuch as he never deludeth any, nor dallieth with them; whatsoever is gone out of his mouth, he meaneth it in good earnest. The word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done in truth, he will not suffer his faithfulness to fail. Psal. 33.4. and 89. He promiseth in the fift commandment to give to inferiors that are obedient a long life, yet sometimes they die betimes: and on the other side, the stubborn and disobedient have prospered in this world, and lived long. How then (will some say) is God as good as his word? and how is he certain of his promise? Because, albeit he take us away, yet he performeth it by giving much more than he promised. When Herod promised to his wanton Minion that danced before him, 
Mark 6, ●●.  The one half of his kingdom, it is certain it had been no breach of his promise, if he had resigned up the whole kingdom into her hands. So, if God promise a prolonged life, 
Exod 20, ●●.  and give instead of it a perpetual life, here is more than half in half gains and advantage; as he that promiseth ten pieces of silver, and performeth twenty pieces of Gold; or he that promiseth a yard of cloth, and giveth an ell of Velvet, doth not break his promise, or falsify his word.  
Thirdly, as God is rich in grace, so he is Reason 3 infinite in power: he is able to do what he will, and more than he will. Nothing is unpossible unto him: he hath all creatures in his own hand, to employ them as it pleaseth him. This is the reason used by the apostle, Eph. 3 20. Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, be praise in the Church by jesus Christ, etc. If then he be able to give us more than we crave or desire, we are not to doubt of his doing of it, and we have all of us many notable experiences of it.  
Let us come to the Uses, and mark them Use 1 diligently. First, let us not be dismayed under the Cross, but assure ourselves of a good end, and of an happy issue. It is the cup which we must all drink of, in one kind or in another. Let us not sink down under it, but lay hold on this principle, and fasten our hearts upon the doctrine with which we deal, as on an Anchor cast out of the ship to stay us, assuring ourselves that God will be gracious unto us, his mercy shall superabound, so that we shall be more than Conquerors. One affliction followeth another, as one wave of the Sea rouleth after another, as Psal. 42. verse 7. One deep calleth another deep by the noise of thy water spouts; all thy waves and thy floods are gone over me. And in the 66. psalm, the 10, 11, 12. verse. Thou, O God hast proved us, thou hast tried us, as silver is tried: thou hast brought us into the net, thou layedst affliction upon our loins; thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, but thou brought'st us out into a wealthy place. Nothing therefore shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord, who hath promised us that he will not leave us, nor forsake us. This promise we are to lay hold upon by faith, that he is able and willing to perform it, and that he will be better unto us than his word. We cannot believe too much concerning God: we need not fear to hope too far of his mercy. True it is, we oftentimes presume too far of the kindness of men, and so are deceived of our expectation: we promise to ourselves much, when we go away empty. It is not so with God. There is no sin greater than infidelity, when he speaketh, not to hear: when he promiseth, not to believe: which he suffereth not to go unpunished. If you call his word into question which is passed out of his mouth, you call his nature and being in question; you 〈◊〉 in effect doubt whether he be God or not; yea, whether there be a God or not. The Prince that heard the word of the Lord sent in mercy, during the famine in Israel, and the siege of Samaria, 2 King. 7, 1. 
●ings 7, 1.  To morrow this time a Measure of fine flower shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of Barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria, did not believe it, because such was their misery, that it seemed not only strange, but impossible unto them that there should be such plenty and abundance at a sudden, and no means appear how or which way it should be done, and therefore said, verse 2. Though the Lord would make windows in the heaven, could this thing come to pass? But what followed? The Prophet denounced against him, that he should see the truth of it with his eyes, but he should not eat thereof; and the Lord executed this sentence, and let nothing of that which he had said fall to the ground, for the people trod upon him in the gate (he having the oversight of the business committed unto him) and he died, as the man of God had said.  
Zachariah the Priest, had an Angel sent unto him from God, standing at the right side of the Altar of Incense, 
〈◊〉 1, 13.  telling him that His prayer was heard, and that his wife should bear him a son, and that many should rejoice at his birth; 
●●rse 14.  howbeit he would not believe the message, he measured all things by the course of nature: the word of the Angel would not suffice him, that stood in the presence of God, and was sent to speak unto him, and to show him these good tidings; he must farther hear, verse 18. Whereby he should know this? But he that would not rest in these good tidings, is constrained to hear heavy tidings, that he should be dumb, 
●se 20  and not be able to speak until the day that these things be done, because he believed not his words which should be fulfilled in their season. The like we might also say of the Israelites in the wilderness, as we shall see afterwards in the eleventh chapter of this book of Numbers, Moses showed the weakness of his faith, and the people the want of their faith, so that the Lord complaineth against them; against Moses, that he was of little Faith; against the rest, that they were for the most part a faithless generation, albeit they had known his goodness, tried his power, felt his justice, and seen his mercies and miracles plentifully amongst them; he might justly take up the same complaint against his people, which Christ did against his Disciples, Mat. 17. verse 17. O generation, faithless, and crooked, how long now shall I be with you? How long now shall I suffer you? Hence it is, that when Moses considering the want they had of flesh, Numb. 11, 21, 22. said, Six hundred thousand footmen are there of the people, among whom I am: and thou sayest, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a month long: Shall the sheep and the beeves be slain for them to find them? either shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them? The Lord said unto Moses, Is the lords hand shortened? Thou shalt see now, whether my word shall come to pass unto thee, or no. He sent them that which they desired, but he sent it not as a blessing: they lusted with Concupiscence in the Wilderness, and tempted GOD in the Desert; so that it turned to be a curse unto them, 
Verse 33.  for While the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, even the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and he smote the people with an exceeding great plague. Yea, such was the judgement that came upon them, 
Verse 34.  that the place was called Kibroth hattaavah, the graves of Lust; for there they buried the people that fell a lusting, to keep thereby the greatness of their sin fresh in remembrance▪ verifying that also which the Prophet saith, Psal. 106, 16. He gave them their request, but he sent leanness into their soul. They had flesh enough, but it did them no good, they abounded, but their abundance turned to their destruction. So when they wanted water, and Moses & Aaron did not teach them to be patiented under the cross, and contented with God's hand, the Lord spoke unto them; Because ye believed me not, 
Numb 2●, 12  to sanctify me in the presence of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the land which I have given them. There is no greater wrong can be done to God, then to doubt of his truth: of all sins, this is one of the most highest and most heinous, to have in us an evil heart and unfaithful, to departed away from the living God. Wherefore, when we or any part of the Church are in extremity, and lie under affliction, let us not cast off our confidence that hath great recompense of reward. here is a stay to rest upon; here is a pillar that cannot be shaken; here is a most sure and firm foundation, upon which we should build our house. Is he more merciful to his Saints, than they can wish or desire? Let us then know for a certainty, that there is great hope of deliverance in the greatest extremities, though we know no way to escape, but that we rest as a prey in the teeth of the Lion: yet the love of God toward us is infinite and unspeakable: he can restore us and redeem us by sundry ways that we could not think of, nor dream of, nor desire. This is that which Mordecai is bold to put Esther in mind of, Ester 4, 14. If thou holdest thy peace at this time, comfort and deliverance shall appear to the jews out of another place, but thou and thy Father's house shall perish, Faith is the ground of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, Heb, 11, 1. If there be faith in us, as the grain of Mustard seed which is very little, we shall find the benefit and fruit of it. If any grace be wanting in us, the fault is in ourselves, and not in God: we have the truth of his word delivered unto us, but we believe not the doctrine which we hear. This we see in the Prophet Esay, chap. 50, 2. Wherefore came I, and there was no man? I called, and none answered: is mine hand so shortened, that it cannot help? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea: I make the floods desert; Their Fish rotteth for want of water, and dieth for thirst.  
And afterwards the same Prophet urgeth this point, Esay 59.1, 2. Behold, the Lords hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your GOD, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear. Nay, his ear is so far from being heavy that he cannot hear, that on the other side, he is quick of hearing, and so quick, that he is sought of them that asked not for him, and found of them that sought him not, Esay 65, 1. Seeing then he is foe bountiful above all our desires, woe unto us, if we believe not his word, nor rest upon his power, nor content ourselves with his promise. When the Israelites were oppressed with the hard and cruel taskmasters of the Egyptians, what could they desire, or what did they desire at the hands of Pharaoh, but to go into the wilderness to serve him, and to carry with them their own Cattle, their children, and their substance? But God did not only grant that unto them, but brought them out with great substance; 
Psal. 105, 37. Exod. 12, 29.  He gave them silver and gold, & there was not one feeble person among their tribes. They never durst ask of God to give them the treasures and the spoils of their enemies, yet he gave them that which they neither dared to ask, nor desired to obtain; for they had many jewels, and much raiment, so that they were enriched, and the Egyptians spoiled. This was a reward and recompense of their service. They found favour in the sight of God, although they were evilly entreated at the hands of men.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing God is merciful above our hope, we have hereby great comfort in prayer, to call upoh him in the day of trouble, being assured that he will hear us, and that we shall obtain more than we desired, and find more than we asked. Are we slandered and reviled, as the case was of the suspected wife in this place? Do we hear evil reports cast out against us? let us not be grieved at it, nor return like for like; but rather call upon him that knoweth the secrets of all hearts: let us crave of him to make our innocency known, as the servants of God from time to time have done, who have received more than ever they asked of him. David prayed thus unto God, Psal. 7, 3. O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my hands, if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me, etc. 
Verse 8.  Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it, etc. judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is in me. He desired no more, then to be esteemed as he was, and to have the truth of his heart manifested; but GOD granted more than that. He heard his prayer, and he obtained that which he prayed not for. Did he ever ask of God a Kingdom? Did he crave that God would make him King of Israel? and yet GOD gave the Kingdom unto him. Are we in want, and would have his blessings? We shall find no want in him, who is more ready to hear us, than we are to speak. His ears are often open, while our mouths are shut. If we desire one mercy at his hands, he is ready to grant two unto us. How oftentimes did Abraham pray for the Sodomites that the City might have been spared? Yet he gave over and ceased begging, before God gave over granting his requests, Gen. 18. Even as he that seeketh one pearl, findeth sometimes more than he sought: so is it with all the faithful. The graces of God are all of them jewels of wonderful price. If a man sell all that he hath to get one of them, it is no dear purchase: and if a man departed from any of his saving graces, albeit he should procure to himself by it the possession of a kingdom, his loss were a thousand times greater than his gains: 
Math. 16, 2●  For what should it profit a man to gain the whole world, and then lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give for the recompense of his soul? On the other side our Saviour teacheth, Mat. 13, 44, 45. That the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in the Field, which when a man hath found, he hideth it, and for joy thereof departeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, The kingdom of heaven is like to a Merchant man, which seeketh good Pearls, who having found a pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had & bought it. Let us all from hence be encouraged to the exercise of prayer, and be bold to be ever begging of him. If a subject had this encouragement at the hand of his Prince, that if he were obedient unto him he would give him whatsoever he should ask, and a great deal more, he should be sure to want no suitors, but must be feign to assign many to receive their petitions. Or if there were any Prince known to be so gracious, that when any of his Liege-people should ask any thing of him, he would of his princely bounty and magnificence lad him with benefits more than he desired, it were incredible to think in what flocks and multitudes they would resort unto him. There is no Prince to be compared with GOD, he hath all treasures in his own hand, and his treasury can never be drawn dry: his coffers can never be made empty, and his hand is never weary of bestowing. He giveth liberally to all that ask of him, And he reproacheth no man, jam. 1, 5. We ask little, & receive much: we ask spiritual blessings, and receive both spiritual and temporal: we ask of him Our daily bread, 
〈◊〉 ●6, 11.  and we obtain of him more than bread: we crave of him things for our necessity, and we have given unto us for our christian delight and pleasure.  
There is none of us all that do truly believe, but we have a gracious and blessed experience of this truth. If we be not altogether brutish and blockish, or without feeling and marking of Gods dealing toward us we must needs confess, that the benefits of God and his goodness towards us, hath surmounted our hope, and gone beyond our expectation: which ought to give us much encouragement to come unto him, and to approach to the throne of his grace. This we noted before in the prayer of Hannah, she prayed to God, and asked a son of him, but God gave her many sons. This is that which David spareth not to confess at large, Psal. 21, 2, 3, 4. Thou hast given him his hearts desire, and hast not denied him the request of his lips: for thou didst prevent him with liberal blessings, and didst set a crown of pure Gold upon his head: he asked of thee life, and thou gavest him a long life for ever and ever. The savour of God was bestowed upon him before he prayed, and far beyond that which he prayed for. The like mercy we see extended toward Solomon after the death of his Father, when the government of a great people lay upon his shoulders, he prayed unto God, and asked of him nothing but a wise and understanding heart, 
〈◊〉 3, 9, 11  to be able to rule that people, and to go in and out before them, and to discern between good and bad: but the Lord was so exceeding well pleased with it, that he said unto him; Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither haste asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgement: Behold, I have done according to thy words; Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart: so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall arise the like unto thee: And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour, so that among the Kings there shall be none like unto thee all thy days. Great therefore is our sin, if having so wide a gate set open before us, and such a cloud of witnesses compassing us about, we do yet hang back, and do not pour out our meditations before him. This experience of God's favour, was the chief cause that the faithful have been so devout in prayer, that every day they were mindful of their own duty toward him, and of his mercy toward them, so that sometimes at midnight they rose up, and sometimes both evening and morning, and at noon they prayed unto him, and he did hear their voice, as in the 55. Psalm, and the 17. verse. and Psalm 119. Dan. 6.  
Lastly, seeing God aboundeth in grace Use 3 and goodness above our desires, it is our duty to render unto him again the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. For, how shall we receive such unspeakable kindness, and not give him the glory? Or how shall he open his hands in so liberal and large a manner, and we shut our mouths against him? If he be so gracious to remember us, how shall we be so unmindful and unthankful unto him? This use is concluded by the Apostle, Ephes. chap. 3. ver. 20, 21. having showed that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we either ask or think, he addeth in the next words, To him be praise in the Church by Christ jesus throughout all generations forever, Amen. If we would diligently consider what God hath done for us, we shall be compelled to confess, that GOD hath many times prevented us with his liberal blessings, and that he hath been mercicifull towards us above all that we are able to crave or conceive. What then? Shall we do nothing to him again? True it is, we live not in a giving age; we are hand fast, and love not to part with any thing. Do we so reward the Lord? Shall we receive all good things at his hands, and return nothing to him again? Shall we find him better to us than we desire, and shall he find us worse than he deserveth at our hands? Let us therefore give him praise for his unspeakable and unsearchable mercies, let his name be glorified in the Church by us. He showeth his power especially in the Church by work and word, and therefore it is great reason he should receive praise in his church. Hence it is that the Prophet saith, In judah is God known, his name is great in Israel: 
Psal ●6. 1, 2, 3 and ●●, 2, ●●  in Salem also is his Tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion: there broke he the arrows of the bow, the sword, and the shield, and the battle. here than he teacheth us, that God maketh his name glorious and famous. But where? In judah. His name is great. But where? In Israel: and that because he wrought a marvelous work in overthrowing the army of Senacherib, which threatened destruction to the Church, but it was destroyed itself. To this purpose we read in another psalm, Sing forth the glory of his name, make his praise glorious: say unto God, how terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies be in subjection unto thee. The like we might say of the word of God, as it is Psal. 147, 19, 20. He showeth his word unto jacob, his statutes and judgements unto Israel; he hath not dealt so with every Nation, neither have they known his judgements: and in another place he teacheth, 
Psalm 138, 2  that he had magnified his name above all things by his word. Let this then stand as a firm principle, that God, because he showeth himself divers ways in his Church, to wit, by his word and works, is therefore to be glorified and honoured especially in it. He is gracious indeed to all mankind, howbeit he blesseth no persons in comparison of the members of his Church, so that he is to be praised in no places, & among no persons so much as in his Church, according to that saying of the Psalmist, Psal. 65, 1, 2. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion; & unto thee shall all flesh come. Now God may be said to be glorified in the church two ways; 
God is glorified two ways.  first, privately; secondly, publicly. Privately, when every man severally and apart by himself doth serve him and worship him, and set forth his praise. For we do receive every private man of us several blessings and benefits not common to others; these we are to acknowledge particularly and privately, and GOD accepteth this service at our hands. Publicly, when we meet in the assembly and congregation of the faithful, that are fellow members of the same body, that so he may receive praise by the mouths of many witnesses. Doubtless, God alloweth the former, and he is delighted with the private sacrifice of every one, and accepteth the calves of our lips: but especially he is well pleased with the public prayers and praises that are performed by many. This did David promise to give unto GOD, because he had not a greater to promise, or to perform, Psalm 22, 23. In the midst of the congregation I will praise thee. True it is, God standeth not in need of our praises, neither gaineth any thing to himself thereby which he had not before. For, as every beast of the Forest is his, and the cattle on a thousand mountains, Psal. 50, 10. so we can yield him nothing, but it must first proceed from him, and be given unto us. He is perfect of himself, and needeth no supply from us: for what can the beggar that hath nothing, give to the King that hath all in his power? Nevertheless, he is delighted in our obedience to his will, and well pleased with our performance of that which he requireth. We must therefore acknowledge ourselves unworthy of the least of his mercies, we deserve not one bit of bread, or one drop of wate●. In him we live, and move, and have our being.  
The Land of Canaan was given to the Israelites, of mercy, not of merit: because he loved them, not because they loved him: not through their godliness and goodness, but through the wickedness of the nations. The Lord is our righteousness, 
jerem. ●●. ● Ephe. ●●. ●  and he hath made us accepted unto his Father. We are of ourselves, wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: we are not able so much as to think one good thought. There is nothing due to us but shame and confusion: yet such is God's grace & goodness toward us, that where sin hath abounded, his mercy hath abounded much more. If we ask of him garments to cover our nakedness, he will beside them deck us with Ornaments, and  us with broidered work, and attire us in silver and gold; he will put bracelets on our hands, a chain about our neck, a jewel on our forehead, earings in our ears, & a beautiful crown upon our heads. If we ask of him bread to eat, he will together with it give us wine to comfort the heart, and oil to make us have a cheerful countenance: so that we shall eat fine flower and honey, Ezekiel 16, 13. He is like unto jael that entertained Sisera, he asked water, and she gave him milk, she brought forth Butter in a Lorldly dish, judg. 4, 19 and 5, 25. We ask sparingly, and he bestoweth liberally: yea, he giveth freely that which we durst not hope for. This we see in jacob. Genes. 48, 11. When joseph came with his two sons to visit his sick Father, he said unto him, I had not thought to see thy face; and lo, God hath showed me thy seed. O the greatness of God's goodness unto us! How unspeakable are his mercies! How infinite is his loving kindness! O well shall it be with us, if we be ever mindful of it, and never forget any of his benefits. For, seeing he is rich in his mercies towards, let us not us be poor in our praises towards him. Christ hath spent himself upon us, let us not be sparing to give ourselves unto him again. Let us follow the example of jacob, who was in the earnestness of his affection carried into an admiration of God's favour towards him, and breaketh out into a thanksgiving for his benefits, as if he had said, That which I never thought would have come to pass, nay that which seemed to me desperate and unpossible, God hath offered to me in wonderful manner beyond my expectation: I judged my son lost, but I have found him: dead, but I have received him alive. So, let us take pleasure and delight in his mercies: let us confess them in words, and let us praise his power & set forth his goodness toward us. Let us then be ashamed of our own sluggishness, seeing God is more willing to bestow, than we to receive: he is more ready to show compassion upon us than we to be freed from our misery. 
〈◊〉  His grace is more plentiful than our prayer; for he giveth us more than we ask. The thief on the cross no sooner desired of the Lord to remember him when he came into his kingdom, but immediately he received this answer, Verily, 
Luke 2●  I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, which containeth more than he was bold to ask. We need not then fear any excess in faith, or that we should believe more than he will bestow, forasmuch as his favour goeth beyond our faith, who hath his hand open to give, before our mouth is open to speak unto him.   

29 This is the Law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another in stead of her husband, and is defiled:  
30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the Priest shall execute upon her all this law.  
31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and the woman shall bear her iniquity.  
Hitherto hath been handled the setting down of the Law. We have heard the cause propounded and resolved, examined and determined. Now we come to the conclusion of the whole matter, and the winding up of the sentence touching the woman suspected of adultery: which is two fold, one belonging to the man, the other to the woman. The man shallbe free from sin; the woman shall bear her iniquity. 
action  here the question may be asked, whether it be lawful in our days for the husband to make trial of his wife whom he suspecteth of adultery? may he attempt to discover openly what she hath done secretly? I answer, there is no such law now in force, neither may we give way to any such practice, & therefore it cannot be allowed as lawful. This action commenced against the wife, 
●achi. 〈…〉 b.  cannot want sin, and hath an evil foundation.  
We that live in the light of the New Testament, who have more revealed unto us than was made known in the time of the Law, must know that no such thing is permitted unto us. What then? will some say, shall the husband suffer his wife to do what she list, and must he be a bawd unto her? or be constrained to take all patiently? or shall he be driven to see all, and to say nothing? I answer, if the crime be known, God hath provided in his law to deal severely with such, levit. 18. and Christian Magistrates must take away evil out of Israel. But if it be secret, they are to wait with patience, until God reveal it, and bring it to the open light. No man may rashly suspect his wife of adultery, or call her name into question, or raise an evil report of her; but labour to keep her within the bounds of her calling, that on the other side she may learn to love him and to reverence him.  
[Verse 29. This is the Law of jealousies,] We are come to the conclusion of this matter, to wit, of the law of jealousies. We have heard every part of it; we have expounded every circumstance; we have considered every branch of it. True it is, we have no use of the practice of it: The bitter waters are not now to be drunken: the earthen vessel hath no more place, the jealousy offering of memorial is abolished: the uncovering of the woman's head is ceased, and the whole manner of trial is abrogated. Nevertheless, albeit the whole law be ended, yet the same God remaineth (the searcher of all hearts) bearing the same hatred to all sin which he did before, and hath the like love to innocency which he had before. What is it that moveth to the committing of the sin of adultery, but the hope to hide it? This bewitcheth the ungodly, and leadeth them to destruction, when they dream that God is like unto them. This is a vain conceit, and foolish opinion, because we see how the Lord himself taketh upon him to discover it, and to be revenged of those that shall presume to break the band of wedlock which he hath made. This was the purpose of this law, to show that the Lord taketh upon him, not only the knowledge, revealing, and punishing of this sin, even when it is most secretly committed without witness of any other man, yea or certain knowledge from the husband himself, or any confession of the party that had done it: but also the defence and cleared of the innocent woman, being oppressed, vexed, and over-burdened with the unjust jealousy of her suspicious husband. He might present his wife (whether she were guilty, or not guilty) before the Priest unto that trial, which God had appointed and established to that end among them, to avoid thereby a greater mischief. After which matter solemnised with all the ceremonies and circumstances thereof, if the woman were defiled indeed, then should her belly swell, and her thighs rot: if she were not defiled, then should she not only be free from this punishment, but also be blessed with fruitfulness, as a reward of her innocency, and a recompense of the injury done unto her, and a cleared of her good name which had evilly been called into question. We learn from hence, that all secret sins, 
Doctrine. All secret sins are known to God.  hidden from men, are known unto God, and nothing is hidden from him.  
Howsoever many sins be committed very secretly, and carried closely, that no man can accuse them or witness against them, or any way suspect them: yet notwithstanding God will find them out, and arraign them at the bar of his judgement seat. This we shall see proved unto us from the beginning. When Adam had sinned, he called him, convinced him, pronounced sentence against him, and caused it to be executed, Genesis, chap. 3.9. We see this in the murder of Abel, committed by his natural, or rather unnatural brother, the which albeit it were done out of the sight of man, so that he presumed to deny it and conceal it; yet he calleth him to a reckoning for it, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me, from the ground, Gen. 4.10. David's secret whoredom and shedding of innocent blood, were committed closely, yet they were descried and discovered by God, 2 Sam. 12.12. Thou hast done it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the Sun. So the secret idolatry of the jews is showed to the Prophet Ezekiel, chap. 8.6. Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here that I should go far from my Sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. When the wise men that were come out of the East began to inquire after the king of the jews that was new born; Herod, being troubled at this news, and fearing the loss of his kingdom, sent them to jerusalem to seek him, and willed them when once they had found him, to come and bring him word, that he might go, and worship him: 
Matth. 2.8.  but God warneth the wise men that he sought to kill him: he hide the secrets of his heart, but God can reveal them: no man could discern what he meant, howbeit God law into him and his counsels well enough. Whereby we see, that sins hidden from the face of men, and neglected by them, are found out, and to be accounted for before God; forasmuch as all secret things shall be brought to judgement whether they be good or evil.  
Reason 1 And as by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word must be established, 2. Cor. 13.1. so by the force of two or three reasons shall this doctrine be confirmed. First, it is unpossible that any thing in heaven or earth should hide us or our works from the knowledge of the Lord our God. There is neither darkness of the night, nor secrecy of place, nor cunning devices and fetches of politic men, can help us or conceal us. This the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 139.9, 10, 11. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I fly from thy presence? if I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me: If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be a light about me, etc. There is nothing can hinder his sight.  
Reason 2 Secondly, it is the office of God and an essential property attributed unto him to be the searcher of hearts. When men before the flood had corrupted themselves their works, and the earth itself upon which they went and walked, it is said, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, Gen. 6.5. This is it which Dau●d layeth before his son Solomon, 1 Chron. 28.9. The Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of thoughts. This also the Prophet jeremy setteth down, chap. 17.10. I the Lord search the hart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing. The Scripture is full of such testimonies, 2 Sam. 16.7. Psal. 7.10. and 26.2. and 139.13. jerem. 11.20. and 20.12. This is an attribute proper unto God.  
Thirdly, the most deep and hidden things Reason 3 that man's eye cannot search into, are notwithstanding known unto God. When no man with all his cunning can dive or delve so deep as into the dark corners of the earth, yet the eye of God pierceth into them, as Pro. 15.11. Hell and destruction are before the Lord; how much more than the hearts of the children of men? Who can pierce so far as to look into the heavens? or who can behold the things laid up in the centre of the earth? who can descend into the bottom of the sea, to descover the treasures that are hidden in the waters? or what man knoweth the things of a man, 
1 Cor. 2 1●.  save the spirit of man that is within him? so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. He is able to make all darkness to be light, and all secret things to be open and manifest to the world.  
Fourthly, can any thing be hidden from Reason 4 him of whom they had their being, of whom they were created, of whom they have whatsoever is in them is not the work known to the workman, the art to the artificer, and the pot to the potter? He seethe not only near, but a far off: he knoweth our down sitting, and our uprising: he understandeth our thoughts that we conceal from others: he is acquainted with all our ways: our substance is not hid from him, he covered us in our mother's womb. Hereupon the Prophet saith, Psal. 94.9. He that planted the ear shall he not hear? he that form the eye, shall he not see? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know? the Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity. Seeing then God giveth life and being to every creature, and that they have received breath and motion from him, we may conclude that the most secret things committed in the most secret corners of the world are well known to God, and cannot be hidden from him.  
This principle being strongly confirmed Use 1 and so carrying authority to our consciences, let us see what uses may be made of it. First, seeing our secrets are not secrets with God and our counsels are not counsels to him, let us be persuaded of this most certain truth, and have it written in our hearts, that all men in this world, their hearts, their thoughts, their dealings, their desires, their delights, their words, their actions, and all things belonging unto them, are perfectly known unto the Lord, according to the saying of the Apostle, Hebrews, chapter 4. verse 14. There is not any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. It is true indeed, if men were asked, whether they believe that GOD is present every where to behold all things that we do, they would freely & frankly confess it with their mouths, & be ready to seal unto it with their tongues. It would be thought no strange thing to any, but a ground whereunto all persons yield, against which none dareth oppose himself: howbeit, if we come to their works, and examine their ways into which they are entered, we shall see it is far removed from their hearts and innermost parts. We are not therefore to flatter ourselves in our sins, as though no eye saw us, or no ear heard us, as the manner of the profane and ungodly is, who say, who seethe me? I am compassed about with darkness of the night, the walls of the house hide me, no body can behold me, what need I then to fear? There is not one of an hundredth that maketh any bones at sin, so he may carry it away clearly and closely, smoothly and secretly from the sight and knowledge of the world. They stand more upon their credit, then upon their conscience: and regard more the shame of men, than the fear of God. But what shall it profit a man to hide his sins from men, when they lie open to the eyes of God? Nay, albeit we think ourselves never so sure and secret, yet we do but deceive ourselves, forasmuch as our own conscience, as a thousand witnesses, will not be bribed to hold his peace, but will reply against us within our own bosom, and say unto us, I see thee, I will not keep thy counsel, I will accuse thee, I will bring in evidence against thee, I will indite thee, and condemn thee. So long then as we have a conscience, what are we the better, though we have no body privy to our sins? for if our own heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things, joh. 3.20. The conscience is as a watchman set over us to mark all our thoughts, 
●●cond. E.  that pryeth narrowly into us that nothing at all can escape him. It is as a Scrivener that always holdeth a pen of iron in his hand to write up all that passeth from us, who doth so firmly engrave it, that nothing shall be able to blot it out. It is a faithful remembrancer to register and record all our actions; nothing can escape him that was done, or thought, or spoken a thousand years ago.  
This serveth to reprove all such as think to delude God and to hide their dealings from him: as the adulterer supposeth to go in the dark, the thief and murderer in solitary places: but the Lord in his word preventeth such peevish and foolish conceits, Psal 10.11.13.14. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face, he will never see it: wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, thou wilt not require it. But thou hast seen it: for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to require it with thine hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee, thou art the helper of the fatherless. Thus we see, God is not in all his thoughts. So in the 94 Psalm, 
〈◊〉 78.  which we cited before, bringing in the ungodly to speak thus, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of jacob regard it, he reproveth them in this manner, Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? They then are deceived, that think to escape God's sight and knowledge. Solomon complaining of such as speak evil of Princes and those that are in authority, Eccle. 10.20. declareth that rather than it shall be kept secret, the fowls of the air shall discover it, 
Eccle. 10.20.  and that which hath wings shall tell the matter: that is, it shall certainly come to light, and be set in the sight of the Sun, that all men may see it. Much more than will God himself find infinite means to lay open the thoughts of our hearts, so that nothing shall escape him. If Elisha by the Spirit of God was able to disclose the secret counsels of the king of Syria that he plotted and contrived in his secret chamber, 2 King. 6.12. Shall not God then lay open our secret sins that we commit? or can we hide them from his sight? His eyes are in every corner of the earth. He seethe not as man seethe, nor looketh upon the countenance, but God beholdeth the heart, even he that formeth the spirit within him.  
Secondly, let no man sin with hope of concealment, Use 2 neither think to escape when he hath sinned. He saw the sacrilege of Achan, though he committed it secretly; none of the people could accuse him or detect him. God commanded every family to appear before him apart, and if he had not taken him and singled him out, neither joshua nor the Elders of the people could have known him by all their wisdom and gifts of discerning, josh. 7 1. It was God that found him out that took the accursed thing, it was not in the power and policy of man to bewray the theft. He discovered the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira, & their counterfeit liberality toward the distressed members of the Church. They were taken to be most earnest believers, most forward professors, and most zealous Christians, such as gave example of a good life unto others, & seemed to shine as goodly lights in the firmament; nevertheless, the Spirit of God that searcheth all things did make manifest the hollowness of their hearts, and therefore Peter inspired with knowledge from above saith unto them, How is it, 
Act. 5.3.9.  that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? or why hath Satan filled your hearts to lie to the holy Ghost? He saw into the treachery of judas, when none of the disciples could espy it. For when they sat at the Passeover, and jesus revealed unto them that he should be betrayed by one of them that dipped his hand in the platter with him, they were very sorrowful and knew not whom to suspect, but one said, Master is it I? and another said, Is it I? Mat. 26 22. Mar. 14.19. All these were detected of hypocrisy, and all these were punished by the hand of God most severely; Achan was stoned with stones, and burned with fire, josh. 7.25.  
Ananias and Sapphira were both of them stricken with sudden death, and had no time of repentance given unto them: for they fell down straightway at Peter's feet, 
Act. 5.5 10.11  & yielded up the ghost, and great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things. judas, when he perceived, that jesus, whom he had betrayed, was condemned, brought back again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief Priests and Elziers, and cast them down in the Temple, and departed, and hanged himself Matth. 27.5. We see an this present place which now we have in hand, how the Lord used the bitter waters of jealousy, to find but the adulteress. We do not find throughout the whole Testament the like solemnity in the searching out of any sin, no, not idolatry, or witch craft, or sorcery, or blasphemy, or murder; neither was the person suspected compelled to subscribe to certain words of execration or imprecation against himself if he had offended, save only in this trial of adultery. So that we must above all things beware we flatter not ourselves in these great sins, in hope of secrecy or impunity. This is the counsel that Solomon giveth upon this consideration, Prou. 5.20; 21. Why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? for the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his doings. Where he warneth us to beware of secret sins, because the eye of God is evermore upon us, and our most secret actions. We may not bear ourselves bold upon his ignorance, or oversight, or slip of memory, as many presume upon these & such like, when they have to do with the sons of men.  
For if we have any hope, either that they know not our offences, or have forgotten them, we lift up our heads on high, and fear not to dare the Magistrate to his face. And indeed it is true, the wisest men are not always able in so smooth a carriage and so close a conveyance to enter into the secret purposes of deceitful men. The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and the corners of it past finding out. Hence it is that Christ saith unto his disciples, when there were gathered together such an innumerable multitude of people that they trod one upon another, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known, Luk. 12.1.2.  
Adultery and hypocrisy are known for the most part only unto ourselves, and therefore we wax the bolder, and proceed the farther in them, according to the Lords words, Psal. 50.21. Th●se things hast thou done, and I kept silence: thou thoughist that I was altogether such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. The truth of all this we have verified in the late treacheries and treasons conspired against our King, our Queen, our Prince, our People, and our Religion, against the Church and Commonwealth. Our manifold and marvelous, yea, miraculous deliverances do publish and proclaim claim very notably, that there is a God that judgeth the earth, who seethe all things, heareth all things, understandeth all things, and revealeth all things. Happy were it for us if we knew the things aright that belong to our peace.  
Have we not good experience that nothing is hidden from God? do we not find to our great comfort, that the plots and projects of our enemies, howsoever sought to be concealed, by taking of oaths and receiving of the Sacrament, are yet known unto God? We serve such a gracious God as watcheth for us, so that he which keepeth Israel, neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. O that we would take notice of these things! O that men would consider when they sin, that the allseeing eye of God is upon them to reveal them according to his knowledge, and to reward them according to their sin! O that wicked men therefore did know what they do! The men of the old world sinned in all riot and excess, but had they known they had been so near to be drowned by a general flood, they would not have run into those sins, so that our Saviour saith, 
Matth 24 ● 39  As in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that No entered into the Ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  
If judas had known what he did, when he betrayed his Master, he would never have received the thirty pence, 
Luke 23. 3●  the price of innocent blood. Our Saviour, praying for his persecutors, saith, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. If the rich man that is now tormented in hell, where is no promise of pardon, nor release of punishment, nor place of repentance, nor hope of escaping, had known or considered, that by his sins he should have heaped up so great wrath against the day of wrath, he would not have needed Lazarus to be sent unto him to bring him one drop of water to cool his tongue and to quench his heat.  
In him these two sins met together, prodigality and covetousness, the two extremes of too much and too little: he spent too much, and yet he held too fast: he wasted all, but yet he would give nothing. He fared deliciously, and clothed himself sumptuously every day, but he afforded nothing to poor Lazarus; he consumed all upon himself, but refused to bestow any thing upon him that lay at his gate. So then he was both riotous and covetous: exceeding costly, and yet exceeding niggardly: a spend-all, and yet a spare-all: but he never marked nor learned what would be the end of both those.  
To this purpose the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 2.8. The Princes of this world knew not the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So then, the want of the knowledge of God, of sin, and of duty, is the original cause of all misery. And john in his first Epistle, chap. 3.6. hath a worthy saying, Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not: whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, neither known him. Such as commit sin with all greediness, and and have it reigning in them, do not know God as they ought to do, howsoever they may boast of their own knowledge. Let us learn therefore betimes to bridle our affections and practices of sin, following the example of joseph, who being provoked to adultery, answered, that he should sin against God. Gen. 39.9: and remembering the confession of the Church, Psal. 44.20, 21. If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and stretched out our hands to a strange god, Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. They are senseless men that care not what they commit against God, if it may be hidden from the face of men. There is but one step between this and Atheism, to run out into all excess of riot, and yet to think to hide it from God.  
Use 3 Lastly, from hence ariseth great comfort to the faithful. For seeing God seethe the thoughts and intents of wicked men, howsoever men cover them with dissimulation and deceit as with a cloak, we may cheer up our hearts in time of trouble, assuring ourselves that nothing can come to pass, or fall out unto us which he doth not know and behold. This is that which the Lord telleth Moses, Exod. 3.7, 8. when the people of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage, and cried in the bitterness of their spirit, their cry came up unto God, so that he heard their groaning, and remembered his covenant, and had respect unto them, The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their Taskmasters: for I know their sorrows, and I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, etc. He is not ignorant what tears we shed, but keepeth them in a bottle of remembrance: he knoweth what prayers we pour out, for they ascend up into his presence as incense: he heareth the sighs and groans that come from us, for he understandeth that language, The spirit helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: 
〈◊〉 8.26.  but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And albeit he hold his peace for a time, and seem to wink at their cruel practices, as if he saw them not, or heard them not, or knew them not, yet when the appointed time cometh, he will no longer keep silence, but show himself to be the deliverer of his people; and the revenger of his and their enemies. We saw before out of the book of Exodus, what mercy he promiseth to his people being in misery. He had a feeling of their afflictions, and after a sort felt what they felt. Behold, what words of comfort, sweeter than the honey & the holy comb, he uttreth: I have seen, I have heard, I know, I am come down. He saw their afflictions: he heard their cries: he hath known their sorrows: he came down to deliver them from their persecutors. If the Lord had used only one of these words, I have surely seen the affliction of my people, it had been as balm to refresh us, it had been as marrow unto our bones, and as wine and oil powered into our wounds: but when he useth four words, it is more than a doubling and a trebling of our comfort, to assuage the bitterness of the cross, so that albeit it be more sharp than vinegar, & more bitter than gall & wormwood, yet they are sufficient to allay the one & the other. 
Reasons why God holdeth his peace in our afflictions.  God doth sometimes after a sort hide himself, and hold his peace, & turn his back from us when we are in trouble, to manifest the more the greatness of his power and mercy in our deliverance, to stir us up to prayer and calling upon him for help, to teach us to remove all confidence and trust in ourselves, or in the sons of men, to wean us from the love of the world, to increase our zeal, to try our faith and patience, and to harden the hearts of our enemies, that he may gain glory to his great name in their destruction. He doth not delay to help us, and put off the time to deliver us, because he hath forsaken us or forgotten us: it is not, because he is not able to restore us: it is not, because he cannot repress and quail the fury of our enemies: it is not, because he hath cast off the care of us; forasmuch as he knoweth what they practise, and what we suffer, according to the heavenly saying of the Psalmist, 
Psal. 34.11  The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Let us therefore comfort ourselves in God, while we find no comfort at all in men. Let us put on the armour of prayer and tears: these are our spiritual weapons, strong to throw down mountains, and mighty to prevail against the greatest tyrants that seek to deface the truth, and destroy the Church. The weapons of the Church are not swords and staves, or spears and shields, or munition and multitudes of men: but as the warfare of it is spiritual and that it wrestleth not against flesh and blood, but against principalities & powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places; so the weapons thereof must be spiritual, answerable unto the battle which we are to make, and fit to encounter such adversaries as oppose against us. To this purpose doth the Prophet bring in the Church putting their confidence in him, Lord in trouble have they visited thee: 
Esay 26.16, 17  they powered out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them: like as a woman with child that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs, so have we been in thy sight, O Lord. The like we see in jehoshaphat, when many enemies came against him and his people to cast them out of the possession which God had given them to inherit, he rested not in his own power, neither trusted he in his own policy, but dependeth upon God, and flieth unto him, saying, O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon it he: and all judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives and their children, 2. Chron. 20.12.13. On the other side, as this consideration of God's infinite knowledge, and discovery of all secrets, ministereth exceeding comfort to the godly that lie under the cross, and putteth them in assured hope of future deliverance: so it serveth as a terror to all their enemies that oppress them and trouble them; they shall not escape him that seethe their counsels, though they dig never so deep to hide them, he heareth their slanders and reproachful taunts, though they seek to cover them never so cunningly and secretly. God that is omnipotent cannot be unjust, he will reward every one according to his works: and therefore Elihu saith in the book of job, His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seethe all his doings; there is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves, job 34.21, 22. They think they go closely to work, but alas, poor blind men, they see not that God seethe them. They think they have a vizard over their faces, and cannot be known, whereas their foul offences are written in their forehead. They think they are in the dark and covered with the night, whereas the light shineth round about them more clearly than the Sun at noon day. This aught to strike a fear of God's power and presence into the hearts of all wicked men. No man is so impudent and past shame to commit evil in the Magistrate's sight, and before his eyes, whom he knoweth to be endued with authority, armed with power, and to bear the sword of justice in his hand to cut off all evil doers. Shall we then dare do that before God, which we dare not do before men? or shall we presume to do that in his sight, which we are ashamed or afraid to do in the presence of mortal man? He is all an eye to see all: he is all an ear to hear all: he is all an heart to understand all. Or shall we be so void of piety, and common reason, to think he is ignorant of that we do, or careless of that we do. Shall we make him deaf, and not to hear us? or blind and not to see us? shall we dream he is far off from us, and knoweth us not? or otherwise busy and regardeth us not? shall we suppose that he which keepeth Israel, doth either slumber or sleep? To say he is ignorant of our doings, is to blaspheme his holy Name and to make him a silly and simple God. To say he seethe them, and would, but cannot punish, is to make him a weak and impotent God. To say, he can, but will not punish, is to make him an unjust God, and one that favoureth sin. To say, he beholdeth all the ways of the sons of men, but that he careth not which end go forward, nor abaseth himself to consider the particular things that fall out in the world, is, with the Epicures & Libertines to make him sit idle in heaven, to suffer men on earth to do all things, and himself to do nothing: which cannot agree to God, but are far from his most wise, most perfect, most pure, most powerful, most just, and righteous nature. Let us evermore walk as in his presence, and set him before our eyes. Let us not make ourselves Atheists, either in deed, or in word, or in heart. Some in their works, say there is no God: some in words say, there is no God: and some say in their hearts, there is no God. Few dare affirm it, or avouch it, or maintain it with their tongues; but there are many which are not far from it in their hearts, and they shall see it to be so, if they would examine them aright. Sometimes they are not ashamed to say, there is no God: sometimes they fear not to say, God seethe us not: sometimes they stick not to say, he heareth us not, he forgetteth us, he regard sit not, he turneth away his face, he careth not what we do, he will not punish us. Howsoever these speeches, tending directly to the dishonour of God, and reproach of his holy Name, are not always nor oftentimes uttered with the mouth, yet they stick in the minds, and dwell in the thoughts of profane men, whereby they strengthen themselves in evil, and harden their hearts in wickedness. Such are they that say, it is a vain thing to serve God, 
Mal 3.14.  and it is no profit to keep his ordinances. Such are they, that when they think or speak of the last judgement, say, 
2 Pet. 34  Where is the promise of his coming? Such are they, that say with the evil servant, in his heart, My master delayeth his coming. 
Matth 14. ●1  A master is often absent from his servant, and seethe not what he doth. It is not so with God, he beholdeth what we do on earth, and his eyes are evermore upon us. He is included in no place, he filleth heaven and earth. He is not like the idols that neither see nor hear. The author of light cannot be dark: the fountain and spring head cannot want water; nor the fire be destitute of heat which maketh hot other things. God is the author of life, he is the fountain of water, springing up in us to everlasting life. Let this meditation be in us, and this cogitation be continually before us, that he is continually behind us and before us, without us and within us, on the right hand and on the left hand of us. He is always near to us, and never far from us: he is evermore in heaven, and yet never absent from the earth. Let us then learn, so often as we use the benefit of our eyes and ear, and both see and hear with them, to consider concerning God the Creator and maker of them, how sharply and clearly he seethe and heareth, who hath given unto us the force and faculty of seeing and hearing. Do we think any evil in our minds, and have we deep devices in our hearts? Why do we not consider that we cannot hide our counsel from the Lord, and that it is he which hath given us understanding? Do we speak with our lips, foolish, contentious, filthy and unclean words, and suffer corrupt communication to proceed out of our mouths, which men do hear, and witness well that they do hear them, sometimes by blushing, sometimes by laughing sometimes by reproving, & sometimes by having indignation at them? Why do we not remember, that if man hear us and understand us, how should not God much more hear us? for from whence hath he borrowed his ear to hear but from him? Are we slandered and reviled of any? have we reproachful words, and false reports cast out against us? and do we hear them, repine at them, and seek to be revenged of them? Why do we not think thus with ourselves, if we can hear and listen with our ears unto them, how are we so senseless and slow to conceive, that God must needs hear much better, much rather, much farther than we are able? Lastly, Do we commit any evil? Do we run into sin with violence, and will not be stayed or stopped from it? do we shun the sight of men, because we know they have eyes to see us and to perceive our doings? Why then do we not call to mind, that if mortal man, whose breath is in his nostrils, and whose eyes are in his head, can discern sufficiently the works of our hands, how should we be so blockish or brainsick to imagine, that God seethe not at all, who hath given eyes to man, and power to see? Every man that is well in his wits, and hath his five senses about him, must needs yield to this truth, which God hath sealed up in nature; and yet there are too many in all places that make no use of it. To conclude this doctrine, and with the doctrine this chapter, and with the chapter this book, let us set down this as a sure rule, that then we do know God aright, when we have learned to walk evermore as in his presence, and in all our actions to have him before our eyes, who hath us before his eyes, and to look up unto him, who always looketh down upon us; to whom therefore be praise in the Church throughout all generations, Amen.    

CHAP. VI  

1 ANd the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying.  
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord:  
3 He shall separate himself from wine, and strong drink, etc.  
OF sanctification necessarily required in the Law, we have spoken in the former Chapter. In this Chapter Moses goeth forward to handle this point farther, which is so necessary as that without it none can be the people of God. Herein for order we are to observe two things: first, the voluntary sanctification undertaken by private men that entered into the precise vow of the Nazarites, who, that they might more fully and freely attend and intend the learning of the Law, and give themselves to the contemplation and consideration of the works and ways of God and of godliness, separated and sequestered themselves for a time, wholly from the company and conversation of men, resigning up themselves into the hands of God, and seeking to cut off all occasions whatsoever, that might quench their zeal and hinder their devotion. Secondly, the public sanctification of the whole Church, whereof God is the author, Moses the teacher and the interpreter. This is the sum of this Chapter.  
Touching the former point handled in the 21. first verses, which is, concerning the vow of the Nazarites, before we come to the matter itself, it shall not be amiss for the farther declaration and demonstration thereof, to remove two doubts that stand in the way, arising, the one from the divers acceptation of the word, the other from the distinction of the several kinds of this vow. Touching the several significations of the word, 
The word Nazarite is diversly taken.  lest we be deceived by the ignorance thereof, we must understand that there are four acceptations of it distinct the one from the other. Some are called Nazarites some Nazarens, others Nasarites; which words because they are oftentimes by divers confounded as if they were all one and the same, it is needful to have them distinguished aright the one from the other. The Nazarites, of whom we have mention in this place, have their name of separation, and are written by the letter Zain: 
Junii paral. lib. 1. c. 8. & Analys. in Numer.  these by observation of certain ceremonies (of which we shall speak more particularly afterward) dedicated themselves unto God in a more holy manner then the common sort. The second sort called nazarenes, or Nazarites, are distinguished from the former, and written with the letter Tsadi, and so to be called Natsarites or Natsarens, so named of the word Netzer, which is oftentimes used by the Prophets, and signifieth properly a branch, growing out of the roots of trees, from whence the Syriack word Notzera, or Notzerath, or Natzerath is derived; and thereof cometh the name of the City or Village of Nazareth in Galilee, 
Danaeus comment. in August de haeres.  because it was situate in a place planted with store of trees and flowers, as Danaeus testifieth out of Bernard. Now Christ our Saviour, being conceived and brought up in this place, is in the New Testament called a Nazarene, Matthew, chap. 2. verse 23. and jesus of Nazareth, joh. 19.19. Act. 2.22. and 3. 6. Matth. 26.76.71. Mar. 1.24. and 10.47. and 14.67. and 16.6. Luk. 4.34. &. 18.37. & 24.19. Act. 4.10. and 16.14. and 10-38. and 22.8. and 26.9. From hence also the disciples of Christ were first called Nazarites, but afterward they were called Christians, Acts 11.26. at Antioch which professed the faith of Christ, and the doctrine of the Gospel. The third kind of Nazarites differeth from both the former, both in the original of the word, and in wanting warrant from the authority of the Scriptures. For they are otherwise written than the other were, to wit, with the letter S, and are derived from the Syriack word Nesar, which signifieth to cut off or to abolish, because they held that the books of Moses and the Prophets (howsoever they carried their names) were feigned and counterfeit things, and withal maintained it to be unlawful to kill any living thing, 
Epiphan. lib. 1. haeres. 18.  or to eat of the flesh of any creature wherein the spirit of life had been, and consequently condemned the bloody sacrifices prescribed in the Law. The fourth and last sort of those whom Eusebius remembreth among the Ebionites, 
Euseb. lib. 6. histor. Ecclesi. cap. 17.  howbeit others reckon and range them among other heretics, did after a sort believe in Christ, and acknowledged him to be the promised Messiah; for as the former sort were jews, so these would be accounted Christians; 
D. Field of the Church lib 5. cap. 7.  howbeit they taught that the ceremonies of the law of Moses were necessary to salvation, and thereby did covertly and cunningly overthrow the liberty of the Gospel: again, they boasted of their false miracles and private revelations, as the Anabaptists do in these last days. Now as Christ our Saviour was commonly called jesus of Nazareth, so to be called Nazarites after his name, as Christians of Christ, was at the first received as a name of praise and commendation, howsoever the unbelieving jews and Gentiles used or rather abused it, as appeareth Acts 24.5. Where Tertullus the declayming Orator accuseth Paul to be a ring leader of the sect of the nazarenes: and therefore these heretics gloried and boasted in that name, as in a name and note of honour, as the fittest which they found as with a veil to hide and with a cloud to cover the poison and pestilence of their damnable sect, who under the colour of the Christian religion did indeed decline and departed from the true doctrine of Christ. 
Luk. 1.26,  Thus much of the names of the Nazarites, the first whereof, is of such as are mentioned in the old Testament: the second, of such as are expressed in the new, so named of Nazareth a City of Galilee: the third, of those that altogether abrogated and abolished the old Testament: the fourth, of such as taught that Christians were bound to observe the ceremonies of Moses. These two last have no footsteps in the Scriptures, but they are found in Ecclesiastical histories.  
Having thus opened the name, let us consider the several kinds of these Nazarites, mentioned in the first place. They are of two sorts: 
Two kinds 〈◊〉 Nazarites.  first, such as were Nazarites by commandment: secondly, such as were Nazarites by vow. Now both these kinds were such among the jews as were separated from the rest of the people, to a more strict and pure course of serving God than others were, of which the Prophet speaketh in the Lamentations, chap. 4.7. Her Nazarites were more pure than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of Saphir. By commandment were such, as God from the beginning did extraordinarily call to that solemn profession of a special holiness. These were perpetual Nazarites, whose separation from the common sort by a stricter kind of life continued all the days of their life. Of this sort we have sundry examples, some in the old Testament, and some in the New. In the Old, we have first the example of Samson, then of Samuel, and afterward the Rechabites. Concerning Samson, we read that the Angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah his mother, 
judg. 13. 3● and 16.17.  and said to her, Behold, now thou art barren, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son: and now drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God, from the womb, unto the day of his death: and afterward Samson himself told his minion all his heart, being besotted and almost bewitched with her love, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head: for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb. And touching Samuel, his mother set him apart to this vow, and said before he was borne, 
1 Sam 1. ●  I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. In this number we may after a sort range the Rechabites mentioned in jeremy, chap. 35.6. who, though they had wine set before them and were bidden to drink, yet they answered, We will drink no wine: for jonadab the son of Rechab our father, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever. Now this was one part of the vow of the Nazarites, and therefore we may account them a kind of Nazarites. In the New Testament, we see the like in john the Baptist, Luk. 1.15, where the Angel forretelleth that he shall be great, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the holy Ghost from his mother's womb.  
But these are not altogether the Nazarites here spoken off: let us therefore come to the vow here mentioned, and consider from hence, 
doctrine. ●ng the ●es the of the ●arite was ●e and ●ctise.  that among the jews the vow of the Nazarite was allowed and approved of God, used and practised of that people. This doth Amos confirm unto us, Chap. 2.11.12. I raised up of your sons for Prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites, is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord? but ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink. Of these also we heard before out of the Lamentations, where they are set forth. Of this sort are they, whom james and the Elders speak off, Act. 21.23. saying to Paul, We have four men which have made a vow; them take and purify thyself with them, and contribute with them, that they may shave their heads: and all shall know that those things, whereof they have been informed concerning thee, are nothing: but that thou thyself walkest and keepest the Law: And before, Chap. 18.18, 20. it is said, that Paul took his leave of the brethren and sailed thence into Syria, and took with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow. And as james persuaded him, 
●1. 26. ●4. 18.  so he took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them, entered into the Temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.  
True it is, this voluntary vow was rare and unwonted under the Gospel, and so much the more, because the Synagogue began now after a sort to be buried, and restrained, Act. 15.29. howbeit the Apostle is content to retain some of the ceremonies, not that he placed any religion in them, or thought them necessary of themselves to be observed, which had now received their death's wound in the death of Christ; but he had respect to the infirmities of the weak brethren among the jews, that were not yet thoroughly instructed in the liberty of the Gospel, and the freedom which Christ had brought them, in regard whereof to the weak he became as weak, 
〈◊〉. 9.19. ●, 22.  that he might win the weak; to the jews he became as a jew, that he might win the jews; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that he might gain them that are under the Law; yea he made himself a servant unto all, that he might gain the more, and became all things to all men, that he might by all means save some. Thus than we see that among the jews that were the people of God, in the time of the Law were such as vowed a special separation to God, consecrating, and sanctifying, and dedicating themselves to his service, who lived as strangers upon earth, as if they were in another world, being as men that had made a divorce and division between themselves and the profane men and manners of the world, and were eminent among others and above others, as the Cedar among the shrubs, as the stars among the orbs, and as the Sun among the stars.  
The reasons why God alloweth and approveth Reason 1 of this vow are; first of all because men are by nature so prove & ready to take up & choose to themselves certain sorts and sects of life that there is but a step between them and falling into superstition. Now by binding of them in this sort, he doth cast a cord about their loins, & put a bridle in their mouths; 
Pet. Martyr in caput. 13. lib. judic.  so that this is as much as if he had said unto them, Forasmuch as I see into your hearts how willing you are to devise new forms and fashions of serving and worshipping me, ye shall not do what pleaseth you, but what I appoint Thus he keepeth them within the compass of their duty by this vow, and permitting them somewhat, he restraineth them from more.  
Secondly, he doth hereby curb the people that they should not follow the trades & desires of the heathen, by finding them work as it were at home, wherewithal to busy themselves: and hence it is, that he willeth the people, Deut. 12.30. to take heed to themselves that they were not snared by following the Canaanites after that they were destroyed before them, & that they inquire not after their Gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will we do likewise. So then, God ordained this and such like kind of vows, to the end his own people should not follow the fond fashions of the idolatrous heathen that dwelled round about them.  
Thirdly, 
Wherein the vow of the Nazarites consisteth.  that from hence might spring some maintenance for the Ministry, whereof in all ages and times God hath showed himself to have a special care. This appeareth evidently in the twentieth verse of this Chapter, when the Nazarite offereth a Ram for a sacrifice of a peace offering unto the Lord, a part thereof is holy for the Priests use: and therefore in this vow, the Lord had a respect to the upholding and continuing of his service by providing for those that attended thereunto.  
Now the parts of the vow are to be considered, before the uses be pointed out. We have heard already, that the Nazarites were such persons as vowed a special kind of holiness. The parts of their special holiness are two: first, while they were in this vow; secondly, when the days of it were accomplished. Touching the first, while they continued in their vow, they were bound, not only to keep a temperate diet, but they were utterly to abstain from wine and strong drink, from vinegar of wine, 
Verse 3.4.  & vinegar of strong drink, and from any liquor of grapes, as also from eating moist or dried grapes. Again, 
Verse 5.  they mus● suffer no razor to come upon their heads, but must let the locks of their hair to grow, until the days be fulfilled in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord: besides, they must not defile themselves by any dead body, nor lament for any of the dead; but if any did come near them or touch them, all was frustrate and made void; the days of their separation and abstinence were to begin again, and they stood in the state wherein they were before they entered into this holy vow. The second degree of their sanctification was at the end of the days of their vow, than they must be brought to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and offer their offering unto the Lord, etc.  
Use 1 This is the vow, and these are the Rites belonging unto it: now let us observe the uses remaining for us. For albeit these ceremonies be all abrogated, and seem nothing at all to touch us, and nothing at all to teach us, as things that when they were in their prime and greatest force belonged to the jews; yet we shall find great benefit to arise from hence to the whole Church. And first concerning the sanctification of these Nazarites professing holiness above others, and in this course of a vowed kind of retiredness going before others, it was a lively figure of Christ, signifying to them and to us, & to the whole Church the wonderful purity of Christ, who was fully and perfectly separate from sinners. For he was the Lamb without blemish, or else he could not be a sacrifice for sin, Object. levit. 1.3, 10 But was Christ such a Nazarite as these were here spoken off? and did he literally observe these parts and ceremonies expressed in this vow? I answer, Answer. no: he observed no part of this vow. The Nazarites abstained from wine, the fruit of the vine, the blood of the grape: but Christ himself in his own person did not so, he drank of the fruit of the vine, and lived after the ordinary manner of other men, and therefore after he had delivered his last Supper, 
Matth. 26.29.  he saith, I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And albeit he were falsely called a wine-bibber, 
Matth. 11.19.  as he was also slandered to be a Samaritan and to have a devil, yet it showeth thus much, that he abstained not altogether from wine, yea he appointed others to drink of it, even his disciples & all other Christians at his holy Supper, so often as they drink of the cup of the Lord. The Nazarites had no razor come upon their heads during the days of their solemn vow, but whether Christ nourished his hair, we have nothing either one way or other, that we can gather and conclude for certainty; yet if we consider the words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 11.14. and mark the common custom of the rest of the jews which may be understood out of this place, it is not probable or likely, that Christ did ever nourish, and never cut his hair. And lastly the Nazarites were not to come near the dead, nor to mourn for them: but the Evangelists yield us plentiful testimonies, both that he came near unto them. Object. But some will say, that he is called in Scripture a Nazarene, or, as some translate it, a Nazarite: 
Matth ●●●  It was fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. I answer, Answer. we must distinguish between a Nazarite, and a Nazarene. For Christ is so called because he was a branch springing and flourishing from Nazareth, as the place of his conception and education, of which the Prophets speak in many of their writings, and namely Zachariah. 
Zach. 6. 1●.  Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man, whose name is Branch, and he shall grow out of his place, and he shall build the Temple of the Lord. So then the Evangelist hath not respect or reference to these voluntary and vowed Nazarites of the old Testament, neither doth he point out any certain place out of some one of the Prophets, but alludeth to such places, where Christ is called that holy Branch, which God promised he would raise up to David. Howbeit he is indeed a true Nazarite, or rather the truth of the Nazarites, separate from all the corruptions that attend upon the rest of the sons of men, free from the common defilements of the world; and that holy One which is called the Son of God. 
Luke. 1.35.  To this purpose the holy Apostle speaketh: Such an high Priest became us, who was holy, 
Heb 7.26,  harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens: who needed not daily as those high Priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's. For this cause he was conceived by the holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin, that he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people, Heb. 2, 17. If any sin had been found in him, his death could not be meritorious for us, he should have wanted a Saviour himself for himself. So then he became a pure offering, and an holy sacrifice, that our sins might be washed away, and God's wrath appeased toward us. This is a great comfort for us to consider the excellency of his sacrifice, being without all blame or blemish, without all fault or imperfection: for he was miraculously conceived, partly to fulfil the prophecies of the Prophets, Esay 7.14. and partly because the generation of mankind is wholly corrupted, therefore in the birth of Christ it was most requisite that the unspeakable work of the Spirit should come in, that so he might not be tainted with the common and general infection of original sin, but might be endued with most perfect purity and innocency, and so be fully able to cover our impurity and impiety, Ephe. 5.26.27, and withal as by a certain pledge assure us, that in the end all our sins and imperfections shall be done away. In him is that fulfilled therefore which is spoken in the Lamentations, that he was whiter than the milk, and purer than the snow, and it agreeth more fitly and truly unto him then unto these Nazarites.  
Secondly, this teacheth that such as were Use 2 special ornaments of the Church, and have received a more eminent office and calling than others, should also labour to shine before others in holiness of life, according to the measure of grace which they have received, as Rom. 16.7. Salute Andronicus and junia my kinsmen, and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles. These thus advanced of God, are in the eyes of the world, as a City set upon an hill; a little blemish is soon seen in their face, a small stain appeareth in their coat: and therefore Satan laboureth especially to tempt and seduce them. These are great motes in Satan's eyes, as marks set up for him to shoot at: because these do most of all seek the subversion of his kingdom, and the withdrawing of others out of his snares wherein he holdeth them captive, and therefore he hateth them to the death. We see he began with Christ, and he evermore desireth to hit the fairest mark, and to strike down the highest tree. It was a cunning policy of a crafty captain, to command his soldiers to strike at no part of the enemy but at the face: and the king of Syria commanded his chief commanders, to fight neither with small nor great, save only against the king of Israel. 
●. 22.31  Such is the policy of Satan, he desireth to winnow and wound the chiefest and choicest of all, and he hath oftentimes prevailed, as we see in the examples of Noah, Lot, David, Moses, Aaron, Solomon, and many others: yea, he bendeth his forces and fury so much the more to overthrow and overturn these, because he knoweth that in overmastering them, he commonly in their fall giveth the foil to divers others. It is noted that Satan stood at the right hand of joshua to resist him, Zac. 3.1. So Paul was assaulted above his fellows because of his rare and excellent gifts; this was the cause why he was so much maligned. And Christ telleth his disciples that Satan desired to winnow them, 
●2. 31.  them I say above others, as their calling was above others: for they were the master-builders, and laid the foundation of the Church, upon which others builded. Let all those therefore whose place and calling, and gifts make them evident & eminent above others, take heed to themselves, to their carriage and conversation: let them labour to cleave more closely to God, 
●5. 36.  and so to let their light shine before men, that they seeing their good works, may glorify their Father which is in heaven. These are as chief Captains of the host, and the ensignebearers of the Church, to show the way to others, and to go in and out before them in an unreprovable and unblamable course; and though they draw not all unto them by their example, yet their forwardness and fervency, their zeal & earnestness shall serve to instruct many others.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing these Nazarites must keep themselves from wine and strong drink, as also from eating fresh or dried grapes, so long as the days of their separation endured, or learn hereby that it is our duty to fly from all evil, even all the occasions and allurements of sin whatsoever, though they be never so pleasant to the eye, or sweet to the taste; inasmuch as we shall find them in the end to be more sharp than vinegar, more bitter than wormwood, more deadly than poison. Abner, the Captain of Saul and of his son accounted war as a sport which young fellows did make, howbeit he confessed the end would prove bloody, 
2 Sam. 2.26.  when he cried out, Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? so, howsoever the fool make a mock of sin, and it seem pleasant and profitable at the first, yet the end will be mourning and lamentation. This did Zophar teach in the book of job: Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth though he hide it under his tongue, yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him, etc. Hence it is, that the Apostle james saith, 
jam. 1.27.  Pure religion and undefiled before God even the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. If we do this, than we shall be true Nazarites separated from the world, and brought near unto God: then we shall bestow our minds and meditations upon him, and withdraw our cares and cogitations from the desire of earthly things. When God called Abraham out of Vr of the Caldees, 
Gen. 17.1.  he required of him to walk before him, and to be upright. Such a spiritual Nazarite was Noah, God saw him just in that profane age, when all the earth had corrupted their ways, Gen. 6. Such a Nazarite was Lot in sinful Sodom, 2 Pet. 2.7. when he vexed his righteous soul from day to day, beholding the unclean conversation of those cursed Sodomites. Thus was Noah out of the world, while he was in the world: thus was Lot out of Sodom, even while he was in Sodom: and thus should our conversation be in heaven, while we have our being and dwelling upon the earth, Phil. 3. Such a Nazarite was Nathaniel, in whose spirit there was no guile, joh. 1. for as he is said to be an Israelite indeed, so it may be said, he was a Nazarite indeed. And as these were holy unto God, so must we labour after purity, and offer up our bodies an holy and living sacrifice to God, Rom. 12.1. Every one that calleth upon the Name of the Lord must departed from iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19. We must labour to be clear from the works of darkness, and from the sins of worldlings and wicked persons, marking what the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 7, 1. Cleanse you selves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. For as these Nazarites were not to taste of the juice of liquor of the grape, so we should not intermeddle with any sin, but shun and shake off the same much more than we would to be defiled with mire and dirt: 
2 Cor. 6.17.  remember the counsel of the same Apostle, What agreement, what fellowship is there between light & darkne●? therefore come out from among them and separate yourselves, & touch no unclean thing, then shall we be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.  
Use 4 Fourthly, consider from hence the false ground that the Papists build upon to establish the Monkish and Fryarly Orders, whereby they build an house upon the sand, which cannot continue. For, from this ceremony and vow of the Nazarites, being a more strict kind of life in the abstinence from sundry pleasures that others lawfully took in the moderate use of the good creatures of God, and consequently a profession of greater holiness by sequestering themselves from the company of men to give themselves wholly to prayer and meditation, 
Bellar. contro. 5. cap. 5. lib 2. de Monachis.  the Popish doctors go about to defend the Monks and Friars, and that swarm and rabble of Locusts that came out of the bottomless pit, and to set up their unorderly Orders, to be a profession of life of greater holiness and perfection above others, which the common sort cannot attain unto. Howbeit, if we consider the matter aright, & compare them together, we shall see there is no agreement nor likeness between them. This vow was grounded upon the word of God, and warranted from thence: the Monkish life is deducted from the puddles of man's invention. These bound themselves with a vow for a certain time, for days, or months, or years: they to the end of their life, & account it worse than sacrilege to forsake their dens and cloisters.  
These here mentioned did consecrate and separate themselves to the Lord only, they to Saint Benedict, to Saint Francis, to Saint Dominicke, and such like counterfeit Saints. These entered not into this vow, as if it were meritorious, and available to obtain remission of sins, and everlasting salvation, as appeareth by the sacrifices which they were commanded to offer for their sin when the time of their vow was expired: they affirm that they merit heaven thereby for themselves, and can spare an overplus for others through their works of supererogation. These abstained from wine, nay from all that cometh of the grape: but they, albeit boasting of Angelical perfection, will not be brought under this yoke, but caratâ benè cute, are indeed wine bibbers, great drinkers of wine. These did nourish their hair, and suffered it to grow until the end of their vow: but they shave their crowns, leaving a little circle in which they greatly rejoice, as if it did merit no less than the crown of heaven. These came not near to the dead, nor approached any carcase of their dearest friends, to be defiled thereby: but they are ordinarily and commonly at burials as willingly as at banquets: for while other men mourn, they are merry: while others weep, they sing: and as vultures they look for the death of rich and noble men, not so much to pray for them, as to make a prey of them. Lastly, these Nazarites might freely marry wives, as appeareth in Samson and Samuel: they vowed not virginity, to live in adultery, but it was lawful for them to marry wives notwithstanding their vows. Besides, they never vowed counterfeit poverty, or sottish obedience to any superiors: but the Monks and Friars abjure Matrimony and detest it, not fornication and unclean lusts; contrary to the precept of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7.2. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman have her own husband. They vow poverty, but the most of them live pompously and proudly, and prodigally. And what manner of vow is this, to vow to live by the sweat of other men's labours? whereas Paul warneth, Ephe. 4.28. Let him that stole, steal no more, but let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And in another place, He that will not labour let him not eat, 2 Thess. 3.10. Moreover, they vow obedience: But to whom? to the General of their Orders, indeed too general an obedience: to their Superior, without respect to him that is Superior: contrary to the precept of the Apostle, 1 Corin. 7.23. Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servants of men. What is more common among them then to say, I hold of Saint Francis, I am of Dominicke, I am of Saint Benedict? whereas Paul reproveth such among the Corinthians as would be accounted Christians, yet said, I am of Paul, and I of Apollo, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ: 
1 Cor. 1. 1●.  for is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptised in the name of Paul?  
Thus we see, the Popish doctors do but dally and delude the world, while they would persuade us that their Monkish votaries are like the jewish Nazarites, whereas the contrary appeareth by this comparison, that there is no coherence or communion between them, any more in nature then in name: and as well they may persuade us, that there is a correspondence and agreement between the Prophet Eliah and the Priests of Baal, nay even between Christ himself and the sons of Belial.  
Fiftly, if these Nazarites had touched the Use 5 dead, or the dead touched them, howsoever they had passed many weeks or months of their vow, and were come even to the end thereof, yet their vow was made void, they were to begin the weeks or months of their vow again, ver. 12. The days of his separation before shall be utterly lost, because he is defiled: which teacheth us a necessary point to be considered in our obedience, and how careful we ought to be to keep ourselves from the corruptions and contagions of the world, that we fall not from GOD: because when once we depart from the ways of righteousness, all that which we have done before is out of date, it shall not be reckoned in our accounts, but be forgotten of God, according to the saying of the Prophet Ezekiel, chapter 18.20.24, 27, 28. as these words following testify. The soul that sinneth shall die. 
18, 20, 28.  When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all that abomination that the wicked man doth, shall he live? All the righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in the sin that he hath sinned, in them he shall die. As on the other side, When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness, he shall save his soul alive, he shall surely live, and shall not die. It is not therefore enough for us to begin well, if we do not continue constant, all our labour is lost: nay, it had been better for us, if we had never begun. We see this in Lot's wife, what availed it that she went out of Sodom, and travailed with her husband toward Zoar given unto them as a City of refuge, when as she looked back, and was therefore turned into a pillar of salt? The like we might say of judas, what did it advantage him to preach the Gospel, to work miracles, to be an Apostle, to be conversant with Christ, and to sit at his Table, when after all these privileges, he betrayed his master, joined with the pharisees, entertained covetousness, showed himself to be indeed a devil, & the son of perdition, and in the end hanged himself. What should I speak of Phygellus, Hermogenes, Hymeneus, Philetus, Alexander, and such like mentioned 2 Tim. 1.15 & 2, 17. & 4, 14. If then we look to have any reward and recompense of our labour, & hope to attain to the end of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls, let us so run that we may obtain, let us so sail in the Sea of this world, that we never give over until we arrive in the haven: let us be faithful unto the death, that we may receive the crown of eternal life.  
Lastly, these Nazarites were notable Ornaments in the Church, and far separate from the common sort, they laboured after perfection of sanctification, and strived much to excel others; yet when they had ended the days of their vow, 
13, 14.  they must be brought to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, & offer their offering unto the Lord: which teacheth, that our best works, such as proceed from the best men, and done with the best endeavour of purity and holiness, even when we strive to exceed and excel ourselves, and have bend all our strength to serve the Lord in special manner, yet we have need to ask pardon, and confess that we are unprofitable servants. We are never so perfect, but we are stained with some imperfections; we cannot be so pure, but we are defiled with some impurity and contagion of sin; so that howsoever, we desire cheerfully and constantly to please God in all things, yet evil is present with us, Rom. chapt. 7. verse 21. and sin doth easily beset us, Hebrues chap. 12. verse 1. so that we all stand in need of the pure and perfect sacrifice of Christ, the author and finisher of our Faith, without which we cannot be accepted of God the Father. We must therefore from hence learn to acknowledge, that albeit we desire to offer up ourselves wholly unto him, yet we can merit nothing at his hands, nor attain unto perfection, but are guilty of his judgements, if he enter into judgement with us, Psalm 143, 2. For in his sight shall no man living be justified. It is the sacrifice of Christ, for which he is well pleased, from the merit thereof cometh our merit, our merit is his merit, and the Father's mercy. He knew no sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth, Esay 53. And hence it is, that we shall be acquitted and discharged of sin, so that none shall be able to lay any thing to our charge: and though we be in ourselves debtor, yet he hath paid our debt, and set us free, to whom be all glory and praise for evermore, Amen.   

22 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:  
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them:  
24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.  
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.  
26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.  
27 And they shall put my name upon the Children of Israel, and I will bless them.  
Touching the vow of the Nazarites, the first part of the Chapter, we have spoken hitherto; howbeit of vows in general, we shall have fit occasion to entreat, in the twenty one, and the thirtieth chapters following. Now we come to the second part of the Chapter, containing the form of blessing the people, prescribed unto the Priests from the mouth of God. But first, let us see the meaning and the method of the Words. Touching the Blessing, observe that sometimes God is said to bless man; sometimes, man to bless God; and sometimes one man to bless another. God blesseth man, when he bestoweth good things upon us which we want, and removeth evil things from us which we feel. The good things which he giveth us, are partly earthly, and partly heavenly, and in both he blesseth us. Touching earthly, we read in the word, Genesis chap. 24. verse 35. where Abraham's servant sayeth, that GOD had blessed his Master greatly, and he was become great; then he telleth wherein, He hath given him Flocks, and Herds, and Silver, and Gold, and men Servants, and maid Servants, and Camels, and Asses. The like we see, Deut. 28, 3, 4, 5. Blessed in the City, blessed in the field, blessed in the fruit of thy body, etc. Touching heavenly, it is said, He blesseth with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things through Christ, Ephes. 1, 3.  
Again, sometimes man blesseth God, when he praiseth God in word and deed, with mouth & hart, and returneth thanksgiving to him, both for bestowing upon us his blessings and removing from us his blessings When thou hast eaten and art full, 
Deuter. 8, 10.  than thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. So Psal. 103, 1. Luke. 1, 68 Now this our blessing of God, is nothing but an effect of the former. For as we love God, because he loved us first; so we bless God because he blessed us first. We can never return him the glory, but from a feeling of his own mercy. We cannot open our mouth to praise him, except he opened his hands to bless us. 
Genes. 14, 19  Lastly, man is said to bless man; we bless one another, when we pray one for another, Rom. 12, 14. Bless them which persecute you, which is expounded by the words of Christ, Mat, 5, 44. Pray for them which despitefully use you. To apply these things to our present purpose, we must mark that in this place the word is thrice used, and to be understood diversly: for when the Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to bless the people, the meaning is, they must pray for them, and hearty desire good things unto them. Again, when it is said, The Lord bless thee; and when the promise is made, I will bless thee, the meaning is, the Lord will bestow all good things on thee, and take away all evil things from thee: so that they blessed the children of Israel by desiring and praying, God blessed them by giving and bestowing.  
Moreover, the priests of God are taught to crave that God would make his face shine, Objection & lift up his countenance upon the people. It may be asked, hath God any face, visage, or countenance? I answer these things are ascribed to God, Answ. not properly, but for our better capacity & understanding. It was the error of the Anthropomorphites, who because the Scriptures speak of the eyes, ears, mouth, hands, heart, head and arms of God, did therefore imagine that God is like unto us, and had a bodily shape, whereas he is a Spirit: as also he willbe worshipped in spirit and truth. 
john 4, 24.  This the Apostle teacheth, The Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the lord is, 
2 Cor. 3, 17.  there Object 2 is liberty.. But these heretics object, that God made man in his own image and likeness. Gen. 1. This is true, Answer. but their consequent is false. For we are said to be created according to the Image of God, not because he hath any bodily shape, for that is against his nature who is infinite, and against his word which teacheth the contrary. The essence of God is spiritual, invisible, and most simple; he is a just and merciful God, love itself holiness itself, & goodness itself. In these we were made like unto God, in these we resemble him & bear his image, being created in righteousness and true holiness. 
Ephes. 4, 24.  True it is some place this image of God in dominion over the creatures, others in his immortal soul only, others in reason by which we are distinguished from beasts, but these let pass the principal point, which the heathen man saw, when he said, 
Tully.  The virtue which is in a man came nearer to the similitude of God, than the figure or outward shape. What then can be the shadow of such a substance, and the image of such a nature, and the resemblance of such a power and perfectness, but that which the Apostle teacheth, Put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him? 
Coloss. 3, ●  Would we then know, what the true image of God is? It is the reasonable soul in man, endued with divine knowledge, holiness, righteousness, & such like. This image is much deformed: for we have utterly lost all supernatural gifts, and corrupted those that are natural: & therefore our whole life is, or at least, should be, nothing else but a making up of this breach, a stopping of this gap, and a repairing of these ruins.  
But to leave these, we must understand that the face of God noteth out divers things: sometimes it signifieth the invisible nature and essence of God, as Exod. 33, 23. 
Paraeus C●●●● on Ro●●,  Thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen, that is, thou shalt see so much of my glory and majesty, as man in this life can comprehend. But no man can see God in his full perfection & live, if we cannot look upon the Sun without dazzling and dimming of our eyes, how should we be able to behold the glory of the eternal God? let it content us to look upon him in his word in his works, in his creatures, and in the face of jesus Christ our Mediator: these are as perspective glasses, wherein we may after a sort, see the face of God, though it be darkly, yet so far as we can conceive. Secondly, it signifieth the favour of God, as also all his benefits, 
Daniel. ●. 37.  deliverances, and graces which proceed from his good will as from a fountain, and serve to witness his favour to us, Cause thy face to shine, and we shallbe saved. 
Psal. 80. ●.  Thirdly, it signifieth revenge and punishment, and the signs of his anger; all which do oftentimes appear by the face of man, I will set my face against that man, 
levit. 28. ●.  and I will cut him off from among his people. Lastly, it noteth out the place of God's worship, where his face and favour is perceived through delivery of the doctrine of godliness. 
Genes. ●, ●●.  Cain was banished from the face of God, of the which David complaineth, 2 Sam. 26, 49. So highly did the servants of God prise the holy meetings and assemblies of the Saints, considering that where two or three are gathered together in his name there is he in the midst of them. In this place, the shining of God's face upon his church & people, is the refreshing of them with his love, grace, and favour, and a train of other blessings flowing from them, as it is expounded in the words following, added by way of exposition, Be gracious unto them.  
The last part of the blessing, is the giving of peace. This word signifieth sometimes our atonement with God through Christ, by whom he is reconciled to his chosen; who therefore is called the Prince of peace, Esa. 9, 6. and our peacemaker, Eph. 2, 15. Sometimes it signifieth peace of conscience, which is a most sweet quietness and tranquillity of mind, arising of a most comfortable feeling and apprehension of our reconciliation with God, as Rom. 5, 1. Being justified by Faith, we are at peace with God. Sometimes a prosperous and happy success, when that speedeth well, and is turned to the best, whatsoever a righteous man taketh in hand, as Eph. 6, 23. Peace be to the Brethren, and love with faith from God the father, etc. And sometimes the mutual concord & agreement among Christian brethren. 
●th. 6, 22. 34, 14.  Gal. 6, 22. Ps. 34.14. In this place I refer it to the second and third significations; for it is taken for the peace of a good conscience, and an happy and prosperous success in our godly endeavours & enterprises. This is a fruit of our atonement with God, & comprehendeth under it sundry other benefits. For being once at peace with God through the precious blood of Christ, we are at peace with all other creatures in heaven and earth, with the Angels, with the godly, with our enemies, and with the beasts of the field. To conclude, when it is said, They shall put my name upon the children of Israel, he meaneth that Aaron and his sons should after their solemn blessing lay their hands on the people, and by this sign assure them, that all these blessings which they had prayed for, should fall on them, because God would bless them.  
Touching the order of the words, observe herein two principal points: first, the form of blessing, secondly God's blessing on their blessing, 
Tremel. ●a in An- Numb.  testified by the outward sign of laying on of their hands. The form of blessing is a public prayer to God, that he would bless his church, which stands of 3. points. First, that God would save his church, and vouchsafe to hold it up in all dangers. Secondly, that he would as the sun in perfect glory shine upon it with his grace and favour. Thirdly, that he would pour out upon the same the effects of his grace and favour, to wit, joy, peace & prosperity, which are lively fruits thereof. The second part, which is a blessing upon the blessing, is noted by a Ceremonial or sacramental sign, which is the laying on of their hands. For when the priests had held up their hands in prayer (as their manner was while they stood in prayer) and prayed for the blessing of God upon the people, afterward they put their hands upon them, as if they had already obtained a blessing from heaven by their prayers, and bestowed it with their hands upon the people. For God promiseth, that their imposition of hands shall not be in vain, inasmuch as he will ratify & make good their word, as he doth all his Sacraments and ordinances, saying, I will bless them.  
But before we come to the particular handling of divers doctrines offered to our considerations in this prayer, I will point out a few general observations to be marked of us. As first, this form of blessing is the same in effect which the Apostles use in their salvations to the Churches, when they wish unto them grace and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord jesus Christ. This Apostolical benediction was drawn from this Blessing, which showeth how well acquainted they were with the doctrine of the Scriptures, with the prayers of Moses and of the Prophets, whereunto also we should attend as unto a light that shineth in dark places. Secondly, we have here a fundamental point of our religion offered to our considerations, to wit, the mystery of the Trinity of persons, and the unity of the Godhead. 
Marbac. Comm. on Numb. 6.  This is gathered by divers out of these words in that the name of the Lord is 3. times repeated, The Lord bless thee, the Lord make his face shine upon thee, the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee; and yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord: and therefore he saith, I will bless thee, and not, we will bless thee. This mystery of the Trinity & Unity was taught from the beginning of the world: howbeit the fuller revelation of it was reserved to the times of the Gospel, when the light of the truth did shine as the sun at noon days. 
Math. 3, 16, 17  Hence it is, that at the baptism of Christ, john saw the spirit of God descending like a Dove, and lighting upon him, and heard a voice from heaven, saying; This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; and when he sent out his disciples into all the world, 
Math 28, 19  he willed them to Baptize in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy Ghost. So doth the Apostle speak, 1 john 5, 7. 
1 john 5, 7.  There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Ghost: & these three are one. So in this place, when he mentioneth the Lord three times, it may note out the Trinity of persons: and when he saith, I will bless than, it pointeth out the Unity of the Godhead: and so we learn to confess and believe that there is one God, & three persons. Thirdly, we are taught from hence that all good things must be asked of God, and of no creatures in heaven or in earth, forasmuch as it is he only from whom all blessings come. If then we feel any wants in ourselves (as who is it that findeth not many?) we know to whom to go, 
james 1, 17.  we are sent to the fountain or head-spring, even to the Father of lights. He is able to furnish us, and fill us with that which we have not; he is able to increase the measure of that which we have; he will not see any want to them that are not wanting unto themselves. Fourthly, seeing we must ask a blessing from God, we are thereby put in mind, that by nature we lie under the curse of God threatened by the Law, by which cometh the knowledge of sin, Romans 3, 20. And the same Apostle, Galat. 3, verse 10. showeth, that every one is cursed that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. We are stained and defiled with sin from our birth, Psalm 51.5. job 14. verse 4. We see then, what is our natural estate and condition; we are not heirs of blessing, we cannot claim & challenge any portion to ourselves in any of the mercies of God, there is nothing our own but the curse of God, the wrath of God, the judgement of God; these we may truly call our own, these are our lot, this is our cup to drink, this is due unto us in regard of sin, which we drink in daily as water, which we continually swallow as bread. Let us not therefore bless ourselves, as if we had some title to the blessings of God, but consider that we lie under all the curses of the law, Deut. 28 so long as we are unregenerate or impenitent: but when once we are in Christ, & have received truly to believe, than we are delivered from the curse, and have right to his blessings. Fiftly, this solemn blessing commanded in this place to the Priests, doth shadow out Christ jesus which was sent of God, that according to the promise made to Abraham, all the nations of the earth should be blessed in him. For, as they blessed the people when they departed out of the congregation, so did Christ when he was to departed out of the world, as the Evangelist testifieth, Luke 24, 50, 51. he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lift up his hands and blessed them: and it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. All blessings indeed do come from him, and by him, and through him they are conveyed unto us. So then, the Office of blessing, which under the law was committed to the Priests, doth truly and properly belong to Christ jesus the high priest of our profession, 
Caluin harm. in evang.  through whom we receive spiritual blessings in heavenly things, Eph. 1. He is the only author of all blessing, yet that his grace might be more effectual to us, it was his will & pleasure, that the priests in the beginning should as mediators bless in his name. To this purpose appertaineth that which is read in Psal. 118, 26. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, we do bless you out of the house of the Lord. The Apostle teacheth, Heb. 7, 7. that it is a sign of excellency to bless others, because without all question and contradiction the less is blessed of the greater: therefore when Christ the true Melchizedek, and the eternal priest came into the world to offer up himself, it was meet that in him should be fulfilled whatsoever was shadowed out by the Legal figures; so that he blessed the Apostles openly & with a solemn rite of lifting up his hands, to the end the faithful should fly unto him, so many as desire to be partakers of the grace of God, & to become rich in all heavenly things. Lastly, the priests are to bless the people. What then? are they able to bless? have they the blessings of God in their own breast? and can they give them to whom they list? no, it is God only that can bless & curse. True it is, this is given afterward to Balaam the false Prophet to be able to bless and curse whom he will, chap. 22, 6. As also it is in our days to the bishop of Rome, the true successor of Balaam rather than of Peter, with whom he hath nothing like. But the priests do bless by praying for a blessing, & pronouncing the people of God to be blessed. So then we see hereby, 
Math. ●6, ●● john 20, 2●.  how the Ministers are said to bind and to lose, to forgive sins & to retain sins: not that they have an absolute power to do these things, for it is God only that properly can forgive sins: it is he that can take away the guilt and punishment of them: the Ministers only do it ministerially, publishing forgiveness and assuring remission of sins to all that are penitent, and contrariwise preaching that there is no forgiveness to the impenitent. As then the priests did bless only as the Ministers of God, so did the Disciples of Christ, and so do the Teachers of the Church remit & retain sins, only as the Ministers of jesus Christ, who speak in his name.  
[Ver 23. On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel.] Now let us come to the particular doctrine. And first there is laid before our eyes a set and solemn form of prayer enjoined to the priests to be used commonly and continually in the assemblies. 
Doctrine. A set form of prayers lawful to be used.  From hence we learn that a set form of prayer is lawful to be used, whether publicly in the Church, or privately in the family. This point is the more strongly inferred from hence, if we consider the persons to whom this commandment was given. For this solemn form is set, not for the simple sort or the most ignorant amongst the people, neither appointed to be used within the walls of a private house, or within the doors of a secret chamber, as if it might be ashamed or blush to come abroad: but it was appointed to be pronounced by the priests, & to be uttered not in a corner, but in the Congregation of the people, and in the Tabernacle of the Lord before many witnesses. Now, if there were any able of themselves to conceive a prayer as the Spirit of GOD should give utterance and ability, undoubtedly they were the Priests of the Lord, 
Malach. 2, ●  whose lips must preserve knowledge, and the people must seek the law at their mouths: yet are they both allowed and prescribed to follow a set form in blessing the people. Moses a great prophet, like to whom did not any arise after him, to whom the Lord spoke face to face, Deutro. 34, 10. was well enabled to pray without a prescript form, whose prayers were so powerful and effectual, that they prevailed more than all attempt and resistance made by the bodies of men against their enemies, Exod. 17, 11. & 32, 10. nay, they after a sort bound the hands of God as with chains, that he might not destroy them after their Idolatry, Exod. 32, 10. yet did this great prophet use set forms of prayer at their marching forward, and at their standing still: for when the Tabernacle removed, and the Ark set forward, he said, Numb. 10, 35, 36. Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, & let them that hate thee, fly before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return O Lord, unto the thousand thousands of Israel. Let not us seek nor seem to be better than he was, whose gifts were greater than ours are, yet he did not refuse to use, or think it unlawful to practise this uniform order in prayer. Paul was rapt into the third heaven, he saw Christ in his glory, 1 Cor. 9, 1. and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter, 2 Cor. 12, 4. and who was able to pray better than he? yet he used always one manner of salutation in the beginning of all his Epistles, craving grace and peace from GOD the Father; and he ended with a like conclusion, The grace of our Lord jesus Christ be with you, Rom. 1, 7. & 16, 20. 1 Cor. 1, 3. and 16, 23 2 Cor. 1, 2. & 13, 14. Gal. 1, 3. & 6, 18. Eph. 1, 2. & 6, 24. Christ our Saviour was filled with the riches of all grace, in whom all treasures of knowledge and wisdom were hidden, Col. 2, 3. who spent whole nights in prayer to God, Luke 6, 12. yet it is most probable that he used one of David's Psalms with his Disciples after the institution & celebration of his last Supper, when it is said, he sung a Psalm, or an Hymn, 
●. 26, 30.  which we doubt not was one of the Psalms of thanksgiving set down in holy Scripture. But howsoever this were, or whatsoever that Song were, this is certain, that the hour of his passion approaching, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, he prayed oftentimes again & again, that if it were possible, that cup might pass from him. 
●. 26, 39, 4.  And ver. 44 he left his disciples and went away, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Was it not enough for the Evangelists to note his often praying, but they must add, he said the same words? The 92 Psal. was sung usually in the church of the jews upon the Sabbath day, & was penned for that purpose, as appeareth in the title of it, & the 102 Psalm is a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed with sorrows, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord, as we may read in that title. This is also the practice of all churches at this day, concurring and communicating with ours in this point. Seeing therefore, it hath been the practice of the first and most ancient church of the jews, & seeing it is observed of all the reformed churches in Christendom, giving the right hand of fellowship with us, to have an unity and uniformity in public prayers, it serveth fitly & forcibly to confirm us in the present truth that we deal withal, that it is lawful to use either the prayers set down in holy Scripture, or any other godly prayers made by the learned to our hands consonant and agreeable to the scripture.  

〈◊〉 1.  For first of all, it were a childish and foolish thing to imagine that God is delighted with choice of prayers, as a dainty stomach is with change of meats, or that he taketh pleasure in novelty of matters and variety of words, or that he hunteth after new forms & alterations of our requests. But to condemn all prescribed forms is nothing else but to be strongly persuaded that God accepteth and receiveth no prayers but such as are new, and cannot abide to hear the same things twice: which is to nourish a wrong conceit & imagination of the most wise & merciful God.  
Secondly, all things must be done to edification. Reason 2 It is the rule of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 14, 12. but set forms in the public worship & service of God tend much to edifying, and help greatly the understanding of the simple. The greatest number of the people are simple in knowledge, and weak in judgement, and therefore to have their ears acquainted with the same form and frame of words serveth most of all for their understanding.  
Thirdly, every true child and faithful servant Reason 3 of God, although he have an honest hart yet he hath not always a flowing tongue and copiousness of words, but wanteth the gifts of utterance, of boldness, of knowledge, of remembrance, of invention, of order, and such like. There are many that have stuttering tongs, fearful hearts, simple capacities, frail memories, that are weak in devising and framing, in contriving and disposing the things which they desire, whose names notwithstanding we dare not blot out of the roll and register of the chosen once of God. But to conceive a prayer, all these gifts and many other are required, he must be able to utter, to invent, to discern, & to order he must have gifts of audacity and memory: but this all the godly are not able to do, they are not all thus qualified. He that is lame in his limbs, 
Perk. Cases of consci. lib.  and not able to go upon his legs, yet if he get a crutch to lean upon, he can walk apace: so many are not able to conceive a prayer, or to deliver that which they have conceived of themselves, but if they meet with any one framed unto their hands, they can pray unto God fervently, earnestly, hearty.  
This doctrine made thus plain first serveth Use 1 to convince the error of those of the separation, who condemn our churches, our ministers, our sacraments to be no true Churches of Christ, no true Ministers of Christ, no true Sacraments of Christ. And concerning our Liturgy or form of public prayer read and prescribed to be read, they account it Antichristian, they utterly detest it, and account it abominable & no more acceptable to God than the offering of Swine's flesh was under the Law, which the Lord abhorred as if they had instead of his appointed sacrifices cut off a dog's neck. And albeit we have the examples of all other Churches under heaven, as precedents, that go before us in this practice, and albeit we follow them as they followed Christ; yet they will not allow us to be like to them, nor will permit that to the people of God, which he here prescribed to the Priests; yea, albeit they have no examples whom they can pretend to follow, yet they will be singular in their own conceits, & condemn all others that will not join with them. The 136. Psalm was sung in the congregations long after David's days as appeareth 2 Chro. 20, 21. what? Did they therein offer up swine's flesh? Hezekiah that godly king, that set his whole heart to seek the Lord, whom the Lord healed of an incurable disease, 
● King's 21, 1. Esay 38, 8.  and wrought a miracle in the heavens, to assure him of deliverance from his enemies: this good King so much regarded of God, together with his Princes, commanded the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer; 
2 Chro. 29, 30  & so they did, according to the king's commandment, sing praises with gladness, & they bowed their heads & worshipped, 2 Chro. 29, 30. Did the King and the Princes command the Levites to offer up swine's flesh? or was their service no better accepted, than the cutting off of a dog's neck? or did it any whit quench their zeal, or slake their devotion, that the words were not their own, but penned long before by David the Prophet, and Asaph the Seer? No, they praised the Lord with gladness of heart, and humbleness of mind, which they testified by this sign, that they bowed their heads and worshipped. Object. But it will be said, This was a thansgiving. I confess it was: but if it be lawful to use a set form of praising and thansgiving, Answer. then also of praying and making petition, because there is a like reason of both. And that we may the better see their error, and themselves confess they are deceived, let us examine some of their objections in this place; the rest we will reserve unto the 10. chapter, 
Numb. 10, 35, 36.  where we shall have farther occasion to search more into this point. One objection which Objection 2 they allege is this, that this set service is to quench the spirit, 1 Thes. 5, 19 and to limit him that teacheth us to pray, to tell him how far he shall go, and to appoint him his banks and bounds, beyond which he may not pass, whereas we should pray as the Spirit moveth & giveth us utterance. To use a set form, or (if you list to call it so) a stinted form of prayer, Answer. is not to stint the Spirit, but to help the Spirit. But doth the Spirit of God need the help of man? Objection 3 Is not he all-sufficient by himself & of himself? Answer. He standeth not in need of us, but is most sufficient; howbeit the Spirit in us is weak, the work of the Spirit is unperfect, and is perfected not all at once, but by degree. If all the true servants of God had received a perfect measure of grace, and if all that have the Spirit of God, had the same Spirit fully without any defect or infirmity, they should not need any human helps, but have sufficient store of their own. So then to the former objection, I answer 3. things. First, if he that taketh a book, and readeth a set prayer, did stint the Spirit, than he that taketh the Scripture into his hands, and readeth a chap. out of the old or new Testament, and then stayeth & goeth no farther, might as well be said to stint the Spirit. Or, he that heareth another prey, should stint the Spirit also, because all such as hear the prayers of others, are stinted what to hear. All cannot, neither aught to be speakers either in the private house, or in the house of God; 
1 Cor. 14, 40.  this were to break the order of decency required in prayer: now such as are hearers of others, have words after a sort prescribed unto them, and limited how far to go, and yet cannot such hearers be justly taxed to limit or to quench the Spirit. Again, observe that the Spirit of God is never stinted or kerbed, neither can rightly be said to be quenched, so long as it is kept within his own bounds, that is, the limits of the holy Scripture as it ought to be. He then that prayeth the prayer of Christ, or the salutation of Paul, or a Psalm of David, which he hath premeditated before, or committed to memory, cannot be said to quench the Spirit, except we will imagine that the Spirit can be against himself.  
Lastly, to quench the Spirit, is to oppose against the voice of the Spirit, 
Rom. 1, 18.  to cross and contradict the Spirit, and to withhold the truth in unrighteousness. Therefore, although a man doth not speak every thing that the Spirit putteth into his head, and into his heart, yet he cannot be charged to quench the Spirit, except he set himself against it, & that with a set purpose to gainsay and resist it. As for example, when we crave of GOD to feed us with food convenient for us Pro. 30.8 & to make us content to eat our own bread, 2 Thes. 3, 12. though we do not expressly pray to God to keep us from using unlawful shifts & ungodly means, whereby we seek to get into our hands the goods of other men, yet we cannot be said to quench the spirit, except we refuse so to pray, because we purpose to live and thrive by injuries and oppressions, by fraud and deceit: then indeed we quench the Spirit, because we control the voice of the Spirit speaking to us in his word. Again they object Objection 4 that the scripture teacheth that we know not what or how to pray, Rom. 8, 26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, etc. but when we have a set form of prayer framed to our hands, and the book lieth before us, we know then what to pray, and need not the help of the Spirit, and therefore such cannot say with the Apostle, they know not what to pray for as they ought. This is a silly collection, and indeed a mere cavillation. I answer therefore 2 things. Answ. First, by setting down the meaning of the words; We know not what we should pray for as we ought, to wit, of ourselves: as 1 Cor. 2, 14, 15. The natural man knoweth not the things of the spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned. So we may say, the natural man cannot tell how or what to pray, but the spiritual man that judgeth all things, knoweth both how & what to pray. Flesh & blood revealed not the knowledge of Christ to Peter, 
Math. ●●, ●  but the Father which is in heaven; so flesh and blood cannot reveal to us what we should ask in prayer, but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. Where we see, he opposeth the Spirit unto ourselves: in that which we cannot do, we shall have the Spirit to be our teacher, and to instruct us how to perform it. Secondly, it is falsely supposed, that when we have a prayer composed to our hands, and we read that prayer, that then we need not the help of the Spirit. For need we not the help of the Spirit to make us lift up our hearts to God, to give us a feeling of our wants, to keep us from earthly cogitations & wandering thoughts, to stir up faith in us with assurance to receive whatsoever we desire, and many things of like sort? the which, if they be wanting, whether our prayer be conceived or prescribed, read in the book, or made without the book, it is of no virtue or value, neither doth God accept thereof.  
Secondly, this is a great comfort to such as Use 2 as are weak, and yet withal willing to come to the throne of grace, to such I say, as have not the gift to conceive and invent prayer themselves. Let them from this ground hear a word of consolation. Let no man discourage such from prayer, neither let such discourage themselves. For shall they never pray? or should they never fall down before the Almighty? O yes, let them come, they ought to come: if the mercy of God cannot allure them, let their own infirmity constrain them. If they cannot conceive a prayer themselves. shall this excuse them for the intermitting of this duty? Let them come to God and use the prayers of other men. As he that could not come unto Christ by reason of his impotency, did not reason thus within himself, Alas, I am not able to go to him of myself, I will therefore never seek help, or labour to be cured. Nay, he rather reasoned thus, as it appeareth by the means he used, I am not able to go to Christ of myself, 
●, 19  I will therefore be borne of others rather than not seek help at all: so should we reason, I cannot pray of myself, I will therefore help mine infirmity by using the benefit of other men's prayers, which is no more then to use the feet of others, when we have not the use of our own. And as it was all one to him that was taken with a palsy, and brought in a bed to Christ by the hands and help of others, to be borne to Christ, and to be able of himself to come to Christ, because he was cured and made able to walk, Luke 5, 24.25. So should it be to us; if we come unto Christ, whether we come and beg the graces which we want, in our own words, or whether we beg them in the words of others, it skilleth not greatly, neither is it much material, so that we do obtain. It is not the excellency or eloquence of words, or variety of matter that God respecteth, 
● 13, 14.  we must come evermore in the Name of Christ, and for his sake we shall be heard. If the man sick of the palsy had been able to walk to Christ, and not stood in need to be brought unto him, what other gracious answer could he have looked for, then that which he received, 
●5.  Arise and walk? So if all persons that live in the bosom of the Church, were well able to put up their own supplications in their own words, and had the greatest graces of knowledge and invention, what fruit could we reap and receive of such our prayers, but to be regarded? and to have that comfortable answer which Cornelius had and heard, Acts 10, 4, 31. Thy prayers are heard and had in remembrance in the sight of God? As than David did admit Mephibosheth to his table though he were lame of his feet: so doth God receive us though our service we perform unto him be weak and many ways defective, as he did those that came to the Passeover, 2 Chron. 30.  
Lastly, we must learn, that albeit God allow Use 3 us to pray unto him by the help of others, yet we must strive to go further, and labour in all things to grow to perfection. 
Hebr. 6, 1.  There is no man that hath any infirmity, but doth gladly seek the means to remedy & redress the same, the lepers to be cleansed, the blind to recover their sight, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear; not to be able to pray to God and to lay open our wants to him, is a great want, and a greater blemish and defect in the soul, then to be blind, or deaf, or lame is to the body. O that all had eyes to see this, & hearts to bewail it. It is allowed to weak Christians to use set forms, as to him that hath weak eyes to use spectacles. But we must not evermore stand at one stay, nor be always as children that must be taught to go, and be stayed up with the hand of another. It is a great weakness to be always weak, and to continue in our weakness all the days of our life. It is our duty to grow in knowledge, in judgement, in understanding, in faith, and such like gifts.  
If any ask, Object. how shall we be able to attain to this gift? and how shall we be furnished to pray according to the present occasion, & our own present necessities? I answer, Answer. we must observe these few particulars: First, we must take notice of our particular sins, that they may be acknowledged. Secondly, we must labour to feel our particular wants, tha● we may have them supplied. Thirdly, we must call to remembrance the special benefits that GOD bestoweth upon us, that hi● Name may be praised.  
Again, that we should not please ourselves too much in our own ignorance sundry cautions & conditions are to be marked in using set forms of prayer: 
Cautions to be marked in using set ●ormes of prayer.  as first of all, we mus● labour for the graces and affections showed in the said prayers, by the makers, composers▪ and penmen of them, that we may pray with the same spirit, by which they did indite them. For to pray aright, and to make it available, it is not enough to be present at prayer, or to hear a prayer read, but we must join attention with our presence▪ and with our attention, humility; and with humility, faith; and with faith, lifting up of our hearts to him that sitteth in heaven, to whom we pray. For many a one that cometh to the place of prayer, and into the company of them that pray, doth yet nothing less than pray. Many a Minister that getteth up into the Pulpit, doth nothing less than preach. Many people that come with ears to hear, do nothing less than hear; and to eat the Supper of the Lord, that do nothing less than partake of his holy table. Wherefore, we must be present in mind at holy things as well as in body, or else our presence is no better than an absence.  
Secondly, we must yield to this principle, that it is both safer and better to conceive a prayer then to read a prayer, because it keepeth our minds constant, and freeth us from wandering thoughts that carry us oftentimes from the matter which we should altogether mind. For we are ready to go astray, and to set our hearts upon other things, whereas by this means they are kept close and steadfast to the requests which we make.  
Again, a man may read a prayer, that never understandeth it, or conceiveth the meaning of it: and therefore it is more profitable to pour out our petitions ourselves, then to have our petitions drawn by the hand of another. No man can have such a feeling of our own wants, as our own necessities will make us able to express: neither can conceive such joy and gladness for blessings received, as the experience in ourselves of God's benefits will afford unto us.  
Thirdly, no man must condemn such as do conceive themselves forms of prayers, & call them conceited prayers, or fantastical prayers. These are envious persons, who envy in others the graces of God, & cannot abide that any should go before themselves, or beyond themselves. These are wise in their own eyes, and indeed themselves wholly conceited and fantastical, which they falsely charge upon others, being utterly ignorant both of God's works, and their own wants. For had they known or regarded the gifts and power of the Spirit which helpeth and assisteth his servants, that their tongue is as the pen of a ready writer, and findeth sufficient matter to utter to their Maker: or had they known themselves thoroughly, what new wants they have, what new sins they commit, what new assaults they undergo, what new blessings they enjoy, which are as so many occasions or rather provocations to open their mouths anew to God, & to sing a new song unto him, they would not blot this ordinance of God with such an odious cavil. So then, whereas all such should be grieved that cannot frame their petitions according to their present wants, nor pour out their supplications according to their particular assaults, neither make confession to God according to their particular offences, they are rather grieved that any others can perform these duties better than themselves. And whereas they should strive with might and main to be like unto them, and to follow their example, they would have all other men ignorant like themselves, and please themselves in that ignorance.  
On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel.] Note in these words the persons that must perform this duty, and they are the Priests: note also what they are to do, to bless the people, & that is, to pray to almighty God for them, that his blessings may come down upon them. From hence we see, that it is the duty of the Ministers to pray for the people. 
Doctrine. It is the Ministers duty to pray for the people.  So did Melchisedec for Abraham, and he was the Priest of the most high God, Gen. 14.18, 19 So did Moses often for the people, when Gods heavy judgements were upon them, or hanging over their heads, Exod. 32, & 33: 
Psal. 106, 23.  he stood oftentimes in the gap when the hand of God had made the breach, to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them. So did Aaron, as appeareth afterward in this book, when the plague was begun among the people, he put on incense, & made an atonement for them: he stood between the dead & the living, and the plague was stayed, Numb. 16, 
Rom. 1, 2, ●●.  47, 48. Paul in every Epistle practiseth this duty: and the Apostles committed the charge of providing for the poor, 
Acts 6, ●.  and distributing to the poor, to the Deacons, that they might give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. The Prophets also never failed in this duty, as we read almost in every place of their Prophecies, 
Dan. 5, 22,  they stood upon their watchtower, having the people continually in remembrance in their holy prayers. Christ jesus himself, the great Shepherd of the sheep, is a perfect pattern of performing this, he prayed for jerusalem oftentimes, Luke 19 and for the whole flock of God committed unto him, whom he would not suffer to perish, but bring them to everlasting life, john 17, 20.  
Thus than we see, we have the examples of Melchisedec, of Moses, of Aaron, of the Priests, of the Prophets, of the Apostles, and of Christ jesus the Lord of life, as lively examples to go before us, and as a cloud of witnesses to conduct us in this duty, to prove unto us the truth of this point.  
This must the rather be practised; first, because it is an infallible token of our love toward Reason 1 them, and of an earnest desire that we have of their good, Psal. 118, 26. And how can we better express even the bowels of our affection, and our longing after their prosperous estate from the heart root, then by our daily praying for them? Rom. 1, 10.  
Secondly, the faithful Ministers of God have been much grieved when they were forbidden and not permitted to perform this duty. We see this evidently in jeremy, 
jer. ●4. ●●  when the Lord had said unto him, Pray not for this people for their good: he said, Ah, Lord God, the Prophets say unto them, ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place: where we see, he layeth the fault upon the false Prophets, and goeth about to excuse, or at least to lessen the sin of the people, who were blindly led by those blind guides, that thereby he might make a way to move the Lord to hear him for that poor seduced people.  
Thirdly, the flock of God is committed unto them; it is no small charge that lieth on their hands, the price of Christ's precious blood is committed unto them, and therefore by all means they are charged to procure their good, especially considering that the blood of such as perish through their negligence, shall be required at their hands, 1 Pet. 5, 2. Ezek. 3.18.  
Fourthly, it is a sin against God as well as against his people, to omit or refuse this duty. And therefore when all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: he answered; As for me, God forbidden that I should sin against the lord in ceasing to pray for you. 1 Sam. 12, 23. If then it be a sin to omit it, it must needs be a duty to perform it.  
Fiftly, it should be done to the end the people might be encouraged, and not faint in their sufferings. For they are oftentimes set upon, and their faith shaken, and they ready to give over, if they be not confirmed by the word and by prayer: and therefore we read, Eph. 3, 13, 14. I desire that yet faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory: for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, etc. that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with the might of his Spirit in the inner man. Our prayers shall be an effectual means to hold them up.  
Use 1 Consider from this ground, why the word oftentimes prospereth not under our hands, and we labour in vain, and strive against a stubborn and disobedient people; even because we forget our own duty, to commend our people to God, and to the word of his grace, 
26.18.  that so their eyes may be opened, and they turned from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, & an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in jesus Christ. Let us all therefore say with Samuel the Lord's Prophet, GOD forbidden that I should sin in ceasing to pray for them, that the word may take good effect in their hearts, considering it is in his hands only to give the blessing upon our labours. For Paul may plant and Apollo's water, but it is God that giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3, 6. And doubtless God doth often withhold the dew of his grace from our labours, because we do not desire & crave his blessing. It may be said, what should the Minister ask for them, or for what should he pray on their behalf? I answer, for their conversion, confirmation, consolation, preservation, multiplication, and removing of tribulation .. Many in all Congregations remain yet in ignorance, & are not turned unto God; we must pray that they may be gained and converted, Acts 3, 19 Many are weak and feeble minded, as the bruised reed and as the smoking flax; we must pray that they may be supported and strengthened, Eph. 3, 16. Many are as it were quite out of heart, being tired with the temptations of Satan and tribulations of the world, these must be cheered up and comforted, Math. 26, 41. Acts 14 22. Many have indeed received to believe, but they are ready to stand at a stay, and some at the point to go backward; we must pray that these may be kept and preserved. john 17, 11. Holy Father, (saith Christ) keep through thine own Name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. Many Congregations have the fewest number that have given their names in sincerity and uprightness of heart to God, and resolved to offer up their bodies an holy and living sacrifice unto him, so that the true Church is a little flock: we must pray therefore that the number may be augmented and increased, and that he would every day add unto the Church, such as should be saved, Acts 2, 47, and 13, 48. and 16.5. So were the Churches established in the faith, & increased in number daily.  
Lastly, the Churches of God do often lie under many judgements, and are pressed even above measure with sundry calamities: it is our duty therefore to pray to GOD to have them removed, that they may have a breathing time, & quietly serve the Lord in peace and tranquillity, as Paul wisheth Agrippa were altogether like him, except his bands, Acts 26, 29.  
Secondly, this serveth to reprove such as Use 2 never practise this, neither think it to be any ministerial duty, to pray for the people, and for the blessing of God upon their own speaking, & the people's hearing. And thus is the whole office of the Ministry disannulled. Some that love their own ease more than the people's good, maintain that reading is preaching, because they are loath to take pains themselves, or to maintain any that should take pains. Others that pray seldom, think it needless either to begin their Sermons, or to end them with invocation of the Name of God: and by this means they neither give themselves continually to prayer, neither to the Ministry of the word. And if we mark the people that live under their Ministry, & depend upon them, we shall see them for the most part most ignorant, and such as have no desire of knowledge, except peradventure some few, who have been fed with the crumbs that fall from other men's tables, I mean, that have gotten their knowledge in other places.  
Thirdly, it is the Ministers duty to labour after the grace of prayer. For how shall they Use 3 be able to commend the people to GOD in prayer, if they be not able at all occasions and times to pray for them, being destitute of this holy and heavenly gift, which is a most necessary, a most worthy, a most effectual gift? It is a principal part of God's worship, & oftentimes beareth the name of the whole worship of God, Gen. 4, 26. Acts 9, 14. 2, Tim. 2, 19 It is the means which God hath sanctified to unlock the closet of his graces. They are hid in God, and as it were kept in his secret chamber under lock and key; prayer is the means to open the door that leadeth us the way unto them. God is indeed the fountain of all blessings, but the spring is far; the waters of life are with him, but if we use not prayer, it may be truly said to us as the woman of Samaria spoke, john 4, 11. Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence therefore canst thou have that living water? If then we account the saving graces of God necessary, we must also account that means necessary, by which we do obtain them. As for those that despise the means, they do also despise the precious graces of God which are obtained by means. The like we might speak of the excellency and efficacy of prayer. But what shall all this avail us, if we be as dumb men, and not able to open our mouths to make petition to God for them? The Apostle willeth Timothy, that prayers, supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made to God by him and other Ministers, 1 Tim. 2, 1. We must all labour to know the state of our flocks. If we see any wants among them, we must pray to have them supplied: if any judgements break in upon them, we must pray to have them removed: and if God at any time have graciously heard us, we must be able to give him the glory.  
Lastly, let the people answer duty for duty, Use 4 and prayer with prayer, that so there may be a mutual performance of the same by the Pastor for the people, and by the people for the Pastor. For seeing the Ministers are commanded to pray for them, why should they be backward to remember their Ministers in their best thoughts? We are debtor one to another, and do owe a mutual duty, Rom. 1, 12, 14. Our duties are not arbitrary and indifferent, but necessary, to which we are bound in an obligation, tying us to the performance thereof for ever. For is it left to our choice and discretion, whether we will pay the debts which we own, nor not? Hence it is, that Paul a worthy and excellent Apostle requested the prayers of the Churches & persons to whom he wrote: and the people were wont to be mindful of their Ministers. When Peter was in prison, earnest prayer was made by the church for his deliverance, Acts 12, 5. & 15, 40. They stand as it were in the forefront of the battle, and Satan with all his instruments do most of all fight against them, Zach. 3, ver. 1. As than Christ giveth in charge, that we should pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest, Math. 9, 38. so we ought to pray for a blessing upon their labours which are sent forth by the gracious hand of God. The want of this maketh their pains to be unprofitable unto us.  
Ver. 24. The Lord bless you and keep you.] Now we come to the particular parts of this blessing. First, the protection of the Church is to be prayed for, that it would please God to keep it, guard it, and defend it. The doctrine arising hence is this, God is to be prayed unto, to be the protector & preserver of his church. 
Doctrine. God is to be prayed unto, to keep and defend his Church.  This must we continually desire of him, our mouth must be opened, and our heart enlarged. This we see to be figured out and represented in the covering of the tabernacle while it wandered in the wilderness, the which was as it were a portable or movable Temple: it had a large and sure covering made of badger's skins sewed together, to hide and preserve the same & the appurtenances belonging unto it: this did signify the safety and sure estate of the Church, and of every true member thereof, sitting under the shadow & shelter of the most High, whereunto David alludeth, Psal. 27, 5. In time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set me upon a rock. To this also hath the Prophet reference, Esay 4, 5, 6. There shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. This also was shadowed out in the order of the Tabernacle, set in the midst of four most mighty battailions or squadrons, surrounded by the Levites: so that none of the heathen or strangers could approach by reason of these puissant and powerful armies which guarded the same, and were as a wall and bulwark unto it on every side. This protection was also promised unto the Israelites in times of greatest danger, when they might seem to lie open to evident perils both of domestical insurrections, & of foreign invasions, while they were celebrating their solemn feasts, & every male was commanded to appear before the Lord, Exod. 34, 24. I will cast out the Nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy Land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year. We are commanded to pray for the peace of jerusalem and for the building up of the walls thereof, Psalm 51, 18, and 122, 6, 7. Our daily prayer therefore must be, that he would do good to Zion in his good pleasure; for our brethren and companions sake, we must say, Peace be within thy walls, & prosperity within thy Palaces.  
The reasons warranting and moving us to pray that the Church may be secured, are, first, Reason 2 because as the state of the Church standeth, so it goeth commonly with the commonwealth. The Church is the life of the commonwealth, by which it liveth, and as the soul by which it breatheth. For as the soul quickeneth the natural body; so doth the Church give motion and strength to the politic body. If the Church be well seen unto, it cannot go amiss with the civil State. Hence it is, that the Lord willed the jews, to seek the peace of the City, whither he had caused them to be carried away captives, and to pray to the Lord for it, for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace, jer. 29, 7.  
Secondly, howsoever the state of the church standeth, so our own particular estate remaineth, whether it have cause to rejoice or to be sorry, even the same cause have we both of the one and of the other. For how can the child choose but prosper, while the mother is in health and prosperity? Or how can it but be weak and sickly by the weakness & sickness of the mother? The Church is the mother of us all, we suck both her breasts as it were the sincere milk of the old and new Testament. We know, that the man which goeth in a ship upon the sea, his desire and prayer is for the safety of the whole Ship no less than for his own particular, because he knoweth his own estate dependeth upon the estate of the whole Ship, and therefore he hath good reason to pray for it. And what is the Church of God, but as it were a Ship floating up and down in the sea of this world, tossed too and fro with the rough and raging winds of the wicked? and therefore we ought to pray earnestly for it, 
●, 11.  lest as jacob said of Esau, the mother and the child be destroyed together.  
Thirdly, it is required of us to have a fellow feeling of the wants and necessities of our brethren, as well as of our own, as Rom. 12, 10, 15. Be kindly affectionated one to another, with brotherly love: rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep: because we are all members one of another. If one member of the natural body suffer, all the rest suffer with it: so the troubles of the Church should go as near unto us as our own private griefs and troubles.  
Lastly, the Church hath sundry enemies which plot the death and destruction thereof, and seek to ruin and subvert them that belong unto it, in body and soul. The chiefest and greatest that setteth the rest on work, is Satan, 
●4. 8.  a manslayer from the beginning, & a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The instruments that he employeth, like the wheel of a clock that giveth motion to the rest, are the flesh, the world, & false teachers. The flesh is full of darkness & doubting, the seed of all evil. The world is an hook ready to catch us, baited partly with pleasures and profits, with honours and promotions and partly with threatenings, 
●.  terrors, and persecutions of enemies. False teachers come disguised in sheeps clothing, and armed with errors & heresies, which may be called the fiery darts of the devil, and the very poison of the soul, whereby we make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience. If we do not pray that God may be our Saviour and protector from these, we cannot be kept safe, but lie open as a prey to all these enemies. Use 1  
We may conclude from hence, somewhat for the strengthening of our faith and for the increase of our obedience. As first of all, we must confess that our help cometh only from the Lord, seeing we are directed to go only to him to seek protection, who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, Psal. 121, 2, 3, 4 & 91, 1, and 3, 8. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty: he is our shield and buckler, he is our rock and refuge, he is our fortress & strong tower, the righteous fly unto it, and are saved. Be it that they be many times and many ways afflicted, yet they shall not be able to hurt them, no evil shall come near unto them, Psal. 91, 10. So then we are taught to assure ourselves of the Church's safety, and to confess, that salvation belongeth to the Lord, and that his blessing is upon his people, Psal. 3, 8. and therefore we pray unto him. But prayer must be grounded upon faith, faith upon the promise, the promise upon the word, and the word upon God. True it is, the gates of hell are set against the Church, but the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Use 2  
Secondly, this doctrine of the divine protection, is a mere privilege of the Church, and appropriated to God's servants only. The ungodly have no promise of his protection, neither can they expect preservation from his hand. The Lord is no preserver of them, he hath made no promise of defence unto them, but leaveth and forsaketh them in evil, without comfort, without succour, without deliverance. The Prophet upon this sure ground concludeth, that evil shall slay the wicked, and that they which hate the righteous, shall be desolate, Ps. 34, 20, 21. For having showed that God delivereth his out of all their troubles, & keepeth all their bones, so that none of them is broken, he addeth, that doubtless the ungodly shall utterly perish, they lie open to the wrath of God, and have none that can deliver them Vain is the help of man, and weak is the strength of an horse, and foolish is the confidence in defenced places, they are not able to save a man. Use 3  
Thirdly, fear not the rage of mighty enemies, albeit they rage's never so much, and dig never so deep with their devices to destroy the Church, though they bend all their force and fury to undermine it and turn it up by the roots that it grow no more in the earth: though they take crafty counsel together against the chosen people of God, and consult against his hidden ones, yet they are hid under the shadow of his wings, and kept as the apple of his eye, Psalm. 17, ver. 8. and they are therefore called his hidden ones, because he hideth them with himself, as his precious and peculiar treasure, Exod. 19, 5. and keepeth them safe and sound from all injuries and invasions that would do them hurt. True it is, the enemies encourage one another, & say among themselves, Psalm. 83, 4. Come, and let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance: howbeit, the Lord shall do unto them as unto Sisera, and as to jabin at the brook of Kison, which perished at Endor, and became as dung for the earth, verse 9, 10. How then should we stand in fear of them, that do not stand in fear of God nor of his threatenings, and yet have their persons open to all his judgements, to be made like unto a wheel, & as the stubble before the wind? As the fire burneth a wood, and the flame setteth the mountains on fire, so shall they be persecuted by thy tempests, and made afraid with thy storms, so that their faces shall be filled with shame, ver. 13, 14, 15. This use is concluded and collected out of the Psalm 27, 1, 3. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war should arise against me, in this will I be confident. Seeing then we have such precious promises, and such worthy examples, to stir us up to be bold in the Lord, building our house upon the sure rock of his defence, it argueth great infidelity, weakness, wavering, feebleness, & faintness to stand in fear of every scarecrow, or of every storm of rain, or blast of wind, or force of tempest, or wave of the sea, that shall threaten to fall upon us.  
Use 4 Lastly, we are from this consideration bound to love the assemblies of the Saints, and labour to be in the number of the members of the true Church. To be a member of the visible Church, is not enough to make us to be a member of the Catholic Church, which we profess to believe in the Articles of our faith. The Catholic Church is the number of the elect and chosen servants of God. In the visible Church are many hypocrites, as chaff among good wheat, which when the fan of God cometh, shall be blown away. The parts of the true Church are as a small remnant gathered out of the multitude, Esay 1, 9 as a little flock of sheep gathered into the sheepfold out of an heard of wolves and goats; and as a chosen generation called out of the rest of the world. For these two are as two Cities, one contrary to the other, the one evermore at war with the other, the Church and the world. They that are of the true Church, have made a divorce from it, and are enemies to the world, and they that are of the world, have no interest or privilege in the Church; and therefore Christ saith to his Disciples, 
john 15, 19  Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Now, as he showeth that he had chosen them out of the rest of the world, so he hath done all the faithful that belong unto him. If then we would assure ourselves to be in this number, we must make much of the assemblies of the Saints, otherwise we can never earnestly commend unto God the protection of his Church, if we love not the beauty of Zion, and long not to dwell where the Lord dwelleth. We see that so soon as any certain knowledge of Christ was entered into the hearts of the two Disciples that came unto him, by and by they followed him and said unto him, Master, where dwellest thou? 
john 1, 38.  So must it be with us; we must dwell with him in his house, and abide with him in his chamber of presence. Howbeit, many come to the house of GOD, as if they were none of his household-servants, but strangers in his house, nay, as if they were strangers to God, & God unto them, as if they had no knowledge of him, or he of them. They come so seldom, that they may appear to belong to some other family or fraternity. But what shall it avail us to pray for the protection of the Church, unless we hide ourselves in his pavilion, and live under his protection? This use we find, Ps. 27, 4, 5. where upon his assurance that God will hide him in his Tabernacle, and set him upon a rock, he setteth down this; One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the lord, & to inquire in his Temple. They are pronounced blessed that dwell with him who is to be blessed, and is the author of all blessings, Psal. 84. This doth the church testify in salomon's song, Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, 
Cant. 1, 2  where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions. As Christ proveth the love of Peter by this sign of feeding his sheep, john 21, ver. 16. so we may prove our love to him by loving his Church and Church-assemblies. Doubtless, whatsoever we may persuade ourselves to the contrary, yet we do not love Christ, if we do not love the assemblies of the Christians: for where two or three are gathered together in his Name, there is he in the midst of them.  
[Ver. 25, 26. The Lord make his face to shine, etc.] We have showed before in the interpretation of the words, that by grace we must understand the favour and good will of God: and by peace, the effects of his grace, happiness and prosperity inward & outward, consisting in the peace of a good conscience, and such like benefits. First, we are taught to desire grace, understood by the lifting up of his countenance and making his face to shine upon us: and then the peace of a good conscience. From hence we learn this point, (to include them both together) that we must chiefly and principally pray for God's favour, and then in the next place, for peace of conscience. 
Doctr●●● We mu●● chiefly 〈◊〉 for God●●●uour and peace o● good con●●ence.  Thus doth the Prophet direct us, Psalm. 4, 6. Lift up the light of thy countenance upon us: and 67, 1. God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us: and Psal. 83, 3. Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved: and to show the necessity of this prayer & the earnestness of his affection, 
9, 17.  he doubleth & trebleth the same prayer, as if he desired nothing at all in comparison of the shining of his face, and the lifting up of his countenance. Thus doth the Prophet declare, that the Israelites got not the land in possession by their own sword▪ neither did their own arm save them but the right hand of God and his arm, and the light of his countenance, because he had a favour unto them, Ps. 44, 3. and Ps. 85, 7. Show us thy mercy, O Lord, & grant us thy salvation. This order we see evermore observed by the Apostle, praying for grace and peace, Rom. 1.1, Cor. 1. This was the course which he took.  
Reason 1 And no marvel. For first, grace is the fountain and beginning of all good things. From whence have we election, but by grace? Rom. 11, 5. Whence cometh our calling to salvation but by grace? 2 Tim. 1, 9 Whence have we faith but by grace? Phil. 1, 29. Whence have we our justification but by grace? Rom. 3, 24. Whence shall we have glorification and eternal life, but by grace? Rom. 6, 23. Secondly, we must lay the foundation of all our requests upon the favour of God, because that being once obtained, bringeth with it all other benefits and blessings whatsoever: and without it, all things are unsavoury and unprofitable: if first we seek the favour of God, all other things shall be ministered unto us. 
●. 6, 33.  If we want this, we want all things; if we have this, we have all things. The Apostle Peter said to the impotent man, 
3, 6.  Silver and gold have we none: yet in his second Epistle he showeth, that the divine power had given them all things, 2 Pet. 1, 3.  
Use 1 From hence we must learn to hate the odious scoffs of the Papists and such like Ismaelites that mock at our doctrine touching the assurance of God's mercy and love in the pardon of our sins: for we should not be allowed to pray for them, except we had assurance, grounding ourselves upon his promise, to obtain them. Nevertheless, such is the sottishness of some of them, that from hence they would conclude, that according to our own principles, our people (forsooth) are in a miserable case, because they are bound never to ask God forgiveness of their sins: and why? Because they are already assured of grace, of the love of God, and of forgiveness of their sins. I answer, that this is a silly shift: for we must pray even for those things whereof we are assured before we pray. And that appeareth by these three particulars. First, though we have some assurance, yet our assurance is not perfect, we must therefore pray for the increase of it; and forasmuch as we are many ways shaken and assaulted, we have need of more and more assurance. Secondly, we must pray for the continuance of this grace. Our assurance may be much weakened, we have therefore need of Gods strengthening Spirit to stay us up in this faith. Lastly, we are to pray for a new act of pardon to be daily sealed up in our hearts and consciences, as we daily provoke him by our new sins.  
Secondly, above all things desire the grace Use 2 of God, to be reconciled to God to have our sins forgiven, to taste abundantly of his mercy. One drop of this is more worth than all the gold of Ophir, or all the pearls and precious stones, that the men of this world take so much pains to enjoy. We see how far men will go, what labour and what loss they will endure, what hunger they will sustain, 
1 King 9.26. and 22, 48. 2 Chr. 20, 37.  & what cares they will spend to get the goods of this life. O that we had this care & this love of heavenly things! but alas, the least difficulty that we meet in the way, doth quickly discourage us and put us out of hart. Thus it falleth out that many have the riches of this world, who are poor in the true treasure, and have store of gold that have little store of grace. Let us say with the Prophet, Lord, 
Psal. 4, 6, 7. & 73, 2●, 26.  if thou lift up thy countenance upon us, thou wilt put gladness in my hart, etc. And in another place, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee: God is the strength of my heart, & my portion for ever. Let us say with the Apostle, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ jesus my Lord, etc. Behold the holy affection of this servant of God: he suffered the loss of all things, that he might win Christ. We are content to suffer the loss of Christ, that we may win the world, like to the Gadarenes. Paul accounted the loss of these earthly things to be a gain unto him, we account the gain of Christ to be a loss. He esteemed all earthly things in comparison of heavenly, to be no better than dung: we do so mind earth and earthly things, that we esteem and prise spiritual things as dung in comparison of them. This is the common corruption of our times, we spend our days and strength in seeking, getting, & holding riches, honours, pleasures, and such like, so that we have little leisure to think upon the grace of God and the peace of a good conscience. And yet notwithstanding set down this as a sure rule, that we have no promise to attain any earthly blessings without these. Again, God is most ready and willing to give these, if we were as willing to receive them: and certainly we should never want them, if we were not wanting unto ourselves.  
Lastly, observe that the true happiness of a Christian man consisteth in the favour & love Use 3 of God, and the peace of a good conscience. Here is matter of great comfort and consolation to all God's Children in the midst of all the miseries of this mortal life, because whatsoever befalleth us here, though we lie under the cross, or rather a multitude of crosses, yet neither death, nor life, nor Angels, 
Rom. 8, 38.  nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to make us miserable, or to separate us from the love of God, being once in his favour.  
Hence it is, that Solomon calleth a good conscience, a continual feast, Prou. 15, 15. This is the only thing that maketh a man truly happy, the feeling of God's love, and the peace of a good conscience purified by the blood of Christ: without this love there can be no peace, without this peace, there can be no happiness. Woe therefore be to all the ungodly, there is no grace in them, and there can be no peace for them, Esay 57, 20, 21. who are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. For seeing they are not at peace with God, they cannot be at peace with any of the creatures. They cannot assure themselves to find rest and quietness any where. The Angels fight against them, and are ready to destroy them. The beasts of the field are their enemies. The stones in the street are ready to rise up against them, and every creature is armed for their destruction, & conspire with their Creator for their overthrow. For no creature can be a friend unto them that are not at peace & unity with God. Nay, they have war within their own bosoms and bowels, and themselves are set against themselves. The estate of a wicked man is an unhappy life, though they be commonly accounted the most happy men in the world: for the meanest and poorest servant of God that liveth in his fear, and dieth in his favour, is a thousand times more happy than he. It is the grace of God that maketh blessed: it is the want of grace that maketh wretched and miserable. 
jam. 2, 23.  Abraham being justified by faith, which was imputed unto him for righteousness, was called the friend of God: but the ungodly wanting faith and the righteousness of Christ, are no otherwise accounted off, then as the enemies of God.  
[Ver. 25. And they shall put my Name upon, etc.] This is the second part of the blessing, which, as we have said, may be called the blessing of the blessing. For by putting on of hands they must assure the people of God's blessing, ratifying indeed the words of their mouths. Now laying on of hands was used four ways, first, 
Wherein imposition of hands was used.  in healing of the sick, Luke 4, 40. Mark. 16, 18. Secondly, in the ordaining of Ministers Acts 13, 3. and 6, 6. 1 Tim. 4, 14. & 5, 22. This rite used in the new Testament, was practised in the old, and indeed was borrowed from thence. Thirdly, in bestowing the gifts of the holy Ghost, Acts 8.17, and 19, 5. Fourthly, in blessing of children, and of the people, Gen. 48, 14. Math. 19, 13. Mark. 10, 13, Luk. 18, 15. here it was used in blessing the people▪ as an undoubted sign of God's favour: so that as the Priests pronounced the blessing, so God would assuredly bring those blessings upon them.  
Hence we do learn, that the work of the Ministry shall not be unfruitful, Doctrine. but shall serve for the benefit of the people of God, being accompanied with the blessing of God. 
The blessing of God shall accompany the Ministry of his word.  When Paul planteth and Apollo's watereth, God giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3, 6. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth, Rom. 1, 16. He did long to see them, that he might impart unto them some spiritual gift, that they might be established, verse 11. and thereupon acknowledged himself to be a debtor both to the greeks and to the Barbarians, verse 14. When Christ sent out his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all Nations, after his resurrection, he annexed this promise to their preaching, Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world, Math. 28, 20. and hereby was their doctrine made powerful and effectual. The history of the Acts is a most plentiful storehouse of this truth, where we see how the Apostles converted jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor, noble & unnoble, Captains, Soldiers, jailors, Deputies, Proselytes. Persecutors, pharisees; it being a most powerful instrument and mighty through God to pull down strong holds, to cast down imaginations, 
2 Cor. 10, ●●  and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of jesus Christ. As than it is said of the Sun, 
Psal. 19, 6.  that his going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it, & there is nothing hid from the heat thereof: so is the sound of the Word and the Ministry of it gone into all the world, 
Rom. 10, 1●.  and their words unto the ends of the earth; so that the saving knowledge of the Gospel did lay hold upon the Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in judea, & Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia, etc. Cretes & Arabians, they spoke in their own tongues the wonderful works of God, Acts 2, 11, 41. and 4, 4. and 8, 37. and 9, 36. and 10, 44. and 13, 12, 43, 48. and 16, 14, 34. and 17, 4, 11, 12, 34. and 18, 8. and 19, 18.  
And how can the word but be effectual, if Reason 1 we consider the titles given unto it? It is the strong arm of God to pull us unto himself, Esay 53, 1. It is as an hammer to strike our stony hearts in pieces, and as a devouring fire to burn up and consume to ashes our corruptions as straw and stubble, jer. 23, 29. It is as the rain and snow that come down from heaven and return not thither, but water the earth and make it bud and bring forth, that it may give seed to the sour, and bread to the eater, Esay 55, 10, 11. It is the key of the Kingdom of heaven, Math. 16, 19 It is a fan in the hand of God, Mat. 3, 12. It is as a draw-net cast into the sea, and gathereth of every kind, Math. 13, 47. Lastly, it is called the Gospel of the Kingdom, Math. 9, 35, because it teacheth the way that leadeth to everlasting life.  
Secondly, the Ministers are labourers together with God; when they preach, he preacheth: when they instruct, he instructeth: when they comfort, it is he that comforteth: when they threaten, it is he that threateneth; they are no other but the mouth of God, and the messengers of GOD sent out to speak his word, 1 Cor. 3, 9 They then as workers together with him, beseech us that we receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. 6, 1. For how can we doubt, but that God will bless his own ordinance?  
Thirdly, when Christ jesus ascended and led captivity captive, he gave gifts to the Ministry, Eph. 4, 8. It is he that putteth heavenly treasures in earthly vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of any man, 2 Cor. 4, 7.  
Use 1 This efficacy of the Ministry, and of every part of it, serveth to many uses. First, it reproveth such as long to be gone out of the house of God, such as think the time lost and ill spent, that is spent in hearing the word, such as so set their minds and affections upon worldly things, that they cannot tarry & abide in the church until the blessing be pronounced, & the assembly be dismissed; whereby they deprive themselves indeed of the blessing of God, of whom we may speak with the Prophet, Psal. 109, 17. As he delighted not in blessing, so it shall be far from him. It is the order and ordinance that God hath appointed in the Church, that we should begin and end the exercises of our religion together. For as God is the God of good order, so the Church which is the house of GOD, is the place of good order, and therefore all the children of the Church must submit themselves to the rules of order and decency.  
Use 2 Secondly, it should be a forcible means to stir us up to divers and sundry duties. First, it directeth us to go to God, and to crave of him to work by his own ordinance the salvation of his people. We must pray unto him that is the Lord of the harvest, to bless his word, and to open the hearts of those that hear it to attend unto it and to embrace it. Secondly, it serveth to work in us diligence and fidelity, knowing that we must give an account to the great shepherd of the sheep. We are hereby encouraged to preach the word in season & out of season, considering that God hath promised to be with us, to stand by us, to assist us, and defend us. Thirdly, we must labour to preach with zeal, with boldness, and with power, and with authority, not carelessly, or coldly, or faintly, remembering that we speak in his Name that sent us and put us in his service, always studying to show ourselves workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Tim. 2, 15. Forasmuch as his blessing doth accompany the faithful deliverance thereof. The word is evermore effectual in itself, 
〈◊〉, 12.  and mighty in operation, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart: let us not therefore by our negligence dull the edge of it, or blunt the point of it, nor be afraid to cut the sinews of sin with it, but speak it as it ought to be spoken.  
Thirdly, from hence the people receive divers Use 3 instructions. First▪ it worthily challengeth from them reverence to esteem them that preach the word, as the Ministers of Christ, to account their steps beautiful for their message and Ministry sake. The feet of the Prophets of God that brought the people glad tidings of a temporal deliverance from bodily captivity, were very beautiful, Esay 52, 7. How much more respected aught the Ministers of the Gospel to be, 
Nah. 1.15.  that bring glad tidings of a better deliverance, even from spiritual captivity and slavery under spiritual enemies to our souls and to our salvation? Rom. 10, 15. This bondage is greater & more grievous, then to lie under the bondage of all tyrants & persecutors. Secondly, we must yield attention to the word of exhortation, and not despise prophesy, 1 Thess. 5, 20. This is the principal means ordained for our conversion, and for our confirmation, and continuance in the truth. For the preaching of the word is necessary, not only to bring us to the knowledge of the Gospel when we were ignorant, and to work in us the grace of faith when we did not believe; but when we are once borne anew, to make us grow thereby to a full strength and stature, and to establish us in the known truth, Rom. 1, 11. Eph. 4, 12, 13. 1 Pet. 2, 2, and 2 Pet. 1, 12, 13. And we are taught that prophesy serveth for them that believe, and not only for them that do not believe, 1 Cor. 14, 22. Lastly, we must be content to submit ourselves to the word, and to be willing to have it applied unto our consciences, whether it be by exhortations, or by reproofs, or by threatenings, or by comforts. For what shall a salve do, be it never so precious, if it be not laid to the sore? or what can the medicine avail, if it be not applied to the disease? Let us never look to find the efficacy of the word in our souls, except we desire to feel the working and power of it being spread upon our hearts. Lastly, we must yield obedience to that which we have heard. It is said of the Apostles when they were sent forth into all Nations, Mar. 16, 20. that they went forth and preached every where, & the Lord wrought with them: if then we be doers of the word, & not hearers only, than the Lord worketh with his Ministers, nay he worketh in the people. This is a blessed work, happy are they that are so wrought upon. The obedient hearer is the only hearer that heareth to salvation, that receiveth with meekness the engrafted word that is able to save his soul.    

CHAP. VII.  

1. AND it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the Tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the Altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them,  
2. That the Princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers (who were the Princes of the Tribes, and were over them that were numbered) offered:  
3. And they brought their offering before the Lord, six covered wagons, and twelve Oxen: a waggon for two of the Princes, and for each one an Ox, and they brought them before the Tabernacle.  
4. And the Lord spoke, etc.  
HItherto of the sanctification which is general and common: now Moses descendeth to particular laws. This chapter containeth two things; first, the offering of the Princes: secondly, the speech of God to Moses. The offering of the Princes is set out by certain circumstances, of the time when they offered, when Moses had fully set up the Tabernacle, and had anointed and sanctified it, etc. of the persons which offered, the Princes of the Tribes, the heads of the house of their fathers: and of the place where they are offered, it was before the Lord. Then their offering is described by the particulars that were offered, which is performed jointly, or severally. jointly, they brought six covered wagons and twelve Oxen, etc. I will not stand particularly to speak of the sanctifying and anointing of the Tabernacle, handled at large, Exod. 40, 9, 10. Remember in general, that the Tabernacle was a type and figure of the Church, 
willet's Hexapl. in Exod. 36.  which is a company of men acknowledging and worshipping the true God, whom Christ doth regenerate and sanctify with his Spirit, and purposeth afterward to glorify them in his kingdom, 1 john 2, 27. Moreover consider, that these Princes here described are called the heads of the house of their Fathers. This word is diversly taken in the Scriptures. God is the head of Christ, 
Rainol. confer. with Hart. ch. 1  Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of the woman, 1, Cor. 11, 3. The head of Syria is Damascus, the head of Damascus, is Retzin, Esay 7, 8. The heads of the Levites are put for the chiefest; and the Priest the head, that is, the chief Priest, Neh. 1, 16. 2 Chron. 31, 10. The King, the head of the Tribes of Israel, 1 Sam. 15, 17 The heads of householders, the Elders, Exod. 16, 13. The head of the people, the foremost, 1 King. 21, 9 The head of the Mountains, the highest, Esay 2, 2. The head of the spices, the chiefest, Exod. 20, 23. Among David's Captains, the heads are the most excellent, 2 San. 23, 8, 13, 18. The Princes mentioned in this place, may after a sort be called heads in all these respects, because they are the chiefest, the foremost, the highest, and the most excellent. And albeit Kings and Princes abstain from this title to be called heads of the Church, as pointing out the sovereignty of Christ, and content themselves to be styled supreme Governors, as appeareth by the oath of supremacy used among us, yet we doubt not but they may be called by that name in a kind & degree of resemblance, because they have pre-eminence of place and government over all people within their dominions. 
1 Sam. 15, ●●  For if Samuel tell Saul, that when he was little in his own sight, he was ordained to be made the head of the Tribes of Israel, being anointed King: it may be thought not unlawful, being rightly understood, to give Princes the name of heads of their people. As for the Bishop of Rome, that challengeth this title, to be called head of the whole Church, we cannot acknowledge him for any such head, but rather the tail, being indeed no sound member of the Church, but the head of the apostasy and falling away from the faith, prophesied of by the Apostle. 
2 Thess ●. ●.   
Touching the anointing oil, wherewith the Tabernacle and the vessels thereof were anointed; signifying, that all the true members of the Church are endued with the graces of the Spirit: from hence the superstitious Romanists would gather their consecrating and hallowing of Churches with oil and other ceremonies, and hold it unlawful to say their Mass in a Church not hallowed: yea, they will tell us of much profit and many uses thereof, as the increase of devotion, and the expelling of devils. But hereby they run into sundry errors & abuses. They devise and set up a sanctification without warrant of God's word: 
Every P●●●● with them 〈◊〉 bap●●●, 〈◊〉 Bishop's 〈◊〉 may 〈◊〉 Church 〈◊〉 also they ●●fer 〈◊〉 ●●●firma●●●●●fore bap●●●  they prefer their own tradition before the institution of God: they commit idolatry in dedicating Churches to Saints: they make these ceremonies a part of God's worship: they would bring in again the types and shadows of Moses law, which do not bind us, but are abolished: they make human traditions and observations not grounded upon the Scripture, to be the means to stir up devotion. Lastly, they teach, that by this unholy hallowing devils are driven out of churches, which are not cast out but by fasting & prayer, Matth. 17, 21. As for that dedication of Churches which standeth partly in prayer grounded upon the word, and partly in setting of them apart to holy uses, to the preaching of the word, to the administration of the Sacraments, & such like exercises of religion; we do no more condemn then David's dedication of his house which he had newly built, Psal. 30. who notwithstanding used neither cross, nor tapers, nor such toys as are taken up and tolerated in the Church of Rome.  
[Ver. 1. And it came to pass] Moses having provided all things necessary for the service of God, mustered his army, divided them into troops and squadrons before remembered, and appointed them Leaders of all sorts: here he showeth that the twelve Princes, the Captains & Commanders of the Tribes, brought their offerings before the Lord, to wit, six covered wagons, and twelve Oxen to draw them, to transport in them (as they marched) the parts of the Tabernacle with all the vessels belonging thereunto. 
●●●ect.  But were not these things to be carried upon the Priest's shoulders? What use then was there, or what need of these wagons or chariots? The Sanctuary indeed or the most holy place, 
●●●wer.  for greater respect and reverence, was to be carried upon the shoulders of the sons of Kohath, to whom the charge was committed; howbeit these wagons were appointed to carry and convey in them the other parts of the Tabernacle, and the vessels thereunto belonging, and were delivered to the Levites for that service, namely to the sons of Gershon and Merari. Now, we must not forget that the people gave before this gifts of great price, Exod. 35, 27. yet here again (seeing a want) they bring more, and that freely without coaction or compulsion, to finish and perfect fully the work that was so happily begun. The doctrine 
doctrine. ●ood work ●●un must 〈◊〉 be given 〈◊〉.  from hence is this, that a good work begun, especially furthering Gods worship, is not to be neglected or intermitted until it be brought to an end and to perfection. We see this in the book of Ezra, chap. 5, 1, 2. the building of God's house after the return of the Israelites from captivity had been a long time hindered through the malice of their enemies, yet now they begin with good courage to set upon the work again, being stirred up by the Prophets, and never give over until it was finished: and chap. 6, 14. they builded and finished the house of God and prospered. The like zeal & forwardness we see in Nehemiah, ch. 4, 3, 4, etc. he built the wall, which indeed was the first that was thrown down, but the last that was set up: by whose means all the wall was joined together, for the people had a mind to work. When the jews had begun to destroy their enemies, they did not leave the work unperfect, and therefore Ester required that it might be granted to them, 
●e: 5, 13.  to do to morrow as they had done that day, and that haman's ten sons might be hanged upon the gallows. Hence it is, that Elisha reproved the King of Israel, who smote upon the ground three times and then stayed, saying unto him, 
2 King. 13, 19  Thou shouldst have smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou s●alt smite it but thrice. He began the work of the Lord well, but he did not make a good end. 
2 Cor. 8, 10, 11  The Apostle persuading the Corinthians to liberality toward the Saints, willeth the readily to perform that which they had willingly begun. The reasons are plain.  
The God of heaven will prosper weak beginnings, Reason 1 if there be a readiness and cheerfulness in us. This should be a great encouragement unto us, as it was to Nehemiah, to arise and build the wall, seeing they had the promise of Gods prospering of the work that was under their hands, Neh. 2, 20.  
Secondly, if we look back we are not apt to God's kingdom, Lu. 9, 62. It is spoken indeed of the Ministry, which may fitly be called God's Plough, as the Ministers are the husbandmen, the word is the seed▪ the heart of man is the field that is to be ploughed up, tilled, and sowed: but it is true also in all good things and every work of religion, if we give over, we lose our labour, we miss our reward  
Thirdly, it is better not to begin, then having begun, not to proceed: better never to lay the first stone in the building, then having laid a good foundation, not to make an end, because it will be said to our reproach, This man began to build, but was not able to finish, Luk. 14, 30. It is happened unto such, according to the true Proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the Sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire. 2 Pet 2, 22.  
This serveth to reprove such as give over Use 1 their profession, which rest in a good work begun, and in weak and small beginnings. They are like Balaam that wished he might die the death of the righteous, but he would go no farther. Or they are like the morning dew, which by and by the Sun drieth up: or like Herod, that reverenced john, & did many things when he heard him preach, but he would not departed from all sin, and obey whatsoever john taught, Mark. 6, 20. and therefore it had been as good he had done nothing Agrippa was persuaded somewhat to become a Christian, when he had heard Paul preach, but he would not become altogether such as he was, as Paul desired, Acts 20, 28. The stony ground, being by nature hot, made the corn spring up hastily and promise plentiful fruit to the husbandman; but when the Sun arose in his strength, it was quickly scorched & began by little and little to whither away: so is it with many hearers, they receive the word with joy, and believe for a season, but they want root, and in time ostentation they fall away, Luke 8, verse 13. A falling back into sin is more dangerous than the relapse into an old sickness: this may endanger the body, but that endangereth the soul; this may bring a temporal death, but that will bring a spiritual, nay an eternal death. Let us therefore take the counsel of Christ given to the Church of Ephesus, revel. 2, 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent. Austin saith well to this purpose; 
De Tempo. Serm. 182.  Redeat homo per quotidiana lamenta, unde corruit per vana delectamenta; As man hath fallen by vain delighting, so let him return again by daily lamenting. Let us make such a firm league and such a sure promise with religion, as Elisha did with Eliah, 2 King. 2, 6. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee: so let us say, with full purpose of heart & with a settled resolution, I will never departed from the faith, I will never leave my obedience, I will never give over true religion. Thus it was with David, he stood not wavering in the matters of God, or hovering up & down in the wind, looking for a change, but he had determined what he would do, Psalm. 119, 93, 106. I will never forget thy precepts, for with them thou hast quickened me. And afterward, I have sworn and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements. This was an holy oath, whereby he bond himself as it were in a statute from starting back, that he might never entertain any thought of giving over his profession. Let us set before us evermore this example, let us be constant and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labours shall not be in vain in the Lord.  
Use 2 Secondly, it reproveth such as stand at a stay, like the earth that never moveth: such as neither go forward nor backward, but are always the same men, and look where you left them, there you shall be sure to find them. These are earthly minded and savour only of the earth: yet they think themselves to be somewhat, and such as deserve highly to be commended, because they do not go back, nor wax worse and worse as others do. Thus while they compare themselves with those that are worse, they are grown into an high conceit that they are most excellent. But let them not deceive themselves; they use false weights and false measures to make trial of themselves, of whom I may say as the Lord doth of Belshazzar, Dan. 5, 27. Thou art weighed in the balances, & art found wanting: for while they measure themselves with the mete-yard of others, they keep a false measure in their own house, which is an abomination unto the Lord, Prou. 11, 1, & 16, 11. Every one must weigh himself, if he would not be found too light, with the weights of the Sanctuary, and measure himself with the standard of the Scripture, comparing his works with the word of God, and not with the life of other men, than he shall be sure not to be reproved.  
Every Christian is like the Sun that never standeth still, but is ever in motion. If our conversation be in heaven, we must be goers, walkers, runners: goers in the right way, walking toward our journeys end, and running in a race that we may obtain. We must be as plants growing in the house of the Lord, Psal. 92, 13. Such as are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the house of our God. There must be none of God's servants that must be idle and stand still, doing nothing; they must be labourers that look to receive their penny when the evening cometh, Math. 20, verse 8. He that had received a talon, and digged and hid it in the earth, was accounted an evil and unfaithful servant, Math. 25, 26. Who will entertain a servant, to give him meat & drink and wages, that will do nothing but look about him, and never set his hands to work? and shall we think that God will receive such servants into his house as sit still and will do him no service at all? Shall we put our hands into our bosom, and never pull them out again to employ them as we ought to do? Let us evermore be doing somewhat that may please God: blessed is that servant, whom his master when he cometh, shall find so doing.  
Thirdly, such deserve to be reproved and Use 3 to be ranged in the number of the former who hate and scorn those that go before them and beyond them in the duties of piety, in gifts of knowledge and understanding. But we must take heed we do not oppose ourselves against any work of grace that is evident and eminent to be seen in any of God's servants. For this is as much as to hate and scorn the word of God, nay, the Lord himself; the Gospel of peace, nay Christ jesus the author and first Preacher of it. It argueth a malicious heart against our brethren, and that in the highest degree, like Cain who hated his brother, 
Gen. 4, ●. Heb 11, 4  because God accepted his offering. Malice against any man is an evil root that bringeth forth bitter fruits: to malign any for his riches, for his peace, for his prosperity, is very dangerous: but to envy him & repine at him for heavenly riches, for his soul's health, for the peace of a good conscience, and for matters that concern his everlasting salvation in God's Kingdom, is a thousand times worse than the malice of Saul against David, or of Pharaoh against Moses and the Israelites. True it is, these sought their lives; but such desperate malicious persons that envy glory and immortality, and heaven itself to others, do seek the life of their lives: the other were guilty of the blood of their bodies whom they hated and persecuted; but these are guilty of the blood of men's souls, and their thirst cannot be quenched but by rasing them out of the book of life. These are stamped with the image of Satan the old deceiver, and the first envious person that ever was, who being fallen into condemnation himself, envied the standing of mankind in the state of grace, 
〈◊〉, 4, 5.  and therefore could not rest nor be quiet, until he had plunged man into the same gulf of condemnation. So is it with these men, they are backward in the fear of God themselves, and they desire to have all like them, to be backward as themselves. Let us take heed of such envy, let us bar no man of God's Kingdom.  
Use 4 Fourthly, it is our duty to proceed in sanctification, and labour to bring forth fruit evermore in old age, Psal. 92, 15. Let us leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, & go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation, Heb. 6.1. Let us not think we have attained unto perfection, but forget that which is behind, and endeavour to that which is set before us: let us press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of GOD, that so we may apprehend that for which we are apprehended of Christ jesus, Phil. 3.13.14. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. 7, 1. True it is, that albeit the good work begun in us be but as a spark of fire kindled in wood, or a young plant newly grafted in the stock, or as a drop of rain fallen into the earth, yet Christ jesus doth accept of the truth & sincerity of the new work wrought in us, be it never so small: howbeit we must not evermore be as smoking flax, & as bruised reeds, and as new-set plants: we must not still be weaklings, but as the grain of Mustard seed, which is one of the least of the sorts of seeds, but it groweth great, and becometh as a tree, and the birds of the air build their nests in it, Math. 13, 32. Or like unto leaven, which though it be small, yet being hidden in three measures of Meal, the whole is leavened, verse 33. Therefore it behoveth us, as we have received how we ought to walk and to please God, so to abound more and more, 1 Thess. 4, 1. Notwithstanding, we must take heed that we do not glory in our own strength, as if we were able to do the will of God touching our sanctification of ourselves without the help and assistance of the Spirit of God, without which we can do nothing at all. True it is, the Apostle willeth us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling: howbeit, lest any should trust in himself as if he were something, or build upon the freedom of his own will, he addeth in the next words, It is God that worketh in us the will and the deed, of his good pleasure, Philip. 2, 12, 13. It is a notable token of our continuance in good things, and a comfort to our consciences that we shall persevere unto the end, if we have a care to go forward, and to make our good works more at the last than they were at the first.  
[Verse 2.] The Princes of Israel, Heads of the house of their Fathers offered.] Here we have another circumstance to be considered, to wit, a description of the persons that offered: they were the Princes and Rulers, the heads of the people. And albeit they only are expressed, yet they brought their offering in the name of the whole Tribe, as appeareth by the largeness of the offering, and by the first Prince that offered. Thus we see that they being set up in high place above others, do also go before them and give them good example in the best things, & seek to further them in God's worship. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that albeit God be to be served of all, 
Such as are of high st place, aught to be more forward in good things than others.  and that all persons should show themselves forward and ready to further the work of the Lord, yet above all other, the chief and heads of the people, are to be guides of the way, and leaders unto the rest. The Prophet teacheth, that under the gospel Kings shall be nursing Fathers, and Queens shall be Nursing mothers to the Church, Esay 49, 23. David exhorteth Kings to be wise, and the judges of the earth to be instructed, to serve the Lord with fear, and to rejoice with trembling, Psa. 2, 10, 11. When the people saw the zeal and fervency of Hezekiah, that he spared no cost to further the worship of God, it kindled in them a love to do his service, and they rejoiced exceedingly, 2 Chron. 30, 24, 25. Such therefore as are advanced above the people as the head is above the body, aught to be more zealous & forward in the ways of God, than others that are of the lowest sort.  
Thus it ought to be, because they must Reason 1 know they lie open to judgement as well as others, if not before others. Topheth is prepared of old for the King as well as for the subject: It is made deep and large as well for the one, as for the other, Esay 30.33. God accepteth no man's person. Nay, they are for the most part chief pursued and overtaken with judgements, as Ezra 7.23. Artaxerxes decreed, that all should return and build the house of the God of heaven: For why should there be wrath against the Realm of the King and his sons? And to this purpose it is said in the Psalm 82, 6, 7. I have said ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the most high: but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the Princes.  
Secondly, they sin by their example, and give offence unto others. When they fall, they make others fall with them, as a mighty Oak casteth down the low and little shrubs that grow near it. So then, they offend not only by their own transgression, as a private man, but all their actions are exemplary, and they bring a great scandal unto others. They are as a city set upon an hill, or as a light upon a Beacon that is seen far and near: when they sin they make others sin with them. For this cause Solomon saith, Prou. 29.12. If a Ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.  
Thirdly, wherefore are they separated in calling and condition? and why are they advanced to honour? Is it to magnify themselves? is it to sit at ease? or to live in pleasure? or to delight them in their high titles? or to please themselves to see others creep and crouch unto them? No, but to be pillars in the house of God, and to serve the Church. Hence it is, that Nehemiah said, 
Nehem. 6, 11.  Should such a man as I fly? Or who is there that being as I am, would go into the Temple to save his life? As if he had said, Should I fly that am a Ruler of the people? I will not do it. And Mordecai persuadeth Ester to go in to the King, and to adventure her life for the deliverance of the Church by this reason, chap. 4.14. Who knoweth, whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? He putteth her boldly in mind, that God had advanced her to honour, and made her inherit the throne of glory, to the end she should honour him again, and refer all the glory she had attained, to the setting forth of his glory.  
Use 1 This teacheth us, that it is a dangerous state where are no Leaders or Rulers to go before the people, and to hold them in God's service: there of necessity godliness must decay, justice fall to the ground, and all duties of Religion sink down, as in an army where are no Commanders, in a family where are no Governors, in a ship where are no Pilots, what is there but all disorder and confusion? The last part of the book of judges, setteth forth the truth hereof at large: the Israelites corrupted themselves with Idolatry, they defiled the worship of God, and God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, and such like wickedness: and what was the occasion of all? judg. 17 & 18. & 19 In those days there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And it is observed by the Author of that Book, that the people feared the Lord all the days of joshua, a godly Governor, and all the days of the Elders that outlived joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord: but when they were dead and buried, The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, 
judg. 2, 7, 11.  and served Baalim. We must therefore needs acknowledge the happiness and blessedness of that people, that have godly Governors, such as Moses, and joshua, and David, and jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, and josiah, and such like, to teach them, and guide them in the ways of godliness. This is a great mercy and favour of God.  
Use 2 Secondly we may conclude, that wretched and miserable is their condition, where Governors are cold and careless in God's service, and enemies to the advancement of his glory. The Prophet showeth, that the Chief had no knowledge, and the great men had broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. Woe therefore unto the Land, the Lord would visit for these things, and his soul be avenged on such a nation as this, jer. 5, 5, 9 If it be within the walls of a private family that zeal be found in the Governors, it will appear oftentimes in the lowest servant which goeth to the door, as in Rhode, Acts 12, 14. She dwelled in a godly family, where many were gathered together in prayer, entreating the Lord to work Peter's deliverance: & when she heard his voice standing without, and knocking at the door, she could not open the gate for gladness▪ but run in to acquaint them with that glad tidings. If Cornelius be a devout man, and one that feareth God, he shall have servants and soldiers to attend upon him to be devout also, Acts 10, 2, 7. If the Courtier or Nobleman whose son was cured, do believe, his whole house will believe also, and follow his example, joh. 4, 53. If the jailor desire to know how to be saved, and if once himself become a believer, he shall not believe alone, his household will bear him company, and enter into the way of salvation, Acts 16, 34. Abraham is noted to be the Father of the faithful, and we see he was not without a faithful servant, not only faithful to his master, but faithful to God, and therefore also to his master. This is noted as the chief cause that religion so much prospered at Thessalonica, when the Gospel was preached and published there, the Noblemen did embrace it, Acts 17. If the rain once fall upon the mountains, it will quickly water the valleys that are beneath, like the precious ointment powered upon the head of Aaron, that ran down to the skirts of his garments, Ps. 133, 2. When the Gospel was preached at Berea, and such as were of noble birth took hold of it, and they that were honourable by calling, embraced & believed it; then, not a few, but many in number followed after them, with all readiness, Acts. 17, 11, 12. I am not ignorant, that divers of our latest and lernedest Expositors understand the words otherwise, 
Bez● 〈…〉 Act● 〈…〉 ●i●●n 〈◊〉 Testa M●●● 〈…〉  and think they are called Noble, not in regard of their birth or blood, but of their belief; as indeed true Piety is true Nobility, and true Religion is the truest Honor. Howbeit, I rather understand the word in his proper and natural signification, for these causes. First, it is not needful to fly to a figure, when the proper signification of a word standeth, and containeth nothing under it either against the doctrine of faith, or the instruction of life, or the truth of the history. Secondly, Luke useth this word in this signification, as also others: for such as are noble by birth, and not otherwise, as Luk. 19, 12. 1 Cor. 1, 26. Thirdly, the Evangelist hath relation to that which he noted before in this chapter, where he saith, That not a few of the chief women believed (verse 4.) that were at Thessalonica, howbeit they were more noble that were at Berea, who searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Lastly, in these words a reason is rendered, how it came to pass, that the Gospel took such good effect and gained so many souls to God, 
Ca●●●● 〈◊〉 in A●●● 17.  even because the Nobility and honourable personages gave their names to Christ, & were not ashamed to profess it. The multitude followed their example, as commonly they do imitate the actions of their Leaders. The Poet could say, 

〈◊〉. — Totus Componitur orbis  
Regis ad exemplum: nec sic inflectere sensus  
Humanos edicta valent, quàm vita regentis.  The people cast their eyes upon their Rulers, neither are they ordered so much by their laws, as they are by their lives. O that they which are in authority would consider this, that the eyes of all men are upon them: O that they would seriously bethink with themselves, what good they might do, by embracing religion, and by countenancing them that are truly religious: or if this will not enter into them, and that their honours do so dazzle their eyes that they cannot see the truth hereof, O that they would at the least learn what hurt they do, what backwardness they cause, what coldness in Religion they procure, and what floods of wickedness they bring in! Doubtless, if they did at any time meditate on these things, and weigh in indifferent balances either the one or the other, it were enough to turn, nay to break their hearts, and to put greater love and zeal into them of God's glory. For if the Governors of a Family be lukewarm, it may be easily observed, that their children which follow them, their servants which attend upon them, and all the rest of the house which are guided by them, are neither hot nor cold. And if it fall out that the Heads of the house be profane and irreligious, there is nothing to be perceived in that whole family but notable fruits of infidelity, swearing, blaspheming, breach of the Sabbath, contempt of the word, brawling, contention, and all kind of wretchedness and wickedness. If Saul begin to persecute David, he shall get many devilish Doegs to snarl at him, 
〈◊〉 22, 9 & 〈◊〉 & 26, 1. 〈◊〉, 19  and find many hollow-harted Keilahites to betray him, & have many pestilent Ziphites offer themselves to discover where he hideth himself in strong holds; all as his servants to help him forward in his wickedness. If Caiaphas sit in judgement to arraign & condemn Christ, 
〈◊〉 26, 69. 〈◊〉 14, 66. 〈◊〉 ●2, 25. 〈◊〉 9, 17.  all his servants and his maids will be ready in the hall and at the door to set upon his disciples, and to follow the humour of their master, so that even the damosel that kept the door could not let Peter alone, but must assault him. How then can we but acknowledge that it is a very happy thing to enjoy godly Magistrates and Christian Governors? how much encouragement Inferiors have by them, and how sweet a liberty they find, cannot be expressed. O that we could learn to prize & value this blessing as we ought! It is not a general benefit to be found in all places: the godly have oftentimes much disturbance, and suffer many taunts and checks even for their profession sake in profane places. & living under profane persons. For albeit all Magistrates and men in authority (though their office be not great) are set up for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well, 1 Pet. 2, 14. yet oftentimes they turn the edge of the sword the wrong way, 
Rom. 13, 3.  and are a terror to good works, but not to evil.  
Lastly, having received so great mer●y from Use 3 God, and continued among us, to have such as are chief over the people to be chief also in piety, and to go before them in all good conversation, whether they be such as be in the house, or out of the house: it is our duty to fall down before the Lord, and to acknowledge this blessing. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men, Psal. 107, 8. So did Hiram the King of tire, rejoice greatly when he heard that Solomon was anointed King in the room of his Father, and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people, 1 Kin. 5, 17 The like we see in the Queen of Sheba, when she had seen his works, and heard his wisdom, she said, Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel, 
1 Kings 10, 9  because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee King, to do judgement and justice. And doubtless, if we knew the want of such Princes, as our brethren and sisters in former times did, when they were shut up in prisons, and burned to ashes, we would acknowledge the necessity of performing this duty. It is recorded in 2 Chro. 17, 7. that jehoshaphat, who is renowned for his piety and advancement of true religion, sent out his Princes to teach in the Cities of judah: not that they did take upon them the duty of the Priests, or usurp the office of the Prophets; but because they did back, countenance, & authorize the Levites, they did embolden & encourage the Prophets. This made an easy way and passage for the receiving and entertaining of true religion among the people with much more readiness and cheerfulness then otherwise would have been. For when they saw and considered, that such noble and worthy persons were the advancers and upholders of the common Faith, they were the more stirred up to a zealous professing and a careful embracing, and a sincere obeying of the truth that was taught. Seeing therefore such good Princes are such great pillars of the Commonwealth, of the Church, and of Religion; the loss of them when they are taken away, is one of the greatest losses, & threateneth the ruin and havoc of all that is good. When the good King josiah was taken away, Lam. 4, 20. being taken in the snare under whose shadow they lived in peace, all judah and jerusalem mourned for him, and spoke of him in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel, 2 Chr. 35, 24 Zach. 12, 11. For as the enjoying of them bringeth many blessings, that we may quietly resort together to the hearing of the word, and peaceably sit under our Vines and Figtrees, and reason of the ways of the Lord, as it was in the days of Solomon, when no man may do what seemeth good in his own eyes (as in the want of them:) so the taking of them away is the cause of many evils & of much wickedness, whereof we may say as Christ doth in another case, 
Math. 24, 8. ●  All these are the beginnings of sorrows. True it is, that the religion of God and the doctrine of the Gospel do not so stand in need of the help of man, as though they must fall when they fall, because they are set upon such a sure foundation that no force or power of man can shake them or destroy them, and they took firm root and spread far and near unto all quarters, before any Christian Magistrates embraced them, nay while they remained utter enemies unto them, and open persecutors of them; nevertheless it pleaseth God to use them as his chosen instruments, and by them to bring many thousands to the knowledge of the truth, and consequently to the kingdom of heaven, who otherwise through their ignorance would not see it, or through their carelessness would not regard it, or through their untowardness would not accept of it.   

10 And the Princes offered for dedicating of the Altar, in the day that it was anointed, even the Princes offered their offering before the Altar.  
11 And the Lord said unto Moses, etc.  
We heard before of the offering performed jointly by the Princes: now let us see the Offerings which they brought severally. For besides the Chariots and the Oxen, each of these great Commanders of the people and Heads of the Tribes offered unto God for his service in the Tabernacle, a Charger of fine silver, weighing 130. shekels, a silver Boll of 70. shekels, and one Spoon of ten shekels of Gold, full of Incense: all which they performed at the same time when the Altar was dedicated to God by Aaron, and before they marched from Sinai (where the Law was given) toward their conquest of the promised land. The weight of all the 12. silver Chargers, and 12 silver Bolles amounted unto 2400 shekels of silver, & the weight of Gold in the Incense spoons, did amount to 120. shekels of Gold which maketh of shekels of silver 1200. every shekel of Gold valueing ten of silver: so that the whole sum which they offered at this time, was about 420 pounds sterling. These Princes offered before with men and women, yet now they come again, & think they can never do enough toward the furtherance of the Tabernacle & the worship of God. The doctrine Doctrine. from hence is this, that they which have most outward blessings & greatest ability must be most forward in God's worship and service. 
They that ha●e t●e greatest ability & guts, mu●t be m●st ●orw●rd in God's service.  In Ezra it appeareth, they all gave according to their ability, chap. 2, 9 The chief of the Fathers, when they came to the house of the Lord, offered freely for the house of God, to set it up in his place. So in Nehemiah it appeareth how bountiful he and the Princes, and the people were: They gave much silver and gold to finish the work of the Lord. The examples of David and Solomon in this kind are very evident and apparent, for that which one of them prepared to the work, and the other employed and bestowed upon the work, is exceeding great, as appeareth in the holy history, 1 Chron. 18, 11. etc.  
And so much the rather we should employ our blessings and gifts to the service of God, 
Reason  and so give them after a sort to him that gave them first unto us, because it is a sign that our affection is set upon the worship of God, and an assurance to our own hearts, that we love him and his house, 1 Chro. 29, 3, 4. where David showeth, he gave 3000. talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7000. talents of refined silver, because he had set his affection to the house of his God. On the other side, where is no liberality, we may conclude there is no worship of God. Secondly every one is bound to glorify God with his riches, knowing that they are but stewards and dispensers of them, of which they must give an account unto God, Luk. 16, 2. To this end hath God bestowed them, and to this end we have received them, and therefore to this end they should be employed. Thirdly, this is a certain rule, that To whom soever much is given, of him shall much be required, Luke 12, 48. He that hath little committed unto him, hath the less account and shorter reckoning to make, but to whom men have committed much, of him they will require more: so is it with God: if he have left us five talents he will ask five of us again; and according as God hath put us in trust with little or much, we must know that he looketh for this at our hands, that we be ready to employ little or much upon his service, every one according to his ability.  
This serveth to reprove the forgetfulness and unthankfulness of such, as never consider Use 1 the end wherefore God hath blessed them, giving themselves wholly to carnal liberty and security, and so are more backward in good things, then if they had never received so many and so great blessings from God. He hath a plentiful storehouse, and a treasury of all treasures: out of this he dealeth with us, and distributeth unto us plentifully. The Apostle giveth the Church a watchword, and it is very needful he should do so, that in all things they should be thankful, 1 Thess. 5, 19 This is the cause why the Israelites were forewarned to take heed to themselves, even before they entered into the land of promise, Deut. 6, 10, 11, 12. and should possess great & goodly Cities which they never builded, houses full of all manner of furniture and garnishings and ornaments which they never stored, vineyards & Olive trees which they never planted, Welles of water which they never digged, and fields of Corn which they never sowed; then they ought nearly and narrowly to look unto themselves. And why then, rather than at another time? Because riches and pleasures, abundance and ease, would be such baits, that they should then be in greatest dangers (more than when they lived in the wilderness) to be drawn by them to forget God's mercies, by which they were delivered out of many miseries. They thought they should then be safe enough, if once they were come to set foot in the land; howbeit Moses telleth them, that then remained the greatest danger of all. They must stand in fear lest they be choked with these thorns, lest they be entangled in these snares, lest they suffer shipwreck at these rocks, lest they be overcome with these temptations, & lest they be drowned in these deep waters, Luk. 8.14. 1 Tim. 6, 9 This is the corruption of our nature, and the poison of sin, it turneth good into evil, as an evil stomach doth the daintiest and best meats. We do commonly abhor him, and speak all manner of evil of him, 
〈◊〉 unthankful person i●●●monly abhorred.  who having received many benefits and good turns, forgetteth his Patron and benefactor, when once he is advanced and promoted to honour; like Pharaohs Butler, who having received good from joseph, forgot him when he was restored unto his office, and delivered the cup into the king's hand again; albeit joseph had said unto him, Gen. 40, 14. Think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness I pray thee unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. An unthankful person even unto men, is justly abhorred: how much more than unto God the most bountiful Patron! Common experience teacheth, that commonly men are much worse for God's benefits, 
●●n are commonly the ●●rse ●or gods benefits.  and grow more profane and presumptuous in sinning against him through the plenty and abundance of earthly blessings. David we know was none of the worst men, but one of the best according to Gods own heart, yet he saith of himself while he enjoyed the world at will, I said in my prosperity I shall never be moved. Psa. 30, 6, And in another place, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes: Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept thy word, Psal. 119, 67, 71. And therefore his benefits did him not so much good as his chastisements, they did not further his salvation so much as his corrections. jeremy speaketh of the church under the name of Ephraim, 
〈◊〉. 31, 18.  that it was as an untamed Calf, till God chastened it. Manasses learned more at Babylon, then at jerusalem; as he lay in prison, then as he sat upon his throne: for in peace & prosperity he fell to Idolatry, to sorcery, to cruelty, and to all kind of impiety; but when he was carried away captive, he besought the Lord his God, who never thought he stood in need of him before; 
Chron. 33, ●, 13.  He humbled himself greatly before the Lord God of his father, who despised him before in the pride of his heart; and he prayed unto God earnestly, who never prayed unto him before. The blessings of God indeed aught to unite us more closely and conscionably unto him: howbeit it is a rare thing to find, that benefits knit our hearts more nearly unto GOD. Show me that man among a thousand that can truly say, 
A rare thing to find that man▪ who is brought nearer to God by his benefits.  the benefits of God have made him sounder in the faith, and better in his obedience, until he have been taught and trained up in the school of affliction, and tried in the furnace of adversity. God hath two school-houses in which he doth instruct his scholars: the first is the school of prosperity: there he speaketh to us, but we are deaf and cannot hear; there he teacheth, but we are dull and cannot learn. We are non-proficients though we tarry long in this school; not through any default either in the master, or in the lesson, or in the school, but through defect in the scholar only. He is constrained therefore to put us into his other school, this is the school of affliction, many profit here that could not profit before. For the heart of man is naturally puffed up with prosperity, so that it cannot work in him the performance of greater duty and sounder obedience, as it ought to do. There are ten lepers in the Gospel, cleansed of a foul and filthy disease; but when once they saw they were cured & recovered, they forgot who had cleansed them, how they were cleansed, of what they were cleansed, and wherefore they were cleansed; only one of them was found to return and give God thanks. 
Luke 17, 15.  When Christ had found the impotent man that had lain 38. years at the pool of Bethesda, he saw it was needful to put him in mind, to take heed he sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon him: 
john 5, 14.  for he knew he was ready to forget what he had been, & how great things he had done for him, and to please himself in the present condition wherein he was made whole, & therefore would have him consider what he might be in time to come, and fear a future relapse into the same, nay into greater evils. He to whom 10000 talents were remitted, showed not mercy again for the mercy that he had received: this was all the fruit of his thankfulness that he yielded, He caught his fellow-servant by the throat, 
Math. 18, 18.  who owed him only an hundred pence, bidding him presently to tender payment. jehoash the King of judah was preserved by jehoiada, and set in the kingdom that had been usurped by the tyranny of Athalia, and through the massacre of the blood-royal; yet this was all the thankfulness that he showed for the Father's kindness, 
2 Chro. 24, 22  he slew his son because he reproved their Idolatry and Apostasy, and so he remembered not the benefit of life & kingdom, and education that he had received, without which, he had not lived, nor reigned, nor received the knowledge of the truth. Seeing then, we are so prone of ourselves to forget what the Lord hath done for us, and to return him the praise, we must be watchful over our corruptions, remembering what God hath done for us.  
Secondly, it reproveth all idle and negligent teachers, who have received many good gifts Use 2 & graces profitable for the Church of God, & yet never use them, like the covetous person that hoardeth up great treasures, but suffereth no man to be the better for them: like the sluggish servant in the Parable, who hide his master's money in the earth, but would not employ it: 
Math 5.15. & 25, 25.  or like unto those that cover the Candle under a bushel, that it can give no light unto ●●em that are in the house, whereas it should be set upon the table, that all might have the use of it, and benefit by it. Wherefore hath God given greater gifts, but that such should take greater pains? How many are there that desire great livings, but they do not desire to bestow great labour among them? Our reward shall not be according to our gifts, but according to our labours. For as many may have great gifts, and yet bestow little labour, so they may have great gifts, and yet have little or rather no reward, except it be for their negligence. Certainly there are many that are rich in gifts, who notwithstanding have but a poor people; for they keep all knowledge to themselves, and impart nothing to others. Such carry the bag with judas, but betray good christians for thirty shekels of silver. They regard not what become of God's people, so that they may enrich themselves, who cause the people of God to perish, and themselves perish through balaam's wages that sticketh unto them. 
Esay 56 10.  They are dumb dogs that never have enough: they cannot bark, they run after their own gain. They neither enter into the kingdom of Heaven themselves, 
Luke 11, 52.  neither suffer them that would enter. It is a great sin for any to hide their gifts. We must be as john the Baptist, he was a burning and a shining lamp, 
john 5, 35.  and the people were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. So the Apostles were made the lights of the world; 
Math. 5, 14.  and they made their lights shine before men: For God that caused the light to shine out of darkness, shined into their hearts, to enable them to give the light of knowledge unto others, 2 Cor. 4, 6. The Ministers are the salt of the earth, to season the hearts of men.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it reproveth idle professors that will do nothing, like Demas and the rich glutton, that feed themselves, & enrich their own coffers, but will do no good, either in the maintaining of God's service, or toward the relieving of the wants & distresses of others. Such are as c●●●tous Nabal, that would let David being in necessity to have nothing: or like to Laban, that grudged that jacob should have any thing. These do no good but to themselves, if to themselves. What account will these give of their stewardship, who forget that they are stewards? It had been better they had never received any blessings, then to make none the better for them, no not themselves. The earth that is full of Mines of gold, is barren to bring forth any thing else, as grass, and corn, and trees, and herbs for the use of man: so the wretched soul that thirsteth after silver and gold, & busieth itself day and night to heap up riches, cannot bring forth any other fruit, neither do any service to God, or to the commonwealth, or to the church, or to himself. 
1 Tim. 6, ●  Covetousness is the root of all evil, and therefore it is extreme folly to delight so much in it. He that is to ascend to the top of an exceeding high Mountain, should do marvelous foolishly, if he should bind heavy burdens on his shoulders, and tie bolts and fetters to his feet, because whatsoever he shall pretend, he maketh it manifest, that he never meaneth to mount up to the top thereof: so likewise we being called to dwell in the holy hill of the Lord, and to seek those things which are above, 
Psalm 15, ● Colos. 3.1.  where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father, if we clog and cloy ourselves with so many impediments, & lad ourselves with so many burdens of earthly cogitations and practices, we show plainly that our conversation is not in heaven, and that we regard not to ascend up to that place. Rich men therefore that have received this world's goods, and yet will do no good with their goods, are worthily to be reproved, because they have received much, and are thereby enabled to do much good, & yet will perform nothing at all. Rich men without religion & knowledge of God, without love of his service, and conscience of holy ●●●●s, have much to answer for themselves. They have a thousand times more means to do good than the poor have, yet they do less: their hands are tied, their ears are stopped, their eyes are closed, their hearts are hardened. 
Luke 16, 9  They might make to themselves Friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that when they fail, they may receive them into everlasting habitations: but they regard no such friends, they make more account of their fading Mammon, than they do of those everlasting habitations. They have more time and leisure to spend in reading the Scriptures, and in getting of knowledge, than the meaner sort who are much distracted to provide for their families; & yet commonly they bestow least time that way, and for the most part have less understanding in the best things. The Apostle denounceth a woe against such unconscionable and irreligious men, that heap up treasure together for the last days, 
james 5, 3, ●  that live in pleasure upon the earth, that grow wanton, & nourish their hearts as in a day of slaughter. Let all such at the length remember what they have received, let them learn to be rich in good works, to do good, to be ready to distribute and to be willing to communicate, laying up in store a good foundation for themselves against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. And touching the use of their outward blessings, and the employing of them to the right end, let them remember the words of Christ, Luke 11, 41. 
Luke 11, 41.  Give alms of such things as you have, and behold all things are clean unto you.  
Lastly, seeing such as have received outward blessings, aught to be most forward to Use 4 do good with them, we must know that thus also it ought to be in spiritual blessings. If we must be faithful in that which is the least, we must much more be faithful in the greatest: and if we be unjust in little, we will be unjust also in much. God hath in great mercy given us many means to abound in heavenly graces, so that concerning the time we might have been such as might be sufficient to be teachers of others; yet we have need that one should teach us the first principles of the Oracles of God, and have need of milk rather than of strong meat, Heb. 5.12. being altogether babes and unskilful in the word of righteousness, not having our senses exercised to be able to discern between good and evil. They therefore are in a woeful and wretched estate, that have long lived under the preaching of the word, the means of regeneration in this life, and of salvation in the life to come, and yet are more ignorant, faithless, fruitless, disobedient and profane, than such as have had no such means, nor lived where the sound of the Gospel hath been so plentifully heard. Hence it is, that Christ denounceth fearful woes against Bethsaida, Corazin, and Capernaum, where he had preached many Sermons, and wrought many miracles, he threateneth to cast them down to destruction, and telleth them that it should be easier for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgement, then for them, Matth. 11.24. The Sodomites had an heavy punishment in this life to be destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven, and to taste of a more heavy judgement of fire and brimstone that burneth in hell; and yet those unthankful cities that brought not forth the fruits of the Gospel shall have sorer judgement for their disobedience at the day of judgement, when the judge of all the world shall appear to judge the quick and the dead. If a man after he have received some benefit from another, shall presently fly in his face and offer him open wrong and injury, it is certain that the injury & indignity is much more grievous than if he had received no benefit of him at all: so when a sinner hath received great and singular benefits from God, his sin is made the greater by offending him. What blessing is greater than the word, when the kingdom of heaven is offered and opened unto us? and what sin can be so great as to reject it, and to account ourselves unworthy of eternal life? Let us therefore take heed how we use his gifts, and endeavour to profit by the means that he affordeth us for our salvation, lest it go worse with us, then with the Turks and Infidels. For except our righteousness exceed others, certainly our punishment shall be greater than theirs: and then it had been better for us that we had never heard the preaching of the Gospel, then having heard it, proudly and presumptuously to reject it.   

18 On the second day Nethaniel the son of Zuar Prince of Issachar, did offe●.  
19 He offered for his offering one silver, etc.  
In these words, as also before, and in the words following, we see what is offered, to wit, silver and gold, they spare nothing, they are no niggards, they bring the best things that they have. Neither do they bring the best in a sparing manner, but they deal bountifully and liberally. The doctrine Doctrine. offered & the duty required from hence, is this, We must serve God with the chiefest and choicest things we have, 
We must seru the Lord with the best things we have.  and employ the best things that are fit for his service, and that in a large and liberal manner, according to our several places, persons, callings, conditions, and abilities. We read that to further the building and furnishing of the Tabernacle, men and women as many as were willing-hearted, brought bracelets, earings, rings, 
Exod. 35.22.  and tablets, precious stones and jewels of gold; every man that offered, did offer an offering of gold unto the Lord, no man came empty. 
Verse 27.  So did the Rulers & Princes: yea they were so forward, that the workmen complained that the people brought too much for the service of the work which the Lord commanded them to make. 
Exod. 36.5.25.1.2.  How far are we from this in our days? may we say of our times, The people bring much more then enough for the work of the Lord? Oh that we might come but one degree behind them; that it might be said, our people bring enough? But we cannot truly testify so much. The Israelites thought they never brought enough, we think we never bring too little. They offered more than they were commanded, we bring no more than we are compelled & constrained to bring. They brought willingly, we give grudgingly. They offered with a glad and cheerful heart, we will do no more than Law urgeth, or not so much. They brought of the best, we think the worst good enough for God and his worship and his Ministers. The Prophet Malachi, crieth out against this sin, chap. 1.14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts, and my Name is dreadful among the heathen. The Spirit of God commendeth Araunah for his forwardness & bountifulness in God's service, 
2 Sam. 24.22.  Let the king take and offer what seemeth him good to the Lord; behold here are oxen for  sacrifice and threshing instruments of the oxen for wood: all these as a king he gave unto the king. This also appeareth notably in Solomon, touching the building of the Temple, 
1 King 5.17. and 8.63. and 6.21, 22. 2 Chro. 30.24.  The king & all Israel offered sacrifice with him, 22000. oxen, & 122000. sheep at the dedication of the house of the Lord. The like we see in Ezekiah: and if we go no farther than to Abel in the beginning of the world, he showed forth the practice of this duty, for he brought of the firstlings of his flock, 
Gen. 4.4.  and of the fat thereof unto the Lord, and if he had had a better thing to bring, no doubt he would have brought it. So that this hath been the practice always of the best sort, to offer in the best manner the best they have, unto the best, that is, to the Lord himself.  
Reason 1 This they did that God might evermore dwell among them according to his promise, Exod. 25.3, 4, 6, 8. A great judgement it is to have him leave us and departed from us. Nothing driveth him away sooner and causeth him to deny his presence, than our dealing deceitfully with him. Secondly, if we give not to God of the best, the worst sort shall rise up in judgement and condemn us, the very idolaters that worship the works of their own hands, 
Rom. 1.25.  and turn the truth of God into a lie, shall go before us into the kingdom of heaven: they think nothing too much, they are content to spoil themselves that they may adorn their idols, Exod. 32.2, 3. 
Exod. 32.2.3.  The Israelites desiring to have an image of God to go before them, were content to break off the golden ear-rings which were in the ears of their wives, and of their sons, and of their daughters. So is it with the Papists, they account nothing too dear and precious which they are not ready to bestow upon their images and such like will-worship. Thirdly, no man should repine to give unto God his own; the best things we have, whose are they by right but his? to whom therefore ought they of right to be returned, and in whose service should they be employed but in his who is Lord of all things? So then we must know that we have Gods gifts which must be disposed by us, as David saith, Both riches and honour come of thee, 
1 Chro. 29.12.14.  in thine hand it is to make rich and great: and afterward he confesseth, that albeit they had offered much, yet all things came of him, and that they had given unto him nothing but of his own. We must all than consider that whatsoever we give to the maintenance of his worship, we do not give so much that which is our own, as that which is his. Cyrus' an heathen king acknowledged that it was the Lord God of heaven had given him all the kingdoms of the earth, 
Ezr. 1.2.9.  and that he had charged Use 1 him to build him an house at jerusalem.  
This reproveth such as bring the worst to God, 
Mal. 1.8.  & yet think the same too good for him. Hence it is that Malachi saith, If ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person, saith the Lord of hosts? Many there are of this sort, I will only touch two. First, such as dedicate to the best service the worst servants: such as choose those to be Seers and overseers of the house of God, which are stark blind, or at least lack their right eye. Such as have not knowledge and yet have a calling to teach knowledge, 
Hosea 4.6.  God rejecteth that they shall be no Priests unto him. God would be served, as we have heard before in this book, with the choicest flower of all the people, with the first borne the best is bad enough for him, 
2 Cor. 2.16.  for who is sufficient for these things? Give not to him therefore the worst. These are blind guides, and unsavoury salt, fit for the dunghill, then to be dedicated to the service of the most High.  
Again, it taxeth those that would be thought to serve God aright, and not to offer him the lame and sickly, and yet they halt before him, they will not serve him with the chiefest thing, nor glorify him with the best member that they have. 
Esay 2●. 1 Matth. 15  If we draw near to him with our mouths, and honour him with our lips only, but keep our hearts from him, what do we but worship him in vain, and withhold our best treasure from him? Hypocritical service is a blind and lame service, it halteth with one foot: we keep from God the chiefest, and divide ourselves between him and the world. It is unpossible that with one of the eyes we should look down to the earth, and at the same time look up to heaven with the other: so it is unpossible that we should love God, and withal love those things that are quite contrary unto God. The Samaritans were rejected and separated from the people of God, because they worshipped God and did cleave also to the gods of the Assyrians, 2 King. 17.41. No man, saith Christ, can serve two masters. The hypocrite is like to a Tavern with a bush without at the door, when there is no wine within in the Cellar: or like the gold of the Alchemists, which appears beautiful outwardly, but will not bear the touch. He is like to rotten wood that shineth bright in a dark night, but hath no true light in it; or to a Painter that beginneth to paint the face & outward feature, but never regardeth what the inward parts be. There is no painting will serve our turn when we come to appear before the Lord, we must bring him the best and offer him the chiefest gift, 
Psal. 103. ●  that we may say with the Prophet, Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy Name. The wise man exhorteth us to look to the heart, 
Prou. 4.23.  and to keep it with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. If the fountain of water be muddy & miry, it is quickly troubled and made unserviceable: If the root of the tree be rotten, it is sooner turned with wind and weather: so the heart of man if it be corrupt, it soon defileth and polluteth all other things that proceed from it. Halt not therefore with him that can abide no halting, but walk with an upright foot, and offer up all to him of whom we have received all.  
Secondly, from offering to God the best Use 2 things we have to further his worship, we may conclude, that the maintenance of the Ministry should be very sufficient, that so they which preach the Gospel might live of the Gospel. 
1 Cor. ●. 1  And as they do not sow sparingly, so doubtless they ought not to reap sparingly. I plead not the cause of those that are negligent & slothful, that feed themselves but not the flock: but such as open their mouths & spend their strength to feed the souls of others, deserve to have liberal maintenance for their own bodies: and as th●● dispense spiritual things, it is no great thing if they receive carnal things.  
The heathen men, the idolatrous Egyptians provided liberally for their Priests in the seven years of famine, 
〈◊〉 7.22.  and would not suffer them to alienate their lands from the use to which they were consecrated, no not in the general alienation of other men. 
〈◊〉. ●. 7.  God loveth a cheerful giver, when the gift is given unto men, much more in duties performed unto God would he have us cheerful, forward, and bountiful. There is no calling more honourable in many respects under the heaven then the Ministry. I am not ignorant that it is much disgraced, nevertheless it is a great grace to be set in it. The Apostle showeth, that by Christ jesus declared mightily to be the Son of God through the resurrection from the dead, 
〈◊〉. 1.4, 5.  he had received grace and Apostleship. And although some by grace understand the grace of reconciliation and atonement with God, & others refer it to such gifts as did fit him for the function of his Apostleship: yet I rather take it by a Grammatical figure called Hendiadis, to signify the grace of Apostleship, or the favour and free gift of God to be an Apostle. So then, it noteth out the nature and fountain of his Apostleship, and showeth that to be in the Ministry is not any disgrace, but a special grace of God, if we believe the Spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures. 
〈◊〉. 1.12.  Hence it is, that he giveth thanks to Christ jesus our Lord, for that he counted him faithful, putting him into the Ministry, & enabling him to discharge the same. And this honour farther appeareth, as well by the special gifts given to them above the rest of the people, as also by the reward & recompense, 
●●c. 4.8. ●●m. 4.16. ●or. 3.9.10. 〈◊〉. 12.3. ●or. 3.8.10.  even a greater measure of glory after a faithful discharge of the duty, when the great Shepherd of the sheep shall appear in glory. It is not therefore to be marveled at, that Paul every where magnifieth the grace of God, who had chosen him to be a master-builder in his house, to lay the foundation thereof, more precious than the gold of Op●ir, or then silver tried in a furnace of earth purified seven times. 
〈◊〉. 12.6.  Now if the calling be in itself honourable, ought it not then to be honoured? and how shall it be honoured, if they that be in the calling be not maintained? and what should their maintenance be, but as it may be agreeable to their place they hold? And if the maintenance must hold correspondence with the honour of the Ministry, we doubt not to affirm and avouch, that the recompense of the labours of such as are painful and faithful in this calling, aught to be very bountiful and liberal. Our Saviour saith of this calling, 
●●k. 10.16.  He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. He hath committed unto them the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 
●●tth 16.19.  Tell me, if thou were desirous to see one of the king's houses glistering with much gold, and shining with pearls and precious stones, and at length shouldest find one that carried the keys, who being entreated should forthwith unlock the doors, and bring thee even into the king's privy chamber, wouldst thou not make much of him, and honour him above others? The Ministers of God are they that keep the keys of the gates of heaven, they have power from Christ and under Christ to open the doors, ought we not therefore to love them, 
Chrysost. hom. 2. in 1. Thessaly.  to reverence them, to honour them? This made the Thessalonians receive the Apostles doctrine, 
1 Thess. 2.13.  not as the word of man, but as the word of God; and he beareth the Galatians witness, 
Gal. 4.15.  that if it had been possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and have given them to him. Our Saviour telleth his Apostles, 
Matth. 18.18.  that whatsoever they shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever they shall lose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Did not Pilate think himself advanced to great honour, that he could say, Knowest thou not, that I have power to crucify thee, 
joh. 19.10.  and have power to release thee? If a Prince should impart to any of his subjects this authority, that as high Marshal he should have power to put in prison whomsoever he would, and again to release them and let them go, 
Chrysost. de sacerd. lib. 3. & toto sere lib. 1.  he would be thought happy and worthy of honour in all men's judgements. It hath pleased the God of heaven & earth, to bestow a Ministerial power, & to give authority subordinate under his to the preachers of the Gospel, to forgive sins and to retain sins, saying, 
joh. 20.23.  Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose-soever sins ye retain, they are retained. As Eliah by his earnest prayer, 
1 King. 17.1. Luk. 4.25. jam. 5.17.  did shut the heavens that it could not rain upon the earth, and again, by his prayers opened the windows of heaven, that the earth did drink in the rain and brought forth herbs meet for the use of man: So the Ministers by their earnest preaching, do open the kingdom of heaven to all believers, and do shut the door against all impenitent sinners, and by the power of the Lord jesus Christ, 
1 Cor. 5.4.  do commit such to perpetual imprisonment, and do deliver them to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, if haply by this means the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. This power do the Ministers execute upon earth, which the Angels themselves do not, nor cannot exercise in heaven. To what end have we spoken all this, touching the power and authority of the Ministers? Surely from thence to infer that their maintenance ought to be answerable to their Ministry, and to show that if we withhold from them their due, we withhold from God whose deputies they are, & deny him his right for all the tithe of the land, 
levit. 27.30.  whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lords, it is holy unto the Lord: and consequently we hinder the worship of God, and thereby as much as lieth in us destroy the souls of many thousands, which otherwise might come to repentance, & acknowledging of the truth. Remember therefore these two Principles, 
See more of Tithes in the 18. chapter.  which both join in one, that the tithe of the land is the Lords, verse 30. and that the tenth shall be wholly unto the Lord, verse 32. As than we do tender the continuance of the worship of God, so we should render to the Minister his due maintenance, that he may receive comfort and encouragement in the work of the Lord, and thereby make it manifest that we are ready to bring to God the best sacrifice we have and so to serve him in the best manner.  
Thirdly, acknowledge from hence, that it Use 3 is our duty to honour God with all our substance and that we can no way so well employ our goods, as when God is honoured and glorified by them. The wise man saith, Pro. 3, 9 
Prou. 3.9.  Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of thine increase. And we heard before, that Abel brought to God of the fattest sheep he had, 
Exod 23.19. and 34.26.  he offered unto him the best. Gen. 4. he offered a better sacrifice, and also a greater sacrifice than Cain, Heb. 11, 4. He spared for no cost, he brought not the worst he had, or what came first to hand, thinking that whatsoever he brought was good enough for the lords service, and to be consumed with fire: but he gave the best he had, and would have given better if he could. Whosoever doth to the uttermost the best he can, doth make it plain he would do better if he could. From this practice of Abel had the Law his foundation, that was afterwards written, that nothing which was lean or lame, 
Deut 15.21. Leviti 22.20.  or maimed, or misshapen, or blind, or any way blemished, should be offered to the Lord. If any ask how this belongeth unto us. I answer, the Ceremony is ended in Christ, howbeit the equity remaineth and bindeth us for ever. Now then, if the question be further demanded how this Law reacheth to us, and how we may honour him with our first fruits and riches? I answer, by giving to him the best in every kind that we have. This consisteth in many particular branches, and teacheth us divers particular duties. First of all, here is offered that to us, which we noted before: to be careful liberally to maintain the Ministry, that they may teach us in the word, otherwise we commit sacrilege against God, and indeed rob our own souls, because if we sow sparingly, we shall reap sparingly. The Prophet Malachi bringeth in the Lord, speaking and charging the people with no less crime than robbery, and against no less person than himself, Will a man rob God? 
Mal. 3.8.9, 10.  yet ye have rob me. But ye say, wherein have we rob thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have rob me, even this whole nation. Secondly, it teacheth Parents that are willing to offer to the calling of the Ministry any of their sons, & to serve the Lord in that calling, to offer to him the fittest, not the foulest; the best, not the worst. The best is fittest for the Lord, and doubtless he is most worthy of him. But of this we have spoken at large in the 3. chap. Thirdly, we give to God the best and fattest, when we serve him in our youth, and with all our strength. The young man offereth to God the best thing he hath, when he remembreth his Creator in the days of his youth, 
Eccle. 12.1.  while his senses are sharp, his memory quick, his wit ripe, his capacity ready, his understanding deep. But if he say to himself, now I will take my pleasure a while, I will rejoice in my youth, 
Eccle. 11.  I will walk in the ways of mine own heart, and in the sight of mine eyes, I will repent at the end of my days, & serve the Lord when I can serve the lusts of the flesh, & the pleasures of sin no longer; if (I say) we reason thus, and offer to God our worn and withered old age, when we can serve sathan no more, what do we but offer to God the lame and the blind, which he abhorreth? How far are we from following Abel, who offered the best, forasmuch as we offer the worst of all to God? Fourthly, we must not serve the Lord by halves: we have no other sacrifice to offer but ourselves, let us therefore offer up soul & body, and not serve him for company, or for fashion's sake, or coldly and negligently, or through compulsion and fear of the Law. If we offer no otherwise, our sacrifice and service is no better than the offering of Cain, who was rejected both his person and his oblation. 
Jude ver. ●  woe unto such that walk in the way of Cain, that do not season their first fruits that they bring with faith. God will have all that is in us, or nothing. If we do not consecrate ourselves wholly to his service, we cannot be his servants. It is given as a special commendation of good King josias, that he turned to the Lord with all his hart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, 
2. King. 23.  according to the law of Moses; not that he was able to fulfil the whole law without failing in one point, but he did strive with might and main to serve the Lord to the utmost of his ability, and endeavour with hart & life to please him. Lastly, we honour God with our substance when we are merciful in helping the needy with that which is ours. We must not give alms at another man's cost, nor relieve our neighbour by our neighbour's goods, but we must honour him with our own substance, not with the substance of others, as covetous persons, usurers, thieves, & servants do, who give away that is none of their own. Therefore, when God giveth us all things abundantly to use, let it not grieve us to honour the lord with them, and distribute them to the necessities of the Saints cheerfully. 
Matth. 25. ●  The Lord jesus accounteth it as done to himself which is done unto one of the least of his brethren. Neither let us fear any want ourselves, or falling into decay through our bountifulness and liberality, inasmuch as God will make us the more to abound in all things, 
2 Cor. 9.9.  for he is of power to make us abound in all gifts. The widow that had been the wife to one of the sons of the Prophets, so long as she powered Oil out of the vessel or pot that was her own into the empty vessels, she perceived the oil still to increase; but when she poured out no longer, 
2 Kin. 4.6.  the oil ceased and stayed. Even so, so long as we shall help the poor with our goods as it were fill the vessels with oil, our riches shall increase & multiply; but if we stay our hand from giving our store will quickly fail and our fountain dry up. The more commonly you draw water out of a well, the more plenty you shall have; so likewise the more liberal we are toward those that want, the more we shall increase our own weath. Neither let any man delay the time, & promise to give away much when he dieth; for that is to give them away when we can keep them no longer. He that will not give alms till after his death, is like to a man that carrieth a light behind his back. The hour of death is not the fittest time to do good, than we should look to reap the fruit of a well led life: these are like to a simple soldier that prepareth his armour when he should fight, or like the foolish virgins that went to seek oil when they should use it. 
●●h. 25.10.  A ship that leaketh, must be mended in the haven, not in the sea: a wall that is broken must be made up in peace, not in war. If we forget God in our life, how can we look that he should remember us in our death, and when we lie at the last cast? To conclude, seeing we must serve the Lord with the best things that we have, let the people be ready to maintain the Ministry in the best manner, let godly parents give to God their best children, let the young man dedicated to God his best years, let every Christian offer to God his best member, 
〈◊〉. 23.  to wit, the heart: let all rich men do the best good they can with their goods, and lay up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come: thus shall the people, and parents, and young men, and rich men, and generally all Christians follow the example of righteous Abel, who offered to God the best sacrifice he had. On the other side, if we maintain the Ministers in the worst manner, if we spend the flower of our age, and the prime of our life in the worst vanities, if we give our best part, I mean the heart, to the worst deserver, that is, the devil, if we employ our riches to the worst uses, we follow the example and offer the sacrifice of Cain, and therefore may justly fear to be rejected with him, and after this life to be rewarded with him.   

24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun did offer.  
25 His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, etc.  
Behold here how the other Princes are not inferior to the first that offered, nor the other Tribes to the Tribe of judah. Observe here, that the spirit of God accounteth it not sufficient to set down what was offered in general, neither in particular what Nahshon the son of Aminadab of the Tribe of judah offered the first day, or what Nathaniel, the son of Zuar Prince of Issachar offered the second day: but he goeth forward to set down the special offerings according to every man's name, and according to the day assigned unto him. Object. It may be demanded what was the cause, why these offerings are thus particularly pointed out? why are the same chargers, the same bowls, the same spoons so often repeated? might not all these things here mentioned have been more summarily concluded? what need more words have been used, when fewer would have served? I answer, Answer. we must not account any thing idle, frivolous, fruitless, or superfluous in holy Scripture. The Lord knoweth best, what is fittest to be dilated largely, and what to be comprehended shortly. If there were no other reason then this, so it pleased the Lord, it ought to content us and to make us rest in it.  
The like example we find, Psal. 136.1, 2, etc. Where, in every verse, and at the recital of every blessing, this reason is repeated, for his mercy endureth for ever. Add hereunto, revel. 7.5, 6, etc. where this is repeated according to the number of the Tribes, that twelve thousand were sealed of them. He might have said briefly, of every tribe were sealed twelve thousand: but he repeateth the words twelve times: so in this place, the offerings are repeated twelve times particularly according to the number of the twelve Princes. The reasons may be, first to teach us to be content to hear the same things, though they be oftentimes repeated, as Phil. 3.1. The Apostle saith, It is not grievous to me to write the same things often, and for you it is safe. We are ready to forget the best things, and therefore must have them continually sounding in our ears, as many strokes given with a hammer, to make us hear. Secondly, that we should apply these examples unto ourselves, and if we pass over one of them without regard, yet we should take hold of the next. Thirdly, to teach us that no man shall have that forgotten to the utmost of his praise, who is any way forward in doing good, because he will honour those that honour him, but they that despise him, shall be lightly esteemed, 1 Sam. 2.30. The doctrine Doctrine, from this particular rehearsal and enumeration of the gifts of those Princes, is this, 
Every good work of gods children is known and shall be rewarded.  that all the good works of God's children done to the setting forth of his glory to the advancement of his worship, to the maintenance of true Religion, or the good of his children, shall be reckoned up, rewarded and come up in account before him: he taketh notice of them all, and will never forget any one of them. As their deeds are here registered in the book of God, so the doers of them are registered in the book of life. 
Matth 10.42  Our Saviour teacheth, that a cup of cold water shall not go unrewarded, that is given to drink in the name of a disciple to one of these little ones. And afterward it is said. 
Matth. 25.7.  A certain woman came unto him having an alabaster box of ointment very precious, and powered it on his head as he sat at table: and because she had wrought a good work upon him, verse 10. he saith, Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her, verse 13. To this purpose speaketh the Angel that appeared to Cornelius, Act. 10.4. Thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God. So then every thing shall be remembered, no one work shall be forgotten.  
Reason 1 For God is a righteous God giving to every one according to his works. He is the judge of the world, Gen. 18. and cannot but judge uprightly. Hereupon the Apostle saith, Heb. 6.10. God is not unrighteous to forget your works, and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his Name, in that ye have minstred to the Saints, and do minister. He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward, for he will reward very bountifully every good work. If we be not barren in good works, he will not be behind with us to recompense us. Secondly, how can they but come into an account, seeing he accounteth them as done to himself? Matth. 25.40. When any thing is given to the Saints, it is esteemed as done to the Son himself: and when it is bestowed upon one of the least, it is regarded as bestowed upon the greatest and highest. The servant receiveth it, but the Master will reward it.  
Use 1 Touching the Uses: we may first conclude the happy estate and condition of them that leave this world, and departed this life in the true fear of God, because we hear their works shall be remembered, and therefore the doings of his servants be rewarded with eternal glory, being done in the love of God and of his truth, none of them are forgotten, but they shall follow them, nay go with them, and bear them company. This we read in the Revelations of john, chap. 14.13. I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Writ, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the spirit, that they rest from their labours, and their works follow them, to wit, at their heels as the word importeth. Death cannot cut them off, though it be a cruel and merciless tyrant, and hath as it were a  or sickle in his hand to cut down such as come in his way: yea, though it cut off riches, revenues, honours, pleasures, dignities, delights, wife, children, houses, lands, and life itself, according to the saying of the Apostle, 
1 Tim. 6.7.  We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out with us; yet it cannot cut off good works, neither bereave us of the fruits of a lively faith, which are of such great force and efficacy, that they are able to break in sunder the chains of death and the strength of the grave, and cannot be holden in darkness and oblivion. It were therefore a point of great wisdom and good policy, so many as would willingly die the death of the righteous (as Balaamites and all wicked men will seem desirous to do) to provide a goodly train of good works which death cannot keep back; they will press so fast, and knock so hard at heaven gates, that the gates thereof shall open wide, and our works shall enter with us, because they cannot be forgotten, but shall come up into the presence of God. We see how it fareth with Kings and Princes and great men of this world, they have great trains and troops of servants, and a goodly retinue that follow their heels in the streets: O how happy are they, if at the hour of death, and the great day of account, when their honours and their pleasures, their riches and their friends, their servants and retainers shall forsake them, and all earthly profits shall fail them, they have as goodly a train of good works to attend and wait upon them. They shall find much more comfort and peace in these, then in all their life they felt in all the other; as the wise virgins found much contentment, in that they had store of oil for their lamps.  
Secondly, shall good works come into account Use 2 with God, and be remembered of him? then on the other side we may conclude, that evil works shall also be remembered. True it is, we are ready to forget the evils that we commit, but God will never forget them, no time shall wear them out, they are ever fresh in his sight. Hence it is, that Nehemiah saith, 
Neh. 13. ●●  Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the Priesthood, and the covenant of the Priesthood, etc. And revel. 16.19. Great Babylon is come in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. He will remember the sins of the wicked and his own judgements. These though they be great in this world, shall not have their honours and dignities to follow them, but their sins shall all follow them. The swearer shall be sure to have his oaths and his blasphemies laid before him, the adulterer his uncleanness, the drunkard his intemperancy, the contemner of God and of his word his profaneness, the covetous person his oppression; they shall accompany them unto judgement, even unto hell, that there they may receive the reward and wages that their works have deserved. It were a great benefit to the ungodly, if they might appear before the judgement seat of God without their evil deeds, and that they could wind themselves out of the company of their sins, which will be their strong accusers, and give in evidence against them: but they cannot by any means, for they follow them and pursue after them with a loud cry for vengeance and punishment, and therefore woe and misery shall befall them that commit them. Use 3  
Thirdly, we must mark this point, albeit good works be so much regarded, yet we must take heed we give not too much unto them, nor ascribe any merit to attain eternal life by faith, that it might be of grace, Rom. 4.16. it is the gift of God through jesus Christ, Rom. 6.23. If any of our works should merit, than the works that are most glorious and eminent above others, which the holy witnesses of the truth of God wrought, who did suffer for the Name of Christ, and resisted the enemies even unto the blood, should be meritorious. But the Apostle denieth this virtue to them, Rom. 8.18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. If any works might deserve salvation, doubtless the works of righteousness: but it is the kindness and love of God toward man that the Apostle magnifieth, who saveth us, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his own mercy, Tit. 3.5. Eph. 2.8, 9 So Paul preacheth, Act. 13.48, 39 that through Christ we have remission of sins, and that by him all that believe, are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses.  
Again, the Lord jesus himself teacheth us, that when we have done all that possibly we can, we must say we are unprofitable servants, Luk. 17.10. but he that is an unprofitable servant, and doth only what he ought to do, is not in any case of meriting. He that will merit any thing at God's hands, must first give him somewhat and so bind him as a debtor unto him: if no man can hinder him any thing of his own, who oweth all, even himself to God of whom he hath received all, it is certain that no man can merit any thing before him, Rom. 11.35. Who hath first given unto him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? but no man can do so, verse 36. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory for ever, Amen. Now, where is no benefit, there can be no merit, because merit presupposeth a benefit received; howbeit our well-doing extendeth not to God, he can receive no good turn at our hands, 1 Cor. 4.7. Phil. 2.13. Eph. 2.10. When the husbandman bringeth to his Lord, the fruit of his own ground, he meriteth nothing, because he giveth him of his own. Moreover the Scripture teacheth us that temporal benefits and deliverances are not granted and bestowed upon the faithful, for any desert of any their good deeds, Dan. 9.18. much less therefore eternal life. The Israelites had not the nations cast out before them, nor themselves brought in to possess the land for their own righteousness, 
〈◊〉. 9 5.  or for the uprightness of their hearts, but because he had chosen them & set his love toward them. Let us not therefore trust in our own works, which when they are at the best, are unperfect and defiled, but rather (as the very enemies of the grace of God do admonish) in regard of the uncertainty of our own righteousness, and the danger of vainglory, 
●●●●r. de justif 〈◊〉 5. cap 7.  let us rest wholly (as the safest way) in the only mercy of God. If then this be the surest and safest way, let us all go the safest way, and leave by-paths and dangerous passages unto others. He that walketh safely, walketh surely. There is but only one life, and there is but one right way unto life, namely, Christ, joh. 14.6. The way by works is a wrong way, a false way, he shall never come to his journeys end by the way of his works, that is, for the merit of his works: because eternal life is never given for them There is no other name under heaven whereby we may be saved, 
Act 4.14. Ephe. 4.5.  then by the Name of Christ; but if our works deserved lif● eternal. there should be another name to save us: because the merit of our work● is not the Name of Christ, but setteth up ourselves in his place, or at the least to join a fellow and companion with him in the work of our redemption. This would minister occasion to us to glory in our own selves before the Lord, as if we were somewhat and could save ourselves, but no man hath any thing wherein or whereof to boast himself, Ro. 3.27. and 4.2. 1 Cor. 1.31.  
Lastly▪ to bring the adversaries of this doctrine once more to plead for us against themselves: They teach that no man can certainly know that he hath true merits without a special revelation; or that he shall persist and persevere in them unto the end: whereupon we infer and conclude, that therefore we may not believe that we shall obtain eternal life for our works sake, for that were to torture and torment men's consciences, & to set them upon the rack; that were, never to give peace to the distressed soul, but to leave it in doubt and perplexity, whereas the Apostle gathereth the quite contrary from the doctrine of justification, Roman. chap. 5.1. Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord jesus Christ. But from the popish doctrine of justification, we see there followeth no effect of peace, no tranquillity or quietness of conscience, because they are taught to stand in doubt of their reconciliation and atonement with God.  
Fourthly, this serveth as a great consolation Use 4 to such as are careful to do good, and to show forth good works, that they shall in time reap if they faint not. This was good Nehemiah assured of, and therefore accordingly he desireth God to remember him, chap. 13 31.14. Remember me, O my God for good: and a little before, Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof. And chap. 5.19. having declared his care to relieve the poor and distressed among the jews, and his own conscience bearing him witness of his sincerity in this behalf, he prayed to God, Think upon me, my God, for good: according to all that I have done for this people. Obadiah had comfort by the works of mercy, showed to the persecuted servants of God, who in the reign of Ahab hide an hundredth of the Lords Prophets in a cave, 
1 Kin. 18.13.  and fed them with bread and water: and he had the fruit of it, he was the first to whom glad tidings was offered in the days of famine when heaven was shut up that it yielded no rain, and was made an instrument to publish it to others. No work shall fall to the ground, but come up in remembrance to our comfort. This is as true and certain touching the works of every servant of God, as if the Angel that spoke to Cornelius were sent unto him to say unto him, Thy works are come up in remembrance before God. An● as God saith, that he keepeth the tears of his children in his bottle: so he keepeth the works of his ●●ildren in his book. This is, and so it ought to be, a great encouragement to us in well-doing, to consider that the number, the greatness, and the measure of all our good works shall be registered and recorded by him. It is spoken in deed for our capacity, for God needeth no writings of record or books of account: the meaning is, he will never forget our good works, but as certainly remember them, as if he had put them all particularly in writing. Hence it is, that the Lord saith so often to the seven Churches of Asia, to whom he commanded john to write, he knew all their works, nothing was hidden from him, nothing unknown unto him.  
Use 5 Lastly, seeing good works are in so great account with God, it is necessary that we learn what good works are that are pleasing in God's sight, and how they are to be done of us. For there is more required to a good work then the bare deed done. A good work is a duty commanded of God, 
What a good work is.  performed by a regenerate person, and done in faith, aiming at the glory of God and the good of man. Whereby we see, that sundry points are required to make a work accepted of God. First of all, the work must have the will of God which is the rule of all goodness and righteousness, to warrant the same, that so we may do them in an holy obedience unto him. For except he appoint them, he doth not approve them: and unless he command them, he doth never commend them. Will-worship is abominable to God and every where rejected, when men thrust upon God their own inventions in stead of his service, Col. 2.22.23. Deut. 12.32 Every good work is commanded in the word either expressly, or generally. God is in vain worshipped, when for doctrines, the commandments of men are taught and observed. This reproveth the Romish Religion, maintaining ● ᵗ a man may do good works which are never required or appointed of God; and likewise the blind devotion and superstition of the people, that if they in their worship have a good intent and think no man no harm, they do a good work.  
Secondly, goo● works must be done by a regenerate person, that is in the state of grace, that is a member of Christ, and borne again by the holy Ghost. If we be not reconciled to God in Christ, & made acceptable through him, we are as evil trees that cannot bring forth good fruit: whereas no man can gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, Matth. 7.16. The person must please God, before any thing that cometh from him can please him: for he had respect to Abel, 
Gen. 4.4.5.  and then to his offering: but not to Cain, and therefore not unto his offering. Hence, fall to the ground the works of Turks and Infidels, and mere civil men, who often abstain from outward sins, live orderly among men, and do works of mercy, justice, & liberality; yet in them they are not good, because they proceed from a corrupt heart. The like we may say of the works of all unregenerate persons, be they never so beautiful in the eyes of the world, they are but beautiful sins in the sight of God, whether they eat, or drink, or walk, sleep, or buy or sell, or come to Church, or hear the word, or pray, or receive the Sacraments, the rule of the Apostle standeth for ever, Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled, Tit. 1.15.  
Thirdly, good works must be done in faith: because whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, Rom. 14.23. and without faith it is unpossible to please God, Heb. 11.6. Now there is required in a man, a twofold persuasion, first, an assurance that God hath willed and commanded it to be done; for he that giveth alms, and yet doubteth whether God would have him to give alms, sinneth: Secondly, a persuasion in his own conscience of his reconciliation to God in Christ. This is justifying faith, which purifieth the heart, and doth fit and enable it to bring forth a good work. There is a double use of this gift: it maketh us to begin the work well, and when it is once done, it serveth as a cloak or garment to cover the defects and imperfections of it, applying the merits of Christ. The last point required to make a good work, is, that it be done to God's glory. 1. Cor. 10.31. If we have any other by-respects, aiming at our own glory, or the applause of the world, or the satisfying of God's justice, or the merit of eternal life, or any such corrupt and crooked ends, we lose all our labour, our works cannot come up in account before him. It is the common and corrupt judgement of the common sort that Papists abound in good works, but let us try them by these rules, we shall quickly and easily find them what they are, failing in the matter, and manner, and in the main and principal end of well-doing. Now to conclude, every one must do these good works, every one must be as a tree planted in the garden of God, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness, that he may be glorified, Esay 61.3. It is a received opinion among many, that none can do good works but rich men, as if there were no good works but alms; for they have no taste in any thing else but that which is given them. Thus do the poor cast off all doing of good works from themselves upon the richer sort, that so they may receive somewhat. True it is, alms are one good work, but yet not the only good work, nor yet the chief and principal. For the poor may do good works, nay must do them as well as the rich. The works of the first Table, are the best works, the greatest works: these they may do, as well as others. To have a care to know God, to believe in him, to love him above all, to fear him, to hope in him, to stay ourselves upon him, to approve ourselves in his sight, to worship him with the heart, to confess him with the mouth, to pray unto him earnestly, to hear his word attentively, to receive the Sacraments reverently, and such like divine and devout exercises, are all of them good works, great works, gracious works, approved of God: and these may the poor perform. And that the Scripture avoucheth, and God alloweth these for good works, appeareth in the example of Abraham, mentioned by the Apostle James. chap, 2.21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? He showed himself to be a justified man by his good works, and was called the friend of God. 
●●●se 23. ●●●se 12.  Thus did his faith work together with his works. But what were his good works? were they his almsdeeds, and showing mercy to the poor? no, he performed a good duty to God, and preferred his love to him before his love to his son, his only son, even Isaac whom he loved, the son of promise, the son in whom the nations of the world should be blessed. Thus must all men do good works, thus the poorest sort are not exempted or privileged from showing forth these good works, and testifying their faith by these fruits. So then when we hear of the necessity, of the dignity and value of good works, let no man think it belongeth nothing to him, but every man be encouraged to set upon the doing of them, 
●●th. 5, 16.  that our light may so shine before men, that they seeing our good works may glorify our Father which is in heaven.   

84 This was the dedication of the altar (in the day when it was anointed) by the Princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold:  
85 Each charger of silver, etc.  
We shall not need to stand to speak particularly of every Prince's offering: because, as we noted before, the same things are repeated, the offerings are the same, the matter is the same, the form and end the same, the price and value the same: the difference standeth only in a description of the time, when they were offered: and of the person who offered, described by his name, by his father, and by his tribe. Now, in casting up the value of all these offerings, and setting down the total sum, appeareth the greatness of their riches. For had they not been much blessed that way, they could not have continued to bestow so bountifully upon the Tabernacle. These they attained unto, partly by their own labour, and partly by entering into the labours of others. For at their departure out of the land of Egypt, 
Exod. 12.36.  they borrowed jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, at what time no doubt they carried with them the chief wealth and treasure of Egypt, & spoiled the Egyptians, which God gave to his people as a recompense of all their troubles. The doctrine Doctrine. from hence ariseth to be this, that the blessings of this life are oftentimes bestowed upon God's children. 
Earthly blessings are oftentimes in the possession of gods children.  He giveth them riches, honours, dignities, preferments, house, land, peace, and prosperity, at his own pleasure. We have the examples of Abraham & Lot, their substance was so greatly increased, that they could not dwell together, the herdmen of their cattle strove and contended one against another, Gen. 13.7. and Abraham's servant sent to take a wife for Isaac, 
Gen. 24.35.  telleth that the Lord had blessed his master greatly, and had given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, & men servants and maidservants, and Camels and Asses, Gen. 24, 35. job was a just and an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil, and this man was the greatest of all the men of the East, cha. 1.1, 2.3. and 31 24, 25. his wealth was great, and his hand had gotten much. The like we might say of many godly kings, as of David, Solomon, Hezekiah, jehoshaphat, josiah, of Mordecai, and Ester, of joseph, and of jacob. And in the New Testament, mention is made of joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto Christ of their substance, Luk. 8.3. Of Lazarus the friend of Christ, and Mary, who entertained him often in her house, Luk. 10.38. Of joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, Matth. 27.57. an honourable counsellor, Mar. 15.43. he was a good man and aiust, Luk. 23.50. which also waited for the kingdom of God; Of Onesiphorus, who often refreshed Paul, & was not ashamed of his chain, 2 Tim. 1.16. and many other of all estates, some rich, some noble, some wise, some mighty and of great account, 1 Cor. 1.26.  
For hereby the Lord showeth what he can Reason 1 do so often as it pleaseth him to bestow them True it is, sometimes he denieth even to those that are most highly in his favour, these outward and earthly blessings: howbeit it is not because he is not able to enrich them. For as Moses prayeth the Lord to spare his people, lest the enemies should say, he destroyed them in the wilderness, 
Deut 9.28. Exod. 32.12. Num. 14.13.  because he was not able to bring them into the land of promise: so he bestoweth many time's wealth and substance upon his children lest the enemies should say, it was because he is not able to increase and enrich them. Thus then by giving unto a few, he showeth that he can store and replenish all the rest if it pleased him.  
Secondly, to relieve his own servants in time of need, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine, Psal. 33.19. He knoweth well enough that the very mercies of the wicked are cruelty, Prou. 12.10. they are handfasted and hardhearted, and they are least of all moved to pity God's people: he therefore provideth for the welfare of his servants, by making one Christian brother able to relieve another, as we have plentiful examples in the acts of the Apostles, chap. 4.34, 35, 36.  
Thirdly, he maketh them many times to inherit the labours of wicked men, and of such as are their enemies, as we see his people had the treasures of Egypt, Exod. 12. Psal. 44.3. The Egyptians would not recompense them, therefore the Lord doth recompense them.  
Fourthly, they are in Christ heirs of the world: for all that are sons are also heirs, Rom. 8.17. the heirs of God, and joint-heires with Christ. Hence it is, that some recover their possession though all cannot according to their right and title. God made all things for his friends, not for his enemies, who are no better than usurpers.  
Use 1 The Uses follow. First, it reproveth the beggarly vow of voluntary poverty undertaken by the Popish Order. No such vow is found in the old Testament, whiles vows were most in use and in force. This is accounted a vow of perfection, but it hindereth the doing of much good: because it is better to give then to receive, Act. 20.35. Wherefore, the begging Friars are boasting fools, proudly glorying in perfection, when they may worthily be ashamed of their imperfections. They think they deserve heaven by it, when indeed they are in danger of hell. For it is one thing to have riches, and another, to trust in riches: whereas they will seem to cast them away, under a colour of fear, lest they should cast them away. But may any among them compare with sundry of God's servants, who kept their goods, and did much good with them, to God's glory and the good of others? may they, even the best of them parallel themselves with Abraham in faith, with job in patience, with joseph in chastity, with Lot in piety, with Lazarus in hospitality, with Zaccheus in liberality, with the godly women in charity, whatsoever they pretend to the contrary? 
Prou. 10.22.  And as riches given by the blessing of God, condemn no man: so it is certain, poverty can save no man, neither can it merit life and salvation, as the cloystermen dream.  
Use 2 Secondly, observe that riches are not evil of themselves or in their own nature: neither are they any way hinderers of God's kingdom, the fault is in the person and in the abuse of them. And the best things are abused as well as riches, yet we may not thereupon conclude that the best things are bad. But it will be objected, Object. that Christ saith, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, 
Mat●h. 19  even easier for a Camel to go through the, etc. I answer, Answer. we must compare Scripture by Scripture, as it is said, 
Tremel. in 〈◊〉 h●m. 8.  the Levites did expound the meaning and gave the understanding by the Scripture itself. The Evangelist Mark repeating this history, expoundeth it plainly. For Christ having said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of GOD, and the disciples being astonished at his words, he addeth by way of explication, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God! then this followeth, It is easier for a Camel, etc. where we see he distinguisheth of rich, some are such as trust in God, not in their riches; some trust in their riches, not in GOD. Of these that make their riches their God, and their Mammon to be their hope and heaven, it is true that a Camel shall sooner go through the eye of a needle, than such rich men get into the kingdom of God, Mar. 10.23, 24. 
Mar. 10.23.24.  But they are thorns and snares: thorns to choke, Objection and snares to catch and entangle the soul: so they are called in the parable of the sour, Luke 8. and by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 6. I answer, Answ. It is true, but the fault is not in the nature of the riches, but in the corruption of the rich man: not by the use, but through the abuse of them. For if they were evil of themselves, than should all rich men be choked and snared by them, & drawn into evil; which by the former examples, and by present experience we know not be so. Object. But Christ willeth the rich man to sell the things he did possess, and give them to the poor: by this it should appear to be unlawful to keep them. I answer, Answer. this is a particular commandment given to him to try him and prove what was in him, to discover his pride and hypocrisy, pleasing himself in a false opinion of his strength, sufficiency, and ability to keep the Law, that so, if it were possible, his eyes might be opened to see his own weakness, and himself to be wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. For in that he went away sorrowful, and submitted not himself to the voice of Christ, he declared plainly that he made more reckoning of his wealth than he did of Christ; and that he had more mind to follow the world, then to obey the word delivered unto him.  
Thirdly, we must learn, when we have Use 3 these blessings, to be thankful to God that gave them, and to lift up our eyes to him of whom we received them. For albeit these earthly blessings be common to the godly and the ungodly, yet are they not common to all the godly, inasmuch as they are given unto some, but denied unto other: bestowed upon a few, but withholden from many. This duty hath many branches.  
First we must acknowledge from whence they come, 
The bran●● of than●●●nesse.  and that we have received them of his mere grace. Woe then to those that sacrifice to their own net, and ascribe the blessings of God only to their own labour and industry. For except the Lord build the house, the labour of the builder is in vain, and except the Lord keep the City, the watchman waketh in vain: it is in vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, and to eat the bread of sorrows, it is God that giveth his beloved sleep, Psal. 127.1.2. True it is, God hath laid upon us this duty to labour, and requireth that every man eat his bread with the sweat of his brows; for no promise is made to the idle: yet we must depend upon him for a blessing upon our labours, or else we are not thankful unto him. Again, we must be careful to use them to his glory and to the good of others. We must refer them to him, as we have received them of him. As all rivers run into the sea, so all our riches should return to God. Thirdly, we must be ready and willing to leave them, whensoever God shall call for them. For he that bestowed them, may he not require them again when he pleaseth? we must leave them rather than leave him. If we have this godly resolution, then may we persuade our own hearts that we are thankful for them. Thus it was with job, 
〈◊〉 1.21.  when he could say, The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord. Fourthly, we must not put our trust and confidence in them, and if riches increase, 
〈◊〉 10.  we must not set our hearts upon them: because than we commit gross idolatry with them. This is a fearful sin. Many such idolaters (it is to be feared) remain still in great store among us: ●nd albeit idols be banished out of our Churches, yet many do yet set them up in their hearts. This idolatry is so much the more dangerous, because it is more close and secret, coloured under the name of virtue, practised by such as detest popery and idolatry, and therefore is less perceived and discerned. Lastly, we must not account these the chiefest riches or the best treasures, inasmuch as the ungodly have commonly the greatest share of them, Luke 12. and 16. and therefore we must labour to be rich in faith, 
〈◊〉. 6.11.  in love, in righteousness, in godliness, in patience, in meekness, and in all good works. here is true riches: if we adorn ourselves with these, we shall be truly rich although we be poor, revel. 2.9. and though we have neither silver nor gold, Acts 3.6. yet he hath given us all things, 2 Pet. 1.3. And though we have nothing at all, yet we possess all things, 2 Cor. 6.10.   
89 And when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle of the Congregation to speak with him, 
〈◊〉 i●, with 〈◊〉.  than he heard the voice of one speaking unto him, from off the mercy seat, etc. 
Hitherto of the offerings of the Princes, received of Moses, and given to the Levites. Two tribes offered one waggon, and every waggon had two oxen, therefore they offered six● wagons, and to draw them twelve oxen These were thus distributed: 
●ret. comment in 7. cap. Num.  the Ge●shonites had two wagons, and consequently four oxen committed to them: the Meratites ha● four wagons, and consequently eight oxen so that they carried the greatest burdens. Touching the Kohathites, the third family of the Levites, nothing was bestowed among them, because to them were committed the vessels of the Sanctuary which were carried upon their shoulders, so that they had no need either of wagons to bear them, or of oxen to draw them, themselves serving in stead of them both. In this verse we see the oracle of God speaking to Moses We might note here that God spoke divers ways to his Church in the old Testament: as also that all blessings come from God to us through Christ the true propitiatory, covering our sins out of God's sight and revealing Gods will to us, that we should know it, and have benefit by his Priesthood. But to pass over these, we may note that Moses went into the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle signifieth his Church. There is God to be spoken unto. The doctrine Doctrine, is this; God is present in a special manner in places set apart for his worship. True it is, 
God is evermore present wheresoever his Church is assembled.  he is every where, the heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool; howbeit wheresoever his Church and people are assembled, he is present with his Spirit, with his grace, and with his blessing and assistance. Hence it is, that the place appointed for his service is called his face, Gen. 4.14. This is afterward called, the presence of the Lord, verse. 16. So Psal. 46.5. God is said to be in the mids of the City of God; And Christ teacheth, that wheresoever two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in the mids of them, Matth. 18.20. So then wheresoever the place of God's worship is, there is God ever present.  
For first, he hath promised to dwell there: Reason 1 Where dwelleth the master of the house, and where is he readiest to be found, but where he dwelleth? as Psal. 132.13.14. The Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation: this is my rest for ever, here will I dwell, for I have desired it. Secondly, he is known by a special work of his presence sanctifying Reason 2 those that are his by his word: hereupon the Prophet saith, Psal. 87.2, 3. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of jacob; glorious things are spoken of thee, O City of God. Thirdly, he delighteth in his own ordinances. Reason 3 In judah is God known, his Name is great in Israel: in Salem also is his Tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion, Psal. 76.1.2. It is God's ordinance that we should meet together in one place; for this cause he commanded the Tabernacle to be builded, and afterward the Temple: these he sanctified for the word, for sacrifices, and for prayer: these doth the Lord love, and in those doth he take pleasure, and with them will he vouchsafe his presence.  
This being an evident truth, from hence we must learn so to carry ourselves in such places as are sanctified and set apart for his service, as that we may call him to be a witness of our sincerity. Will a subject dare to behave himself rudely and unreverently in the presence of his Prince? or the child in the presence of his father? How then ought we to stand in awe of the Majesty of Almighty God, whose glory is incomprehensible, who dwelleth in light that none can attain unto? Heerepon the wise man saith, Eccle. 5.1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, then to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. No man ought to come before the Lord unprepared: or to set his feet in the Lord's house rashly and unreverently. Were it not unseemly and uncivil to enter into a king's palace with foul and filthy feet defiled with dung and mire, or to sit down at a Prince's table with unwashen hands? And is it not more undecent and undutiful to come into the house of the great King, the King of Kings, and to be partakers of his Table before we have cleansed and sanctified our hearts? This was shadowed out at the giving of the law, by commanding them to wash their garments, and to abstain from their wives, Exod. 19.14, 15. Thus they were to be prepared before they received the Law. Likewise before they could behold the wonderful works of God, they were spoken to, to pull off their shoes, because the place whereon they stood was holy ground. 
Exod. 3.5. josh. 5.15.  This we should all consider when we meet together in one place, and carefully remember that the place in which we assemble is holy ground, and therefore we should take heed we do not abuse it. Object. But is that ground whereupon Temples or Churches stand more holy than other? I answer, Answ. no, it is not in itself, there is no more holiness in it, then in other: but in respect of the assembly therein gathered together, and of the exercises of religion therein performed, it is for that present more holy, and better to be accounted and esteemed then all other places and pieces of ground whatsoever. This made the Prophet say, Psal. 84.10. A day in thy Courts is better than a thousand: I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, then to dwell in the tents of wickedness. We see how careful all men are, whensoever they go abroad, and come into any public place and presence of men, to adorn the outward man decently, lest being seen in an unseemly manner they be condemned and despised, especially if they be to appear before some great person, as we see in joseph, Gen. 41.14. When they brought him before the presence of Pharaoh, he shaved himself, and he changed his raiment, and so came unto him. How much more than should we look to ourselves, to the inward man, to the heart, that we come not carelessly & contemptuously before him that searcheth the hearts and reins? If any ask how we may prepare ourselves and behave ourselves, Object. that we may be accounted fit to come before God's presence? I answer, Answer. we must practise three duties: first, we must embrace true godliness and righteousness, and cast out of our hearts, as filthiness out of our houses, all impiety and unrighteousness. The gates of God's house into which he will enter, are the gates of righteousness, and none shall enter into them but the righteous, Psal. 118.16. Open to me the gates of righteousness, I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: this gate is the Lords, into which the righteous shall enter. When jacob went to Bethel to build for God an altar, and to worship him, first he cleansed his house of idols, and commanded his household to be clean, 
Gen. 35.2. ●  thereby shadowing out the purity of their hearts. To this purpose doth David testify, Psal. 26.6. that he would wash his hands in innocency, and then afterward he would compass his altar. So then, so often as we intent to come to the house of God, we must rid our hearts of wickedness, as it were our ground of weeds, and so sanctify them that they may be fit vessels to receive heavenly graces. They that do otherwise shall never reap any benefit by the holy assemblies of the Saints, let them resort thither never so often. Secondly, we must not only shun and shake off things ungodly and unlawful in themselves, but even such things that in time and place may be followed and are commanded to be done of us, to wit, the care of earthly things and thoughts upon the matters of this world. These have their time, but their time is out of time, when the time serveth to serve the Lord, and we are to sanctify a Sabbath unto him. These indeed have their place but they have no place in the place of God's worship, and therefore must be displaced out of our hearts before we come to the house of God. A vessel full of mire and puddle cannot receive any sweet and wholesome liquor, though ye power it upon it all the day long: and if our minds and hearts be forestalled with the cares of this life, and the cogitations of earthly things; they are no way capable of heavenly things, they are full fraught and stuffed already and so leave, no room or receipt for better things. These are rank thorns that choke the word. Lastly, we must consider that we have to deal with God, and not with man, and be ready to receive without contradiction or resisting, without mincing and mangling, whatsoever is delivered unto us by the Ministers of God, and from the warrant of Scriptures. This must be the end that we aim at when we come into the Church, 
Ant●m. Fa●●● comment 〈◊〉 Eccle. 4.  to hear the word of life, to learn the way of salvation, and to embrace the doctrine of truth and salvation. It was the manner of the Priests and Levites to interpret the Law, and the Prophets were wont to preach their Sermons to the people gathered together in great multitudes in the Temple, jerem. chap. 7. verse 2. where jeremy is commanded to stand in the gate of the Lords house, 
〈◊〉. 2, 7.  and proclaim there this word. Let us therefore prepare our hearts to obedience, by setting before us the presence of God, present by his word, present by his grace, present by his Sacraments, present by all his ordinances, and by his blessing upon his ordinances. Thus doth the Prophet prophesy, that the people call one to another, and say, Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, 
●●y 1, 3.  to the house of the God of jacob, and he will teach us (he doth not say, the Ministers, but the Lord himself will teach us) his ways, and we will walk in his paths. A notable means to work much good in us, and the chiefest way to touch our hearts with fear and reverence, knowing that we have to do with God's word nay with God himself. Thus did Cornelius consider, Acts 10, 33. when he said to Peter, We are all here present before GOD, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Let us examine ourselves by these few rules, and by them we shall know whether we come aright or not to the house of God, with due reverence and preparation. Let not the Minister sow among thorns, but grub them out of the ground of your hearts, that so ye may bring forth fruits with patience.  
Secondly, observe from the law of contraries, Use 2 that Satan is present in all places of Idolatry, wickedness, impiety, and profaneness. For as God is present where he is worshipped, so is the Prince of this world that ●u●eth in all the children of disobedience, present also where he is served. Thus speaketh Christ our Saviour to the Church of Pergamus revel. 2, 13. I know thy works, & where thou dwellest, even where Satan's throne is. So then where ungodliness is set up and maintained, there is Satan present, nay there he is precedent; there is Satan's seat, and there he keepeth residence. O that all wicked and ungodly persons were throughly persuaded of the truth of this point, and that they would diligently weigh with themselves, that Satan is oftentimes near them, even at their elbows when they think him to be far from them, and themselves out of gunshot as we use to speak, and free from all danger. For if he will intrude himself and wind in himself among the Saints, to hinder the best works, Zach. 3, 1. Luke 8, 12. like a subtle serpent that he may seduce & deceive us, as he did our first parents: we may be assured he cometh freely and frequently into the company of his professed servants which are his children, joh. 8, 44. For as Christ speaketh, that where two or three are gathered together in his Name, he is in the midst of them; so wheresoever two or three are met together at his pleasure & to his liking, and for the doing of his will, he will be in the midst of them (though not in a visible manner) to tempt them to evil, and to make them glory and continue in their evil. If then we fear such a companion, let us forsake such company. If we will needs frequent the company of wicked livers, we cannot auo●d the society of Satan. Do we then see any place where drunkenness, where whoredom, where vanity, where blasphemy and all impiety is maintained & upholden? we may conclude and as it were write upon the backside of it and upon every door and post within it, This is the devils house, here are the works of the devil to be seen, here is the devil in a special manner present with his temptations, with his allurements, with his instruments to ruin the souls of men, and to bring them to confusion and destruction.  
Thirdly, it is our duty to frequent those Use 3 places that make known his Name unto us, and spread abroad his saving health among all people. Here we may have familiar access to him, & be admitted into his presence. In prayer we talk familiarly with him, Gen. 18, 27. where Abraham saith, he had taken upon him to speak to the Lord: and in his word he talketh familiarly with us, and therefore do the Prophets continually cry out, to hear the word of the Lord, and tell us that the Lord speaketh to his people. What an high honour is it to a subject to have free access to his Prince, and to come into his chamber of presence? we are so honoured of God to come to him without check or controlment; the more boldly we press into his presence, the more welcome we are. No man is reproved for coming too often. The faithful have accounted it a great part of their happiness to have liberty to meet together with one mind & with one mouth to glorify God & to set forth his praises. This made the Prophet say, Lord, 
Psal. 26, 8.  I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. On the other side, they have lamented their condition with a lamentable & bitter cry, when they have been banished from the place of God's worship, & driven to seek harbour and habitation among the unbelievers. Then their souls longed and fainted for the Courts of the Lord, 
Psal. 84, 2, and 137, 1, 2.  their hearts and their flesh cried out for the living God; yea, they wept and lamented when in captivity they remembered Zion. They longed for the Courts of the Lord: but many among us long greatly to be out of them. They accounted it a great grief to be out of the house of God; but we account it a great grief to abide in the house of God. They were never well nor quiet so long as they were from the worship of God; we are even sick and discontent so long a● we are at it. Finally, they were banished from the Lords house, we banish ourselves: they were compelled to be absent, we cannot be compelled to be present. We would be thought to be willing to have God in our company, & to desire to have access unto his presence, but if this were truly in us, we would love the place of his dwelling. We shall be sure to find him in his word, to meet with him at the Sacraments, and to speak with him by our prayers.  
This then reproveth the carelessness of all such as make no reckoning of Church-assemblies, that account one day or hour of the day spent in their own pleasures & vanities better than a thousand in the Courts of the Lord. These are weary of the heavenly Manna, it is a light and a loathsome food. This is a fearful sin, to pollute the holy things that he hath sanctified and set apart to holy uses. These are scornful beasts, and profane persons, there is but a step between them and atheism. They are men without religion, and tread under feet the Son of God, and account the blood of the new Testament as a profane thing. Hereby we see the height of that sin which is too rife and common, to wit, the careless, wilful, and negligent forsaking of the holy things of God. These are come to the highest step of sin, and are set down in the seat of scorners, Psal. 1, 1. These have faith justly denied unto them, and have not the grace given them to believe, because they contemn the means by which they might believe & be saved, Act. 13, 48. And doubtless he that maketh no conscience of God's worship, will also, if occasion show itself, make as little conscience of any thing else that belongeth unto his brother. To conclude, let us have no part or fellowship with these men, but carry earnest affection to the exercises of religion, hungering and thirsting after them with longing desires. When one Sabbath is ended, we should wish for the next: when one Sermon is finished, we should desire another: when one Communion hath been celebrated, we should inquire when the next shall follow; even as the Gentiles besought Paul and Barnabas to preach to them the next Sabbath day, 
Acts 13, 42.  the same things they had offered to the jews. O that this zeal were found in us! then would God be found of us, O that we would inquire after him! he would offer to us his gracious presence in this life, & we should be sure to enjoy his glorious presence in the life to come.    

CHAP. VIII.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2. Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the Lamps, the seven Lamps shall give light over against the Candlestick.  
3. And Aaron did so, etc.  
IN the latter end of the former chapter we have seen how God gave answer unto Moses from above the Mercy-seat, between the two Cherubims, according to his promise before, Exod 25, 22. In this chapter is recorded what he spoke. We have also learned what was the sanctification of the other Tribes testified by the solemn offering that they brought at the dedication of the Altar: here Moses entreateth of the sanctification of the Church-officers, wherein observe two things; the first, touching the Priests: the second, touching the rest of the Levites. For such as served at the Altar, either were taken into the order of the Priests, or else were of the rest of the Tribe of the Levites that served in inferior places about the Tabernacle to assist the Priests in their offices. Touching the Priests, we are to consider two things: first, the commandment of God, without whose authority nothing is to be imposed as necessary in the Church; which is, that the Priests should light the lamps, not one or two, but all of them to give light in the Tabernacle, to signify the light of God's word shining in the Church, which ought sincerely to be preached and published by the teachers, to give light of knowledge to all in the house of God: as the Apostle declareth of himself, that he had kept back nothing, 
Acts 20, 20, 27  but revealed the whole counsel of God; as the Priests kept not any of the lamps unlighted, but did light them all. Secondly, the obedience of Aaron to the commandment, he lighted the lamps, that they might give light round about the candlestick, on every side wheresoever the candlestick could be seen. Upon occasion of mentioning the candlestick, we have a description of it, verse 4, by the matter of it, it was made of gold: and by the form, of beaten gold, according to the pattern showed to Moses in the Mount: for he was a faithful servant in the house of God, Heb. 3, 2. But of this we may read farther, Exo. 25, 37, & 40, 25, 26. There was but one candlestick in the Tabernacle made by Moses, because this was sufficient: howbeit Solomon that built the Temple afterward, made ten candlesticks, whereof five stood at the one side, & five on the other side, 2 Chron. 4, ver, 7, 20. because the Temple was larger and wider than the Tabernacle, and therefore more were requisite in the one then in the other. The place where the Candlestick stood, was in the Sanctuary next to the most holy place, or in the first Tabernacle, Hebrews, chapter 9, verses 2, 9 Not in the most holy place, forasmuch as the Highpriest went into it once only in the whole year, Heb. 9, 7. whereas the lamps of the Candlestick were renewed daily. But let us come to the words as they lie in order; and first touching the lamps appointed to be lighted, we must consider that the Tabernacle with all things thereunto belonging, was a figure of the time present, until the time of reformation, Heb. 9, 9 and when the Priesthood was changed, there must be also a change of the law, Heb. 7, 12. All things had their signification, and the truth which is as the pith and substance of the ceremonies, belongeth to us as well as to the jews. Hence it is, that the lamps belonging to the candlestick, 
doctrine.  signify unto us, that the word is the light of the church, 
〈◊〉 word is ●●amp and 〈◊〉 of the ●●●rch.  giving light to the people, as the Sun doth to the world▪ whereby the true light of the knowledge of God, of Christ our Redeemer, of true righteousness, and of salvation, is kindled in the hearts of all true believers. David is a certain witness of this truth, who teacheth, that the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes, Psal. 19, 8. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, Psal. 119, 105. So Solomon saith, Prou. 6, 23. The Commandment is a lamp, and the Law is a light. It is plain therefore that the lamp lighted in the Tabernacle, did figure out the word of God. Hence it is, that the Prophet Esay saith, O house of jacob, 
●●●y 2, 5.  come, & let us walk in the light of the Lord: and afterward he showeth, that if any speak not according to this word, 
〈◊〉 8, 20.  it is because there is no light in them.  
Reason 1 And it cannot be otherwise, because the Lord which is the author of the Scriptures, is light itself; he is called the Father of lights, jam. 1: and the Church acknowledgeth, when it sat in darkness, that the Lord was the light of it, Mich. 7, 8. The Apostle saith, he only hath immortality, and dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto, 1 Tim. 6, 16. And in the beginning of john's Gospel, Christ is called the light of men, john 1, 4. If God then be the true light, how can his word but partake of his nature, and be lightsome in itself, and bring light to us? Again, the word hath in it the effects of light, it expelleth darkness, and is very comfortable, and therefore comfort is often called by the name of light, Ps. 97, 11. Ester 8, 16. Ps. 118, 27, and 43, 3. job 30, 26. Lam. 3, 2. So is it with the word, it driveth away spiritual darkness, and it comforteth and rejoiceth the heart, Psal. 19, 8.  
Use 1 This doctrine serveth to reprove the church of Rome, which bring in their Torches and Tapers, and Candles into the Church, as the setting of them up at burials and funerals, 
〈◊〉 d● par. ●●b. 2 c. 19  to signify that the souls of the dead are alive; a superstitious custom, condemned by sundry Counsels as superstitious and heathenish. Moreover, they observe continually another foolish custom to set up wax candles & Taper lights before their Images, and upon the Altar in their Churches; and this they do not only in the night, but in the day, & at noon, when the Sun shineth in his strength. And lest they might seem to wander without Scripture, and to be mad without reason, they pretend for themselves and their superstition, the continual burning of the lamps in the Tabernacle before the Ark of the testimony, Exod. 25. Bellarmine disputing of the relics of the Saints, 
Bellar. lib. 2. de reliqu. c. 3. et 4.  noteth three ends of this practice because fire is a sign of gladness, a sign of glory, and a sign of life. But all this is no better than will-worship, which is condemned, Mat. 15, 9 Col. 2, 23. of which it may be said, Who required these things at your hands, Es. 1, 12, And this observation in the law touching the lamps, is merely ceremonial, which had an end with the Priesthood, and was honourably buried with the Synagogue, and is not to be raked out of the dust and raised out of the grave again. Also, it is utterly untrue, that these lamps were lighted in the day time; for they were lighted in the evening & burned until the morning, and then were put out. Thus doth Ahijah tell jeroboam and all Israel, 
2 Chr. 13, 11.  that they had the Candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof to burn every evening. Therefore it is said in the law, The high Priest shall light the lamps at even, the word is, between the twilights, meaning thereby both the evening and the morning, Exod. 30, 8: and Aaron must cause the lamps to burn continually, from the evening unto the morning, Leuit. 24, 3. In the book of Samuel & in other places, it appeareth that they burned all night for those that kept the watch of the Lord in the Tabernacle, and in the Temple, but were always extinguished in the morning when it was day, 1 Sam. 3, 3. Thus than we reason against them from their own foundation: The lamps under the law burned only in the night, therefore the Papists have no warrant to set them up in the day time. True it is, Doway-Translators slubber over the matter in their annotations upon Exodus and Samuel, and tell us that God would not have darkness in his Tabernacle by day nor night: but this is a weak and ungrounded assertion contrary to the Scripture, as hath been showed, and may also farther be showed o●t of Exod. 27, 21. The truth is that these noonday Taper lights in honour of the living or of the dead, 
Danae. respons. ad 7. Contro. cap. 4.  are a mere heathenish superstition, as it appeareth out of the history of Herodian, lib. 1. And from hence (as also many other toys did) crept into the Church; and therefore Hierome saith, adverse. vigilant. Cereos clara luce non accendimus. we do not light candles in the day time. But we have some reason to bear with them. For to what end do they use it in the day time, but to make manifest their blindness & ignorance. Their religion is a dark and obscure religion, compacted altogether of many blind doctrines, and therefore they would have some light of their candles, though they have none of their doctrine. The use of a lantern and light is in a dark night. There is no man in his right wits will carry a candle when the Sun shineth clearly and brightly. Durandus a great patron of these superstitions, can find out nothing in the word written to justify & defend these wax-candles, & therefore is constrained to establish them upon the rotten decrees of Zosimus and Theodorus. 
Enchirid. lib. 6. cap. 80,  If any object, that the Christians used lights & lamps in their meetings: I answer, their meetings were in the night time for fear of their enemies. For while the Church was in persecution, they could not safely assemble in the day time, and therefore they used those lights of necessity to remedy the darkness of the night, Acts 20, 8. but when we have free liberty & choice of time & place for the exercises of our religion, that practice is not to be brought into imitation.  
Use 2 Again, it reproveth them that hold the Scriptures to be so dark and difficult, that it is dangerous for the people to meddle with them, lest they fall by them into errors & heresies. But we hear that the Scriptures are a lamp, as a candle set upon the table, and as a Beacon kindled to show light far and near. What then? Can the light be darkness? surely no more than the darkness can be light. And if they be dark, it followeth, that either the holy Ghost could not express his mind and meaning more clearly and evidently, or else he would not. To say he could not, is blasphemy, and maketh him a weak and impotent God: to say he would not, were to make him an envious God, as if he did envy the good of his Church. But whatsoever was written afore time, was written for our instruction, Rom. 15, 4. 2 Tim. 3, 16. therefore God every where commandeth, that they should be read and heard of all, high and low, rich & poor, men and women, old and young, Deut. 6, 9 & 17, 18. & 31, 11. josh. 1, 8. 
Esay 8, 20.  He will have all sorts of persons come to the knowledge of the truth, that they may be saved, 2 Pet. 3, 9 2 Tim. 2, 25. But how shall they come to repentance and to the knowledge of the truth, without the Scriptures? Every member of the Church must have them dwell richly in them, Col. 3, 16. All are commanded to search them, joh. 5, 39 The men of Berea are commended for it, Acts 17, 11. so is the Eunuch, who while he sat in his Chariot, read them, Acts 8, 30. They also are reproved that were unskilful in them and slow of heart to believe them. They are able to make us wise unto salvation. Out of them as from an armoury, 
Math, 22, 29. Luke 24.25. Eph 6, 16, 17. Math. 4, 4. & 22, 31, 29.  we must draw weapons against Satan and his instruments, both defensive and offensive. Christ and his Apostles used these weapons, to beat down all impiety and heresy: whereas the ignorance of them is the cause of error. This armour & artillery must all men procure: and no man be denied to draw this sword that is a soldier of jesus Christ. From hence therefore is reproved the error in opinion and weakness of judgement resting in the common sort, they persuade themselves that the knowledge of them belongeth not to them, but to the Ministers and to the learned, because they take them to be so dark, and themselves so simple, that they are as a deep well, and they have nothing to draw; nay, that it is dangerous for them to meddle with them, as if they were a rock at which they might suffer shipwreck. But this is nothing so. Let all such mark that they are as a light shining in the night of this present world, to show us the right way, and to lead us a sure way forward to the end of our faith. True it is, we shall have no need of it, when once we come to our journeys end. For as men when they are come to their lodging & resting place, require no more the help of the lantern; so shall it be with us, when the days of our passage and pilgrimage are ended, and we be come to the heavenly jerusalem, we shall no more want this ministerial light: the Lord shall be the light of that City, 
revel. 21, 2● 1 Cor. 13.8  there shall be no need of the Sun or Moon there to shine in it: then prophesy shall fail, & tongues shall cease, and knowledge shall vanish away. Furthermore, we must know that the Scriptures are not hard and hidden in the fundamental points, but all things necessary to salvation are easy to them that will understand. 
Deu. 30, 11, Rom. 10, ●, ●  They are like to the holy waters that issued out from under the threshold of the house, Eze. 47, 1: which were first up to the ankles, v. 3. then up to the loins, v. 4. which afterward became as a river that could not be passed over, v. 5. In them is strong meat for men, and milk for babes and children. In them the Elephant may swim, and the Lamb may wade. No man must therefore be discouraged from searching the Scriptures, which do give understanding even to the simple, 
Prou 1 4. Psal. 119, 3.  and knowledge and discretion to the young man: he may learn by them to reform his ways, and to know how to fear the Lord. But are not many things hard in them? Doth not Peter say of Paul's Epistles, that they are hard? 
2 Pet. 3, 1●  I answer, he speaketh not of the hardness of the Epistles, as appeareth by the change of the gender, but that in the Epistles are many mystical points, and matters of faith rather than of reason, as the doctrine of the Trinity, the union of the two natures in Christ to make one person, and such like, which, albeit they be in themselves dark & hard to be conceived, yet they are plainly set down. Again, he doth not say, all things are hard, or the most things, or many things, but some things are hard to be understood. And to whom are they hard? to those that wrist them to their own destruction, to the unstable and unlearned. Now, those things that are dark to the unbeliever, are lightsome to the faithful, as Christ saith to his Disciples, To you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, 
Mark. 4, 1●  all things are done in Parables. To them that are humble and desire to learn, are plain instructions: but to others that are proud & highminded, the plainest points are dark riddles. If any ask, whether there be not divers things hard in Scripture? I answer, there are: and it is the great wisdom of GOD it should be so: tempering the one with the other, to make us devout in praying, diligent in searching, wise in prising & valuing the truth of God, humble in knowing our own wants, and to teach us that God would have some teachers in his Church and some to learn at their mouths, some to instruct and some to be instructed.  
Thirdly, we may conclude, that seeing the Use 3 word of God is the light of the Church, they that now perish, do perish justly and worthily. They have a light set up to direct them, and the Sun shineth most brightly in their faces; if then they shut their eyes; and so stumble and fall down, who will take any pity upon them? who can say, but they are worthy to perish? Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Cor. 4, 3, 4. If we had not a light before us, we might pretend ignorance, and allege the darkness of the way, as a defence of our wandering, but now the vizard is pulled from our faces, we have nothing to answer for ourselves. Wherefore Christ saith, If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sins, john 15, 22. No man can allege any just colour or excuse, or find what plea to put in for himself. The light is among us, what shall we say that we walk not in the light? He that walketh in darkness, knoweth not what he doth, or whither he goeth, or how near he is to danger. O that it might be said of us, as the Apostle doth of the Thessalonians, 
●●ess. 5, 5.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: ye are not of the night, nor of darkness. It may rather be said of us, you are children of the night and of darkness, ye are not of the light nor of the day. Christ jesus is come as a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in him should not abide in darkness, john 12, 46, 48, Whosoever rejecteth him, and receiveth not his words, hath one that judgeth him, the word which he hath spoken shall judge him in the last day, verse 48. Such than shall be taken speechless, and stand dumb having nothing to say, being convicted and condemned in their own consciences, and therefore he that is ignorant, let him be ignorant, 1 Cor. 14, 38. The light was powerfully and plentifully offered unto him, but he closed his eyes that he might not see, and stopped his ears that he might not hear, and hardened his heart that he might not understand. It shall be easier for the Turks and Infidels at the day of judgement, then for many of us. For if the light of the truth had shined so fully upon them as it hath done upon us, they had long ago repent in sackcloth and ashes. Let us consider this betimes, and open our eyes while the light is among us, before it be taken from us, and darkness come upon us. Now is the acceptable time, let it not slip from us.  
Use 4 Fourthly, they should be welcome unto us, that bring this light, that we may say with the Apostle, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things? Rom. 10, ver. 15. In winter nights that are dark, and consequently dangerous for passengers, men think they do others a great pleasure, if they hold them out a light to show them the way, and to free them from fear of danger, and it is so. What an happy thing than is it to have a light holden forth to guide us to heaven, and to bring us to everlasting life! We see therefore the necessity of the word of God and of the Ministers thereof. To take away these, is to take away the light in a dark night, nay to pull the Sun out of the Firmament, & to leave men to go and to grope in darkness: forasmuch as it is impossible for us to direct our ways aright without the one and the other. It is the great mercy of God that hath given unto us the Sun to rule the day, the Moon and the Stars to rule the night, Psal. 136, 8, 9 which are so necessary as that without them the life of man cannot be continued and preserved: and as in a dark house nothing can be seen without a Lamp or a candle, so the right way cannot be discerned from the wrong, truth from error, and virtue from vice in the darkness of our life, without the light and lustre of the word. There are dangerous pits in this misty world, 
Ambros. in Psal. 119.  and many threatening rocks in this troublesome sea which are not seen; we shall fall into the one, and rush upon the other, and ruin ourselves by them both, except we carry before us this light and lantern. Let us believe no man that will offer to teach us the way, except he show us this light. The Israelites in the wilderness were governed by a Cloud in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night, till they came into the Land of Canaan, afterward they had no need of the one or of the other: so should we order our resting and removing, our going out, and our coming in, by this light of the word, which will bring us to the heavenly Canaan. Our duty therefore must be to take heed to the word, seeing it is a light given unto us of God. It is our duty to hear it, to believe it, to obey it. We must hear it attentively: we must believe it steadfastly: we must obey it readily. We must hear it without loathing: we must believe it without wavering: we must obey it without resisting.  
Hence it is, that the Apostle Peter adorning the word with this worthy title, that it is as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our hearts, draweth from thence this exhortation, that we must therefore take heed unto it. 2, Pet. 1, 19 Who is it that is so simple or senseless, that he will take no heed to the light that shineth round about him? Every man looketh carefully to the light, and taketh comfort at the sight of it. The whole world lieth in darkness, guilty of ignorance, & subject to damnation. The Ministry of the word is ordained to bring men out of darkness into a marvelous light, Acts 26, 18. to reveal to them the knowledge of their sins, and to lead them (as it were by the hand) the way to eternal life.  
Use 5 Fiftly, let all unlearned and unconscionable Ministers know, that they ought to be as lights in the world, to teach the people in season and out of season. If they be without knowledge or without conscience, they be lanterns without light. The dispensation is committed unto them, 
1 Cor. 9, 16.  woe unto them therefore that preach not the Gospel, whether they cannot or will not, whether they cannot through blindness, or whether they will not through wilfulness. Again, they offend, who, as if the word were delivered in riddles, and dark parables rather to work in them admiration, then to bring unto them instruction, do fly aloft, far above the reach of the people: and do not consider that the word is a light, and therefore aught to be spoken plainly and evidently, that all may see it, and discern it. Happy are those lights, I mean those Ministers, that can humble and abase themselves, descending to the capacity of the simple: such shall find greatest comfort of their labours, and shall reap the greatest reward for their labours. As for others, they may please themselves, but they please not God. They may delight the ear, they cannot descend into the conscience. They build Castles in the air, but never lay a sound foundation of the faith, neither shall they ever be able to say with the Apostle, 
2 Cor. 3, 2.  Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. Unto these we may add such as spend their days and grow old and idle in the Universities: who never desire to come abroad to take pains, neither consider that the Church hath need of them. These stand all day doing nothing, and will not be hired to labour in the Lord's Vineyard. They have lived long in the schools of the Prophets, it is high time they come abroad, and leave their places to others. He that engrosseth corn into his own hands, and will not communicate it to others, but keepeth it close to himself, 
Prou. 11, 26.  is cursed of the people; but he is pronounced blessed that selleth corn to others in the days of famine. Behold, we live in the days of famine, not of bread, but of preaching and hearing the word, Amos 8, 11. In many places the word of the Lord is precious in these days, 1 Sam. 3, 1. Let them therefore look to it, that tender either the glory of the Lord, or the salvation of the flock of Christ, yea or their own good, that they do not bring upon themselves the curse of God and man, which have stored themselves with much knowledge and learning, and as it were filled their garners with abundance of corn; yet will departed with nothing, but keep all to themselves, and suffer the people of God to starve. On the other side, thrice happy and blessed are they, that considering the necessity of the Church, the ignorance of the people, the overflowing of sin, and the commandment of God, do bring forth the corn which they have gathered, and employ the gifts that they have received, that so none of these for whom Christ died, should perish for want of food. Let such therefore in no wise hang back; when they are thrust forward, et them not say touching building of the spiritual house of God, as the people said in building of the material Temple, The time is not come, the time that the Lords house should be built. Hag. 1, 2. but so soon as they are called, let them not stop their ears, but answer with Samuel. Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth, 1 Sam. 3, 9 and with the Prophet, Here am I, send me, Esay 6, 8. Let not these I say, object, that the time is not yet come to build the Lords house, lest they hear as that people did, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your fair houses, and sicled chambers, and this house lie waste? Now therefore sayeth the Lord of hosts, consider your ways, Hag. 1, 4, 5. And generally, let all such as are entered into this calling, beware they do not hide their gifts; 
Luke 8, 1●  let them not thrust the candle under the bed or under a bushel, but set it upon the Table, seeing they are made lights for others, and not only for themselves. Such have an hard and heavy account to make hereafter; much is given unto them, and therefore much shall be required of them.  
Lastly, here is instruction for all; for every Use one should be as a burning candle, & a bright shining light, and is bound to let his light so shine before men, 
Math. 5, ●  that they may see their good works, and glorify their Father which is in heaven. Every man ought to be enlightened with the knowledge of God's word, & be willing to hold out the light to others. But we cannot give light to another, except we have the light of knowledge ourselves. Ignorant persons are darkness and not light, children of the night & not of the day. The Scripture is able to make a man wise, to enlighten his eyes, to direct his steps, and to save his soul. Bellarmine confesseth, 
Bellar. de 〈◊〉 lib. 1. cap. 2  that the Scripture is a light but he telleth us, that the reason is, not because they have light in themselves, but because they bring light when they are understood. This is a right fallacy of the consequent: for hereby he maketh the effect to be the cause of the cause, 
Sibra L●●● princ●p C●●● lib. 4 cap. ●  and so inverteth all good order, turning the cause into the effect, & the effect into the cause. For he would have the Scripture therefore to be light or lightsome, because being once understood, it doth enlighten the mind. But this needeth no light to discover the fraud & falsehood thereof. For it is not therefore called light, because when it is understood it doth enlighten & give light. And whether we understand it, or no, it skilleth not; for the Scripture is in itself a bright shining light. For as the Sun is lightsome, though all men were blind, and no man did see it: so the Scripture is a light, albeit men turn away their eyes from it that they will not see it. In the mean season we do not deny, that the Scripture being understood doth enlighten our minds, but it is not therefore lightsome because it is understood of us: for then the light thereof should wholly depend upon our understanding. Thus if we understand it, it shall be lightsome; but if we understand it not, it shall not be lightsome. Nay, which is much more absurd, if one man understand it, it shall be light: if another man understand it not it shall not be light: thus at one and the same time, it should be both light, & not light. The truth therefore is, that the Scriptures are lightsome two ways: 
●●e holy ●●●iptures are ●o ways ●●●●t●ome.  First, in respect of themselves; secondly, in respect of us. In respect of themselves, they are always lightsome of themselves, and have light in themselves. In respect of us, they are lightsome when we understand them, and receive them and light by them. But to return to the former matter, the Minister should be the principal light to hold out the Lantern to bring men to heaven, and to work in them repentance, as john the Baptist is said to be a burning and a shining light, joh. 5, 35. But every one also in his place must be a light, to shine in knowledge and obedience, in doctrine and in life. On the contrary, when men are as candles put out, there falleth great hurt to the church. The danger hereof may be discerned by common experience in an haven town, if the Lantern be taken down, or the candle put out, which should direct the ships in the night season into the haven, all the ships and the souls that sail in them, are left to the mercy of the winds which are without mercy, and so all perish by miserable shipwreck. In like manner, if men have no light in their hearts to guide them into the haven and harbour of the church, and consequently of the kingdom of heaven, they do as much as in them lieth, betray their own souls; and drown themselves in eternal perdition.  
[Verse 3. And Aaron did so, etc.] The obedience of Aaron is here described, and the Candlestick set in the Tabernacle described. It is said to be of gold, as revel. 1. the most precious of all Minerals, for two causes. First, because as Gold exceedeth all other metals, so the Church exceedeth all other societies of men, because in it salvation is only to be found Esay 46, 13. all other being ordained to preserve this safe and sound, Esa. 45, 14. & 49, 23. Revel, 21, 24, 26. Ye●, it is the glory and honour, the beauty and ornament of all other societies, kingdoms, cities, towns, houses, and persons, to be parts of the church; inasmuch as otherwise they are parts of the world, of the kingdom of darkness, yea, a● dogs & swine, and unclean beasts, Ephes. 22, 11, 12, 13, etc. Secondly, because it is most precious & dear to God, and to jesus Christ, as gold is to man, because it is an holy company, sanctified by the blood of Christ, whom it cost dear to redeem it, Acts 20. The Candlestick in the Tabernacle was to hold the light for the direction of all that were therein, from Evening to morning continually, Exod. 27, 22. It is the use of every Candlestick, to hold, to keep, to preserve, to continue, and to yield forth the light to the benefit of others. This doth mystically represent the church, Doctrine. & teacheth that the church is as the Lords golden candlestick, appointed to hold and keep the light & treasury of the Word for ever, 
It is the office of the church, to hold and keep the word for ever.  that it should never be lost or embeselled from us to the end of the world. And as the Candlestick was to hold the light to the first coming of Christ, so is the church to preserve the truth until the second coming of Christ. It is therefore the office of the church, and of every true member thereof, to keep in it, and to publish abroad, and to hold out to those that are in it the truth of God's word, to direct their paths aright: as Deut. 31, 20. The book of the Law, after that it was written, was by the Lord himself committed to the Israelites to be kept in the side of the Ark of the covenant. The Prophet Esay showeth, That the Word should go forth out of Zion (where it was kept) into the midst of the earth, Chap. 2.3. And the Apostle declareth, that the jews had the Oracles of God committed unto them of trust, Rom. 3, 2. and that to them appertained (who were the only church) the adoption, and the glory, and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises, Rom. 9, 4. And Paul is said to have written unto Timothy, that he should know how he ought to behave himself in the house of GOD which is the Church of the living God, the pillar & ground of the truth, 1 Tim. 3.15. By all which testimonies we are taught, that the Church holdeth and bringeth the truth, 
Esay 41, 27.  and conveyeth it unto us, and that we can no otherwise receive it, or be partakers of it.  
For further proof hereof, observe with Reason 1 me the titles that are given unto it. It is a safe keeper or treasurer, to keep as it were under lock and key the holy jewels of the old and new Testament, that they be neither corrupted by Heretics, nor destroyed by other enemies. It is as a cunning Goldsmith to try every thing: 
Whit. de Scrip. quaest. 3. Cap. 2.  for as he discerneth pure gold from counterfeit metals, so the church discerneth true Scripture from false or forged books and writings. It is as a crier to publish and make known the decrees of almighty God. It is an Interpreter to expound the sense, and to open the meaning of the Scriptures according to the proportion of faith set forth in other parts. Secondly, it is a great honour and wonderful preferment that God giveth unto the Church above all other societies and places of the world besides. And indeed there can be no greater honour, then to be put in trust with such a treasure. If a man should upon trust, commit unto another a great treasure, and make choice of him to leave it with him, it is a sign he honoureth and respecteth him before and above others: so is it between God and his Church; he hath laid up his truth in his Church, as in his storehouse. 
Ps. 147, 19, 20.  He hath given his word to jacob, his statutes and ordinances unto Israel, he hath not dealt so with other Nations, & as for his judgements they have not known them. This made the Apostle say, What is then the preferment (or advantage) of the jew? Or what profit is thereof circumcision? much every day: showing thereby, that God committing his Oracles unto them, did advance and prefer them far above all other Nations. Thirdly, the church is the house & habitation of God, who is light itself, in whom only is light properly to be found, who dwelleth in light that none can attain unto, 1 Tim. 6, 16. He hath called his Church his rest, and the place where his honour dwelleth, Psal. 132, 13, 14. The Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation; this is my rest for ever, here will I dwell, for I have desired it.  
Use 1 This condemneth the Papists who stand from the verdict of this doctrine, as men indited of two crimes and errors: first, they accuse the Scriptures left unto us in the Originals, to be corrupted, the old Testament by the jews, the new by Martion and other heretics. But it is a vain surmise without proof or probability touching the corruption of the original fountains, which notwithstanding the Romanists pretend, thereby to make a way to bring in the Latin translation to be the pure & authentic Scripture, and consequently to be preferred before them: which is as foolish and unreasonable, as to make the mistress to walk on foot like a servant, 
Franci. Luc. in Epist. ad Serlet.  and to set her handmaid on horseback; & therefore some of their own friends are ashamed of this vanity. It is a shame (they say) to belie the devil. It is a crime to tax the jews of a crime whereof they are not guilty It is well known, that howsoever they stand affected unto Christ, yet they always were, and now are very religious & respective in keeping the text sound and sincere, and cannot by any means be induced to chop and change, to add or to diminish any thing. And doubtless had they not been trusty and faithful, would God have trusted them with this true treasure? yea, though that Church were oftentimes corrupt, yea sometimes an Harlot, or an Apostate, yet the overruling providence of God hath always wrought in them a care and conscience this way, both for their own future happy estate, and the benefit of posterity to come, to keep the ancient records & evidences of the Scripture, sound, sure, and sincere. This appeareth further by the Sermon of Christ in the Mount, reproving the false interpretations of the Scribes and pharisees, who had very grossly corrupted the meaning of the Law, Mat, 5, 21.27, 31, 33, 38, 43. & 16, 6. The church of the jews was never more corrupt then in the days of Christ; yet could they never be touched, nor be justly charged with this horrible crime of offering violence to the holy books of Scripture. And if they might have been indited of this detestable forgery, ●hrist would not have omitted this greater fault, who often reproveth them of lesser offences. Besides, our Saviour willeth the jews to search the Scripture, which the Prophets had left unto them by divine inspiration; he sendeth them unto these as then they had them, to try the doctrine of the pharisees by them, joh. 5, 39 
john 5, 39  which he would never have done, had they been corrupted, and themselves the corrupters of them.  
Moreover touching the jews, seeing they were mortal enemies to Christ, if they were minded to corrupt the Scripture, they would have corrupted for their own advantage such places out of Moses and the Prophets, as concerned Christ whom they hated; but these remain entire, by which they are fully convinced and confuted. 
Andrad. lib. ● defence. Trid●● Hieron. epi. 7● ad Marcell.  And therefore one saith well, that such as holily and religiously handle the Hebrew Text, do find therein more notable testimonies of Christ, then in the Latin and Greek Copies. Now, if the true Church had lost the pure and perfect fountains of the Hebrew and Greek Text, how could it be a faithful keeper of his Will and Testament? Howbeit, GOD hath ever had a care of his word and truth, even then when he committed the same to the custody of the Church. Another error of the Roman church is, that they make the church's authority to be our supreme ground and stay of our faith, and set it far above the Scriptures themselves. These assertions are found in their writings touching the Scripture. It is not authentical without the authority of the church: that the authority of the Scripture dependeth on the authority of the Church necessarily, 
Ecchi. ●●cbir●●  Pighi. lib. 1. de Hierar eccl cap. 2. that we are not bound to take them for Scripture, without the authority of the Church: that in respect of us the church hath absolute authority to determine which is Scripture, and which is not: that the Church hath power to make a book not Canonical, 
Stapl.  to be Canonical: and one of them uttered this impudent and shameless blasphemy, that the Scripture should be of no more credit than Aesop's Fables, 
Herma●●m.  without the approbation & allowance of the church. Howbeit, as we must not take from the church her right, so we must take heed that we give not to it more than is due, and so rob God of his honour and glory, and derogate from the excellency and authority of the Scriptures. They make the Church the light itself, and not the Candlestick to hold the light, & say, that it also is called light. I answer, it is a borrowed light, receiving all the light it hath from the word, as the Moon doth from the Sun. They make it to be the authorizer of the word, and hold that it is of no force or credit, but is as a dead letter and inken divinity without it. This is no better than to hang the word, and consequently, 
Cal in inf●●● lib 1. cap. 7.  the promises of God, the kingdom of heaven, & salvation itself upon the pleasures of men; whereas the church is founded and grounded upon the word, not the word upon the Church, as Peter is builded upon Christ, not Christ upon Peter. All the authority that the Church hath, be it never so great, it hath it from the Scripture: for how do we know whether the Church erreth, or not, but by the Scripture? The Church cannot give us faith whereby we believe in Christ, and lay hold of eternal life, it is the Scripture that worketh it by the inspiration of the holy Spirit. The Scripture is the chiefest and the highest court, from whence is no appeal: but we may appeal from the judgement of the Church to the Scriptures, not from the Scripture to the Church. The Church, that is, the company of the faithful, are not lords over our faith, they are ruled by faith, not over-rulers of our faith. True it is, the Church is a means to bring us more speedily to know the Scriptures, as the woman of Samaria was a means to bring the Samaritans to believe in Christ: 
〈◊〉 4, 42.  but as they, when they had heard Christ, believed not so much for her report, as for that themselves had heard him speak; so after the Scriptures are discerned and pointed out unto us as by the finger of the Church, we believe them to be the word of God, not so much because the Church affirmeth it, but because we find them to be so, as the sheep of Christ acknowledged the voice of their Shepherd Christ jesus speaking in them.  
Use 2 Secondly this assureth us, that the truth of God shall remain and continue for ever to the end of the world. It may be sometimes brought into a narrow compass, and be much eclipsed, that the light shall appear to be but little, but it shall never perish utterly or be rooted out of the earth. For seeing the Church is appointed the keeper and continuer of the truth, as the candlestick of the candle, and that the Church shall abide for ever, because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, Matt. 16.18. it cannot be that the truth should fail and decay; as we see, notwithstanding the enemies of judah and Benjamin, the word is kept uncorrupt and inviolable to this day. God will never suffer his people to be rob thereof, but his special providence watcheth over it for our good.  
This doth the Scripture itself witness touching the durableness thereof, that the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this Law. Deut. 29.29. The Lord hath founded his testimonies for ever, Psal 119.152. Our Saviour speaketh more fully, evidently and vehemently, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass, Mar. 13.31. & again, Verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one title, shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled, Matth 5.18. We know by experience, that all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass, the grass withereth, and the flower thereof fadeth and falleth away, 
Peter 1, 25.  but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. This we may see in the books of Solomon, 1 Kin. 4.32, 33. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five: and he spoke of trees, from the Cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fishes. These books of natural Philosophy were no doubt the most profitable books that ever were written in that kind, he being endued with the greatest wisdom that ever man since the fall had, Christ jesus only excepted: yet none of these are to be found, only those that pertain to religion and godliness remain safely reserved for all posterities. This is the more to be considered & wondered at, inasmuch as there be infinite more in the world that affect the knowledge of natural things, rather than they do spiritual; and of earthly, rather than they do heavenly: yet they could not deliver them from the ruins of time, but they are buried in the grave of perpetual forgetfulness, never to be raised or recovered. These are dead and gone, as if they had never been written, whereas on the other side, his holy writings, hated of the most part of the world, and carelessly regarded of the multitude, even of those that lived in the bosom of the Church, have notwithstanding as full a remembrance, as they had the first day the Lord gave them to his people. This serveth to convince those that think many of the books inspired by God to be lost, thereby accusing the providence of God, or at least the church, of great carelessness and negligence, of which crime notwithstanding it is not guilty.  
Thirdly, there is no light of truth to be Use 3 found any where else able to guide unto faith and salvation, then in the true Church of God. For all other places are places of darkness, and nothing to be found in them but lies, errors, deceive, superstition, and the spirit of slumber. 
Exod 10, 23.  As no light was to be found in all Egypt, but in the land of Goshen and among the Israelites only: so no saving doctrine that giveth light to the eyes of the mind is to be found out of the Church; they that are in this state, live in palpable darkness, and can see neither themselves nor others, but lie in ignorance and wickedness, as john teacheth, We know that we are of God, 
1 john 5, 19  and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Such sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, till this light set on the Candlestick be brought unto them. Matth. 4 16. The people which sat in darkness, saw great light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. Therefore to be out of the Church, is to be in the state of damnation, yea to be in the very dungeon of hell, and the kingdom of darkness, & to be under the power of Satan, the prince of darkness; as there was no salvation out of the Church. Let every man therefore seek and endeavour with all care to join himself to the true Church of God, & to be a member of the body of Christ, that so we may attain to the light of knowledge, and the light of the eternal life.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is a duty belonging to every one, to be an helper to the spreading abroad of the doctrine of godliness, and to do all for the truth, but nothing against the truth, 2 Cor. 13 8. Every man desireth to be the messenger of good news: so should we desire to publish to others, and to continue to posterity the saving knowledge of the Gospel. For this is the foundation and groundwork of all true obedience. The truth of God is as a precious treasure beset with many enemies that would take it from us, against whom we must always contend, that we may keep faith and a good conscience. 
1 Tim. 1, 19  This truth is the instrument of the holy Ghost, to work all necessary graces in our hearts, 
Rom 1, 16.  as being the power of GOD to salvation. and it revealeth unto us all things needful unto salvation, concerning things to be believed, or things to be practised. Hence it is that the Apostle Jude saith; Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, 
Jude verse 3.  it was needful for me to write unto you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once given unto the Saints. The true treasure of the Church is committed to the Saints, they are the keepers of the doctrine of salvation. This is no small trust, it is no small charge that is given unto them; we must therefore fight to maintain it. This must not be a bodily fight, but a spiritual combat, and it consisteth of divers duties. 
joel 2, 28.  Every man in his place ought to be as a Prophet or a Preacher, for we are made spiritual Priests, both to pray and to preach. We are bound to teach all that are under our roof and jurisdiction, that we may be as God's blessed instruments to convey his truth to others. It is the duty of all parents to teach their children, Eph. 6, 4. of Masters, to bring up their servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, as Abraham and Cornelius did, This is a notable means to keep, to maintain, and to defend the truth. As for those that will not teach the truth to them that are in their houses, they are the devils Prophets, who is the father of error & ignorance. Such fathers and such masters, are the chief means of the decay and decreasing of religion, piety, faith, and righteousness. Secondly, we maintain the truth, and make it known by open confession and profession thereof. Every man must open his mouth in God's cause, when the gates of hell are opened against it: and we must earnestly stand for it, and constantly bear witness unto it, whensoever it is oppugned and resisted. The Apostle chargeth to Sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, & be ready always to give an account and answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us, 
1 Peter 3, 15.  with meekness and fear. Thus did the holy Martyrs at their death, witness a good confession, and thereby draw many to a love and embracing of that truth for which they suffered. If we be bold to confess the Lord jesus, and his Gospel, He will not be ashamed of us in his kingdom, but confess us before his father, Mat. 10, 32, 33. Thirdly, we must lead an holy and sanctified life, and give a good example unto those among whom we live. An unblamable and unreprovable conversation, is a great means to cause others to embrace godliness, when we are careful to adorn the Gospel of Christ with a good life: whereas otherwise, we cause the enemies of God to blaspheme the name of God, and to speak evil of the truth. Therefore the Apostle willeth us to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, 
Philip. 2, 15.  without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom we must shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.  
Lastly, we must maintain his truth by the armour of prayer, desiring God to make an open way and free passage for his own ordinance, and also to send forth painful & plentiful Labourers into his harvest, to gather his corn together, and to withstand all false doctrines and heresies. This doth Christ command, Math. 9.38. This do the Apostles practise, Acts 4, 30. God hath in great mercy vouchsafed his word unto us, it is our duty to seek to uphold and maintain it, that so it may be continued unto us and our posterity for ever. Let us therefore practise these few points, and be careful to practise instruction, confession, and invocation. Thus we shall show our love to the truth, a mind ready to receive it, a memory ready to retain it, and an heart ready to practise it.   

5 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying;  
6 Take the Levites from among the Children of Israel, and cleanse them.  
7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, etc.  
The second part of the Chapter followeth, concerning the Levites: wherein observe two things. First, the separation of them from the rest of the people: secondly, a limitation of time, by the special commandment of God for the entering into their office. Their separation or setting apart for the ministration in the Tabernacle, offereth unto us the commandment of God, and the obedience of Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation, performed to the commandment of God. Their separation is noted by many particular circumstances, they must be cleansed with water of purifying, their garments must be washed, their flesh must be shaved. Verse 7. they must take one young Bullock for a meat offering, and another for a sin offering, verse 8. And Aaron must offer them, verse 12. the hands of the Elders must be imposed on them, v. 9, 10. and they must be offered before the Lord ver. 11, 13. Where we see, that such as are appointed to handle the holy things of God, must be washed and cleansed with holy water. It is very meet and convenient, that they should approach thereunto with pure hands, even in respect of outward cleanness, Exod. 25, 31. But hereby is another thing meant, Namely, that the Ministers and generally all others that draw near to God in performance of any duty, 
●●●●rine.  must be cleansed and washed: 
minister's 〈◊〉 other ●●aw 〈◊〉 to God, 〈◊〉 ●e clen●●  they must have clean hearts, clean affections, & clean works whensoever they come into his presence. This was figured out to Moses, Exod. 3. when he was about to draw near to see the burning bush, the Lord said, Put off thy shoes, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy ground. Solomon willeth us to take heed to our foot, when we enter into the house of God, Eccl. 5, 1. When we go about to pray, we must lift up pure and holy hands, 1 Tim. 2, 8. When we come to the Sacraments, we are willed to examine ourselves, and so eat of that bread, & drink of that cup, 1 Cor. 11, 28. Whensoever we present ourselves in the Congregation to hear the word, we must lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls, james 1, 21. We must cast off all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, & envies, and evil speakings, that so we may grow by the milk of the word, 1 Pet. 2.1.2.  
This we ought to do the rather; First, because Reason 1 God is present every where, Mat. 18. His eye is upon all his suppliants that pray unto him, upon all his guests that come to the table, upon all men that hear his voice, Mat. 22.11. He taketh a view and survey of such as press into his presence, Zeph. 1, 12. That he may give to every man according to his works. If we search not our hearts, he will search them: if we judge not ourselves, he will judge us, 1 Cor. 11. His eye is upon us to approve of us, if we do well: to reject us if we do evil, as the examples of Cain and Abel show. Secondly, without this inward sanctification, all our exercises of Religion are rejected: and therefore we are willed, when we come before the Lord, To wash us, and make us clean, to put away the evil of our doings, Esay 1, 16.  
Use 1 This reproveth all such as offer to perform divine duties to almighty God without meditation or preparation: such as rush violently into God's presence, without due reverence and regard, Math. 22. as he did that came to the feast without his wedding garment. There was but one such guest, yet the Lord soon espied him, and called him out. If there be but one such in an assembly, he cannot escape the allseeing eye of God, who hath also a revenging eye, that cannot see his honour and glory defaced. Who would presume or dare to come into the presence of an earthly Prince, in an unseemly manner? or sit down at the table with a Ruler with foul, and filthy, and unwashen hands? Every man of any note would be much ashamed hereof: and yet it is to be feared, that many repair and resort unto the house of God with foul, and filthy, and unsanctified hearts. Howbeit all formal service is utterly rejected. They are pronounced to be blessed, that are pure in heart, Math. 5, 8. but the unpure are accursed. The sacrifices performed by the wicked are abominable, he heareth not the prayers of the profane and impenitent, but casteth off as an unclean thing both them and their oblation. God requireth no such sacrifices, nor no such sacrificers. The Prophet speaking of observing the Sabbath, of offering up prayer, of bringing oblations, and of assembling themselves together, saith, To what purpose is all this? And when you appear before the Lord, who required this at your hands to tread in his Courts? His soul hated their appointed feasts, and he was weary to bear them. And wherefore was all this? Did not God command all these things? Were they not his own ordinances? Yes, they failed not therefore in the matter performed, but in the manner of their performing: the things were good, but they did them in an evil manner: and this did corrupt the whole work, and made it unprofitable, nay hurtful to the doers. What then? should they do none of the former things? Should they neither keep the Sabbaths? nor make prayers? nor bring oblations? nor offer Incense? Must they leave all undone, because God was not pleased with that which they had done? Observe what the Prophet sayeth afterward, Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before his eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well: and then, though their sins were as Scarlet, they should be made as white as snow. Esay 1, 18. So then, we must not leave or intermit the doing of good works, but put away the evil of our good works, and then God will accept both of us and of our good works.  
Secondly, it teacheth, that as the Levites Use 2 in this place when they drew near to God in the execution of their office must be washed, so the Ministers of the word much more, must be Lanterns of light to others, shining before the people in holiness of life, as the stars do in the Firmament, to which they are oftentimes compared; that by walking in an unreprovable and unblamable course, they may adorn the gospel of Christ which they preach and profess. It is not enough for them to be sound in the faith, but they must be also sincere in life, lest it be said unto them, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my word behind thee? Psal. 50, 16, 17. If then they that preach the word to others do not preach unto themselves, and bring light to others, do live in darkness themselves, how shall they draw near to God, and execute his commandment in holy manner? May not the Proverb be turned upon them, Physician heal thyself? Luke 4, 23. and the reproof be justly verified in them, Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? And thou that makest thy boast of the Law, through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, Rom. 2, 21, 22, 23, etc. Woe then to such as are of offensive life, and lay stumbling blocks thereby before the people to discourage them from the faith, to draw them from the truth, to open the mouths of wicked men to speak evil of the name of God, of the word of God, and of all the true servants of God. We have a more glorious calling then the Levites had: For, if the ministration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory: and if that which is done away was glorious, much more shall that which remaineth be glorious, 2 Cor. 3.7, 8, ●, 11. If then the Levites of the old Testaments, minister after a sort of the letter but not of the Sp●rit, that saw only the shadow but not the body, must notwithstanding never presume to handle the holy things of God with unwashen hands; how much more is it required of the Ministers of the new Testament to be of holy conversation, and to labour to be sprinkled with the blood of Christ (as the ceremony importeth) lest while they preach salvation to others, themselves be reproved and condemned? For as a Cook dresseth and prepareth meat for others, and oftentimes tasteth least thereof himself, being cloyed with the savour of it: so is it with many in the Ministry, they prepare the food of the word, and break the bread of life for others, but digest nothing of it themselves, nor receive strength and nourishment from it, as appeareth in judas, who was one of the twelve sent out with the rest to preach the Gospel, but yet he was the son of perdition, and perished for ever. It is required of the Ministers to be examples to the flock, 1 Pet. 5, 3. that so they may convince the gainsayer both by their doctrine and by their life. If there be not an harmony between these two, but that we preach one thing and practise another, we disturb and distract the faith of the people, and work such a confusion among them when they see our speaking and living do not accord, that little or no profit ariseth to the Church by all our labours. When our words do call for righteousness, and our works do proclaim unrighteousness, what do we but build the tower of Babel? Gen. 11, 4. and bind heavy burdens grievous to be borne, and lay them upon men's shoulders, but will not move them with one of our fingers? Math. 23, 4. How shall the people follow our example and the lives of their Pastors, 1 Cor. 11, 1. Phil. 3, 17, 18, 21. 1 Thess. 1, 6. if we make no conscience to go before them in the ways of godliness?  
Use 3 Thirdly, it is our duty to prepare ourselves to the duties which we perform to God; we must cleanse and purge our hearts, and follow sanctification, without which no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14. The Prophet willeth us to plough up our fallow ground, that we sow not among thorns, jerem. 4, 3. We must circumcise ourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskinnes of our hearts. Every man knoweth, even he that is most simple, that if a man should cast his seed upon the earth before it be manured and broken up, it is the loss both of his grain, and of his gain. Is there any person so weak in judgement, that he understandeth not these things? doth not common sense and reason teach us? how is it then that we will not understand so much in spiritual things, that if we receive the word with hard hearts that are not broken up, we lose all the profit of the work? May I not say with Christ, If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not: how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? joh. 3, 12. And in another place, O ye hypocrites, ye can discern ●he face of the sky, 
Math. 16,  but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Do ye not know that he which doth not prepare and plough up his ground before the seed be committed to the earth, doth lose all his labour? And do ye not know, that whosoever receiveth the word into an unprepared heart, cannot look for any fruit or expect any increase? And yet not one among many is careful to deal with his own heart before he come to the house of God, or ever considereth what the work is about which he goeth, or once remembreth with what graces he ought to be qualified. If we have a show and shadow of godliness, 
2 Tim. 3, ●  although we deny the power thereof, we content ourselves with it, and think all is well, we never regard any farther search into our souls. The inward purity, which is the life of our works, is altogether neglected; what said I, neglected? nay hated, scorned, taunted, reproached, and reviled by the most odious names that malice itself can find it. Christ calleth the pure in heart blessed: but we are so far degenerate from all appearance of grace, that we curse such, and brand them with all terms and titles of infamy & contempt. Thus we make ourselves like to the Figtree, which because nothing but leaves were found upon it, was accursed, Math 21, 19 Now, to the end we may search our hearts to the bottom, observe these three rules. First, we must consider we have in this business to do with God, and not with men; and with Cornelius, let us set ourselves in his presence, and make account we hear the word not of man, not of an Angel, but of the Lord himself. Acts 10. Secondly, let us search out our special sins, whensoever we come to his service: let us be grieved at them, and repent for them. If we would draw near to God in such manner as he might draw near unto us, we are taught by the Apostle, To purge our hearts, and cleanse our hands, james 4, 8. But it may be said, Can we have pure hearts? and shall we not be accepted without them? Who then can please God in any duty? I answer, we cannot attain to an absolute pureness, this is reserved to the next life, when we shall inherit the kingdom of God prepared for us. There indeed shall be nothing but purity, piety, innocency, & glory. No unclean thing shall enter into that place, the presence of GOD shall fill it with perfect sanctification; howbeit here we have but our measure of purification, we have but a small portion, we cannot attain to any perfection. The Apostle telleth us, We have received the first fruits of the Spirit, Rom. 8, 23. The first fruits were but as an handful of corn in respect of all the rest of the heap: so it is with the faithful, they have here a small portion or pittance of grace in comparison of that which we wait for hereafter. But is not God able to store us here with a full measure? He is able, but it pleaseth him to deal thus with us, because thereby his name is most glorified, 2 Cor. 12, 9, 10. thereby we are most humbled in a feeling of our infirmities, and in a sight of our own imperfections; thereby we are stirred up to seek God, and to pray to him for a supply of grace which we want, jam. 1, 5. and thereby mutual love and charity is maintained and increased, when we see that we stand in need one of another. Thirdly, it is required of us to use the means of sanctification. It is noted of the Israelites, 2 Chr. 30, 1●. that they prepared their hearts, & did seek the Lord God of their fathers. Where we see these two points are joined together, preparing of hearts, and seeking of God. And how did they seek him? In his ordinances, or else they had never found him. And his ordinances are the word, the Sacraments, and the calling upon his name. Thus must it be with us, and then shall we receive the benefit that they received. This shall be a comfort to all that come with sanctified hearts and cleansed affections from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Though there be many wants and imperfections found in them, yet if they examine themselves, 1 Cor. 11, 28. prove and try themselves whether they be in the Faith or not, 2. Cor. 13, 5, if they bewail their sins, and reconcile themselves to God, they shall be accepted, their works shall be crowned, and their imperfections shall be covered and pardoned in and for the perfection which is in Christ jesus our Lord.  
[Verse 10. Thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites.] This is another circumstance belonging to the ordination of the Levites, which was done by imposition of hands. This ceremony was ancient and often used in the old and new Testament. jacob used this gesture in blessing the sons of joseph, Manasseth, and Ephraim, Genesis 48. It is used at the election of Io●hua, who was appointed to be the successor of Moses, Numb. chap. 27, verse 23. It was used by the Priests and Levites in the sacrifices, to signify thereby, that they were consecrated unto GOD. ●his gesture was retained in the New Testament in sundry actions, as we have showed before in the 6. chapter. From this example of the Elders of the congregation (for it is not to be thought that all the people without difference did it) we learn that the Ministers of the Church were ordained by imposition or laying on of hands. Doctrine. 
Ministers were ordained by laying on of hands.  It is noted of the Deacons appointed to look to the poor, that the Apostles prayed for them, and then laid their hands upon them, Acts 6, 6. Paul willeth Timothy not to neglect the gift that was given unto him by the prophesy, with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery, 1 Tim. chap. 4. verse 14. And in the next Epistle, he putteth him in remembrance to stir up the gift of God which is in him by the putting on of his hands, 2 Tim. 1, 6. This was for the most part joined with prayer and fasting, Acts 14, 23. and 13, 3. The work was great, the calling was weighty, the gifts were many required to this calling, therefore they use Fasting to make them fit to the present action, and more fervent to pour out their prayers unto the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth Labourers into his harvest.  
The ends of this ceremony were many, Reason 1 which serve as so many Reasons to confirm the point of doctrine in hand. First, that such as prayed might be stirred up with greater zeal and earnestness to call upon God, forasmuch as the laying on of the hand did move them and raise them to the lifting up of the heart. For this cause (as we showed before) the manner of ordaining Ministers and sending them into the Church, was ordinarily joined with fasting: not that they placed any merit therein, but to stir them to be more devout in prayer. And hence it is, that prayer and fasting are so often joined together as Luke 2, verse 37. Matthew 17. verse 21. Dan. 9 verse 3. joel 1, 14. and 2, 15, 17. 1 Cor. 7, 4, etc.  
Secondly, to signify that he was as an offering Reason 2 separated to God and his service, upon whom the hands were laid. For this ceremony was taken from the manner used and observed in the sacrifices, upon which the Priests laid their hands, to show that they were consecrated to holy uses. Thirdly, to declare that Reason 3 the hand of the Lord would be with them. For as they felt the hand of men upon their heads, so certainly they should find by a continual and comfortable experience, the hand of God to be with them in the execution of the function committed unto them, if they were faithful in the execution thereof.  
Lastly, to procure reverence unto the person Reason 4 so set apart amongst the people, and especially to the calling itself. It is said in the election of joshua, Numbers chapt. 27, verse 18, 20. that Moses must lay his hands upon him, that all the Congregation of the children of Israel, may be obedient: and this is one end wherefore this sign was used in the ordination of the Ministers of the Church.  
Use 1 Seeing therefore they were appointed to their office in this solemn manner, not in hugger mugger, but openly and publicly before all Israel, we learn that it is decent and convenient, that the Ministers should be made in the face of the church, not in private places, without any assembly fit for so solemn and sacred an action. This is a work of the day, not of the night; of the light, not of darkness: and therefore we see in this place, that at the ordaining of these Levites, the whole Congregation of Israel was gathered together: so that we may say, 
Verse ●.  as Paul doth in another case, and upon another occasion, These things were not done in a corner, Acts 26, 26. Eleazar was appointed to succeed Aaron his Father in the sight of Israel, as Numb. chap. 20. verse 27. Mathias was elected in place of judas, who was fallen from his Apostleship, when the whole multitude of the believers were gathered together, Acts 1. verse 13. yea the Deacons, an inferior office of the Chutch, who laboured not in the word and doctrine, were chosen by the whole multitude, as Acts chapter 6. verse 5.  

Willet. Synops. contr. 5. quaest. 2  True it is, mere popular elections are not to be admitted, being the cause of all confusion and disorder; howbeit for the people to give their voices in elections moderated and governed by grave Elders and wise Pastors, hath been used in the Church in times past, & may be again, and is at this day in many places where the state of the Church, and the condition of the people will bear it. And albeit they have no voice or suffrage, it is fit they should give their consent and approbation, because the Ministers should have good report of all, 1 Timoth. 3, 7. And so much the rather ought this to be, because the congregation have a kind of interest in this business, according to the rule in Law, Quod omnium interest, ab omnibus fieri debet, that is, That which belongeth to all, should be done by all; and this maketh much for the comfort of the Minister, and for the profit of the people. This reproveth the practice oftentimes used in time of Popery, where Ministers are ordained by them secretly and closely. It is reported of Pope john the thirteenth, that he ordained Deacons in a stable: whereas their own Canons and constitutions decree, that the consent of the people should be known: and Cyprian is plain, that as God commandeth that the Priest should be placed before the face of the whole congregation of the jews, so the Ministers ought not to be ordained but with the knowledge of the people standing by: 
Cyp. 1. lib. epi. 4.  whereby, they being present, either their faults should be discovered, or their virtues commended.  
It may be asked, whether this sign, which in a general signification may also be called a Sacrament of imposition of hands, 
Caluin instit. lib. 4 cap. 4.  be so necessary as that it may upon no occasion be omitted? The Papists hold an absolute necessity of it, and teach that the graces of the Spirit are also inseparably annexed to it. But we cannot yield to any necessity of it: we confess it is comely and convenient, howbeit it is not of the substance or essence of ordination, no more than fasting, which also was no less joined with it then laying on of hands. Prayer we acknowledge to be needful, and so needful, that it may by no means be omitted, but neither fasting, nor laying on of hands, though both be profitable. When Christ our Saviour instituted his Apostles, He breathed upon them, john 20, 22. but he did not lay hands upon them.  
The like we might say of the election of Mathias, Acts 1. neither is grace necessarily tied to this ceremony and outward sign of imposition of hands. For grace is not necessarily coupled with any of the signs in the Sacraments, much less in this counterfeit Sacrament of Orders, devised and received by the Church of Rome. They observe indeed this laying on of hands, but it is like Elisha●s staff laid upon the dead child by his Servant, that is, it was void and unprofitable, so is this gesture with them. For indeed the popish Priests have not any vocation and calling to the true service of God, to be Pastors and Teachers in the Church, but they are appointed to make the body of Christ, which is as much to say, as to be the murderers and killers of Christ. For so often as any Mass is celebrated among them, Christ jesus the Lord of life is crucified, and as it were betrayed and butchered among them, forasmuch as themselves confess that they sacrifice him to God the Father: but there is no sacrifice without shedding of blood, and therefore the popish Priesthood is no better than a detestable and a very devilish sacrilege.  
Secondly, it is the duty of every Minister to Use 2 consider diligently and seriously with himself, being warned by this ceremony, that he is separated and sanctified to one of the greatest works that are under the Sun, being taken as it were by the hand of God out of the residue of his brethren. So then, we must be stirred up hereby to our duties, and have this meditation with ourselves, 
The mini●●● meditation  Doubtless I am no longer mine own man, nor at mine own disposition, I am wholly dedicated & consecrated unto God. True it is, all the faithful are so also after a sort, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price. and Ro. 12, 1. We are exhorted by the mercies of God, that we should offer up ourselves a living sacrifice unto him. Nevertheless, he that is called to preach the gospel, to break and to bring unto us the bread of life and the food of salvation, is knit unto God by a straighter band, he is wholly appointed for the use of the Church of God. The charge and function is of great weight & importance, 2 Cor 2, 16. and who can be sufficient for these things? They are Messengers sent from the King of kings unto us, they reconcile God and man, and make peace after a sort between them, they assure the penitent of the pardon and forgiveness of sins, by the power of the keys committed unto them. This laying on of hands, serveth and helpeth to assure his heart that is called, that God will abundantly furnish him with necessary graces fit for his calling: he will endue them with the spirit of wisdom, of knowledge, of zeal, of constancy, of charity, of meekness, of patience, and such like. As than God maketh all the signs that he hath at any time set in his church, to be available, so that not one of them is vain or unprofitable: so may all the Ministers ordained with this sign assure themselves, that God will pour out his blessings upon them, to the end they may faithfully execute their office. It is not in vain that water in baptism is powered upon our heads, it is a good witness unto us, that we shall be washed and cleansed from our sins by the blood of Christ: forasmuch as God hath instituted it, and his promise is annexed unto it. It is not in vain that we eat a little morsel of bread, and drink a little quantity of wine, it assureth us that we are partakers of the life of our Lord jesus Christ, and that he is our meat indeed, and our drink indeed, whensoever we come to his holy Table.  
The like we may say of imposition of hands, God will not suffer it to be superfluous, but we shall perceive the fruit thereof by his pouring of his gifts into the heart: as it is said of joshua, that he was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and of Timothy, that the gift of God was given unto him by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. 
●●●ect. ●●●wer.  But hath the laying on of hands so great power and virtue? No, but seeing this sign was no invention of man, but an institution of God, he will make it available by adding his grace and goodness thereunto. The putting on of hands was a gage thereof, representing Gods pouring out of his Spirit. This then serveth to reprove such as have undertaken this calling, 
〈◊〉. 2, 4,  and forsaken the Ministry upon carnal respects, not considering that the soldier that warreth, doth not entangle himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier: and our Saviour showeth, that no man having put his hands to the plough & looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God, Luke 9, 62. In this number we may also range those that embrace this present world, & live as mere worldly men, choking themselves with the fat morsels that they find abroad, the bones whereof so stick in their throat, that their voice is stopped, and their tongue is tied that they can utter no other words, but, bring, bring. But we must consider, that we are taken as it were by the hand of God from amongst the rest of the Congregation, to teach the people, to give an attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, 1 Tim. 4, 13. and to take heed to ourselves, that in doing these things, we may both save ourselves, and them that hear us, verse 16. We are called of God to his heavenly work, who will plentifully reward us, if we be diligent in our duty and his business, Dan. 12, 13. 1 Pet. 5, 4. 1 Cor. 3, 8. He will stand with us, and his hand shall be effectual upon us, if we make conscience of our calling. But if we be careless and unconscionable, negligent and idle, as slothful servants that set not their minds upon their master's business, his hand will be sore & severe against us, to revenge the dishonour done to his name, and the hurt done to his people. The Papists boast of giving the graces of the Spirit by this gesture, they grease their fingers, and disguise themselves with apish toys, but all to no purpose, as we have proved already, forasmuch as it cannot by the bare outward action confer grace, and therefore it is remembered touching the Apostle Paul, that he received grace from God, before Ananias came unto him, and laid his hands upon him, Acts 9, 17.  
Thirdly, hereby ariseth great comfort unto Use 3 him that is lawfully and rightly ordained. For it serveth much to confirm and strengthen him, being thereby admonished that God accepteth him as an holy offering. Let us remember that it is he which hath set us on work, and he will be present with us, to remove our shoulders from the burden, or rather to make the heavy yoke which he hath put upon us easier, and the burden which we bear to be lighter, that we do not shrink and sink down under the weight thereof. True it is, men only did lay their hands upon us, howbeit God is precedent of the whole action, and he worketh with his own ordinance and institution.  
We have from hence an assurance of our calling, that it is not only or principally from men, but from God; which must move us to execute the same with all courage and constancy, being terrified with no fear or danger of enemies or opposition against us, and to overstride them all with great cheerfulness. Are we therefore crossed at any time in the discharge of our duty? and do men rise up against us, when we stand up in the name of God? Let us not be afraid and hold our peace, lest he confound us before them, jer. 1, 17. Let us not stand in fear of their faces, for he is with us to deliver us. Verse 8. and no man shall set upon us to hurt us, as Acts 18, 10.  
Let us call to our remembrance our entering into our Calling, that we were ordained by laying on of hands, wherein men were the instruments of Almighty GOD, to assure us of his presence with us, and approbation of us. This consideration stayed David, being ready to shrink down under the burden, having the charge of a great people, that could not be numbered nor counted for multitude, and it raised him up as it were beaten down to the ground, to wit, that he came not to the kingdom by his own ambition or usurpation, as his enemies falsely charged and accused him, but by the authority of God who called him, and the warrant of Samuel the Prophet who anointed him: so that whensoever we find cold comfort in the world, let us comfort ourselves in the lawfulness of our calling, and when we are evilly entertained of men, let us remember that God hath entertained us into his service, and therefore let us be found faithful therein.  
Use 4 Lastly, from hence sundry instructions arise to the people. For when they see the hands of men solemnly laid upon the heads of those that are to be ordained, and the action always accompanied with prayer, and oftentimes with fasting, it stirreth them up to be more fervent, zealous, earnest, and vehement, when they brought him that was chosen, as it were before God himself, and presented him before him. So then we must learn, that when we would have Ministers to preach the word of God, every one must have care to pray in this holy action, because it is not a pastime or may-game for little children; it is, that the Church of God may be governed as he hath appointed it, which is a matter of no small importance. The Ministers are called to govern in the house of God (which is the pillar that upholdeth the truth:) seeing therefore so great a Treasure is committed unto them, which also must be brought unto us by their mouths and means, we must for our own parts, be careful to commend them unto his grace, 
Math, 9, 38.  that it would please him to thrust forth such Labourers into his Harvest, such as may be faithful and effectual instruments, to bring us to knowledge and faith, to repentance and salvation: and that he would distribute unto them that are chosen, such gifts as are requisite for them to do their duties, and discharge the administration committed unto them. For if we have not such as make conscience of their duties, 
A great plague to the Church, to have evil Ministers.  woe unto the Church, there cannot a greater plague and judgement befall unto it.  
Again, it is their duty to have a special care, as much as lieth in them, to choose faithful Ministers, and such as are apt to teach, & every way meet to execute that office. In the function of the Deacons, the Apostles charged the brethren to look out men of honest report, full of the holy Ghost, & of wisdom, whom they might appoint over that business, Acts 6, 3. much more ought this to be in them that have charge over men's souls. But (alas) how many are there, that would with all their hearts, that there were no Ministers at all, that the word of God were utterly buried and banished out of the world, that so they might spend their days in pleasure, and at last go to hell with ease? We cannot say that these do speak lies through hypocrisy, 1 Timoth. 4, 2. forasmuch as they do not hide their iniquity, their impiety, their blasphemy, but like mad dogs, or shameless beasts, do bark and bray against the truth, as if the very sound of the word did vex and torment them. O how, or when will these profane persons be brought to pray that the Flock may be attended with faithful Shepherds, the host of God furnished with trusty Captains, and the Corn of the field reaped by painful Labourers! Seeing then there are such filthy swine among us, that tread the precious Pearls of God under feet, such as care not how the church be served, or what Ministers they have, it is just with God to send them such as famish the flock, but do not feed it: such as betray the host, but do not defend it: such as ruin the house, but do not rear it up. Lastly, the Church, seeing this public and peculiar commending of them that are ordained of God, should learn to acknowledge them to be set over them of God, and by it be stirred up to receive them and reverence them, and so have them in singular love for their works sake, submitting themselves unto them in such things as pertain to their office and function. Let every man therefore be careful, as if it were for his own business, seeing it is for his own benefit and profit. Every man hath his part in this work: and every one is endangered by it, if it be not sincerely executed.  
[Verse 14.15. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the Tabernacle, etc.] here is a reason rendered, why the Levites must be cleansed and washed when they are brought before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, because they are his. True it is, all creatures are his, Psal. 50. but the Levites are his by a special right, they are his servants to serve in the Tabernacle. For the better understanding of this point, observe that there is a threefold kind of service and servants, by creation, by sanctification, and by function. By creation, all must do service unto God, and are under his power and providence. All men, though they strive never so much, yet shall be compelled to stoop and yield unto him; For who hath resisted his will? Rom. 9.19. Thus all the Reprobate, yea the devils themselves bow to him and do him service against their wills. And in this sense the Prophet saith, All are his servants, Psalm 119.91. Such are they whom God useth as instruments to serve his providence, and so was Cyrus (the raiser up of the Persian Monarchy) his servant to do his will, who is therefore called his shepherd, and his anointed, Esay 44.28. and 45.1. By sanctification they are the servants of God, who are redeemed from the bondage of sin and Satan to serve the Lord in holiness and true righteousness all the days of their life, Luke 1, 74, 75. Rom. chap. 8.22. There is no comfort or consolation in being the servant of God in the first sense, because the devils and dumb creatures, and all damned spirits have as great a portion in it as we: but this is our comfort, if we be his servants by piety and faith. Lastly, such also are said to be his servants as serve him, not only in the common profession of godliness, but in regard of some special function and office wherein they are employed. Thus are Magistrates called his servants, Rom. 13, 6. and Christ himself, Esay. 53, 11. My righteous servant shall justify many. So Moses, josh. 1, 2. and David, Psal. 18. Thus are the Levites in this place called the Lords, and said to serve him in a special work, and Psal. 134, 1. Bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. 
●●●●rine,  So then, 
〈◊〉 ministers ●he Lords ●●nts, to 〈◊〉 him in ●orke of ministry.  the point to be considered from hence is this, that all the Ministers are the Lords servants appointed to serve him in the work of the Ministry, whether they be called extraordinarily or ordinarily, they must consider they are the Lords. Thus he speaketh by the Prophet, jeremy 35.15. and 25.4. I have sent unto you all my servants the Prophets, rising up early, that ye may turn every man from his evil ways. Thus the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 4.1. Let a man so think of us, as of the Ministers of Christ. And in 1. Tim. 1.12. Christ jesus accounted me faithful, and put me in his service. No man therefore must think it any way to be any disgrace or disparagement unto him, but rather a credit and honour to be the Lords servant employed in a special place of service, as it were near to his person. If it be esteemed as an high degree of honour to belong to some Nobleman, or to some Prince: it is a greater preferment to belong to the King of Kings.  
Reason 1 For the Ministers are called and separated to that end and purpose. Paul speaking of himself saith, He was a servant of jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, Rom. 1, 1. Separated unto the Gospel of God, not of men, neither by man, Gal. 1, 1. but by the will of God, 1 Cor. 1, 1. Every man must be mindful of his calling, and consider by whom he was called, & take heed he pass Reason 2 not the bounds wherein he is set. Secondly, they have sundry titles given to them, which are not idle, but serve to put them in mind of their service; they are called Messengers, Mal. 3, 1. Mark 1, 2. Luk. 7.27. they are called Ambassadors, 2 Cor. 5, 20. they are called Stewards of the house, 1 Cor. 4, 1, 2. they are called Soldiers that must seek to please their Captain, 2 Tim. 2, 1. and such like.  
Use 1 This serveth to reprove such as neither can nor will do their master's business. There are many think it a great disgrace, & a base thing for them to do that service which they ought, who notwithstanding are not ashamed to take wages of their master. Many give themselves to serve the world, and have so filled their mouths with gravel, that they have emptied their minds of grace. These do so savour of the earth, and of earthly things, and busy themselves to enrich their coffers, that they have little care of the flock of Christ. But we cannot serve two masters, we cannot serve God and Mammon, Math 6, 24. We must not entangle ourselves in the affairs of this life, 2 Tim. 2, 4 Woe also unto all ignorant Ministers that can do nothing, which are blind guides, and cannot see to do their master's business: if then these do lead the blind, being blind themselves, both must fall into the ditch, Mat. 15, 14. We may join unto these such as are idle and unconscionable, and cannot be brought to take any pains, who never consider that they are charged to preach in season, and out of season, 2 Tim. 4, 2. Lastly, it meeteth with such as are scandalous in life, and as unsavoury salt, who serve not the Lord, but their own belly, Rom, 16, 18. A servant honoureth his master, saith the Prophet, Mal. 1, 6. but such dishonour the Lord by their evil life, and make themselves unworthy either to do the work, or to receive the wages.  
Secondly, the Ministers being God's Servants Use 2 are put in mind of three things, fidelity, sincerity, & conformity. The first is a notable property in a good servant to be faithful unto his master, he must not purloin from him, but show all good fidelity, Tit. 2, 10. that so they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Thus ought it to be in the Ministers, when they see the sword coming, they must blow the Trumpet, lest if any do perish through their silence, their blood be required at the watchman's hand, Ezek. 3.18. they must keep back nothing that is unprofitable unto them, Acts 20, chapt. 20. but declare unto them the whole counsel of God, Verse 27. It is required in Stewards that a man be found faithful, 1 Cor. 4. verse 2. for they must give an account to their Lord and master, Heb. 13, 17. an account not of silver and gold, but of that which overvalueth all the treasures of the world, to wit, the souls of men, which cost a great price to redeem, 1 Pet. 1.19. Secondly, there must be sincerity in them and integrity, doing his business with a true heart and a right affection, not for sinister & by-respects, but to obey his will. Blessed are those servants that seek his glory, and not their own; that seek to approve themselves to Christ, not to the world, as men-pleafers; neither hunt after the praise and applause of foolish men: and therefore the Apostle sayeth, Galat. 1.10. Do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Nay, Christ himself witnesseth that he came not to seek his own glory, but his fathers, joh. 8, 50. I seek not mine own glory, there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Let us altogether in this work forget ourselves, that we may remember our master, & tread our own honour in the dust, that we may exalt his. Lastly, we must be conformable to Christ jesus, & be ready as his servants to take up our cross & follow him. We shallbe sure to meet with many crosses, and to suffer divers afflictions in the discharge & for the discharge of our Ministry, all which we must be content to endure, and be ready to possess our souls with patience; remembering that the Apostles departed from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ, Acts 5, 41. It is enough for the servant to be as his Lord is, Math. 10, 24. Will any earthly servant desire a better condition, than his master hath? Let it therefore content us, that we bear no more, nay not so much as he did bear. If we will live with him, we must be ready to die with him; and if we will reign with him in the life to come, we must suffer with him in this present life, 2 Tim. 2, 11, 12, if we deny him, he will deny us before his Father and his holy Angels.  
Use 3 Lastly, the people are from this Title remembered of their duties, which may be reduced to these three heads, a reverend estimation, an humble submission, and withal a necessary limitation. For first, seeing the Ministers of God are his servants, the servants of the most high God, and put in their Office by his authority, That led captivity captive, & gave gifts unto men, Ephes. 4.8: we ought so to esteem of them, as of the Ministers of Christ, 1 Cor. 4, 1. which we shall do, if we acknowledge that we have to do with God and his ordinance, whensoever the word is brought unto us. If an earthly Prince should send a messenger unto any of us, he is regarded for the Prince's sake that sent him. We are Ambassadors for Christ, saith the Apostle, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God, 2 Cor. 5, ver. 20. and therefore we should be heard, received, and respected for our Master's sake.  
Again, they must submit themselves to our doctrine, not only when we hear pleasing things, precious promises, and gracious comforts, but when we hear the word sounding an alarm in our ears, uttering reproofs, delivering threatenings, and denouncing judgements. We see in human things, we are content to accept of the excuse of men, that say they are but servants and messengers: they crave pardon because they are servants, and they obtain it. So standeth the case with us, we are sent of God who hath put his word into our mouths, The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? 
Amos 3, 7, 8.  Let us not therefore be blamed, we are Messengers, we cannot but do our message, for the love of almighty God & of his people constraineth us. How then should we hold our peace, when we are commanded to speak?  
Lastly, this Title importeth a limitation, for no more is to be ascribed unto us then unto servants. We are indeed as the Stewards of the house, not in the number of the lowest and meanest servants, howbeit yet we are servants, as 1 Cor. 3, 5. What is Paul, or Cephas, or Apollo's, but the Ministers by whom ye believe? And therefore when Cornelius ascribed more to Peter then should be yielded to a servant, he forbade him, saying, Stand up, for I myself also am a man. But not many in our days offend this way, we have turned honouring of them into contempt, and are so far from falling at their feet, that we are ready to trample them under our feet, and make them our footstool: who are for no other cause accounted our enemies, but because they tell us the truth.  
[Verse 23, 24. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five year old, etc.] In these words we have a limitation annexed by the express commandment of God, touching the time of entering into the office of the Levites, to wit, at the age of 25. years. This may seem to be contrary to that which we noted before, 
Objection  chap. 4, 23, 31, 33. where the age of thirty years is appointed. If then it be asked how it cometh to pass, that in these several places several times are assigned for their election into the office? and how it falleth out that five years are cut off which before were granted? I answer, Answer. here is no contrariety, these Scriptures are thus to be reconciled. The five years restrained in this place, which were enlarged before, served for trial and probation of such as entered into the office and service of the Sanctuary. For, when they were five and twenty years old, they began to join themselves with the rest, and to minister before the Lord; but being thirty, and found fit, they entered fully and wholly upon their calling: and therefore Chapt. 4. verse 3. Moses saith, Fit to do the work: but in this place they are said, to go in to execute. Even as such as must go to war are first trained and mustered, and taught how to fight and skirmish, that afterward they may know how to buckle on their armour in earnest, and to look the enemy in the face: so was it in this spiritual warfare, they were for a certain time trained, which years once expired, they were admitted. The Doctrine from hence is this, that the Ministers must be proved, tried, 
Doctri●●  & examined before they be admitted to teach the people. 
The mi●●● must be ●●●ued and 〈◊〉 before t●● be admi●●● to teach 〈◊〉 people.  The Apostles did not by their sole authority, appoint one to succeed in place of judas, who was fallen from the Apostleship, but they brought two forth, and presented them or set them up before the people, that they might judge whither they were fit or not, Acts 1, 23. The Church ought not to appoint any to the holy Ministry without good trial of their ability and sufficiency; forasmuch as two were set up, and caused to stand before the congregation, that it might be known whether they were such persons as aught to be chosen, and that any man might object against them, if he had aught to object. Object. But it may be said, Is this apposing or examining necessary at all times, and to be used toward all persons? I answer, if they be fully and famously known to them that have the right of choosing and trying, it is not needful: howbeit it is necessary that they should offer themselves to this examination. We see this in schools of learning; such as are to be preferred to any dignity that is void, there is an examination required, albeit the parties to be chosen be never so sufficient, and their sufficiency fully known to such as have the voices of election in their hands: how much more than ought this to be, in this most weighty business of the Church? This is farther apparent out of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 3, 10. Let these also first be proved, then let them use the office of a Deacon, being found blameless; so that they ought not, before they be proved: and when he saith, Let these also, he signifieth, that the Ministers of the Church ought to undergo this trial. Besides, they must be without reproof, and have good report of all, Tit. 1, 6. But it cannot be known whether they be blameless without examination and trial going before. And this standeth upon good reason.  
Reason 1 For first, he is to take upon him a greater charge, than they that have most costly jewels and precious pearls of wonderful price committed unto them: forasmuch as he is to govern the sons and daughters of the King of heaven and earth, and hath the price of the blood of Christ committed unto him, Acts 20, 28.  
Secondly, there be many subtle workers and deceitful dealers, transforming themselves into Angels of light, 2 Cor. 11, 13, 14, and into the Apostles of Christ: they have indeed sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves, Math. 7, 15. They seek craftily and cunningly to creep in, that they may hurry and weary the flock, and then destroy and devour it, Acts 20, 29, 30. They speak perverse things, to draw away disciples after them, ver. 30. If then there be not a narrow search and trial made of their doctrine and conversation, before they be admitted into the Ministry, they have a gate and gap opened unto them to enter to the ruin of the Church.  
Thirdly, the office of Deacons was a function of less duty and danger in the Church; they were only to attend upon the poor, and yet they must not have admission without due trial and examination, as Acts 6, 3. They must look out men of honest report from among them, to appoint over this business: and the Apostle expressly chargeth, that they should be tried, 1 Tim. 3, 10. If then it be necessary for a Deacon, much more for a Minister: if for him that hath regard but to one part of the Church, much more for him that hath charge over the whole: and if for him that is occupied in the distribution of money, much more for him that is occupied in the dispensation of the word and Sacraments.  
Fourthly, because the counsel and advice of more for trial is thought needful to be used in matters of less importance, in all which, two eyes see more than one: as when a man taketh upon him the profession of physic, whose care is only to see to the health and good estate of the body, albeit he hath spent many years in the study of the liberal arts, 
Anno. 11. of Henr. 8. cap. 3.  yet is he by the law to pass the hands of four approved Doctors, whether he be meet for that practice or not: how much more ought this to be regarded in the spiritual Physician that is to cure the diseases of the soul, which are more manifold to be numbered, more secret to be discerned, more difficult to be healed, and more dangerous if they be not remedied?  
Fiftly, this will make them to be more regarded, and better accepted, even as the Ministers of jesus Christ, and it will procure more authority to their persons.  
Sixtly, it will stop the door against all unsufficient and unlearned Ministers, they will not dare or presume to offer themselves to have entrance into the Church of God; yea, it will cut off all hope from them, when they shall understand, that there are many vigilant eyes of vigilant watchmen set upon them to keep them out, and to lock the door fast against them.  
This serveth notably to meet with the Use 1 horrible abuse hereof, practised in popery. True it is, they dare not deny the truth & use of this, or utterly reject this doctrine: yet they do no better then make a mock of it, as they do also of many other things. For do they examine them that come to enter into the Order of Priesthood, according to the rule of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 3, 2. Whether they be unreprovable, sober, watchful, modest, harberous, wise, gentle, apt to teach, able to convince, and such as govern well their own families? Do they go about to try & prove, or do they demand and inquire, whether they be no drunkards, no quarrelers, no covetous persons, which be the qualities that God requireth them to be adorned withal? No, there is no question made of these, or of any of them, all these lie deeply buried, and little regarded. And instead of these they call the parties before them, 
How the popish Priests are examined.  than the Bishop or else the Archdeacon his Deputy examineth them, I warrant you, of some deep points of profound divinity, able to astonish a young novice; as first, whether they be 25. years old? Secondly, whether they understand any Latin, which a Grammar-scholler, & a young child may quickly do? Thirdly, whether they be legitimate and not bastards or base borne, that is, whether their father were an honest man, and their mother an honest woman? Fourthly, they must mark and handle every member of their body, whether they be sound, and number their eyes, their ears, their hands, their fingers, their feet; and if they mi: strust, they must put off their shoes, to see whether they be of wood or of flesh: they must have no defect or deformity of body; but of the blindness and blemishes, of the lameness and maimednes of the mind, there is no inquiry. Fiftly, whether they ha●e chaste flesh. What is that? whether they keep a Concubine, and be unclean in life, and given to whoredom? No, but it is, whether they have married two wives, or else a widow: as for other incontinency, the rule is, if they cannot live chastened, they must deal charily, or warily and closely. 
Si non castè, tamen cautè.  Sixtly, how long they have been in Orders, and what, when, & of whom they have received their Orders? Lastly, what living they have to maintain them, either by inheritance or by benefice? These are great points of learning, which the popish Priests must be able to answer: these are deep mysteries, but as the Apostle saith, They are the depths of Satan. 
Revel 2, 24.  For can day and night, can light and darkness, can heat and cold be more contrary, than these things are to the institution and ordinance of God? To name these fooleries and babbles, is sufficient confutation of them, and therefore we will pass by them, and come to ourselves.  
Secondly, we have a direction from hence, Use 2 given to the Overseers of the Church, to take great heed they give not an easy entrance and access into the Church, to such as are for knowledge, defective, and for life, offensive. The Apostle hath a worthy exhortation to Timothy, I charge the before God and the Lord jesus Christ, and the elect Angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality: lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins, etc. 1 Tim. 5, 21, 22, 24, 25. If some be rash, we must not join with them, & think ourselves discharged, if we can say, I was not alone, or I was not the chief and principal, or others were as forward as I; I could not gainsay it, I was loath to be singular & to divide myself from the rest. For we must show our dislike of bad courses, and if we cannot stop the course of evil, we must not be silent and hold our peace, but open our mouths, & speak against it, or else we make ourselves partakers of other men's sins. So it was with joseph of Arimathea, he would not consent to other men's sins. He was a Disciple of jesus, john 19, 38: an honourable Counsellor that waited for the kingdom of God, Mark. 15, 42: a good and just man; he consented not to the counsel and deed of them that judged the Lord of life to be worthy of death, Luke 23, 50, 51. For whosoever doth not resist evil, he consenteth and agreeth unto it, and he that doth not avert from wrong and keep away injury from another when he is able, 
Cicer. de office lib. 1.  is as much in fault as if he lifted up his hand to do wrong himself. It is not enough for us to look to our own ways, but we must overlook the ways of others: for if we join with them, we are accessary to their evils. In sin, some are principal, and some are accessaries, by the laws of GOD and men: and both ways we shall bring upon ourselves the judgements of God.  
Lastly, let all Pastors, of what gifts soever Use 3 they be, and how richly soever they are furnished with excellent graces, and in what manner soever they are qualified, though they be abundantly stored and furnished with all learning divine and human, yet they must willingly submit themselves to this trial, and undergo this examination. It ought to be in well ordered Churches, as it is in well ordered Cities. No man is admitted to set up in any mystery, but such as offer some piece of work to the Masters of the Company, to declare their skill in that faculty, for which they are purposed to open their shop: So should such as intend the ministry of the word, as it were to give a taste of their skill & knowledge by subjecting themselves to this examining. It doth not argue any want of gift, to be ready to have our gifts proved, but the contrary giveth just cause of suspicion of some want. There is no man that hath good & pure gold, is unwilling to bring it to the touchstone, but he that hath the counterfeit. It is not the just dealing tradesman that is afraid to have his weights or the mete-yard brought in place, but the deceiver. The Gentiles which sometimes speak of our religion, do serve as witnesses, to teach us the state of former times. We read in Lampridius writing the life of Alexander Severus, that the Emperor in choice of his Magistrates made them stand openly to be examined of any man, and allowed any to make exceptions against them, 
Lampridi●  Because (saith he) the jews and Christians used this order in choosing their Ministers. If both the jews and the Christians observed this order, what warrant have we to break it, or to take up another order? And if that Emperor would have this observed in the Commonwealth, why not much rather in the Church? It shall be an honour unto us to be content to be tried. It will manifest our humility, that we are not high conceited of ourselves and of our own gifts: yea, it shall serve the more to our comfort throughout the whole course of our lives, & the administration of our office. Thus did Samuel offer himself to the trial, & was content to hear what any man could object against him, 1 Sam. 12, 3. Behold, here I am, witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed, whose Ox have I taken? or whose ass, etc. Happy are those Ministers that follow this example: and happy are those Churches that follow that order which GOD hath appointed.    

CHAP. IX.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, etc.  
2. Let the Children of Israel also keep the Passeover at his appointed season, etc.  
IN this Chapter Moses proceedeth to show the manner of their sanctification, 
〈◊〉 parts of 〈◊〉 Chapter.  wherein observe two things: the first concerning the Passeover; the second concerning the cloud covering the Tabernacle, and governing the remove & encamp of the Israelites. The Passeover is double, the one for such as were clean, the other for such as were unclean. The former Passeover containeth the commandment of God, and the obedience of Moses. Touching the commandment, we have here a repetition of the feast of the Passeover instituted before, as we see, Exod. 12. 
●●●ect. ●●●●er.  But wherefore doth God again mention it in this place? It was for two causes: first, because such is our slackness and security in holy things, that except God's commandment be daily urged, repeated, and beaten into our hearts, we quickly forget the same, Phil. 3.1. 1 Thess. 4, 2. Secondly, the Israelites did not certainly know, whether they should celebrate it in their journeys in the wilderness, or not, Exod. 12, 25.  
All feasts were instituted to teach men to know God and his Son jesus Christ, and to praise him for his benefits. So the Passeover was ordained to keep in remembrance the wonderful and miraculous deliverance of the people out of Egypt, and that they might be taught to look for deliverance by jesus Christ the Lamb of God, 
〈◊〉. 13, 8.  slain touching the virtue & efficacy of it, even from the beginning of the world. This Passeover was the second ordinary sacrifice of the jews, touching the eating of the Paschall Lamb, whereby the remembrance of their departure out of Egypt was celebrated, and the death of Christ the true Passeover was represented. So then, it had respect and relation, partly to the time past, and partly to the time to come.  
In handling hereof, we must consider, first, the circumstances, both of place where it was observed, to wit, at Sinai, where the law had been delivered, for as yet they were not gone from that place: and of the time prescribed before, on the 14. day of the first month. Secondly, the Passeover itself, both the substance of it, and the rites; both the matter and the manner of the celebrating of it, Deut. 16, 1, 2. Exod. 12. 
〈◊〉 of passover.  The Sum whereof is this: Every householder was commanded to take a Lamb without blemish, verse 5. a male of the first year for his house, and kill it at evening, verse 6. then they must take the blood, & strike it on the two side-postes, and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they did eat it, verse 7. and they must eat the flesh of it not raw or sodden with water, verse 9 but roast with fire, verse 8. with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs; nothing must remain of it until the morning: if there did, it must be burnt with fire, verse 10. And all this must be done with girding up of their garments, with putting on of their shoes, & the taking of their walking staves in their hands, as men that were in haste, that must fly for their lives, verse 11. All this being literally considered, belongeth nothing unto us: for the Passeover is passed over together with the law of ceremonies, and all these rites have an end: howbeit the Lord meant that these should be figures of things to come, whereof we have now the truth and substance, since the time that our Lord jesus Christ hath been manifested to the world. This is the cause why S. Paul telleth the Colossians, that these things were but shadows, 
Col. 2, 17.  the body whereof is in Christ. Let us therefore come in particular to the uses which we are to make of this Passeover; the ground and foundation whereof is to be taken out of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5, 7, 8. Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. As then the jews had their Passeover, so the Christians have their Passeover: as they had their Lamb, so we have our Lamb: as they kept their Feast, so we must keep our Feast. For God never meant and intended to ordain any ceremony among his people, which contained not some inward signification and profitable instruction to the end of the world. If we have ceremonies that serve not to some good end, we may boldly pronounce, that man and not God is the author of them.  
Observe therefore from this type, that Christ jesus is our Passeover that was sacrificed Use 1 for us. john the Baptist pointeth him out with the finger, and expresseth the meaning of this figure, saying, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world, john 1, 29, 36. And afterward in the history of the passion it is showed, that the soldiers which broke the legs of the thieves which were crucified with him, broke not his legs, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken, john 19, 36. These words are spoken in the law of the Paschall Lamb: thus doth john apply the type to the truth itself, and thereby maketh the Paschall Lamb a figure of Christ, the only person put apart by God the Father to be the ransom of the world, who hath by his obedience & the merit of his passion taken away from all that believe in his Nnme, both among the jews and Gentiles their sins of all sorts, satisfying the severe justice of God to their endless comfort and salvation. Hence it is, that the Prophets and Apostles say, He was brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth, Esay 53, 5. Gal. 2, 20. 1 Pet. 1, 19 revel. 5, 9 Acts 8, 32. There is no other way that could relieve us and redeem us, all the most precious things in the world were too base, and all creatures in heaven and earth too weak to work this wonderful work, Esay 59, 16. Heb. 2, 14. and 10, 14. 
How many ways Christ jesus taketh away our sins.  Now, we must understand, that he removeth our sins four ways; by ablation, by imputation, by expiation, and by mortification. First, he taketh them away from us, by removing the guilt and the punishment from us; again, as our surety he put them upon himself. And thus by imputation our sins became his, and his righteousness is made ours, because he that knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2. Cor. 5, 21. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we should live unto righteousness, 1 Pet. 2, 24. Furthermore, he hath taken away sins when he removed them out of the sight of God by expiation and propitiation, 1 john 2, 2, 3. Esay 38, 17. Mich. 7, 19 Lastly, he removeth them away in this life by mortification, and in death by perfect sanctification. These things being duly considered, nothing should rejoice a man more than the remembrance of Christ's death, whereby the bondage of all misery and the misery of all bondage is taken from us, Acts 2, 26. This made the Apostle say, God forbidden that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord jesus Christ, Gal. 6, ver. 14. He felt in his soul the wrath of God, the terrors of death, and the torments of hell for us, Esay 53, 10, 11, 12. john 12, 27. Math. 26, 38. which made him cry out, that he was forsaken, Math 27, 46. This was figured out by the roasting of the Lamb with fire: for the wrath of God due to us and our sins was kindled as a furnace made seven times hotter than it was wont to be made, and he was cast into the burning fiery furnace. He trod the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with him, Esay 63, verse 3. In him we have the remedy for all evils, and can have salvation from none other, Acts 4, 12. and therefore we must all come unto him. Whosoever is sick, I speak of spiritual sickness, let him make haste to Christ, for he is the Physician of our souls, Math. 9, verse 12. He that is hungry, let him go to him, for he is the bread that came down from heaven, joh. 6, verse 33. He that is dry through heat, and thirsty, let him make haste and run with speed unto him, for he is a well of water springing up to eternal life, john 4, verse 14. He that is covered with the dark mists of ignorance, let him seek to him, for he is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, john 1, verse 9 If we be pressed down with our unrighteousness and our sins, he is our righteousness and sanctification, 1 Corin. 1, verse 30. If we be in bondage, he is our redemption: if we find our own folly and simplicity toward all good things, he is our wisdom. If we fear death, he is our life: if we desire to ascend up to heaven, he is the way: if we would be delivered from error, he is the truth, john 14, ver. 6. If we would come unto the Father, he is the door, no man can come unto him but by him. This should move all impenitent persons to turn from sin unto righteousness, and from the kingdom of Satan, unto God; and this will move us, if any thing in the world will. Every man is by nature the servant of sin & bondslave of Satan. Christ jesus, to heal us of this plague-sore, when no other physic could cure us, made a plaster of his own blood: the pain which he took in the making of it, caused him to sweat drops of water and blood, and cost him his life: then woe be to us, if we lay not this precious plaster to our hearts which will draw away the corruption of them, and work a speedy and certain cure: forasmuch as by continuing in sin, we frustrate the death of Christ, and as much as lieth in us, crucify the Son of God afresh unto ourselves, and put him to an open shame, Hebr. 6, 6. For our sins are the nails that nailed to the Cross his hands and his feet, and as the spear that thrust him to the heart. When the Israelites did eat the Passeover in Egypt, and sprinkled the blood of the Lamb upon the posts of their doors, the Angel, sent to destroy, passed over their houses, and destroyed them not: but the Egyptians, whose door-posts were not sprinkled, were destroyed by the destroyer. So if we feed on Christ by a lively faith, and sprinkle the doors of our hearts with his blood, the judgements of God in this life, and the terrible curse of death with the fearful sentence of condemnation, and all punishments rightly due to our sins shall pass over us, and shall not come near to us, so much as to touch us. But contrariwise, if we lay not hold on Christ, all these curses shall come upon us & overtake us. For as it was not enough for the Israelites to kill the Lamb, but they must sprinkle the blood thereof upon the posts of their own doors, not of other men; so must we by a lively faith apply his merits. And as the blood of the Lamb did figure out the blood of Christ, so the sprinkling of it upon the door posts representeth the sprinkling of it upon our hearts, to deliver us from eternal death, without which it can profit us nothing at all.  
Secondly observe, that as the Passeover Use was an ordinary Sacrament of the old Testament, so it is a type answering fitly and fully to the Lords Supper, a Sacrament of the New Testament. 
●●rds 〈◊〉 ●●me 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉.  For that which the Passeover was to the jews, the same is the last Supper of Christ to Christians, and came in place of it. This is the cause why the Lord jesus delivered his last Supper at the evening, immediately after the eating of the Paschall Lamb, to show that it came in place thereof: to which circumstance of time the church is not bound, and therefore in stead of the evening, we use the morning, and for the day we make choice of the Sabbath before other days, and touching the time of the day, we do it before meat, not after supper.  
Now consider the resemblances between these Sacraments. As one is called the Lords Passeover, Exod. 12.12. so this is called the Lords Supper, 1 Cor. 11 20. God calleth the Lamb the Paschall Lamb, because the Angel in the common destruction passed over the houses of the Israelites: so Christ calleth the bread by the Name of his body that was broken for us, Luke 22.19. The Lord speaking of the ends of the rites used in the Passeover, saith, This shallbe for a memorial, Exod. 12.14. and a sign unto them, Exodus. 13.9. so Christ saith, Do this in remembrance of me, Luke. 22.19. God saith of the Lamb, Take ye, Exod. 12.5. Christ saith of the bread, Take ye, Matth. 26.26. God saith of the Paschall Lamb, Eat ye, verse 11. Christ saith of the bread in the Supper, Eat ye; and of the Cup, Drink ye. Thus we see there is a notable coherence between both these. Wherein we must mark, that the Scripture speaking of the Sacraments, 
〈◊〉 the Sa●●●● h●ue ●●me of 〈◊〉 th●●gs 〈◊〉 ●●e do ●●●p to us.  giveth to the outward Sign the name of the thing signified, so that they have the names of those things given to them which they seal and represent, Gen. 17.10.1. Cor. 10, 4, 16. and 11.24. Luke 22.22. Both because to all the faithful and true believers, the things themselves are given with the signs, and because our affections should be lifted up from earth to heaven, from the elements to Christ and his blessings, represented, offered, and exhibited by them; and because we are full of doubting and unbelief like to Thomas one of the twelve, we will not believe the promises until in some measure we feel them in our hearts. Whereby we see clearly and evidently, 
●●●b●●an●●●e●k●y 〈◊〉.  that the ground of transubstantiation, & of the real presence, is weak and tottering, builded upon the sand of man's invention, not upon the infallible ●ocke of the word of God. The Church of Rome will have the words taken li●erally, and not figuratively: but this overthroweth the certainty of our faith, fighteth against the grounds of right reason, and implieth sundry gross contradictions. 
〈◊〉 a●●●●an●●n●●●●●●n  For at the first institution and celebration of the Supper, it maketh two Christ's, one that giveth, another that is given: one at the Table, another in the mouths and stomachs of the disciples. In which of these shall we believe? in both we must not, forasmuch as we are commanded to believe in Christ, as in one, not in Christ's, as speaking of many; as it was said to Abraham, in his seed, not in his seeds, Gal. 3.16.  
Secondly, it overthroweth the Sacrament, consisting of two parts, a visible sign and an invisible grace signified: but if the bread were really the body of Christ, then there could be no outward sign to represent the inward grace.  
Thirdly, it maketh the body of Christ to be in more places than one at one time, which destroyeth the nature of a true body.  
Fourthly, the Apostle calleth it bread oftentimes, even after consecration, 1 Cor. 10.16. and 11.26, 27, 28.  
Lastly, the wicked as well as the godly should receive Christ, nay Mice and Rats as well as they; which is horrible blasphemy to imagine and determine. But of this I have spoken more at large elsewhere. 
In the third book of the Sacraments.  But they object, that men in their last Wills speak plainly that they may be understood. It is true indeed, and so did Christ speak plainly; but they make him speak absurdly. To speak plainly, and yet withal, figuratively, are not contrary one to another. For it is plain, that at the same time Christ himself used as figurative a speech as this, joh. 14.6. and 15.1. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: I am the true Vine, ye are the branches: yea, in the institution of the Supper, we must of necessity acknowledge a figure, Luke 22.10. The Cup is the New Testament. And there is oftentimes more plainness and evidence in a figure, then in a proper speech uttered without a figure: as also these words, This is my Body, are much more comfortable to us, then if it had been barely said, This is a figure of my body, because they manifest the near conjunction of the sign with the thing signified in so much that they which partake the one, shall be assured to receive the other  
To proceed a little further in this point of the Passeover and the Supper, we have somewhat to observe, touching our obedience. The jews were to go to the celebration hereof far and near, to the place that the Lord should choose; and therefore nothing should be so carefully esteemed as these exercises of o●r religion, which by the ordinance of God, represent, seal, and apply unto us the benefits of Christ's death and Passion. The Passeover under the Law, was frequented of all Israel, albeit it were done with long journeys and tedious travels and troubles: So ought this Sacrament of Christ's Supper, it should be oftentimes received, 1 Cor. 11.26. Things that are sweet and comfortable, dear and pleasant to a man, are oftentimes remembered and used. If our bodies be hungry, we shall delight to refresh and repast ourselves; and if we have hungry souls, that long after Christ the Bread of Life and the food of them, (fo● he is meat indeed and drink indeed) we will often desire to feed upon him, which bringeth with it eternal life. If a man have no desire to his food, it is a sign of an evil stomach, and a forerunner of death, when the appetite is gone and cannot be recovered: so when we have no desire at all to the bread of life, neither feel how greatly we stand in need thereof, we have little strength of the Spirit and of the life of God in us, we draw near by little and little unto death, I mean the death of our souls, which is nothing else but a separation of us from GOD and from his kingdom.  
Thirdly, they which celebrate the memorial Use 3 of their redemption and deliverance from hell & damnation by the sufferings of Christ, must purge themselves of their old leaven, that is, aught by unfeigned and renewed repentance to be purged and washed from their wickedness and uncleanness, & bring with them a clear and good conscience, an holy & resolute purpose to serve the Lord in truth and sincerity, in holiness and righteousness.  
The Israelites must have no leaven in any of their houses and habitations while the Passeover lasteth; whosoever kept any, was to be cut off from his people, Exodus 12, verses 8, 15. and 13, 3, 7. Leviticus 23, verse 6. Numbers 28, verse 17. Deuteronomy 16, verse 4. joshua 5, verse 11. 2 Chronicles 30, 13, 21. and 35, 17. Ezra 6, verse 22. Ezek. 45, verse 21. Math. 26, verse 17. etc. The Apostle expresseth the meaning hereof, 1 Corin. 5. ver. 7, 8. Let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of maliciousness and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth: purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, for even Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us. We therefore that profess ourselves to be true Christians, should at all times, but then especially, when we celebrate the remembrance of Christ's death in the use of the Sacraments, prepare ourselves in a most religious and holy manner, that so we may come aright, to his glory, and our comfort. When jacob was appointed by God to offer sacrifice at Bethel, he sanctified and prepared all his people, Gen. 35, verses 2, 3. All that came to the Passeover were commanded to sanctify themselves, 2 Chron. 35, 4. The Priests were commanded to sanctify themselves, and to prepare their brethren, verse 6. This consisteth in two things, in purging out of the old leaven of sin, and in being a new lump endued with the gifts of sanctification, that is, to leave off to do evil, and to learn to do good. And we must in doing good things prove ourselves in these few particulars, what our knowledge, faith, repentance, and charity is.  
Knowledge is the ground and foundation of all the rest, and therefore it is required of all, to understand the grounds and principles of our Christian Religion, especially we must be acquainted with the doctrine of this Sacrament, both with the signification of the signs and the graces sealed up by them. Faith also we must have in us, which is in truth the first saving grace, it is the hand which we stretch out to touch Christ, in whom all fullness dwelleth; of whose fullness we all receive, 
Col. 1, 19  and grace for grace, john 1, 16. without whom we can do nothing that is good, john 15, 5. and without faith it is unpossible to please God, Hebrews 11, 6. This is the root, the fountain, the mother of all graces; they are as the branches, the streams, the daughters of faith. Hereby we apprehend Gods infinite love and mercy in Christ jesus, and are persuaded that all our sins are pardoned, and that Christ, together with all his benefits is received. Repentance, which is a consequent of faith, is a changing of the mind, an earnest loathing of that which is evil, and an earnest loving of that which is good. We must learn to hate our particular sins, we must mourn and lament in our inward bowels for them, and we must judge ourselves, lest the Lord enter into judgement with us, and so we provoke his wrath against us and those that belong unto us, and stir him up to bring grievous plagues and fearful judgements against us, 1 Cor. 11, 28, 31. Wherefore, nothing ought to bring greater grief to us then this, to consider that we have so heinously offended the Majesty of God: and as our sins pierced him, so let us pierce our own hearts with this spear of repentance, that we have so wickedly misspent our time, abused his benefits, contemned his patience, abused our creation, calling, redemption, baptism, soul, body, word, Sabbaths, yea, all the gifts and graces of God: that we have in deed and in truth joined and even conspired with Herod, Pilate, Annas, Caiphas, pharisees, Soldiers, passengers, judas, & the rest of the jews, in crucifying the Lord of life.  
If any ask, how can these things be? The Prophet telleth us, He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, Esay 53, verse 5. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed: so that we must acknowledge that our iniquities were the nails that pierced him, and our transgressions the spear that wounded him. We must labour to feel the greatness and horror of our sins, & withal strive to fashion ourselves after the image and likeness of God, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. Let us prepare our hearts and bodies to be his Temple to dwell in, and not make them as sinks for Satan and all foul spirits. Thankfulness is the next duty that is required, that we may be able to say unfeignedly with the Prophet David, considering how great things the Lord hath done for us, Psalm 116, verses 12, 13. What shall I render unto the LORD, for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. And undoubtedly, if they be no better than thieves & robbers which receive their corporal food and never lift up their eyes to heaven, which cannot be sanctified unto them but by the word and prayer: 
●●m. 4, 4.5.  if such, I say, be usurpers that take the creatures of God without thanksgiving, how much rather ought we to give thanks to God for this heavenly food, the nourishment of our souls? The Israelites in remembrance of their Egyptian deliverance were commanded to continue the Passeover for ever; 
〈◊〉. 12.24.  should not we then much rather keep our Christian Passeover for our spiritual deliverance from our spiritual bondage of spiritual enemies? and say with the Prophet in a sweet feeling & medi●ation of these mercies, Bless the Lord, O my soul? 
〈◊〉. 103.1.  etc. The last duty is charity toward our brethren: the former cannot be truly in us without this. 
〈◊〉 13.35.  By this shall all men know that we are his disciples, if we love one another. The effects and fruits of it are described, It suffereth long, 
●or. 13.4.  it envieth not, it is bountiful, etc. It is required in so strict a manner, that if our gift be ready in our hands to offer unto God, yet if we be at odds with our brother, 
●●●h 5.24.  we must set it by, until we be reconciled. God is love, 1 joh. 4.16. Satan is nothing but malice and envy. If we come in love, we come to God's Table; if we come in hatred, we come to the devils; we cannot drink the cup of the Lord, 
〈◊〉. 10.21.  and the cup of devils: we cannot be partakers of the Lords Table, and of the Table of devils. Let us not therefore deceive ourselves in thinking & persuading ourselves we come to the Lords Table, when we are far from it. For as God hath his Church, so the devil hath his Chapel: and as there is the Table of the Lord, so there is the table of devils. We must therefore take heed that we do not sacrifice to devils, while we purpose to sacrifice to God, and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 
●or. 10.20.  To conclude, let this preparation always go before this holy action, let there be a ransacking of all the corners of our hearts and spirits, and a cleansing and cleared of them by true repentance. Let all governors of families prepare these that belong unto them, & fit themselves and them of their house to this work. Let us consider the mystery of the death of Christ to make it the means of our life: the cause of it, our sins: the merit of it, our redemption: the end of it, the apprehending of Christ with all his benefits: the fruit of it, reconciliation to God, increase of faith, and newness of life.  
Use 4 Fourthly, as no unclean persons that were defiled, Num. 9.6. and no uncircumcised persons whose foreskin was not cut away, Exod. 12.48. might eat of the Passeover: so no profane person uncircumcised in heart, and unclean in his soul and conscience, hath any interest in the Lord's Supper. If he come unto it, and present himself at the Lords Table, he is like to that guest that came to the feast, but had not on him his wedding garment, Matth. 22.11. as he followeth him in the sin, so he shall follow him in the punishment also. I deny not but such may partake of the bread, but they cannot receive the body and blood of Christ: and they shall not only bear the loss of the benefit, but also incur the danger of damnation. For as no unclean person might come to the Passeover of the Lord, so no unclean person may come to the Supper of the Lord. Holy things may not be cast to dogs, neither pearls before swine, Matt. 7.6. These have no right to this Communion. Children are barred, because they cannot examine themselves: profane persons because they do not, because they will not. And how many are there that come in worse manner than children would do? For if infants and children were admitted, it is presumed they would come with greater reverence, their greatest sin would be their ignorance. Ignorance therefore is a bar against them: but are there not many in very many places that presume and present themselves at this Table, who besides their ignorance as great and as gross as that in children, do add profaneness of heart, make little conscience of the Sabbath and show small love to the word of God, and therefore do shut out themselves from this feast by a twofold bar?  
Lastly, we saw before that bitter herbs were Use 5 added to the Passeover, it must not be eaten without them: which signifieth, that as the Passeover was eaten with sour herbs, so Christ and the Cross are never severed one from the other: because all that will live godly in Christ jesus, must suffer persecution, 2. Tim 3.12. if we will be the disciples of Christ, we must deny ourselves and take up our Cross and follow him, Matth. 16.24. Every one would be partaker of the Passeover, but they desire not the sour herbs: we would willingly taste of the sweet, but we care not for the bitter. We seem all ready to embrace Christ, but we shun the Cross, it is as bitter unto us as gall and wormwood. We must all therefore frame ourselves to suffer afflictions as the good servants and soldiers of Christ for the faith's sake, and be content to drink of this cup which he hath begun unto us. Paul lived in great credit among the Pharisees before his conversion, but so soon as he was called to preach the Gospel, by and by they fought to kill him. It is a great comfort to suffer for righteousness sake. A good cause doth sweeten the bitterness of the Cross. Such are pronounced blessed by Christ. 
Matth. 5.10.  The Apostles went from the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ. 
Acts 5.41.  It is no less honour to suffer for Christ's cause, then to believe in his Name. 
Phil. 1, 29. joh ●5 18.20. and 8.48.  Our Master Christ jesus found no better entertainment: the world hated him before it hated us, they called him a Samaritan, and said he had a devil; they reproached him to be a glutton, 
Luke 7.34.  a wine-bibber, and a friend of Publicans and sinners, he was despised of men, 
Esay 53.3, 4.  and esteemed as smitten of God; 
joh. 1.11. Luke 23.31.  he came to his own, but his own received him not. If they have done this in the green tree, what shallbe done in the dry? The servant must not look to have a better estate and condition than his Lord, nor the disciple then his master: if they have persecuted him, they will also persecute us, 
joh. 13.16.  he that is sent must not look to be greater than he that sent him. It is enough for the disciple to be as his master, 
Matth. 10.25.  and the s●ruant as his Lord: if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? God's children shallbe molested and afflicted, even in times of public peace. When the enemies of Daniel could find no matter against his person, 
Dan. 6.13.  they began to quarrel about his religion. To serve God in truth and sincerity is an heinous crime in the eyes of the world, who shall in the end give an account to him that will judge uprightly.  
[Verse 6. And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead, etc.] Here is a description of the second Passeover for such as were unclean; unclean, not by any sinful pollution, but by a legal or ceremonial uncleanness: not by any willing choice of their own, but by an inevitable necessity: and not by coming near those that were dead in spirit, but by touching the dead body of a man. In this, observe three things, a question, a consultation, and a resolution. The question is of the people: the consultation of Moses, the resolution of God. The people inquire at the mouth of Moses: Moses inquireth at the mouth of God: and God determineth the doubt and resolveth both the people & Moses. The question is, wherefore may we not receive the Passeover with the rest of our brethren? wherefore are we kept back? this is amplified by the occasion, they were defiled by a dead corpses. The consultation is with God, which is the second point, Moses willeth them to be quiet & stand still, until he knew the mind of the Lord, ver. 8. he would determine nothing rashly, but he doubted and held them in doubt, until he knew of God what was to be done. A religious example of modesty, humility, and wisdom in the matters of God. He did not glory to have in his own breast an oracle to answer all doubts, nor challenge any power of freedom from error, as the man of sin in the pride of his own heart boasteth of himself. The third part is the resolution and determination of God, deciding the question, and making some laws extending to them and their posterity; first, if any were unclean, they had respite given them unto the second month: they have not liberty until the next year, but to the next month they are dispensed withal. Secondly, the man that is clean and refuseth to come, he shall be cut off, that is, excommunicated from the people. Thirdly, if a stranger desire to be partaker of the Passeover, he must embrace the true religion, & be circumcised, Exod. 12.49. and then he may come.  
Touching the question and the occasion thereof, it appeareth that those good men, which were shut out from this part of God's service by reason they were defiled by touching a dead body, were much grieved at heart, and troubled in mind, that they were barred and as it were banished from the Passeover, having as great a desire as others to come unto it. Hence it is, that they make earnest moan and complaint to Moses for their separation: and therefore desire to be eased and relieved by him. The doctrine 
Doctrine  from hence is, that it is a great cause of sorrow and grief to God's dear children, 
God's children are grieved 〈◊〉 they are 〈◊〉 from his ●●●uice  when they are by any just occasion, or by the hand of God upon them, withheld and kept back from the parts and exercises of his worship. We see this in Hezekiah, in his sickness, 
Esay 38.1  his chief lamentation and complaint was, that he should not see the face of the Lord in his Temple. David often complaineth and lamenteth that he was driven by his enemies from his worship. He maketh the condition of the sparrow & swallow better than his, 
Psal. 84.3 42.1. and 5. and 137  which might come nearer to the altar than he, his soul panted and thirsted after God. The Church wept by the rivers of Babylon, when they remembered Zion and the songs they had sung in the Temple; and in another place, the Church, being by captivity deprived of the Temple, of their Synagogues, of their sacrifices, of their Sacraments, and of the exercises of their religion, maketh bitter complaint to God, O Lord, 
and 74.7,  they have cast thy Sanctuary into the fire, they have defiled thy dwelling place. The incestuous Corinthian, being by excommunication put from the fellowship of the Saints, and the use of the Ministry, became comfortless, and was almost swallowed up with sorrow. 2 Cor. 2.7.  
And can it be otherwise? The godly find Reason 1 such sweetness, such comfort, such spiritual joy in the presence of God, where the exercises of his worship and religion are performed, as nothing in this life is more pleasant and delightful unto them. The Prophet crieth out, as if he were ravished with an holy contemplation of the excellency of this, 
Psa●. 8● 1 1●. 10. an● 8. and 14  How amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord, etc. The word is sweeter to them then the honey and the honey comb, and more to be desired then much fine gold. They feed upon the bread in the Sacraments, as upon the fatness of his house, & drink of the cup as of the rivers of his pleasures, they offer up prayers as sweet incense and lift up their hands as the evening sacrifice. How then can it be, but that the loss & want of all these brought upon them, should strike them to the heart, and minister matter of much grief and mourning unto them? Secondly, the great love and mercy of God toward his people doth appear in the exercises of religion and the place of his worship to them that are not altogether blind and deaf, and past all sense and feeling of good things, then in all other things throughout the whole world besides, Prou. 9.1.2. And indeed a man or woman that hath once tasted the comfort of his adoption and salvation in Christ, taught in the word, and confirmed in the Sacraments, will think it one of his greatest losses, to lose and leave these exercises, and the greatest plague to be deprived of them, and by them of the pledges of his goodness and favour. Thirdly, when these are gone, they know and consider the greatest stays and helps of their standing in the grace of God are utterly taken away from them, & therefore they have cause to lament, as Psal. 74.9. We see not our signs, there is no more any Prophet, neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. When he taketh away his word, he lifteth up his standard and goeth away. And can there be greater cause to mourn then when God departeth from his people?  
Use 1 This reproveth such as can lament bitterly and mourn heavily for the least earthly losses and troubles, but never trouble themselves for loss of spiritual things. It was not so with the wife of Phinehas, she had many causes of mourning met together by heavy tidings that were told unto her, her father in law had broken his neck, her husband was killed, the host of God discomfited, and the Ark of God was taken; howbeit among all these none went nearer, none so near unto her as the taking of the Ark: and therefore she doubleth this which she could not put out of her mind, and did after a sort put out all the rest, 
●●m. 4.22.  The glory is departed from Israel, for the Ark of God is taken. But there are many in our days, that account it no loss at all, to lose Sermon after Sermon, Sacrament after Sacrament, and one meeting in the house of God after another: they can do this easily, and never mourn for it. Nay, they are vexed and tormented as if they were upon the rack, that they are constrained to come so often to the word, to the Sacraments, and to the house of prayer. See herein the great difference between the godly and ungodly. It is the voice of the faithful, When will the Sabbath come: but the unfaithful say, When will the Sabbath day be done, Amos 8.5. It is the voice of the faithful. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house Psal 84.4. but the unfaithful hold it a misery and bondage to be tied so strictly and straightly to the public exercises of religion. It is the voice of the faithful, 
〈◊〉. 42.2 and 7. & 120.5.  When shall I come and appear before God? but the unfaithful say, When shall we departed out of Zion, it is time we be gone. It is the faithful man's voice complaining. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar, but the unfaithful think themselves unhappy, that they must sojourn in the Tabernacle of God, and dwell in his house. If then they be the children of God, that mourn because they cannot meet with the rest of their brethren in the Temple, and at the Table of the Lord, certainly they must be the children of the devil, that mourn and lament because they are at them, and such as do willingly and wilfully, contemptuously and presumptuously absent themselves from them. It is noted of Christ our Saviour, that he earnestly desired, or as it is in the Original by doubling the word, with a desire, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Luk. 22.15.  I have desired to eat this Passeover with you before I suffer: whereby he showeth his fervent affection to join with them in this duty. So should it be with us: when one Sabbath is ended, we should long for the next: when one Communion is done, we should be ready to inquire after another: when one Sermon is ended, we should prepare for another; and account no day in the week so gracious, so welcome, so comfortable unto us as the Lords day; then let us cheer up our spirits and refresh our souls with such provision as God hath appointed for us.  
Secondly, it is a great judgement of God Use 2 upon men, howsoever they account of it, and whatsoever they esteem of it, when they are given over to their own ways, and regard not at all the ways of God. Nay, it is an evident token of God's heavy judgement to be deprived of the Word and Sacraments, of the exercises of religion and of the meetings of the godly, as Psal. 74, 1. the church crieth out, O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? 
Psal. 74.1.  Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? We all confess, that dearth and famine is a grievous plague, howbeit commonly we know no other than the famine of the body, when the tongue cleaveth to the roof of the mouth for thirst, and when the children say to their mothers, Where is corn & wine? but God threateneth a greater judgement than the famishment of the body, to wit, 
Lament 2.12.  the pining and consuming away of the soul, 
Amos 8.11.  through the famine of the word. It is accounted a great reproach for a subject to be denied the presence and protection of his Prince, and the freedom of his country; but these banish themselves from the presence of God. We should be all voluntary Communicants, but many are voluntary excommunicants: they exclude themselves from the Church, and execute the censures of the Church upon themselves. The Church complaineth (as we heard before) that the Lord cast them off: but these cast off themselves from the Church, from God, from his ordinances. It is an evident sign of most strange profaneness and deadness of heart, when men have no delight, no feeling, no comfort, no sweetness in the exercises of religion, when they cannot feed hearty of the fatlings, and drink greedily of the wines that are prepared by God fo● his family, the most delicate & delightful souls food that can be in the world, to wit, the hearing of the word, and the receiving of the Sacraments, of which more afterward. 
Chap. 11. Gen. 25. ●4 Heb 12. 1●.  Esau is a pattern of this profaneness, who esteemed of these precious things more vilely then of a mess of meat, of the good of his soul then of the filling of his belly, of future happiness then of a present and momentany pleasure. Many such Esau's we have in our days, as wretched and profane as he.  
Lastly, it ought to be the first and chiefest Use 3 thing in all our wishes and desires, & we should carefully express it in our love and zeal, to have the pleasure and profit of God's house in greatest account for our good for ever. This made the Prophet say, 
Psal. 26.8. and 27.4. and 84.10.  O Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. I have desired this one thing above all other, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, one day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. O what will be their portion in this life, and what will be their punishment in the life to come, who have banished these desires out of their hearts, and renounced them in their practice, accounting the time tedious, and the day lost that is spent this way. O that such could consider betimes the fearful end and fall that waiteth for them, so long as they grow more and more weary of the heavenly Manna that would fall upon their souls as a gracious rain upon the tender herb. And as for us that through the goodness of God live under the Ministry of the word and have the Sacraments rightly ministered unto us, let us know & confess that it is our duty to tender all praise & thanksgiving unto God, to labour to walk worthy of our calling, to express the power of them in our conversations, & to pray unto him earnestly for the continuance of them among us and our posterities, lest through our great unthankfulness and the abuse of them, they be taken from us, & given unto another people that will bring forth the fruits thereof.  
[Verse 8. And Moses said unto them, Stand still, etc. In these words we have Moses his consultation with God: for here seemed to be a kind of contrary or Antinomy, that is, one law against another. The unclean might not come to the sacrifice; and besides, it was an heinous offence to omit this exercise of their faith, and profession of their religion, no less than excommunication. As for the touching of a dead body, or burying of the dead, it is a duty of charity, of humanity, and of necessity; should a work of such due respect and importance that might not be avoided, debar them from the Passeover? These therefore seemed to be in a distress on both sides, and knew not which way to turn themselves in this maze; they might not come, and yet they might not well abstain: they must bury the dead, and yet the burial of the dead did exclude them. What shall they do between these two rocks that threaten shipwreck? if they do not bury the dead, they show want of charity: if they do, they bar themselves from a duty of piety, and could not partake of the Passeover until the next year. Moses confesseth himself in this case after a sort entangled, & knew not what to resolve, therefore for his and their satisfaction he resolveth to refer the matter wholly to God; forasmuch as he had no authority to institute for them a new Passeover. Doctrine. This teacheth us, in all matters of doubt, to ask counsel at the mouth of God. 
In al● do●●● we must as●● counsel of God.  But how may this be? for we cannot ascend up to heaven to speak unto him. I answer, he speaketh unto us at this day, and that two ways, 
2 King. 1. 1● and 19.1, 2. and 22.11. Ma●th 2.4. Act. 15.2. 2 Chron. 3 30 1 Chro. ●. Mal. 27. 1 King. 21, 5 7. Num. 15.34.35  both in his word and by his Ministers; The Spirit speaketh evidently in the Scriptures, by it he resolveth the Church, no less then by an oracle from heaven: besides, for our farther direction, he giveth the knowledge of his word to the Ministers, who draw all their light from the word, and do thereby ask counsel as at the mouth of God.  
The reasons are very evident. First the Scriptures Reason 1 are all sufficient to improve and correct, 
2 Tim. 3.16 Rom 15 4.  to teach and to instruct, to give patience and comfort, 
joh 20 31. 2 Tim. 3.15  that we may believe & have eternal life, and to make us wise unto salvation. Secondly, such as will not believe them and reply upon them, will believe nothing else, no although one come from the dead. 
Luke 16 31  It is therefore the foundation of faith to resort to these means to be resolved, as to the oracle and ordinance of God, Psal. 85.8.  
Observe from hence that all questions in Use 1 Religion must be decided and determined by the Scriptures. All doctrines are to be proved by them, and all errors to be convinced by them. The Scripture is the supreme judge of all counsels and controversies: 
The supre●● judge of a●● controuer●●  it sendeth not the Church to the general consent of the Pastors of the Church, nor turneth them over to expect a general council, nor posteth them over to Rome, as the Gentiles resorted to Delphos to consult with the Oracle of Apollo. It is in vain to neglect the strait & direct way, to seek out by-paths and uncertain passages. It never taught the Pope and his Cardinals to be the highest court and supreme judges of Scripture, who oftentimes are ignorant of Scripture. It cannot be interpreted but by the same Spirit by which it was written. It is required of the supreme judge and interpreter of Scripture, that he cannot err, that no appeal be made from him, that he be no way partial, and that he have power to compel the parties dissenting to yield obedience. These properties agree not to the Bishop of Rome, he is not free from error, for many of them have fallen into heresy, have taught contrary things one to the other, have made many foolish interpretations: he is a mere man and can compel no man's will to yield unto him; he is partial in his own cause, and therefore to appeal to him, is to ask one's fellow if he be a thief.  
Secondly, the Scripture containeth all Use things necessary to salvation; to withstand temptations, Matth. 4. and to build us up in all truth. So that it is simply and absolutely necessary. The doctrine of salvation cannot be learned but from it. The knowledge of the law is necessary, Rom. 7.7. the knowledge of the Gospel is necessary, Tit. 2.11.12. Neither let any object, that the Church wanted Scripture along time, even from the creation to the days of Moses; for the Question is not, what was necessary in the beginning, but what is now necessary. The mother's milk is sufficient for the infant, while it is a child, but it is not sufficient afterward, when once it is grown up. Neither is it true which the jesuite objecteth, that Christ commanded not any thing to be written, but is overthrown by many testimonies of Scripture, 2. Pet. 1.21.2 Tim. 3.16. revel. 1.11. and 14.13.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth that the Ministers ought to be ready to answer the questions and doubts that trouble the people any way. Therefore they must be faithful in their places, and skilful in the Scriptures, Hag. 2.12.13 they must not be blind guides & dumb dogs, Ezek. 34.4. their lips must preserve knowledge, and the people seek the Law at their mouths. Again, it is required of them to be resident upon their flocks, attending on them as watchmen watch the city always in danger of enemies, to discover the approach of them; and as shepherds attending their flock for fear of devouring wolves. 
〈◊〉 56 9, 10.  The people are as a prey in the jaws of all heretics where teachers are not attending and residing. The Israelites fell into horrible idolatry, when Moses was absent from them, Exod. 32.1. But how shall the Ministers be consulted withal, being absent from the people?  
Use 4 Lastly, it serveth for instruction for the people. They are not to consult with witches and wizards, but to resort to the Ministers of God Deut. 18.15. and to the word, to the law and to the testimony, Esay, 8.19.20. Prince's therefore must not contemn them, nor respect them as the lowest and basest of the people. And all people, high and low, rich and poor, must search the Scriptures, who think to have eternal life in them, joh. 5.39. They are greatly commended that were diligent in the reading of them, Acts 8.30. and 18.11. David did exercise himself in them day and night, Psal. 1.2. None are to be forbidden the reading of them, forasmuch as the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to all that believe, Rom. 1.16. They are greatly reproved and rebuked ●hat were ignorant in them, Mar. 12.24. that were slow of heart to believe them, Luk. 24.25. Every man therefore must seek to be assured & persuaded in his heart of that which he doth, 
〈◊〉. 14.5.  and seek to warrant his own work. All things must be done in faith, Hebr. 4.2. Mar. 11.24. jam. 1.5. without which no man can please God. This reproveth the ignorance that is in the greatest sort, who think it enough to do as others do, to hear the word, because others do so: to receive the Lords Supper, because they see their neighbours do so: and to come to Church, because the most do so. These think it enough to be present at divine duties, albeit they be indeed far from doing their duties. There are many that come and hear prayers, 
Many do hear prayers which never pray.  who do never offer up any prayers: as if there were some hidden virtue in the place or in the prayer, albeit they never lift up their hearts to God. These have not, neither can have any comfort in that which they do. They are without faith, because they are without knowledge. They have no assurance whether they please God or not, but do all things with doubtful hearts and wavering minds, and therein condemn themselves, and sin against God, 
Rom. 14 23. jam. 1.6.  being like a wave of the Sea tossed with the wind.  
[Verse 9.10. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children, etc. The determination of the question is here set down, and upon occasion thereof perpetual laws established for the direction of the Church. The unclean are put off to the 14. day of the second month: the clean must keep the Lords Passeover at the season appointed. There are two causes alleged, wherefore a man may for a time be excused for not coming to the Passeover, and is allowed as unblamable to defer the celebrating of it together with others; one is uncleanness, the other is a journey, both of them must be understood as grounded upon necessity. For to thrust himself into the uncleanness here meant without a calling, or to absent himself by a journey upon every trifling occasion, thereby omitting the business of God, because he would further his own business, is rather to be censured very sharply, than to suffer an excuse upon necessity; of whom we may say with Solomon, As a bird that wandereth from her nest, 
Pro. 27.8.  so is a man that wandereth from his place. For there are very many in all places, that had rather leave the Lords work undone, then spare one day of their own. It is a great matter with them to lose a days work, but they regard it as a matter of nothing to rob God of his day that he hath kept for himself. They had rather go to a drunken feast abroad, them to feast with God in his house. They had rather go speak to others in their own affairs, then either to God by prayer, or hear him speak to them in his word, on the Sabbath day. But to leave this, and to return to the matter in hand, by uncleanness in touching the dead, is meant by proportion all other kinds of legal uncleanness whatsoever, which signify the defilements of sin continued without repentance, the Lord leading his Church in the minority of it by outward things to inward, by earthly to spiritual, by the shadow to the body. The dead body is accounted unclean, because death which hath seized upon it is the fruit of sin. whereby men are truly made unclean. The Passeover was to the Israelites, the same that the Supper is to us, the equity therefore and truth of that which is here described, and directed to the people, remaineth to us for ever and teacheth, That necessity brought upon any by the hand of God, Doctrine. or by an inevitable duty of a man's calling, 
Necessity brought upon any by God's hand, dispenseth with God's service for that time.  do for that time free him from the public exercises of religion and of God's worship. If it be to save a man's life, or to preserve his house and goods from destruction, it giveth liberty, a toleration, and dispensation for the present, to leave the immediate worship of God. Such is the immediate hand of God in sickness, as we see in Hezekiah, Esay 38. Such was the case of David in persecution, Psal. 84. Such is the case of those that are in a long journey, as in this place. Likewise whensoever the public means are for a time taken away through persecution, Psa. 74 In time of sickness God requireth another duty of us, to wit, to look to our health: in danger of life to look to our safety: in danger of our goods, to look to our wealth.  
Reason 1 For whensoever God denieth the means, his will is that the things themselves should cease. For other means, may not be invented, or any other form then that which he hath ordained; as joel 1.19. he threateneth that the meat offering and drink offering should cease. Whensoever the will of God is, that these things shall be done, he will offer unto us, and put into our hands the means, he will give us the time and opportunity to do them.  
Secondly, it is God's pleasure to accept of mercy rather than sacrifice. Mat. 12.7. Hence it is, that to save from fire and water, to preserve life, to visit the sick, and to look to them, is to be preferred and more to be respected then going to the Church, or hearing of the word. What man shall there be among you (saith Christ, Mat. 12.11.) that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? how much than is a man better than a sheep? for the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; God ordaining it for our good, not for our hurt.  
Use 1 Hence it followeth that it is not simply the omitting of ●he Sacraments, but the neglect and contempt of them is dangerous to neglecters and contemners. They shall bear their sin, as they justly deserve, whose default it is. The Israelites in the wilderness were forty years together uncircumcised, yet were they to be holden the people of God, because they cannot be charged with negligence, nor reproved for any contempt, in as much as they wanted leisure being in their journey, or daily expecting the sign of removing. All the people that came out of Egypt were circumcised, 
josh. 5.5.  but all the people that were borne in the wilderness by the way, them they circumcised not, and it is excused or defended by necessity. For the Sacraments do not confer grace, neither are they absolutely necessary to salvation, as if without them a man could not possibly be saved. Hence therefore are the Romanists reproved, that do teach, that children are damned that dye without Baptism; 
Children dying without Baptism ar● not damned.  as though all the Israelites that died in the wilderness, which were borne there and were not circumcised, were condemned; no, doubtless: no more than that all which were circumcised, were saved. True it is, Moses was reproved and was near to death, because he circumcised not his son, who had time and leisure to do it, Exod. 4.24. and we must take heed of contempt, which deserveth a cutting off from the people of God, Gen. 17.14. because he hath broken the Covenant. Howbeit, as it is said in the proverb, Necessity hath no law. The grace of Christ taketh away all the sins of all believers, and therefore the general guilt brought in by original sin, Rom. 5. This grace is not tied to outward signs, but dependeth upon the free pleasure of God. This is received by faith only, as appeareth in the example of Abraham, and farther confirmed by the Sacraments. Nevertheless, we acknowledge a necessity in respect of the commandment of God, and of the proper end, and therefore is with all reverence and conscience, and obedience to be yielded unto.  
Secondly, where the ordinary and precious Use 2 means of salvation, the preaching of the word and administration of the Sacraments, are taken away and removed, as the standard out of the camp, or the light out of the candlestick, there the extraordinary and more weak means are to be used of us, and God's blessing in such cases is to be hoped for and looked after. In the days of persecution, private reading, meditation, and conference are blessed of God, and his Church maintained, continued, and increased thereby: yea, the beholding of the constant suffering of the holy martyrs was a forcible means to work the conversion of many, and made them in love with that doctrine for which they suffered and gave their lives In times of famine when there is no bread left in a city, and the inhabitants are constrained to far hard and short, yet it pleaseth God to preserve life by very weak means, to show that man liveth not by bread only: so is it in the famine of spiritual things. In the days of Ahab, when the Temple was forsaken by the ten tribes, and idolatry was erected in Israel, the altars digged down, and the Prophets slain, yet God reserved seven thousand that never bowed the knee to Baal, 1 King. 19.18. Rom. 11.4. There were very few labourers in the days of Christ among the Jews, ignorance had covered the land that they were as sheep without a shepherd; 
Matth. 9. 3●  and yet in those barren times, when the seed of the word was thinly sown, there was a plentiful harvest ready to be gathered, for lo the fields were white unto the harvest, joh. 4.35. Thus doth God bless what means soever it shall please him to use; let them be never so weak in themselves and little in our eyes, yet they shall have force and strength enough, when he will employ them: which serveth as a great comfort to those that have not the best means to bring them to faith and repentance.  
Use 3 Lastly, we must take heed we put not slight and unnecessary excuses for urgent and necessary causes. They that were bidden to the wedding pleaded by way of excuse for themselves, I have hired a farm, I have bought five yoke of oxen, I have married a wife, I cannot come, Luke 14.18. Matth. 22.5. Many in our days would account these good excuses, honest pretences, & lawful defences: & indeed it cannot be denied, but they justify them by their own practices, 
●●k. 16.51.  as jerusalem did Samaria. For they go further in their wicked ways, and account it a sufficient colour to warrant their absence from God's ordinance, saying, I have a bargain to make, I have work to take, I am bidden to a feast, I must go speak with such a man, it is rainy weather, there is an yeveall at the next Parish, I must walk about my ground to see my corn and cattle, I am otherwise busy, and therefore I cannot come. Others, that think themselves more wise, yet show themselves more wicked, because they pretend greater love to the truth and liking to Religion then the other, they can read good Sermons, and use good prayers at home, and therefore what need they come? Let all these take heed (to bind them together in one bundle) lest it be said unto them hereafter, as it was said to such as made such like slight and sleeulesse excuses, that none of those that were bidden should taste of that Supper. Necessary causes of absence are such, as require present doing, that could not be dispatched before, neither can be put off until afterward. Heat and cold, rain and shine, hunger and thirst, poverty of estate, or tediousness of journey could not keep the people of God from the Passeover, Psal. 84.6. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. These can excuse no man to his Prince, no not to the ordinary judge and justice. When a man is cited and summoned by word or writ, to appear at the bar of an earthly judge, will it be taken for currant answer to say, O sir, I was willing and desirous to appear, but it was hot weather, or cold weather, or rainy weather: will such frivolous and fruitless excuses be admitted? and shall we think that the king of kings, and the judge of judges will receive them at such times as he summoneth us to appear before his presence? Let us not therefore offer and perform less duty and service unto God, than we do unto men: nor suppose that God will content himself with less attendance than man doth.  
[Ver 10. If any of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body.] here is another cause of being kept from the Passeover, 
●●●n ●●d●●●●●● offen●●●●●ght t●●●●ed 〈◊〉 the com●●n.  to wit, uncleanness. The doctrine 
doctrine.  is, that open offenders and impenitent persons ought not to have any access to the Lords Table, but are to be kept from it as unclean birds from the Sacrifice. A stranger uncircumcised had nothing to do with the Passeover, Exod. 12.48. The incestuous person was excommunicated from the Church, and the privileges of it, 1 Cor. 5. as Cain was from the face of God, Gen. 4. When Adam had sinned against God, and eaten of the forbidden fruit, he was put out of the ga●den, that he might not eat of the fruit of the tree of life, Gen. 3.22, 23, 24. this was as a Sacrament unto him of life, so long as he continued in obedience. The Sacraments are holy things, but holy things must not be given to dogs: the Sacraments are precious pearls, but pearls must not be cast before swine. Now obstinate offenders and notorious sinners are dogs and swine.  
The reasons are, as Christ saith, they will Reason 1 trample them under their feet; Matt. 7.6. they place no holiness in them, they do not esteem them as any pearls, or value them at any rate. Hence it is, that the Prophet saith, If any that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, it shall be unclean, Hag. 2.13 if then the person be defiled. he defileth whatsoever he toucheth, the holiness of the sacrifice cannot make him holy, but the wickedness of the person shall make the sacrifice unholy.  
Again, such as come to the Lords Supper, must show the Lords death till he come 1 Cor. 11.26. That is, he must publish with praise and thanksgiving unto God, the memorial of the greatest wonder and mystery that ever fell out in the world, to wit, the propitiatory sacrifice and precious death of the eternal Son of God. But this can never be done by a wicked man. Praise in the mouth of a fool is not comely nor commendable, neither God will accept of them any such sacrifice.  
Thirdly, they are guilty of the body and blood of Christ, and therefore it must needs be a fearful wickedness to come in such a wretched and profane manner, 1 Corinth. 11.27. They are despisers of the most precious thing in the world, Heb. 10.29. They tread under foot the Son of God, and account the blood of the New Testament a profane thing, which caused the Angels of God & the whole frame of nature in heaven and earth to wonder at it, and to be dismayed at the death of the Son of God contemned by these wicked wretches No sin, murder, incest, treason, comparable to this sin.  
Fourthly, they have no fellowship with the Church in these holy things; there is no communion between light and darkness, between righteousness and unrighteousness, and therefore Simon Peter said to Simon Magus, Thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this business, Acts 8.21. Such therefore as are scandalous & profane are to be separated by the Church from others, as ●●ule and filthy beasts are to be kept from fair springs, lest with their feet they defile the water.  
Lastly, the seal belongeth to such only as have the covenant or testament belonging unto them, but open offenders have nothing to do with them. It will be said, judas was admitted by Christ, Object. and therefore wicked persons may be so. I answer, Answ. judas was not known to be a wicked person, no more than he was known to be a reprobate. He was a thief, but not known to be a thief: but they must be known wicked persons that are to be exempted and excluded. Again, it may appear that judas was not at the Supper, john 13, 30. So soon as he had received the sop, he went out immediately; but the sop was in the Passeover, so that he was at the Passeover, not at the Supper.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, there ought not to be a general admission of all that offer to come to the Sacraments without difference and distinction. A Turk or jew if they would desire baptism, may not be received before they make open confession of the faith. When the Eunuch desired baptism, and said, See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptised? Philip answered, If thou believest, thou mayest, Acts 8, 36, 37. Such only are allowed to have the benefit of the Sacraments, and to be admitted unto them, that are of the number of believers. None were to be baptised but such as were within the Covenant, 1 Cor. 7, 14. and in that respect are called holy. None are meet guests to be at the Lords Table, but such as know & believe, and practise the doctrine which is according to godliness, as no uncircumcised person and unbeliever was received to the Passeover. Thus than we see who have right to the Sacraments, and who have not.  
Use 2 Secondly, this giveth direction and instruction to the Ministers, not to keep back whom they please, or to bar from the communion any upon spleen or private grudge or revenge, but must take heed they do not mingle their private affections with the public exercises of religion. It reproveth therefore all such justly as turn away those that desire to communicate, through hatred, envy, and malice to their persons, because they have some way offended them, whether it be in deed or in conceit. They have power and authority only to exclude public offenders, and scandalous livers; as for others, they have no jurisdiction to deny them or bar them the Communion. The Disciples reproved those that brought little children to Christ, but they are reproved themselves, for Christ was much displeased with them, and would not have them forbidden, Mark. 10, 14. So ought we to suffer the people to come unto Christ, yea, to exhort them and stir them up and encourage them, not discourage them, nor forbidden them, nor hinder them that would come. If there were a public well for all to draw water out of it, what inhumanity and cruelty were it to keep back any from drawing out of it? These are like to the Philistims that stopped the wells and filled them with earth, 
Gen. 26, 15.  which Abraham's servants had digged, that none could have benefit of them, Gen. 26, 15. When Moses was fled out of Egypt, and came into the Land of Madian, and that he saw the froward Shepherds drive away the daughters of Revel from the well, that they could not water their father's sheep, he stood up and helped them and watered their flock, Exod. 2, 17. If we be the Shepherds of the Lords flock, we must not be like to these Shepherds that would not suffer the sheep to be watered, we must be rather like to Moses to help them. It is a sign of much envy, and little piety, to hinder those that are willing to come. These are worse than the woman of Samaria, and have less mercy, pity, & compassion than she had; 
john 4.9.  for though she refused to give drink to Christ, because he was a jew, and the jews had no dealing with the Samaritans, yet she never assayed to keep him from the well, as these do many of their brethren, more indeed to their own reproach, then to the shame of those whom they turn away; this ought not so to be.  
Thirdly, to exercise any part of God's worship Use 3 profanely, to hear the word unreverently, and to come to the Table of the Lord unworthily, deserveth a great and grievous plague, 1 Cor. 11, 30. For this cause many were weak, and sick, and stricken with death among the Corinthians. Woe therefore to those that are profane, and profane the holy things of God. This is a most fearful sin, they conspire against God, and commit high treason against his Majesty, and therefore God will arm himself against them, and pursue them as his enemies with fire and sword, that is, with his wrath & vengeance at their heels. The wrath of a King is as the roaring of a Lion, who so provoketh him to anger, sinneth against his own soul, Prou. 19, 12, and 20, 2. His anger conceived is present death, 1 Sam. 22, 18. Ester 7, 9 Mat. 2, 16, and 14, 10. What shall we say then of God, who is a consuming fire? Heb. 12, 29. If his wrath be kindled but a little, blessed are all they that trust in him, Psal. 2, 12. We have no defence for ourselves, but to say, Enter not into judgement with thy servants, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified, Ps. 143, 2. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: whither shall we fly, to be able to escape his hand, but that he will find us out? His displeasure is like himself, that is, infinite, and cannot be expressed.  
Lastly, we learn that such as come to the Use 4 Table of the Lord, should seriously prove and thoroughly prepare themselves to this so weighty and religious work. It standeth us therefore upon to know wherein this trial and examination standeth, especially considering that many do much deceive themselves therein. Some place it in outward things, as if they fast before they come, if they hang down their heads like bulrushes, if they prepare the body and outward man touching their apparel, and for the present time show humility and abstinence, although presently after they return again to their former conditions and vices, as to their vomit, making only an intermission of them for a short space, but assuming them again with no small advantage. But this is a vain thing. For our sins must be left quite and clean, so as we never return to them again. It is an easy matter to conceive in ourselves that we have faith. But if it be a true & holy faith, it purifieth the heart, Act. 15.9. & worketh by love, Gal. 5.6. First, therefore every one must labour to be a repentant sinner, which consisteth in unfeigned sorrow for sin, purposing never to fall into it again, & an ardent love toward that which is good. We must confess our sins of omission and commission, of ignorance and knowledge, of weakness and presumption, how we have provoked our good God to anger, in soul and body, abusing our wit, our memory, our authority, our health, our liberty, our riches, our heart, our tongue, our feet, our hands, and all other members, to infidelity, blasphemy, swearing, lying, whoredom, cruelty, injury, theft, gluttony, drunkenness, pride, wantonness, slanders, and such like: making them filthy dungeons and stinking sinks for the devil, which should be the Temples of God. Wherefore we must have earnest grief and sorrow and trembling, that we have hereby not only broken in pieces, and torn in sunder by our sins all the laws of God, but we have also by them crucified upon the Cross, and put to a shameful death the Lord of Life. We commonly lay the whole and only fault upon Herod and Pilate, upon the high Priests, upon judas, and the jews, & who is not displeased with these for their cruelty herein? howbeit we should be more displeased with ourselves who are as deep by our sins in this sin as ever they, as we have showed before out of the Prophet. And here I summon all profane persons before God, that have no delight in good things, and all such as with greediness and without shame wallow in all sin and wickedness, giving by their lewdness continual and grievous offence to the children of God. If they dare presume to present themselves at the Lord's Table having their hearts & hands gored with the blood of the Son of God. I would have them answer what they promised to God and his Church in their Baptism, and what they now profess. They promised to forsake the devil and all his works: but sin is one of the chief and principal works of the devil. What, I pray you, could the Lord jesus have done for us, that he hath not done? and shall we so reward him and requite him for all his pains, his agony and bloody sweat? If a king's son finding us in a filthy sink or miry puddle should help us out with his hands, and wash us in water, and put his precious robes upon us, and after all this, we thrice miserable wretches should presently cast ourselves into the same again, what unthankfulness were this? what indignity? Christ jesus hath redeemed us from the bondage of sin, and washed us in his blood, revel. 1.5. shall we defile ourselves again with worse than mire and dung, and serve Satan and sin, his and our enemies? Again, we must seek to approve our hearts and consciences with love and charity to our neighbours. For we can never come with a good conscience toward God, except also we show the fruits of love to our brethren. We must have peace with all men, without which no man shall see God to his comfort, Heb. 12.14. We are but one bread & but one body, 1 Cor. 12.12. There should be a communion among all the Saints of God, which also we profess to believe. We meet all in one place as it were in one house, we have one head, we hear one word, we eat the same spiritual meat, we drink the same spiritual drink: we are utterly unworthy of all these, if we be infected and poisoned with the bitter roots of hatred, strife, rancour, debate, contention, quarreling, and such like unfavory & unsanctified fruits, which show that we are carnal and faithless men, not fit to be called the servants of Christ, whose love was great even toward his enemies.  
[Verse 13. But the man that is clean, etc. and forbeareth to keep the Passeover, even the same soul shall be cut off, etc.] The meaning is, he shall be shut out from the fellowship of the Saints. Whosoever through mere negligence and carelessness did put off this duty, and would not with the rest of the people of God keep the Passeover, is judged for it, and beareth his sin, that is, is guilty of a great wickedness before God. Doctrine. We learn hereby that they which negligently and carelessly omit the parts of God's worship, and the exercises of religion, 
All that are careless in God's service lie under his wrath.  whensoever they are celebrated in the meetings of God's people, committeth a great iniquity, and lieth under the wrath and judgements God. The uncircumcised male that purposely breaketh the Covenant of God shall be cut off from the people, Gen. 17.14. Moses carelessly omitting the circumcision of his son, was near to be slain of God, Exod. 4.24. He that did not conscionably and religiously keep the Passeover, was also to be cu● off, as we see in this place: and afterward, he that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day, was stoned with stones that he died, chap. 15.32, 36. Such then as bring not the offerings of God in their season, and are careless in his worship, lie under his wrath, and deserve the sentence of excommunication.  
For they neglect the homage and service Reason 1 due to God, and observe not the seasons appointed of God, as we see in this 13. verse. There is an appointed season for every work under the Sun. God also hath his times and seasons, who hath all times in his own hands, which being neglected, cannot be recalled.  
Secondly, all such as contemn the means, are profane contemners of those excellent things that are offered by the means; and the contempt of the word, is the contempt of God. The contempt of this Baptism is the contempt of the remission of sins; the Pharisees, that were not baptised of john, rejected the counsel of God against themselves, he that contemneth the Supper, refuseth the merits of Christ's death and passion, and is guilty of the body & blood of Christ, 1 Cor. 11. and maketh a mock of the Son of God. Thirdly, such despise the wisdom of God, accounting that simple, weak, and foolish, which he in his infinite wisdom hath appointed to be the ordinary means of his strong arm and mighty power. His ways are not as our ways, his ways are foolishness to foolish men, 1. Cor. 1.23. and our ways are foolishness to the most wise God, 1 Cor. 3.19. and that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God, Luke 16.15. as that which is oftentimes least regarded of us, is in greatest price and account with him.  
Use 1 Conclude from hence, that the state and condition of all reckless hearers of the word, and of negligent receivers of the Sacraments, is most wretched & accursed. Shall we be so sottish and simple to imagine that God hath ordained these things for nothing? or that he will see his writings and seals trodden under foot, and not punish these rebels and enemies? Is not he that maliciously and contemptibly defaceth the Prince's broad seal, a traitor against his Prince? Are these then any better that reject both word and Sacrament? we see this in Ahaz, when he had a sign offered unto him from the Lord in the depth beneath, or in the height above, to assure him of deliverance, he contemned and rejected the same, Esay 7.12. howbeit, he never prospered after, but grew worse and worse, 2 Chron 28. True it is, he pretendeth he would not tempt God by ask a sign, but the refusing of a sign when God offereth it, is no better than a tempting of God. All that refuse the Sacraments tempt God, for they will make trial whether God can or will save them without them. But take this as a certain rule, and build ye upon it, whensoever God granteth his Sacraments, he will never save without them. Objection If any ask, cannot God save without these, such as believe? I answer, Answer. the question is not what God can do, but what he will do: he hath made no such promise to any man to save without them, Object. while we have them. If any farther reply, Is is not enough to believe? is not faith sufficient to save and to join us to God? I answer, Answer. such deceive themselves to think they do believe, and yet neglect the use of the Sacraments. 
Mar. 16.14.  And therefore Christ saith, He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved, he saith not, he that believeth only. Take this therefore as another rule, whosoever truly believeth, is careful to frequent the Sacraments, because when he hath faith, he desireth earnestly the confirmation of it. And whosoever rejecteth the Sacraments as needless and superfluous, or despiseth the counsel and commandment of God, that requireth the coming unto them, doth evidently declare that he never had true faith. Thus than we see the woeful condition of all such as refuse the comfortable use of God's Sacraments. The Prophet pronounceth every one of them accursed that do the work of the Lord negligently. Alas, alas, how many among us lie under this curse! how many are like to perish through the heavy, yet just wrath of God! O that these wicked and slothful servants could consider these things! The Lord is near in mercy to those that hear his word diligently, that pray to him earnestly, and frequent the exercises of religion carefully. 
Act. 10 2.  Cornelius was often in prayer, for he prayed God continually, and therefore an Angel is sent to tell him that his prayers were come up in remembrance before God. So it is said of Hannah, 
Luke 2.37.  for which she is highly commended. Let this be our praise and commendation.  
Secondly, every one is bound to prepare Use 2 himself for such times, to lay all lets and businesses aside, to cut off from us all hindrances and encumbrances, except we will ourselves be cut off, that so we may join in the solemn exercises of God's people. And as we ought to perform this in all our meetings, so than most especially, when all the helps of faith and furtherances of our instruction meet together, when we have both the Scriptures read, and prayers offered, and the word preached, and the Sacraments administered, together with giving of thanks, and singing of Psalms, and such like. Al Israel far and near came to the Passeover, and all nations under heaven professing the same faith joined with them. Should not therefore every one within a small precinct of ground and in a parish give this honour to God? But we have such dissolute and disordered persons in most of our congregations, that think they have done a notable work, and begin to commend their own wisdom, if they can handsomely and cleanly shift off the time of the celebration and participation of the Lords Supper: Nay, as cunning beggars delight to keep their wounds always bleeding, and their sores ever fresh and running, so commonly these corrupt fellows will have of set purpose some brabbling and brawling with their neighbours, just at the time of Easter when it is required they should communicate, and when they know the eyes of all are upon them more than at other times, than I say they will have some quarrel and contention, that so they may escape and go away. And if they can defer and delay the matter for that time, they think themselves safe by this ungodly shift, as the Fox in his burrow, until Easter shall come again. But these are not so to be suffered to escape scotfree. Let them be called upon to come the next time. They that were unclean by the dead, or in a journey, that they could not keep the Passeover, were they exempted and freed unto the next year? No, t●ey were commanded to come to it the next month, and that under the pain and censure of excommunication, as we see verse 12, 13. of this chapter. And so was the Church in former time wont to excommunicate all such wilful and wicked offenders: and never was there more need to take up this course again, against such as seek to slide away slily as it were in the dark that they might not be espied.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it reproveth such as pretend their defects and imperfections as reasons and warrants to bar them from the Communion, of whom we hope better things then of the former. They espy many corruptions in themselves, that they dare not presume to come, and therefore think it best utterly to abstain. They pretend the danger to come unworthily, and seem afraid to offend by their coming. But let not such deceive themselves. For first, no man for his weakness must forbear the Lords Table. It was instituted for such as feel their wants. If you feel no weakness of faith, I charge you come not thither, for you cannot be fit receivers. Come to me (saith Christ,) all that are weary, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you, Matth. 11.28. Secondly, the absenting of ourselves from the Sacrament can be no good means to better our estate. For no man can reap any good by abstaining. 
●●e forbearing of the ●●●ds Supper 〈◊〉 make no ●●●better.  Do we find much evil in ourselves that we cannot come? let us persuade ourselves of this, as of a certain truth, that forbearing the Lords Supper will make us much worse. Suppose we find much hypocrisy, much self-love, much corruption, and much hardness of heart in us: yet to keep ourselves from this Sacrament, is the ready way to increase and nourish these in us, and so to make us much worse than we were before, but better it cannot make us by any means. Thirdly, this corrupt practice doth closely and secretly accuse God of cruelty and severity, as if he were a rigorous judge that would accept of none but of such as had attained to absolute perfection; or else with that evil servant in the Gospel, they say, We knew thee to be an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, & gathering where thou hast not strewed, Matth. 25.24. yea, in effect they tax him with hatred and envy, whereas he is well pleased with sincerity of heart, though it be accompanied with imperfection of the work, and accepteth the will for the deed, 2 Cor. 8.12. When Hezekiah prayed for the people, that the Lord would pardon every one that prepared his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers, though he were not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary, the Lord heard him, and harkened unto him, and healed the people, 2 Chron. 30.18, 19, 20. If there be in us a willing mind, God accepteth us according to that measure of grace which we have, not according to that we want. A good heart shall never be rejected▪ though some evil cleave unto it, and hang about it. Sincerity and truth in the inward parts shall never go away unrewarded. 
job 3.1, 2.  job fought a sore combat as it were hand to hand with Satan, and received many blows and wounds, in the encounter whereby he was sore weakened, and broke out into many unadvised words which he would not and should not utter; yet God laid them not to his charge, but spared him as a man spareth his only son that serveth him, and setteth him forth as a worthy pattern of patience and of obedience. If then we labour to be upright in heart, 
jam. 5. 2●.  the Lord will pass over our infirmities; he will look upon the good we do, and pardon the evil. Lastly, our abstinence giveth evil example unto others, for which also we must give an account. Woe unto them that give offence, and therefore let no person with draw himself when the Lord doth solemnly invite him to such a solemn banquet. This we shall do, if we labour to find sweetness and comfort in these holy things of God, & avoid all loathsomeness and tediousness, whereby we incur the wrath of God, which fell upon the Israelites that loathed the Manna, Chap. 11.6. We must come to this heavenly feast, as a man would do to a bodily feast, and feast our souls as we do our bodies, that is, we must bring with us a good appetite, We must hunger and thirst after righteousness, Matth. 5.6. We see how men that would buy and sell do long after Fairs and Markets. These holy assemblies are the Fairs and markets of God, they are the great feast-days of God; let us therefore desire them with an earnest desire, that we may be stored at them, and all our wants be abundantly supplied.  
[Verse 14. And if a stranger shall sojourn, etc.] The third law is set down, binding the stranger among them that embraced the jewish religion, to partake the Passeover. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that it is necessary for all Christians that are of age and discretion, to partake the Sacraments of the Lord; 
All Christians are to be partakers of the Lords Sacraments.  so he saith, Take ye, eat ye, drink ye, for the remission of the sins of many, Matth. 26.26. Again he saith, Drink ye all of this: and all of them drank of it, Mar. 14.23. and the Apostle, 1. Cor. 10. showeth that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptised under Moses, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; 
1 Cor. 10.1, 2, 3, 4.  do we not hear how many alles the Apostle repeateth, all passed, all were baptised, all did eat, all did drink, and that none were freed and exempted from this general and common duty? Christ sending out his disciples, willeth them to go teach all nations and baptise them, Matth. 28.19. So then, there is a necessity laid upon every one to come to the Lords Table, without exception of any estate, degree, or person that is of age and discretion.  
Reason 1 For to abstain purposely is a contempt of the seal of our redemption, and consequently both of redemption itself, and of the redeemer himself. For as he that despiseth baptism, despiseth that which is represented by it, namely, the washing away of his sins: so is it in the Supper, they that despise it, do despise the work and price of their redemption, Luke 22, 19 This is my body, do this, etc.  
Secondly, they despise the commandment of Christ, nay an heap of commandments multiplied together to enforce this duty; wherefore doth the Lord jesus say, Take ye, eat ye, 
1 cor. 11, 24, 25  do ye this, drink ye, do ye this? is it not to teach us that it belongeth unto us to obey?  
Thirdly, we have the examples of the faithful as a cloud of witnesses to enforce us to yield obedience. All have submitted themselves to this duty, and all have accounted themselves bound to this practice, as we showed before out of the Apostle. And the people complained that they were kept back from the Passeover, testifying that it was their desire to be admitted unto it.  
Fourthly, such as do not come, do set light by the happy and holy remembrance of the death and passion of the Son of God, (wherein standeth the comfort of all his children) who teacheth that the faithful celebrate the Supper in memorial of him, as Luke 22, 16. If then we willingly and wilfully abstain, we declare plainly, that we receive no benefit by the death of Christ, and care not if the memorial thereof were forgotten. 
1 Cor. 11, 26.  An horrible sin.  
Fiftly, the Supper is a notable means to strengthen faith: if then all have need of such helps as God hath left for us and appointed unto us, it followeth necessarily, that they must carefully resort to the sacraments, which serve for that end and purpose.  
Lastly, they despise the Church and the union thereof, and do of their own accord after a sort excommunicate themselves from the fellowship of their brethren, and of Christ jesus the author and appointer of this Supper: and in this respect the Apostle willeth them to come together, and reproveth them that were herein slack or singular, 
1 Cor. 11.22.  saying, Despise ye the Church of God? in this I praise you not.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, we must confess from hence, that it lieth upon all men to be frequent and forward in performing of this duty, & to come often to this exercise of our faith. It should never be celebrated in the Church, but all should come together. 
1 Cor. 11, 17, 33.  He that maketh a feast looketh that all which are bidden should come it. All the Disciples of Christ met together: and therefore Paul, who delivered that to the Church which he had received of the Lord, v. 23. chargeth them, that when they come together to eat, they should tarry one for another, v. 23. This is a general fault in our assemblies, and a disorder that we must never cease to reprove, which if it were found in our daily dinners that we make for others that are invited, and serve but to feed the belly, of which Paul saith, Meats for the belly, 
1 Cor. 6, 1  and the belly for the meats, but God shall destroy both it and them: Who would not think himself wronged to furnish his table, and to provide for his guests, & then none vouchsafe to come but cause him to lose all his cost, and labour, and expectation? We come not to the Lords house and to the Lords Table with that zeal and diligence which becometh us. It is said of the Church after Christ's ascension, that they continued daily with one accord in the Temple, 
Acts 2, 46.  and breaking bread, etc.: and a little before it is said, All that believed, were together. But we, as if our brethren that stay to communicate, were not of the Church, or we did not belong to that fellowship, do shuffle away and scatter ourselves abroad, as if this business did not belong unto us. If it be said, Object. It is a dangerous thing to receive unworthily: we may make ourselves guilty of the body of Christ, and bring judgement upon ourselves: I answer, Answer. it is not enough for careless men and women to hold out this buckler as if it could defend then against the stroke of God's word, which cannot serve our turn. These are like to the sluggard in the proverbs, that saith, 
Prou. 22, 13 and 26.13, 19, 24.  There is a Lion in the way, I shall be slain in the streets: or as it is before: A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. The sluggard never wanteth some defence for himself, he thinketh himself wiser than seven men that can render a reason. 
Prou. 26, 1  This is in his conceit a sure defence for his offence in abstaining, Seeing it is so dangerous to receive unworthily, I will not receive at all, and so I shall escape the danger. But there is a necessity laid upon all that may and do come, and if they will be saved, they must come. For the danger is no less to abstain wilfully, than it is to receive unworthily. These are like to those unskilful Mariners, who while they are busy & careful to shun one rock, do run themselves upon another, & there suffer shipwreck. Object. But they will farther say for themselves, they hear the word, and tarry so long as the Sermon lasteth, and the word is the chiefest means. I answer, Answer. it skilleth not which is more principal and which is less, but it importeth us to know what is God's commandment. As he hath said, Hear ye the word of the Lord, so he hath said of this Sacrament, Take ye, and eat ye, etc. Will we give ear to one commandment, and not to another? Would any man, if he had some covenant to seal, content himself with the writing, and departed before he hath the seal to it? Or when one is bidden to a dinner or a supper, and hath tasted of one dish of meat, will he rise up and be gone? No, he will be sure to sit down with the first, & rise with the last. Or if he should start up and go his ways, will not the master of the feast think himself wronged and injuried? And we must make no other account in this holy work, but that if we behave ourselves in this rude and disordered manner, we shall highly offend the master of the house, and the author of the feast. Wherefore as the Apostle denounceth a woe against himself, 
〈◊〉 9, 16,  if he preach not the Gospel, because a necessity is laid upon him, so he might denounce a like woe if he did not administer the Lords Supper: so we must know that the same woe hangeth over our heads, if we do not carefully and oftentimes receive the Supper of the Lord, because a necessity is laid upon us, and therefore we must deal faithfully with God and our own souls in the discharge of this duty.  
Secondly, this serveth as a comfort to all Use 2 those that come as they ought, to wit, reverently and advisedly, and therefore it meeteth with sundry abuses which quench this comfort. Such are justly to be reproved, who depart the congregation in time of the administration of it, as though it were no part of God's worship, or did nothing at all concern themselves. Again, there are many that take a lawless liberty to themselves, to receive the Lords Supper as often & seldom as they list, as though it were a thing indifferent, that might be done or not be done, at their own discretion. The common excuse that hindereth men is, that they say they are not in charity. But why do they not make haste to reconcile themselves to their brethren? why do they sit still, and never desire to be at unity? The Prophet telleth us it is our duty not only to be at peace with others, 
〈◊〉 12, 18. 〈◊〉 34, 14.  that if it be possible as much as lieth in us, we should live peaceably with all men; but also, that we should seek peace and ensue after it. If it fly from us, we must pursue it, and never give over until we have overtaken it, and laid hands upon it. But we are like to a man fallen into a deep pit, that hath no desire or purpose to come out of it. 
〈◊〉. 26, 27.  We should not suffer the Sun to go down upon our wrath, lest thereby we give entrance unto the devil. If we entertain the one, we can by no means exclude and shut out the other, as the example of Cain may teach us, who was of that evil one, and therefore first he hated, and then slew his Brother, 1. john 3, 12.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing we are bound to come to the Sacraments, let us labour to feel the power, virtue, & grace offered unto us by them. Nothing in the world should be so often remembered of us as the death of Christ. This should be a christian man's treasury, nothing should more rejoice our hearts, Gal. 6, 14. and therefore if we desire to feel the benefit of it, and to be transformed into a likeness of it, it should effectually move us to be often present, and often to use these pledges & remembrances of his death. In this Sacrament, we do after a sort see him crucified upon the cross. And to show that we do truly remember his death, let us labour to express the power of it, and answerably bear the like mind toward him. A conformity unto his death, is to die to sin, Rom. 6, 1. They that return to their own vomit, never came with a good conscience. What bitterness of the cross did he patiently endure for us? and shall we with our sins, as with nails and spears, pierce his hands, nay his heart again? These make a mock of the Lords Supper, which representeth his death, nay they set at nought his death and passion. Others that day, so soon as they have been partakers of this seal, run up and down in rioting and sporting, and Alehouse haunting, and thereby make it evident, what reckoning they make of his death. Do these labour to die to sin, and to be like him? If we do no better die with him then in this profane manner, let us take heed of the second death, for it is to be feared such shall never live with him. If we be not like to him in this life, let us not look to be like unto him in the life to come.  
[Verse 15. And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up, etc.] The second part of the chap. followeth, to wit, the removing from Sinai, when once the Tabernacle was erected. I will from hence observe before we pass farther, Doctrine. one point from the building and erecting of the Tabernacle, a place for the congregation to meet together for the worship of God, that christians also in the time of the gospel should have churches and Temples builded, and fit places appointed to meet together for God's service. 
Christians should have some fit place for God's service.  True it is, in time of persecution, when free liberty of public meetings is restrained, it sufficeth to meet in private houses (if those houses may be called private which are separated for such a purpose;) yet even they ought to be decent and fitted to so holy a work, and sanctified to so holy an end. God commanded Moses to set up a Tabernacle for the assembling together of the congregation, Exod. 25 David prepared to build an house to God, & would give no sleep to his eyes, nor slumber to his eyelids, until he had found out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of jacob, Ps. 132 4, 5. Solomon afterward built him an house, which was called the house of prayer, because chief it served for that purpose, Acts 7, 47. Immediately after the captivity, when salomon's Temple was ruinated, it was the principal care of the jews to build it again; and though they were hindered a long time in the work, joh. 2. yet being reproved for their negligence, and stirred up to diligence by the Prophets, they finished the work. The Apostle speaking of the abuses among the Corinthians touching the Lords Supper, showeth, that they came together into one place, 2 Cor. 11, 20. and therefore it is needful to have fit places, by what name soever they be called, wherein the church is to assemble, Psal. 74, 8. Luk. 4, 16.  
And so much the rather, because the Lord hath Reason 1 promised his presence in them, and to dwell in them by his grace & Spirit. Exod. 25.8. Let them make me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them; for wheresoever two or three are gathered together in his name, there will he be in the midst of them, Math. 18. Secondly, prayers that are made jointly together by the whole congregation, are always more effectual: they send up a stronger cry, and therefore they are sooner heard. The best melody is of more voices than one: and more sticks laid upon the fire make the heat the greater. We ought therefore to have fit places for this purpose, that we may as it were with one mind, & with one mouth glorify God.  
Use 1 Is this the end for which Churches are instituted and appointed? Then it reproveth such as invert the right uses of them, to wit, that in them we should come together to hear the word read and preached unto us, to make prayers and supplications, to receive the Sacraments, to sing Psalms, & to offer up praise and thanksgiving to almighty God: of which the Romanists have set up false ends, and established their own devices. They will have them erected for the external sacrifice of the Mass, for their Altars and Images, & such like trumpery; for which they allege the saying of the Apostle, Heb. 13, 10. but the Altar there spoken of is Christ himself, on which every faithful man must offer. The true ends of them we noted before, for the reading of the Scriptures, Acts 15, 21. for the preaching of the word, Luk. 4. for prayer, and for the receiving of the Sacraments, Acts 20, 7. Again, they teach that churches are of themselves more holy ground then other places, and in regard of the holy nature thereof, more available to pray there than any where else. The place is to be accounted holy for the present, while the exercises of religion continue, but the congregation once dissolved, there is no inherent holiness remaining in it more than in any other place. Church's therefore we acknowledge to be holy places, nor in regard of the building and the beauty of them, not in regard of the ground or seat of them, 
Concil. Gangr.  but of the end & holy use for which they serve, and for the holy assemblies that there are made. Here then is the difference between them & us, they make churches to be holy in respect of the place, we in respect of the people. The people make the place holy, not the place the people. We are not therefore to pray to God with any opinion of holiness in one place, rather than in another, joh 4, 21. Every place hath God's presence, and every where we may lift up pure hands, and therefore is alike sanctified for prayer in itself considered. Furthermore, whereas su●● places should be dedicated and consecrated to the honour of God, they will have them also builded to the name and honour of the Saints, and make them to be Patrons and protectors of them: there they pray unto them as to their mediators and intercessors. But no divine worship is to be given unto them. This is no better than flat idolatry, to pray to those that cannot help us. But to let these go, let us see how these religious places are otherwise profaned. Do we come to them as to God's house? Do we use there that reverence which is fit in his presence and dwelling place? So did the people, while Zachariah was burning incense, the multitude were without in prayer. But we commonly come thither rather to talk & trifle, then to pray and hear. In former times men's houses were their churches, but now the churches are turned into their houses, 
Chrysost. 〈◊〉 36. in 1 〈◊〉  being ordinarily profaned with babbling, & laughing, and sleeping, and what not? Many come hither for no other cause but to buy and bargain, and to meet with others for their earthly profits and worldly business. Where have we commonly more brawling and brabbling then at the church? will not the least penny or occasion make us jar and almost set us together by the ears? We should come hither to please God, but when we are come we displease him, and forget God, and ourselves, and the word, and the place and all. There is an Article, and it is a good one, to inquire of Church-abuses, whether there be any plays and interludes, any feasts and banquets kept in our churches, any suppers or church-ales, drink and tiplings, musters & profane usages in churches, chapels, or churchyards? and whether the parishioners behave themselves rudely and disorderly in time of divine Service or Sermon, as by walking, talking, ringing, or any noise whereby the Minister or preacher is hindered and disturbed? These abuses are committed, and yet continue in many places. Christ would not suffer a vessel to be carried through the temple; He went into the Temple, and cast out all them that bought and sold in the Temple, 
Mark 1  and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, 
Math 21  and the seats of them that sold Doves. He purged the Temple of these Merchants, and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he scourged them out, he poured out the changers money, and overthrew the tables, as it is written, 
john 2, 1 17.  The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. And he said unto them, Take these things hence, make not my Father's house an house of merchandise, ver. 16. This house was the house of prayer by divine institution, 
Mark ●  but they had made it a den of thieves by profane custom and corruption. Let us therefore all of us remember to what end and purpose Temples were builded, that God may be honoured, not dishonoured of us, and consider the presence of God and his angels in such places, to procure the greater reverence unto them.  
Secondly, it is required that these places be Use kept in good order, that they may be accounted of as the houses of God. Is it meet that a Prince should rest in a simple cottage, or dwell in a sty or in a stable? and shall we entertain the King of kings in a soul and unfit place? There is no man that goeth about to entertain a friend, but he will make clean his house, and purge it of all uncleanness. Shall we have less care to receive the Lord than man? and of the house of God then of our own houses? It is the will of God that all congregations should have a convenient place to resort & come together to perform divine duties. Their zeal & diligence is greatly commended, that have restored and repaired the decay of such places, as we see in the examples of jehoash & josiah. As than it is required that the people have a convenient place to meet together for public prayer, for it is a good work to set up such places. 
●●●e 7, 5.  The jews commended the Centurion that had built them a synagogue, and made it an argument of his love to their nation: so like wise, such places should be decently kept for public preaching and prayers, that the holy things of God may be reverenced, & not contemned. Hence it is that the Lord doth sharply reprove, and grievously plague the jews after their return from captivity, 
●●ggai 1, 4.  that they could find time to dwell in their settled houses, & yet suffer the Lords house to lie waist: whereby it came to pass, that they had sown much, but had gathered little; they did eat, but were not satisfied; they did drink, but were not filled; they did  themselves, but were not warmed; they did earn wages, but were not enriched, ver. 6. If a man have his private house (wherein he dwelleth) any way decaying and standing in need of repairing, he is ready to redress and re-edify it: yea, he will do it to his barn for his corn, to his stable for his horse, and to his sty for his Swine. Nevertheless, how many think you are there that take themselves to be the people of God, & would be accounted notable good Christians, and think themselves greatly wronged if any should make any question of it, who suffer the houses of God to run to ruin, and to lie pitifully complaining, so waste and desolate, as if some foreign enemy had made havoc of them by a sudden invasion. Thus do many places lie open to wind and weather, and more deformed, defiled, and disfigured, than any poor Cabin or simple cottage whatsoever. Christ our Saviour would not celebrate the Passeover, but in a chamber trimmed and prepared for that purpose, Mar. 14, 15. True it is, the Lord standeth not in need of any man's riches, the whole earth is his with all the frame and furniture thereof, yea, the whole world with all that dwell therein. The silver is mine, 
〈◊〉. 24, 1. and 12.  and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts, Hag. 2.8. our goods cannot extend unto him, Psal. 16, 2. yet it is his pleasure to use men as his instruments, to erect & edify to his honour, places fit for his service, and to bestow part of that which he hath bestowed upon them, toward the maintenance of his house, where the word may be preached, and the Sacraments administered unto the praise of his name, and the salvation of our own souls, & the souls of our families, and of our brethren. Again, observe that the Oratories and places of prayer do not necessarily require or admit exceeding beauty and sumptuous costs to delight the eye, whatsoever the Papists teach, neither doth superfluity of garnishing stand with the simplicity of the Gospel, to have Churches glister with gold and silver, and precious stones in gay and gorgeous manner, as the jewish Temple did. Indeed the Prophet's do foretell in many places of the glory and beauty of the church, that the glory of Lebanon should beautify the place of his Sanctuary, he will make the place, of his feet glorious, Esay 60, 13. He will lay the stones of it with Carbuncle, & the foundation with the sapphires, the windows with Emerauds, and the gates with shining stones, Chap. 54, 11.12. But we must understand this of the spiritual beauty, not of any earthly bravery; of the inward glory, not the outward garnishing of the walls and windows. And therefore it is said, Psa, 45, 13. The king's daughter is all glorious within. The faithful that believe in Christ are this Temple of the living God, 1 Cor. 3, 16, 17. & 6, 19 2 Cor. 6, 16. and the house of God, Heb. 3, 6. So then, we must consider, that there is an outward and an inward beauty of the church: & we must esteem of the glory of the church by the better part. We have an article to inquire, whether the church, chapel, chancel, and steeple be sufficiently repaired, in covering, walls, glazing, paving, seats, & bells. And the inquiry is needful, and not without just and good cause. Nevertheless, this is not the principal defect and decay to be repaired and amended. This must be done, but better things must not be left undone. There are in all places almost fair pulpits, but very many places want good pulpetmen. There be bells more or less, but many of them want their clappers, they cannot be heard. The Priests under the Law were to come into the Tabernacle with their bells, 
Exod. 28.35.  that the sound might come to the ears of the people: but the sound of the Ministers in many places is not to be heard, they are tongue-tied and cannot teach the people, like Idols that have mouths but cannot speak. 
Bern. ad milites Templ. cap. 5.  Bernard in his time complaineth of superfluous cost bestowed upon churches, & showeth that holiness becometh God's house, which is rather delighted with unpolluted manners then with polished marble. It is a better work to relieve the needy, to feed the hungry, and to  the naked, then to garnish churches with gold and silver. It is said, that in former times when the church had wooden cups, it had golden Ministers: 
Bonif. ●he mart.  but now when as they had golden cups they had wooden Ministers. What shall it avail to hang the walls of the church with costly and curious ornaments to have pillars shining with Marble, and the covering glistering with gold, whilst in the mean season there is no good choice of the Ministers that may attend on holy things▪ and preach the Gospel in truth and sincerity? Whatsoever the natural man esteemeth of glory and garnishing, whose vain imagination like the child that is delighted with toys and babies, is carried away with goodly shows to the eye, with pleasant smells to the nostrils, and with pleasing sounds to the ear, yet when we have learned to judge aright, & to esteem of things by the virtue and value of them, not by the sight and appearance, we will confess that among all others that is the goodliest Temple, and hath the most glorious ornaments and monuments in it, where the word is most sound preached, and the Sacraments in the best manner delivered. This we ought to account the beauty and ornament of a Temple; and doubtless without these, it wanteth much of his lustre, it is as a ruinous and ragged building, let it be otherwise never so richly garnished. This appeareth evidently at the building and erecting of the second Temple after the captivity, when the people that had seen the surpassing glory of the first house, to wit, the Temple of Solomon, the mirror of the world, saw also the simple beginnings and weak foundation of this, they wept with a loud voice, Ezra 3, 12. yet the Prophet telleth them, that the glory of the second house should far exceed & surmount the Temple of Solomon: as Hag. 2, 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory, and how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet he biddeth them be of good comfort, and telleth them that the glory of the latter should be greater than of the former house. But wherein stood this glory? or in what did it consist? not in the building, not in the stones, not in the vessels; it wanted the Mercy-seat, the Ark, the Tables, the urim and Thummim, and such like: herein therefore consisted the greatness of the glory of it, that while this stood, Christ jesus should come to be the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel, Lu. 2, 32. And this doth Haggai teach, Chap. 2, 27. that the Desire of all nations should come, and so the Lord would fill that house with glory. A notable argument to convince the jews, who have seen with their eyes this Temple long since destroyed, and not one stone left upon another that was not thrown down, Math. 24, 42. and yet they do foolishly to this day, look for another Messiah. So likewise the Evangelist Matthew speaketh of Bethlehem, that it was not the least among the Princes of judah, because out of it should come a Governor which should rule his people Israel, Math. 2, 6. Yet the Prophet Micah (out of whom the sentence is taken) showeth, That it is little among the many thousands of judah, chap. 5, 2. This may seem to imply a contradiction, to be little, and yet not little: howbeit we must understand, that this place which is in itself▪ or compared with others small and little, yet through the birth of Christ it should be made famous and preferred before many other in judah. Behold therefore wherein the glory of any place or people consisteth, to wit, in giving entertainment unto Christ, and in embracing the Gospel, which bringeth salvation to all men. And this is the glory of particular persons (not to surmount in strength, nor to abound in riches, nor to excel in wisdom, 
jerem. 9, 2●  but to know the Lord, and whom he hath sent jesus Christ, and him crucified, joh. 17, 3. It is our glory to seek the glory of God, & if we have learned Christ, we have learned the way unto true glory. So then to conclude, we receive & practise whatsoever is fit and decent in setting up and adorning of churches, but we refuse and reject all excess, curiosity, and superfluity, as nothing at all furthering the worship of God, nothing fitting the Gospel of Christ, nothing availing the salvation of man, nothing helping to the kingdom of heaven; the folly whereof is so palpable and apparent, 
Perf. satyr. 2. sacro qu●d 〈◊〉 aurum.  that the wiser sort among the Gentiles reproved it, and inveighed against it, and saw that gold in God's worship availed nothing at all.  
Lastly, this putteth us in mind of a necessary Use 3 duty belonging to all, to assemble men, women, and children, all that are of understanding for the hearing of the word, and other duties of faith & religion. For wherefore is it the will and pleasure of God, that houses and places of purpose should be builded? Is it for show or for the name? It were vain and foolish so to surmise, as if he delighted to put his people to idle expenses. No, it is for preaching, for prayer, and for the Sacraments. Therefore was the Tabernacle erected, until which time was no certain place assigned: afterward, they had the Temple at jerusalem, and Synagogues in all parts of the land, that God in them might be publicly served and worshipped. Great was the zeal of David to these gracious assemblies. His soul longed for the Courts of God, 
Psal. 5, 7. & 8. & 27, 4 〈◊〉 122, 1. & 13 7. and 84.  as the Hart desireth the water brooks. His soul was athirst for God, for the living God, to appear before his presence. His tears were his meat and drink, while he was kept from these places, and while they daily said unto him, Where is now thy God? He poured out his very heart, when he remembered how he had gone with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God in the voice of praise and Thanksgiving. He was glad when they said unto him, We will go into the house of the Lord. And as it was with him, so was it with other the faithful. They were earnest to come unto these assemblies, they were loath to departed from them, they were grieved at their own absence that they could not be at them, being driven away by the enemies. The commandment of the Lord is general, that their Captains, their Elders, their Officers, and all the people should gather together. Who is it then shall plead an immunity or dispensation from this duty? May Women or Children? No, they are expressly charged to assemble themselves, Deut. 31, 12, 13. and ch. 29, verses 10, 11. Men, Women, and Children, from the hewer of thy Wood, unto the drawer of thy Water, even all of them must come together, that they may hear, and learn, and fear the Lord their GOD, and observe to do all the words of the Law. But is then the stranger exempted? No, he is willed to meet together with the rest. Are the old freed from this duty through their age? It is noted of Hannah, that she was an old woman that had been a widow fourscore and four years, yet she went not out of the Temple, that is, all her delight was to be there; she was never well and at hearts ease, till she was in God's house; she made the Temple as her own house to dwell in; she made the word & worship of God her meat and drink to feed on, serving him with fasting and prayers day and night, Luke 2, 37. So Simeon came into the Temple by the motion of the Spirit, when the Parents brought the babe jesus to do for him after the custom of the Law, verse 27. Peter and john might have prayed at home in their houses, as many pretend they can and yet do it not; but they went up together into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer. The Lord giveth commandment, 
〈◊〉. 19, 30.  Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary, I am the Lord. Such then as show no love to the Sanctuary of God, have no care of sanctifying the Sabbath, but do defile it and profane it; yea they never consider that they contemn the Lord himself, neither with whom they have to do in this business. Christ our Saviour when he could be found no where else, by his parents seeking for him, he was found in the temple. Thus we see the practice of David, of Hannah, of Simeon, of the Apostles, and of Christ himself touching the public service of God. But behold the difference between those times and ours, or rather between them and us. David longed to be in the house of God, our souls long and faint to be out of it. Hannah dwelled in the temple, and could hardly be gotten out of it: we had rather dwell in the tents of wickedness, & with much ado are brought to come unto the Temple. Simeon was old as well as Hannah; we think ourselves too old, and plead weakness and faintness that we cannot go so far, and yet we can stretch out our limbs to go farther at other times, and for other occasions. Simeon came into the Temple by the motion of the Spirit; 
〈◊〉 ●hat 〈◊〉 ●o faith, 〈◊〉 ●●ey 〈◊〉 need church's.  by whose motion do others keep themselves from the Temple? and what shall we say ruleth in them? surely not the Spirit of God: what other spirit than it can be, I had rather leave it to themselves to consider, then declare it to them. Christ jesus could be found no where but in the Temple; if one would inquire for these, yea upon the Sabbath day, yea in time of divine Service, you shall have them rather in the Tavern then in the Temple, or sitting upon an alebench rather than in place where it were more meet they did show their presence, even where God hath promised to show his presence. True it is, he hath said, that heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, & that he dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, Esay 66, 1. 
〈◊〉 7, 48. & ●4.  But the meaning is, that he is not included or as it were imprisoned in them, his power is not tied to any place; nevertheless, he hath made a special pro●i●e t●at where two or three are gathered together in his name, 
Math 28, 20.  there is he in the midst of them. Wherefore, great should be our zeal toward the house of prayer, we should much desire to be at it, we should more and more be in love with it, and with great reverence remain in it. He that findeth not the Lord here where his honour dwelleth, let him never look to find him elsewhere. For whosoever despiseth in the pride of his heart the place of God's worship, & ●e●useth to yield his presence there, deceiveth himself if ever he think that God will make himself known unto him any other way.  
[Verse 21, 22. And so it was when the Cloud abode, etc.] here we have the cause of their marching and resting declared, to wit, the cloud, which was upon them by day when they went out of the camp, Numb. 10.34. When that stayed over them, whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, they abode in their tents, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed. This cloud had the nature of a Sacrament, and signified the presence of Christ conducting them. The doctrine Doctrine. from hence is this, that Christ jesus is the substance of the Sacraments both of the old and new Testament. 
Christ jesus is the substance of all Sacraments, old & new.  Whatsoever the signs were, and howsoever they varied, yet he was signified by them all. This appeareth in this book plentifully by the cloud in this place: by Manna, chap. 11. and the rock ch. 20. all which were Sacraments unto them, all were the same with our baptism and the Lords Supper, and all of them were figures of Christ, as appeareth not by some probability, but by the express testimony of the Apostle, 
1 Cor. 10, 1, 2, 3, 4.  I would not have you ignorant how that all our Fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, & were all baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea: and did all eat the same spiritual meat, & did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. First, touching the cloud & passing over the sea, if we consider the letter of the history, there was a great miracle in them both. The cloud in the day time defended them from the heat of the Sun, their passage through the Sea gave them safety and security from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and from the danger of present death. Nevertheless, this is not all which we are to mark, nor the chief thing which we are to consider, because there lay hid as it were under a veil a greater mystery, inasmuch as both the cloud and the sea served them in stead of a certain kind of baptism, representing and performing that unto them which our baptism doth unto us. For as baptism is a sign and signification of the grace of God, a Sacrament of regeneration, and a certain passage from death to life, so the Cloud was in effect to them as much, to wit, a token and testimony of the presence of God; & their passing through the sea was as a passing from death to a new life. For while they were in the depth and bottom of the sea, where were they but in the midst of death? and when they had escaped to the farther shore, did they not after a sort rise from death to life? So then the Apostle teacheth, that both the Cloud and the Sea were as a certain Sacrament unto the jews, & that common to them all, 
Christ is the substance of our baptism.  because all were covered with the cloud, & all of them passed through the sea, even as we that profess Christ are all washed with water, which signifieth our washing with his blood, and our partaking of his righteousness, Rom. 6, 3. Galath. 3, 27. Hence it is that many are said to be baptised in the name of Christ, Act. 2, 38. & 19, 5. which noteth not the form, but rather the end or effect of their baptism. It may be said, we read no such signification of the cloud or of the sea in the old Testament: how then did the Fathers understand them to be Sacraments? True it is, this is not expressed, but the Apostle the best interpreter of the Scripture giveth us a good warrant so to understand them, and to conceive of them. And there is no doubt but Moses and Aaron, and others instructed by them and by the Spirit of God, thus understood these mysteries. For how can we think that they which dealt faithfully in the house of God, would be silent in these things, & not teach the people? Neither may we admit of the gross conceit of Illyricus, who noteth that the Apostle inflectit paulò violentiùs ipsum simile, 
Illyr. Gloss. super 1 Cor. eap. 10.  that is, doth somewhat violently, wrist this similitude. God forbidden that we should think that Paul would lay violent hands upon the Scriptures, or wrest any part of the word of God from the natural meaning. 
2 Peter 3, 16.  The unlearned and unstable wrested the writings of Paul as they did also the other Scriptures: would Peter have complained of such, if his beloved brother Paul had done the like? Now it cannot be denied, that they were true Sacraments, because they signified Christ jesus. True it is, they were not ordinary, nor perpetual, but extraordinary, and temporal, and transitory, howbeit they had a spiritual signification. The cloud was in stead of the outward element and visible sign, neither was the word of grace wanting, and therefore it is called the Lord, and the Cloud of the Lord, Exod. 14. Numb. 14. & 19 If then the word joined to the element do make a Sacrament, this also must be acknowledged to be a Sacrament, forasmuch as it was a sign to them of the protection and preservation of God. The like we might say of their passing through the sea; they had this word of promise, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which he shall show you to day, 
Exod. 14, 13.  etc. These indeed were outward blessings, but they pointed out spiritual blessings to the faithful, to wit, the favour and grace of God, and led them as it were by the hand to Christ, in whom is the accomplishment of all promises. True it is, all were partakers of the temporal benefits, but all did not partake of the eternal, howbeit this came to pass through their own fault & infidelity, inasmuch as they were offered by God, albeit not received by them. For all have not faith, 2 Thes. 3, 2. and therefore all have not Christ, the pith and marrow of the Sacraments. If any ask why the Apostle maketh choice of these two, Objection the cloud and the sea, and calleth them by the name of a Baptism, and doth not rather remember circumcision, which was to the jews in stead of our baptism, forasmuch as their circumcision is our baptism, and our baptism is their circumcision, Phil. 3, 3. Coloss. 2, 11. and both of them are a Sacrament of our regeneration and adoption: The answer Answer. is, that in the cloud and the sea is a more plain and evident resemblance and proportion with the water in baptism, and the passage from death to life, was more lively and clearly showed and shadowed in them then in the circumcision. For they that stood under the cloud (as of all them did) what did they in a manner, but stand under death, because the cloud hanging over their heads, seemed ready in a minute and moment to fall upon them, and overwhelm them? So to go down into the bottom of the Sea, what was it to them but a kind of death? and to pass to the other shore, what was it but a rising again from death to life? And this doth the Apostle speak of baptism, as we have heard. So then the cloud and the sea were as a baptism to the jews, and our baptism is as the cloud and the sea to us Christians; all looked at Christ, all signified grace, life, salvation, remission of sins, and regeneration through him. To these we must join Manna, and the rock; the one was spiritual meat unto them, the other was spiritual drink, and both of them the same with the Lords Supper, and therefore they were not inferior unto us. Our Supper is spiritual meat, and spiritual drink, they also had their spiritual meat and Manna, and their spiritual drink out of the rock, and all these had reference to one and the same Christ; and therefore Paul saith, verse 4. The Rock was Christ. So the Manna was Christ, for he is the hidden Manna, Revel. 2, 17. 
revel. 2, ●  These are called spiritual, because they had a spiritual signification. Thus are the Jews made equal to us in the other Sacrament also, which is a sign and seal of the nourishment which we have by Christ. The Sacraments were divers in the outward signs, but in the thing signified, they are one and the same. This Manna & the rock were as the Supper of the jews: 
Aug. Trac●  so the Supper of the Lord is as the Manna and rock of us that are christians. Thus than we see, that the cloud was Christ, the red sea was Christ, the Manna was Christ, as the Apostle expresseth that the rock was Christ, & as Christ showeth that the bread was his body, & the cup is the new Testament in his blood, 
1 Cor. 10 Math. 26 Luke 22. ●  the breaking of bread is the communion of the body of Christ, and the cup of blessing is called the communion of the blood of Christ, 1 Corin. 10, 16. So that we see all Sacraments whatsoever did figure out Christ, and point him out as with the finger.  
Use 1 This showeth the agreement between the Sacraments of the old & new Testament, they are the same in regard of the grace represented and signified by them. The same Christ is in both: the one figuring him out to come, the other pointing him out as already come in the flesh. Hence it is, that their Sacraments were dark and obscure, ours do serve more plainly and clearly to confirm our faith and to seal up our salvation. For as the Apostle teacheth that the Israelites were baptised as well as we, and did all eat spiritual meat, and drink spiritual drink as well as we: so he showeth that we are circumcised, and have a Passeover sacrificed for us, and therefore it followeth that they had the same spiritual communion with Christ that we have. Out of this we have three things to be considered of us. First, that the Covenant of God with man hath evermore been in substance the same: 
●●t the co●●nt is be●●ne God 〈◊〉 sinner.  forasmuch as it is a free contract between the Lord and a sinner, concerning the pardon of sin, and life everlasting through faith in Christ jesus. This covenant he made with jews and Gentiles. This was made with sinful man immediately after the fall, Gen. 3, 15. This succeed the former, which is of works, so soon as it was broken: for the latter which is the covenant of grace, had not been made, if the former had not been broken, and so made insufficient and unpossible, Heb. 8, 7. Rom. 3, 23. Gal. 3, 21. True it is, the new Covenant which offereth salvation unto a sinner, is but one in substance, but in regard of circumstances it differeth. For in the old Testament it was shadowed out by types, by figures, and by shadows before Christ's coming in the flesh. This yoke was taken away when Christ was exhibited, and all these ceremonies abolished, to the great manifestation of God's love toward us, and the special comfort of all the faithful. Secondly, that dishonour is done to God, violence to the Sacraments, and injury to the Fathers, by such as hold, that the Sacraments of the old Testament were only significative and mere shadows. For the Apostle speaking of the Fathers, saith, Acts 15, 11. We believe that through the grace of the Lord jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they: but they were not saved by shadows of grace: for how can the rock be accounted a mere shadow and nothing else, seeing the Apostle calleth it Christ? 
〈◊〉 Rock ●●●eth 〈◊〉.  If it be Christ, then doubtless they drank Christ himself which drank of that rock; even as if the bread be the body of Christ, and the cup the blood of Christ sacramentally, it cannot be denied, but that all they which eat the bread and drink of the cup of the Lord worthily, must necessarily eat the body & drink the blood of Christ spiritually. If any object, 
●●●ect.  that Christ had not yet taken flesh of the virgin Mary, neither was exhibited to the world. I answer, Answer. it is true; but nothing to the purpose, because faith is the substance of things hoped for, & the evidence of things not seen, Heb. 11, 1. This made the flesh of Christ present, though he had not yet taken our nature upon him, neither were partaker of flesh and blood, Heb. 2, 14, And thus they did find salvation in the flesh of Christ, who was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, revel. 13, 18. because God had promised even in the garden, 
Gen. 3, 15.  that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; so that we may say with the Apostle, jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever, Hebr. 13, 8. And how could the Fathers under the Law have eternal life otherwise, forasmuch as this was evermore a true saying, Except ye▪ eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you? etc. john 6, 53, 54. So then the Israelites did seek & obtain salvation in the flesh of Christ which he was to give, when the fullness of time came, for the redemption and salvation of the world. And through faith they received Christ, not only in the word, but also in the Sacraments. Thirdly, from hence it appeareth, that the eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ, is merely and wholly spiritual, for by faith it is that we are united unto Christ, as branches to the vine, and draw from him everlasting life, and by faith he dwelleth in our hearts, Eph. 3, 17. This communion is common to the Fathers and us: but the Fathers could not communicate with Christ any otherwise then by faith in the Word and Sacraments, seeing he had not taken our flesh upon him: and therefore so it is with us, our communion is not carnal but spiritual. 
Christ overthroweth the real presence.  And such a communion did Christ himself teach, john 6, where he overthroweth and destroyeth the carnal eating of his body, both by telling them of his ascending into heaven, verse 62. What if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? as if he should say, I will carry up my flesh with me into heaven, whither your mouth cannot reach nor enter: and by showing that such kind of carnal eating can profit nothing, v. 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak are spirit, and they are life. This only is necessary & sufficient unto salvation, the corporal & carnal eating, which is now maintained and defended by the Church of Rome and others, i● neither necessary, nor profitable, nor sufficient, nor any way available unto salvation. Nay, to many it is hurtful, dangerous, deadly, and damnable. These are like to the Capernaites, that did adhere servilely to the letter, & will seem to stick closely to the words of Christ; howbeit he saith not, 
The words of institution expounded.  in the bread or under the species of the bread is the body, but This, that is, this bread which I have blessed, broken, and delivered into your hands to be eaten with the mouth of the body, is my body to be broken for you upon the Cross. But if the bread itself be the body of Christ, then cannot the body of Christ be said to be in the bread. Wherefore the words of institution do not teach, or require, or confirm the carnal presence of the body of Christ in the bread.  
Secondly, if the body and blood of Christ had been really in the bread and wine, Christ should have eaten himself even his own body, and drunk his own blood which was not yet really and actually shed, but rested & remained within the veins. For it is holden that he did eat of the bread and drink of the wine with his Disciples, and therefore he sayeth, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the Vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom, Math. 26, 29. And as he was circumcised for us, not for himself, and was baptised for us, not for himself, and did eat the Passeover also with his Disciples, so it may well be thought that he did partake of the Supper, as well as of the other Sacraments.  
Moreover, Christ is ascended really into heaven with his body, which must contain him until his coming again, Acts 3, 21, and 1, 11. When he ascended, he left this world with his body, john 16.28. We have the poor ever with us, but him we shall not have ever, Math. 26, 11. It will be said, that Christ saith, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world, Math. 28. It is true in respect of his Deity: for the promise is made to the Church of his perpetual presence, providence, and protection by his Spirit. Again, if he were always upon the earth, he could not be our Priest to make intercession for us, as Hebr. 8, 4. If he were on earth, he could not be a Priest, etc. but he is our Priest and sitteth at the right hand of his Father. Besides, if Christ were present bodily in the bread, he were to be worshipped in the bread, and in the mouths and stomachs of these that receive and eat the bread; but that cannot be without committing idolatry. He will come from the heavens to judge the quick and the dead, not from the bread or from the Altars. His body is visible and may be felt, and hath flesh and bones, as our natural bodies have, Luke 24.30. We are forewarned by our Saviour, not to believe or give any credit to such as will show him on the earth, and say, Lo here is Christ, or lo he is there, before his coming again, Math. 24, 26. If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the Desert, go not forth: Behold, he is in the secret Chambers, believe it not: and shall we believe them that tell us he is in the bread, or in the pixe or on the Altar? but of this I have spoken elesewhere.  
Secondly, it is not enough to come to the Use 2 Sacraments and to be partakers of the outward signs, the chief part that we must look after is Christ jesus. It serveth therefore to beat down all confidence that we may have in the outward sign. Simon Magus was baptised as well as the rest in Samaria, Acts 8, 13. but what did that avail him, forasmuch as he remained in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity? verse 23. therefore he had no profit by it, for though his body were washed with water, yet his soul was not cleansed by the blood of Christ. It is noted of the Israelites by the Apostle, that they were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, all did eat the same spiritual meat, and drank the same spiritual drink; yet with many of them was not God pleased, 
1 Cor. 10, 5.  for they were overthrown in the wilderness. What did it advantage them to be partakers of these benefits? They might bring some good to their bodies, but they brought no comfort to their souls. All were partakers of the outward signs, but all received not the grace signified, for many of them were destroyed. It hath always been even from the beginning a vain opinion and presumption to ascribe too much to the outward work of every ordinance of God. We know how much the jews gloried in their circumcision, and preferred themselves before the Gentiles whom they contemned, as if, to have the foreskin of the flesh cut off, were enough to make a man to be undoubtedly the true child of Abraham, nay the child of God, although he did never labour to express the true circumcision, which is the power of it in their hearts. Hence it is, that the Prophets call them back continually from this foolish confidence, and will them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts, 
Deut. 10, 1  and be no more stiffnecked. Stephen putteth them in mind, notwithstanding the outward circumcision, that they were uncircumcised in heart and ears, Acts 7, 52. As then there is a double circumcision, 
Rom. 2, 29  one outward or of the letter, the other inward or of the Spirit: so may we say of baptism. And as the outward circumcision, notwithstanding all their vain boasting, could not profit, so must we conceive no less of our outward baptism, if we do not labour, when we are come to age and years of discretion, to be washed and cleansed from sin in our souls, as we were washed with water in our infancy. Again, they gloried not a little in the Temple and in the sacrifices offered in the Temple, jer. 7, 4. they cried out, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, this is the Temple of the Lord; yet the Prophet faileth not to tell them, that they trusted in lying words, which should not profit, so long as they did not amend their ways and their works. Thus they rested in the deed done, as if they had done a meritorious act, that must needs deserve the love and favour of God. So is it with the ignorant multitude among us, if they come to Church, they think they have done a great work, as much as God can justly or possibly require at their hands. But our coming to our Temples or Churches, shall little help us, except we hear & obey, and become new creatures. This corruption (whereof we speak) we have even drawn from the loins of Adam, and sucked it from the breasts of our first mother. When Adam and his wife had fallen from God, the Lord cast them out of the garden, lest they should put forth their hand, and take hold of the tree of life, and eat and live for ever, Gen. 3, 22. Had the tree any such virtue in it, that if they had eaten of it again, it could restore them to life, and make them live for ever? No, but God discovereth the corrupt judgement of degenerate man; they had an opinion that they. should recover their former estate again, if once they could lay hold of the tree of life, they thought all would be well, if they might taste of that fruit. Thus it is with many in our days, if they receive the Supper of the Lord, they think it hath an hidden virtue inherent in it, as a medicine that serveth for the body, and that they are as sound Christians as the best. The like we see in the Israelites at another time, when they had received an overthrow by the Philistims, & their forces defeated that they brought into the field against them, they trusted in the Ark rather than in the living God, saying, Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, 
●●m. 4, 3.  that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. They deemed & dreamt that the bare bringing of the Ark into the host, should defend them and discomfit their enemies. They had a vain confidence in that outward sign of God's presence, but they had polluted the worship of God, and no Ark can save a profane people. So if we be ungodly, profane, & rebellious, though we receive the Supper every day, it should do us no more good then to trust to a broken reed, forasmuch as it will rather serve to further our condemnation by abusing of it.  
Use 3 Lastly, we must take heed how we come to the Sacramen, and bring with us the hand of faith, that we may lay hold upon Christ as well as upon the bread and the cup. With the hand of the body we receive these, but with the hand of the soul we receive Christ. Here is great comfort ministered to all those that come to the Lords Table aright. For as they that rest in the outward signs, wherein pride and ignorance meet together, depart without any benefit to themselves: so all such as communicate aright, do receive Christ and all his benefits, than which there cannot be a greater benefit. God the Father offereth and assureth his own Son, whom he hath sealed to be the Mediator of our redemption, & he deludeth and deceiveth no man that cometh to the Supper as a guest prepared for the marriage feast. 
2 Cor. 2.16.  For as the word turneth to be the savour of death unto death to the unreverent and unregarding hearer; so in truth is the Sacrament the savour of death unto death to the unworthy and unwise receiver. Let us therefore thoroughly examine and prove ourselves, whether we be in the faith or not, 
2 Cor. 13, 5.  and consider diligently what is set before us, and hunger and thirst after Christ, that we may obtain this hidden Manna. This we shall never do, except we observe these few rules. First, we must try ourselves by the law of God, whereby cometh the knowledge of sin, Rom. 3, 20, & 7, 7. It is a clear glass to show us our faces or rather our hearts, jam. 1, 23. From hence we must frame an editement against ourselves.  
Secondly, we must labour to understand and believe the common corruption of all mankind, standing partly in original sin, and partly in the fruits thereof, wherewith all are tainted as with an unclean leprosy from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, Rom. 3, 9  
Thirdly, we must feel the curse of everlasting death due to us, Gal. 3, 10.  
Fourthly, we must learn what covenant God hath made with us touching grace and mercy, that we may be raised up to comfort in the Son of God our Redeemer.  
Fiftly, we must desire to be made partakers of the Lords Supper, and feel how much we stand in need of it; which will follow necessarily upon the former.  
Lastly, we should fit ourselves the better unto the work, by considering the proportion between the signs and the things signified. The beholding of the breaking of the bread, & the pouring out of the wine, should enforce us to remember the body of Christ broken and his blood shed for us.  
When we look upon the Minister coming to us and reaching forth these elements, We should consider that the Lord jesus himself cometh to us, and offereth himself with all his mercies and merits unto us, if we have faith to receive him. And as we lay hold upon the bread and wine, and take them in our hands, so we must stretch forth the hand of a lively faith to lay hold of Christ; for with him we shall entertain all his saving benefits to our endless and everlasting comfort.    

CHAP. X.  
Ver. 1, 2. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Make thee two Trumpets of silver, etc. 
Here we have the conclusion of the first part of this book. Doctrine. 
Of the silver Trumpets, & the use of them.  In this chapter we are to consider two things. First, the commandment of God directed to Moses to make two silver Trumpets. Secondly, the removing of the Israelites from Sinai to Paran. Touching the Trumpets, they are described by the matter, they must be made of silver: by the form, of an whole piece. Thirdly, by the ends, for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the Campe. Fourthly, by the manner prescribed how to use them, to what purpose one alone is to be sounded, to what purpose both: when an alarm is to be blown, and when the alarm is to be blown the second time; when they must blow, but not sound the alarm. Fiftly, by telling who shall be the trumpeters, or sound the Trumpets, the sons of Aaron the Priest. Lastly, by the time, how long this use shall continue, to wit, as an ordinance for ever, even so long as the Commonwealth of the Israelites shall endure. This is the present use of them: there is a double use of them commanded for the time to come; one in time of war, to assure them that God will then remember them for good, and save them from their enemies, ver. 9: the other in time of peace at their solemn feasts, at their  offerings and peace offerings.  
Use 1 The uses of them follow, which are partly civil, and partly ecclesiastical. And first, seeing these silver Trumpets served for the Camp and the Congregation, to assemble and to remove, and that the power of making them is committed to Moses, who hath the sole prerogative to call and to dissolve assemblies about public affairs, we learn that it belongeth to Kings and Princes as their proper right to gather together, 
The authority of K ngs and Princes what it is.  and to dismiss them that are gathered together. Every one hath not authority and jurisdiction to draw multitudes together, we shall have no small ado, if that may be suffered. Acts 1●, 23. We must have lawful and orderly assemblies, vers. 29. and such as do not savour of confusion. So it was in Egypt, without Phar●oh, no man might lift up his hand or foot in all the Land of Egypt, Gen. 41, 44. This right is annexed to the highest power by an estate indefeizible, and by a perpetual law that cannot be dissolved throughout all generations. As this power together with the Trumpets was given to Moses, so did he and his successors practise the same, who commanded in chief, as Deut. 33, ver. 5. Numb. 31, 6. joshua called and dismissed the people, and they obeyed him in the execution of that power, no less than they had done Moses before, josh. 1, 17, and 24, 28. So did David use these Trumpets, 1 Chron, 15, 4, & 23, 2, 3, 6. When the Ark was to be removed, and when the offices of the Tabernacle were to be ordered, which are things merely belonging to true religion. The like we might say of Solomon, 2 Chron. 5, 2. of Asa, jehosaphat, Hezekiah, and josiah. Thus were all general Counsels congregated and called together, and there were none otherwise called for a thousand years after Christ, but by the Trumpet of Moses, that is, by the authority of Caesar. Thus did Moses also in gathering assemblies about public affairs both for consultation and action. For consultation, 
The nece●● of gathering assemblies  because many eyes may discern that which few cannot. For action, because many hands may discharge that which is troublesome & cumbersome for one to do, Exod. 18.18. This serveth to reprove three sorts; first, the Bishop of Rome, who as a thief and usurper hath encroached upon the Prince's right, and stolen away one of these silver Trumpets and carried to it Rome. He would leave Moses but one Trumpet, and would limit his office to civil and temporal things, challenging power in all spiritual causes and over all spiritual persons. Howbeit, Aaron the Highpriest never offered to wring and wrest out of the hand of Moses this power: he was content to blow them at the commandment of Moses, or rather at the commandment of God. Nay, such is the tyranny of this proud Bishop, that he contenteth not himself with one Trumpet, though he have indeed right to none, but he beginneth to engross into his own hands the other Trumpet also, claiming power to depose and dethrone Princes, and to dispose of their crowns and sceptres at his pleasure, as if all kingdoms were given unto him, and it belonged to his right to dispose of them. Had Peter any such power? or did he ever claim any such dominion? No, the Apostle well understood, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  that Christ forbade them to exercise any such Lordship, Math. 20, verses 25, 26.  
Secondly, it reproveth those that being summoned by the sound of these Trumpets, that is, called together by the Magistrate, refuse to come. Moses by virtue of these Trumpets put into his hands, called Corah and his company, but that crew answered, We will not come up: 
●●b. 16, 12.  but if we would know what became of these rebels, some were consumed with fire, and others we must seek for under the earth, for the earth opened her mouth, as they had opened their mouths against Moses the supreme Magistrate, and swallowed them up, their goods, their houses, and persons: yea, the Apostle denounceth a fearful woe against them that perish in the same contradiction & gainsaying of Core, Jude, verse 11. So than if the Magistrate call, no man must refuse or deny to come. In the natural body, the beginning of all motion is from the head; and so it ought to be in the body politic.  
Thirdly, it reproveth those that assemble before they were called; the former would not assemble when they were called, these assemble before they be called. The other were too slow and dull, these are too quick and nimble headed. So then all must keep their places and standings, they must come when they are called, but they must be called before they come. The mutinous company mentioned, Numb. 20, 23. when they wanted water, stayed not for the sound of the Trumpet, but came together in a tumultuous manner; but God swore they should not enter into his rest. This evil is much worse than the former. It is evil not to come when we are called, but to gather together without a calling, is worse & more dangerous, and produceth more dangerous effects. For they that presume to meet without Moses his precept, will not stick afterward to meet against Moses his person, & in conclusion also to wrest the Trumpet out of the hand of Moses. Therefore the Towne-Clearke said, 
〈◊〉 19, 40.  We are in danger to be called in question for this days uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. As if he had said, we have done more than we can well answer, seeing we may be endighted of treason or at least of a riot for this days work. We must therefore know, that every such Congregation assembled without a lawful call, is no better than a conventicle, whatsoever account we make of it.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence ariseth an instruction to the Ministers of God. For as Aaron and his sons, the Priests of God, are commanded to blow the Trumpets, so this is an image and representation of the faithful Preachers and Ministers, who by the clear and shrill sound of the word of God, must bring men to the true knowledge of God: as 2 Chron. 13, 12. where the King of judah telleth jeroboam, The Lord is with us for our Captain, and his Priests with sounding Trumpets to cry alarm against you. It is their office to sound the alarm against God's enemies, and to bid defiance against all sin. So the Prophet Esay saith, ch. 58, 1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a Trumpet, and show my people their transgressions and the house of jacob their sins. Likewise Ezekiel, chap. 33, ver. 2, 3, etc. the Ministers are made watchmen over the house of Israel; if they see the sword coming, and blow not the Trumpet, the blood of such as perish, shall be required at their hands. So then, they must have zeal, courage, and boldness, to reprove sin without fear of men's faces, and without respect of persons, and must strike at it where they find it. Such a one was Eliah, that feared not the King's face, but told him, it was he and his father's house that troubled Israel, 1 King. 18, 18. Such a Trumpet was john Baptist, who is said to be the voice of a crier in the wilderness, and told Herod it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, Math. 14, 4. This reproveth such as are dumb dogs and hold their peace, such as cannot open their mouths or say any thing, whose breath serveth them not to blow this Trumpet: such also as wink at sin, and will not see it: such also as rebuke coldly and are afraid to speak, whereas they should blow the Trumpet, and even thunder out against obstinate sinners, and make them afraid to sin, 
Jude, verse 23  seeking to save them with fear, pulling them out of the fire. Hence it is, that Amos saith, Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City, and the people not be afraid? 
Amos 3, 6.  Or will a Lion roar in the Forest, when he hath no prey? When a Trumpet giveth a sudden sign by the sound of it out of a watchtower, all the people hearken and are troubled, and prepare themselves this way or that way, according as the Trumpet giveth the token. So at the voice of God sounding by his Minister, we ought to be attentive and give ear, and to be moved at the noise of it, and as he giveth warning, prepare ourselves and look about us while it is time, lest afterward it be too late. For God doth not threaten for form or fashion sake, as if he did not purpose to punish; neither are his threatenings ordinary words of course, forasmuch as the very Lions themselves do not roar, except they see some prey or booty. The word is never without his effect, neither returneth unto God empty, 
Esay 55, 10, 11  but it accomplisheth that which he pleaseth, and shall prosper in the work to which he sendeth it. As then the roaring and yelling of the Lion is an assured token of the prey, so the threatenings of God are prognostications and fore-shewings of the wrath of God, ready prepared. Woe therefore unto those, that albeit they hear the sound of the Trumpet, yet sit as stones or steel, and are never a whit moved, but pass over God's judgements and threatenings, as if they concerned them nothing at all.  
Thirdly, these Trumpets teach us with joy Use 3 and gladness to praise God for his benefits bestowed upon us. For the Priests were commanded to blow with the Trumpets at their peace offerings and  offerings, ver. 10. and Ezra 3, 10. to be a testimony of their spiritual joyfulness, and to be a memorial before the Lord, as Leuit. 23, 24. In the seventh month, and the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of Trumpets, an holy convocation. And Psalm. 81, 3, 4. Blow up the Trumpet in the new Moon, in the time appointed on our solemn feast day, for this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of jacob. As then the jews on the feasts appointed of God, did set forth his praises with singing and instruments of music of all sorts, the Trumpet, 
Psal. 150, 3, 4.  the Psaltery, the Harp, the Organs, the Timbrel, & the Cymbals: so ought the faithful upon the Lord's day, and at all other times set forth the spiritual praises of God with heart and voice. And this was the month, wherein many feasts met together, & after the time they had gathered in the fruits of the earth, and received many blessings at the hand of God, that so they might in their public meetings praise God for them, and pray unto him to give them grace to use them soberly and moderately, to the glory of his Name, to the comfort of themselves, and to the refreshing of their poor and needy brethren. Thus we see there is a twofold Trumpet, or rather a twofold sound of the trumpet; one is a terrifying sound, which may be called the Trumpet of the Law proclaiming the wrath of God both against sins & sinners, of which we read, Zeph. 1, verses 14, 15, 16. The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the lord: that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble & distress, a day of wastness & desolation, a day of darkness & gloomines, a day of the Trumpet and alarm 'gainst the fenced Cities. etc. The other is a comforting sound, which is the Trumpet of the Gospel, whereby troubled and distressed consciences are lifted up and called to rejoicing, of which the Prophet Esay speaketh, chapter 27, 13. It shall come to pass in that day, that the great Trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the Land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the Land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy Mount at jerusalem. So than it is our duty to blow this Trumpet of peace, to testify our joy and gladness, when God bestoweth any benefits upon us, Psalm. 33, and 118, 1, 2, and 47, 5, 6, and 48, 1. 1 Chron. 15, 28. 2 Chron. 5, 12, 13. and 15, 14.  
Use 4 Fourthly, these Trumpets (as we have already noted) served for divers uses, according to the divers and different sounds, that at the hearing of the noise of them, the people might by and by understand what it meant, and themselves must do. This teacheth us and we are put in mind of it by the Apostle, that as in the host every blast was understood, so in the Church every voice should be understood, and all things should be done to edifying, that they might understand the words of the Preacher what he speaketh unto them: as 1 Corinth. 14, 7, 8. Even the things without life giving sound, whether Pipe or Harp, except they give a distinction of the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the Trumpet give an uncertain sign or sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise you, except ye utter by the tongue, words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air, that is, vainly or idly, to no end and purpose. There is no edification in an unknown tongue: he that understandeth it, giveth thanks well, but the other is not edified. Paul himself saith of himself, 
Verse 17.  he had rather speak five words to be understood, than ten thousands in an unknown tongue, that by his voice he might teach others, verse 19 Yet he giveth thanks to God that he spoke with tongues more than they all, to whom he wrote, verse 18. Besides, how shall the people answer Amen, at the giving of thanks, seeing they understand not what is spoken? verse 16. Again, he showeth that there are many kind of voices in the world, and none of them are without signification: therefore if we know not the meaning of the voice, we shall be unto him that speaketh, Barbarians; and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto us, verse 10, 11. Every one must seek to excel, as he may most edify the Church, vers. 12. Rom. 14, 19 Moreover he saith, If I conceive public prayers in the congregation in a tongue not understood, the Spirit moveth and inspireth me well, nevertheless, the meaning & substance of my prayer bringeth no fruit or profit to the Church or to them that hear me: because they may well gaze and gape upon such a one, or haply admire him & be astonished at him; but they may departed as wise as they were before, inasmuch as they receive no benefit by such prayers, v. 14. Hence it is, that he saith, he would pray with the Spirit, and would pray with the understanding also: he would sing with the Spirit, he would sing with the understanding also, v. 15. Strange tongues are not a benefit to the people that hear them without understanding, but a judgement and punishment, v. 21: and therefore such should keep silence if there be no Interpreter, v. 28. To conclude, all public exercises of our religion, praying, reading, preaching, singing, and receiving of the Sacraments must be used in a known tongue.  
This serveth to lay open the grossness of the Roman religion, which have the Scriptures in an unknown tongue, which sometimes the speaker himself doth not understand, but never the people to whom he speaketh. A most uncomfortable religion, that leadeth men in the dark, and standeth in this & other chief parts of it, merely upon policy. If you blindfold a man, you may do with him what you list: so the Romanists deal, that their juggling may not be espied, and their spiritual or rather carnal cozenage not discerned. The Lord more and more open the eyes of the people, that they may see this which is so palpable, that many of their own side have wished the disorder to be amended. 
●●●ot. in 1. 〈◊〉. 14.  Lyra saith, If the people understand the prayer or the blessing, they are better brought to God, and do more devoutly answer, Amen. To him consenteth Caietan, who gathereth out of this doctrine of the Apostle, 
●●●ment in 1. 〈◊〉. 14.  that it is bett●r for the edifying of the Church, that public prayers in the hearing of the people, should be said in a tongue common to them all. And for ourselves, let us acknowledge God's mercy, that hath delivered us from that misery and bondage, & restored unto us his truth, which lay and yet lieth buried in the papacy. Let us walk worthy of the light of the Gospel that is brought home unto us, and bring forth the fruits of it to his glory. But if we refuse to hear the Lord speaking unto us by his servants, and to obey them speaking unto us (in a tongue well known unto us) the wonderful things of God, let us take heed he do not send barbarous enemies using a barbarous tongue, which shall bring us into slavery and subjection. For it is just with God, if we refuse to hear him speaking to us in a known tongue, 
●●scal obs●ru. in 〈◊〉 or. 14, 21.  to compel us even against our wills to hear another speak to us in an unknown tongue to the increase of our misery, and to the danger of our souls: as he dealt with his own people for their unthankfulness, whom he upbraideth that they understood not his speech, 
●●hn 8, 43.  and therefore armed the merciless Romans against them that spoke to them in a tongue which they understood not, and scourged them by that abomination of desolation, the which chastisement continueth upon them to this day.  
Use 5 Lastly, these silver trumpets, serving to sound the alarm in the ears of the people, put us in mind of the last day, when all people shall be gathered together, and arise out of the earth at the sound of the last Trumpet of God. For God will also have his Trumpet. These were blown by Aaron and his sons, the last Trumpet shall be blown by the Archangel. Of this we read in many places of the new Testament, of which Christ himself speaketh, 
●●th. 24, ●1.  and the Apostle in his Epistles. The Evangelist showeth, that the Son of man shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, even from one end of heaven to another. And Paul speaking of the general resurrection at the last day, saith, Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not at all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trumpet: for the Trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised up incorruptible, and we shall be changed, 1 Corinth. 15, 51, 52. Likewise the same Apostle teacheth, that the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 1 Thess. 4, verse 16. In the giving of the law, many fearful signs and tokens of Gods glorious presence appeared, that made the people fly away & cry out, among the rest, they heard the noise of the trumpet, Exod. 20, 18. which sounded long, and waxed louder & louder, chap. 19, 1●. This was so terrible, that Moses said, 
Heb. 12, 19, 21  I exceedingly fear and quake: but at the day of judgement, when God will requi●e an account of the law, and how we have walked in the obedience of it, when every one shall be judged according to his works, the Trumpet shall be much louder, and the sound of it far shriller, for the dead sh●ll hear it, & arise out of their graves. This shall cause a greater fear in all, then was at the giving of the law, 
Christ's coming to judgement shall be fearful.  because his coming to judge the quick and the dead shall be sudden, unlooked for, powerful, and glorious. When men shall promise to themselves peace, and safety, then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape, 1 Thess. 5, 3. And as it was in the days of Noah and Lot, when they gave themselves to a general security, and never knew any thing till they were destroyed, one sort with water, and another with fire: so shall the coming of the Son of man be, Mat. 24, 37. It shall be also powerful; his first coming was in much weakness, but this with great might, able to sweep away all his enemies to hell. Lastly, it shall be glorious, for he shall be accompanied with thousands of his Angels, that shall attend upon him, as servants upon their master, ready to execute his will, Jude 14. And this his coming shall have a threefold effect, 
A threefold effect of Christ's coming.  for there will follow immediately a gathering together, a separation, and then a judging. First, all must be gathered together at the sound of the trumpet, both the dead and the living, they shall rise out of their graves, some to everlasting life, & some to shame & everlasting contempt, Dan. 12, 2. After this gathering, there shall be a separation, Christ sitting in his throne of glory, 
Math. 24, 31.  the elect shall be set at his right hand, the reprobate at his left. Then shall follow the judgement itself, 
Math 25, 33.  the judge of all judges giving a most just sentence, calling the elect to inherit ●he kingdom prepared for them from the foundations of the world; 
Math. 25, 32. Math. 25, 41.  & casting the reprobate into everlasting torments, prepared for the devil & his angels.  
[Ver. 11, 12. And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up, etc. Here we have the removing of the Israelites from the desert of Arabia the stony, which bordereth upon Mount Sinai, where they abode for the space almost of an whole year, during which time, the law was given, the Tabernacle was builded, the Priests were consecrated, & the whole worship of God established. In this removing we must observe three things, the form and manner of it, the care of Moses in preparing & providing a guide to lead them, and the prayers that he usually and ordinarily made at the beginning of their march, and likewise when the Ark rested. Touching the first, all the people of Israel removed from their encamping at the foot of the Mountain Sinai, toward Paran; the army or great squadron of juda, led by Naashon, taking the Vanguard, followed by Nethaneel and Eliab, Leadcrs of the Tribes of Issachar and Zebulun; after whom all the rest marched, as we have seen in the beginning of the book,  
From hence we learn, that GOD would have order observed among his people, Doctrine. in all his ordinances. 
Order is to be observed in all the ordinances of God.  The Apostle setteth it down as a precept, 1 Cor. 14, 40. Let all things be done decently and in order. He was glad of the comely order observed among the Colossians, ch. 2 5. We saw before how the Lord appointed the Tabernacle to be placed in the midst of all the Camp, and the Levites to attend round about, and all these to be compassed on every side with the rest of the Tribes, And if we will cast back our eyes to the first times, & mark the creation of the world from the foundation of it, together with all the parts of it, the earth, the water, the air, the firmament, and the heaven of the blessed; who can express the goodly order which they possess & keep? For as they are placed one above the other, so they are pure, subtle, simple, and notable. And as this exquisite order showeth and shineth forth in the Elements and the Heavens, so doth it in the Angels; for as one star differeth from another in glory, so doth one Angel from another. 
1 Thess. 4, 16.  There is one Archangel, others are called thrones, dominions, powers, and principalities; Eph. 1, 21. Col. 1, 16. The day and night have their courses: summer and winter have their seasons: one man hath gifts above another: Michael is called a Prince or one of the chiefest of the Angels, Dan. 10, 13. When Christ our Saviour intended to feed the multitude that had continued with him to hear his word, he commanded his Disciples to make all sit down in ranks by hundreds and fifties, that is, the five thousand which did eat of the five loaves and two fishes, sat orderly in companies, an hundred in length, and fifty in breadth, Mark. 6, 40. so that he would have all things, even the most common & ordinary, done in order.  
Reason 1 For all disorder and confusion came into the world by Satan, and his chiefest travail and employment is to make a breach into that order which God hath settled and established. He shuffleth and mingleth all together, and seeketh to disturb and destroy what he can, & Reason 2 how he can. Again, order is a means to preserve every society: the want of it threateneth ruin to every society. When the people were to encounter with the Canaanites, they asked of the Lord, who should go up against them first, to fight against them. judg. 1, 1. When a Prophet told Ahab that the great multitude of the Syrians should be overcome in battle, 
1 Kin. 20, 14.  and delivered into his hands, he asked, Who shall order the battle? and the Prophet answered, Thou. The word properly signifieth to bind or to tie, because good order bindeth and toeth as with a chain, the whole host together, and one of them to another as sticks ● ᵗ are bound together in one bundle. Whilst they stand firm and continue close together in good array, they are out of danger: if once they disband, and fall to rout, then followeth a miserable carnage and destruction. Besides, Reason 3 it giveth beauty & comeliness to every action.  
This serveth to reprove such as keep not Use 1 their places, but break out of order, and will not be held within the compass that God hath set them. Every man hath his bounds set him, & is enclosed in them as in a circle, which he may not pass. In the giving of the Law, when the Lord promised to come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai, 
Exod. 19, 11  Moses is commanded to set them bounds, that they may take heed to themselves, and go not up into the Mount, or touch the border of it, ver. 12. if any touched the Mount, he was to be put to death, v. 13. Every creature hath his proper place, and goeth no farther than the chain of God suffereth. The sea though it rageth, yet is held in by this chain, God hath said, Thus far it shall go and no farther. In the gathering of Manna, which was the bread that the Lord gave Israel to eat, 
Exod. 16, 1●  Moses doth set down the order which they must observe; they must leave none of it until the morning, v. 19 On the seventh day every man must abide in his place, no man must go out of his place on that day. No man hath any promise of blessing when he keepeth not the order that God hath set him. We know how it was with Corah, Dathan, & Abiram, when they would encroach upon Moses and Aaron, and the calling wherein God had set them, it was their own destruction.  
Secondly, acknowledge from hence, that Use 2 the Church is a blessed company, it is the very school of good order, wherein all things are done in number, weight, and measure. When Balaam had seen the goodly order of this host of God, as the Valleys that were spread forth, as gardens by the rivers side, as the trees of Lign-Aloes, which the Lord had planted, & as Cedar trees beside the waters, he cried out in an admiration of this comely, decent, & seemly order, How goodly are thy Tents, O jacob! and thy Tabernacles, O Israel! This heathen man, 
Numb. 24,  this sorcerer, this idolater, as blind as he was in the matters of God, saw and could not but open his mouth to confess the glorious condition and estate of the Church. For who is it that ruleth in the Church? and who is it by whom it is guided? Is it not God, who is the God of order? No confusion cleaveth or can cleave to him, he is not the God of confusion: he is light, & him is no darkness at all, 1 john 1, 5. He hath set an order among all his works. He hath appointed in the Church, Pastors and Teachers for the gathering together of the Saints, Ephesians, chap. 4. Some to teach, and others to learn: some to speak, and others to hear: some to minister the Sacraments, and some not to minister them.  

〈◊〉 22, 3, 4.  This made the Prophet David say, jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together, whither the Tribes go up, etc. There is nothing but confusion out of the Church. The world is full of disorders.  
Use 3 Thirdly, when we see this order interrupted and broken off in the works of God, know that it cometh not of God. Acknowledge therein the corruption of man and the work of Satan. What is it that hath brought in trouble and confusion, but the sin of man? That therefore cannot be of God. From hence it cometh, that the creature is subject unto vanity, Rom. 8, 20. not by God's creation, but through man's transgression. This have I found, saith Solomon, that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions, Eccl. 7, 29. Nevertheless we are assured, that as the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, so it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of GOD, verse 21. And we for our parts, considering the desolations that sin hath brought in, must seek by all means to repair the image of God so much decayed.  
Use 4 Fourthly, whensoever we cannot sound the depth of God's works nor judge of them as we ought, when we see to our appearance much out of square, as soldiers out of their squadrons: we must not condemn the works of God, but accuse our own blindness & ignorance: forasmuch as God hath made all beautiful in his season, Eccl. 3, 11. When we behold how the wicked prosper for the most part, and are of great power, spreading themselves like a green bay tree, Ps. 37, 35: and on the other side, the godly all the day long plagued and chastened every morning, Ps. 73, 14. we are ready to misjudge & misdeem of these works of God. David confesseth, that his feet were almost gone, his steps had well-nigh slipped, v. 2. He began to think he had cleansed his heart in vain, and washed his hands in innocency, v. 13. Howbeit, the ways of God are not as our ways: this is therefore our weakness in judgement. Thus also was jeremy troubled, ch. 12, 1, 2. and no less the Prophet Habbakkuk, ch. 1, 13. Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, & holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? This which we esteem to be a confusion, is indeed no confusion: and that is in order which we suppose to be out of order. For God is a God of patience and long suffering, who will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies, Naum 1, 2. and therefore is the Prophet (much perplexed in spirit) willed to wait by faith the issue that God will make, for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie: 
〈◊〉, 37.  though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry, Hab. 2, 3. Then the Chaldeans, though used of God as his rod to afflict his people, shall be destroyed. Thus God hath set them in slippery places, Ps. 73, 18. so as they pass away & are ●ot, they are sought, but cannot be found, Ps. 37, 3●. The transgressors shall be destroyed together, the end of the wicked is, to be cut off, ver. 38.  
Lastly, from hence every man must learn Use 5 to do the duties of his own calling. God ha●h set every man in a certain calling, as it were in a certain field to till, wherein he is to labour. We are apt indeed to break out into the callings of other men, as if we we●e pinned up in too narrow a room. This made Solomon to say, I have seen servants on horses, 
Eccl. 10, 7. Prou. 2●, 27. and 19, 10.  and Princes walking as servants upon the earth. And as God hath set every man in a calling, so must every man wait and attend upon that calling, whether it be in the Church, or in the family, or in the Commonwealth. In the Church, there is order to be observed in reading, in preaching, in prayer, in the Sacraments, that such as be at them may say in their hearts, Surely God is in this place, and repo●t that God is in them of a truth. To this purpose doth Paul deliver sundry instructions; 
1 Cor. 14.  If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret, 1, Cor. 14, 27. Let the Prophets speak two or three, & let the others judge, v. 29, If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace, v. 30. All Churches of the Saints have this order. v. 33. Let your women keep silence in the Churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the Law: & if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the Church. And if it be not permitted unto them to preach, neither is it permitted them to baptise, which is an appendance unto the Ministry. Their duty is to be in subjection: but to baptise, is a part of power & jurisdiction. So also ought every one to learn and practise the duties of his calling in the private family. An house divided against itself cannot stand, Math. 12, verse 25. but quickly falleth, Luke 11, ver. 17. Happy is that house, when such as are Governors know how to rule, and such as are inferiors, know how to obey. But if one encroach upon the place of another, there followeth much confusion. And in the Commonwealth, every soul must learn to be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of God, the powers that be, are ordained of God; whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist, shall receive unto themselves damnation, Rom. 13, 1, 2. Without this, the whole order of nature will be perverted. A kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation. When he sendeth Magistrates and Princes, he meaneth to preserve mankind by them, & he striketh a fear of them, not only into men, but also into beasts, Dan. 2, 38. Such then as rise against them, and labour to set all in a broil, 
1 Pet. 2, 14.  and to bring all things to confusion, are worse than the brute beasts that are without understanding. 
We cannot honour God, except we honour the Magistrate.  And it is very apparent, that they are possessed with the giddy and frantic spirit of uproar and sedition, which will not be under the rule of such as God hath ordained. We cannot honour God, except we honour such as he hath set in his place. He hath printed his own image in them, and in their persons we obey him. And when superiors are no longer reverenced, all will be set in a tumult and turmoil, and must needs go to spoil and havoc. Now, if we would speak of the practice of the Church of Rome, 
The Church of Rome is wholly out of order.  there is no good order observed among them, but the whole ordinance of God is utterly overturned: the preaching of the word is little esteemed, the word and prayers are in a strange tongue, prayers also are made to Saints, & the use of the Sacraments is horribly profaned: they permit baptism unto women, and the Supper they have quite abolished. Christ and Antichrist are not more contrary, than the Romish church to the true Churches of jesus Christ. They have pulled up the foundation of Christian religion, and utterly denied the faith. The Scriptures they make unsufficient, and to contain a maimed and unperfect doctrine. They subject them to the judgement of the Bishop of Rome and to the authority of the Church. They banish the people from them, as if they were very dangerous unto them. They contemn Magistrates, & claim power to dispose of their kingdoms, if they be supposed to be heretics.  
[Ver. 29, 30, etc. And Moses said unto Hobab the son of Roguel the Midianite, Moses father in law, We are journeying, etc.] The next point is the conference between Moses and this Hobab. 
Conference between Moses and jethro.  For inasmuch as the passage through so many Mountains and Deserts was exceeding both difficult and dangerous, Moses leaveth nothing unforethought which might serve for the advantage of his enterprise, and therefore instantly entreated his father in law to accompany them in their way toward Canaan, 
Such as yield their help to further the Church, shall never lose their labour.  promising to him such part and profit of the promised Land as GOD should bestow upon them. True it is, Moses had lived long in those parts of Arabia, through which he was now to travail, yet the better to assure his passage, and to save so many thousand souls as he had brought out of Egypt, which could not be so few as a million, it was needful for him to use many guides and conductor, and therefore he is so earnest and importunate with jethro: who as he was a man of great years and much experience, and of no less judgement & understanding, which appeareth by his counsel that he gave to Moses for the appointing of judges over the people; so he was a fit and perfect guide in all those quarters, himself inhabiting on the frontiers thereof at Midian.  
What was the answer and issue of this request of Moses, Intepreters are divided, & do much vary about it, as also who this Hobab was, and whether he yielded to this motion, or not; I assent to those that take it to be jethro; and albeit it may seem at the first sight, by that which we read, Exod. 18, 
Exod. 18, ● judg. 1, 16, ● 4, 11, 1 Sa● 15, 6. 1 K●● 10, 15. 1 Chr. 2, 55 jeremy 35.  and in this chap. that he yielded not, but returned back into his own country, yet because it appeareth by divers other places of Scripture, that the posterity of this Hobab were mingled with the Israelites, and had that reward which Moses here promiseth, it is most probable and likely, that this his return back mentioned in Exodus, was rather to fetch away his family, and to take his leave of his own country by setting things in order, them with a purpose to abide there, 
1 Ki. 19, 20.  like to the departure of Elisha from Eliah. But whether this Hobab were jethro himself, or his son, or whether in his own person he returned, we leave in doubt: howbeit these two things are builded upon certainty, that jethro did go back again, & that his posterity came afterward to the Israelites.  
But why doth he so vehemently desire to have this Hobab the guide of their way? Object. was not the allseeing eye of God sufficient unto them? had not he promised to conduct them? and had they not the pillar of the Cloud to go before them? It is true, Answer. yet human helps when they may be had, and God offereth them unto our hands, are not to be neglected. The using of lawful means doth not oppose or confront the providence of God. For faith standeth well with lawful means. Nay, it is rather a sign of infidelity & tempting of God, to cast away such helps and furtherances as we may obtain, and to boast of only faith in God in the pride of our hearts. True it is, we must not put our trust in men, whose breath is in their nostrils, nor depend upon the means as our chiefest confidence, but in the living God, lest we set up men and means as Idols, and offer sacrifice unto them. Therefore, it is the duty of the faithful to use such means as God giveth them for their good. Indeed he can work without means, but we must attend unto his will, & not stand upon his naked power without his will. But of this afterward. 
Doctri●● There c●● to be a communion 〈◊〉 earthly ●●●sings.  The point which here I will observe, is from the offer that Moses maketh to Hobab, who might be instead of eyes unto them because he was skilful in all the parts & places through which they should pass, he was well acquainted with those deserts, and knew what commodities and discommodities they should meet with in the wilderness: if he would be partakers with them in the sour, he should also enjoy the sweet, and he should have his part in the blessings that God should bestow, if he would impart unto them the benefit of his knowledge: and therefore there ought to be a communion of earthly things among all those that profess the same faith and religion. In the primitive Church, no man accounted any thing his own, no man kept the temporal blessings of this life to his own use only, but they had all things common, Act. 4.32. neither was there any among them that lacked, verse 34. Thus doth john Baptist teach the people that came to his baptism, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise, Luke 4.11. So dealt the widow of Sarepta toward Eliah, she had only an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, 1 King. 17.12. yet even of that little pittance she made a cake for the Prophet, verse 15. So it was with job, as he showeth in the defence of his own innocency and integrity, chap. 31. he withheld not the poor from their desire, ver. 16. he did not eat his morsels himself alone, but the fatherless and widow did eat thereof, ver. 17. he saw none to perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering, ver. 19 therefore he did distribute to the necessity of the Saints, Rom. 12.13. and was given to hospitality.  
Reason 1 For the whole multitude of them that believe are of one heart and of one soul, Act. 4.32. As they have but one faith, so they have one desire to glorify God, and to honour him, as if they were but one man. Secondly, we are one flesh, Esay. 58.7. therefore to deal our bread to the hungry, is to feed ourselves; to bring the poor home that are cast out of their houses, is to harbour ourselves; & to cover the naked, is to cloth ourselves. We are members one of another, as parts of the same body whereof Christ is the head, and therefore it cannot be but we must have a compassion and fellow feeling of the wants and necessities one of another, 1 Cor. 12.26. Rom. 12.5. We must be like affectioned one to another.  
Use 1 This serveth for reproof. For we have many that appropriate unto themselves that which God hath given or lent unto them for the good of others. It is noted as the speech of covetous Nabal, to say, Shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? 1 Sam. 25.11. The like is the speech of Laban, as covetous as he, Gen. 31.43. These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine. We are taught in the Lord's prayer, to call it our bread, and not my bread. It is remembered of the lepers, that they entered into some of the tents of the Syrians (who had forsaken them) and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver and gold, and raiment, hiding the same to their own uses only, 2 Kin. 7.8 howbeit they by and by recall themselves and say one to another, We do not well, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace, etc. Now therefore come that we may tell the king's household. So should it be with such as have gotten this world's good, not provide for themselves only, but have respect unto others. Secondly, such are justly to be accused, as contemn those that are in poverty, who cannot abide them, or are ashamed of them, and think themselves disgraced by them. Let such take heed, lest God also be ashamed of them. 
Prou. 22 2.  The rich and poor meet together (saith Solomon) the Lord is the maker of them all. And again, Who so mocketh the poor, 
Prou. 17.5.  reproacheth his maker: and he that is glad at calamity, shall not be unpunished. It is a fearful sin for any to presume to mock his Creator, and every one would be ashamed to be so accounted: howbeit they cannot avoid it, but are justly taxed with this crime. Little do these consider the uncertainty of all human things, how one is exalted, another cast down suddenly, that God often chooseth such as the world rejecteth; and on the other side, they are an abomination unto him, who are highly esteemed in the eyes of men, jam. 2.5. 1 Cor. 1.26. Mat. 11.5. Thirdly, they are reproved, that repine at the good estate of others, whereas we should be ready to communicate unto them, and not think they have too much already. Such were the labourers that wrought in the Vineyard, who had no less than was their bargain, yet they thought others had too much, Matth. 20.12, 13, 14, 15. Lastly, it reproveth such as do wrong and injury to those that have little and small means to withstand violence, so that they lie open to injuries and oppressions: and therefore Solomon saith, Rob not the poor, 
Prou. 22.22.  because he is poor; neither oppress the afflicted in judgement, for the Lord will defend their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoil them. True charity seeketh not her own, but the good of others.  
Secondly, it is our duty to relieve and refresh Use 2 with our goods the poor estate of our needy brethren. The example of the pitiful Samaritane leadeth to the practice of this point. For when he saw the poor traveler lie rob and wounded in the way by merciless and bloody thieves, 
Luke 10.33.  he bond up his wound, he powered wine and oil into them, and gave direction to have him looked unto and well provided for, though they were strangers the one to the other. The Priest and Levite pass by him, and regarded him not in his misery and necessity, as if they had not seen him. The Lord hath made us stewards of the things of this life, & we must give an account of the use and employment of them. Whatsoever goods we have, are the Lords, to whom the earth and the whole furniture of it belongeth, and he hath bestowed them upon us on this condition, that we should despense them to those that have need, and distribute them to such as are in want. 
Hindrances of liberality.  To this as we have many hindrances, so we have also sundry encouragements which ought to weigh down the former. One cause pulling us back from the practice of liberality, is a false opinion that we conceive, and weak ground that we build upon, namely, that the goods which we have, whether left by inheritance or otherwise purchased, are wholly and solely our own & left to our own wil For we must all confess, that we have our master's goods in our hands. We are Stewards and must give up our accounts. 
Luke 16, 2.  The first Christians, professing the same communion of Saints, thought nothing they had to be their own; but these will not let go their hold, persuading themselves that all is their own. Oth●●● are hindered by a vain & needless fear that themselves shall want, or at leastwise may want before they die. This conceit proceedeth from distrust, and savoureth rankly of infidelity. For if they did believe the Scriptures, or durst rely themselves upon the sure word and gracious promise of God, they would find that liberality is the way to abound, not a means to bring any to want, as Prou. 19, 17. and 28, 27. Psal. 37, 25. No man feareth to lend a rich man, that standeth upon his word: but he which hath pity upon the poor, dareth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given, shall he pay to him again; God becometh surety for the poor, who never falsified his word to any: that which they cannot, he both can and will pay: let us not fear to lose by our liberality, so long as he is become our paymaster. A third sort are hindered by an idle and frivolous pretence, that they have families and charges of their own, they have wife and children to provide for. Had not think you, the first Christians so likewise? Might not they have as fair excuses to hinder them as these? Yet they shrunk not under the burden though it lay heavy upon their shoulders, but they sold that which they had, 
Acts 4. and 5.  and made it common, so far as the necessity of the Church required it. Others will reply & say, Alas, I am poor myself, and have but a little, and therefore can give no relief or refreshing to others. Let such consider the poor widows mite: 
Luke 21, 4.  Was not she poor? had she not a mean estate? God accepteth a willing mind, where there is not a wealthy man, 2 Cor. 8. All that do not receive should give, even all ●hat are not in need, Eph. 4, 28. as the labouring man that getteth his living with his labour, & the servant that taketh wages, who hath none to provide for, but for himself and the poor. These are oftentimes very liberal & nothing sparing of their master's goods, but will give nothing of their own. This is rather stealing then giving, and deserveth the title of robbery, then of charity or liberality. Lastly, others allege, that the poor are oftentimes lewd, wicked, idle, and unthankful. True it is, none are to be maintained in an idle course of life: punish them for their idleness, but relieve them in their neediness. If they be lose and lewd, this may be a means to make them much better and more thankful: for thereby we shall heap coals of fire upon their head. The Apostle, after a sharp reproof of idle persons, 2 Th. 3, 13, saith, Be not weary of well-doing. And though it fall out that the tongues of the poor curse us, yet their loins shall bless us, job 31, 20. and their own hearts & consciences shall convince them. And hence it is, that the wise man commandeth us, 
Eccl. 10, 1,  to cast our bread upon the waters, because though it seem utterly lost, as if we should blow the barren sands, yet after many days we shall find it. These are the chief discouragements, which as stones of offence lie in our way to stop the course of liberality. On the other side, 
Encouragements to ●●rality.  we have many good encouragements to help us forward to this duty. First, it hath a promise of great blessing annexed unto it, made by him from whom all blessing cometh, as we noted before. He will not suffer so much as a cup of cold water to go unrewarded, Math. 10, 42. Again, how highly Christ accepteth of it, appeareth hereby, that he accounteth of it as done unto himself, Mat. 25, 40. and the neglect of it, as a neglect of himself, v. 45. Thirdly, it is a forcible means to manifest the truth and sincerity of our religion, jam. 1, 17. Hereby our faith is tried and known to be a sound and saving faith, ch. 2. Our hearing of the word, and partaking of the Sacraments are not accepted, except they be seasoned with mercy & compassion as it were with salt, Esa. 1.14, 15.  
Lastly, seeing we must communicate one with another in earthly things, how much Use 3 more ought we to do it in heavenly? And if we must procure good to the bodies of our brethren, we are much more to seek to save their souls. This is the greatest love that can be, to be a means to win any to salvation. The soul of a man is of great price, it is more worth than an whole world of wealth. For what should it profit a man to win a kingdom, and then lose his own soul? or what shall a man give for the recompense of his soul? This is a divine labour, and shall have a divine reward. This is an heavenly purchase, to purchase souls. In our days they are accounted the only wise men of the world, that can compass great matters, and purchase house and lands, and leave a rich posterity behind them. Many men make it their glory to vaunt of their purchases, and how they have increased their revenues, and enriched their heirs. But what have they gotten to God? or whom have they won to him? doubtless to gain one soul to God is better, and shall yield more comfort at the last day, then to get great substance, and to leave a rich inheritance behind us. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise, Prou. 11, 30, Dan. 12, 3. The Apostle Jude teaching the Saints what love they should show toward their brethren, 
Jude 22.2  and what care should possess their hearts for their conversion, willeth to have compassion upon some, putting difference, and that they should save others with fear plucking them out of the fire. This work of winning of souls standeth in bringing of them to the knowledge of God, 
What it win soule●  & converting of a sinner from going astray out of the right-way. Some err in opinion, 
jam. 5, 1●  other are corrupt in life & conversation. He that seethe his neighbour's Ox or Ass ready to fall into a ditch wherein he might perish, is bound by the law to pluck him out of danger, Exod. 23, 4, 5: or his beast going astray, must bring it home to the owner, Deut. 22, 1. All souls are mine, sayeth the Lord, Eze. 18, 4. he is the owner of them, he is the Lord over them: when they wander out of the way of truth, they must be brought unto him again. Shall we draw an Ox out of the pit, and not our brethren made after the similitude of God out of the puddles of sin wherein they are plunged? Hath he care over bruit beasts, and not much rather over men's souls? It is a point of humanity, to bring the wandering stranger into his way: but it is a part of true piety, to turn them into the path that leadeth unto life, who through error wander from God and his word. To effect this, 
●herein the ●●●ning & sa●●ng of souls ●●●sisteth.  we must use these means, and practise these duties. First, to instruct them which are ignorant and walk in darkness, & in the shadow of death, that thereby they may come to the knowledge of the truth, Prou. 13, 14. Secondly, to reprove them of the evil which they have committed, that so they may repent and come out of the snares of Satan, 2. Tim. 2, 25. And thus many have been reclaimed, Prou. 6, 23, Thirdly, to exhort and admonish one another, persuading them unto that which is good, & dissuading them from that which is evil, Heb. 3, 7, 8, 13. and 10, 24. john 4, 28, 29. Thus we shall draw on some, and prevent the fall of others. This we must do in love and in the Spirit of meekness, considering both them and ourselves, Gal. 6, 1, 2. Fourthly, to use threatening to them that are obstinate and hardened in sin, denouncing unto them the judgements of God, that their hearts may be mollified and softened, as Physicians deal in desperate diseases. Lastly, to seek to convert them by a godly example of an holy life, 1 Pet. 3, 1. 1 Cor. 7, 16. This is as strong and forcible a means as any of the former, if not more forcible: the other are by word, this is by deed. For when they behold an example of godliness, faith, patience, humility, and obedience before their eyes, it causeth them to fall down on their faces, and give glory unto God when they see their good works. But woe to all carnal Gospelers, who by profane examples of all looseness, do strengthen the hands of the wicked, & thereby keep them from repentance. Woe unto them by whom any soul is hindered from conversion, 1 Pet. 1, 7.  
[Verse 35, 36. And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward that Moses said, rise up Lord and let thine enemies be scattered, etc.] This is the last point, setting down the ordinary prayers that Moses used, both when they marched and when they rested. These prayers were not ysed at this time only, but upon all such like occasions. They never removed, but it was joined with prayer; they never pitched down their Tents, but it was done with prayer. This sanctifieth all, our doings out, and our come in: & teacheth us to begin our works, and end our labours with it. And to whom doth he pray? He goeth not to Saint or angel, he saith not, Rise up Abraham, o● Isaac, or jacob; but Rise up, O Lord, teaching us that it is a duty due only unto God. But to omit these points that every where come to hand, observe this from the practice of Moses, Doctrine. that the servants of God may lawfully use a prescript form of prayer, 
The true servants of God may use a prescript form of prayer.  whether it be the Minister in the Congregation, or the Master in his private family, or a particular christian between the Lord and himself, when he is entered into his Chamber, and hath shut the door unto him. This we have showed already in the sixth chapter, by the blessing commanded to the Priests, to be used in the public assemblies. Now that which was allowed unto the Priests, may not be thought unlawful to the people. Such as brought the first fruits to God to testify their thankfulness unto him for his blessings, and that they held all of him in chief, have a set form appointed unto them, Deut. 26, 5, 6, 7, etc. The Psalms of David were penned, not only to be used at that time wherein they were made, but ever afterward, as occasion served. The 92 Psalm was penned for the Sabbath day: so the 102 Psalm to be a prayer for the distressed, when he should pour out his Meditation before the Lord, as appeareth in their several titles: yea Christ our Saviour, that had the greatest grace of prayer, who continued the whole night in prayer to God, Luke 6, 12. yet did not forbear and abstain in prayer, from using the same words oftentimes, Math. 26. verse 44.  
This truth will the better appear, if we Reason 1 consider that the Lord jesus himself hath left a prescript form of prayer, not as a pattern or platform only, but likewise to be used as a prayer. So that his doctrine is according to his practice: he prayed in the garden three times, using the same words, and he alloweth his Disciples to do the like: yet who may be compared unto him? He did it not through want of words or matter, who had the treasures of wisdom in him. Therefore he said to his Disciples, After this manner pray you. 
Matth. 6, 9  If we may pray after that manner, than we may pray after a set form, whether it be read in book, or rehearsed without book. Secondly, Reason 2 it is the common rule of Christ and his Apostles, that whosoever asketh in faith, shall be heard, whether it be in a prescript form, or otherwise. It is faithful prayer which pleaseth God, and availeth much: and without faith, nothing is accepted. Thirdly, it is requisite Reason 3 for order sake. For uniformity is a notable means to avoid confusion: and therefore the church heretofore hath used the same, & the most reformed churches at this day use it, from which we are not slightly to dissent and disagree, and so to reject read prayers, and set forms.  
Lastly, the Apostle avoucheth, That he would pray with the Spirit, 
1 Cor. 14, 15.  and he would pray with the understanding also; but a new prayer, never heard of, is not so well understood & conceived of the simple, neither can they so rightly & readily answer Amen unto it. But the same form used, the oftener it is heard, the better it is understood. In men there are for the most part sundry wants, as ignorance in the mind, forgetfulness in the memory, defect of utterance fit to be in him that should speak unto God, fear and bashfulness in the affections, that they cannot deliver the desires of their heart in the presence of others, much dullness and deadness in the soul; yet we are not to debar such from prayer: all which wants a set form helpeth.  
Use 1 The use hereof is, to convince those that are of the separation, which have rend themselves from us, and made a rent in the Church as schismatics, who hold it unlawful to use any set forms of prayer, yea even that form of prayer which our Saviour hath taught and commanded. These do not only hold it to be unlawful, but account it an abominable idol, 
The opinion of those of the separation touching set forms of prayer.  and as loathsome to God, as the offering up of swine's flesh in the time of the law. These be their own words, to be read in the books of Greenwood and Barow, two principal Sectaries and ringleaders in this division. They account it no better than lippe-labour, nay not so good: they hold it to be a stinting of the Spirit. But to leave words and to pass by their bold assertions, let us hear what they answer to our reasons, & then reason against their answers. We allege, that Christ expressly willeth us to pray thus; and the Priests in the law were expressly charged to bless the people thus. This is our warrant to justify our practice; now mark I pray you their answer, and compare the one with the other. They tell us boldly, that Christ willeth not his disciples to pray this, but thus: and that the Priests were not required to use these very words of blessing, because the Hebrew word [Coh] 
[Coh.]  used in that place, is an adverb of similitude, as if it had been said unto them, Ye shall bless them after this manner, or after a like sort. This cannot be to tie them to the same words, but to do it according to the same instructions. For nothing like to another is the same. But this (by their patience) is no better than a shift and cavil. For be it that they were not required to use the same form and frame of words, yet were they forbidden to use them? or if they had used them, had they offered up swine's flesh? had they committed Idolatry? had it been an idolatrous kind of service? for they forbidden the people to use the Lords prayer as a prayer. Neither do we say, that the Priests were precisely tied to use the same and no other words, but we would know of them whether they were forbidden to use the same? To which question, I think they will not answer in haste. The Hebrew word upon which they lay the weight & foundation of all their building is used throughout the old Testament, and the use of it by Moses and the Prophets serveth fully and notably to pull up their conceit by the roots: and that the weakness of their answer and exception may appear the better, let us see the use of it in some particular places. When Moses was sent to the children of Israel to say, That the God of their Fathers had sent him unto them, and pleaded for himself that they would say unto him, What is his name? God said unto him, I am that I am: 
Exod. 3, 13. 1● 15.  Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. here we have the same word used. Now according to their exposition, Moses is not commanded to speak the same words at any time, because [Thus] as they say, is not the same, but the like, and to that effect, and nothing like is the same. So then, if he were demanded, what was his name that sent him? he might in no case say (if we will believe these novelties) I am that I am hath sent me, forasmuch as he useth the adverb of likeness, for he sayeth [Thus;] which is not the same, 
[C●h.  but some such like thing. N●y, their opinion is yet more gross and absurd, for they turn God's precept into a prohibition: and whereas God commandeth Moses what he shall say, they say he is forbidden to use those very words, and allowed only to speak to that purpose. And afterward when God said unto him, verse 15. Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, The Lord God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of jacob, hath sent me unto you, this is my name for ever; and this is my memorial unto all generations. If their gloss were granted, he might not say, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and of jacob hath sent me unto you, this had been utterly unlawful for him, he must take heed he say not so in any case; no, though the Lord tell him, This is his name and his memorial for ever to all generations, but he must speak some such like words: as if God were delighted with copy and variety of words, or did hunt after letters and syllables: or as if it were a fault to speak as God speaketh; or as if Moses could better deliver his message in his own words, then in the words of God.  
Again, when the Prophets came from God to the people, and brought their warrant and commission with them from him, and cried out, Thus saith the Lord; the meaning must be according to the conceit of these men, God hath not commanded to speak the same words, nay he hath forbidden and restrained them, that they may not use them. This is most ridiculous, both in respect of God, and of the people. For when God saith to the Prophets, Thus ye shall speak to the people, they make him say, Take heed ye utter not these words, but speak freely to the same effect, & spare not; and vary them at your pleasure. And when the holy Prophets came to the people, and as they were directed and appointed said, Thus saith the Lord, it shall be as much as if they should say unto them, If ye do think that God hath spoken to me these words, which I am to deliver, you do much deceive yourselves, he hath spoken the like, but not the same: I may not speak to you from his mouth, I must speak from mine own mouth. What can be more childish and foolish, then thus to interpret? yet all this is necessarily inferred upon the answer of such as profess themselves to be our adversaries. Therefore, when Christ saith, pray thus, it is as much by their interpretation as if he had said, take heed ye pray not in the same words, but use the like of your own; abstain from mine, I give you liberty to use what other ye list yourselves: all which we see to bear no colour or show of reason. I would gladly know of such as are contrary to us in judgement & practice, whether it be not lawful to say this part of the prayer, Hallowed be thy name? If this be lawful, is it not as lawful to add the next words in the next place, Let thy kingdom come? and to this (I have heard) they yield, and confess it lawful. If this be good, why not afterward to add the rest of the petitions? is one more lawful than another? Or can one part be allowed and not the other? Thus do they confound themselves, and give us an answer out of their own mouths.  

●biect.  Again, they tell us that reading is one thing, and praying is another, and thereupon conclude, that a man cannot pray reading. I answer, 
answer.  they differ indeed, being divers and sundry things, so that neither is reading praying, nor praying reading; howbeit, they are not contrary one to the other. A man may read and not pray, he may pray & not read, and yet he may pray reading, and read praying. The like we might say of speaking and kneeling. Speaking is one thing, and praying is another: a man may speak and not pray, he may pray and not speak, and yet he may pray speaking, and speak praying. So kneeling is one thing, and praying is another: a man may kneel down and not pray, he may pray and not kneel, and yet he may pray kneeling, and kneel praying. Wherefore, every reading of a prayer is not praying, except withal there be a lifting up of our hearts to God. I will show this by a familiar example touching the Lord's prayer: when we conclude our unperfect prayers with it, we make request to God, and consequently pray unto God. But when we publicly or privately read the sixth chapter of Matthew, in which the Lord's prayer is contained, we read the words and hear them read, yet we confess we pray not. We have then no intent to pray, but to inform ourselves in the will of God set down in the Scripture. So then, praying and reading differ thus: the one is a pouring forth of the supplications and requests of the heart, the other is a receiving into the soul, such things as are read. These two we may do easily at one and the same instant, if the fault be not in our own nature more than in the nature of the things themselves. Thirdly, Objection they pretend that stinted prayers cannot be made as necessity requireth, but they tie us to our books, and cannot be enlarged according to our wants. I answer, Answer. there be things necessary to be prayed for at all times, and of all men, which indeed are the most things that we are to beg of the Lord; of these there may be prescript forms for all times and persons: as for other things, the prayer is to be applied to the time and necessity. For this, we have the Elders of the Church to help us, to whom we are directed to send.  
Lastly, they object, Object. we must pray as the Spirit moveth us, for the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. Rom. 8. I answer, 
A●sw.  every one receiveth not such a measure of the Spirit, as enableth him to this duty. We have but the first fruits of it, and must use all good helps to make supply of our wants; as the sick of the palsy, when he could not go to Christ of himself, was borne by his neighbours, Mar. 2, 3, 4. We are like to a sick man newly recovered, who cannot walk without his staff, or leaning upon the shoulders of another, or except he be stayed by the hand. Many men have grace in the heart, who want words of utterance to express it. All weak ones need help to minister matter of prayer. Wherefore, the help of the Spirit standeth well enough with outward helps. Neither let them reply, that the Spirit is sufficient, and that no other are mentioned: for when the Scripture will set forth the work to be his alone, and the force and efficacy from him, all other means are suppressed and depressed, all helps whatsoever are concealed and cast down, and may not come in account or comparison with him. Nevertheless, fasting, lifting up of the eyes, and of the hands, kneeling and prostrating of the body, are outward means to make the prayer more fervent, and do not take away o● derogate any thing from the Spirit.  
Secondly, we are directed from hence, to Use 2 use public and private prayers more reverently and religiously, then commonly we do; both prayers in the Church, and prayers in families, being warranted by the word, though they be read out of the book by the Minister of the Church, or the master of the family. For though the prayers be common, yet ought they not to be the less regarded. There be two sorts of people which be both in extremities and justly to be reproved. The one son do so highly magnify the common prayers allowed & appointed by authority, that they regard no other, but brand them with the title of conceited prayers, and so do account the preaching of the word as nothing. Another sort seeing the Ministry so vilified, and seeking to shun that rock, do rush and dash themselves violently against another: for they give almost no reverence at all to the Liturgy, neither care to afford us their presence at the same. But we must walk in the golden mean between both these, giving to each that which is meet, without comparing the one to the other, and so yield obedience to both. In the one God speaketh to us, in the other we speak to God. The Wiseman handling them both, beginneth with the preaching and hearing of the word as the most principal part of God's worship, and afterwards he proceedeth to prescribe rules of prayer, Eccl. 4 & 5. 
Acts 2, 42.  So the church is said to have continued in the Apostles doctrine, & in prayers. They then deceive themselves, that under a pretence of receiving the prayers of the church, do contemn the Ministry of the word, and think they have done enough, if they have been present at them, saying, We have godly prayers published and set forth by commandment of the Prince, why cannot men be contented with them? These speak through hypocrisy, and would seem zealous of public prayers, howbeit they are like to judas, he cried out against the waste of the ointment, as if it might have been better bestowed upon the poor. He seemed very careful of the good of the poor, but he spoke this not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and bore the bag, joh. 12, 6 So do these men talk much of prayers, as if they were so zealous, that they were altogether given to prayer: howbeit, they do not this for any zeal to prayer, or for any great care they have to frequent them, but thereby to seek a cover for their own negligence in hearing the word. Such as live under an unpreaching Ministry, think themselves well enough, when as notwithstanding they want a chief and principal part of God's service, the ordinary means of salvation, Ro. 10. jam. 1. On the other side, such as ascribe all to preaching, and regard not the prayers of the Church, are blameworthy: this must be done, but the other must not be left undone. It is the office of the Ministry to perform both, Act. 6. and the duty of the people to be present at both: yet great is their negligence this way▪ if not contempt.  
Use 3 Lastly, from hence ariseth great comfort to such as are weak in faith, and in the gifts of faith. For God will not reject us or our prayers, though we be not able to perform them as we ought to do. Albeit we come unto him halting, and borne by others, yet he will embrace us and receive us. This may be a notable motive to encourage us to this duty. Christ hath promised, that he will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed, Math, 12, 20. Blessed are they that come to him, & creep on hand and foot, if they cannot wal●e upright, but woe unto them that come not at al. If we have but a grain of Mustard seed of faith, he cherisheth it, and accepteth of us. Let us therefore come unto him by prayer, howsoever we come, by ourselves, or by others; forasmuch as our coming to him shall have a reward. See more of this before, chap. 6.  
[Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee fly before thee.] This is the prayer made when they began to march. This prayer is short, but it is very effectual. The sum and substance is, to commend unto God the good and preservation of the church from the many enemies of it. As if he had said, O merciful God, which hast promised thy presence among us, go thou before us, and scatter thine and our enemies, put them to flight which seek to stop our way, and to hinder us from entering into the land of Canaan, which thou hast promised unto us. The prayer consisteth of two parts, a cause, and the effect. The cause is Gods arising to the defence of his servants, wherein he speaketh after the manner of men, because properly God neither riseth up, nor sitteth down, as also he neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. 
Psal. 121, 4.  But it is spoken in regard of a new work, whereby he manifesteth his help to be ready at hand, and showeth that he shrinketh not back in time of need from those that are his. Sometimes he is said to lie still, and to be as it were asleep, when he doth bear with patience, 
Illyr. c●au. S●  and suffer the wicked to rage and run on against the righteous, and against religion: so when he beginneth to take the cause into his own hand, both by defending his children, and maintaining his own glory against the wicked, he is said to arise and stand up, 
Esay 2, 21.  as 2 Chro. 6, 41. Psa. 44, 23. & 82, 8. & 132, 8. The reason of the speech is borrowed from men, who can do no work of any moment or account while they lie still, but if they will go in hand with any thing, they must rise up. The effect of his arising is the scattering of his enemies. If he once arise to the help of his people, then followeth quickly the fall of his enemies. If he fight for them, They shall fly before him as chaff before the wind and as wax melteth before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God, Psa. 68.2. We might note from hence, that when once God showeth himself for his people, the enemies are quickly put to flight, Exod. 14. When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites, and overtook them at the red sea, and that their hearts began to fail and fall away, to be troubled, and as it were to melt away, Moses said unto them, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he shall show you this day, 13. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace, 14. Deut. 28, 7. and Ro. 8, 31. If the Lord be on our sides, who shallbe against us? This is a great comfort to the Church, 2. Chro. 15, 2. The Lord is with us, if we be with him. Again, let every faithful soul apply this to himself, and gather assurance by it, to stand unmovable under the shadow of the almighty. Lastly, it noteth out the wretched & miserable condition of the enemies of God, and of his children; for when they think to arise, God will give them a sudden and shameful fall. But I only point out this point: and proceed to the consideration of the titles which Moses giveth to the ungodly; 
●●●●rine.  he calleth them the enemies of God, 
●●e wic●●●●e Gods ●●i s and ●●●●m.  & such as hate him. So then observe, that all wicked men are utter enemies to God, they hate him, they abhor him, they cannot abide him. They say in their hearts, There is no God, Psal, 14, 1. God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will not require it, Ps. 10, 11, 13. The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of jacob regard it, Psal. 94, 7. Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, what is the almighty that we should serve him, and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? job 21, 14, 15. Exod. 5, 2. Mal. 3, 14. In the second commandment the Lord saith, that he would visit the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him, Exo. 20, 5. Howsoever therefore they pretend friendship and love to him, as judas did to Christ, yet their hearts are far from him, they hate him, and cannot abide him.  
Reason 1 And no marvel. For first, they fight against his Laws, and resist his ordinances. They wish there were no God, no hell, no heaven. For as they are the friends of God that do his commandments, so doubtless they are his enemies, that will not submit themselves to his kingdom, nor do his wil Hence it is, that Christ saith, Luk. 19, 27. Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. They that will not have him to reign over them, and in them, are his enemies: but such are all the unregenerate, therefore they are Gods enemies. Secondly, they are under the dominion of the Prince of darkness, who is God's professed enemy, he ruleth in them, to him they give homage and obedience. From him they will not departed, and of him they shall receive their wages. So Christ telleth the pharisees, they were of their father the devil, joh. 8, 44. they did the lusts of the devil, and therefore they were the children of the devil. The God of this world ruleth in them, and therefore they can be no better than the enemies of God: 
〈◊〉, 2, 19  for of whom a man is overcome, of the same he is brought in bondage. Lastly, the godly that seek to fear the Lord, are both called and accounted the friends of God, as Abraham was, jam. 2, 23. To this purpose speaketh jehoshaphat in his prayer, 
〈◊〉. 20, ●.  Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? If then the faithful be the friends of God, doubtless the unfaithful, what are they but his enemies?  
Use 1 T●e Uses. First, conclude from hence, that most certainly God will be their enemies. Will he hold friendship with those that care not for his love and favour? that profess and proclaim, though not in words, yet in their works, that they are and will be his enemies? No doubtless, ●e will cast them of●, he will renounce them for being any of his people. Thus the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 78, ●6. He smote his enemies in the hinder parts, he put them to a perpetual shame And Esa. 63, 10. ●hey rebelled and vexed his holy spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Would any man have the displeasure of great men? Do not all men fear to have such as are in high place to become their enemies? But behold, he that is higher than the highest, and greater than the greatest, is an enemy to all wicked persons, as they are enemies to him? Who would not therefore make all possible haste to come out of such a wretched condition, as pulleth the enmity of God upon his head, and setteth God against him?  
Secondly, let no man glory in their favour & Use 2 friendship, or that they are any way near unto them or great with them. He that toucheth pitch cannot but be defiled with it. He that is inward with God's enemies, will learn in time to be enemy also. W●e must therefore avoid their company, and entertain no familiarity and acquaintance with them. They are Gods enemies, and they are enemies unto us, why then should not we be enemies to them? The Prophet setting down the note of the Citizens of heaven, maketh the contempt of the wicked to be one, Psal. 15, 4. He in whose eyes a vile person is contemned. The Prophet Elisha witnesseth and avoucheth even to the face of jehoram, the King of Israel, that had it not been that he regarded the person & presence of jehoshaphat, he would not once have vouchsafed to look upon him, 2 King. 3, 14. Whatsoever titles they claim and challenge unto themselves, this is their true title, they are the enemies of God, and we must have no society with God's enemies.  
Thirdly, it showeth the certain destruction Use 3 of all the ungodly, for they are his enemies, and can they then prosper? They fight against him, and he will fight against them, & are they stronger than he? or able to prevail against him? No, in no wise; for though hand join in hand, and all of them should combine themselves in one against him, yet the breath of his mouth shall blow them away, and they shall not stand in judgement before him. To this end they are compared to chaff, which the wind scattereth away, Psalm. 1. The godly are like a Tree planted by the rivers side, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season; his leaf also shall not whither: but the ungodly are not so, they are like the chaff, they are of no more reckoning or account with GOD, than the chaff is with men, in comparison of the good corn. Hence it is also, that they are compared to dung, they cast up as soul and filthy a savour in the nostrils of almighty God, as dung doth in the nostrils of men. Therefore the Church, in their prayer against them, 
Psal. 83, 9, 10.  desireth God to do unto them as unto the Midianites, as to Sisera and jabin at the brook of Kison, which perished at Endor, and became as dung for the earth. So doth Ahijah tell the wife of jeroboam, that the Lord would bring evil upon the house of jeroboam, and take away the remnant of his house, as a man taketh away dung, 
job 20, 7.  till it be all gone, 1 King. 14, 10. Let them therefore magnify themselves never so much, & lift up their horns on high, they are of no price, they are in no account, they are of no estimation with God, they are loathsome and abominable to him. Their sins cry aloud in his ears; they have a stinking savour in his nostrils, they are odious in his eyes, they grieve his heart; and can they escape? May we not make an undoubted conclusion from all these things, that they shall certainly perish?  
Use 4 Lastly, to shut up this point, it is a duty required of all of us, to seek to be at peace with God, and to give unto him our hands, or rather our hearts. For so long as we stand out against him, and bid him open defiance, there can be no peace between him and us, neither any hope at all of reconciliation. For as Deut. 32, 41. If he whet his glittering sword, and his hand take hold on judgement, he will execute vengeance on his enemies, and will reward them that hate him. If a king hear of another coming against him with an huge and mighty host, and consider that he is not able to encounter with him hand to hand, while he is yet afar off, he sendeth embassage desiring conditions of peace, Luke 14, 32. This wisdom ought to be in us. Let no man think to prevail & get the upper hand by standing out against him. He that continueth an enemy unto him, is an enemy to himself, nay to his own soul. It is sin that maketh this separation between God and us, Esay 59, 2. We rise up against him, we rebel against the Lord, 2 Chron. 13, 6 and then the Lord riseth up against us. We cannot prosper so long as we provoke him with an high hand. Let us therefore repent us of our evil ways, 
How we may have peace with God.  and turn unto him, assuring ourselves that then he will turn unto us. Let us humble ourselves under his mighty hand, and he will lift us up. Let us confess our sins unto him, and we shall find mercy, for he is just and merciful to forgive us our sins. There is no peace to be obtained, but under these three conditions, repentance, humility, and confession: these as a trumpet sound the retreat of his judgements: they are as peacemakers between God and us, and are as a strong threefold cord which is not easily broken whereby his hands are after a sort bound from pouring wrath and vengeance upon us.  
[Let thine enemies be scattered, and them that hate thee fly before thee.] Mark in these words the title that he giveth to those that were ready to hinder their approach unto Canaan: he saith not, Let our enemies and them that hate us be scattered, but let thine enemies and them that hate thee, etc. Nevertheless, if he had so prayed, the prayer had been lawful: but his words are more powerful and effectual: whereby we see, that the Church's enemies, he calleth God's enemies, and showeth that they hated not only the godly, but God himself.  
So then, the doctrine 
Doctrine  is this, that the enemies of the Church in general, 
The e●e●● of the ch●●● are the e●●mies of 〈◊〉  or of any his faithful servants in particular, are indeed and in truth the enemies of God himself. Howsoever they may in the blindness of their hearts persuade themselves, that notwithstanding their hatred to God's dear children, they may be the good friends of God: yet they do but deceive themselves, for they are accounted his utter enemies and such as inwardly hate him, as Exod. 15, verses 6, 7. speaking of the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the red sea, Moses singeth, that the Lord overthrew them that rose up against him, he saith not, they rose up against Israel. And Deborah speaking of the destruction of Sisera, judg. 5, verse 31, saith, So let all thine enemies, O Lord, perish. Thus the Prophet alluding to the common prayer of Moses in this place, beginneth the 68 Psalm in this manner, Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him, fly before him. The like we see, Psalm. 83, 2, 3. 
Deut 32,  It is plain therefore that the enemies of the godly are God's enemies, though if they were asked the question, they would utterly deny it, & think themselves unjustly charged with it.  
For first, God is entered into a league and covenant with them to have the same friends and the same enemies; as if he should say, 
Reason  as jehoshaphat said to the Kings of Israel, 
1 King. ● 2 King 3,  I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses. This appeareth in the Covenant which God made with Abraham, Gen. 12, 3. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee: and his he verifieth in all that embrace the faith of Abraham.  
Secondly, wherefore are the ungodly persecutors, enemies to God's children? or what hath the righteous done? and why do they set themselves against them? is it not for the Lords sake? is it not for his truth and religion? True it is, they may have, and indeed have other colours and pretences, but religion is the cause of all & the true fear of God, as Psal. 44, 22, & 38, 20. Rom. 8, 36. as it is noted of Cain, that he was of that evil one, and slew his brother, because his own works were evil, & his brother's good, 1 john 3, 12.  
Woe therefore unto them that set themselves against God's people, for they fight against Use 1 God, and he will fight against them for those that are his. If they cannot prevail against him, (for what is an arm of flesh to the Almighty)? then certainly not against the Church. So long as God standeth, the Church shall stand upright, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it, Mat. 16. 
Zach. 2, Deut. ●● Psal. 17,  Hence it is that the Prophet saith, He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye. We may therefore conclude as a principle not to be gainsaid, the sure and certain destruction of all the enemies of the Church, in as much as he will thrust through the loins of them that set themselves against his sanctuary. They may for a time prosper & prevail, but in the end they shall be confounded and come to ruin. Let them in time consider in what case they stand. They think they have to deal only with men, over whom they may insult at their pleasure, through their might and greatness, but they shall find they have to do with God, who is able to uphold his servants, O that they could consider this!  
Use 2 Secondly, we may truly infer the woeful estate of those that defend not the cause of God and his children, that do not stand with them, but stand still as neuter, and look on as idle beholders, and suffer them to be borne down and trampled under the feet of proud men as mire in the street, such as shrink back from them for fear of danger that may befall themselves. For such as forsake the faithful in their just defence, do in the height of their sin, and in the pride of their hearts forsake the Lord himself, and renounce him. This made David say, 
〈◊〉. 50.51  Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants, how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people, wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord, wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine Anointed. As he bore the reproaches of his enemies, which were Gods enemies, in his bosom, so he prayeth that God would recompense their sin into their bo●ome. Therefore it is, that Deborah saith, Curse ye Meroz, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, 
〈◊〉. 23.  because they came not out to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. They did not join with the enemies of God, yet they are cursed because they sat still and did nothing and did not join with his friends. We see, we cannot but see and behold with our eyes, the children of God oftentimes hated, maligned, wronged, threatened, oppressed, slandered, reviled, & persecuted; if we open not our mouths in good causes, in God's causes, we forsake the Lord himself whose cause it is, and bring upon ourselves his fearful, yet most just curse.  
Use 3 Thirdly, as the enemies of the Church are the enemies of God, so we may conclude from hence, that doubtless the friends of the church are the friends of God. No man shall do any good to his distressed servants, which shall lose his reward. The Evangelist showeth, that Christ our Saviour accounteth it as done to himself, 
〈◊〉 2● 40.  whatsoever we have done to one of the least of his brethren. He is fed and harboured in his members, he is clothed and covered in his members, he is received and visited in his members. And if we refuse to do good to the least of these, he esteemeth it as an injury and indignity done unto himself. This is a notable encouragement to move us to open our mouths in the cause of the dumb, to open our hands in the cause of the needy, and to open our hearts in the cause of the afflicted, and to unloose our tongues to plead the cause of the innocent. Such are the true friends of God. 
Pro. 31.8 and 27.19. & 19.6.  Every man seeketh the favour of great men, and desireth their friendship how ought we then to labour to be the friends of God? Abraham believed the promise made unto him, and he is said to be the friend of God; & Christ saith, 
jam. 2.23. joh 15.14.  ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. This is the cause that made Deborah pronounce jael the wife of Heber blessed above women dwelling in tents, because she helped the Lord against the mighty with her mouth, with her hand, with her hart; 
judge 5.24.  she smote off the head of Sisera when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. Thus it was with Obadiah; thus it went with Ebedmelech: they showed mercy to the Prophets, & God showeth mercy unto them: they did good to others but they received more good to themselves: And this was the prayer of Paul for Onesiphorus, who no doubt received much mercy from God in the day of account, as he refreshed the Apostle in the day of his want, 2 Timothy, 1.16.18.  
Fourthly, seeing God accounteth the churches Use 4 enemies his enemies, then must our account be answerable to the account of God, we must account his enemies to be our enemies. God's enemies by good right aught to be the Church's enemies. Such then as we see to be open enemies to god, to fight as it were hand in hand against him, to hate true religion, to scorn the profession of it, to deride the professors of it, we must account them as our enemies, we must hold no league, no friendship, no familiarity with them, so far as they declare themselves to be such by their obstinacy. This made the Prophet say to jehoshaphat after he had made affinity with wicked Ahab, 
2 Chron 19.2  who had sold himself as a slave to sin, Shouldest thou help the ungodly? and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath come upon thee from before the Lord. So David saith, testifying his affection, 
Psal. 139.21.  Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee, etc. teaching thereby, that seeing he accounteth our enemies to be his, we ought to account his enemies to be ours. This made the wise Solomon to say, 
Pro. 29.27.  An unjust man is an abomination to the just, etc. But it may be objected, Object. that Christ jesus willeth us to love our enemies, 
Matth. 5.44.  and to bless them that hate us. It is true, Answ. we must love our enemies, but we are never commanded to love the enemies of God. Shall we love them that do not love the Lord? did we not see before, how that good king is reproved, not only because he did help the ungodly, but because he did love them that did hate the Lord? So then we must distinguish and make a difference between such as are our enemies, and such as are Gods: between such as hate our persons, and such as hate true religion and the holy profession of it.  
But how shall we know who are Gods enemies, and who are ours? and to bestow our hatred upon a right subject? I answer, as a good tree is known by his good fruit, so an evil tree is known by his evil fruit. It is the evil fruit which they bring forth, which must be cause of this hatred. Take that away, and let the tree be graffed and bring forth better fruit, we will love both the tree and the fruit. Sin therefore must be the ground and foundation of all true hatred. Secondly, our hatred if it be aright, must proceed from the love of God, and the zeal of his glory, because we cannot love him, but we must hate whatsoever is against him. Thirdly, our hatred must not proceed from any private revenge: for that were to do evil for evil. The cause must no way concern ourselves, but only the LORD. A man may be enemy to our person, and yet a friend to God, such we are commanded to love, and we are forbidden to hate. Lastly, we must see them to be obstinate and settled in sin, as dogs and swine that trample holy things under their feet, and are ready to rend them in pieces that bring them unto them.  
Use 5 Fiftly, from hence ariseth comfort to God's people, to consider that such as hurt or persecute the members of Christ, do hurt and persecute Christ himself, & wound him through their sides, though now he be glorified in the highest heavens. When Paul said, who art thou Lord? the Lord answered, I am jesus whom thou persecutest, Act. 9.5. And the Apostle saith I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's sake which is the Church, Col. 1.24. So God the Father is said to be touched with a feeling of the miseries of his people, Esay 63.9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted, & the Angel of his presence saved them: & likewise the holy Ghost, 1 Pet. 4.14. When you are reviled, the Spirit is evil spoken off on their part, etc. So then the holy and blessed Trinity have as it were a fellow-feeling of our miseries and afflictions, which serveth greatly for the comfort of all that are in trouble for the truth's sake. We suffer not alone, for that were without comfort, we have God the Father to suffer with us, Christ jesus our Saviour to suffer with us, & the holy Spirit blessed for ever to suffer with us. Thus doth God comfort Abraham, who hath the hearts of all in his own hand, that he will get him favour in the eyes of many which shall do him good, and for his sake he will also do them good that do good to him. If any shall rise up against him as an enemy, God will shut the mouth of the lion, he will declare himself to be his enemy, and arise betimes for the defence of his servant. And this appeareth evidently in the history that is set down of him. This is therefore the comfort of the Church, that albeit it have many enemies that hate it, oppress it, & persecute it, yet it shall have many patrons, nurses, friends, and favourers, nay God himself will protect it, defend it, and deliver it: nay he promiseth to bless them that bless it, and threateneth to curse them, that curse it: This made David say, Pray for the peace of jerusalem; let them prosper that love thee, Ps. 122.6. 
Use   
Lastly, it is our duty to labour to be in the number of his children, otherwise these promises belong nothing at all to us. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O City of God, but what is that to us, if we be not citizens of that city? It is a notable privilege, to have the same common friends and enemies with God; this is made ours, if we be his: if not, we have no benefit by it at all. What will move us to holiness and righteousness of life, if this will not, that he which toucheth any of those that belong to him, toucheth the apple of his eye? Zach. 2. Can the Prophets have used a fit phrase to show the care of God toward us, and the desire he hath to further our salvation? If he were a mortal man like unto us, 
Caluin S●● on De●. 3  and had flesh and blood together with those parts that we have, he could not more tenderly keep the apple of his eye, than he hath kept his people from time to time. We know it is the most tender part of the body of man, upon which dependeth the comfort of all the rest. If a man were stricken on the head, or hand, or arm, it might be borne: but if he receive a blow in the eye, all the body starteth at it, and we are much grieved by it. Howbeit we are expressly taught, that God keepeth us, not as his arm or as his leg only, but as the most tender part, to wit, his eye, & as the most tender part, of that tender part, namely the apple of the eye. Thus it pleaseth God to speak to us, to make us understand that which otherwise would be high and hard for us, if he should speak according to his own majesty. He hath neither arms nor legs, neither hands nor eyes, but he borroweth this comparison as well known to us, and stoopeth down to our rudeness and infirmity, that we might conceive his works the better. For the meaning is, that he will defend and preserve us, not as a mortal man doth his hands or feet, but as he would do the apple of his eye. This is his goodness toward us, when any of his are hurt, he receiveth a blow on his eye, and therefore cannot hold his peace: and ought not we on the other side for our parts make all haste to register and enroll ourselves in the number of his children? All this his favour is lost, if we be not his. Let us join ourselves therefore to God's people, let us be one with them, that we may be as one heart, and one soul. And as we noted before, that seeing God reputeth our enemies to be his, we ought to esteem his enemies to be ours; so likewise we ought to account his friends to be our friends. Such shall enter into the Tabernacle of God, 
Psal. 1●  and rest in his holy hill, in whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. 
1 Sam  And if God will honour them that honour him, ought not we also to honour them, and show ourselves like to our heavenly Father? The Prophet telleth us, that all his delight was toward the Saints that were on earth, Psal. 16.3. God delighteth in such, let us follow his example doth the contrary of the ungodly, Psal. 139. Do not I love them, O Lord, that love thee? and do not I rejoice with those that are obedient unto thee? yea, I love them with an unfeigned and perfect love, I account them as my best and chiefest friends, in comparison of whom I do make account of none other. In doing this, we shall have God to be our friend Wherefore, let us remember our duty, to be careful to become sound and sincere members of the Church, by true faith and a right ordered obedience, that so God may accept us to be his children.  
[Verse 36. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. This is the second prayer, which Moses ordinarily made at the resting of the Ark, and the pitching down of the tents. here are two things set forth, first, the act of God, Return O Lord: this is also spoken after the manner of men, for properly God neither goeth nor returneth, he neither proceedeth forward, nor returneth backward: but it is spoken in regard of a new work of God to be showed toward his people. The meaning is as if Moses had said, As thou (Lord) wentest before us to drive away our enemies, so having put them to flight, that none can stand before thee, vouchsafe to come again to our tents, take up thy rest & residence among us thy people, 
●●●l. ●●●ol. ●●●c locum.  as Psal. 7.6.7. Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies, and awake for me, etc. So shall the Congregation of the people compass thee about, for their sakes therefore return thou on high Secondly, the persons to whom he should return and among whom he should rest, to wit, the thousand thousands of Israel. From hence we may observe briefly, 
●●●trine.  where it is that God resteth, and among whom he dwelleth, 
〈◊〉 dwelleth ●●ng his ●●le.  that is, among his own people, he abideth in his Church for ever, there he hath pitched down his standard and purposeth to continue; he hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation, This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell: And in the next words he giveth the reason, for I have desired it, Psal. 132.13, 14. All creatures are his, so are all places his: he hath his choice to abide wheresoever it pleaseth him; for all the world is his, for who created it and gave it a being but he? Now of all places, he chooseth his Church to be with it, and to rest in it. Thus speaketh the king of judah, 2 Chron. 13.12. God is with us for our Captain, and Matth. 28.20. Christ saith, even he that walketh among the seven golden candlesticks, revel. 1.13. Lo, I am with you to the end of the world. Reason 1 For first, who is it that gathereth the Church, but he? can any do this but God by his infinite power? Christ jesus witnesseth that he would have gathered the people of jerusalem by his Ministry, but they would not, Mat. 23. So God promised to gather together the dispersed of judah from the four corners of the earth, Esay 11.12. Secondly, he is evermore a present help in time of trouble, willing to hear them with speed, and ready to speak to them with comfort. Whatsoever they ask of him, they shall receive: but if he were not present with us, he could not hear us in our need nor secure us in our wants Psal. 46.5 Thirdly, Satan dwelleth and ruleth in the world. He is called the prince of the world, Eph. 2. who ruleth in the children of disobedience: and blindeth their eyes that they cannot obey the truth, 2 Cor. 4.4. Lastly, his love, his special love is set upon them; and the love, the special love of his people is set upon him: and where should he rest and remain but among them? or how should one be without another?  
The uses. This reproveth all such as have Use 1 no care to dwell with God in his Church, of which the number is not small in all places. These are like unfaithful servants that care not for coming in their master's presence: or like malefactors, that hate nothing more than the face of the judge. So is it with evil men: they like no place worse than the Church. They take as much pleasure in it, as the thief doth to be in the jail, who careth not how soon he were out, and rid of his fetters. The word of God is to the ungodly as bolts and gives, it fettereth and hampereth and holdeth him, that he knoweth not which way to turn himself. The Church is to him as it were a prison, it restraineth his liberty, & he loveth no place worse than it. It is otherwise with the godly man: he liketh it and preferreth it in his thoughts, in his affections, and in his practices above all other places, because the Lord dwelleth and resideth therein. 
Luk. 19.46.  It is the house of prayer where the people of God meet. God is never absent from hence: and they are happy that may dwell there with him, Psalm 27.4. And we may pronounce this is a certain truth, that such have no company or communion with God that delight not to visit his Temple. Let such look for no blessing at God's hand to come upon them.  
Secondly, this proclaimeth woe and misery Use 2 to come upon all wicked persons, because God is not among them. His presence is the fullness of joy, at his right hand are pleasures for evermore, Psalm. 16, 11. where he is not, there can be nothing but horror and confusion. But he is not in the Congregation & assembly of evil persons. It will be said, Is not God every where? He is, with his essence, but not with his grace. And they shall know he is present with them, and they with him, albeit they seek nothing more than to banish him out of their presence and company. They have forsaken the ways of God, and he hath forsaken them for their wickedness. Howbeit in the last day, when they shall stand before the tribunal seat of the judge of all the world, they will acknowledge their own folly, and desire to behold one comfortable day of the Son of man with the loss of all their pleasures in the days of their vanity, but shall not be able.  
Use 3 Thirdly, hence ariseth comfort to God's children to know this, and to be thoroughly persuaded of it in their hearts. Thus doth Abijah the king of judah comfort himself against his enemies, 2 Chron. 13.12, Behold, God himself is with us: and likewise Christ his disciples, Lo I am with you unto the end of the world, Matth. 28.20. He need not fear any thing that hath God to be with him. He need not fear the subject, that hath the Prince to stand for him. He hath no cause to be afraid of the servant, that hath the master on his side. Let every one therefore comfort himself in the execution of his calling. God hath set us in the same, and he will bear us out.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is a duty belonging unto all men to seek the Lord, as well where he may be found as when he may be found. For as there is a time when he will not be found, Pro. 1.28. Mic. 3.4. Luk. 13.24. so there is a place where he will not be found. He resteth not in the tents of wickedness. If God be sought in the society and fellowship of sinful men, he cannot be found. He is found in his house and Temple: if we delight in his word and worship, we cannot be far from him, nor he from us. If we show ourselves willing to hear his voice, and to go no farther from him, then that we may evermore be within the sound of his mouth, we shall be sure of his presence. There he will be found as in a garden of spices. The Lord is said to dwell in the highest heavens, and indeed this is the city of the great king. Now, the Church is as the suburbs, and leadeth us the right and ready way to this city. We can never come to it, if we do not enter by the gates of the Church. here God keepeth his court: here we shall be sure to find him. All men will seem in love with the heavenly jerusalem, but they care not at all for Zion. They would rest in the hill of God, 
Psal. 25.1.  but they desire not to sojourn in his Tabernacle. They would have heaven, but they will have none of the Church. They love to hear, 
Mat 25.34.  enter into the kingdom prepared for you, but they care not for the feasts of the word and Sacraments prepared for them. These do altogether deceive themselves, and separate those things which God hath joined together: for as much as we must long after the place of his habitation upon earth, if we look to be received into the place of his habitation in heaven. For God hath two houses as his dwelling places, one beneath, the other above: the one I may call the lower house, the other the upper house. 
God hath two dwelling places, his upper house, and his lower house.  He that would dwell in the one, must also dwell in the other. One is the Church, the other is the kingdom of glory. If we delight in the first house more than in all other places, let us not doubt, but be well assured, that in his good time we shall have entrance into the second house. But if we will not dwell with him in his Church upon earth, we shall never dwell with him in glory in the highest, of which Christ our Saviour saith, In my Father's house there be many mansions, joh. 14.2. Whereby he meaneth heaven itself, in which all the Saints and blessed spirits of just men perfected shall dwell with God for ever in glory and immortality. If we be any way in love with this celestial house, let our care and endeavour be to dwell with him first in his other house which is the lower house, of which sort is every particular assembly, where God doth also dwell, to which he giveth laws and ordinances as an householder unto his house, of this Paul speaketh, 1 Tim. 3.15. Thou must know how to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God. Let us examine our love to the one, by our love to the other: our love to the kingdom of heaven, by our love to the kingdom of grace. If we care not for the former, we shall never have entrance into the latter. God must know us to be guests in his first house, otherwise he will never acknowledge us as his friends in the second.  
To the many thousands in Israel. The words in the original are, to the ten thousand thousands: a certain number for an uncertain. A notable description of the church of God. 
Doctrine  Whence observe, that the people which belong to God, are many thousand thousands. 
The people that belo●● to God, a●● many tho●sand tho●sands.  They are a great flock of sheep, they are a plentiful harvest of corn, they are a wonderful host and army of men. This God promised to Abraham, Gen. 15.5. he brought him forth and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them: for so shall thy seed be, Rom. 4.18. So Psal. 2.8. 
Psal. 72.9 11.  Ask of me the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thus Esay prophesieth of the amplitude of the church, Chap. 54.2.3. Enlarge the place of thy tent, etc. In the New Testament Christ telleth us, that many shall come from the East and West, and sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and jacob in the kingdom of heaven, Matth. 8.11. so that his elect children are many in number.  
For first of all, the mercy of God is the Reason 1 more manifested thereby. He might justly have rejected all, because all had sinned in Adam: but the more to manifest the greatness of his goodness, and the largeness of his compassions, it pleased him to call and gather together a great people, that they might take hold of his mercy, and sing of his loving kindness to his glory. 
Rom 11.3  God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. By nature all are alike, all unbelievers, all disobedient, all miserable: the elect are no better than others by birth. He speaketh here of believers among jews and Gentiles. Secondly, Christ jesus will not lose the price of his death, neither suffer it to be void and of none effect. He died for many, and therefore many belong unto him, as sheep of his pasture, and as members of his body. The Apostle teacheth, that by the obedience of one (not a few, but) many shall be made righteous, even as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, Rom. chap, 5.19. And the Evangelist Saint Matthew declareth Christ in the delivering of the Cup at his last Supper, said, This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins: 
〈◊〉 26.28. 〈◊〉 2.10.  whereby he brought many sons to glory. Thirdly, none is able to count the number of them, which are as the stars that are innumerable, and as the sand on the sea shore. This made Balaam pronounce afterward in this book, chap. 23.10. Who can count the dust of jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? And john speaking of the number of them that were sealed, saith, he saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, clothed in white robes and palms in their hands. revel. 7.9. They must needs be many thousand thousands, seeing the number of them is without number.  
Use 1 The uses follow. See here the key to open and unlock sundry places of holy Scripture, speaking of an universality appointed unto life and eternal glory: as where it is said, God would have all men saved, 1 Tim. 2.4. all men to come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3.9. that Christ died for all, 2 Cor. 5.14. 2 Pet. 2.1: These speeches must be understood of an universality and generality of the elect only: for they alone are elected, they alone are justified, they alone are redeemed, they alone shall be glorified. They must not be understood (though they speak of all) and extended to every particular of Adam's seed, nor be taken of every particular person, but must be limited and restrained to believers of all sorts and conditions; as Rom. 10.12. God is rich to all that call upon him: and Gal. 3.22. the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise of faith in jesus Christ might be given (what to all? no, but) to all that believe, joh. 11.52. There is therefore an universality and a world of believers, as well as of unbelievers; and they are expressed under the word All, because they are many in number, and consist of thousand thousands which cannot be accounted: and therefore john saith, Christ is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world, 1. joh. 2.2. that is, for the sins of all the elect, and believers dispersed throughout the world. To conclude, Christ may be said to save all as he is said to heal all sicknesses and diseases among the people, Matth. 4.23. and 9.35. that is, some of all sorts and kinds: and as the Pharisees are said to tithe all herbs, Luk. 11.42. that is, all sorts.  
Use 2 Secondly, we may gather from hence, that most glorious shall the name of Christ be when all mee● together in one to magnify his grace and mercy toward them, as appeareth Reu. 7.10, 11, 12. The Angels and the Elders, ascribe blessing and glory, and power, and thanksgiving unto God. When we shall all sing Hallelujah in the heavens, what a sweet and pleasant melody will this make? O how should we labour to be of this company, that we may bear our part every one in this triumphant song? Hence it is that the john saith, Reue 19.1.3. I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia, salvation, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God: and again they said, Alleluia! Blessed are they that accompany the Saints to sing with them, with heart and voice Alleluia! If we be not of this communion of Saints, we cannot tune the right accent, we cannot be in the number of these sweet singers, our music jarreth and hath a discord in the eyes of God: he will soon find it out. here the godly seem to be thinly sown, as wheat covered with chaff, and so the song to consist of a few voices only. The corn which seemeth little while it lieth in the heap and maketh no show, when once the fan hath scattered away the chaff, it appeareth to be much in quantity: so when the Lord jesus at his second coming shall have fanned away all the reprobate, and blown them by the breath of his mouth, and the power of his sentence into hell, as the doom of their deserts, then shall innumerable multitudes of the elect stand up and lift up their heads, because their redemption is accomplished, and cry with a loud voice Hallelujah.  
Thirdly, let no man be dismayed at the great Use 3 number of the wicked, and of profane persons that cover the earth as grasshoppers, and swarm in every place as hornets, Idolaters, heathen, barbarians and others out of the Church, together with unbelievers and scorners in the Church. The Apostle saith, the whole world lieth in wickedness, 1 joh. 5.19 nevertheless God hath a very great people, even a world of people that belong unto him. Eliah could see few, when indeed there were many; when he thought he had been left alone, what saith the answer of God unto him, I have reserved to myself seven thousand which have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal, Rom. 11.4. And God telleth Paul, he had much people in one only city, Act. 18.10. yea, by the preaching of Peter, three thousand souls were gained unto God in one day, Act. 2.41. Let us not therefore be offended at the paucity or scarcity of the godly which embrace the Gospel, as if the harvest were little: neither let us doubt of the truth thereof, nor start back from the profession of it because few embrace it, believe it, and confess it. It hath always been the manner of men for the most part to have respect to the greatest multitudes, and to have the faith in respect of persons, jam. 2.1. because they think it best to do as the most do, and to believe as the greatest number do, without any farther search or trial of the truth. These time-servers and men-pleasers persuade themselves, that it is incredible and unreasonable, that God should suffer the greatest number to run into the way of error, & to fall into the pit of destruction. This made the Pharisees say, 
joh 7.8.49.  Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But though these believe not, shall the promise be to none effect▪ No doubtless, the Church shall abound with many children as a fruitful mother, and shall stretch forth the curtains of her habitations. But how then is it said to be a little flock? and they to be few that enter into the strait gate and the narrow way? This is spoken by comparison of the ungodly & reprobate, who as they abound in evil, so they do in multitude: and therefore Christ saith, Many are called: but few chosen, Mat. 20.16. There are many reprobates, but few elected. The Apostle saith, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet but a remnant shall be saved, Rom. 9.27. Nevertheless, the people of God considered in themselves are many: we shall not be alone, we shall have much company to go with us to the kingdom of heaven.  
Use 4 Fourthly, judge not rashly of particular persons, whether they be in the number of the reprobate or of the elect, whether they be vessels of mercy or vessels of wrath. This is one of the secrets of God, which is hidden from us. 
Against curiosity in the affairs of God.  No man ought to search into the secrets of a Prince: but who shall presume to pry into the highest mysteries of God? It is enough for us that he hath admitted us to be of his court, howbeit he hath not made us of his privy counsel. To presume above that which we ought, is a labour like unto his, who not contented with a known and safe ford, will undertake to pass over the greatest river, where he is ignorant of the depths; for so doth the one lose his life, the other his judgement and understanding. We behold the Sun and enjoy the light thereof, as long as we look toward it but tenderly and circumspectly: we warm ourselves safely while we stand near the fire, but if we seek to outface the one, or enter the other, we are immediately either blinded or burned. The Apostle saith, Hath God cast away his people? no, in no wise, not any one of these which he foreknew, Rom 11. ●, 2. And elsewhere he saith, 
1 Cor. 4.5.  judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart. He hath many sheep that are without and therefore we must hope the best of all, and not despair of the conversion of any, 
We are not to despair of any man's conversion.  though they be unbelievers, and unregenerate. For the power of God is greater than our weakness, and his mercy is greater than our sins. It is in his hand to deliver the offender out of prison, and to lose the fetters of unbelief. It is our duty to pray for them unto God, that he would give them faith to believe in his only begotten Son our redeemer. If the Son make them free, than they shall be free indeed.  
Use 5 Fiftly, let us use all good and lawful means to draw on others, seeking to win those that are contrary minded to us, and to untie the cords of sin, whereby Satan keepeth them as bondmen in chains of ●ron. We must labour to draw them to a love of the truth, and cast out the net of the Gospel, it may be at length we may catch some. The disciples had laboured and toiled all night, and caught nothing; yet nevertheless at the commandment of Christ, they were content to let down the net, and when they had done so, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, Luke 5.5, 6. We should be all fishers of men, especially the Ministers, but generally all, to exhort, to admonish, to teach, to stir up, and to instruct one anoother. Such a fisher was the woman of Samaria, who left her water pot at the well, and ran into the city, and provoked them to come forth and hear the Lord jesus, joh. 4.28.29. Such a fisher was Andrew, who findeth his brother Simon first, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ, joh. 1.41. and he brought him to jesus. And as Philip like a fish was taken with the net of Christ, verse 43. so by and by he playeth the fisher, for he findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, we have found him of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets did write, jesus of Nazareth, verse 45. Happy are they that be found such fishers, and happy are they that gain one soul to God, yea happy and thrice happy are they that as good fish are taken with the hook and bait of the Gospel.  
Lastly, we are bound to praise God for the Use 6 increase of his people, & when he addeth unto the Church such as shall be saved. When a member of the body that was without feeling, and taken as it were with a dead palsy, is quickened, and the vital spirits begin to work, all the rest of the members rejoice. So it should be with us, when it may be said, This my brother was dead, and is alive again, he was lost and is found, it is meet we should make merry and be glad, Luke 15.32. When the sheep that went astray, is brought home into the sheepfold, why should we not rejoice? there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God in heaven, over one sinner that repenteth, verse 7.10. When the hand of the Lord was with the Apostles, so that a great number believed and turned unto him, they were glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord, Act. 11.23. and 13.48. When therefore we see the Church grow in grace, and increase in number, and flourish in peace, we cannot but rejoice and be glad. This is a notable sign and infallible token that we are fellow members of that body, and that the word of God hath gotten root in our hearts. This use is taught by the Prophet, Psal. 47.6, 7, 8, 9 Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises unto our king, sing praises; for God is the king of all the earth, and reigneth over the heathen, etc. The faithful were wont to give him thanks for the increase of their private houses, much more than ought we to do it, when the house of GOD increaseth, and his saving health is made known more and more. But of this doctrine see more, chap. 23.10.    

CHAP. XI.  
Ver. 1. AND when the people complained, it displeased the Lord, and the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled, etc. 
Here beginneth the second part of the book, 
〈◊〉 sec●nd 〈◊〉 of the ●●●ke.  according to the division observed before: wherein we are to consider the journeys of the children of Israel, according unto their particular murmurings against God. Of this chapter there are two parts, which are two of their murmurings, & both of them fell out in their twelfth removing, as appeareth in the 33, chapter afterward, where their several stations are particularly distinguished. The first is in the three first verses, opening unto us their sin, their chastisement, and the event thereof. The cause of their murmuring and the words of these murmurers are not expressed, but may in part be gathered from the end of the former chapter, where it appeareth they departed from Mount Sinai three days journey without resting or intermission, with all their luggage and portage, as it were with bag and baggage; they had rested long at the foot of the Mountain, now therefore it is tedious and toilsome unto them to go so long together, so that they begin to fret and rage, to murmur and complain against Moses, or rather against God himself. The judgement followeth the sin, and overtaketh the sinner, for God is offended at it, and sent a fire from heaven which consumed the uttermost part of the Camp, and no doubt burnt up many of them in the same. God hath all creatures in his own hand, sometimes he drowneth with water, sometimes he consumeth with fire, sometimes he infecteth with the air, and sometimes swalloweth up in the eatth, & never leaveth sin and rebellion unpunished, so long as there is any creature in the world to arm against the sinner. Lastly, we have the event and issue of all, the people cried to Moses whom they contemned before; and he unto God, who was entreated to spare them: and a monument both of their sin and of God's judgement is described by the place which is named Taberah, that is, a burning, upon this occasion.  
First of all, let us consider their murmuring. This is a grievous sin, or rather an heap of many sins compacted together, as pride, disdain, unthankfulness, infidelity, impatience forgetfulness, tempting of God, and a violent insurrection joined with fretting and chase against him, and many such like corruptions. The doctrine Doctrine. from this example is this, that it is the property of carnal men, 
Carnal men are ready to murmur against God upon every occasion.  whensoever any thing falleth not out according to their corrupt desire, to murmur against God, as Prou. 19, 3. This was the common behaviour of the discontented Israelites while they wandered in the wilderness, and sometimes they wished they had died in Egypt, rather than they would any way be crossed in their humours, Exod. 16, and 17, 3.  
This male-contentednesse died not with Reason 1 them, for first, every one would have what him listeth, and regardeth not what God appointeth and approveth, jer. 44, 16, 17, and 18 verse 12.  
Secondly, every man would have present help in trouble, he cannot abide quietly to be one moment under the Cross; and if it be not by and by removed, he showeth the corruption that is in him. We are like to him that having received a wound, will be healed presently, or else he will not be healed at all.  
Thirdly, they want faith and hope to believe in God and to wait upon him. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, Heb. 11, 1. And if we hope for that which we see not, we do with patience wait for it, Rom. 8, 25.  
Fourthly, they devise and invent to themselves false causes of their crosses, and never enter into their own hearts to consider the true cause, as Deut. 1, 27. Ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the Land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. They should have accused themselves and not God, they should have confessed their own sins, not have alleged the hatred of God, which was to make that the cause which was not the cause, and not to make that to be the cause which indeed was the true cause.  
The uses. This serveth justly to reprove all Use 1 such as mutter and murmur when they have not their own will, like wayward children that will never be quiet but when their mouths are full. How many are there that mislike their places and callings, and fret against God if he do not please them in all things? If they be touched with poverty, famine, sickness, losses, or any kind of adversity, they are offended and discontented with the Almighty. If God send out any contagious sickness, or blasting, or mildew, or foul weather, etc. how do we take on and vex ourselves? We are like the Israelites, we break out into impatiency, we never think upon our own deservings, nor consider we have deserved far greater plagues We may say as Moses doth, The Lord heareth the murmurings of the people, Exod. 16.12. Or rather, these are like that profane beast in the book of the kings, when in extremity of famine, 
2 King 6.33.  he said, Behold, this evil cometh of the Lord, shall I attend on the Lord any longer? Some there are that smell rankly of the smoke of the Romish religion, who will seem to cast off the Pope, but they have tasted the leaven of superstition, and savour strongly of Popish relics and remnants that remain in them; these will tell us of the former times of old how good they were, and what plenty they had then of all things, when they had the old religion, but since this new learning came up we have had dearths and famines, and penury of all things. These are like the jews, jer. 44 18. since we left off to  incense to the host of heaven, and to power out drink offerings unto the same, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine: 
Ezek. 16.17, 18, 19 Hos. 2.8.  but when we burn incense to the host of heaven, we had plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. Besides, I could answer them, that their prattling of plenty is a tale of idle brains, for never were their harder times then in the times of superstition, 
In Q Maries day's they made bread of acorns, as some living can remember.  and never were God's blessings more plentiful than in the days o● the Gospel. But be it all were true which they tell us, it is a falls rule to measure true religion by the belly. Thus do carnal men savour nothing but carnal things, and prefer their flesh pots before Manna. Let us therefore hearken to the counsel of the Apostle. 1 Cor. 10.10. Phil. 2.14. Against such Solomon speaketh, 
Eccle. 7.12.  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty to beware of unthankfulness, which is the mother of all murmuring. For as the Apostle biddeth us to take heed there be not in any of us an unbelieving heart to departed away from the living God, so we must beware of an unthankful heart to departed from him, which is a capital offence and a mother sin, 
unthankfulness a mother sin.  job 34.18, 19 And that we may see what an ugly and misshapen monster of many heads it is, let us consider what deformed daughters it bringeth forth into the world, verifying the common proverb, Like mother, like daughter, Ezek. 16.44. First, it maketh us to prefer base, I may say, beastly things before better, and to lift up the earth above the heaven. Secondly, it bringeth hardness of heart, and maketh us without feeling of good things. Thirdly, it stoppeth the course of God's blessings, & after a sort drieth up his hand, that he cannot stretch it out to do us good. For who will bestow any thing upon an unthankful person? Fourthly, it maketh us like untamed heifers, the more we have, the more we spurn and kick against God, like the pampered horse, 
Deut. 32.15.  that lifteth up his heel against him that feedeth him to the full. Fiftly, it is a thief, which taketh away all that we have, and even robbeth and bereaveth as of such blessings as once we enjoyed: or as a violent fire that wasteth and consumeth whatsoever we had gathered together. For as thankfulness to God unlocketh God's treasury, and maketh way and passage for us to obtain more: so unthankfulness shutteth the door that leadeth to the storehouse of his blessings, nay it fretteth away, like a canker, whatsoever we have received already. Sixtly, it bringeth down God's judgements, as it did upon the Israelites, sometimes fire, sometimes plagues, sometimes serpents, and sometimes one judgement and sometimes another, until they were all consumed: none of them escaped unpunished. For as Solomon speaketh, Prou. 17.13. who so rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not departed from his house. Shall we sinful wretches so reward the Lord that hath done us good, to do him evil? seventhly, it blindeth our sight, and pulleth out our eyes, that we cannot discern our own estate, nor consider aright what we have, it maketh us turn the blessings of God behind us, and to set the least crosses before us: it maketh us envy at the condition of others, that they have greater honours, riches, and livings then we have. Lastly, it exasperateth men very much to see themselves to be evilly rewarded and smally regarded at their hands to whom they have done good, as we see, 1 Sam. 25.10. and 2 Sam. 10.6.7. how much more than doth it provoke the most High? and how careful ought we to be to beware of so foul an evil?  
Lastly, if we would avoid and prevent this Use 3 sin of murmuring to which we are so prone, we must learn to be thankful to God for all good things, and continually call to mind that they come from no other but from him, jer. 5.24. jam. 1.17. For as unthankfulness is a kind of idolatry, refusing to give honour to whom it is due; so thankfulness testifieth our love, fear, faith, & hope in God, of whom we receive all things. This duty hath many branches. For such as are thankful must acknowledge in their hearts, and confess with their mouths the goodness of God toward them: so did the good Samaritan healed of the leprosy, Luke, chapter 17. verse 18. so doth David, Psal. 66.16. Secondly, they must be patiented, and well pleased with the will of God, though thereby our own wills be crossed and kerbed. We must in silence and subjection to his holy and heavenly pleasure yield up ourselves and our whole life to be ordered by him, Psal. 4.4. and 29.9. and 37.7. Esay 30.15. and give the praise to him for them, job 1.21. because even in judgement he remembreth mercy. Hab. 3.2. in all our crosses he showeth his love unto us, and dealeth better with us than we deserve, who might justly cast us into hell fire, and yet do us no wrong, nor give us just occasion to complain against him. Thirdly, we must be content with our places, callings and estates, avoiding covetousness and ambition, Phil. 4.11. Heb. 13.5. Fourthly, we must set our hearts constantly to obey God in poverty & penury, in afflictions and in all adversities, Phil. 4.12. Heb. 10.34. Fiftly, we must be ready to distribute & communicate the good blessings which we have received unto others, knowing of whom and to what end we have received them. When the fountains of God's mercies flow to us, let our fountain be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets, Prou. 5.16. When the clouds have dropped down rain and watered our land, let us break our bread to the hungry, and cover them that are naked. We can never be truly thankful unto God, if we be not careful to do good to his servants for his sake. Lastly, we must show ourselves thankful by yielding obedience to God, & by labouring to please him in all things. This is a real thankfulness, and this the Lord looketh for at our hands: this is the consummation and perfection of the former, and without it, all the rest are of none effect.  
[Verse 2, 3. And the people cried unto Moses, etc. the fire of the Lord burnt among them, etc. and he called the name of the place Taberah. Here we see the punishment of their sin. Observe from hence, 
doctrine.  that among other judgements of God, 
〈◊〉 is one of ●●●s iudge●●●ts.  fire is to be esteemed as one. Thus he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, Gen. 19.24. and burned up both cities and people. So a fire went out from the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron, because they offered strange fire, Leuit. 10.2. Eliah the Prophet did call fire from heaven, and consumed the captains with their fifty. 1 Kin. 1.10. The like we see afterward, chap. 16.35. according to that in the Psalm, The flame burnt up the wicked, Psal. 106.18.  
Reason 1 This must be acknowledged to be a grievous and fearful judgement, because we say commonly and truly, fire and water have no mercy. And we see by never failing experience that it is so. Secondly, it is one of the titles of God expressing his nature, that he is called a consuming fire, Heb. 12.29. Deut. 4.24. and 9.3.  
Use 1 This teacheth us, that if it please God to lay this judgement upon us at any time, whatsoever the means or instruments be whereby it cometh, whether by negligence or wilfulness, or by the immediate hand of God, we must always lift up our eyes to heaven, and submit ourselves with patience to him: we must not rest in second causes, but acknowledge his providence, and consider what is said in this place, that the fire of the Lord consumed the camp. We must therefore no otherwise account of it.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty in this regard to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 
〈◊〉 2.28, 29  We must take heed to ourselves, lest we forget the covenant of the Lord our God; we must make no graven image, or the likeness of any thing which he hath forbidden. 
〈◊〉 4.23.  It is reason we stand in fear of him that is able to destroy us suddenly, and to arm his creatures as his soldiers to consume us in a moment.  
Thirdly, it warneth us, that at the last day, Use 3 the whole world shall be consumed with fire, and the elements shall melt with heat, and the heavens shall pass away as a scroll. Seeing then all these things shall be dissolved, 
2 Pet 3.11.12  What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of God! We never read nor heard of more burning of towns & houses than within these few years, testified by the continual collections for the relief of such persons as have received loss that way. It is a lamentable sight and moveth much commiseration to see a few houses consumed to ashes: these particular burnings put us in mind of that general burning, 
Particular burnings put us in mind of the general burning.  when all things that worldly men so much esteem, and for which they labour & gape so greedily, shallbe on fire. What should we so much delight ourselves, in costly apparel bespangled with gold and silver, or why do we dote and set our affections so far upon the treasures of this life, which we know must all be burnt up like stubble?  
Lastly, we are hereby admonished of a more Use 4 terrible fire and ●●ore fearful spectacle than all the former: for they are but as painted fires in comparison of the last fire, 
Esay 30.33.  which the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle. It was a fearful fire fell upon Sodom which burned their cities to ashes, 
2 Pet. 2.6.  but their souls suffering the vengeance of God in eternal fire, was more fearful. 
Jude ver. 7. Matth. 25.4.1. Mar. 9.44. 2 Thess. 1.8.  This is called everlasting fire, which never shall be quenched. Into this shall the reprobate be cast, & be tormented in those flames. These plagues are infinite, unspeakable, & incomprehensible: without end, without ease, without intermission, without remedy, without profit. Other judgements have some good use, & many times bring profit to the sufferers after they have been exercised by them, but these shall bring none at all: there shallbe weeping & gnashing of teeth.  
Again, when the people first murmured, God did not punish them, as appeareth in the book of Exodus, they had not yet received the law: but after the law was given, & knowledge shined as a candle in their hearts to direct them, God spared them not, but entered into judgement with them so soon as they sinned against him. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that knowledge & the light of God's word received into our hearts, increaseth sin and judgement. 
Knowledge increaseth sin and judgement.  The servant that knew his masters will, and did not prepare himself to do according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes: so saith Christ of the jews, 
Luke 12.47.  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. For ignorance doth in some sort excuse, that is, make the sin not to be so great. Again, Reason 1 all colour and excuse is taken from such as have the means of knowledge, 
joh. 15.22. Luke 12 48.  they cannot say they knew not: 
joh. 12.48.  the word shall judge them at the last day which they have heard. This then teacheth, that none sin more grievously than such as live in the bosom of the Church, hear his word, and receive his Sacraments. It had been better for them that they had never known the way of righteousness, then after they have known it, 
2 Pet. 2 22.  to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 
Matth. 12.45.  Again, mark from hence the cause, why judgement beginneth at the house of God, 
1 Pet 4.17. 1 Cor. 11.32.  because here is the greatest light, here God hath vouchsafed the greatest mercy, here he hath reigned upon his own city, while other places remained dry and withered. As than they have tasted the greatest mercies, so they must be touched with the sorest judgements. 
Deut. 28.15.  Lastly, it standeth the Church in hand and every true believer, to walk as wisely in the day, redeeming the time, 
Ephes. 4 15.16  because the days are evil. If the word do not work our conversion, it shall further our condemnation, and we make ourselves twofold more the children of hell than others that have not been partakers of such graces.  
[He called the name of the place Taberah.] God doth not content himself to punish their murmuring, but setteth up a memorial or monument of their sin, tha● others might be taught and instructed by it to fear, by giving a new name to the place where the sin was committed, calling it Taberah, that is, a consumption or a burning. The like we see afterward in this chap. ver. 34. Doctrine. Learn from these examples, 
The judgements of God are both punishments and instructions.  that the judgements of God which befall to men, are not only punishments to the sufferers and offenders, but also documents and instructions to all others that behold them, know them, and hear of them. The punishments of God inflicted upon one do serve to admonish and instruct another. Abraham is commended that he would teach his servants and household to keep the way of the Lord, and to do justice & judgement, 
Gen. 18.19.  when he heard of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha. The Lord chargeth, that the idolater should not be spared, but stoned with stones, that seeketh to entice others secretly to serve other gods, that all Israel may hear and fear, and do no more any such wickedness. 
Deut. 13.10, 11. Luke 13.2.3. and 17. ●2  So the judgements that fell upon the Galileans, and those that perished by the fall of the tower, served as examples and Sermons of repentance. The like we see in Deuteronomy, 
Deu 22.9. 1 Cor. 10.10, 11.  & they were written for our admonition, etc. jud. ver. 7.  
Reason 1 This is the end of his judgements, he worketh them to this end and purpose, and therefore they must be instructions to us. A few were smitten (saith Cyprian) that others might be warned by their example. As in a family the master will not pass by that which the servant committeth, because it may be a warning to the rest, that they might hear and see and commit no such thing, as we showed before out of Deuteronomy. Some are punished, that others might not be punished. Secondly, whatsoever was written before hand, was written for our instruction, 
Rom. 15.4.  that we might receive benefit thereby upon whom the ends of the world are come; as it oftentimes happeneth in states that are well governed, where we see not only malefactors executed, but gibbets erected, and other monuments set up in the high ways, to the benefit of those that pass by and come after, that they beholding what befell to such wicked offenders, might not transgress in the same manner.  
This serveth to check and control the sacrilege Use 3 of the Church of Rome, who keep back these examples from the knowledge of the people of God. They cannot abide the Scriptures should be common, and therefore do hinder what they can, & forbidden them to know these judgements. The Apostle would not have any in the Church ignorant of them, 
1 Cor. 10.1.  but these keep away the key of divine knowledge which openeth the gate of God's kingdom, neither entering themselves, 
Luke 11. 5●  nor suffering those that would enter. The Priests in the Law were commanded to read the Scriptures to all the people in their own language: but these keep them & read them in a strange tongue, because none should understand them: or if they be in their own tongue, they have so mingled them with strange words and phrases that the people are never the wiser nor the better. And if any in reverence and humility seek to understand them, and show and desire them to be acquainted with them, they shall be so terrified and discouraged, that they are not able to make any profit by them to themselves, or receive any comfort from them. These are like to those covetous wretches that withhold corn from the people in time of famine, whom God and the people may justly curse.  
Secondly, this reproveth those that are ignorant, Use 2 wilfully ignorant, and will not know nor learn the examples that God hath set down in his word. For if they be justly condemned that will not have them known, then cannot they be excused that care as little to have them learned. Woe then to the times & ages wherein we live. For though we may see and read, and hear and know sundry examples of Gods fearful judgements, both in the word & out of the word, yet for the most part we want care and conscience to make profit and benefit by them. The judgements of God are before our eyes, yet they are for the most part but nine days wonder, nay rather nine hours wonder, for they are soon forgotten and out of mind. We turn them to another end than that for which God sent them among us. We are ready to bless ourselves in our sins, 
Esay 26.  because the like falleth not upon us, and to censure others to be grievous sinners. Whosoever therefore do not make use and benefit by the judgements of God, shall they escape? No verily, they shall bear their condemnation: for it cannot stand with the honour of God to suffer them to abuse his mercy, & to contemn his justice. For as it standeth not with the honour of a state to suffer any person to race and deface the monuments of their justice that they have set up, and therefore he which doth it shall be severely punished; so certainly God will maintain his own honour, and get him glory in the confusion and destruction of all those that make no use of his judgements, his hand shall find them out, and come suddenly as a whirlwind upon their heads.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it is our duty to learn by his several judgements what he would have us to do, forasmuch as he sendeth them home to our doors, nay to our hearts and consciences for instruction sake. Every judgement is a real sermon of repentance. 
●●s iudge●●●s are as ●●●mon of ●●●ntance.  As it is a sin for a man to go to a sermon & profit nothing, neither in knowledge, nor in faith, nor in obedience, to be neither confirmed in the truth, nor preserved from error, nor raised up with comfort: so is it a grievous sin for any in his corruption to behold the hand of God striking & punishing, and securely to pass by it, & not learn some good instruction from it. Every judgement of God must be to us as a schoolmaster to teach us somewhat, and we should be as scholars ready to learn by that lesson. But what should a man learn by judgements will some say? 
●●●ect.  I answer, 
●●●wer.  that by every judgement we must learn this point, that they are as a sermon preaching to us against that sin for which that man was punished & smitten which lieth under the judgement. All parents must learn what befell to old Eli for winking at the faults of his children and sparing of them, or else certainly they shall answer for it, he broke his neck and died, for he fell from off the seat backward on which he sat, 1 Sa. 4, 18. See the judgement which befell to him that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day, ch. 15, 35 to teach us to beware of the contempt of it. Mark what be fell to jeroboam, he lost the use of his hand for a time which he stretched out to offer violence to the prophet of the Lord: we must therefore take heed of this, that we lift not up our hands against his servants. To be short, let us set before us the examples of Cain that hated his brother, of Cham that mocked his father, of Ananias & Sapphira that dissembled with God, of judas that betrayed his master, of Eutychus that slept at the Sermon of Paul: by these and such like we must be admonished to avoid maliciousness, mocking, hypocrisy, covetousness, and drowsy affections when we come to hear. We must learn good out of the evils which befell all these: Cain and Cham were both accursed: Ananias and Sapphira were stricken with sudden death, judas hanged himself, 
〈◊〉 ●, 11. and 〈◊〉 4. Mat. 27, acts 5, 5.10. 〈◊〉 20.  and Eutychus was taken up for dead. If from these examples we do not learn some instruction, doubtless it shall turn to our greater condemnation. Thus much of their first murmuring.  
[Ver. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 The second murmuring followeth, which is the second part of the chap. handled to the end thereof: wherein observe 3 things. First the people's blasphemy against God, lusting after flesh and loathing Manna. Secondly, the communication between Moses & God touching their murmuring. Thirdly, the issue and event of all, containing the execution of Gods will after the communication was ended. The murmuring is amplified by that occasion, by the manner by the substance and effect thereof, and lastly by the greatness of their sin and offence: all which are set down at large, both that the justice of God in punishing of them might be cleared, and his gracious goodness in sparing and pardoning of them might be manifested.  
The occasion of this sin which is the first circumstance, arose from the multitude of the Egyptians that came out of Egypt, 
Exod. 12, 38.  and joined themselves to the people of God. Now albeit they had left Egypt when they saw the plagues that fell upon it, yet they savoured still of the Egyptian manners, and longed after their Egyptian diet, they lust after flesh, and gave great offence to the people of God, they laid a stumbling block before them & caused many of them to fall, that they never rose up again.  
Their sin is expressed in these words, Who shall give us flesh to eat? Then they remembered their former life in Egypt, when they did fill their bellies with store of fish, and did eat Cucumbers and Melons, Leeks, Onions and garlic, which they preferred before the most heavenly meat and Manna bestowed upon them in great plenty. Nay, they show themselves to be so bewitched with these Egyptian tricks, and besotted with the desire of their former food, that their souls even pined away and consumed every day, as if they had been utterly famished: so that they cried out, We can see nothing but Manna. In this their sin, that we may see it in his true colours, & judge of it accordingly, observe these particulars. First, a manifest contempt of God's ordinance, for they do point it out as it were with the finger, and say there is nothing at all besides this Manna before our eyes. Secondly, they must have their eyes satisfied as well as their bellies filled. It could not content them to have their necessity supplied, they must also have their sight pleased: such was their wantonness, intemperance, unthankfulness, and loathing of that meat wherewith God did diet them. Thirdly, here is a notable tempting of God, as Psal. 78.18. they tempted God in their hearts, in requiring meat for their lusts: they would try his power what he could do; he must wait upon them, and do whatsoever it pleased them to enjoin and appoint unto him. Fourthly, blasphemy against God and open contempt of him, setting him at nought, They spoke against God, they said, 
Psal. 78, 18.  Can God furnish a table in the Wilderness? For could they more blaspheme God, or fly in his face with opprobrious speeches, then to charge and accuse him of pining away his people and starving of them? Fiftly, a vilifying & contemning of their deliverance out of Egypt: they had forgotten the bondage of their persons, the cruelty of Pharaoh, the beating of their officers, & the destruction of their children: they renew their old complaint which they uttered more evidently, Exod. 16, 3. O that we had died by the hand of the Lord in th● Land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we did eat bread our bellies full. As if they should say, we care not for our departure and deliverance out of Egypt, we think not our selves any way beholding to God for it: for than it was better with us then at this present. Sixtly, they loathe their present estate of present blessings, though they had store of Manna, and had not experience of any want, yet they must have their dainty and delicate food, like tumultuous and rebellious subjects that always are weary of the present state. 
Thucid lib. 1. lib. belli pelopon.  seventhly, they show their intemperance and concupiscence, lusting after the worse, when they had the better, of which the Apostle saith, We should not lust after evil things, 
1 Cor. 10.6.  as they lusted. For this cause even to lay open the greatness of their sin, doth Moses sundry ways describe this Manna, 
Plin. lib. 12. nat. hist. cap. 9  by the similitude of it, it was like Coriander seed; by the colour of it, as B●elium, that is, like the gum of that tree. For it is a tree of the bigness of an Olive, whereof Arabia hath great plenty, which yieldeth a certain gum sweet to smell, 
Plaut. in curcul. Histor. of the world. l. 1. c. 3.  but bitter in taste. It is farther also described by the sundry uses of it, by the taste of it, and that it came to them without any labour or pain-taking, except in the gathering only, for God did send it down with the dew every night, as we read at large. Exod. 16.  
Out of this division thus sorted into his parts, arise sundry instructions, part whereof I will only point out. And first behold & wonder, and be astonished, how quickly they sin again. They had been chastened immediately before, the fire entering upon the hindermost of their tents, 
Pelarg. come. in sacros Num.  was scarce quenched, the footsteps of that fearful burning might yet be traced out, and the smoke thereof was fresh in their eyes, yet they fall to lusting and murmuring again. 
Doctrine. Sin is dangerous. Quà data porta ruit. Virgil lib 1.  Observe therefore and mark it well, that the entertainment of sin is dangerous. It is not satisfied with the first committing, it goeth and groweth on apace, the practice of one maketh way for another, and openeth the gates wide to all wickedness, When sin is suffered to take root, it buddeth by and by, and beareth fruit which is more bitter than gall. And no marvel: for God leaveth such Reason 1 to themselves, that they commit sin with greediness. Such is his justice, that he will withdraw from them, when once they forsake him, all means that should do them good, that they abuse them no longer, and he will punish sin with sin, the first with a second and the second with falling into a third. Sin is like the infant that is in the mother's womb, where it groweth by little and little unto the birth, 
●am. 1.15.  and never stayeth till it come to perfection. This must Use 1 teach us, that there is no dallying with sin, it is not barren, but very fruitful. Many think they may stretch their conscience a little, and make bold with God and his law for once, but they deceive themselves, for they sow that seed which in short time will spring up and grow a monster. For as the sluggard saith, yet a little more sleep: so the sinner saith, yet a little more sin. He is like the covetous man that saith evermore Bring, bring: and as he thinketh he never increaseth his substance enough, so the sinner supposeth he never increaseth his sin enough. This will bite as a serpent in the end, though it delighteth in the beginning. Again, it teacheth us to acknowledge Gods great mercy toward his children, in staying them back that they go not forward being once entered into the practice of it. When Paul would have entered in among the furious people, it might have cost his life, if the disciples had let him alone, howbeit they suffered him not, Act. 19.30. So if God should suffer us to run on, it might cost us our lives, and cause us to be condemned with the world. When we open a port and passage for sin, we are as a man that is falling or rolling down a very high mountain, how can he escape death, except he be stayed by a very strong hand? So is it with us, if once we make a breach into our conscience, it is unpossible to stop it, if God himself do not set to his hand. If he take the matter in hand, and determine to show mercy upon the poor perishing soul that beginneth to suffer shipwreck, though we had one foot in hell, he can bring us back again. And how should not that soul so delivered, and seeing the snare of death and hell broken, and having experience of the power and mercy of God in raising him to life, but in a sweet feeling of them cry out, Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given me as a prey unto their teeth, Psal. 124.6. and again, My help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth, ver. 8. This mercy is the greater, both because it is rare: for not one among an hundred maketh up the breach, that sin hath made: and because it is wholly gracious and freely bestowed, the sinner deserving to be forsaken utterly who hath fearfully forsaken God. God hath fast hold upon all that are his from their election, 
jer. 14.7.  and therefore he will never withdraw his hand from them, nor suffer them to be drowned. Lastly, it must be our care to stop the beginnings of sin, josh. 24.14.15. and then we shall be sure it will never come to perfection.  
Again, these murmuring Egyptians, seeing the mighty works and miracles of God in Egypt, would needs become proselytes, they join themselves to the people of God, and seem so forward that they forsake their idolatry, their country, and kindred, their own people, and their father's house: nevertheless they start back as a deceitful bow, and they revolt back to their old manners, as dogs to their vomit, and as swine to their former mire & filthiness. 
doctrine. 〈◊〉 are in 〈◊〉 profession 〈◊〉 are not 〈◊〉 members 〈◊〉 church  Whereby we learn, that many are in the profession of the faith, which are not indeed faithful, neither true members of the Church, as we see in Ishmael. Gen. 21, 9 and Cain, chap. 4, 3. there are many temporizers that believe for a season, Luk. 8, 13. Others are offended, and fall away, john 6, 66. Such profess that they know GOD, but they deny him in their works, and become abominable and disobedient, Tit. 1, ver. 16. 1 john 2, vers. 19 And no marvel: for many love the praise of the world more than the praise of God, and never had found rooting▪ and therefore though they go far in the right way▪ yet they return back, and are never the nearer, nay, they are set farther off then ever they were. The Church had always such, all are not the true seed of Abraham, that are of Abraham: neither the Israel of God that came of Israel. Good fish and bad fish are taken in the net, Math. 13, and good wheat and Use 1 chaff are mingled together. This teacheth us good uses. First, that it is not enough to salvation, or sufficient to entitle us to God's kingdom, to make an outward profession. The devil himself may this way go as far as the best, for Satan can transform himself into an Angel of light, 2 Cor. 11, 14. & a wolf may put on a sheeps skin, Math. 7, 15. Yea, a Parot and an Ape can imitate: and therefore trust not too much to the outward appearance and profession, if thou go no farther, neither account it sufficient that thou art baptised, and made partaker of the Word and Sacraments, and of the prayers of the church: this is no better than to trust in lying words which shall not profit nor prosper, jer. 7, 4. Secondly, we must join to our profession, sanctification and holiness of life, jer. 7, 5. Such as content themselves with outward shows, are like the tree that hath leaves without fruit, & are rank hypocrites, like weeds that grow among good herbs. God hath chosen and redeemed us that we should be holy, Eph. 1, 4. Luke 68, 75. The condition of such is no better than of the heathen and infidels, Math. 5, 20. Nay it is not so good. Lastly, let us hereby try and prove whether we be in the faith or not, 2 Cor. 13, 5. Many live in the Church that never examine themselves whether they be of the Church, nor consider that they may deceive themselves & many others, forasmuch as an hypocrite and a reprobate may go far in christian religion. Many have in them the first beginnings of christian religion, as it were the foundation of a building, and there they stand at a stay: but we must build forward, until the spiritual building be perfected. It is not enough to run, except we obtain the prize. He that doth persevere to the end, shall be saved: and he that is faithful to the death, 
●●●trine. 〈◊〉 evil man ●pteth a●er.  shall receive the crown of life. Moreover see here, how the Israelites are led by the example of the Egyptians, to murmur with them, and therefore one evil person enticeth, corrupteth, and infecteth another, as Eve did Adam, and the serpent did Eve: Prou. 13, 20. Psal. 106, 35, 36, 39 For sin is as leaven; 
2 Tim. 2, 17.  1 Cor. 5, 6. and as a contagious disease.  
Woe therefore to the world because of offences; Use 1 Mat. 18, 6.8. and they are pronounced to be accursed that lay a stumbling block before the blind, to make them to fall, Deut. 27. Again, we must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; neither be companions with them, Eph. 5, 7, 11. 1 Cor. 5, 11. We must come out from among them, and separate ourselves from them, & touch no unclean thing, 2 Cor. 6, 17. and then will God receive us as his children, & be a Father to us. Moreover, all obstinate persons that give offence, should be banished out of the Church, 
1 Cor. 5.6, 7.  lest as scabbed sheep they infect the rest of the flock. The lepers were not suffered to dwell among men, but turned out of the City, and dwelled apart by themselves. And wherefore was this? to avoid the infection of the body. How much more than ought such as have a spiritual leprosy upon them, be kept from the company of others, lest they bring first infection, and after destruction upon soul & body? Furthermore, it excuseth not to say, I have learned it of others, they were the authors and beginners of the sin. What did it avail the Israelites to fall by the example and allurement of the Egyptians, or by their counsel and persuasion? For it was their own lust that carried them away headlong. God punisheth all such as commit evil, or any way consent unto it, Rom. 1, 32. So God in the beginning punished the devil, the man, & the woman, because all sinned, albeit one by the persuasion of another. Lastly, it condemneth those that glory in their strength, that nothing can make them worse, no time, no place, no persons, no persuasions, no company. They say, no man shall be able to pervert them, or seduce them, or infect them. Are these men better than Adam when he was in the garden? if his place could not protect him, nor his innocency keep him, they may justly fear that other places may infect them much rather. Solomon was no fool, nay he was endued with great wisdom, and beloved of his God, 
Neh. 13, 26.  yet being too familiar with Idolaters, he was overtaken with Idolatry, and became a great Idolater, and his outlandish women caused him to sin. Or are they better than Peter, who made a most worthy confession of Christ? yet being among a crew of profane persons, he was brought to deny his Master, nay in a manner his own salvation. Be not therefore deceived, rather fear thine own weakness then boast of thy strength.  
[Ver. 5, 6. We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, etc. But now our soul is dried away, etc. In these words we see how carnal men conceive carnal things. They prefer their trash before Manna, as if corn being found out, men should love acorns better than corn. 
Doctrine. Carnal men prefer transitory things before heavenly.  The doctrine from hence is this, that the transitory things of this world, are preferred by carnal minded men before heavenly things. The jews preferred their private commodities before the building of the Temple, Hag. 1, 2. So did Esau, Hebr. 12, 16, 17. who is therefore branded of the holy ghost to be a profane person. So did the Gadarens Matth. 8, 34. We have many examples of this nature, judas, Demas, the youngman in the gofpell that came to Christ, howbeit he went away sorrowful from him, for if he might not keep his possession, he would none of Religion. And the Reasons are plain.  
Reason 1 For they that are carnal are carnally minded, they are nothing else but a lump of flesh, from whence nothing can proceed, but that which is corrupt, Io. 3, 6. Secondly, they have no taste at all of spiritual things, as of grace, of heaven, of salvation, of eternal life. No marvel therefore if these be vile and nought worth in their eyes, and the other preferred before them, because where the treasure is▪ there will the hart be also, Mat. 6, 21. Col. 3, 2.  
The uses follow. First, see the dangerous estate Use 1 of carnal men, and how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, Mat. 19, 23. It is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a Needle, then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. verse 24. Rich men are thought of the world to be the happiest men in the world: howbeit they stand in a slippery place, and their estate dangerous, if they watch not narrowly over themselves. This appeareth in the example of the rich glutton, Luke 16, 19 he could find no time to search the Law and the Prophets, he was altogether drowned and drunken in his delights, he was corrupted and carried away with pomp and vanity; finally, he forgot and contemned the poor. So was it with him that would pull down his barns and build new, and thought of nothing but of the earth: he said to himself, applauding his own happiness, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry, Luke 12, 19 This was the cause that moved Agur to desire of God not to give him riches, lest he be full & deny the Lord, and say, Who is the Lord? Pro. 30, 8.9. Such as set their hearts upon the vanities of the world, do commonly neglect heavenly things, and by little and little wax cold in them. Riches are compared to thorns; if then our hearts be not well fenced & countergarded, we shall be hurt by them. Therefore doth Christ denounce a woe against all carnal rich-men, because they have received their consolation already, Luke 6, 24. They must look for no further reward.  
Secondly, we must not be immoderate in Use 2 seeking after them, neither be idolaters in trusting in them. What was it that destroyed the Sodomites? was it not abundance of all things? was it not excess and superfluity? Eze. 16.49. Let us be contented with our estate whatsoever it be: for a little with a quiet conscience and a true heart to God, is better than a fat stalled Ox. Let us pray for convenient food, and use this world as though we used it not, for the fashion thereof fadeth away, 1 joh. 2, 17. Let our conversation be in heaven, Phil, 3, 19 Let not our hearts be bewitched and besotted with these things, that we may departed hence in peace when God shall call us, and so be the Lords in life and death. It is no profit to win the whole world with the loss of our own souls, Mat. 16.26.  
Lastly, let it be our study to prefer as best Use 3 of all, the best things. They are no better than fools that would prefer rotten wood that shineth in the night, before the finest and purest gold of Ophir. And who doth not willingly yield and confess the folly of these Egyptians, that made more reckoning of their gross feeding and fogging in of garlic, and Onions, and Cucumbers, and such like grazing▪ than of that excellent & precious Manna which came from heaven? We are ready to sit in judgement upon these, and to condemn them: but how many are there of us that are like unto them? I dare boldly affirm and avouch, that the greatest sort of men are such Egyptians, and do daily practise such Egyptian tricks: making more account of this life than of the life to come; of man more than of God, of the earth more than of heaven. Let not therefore temporal things dazzle our eyes, to make us senseless as blocks. If rotten things shine, it is but in the dark, and in the night; and if these transitory riches do besot any, it is such as are blind and cannot see the glory and beauty of the world to come: which if we could behold with the inward eyes of a sanctified mind, it would wholly possess and carry us into a love & admiration of it. But such as are nothing but a lump of flesh, can savour nothing but of the flesh. All their cares and cogitations are spent about the world: their hands and hearts are full of it, that they leave no room for better things. Tell these men never somuch of religion, of the word of God, & the fear of his name, you sing a song to a deaf man: by and by they reply, Who will show us any good? that is, any profit: 
Psal 4.6.  they care for nothing else but for the fleshpots. It is most strange to consider that the life of man, which should be spent chief to provide for the soul which is immortal, yet this for the most part is the least of our thoughts. We are altogether plodding about getting of riches, and providing for the body and the belly, which are framed of the earth and dust. 
Gen. 3, 1● 18, 27. job 4, 15.  We dwell in houses of clay, & our eyes do every where behold the uncertainty and unstability of them, yet we chiefly prise and pamper this vassal and slave of death, and forget utterly, or remember at leisure the soul, and cast all our hopes on the peace which we trust to make at the parting, which is an high presumption, & no better than a laughing of God to scorn. And when we have done all, and gotten store of goods, what comfort shall they minister at the last day? for all this is but with the Egyptians to strive for onions and garlic, it is no better. And when the body must turn to the earth, & we must lay down this Tabernacle, whose foundation is in the dust, what good will our onions and garlic do us? Will not a little Manna at that day, stored up, stand us in more stead, and bring greater comfort to the soul, then to sit by these flesh pots of Egypt? Alas my brethren, all the wealth of this world, if we could heap it up together, is no better than onions and garlic in comparison of spiritual things. Why then should we exalt the body so high, which must lie so low, and return to dust and ashes, and in the mean season neglect the soul, which shall live (when the body is dead and rotten) either in everlasting life, or in everlasting fire? Such notwithstanding is our madness, that all the stir which here we make, is for onions and garlic. We labour for nothing but for the belly & meats, and yet God shall destroy both it and them. 
●or. 6, 13.  The rich man is said to far deliciously every day, howbeit he made ill provision for his soul, 
〈◊〉 16, 23. 〈◊〉 12, 20  for it was carried to hell and torments.  
Ver. 7, 7, 9 To enlarge and set forth the sin of these profane persons, Moses dcscribeth what this Manna was. It was not a natural Meteore usual & common in those quarters, 
〈◊〉. lib. 3. 〈◊〉. cap. 1.  as many have imagined. For this fell among them every part of the year, winter & summer and that alike. It served to satisfy many thousands. It fell not at all upon the Sabbath day: howbeit on the sixth day fell twice so much as there did ordinarily other days. If it were kept until the next mourning, it putrefied, but reserved on the sixth day, it rotten not, but served them for their use upon the seventh day. Nothing could hinder the coming or falling of it, 
〈…〉. in Moses, in 〈◊〉. 16.  nor frost nor rain, nor heat, nor cold, but this blessing of God always accompanied them whither soever they went. When they were entered into the possession of the Land of promise, than it ceased, but not before. Lastly, Aaron was commanded to keep a pot full of it for a memorial of this miraculous work of God, and it rotten not nor stank. It is called the bread of Angels, 
〈◊〉 Manna ●●lled the ●d of An●.  Psal. 78, 25. not that the Angels do eat any corporal or material food, being themselves spirits, but because of the excellency of it, or because the Angels were God's instruments in preparing of it. It was food not only for the body, but for the soul: it was both a visible Manna and an invisible, both open and hidden, both earthly and heavenly. This was a type and figure of Christ the true bread that came down from heaven. 1 Cor. 10, 3. john 6, ver. 33, 35. It was a type of the word which is the food of our souls. Hebrews 5, verses 13, 14. as also of the sacraments by which we are nourished 1 Corinth. chapter 10, v. 3. These three are right Angels food, dainty and delicious fare, sweeter than wafers made of honey, or of the best confection that the Apothecary can afford. 
Doctrine. God hath provided a very large and liberal diet for his children.  This teacheth us, that God hath provided a very large and liberal diet, yea most excellent & dainty fare to nourish his children. The heavenly blessings of God contained in his word, the exercises of our religion, the holy sacraments, especially the Lord jesus himself the bread of life, whom whosoever eateth hath eternal life abiding in him, are costly, plentiful, and heavenly feasts, the means of spiritual nourishment and increase to his servants, which God hath ordained for his sons and daughters. The Prophet speaking of the soul's provision, which God our good Shepherd maketh for the sheep of his pasture, saith, 
Psal. 23, 5.  Thou preparest a Table before me, etc.: my cup runneth over. Thus is wisdom the Son of God brought in by Solomon, to have killed her beasts, to have mingled her wine, and to have furnished her Table, Prou. 9, verse 2. Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled, verse 5. And Math. 22, verse 4. the Kings servants call the guests, and tell them, he hath prepared his dinner, his oxen and his fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. So the Prophet speaketh, Esay 25, 6. and Christ himself, Luke 14, verse 16. and Psalm. 36, 19 So then, the soul's food & fare is notable good cheer the best that ever was tasted.  
For these heavenly blessings and this sustenance Reason 1 for the soul, doth as fully sustain and satisfy, nourish and maintain the state and strength of the soul, as any outward provision doth or can do the body, john 6, 54, 55, 56. My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, that is, they have them same nature to our souls, which meat and drink have to our bodies.  
Secondly, in these and by these is provision Reason 2 to satisfy all sorts: in the word is sincere milk for children and strong meat for men of riper age, Hebrews, chapter 5. Christ is hidden Manna which all did gather, and were fed and nourished by it: it feedeth small and great.  
Thirdly, the provision of God is far better than all earthly provision. This food is Reason 3 perpetual, the word of the Lord endureth for ever, 1 Pet. 1.23. In eating of this food there is no danger of surfeit and excess. This is durable meat, it liveth for ever, and maketh us live for ever: who so eateth of it and digesteth it, shall never perish for hunger, and who so drinketh of this, shall never thirst again. It is therefore God's ordinance, that his children and household servants should be largely and liberally provided for, to have every one of them a full meal.  
The uses. From hence it followeth, that the soul hath always very great need of Use 1 food and sustenance as well as the body, and will perish for hunger and die for thirst, even eternally, through want of spiritual food, as well as the body for want of temporal food. The soul hath her diet, as well as the body, & the strength of it is maintained by the bread of life, as well as the state of the body by the bread of wheat. How many are there among us that consider not these things, or at least care not for them! Many there are that have fat and lusty bodies, that have plenty of outward things, who notwithstanding have poor, lean, and pining souls, even ready to starve, and to be famished, and to give up the ghost. For as the wise Solomon teacheth, Prou. 29, 18. Where there is no vision, the people perish. And the Prophet threateneth a greater famine of the word, and more dangerous, than the famine of bread, or the thirst for water, Amos 8, 11. If then we be content to take pains and to travail far for this earthly food, as we see in jacob, when he and his family wanted corn: how much more ought we to labour for the bread that endureth to everlasting life?  
Use 2 Secondly, we should come to the house of God with hungry and thirsty souls. We must resort to the Word and Sacraments, and to all the holy ordinances of God, as an hungry person doth to a good feast, Esay 55, 1. joh. 7, 37. revel. 22, 17. 1 Pet. 2, 2. Let it be with us as with David, 
2 Sam. 23, 15.  he longed greatly, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! Where there is no desire of grace, there is no grace. The faithful have always testified their desire, Ps. 42, 1. The Prophet felt the sweetness of the word and sacraments, & testifieth often what a goodly taste he found in him, as Psal. 119, 103, & 19, 10. How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea sweeter than honey unto my mouth! He that is sick, findeth no taste in any thing, the purest honey is bitter unto him: but he that hath a good taste and is in health of body, judgeth and findeth it otherwise. So if our soul be in health, it findeth the word to be sweeter than the honey and the honey comb, and more to be desired then gold, yea then much fine gold. Have we then no taste in the word? doth it not relish with us? then most certain it is we are soul-sick, we are sick at the hart: it is high time to run & post with all speed to the Physician Christ jesus, to restore this taste to us which we have lost, or to bestow it upon us if we never enjoyed it. How irksome is it for a man to have no taste in his meat and drink! Elihu saith, The ear trieth words, 
job 34, 3.  as the mouth tasteth meat. But we should think it a thousand times more troublesome, to have no taste of the good word of God, as if it were no meat for us. The Manna described in this place, which figured out the word, is compared for the taste & sweetness, to wafers made with honey, Exod. 16, 31. How then shall we think ourselves well, and whole, & in good health, when we have no more taste in it then is in the white of an egg?  
Use 3 Thirdly, here is comfort to all those that are poor christians, which have little store at home, hard fare, bare bread, small drink, and a thin diet all the year. Let us cheer up our hearts and refresh our spirits with this consideration, that albeit we have a scanty meal at home, yet there is plentiful provision in God's house. We have much matter of great rejoicing, that although there be great difference in fare and furniture between the rich man's table & the poor man's, yet the privileges of God's house are common to them both, the poor hath as good interest in them as the rich, yea sometimes a better portion, if he make greater use of them, and take more benefit by them. The poor are admitted to God's table, albeit they be not to the table of the rich, & have access unto his house and to his presence, where is fullness of joy and pleasure for evermore, and this their joy shall no man take from them. Nay such as have riches and plenty at all times of all things, which have their tables furnished at home with variety of dainty dishes, & are served in with sundry courses of most choice meats, even they must make account that their best fare is in the Church of God, & prefer it far before the other: otherwise they judge not aright between soul & body, 
Psal 63, 5, ● 65, 4.  between meat and meat, between house and house.  
Fourthly, this serveth to reprove papists, Ministers, & people. For first it meeteth with Use 4 the popish diet, that bar the people from the cup of the Lord, thereby keeping back a part of the spiritual banquet that Christ hath prepared for them, when he spoke to the communicants, Drink ye all of this. 
Mar●. 14, ●  But these Church-robbers allow not to the people any consecrated wine, withdrawing from them a part of their allowance. This sin is no less than sacrilege. Christ saith, 
Math. 26, ●  This is my blood which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins. And who are those many that are there spoken off? Doubtless all that should afterward believe in his Name. From hence then we reason thus, If the blood of Christ be shed for the people, than the cup of the Lord must be communicated unto them: but the former is true; therefore the latter. For as we reason touching baptism of infants, that if the kingdom of God belong unto them, much more the outward sign may be administered unto them: so we say touching the other, that if the blood of Christ and remission of sins belong to the people of God, much more doth the cup which is a seal thereof. Again, they deal no better with than for the word itself. They have corrupted and poisoned their food with apocryphal additions, 
Papists d● starve the people of God.  with human traditions, with keeping it in a strange tongue, as it were under lock and key, and so starve them whom they should nourish and strengthen. And how can they deal better with the people in the word and sacraments, who have set up another Christ, a false and counterfeit Christ? they destroy his natures, & his offices, they deny him to be the only King, the only Teacher, the only Priest of his Church; they make other Mediators and Redeemers, they scoff at our righteousness standing in the imputation of his righteousness. So then the diet that the Romanists allow unto men is a poor thin diet, it is not able to maintain life in the body: for whereas the food wherewith the Lord would have us fed, standeth in three things, in believing in Christ, in receiving the word, and in partaking of the Sacraments, they feed the Church with chaff and husks, & no better than sawdust; for the word they have corrupted, the sacraments they have mangled, and Christ jesus himself they have utterly denied. Secondly, it reproveth such Ministers as feed their sheep in short pastures, and allow unto them a more sparing diet, than the great Shepherd of the sheep hath appointed unto them. They give them no more food (if so much) then serveth to keep the soul in life, and therefore the sheep that depend upon their feeding and allowance are lean and starveling sheep, such as every bush and brier is able to entangle, and every ditch is able to drown. Some feed them with bread that is dry and mouldy, unfit for nourishment. Some think it enough to preach once a month, 
●e sheep of ●●rist should ●ell fed.  or once a quarter. It were rather to be wished that they would allow them two meals a day, that the sheep of Christ may be fat and strong, according to the bodily diet which ourselves do take. Let us not therefore feed ourselves to the full, and starve the sheep for which Christ jesus died: and when God hath dealt liberally with them, let us not pinch them and pine them away, but as good Stewards of the house, bring forth store, both old & new. We ought to preach the word in season & out of season, 
〈◊〉 3, 2.  and not deal as greedy and covetous masters do with their servants, that pinch them of their meat: and seeing we reap plentifully of the people, let us not deal sparingly with them. Lastly, it reproveth the people themselves, that when God would have them well fed in their souls, care not how little food they receive themselves. The Sabbath is the Lords feast day. Why should we refuse to take two meals on this day, when it is provided for us? If we took our food but once in the day, we should starve our bodies, oh, take heed we do not so to our souls! And let us beware we do not make more reckoning of feasting and filling of the body, then of feeding the soul. Alas, how many are there, that are content to buy their pleasures and pastimes with the loss of the word of God! and yet are never a whit touched with it. Are not these like Esau? are not these I say, as profane as Esau?  
Use 5 Lastly, it behoveth us to redeem the time that is to come, and to be more careful of the soul's health, diet, strength, and nourishment, then of the bodies; according to the counsel of Christ, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto ever lasting life, 
〈◊〉, 27.  etc. Seeing then we have such choice and variety of dainty food, sweet meats, banqueting dishes, and all other good things offered unto us, and set before us in God's house and at his table let no other feasting, pleasure, banquet, meeting, or voluptuous living▪ keep us from his house, or make us to come unreverently or unworthily unto the same. Many do so fill, nay glut and gorge themselves with eating and drinking, that they are more fit to sleep, then either to hear or to pray. Let us be more careful to fill our souls with marrow & fatness, then to fulfil the desires of the flesh and to surfeit on our carnal pelights.  
[Ver. 11, 14, 15. Then Moses heard the people weep, etc.] Thus much of the murmuring: now we come to the communication, which is double. First, the complaint of Moses, & the answer of God: secondly, the exception of Moses replying against God's answer, as if his word had not been sufficient, and then another answer of God satisfying him. In the first part of the first answer set down in these verses, we have Moses complaining of two things both because God had not dealt well & graciously with him, to lay so great a burden upon him, to take the charge of so great a people, without helpers and assisters, which made him even wish for death; and because he was not able to feed them and to satisfy their requests touching the flesh that they lusted after, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat.  
It is remembered in Exodus, ch. 16, 12, 13. that they murmured against Moses, 
Whether the quails lusted after, Exod 16 13. be the same set down in this place.  and lusted after flesh, and had quails sent them: whereupon the question may be asked, whether that history be the same that is mentioned in this place, and whether both were sent at one and the same time? I answer, the histories are divers, both in regard of the circumstances of time and place. These were given to satisfy them a whole month, the other but one time. These fell a days journey without the host on each side, the other only covered the camp: they lusting after these are sharply punished, the other are not. We may observe out of the words of Moses, that many are the failings of the best servants of God, for in many things we sin all.  
Again, Moses doth rashly expostulate with God, and unadvisedly wish for death. So did job, chap. 3, 3. and Eliah, 1 Kings 19, 4. and jeremy, chap. 15, 10. and 20, 14, and jonah, ch. 4, 30, So it is with many, though they have not yet learned what it is to live, neither are any way prepared for death, yet through impatience under the cross, wish for death. But this is our weakness, rather to wish not to be, then to be in any misery and adversity. Rather it behoveth us to tarry the Lords leisure & to hope in him, for he shall bring it to pass, Psal. 37.  
But to let this pass, observe the title that Moses giveth to Magistracy, he calleth it The carrying of the people in his bosom as a nursing father beareth the sucking child.  
This was the charge that lay heavy upon his shoulders. 
Doctrine. Magistracy is a great burden, and Magistrates are for the people's good.  From hence we learn, that Magistracy is a great charge and burden, and Magistrates themselves are ordained for the peace, prosperity, preservation, and good of the people. This is taught in many places, Prou. 11, 14, and 29, 2. The Prophet Esay, ch. 3, 4, 5, 6. and the Apostle Paul willeth us to pray for Princes and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a peaceable and quiet life, with all godliness & honesty, 1 Tim. 2, 1, 2.  
This truth is evident, because Princes were Reason 1 appointed for the people, and not the people for Princes. As Christ saith, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath: so they were instituted for the people's good, and not the people for their good, or themselves to serve for their own good. This is the end of their calling, and at this they ought to aim as at a mark. Secondly, they are as breath is to the body. While the breath continueth in the body, so long the life continueth, but if the breath be stopped or to departed, the body necessarily must perish. Now as breath is to the natural body, so are the Magistrates to the politic body: while he remaineth, the Commonwealth is in peace and prosperity, in quiet and safety; if he be removed and taken away, the Commonwealth is in danger to go to ruin and destruction, The people shall be oppressed every one by another, and every one by his neighbour, 
Esay 3, 5. Lamen. 4, 20.  the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. And the Prophet calleth josiah the breath of their nostrils. Thirdly, the titles given unto them do fully teach thus much. They are as fathers, that must lay up for their children, not the children for their fathers. They are the fathers of the Country, of the Commonwealth, of their Subjects. Hence it is, that the Lord comprehendeth all superiors under the name of fathers in the law, Exo. 20, 12. 2 Kin. 5, 12. The Prophet prophesieth, that Kings should be nursing fathers, & Queens be nursing mothers to the Church in times of the Gospel, Esay 49, 23. The Nurse is appointed for the good of the sucking child, to keep it in health and strength, as Moses speaketh in this place. Is not this a great charge to look to the being and well being of a child? Again, they are called Shepherds. This also is a great charge to watch day and night for the good of the flock, that the sheep do not wander and go astray, and that the wolf come not among them to make havoc of them. So also are Princes shepherds, Es. 44, 28. Numb. 27, 17. Lastly, they are as Shields to protect and defend them from many blows that otherwise are like to light upon them, 
Psal. 47, 9  as Hos. 4, 18. They may be called the covering of our eyes, as the husband is said to be to the wife, Gen. 20, 16, to keep us from many dangers that threaten us. Fourthly, they are Gods Lieutenants and Deputies, and therefore they have his own name commmunicated unto them, Psal. 82.6. They sit in his place to do justice and judgement, and to him they must give an account. Without them the subjects are subject to all manner of miseries, as we see in the end of the judges, Every man did that which seemed good in his own eyes, when there was no King in Israel. 
judg. 17, ●, ● 1●, 1, & 2●, ●   
This teacheth us what we are to judge and Use 1 esteem of the popish religion, grounded merely upon policy to maintain themselves, howbeit it cannot stand with the policy of any oter state to come under that yoke, neither with the safety of Princes to stoop down their necks to that antichristian government For they are the greatest enemies that a State or Commonwealth can have, 
Papists wo● then Anaba●tists.  worse than the Anabaptists themselves, and holding more dangerous opinions: what said I, hold opinions? nay execute pestilent practices against Princes, & seek the utter subversion of states and kingdoms, if they will not worship the beast, and bear his mark in their forehead. They do not only like Corah resist the government of Magistrates, but by their treasonable practices and devilish devices labour to suppress and supplant them, to take away their lives and crowns from them, and to discharge their subjects of allegiance unto them. Are not they enemies that pull away the foundation of an house? Yes doubtless, for then the whole building must of necessity fall down. For Magistrates are as the head and the heart are to the natural body; if they be whole and sound, all the other members are in better safety; and consequently if they perish, the whole body must perish also, Esay 9, 14, 15.  
Secondly, we must be truly thankful to God, seeing they are such a blessing, and undergo Use 2 so great a charge for us. For notwithstanding the rage & fury, the fetches & subtleties of all our enemies, enemies as well to our temporal state, as to our spiritual standing, the King of Kings hath preserved our King and kingdom in peace & safety, he hath kept head and heart, the breath & being in the body, we have a Father to provide for us, we have a Nurse to bear us, we have a Shepherd to feed us, we have a Shield to protect us, whiles our adversaries gnash their teeth and gnaw their tongues for anger, & are ready to burst for envy and despite at our happiness. We are happy and blessed above many other Nations. We hear the sound of the trumpet in peace and safety, we use it as an instrument of joy & gladness, it soundeth not the alarm to the battle, we have no buckling on of armour, no crying, nor complaining, nor invasion. We sit under our vines & arbours, we walk in our fields & gardens, and a dog lifteth not up his tongue against us. 
Esay 2, ●.  We have beaten our arming swords into plowshares, & our spears, which we did shake against our enemies, into pruning hooks, we have forgotten the use, & almost the knowledge of war. This is the benefit of a good & godly Magistracy: this should provoke us to take the cup of salvation, 
Psal. 116, ●  and to praise the Lord for his goodness to us.  
We enjoy our King, our judges, our Magistrates, our peace, our religion, our meetings and assemblies. O how gracious is God unto us, that hath not delivered us as a prey into the hands of malicious enemies, who grin and grind their teeth, thus to see us flourish in peace, against all their devices and endeavours?  
Thirdly, seeing Magistrates have so great Use 3 a charge, and bring so necessary a blessing, it is our duty to perform our duties unto them. We must yield them subjection, fear, honour, prayer, tribute, and obedience, as the Apostle urgeth these particulars, Ro. 13, 1, 2. 6, 7. and it condemneth to the pit of hell, all such as resist them, and rise up against them. Should the son rebel against the Father, as Absalon did? Let him then fear the end of Absalon, to be hanged in the tree. Should the child strive against his Nurse that beareth him? or the sheep set themselves against the shepherd that feedeth them? Woe then to such as will discharge themselves of the duty they own to such as have the charge over them, and will plot against their life of whom they receive life, and goods, and peace, and safety, and all.  
Use 4 Fourthly, it is the duty of all Magistrates, and those that are in authority, to consider what they have to do; their names and titles must teach them what their office is, not to magnify themselves, not to think themselves absolute, not to set themselves against God, not to tyrannize over his people, not to maintain themselves in ease and idleness, in vanity and superfluity, not to follow after their own pleasures, but to do justice to all, without respect of person, to protect every one from wrong, to maintain public peace and tranquillity, but especially to further Gods true religion. They must have public minds, and not seek their own good only or principally. It is the ruin of an estate, when public persons have private minds, regarding only to serve themselves, and to procure their own good. These are no commonwealths men, but private wealth's men. The Apostles were called to be fishers of men, and Princes are called to be shepherds of men, to feed reasonable sheep; and this is their honour, if they be found faithful, that it may be said of them as it is of David, He fed them according to the integrity of his heart-and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands, Psal. 78.72.  
[Verses 16, 18, 20. And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the Elders of the people, etc.] In these words we have the answer to Moses complaint. And as the complaint stood of two distinct parts, so doth the answer of the same points. Touching the greatness of the charge and burden whereof Moses complaineth, God commandeth him to gather together unto him seventy men of the Elders of Israel, to whom he would communicate of the same spirit that Moses had, howbeit without any diminution of his gifts, although many suppose that the Lord did punish him for his murmuring with the lessening of his gifts: as it is true, 
Marbac. Comment. in Num. Whit. praelect. de pont f. Rom. pag 89, 4.  he doth sometimes punish in that manner, sometimes by lesning, and sometimes by taking away what he had formerly bestowed, Zach. 11, 17. Mat. 25, 27. But we do not read or find that he dealt so with Moses, or that he was less fit for government than he was before: rather his gifts were derived to others, as one candle lighteth another, and yet the light is not diminished. And what benefit or profit had it been to Moses to have these joined, if his gifts had been impaired?  
In this place we have the institution and erecting of a new Court among the jews called the Sanhedrim. 
The institution of the Sanhedrim among the jews.  This honourable Senate at the first founding of it, consisted indifferently of men taken out of all the Tribes, which had some of the Levites to assist them. This court was seated and kept at jerusalem, and might handle weightier causes, 
D. Field of the Church, lib. 5. cap. 9  & inflict more grievous than the set Courts and Tribunals of justice appointed, and assembled, and observed in the gates of every City; and to this they might appeal from those inferior Consistories. For such as were instituted through the advice and counsel of jethro, Exod 18, 21. were not necessary to be of this number of seventy; they had the hearing and determining of the least causes, and besides they received not an extraordinary spirit, neither was it needful for that calling. This Council of the Sanhedrim remained after the captivity, and continued unto the days of Herod, 
Junii in Analy●. in Numer.  who made havoc of many of them, and put most of them to death. Howbeit, some of them remained even to the desolation of the Temple and of the City by the Romans: 
Livelies Chronology of the Persian Monarchy, page 238.  and of this Christ speaketh, Matth. 5, 20. and 18.17. which the best interpreters understand of the 70. Elders of the great Consistory or judgement place in jerusalem. But when King Agrippa was once driven out of jerusalem by a rakelly rout of seditious cutters and cutthroats, than were the Sanhedrim deposed at their will, when there was none to control them; 
joseph. de bell. jud. lib. 5. cap. 1  and other base peasants were set up in their room, who had no laws to restrain them, no Magistrates to punish them, no authority to bridle them. Then was the Priesthood made a mockery: then was jerusalem without a guide, as an house without a Ruler, or a ship without a Pilot. There was none to manage the state aright, but all government was turned into confusion and disorder.  
The second complaint of Moses was touching the feeding of so great a multitude, which God answereth verse 18, 19 by a promise and by a threatening. He promiseth unto them store of flesh, and to fit them and fill them, not for a day, or two days, etc. but even a whole month. And he that showeth he could do this, showeth also that he could do more, if that had been too little: howbeit they should in the end take little delight & pleasure in their delicates after which their souls so earnestly lusted, because he threateneth that in the midst of their abundance it should come out of their nostrils, and be utterly loathed of them.  
This answer of God ministereth many instructions. First, that God layeth no more upon any, than he will enable them to bear; & if they think it be too heavy, he will ease them of it. He is not like to Pharaoh, that willed more to be laid upon the people than they could compass, complaining that they were too idle, Exod. 5, 17, 18. Neither is he like to Rehoboam, that refused to make the grievous service of his father and his heavy yoke lighter, but answered the men of Israel roughly, that he would add to their yoke; and if his father chastened them with whips, he would chastise them with Scorpions, 1 King. 12, 11. but God is ready to take away part of the burden, and divide it among others that it might be borne equally upon all their shoulders. Secondly, he furnisheth with gifts all such as he sendeth and calleth, he employeth none in any function, but such as he furnisheth for that purpose. Thirdly, we see that God is able to feed all his creatures, though they be never so many, yea though we see no means which way he can do it, for he is not tied unto them, but worketh freely sometimes with them, and sometimes without them. Fourthly▪ we learn that all gifts proceed from one and the same Spirit, 1 Cor. 12, 4. john 14, 16. Fiftly, we see in the lusting of these men, that God heareth the prayers of wicked men, and oftentimes granteth them, howbeit not in mercy, but in wrath and judgement, 1 Sam. 8, 5. & maketh their own prayers and desires to be their punishment, and to turn to their destruction: thereby to teach us to be careful what to ask, even such things as are agreeable to his will, not such things as we may spend upon our own lusts. But the point which I do purpose most to insist upon, is the threatening of God, that the flesh should do them no good, but come out at their nostrils, which judgement he also accomplished, verse 33. For while the flesh was yet in their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against them, and he smote them with a very great plague. The doctrine from hence is this, 
Doctrine. God sometimes denieth a blessing to his creatures.  that the Lord doth punish the sons of men, when as in abundance of meat and drink they have no benefit or comfort by them. He punisheth as well in the midst of store and plenty, as he doth with want and scarcity. This he doth many ways, sometimes he withdraweth strength from the creatures, that they cannot nourish, Hag. 1, 9, 6. Sometimes he taketh away men's appetites, and giveth no strength to digest them, or to swallow them: as in this place, though they had meat in their mouths, yet he sent leanness into their souls, and brought his wrath upon the unworthy receivers thereof, Psa. 78, 30, 31. So Esa. 3, 1. & 9, 20. Deut. 28, ●7. Mic. 6, 14. Esay 28, 7, 8.  
It is as great a judgement and punishment Reason 1 of God, to take away the blessing from his creatures, as to deprive us of the Creatures themselves. To be without meat, without drink, without raiment, without necessaries for this life, is a sore plague, and one of the greatest judgements that God inflicteth in this life. Now certainly it must needs be as great a judgement not to have benefit and comfort by them when we have them. It is all one not to have them, and not to be nourished by them. Had not these Israelites been as good be without these Quails, as to have them & not be able to swallow them? Night is as comfortable to a blind man as the day, it is all one to him, and why? because the sight of the eyes is taken from him. Silence is as profitable to the deaf man as the uttering of a voice, let the speech be never so excellent, because he cannot hear. So we may say that the stones are as good for the nourishment of men as bread or flesh, when God withdraweth his blessing from them. It is as great a judgement to want the stand of bread, as bread itself.  
Secondly, it is a great punishment, because Reason 2 to eat and not to be nourished, doth not only decay life and bring an end of our days, but we sustain a more miserable death, then if we died by fire, or water, or sword, or pestilence. This is a languishing and consuming of us by little and little, and a pining of the flesh away as it were by piece-meal.  
Acknowledge that it is a great punishment Use 1 and judgement upon unlawful desires, lusts, and pleasures: they have for the most part loathing following and accompanying the same: yea, many times the after-loathing is far greater than the delight taken before. Unlawful pleasure lasteth not long, and the companion following it at the heels is pain, Prou. 14, 12, 13. and 20, 17. and 5, 3, 4. and 23, 31, 32. 2. Sam 13, 14, 15. The forbidden fruit was delightful to the eye, and pleasant to the taste, but it did sting in the end as a Serpent, and did bite as a Cockatrice. The rejoicing of the wicked is short, job 20, 4, 5. Like the noise of thorns under a pot, Eccl, 7, 8. The pleasures of sin are but for a short season, Heb. 11.25. jer. 2, 19 Prou. 7.23. The guilt of sin remaineth behind after the committing of it, and bindeth him to judgement that doth commit it.  
Secondly, whensoever this state befalleth Use 2 us, know we that it is God's hand. We do not for the most part lift up our eyes to God when it cometh, but rather impute it to our own weakness and infirmity, without ascending any higher. Many have great abundance of blessings from God, yet they are not satisfied, they never think they have enough. This is a great judgement of God, this is the curse of God upon the covetous man.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth that howsoever we have plenty and abundance, yet take heed we do not flatter ourselves, for we may meet with a curse not inferior to the curse of those that are in poverty and extreme necessity, which falleth out when the Lord denieth strength to the creature, or to us to receive the same. We have a common proverb among us, that misseth not much of the truth; Men say, the poor may eat when he hath meat, and the rich when he hath a stomach. Whereby we mean, that an appetite is as necessary as our meat. Hence it is that the rich which have plenty, and know not what poverty meaneth, are as much indebted unto God, & bound to be thankful unto him for their daily bread, when he giveth them strength to receive it, and addeth a further blessing unto it when it is received, as the poor man, as the poorest man of all is. For though they have abundance, 
●ea 4, 10.  yet God can curse it: if he blow on it, he can turn away the blessing, and quickly bring it to pass that they shall have no comfort by it, and therefore Christ saith, Lu. 12, 15. A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. This serveth to add monish rich men to consider what need they have of the blessing of God upon the store & provision which they have. For as it is the curse of God upon covetous rich men, that they cannot be satisfied with riches, so is it upon those which have meat and drink, and cannot be satisfied nor have enough, nor be fed and nourished by them.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is a duty required of us, if we desire to enjoy the blessings of God as blessings, to labour to use the creatures of God in a godly and religious manner. We must partake of them not only soberly and moderately, to strengthen nature, and not to oppress it, but there is more required in the use of God's blessings. We must carry ourselves religiously even in eating and drinking. 
〈◊〉 eating & ●●●nking ●●ould be re●●●ious.  Many of us confine Religion to the church, and think we have nothing to do with it but while we are there, and that it is unseasonable to meddle with it at home. But we must show ourselves religious in all our works, even in taking our ordinary meats, 1 Cor. 10, 31. otherwise what do we more than bruit beasts? They feed themselves full as well as we. It is our duty to give the Lord thanks for them, and so they are sanctified unto us. For this cause GOD commanded the Israelites in this place to sanctify themselves against to morrow, 
●●●se 18.  and then they should eat. There are many that would be accounted faithful men, and to have more religion in them then many of their fellows, yet have they not learned so much as to give God thanks for their meats, nor to praise his name at their tables. There is no Religion, no knowledge, no faith in these persons: neither do they consider that God may deal with them in his justice, as he did with these evil men in this place: while the meat was yet in their mouths, and holden between their teeth, the wrath of God fell upon them, & a grievous plague broke in among them. And this point we may raise a little higher, and reason from the less unto the greater▪ arising as it were from step to step. For, if the ordinary receiving of our corporal food ought to be done religiously, how much more is it required of us when we come to the eating of the spiritual meat, and to the drinking of the spiritual drink of our souls, I mean to the Table of the Lord, to come worthily and reverently: which is the food of our souls? And if the wrath of GOD came upon these wicked personnes, while the bodily food was yet in their mouths, we have just cause to fear lest his judgements come upon us much rather while we have the bread of the Lord in our mouths, or hold the cup of the Lord in our hands: as also it fell out among the Corinthians▪ who for their unworthy and unreverent coming to this heavenly Supper were taken away, as 1 Cor. 11, 30. And for this cause are many weak and sickly amongst you, and many sleep. And judas that came with a wicked and profane heart to the Passeover, did eat judgement unto himself, for immediately Satan entered into him, john 13, 27. and brought him to destruction of soul and body, Math. 27, 5. Acts 1, 18.  
But to return to the point we have in hand concerning our bodily food, we must be careful to eat and drink evermore as it were before the Lord, and consider that he sitteth as a guest with us, and therefore may justly make every bit to be our bane, if thus we presume to abuse his creatures to our lusts. Oh, that such as are beastly drunkards, 
An admonition and warning for all drunkards.  worse than bruit beasts, would consider this, & learn this lesson, and be ashamed of the thing itself as well as of the title, that is, of the sin of drunkenness, as well as to be accounted a drunkard. But howsoever they are through custom and continuance in this sin grown impudent and shameless, and every sober-minded man may point at them as they go, or rather as they stumble in the streets, yet you shall seldom or never have any of them confess that they are drunken; 
Drunkenness joined with impudency.  and when they cannot utter a word of soberness, yet they will defend and maintain that they are sober. But some will say, How shall we know a drunkard? it is a very hard matter to say who is drunk. I answer, no harder than to a know a mad man, or to know and prove thyself to be sober. The sober man that can manifest himself to be sober by the inseparable properties and true effects of soberness, 
How a man may know a drunkard.  when he seethe the quite contrary in another, may safely conclude that he is drunken. The Scripture doth not only describe the sin, but showeth us the way to know it. How doth the Physician know a man's disease but by the signs? and by the effects of the diseased? The signs and effects of drunkenness are when the head is inflamed & intoxicated, Esay 5, 11. the rolling of the tongue, 
The signs & effects of drunkenness.  the faltering and doubling of the speech, the redness of the eyes, the want of government of the hands, Prou. 23, 29, 30. Such as are ready to fight and quarrel, such as are mighty to fight combats of drinking; that show their strength & valour that way, which glory that they can lay their fellows under the Table, Esay 5, 22. such as reel and stagger as they go, though they be able (after a sort) to stand that they do not fall, yet they go reeling and staggering in the streets, Psal. 107, 27. Esa. 29, 9 They spew and vomit through excess, jer. 25, 27. Esa. 19, 14. & 28, 8. and they stink of drink that their very breath and belching is noisome to those that are near them, Hos. 4, 18. as many do understand the words of the Prophet. But to leave these, I would also admonish others, that too often frequent places of drinking, to say no worse of them, & wish them to consider, that albeit they be not grossly drunk, yet God restraineth all superfluity and excess, which the Apostle calleth drink or revel. 
1 Peter. 4, 3.  Every man should walk without offence, and take heed he minister not occasion of stumbling to any through his example.  
[Verse 21, 22, 23. And Moses said, The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen, etc.] Here beginneth the second part of the communication: wherein, first Moses replieth against God, and will not rest in his answer, which was sufficient to have put him to silence, and made him say with job, Chap. 40, 4, 5. Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer: yea twice, but I will proceed no further; and chap, 42, 6. I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. But Moses goes forward, & objecteth the hardness and impossibility to effect this promise of finding such store of flesh, in regard of the multitude of the infantry of the host, in regard of the long continuance of time that they should f●ede thereon, and in regard of the barrenness of the place, forasmuch as they were in the Wilderness and the Desert of Arabia, which was only stored with wants, and fruitful in nothing but in unfruitfulness. This distrust doth God bear withal, and as it were wink at in this place: but when he was not instructed and bettered by God's patience and long-suffering, it is afterwards punished, chapped. 20. Thus much of the complaint of Moses, both touching his disability to govern, & his insufficiency to feed them.  
Secondly, God answereth to this objection, verse 23▪ that he would make good his own promise, and all the words of his mouth should be found true, notwithstanding the want of means, and the abundance of mouths that were to be filled with flesh.  
The people are six hundred thousand footmen, etc. Shall the flocks and the herds, & c? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together, & c? Here is the distrust of Moses, though some labour to discharge him of it, and to free him from it, 
Moses d● distrust.  as if he had desired only to know the means that God would use, according as the Virgin Mary desireth to be farther informed of the Angel, Luke 1, 34 But this is disproved by the answer of God, who setteth down his own power, not the means how he would effect it. Wherefore I think the learned junius in this place is deceived: 
Annot. i● 〈◊〉 locum, et ●lys. in Num.  and we need not to labour too curiously to clear the faithful of the remnants of sin & other infirmities, forasmuch as he and other the best of God's servants have their failings in faith and obedience, as we see in the examples of Abraham, Lot, Noah, Isaac, jacob, David, Peter, Thomas, Zacharie, 
Doctrine. Many are 〈◊〉 failings of 〈◊〉 God's serui●●  and which of them not? 2 Chron. 15, 17, & 16, 12 Rom. 7 17, 18, 19 because we know in part, and we prophesy in part; we are yet in our journey, and walk in our way, and run in a race, we are not yet attained to our journeys end, we have not yet obtained the crown. Again, we proceed all from an unclean fountain, job 14, 4. There is a combat remaining in us between the flesh and the Spirit, Rom. 7, 23. Gal. 5.17. and these are contrary the one to the other, and can never be reconciled.  
The Uses hereof are, first to show that we cannot keep the Law, but in many things we Use 1 sin all. Rom. 3, 22, 23. and therefore are subject to condemnation. The Church of Rome teacheth that a man may keep the Law: but they are ignorant of the law, and of the justice of God, of sin, and of themselves. For may they compare with the faithful before named?  
2 Secondly, we do all need the benefit of Christ's blood, 1 john. 1, 7, 8. and are justified by him, Rom. 3, 24. but if we could keep the law, or could be without sin, than Christ had died in vain, Gal. 2, 21.  
3 Thirdly, they are deceived which hold the Virgin Mary to have been conceived without original sin, contrary to the tenor of the Scriptures, which layeth open sundry her infirmities; contrary to her own confession, who acknowledgeth herself to have needed a Saviour, Luke 1, 47. For seeing she was borne after the common course of the nature of man, who shall exempt her from the corruption and stain of nature? 
The conc●●ti n of the bl●ssed virg●● made equ●● to Christ's.  And what need was there that Christ jesus should be conceived by the holy ghost, if he might have a pure conception free from original sin without it? Wherefore they may as well say, that the blessed Virgin was conceived also by the holy Ghost, as affirm that she was conceived without sin, and so communicate the property and prerogative of Christ's birth to her. For if she were conceived without Original sin, her conception was miraculous, whereas the conception of Christ could be no more.  
4 Lastly, let us not rashly censure others for sin, jam. 3, 24. but admonish with meekness, considering ourselves, Gal. 6, 1, 2. They are most sharp and severe judges of others, that forget their own infirmities.  
Moreover, mark here the ground of Moses his unbelief, it is drawn from the course of natural reason, 
〈…〉 rea● 〈…〉 ene● 〈◊〉 ●ith.  and from the consideration of the want of ordinary means. Observe from hence, that natural reason and carnal Wisdom are oftentimes enemies unto faith. The yielding too much to our own thoughts, & the beholding of things with an eye of flesh, do often make even the faithful doubt of God's promises. We see this in Sarah, Gen. 18 12. in Nicodemus john 3, 4. in Zachariah, Lu. 1, 20. Math. 16, 23. 1 Cor. 1, 23. Thus we are prone evermore to trust unto human wisdom.  
For the things of God are oftentimes foolishness unto those that think themselves wiser than God, 1 Cor. 2, 14. Secondly, the carnal reason that remaineth in the regenerate, is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8, 7. for no man is wholly regenerate, the best consist of two men, for they are partly the old man, and partly the new man, they are partly regenerate, and in part they remain unregenerate.  
The Uses. Therefore we must not counsel with flesh and blood in the matters of God & Use 1 in the mysteries of faith, Rom. 4, 19, 20. Gal. 1, 16. Prou. 3, 5. Let us consult with the Scriptures, and make the word of God our Counsellors, and learn to submit all that is in us to the wisdom of God. The eye is not able to look upon the brightness of the Sun, so the eye of our reason is dazzled at the glorious things of the gospel of Christ, which things the Angels desire to look into. 
〈◊〉. 1, 12.  This is the cause that maketh many shrink back, when they see the greatest number to walk in the broad way that leadeth to destruction, when they see the Church for the most part to consist of the poorer sort, and religion to be chief embraced of them, they are offended. When they see wicked men to prosper for the most part, they walk by reason, and not by Faith; by the light of the eye, not by the light of the Scripture. But we are, even the best of us, fools and blind in the matters of God, and we must know ourselves to be fools before we can learn the wisdom of God and submit ourselves unto it. Marvel not therefore if few believe and obey.  
Use 2 Secondly, the natural man cannot please God, Rom. 8, 5, 6, 7, 8. all his knowledge, reason, wisdom, and understanding, cannot make him accepted, Tit. 1, 15. He is without faith which purifieth the heart, and therefore all his works are unsavoury before him. Woeful therefore is the condition of an unbeliever, whatsoever he doth is sin: in every thought, word, and deed he sinneth, waking and sleeping: he sinneth even in the actions of religion, and every work increaseth his reckoning, and addeth to the account that he is to make. And as the faithful man the longer he liveth, the more gracious and acceptable he is to God, so the unbeliever the longer he liveth, the more he addeth to the heap of his sins, and the day of his reckoning will be so much the more fearful and dreadful. Gen. 15, 16. For as the Ammorites were daily filling up the measure of their sins, and so hasting unto judgement, so is it with the unregenerate person. The sooner he dieth and is cut off, the better it is with him, for thereby his sins are fewer, and his judgement shall be easier. It is not so with the godly man. Again, the unbeliever and polluted person poisoneth and infecteth all things that he meddleth withal, he defileth the earth, the air, the heavens, the beasts, the fruits, and all creatures and persons that live with them, Leuitic. 18, 2. The land of Canaan was defiled by the inhabitants and it is said, that in the end it should spew them out, Deut. 28, 15, 16, etc. Hag. 2, 14.  
Thirdly, men are unable of themselves to Use 3 hear the word of salvation, joh. 8, 43. so that to believe and practise religion is not easy; our natural disposition is as contrary to it as fire and water, Matth. 16, 17. The carnal man seethe no more in the word of God, then in the word of man, nay his natural reason will minister reason unto him to think it is foolishness, 1 Cor. 1, 21. and to persuade him that he need not to be so precise in the hearing of it, nor be so curious in keeping of the Sabbath day. Let us therefore forsake this counsellor, it never speaketh good unto us, but evil; and crosseth the motions of the Spirit.  
Fourthly, the preaching of the word is a Use 4 necessary means to bring us to God, and to work in us saving faith, and sanctified obedience. Many men are by nature very wise & deepe-sighted into matters of the world, and can dive to the bottom of all human knowledge: nevertheless all this is weak and unsufficient to bring us to salvation, as appeareth in the example of Achitophel. He was a great politician: his answers were as the Oracles of God, 2 Sam. 16, 23. yet was not all his wisdom able to guide and conduct him unto heaven or heavenly things, but he ended his days in horror and despair, 2 Sa. 17, 23. Therefore another means was needful to bring us to the knowledge of God and of ourselves, God hath left unto us his word, and would have it preached and expounded in the Church, that thereby we might be saved: as 1 Cor. 1, 20, 21. Where is the Scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not GOD made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.  
Lastly, we must learn to submit our wisdom Use 5 and our wills, our understanding and counsel to the will and counsel of God, after the example of Christ, Math. 26, 42. Not my will, but thy will be done. We must crave of GOD to direct us in his will, and to teach us his ways.  
[Verse 23. The Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short?] Herein we have the answer of God, setting his Almighty power against the want of all means, and as a sufficient remedy of all evils. This teacheth that all things, 
Doctrine. Things unpossible with men, are possible with God.  even above nature and reason, and how unlikely and unpossible soever in the eyes of man, are possible with God, and he can easily bring them to pass, Esa. 50.1. Gen. 18.14. Zach. 8.6. jer. 32.27. Luke 1.37. Matt. 19.29.  
Reason 1 For why? He is in heaven, and there decreeth and accomplisheth whatsoever he will, Psa. 115.3. nothing can give any impediment to his purposes.  
Secondly, he made all things of nothing in the beginning, for the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear, Heb. 11.3. he also governeth them all, as a Captain doth his host or army, Exod. 15.3. He drieth up the sea, he maketh the floods a desert, and clotheth the heavens with darkness, Esay 50.2.  
Thirdly, this is the nature and essence of God to be almighty; take this from him, and we deny him to be God, and make him to be weak and impotent, which can no way agree to him.  
Use 1 The uses. Learn from hence not to tie God to the course of second causes: he made the Sun to stand still, josh. 10.13. he made the fire cease to burn, that it could not hurt them that were cast into it, Dan. 3.25. Hebr, 11.33. he stopped the mouths of the Lions, Dan. 6.22. Heb. 11.33. he made the iron to swim which naturally sinketh to the bottom, 2 King. 6.6. he made the waters stand still on an heap that they flowed not, and his people passed through as on dry land, Exod. 14.22. josh. 3.17. Psal. 114.5. It is he that worketh miracles and changeth the course of nature. This showeth the difference between God and all other creatures. True it is, they have power, but they are not able to work miracles, but by the power of him that ruleth the creatures.  
Use 2 Secondly, doubt not of any of God's promises, Rom. 4.20, 21, though they seem never so unlikely or uncertain. Let us not doubt of salvation, nor despair of the conversion of any, Rom. 11. but be assured that he is able to do it. This is a point which we ought to be well grounded in, we have use of it in all estates, and conditions of life, especially in times of affliction and adversity. Doubt not of his favour in providing for us temporal things, he hath promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us, neither in youth nor age, neither in peace nor war, neither in plenty nor poverty: he is able to make good the words of his own mouth, he is our helper and deliverer, Heb. 13. 5, 6. Doubt not of his goodness toward us in spiritual things, he is entered into covenant with us, that he will write his laws in our hearts, and remember our sins and iniquities no more, jer. 31.33, 34. This is our comfort that he whom we serve is a God Almighty.  
Thirdly, we see that God can revenge himself Use 3 of all his enemies, as also of the enemies of the Church, Deut. 32.39, 42. Let them therefore fear him, Exod. 15.16. Heb. 10.31. even him that is able to cast body and soul into hell fire, I say unto you, fear him, Matth. 10.28. they lie under his hand that can execute vengeance; there is no power in any creature to rid himself from his power.  
Fourthly, be liberal to the poor, 2 Cor. 9.7.8. Use 4 God is able to make all grace abound toward us. He is able to make us abound and to preserve us from want, and therefore relying and grounding ourselves upon his power, we should make others to abound, & give cheerfully to our brethren that want, and distribute to their necessities according as we have received.  
Lastly, we ought to study and endeavour to Use be upright in our lives and conversations, Gen. 17.1, 2. Let us humble ourselves under the most mighty hand of God, 1 Pet. 5.6. and quake at his judgements, as the child under the rod, Leuit. 10.3. Let us repent us of our evil ways, and serve him in newness of life.  
[Verse 24, 25, 26. And Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered, etc. We have in these words to the end of the Chapter, the third point, to wit, the execution both of that which God had promised in mercy, and of that which he had threatened in judgement. here than is a double affect, one touching the fellow-helpers joined in commission with Moses as his assistants. They were as it were of his privy counsel; he prepareth them, and God furnisheth them, and communicateth his Spirit unto them: which is amplified by a double event, the first is common to all the seventy elders, they prophesied; whereby God sealed up unto them the assurance of their calling, and procured them reverence among the people, as we see in Saul 1 Sam. 10.10. and in Solomon, 1 King. 3.16, 28 The second is special, two of these Elders abode behind in the tents, and came not to the Tabernacle, showing themselves (by this drawing back) unwilling, and accounted themselves unable and unworthy to undergo the charge, as Saul when he was anointed to be king, hide himself among the stuff, 1 Sam. 10.22. as also Moses and jeremy did, when they were called, knowing that none is sufficient for these things. Hereupon a young man (who he was, or to what end he did it, it is uncertain, because it is not expressed) made report of their prophesying to Moses, at the hearing whereof joshua desireth him to forbid them by his authority: he was too much addicted to the person of his master, as many hearers are to their teachers, as Paul complaineth that some did hold of Apollo and some of Cephas, 1 Cor. 1.12. as in our days, many conceive too highly of Luther, otherwise a very worthy man: howbeit Moses tendering the good of all the people more than his own glory, reproveth his corrupt affection, Enviest thou for may sake? and showeth a contrary disposition in himself, desiring that all the Lords people could prophesy, etc.  
The other effect is touching the flesh provided and supplied, which is enlarged by the instrumental cause, a wind went forth from the Lord: by the place from whence they came, from the red sea out of Africa in great plenty and abundance: by the miserable issue and event of all, While the flesh stuck between their teeth, they were stricken with a great plague, and perished in great numbers: and lastly, by a memorial of the sin and of the punishment, the name of the place was called, Kibroth Hattaavah, that is, the graves of lust, for there they buried the people that lusted.  
In this division it is to be noted, that Moses going from the presence of God, relateth nothing but that which God had spoken unto him, and commanded him to speak unto them; and therefore the Ministers are warned thereby to teach nothing but what they have received from the word, as it were from the mouth of God, Num. 6, 22, 18. 1 Corin. 11, 23. Mat. 28, 20. They are his messengers and ambassadors employed by him, Mal. 2, 7. This condemneth unwritten verities and traditions maintained in the Church of Rome, under which they would convey unto us a farthel fraught with their own inventions. But let the Ministers give attendance to the reading of the Scriptures, and consult with God by them, 1 Tim. 4, 13, 15, 16, and let all God's people shut their ears against human devices, & open their ears and hearts to receive whatsoever God shall teach them in his word, 1 Kin. 13, 15, 16, 17. etc.  
[There ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp: joshua said, My Lord Moses, forbidden them. joshua feared lest the credit and reputation of Moses should be lessened among the people by this communication of his spirit. He had a good intent, howbeit he was jealous of his master amiss, which proceeded from the corrupt fountain of envy, for which he is reproved. Out of which I might generally observe, that it is the duty of masters to reprove their servants, 
doctrine. 〈◊〉 the duty 〈◊〉 masters to ●●●roue their ●●●●ants.  as Christ doth oftentimes his Disciples. Private men, that have only a general charge, are bound to reprove, Exod. 22. levit. 19, 17. much more such as have the oversight of the ways of others. Again, connivence & concealing of sin is a kind of consenting unto sin: he that hideth and reproveth not his friends faults, maketh them his own; As it is in provision for the family, so it is in instruction: he that provideth not for the good of their bodies, is guilty of their death▪ if they perish through want of temporal things: so he that regardeth not the good of their souls, their blood shall be required at his hands if he suffer them to perish through want of instruction. This reproveth all such masters as encourage Use 1 or flatter their servants in evil, or suffer them to do what they list. These cast away all care of their servants, as Cain did of his brother, saying, Am I my brother's keeper? so do these say, Am I my servants keeper? 
Gen. 4, 9  are they not old enough to look to themselves & to take charge of themselves? shall we make them always as babes & children? He is justly accounted a cruel master, that would suffer his servant to drown himself when he may hinder him and save him alive. Eli is punished for suffering his sons to run on in evil. Secondly, inferiors must suffer reproof of their governors willingly and patiently, and not break out into choler against them, like brute beasts that are unteachable and untractable, which kick & spurn at the handling of their wounds and sores, because they want reason to conceive what is good for themselves: so are these utterly ignorant what is good for their souls. The patiented loveth the Physician, though his potions be bitter, and the Surgeon mortifieth corrupt members: fools do hate correction, saith the wise man, 
Prou. 5, 22, & 17, 10.  and it is oftentimes the cause of ruin of unbridled youth, these do in truth hate their own souls: which is a fearful kind of hatred. Lastly, let all governors & superiors have an eye ever watchful over the ways of such as are under them, that so they may encourage them in well doing, and reprove them for evil doing▪ This was in Elisha toward Gehazi running after Naaman and hunting after bribes, 2 Kin. 5, 25. Thus also did Solomon, he had an eye over Shemei, and quickly found out his departure out of jerusalem, and wandering beyond the bounds set unto him, 1 Kings 2, 43, 44. Let every one therefore take heed to their charges.  
[My Lord Moses] Note here the title which joshua giveth to Moses: he contenteth not himself to call him by his bare name, but before it he prefixeth a title of honour. This teacheth that inferiors must use speeches of reverence & subjection toward their superiors, 
Doctrine. Inferiors must show reverence toward their superiors.  as Mal. 1, 6. 1 Pet 2, 14, and 3, 6. 2 King. 13, 14. Neh. 2, 5, Ester 5, 4, 8. 2 Sa. 24, 3. 1 Sam. 25, 24, etc. Thus have Gods children by the light of the word, and the ungodly by the light of nature performed this duty. And no marvel: because superiors bear God's image to inferiors, & are to them not by man's invention or usurpation, but by the ordinance of God in God's stead, as Moses made Ruler and Governor was to Aaron, Exod. 4, 16. He shall be to thee in stead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in stead of God. Again, we have the express law & commandment of God binding the consciences of all, Exod. 20, 12. Psalm. 82, 6. Lastly, they are s●t over inferiors, not for their own glory, but for their good, 1 Tim. 2, 2. Rom. 13, 4. He is the Minister of God to thee for good.  
Use 1 This principle offereth these uses; first, a reproof of those that are so far from yielding them reverence, that they reject their authority, and cast off their yoke from their necks, they mutter at them & their commandments, they revile them and use unreverent speeches to them and of them, both before their faces and behind their backs, which ought not to be. Hence it is, that Moses saith, Exod. 22, 28. Thou shalt not revile the Gods, nor curse the Ruler of thy people. And Eccl. 10, 20. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber, etc. And the Apostle willeth Titus to exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, Tit. 2, 9 It falleth out for the most part, that they have least honour at their hands of whom they ought to have greatest. Fathers and masters have many times more honour out of their own doors, than they have within them: & of other men's servants and children, than they have of their own. For as Christ saith, A Prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, & among his own kin, and in his own house; so is it for the most part with all parents and masters, Mark, 6, 4.  
Secondly, if this duty be to be performed unto men, much more must we hold it to be due unto God. If reverence and obedience be due to mortal men, who have the image of God upon them, and that darkly & obscurely, how much more may God justly challenge these duties, who hath given power and authority unto men? john 19, 11. Hence it is, that God saith by the Prophet, If I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? Mal. 1, 6, 8. If ye offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy Governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Numb. 12, verse 14 Heb. 12, verses 9, 10.  
Lastly, it belongeth to all superiors so to carry themselves, that they may procure and deserve reverence, & do not justly bring contempt upon themselves. For this cause doth Paul teach Timothy to fly youthful lusts, 2, Tim. 2, 22, and to beware that he give not occasion to make others despise his youth: 
1 Tim. 4, 12.  which he shall do, if he be an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity.  
[Forbidden them.] here we see what joshua would have Moses do: he counseleth him to restrain them. A young man, young counsel. The Doctrine from hence is, 
Doctrine. Young men are ordinarily rash in judging of others.  that young men are commonly and ordinarily rash in judging others, yea more rash than elder men, & consequently more apt to judge amiss, and to give evil counsel & sentence of such things as are well done. Such were Rehoboams green heads, they gave green counsel, and such as cost him the loss of the greatest part of his kingdom, 1 Kings 12, verses 8, 13, 14. Gravity and sobriety are commended in elder men, Titus 2, 1, 2. but young men follow the vanity of their young years, Eccl. 11, 9, 10.  
The reasons are plain. First, age & years Reason 1 bring experience and ripeness of judgement, and so wisdom. Youth is as green timber, age as that which is seasoned, job 32, 7. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.  
Again, their affections being hotter and stronger, are more unconstant and unbridled, ready to run into extremities, as untamed heiffers not used to the yoke.  
Lastly, they put far from them the evil day; they think themselves privileged by their age, and make account they have time enough hereafter to enter into better courses. They live for the most part, as if they had made a covenant with death and with hell, and are less careful to be kept and guided within the compass of God's laws. Forasmuch as sentence is not executed speedily against an evil work, 
Eccl. 8, 11.  their hearts are fully set in them to do evil.  
The uses. First, this teacheth us not to rest Use 1 in the judgement, nor to follow the counsel of young men, except they have old men's gifts and graces in them. For touching gifts, it is true which Elihu testifieth, job 32, 9 Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgement. Old men may be young in gifts, and young men may be old in gifts. Secondly, let young men suffer their elders to speak before them, especially in censuring things that are strange. It is a point of wisdom for all, especially for young men to suspect their own judgement and sentence concerning others, their persons, their gifts, and their actions. Thirdly, it reproveth those that set up in the Church, & promote to the office of teaching, such as are young in years and gifts, and not yet seasoned to build up others, but are light, wanton, rash, not grave, discreet, and sober. Add unto these, such as advance those that are planted newly, converted to the truth of the Gospel, before there be sufficient trial made of the soundness of their religion, and the sincerity of their conversation. Paul teacheth Timothy, that the Minister must not be a novice, or one newly come to the faith, 1 Tim. 3, 6. jest being lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. It is a fault among us, that we many times give too easy access to the Pulpit, to such as bear themselves as converts among us, I mean such as have been fugitives and forsaken our Church, and return home again oftentimes worse than they went out, and live scandalously to the dishonour of God, and the offence of many. Such aught to be thoroughly tried and proved, let them live in the place of common christians, before they be trusted with the place of Captains: and let them thereby purchase to themselves a good degree to farther promotion.  
Lastly, seeing rashness and unadvisedness are specially incident to youth, let them learn to season their years with the word of God, let them make it their meditation, whereby they may repress such hot and hasty & headstrong passions. The Prophet saith, Psal. 119, 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to thy word.  
And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? In these words Moses openeth and discovereth the particular sin wherewith joshua was infected. 
doctrine. 〈◊〉 Gods people must be●●re of envy.  We learn hereby in this reproof, that all God's people must beware of envy, jam. 4, 5. It is an affection compounded of sorrow and malice. For such persons are malicious, always repining and grudging at the gifts of God bestowed upon others, and as it were look asquint at them, as Gen. 26, 12, 13, 14, 27, and 30, 1, and 31, 1. Mark. 9, 38. john 3, 26, 27.  
First, because it is a fruit of the flesh, Gal. Reason 1 5, 21. as carnal grief and carnal hatred are, of which it is compounded: for it maketh men repine and grieve at the blessings and prosperity of others, and that which is worst of all, to hate the persons that have those gifts, and in the end the good things themselves that are in the persons for the persons sake. This appeareth in the pharisees, Math. 27, 18. when they saw that Christ was in more account among the people, and did exceed them in all his doctrine and miracles, they repined and grudged at him. It grieved them that any should be equal unto them, much more go beyond them.  
Secondly, God bestoweth his gifts where he will, and to whom he will, & in what measure he will, Math. 20, 15.  
Thirdly, it procureth the wrath of God, and is never left without punishment, as appeareth in the next chapter, where Miriam the sister of Moses is stricken with the leprosy, 
〈◊〉 12, 10.  because she envied the gifts of Moses, God showing thereby how greatly he detesteth this sin.  
Fourthly, whatsoever is bestowed upon any member, is bestowed upon the whole body, 1 Cor. 12. Whatsoever is given to any part is given for the benefit of the whole Church, why then should we envy any, seeing we have our part and portion in it?  
Fiftly, it is a devilish vice, it is worse than fleshly, and yet if it were no more, it were sufficient to make us to detest it: howbeit it savoureth not only of the flesh, but of the devil: and it transformeth us into the image of Satan, who envied the happiness of our first parents in the garden, Gen. 3, 5. So Cain was of that evil one, 1 joh. 3, 12. and envied his brother, because God accepted him and his sacrifice, Gen. 4.5.  
Sixtly, it crosseth and controlleth the wisdom of God in the distribution of his gifts & graces, as if God had done them wrong, and been too good to others: we can challenge nothing as due to ourselves, but whatsoever we have, we have it freely: howbeit the envious like not his administration, but dislike that others should enjoy that which they want.  
Lastly, it is against the rule of charity, which rejoiceth at the good of others, 1 Cor. ●3, and is ready to bestow and communicate good things where is want of them. So then where envy is, there charity is not: and where charity is, there envy is not.  
This teacheth us, that all are subject to this Use 1 evil, even they that are godly, and in a great measure sanctified, are apt to envy at others excelling in the graces of God. And doubtless this is one cause oftentimes of contentions among the faithful, 1 Corin. 1, 12. much more therefore the unreformed and unsanctified are ready to envy them that go before them. Let us not have the faith of GOD in respect of persons, jam. 2, 1. & let us beware of having men in admiration for sinister respects. The best things are subject to be abused through our corruption.  
Secondly, it serveth to reprove many Use 2 malicious persons: some envy others temporal blessings; others (that are worse) envy them the grace of God. If they have more knowledge than themselves, they cannot abide them, but speak all manner of evil against them. These men are possessed, nay poisened with malice, ambition, pride, arrogancy, and dissimulation: they are utterly destitute of charity, or desire of reconciliation to their brethren. Hence it is, that Solomon opposeth envy and the fear of God, 
Prou. 27, 4.  as things that cannot possibly stand together, Prou. 23, 17. and in another place, a sound heart and envy, Pro. 14, 30. If such see another have more wealth and riches then themselves, they so vex & torment themselves, that the things which they have, do them no good. Envy is a very torment to the envious, who envying at others, do plague and punish themselves. For as envy hurteth not him at all that is envied, 
Egidij Hunnij, comment. in johan. cap. 12.  so the envious man carrieth about within his own bosom, an inward and homebred tormenter that never suffereth him to be quiet. Such a monster is spite & envy, that if he see, or hear, or think another to have more or as much, to go beyond him or be equal unto him; it is a quotidian, nay, a continual fever without any intermission, it paineth him day and night. Psalm. 112, 9, 10.  
Thirdly, let us use all holy and sanctified means to prevent it, or to purge it away, if it Use 3 have seized upon us. Let us labour for christian charity, 
How we may avoid envy.  that so we may rid our hearts of the corrupt weeds of fretting and malice against our brethren, and deck ourselves with lowliness of mind, that we may banish pride and self love, Phil. 2, 3. Store of charity and humility tempered together, will make a notable defence & preservative against this malady.  
Secondly, be well contented with God's holy administration of temporal blessings, spiritual, & eternal, that we do not any way charge him with folly, who is wisdom itself; or with partiality, who respecteth no man's person.  
Thirdly, to cast our eyes upon the troubles, sorrows, miseries, and calamities of our brethren which they sustain and suffer, as well as upon the gifts, blessings, comforts, & prosperity which they enjoy, that so the consideration of the one, may stay & uphold us from grudging at the sight of the other. But this is our fault, we look upon their good, but will not behold their evil: which if we did, we should find cause many times rather to pity them then to envy them.  
Fourthly, to mark that the gifts of others are for our benefit, as the good of one member of the body serveth for the use of another; and therefore we are enemies to our own good and welfare, when we repine at that which others have.  
Fiftly, to pray to God for the obtaining of his gifts where we see them wanting; and for increase of them where they are obtained, and for the continuance of them where they are increased.  
Lastly, it is our duty to love the graces of God wheresoever we see them, yea even in our enemies. These are approved remedies to keep us from envy.  
[Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them] See here the godliness and humility of Moses; he is so far from envying this gift of these two servants of God, that he reproveth joshua, and wisheth from his heart, that all the Church of God had the same gift which he had, from the least to the greatest. As if he should say, I am so far from envying them in having these graces, though they came not with the others, (seeing God confirmeth even their calling also as well as the rest,) that I could rather wish if it pleased God, that all in the host could prophesy, and were endued with mine and their graces.  
If any object, that this may seem to give way for unwarrantable wishes, frivolous desires, and vain prayers not grounded upon any promise: I answer, it doth not, for he only testifieth his holy desire of the Churches good; as when we pray that God would keep us this day from all sin. It is against the word of God to hold that we can be without sin, but it is not against it, to testify our desire to be free from it; for it is that which we ought all to aim at, and to endeavour that we may attain unto. Neither doth this prayer give scope to the wishes of the sottish multitude, that pray for their friends when they are dead, who never prayed for them when they were alive, saying, God have mercy on their souls, or God rest their souls; whereby the Name of God is taken in vain. For they have received their judgement according to their works, and are already either in rest or in torment, from which they cannot return. 
Doctrine. The godly desire that others of the● Church 〈◊〉 be equal to them or above them graces.  We learn from hence that the godly do hearty desire the good and growth, the profit and increase of the whole Church. It is the duty of all faithful persons, to desire that all true Christians may excel in graces, even to be equal or above themselves, how eminent and excellent soever their gifts & places be. This appeareth in john the Baptist, john 3, 29, 30. Now is my joy full; he must increase, but I must decrease. The Apostle desireth, that the Thessalonians, who were grown greatly in grace, might yet grow more and more, 1 Thess. 4, 1. Rom. 1, 11. This desire of the prosperity and flourishing estate of the Church, made Paul to move Barnabas to go again and visit the brethren in every City, where they had preached and planted the Gospel of Christ, Acts 15, 36. Rom. 9, 3. Gal. 6, 16. Math. 11, 25. john 17, 24. 2 Cor. 13, 9 As then joab sent out to number all the tribes of Israel, said unto the King, 
2 Sam. ●4, ●  The Lord thy God add unto the people (how many soever they be) an hundred fold, and that the eyes of my Lord the King may see it: so ought we in seeking the increase of the true Israel of God much rather say, The Lord add unto the church such as shall be saved, how many soever they seem already to be, thousand thousands, and that our eyes may see the spiritual growth of them.  
For as the glory of God ought to be most Reason 1 precious unto us, so hereby he is most glorified, when many lights shine before men, Mat. 5, 16, john 15, 8.  
Secondly, superiors in gifts are fathers, and have that title given unto them, as well as superiors by office and calling, and therefore as fathers rejoice to see their children excelling themselves or others in gifts, as Solomon did excced David, so ought it to be in the spiritual growth of the Church; such as are fathers in respect of gifts, should rejoice and be glad when they behold their inferiors to come forward to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Eph. 4, 13.  
Thirdly, they hearty love one another, therefore they cannot but desire their greatest welfare and excelling in all graces to the greatest edification of other; not envying, but rejoicing in their increasing more and more: & contrariwise sorrowing at their dwarfish estate, ever learning, yet still needing to be taught the first principles of religion, as not able to bear strong meat, Heb. 5, 12, 13.14.  
From hence we have a way left us to examine Use ourselves and to judge ourselves, whether we belong unto God and be truly sanctified, or not: whether we be true parts of the true church or not, even by this desire of the good of the churches of God. Hereby we may discern and try what is in us: by this note we may prove ourselves, truly to seek God's glory with sincere hearts, to wit, when we can rejoice in the excelling of other men's gifts above our own, whether they be in the same or other callings with us, wishing ourselves inferior to all others, and every one to excel us in gifts to the edification of the Church & God's glory, in the setting up and establishing of the kingdom of Christ. Let us not account it a shame to see a sheep go before his Shepherd, or the son to go beyond the father, or the wife her husband, or the servant his master: if the inferiors have greater & better gifts than their superiors, bless God for it, and pray God yet more to multiply their graces. There are many Pastors that are afraid, lest their people by too often teaching, and by going and growing forward by reading and conference, should be able to teach them their duty, or else control their teaching of others. This is as unnatural, as if a father should be grieved to see his child prosper & to grow in stature. We must desire the conversion of those that be out of the Church, therefore much more the blessing of God to be upon the Church in a more plentiful measure, Acts 26, 29, and 7, 60. He that is desirous of the good of such as are not of the family, will be more careful of those that are of the family. Every part and member of the body, desireth and procureth the good of the other parts: so ought it to be in the mystical body, whereof Christ jesus is the head, who laid down his life for the Church, and shed his precious blood for the ransom of it, Acts 20, 28. It will be a great comfort to us to find this affection and desire in our hearts, to long after the common good of the Church.  
Use 2 Secondly, it condemneth the Church of Rome, that hinder the growth and increase of, it, detaining the Scriptures from the people, & keeping them in blindness and ignorance, whereas the Lord would have his word communicated unto all. When a Prince hath published statutes for the government of the Commonwealth, they are open for all to read them: so is it with God, after he caused the word to be written, he set them forth for all, commanding all to know them from the least to the greatest, from the lowest to the highest. On the other side, the Papists extol their ignorance, and bar the people from the means of growing.  
Again, it reproveth those that seek their own good and glory, and care not how it goeth with others, whereas all the study & desire of Moses was, evermore to procure the good of Israel: he seemed utterly to forget himself, and regarded not what became of him, so the Church might prosper and flourish, Exod. 32, ●2. So was it with Christ, he sought not his own glory, but his that sent him; and asketh, how they can believe, which receive honour one of another, 
〈◊〉 5, 44.  and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Such were joseph's brethren, hearing his dream of their sheaves bowing down and making obeisance to his sheaf, Gen. 37, verse 7. and of the Sun and the Moon, and the eleven stars which made obeisance to him, ver. 9 Such also were David's brethren, who hearing him to inquire what should be done to the man that killeth the Philistim, and taketh away the reproach from Israel, said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the haughtiness of thy hear●, for thou art come down to see the battle, 1 Sam. 17, 28. These were afraid, he would rise too fast and outstrip them, and therefore envied him. So is it with false Teachers, who in the pride of their hearts, did seek themselves above God's glory, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom. The false teachers disgraced the Apostles, and preached enviously to add to their sorrows, Phil. 1, 15, 16. Wherefore, let no man envy the good gifts of others.  
Thirdly, let the Pastors of the Church be Use 3 careful of teaching the people committed to their charge, and to polish them as hewn stones for the spiritual building of the spiritual Temple, and diligently to square them out, that so the body of Christ which is the Church, may grow up to a perfect man. 
Eph. 4, 11.  We cannot in truth desire the growth of the church, if we be not ready to feed it with the word of God? Can the mother be said to be willing to see the growth of her child, when she never feedeth it? No, it is plain, she seeketh rather to starve it? Even so is it with the Ministers, such as withhold the food of life from them do starve them, and are guilty of their blood.  
Lastly, all are bound to procure the good Use 4 of the Church, and to pray to God for the flourishing and happiness of it, Psal. 122, 6, and 51, 18. We see how far men are carried in natural affection toward their children whom they have bestowed in marriage, to desire that they might increase to many generations. This is the marriage blessing, Gen. 24, verse 60. They blessed Rebecca and said unto her, Thou art our Sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate him. How much more ought our earnest prayer and desire be, that the Israel of God may flourish and multiply, and have the dominion and upper hand over those that hate them? We must desire that the Church may be a fruitful mother of many children, like Rahel and Leah, which two did build the house of Israel, Ruth chapt. 4. verse 11. We must be all helpers to help to build the Church by our prayers, by our exhortations, by our life and example. Let us rejoice when we see it increase, and mourn when we see it decrease.  
[Ver. 31, 32. And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a days journey, etc. God promised to his people quails, & that in abundance: here we see by what means they are brought among them, there went forth a wind from the Lord, to whom the winds and seas do obey. He could have done this by his own immediate hand, if it had pleased him; but hereby he would teach, 
Doctrine. God giveth good things by means.  that in giving his creatures, and in bestowing his blessings, he doth not bestow them immediately by his own hand, but he giveth them by means of the creatures that he hath created, as we see in this place. This we may read at large in Hosea, chap. 2, 21, 22. When he giveth light, he giveth it by the heavens, where he hath set the sun to rule by day, the Moon and the Stars to rule by night, Psal. 136, 8, 9 He hath appointed the beasts of the field to yield us clothing, and the earth to minister bread to the sour, Psalm. 104, ver. 4. Exod. 8, verse 16. Gen. 7, verses 11, 12. The reasons hereof are evident.  
Reason 1 Hereby he doth abate the pride and vain glory of the sons of men, that though they be Rulers of the earth, and Lords of sea and land, and of all creatures in them, yet must they after a sort be beholding to the meanest of them, and borrow succour and sustenance from them.  
Secondly, hereby he blindeth the eyes of those that will not see him, though he daily shine in their faces much more bright than the Sun in the Firmament that casteth his beams upon the earth, I mean of wicked men that can look no higher then to the creatures themselves, and therefore commit gross idolatry with them, forasmuch as they look not up to God the author and giver of them.  
Thirdly, God did appoint Adam in the time of his innocency, that he should receive all by means of his labour, for he was set in the garden to dress the garden & keep it. Gen. 2, 15.  
Use 1 Conclude from hence an holy principle of our faith, to wit, the infinite power and glory of God, who hath the sovereign command of all creatures, for great is his Name. He employeth them in blessing and in punishing at his own pleasure, and sendeth them forth for the honour of his Name, Psal. 8, 1. and 78, 16. He could with a word have created these quails as at the beginning, when he spoke the word and they were, & used not the wind to bring them forth; but he would manifest his sovereignty and dominion over all, that so all might stand in fear of him, to whom nothing is hard, jer. 32, 27 Doubtless, we must confess that he is worthy of all honour, Reu. 4, 11. Psal. 89, 8, 12. and let men submit themselves to him, job 36, 36, 37, and 42, 5, 6.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence ariseth comfort to God's children that live under his protection; he hath all creatures at his commandment for their good. And it serveth as a terror to the wicked that set themselves against him, who doth whatsoever pleaseth him in heaven and in earth, Psl, 115, 3. The Lord of hosts is his Name, who can arm, send forth, and strengthen the least of them to their utter ruin. Wherefore so long as God hath any creature about him, they shall not want means of their overthrow and destruction. And on the other side, the faithful shall not want means for their preservation.  
Thirdly, whensoever we want any blessing, Use 3 we must seek to the Lord; for he can restrain the sweet influence of the heavens when it pleaseth him, so that neither the heavens shall hear the earth, nor the earth the corn, not the corn the people; he can make the heavens to be as brass, and the earth as iron, that they shall yield us no benefit at all. For albeit be blesseth us by the creatures, yet he doth limit and uphold them from yielding unto us any good whensoever he pleaseth. Therefore is he to be sought unto for a blessing, lest he command them to do us no good.  
Lastly, seeing we must seek God in the Use 4 means, it teacheth us from the example of God, that we also must use means for the obtaining of earthly blessings. We must labour in our places and take pains in our callings wherein God hath set us. We must be diligent and industrious, Prou. 10, 4. The hand of the diligent maketh rich. True it is, the Scripture teacheth that it is the Lord that giveth power to get riches; nevertheless, the hand of the painful labourer is said to give riches also. We must pray unto God for a blessing, and depend wholly upon him, Psal. 127, 1, 2. Yet we ourselves must not be idle and do nothing. For as many use the means and never seek to God, so there are others that rely upon God only, and never seek the means at all. These are like unto those that would feign be saved, and yet never seek after the right means to attain to salvation. Balaam wished that he might die the death of the righteous, yet he would not join with God's people to have remission of sins, and to hear the voice of God: so do these offend in temporal things, they sit still and will not use the means whereby they may enjoy the creatures of God to their good, although they would feign have them. If we seek them as GOD hath appointed, we shall find comfort.  
[Ver. 33, 34. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, yer it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.] In the midst of their lusts and pleasures, behold how God's judgements come upon them. They had feasted a long time, and had glutted themselves with their flesh; now their sweet meat had sour sauce, for the hand of GOD cometh upon them for their sin, and suddenly the plague sweepeth them away.  
The Doctrine arising from hence is this, 
Doctri●● The judgements or 〈◊〉 do often●●●● come ver● suddenly.  that the judgements of GOD do oftentimes fall upon men and women very suddenly before they be aware, when they least of all think or imagine of the day of wrath, job 20.5, 6, 7. & 21.17. Psal. 73, 19 Esay 30, 1●. Exod. 12, 29. Dan. 5, 30. Luke 12, 20. The destruction of the wicked, shall come as a whirlwind, Amos 1, 14 Christ putteth us in mind of the days of Noah and Lot, and telleth us that the coming of the son of man shall be when men think not of it; and therefore it is compared to the sudden coming of a thief in the night, and the sudden travel of a woman, Mat. 24, 43. 44. 1 Thess. 5, 2, 3. Acts 12, 23. and like the fall of a ruinous wall at an instant, though it stand long, Esay 30, 13.  
This is plain, first because they have through Reason 1 Gods patience and long-suffering increased the number, weight, and measure of their sins, and thereby compel the Lord to bring his judgements suddenly upon them. They draw out his sword, and will not suffer it to rest in the sheath: they offer a kind of violence to God, and constrain him to bring his judgements upon them in a moment, they will not suffer him to stay any longer▪ It is just to punish such as abuse his patience: he hath waited a long time, and called them to repentance, they have had time & warning enough, and made him dance attendance, as Prou. 1, 24, 27. Because I called and ye refused, your desolation cometh as a whirlwind.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God respecteth herein the benefit of others toward whom he hath not used as yet so long patience, to the end that they seeing others fall into sudden destruction, may learn thereby not to abuse his patience, lest they also be suddenly destroyed, Dan. 5, 22. when Daniel had told Belshazzar of his father, how suddenly the judgement of God came upon him for his security▪ he addeth, And thou his son knowing all these things, hast not humbled thyself, but hast committed the same things thyself; and therefore now also shalt thou suddenly be destroyed: thou shouldst have considered these things before, and have taken warning by thy father's punishment; but seeing thou hast not looked upon him, as in a glass set before thy eyes, to consider the slippery estate wherein thou and all Princes and people stand, therefore now shall the same heavy hand of GOD find thee out, and his judgements shall presently overtake thee.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First see from hence the happy estate of all such as think of the day of their reckoning betimes, and prepare their garments that they be not taken naked. Men in sudden danger, as in a fire or sudden tumult coming in the night season, are glad to catch any thing to cover them, Mark 14, 51. so should we be clothed with Christ's righteousness, Revel 16, 15, Such are out of danger, & have no cause to fear wrath and judgement. It is the wisest & safest way so to do, than we shall be sure to escape and be saved.  
Use 2 Secondly, it serveth to teach us, that we should not envy at the peace and prosperity of the wicked, neither fret at the flourishing estate of the ungodly that live in their sins: for howsoever they be for a time forborn, & all goeth currant with them, yet thereby they are the more hardened in their sins, till a far greater judgement come upon them. Therefore envy not at them though they grow great, for suddenly shall the judgements of GOD take hold upon them, and arrest them as guilty of death, and then they shall perish speedily; so that there is no reason to grieve or grudge at their prosperity. They shall soon be cut down as grass, and shall whither as the green herb; they shall be consumed as the fat of Lambs, even with the smoke shall they consume away. Psal 37, 1, 2, 20. The estate of all the wicked is very ticklish and uncertain: they are set in slippery places, and God casteth them down into desolation. Their end is sudden and fearful▪ Prover. 6, 15. like a violent storm and tempest, while they are secure and think nothing of their end, while they eat & drink, and are drunken, and given to unlawful pleasures, the judgement of God shall be as a swift messenger, or a sudden wind that shall blow them away as chaff. For though God in patience bear with them, and put off his judgements for a season, yet when they do come, they shall come swiftly and suddenly. Indeed it often maketh the best of God's children to stumble, to see the prosperity of the wicked, and grieve much to see men lying in their sins as swine in the mire, or dogs in their vomit, to grow great and continue long without any cross or affliction, but let them wait but awhile, and suddenly they shall see the judgements of God to overtake them in their greatest ruff and riot into which they break▪ Let no man therefore envy them, their honour and glory, their riches and prosperity, for they all shall be turned into curses and judgements. Who would repine at it, to see a thief carried along through fair fields and green meadows, in a rich coach to the gallows or place of execution? There is cause rather to be grieved at it, and to pity him then to envy him: so likewise why should we envy at the prosperity of the wicked, considering it is the highway that leadeth to death and the very occasion of their ruin, they stand in danger every hour to be overtaken with the judgements of God which come suddenly, that they shall have no time to make their peace, or to reconciled themselves by true Repentance. Psal. 37.35, 36. We have cause therefore to mourn for them, and not to murmur at them.  
Thirdly, from hence ariseth comfort to the faithful. What though on the one side the Use 3 wicked prosper & increase in riches, though their eyes stand out for fatness, and cruelty compasseth them as a garment? and they have more than heart can wish? And what though on the other side, the godly are afflicted and in trouble, though they be in want and oppressed, though they be in misery and suffer many wrongs? 
Psal. 73.13.  yet we must not be discouraged, nor say, We have cleansed our hearts in vain, and in vain we have washed our hands in innocency; forasmuch as they are brought into desolation as in a moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors, as a dream when one awaketh. 
Verse 19, 20.  Let us therefore be of good comfort, and not shrink away: they are like the grass or flower of the field, which groweth and flourisheth to day, and to morrow withereth and is cast into the Oven, or rathey they are much more brittle, and subject to a speedier change. Let us commit our ways unto the Lord and trust in him: let us give all diligence to walk in his ways, which are sanctified and holy ways, that we may not be reputed among the wicked; and so partake with them in the suddenness of their downfall. Let us wait patiently upon him; for yet a very little while, and the wicked shall not appear; thou shalt look after his place, and yet shalt not find him; sudden destruction shall seize upon him as a sergeant, and he shall be carried away as with a strong whirlwind in a tempestuous and stormy day.  
Use 4 Fourthly, it is our duty to watch and attend with all care for the time of judgement. The day of the Lord, or the time of judgement is twofold, general and particular. General, when Christ shall break the heavens, and come to judge the quick and the dead in the end of the world, when the pillars of the earth and the whole frame of heaven shall be dissolved. Particular, at the day of our death, when every particular soul must appear before the bar, and give an account what i● hath done. Great will be our misery, if God come & find us careless and secure. If a man knew at what hour the thief would come, doubtless he would watch, and not suffer his house to be broken through, Mark 13, 35, 36. And this is the cause wherefore it pleased God to conceal from us as well the day of judgement, as the day of our death; he would not have us know either the one or the other, to wit, when he will come, or when we shall die, to the end we should always watch and pray, and be in readiness, having our loins girt, and oil in our lamps. Nothing is more certain than that he will come. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of it before the flood, that the Lord cometh with thousands of his Saints, Jude verse 14. howbeit nothing is more uncertain than when he will come, for the Angels in heaven, and the Son himself as he is man, know it not, but the Father only, Mat. 24, 36. Mar. 13, 32. So nothing is more certain than our death and dissolution, and nothing more uncertain than the time thereof, that we should learn to look for him every day, nay every hour, nay every minute. It is well observed by Austin, that the Lord would have us to know the time of his first coming, 
Aug Epist. ad Hesych.  because the knowledge thereof is profitable and necessary: and therefore doth the Lord reprove the jews, that they could judge the face of the sky, but they knew not the day of their visitation: because he that is ignorant of the first coming, can never prepare himself for his second coming. 
Z●●ch. de f●● seculi.  But the day and time of his second coming is hidden from us, because it is not expedient for us to know the same, lest we should say with the evil servant, My master doth defer his coming, and so fall to beat our fellow-servants, Luke 12, 45. We must be wise-hearted, and look for him every day, and not foolishly promise to ourselves a long time of his tarrying, lest we deceive ourselves, and begin to eat and drink, and to be drunken: whereas the Lord of that servant shall come in a day that he looketh not for him, 
Mat. 24.50, 5●  and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And if we may not say, our master doth delay his coming, as evil servants; then we may not say, 
2 Peter 3, 4.  where is the promise of his coming? as profane scoffers and mockers do, that walk after their own lusts. But be it that the general coming of Christ were far off, yet his particular coming to every one of us cannot be far off, but is near at hand, we know not whose turn shallbe the next; woe unto us if we be taken unprovided. So then we see, that God hath concealed his coming both general and particular, not to our hurt, but for our good.  
Lastly, this serveth to admonish all men, Use 5 that seeing the judgements of God shall come suddenly, and that sudden death and sudden destruction are fearful to all men, to take heed that we abuse not the patience of God by living in known sin, and flattering ourselves in it, lest we be swept away suddenly. Many men are oftentimes praying and desiring God to keep them from sudden death, they would by no means die suddenly; yet these men by abusing the patience of God, and continuing in sin, do take the direct way and course to bring sudden death and destruction upon themselves. It is a manifest token of a plain and rank hypocrite, to crave to be kept from sudden death, and in the mean season to do nothing but practise and commit sin with greediness. Certainly he that thus prayeth, doth it for no other end, but because he is desirous to live longer to commit evil. He is afraid to come to an account, and yet he would live longer to make his account greater and more fearful. Would we not therefore be suddenly destroyed:? We must labour to see the plague, and fly. But whither? not from God, for he is far swifter than possibly we can be, who rideth upon the wings of the wind, and can quickly overtake us: we must fly to God, and seek to him for pardon betimes, and labour earnestly for a reconciliation with him. The birds of the air escape the snares of the fowler by flying: but whither? and how is it, and what do they? not by flying down on the earth, for so they are taken: but by flying upward; the higher so much the safer. So should we fly, not down from God, but fly on high, fly up to God and seek unto him, for him we have offended, and of him we must crave and shall obtain forgiveness. Let us prevent his judgements by our repentance, otherwise we shall perish suddenly. And when once we have obtained his favour, and made peace with him, though sudden death come upon us, as it did upon righteous Abel, well-meaning Vzzah, religious and godly josiah, yet happy and blessed shall we be. It is wisdom not to put off the day of judgement, neither our particular day of judgement, Amos 6, 3. It is the occasion of many evils, when a man never thinketh upon the day of his dissolution, and dreameth that the day of coming to his answer is not near. Many impenitent persons put off the day of their repentance in hope to have time enough hereafter; whereas repentance is not in our own power, and that which is late is seldom true: and his judgements are sudden, yea so sudden, that sundry which promised unto their souls many years leisure and liberty to repent, have not had so much warning as to say, Lord have mercy upon me. We have had many examples of this daily, and therefore let us be evermore ready and prepared before hand.    

CHAP. XII.  
MOses in this chapter goeth forward to set down another murmuring, 
〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 mur● against 〈◊〉.  which did nearer touch him then the former. Such as are mentioned in the Chapters before, infected in a manner, the whole people: this is more particular, and is directed directly against himself, raised by his own sister and brother, both elder than himself. Wherein consider two things, First their sin: secondly, the process of God against them for their sin. Touching the first, observe that though both of them sinned, yet Miriam his sister hath the chief hand in the sin, who drew Aaron by persuasion into a practice and participation of it, as the people had done before, when they moved him to make the golden Calf, Exod. 32, 1, 2. they were the authors of that idolatry, Aaron was drawn to consent unto it. 
Miriam 〈◊〉 chief ●er.  That she was the first in this trespass may appear, first because the verb in the original, is of the Feminine gender, and joined in construction with Miriam, which serveth also to strengthen the reason. Secondly, she is named in the first place, not preferred for honours sake (for there is no honour in committing of evil,) but because she had the principal hand in it. Thirdly, because the punishment fell only upon her, and not upon Aaron, who was even constrained by her importunity, as it were against his will to join with her.  

occasions' 〈◊〉 mar●e.  The occasions which both of them take to exalt and magnify themselves, and to call the authority of Moses in question, are double: his marriage, and his calling. The marriage of Moses was with the woman that was a Cushite, which seemeth to be no other than Zipporah the Midianite. For first, we read not of her death, who was brought to him by her Father immediately before the giving of the Law, Exod. ●8, 5. Again, it is not to be thought that he would marry two wives, especially being now 80. years old, unfit for any new marriage, and it being contrary to the first institution. Thirdly, we read of no other sons that he had but Gershom and Eliezer, Exod. 2, 2, 22, and 4, 20. & 18, 3. 1 Chron. 23, 14, 15. both which he had by Zipporah the daughter of jethro: 
Who this woman was that Moses married  so that woman is like to be no other than this Zipporah, whom he married when he fled out of Egypt and sojourned in Midian. For the Midianites are called Cushites, not that they came of Cush the eldest son of Ham, Gen. 10, 6. but because they possessed part of the land of Cush. And it may well be that some strife and contention arose first of all between Zipporah and Miriam, a common thing unto that sex, as fell out between Sarah & Agar, between Rahel and Leah, and between Hannah and Peninnah, and haply it might be for place and precedency; Miriam bearing herself bold, that she was a Prophetess, and of the seed of Abraham, but Zipporah a foreigner and a stranger from Israel. And on the other, Zipporah alleging and pretending for herself, that she was the wife of Moses, the chief Governor of the people, and therefore as the chief room was due to him before other men, so to her before other women. The other occasion, was the office and calling of Moses, they envied his dignity and authority. For, 
Genesis 13, 8.  as in of Abraham's house the strife arose among the herdsmen of his cattle, and of Lots, the flame whereof burned so fast that it caught hold upon the masters themselves, and had quite consumed them, had it not been wisely & timely prevented: so this quarrel as a spark of fire arising among the women for the uppermost room and chiefest seat, covered for a season under the ashes, at length broke out into a flame, and caught hold of Moses, against whom Miriam and Aaron strove. As if they fhould say, Thou art not so great a Prophet as thou wouldst be accounted; have not the seventy Elders the Spirit of God, and the gift of prophesy as well as thou? and have not we that gift also? This is amplified by a double effect, one in God, he heard it; the other in Moses, he held his peace and said nothing, giving no occasion of this contention.  
But before we come to the doctrines to be gathered from hence, we must speak somewhat of the translation of the words and of the interpretation. The words in the Original lie thus, And Miriam spoke and Aaron against Moses, because of the woman the Cushite, whom he had married: for he had taken to wife a Cushite. The Septuagint being deceived in turning these words, 
Heneken tes gunaikos aithiopisses, hoti gunaika aithiopissan elabe.  gave occasion of error and stumbling unto others, making the Cushites to be Ethiopians, and saying that he married an Ethiopian woman, thereby mistaking this place and sundry others: The vulgar Latin followed them step by step, and the Geneva likewise, all of them calling her an Ethiopian. To this purpose I cannot pass over the senseless tale of josephus in his Antiquities, which he relateth of Moses, when he is said to have served Pharaoh in the wars against the Ethiopians at such time as he was brought up in his courts as the son of his daughter: for he transporteth Midian over the red sea, and beyond all Egypt, and setteth it in Ethiopia, quite mistaking the seat of Cush. The Ethiopians are directly under the Equinoctial line, 
Whether Cussi be Ethiopia or not.  or not far from it, but far from the land inhabited by the Cushites, who are neither black of colour, nor in any sort neighbouring the Torrida Zona: whereas Moses married the daughter of jethro Priest or Prince of Madian, which is part of Arabia Petraea bordering the red sea, for he fled from Pharaoh into the land of Madian. Now it is manifest that Cush could not be Ethiopia, but Arabia, both that Arabia called the Stony, of which we spoke before, and a part of Arabia the Happy & the Desert, which regions Cush and the Cushites presently planted and peopled, after that they left Babylon to Nimrod, wherein they first sat down altogether. But josephus presuming that Cush was no other than Ethiopia, must needs maintain that the wife of Moses being a Cushite, was a woman of the Land of Ethiopia, and thereupon frameeth a formal tale that one Tharbis the daughter of the king of Ethiopia fell deeply in love with the person and fame of Moses while he besieged Saba her father's chief city, and to the end to obtain Moses for her husband, she practised to betray her parents, country, friends, and the city itself, and to deliver them and herself into Moses hands.  
The substance of this tale is told in this sort, 
joseph Antiq. lib 2. cap. 5.  While Moses was grieved that his army lay idle, because the enemy besieged durst not sally out and come to handy blows, there happened this accident in the mean while: The Ethiopian king had a daughter called Tharbis, who at some assaults beheld the person of Moses, and withal admired his valour. And knowing that Moses had not only upheld and restored the falling estate of the Egyptians, but had also brought the conquering Ethiopians to the very brink of subversion: these things working in her thoughts, together with her own affection (which daily increased) she made means to send unto him by one of her trustiest servants to offer herself unto him, and become his wife: which offer Moses on this condition accepted, that she should first deliver the City into his possession; whereunto she condescending, and Moses having taken an oath to perform this contract, both the one and the other were instantly performed.  
here is a pleasant tale (for it is no better) whereof Moses hath not one word, 
The dis● of the 〈◊〉 Ioseph●●.  wherein are many plain mistake. For as he is deceived in taking Ethiopia to be the country of Moses his wife, when indeed it was Arabia, so he erreth no less in naming a city of Arabia for a city of Ethiopia. For Saba is not in Ethiopia, but in Arabia, as both Strabo and all Geographers ancient and modern teach us, except haply josephus can work miracles, or rather impossibilities, and persuade us that the Queen of Saba, 
Ma● 〈…〉  which came from the South to hear the wisdom of Solomon, were a Negro or blackmoor.  
Again, while Moses kept the sheep of his father in law, the Priest of Madian, he is said to drive the flock to the desert, and so came to the mountain of God in Horeb, Exod. 3.1.2. Now that mount Horeb is not in Ethiopia, every child knoweth; and Sinai where the law was given is expressly said to be in Arabia, Gal. 4.25. But Horeb and Sinai were together, and differ as the whole and the part, Horeb being the name of that hilly coast wherein mount Sinai is situated.  
Furthermore, we find that jethro came to Moses at Rephidim not far from Idumea, where perceiving the insupportable government of so great a multitude to lie upon his shoulders only, as a burden too heavy for him to bear, he advised him to distribute that weighty charge among others, and to make judges and governors of every Tribe to help bear the burden with him, Exod. 18. But if jethro had been an Ethiopian, it had been a very far progress and wearisome perambulation for him to have passed through all Egypt with the wife and children of Moses, and to have found Moses in the borders of Idumea, the Egyptians hating Moses to the death, and all that favoured him.  
Lastly, if we will believe Moses himself, who spoke being inspired by the Spirit of God, then doubtless his wife was not purchased after the manner that josephus reporteth, that is, for betraying her country and kindred, her parents and friends; neither had she the name of Tharbis, but of Zipporah; neither was she a Negro, but a Midianitish woman. For Moses flying out of Egypt for fear of Pharaoh, and for safety of his life, came to Midian, and sat down by a Well as a man distressed, and disconsolate, and a stranger, where he is said to have defended the daughters of Reguel from the other shepherds, and drew them water to water their sheep, upon which occasion he was entertained by jethro, whose daughter he married, and not for any supposed betraying of towns and countries. Neither is it any thing against this opinion of Moses his wife to have been an Arabian, 
.  that the Scriptures teach us that he married a Midianitish woman: forasmuch as Madian or Midian, 
.  standing on the North coast of the red sea over against the body of Egypt, and near Ezion Gaber where Solomon provided his fleet for India, in the region of Edom, may well be reckoned as a part of Arabia, as the red sea is called Sinus Arabicus.  
Moreover, these four nations are every where mixed in holy Scriptures, because they dwelled confusedly together, to wit, the Madianites, the Ismaelites, the Amalekites, & the Cushites, which were all in one general word Arabians, and in the word called sometimes by one of those names, and sometimes by another, as Gen. 37, 25, 27. & 28. it is said that joseph was sold to the Ismaelites, & in the same chap. ver. 36. that the Midianites sold joseph to Putaphar Pharaohs steward, and chap, 39, 1. that Putaphar bought joseph of the Ismaelites, which the Chaldean Paraphrast in the same place, calleth Arabians. To make this yet more plain, it appeareth judg. 6, 3. that when Israel had sown, then came up the Madianites, Amalekites, and they of the East to set upon them: they of the East were Arabians of the Desert, so as where before in the buying of joseph the Madianites and the Ismaelites were confounded, here the Madianites & the Amalekites are made one nation, and chap. 8, 24. these nations are all called Ismaelites, and neither Madianites nor Amalekites, of which in process of time came the Mahometan Arabians. Neither is the marginal note upon chap. 37, 28 of Gen. in the Geneva Bibles, any thing to the purpose, who to avoid the confounding of these Nations and taking one for another, tell us that Moses wrote according to their opinion who took the Madianites & Ismaelites to be all one. For Moses wrote the truth as it was in itself, who was no stranger, but well acquainted in Arabia, in the border whereof and in Arabia itself he had formerly lived forty years, and therefore no man was better able to describe these places, so that it is a vain thing to make him utter an untruth contrary to his own knowledge, and to follow the opinion of others that were deceived.  
The like mistaking of Ethiopia for Chush is found in many other places. The first is Gen. 2, 13. The name of the second river is Gihen, the same is that which compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia, in Hebrew it is, the land of Chush. But the Ethiopians are as much as black or  faces, whose proper country is called Thebaides, lying to the Southward of all Egypt, far distant from that land which was peopled and inhabited by the Cushites. And Gihen is a river that watereth Chush, and not Ethyopia. But it will be objected, Objection that Homer maketh a twofold Ethyopia, the East and the West, which also is found in Strabo. For he saith, Odyss. lib. 1.  
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(〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉,  
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Where he showeth expressly, that the Ethiopians are divided into two sorts, some lie under the East Sun, and some under the west. But this serveth nothing to bring these Chusites to be either the one or the other, Answer. both of them being found elsewhere. For the East Ethiopia is that which compasseth Nilus to the South of Egypt, and is the south border thereof, now a part of the Empire of the Abyssines under Prester john: and the west Ethiopia is that which joineth itself with the river Niger, which we call Senega and Gambria, for thereabout are these Ethyopians called Perorsi, Daratites, with divers other names which Pliny numbereth in his fift book and eight chapter: 
Plin nature▪ hist. lib. 5. cap. 8.  and these two do lie indeed directly east and west, I mean that of Niger, and the other of Prester john. But touching Chush and the region of the Ismaelites with the rest, they are extended directly North from that of Ethiopia, which is beyond Egypt. The farther mistaking of Chush for Ethiopia may be showed out of two places in the second book of the chronicles. First, where Zearah the Chushite, 
2 Chro. 14, 9  brought an army of ten hundred thousand against Asa King of judah: which army whence it came the question ariseth, whether out of Ethiopia, or out of Arabia where the Chusites inhabited? Doubtless not from Ethiopia, for that had been a strange march and progress for such a multitude or world of people, having so mighty a King as the King of Egypt, between Palestina and Ethiopia. But these were the Cushites, Amalekites, Midianites, Ismaelites, and Arabians (God having long before promised to make a great people of Ishmael, 
Gen. 25, 16.  and that twelve Princes should issue from him.) For after that Asa strengthened by God had defeated this huge army swarming with such a multitude, he followed his victory, and took some of the Cities of king Zearah round about, and among the rest Gerar. Now, that Gerar should be any City of the Ethiopians no man can suspect or defend as appeareth in these places, Gen. 12, 11. and Exod. 17.8. compared together: Abraham departed to the south country, and dwelled between Cadesh and Sur, and sojourned in Gerar. Now Sur is that part upon which Moses and the Israelites first set their feet after they had passed the red sea, where the Amalekites set upon them in Rephidim, supposing they had been weary and unable to resist. And in the history of Isaac it is written, 
Genesis 26, 1.  that he went to Abimelech King of the Philistims unto Gerar: but no man is so simple as to say, that Abimelech and the Philistims were Ethiopians. The same might be showed out of many circumstances in that chapter. Lastly, Moses himself describing the bounds of Canaan, to confirm the faith, and to quicken the hope of Israel, hath these words, Gen. 10, 19 The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar unto Gaza, as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lusha: now Sidon was the Frontier of Canaan toward the North, and Gerar by Gaza toward the South. Another place of translating Ethiopia for Chush, is in 2 Chro. 21, 16. which the Geneva Translators have thus: The Lord stirred up against jehoram the spirit of the Philistims and Arabians which were beside the Ethiopians. But the Philistims and the Negroes are far asunder, as every one that looketh upon a Map may easily judge: whereas the Philistims and Arabians do mix and join with the land of the Cushites, and are distant from Ethiopia about 32. or 33. degrees, and therefore cannot be their next neighbours, inasmuch as all Egypt, and the deserts of Sur and Pharan are between them; so that it ought rather to be thus translated, The Lord stirred up against jehoram the spirit of the Philistims and of the Arabians which confine (or border) upon the Cushites: for these indeed are their next neighbours. But the Israelites had never any communion or affairs with the Ethiopians, nor any intelligence or trade beyond Egypt to the South: but the enemies which they had on the south and east parts were these nations of the Chushites, Philistims, Ismaelites, Amalekites, and Midianites, who in one general name were all Arabians.  
Another mistaking of Ethiopia for Chush is in the history of Senacherib, 2 Kings 19, 9 where the Geneva saith, he heard that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia was come out to fight against him. This army that marched against the king of Arabia, 
Antiq. lib. 10. cap. 1.  not from Ethiopia, as josephus himself maketh it manifest, for he confesseth, that this army came to relieve the jews and the Egyptians, whom the proud Senacherib sought to oppress together, and marched directly toward him by the way of the Desert. So then, it ought to have been translated Tirhakah king of the Chushites: for he had great reason to muster his men together, and to put them all in armour, forasmuch as the houses and the cities of the Chushites were next to the fire, and upon whom the smoke of judah flaming was blown, being their nearest neighbours, and if the jews had miscarried, their own turn must have been the next.  
Having waded thus far in the books of the histories, let us proceed to consider some places as il expounded in the prophets, where also Chush is mistaken for Ethiopia, and first I propound a place in Ezekiel, Chap. 29, 10. where the Lord threateneth the utter subversion of Egypt by the Babylonians, which is thus described in the translators from the tower of Seveneh even unto the borders of the Blackmoors: which last words should rather have been converted, from the Tower of Seveneh to the borders of the Chushites or Arabians: between which two limits is situated all Egypt. For to say, from the borders of Seveneh to the Ethiopians is nothing at all, and can carry no sense or meaning, Seveneh itself being the border of Egypt, confronting and joining to Ethiopia, or the Land of the Blackmoors. So then, if Nebuchadnezars conquest had been only between Seveneh and the border of Ethiopia, it had been a poor conquest, without victory, without enemies, without any land: because as junius well observeth, Seveneh was the south bound of Egypt seated in Thebaida which toucheth Ethiopia, and Cush noteth the North bound, 
Annot. in 〈◊〉 29, 10.  as if the Prophet had said, that Egypt should be overrun and overcome from one end of it to other; whereas Nabuchadnezzar never entered into any part of Ethiopia, as appeareth by the Prophet.  
Another place in Ezekiel is chap. 30, 9 & is thus turned by the Genevian Translators, In that day shall there Messengers go forth from me in ships, to make the careless moors afraid: which should be amended and reform by putting the word Chush or Arabia for Ethiopia or the Blackmoors, as every one may see which meanly understandeth the Geography of the world, knowing that to pass out of Egypt into Ethiopia there need no Galleys or ships no more then to pass forth of one piece of dry land into another, Ethyopia and Egypt being in one continent & conterminate the one to the other, which are not divided so much as by a river. Therefore in this place of Ezekiel it was meant, that from Egypt Nabuchadnezzar should send Galleys along the coast of the red sea, by which an army might be transported into Arabia the Happy and the Stony (sparing the long, wearisome march over all Egypt and the deserts of Pharan) which army might thereby surprise them unawares in their security & confidence. For when he was at Seveneh within a mile of Ethiopia, he needed neither galley, nor ship, nor boat to pass unto it, being all one firm land with Egypt, without any water to divide them; and it is well observed, that if he had minded to row up the river for pleasure sake, he could not have done it, 
History o● world, by W.R.  because the fall of Nilus tumbling over high and steepy mountains, called Catadupae Nili, was at hand, and would have hindered him.  
And as in the prophesy of Ezekiel before remembered, the word Ethiopia is inserted in the translations for Cush or Arabia, which putteth many histories much out of square, one kingdom being taken or rather mistaken for another: so is it also in Esay, chap. 18, 1. Oh the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, etc. whereas it should be, beyond the rivers of Cush or Arabia. For the Land here spoken of by the Prophet Esay, is confessed by all interpreters to be no other than Egypt. They were the Egyptians that sent this message to the Israelites, which Esay repeateth: so that by the former translation every man may see the transposition of kingdoms: for hereby Egypt is transported to the other side of Ethiopia, and likewise Ethiopia set next to judea, whereas it is the land of Cush and Arabia indeed, that lieth between judea and Egypt, and not Ethiopia which is seated under the Aequator. Now if Ethiopia itself lie under the Equinoctial line, with whom the Jews had never any acquaintance, why should any man dream that they could have any knowledge of the Nations far beyond it, & beyond the rivers of Ethiopia? except we shall impiously and blasphemously think that the prophet spoke he knew not what, or used an impertinent and unprofitable discourse of those nations, which were not discovered in 2000 years after, inhabiting as far South as the Cape of good hope, commonly known by the name of Bona esperanza. Thus I have run over sundry places in the law and in the prophets, which have been mistaken and ill translated, in which Cush (which is Arabia) is expounded to be Ethiopia. Touching all which I do freely and ingenuously confess, I have lighted my candle at his candle, that hath with great labour and industry published the history of the world, having here & there inserted some confirmation of that which he hath learnedly written.  
Thus upon the occasion of Moses his marriage with the Midianitish woman called the Chushite, we have showed how sundry translators have mistaken the word Chush for Ethiopia, Madian being a part of Arabia Petraea or the Stony, as junius hath well translated it, and Vatablus before him. It is not worth the standing upon or the gathering up which the same Vatablus observeth out of the jewish Rabbins, that Zipporah the Midianitesse, is therefore said to be an Ethiopian, because she resembled the Blacke-Moores in colour, and was tawny or black as the Negroes are which live under the line: which hath indeed no colour of truth, and therefore we will omit the same, and come unto the words themselves.  

1 And Miriam spoke against Moses and Aaron, by occasion of the woman the Cushite, whom he had married: for he had taken to wife a woman a Cushite.  
2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.  
3 But Moses was a very mecke man, etc.  
The sum of these words we have showed before: wherein observe in the things that Moses suffered, 
Doctrine. Discomfort from such as should comfort  that God's children oftentimes find great discomfort at their hands, of whom in all reason they should expect the greatest comfort. When the people did rise against him mutinously and tumultuously, where should he find rest? or in whose bosom should he pour out his complaint? or to whom should he resort for comfort but to Aaron and Miriam? to his brother and sister? But here we see they are his chief troublers and torments. The former was a great tentation, when the people did set themselves against him: howbeit this is greater, wherein not his enemies reproached him, and those that hated him did not magnify themselves against him, but his dearest friends and acquaintance, as befell also to David, Psal. 55, 12. The church maketh this complaint, Cant. 5, 7. That the watchmen that should have been both her guide and her guard, smote her and wounded her, the keepers of the walls took away her veil from her. And Christ foretelleth, that a man's enemies shall be they of his own house, Mark 6, 4. This befell unto job a man full of sorrows, his own wife that lay in his bosom, and his friends that were as his own soul, were the chief causes of his greatest anguish. Abel found no worse friend than his own brother, that came with him to the place of God's service, Gen. 4, 8. So Ishmael persecuted Isaac, Ishmael borne after the flesh, him that was borne after the Spirit, Goe 21, 9 Gal. 4, 29. joseph received hard measure of his brethren, who was by them sold for a bondslave, Ps. 105, 17. Moses was fain to fly out of Egypt, because a jew one of his own brethren divulged his kill of the Egyptian. The same befell Zachariah the son of jehoiada the priest, who had saved the king's life, and set the crown upon his head, yet he remembered not the kindness of the father, but slew his son: the father had in a manner given him life, but he took away life from his son, 2 Chro. 24, 21. Who vexed the church and troubled the Apostles more than false brethren? 2 Cor. 11, 26. The cause of this is the enmity between Christ and the serpent, and the seed of them both, which showed itself immediately after the fall in Cain, who was of that evil one & slew his brother, 1 joh. 3, 12.  
The uses which we must make hereof are, Use 1 First, to mark the truth of that which Christ teacheth, Math. 10, 34, 35, 36. that he came not to send peace on earth, but rather a sword: and to set variance between man and man. And in another place, I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled? Luke 12, 49. He speaketh not of the effect, but of the event: not what the Gospel bringeth forth properly, but what it worketh accidentally: not what it procureth in the faithful, but what it produceth in the unfaithful.  
Secondly, God will have all his to be well tried Use 2 which are in the faith, even for their own good, that we may know what we can suffer for the truth's sake, when we have sealed it up by our patience in all tribulations. Thirdly, hence ariseth comfort in our sufferings. For, do we suffer affliction at their hands of whom we hoped for better dealing? marvel not at it, neither think it strange: but let us comfort ourselves with the examples of God's children, who have had the same measure measured out unto them before us: nay let us lay before us the example of Christ himself, who had experience of it not only in his own countrymen the jews, but in judas one of his own disciples, of whom the Prophets prophesied, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me, Psal. 41, 9 Matth. 26, 23. Lastly, from hence we learn, in all discomforts Use 4 to fly unto God, after the example of David, who gave himself continually to prayer, when he was vexed by such unexpected enemies, Psal. 55, 16. when he had complained that his friend and companion rose up against him, he addeth, As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. So it ought to be with us, that we may find comfort in God when we can find none among men.  
Again, Miriam and Aaron were of great reputation among the people, and sanctified in a great measure. Aaron was the Lords high Priest, consecrated and anointed with holy oil; Miriam was a prophetess, and one that sung the praises of God after their deliverance from Pharaoh, Exod. 15. yet lo how both of them fail in duty, and sin against God, & oppose themselves against his servant Moses: whereby we learn, that none are so sanctified, but they fail many ways. 
None so sanctified, but many ways they fail.  Let no man therefore dream of perfection in this life, Rom. 7, 14, 18, 19, 20, 23.  
Moreover, from this example observe, that contentions are oftentimes in the church, even between the members of the same body. 
Doctrine. Contentions and strife are often in the Church.  True it is, it were to be desired that there were perfect love and unity, peace and concord in the church, but this is rather to be looked for then to be found. There arose strife between Abraham and Lot, Gen. 13, 8. between Paul and Barnabas, Acts. 11, 2. & 15, 39 between Peter and Paul, Gal. 2, 11. So in the Church of the Corinthians, though they were sanctified in Christ jesus, and called to be Saints, yet there were contentions among them. 1 Cor. Reason 1 1, 11. And no marvel: for first of all we know in part, and we prophesy in part: we know somewhat, but we are ignorant of much more Reason 2 than we know, 1 Cor. 13, 9 Secondly, there must be even heresies, that they which are approved Reason 3 may be known, 1 Cor. 11, 19 Thirdly, Satan's malice is exceeding great, he soweth the seeds of discord among the godly; for his hatred is exceeding great against the church and he desireth nothing more than the ruin thereof, revel. 1.2, 4. Lastly, self-love remaineth in the best men, which is a remnant of the flesh: this spurreth us forward to spurn against one another, and while we challenge too much to ourselves, we ascribe too little unto others, 1 Cor. 13, 5.  
This offereth to us this truth, that unity is Use 1 no note of the true church, forasmuch as it is sometimes out of the church, when as contention is in it. The false Prophets were many that conspired against Micaiah, Eliah, and jeremy. Christ was condemned by a common voice of the people, and consent of the pharisees, which cried out, Away with him, Crucify him, crucify him, Luk. 23.18.21. Thus than the mouths of the papists are stopped, which do please themselves in an idle conceit of a general agreement of many people and Nations, which is oftentimes a maintenance of error & unwholesome doctrine, when it is joined with it. The unity of one faith, and of the same doctrine believed and confessed, we acknowledge to be a true mark of the true Church. Where there is the preaching of this faith, & the doctrine of Christ, and the sealing up of the same with the true administration of the Sacraments, there is a true church of God. The unity which is without that doctrine which is according to godliness, is as the cry of the whole city in maintenance of their idolatry, Great is Diana of the Ephesians, Act. 19, 28. Or like to the house which the strong man possesseth, where all things are said to be in peace, Luk. 11, 21. Secondly, let us never look Use 2 for a perfect agreement or perfect unity in this life. Such are fallen into a deep sleep, and dream to find heaven upon earth. We must embrace the truth before all be agreed, or else we shall never embrace it: forasmuch as there is much ignorance (the matter or mother of error) even in the most godly. Happy will it be for us, when there shall be an end of these days of sin, for than shall be an end also of all contention. Thirdly, let us follow men's examples Use 3 no further than they follow Christ. 1 Cor. 11, 1. There are defects and infirmities in the best. We aim at perfection, but we cannot hit it. Though we have multitudes to go before us, we must know whom they follow, before we follow and join ourselves unto them. Many men may fitly be compared to a flock of sheep, who at the first make many offers before any will adventure: but if one begin to leap over, the rest follow amain: so is it with divers men that pinch courtesy at the first, and keep themselves entire in the most holy faith; but if they see others give their assent, they follow after & stick at nothing, neither try the spirits whether they be of God or not. Lastly, it is our duty Use 4 to cut off all occasions of debate, and as it were to take away the fuel that kindleth and continueth the fire. 1 Cor. 1.10. Paul beseecheth the Corinthians as brethren, by the name of our Lord jesus Christ, that they all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among them, but that they be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgement.  
[Verse 2. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses?] The true cause of this their murmuring and contention, was pride and ambition, self-love, ostentation, & vainglory. 
●●●trine. 〈…〉 ●reater ●e to the ●●●rch, than ●ion.  Hereby we learn, that there cometh no greater plague to the Church of God then by ambition & desire of pre-eminence, when men desire to overrule others, to have the sole command of all things in the church, and never to be commanded. This was the sin that caused our first parents to fall from God, and by their fall to ruin all mankind, they would needs be as Gods knowing good and evil, Gen. 3, 5. The ambition and pride of Amaziah the priest of Beth-el, would not suffer the Prophet Amos in the land of Israel, but he commanded him to fly away into the land of juda, and prophesy there, Amos 7, 10, 12. We see this apparently afterward, chap. 16. of this book in Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. This moved the high Priests, the Scribes and pharisees, to persecute Christ and his Apostles to wit, the love which they had to their own kingdom and hierarchy more than unto the kingdom of God: they feared that if all men were brought to believe in Christ, they should lose their place and authority, john 11, 47. Math. 23, 6, 7. So was it among the Apostles, they also strove who should be the greatest among them. So the Apostle john speaking of Diotrephes, showeth that he loveth the pre-eminence, 3 john 9, 10. He was a proud and ambitious man, affecting rule and authority over others, and thereby brought much mischief and trouble upon the church of God, prattling against the Pastors with malicious words; and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, & forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Neither is this evil dead with these; for this is a great plague of the church to this day and very pernicious. Nothing hath more ruined the church of God, overthrown piety, corrupted religion, hindered the Gospel, discouraged the Pastors and professors of it, nothing hath more erected the kingdom of Anti-christ, than these petty pope's, the true successors of Diotrephes, such as desire to be universal bishops, and to reign alone, to have all the dealings in their own hands, and the whole flock to stand at their beck, and conclude what they list.  
Reason 1 The mischief hereof appeareth by sundry reasons. First, it causeth a great rent and division in the church, and disturbeth the peace of it, Nu. 16, 1. Korah and his company went apart as schismatics, & caused a great contention to arise where was peace & unity before. Reason 2 Secondly, it setteth up men, & putteth down the Lord and his ordinances, urging, compelling, and commanding against the truth, Act. 4, 18, 19 Anna's the high priest, and Caiaphas, and john, and Alexander, a proud generation of ambitious prelate's, commanded the Apostles not to preach and teach, nor to speak at all in the name of jeus, whom Christ had charged and commanded to preach. And whereas he would have them teach whatsoever he had commanded them, Math. 28, 20. they will limit them and stint the Spirit of God how far he shall go, and what he shall not do. Thirdly, Reason 3 it proceedeth from very evil roots, and bringeth forth very evil effects, as an evil tree bringeth forth evil fruits. The causes from whence it floweth, are Satan, pride, contempt disdain of others, self-love in ourselves, 
Zeged. loci communes.  no love of the truth, no zeal of God's glory, no desire of the good of the church: like mother, like daughter, as the root is, so is the branch. The effects thereof are trouble, disquietness, fear, flattery, envy, and subtlety.  
Let us come to the Uses. It reproveth the Use 1 Bishops of Rome, and the Roman Clergy, which bear themselves as Lords over the flock of Christ, having all things to stand at their beck: therefore the Apostle Peter saith, the Elders that feed the flock must not be as Lords over God's heritage, but examples to the flock, 1 Pet. 5, 3. and Christ our Saviour when the two sons of Zebedeus ambitiously desired to be above their fellows, and strove among themselves which should be greatest, Christ jesus thereupon showeth how and which way every one should be great, & who ought to be had in highest regard and reputation, even such and only such as do the best and greatest service to the church, Mark. 10, 42. Lu. 23, 24. Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your Minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. So then, the honour and the labour should not be divided, but go together: howbeit in the church of Rome they have most honour that do the least labour, and contrariwise, they are least respected, who have most laboured and taken greatest pains among the people. But howsoever this be a common & received custom, it shall be altogether otherwise in the next life, when the great shepherd of the sheep shall appear, then shall they be most honoured of him that have laboured most, & every one shall receive not only for his labour, but according to his labour, 1 Cor. 3, 8. The greatest reward shall be for the greatest labour, and the least for the least labour. O than we shall wish with all the desire of our souls, that we had laboured more abundantly: and therefore let us be instant in season and out of season, while we have time. The night cometh when none can labour. Hence it is, that Christ promiseth to his Apostles which had planted the churches, and bestowed the greatest pains, a chief place of honour near to himself. woe then to the bishop of Rome, that doth now domineer in the church, and over the faith and consciences of men, who sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God: 
2 Thess, 2, 4.  he challengeth all power due to himself▪ but laboureth not in the word & doctrine: he neither preacheth the Gospel, nor taketh it to be any part of his Function, but rather a great disgrace to his usurped office. 
Mat. 4.23. and 9, 35.  This is not to be the vicar of Christ, for he went about all cities and villages teaching in their synagogues, & preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. This is not to be the successor of Peter, for he is commanded to feed the Lambs, to feed the sheep of Christ, joh. 21, 15, 16, 17. and he fed them not only by his deputies or assigns, but in his own person, Act. 1, 15. & 2, 14. & 3, 12. & 4, 8. & 5, 29. and 10, 34. and he requireth all Pastors to do the like, 1 Pet. 5.2. Feed the flock that dependeth upon you. Wherefore the man of sin, though he here usurp the highest honour, and challenge a triple crown, and beareth both swords civil and ecclesiastical, to whom indeed neither is due, shall have in the end the greatest shame and contempt poured on him.  
Use 2 Secondly, acknowledge this ambition to be a general corruption, the relics and remainders whereof, are in all the servants of God, yea in all the children of Adam; we have drawn it from him, and thereby it hath leavened and corrupted all mankind. It drew, nay it threw Adam out of the garden of God: it quickly crept into the family of Christ, and infected his disciples, and therefore being a subtle and secret evil it is to be looked unto, that it steal not suddenly upon us. If any man ask what it is? 
What ambition is.  I answer, it is an immoderate desire after dignity, and of dignity upon dignity, it is a thirst that never can be quenched: for as the covetous person hath never enough money, so the embitious hath never enough honour: it is a secret poison, an hidden plague, the mistress of craft, the mother of hypocrisy, the father of envy, the fountain of vices, the moth of piety, a blind guide and leader of the hearts of men; finally, we may say of the love of it as Paul doth of the love of money, It is the root of all evil, 1 Tim. 6, 10. The farther we think ourselves from it, the nearer commonly it cometh unto us: and therefore let nothing be done through strife and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves, Phil. 2, 3.  
Use 3 Lastly, let all learn to beware of this evil. To this purpose we should entertain these meditations as so many sovereign preservatives, to teach us, first that the ambitious person, neither knoweth God, nor himself, nor his neighbour, nor his beginning, nor his end; nor the Scriptures: not God his Creator, not himself his creature, not his neighbour, his equal, and perhaps his superior; not his beginning, of the dust of the earth; not his end, the grave, the worms, the dust out of which he was taken; not the Scriptures, which teach, That God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, jam. 4, 6. We dream that other men will esteem of us as highly, as we use to do of ourselves: but therein we deceive ourselves. Humility is the ready way unto true glory, Ambition is the path that leadeth to shame and contempt. Therefore Christ saith oftentimes, Whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted, Mat. 23, 32. Luke 14, 11. & 18, 24. Secondly, ambition was the downfall of man from the beginning, yea of the Angels, not contenting themselves with their estates. The higher men climb, the more fearful is their fall: whereas he that creepth low upon all four, never feareth a fall. Pride is the forerunner of destruction, Prou. 11, 2. and 16, 18. & 18, 12. Thirdly, such as have had the greatest gifts, and were best qualified with excellent graces, have been most backward in seeking honours, and been hardly brought to accept of them being offered, even when they followed close at their heels, as the shadow doth the body; as we see in Moses, in jeremy, and others. Such therefore as hunt after preferment, and are most hasty of it to catch it before it fall, as the dog doth a bone, or as the hawk hovereth aloft for her prey, it is to be feared they will be least conscionable in it, as giving by their untimely and unmeasurable desires, just occasion to suspect that they respect and aim at their own good more than the good of others, or the glory of God; and therefore honour of right aught lest of all to be conferred & bestowed upon such. Fourthly, all place of superiority is full of much trouble, and accompanied with many cares and vexations: why then should we desire so eagerly and earnestly that which bringeth so great annoyance & encumbrance? what wisdom were it for a man to lay such heavy burdens upon his shoulders, as thereby he is ready to break his back? Yet so is it with haughty and ambitious spirits, they so cloy & clog themselves with promotions & preferments, that they are not able to bear the weight of them, neither any way fit to discharge them, but in sustaining them are like to break their backs, nay their necks. Fiftly, the greater honour we get, the greater account we have to make. The more is committed unto us, 
Luke 1●,  the more shall be required of us. We are sharp sighted to espy the least occasion of raising us up: but we cannot see what account will be asked of us. Lastly, such as desire promotion on earth, do oftentimes find confusion in heaven: as we see in Absalon and Achitophel, one the son, the other the Counsellor of David, both rebels & traitors to their Prince. Such as will be greatest on earth, shall be least in heaven. The honour which here we have, should put us in mind to seek the true honour of God's kingdom. The earthly honour is but as a shadow, the heavenly is the substance. They that honour God shall be honoured of him, but they that despise him shallbe despised.  
[Hath the Lord spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us?] Behold here, how in the humour of their pride & ambition, they set themselves against no other than Moses himself, a chief & a most excellent servant of God; they strike at the head and not at the feet, & touch him whom God had lifted up above the rest to govern his people. 
●●●●rine.  The Doctrine arising from hence is this, that proud and ambitious men do show themselves continually most envious and outrageous, against the most excellent and most painful servants of God. So did Haman against Mordecai, the true servant of God, and faithful subject of the King, of whom it is said, He had spoken good for the king, Esth. 7, ●. So did the high Priests show their malice against Christ, and afterward against his Apostles: Diotrephes against john, and the most painful Pastors. That Antichrist of Rome hath always been most bitter against the chief teachers of the gospel, and the best preachers of the reformed churches.  
For first, they stand most of all in their way, Reason 1 and are a great eyesore unto them, resisting their tyranny and pride, and discovering to the world their Antichristian usurpation. This is the true cause that they have raged against them both alive and dead, revel. 11, 10. The two witnesses are slain, and they rejoiced in their fall, because they were vexed by them. This maketh the proud bishop of Rome (even under his own nose) better to endure the blasphemous jews or any other professed enemies of Christ, and of the christian religion, than such as believe in Christ, because the other never trouble his kingdom; but these are ready to call him to an account, and to answer for the destruction of the souls of men. Secondly, they are afraid lest if these continue and prosper, their kingdom fall. This fear of the high priests was it that moved them against Christ and his Apostles, joh, 11, 48, Thirdly, cankered and corrupt envy cannot abide them that do any good in the church or commonwealth, much less them that do most good, and labour more than others, but it seeketh the ruin of such. For their diligence maketh the negligence of those to appear the more. Saul envied David to the death, especially for the gifts, graces, and blessings of God bestowed upon him.  
Use 1 See from hence this truth, that the best servants of God oftentimes find the worst entertainment in the world, and that at the hands of the highest and chiefest. Thus it fell out with Moses, who was driven by Pharaoh to forsake Egypt. 
〈◊〉 4, 1, 2.  Heb. 11, 37.38. So Herod, Pilate, the high priests & rulers of the people set themselves against Christ and his Apostles. Wherefore when we see this, marvel not at it, neither be discouraged by it: when we find and feel the like measure, let us comfort ourselves in the examples of the faithful that have gone before us. We must not look to be better than they, nor dream of a condition higher than theirs: it is enough for us to be made like unto them. The more our graces increase, the more will the envy of the malicious increase.  
Use 2 Secondly, this showeth the unthankfulness of the world, who hate them most, and love them lest that do them most good. The ungodly reap many benefits by the godly, yet do they recompense them evil for good. The creatures groan under the burden which they sustain, yielding help and succour to the ungodly. By means of Paul, all that were in the ship had their lives granted unto them, & yet afterward they would have killed him, Acts 27, 42. Whatsoever the wicked enjoy, it is for the godlies sake. They bring a blessing upon the house, yea upon the land where they live. The faith of Noah preserved his whole family though all were not faithful that were in it, Gen. 7, 1. The faith of Rahab believing in God and showing the soundness of it by a lively fruit in receiving the spies, saved alive her father and mother, her brethren and sisters & all that they had. But doth the world respect them any whit the more, or love them one jot the better? No doubtless, they will not acknowledge themselves any way beholden unto them, or that they far the better for them. Whereas indeed, the godly are their good benefactors and patrons, whatsoever they esteem of them. The poorest man that feareth God doth after a sort give life & living to the ungodly. 
The godly are the wicked man's good Benefactors.  They have cause to thank them for that which they have, and for that consideration to make much of them. The heavens could not continue as they do, but would fall upon the heads of these profane wretches, if once the number of the elect were accomplished, yet we see how badly and basely they are accounted of, they hate them to the death, and procure what hurt they can unto them.  
Lastly, acknowledge herein the providence of God, that the gifts of his children Use 3 should not exalt them: for all are prone unto vainglory, even they that are sanctified in the greatest measure are spotted with pride and ambition, emulation, and desire of superiority, 2 Cor. 12, 7. Paul saith of himself, Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. We see, he repeateth this twice, and beginneth & endeth the sentence with the same thing, that he had this tentation, lest he should be exalted above measure. To teach us that this fell out by God's special providence and dispensation. Hereby doth God work out their great good & turneth the envy of enemies to the furtherance of his own and his children's glory, whereby much evil is suppressed, which otherwise is ready to break out.  
[And the Lord heard it.] This followed their sin immediately as a sergeant that doggeth the poor debtor at the heels to attach him & arrest him: God heard the sin that they committed, their words came up to his ears, and he is determined not to keep silence. We learn hereby, that God knoweth, heareth, and understandeth all the ways of men, 
Doctrine. God understandeth all the ways of men.  nothing can be hid from his sight, nothing can escape his hearing: he discerneth and describeth all the doings of men whatsoever they be. God knew what Adam had done so soon as he had fallen, and eaten of the forbidden fruit, and called unto him, Adam, Where art thou? Gen. 3.9. He saw all the wickedness of man upon the earth, and knew that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually, Gen. 6, 5. He was not ignorant that the Sodomites were exceeding sinners against the Lord, Gen. 18, 20. he heard the cry of their sins, which sounded shrilly in his ears, and pierced the clouds, and mounted up to heaven: so Prou. 15, 3, 11.  
Reason 1 He made the eyes, the heart, & the ears, Psal. 94, 9, 10, 11. yea he hath fiery eyes, Dan. 10, 6. Many things hinder our eyesight; the darkness of the night, the distance of the place, the weakness of the sight, the excellency of the object, and the infirmity of old age; 
Psal. 139, 7, 8.  but nothing can hinder the light of his eye, no darkness, no distance, no age.  
Reason 2 Secondly, he is infinite in nature, he cannot be excluded out of any place: we may shut out the company of men, and haply the light of the Sun, but it is impossible to shut out him that is evermore present in every place, even as the light is present to those that walk abroad at noon day, whether they open their eyes or shut them, whether they see it or not; so the Lord is present to all men, though he be not seen of all, yet they cannot go from his presence. If then he cannot be far from every one of us, it will follow from hence that he must needs know all our works and words. Reason 3 Thirdly, he is omniscient, he knoweth all things, nothing can be hid from him, Prou. Reason 4 15, 11. Fourthly, he judgeth all things, and all men according to their works. It is his office to be the judge of all the world, Gen. 18.25. therefore he heareth, knoweth, and understandeth all things, 2 Cor. 5, 10. otherwise he cannot do righteous judgement. He will not proceed upon the bare and naked information of others, or by uncertain guess and conjecture, but he judgeth according to his own knowledge, which is ever certain, and never doubtful. Every just judge proceedeth upon a known and manifest cause.  
Use 1 We infer from hence, that it is in vain for any man to be high conceited of himself, like the proud Pharisee, seeing God knoweth his estate and condition more truly and thoroughly then himself. Miriam and Aaron in this place, hold themselves as great Prophets as Moses, but GOD knew the pride of their hearts, and the vanity of their words. He knoweth what each man thinketh in his heart, & speaketh with his tongue. In vain do any highly esteem of themselves, and overvalue their own worthiness, seeing they are so well known within and without to God: & as he valueth of them, so they are indeed, and not otherwise. If a man know one good thing in himself, the Lord knoweth ten evil things in him, that are sufficient to make him vile & abominable in his sight. 
Of the pro● Pharisee in the Gospels  The hypocritical Pharisee in the Gospel, knew a few things in himself which he thought and prized to be exceeding good; but (alas) the Lord, that seeth not as man seethe, knew for these seeming good things many inherent evils, that made him hateful to God. The church of Laodicea was very greatly conceited of itself, saying; I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; but the Lord heard this; and knew that it was wretched and miserable, and poor, & blind, and naked, Reu. 3.17. It is not so with men as they value themselves, but as God valueth them, for he knoweth all things, yea those things in them & by them, which they know not or see not in themselves. There are three errors which did deceive the Pharisee in esteeming of himself at too high a price, which deceive also many thousands in the world as well as him. The first is, his error of comparison, 
Three 〈◊〉 which did ●ce●●e the pharisee.  in comparing himself with another person, which was to behold his face in a false glass. For he thought he had found out a man worse than himself, and this made him come boldly and confidently to God with these words; Lord, I thank thee that I am not as other men, nor as this Publican, Lu. 18.11. This comparison was that wherein he was greatly deceived: he thought himself just, and that he must needs be singular good, because one stood by him, and many others lived with him, whom he thought to be worse than himself. A second cause of his error was his freedom from some gross sins of the second Table, which he judged others to be guilty of: I am not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer; therefore he thought he must needs be a right honest and just man. His third error sprang from his performance of some duties of religion to God, I fast twice in the week, I pay tithe of all I possess; thereupon he persuaded himself, that he was truly religious and holy in God's sight. These were his fond conceits, and all of them erroneous, because he went away condemned by Christ notwithstanding all these gay and glorious works, verse 14. These things touch us also nearly, who are carried away with the same deceitful pretences. For first, we also lay the foundation of godliness upon a comparison, if we can find out any worse than ourselves, we take ourselves to be simply good men; as a wise historian said of the Popes, that the bounty or goodness of the Pope is praised, 
Guic lib. 1●  when he exceedeth not the malignity of other men. This course will utterly deceive us, for when the Lord shall come to judgement, he will not judge by comparisons what we are to such a one: but according to his law: & though he find us better than some other men, yet will he enter into judgement with us, because he findeth us to be worse than we ought to be by his word, whereby we must be judged at the last day, Io, 12, 48.  
The second error deceiving the Pharisee and others in our age, is, because they are free from some gross sins, and therefore take themselves to be just and upright men: if they can make it good, that they be no usurers, no unclean persons, no drunkards, no murderers, oh then they are as honest & perfect men as the best of them all; but God will not save us for some evils which we want, but condemn us for those which we have. For though thou want these, thou mayst abound in other.  
Lastly, they think if they perform some duties of the first Table, which savour of religion, they are in very good case: if they can say, I hear often, I pray often, I receive the Lords Supper, they go away with this strong fond conceit, that they are to be holden religious persons. This therefore cannot serve our turns: for this we may do, and yet be proud hypocrites. We may pray, yet without any feeling, zeal, or good affection. We may hear, and yet practise nothing, but live in disobedience. We may reverence the Minister, and entertain him in our houses, and yet reform no sin that he reproveth. We may come to the Lords Table, and yet come as judas did, and go away as he did, that is, without a sound heart and a right faith. So that we may say of such, as Christ himself doth, Luke 16, verse 15. Ye are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God. The Lord knoweth how we pray, how we hear, and how we receive the Sacrament: how highly soever we esteem of ourselves by reason of some few good things which we seem to have, yet God cannot be deceived, and it is certain he will not be mocked.  
Secondly, there is no dallying with God, Use 2 or shifting from him, or hiding our ways and works out of his sight, neither can we reap any comfort in the flattering persuasions of others. It is a vain thing for any man to esteem highly of himself, because other men as vain as himself soothe him up, and tell him he is in an happy estate and condition, that he is a faithful and religious person and professor, and shall without all doubt inherit the kingdom of heaven: when in the mean season, his own heart shall condemn him, and convince him that it is nothing so. It is I say, a vain thing to think one whit better of ourselves for this, for GOD knoweth thy heart better than thyself, 1 john 3, 20. who knoweth all things. If thine own heart condemn thee, God is greater than thy heart. There is no true comfort that resteth upon the breath of another man's mouth. 
 Tell me, when a man lieth on his death bed, what comfort can the approbation of another man give thee, that thou art a good man, when thy own soul proclaimeth the contrary, and God knoweth thee to be evil? Doubtless no more, then if he tell thee thou art sound and in good health, when thou feelest thyself to be heartsick, and at death's door. So if all the world should acquit thee, and thine own conscience condemn thee, what good can the vain applause of sinful men do thee? It is true indeed in an earthly estate, it is a great matter to be well thought off by others, because than he shall be sure to be clear from the censure of earthly judges: but it is otherwise between God and ourselves, for he is both witness & judge of all our actions, and can make our own hearts to speak for him against ourselves. What should it profit a man, if all his neighbours round about him, should conceive an opinion of him that he is rich and wealthy, worth many thousands, and in the mean season he know himself to be poor and beggarly, & many thousands worse than nought, what benefit could any man take by such a persuasion? So likewise what comfort can a man take to hear others tell him of his good estate before God, that he is just and upright before him, a man fearing God and eschewing evil, when his own conscience knoweth by him that which all the world did never know, and God knoweth a thousand times more than them both.  
Thirdly, from hence comfort ariseth to all Use 3 Gods true children and faithful servants, because he knoweth what they are & what their condition is: he cannot misconceive through suspicion or surmise, nor be deceived by misinformation of others, because he knoweth them well, and therefore their estate is happy and blessed before him. True it is, it hath been the lot and portion of the godly to be falsely accused and traduced in the courts and accounts of men; yet in respect of GOD they may take comfort from this doctrine, for they shall appear just before him, & therefore they may defy the malice of Satan and of all their adversaries. If they labour to keep themselves pure and holy before him, howsoever they be esteemed of before men, let them rest and be content until they appear before the throne and tribunal seat of God, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart, and then shall every man have praise of God, 1, Cor. 4, 5. Psal. 7, 8, 9 & the malice of the wicked shall come to an end. This is the consolation that every soul may have, if he lead an upright life; for when men charge him, God will discharge him, and when they condemn him, he will justify him: and it should move us to bring all our thoughts, words, & deeds as into God's presence, being well assured that he knoweth all of them. This will work in us a care to walk warily, as Enoch did before the flood, Gen. 5, 22, & Abraham after the flood, Gen. 17, 1. The want of this meditation causeth all sin to break out of us.  
Lastly, it will teach men to be patiented under the hand of God. Are we in any trouble, Use 4 and do we not know any particular cause why it should be so? Yet let us not murmur, but bear it with patience, because though we know nothing, yet God knoweth there is cause enough. As affliction cometh from him, so he knoweth wherefore he sendeth it, and we should stoop down under his hand. When Eli heard all that the Lord had threatened against him and his house, 
1 Sam. 3, 18.  this was his resolution, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. We also ought to be patiented and to hold our peace, and say with the Prophet, Psal. 119, 137. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgements.  
[Ver. 3. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.] The reason is rendered why he put up this wrong, he was a man lowly in his own eyes, of great patience, and singular humility; he did not storm and rage against them, he did not rail at them and revile them, he drew not out the sword of justice against them, or execute his authority, nor complain to God against them, though he himself were wronged, the people offended, and God dishonoured greatly thereby. He sought not revenge in his own cause, neither desired God to be revenged of them. They could not be ignorant of his meekness, for this is such a virtue as cannot be hid  
Object. Now a question may here be moved, how the pen of Moses could thus praise himself in the highest degree, and call himself not only meek, but very meek: and not so only, but meek above all the men upon the earth; considering the counsel of Solomon, Prou. 27, 2. For answer hereunto, it may seem, that some things in the books of Moses are here and there inserted and dispersed, Answer. which could not be written by his hand, and therefore may seem to be added by joshua, or some other of the Prophets after him: as Exod. 16, 35. it is said, that the children of Israel did eat Manna forty years, until they came to a Land inhabited, which is not set down prophetically, but added historically, not by way of foretelling what was to come, but of telling what was already come to pass: but in the days of Moses they were not come to a land inhabited, it was joshua that conducted them into the land of promise. Likewise the history of the death and burial of Moses, recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, chap. 34, could not be penned by himself, but must of necessity be annexed by some of the Prophets. Neither doth this any way derogate from the authority of the writings of Moses, which were given by the inspiration of the Spirit, seeing we confess the Prophets which came after, spoke by the same Spirit. But howsoever it be, this is certain that Moses and the Prophets, whether they praise or dispraise themselves, wrote no otherwise then as they were commanded and appointed. Besides, these words may be restrained to the cause and matter in hand, namely, that as by nature he was very mild and gentle, so he departed not from his humility, though he were exceedingly provoked by those whom he least suspected, and at whose hands he lest deserved it. He became as a deaf man that heard not, and as a dumb man which openeth not his mouth, but used this as a reason to cast down himself farther before God, and as David said, I will be yet more vile in mine own eyes: so Moses saith, 
2 Sam. 6, 2●  I will be yet more mild in mine own eyes. And herein was his meekness seen, hereby it was tried. Every man will seem to be mild when he is not provoked; but when we are teazed and troubled, if then we keep our meekness, we show that we have this gift. It is no commendation to keep silence and hold our peace, when no man wrongeth us, but if we can bear with patience the wrongs that are offered unto us, them we may assure ourselves that this virtue is in us. We learn from hence, That every one in his own cause should be meek and lowly, 
Doctrine. Every 〈◊〉 should be mild & g●●tle in his 〈◊〉 cause.  ready to put up wrongs offered unto them, Prou. 24, 29. Ro 12, 17. Meekness is a virtue which adorneth all persons, estates & degrees; as the Magistrate, josh. 7, 19, the Minister, 2, Tim. 2, 25: the master, Eph. 6, 9 Math. 26, 50: the wife, 1 Pet. 3, 4: a meek and quiet spirit is of great price, and much accepted in the sight of God: the hearer of the word of God, jam. 1, 21: the servant, 1 Pet. 2, 20. To be short, it adorneth every Christian in his general calling, Eph. 4, 1, 2. The examples of the Saints are many that have gone before us. David toward Saul. Stephen prayed for his enemies. Christ setteth forth himself as a pattern of this virtue, Math. 11, 29. and he hath left himself an example of it, by washing the feet of his Disciples, john 13, 5, 15. and by bearing the reproaches of the ungodly, 1 Pet. 2, 23. 
Luke 9. 5●   
The reasons to confirm the point, follow. Reason 1 First, God the Father dealeth thus with us, he beareth with patience and long suffering, and forgiveth such as repent. Secondly, 
Exod. 34● Eph. 4, 32▪ Col. 3, 13.  vengeance is the Lords, it belongeth to him only & to his assigns, to wit, the Magistrates, & not to private persons. Such as take the sword into their own hand, doubt of God's justice, 
Rom. 12, ● Nah. 1, ●  and in effect deny him to be just. Thirdly, meekness is a gift of the Spirit, 
Gal. 5, 23.  and the contrary is a fruit of the flesh and of our corrupt nature.  
If this be necessary for all, than we must Use 1 learn the nature of it, and for this purpose consider what it is, the matter whereof it standeth, and the fruits thereof. 
Meekness what it 〈◊〉  Meekness is a gift of the Spirit, which moderateth anger & desire of revenge, forgiving offences and pardoning injuries for peace and quietness sake: so that albeit a man be provoked by injuries received, yet he doth not intend nor enterprise to requite it, but bridleth all hatred & impatience. The matter wherein it must be showed, is private unto ourselves. 
The m● whe●●nesse 〈◊〉 showed.  In the wrongs and injuries that touch our persons, we must be as Moses was in this place; we must set his example before our eyes: but in matters of God, when his glory is impeached, or his truth diminished, we must be earnest & zealous; not patiented, not forbearing, not long-suffering, but as this Moses was in the case of God, Exod. 32 19, 27. when he saw the Calf, he waxed hot, not meek; whereas in this place in a matter concerning himself, he waxed meek, not hot. So it was with David, who held his tongue at his own wrongs, and was as a man that could not hear; 
〈…〉, 14, & ●9. and 〈◊〉  yet he consumed away with zeal against the enemies that forgot God's word. The like we see in Christ our Saviour, 
〈…〉 7. ●32.  he was as a Lamb, meek before the shearer, & opened not his mouth: yet when the Temple was abused, and the worship of God profaned, he made a whip of cords, and drove the buyers & sellers out of the Temple. 
〈…〉 ●1, 12. 〈…〉 of ●esse.  Lastly, touching the fruits of it, we must understand, first, that it maketh a man with a patiented and quiet heart to submit himself to the judgements of God; and not to murmur at them, or to faint under them, as David, being in great distress through God's heavy hand upon him doth show forth this grace. Secondly, it maketh a man to bear the injuries of men with a quiet mind, yea to forgive and forget them. Thirdly, it maketh a man not only to bear the injuries of others, but to forbear to offer wrongs and injuries unto others. For whosoever is patiented and meek in spirit, will rather suffer then offer wrong.  
Secondly, we ought to labour for the moderation Use 2 of all our affections, especially anger, hatred, malice, rancour, and revenge. The motives to stir and induce us hereunto are many, and of much force. First, it is the right way to blessedness, 
〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 to ●esse.  Mat. 5, 5. If we would be happy, or any whit regard this promise, we must get the spirit of meekness into our hearts, & express the power of it in our lives. Secondly, we must deal with our brethren, as God hath dealt with us; we daily wrong him by our offences, and provoke him by our sins, yet he beareth with us: shall we then be so unlike to our heavenly Father, as by and by to revenge the wrongs done to us, and challenge him the combat that any way toucheth our credit and estimation? Col. 3, 13. Thirdly, without it we cannot hear the word of GOD to our comfort and salvation, but it is made utterly unprofitable unto us, jam. 1, 21. Fourthly, a soft and mild spirit pacifieth wrath, and heapeth coals of fire upon the enemy's head. 
〈◊〉. 1. ●●, 2. 〈◊〉 5, 32  It must be our wisdom to give place to wrath, Rom. 12, 19 It is our duty to be pitiful and courteous, and to love the brethren, 1 Pet. 3, 8, 9 Lastly, it moveth us to cast up our eye to God's providence, and to assubiect ourselves unto it, as we see in the examples of job and joseph, who never sought revenge on them that did them wrong: but rest in the will and pleasure of him that ruleth all things.  
Use 3 Lastly, it reproveth such as are contrary minded, who never came near where this grace groweth. These offend divers ways first, by anger, hatred, cruelty, and revenge, directly against the precept of the Apostle, Ro. 12, 19 Secondly, by rejoicing at the calamity of good men, as Shemei insulted over David when he fled from his son Absalon, and was constrained to pass over jordan for safety of his life. So was it with the Babylonians & Edomites over the Israelites, Psal. 137, 7. Obad 12, 13. Thirdly, by envying and grudging to see others prosper, and to grieve at the sight of it. But it will be said, If we put up injuries, Object. we shall be accounted no better than fools and cowards, and be laughed at for our labour. Answ. Answer. We must not regard the corrupt judgement of man, 1 Cor. 4, 3. These that are wise in their own eyes, love the praise of men more than the praise of God, joh. 12, 48. Let us seek the praise of God, which is indeed the true praise: as for other estimation without this, it is but a shadow of true glory, if it be so much. And this is a certain rule, that it is no cowardice at all to obey God, and to follow his commandments, neither is it any point of wisdom to be ready to revenge, jer. 8, 9 And tell me, to what end serve Magistrates in the commonwealth? to what end serve masters in the family? are they not set up of God to end controversies between man and man, and quarrels between servant and servant? It is no want of manhood for a subject to complain to the Magistrate, and to say as the poor widow did in the Gospel, Avenge me of mine adversary, Lu. 18, 3. It is no part of a coward for the servant to acquaint his master with the wrongs that are offered unto him by his fellow servant. Objection But it is hard for flesh and blood to put up wrongs, and to digest the injuries which are measured unto us. Answ. I will say more than that, it is unpossible for flesh and blood to do it, Answer. if we be no more than a lump of flesh: but withal I add, that flesh and blood in the matters of God are evil counsellors; and if we have no more in us then these, and no farther work begun in us, it is certain we are not Gods children, neither shall inherit God's kingdom. If we be not spirit as well as flesh, we are none of his.   

4. And the Lord spoke suddenly unto Moses, & unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation; & they three came out.  
5. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth.  
Hitherto of their sin: now we come to Gods proceeding against them, consisting partly in a citation, partly in a conviction, and partly in the execution of punishment upon the principal offender. First, we see how the offenders are cited and summoned to appear before the judge; for GOD doth as it were send a process for Miriam and Aaron to appear and hold up their hands at his bar to plead guilty or not guilty. He calleth the parties offending, and the party offended and wronged before him. Albeit the Lord know all things, yet he will proceed judicially against them. The doctrine from hence is plain, that God never bringeth judgements upon any people or person, 
Doctrine. God never bringeth judgement upon any, but he searcheth and findeth sufficient cause.  but he doth first search and find sufficient cause▪ why he doth so. Whensoever he cometh to judgement, he will proceed upon a manifest ground, and upon a just and known cause; he never doth it rashly, but upon deliberation, Gen, 3, 13, 14, and 11, 6, 7. and 18, 31. Zeph. 1, 12.  
The reasons are evident. For first, hereby Reason 1 the justice of God is cleared: for hereby it appeareth, that whatsoever he doth inflict, he doth it not through any malice to their persons, but because they have justly provoked him by their sins: he doth it in love to justice, and in hatred to sin. He that hateth a man will smite him before he make any inquiry of the matter, as they dealt with Paul, they scourged him to know what he had done, and what was the matter of which he was accused, Acts 22, ver. 24. It is not so with God. Secondly, the Lord requireth that all Magistrates should observe this course, Deut. 13, 14. If then he charge them to inquire before they proceed to judgement, much more will the Lord himself observe the same order.  
This teacheth us that the judgements of Use 1 God must needs be acknowledged to be always just: though they be sharp and grievous, yet they are ever righteous. For we see he proceedeth upon known causes, he goeth not upon uncertainties, but seethe & knoweth all things which appear naked and open before him. The heart of man is shut up from the sight of men, and they cannot possibly discern what lieth and lurketh therein: only it is the Lord that discerneth the heart, Psal. 33, 15, 1 john 3, 20. The workman must needs know the work and whatsoever is in the work much better than the work itself. God is the maker of the heart of man, & therefore cannot but proceed upon just & known causes.  
Secondly, this stoppeth the mouths of wicked Use 2 men, which are ready to accuse God of injustice, as those in Esay 58, 3. where they complain as if GOD did not see or regard them: and Ezek. 18, 2, 3. they took up a proverb, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, & the children's teeth are set on edge. These thought that God punished without measure or rather without cause. But as he knoweth all things, so he never doth any thing, but he goeth upon a sure ground, he maketh inquiry first of all, and afterward proceedeth to judgement. Many do so harden their hearts, & forget their own ways, that they cannot perceive the just proceed and punishments of God. If God once open their hearts to see the order which he observeth, they will confess his justice, & condemn their own folly.  
Thirdly, it teacheth and instructeth every Use 3 man, that he should search his own ways diligently, when the hand of God is any way upon him, and consider that God proceedeth in all his judgements justly, and upon a sure and tried ground. And if a man by searching and sifting his own ways, find somewhat in himself worthy of such judgement, he must know that God knoweth much more by him then himself doth, 1 joh. 3, ver. 20. If the patiented knoweth somewhat of his own disease, the Physician knoweth much more than he doth: so is it in this case, he that is a patiented under God's hand, if he know any thing by himself, he may well know that God knoweth much more: & if men by examining their consciences can find out somewhat, we may justly fear and suspect there is more behind that is unespied of us, and therefore we have just cause to humble ourselves under his most mighty hand. We should judge ourselves, that we may not be judged of the Lord. 
1 Cor. 11.  There is no way to escape his judgement, that knoweth all and is ignorant of nothing.  
Fourthly, it is a matter of great comfort to Use 4 those that are the Lords, because, though they be oppressed with false judgements & uncharitable calumniations of men, yet when he judgeth, he will judge righteously; when he cometh to try all the children of men, he will first make inquiry, before ever he proceed against them. Therefore this is the comfort of every man, he shall never be wronged before God, howsoever he may be before men; so that he may stand at defiance with all his adversaries whatsoever they be, forasmuch as GOD will proceed so justly and righteously with him. Though they have heavy and horrible things laid to their charge by malicious men, yet God himself will do them right: and albeit they be denied justice upon earth, yet with God they shall be sure to have righteous judgement.  
Fiftly, this serveth to inform those that sit Use in any place of justice to do right to others, either public or private, in the commonwealth or in the family, namely, that they ought not to proceed, but upon a sure and known cause. It is the practice of God, so to do, and it ought also to be theirs, and as it is the practice of God, so also it is the precept and commandment of God, to which they ought to be obedient. Whosoever will judge truly, he must labour so to do it, that he pervert not justice. It is the course that God hath usually taken, and therefore they that would be like unto God, must proceed after the same manner, so as they have him for an example. First, we must make inquiry, and after the cause is tried & known, to sit in judgement, otherwise we can never deal justly. Pro. 18, 13. Acts 21, 33, & 22, 24. Some do altogether trust reports and accusations of servants, and have but one ear to hear: but as we have one ear that we lend to the accuser, so we should keep another always for the accused.  
Lastly, this putteth us in mind of the general Use 6 judgement at the last day, that all must appear before God's judgement seat, and be judged of him, Dan. 12, 2. True it is, there shall mockers arise, and there are such atheists already risen in the world, that shall say, where is the promise of his coming? howbeit the justice of God requireth it, though the patience of God do defer it. We see not this always done in this world. 
〈…〉 ●1. 6. ●6, 25. ●15, 19 ●, 10. 〈…〉, 5.  At that day shall every man receive according to the things he hath done in his body, whether good or evil. Let us therefore endeavour evermore to keep a good conscience toward God and men.   

6. And he said, hear now my words, If there be a Prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.  
7. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  
8. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, etc.  
After the citation, followeth the convincing of those guilty persons to their faces. For in judgement, the parties accused must be present. 
〈◊〉 51. 〈◊〉, 10. 〈◊〉 15. ●, 16.  This conviction hath a preface, commanding them to hear: for it is the duty of all to hear, when God speaketh: and the substance itself, containing Gods arguing, pleading▪ & witnessing against them, and a reproof of them. In the pleading God declareth, that he communicateth himself in special manner to Moses above the rest of the Prophets: he spoke to them by visions and dreams, but to him mouth to mouth; apparently, not darkly. 
 But did Moses see God's essence, & behold him as he is? who is said to behold the similitude of the Lord. 
 Answ. No man hath seen God at any time, Deut. 34, 10. Exod. 33, and 34. He saw the likeness of God, not the essence of God. He saw him in a certain resemblance so far as he was able to bear and comprehend, and farther than any other, and in a greater measure and degree than the rest For as God called him to a greater office and function, so he endued him with greater gifts, Heb. 3, 4▪ 5. Observe from hence, that in former times God used many ways to discover and manifest his truth and will unto his people, Heb. 1, 1. See hereby the greatness and excellency of his hand, he hath divers ways to manifest his truth, he useth what seemeth best to himself, job 33. Again, we have occasion hereby to consider, that God's mercy is greater to us, than to our forefathers: Christ hath left unto us from the bosom of his Father the doctrine of the Gospel shining bright in our eyes. 
.   
Moreover in comparing Moses with the Prophets, and preferring him: 
Doctrine. God revealeth himself ●o one more e then to another. ● Cor 12. ●. 3. Luke 1.16.17. Mat 11.11. 2. King 2 9  We see that God revealeth himself to one more than to another, and giveth greater gifts to some, than he doth to other: to Moses more plenti ully then to the Prophets: To the end we should stand in need one of another, and thereby bind us more closely together, and to try us how we will employ them to the good of others, as he doth in earthly blessings. This point is of good use unto us being rightly applied. Let Use 1 not such as have received a greater portion and measure of grace, contemn such as have less: for should the servant disgrace or reproach such as the master of the house doth accept and approve, nay doth grace and honour? Mat 25.23. And as for such as have received less, let not them envy those that God hath made above them: for though one member in the body have more honour than another, yet is there no division in the body: so the stronger should bear with the weaker. Again, let every Use 2 one be thankful for gifts received, that they may be sanctified to ourselves and to others, 1 Cor. 14.18. Lastly, it behoveth us to Use 3 stir up the gifts that are given unto us, and to desire the best gifts that thereby we may do the most good. It is dangerous to hide the gifts we have received, as the evil servant did his talon: And if to cover them under a bushel, much more to turn them and apply them to the destruction of the Church, & the subverting of the faith, as many do that are not sanctified. Let us labour to use them, and to use them well, that we may grow in knowledge, zeal and sanctification, 
2 Tim. 1.7.  lest they decay in us, & so be taken away from us, Mat. 25.28  
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house. In these words we have a notable description of Moses to his perpetual commendation and praise with God and men. It is a notable dignity and prerogative to be the servant of the high God. How do men delight to shroud themselves under the liveries of great men, and how much do they take themselves to be honoured by it? how much more ought we to labour to approve ourselves in the presence of the mighty God, and to show ourselves to be his faithful servants? Observe farther the title given to the church, 
What is meant b the house of God.  it is called the house of God, whereby he doth not mean the Tabernacle, but the people of God, over whom he was made overseer; so that he putteth the place for those in the place, the house for the family of God in the house: as Cornelius the captain is said to believe and to be baptised with all his house, that is, his household: so here we understand the family and church of God committed to his charge, which he led, ruled, and governed aright as a faithful servant to his master. 
Doctrine. The faithful are the house of God.  The doctrine is this, that the Church or faithful are the house of God, Hebr. 3.6. 1 Tim. 3.15. 2. Cor. 6.16.  
The reasons are plain. God dwelleth in it Reason 1 as a master in an house, & there doth manifest and communicate himself familiarly to his people, as 2 Cor. 6, 16. Secondly, it is called his portion and his inheritance, Deut. 32, 9 It is his treasure and his flock, Acts 20, 28. 1. Pet. 5▪ 2, 3. Thirdly, it resembleth an house, which hath some builder, owner, and laws by which it is ruled. God is the owner of the Church, he hath builded it by his Son, Pro. 9, 1. Hebr. 3, 4. who hath purchased it to be peculiar to himself through his own blood, and therefore the Church may fitly and justly be called his: he bought it with a great price, it cost him dear before he could redeem it. It was before the devils house, Math. 12, 44. He layeth claim to us, and challengeth man to be his own: the Lord jesus took them out of his hand, & purchased them by giving his life, whereby we are become his possession.  
This serveth to prove Christ to be true Use 1 God equal to the Father, against such heretics as deny his deity. This house wherein Moses is commended to be faithful, is his house, he is the heir of it, the owner of it, & the great Shepherd of the sheep; it is he that dwelleth in our hearts by faith, Eph. 3, 17. This house belongeth to none properly but to God; it is not the house of Moses, or of any man or Angel, but the house of God. Now this is truly called the house of Christ, Heb. 3. and therefore Christ is God. It is he that did build it, and set it up. No house can build itself, for nothing can be the cause of itself, but must be caused by some other: so must the house be builded and made by another.  
Secondly, conclude from hence, that there Use 2 is one only true Church of the old and new Testament. The house of God and of Christ is one, wherein Moses long ago was faithful, and it is that which we ourselves are. Therefore his dwelling house is the same. This house hath continued from the beginning, & shall continue unto the end. It needeth indeed often repairing, but it shall never be abolished, and taken out of the world. True it is, the jewish Church had many types and ceremonies, howbeit in substance it is the same with the christian Church.  
Thirdly, we may gather the safe condition Use 3, of the Church. For who shall fight against the inheritance which he hath purchased, or ruin the house which he hath builded, or enter upon the possession which he hath obtained and bought lawfully at a dear price, and be able to prevail? We see by experience, that a man will spend limb and life for his house & land where he dwelleth, and which he bought and paid for dearly. And will not God defend his inheritance which he knew before? whom he chose to be his before the world? whom in time he called, justified, sanctified, & will glorify? for whom he sent his only begotten Son from his own bosom, to lay down his life? This made the Prophet say, Israel is an hallowed thing, whosoever eateth it shall be consumed, and come to nought, jer. 2, v. 3. john 10, 28, 29, We are his, given unto him by the Father, and he will never lose us: no man can take them out of his hand. This is a singular prerogative of the faithful, that Christ dwelleth with them, and abideth in them, joh. 14, 23. Eph. 2, 19, 20. He will never suffer his house to perish, but giveth them his assurance and assistance to continue with them, which cannot agree with popish doubting and wavering, 2 Tim. 2, 19 1 Pet. 1, 5. True it is, such is our weakness, that we are ready to give over our hold of God, but he will never give over the hold that he hath of us. His ancre is so firmly settled and fixed upon the ground of our heart, that no storms or tempests can shake or lose it. We are prone to leave him, but he is resolved not to leave us or to lose us. The Lord hath bought us too dearly to part so lightly from us. Our state therefore is sure and certain, we shall not fall away for ever, whatsoever the Church of Rome holdeth, teacheth, and defendeth.  
Lastly, let us labour to be of the household of faith. Let us not be profane in life and Use lose in conversation, but separate from the wicked of the world which are no part of God's house. We cannot be of the household of faith, and of the household of infidelity and impiety: forasmuch as there is no concord or agreement, no fellowship or communion between light & darkness, 2 Cor. 6, 19, 20. Let us prepare for Christ a good lodging and entertainment in our hearts, that he may dwell in us. Let us not offend him, or grieve him, or drive him away by our sins and disobedience, as Heb. 3, 6. His house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope, firm unto the end.  
[Who is faithful in all my house.] Moses receiveth this commendation from the mouth of God, that he was found faithful; a faithful teacher, a faithful Prophet, publishing the will of God to the Church. The doctrine is, 
Doctr●●● The M● 〈…〉 their p●  It is required of all the Ministers of God, that they be found faithful and conscionable in their places, 1 Sam. 2, 35. Math. 24, 45. Luke 12, 42. 1 Cor. 4, 2, 17. The Prophets of God did stand upon their watchtower, they hearkened and heard what the people did. So did the Apostles, and so they taught others to do the like, Eph. 6, 21. Col. 1, 7, and 4, 7. 1 Tim. 1, 12, & 2 Tim. 2, 2. A virtue necessary for all.  
This appeareth by the titles given unto them Reason in the Scriptures: they are called Ambassadors of God, 2 Cor. 5, 20: the witnesses of the truth, Acts 10, 39 1 Pet. 5▪ 1. The stewards of the family and servants of the house to give every one their portion in due season; It is required of an Ambassador, to do the message of him that sent him: of a witness to utter the truth, and all the truth, and nothing but the truth: of a servant, to do his master's business committed to his trust.  
Secondly, the good of the Church requireth it: for if it have unfaithful and unconscionable teachers set over it, that seek not the safety of the flock, it cannot be but many of the sheep will perish, Ezek. 3.18. Lastly, such teachers as are unfaithful, bring destruction upon themselves as well as upon the flock. God hath committed the sheep of his pasture to their safe and faithful keeping, such then as deal unfaithfully, shall bear their condemnation, and the blood of others shall be required at their hands, Eze. 33.8. jer. 1.17. & 14.15.  
Use 1 This grace of faithfulness containeth the sum of all that is required of Pastors and teachers in the execution of their Ministry, and serveth to reprove sundry abuses. First, of such as are ignorant and unlearned, 
〈◊〉 igno●●eachers.  which have taken upon them to be teachers of others, but have not yet learned themselves. These are unfaithful in the house of God, and are not able to break the bread of life, they are entered into the sheepfold but cannot feed the sheep, they would be accounted dressers of the vineyard, but are not able to labour in it. These do greatly hinder God's kingdom, and destroy the souls of men, and further the kingdom of Satan, and are the main cause of much palpable darkness and ignorance. 
〈◊〉 12.31. 〈◊〉. 33 34. 〈…〉. 14.  Such are much like to jeroboams Priests taken out of the basest of the people, these are fit instruments to further idolatry, and all manner of impiety. 
〈◊〉 false ●ers.  Secondly, of false teachers, these also are unfaithful in the house of God, & destroy the souls of the people by false doctrine. The former did starve them, these do poison them, and both ways the people perish. It is all one whether we withhold bread from them, or infect it with poison. Such teachers the Apostle willeth to avoid, 
〈◊〉 2.7.  their false doctrine fretteth, eateth and consumeth as the Gangrene. Thirdly, 
〈◊〉 idle ●s.  of idle and unprofitable teachers, which eat the milk, & cloth themselves with the fleeze of the flock, but feed not the sheep of Christ. These are lazy and loitering servants, that leave their masters work undone, & care not which end go forward; these may be fitly coupled together with the first, for it is all one with the people, whether their teachers be ignorant or idle. But touching themselves, their sin is so much the greater, because they can, but will not teach the people. Idle persons in any society are by the Apostle branded by the name of thieves, 
〈◊〉 4.28.  where he showeth that not to labour is to steal: not because they violently and forcibly take from others, and intrude themselves into their possessions, but because they are caterpillars and drones, eating that for which they never laboured: so these men that live idly in the Church and of the Church, do incur the just rebuke of spiritual theft and felony, in that they live by the Church, but do not labour for the Church. The Church setteth them or rather hireth than to work, but these tie up their own hands because they would not work: they reap temporal things of the people, but do not minister spiritual things to the people. Fourthly, of unskilful Ministers who also are unfaithful: 
Against unskilful teachers.  these will needs be doing, but in deed can do nothing: they will needs be working, but they know neither how to begin aright, nor where to make an end. They can get up into the pulpit as well as the best, but when they are there, they do nothing less than preach, but abuse the place, the people, themselves, the word, nay God himself. A faithful teacher must be a workman that need not be ashamed, dividing aright the word of truth. 
2 Tim. 2.25.  A skilful Carpenter or master-builder knoweth by line & level how to square his timber, but a raw fellow never brought up to the trade, will hack and so mar and mangle the timber. The Apostle compareth the Ministers to skilful builders, 
1 Cor. 3.9.10.  not to them that can only hue and chop wood, for so every bungler can do that renteth it and cutteth it in pieces, he careth not how, so it be done. A Minister must be a master in his profession. Fiftly, it reproveth the abuses of scandalous teachers, 
Against scandalous teachers. 1 Tim. 3 2. Matth. 5.13.14. 1. Pet. 5 3.  who build with one hand, and pull down as fast with the other. The Apostle requireth that the Ministers should be unreprovable, the lights of the world, the salt of the earth, and examples to the flock. These are like images placed and set up in cross ways, that point the way to the passenger, but cannot set a foot forward themselves; like the builders of the Ark that did good to others, but none to themselves; they saved Noah and his family, but were drowned and destroyed themselves. So these may peradventure be instruments of conversion to others, and in the end be condemned themselves. Nevertheless their evil life doth scandalise many that are without, and many that are within the Church. And albeit it be a fault to stumble at these, namely, to hear and not to regard what they teach, 
Mat. 23.3. 1 Sam. 2.17. Against flattering teachers.  yet woe be to them that lay such stumbling blocks in the way. Lastly, of flattering teachers, another sort of unfaithful teachers in the house of God, that seek to please men, who sew pillows under every elbow, that say peace, peace, when there is no peace, that daub with untempered mortar. These are politic wise men of this world (but nothing wise for the world to come) who, to secure themselves from danger, refrain themselves from delivering wholesome doctrine and powerful to the conscience of the hearer. If the Physician should deal so with his patient, he should kill him, & not cure him: or the Chirurgeon so handle a wound taken in the body, he should not seek the healing of the wound, but the hurt of the person. They dare not say as Nathan did to David the king, Thou art the man; 
2 Sam. 12.7.  they dare not say as Eliah did to Ahab, It is thou and thy father's house that have troubled Israel, 1 King. 18.18. They dare not say as john Baptist did to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife,, Matthew 14. verse 4. They dare not say to the Scribes and Pharisees as Christ did, Woe unto you Scribes and Pharises, 
Matth. 23.  hypocrites, but they are afraid of offending. All these six sorts are unfaithful teachers & we have showed the causes of their unfaithfulness, they are unfaithful through their ignorance, unfaithful through their errors, unfaithful through their idleness, unfaithful through their unskilfulness, unfaithful through their scandals, unfaithful through their flattery.  
Use 2 Secondly, this reproveth the people that upbraid the Ministers with too much teaching: for it is required of them that they be found faithful. They must teach & instruct in season and out of season: but many careless hearers advise them to spare their labours. Paul saith, Woe unto me, 
1 Cor. 9.20, 21, 22, 23.  if I preach not the Gospel: he laboured greatly, that by all means he might save some. Many tell us, we a● too busy, and do meddle with reproving sin more than we need: but how then should we be found faithful in the Lord's business? or how shall we escape the punishment of unfaithfulness in the great day of account? None shall receive the incorruptible crown of glory, but such as have been faithful: and none shall be exempted from eternal judgement that have been unfaithful. Such men care not how little they hear, that think the Ministers preach too much: nay they could be content to hear nothing at all, whose reward shall be according to their negligence.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it is the duty of the Ministers to labour for this virtue, and to approve themselves to God in a faithful and careful discharge of their callings. This is a duty which God so often and so strictly commandeth: and by the execution of that commandment we are said to save men by preaching, 
Ministers are said to save. job 33.24. Rom. 11.14. 1 Cor. 9.22. 1 Tim. 4.16.  and to deliver from the pit of hell. This shall also bring unspeakable joy and comfort, peace and quietness to our consciences, when we are desirous to discharge our duties in truth and sincerity. Happy are they that have this testimony of their consciences, that they have this way promoted the glory of God, advanced the kingdom of Christ, and furthered the salvation of men. Oh how happy were it for us, that it might be said of us, as it is of Moses in this place, that we have been faithful in his house! and thrice happy shall we be, if at the last day, our Lord and master coming from heaven, as a man that beginneth to take an account of his servants, shall say unto us, Well done, 
Mat. 25.21.23.  good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. If I should stand to set down particularly the parts of this faithfulness, whereby we may procure the commendation to ourselves which is given to Moses, I should stand too long. The Ministers must be men of knowledge, otherwise how should they teach knowledge? they must be men of zeal, of painfulness, and diligence, of an holy and unblamable life, of sincerity and uprightness. They must reprove sin, as God punisheth sin, that is, without respect of persons in whomsoever they find it: they must keep back nothing, but reveal the whole counsel of God. Finally they must take heed to themselves and to the flock, 
Act. 〈…〉  over which the holy Ghost hath made them overseers. verse 28.  
Lastly, that which is here particularly applied Use to the Ministers, aught to be extended & enlarged to all others which have received any calling from God, in what place soever God hath set us, we must be faithful in it. The Magistrate must be faithful in the government of his people, 
Psal. 101. ●  he must sing of mercy and of judgement. The judge must be faithful in the ministering and executing of justice, 
Exod. 18. ●  having courage and hating covetousness, knowing that they judge not for man but for the Lord. 
2 Chro. ●  The householder must be faithful in ordering and reforming, of his family, and walk in his house with a perfect heart, Psa. 101.2. To conclude, all inferiors must also be faithful in their place, to yield honour and reverence, to show trust and diligence toward their superiors, 
Ephes. 6. ● 7, 8.  considering that God hath set them in their places, remembering that every man may gain glory to his Name, if he be found diligent, how mean soever his calling is, and knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.   

9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.  
10 And the cloud departed from off the Tabernacle, and behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.  
Now we come to the execution of the sentence. For when evil doers stand dumb before the judged, and can answer nothing for themselves, but confess themselves guilty, what remaineth but to proceed to the punishment? as we see in the example of Achan who confessed he had sinned against the Lord God of Israel and was stoned with stones, 
Io●●. 7. ●  and of him that came to the feast without his wedding garment, so soon as he was taken speechless, having nothing to answer for himself, the king said unto the servants, 
Mat. ● 〈…〉 The o● the 〈…〉 chap●●●  Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into utter darkness. The punishment is partly signified, in that, the wrath of God (by a metaphor drawn from men) is said to be kindled, so that he would hear the offenders speak no more unto him, declared by the departure of the cloud: and partly inflicted, she became leprous white as snow, that is, she was stricken with the most grievous kind of leprosy, because she was the author & procurer of this murmuring. 
levit. 〈…〉.  Howbeit afterward it is in part repealed & reversed, wherein we may see both the occasion & the mitigation of the punishment. The occasions are two: first the request of Aaron made to Moses, not to God, 
●●quest 〈…〉.  who refused to hear him lying in his sin, or rather not sufficiently humbled for his sin; as also he did jobs three friends, 
〈…〉 8.  he would not receive a sacrifice at their hands, but job must pray for them, lest he deal with them according to their folly. This request of his is both general for himself and his sister, that their sins may be pardoned and not imputed unto them; and likewise special for Miriam, that she might not be a spectacle and gazing stock to the whole host, and a monument of God's justice for ever, but might be healed of that foul and unclean disease. 
●rayer of 〈◊〉  The other occasion is the prayer of Moses directed to God; his hand had stricken and made the wound, and it is he that must and can heal & restore again. The mitigation of the punishment followeth, which is restrained to seven days, amplified by an unequal comparison drawn from the less to the greater, from an earthly father to his children, who if he should show any the least token of his anger and displeasure to his children, they would be afraid and ashamed for a season to come into his presence: how much more than ought she to be ashamed to lift up her head and to come unto the host, among whom the Lord dwelleth and walketh, being stricken with his judgement? For by spitting in the face is meant any token of reproach or disgrace. 
〈◊〉 ●5. 8.  Therefore she was shut out and separate from the host seven days, during which time the people journeyed not, till that one member, as it were cut off, were again recovered & restored to the rest of the body. Thus much touching the order of the words to the end of the chapter.  

●●●●rine. 〈◊〉 ●rath of 〈◊〉 kind●●●ainst 〈…〉 ●ers. 〈…〉 ●. 2, 3. 〈…〉 34.7. 〈…〉 ●. 4, 〈…〉 ●9. 2. 〈…〉 ●1, 2, 3.  First, let us come to the signification of the punishment, the wrath of God was kindled. We learn hereby, that the wrath of God is kindled against offenders, Deut. 32.22, 41, 42.  
The reasons hereof are evident. First, the nature of God is most pure and holy, and he hateth evil wheresoever he findeth it. Secondly, sin maketh a separation between God and his people, it hideth his face from us that he will not hear. Thirdly, he punisheth sin and executeth judgement upon the sinner, yea he spareth none, no not his own children that provoke him by their sins, much less others; as we see in Adam, in Cain, in the old world, in Sodom and Gomorrha, in Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and sundry others.  
Use 1 The uses remain. First we see, that anger is not simply to be condemned in man, but the excess or defect thereof, when it is too much or too little. It is a natural affection graffed in man, when it is moved as there is just cause; 
〈…〉 ●. 5.  it is an holy affection, noted to be in Christ, he looked angrily upon them, mourning for the hardness of their hearts. And when he saw the buyers and sellers in the Temple, the zeal of God's house did even eat him up, 
.  Now zeal is partly compounded of anger, and partly of sorrow, and partly of love. So must we be angry and grieved, if there be any love of God in us, at sin wheresoever we find it. Anger indeed for every trifle, or more than there is cause, is sinful, as also not to be angry when there is cause. But of this see farther, chap. 16.  
Secondly, fear to offend him that is a consuming Use 2 fire, 
Matth. 10.28.  and is able to destroy body & soul into hell fire. Every one must learn to know what it is that doth offend him. It is the breach of his law: he is offended by blasphemy, by contempt of his word, by swearing, by idolatry, by breach of the Sabbath, and such like impieties forbidden in the first Table. These sins for the most part men do little think upon, and because the laws of men do not take hold of them, they regard them not one whit: whereas God hath most severely punished them, and revenged the dishonour done to his name. The like we might ●ay of adultery, drunkenness, malice, covetousness, and such like; they are for the most part thought to be no sins at all, and slightly considered off; whereas he is always the same, & his law is always the same, & his justice is always the same, and his wrath is kindled against the children of disobedience. 
Ephe. 5.6. Eccles. 8.11. Psal. ●0. 21.  Let no man make his mercy an occasion of sin, neither turn his grace into wantonness.  
Lastly, let us give ourselves no rest, till we Use 3 be reconciled to God. It is a fearful thing to lie under his wrath. Be not quiet, until he be appeased toward us, & the sword put up into his quiver. 
Prou. 20.2.  The wrath of a Prince is compared to the roaring of a lion, he sinneth against his own soul that provoketh him, much more may this be said of God. Use therefore the means and remedies to call in his anger, 
How Gods anger is to be called in.  send an embassage of peace unto him, the procuring of our peace standeth first in seeking above all things the favour and friendship of God. When Herod was displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, they persuaded Blast us the king's chamberlain to stand their friend, they desired peace, because their country was nourished by the king's country. We are nourished by God in whom we live, and move and have our being, and therefore we have more cause to come to him with one accord, and seek his favour. Secondly, in repentance and turning from our evil ways, whereby we prepare ourselves to meet him. 
Amos 4.12.  Thirdly, in prayer and humbling ourselves before him. Thus doth Aaron seek peace by stirring up the spirit of Moses to pray for them: and hereby did Moses procure their peace. Thus did they stand in the gap afterward, when the hand of God had made a fearful breach among the people, and the pestilence had slain many thousands, whereby they made a blessed atonement, Num. 16.47, 48. Lastly the procuring of our peace consisteth in believing in Christ, and laying hold upon his merits and righteousness, which was signified by the incense that Aaron offered, when he stood between the living & the dead. Christ jesus is our peacemaker, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, he hath reconciled us unto God, so that by him we have an access unto the Father; by faith we are joined to him and lay hold upon him to eternal life. 
Ephe 2.14.16.18.  If we be earnest in seeking these means of peace, we shall be safe, for the danger of his wrath is gone and passed, Psal. 2.12.   

11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my Lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, & wherein we have sinned.  
12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed, when he cometh out of his mother's womb.  
Here we see (as we noted before) that God would not hear the offenders unreformed speak unto him, neither abide any talking with them: but Aaron is feign to go to Moses, to entreat him that by his entreaty and intercession unto God, the punishment of leprosy may be removed; which is amplified by a comparison of likeness, 
Doctrine. God heareth not such as lie in their sins. joh. ●. 31. Psa. 66.8.  that she may not be as one dead whose flesh is half consumed. We learn hereby, that God heareth not their prayers that lie in their sins, and are not reconciled unto him, job 42.7, 8. Esay 1.15. Gen. 20.7.  
The reasons why God heareth them not, Reason 1 are first because they refuse to hear God speaking unto them; it standeth with the rule of equity that God should deal with them as they deal with him, 
Ezek. 8.8. Zach▪ 7.12, 13.  and stop his ears against those that will not hear him. Secondly, his Reason 2 wrath lieth upon them.  
Use 1 Conclude from hence that the prayers of the wicked are abominable, Pro. 28. Not only their sins provoke God, but their prayers and their best works, so that though they multiply them, yet he will not regard them. This showeth their wretched estate and condition, they have no access to God, they may come to his gate, but they can have no entrance, it is shut up against them. They may knock & say, Lord, Lord, 
Luk. 13.25.  open unto us, but he will answer, Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity, I know you not.  
Secondly, let none continue in any known Use 2 sin, but wash their hearts and be reconciled unto God. For sin stoppeth the ears of God that he cannot hear, and casteth such heavy clogs upon our prayers, that they cannot possibly pierce the clouds, ascend into heaven, and come into the presence of God. Our iniquities wherein we delight, are as fetters and bolts that are fastened to our prayers, or as lead that presseth them down to the earth. 
The life of a sinner is uncomfortable.  The life of a sinner that lieth in his sins is of all other lives the most uncomfortable. For if we cannot pray to God in hope of mercy & forgiveness, when our sins disquiet us: or in hope of deliverance when our troubles oppress us: what comfort have we or can we have in any thing under the Sun? On the other side, when the faithful lie under infinite calamities, 
The Life of the faithful is most comfortable.  sickness, poverty, shame, contempt, reproach, slander, infamy, sickness, being forsaken of all, and hated of all, even laden with an heap of misery and adversity; yet this is their comfort, they can freely go unto God, & have access to the throne of grace; they may pray unto him, & as it were pour out their complaints in his bosom.  
Lastly, it is our duty, being reconciled unto Use God, to be reconciled to our brethren also. For no man is truly at one with God, 
Mat. 6. 1● and 3. ●  that is not made one with his brother▪ and except we forgive men their trespasses, our heavenly Father will never forgive us: therefore whensoever we bring our gift to the altar, and there remember that our brother hath aught against us, we must leave our gift before the altar, and go our way to be reconciled first of all to our brother. As than we desire forgiveness of God, so ought we to forgive. God forgiveth upon condition that we shall forgive. Those that are unmerciful shall never find mercy. We cannot have a more perfect precedent to move us to mercy, then to consider how God dealeth with us; he considereth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust. We think it much and oftentimes complain, that God will not hear our prayers; but we seldom or never consider that the fault is in ourselves, because we will not hear our brethren. And what exception can we take against our brethren, which God may not ten thousand times better except against us? Have we deserved better at their hands then to be so abused as we pretend our selves to be? so hath God of us, and we cannot deny it. Are we his betters and superiors? So is God ours. We use to say, we are not for him, we live not by him, we can live well enough without him? Neither doth God live by us, but we by him: and he can live without us (who lived before us) but not we without him. Have we often warned him to look to his ways and not to abuse us any longer? So hath God often warned us. Have we received wrong after wrong, and forgiven seven times, or seventy times seven times? So hath God forgiven us ten thousand talents for an hundred pence. 
Matth. 1● 28.  If then we retain any malice in our hearts, our prayers are not regarded, nay they are rejected as vile and abominable.  
Alas, my Lord, I beseech thee lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, etc. observe here a notable point in Aaron: he is not stricken with the leprosy, but is free from it altogether; Miriam is stricken with the leprosy, but it is Aaron that calleth for mercy, when he looked upon her and saw it: for the Priests were appointed to look upon it, and to pronounce the person to be either clean or unclean; so that punishments upon others should cause us to amend, and to look to ourselves. Again, we ought to desire the good one of another, & to have a fellow-feeling of the miseries one of another. See also that he is as much humbled and cast down, nay more than she is for this sin, and confesseth he had done amiss. We learn hereby, that sin committed against God, must touch us and go near unto us though we feel no punishment. 
●●●●ine. 〈…〉 ●ght 〈…〉 sin 〈◊〉 we 〈◊〉 pu● Vp●  It is no great matter to be humbled when the punishment is heavy upon us; but to be brought low, even upon our knees, and to say with Aron, Alas, lay not the sin upon us, is a notable and necessary duty required of us. The most wicked men in the world that sin with an high hand will confess their sin under the cross, while the hand of God lieth upon them, as we see in Cain, in Pharaoh, in Saul, in judas, and others, but this ariseth more in consideration of the punishment then of the sin: howbeit Aaron in this place felt no punishment, though he were a companion in the offence, which fell out in regard of the Priesthood. 
.  For if any ask, why he was not stricken with the leprosy, forasmuch as he was guilty of the same iniquity? 
.  I answer, it was not that his offence was slight, but because his office was great; he was a lively image of Christ jesus our true Mediator, the only begotten Son of God. 
〈◊〉 A●●on ●ot pu●d.  God would not therefore bring his person into contempt and reproach, lest the Priesthood also should be reproached. Besides, he did not contrive it, but consent to it, and was drawn no doubt after a sort, even against his will by his sister into a fellowship of this murmuring, as he had been before by the people to make the golden calf: she had the principal han● in the sin, and consequently in the judgement. We must therefore be touched with sin principally because it is sin, not because the punishment lieth upon us: but though we should never be punished and plagued, though there were no day of judgement, no fear of hell, no sentence of death, no feeling of torment, yet sin should be bitter and grievous unto us, even because it is sin▪ nothing in the world should trouble us more than that the law is transgressed, & God is offended. David was not in person stricken with the pestilence, though it did destroy at noon day, and thousands fell at his right hand, & ten thousands at his left, neither came it near him, yet he was no less humbled & grieved in his soul, 
〈…〉 21. 〈…〉 ●g. 20.6. 〈…〉 ●o. 32.25.  then if his body had been stricken with many running sores. Hezekiah had an express promise from God of adding fifteen years unto his days: and when his heart was lifted up, glorying in his riches and treasures, in his silver and gold, in his armour and ointments, in his spices and jewels, which he had showed to the messengers of the king of Babylon, the Lord threatened that in his sons days all those precious things should be carried to Babylon; so that he had peace and truth in his days: 
〈…〉 39.8. ●o 32.26  yet he humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of jerusalem.  
The reasons are plain, for first, this is a Reason 1 sign of true humiliation & repentance, when we can mourn for sin, being free from the least touch of punishment, it is a plain token that we are touched with a conscience for sin itself. If only we be cast down for sin when God's wrath lieth upon us, we rather complain of the punishment, then cry out for the sin. Secondly, Reason 2 sin is able to separate between God and us, whereby he is dishonoured: and what ought to enter deeper unto us, then to consider how God is dishonoured?  
We may from hence lawfully and truly Use 1 pronounce a fearful woe unto them, that are no way humbled when the hand of God lieth upon them and writeth bitter things against them; doubtless, we need crave no pardon if we affirm constantly & confidently, that they are desperate sinners. They fear neither God nor man, nor hell, nor death, nor damnation itself. 
Esay 1.6.  They have been stricken from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is no soundness in them, but wounds and bruises & putrefying sores, yet they will not know nor understand the hand that hath stricken them. Thus doth the Lord complain by the Prophet that he hath given them cleanness of teeth in all their cities, 
Amos 4.6.7.9.10 11.  and want of bread in all their places, yet they had not returned unto him: he had withholden the rain from them, and yet they returned not unto him: he had smitten them with blasting and mildew, yet they returned not unto him: he had sent among them the pestilence after the manner of Egypt, and overthrew some of them as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, and yet they returned not unto him. Thus did they run on from evil to worse, & filled up the measure of their sins, that they could not be reclaimed by any punishments though never so grievous. I will propound one famous or rather infamous example to this purpose very remarkable in the Scriptures, and that is of Ahaz: the Lord brought great affliction upon him, but he sought to the king of Assyria, who helped him not, but not to the Lord who could have helped; 
2 Chro. 28.22.  & in the time of his distress, he did trespass yet more against the Lord. This was king Ahaz. Woe unto us, if it be so with us: woe be unto us if his judgements do not soften us, but harden us; not better us, but make us worse. The fire purifieth the gold & maketh it more perfect, but the dross and refuse it maketh worse than it was before. So is it with impenitent persons and all the reprobate, whom the Lord will in the end sweep away as dung from the earth.  
Secondly, it is our duty to walk in obedience Use 2 to God, principally because he commandeth it, not for reward sake chief, for so do hirelings, who if once the hire cease, will work no longer, We must be obedient for love to God & his law. But is it not lawful to do good in hope of reward, Object. & to propound to our selves that end? It is lawful, 
answer. Heb. 11.26.  but that must not be the chief and principal end. Moses had respect to the recompense of the reward▪ whereby he did shake off all drowsiness, encourage himself in well doing, and quicken his zeal in the service of God and his people: nevertheless he had other main ends that he aimed at. The love of God must constrain us, & his commandment bear sway in our hearts far above all rewards.  
So doth Paul encourage himself to preach the Gospel, because he should have a reward if he did it willingly, and a fearful woe hung over his head is he did it not, 1 Cor. 9.16, 17. howbeit in another place he telleth us that the love of God constrained him, 2 Cor. 5.14. And the Apostle Peter stirreth up the Elders of the Church to feed the flock, because when the chief Shepherd shall appear, they shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. 5.4. yet himself was stirred up by Christ our Saviour to feed his sheep and lambs, if he loved him, joh. 21.15, 16. So then, we must labour to do good, though we see no reward, even in conscience of our duty to God. And it is lawful to abstain from sin for fear of punishment, but chief because the righteous God hateth it, and the just judge condemneth it.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us hereby examine ourselves, what account we make of sin, whether it be grievous unto us as it is sin, or not. If it be, we may comfort ourselves, that we have received grace to humble ourselves before the cross cometh: for than it is a free and voluntary humiliation. If we leave sin, because sin leaveth us, because we cannot follow after it, because we must leave the world, because we grow weary of it, because it bringeth shame and reproach, because we wax old and our youthful years are spent, this repentance is not thankworthy, but falleth out seldom to be true repentance. This is a forced and constrained repentance, and consequently oftentimes, unsound, seldom sincere. If we yield obedience for conscience sake, it is a token of sincerity. We see the example of Peter after he had fearfully denied his master, and sworn that he never knew the man, it pleased the Lord of life graciously to look upon him with an eye of mercy, and to restore him by the spirit of meekness; he had no punishment upon him, yet he went out of that place and separated himself from that ungodly crew, and wept bitterly, Matt. 26▪ 75. Happy are we if we can do the like. This humiliation shall bring peace and comfort at the last. It is a true note that we have learned to know sin. ●f our souls can mourn in secret, when we are in health, peace, at liberty, and in prosperity, it is a great mercy of God vouchsafed unto us: and his Name is highly to be praised, and his goodness to be acknowledged toward us, whiles others are hardened in their sin, and freedom from punishment emboldeneth them to their destruction.   

13 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, heal her now, O Lord, I beseech thee!  
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.  
In these words we have the prayer of Moses, and the answer of God; when we cry, God heareth. Where we see, it is our duty to pray one for another, & to commend the causes of others unto God. When we see them in misery and affliction, we must be intercessors for them. We must do it for our enemies and them that hate us and have done us wrong. So it was with Moses in this place. Again, it appeareth hereby that the rebukes of parents are not lightly and slightly to be regarded of children, when they threaten or show an angry look or a frowing countenance, it should work shame and sorrow in them, 2 Sam. 14.24. Great is the authority of parents over their children, and great should be the reverence of children toward their parents, of which we shall speak more, chap. 30. They are over their children in the Lord, and must govern them in his fear. Nevertheless, the authority of God is much more over us, then ours is over our children, therefore his chastisements ought to go nearer to us, and more to humble us then the threatenings and chastisements of earthly parents, Heb. 12.9, 10. We have had the fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not be much rather in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? for they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. The power of parents is a limited power for they must rule in the Lord: and the obedience of children is a limited obedience, for they must obey in the Lord, Eph. 6.1. but the power, of God is absolute over his children, and our obedience to him must be in all things. Besides, we may gather, that God heareth the prayers of his servants divers ways: sometimes he granteth whatsoever we ask; sometimes he giveth more than we ask: sometimes he heareth in part that which we desire, and in part heareth not; part the granteth and part he denieth: and sometimes he giveth not the same which we ask, but some other blessing like it or greater than it: and sometimes he granteth our petitions, when he asisteth us, comforteth us, and giveth us patience to bear that he layeth upon us, of all which we have sundry examples in the word of God. And howsoever it pleaseth him to deal with us, and whether soever of these ways he heareth our prayers, we must submit our wills to his will, and rest ourselves contented with that he sendeth. Moreover grievous sinners and open and gross offenders should be shut out of the Church, whereof we have at large spoken before, chapter 5. where we have handled the whole doctrine in a manner of excommunication: but when they be penitent & are thoroughly humbled for their sins, they must be admitted into the Congregation again and received into the bosom of the Church, to be partakers of the privileges thereof. Howbeit through the corruption of Church officers and the abuse of the censurers of the Church, 
●e abuses of excommunication.  some are cast out that ought to be kept in and nourished as obedient children of the Church; Thus it befell to the blind man, he gave glory to God being made to see, but he was cast out of the Synagogue by the pharisees, john 9, 34, 35. He was a worthy member of the church, he believed in Christ and worshipped him. It is a comfort to all such as are thus entreated. Again, others are kept in the church and fostered in it, who justly deserve to be thrown out by the power of the keys, and to have the spiritual sword drawn out against them: so it was with the incestuous Corinthian that married his father's wife, 1 Cor. 5, 1. he deserved justly to be put away from among them, yet they suffered this sword to rest in the sheath, and purged not out that old leaven, but suffered him to remain among them. 1 Cor. 5, 1, 7, 13. Such remissness and negligence was found in the churches of Pergamus and Thyatira, Reu. 2.14, 15.20. Others, that are justly banished out of the Church for some notorious crime committed against God, and offence given to the Church, are notwithstanding unjustly kept out after their repentance and humiliation: so it was with the penitent Corinthian, he was much humbled for his sin and offence, 
〈◊〉 taketh 〈◊〉 for re●ing the ●mmuni● 〈…〉 into the ●ch, aswell 〈◊〉 putting 〈◊〉 out of church.  yet the Church was not so careful to receive him in as a member again, as they ought to have been, but as before they kept him in when he should have been rejected, so now they kept him out when he should have been received, 2 Cor. 2.7.8. 9.10.11. And if any be thus dealt withal, as many have been in former times, let us consider that our cause is not strange and singular, it is no other than hath befallen sundry the dear children of God before us.  
[Let her be shut out of the Camp seven days, etc.] Notwithstanding the former prayer of Moses, Miriam must be put out from among them. Moses though he were much wronged, yet never complained to God against his brother & sister, nor against their wrongs, yet God will not pardon, but punisheth for those wrongs. For albeit he did pass over those injuries, yet God will not pass them over: and though he did not cry to God, yet their sin did cry, and God heard that cry. The Doctrine is this, that though God's children pray not against their enemies that wrong them and oppress them, 
●●●●rine. 〈◊〉 Gods 〈◊〉 put 〈…〉  yet their wrongs cry out aloud, and God heareth and punisheth the doers of wrong. The faithful are of a patiented nature, and hold their peace when they are laden with cart-loades of injuries and reproaches, nevertheless God will not hold his peace; they are meek as Moses was, and put them up, but God will not put them up, nor suffer them to go unpunished. When Abel was slain by the treachery of his brother, he could not cry out: but after his death, his blood cried out for vengeance, Gen. 4, 10. Heb. 11 4. and 12.24. Hab. 2, 10.11. james 4.5. So did Naboths blood cry for vengea●●● when he was dead, and that cry was heard.  
And no marvel. For it is the office of God to execute vengeance, he is the Lord the avenger, Reason 1 that will not hold the wicked innocent, nor clear the guilty, Exod. 34, 7. He hath said, Vengeance is mine. Rom. 12.19. Deu. 32, 35. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Secondly, he requireth it at the hands of all judges and Magistrates to judge justly, & not Reason 2 to accept the persons of the wicked: he giveth commandment unto them whom he hath honoured with his own name, to defend the poor and fatherless, and to do justice to the afflicted and needy, Psal. 92, 2, 3. If then Princes which are Gods upon earth must do right judgement, then certainly the God of Gods, and judge of judges, will judge the people righteously, and govern the Nations upon earth, Psal. 67, 4.  
This teacheth us, that God heareth, and seethe, and knoweth all things. Though our Use 1 sins be never so secret, and men convey them never so closely, and labour to hide them by all the fetches and devices they can, yet they are open to him before whom all things are open and naked, Heb. 4, 13. Cain the first oppressor took his brother aside, and carried him into the field; none was partaker of the murder, or privy to it: yet the blood of the dead did proclaim and publish as it were with a loud and lamentable voice, both the sin and the sinner in the ears of the Lord of hosts, as fully and shrilly as the voices of living men can discover any thing. Treasons and conspiracies against Princes, are plotted for the most part closely; for although they prepare many, yet they acquaint few with their most secret designs: nevertheless, God hath many ways to find out those persons and practices, Eccl. 10.20. Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber, for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.  
Secondly, we may conclude the woeful estate of all wicked men that are oppressors, Use 2 which think to over-beate the poor & needy, and sell them for a pair of shoes, Amos 2.6. For this should terrify such ungodly persons from sinning in this kind: they may indeed persuade themselves that they shall escape, or rely upon the favour and countenance of men, or that the poor pitifully wronged dare not mutter against them; which are encouragements to the mighty to commit sin and to live in it: howbeit this is a vain hope, and will in the end make ashamed: forasmuch as albeit they may conceal their purposes from men and avoid the place of judgement, yet they cannot escape the hand of God. Many receive great wrongs, that dare not open their mouths against their oppressors: the poor are trodden under foot of the rich, the weak of them that are strong, those of low degree by them that are mighty; nevertheless God will open his mouth in the cause of the afflicted, and stretch out his hand to recompense tribulation to all those that trouble them. This use is handled by the Apostle james, chap. 5.1, 2. Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you, etc. where he threatened these hardhearted men with sundry judgements for the wrongs they did to just men: let not such therefore flatter themselves, but rather labour to break off their sins by righteousness, and their iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of their tranquillity.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing God is the great avenger of the wrongs of his children that never call unto him for vengeance, then much more will he pity them and take their cause into his own hand when they call and cry unto him day and night to save them. The Lord gracious and merciful hath promised, that when the stranger, the widow, and the fatherless child are vexed and oppressed, and cry unto him, he will certainly hear them, Exod. 22.21, 22.23, 24. For if God stay not till they cry, because sometimes they cannot, and sometimes they dare not, & tarrieth not till they open their mouths to complain: then we may be assured, that when the oppressed in their misery and anguish of their soul sigh and groan unto him, his wrath shall wax hot and he will kill their oppressors with the sword of his judgements.  
Use 4 Lastly, we have a singular encouragement from hence unto patience in suffering, even unto the coming of the Lord. He will take their cause into his own hand at the length, though they suffer long. Nay, it is the manner of God for the most part to leave his children in many troubles, until things seem to be desperate and past all hope of help; 
Why God oftentimes holdeth his peace till things fo●me to be desperate and past all hope.  partly to stir up his people to seek to him with greater earnestness of spirit, partly to show the greatness of his own power what he is able to do, partly to catch the wicked in their own crafty counsels and devices, and partly to make it manifest that all our help cometh only from the Lord, which hath made heaven and earth, to the end that the work being his, the glory also may be his. We are ready to ascribe our deliverances to our own power or policy, and to say in vaunting wise, Mine hand hath saved me, judg. 7.2. God is patiented, and suffereth long, but in the end he payeth home, so that the godly shall lose nothing by their patience, and the ungodly shall gain nothing but God's vengeance. This might be enlarged by the example of the Israelites when they were in Egypt, the Lord could have delivered them before any of their miseries were brought upon them, but the time appointed was not yet come, and when all things seemed past recovery, suddenly God appeared for their delivery. Let us therefore be patiented and 'stablish our hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, jam. 5.8.   

15 And Miriam was shut up from the camp seven days, and the people iournyed not, till Miriam was brought in again.  
16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.  
In these words we see the punishment inflicted upon Miriam, God never threateneth in vain, but bringeth to pass whatsoever judgement he hath denounced. He threatened Miriam for her murmuring with the leprosy, behold here how he letteth nothing fall to the ground of that which he had spoken. Observe from hence, that such as are the principal doers in sin, 
Doctrine. Such as 〈◊〉 the chief hand in 〈◊〉 are principally subject 〈◊〉 to punishment.  are principally subject unto punishment. Aaron was accessary to this mutiny against Moses, but Miriam was chief in the sin, and therefore is also chief in the punishment. Simeon and Levi were not the only murderers of the Sichemites and invaders of the city, but they were the chief ringleaders and therefore are only named, Gen. 34.25. and punished, Gen. 49.5. jacob had a great family, as Abraham had three hundred and eighteen persons of his house which he armed and conducted for the recovery of his nephew Let out of the hands of tyrants: so no doubt they gathered together many servants of their own and out of their father's house, by whose help they slew the men of that place and spoiled the city. See also to this purpose, 1 Sam. 15.9, 21, 24, and 2.27, 28, etc. Num. 25.4. joab offended as the king's instrument in numbering of the people, yet David had the chief hand, and therefore he is punished with the diminution of his people, the punishment is proportioned according to the sin, he sinned in numbering of them, the number of them therefore is exceedingly lessened, for there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy-thousand men, 2 Sam. 24.15. So in the kill of Vriah, David contrived the plot, joab offered the means, the Ammonites put it in execution, 2 Sam. 11.15. 16, 17. Howbeit David is charged directly and expressly to have slain him by the sword of the enemies, and is most severely punished, 2 Sam. 12.9, 10, 11, 12. What then, may some say? Object. Are the instruments of other men's evils without sin? are they without fault, and to be holden excused, because they are not the first and principal doers? No: they are not without blame. For whosoever practiseth any evil, whether he be principal or accessary, is guilty in the sight of God; and therefore such as are ministers of other men's evils, are oftentimes punished, whether they be reasonable or unreasonable creatures, Gen. 3.14. levit. 20.15. Exod. 21.28, 29, 32. josh. 6.17. Esay 30 22. As God is just, so he punisheth the instruments of injustice. And as he pronounceth a woe against those that pronounce wicked decrees, so he hath destroyed those that have executed them, as 2 King. 1.9. the captains and their fifty were destroyed with fire from heaven, and yet these were but messengers and ministers of the King. Notwithstanding, though the instruments do offend and not escape, the chief punishment is ever reserved for the chief offender.  
Reason 1 For first of all such as are chief in government ought to stay their inferiors from evil, as the head governeth the members. Eli is charged with the wickedness of his sons, in that they made themselves vile, but he restrained them not, 1 Sam. 3.13. Such governors, make themselves the tail and not the head: whereas they should order those of their house, as the soul ruleth the body.  
Secondly, God will require the blood of Reason 2 those that perish, at the hands of the governors; for that which Ezekiel speaketh of the watchman chap. 3.17.18. holdeth proportion in every ruler: the Magistrate is the watchman of the commonwealth: the Minister is the watchman of the Church: the householder is the watchman of the family; all set as it were in their watchtower, and all must give an account for such as are under them.  
Thirdly, the sin of those that have the Reason 3 chiefest hand in it is greater than of others; as than it is greater, so it deserveth the greater punishment: forasmuch as the sin and punishment shall be suitable and proportionable one to the other.  
It belongeth to all, especially to such as are Use 1 superiors, to consider this; they think themselves absolute, and that they ought of right to command what they list to their inferiors. But as they are superior in place, so they shall also be superior in punishment, if they command any thing against God and his word. Every one therefore must look to his charge committed unto him as a field to till, and be good examples to those that are under them, Pro. 27.23. Psal. 78.71.72. Superiority is both an honour and a burden: as it advanceth to dignity, so it inferreth and requireth a duty. The honour is great, but the burden & charge is far greater.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is the duty of all householders to be careful to order their families aright, and to compel them to serve the Lord; The authority that Princes have in the commonwealth, 2 Chro. 14.4. the same have householders touching the ordering of their households, Gen. 25.2. they must reform abuses, & purge their houses of them that be untractable and incorrigible, Psal 101.2. In the fourth commandment, the master of the house is charged to look to his family, to his servants and children. See, see, I say, hereby the misery of our times and people; they suffer those that are under them to go whither they will, and to do what they list▪ they never do so much as call them to an account where they have been, or what they have done; whether they have served GOD or the Devil. So they have their own work done upon the other days, they give than liberty to all other works upon the Lord's day.  
Lastly, there cometh a great blessing upon Use 3 their heads that are the chief and principal in any good work, that draw on and encourage others in the ways of godliness, for they shall have a chief and principal reward. Happy and blessed therefore are they that govern their charges as becometh them, Gen. 18, 18. Abraham shall be a great and mighty Nation, and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him: and the reason is added, because the Lord knew him that he would command his children and his household after him, that they might keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement. This is a notable commendation of him, he was chief, and one that went before the rest in good things, & therefore he should chief be rewarded. O that the like might be said of us! This should stir us up, not only to do good, but to be chief in doing good, to go before others, to lead them the way, that so we may have the greater and better reward in that great day.  
[Miriam was shut up from the Camp seven days.] here we may behold the mitigation of the punishment inflicted upon Miriam. If we weigh and consider her deserts, so heinous was her sin in equalling herself unto Moses, and despising his calling, that she deserved to be shut out seventy times seven days: but God dealeth not with her according to her deservings: but changeth the perpetual punishment into a temporal chastisement, which should continue not seven years, or seven months, but seven days only. When Vzziah usurped the Priest's office and would needs burn incense upon the Altar of incense, he was stricken with leprosy, and he remained a leper unto the day of his death, 2 Chron. 26, 21. The sin of Miriam was not much less, yet God dealt mercifully with her at the entreaty of Moses, so that she was cut off from the host only seven days, that deserved to be stricken all the days of her life. 
Doctrine. All Gods chastisements are with mercy.  Observe from hence, that GOD doth mingle his chastisements with much mercy, and doth not deal with us according to our sins, Lament. 3, 32. Luke 1, v. 20. 2 Sam. 24, verse 13. Psalm. 125, 3.  
Mark the reasons hereof. First, he is slow Reason 1 to anger, and of great kindness, more ready to show mercy then to send judgement, Psal. 103, 8, 9 Secondly, he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men, Lam. 3, 33. Thirdly, he dealeth with us as a father dealeth with his children, & spareth them as a father doth his son that serveth him, Mal. 3, v. 17. Psal. 103.13. Esay. 49.15. Fourthly, he spareth oftentimes the wicked and ungodly, and poureth not all his wrath upon them; and so prone is he to show mercy, that an outward humiliation hath obtained a mitigation and prorogation of the punishment. For when Ahab, hearing the threatening of God denounced to come upon him as a fearful thunderbolt, and against all his house, so that such as died in the city should be eaten of dogs, and such as died in the field should be eaten of the fowls of the air, he rend his clothes and put on sackcloth upon his flesh, he fasted and lay in sackcloth: the word of the Lord came unto the Prophet, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? 
See the accomplishment hereof. 2 King. 9.25.  because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his sons days will I bring this evil upon his house, 1 King. 21.27, 29. This was but a temporary repentance, as appeareth in the chapter following, verse 8. yet it was not altogether fruitless, but obtained a blessing answerable to the repentance: the repentance was for a time, the deferring of punishment was for a time also. If God grant thus much to the penitency of an hypocrite, we may be well assured that he will be gracious to such as bring forth true repentance and the fruits thereof. Fiftly, we are the workmanship of God created by him: who willingly destroyeth not the work of his own hand? therefore he is not pleased with the striking of them, job. 10.8. etc. Esay 38. Lastly, he seethe what is in our hearts, he knoweth that we are but dust, even as a wind that passeth away, Psal. 78.39. Therefore he is full of compassion, he turneth his anger away, and doth not stir up all his wrath.  
Use 1 Learn from hence that God is compassionate, he is soon entreated upon our serious repentance. He taketh no pleasure in our destruction, he desireth not to crush us under his feet, he is full of mercy and goodness. This is the nature of God, these are his titles. And howsoever he may seem to our corrupt affections to be severe, and rigorous, as the evil and unfaithful servant speaketh in the Gospel, Matth. 25.24. I knew thee to be an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: yet even in his corrections and our afflictions, his great mercy and moderation appeareth, 1 Cor. 10.13. This is a singular comfort to all that are in distress, whether it be of body or mind, to consider how God is affected toward us.  
Use 2 Secondly, we see that happy is the state of the Church, no evil shall overtake those that are truly the Lords, farther than tendeth to their good, Gen. 19.16. their afflictions shall fall out to the best. We deserve to be made like to Sodom and Gomorrha. We know the affliction of job, and the end that GOD made, for he is very pitiful and of tender mercy, jam. 5.11. Now he is evermore the same, with him is no change or shadow of turning; as he was good to him, so also he is and will be good to us.  
Thirdly, is God thus favourable? then be assured that the soul which returneth shall Use live, Ezek. 18.25. and 33.11. As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel? It is with God as it was with the woman that had found her groat, as with the shepherd that had found his strayed sheep, as with the father that embraced his lewd and licentious son.  
Such as begin to see their sin, must not think it to be too late to return. When God calleth and crieth out so often, so earnestly, so lovingly, turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: shall we answer as infidels, or as men in despair, the time is past, it is too late? when God saith, Why will ye die? shall we reply against God, nay indeed against our own selves, It is too late to live? Let us bewail the abuse of God's mercy, patience, and long suffering, but withal we must know that the Lord delighteth not in the death of a sinner, but would that the should live.  
The people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. See here the grievousness of sin: it was committed by one or two, but the contagion of it passeth farther: it was the worse for them that were near unto it, for the people were stayed and could not go forward. Sin therefore hurteth not only those that commit it, but such also as come near it, and troubleth those that are within the reach or sent of it. Again, as God is just in causing her to be shut out of the host, so he is merciful in suffering her to be brought in. And here is an instruction to the Church of God, that they be not too rigorous in execution of the discipline and dispensation of the keys. We must be as ready to receive the penitent, as zealous in casting out the impenitent. We have spoken already of putting out of the Church open offenders, and of the mitigation of the censure at the commandment of God; now before we end the chapter, observe the quality and condition of the person against whom God proceedeth. Miriam was a great Prophetess, the sister of Moses, and Aaron; and great suit and supplication was made to God for her, that she might be healed of her leprosy, and received again into the assembly, yet she continueth a leper, and as an excommunicate person. We learn hereby this truth, That no man, 
Doctri●● None ca● free from iudgeme●● having ●●●ned.  though never so excellent, of what place soever he be, can be free from God's judgements, when he hath sinned against him. What was it that drove Adam out of the garden, and as it were banished him into the rest of the earth? Gen. 3.24. was it any thing but disobedience? 2 Sam. 6.7. Who hath sinned against the most High, and hath not reaped the fruit of his own ways? Let the Angels speak that first sinned, and were first punished: who because they kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto judgement of the great day, Jude vers. 6. Was it any better with the old world, among whom were men of all sorts high and low, rich and poor, old and young; they sinned together, and as it were made a conspiracy with one accord against God, in the end they are swept away together with one universal Flood, Gen. 7. The like we might say of Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, which giving themselves to fornication, and going after strange flesh, suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, Jude ver. 7. The like we may say of kings and Princes, nobles, judges, Magistrates, old and young, bond, and free, 2 Sam. 12.10, 11. 2. King. 7.19, 20. and 1.9, 10. Luke. 12.20, and 16.22, 23. Psalm. 82.6.7. and 49.2.10. 1. Sam. 2.29.30. Luke 1.20. Eccle. 11.9. 2 King. 2.24.  
Reason 1 God chastiseth his children, that they should not be condemned hereafter, 1 Cor. 11.30, 32 when they run astray, he putteth as it were a bridle in their mouths whereby they are kerbed and kept in obedience.  
Secondly, he is constrained to take this course, lest they should trust in themselves, whereas they should trust in the living God, 2 Cor. 1.8.9. We are hardly driven out of ourselves, and to renounce all confidence in the flesh. We are quickly induced to sacrifice unto our net, and to burn incense unto our drag, Hab. 1.16.  
Thirdly, he doth it to humble us and to prove us, Deut. 8.2. revel. 2.10. and that he may do us good in the latter end, Deut. 8.16. 2 Sam. 16.12. so that he aimeth evermore at our good.  
Use 1 Uses follow. See from hence the cause why they keep God's word, whiles other run on in evil: Psal. 119.6.7.70.71. It is good for them that they are afflicted, for before they went astray and wandered from his commandments. Doubtless, if they had all things that the corrupt flesh desireth and lusteth after, they would run into all excess of riot with other men: for as they are no better than other by nature, so their works would be no better than the works of others. God seeing much dross in them, is driven to cast them into the fining pot to purify them, that they may be as pure and precious gold in his sight.  
Use 2 Secondly, we must learn hereby to justify God and to condemn ourselves. For if sin draw down his judgements upon the most excellent that offend, then doubtless we are bound to confess, that in his corrections he is just and merciful, Lam. 3.22. When he afflicteth a nation or particular soul with famine, sword, or pestilence, as his quiver is full of arrows, he correcteth indeed, but the cause is in ourselves, for his judgments are wrought out by man himself, and we must learn to search out the cause in ourselves. It is sin only that deserveth and draweth down his judgements. We must therefore learn to justify God in all his ways and works, yea, if he should overthrow our nation, and strike down our brethren and sisters, and bring us utterly to confusion because we provoke him daily by our iniquities: his compassions never fail, and for that cause alone we are not confounded.  
Thirdly, we learn that there is no respect Use 3 of persons with God in punishing, for none shall escape his hand. He punisheth not the simple, and letteth others escape, no man can plead any immunity or impunity by his high place, by his honour, riches, possessions, or any other prerogative whatsoever, Rom. 2.6. for he will render to every man according to his deeds. He looketh not upon the outward appearance, but so many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the Law, shall be judged by the Law. As God in the decree of his election respecteth no man's pe●●on, nor in bestowing his graces of salvation, which are the fruits of election, as vocation, faith, 
Gal. 3.28.  justification, sanctification, and such like: so in his corrections and chastisements, he doth not strike the poor and spare the rich, wink at the noble and honourable, and strike down the unnoble and base sort; but he respecteth every one as he findeth him, and punisheth sin wheresoever sin reigneth, that all should fear.  
Fourthly, conclude necessarily, that the Use 4 wicked cannot escape. If he strike his friends, he will not pass over his enemies If the gold must pass the furnace, the dross shall be rejected. If the good corn must be ground in the mill before it can be bread for the use of man, the chaff shall be burned up with fire unquenchable, Prou. 11.31. 1 Pet. 4.17, 18. Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner? and if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly appear? It is well said of one, that the tribulations and afflictions of good men, do not bring them behind the wicked, but rather show that the plagues and punishments of the wicked are yet behind, for God reserveth wrath for them, Nahum. 1.2. and will take vengeance of his adversaries, jerem 25.29. Luke 23.28.31. The death and passion of Christ hath taken away the vengeance & curse of the afflictions of the godly, as he hath taken away the sting of death and strength of the law, though both death and the Law remain; so that whatsoever remaineth in the cup for us to drink, is wholesome and medicinable.  
The ungodly do now laugh at us and deride us when they see us beaten at our Father's hand in the house, or at our master's hand in his school: so it was with David, they clapped their hands and made a great shout when he was under the rod, saying, Aha, where is now his God? Psal. 41.5. now he lieth, he shall rise up no no more, verse 8. Psal. 69.12. but let us wait a while, before the time be long, we shall see them scourged with whips, and cast in prison where they shall never get out. They shall be put in the stocks as evil doers; they shall be arraigned as guilty persons, and receive the sentence of condemnation, as traitors against God: woe unto them, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Use 5 Lastly, let us learn to reform our rash judgement touching the suffering of the servants of God. We are ready to judge them as plagued of God, Psal. 73.14. howbeit we are not to judge men to be wicked and ungodly, to be strangers from God and from his kingdom, because we see sometimes the hand of God to be strangely upon them; for as much as they may belong unto God, albeit they suffer in that manner and measure. Rather we ought to admire and wonder at God's judgements, which are so just, that he will not spare his own people when they sin against him: and it is rather an argument that they are the Lords, because judgement beginneth at his house, and he will begin to plague the city where his Name is called upon. When we see stones cut, and hewed, and squared, should we therefore think and thereby conclude that those stones were not regarded, or that they were good for nothing? We should rather judge that they are fitted to some special part of the building. So if a man come into an orchard, and find many trees cut and pruned, he knoweth it is the better for them, because they are thereby made to bear the more fruit: whereas such as are wild and crabbish are let alone. So in the Church of God we see some men lie under afflictions, and the hand of God sore upon them, these we may judge to be as lively stones cut and hewed for God's building, or as good trees pruned to bring forth more fruit: as for others, they are as stones refused, being suffered to run on in their sins, and not regarded of God. For if God did take any pleasure in them, he would afflict them, and make them fit for himself. He winketh at many sins in the wicked, which he will not do in his own children, because they are so near to him, they are so dear unto him, therefore he looketh for more at their hands, than he doth of others, as he revealeth more unto them than he doth unto others. He giveth them more knowledge, and he requireth of them greater obedience, or else they taste of his deeper chastisement. A fire although it burn at the last that which is farther off from it, yet at first it taketh hold of that which is nearest to it and burneth it, 2 Sam. 14.30. Exod. 22.6, 
Heb. 12. ●●.  So God who is a consuming fire, albeit he will punish the wicked that they shall not escape, which are strangers unto him, and far off from him, yet he will begin with his own first, because they are nearest unto him. To conclude, as we are not to think the estate of the wicked the better, because they live in pleasure and prosperity, so we are not to esteem the condition of the godly to be the worse, because they lie under adversity, and the ungodly deride them and mock and scoff at them in their misery and calamity.    

CHAP. XIII.  

1 ANd the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2 Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: Of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a Ruler among them.  

The fourth murmuring.  Here is the fourth example of their murmuring. For the Israelites, through the occasion of such as searched the land and brought up a false report thereof, murmured against God, as if he had never purposed to give them possession of the land of promise. This point is handled to the end of the next chapter, showing their sin, their punishment, and their reconciliation unto God. Consider in this Chapter two things, the search of the Land, and the report given after the search. In the history of the searching, are set down, the things going before, to wit, 
Verse 1. ●  God's commandment to Moses, but at the people's request, Deuterom. 1.21 For they come to Moses, willing him to send men to search the land, being now not far from the borders of it: Moses declareth their petition to God, who approveth of it and showeth that he is well pleased with it, as appeareth in this place.  
Secondly, Moses sendeth men, 
Verse 3. ●  not light headed persons or base companions, of no worth or reputation, but the choice of every tribe, that their testimony might be more certain and carry greater credit among the people. These are set down by name, of every tribe one; verse 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, so many, that the matter might be carried without partiality; and no more, lest the discoverers should be discovered, & the messengers intercepted. Again, if all had been of one Tribe, or if these that were selected had been of no note, their testimony might be thought partial and uncertain. But being indifferently chosen from among all the people without inclining or declining to any side, they have their commission given unto them, 
●erse 17, 18, ●, 20.  to view the land, the people, and the cities. The Land, whether it were barren, or fruitful; woody, or champion; good, or bad. The people, whether strong, or weak; few, or many. The Cities, whether walled or not walled.  
The search itself containeth the fact of these twelve men sent out solemnly by the authority of God, by the commandment of Moses, and by the consent, yea the desire of the people themselves. What they did, is set down, 
●erse 21, 22.  first generally, they went up, they searched the Land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, etc. then specially they came to Hebron, where giants dwelled and inhabited, then to the river of Es●col, that is, of grapes, where they cut down a mighty branch with one cluster of grapes, which for the weight & greatness thereof, they carried on a bar between two of them, with other fruit of the country for a trial, verse 23. Neither may this any way seem unto us either unpossible or unprobable, forasmuch as Strabo witnesseth, that in the region of Margiana, and under the Mountains of Taurus or Caucasus (where it is likely the Ark rested after the flood) are the most excellent vines in the world, and clusters of grapes found containing two cubits in length: and it is the more probable, because that place agreeth in climate with this part of Palestina, where the searchers of the Land found these branches of equal bigness. God had promised unto their fathers, to Abraham and his posterity, to give them the Land, and he that cannot lie would perform it: nevertheless for the furtherance of his promise, he would have them use the means to work out his providence.  
The doctrine. Howsoever God be able without any means and instruments to bring his purposes and promises to effect, 
Doctrine. 〈…〉 duty 〈…〉 means 〈◊〉 further ●ods providence.  yet it is the duty of the godly to further the same by all such means as God putteth into their hands. We see this in Hezekiah, he was certified in his mortal and desperate sickness (for there was no hope in any art of man) from the mouth of God, that he should live fifteen years longer, yet he must apply the dry figs to his boil; and no doubt he used food and raiment for the sustenance of his body, and the curing of his disease, which hereby seemeth to be the pestilence. So Acts 27, 31. This also we see in Rahab, albeit she had a promise of the spies for the preserving of her life, the saving of her household, and the sparing of her kindred; yet to be more sure and secure, she useth means, she bindeth them with an oath, keepeth within the doors of her house, and toeth the line of scarletthreed in the window, josh. 2, 18. Likewise touching Noah's preservation, he must build the Ark, and thereby be saved, Gen. 6, 14.  
For we must consider, that no blessing is to Reason 1 be looked for at the hands of God when he sendeth means, if we do not use them. Indeed God is not tied to them, but can work without them, yet he will not help us without them when he affordeth and offereth them unto us. When the Aramites came against joab, he encouraged his soldiers, willing them to be strong and valiant, and to play the men for their people and for the Cities of their God, and then let the Lord do that which seemeth good in his eyes, 2 Sam. 10, 12. So the people of God had promise of the destruction of jericho, nevertheless they must compass the walls seven days together, and blow with Rams horns, or else they could never have entered the City, josh. 6, 4, 5.  
Secondly, to neglect the means, is no better Reason 2 than a flat tempting of God. For when Christ our Saviour was tempted to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple, he showeth, that the doing thereof were a tempting of God, Math. 4, vers. 7. It is written, 
Deut. 6, 16.  Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. He repelleth the tentation by this Scripture. Whereas therefore there was an ordinary and common way to descend by stairs, he could not cast himself down without manifest tempting of God.  
It is the duty of every one in his calling to Use 1 use the means carefully & conscionably that God hath appointed, if ever we look for any blessing from him. Hence it is, that Paul instructeth the Church of the Thessalonians to labour and work with their own hands, and to do their own business, 1 Thess. 4, vers. 11. It was not enough for them to say, they depended upon GOD for their food and daily bread, but they must work out his providence by their diligence in their calling. We have no promise of blessing without this. God was able to have given the Israelites the Land of promise without this search, yet he would have this means used, for the manifestation of his own glory, and for their further assurance of it. For means are granted to help us, not to help GOD; us, that need them; not GOD, that needeth them not.  
Secondly, we must take heed we do not trust in the means, although we be commanded Use 2 to use them, yet should we not rest in them, but look higher and lift up our eie● farther; otherwise they are merely vain, either to help or deliver us, to save or defend. The Prophets teach, that an horse is a vain thing, and Princes vain to trust in. This appeareth in that proud Goliath, the champion of the Philistims, 
1 Sam. 17, 45.  he came in the confidence of his own strength, with a sword, & with a spear, and with a shield: but did they profit him? nothing at all, his helmet of brass upon his head, his coat of male upon his body, his greaveses of brass upon his legs, his target of brass between his shoulders, the staff of his spear like a weavers beam, could do him no good, they were the god upon whom he depended. Contrariwise, David showeth where his hope and trust was, when he said unto him, I come unto thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. The inhabitants of jericho trusted in their high, thick, and strong walls: but this proved vain, for they found little defence and relief in them, when notwithstanding all their courage and confidence, GOD laid them flat to the ground, by weak and simple means, josh. chap. 6, verse 20. It is in vain to trust in riches, Luke chap. 12, verse 20: or in strength, judg. chap. 16, verse 17: or in wisdom, 2 Sam. chap. 17, verse 23: or in all these, jer. chap. 9, verse 23, because GOD can overturn them with the least breath of his nostrils.  
Use 3 Thirdly, learn that God is not tied to use means, he can, when he pleaseth, work without them, as he did in the creation, giving light to the world without the Sun, and taking away the light thereof in the time of Christ's passion, Math. 27, 45. Darkness was over all the Land. So he nourished Moses and Eliah forty days without food. He hath bound us to them when he hath given them: howbeit, he hath not bound himself evermore to use them.  
Use 4 Fourthly, seeing this is required of us in temporal and earthly things, much more is it necessary in heavenly things. Such persons as will use no means, whereby they may come to faith and repentance, do indeed no more repent and believe, than a man can be able to live and prosper, to grow and wax strong without meat and drink. And herein we are to beware of a twofold deceit, 
A twofold dec●it bewitching the world.  whereby many sorts are blinded and bewitched. The end of our faith is the salvation of our souls, 1 Pet. 1, 9 To attain to this, we must use the helps and means that God hath left & sanctified. Nevertheless Satan persuadeth many thousands in the world, that they shall attain well enough to this end, and arrive safely in this harbour, although they never use the means, and that they shall in good time reap eternal life, though they never sow the seeds of a sanctified life. Now is the seed time: now is the time of labouring and of working: we shall never reap a good harvest and a plentiful reward, if we use not the means to come thither. He that sitteth still and runneth not at all, can never win the prize, or wear the garland. But as it is with us in temporal things, for the saving of the body, so it is in spiritual things for the salvation of our souls. Notwithstanding, men are for the most part great enemies in this respect to their own souls. They say, God is a merciful God, and Christ jesus is a most blessed Saviour, we hope he will save us and bring us to heaven: and yet they omit, and neglect, and contemn the means of salvation, to wit, the hearing of the word, the calling upon God's Name, and the receiving of the Sacraments. They that use these carefully and conscionably, declare plainly, they look for salvation: as for others, we regard not their words, when we see they look one way, and their works another. It is in vain to dream of salvation, without using these. We imagine an heaven to ourselves without these, and a salvation of our own devising; but in the mean season, let us take heed lest we be shut out of God's heaven, and deprived of that salvation which he hath appointed for his children.  
This serveth to meet with a perverse and profane opinion of such as reject second causes as needless and unprofitable, which reason that if God have elected any to salvation, what need they care what they do? they are sure (howsoever they live) to be saved: and if God have rejected any, they shall be damned, how well soever they live.  
To answer these vain and ignorant persons, 
Two rules touching God's 〈◊〉  observe with me two found rules to be known and acknowledged in Christian religion; first, the chief and principal cause being put and granted, it is not necessary that the second and instrumental cause should be removed and taken away: both of them may well stand and agree together. For though one be surbordinate to the other, yet both of them as good friends join hand in hand, and neither of them overthroweth the other. The Sun doth not in vain rise and set every day, though God as the first cause created the light. The fields are not in vain ploughed and sowed by men, and watered with the early and latter rain from heaven, although GOD bringeth forth corn out of the earth, and giveth bread to strengthen man's heart, Psalm. 104, verses 14, 15. Our bodies are not in vain refreshed with food, albeit God be the life and the length of our days, Acts 17, 28. And thouch our souls, it is not in vain to believe in Christ, to repent from dead works, to hear the preaching of the Gospel, and to yield obedience thereunto, although our salvation and eternal life be the free gift of God, Rom. 6, 23.  
Secondly, whosoever is predestinated to the end, 
Z●nch. de ●tribut. 〈…〉 cap. 2.  they are also predestinated to the means, without which the end cannot possibly be attained. Such as are appointed to eternal life, are also appointed to the means by which life everlasting may be got and obtained. For almighty GOD hath from everlasting decreed both the ends and the means, not the end without the means, nor the means without the end, but both of them: and none must make any divorce between these. God himself hath prescribed unto us the means to bring us to the ends: & all that shall be saved, will carefully use them. No man well advised will reason thus, If it be determined, by God's providence, that I shall recover my health, there is no need that I use either food or physic; and if it be otherwise determined, I shall use in vain the help either of the one, or of the other: forasmuch as Hezekiah received such promise of delivery and recovery, yet he must take a lump of figs and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, that he may recover, Esay 38, 21. No man in his right mind will argue thus, If God have ordained that I shall come to my journeys end, I need not go over the bridge, I may leap into the water, I am sure I shall be safe and not be drowned: Or if it be determined, that thieves shall not rob me nor have any power over me, I may thrust myself into all companies, I may travail into dangerous places at all hours of the night, and though I stand there of purpose, they shall not be able to lay hands upon me, nor to spoil me of my goods. If this kind of reasoning be extreme folly, how is it that we see not the vanity of the other?  
Lastly, as God appointeth good means to Use 5 bring us to the end of our faith, so it is required of us to beware of evil means and evil ways which lead to hell and tend to destruction. There are many in the world that persuade themselves, they may follow their evil ways with greediness and delight, and yet that they shall escape death and damnation well enough, that albeit they sow to the flesh, yet they shall not reap corruption. Thus he tempted and seduced Eve in the garden, that she might eat freely of the forbidden fruit, and yet she should never die the death, but be as God knowing good and evil, Gen. 3, 4, 5, But we must know, that God hath linked together as with a brazen chain that cannot be broken, the pleasures of sin and the punishments of sin, Rom. 6, 23, and 8, 2. The Apostle joineth sin and death together, & coupleth them together as the cause & the effect: for the wages of sin is death. Thus we see the devils cunning to beguile, teaching that we need not to do good things, and yet we shall come well enough, soon enough, easy enough to heaven; and that we may follow evil things, and yet we shall escape hell and destruction. See more of this afterward, chapter 20.   

17. And Moses sent them to spy out the Land of Canaan, and said unto them, Go you up this way Southward, and go up into the Mountain.  
18. And see the Land what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few, or many.  
19 And what the Land is that they dwell in, etc.  
Albeit the Lord had promised to Abraham and his posterity to give them the land of Canaan for a possession, yet he will have them bear themselves wisely and warily, prudently and circumspectly in the search and viewing of it, to inquire into the people, their Cities, their Land, their multitude, their strength, and so to get a perfect knowledge of them; and for this cause doth Moses so carefully instruct them.  
The doctrine. 
Doctrine. The faithful must deal wisely in all their enterprises.  Wisdom is a gift required of the faithful in all their enterprises, to do nothing headily, rashly, rawly, and ignorantly. We must deal not only lawfully, justly, honestly, and godlily, but wisely, prudently, politicly. Rebecca hearing of the purpose and intent of Esau, waiting opportunity to kill his brother, and being desirous to preserve them both, but especially jacob, conveyed him away, Gen. 27, verse 43. The like appeareth in Abigael, 1 Sam. 25, 18. she prevented David and the mischief hanging over her own head, and is therefore commended by David himself. So 2 Sam. 20, 16, 17, 18. And 2 King. 4, verse 23. we have a notable example in the Shunamite; she wisely dissembleth the cause of her journey, lest she should grieve the heart of her husband, only she desireth leave and liberty of him to go ●o the Prophet. So Acts 23, verses 6, 7. Paul knowing the great jar and division in judgement among those of the assembly, which consisted of two sorts or sects partly Saduces which denied the resurrection, and partly Pharisees which acknowledged it, he taketh advantage of the present opportunity to sever them, and to deliver himself, Proverbs, chap. 13, verse 16. Rom. chapter 16, verse 19  
For first, wisdom is more worth & much Reason 1 better than all weapons of war, Prou. 21, verse 22. A prudent man is to be preferred before the valiant, and indeed he can do more. He can by counsel take a City wherein the valiant are, and by his stratagems throw down the bulwarks and Castles thereof, Eccl. chapter 7, verse 12, and cha. ver. 9, 13, 14, 15, 16.  
Secondly, if God's servants should not Reason 2 deal wisely, they should lie open to every enemy to be hurt and destroyed, to be overtaken and circumvented in an excessive hand. The times wherein we live are dangerous, the persons with whom we deal, are pernicious, the sleights of Satan that dealeth against us are mischievous, his instruments are grown cunning and crafty; Prou. 1, verses 11, 12. If then we should not deal, as well wisely as lawfully, we should not be able to withstand them.  
If we should not order our affairs discreetly and with good advise, forecasting the issues and preventing their attempts, we should fall into the nets, & be caught in the snares which they lay for us.  
Seeing then this is so necessary, we learn Use 1 that a wise and understanding heart is a great blessing of God. Indeed a simple mind and a single heart is good in godliness, that so we may be innocent as Doves, Mat. 10, 16. Nevertheless, we must be wise also as Serpents. So force and strength are great gifts: howbeit the greatest ornament that GOD giveth, which as salt seasoneth every action, is, when he giveth a wise and understanding heart, so as he enableth us to prevent evils, and to disappoint our enemies, as Christ promiseth, Luke 21, 14. and therefore God's children have asked this above other, 1 Kin. 3, 9  
Use 2 Secondly, be wise in our generation, that they go not beyond us. It is most true, that he which maketh himself a body of Crystal, that all men may look through him, and discern all the parts of his disposition, doth withal make himself a tame ass, and thereby teacheth others, either how to ride him, or how to drive him. But wise men, though they have single hearts in all that which is just and honest, yet they are like coffers with double bottoms, which when others look into being opened, they see not all that they hold, on the sudden and at once. For we have enemies, though they often make fair weather toward us, yet are full of subtlety and policy, they are we see in their generation wiser than the children of light, Luk. 16, 8▪ They are ever watchful, dealing by means, whether just or unjust, lawful or unlawful; and malice against God's servants carrieth them so far, that they make conscience of nothing, so they may betray them. We may say of such as Paul doth of Elimas' the sorcerer, Acts 13, 10. O full of all subtlety & all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? Especially let us labour in things of the best nature, to provide things needful to salvation. The unjust steward is commended by his Lord for proceeding & preparing wisely for himself. If then there be any true wisdom in us, let us provide things honest & heavenly in the sight of God: for in vain is he wise, that is not wise toward God and for himself.  
Lastly, seek to fear God, for that is the Use 3 beginning of wisdom, Psal. 111, 10. Prou 1, 7, and 9, 10. and let us have his word dwelling in us plentifully & powerfully. The word is the wisdom of God, and it should be our wisdom, because it is able to teach us wisdom, Psal. 119, 98, 99 It is able to make us wiser than our teachers then our enemies, them the ancient. If this be not in us to guide us, we shall use ungodly and unlawful shifts, wicked devices. and lewd inventions. These cannot prosper long with us, for God will catch the crafty in their own craft, 1 Cor. 3, 18, 19, 20.   

26. And they went, and came to Moses and to Aaron, and to all the Congregation of the children of Israel unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh, and brought back word unto them & unto all the Congregation, and showed them the fruit of the Land.  
27. And they told him and said, We came unto the Land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.  
28. Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the Land, and the Cities are walled and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there, etc.  
The second part of the chapter is the return and report of the spies. Albeit they went to search out the weakness of the land, yet having warrant from Moses, nay from God, they prosper, and his hand was with them in their going and in their returning. Touching the report they make, and the account they give of their travail and perambulation, it is double; first, to Moses, and then to the people. To Moses, they dare not plainly deliver the poison of their hearts. For howsoever this report may seem at the first, 
The rep● 〈…〉 the 〈…〉  to be the general speech of all the twelve, yet by the words following both in this and the next chapped. it will plainly appear to be the report only of ten of them, Caleb and joshua being excepted, who spoke better things and convinced them. For the other ten, they, under glorious and goodly words, coloured and covered the wicked purpose and pretence of their profane hearts, thinking to corrupt the people with the leaven of their own rebellion, & to turn them away from attempting to conquer the Land, and to bring them to despair of possessing the same. Wherefore, though they do not openly & professedly dissuade them, yet they speak lies through hypocrisy: they do not deal faithfully and sincerely, but having two tongues in their heads, intended to stir up the people to mutiny and murmuring against Moses, by laying before them the difficulty, nay the impossibility of the enterprise. Thus than we see, they perform their Embassage subtly, not sincerely: fraudulently, not faithfully: for they praise the Land with a loud voice, but their hearts are hollow, and they speak the truth to deceive. Their praise is short, but the doubts that they cast into the minds of the people are many. The doctrine. Wicked men do oftentimes then speak fairest, 
Doctri●● Wicked 〈◊〉 speak f● 〈…〉 when th● mean 〈…〉 2 Same 2●  when they intent the greatest mischief, and cloak their evil hearts with soft words, Ezr. 4, 2. Ps. 12, 2: they speak with a double hart. So did Cain, Gen. 4, 8: so did joab, 2 Sam. 3, 17.  
For first, they have been brought up in the school of a very cunning master: Satan Reason can transform himself into an Angel of light, as when he came to our first parents, he wholly pretended their good, and made himself careful to advance them to a better estate, Gen. 3, 4. 2 Cor, 11, 3. Secondly, thereby they know they shall insinuate themselves more closely, and deceive more easily. Open enemies are better prevented, Ps. 55, 12. false brethren hardly discerned: this is the way to catch the simple and unwary in their snares, Math. 22, 16.  
Use 1 Learn from hence a property of man's hart, that it is very deceitful, jer. 17, 9, 10. It is the nature of wicked men to suppress the evil which they purpose, until they can see their fit times; according to the saying of the Prophet, They will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity, jer. 9, 5. Herod pretended love outwardly to the new borne King of the jews, that he also would come & worship him, Mat. 2, 8. but indeed he purposed in his heart to kill him, albeit the wise men perceived it not. Thus do men dig deep to hide their counsels, and weave the spider's web so fine that it cannot be espied: they speak peaceably to their neighbour with their mouths, but in heart they lie in wait.  
Secondly, beware of such enemies and believe Use 2 them not: take heed of them and fly from them, Mar. 13, ver. 21, 22, 23. They have smooth words, but malice lodgeth and lurketh in their hearts. Where the water runneth stillest, there it is most deep and dangerous, Prou. 26, 24, 25. The examples are infinite of such as have been overtaken by them. They that have good hearts are not easily brought to suspect another to be evil: and while they judge others to be like to themselves, they are often taken in their nets.  
Thirdly, we must not be simple and sottish, Use 3, which have to do with such deceitful workmen that watch and ward for advantage. It is our duty to entreat God to preserve us from them, that we may not be drawn away by them to do as they do, Psal. 28, 3. Abel was too simple for so cunning an enemy as Cain; so was Abner and Amasa for joab; & they paid dearly for it.  
Lastly, woe unto all such, they shall in the Use 4 end be overtaken in their own ways, & shall fall into the pit which they have digged for others. They may hide their counsels from men, but cannot from the allseeing eyes of God. We see this in Cain▪ joab, Absalon, judas, and others. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things, Psalm. 12, ●, and 7, 15, 16. Prou. 26. 2●. Let such therefore consider betimes the fruit of their leasing, and know that it will be bitterness in the latter end. They flatter others and themselves: but the Lord will not flatter them, but shall find them out in their sins.  
[They told them and said, We came unto the Land, etc.] We saw before that there were twelve chosen that went to search the Land: yet among them all, only two deal faithfully and truly, the rest were treacherous & hollow-hearted hypocrites. 
Doctrine. The greatest pa●t are often times the worst.  The doctrine arising from this comparison of them is this, that the greatest part are for the most part the worst; the fewest, the best▪ Luke 17, 11. Gen. ●, 5, 6, 8. God looked upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth, verse 12. Cain's stock multiplied, whiles Adam remained childless, Gen. 4, 25. Many enter into the broad way, few into the straight gate, Mat. 7, 1●, 14. When the sin of the Sodomites cried to heaven for vengeance, and all the people both young and old from every quarter wrought villainy, only Lot and his daughters were found in the City, that joined not with them, Gen. 19, 4, 16. In the days of Michaiah, jeremy, Eliah, & Elisha, were hundreds of false Prophets: though the children of Israel were as the sand of the sea, 
Esay 1, 9  yet but a remnant should be saved: & though many be called, yet few are chosen, Math. 20▪ 16. The seed of the word falleth into sundry sorts of ground, yet one only is the good ground. Ten lepers were cleansed as they were going to show themselves to the Priest, but one only returned back to give God thanks. Luke 17, 17, 18, and 13, 23, ●4.  
For first, God will have his servants proved Reason 1 and tried in the falling away of multitudes on the right hand & on the left, whether they will cleave unto him and his truth, or not. It is small commendation to continue in the faith, when others stand, for so do many hypocrites: but to hold out when others give over their hold, is the trial of a true Disciple, joh. 6, 66, 67, 1 Cor. 11, 19 Secondly, men are for the most part addicted to follow the multitude, & to run in great heaps one after another, one giveth evil example unto another, 
Gen. 6.  as we see in the men of the old world. Thirdly, sin is very pleasant and delightful to the flesh, it is most consonant and agreeable to our corrupt nature: but grace and piety are repugnant to the flesh, and we strive against it what we can, Gal. 5, 17. Lastly, we heard before, the ordinance and decree of God which must in time take place, that he which calleth many, hath elected out of that number but a few, Mat. 19, 
Mark. 10, 31.  30. The net of the Gospel being cast into the sea, gathereth together good and bad, but the bad are afterward cast away, as unprofitable, as refuse and reprobate stuff.  
This serveth to convince the Church of Use 1 Rome, and the defenders of the Romish religion, that make universality & the multitude, a mark and note of God's church, whereas the lesser number is rather the truer note. For otherwise we might justify the old world against Noah & his family, the Sodomites against Lot and his house. Paul complained that at his first answering, no man assisted him, but left him alone, yet he had the truth on his side, 2 Tim. 4, 16. and the Apostle john saith, We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness, 1 john 5, 19 And if this were a sure note, we might justify the religion of the Turks & Saracens, which spreadeth the wings of their superstition, much farther than all popery doth, and occupieth a greater part of the world. But such as profess the truth of God truly, are the true Church, whether they be many or few, whether they be in one part of the world, or in many: and such as do not profess the true faith, are no true Church, whether they be near or farther off, whether in one place, or dispersed farther abroad. A multitude cannot make any religion to be true, nor fewness to be false.  
The reasons which they bring to make the multitude to be a mark of the Church, 
Popish reasons to make the multitude a mark of the Church,  make nothing to the purpose, but to mark out their own weakness, serving rather for pomp and show then for any weight and substance, as Psal. 2, 8. I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession: and Psal. 72, 8. He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River unto the ends of the earth: so Luke 24, 47, Christ foretelleth, that the Gospel should be preached among all Nations, beginning at jerusalem. I answer, it were no hard matter to produce an hundred such testimonies, and all nothing to the purpose or point in hand. For the drift and scope of them is no other, then to make a difference of the Church under the law, and in the time of the Gospel; at the first it was shut up within a narrow compass & corner of the earth, but afterward it was enlarged. For whereas before the coming of the Messiah, the banks of the Church were the bounds of judea; under the Gospel they should be no longer penned up in so narrow a room, but the curtains thereof should be spread abroad to the utmost parts of the earth. But all this is nothing to prove the multitude to be a note of the Church, forasmuch as many believers may be in one Nation, and few believers in many Nations, and therefore Christ said, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith upon the earth? Luke 18, 8.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth to reprove the common corruption that reigneth in the world among the ignorant sort and blind multitude, who build their faith and religion, not upon the golden foundation of Christ jesus, 1 Cor. 3, 11. being the head cornerstone, neither upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Eph 2, v. 20. but upon the common customs and blind fashions of sinful men. For if they can say, Oh our forefathers were of this faith, 
An objection of the ignorant multitude.  our ancestors and predecessors believed thus, they were wise, they did think, and speak, and practise this: If I say, they can allege this for themselves, they think themselves safe, they seek no farther, they dream all is well, and take themselves to be sufficiently discharged, if they follow and practise the same that they do; they pray God they may do no worse than they did. Thus while the blind leadeth the blind, both fall into the ditch, Mat. 15, 14. These are they that have no sure ground to build upon, and can give no reason of their faith, neither make answer to those that ask a reason, 1 Pet. 4. They go blindfold to work, and grope in darkness, as the Syrians being smitten with blindness walked to and fro they knew not whither, & so at length were led into Samaria, into the midst of the strength of their enemies, 2 Kings 6, 19 Like beasts that follow the heard, who supposing that they are going to some fresh pasture to be filled, are many times driven to the shambles and slaughter-house to be killed. This is all the religion that they know, to do as the most do, and to go the way that most go. It is a common, but a very devilish proverb, Do as the most do, and then the fewest will speak of it. But if we do as the most do, the best will speak evil of it & condemn it, nay the word condemneth it, nay God himself condemneth it. And if we do that the most do, we must do evil as they do; and if we walk with them for company, we shall also perish with them for company, as it was in the days of Noah. This is a sure rule, 
It is better 〈◊〉 be saved alone, than 〈◊〉 be destroye● with many,  It is better to go the right way alone, then to wander out of the way for company. It was better for Noah to be brought into the Ark with his family only, then to perish in the waters with the profane multitude. It was better for Lot with his daughters to leave Sodom, then to tarry in it with the greatest company that were destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven. Take heed thou do not damn thy soul to the pit of hell for company, because such as sin together, shall be punished together, Ps. 37, 38. If thou shouldst see a multitude of men leap into the fire, or cast themselves into the sea, or adventure to go into a den of Lions, thou wouldst not follow them, because thou lovest thy life & tenderest the good of thy body. The soul is much more precious than the body, & the loss greater than the loss of gold and silver, of pearls & precious stones; for one soul cost more to redeem, than all these are worth, if they were heaped and hoarded together: if then thou see many thousands before thee leap into the pit of hell where the fire is unquenchable, & cast themselves into the gulf of perdition where their estate is unrecoverable, wilt thou run after them and follow them for company to thine own destruction? Thou wouldst not do the one, because thou lovest thy body; be sure thou do not the other, if thou lovest thy soul.  
Thirdly, it is a vain and foolish, nay a wicked Use 3 and damnable opinion, which many hold with tooth and nail and obstinately defend, that any man may be saved in his religion whatsoever he profess, and how soever he believe, if he be earnest and fervent in it. If the Pagan might be saved in his paganism, or the Turk in his turcism, or the Idolater in his idolatry, what needed Eliah to have said, If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him? 1, Kings 18, 21. he might have said as well, it is all one whom ye follow, the Lord, or Baal, if you be faithful and fervent in your religion; and the estate of these worshippers of Baal had been very good. For they were very earnest and zealous in their religion, as appeareth by long prayer and loud crying to Baal from morning even until noon, 
●●rse 26.  O Baal hear us; and by the cutting and lancing of themselves with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them: 
●●rse 28.  nevertheless Eliah being zealous for the honour of God, commanded them to be slain with the sword, as false Prophets and seducers of the people. It had been a foolish thing for Ruth to leave her country and kindred, and her father's house, to go among strangers, and to change her religion, if she might have returned with her sister unto her own people and to her false gods and vain idols, if she might have been as well with them; neither needed she to have said, Thy people shall be my people, 
〈◊〉. 1, 16.  and thy God my God, whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge, etc. The Apostles and holy Martyrs had been unwise to thrust themselves into dangers, and to lay down their lives for the testimony of the word, and witness-bearing unto the truth, if they might be saved without this, living in a false religion, being fervent in it. Nay, if this monstrous and mad opinion were true, Christ jesus should have come in the flesh and died in vain, (which were blasphemous to think:) for what needed he to have suffered, if every man might be saved in his own religion without him? Christ himself saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me: therefore he that seeketh any other way, findeth not life and salvation, joh. 14, 6. And the Apostle saith, There is no other way under heaven whereby we can be saved, Acts 4, 12. And Paul saith, There is one faith, not many faiths, as there is one God, not many gods, Eph 4, 5. The Idolatrous Ephesians were very zealous in worshipping of Diana, 
〈◊〉 19, 28.  when they cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians: yet did the Apostle cry out against their idolatry. What needed they to teach the Gentiles to turn from these vanities, 
〈◊〉 14, 15.  unto the living God which made heaven and earth? it had been enough to persuade them to zeal and sincerity. But this most devilish doctrine was not hatched and broached in those days, these neuter & cunning politicians of the world, were not then heard of: they are of a later brood sprung up in these last and worst times. It is the commandment of God, that we should not follow the multitude, Exod. 23, 2. But if it were enough to be fervent in that which we follow, we might follow the multitude as well as others, and the greatest par● which commonly is the worst part.  
Lastly, it is our duty to strive to enter at the Use 4 narrow gate. The multitude cannot make that which is evil to be good, neither that which is good to be evil: and therefore we may not forsake the truth because the multitude forsaketh it. A great number cannot make unrighteousness righteousness, and therefore they cannot make a false doctrine and false faith to be good. Hence it is, that joshua after a general receiving of the covenant of God, and embracing the true religion of the Prophets and Elders which did profess the same, doth solemnly protest to follow this rule, that although all they (which were a great multitude) should go after another religion, and serve other god, yet saith he, As for me and mine house, we will serve the Lord, josh. 24.15. Object. But it may be objected, Is that always false which the multitude holdeth? or that ever true which the fewest believe? I answer, No: Answer. For when the truth is generally embraced, if any private conventicle start up afterward with different doctrine from that true Catholic doctrine commonly receive, it is a mark of a false Church, not of the true. It is not a multitude simply that can mark out the Church, but a multitude teaching, professing, and holding the truth. But this is a false conclusion: 
Popish and sophistical conclusions.  A few must not forsake the multitude which profess the truth, Therefore a multitude is a mark of the truth. Or thus, It is good in good things to follow a multitude, Therefore it is simply good to follow the multitude. This is no better than a plain fallacy, to draw that to be simply true and in every respect which is true only in some respect.  
Besides, by the strength of this reason, why may we not conclude, a few also to be a mark of the Church? For in the time of Christ and his Apostles, when the whole land of Israel boasted of the Law and of the Temple, of the Priesthood, and of the sacrifices, the fewest number were the best, the greatest number the worst. jer. 18.18. Esay 8.12, 16, etc. revel. 13.6, 7, 8. The true Prophets were in a manner generally resisted, they were reputed as monsters among the people which had made a conspiracy against God. When Antichrist should reign and make war with the Saints, and should overcome, and power should be given him over every tribe, tongue and nation, than a few were the true Church of Christ which keep the testimony of jesus, that are written in the book of the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world; and all other multitudes were schismatical & heretical, which rose up with different doctrine from the Apostles. Thus we see, that neither few or many are simply the Church; not few because they are few, neither many because they are many; but if a few hold the faith of Christ, those few are the true Church, and not the many that are against them; on the other side, if many dispersed throughout the world believe aright, those many are the true Church, & must be followed, the rest which are few, declining from them, and departing from the truth, are a false Church, and we must decline & departed from them, and join ourselves to the former multitude. And as it is in matters of faith, so is it in matter of life and practice. When we see many walk in evil ways that lead to destruction, follow them not, join not with them, neither let us addict ourselves to them, but by all means keep ourselves from them. Let us not do as the most do, when they do evil: but as the fewest do, when they do good. Let no man be emboldened or encouraged unto evil when he seethe the multitude that run that way: neither let any be terrified or hindered from godliness and embracing true religion by the fewness of the professors thereof. If we walk in the right way, it shall lead us to life, 
Observations to be marked touching the following of the multitude.  albeit we have none to go with us. Some account it a sufficient excuse to say, I do but as others do, I shall do no worse than others, I shall escape as well as others. An evil, the more generally it is embraced, the worse it is to be accounted, and the more it ought to be resisted and prevented. The more that go to condemnation, the greater is the horror of the condemned; the more, the more miserable shall their condition be. It shall exempt no man from punishment, though he pretend he was moved and enticed by others. The multitude stirring up Saul to spare Agag and the fatter Cattle, could not preserve him or privilege him from the wrath of God, albeit he alleged it as a buckler for his defence, 1 Sam. 15, 21. If all the world, taking example one from another, should follow an evil and wicked way, the faithful are bound to maintain the right and truth, both in life and in Doctrine. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, when all flesh was corrupted: and Let kept him upright in Sodom, and reproved their uncleanness. So did Paul in Athens, Acts 17, 16. his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City fully given to idolatry.   
30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said: Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it. 
The former evil report brought up of the Land, is illustrated by the contrary testimony of Caleb: he resisteth both them and their report, and his faithfulness is set against the unfaithfulness of the other ten. He showeth, that the land might be possessed, and stirreth up the people to the achievement of it; he assureth them of victory and good success, if they builded upon the unmovable rock of God's power. Now, albeit Caleb alone be named, Yet joshua also is understood, as chap. 14, 6. who joined not with them: but because he was the servant of Moses, 
Why joshua holdeth his peace.  he would not stir up the rage of the people against Moses and himself: but he held his peace, until a fit season were offered, in respect of God, of Moses, of himself, of the people, & of the cause. A word spoken in season, is as apples of Gold with pictures of Silver, saith Solomon, Pro. 25.11. In this example, Caleb speaketh to the praise of God in the midst of the congregation, & honoureth God before the multitude, when he was dishonoured by others. We learn hereby, 
Doctrine. God hath ever had some witnesses of his truth.  that God hath always had some witnesses of his truth in all ages, even when it hath been most of all oppugned and resisted, as revel. 11, 4. jer. 38, 8, 9 Luke 7, 35. Wisdom is justified of her children when others regard it not. Nicodemus stood up and defended the cause of Christ, when the pharisees sought to condemn him, john 7, 35. When the whole multitude had condemned Christ, the penitent thief upon the cross confessed him to be the Lord of life, Luke 23, 42. and when they sat in council upon him to put him to death, and gave full consent to make him away, joseph a good man and a just, consented not to the counsel and deed of them, Luke 23, 50, 51.  
And how can it be otherwise? For the truth Reason 1 shall never decay from the earth, but be spread abroad from place to place, and from generation to generation for ever, Psal. 119, 89. We perish and decay, for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of the field, but the word of the Lord abideth for ever, 1. Pet. 1, 24. God will have this never to die or decay, never to whither or to be worn away. Secondly, he hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, to turn them and change them at Reason 2 his pleasure, as we see in Paul, who persecuted the church, and bound them in chains which called upon the name of Christ: but the Lord suddenly appeared unto him, when the poor sheep were near to the shambles, converted him and appointed him a witness of his truth To bear his name unto the Gentiles, and Kings, and the children of Israel, Acts 9, 15. So sayeth Christ, Luke 19, 40. I tell you if these should hold their peace, the stones would cry; and therefore he can never be without some witness to maintain and defend his truth.  
This teacheth us, that God is most glorious Use 1 and powerful, he is a most mighty God, and will be known in the earth, Psal. 8, 1, 2. with Math. 21, 15. Acts 14, 17. He chooseth many times instruments in the eyes of the world unfit and unable for to accomplish any great work, that the power and praise may be given to him. We see how he worketh for the most part contrary to the manner of men, that the opinion of our own excellency should not overshadow his power. In war he saveth with few: in the salvation of the soul, which is one of the greatest works, he worketh by weak instruments, and putteth his grace in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God, and not of us; even as he commanded the light to shine out of darkness, 2 Cor. 4, 6, 7. So that we may conclude with the Psalmist, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens, etc. Psal. 8, 1, 2. Mat. 21, 15.  
Use 2 Secondly, great and mighty is his truth & prevaileth: he hath always had a church upon the face of the earth, and he never forsaketh it though multitudes conspire against it, and swarms of enemies set up lies, yet it shall have the upper hand at last. This is easy to be showed in the midst of darkness, when the foggy mists of popery had corrupted the air, and over-shadowed the truth, yet God evermore raised up some one or other that crossed & opposed the strong faction that was maintained in the church of Rome. Thisf were not hard to show in many particulars, touching the Canon of the Scriptures, touching the sufficiency of the Scriptures, touching the real presence and transubstantiation, touching the supremacy of the bishop of Rome, and the infallibility of his judgement, touching Pardons and Indulgences, and many other points, which were never generally received, no not in the Church of Rome. The doctrine of Antichrist hath been reproved in all times by sundry persons, even in the greatest darkness of the night of superstition: for as it grew up by little and little, so was it resisted openly & evidently: to which purpose I could produce infinite testimonies, which a man may read at large in Catalogo testium veritatis, set forth by Illyricus.  
Use 3 Thirdly, be not discouraged when the truth is oppressed, because God is able to maintain it, and raiseth up his enemies oftentimes to defend it and to speak for it, and the professors and preachers of it, Acts 5, 34. He maketh the weak strong: and the fearful to be bold in his cause: so at the passion of Christ, when all forsook him, even his own disciples, he opened the mouth of the thief (as we noted before) upon the cross, to confess him as his Saviour and Redeemer, that was able to bestow upon him the kingdom of heaven, Luke 23. He will never want hearts to believe in him, who can change the heart: neither mouths to confess him, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hath perfected his own praise.  
Again, observe that he saw what the greatest number of the spies and searchers out of the Land hath reported; yet he is so far from joining with them, that he maketh it plain and apparent, that they should be well able to overcome all their enemies. The Doctrine from hence is this, 
Doctrine. ●he evil of o●●ers, yea, al●●ough the● 〈◊〉 many, may 〈◊〉 be follows of us.  The evil of others, yea although they be many, should not be imitated and followed of us. We may not follow the example of evil men that go before us in evil. We see this in Micaiah an holy prophet, when the Messenger sent unto him, bade him to say as the rest had said, and to flatter the King; Let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them which declare good to the King, 1 King. 22, 12, 13, He refused to assent unto it, but said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me that will I speak▪ verse 14 So Ezek. 20. ver. 18. Walk ye not in the statutes of your Fathers, and keep my judgements, Math. 23, 6, 7. Noah & his family were just in that unjust generation, when the whole world had corrupted their ways, and the whole earth was filled with cruelty, Gen. 6. Eliah was alone, when idolatry had gotten the upper hand in Israel, 1. Kings 19, verse 10. 1 Cor. 10, 6. The Reasons.  
Whatsoever is in itself evil and unlawful Reason 1 cannot be made good and lawful by any example, nor by many examples. It cannot be warranted by the law of man, much less by the law, the pure law of God himself.  
Secondly, no greatness, no company, no Reason 2 multitude can save a man from judgements due to the least sin: for though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished, Pro. 5. and 11, 21. If we could cover ourselves under the might of others from wrath, we might have some cover for our sins: but all this can do us no good, we lie open to God's punishments.  
This serveth to reprove many carnal and Use 1 formal Christians that oftentimes encourage themselves in evil, and strengthen themselves by the example of others, and especially by the fall of such as they find recorded in holy Scriptures. They allege for themselves, that Noah fell into drunkenness, David into adultery, Lot into incest, Peter denied his master, Thomas one of the twelve doubted through infidelity, and such like. These examples are written not to the end we should follow them and do the like, 
Why the falls of the faithful are recorded in Scripture.  but that others should be warned by their falls not to do the like, and be stirred up by repentance after their example. Nay, these are the rather to be reproved, who seem to build upon such examples, because they find that these men were plagued & punished for the evils which they committed. The Scripture doth not set down their offence and then hide their punishment, but joineth the one with the other, as if this were written before our eyes, Do not the like. Seeing therefore others before us have been visited with great judgements for the same sins, fear lest the same befall to us also that befell to them. If we will follow multitudes to evil, because such sins are in fashion and in common practice: if we will do as the most do, let us take heed, there is no comfort in such company; neither shall it ease any one to go to hell in a throng. Let us not regard the number, or authority, or learning of evil men; but rather follow the truth in matter of faith and profession, for otherwise we shall quickly be removed from it, Acts. 28, 22. The truth was every where spoken against. It hath been the portion of the truth in all ages, Esay 55, 1. Who hath believed our report? None of the Princes or Governors believed in Christ, john 7, 48, 49. but a few of the people, whom they pronounced and accounted to be cursed.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence we ground a reproof for children and servants following their Parents and masters, and thinking it a sufficient discharge to themselves, because they do as they see them do before them. woe unto those that give them evil example, and lay a stumbling block before them. Such parents are greatest enemies to their own servants. 
Parents many times are the greatest enemies to their own children.  We must follow our heavenly Father before earthly fathers, & our Master in heaven before our masters on the earth. We must follow them when they command under God, not when they command above him or against him. We must follow our teachers so long as they sit in the chair of Moses, and teach us out of the Law and the Prophets, Matth. 23, 2, 3. When the mother of Christ said unto him by way of taxing him for not following them, he answered, 
Luke 2, 49.  Witted ye not, that I must be about my Father's business? The Disciples of Christ replied unto the Council, charging them to preach no more in the name of Christ, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge you, Act. 4, 19 And Paul willeth the Corinthians to be followers of him as far forth as he was of Christ, 1 Cor. 11, 1. We must give an account to God whose steps we follow, and therefore we ought to say, We ought to obey God rather than men, Acts chap. 5, ver. 29.  
Use 3 Thirdly, we may gather from hence a reproof of sottish and ignorant Recusants standing and grounding only upon their Forefathers: such as can give no other reason of their religion, but that they were borne and bred in it. Psal. 78, 8. They should not be like their Fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God. And indeed what do these poor seduced souls say for themselves which the Turks and Infidels may not object and allege as well as they? For have not they sucked in their superstition and impiety together with their mother's milk, and continued from father to son for many hundred years? It is an horrible abomination wherein they have been nuzzled, can it be a good argument therefore from their birth and nurture to conclude their continuance in that damnable religion? If they think this to be a gross comparison wrongly applied unto them▪ because they hate that superstition, and profess the Christian religion, I would know of them whether they think us to be right or not? The most learned and best approved amongst them deny us to be any church at all, because we live not under the government of the bishop of Rome; yet this is the Religion that we were borne and bred in, we have had it from our Fathers, we have seen the practice of no other. If then they will not allow us to reason in that manner, and to make the example of our Fathers a precedent to ourselves, how is it that they take liberty to build their faith upon others, and to follow the footsteps of their forefathers? But as our religion though we be ready to defend it to be good, because it is builded upon the foundation of the Prophets & Apostles, yet it is not therefore good because we have received it by tradition from men, but because we have learned it from the word of God: so if they have no more to say for the truth of their religion, and the justification of their faith, then that they were born and brought up in it, they build their faith and religion upon the sand which cannot continue, when the rain falleth and the wind bloweth upon it.  
Fourthly, this should persuade every one of us, how to carry ourselves, namely, that we Use 4 should not take any approbation or liking of the evil of other, neither ought we to imitate any in sin, how holy soever they seem to be, neither give consent to them by our practice, forasmuch as God's hand hath overtaken them at one time or other. If a man surfeit on that meat which he hath seen another before him to surfeit, no man will pity him: or if he see another drink a cup of poison, and thereupon to fall down dead before him, if he notwithstanding will adventure to drink of the same cup, he must needs be without all excuse, and perish justly: so is all evil as a cup of poison, he that taketh and toucheth it, shall speed no better than we know thousands have done before us, who have bought their pleasures of sin at too dear a rate. If men cry out unto us as the children of the Prophets did, There is death in the pot, 2 Kings 4, 40. what do we but bring death and damnation upon our own souls, and as it were willingly lay hands upon ourselves, if we follow the evil examples that are practised before us? In the things that concern the body, every man will be ready to fly such occasions, and avoid such dangers, because they tender their lives and love their bodies: how strange then and monstrous is it, that men dare imitate others in their sins and evil practices, which they cannot be ignorant have been the causes and procurers of sundry plagues & judgements upon them. Let every man therefore labour and endeavour against these things, and look narrowly to his own ways, not suffering himself to be corrupted and drawn to sin by the evil examples of others.  
[Let us go up at once and possess it.] He stirreth up the people to go forward, as the other persuaded them to go backward. They moved them to rebel, he exhorteth them to obedience.  
By this we learn, 
Doctrine. It is our 〈◊〉 to exhort a● stir up one another to good thi●●●  that it is the duty of God's children to exhort and stir up one another to good things, Esay 2, 2. 1 Thess. 5, 11. Heb. 3, 13. We must not only embrace and receive the truth ourselves, but there is a farther duty required of us, to admonish & encourage one another to all duties of holiness and righteousness.  
And that for divers reasons. First, we are quickly hardened in sin. We are quickly dull and dead to all good; exhortation made by others setteth an edge upon us, and putteth life into us, Prou. 27, 17.  
Secondly, such as continue to the end are made partakers of Christ, and with him of all other graces: this aught to provoke us to practise this duty, the rather seeing so great fruit cometh by it; the benefit of all benefits, and the blessing of all blessings, Christ jesus is made ours, Hebr. 3, 13.14.  
Thirdly, we have other reasons used by the same Apostle, chap. 10, 25, 26. Fearful judgements remain for all backesliders. Seeing therefore so great danger hangeth over their heads that revolt and turn back, let us with all courage and care set upon the practice of this duty.  
Fourthly, the day of the Lord draweth near, and we must take heed that it take us not unready and unprepared; we must therefore stir up ourselves and others to look for it, and to long after it.  
Lastly, we see evil men do it in evil and to evil. They labour by all means to make others as bad as themselves, and oftentimes so corrupt them that they become twofold more the children of hell, Prou. 1, 10. & 7, 21. Gen. 11, 3. This also we see in this place: much more therefore ought we to teach and instruct one another, and be helpers to the most holy faith one of another.  
Seeing then we must perform this duty to Use 1 others, much more ought we to do it to ourselves. It is in vain to go about to move others, and sit still ourselves; like to Herod, who moved the wisemen that came unto him to go and search diligently for the young child, but neither he nor his courtiers would bear them company, Mat. 2.8. If then we would have others go forward in good things, we must begin and lead the way ourselves. The Prophet exhorting the people to praise the Lord, beginneth himself, I will praise the Lord with mine whole heart, Psal. 111, 1. If we would move others, and then stand still ourselves, we do more discourage them by our deeds, then encourage them by our words. The Prophet Zacharie prophesying of the kingdom of Christ, & of the zeal of men embracing the Gospel, saith, that the inhabitants of one City shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to praise the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts, and they shall add, I will go also, Zac. 8, 21. And thus it ought to be among every one of us, if we belong to the kingdom of Christ, and have in truth embraced the Gospel, we should call on another with us to go the hearing of the word & calling upon God, to the sanctifying of the Sabbath, and to attend on the Ministry; and add withal, I will go with you. The like we see in the prophet Esay, chap. 12.1, 2, 3, 4. the faithful people of God exhorting others to praise the name of God, do begin the song of praise and thanksgiving themselves, I will praise thee, for God is my strength and my salvation. So it is our duty to go about to persuade not only by our words, but by our example: and we must first do those things ourselves, which we require of other men. It is a note of hypocrisy to bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers, Math 23, 4. Luk. 11, 46. It is not enough for the husband to say to the wife, Go to the Sermon: it is not enough for the parents to say to their children, or masters to say to their servants, It is time for you to go to the Church; but it is needful for them to add this withal, And I will go with you. So ought one brother, one neighbour, one friend to say to another, I pray let us go together to such a Sermon, let us hear what God shall say unto us by his Minister: we cannot testify our love toward them better than this way, and show that we desire their good: howbeit we must add, I will go with you, I will bear you company. This is the way for us to prevail with them, and to do good unto them.  
Secondly, we must consider the state one of Use 2 another, how it is with them, whether they increase or decrease, whether they go forward or backward. This is a common default among us all, we are not watchful over the ways one of another, we never consider one another whether they stand still or fall: we are in this like to Cain, and ready to say, Am I my Brother's keeper? Gen. 4, 9 We care not for the most part how it goeth with them. Object. But peradventure some man will say, Who art thou which judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth, Rom. 14, 4. whereby it seemeth that every one should be left unto himself. Answer, Answer. this place is nothing to the present purpose. For the Apostle speaketh of things indifferent, and showeth that no man should condemn as wicked and profane any of the believing Gentiles belonging unto God, and therefore it belongeth to him only either to approve or disallow the things that are done. Wherefore, we are charged to take the charge one of another, & to procure their good by all means we can, Heb, 10.24. Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works. And how can we bear the burden one of another, except we know the estate one of another?  
Lastly, it is our duty to rejoice at such practice, Use 3 when we see men ready to practise this duty. As it ministereth matter of such mourning and sorrow to see men drawn away from the faith and obedience of the Gospel, Gal. 4.19 and 5.12. so it giveth great joy and much comfort, to see this zeal and care one of another. The Prophet testifieth this, Psal. 122, 12. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord, etc. It would greatly rejoice us to see a man pull the friend whom we love out of a pit into which he was fallen: but it ought more to cheer up our hearts to behold a brother drawn out of the pit of hell & destruction, and made a Citizen of the kingdom of heaven.   

31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.  
32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched, unto the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we have gone, etc.  
33 And there we saw the Giants, the sons of Anak, etc.  
Here we have the second report, which they make to the people, now they pull off their vizard, and show themselves in their colours. For after that these turbulent spirits prevail nothing before the Council, they fly to the people, stirring up the multitude to a tumult and commotion; to which purpose they bring up an evil report of the land, as if it yielded nothing without great labour and extreme pains▪ so that when the inhabitants had spent themselves and wasted their strength, yet it was scarce able to maintain them: wherein as Serpents they hiss with two tongues, 
The report of the spies contradicteth itself.  for they falsify their own words, they confound their own practice, and slander the truth of God with a lie. They belie themselves, because they had confessed openly, that it was a fruitful land: now their tongues are divided, they avouch that it cannot sufficiently nourish the inhabitants.  
Again, they confound their own practice, for they did cut down a vine branch with a cluster of Grapes, and bore it upon a staff between two upon their shoulders. Lastly, they slander the truth of God, who promised unto their Fathers to give them a Land flowing with Milk and Honey, Exod. 3, 8. If then it were barren and unfruitful, and not able sufficiently, yea abundantly to nourish the inhabitants, God had failed of his promise, and deceived the hope and expectation of his people. True it is, these words are not literally to be taken, for there is in them another trope or figure: for first, a part is taken for the whole, so that the meaning is, that the land abounded with the best fruits: nevertheless, such are named and expressed, as needed least labour and travel of their own. Again, there is an hyperbolical or excessive speech borrowed from the waters of the sea, which often flow out of their banks, the meaning whereof is, that there should be great-store and plenty of these and such other necessary and profitable things, so that they should have abundance. The commendation whereof is further set down, Deut. 8.8.9. and 11.11.12.14.15. Therefore jerom is much deceived, 
Hieron. Ep. 129 ad Dardan.  that understandeth this flowing with milk and honey spiritually: and it is true that the word of God is said to be milk for such as are babes in Christ, 1 Cor. 3, 2. and learn the first principles of the oracles of God, Heb. 5, 12. Likewise to be sweeter than the honey and the honey comb, Psal. 19, 10. nevertheless in this place we must understand it of the land itself and the fruitfulness of it, and so it is said to be, even while the Canaanites did inhabit it, and when the Spies brought with them the commodities of it, long before the word of God was published in it.  
Moreover, they make report of great and mighty giants, in comparison of whom they thought themselves as grasshoppers. Some think they are so called, because they were tyrants & oppressors, not in regard of strength of body and eminency of stature. But such there were both before and after the flood, Gen. 6.4. and 14, 5. Numb. 15, 34. Deut. 2, 20.21. Amos 1. Deut. 3, 11. judg. 14.6.19. & 16, 3. 1 Sam. 17, 4 2 Sam. 21, 19 1 Chron. 20.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. These exceeded the bulks and bodies of men that are now borne in this withered quarter and winter of the world, nature itself and the force of it, as it were waxing old: We see then how these hollow-hearted spies discourage the people, and discover their hypocrisy, for they blow hot and cold almost with one breath, and yet they would have more understood then themselves dare utter. For they say, The people are strong, but they mean, too strong for them: they say, Their Cities are walled even up to heaven, Deut. 1, 28. but they mean they shall never be able to win them by scalado: they say, There were Giants in the land, but they mean they would be able to eat them up as Grasshoppers: they say, The Land did devour the inhabitants, but they mean that albeit they should have no enemies, yet the Land would in short time consume them. They never once mention or remember the promise of God, but as Infidel's distrust and despair, and cause others to distrust and despair, and as Apostates they slide back from the covenant of God. The doctrine; Evil men, 
Doctri●● Hypocrite though 〈◊〉 covered 〈◊〉 last vn●  though they long dissemble and hide the evil and corruption of their hearts, yet at last they lay themselves open, and are often contrary to themselves, Luke 9, 59 and 19, 22. and 4, 22.29 Mat. 2, 8, 16. Herod sent and killed the infants of Bethlehem, intending thereby to kill Christ, whom he pretended to worship: and 28, 12. False witnesses came and said, The Disciples stole him away while we slept. But this tale did discredit itself. The Disciples of Christ were few and unarmed, the watch were many, and with weapons. And if they were asleep, how knew they the disciples did it? Wherefore we should rather think, that they do dream when they are awake, then suffer ourselves to be persuaded that they were awake, when indeed they did dream. So Prou. 26, 26. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation.  
Reason 1 For first, hypocrisy is like a wound healed outwardly, but festering inwardly; and therefore at last the corruption cannot but break out. It is a true saying, Nemo potest diu personam ferre fictam, citò in naturam suam recidunt quibus veritas non subest, that is, No man can long continue masked in a counterfeit behaviour; the things that are forced for pretences having no ground of truth to stand upon, cannot long dissemble their own natures. This is the judgement of God upon hypocrisy: at the last it will uncase and uncover itself. Force the water against the current, at last it will break out to his proper course, like to the bow, that being bend, quickly returneth to his place. Hypocrites have no sound hearts, there is no truth in their inward parts, and therefore they must Reason 2 needs at length be made manifest. Secondly, a liar at one time or other will show what is in him, and miserably forget himself, and therefore it is not unfitly said, he standeth greatly in need of a good memory: but every hypocrite is a liar, because he speaketh one thing with his mouth, & entertaineth another thing in his heart: he pretendeth one thing outwardly, but lodgeth another inwardly, Psal. 55, verse 21. Therefore doth the Apostle join them together, They speak lies in hypocrisy, 1. Tim. 4, 2.  
Use 1 Hereby we learn, that wicked men need no other judges than themselves to condemn themselves. When no man can accuse them of guile and deceit, they shall accuse themselves. Their own cconsciences and practices shall pronounce sentence against them, and therefore they cannot escape. This we see in the convincing of the unfaithful servant. Do his fellows accuse him? or indite him? Do they lay any thing to his charge, whereby he is brought into suspicion? No, his own words are sufficient to lay him open; and therefore his Lord said unto him, Luk. 19, 22. Thou wicked servant, out of thine own mouth will I judge thee. It can therefore go worse with none then with the hypocrite, he shall be his own judge. He shall make known his own wickedness, and so bring to light his own shame. Albeit he seek to cover his own profane hart, yet himself shall light a candle to behold it.  
Use 2 Secondly, beware of hypocrisy, which is a capital sin, and hath under it many other evils: it is a sin compounded of many other sins: for they are notable couzeners and deceivers: 
●einous● 〈…〉 hypo●.  they are poisoned with this corruption, and use dissimulation toward God, toward man, and toward themselves. They deceive all saving satan whom they serve. First, such go about foolishly to deceive God himself, that cannot be deceived, and to mock him that cannot nor will not be mocked (for he is the searcher of the heart:) and while they do please themselves, they think by vain shows to please him, Esay chap. 58, verse 2. while they abound with secret and hidden sins. Such pray with feigned lips, Math. 15. verse 8. They commit close sin that God may not see them, or having sinned seek to hide their sins from God. Secondly, they go about to deceive men, desiring to gain an estimation of true godliness, by contenting themselves with the shining lamp of an outward profession. They desire no more but to seem religious: if men will have them in that account, they regard no more, and indeed that is more than they deserve. Thirdly, such do deceive themselves in the end most of all, james 1, 12. These men therefore must needs be most odious to God, who seeking to deceive God and man, do not deceive them, but beguile themselves. He is a notable cozener that couzeneth himself, and that of set purpose.  
Lastly, we must all labour to be sound and Use 3 sincere, and strive to attain unto integrity, and uprightness of heart. This must show itself in every of our works that we perform: for none of them may be without it, neither prayer, nor hearing the word, 
Sincerity is as salt that seasoneth every works.  nor partaking the Sacraments. In prayer, it is not enough to move the lips, or bow the knees, or lift up the hands, or utter a voice, it must be a prayer of the heart and Spirit, Ephes. 6, verse 18. a lifting up of the heart, Psal. 145. verse 18. God regardeth not the tongue or the number of words, so much as he doth the heart. The Prophet saith, If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: So proverbs chapter 28. verse 9 Esay 1. verse 15.  
In hearing the word uprightness is required: and therefore Christ saith, Take heed how ye hear, Luke 8, 18. and he describeth the saving hearers, that they have good and honest hearts. Eccles. 4, 17. 
Sinister ends in hearing of the word.  But such as come for fashion sake, because the world hath got such a custom; or for satisfying the laws of men for fear lest they should be presented: or seem to men to be religious, lest they should be accounted Atheists: or to the end they might see and be seen, because they have a lascivious and wanton eye; or that they might sleep and take a nap there, because they cannot sleep at home; or that they might carp and cavil, because they love not the minister; or to pass away the time because they have nothing else to do that day: all these are far from truth and sincerity, they are no better then hollow-hearted hypocrites. And that we may show ourselves upright this way, we must consider that we are in God's presence, Acts 10, 23. and as the Minister must speak as the oracles of God, 1 Pet. 4, 11. 1 Thess. 2, 13. so he that heareth must hear as the word of God, not of man. Secondly, we must have a desire to profit by it, & a purpose to practise it In the receiving of the Sacraments, we must also have sincerity and integrity. What did it profit Simon Magus to be baptised, and yet to lie in the gall of bitterness? Acts 8, 21, 23. judas was admitted to the Lords Passeover, but his heart was corrupt with covetousness. If any ask, 
How we may know whether we have uprightness in us or not.  how we may know, whether this heavenly grace be in us? I answer, by the infallible signs and tokens thereof accompanying it and going with it. First, if we approve ourselves to God in all things, not to man; if we look up and lift up our eyes to God whatsoever we do, if we walk before him, 1 Thess. 2, 4. and seek to have the testimony of a good conscience. The hypocrite seeketh no more than to approve himself to men, he careth not for the testimony of his own conscience, for that is ready to witness against him. Secondly, such are ready to yield simple and absolute obedience to the word of God (though their own reason be ready to cross the same) even to all God's commandments, Psal. 119, 6. Thirdly, to repent of all sin, and not to retain any one, but to hate the same unfeignedly in himself and in others. The manner of hypocrites is to hate sin in others, not in themselves, Gen. 38, 24. john 8, 9 and to retain some one sin or other, wherein he taketh special delight: as we see in Herod, Mark 6, 20. Fourthly, to humble ourselves in the sight of God, and to cast down ourselves in his presence, and to confess our own vileness and unworthiness to appear before him, after the example of the servants of God, Esay 6, 5. job 42, 5, 6. This note is taught by the prophets in sundry places, Mich. 6, 8. Hab. 2, 4. Contrariwise, the hypocrite is proud, and pride is evermore the companion of hypocrisy. Fiftly, to be confident in good causes, and courageous especially in time of peril, Prou. 10, 9 & 28, 1. Whereas the hypocrite having a corrupt conscience is overtaken with fear and trembling, Esay 33, 14. Prou. 28, 1. Lastly to be constant, and to persevere to the end in good things, to be resolute never to give over a continued course of piety. until we give over this course of life: such bring forth fruit with patience, Luke 8, 15. and shall never be removed, Psal. 15, 5. Whereas the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, james 1, 8. his godliness and religion is as the morning dew. Hosea 6, 4. By these signs we may sift and examine ourselves whether this grace of sincerity be in us, or not.  
And as the gift is excellent, so there are sundry motives to stir us up unto it. 
Sundry motives to 〈◊〉 us to sinc●  For God is good and gracious unto such as are pure in heart, Psal. 73, 1. and 125, 4, 5. he is the Sun and shield to them, Psal. 84, 11. This is the life and substance of all other graces, without it the best things are but counterfeit, and no better than sins against God. Our faith must be unfeigned, and love without dissimulation and our conversion must be a renting of the heart. Consider also, that God is present every where and knoweth all things, Psal. 139, 7. Prou. 15, verse 3.  
Moreover, we must meditate oftentimes upon the judgements of God which he bringeth upon the world, but especially of the last judgement in the end of the world, and of our particular judgement at the hour of death, Ro. 2, 16. Eccl. 12, 14. The heart is the storehouse & keeper of the graces of God, Pro. 4, 23. Mat. 13, 18, 19 Lu. 6, 45. Math. 23, 26. & therefore we ought carefully to look unto it.    

CHAP. XIIII.  

1 And all the Congregation lifted up their voice, and cried: and the people wept that night.  
2 And all the Congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole Congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the Land of Egypt: or would God we had died in this wilderness.  
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?  
WE have seen in the former chapter the occasion of this fourth murmuring, arising from the report of the spies whereby the seed was sown, which in this Chapter groweth up to an open & obstinate mutiny. The fruit was answerable to the seed, the success to the report. And who can stay the stream driven by so violent a wind and tempest? When the arrow is once shot out of the bow, it is too late to wish it may do no hurt where it falleth, because where it hitteth it hurteth. But to come to the present matter in hand; the people giving ear to these false reports, dream of danger where no danger is, like the sluggard that saith, There is a Lion without, I shall be slain in the streets, Prou. 22, 13. To minds that are fearful and perplexed, all fancies and conjectures seem things of truth.  
Consider in this chapped. two points: first, the general murmuring of all, that is, of the greatest part of the people: secondly, the proceeing of God against them for their murmuring. Their murmuring is accompanied with impatience, disobedience, unthankfulness, blasphemy, infidelity▪ and tempting of God, Psal. 106, 24, 25, etc. and it is set down generally and particularly. Generally, they murmured against Moses and Aaron, amplified by the effect, 
〈◊〉 cause 〈◊〉 the Isra● wept all 〈◊〉.  they wept all the night. The cause why they wept is the fear of death, and the sense of their sin: they supposed that they were led as sheep to the slaughter, and brought into the wilderness as to a place of destruction, & had forgotten the promise made 400. years before to their fathers. We see here how quickly and easily they obey evil persons that seduced them: they listen with both their ears unto them, 
●●●trine. 〈◊〉 are natu● ready to 〈…〉 ●ken to ●cers and ●ers.  and forget what they had often heard and seen. Caleb and joshua warned them, but all was in vain. The doctrine, This is the corruption of our nature, we are prone to be perverted, and ready to hearken to seducers, to follow evil livers and evil teachers, while in the mean season we are hardly drawn to hearken and attend unto those that tell us the truth without flattery or forgery, Exod. 4, 1. The prophet of God sent to prophecy against the Altar at Bethel, is easily seduced, and forsaketh the word of God, 1 Kings 13, 21. Our Saviour complaineth of the peevishness of the jews: 
〈◊〉. 11, 27.  We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented, etc. And john 5, 43. I am come in my Father's name, and ye received me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive, 2 Tim. 4, 34. Gal. 3, 1, 2. and 5, 7. Titus 1, 11. Mat. 24, 5.  
First, because in the mind and understanding, Reason 1 howsoever there remain certain general notions concerning good and evil, as that there is a God, that he is just and a rewarder of them that do well, that we must honour our parents, and not hurt our neighbours, yet even these are corrupt and serve only to take away excuse, Ro. 1, 19, 20. and besides, we have all received from Adam, ignorance or want of knowledge of the things of God, 1 Cor. 2, 14. Ro. 8, 7. Likewise disability to understand spiritual things, though they be plainly taught unto us, Lu. 24, 41. 2 Cor. 3, 5. & vanity of the mind, thinking truth to be falsehood, and falsehood to be truth, Eph. 4, 17. 1 Cor. 1, 21. Prou. 14, 12. So then the original or seed of all errors and heresies is in our nature.  
Secondly, satan is mighty and subtle, he can Reason 2 transform himself into an Angel of light, & he employeth many instruments in his work to seduce us as he did Eve, which also work mightily with strong delusions, 2 Cor. 11, 3. False Apostles are deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ, 2 Cor. 11, 23, 24, 25. they come in sheep's clothing, though inwardly they be ravening Reason 3 wolves, Mat. 7, 15. 2 Pet. 2, 1, 2. Thirdly, it is Gods deep, yet most just judgement upon all that obey not the gospel, to send them strong delusions, that they should believe lies. This is a punishment sent upon the unthankfulness of men, when they have the light, and yet shut their eyes: hear the sound of the Gospel, and yet stop their ears; and understand the truth, yet harden their hearts against the truth: Mat. 13, 14, 15. 2 Thess. 2, 11, 12.  
This serveth to reprove and convince the Use 1 rash boldness and heady presumption of many men, who nothing considering the corruption of their own nature, the unstaidness of their judgement, the leaven of error, the subtlety of satan, the craftiness of false teachers, the persuasive words of man's wisdom, and the judgement of God upon all disobedient persons; make no conscience whom they hear: & living in superstitious and idolatrous places, do adventure too far to thrust themselves with great danger into their assemblies, & stick not boldly to hear the Sermons of Friars and Jesuits; whereas they should rather stop their ears against such blasphemies and impieties as they are constrained to hear. These presume too far upon their own knowledge, and are oftentimes caught before they be aware, and entangled in the snare before they see it & can discern it. Let us have ears of horn against their songs and enchantments. And it serveth to meet with others, that fail as much in their obedience, who nothing regarding their own frailty and weakness, neither the deceitfulness together with the contagion & infection of sin, dare thrust themselves into all companies, and can glory that none shall be able to pervert them or to make them worse. But it is easier to avoid their society, 
Easier to avoid evil company, then to keep ourselves from evil, being in it  then to stand in it without yielding to their evil. We must fear our own infirmities, lest we lose the graces of God. A vagrant person that hath nothing to lose careth not whither he goeth, or into what company he cometh, because he knoweth he can lose nothing: but the true man and honest traveler that carrieth a charge about him, and hath somewhat to lose, maketh choice of times, places, and persons. So such as are not settled in religion, and are destitute of the grace of God, care not where they become, or into what temptations they cast themselves, all is one to them in what company so ere they be: but he that knoweth himself aright, considereth his own frailty; and he that hath any precious graces in his soul, will beware to what place or company he resort, lest he be rob and deprived of them. The least of God's graces is much more precious than all the treasures of the whole earth.  
Secondly, the Ministers must watch and Use 2 attend the flock, over which the holy Ghost hath made them overseers, to feed the church of GOD which he hath redeemed with his own blood, Acts chap. 20. verses 28, 29, 30. Earnest teaching and preaching in season and out of season is most necessary, 2 Tim. chap. 4, verses 2, 3. If the preaching of the Gospel be not heard, all errors, heresies, schisms, vices, and impieties, will flow and abound in the Church. When the light is taken out of the Candlestick, all is left in darkness, and men grope in blindness, not knowing whither they go, or in what danger they remain. The true shepherds serve to drive away the Wolves from the flock, lest they break into it to kill and destroy. When the food of the soul is gone, it cannot but famish and perish, Amos 8, 11. Prou. 29, 18.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is the duty of all, considering how prone we are to yield unto evil, to take heed to ourselves, to beware of false teachers, and of wicked persons, lest we lose all that we have learned; to the end we may receive a full reward, ● john 8. We must be constant and hold out to the end, keeping faith and a good conscience. Let us exhort one another to this grace of perseverance. It is better never to begin, than not to hold out unto the end.  
[Verse 2, 3. And all the Congregation of Israel murmured, etc. and said, Would God we had died in the land of Egypt, etc.] In these words, we see their murmuring in particular. They wish that they had died in Egypt, or in the wilderness, not that they might so cease to sin, and enter into the kingdom of glory, for which the faithful desire it, Philip. 1, 23. but through impatience and contempt of the mercies and blessings of God: for they accuse him of cruelty, or cozenage, or both; as if he went about to betray them, and deliver them into the hands of the Canaanites, and to destroy them, their wives and children. Thus these traitors do accuse God of treason; and all this, because they should have to do with powerful enemies: as if they had not found greater experience of the almighty power of God. Besides, they accuse him of weakness, as well as of rigour and cruelty, as if he were inferior to those accursed nations. Lastly, to fill up the heap & measure of their sins, they would needs go back again into Egypt. This mutiny passeth all the rest that went before or follow after, & God did punish the same more grievously than any other. For after so many benefits bestowed, so many remissions obtained, so many judgements inflicted, so many miracles showed, they esteemed this wonderful deliverance from the Egyptian slavery, his feeding and conducting them through that great and terrible wilderness, Deut. 1.19: no otherwise then as notable effects of his hatred, not of his love; imagining and charging Moses that they were led as a prey to be slaughtered. All this mischief hatched and harboured among them came to pass through the deceitful report of the searchers, telling them that the Cities of their enemies were strongly walled, and flanked with many Towers and Castles, & divers of the people were giantlike men, of fearful stature, which so far overtopped the Israelites, as that they appeared to them, and likewise to themselves, but as Grasshoppers, that is, of small stature in comparison of them. Hereupon they refuse to go any further, and proceeding in their insurrection, they determine to cast off Moses, and to leave him to shift for himself, & so consulted to choose them a Captain, or as they call it now adays, an Electo to carry them back again into Egypt, and to yield themselves again into the hands of Pharaoh. They began with weeping and tears, but they end in rage and madness, proceeding from one degree to another; in the end seeking to murder such as exhorted and persuaded them to obedience. The doctrine. 
Doctrine. Wicked me● proceed fr● one evil to another.  It is the nature of wicked men, they do not only sin, but they increase their sins, and add sin unto sin, they proceed from evil to worse, and cease not till they have filled up the measure thereof. Gen. 15.16. 2 Tim. 3.16.17. Mat. 23.32. Rom. 6.19. Eph. 4.19. Being past feeling they wrought all uncleanness.  
For first, they are compared to fools & men Reason 1 besides themselves. Solomon affordeth the wicked no better title, because though he knew judgement prepared and provided for him due to his sin, yet he runneth on like a fool in his wicked course▪ Prou. 7.22. Lu. 15.17. adding sin to sin, and never applying the threatening to himself. Secondly, they through custom and continuance in evil doing, have quite lost the feeling of sin in their conscience. Even as a man that is possessed with a frenzy, receiving blow after blow, hurt after hurt, and wound after wound, yet still goeth away laughing, because he hath no feeling of himself, Mark 5. verse 5. Even so is it with wicked men, they have no feeling of their sins, their consciences are dead and benumbed, 1 Timothy 4.2. Thirdly, God giveth not repentance unto them, and they can have no heart to it at all, to bewail and grieve for their sins. Until Christ did look back upon Peter with his Spirit as well as with his eye, he had no heart at all to mourn and weep bitterly for his sins, Math. 26, 75. Thus doth God punish their want of conscience, and the fear of his name.  
Behold from hence the difference between Use 1 the godly and the ungodly. As there is in the manner of their sinning, so likewise there is a difference in the measure of their sins. The godly do not continually lie in them, and add unto them from day to day, as the Sow that walloweth in the mire. It is a most miserable and fearful condition, when men are so far left of GOD, and forsaken in his justice to multiply and increase their sins, till they have filled up the heap and measure of them, so that one sin toucheth another, Hosea chapter 4. verse 2. We have need continually to seek unto GOD, and to desire him to stop the passage, that we do not proceed in them, and augment them after the manner of wicked men, and multiply one sin upon another. This therefore is a very dangerous estate, even near unto destruction.  
Secondly, this giveth good and sufficient Use warrant when to judge a man to be a wicked person. If he add sin unto sin, and we do find that he hath given himself over to remain and continue in sin, to be even a slave to sin and satan, we may pronounce sentence and give our verdict upon him, that such a one is a profane person. This we may boldly avouch and aver without craving any pardon; as one Swallow maketh not a summer, so one sin maketh not a sinner. But as we may judge a man to be of such a trade, if we see him follow it earnestly, continually, constantly, and in a manner to busy himself in nothing else; if he rise up early, and continue at it until night: so we way judge a man to be profane and wicked, if we see him make a trade and occupation of sin, if we see him follow his sin with greediness, rising betimes and pursuing the same till night, if we see him to be a breaker of the Sabbath, a beastly drunkard, an unclean fornicator, or an open contemner of the word, if he delight in swearing, lying, and such like sins, we may judge him to be a wicked and wretched man, such an one as hath given over himself to add and multiply one sin in the neck of another. It may be such profane persons may refrain their sins for a time, while the hand of God is upon them, yet they are still to be holden as evil men: for let God once remove his hand, by and by they fall to sin afresh, declaring plainly thereby, that the heart was wicked & unreformed, and wholly bend to commit sin, albeit they abstained for a short season. We see this in the Sodomites which came to Lot's house with an intent and full purpose to commit filthiness, God smote them with blindness that they could not do it, Genes. 19, 11. because they could not find the house, yet they were never awhit the less guilty of that uncleanness. The like we might say of Pharaoh, who did take away Abraham's wife into his house, the Lord plagued him and his house for it, that he could not execute any wickedness, Gen. 12.17. yet he was no less a sinner. So is it with all wicked persons, though they be restrained by the hand of GOD, yet are they not reform, but remain as evil as they were before.  
Thirdly, we ought carefully to resist the Use 3 beginnings of sin, and to take heed of entertaining a custom in it. Custom becometh as the Blacke-Moores skin, and the Leopard's spots, jerem. 13, 23. and turneth into a second nature. True it is, a man may be drawn by infirmity to fall; but this must admonish us to beware of continuance in sin: for thereby in short time we shall become senseless. Sin cleaveth fast on, no man liveth and sinneth not, but let us not harbour it, let it not run too far or too fast. Resist therefore the first motions. A little spark nourished maketh a great flame: a little Leaven leaveneth the whole lump. To give way to it, is as the opening of the floodgates, or as the rolling down a mighty hill: there is no stay of the passage of it. Learn to repress evil thoughts, before consent: if we have consented, yet let us not put it in practice; and if we have practised, yet repent betimes and lie not in it, james 1, 14. The Apostle james maketh many degrees of sin; a drawing away, a conception, than the birth, lastly death. One sin draweth on another, until man become abominable. Hence it is, that many make no bones of sin, but swallow as many as are offered unto them. The common swearer cannot tell whether he doth swear or not, he useth it so familiarly and ordinarily, that he maketh no scruple of it.  
Lastly, let the faithful grow better & better, Use 4 and learn to proceed from grace to grace, and from faith to faith, Rom. 1, 17. and add virtue to virtue, 2 Pet. 1, 5, 6. and as he that is unjust becometh more unjust, and he that is filthy becometh more filthy, so let him that is righteous be more righteous, and he that is holy, let him become more holy, Revelation 22, 11. This is a certain note of continuance and persuerance; also of truth and sincerity, Philip. 3. verse 12. john 15, 2. Let us therefore make a beginning, and enter into the practice of godliness: one good work shall draw on another, and the longer that we continue in the exercise of piety, the more easy shall it be unto us, 1 john chap. 5. verse 3.   

6 And joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rend their clothes.  
7 And they spoke unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land which we passed through to search it, is a good land.  
The sin of these persons is further declared in these words, and the rest that follow. They are admonished, but they will not be admonished; rather they grow more obstinate and hardhearted, verifying the saying of Solomon, Though thou shouldest bray a Fool in a Mortar amongst wheat with a Pestle, yet will not his foolishness departed from him. Proverb. 27, 22. here we have an excellent speech of Caleb and joshuah, verses 7, 8, 9 They put the people in mind of the goodness of the land, and of the love of God toward them, and that the enemies should be bread for them, that is, they should be as easily consumed as a piece of bread is swallowed: as if they should say, We seemed Grasshoppers unto them, but we say unto you that they shall be bread for us, we shall utterly destroy them.  
To conclude, they will them not to fear the people of the Land, because God was departed from them, but he was amongst his own people. Nevertheless, they would not hear them, they did sing a song to an heavy heart, Prou. 25, verse 20. nay to an hard heart; they had brazen foreheads, and were ashamed of nothing, and therefore for all the care of them, and the love showed unto them, they went about to stone them to death, had not God protected them that stood in his cause. Observe first of all, in that Caleb and joshuah rend their clothes, 
Doctrine. The faithful are grieved for the sins of others.  and fell down before the Lord (a gesture usual in these times) when they heard the blasphemous words of these hypocrites, that the faithful are much grieved even for the sins and rebellions of others. This hath always been the holy affection of God's servants, they have not only mourned and lamented for their own sins, but they have proceeded farther, to take to heart the sins of other men, as Lot, 2 Pet. 2, 7. and David, Psal. 119, 136. They that escaped out of the common destruction are described by this note, they mourned and cried out for the abominations that were committed in the land Ezek. 9, 4. Christ our Saviour wept for jerusalem, Luk. 19, 41, 42.  
Reason 1 The reasons. First, they know that God's anger is provoked for sin, and his curse falleth upon the head of the sinner. joshua had cause to mourn when he saw that Israel could not stand before their enemies, joshua 7, 8. For Achan had sinned against the Lord, and the host could not prosper so long as he remained among them. No marvel therefore, if they be grieved whensoever they behold the wrath and judgements of God procured.  
Secondly, if we know their iniquities, and Reason 2 do not mourn for them, they become ours, and we do thereby make them our own. Thus we are made partakers of other men's sins. If we mourn for them, they are theirs, not ours: if we do not mourn, they are both theirs and ours. Hence it is that the Corinthians are reproved, that they sorrowed not for the incestuous person that was among them: yea themselves were defiled by his sin, and became as one polluted lump with him, as the leaven leaveneth three pecks of meal into which it is put. And we see in the prophet Ezekiel 9, 5. they are smitten that mourned not for the abominations committed, as well as they that did commit them.  
Thirdly, hereby much good and many benefits Reason 3 come unto ourselves. Such are pronounced blessed by the mouth of Christ, Mat. 5, 4. that mourn, whether it be for themselves or for others, or both, for they shall be comforted. When the heavens water the earth, there followeth a fruitful increase: but when the earth watereth the heavens, there shall follow a more plentiful harvest of all heavenly spiritual comfort. If any ask when the heavens are watered by the earth, Objection forasmuch as this may seem to be out of course, and contrary to the nature of them: I answer, whensoever a sinner poureth out the tears of his penitent soul and broken heart into the bosom of God, Answer. than the earth may be said to water the heavens. For the tears of the godly fall not to the ground, 
Cooper upon Psal. 119.  they ascend upward, they do not descend downward: I understand it of the fruit and benefit of them; the Lord gathereth them when we shed them, as precious pearls, and putteth them in his bottle of remembrance. Every drop that falleth from a penitent soul, is as a precious pearl: 
The tears 〈◊〉 the g●the● precious pearls.  nay more worth than many jewels of the world. It shall little avail us to have many pearls and jewels hanging about us, and to want those that now we speak of. These do not die and perish, but are sown as good seed in the earth, the fruit whereof is very comfortable, because they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, Psal. 126, 5.  
Learn from hence the difference between Use 1 the godly and ungodly. The godly mourn for the sins of others, as if they were their own, whereas the ungodly make a mock of sin, and can laugh heartily at it, as if it were a matter of merriment and of pastime, Prou. 14, 9 here than is a note to know, who are Gods Children, and who are not. When we cannot reform and amend evil, yet if God have given us hearts to mourn for it, it is an happy thing for us, a great blessing, and a good sign that we belong unto him. Lot dwelled among the Sodomites, they were grievous sinners against the Lord, & the cry of them was come up to heaven, he could do no good among them; yet he was so far from joining with them, that he vexed his soul for them. If we do not follow his example, in vain we boast ourselves to be the servants of God. This made David say, the zeal of thine house hath consumed me, & the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me, Ps. 69, 9, 10. And the Israelites carried into captivity wept when they heard the insultings and blasphemies of the wicked, Psal. 137, 6. The godly must not say, I will walk in the way of the multitude, I will join with them, and that it is in vain to strive against them.  
Secondly, see the state of the faithful in this Use 2 life, somewhat there is always to humble and afflict them, in themselves, or in others. 
In this life 〈◊〉 and graefe 〈◊〉 mingled together.  The Prophet David testifieth oftentimes his joy of heart which God gave him, nevertheless this is not found without grief and sorrow. We have no joy without grief in this world, but they are tempered and mingled together, bitter and sweet one with another, lest in joy we should be two joyful, & in sorrow we should be too sorrowful, the one serving to allay the other, and the one making the other profita-Howbeit after this life, when God shall separate the sheep from the goats, 
After this 〈◊〉 joy and g● are seuere●  these affections also shall be separated, the godly shall have joy without grief, the ungodly shall have grief without joy. To have joy without any trouble is not to be looked for upon the earth, it is the condition of them that are glorified and perfected in heaven. On the other side, to have grief and anguish without joy and comfort, is the miserable condition of them that lie damned and tormented in hell, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth, Math. 25, 30. horror without release; weeping, but the tears shall never be wiped away; fire, but it shall never be quenched: this is their cup to drink, this is their portion to inherit. But the godly upon earth, have the gifts of GOD mingled with wants, faith with infidelity, assurance with doubting, hope with despair, love with hatred, perfection with imperfection, sanctification with the relics of sin, as likewise they have grief tempered with joy, and joy with grief. Indeed sometimes they want the sense and feeling of joy and comfort, but neu●r all hope and expectation of them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, we ought much more to mourn for our own sins, otherwise it were gross hypocrisy to mourn for others more than for ourselves, or so much for others as for ourselves. It is sufficient that we mourn for other men, whose sins we cannot amend: but more is required to be performed toward ourselves; we must both mourn for them, and amend them. If we can weep for them, and do not amend them, our tears are counterfeit tears. Let us therefore oftentimes examine ourselves, how we are affected toward ourselves and toward others, and touching our grief conceived for our sins, and for the sins of other men. Let us mark where we bestow our greatest sorrow, and thereby take notice how it standeth with us, and so learned to reform our practice, if we find it any way to be amiss. The women that followed Christ our Saviour to the Cross, wept for him and thought they had just cause so to do; but never imagined that they had more cause to weep for themselves, and therefore he correcteth that practice, Luke 23, 28. Daughters of jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves and for your children, etc. We shall all of us find cause in our own selves to mourn and humble ourselves for ourselves.  
Lastly, we ought to have a care of the salvation Use 4 of others, and to desire their repentance, otherwise our mourning is idle and nothing worth. He that is entered into the way of salvation himself, will both hunger and thirst after the salvation of other. And hereby we may try, whether our mourning for others be sanctified or not. For as there is a carnal joy, so there is a carnal sorrow: and as there is a natural joy, such as natural men have, so there is a natural sorrow, arising from natural causes. If we have the spiritual & godly sorrow, it will work in us a great care and desire of the salvation of our brethren. 
〈◊〉 oecol●m●●omment. 〈…〉, cap.  As godly sorrow causeth in us repentance never to be repent off, 2 Cor. 7, 10. so godly sorrow conceived for the sins of others, will bring forth an earnest longing in us to bring them to repentance.   

8. If the Lord delight in us, than he will bring us into this Land, and give it us, a Land which floweth with milk and honey.  
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the Land, for they are bread for us; their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us, fear them not.  
Of the interpretation of these words, we have spoken in the former verses. They contain an effectual exhortation able to stop the mouths of the seditious spies, and to persuade the people to proceed, building themselves upon the blessed experience of the love of God toward them, and of his power sufficient to save them, and ready to stand for them: and touching their enemies, they should be assured, they could not prevail, because God is not among them, he had laid them open to judgement. The Doctrine. 
Doctrine. God is a shield to his, but taketh no care nor charge of his enemies.  God is a shield and defence for all that are his, but as for his enemies, he taketh no care nor charge of them▪ he leaveth them to themselves, Prou. 30, 5. Exod. 15, 2, and 29, 45, 46. judg. 2, 14. Psal. 3, 3, and 18, 2.  
The reasons. God is the Captain of his Reason 1 host, to fight his own battles against all the enemies of the Church, 2 Chro. 13, 12. josh. 5, 14.  
Secondly, sin maketh naked and bare of Reason 2 Gods protection and defence, Exod. 32, 25. when the people had committed idolatry, Moses saw that they were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies.  
Thirdly, the enemies of God have forsaken Reason 3 him, and therefore he will not be with them, because they will not be with him: it is a just thing that he should forsake them that have forsaken him, and that he should not be on their side, who are not on his. They that will not be his people, he will not be their God, Hos. 3, 3, & 1, 9  
From hence it may be objected, Object. Is not God said to be every where? Esay 66, 1. Answer. Answer. He is touching his essence, but not in his effectual working by his Spirit to save and deliver. Thus he is only with the godly. Hence it is, that in the end of this chap. verse 42. the Lord said to the rebellious, Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that ye be not smitten before your enemies. He was not among these, to fight for them, and to save them, to defend and deliver them by his power & great might; otherwise by his essence and according to his nature he was even among them, as he is also every where. Thus we see, how God is said to be near, and how to be far off. 
How God is said to be near, & how far off.  For while he offereth grace by the ministry of his word, and causeth it to be preached unto us, he is near unto us, Esay 55, 6. Call upon him while he is near to wit, while his arm is stretched out to receive us; and his mercy is offered to save us. Thus God may be said to be in one place and in one person more than in another, yea in one place and person & not in another: and he is said, sometimes to come, and sometimes to go away, notwithstanding he be every where essentially, and there be no mutation of place, or shadow of change with him. When he beginneth to work by his holy Spirit, 
How God may be said to come to a people.  faith, repentance, and sanctification, in the hearts of his children, he may be said to come unto them, as john 15, 22. revel. 3, 20. And when he preached by Noah to the old world, Christ is said by his divine Spirit to come among that people, 1 Pet. 3, 19 He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient, etc. So likewise his absence or departure, is the removing of the effects of his presence, to wit his grace and favour.  
Use 1 From hence ariseth comfort to all the godly, they are safe and 〈◊〉 under the wings of God, he is a buckler round about, he is their castle and their fortress, whereupon they may be bold and confident in dangers, Psal, 23, 4. No enemy shall hurt them, no danger shall overthrow them. The enemies may oppress them for a time, but God is not far off: if he be on our side, who shall be against us?  
Use 2 Secondly, woe be unto all the enemies of God, they cannot stand nor prosper: which serveth to terrify all evil doers. They are as outlaws or rebels, that live no longer under the protection of law or Magistrate: so are the ungodly proscribed of God, and lie open to judgement. They are as soldiers without weapons, they have neither shield, nor buckler, nor breastplate, nor helmet, nor sword; their loins are ungirt, their feet are unshod, their heads are uncovered in the day of battle; they lie open as naked men to be wounded and destroyed. They have nothing to defend them or to do them good, all creatures are against them, nay the Creator himself.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is the duty of the faithful to look to their ways, seeing the Lord is with them, and dwelleth among them. He is a God of pure eyes, he seethe us and all our ways; let us therefore carry ourselves unspotted of the world, and labour to be holy, as he is holy, Leuit. 11, 44. and 19.1, and 20, 7. lest we give him just cause to leave us. If we have any friend come unto us, we are willing to give him the best entertainment we can, we are loath to departed from him, we are willing to content him: how much more ought we to receive the Lord? for we may expect more of him, and be assured of defence & protection from him; grieve him not therefore nor his Spirit by our sins. So long as they are fostered in us, he cannot be welcome unto us, neither shall we be welcome unto him. They will drive him away & make him departed from us. Our bodies should be the Temples of the holy Ghost, 
1 Cor. 6, 19  and therefore we must remember, that as we are not our own, but bought with a price, so we ought to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are Gods.   
10. But all the Congregation bade, stone them with stones: and the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, before all the children of Israel. 
These rebels had raged against God, no marvel therefore if they raged against his servants, who notwithstanding had not used any rigour or force against them, only they persuaded them to trust in the promise of God, and boldly to proceed on their journey toward the Land. But this is accounted as an heinous crime, and they deal with them as men worthy of death, according to the saying of Solomon, Prou. 9, 7. He that reproveth a scorner, getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man, getteth himself a blot. Thus we see how wicked men can abide no reproof, nay, they cannot suffer a word of exhortation, they cannot abide that others should do better than themselves. Again, such as are carnal and corrupt, are prone to hatred, malice, and revenge, yea when no cause of offence is offered unto them. See also how God protecteth his servants in times of danger.  
But to pass over these points, from hence observe, that such as are God's servants, 
Doctrine. Such as are gods seru●●● shall be e● entreated.  and stand for good causes, shall be persecuted, maligned, and evilly entreated, as if they were murderers and malefactors. Though they deserve to be favoured and loved, yet they shall be hated, cursed, and contemned. So it was with Moses, when he came to Pharaoh, & moved him to let the people go, Exod. 5, 1, 2, 5, 6. Dan. 3, 19, and 6, 16. Acts 4, 20, 21. and 5, 18. john 16, 2. 1 Kings 13, 4. Thus was it with Eliah and Elisha; thus was it with Michaiah & jeremy: and thus it was with all the Prophets, Math. 23, 34.  
The reasons; because the world hateth the Reason 1 truth, and the professors of it: The Preachers and professors of it, because they manifest & publish the truth, Gal. 4, 16: The truth itself, because men love darkness more than the light, inasmuch as their own deeds are evil, john 3, 19 They are chosen out of the world, therefore the world hateth them; whereas if they were of the world, the world would love his own, john 15, 19  
Secondly, Satan is their enemy, and seethe Reason 2 that by them his kingdom is in danger to be overthrown; hence it is, that he rageth and raiseth persecution, that thereby he may stop their mouths, & stop the course of the truth, revel. 2, 10, and 12, 13.  
Thirdly, God will have his servants tried Reason 3 in their faith, patience, constancy, and obedience, revel. 2, 10. We must learn to walk through good report and evil report, and be ready to renounce all rather than the truth, which we must buy at any rate, 
Prou. 23, ●  but never sell it though we might gain all the world, because all such gain is the greatest loss, Math. 16, verse 26.  
The uses follow. First, marvel not at it when Use 1 we see this come to pass: neither condemn the truth, or the professors of it, 1 john 3, 13. Marvel not if the world hate you. Let us comfort ourselves with this consolation, that it is no rare thing, neither is our case singular, neither do we suffer alone, it hath been the lot of all Christians, nay of Christ himself; let us not seek to be better than he was, the servant may not be above his Lord, if they have persecuted him, they will persecute us, joh. 15, 2. Christ himself pronounceth such as suffer for righteousness sake to be blessed, for so did they persecute the Prophets that were before us, Math. 5, 12. Many men in the world are discouraged from godliness of life and walking in a sincere profession, because they see the godly persecuted, and the ungodly to prosper and flourish: therefore john doth forewarn, not to marvel hereat, because this ought not to seem strange unto us, it hath been so from the beginning, and so it hath continued. The world, though it be full of changes, yet changeth not his nature, neither taketh upon it any other shape. Wherefore, we must not cease from godliness for hatred of the world, but rather go more zealously forward, remembering the words of Christ, Math. 11, 12. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  
Secondly, we must rejoice under the cross, Use and be glad when we suffer for the truth, not as evil doers, 1 Pet. 3, 17, and 4, 15. but for well doing. So did the Apostles, Acts 5, 41: so did the Hebrews, chap. 10, 34. They considered with themselves, that they had in heaven a better & an enduring substance, they accounted it a great honour, that they were accounted worthy to suffer for his Name; they knew that they were made partakers of the sufferings of Christ, and that the trying of their faith would work patience, jam. 1, 3, and patience, experience: and experience, hope; and hope would not make ashamed, Rom. 5, 4, 5. The cause therefore for which we suffer, must more comfort us, than the trouble which we endure, dismay us. God will never be wanting unto us, by his grace and Spirit, to hold us up and to stand by us, that either we shall escape the hands of the persecutors, or else he will assist us and strengthen us in the persecution. The affliction is but for a moment, but the fruit of it shall remain for ever.  
Thirdly, we must sit down, and cast our accounts Use 3 before hand, what our profession will cost, and not think with the sons of Zebede, to sit down at the right hand, and at the left hand of Christ in his kingdom. Mat. 20, 21, but rather learn of Christ. Lu. 14, 26. to hate father, mother, wife, children, brethren, & sisters, yea his own life, that he may continue to be his Disciple. When the brethren exhorted Paul not to go up to jerusalem, because a Prophet foretold, that he should be bound & delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, he answered, 
〈◊〉 2●, 13.  What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? for I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at jerusalem, for the Name of the Lord jesus. Here was a christian resolution to undergo all tribulations, and resist even unto blood, if he were thereunto called. The cause of shrinking back, is this want of forthinking.  
Lastly, we ought to labour to possess our Use 4 souls with patience, and to show our obedience in suffering, as well as in doing the will of God. There is a twofold obedience required of us, the one active, the other passive▪ Many think themselves discharged of this duty, if they be careful to do as God commandeth: but they never consider that they are bound to glorify the Name of God by suffering, as well as by doing. Christ our Saviour the most perfect pattern of obedience, hath performed the will of God both ways: and this is the substance of the Gospel to teach what he did and what he suffered, Acts 10, 39 Wherefore, let our patiented mind also be known unto all men. Phil. 4, 5. Luke 21, 19   

11. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be, yet ye believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among you?  
12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit, etc.  
Now we come to consider how God proceedeth against these sinners; & first touching his threatening, then of his execution of judgement. He threateneth to sweep them away with the pestilence, and so to root them out utterly. The doctrine is this: Among other diseases and judgements sent for sin, 
Doctrine. Among other judgements sent for sin, the plague is one.  the plague and pestilence is one. It cometh not by chance or fortune, but is sent of God into towns and cities, as 2 Sam. 24, 15. The Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, from the morning to the time appointed. Deut. 28, 21, 22. levit. 26, 25. Ezek. ●4, 19 Numb. 16, 46, 47.  
The reasons; first, because all diseases & afflictions come from God, Amos 3, 6, they come Reason 1 not out of the dust, neither arise from beneath the earth, but they proceed from God. Secondly, the titles given unto them, prove as much; they are called the sword of the Lord, 2 Sam. 24, 16, and the arrow of the Lord, Psal. ●, ●1.  
This teacheth, that the pestilence is not caused only or chief by natural means. but Use 2 the chief and main cause is the wrath of God against sin, Deut. 28, 15. And hence it is, that it bringeth with it horror and fear, weeping and lamentation, terror and astonishment, because God striketh the conscience inwardly as well as the body outwardly. Hence it is, that there is removing hither and thither, flying too and fro, and much amazement in all persons. It is sin that bringeth all, both public and private calamities: and God is able to find out our sins, and us in our sins. And as we sin many ways, so he hath many ways to plague us, and it lieth in him to punish us with one or with many of his plagues together. The Lord, if it had pleased him, could have punished David with these three i●●gements, 
2 Sam. 24, 13.  famine, the sword, and the pestilence, all together, and his pride and vain confidence in his own strength deserved no less: but he brought only one of them, and put him to his choice, whether of them he would have. We can reason oftentimes among ourselves of the causes of the plague, and can tell that it came into such and such places first of all by such a carrier, or traveler, or infected person: nevertheless, though it be not to be denied but there may be such causes, we may not omit or forget the chief and principal. And tell me, how came it at the first? and what shall we make the first cause within us, but sin, and without us, but God? No plague beginneth but by his just and righteous hand, so no plague can cease before God will that sent the same. And how is it, that one city is infected more than another, and one house more than another, and in the same house some are smitten, others are not touched? Is not this the will and pleasure of God also? This then noteth the great folly of such as say, Oh, this is a contagious time of the year, when this season is a little overpast, that we may have some frost, or cold, or wind to purge the air, you shall see all well again, time will wear out all. But if God call not back his hand, and stay his judgement, no wind, no winter, no weather, no cold shall be able to do us any good. And therefore we see oftentimes, that though we have had many nipping frosts, and strong winds, yet this sickness hath increased and not been diminished.  
Secondly, the readiest way to avoid the Use 2 plague, is to abstain from all those things that bring it, continue it, and increase it. Men ordinarily do use sweeping of houses, washing of chambers, cleansing of streets, perfuming of stuff, killing of dogs, taking of physic, and such like: neither doth God condemn or restrain these or any good means to relieve ourselves, provided that we trust in God, and not in them: notwithstanding it is certain, that all man's policy without God is able to do nothing. The plague cannot be removed by any man's industry. We must wash & cleanse and purge our hearts by true and unfeigned repentance, 
We must remove that which bringeth the plague  jam. 4, 8. Esay 1, 16. jer. 4, 14. Ps. 51, 2, 7. All these places show, how foul and filthy we are by nature. For that which is clean of itself, needeth no washing: but we need washing and purging, and therefore we must confess we are unclean. Nay, no mire is so foul, or dung so filthy as we are through corruption, job 14, verse 4, and 25, verse 4. Esay 64, 6. Titus 1, 15. There is no scent or savour, no carcase so corrupt and ready to infect, as that which proceedeth from ourselves, 
What it is that doth chief infect.  whereby we defile ourselves and one another. This Christ teacheth, Math. 15, verse 18. Those things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. Keep out sin from the heart, and the plague shall never defile the man: every one therefore must labour to cleanse the heart.  
Thirdly, seeing it is caused by sin, we must learn to search and find out the true Use 3 cause of the plague. The enemies of God's word will make the Gospel the cause of the pestilence and of all other calamities. So did Ahab & jehoram make the Prophets the principal procurers of the famine which fell out in their days, 1 Kings 18, 17. 2 Kings 6, 31. Thus dealt the heathen with the christians that lived under the heathen and persecuting Emperors; when any famine, or pestilence, or overthrow befell among them, they imputed all to Christians, and cried out to have them persecuted and punished, as appeareth at large in the Apology of Tertullian. These are blasphemous mockers and deriders of the holy faith of Christ, which open their mouths against heaven. The chief cause of the plague is the contempt of the word, jer. chapter 29, 17, 19  
Lastly, every one of us must learn how to behave ourselves in the troublesome times of Use 4 this heavy judgement. We must have a tender feeling of their distressed condition that lie under this grievous hand of GOD. The Church is compared to a body, whereof Christ is the head, Eph. 4, ver. 16, and the faithful are members, Romans 12, 4. 1 Corinthians 12, 12. They make but one body, though they be many different members, and are all under one head, and therefore are to help one another, to bear one another's burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ, Galathians 6, 2, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 24. Let us consider the several duties belonging to several persons in the day of visitation.  
The duty of Magistrates, is then especially to see religion established, 
The duty o● Magistra●●● time of th● plague.  evil doers cut off from the City of God, and all disorders removed, Psal. 101, 8. They must humble themselves, and cause the people to humble themselves. They must appoint fasting and prayer, that thereby they may move the Lord to call back his judgement. We have a notable example of this in the King of Nineve, 
jonas 3, 6●  when he feared a general judgement to come upon himself and his people, he rose up from his throne, and laid away his rob from him, he covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes, yea he proclaimed that neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, should taste any thing, and that they should cry mightily to GOD, saying, Who can tell, if God will return and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? jon. 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 Here is a good precedent for Kings & Princes, what by their own example & public decrees they ought to do, that there may be a common humiliation of all estates.  

〈◊〉 duty of ●●●●sters in 〈◊〉 of the ●e.  It is the duty of the Ministers to preach the word most earnestly, both the Law and the Gospel, in season and out of season; to persuade to repentance, to comfort the feeble-minded out of God's word, to stir up the poor to patience, the rich to liberality, and all men to compassion and commiseration. It belongeth unto them as it were to stand in the gap; they must above others pray earnestly to God, Amos 7. verse 25. knowing that the prayer of a just man availeth much if it be fervent, james 5, 16, 17. So was it with Moses and Aaron, when the plague was begun, he willed Aaron to take a Censer, who ran into the midst of the Congregation, and stood between the living and the dead, offering Incense, and making atonement for the sins of the people, Numbers 16. verse 48.  
It is the duty of all parents, to teach and instruct their children from whence, 
〈◊〉 duty of ●●●●nts in 〈◊〉 of the ●e.  & for what causes God sendeth the pestilence, and other calamities, Deut. 6.7. They must go before them in a good example of life, Genesis chap. 18, 19 and if they should see all other careless and negligent in this duty, yet must they say with joshua, chap. 24. verse 15. As for me and mine house, we will serve the Lord. It belongeth unto them to call their families unto private humiliation, as Ester did, chap. 14. verse 16. and every day they should offer up sacrifice for their servants and children, after the example of holy job, chap. 1. verse 5. and pray for their safety and welfare, and every day give thanks for their most merciful deliverance, while in the mean season so many fall on their right hand and on their left.  
It is the duty of rich men in time of contagion, 
〈◊〉 duty of 〈◊〉 men in 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉.  to have as at all other times, so then especially a diligent care of the poor, because then the greatest occasion is offered to do good. We must not shut them up in their houses, and then shut up our compassion from them, as it were in a close prison without relief. It is the commendation of the Christian Church after the ascension of Christ, that they had all things common, and no man said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own, neither was there any among them that lacked▪ Acts 4, 32, 34. If they did this in the need of the Church, how much more ought we to provide for those that cannot provide for themselves? He is not worthy to bear the name of a Christian, that at such times would withhold things necessary from those that are withholden from the company of others. Woe unto those that would add so great affliction to those that are deeply afflicted already. The four Lepers that were put out of the city according to the law, & dwelled apart by themselves at the entering in of the gate for fear of infection, were notwithstanding provided for in the straight siege of Samaria: so long as there was any thing in the city, they wanted not, but were provided for, 2 Kings 7▪ 4. So it ought to be among us.  
It is the duty of the poor & needy to arm themselves with patience, 
The duty of the poor and needy in time of the plague.  as a shield & buckler in time of trouble; knowing that nothing falleth out without the providence & appointment of God. He will not lay more upon us than he will enable us to bear, but with the tentation will make an happy issue, 1 Cor. 10, 13. he will comfort us in our tribulation, 2. Cor. 1, 4, and pity us as a father pities his children, Ps. 103, 13, 14. He will stir up the hearts of others to whom he hath given this world's good, to do us good, who hath the hearts of all in his own hand. Such therefore ought then especially to give themselves to prayer unto God; they must also bear themselves thankfully to men that have been raised up to show compassion toward them, but above all to God himself, from whom every good gift cometh, jam. 1, 17. 
The duty of such as are taken with the pestilence.  The duties of such as are taken with the pestilence are also to be considered. They must consider that their sins have deserved that judgement, that God thereby calleth them to repentance, stirs them to prayer, exerciseth their faith, driveth them from security, weaneth them from the love of the world, and bringeth them to a love and desire of heaven. Such must renounce all confidence in the flesh, and commit themselves wholly to God, not doubting of his mercy: they must set their houses in order to avoid contention, they must give testimony of their faith in their sickness, and stir up those that are about them and come to visit them, to the fear of God. Especially let them take heed they do not accuse God of dealing hardly and rigorously with them, because he striketh them while he letteth others to escape: but let them stoop down to his correction, & submit themselves to his heavenly pleasure with all reverence. Lastly, 
The duty of all men in time of the plague.  it is the duty of all men to make solemn profession of their humiliation & repentance, humbling themselves before God by fasting and prayer, against whom they have sinned, 
Exod. 15, 26.  1 Kin. 8, 38. All bravery and excess ought then to be laid aside, all riotousness and luxuriousness should be banished far from us, Esa 22, 12, 13, 14. The Prophet Amos reproveth the rich, & crieth out earnestly against their senselessness, living in all kind of pleasures and delights, & nothing at all regarding the affliction of joseph chap. 6. So was it with the rich Glutton in the gospel, though he saw Lazarus lie at his gate in great misery, yet he was clad in purple, & fared deliciously every day, Lu. 16, 19 such is the pride and delicacy of our times, that albeit God sweep away many with his fearful visitation, and the cry of the poor at such times be very great, that it might even move the stones to relent, and that it soundeth with a shrill voice in the ears of men and ascendeth up to God, yet the greatest sort are nothing moved: the Lord of hosts calleth to weeping and to mourning, & to girding with sackcloth, and behold joy and gladness slaying Oxen and kill sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine; let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die. No man almost will diminish any thing of his bravery in apparel, of his daintiness in fare, of his costliness in furniture, and of his excess in all things. Let all such as fear God, think upon the evil day, & prepare themselves against the time of affliction, & stoop under the mighty hand of God.  
[I will disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater Nation and mightier than they.] A most fearful threatening. It is a sore punishment when the father is constrained to disinherit his son, Gen. 49, 3, 4, but much sorer when he must disinherit all of them. God threateneth in this place to disinherit thousands of Israel, and to make of Moses a mighty Nation. And as john Baptist said to the pharisees and Sadduces that came to his baptism, 
Math 3, ●.  that God was able of those stones to raise up children unto Abraham, so doth the Lord say to Moses, that he would destroy that whole people, for whom he had prayed before, chap. 10, 36. Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel: but of him he would raise up a great and a mighty Nation. This threatening we must understand conditionally, except his anger be appeased at the prayer and intercession of Moses. The threatenings of God are twofold, some are peremptory and absolute, never to be revoked, as it is said of the laws of the Medes & Persians, that they could not be changed: as Gen. 2, 17. If Adam had prayed all the days of his life, that he might not die, but return to his former condition, the sentence of God had not been reversed. The like we see concerning Moses, 
Numb. 20, 12.  God threateneth that he should never enter into the Land of promise: Moses understanding the threatening conditionally, 
Deut. 3, 26.  besought the Lord, that he might go over jordan into that Land, but the Lord was wroth with him and would not hear him, but said unto him, Let it suffice thee, speak no more unto me of this matter. The same we might say of David, he received a threatening against his sin, that the child conceived in adultery should die, 2 Sam. 12, 14, nevertheless he besought God for the child, with fasting, weeping, and prayer, v. 16. he said, Who can tell, whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? Notwithstanding, according as the Prophet had denounced, the child died. So then, we see that some of God's judgements denounced against the sons of men are absolute and irrevocable, and must take effect: other of them are limited with a condition, and upon humiliation and repentance are changed & altered; and so it is with the promises of God, some of them are absolute, and some are with condition. Such as concern salvation and are necessary to eternal life, are promised absolutely in respect of God; 
Doctrine. The threatenings of God's judgements are conditional.  such as are temporal and belong to this present life, are promised conditionally. We learn from hence, that the threatenings and denunciations of God's judgements are for the most part conditional, not absolute, toward his people, and to be understood with this exception, except they repent and amend. This condition is sometimes expressed, and sometimes understood. It is set down expressly, jer. 18, 7, 8. Sometimes it is suppressed and understood inclusively, Gen. 6, 3.  
The reasons: First, because after threatening, Reason 1 if repentance follow, it causeth forgiveness of sin, and taketh away the cause of punishment. Sin is the cause of God's judgements: if the cause be removed, the effect will cease, Ezek. 33, 14, 15. When I say to the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful, etc. he shall surely live, he shall not die.  
Secondly, God is a gracious God, of great Reason 2 long-suffering, and of much patience, and unspeakable kindness, ready (though much moved) to receive to mercy as soon as we return to him, jer. 3, 12. He promiseth mercy to them that repent; his anger shall not fall upon them that return, because he is merciful and will not keep his wrath for ever.  
Thirdly, this is the end that God aimeth at Reason 3 in all his threatenings, not the destruction of them that are threatened, but their amendment, Ezek. 18, 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God? and not that he should return from his ways, and live? and ch. 33, 11. Why will ye die, O house of Israel?  
The uses. First, consider that in the greatest Use 1 and most fearful threatenings of Gods heavy judgements, the●e is comfort remaining, and hope of grace and mercy to be found, there is life in death, and health in sickness, if we can change and amend. Thus do the Princes of judah profit by the threatenings of the Prophet, when he had threatened desolation of the Lords house, and the destruction of the whole Land, for which the Priests and people would have put him to death; they pleaded the practice & example of good Hezekiah, for the comfort of themselves and the people of his time, and thereby stirred up themselves to fear the Lord, and to turn from their evil ways, jer. 26.18. The place is worthy to be considered, where the Princes show that jeremy did no more than Micah had done before him, yet Hezekiah and all judah did not put him to death, but feared the Lord and besought him of mercy, and the Lord repent him of the evil which he had pronounced against them. But it may be objected, 
Objection  If God threaten one thing and doth another, it may seem his will is changeable, and that he hath two wills. I answer, Answer. the will of God is one and the same, as God is one: but it is distinguished into that which is secret & revealed, as the Church is sometimes visible, and sometimes invisible, yet but one Church. The secret will is of things hidden with himself, and not manifested in the word. The revealed is of things made known in the Scripture▪ Deut. 29, 29. and by daily experience. The secret is without condition, the revealed with condition, and therefore for the most part it is joined with exhortation, admonition, instruction, and reprehension. But no man is exhorted and admonished to do his secret will, because no man can resist it, the reprobate and devils themselves are subject unto it, and must perform it, Rom. 9.19.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is the duty of the Ministers to propound the threatenings of GOD with such conditions, provoking and persuading all men to repentance and amendment of life, offering grace and mercy to the humble and broken hearted. 
〈◊〉 1, 4, 14. ●2. 3. Esa. ●, 16.  They are to preach not only the law, but likewise with the law the Gospel. And thus they are said both to bind and lose, both to retain sins and to forgive. For as Eliah by his earnest and zealous prayer did both shut up the heavens, 
〈◊〉 4.25. jam. ●, 18.  and open the windows of heaven, so that it gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit: so the Ministers of God by their earnest & zealous preaching, do shut up the kingdom of heaven against all obstinate persons, 
●●th. 16.19.  and also open the heavens to such as are penitent. To propound the threatenings of God without condition, is to bring men to despair, and to take from them all hope of mercy and forgiveness.  
Thirdly, it is the duty of the people, whensoever Use 3 they hear the threatenings of God, to stir up themselves to repentance, thereby to prevent his wrath, and to stay his judgements. Let us take heed, we do not rush on, as the horse in the day of battle, 
〈◊〉 12.11, 12.  to our destruction. And thus have the servants of God understood his threatenings, and accounted them as a Sermon of repentance, as we heard before of Hezekiah king of judah, and all judah with him, when Micah the Morashite prophesied, saying, 
〈◊〉 26.18.  Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be ploughed like a field, & jerusalem shall become heaps: they fell not into desperation, neither concluded an impossibility of obtaining pardon and the continuance of the Temple, of the city, and of the whole kingdom, but besought the Lord, and feared his Name, & the Lord repent him of the plague which he had denounced against them. And no marvel that this godly king conceived the meaning of the threatening in that manner, for so did the King of Niniveh, an heathen and idolatrous king understand the threatening of jonah no otherwise. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, 
〈◊〉 3, 9  & turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? Thus also did Hezekiah before named understand the message sent to him from God by Esayah, when he was sick unto death: 
〈◊〉. 3●. 1.2.  Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live; and therefore he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord of life. Let us make this use of the Ministry of the word, and of all the threatenings contained therein, to be stirred up to repentance and obedience, lest we be destroyed. If there be no change in us, let us look for a change from God: and he will never change his threatenings, except we change our lives and conversations.  
Use 4 Fourthly, seeing the threatenings of God, suppose a condition, we must also know how we ought to understand his promises, to wit, with a condition. The threatenings of GOD have a condition of repentance: the promises have a condition of faith and obedience. 
Esay 1.19.  God hath made many merciful promises unto us in his holy word howbeit he hath no otherwise bound himself unto us, than we will acknowledge ourselves bound in duty to serve him.  
We must not only consider what God promised to us, but withal remember what he requireth of us. Hence it is, that the Prophet saith, I will speak suddenly concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to built it and to plant it: 
Ier 18.9, 10.  but if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then will I repent of the good, wherewith I said I will benefit them. He hath promised to love us, but he requireth at our hands, to love him again. He hath promised to forgive us our trespasses, but he chargeth us to forgive them that trespass against us. He hath promised to be a Father unto us, but he looketh for at our hands that we walk before him as obedient children.  
Lastly, if God threaten and no repentance Use 5 followeth, then certainly the threatenings pronounced will come to p●sse. God threateneth not in vain, he terrifieth not without cause. If we do not prevent them, they will prevent us and take us away suddenly. See the fearful examples of the flood, of Sodom, of the destruction of the ten tribes, of jerusalem and of the jews, of the seven Churches of Asia, and other Churches planted by the Apostles, supplanted in the wrath of God; all assure us of the truth of this point. Consider our own ways in our hearts. We live where we hear the fearful judgements of God daily and deservedly threatened against us for our sins, and namely for the contempt of the Gospel in all places and among all persons, there followeth little repentance and amendment of life; nay, it seemeth that God hath blinded our eyes and hardened our hearts, 
Matth. 13. 1●.  lest we should return and be saved. What will follow, nay what must necessarily follow, whosoever hath half an eye may easily perceive. Yet see how we deceive ourselves with flattering words, as jer. 7.4 they said, 
The vein confidence's 〈…〉 ●lish Gospels.  The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: so we can say, Tush, The Gospel, the Gospel, it can never be rooted out from among us, Popery shall never be established any more. But what do we glory so much of the Gospel? or why do we put confidence in this tule? For this Gospel shall be a witness and give in verdict against us, and as an upright judge condemn us. And what is unpossible unto God? what cannot his power, what may not his justice do? such as believe not the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness, 
2 The. 2.11, 12  shall be damned Can we challenge to ourselves any more than Gods own people, that had the law and the Prophets, the Temple and the sacrifices, the Ark and the Covenant? or more than the Churches of Asia, and other founded by the Apostles? who seethe not a general coldness, a palpable deadness, a fearful declining and falling backward generally in all places? All which make a preparation to apostasy. Papists every where increase, and are winked at: th●y have been threatened with inditements, forfeitures, and imprisonments, but they live at ease, grow rich, have great friends, and laugh all their enemies or opposites to scorn. Such as have been zealous, decay: godly parents fail, and a crooked generation ariseth after them: ignorance aboundeth: wickedness hath the upper hand; and he that setteth himself against evil, maketh himself a prey, Esay 59.15. Atheists swarm every where, and lift up their horns on high: the people for the most part are fit for any change, to profess Christ, or antichrist, to worship God in truth or in an Idol.   

13 Then Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them:)  
14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, etc.  
To the former threatening is annexed an excellent prayer of Moses made in behalf of the people. We have not many of his prayers recorded in Scripture: but such as are left unto us, are most worthy and heavenly, testifying that he had the spirit of supplication in a plentiful measure, and therefore no marvel, being so excellent, if they were also very effectual. Whereby we see, it is not for nought, that he is said after a sort to have bound or chained the hands of God, Exod. 32.10. and to have prevailed more by his word then joshua by his sword, by his prayers, than the host of Israel by their weapons of war, Exod. 17.11. And in this place, after that God had threatened to make a general havoc and destruction of this stubborn people, as a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down, he standeth in the gap to turn away the wrath of God, Psa. 106 23. which otherwise as a mighty flood would break in upon them, and bear down all before it. Whereby it appeareth, that the words in the former threatening were not uttered definitively, but conditionally, to wit, if Moses did not make intercession for them, and stand between God and his people. For if they had been spoken simply, or been understood to be spoken in that sort, Moses ought not to have prayed for them, but to have given place to the threatening, and rested in the decree and determination of God, submitting himself to his holy will and pleasure. But he was stirred up thereby to seek and to sue for pardon for them, and therefore he understood the same conditionally.  
The sum and effect of the prayer is, 
The sum o● the pra●●● of Moses.  that GOD would not destroy his people utterly according as he had threatened; and he moveth him to show mercy toward them by three reasons. The first is drawn from the consideration of the enemies of the Church, that they might have no occasion to reproach the holy Name of God, and to tread his glory (which is higher than the heavens) under their feet, taking occasion thereby to blaspheme him, if he should destroy his people, which he with a strong hand had brought out of Egypt Exod. 32.12. Deut. 9.28. and 32.27. The second reason is drawn from the nature and essential properties of God, he is of long-suffering and great mercy, etc. The third is taken from the former works and examples of his great goodness, wherein he moveth God to pity them, seeing he had oftentimes before showed favour toward them: all which had been utterly lost, if he should utterly destroy them. Out of these words, as also out of all the reasons urged by Moses, in general we learn, 
Doctrine. The mea●●● to revoke God's judgements, is 〈◊〉 and vnfa●●●● prayer.  that the ordinary means and ready way to revoke and call in God's judgements, is true, hearty, and unfeigned prayer, whensoever his hand in any sort lieth heavy upon us, Ps. 107.6, 13, 19, 28. and 106.23. jam. 5.17, 18. Numb. 12.13. 1 King. 8.33, 35, 37, 44.  
The reasons. First it is profitable to all Reason 1 things, and is of force to obtain every good thing: and if every good thing, then also to remove every evil thing from us; It obtaineth blessings of all sorts, public and private, spiritual and temporal, for ourselves and for others, touching this life and a better, joh. 16.23. In that day, ye shall ask me nothing: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Where we see the generality of the promise, confirmed by a vehement asseveration. Secondly, prayer Reason 2 obtaineth the pardon & forgiveness of sins, Act. 8.22. jam. 5.15. 1 joh. 5.16. and sin is the true and proper cause of all judgements whatsoever: if then it obtain the removing of the cause, it shall also obtain the taking away of the effect. For the cause being removed, the effect will cease. Thirdly, it is so mighty Reason 3 that it is able to throw down the fastest hold and surest possession that Satan hath gotten: Paul having showed that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, that is, not only, or chief with them, but with principalities & powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, prescribeth this as a means to subdue and overcome them. And Christ our Saviour telleth his disciples, 
Ma● 17.21 Ephes. 6. 1●  that this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. If then it be able to cast him out with all his forces, it is more able to prevent judgements threatened, or to remove them when they are inflicted.  
But against this point, many things are objected; Object. 1 first it is said in general, that the prayers of many are fruitless: that they call upon God, but can receive no answer; To this I answer, Many make their prayers unprofitable, 
answer.  because they pray amiss, jam. 4.3. the fault is in themselves, not in God. Again, albeit he do not hear and help his servants presently, yet he doth it, when the doing of it is better, both in respect of his own glory and our own good. He best knoweth the times and seasons which he keepeth in his own power, Act. 1.7. Heb. 4.16. For this cause, he would not by and by work a miracle at the request of his mother, joh. 2.4.7. nor hear the Canaanitish woman at the first Mat. 15. but delayed her sundry times. Lastly, it falleth out oftentimes, that when the faithful ask one thing, he granteth them another, fully equivalent to that and sometimes far better; and thus he heareth them, 2 Cor. 12.8, 9 Mat. 26.39. Paul prayed against a tentation, he hath grace to withstand and resist it: Christ jesus prayed to hand the cup of the Cross removed: he must drink of it, but he hath strength sufficient given him to overcome it. God therefore heareth our prayers, when he giveth us as good a blessing or a better, though we obtain not the particular which we desire.  
Object. 2 Again, it may be said, Moses prayed that he might enter into the land of promise, and yet was not heard, Deut. 3.25. of which we spoke before. 
●●●wer.  I answer, he prayed after a sort against the express will of God, only he was ignorant whether the threatening were conditional. Besides, we cannot say that this was altogether frivolous and fruitless, because he obtained to see the Land, so that albeit he did not set foot in it, yet the Lord showed him all the land to his great comfort, & strengthening of faith: so that in effect he said or else might say with Simeon, Luk. 2.29, 30. Lord now lettest thou thy servant departed in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.  
Object. 3 Thirdly, we heard before, that David prayed for the restoring of his child to health when it was sick, yet the child died, and he was not heard, 
●●●wer.  2 Sam. 12.16. Answer. He was not heard in that one particular: howbeit afterward God gave him another son, another son by the same mother, another son that sat upon his throne after him. Again, God had mercy on the soul of the child, of which he was persuaded, because he saith, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me, 2 Sam. 12.23. so that his prayer was an acceptable sacrifice to God, & a profitable sacrifice to himself  
Object. 4 Lastly, it may be objected, that God (who hath no greater to swear by) sweareth by himself, that though Moses and Samuel stood before him, yet his mind would not be toward this people, jer. 15.1. and though these three, Noah, Daniel and job were in the land, they should deliver but their own souls, etc. Eze. 14.14. they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, 
●●●●er.  verse 16. I answer, this is nothing to the purpose, for herein nothing is expressly affirmed, but the matter is only supposed, as 1 Cor. 13.1, 2. Again, it is said expressly, that they should deliver their own souls, and therefore we cannot say, that their prayer is without profit. Now let us proceed to the uses.  
First, we may hence conclude, that great is the use, utility and necessity of prayer in the church, greater than of the Sun in the firmament. Use 1 For what have we left when God is offended and provoked, but this? when this is rightly performed, it calleth in his wrath gone out against us. Nevertheless, the Apostle requireth two things to make our prayers effectual and of great profit toward us: the one in respect of the person that prayeth, the other in respect of the prayer of the person. Touching the person of him that prayeth, if he desire to have his prayer heard, he must be just & righteous; it is not the prayer of every man whatsoever he be that availeth much, but the prayer of a righteous man, that feareth God, that believeth in Christ, that serveth him in spirit and truth, and walks before him in holiness and righteousness of life; these are they whose prayers pierce the heavens, and prevail much with the Almighty. This is taught in many places of the word, Psal. 34, 15, and 145, 19 1 Pet. 3, 10. 1 Tim. 2, 8. Prou. 15, 29. The prayers of such, are like to jacob's ladder which was set upon the earth, and the top of it reached up to heaven, Gen. 28, 12. so do the prayers of the faithful, they are made on earth, but they reach up to the clouds, nay to heaven, and come into the presence of God himself: our prayers ascend to him, and his graces descend to us. On the other side, as the prayers of the righteous are most acceptable to God & profitable to us, so the prayers of the wicked and unrighteous are most abominable. 
Prou. 15.8. and 21.27. and 28.9. Esay 1 11. and 66.3. Amos 5.22. Ier 6.20. and 7.22 Ezek. 8.18. Mich. 3.4. joh. 9.31.  As the one sort are sweet in the nostrils of God, and ascend as incense, so the other are unsavoury, and stink worse than dung and mire in his sight. Wherefore let not the ungodly men persuade themselves of God's favour, or think he any whit regardeth the words of their mouths: for such as incline their hearts to wickedness, the Lord will never hear them. Again, our prayers must be fervent & earnest, they must be kindled with a burning zeal against all coldness, they must flow from unfeigned faith against all doubting and wavering, 
Luk. 11.6. and 18.3. and 21.36. Ephe. 6.18. 1 Thess. 5.17. Matth. 15.25, 26, 27, 28.  they must be continued with great constancy and perseverance against all weariness and giving over before we have obtained. As than he that prayeth must be righteous, so must his prayer be fervent, if he will obtain any thing at the hand of God.  
Secondly, hence ariseth great comfort to Use 2 the people of God that groan under affliction and are ready to sink down under an heavy burden. Let none of God's servants despair of help, but hope in God, who hath left us this as a plaster to heal all our wounds, or as a medicine to cure all our diseases. Hence it is, that the very infidels by light of nature and other superstitious persons have confessed this truth, that have not yielded to the truth of God. The Mariners, that were ignorant of the true God, cried unto their gods, when the sea wrought and was tempestuous against them, jon. 1.5. and the shipmaster stirred up jonah to pray to his God, if so be that God would think upon them that they perish not, ver. 6. Pharaoh the king of Egypt, knew that the prayers of Moses and Aaron, the holy servants of God, were very profitable and acceptable; 
Exod. 8.8. and 9.27 and 10.16, 17.  therefore he sent for them and desired them to pray for him, when the plagues of God lay upon him and his people. This also did jeroboam, that wicked king that made Israel to sin, know and understand; for when his hand was dried up, which he thrust out to lay hold on the Prophet of God, 
1 King. 13.6. jer. 42 2. Act. 8.24.  he desired him to pray that it might be restored. If these have confessed the benefit of prayer, how much more ought we? though there be an infinite distance between heaven and earth, between God and man, yet heareth he from his holy hill the supplications of his righteous servants powered out before him. Affliction taketh away all comfort and joy from the sons of men, that are unregenerate: when they are pinched with poverty, with famine, with misery and calamity, 
The behaviour of the wicked in time of affliction.  they are quite out of heart, they distrust, they despair, they fret & fume, they mutter and murmur against God. They have no hearts to lift up unto him, neither can they run to the throne of grace to find mercy in time of need, but do oftentimes blaspheme the God of heaven, and repent not of the works which they have wickedly committed. They would feign have some comfort in their sorrows, but they know not of whom to seek it, or where they shall find it. Hence it is, that they run to music and instruments of delight, to wine-tavernes, to strong drink, to evil company, and some to witches and enchanters, which they call cunning men, and cunning women. But the servants of God which have learned better things, 
2 Cor. 1.3.  know that God is the Father of all comfort and consolation, and therefore they fly unto him by prayer, who is able to deliver their souls from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling, Psa. 56.12, 13. and 116.8. In troubles therefore, if we call upon him, we have his promise (surer than the heaven) that he will help us and send us a joyful deliverance.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us from hence be moved to be diligent in this duty, and not to give over till the God of blessing power down a blessing upon us. How heavy soever his hand be, and how long soever, in continuance yet if we can call unto him, we are safe.  
Woeful were our condition, if we should cry and there were none to hear: but it is otherwise with us, we do not so soon call, as he is ready to answer. A poor silly lamb entangled in the bushes and brambles, if it can but bleat, the shepherd will quickly help it: so if we be the sheep of Christ, and can call unto him, the good shepherd of the sheep will by and by hear us: if we can lift up our voice to him that sitteth in the heavens, he will soon free us and deliver us out of our affliction. So long as we have a mouth to speak, he hath ears to hear: and when the tongue cannot, if with the heart we can sigh to him, he understandeth that language, and we shall be sure of help, as Abraham gave over ask, before God gave over answering, Gen. 18.32, 33.   

15 Now if thou wilt kill all this people as one man, than the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,  
16 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore unto them, therefore he hath slain them, etc.  
Now let us come to consider the parts of the prayer as they lie in order. And first we may not think that we have the whole prayer which Moses uttered, 
We have o●ly the substance of 〈◊〉 prayer.  and that he delivered it in no more words: for it appeareth by the abrupt beginning, ver. 13. that he had spoken somewhat before: but this is only the substance of the prayer, and hath the chief reasons which he used. The first argument is very forcible and effectual, and largely pressed upon God, which showeth that the nations round about had heard of their deliverance out of Egypt, the Canaanites had heard that God was among his people with his word, with his presence, with his authority, with his signs and miracles: if then God should deliver them to death, these cursed nations would revile the Name of God, and accuse him either of impotency or of tyranny: that by reason of his hatred toward them, he would not, or of his weakness he could not bring them into the land of promise; whereupon he concludeth that it were far better for God, to free his name from such blasphemous reproaches by sparing his people. Moses never once offereth to plead for pardon through any thing that was to be found in the people themselves, he confesseth that there was matter enough in them to have removed them long ago out of the world: but he lifteth up his eyes unto heaven, and desireth God to look upon himself and to have respect to his own name, lest the infidels and idolaters should take occasion by the destruction of the Israelites to blaspheme him. 
The fore● the reaso● that Mose● faith to 〈◊〉 God to p●●don the●  How forcible this reason is, and how powerfully it pierced as I may say the ears, nay the heart of God, appeareth notably by the mouth and confession of God himself: I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men, were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and should say, Our hand is high, & the Lord hath not done all this. What was it then that hindered him from putting out their name from under heaven? Not that they were not worthy to perish, but it would have opened the mouths of the infidels to scoff at God whom they served, and at his religion which they professed. They would have said, Where is the God that hath maintained them so long? is he fallen asleep? or is he in a far journey? 
●trine.  or what aileth he, that he succoureth them no more? 
keveth to mer● put him ●ind of ●wne ●e and 〈◊〉.  We learn from hence that it is a good plea to move the Lord to show mercy, even for his glory and his own names sake, josh. 7.8, 9 Psal. 79.8, 9, 10. and 115.1. Dan. 9.19.  
The reasons follow. God doth not bestow any thing to any other end then this, 
●son 1.  be aimeth at this mark and hath respect to his own glory, both in giving and forgiving, Esay 48.9. Prou. 16.4. and therefore ought we also to set the same end before us in prayer. The Lord in all his actions of mercy and judgement hath evermore a special respect to the promoting of his honour, and the maintaining of his own glory, Exod. 9.6. Rom. 9.17. Exod. 32.11, 12. Secondly, the servants of God have been so far carried with a desire of promoting and preferring of it, as that they have preferred it before their own life, nay before their own soul and salvation when they have come in comparison together, 
●. 32.32. ●. 9.3.  as appeareth in Moses, and in Paul. Thirdly, God's glory is most dear to himself: if then we will be his children, tender & dear unto him, we must follow his example, we must prise that at the highest rate which he prizeth above all, we must love that which he loveth, 
48.11.  and that ought to be most dear unto us which is most dear to him.  
Use 1 The uses. This reproveth the most part of the world, who never set this mark before them to aim at, nor intent the glory of God in their prayers, but the fulfilling of their own wills and desires, and the satisfying of their own gain and profit. It is nothing precious unto them, but less regarded than their own names. Every man naturally regardeth himself and magnifieth his own name, but the name of God never goeth near them. joshua hath relation to such a point as this, when he saith, speaking of the Canaanites and all that inhabited the land, 
●. 9.  They shall cut out our name from the earth, and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? Solomon teacheth in the proverbs, that a good name is rather to be chosen, 
●. 1.  then great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold, 
● 2.  & it is better than a precious ointment; but if we speak of the Name of God, which is glorious and fearful, Deu. 28.38. it ought to be more dear unto us then all the silver & gold, than all the jewels & precious stones which worldlings make their heaven and happiness.  
Use 2 Secondly, let us in all distresses and troubles be comforted with this consideration, that he will respect his own glory, and therefore the good of his Church. For the preservation of the Church, and the advancement of God's glory are joined together. He will never forsake those that are his, in prosperity or in adversity: because if he should any way fail of his promises, he should lose much of his own glory, which is unpossible. The Church shall never sink under the burden that lieth sore upon it It is like the bush that burned, which Moses saw in the wilderness while he fed the sheep of jethro his father in law, it flamed but it consumed not: whereby God declared the low ebb of the church into which it was brought, distressed in Egypt, but it should not be destroyed; he that dwelled in the bush preserved the same, Deu. 33.16. If then the glory of God shall never fail, the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church.  
Lastly, we must give no occasion of causing Use 3 the name of God which is holy in itself, to be blasphemed. Let us be no means to make it evil spoken off, but labour by all means to be instruments of setting it forth. Blessed are such as any way advance it. Every one should aim at it, high and low, rich and poor, master and servant, husband and wife. 
Matth. 5.16. 1 Tim. 6.1. Tit. 2.5. Phil 2.15. josh. 15.8. 2 Sam. 12.14. Rom. 2.24. Verse 17. Verse 18.  Every one may gain some glory to God, how mean soever his place, how simple soever his calling be. The Apostle chargeth the jews, that through them the Name of God was blasphemed, because they had the law and made boast of God, they knew his will and were instructed in the word. For as wicked children do dishonour and discredit their parents, 1 Sam. 8.3. so it turneth after a sort to God's discredit in the world, when they which are called the children of God, and named by the name of Christ, do live unworthily so high and holy a calling. There is none that liveth in the Church, albeit in the poorest and lowest calling, but if he profess Christ, and walk not according to his profession, he causeth the Name of God to be evil spoken off: the servant that hath the meanest office, if he will be thought religious and have the Gospel in his mouth, and do not perform the duties of his calling with great care and a good conscience, he causeth the Name of God and his doctrine to be blasphemed, 1 Tim. 6.1. The higher & more eminent any man's place is, the more scandal he giveth and the greater occasion of grief to the godly, of hardening to the wicked, and of dishonour to God. Let a man be as profane as may be, that neither feareth God, nor reverenceth man, let him live in the grossest sins that can be committed or named; let him be an open blasphemer, a contemner of the word, a profaner of the Sabbath an abuser of the Sacraments and of all good things, there is commonly no great matter made of it, he is neither reproached, no reproved. But let one that professeth religion be suddenly overtaken through infirmity in any sin or purpose of sin, not only he is taunted and traduced by the profane multitude, but the truth of God and the profession of the truth, nay the God of truth is evil spoken off, dishonoured and blasphemed. These things ought to go near us, even to the heart, and to make us watchful over our ways: seeing we have those that watch over us, to see if they can have aught whereof to accuse us.   

17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,  
18 The Lord is long suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, etc.  
In these words we have the second reason drawn from the consideration of the nature or being of God, which is seen by showing mercy and judgement, both which are in his hand, mercy to his own people, judgement to his enemies. This description is taken out of the book of Exodus, chap. 34.6. very comfortable to afflicted and distressed consciences. So jonah 4.2. first he is said to be long suffering; then, of great mercy, and thirdly forgiving iniquity and transgression. If any ask. Is he only merciful? is he not also just? The answer is, he will by no means clear the guilty, but will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. But of this latter clause we shall speak afterward, verse 33.34. Out of the former, 
Doctrine. God is of great patience and much long sufferance.  note, that it is the property of God to be always of great patience, much gentleness, and long-sufferance. He is of a forbearing nature, and slow to anger, expecting many days the conversion, repentance, and recovery of sinners, Esay 65.2. jer. 35.15. and 25.5. Matth. 23.37. We have many examples hereof in the word of God, Gen. 6.3. 1 Pet. 3.20. The long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing. So Luke 13.6. 7, 8, 9 2 Chro. 36.15. We have all experience of this point.  
Reason 1 The reasons: first he knoweth our weakness, our corruption and inclination to evil, he knoweth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust, Esay 57.16, Psalm. 103.14. yea, as a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again, Psal. 78.38.39. no better than vanity, yea, lighter altogether than vanity, Psal. 62.9.  
Secondly, his nature is to be merciful & full of compassion, 2 Chron. 36.15.  
Thirdly, the sins of the wicked are not yet full, they have not yet filled up the measure of them, Gen. 15.16.  
Lastly, he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, and therefore he is not slack concerning his promise, but is long suffering to us ward, 2. Pet. 3.9.  
Objection Before we come to the uses of this doctrine, we must remove a few objections that seem to make against this point. And first, how can God be said to be very patiented and to suffer long, seeing his judgements are often said to come suddenly & speedily as a whirlwind and a tempest? and when they shall say, peace and safety, his coming shall be as the coming of a thief in the night, or as travel upon a woman with child, 1 Thess. 5.2.3. Answer. I answer, to be long before he come, and to be swift when once he cometh, are not opposite or contrary the one to the other. He waiteth a long time, but when the days of his patience are expired, then suddenly destruction cometh. He giveth warning after warning, and will do nothing but he revealeth the same to his servants the Prophets, Amos 3.7. Dan. 9.5.6. but when his patience is abused and contemned, than he cometh swiftly and stayeth not. The Apostle Peter speaking of the second coming of Christ to judgement joineth both these together, and showeth how and wherefore he is both long in coming, and yet swift in coming; he forbeareth because he is patiented, and he cometh suddenly in his glory because he is just, 2 Pet. 3.9, 10. first he saith, that God is long suffering, not willing that any should perish: then he addeth, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Thus we see how he suffereth patiently, and yet withal how he cometh suddenly.  
Secondly, Object. the question may be asked whether the Ministers should forbear or abstain from threatening and denouncing of God's judgements against the ungodly, seeing God is gentle and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness? whereby they shall terrify men without cause, and make themselves liars. I answer, Answer. it is true that jonah the Prophet was discouraged upon this ground and consideration, from threatening destruction against Nineveh. Though he were sent against the city with heavy tidings, yet he consulted with flesh and blood, & fled to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, jon. 1.3. because he knew that God was a gracious God and merciful, repenting him of the evil, chap. 4.2. But this was his infirmity, and therefore he is reproved, ver. 10.11. Wherefore it belongeth to all faithful Ministers of God as a part of their function, howsoever the judgements of God be differred and their Sermons derided, to open their mouths boldly, and to reprove sin earnestly, that they may thereby deliver their own souls and save the people that hear them, 2 Tim. 4.2.  
Thirdly, it may be asked, Object. whether it be lawful for the godly to crave of God to be patiented and long-suffering, to bear with the ungodly and vessels of wrath? especially considering the prayer of jeremy, chap. 15.15. Lord, remember me and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors, etc. The prayer of Moses and of jeremy seem to be contrary. Answer. Answer. The prayer of jeremy is special and extraordinary, and containeth no general rule and direction for the Church. He spoke this as a Prophet, not as a private man, for he foretold to his persecutors the vengeance and wrath of God certainly to fall upon them; the general rule belonging unto all, is set down by Christ, Matth. 5 44. To pray for our enemies and them that hate us.  
Lastly, it may be demanded, Object whether the publishing and preaching of the doctrine of God's patience and forbearing be not dangerous and hurtful, as seeming to tend to lead men into sin, and minister occasion of hardening the heart, and delaying of repentance. I answer, 
●ct.  from Gods delaying of his judgements we may not conclude the delaying of our repentance. True it is, the ungodly abuse this doctrine to licentiousness, Rom. 2.4.5. as they do also other doctrines and the Scriptures themselves, to their own perdition: the providence of God to idleness, the predestination of God to wickedness, the mercy of God to profaneness, the grace of God to wantonness, justification by faith to carelessness of good works, yea Christ himself to be a stumbling block and a stone of offence. Notwithstanding we must use the doctrine of God's patience to our comfort and to bring us thereby to repentance.  
Use 1 Now we come to the uses of this doctrine which are many, serving for instruction, reprehension, consolation, and exhortation. First of all, it serveth for our knowledge and instruction, and teacheth us what a good God we serve and worship, such a one as willeth not and wisheth not the death of a sinner: such a one as is gentle and gracious, merciful, and pitiful, Psal. 145.8, 9 Ezek. 18.23. and 33.11. Again, this teacheth us what is the cause that God spareth so long both his and the Church's enemies, to wit, because he is patiented. Thus doth the Prophet tell the Israelites the cause why the Lord had spared the Assyrians so long, Nah. 1.3. We see how profane many are, blasphemers of God's Name, profaners of his Sabbath, despisers of the word, haters of good men; iniquity aboundeth every where. We might wonder that such live upon the face of the earth, and wherefore they are spared, but that he is a God of patience and long suffering, or they could not continue. Is not the earth filled with cruelty & oppression, as it was with the old world, that was destroyed with an universal Flood? Doth not pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and contempt of the poor abound, as in Sodom and Gomorrha which was destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven? Ezek. 16.49. So Gen. 19.24. How then could our cities and houses stand and continue, if GOD were not very patiented?  
Use 2 Secondly, it serveth for reprehension. For it convinceth those that scoff at his threatenings, because God a long time describeth his judgements against the ungodly. Hence it is, that they judge them, & persuade themselves of them, to be no better than Scarecrows, and therefore to be vain and not to be feared. Such persons doth the Apostle Peter describe, that mock at the second coming of Christ, which shall come as a snare upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth, Luke 21.35. 2 Pet 3.1, 2. Ezek. 12.27, 28. Again, it meeteth with such as abuse God's patience to harden their hearts in sin. The more God spareth us, and the longer he waiteth, the more insolent and untoward the greatest sort do grow, abusing the lenity and long suffering of God presuming and waxing bold to offend, because he doth not speedily punish, Eccle. 8.11 Nehe. 9.17. sin is increased by this means: for the more he suffereth the greater is our sin.  
Thirdly, this serveth for comfort and consolation. Use 3 It lifteth up perplexed and disquieted consciences for their sins, trembling under God's hand as the child under the rod, and fearing to be consumed in his wrath. Let no man despair or be out of hope, for this is his nature, he is long suffering, Exod. 34. This is uttered to Moses to comfort him, who feared the utter subversion and destruction of Israel for their idolatry in worshipping the golden calf, Exod. 32.2. Psal. 103.8, 9 Again, it serveth to work confidence and assurance of faith and mercy in the hearts of the godly, that if they pray unto him, and desire to have his anger removed, he will be appeased toward them and spare them as we see in this place how Moses useth these words to the same purpose. Lastly, it comforteth the Church against the wickedness and cruelty of her persecutors: they stick not oftentimes to shed innocent blood, and God seemeth for a time to hold his peace, and nothing at all to regard either what the enemies do, or what his children suffer, for he sendeth down no punishment upon them. Notwithstanding, we must not imagine that God hath forgotten us in our miseries, as if he had shut up his kindness in displeasure, but he is patiented even toward them, he best knoweth his times and seasons for justice and judgement, as he doth for mercy and compassion. When the time of his patience is run out, then will his time of justice clearly appear. Thus doth David comfort himself, a man that had experience of many sorrows, Ps. 86.14, 15. O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set thee before them: but thou, O God, art a God full of compassion and gracious, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.  
Lastly, sundry exhortations arise from Use 4 hence to sundry good duties, which I will only point out; first, it serveth to move us to break out into the praise of God. Our sins deserve suddenly to be swept away, the measure of them is exceeding great. It is his great mercy that we are not utterly confounded & consumed, Psal. 130.3 4. Secondly, we must be patiented toward our brethren, Col. 3.12, 13. Ephe 4.32. Let us dea●e with our brethren, as we see God hath dealt with us. If we be hasty to revenge, let us take heed, lest we kindle the wrath of God against ourselves, Matthew 6. verse 15.  
Lastly, it is our duty to repent of our sins while we have time, and to seek the Lord while he is near, Rom. 2.4. joel 2.3.   
Verse 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt, even until now. 
here we have the third and last argument of the prayer to move the Lord to pardon them, wherein he putteth the Lord in mind of his works of mercy, and thereupon is bold to pray for the continual course of more mercy, Pardon this people, as thou hast forgiven them from Egypt until now. Doctrine. The doctrine. All the benefits and blessings that we receive in this life, 
All the blessings present give assurance of more blessings to come  are such as give us hope and assurance, that we shall receive more blessings and mercies from God; So then the point to be considered is this, that mercies present assure more mercies to come upon the faithful, as Psal. 77.5. josh. 10.25. 1 Sam. 17.34, 35, 36, 37.  

Reason 1.  The reasons. A promise in part performed is a good assurance that the rest also shall be performed. So than if God have given to a man any blessing in part, it shall be an assurance unto him, that he shall also receive more from God. Every gift of God is as a pawn or gauge laid up and left with us; for when he bestoweth any blessing, he giveth us earnest to assure us of more that shall follow, and of a greater measure of the same gift, 2 Cor. 1.22. and 5.5. Ephes. 1.14. Secondly, deeds are much more effectual and powerful than words. Albeit the word of God be sure whatsoever he hath spoken, yet we lay better hold upon his works. Men are not so much afraid of God's threatenings to come, as when they see and feel his judgements present upon themselves and others: so is it in this case; for though the promises of God be good payment, because he hath promised that cannot lie, Tit. 1.2. yet we are not so easily drawn to believe them, made by words only, as when we find them in part performed unto us; then we conceive undoubted and assured hope to receive the rest also, because he doth thereby as it were enter payment of a debt, I mean a debt by promise on his part, not by any desert on our part.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, this teacheth every man, that be aught to observe and keep in mind the benefits and mercies of God both upon himself and other: how God from time to time hath blessed him, that so he may have comfort in time of need. For this is the cause why so many despair and have no comfort at all when the judgements of God are upon them, they forget God's goodness, and never cast their eyes back to the times past, nor remember the former benefits and comforts which they have received from God, and so are wholly destitute of comfort, and remain without hope to receive any more mercies from him. When Moses prayed unto God to show him this mercy, that he might enter into the land of promise, he beseecheth the Lord after this manner, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show unto thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand, I pray thee therefore let me go over and see the good land that is beyond jordan, Deuter. 3.24. Whereby we see, he considereth how God had dealt with him in former times, and maketh that a motive to stir up his faith for the time to come, to hope for, and to desire the continuance thereof.  
Secondly, this teacheth all of us, whereupon Use 2 we ought in our wants and necessities to stay ourselves and look for comfort: surely in the remembrance of God's former promises. There we shall be sure to find comfort, if we think upon them. For they are as sure pledges to us, that we shall afterward receive more also. And let us labour to rest upon God because he hath given us many blessings and mercies in former times, so that we need not fear for the time to come, but that we shall also receive more at his hands, who giveth liberally one blessing after another, jam. 1.5. Forasmuch as he is God for the time to come, as well as for the time past, and all his gifts and calling are without repentance, Rom. 11, 29.  
Thirdly, this should move us earnestly to Use 3 labour for the first grace, and never to give rest to ourselves until we feel an addition and increase of the second and third grace in our hearts, and to multiply them one after another, that they may dwell in us plentifully, and make us fruitful in all holy conversation. If we have the first grace in our hearts, and be careful to use the same well, it is as seed sown in good ground, it will bring forth a wonderful increase, and a notable harvest in the end. Paul would have Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him, 1 Tim. 1.6. If we be once in Christ, he will purge us more and more, that we shall bring forth more fruit, joh. 15.8.  
Lastly, observe that this is a privilege belonging Use 4 only to the faithful, that they shall have the mercy and favour of God continued unto them. The blessings that God bestoweth upon the wicked do serve to make them without excuse, and are as seals of condemnation: they are not assurances unto them that they shall have more bestowed upon them, he hath made no such promise unto them, neither can they gather any hope to have any farther increase of the same, or any addition of new blessings. Albeit it be so with the godly, that former blessings of God are pledges of more, yet it is not so with the ungodly, 2 Sam. 7, 17. judg. 10 12, 13. Eccle. 8.12, 13. Esay 65.20. He took away his mercy from Saul, but he would never do it from David: he delivered the unthankful and rebellious Israelites out of the hands of their enemies, but he threateneth that he will deliver them no more. The evil servant hath his talon taken from him, and never restored unto him again: and thereupon Christ delivereth the manner of Gods dealing as well toward the faithful, as the unfaithful, Matth. 25.29. Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath. For they do abuse his mercies, and never make any good use of them: how then should they be continued unto them? nay, how should they not be deprived of them? They become much more sinful and grow worse and worse by his blessings: God requireth the more of them, but they perform the less duty unto him. It is therefore a vain hope and a mere presumption for such to think to have his goodness continued; rather they may conclude, that God will take them away suddenly, and bestow them no longer upon them, except they turn from their evil ways.   

20 And the Lord said, I have pardoned, according to thy word.  
21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.  
23 Because all these men which have seen my glory, and my miracles which I did in Egypt & in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not harkened unto my voice:  
23 Surely they shall not see the Land, etc.  
24 But my servant Caleb, etc.  
We have in these words the effect of the prayer of Moses, and the answer that God giveth unto him. The sum whereof is this, that the fathers should die in the wilderness, because, though they had seen his glory and miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet they tempted him ten times, that is, not once nor twice, but oftentimes, a certain number put for an uncertain, as Gen. 31.41. job. 19.3. Dan. 7.10. and therefore they should be all destroyed, excepting Caleb the servant of God. If any ask the question why joshua is not expressed, 
action  and wherefore his name is concealed? I answer, 
●er.  because the Lord pronounced the former sentence concerning the people that were in their tents; but joshua (that attended upon Moses) was present with Moses and Aaron before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, therefore the judgement denounced against the people that abode in their tents no way touched him. Caleb was with the people, so that it behoved him (who had spoken the truth of the land) to be excepted; joshua was not, and therefore there was no need to have him exempted from them, who was not among them. For being with Moses and Aaron, he is accounted in their number. Secondly, they are commanded to return back again into the wilderness by the way of the red sea, verse 25 when they were now come to the borders of Canaan; which they could not hear without great grief and anguish of mind. Before they wept without cause, verse 1. Now they have cause to weep for this heavy judgement. Thirdly, their children should bear the burden of their father's sin & wander in the wilderness forty years, howbeit in the end they should enter into the land. Fourthly, the Spies themselves that had searched the land, which were the authors of all this mutiny, and had brought up an evil report of the land, were smitten with a fearful plague, & died suddenly by the hand of God. here we may observe in these words, that God heareth the prayer of Moses and pardoneth the people according to his prayer, so that the Lord heareth the prayers of the faithful according to his promise. Secondly, God's judgements are tempered with mercy. Thirdly, such as have received the greatest mercies and become unthankful and disobedient, 
Matth. 11.20.21, 22, 23, 24. Luke 12.47.  are the greatest sinners, and shall receive the greatest judgement. Fourthly, in excepting Caleb and joshua from the common destruction, it appeareth that God is a just & righteous God, who as he doth not account the wicked innocent, so he will not account the innocent to be wicked.  
The Popish teachers allege this example to prove that God pardoneth sin, 
Popish doctrine touching the pardon of sin, and the retaining of the punishment.  and yet punisheth the sinner, & that the same punishment so inflicted is a satisfaction to God for their sin, and that the eternal punishment due to this people was pardoned at the request of Moses. If this were true, than all this people were believers and had true faith in the Messiah, which is a bold assertion without all show of reason, and likelihood of truth; It may probably and charitably be thought, that some of them were believers and repent, to them these were chastisements. The like may be said of Moses and Aaron and of David, of which, they were shut out of the land of promise, and he was punished by the death of his child, and in other his children and house; not thereby to satisfy God by bearing part of the temporal punishment belonging to their sin, but that Moses and Aaron might learn together with all the people, to put their trust in God's promises made unto them, and to wait on him with patience. The end therefore was not God's satisfaction but their own reformation and the people's instruction. And David had many punishments, that the mouths of the heathen might thereby be stopped, who were likely to blaspheme God because of his sin. The truth is, before forgiveness, such judgements are punishments of sin, but after forgiveness obtained, 
August. de pecc●t. merit. & remis lib 2. cap. 34. Origen in Gen. hom. 16.  they are the fights and exercises of the just. This is the difference between the afflictions of the faithful, and of the unfaithful; that which is to the just, the exercise of virtue, is to the unjust the punishment of sin. That which is laid upon us after forgiveness in Christ, is only in respect of the time to come, to weaken and wear away the power of sin, and in death utterly to destroy it. If any object, that death is the wages of sin, and that yet it continueth after forgiveness: I answer, it is so indeed, originally and naturally: but to the faithful it hath lost his sting; the poison of it is taken away and turned into a medicine, and is made the way to life and salvation. 
Bern. in Cant. Serm. 26.  That which was the gate of hell is made an entry to the kingdom of heaven. Thus we see, that the Popish satisfaction is weakly grounded, and the gainful fire of purgatory standing upon the rotten and ruinous pillar of satisfaction is utterly quenched, that though the Jesuits and their instruments labour to blow the bellows to kindle it again, yet they are not able to put any spark of heat into it. 
When the sin is forgiven, the punishment is also remitted.  For this is a certain doctrine, that when God pardoneth sin, he also remitteth the punishment. For first, the fault & the punishment are relatives which stand together and fall together: admit of the one, you yield the other: take away the one, you overthrow the other. Again, when God doth not remit the fault, he doth retain the punishment, & who can deny this? therefore on the contrary, when he forgiveth the fault, he doth not retain the punishment. The fault is a greater matter than the punishment: if then God forgive the fault which is the greater, it may not seem strange that he should forgive that which is lesser, and only depending upon the fault. Besides, when once a debt is discharged, it were extreme wrong and injustice to require the payment thereof again: but sins are debts, Matth. 6.12. The obligation standing against us is canceled, and the creditor is fully satisfied, how then should we fear any arrest or imprisonment? who shall sue us, or who can lay any thing to our charge? In a civil court, he were a very corrupt judge, who having acquitted & cleared a man that stood as guilty, from all offence, would notwithstanding give sentence that he should be executed: for this were as much as to pardon the theft, and to hang the thief. They that are justified by faith, are at peace with God, Rom. 5.1. and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus, Rom. 8.1. When God forgiveth the sins and transgressions of the penitent, he remembreth them no more, jer. 31.34. he blotteth them out of his sight, he setteth them as far from us, as the East is from the West, Psal. 103, he scattereth them as a cloud, and casteth them into the bottom of the Sea, 
The meaning of the words.  Mic. 7.19. But touching the pardon mentioned in this place, the answer of God is to be referred to the prayer of Moses, & is proportioned out according to his request. He desired, that God would not utterly root out that whole people as one man, according as he had threatened: his prayer is granted, and God declareth that he had pardoned them, not absolutely, but according to his word: he requested they might not utterly be destroyed, he receiveth answer, they shall not utterly be destroyed. And concerning satisfaction to God for our sins by ourselves, it is more than we are able to make it cost more to redeem a soul and to pay a price sufficient for it. For to satisfy is to yield a sufficient recompense to God for the transgressions that we have committed against him. This Christ our redeemer is only able to do, and his satisfaction is all sufficient. Object. But they tell us that man's satisfaction is not a supplying of any want in Christ's satisfaction, Answer. but an application of it to us. A most foolish and witless conceit. For when a man hath a medicine fully sufficient and available for the curing and healing of a wound, what needeth another medicine for the healing the same wound, which he must apply and lay to the former medicine to make it good? is not this application needless? And if a surety (undertaking for us) hath discharged our debts, it is very ridiculous to suppose that we must pay the debt again, that so our sureties payment may stand in effect. We read of the satisfaction that Christ hath made, and we believe it: but of a satisfaction applying his satisfaction, we read not and therefore we believe not; which is no better than a cloak to cover their shame, and soundeth harsh to the ear of reason itself.  
But to pass over these things, let us consider the sentence pronounced against these men, that all of them should die in the wilderness, as they had all broken out into open wickedness. The doctrine, 
Doctrine  sin generally entertained, bringeth a general destruction: 
Where 〈◊〉 is general entertains it bringer a general destructi● Gen. 6.5. 〈◊〉 7.17. and 20 and 15 24 25. De● 9.4. josh. 〈◊〉 21. Hos, 4. 3. Ze. 1. 1●  when it is once come to the height in the manner and measure, it causeth destruction to come upon such persons, The reasons follow.  
This is agreeable to the course of God's justice, that his judgements may be answerable to the sin. A general sin deserveth a general plague. Secondly, as sins are resembled to sicknesses, so punishments are to medicines which must be fitted to the diseases, and not to a part thereof. 
Reas. 1,  Now if universal and spreading sins should not have universal & spreading judgements brought upon them, the plaster should be less than the wound, & the remedy much weaker than the disease. The uses remain.  
First, seeing God giveth sentence to bring Use 1 desolation upon this people for their common sins, we have great cause to fear, that the day of our desolation and judgement cannot be far off. For seeing it hath been already proved, that we are grown a cold and careless people, a lukewarm Church, neither hot nor cold, seeing we are grown to the height of wickedness, 
Deut. 19  and have added sin to sin, as it were drunkenness unto thirst, what can be expected in the next place, but that destruction be brought upon us? If God have destroyed other nations, and rooted them out for the same sins that are found among us, what can be expected by us, but that we having the same weight of sins should also have the same weight of judgement? He hath made us already to drink of many judgements, only this remaineth that as yet we have not drank the dregs; we have not yet tasted of utter desolation. No nation hath brought forth worse fruits, or showed less thankfulness. We have just occasion therefore to fear, that the day of God's visitation cannot be far off by the course of justice, and doubtless it is the nearer, because we are grown sottish and senseless, and have put all fear thereof from us. The land is generally full of retchlessness and security; and this addeth to our sin, so that we may say, as it is, jer. 6.28, 29, 30. They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: 
● 9.28.  they are brass and iron, they are all corrupt, etc. Thus was it with the Sodomites immediately before their destruction, the Sun was risen upon the earth, they thought there had been a fair day coming, but it was a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, for the Lord reigned down fire and brimstone upon them, and all the wicked were as stubble. So it was also in the days of Noah, and so it shall be in the end of the world.  
Use Secondly, it teacheth us, who are the greatest enemies to a state, to a nation, to a kingdom, to a land, to a people, to our towns and cities, & to our families; even they that are the greatest sinners. These are they that bring those days of desolation, the days of darkness and gloominess, the days of wasteness and confusion, to wit, such as sin with an high hand, that are obstinate and hardhearted and settled to continue in the dregs of them. When jerusalem was besieged by Nabuchadnezzar king of Babylon, jer. 32.4. who were the chief enemies of the city and kingdom? doubtless, not so much the Babylonians and their army, as the citizens themselves; they were such as lodged within, not they that lay without, 2 Chron. 36.16. Dan. 9.10, 11. Nehe. 13.17, 18. 
〈◊〉 it is ●eake●nd wa〈◊〉 city.  The strongest enemies were in the heart of the city, and they were they that did weaken it. It is sin that openeth the gates, and throweth down the walls, and letteth in the enemy, and maketh havoc of all. The sin of Achan made Israel to turn their backs to their enemies, josh. 7.8. according to the threatening, Deut. 28.15.25. The contempt of the word, profaning of the Sabbaths, whoredom, drunkenness, covetousness, and oppression do sharpen the swords of enemies, and give them assured hope of victory, Hab. 1.3, 4, 5, 6. If we sin against God with an high hand, and break out into all enormities, it is in vain to trust in our fenced cities and multitudes of men. If our armies be never so strong, if our cities were never so sure blocked, if we had walls flanked with barracadoes and other fortifications, that we feared not to have them surprised by scalado; yet if sin be suffered and fostered within, it weakeneth all our force, it maketh frustrate all our devices, it throweth our castles and citadels down to the ground, it filleth up the trenches, and maketh the way easy to batter our walls and to break in pieces the towers thereof. Sin is as a Cannon that beareth all before it, and where it beareth sway, an hundred walls cannot keep out the enemy. 
Plaut. in Persa.  And this the heathen knew and confessed. But where Religion is entertained, and godliness flourisheth, there the city is notably guarded, Deu. 4.6. and 28.1.7.  
Lastly, such as have any love to their country, Use 3 and would have the people freed from destruction, and continue in peace and quietness, let them show it by their love to the Lord and his Law, and by seeking to be at peace with him. If we be reconciled unto him, that he hath no controversy against us, he will make even our enemies to be at peace with him. This serveth to admonish us all to take heed, lest we add sin unto sin. We account him an enemy, and that justly that conspireth and combineth with another to open the gates unto him, and to bring him in to destroy the city and people: such an enemy is sin, it taketh part with our enemies, and they both join together, and tend both to one end, to wit, to overthrew our peace and safety. Stay therefore the course of sin, that it grow not to have the upper hand. Seek not to be acquainted with it, be not any means to spread it farther, and to convey it from one to another. Mark then from this consideration, who are indeed and in truth the best Citizens, and best townsmen in places where they live. Not always the richest, not always the noblest, not always the strongest, not always the most politic. The best citizen is the godly man: the best townsman is the man that feareth GOD, and walketh in his ways. Such are the chariots and horsemen of the kingdom. They are the strength of the land that are strong in the Lord. On the contrary side, the worst citizens are the ungodly, who pull it down as it were with their own hands. What hath been the ruin and overthrow of the most famous kingdoms in the world? and what hath turned the noblest Cities into dust? what hath brought infinite calamities of famine, of the sword, of the pestilence, of fire, of slavery, and such like, but the impiety of men? so that the Lord hath been compelled to revenge himself of the very places which they possessed, of the walls and buildings, yea of the cattle and beasts that fed thereupon. Stand fast therefore in the most holy faith, and let not sin enter: for when it cometh, it layeth all waste: from this cometh the ruins of countries, of cities, of houses, and of particular persons.   

26 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,  
27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against me.  
28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, I will surely do unto you, even as ye have spoken in mine ears.  
The Lord as a just judge proceedeth to give sentence against these wicked men whose destruction was concluded. They had gone back from their obedience, God charged them to go back again toward the red sea, so that they were forty years before any of that people came into the land, which might have been possessed in forty days. This sentence pronounced by the mouth of God, is either general against the whole multitude, or special against the first contrivers and principal authors of this rebellion. The general punishment is concerning themselves or their children.  
Touching themselves as they had spospoken, so the Lord would do, they should not come into the land, their carcases should fall in the wilderness; and touching their children, they should wander in the wilderness forty years. The fathers themselves had murmured against Moses and Aaron, verse 2. this doth God account as chief done against himself, You have murmured against me. He accounteth the disobedience showed to the Ministers that bring the word, as a disobedience against himself the author of the word, as Luk. 10.16. to teach us to submit ourselves to God's holy word, albeit it be delivered to us by man, Doctrine. like unto ourselves. The doctrine, when once the Ministers of God are no longer regarded, 
When the Ministers of God are not regarded, God taketh the matter into his own hand.  when they cry early and late, and we stop our ears, God himself taketh the matter into his own hand. When God sent Noah to preach repentance to the old world, and they repent not, he cometh against them to their destruction, Gen. 6.1, 4. Come thou and all thine house into the Ark, for yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain, upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance that I have made, will I destroy from off the face of the earth. So 2. Chro. 36.15, 16. jerem. 7.13, 14. and 14.15, 16. Zach. 7.11, 12. This is the course of the Lords dealing: first he preacheth by his Ministers, than he punisheth with his judgements. The reasons.  
Reason 1 First because the word offered and brought unto us, being contemned, they show contempt against God himself, and in despising his word, they despise the Lord himself, joh. 13.20. and therefore no marvel, if he be constrained to take the matter into his own hand, and to deal with them himself, that they may know what he can do, who regard not what his servants speak.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God loveth those that are his own, and he is entered into a covenant with them, and cannot but continue his love unto them, joh. 13.1. now these that he loveth, he chastiseth, Heb. 12.6. and if they will not be warned by his threatenings, he will make them seek unto him by his corrections and punishments. job. 33.16.  
Use 1 This teacheth the Ministers of God how they may stay themselves in following the duties of their calling, among so many discontentments that they meet withal, both in the hearing and practising of the people. For albeit their labour spent early and late cannot prevail, yet the Lord himself will take the matter into his own hand, and deal with them himself. The word which we bring is not our own, it is the Lords: we are but as the Apothecary's box that holdeth the precious ointment: if then he be patiented toward the contemners of it, much more ought we to be patiented, and commit the cause to him whose cause it is. Peter being a Fisherman before his calling, Matth. 4.18. had toiled all the night, but had taken nothing, yet when Christ bade him continue his labour, he was ready to cast down the net into the sea, Luk. 5.5. and at length he enclosed a great multitude of fishes.  
The Ministers are made the fishers of men, Matth. 4.19. to catch them with the angle of the word, and to take them in the net of the Gospel, Matt. 13.47. And albeit we do oftentimes toil and moil and take nothing, because men are grown so wily as to pass by the net, and can by no means abide to come near it: yet we are not to be discouraged, the master of the net commandeth us to labour in season and out of season: 
2 Tim. 4.2.  and if a multitude of them will not be taken in this net, Christ jesus will take hold of them another way, to wit, by the net of his judgements.  
Albeit therefore we do not see such profit of our pains and labours as we expected and desired, yet let us be content and commit the success of all to him that sent us, he will do that for us which we cannot do for ourselves; he will take them in hand that hath their hearts in his own hand, and reform all that belong unto him, & bring everlasting confusion upon his enemies that shall never be forgotten, jeremy, chapter 20. verses 8, 9  
Secondly, it serveth to terrify all that obstinately Use 2 set themselves against the word of God, because God will take the matter into his own hands. If his word cannot be a fire to burn up all corrupt affections in us, jer. 23.29 God will himself be a consuming fire, Hebr. 12.29. If his word be not as an hammer to break in pieces our rocky and stony hearts, he will be an hammer that shall beat us to shivers and grind us to powder, Matthew, chapter 21. verse 44. Let all such know, that albeit they escape the mouth of the Minister, yet they shall fall into the hands of God himself, which will be more fearful unto them, for he is able to destroy both body and soul in hell, Matth. 10.28. Indeed he is patiented, but he will not bear long with the contempt of his word: and though he seem not to hear at the first, yet in the end he will make it manifest that he heareth those which would not hear him: Let us therefore hearken unto the word with diligence and attention, while it is offered unto us.  
Lastly, let every one make conscience of hearing the word, and be admonished by it; otherwise most certainly it will fall out, he shall be forced to take us into his own hands, and to deal with us himself. This should move us to reform ourselves and to amend our lives by the Ministry of the word, that so we may escape the hands of God, and not lie under his correction. Is it not better for children to be admonished by their father's servants, then to fall into the hands of their fathers? Is it not better for men that live in lewd courses to be admonished by a friend, then to fall into the hands of the Magistrate, and to go to the stocks for correction? so in this case it is far better for men to be reform by the word of God, brought unto them by the Minister, then to fall into the hands of the living God to be judged by him. This did Eli teach his children, 1 Sam. ●, 25. If one sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? Our condemnation shall be so much the greater, because we will not be admonished by his word. Let us therefore be wise in this point. Some children are so wayward and peevish, that no words will serve them, speak unto them never so much, they will not hear, neither will they regard. And Solomon saith well, A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fools back, Pro. 26, 3: and of children he saith, Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far, Pro. 22, 15. So is it with all those that are stubborn and refractory, they esteem words as wind, they never lay them to their hearts: they must be brought low by strong hand, and they must feel the smart of their sins before they will be humbled. We see this in Pharaoh and his people, they had oftentimes heard Moses and Aaron speak unto them in the Name of the Lord, Exod. 5, 1, 8, 1, & 9, 1, 13, & 10, 3. But what did all this work in him, but as so many hard strokes upon the anvil, which make it harder? so Pharaoh hardened his heart, and would not let the people go, Exo. 8, 15, so that God is constrained to enter into judgement with him, and he that would not give ear to the word, was constrained to give place to the waters, for he and his host were drowned in the red sea. Thus was it also oftentimes with the Israelites that refused & misused the Prophets, they ever brought upon their heads some judgement or other.   

33. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.  
34. After the number of the days in which ye searched the Land, even forty days (each day for a year) shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know, etc.  
In these words Moses farther describeth the sentence of God against these rebels: the punishment rested not only upon their own persons but slowed down to their children, like a violent tempest that first falleth upon the Mountains, and after descendeth into the valleys. Note here first of all, how God dealeth with these mutineers and with their offspring. The spies had been 40. days in searching the Land, and for their wickedness they shall wander 40. years in the wilderness, a year for a day. A dram of sin hath a pound of sorrow. A day of pleasure hath a year of pain. Doctrine. Observe from this, 
Sin and the punishment of sin, are proportionable. Gen. 19, 5, 24.  that in judging and punishing of sins, God oftentimes punisheth in proportion, so that the judgement is answerable to the sin. Of what kind the sin is, of the same kind is the punishment, Gen. 42, 21. God sent upon Sodom a punishment like to the nature of their sin, they burned in unclean and unnatural lust one toward another, and the Lord sent fire from heaven to burn them up. The people in the wilderness with their viperous and venomous tongues spoke against God and Moses his servant, and the Lord sent venomous and fiery serpents to sting and to bite them, Numb. 21, 5, 6. So David sinned greatly in numbering of the people, through the pride of his heart, and vain glory in his own greatness: God could have punished him many other ways, but he meeteth with him in the same kind, he diminisheth the number of his people exceedingly by the pestilence, in whose strength he much trusted. The reasons follow.  
First, God hath many ways to punish sin, Reason 1 yet it pleaseth him to send his punishments according to our sins, thereby to strike us with inward remorse, and to work a deeper impression in the conscience. For when he punisheth after this manner rather than after any other, the judgement itself doth more effectually force the sufferer to acknowledge God's justice in plaguing of him in that sort. This we see in Adonibezek, who was served himself as he had served others, he had cut off the thumbs and great toes of threescore and ten kings which gathered their meat under his table, the Israelites served him with the same sauce, they also cut off his thumbs and his great toes; this measure repaid unto him caused him to say, As I have done, so God hath requited me, judg. 1, 7. The punishment presenteth the sin as it were visibly before his face; and when God dealeth thus with a man, it oftentimes bringeth him to think of those sins which otherwise he would never have remembered: so that thereby he may justly acknowledge, that it is justly come upon him. Secondly, this maketh men not only to Reason 2 justify God, whose judgements are always just, but maketh them also to judge themselves, and thereby they oftentimes prevent the more heavy judgements of God. He doth it for their good, & judgeth no man twice, 
1 Cor. 11, 31.  if he be wise to judge himself. Thirdly, God hath given a law, Reason 3 & by the law he requireth a proportionable punishment for sin, Leuit. 24, 19 This course will the Lord take (who is the supreme Magistrate) so often as it pleaseth him, albeit he do not tie himself to that law.  
Use 1 This serveth to warrant us, that we may lawfully expect judgement from God in proportion upon men for their sins. For that which hath been, may be; and that which the Lord hath done, he will certainly do it again, so that we may promise and persuade ourselves that they shall in the end be paid home to the full, with due proportion of punishment according to their sins. In the destruction of jerusalem, we read, that the enemies came upon them the same day, that they put Christ our Saviour to death, even then, I say, came the sword upon them, and recompensed them in the same manner by putting them to death. How many are there which have sometimes been servants (though now they are masters) and been faithless to their masters? & what hath followed? have they escaped? nay, hath not God met with them in the same manner, by giving to them faithless servants, deceivers, purloiners, and thieves, that have wasted and spoiled their goods, as they in former time did their masters? How many in our days have been stubborn and disobedient against their parents in their youth, never doing them reverence, nor yielding to them any obedience, mocking at their age and other infirmities? Have not these monsters been punished? Yes, God hath paid them home with the like, and sent them dissolute children, disobedient, such as grow weary of them and think they live too long, minding their patrimony, more than regarding their parents. How many are there that have abused and wronged their former wives? and hath not God usually plagued them in the same sort in giving them a second into their bosom which hath embraced the bosom of strangers, and dealt wickedly and falsely with them? 2 Sam. 12, 11. job 31, 9, 10. God could have met with them by other means and punished them a thousand other ways, but it pleaseth him to make his punishments answerable, and carrying a likeness with the sin for which it is inflicted: so that they are punished by that thing, by which they have sinned against God. Covetous persons which get their goods by fraud and oppression, are themselves or their heirs many times oppressed, and deceived, and brought to beggary. Gluttony, surfeiting, and drunkenness are oftentimes punished with dropsies and many gross and corrupt humours, distempering their bodies, and bringing them with speed to their graves. But all these judgements before rehearsed belong only to the body, & do not stretch to the soul and conscience: nevertheless the Lord ceaseth not to repay us even in this kind also according to our sin. Hence it is, that he threateneth to send strong delusions upon men to believe lies, which will not receive and believe the truth, 2 Thess. 2, 11. and they which will not believe wholesome doctrine, but having itching ears get them an heap of teachers, shall turn their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables and believe lies, 2, Tim. 4, 3, 4.  
Secondly, whensoever we remain under any Use 2 judgement of God's hand, whatsoever it be, let us labour for spiritual wisdom, that we may be able to see and discern, what the sin is which is the cause thereof. For by the manner of the judgement, we may oftentimes find out the manner of our sin. And doubtless these benefits will come thereof: we shall be able to justify God, and also to judge ourselves, and thereby we shall escape farther punishments and plagues that God purposed to bring upon us. This way we shall make the punishment profitable unto us, if we take it and lay it unto the sin, as it were a salve upon the sore. This will bring us to remember many sins, and to repent truly of them, which otherwise we should not think upon. It will work in us a care to judge ourselves, that we be not judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11, 31, 22. This is no small benefit and comfort and therefore we should entertain a joint-meditation, both touching the sins that we have committed, and touching punishments that we have suffered, that so we may to our farther good compare the one with the other.  
Lastly, as God dealeth with men in regard Use 3 of their sins, so he dealeth oftentimes with his children in good things & for good things. He will not only reward our good works, even to a cup of cold water, given to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, Mat. 10.42. but he will reward according to our deeds, blessing with the same blessing, and mercy with the same mercy, 2 Tim 1.18. Onesiphorus showed me●cy unto Paul he prayeth to God, That he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. He that is merciful and liberal to the poor, hath a promise that he shall never want. Christ our Saviour describing what is true blessedness, wherein it consisteth, saith, among other things Mat. 5 4. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. True it is, God is able to reward such many other ways, but he promiseth and performeth this rather than any other, to strengthen our faith in his word, and to teach us to acknowledge and confess his own in that work. And hereby have all such as are any way under the government of others, a notable encouragement in well doing, that God will return them a like measure of blessing according to that themselves have done. If we be truly serviceable and conscionable in our duties toward those whom God hath set over us, we shall by a special blessing of God find in time to come those that shall be under us faithful also toward us. He that will rule well, must first learn to obey well: if we be not obedient to others for conscience sake, let us never think to find others obedient to us. Hast thou been a dutiful child to thy parents, and obeyed them in the Lord? Thou mayest well hope and expect the same at the hands of thy own children hereafter. Or hast thou been a faithful servant to thy master according to the flesh, serving him with fear & trembling in singleness of thy heart? Thou mayest well look for the like service at the hands of others. It is the common rule of christianity, and that which the heathen themselves were not ignorant off, Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the Prophets, Mat. 7, 12. On the other side, they that are stubborn and disobedient children, evil and unfaithful servants, may justly fear to have the same measure measured unto them again. They that are now young men & live under the roof and government of their parents, if they deal falsely and deceitfully with them, how can they but think that God will make them reap a plentiful harvest of such darnel as themselves have sown & scattered abroad? They that are now children of their fathers & mothers, may in time to come themselves be fathers & mothers of their children, & so have others stand in the same place to them, that themselves now stand to their parents. If they mock and scoff at them for their infirmities, as Ham & Canaan did, Gen. 9, 22. Or contemn their wholesome counsels and holy admonitions, 
● 2, 25.  as the sons of Eli did: Or if they beguile them, or closely convey away their money or any of their goods from them as Micah did from his mother: 
●7, ●, 2.  as many make it a slight and slender matter to steal from their parents, as if all were their own they can lay fingers upon, even while they be alive; and others give liberty to take and embezzle from them, if it be but a little and no great sums: Or if they think they live too long that they may enjoy their living as Esau did; 
●7. 41.  let them know that there is a just God in heaven, that will another day withhold his grace from their posterity, that they shall find their own children ready to despise them and set them at nought, to reject their adm●nitions & threatenings, to cirumvent them & purloin from them, yea to gape for their death that they may have their goods. And when this cometh to pass, then let them consider their own sin as the cause of their children's sin, and that their children do forget them to be their parents, because themselves never remembered that they were children. The like we may say of servants; they that are now servants of their masters, may also hereafter come to be masters of their servants. If then you shall deal wickedly with them, in word or in deed, you shall make a straight, yet a just & equal law against yourselves. The Apostle giveth an excellent precept unto such, Tit. 2, 9, 10. Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Let such therefore look to themselves, that they be not paid home in their kind. If they learn to give stubborn and froward answers, and to despise them that are over them, as Agar did Sarah, Gen. 16, 4. Or if they return them sleeveless answers when they call them to an account of their doings, as Gehazi did to Elisha; who, when he asked him, whither he went, or where he had been, said, Thy servant went no whither, 2 Ki. 5, 25. Or if they slander and belie their masters, or any way falsely accuse them, as Ziba did Mephibosheth, 2 Sam. 16, 3. Or if they run away from their masters, and will not tarry in their houses, like the servants of Shemei that fled from him, 1 King. 2, 39 Or if they pick and steal from them, as Onesimus did from Philemon; or any way deal fraudulently & falsely with their master's goods which he hath committed to their trust, as the unjust steward did with his Lord, Lu. 16, 5, 6, 7. Let these look for no better dealing in times to come at the hands of their own servants, but be well assured, that it is just with God to send them the like false and disobedient servants as themselves have been to their masters. Thus than we see how all inferiors should be encouraged to honour their superiors, because God will cause them to be honoured and on the other side be terrified from despising and dishonouring them, lest another day he cause them also to be dishonoured.  
[Your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms etc.] By whoredom, we must understand the punishment of the idolatry and infidelity of their father's falling from God, and ceasing to trust in him. For as idolatry, so infidelity is spiritual whoredom. They were as a wife that had forsaken her husband, and broken the covenant of her God. So then observe, that according to the number of the days, in which the fathers had searched the Land, even forty days, the children must bear their iniquities, and wander too and fro, forward and backward, forty years before they should enter into the Land. The doctrine from hence is this: Doctrine. The judgements and punishments of God, 
God visiteth the sins of the father upon the children  deserved and procured by the father's sins and rebellions, do oftentimes fall upon their children and posterity: they do not end and cease in themselves, but descend to their stock & issue that live after them, Exod. 20, 5. and 34, 7, 8.  
The reasons. First, because the children of Reason 1 men and their posterity, though they be oftentimes infants, and have not understanding to conceive of sin, yet the same judgements that belonged to the father's sins, shall light upon them, because God would thereby show his anger & sore displeasure against their sins, in that when it pleaseth him, he will punish those for their sins, which as yet had committed no sin at all, Rom. 5, 14, Gen. 7, 4, and 19, 25.  
Secondly, touching those that are of ripe Reason 2 years, they are of two sorts: either wicked, & so like to their parents, and then it is just with God to bring his judgements upon them, because he would show himself displeased with their sins: or else they are godly, not tainted and defiled with them, yet nevertheless there is other corruption enough in them, which may lustily & worthily call for temporal judgement.  
Object. But some haply will object, that this may seem to be quite contrary to other Scriptures, as Ezek. 18, 4, ●0. where it is said, The soul that sinneth, shall die the death: and again, The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. I answer, Answer. we must mark the occasion of these words. The children of Israel took up a taunting proverb against God, and in their afflictions said. The fathers have eaten sour grapes, & the children's teeth are set on edge, v, 2. that is, the fathers have sinned, and the children are punished. These were quicksighted to look up, but they could not look downward upon themselves: they could see farther off, but were blind nearer home. These were rank hypocrites, who had rather accuse God then themselves; and as Adam cast the fault from himself upon his wife, Gen. 3, 12, so do they from themselves upon their fathers. They never think of their own eating of the sour grapes, they thought themselves free from any sin that should procure such judgements, but God taketh the sons in the sins of the fathers, and then punisheth them for their own sins, taking occasion from their father's sins. Every man's sin shall be upon his own head, so that though a wicked father be condemned, yet his son not treading in his steps, shall be saved. And though God punisheth temporally for the sin of the father, yet he doth not condemn any eternally for the same. For as the godliness of the father shall nothing help the son to eternal life; so his wickedness shall not hinder his salvation, except he be wicked himself; and walk in the steps of his wicked father. Object. But it will peradventure be said, that David sinned in the numbering of the people, & yet the people were punished, many thousands were plagued for his offence, 
2 Sa. 24, 15, 17  and he escaped scotfree: Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house. I answer, Answer. this is a certain & infallible rule, that there is no unrighteousness with God, who is the judge of all the world. 
Deut. 32, 4. Lament. 3, 33  And touching the people, though they were free from this sin of David, yet they had many other grievous sins, for which God might justly punish them, and God, either for some secret or else some open sin, had a quarrel against them, as is plain by these words; 
2 Sam. 24, 1.  The anger of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and therefore he moved David against them to say, Go number judah and Israel. It is not said, that he moved David against himself, but against them. So then their own sin was the cause of the king's sin, and the king's sin brought this punishment upon them, 
The cause he cause the cause the thing caused.  and therefore their sin was the cause of the cause of their punishment. It may be they abused the peace & plenty given unto them after the three years of famine, & after the four great battles which they had fought against the Philistims: for it is hard to use God's blessings well, our corrupt nature being ready to turn good into evil, and blessings into curses, Deut. 32, 6, 15. Therefore the people are especially plagued, because their sin was the first cause of all, which sin he punished with the sin of David, 
God punisheth one with another  and both of them with that grievous pestilence. And touching David, we cannot say, he altogether escaped unpunished, for God by one and the same plague and judgement striketh many ways and many persons: his sword hath many edges, and cutteth every way: he useth no rod that hath not many sharp twigs, nor no whip that hath not many cords of wiar to draw blood in many places. True it is, he was not stricken with this raging pestilence: nevertheless, he was diversly punished with it, with grief and sorrow, with horror & fear, with loss of his subjects & of his honour, Pro. 14, 28  
The uses. First, this serveth as an admonition Use 1 to all parents, to teach them, that if they love their sons, they must leave their sins, and walk in a careful obedience to the law of God. If they do not remember his commandments, it shall come to pass that he will not remember their children for good, but for evil. If then there be no love in us, either toward God or ourselves, yet for the children's sake of our body, and for our posterity that come after us, we should labour to forsake our sins. For his judgements shall not end in us, but follow us at the heels, and fall upon such as are near us and belong unto us. God will take vengeance of the children for the sins of the parents, although they have in themselves enough to work out their own destruction, yea, though they have no more in them but original sin. Many love their children better than themselves, and desire their good more than their own. If we would indeed show our love to them, we must walk in obedience unto God. To say we love them dearly, and yet to live profanely, is utterly to deceive ourselves. To commit wickedness with greediness, is not the way to show our love to them, or to procure their safety, but rather to make them partakers with us in the punishment. Many children may now say to their parents, as Zipporah said to Moses; for as she said, 
Exod. 4, 26.  Thou art a bloody husband to me; in like manner may many children say to their parents, Ye are indeed bloody parents unto us, because they have brought the curse of God both upon themselves and upon their posterity. Alas, do men marry wives to bring forth children to Satan? to be cast into the fire of God's wrath? Is there no care in you, O fathers? no love in you, O mothers to your own children, the fruit of your own bodies? If there be any spark of piety, nay of pity and compassion in us, let us show it in this, by forsaking of our sins, and by reforming of our lives, whatsoever is amiss in us; and by giving unto them a good example of life: otherwise most certainly we shall find the wrath of God extended even to our houses and little ones, he will forget to show mercy unto them, but in great wrath & heavy displeasure will he remember them. Let not these things be forgotten but remembered, & graven in our hearts, to wit, that wicked parents are the greatest enemies to their children. We cannot abide that others should entreat them evilly, when in the mean season none do more hurt them and misuse them than ourselves.  
Use 2 Secondly, it reproveth those parents, that imagine by fraud and oppression, wrongful & injurious dealing, to set up their children and enrich their posterity, and get to themselves great names: whereas this is the ready way to bring the curse of God upon their names, upon their substance, upon their houses, upon their children, upon their labours, and upon all their posterity. Such covetous practices (whatsoever their pretences be) cannot build up their houses, which they might easily know if they did believe the word, which teacheth that God is an avenger of all such things, 1. Thess. 
● 2, 11.12.  4, 6. And the Prophet telleth us, that the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it; woe to him that buildeth a Town with blood, etc. This woe fell upon Ahab, that ruined his house: as it doth many great houses in our days.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this warneth us that therefore we should not sleep securely in sin, because God by and by punisheth it one way or other. The wicked are often seen in great power, spreading themselves like the green bay tree, Psal. 37, 35, and they go unpunished for a while, Ps. 73. job 21. but look upon their posterity, and you shall see GOD meeteth with them in his good time, yea often when they are dead and rotten. Evil doing is always attended with evil success in themselves or in those that are theirs. 
●otable ●cment of 〈◊〉.  We see tyrants and bloody persecutors flourish and prosper for a time, howbeit if not in their own persons, yet in the second or third descent, they have been buried under the ruins of those buildings, of which the mortar had been tempered with innocent blood. We noted this before in the person of Ahab, after he had shed the blood of Naboth the true servant of God and of his children; who, I pray you, could do greater hurt to his own house then himself? Did not he in a manner pull it down with his own hands? for therefore was the kingdom taken away and removed from his house, and his seventy children were all slain with the edge of the sword, 1 Kings 21, 21. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, etc. Thus was it with jeroboam who made Israel to sin, God swept him away and all his stock as dung from the face of the earth, 1 King. 14.10. It behoveth therefore Princes and subjects to pray one for another, forasmuch as GOD taketh occasion by the sin of one man to punish another. This duty should also be performed of fathers and children, of masters and their families, lest God cast them together in one judgement.  
Lastly, children ought not in all things to Use 4 follow the example of their parents. It is no just defence or good excuse before GOD, to say, our parents did so. If they have been wicked, swearers and blasphemers, contemners of the word & of the Sabbaths of God, we must not follow them in their sins, lest we reap the fruit of that which they have sown. Wherefore children must not walk in the wicked ways of their fathers, but rather be humbled and crave pardon and forgiveness even for their sins which they after a sort have bequeathed as a legacy unto them: so that their children inherit their sins as well as their substance, because they send forth an evil savour which bringeth down the curse of God upon them, as Dan. 9, 8, 16, where Daniel doth not only confess his own sin, and of others that then lived, but he is wonderfully cast down for the sins of their predecessors: For our sins, & for the iniquities of our fathers, jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. And the Lord promiseth on the other side, that he which seethe his father's sins, & is humbled for them, and doth not the like, shall not be punished for them, 
Ezek. 18.14.  but shall find God merciful unto him; but whosoever seethe the wickedness of his fathers, and justifieth them by word or practice, filleth up the measure of their sins, & bringeth down a plague upon his own head, Mat. 23, 32, 35: Fulfil ye the measure of your sins, that upon you may come all the righteous blood that hath been shed from the blood of Abel, etc. Verily, I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.   
36. And the men which Moses sent to search the Land, who returned and made all the Congregation to murmur against him by bringing up a slander upon the Land: 37. Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the Land, died of the plague before the Lord. 
After that God had given sentence against all the murmurers together; now he proceeds against the captains and ringleaders of the rest, I mean the men that were sent to search out the land, which opened the mouths of the rest against the Lord; these were smitten down & died by the plague and pestilence, according to the threatening before ver. 12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and I will make of thee a greater and mightier nation than they; and this had been no hard thing with God, who had before as it were hewed them out of the rock, & multiplied them to many thousands out of small beginnings.  
Doctrine. The Doctrine from hence is this: Such as are leaders and drawers forward of others and solicitors of them to sin, 
The chiefest offenders shall be chiefly punished.  are capital offenders, the burden of the sin & of the punishment thereof lieth chiefly upon them. judgements are principally intended & directed against those that have the chief hand in misleading others; we see this evidently in the fall of our first parents, the serpent is first punished, than the woman, and lastly Adam, Gen. 3, 14, 16. The judgement of God lay heavy upon the idolatrous kings of Israel, which in a few descents were rooted out; Thus is jeroboam branded, that he made Israel to sin, 1 Kings 12, 30. 2 Kings 13, 2, and 10, 29. 1, Kings 15, 2, 3, 34. The reasons.  
Reason 1 It is a sin for man to err of himself, and bringeth judgement, to go out of the way, though he be nor set out of it: but it is a greater sin and bringeth a greater judgement to cause others to do so, for now he sinneth not alone. Satan that old serpent was chief punished, because he was the chief procurer of man's fall, but Adam escaped not who was seduced, but was no seducer; he was deceived, but was no deceiver: the devil was a deceiver, but was not deceived: the woman was both deceived and a deceiver also. They that cause others to fall, have a greater judgement belonging unto them. We observed this before in Miriam, chap. 12, 10. she was a leper white as snow, who drew Aaron to join with her against Moses, and therefore as she had the chief hand in the sin, so she was stricken with a foul leprosy.  
Reason 2 Secondly, principal offenders in civil states are chief punished before such as are only accessaries. In evil, we may say, Two are worse than one, because if one determine to give over, he hath a fellow to stir him forward, & if he be ready to cease, he hath another to help him up.  
Use 1 This serveth to reprove such as draw on others to sin, as they are capital offenders, so they shall be punished as capital offenders. woe to such as lay a stumbling block before others to cause them to fall. In this number I range those that keep common houses of drunkenness, to tempt and seduce others, and such as haunt them continually, & meet there, and intent to make others drunk; of which places I may say as Solomon doth of other, Pro. 7, 27. Their house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. These men are capital offenders, & are so hardened in sin, that they make a mock and a spot at it as at a pastime yea they make a mock of those that set themselves against it. It serveth also to reprove those that any way make others partakers of their sins, whether it be by commanding, or by counsel, or by persuasion, or by evil example. We shall find the number of our own sins to be great enough, and the account hard enough which we are to make for them, that we should be afraid to heap up more, and so to make the weight greater and the burden heavier.  
Secondly, this must teach all such as are Rulers Use 2 and Governors to look to their ways, and to take heed they be not any cause of the fall of others. A Governor lifted up above others, is as an high Cedar or mighty Oak, above the lower shrubs. The Oak never falleth but it beareth down the lesser trees that stand near unto it. So is it with such as are set before others, in what calling soever it be, they stand not alone, they fall not alone. If they stand fast and unmovable, they are as firm pillars to bear up others. If they fall, they wrap others in their own ruin, & God's judgements will lie heavy upon them and upon those that belong unto them. This doth the Prophet teach touching negligent watchmen, that keep silence and do not blow the trumpet, and thereby cause many to perish in their sins, Eze. 3, 18. Their blood will I require at the watchman's hands. This may be spoken likewise of other Governors. God hath made the Magistrate a watchman, and requireth of him to cause his laws to be observed; and godly Nehemiah acknowledged it to be his duty to see God to be served, and his Sabaths to be sanctified, chap. 13, 17. What evil is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? There was buying and selling upon the Sabbath day and he reproveth the buyers by name, as if the fault were chief in them; for as we say commonly in another case, if there were no receivers there would be no thieves, so we may as truly say, if there were no buyers, there would be, there could be no sellers. And it is certain, that because these find readily such as will buy of them, it encourageth the sellers to come and offer their wares. For if the jews had not been willing to buy their wares, the Merchants of tire would never have brought their commodities to vent them upon that day. If therefore the Magistrate do not his duty, but hold his peace, the blood of such as perish shall be required at his hands also. The like we might say of fathers and masters that ought to teach and instruct such as belong unto their charge; and this have all godly Governors observed: such than as are negligent in this duty, & open not their mouths, make themselves guilty of the sins that their servants and children commit, as it is noted of Eli, and bring upon themselves many grievous judgements.  
Thirdly, we must nevertheless understand, Use 3 that it shall be no just plea or pretence for such as are led aside out of the right way by others, or have a stumbling block laid before them to cause them to fall, to allege for themselves, Alas, I was deceived, I was moved & drawn by others: these are no better than Adam's fig leaves, he posted his sin over to his wife, The woman that thou gavest me, etc. 
Gen. 3, ●2,  So did the woman to the serpent, The serpent beguiled me, etc. So it was with Saul, he translated the fault from himself to his people, The people spared the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, 1 Sa. 15, 15.28. But God bindeth them all together as it were in one bundle, and they are all punished, the serpent, the woman, the man: And Saul hath the kingdom rend from him, and given to a neighbour of his better than himself. 
'scuse of ●ople.  The people for the most part think themselves to be discharged, if they can lay the blame upon their Teachers: Alas, if we had been taught better, we would have done better; our Ministers shall answer for us: if we be ignorant, it is their fault. Thus do many deceive themselves, but this shall never go for good payment. Christ saith, If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch, Mat. 15, 14. not only the blind leaders, but they also for company that are blindly led. Therefore none shall be excused by the carelessness and negligence of their Pastors, for they shall die in their own sins and iniquities, Ezech. 33, 8. jere. 14, 15, 16.  
Thus the case also standeth with servants and others under the government of others, They think all shall go well with them, if they have the examples of their masters and rulers to go before them. 
●. 19, 20. ●, 26, 27  The poor think themselves excused by the rich, the lower sort by the greater, the fewer by the multitude, the wife by the husband, the subject by the Magistrate. Thus also it falleth out in the breach of the Sabbath, of which we spoke before. The seller turneth it over to the buyer, and the buyer putteth all the fault upon the seller, whereas indeed neither are innocent, but divide the sin between them, and therefore both of them are reproved as guilty, and shall divide the punishment also between them.  
Use 4 Lastly, this serveth as an instruction to the godly, that albeit we be overtaken in any sin, and fall into it ourselves, yet let us take heed we do not pull others after us. We must not be so sottish as to think, that by procuring and persuading others to join with us as companions and brethren in evil, that the evil is thereby lessened: no, it is thereby rather increased. We should be grieved for our own faults, and know that the burden of our own sins doth press us down so deeply, that we have small cause to add the weight of other men's sins to our own. On the other side, happy are they that lead the way to true godliness, and bring on others unto the true fear of God, They shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, and as the Stars for ever and ever, Daniel 12, 3. As then, Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments, and teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: so, Whosoever shall do them and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, Mat. 5, 19 It is a praise and commendation to perform the will of God, and to do his commandments: but it is a double praise, to bring others to the practice of them also. He that converieth his, brother to the truth, saveth a soul, jam. 5, 19, 20. No man can do better service to God, or to his neighbour.   
39 And Moses told these save unto all the Children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 
Moses rehearseth what the Lord had denounced and determined, or else he could not be said to be faithful in the house of God, Num. 12, 7. He hide nothing from them, but revealed the whole counsel of God. This is the Ministers duty, they must keep back nothing of all the things that he shall say unto them, 1 Sam. 3, 17. Numb. 22, 38. Matth. 28, 20. Otherwise they cannot take the consciences of the people to record, that they are pure from the blood of all men, Act. 20, 26. Again, we see what this message of Moses brought from the mouth of God wrought in the people, they mourn and lament, not slightly but bitterly. But they should have taken heed of murmuring at the beginning, and then they had prevented this mourning at the later end. And wherefore do they mourn so greatly? not for their sin, but for the punishment fallen upon themselves and upon their children; as judas and other sons of perdition, who can quickly mourn when they are punished, but are hardly drawn to it when they have sinned. But Peter wept bitterly so soon as he had sinned, Mat. 26, 75. albeit he saw no punishment coming. A good child feareth the displeasure of his father more than the rod. So it ought to be with all of us.  
We learn from the behaviour of the people this Doctrine, Doctrine. 
Sin is pleasant in the beginning, b●t bitter i● the latter end.  That sin though it be pleasant in the acting, yet it bringeth much sorrow and bitterness in the latter end. It is conceived in pleasure, but it bringeth forth pain. Gen. 3, 6. jer. 2, 19 Pro. 7, 22, 23. 1 Tim. 6, 10. Ahab took possession with great joy of the vineyard of Naboth, purchased with the reward of iniquity, but the prophet is sent unto him with this heavy tidings, 1 Kings 21, 19 Hast thou killed and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine, Luke 6, 25. and 15, 13, 14, 16.  
The Reasons: First, because sin is the Reason 1 transgression of the law, so it is defined by the Apostle, 1 john. 3, 4. Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law. Now God hath set a curse to every transgression of the Law, Gal. 3, 10 and this curse must take place upon the sinner, and cannot be severed from the sin.  
Secondly, in sin are two things, the act it Reason 2 self, and the guilt of it ● the act itself is transient, and hath the pleasure while it is in committing, but the guilt of it remaineth behind, and bindeth a man to judgement.  
This teacheth every man, that he should envy no man in the pleasure of his sinning: for albeit he have some pleasure in the committing of it, yet so soon as the pleasure is gone and passed, then followeth the guilt, then followeth the punishment at the heels, and waiteth upon the sinner, as the Sergeant doth upon the debtor. The ungodly are oftentimes thought the only happy men in this world, but there is no happiness to be found in sin; it is the highway to unhappiness, to misery, to grief, to anguish, to judgement, to confusion, to condemnation. These are like to a foolish traveler, who coming to his Inn, calleth for great variety of meat to delight his taste, and taketh great pleasure in eating and drinking of all that is set before him without refusing any; but he never thinketh of the reckoning which is to come immediately after, which dasheth all the mirth and jollity that went before. Thus it is with the sinner, he followeth his sin with greediness, he taketh delight therein, and cannot be satisfied; but he never remembreth the day of account, neither the reckoning that waiteth upon him hard at the heels. Hereupon Solomon singleth out the young man, and telleth him, that albeit he follow the lusts of his eyes, the desires of his heart, together with the pride and pleasure of life, yet he must know that for all these things God will bring him into judgement, Eccles. 11, 9 O that every sinner would think upon this, and mark the latter end of sin! This would be a notable means to restrain us from wickedness, and to pull back our feet from those evil ways into which we are entered: if we would remember that the days shall come, yea the times approach we know not how soon, wherein the Lord will say to us, Come, give an account: but (alas) these things are now hidden from us.  
Hence it is, that Zophar setting down the estate of the wicked, job 20, 12. saith, Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue, though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth; yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of Asps within him: He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again, God shall cast them out of his belly. Where he compareth sin with sweet meat mingled with deadly poison, & he speaketh of goods evilly gotten, which turn to the destruction of those that possess them. The same doth Solomon teach touching drunkenness, Prou. 23, 31, 32. and touching whoredom, chap, 3, 3, 4. as also elsewhere he showeth, that in the transgression of an evil man there is a snare. It is otherwise with godliness, and the fear of God: it seemeth bitter to the flesh and is oftentimes accompanied with many troubles and afflictions which are very unpleasant to the outward man: notwithstanding afterward it bringeth enduring pleasure and contentment unto the soul: for, our light affliction which is but for a moment, 
2 Cor. 4, 17, 18  worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  
Secondly, let no man measure the nature of Use 2 sin by the beginning of it, but by the end: and when we are devising to commit any sin, let us bethink ourselves what will be the end of it: this will be a great means and a sovereign preservative to stop the course of it. For sin is said to have deceitfulness in it, Heb. 3, 18. and the pleasures thereof to endure for a season. Heb. 11, 25. The sin of judas that was a thief and kept the bag, and betrayed his master for thirty shekels of silver, was very sweet unto him; but in the end his mouth was filled with gravel, he had enough of them, & too much, for his conscience was vexed with horror, and he felt an hell in his own bowels; so that he carried them back to the pharisees, and hanged himself, Mat. 27, 5. Then he repent, but than it was too late: and thus do the wicked repent. Esau a very profane person, sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, it was sweet meat unto him, but it had sour sauce: for he found no place for repentance, Though he sought the blessing carefully with tears, Heb. 12, 17. Thus it was with the foolish Virgins, Matth. 25. and so it shall be with foolish men in the latter end.  
Thirdly, we must be careful to take heed Use 3 of the least measure of sin that can be. There is no sin so little, but if it be neglected, it will increase: and whosoever despiseth small sins, quickly falleth into greater; 
Aug. de 〈◊〉 fel● p●●●.  it is like the infant conceived in the womb, james 1, 15. All sin, though it have not a wide mouth like a Lion to swallow us at one morsel, yet by little and little it will sting us to death. The sand on the seashore, though it be very small and little in quantity, yet too much weight thereof will sink the ship. The drops of rain that fall from heaven are very little, yet they make great showers, 
Qu● 〈◊〉 reb. ge●. lib. 4.  and great showers bring mighty floods that sweep away all before them. A little spark of fire neglected, causeth a great burning, and kindleth a great matter, james 3, 5. If then we desire to preserve ourselves safe and sound from the height of sin, let us take heed we be not oppressed with the weight of it, and set on fire with the sparks, and wet with the drops of it. Beware of small sins, if we would be preserved from the greater, one making an easy path and passage to another.  
Fourthly, let us labour to prevent the first Use 4 beginning of sin, and seek to pull it up as a bitter root in the first sprouting. In the diseases of the body, it is a good rule to withstand the beginning, because it is too late afterward to provide a remedy. Many a wound might have been healed, if it had been looked unto betimes, which by continuance proveth incurable. So the diseases of the soul should be prevented in time, while we perceive them to be growing and going forward. Men are careful to kill serpents in the shell, and to destroy noisome beasts before they can run and raven abroad, thereby to prevent the danger that otherwise in time might grow by them, if they were suffered and let alone. Thus ought we to deal with our sins, we must endeavour to struggle against them, and to strangle them in the birth and beginning, that so they may never come to perfection, neither bring us to destruction. Destroy them or else they will destroy us: if we do not kill them, they will kill us, for sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death, jam. 1, 15. A young plant may easily be pulled up by the roots: but if it grow in the ground till it be a great tree, it can hardly be transplanted and removed. In like sort so long as our sins are young, they may with less strife and labour be rooted out: but if once they be confirmed by age, and strengthened by custom and continuance in our hearts, we shall find it a very hard matter to displace them and dispossess them, jer. 13, 23. & 2, 22. If once they have gotten the mastery, they will hardly leave their hold. We shall find it little better than to wash a Tile or brick, and go about in a manner an unpossible work, they are become a cartropes which are not easily untwisted, Esay 5, 18. Or as a threefold cable which is not quickly broken, Eccles. 4, 12. Consider the truth of this in these three things, Drunkenness, whoredom, and swearing: what means soever are used to take these away, they are unprofitable: the drunkard will follow it still, Pro. 23, 35. Such as commit whoredom seldom return again, and take hold of the paths of life, Prou. 2, 19 & when a man hath once accustomed himself to swearing, he cannot but swear at every word, he never feareth an oath. Custom taketh away fear of sinning: where no fear is to offend men are bold to sin: & when men are grown bold and past shame they have no sense of sin You shall hear them swear ordinarily and horribly, and yet they know not of it, or at least never consider it, Rom 2, 4. Eph. 4, 19  
Use 5 Lastly, it behoveth us to use all the means we can to keep us from sin, as we would do to keep us from the pestilence, lest we grow secure and senseless, and think ourselves in good case, when we are nearest to destruction and farthest off from salvation. 
●nes sanc● or God 〈◊〉 us 〈◊〉.  The means which God sanctifieth as so many preservatives to work in us a conscience of sin, and to stay us from falling into the same are many: First the ministry of the word. I range this in the first place, both because of the power of it, and because it giveth force unto the rest. God commandeth his Ministers to cry aloud and spare not to preach the doctrine of repentance, and to tell the people their sins, Pro. 1, 20, 21. and 9, 2, 33. Ephes. 4, 11, 12. Thus he sent jonah to the Ninivites, jonah 3, 4. Nathan to David, 2 Sam 12, 1. and the prophets continually to the Israelites, 2 Chronic. 36, 14, 15 Acts 2, 37, 38.  
Secondly, the benefits and blessings of God which are many and great, daily & continual, upon soul and body; he saveth and preserveth us, in him we live and move, who reneweth his mercies to us every morning, Psal. 68, 18 Lam 3, 23. be daileths loadeth us with benefits wonderfully. Moses telleth the people, that the Lord bestowed so many benefits upon them, that they should love the Lord with all their hearts, and with all their soul, Deut. 10, 12. That they should clean unto him, and knit their hearts unto him, josh. 23, 8. and 24, 14. 1 Kings 14.7, 8. Paul beseecheth the Romans by the mercies of God to offer up their bodies as an holy sacrifice unto God. 
Rom. 12, 1.  God hath made us to abound with this argument, and hath often spoken unto us.  
Thirdly, he hath bestowed upon us his own Son, the greatest blessing in heaven or earth, for a greater cannot be promised of God, or comprehended of us, Rom. 8, 32 He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, joh. 3, 16. He gave his own, his only Son for us his enemies even unto the death, that we should be reconciled unto him. If the consideration of this and the earnest meditation in it, will not move us to repent of sin, nothing in the world will put life into our hard hearts  
Fourthly, the corrections and chastisements which are laid upon us, Psal. 89, 31, 32. job 33, 16. The Lord openeth the ears of men, even by their corrections which he hath sealed: so that we should humble ourselves when we feel them, Heb. 12, 6, 11. It is our duty therefore to mourn for sin betimes, which will bring with it comfort in the latter end, Luk. 6, 21. Blessed are ye that weep, for ye shall laugh. This use did David make of them, Psal. 119, 71. To this we may join the chastisements of God sent upon others, though we feel them not ourselves: for if we see them or hear of them, they should be as so many warning pieces to ourselves to call us to repentance, Esay 26, 9  
Fiftly private admonitions and exhortations, yea reproofs and threatenings of judgement when the former will not serve, Leu. 19, 17. Prou. 9, 8. Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee. Math. 18, 15. 
james 5, 20.  Thus he may be won by his brother, Psal. 141, 5. Let us not therefore refuse this means, but make good use of it.  
Lastly, the inward motions and inspirations of the holy Spirit, which he stirreth up in our hearts, as it is said of David, that God caused his own heart to smite him, 2 Sam. 24, 10. and Psal. 16, 7. We have all of us at one time or other some good motions and desires put into our minds; let us make much of them and entertain them into our souls, lest he withdraw his Spirit from us, and give us over unto ourselves.   

40. And they rose up early in the morning, and gate them up into the top of the Mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.  
41. And Moses said, Wherefore now do you transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.  
42. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, etc.  
here we have the behaviour of this crooked and perverse people, hearing from the mouth of Moses the mind of God, that they must go back again by the way of the red sea, and shall wander up and down forty years in the wilderness, for the false report which the spies had brought up of the Land, and for their own believing of that report: Now they will not obey, but will needs go forward, though God had commanded them to retire and return. See here the perverseness of our nature, as if we had made a general conspiracy never to obey him, but to oppose against him whatsoever he say, so we evermore strive against that we are forbidden. They refused before to go into the Land, now they will needs in a Bravado proceed when they are forbidden. When they should go forward, then they will go backward and make them a Captain to conduct them into Egypt. When they should go backward, than they will go forward, though they perish for it. This is our corrupt nature, that which God willeth us to do, we will not do: and that which he willeth us not to do, that we will do: whereby we see that the lusts of the flesh are enmity against God.  
Again, observe that when God is not with a people, they cannot prosper, his presence is the cause of victory, 2 Chron. 20, 27. If he be gone from us, and go not forth with our armies, we fall by the sword of the enemy, we cannot stand before them, we go out one way, and fly before them seven ways. Deut. 28, 25. Moreover, we see in the example of this disobedience, that God oftentimes punisheth one evil man by another, one of his enemies by another enemy; nevertheless, afterward they also perish. They are his rod, and when it hath been employed to scourge malefactors, it is cast into the fire. Doctrine. But to pass these over, which partly have been handled before, 
Such as have given up themselves to sin, do fill up the measure of them.  and partly come more fitly to be handled after, let us consider this general point; that wicked men that have sold themselves to sin, do at length come to that measure of sin, that no bands or banks can hold them or contain them. Such as have given themselves up to sin, do not only proceed in sin wilfully and violently, but come to that height, that neither the judgements of God, nor his mercies can restrain them, but they break through all, like an unruly beast, whom no hedge can hold, no fence can order, no bounds can keep in, whatsoever they be, jer. 5, 8. 2 Chron. 36, 13, 14, 16. Psal. 50, 17. Esay 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.  
And no marvel. For their hearts are obstinate, Reason 1 their consciences are hardened and seared as with an hot iron, so that they cannot be softened with the oil of his mercies, nor terrified with the fire of his threatenings, nor broken in pieces with the hammer of his judgements. 
Rom. 2, 5.  They have gotten hearts that cannot repent, and therefore when sinfulness and obstinacy meet together, there must needs be an exceeding great measure of iniquity.  
Secondly, because there is in such, a great Reason 2 contempt of God & his word: now contempt joined with sin, maketh the sin greater. It is noted as the top of Esau's profane hart, that he contemned his birthright, Gen. 25, 34. It was a note of profaneness, to set it to sale, to prefer his belly before the pledge of God's favour, to swear rashly, and securely to pass over what he had done; but to contemn and despise the grace of God, passeth all the former, and containeth the height and depth of his profaneness.  
This argueth, that the times wherein we Use 1 live, are grown to a marvelous height of impiety, and that we are come to a fearful degree of all profaneness. For not only gross sins as great beams in our eyes are to be found among us, but evil men are carried violently with a full career in their sins, like an horse without a bridle that rusheth into the battle. We are grown to this perfection, as it were to a complete age of sin in the midst of the blessings and benefits of God, we turn his grace into wantonness, & the more grace aboundeth, the more sin continueth: and though he warn us by his word, yet we will not be warned. His word is as the wind that passeth away. Again, many men live in sin in the midst of the judgements of God, not only general judgements, but even special upon themselves, 
Zeph. 1, 12.  yet they are settled in the dregs of their wickedness, nothing can turn them or amend them. This cannot but argue a great height of impiety. This maketh all sin whatsoever to be unpardonable, when we grow obstinate and sapped in our evil ways, that nothing can prevail with us. 
Afflictions contemned abused, bri● more afflictions.  If any have a servant or child, whom he hath warned of his evil course, and lately corrected him for the same, if this servant or this child should (notwithstanding words and blows used toward him) continue to do the same things, would you not think that he deserved a greater measure of punishment? Then let us, I pray you, judge ourselves in this case. God hath given us his word and commandments, to tell us what we ought to do, & what not to do, & often sendeth his judgements among us for the farther manifestation of the truth of his word: yet we see men will to their old sins again though they die for it, & that eternally in soul and body. We must therefore expect daily a greater measure of God's judgements then before, because we continue obstinate and rebellious.  
Secondly, seeing nothing will hold us from our sinful ways, but we will rush forward, it teacheth every man, that it is our duty to humble ourselves for our obstinacy, impenitency, and hardness of heart, in that we are so dull and slow of heart to believe and to repent of those things which we have heard reproved out of the word of God. The heinousness of obstinate sins committed with an high hand will appear unto us by these particulars. 
●einous●d gree●esse of ●ate sins open.  First, obstinate proceeding in sin keepeth all mercy from us, as a thick cloud that suffereth not the comfortable light of the Sun to shine in our faces. This made the Apostle say, that blindness was happened to Israel, that they were not his people, Rom. 11, 25. Woe unto them in whom this remaineth, for God hath given unto them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, Rom. 11, 28. Secondly, it maketh the least sin that a man committeth or can commit to be like to that sin against the holy Ghost that shall never be forgiven, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Mat. 12, 32. For it is not so much sin that condemneth a man (for then all men should be contemned, inasmuch as all men have sinned) as obstinacy and wilful continuing in sin. And have we not therefore great cause to humble ourselves for the same, and to lament bitterly? Thirdly, it is a sin against the Gospel itself, and against the doctrine of salvation, ought we not therefore to mourn for it? Notwithstanding many are so far from leaving off their continued practice of sin, that they repent of their repentance, they are sorry that they have turned and changed so far. 
repent of stance, a ●●us sin.  This is such a sin as maketh men odious in the sight of God, and maketh them more acceptable to satan, when they grieve that they have a little broken off their sins, and made a few steps, & some small beginnings to repentance. This is an high degree of sin: and this was it that did fill the hardness of Pharaohs heart to the full. He and his servants were at the last content that Israel should departed out of Egypt: this was some kind of relenting, and a bringing of their former hardness to a better temper: but they are much grieved for that which they had done, and therefore they say one to another, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? Thus it was also with the Israelites themselves, they had hitherto proceeded toward the land of promise, and as it were ranged themselves under the standard of God, but now they repent of all that they had done, and would needs return back again into Egypt. But on the other side, when a man can mourn that he hath not mourned; and repent that he hath not repent, & humble himself because he hath not been humbled, this is a true and great measure of grace: and this is that which a man must first do, before he can truly repent of any particular sin whatsoever. But some will say, Object. what need so many words of exhortation to repentance? We hope we have repent long ago, Answer. both often enough and well enough. Thus do some proud hypocrites deceive themselves. These are like to the young man, that being sent to the law for the direction of his life, answered, All this have I done from my youth, 
Math. 19, 20.  what is yet wanting? This convinceth those men to their faces of want of repentance. For if such men have repent, it is with such kind of repentance as many take up and use after their customary swearing, who when they have sworn and taken the name of God in vain, do presently ask forgiveness and cry God mercy, and yet presently swear again & again, like dogs that return to their vomit: I cannot say like the sow that was washed, walloweth again in the mire, for they were never washed from their sin: but I may more fitly compare them to the harlot in the proverbs, That eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith, 
Prou. 30, 20.  I have done no wickedness. With such kind of repentance it may be these have repent, whereas in truth it is rather a bold presumption, than a true conversion: for alas, this is no repentance at all, but only a mere deceit and delusion of the devil. This is an evident truth, and a very plain rule not to be denied, or disputed, or gainsaid; Whosoever is come to this pass to think he hath repent enough, it is most certain he never truly repent, he is not in the account of God and his word a true convert or penitent. For all such as have repent aright, do think it, nay they know it to be unpossible for them to repent enough: such are our offences against the eternal and infinite majesty of God, as no man is so humbled for them as that he can say, he need be humbled no more for them. All our life, if it were or could be as long as Methuselahs', must be a continual practice of repentance. As we daily sin, so we should daily crave pardon of sin, and daily repent us of our sin, both of our known and secret sins.  
Lastly, this serveth to exhort every of us Use 3 to take heed of obstinacy, impenitency, and resolution to go forward in sin: we must fly from it, and labour against it. Let us break off our sins by timely repentance, & by doing the contrary good commanded. For this also is another rule certain and infallible without any exception or contradiction, that a man can never be free from the forbidden evil, which doth not earnestly labour to do the contrary good. A man is never free from unbelief, that is not also furnished with true faith in his heart. For there is no mean between faith & infidelity, between righteousness and unrighteousness, and therefore it is not possible for a man to be free from an obstinate heart frozen in the lees of sin and disobedience, that is not also furnished in some measure with repentance and other graces of the Spirit. As of ten as a man stumbleth in the streets, so often he will rise again, and that quickly to the end none should espy him in his fall, & point at him with his finger: so it ought to be with us in this case. Whensoever we fall into sin, we ought by and by to labour to rise up again by repentance, lest by delaying and deferring the time, we add impenitency to our impiety. Let us all labour after renewed repentance in this life, without which all must perish eternally in the life to come. This is a necessary duty, we must all strive and endeavour with might and main to attain unto it; & though satan cast many lets, as it were so many blocks in our way, and seek to entrap us with his subtle devices, yet we must break through them all, and set ourselves close to the practice of this duty. The more profitable and necessary it is, the more doth satan seek to hinder us and keep us from it. There is no way to come by life and salvation, but by repentance. It is a true saying of him that is the truth john 14, 6. That except we repent, we shall all perish, Luke 13, 3. If we will judge ourselves, we shall not be judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11, 31. This is a good judgement: happy is he that sitteth thus in judgement with himself, he shall not fear the eternal judgement. Many there are in the world, that think this an unpleasing doctrine and duty, they would willingly come to salvation and to the kingdom of heaven, but tell them of repentance, they account it an hard saying, they are not able to abide it: they are loath to change their lives and become new men, they are loath to leave their sin and the old Adam. These may be fitly compared to a traveler, that desireth to be at his journeys end, and coming to an hard, stony, & straight way, through which he must of necessity pass, or else he can never be there; what doth he? He seeketh for some other place or passage, he wandereth up and down, and coasteth hither and thither; and yet when he hath troubled and tired himself, there is no remedy, he must pass through the narrow lane, howsoever it seem hard unto him. So is it with us, we would feign have salvation, but how? we would have it by any means rather than by changing the sinful course of our lives, as we see Micah 6, 6, 7. If the Lord would be pleased with thousands of Rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil; or if he would accept at their hands their first borne for their transgression, and the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their soul, they would be ready to give it unto him rather than mortify any the deeds of the flesh and crucify the old man. There is nothing savoureth more hardly in their ears then the doctrine of mortification. But to dream of an heaven without repentance, is as foolish, as to dream of passing over a broad and deep River without either bridge or barge. There is no coming into the land of the living, of the living God, and of those that live with God, without repentance and change of mind; the bridge is broken down that should transport us and set us over. For this is the only way this is the door by which we must enter, or else no salvation can be attained. Enter then into this way, and set open this gate, that the King of glory may come in, Psal. 24, 7, 9, exercise yourselves in this duty, so shall ye be able to stand before the presence of God at that great and terrible day, when he shall judge every man according to his works, Rom. chap. 2. verse 6.    

CHAP. XV.  

1 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations which I give unto you:  
3 And will make an Offering by fire unto the Lord, a burned Offering or a sacrifice; in performing a vow, or in a freewill Offering, or in your solemn feasts, etc.  
4 Then let him, etc.  
IN the latter end of the former chapter, we saw the desperate folly of the people, that albeit Moses made known unto them the heavy displeasure of God, that he had left them to themselves, and was no more among them, after they had so often played and dallied with his merciful sufferings, yet they would needs amend their former disobedience by a second contempt, making offer to enter into the land contrary to the direction of God and the advice of Moses. But what became of it? The swords of the enemies which God had hitherto bended and rebated, are left no less sharp than death itself, and are without mercy sheathed in their bowels. For the Amalekites and Canaanites being joined together, and watching their advantage, set upon them, put them to rout, and slaughtered the greatest part of them: the Amalekites encoraging one another to be revenged of their former loss received at Rephidim, Exod. 17. the Canaanites seeking to prevent their own displantation & destruction threatened: after which slaughter they followed their victory, and pursued those broken and disbanded companies all the way of their flight even unto Hormah.  
In this chapped. we have sundry ceremonial precepts, which seem to be delivered to them immediately after the former punishment executed upon the offenders: wherein God testifieth, that albeit the Israelites had justly deserved to have final destruction brought upon them, yet God would not utterly departed from them, and wholly leave them to themselves, but continue his love and favour toward them, and be reconciled unto them, smelling the sweet savour of a sacrifice, and verifying the saying of the Apostle, 
●. 26, 19  Ro. 3, 3, 4. Observe here certain new additions propounded as appurtenances to the laws before delivered at large in the book of Leviticus. These are four in number: 
contents' 〈◊〉 chapped.  first, touching the sacrifices: secondly, touching the first fruits: thirdly, touching the cleansing of sins that are committed: lastly, touching the fringes they are commanded to make: all ceremonial, all temporal in regard of the letter, but all significant in regard of the matter.  

cause's sacrifices ●nstitu  But before we come to handle these particulars, it shall not be amiss briefly to show the causes why these sacrifices were instituted in the old Testament. First, to maintain the public assemblies of the faithful, and their meetings together to serve the Lord. For, if every man were left to himself, religion would quickly decay or corrupt. Secondly, that they might be shadows of good things to come, and as it were pictures set before their eyes, to put them in mind of Christ and his sacrifice, who is therefore fitly called the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, 
●●b. 10. de dei. cap. 5.  Reu. 13, 8. Thirdly, these sacrifices were also as the Sacraments of the church, and visible signs of invisible grace, & testimonies of Gods infallible promise made to the father's touching salvation in the Messiah to come. Fourthly, they served to be as an open confession of their faith, what God they served, & in whom they believed, and that they hated and detested the vanity and idolatry of the Gentiles. Fiftly, they were also a testification of their thankfulness for sundry benefits received that thereby they might be taught to acknowledge from whence they came. Lastly, they served for the maintenance of the ministery, and consequently for the furtherance of the worship of God, Deut. 18, 3, 4. 1 Cor. 9, 13. These were the chief ends for which they were ordained. Now let us return back to the particular handling of the matters contained in this chap.  
[Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them] The first point is touching the sacrifices, the sum whereof is to teach what oblations are to be used in every sacrifice, how much wine, how much oil, how much flower is to be taken and applied in every special sacrifice. The several sorts of sacrifices are set down in the book of Leviticus: Doctrine. but in what proportion these things should be added, 
Of the meat and drink Offering.  is not there described, but here it is declared in this place. And these things thus performed according to the commandment of God, he is said to smell a sweet savour. This offereth divers good uses unto us, albeit the things themselves be ceased and abrogated. Use 1  
The Uses. First, the offering is said to be a sweet savour, or a savour of rest (often repeated verses. 3, 7, 10, 13, 14) which God accepteth, wherein he delighteth, and whereby he is appeased; such as he resteth in, & so ceaseth from his anger. This is a borrowed speech taken from sweet odours and perfumes, wherein he which smelleth a sweet savour, resteth & contenteth himself. If any ask the question, Object. whether God smell any savour or not? I answer, Answer. this must be understood figuratively or mystically. For if we speak properly, 
Gen. 8.21. Exod. 29, 18.  savour & smell is the object of the sense of smelling, which agreeth to sensible creatures, and not either to God who neither hath senses, nor is sensible; neither is a creature, or to any spirit. For as Christ saith, A spirit hath not flesh nor bones, 
Luke 24, 39  so unto the same agree neither senses nor sensible things. And if it were true, that God were affected with smells, yet the fume and savour that cometh from the burning of the flesh, cannot itself be pleasant and delightful to the senses, but is rather noisome and unsavoury, and therefore some other thing must be meant by it. How then cometh it to be a sweet savour? I answer, two ways; partly in regard of their willingness and obedience, which God preferreth before all sacrifice that hath horn and hoof. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; 
1 Sam. 15, 22.  and to hearken, than the fat of Rams: therefore where the external work was separated from the inward devotion & obedience, it was no sweet savour but it was hateful and abominable to God: partly also and principally, because it was a type and figure of Christ, who was indeed an offering and a sweet savour to God, Eph. 5.2. He is the truth of all sacrifices, and his blood the accomplishment of all the blood shed in the sacrifices. He hath performed all in his own person, & brought an end to them, they are no longer to be continued: he hath appeased the wrath of God, he hath taken away our sins, & thereby testified his abundant love toward us, 
john 15, 3.  for greater love hath no man then this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. This sacrifice was very acceptable to God the father, in it he resteth and requireth no further satisfaction at our hands, contrary to the doctrine of the popish church. The force of this sacrifice is very great, not so of any other. 
Psal. 40, 6. and 50, 13. and 51, 16. Esay 1, 11. Amos 5, 21. Micah 6, 7.  None of them were of & in themselves a sweet savour of rest, neither brought they pardon of sin, and therefore God testifieth that he stood not in need of them: but they were a sweet savour as they were referred to the sacrifice of Christ, and were offered by faith in him, as Heb. 11, 4. by faith Abel offered, and thereby obtained witness that he was righteous. And now also none of our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God, but so far forth as they are offered by faith in Christ, 1 Pet. 2, 5. Al our sacrifices are acceptable through Christ. Objection If any ask, whence it cometh that his sacrifice is so effectual and forcible? Answ. I answer, first from the dignity of his person, 
The excellency of Christ's sacrifice.  which offered himself for us, for he was true God equal to his Father, & therefore of infinite value, Acts 20, 28. john 6, 62, 63. Secondly, from the fullness of his obedience toward his Father, Phil. 2, 6, 7. & from his keeping of the law perfectly for us, Math. 5, 17. Gal. 4, 4. whence we see that he was tainted with no sin, 1 Pet. 2, 22. john 8, 46. that he should have need to offer first for himself, as the priests of Levi were constrained to do in the law, Heb. 7, 27. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, He gave himself for us, not for himself who was without sin, Heb. 9, 13.  
Use 2 Secondly, the sacrifice of the  offering made by fire, had a meat-offering joined to it, vers. 4. of a tenth deal of flower, mingled with the fourth part of an Hin. This was a measure of moist or liquid things, as the Gomer & Epha were of dry and solid containing six pints, 
What the Hin was.  according to the computation of the Hebrews, which ought to have most knowledge in these things. But to leave this, we must consider, that to the  offering is joined a meat offering, this meat offering is no other than the flesh of Christ, which he should offer for the sins of the world, john 6, 53, 54, 55. 1 Cor. 10, 3. They did all eat of the same spiritual meat, and drank the same spiritual drink, that is, Christ jesus. Object. If any ask how he is made meat for us, and drink for us? Answer. I answer, in that he was crucified, dead and buried: our life ariseth out of his death: our strength out of his weakness, & our salvation out of his condemnation. This is our meat offering, as indeed it was theirs also, and this we must eat by faith, if we desire to live for ever. This must teach us to hunger after him; the nature of this hunger must be according to the nature of the meat; spiritual meat requireth spiritual hunger in our hearts. As truly as we hunger after our meat, so truly should we hunger after this meat-offering. This made the Apostle count all things as dung, that he might win Christ, Phil. 3, 8. Nevertheless, great is the profaneness of the world: for we are for the most part like those Israelites that preferred the Onions and Garlic of Egypt, before Angel's food, Numb. 11, 5, 6.  
Use 3 Lastly, the sacrifices offered up, must have Wine powered upon them, ver. 5. as also oil, of which we have spoken before chap. 6. Out of which we must learn to acknowledge, that for the faith and truths sake, for Christ and the Gospel's sake, we must not account the best things we have, no not our own lives dear and precious unto us, but be ready to forsake brethren and sisters, house and lands, & to offer up our bodies, and to have our blood shed and poured out as a drink offering to God, 2 Cor. 4, 10. Gal. 6, 17. 2 Tim 4, 6. Phil. 2, 17. For as Christ offered himself for us, so should we be content to offer up ourselves to him: & as he shed his blood for us, so should we be ready to give our lives for his truth. He that will save his life shall lose it; but he that loseth his life shall save it, Math. 16, 25 This have the faithful done: for they considered that in heaven they had an enduring substance, Heb. 10, 34. If they lost a temporal life, they found an eternal: & if they parted from any earthly treasure, they obtained heavenly: and therefore their gains were infinitely greater than their losses. It is not enough to profess the truth in prosperity, so long as it is fair weather, and the Sun shineth warm von us. Every hypocrite will go so far: but we must remember the pouring out of the wine upon the meat offering, as the faithful complain that their blood hath been shed like water round about jerusalem, Psal. 80, 3. We must know that it is our duty to stand in a storm as well as in a calm, when the wind bloweth as well as when it bloweth not, and when persecution ariseth as well as in time of peace and plenty, Mat. 10, 32, 33. Think it not therefore strange when trouble appeareth, and the fiery trial cometh, which is to try us, 1 Pet. 4, 12. We must rejoice under the cross. All men can rejoice and be glad when they have a plentiful harvest, when they find great spoils, & when the riches of their house increase, Psa. 4, 7. but we must rejoice if the will of God be to prove us so far, when we suffer the spoiling of our goods, and are companions of them that are so used. To conclude, we have all need of patience, Heb. 10, 36. that we do not faint when we are rebuked. Let us therefore be always ready for affliction, & when we have suffered much, yet make preparation and provision for more, for we have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, Heb. 12, 4. But we for the most part promise to ourselves rest and ease, we are willing to hear of the meat offering, but we care not for pouring wine upon it. We would have Christ, but we would not suffer for Christ. We are willing to have him our meat, but not our cross.   

13 All that are borne of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an Offering made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord.  
14 And if a stranger sojourn among you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an Offering made by fire of a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord: as ye do, so shall he do.  
15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the Congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, etc.  
Moses having set down sundry rites and ceremonies, showeth in these words the persons to whom they belong, & of whom they must be practised; they belong even to the strangers & sojourners among the Israelites as well as to the Israelites themselves, namely, if they were circumcised; as it is said before touching the eating of the Passeover, chapped. 9 One law is appointed for the one and the other. 
●rine.  The doctrine is this: 
church is ●e body. ●ded the laws.  The members of the church (of what place & people soever they are) are one entire body, and are to be ruled by the same laws, Exod. 12, 48, 49. Eph. 1, 22. and 3, 15. & 5▪ 21. Coloss. 1, 18. To this purpose it is called sometimes a body, sometimes a city, sometimes a temple, and sometimes a family. But it may be objected, if it be one body, one temple, one city, one family, how is it that we read of many Churches: as of the Romans, of the Corinthians, and of the seven churches of Asia? I answer, there is one Church, but it hath many particular parts: as the great Sea, though it be one, yet there are many parts according to the several coasts and countries by which they run, as the Britain, the French, the Spanish, the Germane seas, and yet all but one sea.  

●. 1, 2.  The reasons. First, the ruler thereof is one God and one Lord over all, who is blessed for ever. This one God hath one church, & hath prepared for it one place and one salvation, Eph. 4, 5, 6. Secondly the body, tied as it were by joints and sinews in the same: the members are divers, but they make but one body: there is one hope, one inheritance, one baptism, one faith, being united by means of the ministry, Ephes. 4, 12. They have the same Sacraments, they eat one bread, and they drink of the same cup. This inward means is one Spirit, by which they walk, 1 Cor. 12, 13. Thirdly, they are ruled by one head which coupleth them together. For, as one body can have but one head, so one head can have but one body: and though the members be many, yet the body is but one. Col. 1, 18.  
Use 1 The Uses. First, the toleration of divers & contrary religions is not lawful. As the church is one body, so it is to be ruled by one law; one law is appointed for all. This toleration and dispensation is like the sowing of divers seeds together in one field, or the mingling of linen and  together in one garment: as if a Painter should join to the head of a man the neck of an horse, 
〈◊〉 de art  & then add to the body sundry feathers of divers sorts, and make the picture beneath to end like a fish, what a monster would this be? So this linsy-wolsy Religion, consisting of contrary parts, & not one agreeing to another, would make the church a very monster: and it is directly contrary to the first and second commandment, and the office of the Magistrate, appointed and ordained to maintain the pure worship of God. Ahab and his people are reproved for halting with God and wavering between his opinions. Solomon is reproved for this, 1 Ki. 11. and contrariwise the best Kings, josiah, Hezekiah, Asa, and jehoshaphat are commended for their constant profession and perseverance in the same truth. Secondly, all monuments of idolatry and superstition must be demolished and pulled down, and idolaters should be slain. 
Deut. 12.2.3, 4. & 7, 4, 5. and 13, 1, 2. Gal. 5, 12. revel. 2, 14.15, 20.  Good king are reproved for suffering hil-altars and Groves, & not taking them away. Besides, it is a means to overthrow church and kingdom. 1 Ki. 11, 19 If a church be corrupt in the foundation of the doctrine, and the substance of God's worship, we ought to separate from it, 
2 Chro. 11, 14 Acts 19, 9 2 Cor 6, 16. revel. 18, 5.  & not join as a member with it of the same body. This unhappy toleration is accompanied with sundry mischiefs: it showeth a coldness in God's cause, and little or no zeal in defacing the monuments of idolatry, and no hatred of them at all, being content to give the glory of God to another, which he will not have to be given. It nourisheth a serpent in the bosom, and setteth up uncertainty of faith and religion; leaveth men in a mammering what to do, and to which side to join himself, maintaineth confusion in God's worship, fostereth schisms, troubles, seditions, and rebellions among subjects, breaketh the sweet & comfortable knot of the unity and amity of brethren, and lastly bringeth danger to Prince and State. It is directly against sincere profession, joshua 24. verse 19 2 joh. 10, 1. The Samaritans served every one the god of his country, and so served not God at all. The Apostle saith, There is one faith, Ephes. 4, 5. an house divided against itself cannot stand, Mat. 12, 25. From such separate, 1 Tim. 6, 3.  
Now let us see what may be objected in defence of toleration. First, it is said, Object. it giveth to every one contentment, Answer. and therefore it is a safety to a commonwealth. I answer, Contentment must be given by lawful means, otherwise discontentment is better: as just war to be preferred before unjust peace. Again, 
jer. 22, 15, 16.  there is no true safety without God's blessing: and as the heathen Philosopher reasoneth against communion of all things, 
Arist. pol. lib. 2.  so we may against the toleration of all religions. He taught, That whatsoever is cared for of all, is cared for of none: so we may say, whatsoever giveth contentment to all, giveth indeed contentment to none. Hence it is, that there are so many jars and contentions, which indeed are the ruin of a kingdom, Neh. 2, 19, 20. from 1. ver. to the 16. This was the most devilish policy of Mahomet to patch up his Koran with shreds of all sorts of errors, schisms, and heresies, borrowed from jews and Gentiles, that there might be somewhat to content all persons, that so some of all sects might be alured unto that superstition.  
Secondly, Object. the jews warranted by the word did suffer amongst them the idolatrous Gentiles, Deut. 14, 21. Exod. 12, 44. therefore we may do the like. I answer, Answer. private toleration in conversation, did not allow any open profession or practice of idolatry in those Nations, Deu. 12, 1, 2, 3. Again; though they by reason of their weak estate suffered many, Deut. 7, 22. yet afterward in a perfect state we find not any. Lastly, some things were tolerated contrary to moral laws, as we see in the case of divorce for trifling causes, and of usury to strangers, which we may not now tolerate.  
Object. Thirdly, corrupt manners in well-ordered government have had open toleration, therefore the root from whence they spring may also, which is corrupt religion, as toleration of polygamy and of usury to strangers. Answ. I answer: first the sequel is false, for there is great difference between manners and false worship, yea between doctrines fundamental & otherwise, 1 Cor. 3, 11, 12, 13. Secondly, touching divorce and polygamy, there is no allowance, but a permission only, Math. 19, 8. and that of usury was particular for those nations, Deut. 23, 20. Exod. 21, 1.  
Object. Fourthly, it doth greatly manifest, commend, and extol true religion, 1 Cor. 11, 19 I answer no otherwise then as one contrary being set to another, Answer. doth make the same better to be seen: and thus doth sin serve to commend the grace and mercy of God, as Rom. 5, 20. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: howbeit this cometh to pass accidentally, not directly and properly.  
Object. Fiftly, the conscience is not to be forced, therefore men should be left to themselves. I answer, Answer. it is lawful to force them to the means. Luke 14, 23. Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled; that by the blessing of God upon the use of the means, they may afterward willingly yield, 2 Chron. 34, 33. Ezra 10, 8. The son that answered his father, that he would not work in his vineyard, afterward repent and went, Matth. 21, 29. And some have been forced in the beginning to come to the word, who afterward could hardly be forced and driven from it. There is an active violence and a passive. Many are haled to the means by violence, and come to the church as a Bear to the stake, but afterward the violent take the kingdom of God, 
Math. 11, 12.  and lay hold on it by force.  
Objection Sixtly, all manner of wicked men and wickedness are to be left unpunished, for the tars and the wheat in one field must be let grow together until the harvest, and then they shall be separated, Mat. 13, 30. the tars shallbe burned, Answ. the wheat shall be preserved. I answer, the scope is only to show that both good and bad are by God's decree to remain till the end of the world, to uphold the godly against that tentation, as the application or reddition (the second part of the comparison) doth show in the exposition of it by Christ himself, Mat. 13 36, 37. The godly must not be offended at the multitude and growth of the wicked, we must never look for perfection upon the earth. This parable doth no way touch the authority of the Magistrate, 
Beza de haeret. à mag. puniend  nor the discipline of the church, neither pleadeth pardon and impunity for malefactors, but warneth us that offences shall never be wanting in the church to the end of the world, but it shall always be troubled with such abuses. 
August. de fide & oper. cap. 1. & 2.  There shall always be a mixture so long as the world standeth, and therefore we ought not to departed out of the church as schismatics do, for the blots and blemishes that appear in it. Thus much of this parable.  
seventhly, Objection. every christian Magistrate is not of power to suppress contrary religions without the ruin of his kingdom. I answer, Answ. we speak of such as God hath given power into their hands: whensoever God requireth it at their hands, he will enable them to perform it, and then they ought to set upon that as a special duty. Where there is no power, God accepteth the will for the deed: 
2 Cor. 8, 12  so that if they endeavour to restrain such and cannot, it is not their sin.  
Hitherto we have spoken of false religions in general: 
Popery 〈◊〉 be tollera● in any state  now among all other false religions popery is one of the worst, and least of all to be tolerated in any State, or in any sort, as that which raceth the foundation of the christian faith, and pulleth it up by the roots, as plainly appeareth by these particulars. First, it maintaineth inherent righteousness of their own, and justification by works done by themselves, & in themselves: and thereby make justification and sanctification all one, contrary to the Apostles doctrine, 1 Cor. 1, 30. & 2. Cor. 5, 21. It rejecteth and derideth the imputation of Christ's righteousness, whereby we stand righteous in the sight of God through his righteousness and merits imputed unto us. And hence it is, that they make his righteousness unperfect, and give a power to themselves to make satisfaction for sin by temporal punishment, and the sacrifice of the Mass. Secondly, they corrupt the worship of God in substance, by professing and practising idolatry and worship of images, making the church an harlot, by forsaking her first husband, and bringing in more than heathenish idolatry by adoring Saints, angels, crucifixes, relics, & their breaden god, 
Rai●ol. 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 8.  & by entertaining a mixture of Paganism and judaisme. Thirdly, the church of Rome is the church of Anti christ, therefore not of Christ: for to the bysh. of Rome do all the notes and properties whereby Antichrist is described in holy Scripture, 
The bishop of Rome is Antichrist.  agree truly, fully, solely. This will not be hard to resolve if we consider the place where we are to seek him, and where we shall find him: the time when the church was to look for him: and lastly the qualities whereby he is to be known. The seat of Antichrist is mystical Babylon: & mystical Babylon is no other than Rome itself. For the whore of Babylon is the great city, which in the Apostlestime had rule and dominion over the kings of the earth, Reu. 17, 18. and this City is situated upon seven hills. Reu. 17, 9 the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth: which agreeth properly to Rome, and every historian, nay every Poet almost, 
Prop● 〈◊〉 lib 3 〈◊〉 Georg lib 〈◊〉 Vano lib 5. l●g● Lat● Pluto Pr● Ren.  call it the city on seven hills. Secondly, touching the time of the revealing and manifestation of Antichrist, it was foretold by the Apostle, that he should come when the Emperors were removed and taken out of the way, and when once the Empire in the west should be dissolved, then should Antichrist succeed in that seat, that is, in the government of Rome, 2 Thes. 2, 8. and this we see with our eyes to have long ago come to pass, that it needeth no farther inquiry. The Apostle had spoken plainly of this to the Thessalonians by word of mouth, & therefore forbeareth to set it down in writing, lest he should bring on his own head, and on the church the needless hatred of the Roman monarchy; his own writing remaining as a strong evidence against himself and others. For when the Romans should read or hear that he had prophesied of the dissolution of the Roman Empire, they would soon raise persecution against him and the rest of the believers, as if they expected the ruin, & desired the downfall thereof. And this truth in all likelihood was well marked, and continued in the church from age to age, because it is generally understood of the Roman Empire and Emperor, 
〈◊〉 detesur. Amoros. Thes. 2. in Thes 2. 〈◊〉 ad Al●est 11. ●catech 15 in 2 Thes.  by most of the Ancients.  
Lastly, the conditions and qualities of Antichrist do bewray the same also. Now, he is plainly described by the Apostle, 2 Thess. 2, 4. yea so plainly, as if then he had been already come and revealed to the world. He is said to be an adversary opposed to Christ, yet not professed, but disguised: for under the mask and vizard of hypocrisy, he oppugneth Christ and his truth, and denieth the Lord jesus to be that Christ, anointed to be the only King, the only Priest, and the only Prophet of the church; in all which the bishop of Rome will have a share, and communicateth them to others. This high priest is no better than an apostate, a star fallen from heaven; he lifteth up himself above all that is called God, that is, all to whom the name of God is communicated, and sitteth in the temple of God as god. Fourthly, a perfect papist, that is, such a one as acknowledgeth the Council of Trent, and is obedient to the doctrine of the Jesuits, cannot be a good subject, neither obey for conscience sake: for he believeth the Pope's sentence in excommunication to be good, nay to be God's sentence: he obeys so long as pleaseth the pope and his instruments: he keepeth not promise or oath with heretics, he receiveth pardons to free from loyalty and allegiance, harboureth Seminaries, looketh for a golden day, practiseth the most devilish devices to establish popery; entertaineth conference with his Princes sworn enemies: and maintaineth that this proud prelate may depose Princes by his priestly power. Lastly, it is dangerous to Prince and State to permit them, forasmuch as hereby they have means to work and wreak their malice: Recusants will converse with Jesuits most freely, and Jesuits shall not be kept to any good terms and behaviour: whereby the secrets of the land are disclosed, homebred foes are increased, good subjects are discouraged, and means afforded to hollow-hearted enemies, to forecast and to fortify themselves.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth to reprove divers sorts that err in practice, & offend against this rule. And first of all, such as seek revenge, and thereby show themselves far from true love. To revenge wrongs is proper to God; we must not intrude upon his office, neither usurp his right Deu. 32, 35. Ro. 12, 19 Heb. 10, 30. Psal. 94, 1. Pro. 14, 29. If we practise this we work wickedness against him, and provoke him to work revenge upon ourselves. Is it a small offence for any subject to usurp the office of the Prince? or of the judge in giving sentence upon any? Such usurpers are such persons against GOD. Again, it serveth to rebuke such as will not forgive; how can such persuade themselves to be members of the church, and one body with their brethren, while they refuse to be one with them? These do make an heavy law against themselves, Mat. 6, 14, 15. & 18, 22. & 5, 44. 1 Pet. 3, 8. Thirdly, such as have no feeling of the troubles & calamities of their brethren, Heb. 13, 3. much more such as add affliction to the afflicted. The captivate jews complain against the insolency and cruelty of the Chaldeans, Ps. 137, 3. they required of them in scorn and derision to sing in their hearing one of the songs of Zion, and made themselves merry when they saw them heavy hearted. The enemies of God and his people are unmerciful & have no pity, Esay 47, 6. God reproveth for this, Psal. 102, 19  
Lastly, all members of the church should live Use 3 in all love, peace, and concord one with another, Gen. 13. considering we are brethren; and avoid all dissension and discord. As in the natural body we see how one member is ready to aid & affect another, and stand for the good of another: so should it be in the mystical body, all should be united together. As the subjects of one Prince that belong to one kingdom, are subject to the same laws, & bound to maintain mutual peace one with another: so if God be our king, and rule in our hearts by his word and Spirit: and if we belong to his kingdom, we must embrace one another in love, 
Ephes. 4, 3.  and endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We must do nothing through strife and vainglory, Phil. 2.3. 
1 Cor. 1, 10.  We must all speak the same things, that there be no division among us. Hatred is a fruit of the flesh, Gal. 5, 20. 
Galath. 6, 2.  On the other side, to walk in love, is to walk in the spirit, and it is a fruit of the gospel. 
1 Cor. 13.1. & 14, 1.  If we have never so excellent gifts, all remain unprofitable without this. Now, 
The way to try whether the love of the brethren be in us.  the way to try whether this be in us toward the brethren, is to examine it by these four rules. First, Christian love must not begin for any worldly respects, nor end for worldly respects and considerations, but principally must be for and in God. Carnal love is begun for carnal respects, and therefore soon withereth away. We must love our brethren principally, because they are the sons of God, and members of Christ. 
joh. 20, 17.  They are his brethren, and he accounteth them so: and therefore if God be our Father and Christ our brother, they also must be our brethren. This is expressed by the Apostle, 1 john 5, 1. Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also which is begotten, that is, whosoever loveth God the Father, loveth also the sons of God. Secondly, true Christian love must not be outward in show only, but inward in the heart, 1 john 3, 18. To love in show, is the love of Cain toward Abel. Thirdly, we must love those that are our enemies and hate us: for if we love them only that love us, what singular thing do we? or what reward have we? Math. 5, 46, 47. Lastly, Christian love must not be only in time of prosperity, but is chiefly tried in adversity, when most need is. This rule is set down by the Apostle john, Whosoever hath this world's goods, and seethe his Brother have need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 john 3, 17. And Solomon showeth, that a friend loveth at all times, and a brother is borne for adversity, Prou. 17, 7. In time of peace and plenty, every one will seem a friend, but not in misery: The poor is hated even of his own neighbour, but the rich hath many friends, proverbs chap. 14. verse 20. howbeit in time of need is the true friend tried.  
These rules must serve for our instruction: we must love all those that are the sons of God by grace and adoption: we must love all those that are the brethren of Christ by faith & sanctification: we must love them inwardly in truth and in heart: we must love our enemies: and not only in their prosperity and flourishing estate, but in their greatest need, and then be assured that the love of God shall be our shield and protection.   

18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land whither I bring you:  
19 Then it shall be that when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the Lord.  
20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough, for an heave offering as ye do the heave offering of the, etc.  
21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the Lord, an heave Offering in your generations.  
here is the law for the first of the dough to be offered to God. This is the same Law in effect with that often repeated touching the first fruits, Exod. 22, 29. & 23, 19 and 34, 26. Deut. 14, 23. The substance of these laws was to teach them to acknowledge from whence they enjoyed their Land, their Corn, their Wine, their Dough, and all their store that they possessed, to wit, by the mere gift and blessing of God. Doctrine. The doctrine from hence is this, 
Whatsoever we have, by God's blessing we have it.  The author and giver of all outward blessings whatsoever is God, and he alone. Whatsoever we possess, by the sole gift of God we do possess it, Esay 26, 12. and 45, 7. job 21. Psal. 147, 14. james 1, 17. Ezek. 16, 17, 18, 19 Acts 17, 25.  
The reasons. First, he hath made all things, 
Reason 1.  and therefore they are his own by right of creation, Psal. 24, 1. & 50, 12 Rom. 12, 36. Secondly, all things are disposed by his providence being his own, for he doth all things in heaven and earth whatsoever he pleaseth, as at the first he made them, Psal. 113, 5, 6. Thirdly, we are sent unto him for our daily bread and for all temporal blessings, and are commanded to go to him in all our need, looking for them at his hands, Math. 6, 11.  
This teacheth every man to be content Use 1 with his portion whatsoever it be that God hath given to him, albeit we have less than others, yet we must consider it is GOD from whom we have it, and therefore we ought not to be discontented with it. Such as any way murmur when they have not their own mind fulfilled, are wilful men and check the wisdom of God as if he were unrighteous, because he giveth not to every one alike. This was the common sin of the Israelites, as we have often noted: we must not be like them, 
1 Cor. 10, ●  to murmur as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. This is the mother of unthankfulness, and robbeth him of the honour due unto him: who better knoweth what is good for us than we ourselves, Phil. 4, 11.  
Secondly, it is our duty whatsoever we have Use 2 received, whether it be little or much, to use it well and employ it to good uses. The heathen man could say, 
Cuer. de Of● lib. 1.  We are not born for ourselves only: then much more ought we that are christians too know and testify that we were not born for ourselves, but for the church & people of God, and thereby made servants unto all. 
1 Cor. 9, 1●  We must therefore take special care that we do not abuse his gifts, or wrong any of his creatures which we enjoy, for which we must give an account: inasmuch as we in wronging of them do wrong God himself the giver of them; and then we may justly fear lest he take them away, who is as well able to take them away from us, as to give them to us, yea, and he will do it. Hence it is that job joineth both together; The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away, job 1, 21. so that we should be careful to use them to the glory of God; it is not enough that we do not abuse them, we shall be called to a reckoning for a farther duty, because we must not only abstain from evil, but do that which is good.  
Thirdly, if we would have these blessings Use 3 continued unto us, we must keep in with God, seeing he is the author of them; let us labour to serve him in righteousness and true holiness all the days of our life, Mat. 6, 33. Seek his friendship, and prefer his love and favour above all things in this world. He did make the world for such as are his friends, and not for those that are his enemies. And albeit the enemies of God have gotten a very great share of these blessings, yet they are no better than usurpers.  
Use 4 Lastly, this offering of their first fruits, was an acknowledgement that they held all from God, and they brought the same as a testimony of their thankfulness, when GOD had brought them into the Land, that they entered into houses which they builded not, & fields which they sowed not, he requireth of them to bring the first of all that they had tasted unto him. The practice hereof we see taught to the people when they should come into the Land, Deut. 26, 9, 10. they must confess the benefits which they have received of him, saying, I have brought the first fruits of the land, which thou O Lord, hast given me: and thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God. If then we receive his blessings without the praise of his Name, we defile them, and we dishonour him, and his creatures become unclean unto us, 1 Tim. 4, 4, 5. Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Of whom shall we receive our food, if we seek it not at God's hand? If the child want food and raiment, to whom shall he go but to his father? He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young Ravens which cry, Psal. 147, 9, and 104, 27, 28. And as we have our meat from him, so we must eat and drink as in the presence of God, Deut. 14, 26. If this point were well printed in our minds, and grafted in our hearts, that God is present at the Table with us, that he sitteth down with us, and riseth with us, that he cometh with us, and departeth with us, it would teach us more sobriety & moderation than it commonly used among us. The very heathen had some knowledge of this, and were altogether ignorant of it, they called their Tables sacred, and thought that their gods were always attendant at their meats and meals. Thus by this light of the truth shining (though darkly) among them, God left them altogether without excuse. Woe then to us that profess ourselves christians, if we do not learn that God is present with us at our Tables, & will take an account of us for all our words and deeds whatsoever. If a child be at the table with his father, and his father sitting at the upper end of the board have his eye evermore upon him, he will not dare to use such boldness as otherwise he would if he were absent: for then peradventure he would not stick to play his pranks, to throw his trencher under feet, and to dally as a wanton with his meat: but if he be at his father's table, and sit at his elbow, and remain in his sight he will behave himself soberly and orderly, or else he shall be rebuked and chastised. So likewise it ought to be with us, if we did consider that God is with us in our eating and drinking, it would be of sufficient force to teach us to behave ourselves reverently, and to take heed of all excess; but whether we consider it or not, we shall find in the end, that he is not far from every one of us that abuse his creatures, to the dishonour of his Name, and to the danger of our own souls. If we do not praise God for our meats and drinks, we are no better than thieves and usurpers, (albeit otherwise they may be called our own) because God hath not wholly resigned up his right unto them, who hath created them.   

22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses,  
23 Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and thenceforth from among your generations.  
24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed through ignorance, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer, etc.  
here we have a law set down touching the sacrifice for sins of ignorance. If the former laws were broken through error and ignorance, not wilfully & of a settled purpose, the manner of cleansing the same is set down, whether it be done by the whole multitude, or by one private man. Where we see, that it may fall out, that the whole Church may err and go astray both in judgement and in practice.  
Observe hereby, Doctrine. that the ignorance of the will and word of God, 
Ignorance of the word of God, is a grievous sin.  in whomsoever it be found, is a great and grievous sin against God, Leuit. 4, 2. and 5, 17. Esay 1, 3, and 5, 13. and 27, 11. jer. 10, 25. Luke 12, 48. The Prophet Hosea complaineth, that there was no knowledge of God in the Land, chap. 4, ver. 2. They were delivered out of Egypt, planted in a fruitful land, furnished with all commodities, he gave them his word and sacraments, he dealt not so with every Nation, Psal. 147, 20. yet they had no knowledge of his ways, nay they regarded not the knowledge of his ways. This is a foul sin to hate the light, and yet to live in darkness, and to love darkness more than the light, jer. 4, 22. They were foolish and knew him not, they were foolish children and had no understanding, they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.  
The grounds of this doctrine are evident. Reason 1 For first, all the corruption that befell us through the fall and disobedience of Adam, is sin: therefore ignorance and blindness of mind being a part of that corruption, must needs also be sin; the natural man knoweth not the things of the Spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Corinth. 2, ver. 14.  
Secondly, ignorance is contrary unto the Reason 2 image of God, wherein at the first we were created, and therefore it must needs follow that it is sin. Now a part of God's image in man, was knowledge, Col. 3, 10. as well as holiness and righteousness, Eph. 4, 24. Ignorance therefore being contrary and opposite to this, must needs be sin.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, that for which Christ died to abolish and take away, must needs be sin, for wherefore died he, 
Rom. 4, 25.  but for our sins? but he suffered even for our errors in life, & for our ignorances; which was represented by this, that every high Priest taken from among men, had compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity, Heb. 5, 2. and he entered into the holiest of all once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people, chap. 9, 7.  
Reason 4 Fourthly, as knowledge is the beginning and foundation of all piety and obedience: so ignorance is the mother and root of all error, evil, wickedness, and profaneness, Math. 22, 29. Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God: and therefore it cannot be but displeasing unto God, Psalm. 94, verse 10.  
Use 1 This teacheth the folly of many men in our times, who think that ignorance shall excuse them; they regard not to learn or know any thing, and then think themselves excused, because they know not. These are willingly, nay wilfully ignorant, 2 Pet. 3, 5. They know nothing, because they will know nothing, like to him that shutteth both his eyes, because he will not see the light. But this cannot shield and shelter them from the judgements of God and from his heavy wrath, 2, Thess. 1, 8. who will come to render vengeance in flames of fire unto such as have not known the Gospel. We have the word of God among us, and we hear the sound of it, yet few or none at all care to get knowledge and understanding by it. This is a most fearful kind of ignorance, and a great measure of sin. Ignorance is twofold, simple, and affected; and both condemned, and both shall receive vengeance and judgement. The simple, is when we have not the means, and so have not that knowledge which we ought to have: for he that sinneth without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law, Rom. 2, ver. 12. This is a fruit of our original corruption, & taketh hold upon all, and is sufficient to condemn the very Turks and Infidels: because, not only to be ignorant of that which we have means to know, but to be ignorant of that which we ought to know, is a sin. Some things we may be ignorant of, without sin: nay, Christ our Saviour as he is man, knoweth not all things, Math. 24, 36. Mark. 13, 32. Secret things belong not unto us, but unto the Lord, Deut. 29, verse 29. But the things revealed belong to us and to our children to do them; and to be ignorant of any of these, is a sin in the sight of God. Affected ignorance is, when we have the light of the truth shining in our faces, but we shut our eyes against it, lest it should shine into our hearts: and this is our case. We have the word, we may read it or hear it read, we have it preached, and other means of knowledge offered unto us, therefore all such are left without excuse. It shall not excuse a subject when he hath broken some penal statute, to say, Alas, I knew not the law, I was utterly ignorant of it, I never heard in all my life of any such matter. For the law is passed, printed, and published, and thou must take knowledge of it. Every man at his own peril must look to it, and if he run in danger of it, it is his own fault: so we may say of the law of God. He hath set it forth to the view of all, and all must make inquiry after it at their uttermost peril.  
If then the Turks and Saracens, if the Infidels and Barbarians that want the means, shall not be excused at the day of judgement by their ignorance, how shall we think to escape that have had the means? And so doth the Lord tell them of Corazin and Bethsaida, and denounceth a fearful woe against Capernaum, because they had much mercy showed unto them, & yet never regarded the same, and therefore telleth them, that it should be easier for tire and Sidon, yea for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, Math. 11, 21, 23, 24.  
Secondly, woe to our times, woe to the age Use 2 wherein we live: for little knowledge resteth in the hearts of the greatest part. They know nothing of God, of his nature, of his essential properties, of the Trinity, of the Law, of the Gospel, what faith is, what justification, or repentance. They are ignorant how to worship God, though they be often taught: they remain ever the same men, ever ignorant: ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Two chief causes there are of this, the one in the mind, the other in the will. In the mind, impotency of understanding, they are dull to conceive the things of the Spirit. The wisdom of God is foolishness to them, as man's wisdom is foolishness to God, 1 Cor. 2. The other is in the will, they savour the things of the flesh wholly, they find no sweetness in the word, their hearts are put out of taste by worldly things. These, as they that are evil and blind by nature, so are they become worse by nurture and education, they are nuzzled in ignorance all their youth, & for the most part a l their life: parents be generally ignorant themselves, and no care is in them to have them instructed. Solomon saith, Teach a child, or train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not departed from it, Prou. 22, 6. He will both sooner apprehend it, and better keep that which is taught him. If this time be passed over, it is harder to learn afterward; the eyes being blinded and filled with the dust of earthly things, can discern nothing; and when such come to age, they utterly despise the things that belong to a better life. It is with us as it was with the Land of Egypt, it was overspread with darkness, only a small part, where the children of Israel were, being excepted: so hath ignorance overspread the greatest part of our land. For look upon very many places, they lie waste as a wilderness for want of builders, the harvest is great, but there is great want of Labourers to gather together the corn, Mat. 9, 37. They have blind guides set over them, that can do nothing to the sheep but fleece them, & they can say nothing to them, but Bring ye, or pay ye. If we cast our eyes upon such places as have able Teachers over them, having gifts sufficient to instruct them, yet many of them are idle without care and conscience of their duties: is it then to be wondered at, that the land is full of ignorance and empty of knowledge? Again, in such places where are able Ministers and willing to take any pains amongst the people according to the measure of grace afforded unto them, yet even there you shall find little or no knowledge at all; and where they have bread enough, they starve themselves and perish for hunger; and where they may have plenty they live in penury and misery, and want of all things. They have meat and drink offered unto them, but they will not reach out their hand to take the same, like to the sluggard, that hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again, Prou. 19, 24. Many there are, that do manifestly and openly oppose themselves against knowledge, and set themselves against seeking after it so far as they can or dare. This plainly showeth, that indeed they never had any true knowledge at all: and others albeit they do not directly oppose themselves against knowledge, yet in the mean season (which is all one) they have no love of it, neither any holy desire to come to knowledge. If we consider farther how empty our churches and seats are, it will appear that our ignorance must needs be very great. For how should such careless & reckless persons have knowledge? I am persuaded, if these were well and thoroughly examined, they would be found beyond all measure blind and sottish, old and ignorant, worse than infants and little children. Knowledge of God is not natural, it is not borne and bred in us and with us: neither is it to be gotten in our days by extraordinary means: seeing therefore they use not the ordinary, it followeth that they are destitute of knowledge.  

causes of ●ance.  Another reason why men are so drowned in the sea of ignorance, is because though they hear much, yet they digest little or nothing at all: like to him that seethe meat before him but tasteth none of it. In the body, he that eateth much and digesteth nothing, cannot have his health, nor prosper: so is it in the soul; it may be these will hear two or three times in a quarter, but they never make conscience to meditate on that which they have heard, but let that slip which they have learned, and so indeed are never bettered by that which they hear.  
Another reason why so much ignorance is among men, is, because they want exercising of themselves in the Scriptures: they apply themselves to no constant reading of them, or reasoning and conferring about them; and therefore it is not possible for them to have any sound and well-grounded knowledge in them at all. The Ministers may waste themselves like lights in the Tabernacle, yet these people will never attain to any knowledge. 
Vain allegations of ignorant people.  Some allege, that their callings are such as they give them no leisure to attend the Scriptures, or to spend any time in reading. But it seemeth strange to me, that men should find a time for all other business under the Sun, and yet not find any time to further their own salvation. How monstrous a thing is it, that they have time enough and enough for the body, but can find none at all for their souls? They can find time and leisure to provide wealth for themselves and their children, and yet carry poor starveling souls to the grave, suffering them from time to time to languish and to perish for want of nourishment. As these live in darkness and ignorance upon earth, so it shall be just with God to thrust them into utter darkness in hell.  
But it may be objected, Objection. that the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 8, 2. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. I answer, Answ. the Apostle meaneth a false persuasion of knowledge, whereby a man thinketh he hath some great matter in him: & therefore he addeth in the next words, Verse 2. If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. If knowledge puff up any, the fault is in the person or vain persuasion of the person, not in the gift of God. We must know therefore that the Scriptures belong to all, and that the knowledge of them is necessary to al. And who may exempt themselves from them? or who shall say, they belong not unto him? Shall Kings and Princes, and such as sit in the throne? No, though they have a multitude of business waiting upon them; and are many ways disturbed and distracted by State affairs, yet they must have the law of God with them, & read in it all the days of their life, that they may learn to fear the Lord their God, Deut. 17.18.19. Shall Captains and Governors in war and peace? No, for was not joshua such an one? yet the Book of the Law must not departed out of his mouth, but he must meditate therein day and night, etc. For that he might make his way prosperous, and have good success, josh. 1.8. Shall Noblemen and Gentlemen exempt themselves? No, not they neither: for the Eunuch a man of great authority under Candace Queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, while he was in his chariot, read the prophesy of Esay, to further himself thereby in knowledge, Acts 8, 27.28. and 17.11: also the Noblemen of Berca searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so which the Apostles preached. Who then may think themselves discharged? May the Ministers? No, they should be men of knowledge, and give attendance to reading above others, 1. Tim. 4, 13. May the people? No, it is a general precept given by Christ to them, to search the Scriptures, john 5, 39 and yet no doubt many among them were poor, and tradesmen: so Psal. 1, 2. Col. 3, 16. May such as are weak in judgement, and simple witted? No, the law of God was written to give wisdom to the simple, Psal. 19, 7: and the proverbs were penned to give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man knowledge and discretion, Prou. 1, v. 4. May the young man defer the matter until age? No, he must season his young years with the knowledge of the Scriptures, Psal. 119, 9 2 Tim. 3, 15. May they that are rich and wealthy be privileged from this? No, Abraham saith of the brethren of the rich man, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them, Lu. 16, 29. It is in vain to be rich in the world, and not to have the word also to dwell richly in them, that so they may be rich in God. May women be freed from this duty? No, the grandmother & the mother of Timothy taught him & trained him up in the Scriptures of a child, which could not be, if themselves had been without knowledge, 2 Tim. 1, 5. So then we may conclude, that all which live in the Church, and would be accounted members of the Church, whether they be Princes or subjects, Ministers or people, noble or unnoble, high or low, learned or unlearned, young or old, rich or poor, masters or servants, men or women, one or other, all I say, aught to be endued with the knowledge of the ways of God.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth every one of us to examine himself and his own heart, how far he is guilty of this sin of ignorance. It is the first degree or step of knowledge, for a man to know and acknowledge his own ignorance. For till we come to this to find ourselves to live in ignorance, and to mourn and lament for it, it is unpossible for us ever to attain to sound and perfect knowledge. Object. But some will say, How shall we attain to this knowledge which you speak of? Answer. I answer, the way is to exercise ourselves in the reading of the Scriptures. He that would have water, must draw it out of the well: and he that would have knowledge, must draw it out of the fountain of the Scriptures. This doth Christ often point unto, in the Evangelists, stirring up men to read, and reproving those that would not: as Math. 12, ver. 3. he said to the pharisees, Have ye not read what David did? and verse 5. Have ye not read in the Law? and cha. 19, 4. likewise he said to the chief Priests & Scribes, Have ye never read, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise, Math. 21, 16. Psal. 8, 2. and verse 42. he said, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders refused, the same is become the head of the corner? and chap. 22, 3. he said to the Sadduces touching the resurrection from the dead, Have ye not read that which was spoken of God? So he speaketh to him that asked what he should do to inherit eternal life, Luk. 10, 26. What is written in the Law? how readest thou? And Abraham saith to the rich glutton, They have Moses & the Prophets, they have their writings among them. And speaking of the destruction of jerusalem, Who so readeth let him understand, Math. 24, 15. The contrary, when we do not and will not read and obey this commandment so often repeated and vehemently urged, is the cause of error and heresy, of evil, of discomfort, and of all profaneness, Acts 13, 27. Mark. 12, 24.  
Secondly, such as would have the true and saving knowledge, must first of all lay before him the grounds and principles of Christian religion: otherwise whatsoever he knoweth, he shall know nothing as he ought to know, like him that would build without a foundation, Heb. 6, 1.  
Thirdly, earnest prayer to God for the help of his holy Spirit to assist him, and to teach him how to profit aright by the reading of the Scriptures. For he that is the author of them, best knoweth how to give us understanding to edify ourselves by them in our most holy faith. And hereby we shall learn more than such as only meddle with the Scriptures, and never practise this duty of prayer, neither crave a blessing of him upon their labours.  
Lastly, conference with others, to minister help and comfort one to another. This did the two Disciples use going to Emmaus, 
Luke 24, 1●  who talked together of all those things which had happened touching Christ: they reasoned of his passion and suffering, and they are farther instructed in the truth of the matter, and in the understanding of the Scriptures. This was the blessing of God upon their practising & performing of this duty. If we reason soberly & reverently, Christ jesus will come among us, and be present with us by the grace of his Spirit, and by his blessing of our endeavours, which ought to be an encouragement to the same.   

30 But the soul that doth aught presumptuously, whether he be borne in the Land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from his people,  
31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off: his iniquity shall be upon him.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the sin of ignorance: now of presumption and voluntary sins, which are said in the original to be committed with an high hand, that is, proudly, scornfully, arrogantly, despitefully, and desperately against God. And therefore it is said, that he reproacheth the Lord, and hath broken his covenant, such a one must be cut off from his people. This cutting off for iniquity, some understand of excommunication by the censure of the Church; others, of killing by the sword of the Magistrate: but which way soever it be taken, it showeth the greatness of this crime. And because there is no kind of sacrifice set down for the expiation of this sin, some do hold, 
●tus.  that it figureth out the sin against the holy Ghost, which sin being unpardonable, Math. 12, 32. 1 john. 5, 16, there remaineth no sacrifice for it, but a certain looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries, Heb. 10, 26, 27. Howbeit, I rather think, that no sacrifice is expressed, because there is no new addition prescribed touching any sacrifice, as there is of the other, because this is already handled in the book of Leviticus, chap. 6, 2, etc. And this sin is opposed against the sin of ignorance: but all sins of presumption are not the sin against the holy Ghost. God forbidden, we should so entangle men's consciences, and hold all presumptuous sins to be that unpardonable sin. 
●hat com● in Num.  Neither can I be of their opinion, that think God would have no sacrifice offered for such sins, lest the sacrifices should wax vile and contemptible, and men should thereby be encouraged to give themselves over to commit sin with greediness, and never regard whether they sin ignorantly or presumptuously. It is no encouragement to sin of ignorance, because the means is set down to be cleansed of it. And who will willingly wound himself, albeit he have a Physician that can cure it?  

●ctrine.  From hence we may gather a difference between sin and sin: 
●re is a ●erence be●ene sin sin.  all break the law and deserve eternal death, Ezek. 18, 4. Rom. 6, 23. Nevertheless some are greater and some are lesser. There are therefore of sins sundry sorts, Jude, verse 22, 23. Hence it is, that sin is divided divers ways; either it is original, which we draw from our parents, and bring with us into the world: this is an hereditary sin, it is the inheritance that all parents bequeathe unto their children, as Psal. 51, 5. Ro. 5, 14. Or else it is actual, which is a fruit of the former; such are evil thoughts, words, and works, such as agree not with the law of God. This distinction is proved, Rom. 5, 14, and 7, 20. and 9.11. Again, there is a raging and reigning sin, when the sinner maketh no resistance by the grace of the Spirit, Rom. 6, 12, and 1 john 3, 8. He that committeth sin, to wit, of set purpose, and delighteth therein, is of the devil: it is so called, because we foster and cherish it, and become bondslaves unto it, and likewise because it hath rule over man, & carrieth him headlong to destruction. Such are all sins in the unregenerate, and so continue till there be a new birth; and some also in the regenerate in their slidings and fall against their conscience: and there is also a sin not reigning, which the sinner repelleth and resisteth by the grace of the Spirit, & daily reneweth his repentance for them. Such are the sins of ignorance, omission, and infirmity which remain in the regenerate so long as they live, which they acknowledge, bewail, hate, and resist, and pray daily that they may be forgiven them, saying, Forgive us our debts, 1 john 1, 8. Rom. 7, 17, and 8, 1. Many other such differences of sins might be noted, but these are sufficient to show that there is difference between sin and sin.  
And no marvel, because the commandments Reason 1 of God are not alike, but some are greater and some lesser. The laws of the first Table are called, the first and great commandment, Math. 22, 38, and do concern the Lord himself. The laws of the second are inferior to these, as they that concern our brethren like to ourselves.  
Secondly, there is great difference in the Reason 2 manner of sinning; some sin ignorantly, some wittingly, Psal. 19, 12, 13. 1 Tim. 1, 13. Some are principal and ringleaders in the sin, others are only accessaries; some are only in thought, others in deed; some offend of malice, some offend of weakness; some commit sin; others, besides this, have pleasure in them that do them, Rom. 1, 32.  
Thirdly, in respect of God himself, all sins Reason 3 do not alike dishonour him, neither is his wrath kindled alike against all; some are desperate sinners that will not be reclaimed, and despite the Spirit of grace, with whom the Lord cannot but be more offended then with such as are humbled for their sin.  
This difference serveth to condemn such Use 1 as make all sins equal, none greater or lesser than others, none before or after other. True it is, 
Campian. rat. 8. and Duraeus in his defence.  the Church of Rome lay this error to our charge (as also they falsely do many other) as if we were of the sect of the stoics, holding an absurd opinion touching that absurd doctrine of the equality of all sins: which showeth that they are far spent and drawn dry, and cannot charge us with true crimes, when they are constrained to object against us such gross opinions as we detest and condemn, & have confuted more than they, both in Schools and Pulpits. What errors and heresies, think you, will these men be afraid to broach against us among their own disciples, that take up all things upon trust at the second hand? and what imputations will they not dare to lay upon us in their Sermons, which they know shall never come to be examined (forasmuch as their hearers are forbidden to read any of our writings) when they blush not, neither are ashamed to publish to the view of the whole world such open and manifest untruths?  
Object. But they object, that we teach all sins to be mortal and to deserve death, even the least of them. Answer. I answer, we teach no other doctrine than the Scripture teacheth us, Rom. 6, 21, 23. jam. 2, 10. Nevertheless it followeth not by any good consequent, that though every sin in God's justice be adjudged worthy of eternal death, that therefore it doth equally deserve it. See more of this, chap. 19  
Use 2 Secondly, from this doctrine received, it followeth, that the punishments of hell are divers also, according to the different desert of sin, Luk. 12, 47, 48. Math. 23, 15, and 11, 22, 24. They that break the law and teach others to do the like, are twofold more the children of hell than others. They are the children of hell that transgress the law, but they that lay a stumbling block before others, and draw them out of the way, are guilty of a farther sin, and consequently of a greater punishment. Sodom shall be cast into hell, but Capernaum shall descend deeper and suffer more. This must we lay to our hearts, forasmuch as we are like to Capernaum not to Sodom. Every man must receive at the last day according to his evil works: but God's judgements should not be right, if he did judge sins to be equal, and punish sins equally. On the other side, we may conclude, that there are degrees of glory in the kingdom of heaven; which serveth to stir us up to labour to outgo and outstrip others, considering that we shall receive a greater reward. It is a point serving to animate and encourage all men in well-doing, to know that the Magistrate shall receive according to his care, the Minister according to his pains, and every one according to his duty and obedience in the life to come.  
Use 3 Lastly, hence is a direction for Magistrates, seeing offences are different, there ought to be a difference in punishment of malefactors. All laws should not be written with blood, neither all punishments take away life. But if lesser sins should be punished sharply, & great more remissly, it were against the rule of reason and the law of equity. Hence it is, that Christ teacheth, that among the Courts of the jews, they always punished according to the quality of the offence, and did not make an equality among offenders, Mat. 5, verse 22.  

Verse 31.  [Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his covenant, etc.] Here is the description of this sin: whereby we see whereunto it tendeth being once entertained. Doctrine. We learn from hence, 
Sin is come to the height, when men are bold to sin.  that men are come to the height of sin, when they commit sin boldly and boastingly, proudly, and presumptuously, Esay 3, 9 Numb. 25, 6. 1 Sam. 16, 22. jer. 3, 3. Prou. 2, 14. The reasons.  
Reason 1 For this manner of sinning is without any sign of grace, & is done in contempt of God and his laws, as we see in this place.  
Reason 2 Secondly, this kind of sinning doth cry to heaven and calleth down judgement, so that he cannot but punish it severely, Gen. 18, ver. 20, 21.  
This reproveth the sins of our times, for Use 1 as we live in the light of grace, so we are come to the light of sin, because some maintain sin, and others brag & boast of those sins that they have committed, and greatly delight in them, Psal. 52, 3, 4. Esay 1, 23. 2 Pet. 2, 15. The sin of these men is so much the greater, because here we have the coupling and combining of two sins together, sin and the love of sin. Where there are two strong poisons mixed together, there the party is in great danger that drinketh of that potion: so it is in this case, two sins being joined in one, sin, & impudence in sinning, that person is much more guilty. This boldness and impudence is also accompanied with impenitency, for certainly, he that sinneth with an high hand and with a proud heart, cannot repent and leave his sin, he cannot be sorry for it and turn unto God, but lieth under a great measure and degree of evil.  
Secondly, let such as are guilty of these bold Use 2 and presumptuous sins, break them off by true repentance and by reforming such as are committed to their charge. For every sin must be repent off: but greater sins must have greater repentance for them: therefore we should labour to repent of all, whether they be more or few, greater or less, once committed or often, that so God may pass by us when his judgements run through the world. Take heed therefore of presumptuous sins. Some are suddenly overtaken, these sin, 
Gal. 6, 1.  but not so greatly as they that run wilfully and violently into evil. It is an evil to take the Name of God in vain, though it be in heat and in haste howsoever; but it is worse to swear and blaspheme in cold blood, in common talk, & that without remorse. The corrupt affection in these is worse than the action of sin. Such as once fall into drunkenness cannot be excused; but they sin doubly and trebly that delight in drunkenness, & haunt drunken houses, and keep drunken company, and nourish all occasions to bring themselves to commit sin upon sin. So it may be said, touching the breach of the Sabbath, he sinneth that pretendeth some necessity of some great business, and that he is unwilling to absent himself from the house of God, and doth it seldom; but he that maketh a common practice of profaning the Lords day, sometimes by saying at home in his chamber, sometimes by walking abroad in his fields, sometimes by lying in an alehouse, sometimes by sitting at tables & cards, do offend much more and come into the number of presumptuous sinners. Object. But some peradventure will ask the question, How may a man know whether he sin with an high hand, whether he be come to the height of sin, to sin presumptuously? To this I answer: Answ. it is no hard matter to discern thy estate by these notes.  

●w to know ●o sinneth 〈◊〉 an high ●ed.  First, whosoever disliketh and hateth the word of God, may justly fear and suspect himself. For he that cannot patiently endure to read it, or to hear it read or preached, because it layeth open his sin, and as a true glass maketh his corruptions manifestly to appear, he certainly is a bold and presumptuous sinner. So long as a man is content to submit himself to God's ordinance, and to be willing to hear his sins reproved, so long there is hope of such a sinner. Again, they sin purposely, and proudly, and presumptuously, that are offended either with the Minister or with a private friend that reproves him for his sins. These are lovers of their sins and are resolved to dwell in them, because they hate those that love them, and out of love admonish them of their evil ways. And if peradventure they have failed in the manner of their reproof, these by & by conceive that they have sinned more in reproving, than themselves in committing the act itself. Thirdly, they are passing apace to  height of sin, that excuse and lessen their sins, or else defend them: such as say, it is no such great matter that they have done. Lastly, they are grievous sinners sapped in them, that make no use of the crosses and afflictions that God sendeth upon them: that are no whit bettered, or reform, or humbled by his judgements.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to pray unto God that we may be kept and preserved from this high measure of sin, Psal. 19, 13. The Prophet prayeth to the Lord to keep him from presumptuous sins. This showeth to us, that we are ready to fall into them. And what do they but publish this as with a loud voice, that cry out that God is merciful, and thereupon take occasion to go forward, presuming of his mercy? We should be careful to beg from God his grace, that we may resist sin in the beginning, lest our hearts be hardened by it, Heb. 3, 13, and we thereby be drawn in the end to make no conscience of sin. 
●iect.  If any ask how we may know, whether we be willing to leave sin and resist it in the beginning? 
〈◊〉.  I answer, we may examine ourselves by the contrary rules to the former. If a man make the law of God his delight, and can therefore love it, & make much of it, because it maketh his sins manifest unto himself, he certainly is no lover of his sins. Thus it was with Hezekiah, when he had received an heavy threatening of an heavy judgement from the mouth of God, he submitted himself, and said to the Prophet, The word of the Lord is good, 
●g. 20, 19  which thou hast spoken. Secondly, he loveth not his sins that loveth him that reproveth him for his sins. He that embraceth that Minister or that brother that telleth him of his corruptions, certainly he is not determined to embrace and entertain his sins. Thirdly, he that is so far from excusing of his sins, that he is ready to accuse himself; and he that is so far from defending and maintaining them, that he laboureth to reconcile himself to God, and to have a clear conscience toward God and man, he doubtless shall not need to fear to come to the height of sin. Lastly, he declareth that he is not besotted with the love of his sins, that loveth God that chastiseth him, even for his chastisements sake: who, so soon as any cross befalleth unto him, presently runneth home to his own heart, and condemneth his sin, and judgeth himself, and layeth all upon himself, as justly befallen him for his sins. If these things be found in us, we may rejoice and be glad, that albeit we cannot but commit the act of sin, yet we keep our hearts and souls from delighting in sin and the affecting thereof. Thus we may acquit ourselves of a great deal of the guilt of sin, albeit not of the outward act itself, by seeking the assuaging and lessening of it.   

32 And while the children of Israel were in the Wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day.  
33 And they that found him gathering sticks, brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the Congregation.  
Here followeth an example of God's judgement upon him that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day. This is not to be considered in itself only, but as it dependeth upon the words immediately going before, as a reason or an example of that law, that whosoever doth any thing presumptuously or with an high hand, shall die the death: and albeit it be set down after it, yet I take it to have been done before it. The Israelites had found out a man that had sinned, not of ignorance, or one that gathered sticks upon necessity, but they said to Moses, as the pharisees did to Christ, touching the woman taken in adultery; 
john 8, 4.  We found her in the very act; so did they take this breaker of the Sabbath, in the very act of gathering sticks, who rushed desperately against the law, as a Ship that dasheth itself in pieces against a Rock, for he sinned in contempt of God and his ordinances. The Lord had delivered his law to all Israel, and repeated the same again, he had commanded it carefully to be kept, and none to go out of his place to gather Manna upon that day, Exod. 16, 29. The observation of this day was the establishing of the whole law, and the breach of it, a destroying of the whole worship of God. This did this wicked person know well enough, but he nevertheless would go out of his place. God hath said, they should not kindle a fire throughout their generations that day, 
Exod. 35, 2, 3.  neither could he be ignorant of it, yet he would kindle a fire to provoke God to anger against him. In this we see his sin, and the manner of it, he is brought to Moses, and is put in ward. Moses asketh counsel of God, what should be done with him: God appointeth him for examples sake, to be stoned to death, which is done accordingly. Object. But this may seem a small offence, he did not bear any great burden on the Sabbath, nor labour in the works of his calling, neither offend in any great matter, he did only gather a bundle of sticks and that (as it should seem) but once, he did not make any practice of it, Answer. I answer, we must consider, not only the deed done, but also the manner of doing; he did it to despise and despite God, a sin in whomsoever, worthy of no less punishment than death itself.  
Doctrine. We learn from hence, that every sin is so much the greater, 
The less the thing is for which a man will sin, the greater is the sin.  by how much less the thing is for which men sin. I say, the less the thing is for which a man will sin and transgress the law of God, the greater always is his sin. A man would think it nothing to pick up a few sticks, but the less it was, the greater was his contempt of God, that he would run into the breach of the law, and provoke the wrath of God for it. Thus we might speak of the sin of our first parents: God tried their obedience in abstaining from the fruit of one tree, 
Gen. 2, 17. and 3, 3.  & yet they would taste thereof, and thereby ruined themselves and all their posterity. The matter wherein they sinned, was small, but the sin thereby was made the greater. Esau is noted in holy Scripture for his profaneness, which was showed in this, that for one mess of broth he sold his birthright, Gen. 25, 33. Heb. 12, 16. So is it spoken of judas, that for thirty shekels he sold his Master, and betrayed the Lord of life into the hands of sinners, Mat. 26, 15. & 27, 5. A goodly price at which he (that is God of heaven and earth, & heir of all things) was valued, saith the Prophet Zachary, ch. 11, 13. The less the reward was, the greater was his iniquity: for thereby he made it manifest at how vile, how base and small a price our Lord jesus Christ the Saviour of the world was valued & esteemed by him. The like we might say of the sin of the jews, when they denied the holy one and the just, & desired a murderer to be granted unto them at such time as Pilate was determined to let him go, Acts 3, 13, 14. They weighed him & Barrabas together in the balance, & they preferred him that was a thief & a robber, john 18, 40. a seditious fellow, Lu. 23, 25. who had also committed murder in the insurrection, Mar. 15, 6. Him I say, they preferred before the Lord jesus. This might farther be proved out of other places, which I only point out, Prou. 28, 21. Ezek. 13, 19 Amos 2, 6. The reasons.  
Reason 1 First, this argueth plainly to their faces, that such persons are destitute of the fear of God and man, that they dare sin and dishonour God for so small and abject a thing. The smaller the thing is, the greater is the contempt. There are commonly two things that draw men to sin, either the fear of some evil that they would avoid, or else desire of some good that they would enjoy. Now doubtless there is but a small measure of the grace of GOD, whensoever men are drawn to transgress for such slight and slender occasions: Secondly, Reason 2 it argueth a man's heart to be most corrupt, when he will not stick to sin and offend God for a small thing, and it warranteth others to judge the same man to be very wicked, and to presume he will much rather sin and much more offend for a greater thing, that is so easily brought to commit sin for every trifle of little or no value. He that will pervert justice for a few morsels of bread, will sooner do it for many pieces of gold: and they that will sell the poor for a pair of shoes, will make no bones to do it for a brace of angels. The uses follow.  
This convinceth many, that they live under Use 1 a greater guilt of sin than they are aware of, for they have an erroneous judgement of themselves; they think the less the matter is wherein they sin, the less is their sin, whereas indeed it is for the most part the quite contrary, for the less the thing is for which we choose to sin, the greater is our sin. He that will lie and face, swear & forswear for a small thing, and upon every occasion, certainly God will judge him more severely for it, than he will do those that have had some greater cause to do it, albeit no cause can excuse it wholly. So for a man to rob another, where are but small things to be had, he offendeth more than others that rob for great store of gold and silver: and the reason is, because it argueth greater contempt of God, and lesser regard of his displeasure and of his law, it bewrayeth greater corruption of his heart, and less love of justice and righteousness: and besides, though he took but little, yet he would have taken more, if more had been to be taken, according to the saying of our Saviour, He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much, Lu. 16, 10. Again, many a man doth abuse the Sabbath day (which is the point here in question) by walking abroad in the fields, or by following his base pleasures, perhaps he lieth asleep at home, or goeth to the alehouse, or sitteth at cards; such a one worketh not with his hands in his calling, he goeth not to plough, he doth not buy and sell, n●●ertheles he offendeth God more, and his heart is more corrupt than he that walketh and worketh in his calling for his necessity.  
But it may be objected, Object. that then a man were as good offend and transgress for great things as for small. To this I answer, Answ. that it is an evil and false consequent: he that so reasoneth, declareth himself to be most corrupt & sinful: for whether a man sin for much or for little, he provoketh God against himself both ways, and therefore both are to be shunned. Every one in his several place ought rather to reason thus, I may sin against God and offend him in a small thing as well as in a great, and oftentimes move him unto anger more in a smaller than in a greater, therefore I will make conscience of both, I will avoid all kind of evil, I will walk uprightly; and work righteousness in his sight. So shall we be sure to reap the benefit and comfort of it here after in the life to come.  
Use 2 Secondly, it admonisheth every one of us that we should labour to have such good hearts so sanctified, that not the greatest provocations of pleasure, of profit, of honour, of sin, or any thing whatsoever should provoke us to sin; if not the greatest, than not the less; and if not the less, than not the least of all. For as he that withstandeth the greatest evils, showeth himself to have the greatest measure of grace: so he that is persuaded and provoked by small things to sin, it argueth him to have the greater corruption and hardness of heart, and therefore though we cannot be without sin, 
eggs 8, 4, 8  (for there is no man that sinneth not,) yet we should labour to make our sins the less sinful, and ourselves the less sinners: which we shall do, if we take heed we be not provoked to sin by small things of little value. Whosoever will sin for a little, he may despair with himself of any great matter, and may well think that he shall never be able to restrain himself to any purpose, but in short time he shall be brought to sin in far greater things. It is the policy of Satan to be content to draw men only to little sins, and to let them continue long in them: for he is that old and subtle serpent, that knoweth there is more danger for the most part in little sins then in greater sins. A mote is not perceived in the eye, when a great beam cannot be hid: and though a moat be discerned, yet because it is little, it is let alone, the danger of it is thought to be little or nothing. Touching great sins, all men will readily acknowledge and confess them to be sins; whereas little sins make them think them to be no sins, or that they may safely suffer them to remain & continue in them without any danger. Hence it is, that men are so much given to flatter themselves and to think all is well with them, because they find others tainted with greater sins than themselves, as it was with the Pharisee, Luke 18, whereas an enemy neglected and contemned, doth oftentimes more hurt then such a one as we are more watchful over.  
Use 3 Lastly, it reproveth those that give scope and liberty to themselves to follow some sins, because they are little in their eyes. Hence it is, that Solomon bringeth in the sluggard, saying, A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, Prou. 6, 10. and 24, 33. So it is with every sinner, he crieth out, a little more sin, a little more evil; the young man, a little more dalliance; the covetous person, a little more riches and care: the oppressor, a little more wrong: the blasphemer, one oath more: the drunkard crieth for a little more drink, one pot more is not so much: that is, they persuade themselves they may live in these sins because they are little, or they may add some little more to them without any great danger. But many a little maketh a great deal, every drop of rain helpeth to make the flood, and every corn to fill up the measure; and as a little spark kindleth much wood and maketh a great fire: so a little added to sin, and to that little a little more, maketh the sin to be exceeding sinful, and the sinner a great sinner before the LORD our GOD.  
Moreover, we must understand that God forbiddeth the least sins as well as the greatest; and the Prophet reproveth the hypocrites of his time, who though they would not eat of polluted or unclean flesh, yet the broth thereof was found in their vessels, Esay 65, 4: and the Apostle delivereth this precept, Abstain from all appearance of evil, 1 Thess. 5, 22. If Satan can draw Cain to hate his brother, he will quickly draw him to kill him. If he can entice Achan to covet the silver and gold which he saw, 
josh. 7, 21.  it will not be long before he move him to take them away; and therefore in the confession of his sin he joineth them together, I coveted and conveyed them away. The Cockatrice eggs are venomous and hurtful, not only to eat, but to tread upon them, and to be sprinkled with them, Esay 59, 5. So the least meddling with evil is contagious and bringeth infection. Therefore the Apostle willeth to hate the very garment spotted with the flesh, Jude, ver. 23. The smallest sins are to be shunned. Our first parents were forbidden not only to eat of the forbidden fruit, but to touch it, 
Gen. 3, 3.  as appeareth by the confession of the woman. 
Two helps to withstand sin.  It behoveth us therefore to labour for spiritual wisdom that we may be able to see his policy, and for spiritual strength to withstand his strength and provocations, and by these two helps we shall be sure to keep ourselves free from the guilt of many sins. And that we may the better do so, two things are required of us most necessary for this purpose, the fear of God and the love of God. If we get into our hearts the fear of God, 
Math. 10, 28. Exod. 1, 17.  who can destroy both body and soul in hell, we shall easily overcome all other fear of evil, the greater will prevail over the less; neither the smallest nor the greatest delights and desires of the world, shall cause us to offend him, nor provoke us or prevail with us to cause us to sin against him, because his fear doth keep and restrain us. But, where the fear of God is not, there is an easy lapse into all evil, Gen. 20, 11.  
Again, we must have the love of God in us. This will cause us to love him better than ourselves, and make us loath to offend him though we might get the greatest gain and commodity by it, much less for small and base things. We should account it, if we love him indeed, 
Cyprian.  a more miserable thing than hell itself, to offend him.  
Let us all therefore labour for these two, the fear and the love of God, to have them settled in our hearts; these are the strongest of all other passions.   

34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.  
35 And the Lord said unto Moses, the man shall be surely put to death; all the Congregation shall stone him with stones without the Campe.  
We saw before the sin of him that broke the Sabbath: now we may behold how he is first put in ward until the will of God were farther known; then he is commanded to be stoned with stones, and by whom? by all the Congregation. This was an ordinary kind of punishment among the jews, 
Q. curtius de rebus Alexand.  and also among some of the Gentiles. Neither had they any set persons appointed to be executioners and ministers of justice, as now is usual in our days, but it stood merely at the pleasure of Princes & judges and others officers to name and assign sometimes one and sometimes another, and sometimes many; and it was done without any note of infamy. For it was no more reproach to execute a malefactor, then to condemn him. Neither were they of the base, but of the better sort that were sometimes singled out for this purpose, Deut. 13, 9, 10.1, Sam. 22, 17, 18. Samuel himself hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord, 1 Sam. 15, 33.1, King. 2, 31, 34. judg. 8, 20, 21. Exod. 32, 29. The like might be said of Phinehas that stood up and executed judgement, Psal. 106, 30. and of Eliah, who slew the Priests of Baal, 1 King. 18, 40. This was the order among the Hebrews: but now such persons deputed for executions are commonly evilly spoken off, 
Why executioners of justice are evil spoken off.  & of base account; first, because the common sort that commonly offend, are commonly afraid at the sight of them, and their hearts arise against them, and therefore can hardly meet them in the streets, but they set themselves against them. And no man would willingly be punished for his offences. Thus they hope, if there were no executioner, they should escape and not be executed. Now because the sight of such officers bringeth to their remembrance their own offences, therefore they cannot abide them, as fearing that in the end they may also take their lives from them. 
Arist. polit. lib. 6, cap. 8.  Thus they hate his person more than their own evil: although it be not the person, but their own mischief & misdemeanour that taketh away their lives. Secondly, such persons are of evil note, because many of them lead a wicked & profane life, and are many times as evil as those whom they execute. The office doth not defile them, but rather they defile the office: it is they that make the office odious, not the office them.  
But to pass this over, in the punishment executed upon this person that broke the Sabbath, Doctrine we learn that the Lord will punish wicked men, not only for sins of injustice, 
God punisheth the breach of first Table well as of second.  but for sins of ungodliness: not only for the breach of the second Table, but for breach also of the first Table, Exod. 20, 5, 7, and 31, 13, 14, and 32, 10. jer. 10, 25. Ezek. 20, 13, 21. Neh. 13, 15, 18. jer. 17, 29. levit. 24, 11, 12, 14, 15. Deut. 13, 9, 10. This is farther to be strengthened with reason.  
First, true godliness and religion have the Reason 1 promises of the blessings of this life and of the life to come, 1 Tim. 4, 8. Deut. 28, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. then it will follow on the contrary, that impiety and ungodliness have the curses & plagues both of the one and the other due unto them. For it were great injustice in God, if he should reward the works of piety and religion, and should not as well punish the works of impiety and profaneness.  
Secondly, such works are committed directly Reason 2 and immediately against the person of God himself, but the works of unrighteousness are against men. He is more severely punished that flieth in the Prince's face & woundeth him, than he that hurteth any of his servants. Such as with an high hand break the first Table, do as it were fly in God's face and rebel against them; such as transgress the second, hurt some of his servants. So then, when we fall to practise against his own person or his honour, there is great reason to think he will visit for those especially, and therefore such laws are called, the first and great commandment, Math. 22, 36, 38.  
Thirdly, such works of impiety are the causes Reason 3 of wrong, injustice, hatred, and of all unrighteousness. The breach of the first Table procureth the breach of the second, Rom. 1, 21, 22, 23. Because they regarded not to know God, he gave them over to vile affections. When he gave them up to uncleanness, it was a punishment of their unthankfulness and not honouring of him.  
The uses follow. Such are first of all reproved Use 1 as are accounted civil honest men in the world and reputed unblamable among their neighbours. I do not mean that they are to be reproved for their civility and honesty, which are not to be condemned in themselves (for they are good,) but such as content themselves with an outward civil carriage among men, and to be praised of them, having no fear of God, or care of religion in them: but all their care and conscience is to deal justly with men, and in the mean season wholly neglect their duty to God; these are liable to God's judgements, as well as those that are altogether profane and wicked. These are they that have no care to sanctify the Sabath, no delight in prayer, no hungering & thirsting after knowledge, but remain in blindness & ignorance, careless in frequenting the hearing of the word, and in receiving of the Sacraments. They will boast, they love the Church as well as any of their neighbours, but small fruits appear of their going thither, or of their coming from thence. They think all is well enough, if they be just in their outward dealings: they make account that they are not to be blamed, and they stand in fear of no judgements of God at all. So it was with the rich man, Math. 19, 20. he thought he had done all even from his youth, that he lacked nothing: but being tried by the first commandment, whether he did love God above all, he plainly descried that his civil honesty was mere hypocrisy, and his fulfilling of the law no better than a flattering of himself. In like manner do such men much deceive themselves, and are like to a subject whose whole care is to deal justly and uprightly with his fellows, but utterly neglecteth his duty to his Prince, and practiseth rebellion against him all his life. If such a man deal justly among other men, and will not commit adultery or murder by any means; tell me in reason, can all this his care help him, when he shall be convicted for high treason against his Prince? Certainly this just and upright carriage toward the people shall stand him in little stead. Likewise many men in all places do live continually in the practice of rebellion against the person of God himself, howsoever they seem very careful and conscionable of their duty toward men, yet God will find them out for the contempt of him. For they are grown to this profaneness, What need so much preaching? or so much hearing? and so they begin to scorn and scoff at those that live in the obedience of these holy duties. Let me tell these, though they be never so just in their conversation, doing no wrong, paying all men, showing mercy to them that need, yet they lie open, notwithstanding all these, to God's judgements for want of the true power of religion. If thou shouldst see a man live in the gross sins of the second Table, in murder, adultery, robbery, drunkenness, false witnes-bearing, and the like, wouldst thou not think him worthy to be plagued by the hand of God? why then should we think that such as live in the breaches of the first Table (more gross than these) which have the first place, are not liable to judgement, as well, or rather much more than the other?  
Use 2 Secondly, this teacheth all such as have any rule over others, to be careful to teach such as are under them in the ways of godliness, that they may know the Father to be true God, & him whom he hath sent jesus Christ, john 17, 3. First, it is the duty of Princes and Magistrates to have a great care of true religion, that God be faithfully served by their people. It is not enough for them to provide that they may have a people faithful and loyal to themselves, except they be also faithful to God. The godly kings are commended for their care in advancing the glory of God, and for their zeal in causing all the people committed to their charge to be instructed. It were easy to enlarge this by the examples of David, of Asa, of jehoshaphat, of Hezekiah, and josiah: they made a covenant with God to serve him themselves, and to cause him to be served of their people. Asa commanded judah to serve the Lord of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandments, that whosoever would not seek the Lord, whether he were small or great, whether man or woman, should be put to death, 2 Chron 14, 4, and 15, 13. Deut. 17, 19 2 Kings 23, 2, 3. 2 Chron. 19, 7, 8, 9 Thus it ought to be with all fathers and masters, they must teach their children & servants, that they may know the Lord, and set their hope in him, & not forget his works, but keep his commandments, Psal. 78, 6, 7, & 4, 9, and 11, 19, 21. Eph. 6, 4. 
Deut. 6, 7.  Eli the Priest of the Lord is first threatened, and afterward punished for neglect of this duty, 1 Sam. 2, and 3. The example is written for our instruction, that we should beware of the like transgression.  
Thirdly, see the fearful condition of many Use 3 men of all sorts, for they live under a fearful judgement of God, and yet do not see it, because through the whole course of their lives, they practise the works of impiety, living in palpable ignorance, in contempt of the Word, Sabbath, and Sacraments. If a man should do nothing but practise treason and rebellion against the King, despising his word and contemning his Proclamations, in what a fearful condition would we account him to be? And when the King himself should appoint a day, wherein he would have his own person specially attended and wholly waited upon, if his household servants should refuse to give him any attendance, but wait worse upon him that day than any other, and give themselves wholly to attend upon their own pleasures, would he not think himself notably abused, and discharge such of his service? and were they not sure to run into his displeasure, and to procure judgement upon themselves? Notwithstanding, this is the state of many among us. God hath commanded us to reverence his Name, his Sanctuary, his Sabbath, his Word, his Ministry; if then we shall dare to swear & blaspheme openly, to reject the word of God, and to abuse the Sabbath by following after our pleasures and profits, our sports and recreations, and thereby practise after a sort against the person of GOD himself, do they not provoke me to my face, saith the Lord, and shall they go unpunished? No certainly, they shall not, his judgements shall overtake them for these things.  
God hath ordained and enacted as by a solemn Proclamation, that all sorts that profess themselves his servants, should wait upon him on the Sabbath; he is then determined to set forth the greatness of his glorious Name, and the riches of his house, and the might of his power, and the honour of his Majesty: it is his will and pleasure that men, women, & children should assemble together before him to give him attendance: shall we answer with Korah and his company in the next chapter, We will not come up? Numb. 16, 14. And albeit we be not so impudent and shameless to say so, yet it is little better, because we do not appear before him. Nay we serve ourselves by walking in our own ways, and many serve Satan the enemy of God, by following his ways with greediness. If we give up ourselves to our pleasures and profits, we serve ourselves: when we give up ourselves to our sins, and delight in drunkenness and such like wickedness upon that day, we serve the devil. And in truth, let any man mark it, he shall see that God is no day worse served of the common sort, then upon his own holy day, so that when he requireth all our service, he can get little or none at all at our hands.  
Use 4 Lastly, let no man flatter himself in performance of duties unto men, and think himself in good case because he liveth unblamably in the eyes of the world. We must learn to deny not only worldly lusts, but all ungodliness: and we must live not only soberly & righteously, but also godly in this present world, Titus 2, 12. Christ gave himself for this purpose, to purge us from all iniquity, and to purify us to be a peculiar people unto himself, zealous of all good works. And indeed the sins of the first Table are the greatest & most heinous sins, and deserve the greatest plagues of God, and most fearful condemnation: he will reward with everlasting fire, not only such as know not their duties to men, but such as know not God, neither obey the Gospel of jesus Christ, 2 Thess. 1, 8. And this is noted as a main cause of the destruction of the old world, to wit, disobedience to the word, 1 Pet. 3, 20. When the Israelitish woman's son whose father was an Egyptian, blasphemed the Name of the Lord, and as it were thrust him through with horrible curses, levit. 24, 11. he is commanded to be put to death and stoned, verse 16, 23. These sins are every where little thought upon, and supposed to be either no sins at all, or very little ones. But man's judgement is corrupt in the matters of God, 
How the breaches of the first Table are greater than the breaches of the second  except we look upon sin with the light of the Scripture: and if we shall parallel the sins of the first Table with the sins of the second in equal degree, the greatest of the one with the grossest of the other, & both done in knowledge alike, and ignorance with ignorance, comparing deeds with deeds, words with words, & thoughts with thoughts; the breaches of the law being thus considered, are far greater against the first then against the second Table, because they are committed immediately against the person of the great God, as rebellion against the person of a Prince is greater than the insurrection against another: the murdering of a Prince more than of many others, 2 Sam. 18, 3. See then from hence, the woeful abuse of our sinful times & profane people. Such as would seem to make conscience of stealing, of whoring, of robbing, and false witnessing in judgement, and hold them unworthy to live upon the earth that commit these things: mark their ways in matters that concern the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; and you shall evidently perceive, they think it no evil or enormity to be ignorant of GOD and his word, to maintain superstition and set up human traditions, to abuse his Name by cursed oaths, to profane his Sabbath by cursed or corrupt works, to despise his Word, and to refuse his Sacraments. These are so ordinarily, so openly, so impudently committed with bold, nay with brazen faces, and defended also by those that do them, as if we would despite God to his face, and thrust him out of his kingdom and from the government of the world. I will tell you what I have observed by the common course of the world, that more perish through ignorance and profaneness, then do by all the deeds of unrighteousness. Satan prevaileth more among the people by bringing them to a profane life, and keeping them in sottishness and blindness touching the will of God, then by murder, whoredom, and theft laid together. I know I speak this to many that have most wretched and swinish hearts, but no ears to hear: and therefore regard their own pleasures more than they do their salvation. These are the dangerous days spoken off by the Apostle, 2. Tim. 3, 1, 4, 5. God in his mercy amend them: if not, let them that be ignorant, be ignorant still, 1 Cor. 14, 38. and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still, revel. 22, 11. that so they may fill up the measure of their sins, Math. 23, 32.   
36 And all the Congregation brought him without the Camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died as the Lord commanded Moses. 
It may seem strange at the first, that they should consult with God what to do with this profane person: seeing the Law had appointed death for him that transgressed this commandment, Exod. 31, 14. and 35, 2. why then did they inquire, or wherefore did they put him in mind to know what should be done unto him? Some answer, that albeit God had decreed that such should be punished, yet he had not declared by any law the kind of punishment: and therefore they asked how he should be punished, as for example, whether he should be hanged on a tree, or burned with fire, or stoned with stones, or stricken with the sword. But this answer cannot satisfy me: for when death is appointed in the Law, and the particular kind not expressed, 
josh. 7, ● with 6, ●  the Magistrate was left free to set down the same, as also when no punishment at all is mentioned. Deut. 25, 13.14. neither were the people bound to ask counsel at the mouth of God upon every occasion of execution of justice against evil doers, where the manner of punishment is not limited. It was the law of God, that witches should not live, Exod. 22, 18. Saul did well, and is commended by the Spirit of God, that he cut them off that had familiar spirits out of the land, & rooted out the wizards; yet he did not ask, neither was he bound to ask counsel now or which way they should be put to death, though God had not defined the particular, Leuit. 20, 27. This then is left to the discretion of the Magistrate, when he hath the general, to decree the particular punishment as he thinketh good. In sundry places of the books of Moses, we find sundry laws set down inflicting death upon the offenders, & yet the manner of death is not named, Genesis 9 verse 6. Exod. chap. 22, 19, 20. levit. chap. 20. verses 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18. Deut. chap. 20. verse 25. and 24, 17. All this were to no purpose, if the Magistrate might not proceed against them ex officio, without knowing the farther pleasure of God. For it had been all one as if no sentence of death had been set down, inasmuch as they might as easily and with as little labour know the punishment in particular as when no punishment at all is expressed. Neither did the jews take themselves to be bound in that case to inquire of God, Leuit. 20, 10. Deut. 22, 22. john 8, 5. Wherefore, I rather think they consulted with God about the quality of the work, than the manner of the punishment. God had threatened, that whosoever did Work on the Sabbath should be put to death: but he had not followed his handiwork, nor laboured in his calling: he had only gathered a few sticks. True it is, he had done it impudently, yet it was doubt full whether this fact were within the compass of that law or not: and therefore Moses would not call the life of this man in question without certain direction from the mouth of God. For life is precious, and blood being spilled, is as water poured upon the earth, that cannot be gathered up again. So then they desired to know, whether this fact were worthy of death, not by what manner of death he should die. And as the jews in other things are full of fables, so in this they have devised of their own brains, that this man was Zelophehad, 
●ish fable out any ●nd.  of whom we read afterward in this Book, chapt. 27, 3. where it is said of him that he died not in the conspiracy of Korah, but in his own sin: thereby casting an aspersion upon him, and charging him with an imputation which the Scripture doth not charge him withal, of which we shall speak more afterwards. But who it was, and what his name was, and whether he were one of the Israelites or of the strangers that came with them out of Egypt, or what his purpose was, it is uncertain; but whosoever it were, he is put to death for profaning of the Sabbath. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that the Sabbath day ought wholly to be spent in religious and holy exercises. 
The Sabbath day must be spent religiously.  It is the end why it was sanctified of God, that we should sanctify it, and spend it in holy uses from morning unto evening, Genesis chap. 2. verse 2, 3. Where we see, he blessed it and sanctified it in the guarded, or at least in the time of man's innocency, Exodus chap 16, 20. Esay 56, verse 2. & 58, 13. Exod. chap. 20. verse 4. This was the practice under the Law, continued also under the Gospel. It was the custom of Christ to preach the gospel in the Synagogues on that day, he did it not for once or twice, but it was his ordinary and usual manner. So the Disciples, Acts 20, 17. and 17, 1, 2. 1 Cor. 16, 1. revelat. 1, 10. The doors of the Temple were kept shut the six days, but opened from morning until the evening upon the seventh day, Ezek, 46, 1, 2.  
There are many reasons in the fourth commandment, Reason 1 drawn from the equity and liberality of God in giving us six days, from the example of God's rest, and from the consideration of the end why it was appointed to be kept holy, all these are of great force, Exod. 20, 4, 5.  
Secondly, this serveth to preserve men from Reason 2 barbarism and Atheism, and all irreligions' profaneness. We see notwithstanding this comfortable & profitable ordinance of God, how much impiety and looseness is in the world: but if every man were left unto himself to serve God as himself list, to his private devotions without this general observation: it is to be feared we should shortly have no knowledge, no faith, no church, no religion, no order: that the greatest part would scarf think of God, from one week, nay from one year to another, or have any acquaintance with his word and Sacraments, or read the Scriptures, or pray unto him: nay they would scarce know whether there were any Scriptures or Sacraments, or not. Therefore the Lord saith, The Sabbath is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you, Exod. 31, 13 For when do the greatest part read, or hear, or confer, or meditate, or pray but upon the Sabbath? Take away therefore that day, you take away all these. Thirdly, Reason 3 Christ jesus vouchsafed to honour this day above the rest of the days of the week after his resurrection, and that by his special appe●●ings in it, as well as by his rising again upon it. If we observe and mark it, we shall see he showed himself to his disciples and followers upon that day especially. First, to Marry Magdalene early in the morning, john 20, 1. and 14. Secondly, to the other women, as they were going to communicate to the Apostles the certainty of his resurrection, which the Angels had declared unto them before at the sepulchre, Matth. 28, 9 Thirdly, to the two disciples going to Emmaus, which also was the same day, Luke 24, 21, For they said, it was the third day since these things were done. Fourthly, the same day at night he appeared to his Disciples, john 20, 19 Fiftly, he appeared for the confirmation of the faith of Thomas in the matter of his resurrection upon this day, john 20. verse 26. Upon this day did the holy Ghost descend: and this was the first day of the creation.  
Use 1 The Uses follow. The sanctifying, separating, and keeping of the Lords day, is a moral duty charged upon every soul, whatsoever & wheresoever we be, in what state and condition soever, in bondage and exile, upon the land or sea, in sickness or in health, at home or abroad, with ourselves or with others, whether we be high or low, Prince or subject, master or servant, bond or free, male or female; all persons must know, that this day must be sanctified unto the holy worship of God, and be spent in the meditation of holy things. It is not as some profane persons have said, that favour of nothing but the world, that rich men may keep the Sabbath, but poor men cannot: for GOD will have the poor keep holy this day, as well as the rich. As with him is no respect of persons, so in giving his law he respecteth not persons: we have not one of the Commandments for the poor and another for the rich, but they belong to all, as he is God of all, and will be served of all. 
The Sabbath is moral.  And if this be not a moral duty, than we should have but nine Commandments that bind perpetually, whereas they are often called the ten words, Exodus chap. 34, verse 28. Deut. 14.13. and 10, 4. and Christ showeth, he came not to destroy the Law, but to keep it and fulfil it, Math. 5, 17. Again he saith, He that shall break one of the least of the commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, verse 19 he shall be shut out of it, and have no place in it. But it may be objected, Object. we keep not the same day that the jews did, they observed the seventh day from the creation, we the first day of the week. Why then was this day changed? and who changed it? and whether may it be changed again? Answer. I answer first, touching the first; the reasons of the change are to put a difference between the jewish and Christian Sabbath, which could not be so fitly done but by change of the day. 
Why the Sabbath was changed.  Secondly, to keep a memorial of the day of our redemption: for as the seventh day kept a memorial of the work of the creation, so doth this first day of the week of our Redemption: as great a work, yea greater than the former, for it was more to redeem us out of hell, then to create us out of nothing, Esay 66, 24.  
Thirdly, to free the church from the sacrifices and ceremonies of the jews, and to take from it they yoke that lay as an heavy burden on the necks of those that lived in the time of the Law, Acts chap. 15. verse 10. which neither they nor their Fathers were able to bear: for when this day was changed it was no more tied to the jewish Sabbath, which was solemnised with many ceremonies belonging necessarily unto it. The jews were tied to a strict and rigorous kind of rest, they might not kindle a fire throughout their habitations, Exod. chapt. 35. verse 3. It was also a figure of the everlasting rest of God's children in the kingdom of heaven, Esay 66, 23. Heb. 4, 9 It was observed in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt, which fell out that day, Deut. 5, 15. Exodus 11. It was tied precisely to the seventh day from the Creation, and celebrated with sundry set rites and ceremonies, Numbers 28. verses 9, 10. Nevertheless, there is a Sabbath moral and perpetual, a time to be set apart to the worship of God to the end of the world. 
Who alter● the Sabba●   
The next Question is, who altered it? I answer, Christ himself is the author of this change. The Apostles often teach, that whatsoever they taught, they received it from Christ: they learned it at his hand before, either by word of his mouth, or by revelation of his Spirit: but the Apostles enjoined the first day of the week to be kept as a Sabbath of rest, 1 Cor. 16, 1. The Church every first day of the week made a collection for the poor, which followed the hearing of the word, the offering up of prayers, and the receiving of the Sacraments, as a fruit of them, Acts 2. ver. 42. Wherein observe by the way, that the Sabbath was appointed for the benefit, good, and comfort of the poor, not for their hurt or hindrance; whereby as God is glorified, so the poor are encouraged to tender their service to God this day; and the mouths of those carnal men are stopped, that would have the rich keep the Sabbath, but not the poor. If any say collections for the poor were lawful, Object. and might be made any day as well as on a Sabbath: I answer, Answ. the Apostle doth not only say, that then collections were made, but this was made an Apostolical ordinance and institution to be done that day especially: for he commandeth the Corinthians to observe it that day, as he had ordained it in the Churches of Galatia. 1 Corinth. 16, 1, 2. So then, because he gave such order, we may conclude it to be an ordinance.  
The Apostles also assembled themselves upon this day, for performance of divine duties, Acts 20. verse 7. They kept this day for a Sabbath: neither kept they orderly any other, saving when they came into the Synagogues of the jews, who were so addicted unto the Law of Moses, that they would meet upon no other day. Besides, it is said of Christ, that after his resurrection, he taught his Disciples whatsoever belonged to the kingdom of God, as Acts 1. verse 3. but the alteration of the Sabbath belongeth to God's kingdom. The last question remaineth, whether it be in the liberty of the Church to change the day again? I answer, it is not. For as it was not at the first changed without the authority of Christ and his Apostles directed by Christ, who is Lord of the Sabbath, Math. 12, 8. so it can receive no farther change without him or them. But if the Church had this power, then the Church might well be said to be Lord of the Sabbath. Again the times and seasons are in God's hand, Act. 1, 6. but they should be left to the Church as a treasure to dispense, if it might dispose & transpose the Sabbath at her pleasure. Again, one day to be kept in seven, is moral & perpetual, otherwise if once we depart from this simplicity, that we be not tied of necessity unto it, a man may say, that one day in seven weeks or in seven years is enough, and so at length it shall be said, we are not bound to meet together publicly, above one day in an hundred years. Therefore I set it down as an unchangeable rule, that the observation of one day in seven, not in five, or one in fifteen, but one in seven, neither more nor less is moral: but if it should ever be changed again, we could not keep the just number of one in seven, but at the first change the proportion and morality would be broken. 
●ct.  If any ask, how then was it changed at the first? I answer, 
●er.  the jews that believed, altered not the morality of one in seven, albeit they changed the day which was ceremonial. For in the first change they kept two Sabbaths together, to wit, the jewish and the Christian, & yet without breach of the former proportion. The jews kept the seventh day for the week past, we take the first day which is next to it, and so keep the Sabbath for the week to come: they observed that day in memorial of the work of creation which was past, we christians keeping (as we have great cause) the remembrance of the work of redemption, begin our Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ for the time following. And thus was the day altered without breaking the morality of one day in seven, which is unpossible ever to be so changed again. The Princes of judah are charged to change the bounds and landmarks, Hos. 5, 10. God hath set stakes and bounds as it were to compass and enclose his Sabbath, by appointing the time and limiting the season, therefore to remove this, is as great an offence to God, as to pull up the pales and hedges of the ground is a trespass to man. If then we take upon us to appoint another day of our own, it cannot be called the Lords day, but man's day, or our own day, or the Church's day. And it may be said of us, as Esay 1, 12. Who required these things at your hands? To set up another day, is to appoint a strange day, like to Nadab and Abihu that offered strange fire: If any say, we may serve the Lord as well upon another day, I answer, so might Nadab and Abihu consume the sacrifice with strange fire, as well as by that preserved on the Altar, yet they were punished of God because they altered his institution, as we have seen before.  
Secondly, this reproveth sundry sorts of persons Use 2 that offend against this doctrine. Of all the commandments of God, none are more often urged, and yet not one is, or hath been more despised and transgressed. The breach of the Sabbath is the main sin of the world, a general evil spreading far and near, an iniquity abounding in every congregation, as if God had never spoken anything touching a Sabbath, or as if it were a mere ordinance of man. Nay, human inventions and traditions are ordinarily better observed and more regarded than this commandment of GOD. Now it reproveth especially three sorts. First, 
The first reproof.  such as make the Lords day, which should be the market day of the soul, a day of vain pleasures and carnal delights, a day of sports and recreations, thinking it enough if they follow not the works of their calling. For wherefore are the works of our ordinary vocations forbidden upon the Sabbath? and why are we restrained from them? not that they are unlawful in themselves, but because they take up the mind and suffer it not to be employed in God's business. The same may be said of our own pleasures much more, which naturally we follow with more greediness and earnestness. And it is well observed, that the multitude had rather go to Church then go to work, yet had rather go to play then to the Church. This is the disposition of the greatest part, especially of servants and of the younger sort, who commonly make no other reckoning of this day, then as of a day of riot and reveling, of gaming and drinking, never intending the worship of God, which ought then especially to be performed. Thus is the commandment turned upside down, and that day which should be kept holy to the Lord, is spent in the service of the devil. If they have been at the Church in the forenoon, they dispense with themselves to serve Satan in the afternoon. But as Christ telleth us, that none can serve God and Mammon, so no man can serve GOD and their pleasures on that day. Secondly, 
The second reproof.  here are reproved such as seem more civil than the former, but yet take liberty to follow their own business & ordinary affairs. Such are they which go or ride about their worldly matters, to buy, to bargain, to sell, to talk with others, robbing God of his day to spare one of their own. God hath kept but one day in the week to himself, and even this also we take from him, and grudge at it to give it to him, like the rich thief that having many sheep of his own, yet killed his neighbours that had but one, 2 Sam. 12, 4. 
The third reproof.  A third sort are reproved, who think it enough, if they observe so much as is enjoined by laws and in iunctions of men, if they be at morning and evening prayer, they think they give to the Lord a large allowance, and justify themselves as if they were good observers & sanctifiers of the Sabbath. Such men take liberty all the rest of the day to do what they list pertaining to themselves, whether to their profit or to their pleasure Thus they make it partly the Lords day, and partly their own: howbeit there is no parting of stakes with him. We cannot properly call it the Lords day, except we make it wholly to be his, and consecrate it wholly to his worship.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to remember this day before hand, that so we may every way fit ourselves to the sanctifying of it, and therefore the Lord said, 
Exodus 20, 8.  Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Our nature is very forgetful of this performance of holy duties, and therefore we have need to think of them before hand. God hath given unto us sundry commandments, but he commendeth the Sabbath to us especially above all the rest: he dealeth with us like a master, that giveth many precepts to his servant, but willeth him to remember one above all the rest. So it is with the Lord, he saith; Thou shalt have no other Gods before me, Exodus 20, 3. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven Image. verse 4. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them. verse 5. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, ver 7. But above all these, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. For indeed the right observation of all the rest consisteth in the due regard of this. How can we learn obedience to the rest, unless we be careful to keep this day? Or how should we be able to practise them, & to know what God requireth, except we give attendance at the posts of his house to hear his voice? We must evermore remember the precept of the Apostle, Col. 3, 2. Set your affections on things above, and not on things upon the earth: but this aught especially to be considered on this day. We must dispatch all worldly businesses before, that they do no way disturb us and distract us. And when the day of the Lord is come, we must assemble together, that so there may be an holy convocation, Leuit. 23, verse 3.  
It was the custom of the people to come together at such times, Luke chap. 4. verse 16. Paul showeth that at Antioch, He found the whole City assembled upon the Sabbath day, Acts 13, 43, 44. This assembly is called God's army, Psalm 110, 3. It was counted an happy thing to dwell in the Lord's house, Psal. 27, 4. and 84, 4. Then ought the word to be both read and preached; so was it in the time of the law, Acts 15, 21. And both of them did Christ himself perform ordinarily, Luke 4. ver. 17, 20. It is a part of the Ministers sanctifying of the Sabbath by doing the same. The idle ministry is a great cause of profaning the Lords day, both in themselves and in others. It is the duty of the people to hear the word with all reverence and attention, to mark and lay up in their hearts what they have heard, to the end they might put it in practice. And when we are departed, we should spend the rest of the day in private duties, as Prayer, Reading, Meditation, and Conference; things not greatly regarded of the greatest sort. We are soon weary of the best things, and quickly loath that we should chiefly love. The cause why we profit not by the public Ministry, is the want of the performance of these duties privately.   

38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a Ribbon of blue.  
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the Commandments of the Lord, and do them: and that ye seek not after your own heart, and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring.  
40 That ye may remember, etc.  
This is the law of making Fringes upon the four quarters of their vesture whereby they covered themselves, that they might look continually upon them, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them. Of this read Deut. 22, 12. These Fringes and Ribbons served them for a monument, that they might consider they were a people consecrated unto God, not as Infidels to walk after their own fancies. For upon these were written some parcel of the Law. This was also the cause that the jews were commanded to have the Law written upon the posts of their doors, and likewise that they should bear it about them evermore, & deck themselves with it, that it should be as a ring upon their fingers, as a bracelet upon their hand, & as a frontlet before their eyes, that is, always in sight and remembrance. To this end also it must be written upon the frontiers of the Land, upon the gates of the City, and upon the posts of every man's private house, Deut. 6, 8, 9: that they might have every day & every way occasion given unto them to talk and confer of the word of God, sitting, walking and lying, at home, or else abroad. This usage was afterwards abused by the pride and hypocrisy of the pharisees, as Christ chargeth them, Matth. 23, 5. who because they would be thought to have a more special holiness than the common sort, had made long guards, and sentences of Scripture written upon them that might be seen a far off. But for ourselves, we must consider, that though this ceremony be no longer in use, and that these Fringes and Laces are shadows, which ended at the coming of Christ, yet an instruction remaineth to us, to exercise ourselves in his law day and night, Psalm 1, 2.  
josephus reporteth of the jews, that they knew the Scriptures as well as their own names, whereas many among us scarce know the names of the Scriptures. We learn from hence, That all sorts both young and old, of what condition soever, 
●ne.  are enjoined to know the doctrine of the Scriptures, 
〈◊〉 must ●ow● the aces.  and the will of God revealed in them, Deut. 6, 6, 7. joh. john 5, 39 Coloss. 3, 16. 2 Tim. 3, 15. Psal. 119, 9 
〈◊〉 1.  The Reasons. First, because God hath appointed such as are governors over others, to be teachers of them that belong unto their charge. Such as are fathers and masters of Families are bound to instruct their children and servants, & therefore none ought to be without knowledge, Ephes. 6, 4. Gen. 18, 19 But how shall they be able to do this, except they have knowledge, whereby they may be able to perform this duty? Secondly, ignorance is the cause of all error, because the natural man perceiveth not the things that are of God, and the wisdom of God is foolishness to man. So then being of ourselves blind, and wanting the light of the word, we must needs go astray. Hence it is, that Christ saith unto the Sadduces, Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures, Math. 22, 29. Thirdly, the want of knowledge is the cause of sundry fearful judgements, spiritual and temporal, Hosea 4, 6. inward and outward, Esay 1, 3, 7. So then as ignorance is the cause of sin, so it is the cause of judgement the reward of sin. If we care not to know him, but neglect and contemn the means of knowledge, no marvel if we be punished.  
Use 1 This reproveth the church of Rome of an horrible injury offered to the people of God. They teach that ignorance is the mother of devotion, and keep the Scriptures in the Latin tongue, as it were under lock and key. And albeit they have translated them, or the greatest part of them into English, yet they set out sharp edicts ratified under an horrible curse, that no Lay man (as they speak) shall presume to read them, unless they be specially licenced by their inquisitors and confessors: directly contrary to the end of the Scriptures, which were written that we should believe, and by believing have eternal life, john chapt. 20. verses 30, 31. They beat down ignorance, and teach that all aught to know the Lord from the highest to the lowest, jeremy 31, 30. and that God will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, joel chap. 2. ver, 28. Wheresoever he vouchsafeth great means he requireth a great measure of knowledge. This discovereth the bishop of Rome to be no better, and indeed no other than Antichrist, making laws contrary to God's laws, and yet binding the consciences of men unto them.  
But it will be said, that the unlearned and unstable pervert them, 2 Pet. 3. and therefore it is dangerous to read them. I answer, be it that some do so, shall all therefore be forbidden the free use of them? All things, even the best are abused, meat, drink, apparel, the Sacraments, Christ himself, and what not? shall all be barred therefore from the heavenly Manna, which is sweeter than the honey and the honey comb? more to be desired then great heaps of riches? which is much more profitable than is the finding of great spoils? The Scripture is a notable part of our spiritual armour, Ephes. 6, 17. able to offend, and to wound our enemy. If a Captain should go into the field with his soldiers, and suffer them to carry with them no weapons but such as should serve to defend their own bodies, and forbidden them such armour as should any way hurt their enemies; if he should permit them the shield but not the sword, or allow them a corselet, but not the spear: would he not be thought, and that justly and worthily to betray them into the enemy's hand? But thus it is with the Popish captains that must or at least will be accounted the only masters of Israel; they allow to the people after a sort the girdle of truth, the breast plate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the rest to defend themselves; but touching the sword, The two edged sword of the word, Heb. 4, 12: wherewith Christ our Saviour resisted, and we after his example must resist the devil, Matth. 4, 4. they forbidden them to gird that about their loins; as if it were like Saules armour, 
1 Sam. 17, 39  which David could not go withal, because he had not proved it: whereas indeed it is like David's sling, & the stone which he slang that smote the Philistine in the forehead, and caused him to fall upon his face to the earth, verse 49. and therefore what do they but treacherously betray the people of God, and lead them naked into the field to be utterly spoiled, and so to fall before their enemies?  
Secondly, it confuteth those amongst ourselves, that say what need so much teaching and preaching? There are some that think themselves to be wise men, much wiser than their fellows, that stick not to speak thus: but this their wisdom is no better than foolishness with God. 1 Cor. 1.23. The preaching of the cross I confess is accounted no better than foolishness, but it is to them that perish: whereas to them that are saved it is the power of God. It is accounted a state-policy now adays, to defend little preaching and less hearing. But ignorance can uphold no kingdom. 
True religion is the stay and pillar of a State.  Religion and the knowledge of it is the pillar and stay of a State and Commonwealth: the want of it is the cause of tumults, rebellions, insurrections, and seditions. What was the cause of the rebellion in the North in the days of our late Sovereign of blessed memory? was it any other than want of knowledge, and of Preachers to plant knowledge in the hearts of the people? but (blessed be God) they have since been better stored, and that hath brought better quietness in those parts. And what is the cause of the often rise, rebellions, and treasons in the kingdom of Ireland at this day, but because they remain either Atheists, or Popish, or sottish, wanting the means of knowledge to instruct and inform them better? True Religion is a bulwark and a Castle of defence to any kingdom, the very chariots and horsemen of Israel, 2 King. 2.12. and godliness hath the promises of this life, and of the life to come, 1 Tim. 4, 8. Wherefore, they are profane speeches of ignorant people, or of idle teachers going about to maintain their ignorance and idleness, who think that a sermon in a quarter is sufficient, either for the Minister to preach, or the people to hear. If you mark or would examine what the people are that live under such, and for the most part you shall see they know nothing. But the Minister must preach in season and out of season: & the duller the scholar is, he should have his lesson the more often repeated. Such for the most part are the people, slow in hearing, dull in conceiving weak in remembering & bearing away what they have heard. Some there are, who not only are ignorant, but defend their ignorance, and think men need not have any knowledge in the Scriptures, nor trouble themselves any way about it. These do imagine that it belongeth only to the Ministers and other learned men to know the Scriptures. And it is fit he should have more knowledge than a private man, because he is appointed of God to teach the people, but this exempteth not the people from it. For take this as a certain principle, that the poorest & simplest person must have as much knowledge for matters of salvation as the Minister hath, or else he shall never be saved.  
Use 3 Lastly, let all men know, men and women, children and servants, that in their several places they are bound to exercise themselves in the Scriptures, and daily to meditate in them, that so thereby they may come to knowledge: for without knowledge in the word, it is unpossible for any to be saved. The way for a man to get his living by his trade, is not to exercise himself in it once in a week, or to employ himself to it once in a quarter, but he must use it daily and diligently, or else he shall never live by it, or thrive in it. So may I say in this case; a man that hath a desire to be saved, and to live hereafter in a better life, it is not sufficient for him to read the Scriptures, and to meditate in them now and then, or when he hath nothing else to do, and to keep himself from idleness; but he must observe a constant and continual course in the searching and reading of them, that by them he may come to knowledge, by knowledge to faith, by faith to obedience, and by obedience to salvation. Ignorance shall excuse no man at the day of judgement, He that knoweth not his Master's will, shall be beaten, Luke 12, 48. Hosea 4, 1, 3. If we think to plead for ourselves, and to allege in our defence, that we followed our callings to earn our livings, & to maintain our families, it shall not serve our turns, this will not be taken for currant payment. Our particular and our general calling agree well together: God hath not joined them in every man. Our particular calling is to follow our business; our general calling is to know the Scriptures: the one doth not abrogate the other, inasmuch as God hath commanded them both, & what God hath coupled together, no man shall put asunder, Math. 19, 6.    

CHAP. XVI.  

1 NOw Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliah, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.  
2 And they rose up before Moses with certain of the children of Israel, 250. Princes of the assembly, famous in the Congregation, men of renown.  
3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses, and against Aaron, and said unto them: Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the Congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above? etc.  
IN this chap. we have two other murmurings set down; the latter arising out of the former, as one stick on fire kindleth another. The former consisteth of a few, carried away with envy and emulation against Moses and Aaron; the original whereof arose from Korah, of the Tribe of Levi, 
The cause of Korahs' Conspiracy.  who first blew the bellows, and took it grievously, that the Priestly dignity was translated to Aaron; and challenged Moses of partiality, as if he had preferred his own Kindred, and followed his private affection, rather than the direction of God. This seditious Korah associateth unto himself, Dathan, Abiram, and On of the Tribe of Reuben, whom he knew to be ill affected towards Moses; because he being the eldest son of jacob, had by right of his birthright, the Principality and government of the whole people belonging unto him, and therefore they thought themselves as worthy to have the Sovereignty in their hands, as Moses was to have it in his hands. All these joining together, made a schism or rent amongst the people, and assemble two hundred and fifty others, all Princes of the assembly, which seem to stand for the good of the whole Congregation; as also all Rebels have ever had some pretence and colour: for they plead that all the Lords people are holy, that God is present among them, and therefore they should no longer usurp the sole government of the whole host. It is usual in all ages of the Church to have schisms and rents to arise in it, and for men to separate themselves from the Church, because (forsooth) it is not well governed as it ought to be. Now, albeit this open insurrection were a flat rebellion against the express ordinance of God, yet they set many goodly shows upon their doings, helping a bad cause with a beautiful colour, lest they should seem to be mad without reason, alleging that all the Lords people are holy, and the Lord is among them. 
doctrine.  We learn hereby that whatsoever corruptions break out of men and whatsoever evils they do, 
whatsoever 〈◊〉 wicked ●en do, they some co●er upon it.  and howsoever they decline from God, from his word, and from his ordinances, yet they will labour to excuse it, to defend it, to colour it, that it should not seem as it is. When evil men have committed evil, they are ready to justify their evils, that they may seem good. We see this in Saul, 1 Sa. 13.11.12. and 15.15. so joh. 12.5, 6. judas pretended the poor and his great care of them, albeit he cared not for them, but for himself, and chap. 11.48. So Caiaphas pretendeth the safety of the people, to wit, if Christ were not put to death, the Romans would come with a mighty army, and overrun them: but the taking of him away and the putting of him to death, was indeed the true cause why the Romans came, and destroyed the Temple, the City, and the people. This we see sometimes also in those that are not the worst men. The fact of Simeon and Levi against the Schechemites was no better then horrible murder committed against the Law of God and of nature, and against the league and covenant that had passed between them, which ought to be held inviolable even among infidels: yet somewhat they pretend to cover it, Gen. 34.31. should he deal with our sister as with an harlot? So the Israelites touching their Idolatry, Exod. 32.1. and Aaron, verse 23. and our first parents, Gen. 3. and in a manner all wicked men do the like, that are unregenerate, without repentance and sanctification. The reasons.  
Reason 1 For men are affected to their actions as they are to themselves. Though they be corrupt & abominable, yet they would not be thought and judged to be so: so it is with their actions that proceed from them, though they be wicked and unjust, yet they would have them accounted just, and therefore they seek excuses for themselves, 
●● 7.  as Adam did fig leaves to Reason 2 cover his shame and his sin. Secondly, if they should pretend nothing, all would be ready to condemn them, and to pass sentence upon them, therefore to blind the eyes of others, they cast a mist before them as jugglers use to do that they may not be espied. This did Herod, Mat. 2.8. he pretended to come and worship Christ. For he knew well enough, if he had dealt plainly, and told them he sought the life of the babe, they would have detested his detestable cruelty.  
This serveth to reprove divers sorts that Use 1 go about to varnish their actions with false colours, thereby to blind the world and to put out their eyes. These show themselves to be rank hypocrites & exceeding sinners against the Lord, which serve to harden their hearts and to hinder them from a sight of their sins and sorrow for them. For no man can return from his sins, and repent of his evil ways, so long as he goeth about to defend them: because all such sinners do declare a firm resolution to continue and go forward in sin, and think themselves safe and sure, because they have some colours for their actions. But the first beginning of repentance is confession: a duty oftentimes commended, and continually practised by the faithful. The first thing that joshua persuaded Achan to perform when he was taken as guilty for taking the accursed thing, was, that he should give glory to the God of Israel, and make confession unto him, josh. 7.19. Prou. 28.13. 1 joh. 1.9. Whereas such as hide their sins shall not prosper, and they that say they have not sinned, do make God a liar, and his word is not in them. Wherefore we cannot give a more evident sign of our want of the grace of repentance, 
Psa. 32.3, 4, 5.  then by defending, denying, excusing, or lessening of sin.  
Secondly, this showeth the cause why the Use 2 dregs of Popish religion are so settled in the hearts of men that they are hardly rooted out; even because such deceitful colours are set upon them and their superstitious practices. If they be accused for their idolatry & worshipping of Images, they pretend they worship God in the Image. Touching the worship of Saints and prayer to them, they say they honour them as the friends of God, and that they are unworthy to approach or to come near to God themselves, and therefore in humility they go to the Saints and Angels: but this is nothing but to speak lies through hypocrisy, Col. 2.23. Concerning their sacrilege in withholding the cup from the people, they have their colour, that the labour of the Priest would be too great, if he should deliver the same to all himself, or else that the blood of Christ might be spilled upon the ground: but these excuses cannot deceive God, he seethe their open declining from the word of God, from the example of Christ, and from the practice of the Apostles, their hypocrisy is made open and evident to all, they can now no longer hide it. They teach and maintain that heretical Princes especially being excommunicated, should not be obeyed. Thus they blanche the matter, whereas Paul taught and practised obedience for conscience sake, 
Rom 13.2, 5.  and that such as resist, purchase to themselves judgement. Use 3  
Thirdly, we are to judge no otherwise of all such as transgress the Law of God, whatsoever their allegations be. How many men are there that think even gross and palpable sins to be no sins at all, because they can blanche and colour them over? How many think to excuse their ignorance, as if it were no evil at all? why is there no more store of knowledge in our days among masters and servants? why so much store of blindness in the matters of God? O say they, We are dull and forgetful, we have our callings to follow, we must provide for wife and children. This is a wilful ignorance: this shall excuse no man. Such can find and take time enough for the world, but they lack time to lay a good and sure foundation for the world to come. Some pretend their age and infirmity, which hinder them from coming so often to the house of God. But many of them have resorted no better to it in their youth, and as yet they have strength enough also to walk farther for their pleasure. God knoweth their hypocrisy, that they are able to do more in civil things. It is a common practice in the common sort to pray for the dead, God be with him, the Lord rest his soul, God have mercy on him, God send him a joyful resurrection, and such like: What, say these ignorant persons, this testifieth our love and our charity. This is a blanching of the matter, and the casting of a new paint upon a rotten post. For who are these that pray for the dead, but such as never prayed for them being alive? nay, do not indeed know which way to pray? When the Scripture taxeth shows of hypocrisy, and reproveth private prayers in public places; they have their answer ready, they do it to stir up to devotion, and to fill and prepare themselves to perform holy duties. 
1 Cor. 11.21, 22.  Yea, but this aught to be done at home: private places are appointed for private actions, and public, for such as are public. They kneel down to their own devotions, that seldom or never pray at home, and have no care to prepare themselves privately before they come; whereas GOD knoweth, and man knoweth, and the Minister knoweth, that these men that are so devout at private prayer in open places, sit most profanely, most unreverently and unseemly at public prayers. Touching the Sabbath day, it is notoriously known what blanches they have to cover their vile blemishes, or rather their sores; as that a man may learn as much at one Sermon in the forenoon, as he can well meditate upon in the afternoon, and practise all the rest of the week. O how do these deceive themselves! God knoweth the heart of these hypocrites. It is not the care they have of meditation and practice, that causeth them to speak this; for how do they spend that time but in pleasure and vanity? So for the Sacraments, they say they cannot come to communicate, because they are not in charity with their neighbours, they are not prepared as they ought to be. Thus they think to creep away in the dark, and to be holden excused. But this is to excuse one sin with another, and to add sin unto sin.  
Lastly, this must teach us on the contrary, Use 4 that we must not colour our actions like hypocrites, and pretend to justify ourselves when we know they are evil. This is a sign of an evil heart and of a guilty conscience: this is no better than to bind two evils together in one bundle, first to dare them to do evil, and then to colour it. And this latter is worse than the former, it showeth less grace and more corruption. God cannot be deceived by any pretence cunningly contrived, though man may be, because our most secret actions and imaginations are manifest before him. This provoketh God's wrath the more, and when we must appear before his righteous judgement, all things shall appear as they are, and all colourable pretences shall vanish away as smoke, and all things shall appear as they are indeed. God is a perfect light, he dwelleth in light that none can attain unto, 1 Tim. 6.16. and yet if he be not light enough, he will take other lights to help him, and search jerusalem with candles, that he may punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their hearts, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil, Zephan. 1.12. Then certainly he will discover all, even the secret parts of thy heart, which now thou goest about to hide and conceal. Then he will make us know that he knew all things which are written in this book of remembrance.   

4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.  
5 And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen, will he cause to come near unto him.  
6 This do: Take your censers, Korah and all his company.  
7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow: and the man whom the Lord doth choose, the same shall be holy: Ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.  
here beginneth the proceeding against these seditious, first by Moses, and then by God himself. The Lord first setteth his Ministers on work, to deal with this people, if that will not serve, than he will take the cause into his own hand. First, Moses fell on his face, a common gesture used in prayer: thereby no doubt making supplication to God to appease the multitude. Then he turneth his speech to Korah, and appealeth to the just judgement of God, that it would please him to decide the question whom he had chosen to be his Priests, as Eliah did, 1 King. 18.24. in their halting between two opinions. Then in the end he returneth their false accusation, justly upon their own heads, and showeth that he was not afraid of their faces: they had said to Moses and Aaron, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the Congregation are holy; he payeth them home in their own language, Ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. here Moses setteth forth the dignity of the Ministry, that there is a special covenant and agreement between God and his Ministers. 
●ctrine.  The doctrine, It is a special favour that God maketh a covenant with his Church, 
●e Mini●rs are in ●ciall grace 〈◊〉 favour 〈◊〉 God.  that they shall be a precious people in his sight; but it is a far greater favour, that among or out of his Church in general, the Lord should make a more special covenant with his Ministers, that he should take them to be a peculiar people to himself, 1 Sam. 2.28. and 3.20. Exod. 19.22. 2 Cor. 2.15.16. Mal. 2.5, 6.  
Reason 1 The reasons follow. First, the Ministers are Gods servants and Ambassadors, 2 Cor. 5.20. they are in special place about him, such as stand before him, and minister unto him upon earth, as the Angels minister unto him in heaven, Mal. 2.7. and 3.1. revel. 1.20. and 2.1. and 3.1.  
Reason 2 Secondly, they are as it were of God's privy counsel, not to give him counsel, but to take counsel from him, and to reveal his counsels to the sons of men, Amos 3.7. for therefore he teacheth them, that they should teach his people, Mal. 2.7. True it is, God revealeth his secrets to his people, nevertheless, it is by the means of the Minister.  
Use 1 This serveth fitly and fully to reprove such base persons that think basely of the Ministry, and those that account the Ministers as the scum or refuse of the people, who indeed are little better themselves, (I will not give them the titles which they justly do deserve) dishonouring that calling which God himself hath highly honoured, and throw down that which he hath advanced and lifted up. I range among such those also, that think the Ministry too base for their birth or quality, yea they think their kindred exceedingly debased and disgraced, if they have a Minister of their name. We would think it an high honour for any of our children or kindred, to be preferred as a special favourite about a Prince: and yet we cannot be content that they should have this special calling and judgement of the Ministry, which is not inferior to any place or calling whatsoever in the common wealth, as we have showed often before.  
True it is, the greatest part of the world think otherwise, and I confess it: but it is because they have corrupt eyes which the vain pomp and glory of the world do dazzle, so that they cannot see nor perceive the glory of God in the calling of the Ministers of the Gospel. For if they had a better and a clearer sight, they would think it the greatest honour and highest favour to be set in that calling.  
Secondly, this is an admonition and warning Use 2 to all men, that they should not in any case abuse, offend, disgrace, wrong, and revile those that are called of God to be the Ministers of his word, whom he hath set to be near unto him: because they are in special grace and favour with God. Dare any oppose against him that is the king's friend or favourite? Do not all desire and seek his favour? how then dare we disgrace and dishonour those whom God would have honoured, and speak contemptibly and contumeliously of their Ministry, seeing God hath said they are the men whom he would have honoured? When the king would have Mordecai honoured for the good service he had done to his person, he said, 
Ester 6.6.  What shall be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour? The Ministers are Gods special favourites, and therefore such as wrong and molest them shall not be left unpunished: for those whom God will honour, they shall be honoured, especially of those that know the use, necessity, & profit of the Ministry.  
Thirdly, from hence ariseth matter of comfort Use 3 to the Ministers themselves. Hath he made a special league and covenant with them to favour and protect them? Then we are assured, that the injuries and wrongs which are done unto them, rest not in their persons, but extend to God himself who is wronged with them, so that he will revenge their wrongs, and protect their persons, Deut. 33.11. Smite through the loins of those that rise up against them, that they rise not again. We have also comfort as a shield and shelter from the base estimation of the unthankful world; 
1 King 22.8.  though they hate us as enemies, yet God honoureth us as his servants, nay as his friends, and receiveth us into special favour: so that he often maketh us to be had in great honour & estimation, even of those that before had so basely esteemed of us. Let it not therefore trouble us, though we be not regarded of men, seeing we stand or fall, not to them, but to our own Master, who hath thus far honoured us to be put into his service; and therefore let us say with the Apostle, It is a small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgement: yea, I judge not mine own self, 1. Cor. 4.3.  
Lastly, it teacheth what the Ministers of God ought to be, they should be men of an unblamable life and holy conversation, because they come so near to God, lest it be said to them, as Psal. 50.16. What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.  
If all the people of GOD must be holy, much more than ought the Ministers to be endued and adorned with integrity of life. They must be neither ignorant nor vain, because they come near unto God. He that loveth his friend, will be very wary and circumspect what manner of servants he commendeth to his friend to be in his service: and yet how unfaithfully do many deal with God that dare commend to him idle & wicked Ministers to be his servants, and to carry his word to his people? It were to be wished, that such as have authority in their hands would turn all such unworthy servants out of his service, and put them to silence, which cause the holy ordinances of God to be profaned and polluted by their wickedness.   

8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi.  
9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them?  
10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the Priesthood also?  
Moses proceedeth and goeth forward to see if he could draw these proud conspirators to a sight of their sins, and thereupon putteth Korah in mind how graciously God had dealt with him and the rest of the Levites, to suffer them to come near unto him to do the service of the Tabernacle, and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto him: upon which consideration he moveth them, that they should not be carried beyond the bounds of their calling. Doctrine. We learn hereby, that the more means and helps we have to prevent sin and to keep ourselves from offending against God, 
The greater our means are to prevent sin, the more we offend if we reject those means.  the greater our sin is, and the greater sinners we are, if we break these bands and cast these cords from us. The sins of the Israelites are often aggravated, and made the more grievous and heinous, because the Lord had sent his prophets among them, jer. 7.13, 14. and 11.7, 8. and 35.14. Psa. 78.17, 31, 35, 56. Matth. 11.21, 22, 23, 24. Dan. 9.5.6.  
Reason 1 The reasons. First, because those men sin against knowledge, having the word to inform them, and their own consciences to convince them. Knowledge maketh every sin the greater, Luk. 12 47. joh. 15.22. and 12.48. They are like to a man that hath much meat and digesteth nothing, 
Bernard.  so that it corrupteth in the stomach and doth him no good at all. Now they that have many means for the soul, are like him that hath much meat for the body: for they that hear much and have many instructions, and yet do not bring forth fruits answerable thereunto, their sin is the greater, and themselves thereby made inexcusable. Reason 2 Secondly, it argueth obstinacy and hardness of heart; they have many strokes given them, but they feel none of them. For such as transgress in the mids of those helps that serve to restrain sin, do not sin of infirmity or weakness, but of obstinacy and wilfulness. Now the more wilful a man is, the more sinful he is, and the greater is his sin.  
This convinceth our times of much sinfulness, Use 1 and in these times some places, and in those places sundry persons, to be greater sinners than others. And why greater? Because our times have had more means to prevent and keep from sin then other times have had. What could the Lord have done for us, that he hath not done? We have been as his vineyard which he hath fenced, he hath gathered the stones out of it, he hath planted it with the choicest plants, and hedged about it, that the beasts of the field and of the forest should not hurt it: he may therefore justly look that it should bring forth grapes, but it hath brought forth wild grapes, Esay 5.4, 5. 
Luke 13.6,  or as his fig tree which he hath digged and dunged, and therefore he may well seek fruit thereon, especially having waited with patience for it.  
What hath not God done for us and to us to reclaim us? Our times and people have had many deliverances from dangers, that other times and people have not had, which threatened us both within and without, both foreign and domestical. We have had greater blessings bestowed upon us then others: we have had the word more plentifully preached to us, than others. All these (we being unthankful and disobedient) do make us greater sinners than others which have wanted these blessings. Thus do we turn our blessings to be our bane, and Gods mercies to be curses upon us. We see many Congregations, where God hath risen early and late, giving them his word and faithful Ministers as diligent watchmen to admonish them, and to threaten his judgements, are oftentimes more sinful than other places that have wanted these means, and no worse persons in the world than some that live under the standing Ministry of the word, God in just judgement giving them over to Satan. If such be given to common and continual swearing and abusing of the Name of God, to contempt of the word and of the Sabbath, they are greater sinners than others, and are more guilty in his sight, and consequently shall be more sharply and severely punished.  
Secondly, it admonisheth all that enjoy the Use means of preventing sin, as benefits and blessings, the Scriptures and word of God, his corrections and chastisements, his promises & threatenings, his patience & long sufferance, that they labour to make profit by them & to fulfil all righteousness, lest God account their sin greater than others. For we must know this, whatsoever is a sin in others; is a treble sin in them, because they have the sword of God to cut the knots and sinews of sin in sunder, when others have not had that means. We may with grief speak of many places, that Israel hath been without a teaching Priest, and without Law, 2 Chro. 15.3. they have wanted the gracious means of salvation to teach, to reprove, to instruct, and to correct: & therefore no marvel if sin abound. But they that live where sin is daily met withal and encountered, do make their sin out of measure sinful. Let us therefore diligently examine ourselves, how we are affected at the hearing of the preaching of the word, and of the threatenings denounced against our sins.  
Use 3 Lastly, learn from hence that the word is never preached in vain, whether we be converted by it, or not. For it is like the rain and snow that falleth from heaven, that returneth not thither again, Esay 55.10, 11. So the word of God shall not return to him as a void and vain thing, but shall accomplish that which he pleaseth, and shall prosper in the thing whereunto he sendeth it, But some will say, 
●iection.  Then it is better to be without the word, then to have it: if men's sins be so much the greater, because they have been so much taught: and it may seem better, not to hear it at all. 
●sw.  I answer, this is true in some sort, howbeit not simply in itself. Let no man think his case the happier, because he wanteth the word; for as Paul saith, they that have the law, if they contemn it, shall perish by the law: and they that want the Law, shall perish without the law, Rom. 2.12. Besides, they may be said to have the means, that want them when they may have them. No man must reject the word, because they that refuse it are made worse by it. Would a man be willing to cast away his wealth, because he seethe himself made worse by it, more covetous, more cruel, more hard hearted, more high minded? We see no, in the example of the rich man, Matt. 19 rather then he would cast it away, he would labour for a liberal hand and a merciful heart to use it aright: so is it in this case. Indeed, it had been better we had never known the word and the way of righteousness by the direction of the word, then to departed from it: better I say, in respect of the end of our estate and the judgement that hangeth over us, yet we should not therefore wish to be without the word, but rather to have a sanctified heart that we may keep ourselves from the sins of others. Then we will account it an happy thing to live in such places, where the word of God is truly preached. Let us therefore labour to make good use of the good means that our good God hath afforded us for our good, and labour to profit by them in faith and obedience, or else our sins shall be made so much the greater, and consequently our judgements the greater also.   
11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: 
●.  and what is Aaron that ye murmur against him? 
here Moses farther layeth open the sin of Korah and his confederates; neither doth he charge them behind their backs, as if he were afraid to speak to them, but to their faces, that, if they had any thing to say, they might answer for themselves. It is the manner of many men, to be liberal of speech of those that are absent, but are ready to hold their peace when they are present to plead for themselves. Now he telleth them that the contempt of Aaron was the contempt of God; and their murmuring against him, a murmuring against God. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that to rebel against the message of God, to scorn and reject it, 
To despise and resist the Ministry is to despise and resist God.  is to rebel against God, to scorn and reject God himself, Exod. 16.8. 1 Sam. 8.7. Esay 7.13. Whatsoever is brought unto us, whether it be the promises of God for the establishment and confirmation of our faith, or instructions for our obedience, by the messengers and Ministers of God, if it be refused and resisted, God himself is rejected and the Spirit of grace is despited, Lu. 10.16. joh. 13.20. 1 Thess. 2.15, 16.  
The reasons, because first they come not in Reason 1 their own name, neither do they discharge their own message: they are no other than the mouth of God; they come not from themselves, neither for themselves, their authority and calling is from God. Therefore Moses saith in this place, What is Aaron that ye murmur against him? And the Apostle saith of himself & the other fellow labourers, 1 Cor. 3.5. Who is Paul, or what is Apollo, but the Ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase is all in all.  
Secondly, God doth account all things Reason 2 done to them, in the execution of their Ministry, as done to himself, Matth. 10.40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me: therefore he that receiveth the Minister, receiveth with him God the Father.  
It is the duty of all to prepare themselves Use 1 when they come to the Ministry of the word, because than they must consider that they are come into the presence of God himself, to receive, not so much from the mouth of the Minister, as from the mouth of God, direction and instruction concerning his will, Deut. 5.27, 28. Gal. 4.14. 1 Thess. 2.13. O my brethren, if we did believe this to be the truth of God, we would not stumble so much against it, and be so often offended at it, we would not reject it and set so light by it as too commonly we do. Let us be like to Cornelius, Act. 10.33. We must set ourselves in God's presence, whensoever we begin to hear the word of God. We ought as much as we can, to suppress all thought and consideration of men, and weigh with ourselves from whence the word cometh, from whom the messenger cometh, & in whose Name he speaketh unto us. This is a forcible means to make us profit by hearing. He that can see in the person of the Minister the person of God, and settle his affections wholly upon God, whom he knoweth to be present with him, I never doubt of that man, but he will hear to his salvation.  
Use 2 Secondly, acknowledge from hence, that the despising of the word of God, the not believing or not consenting to it when it is taught by men like to ourselves, is one of the greatest sins of all other that can fall out among the sons of men. As it is most common, so it is most fearful, and shall receive the greatest punishment from God, Matt. 10.14, 15. Act. 13.51. O that all men would take a scantling of this sin by a right consideration of the doctrine which I handle, and you hear. For the doctrine teacheth that the withstanding of the Ministry of the word, and murmuring against his ordinance, is an open standing out against God, and a resisting of him. Can there be greater pride, insolency, contempt, unthankfulness, rebellion, and disobedience, then to resist the Lord? The Apostle speaking of the Magistrate saith, 
Rom. 13.2.  Whosoever resisteth the power, shall receive to himself damnation: if this be true of man, much more may we affirm it of God, that whosoever resisteth him shall bring upon himself swift and sudden damnation. For are we stronger than he? Now, we must understand, that all such as set themselves withal their might and cunning against the Ministry of the word, they do as it were take God to task, they single him out to combat with all, but they shall find in the end themselves unequally matched. Shall he that is dust lift up himself against his maker? shall he that is no better than a blast or puff of wind contend with him that rideth upon the wings of the wind, and is able to scatter us as chaff before the wind? O then how fearful will the account be of many among us, that show as great scorn and contempt, as great security and infidelity, as the jews did, 2 Chron. 36. for which they were carried away into captivity and swept out of the land of their habitation! Such persons do in a manner bid God defiance to his face. For when the Minister preacheth, God preacheth: when the Minister threateneth, God threateneth: when the Minister promiseth, God promiseth: when the Minister comforteth, God comforteth. It is he that speaketh by his servants the Prophets, Heb. 1.1. When they beseech us to be reconciled, God beseecheth us by their Ministry, 2 Cor. 5.20. True it is, they speak, but God speaketh to us in them & by them. This made the Apostle say, We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. 6.1. That which is spoken of the Sacrament of Baptism, may rightly be spoken of the Ministry of the word. It is said, that jesus came into the land of judea and baptised, joh. 3.23. but it was by the hands of his disciples, joh. 4.2. The Baptism was his, but the Ministry was theirs. So doth the Lord preach unto us, as Christ then baptised, he preacheth to us by the mouth of his Minister, he speaketh when they speak unto us. Such then as yield not to the promises, or threatenings, or admonitions that are offered unto them, what do they but say plainly, I will not believe God, I will not commit myself and mine whole estate into his hands, I do not think that he will do as he threateneth? This is no other than to give unto God the lie to his face.  
Lastly, this giveth comfort and encouragement Use 3 to all the Ministers of God in the thankless labours of their wearisome calling. God will care for us, howsoever men reject us. He will confirm our word by testimony from himself, in his mercies toward them that believe, in his judgements upon the wicked that resist, and in preserving us because we have been faithful in doing the message for which we are sent, Ezek. 33.32.33. Matth. 10.19, 20, 22, 26, 28, 29, 30. It is also a comfort to all such as do hear aright, such as bring forth the fruit of the Gospel, do not only receive the Gospel, but they receive God himself.   

12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, which said, We will not come up.  
13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a Prince over us?  
14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land, etc.  
Moses having spoken to Korah the principal conspirator that first began to roll this stone, and nothing at all prevailed against him, doth not give over, 
jer. 5.4, 5.  but trieth if any of the rest had any more spark of grace, or fear of God in them. But the farther he proceedeth, the less hope he findeth. For Dathan and Abiram refuse to come unto him. Before this they assembled themselves tumultuously before they were called, but now being lawfully called, they will not assemble. Nay, they open their mouths to accuse him of cruelty and treachery, both of them heinous crimes, but both of them falsely ascribed unto him: Of cruelty, as if he purposed to kill them in the wilderness: of treachery, as if he had brought them from a land flowing with milk and honey, but had brought them to possess no land. Thus they prefer Egypt before Canaan, the place from which they were gone before the place to which they were going. And yet this is not the depth of their impiety; 
〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 do mock 〈◊〉 and him  for I take this answer of theirs to be a very mock and scoff cast out partly against Moses, and partly against God, which will appear if we compare the words of Moses to Korah with this answer. For Moses had said, Seemeth it but a small thing to you to seek the Priesthood also? they borrow his own words and cast them in his own face, Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us into the wilderness to kill us? As if they had said, Thou tellest us that it is a great matter to usurp the Priesthood, but why dost thou not consider, that it is also a far greater matter to kill so great a multitude? And whereas God so often promised to give to Israel a land flowing with milk and honey, they turn it into a jest, and tell Moses that Egypt was that fruitful land, as for other land they could see none for their feet to rest upon. 
●●●trine. ●i●ate ●ers revile ●aile at 〈◊〉 that re●e them.  We learn hereby, that they which are hardened in sin, and resolved not to give over, do not only stop their ears against all reproof, which notwithstanding is a great sin, but revile, rail upon, and despise such as tell them the truth, and lay before them their faults, though they be the Ministers of God that do it; This we saw before verse 3. in Korah and his company, They gathered themselves against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, 1 King. 18.17. and 21.20. and 22.8. jerem. 15.10. and 18.18. and 44.16, 17. Acts 17.18.  
Reason 1 The reasons: first because as no bitter things are pleasant to the sick man, who would ever have his humour served, so no reproofs are pleasant to the sinner, 1 King. 22.7. Every sinner is as a sick man; and every reproof is as a bitter ingredient, nothing pleasing to the taste. A wicked man desireth to hear nothing but pleasing things: to give a reproof unto him, is no better welcome unto him, then if you gave him gall and vinegar to drink.  
Reason 2 Secondly, they are fallen into a sweet sleep of sin, and cannot abide to be awaked, or any way disturbed and disquieted. They love to go to hell with ease, they would not be troubled in their journey. But the reproofs of the Minister do cross them, and therefore they speak all manner of evil against him.  
Use 1 This showeth the miserable condition of such as justify themselves in their sins, who being convicted of a great height of iniquity and impiety, do cast the Minister's reproof as dung into his face, and defend whatsoever themselves have committed. A sick man that is so far from taking the potion given him by the counsel of a learned Physician, that in stead of taking it, he doth cast it in the physicians face, may well be thought to be in a desperate condition and must needs perish: so it is with men spiritually sick with sin, even heartsick, who are so far from receiving a rebuke at the hand of the Minister, that they will be impatient toward him, and return rebuke for rebuke unto his face, nay storm and rail at him with opprobrious and contumelious terms, it argueth they are forlorn men and in a pitiful and desperate estate. It were infinite to speak of all sorts that are possessed with a spirit of contradiction to gainsay the truth. Some find fault because we reprove such sins as are not found in the place where we preach: others, because by reproving sinners, we would seem to make the world believe, that they are more sinful than other people, and thereby make them odious to others. Others accuse us, that we reprove sin out of hatred and malice, not out of love: malice to their person, not hatred of the sin. But the Minister is to reprove any sin that is in the land: besides, how know they it is not in that place? And if it be not, we know not how soon it may be. We must learn to detest all sin, but how shall we detest that which we know not? and if we do know it, no man knoweth it so well, but he may know it better: and no man detesteth it so much, but he may learn to detest it more. The assaults of Satan and temptations to sin come suddenly, if we be not forewarned, we may be surprised suddenly.  
Again, the reproving of sin in one place is not the clearing of another, or in one person is not the justifying of another. Lastly, to accuse the Ministers of reproving through malice, proceedeth in themselves from want of charity. 
1 King. 22.8.  Ahab accused Micaiah of hatred because he never prophesied good unto him, but evil: but indeed the hatred was in himself: as also he charged Eliah to be the man that troubled Israel, whereas indeed it was he and his father's house, 1 Kin. 18.17, 18. we are thought to be their enemies, for no other cause but because we tell them the truth, Gal. 4.16. Use 2  
Secondly, behold from hence the cause why the Minister of the Gospel is so ordinarily hated of the wicked world; it is upon no other ground, then because he doth reprove sin. If he would hold his peace and say nothing, or if he would sew pillows under men's elbows, or if he would prophesy to them of wine and strong drink, and give them liberty to do what they list, and then tell them all is well done, he shall even be the Prophet of this people, Mic. 2.11. The true Ministers of the word are never loved of the world, because they cannot but strike at the head and root of sin with the two edged sword of the word, wheresoever they find it: therefore they are made as marks for every one to shoot at, joh. 7.7. and if themselves spare them, yet they can be content to hear others speak evil of them, without defending them and their righteousness. But howsoever it go with us, it is our duty to preach the Gospel, and to go through good report and bad report, 1 Cor. 9.16. Eze. 3.17. We have the charge of men's souls committed unto us, we bring glad tidings of peace, and glad, tidings of good things, Rom. 10.15. We should be welcome unto our people, and therefore it is unreasonable we should receive such a recompense of our labours, as to be reviled and evil spoken off. But this hath been the condition of the Prophets, of the Apostles, of Christ himself: he was called Beelzebub, and charged to cast out devils by the power of the devil. Let us wait upon our Lord and master that hath called us, he will give us a better recompense of our service, Dan. 12. We shall shine as the stars, and Esay 49.4. My judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God.  
Use 3 Lastly, every one ought to examine himself, whether he be guilty of this sin or not: and if he be, to labour to repent of it and to reform himself, if not for the Minister's sake, yet for our own sake, and the salvation of our own souls. True it is, the Ministers are oftentimes forced to speak many things that are not pleasing to the hearers: yet should the people suffer the words of exhortion, admonition, and reprehension, considering that in all of them they aim wholly at their good. The Physician is oftentimes troublesome to his patients, and the father giveth many checks to his sons, yet do they truly love them and seek their good, even while they do molest and trouble them: so is it with the Ministers of God, albeit they do grieve and molest the people of God, yet it is for their good and salvation, and therefore they may say with the apostle, If any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me but in part: that I may not overcharge you all, 2 Cor. 2.5. Therefore it is the duty of the people, quietly to suffer the word of exhortation and to digest a reproof, thereby to show themselves obedient in all things, for this is the proof and trial of our hearts, 2 Cor. 2.9.   

15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.  
16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron to morrow.  
17 And take every one his censer, etc.  
18 And they took every man his censer, etc.  
19 And Korah gathered, &.  
We see here how Moses appealeth from them to God the judge of heaven and earth, and referreth the deciding of the controversy unto him. This is the preparation to the punishment of these men: wherein consider, first the anger of Moses against them; secondly his prayer to God to reject their offering: Doctrine. thirdly, his words to Korah. 
All Gods children ought to be angry at sin.  In his anger observe, that it is the duty of all God's children, to be angry at sin, whensoever they see God dishonoured, and his ordinances contemned and despised. There is a sanctified and holy kind of anger, Exod. 16.20. albeit Moses were the meekest man upon the earth, as we heard before, Num. 12.3. Yet when he saw their disobedience, he was wroth with them. The like we see Exod. 32.19, 20. and in Eliah, 1 Kin. 19.14. jer. 6.10, 11. it is called the fury of the Lord. All zeal consisteth of anger, Numb 25.7. The reasons will farther confirm this point.  
For first, in many places of the Scripture it Reason 1 is attributed unto God, Rom. 1.18. josh. 3.36. But to the nature of God nothing can agree, but that which is just and holy. Secondly, Reason 2 that affection was truly and naturally in Christ our Saviour, Mar. 3.5. he looked angrily upon them, mourning for the hardness of their hearts: so joh. 2.17.  
The uses: first the affection of anger is not in itself unlawful. True it is, there is a Use 1 corrupt anger, which we are to strive against and labour to suppress, 1 Tim. 2.8. Matth. 5.23. job 36.18. there is also an holy and lawful anger, when it hath a good ground, and is seasoned with moderation, Leuit. 10.16. 2. Sam. 12.5. and 13.21. Neh. 5.6. Ester 7.7. The stoics, one of the stricter sects of the Philosophers, condemn all anger; but this is to make men senseless, and to transform them into stocks and stones. For it was created of God, and was in man before the fall, and before any evil entered into the world. All the workmanship of God was approved to be very good, Gen. 1.31. so that being more ancient than evil, it must be holden in it own nature to be good and lawful. But it will be objected that anger in many places is forbidden, Object. 1 and condemned, Matthew, chapter, 5. Answ. verse 22. I answer, not all anger, 
Matth. 5. ●  but all corrupt anger, such as are angry unadvisedly. So then, he speaketh of this affection, not as it was created, or renewed by God's Spirit, but as it is corrupted and depraved with original sin. Object. 2 Again, it will be said, that the Stoics define it to be a perturbation of the mind, Answer. and therefore evil. I answer, that perturbation is double: sometimes it is moved upon just causes, and sometimes upon unjust causes. The perturbation of the mind moved upon unjust causes is unjust and evil, the other is just and commendable. The perturbation is good if the causes be good: it is evil, if the cause be evil. Lastly, it will be alleged, that Christ Object. 3 our Saviour teacheth us, Answer. when we have received a blow on the right cheek, we should turn to him the other also, Matth. 5.39. I answer, the meaning is not, that we should expose ourselves to all injuries but abstain from all private revenge, having no calling thereunto. Whensoever those two come in question together, either to revenge or to receive a new wrong and a fresh injury, we must choose the latter: because to revenge is simply evil in the doer, but to suffer wrong is not evil or sinful in the sufferer.  
Use 2 Secondly, this reproveth such as know not what this holy and sanctified anger meaneth, which can prosecute their own causes and quarrels with the greatest desire of vengeance, but know not what it is to be angry in the cause of God. It was not so with Moses, as we saw before. Some are provoked by every small and trifling occasion. Hereby charity is violated, which suffereth long, 1 Cor. 13.7. and covereth a multitude of sins, Prou. 10.12. Anger looketh in a deceitful glass, which maketh every Moul-hill to seem a mountain, every small slip is esteemed a capital offence, and every word of disgrace worthy of a stab. Others are provoked when there is no ground but their own suspicion, as Eliab was angry with his brother David, because he suspected him to have come to the battle in the pride of his heart, 1 Sam. 17.28. And this is the common cause of much anger and heartburning in our days, want of love causeth men to interpret the actions of others in worse sense, and upon their own false surmise they ground their anger. One is angry, because saluting his neighbour, he did not salute him again; and speaking friendly to him, he would not speak again: albeit haply he saw him not, or observed him not. Another, because he heareth his vices reproved out of the word of God, beginneth to rage's through impatience; in which regard oftentimes it falleth out, that he incurreth more anger and danger that reproveth sin, than he that committeth it. Of this evil anger doth the Apostle speak, Eph. 4.31.26, 27. and Solomon, Prou. 14.17, 29. and 29.22. Many are the evils and mischiefs that follow this evil affection, forasmuch as it overturneth both the Law and the Gospel. 
●r is a 〈◊〉 of the ●e Law.  It were an easy thing to run over most of the commandments which it causeth men to break, and in a manner defaceth the whole image of God. For first, how should we love God whom we have not seen, if we do not love our neighbour whom we have seen? 1. joh. 4 20.  
Secondly, it overthroweth the principal part of God's worship which standeth in the invocation of God's Name, Ps. 26.6. 1 Tim. 2.8. Mat. 5.23. Thirdly, it causeth the breach of the third commandment, by causing men through impatience to fall to cursing and banning, to swearing and blaspheming the Name of God. For when they grow choleric against others, they utter sundry horrible imprecations, and begin to fret and rage against God himself. Fourthly, it maketh men altogether unfit for the exercises of the Sabbath, having their minds distracted and disturbed with thinking upon the wrongs and injuries of others and their own revenge. No man can hear the word of God aright that is choked with this thorn, jam. 1.19, 20, 21. 1 Pet 2.1, 2. Neither doth this passion work any better effects in the second Table, for as much as it turneth justice and charity upside down: justice itself, which requireth that the same be given to every one which belongeth unto him: whereas anger maketh men not only to neglect doing of good duties which they own to their neighbours, but to oppress them with injuries and revenge: Charity, which is the sum of the Second Table, the effect whereof is this, that we love our neighbour as ourself. But anger maketh men hate them as mortal enemies. It often bringeth forth murder and shedding of blood, Goe 34.25. 1 joh. 3.12, 15. Whereby we are also made like unto Satan, for he is the spirit of dissension, as God is a Spirit of love, and of peace. It is the nature of Satan to delight in rage and fury, for he is a murderer from the beginning, joh. 8.44. Besides, it is a sin against the Gospel, and maketh us subject to God's anger, and bringeth impenitency and stoppeth the course of God's forgiveness toward us. For as we forgive others, so doth he forgive us, Matth. 6.14, 15. if therefore we retain our anger toward our brethren, God will retain his anger toward us.  
Lastly, we must examine ourselves, whether Use 3 our anger be just or not. We are of ourselves prone to break out into choler, and to be moved otherwise then there is cause. We must therefore mark two things, the causes thereof, and the effects: If the causes be God's glory, injury offered to ourselves or our neighbours, if the cause be weighty, and the affection moderate: If the effects which it bringeth forth be duty to God and man, than it is a lawful anger: but if otherwise, it is unsanctified and unlawful. Let us learn to be most moved in God's cause, as Moses was; the glory of God was precious and dear unto him. So it was with Phinehas, Numb. 25.7, 8. so it was with Elias, 1 Kin. 19.14. because the children of Israel had broken down his Covenant, cast down his Altars, and slain his Prophets. Happy are we if these things move us, and go near unto us.  
[Verse 15. Respect not thou their offering.] It may seem strange that he which before had spoken against them, should now pray against them. We are commanded to pray one for another, so that Moses may seem to break the rule of charity. I answer, this toucheth not their persons, nor their lives, but he desireth their amendment, that they may be ashamed of their own folly, & confounded in their own pride. He craveth of God no more, than to show and make manifest his own innocency and uprightness, which was to be decided by that offering. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that God respecteth not the works of evil men, 
God respecteth not the works of evil men.  be they performed never so religiously outwardly, Gen. 4.4, 5. Esay 1.11.12, and 66.3. Prou. 15.8. and 21.27. jerem. 6.20. The reasons follow.  
First, whatsoever they do, is sin, 1 Tit. Reason 1 1.15 their mind and conscience is defiled. Secondly, Reason 2 their persons do not please him, Gen. 4.4, 5. Mal. 1.10. God regarded not Cain's Oblation, because he regarded not Cain's person: and he regarded not Cain's person, because he was a wicked and faithless man.  
Use 1 The uses. First, we may therefore conclude, that such works as God hath not commanded, shall not be received, Matth. 15.9. In vain they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Many do think to please God by their good intents, but that is a vain worship. God will be served according to his own will, not after our own fancies. He hath set down and appointed how he will be worshipped, he hath not left it to our discretion, whatsoever the Papists prattle.  
Use 2 Secondly, it reproveth such as think it enough to come to the place of God's worship, and to be present at prayer, the word, and Sacraments, albeit they bring with them no true devotion. These do exceedingly deceive themselves, dishonour God, and profane his holy things, which is a grievous sin. These men do lay the foundation of all their hope, and the stay of all their comfort upon the broken staff of an outward sacrifice, which in the end will fail them. For albeit they be never so lose in their lives, and profane in their conversations, yet they trust by virtue of their good prayers and other good deeds, to pacify God's wrath, to escape his judgements, to make amends for their sins, and to come to heaven by the string of their works. Of this sort are infinite numbers, who, as they satisfy themselves, so they think to satisfy God with external words and works. These are in deed holy in themselves, if they were religiously performed: but as they proceed from them, they are hypocritical and accursed. These are such as shall say, We have eat and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets: but he shall say, I tell you, I know you not, whence ye are, depart from me all ye workers of iniquity, Luke 13.26, 27. And to all such the Prophet saith, put away the evil of your works, Esa. 1.16. Our plausible shows (be they never so great) can do us no good, God seethe the falsehood of our hearts, and hateth the same: as on the other side, he commendeth and rewardeth the meanest service that the faithful yield, being offered in the uprightness of their minds.  
Use 3 Lastly, we must learn to come to God in an holy and right manner, with a true faith, a sincere affection, and a purpose to perform obedience, or else all is in vain. Hence it is that Christ saith, Take heed not only what you hear, Mar. 4.24. but also how ye hear, Luk. 8.18. If we look as well to the manner, as to the matter of our service, we shall be accepted; and be well assured of happy and good success.  
[Verse 16, 18, 19 Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, etc.] In the words before, he protested his own innocency, that he had given them no just cause of this insurrection, he had not taken an ass from them, nor any way hurt them; wherein he speaketh modestly of himself, for he had done them all good, and preferred their safety before his own life, To teach us, 
Magistrate should be right in the gouernme●  that Magistrates should be upright in their government, and seek the good of those over whom they are set. Such was the sincerity of Moses in this behalf, that he appealeth unto God for the truth of it.  
The like we see in Samuel, 1 Sam. 12.3. he made protestation in the sight of the Lord, and before his Anointed, that he had not laid his hand upon any man's goods, so much as a shoe, and no man could accuse him: and in Paul, Act. 20.18.33, 34. So Exod. 18.21. They must be men fearing God, and hating covetousness, which is the root of all evil, 1. Tim. 6 and no better than idolatry, Ephe. 5. Gehazi coveted and obtained both money and raiment of Naaman, but he procured from God the plague of leprosy, as the wages of his iniquity, 2 King. 5. Achan dreamt of a golden day, when he stole away the wedge of gold, but he was stoned with stones for his labour, josh. 7. judas received thirty pieces of silver for betraying his master, but it was not long before he brought them back and hanged himself. But to proceed, consider the care Moses hath of the good of these men, he laboureth again and again to reform them.  
Hitherto he saw no good of his labours, yet he will not give over, until God command him to separate the people from them, as desperate persons that could not be recovered. The Ministers, 
Doctrine The Mi●● must not 〈◊〉 over, th●● they see 〈◊〉 fruit of th● labours.  though they see little or no fruit of their labours, yet must continue in teaching; and though they gain unto God few or none at all, they must not give over, but be constant in the work of the Lord.  
The reasons follow. First, because we Reason 1 know not when God may be pleased to bless our labours, and hear our prayers, and save the souls of those that are rebellious against him, 2 Tim. 2.25, 26. the man of God must be gentle unto all, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, etc. The husbandman knoweth not what profit he shall receive of his labours, when he hath tilled his ground, and though he reap little profit the first year, he will not give over, but still he hopeth for better increase: so should it be with the Ministers of God, though we see little hope of gaining at the first, yet we should be constant, we know not how soon it may please him to bless our labours, to turn their hearts, and to add them unto the Church.  
Secondly, we have the example of God, he Reason 2 is patiented and beareth long with the vessels of wrath, as Christ saith to jerusalem, he would have gathered them together, but they would not, Matth. 23.37.  
Thirdly, albeit we gain none, and when we harken, we can hear no man repent of his wickedness, saying, What have I done, jerem. 8.8. yet we do not altogether lose our labour: and in this it is better with us, than the earthly husbandman; if he have no increase, he loseth all his cost and labour. It is not so with us, for we shall have no less recompense, if we be found faithful in dispensing the word and Sacraments, then if we had gained many thousand souls to God, 2 Cor. 2.15. We are the sweet savour of God to every man, we shall have our reward with God. The servants, 
●. 22.3.  which our Saviour sent out to invite the guests, moved none to come to the feast, yet were they never a whit less welcome (when they returned) to the master of the feast: he was indeed wroth with the guests that were bidden, not with the servants that did bid them, because they had done their devoir. So God will not be offended with his Ministers, when they have done their endeavour, although they gain none to him, and therefore they have reason to be faithful and constant in their places.  
Use 1 This reproveth many Ministers, such as can be content to labour in their youth, and in time of their strength, and so long as they find good entertainment among men: but when once they grow old and are come to their grey hairs, and when they find not so good entertainment as before they did, or as they looked for, they grow idle and negligent in their callings, and as much as lieth in them they betray and deliver the people into the hands of their spiritual enemies. But these men are willing in age to receive the wages as well as in youth; and whether their doctrine be received or not, they are ready to receive their tithes. There is no reason, that while our hands are open, our mouths should be shut. When we are no longer able to labour through weakness of body, and the infirmities of age, we ought to be maintained of the Church, even for labours bestowed and strength spent in our youth. A good master will not turn out of his doors an old servant that hath been faithful to him, but keep him for the service he hath done him in his youth: and some will do as much to their very dog when he is grown old. Much more than ought it to be so with the Minister, he should not be turned out to the wide world, but reap the fruit that he hath sown in his youth. Others, while they are in poor and low estate, preach diligently, but when they are once grown warm, and have feathered their nests, and have caught that for which they fished, can be content to hold their peace, and hang up their nets, and say nothing at all. These lie under a fearful curse, 
●. 16.  Woe unto them because they preach not the Gospel.  
These men grow rich themselves, but it is to be feared, they make a poor people. The flock hath fed them to the full, but they will not feed the flock, but suffer them to remain empty.  
Secondly, this teacheth what love ought Use 2 to be between the Minister and the people, seeing there is so much required of one toward another. If there be true love on the Minister's part toward the people, it cannot be that he should give over, but rather spend his strength and his time only for the good of those that are committed to his charge. This made the Prophet Esay answer the Lord, 
Esay 6.8. and 8.18.  here am I, send me, When he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? and who will go for me: Behold, I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me. So doth Christ charge Peter as he loved him to feed his sheep and his lambs, joh. 21.15. On the other side, it is a great discouragement to the Minister, if he find not some love again from the people, answerable in some sort to his care and diligence. Nevertheless, if he find no fruits of love from them, it shall not excuse him if he hold his peace, forasmuch as God will give him his reward, upon whom he is to depend.  
Lastly, great comfort should arise from Use 3 hence to every faithful Minister, and make him conscionable in his calling, to know that God requireth of him to persevere in teaching, and therefore he must never give over to speak in the Name of God. Such as lay their hand upon the plough, and look back, are unfit for the kingdom of God, Luke 9.62. As than it is said of every Christian man, that if he be faithful unto the death, he shall receive the crown of life, revel. 2.10. so it is true of every Christian Minister, if he be faithful in preaching the Gospel unto the death, he shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory, not otherwise.  
The prophet jeremy would have ceased crying, and have holden his peace, but the word was as fire within him, that it could not be smothered and suppressed, but the flame of it broke out. We have no promise, except we continue. Let no man therefore faint and wax weary, let no man give over, but hold out constantly to the end.   

20 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,  
21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.  
22 And they fell upon their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, hath not one man only sinned, and wilt thou be wroth with all the Congregation?  
26 And he spoke unto the Congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye perish in all their sins.  
Now doth the Lord take the cause into his own hand, and revealeth to Moses what he will do, that he would utterly destroy these conspirators, and all that belonged unto them. Touching the prayer of Moses and Aaron, who humbled themselves so soon as they heard the threatening of God, it teacheth that God's children have soft and tender hearts, if they hear the sound of Gods threatening behind them: for it is as the crack of a terrible thunder like to rend the hard rocks in sunder, whereas the ungodly are senseless and feel nothing, albeit the threatening do concern themselves; see more of this before, chap. 14. Again, 
Behold the love of God to the faithful.  behold how, in this destruction, God provideth for the safety of his servants, he could do nothing till they were departed and separated from the wicked. The like we see in Gods dealing toward Lot, he being merciful unto him, Gen. 19.16. for the Angels profess that they could do nothing till he were gone, v. 22. and chap. 18.32, We see then how the ungodly do far the better for the company of the godly: for why were these seditious persons spared so long, but because many good men were among them? and so soon as they were departed from them, the earth opened and swallowed some of them, and a fire came from heaven, and consumed others. When the Sodomites were taken prisoners and carried away as captives, they were rescued and delivered, but it was for Lot's sake, because he was among them. So then wicked men may thank the godly for their deliverance, 2 King. 3.13, 14. job 22.30. Act. 27.24. And why doth God spare this wicked world? Doubtless it is for his children's sake: but when once the number of them is accomplished, then will he rain down fire and brimstone upon the reprobate. Now from this commandment of God given to Moses, and by Moses to the people for the separating of themselves from the Synagogue, and departing from the assembly of these sinful men, Doctrine. we learn, that they which have society and familiarity with incurable and incorrigible persons, 
Such as have society with wicked persons, shallbe partakers of their punishment.  when God cometh to judge and punish, shall be partakers of their punishment, Gen. 14.12.  
The Sodomites had much good, in that Lot was among them; but Lot had no good by his being among the Sodomites. They were freed from captivity, because they had him in their company: but he was led captive by the enemies, because he had them in his company. The Scripture is plentiful in this point, Pr. 9.6. and 4.14.15. Act. 2.40. Re. 18.4.  
Reason 1 The reasons are, first, because either they commit the same sins with them, or else they are drawn after a sort to consent unto them, if not in word or deed, yet at least by their silence: and then it will follow in equity, that they which consent with offenders, shall also have one punishment with them. So it is with God in this case, they that partake with other men in their sins, shall also partake with them in the punishment. For as there is an evil in word, so there is an evil in silence.  
Secondly, all unnecessary society is a countenancing Reason 2 and a confirming of them in their evil, and consequently it keepeth them from a sight of their sins & from turning unto God by true and unfeigned repentance, 1 Cor. 5.  
Thirdly, except we do renounce their company, we cannot keep the commandments Reason 3 of God, and obey him. The Prophet kept his mouth as with a bridle, while the wicked was before him, Ps. 39.1. We must not cast pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again, and rend us, Matth. 7.6. Therefore doth David say, Depart from me, 
Psal. 119. ●  ye evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of my God: as if, while he was in their company and they in his, he could not do it.  
This showeth the folly of such as tax those Use 1 with a note of purity & singularity, which upon a good ground refuse to associate themselves with ungodly persons. They tax them of pride and term them selfe-conceited self-conceited brethren, reviling them & taunting them with one breath. For they call them brethren, no otherwise then in the spirit of scoffing; & self-conceited, in the spirit of Shemei railing at them, as he did at David, as if they did it for no other end, but because they would be thought better, holier, and wiser than other men; or as if they said, Stand apart, for I am holier than thou, Esay. 65.5.  
Thus they accuse them to be uncharitable men, and to disdain their neighbours, and to think no company to be good enough for themselves. All these are false accusations, alleging false causes of their separation. It is not because they are new fangled, and so forsake their old friends and companions, and cast off all good fellowship: it is the commandment of God that doth require it, and their own both duty and safety that calleth for it.  
Secondly, it reproveth such as can brook Use 2 and digest all manner of people, and never refuse or find fault with any. It is no grief to them to hear and see any thing, 
2 Pet. 1. ●  they never vex their soul for it, as righteous Lot did, and the reason is, because they want his righteousness, and therefore therefore they can brook, swallow, and digest unrighteousness.  
They are not led by the same spirit that Lot was, who grieved at the unclean conversation of the Sodomites: neither is it with them, as it was with David, who cried out in the bitterness of his soul, Woe is me that I remain in Meshek, Psal. 120.5. that I dwell in the tents of Kedar. If they be in company with Ruffians, swaggerers, blasphemers, and drunkards, they can live and converse with them, as well or better then with others. And yet even these, when they come among those that fear the Lord, can discourse of points of Religion, they can report what excellent Sermons they have heard, and give a good testimony of many good preachers.  
Thus do they gild and over-lay their tongues with fine gold, whereas there is nothing else but corruption and rottenness within. Take these when they are at the best, they are no better than hypocrites: for certain it is, they must counterfeit on the one side or on the other, Prou. 26, 7. But without craving any pardon, we may well conclude of these, that when they live among the worst sort, their behaviour is natural: but when they converse among the better sort, it is merely artificial: among the one they show without any vizard what they are; among the other they put on a vizard to appear that which they are not.  
Use 3 Lastly, it teacheth us to beware of voluntary society, and unnecessary fellowship with wicked men, least being partakers with their sins, we be also partakers of their punishment. If the danger of the sin cannot prevail with us to cause us to shun it, let the consideration of the punishment teach us to refrain from them, 1 Cor. 5, 5. and 2 Cor. 6, 17. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, & touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. If any ask what society is necessary, and what is unnecessary? I answer, If it be in necessary things, it is either for this life, or for the life to come. As for example, a man may converse with such in Fair or Market, to buy and sell, to trade and traffic, or in the private house, if our particular calling and abode there do require it: or if a man go to them to seek their reformation by exhorting and admonishing of them: or if a man have public society with them in the hearing of the word, or in receiving the Sacraments, or in joining together in prayer: this is also a necessary, a lawful, and warrantable society, and it doth not wrap a man in the guilt of those sins which are in them with whom we converse; & therefore such as are of the Separation have little reason and less conscience to separate themselves from the Church of God, because of the wickedness of some men which are therein. For be it granted that such are admitted to the public exercises of our religion: it will wrap those only in the guilt of their sins that have power and authority to remove them, and not those that do necessarily converse and communicate with them. No man may forsake the Church, because some wicked men are in it. Notwithstanding, here we are to mark, that albeit there be some necessary society which is lawful, yet under a colour hereof we may not plead for that which is voluntary and unnecessary, for thus their sins become our sins. A blessed martyr sometimes made this prayer, O Lord deliver me from my other men's sins, from my guilt of the sins of other men: howsoever he did not commit them himself, yet because being present he did not reprove them, he acknowledged himself guilty of them. So if we have inward and private society with them, and we freely go to their houses, & invite them home to our houses, and can be content to hear their oaths and blasphemies, and not have an hart and tongue to reprove them for the same, we are thereby made partakers of their sins whatsoever they be. Thou hast power in thine own house to reprove them: there thou art both a Magistrate and a Minister; 
Every man is a King and a Bishop in his own house.  a Magistrate to rule, and a Minister to teach and to reprove. If thou do not therefore discharge these duties, it shall stand upon thy score and reckoning, & thou shalt give an account for it. We have sins in great number of our own, and therefore we need not draw the guilt of other men's sins upon our own head, to answer for those also which we did never commit in our own persons. The burden is already too great, let us not therefore by this adding to it, make the burden thereof altogether intolerable.   

27 So they gate up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.  
28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works: for I have not done them of mine own mind.  
29 If these men die the common death of all men: Or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, than the Lord hath not sent me.  
30 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit, than ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.  
31 And as soon as he had made an end of speaking, etc.  
In these words see the willing obedience of the people to the former Commandment. They were willed to separate from the Tents of those wicked, they do separate and departed from them, by and by they gate them up from their Tabernacles. And Moses doth notably confirm them in their obedience, by foretelling both the death, Doctrine. & the manner of the death of these rebels. We learn from hence, 
God always warneth, before he striketh.  that God never bringeth any grievous judgement upon any people or nation, nor upon any private person, but he doth always first forewarn the same and foretelleth it. God always teacheth before he punisheth, and he warneth before he striketh, Amos chapt. 3. verse 7. Luk. 13, verse 7. 1 Kings 22, 17. We read that the world was once drowned by water, and it shall be destroyed the second time by fire. Of the first destruction, we find that he foretold it unto Noah, before ever he brought it upon the face of the earth, Gen. 6. verse 3. Heb. 11. verse 7. 1 Pet. 3.20. And touching the second destruction of the world by fire, GOD hath not left us ignorant, but in divers places of the Scripture hath set it down unto us, 2. Pet. 3, 7, 10.  

Reason 1.  The Reasons hereof are partly in regard of the godly, and partly in regard of the ungodly. Touching the first, he would not take his own people at unawares, because he loveth them, and would have none of them to perish but would have all come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3, 9 that so they might prevent his judgements, Amos 4, 12. Secondly, touching the ungodly and such as are not the Lords, they shall thereby be made without excuse, their mouths are stopped, and the justice of God is cleared, they having nothing to answer for themselves, or to accuse God of any unjust dealing, john 15, 22. These men therefore must learn to accuse themselves because they had warning, but they would not be warned: he would have healed them, but they would not be healed, jer. 20, 6. & 51.9. 1 King. 22, 25.  
Use 1 Acknowledge from hence the great mercy and wonderful patience of God: whose manner is always to give warning before he send judgement. This the Lord needeth not to do, for upon our own peril we are bound to take heed of his judgements before they come: yet so good is our God, that he only deserveth this title to be called the good Lord, as Hezekia calleth him, 2 Chron. 30, 18. The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart. He would have us prevent his punishments before they fall, and to send out our prayers as Ambassadors to God, to treat of conditions of peace with him. He doth not play the part of a subtle enemy to steal upon us at unawares, forasmuch as before he striketh he always forewarneth, that thereby he might save all those that belong unto him, and bring upon others just condemnation. How graciously dealt he with Korah and his fellows? with Dathan & Abiran? How often did Moses warn them? Who is it then that ought not to confess that God willeth not the death of a sinner? Or who can deny but that these malefactors perished most justly?  
Use 2 Secondly, when we see any overtaken with any judgement, we must confess that God is true, as in his promises, so also in his threatenings. If his desire were not that we should prevent them, doubtless he would never give warning of them. If he had a will and purpose to destroy us, he would not tell us before hand; both that he would bring them, and show us the way how to avoid them. There is no man that can justly say, that the silence of God, and the holding of his peace is the cause of his security: he causeth a trumpet to sound the alarm before he set himself in battle array against his enemies. For his manner is never to come with any judgement, but he always sendeth a warning piece before. Object. But some man will say, It was thus indeed in the time of the prophets: but we have no Prophets in these days to foret l things to come as in former times they had, and therefore we have no such direction. I answer these men as Abraham did the rich man in the Gospel, 
An were.  that his brethren had Moses and the Prophets among them, If they will not believe them, neither will they be persuaded although one rose from the dead, Luke 16, 31. True it is, that Moses and the Prophets were dead long before, but his meaning is, they had the books of the Law, and the writings of the Prophets before them, they were read & preached in their Synagogues every Sabbath day, Acts 15, 21. So I may truly say, that we have Prophets among us, and all that contemn them shall know there hath been a Prophet among them, Ezek. 33, 33. For we have the holy Scriptures, wherein are contained the works of the Prophets and Apostles: and beside these, GOD hath given us his Ministers, that they should as it were put life again into the dead Prophets, that is, that they should open & declare unto us those things that are doubtful and obscure: and therefore if any be admonished by them, that such & such judgements shall come, and they threaten plagues according to the general directions which they have in the word, Deut. 28, 15, 16. levit. 26.15, 16. Let us not withstand the Spirit speaking in them, for it is the wonderful goodness of God that he vouchsafeth to send them unto us, and to tell us before of his judgements.  
Lastly, it is the duty of every one to make Use 3 good use of the word of God, & to know that God looketh for attention and obedience at our hands, that so he may not be enforced to proceed against us in judgement. O happy are they that seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near, Esay 55, 6. Such then as reject the Ministry of the word, reject their own peace, and bring upon themselves sundry judgements. The word goeth before to prepare our hearts, and it is a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, Heb. 4, 12. But if we be so hardhearted, & made of metal tougher than brass and iron, 
revel. 1, 1  that this sword going out of the mouth of God cannot enter into us, he hath another two edged sword, the sword of his judgement, that shall cut us in pieces, and bring us to utter confusion. If the former be not sharp enough to cut the cords of our sins which we have so strongly twisted, yet the latter shall be able to consume us, and we shall not be able to resist it.   

33 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them.  
32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.  
The threatening of the judgement went before, denounced by God, pronounced by the mouth of Moses: the execution followeth, with wonderful terror and astonishment on every side, when the earth which GOD had made firm, and established by a perpetual decree to stand fast under our feet, could no longer sustain and bear up these wretches, but swallowed them up. We see here, that all the threatenings of God in their times and seasons come to pass, and that all the elements are armed for the confusion and destruction of the wicked. 
wicked & ●dly cry ●od when ●oo late.  Now these rebels begin to cry, verse 34. but they cry out and howl when it is too late: they should have cried unto God for mercy and forgiveness while it was time, and pardon was offered. Thus no doubt did many men of the old world cry out when they were in the water, but then the acceptable time was past, they should have watered their hearts with the tears of repentance when Noah preached unto them. The Sodomites no doubt cried out when fire and brimstone was come down upon them, but they should have cried to God when he cried unto them by Lot whom he sent among them. But than was the time of judgement, the time of mercy was gone and passed. So it was with Esau, when he had sold his birthright, and lost the blessing, he cried with a great cry and a bitter, but it was too late, Heb. 12, 17. Gen. 27, 28. So did the rich man being in hell in torments, Luke 16, 23. then he called for mercy, but mercy was departed from him. here is time and place for mercy, but there is no mercy to be had in hell. The earth is the school of instruction, hell is the house of correction. There the Reprobate cry and yell, where is nothing but weeping & gnashing of teeth, but it is without ease, without end, without profit. They that could shed never a tear to God in this life, shall be constrained to shed abundance of tears in the pit of destruction. The tears of repentance that we pour out ascend up unto heaven, and are kept in a bottle of remembrance: but the tears that are wrung from the reprobate in hell, are never gathered up, nor regarded of God, and are utterly unprofitable to ourselves. Let it therefore be our wisdom to make use of the time of God's mercy and patience, and know that there is no place of repentance after this life. 
●rine.  But to leave this to our farther meditations, 
●us per●all come ●ruction  consider with me in these fearful examples of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and their companions (as well those that were swallowed in the earth, as those that were consumed by fire) the end of all Conspirators and seditious persons, such as rise up against Princes and lawful Magistrates, that are the Lords anointed, & have their power from him; they cannot prosper or have good success, but are made examples to others. The doctrine from hence assureth, that seditions persons come to destruction & to an untimely death, albeit timely enough in respect of their merits and deserts. Such as resist lawful and public authority, are justly cut off by that authority which they resist. I will not handle this point at large as it would require, I will be short in it, as the life of these men also ought to be. Look upon the attainder of the two eunuchs that sought to lay hands upon King Ahashuerosh, Ester 2, 21. In whose inditement, though there were no fact found, but only a plot and purpose to have done it, yet they died as justly as Mordecai was justly honoured and rewarded for the discovery thereof. The Scripture is full of prohibitions and examples ratifying the same, Eccle. 10, 20. Prou. 24, 21, 22. jer. 27, 8. 2 Sam. 18, 9 & 16, 23. This David knew well enough. For when Saul was delivered into his hand, and lay asleep in his tent, he would not kill him, neither suffer any to touch him, but said, Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed, and be guiltless? 1 Sam. 26, 9, 10. and 24, 7, 11.  
They that slew Ishbosheth and brought his head to Hebron unto David, looking for a reward were indeed justly rewarded with death, and had their hands and feet cut off, and were hanged up, 2 Sam. 4, 11, 12. he required his blood at those wicked men's hands, and took them away from the earth. Hereunto come the words of jezebel, 2 Kings 9, 31. Had Zimri peace which slew his master? But we need not seek so far for foreign examples: we have seen the truth of this oftentimes at home. I may not forget the late examples very memorable and remarkable, I mean the righteous & most deserved execution of those that prepared the powder, and would have lighted the match in that late & monstrous Gunpowder Treason; some of them hang in the air, others hanged themselves, etc. None escaped the hand of God or man.  
And no marvel: because such as fight against Reason 1 God, from whom cometh all power, and it is he that setteth Princes upon their throne, john 19, 11. Rom. 13, 1.2. Psal. 75, 7. Prou. 8, 15. Daniel 2, 21. He anointed Saul by the hand of Samuel, to be Head over his people, 1 Sam. 10.1. and he chose him to be King over Israel verse 24. He sent his servant Eliah to anoint Hazael and jehu, the one to be King of Syria, the other over Israel, 1 King. 19, 15, 16. The God of heaven gave to Nabuchadnezzar a kingdom, power, strength, and glory, though he knew not God, neither acknowledged the hand that set him up, Daniel 2, verse 27. 2. Chron. 9 verse 8. and 1 Chronic. chapt. 28. verse 4. If then Caesar be ordained to be Caesar of God, they cannot prosper that set themselves against Caesar, because they set themselves against God.  
Secondly, such are severely punished, because Reason 2 disobedience and disloyalty, rebellion & treason, are not one sin only, but the sink of all sins, and as Paul speaketh of another, the root of all evil. An heathen man could say, That Rebellion is all kind of evil, and as a Channel from whence they do flow. The first spark of that fire is pride and ambition: discontentment giveth it entertainment, envy bloweth the coals, wrath & malice increase the flame, till all things far and near be in a combustion.  
Thirdly, as rebellion is an heap of many sins, so it ruineth many persons, and therefore they justly deserve first of all to be buried in those ruins themselves, and to fall into the pit which they digged for another. The life of one Prince is of more value than of many others. Therefore the people suffered not David to go in person against Absalon, but said unto him, If we fly away, they will not care for us, neither if half of us die will they care for us, but now thou art worth ten thousand of us, as 2. Samuel, chap. 18. verse 3. And again, when Ishbi-benob which was of the sons of the giants, was like to have slain David with the sword, (had he not been presently succoured by Abishai, who smote the Philistim and killed him) his men swore unto him saying, 2. Sam. 21, 17, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel. The King is the Sun and shield of the Land, he is the light of Israel, take him away, and all is left in miserable and uncomfortable darkness. Many men's lives depend upon his life: and the safety of thousands upon his safety. Princes are the Fathers of the Country, more dangerous for the subject to kill one of them then for the child to kill the Father, as much more as the ruin of the commonwealth, consisting of innumerable thousands of houses, is worse than the fall of one particular and private house. As then the Captain of an host is worth many soldiers, and the Governor of a ship many common passengers and Mariners, so is the Head of the kingdom more of value than many subjects. Though many soldiers have fallen in battle, yet often the victory hath been gotten: seldom or never when the General falleth, 1 Kings 22, 35, 36. And to this purpose we may well apply that which is written, though spoken to another end, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the Flock shall be scattered abroad, Matth. 26, verse 31.  
Fourthly, such as conspire against Princes have been punished oftentimes in their house, in their lands, in offices, in death, in burial, in name, and in posterity. For who knoweth not the custom observed even from the beginning? as we may see also in holy Scripture, Ester 8, 1. 2 Sam. 16, 4. 1 Kings 2.16. jer. 22, 8. Prou. 10, 7. All dignities and preferments are taken away from such: grievous torments and tortures are laid upon them: a violent death is prepared for them, an honourable burial is denied unto them, their blood is stained and tainted, and the children unborn feel the smart of it.  
Use 1 This putteth us in mind of sundry duties due to Kings and Princes. First, we must stand in fear of them, they carry not the sword in vain, Rom. 13.4. job 19, 29. It is not put into their hands for a show: for he is the minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth evil. Therefore Solomon saith, The wrath of a King is as the Messenger of death, prover. 16, 14. and like the roaring of a Lion, chap. 19, 12. We must therefore fear the sword of Caesar: and therefore have Princes the sword of justice born before them, that the beholding thereof might put all persons in remembrance of this duty. 
Plutar. in 〈◊〉 Rome's.  Among the heathen, the Roman kings, Dictator's, Praetors, and Consuls had their Rods and Axes evermore carried before them, to breed a terror of their authority in all that see them. A good subject (as one saith) feareth blame as much as pain, and reproach as much as death. The good subject hath always one eye upon the sharpness of this sword that he doth not provoke it: and the other upon the heinousness of this offence, that he never commit it. This fear is the best porter at the Princes gate: it serveth notably to keep all traitors and rebels out of the king's Court, and treachery out of the people's heart. It is as a bridle that curbeth all disobedience: where it is not, there is an easy entrance for traitors and treasons: like the horse which having the bridle pulled out of his mouth, rusheth forward into the battle, without order and government. Hence it is, that Solomon joineth the fear of God and the fear of the King together, Prou. 24, 21. where the fear of GOD is, which is the beginning of wisdom, there will follow the fear of superior powers ordained of God.  
Another duty is to honour Princes, whom Use 2 God hath first honoured, Rom. 13, 7. Give honour to whom ye own honour. So Exod. 20, 12. and 22, 28. 1 Pet. 2, 17. Ester would not presume into the presence of the great King, until he held out his golden Sceptre, Chap. 5, 1, 2. joab though he were Captain of the host, gave David the honour of the victory, 2 Sa. 12, 27. Nathan the Prophet, and Zadok the Priest, made obeisance before David with their faces to the ground, 1 Kings 1, 23. And Bathsheba the Queen, bowed her face to the earth, and did reverence to the King, and said, Let my Lord King David live for ever, v. 31. Every soul is bound to yield this honour, if they would be honoured of God.  
Thirdly, we are to perform obedience, Use 3 whereunto a way is made by the former. For, if we truly honour them, we will readily obey them, even for Conscience sake. This is a duty yielded by the Child unto the Father, by the Servant to the Master: much more than ought it to be yielded by the Subject unto his Sovereign, as in Titus' chapter 3. verse 1. and in the 1. Peter, chapt. 2. verse 13. This must be performed readily, sincerely, and hearty. Object. But it may be said, That some are evil Princes, wicked men, contrary to God whence springeth all goodness, are such to be obeyed? I answer, Answer. It skilleth not what their persons be, the full security, and therefore it is just with God to make us feel his judgements in our own persons.   

41 And on the morrow, all the Congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.  
42 And it came to pass, when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and behold the Cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.  
43. And Moses and Aaron came, etc.  
44 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, etc.  
45 Get you up from this Congregation, etc.  
In these words to the end of the chapter, we see another murmuring the day after the former. The earth that had opened her mouth was scarce closed, and the fire that was kindled, was scarce quenched, when they fell to a fresh conspiracy. This is the nature of wicked men, they are never at rest, like the sea that is ever troubled, Esay 57, 20. This is the nature of sin, if it be not by and by stayed and repressed, it winneth ground, and spreadeth farther like a canker. Whereby we see, it is an easy step and descent from one evil to another, as it is to go down a steep hill. Now the sin of these men is threefold: First, they are as blind men that cannot see the judgements of the Lord, but accuse Moses of murder, and impute to him the death and destruction of those that were buried in the earth, & consumed to ashes with the fire. Moses was only the Minister of God in their destruction, the cause of their own death was in themselves: as if a malefactor, never considering what himself hath committed, should cast the cause of his condemnation upon the judge, and cry out against him as a shedder of blood.  
Secondly, their unthankfulness, who will by no means confess that they were saved the day before, and sundry times besides from destruction, by the intercession of Moses: if he had not prayed for them, they had perished as one man with the seditious. For they were all become as one sick body wherein no part was sound, but full of wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores, Esay 1, 6. They seek his death that after a sort had given them life; and they rise up against him, that had been the means of their deliverance.  
Thirdly, as they did condemn the innocent, so they justify the ungodly, both which are an abomination to the Lord, Prou. 17, 15. Such wicked persons as God had rooted out of the Land of the living, and turned them into the earth, which was weary to bear such unprofitable burdens; they call them the people of God, which were no better than a cursed crew of conspirators against God and such as he had appointed to manage the State Civil and Ecclesiastical. These men therefore rising up in their stead that were fallen into the pit, and defending their cause (of whom GOD had taken the account) do make themselves guilty of their sins, & are justly swept away with the judgements of God. Doctrine.  
We learn hereby, 
The wicked will not be warned by former judgements.  that such is the corrupt heart of wicked man, that it will take no warning by former judgements, though they be never so fearful and evident. They had often seen how great things God had wrought among his people, yet they are blind and do not see them; they are wilful, and will not regard them; they are sottish, and will take no knowledge of them, Psal. 10, 5. Esay 22, 12, 13 Psal. 24, 38, 39 Luk. 19, 42. Dan. 5, 22. This maketh sin out of measure sinful.  
The reasons. First, because they see God Reason 1 is a merciful & patiented God, he beareth long and holdeth his peace, and therefore they think he is like unto themselves, Psal. 50, 21. so they abuse his patience and will do nothing.  
Secondly, they think the day of their judgement Reason 2 is not near, they set it far off from them. It may be, it may come in time, but they hope there will be peace in their days. Ezek. 12, 27. The people judged that the Prophet had prophesied for many days to come, and of such times as were far off: and thereupon they concluded, that the days were prolonged, and every vision failed.  
Thirdly, they love their own sins, and Reason 3 out of that great love to their sins, they are unwilling altogether to take notice of any judgement due to their sin, & cannot abide that the Minister or any other should give than warning of the same, for they hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly, Amos 5, verse 10. The uses remain. Use 1  
First of all, are men naturally so unwilling of themselves to set before them God's judgements? Then this serveth as an admonition to the Ministers, that they should often threaten God's iudgeme●● against the wicked, seeing they are so dull a●d unwilling to take any notice of them, or to be warned by them. God worketh out his judgements in every place, and he setteth his Ministers on work, that they should cry ou●●nd not spare to publish them and make them ●owne, though men be never so much hardened in their sins, sometimes by reason of the profit that they make by their sins, & sometimes by reason of the pleasure that they find in their sins. But howsoever they be admonished of any judgement present or imminent, they are little affected with it, they are ready to say with the Atheists, 1 Cor. 15, 32. Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die. Let us alone with our doing for the present, and we will take order for those judgements that are to come hereafter, well enough.  
Object. If any say, it behoveth not the Minister to be so fervent and earnest in his reproofs, but to handle sin more gently, because many are the worse for sharp rebukes, and few or none the better. Answer. I answer, this is our grief, and causeth us often to mourn in secret, but yet this cannot be our discharge: for we must labour to free and deliver all men (so far as we can) from the fierce wrath & judgements of God, otherwise their blood would light upon our heads, and be required at our hands, if they perish through our negligence. It is the nature of the Cock (as some observe) that at the dead time of the night he croweth most loud and shrill: whether he doth so or not, I know not, but this I am sure of, that the Ministers of God ought to do so; when they see men to be most dull and dead in their sins, they should be most earnest and vehement, even at the deadest times of all, they must be most zealous, that so they may deliver their own souls, and not be constrained to answer for the sins of those that perish.  
Use 2 Secondly, this reproveth the age wherein we live, of much corruption, because it can sleep so securely at the noise of God's judgements. These murmurers in this place had heard the pitiful cry and fearful noise of those that were swallowed up in the earth; yet they have already forgotten that which fell out but a day before. We commonly say, A wonder lasteth but nine days: but behold how they had seen one of the greatest wonders in the world, when the earth, whose foundation the Lord hath laid to be firm and stable, that it should not be removed for ever, Psal. 104, 5) opened her mouth and swallowed these unbelievers, and they had heard with their ears their outcries when they descended into the deep, yet this wonder lasted but one day, nay not one whole day, for on the morrow it was quite out of their remembrance. We have had all sorts of warnings whatsoever, general & particular: by his word, by his works: by his judgements upon others, and upon ourselves; yet we take generally and particularly little warning by them. How hath God dealt with many of us, and how near hath he come unto us with his particular judgements upon our families? We see this with our eyes, we need not say, we have heard and our fathers have told us: for we have seen and have known the hand of GOD heavy upon their wives, their children, their servants, and yet they take no more notice of them, then if they were in another world. Sometimes God doth punish men with less judgements, when they have deserved greater: he doth but as it were touch them with the little finger, when they have deserved to be stricken with his whole hand: and smiteth them with the back of the sword, that deserve to be cut in pieces with the edge. Take example in the sin of drunkenness, and wonder at it. How many drunkards hath God cast down in a ditch, from a bridge, from an horse, where peradventure they have broken arm, or leg, or face, when God could as easily have suffered them to have broken their necks, & so to have ended their sinful days wretchedly, as they lived profanely: yet which of them hath been bettered or admonished by it? or who hath taken instruction from it, to fear the Lord, or to repent of the same sin? Many there are that are companions in sin, and brethren in evil; they join together in the practice thereof. God giveth warning sometimes by the death of one of these companions which dieth desperately in his sins, yet will not the rest take warning, but proceed in their wickedness, as if there were no GOD to take vengeance of their presumptuous sins.  
Lastly, it belongeth to every one to take Use 3 notice of the corruptions of his own heart, that he is very forgetful of God's judgements & very unwilling to be admonished of them, but is ready to pass them over, and to put them from him, as matters that no way concern him. This is a voluntary and wilful ignorance. Let us therefore learn to make good use of them, and to lay them up in our hearts, as we would do a treasure in our coffers. The consideration of these well digested, may do us more good, than all the gold and silver in the world. As David said, I will never forget thy precepts, Psal. 119, 61. so let us say, I will never forget thy judgements. And as he remembered his mercies of old, so let us remember his judgements of old. And whereas the greatest fort make a mock both of their own sins, and of God's punishments, let us say with the Prophet, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee: and I am afraid of thy judgements, Psal. 119, 120. He giveth warning of his judgements before he smiteth, and he smiteth one to teach another, that so we should not fall into his judgements, but might learn to prevent them by a timely care of avoiding sin. We are yet safe from his revenging hand; let us not be secure, nor abuse his patience. Security is one of the last sins that shall be in the world. For before the fearful day of the Lord, there shall be a general security, when all are ready to fall asleep. Let us be warned by other men's harms, lest we feel them upon ourselves, Esay 28, 15. Christ our Saviour speaking of the last times, saith, When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luk. 18, 8: and therefore he compareth them to the days of Noah and of Lot, when they did eat & drink, build and plant, marry and give in marriage, even until his judgements fell in the midst of them, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. 
Math. 24, 37  The more common this sin shall be, the more watchful we ought to be that so against this universal slumber, we may prepare a general remedy.   

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the Altar, and put on incense, and go quickly to the Congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun.  
47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the Congregation: and behold, the plague was begun among the people, and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.  
48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.  
49 And they that died in the plague, were fourteen thousand, etc.  
50. And Aaron went again, etc.  
We heard before the sin, or rather the many sins of these men: now Moses setteth down the punishment that fell upon them. Albeit God at the intercession of Moses did not consume them in a moment, yet he sent a fearful plague, and a devouring pestilence among them, that smote down fourteen thousand and five hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And this plague had passed a great deal farther, had not Moses and Aaron by their fervent prayers prevailed mightily with God to stay his hand, so that we may say as it is in the Psalm, He said, he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them, Psal. 106, 23. This is a borrowed speech from warfare and the besieging of a City where the walls are battered with engines that make a breach in them, 
●hat it is to ●nd in the ●each.  so that nothing remaineth but for the enemy to give the assault, and to make an entrance, & put all to the sword: meaning thereby that the wrath of God is as the violent shaking of the walls of a City, there can no strength hold out against him. Now Moses and Aaron did as it were oppose themselves against God's wrath and the people's danger by earnest and hearty prayer made on their behalf, that God would spare his people & not destroy them with the pestilence. For as in times of greatest danger and distress, the most valiant Captains and Soldiers offer themselves to manifest perils when a breach is made in the wall for the enemy to enter with all his forces, that thereby they may drive back such as are pressing forward to give the assault: so did Moses and Aaron stand between the living and the dead, & interposed body for body, and life for life.  

doctrine.  We learn hereby, that the necessity, dignity, 
〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of Ministry.  and worthiness of the Ministry, is exceeding great in respect of the good of the people, 1 Tim 3, 1. Eph. 4, 11, 12, 13. Acts 8, 29, and 9, 11, and 10, 20, and 16, 9 10, 14.15, 29.30. Math. 16, 19  
Reason 1 This is farther confirmed by the titles whereby they are called and adorned. They are appointed to be Shepherds, by the great Shepherd of the sheep, 1 Pet. 5. Eph. 4, 11, 12: to be Overseers of the Church of Christ, Acts 20, 28: to be as fathers over their children, Exod. 20, 12. 1 Cor 3: to be as nurses over the infants, and to be as stewards over the house to give to every one his portion.  
Secondly, they have charge over men's Reason 2 souls not to watch over the body only, Eze. 33, 1 Tim. 5, 16.  
Thirdly, the Ministry of the word is the only Reason 3 ordinary means to bring to salvation, 1 Cor. 15, 1, 2. Rom. 10, 14. If then the necessity and dignity of salvation itself be great, then ought the Ministry to be had in great price by which we are made partakers thereof.  
The uses. Great should be the love of the Use 1 Pastor toward his people. Great should their care be over the sheep and Lambs of Christ; for as they love Christ himself the Lord of the sheep who shed his most precious blood to redeem them, so ought they to love his sheep, which are after a sort become their sheep: for as the sheep have taken charge of them to maintain them, so they have taken charge of the sheep to feed them & instruct them. Our principal endeavour ought to be to procure their good, and we must hunger and thirst after their salvation, Exod. 32, 31, 32. They ought to be our crown and glory in this life, 
1 Thess 2, 20.  if we look for a crown of glory in the life to come, 1 Pet. 5, 4. And as at all times we ought to seek to win men to God, so especially we ought to have a care of these sheep when they are sick: when they are visited by the hand of God we should comfort the feeble minded, and support the weak. We see how Aaron the servant of God, when the pestilence was broken in among them, took his censer, and ran in among them, & stood between the living and the dead, that he might make an atonement for them.  
here the question may be asked, Objection. whether it be the Minister's duty to visit those that are sick of the pestilence & other contagious diseases; and so much the rather, because the example of Aaron seemeth to infer and persuade no less.  
I answer, Answ. the practice of Aaron in this place is not to this purpose, for he was Highpriest, and did this as a figure of Christ. For Moses & Aaron were not so simple as to think that the burning of a little incense could stay the plague: but this did represent the sweet savour of the mediation & intercession of Christ, who made peace between God and man. Again, the Minister is a public person, and the servant of the whole Church, and every man hath interest alike in his office and Ministry, 1 Cor. 9, 19 2 Corin. 5, 5. We preach not ourselves, but Christ jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for jesus sake. If then he be the servant of the whole Church, than no one hath so great interest in him as to cause him to endanger his life, and so the whole be deprived of him. So then, before he visit such, he ought at least to have the consent and approbation of the rest of the Church, and be assigned by them unto that office. Lastly, I do not hold the visitation of the sick to be a Ministerial duty, but a Christian duty. It is not laid upon them as they are Ministers, but as they are christians. For if it were a duty proper to them, as it is to preach the word and to minister the sacraments, than no man ought to visit the sick, but such as are Ministers of the word. I grant indeed, it chiefly lieth upon them and is required of them, when they are best able to perform it: but sometime the faithful brother is able to do it as well as the Minister himself: and according as God hath bestowed this gift so he requireth the practice of it, Gen. 48, 1. 2 Kings 8, 29. and 13, 14. job 2, 11. Psal. 41, 4. Math 25, 37, 40. Object. john 11, 3. 2 Cor. 1, 4. What then? May the Minister at such infectious times forsake the flock? and leave them to the wide world? may he shift for himself, & leave them without instruction? Answer. I answer, in no wise. There is then more cause to call the sounder sheep together, and to pray hearty and earnestly to God for their fellow-brethrens, remembering the counsel of the Apostle, Heb. 13, 3. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them: and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also afflicted in body.  
Use 2 Secondly, see from hence who are indeed the brazen walls that compass the land, and hold out the enemy; not only the policy, and wisdom, and counsel of Magistrates, but likewise faithful Ministers are a strength and defence unto it. For though they be oftentimes contemned and despised, derided and abused, though no account be commonly made of them; yet they are the strength of the strength of the Commonwealth, and they are the pillars that bear up the pillars, and they are forcible and notable means of keeping out the judgements of God. Hence it is, that Elisha said of Eliah, when he saw him go up by a whirlwind into heaven, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof, 2 Kings 2, 12. And thus also spoke joash of Elisha, when he wept over his face, when he was fallen sick of the sickness whereof he died, 2 Ki. 13, 14. O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, etc. And they may be justly so called. They beat down sin which weakeneth the Land. 
Sin bringeth all confusion.  For what bringeth the change of Princes, the alteration of kingdoms, the ruin of states, the overthrow of houses, the invasion of enemies, and the confusion and desolation of all things, but the provoking of God unto wrath by sin? Sin is as the breach in a wall that weakeneth the City, and openeth a gate to the enemy. Let the walls be never so well flanked with ditches, trenches, barricadoes, citadels, and castles, countermures and fortifications, sin maketh them all unprofitable. Hence it is, that the people falling into idolatry, are said to be made naked by Aaron, Exod. 32, 25. Obedience is as a strong bank & bulwark, that keepeth the flood of vengeance & indignation from the city of God. No manner of defence can keep out the enemy, if sin be freely entertained within. The wall is repaired and the breach is made up by repentance.  
Thirdly, they are in poor and pitiful case Use 3 for ignorance, for wickedness, for peril and danger to perish, where yet this benefit is not vouchsafed. They are as a land threatened with infinite and innumerable enemies, which are without chariots and horsemen, without armour and munition. A man of necessity must continue languishing in pain, having a broken member or a bone out of joint, except he have a skilful Surgeon or bonesetter. We are of ourselves as members out of joint, rend and divided asunder in opinion and practise one from another, which are coupled and knit together between themselves by the Ministry of the word, which serveth for the gathering together of the Saints, Eph. 4, ver. 11, 12. When the blind are suffered to lead the blind, both fall into the ditch. The poor cripple remained for the space of thirty eight years in woeful taking, because he had no man when the water was troubled by descending of the Angel, to put him into the pool: 
john 5, 5, 6.  so is it with those that cannot come to the water of life, brought by the Angels of the Churches, they cannot be cured of their diseases. They are in a most pitiful case that want bread to sustain life, they must needs in short time famish because they have no food, Amos 8.11. It is often to be considered of us, what the Prophet Hosea teacheth, chap. 9, 6. The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come, Israel shall know it: And why so? the answer is, The Prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad. It is very uncomfortable to be in a wide house in a dark night, where is no light at all, and yet much work to be done and no means to give direction: such is their condition that want Teachers, who are the light of the house, and the salt of the earth, without which we rot and putrify in sin, like flesh unsalted and unseasoned.  
Fourthly, woe to the foolish Prophets, that Use 4 prophesy out of their own hearts, & follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing, Ezek. 13, 4, 5. These cannot assure themselves to be the Lords watchmen. These Prophets are like the foxes in the Desert, they have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Where the Prophet setteth down sundry true notes of false teachers, how we should know them.  
First, they teach themselves, and not the truth of God; they are wise out of their own wits, not out of God's word: they are ready to speak for themselves, not in the cause of God. The true Pastors bring the word of GOD that sent them, john 7, 16, 17, 18. 2 Pet. 1, 21, 22. Such then as broach new doctrine which they never learned out of the word, nor received from God, are without question false teachers. Secondly, they are like hungry foxes that lie in wait for their prey, given to covetousness and seeking after their own gain, they will transgress for a piece of bread. These intent nothing but filthy lucre, & love the wages of iniquity, as Balaam did, 2 Pet. 2, 3, 13, 14, 15. Jude, ver. 12, 16. Such a one was judas. Thirdly, they never go up to the breach, nor make up the hedge for the City or Vineyard of God, they care not though the enemy spoil the one and root up the other: they never make intercession for the people, they rebuke not, they exhort not, they threaten not, rather they proclaim peace & promise liberty for every one to do what he list, 1 Pet. 2, 19  
Use 5 Lastly, the people must perform to their Ministers, such duties as are answerable unto their care. First, they must make good use of the Ministry, desiring truly to be gathered to the Church by the effectual working thereof, Acts 2, 37, 38, 47, & 16, 30. We have showed before, chap. 3, that the most flourishing commonwelths are nothing except this be among them. Secondly, it behoveth us to rejoice in seeing or hearing of any approved man and faithful Teacher brought into the Ministry of the word, and the service of the Church by an ordinary and lawful calling, Lu. 1, 14, 15. 16, 17. & on the other side to be grieved when such are taken out of the Church, and the use of them denied, Acts 20, 37, 38. or such kept out that have worthy gifts & desire to be employed. But we see commonly men are glad to see such brought into the Church, as will speak of wine and strong drink, Mic. 2, 11. such as will use them well in tithes, such as will not trouble them long in teaching, such as will feast them often at his table. Lastly they must express their hearty love to their Ministers again, recompensing love for love, and labouring to do them good, whom they see to be so needful for them: even as necessary as the Physician in time of sickness, as the Captain in time of war, as the reapers in time of harvest. Woe therefore shall be to those that account them worthless, needless, fruitless.  
[Ver. 47, 48. He put on incense, and made an atonement for the people; and stood between the living and the dead, etc.] Observe again another point, that Moses and Aaron adventured their own lives in the time of this plague for the good of the people, they made supplication for them, because they were the people of God, the posterity of faithful Abraham, and were committed to their charge & oversight, and because the enemies, both the Egyptians and the Canaanites should not blaspheme the Name of God, and triumph in their destruction. Hence it is, that Aaron as he was appointed and commanded, 
●trine.  did put incense in his censer, 
force of 〈◊〉 is ex●ng great  and made an atonement for the people. We learn hereby, that the force, efficacy, and necessity of prayer to God is very great, to obtain any blessing, or to remove any judgement, 1 Chron. 21, 17. Phil. 1, 4. 1 Thess. 5, 17. Thus did Moses often prevail, Exod. 17, and 32. Luke 21, ver. 36. joash acknowledged that the prayers of Elisha an holy Prophet of god stood his kingdom in more stead, than all the horses and chariots of Israel could do, 2 King. 13, 14. The reasons.  
First, it is a fruit of faith, and a testimony Reason 1 to our own hearts, that we do believe. It is the prayer of faith that saveth. james 5, ver. 15. But where there is no calling upon the Name of God by prayer, there can be no faith in God at all. These cannot prevail with God, nor obtain any thing at his hands.  
Secondly, whatsoever we receive from God, Reason 2 we must receive it by prayer. For what is it that prayer cannot obtain? whatsoever we ask, we receive, Math. 7.7. Our wants therefore being great, the necessity of this duty must needs be great also.  
Thirdly, it is a part of our spiritual armour, Reason 3 or at least that which giveth us strength to use the armour appointed to every Christian, Eph. 6, 16. without which all the rest will serve us in little stead.  
First, this reproveth such as think it to Use 1 be needless to be performed to God, because he knoweth whereof we have need, and need not to be put in mind thereof. It had been a very needless thing for Moses and Aaron to be so earnest for the people, to run in with all haste, and to stand between the living and the dead, if prayer had been needless or bootless. It is true, he knoweth whereof we are made, and it is true, he needeth no remembrancer or informer to put him in mind of what he hath forgotten: howbeit this aught rather to stir us up to prayer, as we see, Math. 6, verses 8, 9 Your heavenly Father knoweth whereof ye have need, after this manner therefore pray ye: he concludeth that we ought therefore to pray, because our heavenly Father knoweth what we want: whereas these would gather the clean contrary, God knoweth what we need, therefore pray not at all. If the former be Christ's conclusion, the latter must needs be the devils.  
Again, it reproveth those that would overthrow prayer by the decree of God, by the which indeed it is established. For thus they reason; forasmuch as God hath decreed and determined with himself before hand all things, what he will do and what he will not do, what he will give and what he will not give, which purpose of his, our prayer cannot alter, neither can it change the thing that is gone out of his mouth: to what end therefore should we pray? and if we do, what benefit shall we reap by our prayer, more than we should if we prayed not? These are like to those wicked men described in the Scriptures, job 21, verse 15, What profit should we have, if we pray unto him? Mal. 3, 14.  
To answer these, we must know that as God hath determined what he will give & bestow, so he hath also determined that we shall use the means to obtain them. The woman of Samaria, who pretended that jacob their father had given them the well, whereof he drank himself, 
john 4, 11, 12.  and his children, and his cattle, yet knew that they must have some waterpot or somewhat else to draw water out of the well. God's decree is as a well of living water, & as the headspring of all good things: prayer is as the bucket or pitcher to draw out the waters. As than God hath decreed to give, so he hath decreed to give by prayer, and hath appointed that we should ask, & without prayer we have no promise to receive. God determined that he would not utterly destroy the Israelites for this murmuring, though he threatened them, as we saw before. And why? because he had also determined, that Moses should turn away his anger by his prayer for them, so that by means of his prayer, they should be spared. The Lord promised to Eliah, that he would send a gracious rain in Israel, which it had wanted for the space of three years and six months; nevertheless, we read that the Prophet ceased not to pray for the performance of it, 1 Kin. 18, 42. jam. 5, 18. God had determined after 70. years captivity to deliver his people out of Babylon, nevertheless, Daniel ceased not to pray to God to remember his promise and to bring them back, ch. 9 that their sins might not hinder the work of God. Lastly, it reproveth such as are ignorant, and know not how to pray, neither yet what prayer means: not how to begin, nor how to make an end: neither what to ask, nor how to behave themselves in prayer.  
Use 2 Secondly, every one must labour to perform this duty, and to make known his wants unto God, publicly and privately, and both of them must be performed constantly and feelingly. Some under pretence & colour of their private prayers & devotions, neglect the public invocation of God, and the assembling of the Church. But these dally with the people of God, 
Public prayer is to be preferred before private.  and deceive their own souls, and have taught their tongues to lie. For who will trust them or believe them? doubtless, if they thought their own private prayers available, they would much more consider, that the public prayers of the whole Church gathered together in his Name are so, much rather. This is more forcible in itself, more acceptable to God, and more profitable to ourselves. More forcible and powerful, because the mouths of many being opened, do make a louder cry in the ears of God, and move him the sooner to hear us, joel 2, 16, 17. It is more regarded of God, because it tendeth more to his honour and glory, & he is much delighted in the joint-consent of his Saints worshipping of him, Mat. 18, 20. It is more profitable to ourselves, because it bringeth down a greater blessing: to omit that it serveth as a special means of edification, because our common prayers serve to stir up the zeal and inflame the affections one of another, as every stick put into the fire, serveth to make the hear the greater. Again, others lurking under the shadow of public prayers, 
Public prayers must 〈◊〉 justle out p●●uate.  think themselves wholly discharged of any farther duty, and not once in all their lives prayed privately. But we must be careful to perform this duty, not only publicly with others, but privately with our families, in our houses, and secretly also by ourselves in our chambers, when the door is shut and no man seethe us, but our heavenly Father only, who seeing us perform it secretly, will reward us openly, Math. 6, 6. Many think it to be sufficient to pray with others, or to be present at the prayers of others, & think some force to be in it, and some good to come to rhemselues by it: but these do greatly deceive themselves. This praying in the presence of others only, is only lippe-labour; 
Prayer is about of the heart.  whereas our prayer should be heart-labour. For all the powers of the heart and soul ought to manifest themselves, and to be set on work in that holy exercise. If any sickness or other visitation from God befall them, they will peradventure say somewhat, but this prayer is often as sick as the sick man himself. These are like to wicked Ahab, he never prayed but in time of trouble; then they trouble God a little, but it is sore against their wills, for so that they might want their troubles, they could be content that he should want, & themselves spare their prayers. Such as pray only in the church, pray only for fashion, or for custom, or for company, because it is the manner of all others to do so. Thus while they think they have performed a service and sacrifice to God, they have rather dishonoured and despised him. Every Christian that is of the Church, should make his house a Church, to perform the worship of God in it, Rom. 16, 5. Philem. verse 2. This is a great honour to any house & family. They are unworthy to be fathers and masters of families, that do not ordinarily assemble them to this duty; because thereby, they, and all their houses, their goods, and substance lie open to God's curse, neither can they look for any blessing to come upon them.  
Lastly, let us all stir up ourselves to perform Use 3 this duty, let us often exercise it. Christ our Saviour, a mirror and pattern of all righteousness, oftentimes used it, and spent whole nights in prayer, Luk. 6, v. 12. Psalm. 55, 17. and 119, 62. God hath commanded it; our own necessity hath commended it; the fruit of it hath sanctified it. We have daily sins, daily wants, daily temptations, daily dangers, daily decay in good things: prayer is as food, whereby the graces of God are preserved & increased.  
[Aaron made an atonement for the people, & stood between the living & the dead.] Observe in these words that Aaron the high Priest, in taking his censer, & offering up with fire taken from the Altar incense to God, is a notable figure and type of the intercession of Christ, the true high Priest of our profession, Heb. 3, 1. that he maketh for all his elect to his Father. The doctrine is this, 
●rine.  Christ jesus hath set himself as Mediator between God and men. 
〈◊〉 jesus 〈◊〉 Media- between and man  For Origen saith well, hom, 9 in Numer. that we must ascend unto the high mystery (or signification) of this Scripture, and consider how Christ jesus, the great high Priest, (Heb. 4, 14.) taking our nature upon him, stood as in the midst between the living and the dead, and brought it to pass by his death, that death should spread no farther, 1 Tim. 2, 5. john 12, 32. Rom. 5, 11. and 8, 34. He maketh intercession for us, not that now he boweth the knee to his Father, or lifteth up his eyes, or spreadeth abroad his hands, or uttereth any voice of prayer for his Church being now in the heavens, for this he hath already sufficiently performed, joh. 17, 1. Now he presenteth to his Father the merits of his death and passion, of his obedience and resurrection, which hath the force of a lively prayer, and reconcileth the Father unto us. Thus then we see that Christ jesus is the true Aaron the high Priest that maketh atonement between God and us, Heb. 7, 24, 25. Eph. 1, verse 5, 6.  
Reason 1 The reasons. Christ jesus our Redeemer hath fulfilled all the parts of a Mediator, and left none unperfected, he alone hath trodden the winepress of the wrath of his Father, Esay 65, 5. He appeareth before the Father for us and in our names, as we do before the Father in his name, he offereth up our prayers, and worketh our salvation, joh. 17, 9 Heb. 4, 14, & 2, 15, 17. He hath delivered all them which for fear of death Reason 2 were all their life time subject to bondage. Secondly, the blood of Bulls and Goats outwardly sprinkled, & the ashes of beasts were not false & lying signs representing that which is not, but true and effectual signs of purifying and cleansing: 
●. ●, 12, 13.  these did sanctify the unclean as touching the purifying of the flesh, because such as were shut out of the Congregation for some legal and external uncleanness, had thereby entrance again into the assemblies, & might lawfully come to the worship of God, and be partakers of holy things: much more than doth the blood of Christ (which is the truth & substance of all the former) and which indeed is the blood of the Son of God, Acts 20, 28. purge your consciences from dead works, to serve the living God, Heb. 9, 13, 14, 14, 24.  
Use 1 The uses remain. First, this teacheth that we have no other Mediator in heaven or earth, but jesus Christ who maketh intercession for us. In the old Testament, no prayer is made to Henoch though he walked with God; or to Abraham, though the father of the faithful: or to Moses, though God spoke to him face to face: no prayer was offered up to any Cherubin or Seraphin, to any Saint or Angel. The Church of Rome therefore is an Apostate Church, which hath made so many Mediators and Advocates for us in heaven, as there are Saints departed and perfected; yea, which is more absurd, they make one Saint Patron for one disease, and another for another, 
Comment. upon Philem.  so that they have left nothing for Christ to do, as I have showed more at large elsewhere. Neither let them object, that there is one Mediator of redemption, but many Mediators of intercession. But as this is an evil distinction, so it is as evilly observed by themselves. And will they bear us in hand that the simple people (simple indeed they are (God wots) among them) understand this difference? and can tell how to distinguish between these, to give to each his due and no more? But what speak I of the simple people? of whom I may speak as jeremy doth, Surely these are poor, 
jer. 5, 4.  they are foolish; for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgement of their God: I will go unto the great ones and speak unto them. The learned themselves among them do join with Christ our Saviour other Mediators, not only of intercession, but also of redemption and salvation. Hitherto cometh the prayer to the Pope's great martyr, Thomas Becket of Canterbury, 
Breviarium ad usum eccles. Sarum in festo S. Tho. Cantuar.  who died in the Pope's quarrel, which he maintained against his sovereign king, Henry the second, and therefore a false martyr, but a true traitor and rebel.  
Tu per Thomae sanguinem, quem pro te impendit,  
Fac nos (Christ) scandere, quò Thomas ascendit,  
that is, 
By the blood of Thomas, which he for thee did spend,  
Make us (O Christ) to climb whither Thomas did ascend.   
A most blasphemous prayer, wherein they present not the blood of Christ who gave himself a ransom for us, but the blood of Thomas to bring us to heaven. It were endless to show their idolatrous prayers made to the blessed Virgin, desiring to have her to reconcile them to her Son. Among the rest, consider this one: 
O foelix puerpera,  
nostra pians scelera,  
jure matris impera  
redemptori.  that is;  
O holy mother, which dost purge away our sins, command thou him that is our redeemer by thy motherly authority. And touching Peter and Paul, they say, 
Ex Rom Breviar.  Concede ut amborum meritis aeternitatis gloriam consequamur, that is, Grant that by the merits of them both, we may obtain eternal glory. Neither shall we need to marvel at these things (although they sound harsh in all Christian ears) if we consider what they ascribe unto the Cross of Christ, 
Sabb. in Hebd. quarta Quandrag.  I mean to the wood & tree to which they make their prayer to this day, saying, 
O crux, ave, spes unica,  
Hoc passionis tempore,  
Auge pijs justitiam  
Reisque dona veniam;  that is,  
O Cross, all hail, thou that art our only hope; at this time of the passion increase thou righteousness to the godly, and grant pardon to them that are guilty. Other gross blasphemies they have reform in their Portesse, but this which giveth as great and gross honour to the wooden cross they have reserved and retained. What is become now of their distinction, that Christ is the Mediator of redemption, but the Saints of intercession, when as they ascribe to the Virgin Mary, to Peter, to Paul, nay to a vile traitor, nay to a wooden cross, power to purge away the sins of the faithful, to grant them pardon and forgiveness, and to bring them to salvation? Moreover, the Apostle speaking of one Mediator, and naming Christ to be that one, 1 Tim. 2, 5. speaketh in that place of prayer, and therefore even in prayer he will have us to acknowledge no Mediator of intercession, but Christ jesus only. A Mediator of intercession as it is defined by Austin, 
Aug. contra. epist. ●arm. lib. 2 cap. 8.  cannot agree to any saving to Christ; for he teacheth, that it is commanded that every Christian should pray for others, but he, who requests for all, and for whom none requesteth, is the one and true Mediator. Again, they object, Object. that the Saints pray for us, and therefore we may pray to them. Answ. I answer, this will not follow. 
What the prayers of the Saints departed are.  Again, they pray for the perfecting of the body of Christ, & desire the full gathering together of the Saints, they long for the resurrection & restitution of their bodies which lie in the dust, they wish to see the avengement of the blood of the holy martyrs shed for the testimony of the truth, and crave to behold the last coming of Christ to judgement to restore all things: howbeit they know not the particular troubles of God's children, neither understand the inward wrestlings and bucklings with sin and Satan which the conscience sustaineth, no more than Eli knew the trouble of heart that Hannah had, though she prayed in his presence. Wherefore, let us content ourselves with the only and all-sufficient mediation of Christ, remembering the saying of the Apostle john, We have an advocate with the Father, jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, 1 joh. 2, 1, 2. And seeing he calleth us unto himself, let us not refuse to go to him. When he saith, Come to me, Mat. 11, 28. shall we say, nay, we will go to some other? When Mary called her sister secretly, saying, The master is come, and calleth for thee; as soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. So it ought to be with us, Our master Christ calleth us, why do we run from him, why do we not run to him? why do we run to any other? Let us not refuse to come to him, who gave his life for us that we might live in him. Shall we then departed from him that calleth us, to them that call us not, that know us not, that hear us not, that help us not, that save us not?  
Secondly, this condemneth the ignorant Use 2 multitude, which through palpable and horrible ignorance rush into the presence of God without any Mediator, knowing neither God nor themselves. They dream that God is merciful, & never consider what he is in his own nature, to wit, a God of perfection, a most just judge: and we can never reconcile his mercy and justice, but by looking upon him in the face and countenance of Christ jesus, in whom only he is well pleased, Mat. 3, 17. We can receive nothing at his hands, except we come to him in his Son. For as he is perfect, so he accepteth of nothing that is unperfect. But we can offer nothing to God, but that which is tainted and defiled with sin; and if God look upon us & our wants out of his Son, we are no better than the children of wrath, he findeth matter enough in us to reject our works, and to condemn our persons. We have our prayers heard no other way but in the Name of Christ. We are no otherwise accepted but in his beloved, 
john 15, 6. Eph. 1, 6. Acts 4, 12. Heb. 2, 14, ● Math. 1●. 1.  to wit, in Christ. He is the only Saviour of the Church, he saveth his people from death, and him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil. He saveth us from our sins, guilt, and punishment. For sin is the power & sting of death, & an ugly serpent; Christ only hath quelled him, he hath merited our salvation by his death and passion, none else hath done it, none else could do it. The Saints glorified, and all the company of the elect Angels in heaven were too weak and unworthy to accomplish this work. The Papists, as we have showed, make him but half a Saviour, joining others with him in the work of salvation. For they teach that with Christ's merits we must join the works of grace in the matter of justification, & that with Christ's satisfaction of the wrath of God, we must join our satisfaction by temporal punishment. But we have showed before, that he will be a sole Saviour, or else no Saviour at all.  
Thirdly, it behoveth us in remembrance of Use 3 this excellent benefit of Christ's atonement, to be thankful to God. This is the main cause of all thankfulness. The most common blessings which we receive, must at all times move us to be thankful, as meat, drink, health, wealth, liberty, peace, prosperity, and the like; but this should as it were swallow up all the remembrance of all the rest, and the zeal thereof consume us: 
Ps. 116, 12, ●  What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. What deadness of hart than remaineth in many men, that never remember this great work, thereby to be provoked to obedience and newness of life, that so we may return our love to God again, who loved us first?  
Lastly, we must acknowledge, what we are Use 4 in ourselves, to wit, utterly lost, the enemies of God, the children of wrath, the bondslaves of Satan, and the heirs of condemnation. This we must confess from the bottom of our hearts, & have a lively feeling thereof, before we can receive him as our Peacemaker and Saviour, Math. 18, 11. and 15, 14. Luke 4, 18, and 19, 10. We must say with Daniel, Shame and confusion of faces belongeth unto us, chap. 9, 8. What was due to the people in this place, and what might they have looked for, if Aaron had not made an atonement, but present death? So is it with us, we are borne dead in sins and trespasses, & can look for nothing but wrath, and judgement, and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries, Hebr. 10, 27. if Christ do not make peace between God and us. Let us therefore look for salvation from him, as men hearing of cunning Physicians to cure diseases, do seek and send to them far and near, Math. 9, 20, 21. john chap. 7, verse 37.    

CHAP. XVII.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod, according to the house of their fathers, of all their Princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; writ thou every man's name upon his rod.  
3. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi, for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.  
We have seen in the former chapter, how the people envied Moses in the Camp, and Aaron the Saint of the Lord, Psalm. 106, 16, so that he was constrained to ratify & confirm the Priesthood by the swallowing up of Dathan and Abiram in the earth, and by consuming of Korah and his confederates with fire, all of them being the children of rebellion, as they are called in this chapter, verse 10. But here we may behold a notable example of God's wonderful mercy, who is more ready to compassion then to revenge, and therefore destroyeth some, that he may instruct others. Wherefore in this chapter Moses continueth the same argument handled before, and showeth how GOD once again establisheth the Priesthood to Aaron and his sons for an everlasting covenant; whereupon he commandeth that every Tribe should bring a wooden staff, with a name written upon them, & to put them together, so as they might not be discerned asunder, but by the sight of the names. These staves thus prepared and ordered, were laid before God in the Sanctuary, and when they were taken thence again, Aaron's staff that had his name upon it, did flourish, and all the rest without any change remained dry and dead, as they were before: whereby the Lord showed, that he had chosen that house to serve in the Priesthood.  

〈◊〉 division 〈◊〉 chapped.  Consider in this present chapter, two things: First, the confirmation of the Priesthood to Aaron and his snnnes. Secondly, the repentance of the people, and resting in the ordinance of God, after they were humbled by the plagues of God, and saw the flourishing of Aaron's rod.  
Touching the first, to wit, the ratification of the Priesthood, and the deciding of the controversy to whom it did belong, & aught to belong hereafter, we must observe the commandment of God to Moses, and his obedience. God commandeth Moses to take of every Tribe a rod. 
Ezek. 37, 16.  Now whether it were of several kinds of wood, according to the number of the Tribes, or of one kind only, to wit, the almond, as Munster thinketh, it is uncertain. 
Munster annot. in Num.  And the question may be asked, whereas every staff must have a name written, that is, the 12 rods, 12 names, what name was written? Some think, that the Tribe of Reuben had the name of Reuben; the Tribe of Simeon, the name of Simeon, and so of the rest. But it is to be thought, that the name of the Prince of the Tribe was written, rather than the name of the author of the Tribe; and the words of the text do favour this interpretation, v. 2. else to what purpose is Moses appointed to take several rods of the Princes of every Tribe? so that for example the rod of the Tribe of Reuben had the name of Elizur, written, and so of the rest, as they have been set down before, ch. 1, 5, 6, 7. and 7, 12, 30, 36. For as the name of Aaron was written upon the rod of Levi, not the name of Levi himself, v. 3. so no doubt the names of other Princes that were heads of the families of their fathers, were written upon the rods of their Tribes, not the names of the authors of the Tribes. All these rods were laid up together in the Tabernacle of the Congregation: then the Lord giveth them this token to assure them whom the Lord chose and ordained, that there might be no more contention about the Priesthood, namely, that his rod should wax green, flourish, and bear blossoms. Thus doth God cut off all occasions of murmuring among them.  
[Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod.] The people ought to have been thoroughly humbled for their offence, & to have their hard hearts broken in pieces by the consideration of God's judgements and miracles, and so thoroughly to be moved to reverence the ordinance of God concerning the Priesthood. But because God is constrained to work another miracle, & to change the course of nature, and to call things that were not, as though they were, it appeareth they were not yet sufficiently touched and humbled: for God doth no work in vain. If then the dignity of the Priesthood had been sufficiently confirmed by the punishment taken of the seditious and their partakers, this new miracle had not been wrought in the dry and withered rod. Wherefore God goeth about by this means to remedy their pride and presumption, and showeth his great mercy and goodness toward them in calling them to repentance and in curing of their infirmities. We learn hereby, Doctrine. that the Lord is very desirous to have sinners converted and brought to repentance, 
God is desirous to have sinners brought to repentance  that so he may save them, Esay 65, 2. Ezek. 33, 11. and 18, 31, 32. Math, 23, 37. 2 Cor. 5, 20. Peter preacheth repentance to them that killed the Prince of life and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go, Acts 3, 13, 15. Even to these that murdered and betrayed the Son of God, did the Lord offer salvation. To this end he is of such great patience, because he is not willing that any one should perish, 2 Pet. 3, 9 The reasons.  
Reason 1 Because first, they are his creatures and his workmanship, and therefore there is great reason, why he should desire their good. Natural parents do desire to save and keep in health their children. They that belong to God are his dear children, Esay 49, 15, 16. He loveth Reason 2 Israel as his first borne. Secondly, he hath not only created them when they were not, but also redeemed them when they were lost, and that with no less price, then with the blood of his own Son, Col. 1, 20. 1 joh. 1, 7. Ro. 5, 9, 10. If then he have done this for them, doubtless he will go forward with his love toward them: he will raise up them that are fallen, seek them that are lost, quicken them that are dead, and bring them home that are Reason 3 strangers to him. Thirdly, it is more honour to God to convert and save, then to destroy and cast away his people. Doubt not, but be well assured, that God will do that which tendeth most to his own glory, Rom. 11, 1, 2. justice and judgement causeth him to be feared, but his mercy and love is that which maketh him to be honoured of men.  
Use 1 The uses remain. Hath God an earnest desire to convert and save men? Then it ought also to be our desire to be like in this to our heavenly Father, that is, to labour to convert and bring home others unto God, that go astray from him: for in so doing we shall follow the footsteps and example of God; dealing with our brethren in mercy and compassion as God hath dealt with us. Let the husband labour to convert the wife, 
1 Cor. 7, 16.  and the wife to win her husband; the parents their children, and the children their parents: and every one to convert his brother. A duty most acceptable to God, and most profitable to others. An argument of love and charity, greater love than this can no man show. So saith Christ to Peter, When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren, Luke 22, 32. jam. 5, 19, 20.  
Secondly, this serveth to condemn the Use 2 practice of many men in our times, and to testify that they are far from God, and can have no assurance to themselves that they are his children and bear his image. God is desirous to seek out and to save them that are lost, 
Luke 13, 1●  like the good Shepherd that leaveth 99 in the wilderness, and this was the end of the coming of Christ. But we are for the most part careless in this duty: few do think it to belong unto them. Others are so far from seeking to convert, that they rather seek to subvert others: and of these the number is far greater than of the former, who do cross by all means they can, the purpose and desire of God. He laboureth to save, and they to destroy: he to build, and they to pull down; he to plant, and they to root up; he to bring to heaven, and they to hell. These are of their father the devil, and his lusts they do: they join with him, they labour for him, they advance and enlarge his kingdom, and they seek to bring more unto him. This is a fearful sin, which we must repent of, or else we shall repent of it when it is too late.  
Lastly, this must teach every one to have a Use 3 special care of his own salvation, seeing God is so desirous of it. For every man should be more careful of his own good, than another, or of another's. It is so in the body, it ought also to be so in the soul. We cannot be more careful of our own salvation than God is: & therefore seeing he is so desirous of it, let every man labour to do what in him lieth toward his conversion, that so God may accept of him.  
But some will say, Object. It lieth not in my power to convert myself, I can do nothing until it please God to work it. I answer, Answer. do that which is in thy power; and God will give a blessing. It lieth in thy power to hear the word, to read the Scriptures, and to attend to the Ministry of it. Come diligently and constantly to the place of God's worship, & God will work in thee his grace to thy conversion. If thou do not, never accuse God, but the frowardness of thine own will which failest in that which thou art enabled to do. For if we say we desire salvation, and yet despise the means, we deceive ourselves. On the other side, from hence ariseth matter of special comfort to every one that truly endeavoureth his own salvation, and can make inquiry into his estate, whether he be one of that number that shall be saved, or not. For although he be clogged with many sins, and daily addeth more unto the burden, yet let him not despair, nor think they shall hinder his salvation.  
This is his comfort, that with God all things are possible: and when the desire and power of God go together, how great soever his sins be, he shall not need to doubt of his salvation. Let him look up to Christ, his merits do surmount all our sins.   

4 And thou shalt lay them up in the Tabernacle of the Congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.  
5 And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.  
6 And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, etc.  
The Lord goeth forward to declare his will to Moses, and foretelleth his great and miraculous work, that in one day the rod should bring forth buds, blossoms, and fruits, to stay the murmuring of the people. All miracles serve to some good end, and as a kind of Sacraments do confirm some doctrine. These rods were not green and growing, but were long since cut off from their trees, and altogether withered: 
●●c. Com. ●●b. 17.  and (according to the opinion of some) were such as the Princes for honours sake did carry when they executed judgement. Wherefore it was unpossible, according to the course of nature, that any of them should be fresh, and flourish, and bring forth fruit. For as they were all of them laid up together, so they were all of them alike dead, and without life: and therefore, whereas Aaron's rod flourished, and by flourishing the vigour of life appeared to be in it, it manifested apparently the power of God, and the Priesthood of Aaron. If any object, 
●ection.  that the emulation and murmuring could not by this means be taken away between the house of Aaron, and the rest of the Levites, seeing his name only was written upon the rod, and not the names of any of them. 
〈◊〉.  I answer, that seeing God showed forth his power almighty, in that rod which had the name of Aaron upon it, it was a plain sign and infallible token, that Aaron was chosen to the Priesthood, and that all others were excluded from that dignity, and so the people confess in the end of the chapped. Now whereas God in the flourishing of the rod, saith that he would show whom he had chosen, he declareth that in bestowing his gifts and benefits in the church, he doth not respect any man's merit, but dealeth with every one according to his own good pleasure. Aaron was not advanced to the Priestly dignity by any virtue of his own, but merely through the grace of God. So are we adopted and made heirs of everlasting life, not through our own works or merits, but by God's favour, seeing it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that showeth mercy, Ro 9, 16. Of this we have spoken before, chap. 2. v. 18.19. Touching this miracle which God purposeth and promiseth to work in the sight of all Israel, we learn, Doctrine. That God hath from time to time wrought miracles against the course of nature for the good of his church. 
God can work miracles above Nature, when it pleaseth him.  He is not tied to the ordinary course of natural things, but he worketh extraordinarily so often as it pleaseth him. All times and ages of the church witness this truth, and testify the miraculous works of his hand, in the Sun, in the Moon, in the Air, in the Waters, in the Fire, in the Earth, and in all creatures both high and low. Thus he plagued the Egyptians, Psal. 105, 27▪ 29, 30, 32, 34, etc. Thus he dealt with his own people when they came out of Egypt, Psa. 78, 12, 13, 14.15, 16. levit. 9.24. joshua 10, 12 judg. 6, 21 & 13, 19 1 Kings 18. In the New Testament we have sundry miracles of Christ our Saviour: and the miracle of all miracles accomplished which was prophesied long before, that a Virgin should conceive and bear a son, Esay 7. verse 14. Math. 1. verse 23. Luk. 1, 31.  
The Reasons follow. First, that so he might Reason 1 work faith in them that otherwise would not believe. Thus doth God take away all excuse, when he worketh above nature, as Exod. 4, 1. When Moses was sent to the Israelites in Egypt, to tell them of their deliverance, that God had heard their groans and sighs, & had seen all their troubles and miseries: he alleged that the people would not believe him, nor hearken unto his voice; and therefore did the Lord enable him to turn his rod into a serpent, & the serpent into his rod, that so they might believe that the Lord God of their fathers had appeared unto him, Exod. 4, 5. Again, he is willed to put his hand into his bosom, and when he pulled it out, it was leprous as snow, verse 6. and putting his hand into his bosom again, when he pulled it out, Behold it was turned again as his other flesh, verse 7. Whereupon the Lord saith, If they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the latter sign, verse 8. And if they would not believe either the one or the other, he is yet willed to take the water of the River, and to pour it upon the dry land, and the water should become blood upon the dry land.  
Secondly, God getteth glory hereby among Reason 2 his children, his praise is by it set forth, when by nothing else. We are moved at strange things, john 11, 15, 45. and taught to believe. Lazarus was raised from the dead, who had lain in the grave four days, ver. 39 to show forth God's glory, verse 40. Math. 9, 8. Luke 13, 13. and 23, 47. So that miracles serve to work faith in us, and to gain glory to God. The Uses.  
First, consider from hence the greatness and Use 1 power of God, who is to be compared unto him? Esay 44, 24. and 45, 5. None of all the creatures, be they never so excellent in strength and glorious in power, can do such things, & therefore nothing can be matched with him; let him therefore be preferred above all. This is the use urged by Moses in his song of thanksgiving after their passing over the red sea, Exod. 15, 10, 11. and Psal. 77.12, 13, 14. He is the only author of miracles, he it is only that properly doth them, and no other. For a miracle is a work wrought above the strength of nature, as we shall show more largely afterward. But no creature can work above the course of nature, he only that is the author of nature must do it.  
Object. But it may be objected, that some of the Prophets did raise the dead, as Eliah 1 Kin. 17, 21, 22. and Elisha 2 King. 4, 34, 35. made Iron to swim, being an heavy thing, to ascend upward, 2 Kings 6, 6. commanded fire to come from heaven, being a light thing, to descend downward, 2 Kin. 1, 10. healed many incurable diseases, 2 Kings 5, 10. and wrought many great works, Heb. 11, 33, 34, 35. So did the Apostles raise the dead, cleanse the Lepers, restore sight to the blind, healed the sick, cast out devils, and this was their office & calling to which they were appointed, Math. 10, 8. Answer. Acts 5, 15. & 19, 12. I answer, the gift which they had was the faith of miracles. And this was done in this manner. God revealed unto them by his Spirit, that he would work such and such a miracle when they prayed, & thereupon either by commanding the evil spirit to departed in the name of Christ, or by imposition of hands in other works they wrought the same. They having this knowledge by revelation of the purpose of God, believed the same, and were as the mouth of God, and the hand of God, being his messengers, to signify what he would do, Mark 11, 22, 23. Heb. 11, 33, 34. They then had no power of their own, it was the divine power only that wrought them.  
Object. But some will say, that the devils can work miracles contrary to nature, and therefore it is not proper to God. Answer. I answer, he can work wonders, but not miracles. For though every miracle be a wonder, yet every wonder is not a miracle. He can do things extraordinary, or otherwise then the common course of nature, but he cannot work above or against nature. Thus he caused fire to fall from heaven, & the winds to blow down dwelling houses, as we see in the history of job. He also caused blisters and ulcers to arise in his body, and without question they were true ulcers, as the Scriptures plainly setteth down, and job truly felt, job 2, 7, 8. Howbeit this he did no otherwise but by the force of nature, for he cannot make rain, or thunder, or lightning, or wind, or storm, or tempest; this is the work of God, and cometh from his hand, Gen. 7, 4. Deut. 11, 14. & 28, 12. 1 Sam. 12, 17, 18. 1 Kin. 8, 35, 36. 
God only sendeth the rain the devil cannot make it.  and 17, 14. & 18, 1. 2 Kin. 3, 17. job 5, 10. and 28, 26. and 37, 23, 45. Psalm 105, 32. & 107, 25. & 135, 7. & 147, 8. & 148, 7, 8. jer. 5, 24. & 10, 13. & 51, 16. Zach. 10, 1. Acts 14, 17. james 5, 18. The devil cannot make the matther whereof the rain is engendered. They then are deceived, that think the devil is able to make rain, or hail, or snow, or vapour, or the least fly that flieth in the air, or the smallest worm that creepeth in the earth. Nevertheless, when the matter of storms & tempests is prepared of God, he can gather it, and hasten it, and make it more terrible, and carry it from place to place, from country to country. For as he can assume a body, but not make a body: so he can use the wind, but not create the wind. If storms and winds might be raised and framed by the power of satan, they might be said to execute his word, & he might be said to be the father of the rain. So then briefly, it is safest to hold this as a truth, that God caused the fire, but satan brought it upon. jobs flock: God caused the wind, but satan drove it upon the four corners of the house. For when once they are raised, satan hath power by God's permission, to carry and transport them from Region to Region: so that when naturally they blow one way, he can besides nature turn them another way, nevertheless he is not able to send winds, or raise tempests where none are. It may be further said, Objection that the sorcerers of Egypt did bring forth Frogs, and turn water into blood, and rods into serpents and such like, Ex. 7, 11, 22. & 8, 7. I answer, Answ. it may be satan did fetch these frogs and serpents from other places, and convey them in a moment into the presence of Pharaoh and of his Princes; for the effecting whereof, more haste and speed were requisite then power, and yet neither were wanting to him being a spirit. Samson was able by Art and cunning to gather together 300. Foxes in short space, that with his foxes and firebrands he might annoy the Philistims, judg. 15, 4. Much more is satan able, who may most truly be called a mighty hunter before the Lord, to bring together on a sudden a great number of these Frogs, which could not be far to seek in the bogs, marshes, & fens of Egypt. Or else this was done in outward show and appearance only, not in deed and in truth. If it be further urged, Object. that it is expressly written that the sorcerers brought forth Frogs, and turned water into blood, etc. Answer. I answer, the Scripture often speaketh of things, as they appear and are offered to the sight, not as they are in themselves. As he that appeared to the witch at Endor is called Samuel, yet it is certain it was not the true Samuel, but the devil in his habit and likeness, 1 Sam. 28, 14. & Daniel saith, ch. 9.21. the man Gabriel appeared unto him, because he appeared in the shape of a man, whereas he was one of the Angels that stood in the presence of God, Luk. 1, 19 
Exod. 32, 1, Nehem. 9, 1 joseph. 〈◊〉 juda. 〈◊〉.  so have Images oftentimes the names of those whom they represent. Thus josephus testifieth, that the serpents of these Magicians did creep in the show & likeness of true serpents. And justine Martyr one of the most ancient saith (Quaest. Orthod. 16) that they did dazzle and deceive the eyes of the beholders, and cast a mist like jugglers before them. 
〈◊〉. in cap. 3. 1. ad Ti  And Ambrose calleth their fact, a counterfeit emulation of that they had seen Moses do before them. But howsoever this were done, whether by a real transportation, or by a deceitful apparition, certain it is, they could not make true serpents, true blood, true frogs, and that for these causes. First, because it is holden, that God only hath power to change and convert a dead substance into a living substance, a rod into a serpent. Secondly, these sorcerers could not do a less thing, therefore not possibly the greater. They could not by all their power and art preserve themselves from the botches & other plagues of Egypt, for the boils & blains seized upon them that they could not stand before Moses, Exod. 9, 11. which notwithstanding is more easy then to make or change a creature; nay they could not bring forth louse, but said, This is the finger of God. 
●. 8, 18, 19  Thirdly, the true serpents of Moses devoured the other Serpents, Exo. 7, 12. 
〈◊〉 in Exod.  From whence josephus and Ferus conclude, they were no better than images and representations. For it is not ordinary that one creature should devour another of the same kind, as a serpent, a serpent; or a Lion, a Lion. And if this were found, either we must imagine that the Magicians serpents and frogs were exceeding little, or else it is incredible & unpossible, that one creature should receive into itself another creature of equal quantity, with preservation of itself. Lastly, if any such power had been in the Magicians, to make true frogs and serpents, they might also by the same power have removed those that Moses brought. For he that can build up, can also pull down: and it is one and the same art to knit and unloose: nay, it is an argument of greater power to make them, than to remove th●. Now they could not take them away, albeit they were annoyed by them, but were constrained to entreat Moses to pray for their removal, Exod. 8, 8. And if they had been able to make them, they should be more cunning artists and craftsmen then their master, I mean the devil. Thus much of the slights & juggling tricks of these cozening sorcerers.  
Use 2 Secondly, we must learn to fear God and to obey him; he commandeth Nature & it giveth place to him, who is the God of power, and he shall reign for ever and ever, Exo. 15, 18. He stopped the mouths of the Lions, & quenched the violence of fire. True it is, that ordinarily the Lord governeth the world by second causes, howbeit he is free to use them, or not to use them: and he can change the course of them to the preservation of the godly, and to the destruction of the wicked A singular comfort to all such as belong to him, to move them to cast their care upon him, and to cleave unfeignedly unto him with all our hearts by a lively faith. He never wanteth means to do us good, or to procure our safety. Upon this foundation did those servants of God build, that were threatened to be cast into the hot fiery furnace; for they considered, that the God whom they served, was able to deliver them, and therefore they feared God more than the King, Dan. 3, 17. And albeit God do not ordinarily in our days work miracles, yet he hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, and he turneth them as it pleaseth him, and maketh oftentimes our enemies to be at peace with us, Prou. 16, 7. On the other side, this serveth for the terror of the ungodly, that God hath infinite ways to work out their destruction: the least of all the creatures once armed by the Creator, are of wonderful force, and shall be sufficient to destroy all his adversaries. This doth Moses teach, touching the drying up of the red sea, a work far exceeding all the limits of nature, Exod. 15, 14, 15, 16. The people shall hear of it and be afraid, the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed, the mighty men of Moab shall tremble, and the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Now they knew they had not to do with a weak & impotent God, such as were the gods whom they worshipped, but with him that could command sea & land: and this doth Rahab confess to the spies whom she received into her house, josh. 2, 10, 11. Let all these therefore know, that they must fear him that is able to destroy, and to cast both body and soul into hell fire.  
Thirdly, we must learn to give God that Use 3 which is his own and due unto him. We must acknowledge him to be the sole author and worker of all the miracles that have been or shall be in the world. Neither Saint, nor Angel, neither Prophet, nor Apostle, neither Satan the prince of darkness, nor any of the devils, is able to work any miracle; it is the prerogative royal of God. Let us not stand in fear of the devil and his angels, they cannot of themselves do any thing unto us, but that which the Lord willeth. The common and ignorant sort of men stand pitifully in fear of witches and of their practice, as the chiefest plagues of a Parish, & they confess they have been as glad to please them as their mothers, & as much afraid to displease them, as ever they were to displease their fathers, as if the whole world were governed by witches. O that these men would be as careful to please God, & as fearful to offend him: as for witches, they are more afraid of them than hurt: they are but the devils instruments to deceive the world; the devil hath utterly blinded the eyes of these and of many others, to make them believe that they do those things which they never do, neither indeed can do. The devil himself is God's servant or rather slave, to do his will whether he will or no: for he can do nothing but what the Lord willeth. He ruleth all things by his providence, the devil cannot kill a fly except he have liberty given unto him. But to return to the former point, that it is God only that worketh miracles, observe with me that he worketh two ways; sometime by himself alone, 
God worketh miracles two ways.  and sometimes by some other creature. By himself alone, when he useth no instrument at all, as in the creation of the world, making all things of nothing, without help of Angel or other matter. So he turned back the shadow of the dial of Ahaz by himself alone, and many other such like. Again, when it pleaseth him he useth means, as in the miracles wrought in Egypt, he did them by the hand of Moses and Aaron. But here we must take heed of two extremes, and God is dishonoured by both of them. First, that we derogate nothing from the Majesty of God, albeit it please him to use means in many of his miracles, because he useth them freely, not of necessity, and he is as well able to work without them as with them. Secondly, that we do not magnify the creatures and instruments which the Lord useth above that which is convenient because that were to set them in the place of God, who have no more power than that which is given them from above. Object. But some may here ask the question, why doth God use means in working of miracles? Why did he use the holy Prophets, and Apostles, and sometimes also such as have no justifying faith, 
Mat. 7, 22, 23.  as judas and others? no doubt as he preached, so he wrought miracles, for he had the same commission with the rest. 
Math 10, 7, 8.  I answer, Answer. he useth them, not because he standeth in need of them, or is tied unto them, but for these causes. 
Why God useth mean; in working of miracles.  First, to teach us that he approveth the means whereby things are brought to pass, and he showeth by his own example that we should make account of them: so that if any neglect or contemn them, he opposeth himself against the Lord. Secondly, to support and uphold man's weakness, who is not able to look upon his Majesty, when he worketh by himself, as a weak eye cannot see things that are far off, except he put on his spectacles. This is plain in the example of the Israelites, 
Exo. 19, 18, 19  when they heard the thunder and lightning, and the sound of a Trumpet exceeding loud, and the Mountain smoking, they were so afraid, that they desired the Lord to speak no more unto them, 
Exod. 20, 19  but that Moses might speak unto them, and they would hear him. Thirdly, the Lord useth means for the trial of our faith, whether we will ascribe the work that is wrought only to the worker thereof, or to the means; or partly to the one, and partly to the other: or as some do, all to the instrument, and nothing to the principal. In the miracles wrought by Christ himself, we see how diversly men were affected: for though they were effected by the finger of God, yet the pharisees blasphemed, 
Math. 12, 24.  and said, This fellow casteth out devils, by Beelzebub the Prince of the devils. This argueth great corruption of nature and want of faith. Object. And as we have showed why God useth means, so it may be asked, what means God useth in working miracles? I answer, Answer. they are of divers sorts. First, such as nay seem to have some force and power in them for the working of the miracle. 
2 King. 20, 1.  When the waters of Marah were bitter, that the people could not drink of them, the Lord showed Moses a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, they became sweet. Secondly, 
Exo. 16, 23 ●  he useth means that have no appearance of any power or use in the working of a miracle; such was the touching of the hem of Chrsts garment, which infinite numbers touched, 
Math. 9.21. Luke 8, 45.  and yet received no virtue from thence. Such was the lifting up of the rod of Moses, and the stretching out of his hand at the red sea, Such was the striking of the Rock with his staff at the waters of strife, 
Numb 20.  which had no power to make the waters gush out. Such was the handkerchieffe of Paul to cure diseases, 
Acts 5, 15, ● 19, 12. josh. 6, 20,  & the shadow of Peter, by which many were healed. For these cures were wrought when the Apostles were absent, and knew nothing of them, but were busied in other more important works of their callings. Thirdly, he useth such means as seem no way available unto the work, but rather quite contrary, to hinder it, as curing the blind man, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and laid upon his eyes; 
john 9, 6, 11.  which might seem more available to put out sight, then to restore it, to make a man blind, then to make him see. Thus than we see, and learn to acknowledge, that every miracle is wrought by the sole and omnipotent power of God.  
Lastly, we learn hereby, that we have a Use 4 most sure word of the Prophets and Apostles, whereunto we must take heed as unto a light that shineth in dark places. We are not cunningly circumvented by devised fables, but we have the whole doctrine of salvation delivered in the Scriptures, fully confirmed unto us. For to what end do all the extraordinary works of God, done by the hands of the Prophets and Apostles serve, but to make plain the doctrine which is according to godliness, and thereby to work in our heart's faith and belief? The miracles of Christ unwritten, 
joh. 10, 30, ●  & therefore now unknown, were not unprofitable to be read, & unworthy to be known; nevertheless these were sufficient. When Christ came into the world, 
Esay 9, 6.  he was many ways wonderful, it is one of his names by which he was to be called; he was wonderful in his person, wonderful in his doctrine, and wonderful in his works. In his person, 
Math. 1, 23. Luke 1, 35.  because of the union of his two natures, he was both God & man. In his doctrine, & the word preached by him, because he taught the way of God plainly, 
Math. 22, 1●  clearly, and evidently: nay, as one that had authority, for his word was with power, 
Math. 7, 21. Luke 4, 32.  and they were astonished at his Doctrine. In his works and miracles, 
Math. 11, ● john 5, 36. and 10, 25.  because they plainly proved him to be God. The doctrine of Christ served for faith: the miracles served for the doctrine: forasmuch as they tended, either to prepare the minds of men to receive the doctrine, 
1 Cor. 14, ●  or to strengthen faith in the doctrine already received. 
john 14, 11.  Both these were committed to writing by the will and appointment of Christ himself, to further the faith and salvation of the people to the end of the world. The doctrine long since written, is no otherwise to be regarded, than the lively voice of Christ if he were among us, & we heard him preach to us, as the jews did: and the miracles that are written are no otherwise to be esteemed, 
●ede no miracles ●me oracles.  then if we saw them done before our eyes, so that we need no other, no new miracles to confirm the doctrine of Christ & of his Apostles. They were needful when the Gospel was first planted, and seemed strange in the world, as it were in the infancy of the Church. That truth is already plentifully confirmed, except we should account it new evermore. Hence it appeareth, how found & unreasonable the Romanists are that require of the Ministers of the Gospel, to confirm their calling by miracles. For thus they reason, Extraordinary callings are to be confirmed by miracles: but the planters of our Churches show no miracles; therefore their calling cannot be of God. These are like to the jews, of whom Christ speaketh, Mat. 12, 38. If I should ask of them what signs and miracles the Prophets showed, Nathan, Iddo, Obadiah, Micah, & many others, I think their best answer would be silence. We read expressly, that john the Baptist did no miracle, joh. 10, 41. yet was his calling extraordinary. The rule that Christ giveth us to discern false doctrine from the true is this, By their fruits ye shall know them, Mat. 7, 16. The doctrine that is taught is the true fruit, they are known therefore by delivering the doctrine, not by working of miracles. We teach no other doctrine than is set down in the Scripture, so that it is sufficiently confirmed by miracles already. For if the doctrine of the Apostles be our doctrine, doubtless the miracles of the Apostles are ours also, which may not be severed and divided from the doctrine itself. 
〈◊〉 defence.  This then discovereth the weakness of Turrian the jesuite, who is more ridiculous than the rest, that asketh the question, how we know that Luther was a teacher raised up of God, and what miracle he ever wrought? as also when he telleth us, that if any should ask of them, what sign they have given to them of God; they have this miracle, the Sacrament of orders. A very unorderly answer: whereby it appeareth, that he knoweth not what a miracle is. For who can call an ordinary thing a miracle? As well we may say, the preaching of the word is a miracle; yea, we may better say that the wonderful effects wrought by the Gospel are a miracle, whereby faith is wrought in the hearts of the elect, and eternal life begun in them. If we will not believe the truth of the Gospel by beholding the glorious effects which it worketh in the consciences of men, it appeareth evidently, that we would not believe, though we saw a thousand others, yea though one should come from the dead unto us, Lu. 16, 31.   

7 And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord, in the Tabernacle of witness.  
8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the Tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, & bloomed blossoms, and yielded Almonds.  
We have in these words the obedience of Moses in word and work to the former commandment, as also the performance of the promise that God made touching the budding of Aaron's rod. Consider in these words, Doctrine. 
Obedience is required of all God's servant.  that it is the property of God's children to yield obedience to his word so soon as the same is delivered and revealed unto them. All the faithful are commended in holy Scripture in this respect. The ten lepers that were commanded to show themselves to the Priest, prepared themselves immediately to go, though as yet no cleansing or curing appeared in the flesh, Lu. 17, 14, 15. they never consulted with flesh and blood, they believe that Christ was true of his word, & able to perform in deed what he had promised in word. Thus did Noah, when God commanded him to build an Ark, though he had many discouragements, the greatness of the work, the length of the time, the mockings of the wicked, the danger of putting himself into it, and committing of his life to the mercy of the raging waters, yet none of these could terrify him, 
Heb. 11, 7.  but by faith he overcame them all. Peter being commanded of Christ to let down his net to take fish, showeth, that he had wearied himself & his fellows all night, nevertheless at the commandment of Christ he let it down, & hoped for an happy issue, Lu. 5, 4, 5, 6. Thus have Gods children always done let us therefore beware of disobedience, under what pretence soever it be. Saul had his excuse, he could set a fair face upon a bad cause, but he was punished with the loss of his kingdom, 1 Sam. 15. Woe had it been to Naaman who showed himself discontented with the Prophet, because he (being before instructed of God) had willed him to wash himself seven times in jordan; he had gone away a leper as he came, if he had not hearkened to the counsel of his servants, 1 Ki. 5, 10, 12. Moses was shut out of the land of promise, because he obeyed not God in striking the Rock, 
Psal 106, 33.  but spoke unadvisedly with his lips. The Prophet received a commandment from God, that he should go to Beth●el, & reprove the idolatrous worship of the two calves that jeroboam had set up, and that he should neither eat not drink in presence with the idolaters, 1 Ki. 13, 8, 9 but because he did contrary to the commandment, he was torn in pieces of a Lion, paying the punishment of his disobedience, and teaching us by his example obedience to God.  
Again, Doctrine. observe that God performeth more than he hath promised. He only told Moses, 
God is better than his word  that the man's rod whom he had chosen should blossom, but it appeareth that for farther manifestation of the truth of his word, and the dignity of Aaron, he verified more; for the Lord did not only cause it to bring forth buds, and to bloom blossoms, but likewise to bear almonds. We see then from hence, that such is the goodness of God, that he performeth and bringeth to pass, more than he promiseth to do. He promised to Abraham to give him a child, but he gave unto him many children; for he had not only Isaac the son of promise, by Sarah, but he had Ishmael by Agar, 
Gen. 25, 1, 2, 3  Gen. 16, 15, 16. and many other by Keturah. God therefore is not only good, but much better than his word.  
Reason 1 And no marvel, for he is of infinite power, and can do much more than he will, Mat. 3, 9 and 26, 53. Secondly, he promiseth aforehand more than we can look for, to make us ready and willing to obey him, as he did to Solomon, 1 Kin. 3, 12, 13. to the end that no man should think it tedious & troublesome to come unto him. The uses remain.  
Use 1 Acknowledge from hence, the infinite goodness, mercy, and power of God. His loving kindness is incomprehensible. Hence it is, that the Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians earnestly, with his knees bowed unto the Father, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, that they being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that they might be filled with the fullness of God, Eph. 3, 18, 19, Thus than we must learn to magnify the exceeding love of God toward us, of which we have daily experience.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence we may conclude, that much more he will give unto us, whatsoever he hath promised. He cannot deceive, nor fail, nor alter that which is gone out of his mouth; it is God that cannot lie which hath promised, Titus 1, 2. He is faithful, he cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. 2, 13. As he is not deceived, so he cannot deceive; man is subject, even the best men, both to deceive and to be deceived. Doubt not therefore of his word that is better than his word.  
Use 3 Thirdly, we have comfort to go unto him in all our necessities, and great encouragement to pray unto him in time of danger, He is able to give us more abundantly above all that which we ask or think, Eph. 3, 20. We see how men in their suit to their betters commonly ask more than they look for, they cannot look for more than they ask; thinking by that means of ask largely, to obtain somewhat answerable to their expectation. But God giveth more than we ask, we do not ask more than he giveth, as all the Saints of God have found to their endless comfort, Psal. 105, 20, 21. Gen. 39, 19, 20. and 40, 14. and 41, 14, 41, 42. Ester 7, 10. compared with chap. 9, 10. Lu. 15, 22. Math. 15, 22.  
Use 4 Fourthly, see the difference between God and man. Men for the most part are liberal in promising, but sparing in performing. It is not so with God; indeed he promiseth much, but he performeth more, he is a liberal paymaster, he dealeth bountifully with his servants. When jacob was sent away to Padan Aram to his mother's father, 
Gen. 2●, ●  God promised he would be with him, that he would ●●epe him in all places whither he went, that he would bring him again to his father's house, that he would not leave him until he had done that which he had spoken unto him of: and jacob himself craved no more of God but this, that he would keep him in his way that he went, and give unto him bread to eat, and raiment to put on, Gen. 28, 15, 20. But God performed a great deal more unto him, for jacob received more, & acknowledgeth more, ch. 32, 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant: for with my staff I passed over this jordan, & now I am become two bands.  
Lastly, it is our duty to be cheerful in the Use 5 duties of our callings, the Magistrate, the Minister, the master, the servant, every one as his place requireth, in ruling, in teaching, in instructing, in obeying, seeing God will reward so plentifully. Let no hindrances or pulbacks discourage us, whatsoever we meet withal, let us pass them over, & not regard them. Let us go constantly forward, as Moses did; there were many hooks baited and laid before him to catch him, many snares set before his eyes to entangle him: but he escaped as a bird out of the net of the fowlers, 
Heb. 11, 26  because he had respect to the recompense of the reward. God rewardeth abundantly, above our deserts & desires. Our deserts indeed are little, nay none at all, but our desires are great: and yet the bountifulness of God exceedeth our desires, though they be often enlarged very far and wide. If this will not give encouragement, nothing will.  
[Behold, the rod of Aaron for the tribe of Levi was budded, & yielded almonds.] Out of these words, another point is to be considered, I mean from the flourishing of this rod, 
Doctrine  & that is, 
God is abl● give life to things tha● are quite d●  that God is able to quicken & give life to things that are dead & withered: though they have no sap, no moisture, no juice in them, yet God is able to put a vegetable force into them. This we see in Abraham & Sarah, they were in respect of generation as good as dead; for Sarah was aged and barren, and past bearing of children, for it ceased to be with her after the manner of women, Gen. 18, 11. and Abraham himself was an hundred year old, Gen. 17, 17. yet he was made a father of many Nations, even before him whom he believed, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not, as though they were. Rom. 4, 17. This we see evidently in the first creation, when out of the earth, dead in itself, he produced living creatures, and made it bring forth grass, and herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, Gen. 1, 11, and 2, 7. So when God had form man of the dust of the ground, he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, & man became a living soul.  
Again, it appeareth how God in all ages raised some out of the grave, and from the number of the dead; the dead man that was cast into the sepulchre of Elisha, so soon as he touched his bones, 
●ng. 13.21.  revived, and stood up on his feet. This we see among the miracles of Christ. When a young man was carried dead out of the gates of the City, the only son of his mother, he came and touched the Beer, and raised him to life. 
〈◊〉 7.11, 12 ●th. 9.25.  So he raised the daughter of jairus, for he took her by the hand and she arose. The like we might say of Lazarus, that had been buried and had lain four days in the grave, for when he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth, 
〈◊〉 11.43.44.  he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot, with grave clothes. So did Peter to Tabytha, a woman full of good works and alms deeds, he kneeled down and prayed, 
〈◊〉 9.40.  and turning him to the body, he bade her arise, and she opened her eyes and sat up. Hereunto also we may not unfitly apply the examples of such as have recovered out of eminent dangers, and have been in a manner, in the jaws of death, and held their souls in their hands, as Hebr. 11.17, 19 Touching Isaac, he lay bound with cords as a sacrifice upon the Altar, the knife was lifted up to have killed him, and his father ready to have offered him for a  offering, and therefore he is also said to have offered him, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. The like we might say of many other the Saints, that have had experience of God's power, who being no better than dead in their own opinions by incurable diseases, and incredible dangers, have notwithstanding been suddenly restored. Hezekiah was willed to set his house in order, for he should die, his disease was mortal, yet by prayer he obtained the prolonging of his days. When Daniel was in the lions den, and the three servants of God in the fiery furnace, Noah in the Ark upon the waters; jonah in the belly of the Whale, where were they but after a sort in death? yet all these had deliverance, and flourished again like the Almond rod in this place. The like we might say of Paul, 
Cor. 11.26, and 1.9, 10  he was pressed with trouble, out of measure, above strength, insomuch that he despaired even of life, and received the sentence of death in himself; yet God which raised the dead, delivered him from so great a death. We read in the acts of the Apostles, that he was stoned with stones, so that they drew him out of the city, supposing that he had been dead, but when the disciples stood round about him, 
〈◊〉 14.19, 20, 〈◊〉 2.27.  he rose up and came into the city. So doth this Apostle speak of Epaphroditus, he was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. This was likewise the flourishing of the Almond rod of Aaron.  
Reason 1 This is not to be marveled at, forasmuch as God is the living God, he hath life and being in himself, and he giveth life and breath and being unto other things. This is a title proper and peculiar to God, 
Matth. 22.32.  and therefore it is said, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Secondly, he is of infinite power and was Reason 2 able in the beginning to create all things of nothing, 
Heb 11.3.  so that the things which were seen were not made of things which do appear. Thirdly, he Reason 3 can take away life and breath so often as it pleaseth him, yea cast body and soul into hell. 
Psal. 104.29. Matth. 10.28.   
The uses remain. First, this was a type, as Use 1 also the whole Priesthood was, of the person, doctrine, Priesthood, and kingdom of Christ, as appeareth in many places of the Prophets. 
Esay 11.1, 2. Psal. 45.6. and 22.14.18. Act. 13.23.  Al our salvation springeth from his cross, and our life from his death, He offered up himself upon the cross for the redemption of our bodies, to obtain for us everlasting peace, perfect righteousness, and the kingdom of heaven; he rose again from death to life for our justification. 
Rom. 4, 25.  This is the rod that came out of the stem of jesse; and as a branch that grew out of his roots, who though he were put to death in the flesh, and became as a dry and withered stalk and staff that was not regarded, 
1 Pet. 3.18. Rom. 4.24.  yet he was quickened by the spirit, and God raised him from the dead, so that he became as the flourishing rod of Aaron, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, Eph. 1.7.  
Secondly, here is also a type set forth for Use 2 the confirmation of our faith in the doctrine of the resurrection of the body at the last day, which as dry seed is cast into the earth and brought to dust, yet in due time shall flourish again, as the rod of the almond in this place. Dan. 12.2. joh. 5.25. and 11.24, 25. joh. 19.25, 26, 29. This hath been taught in all ages of the Church from the very beginning, Gen. 4.10. and 5.24. Heb. 11.5. Jude ver. 14, 14. Exod. 3.6, 15. 2 King. 2.11. Esay 26.19. Notwithstanding in all ages some have been found that have denied the resurrection. Among the people of God, that Sadduces taught that man perished wholly, and that after death there is no rising or returning to life, but that he perisheth as the beast, Matth. 22.23. Act. 23.8. And the Apostle Peter foretelleth, that in the last days should mockers arise, that should say, Where is the promise of his coming? 2 Pet. 3.3, 4. and what is this else, but not to believe that Christ will come again to judgement nor raise up the dead to life? And in the Church of Corinth some were found, which said, there is no resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor. 15 12. Some have confessed the immortality of the soul, as many also of the heathen did, but touching the resurrection they have fancied it to be in this life, and not after death: so that the resurrection with them is nothing else but regeneration, to wit, a dying unto sin, and arising again to newness of life.  
The authors of this heresy seem to have been Hymeneus and Philetus, of whom the Apostle saith, Concerning the truth they have erred, saying that the resurrection is already past 〈◊〉 thereby do destroy the faith of some, 2 Tim. 2.18. Neither is this heresy dead with them, but is revived and continued in the damnable sect of the Family of love, who hold that hell and heaven are in this life, and no other resurrection of the body, or day of judgement, or coming of Christ, them in this world. To these we may join as next neighbours the Anabaptists of our times, who utterly deny that the same bodies, which now we have, and shall lie in the dust, shall ever rise again; but they hold, that God at the second coming of Christ, will make us new bodies. This is to maintain a new creation of new bodies, but to deny the resurrection of the former bodies. For it is one thing to make and another to raise up. Against all these errors, we must cleave to the simplicity of the Scriptures. 
The resurrection proved.  For this is a fundamental point of Religion, if this be shaken and overturned, all religion is pulled up by the roots. Hence it is, that the Apostle reasoneth against these at large, 1 Cor. 15. and proveth the point sound & substantially by many arguments.  

The first reason.  First, if there be no resurrection, than Christ is not yet risen from the dead, ver. 13, 15, 16. but he is already risen, and death shall have no more dominion over him, Rom. 6.9. and if the head be risen, than the members shall rise also. The head cannot be without the members: and how can that head be said to have life in it, if all the members should lie covered in the dust, and never be united to the head, neither one to another?  

The second reason.  Again, if no resurrection, then of all men the believers were most miserable, vers. 19 Here they are vexed with sundry enemies, Satan, the world, and the flesh. Lazarus here wanteth and suffereth hunger, while the rich glutton is clothed with purple, and fareth deliciously every day, Luk. 16.19. The godly weep and lament, while the ungodly rejoice and be glad, joh. 16.20. At this stone, the godly have often stumbled, Psal. 73.2, 3. jer. 12.1, 2. and from hence the reprobate take occasion to harden their hearts in wickedness, because they think there is no God will reward them that seek after him, Mal. 3.14. but they are greatly deceived, Psal. 58.11. For woe were it to all God's servants, if there were no resurrection & eternal life. But they are not the most miserable, because they are pronounced blessed by the mouth of Christ, Matth. 5.4, 6, 10, 11. Luk. 16.25. 2 Thess. 1.5, 6, etc.  

The third reason.  Thirdly, if there should be no resurrection of the godly, from death to life, than the first Adam should be more mighty and powerful, than the second: so that the second Adam should be impotent and weak, if he should not be able to deliver them from the jaws of death. Adam and Christ are compared unto two trees, 
Adam and Christ cumbered.  and both of them communicate to Use 4 their boughs and branches such things as they have of their own. Adam was as an evil and rotten tree, and therefore communicateth so men these properties and no better. Christ is the good tree and full of sap and life, and he infuseth into his members goodness and life, and no worse than these. It is not possible that an evil tree should bring forth good fruit, or a good tree evil fruit, Mat. 7.17.  
Fourthly, 
The fourth reason.  all our enemies and the enemies of Christ are to be taken clean away, & made subject to Christ and to us, ver. 25, 26. All shall be put under his feet, Psa. 8. and he must reign, until all his enemies be made his footstool, Psal. 110.1. The last enemy of the head and members is death, this shall be quite abolished at the last day, and not before. True it is, that Christ himself can die no more, Rom. 6.9. Heb. 7.25. yet he accounteth it his enemy, because it is an enemy to his children: 
How death is Christ's enemy, and how ours.  and he accounteth that as done to himself, which is done to any of his members, Act. 9 And it is our enemy, because it daily cutteth off part of our life, and seeketh to take hold of it, it weareth and wasteth our days by his messengers or harbingers, to wit, troubles and calamities, sicknesses, sores and aches: it bringeth sundry pains and dolours, it separateth the dearest and nearest friends that ever were, the body and the soul: it leadeth the body captive, and clappeth it up in a loathsome prison full of worms, and filthiness, and rottenness: it destroyeth that Tabernacle which was at the first a most glorious creature, and as far as lieth in it, it would deprive the body of eternal life, and keep it in ignominy for ever under the earth: so that it is a most spiteful & malicious enemy raging upon us without any mercy or compassion.  
Fiftly, 
The fift reason.  If there were no resurrection, to what end and purpose are any baptised for dead? if the dead rise not at all, 
Verse 23.  why are they then baptised for the dead? This place is dark, and commonly understood of the Sacrament of Baptism, but than it will not necessarily prove the point for with it is brought, and it is brought to prove the resurrection. Wherefore, to make the Apostles reason good, we must understand it, either of the washing and cleansing of the bodies of the deceased, as the word baptism often signifieth, Mar. 7.4. He. 9.10. for this was a common custom among the people of God, that first they washed the dead bodies, and then anointed them, Act. 9.37. (yea, among the heathen themselves;) which was a certain testimony to the living of the resurrection of the bodies of the dead. To this purpose doth Servius allege an old verse of the Poet Ennius, Tarquinij corpus bona foemina lavit & unxit. 
Serui. in Aeneid. lib. 6.  That is, A certain devout woman washed and anointed the body of Tarqvinius. The like doth Pliny avouch in one place of his natural histories, 
Pliny.  as the same Servius testifieth, and expresseth the cause, that thereby they might make trial whether the vital spirits yet remained in the body or not. And Virgil, 
Virgil. Ac●●● lib. 6.  declaring how the Trojanes solemnised the funeral of Misenus, hath these words, 
Pars calidos latices, & ahena undantia flammis  
Expediunt: corpusque lavant frigentis, & ungunt:  That is, 
Some brought the waters warm with heat, and cauldrons eke appoint:  
The body cold they wash, and then with ointments it anoint.   
These witnesses do sufficiently prove, that the Gentiles did ordinarily use to wash their dead, and then to anoint them, and this was a very ancient practice among them.  
Or else we may understand the place of the death and afflictions of the Saints of GOD, which they suffer for righteousness sake, in which they are overwhelmed, as the body is plunged in the waters: and thus the word is taken, Luk. 12.50. Matth. 20.22, 23. where our Saviour calleth them back from their ambitious thoughts of superiority over their fellows, and warneth them to prepare themselves for troubles, yea for death itself. This is the cup that all must drink off, 2 Tim. 3.13. Act. 14.22. Baptism properly signifieth a dipping or plunging into the water: and the cross is a certain plunging into calamities. Thus than the reason is framed, If there be no resurrection, then should they do foolishly, that would seal up the truth of the Gospel with their blood, and lay down their lives for the testimony of God: but such as resist unto blood and suffer persecution for the words sake, are not foolish. Life is precious and dear unto them as well as unto others, they would not therefore be so lavish and prodigal of it, as to lay it down, except they looked for a better life (which the Apostle farther amplifieth by his own example,) Matth. 10.39, 33. 2 Tim. 2.12. and 4.7.8. 1 Cor. 15.30, 31. Act. 5.41. & 16.25. joh. 21.19.  

●he sixth rea●n.  Lastly, the Apostle reasoneth thus, If there be no resurrection of the flesh, than the Epicures and Libertines taught well, that we should follow our pleasures and delights, eat and drink and be merry, and never mind better things, or think of any other life, like swine and beasts that know not God, vers. 32. To tell the young man, that he may freely follow the lusts of his eyes, and walk in the ways of his own heart, Eccle 11.9. or the rich man that he may take his ease and pastime while he liveth here, because when he dieth, all is lost, Luk. 12.19. or the ambitious man, that he may say in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground, Obad. vers. 3. or the secure person that liveth deliciously, that he may say, I shall see no sorrow, revel. 18.7. I have need of nothing, revel. 3.17. I say to tell them thus, is a damnable and pernicious doctrine, and not to be taught and heard in the Church of God, 1 Cor. 15.33. for this were to open a gap to all profaneness, and to hinder all practice of piety. This ministereth comfort against all pains, sorrows, afflictions, wrongs, and injuries done unto us, we shall in the end be free from all, all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, we shall shine as the Sun, and be raised again in glory, 1 Cor. 15.43.  
Thirdly, is God able to put life into things Use 3 that are dead, contrary to the course of nature? then from hence ariseth a notable comfort to all that are in trouble and affliction, though they be never so great and so desperate; he is able to restore us & bring us out of the same. When the Isralites went into the red sea, what was it, but as it were to go to present death, and descend into the grave? yet God brought them out again into a place of rest, and they beheld the confusion of all their enemies, Exod. 14.30. We are ready in every danger and trouble, to doubt, nay to despair of help and succour, which maketh many to seek unlawful means to recover themselves; we little remember this flourishing of Aaron's rod, that the Lord is able to quicken the dead, and to preserve in the midst of all peril, Psa. 33.18, 19 and 34.15.19. This point is notably taught by the Lord to Ezekiel under a type not much unlike in substance to this, chap. 37.5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14. The jews lay now under an heavy judgement, they were in captivity in Babylon, their case seemed to be desperate: yet under that parable of the dead bones, doth God comfort the people with assured hope of deliverance. For as those bones, which were showed to the Prophet in a vision, had skin, and flesh, and sinews come upon them, and life and breath put unto them; so should it be with that captived people, they should be restored to their former estate; teaching them, and in them us thereby, that as it was easy with God to raise up these dry bones, to clothe them with flesh, and to quicken them that had been dead, that they stood upon their legs again; so it is as easy, nay more easy for him to bring our souls out of trouble, and to restore us to joy and gladness. It is in his power to hear us and help us in bondage, and banishment, in sorrow and sickness, and to deliver us out of all adversity, Psal. 30.5.11. The arm of God is infinite and stretched out far and near, he is Almighty and able to bring to pass whatsoever pleaseth him.  
Lastly, this setteth forth unto us the state Use 4 and condition of all the faithful, we may behold an image of our natural estate: we are by nature borne dead in sins and trespasses, and there is no life of God in us, Ephe. 2.12. & 4.18. Nevertheless we should not despair of our salvation or of the salvation of any other. 
Ephe. 5.14. Gal. 2, 19, 20.  There is hope of God's gracious acceptance, though they be grievous offenders. The gate of God's mercy standeth wide open, whose power is so great, that of persecutors, blasphemers, and oppressors of the Church, he can make converts, professors, and preachers, Matth. 21.31, 32. 1 Tim. 1.16. 
Gal. 1.23.  This mercy of God was showed to Paul, yet it was not proper to him, but exemplary; he was made a pattern to show the way of forgiveness unto others, that he would deal in like manner with them, if after his example they should forsake their sins, and embrace the Gospel. This doth Paul teach touching the jews, that are now strangers themselves from the covenant of God and from the promises, God is able to graff them in again, albeit blindness be happened unto them, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, Rom. 11.25. He can say to the dead, live: and they shall live, as he made the withered rod to flourish. This is sufficient to keep us and our hope alive, when things seem to be almost desperate, forasmuch as we believe in him, 
Theophil. enarr. in epist. ad Rom.  to whom it is not unpossible to make them the sons of Abraham which are not his sons. And as it is easy for us to call those things that are, so it is not hard to him to raise up those things that are not, and to make them appear. When the Gentiles were no people of God, he made them his people, and raised them as it were from death to life; as also he will do the jews, if they abide not still in unbelief, Rom. 11.23. for as he brought light out of darkness in the creation, so he bringeth us from the death of sin, ignorance, and infidelity, to the life of knowledge, faith, & obedience in our regeneration.   

9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord, unto all the children of Israel, and they looked, and took every man his rod.  
10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels, and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.  
11 And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did be.  
The former miracle is made clear and open to all Israel. As God made Aaron's rod to blossom, so he would have the children of Israel to look well upon it and to take good notice of it, and to believe not the words of Moses, but their own eyes. The doctrine, All the miracles of God are wrought openly, apparently, clearly, and evidently to the senses of men, 
Doctrine. All the miracles of God are wrought openly and evidently.  that no doubt or controversy should be made of them, Luk. 7.11, 12. joh. 11.39, 44, 45. For either men might feel them as the darkness of Egypt that was palpable, or else they might hear them, or taste them, or smell them, or see them; and sometimes the most of them concur together. When the Lord brought his people out of Egypt, all the miracles which he wrought among them were most apparent unto their senses. When they went through the red sea, he made the waters to divide themselves, and to stand on an heap, on the right hand and on the left, like mighty mountains, that they did most manifestly see and behold the same with their eyes. They saw when Moses strake the stony rock, and when the waters gushed out, & they tasted of them. When God bestowed the gifts of tongues upon the Church, they heard the Apostles speak in their own tongues the wonderful works of God, Act. 2.11. When God would confirm the calling of Moses, he cast his rod upon the ground, and it became a serpent, his eye saw it, or else he could not have fled from before it, Exod. 4.3. Again, at the commandment of God, he put forth his hand, he touched it, and took it by the tail, and it became a rod in his hand, and therefore he must needs see it. 
Psal. 106.27, 28, 29, etc.  All the miracles wrought in Egypt were sensible. Their water was turned into blood, the eye saw it, the taste discerned it, and they could not drink of it. When God sent down Manna to eat, which fell among their tents, they tasted of it what it was. When Christ turned water into wine at the marriage in Cana, the taste of the ruler of the feast discerned it by and by, joh. 2.9. And the jews said unto Christ, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou dost these things? joh. 2.18. The reasons.  
First, that it might appear that God would Reason 1 not deceive his people, he dealeth plainly and openly, as he speaketh to Thomas, joh. 20.27. Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but faithful. Secondly, Reason 2 he holdeth not his in suspense & doubting, but maketh the truth of his works plain and manifest. When the disciples of Christ were troubled, and their thoughts arose in their hearts, being sore terrified & affrighted, supposing they had seen a spirit, (for he came miraculously among them, and stood in the midst of them) he saith unto them, Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have, Luk. 24.39. The uses remain.  
From this flourishing of the rod openly Use 1 showed, we learn what a miracle is, to wit, a rare work apparently wrought, by the sole omnipotent power of God above nature or natural causes. It is no usual or ordinary work, but rare and extraordinary: and therefore we read when Christ, or his Apostles by him, did any miracle, the people marveled and were astonished and amazed, and there came a sudden fear upon them, Luk. 7.16. Act. 2.12. Mat. 8.27. and 9.8. and 12.23. We cannot say, that repentance or regeneration is a miracle, though it be after a sort the raising of a man from death to life, and wrought only in a few men's hearts, in comparison of the multitude, because it is ordinarily and usually wrought in all God's children. Again, it must be wrought by God's almighty power as we have declared already. Touching the which we must know, that the omnipotent power of God cannot be communicated to any creature whatsoever, no not to the Angels in heaven. For as the Lord saith only of his wisdom, justice, and mercy, so also of his power, that he will not give his glory to any other. Again, 
Esa. 42.8.  though this power might be communicated to any other, yet there is no creature capable of it, whether in heaven or earth, none I say is able to bear it or comprehend it. This is evident in the example of Peter, when Christ had wrought a miracle before him, and thereby showed the glory of his power which in some sort he saw, he said unto him, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful men, Luk. 5.8. and Esay 6.2, 3, 4, 5. Lastly, a miracle is said to be above or against nature. Nature never had any inclination to work above itself, and so to bring forth a miracle, for that were to confound things natural and supernatural. When at the passage of the red sea, the waters stood on both parts, nature had a desire to make the waters run and flow in their course as before, therefore when they stood still as on an heap, it was contrary to the nature of them. True it is, there are many strange and wonderful works in nature, which yet are not above nature. The adamant, we see by experience, though we know not by what force, will draw iron to itself, though it be heavy, and of itself cannot possibly move from place to place, yet if it be above it, it will draw it to itself, which is strange and admirable: yet because it is not rare but usual and common, and wrought by an inherent force in the stone itself, albeit to us unknown, it cannot be accounted, neither doth any man account it a miracle. So we know the nature and power of some waters to be such, that they turn that which by nature is gold, as also any other metal into an hard stone. We see this to be true by experience, 
● Gerard ●ha● in end of it ●. cap. 166.  that whatsoever is put into it purposely, or falleth into it accidentally, is also turned into a very stone: as also there is some kind of earth that will turn stakes of wood fastened into it, into stone, as our best Herbalists do tell us. No man can show any sound reason for this, why that water or that earth should do it more than any other water or earth, yet doubtless there is a reason of it: and therefore though it be strange and wonderful, yet it is usual or ordinary, and according to the nature of the things themselves, and consequently no miracle.  
Use 2 Secondly, this condemneth the lying signs and wonders of Satan, which are mere illusions and deceits, and no true miracles. But cannot Satan work wonders & strange things? hath he no power at all that way? yes: Nevertheless, we must understand, that the power of Satan is no way equal or answerable to the power of God; it is not so great, so strong, so large, it is every way infinite less: forasmuch as there can be no comparison between a thing infinite and finite, between a creature and the creator. True it is, it is far greater than the power of men every way, and yet a limited and finite power, a natural power not a supernatural. Otherwise woe were it unto us, for then doubtless none could be saved, such is his malice and cruelty. 
〈◊〉 ledge of and ●e came  If any ask wherein it consisteth. I answer, partly in his knowledge, and partly in his actions. For a as man's knowledge is, such are his deeds; and therefore as his knowledge is great, so are his works great also. Touching his knowledge and understanding, he attaineth to it many ways. First, from his own nature, for he is not flesh & blood as we are, but a spirit, and therefore hath by nature such measure of knowledge, as is given of God to a spirit, which cannot be little. There is much more knowledge in man then is in a bruit beast, by reason of that nature which God hath given to man above the beasts. And there is much greater knowledge in the devil then in all men, because of his spiritual substance. He hath not a body which may hinder him to see the nature, quality, and operation of a spirit. A bruit beast is only corporal and visible: man is partly corporal and visible, and partly spiritual & invisible: the devil is wholly spiritual and invisible, so that being a spirit he hath the knowledge of a spirit, and consequently greater familiarity with our spirits, than otherwise he could have. Secondly, by his creation; for he was in his first estate by creation a good angel before his fall, and set by God in the Paradise of heaven, as Adam was in the Paradise of the earth: so that he had the same measure of knowledge given of God, which he gave to other Angels. So than what knowledge soever is in a good Angel by creation, the same knowledge is in Satan by his creation, and therefore must be exceeding great. I will not dispute, whether this knowledge be any way diminished, forasmuch as he still beareth the stamp of his creation this way. Thirdly since his Apostasy, he hath increased his knowledge, both of things on earth, and of the ways of God by long observation and continual experience; he knoweth the age of man, his affections, inclinations, nature and disposition; he knoweth what pleaseth him best in his youth, and in his age. If any one man had lived from the beginning of the world unto this day, perfect in sense, in body, in memory, in mind, in reason, and the like, and had daily observed all things that had fallen out heretofore, he might be able to discover wonderful things, and make himself much admired in the world. Therefore the devil must needs have great knowledge, seeing he hath had all these, he goeth about in every country and kingdom, he compasseth the earth to and fro, job 1.7. and 2.2. observing what is done in every place, and is well acquainted with their conversation. Fourthly, he increaseth his knowledge, by communication with God, or rather by receiving commandment from God to execute his will, which he maketh known unto him. The Lord commanded him to appear before him to give an account of the works he had done. God had no sooner named job, 
job 1.8, 9, 10, 11.  but by and by he knew him well enough, he knew his substance, and how God had blessed him, & therefore never asketh who he was, or where he was: he knoweth every man by Name, and he knoweth that man is ready to make show of religion in prosperity, and in adversity through impatience to fall away from his profession. God gave him liberty to afflict job in his goods, in his children, in his body: whence then hath he this knowledge, but from the revelation of the Lord? he knew that job should be visited with great sickness, and with great losses in his children and goods, and thus he knoweth many other things which are to come to pass afterward. And when he hath them thus revealed and made known unto him, he goeth many times to witches and wizards, and telleth them thereof, and they tell it to others before they happen: by which means he many ways enlargeth his kingdom.  
Fiftly, by the revelation of the Prophets in former times he attained to great knowledge, by whom many things were foretold, in which also he hath knowledge, & can allege Scripture to serve his turn, Matth. 4.6.  
Lastly, by continual observation of natural causes. An Astronomer, that is skilful in the stars, can tell, nay foretell many things: but Satan is skilful in all Arts, he can speak all languages in the world, he is the best artist and linguist that any where can be found. The second thing wherein Satan's power consisteth, is in his deeds and actions. He moved Cain to kill his brother, and prevailed. He tempted our first parents, and prevailed. He cometh to a witch in the shape of Samuel, and taketh upon him to tell what success Saul should have in the battle with the Philistims, and Saul thought it had been Samuel. He was wont to talk familiarly with men, and therefore God gave a Law, that if any consulted with familiar spirits he should die, Deut. 18.11. levit. 20.27. which law had been in vain, if none had consulted familiarly with them. So he was a liar in the mouth of all the false Prophets of Ahab, though themselves did not perceive it. So he possessed men's bodies, as we see in the Gospel, whom Christ oftentimes cast out, Matth. 8.28. and being cast out they entered into an heard of swine, and threw them headlong into the waters where they perished. And when certain Exorcists would have cast out devils in the name of jesus, the evil spirit ran upon them, and overcame them, so that they fled out of the house wounded, Acts. 19.16. Thus we see, that Satan is of wonderful power, to teach us, not to be careless in resisting of him, but to look diligently to ourselves, 1 Pet. 5.8, 9 Nevertheless, this is our comfort, that his power is limited: he is as a raging beast, but is tied up with chain: he is the strong man armed, but a stronger than he cometh, and taketh all his armour from him wherein he trusted, Luk. 11.21, 22. And albeit he make show to work miracles, he hath no such power, and therefore he doth them not openly, but closely and in the dark, as they that do evil.  
Lastly, it reproveth the miracles wrought Use 3 in the Church of Rome, of which they talk and write so much. The works whereof they boast and wherein they glory, are dark and obscure, they are not plain, open, and evident. They tell us many a sober tale in sundry legends of Saints lives, of puling souls that have appeared out of purgatory, and have taught prayer for the dead, adoration of Saints, worshipping of images, & such like superstitious practices, all tending to abuse the people, and to confirm false doctrine repugnant to the Scriptures; 
August. de unitat eccles. ca ●  of all which we may say as Austin doth, that they are, vel mendacia fallacium hominum, vel portenta mendacium spirituum; That is, either cozening tricks of deceitful men, or wonders of lying spirits. But to pass over these, let us by this property of a true miracle, examine the miracle of all miracles, much made off and mightily maintained to be in the Sacrament of the Altar (so called by the Church of Rome,) wherein after the Priest hath utterred and muttered a few words, they teach that a great miraculous work is brought forth, because the substance of the bread which was upon the altar is changed into the body of Christ by a strange Metamorphosis. If this were true, 
Transubstantiation no oracle.  it were indeed a true miracle. But if it were a miracle, men might discern it by sense, as all the miracles of Christ were discerned. Let them give us an instance, in any creature in heaven or earth, where the Lord wrought any miracle, which he did not subject to the senses of man: but here is nothing that can be discerned by the senses for as much as the bread by the judgement of all the senses remaineth, and appeareth to be the same in substance which it was before, of the same quality, quantity, colour, taste, handling, smelling, virtue, and nourishment: there is not any one sense, or all the senses together that can judge otherwise of it than it did before, & therefore it can be no miracle. No work is a miracle which cannot be felt, smelled, seen, tasted, or perceived. Wherefore, let the Church of Rome teach in their schools, writ in their books, preach in their Pulpits, and decree in their Counsels never so often, that there is a miracle wrought in their Sacrament of the Altar, yet because we can neither see, nor touch, nor taste, nor feel any thing, but the same that it was before, we cannot believe them. But they tell us, Object. that though the outward form and accidents of the bread remain, yet the substance of it is turned into the body of Christ: which though we cannot perceive by our senses, yet we are bound to receive by faith. I answer, Answer. that if the natural body of Christ were there present, we might feel him, as Thomas did, forasmuch as Christ still retaineth his true body, albeit it be now glorified. Wherefore, seeing there is no miracle in the Supper apparent to the senses, there can be no miracle at all. The difference which is, is in the use: before it was common bread, ordained for the nourishment of our bodies: now it becometh holy bread sanctified by the Lord, not so much to feed the body as the soul. To conclude then, by this strange and new found miracle, they overturn the doctrine of the Scriptures touching miracles. For whereas we have showed that a miracle is a rare work apparently to the senses, wrought by the sole omnipotent power of God; they make it to be an usual, common, and ordinary work, wrought by every Priests pronouncing of five words, yet so as no sense at all can discern of it.   

12 And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish:  
13 Whosoever cometh any thing near to the Tabernacle of the Lord, shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?  
Hitherto of the first part of the Chapter, here followeth the second part, to wit, the repentance of the people, craving to be delivered from present death, and from their sin wherewith they had provoked God to anger. As if they had said, We acknowledge that we deserve to die and perish through our sins, neither did we know so much until the plague that broke in among us, taught us, and the blossoming of the rod convinced us to our faces. We presumed to meddle with the office of the Priesthood that belonged not unto us, and therefore we deserve justly and worthily to die. But is there no place for mercy and forgiveness? We may observe from hence, that this should be the effect of all punishments (which God bringeth upon sinners) to humble us, 
●●d. explic. ●●m.  to make us avoid sin, and to submit ourselves to God with all obedience. Again, we must never despair of God's mercy, which is greater than our sins, as a garment wider than the body, and therefore more than able to cover the nakedness thereof. Thirdly, we must acknowledge and confess our sins to God, because all sin is committed against God, him only we have offended, Psal. 51.4. Briefly also learn, that the first degree of pardon, is to know that our sins are pardonable; this is as a spark of light in a dark night, and giveth hope of great mercy. But to leave these particulars, this is the general doctrine, In all chastisements, 
●trine. ●t is to be ●owled- just in all chastise●ts.  how grievous and sharp soever they be, God is to be acknowledged just and righteous in laying them upon us, Dan. 9.6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 19 Ezr. 9.6.10, 13, 15. Psal. 51.4, 5. 2 Sam. 24.10.  
The reasons which are as the grounds of this truth are evident; First, because his punishments, though many times they be grievous burdens to bear, yet are always less than our deserts and offences, Psal. 103.10. He dealeth not with us according to our offences. Secondly, our sins are the procuring causes of all the evils which we suffer, Mic. 7.9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him. So then the cause of all our sufferings is in ourselves. Thirdly, in all his corrections and judgements he remembreth mercy, Hab. 3.2. We see this often in this book, though the whole people sinned as one man, yet judgement came not upon the whole, but the merciful God striketh some to admonish and amend others.  
The uses follow. First, it reproveth such Use 1 as stand out with God, and are ready to justify themselves, and accuse God of overmuch sharpness and severity. These men never consider Gods manifold blessings and their own unthankfulness unto him, who reneweth his mercies toward us every morning, Lam. 3.23. But we render unto him evil for good, and hatred for his good will. We are like unto stubborn children, that murmur under the rod, and cannot abide correction. So it is with us, we can abide to sin, but we cannot abide to suffer. We regard not how much we provoke him, but we care not how little he punish us. It is one of the hardest things in the world, to justify God, and to condemn ourselves worthy of eternal death and damnation. We see it from the beginning in our first parents, they sought shifts and fig leaves to cover the nakedness of their souls, more than they did the nakedness of their bodies; as indeed there appeared much more deformity in the one, then in the other, and they had more cause to be ashamed of the nakedness of their souls, then of their bodies. For sin maketh us naked of God's protection, and causeth him to departed from us: it taketh away our shield and defence, and leaveth us in the hands of our enemies.  
We see also in the example of Achan, 
Iosh 7.  & of Saul, 1 Sam. 15. how hardly they were drawn to confess their sins: they heard sentence pronounced against them, before they would pronounce sentence upon themselves. Let us not tarry until God judge us, but rather learn betimes to judge ourselves.  
Secondly, let us humble ourselves under Use 2 the mighty hand of God, 1 Pet. 5.6. and when he draweth out his sword, let us not say, we are righteous, like the Pharisee that condemned another, but justified himself, Luk. 18. rather let us cry out in the ears of God, Spare Lord, joel 2.17. and confess that it is his mercy that we are not utterly consumed, Lam. 3.22. When Eli heard the punishment that God had determined to bring upon him and his house for the wickedness of his profane sons, he answered with all humility, It is the Lord, let him do whatsoever pleaseth him, 1 Sam. 3.18. God loveth a broken and contrite heart, it is a sacrifice wherein he greatly delighteth.  
Lastly, let us make our whole life a continual practice of unfeigned repentance, and labour for godly sorrow, that we may mourn and afflict our souls for sin, because it is sin, a breach of God's law, and displeaseth him. Sin will not lodge long, where it is not cherished, and made much off, and entertained with delight. It is as a guest that will not lodge in such houses where he is not welcome: but if once you make much of him and delight in him, than he is an importunate and a shameless guest, you shall hardly rid your house of him. In the word of God, we find sundry means and motives to move us to enter these meditations. 
Motives moving us to repentance,  First, the commandment of God himself, so often urged and repeated, jer. 3.12. and 8.6. and 18.11. This was the voice of john crying in the wilderness, Repent, bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life Matth. 3.8. This doctrine was preached in Paradise to our first parents, and was afterward figured out by circumcision before the Law, and by their purification after the Law, Esay 1.16. Wash you, make you clean. Again, such as repent not, lie under the bondage of Satan, they are as captives & prisoners bound to obey his will, and to do him service. 2. Tim. 2.26. Thirdly, such as die without repentance, remain for ever without remission and forgiveness. They are lost children, and must needs perish, if they repent not before, 2 Pet. 3.9. Luke 13.3. Fourthly, the threatenings denounced & executed upon the rebellious and disobedient, are made examples and admonitions unto us: his vengeance justly fallen upon others, should serve to amend us, 1 Cor. 10.5.6. 2. Pet. 2.3, 4. Psal. 7.11, 12. Fiftly, the certainty and suddenness of the last and general judgement, which shall come as a thief in the night, when the heavens themselves shall pass away with a noise, and the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works therein shall be burnt up, What manner of persons therefore ought we to be in holy conversation and godliness? 2 Pet. 3.10, 11. and 2 Cor. 5.10. We must all appear before the judgement seat of God, that we may receive the things done in this body, whether good or evil. This last day is called a day of Revelation, Rom. chap. 2. ver. 5. Lastly, we must be all led to repentance by the unspeakable fruits that follow it; as pardon of sins, reconciliation with God, peace of conscience, hearing of our prayers, and in the end blessedness in the heavens, Ezek. 33.11.    

CHAP. XVIII.  

1 ANd the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons, and thy father's house with thee, shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your Priesthood.  
2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father bring thou with thee, that they may be joined, etc.  
3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels, etc.  
4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge, etc.  
IN the latter end of the former Chapter, the people are brought in confessing their sins, and craving pardon of God: We heard their grief and sorrow for their sins, and bewailing their transgressions past, and saying, Shall we perish utterly? and is there no hope of forgiveness? Now we have in this Chapter, the answer of God to this question, which did proceed from a feeling of their sin, and a fear of present death, which they had justly deserved. For Moses declareth how God showed himself reconciled, notwithstanding their manifold provocations; he cannot keep his anger for ever, but returneth unto them in mercy, when they turn unto him by repentance. 
The division of this Chapter.  Concerning the which reconciliation, we must consider in this Chapter, two points, first the persons procuring the atonement, which were the Priests & Levites attending to the Ministry of the word and Sacraments; secondly, the things appertaining unto them and to their charge: as also the next Chapter delivereth such things as belong to the people. Now the commandment belonging to them both, to wit, both to the Priests and Levites, which are here said to be brethren, 
All the Minister's ough to be as children, Matth 23.8. 2 Pet 15. Heb. 13.22. 1 Pet 12.  is directed to Aaron, and not to Moses, because this was a mere Church matter; Ecclesiastical, not civil: and his Priesthood was newly ratified to him by the authority of God, and by a notable miracle in the flourishing of the Almond rod, Chap. 17.8. The sum and effect is this, that the Priests should minister in the Sanctuary & at the Altar, but the Levites should minister unto the Priests, and both of them both for themselves & the people. First therefore the charge of the Sanctuary is committed to Aaron and his sons, and to the oversight of the Levites, to the eight ver. that the service of God might not be profaned either by themselves or by any other, lest they made themselves guilty of sin: whereby the Lord would signify, that there was indeed no cause why any should envy them this dignity, forasmuch as it was joined with such danger and difficulty. The burden of the Priesthood was so great, and lay so heavy upon their shoulders, that they were threatened to be punished, if the worship of God, which ought to be performed with all reverence, were profaned through their default. From hence we learn, that as every sin is in it own nature great, so are these sins the greatest and most heinous, which are committed against a man's particular place and calling wherein God hath set him, 
●e. ●nnes ●test ●e ●ed ● man's are  job 2.9. The Prophets denouncing judgements against sundry persons, do single them out for neglecting of personal duties. The Prophet Micah threateneth the Rulers and men of might, that they hate the good and love the evil, Who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones: they break their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron, Mic. 3.2, 3. Thus also he noteth out the falsehood of the Prophets, that made the people of God to err and cry peace, ver. 5. The idolatrous kings are most of all taxed for the abuse of their calling, not so much for private faults, as other men; but for their erecting or suffering of idolatry which they ought to have pulled down: yea, the good kings are often blemished that way, because they reform not the abuses that publicly reigned. The Psalmist, exhorting judges to their duty, and reproving evil in them, saith, How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Psal. 82.2. The Apostle saith of himself, Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel, 1 Cor. 9.16. he doth not say, if I live profanely, as also he might have done, but he mentioneth the sin of his proper calling as the greater evil. The reasons follow.  
First, because God hath set men in several places and callings, and given them their limits and bounds that they should not pass. If then they break these bounds, as the waters do their banks, it must of necessity follow, that they commit a far greater sin against God, because they cast his cords from them, and will not suffer themselves to be tied with them, as we might easily show in the examples of Vzzah the Levite, 2 Sam. 6.7. and Vzziah the king, 2 Chron. 26.19.  
Secondly, from the proper works of our callings we have our name and denomination. For as our calling is, so we are esteemed: as this man is said to be a Minister: that man a Magistrate: another a master; another a servant: and therefore those offences are the greatest which rush against our proper functions. It is noted that when Ahab began to reign, he did evil in the sight of the Lord, above all that were before him, 1 King. 19.30. and wherein did he evil? or what is he charged withal? the holy Ghost might have said, because he shed much innocent blood: but the evil wherewith he is charged, is, that he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he had built, verse 32. and made a grove to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger. The uses.  
This teacheth that all sins are not equal, Use 1 and that the same sins in several persons are not equal. The persons make a great difference concerning the sin, forasmuch as the person is, so the sin is. Ignorance is one and the same sin in whomsoever it be, whether in the Minister, or in a private man: but in respect of his office, in the Minister more than in another. If a thief shall rob a man by the high way side, it is an offence, but it is not accounted so great an offence, because it is his practice. But if a judge, which should minister justice indifferently to all, and doth sit in judgement upon the common thief, if he shall rob or spoil a man, it is much the greater in regard of his place and office, wherein God hath set him. For he sinneth against his own calling, which he professeth: whereas the thief hath through custom made that his calling, albeit a foul and faulty calling.  
Secondly, as we must avoid all sin, so especially Use 2 those sins that are committed against our calling, & against the main scope of our profession, forasmuch as they are most heinous above all others, and do most dishonour God, and deserve the greatest punishment. Some men would account it a small offence for the Prophet, that was sent out of Bethel to cry aloud against the altar, to return back, and to eat bread and drink water in the house of the old Prophet: but because he sinned against his special calling, 1 King. 13.9.16. therefore he was devoured of a Lyon. If the Minister of the word shall be ignorant in the Scriptures, and not able to instruct the people, he shall be more punished than a private man, because he ought especially both to have and to teach knowledge. It is more shame for a Lawyer that professeth the law, to be ignorant in the Law, then for another that is no way toward it. It is a sin in fathers that teach not their children, and masters their servants: but more for the Ministers not to teach their people. This made Christ our Saviour pronounce an heavy sentence against the expounders of the Law, Lu. 11.52. Woe unto you ye Lawyers: for ye have taken away the key of knowledge, ye enter not in yourselves, and them that were entering in, ye hindered. The woman was created and appointed of God to be an helper and comforter unto her husband; if then she shall grieve and vex him, 
Gen. 2.18.  her sin is far the greater than if another do it, because she sinneth against her calling and creation, and is thereby made the less excusable, as appeareth in jobs wife, whom he doth more sharply reprove, than he doth others, chap. 2.10. and 19.17. The like we might say of all other callings, of the Minister toward the people, and the people toward their Minister.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth us the cause why many of Gods own people are more sharply punished in this life for the most part than others, and why they suffer more for less sins than the ungodly do here for far greater, because they sin against their vocation and profession, because they are partakers of the heavenly calling, Heb. 3.1. Which words the Apostle useth as a reason to persuade to be obedient unto Christ: and therefore their sins are greater than of others that never had that calling, which know not what this heavenly calling meaneth. Moses and Aaron for a little want of Sanctifying the Name of God, and that but once at Meribah, were notwithstanding punished with this, that they should never enter into the land of Canaan; whereas many a profane and wretched man that sinned a thousand times more, entered into it: the reason is, because they sinned against their calling, unto which God had called them. So likewise for the children of God, to profane the Sabbath, is a greater sin, and they may look for a more fearful punishment for the same in this life, than the wicked shall have, because they sin against their heavenly vocation. And if they be not careful to order their families aright, to look to their children and servants that they serve the Lord, they may expect greater judgements from God than others that peradventure are a thousand times worse, and have their houses more a thousand times unreformed, as we see in the example of Eli otherwise a good man: for he & his whole house were overturned and destroyed, 1 Sam. 4.17, 18, 20. because God hath a purpose to condemn profane persons utterly in the life to come. The like we might say of David, he committed adultery but once, with Bathsheba the wife of Vriah, yet did GOD threaten to raise up evil out of his own house, so that he would take his wives, and give them to his neighbour that should lie with them in the sight of the Sun: and not long after did his son commit incest with his daughter. Thus did God severely punish his own servant, whiles many unclean persons live in filthy adultery, and daily embrace the bosom of a stranger, who notwithstanding taste no such punishment; their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them, job 21.9.  
Seeing this is so, we should not judge hardly and uncharitably of professors, because we see the hand of God sometimes to be heavy upon them, and more than upon others: but rather consider, it is or may be for the sins of their profession, and that afflictions fall out a like: for judgement must first begin at the house of God, 1 Pet. 4 17. he will first set in order his own house, and his own children, and will deal more severely with them for smaller sins in this life, than he will with the ungodly for greater in this life, whom he specially reserveth for his wrath to come, Nah. 1.2. Let all those therefore, that make an holy profession of serving the Lord in truth, lay these things to their hearts, and not suffer themselves to be carried away with the force of sin: for God will surely meet with them, his hand shall first find them out, howbeit always for their good, whiles he seemeth not to regard nor reward the sins of the wicked: so that we must beware of those sins which are against our place and calling wherein God hath set us.  
Lastly, every one must be careful to walk Use 4 carefully in the duties of their particular callings with a good conscience, that so they may please God, and take occasion to rejoice before him; looking to the ordinance of God, who hath set and appointed distinct callings in the family, in the Church, and in the commonwealth, 1 Cor. 7.7, 21, 22. Ephe. 4.11.12. Acts 20.26. There can arise no comfort to us that we belong to God, though we seem never so careful in the general duties of Christianity, if we fail in the special parts of our several callings. That Minister which liveth in all the common duties of other Christians, and yet doth not or cannot guide the people and feed them with the food of life, is a wicked Minister, and there belongeth to him a fearful woe, Woe to the shepherds of Israel that feed themselves; should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezek. 34.2. jer. 23.1. Zach. 11.17. Such are not able to blow the trumpet, and therefore shall not deliver their own souls. That governor of a family which regardeth not to provide things necessary for them, so far as he may, and according to the means given unto him, is an evil governor, he is worse than the infidel, and hath denied the faith, 1 Tim. 5.8.  
Again, he that regardeth not the education of his children, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Ephe. 6.4. is an evil and wicked father, howsoever he may deceive himself in thinking himself to be a good Christian. For hereby we shall indeed try what is in every one, if we mark and regard what is in them in regard of private and particular duties in their several callings. I have oftentimes observed, that many people when they come abroad, behave themselves in the company of others very religiously and devoutly, they are ready to join with others in all holy duties; but mark what they are at home, and within the walls of their own houses, and you shall see them to be quite other men and women and not the same, never a whit careful to discharge their duties in their special callings.  
There are sundry persons that would be judged of others to be Christian men, but they do not show themselves privately to be Christian governors, nor Christian husbands. And many women bear themselves publicly as Christian women of an holy conversation, who notwithstanding want the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price, neither show that subjection toward their husbands that ought to be in Christian wives, 1 Pet. 3.4, 5. It is not enough to profess ourselves to be Christian men when God hath blessed us with children and servants, but hereby we shall be tried what is in us, whether Christ be in us & dwell in our hearts by faith or not, if we approve ourselves to be Christian parents, and Christian masters.   

5 And ye shall keep the charge of the Sanctuary, and the charge of the Altar, that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.  
6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
here the Lord teacheth how Aaron and his sons should behave themselves toward the Levites, and likewise the Levites toward Aaron and his sons. For he willeth them to admit the Levites to the administration of holy things, but so, as they help them only in inferior things, not in the chiefest part of their Ministry. He will not have them come near to the Altar to sacrifice, neither to enter into the inner parts of the Tabernacle, which belonged only to the Priests themselves.  

difference ●eene the ●g of the ●s and ●es.  here than we see, that God maketh a difference between the Priests and the Levites, and also wherein the difference consisteth: the more excellent dignity is committed to the Priests, the lesser to the Levites. They that had the higher calling were not to contemn the others, and they that obtained the lower place were not to grieve at it, or to envy at others, but God maintaineth peace and unity among them, so that both must be content, and one be ready to help another. And whereas God permitted not the Levites to offer sacrifice, or to enter into the Sanctuary, and that if either any of them or of the people should presume to do it, he appointeth death to them that broke this his ordinance, the cause is, that we should know that none hath power to reconcile us to himself and to give us entrance into his presence, but Christ himself only, whose person and office was figured out in Aaron and his sons.  
Wretched therefore and blasphemous is the practice of the Papists, who go about to make reconciliation between God and his people by their idolatrous Masses offered up for the quick and the dead, whereby as much as lieth in them, they crucify again the Lord of life, and are no better than the betrayers and murderers of him. Evil also is the practice of all hypocrites, who by the merits of their own good works do think to procure and purchase unto themselves the favour of God: for they are so far from attaining hereunto by their blind devotion, that they offend God the more, and provoke his wrath and indignation against their own souls.  
Again, note in this difference which God maketh between the Priests and Levites, how necessary and profitable it is, that there should be order kept and observed in the Church. 
Marbucch comment. in Nun.  There is not only one office and function in the Church, but many and divers: neither can one man discharge all places without presumption, nor all discharge one without confusion, and therefore to avoid both, there ought a comely order to be observed, of which we have often spoken before. As then in the body of man, every member hath his proper function, so that if one should usurp to do all, or all to do one only, there would follow the destruction of the body: for the hand laboureth for the whole, the eye seethe, and the ear heareth for the good of the rest of the parts: the mouth receiveth meat, and delivereth it to the stomach, the stomach employeth it to all the rest: so should it be in the Church, every member must do his own duty, and employ himself to the common profit and edification of the whole. But to omit these, observe that the Levites are said to be given of God to Aaron and his sons to assist them, and consequently for the good of the whole congregation. From whence learn this doctrine, that a good Minister is a special gift of God, 
Doctrine. A good Minister is a special blessing of God.  and a special token of his favour which he bestoweth upon his Church. The Lord is many ways gracious unto his Church, and poureth out many blessings upon it, howbeit none more excellent or worthy then to give this blessing which now we speak off, to send faithful teachers, Deuteronomy, chapter 18. verse 18. I will raise them a Prophet, Esay, chapter 66. verse 19, 31. jeremy, chapter 3. verse 14, 15. Matthew, chapter 23. verse 34. When God began to plant a settled state of Religion among his people, he commanded that the Tribe of Levi should be sanctified to be the public teachers of the Church, to instruct them in the will of God; showing thereby that Religion would not be upholden, without some special means and instruments to direct the people therein. The reasons are evident.  
First, they are his only gift, because he is Reason 1 the Lord of the harvest, as also he is Lord of the Sabbath wherein they exercise their gifts. Who then shall reap down the corn when the fields are white unto the harvest, john, chapter 4. verse 35. and gather it into the barn, but such labourers as he shall set on work, Matth. 9.37?  
Secondly, he only is able to furnish them Reason 2 with sufficiens gifts for the work of the Ministry. Therefore when the Lord jesus ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men, in the day of his triumph, when he road in his chariot, as a glorious conqueror, and led all his enemies, even captivity captive, as it were in chains of iron, Ephes. 4.11, 12. Hence it is, that the functions and gifts for the Ministry, are particularly named in the most gracious promises which God hath made of the best things to bestow on the Church under the kingdom of Christ, Esay 59.20, 21. joel 2.28, 29.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, the Ministry is the ordinary means which God hath left to bring us to salvation: for how shall we believe without a Preacher? Roman. 10.14. For the Apostle showeth that hearing is necessary to faith, faith to prayer, and prayer to salvation, and therefore also it is necessary that there be preaching, that so men may hear.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, as good Pastors are tokens of God's love to his people, which do good in their places, and labour to turn many to righteousness: so on the contrary, to have evil and ignorant Pastors are tokens of God's wrath and judgement, as Saul was given to the Israelites in judgement to be a plague unto them. These win souls to Satan, and increase his kingdom. For an evil Minister is the devils collector, 
An evil Minister is the devils collector.  he gathereth souls for him, but he scattereth them from God. Or else I may call them the devils shepherds, whom he hath appointed to keep his sheep. For as God saith, I will give you Pastors according to my heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding: so the devil saith, I will give you idol Pastors according to my heart, that shall fill you full of ignorance and blindness. These supply the places of true Pastors, but they can do nothing, for the sheep of Christ cannot feed in their pastures, they are so bare and so barren that they cannot live upon them, and therefore they that live under them cannot thrive. Happy it were for the sheep, if either such shepherds were removed from the sheep, or the sheep from such shepherds. Such drones seek nothing but their own ease, who never consider that the Ministry is a calling of great work and labour. These may be Ministers for the devils tooth, or after men's hearts, but they cannot be after Gods own heart. They are blind guides which run before the Lord send them, he taketh no pleasure either in these silly shepherds, or in those foolish people that are contented with them. These are such merchants as gain many souls to the devils coffers by doing nothing. Other merchants gain by compassing sea and land, 
Matth. 23.24.  and traveling far and near, by labouring and taking great pains: but these sit idle all the day long, they labour not in the Lord's vineyard and yet by their ease and idleness they every the devils kingdoms, and bring him in many thousand souls. These are the devils factors, 
Idle Ministers are the devils factors.  by them he getteth, & and groweth rich. The devils traffic is all for souls, he careth for no other merchandise: now the idle and ignorant Minister is his factor who sendeth them in these Wares by heaps and by throngs: he shippeth them with great pleasure, and putteth himself in the same bottom, and then ship and all go to the devil, who sitteth ready in his counting house to receive them all, and to give them such entertainment as he hath to give. Woe unto such factors, woe unto such people: woe unto such deceivers, woe unto them that are so deceived. Nevertheless, it is strange to consider, now the greatest part of the people are enamoured of them, though they be the greatest & most dangerous enemies that they have: because howsoever they may, otherwise make much of them, yet indeed they withhold all succour and sustenance from them, and consequently starve them, and kill them.  
Secondly, there is great punishment attending Use 2 upon the contempt of this excellent gift, Deut. 18.19.10, 11. 2 Chro. 36.15, 16. 2 Thes. 1.7, 8, 9 and 2.9, 10, 11, 12. This meeteth with sundry abuses, that savour rankely of the rejecting of this great mercy, and therefore let such take heed that God do not also reject them. Woe then to the Anabaptists, the Family of love, and such like Enthusiastes, who refuse the Ministry under the pretence of revelations: whereas the Lord hath revealed unto us the dignity of the Ministry, and therefore the word hath revealed, that their revelations are devilish delusions, whereby they are seduced, to bring them to destruction. Woe also unto the common sort of besotted Christians, who think their home devotions enough, and their own reading sufficient to bring them to heaven: not considering that in their reading they want a guide to interpret. The Eunuch could read the Scriptures as well as they, he needed not to have come to jerusalem to learn to spell his words and name his letters, and yet when he was asked of the meaning and interpretation, and whether he understood the words of the Prophet, he answered, How can I except I have a guide? Acts 8.31. But these will be their own guides, and therefore let them take heed lest they miss the way that leadeth to the kingdom of heaven. They will be their own Pilots to guide the ship, let them therefore take heed lest they suffer shipwreck, and be drowned. Reading is good, but it is not good enough, like a medicine that hath strength in it, but is not strong enough to cure the disease. The men of Berea could read, and did read and search the Scriptures daily at home, yet they came diligently to hear Paul preach unto them, Acts, chapter 17. verse 11. Woe also to all profane Atheists, who despise all means of salvation, having no regard at all to God or his word, at home or abroad, publicly or privately.  
Do these believe the doctrine that now we have in hand? Do they think that a good Minister is a precious gift of God? when by their continual practice they make it manifest that they regard neither Minister, nor yet Ministry; neither the glad tidings of salvation, nor those that bring the same? The world is stored and replenished with such open contemners of the Gospel, which are enemies to their own peace, to their own lives, to their own souls, to their own salvation.  
Use 3 Thirdly, from hence ariseth much instruction to the Minister himself. Let us examine ourselves, whether we be the true Ministers of God or not, that we may assure our own hearts, we are as a gift of God given unto the Church. This hath many branches. First, we must labour for a competency and sufficiency of gifts, that so we may approve ourselves to be the Ministers of Christ, planted by him. But such as are rash and heady in entering upon this calling before they are qualified, I do not mean by men but by God, are presumptuous persons, and are not a gift given to the churches where they have set themselves, because they are no way fitted thereunto. Secondly, we must be diligent in our calling, in the use of our gifts which we have received, that we suffer them not to rest & to rust in us, lest thereby they decay and be lost. If we use them conscionably, we keep them surely: if we use them not, we lose them. The gifts & graces of God do not wear by use, but do exceedingly increase, for we have a promise, that we shall have abundance, Mat. 13, 12. Thirdly, we ought to labour above all things to seek the good of the people, unto whom we are given, not our own good or to get goods, as if we were sent for our own profits. The end that we must aim at, is the edification, instruction, and salvation of others, not our own private gain or promotion, nor the vain applause of the world to magnify ourselves, as the manner of many is. The popish Church never regard this: they ordain their Priests to say Mass, & to minister the Sacrament of the Altar, but send them not forth to preach the Gospel. They have many sacrificers, but few preachers. But the ends that we must propound unto ourselves, are, the glory of God, the good of the Church, and the discharge of a good conscience, that so we may say with the Apostle, Brethren, my heart's desire is, that Israel may be saved, Rom. 10, 1. If we do these things, blessed are we: we shall be such Pastors as God liketh and approveth, such as have our calling from him, and our gifts from him: we shall teach for him, and reprove for him.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is the duty of the people (whatsoever they be) to magnify the work of the Ministers, and by all means to promote it, for thereby we further the glory of God, and enlarge the kingdom of Christ jesus. This also hath many particular branches. First, we are bound to pray to God and to commend unto him the Ministry as his own ordinance. For if the Ministers be a special gift of God, to whom should we go, or of whom should we ask this gift, but of him that is the giver of every good gift, and of every perfect gift? We must pray to God to send them where they are wanting, Mat. 9, 37. We must pray for the continuance of them where they are granted, and for the blessing of God upon their labours, that God would accept the work of their hands, Deu. 33, 11. We must be thankful to him for bestowing this gift upon us, which he hath denied to many places and people.  
Secondly, we must repent of those sins which may hinder either the obtaining or the continuing of it. For as the Prophet truly teacheth, that our sins withhold good things from us: so it is certain, that God oftentimes denieth this blessing for the wickedness; & being once granted, removeth it for the unthankfulness of the people, because they are not earnest with God to have it and keep it, neither walk worthy of it when they have obtained it, Esay 62, 7. Give him no rest, till he establish and till he make jerusalem a praise in the earth.  
Thirdly, we should have this gift of God in precious account, to make a reverent use of it, in being subject, unto it, governed by it, and reform according to the same: because therein we are subject to Christ, as the Apostle willeth us to obey them that have the oversight of us, 
Heb. 13, 17.  and submit ourselves unto them, which watch for our souls, and must give an account for us. Let every one examine himself, whether he make this use of the word; if we do, than we receive the Minister as a gift of God: if we do not, then we do not only reject the Minister, but God himself that gave him and sent him to us; for he hath said, He that despiseth you, despiseth me. 
Luke 10, 16.   
Fourthly, lament the estate of the church▪ which is destitute or deprived of this gift, as Psal. 74, 9 We see not our signs, there is not one Prophet more, nor any with us that knoweth how long! We must acknowledge therefore, that great is the misery of that people, which want the ordinary preaching of the word. Alas, they see no vision, how then can they but decay? Pro. 29, 18. They have no Shepherd, what then shall the silly sheep do, but wander up and down they know not whither? They have blind guides to lead them, how then can they escape falling into the ditch? All knowledge and obedience will soon decay, if the word be not preached, as the grass withereth without rain, the body pineth without food, and the lamp goeth out without oil.  
Fiftly, it directeth such as are Patrons of benefices whom they should present, namely such as they may commend as a gift of God: let him choose them before they make choice of him: & let the gifts of God in him commend him, before any writ letters of praise for him. They shall one day answer to God for the souls of such as perish through their default, There is no dallying with Church-livings, let them therefore provide sufficient Preachers for their own discharge in the great day of account.  
Sixtly, as they must look unto it, that have power to present, so must they that have authority to institute; for if they lay their hands rashly upon any, they are thereby partakers of other men's sins, 1 Tim. 5, 22. and therefore they ought to endeavour to keep themselves pure.  
seventhly, touching the people, they must acknowledge themselves unworthy of such a blessing, and not take it as a fruit of their own deservings. We can deserve no good thing, much less the greatest good. We cannot deserve our daily bread that nourisheth the body, much less our spiritual meat that feedeth the soul. A good Pastor cometh not as lands and livings by inheritance: & therefore as Solomon speaketh of a good wife, so we may say of a good Minister, House and riches are the inheritance of fathers, but a good Minister is the gift of God. Prou. 19, 14.  
Eightly, our duty to God is to love him a-againe that hath so loved us; and to give unto him our hearts, our souls and bodies, that hath given unto us such a gift. He could not ●estifie his favour toward us more, than by such a sure pledge and love-token. This the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 147, 13, 14, 15. where he praiseth God for many blessings, but for the word as a most special blessing above all the rest, and far surmounting all such things as are common to all nations and people; He showed his word unto jacob, his statutes and his judgements unto Israel: 
Ps. 147, 19, 20  he hath not dealt so with any nation; and as for his judgements they have not known them. So then, among all the Lords gifts none is comparable to have faithful Pastors to feed men's souls with knowledge and understanding, and so to bring salvation unto them. True it is, God hath many graces in store for us, he giveth riches, and health, and wealth, it is he that healeth all our infirmities, and restoreth us from sickness: but the gift of the Gospel is above all, which being entertained, bringeth salvation unto all men. The other also are graces, they are enriching graces, healthy graces, wealthy graces, healing graces; but this is a saving grace. Therefore the Prophet saith, If thy word had not been my comfort, I had perished in my affliction, Psal. 119, 92. Ninthly, the people should love their feet that bring glad tidings of good things, & account them best welcome unto them. True it is, the ungodly and profane of the world can see no such benefit in it, nor such good to come by it, as to be any way beholding to God the giver, or to the Minister that is the messenger: Satan the god of this world hath blinded their eyes, so that they are become like swine which find more savour in the mire of this earth, them in the sweet perfumes of the Gospel, or like to children that value a beautiful toy before a precious stone. These account them their enemies that tell them the truth as Ahab did, 1. King. 21, 20. they think they come to trouble them, as Herod & all jerusalem thought of Christ. 
Math. 2, ●.   
Lastly, all good people such as are God's people, should earnestly desire to live under the Ministry of the word, where this gift of God is: that they may always hear the holy doctrine of salvation sounding in their ears, remembering that faith cometh by hearing, Ro. 10, 17. We see how careful commonly men are to dwell in wholesome and healthy places, where a sweet air is: so if we desire the health and wealth of our souls, let us frequent the preaching of the word, and keep the Sabbath with our families, by hearing the voice of God. As for those barren places where no corn groweth, and where no dew nor rain falleth, they are unwholesome, fly from them: they are dangerous, come not near them. Hence it is, that the word coupleth preaching and believing together, and therefore let no man put them asunder, joh. 17, 20. Acts 8, 12, and 14, 1. 1 Cor. 15, 1, 2. No man can be saved except he be called for whom he did predestinate, them he also called, Rom 8, 30. but he calleth none by his voice from heaven but by his word in the earth. Either he calleth immediately by himself, or mediately by his Ministers: but now he hath ceased to call immediately, and if we wait for such a calling, we wait upon our own vanity, & we do but deceive ourselves, like Herod that waited for the wisemen, but they never came unto him. If then we would be saved, we must first be called: and if we would be called, we must hear God's Ministers speak unto us and call unto us out of his word.   

8 And the Lord spoke unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings, of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel, etc.  
9 This shall be thine of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, etc.  
10 In the most holy place, etc.  
11 And this is thine, the heave offering of their gift, etc.  
12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, etc.  
13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, etc.  
14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.  
15 Every thing that openeth the matrice, etc.  
16 And those that are to be redeemed, etc.  
17 But the firstling of a Cow, etc.  
18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, etc.  
19 Al the heave offerings of the holy things, etc.  
We see here that God would have the Priests to be wholly occupied in the Ministry of his service: & therefore they could not get their living with the labour of their hands, or by tilling of the ground; they might not be Merchants, Artificers, or Farmers, but must wholly attend upon the work of the Tabernacle, so that the Lord showeth by what means they should live, and how he would have them maintained. And first of all he speaketh of the stipend of the Priests which had the worthier calling; they were to be maintained by oblations, whether meat offerings, or sin offerings, or trespass offerings: by the first fruits of the corn, of the wine, or of the oil: by all things devoted in Israel: by the first borne that openeth the matrice in all flesh, whether of men or beasts: yet so as that the first borne of men and of unclean beasts, which might not be offered, should be redeemed, taking for a man five shekels of the Sanctuary, of which valuation we have spoken before. Add to these the showbread, which was changed every week; & lastly, the tenth of tenths, which the Levites themselves were commanded to pay them out of those tenths which they had received of the people, of which we shall speak afterward. Thus we see that the Priests were to look to every one of the people, how God blessed them in the City and in the field; how he blessed the fruit of their body, and the fruit of their ground, and the fruit of their cattle, the increase of their kine, and the flocks of their sheep: yea, how he blessed their basket and their store, and all that they set their hand unto: to what end served all this, but to put them in mind of their duty, that their care of the people should be according to the commodity they reap & receive by them. We learn from hence, that the Ministers of God, 
doctrine. ●e ministers aht to have ●e of everheart of the ●●ke.  as in receiving their duties they look to every particular person what he hath, and to every particular benefit how it ariseth, so in performing of their duties, & discharging of their places, they must not only have a general care of the flock committed unto them, but also of every particular man. For as they require their duties, so they must be ready to do their duties: and as they look to themselves well enough in the gathering together of their revenues, arising from every particular person, so the purpose of God herein was, that as they should care for the whole flock in general, so also they should care for every one in particular, Ezek. 34, 4. Luke 12, 42. Acts 20, 20. 1 Cor. 9, 22. 2 Cor. 11, 28. The reasons.  
Reason 1 First, the same price was paid for one that was paid for another: the same blood of Christ which was shed, is that which must save every particular soul, as well as the whole Church. It followeth therefore, that if Christ have shed his precious blood for every soul in particular, than every particular person must be cared for, that so he may be saved by his blood, joh. 10, 11. He is that good Shepherd that will leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, and seek that lost one, Luke 15, 4, 6. Secondly, the Minister must give an account, as for the whole, so for every particular, Acts 20, 26, that he may be free from the blood of all: now he cannot be free from the blood of all, except he be free from the blood of every particular person, so that it sstandeth him upon, to have as great a care of the salvation of one as of another. Thirdly, because one unsanctified man may easily infect and corrupt the whole congregation, as one diseased sheep may infect the whole flock, 1 Cor. 5, 6. If then the Shepherd be wise, he will as well take care for the curing of that one, as he would do, if the rest were infected: so ought it to be with the Ministers of God, if they be spiritually wise, they should as well have a care of the salvation of each particular, as of the whole in general. The uses follow.  
This reproveth all careless Ministers, that Use 1 yield to have a general care over the flock, but cannot abide to hear of a particular. These are like to those men that yield to God a general care of things that fall out, and a general providence over the world, but by no means a special and particular, as if that would trouble him too much. But his providence extendeth to every one, Mat. 10, 29. A sparrow falleth not to the ground without the will of God; yea, the very hairs of our head are numbered, v. 30. So do many acknowledge, that the Ministers ought to have a general care over the people, the Apostle is so plain, that they dare not deny it, 1 Pet. 5, 2. but yet they cannot abide to hear of a particular care, for that were to busy them too far, and to lay too heavy a load upon their shoulders, and to abridge them of many pleasures which they purpose & propound to themselves to take. But do they not receive part of their maintenance from every particular? Somewhat ariseth as due to them from every one, though it be but a little, & many of them are such good husbands to look so near to their profits, that they will not lose a penny, nay they will wrangle oftentimes for an halfpenny. For as it was with the Priests in this place, if they had no meat offering, yet they had of them a sin offering: or if they had not a sin offering, yet they received the first fruits that they brought: and if nothing did arise for first fruits, yet for their first borne, that was redeemed, somewhat fell unto them: so is it with the Ministers, many of them can look into every quarter and corner of their Parish, to pry out what offals will come to their share: O that we were as careful to know the state of our flock touching their spiritual wants, as for our own temporal wealth. Let us busy ourselves to inquire of their souls, as well as of their substance, and what they lack, as well as what we lack. We see the soul quickeneth every part of the body, and is wholly not only in the whole, but in every part potentially, 
It cannot be proved that the soul is wholly in every part, otherwise then potentially.  albeit not essentially: the powers and faculties of it are dispersed to the communicating of life to every member. The Sun lighteneth with his beams the whole world, and there is no one thing hid from the heat thereof, Psal. 19, 6. A candle is set upon the candlestick, that it may give light to all & every one that is in the house.  
The Church is as an household, the governor of it must look to every part, as the father to all his children, from the eldest to the youngest: if he should have care for one, and not for another, feed one, and let another starve, he were an ungodly arid unnatural father. So ought it to be with the Minister, he should be as the soul in the body, as the Sun in the Firmament, and as the father in the family, that is, have care of every soul. Some converse wholly with the rich, but care not, nor indeed cannot abide to come among the poor; whereas a faithful Minister shall many times find most comfort, and most comfort because most fruit of his labours among them. Others think it a great disparagement & disgrace unto them to bind them to such particular duties. Again, other in their Sermons so are so high, and fly so far above the slow and slender capacities of the people, that they can learn nothing at all of them. They do so trouble themselves and the people with their latin, that the hearers have almost forgotten their english. There is a small deal of learning lieth in pronouncing a few latin or greek sentences, which a slender scholar in the Grammar school may quickly do: whereas they ought to labour and strive to profit the meanest of their hearers, in which number the greatest part are. I have heard many judicious hearers many times complain, that the producing of foreign testimonies, and the speaking of strange tongues, much hindereth attention, and disturbeth the memory; they have so much variety of sauce set before them, that they forget to taste and eat of the meat. But our doctrine must put us in mind that the Minister must have a care of every part of his flock. The heathen Orator pronounceth that they are worthily laughed to scorn that use such words, 
Cicer. office li. 1.  as that they are not understood, Curandum est, ut sermone eo utamur, qui notus est nobis, ne, ut quidam Graeca verba incultantes, iure optimo irrideamur. He wrote this to him that understood the Greeke, but because he wrote it for the use of others also, he abstaineth from intermingling of unknown words. And in another place he saith, 
Cicer. Tuscul. quaest lib. 1.  he disliked as much the speaking of greek among latin, as the speaking of latin among greek. So should we account it as unfit and unseemly to speak latin in an english Sermon, as to speak english in a latin Sermon. Thus the Gentiles that knew not the true God, yet by the light or natural reason amended by the help of art and learning, knew the inconvenience and incongruity of this medley: and therefore we should take notice of it. Again, it reproveth such Ministers as are ignorant that cannot, & are idle that will not teach the people: as also Non residents that never come among them for their good, but for their goods not to teach the truth, but to receive their tithes: these do indeed take care of none, whereas they should take care of every one.  
Secondly, let the Ministers labour to practise Use 2 this duty, & to show their care, as of the whole, so also of every part. Doubtless, they have not performed love to Christ, that have not care of his lambs as well as of his sheep, of the feeble as well as of the strong, of the small as well as of the great, and do not seek to be profitable even to the meanest and the simplest. Little children must have the bread broken unto them, and cut into little pieces for them, that they may eat it: if an whole or hard loaf should be set before them, they might rise up an hungered as they sat down, and we might justly be thought to desire to starve them rather than to feed them. So ought the Minister to study to show himself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed: rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Tim. 2, verse 15. A Physician that dealeth with his patient, hath not only a care of the whole body in general, but he applieth his physic to every particular, as he seethe it in his discretion to have need: so he that is a spiritual Physician, must deal after the same manner, he must not only have a general care of all in gross, but a special care of every one, to apply unto them, either doctrine, or reproof, or instruction, or consolation, as he shall see them to stand in need. He must labour to strengthen the weak, to beat down the proud, to instruct the ignorant, to comfort the , to raise up them that are fallen, and to deal toward every one as his condition requireth.  
Lastly, seeing this duty is required of the Use 3 Ministers, it admonisheth the hearers, that they suffer them to deal thus in particular with them. They are wolves and not sheep, that cannot abide that the shepherd should touch them and handle them, whose desire is to tar them, not to tear them, because he hath a care of their good in particular. It is the common corruption of the multitude, they cannot abide that the Minister should strike them home, or apply his doctrine to themselves. Some speak against the Minister because he is too sharp, he points at them, he aimeth at them: like those that would be angry with the Surgeon, because he toucheth the sore, & layeth the plaster upon it. Others reprove the Minister, because he bringeth common & known things, ordinary points: such men have itching ears, and hunt after new things, and so turn away their ears from the truth, 2. Tim. 4, 3, 4. These do not consider that the Minister hath charge of every soul, and must have a care of the whole and of every particular: and in the Congregation, though some be strong yet others are weak: though some be learned, yet the greatest part are unlearned: whereas their care must be to strengthen the weak, as well as to establish the strong. And as for them that are strongest, their memory is weak, & their affections oftentimes cold, that they have need to be put in mind often of the same things, & indeed it is profitable to them. Phil. 3, 1.   

20 And the Lord spoke unto Aaron, Thou shalt have none inheritance in their Land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part, 
●. 10, 9 & josh. 13. ●e. 44.28  and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.  
21 And behold, I have given the children of Levi, all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the Tabernacle of the Congregation, lest they bear their sin, and die.  
The Lord declareth in these words, how the Levites shall be maintained. They had no inheritance in the Land as the rest of the Tribes, neither might they take upon them any trade, but must wholly attend the duties of their calling, and therefore they have the tenth in Israel assigned unto them, for the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The doctrine arising from hence is this. The Ministers of the word of God must be liberally maintained of the people, 
●trine. Ministers ●e word of must be ●ally maimed.  Mat. 10, 10. 1 Cor. 9, 14. Gal. 6, 6. 1 Tim. 5, 17, 18 God claimeth and challengeth all tithes due to himself, levit. 27, 30. here he maketh an assignation or resignation of them to the Levites, whom he maketh as his Bailiffs or Deputies to receive them as his rent and revenue, and the Priests are appointed to receive the tenths of their tenths. Here two causes are rendered, wherefore God made over these tithes to these persons: First, because they had no part of the division of the Land, the rest of the Tribes had the Land divided to them by lot, therefore they must be provided for another way. Secondly because their labour was incessant and continual, and they were worthy to be rewarded for it accordingly. They were deputed to teach the people, & bestowed much pains and attendance in the Tabernacle, therefore they were worthy to receive their wages, and ought not to be defrauded thereof. Before the law, Abraham gave unto Melchizedek, tithes of all, Gen. 14, 20. And the Apostle to the Hebrews saith, that even the Patriarch Abraham gave the tenths of the spoils, Heb. 7, 4. It is therefore both lawful & just, that the Minister should require and receive, and the people pay unto them that which is due in respect of their labour.  
Reason 1 The reasons are; First, that thereby the Ministers may be encouraged in their duties, 2 Chron. 31, 4. It is said of Hezekiah, that he commanded the people that dwelled in jerusalem, to give the portion of the Priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord. They had received much discouragement and discontentment in the days of Ahaz his father, who regarded neither God, nor his word, nor his worship, nor his Ministers, for he took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, 2 Chro. 28, 21, 24. And in our days I am well assured, that the Ministers of the Gospel have as many discouragements as ever the Levites had, and therefore stand in need of some encouragements. Secondly, it is an ordinance of God, that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel, 1 Corin. 9, 14. Thirdly, they are to attend wholly upon that calling, and do spend themselves to gain souls to God. 
1 Tim. 4, 13, 15.16. 2 Tim. 2, 4.  Every art should maintain the artificer, and every trade the tradesman, and every profession the professor. The calling of the Minister is not of the lowest callings, and it is none of the least labours, so that their maintenance should arise from their great pains that they take in that calling. Fourthly, it is the law of God and nature, that children which have received livelihood from their parents, should recompense them: the Apostle showeth, that if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents, for this is good & acceptable before God, 1 Tim. 5, 4. If then children ought to recompense their parents for their care in their education, as joseph did his father jacob, much more ought faithful people to do the same to their faithful Pastors, to whom they own even themselves, and of whom they have received the life of their lives, Gal. 4, 14. 15, 19 Phil. ●. 10. Lastly, every labourer is worthy of his hire; and whosoever detaineth the wages of the poor labourer, is a great oppressor, & committeth a crying sin, 
james 5, 4.  and the cry entereth into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. How then should that which is due to all labourers, be denied to the labours of the Minister?  
And howsoever this be an evident truth, yet it findeth hard entertainment in the world, & men's profits do so round them in the ear, that they can quickly find sundry objections against the same. I will touch some of the chief and principal. First, the Apostles had great Object. 1 gifts, yet they preached freely, Math. 10, v. 8. Why then should not the Ministers in our days do the like? I answer, Answer. this must be understood of the gift of working miracles, as appeareth by the circumstances, and as I have proved elsewhere. Hence it is, that Elisha would not accept, though he were urged, of the blessing that Naaman offered unto him for the curing of his leprosy, 2 Kin. 5, 16. Again, if they may receive nothing for their labours, how doth Christ say afterward, The workman is worthy of his meat? Mat. 10, 10. Besides, our Saviour joineth these two together, receiving freely, and giving freely; and maketh the former the cause of the latter, that they ought to bestow freely, because they had received freely. And how had they received freely? Surely two ways; freely without any of their own deserts, and freely without any their own labour, for they had their gifts by revelation, Gal. 1, 1, 16, 17. True it is, we have our gifts by the gift of God freely, without any the least desert of ours, but we have not received them freely without our great labour and industry: therefore as in this sense, we have not received freely, we a●e not bound by this rule to go about and preach freely. That talon which we have, we have it by our great pains, and therefore it is lawful for us to take for our pains.  
Object. 2 Again, the Apostles are forbidden to provide and to possess gold and silver, Math. 10, 9 I answer, Answer. so he forbiddeth them to have two coats, or shoes, or staves for their journey, v. 10. But to observe this perpetually, were contrary to the practice of Christ himself, john 12, 6. and 13, 4. and 19, 23. Luke 22, 36, and of his own Disciples, who no doubt lived according to the direction and instruction of their master, Acts 12, 8. 2 Tim. 4, 13. So then, this precept had place only for that present sending, and was not to bind them for ever, much less their successors that came after them: for now they were appointed to make haste, and might carry no provision with them, but must cast themselves wholly upon the power, protection, and providence of Christ that sent them & gave them their commission.  
Thirdly, Paul preached to the Corinthians Object. 3 and Thessalonians without receiving any wages at all of them, 1 Cor 9, 15. 1 Thess. 2, 6, 7. Acts 20, 34. He laboured with his own hands, and became a Tentmaker, Acts 18, 3. I answer, Answ. the question is not the facto, but de iure, not what he did or any of them did, but what he and they had right and power to do. For albeit he did not take wages, yet he had authority to do it, as himself professeth, 1 Cor. ●, 6, 12. yea he saith, that at such times as he freed them, he rob other Churches, and took wages of some to do service unto other, 2 Cor. 11, 8. And albeit he were well content to departed from his right, yet he ceased not to lay claim to his right, 2 Thess. 3, 8, 9 And in other churches where he preached the Gospel, he lived of the Gospel, and taught all the Ministers by his example to do the like. If any ask the question, why he abstained from pursuing his own right? I answer, that many things are lawful in themselves which are not expedient, and as circumstances often alter the matter, so Paul did this for sundry causes expressed in divers places: First, lest he should over-burden them that had already an heavy burden of poverty lying upon them, 2 Thess. 3, 8.  
Secondly, that he might give example to those that were idle, which abounded among the Thessalonians, to teach them to work with their own hands, and to eat their own bread, 2 Thess. 3, 9  
Thirdly, that by this means it might manifestly appear, that he sought them rather than theirs, & that he might gain their souls to God, not their goods to himself, 2 Cor. 12, 14, 19 Phil 4, 17.  
Lastly, that he might not be any way inferior to the false Apostles, 2 Cor. 11, 12. But let us come to the uses.  
Use 1 First, this serveth to reprove sundry persons▪ First, him that is the grand thief, that first rob the Church by his dispensations & alienations of the rights and revenues thereof; I mean, the Bishop of Rome, who hath rob the Church in soul and body, and is grown far with the spoils thereof. This he hath done by degrees: he would not let out all the blood at once, but opened the veins by little & little, that had he continued longer to bear sway he would have left no blood nor livelihood in the body. The first wrong was offered to the Churches by depriving them of their tithes, in favour of his goodly creatures the cursed generation of his Monks, 
D. Field of Church lib cap. ult.  who obtained of the Pope and other Bishops, that the lands which they held in their own hands, & used for their own benefit, might be freed from any payment of tithes. So the council of Lateran under Alexander the third ordained, that religious men shall pay no tithes out of such their lands as they till themselves: but if they put any out, and take rend as other men, they shall pay tithe as other men do. Here was the floodgates pulled up, and a way and passage made for all the mischief and misery that fell upon the Church in succeeding times: for here is the seed sown, that being watered from the Vatican, grew up apace to the robbing of many flourishing Churches, to the destruction of many christian souls, and to the discouragement of many godly Pastors. For this exemption of religious men, I might say, irreligious, was indeed the cutthroat of all religion, and the bringing in of the streams & floods of irreligion; which stayed not here, but prevailed greatly and gate farther footing to the great prejudice of the Church: & therefore this rabble of Church-robbers sought in the next place to exempt all their farmers and tenants that belonged unto them from payment of tithes, the which, albeit it were disliked and resisted at the first in the Council of Cabilon, 
Cabienes. ●. ca●. 19  yet at the length it passed and prevailed. Nay, after that they had swallowed up the inheritance of the Church, like wolves that tasted the sweetness of the blood of the lambs which they had hurried & wearied, they went forward to steal, to kill, and to destroy as the thief doth, john 10, v. 10. till they had subjecteth those Ministers & Churches unto themselves, to whom themselves at the first paid tithes, as belonging to their jurisdiction. Thus these idle drones and evil beasts, were not content to slip their necks out of the yoke, and make themselves free from others, until they had brought others to be in bondage and subjection unto themselves. Thus did one thief make another, and one Church-robber gave free licence unto another to rob & spoil, saying one to another Come with us, let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: let us swallow them up alive, as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit: we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one purse. Prou. 1, 11, 12, 13, 14. Thus did one theft and robbery make clear way for another, & in all this time while the church was peeled and polled, and as it were left naked of her garments, the Pope, that would be called the Protector of the Church, was so far from sitting still and looking on, that he was the ringleader in this sin, that upon his head may justly come all the blood of so many thousand souls as have by this means been lost utterly. Thus hath the wild boar rooted up the vineyard of the Lord, and made it a prey to wolves and foxes that entered into the same: and the ravenous cloisters of the insatiable Monks are guilty of that horrible sacrilege, which hath laid waste and desolate so many goodly Churches, & brought the Clergy to that poor estate wherein to this day it remaineth and continueth in many places. For it is not to be imagined, that any of the people who gave liberally to the Churches, and richly endowed them with lands and livings of their own, would ever have entertained any thought, much less entered into any practice of alienating tithes from the lawful owners, and appropriating them to themselves, had they not seen the way laid plain and open before them, and that by those, who by the original & institution of their order, were to pay tithes, yea and those same tithes consumed in most vile and shameful manner. Neither shall we find, that ever any inherited & possessed this portion by an absolute title of inheritance, as their feesimple and freehold, till the suppression of the houses of these vermin, which were become cages of unclean birds, and dens of thieves and robbers. I cannot see therefore, how at the first laymen could have any better title to these tithes, than their predecessors the Monks had, and therefore they yet bear the names of impropriations, 
●ropriati- why so ●d.  as things that are so holden and possessed by an unproper title. In other purchases, the Lawyers are wont to say, (if the case in this be not altered) caveat emptor, that is, let the buyer take heed and look to his right and title. To conclude therefore, I would gladly be resolved, whether our Improprieta●ies hold the Church tithes by any better title than the Monks did at the first by the Pope's pillage? and whether they were not given to the Church by a good law, and taken from it by a bad?  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing it is God's pleasure, that such as preach the Gospel, should be maintained by the Gospel, they are reproved that account it an idle and needless function, & care not if we were chased out of house & home, when we have spent our time, our labour, our strength, and our substance for the fitting of ourselves to this calling. Such men are wholly carnal, and savour nothing of the Spirit. The Apostle saith, They that labour in the word and doctrine, are worthy of double honour, 1 Tim. 5, 17. Meaning by honour, the care and provision that is to be taken for them. And in the Epistle to the Hebrews, they are willed to be mindful of them that have the oversight of them, who have delivered to them the word of God, Heb. 13, 8. 1 Thess. 5, 12, 13. To these mis-prizers and false judges of good things, I will add another sort, that hold tithes to be a kind of alms, and so would not have the Ministers challenge any thing as due for their Ministry and maintenance, but to stand wholly to the people's devotion & good will; and thus they would make them right beggars indeed. So that as jeroboam made the basest of the people to be the Clergy, so they make the Clergy to be the basest of the people, and desire to bring them to their doors crouching & creeping for a crust of bread. But we demand that for which we have laboured, of duty, not of courtesy; and as a recompense, not as a benevolence; not as their vassals, but as Stewards set over the family, or Captains over the host. In the law, the people were charged with tithes of four sorts. First, such as were paid distinctly and directly to the Levites. 
What tithes were paid in the Law.  Secondly, such as were deducted out of these, and to be levied for the use of the Priests: both these kinds of tithes are touched in this chapter. Thirdly, such as the people laid aside for the furnishing of their sacred and solemn feasts when they should be at jerusalem, to which the Priests were ordinarily invited, Deut. 14, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 26, 11, 12. Lastly, such as every third year were gathered for the relief of the strangers, the fatherless, the widow, and the poor. This last sort I will not deny to be in nature of an alms: but such tithes as were paid to the Priests and Levites were paid as wages is for work. This will be plainly proved by the doctrine of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 9, 7. producing the examples of soldiers, gardeners, shepherds & such like, all which claim a recompense of debt, not of devotion. If then a common soldier lawfully requireth his stipend of that people for whom he fighteth; 
Tithes are not alms.  the Minister also, fight for the people against their spiritual adversaries, may do the like: and if he that planteth a vineyard & he that feedeth a flock, may of duty challenge to eat of the fruit of the one, and the milk of the other, than the Minister that planteth the vineyard of the Lord, and feedeth the flock committed unto him, may justly claim to live upon the same. Again, alms do always exceed the desert of him that taketh the alms: they testify the mercy of the giver, not the merit of the receiver: for charity is more worth than single thanks, and good deeds are to be valued above bare words. But it is not so in paying tithes of temporal things, all which cannot sufficiently countervail the work of the Ministry, 1 Cor. 9, 11. Is it a great matter, if we shall reap your carnal things? And the Apostle is bold to tell Philemon, that he did owe to him even himself, verse 29. It is a principle written in the heart of man by nature, to pay him his wages whom we set on work; not to send him away empty that laboureth for us. As then the labourer hath right to his wages, so the Minister hath his right and part in the goods of those whom he teacheth, & among whom he laboureth, and therefore when he receiveth his tithes, he doth not take alms, but receiveth his own, having as good right unto the tenth part, as he that payeth it, hath to the other nine. No man can say that the beggar is worthy of alms, he receiveth them by the law of charity, but cannot claim them as due by the rule of justice. The day labourer that hath laboured all day, and wasted his strength and spirits, would think scorn (though he be a poor man) to receive his hire for his labour in the nature of an alms, as the beggar taketh a penny at the door: and shall the Minister receive his wages as a gift or as a gratuity? The householder that hath agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, saith unto them when he came to pay them, 
Math 20, 14.  Take that which is thine own, and go thy way: as than they received their duty, so doth the Minister receive his due & his duty.  
Use 3 Thirdly, they are also justly reproved, who treading in the steps of the Bishop of Rome, do detain from the Ministers of the Gospel, the tithes appointed unto them, which are not unfitly called, God's ancient d●maine, founded originally upon the law of nature. For as we learn by the light of nature, that there is a God, and that he is to be honoured, so the honour that is due unto him, 
Sr Henry Spelman de non temerandis Eccles.  cannot be performed without Ministers, neither can the Ministers attend their function without maintenance. To this I will add the saying of the wise man, Prou. 3, 9 Honour God with thy riches. For seeing he is the high possessor of heaven and earth, Gen. 14, 19, and giveth life & breath and all things unto us, Acts 17, 24. it is our duty to render back somewhat unto him again, thereby acknowledging, that we hold all of him in chief, except we will yield less unto him then the Infidels did to their heathenish gods. Now we honour God with our riches, 
How to honour God with our riches.  not only when we use them soberly without excess, righteously without oppression, and charitably without defrauding of the poor, but when we employ them religiously toward his service. The Nicodemites were content to become Christians thus far, as to give their hearts to God, so that they might have liberty to dispose of their bodies as themselves pleased: but these will step one step farther, they profess to worship God both with soul and body, so they may be discharged & dispensed withal from honouring him with their riches. They will willingly offer the calves of their lips, so they may be freed from the calves of their stalls. They can be content to travail from the East with the wise men, to fall down before him and worship him, 
Bernard.  but they cannot abide to open their treasures, and present unto him, gifts, gold, frankincense, & myrrh, Mat. 2, 11. Paul had almost persuaded Agrippa to become a Christian when he exempted those bands and chains: and if ever we will persuade these to become Christians, we must also except these bands and chains that we speak off, for they are very heavy unto them, they cannot abide them. The tithes are the Lords, he hath reserved them to himself, as a rent of the tenant due to the Landlord, or as a tribute and subsidy due to the king: & therefore when they are not truly paid, 
Deut. 14, 28.  as GOD commandeth, but are unconscionably detained, he complaineth, that he is rob and spoiled, Mal. 3, 10. so that if we give not unto the Lord the tenth, who hath given unto us the other nine, 
Serm. de Te● p●re 219. Sr Fra●●●●●  let us take heed lest he resume the nine parts, and leave unto us the tenth only. And I may say as a worthy and learned knight of our times saith; Such as have taken away the Church's dowry, and s; poiled her of it, it had been great reason they should have made her a jointer, to recompense the wrong they had offered, and the loss she hath sustained. Solomon saith, Prou. 20, 25. It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, & after vows to make inquiry: but gain blindeth the eyes of the wise. Ananias and Sapphira are severely punished, who withheld part of that money which was consecrated to God by their own gift: these detain part of that, which neither they nor their fathers ever gave, and yet neither fear it, nor are touched with it. And who can deny but all tithes are due by vow in the times of the Gospel? and that the true and due payment of them is long before all customs and prescriptions? It is a rule of common equity, 
Serm. of 〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉.  that no man having passed his consent and his deed, may change it to the prejudice of another. Now that which is given to the Church, is passed over to God for his service, and therefore whosoever shall take it away again without the consent of God whose it is, committeth sacrilege against him, and dealeth worse with him than he will suffer any man to deal with us. Objection. But it will be said, the Ministers themselves consented to this alienation, and therefore being willing, no injury can be done unto them. I answer, Answ. our consent is not sufficient, because the vow is made to God, and thereby he is entitled unto them, and hath received a right in them by our vow, so that consequently they cannot be taken away without his consent. The donation of Ananias and Sapphira was made to God for the use of the poor, it lay not now in their power nor in the Churches to revoke & reverse that grant, wherein God became now to be interessed. We see this in marriage, published in the face of the Church, solemnised by consent of parties and parents, ratified by the action of the Minister, and celebrated in the presence of many friends; the knot cannot be untied, no not by agreement of the parents, of the parties, of the Minister, of the friends, & of the whole Congregation, because marriage is not of the nature of a civil contract, but God is a party and hath a special hand in it, and whom God hath joined together, 
Math. 19, ●  let no man put asunder, or separate again without his consent. The like we may say of the Church-endowments, they are not merely civil where God is a party, and therefore that which he hath received, let no man take away without his allowance. Great was the devotion & zeal of the faithful gained to the Gospel in the beginning, our forefathers thought nothing too much for the spreading abroad of the saving truth of jesus Christ. Many ministered unto Christ out of their substance, 
〈◊〉 8, 3.  which he kept in a bag: wherein he kept the things that were given to supply his own wants, and the wants of others, john 13, 29. After the death and resurrection of Christ, when he was ascended into heaven, many devout men sold their possessions, Acts 2, 45, and 4, 34, 35, and brought the price thereof, and laid it down at the Disciples feet: which communication of all things, though it tended and extended to the benefit of all, yet was there especial regard had to the Apostles, that they should want nothing. For how unreasonable a thing were it, that seeing they ministered unto the Church all things that pertain to life & godliness, the Church should not minister unto them food, and raiment, and all things belonging unto this life? After the Church was once settled and established among the Gentiles, & dispersed throughout the world which before was contained within the bounds of judea, it was better to give lands (commonly now called the glebe) as being a more sure and settled endowment then money, which as one merrily, 
●tem dice●●●, quid ●? Horat. lib. 1. Sa●.  but yet truly saith, he would have called the Churches fixed inheritance, but that he seethe the same also to be movable. At the first than the church turned their possessions into money, and afterward money into possessions. Thus we see, the zeal and fervency of the first times & ages of the Church, while the blood of Christ lately shed, was yet warm in men's hearts, whereby it came to pass that it had very anciently lands and possessions, both glebe and houses belonging unto it; wherein they followed the precedent of God, when he appointed Cities for the Levites to dwell in, with a convenient circuit of fields for the maintenance of their cattle, Numb. 35, 2. But never was the zeal of men so hot, but now their devotion is as cold: and we are so far from giving to the Church, that we live in a frozen age, wherein men strive who shall take most from the Church. I have heard some men affirm, who would be thought great friends to the Church, but they are such friends to the Church, as the East wind is to the fruits of the earth, that they are willing to pay so much (and they can see no reason why they should pay any more) as the soil will naturally yield and bring forth of itself without charge of tillage or manuring; notwithstanding in the late case of Tithe-wood, which groweth out of the ground without their labour, or without any great cost (no other benefit arising to the Minister from thence) have also refused to pay any wood at all in kind, or any thing else in am of it. If then these men will allow us, neither the tenth of the earth laboured, neither yet the tenth of that which groweth without any labour, I would gladly know what they would allow us? Such is the covetousness of many men, that they seek to make new customs and prescriptions every day, and lay the foundation of many injurious courses, which in time to come will tend to the overthrow of religion. But let all such consider & look to themselves, that be any way authors of detaining tithes, and of bringing in prescriptions prejudicial to the Church; for how many soever perish for want of food in the places where they live, are guilty of the murdering of so many souls before the tribunal seat of the eternal judge, as Austin teacheth.  
Lastly, seeing God hath provided that the Use 4 Ministers should be provided for, and hath taken care that they should be cared for, it is their duty to be diligent in teaching of the people, and preaching in season & out of season. For as they are worthy of their wages, so they must be faithful labourers: and as they must live of the Gospel, so they must preach the Gospel. As the people must communicate unto the Ministers in all good things, so it is required of them to teach & instruct them; and as they are counted worthy of double honour, 1 Tim. 5, 17, so they must rule well. As the mouth of the Ox must not be muzzled, so he must tread out the corn: and they that eat of the milk of the flock, must be careful to feed the flock: even so they that reap carnal things, must be as ready to sow spiritual things. Such then as are idle drones that will not labour, or dumb dogs that cannot bark, 
Esay 56, 10.  have no right from God to take the maintenance of such as discharge their places with care and diligence. He that hath no lust to labour, aught to have no liberty to eat. But it is the manner of many men, to look more to the feeding of themselves then to the Pastors of the sheep: and to mourn not so much for the loss of the flock, as for the lack of the fleece. These do possess much more th●n they do deserve. None can call for more duty to be paid nor look more narrowly to the utmost penny; but none perform less duty to the people than themselves. And if the people may not detain their tithes under colour and pretence of not being taught, no more may the Minister withhold his pains under colour of having his tithes withholden from him. For albeit the people deal sparingly with us, yet we ought not to sow sparingly unto them. The more sparingly we feed, the more hardly they far. It is not enough to preach now and then, for that were to nuzzle them in ignorance. O what grief is it to see the sheep of Christ famished, and how should it make our bowels to yearn within us to hear the young children ask bread, & to have no man break it unto them! 
Lam 4, 4.  God would have his sons and daughters fed to the full, and the table of his children furnished with bread plentifully or richly, 
Col. 3, 17. Psal. 23.5.  and as David's table, with a cup running over, to keep them not only living, but in good liking; not only from being famished, but also fat and flourishing.   

23 But the Levites shall do the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, & they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, etc.  
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given unto the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance  
The office of the Levites is set down, they must take the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and do service therein. Now among these (no doubt) were men of all sorts and of sundry gifts, some were more learned, and some less, 2 Chron. 30, 22, yet the dispensation was committed unto them, and therefore all must be regarded and respected, the Levites (though inferior) as well as the Priests, and among them both such as were more meanly qualified. And as God had given them charge of the Tabernacle, so he giveth charge to the people to accept of their Ministry.  

Doctrine. Ministers of very mean gifts must be regarded.  The doctrine is, that all in the Ministry, whatsoever their gifts be, are to be accepted, yea though their gifts oftentimes be small & slender. True it is, they must all have some gifts to fit them to teach the people, but howsoever they be inferior to many others, yet for their office sake they must be regarded. I do not say, the people should depend upon them, that are utterly ignorant and unlearned, but if meanly gifted in comparison of others, the people must not forsake them, neither wander from one Levite to another. Mark therefore, that Ministers endued with a small, and yet a competent measure of gifts, may notwithstanding do unto God good service in the Church, and gain glory to his Name. He putteth his rich treasures in vessels, not of silver and gold, but of earth. Among the Apostles, it is to be thought, that some had greater gifts than others, 
Mark 3, 17. 1 Cor 15, 10. Roman. 15, 19  some were the sons of thunder, and some laboured more abundantly than others, no doubt according to the gifts they had received, yet all profitable to that Church. There is a difference of gifts by the same Spirit, nevertheless, all given to profit withal, 1 Corin. 12, 4, 5, 6, 7. And Paul saith, he spoke with tongs more than others, 1 Cor. 14, 18. Experience teacheth this among ourselves, that many of mean gifts, and little human learning, yet have been profitable teachers, and powerful instruments of much good in the Church of God, & gaining many to him. The reasons.  
First of all, the blessing of God is all in all Reason 1 upon the labours of those that are called; he for the most part bringeth to pass the greatest works by the weakest means and the meanest instruments, and by them he will get and gain glory to himself, as well as by men of the greatest gifts, albeit they also be of his own planting. Exod. 4, 10, Moses was not eloquent, yet Moses was potent, he was not fine in speech, but he was full of the Spirit: jeremy complaineth he could not speak, chap. 1, 6. but God supplied his wants, and made him able to thunder out judgements against the impenitent. Secondly, that the power & glory might Reason 2 be of God alone. If God should always work his will by men of highest place & of greatest gifts, the force of the word and the conversion of the soul would be judged to proceed from man and not from God. As the host of Gideon were too many for God to save withal, 
judg. 9, 7, 2.  so sometimes the gifts of men are too great for him to convert with them, lest we should say, we have done it; therefore doth God often put this treasure in vessels of meaner account, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us, 2 Cor. 4, 7. Thirdly, such as Reason 3 are conscionable in their places, do bring many blessings to the people, and convert many souls, so that the work of God doth prosper under their hands, which seek God's glory, 
jeremy 23, ●  & not their own praise; that the people might thereby be encouraged to hear them, and to depend upon them. It is an hard matter to deny ourselves in the work of the Ministry, and to trample our own credit and estimation in the world under our feet, as the great Rabbis know well enough, that we may seek the glory of God only, with a right affection.  
What then? Is it needless to have schools Object. 1 of learning, or for the children of the Prophets to be trained up in them, and there prepared for the Ministry? I answer, Answer. No; these are notable & necessary helps to fit men to this great work and high calling: & all means, if they were greater, are little enough, for who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. 2, 16. We must use these, and leave the success to God's providence, who is not tied unto them, no more than Christ to choose his Disciples out of the company of the Scribes and pharisees.  
Again, if God work his will, whensoever Object. 2 he will, by men of mean gifts, than it skilleth not, whether men study or not, or seek to attain to knowledge, and to better their knowledge, because they may do more good with less gifts. I answer, Answer. this aught to make no man negligent or careless, but rather to double his care and diligence. For what greater encouragement can we have to perform the duties of our calling, then to hear this voice full of comfort, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter into the joy of thy Lord? Mat, 25, 21. So then, no man ought to grow careless, because God will bless small gifts, for that were to continue in sin that grace might abound, Rom. 6, 1. Lastly, from hence some will object, that then it skilleth not whom the Officers and Overseers of the Church do choose and ordain, how ignorant and unsufficient soever they be? I answer, they are to follow the ordinary rule, to appoint such as are apt to teach, 1 Tim. 3, 2. Again, God supplieth the wants of such as he chooseth, as appeareth in the Disciples, which men cannot. Lastly, there is difference between such as have mean gifts, and such as have none: the one sort are God's Ministers, the other are men's, not Gods.  
Use 1 The uses remain. First we see, it is a special gift of God, not a fruit of learning, for a Minister to convert souls to GOD by preaching of the word: for this grace and favour is often denied to many famous servants of God, Esay 6, 10, and 53, 1, and 49, 4. Christ himself converted not all to whom he preached, he often complaineth of their infidelity and hardness of heart, they would not be gathered, whom he would have gathered and gained to the faith, Mat. 23, 37. Nevertheless, we shall be rewarded, not according as we have converted which lieth not in our power, but according as we have laboured, which lieth in our power. If learning could do any thing of itself, than the best learned should do most good. But as the most learned do not most labour, so they do not see the greatest fruit of their labour. We must therefore all of us, whatsoever our gifts are▪ depend wholly upon God for his blessing, forasmuch as Paul planteth, & Apollo's watereth, but God giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3, 6, 7. nay, he beginneth and maketh an end of his own work it is he that giveth us grace to will and to do of his good pleasure.  
Use 2 Secondly, every one ought to make it the special end of our Ministry, the edification of the Church, thereby to bring many children unto Christ. This doubtless is the reason, why so many great Doctors and deep Divines are very drones, and altogether unprofitable in their places, albeit peradventure profitable enough to their own purses; they look altogether to the rewards of learning (as they call them) & to popular fame, as though they that had greatest rewards, had always greatest learning: or they that had greatest learning, had always greatest conscience: whereas they should look to the benefit of the people. These hunt after the praise and glory of the world, & desire to be called great Rabbins, and therefore oftentimes God casteth dung in their faces, that they may learn to be ashamed: so that we may say unto them, as Christ doth, john 5, 44. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour from God only? Whereas we ought to be like our Lord and Master, to be able in some measure to say with him I seek not mine own glory, there is one that seeketh and judgeth, joh. 8, 50. Such a one as can truly speak thus, so far as human frailty will suffer him, shall have his defects supplied, and God will accompany the labour of his Ministry with the power of his Spirit. One such mean learned man, that hath zeal with knowledge, and knowledge with conscience, & conscience with diligence, & maketh the ends of his Ministry the good ●f the people & the glory of God, is worth an hundred of those proud pharisees that love the uppermost seats and to be saluted in the market, Mat. 23, 6. The Apostle showeth in himself & requireth of others another spirit: He made himself a servant unto all, that he might win the more, 1. cor. 9, 19 Never came there greater detriment in former days or present times to the Church, 
An unconscionable learne● man is a plague to the Church.  then by unconscionable & unfaithful learned men. Who usurped greater tyranny in the church than they? Who hath starved more souls, and sent them headlong in throngs to hell, than they? Who have fallen into the sin of Nonresidency, and idleness in their residency, more than they? Who have been greater hindrances to the free passage of the Gospel, than they? Who have more disturbed the peace of the Church, and been the causes of atheism, popery, carnal liberty and open profaneness, than they by reason of their reputed knowledge? who stand so much upon their sw●lling titles and places of superiority, and yet want conscience of their duty lowliness of mind, love to God, and compassion to his people. What shall all their profound learning avail them, when they want an humble heart to season and sanctify their learning withal? Objection. What then, will some say? do you go about to condemn learning, so great an ornament in all? I do not go about to disgrace learning, Answ. or to contemn any learned men, or to bar the rewards of learning, much less to bring in ignorance, the mother of barbarism. Learning is a precious jewel, it is a great blessing of God, it is a notable ornament joined with true godliness, wheresoever and in whomsoever they meet and are coupled together, there followeth an exceeding blessing. For as an unfaithful learned man is a great plague to the Church, so I hold this as a certain rule, 
No greater good cometh to the church, then by conscionable learned men.  there never came greater good to the Church then by a conscionable learned man. I wish, as Moses said to joshua, that all the Lords people were Prophets and that he would power out his spirit upon them all Numb. 11.29. I grieve at no man's learning, I envy no man's preferment, I desire that all had the tongue of the learned to speak the language of Canaan, Esay 50 4. yea the tongues and gifts of Angels, 1 Cor. 13 1. whose names they bear, revel. 1.20. and 2.1. but withal I add, that as a sword is a good thing and of necessary use to defend & offend, yet being put into the hand of a tyrant, or a mad man, it doth mu●h hurt, because it is abused: so learning is a great blessing of God, and maketh us differ not only from the bruit beasts but from other men also: it is profitable to prove, and improve, reform, & instruct: but being powered into a giddy spirit, and an unconscionable man, as wholesome wine into an unwholesome vessel, it loseth his taste, and becometh not only unprofitable, but hurtful, and bringeth much mischief, and sometimes the utter ruin not only of the person that possesseth it, but of the whole Church that is pestered with it, yet not of it own nature, but by his corruption that doth abuse it.  
Use 3 Thirdly, from hence ariseth comfort to men of mean gifts & of small knowledge, if they be painful and conscionable. True it is, they must not be jeroboams Priests, that were neither Levites nor learned, but taken from the basest of the people, as unsavoury salt good for nothing: howbeit if with their mean gifts they use not mean diligence, and so discharge a good conscience, God accepteth and approveth of them; yea, he blesseth their labours, & worketh his great work of regeneration by them, & sealeth up thereby his favour to their own consciences. We see this in Apollo's mentioned in the Acts, he was not altogether destitute of knowledge, though he had but little, knowing only the baptism of john, ch. 18, 25. that is, the doctrine of john preaching repentance which he sealed up by baptism: but his want of knowledge he did recompense with painfulness in his preaching, for he was fervent in the Spirit, and taught diligently the things of the Lord: so that albeit he came far behind others in gifts of understanding, yet did he parallel or equal them, and peradventure go before them in fervency and faithfulness, and in the effect of his Ministry: for he was zealous of God's glory, eloquent in speech, diligent in his place, mighty in the Scriptures, and confounded the jews that believed not in Christ. But woe unto them that have neither knowledge, nor zeal, nor diligence, nor conscience. It is noted of the Angel, that is, of the Minister of the Church of Philadelphia, 
revel. 3, 8.  that he had but a little strength, a small measure of graces and gifts, yet he maintained the truth resolutely, and brought much good to the Church of GOD by using them carefully; for he did not only keep the word, and confess the Lord in time of trouble and persecution, but converted many enemies that they came and worshipped before his feet, 
Verse 19  Reu. 3, 8, 9, though he had little strength yet he had many children whom he converted to the faith. For as the Apostle teacheth out of the Prophet, that the desolate hath many more children, than she which hath an husband, Esay 54, 1. And as it often falleth out, that a weak man begetteth many more children than he that is of greater strength: so such as have but weak gifts, do notwithstanding bring many to God. Let not therefore any be discouraged through the weakness of their gifts, from doing their duty, remembering the saying of Christ, Mat. 13, 12. Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.  
Use 4 Fourthly, this serveth to humble and abase such as have the greatest gifts, and are high Doctors of the Church, that they should not stand overmuch upon the glory of their learning, but crave with all humility the blessing of God, and cast down themselves and all their gifts at his footstool of whom they received them, that withal they may receive comfort in their Ministry from him. Their labours are oftentimes less blessed, because they stand so much upon their school-learning, terms, tongues, titles, degrees, and such like privileges, that they oftentimes forget the principal part of their calling to do good to God's people, & to know nothing among them, but Christ & him crucified, 1 Cor. 2, 2. Many there are that come far behind them in knowledge, that go far before them in conscience: which are beneath them in learning, but above them in labour, and find a greater blessing upon their diligence. For it oftentimes falleth out that such as are great Linguists, and profound Clerks bear themselves so proud upon their reputation, that they never desire a blessing from God, nor crave of him to sanctify their gifts, and therefore they oftentimes beat the air, & never pierce the conscience of the hearers, neither win any souls to God. They speak in the enticing words of man's wisdom, & utter strange tongues to gain admiration & astonishment in the hearers, but regard not the demonstration of the Spirit, 1 Cor. 2, 4. whereas others which preach in weakness, and in fear, & in much trembling, that the faith of the Church should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God, are made instruments of bringing a plentiful harvest to God.  
Lastly, let the people content themselves Use 5 with such as God hath set over them, though they be not most excellent in gifts; and count it a blessing from God, not refusing or disdaining to hear them and to depend upon them, as the Pastors that watch over their souls. 
Heb. 13, 1●  They are oftentimes edified in their most holy faith, & profit in knowledge, in repentance, and in obedience under such a one, more than under another. For these do much good in their places, and turn many to righteousness. The diet of Daniel and of his fellows was no better than Water and Pulse: yet with that they prospered better, than they which had their portion from the King's Table, because they were dieted at God's allowance, and therefore it was joined with his blessing: so are many fed with plain, yet with pure doctrine, taken out of the holy fountains of the Scriptures, whose souls do thrive & prosper far better in knowledge, in faith, and in obedience, then theirs that are fed after a more stately and costly manner with flowers of eloquence and ostentation of human learning, which puffeth up, but edifieth not. The people that have a painful and conscionable Minister, which bendeth all his gifts to edification that he may profit with them, and useth them not to gain glory to himself, but to God, are in far better case than such as have a great Doctor, a cunning linguist, an excellent Artist, a deep Philosopher, a subtle disputer, an eloquent Orator, an acute Logician, or a profound schoolman, well seen in histories, and well red in Fathers; and is withal without conscience and leaveth his flock, or (if he be among them) hideth his gifts and burieth his talon: or, if he use his gifts now and then, bendeth them to vanity, not to piety; to ostentation, not to edification: or (as many do) use them against the truth, not for the truth; to destroy, not to build: to root out, not to plant. Woe unto that people that have such a guide: such a one can do no good unto them, whatsoever he doth to himself.   

25 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, when ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you, etc.  
27 And this your heave offering, etc.  
28 Thus you also shall offer, etc.  
29 Out of all your gifts you shall offer, etc.  
30 Therefore thou shalt say, etc.  
31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
32 And ye shall bear no sin, etc.  
Moses speaking both of the Priests and Levites, speaketh first of their office, and then of their maintenance, for whatsoever they have, they enjoy it for their service, verse 21. it is given unto them as their reward for their service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, ver. 31. Now the Levites are charged to deal truly with the Priests, as they would have the people to deal truly with them. 
● Levites ● deal ●ly with Priests, ●e people ● with the aces.  They were to pay tithes out of their tithes to the Priests, by reason of their honour and labour, who did as it were bear the burden and heat of the day: and lest covetousness and greediness of gain should make them base minded and hard hearted, he telleth them that they themselves should be no less guilty of theft, if they deal fraudulently and injuriously with the Priests, than the people if they deal falsely toward them. So then as the people must set out their tithes before they presumed to use the rest: so must the Levites the tithes of tithes, before they use the rest of the tithes. We might observe from hence the common rule of equity, Whatsoever we would that other men should do unto us, we should do the same unto them, Matt. 7.12. We are ready and forward to require good dealing of others toward ourselves, but slack and backward to return the same to others. Beware therefore of hurting and hindering any man in his body, in his soul, in his substance, in his good name by cruelty, by oppression, by fraud, by lying, by slandering: this the darkish light of natural reason may teach us, because we would not have others to defraud & to defame us, to oppress us or to purloin from us, and therefore we ought not to deal so with others: nay we ought to be ready to do good for evil, and in all our dealings one with another to proceed by the rule of love, remembering how we desire others should deal with us. 
Doctrine. A sin to reap the profits of any place, and not to discharge the duty.  But the point which I will insist upon, is this, that it is a sin for any, especially the Minister, to take the profits and commodities of any place, and not to perform the duties that belong thereunto, Esay 56.10, 11. Ezek. 34.2, 3. 1 Cor. 9.13, 14. 2 Thess. 3.7, 8. 1 Tim. 5.17.  
The reasons: first because profits are given Reason 1 for duties performed, and therefore he is a thief before God, and stealeth the benefit, whosoever neglecteth the duty. It is a sin therefore, because it is injustice. If a man should make a bargain, and take money upon it, and yet afterward not perform his bargain, like to that son that promised his father to work in his vineyard, but went not, Matth. 21.30. every man would condemn him of wrongful dealing: so is it unjust and injurious for a Minister to take the profit that shall arise out of any place, and then not to perform that which is required, as belonging of right unto it, as it is to take a fee, and to do nothing for it.  
Secondly, this is an occasion of the perishing Reason 2 of many people, both of himself and of others committed to his charge, 1 Tim. 4.16. A faithful Minister by doing his duty doth save both himself and them that hear him; the unfaithful destroyeth both himself and his hearers. Therefore it must needs be wrongful. If it were so, that he did destroy himself only, it were no small evil to be a selfe-murtherer: but when with himself he shall ruin many others, it must needs be more impious.  
Lastly, because in not performing his duty Reason 3 he doth defraud the people, and deprive them of that great good which the Lord hath bestowed upon them, and committed unto him to deliver and dispense unto them. He hath trusted them with a great charge, and willed them to keep the same to their use, 1 Tim. 6.20. 2 Tim. 1.14. If he that concealeth and keepeth back temporal things from his brother do offend the Law, Exod. 22. then great is his sin that keepeth back spiritual things from those to whom they ought to be delivered, and so much greater, as the difference is between spiritual and temporal.  
This serveth to condemn the Popish teachers Use 1 that live upon the spoil of the Church, and make merchandise of men's souls. We might tax these, and arrest them as guilty of an horrible crime, from the highest to the lowest, from the head to the foot, from the Pope the mightiest, to the Priest the meanest; they are all idle bellies, and conspire together to destroy the people, and happy is he accounted that hath his hand deepest in this sin.  
For though many of them have goodly revenues, and have filled themselves with the fat of the earth, yet they live at pleasure, and are no whit serviceable to the Church, of whom I may speak with the Apostle, Rom. 16.18. They that are such, serve not our Lord jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.  
The Cardinals do scorn this office as too base and simple for them, and choose rather to reign like Princes, then to rule as Pastors: and make more reckoning of their purple, than they do of their people, and therefore turn over the toil and labour of teaching to the Parish Priests, whereas themselves not long ago were no whit better. The Priests considering that they have no calling to preach, but to say Mass, and to read their portuisse, do pass it over as a thing impertinent unto them. The Monks, which of ancient time laboured with their hands, live at ease and pleasure in their Cloisters and Covens, but do no good to others. The Abbot's fat themselves like boars in their sties, and are no way serviceable to the Church, but make their bellies their god, and their kitchen their heaven, and their table their joy: and the Pope, which sitteth at the stern and governeth the ship, taketh no care of any thing, but letteth all alone; so that it is no marvel if all the rest follow his example.  
Use 2 Secondly, to let these pass, and to come unto ourselves, it reproveth all such as are content to reap the profits of their places, and swallow great preferments down their wide throats, and yet take no pains at all in teaching. This certainly is a palpable sin, howsoever many, even those that are Non residents already, or would be, open their mouths, and set on work their pens to maintain and defend the same. This we all confess to be unlawful in other callings, where notwithstanding the danger is not so great, how then should it be allowed and go for currant in that calling, wherein men are put in trust not with silver and gold, but with a greater treasure, to wit, men's souls? Woe then to those that are ready to take, but not to give: to swallow what they can, but will distribute nothing: they may be truly charged to live by the sweat of other men's brows, and to do no duty for it. If any man go about to take from them any part of their living, they cry out of sacrilege, if they have not their tithes paid to them without any subtraction or diminution; if any claim any customs or prescriptions, they exclaim by and by, of theft and robbing of the Church: when in the mean season, they are the greatest thieves and robbers themselves, and wrong the Church by their own beastly customs, and transgress the Law of God by their own traditions. For they can be content to rob the people, and to keep them from those things that are far more precious, which are due to them by the Law of God and man, whereby it cometh to pass, that the sin of the Minister turneth to be a great plague to the people. It is noted of chrysostom, when they sought to bring him into the Ministry, that he began to excuse himself, and to break forth into these words, What grievous sin hath this people committed, that it pleaseth God to set over them such an unworthy Minister? but he spoke this not for any insufficiency, but partly out of his own humility, and partly from a feeling of the weightiness of that high calling: but we may speak it out of experience and say, What grievous sin have sundry congregations committed in this land, that it hath pleased God in justice to set over them dumb and careless Ministers, that sweep away the benefit, but never perform any duty? and therefore whosoever they are that lie under any such heavy burden, they have no cause to rejoice, but rather to grieve and to groan under it, as a fearful judgement sent of God upon them for their contempt of his word, and for their other sins which they have committed against him. For wheresoever any such are settled, as it is a great sin in them, so it is certainly a great plague to the people, and therefore are to sigh and lament for it. I know these men pretend sundry reasons, but all their reasons are suggested from their own profit, and therefore it is no marvel that Moses teacheth, Deut. 16.19. that a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. For many of these are of great sufficiency, yet it may not seem strange unto us, if they be blind in their own causes, and cannot see in matters that should hinder their own profit. They Object. 1 tell us, that they teach the Church elsewhere, or benefit it by writing, though they teach not where they live and have taken the charge upon them. I answer, Answ. first for their writing, that is not generally commanded, nor so necessary to be performed, as the preaching of the word: and therefore though all the Apostles did continue in preaching, yet all of them did not set forth somewhat in writing.  
Besides, these men ought to teach, where they tithe it: and it is required of them to show their learning where they have their living. livings, no question, at the first were given in regard of personal pains where the profit is reaped and received. Is it likely that men would be so liberally minded to part from part of their own goods for nothing? A servant hired by one man may not go to another, and exact the wages of both; he must do his work, where he receiveth his wages, and where he doth no work, he cannot justly challenge any wages.  
Again, when he is hired of one, he may not leave his business, and run to another.  
Object. 2 Again, some, say they, are Ministers of the Church of England, not of this or that church: and therefore so that they preach, it skilleth not where they preach. I answer, 
●wer.  this is a silly shift, and no better than to receive an alms of one, and to give thanks to another: or to labour at Tarshish when thou art sent to Niniveh. Besides, why more a Minister of Enland, then of Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, and the like? And let such men look upon their commission which is given unto them to preach. For albeit in their letters of orders they be authorized in general to preach, yet in their institution and induction, they have a particular charge assigned unto them to preach in such or such a place. Again, who can enter upon any other man's charge without the licence and allowance of the incumbent? Can any Minister be said properly to be a Minister of England, when he is not allowed to do any Ministerial act without his consent that is Minister of the place, and if he do, he is punishable by the laws Object. 3 of the land? But they will object yet further unto us, that they have their charge from men and that distinction of Parishes is not of God or of Divine institution. I answer, 
●●sw.  all Ministers ought to have special flocks by the Law of God and man: for otherwise what difference between the calling of the Apostles and the calling of Pastors and teachers? Have we Apostles in our days, to take care indifferently and indifinitely of all Churches? True it is, the Church maketh Parishes greater or lesser, wider or narrower, to have more or fewer hearers assembled together: but God himself limitteth congregations, and divideth people from people, & appointeth them to be such as one Minister at once may teach them; otherwise we should make him the God of confusion and not of order, whereas he is the author of order, 
Cor. 14.33.  not of confusion, I would know therefore of these Ministers of the largest extent, that challenge themselves to have a larger calling than either Bishop or Archbishop; for whereas they exercise authority over a Diocese or a Province, and out of them claim no jurisdiction, these claim to be Ministers over an whole country or kingdom: I say, I would know of them, whether their calling be Apostolical, or Pastoral? if it be Apostolical, than they are sent into all the world to teach all Nations, Matth. 28.19. if it be Pastoral, than they are confined to one place. The same watchman cannot watch in divers places: the same shepherd cannot attend divers flocks: the same steward cannot rule and provide for two or three families distinct and distant one from another. No man that is wise will entertain such a watchman, such a shepherd, such a steward, as hath been Object. 4 already entertained. Lastly, they will plead for themselves, that they preach by substitutes so that though they have taken upon them the care and the cure, yet they have their Curates: and though they be charged with the people, yet they are discharged by their deputies. I answer, Answer. in matters of special trust, it is not lawful to substitute by the laws of the land. He that is the Prince's Ambassador chosen of him, may not choose another to go for him, forasmuch as he shall be his Ambassador, and not the Princes: and he that is chosen to be a Captain, may not assign another to go in his place, & he in the mean season remain at home. But of this we have spoken elsewhere.  
Thirdly, to leave the reproof of the Ministry, Use 3 from hence by proportion we may extend the doctrine to all others that receive wages for their labour. It reproveth therefore servants and hirelings that serve for hire, whether they work by the day or by the year, and yet do not the business faithfully for which they are employed. 
Ephes 6 6.  Most of these are eye-seruants, not heart-seruants, who are more nimble with their tongues, then quick with their hands. These can find time enough to prattle with others, but they care not how little they work for their masters. To give these their right, and to do them no wrong, they are plain thieves, and no better than such as pick their master's purses. The law of GOD esteemeth no otherwise of them, which is the Law and rule of all equity. They ought to labour with a good conscience, and to be as ready to do their work as to receive their wages, and to be as unwilling to slack their hand in labouring, as they would be to have their master to slack his hand in paying of them.  
Again, as they would have their servants in time to come, when God shall bless them with servants, & enable them to set workmen on work, to labour truly, diligently, and faithfully for themselves, so let them deal as true labourers with their bodily masters, that so God may bless them with faithful servants and faithful service another day. And as they ought at all times to be diligent, so then especially, when house keeping is chargeable, and groweth to be double so much as it was before. But what is this to the greatest sort? so that they have enough and feel no want, so their bellies be filled with meat, and they no way pinched with famine, they care not what themselves do, or what others suffer. Nevertheless, as the expenses are double, so their diligence should be double, with good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men, Ephes. 6.7.  
Lastly, to return to the Ministers, to Use 4 whom the doctrine doth especially belong, it admonisheth them, that they should keep themselves from this sin, and seek with a good conscience to discharge their several places, whatsoever duties be required of them. For the Apostle doth set down a woe against his own soul, writing to the Corinthians, Chapter 9, verse 16. of whom he received no maintenance (as we declared before) but laboured with his own hands to get his living; then much more shall it bring a woe to those that take the benefit, but do not discharge the function. And albeit many of these are grown great in the world, yet it is not their greatness, nor their dignity, nor their riches, nor their preferments that shall excuse them, but woe unto them if they preach not the Gospel. God grant that their rising be not by the fall of the Church, and their mightiness by the miseries of the Church. It should be our meat and drink to do the will of our heavenly Father that sent us, and to finish his work, joh. 4.34. and the zeal of his house should eat us up, Psal. 69.9, And when we must go the way of all flesh and leave our riches and treasures behind us, the good which we have done in the Church shall more comfort us, than the heaping together of much goods. It is reported of Gregory Thaumat. when he asked the question, 
Vide Gregor. Nyssen. & Ruffin. lib. 2. cap. 9  being now ready to leave the world and to give up the ghost, how many Infidels yet remained in the city Neocaesarea, and answer was returned unto him, seventeen: that he rejoiced greatly, and comforted himself, and gave thanks to God, saying, There were only so many faithful and believers when I was made Bishop of this place, Totidem erant fideles, cum coepi Episcopatum. Let us all apply this unto ourselves: you that be Ministers of the word, and have taken the charge of souls, must endeavour yourselves to preach the word constantly; forasmuch as you have undertaken to do it, let it be your care to perform and accomplish it. And you that are the people must give them encouragement, and draw them on to greater labour by your love to the Word. When the people grow careless, it maketh the Minister oftentimes careless also: and so it cometh to pass, that though they take the profit, yet they are no whit careful to take the pains: whereas if they could cause him to see the fruit of his labour, it would constrain him to go forward in his place with cheerfulness. For when doth the husbandman labour with joy, but when he beholdeth the increase of the earth, and his pains to come to some profit and perfection? so likewise doth the faithful Minister labour with comfort and delight, when he seethe his labour bring forth a fruitful and plentiful harvest in the people. True it is, if the Minister grow dull and dumb because he hath no encouragement from you, it is his sin, it shall be no excuse unto him; but the sin of the people is so much the greater, and their condemnation deserveth to be double. On the otherside, if both of them be diligent, the one in preaching, the other in hearing, they shall mutually edify one another, and grow in grace together within the house of God, and hereafter shall receive the fruit and benefit of it in the life to come.    

CHAP. XIX.  

1 ANd the Lord spoke unto Aaron, saying,  
2 This is the ordinance of the Law, which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.  
3 And ye shall give her, etc. 4 And Eleazar the Priest shall take of her blood, etc. 5 And one shall burn the heifer, etc. 6 And the Priest shall take Cedar wood, etc. 7 Then the Priests shall wash his clothes, etc. 8 And he that burneth her, etc. 9 And a man that is clean, etc.  
10 And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer, etc.  
AFter the murmuring of Korah against Aaron, touching the Priesthood, we showed how God is reconciled to his people, and they brought into his favour again. Touching the which, we considered two points, the first belonging to the Priests and Levites, chap. 18. the other to all the people generally, in this Chapter, to the end they should have an ordinary means to purge and sanctify themselves from their uncleanness at all times. The sum therefore of this chapter is this, God hath instituted the way and means, how the unclean shallbe cleansed, whereby to assure themselves, that no infirmity shall separate them from the favour of God. The parts of this Chapter are two, 
The contents of this Chapter.  the first is touching the water of cleansing or separation, so called, because such as were separated for any uncleanness, were sprinkled with it: the second touching the persons that were to use it and to be cleansed by it. Touching the water, we are to know the matter whereof it was made, of the ashes of a red cow, without spot, without blemish, without yoke. And the rites used about the heifer, before it was offered, and also following the offering, all which may be learned in the words themselves. The persons that were to use this water of separation, are the unclean, which are of two sorts, first by touching a dead body of any man. Secondly, by approaching and coming near to the tent where the dead lieth, etc. It is dangerous to be near any unclean person, which pointeth out the danger of evil and teacheth to have no communion with it. Whosoever neglecteth this law, and being unclean seeketh not to be cleansed, shall be cut off from the congregation, verse 13, 20. declaring, that we should not suffer sin to rest upon us: though we fall into evil, and cannot keep ourselves upright, yet we must not lie in sin, neither give it any entertainment, no not for a time. But to pass over particulars, observe the scope and drift of this chapter; which is, to proclaim the mercy of God to such as confess and forsake their sins. 
●ctrine. ● penitent ●ons shallbe 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 favour.  The Doctrine than is this, that all penitent persons shall be received into God's favour, so that no evil shall come near them, Esai. 1, 17, 18. It skilleth not what our sins are, or how great they have been, but how true and sincere our repentance is, jer. 50, 20. 1 john 1, 9 Ezek. 36, 25, 26. This truth is farther confirmed by many examples, as Manasses, 2 Chro. 33, 12, 13. the sinful woman that had many sins forgiven her, Luke 7, 48. the penitent Thief upon the cross, Luk. 23, 41, 42, 43. To those that put Christ to death the Apostle Peter preached repentance, and many of them believed and were saved, Acts 2.37.  
Reason 1 The grounds of this are first, that no sinner should despair with Cain, 1 Tim. 1, 26. or be damned with judas, john 6, 70. or be rejected with Esau, Heb. 12, 17.  
Reason 2 Secondly, Christ jesus hath satisfied for us all, Esay 53, 5, 6. Rom. 8, 33. he is our surety, and hath paid all our debt for us, whatsoever could in justice be required of us. God the father is the creditor, we are the debtor. Christ is the surety, sin is the debt, hell is the prison into which we deserve to be cast. But as the creditor cannot come in with any after reckonings, nor put the poor debtor into prison, when once the debt is satisfied by the surety; so the Lord will not lay any thing to our charge, nor send us to hell as to prison, forasmuch as his own Son hath laid down his life as the full price of all our iniquities, whereby his wrath is appeased, and his justice satisfied.  
Use 1 The uses. First we learn how it cometh to pass, that the sin against the holy Ghost is said to be the unpardonable sin, the sin that shall never be forgiven, neither in this life, nor in the life to come, Matth. 12, 32. Mark 3, 28, 29. 1 john 5, 16. not because God cannot forgive it, for his mercy is infinite, and greater than all our sins, but because such as commit it can never repent. Such as were once lightened with the knowledge of the truth, have received the heavenly gift, have been made partakers of the holyghost, have heard the good word of God with joy, and tasted of the powers of the world to come, if they fall away, it is unpossible they should be renewed again by Repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the son of God afcesh, and put him to an open shame, Heb. 6, 4, 5, 6. & 10, 29. These are not only malicious and obstinate offenders, but desperate sinners that dash themselves in pieces against the rock: they know the truth, and salvation to be by no other than Christ, yet they reject and renounce salvation by him. These are like desperate murderers that hang themselves or cut their own throats. True it is, that many weak Christians, languishing under the burden of sin, are oftentimes afraid they have committed this sin, but whosoever feareth he hath committed that sin, I dare pronounce no evil against that soul. For I take this to be a certain rule, that Whosoever feareth he hath sinned against the holy Ghost, hath not committed that sin, neither can commit it, but is altogether free from it. Such as are so forsaken and given over of God to fall into it, are not afraid of it, but rather boast of it, glory in it, and live and die with it. The fear to offend this way, is but the shadow of it, and not the substance: and this shadow is a notable preservative to keep them from it, and it from them; and therefore shall hurt no man, no more than the shadow of the sword can cut in pieces which hath no edge. But those wretched sinners that sin this sin, do it to despite God to his face, & would (if they were able) pull him out of heaven: they tread under their feet the Son of God, and count the blood of the Covenant (wherewith they were sanctified, as an unholy thing, and do despite unto the Spirit of Grace, Heb. 10, 29.  
Secondly, it reproveth the Church of Rome, Use 2 and quencheth the fire of Purgatory which they have kindled. They find it to be gainful merchandise, and a fire that heateth all their kitchens: and therefore as Demetrius and the rest of the craftsmen which received no small gain by making silver shrines for Diana, were zealous for idolatry; because thereby they had their wealth; so are the Romanists zealous for their Purgatory, knowing that if that fall, their whole craft is in danger to be set at nought, Acts 19, 24, 27. And if they did not find advantage by it, they would soon give over the defence of it. For it is directly against the Scriptures, which make only two places, heaven and hell. Lu. 16, 23. and two sorts of persons, such as believe, & such as do not believe, Mar. 16, 16. And as this is a mere fiction devised in the idle brain of superstitious men, so is their doctrine of praying for the dead no whit better. We read, Leuit. 4, 3.13, 22. of sundry sacrifices appointed for all sorts of people, For the Prince, for the Priest, for the Congregation: for sins of ignorance & of knowledge, ch. 5, & 6. but we read no where of any for the dead. We read every where of prayers prescribed for the living, & Paul directeth the church how to carry themselves toward the dead; but we have no word of praying for them. They that die in the Lord, are pronounced to be blessed, Reu. 14, verse 13. even from the time of their death and dissolution; and therefore come not into any fire at all: whereas contrariwise, if we may believe the Popish Teachers that blow the bellows, it is made so exceeding hot, that it scorcheth beyond measure all such as are cast into it, and little difference between that fire and hell fire, but in the continuance. And if this tale were not handsomely tied together, and the furnace heated seven times hotter than ordinary fire, their kitchens would quickly wax cold. But wherefore serve all the purge mentioned in this place & in other places of the Law of Moses, but to assure us that sin is pardoned in this life, and the punishment of sin pardoned also? so that nothing remaineth on our part to be satisfied: for that were to renounce and deny the satisfaction of Christ: But the Papists, 
The Popish opinion of purgatory.  making Purgatory neither heaven nor hell, but as it were a middle place between them both, do teach that such as die in venial sin are put in that prison to fry for a season, until by the prayers of the living made to God, but specially by alms deeds given to the Priests and Jesuits, and by the pardons and indulgences of the Popes, they be released. But if Christ have paid the price for our greatest sins, how should we not believe that he hath much more satisfied for the lesser? and they that believe not that he gave himself to redeem us from the lesser, how can they hope or have comfort that he gave himself for the greater? Wherefore this fond distinction of persons, of places, and of sins, cannot stand with the word of God: And as for prayer for the dead, 
Prayer for the dead doth no good.  it cometh as a pardon after a man is hanged, or as Physic to the body of him that is departed this life. We know how God appointed sundry sacrifices in the time of the Law, for all estates in the Church high and low, one and other; but among them all set down in this book and in the book of Leviticus, we find none at all, no not one offered for the dead: doubtless either God was very forgetful of them, or else this doctrine was not then hatched. The living are commanded to pray one for another, but never for the dead, for that were to pray with the foolish virgins, Lord, Lord, open unto us when the door is shut, Matth. 25.10, 11. And doubtless the Church of Rome in this point have a faith by themselves, for not only we of the reformed Churches have forsaken them, 
The faith of the Greek Church touching Purgatory.  but the Greek Churches also renounce such a Purgatory as the Papists imagine: for they deny any purging fire to be after this life, such as is material and corporal. For albeit some of them think, that there is a middle condition wherein some remain after death, abiding in darkness, without enjoying the light of God's countenance, and are holden in a state of sorrow as it were in a prison, until by the mercy of God, and the prayers of the faithful they be delivered; and incline to this opinion that the lesser sins of men dying in the state of grace are remitted and forgiven after this life, without any punishment at all of fire or any other kind, by the mere grace and goodness of God: yet notwithstanding they confidently pronounce, that no Scripture or Council hath delivered a double punishment by fire after this life; and therefore let all the Romanists and such as adhere unto them take heed, lest while they dream of a temporary fire, they mistake themselves, and fall into the everlasting and unquenchable fire, Matth. 3.12. and 18.8. Now to make this more plain I will set down such strong and important reasons as were exhibited to the Council of Florence, and are propounded by others, 
D Field in ● Append. p● 25.  whereby the foundation of that doctrine is shaken in pieces, and falleth to the ground. To this purpose observe, that as some little good in them that have great and mortal sins hath no reward at all, by reason of the prevailing evil which is found in them: so small sins in them that have great graces & works of virtue, are not to be sharply punished, the better things overcoming and overswaying them.  
Again, the wills of men that are dead and departed hence, are either changeable or unchangeable, there is no third can be imagined. If they be changeable, than they that are good may become evil, and they that are evil become good, so that neither the good shall be unchangeably happy, nor the evil unchangeably miserable, but that the dead may fall from the top of happiness to the depth of misery, and contrariwise rise from the bottom of misery to the height of all happiness. If they be unchangeable, than they are not capable of any amendment, for he that is corrected from going astray, is set aright, being brought to dislike that which he liked before, and to love that which he hated before, and neither of them can be found in a will that is unchangeable.  
Another consideration is drawn from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel, where Christ jesus showeth, that the poor man so soon as he was dead was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom, and the rich man's soul so soon as he was dead was found in the torments of hell, Luke 16.22.23. There is no middle place of temporal torment as there are but two sorts of persons, so but two sorts of places, one dying in the favour of God, the other out of his favour; so there are but these places, heaven for the one, and hell for the other.  
Besides, it is no way just, that the soul alone should be punished for the sins of the whole man: but Purgatory presupposeth a sole punishment of the soul without the body, which notwithstanding never sinned without the body. If it be justice in God to punish the soul for the supposed venial sins, how should it not savour of injustice to let the body go scotfree and suffer nothing? For what cause or colour can they suppose or surmise, why the body, which hath had part and fellowship in the sin, and should have part & fellowship in the glory after the forgiveness of sin, should have no feeling at all, or suffering of the punishment that purgeth our sin? Furthermore, it is more proper to God to reward good things, then to punish evil, because he visiteth the iniquities of the Fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation, but showeth mercy to thousands, Exod. 20, 5, 6. & 34, 7. Numb. 14, 18. jer. 32, 18. If then it be necessary to be believed upon pain of damnation, that the souls of such as are truly penitent should after death go into Purgatory punishments, why then ought we not as well to hold and believe, that the souls of such as have kept the Commandments of God all their life long, 
●. 18, 24.  and at the last turn from their righteousness without repentance, should first go into a place of rest and refreshing, to receive the reward of their wel-dooing, before they be cast into eternal punishment? But this no man believeth as a truth, neither thinketh it reason, why then should any believe the other? If any object, 
●ect.  that when the righteous man committeth iniquity he hath no reward, because all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned, in the trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them he shall die. I answer, 
●● 1.  that this answer is no answer at all, neither any thing to the matter in hand; for if this prove that such as are evil shall not for some good be recompensed and rewarded, because all their good that they have done shallbe forgotten: than it will as strongly prove, that the righteous which have committed some small evils should not be punished for those evils, because all the evil shall be forgotten, according to the saying of the same Prophet, Ezek. 18, 21, 2●. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath done, and keep the statutes of the Lord, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die; all his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him, in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.  
Lastly, whereas they go about to prove Purgatory by the custom of prayer for the dead it is very clear and evident, that if once we admit Purgatory, we may not pray for the dead at all, because while we pretend to do them good, we shall do them harm. For no affliction is or can be laid upon others but in these three respects. First, when a man out of a cruel and unreasonable passion desireth and delighteth in the torments of others without any cause, as the heathen set forth men in their public plays, exhibited unto the people upon their devilish theatres to fight, to wound, and kill one another; or else cast them unto Lions and other wild beasts to fight with them, while they in the mean season did solace themselves in it as at a sport: or else secondly for the upholding of justice and judgement, as when murderers and malefactors are put to death: or thirdly, in mercy and compassion, for the benefit of him that is afflicted, as the Physician afflicteth the sick patiented. In this last respect, God is said and supposed to afflict souls in Purgatory, not to sport himself in their misery, because he is not a tyrant: neither to punish them as malefactors, 
Lam 3, 33, 34, 35.  because he is a father unto them, but to correct them for their soul's health as a gracious God. So then as the Surgeon or the Physician do not delight in afflicting and torturing their sick patients, but deal as tenderly with them as possibly they can, due respect had to the recovering of their health & former estate; so God doth afflict no more, then is precisely necessary for the purging out of sin. As than it were vain and hurtful for the standers by, 
God putteth his to no more pains than is needful for them.  to entreat the good and skilful Physician that loveth and tendereth his patient, and no way afflicteth him more than is precisely necessary for the recovery of his health, to withdraw his hand, or to remit any thing that he intendeth to do: as if he purpose to open a vein & to let him bleed ten or twelve ounces (knowing his disease requireth it) no man entreateth that it may be but two or three: or if he purpose to have him purge two or three days, to desire it may be but one day, or if he be constrained to cut and lance, to request him to spare his labour and let the party alone, because that were to hurt the sick man, and a token that we hate him rather than love him: so were it hurtful for the souls departed to entreat God any way to lessen or shorten their affliction which otherwise he would lay upon them, forasmuch as he intendeth not to hurt them at all, but to purge out of them the impurity that is found in them. Thus therefore we reason with them against Purgatory, 
Defence articul. a Leone 10. improbat.  as Luther doth with them about Pardons & indulgences. For as he saith, It profiteth not to be delivered from that which worketh so a man's salvation; but such are the afflictions and punishments of this life, as the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 119, 71. and the Apostle, 1 Pet. 1, 23▪ so that Indulgences should hurt to free us from that which shall do us good: so we may conclude from Luther's ground and foundation, that it profiteth not but hurteth, to be delivered from that which worketh unto a man's salvation: but the afflictions and punishments of the next life are such, so that we should not desire and crave of God to be delivered from them.  
Lastly, from hence ariseth great comfort to Use 3 all penitent persons, and such as are careful to cleanse their souls and bodies from all sin; they may assure themselves that this work of repentance, though it be painful for a time, ye● shall be gainful in the latter end, for we are assured to find pardon, and purchase favour at God's hand. But the afflicted soul, terrified with the feeling of sin, Object. will object the multitude and the exceeding great number of his sins, and thereupon sit in judgement upon himself, and give wrongful sentence against himself, that he neither hath nor can have any hope of obtaining mercy. I answer, we are oftentimes evil judges to judge even of ourselves, especially in time of tentation, and therefore I may say unto them, as the Apostle doth in another case, Are ye not partial in yourselves, and become judges of evil thoughts? jam. 2, 4. For shall we suffer our hope to fail, or ourselves to faint and wax feeble, when God biddeth us hope, and assureth us that he will make us clean from all our filthiness? Ezek. 36, 25. Ye shall be clean from all your filthiness. When he saith from all. I say from all, shall we say not from all? Or that they are so many that he cannot, or will not make us clean from all? Can any thing be hard to him that is Omnipotent, whose mercy is above the heavens? He hath heaped up mercy in store for us, more than we have heaped sins against him, be our sins never so many. O but our sins, Objection. will some say, are not only many, but they are most grievous & horrible, greater they are then can be pardoned. I answer, Answ. be it that they are grievous, yet do not say they are greater than can be forgiven. For that is a greater offence against God, than the committing of those sins that lie so heavy upon our consciences. Hence it is that the Lord saith, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: and though they be red as Crimson, they shallbe as wool, Esay 1, 18. Doth not he much abridge and cut short the Prince's power and mercy, that shall say he can pardon only lesser and smaller offences committed against him, but cannot pardon. Treason and rebellion? And doth not he shrink up the sinews of God's power that is infinite, and accuse him of impotency and weakness, that chargeth him not to be able to forgive such as are the greatest offenders against him? Nay, as the mercy of a Prince is most of all seen in sealing a pardon unto such as have provoked him in the highest degree: so is the grace and goodness of GOD especially manifested in forgiving those that are sinners above others, that so Where sin aboundeth, grace may abound much more, Rom. 5, 20.  
Again, as well we might say in a pride & confidence of our own works, that our good deeds are greater than he can sufficiently reward, as in despair to pronounce, that our evil deeds are greater than he can pardon: because as his mercy is greater than all our good works, so his power is greater than all our evil works. Who did ever come unto him to entreat favour and forgiveness at his hands that went away unpardoned? Paul testifieth of himself, that he was the chief of sinners, 1. Tim. 1, 15. and the least of the Saints, Eph. 3, 8. yet he obtained pardon. And wherefore? even because this example of God's mercy showed him should be an instruction unto the Church of God for ever, that he will deal in like manner with all other that truly repent, how great soever their sins be.   

11 He that toucheth the dead body of a man, shall be unclean even seven days.  
12 He shall purify himself therewith the third day, and the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, than the seventh day he shall not be clean.  
13 Whosoever toucheth the corpses of any man that is dead, and purgeth not himself, defileth the Tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shallbe cut off from Israel, because the sprinkling water was not sprinkled upon him; he shall be unclean, & his uncleanness shall remain still upon him.  
14 This is the Law, When a man dieth in a tent, all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days.  
15 And all the vessels that be open, which have no covering fastened upon them shallbe unclean.  
16 Also whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword, etc.  
17 Therefore for an unclean person they shall take of the  ashes of the same offering, & pure water, etc.  
18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it in the tent, and upon all the vessels, etc.  
19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean the third day, etc.  
20 But the man that is unclean, and purifieth not himself, that person shall be cut off, etc.  
21 And it shall be a perpetual law unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation, etc.  
We have showed before how God appointed a red heifer to be offered, and of the ashes thereof hallowed water to be made, wherewith to sprinkle those that are unclean by touching a dead body, or by coming near any thing belonging to the dead. The heathen themselves had certain purging sacrifices, & certain holy waters, whereby they cleansed and purified sometimes their land forces, and sometimes their sea-forces, and sometimes their cattle. But that which God prescribeth to his people in this place, is of another sort, and to another end. Moses therefore declareth what persons and what things are to be cleansed, verses 11, 14, 15. the time when, verse 12. the punishment of him that omitteth this cleansing, ver, 13, 20. the manner how to cleanse with this water, verses 18, 19 and how long this Law shall continue, verse 21. So then the point that cometh to be considered in this chap. is the water of separation, and the use thereof among the people of God. 
Doctrine. The water o● separation what use it hath to us.  This though it concerned the Israelites only, and was to remain among them touching the practice as a perpetual statute, yet it had an end in him that brought an end to all types and figures; and he that was buried in the earth for our sins, buried with him in the grave these ceremonies. Nevertheless, as we have often noted before, there do still remain divers and sundry moral uses from hence for our further instruction, which bind us to the end of the world.  
The uses. First of all, this serveth to reprove the Papists, who have patched up their religion with sundry shows of ceremonies, partly jewish, and partly heathenish. And from an imitation of this water of separation commanded in this place to be used in sprinkling of the unclean, their tents also, and vessels, they have brought in their holy water sprinkle, and maintain their superstitious blessing with crosses, and their hallowing of wax, palms, ashes, 
●. de cul●t. lib. ●. 7.  holy bread, salt, oil, and such like trash and trumpery, & bear men in hand that they have power to drive away diseases, and to cast out devils. These institutions are apish imitations of the jewish rites, & a raising of them out of their graves where they lay buried and rotten long ago, and yet they seek to quicken them and to put life into them again. Bellarmine, handling this point at large, delivereth his opinion in two propositions: the first, that water, oil, bread, candles, ashes, palms, and such like are rightly blessed. The second, that they are rightly used to signify and to work supernatural effects. So then the question and controversy arising between the Church of Rome and us, is this, whether these creatures may be used not only to signify, but to work supernatural effects. To prove this, he allegeth two testimonies out of this book, 
●b. 5.17.  the one out of the 5. cha. touching the waters of jealousy, that if they were drunken, they brought to the adulteress certain destruction, for the water caused the curse to enter into her, 
●b. 5.27.  so that her belly did swell, and her thigh rot. The other out of this Chapter touching the waters of separation, so called, verse 9 and 13. because they were to be sprinkled with it, who for some legal uncleanness were separated from the holy Tabernacle and the company of others. 
●●cl. annot. ●nc lo●. Piscat. ●l in Nu●●9. 9.  The jews, were not hereby washed from their wickedness, that were sprinkled with this water, but it was used to wash them from the pollutions of the Law, when they had touched a dead corpses, or such like. But what is all this, being granted, to heal diseases, or to drive away devils, according to their doctrine, teaching that these sanctified creatures may be used to these purposes? And if this holy water had any such secret force or inherent virtue, what needed so great a multitude of poor impotent people, blind, halt, withered, to wait for the moving of the water of the pool of Bethesda at jerusalem? or he that had an infirmity thirty eight years to lie languishing so long, for want of one to put him into the pool whensoever the Angel went down to trouble the water, joh. 5.2, 3, 4? Seeing both he and all the rest might have been healed so easily by every Priest, if the water of separation, or the water of jealousy could have helped them? We read of many possessed by devils, brought to Christ that he might cast them out of them: 
Libr. chry. joh. ● praelect.  could the jews themselves do it by this sprinkling of water? If they could not, then is Bellarmine grossly deceived, and goeth about to deceive his readers, when he affirmeth, that these are creatures which were indeed effectual to work some effects, were also effectual to work these supernatural effects, to wit, to drive away devils, and to heal diseases.  
This had been a ready way and a quick dispatch, if any thing could have been done by them. When the disciples of john came to Christ, to know whether he were the promised Messiah, or that they should look for another, he wished them to tell john, what they had seen and heard, The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, Matth. 11.5. But if the common and ordinary use of the waters of expiation and cleansing, could have effected these miraculous works, he would never have gone about to prove himself to be the Messiah by these arguments which should have been weak, uncertain, and untrue. Nay, do the Jesuits think that the waters of jealousy have now any force to try the adulteress, that after she hath drunk thereof, her belly should swell, and her thigh should rot? No, doubtless: and therefore if it retain not the effect which it had at the first institution, how shall we think it can have other and the same far greater and stranger effects? True it is, when God appointeth the creatures to be used, they have oftentimes supernatural effects, as when Elisha by salt healed the unwholesome waters, 2 King. 2.21. and did cleanse and cure the leprosy of Naaman, by his seventimes washing in jordan, 2 King. 5.14. when the Apostles and Elders did anoint the sick with oil, Mar. 6.13. jam. 5.14. and when Christ used spittle to heal the blind man, these we confess, were made signs of the power of God: but the question is, whether without any word or warrant from God we may use the creatures to such effects? The waters which now we speak off have approbation and allowance from the mouth of God, and therefore no marvel if they be effectual to the ends for which they were established. In like manner the water in Baptism we sanctify, the bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord we consecrate, as signs and seals of the power of Christ, assuring us of the forgiveness of our sins. See then how our adversaries dally and delude the world, to make them believe that we deny, that any consecrated creatures may be used to work supernatural effects: whereas they should join issue with us in this, whether they be able to do thus without the word of God: but in this they are altogether silent and hold their peace, as if they were stricken dumb. The Prophets and servants of God used these things well, but it followeth not hence, that the Priests of Baal the Romish Priests may therefore use them; 
Plutar. conti. septem sapient.  no more than we conclude, that because the shepherds may eat one of their sheep, therefore the Wolf also may do the like. Or thus, Ishmael was circumcised at thirteen years of age, therefore his sons, the Arabians and the Mahometans after his example might do the like. Or the woman of Samaria conclude, Our father's jacob and his sons worshipped in this mountain, therefore we may sacrifice there also. This kind of reasoning was the error of the disciples, Eliah prayed that fire might come from heaven, and consumed them that reproached him, therefore we may use such a prayer, Luke 9 Thus did the Cerinthians, Ebionites, Ethiopians, and other heretics reason, Christ was circumcised, therefore we also ought to be circumcised.  
This is the conclusion of Bellarmine and of the Wolf, who gathered by the force of this reason, that he might devour the sheep as as well as the shepherds; but the Wolf was a thief, the shepherds did eat that which was their own. So saith the Cardinal, Moses used water to supernatural effects, Elisha cured the waters with salt, and the broth with meal cast into it, 2 King. 4.4. Therefore we may use holy water blessed after the Popish fashion, both to cure diseases, and to drive away devils, albeit the water were never instituted of God to any such uses and purposes. For we must consider there is great difference of times, of places, and of persons; that which is lawful at one time is unlawful at another: that which is allowed in one, is not to be allowed in another: And that which is good done after one manner, is evil being done in another.  
Besides, we are not left to ourselves to devise in God's worship what we list, Deut. 12.32. Luke 2.22. with levit. 12.8. 1 Sam. 15.15 Gen. 22.16. compared with jeremy, chap. 19 verse 5.  
Lastly, this practice giveth way and allowance to sorcerers, enchanters, charmers, and conjurers to use the word and creatures of God to their lewd practices, to cure diseases and such like, whereas God hath appointed no such means to heal them.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence the Romanists go about to establish their unsound distinction of sin into mortal & venial. Some, they say, are so little as that they deserve not eternal death, but may be washed away with these holy waters that now we speak off. Doubtless, these sins must be exceeding little, or the force of these waters must be exceeding great when men are sprinkled with them. Whereas the Apostle is plain, speaking of this heifer, and of this water, Heb 9 that being bodily they can only purify the body, but in no sort purge the conscience from dead works.  
True it is, they say these sins do somewhat offend God, yet they add, facili negotio expiantur, that is, they are with little ado easily purged and put away. But we teach according to the Scriptures, that all sin in it own nature, even anger and concupiscence which they call venial, is mortal. True it is, there is a difference between sin and sin, both in nature and in the punishment due unto them: some are greater & some lesser, some worther of greater punishment and some of lesser; yet the least sin committed in thought and motion, deserveth everlasting death and separation from the gracious presence of God, if he deal with us according to the rigour of his justice, and look upon us without the satisfaction of Christ.  
The writers and teachers of the Popish Religion publish to the world, that we hold the sottish Paradox of the stoics, that all sins are equal, 
The Papists slander us 〈◊〉 make all si● equal.  the contrary whereof is manifest in the harmony of the confessions of our Churches. And why do they slander us with this dotish doctrine? or upon what foundation do they ground this accusation? forsooth because we hold that all are mortal. But this is a weak consequent, and will not prove the point for which they allege it. All men are mortal, even Princes, as it is said in the Psalm, 82.6. shall we hence conclude, that the people are equal to Princes, because they are alike subject to mortality? In the breach of the seventh commandment, there are sundry sorts of uncleanness and incontinency forbidden, as fornication when men defile themselves with filthy harlots and concubines: adultery between them that are married: incest committed with such as are near in consanguinity or affinity: the sin of the Sodomites, Who leaving the natural use of the woman burn in lust one toward another, man with man working filthiness, Rom. 1.27. revenged with fire and brimstone from heaven, Gen. 19  
Among all these several kinds, there are degrees of sin, one is greater than other, adultery worse than fornication, incest then adultery, and Sodometry then them all: and all these by the confession of the Papists themselves are mortal, and yet by their own confession also, one is more heinous and horrible than the other. If then their conclusion be good against us, that we hold all sins to be equal, because we teach that they are mortal: how should it not stand as strong and firm against themselves, that they also hold all these sins to be equal, fornication as bad as incest, and adultery as heinous as Sodometry, because they teach that they are all of them mortal? The like absurdity we might easily infer against them in the rest of the commandments, and that out of the Roman Catechism. But to understand this point the better, let us consider that our Churches teach no other doctrine than the Scriptures teach, that as all sins proceed out of the same fountain of corruption and infidelity, so all of them make us guilty of eternal death and damnation, unless we obtain pardon by faith in the Mediator Christ jesus, Luke 12.47.48. All sins, whether committed of ignorance or knowledge, deserve stripes, either many or few, and these stripes are no other than eternal punishments, as appeareth by the words of the Apostle, 2 Thes. 1.8. so that they which know not God, neither believe the Gospel, shall be punished in hell; because according to the opinion of the Papists themselves, when the Lord shall come in flaming fire to judge the quick and the dead, Purgatory shall utterly cease and be no more, the prison doors shall be broken, the fire shall be quenched, the place shall be emptied, and the poor souls shall be discharged, then shall be a gail delivery, they shall be quit by Proclamation. To understand this the better, we must know that sins may be said to be mortal or venial three ways. 
●s may ●d to be ●ll or ve●●hree ●s.  First, in regard of the event. Secondly, in regard of the cause. Thirdly, in regard of the nature of the sins themselves. They are venial, in regard of the success or event which do obtain pardon, and when forgiveness followeth them, though they be in themselves most grievous: as 1 joh. 5.16. where the Apostle calleth those only sins unto death, whose reward certainly is eternal death; and those not to death, which may be forgiven, howsoever in their own nature they merit damnation.  
Thus we may say, that David's adultery and murder were venial sins, because howsoever in the nature of them they were deadly, yet were they venial in regard of the event, because Nathan said unto him, The Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die, 2 Sam. 12.13. 
●ss. ordin in ●r. 11.  No sin is venial so long as we follow it: and no sin is mortal, when once we forsake it, Pro. 28.13. All sins are made venial by repentance: no sin is venial without repentance. Secondly, sins may be said to be venial in regard of the cause from whence they proceed, whereupon they sooner obtain pardon, because they are not done of malice and a settled purpose, but of ignorance and infirmity: as Paul showeth this to be the cause, why his sin was venial unto him, and why he obtained mercy and forgiveness, because he did it ignorantly through unbelief, 1 Tim. 1.13, And in the fifteenth Chapter of this book it is said, the Priest shall make atonement, when a private person or the whole Congregation hath committed any thing through error or ignorance, and it shall be forgiven them, for it is ignorance, Numb. 14.25.  
These sins springing from this fountain are damnable in themselves: from hence it came that Paul was a persecuter and a blasphemer, but the Father of all mercies and compassions, gave him pardon, because he sinned of ignorance and infirmity. So then, his sins were venial in regard of the event and of the cause But sin considered in the nature of the thing itself is not venial, but deserveth temporal and eternal punishment. Now the Papists themselves teach, 
● Popish 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 sin.  that sin is truly and properly called venial, when it is so in it own nature, and deserveth only a temporal punishment, either in this life, or in the life to come: so that if God would examine it and enter into judgement with it according to his most rigorous and severe justice, he could not punish it with eternal death, for as much as in it own nature it deserveth pardon, or at least some slight or temporal punishment. And of these, the controversy is between the Church of Rome and us, and not of those that are venial by the event, or by the cause. But the Scripture teacheth us that all sin is the transgression of the Law, 1 joh. 3.4. This is a true and perfect definition of sin, for every transgression of the Law is sin, and every sin is a transgression of the Law. From whence we reason thus, 
Every transgression of the law is worthy of death:  
Every sin is a transgression of the Law,  
Therefore every sin is worthy of death.   
The first part is plainly proved by many places, Gal. 3.13.10. Deut. 27.26. Matth. 5.22 whereby it is manifest that the Prophet, the Apostle, and Christ himself speak generally without limitation, that whosoever committeth any, yea the least sin, lieth under the curse and wrath of God. Now they that are wretched and accursed, are adjudged worthy of death, by the sentence of Christ himself the judge of the world, Matth. 25.41. and none can be free from this curse of the Law, but by the death of Christ, Gal. 3.13. and he died not only for the greatest, but for the least sins, 1 john, chapter 1. verse 7. the least of them cost him dearly, or else we must have paid dear for them.  
This point was expressed unto us before, chapter 15. verse 30. for as the soul that committed aught presumptuously or with an high hand must be cut off from his people, so if ought be done by any man through ignorance, verse 24. a young bullock shall be offered for a  offering, to be a sweet savour unto the Lord, and thereby an atonement shall be made, verse 25. Now by this offering of every private man or of the whole Congregation, they were taught that themselves had indeed deserved death, and that they were delivered by the sacrifice of Christ (as the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world) represented by the blood of these sacrifices.  
This is so plain throughout the whole Law of Moses, that the sins committed through error and ignorance, even the least they could do, were never remitted and forgiven unto them, but through the benefit of the Mediator Christ jesus, who suffered death for them, and therefore the smallest sins deserved death, and made the committers guilty in the sight of God. If any should answer unto this, that it doth not appear, that an offering was always offered for the least sins of all, because some were wont to be washed away with water, let him know, that by that washing, and by that water, the blood of Christ also was signified, as well by the death of the sacrifices, as the Apostle teacheth, Heb. 9.10, 11. and he joineth the blood and water together, and with both the people were sprinkled, verse 19 So than not only they are pronounced accursed, as some of the Jesuits cavil, 
Durae contr. ●●bitak. p. 279.  that commit most horrible sins, as murder, adultery, and the like, but he that continueth not in all: or else we shall frustrate the whole discourse and disputation of the Apostle. 
A jesuitical shift.  And therefore this is but a Popish shift to help at a dead lift. For the Galatians might answer, that they had all, or the most part of them abstained from those heinous crimes, and could not be touched justly with them, and therefore they might have justification by the Law. Against this justification by the Law, the Apostle doth purposely reason, that none can be justified by the Law, because none can keep the Law, and he is accursed that continueth not in all things. Forasmuch therefore as all are pronounced to be cursed and execrable unto God, which commit the least and smallest sin, and that they are worthy of death that are cursed and execrable, it followeth that every transgression of the Law is worthy of death. Object. But Bellarmine objecteth the saying of the Apostle james, chap. 1.18. Sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death: therefore until it be finished, it doth not bring forth death. Answer. But he should conclude, Sin before it be perfected doth not deserve death: for these are two several points, and both rest to be proved.  
First of all, this is a weak collection, Sin once finished gendereth death, therefore not finished, it doth not gender death. If a man should reason in this manner, the reasonable creature is mortal, therefore the creature except it have reason is not mortal; he should conclude fairly, but falsely for the beasts, and make them noble creatures.  
Or thus, All Princes, though they be God's deputies and vicegerents, and sustain his person, yet are mortal: therefore men, except they sustain the person of God are not mortal. These (we see) are weak consequences, and yet they are altogether like to our adversaries, as shall appear, if we consider the words and circumstances of the Apostle. For his purpose is to describe the proceeding of sin in us, and to declare that our sins are not to be imputed unto God, but to ourselves to our concupiscence, which seeketh occasions on every side, stirreth up evil desires, bringeth forth actual sin, and then sin leadeth the way to death: howbeit from hence we cannot gather, that sin bringeth not death unto us, except it be finished. But what shall we say of evil thoughts that never come into act? As for example, the Pharisees thought and taught, that except a man did commit murder, and by shedding blood did take away life, he was not guilty of eternal death: and except he committed adultery, he sinned not against the Law. But Christ himself showeth, that whosoever is angry with his brother unadvisedly, is guilty of death, and he also that looketh on a woman to lust after her, Matt. 5.22.28. Neither of these commit the outward deed, and yet because they have given consent, the Papists themselves hold that they are guilty of eterall death: therefore a sin committed in thought only deserveth death, albeit it be not finished in the work, even by their own confession, and themselves being judges. It were endless to follow these fellows, and to trace them out in all their shifts, they have so many windings and turnings which argue a bad cause: but one more I cannot pass over, that Bellarmine will have sin finished, to be nothing else but sin consented unto: and that concupiscence shall not be sin, except it be consented unto, neither yet be worthy of death. But this is directly against the Apostle, and against his own doctors. For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Apostle useth, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  ja. 1.18. signifieth, to perfect & fulfil by work. And so doth Thomas Aquinas understand the same and others also, Aquin. Comment. in jacob. 1. Gagnae. in jacob. 1. But to turn him out of these cavils, we will for this time grant so much as he requireth, what then will he answer, concerning original sin? It is already defined in the Council of Florence, that they are worthy of eternal death that are only guilty of original sin, albeit they have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, Rom. 5.14. That is, which never committed actual sin.  
So then, to reason in this sort, Sin finished bringeth forth death, therefore except it be finished, it bringeth not forth death, is a false conclusion. Consider this yet farther by another contrary saying of the same Apostle touching good deeds, chap. 1.12. Blessed is the man that endureth tentation, for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life; No man can reason from hence thus, The man that endureth tentation, when he is tried, shall receive the crown of life: therefore he that is not tried shall never receive that crown. And yet this hath the same force, and looketh the same way with the former. And therefore themselves teach, that infants baptised, though they cannot be tried, yet go immediately into heaven, and receive the crown of life.  
But suppose this were a good conclusion, yet he playeth the notable Sophister, in that he proveth not, that sin is not worthy of death, which he ought to have done, before he conclude that some sins are in their own nature venial.  
For many sins do not bring death, which notwithstanding are worthy of death: they do not bring death, through God's mercy: but they are worthy of death, through their own merit. Wherefore this place of the Apostle, being well understood, directly overthroweth this distinction of sin, from whence it goeth about to seek shelter and defence.  
Use 3 Thirdly, under these types and shadows here rehearsed, touching the water of separation which was made with the ashes of a red heiffer without spot, wherein no blemish was, which was brought out of the host to be killed, and the Priest must sprinkle her blood seven times before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, etc. I say, under these shadows the chief mysteries of our faith are handled. For there was no way of salvation but by Christ from the beginning, 
● 14, 6.  and there shall be no other new way unto the end. He was evermore the door by which all enter into the kingdom of God. 
● 10, 9  He is the same, yesterday, and to day, and for ever, Heb. chapter 13, verse 8. This the Apostle teacheth us plainly, by alluding to these words, Hebr. chapter 9, verses 13, 14. If the blood of Bulls and Goats, and the ashes of an Heiffer sprinkling the unclean, sanctify to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, which through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God? here the Apostle hath reference unto the red heiffer mentioned in this place, whose ashes gathered together, were sprinkled in the waters of separation, and served to sanctify touching the purifying of the flesh, so that such as were shut from the Congregation (being sprinkled therewith) had free liberty to come to the Tabernacle. The truth of all this was Christ jesus, he is this red heiffer, & his blood is the true purging, Psal. 51, verses 2, 7. 1 Pet. chap. 1, verse 2. And as the door posts of the Israelites were sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb, so must our hearts with the blood of Christ. Now of this type, observe these principal points of religion.  
First, that Christ jesus is true man, found in the form and shape of man, That he might humble himself and become obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, Phil. 2, verse 8. This is the cause that he is pictured out unto us in the colour of the red heiffer, rather than in any other, to put us in mind of his death, and the shedding of his precious blood. Thus also he is described by the Prophet; Who is this that cometh from Edom, with died garments from Bozrah, etc. I that speak in righteousness to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat? Esay 63, verses 1.2. This is no small comfort unto us, especially in all temptations, though our sins have a bloody face before his face, though they be red as scarlet, yet the blood of Christ hath washed them away: These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, Revel. chapter 7, verse 14. He hath a feeling of our sorrows, and is touched with our infirmities, being made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted, Heb. 2, 17, 18. and 4, 15.  
Secondly, we learn from this consideration, that the Heiffer must be without spot and without blemish, that Christ jesus was a pure and perfect offering without any sin. Hebr. chapter 7, verse 26, he was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. This is our comfort also and consolation, for if he had been sinful, we should yet walk in our sins, as an infant walloweth in his blood, and the price of our redemption were yet unpaid. Hence it is, that Moses doth so carefully set down this in describing of all sacrifices,  offerings, meat offerings, trespass offerings, peace offerings, all oblations brought to God must be without spot and without blemish, thereby to teach the people & us to the end of the world, that there was no sin in him that took upon him our sin, For he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities, Esay. 53, 5. He suffered indeed for us, but the just for the unjust, 1 Pet. 3, 18, and 2, 22.  
Thirdly, in that this Heiffer was such upon whom never came yoke, 
Verse 2.  it appeareth that Christ (being at his own liberty & bound to none) offered himself freely for our deliverance, & therefore when such as were sent to take him, told him they sought jesus of Nazareth, he answered, If ye seek me, let these go their way, john 18, 8. He gave himself, not by persuasion of others, not by compulsion from others, but willingly even unto the death, Phil. chapter 2, verse 8. john, chap. 18, verses 4, 5. Esay, chap. 53; verse 12. His death was not by constraint, for than it could not be meritorious. If it had not been voluntary, they could not have taken it away from him: for they often lay in wait for him, and sought to put him to death, john: 10. verses 17, 18. What he was able to do, if it had pleased him, he showed in the Garden; for so soon as he had told them that he was the man whom they sought for, they went backward and fell to the ground, john 18, verse 6. He knew all things that should come unto him, yet he went forth unto them that were come with Lanterns, and Torches, and weapons, to take him, verses 3, 4. He had therefore power to lay down his life, or not to lay it down, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled? But they had no power of themselves to lay hands upon him, as he telleth Pilate, chap: 19, 11. This also serveth for our comfort, that Christ died not against his will but willingly and of his own accord, performing obedience unto his Father. Not that his enemies could overcome him, for he overcame them, & cast them back to the earth with a word speaking. And what words did he speak? Were they terrible and dreadful? Were they words of thunder? No, he roared not as a lion, but spoke mildly as a lamb, I am he. Now if the voice of CHRIST, by gentle and amiable, were notwithstanding so effectual to throw them all down headlong to the ground; how powerful shall the angry voice of Christ be, to throw his enemies as with a sudden flash of lightning into the pit and pains of hell at the last day? And if the voice of Christ in the days of his humility, were so fearful and available in the hearts of his persecutors, what a dreadful thunderbolt will he cast down against all his enemies and upon all the reprobate, being in glory and sitting at the right hand of his Father, when he shall utter this final and fearful sentence, Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Math. chapter 25, verse 41.  
Again, we are all put in mind, that his death is meritorious and the full price of our redemption.  
Thirdly, we see that he is Lord of life and death, for he raised himself by his eternal Spirit; and as he had power to lay it down, so he had power to take it up, as appeared evidently at his resurrection. Let us serve him that is able to redeem from death such as believe in him and rest upon him for their salvation. He that restored himself to life, is able to give us life: and he that broke the sorrows of death, is able to destroy him that hath the power of death.  
Lastly, let us also endure the cross willingly, following his steps, and showing ourselves to be like unto him, remembering that the loss of life for his sake, is indeed not a loss of life, but a finding of it, or a changing of it, a temporal life with an eternal.  
Fourthly, the heiffer here mentioned, was brought out of the host, as also other sacrifices were, Levit 4, 12, 21. this signified Christ's suffering out of the gates of the City, as Heb. 13, 11, 12. john 19, 16, 17, 20. This circumstance is not without profit; for first it showeth and signifieth the abolishing of the types and figures of the Law, the truth standing in place of the ceremonies, and the body instead of the shadows: and therefore such as still serve at the Altar, cannot be partakers of our Altar, that is, of Christ, Hebr. 13, 10. We have an Altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle. The false Apostles taught, that the ceremonies were to be mingled with the Gospel: but these two cannot stand togegether, because the service performed in the tabernacle, was but a shadow of better things to come, Col. 2, verse 17. But the body is Christ. Wherefore, to observe them was to deny jesus Christ; and to keep them still in force, was as much as to overthrow his sacrifice once offered upon the Cross. They are therefore much deceived, that go about to bring into use again, Altars of wood or of stone in the churches of Christians. For the Apostle speaketh not of Altars as of many, but of the Altar, as of one. There is but one Altar in all the Church, not infinite Altars: and by that one Altar he understandeth the offering upon the Altar, which is no other than Christ himself. So then, we may as well bring in the levitical sacrifices, as the levitical Altars into the Church of Christ, forasmuch as these depend one upon another, the sacrifice having relation to the Altar, and the Altar to the sacrifice, Math. 23, verses 19, 20. whereas now we have no more need, either of the one or of the other. For we have an Altar and an offering, which by offering of himself once up a full and sufficient price for our redemption, hath perfected all that are sanctified.  
Again, as Christ was led out of the gates by the jews, as though he were unworthy of the society of men, and afterward was crucified between two thieves, as if he were the greatest malefactor of all; having before preferred a wretched murderer before him: so let it not seem strange unto us, if the world cannot abide us, and if we be often made a gazing stock to men and Angels, and accounted as the offscouring of the world, and the filth of the earth, 1 Corinth. 4, verse 9 But howsoever the world do judge of us, let us appeal from their corrupt judgement to the righteous judgement of God, saying with job, Behold, my Witness is in heaven, and my Record is on high, job 16, verse 19 He accepteth of us as of his children, and will admit us as heirs of his kingdom, with his Son.  
Lastly, Christ was turned out of the City, to teach us what we must account of ourselves in this life, that we have here no place to rest and repose ourselves, our hope is concerning things that are not seen, Hebr. 13, verses 13, 14. Let us go forth unto him without the Camp, bearing his reproach; for we have here no continuing City, but we seek one to come. As than we must be content to bear part of the Cross of Christ, and to be reproached as he was reproached (for if we will not bear part of his cross, we shall not wear part of his Crown) so also we must account ourselves as Pilgrims and strangers in this world, that we may enjoy his kingdom in the world to come. We must be content to leave father and mother, lands and lives for his sake, knowing that we shall find all again with a good advantage. Such as refuse to go out of the Camp of this world to Christ, and begin to nestle themselves as if they had here a sure & certain habitation: what other thing remaineth for them, but utterly to perish in the Camp of this world together with the wicked? Our hope is in heaven, our ankre is fixed fast above, not in this world, but in the next: we seek not a kingdom upon the earth, for than we should deceive ourselves, God hath not called us here to reign, but to suffer. Thus it was with all the fathers, Gen. chapter 47, ver. 9 Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 13, 14. The Heathen people accounted this life as it were an Inn to lodge at for a short season, 
Cicero de s●●  not an house to dwell in and continue for ever: yet those poor souls knew not whither they went, but we know whither we go, and the way we know, john 14, 4. We look for a City which hath foundations, whose builder & maker is God, Heb. 11, 10.  
Use 4 Lastly, this purging and purifying water sprinkling the unclean mentioned in this place, is a figure of the blood of Christ, fit and sufficient as a well of springing water to purge us from all our sins, Leuit. 1, 13. Zach. 13, 1. In that day there shall be a fountain opened unto the house of David and to the inhabitants of jerusalem, and for separation from uncleanness; (so the words are in the original) in which the Prophet alludeth to these waters of separation in this place. Christ is this fountain flowing of itself, open and ready unto every one that will drink of it for the cleansing of sins. And we heard before out of the Apostle, that the blood of Christ, which through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purgeth our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God Now the blood of Christ purgeth our consciences two ways: First, by his merit, because his death is the propitiation for our sins, whereby the wrath of God is appeased, and we are absolved, Rom. 3, 24, 25. and 5, 8. Eph. 1, 6, 7. 1 Tim. 2, 6. He paid a great price for us, and thereby hath reconciled us unto his Father.  
The other cleansing is made by sanctification of the Spirit, regenerating our nature, and mortifying sin in our flesh by the power of his death and resurrection, Rom. 6, 6, 7, 8. 1 john 1, 7. Heb. 1, 3. The heathen had their continual purgations from offences by sacrifices, and they had likewise their sprinklings & washings with pure water, but all these were impure and unprofitable unto them, because they wanted the inward truth, which was the life of them. Hence it is, that the Poet saith, 
— Ter pura socios circumluit unda,  

●. Aeneid.  Spargens rore levi, et ramo foelicis olivae,  
Lustravitaque viros—  And again in another place, 

● Aeneid. — Donec me flumine vivo  
Abluero—  That is, they washed themselves, and sprinkled themselves and others with pure waters, & thereby thought themselves cleansed. But these actions were mere nullities, like pilate's taking water, and washing of his hands before them all, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it, Mat. 27, 24. but the blood of Christ did cleave nearer unto him, than all the water in the sea could wash away: or like the circumcision of the Edomites and other Nations, they had the outward action, but they wanted the inward signification.  
In like manner, the Papists have their holy-water, wherewith they sprinkle such as enter into their Churches, and defend their practice from this place. But this is as much as to abolish jesus Christ, and to bring us back again to Moses: it is no better than when we have the pure fountain, to seek the myery puddles of our own inventions, and to dig to ourselves cisterns that will hold no water. For the Apostle maketh the jewish purifyings to be a ceremonial rudiment, Heb. 9.19. where he joineth the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarket wool, and hyssop together, wherewith the book and the people were sprinkled. Now if they will retain this hallowed water, & ground it likewise from the words of Moses, they must make it also of the same matter that this was made off, to wit, of the ashes of a red heifer, and that heifer must be first burned, and also use the other actions and rites here named and remembered. But as they have no commandment to make it, so they have no promise annexed unto it. To leave them, and to come unto ourselves, though we have justly abrogated the outward sprinkling with this holy water, yet we have the true water, and the true sprinkling. First therefore we learn hereby, that we are by nature unclean and impure, from the which we cannot be freed by the strength of our nature, but by the blood of Christ, represented unto us in baptism, by which we are washed. This is no vain figure, but hath his force from the ordinance of God, Rom. 6.3. Gal. 3.27.  
Again, this teacheth us, that we ought to come unto God, & into his presence with all purity and holiness: therefore it is said, that God heareth not sinners, such as have sin reigning in them; but if any be a worshipper of God, and doth his will, him he heareth, joh. 9.31. and we must lift up pure hands, 1 Tim. 2.8. Psal. 26.6. and 134.2. The Prophet reproveth the jews that brought many oblations, and offered up many prayers, but they were all rejected, because their hands were full of blood, Esay 1. And the Lord foreshowing the state of the Church in the time of the Gospel, declareth that a pure offering should be offered unto him, Malipiero, 1.11.  
Lastly, we are all put in mind from hence, to labour after true sanctification and holiness of life, that we may be clean within and without. We must not vainly boast of any inward purity, when none appeareth outwardly; for if we cleanse that first which is within, the outside will be clean also: neither should we foolishly glory of that which is outward, when there is none at all within, for that is mere hypocrisy and dissimulation.  
This also doth the sprinkling of the water of separation signify unto us: as also in that they which meddled with the burning of this red heifer were unclean until the even, and must wash their garments before they come into the congregation, verse 7.2. The Apostle setteth down the truth hereof, 2. Corinthians, Chap. 7. verse 1.2. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. So that sin is an unclean thing, like the dung of this heiffer which is commanded to be burned and consumed, verse 5. and it maketh us unclean and loathsome unto God, james 1, 21. Rom. 6, 19 revel. 3, 18, and 22, 11. We see therefore hereby, what to judge of those that live and delight in their sins, namely, that they are as filthy and polluted persons, even as a man that hath a running sore or issue about him, though he be never so richly appareled, and have all the sweet savours that may be, yet he still remaineth a polluted person: so is it with a man that abideth in sin, though he abound never so much in riches and pleasures, though he be clad in purple, and far deliciously every day, yet he is filthy, odious, and abominable in the sight of God, of which we have spoken before in the 5. chapter. Again, this teacheth every man to be careful to avoid sin as a leprosy, because it is so foul and filthy, and that which will pollute him, if he suffer it to continue with him.  
To conclude, let every one be willing to suffer the word of exhortation, and be content to undergo a reproof for his sins, that it may be a sanctified means to bring him to be cleansed from his filthiness, and so be made a fit vessel to be received of the Lord into everlasting happiness in his kingdom.    

CHAP. XX.  
IN the former part of this Book, Moses hath set down many murmurings of the Israelites against God, and against Moses and Aaron the servants of God, through weariness of their journeys, through loathing of Manna, through the emulation of Miriam, through the report of the Spies, through the envy of the Levites, through the indignation and discontentment of the people, for God's judgements against the rebellious; whereby it came to pass, notwithstanding they were compassed about with manifold mercies of God, as with a wall, that they waxed impatient and fretting against God, unthankful and forgetful of his former benefits, distrustful & disdaining the present blessings they enjoyed.  
His right hand had delivered them out of Egypt, his outstretched arm had divided the waters of the red Sea, and set them on an heap, the Cloud had shadowed them, the Pillar of fire had conducted them, the Angel of the Lord had guided them, the Ark had gone before them, and Manna from heaven had fed them: yet now all is forgotten, they believe not in God, but tempted and provoked the holy one to anger. And yet behold more provocations than these, in these chapters following; where we shall see how they complain and cry out through scarcity of water, and through weariness of their life, when they were stung with the fiery serpents. But let us consider the words of Scripture, as they lie in order in this chapter.  

1 Then the children of Israel came with the whole Congregation into the desert of Zin, in the first month, and the people abode at Kadesh, and Miriam died there, and was buried there.  
2 And there was not water for the Congregation, and they assembled against Moses and against Aaron.  
3 And the people chid with Moses, & spoke, saying: But would we had perished when our brethren died before the Lord.  
4 And wherefore have ye caused the Congregation of the Lord to come into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?  
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up from Egypt, to bring us into this miserable place? No place for seed, nor Figs, nor Vines, nor Pomegranates? Neither is there any water to drink.  
6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the face of the assembly unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.  
7 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying;  
8 Take this Rod, and gather thou and thy brother Aaron this Congregation together, 
Of this R● and the waters gushing out of it, 〈◊〉 more bef●● in the next chapter,  that ye may speak unto this Rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth his waters, and thou shalt bring them waters out of this Rock: so thou shalt give this Congregation and their cattle drink.  
9 Then Moses took that Rod from the presence of the Lord, as he commanded him.  
10 And Moses and Aaron caused the Congregation to assemble together before that Rock, and he said unto them; Hear now O ye Rebels: shall we bring you waters out of this Rock?  
11 Then Moses lift up his hand, and smote that Rock with his Rod twice, and much water gushed out: so the Congregation and their cattle drank.  
12 Wherefore the Lord spoke to Moses & Aaron: Because ye have not believed in me, to sanctify me, before the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this Congregation into the Land which I have given them.  
13 These are the waters of strife, where the children of Israel strove against the Lord, & he sanctified himself among them.  
In this Chapter we are to consider three several things. First, the murmuring of the people: secondly, the purpose of the Israelites to pass toward Canaan by the borders of Edom. Thirdly, the death of Aaron in the Mountain, in whose stead Eleazar his son succeed, and for whom the people a long time lamenteth. All these particulars are amplified in the beginning of the Chapter, by the circumstances of time; to wit, the first month of the 40 year after their departure out of Egypt, as appeareth, chap. 33, 38. and likewise of the place, 
●t. 2, 14.  of Kadesh a City in the borders of Edom, at which time also Miriam the sister of Aaron and of Moses died. These circumstances being set down, the History of their murmuring followeth, which we have often before seen and considered: declaring that whensoever & wheresoever any adversity happened, by and by they became impatient, unthankful, and forgetful of present mercies and favours. A like history to this we saw before, Exod. 17. which is not the same recorded in this place, but differing in time & place, as may appear by collation & conference of both the places.  
Now let us mark their behaviour in this want of water in the wilderness. First, they wish they had died by the stroke of God's hand with the seditious rout of rebels that conspired against God, whom notwithstanding they call their brethren. Secondly, they expostulate with Moses and Aaron, that they had brought them out of Egypt into the wilderness, being barren without fruit, miserable without harvest, and dry without water? Whereas they should comfort themselves in the former mercies of God, rest in the experience of his power, and remember his help ever ready in time of need: they rise up against Moses and Aaron in show, but in deed against God, whom they served; setting down their present condition, and comparing their abode in Egypt (where they had tasted all miseries, felt all oppressions, and groaned under the heavy burdens) with their present estate, to amplify the woe and wretchedness thereof: such is their blindness and unthankfulness.  

umb. 12, 3.  But what doth Moses, whose meek and patiented spirit they grieved, and whose righteous soul they vexed from day to day with their ungodly murmurings? He doth not here turn himself to them, nor dealeth with them to reclaim them as he did, chapter 16. but went with Aaron to God, flying to the Tabernacle as to a Sanctuary, throwing down themselves on their faces, and comforting themselves in his power, presence, and protection; who being always near to them that call upon him, showed forth his glory, and commanded them to take the Rod and speak to the Rock, promising them water, and assuring them of an happy issue of all their troubles & necessities. Now, as God commandeth, so Moses obeyeth and taketh the Rod.  
Here a question may be asked, 
Question.  what Rod God meaneth, and Moses taketh? for we read of two Rods famous among them, and well known; one the Rod of Moses, that he used when he kept sheep in the Land of Midian, 
Exod. 4, 2, 3, & 7, 8, 19, & 14, 1●, and 17, 5. Numb. 17, 8. Hebr. 7, 4.  whereby he wrought afterward many miracles in Egypt, and at the red Sea, & in the wilderness: the other the Rod of Aaron, which did bud and bear blossoms, to confirm the calling of Aaron, and to declare that God had separated the Tribe of Levi to serve in the Tabernacle. I answer, Answer. we are to understand in this place, rather the flourishing Rod of Aaron: first, because Moses made mention of this in the last place, not long before, to wit, chap. 17, the other is not spoken off in this book: so that we are rather to refer it to Aaron's Rod before specified, then to the other not named. Secondly, this served more fitly and fully to confirm their calling of rule and government over the people, which by these conspirators was called into question. As if they should say, Do you doubt of our calling, & ask by what authority we do these things? Behold this rod, (do ye not know it?) this flourishing rod shall convince you, and serve to bear witness against you.  
Thirdly, Moses and Aaron were fled into the Tabernacle, verse 6, now chap. 17, 10. it is said, that Aaron's rod was laid up before the Testimony, for a token and testimony against those rebellious companies.  
Lastly, Moses is said, ver. 9, to have taken this rod from before the Lord, or from his sight & presence, where we showed it was laid up: but we never read, that Moses his rod, whereby his calling was confirmed, Pharaohs obstinacy was convinced, and the red Sea divided, was laid up before the Testimony. So then, here is a charge & commandment, that Aaron's rod budding & bearing blossoms, should be taken, the people assembled, and the Rock only to be spoken unto before the Israelites: a promise being added, and again repeated, that waters should gush from thence in abundance, whereof the whole Assembly should drink, and the plenty of it should flow even to their beasts and cattle.  
These are the Commandments of God: let us see their obedience, with their failing & halting in it: For it is not perfect and entire, wanting nothing, as appeareth by the threatening presently denounced, and by the punishment afterward inflicted. Indeed they gathered together the people, as God commanded, but they spoke not to the Rock as God willed them: they were charged to speak to the Rock only, yet by impatiency & doubting, 
Wherein Moses and Aaron sinned agains God  they spoke not to the Rock, but complained against the people, and smote the Rock once, and again, not commanded. So then, they that hitherto showed invincible constancy in resisting the rage of the people, and maintained zealously the glory of God, believed faithfully his promises, and stood as Rocks unmovable against all storms that beat against them, now fail in their faith and obedience, both in speaking to the people, and in striking of the Rock. For they ask whether they should bring unto them water out of the Rock, as if it were unpossible for God to perform what he had promised, & to make good the word that was gone out of his own mouth. Again, he lifted up his hand, and smote the Rock twice through impatiency and distrust: 
August. lib. 16. Cont. Faust. Manich. cap. 17  so that albeit he were a notable Prophet and holy man of God, and that God gave this witness of him, 
Numb. 12, 3.  that He was a meek man above all the men that lived upon the earth: 
Psal. 106, 32.  yet as the Psalmist teacheth, they troubled him with their grudge, and vexed him with their murmurings, that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips.  

Col. 3, 25. Acts 10, 14. Ezek. 33, 20. Rom. 2, 6. Psal. 62, 12. revel. 22, 12.  But God, with whom is no respect of persons, who judgeth every man according to his ways and works, doth openly accuse & convince them of sin, complaineth that they had not glorified his great Name, pronounceth & decreeth the sentence of death against them, that they should not enter into the Land of promise. And lest this failing of Moses, and fall of the people should be forgotten, it is named the waters of Meribah, or of strife & contention. Thus we see their doubting and disobedience is here reproved and threatened, and afterward punished, which is amplified by the reason, because they were so far from strengthening the people, by confirming them in the truth of God's promises, and assuring them of the due accomplishment of them, that themselves waver, doubt, and dishonour God. For as God is much honoured when he is believed, and we rest in his word as in a thing unchangeable; so he is greatly dishonoured when his power is not acknowledged, when his promise is not believed, and when his truth is not trusted of us. Thus much of the meaning of the words, as also of the order and circumstances of this history: now let us come to the doctrines that arise out of the same.  
[Ver. 1. The people abode at Kadesh, and Miriam died there.] In this first verse, where this murmuring for want of water is described by the time and place, we see mention is made of the death and burial of Miriam. 
Micah 6, 4.  She was an excellent woman in the Church, an holy Prophetess, 
Exo. 15, 20, 21  one that went before others in singing the praises of God after their deliverance out of Egypt, after their passing over the red sea, and after the overthrow of Pharaoh & his host; yet is subject to death as well as others. 
Doctrine. Death is common to all flesh.  From hence we learn, that all flesh, men and women, high and low, rich and poor, godly and ungodly, how great soever their gifts and graces be, are subject to death and mortality. This appeareth, Gen. 5. where in the catalogue of the fathers that lived before the flood, it is said of them all, they died. Albeit God multiplied their days, many hundred years for the increase of mankind, & the spreading abroad of the truth from generation to generation, yet after many days, in the end, all of them died. So Psal. 89, 48. Heb. 9, 27. job 17, 13, 14. & ch. 21, 23, etc. One dieth in his full strength, being in all ease and prosperity; another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure; they shall sleep both in the dust, and the worms shall cover them. And what shall I say more? We acknowledge in words, and see with our eyes, a decay and declining of of all things by experience. All earthly things under the Sun that have beginning, 
Seneca de remed. fortu●●.  both have and hasten to their ending. The grass, when it is grown, is mowed: the fruit, when it is ripe, is gathered: the harvest, when it is ready, is reaped. The trees that flourish in the Spring and Summer, have their declining Autumn, and their decaying Winter. The Moon set in the Heaven to rule the night, hath her wane. The Sun which cometh forth as a Bridegroom out of his chamber, 
Psal. 19, 3.  & rejoiceth like a mighty man to run his race, yet hath his setting and descending: the farther he goeth, & the more degrees he passeth, the nearer he is to the end of his course.  
The reasons of this Doctrine, are these. First, Reason 1 because all are dust; the matter whereof we are made, is the dust of the earth, & therefore must return to the dust, out of which we are are taken. All flesh is as grass, and the glory of man is as the flower of the field, the grass withereth, and the flower fadeth & falleth away. The Sea never resteth nor standeth still, but ever ebbeth or floweth: so is it with the life of man, it never standeth at one stay, every day cutteth off one part of our days, we are nearer to our end in the evening then in the morning, according to the saying of job, we are consumed from morning to evening, & we hasten unto the grave, as the Rivers are carried into the Sea. This is that reason which is used, Gen. 3, 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou turn to the earth; for out of it wast thou taken, because thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return. Where the reason is thus framed; Thou art made and taken out of the dust, therefore thou shalt return to the dust.  
Secondly, we must all die the death, because Reason 2 all have sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God: for the Scripture concludeth all, both jews and Gentiles under sin. True it is, man was created to immortality, and if he had ever loved God and never sinned, he should ever have lived without seeing death. But when sin entered, death followed in the world, as the wages doth the work: according to the threatening of God, Gen. 2, 17. In the day thou eatest of the forbidden fruit, thou shalt die the death. For as they that are adjudged and condemned to die, 
●sost. hom. ●●en. 3.  are accounted as dead men, albeit they be kept alive in prison: so our first Parents, although they did not immediately die, yet immediately were subject to death by desert of sin. So the Apostle, Rom. 5, 12. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death went over all men, in whom all men have sinned. Where he proveth the cause by the effect, that sin was before Moses and the Law given by him, because death was in the world, which seizeth upon young and old, infants & sucklings, whereby every one is convinced of sin, 
〈◊〉 3, 19  every mouth is stopped, and all the world subject to the righteous judgement of God. Seeing therefore we are all made out of the dust, and carry about with us this body of sin: we have here no continuing City, but are placed in the world for a season, as men set upon a Stage to play our parts, & then must be gone to give room to others, according to the saying of Solomon, One generation passeth, and another generation succeed.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, the rich, the mighty, the learned, and men of high degree, must acknowledge, that there shall be no difference between them and the poor, the lowly and unlearned, in the grave, unto which all must descend. True it is, there is a difference and distinction between rich and poor, high and low, great & small, in their life time, in friends, in honours, in houses, in lands, in livings, in food, in apparel, in duties, in dignities, & such like external privileges and prerogatives, which shall have an end: yet all these shall cease, and all degrees must equally meet together in the grave: so that albeit an unequal life have gone before, yet an equal death shall follow after. 
●rat oda. li. 1.  This is it which job pointeth unto, chap. 17, which we named before, where he showeth, that all worldly prosperity and hope shall fail, They shall go down into the bottom of the pit, surely it shall lie together in the dust. And the Prophet, Psal. 49, 9, 10, 11. showeth, that neither wit, nor wisdom; neither might nor money; neither favour nor policy, can prevent or put away death: that all without difference & respect of persons must yield to Nature, and that all means which they can devise for the continuance of their names shall come to nought: For he seethe wise men die, and also that the ignorant, and foolish perish, and leave their riches for others.  
Secondly, let men of excellent and eminent Use 2 places live justly, and deal uprightly in their callings, wherein they are set. As they are placed above others, so they are seen & marked before others, and notwithstanding all their honour and estimation, their riches and retinue, they must die and departed hence, when it shall be said to them, 
●● 16, 2.  Come, give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward. The remembrance of death must therefore admonish them of their duties, that they dream not of immortality, and they promise not to themselves continuance here and perpetuity. This David toucheth and teacheth, Ps. 82, 2, 3, 6, 7. How long will ye deal unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Do right to the poor and fatherless, do justice to the poor and needy: deliver the poor and needy, save them from the hand of the wicked. I have said, ye are Gods, and ye all are children of the most High: but ye shall die as a man, and ye Princes shall fall like others. So then, when we are tempted to evil, we must remember death, and the estate that followeth death. Therefore the Apostle chargeth them that are rich in this world, 
1 Tim. 6, 17, 18.  that they be not highminded, neither trust in uncertain riches, but in the living GOD; because we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain, that we can carry nothing out.  
Thirdly, this consideration of the common Use 3 condition of all flesh, must stir up our affections from resting & relying upon men whose breath is in their nostrils, to depend upon the eternal God, which continueth and liveth for ever. Let us beware of all vain confidence. We are ready to rest upon creatures, and stay ourselves upon an arm of flesh, as upon a broken Reed, whereby we deceive ourselves of our hope, and rob God of his honour. This we learn, Psal. 146, 3, 4, 5. Put not your trust in Princes, nor in the sons of man, for there is no help in him: his breath departeth, and he returneth to the earth, than his thoughts perish. Blessed is he that hath the God of jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Man is vain, and all his pomp is lighter than vanity. If then we make him our stay and staff, we beat the air, we labour in the fire, we build upon a weak foundation, and rest upon the uncertain life of mortal and miserable man, 
Psal. 144.  who vanisheth as a shadow, passeth as a dream, flieth as an Eagle, speedeth as a Post, consumeth as a garment, and goeth away as a thought that cannot be recalled. His life is as a span soon measured, as a vapour soon gone, as a tale soon told, as an handbredth soon measured, as a wind soon overblown, and as the weavers Shuttle, quickly sliding.  
Lastly, it is our duty to prepare for it before Use 4 it cometh, that we may be found ready, and have oil in our lamps, when the Bridegroom cometh. For death spareth none, it respecteth no person, no age, no Sex, no State or condition, no power can withstand it, no wisdom can prevent it, no bribe can corrupt it, no cunning can overcome it. And albeit we often recover of some diseases, yet in the end we are taken away. The whole life of a Christian should be a continual meditation of death, to teach us (as it were to die daily, and to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom: not to set our whole love and liking on the world, which we must shortly leave. Will a man bestow cost and charges on an house and tenement, in which he shall not long dwell, and out of which he is shortly to departed? Or will he be patching that Tent and Tabernacle which he hath pitched for a day or two? We dwell in earthly Tabernacles, as in houses of clay, 2 Cor. 5, 4. 2 Pet. 1, 14. What wisdom then is it, to bestow days, and months, and years, in plotting & plodding for the world, for riches, and the vanities of this life? Let us also prepare and provide before hand for the day of our dissolution, that such as God hath blessed with this world's good, set their houses and their estates in order, as the Prophet in this regard warneth Hezekiah, Esay 38, 1. Set thine house in order, for thou must die. And we may learn this necessary practice of Ahitophel, though living in wickedness, and dying in despair, of whom the Scripture saith, when he saw that his counsel was not followed, he went home unto his City, put his house in order, & hanged himself. 2 Sam. 17, 23. This duty is to be thought upon in health, as that which deeply concerneth ourselves and our posterity. When we have rightly disposed the things of this life, let us prepare for a Nunc dimittis, let us commend our spirits into the hands of God, let us resign up ourselves willingly to death, when we must enter into a particular judgement. For so soon as the soul is departed and separated from the body, God holdeth his Sessions, to which we are summoned by his messenger death, to come into his presence, to receive in part according to our works, whether they be good or evil. Even as we see in the affairs of this life, how judges and justices keep their sessions and assizes, wherein malefactors brought out of prison, are arraigned: so God holdeth his time of judgement and justice, to reward every one according to his works. We have all a cause and case to be tried, the greatest, the weightiest, the worthiest that ever was handled, not touching silver & gold, not concerning house or land, not of titles or inheritances, but of the everlasting salvation or damnation of our souls for ever: and therefore it standeth us in hand, to be well armed & thoroughly appointed, that we come not as the foolish Virgins, without oil in our lamps, or as the unprepared guest, without our wedding garment. We see in temporal Courts, when men have a cause to be tried, and an action to be determined, either of goods or good name, how careful they are before hand to read Evidences, to produce witnesses, and to search Records, that the suit may pass on their sides: how much more careful aught we to be to answer before the eternal judge, where no man shall be admitted to appear by his Attorney, but all must come in their own persons, none shall be suffered to put in sureties? This will be a great day, when the whole world shall appear together at once, high and low, Prince and Subject, noble and unnoble, according to the description that john maketh, I saw the dead, both great & small stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged of those things which were written in the book according to their works, revel. 20, 12.  
[And was buried there.] Hitherto of the death of Miriam: now of that which followed her death, to wit, her burial. See here, when life was departed, what they did with the body; they committed it to the earth.  
The Doctrine from hence is this, that it is a necessary duty to bury the dead. 
Doctrine. A commendable duty 〈◊〉 bury the dead  This appeareth by many examples of the godly which have practised this duty, Gen. 23, 4. Abraham the father of the faithful, bought a possession of burial of the Hittites, who by the sight and light of nature, had their sepulchres; & therefore answered Abraham, 
Gen. 23, 6. & 35, 29, & 50, 12, 13.  Thou art a Prince of God among us, in the chiefest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall forbid thee his Sepulchre, but thou mayst bury thy dead therein. So ch. 25, 8, 9 when Abraham yielded the spirit and died in a good age, and was gathered to his people, his sons Isaac & Ishmael buried him in the Cave of Machpelah, in the field of Hephron, where Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. The like we see done to Isaac, when he gave up the ghost, being old and full of days, his two sons, Esau and jacob buried him. Now as jacob did to his father, so his children do to him, according as he had commanded them; for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the Cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought. The like may be said of Moses, Deut. 34, 5, 6. for albeit the people buried him not, neither knew of his Sepulchre, lest they should abuse it to idolatry, yet rather than he should want burial, he was buried of God. The men of jabesh Gilead are praised of God, and rewarded of David, because they buried King Saul and his son, and adventured their lives to do unto him their last duty. 2 Sa. 2, 5, 6. The same might be said of the rest of the patriarchs, Prophets, judges, Kings, Governors, and Priests, yea of Christ himself, whose burial (albeit he were able immediately to have raised and restored himself to life) is set down in the Gospel, that his death might be confirmed, and his farther humiliation manifested. These examples teach that it is a christian and commendable duty of the living to be performed to the dead, of children to be performed to their parents, and of the people of God one to another, to commit the body of the deceased to the grave, to put dust to dust, and so to cover earth with earth.  
And no marvel. For first, among all creatures, Reason 1 man is most loathsome and ugly when life is departed. As in his birth and bringing forth into the world, of all creatures he is most frail and feeble, without strength to stand, without help to defend himself: so being dead, he is most frail, filthy, and deformed. He that a little before gloried in his beauty, comeliness, feature, & proportion, is now become the mirror and spectacle of a deformed and misshapen carcase. Such a confusion and wrack hath sin wrought and brought into our nature. This made Abraham to say to the Hittites, I am a stranger & a foreigner among you, give me a possession of burial to bury with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight, Gen. 23, 4. This is noted in Lazarus, who having lain buried but four days, his b●dy stank, john 11, 39  
Reason 2 Secondly, burial is promised as a blessing from God, and the want of it threatened for a plague and judgement. God offereth it as a mercy to Abraham, 
●5, 15.  that he should be buried in a ripe age; and to josiah, that he should be put in his grave in peace, 
●. 22, 19,  and his eyes should not behold the evil that should be brought upon that place. Contrariwise, the want hereof is threatened as a curse to jeroboam & Ahab Kings of Israel, that they and their posterity should be devoured of dogs. And jer. 22, 19 and 36, 30. because jehoiakim fell from God, it was foretold unto him by the Prophet, that he should not be buried honourably, but he should be buried as an Ass is buried, even drawn and cast forth without the gates of jerusalem. 
● antiq. li. ●. 8.  But it may here be objected, that the faithful oftentimes want burial, some consumed to ashes, some drowned in the waters, some devoured with wild beasts, some hanged on gibbets, of whom the world was not worthy: as the Prophet complaineth, Psalm. 79, 2, 3. I answer, all temporal chastisements are common to the godly and ungodly, as famine, 
●. 28, 26.  plague, pestilence, sword, nakedness, & such like punishments, which God shooteth as his arrows against the sons of men. The favour of God bringing salvation, standeth not in these outward things. For as it cannot profit a wicked and wretched man to be solemnly interred and costly buried, dying out of the favour of God, (as is noted in the parable of the rich glutton: 
●6, 22, 23. ) so it shall not hurt a righteous man to want a sumptuous solemnising of his funerals.  
Use 1 From this principle we learn sundry instructions. First, we must make a difference between the body of man and beast. For as man differeth from the beast in his life, made after the image of God, fashioned to look upward, 
●2, 7, and  created with a reasonable soul, and sundry other prerogatives: so he should in his death and burial. The bodies of beasts are drawn forth being dead, to lie in the open air, and to be devoured one of another, and it skilleth not. But it is unseemly and unlawful, against order and honesty, that the dead bodies of men should be cast out unburied into ditches and dunghills, or such foul and filthy places; and therefore jehu speaking of jezabel cast down out of her window, and having her blood sprinkled upon the wall said, visit now yonder cursed woman, and bury her. 2. Kings 9, 34.  
Use 2 Secondly, observe in this place, that all superstition in burial is to be avoided. 
●. antiq li ●. 4.  We read here of her burial, and josephus addeth, it was done at the common charges with great solemnity: but we read of no masses, obits, crosses, dirges, singing, ringing, watching, holy-water, bell and banner, trentals, & such like trumpery, practised in these days in the Church of Rome. Then they praised the Name of God for the dead, to stir up others to an imitation of their virtues: now they pray to God for the dead to get money withal. Then they rejoiced that they had overcome the enemies of their salvation, & had received their crowns: now they teach men to weep, for fear of the Pope's painted fire of a supposed Purgatory. Thus we see in that her burial is nakedly set forth, without these superfluous and superstitious toys, it teacheth us to condemn shrines, tapers, torches, candles, pilgrimages, and such ceremonies as are hurtful to the living, unprofitable to the dead, chargeable to their friends, and dishonourable unto GOD. For it is great wickedness and gross superstition to hold any holiness in the manner of burial, to make one garment holier than another, 
August. confess. lib. 9 cap. 11.  as to be buried in a Monks cool: to make one place holier than another, as to be buried in the Churchyard rather than out of it; to be buried in the Church, rather than in the Church-yard; in the Chancel rather than in the Church, and near the high Altar, rather than in any other place. This is great vanity, to place any religion in times, in places, in garments, all which we see passed over in this History.  
Thirdly, it reproveth all keeping of dead men's bones unburied, and reserving of relics Use 3 practised in the Church of Rome. It is a great part of the religion of Rome, to glory of their devout touching and adoring of holy relics, and to make Merchandise thereof. The Lord said in the beginning to Adam and all his posterity, Dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return, Gen. 3, 19 So that the bones and bodies of men departed, are not to be kept out of their graves, neither can they be preserved without corruption. And when Stephen was stoned, 
Acts 8, 2.  we read that certain men fearing God, carried him among them to be buried, which was a duty of charity: and that they made great lamentation for him, which was a fruit of their piety: but we find no mention of shrining up of relics, or keeping any monuments or members of him. 
Ambr. de Abra lib. 1. cap 7. Rhem trans. in Mar 5.  They allege for their purpose, the woman's touching the hem of Christ's garment, whereby she was healed. I answer, we doubt not but Christ living upon the earth, wrought miracles with his word, and without his word, present and absent, by outward signs, and without outward signs. But now the gift of miracles is ceased, and therefore to look for help by garments, by napkins and shadows, is superstition and tempting of God. Again, the force and virtue of healing her infirmity, did not proceed from his garment, but immediately from himself; and therefore Christ saith, Some body hath touched me, 
Luke 8, 46.  for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me: he doth not say, virtue is proceeded from my garments. The Disciples confess, the people thrust and thronged him. Likewise the soldiers cast lots for his Coat, and parted his garments among them; yet they received no benefit by him or them. Wherefore, it was her faith that healed her. Moreover, they allege the reserving of Manna in the golden Pot, 
Rhem. Testa. upon Heb 9  and keeping of Aaron's rod in the Tabernacle, Heb. 9 I answer, these were reserved and laid up by the express commandment of God; let them bring forth like warrant for keeping their crosses, garments, images, bones, and such like scraps, and we will receive them. Secondly, as they were reserved by the commandment of God, so by the word of God they were preserved in their full strength from corruption and putrefaction: whereas their trumpery of Saints relics, rot and consume away, as our Writers have proved, and their own authors have confessed. Lastly, from this reservation, they shall never be able to prove any adoration. For these monuments, the Pot of Manna, and the rod of Aaron were never commanded to be worshipped. But the Romish relics are showed openly for men to fall down to them, which is superstition and idolatry: and therefore being thus abused, they should be defaced, as Hezekiah broke in pieces the brazen serpent (though it were a special monument of God's mercy, 
2 Kin. 18, 4.  and a lively figure of Christ) when it began to be worshipped, and the ordinance of God turned into an idol.  
Use 4 Fourthly, we learn from hence to strengthen our faith in the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. For burial is a pledge of immortality, a sign of the resurrection, and as a glass to behold the life to come, and therefore the bodies of men are not contemptibly to be cast abroad, but decently to be laid in the earth, as the Corn is cast in the ground, & there rotteth, groweth up, and beareth fruit. We were not created of God to lie for ever in the grave, and to end in corruption; but our burial preacheth to us another life, and showeth that we shall be restored into a new and better estate. We are laid up in the safe keeping of God, until the day come that he shall raise the dead again. Let us then stir up ourselves to understand, that we are not appointed to live only in this world, but that there is another life prepared for us. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 15, 29. What shall they do that are washed for dead? If the dead rise not at all, why are they then washed for dead? It was an ancient custom, both among jews & Gentiles, 
Acts 9, 37.  among Infidels and Christians, to wash the bodies of the dead before they were buried, by which, all other ceremonies belonging thereunto, as embalming, mourning, wrapping, & burying, are signified; as if he should say, 
More hath been spoken of this, in ch. 17.  if there be no resurrection, why are the dead bodies costly anointed, cleanly washed, decently buried, solemnly accompanied, sorrowfully lamented for, and carefully wrapped in Linen? Seeing then these rites commonly used, show that our bodies shall be renewed, let us labour to make them members of Christ, and Temples of the holy Ghost. Let us abhor all Atheists, Epicures, Libertines, 
Acts 17, 18.  and such proud heretics, that mock at all religion, & deny the faith of the resurrection, which is the groundwork and foundation of all our comfort. Howsoever therefore the wicked here flourish for a time, and spread as the green Bay-tree; contrariwise, the godly are destitute, afflicted, and tormented, and accounted as sheep to the slaughter, yet it shall be well with them that fear the Lord, 
Eccl. 8, 12, ●  and in the end he will reward the wicked according to their works. 
2 Thess. 1, 6.  For it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you which are troubled, rest, when the Lord jesus shall show himself from heaven with his mighty Angels. This is it which Abraham saith to the rich man, Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains; now therefore is he comforted, and thou art tormented.  
[Ver. 2, 3, 4, 5. And there was not water for the Congregation.] The people had been brought out of the Land of Egypt, out of the yoke of bondage, and out of the furnace of iron: 
Deut. 4, 20. jeremy 11, ●  they had seen the great works and wonders of God, they had promised to yield faithful obedience, they had tasted of the bountiful hand of God, they had tried his power and presence in bringing waters out of the dry Rock, they had observed many thousands slain for their rebellion in the wilderness; yet behold their fresh unthankfulness; they cast out divers reproaches, as it were so many darts and spears, not against Moses, but against God. The Doctrine from hence is this, that in all wants and dangers we are ready to murmur and repine against God. 
Doctrine. In the least misery we are ready to murmur.  An example hereof we have, Exod. 14, 11, & 17, 1, 2. When the people were come out of Egypt, and saw the red sea before them, the host of Pharaoh behind them, the mountains on each side of them, and no means to escape, they repine against Moses, as if he had brought them out to die in the wilderness. Hereunto accordeth that which is recorded, chapter 17, when they came where no water was, they contended with Moses saying; Give us water that we may drink. Tempting God, distrusting his providence, murmuring against his servants, & not looking for succour and success from God. The like example we see Rahel, Gen. 30, 1, 2. when she saw herself barren & bare no children, she envied her sister, and said to jacob, Give me children, or else I die. She went not to God, who only is able to open the womb, as jacob teacheth her; Am I in God's stead which hath withholden from thee the fruit of the womb? but complaineth against her husband, envieth her sister, & manifesteth the corruption of her own heart. Therefore the Apostle exhorteth, 1 Cor. 10, 10. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.  
Reason 1 The reasons are, first, the bitter root of infidelity. For as the wickedness of man is great, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually: so the fountain of all is an unfaithful heart to departed away from the living God, and therefore the Apostle chargeth, 
●. 3, 12.  that There be not in any of us, an evil heart and unfaithful. Faith, apprehending the mercies of God, and applying the merits of Christ, is the mother of all graces, and the well spring of all obedience. And if we were acquainted with our corruptions, & the force of temptations, we would know the comfortable use, and the great necessity thereof, and magnify it above all other graces. The capital sin of unbelief, striketh at the very heart of God, and what do we leave unto him, if we deny his truth, who is truth itself. This reason is expressly set down, Psal. 78, 18, 22. They tempted God in their hearts, in requiring meat for their lust: because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his help.  
Reason 2 Again, present things for the most part are wearisome and loathsome unto us, be they never so excellent. This we see in our first parents. What estate could be wished and desired, more goodly, more glorious, more gracious, than their estate in the blessed time of their innocency: resembling and representing most lively the image of God in perfection of their Nature, in excellency of their gifts, and in pre-eminence of their place? Yet they were not content with this condition, they restrained not themselves within the bounds of their own calling, but presumed above that they ought to understand, and would be as Gods, knowing good and evil. 
●n. 3, 4.  What is the cause of tumults and troubles in families, in Churches, in Commonwealths, and in all Societies? Surely even this, 
●yd. lib 1. Pelopon.  we loath and like not the present estate of things, but seek changes & alterations.  
Use 1 Let us apply this point to our uses. We are ready to accuse and condemn the Israelites to be a rebellious and stiffnecked people, ever tempting God, & provoking the holy one to anger. In like manner we use to inveigh against the jews for crucifying Christ, and delivering up the Lord of glory into the hands of sinners: 
●. 26, & 27  we accuse the partiality of Pilate, the treachery of judas, the envy of the pharisees, the malice of the high Priests, the villainy of the false witnesses, the cruelty of the soldiers, the taunts of the passengers, and the hard-heartedness of the whole people. But we consider not that the same original corruption is in us that was in them, by the sway & swinge whereof, being all the sons of old Adam, we would have done as they did, if we had lived in those times. So when we hear or read of these murmurings and mutinies of the children of Israel, we are commonly wont to revile them, to defy them, and to account them the vilest people under the heavens. But we must cease to wonder at them, and learn to confess our own corruption of heart, and proneness to yield and fall down in time of tentation, unless we be stayed up by the mighty hand of God. For albeit he be most gracious and merciful unto us, hedgeth us round about with many blessings, and compasseth us with riches of grace on every side, yet we forget them all, if any one cross do any way lie upon us. If the Lord touch us with sickness, as with his little finger; with losses, with crosses, with poverty, or any misery, such is our impatiency, that we always dwell upon the meditation of that want, we look upon it with our eyes, we handle it with our hands, we toss it in our minds, and never remember the multitude of his mercies, the peace of a good conscience, the loving countenance of the Lord, the seal of our adoption, the assurance of our salvation, the sweet taste of his love shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost; so that one trouble doth more daunt us, and strike us to the heart, than many blessings can comfort & refresh us. But God, taking away outward blessings, giveth spiritual to his children, & doth sweeten the bitterness of the cross with inward consolation, and doth recompense it with heavenly grace, whereby we gain more in the spirit than we lose in the flesh.  
Secondly, we are taught hereby to pray Use 2 to God in our troubles, to hold us up, and stay us with his grace, that we fall not from him. For seeing at all times, and upon all occasions of want, we are ready to repine and murmur against God, who can stand by his own power, or by the strength of his own free will? When a man holdeth fast a staff in his hand, so long it standeth upright as he retaineth it; but if he withdraw his hand never so little, it falleth. Carry up a stone to the top of a Mountain, so long as thou stayest it, there it abideth but if thou leave it, it rolleth down of it own strength, even to the bottom. So unless the Lord, in our calamities and crosses that befall us, do stay us by his heavenly hand, & strengthen us by his Almighty power, we break out into unthankfulness, forgetfulness, impatiency, & grudging against him. This made the Apostle, after the reckoning up of the idolatry, fornication, murmuring, and tempting of Christ, to exhort them, that He which thinketh he standeth, must take heed lest he fall. 
1 Cor. 10, 12.  As than we ought all to take special notice & knowledge of the corruption of our hearts, and behold a lively and express image of our nature in the glass of this people: so it is our duty to call upon God (from whom every good giving & perfect gift proceedeth) to put to his helping hand, that we may learn to depend upon him, that we may know how to want and how to abound, and in every condition to submit ourselves to his heavenly pleasure. For we shall never be able by our own strength to subdue our own corruptions, nor to prevail over our own lusts, nor to overcome the temptations that oftentimes assail us, unless we be assisted from above.  
Use 3 Lastly, our corruption of heart, prone to murmur and complain against God, whensoever he trieth our faith, obedience, and patience, with any misery, warneth us to seek all holy means & remedies, 
Remedies against murmuring and distrust.  to repress this rage and repining against God: which may be as sure helps to further us in this way, & to furnish us with strength able to hold us up in the day of trial. First, let us consider the high providence of God, ruling all things in heaven or earth, and overswaying all creatures, that nothing falleth out without his will & pleasure, as our Saviour teacheth, Mat. 10, 29.30. For who giveth us our bodies? Who clotheth the Lilies, that Solomon in all his glory was not like one of them? Who feedeth the young Ravens that cry unto him? Who sustaineth the wicked that are his enemies? Who provided all things for man in the beginning, before he was made & created? Is it not the Lord, whose all the beasts of the forest are, and the beasts on a thousand Mountains? So that the resting of ourselves upon this providence that he will feed and clothe us, and care for us, must take away the grief of all our wants that overpresseth, and oftentimes overcometh us.  
Again, we must learn the benefit of contentation, and to grub up all distracting and distrustful cares, as noisome weeds out of our hearts, bearing with patience and meekness of spirit, whatsoever the Lord sendeth. This mind was in jacob, when he went far from his father's house, 
Gen. 28, 20.  he did not desire silver or gold, house or lands, but only a competent & convenient living, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this journey which I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, then shall the Lord be my God. So the Apostle teacheth, Godliness is great gain, 
1 Tim. 6, 6, 7, 8 Phil. 4, 11, 12.13.  if a man be content with that he hath: for we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain, that we can carry nothing out; therefore when we have food and raiment, let us therewith be content. And in another place; I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content: & I can be abased, and I can abound, every where in all things, I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry, to abound, and to have want; I am able to do all things through the help of Christ which strengtheneth me. Lastly, let us set our affections on things which are above, 
Col 3, 2.  and not on things which are on the earth. If we believe that God doth forbear and forgive us our sins, & not deal with us according to our deservings; if he sanctify us with his Spirit, & make our body's Temples of the holy Ghost; if he turn us to himself, working our conversion, which is as great a work as at the first to create us: we may be assured, he will deliver our souls from death, 
Psal 33, 19 Rom. 6, ●2. Luke 12, 32.  & preserve us in famine. For if he spared not his own Son, but hath given him for us all to death, how shall he not with him give us all things also? Fear not therefore the want of outward things which perish with their use; for it is your Father's pleasure to give unto you a kingdom. If he have promised to give unto us the greater, nay the greatest blessings that can be rehearsed or remembered, we may ground ourselves on this assured truth, that he will not leave us nor forsake us; so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my deliverer, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Indeed, the judgement & practice of carnal men is otherwise, who esteem earthly things above heavenly, and prefer their Swine before Christ-like Esau, 
Matthew 8 Heb. 12, 16  who prized one mess of pottage above the birthright. If these men be a little pained and pinched with famine, and suffer a little want of food, that they have not their necessities supplied, their bodies clothed, & their bellies filled, they cry out aloud in the anguish of their spirit, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? How shall we live? How shall we maintain & sustain ourselves and our families? But (alas) though their souls be hungerbitten, and hunger-starved, ready to pine and consume away through want of spiritual food, they are never grieved or vexed, it troubleth them not at al. Let us learn better things: let us value spiritual things at the highest rate, and set them in the chiefest place. If thus we set (as our honourable friends) all heavenly things in the chiefest place, and turn all transitory things with shame into the lowest room and rank, as saucy & aspiring guests, usurping & climbing above their betters, we shall bear all earthly losses and troubles with patience, and stay ourselves from murmuring at the feeling of them.  
[Ver. 6. Then Moses and Aaron went from the face, etc.] We heard before the complaint of the people; now let us see the behaviour of Moses & Aaron. They do not rage, nor revile them, they do not fret and fume against them, or ask the life of their enemies, but possess their souls with patience; and declining the violent rage of the people, (as a beast with many heads) they go to the Tabernacle & declare their causes and cases before the Lord. From this their distress we learn this truth, that in all wrongs & injuries offered unto us, we must seek help and comfort of God. 
Doctrine In all wr● and iniuri we must 〈◊〉 to God.  I say it is the duty of all the servants of God when they are wronged and oppressed, when they are evilly entreated, and spitefully handled at the hands of sinful men, to unlade & disburden all their cares into the bosom of God, depending for counsel and comfort upon him alone. In the performance of this duty, the holy servants of God have gone before us. Read the book of the Psalms, as a plentiful storehouse and schoolehouse to teach this truth, as Psal. 3, 1, 2. and 7, 1, 2. where we see, that in his troubles he had recourse to God, who smiteth his enemies on the cheeke-bone, and breaketh the teeth of the wicked, but was a sure Buckler to him; not such as men hold up, that can defend one part, and in one place only; but a buckler to safeguard him round about, before and behind. And being grievously accused of some heinous crime by some of saul's retinue, 
●. 14.10.  he flieth to God, he trusteth in him, who preserveth the upright in heart. So when job had his camels and cattle taken away by the enemies, he did not through the greatness of his affliction and grief of mind rebel against God, but said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, 
●. 13, 17.  and naked shall I return thither; the Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken it, 
●●g. 19.3.  blessed be the Name of the Lord. The like appeareth in Hezekiah, when jerusalem was besieged: This is a day of tribulation, and of rebuke and blasphemy, for the children are come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth: Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseeeh thee, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou (O Lord) art only God. All which examples teach us, that when we suffer wrongs, or fall into any wrongs, or fall into any dangers, we must have recourse to God, and crave of him, that the malice of the wicked may come to an end.  
Reason 1 The reasons of this doctrine are, first the gracious promise of God, who hath mercifully promised to hear and to help us in all our troubles. This the Prophet teacheth, Call upon me in the day of trouble, 
●. 50.15. ●h. 5.14, 15  I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And the Apostle john, This is the assurance that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have desired of him. Let us not doubt and waver like a wave of the Sea, tossed to and fro by the violence of the winds, but by faith believe that God will grant our requests, which we make according to his will and word. Seeing therefore he is willing to hear, and able to help, and promiseth to grant our requests; our duty is to come when he calleth, to ask seeing he giveth; and to knock, seeing he openeth the gates that leadeth unto his treasures. Some put their trust in chariots, some in horses, and some in Princes, but we must remember the Name of the Lord our God, who never faileth and breaketh promise with these that depend upon him, that fear and trust in his mercy.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as he is our helper, who delivereth our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling, so whither shall we turn ourselves to find comfort and consolation, besides in him? When God denieth to send succour, who shall save? When he refuseth to help, who shall deliver? When he shutteth, who can open? If we look to men or Angels, to heaven or earth, to the living, or the dead, we shall be deceived and deluded. The Prophet saith, Psal. 62.8, 9 Trust in him always ye people, pour out your hearts before him, for God is our hope above all; yet the children of men are vanity, the chief men are lies, to lay them upon a balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.  
Use 1 Let us now come unto the uses. First, from hence we gather that such is God's great goodness to his children, that he never leaveth them without comfort. For, if he require of us to repair to him in our troubles, surely he will not send us away empty, nor cause us to departed confounded and ashamed. How many came to our Saviour Christ in the days of his infirmity, when he lived upon the earth, to be helped and healed; yet who returned diseased to his own house? Who came to be restored to sight, and went away blind? Who sought for help, & turned his back sick? who sought comfort, & went away sorrowful? Who came to him deaf or dumb, or lame, and went away without his speaking, his hearing, his legs and limbs restored unto him? This the Prophet David knew, and in the meditation of it found unspeakable comfort in the days of his affliction, when he was in perils among the Amalekites, in perils among the Philistims, in perils among false brethren, in perils in the wilderness, in perils of his own nation, he trusted in his God, and comforted himself in a sweet feeling of his manifold mercies. For when the city where he sojourned was sacked and burned, his wives taken prisoners, 
2 Chr. 30.5, 6.  and the people intended to stone him, he comforted himself in the Lord his God. The enemies of God in their rage and cruelty may take from us liberty, friends, wife, children, lands, possessions, and all the substance of our house; but they can never rob us of this treasure, our comfort in God's promises, our hope in his mercies, and our affiance which we have in him, which are as the Anchor of the soul cast in the storms and tempests that seek to drown us in the gulfs & quicksands of despair & unbelief. Use 2  
Secondly, they dishonour God and deceive themselves, that run to Saints or Angels; from the Creator, who is blessed for ever, to the creature that cannot help. 
Psal. 73.25.  The Prophet David saith, Who have I in heaven but thee? and I have desired now in earth with thee. Therefore the Church of Rome is deceived, and deceiveth others, making other mediators and intercessors, by whom we must have access to God the Father: through the multitude whereof the miserable people are so entangled, that they know not to which Saint they should turn themselves. The Prophet having good experience of trouble, sendeth us to God in the day of trouble. The Father saith, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Christ jesus directing us to pray, willeth us to say, Our Father The Apostle teacheth us; that there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ jesus. And john in his first Epistle saith, 
1 joh. 2.1, 2.  If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, jesus Christ the just; and he is the reconciliation for our sins. 
joh. 14.13, 14.  To like purpose the same Apostle in the Gospel, Whatsoever ye ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father maybe glorified in the Son: if ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I will do it. Let us therefore detest the absurdities and abominations of the Romish Church, who masking under the blind distinction of mediation and interession, seek to creep away in the dark, that their mischief may not be espied. They say a Mediator is of two sorts, one of redemption, to wit; Christ alone: another of intercession, and so they make all the Saints. Thus they divide & sever these things that indeed are one. Let us acknowledge one only Mediator of our salvation, let them keep themselves other mediators of intercession. Notwithstanding, this distinction is not observed by themselves. For if Christ only be the Mediator of salvation, why do they call upon the blessed virgin, Save thou all them that glorify thee? Nay, why do they teach the people thus to pray, Command thy son, use thy motherly authority over him, let him know thee to be his mother. 
Hard censut. of the Apolo. part. 2.  Howsoever it pleaseth some to excuse these speeches, as spiritual sporting and dalliance: yet indeed it is most odious and open blasphemy to be detested of all God's people. And why say they thus of Thomas Becket, filled with ambition and vanity, 
Guil. Neubri. gens lib. 2. cap. 16.  O Christ make us to ascend unto heaven, whither Thomas is ascended, even by the blood of Thomas which he shed for thy sake. here he is made more than a mediator of intercession: and yet he died for wilful maintenance of manifest wickedness, to the dishonour of God, and to the infection of the Clergy, and to his own confusion, being a false Martyr, but a true traitor. Now against all these blasphemous trash and trumpery, we must know to whom to direct our prayers, and in whose Name we ought to pray. We must pray to God alone, in whom only we are to believe: and therefore Paul linketh prayer and faith together, Rom. 10.14. How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And this we are taught in the articles of our faith, to believe only in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the holy Ghost. But we are not to put our trust in Saints, or Angels; they know not our thoughts, see not our behaviour, they hear not our prayers, they fill not all places, themselves are accepted in heaven for the blessed merits of Christ our Saviour.  
And as we must pray only unto God, so prayer must be mace in the Name and Mediation of Christ, not of any other creature beside, as we showed before. We have no commandment in the Scripture to warrant us, no promise to assure us, no example to go before us, and therefore let us renounce all comfort and confidence in man, and fly unto him that is the God of all comfort and the Father of all consolation.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us use no unlawful means to come out of our troubles, but wait on God, and depend upon him in our necessities. This the Prophet warneth, Psal. 62. Trust not in oppression, nor in robbery, be not vain: if riches increase, set not your hearts thereon. This we see practised in joab, when he put the army in array against the children of Ammon, saying to his brother, If Aram be to strong for me, 
1 Chr. 15. 1● 13.  than thou shalt secure me: but if the children of Ammon prevail against thee, then I will succour me: be strong, and let us show ourselves valiant for our people, and for the cities of our God, and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight. So when Samuel had told Eli the judgement denounced against him and his house, because his sons ran into a slander, & he stayeth them not, he answered, 
1 Sam. 3.13.  It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. This condemneth those, that in their losses and crosses seek strange help, and run a whoring after their own inventions, digging cisterns that will hold no water, and forsaking the living God, the author of salvation. Hence it is, that some send out to witches & wizards, as Saul: 
1 Chr. 10. ● 14.  these cannot say the Lord is my helper and my deliverer, but their refuge and saviour is the devil. Others, in their sickness trust in the Physician, as Asa did: 
1 Chro. 16▪ 11, 12. 1 Sam. 2.5.  not in the living God, who killeth and maketh alive, bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up again; he maketh the wound, and bindeth it up, he smiteth, and his hands make whole, he shall deliver thee in six troubles, and in the seventh the evil shall not touch thee: In time of war and day of battle, we trust in our strength, armour, men, munition, and defenced places, and make them our God; 
Nah. 3.8, ●  whereas the Prophet teacheth that this is a cursed confidence, and shall not leave a blessing behind it.  
Lastly, we learn from hence, not to revenge Use 4 our own causes & quarrels. For if we be taught in this practice of Moses, to go unto God in all our wrongs, who will judge his people, than we are not to render like for like, or to requite evil for evil, or to repay wrong for wrong, taunt for taunt, rebuke for rebuke, railing for railing, but contrariwise bless, knowing that we are thereunto called, that we should be heirs of blessing. This use is concluded, Prou. 20.22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil: but wait upon the Lord, and he shall save thee. This is the direction of the Apostle, Ro. 12.17.19. Recompense to no man evil for evil: dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, 
Psal. 94.1, ●  I will repay saith the Lord. Where we see God claimeth and challenge vengeance to himself, and taketh it from us: so that such as seek revenge, sit down in the seat of God, and as much as lieth in them, wrist the sceptre out of his hands, taking upon them the person of the accuser, witness, judge, and executioner, contrary to all true form of lawful judgement. And albeit it be hard and harsh for flesh and blood to put up injuries, yet if we will be the children of God, we must have more in us then flesh and blood. For they that are after the flesh, 
Rom. 3.5, ●  favour the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit: so then, they that are in the flesh cannot please GOD. Wherefore, when Zachariah the Priest, a faithful and fruitful witness of God, was unjustly and cruelly stoned to death, he raged not, he reviled not, he revenged not, but said, The Lord see and require it. When the Lord of life, 
●●. 24.22.  Christ jesus was accused, condemned, and crucified, the just for the unjust, he prayed for his enemies, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do: 
● 23, 34.  leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. When blessed Stephen, who was full of the holy Ghost, and saw the glory of God, and jesus standing at the right of God, was cast out of the city, and stoned with stones, he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. 
●. 55.58.  When the Archangel mentioned by the Apostle Jude, saw that the devil went about to corrupt the pure worship of God, he would not use railing and reproachful speeches, 
● ver. 9  but desireth the Lord to rebuke him, and repay him for his malice. Seeing therefore this duty hath been practised by Priest and people, by men and Angels, by the head and the members of his body: let us follow those things that concern peace: let us be of a patiented and meek spirit, which is much set by of God; and let us commit our causes to him that is the God of vengeance. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  
Verse 9, 10. Then Moses took that rod, etc. Hitherto Moses & Aaron have behaved themselves uprightly in respect of God, meekly in respect of themselves, and patiently in regard of the people. Now we shall see how they offend by transgressing the commandment of God, by distrusting his word, by raging against the whole assembly. God chargeth them to speak to the rock: they spoke unto the people. Again, as if it were unlikely or unpossible that the rock should yield water, they smote it twice through impatiency & unbeeleefe. Thus they that had been the instruments of God in so many miracles, that had seen him face to face as a man seethe his friend that had stood so often in the gap where the hand of God had made the breach, that had divided the red sea, Moses, I say, and Aaron, the Ministers of God, the witnesses of his works, the pillars of the truth, now begin to fail, to faint, and to fall down, to show us and themselves the weakness that is in flesh and blood. From hence we learn, that many are the failings and falls of the children of God. 
●trine. ● are the 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉.  Howsoever the faithful be borne again, and endued with the spirit of sanctification; howsoever they desire to please God, and endeavour to serve him with all the powers of soul and body, yet they often stumble in their race, through the burden that presseth down, and the sin that cleaveth so fast unto them. This truth is confessed and confirmed by many testimonies. Solomon in his worthy prayer at the dedication of the Temple acknowledgeth it, 1 king. 8.46. So job. 15.14, 15. Likewise Prou. 20.9. And the Prophet, Psal. 14 2, 3. All which testimonies do plentifully teach this truth, that howsoever through the grace of God given unto them, the faithful fight a good fight, having faith and a good conscience, yet all are sinners and no flesh is clean and clear from sin, which Moses and Aaron here fall into.  
The reasons of this doctrine are. First, because Reason 1 the Scripture hath concluded all under sin. 
Gal 3. 2●. Rom. 3.19.  That every mouth might be stopped, and all the world be subject to the judgement of God. All matter of glorying in ourselves is taken from us, we are found guilty before God, we have no excuse, no defence, no cloak for ourselves to cover our sins: there is no difference, We have all sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God and everlasting life; so that all, both jews and Gentiles are proved to be under sin.  
Secondly, we see that death, the wages of Reason 2 sin, hath reigned, and doth reign over all without difference; yea it taketh hold even on children that sinned not actually like the transgression of Adam. If then old and young taste of death, all the posterity of Adam are corrupted in him, when he wittingly, and willingly, & wilfully sinned against God. We flow from an unclean fountain, we grow out of a bitter root, we are as branches of the wild vine. Thus the Apostle reasoneth, Death reigned from Adam to Moses, 
Rom. 5.14.  even over them also that sinned not after the like manner of the transgression of Adam, which was the figure of him that was to come So then, sin and death go together, as mother and daughter, as the tree and the fruit, so that we may prove the one by the other, death by sin, and sin by death, the one giving light and lustre to the other.  
The uses remain to be considered. First, see Use 1 hereby a difference between this present life, and the life to come. here the relics and remnants of sin, as spots and stains in the flesh, remain even in those, that are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and washed by the renewing of the holy Ghost. But when the faithful shallbe glorified, they shallbe without blame, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Take here the best Examples of the best men that have lived in the best times, as Noah, Abraham, Lot, David, and Peter, yet ye shall see shame in glory; darkness in light; folly in wisdom; infidelity in faith. But when Christ shall appear, and we likewise appear with him in glory, we shall be made like unto him. Therefore the Apostle saith, noting out this difference We know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, 
1 Cor. 13.9, 10, 12.  then that which is in part shall be abolished. Now we see through a glass darkly, but then shall we see face to face: Now I know in part, but then shall I know, even as I am known. Here we cease not to provoke God, and every day of our life addeth to the number and measure of our sins, which should be bitter unto us as gall and wormwood; but when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, and death be swallowed up into victory, the● we shall cease to sin, and shallbe as the blessed Angels that are in heaven. The fervent desire of the creatures waiteth for these times, 
Rom. 8.19.  groaning and traveling in pain even unto this present, to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Much more therefore should we, which have the first fruits of the spirit, sigh in ourselves, waiting for the adoption, even the redemption of our bodies.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn that such as say they are without sin deceive themselves, and as much as in them lieth, make God a liar: we are deprived of his kingdom, we cannot keep the Law, nor have justification by the Law, or the works of the Law, but are justified freely by grace, and have need of the benefit of Christ's blood. If we keep the law, we shall live by it: but if we be transgressors of the law, we are under the curse: For it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them. Hereunto cometh that which the Apostle john saith, If we say we have no sin, 
joh 1.8.10. Rom. 3.10, 12, 24.  we deceive ourselves, the truth is not in us, we make God a liar, and his word is not in us. And to the same purpose the Apostle Paul, There is none righteous, no not one: they have all gone out of the way, there is none that doth good, no not one: we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ jesus. ●ence falleth to the ground the doctrine of merits, that advanceth proud flesh, and lifteth up the supposed worthiness of unperfect works, thereby to procure God's favour and everlasting life. The Church of Rome place such an inward and inherent dignity in men's persons, as maketh them worthy of grace or salvation. Moreover, they dream of such an excellency in the work, as fitteth and enableth them to deserve the favour of God, and forgiveness of sins. But in a sight of our sins, and in a feeling of our own corruptions, we must renounce all merits, 
Basil in Psal. 114 Aug in Psal. 120.  and rest only on the merits of Christ. For when we have done all, we must say and confess, that we are unprofitable servants, etc. True it is, God will reward our works: but the reward is of mercy, not of merit; of promise, not of debt; of grace, not of desert. Again, hereby falleth another falsehood of theirs, holding that good works are every way perfect, not stained or tainted with sin, but being tried in the furnace of God's judgement, will suffer no loss or detriment. But the Prophet prayeth, Enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall none that liveth be justified. 
Psal. 143 2. Esa 64.6.  And again in another place it is written, We have all been as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness or good deeds as filthy clouts: and therefore no good deed of righteous men is without some stain of sin; neither can we answer him one of a thousand. Lastly, we learn that they are deceived, which teach & preach a possibility for a man in grace to fulfil God's law. For the Apostle taketh it for a grounded and granted conclusion, that the law cannot be fulfilled, when he saith, 
Rom. 8. ●. Gal 3 10.  It was impossible to the Law to give us life, because we are utterly unable to keep the condition; and therefore God hath sent his Son to take our nature upon him, and to abolish sin in our flesh. If we could fulfil the law, Christ died in vain, & we might be justified by the law: but Christ died not in vain, neither can we be justified by the law: therefore we cannot fulfil the law. Furthermore, the Apostle complaineth of his failings & defects, The law is spiritual, 
Rom 7.14. 15, 21, 22, ●  but I am carnal, sold under sin: what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. I find then that when I would do good, I am thus yoked that evil is present with me, I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man, but I see another law in my members, rebelling against the law of my mind, and leading me captive unto the law of sin. Now whereas many of the faithful are said to be just, 
Gen. 6.9. job 1.1. Luke 1.6.  and to walk in all the commandments of God without reproof: the meaning is, they endeavour to perfection, & strive to obey God with all their heart, and with all their soul, as Phil. 3.13. God accepteth the will for the deed, and the endeavour to obey for perfect obedience, 2 Cor. 8.12. Secondly, they exempt themselves from none of the precepts of God, but labour to walk in all the known points of his commandments, albeit they fail in the performance of them, & cease not to acknowledge their own imperfections. Lastly, God accepteth them in Christ, as perfectly righteous: so that, albeit their obedience be in itself unperfect, yet is it acceptable to God through jesus Christ, as if it were perfect; and his righteousness is as truly their own, as if they had wrought it in their own persons.  
Lastly, seeing the most faithful have their Use 3 failings in duties of piety and obedience, we must take diligent heed we do not rashly and rigorously censure others for falling into sin. For seeing we have all our frailties and infirmities, and are not able to keep ourselves wholly from evil, we are not headily to judge of others, lest thereby we hasten the greater condemnation upon ourselves. This the Apostle james urgeth, Chap. 3.1, 2. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater judgement, for in many things we sin all. Let us therefore consider ourselves, before we cast our eyes upon other men: for they are the most sharp and severe judges, that forget their own infirmities. As we would be dealt withal in meekness, so must we deal with our brethren with all gentleness. For howsoever they have sinned, nothing hath befallen them but that which is incident to the nature of man; we may be overtaken with the same sin, or with the like sin, or with a greater sin. The Apostle saith, Brethren if a man be suddenly taken in any offence, 
Gal. 6.1.  ye which are spiritual restore such one with the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. There cannot be a more effectual means to draw us to deal mildly and mercifully with our brethren, than the consideration of ourselves. There is no man among us, that dealeth truly with his own heart, and entereth into the meditation of his own frailty with his own soul, but he hath daily experience in himself, how hardly sin is subdued and mastered of us, how many sighs and groanings it requireth, how many tears and prayers it costeth us? What striving and struggling we have with it to keep it under? What battles and combats we have with the flesh that lusteth against the spirit? And yet notwithstanding our continual watching▪ wrestling, labouring, endeavouring, and resisting, it oftentimes breaketh from us, so that the knowledge of our own weakness, must teach us to deal with all meekness and moderation with our brethren.  
Verse 11. Moses smote that rock, and much water gushed out. We have heard before, the people complaining, and Moses praying: now we shall see God helping and relieving them, notwithstanding their rebellion and unthankfulness. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, to speak unto the rock without life, without sense, without reason, to convince those rebels, 
●y 1, 2.  and to show that there was more understanding in the dumb and deaf creatures, then in this company of conspirators. For now the promise of God was performed above all natural means. True it is, they were unworthy of any mercy, they deserved to perish in their thirst, through want of water: notwithstanding, at the striking of the rock with the rod, he gave unto them their heart's desire. This was the Lords doing, & it is marvelous in our eyes. 
●. 10.3, 4  This rock was a figure of Christ, as the Apostle teacheth. Besides, the striking of the rock, was a sign unto them of the gushing out of the waters. 
edge. 14.14.  When Samson propounded this as a dark riddle, Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong came sweetness: It was resolved thus, What is sweeter than the honey, and what is stronger than the Lion? But much more may we propound this miraculous work of God, Out of the hard rock came softness, out of the dry came moisture, and out of the strong came weakness. For what is harder, drier, and stronger than the rock? and what is softer and weaker than the water? according to the common proverb, As weak as water. And yet the soft and moist waters issued out of the dry and hard rock, suddenly, abundantly, miraculously at the commandment of God. This teacheth us this doctrine, 
●trine. 〈…〉 appoint 〈◊〉 and at allowance  that we live by God's appointment, and in feeding and sustaining us, he is not tied to outward & ordinary means. Whensoever we want meat, drink, apparel, and the necessary helps of this present life, God is able to provide them, and to nourish us without natural means, when it pleaseth him. This Moses teacheth at large, Deut. 8.3, 1. He humbled thee and made thee hungry, and fed thee with Manna, which thou knowest not, neither did thy fathers know it; that he might teach thee that man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth a man live: thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell these 40. years.  
So we see he fed Eliah flying from jezebel, 
1 King. 19.8.  who when he had eat and drunk, he walked in the strength of that meat forty days, and forty nights, unto Horeb the mount of God. The like we see in Moses, when he was in the mount with God: 
Matth. 4.2.  and the like we see in Christ our Saviour, when he was in the wilderness tempted of the devil. So then, whatsoever the decree & determination of God is, whereby we shall live, whether it be by means or without means, whether by ways ordinary, or extraordinary, the same shall be effectual to man's preservation.  
The reasons follow: First, the infinite power Reason 1 of God which maketh weak things strong, and things of no value, that are despised, to effect great things. He is able to do and deal as he will. His soldiers were flies and lice against the Egyptians; 
Exod. 8.24. 1 Sam. 6.5.  his armies were mice against the Philistims. By such means he is able to work his will, to save his people, and to destroy his enemies. This reason is urged and pressed oftentimes, as Gen. 18.14. 1 Sam. 14.6. Zach. 8.6.  
Secondly, hereby his honour and glory is Reason 2 better set forth, that no flesh should rejoice and trust in itself but in God. Therefore he often worketh above reason, and beyond nature, that all the world may give glory to him, and magnify his great Name. This appeareth in the prayer of Hezekiah, who desired the presence of God to be with them, that he might be glorified in their deliverance, 
2 King 19.19.  O Lord our God, I beseech thee save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou O Lord art only God.  
The uses follow: First, this teacheth us in Use 1 all wants and necessities to depend upon God, and never to use unlawful means to come out of trouble, and so sin against God. If God send the sword, or famine, or other judgement to walk through the land, as he justly may do for our transgressions and rebellions, we must learn contentation and patience in poverty, in sickness, in misery, and not to be swallowed up with excessive sorrow. Our life standeth in the word and will of God, who can manifest his power, as well without means as with means in our preservation, and therefore let us not despair or fly from him to any creature for relief and succour. 
1 King 17.14.  He can feed as well without bread as with bread, who increased the oil in the poor widows cruse, and the handful of meal in the barrel, teaching us to learn and labour to depend upon him. This the three servants of God mentioned in Daniel the Prophet, practised, saying; O King, 
Dan. 4.16, 17, 18.  we are not careful to answer thee in this matter: behold, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the hot fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand: but if not, be it known unto thee (O king) that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up. They confess the power of God, they put their trust in him, they resolve to abide the extremity of torments, they know that to save their lives by sinning against God, was to lose them; and to lose them for his sake, was to save them.  
Use 2 Secondly, if we live by God's appointment, and by that which he will bless, then without this special blessing, no means can do us any good. For though we have outward helps at hand, they are unprofitable unto us, when they are not sanctified to our comfort and benefit by his blessing, as our Saviour teacheth, Luke 12.15. Take heed and beware of covetousness, for though a man have abundance, yet his life standeth not in his riches. The Lord also often threateneth, 
levit. 26.26. Ezek. 4.16. Hag. 1.6.  that he will take away, not only bread itself, but the stay and staff of bread; that is, the power of nourishing. Take away from a weak and impotent man his staff, whereby he stayeth himself, he falleth to the ground: so take from the means of feeding the virtue of God's blessing, it is unfit and unable to do us any good, or yield us any nourishment. So the Prophet saith, Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough: and he that earneth wages, putteth the wages into a broken bag. This should teach us never to presume, to apply any of the creatures of God to our uses and nourishment of our bodies, until we have sanctified them by calling upon the Name of God. For they are not able of themselves, and by themselves to feed and refresh us, being themselves without life, and without heat: it is Gods special blessing that maketh them do us any good. O that profane and carnal men, whose bellies the Lord filleth with his hid treasure, would with wisdom remember this: who never consider they stand at God's allowance, nor lift their heads & hearts to heaven, from whence their food cometh, but receive his creatures as brute beasts, like the horse that falleth to his provender, or like the swine that gathereth up the Mast upon the earth, but never look up to the tree: and when they are plentifully fed and filled, they depart away without remembering the author and giver of their meats and drinks: but as they sat down without understanding, so they rise up without thanksgiving. O consider ye that forget God, that when Belteshazzar was eating and drinking with riot and excess, 
Dan. 5.4.  the hand of God writing upon the wall, determineth his destruction. When he sent to his own people quails in the wilderness, 
Psal. 78.27, 30, 31.  a dainty food, he maketh them to come out at their nostrils in most loathsome manner, and while the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the strongest of them. So God can make every bit to be our bane, and every morsel we put into our mouths, turn to our destruction. Therefore the Apostle exhorteth us, 
1 Cor. 10.31.  Whatsoever we do, whether we eat and drink, or what else soever, we must do all to the praise and glory of God. Woe than shall be unto them in the end, that abuse these blessings of God to pride and excess, to surfeiting and drunkenness, to chambering and wantonness, to riotousness and forgetfulness of God, by whom they live, move, breath, and have their being.  
Lastly, we must not enlarge our desires, as Use 3 the grave, which never saith it is enough, nor suffer our hearts to be oppressed and overtaken with the cares of this world, forasmuch as our life and welfare standeth not in these outward things, as food, raiment, house, land, living, and such like, but in the blessing of God: whatsoever he sendeth and affordeth, be it much or little, be it homely or dainty, shall be able to secure and sustain us. Daniel and his fellows, feeding on Pulse, 
Dan. 1.12.  and drinking water, appeared in their countenances fairer and fatter, than such as did eat the portion of the king's meat. Therefore the holy Ghost derideth the foolish rich man, Luke 12. who promised peace and plenty, length of days, and increase of riches to his own soul, having much laid up for many years. So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich in God: and such shall be the end of those that abound in earthly treasure, which the thief may steal, and the Moth may eat, 
Matth. 6. 1●  and the canker may consume; but not in heavenly treasure, which endureth to everlasting life. Let us rest upon his providence, which arrayeth the lilies, feedeth the fowls, clotheth the grass, numbereth our hairs, and promiseth to provide for us in all estates, if we rely upon him. True it is, when we cast up our eyes, 
Gen. 49. 1● 20. job 23.6.  and behold nothing but peace and plenty on every side, when we wash our garments in wine, when we abound in corn and pleasant fruits, or have the rocks to pour out rivers of oil, we can bless God, and confess our life dependeth upon his decree. But when we see nothing but horror and confusion, when the Sun seemeth to be darkened, and the day is turned into night, we must learn to wait on God, and to cast our care upon him who careth for us, as well in time of want, as of plenty; in time of sickness as of health; in time of war as of peace. This grace of contentation the holy Apostle felt, 
Phil. 4.11.  I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content, I can be abased, and can abound: I am instructed to be full, and to be hungry. The cares of this world, and deceitfulnsse of riches are a rank thorn, that choke the growth of grace in the heart, and as snares that drown men in perdition and destruction: and therefore he chargeth Timothy, 
1 Tim. 6.9, 19  to charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, and that they trust not in deceitful riches, but in the living God, which giveth us abundantly all things to enjoy; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may obtain eternal life.  
Verse 12, 13. Because ye have not believed in me. We heard before the sin of Moses and Aaron, speaking unadvisedly with their mouths, and striking the rock doubtfully with their hands: now let us see the judgement of God waiting upon them as a Sergeant to arrest them, and their punishment lying even at the door. Because ye sanctified not my Name before the children of Israel, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them: He doth not only accuse and convince them of sin, but amplifieth it by the effect, that thereby he was rob of his glory, and so excludeth them out of the land of promise. We learn from hence that God chastiseth his own children sinning against him. 
●trine. chasti- ●is own ●on.  When his children forsake his laws, and walk not in his judgements, although he take not his loving kindness from them, neither falsify his truth, yet he will visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with strokes.  
This we see thoroughly strengthened throughout the whole book of the judges, as chap. 4.1.2. When the people of Israel proceeded to do evil in the sight of the Lord, he sold them into the hand of jabin king of Canaan, etc. So when jonah disobeyed the voice of the Lord, calling him to preach to Nineveh, that great City, and to cry against it for their wickedness, he was cast into the Sea as an unprofitable burden of the ship, 
●. 2, 3, 15,  and swallowed of a Whale; so that albeit he fled from the presence of the Lord, yet his hand followed after him and overtook him. When David had trespassed in the matter of Vriah, by adultery and murder, though he were a man after Gods own heart, yet the Lord raised evil against him out of his house, 
●m. 12.9,  the sword of the enemy was shaken against him, and his own wives were defiled in the sight of the Sun. 
●b. 12.10.  When Miriam the sister of Moses withstood him in the pride of her heart, through ambition and vainglory, albeit he accused her not, but in meekness of spirit put up the wrong, being lowly in his own eyes, yet she was stricken with leprosy by the hand of God, and shut for a season out of the host. The like we might say of Solomon, Asa, jehoshaphat, josiah, Hezekiah, and many others; all which seal up this truth to our hearts, that GOD spareth not his own people when they sin against him.  
Reason 1 The Reasons of this just dealing of God, are, first to clear his judgement and justice, that we should know him to be no respecter of persons, but to hate sin, whensoever, wheresoever, and in whomsoever he findeth it. He is not a God that loveth wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with him, for he hateth all them that work iniquity. This the Prophet David acknowledgeth, 
51.4.  Against thee, against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight, that thou mayest be just when thou speakest, and pure when thou judgest. If then we break his statutes, and keep not his commandments, when he searcheth with lights and findeth out our sins, we must give glory to God, and make confession unto him, we must pronounce righteousness to belong unto him, and unto ourselves open shame: yea, if he should destroy us, we must acknowledge him to be holy in all his ways, and just in all his works, who giveth us to eat the fruit of our own labours. As than he is just and righteous, so he must punish sin in whomsoever he taketh it: and as he denounceth sore judgements and grievous plagues of great continuance, and long durance, so he executeth them to manifest the truth of his own word, and maketh good his own threatenings gone out of his own mouth.  
Again, God chastiseth his own children, Reason 2 lest they, sinning with the men of this world, whose portion is in this life, should be condemned with the world. For as in punishing of us, he respecteth his own justice, so he doth it in respect of our own good, and the great profit which thereby is brought unto us. If we should always enjoy health, wealth, liberty, peace, plenty, and other good blessings of God according to our hearts desire, we would wax fat and spurn with the heel, 
Deut. 32.15.  forsaking God that made us, refusing the strong God of our salvation, & joining hand in hand with wicked men reserved to destruction. Wherefore affliction is as the messenger of God, to call us back from sin, to wean us from the world, to kindle in us a desire of the world to come. This the Apostle aimeth at, 1 Cor. 11, 31, 32. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged: but when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world.  
The uses of this Doctrine are many. First, Use 1 consider with me the cause why they keep the word, and turn unto him with all their hearts, why they run not on in evil as the horse rusheth into the battle, as the ungodly do: the reason is, God calleth them back by his hand, his afflictions are remembrances unto them, and his corrections are their instructions. This the Prophet David found true in his own comfortable experience, Psal. 119, 67, 71. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word: It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes. The Children of Israel living under the judges, and sinning against God, making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, 
judg. 2. and 4. Deu. 4.29.30.  taking their daughters to be their wives, giving their daughters to their sons, serving their idols, forgetting the true God, and doing worse than their fathers: the Lord sold them into the hand of their enemies, whom they served: then they lift up their voices and wept, than they called and cried unto the Lord in their afflictions, and he delivered them out of their distress. The same we see in Manasseh, who for his evils that he committed like the abominations of the heathen, was carried away captive, put in fetters, 
2 Chro. 33.2, 11, 12, 13.  and bound in chains: and when he was in tribulation he prayed to the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father, and prayed unto him, and God was entreated of him, and heard his prayer, and brought him again to jerusalem into his kingdom, Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. But of this we shall speak more in the chapter following.  
Use 2 Secondly, confess from hence, that great is the wrath and anger of God for sin, seeing he punisheth it so sharply and severely in his children, whom he hath engraven as a Signet in the palm of his hand, and whom he tendereth as the apple of his eye. Mark how he hath many times schooled his own servants offending. When Miriam murmured against Moses, and made other to murmur, she was stricken by the hand of God with leprosy; and albeit Moses made supplication for her, yet the Lord answered, 
Numb. 12.10, 13, 14.  If her father had spit in her face, should she not have been ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the host seven days, and after she shall be received. Thus he dealt with David whom he greatly favoured and advanced to the kingdom, when he fell into grievous sins, 2 Sam. 12.9, 10. Thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon: Now therefore the sword shall never departed from thine house, and I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house. So soon as Solomon set up idolatry, and wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord, he stirred up adversaries unto Solomon, 
1 King. 11. ●, 14.  and afterward rend the greatest part of the kingdom out of the hands of his son. This serveth to convince all such profane persons as presume of God's patience, and abuse his mercy to all looseness and licentiousness, saying, God is merciful, and yet continue in their sins. But we must know, that as he is merciful, so he is just: as his mercy is toward the penitent, so his justice is toward the obstinate: who spareth not his own people that forget his Law, and therefore will deal more fiercely against strangers.  
Use 3 Thirdly, measure not the favour and love of God toward ourselves or others, by outward blessings, or outward crosses; by prosperity or adversity, which come alike to the godly and ungodly. Nay, oftentimes the wicked flourish when the faithful are in great misery, as Psal. 73.3, 4, 5. So Solomon teacheth, Eccle. 9.2. Therefore Christ our Saviour correcteth the wrong judgement of the disciples, supposing that such as Pilate slew, were the greatest sinners of all the rest that dwelled in jerusalem, because they suffered those things, Luke 13.1, 2, 3. If then we would find sound comfort in our hearts, and feel unfeigned testimonies of God's favour towards us, we must not seek for them in outward blessings, or in want of outward blessings, (both which are common to the godly and ungodly) but in joy in the holy Ghost, in remission of sins, in repentance from dead works, in the spirit of adoption, in faith in Christ, in peace of conscience, which passeth all understanding. As for other things place not thy heaven and happiness in them, if blessings come, receive them thankfully; if crosses, learn to bear them patiently.  
Fourthly, we are hereby put in mind to Use 4 search our own ways, to survey our own hearts, and to prove by the touchstone of the word, our own thoughts, words and works, that we have conceived, spoken, and done; what we have justly deserved if God in justice should proceed against us; examining seriously our own life, mourning bitterly for our sins past, and turning unfeignedly unto God with all our hearts. This duty is urged by jeremy the Prophet, Lam. 3.39, 40, 41, 42. This is the mark that God shooteth at, this is the end that he respecteth, even by his afflictions to bring us home to himself, not to destroy and confound us for ever. 
Heb 12.5, 10.  Let us not despise the chastenings of the Lord, nor faint when we are rebuked. We have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us for a few days, and we gave them reverence: should we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, who chasteneth those whom he loveth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth?  
Fiftly, let us labour to strengthen our faith Use 5 by the word and Sacraments, and by such ordinary means as he hath appointed for that purpose. Hereunto the Apostle exhorteth, 1. Cor. 11.30. To examine ourselves, and so to eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, declaring that the judgements of God were broken in among the Corinthians, insomuch that many were weak and sick among them, and many slept. Wherefore, whensoever we find the hand of God sore and heavy upon us, it is our duty to seek strength of faith by the use of the word and Sacraments, whereby we shall learn to find out the true cause of those judgements, and submit ourselves under his hand that striketh us as a father. For the Scriptures serve to direct us, the Sacraments serve to comfort us, 
Psal. 116. ●  Without which the Prophet had perished in his afflictions.  
Lastly, seeing God chastiseth his when Use 6 they offend, then most assuredly the wicked that are not his, shall not escape his revenging hand. If he correct the flock of his own pasture, the children of his own household, the citizens of his own kingdom, and the members of his own body, fed at his own table in this life, and made heirs of heaven in the life to come, really possessing that inheritance: with what plagues, punishments, & torments, will he visit the rebellion of aliens and strangers? If the Lord deal sharply toward these to whom he is a merciful Father and gracious Saviour, and whom he often preventeth with his liberal blessings: Surely his revenging wrath, full of rage, 
Psal. 21.8, 2 King. 21.  shall find out all his enemies, whom he wipe will away as a man wipeth a dish, & turneth it upside down. This is that which Solomon teacheth in the Proverbs, Behold, 
●. 11.31.  the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner? There remaineth a day of judgement when they shall be punished as they deserve, either in this life, or in the life to come. With this the Apostle Peter sweetly accordeth, 1 Pet. 4.17, 18. The time is come, that judgement must begin at the house of God: if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them, which obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the wicked and the sinner appear? Where we see that God will scourge & whip his own children for their frailties and infirmities appearing in them. But he correcteth the godly in mercy, the ungodly in anger: the godly as a loving father, the ungodly as a just judge: the godly to amend them, the ungodly to condemn them: the godly, albeit humbled and cast down with one hand, are comforted and raised up with another, whereas the punishments that fall upon the heads of the ungodly, are but the beginnings of sorrow, and as the flashings of hell fire. Now the earth is not properly the place of vengeance and judgement. For we must understand that God hath appointed three places; earth, heaven, hell, for three several purposes: 
●ree places 〈◊〉 need for ree several ●poses.  the earth to be a place of working, the heaven a place of rewarding, hell a place of punishing: earth as a shop of labour, heaven as a palace of glory, hell as a prison of torment. Notwithstanding, rather than sinners should escape, and sin go unpunished, the Lord will call a privy or petty Sessions even in this life, and make the earth his gail or house of correction. If then God will visit their transgressions with such heavy strokes: Alas, what shall become of all profane persons, unrepentant offenders, obstinate sinners, such as contemn God and his word every day? What shall become of swearers, blasphemers, profaners of the Sabbath, whoremongers, drunkards, oppressers, unmerciful men, and other like? The Lord indeed will try the righteous in his furnace: but the wicked and him that loveth iniquity doth his soul hate, upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, 
〈◊〉 5, 5.  and stormy tempest, this is the portion of their cup. Indeed he lifteth up his hand to strike the faithful that are his friends: 
〈◊〉 ●. ●4.  but he will crush his adversaries with a sceptre of iron, and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Indeed he will judge the just man for his sins in this life, 
〈◊〉 ●. 23.  but he will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy pate of him that walketh in his sins. Indeed the Lord will chastise his Church with the rods of men, yet his loving kindness will he never take from them: but he will correct his enemies with scourges of wire, and his little finger shall be heavier on the reprobate, than his loins on his own people.  
Tremble at this all ye ungodly, and know that assured judgement is reserved for you at the great day of the Lords general Assizes, when ye must plead guilty or not guilty at his bar, when the register book of all your actions shallbe brought forth, and when you shall wish the mountains to fall upon you and cover you from the presence of him that sitteth upon the throne. Turn therefore unto him, return I say betimes, lest the Lord overturn you. If his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, 
Psal. 2.12.  blessed are all they that trust in him. This is the difference between a wise man and a fool, 
Prou. 27.12. and 17, 10.  A wise man seethe the plague and hideth himself, but a fool runneth on and is punished. A reproof entereth more into him that hath understanding, than an hundred stripes into a fool.   

14 Then Moses sent messengers from Kadesh, unto the king of Edom: saying, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the trouble that hath happened unto us.  
15 How our fathers went down into Egypt a long time, where the Egyptians handled us evil and our fathers.  
16 But when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an Angel, and hath brought us out of Egypt, and behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in thine utmost border.  
17 I pray thee let us pass through thy country: we will not go through the fields, nor the vineyards, neither will we drink the water of the wells; we will go by the king's way, we will walk, we will not turn either to the right hand, or to the left, until we have passed thy border.  
18 And Edom answered him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out with the sword against thee.  
19 Then the children of Israel said unto him, We will go upon the high way: and if we shall drink thy water, I and my cattle, I will then pay for it: I will only without any harm go through on my feet:  
20 He answered again, Thou shalt not pass through; then Edom came out against him with much people, and with a mighty power.  
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.  
Hitherto of the murmuring of the people, pretended against Moses, but indeed intended and practised against God: Now followeth the second part of the Chapter, touching Israel's purpose to pass toward the land of Canaan, by the country of the Edomites; wherein consider two things. First, the solemn embassage of Moses to the king of Edom. Secondly, the shameful and inhuman denial of the Edomites. Touching the first, having walked up and down thirty eight years, and wandered in the wilderness from place to place, forward and backward, from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people: being now come near to the land, they request passage and safe conduct through the country of Edom, under honest and equal conditions of abstaining from all injuries, and keeping the kings high way, & crave their friendship and favour in respect of their near kindred and alliance unto them, both of them descending of Isaac, whose sons were jacob, called also Israel, and Esau called also Edom. Besides, they show what travels and troubles they had sustained what evils they had suffered, what oppression they had endured of the cruel Egyptians; appealing to their own consciences touching the truth of these things, whereof they could in no sort be ignorant, saying; Thou knowest all the trouble that hath happened unto us. But because such as are themselves in prosperity, seldom respect the miseries and distresses of others, and the afflicted are for the most part destitute of all helps, and forsaken of all friends, they put them in mind of the mercies of God, assisting them in troubles, hearing their prayers, 
1 Cor. 10 9  and sending his Angel; that is, jesus Christ (as it is expounded by the Apostle) for their deliverance out of Egypt. And lest they should seem to request and require much of others, but promise nothing for themselves (as those that lay heavy burdens and grievous to be borne upon others, but will not touch them with their little finger) they covenant and condition with them on their parts, to deal uprightly and justly, being as ready to abstain from working injury, as to crave the duties of humanity.  
So then, to effect their purpose of passing through Edom, and to persuade them to grant their request, they allege four reasons. First, in respect of the person of the Edomites. Secondly, in respect of the person of the Israelites. Thirdly, in respect of the person of God. Fourthly, in respect of the manner of their passage & perambulation through them. Touching the Edomites, they claim the kindred of consanguinity. Touching themselves, they plead their own misery. Touching God, they publish and proclaim his mercy. Touching their journey, and the manner of it, they promise equity and honest dealing. Thus they omit nothing that might serve to persuade the Edomites to pity, and to procure their own safety.  
Reason 1 The first reason, drawn from the right of brotherhood, is included in these words, Thus saith thy brother Israel. The Israelites came of jacob, who was also called Israel, because he had power with God, 
Gen 25.25.  Gen. 32.28. The Edomites came of Esau, who was also named Edom, both of the redness wherewith he was borne, and of the red pottage which he desired and preferred before the birthright. These two therefore were natural brethren, begotten of the same father, borne of the same mother, lying at the same time in the same womb; as if the Israelites should say: May it please you to consider, that we are not aliens and strangers one to another, we descend of two brethren, jacob and Esau, you of one, we of the other, as two branches displaying themselves from one stock, we had one common father and mother, Isaac and Rebeccha, we are of one family and fraternity: so that it is right and equal, that they which are so nearly joined and linked by blood, should perform all kindness each to other. This reason from kindred may be thus framed: 
If we be as brethren allied one to another, coming from one root and race: then deny us not this point of courtesy, to grant passage.  
But we are brethren allied one to another, etc.  
Therefore vouchsafe to give us passage,   
The second reason is in these words, Thou Reason 2 knowest all the trouble that hath happened unto us, etc. As if they should say, We have had a lamentable and woeful experience of many miseries, we have been exercised with many sorrows, so as yourselves cannot pretend ignorance of them: you know them, but we have felt them: you have heard of them, but we have smarted for them. In Egypt we have had our poor infants drowned, our chief officers chastised, ourselves every way oppressed with burdens too heavy for us to bear, and nothing but slaughter and destruction breathed out against us. Being delivered out of Egypt, when we expected an end of all miseries, we perceived that we had changed the place, but not the peril: the soil, but not the sorrow: we have been pursued with enemies, bitten with hunger, wearied with labours, and every way environed with dangers. By all these, as by the dearest tears of our inward hearts, we crave some mercy and commiseration. For it lieth in you to make an end of all troubles and to give us an happy issue of them, by opening us a passage through your country, that we may no longer wander in this desolate wilderness. The reason may be thus concluded.  
If we have been long vexed and evilly handled, now at length pity us & give us passage But we have been long vexed, and evilly entreated,  
Therefore at length pity, & give us passage.  
The third reason is, verse 16. We cried unto Reason 3 the Lord, he heard us, sent his Angel, and he delivered us. As if they should say, Consider the example of God, (a perfect pattern of all righteousness) he hath in mercy looked upon our misery, be you like to him that ye may find mercy in the day of trouble. It is not meet to leave them destitute of help and succour, whose safety God commendeth, and committeth unto you by his own example. All human things are unstable and uncertain: ye know not what hangs over your own heads. The reason may be thus considered: 
If God have begun to be merciful, it is not meet that you should be unmerciful. But God hath begun to show us mercy,  
Therefore it is not meet, you should be unmerciful.   
The fourth reason is, verse 17. and 19 We Reason 4 will not go through the fields nor the vineyards, etc. As if they should say, We desire not to help ourselves to hurt you, we will keep the kings high way, we will deal justly toward all, we will offer wrong and injury to none, no not to the meanest, simplest, and poorest: if any among us shall take from any man by open oppression or forged cavillation, we will make satisfaction and restitution: The reason is thus gathered: 
If we will do no wrong or injury to any among you, then suffer us quietly to pass. But we will do no wrong or injury to any among you,  
Therefore suffer us quietly to pass.   
This was the embassage of Moses, this was the petition offered, these were the reasons rendered thereof. Now let us see the answer of Edom, denying their petition and passage through their country. For fearing peradventure the multitude of the Israelites, and thinking they would make more haste to enter into their land, then to departed out again, being (as evil men are ever suspicious, and think others as subtle and deceitful as themselves) the Edomites give them this short, but sharp answer, Thou shalt not pass: So that when a man hath to deal with unjust and cruel enemies, whether he use few reasons or many, all is one. The Ambassadors of the Israelites (whether they gave present reply & resolution of themselves, or first returned to Moses. is uncertain) made supplication again, and renewed their request, promised to abstain from all terms of hostility, offered money for water, and every commodity they should use: yet they currishly and unkindly shut up their compassion, and issue forth with all their strength to stop their passage, verifying that which Solomon saith, 
●, 10.  A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast, but the mercies of the wicked are cruel: wherefore Israel turneth from them another way. This is the substance of this division, and the order observed by the Spirit of God in the same: now let us proceed to the doctrines offered herein to our considerations, first the general, and after come to the particulars.  
Ver. 14. Then Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom. Albeit Moses himself were shut out of the land of promise, yet he beareth the judgement of God patiently, and laboureth that the people may enter. And albeit the Israelites were assured to possess the land of Canaan, & had the unchangeable word and oath of God to themselves and their fathers, for their farther confirmation; yet it doth not make them idle and secure, but it stirreth them up to use all good and lawful means to effect the same. 
●ine. lawful ● to ● gods ●ace.  From hence we learn, that it is the duty of all God's children to use all good means to further his providence, I say, howsoever God standeth not in need of our help to bring his purpose to pass, who is able without all means, against all means, and above all means to work out his own will: yet it is the part of all the godly to further his decree and determination, by using all means that God shall put into their hands. This we see verified in this book, 
Nunm. 13.17  where we see the diligent search of the land, made by the messengers that Moses sent, viewing their cities, their country, and the people that were the inhabitants thereof: so that albeit, the land was promised of God mercifully, yet it must be searched of them diligently. The like practice we see in other the servants of God: When Gideon was sent to be the deliverer of the people and commanded to go in his might, 
judg. 6.14. and 7.7, 8.  hath assurance given him to prevail over the enemies, and to save Israel out of the hand of the Midianites: yet he did not run and rush naked into the battle, but took with him men and munitions, victuals, trumpets, pitchers and other instruments to set forward the work of the Lord which he had to do.  
The necessity of using the helps of second causes that God affordeth, and endeavouring to the lawful means appointed, is showed by the Apostle Paul; for albeit the Angels of God had told him, there should be no loss of any man's life among them, save of the ship only; yet the decree & purpose of God was to save them together, and therefore he telleth them, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be safe. 
Act. 27.22.31  God is absolutely able to preserve our life without the taking of food, or the labour of our hands, or the appareling of our bodies, as the fowls are fed, and the Lilies are clothed, which neither sow nor reap, 
Mat. 6.26, 28.  neither labour nor spin: yet he commandeth us to labour the thing that is good. In the garden of Eden, in the time of man's innocency, Adam was called to labour: and after the fall it was said, In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 
Gen. 2.15. and 3.19.  till thou return to the earth. So God can nourish to eternal life, without means of man, otherwise we should diminish his power: yet he will have his word preached in season, & out of season; he will have it heard and attended unto with all diligence, to begin and to increase faith in us, and he sendeth a comfortable blessing upon his own means. And therefore the Apostle teacheth, Ephes. 4.12. That Christ ascending up to heaven, and leading captivity captive, gave gifts unto men for the gathering together of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, fitting teachers to their callings, although he can save without means.  
The reasons follow. First we are commanded Reason 1 to further Gods providence by lawful endeavours in our callings. This is to us most comfortable, and giveth evident assurance of the blessing of God, without which holy endeavour we want this comfort and assurance. Thus the Apostle reasoneth directly, 2 Pe. 1. The election of God in itself is sure, for the foundation of God remaineth and hath this seal, 
2 Tim 2.19, 20. 2 Pet. 1.5, 6, 9, 10.  The Lord knoweth who are his: yet he requireth of us to give all diligence to increate in knowledge, faith, temperance, patience, godliness, love, brotherly kindness, If ye do these things, ye shall never fall.  
Reason 2 Again, the end why God hath given us, means, and fitted us to our calling, is to serve his providence, not to make us idle in ourselves, & unprofitable unto others. God's gifts are to some purpose, they were not given▪ and granted in vain, we must not hide them in the earth, but employ them to their use. This the Apostle teacheth, 
2 Tim. 1.6, 7.  I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of GOD which is in thee by the putting on of mine hands, for God hath not given to us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. And thus Mordecai reasoneth in his charge to Esther, that she should go into the king, 
Eccle. 4.8, 13, 14.  & make supplication before him for her people, Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time: declaring that we have not our callings singled out and fitted unto us to hide our talents in the earth, but to employ them to increase and advantage.  
The uses remain. First, we must know that Use 1 extraordinary courses are not to be looked after, nor to be depended upon; we must leave them to extraordinary times & seasons which are now ceased and not to be expected. Many desire that God should show among his people, such great and miraculous works as he showed in bringing his people out of Egypt, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, and so feed themselves with fancies, and are carried away after their own imaginations. God hath tied us to ordinary courses which are more for our comfort, and therefore he that walketh plainly, walketh safely. 
Luke 16.27, 28, 29, 30.  This use is concluded out of the parable, where the rich man desireth to have Lazarus sent from the dead to his father's house, to warn them, lest they also come into the place of torment. But Abraham answered; They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them: and when the rich glutton would have other means, If one come from the dead they will repent; he said again unto him: If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead and come unto them: Whereby our Saviour showeth, that whosoever depends upon extraordinary means, visions, or revelations, or dreams, or the dead, when God hath left us ordinary ways, is to follow by-paths of our own, to dig cisterns that hold no water, and to trust in lying words that shall not profit. God hath ordained to teach us by the Ministry of his word, and hath put his hidden treasure in earthen vessels, whereunto we must attend as to a light shining in dark places. This is the ordinary way and common means left us to attain salvation and eternal life: Hereby than all ignorant persons are reproved and convinced, who (neglecting this usual way to begin and confirm faith and the rest of the graces of God in us) say: O, if God would himself speak unto us from heaven, or if we might hear Christ preach unto us, we would repent and believe the Gospel; as for men, we know not whether they speak the truth or not. Others say, we have the Scriptures in our houses, we can read them at home, can they by all their teaching & preaching make the word of God any better? Besides, if you urge Sermons so much, we have Sermon books at home, we read them and can serve God in our houses, as well as they that run after Sermons. Others also think they have knowledge sufficient already, that they need neither hear nor read any more. Lastly, others object, we have good prayers and good homilies, why should not men be content with them, as the law prescribeth and enjoineth? All these excuses are but fig-leaves, to cover over their own shame, when once they are sifted and examined. We answer to the first objection many ways. 
The first ●●iection answered.  First we are not able to endure the dreadful presence of Almighty God, and therefore the faithful have cried out, Alas we shall die, because we have seen the Lord. We hear not the thunder without fear: we behold not the brightness of the Sun without dazzling: how then should we hear the immediate voice of God, or see his glory without confusion?  
Again, if the Lord should speak from heaven, and utter his voice from the place of his habitation, he would speak no otherwise, he would teach no other truth than the Prophets and Apostles have delivered. And if we should hear one of the elect Angels, he would set before us no new points of religion, he would bring unto us no new article of faith, and therefore the Apostle saith, 
Gal 1. ●  Though we or an Angel from heaven preach unto you otherwise then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. But it is more comfortable and profitable to us to be taught by men like unto ourselves, then by the angels that are spirits: we cannot abide their glory through weakness of our flesh; we cannot be familiar with them through disparagement of our nature; we cannot have them always present with us through distance of place. Therefore the Spirit that could have taught the Eunuch by inspiration, 
Acts. 1, ●  commanded Philip to go near and join himself to his chariot, to be a guide to the blind, a light to him that sat in darkness, and an instructor of the unlearned. The Angel that appeared unto Cornelius could have told him and taught him those heavenly mysteries of salvation, whereby he and all his house should be saved: but he directeth him to Peter to tell him what He ought to do. Lastly, 
Act. 10▪ ●  our own request hath concurred with the ordinance of God, desiring that man, clothed with the same infirmities, and subject to the like passions, might speak unto us. For when the Israelites at the delivering of the Law, saw the signs of his glory, as it were certain prints and footsteps of his Majesty, the sounding of the trumpet, the cracking of the thunder, the flashing of the lightning, the trembling of the earth, the darkness of the air, the appearing of the cloud, & the quaking of Moses himself at these sights: 
〈◊〉 19, 19  they cried out to him with great vehemency of spirit, Talk thou with us, and we will hear thee: but let not GOD talk with us lest we die. Seeing therefore the majesty of God is incomprehensible, who dwelleth in light that no man can attain unto, 
〈◊〉 6, 2, 5.  whose glory the Angels cannot behold without covering their faces: seeing the excellency of the elect Angels is so great, that we cannot so much as endure their presence, neither can we be so familiar with them as we do desire, and should be to deliver our estates to them, neither can at all times when we desire (being on earth) have conference and recourse to them being in heaven: seeing the Word is the same in the mouth of God, in the mouth of an Angel, and in the mouth of the Minister, and is with like regard and reverence to be heard, as Luk. 10, 16. He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. Lastly, seeing we desired the ministry of man to teach us, and God approved of our desire, saying: 
〈◊〉 5.19.  Oh that there were such an heart in them to fear me, & keep all my commandments always, that it might go well with them and with their children for ever: the intolerable pride and presumption of those appeareth, that embase the high ordinance of God in the ministry of his word, & would call God or his Angels out of heaven to attend upon their fancies, & to minister to their wantonness. To the second objection, 
〈◊〉 second ●●●●ction an ●●ed.  pretending reading of Scriptures and Sermons at home, and ask whether we can make the Bible better: we answer, that we preach not to make the Scriptures better, but the people; the Scriptures need it not, the people do. And albeit there be enough set down in the written word, yet men understand little, as Acts 8. when Philip heard the Eunuch read the Prophet Esay, he said, But understandest thou what thou readest? 
〈◊〉 8, 31. ●● 17, 11.  He said, How can I without a guide? The reading of the Scripture I confess is profitable, comfortable, and necessary to fit us and frame us to the saving hearing of the word preached, & to keep us that we be not easily deceived by false teachers. 
〈◊〉. 5, 20. 〈◊〉. 5, 1, 2.  But notwithstanding the reading of the Scripture, we must have it further opened, divided, and applied, as 2 Tim. 2, 25. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, dividing the word of truth aright. When a man is grievously wounded, it is the salve that healeth, yet is the skill and cunning hand of the Surgeon necessary, and requisite to make the plaster, to spread it, and apply it to the part diseased. It is the meat that nourisheth the body, yet must it be cut, chewed, and digested. If there be little children in an house, and they have an whole loaf which is great & hard set before them▪ they find the crust too strong for them, so that it must be cut for them, and divided unto them in due season. Moreover, we find by experience, that such as plead for reading, either Scriptures or Sermons at home, when they should attend the public exercises of religion, do indeed spend the time nothing less than that way: as appeareth by their palpable ignorance; neither let such look for a blessing from God at home, when he requires them to join themselves to the congregation of the faithful: so that while they think to deceive others, they do most of all deceive themselves. Last of all, why do they not say as much of the other part of the Ministers Office? For as he is to preach the Gospel, so he is to administer the Sacraments. Now then as they allege they can read Scriptures & Sermons at home themselves, as well as hear them at the mouth of the Minister; so can they not pour Water on the face of their children, and rehearse the words of institution as well as the Minister? Can they not themselves take Bread & Wine, break the one, pour out the other, receive them both, and eat and drink them in their private families, as well as take them in the public assembly at the hand of the Minister? But should such water so sprinkled on the child be holy baptism? Or should such bread and such wine, so taken, so broken, so eaten & drunken be the Lords Supper? No, such idle actions are not holy Sacraments, but shameful profanations of the precious blood of jesus Christ. Wherefore, notwithstanding all our show of reading in our houses to our households, yet must the Lords holy ordinance be magnified among us, to seek the law at the Pastors mouths as the Prophet teacheth, 
Mal. 2, 7.  The priests lips should preserve knowledge; and they shall seek the Law at his mouth, etc. And examine when you will those that pretend reading, to exclude preaching, you shall find them (for the most part) ignorant in the grounds and principles of Religion, knowing neither the use of the Law, nor the end of the Gospel; understanding neither the Petitions of the Lords prayer, nor the Articles of faith: and therefore if they bestow so much time as they would make the world believe, they are yet in the number of those whom the Apostle speaketh of, 
2 Tim. 3, 7.  Which are ever learning, but are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  
To the third objection, 
The third objection answered.  boasting of sufficient knowledge, we answer: That as we prophesy in part, so we all know in part: and the Ministry of the word, serveth not only to begin faith and repentance in us, but to build us up to the day of jesus Christ. It serveth not only to teach us knowledge, but obedience; 
1 Cor. 8, 1.  lest our knowledge puff up, and add to our farther condemnation. Therefore, the Apostle writing to the Church of the Thessalonians, (being one of the most goodly and glorious churches that the Apostle planted) who above the rest of the churches surpassed in knowledge, excelled in faith, abounded in love, shined forth in obedience, yet he saith to them, 
1 Thess. 4, 1. and 5, 20.  despise not prophesy, and we exhort you in the Lord jesus, that you increase more & more, as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God. We are here in our race, we have not yet attained to the end of our journey. We see how men think they never have riches and substance enough, they always account themselves poor and needy, and are ever endeavouring to increase & better their estate: so it should be in true and heavealy Treasure, we should hunger and thirst after righteousness; 
Matthew 5, 6. Psal. 143, 1.  we should grow up in grace, and desire evermore greater strength; assuring ourselves that if we have an appetite and thirst after the Well of the water of life, we shall be fully satisfied; only we must use the means that God hath appointed to attain faith and other saving graces: as earnest prayer, reverent hearing of the Word, diligent receiving of the Sacraments, being careful to honour God for that which we have already received: and I am persuaded that he which hath begun his good work in us, will perfect the same unto the day of jesus Christ. As for the perverse and crooked generation of those that think they have knowledge enough, they manifestly bewray their want of knowledge. For as such as have attained and received the greatest knowledge, do find in themselves the greatest ignorance: so such as imagine themselves to be most richly replenished in all knowledge & understanding, are indeed most sottish and ignorant in the matters of GOD; like empty vessels which make the greatest sound. Hereby therefore we shall try ourselves whether we have attained any measure of acceptable knowledge, if it work and kindle in us a desire of more knowledge; if it light us a Candle to see our own ignorance; and if it teach us that still our wants are greater than our store. The grace of God in the heart, is like a grain of mustard seed, small to see to at the beginning, 
Matth 13, 31.  but being once placed & planted in the ploughed ground of a fruitful heart, it increaseth speedily, and spreadeth itself far and near. The master delivering his Talents to his servants, 
Matth. 25, 25.  saith to them, Occupy till I come; and not hide them in the earth. And the Apostle exhorteth Timothy to stir up the gift in him, and to blow the coals, lest the graces of God decay, as fire is apt to go out, 
2 Tim. 1, 6.  being kindled in green wood.  

The fourth objection answered.  Touching the last objection of having already good prayers and good Homilies: I answer, as they are hated of God and men, that make dissension between brethren, so such as magnify prayer, to justle out preaching, which join hand in hand together, and walk as friends that are agreed, are indeed enemies to them both. Indeed we confess the prayers of the Church are good, as it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; 
Matth. 21, 13.  but these men little regard them, save to serve their own turn: for few of them make conscience to be present at the confession of sins, or absolution of a sinner. Nay, if they stand at the Church doors, they scarce afford us their presence to come in; and if they do, we must be deeply indebted to them for their company. Now where they think to stop our mouths, & to choke us with the Law, they cross the high Ordinance of God, slander the good laws of Princes, and sin against their own souls, making the reading of Sermons and exhortations of equal dignity and pre-eminence, with the lively preaching of the word. For first, no people under heaven should want (so far as is possible) the preaching of the Gospel, it is the commandment of God, it is his ordinance necessary for the planting and continuance of a Church, which cannot be said of the other, which also are appointed to give place & hold their peace as an inferior institution, when any is present to preach unto the people. Again, the lively preaching of the Pastor, applieth Doctrine and exhortation to the present circumstances and occasions of times, and budding of new sins, and broaching of new heresies, so that according to their manifold windings & turnings, it is ready to meet them, & to strike at the very heart and head of them.  
Thirdly, there is a great difference in gifts of interpretation, exhortation, zeal, utterance, memory, moving of affections, and such like, as the very Heathen have in another case and kind acknowledged. For when the people after the reading of an Oration, 
Cicero de to lib. 2.  penned in the persuasive words of human eloquence, greatly wondered, it was replied: Do you marvel hearing me read it? What affections would it have wrought in you if you had heard himself with lively voice utter & pronounce it? As for godly and learned Homilies, we do not condemn or contemn them in the famine & scarcity of teaching: we know that a cup of cold water is better than no drink, and half a loaf better than no bread; yea as Solomon saith, 
Prou. 27▪ ●  the person that is full despiseth an honeycomb, but unto the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet: yet it is no disgrace or disparagement unto them to give place to the preaching of the word: as a man may say, the Peers & Nobles of a kingdom are inferior to the Prince, without defacing of them, or that silver is base them gold without disgracing of it. Thus much in answer of the Objections that are made against the preaching of the Gospel, being the ordinary means which God hath left unto us, to further our salvation.  
Secondly, see God's mercy to his Church: Use 2 his Decree is concluded, his providence is determined, all things are written in his Book, yet he will use men as his own hand and instruments, to do that which himself could work alone: he will have them as joynt-workers, 
1 Cor. 3, ●  and as fellow-helpers with him. This is a great honour, and special prerogative, as the Apostle showeth, We together are Gods Labourers, ye are God's Husbandry, and God's Building. And again, 
2 Cor. 5, ●  We are Ambassadors for Christ, as though GOD did beseech you through us, we pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. It is a very great honour and dignity to represent the person of an earthly Prince, whose breath is in his nostrils: but it is a greater privilege and pre-eminence to stand in the room of God. They are greatly honoured that sit in his seat, whether in the Church, or in the Commonwealth. This is a great comfort to all godly Magistrates, that bear on their shoulders the burden of government, of whom it is said, 
〈◊〉. 22, 6.  I have said ye are Gods, and ye are the children of the most High, to know that they bear the person of God, and that he useth them as his vicegerents. This is a singular comfort also to all godly and painful preachers, whom the Lord useth as his Stewards and messengers, of whom he hath said, He that heareth you, heareth me, which ought to be all-sufficient unto us, to make us walk through good report and evil report, and overstride all the discouragements and discontentments that the unthankful world throweth upon us.  
Use 3 Lastly, we learn to forsake no work belonging to our calling, yet still to trust in God, & to rely upon him, not to trust in the outward means. 
●●ew 4, 7.  Our Saviour Christ teacheth, that they tempt God and provoke him to wrath, that refuse or neglect the ordinary means appointed for their life and preservation. He that is sick, and neglecteth the ordinary means of Physic; he that is hungry, and refuseth the ordinary means of feeding; or being in an high and dangerous place, will not descend the common way, but casteth himself down, maketh a needless trial of God's power, and so tempteth God. It is our part not to be idle upon his providence, but to use profitable helps for our safety and maintenance. Our endeavours and labours are required in his providence, who as he ordaineth the end, so he appointeth the means leading and tending to the end. Now, whensoever God hath offered and afforded an ordinary means for our succour and salvation, we are bound to use the same carefully, and not seek redress & remedy another way. This serveth to convince all such as wait upon vanities, and forsake their own mercies; which say, Cannot God save us without so much preaching? hath he no other means to work our conversion? Hath he bound himself to the Ministry of the word? Indeed God hath not tied himself to this ordinance, he can work our salvation by other ways: but he hath necessarily tied us unto it, where he hath sent it unto us, and if we think to find it any other way, we shall toil and trouble ourselves in seeking, and shall not obtain it. God nourished his people with Quails, fed them with Manna, and commanded the Rock to give them water in the wilderness extraordinarily; but when he had planted them in the land of Canaan, 
〈◊〉. 5, 12.  and given them Corn and provision to live ordinarily, they must use those helps, or else perish and famish for hunger. As he dealt with their bodies, so he dealeth with our souls. If we neglect ordinary means, we may not look for extraordinary. Moreover, this serveth to condemn the practice of such as reason, If we be appointed to salvation, it shall never be taken from us: whomsoever we oppress, whatsoever we commit, howsoever we live. This is to covet the end, but to neglect the means. We desire salvation, but we refuse to walk in the way that God hath chalked out unto us. Such as never use the means, make it plain and manifest, they were never ordained to the end. Wherefore the Apostle saith, God hath chosen us that we should be holy, and without blame, before him in love. Repentance, 
Ephes. 1, 4.  faith, sanctification, are the means and the way, salvation and eternal life are the journeys end. All such as God hath ordained to eternal life, he hath ordained them to use the means to pray unto him, to hear his word, to receive the Sacraments, to have faith in Christ to repent from dead works, and hereby we shall make our election sure. 
2 Peter 1, 10 2 Tim. 2, 19  The more we increase in the gifts of God, the greater shall our assurance be. Thus much of the necessary use of the means used by the people, to further Gods providence, and to come unto the quiet possession of the land of Promise.  
[Verse 17. I pray thee let us pass through thy Country.] Before we come to the consideration of the reasons, let us see what their request is of the Edomites, which were a people lying Southward, in respect of the land of Canaan, toward the Desert of Arabia, & the dead sea, and sprang of Esau, as we heard before. Now the Israelites were the Lords own people, the visible Church of God upon earth, which is the foundation & pillar of truth, of whom he said, 
1 Tim. 3, 15. Psal. 105, 15.  Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm: yet see here, how they are brought to so low en ebb as to ask a Licence, & to crave a Passport and passage of their enemies. We learn from hence, 
Doctrine. The Church destitute of help is often times driven to crave succour of their enemies  that the true church is oftentimes brought so low, as to stand in need of the help, favour, friendship, and good will of strangers that live out of the church. God doth so far make his servants drink of the cup of affliction in the outward wants of earthly things, that they must crave help of those that are their enemies. This we see in Abraham, 
Gen. 23, 2, 3. and 42, 1, 2, 6.  he had not a place to bury his dead out of his sight, but was constrained to crave it of the Hittites. So jacob and his household were so sorely pressed with famine, that they came and bowed to the Egyptians for a piece of bread. 
1 Sam. 25, 6, 7 8. and 22, 3.  So David being in distress in the wilderness, was driven to send to churlish Nabal, to give to him and his whatsoever came to his hand. This misery of the poor church the Prophet confesseth, Lam. 5, 6. As if they should say, We are so oppressed by the Chaldeans, that we are compelled through necessity, to crave relief of our greatest enemies. So Ester a nursing mother of the Church, begged her own life, 
Ester 7, 3.  and the life of the people of God, at the hands of an Heathen King. Thus we see, that howsoever the faithful be right heirs of the world, & the just owners of all things in jesus Christ, yet sometimes for their necessary relief in things of this life they stretch out their begging hands unto their enemies, as Lazarus did.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are. First, in respect of God, who will try the faith and patience of his servants, how they can bear outward afflictions, whether they will cleave to him in their troubles, not. It is his will and heavenly pleasure to try and prove the obedience of his servants. Not that he getteth or gaineth any knowledge which he had not before, but by trial of his own gifts, to let us see what is in ourselves, who are ignorant of the hidden corners of our own hearts. Peter supposed himself to be constant and courageous, till he was brought into the field to be tried: like the freshwater soldier that dreameth of victory before the battle. Abraham then knew that he loved the Lord indeed with all his heart, when he had sealed it up with forsaking his country & father's house. And God commanded him to offer up his son to prove his faith. So he humbled the Israelites and made them hungry, 
Genesis 22, 1. Heb. 11, 27. Deut. 8, 16.  to teach and to prove them, that he might do them good at the latter end.  
Reason 2 Secondly, in respect of their enemies, he will also try them whether they will show pity or not. God hath made the needy and oppressed his treasurers, and offereth those men as Objects and occasions to open their bowels of compassion. If they shut their eyes, and stop their ears from the cry of the poor that are in trouble, they are made without excuse, and themselves shall cry in the day of affliction, when they shall not be heard. Thus he tried the heart of Pharaoh, 
Exod. 3, 18.  when the Israelites put up a supplication unto him, to let them go 3. days journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifice. Thus he tried the rich glutton, when he sent distressed Lazarus to his gate, showing what was the liberality of one, by the poverty of another.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, in respect of the Church of God, that should acknowledge God to be the Author of every good gift, and should fly unto him in their miseries, who hath the hearts of all men in his own hand, to dispose of them as seemeth good in his divine wisdom. He turned the heart of Esau to favour jacob, who came against him with a band of men. Let us first of all come into the presence of GOD, humbling ourselves before him, confessing our sins, acknowledging our unworthiness of the least of his mercies, and praying him to turn the hearts of our enemies to favour us, according to the promise of his own mouth, who hath said, that when the ways of a man please God, 
Prou, 16, 7.  he will make even his enemies to be at peace with him. Thus having reconciled ourselves to God, let us not doubt but that be which brought water out of the hard Rock, will mollify the stony hearts of our greatest adversaries & will make them instruments of our greatest good. This we see practised by Nehemiah, 
Nehem. 2, 4, 5  who prayed unto God to give him favour in the sight of that heathen king, and he obtained his request.  
The uses are these. First, seeing it pleases God Use 1 to make his own people to creep and crouch to his and their enemies, we see it is lawful in our necessitous estate, to crave alms & relief of our enemies and those that hate us, to help us for our needful sustentation. This condemneth the niceness and scruple of those that hold it unlawful to buy and sell, to deal and Traffic with the enemies of the Church, or to be any way indebted or beholding unto them. But as we are commanded to do good to them that are without, and are debtor to all men that are our own flesh, and are enjoined to secure them in their necessities, so far as we do not maintain and help them against Christ: so is it fitting our profession (when God denieth other means) to ask relief and refreshing of them, otherwise we tempt God in despising such means as he openeth unto us for our good. Let us not disdain or refuse to take at the hands of men, but withal acknowledge it to come from God the chief giver, whosoever be the instrument, 
1 Kings 1●  as Eliah received meat of the Ravens, both morning and evening.  
Secondly, let us never promise any certainty Use 2 or assurance of the things of this life. For, as the King's daughter is said to be all glorious within: so the comeliness, beauty, 
Psalm ●  and happiness of the Church standeth not in meat nor drink, but in righteousness of life, 
Rom. 14 ●  peace of conscience, joy in the holy Ghost, & in the loving countenance of the Lord towards his servants. For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal So Solomon sayeth, Riches remain not always, 
2 Corin. ● Prou 27 ● and 23, ●  nor the Crown from generation to generation. And again, Travel not much to be rich, but cease from thy wisdom: wilt thou cast thine eyes upon nothing? For riches taketh her to her wings as an Eagle, and flieth into the heaven. And indeed this is the cause why men bear want and poverty so impatiently, because they promise immortality unto themselves, make an act of perpetuity, and wholly toil and moil for the muck of this world. They dream sweetly of dwelling for ever upon the earth, and make their money and riches the god of their refuge. 
job 31, ● 1, 21.  If job had made gold his hope, & had said to the wedge of gold, Thou art my confidence, he could never have spoken this in the patience of his soul, The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. 
1 Tim. ●  Therefore the Apostle teacheth, that if we have food & raiment, we ought therewith to be content. For we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain, we can carry nothing out. Wherefore let us often and seriously enter into the meditation of the poor and low estate of the church driven many times into a corner, and constrained to seek help of others, thereby to teach ourselves the uncertainty and slippery state of all human things.  
Lastly, take this low estate patiently, whensoever Use 3 such extremities do befall us, as the lot that God hath appointed us. 
●or. 10, 13.  Let us consider that no tentation hath overtaken us, but such as appertaineth to man, and God is faithful which will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will even give the issue with the tentation that we may be able to bear it. 
〈◊〉. 12, 11. & ●6.  Indeed every affliction for the present is grievous, and not joyous, but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness unto them that are thereby exercised. So then, we must know that we have need of patience, that after we have done the will of God, we may receive the promise. And without this heavenly grace, considering the present or eminent calamities of the Church, we shall never be able to hold out our profession unto the end. We shall never apprehend the love of God in our sufferings, but be always grudging, repining, and rebelling against the will of GOD. This made the Apostle to say, 
●p. 4, 11.  I have learned in whatsoever estate I am, therewith to be content. Let us not therefore in our necessities and calamities fret and fume, rage and be angry against God, but pray for this patience & the silence of the heart, which is much set by of God. For albeit the affliction we endure be grievous for the measure, manifold for the number, strange for the manner, and long for the continuance; yet if we put on the armour of a Christian, it shall work in us experience of God's mercy, and bring forth hope of a full deliverance, which maketh not ashamed.  
[Verse 14. Thus saith thy Brother Israel.] Hitherto of the request sent by Moses, delivered by the Ambassadors, and consented unto by the whole congregation: now we are to mark the reasons used to stir up the hearts of the Edomites. The first is drawn from their nearness of blood and kindred in the flesh, We are your Brethren: Now, if we be Brethren, then help us: But we are Brethren, therefore help us. The word [Brother] is taken in Scripture sundry ways. 
〈◊〉. in 〈◊〉.  First, for such as are brethren by birth, as Cain & Abel, jacob & Esau. Secondly, by affinity, which come of one family, as branches of one root, 
●s. 13, 8. ● 12.  and streams issuing out of one fountain: so Abraham and Lot were brethren, and the kinsmen of Christ are called his brethren. Thirdly by Country & Nation: thus all the jews are called Brethren one to another, Deut. 17.15. Rom. 9, 1. Fourthly, by profession: thus all Christians are accounted Brethren, being of the same religion and profession. Now in this place it is taken in the second sense, for such as were of the same kindred & stock, as if they should say, We are all the seed of Abraham, we have Abraham and Isaac to our father. Thus we see they allege their alliance & communion of the same blood, descending long ago by many generations from one father. Observe here first of all the manner of their reasoning, If we be Brethren of one kindred, deny us not this favour, but suffer us to pass. Where we see the strength of this reason, how that to persuade some kindness, they plead some kindred, 
Doctrine. The consideration of our communion one with another, must draw us to the duties of love one to another.  and beseech them by the amiable name of a Brother. From hence we learn, that the consideration of our nearness and conjunction of blood, must urge and enforce from us all duties of love and brotherly kindness. Howsoever we are to do good to all, yet our Communion in blood should be a forcible means to move us to all duties of humanity. This moved Abraham to take away the heat of contention kindled between his herdmen and the herdmen of Lot, 
Genesis 13, 8 Exodus 2, 13.  Let not us I pray thee strive for we are Brethren. The like we see pressed by Moses to the Israelites striving together to the dishonour of God, to the slander of their profession, and to the opening of the mouths of the enemies, Sirs, ye are Brethren, 
Acts 7, 26.  why then do ye wrong one another? This consideration was so strong, that it prevailed with Laban toward jacob, saying, Though thou be my brother, shouldst thou therefore serve me for nought? 
Genes. 29, 15.  I will give thee wages? So David upon this ground expecteth kindness, and reproveth the Tribe of judah for their negligence in bringing him unto his house, Ye are my Brethren, 
2 Sam. 19, 11, 12.  my bones and flesh are ye; wherefore then are ye the last that bring the King again?  
The Reasons follow. First, the communion Reason 1 and fellowship of the same nature, aught to move us to be bountiful and beneficial unto men, because we must do to others, as we wish and would that others should do unto us. Let us put the case, & suppose we were in distress, would we not be glad to receive good at the hands of others? and would we not think it a duty belonging unto them as men, to relieve & succour us as men? Even so ought we in like case to do and deal with them according to the rule of the Law, and the exhortation of Christ, 
Matth. 7, 11.  Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even the same unto them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.  
Secondly, the flesh of one, is as the flesh of an Reason 2 other; all the world was made of one flesh, so that we are as it were parts and members one of another. We see in the members of our body, how one is helpful and serviceable to another; when one is pained, the rest are troubled; when one is honoured, the rest rejoice. So should it be in the general communion and conjunction of mankind. This is that which the Israelites affirm, being oppressed by their brethren: Our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, & our sons as their sons: 
Nehem. 5, 5.  and therefore in this consideration, they looked for the duties of kindness, and fruits of humanity to come from them.  
The Use of this Doctrine, is first of all, to reprove those that break these bands, and Use 1 cast these cords from them, wherewith the Lord hath tied us one to another. For, where many times shall you find less familiarity and friendship one with another, then among those that are most nearly linked and allied one to another? Their often jars and most deadly dissensions, proclaim to their open shame, that they are void not only of true piety, but of all due humanity. What a reproach is it? yea what a blot and blemish, that the husband setteth himself against the wife, and the wife against the husband; the father falleth out with the son, and the son with the father: the mother cannot live peaceably with the daughter, nor the daughter with the mother: the mother in law with the daughter in law, nor the daughter in law with the mother in law; and that the love of brethren and sisters is so geason among us? Great is the force and strength of Nature in all such as are not wholly without natural affections, as we see in David, albeit he had a godless and ungracious child, aspiring in the pride of his heart to usurp the kingdom, and driving his father out of jerusalem; yet when he was slain in the battle, the King was moved, and mourned, saying; O my son Absalon, my son, my son Absalon, would God I had died for thee. O Absalon my son, my son, 2 Sam. 18, 33. The like we see in the true mother to her child, whose bowels yearned within her, when Solomon called for a sword to divide it. 
1 Kings 3, 26.  The like force of love could not be dissembled in joseph toward his brethren, 
Gen. 45, 1, 1. and 33, 4.  but he turned from them, & his heart melted toward them. Yea, cruel Esau when he saw his brother a far off, though he had threatened to kill him, yet he ran to meet him, and embraced him, he kissed him, and wept upon him. And yet we now see by lamentable experience, that every toy & trifle maketh debate, not only between dearest friends, but between nearest Kinsfolks, that they can never be reconciled. And as no band knitteth faster, nor bindeth closer than this, while love and liking lasteth: so no contention is so bitter, no hatred so deadly, as that of brethren and others that are near in blood, when the knot is broken and dissolved. The tender glass when it is once broken, will never be set together again. No water proveth so exceeding cold, as that which was once heated exceeding hot: so no hatred proveth like to the hatred of brethren, which are often found merciless one toward another, & such as can never be appeased: as we see in the malice of Cain toward Abel. This is it that Solomon pointeth out in Prou. 18, 19 
Prou. 18, 19  A brother offended, is harder to win then a strong City, & their contentions are as a bar of a Castle. For as they loved most entirely & dearly before, so when once they grow enemies, they hate one another most extremely, whose hearts are as stony walls that cannot be pierced, and as bars of iron that cannot be broken. Now as the Prophet teacheth, That it is a good and comely thing for brethren to dwell together in unity: 
Psal. 133, 1.  so it is a noisome and unnatural thing to behold greatest envy and most mortal malice, where the greatest and nearest bands of kindred should knit together.  
Secondly, how much more is it required of those that spiritually are knit together in the profession of the same faith, to love and help one another, that have one God to be their Father, one Church to be their Mother, one Christ to be their elder Brother, one Heaven to be their hope, and one Faith to be their assurance. These considerations are of far greater might and moment, than all bands of other societies, which begin in the flesh, and end in death. Wherefore the Apostle handleth this at large, Eph. 4, 3, 4, 5, 6. 
Ephe 4. ● 5, 6.  Endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation. There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, which is above all, and through all, and in you all. To this purpose Christ our Saviour teacheth, that there is a nearer conjunction between himself & the faithful, as also between the faithful among themselves, then between brethren and kinsfolks in the flesh. For when some of his hearers said: Behold thy Mother and thy Brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee: he answered and said to him that told him, 
Math. 12 ● 48, ●9, 5●  Who is my Mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hands towards his Disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren: for whosoever shall do my Father's will which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.  
Lastly, there is no man in the world, but we are after a sort charged with him to affect him as a brother, to account him as a friend, to help him as a neighbour, and to love him as he is a man. Albeit he be never so far removed from us, albeit we never saw him, albeit we know him not in the flesh, yet we are appointed as his keeper and guardian, to do him good all the days of his life, 
Esay 5▪ ●  defending him from wrongs, guarding him from enemies, & saving him from dangers. It was a profane voice of a profane man, who being asked where his brother was, answered, I cannot tell, 
Genes. ●  Am I my brother's keeper? Therefore our Saviour in the Parable of him that fell among thieves teacheth, 
Luke ●● Rom. ●  that every man is to be called and accounted our neighbour. It is not for any to advance and lift up himself above his brethren in disdain or pride of heart, be he never so high & great in the world, but to acknowldge from whence he came, and in that respect to make himself equal with them of the lowest sort.  
[Thy Brother Israel.] Hitherto we have spoken of the strength of the reason, and considered the words not simply in themselves, but as they are referred to the point they argue, that is, to persuade their passage. Now we will weigh them as they stand by themselves. They declare in their plea, that there is a conjunction between them in the flesh. 
Doctr●●● Amon● 〈◊〉 kind ●●tain b● hood ●●●mon 〈◊〉  The Doctrine from hence arising is this, Among kinsfolks, and generally among all mankind, is a certain brotherhood, acquaintance, familiarity, and union one toward another. True it is, there is not fleshly kindred immediately among all men, to make them so near of blood, as to call one another kinsmen, and to descend of the same line and lineage: but there is a certain common kindred in general, to join & bind us one to another. So then, all mankind, though seated and placed far one from another by large and many Countries, and distinguished by several languages, rites, laws, religions, and customs, are one blood, one flesh: yea, all as brethren issuing out of one fountain, & hewn out of one Rock. Every one is of kin to every man, whether jew or Grecian, Turk, Barbarian, Scythian, French, Spanish, Italian, German, etc. This appeareth in many places of the word of God. 
〈◊〉 20.32, ●3  Thus Ahab calleth Benhadad King of Aram his Brother, that is, his Friend. So Christ compriseth every man under the name and title of a neighbour. This also the heathen knew and acknowledged well enough, as the Apostle testifieth, Acts 17, 26. God hath made of one blood all mankind, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath assigned the seasons which were ordained before, and the bounds of their habitation; declaring hereby, that there is an union and conjunction among all mankind.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are these. First, we had all one beginning from God, who is the Creator and Maker of all things visible and invisible, and therefore he being the efficient cause of all, there must be some dependence upon him, and some fellowship among the works of his hands. This the heathen confessed, as the Apostle allegeth out of their own Poet, Acts 17, 29. 
〈◊〉 17, 29.  We are the generation of God. He is the Creator, we are the works of his hands: he is our Father, we are his children, & consequently brethren one to another.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as we had one beginning, so we all were made of one mould and matter, being framed of the clay and dust of the earth, which the Lord tempered and fashioned to make man, as appeareth in the history of the Creation. So then, the matter of all mankind is remembered unto us to be the earth. This Moses teacheth, Gen. 2.7. & 3, 19 Hereunto the Apostle accordeth, 1 Cor. 15, 47, The first man is of the earth, earthly. Thus the most noble and notable creature, of a wonderful frame and composition, representing in it the glory of the world, was made of the most base matter, and lowest element, as it were the dregs and lees of the Universe.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, touching the form of man's Creation, they are all made in the image according to the similitude of God, which is a certain band of Nature to knit us together. There is one image and likeness of God that shineth in all men, which we must regard & reverence wheresoever we find it. This is it which Moses sets down, Gen. 9.5. At the hand of a man's brother will I require the life of man, for in the Image of God did he make man.  
Use 1 The Uses are these. First, it serveth to condemn the sundry sects of Monks, Friars, Hermits, and all Cloystermen, that live apart by themselves in woods and desert places, & separate themselves from others, as if they were borne for themselves alone, and not to do good to others. These live as in another world members of no society, parts of no body, limbs of no Family, of no Church, of no Commonwealth. Every man must bring some good, not only to himself, but also to others, & choose some honest and lawful calling When a man is out of his proper lawful calling, it is as if a member were put out of joint, or a part of the building were thrust out of order. So then that life which is the forsaking of human society, is neither comfortable for themselves, nor profitable for the Church, nor commendable for the family, nor warrantable by the word, doing good neither to themselves, nor to any other. This the Apostle reproveth to the Hebrews, Let us consider one another, 
Heb. 10, 24.25  to provoke unto love, and to good works; not forsaking the fellowship that we have among ourselves, as the manner of some is: but let us exhort one another, and that so much the more, because ye see that the day draweth near.  
Secondly, it followeth from hence, that it Use 2 is a singular and special mercy that grace is offered to some more than to othersome, that one nation or kingdom is preferred before another, that one place or person is respected above another, being by birth like and equal, and seeing there is no difference between man and man by nature. It cometh not of ourselves, that the Gospel of the kingdom, and word of salvation is offered unto us, there is no dignity in us above our brethren. This Moses bringeth the Israelites to consider, 
Deut. 9, 5.  Thou interest not to inherit their land for thy righteousness, or for thy upright hart. Esau and jacob were brethren, borne of the same parents at the same time, yet one was received, and the other forsaken. So the Apostle to the same purpose speaketh, Gal. 3, 28, There is neither jew nor Grecian: there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are alone in Christ jesus. This therefore must teach us to acknowledge our own unworthiness, & to magnify the mercy of God toward us above all earthly things.  
Thirdly, we are bound to do good to all men, Use 3 to be servants one to another in love, to help and secure each other in time of need, as the Samaritan did him that fell among thieves: 
Luke 18, 33. Acts 28, 2.  and as the barbarous nations did the Apostle. True it is, the nearer God bringeth men together, and the straighter bands of kindred, acquaintance, society, and neighbourhood, he toeth us withal, the more prompt & ready we ought to be to do service one to another. But seeing he hath set a kind of brotherhood among all, we must love one another, & be kindhearted to all our flesh, otherwise we bid battle to God, and are at defiance with nature itself. Notwithstanding, if we consider the common trade & practise of the world, we shall see an open conspiracy to do contrary to the will of God, and the secret instinct of nature itself. For where is this employment of ourselves to the good one of another? Do we not see among brethren, many times such divisions, as every one shifteth for himself, and shrinketh from another; drawing still to themselves without respect of reason, without care of honesty, and without sign of pity or compassion? So that the wolves are not at such variance, neither do the Lions or Leopards pursue one another as these men do. 
Juvenal. saty. 15. lib. 5.  But man from man is in daily danger. A storm threateneth before it riseth: 
Senec. epist 104  a building cracketh, before it falleth: a fire smoketh, before it flameth: even the dog barketh, before he biteth: but mankind hurteth suddenly, they are felt oftentimes before they are seen, they strike before they warn, having the shape of men, but the mind of beasts. This made Solomon to give out this counsel, Prou. 27, 10. Thine own friend and thy father's friend forsake thou not, and enter not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: a neighbour near, is better than a brother far off. Where he showeth, that sound and sincere love between brethren is rare, and the kindness of kinsfolks tried to be no better than unkindness, especially in the day of adversity. Therefore he adviseth, that we go not to our alliance and kindred in our afflictions, to crave their help, and require their succour, inasmuch as the brethren of the poor man for the most part hate him, and are soon weary of him. Nature is oftentimes without goodwill, but friendship is never without goodwill. Natural men may prove to be unnatural, but a friend which is as thine own soul, cannot; and therefore ordinarily will sooner help his friend, than a brother will his own brother, albeit the Son of his own mother. If so little love be among brethren, no marvel if lesser be among the rest of mankind, where lesser bands are to hold them together. What marvel therefore is it, that neighbours fo seldom live as brethren, and generally men with men: seeing such as are Children of the same father show no more friendship one to another then wild beasts? But we, who besides the common conjunction of man with man, have learned Christ, have all one Father, who hath called us to the knowledge of his Name, & to the inheritance of his kingdom in Christ, by the means of one faith, which is confirmed both by one baptism, being a badge of our engrafting into the body of our Lord jesus Christ, and by his last Supper, being a seal of our perpetual nourishment from him: we (I say) must practise better things, 
Rom. 12, 18.  and seek (if it be possible) to have peace with all men, having this double communion, both in the flesh and in the Spirit to follow after love. Hereby shall all men know that we are the Disciples of Christ, if we love one another: 
john 13, 35. & 1 joh. 3, 14.  and hereby we shall know, that we are translated from death to life, if we love the brethren. We must not live as Wolves and Tigers, by ravin and spoil, we must not oppress one another, 
1 Thess. 4, 6.  for God is an avenger of all such things. This is it that Moses teacheth, Deut. 23, 7. Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother: neither shalt thou abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his Land. Thus the people of Israel complain against the rich, and cry out upon the unequal & injurious dealing of their brethren, upon this ground; 
Nehem. 5, ●  because their flesh was as the flesh of their brethren, the sons & daughters of the poor, as the sons and daughters of the rich.  
Lastly, this serveth to reprove & convince Use 4 three sorts of men. First, it condemned all railing at, and reviling one of another, all words of reproach and contumely, as if they were our slaves and villains; which practice Christ reproveth, Mat. 5, 22. Secondly, it meeteth with such as delight in contentions, as the beggar doth his sores, & nourishing dissension in the Church or Commonwealth, contrary to the amiable name of brethren that ought to be acknowledged among us. All contention is irksome, but especially that which is between brethren. All war is lamentable, but especially civil war, where brother is divided against brother, & sometimes the son against the father. This victory should not be sounded with triumph, but passed over with silence. Therefore the Roman Captains, after a civil war, 
Va●er 〈◊〉 lib. 1. cap. ●  never triumphed when they returned victors, as we see in Cinna and Caesar, in Silla and Marius. So among all quarrels and controversies, those among brethren are most unnatural. Wherefore, the Apostle Paul saith, 
Rom. 16, ●  I beseech you brethren, mark them diligently which cause division and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. 
ja. 3, 14, ●  So the Apostle james teacheth, If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, rejoice not, neither be liars against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish: For where envying and strife is, there is sedition, and all manner of evil works. Wherefore let us learn to cut off all occasions of contentions, even from them that seek occasions. Thirdly, this reproveth all unmerciful dealing towards those that are in necessity, such as was in the Priest and Levite toward him that fell into the hands of thieves & was wounded. When we see a poor man or woman destitute of daily food, in misery and want of this world's good, we must thus think with ourselves, This man or this woman is my flesh, my brother, my sister, as good by nature and in creation, as myself, having the same Maker, and made of the same matter, and bearing the fame Image of God as well as myself. It is only God's goodness toward me, that I possess those things which he wanteth; the same Lord requireth of me to my utmost power to relieve and help him. This is taught by Moses, Deut. 15, 7. Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. Let it not grieve us to give and forgive. Let us have a compassionate hart, a pitiful eye, a liberal hand. Remember it is an easy thing with God to bring thee into as low an ebb, though thou be now afloat, as we see it hath fallen out to many great Kings & mighty Monarches. This is that charge which the Prophet giveth, Es. 58, 7. Is not this the fasting that I have chosen, to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that wander, unto thine house, when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Let this consideration move us to love all men under heaven, and to show the fruits of mercy unto them in distress, as the Samaritan did to the poor wounded man, Luke 10, 33. Let us pray for the conversion of jews & Gentiles, as Stephen did for his enemies.  
[Ver. 15. Thou knowest our trouble, how our fathers went down into Egypt, therefore I pray thee let us pass.] This is the second reason before remembered, drawn from the woeful experience of many miseries, which they have had in Egypt and out of Egypt. here we see, they allege the afflictions endured in egypt, to stir up the Edomites to pity, and to give them quiet passage. This reason is thus contrived, If we have suffered many sorrows and afflictions, and been evilly entreated in Egypt, then pity our poor condition, and deliver us out of our distress: but we have all suffered many sorrows and afflictions, etc.: therefore pity us and give us passage. Mark here the force and strength of the reason: 
strength 〈◊〉 reason.  he persuadeth them to grant them free passage, moved with this consideration, that the miseries of the Church have been many, and as yet they saw no end of them. They were bound by all good means to procure their peace, and seek a blessed end of their present sorrows, that entering into the Land, they might sit under their Vines & Figtrees, 
〈◊〉 4, 1.  and reason of the ways and word of the Lord without fear. Now the want of this liberty and freedom to serve the Lord, and the distressed estate of the oppressed Church, is made a motive to mercy in these Edomites to redress their troubles, and so the Israelites might have been eased, & themselves no way burdened. 
●●ze. ●●●es 〈◊〉 church 〈◊〉 z●●le 〈◊〉 to pit●●●.  From hence we learn, that the wants and miseries of the Church should move the hearts of others to pity them, and to procure according to their power the remedy thereof. Whensoever we see the people of God in affliction, if there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any compassion and mercy, we must be touched inwardly even to the quick, and put too our helping hand to end their calamities as we are able. This hath been put in practice from time to time by the holy servants of the Lord. When Nehemiah heard that the people returned from captivity, were still in great misery, Neh. 1, 3, 4, jerusalem trodden down, the gates burnt with fire, he sat down and wept, he mourned, fasted, & prayed before the God of heaven for the redress of those evils, and for a blessing upon his holy endeavours. The like affection we see in Mordecai & Este●; chap. 4, 8, 16. when Mordecai saw what evil was concluded against the Church, and that a commission was sued out at Shushan to destroy and massacre the people of God in one day, he rend his clothes and put on sackcloth, he goeth to Ester, he chargeth her that she should go in to the King, and make petition and supplication before him for her people. She undertaketh the cause of the Church with the hazard of her life, she relieth upon the all-giving providence of God, saying; If I perish, I perish, I will go in to the King, albeit it be not according to the Law. So the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 80, 5, where he complaineth, that God had given them bread of tears, and fed them with tears to drink in great measure; Thou hast made us a reproach to our enemies, thou hast brought a Vine out of Egypt, thou hast cast out the Heathen, and planted it, yet the wild Boar devoureth it, the beasts of the field eat it up. Upon this consideration he showeth his affection, and oftentimes doubleth it: Return we beseech thee, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and visit this Vine. The like care of redressing the distressed condition of the Church, appeareth in Habakkuk; for when God revealed unto him, that for the wickedness and iniquity, the strife and contention of the people, he would punish and visit them by the Chaldeans, a Nation worse than themselves, it constrained the Prophet to break out into an earnest prayer; When I heard thy voice, I trembled and was afraid, Lord, in wrath and in the midst of judgement remember mercy. Hab. 1, 3, 6, & 3, 2. What should I add more? The book of Lamentations showeth, that the horrible desolation of the Church did draw up whole buckets of water, and fountains of tears from the Prophet, even bowels of compassion and most earnest prayer to God for the delivery of his people, being moved with a sensible feeling of the Church's distresses. Lam. 1, and 2, and 3.  
And although this meditation alone be sufficient Reason 1 to enforce this affection of compassion, yet it may be more earnestly considered, and deeply enforced by sundry reasons. For first, nothing ought to be more precious and dear unto us, then to see the flourishing estate of the Church: nothing ought to go nearer unto our hearts, and to make our eyes a fountain of tears to weep day and night, then to behold the decay and desolations of Zion. This appeareth evidently unto us, Psal. 137, 1, 2, 5, where the Prophet layeth down the miserable estate of the Church under the babylonians, and the affection of the Church conceived upon that distress, We sat down and wept when we remembered Zion, we hanged our haps upon the willows in the midst thereof; if I forget thee, O jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play, If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave unto the roof of my mouth, yea if I prefer not jerusalem before my chief joy. Wherein ariseth this reason, that howsoever many things are ministered to comfort the people of God, as favour, friends, honour, glory, pleasure, and prosperity, yet above all other joy, the peaceable and prosperous estate of the Church affecteth them, as that which sticketh nearest, and cleaveth closest unto them, 
1 Pet. 1, 12.  at the sight whereof the Angels take occasion to wonder at the mercies of God. Contrariwise, the troubles and tumults raised against the Church, beginning to prevail against it, and threatening to make havoc of it, have caused the greatest sorrow of all other incident to the sons of men.  
We see a worthy and memorable example of this in the wife of Phinehas, when the Philistims prevailed over the people of God, many sorrows fell upon her, one in the neck of another; the taking of the Ark, the fall of her father, the death of her husband, the slaughter of her brother, the overthrow of the host, the triumph of the enemy: yet above all (as if the rest were nothing) the report of taking the Ark, was as a sword to pierce through her soul, and suffered her not to receive any comfort in her travail, but she named her child, Icabod, that is, no glory, saying; The glory is departed from Israel, because the Ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law, and her husband: She said again, For the Ark of GOD is taken. 1 Sam. 4, 19, 21, 22. Whereby we see, that howsoever we feel nothing but worldly losses, being men of this world, whose portion is in this life, and are acquainted with nothing but worldly sorrows which cause death, choosing rather to leave Christ, then to lose our commodities; to sell our birthright, then to want our pottage, like profane Esau, or the swinish Gadarens: yet she sealeth up her sorrow in the name of her son, and repeateth the departure of the glory from Israel, as that which most of all doubled and increased her affliction. If then, all things in this life are not to be compared and matched with the prosperous proceeding & increase of the Church in spiritual things; if no earthly loss of things nearest and dearest unto them, do so far enter into them as the calamities and ruins of the Church, marvel not if the wants thereof go near unto the Church, and stir them up to labour the redress thereof in their best meditations.  
Secondly, the distresses of the Church set Reason 2 open a wide door to faithless and profane men, to insult contumeliously, and to triumph vaine-gloriously over the Church, as though God had forsaken them, & left them as a prey in the jaws of the enemy, whereby the truth is slandered, & the Name of God which ought to be precious unto us, is blasphemed. This appeareth, Psalm. 70, 1, 4, 5, 8, 10. when the heathen rushed into the inheritance of God, defiled the Temple, and made jerusalem an heap of stones, that they were a reproach unto their neighbours, even a scorn and derision to them that were round abound them. The Prophet expressing his affection, saith; Lord, how long wilt thou be angry, for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? And then he addeth this as a reason: Wherefore should the heathen say, where is their God? Let him be known among th● heathen in our sight by the vengeance of the blood of thy servants that is shed. So then, as on the one side the flourishing estate of the Church is that which giveth inward joy and true comfort of heart above all other things to God's servants, & on the other side, the distresses of the Church do set open a door to faithless and rebellious men, to take advantage to rejoice over the Church, and in the spirit of Ishmael to scoff at it with taunts more bitter than gall and wormwood: it followeth, that the troubles thereof must draw us to pity, move us to prayer, and incite us to use all good means to redress them.  
The uses follow. First, we must be grieved for the troubles of the Church, as fellow-members Use of the same body. Can that be a true and lively member, that is not any way touched with a fellow-feeling of the rest of the members? The Apostle teacheth, 1 Corin. 12, 25, That the members should have the same care one for another, therefore if one member suffer, all suffer with it: if one member be had in honour, all the members rejoice with it. Would we then know, whether we have Christ for our head, coupling us together, whether we be members of Christ, and have him dwelling in us by faith, and whether we be made bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, without which we have no salvation? we must examine our hearts by this note that is found in all the members of the body one toward another. If any member be hurt or endangered, the rest are ready to help, every one according to his office; the foot runneth for it, the eye looketh upon it, the hand stretcheth out itself for the good thereof. If it be so with us in the dangers and desolations of the Church, we have comfort in our own hearts, we carry a witness about us that we are lively members of Christ. But if we have no feeling, no compassion, no pity toward them that suffer for Christ's sake, we are dead and rotten members, we want life and quickening in Christ, we cannot assure ourselves that as yet we are engrafted into his body. Therefore the Apostle saith, Gal. 6, 2. Bear you one another's burden, and so fulfil the Law of Christ. Again, Who is weak, & I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not? 2 Cor. 11, 29. And in another place, Be of like affection one to another, rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep, Rom. 12, 15, 16. Hereunto the Apostle accordeth in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. 13, 3. Remember them that are in bonds, as though ye were bound with them: and them that are in affliction, as if we were also afflicted in the body: teaching us hereby that their condition must be as our own condition, and their trouble as our own trouble. So the Prophet uttereth his affection, Lam. 2, 11, 13, 20, that although he should be preserved from the judgement executed, yet beholding Zion lying waste, he crieth out, Mine eyes gush out water for the destruction of the daughter of my people, thy breach is great like the sea. And afterward he stirreth up his zeal, Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done thus? Wherefore, whensoever God offereth us the sight of any chastisement upon our brethren at home, or the neighbour-Churches abroad, we ought not to be as those that are dull, senseless, and past feeling, but to have a sympathy of their sorrows, and draw out the bowels of compassion toward them.  
Use 2 Secondly, woe and woe again to them that are secure, that laugh when the Church weary; that live in bravery and excess, when the Church putteth on sackcloth and ashes; that fill, and feast, and fat themselves with all delicates, when the Church fasteth; that awake not out of their sleep, when the judgements of God are here unto them. This the Prophet reproveth, Esay 22, 12, 13, 14. In that day did the Lord of hosts call unto weeping & mourning, and to baldness, & girding with sackcloth: & behold, joy & gladness, slaying oxen & kill sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, for to morrow we shall die. When we are once come to this carelessness and contempt of our brethren's condition, the threatening denounced in these words following shall fall upon us: Our iniquities shall not be purged from us until we die. A fearful sentence of a grievous judgement, to teach us humility, and to drive away all security. Hereunto also cometh the saying of Amos chap. 6, 1, 2, 3, 4.5, 6. Where we see, he pronounceth the woeful estate and condition of those that lived without fear and regard of God's judgements, neither remembered their brethren carried into captivity, and living in great adversity. We live in the time of the distresses and wants of the Church. This calleth us to practise this duty, of seeking the good of the Church, and using all good means by supplication to God, and by petition to men, for the redress thereof. Especially let us be mindful in our prayers of the peace of jerusalem, Because of the house of the Lord our God. 
〈◊〉 ●2, 6, 9 〈◊〉, ●8.  This was the prayer of the Prophet, Lord, be favourable to Zion, for thy good pleasure, build the walls of jerusalem. If then we would have both the Commonwealth and our private wealth to flourish, we must tender the good and flourishing estate of the Church, we must be tender-hearted to procure the prosperous estate thereof. 
C●●rch ●ommon 〈…〉.  For the Church and Commonwealth are as those twins which are said to weep together, and to laugh together; they flourish together, they fade together, they fall together. So long as pure religion and preaching of the Gospel are maintained, it cannot go ill with the commonwealth, they are as a brazen wall, as a strong fortress and bulwark, as a Castle of defence, to keep out all invasion of enemies, and crying in our streets. For the one addeth strength unto the other, whilst the Commonwealth fighteth against the visible enemies of the Church by counsel and authority, 
August. epist. 1. poster.  the Church fighteth against the invisible enemies of the Commonwealth by prayer and supplication. If then the Church be spoiled, & the publishing of the Gospel be hindered, the Commonwealth cannot long go free, but the foundation thereof is dangerously shaken, which hath no promise to be kept in good estate, but as it is a Nurse to the Church, and a Lantern to hold the light of the word. The like might be said of private families, and of particular persons, we have no assurance of the protection of God, & of the continuance of our estate in peace, farther than we promote his glory, and give entertainment to the Gospel. We see in the second book of the Chronicles, ch. 36, 15. when the people of Israel came to this height of iniquity, to mock the messengers & misuse the servants of God, which he sent unto them rising early, Because he had compassion on his people and on his habitation, than he brought upon them the King of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword, in the house of their Sanctuary, & spared neither young men nor virgins, ancient nor aged, God gave them all into his hand. So Christ saith, Mat. 23, 37. O jerusalem, jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, & stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as the Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, but ye would not. Now what followeth this contempt of the word, and neglect of the Gospel? Behold, your habitation shall be left unto you desolate. To conclude therefore, let us promote true religion, and then we shall prosper and be safe; otherwise we have no promise of blessing.  
Lastly, this doctrine of pitying the Churches Use 3 troubles, serveth most fitly to condemn the contrary practice of those miserable and merciless men that are without all humanity & natural affection, that are borne of wolves, nourished of tigers, and have sucked the milk of most savage beasts, or rather the poison of asps and vipers, whose very bowels of mercy are the breathe out of cruelty, as the wise man speaketh: 
Prou 12, 10.  who are so far from pitying the miseries of others, and helping them in their distresses, that they add to the heap of their afflictions, oppress them with an heavier burden, and thrust them quite down that are ready even to fall. This the Prophet condemneth, Psal. 69, 26, 27. This is a note of extreme hatred and malice, and yet how many are there among us, that live in the bosom of the Church, who make the miseries of others as a game and pastime to refresh themselves, reviling & reproaching with most bitter taunts and terms of infamy, such as lie under the cross, as those passengers that mocked Christ hanging on the Cross? Let all such remember the wise counsel of the wise man in sundry places of the proverbs, chap. 11, 8. & 24, 16, 17, 18. Where he showeth, that howsoever the faithful may fall into many adversities, yet their adversaries are not to triumph over them, and tread them under their feet as dung of the earth, no nor show signs of mirth & gladness in their affliction, lest the Lord who pondreth the spirits, lay the same affliction upon them. So then, to rejoice at the misery of another, that he may have sorrow upon sorrow, is the ready way to bring misery and draw God's plagues upon ourselves: and therefore if at any time we see them sink down in affliction as under a burden, it is our parts not only to pity them, but to comfort and relieve them, who are commanded to raise up the Ass of our enemy that is fallen down, as we see in the law of Moses: Thou knowest our trouble, how our fathers went down into Egypt. Hitherto we have handled the strength of the reason: now let us consider the truth of the words, which set forth the miseries and afflictions of the Church of God. 
Doctrine. Many are the afflictions laid upon the Church by the enemies thereof.  From hence we learn, that the afflictions of the church are many: the troubles that it endureth at the hands of evil men are very great. True it is, the people of God are endued with the first fruits of the Spirit, and are reserved unto a kingdom, yet if we will live with him, we must first die with him: if we will reign with him, we must first suffer with him; if we will have him wipe away all our tears in heaven, we must first shed them on earth. This is expressly taught, Psal. 34, 19 So the Apostle james, chap. 1, 2. 1 Cor. 4, 9 & 2 Cor. 11, 23, 24, 25, 26. This was the estate of the whole Church of the Hebrews described, Heb. 11, 35, 36, 37, 38. This we might farther consider in the examples of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, job, joseph, David, jeremy, and sundry others, whose lives are a plentiful storehouse to testify this truth, that the people of God do many times endure manifold afflictions from evil men.  
The reasons are evident. First, the enemy's Reason 1 of the Church know not the Father, neither jesus Christ his Son. They have nothing to stop and to stay their fury and violence, being stirred up by their own malice, and set on fire of hell. This is it we read, joh. 16, 2, 3. They shall excommunicate you: yea, the time shall come, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth God service: and these things will they do, because they have not known the Father nor me. For whatsoever their pretence be, yet their rage against the servants of God, proceedeth from their ignorance of God, 
1 Cor. 2, 8.  and instigation of the devil, who beareth all the sway in their hearts. Therefore Christ saith, revel. 2, 10. Behold, it shall come to pass, that the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried. Howsoever then, they bear themselves oftentimes in hand that they do well, yet whensoever they take crafty counsel against the innocent, the suggestion is of the devil: when they give their tongues to lying and cursed speaking, they are thrust forward by the father of lies: when their hearts are inflamed with malice, the devil is as the bellows to blow the coals. Finally, whensoever they work injuriously against the Saints of God, he is the master of the mischief, and of him in the end they shall receive their wages.  
Again, the delight of God's people is to Reason 2 follow goodness. Now so long as the devil is in the world, and his instruments stirred up by him that walk after the vanities of their own mind, and the corruptions of their own hart, so long they will always malice and abhor the servants of God, wherein it seemeth to them strange, that we run not with them into the same excess of riot, therefore speak they evil of us; which shall give accounts to him that is ready to judge the quick and dead. 1 Pet. 4, 4, 5. The Spirit of God teacheth this from the beginning, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall break thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Where we see, there is and there must be always a perpetual opposition and enmity between believers and hypocrites, between the godly & the ungodly. The world hateth them that are chosen out of the world, john 15, 19 Thus it was in Abraham's family which was the Church of God, where he that was borne after the flesh, persecuted him that was borne after the Spirit, even so it is now. Gal. 4, 29. Hereunto Solomon had respect when he said, A wicked man is abomination to the just, and he that is upright in his way, is abomination to the wicked, Prou. 29, 27.  
The uses now to be considered are these. First, we must learn hereby, that afflictions Use 1 are not simply evil, neither shall they be able to separate us from God, as we see, Rom. 8.35 28, 38, 39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for thy sake are we killed all day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nevertheless, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Where we see, that seeing it is the lot of the righteous to suffer persecution, he concludeth, it shall never be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord. For God giveth to all those that are his, a sanctified use of the Cross, who disposeth all things to work the best to them that love God, even to them that are called of his purpose. This is the unspeakable mercy of God, 
job 33, 1● 16, 17.  that maketh not only the Ministry of the word, the use of the sacraments, the grace of prayer, and such like exercises of our holy religion turn to our good, but blesseth the bitter cup of the greatest afflictions that is offered us to drink, to be unto us the medicine of the soul, the trial of faith, the mortifying of corruption, the school house of humility, the preaching of repentance, the renouncing of the world, the taming of the flesh, and the stirring of us up to prayer. We may now comfortably conclude to our own consciences with the same Apostle, I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shallbe able to separate us from the love of God. Let us know then there is great use of the cross, being assured, that tribulation bringeth forth patience, & patience experience, 
●om. 5, 5, 4, 5.  and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost, which is given unto us.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn hereby, not to promise to ourselves worldly peace & prosperity, but prepare to endure the cross before it cometh, and know that the end of one cross is the beginning of another, while we live here. We must not look to find heaven upon earth, we must not dream of the victory before we fight. We think of receiving the prize, but we would not run the race. We would put on the crown, but we shun the cross, like those foolish husbandmen that would receive the fruits of the earth, but care not for the labour. And surely the reason why we are many ways impatient under the cross, & murmur under the mighty hand of God, is, because we are unprepared & unprovided to bear any storm, or endure any trial. We must not think to live at ease and pleasure, but know, that whosoever taketh not up his cross & cometh after Christ cannot be his Disciple. So Paul teacheth Timothy, Thou hast fully known my faith and my patience, my persecutions which came unto me, but from them all the Lord delivered me: yea, and all that will live godly in Christ jesus, shall suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3, 10, 12. For as the head was first crowned with thorns, so the members must not look to live in pleasures.  
Lastly, be not offended at the great afflictions Use 3 that oftentimes we hear to befall the faithful, or we see to be upon such as fear God; let us not marvel and wonder at it, as at some rare and strange thing, much less should we start back from our profession for the persecutions and fiery trials that come upon the Church. Therefore the Apostle john saith, Marvel not my brethren, 
john 4, 13.  though this world hate you: nay, rather we have cause to rejoice, that God vouchsafeth us this honour, not only to believe in him, but to suffer for his Name. This made Paul say, Acts 21, 13. being entreated that he would not go up to jerusalem, What do ye weeping, and breaking mine heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at jerusalem, for the Name of the Lord jesus. Doubtless, if we were of the world, the world would love his own; but because we are chosen out of the world, therefore the world hateth us. It is noted to the everlasting praise of the Apostles, Acts 5, 21. Heb. 10, 33, 34. Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward. God hath no need of us to maintain his glory, he is able to maintain it without us; therefore it is a great privilege and prerogative, that God calleth us out to suffer for his Names sake. Besides, such and so great are our infirmities, that the Lord might worthily make us suffer for our own sins, and bring shame and confusion of faces upon us, according to our own deservings.  
Now, in that he mercifully passeth over our faults and frailties, & covereth our transgressions, and maketh us suffer taunts, reproaches, & persecutions, for his truth and Gospel, it is a great honour and dignity whereunto he exalteth and advanceth us; and therefore our Saviour saith, Blessed shall ye be when men revile and persecute you, & say all manner of evil against you for my sake falsely, rejoice and be glad: for great is your reward in heaven. Mat. 5, 11, 12. Wherefore, let us not shrink back for trouble, but rejoice in our sufferings, and praise God for our afflictions.  
[Ver. 16. But when we cried unto the Lord; he heard our voice: therefore let us pass through thy Country. here we have the third reason used to the Edomites, to persuade them to give them passage, drawn from an experience of God's help, who seeing their misery, and hearing their groanings, brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Now it would argue great cruelty, to forsake those and leave them in their affliction, 
The strength of the reason.  of whom God hath taken the protection. If then God have helped us, do not you deny us help: but God hath helped us, therefore deny not us your help. Thus the gracious dealing of God is propounded for their imitation.  
This is a forcible and effectual reason, teaching us this Doctrine, 
Doctrine. The consideration of God's love to his children, must move us to mercy.  that the consideration of God's love & mercy showed to his children, must move us to mercy. The truth hereof hath the consent and agreement of many other Scriptures. Hereunto cometh the exhortation of Moses, Deut. 10.17, 18, 19 The Lord your God is God of Gods, and the Lord of Lords, a great God, mighty, and terrible, who doth right unto the fatherless and widow, & loveth the stranger, giveth him food and raiment: Love ye therefore the stranger, for ye were strangers in the Land of Egypt. Thus the Apostle reasoneth, 1 joh. 4, 9, 11. God hath manifested his love in sending his only begotten Son into this world, that we might live through him. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. Where we see, he persuadeth to brotherly love in respect of the experience which we have of the free love of God toward ourselves. So our Saviour concludes, Lu. 6, 36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Hereunto cometh that which we read in the Apostle john, in another place, Hereby have we perceived love, that he laid down his life for us, therefore we ought also to lay down our lives for the brethren 1 john 3, 8, 16. There is nothing more effectual to persuade brethren to unity among themselves, them to know they have a gentle father that loveth them all. Nothing is able to bind faster those that are fellow-servants in one family, to seek the mutual good one of another, then to consider they have a good master, careful of the good of them all, to give them their portion in due season  
Reason 1 The reasons are evident. First, we are bound to follow the example of God, which must be our direction and instruction. This the Apostle teacheth. Phil. 2, 5, where he exhorteth to humility and lowliness of mind from the example of Christ, Let the same mind be in you, that was even in Christ jesus. And the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. 11.32, having propounded the examples of the patriarchs and Prophets, that by faith received a good report, concludeth, that we must rather look to the example of Christ, the Author & finisher of our faith, who endured the Cross, and despised the shame for the joy that was set before him. If then the example of God be to be followed of us, we must be moved to show mercy where we see the bountiful hand of God opened before us.  
Reason 2 Secondly, we are the children of God, we are the servants of God, we are the subjects of his kingdom; we must therefore seek to be like to him, & resemble him in our obedience to his Commandments, as the Apostle Peter showeth, 
1 Pet. 1.14.15.16.  As obedient children fashion not yourselves unto the former lusts of your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. And thus saith the Lord by Malachy the Prophet, ch. 1, 6. A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a Father, where is mine honour? If I be a Master, where is my fear? Hereunto accordeth and agreeth the exhortation of Christ, joh. 13, 12, 13, 14. Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master, and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am: If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do even as I have done to you.  
Use 1 The uses. First let us learn to acknowledge from hence this truth, that great is God's mercy, who never faileth nor forsaketh those that are his. For assuredly, his mercy and compassion should never be propounded to us as a rule to direct us, and as an example to guide us, if there were not infinite love in him, and in our God plentiful redemption. Wherefore, we may safely conclude this principle of our faith and teach it to others, that the mercies of God are sure and certain to his Church. This the Prophet handleth at large, Psal. 103, 8, 11, 13. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, and of great kindness as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him: As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him. There is no end, no measure, no limitation of his mercy & compassion. The height of it is not to be taken, the depth of it is not to be found, the length and breadth of it is not to be comprehended. It is higher than the heavens, it is deeper than the grave, it is longer than the earth, it is broader than the sea: Who is it that by searching can find out God, 
job 11, 7, 8, 9  or search out the Almighty to his perfection? For love, and mercy, & pity, are not in God as they are in men. In us, they are such graces of the Spirit of God as we are qualified withal through his gift, they are streams flowing from his Fountain, and as light drawn from his Candle. But in God are no qualities or accidents, he is of none, but hath his being of himself, & giveth being to all other things. Therefore the Apostle saith, God is love itself: not only the Fountain and wellspring of love, 
1 john 4, 16.  but love itself. And one saith truly and properly: 
Bernard in de d. l g. Deo.  God is not wise, but wisdom itself: not just, but justice itself: not pitiful, but pity itself: not merciful, but mercy itself: not good, but goodness itself. This is a great comfort and refreshing to us in all afflictions, be they never so great, be they never so grievous: there is no infirmity and weakness in God, his mercy is over all his works, he is infinite in compassion, he can no more cease to be merciful, then cease to be God, and therefore it being essential to him, our misery can never exceed or countervail his mercy. Secondly, we must Use 2 learn from hence, to love all the creatures of God (albeit not all equally) after the example of God. We read every where in the Scripture, of the love of God, loving not only his Son, his Church, his Elect, 
Zanch den● dei lib. 4. ●ap quest. 2. Acts 14, 17▪  but the rest of the world, the reprobate, and all his creatures, Giving them rain and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with joy and gladness. Let us therefore first see what the love of God is. He loveth all his creatures, even all the works of his hands, He saw all that he had made, and lo, 
Gen. 1, 31.  they were exceeding good. Yea, he doth good to all, in him they move, live, breath, and have their being. Notwithstanding, he loveth his elect and chosen people, ordained to eternal life, more than the rest of mankind, whom he leaveth in their sin, to work out their own confusion, as the Apostle teacheth, jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. For touching the faithful, 
Rom. 9, 14 Rom ●, 3● Rom 3. 2● 1 Thess. 5, ● john 14, 2● Math. 25, ●  he calleth them effectually, he justifieth them freely, he sanctifieth them thoroughly in soul and body; yea, as the faithful increase in grace & the exercises of piety, so they more and more feel the love of God toward them, as Christ speaketh, He that keepeth my Commandments, is he that loveth me, and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father. here than we have an example before us for our continual instruction to guide us in the matter and measure of our love. For first, the meanest of the creatures are to be loved, none of them are to be abused of us. Hereunto tend the laws given to the jews, not to oppress our cattle, not to mussel the mouth of the Ox, nor to take the dam with the young, to help up the Ass sinking & falling under his burden, and such like. Secondly, we must much more love mankind, made after the Image of God; yea even our enemies, according to the commandment of our Lord and Master Christ, Math. 5, 44, 45. This is not a counsel, but a Commandment, charging us to love our enemies, seeking their good, thirsting after their salvation, overcoming evil with goodness, heaping coals of fire upon their head, and thereby gathering an assurance to our own hearts that we are the children of God. Thirdly, it belongeth to the faithful, to love the faithful with an especial love, as children with them of the self same Father, & heirs with them of the same kingdom: for hereby we shall know that we are translated from death to life, 
●hn 3, 14.  because we love the brethren. This the Apostle teacheth, Gal. 6, 10. While we have time, let us do good to all men, but especially unto them that are of the household of faith. So that in the duties of love, we must prefer our godly brethren, that are Christians by profession, Saints by calling, heirs by faith, sons by adoption, partakers of the same grace with us; yea, as we see the gifts of God more clearly to shine, and more manifestly to multiply in them, so our love must increase toward them. As they go forward or backward, increase or decrease; as we see them zealous, or cold, or lukewarm, so must our inward love proceed or stay, grow or slake toward them; & always where God showeth forth the abundance of his love shed into their hearts, we must most wisely bestow our love according to his example, which the nearer we follow, the more conformable we are to God, wherein standeth our happiness.  
Use 3 Lastly, it reproveth such as are unappeasable, and will never forgive and forget the injuries that are done unto them. Assuredly, such shall find judgement without mercy, as show no mercy. Who is there among us, that doth not daily (even with the air) draw in the mercy of God. It is his mercy that we are not all consumed. If then, having ourselves received so great mercy, we can return in way of thankfulness, no compassion to others, we make a law against ourselves, and as it were stop and shut up the spring of grace from flowing unto us. 
●er 2, 13.  This the Apostle james teacheth, There shall be judgement merciless to him that showeth no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against judgement. It standeth us all therefore upon, not to rest in the bare and naked name of the sons of God, but labour in the truth of the inner parts and in sincerity of our hearts to be like to him, practising the exhortation of the Apostle, 
〈◊〉. 12, 13.  As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, etc. There is no salvation without pardon and remission of sin. Would we then have salvation? Do we desire forgiveness at the hand of God? The means to assure us that we have attained it, 
〈◊〉 4, 31, 32.  is to put away wrath & all maliciousness, and to be courteous & tender-hearted one to another, forgiving one another, if we desire to feel any true comfort to our own souls in the forgiveness of our own sins.  
When we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice. The truth of the former reason, 
〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉.  setteth down the love of God to his people, hearing their prayers, sending his Angel, and bringing them out of Egypt. The doctrine out of these words considered in themselves, is this; 
Doctrine. God loveth his people.  God loveth and favoureth his own people. Howsoever they be hated of the world, because they are not of the world, but are chosen out of the world, yet he setteth them as a seal on his hart, 
Cant 8, 6, & 5, 2.  and as a signet on his arm. Hereunto come the amiable and lovely titles that Christ giveth to his Church, calling it, & knocking unto it, saying; Open unto me my Sister, my Love, my Dove, my undefiled; for my head is full of dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. So the Prophet expresseth his love in the Psalm, toward his people, Albeit they were few in number, yea, 
Psal. 105, 12, 13, 14, 15.  very few, and strangers in the Land, and walked about from Nation to Nation, from one Kingdom to another people, yet suffered he no man to do them harm, but reproved Kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm. So Moses testifieth the same; 
Deu. 7, 6, 7, 8.  The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a precious people unto himself, above all people that are upon the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you, because ye were more in number then any people (for ye were the fewest of all people) but because the lord loved you, and would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers. 
joshua 24, 3. Psalm. 78, 70. Matthew 4, 18 Luke 23.43. Acts 9, 15.  Thus God in great mercy brought Abraham from his Country, took David from the sheepfolds, chose Peter and Andrew from their nets, called Matthew from the custom, converted the thief upon the cross, and turned Paul from a persecutor to be an Apostle, being oftentimes found of them that sought not after him: by all which testimonies and examples it appeareth, that God doth show himself good and gracious unto his people.  
The reasons are; First, because they are his Reason 1 sons and daughters. This is an argument of great love, & a testimony that he will not forsake us for ever. We are not only the servants and friends of God, but the sons of God, & the spouse of Christ. Indeed Christ is the natural Son of God, and the eldest brother, by whom we are adopted to be the sons of God. This reason the Apostle propoundeth, 1 john 3, 1. Behold, what love the Father hath given to us, that we should be called the sons of God; for this cause the world knoweth you not, because it knoweth not him Great is the affection of fervent love that parents bear toward their children; no heart of any can well express it, but he that hath been a father himself to feel it. Others may, well speak of it, but they are not able to comprehend it. And yet all their love is a cold & frozen love, yea it is no love indeed, yea it is no better than hatred in comparison of the love that the Father of heaven and earth beareth to his children, whose love to us is wonderful passing the love of men and women. This the Prophet teacheth, Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb, though they should forget, yet will not I forget thee. Es. 49, 15. Likewise Christ saith, Mat. 7, 9, 10. What man is there among you, which if his son ask him bread, would give him a stone? Or if he ask fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then which are evil, can give to your children good gifts; how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?  
Reason 2 Again, he hath sent his Son into the world, who came from the bosom of his Father, and took our nature upon him, he endured the infirmities of our nature, the shame of the cross, the wrath of his Father, to bring us into his favour. He was punished, we are pardoned: he was charged with our sins, we are discharged from our sins: he was crucified, we are acquitted: he was condemned, we are justified. Thus the Apostle john reasoneth, Herein was the love of God made manifest among us, 
1 joh. 4, 9, 10.  because God sent his only begotten Son into this world, that we might live through him. Herein is that love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a reconciliation for our sins. The natural Son of God was smitten for the unnatural: the only begotten, for the adopted: the beloved, for the enemy: greater love than this could no man show, then to die for his enemies. But God setteth out his love toward us, 
Rom. 5, 8.  seeing that while we were yet sinners, Use 1 Christ died for us. The uses follow. First, we may conclude from hence, that no creature shall be able to hurt his people. If he have taken them into his protection, & loved them with an everlasting love, who shall by the hatred of them procure their harm? If he be on our side, who shall be against us? If he be our friend, who shall show himself our enemy? What servant feareth the face of his fellow servant that hath the good will of his master? Or what man feareth the hatred of any subject, that hath the love of his Prince? So then, the consideration of God's love toward us, assureth us of our blessed condition, and of our safety & defence from all dangers that may surprise us. Whosoever dwelleth in the secret of the most High, 
Psal. 91, 1, 2, 3.  shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty, he will deliver him from the snare of the hunter, and from the noisome pestilence. This the Prophet concludes, 
Psal. 36.10, 11.  Extend thy loving kindness unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness unto them that are upright in heart: Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked move me. Let us labour to have a true feeling of the love of God shed in our hearts by the holy Ghost, then will he cover us under his wings, and we shall be sure under his feathers. The cause why we fear him that can kill the body, is, because we are not rooted & grounded in the love of God.  
Use 2 Secondly, hereby we receive another comfort to our faith; for as the wicked shall not hurt us, so we are assured to have our prayers heard & granted. Why? because God loveth us as his dear children. Comes not that child with boldness unto his father that loveth him in all his need? So if once we have this persuasion settled in us, that God will show himself gracious unto us, we may ask in faith and not waver, but be assured of the promise of God, that he will give to them that ask, and open the gate of mercy to them that knock. This Christ our Saviour affirmeth, Verily, verily, 
john 16, 23▪ 24, 27.  I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you: Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came from God. What greater comfort can there be then this, that God will hear our prayers? that we may unlade all our cares and troubles into his bosom? There cannot be a greater daunting and dismaying unto any, then when God will not respect and regard them, though they pour out many prayers, yet he will not hear them, as he threateneth those that will not hear his voice, speaking and crying unto them in the ministry of his word, They shall cry and not be heard. Prou. 1, 28. Zach. 7, 13. So, of all comforts that can befall us in this life, this is one of the greatest, which cannot be taken from us, though our mouths should be stopped, yet we may safely lift up our hearts and souls unto the Lord, from whence our help cometh.  
Thirdly, it is our duty to love one another, Use 3 as every one of us hath a blessed experience of God's mercy & favour toward us, let us deal in like measure toward our brethren. This the Apostle john exhorteth unto, 
1 joh 4, 1●  Herein is that love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, & sent his Son to be a reconciliation for our sins: Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another: 
john 13, 3● and 15.12  for hereby shall all men know that we are his Disciples, if we love one another. This is my Commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you: greater love than this hath no man, when any man bestoweth his life for his friends. Great was the love of God toward us, as appeareth by many circumstances & considerations. For he loved us first, not we him; 
1 john 4, ● john 15, 1●  as Christ chose his Disciples, not they him. Hereby God commendeth & setteth forth his love toward us, that he loved us first, and not we him.  
Again, he loved us when we were not, when we had not our birth or being, he chose us to be a peculiar people unto himself before the foundations of the world, as Rom. 9 
Rom. 5, 12  Before the children were borne, and when they had done neither good nor evil, it was said, jacob have I loved.  
Thirdly, he loved us, when we were enemies unto him, he was found of us when we sought not after him, nay when we fled from him and rebelled against him, as Ro. 5, 6. & 10. Christ, when we were yet of no strength, at his time died for the ungodly: so as God setteth out his love toward us, seeing that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  
Fourthly, he loved us frankly and freely, without any merits or deserts of our own, 
Ferus An● 1 john 4.  but of his own mere grace and favour only. Our salvation is wholly of grace. We are elected according to the good pleasure of his will. 
Ephes. 1, ●  We are called with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, 2 Tim. 1, 9 We are justified freely by his grace, without the works of the Law, Rom. 3, 24, 28. We have salvation of grace, not of ourselves: It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast, Eph. 2, 8, 9 Lastly, the love of God is so great, that he spared not his own Son, but gave him to the death, That whosoever believed in him should not perish, 
●●hn 3, 16.  but have everlasting life. If then the love of God be such and so great to his servants, that he loved them first: freely, when they were not, when they were his enemies, & spared not his well-beloved Son for them: how great should our christian love be one to another, to promote the good one of another, and to relieve the necessities one of another? We know the grace of our Lord jesus Christ, that he being rich, 
Cor. 8, 9  for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich: Whosoever therefore hath this world's good, and seethe his brother have need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Wherefore, let us not love in word, neither in tongue only, as Cain, which was of that evil one, and slew his brother; 
john 3, 17, 〈◊〉, 19  but in deed and in truth; for hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall before him assure our hearts. It is not enough if we hurt no man, it is required of us to do good from the hart, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, and to seek all occasions of showing our compassion unto them.  
[Verse 17. We will not go through the fields.] This is the fourth and last reason yielded to the King of Edome, to obtain their purpose and passage through his country. Wherein the Israelites promise a peaceable marching, without doing wrong to any. As if they should say, We do not desire that ourselves should be benefited, 
The strength ●f the reason.  and you hindered; ourselves eased, and you burdened; ourselves comforted, and you grieved; ourselves to gain, and you to live by the loss: we covet no man's silver nor gold, we gape after no man's goods, we will not take any possession of your country, we will not enter your fields, we will not drink of your wells, we will not invade your vineyards, we will not stay to take up your places as our own dwelling, we will only make a thoroughfare among you, keeping the King's high way, and not taking so much as a thread or shooe-latchet from any man to enrich ourselves, having learned not to do that to another, which we would not have done to ourselves. So then, the strength of the reason to move them to grant them free passage, standeth in propounding & laying before them their just dealing toward them. 
●s good men ●ea●e with us, 〈◊〉 must our ●●●ng be to●●●● them.  This may teach us, that as good men in love and kindness deal with us, so must we deal with them again: and with what measure they measure to us, it must be measured to them again. The Apostle describing the properties and effects of true love, affirmeth, that It doth nothing uncomely: it seeketh not her own things: it is not provoked to anger: it thinketh no evil. 
Cor. 3, 13, 5  So our Saviour, having expounded the Commandments of the second Table, compriseth the sum of them all in this, saying; 
Math. 7, 12.  Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, even so do ye to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets. And there is good use to be made of this point, that we learn to be so affected to others, as we wish and desire in our hearts to have others minded toward ourselves.  
Now there is no man but seeketh his own good, and desireth to be respected when he wanteth the help of others; therefore let us do good to other men, let us abstain from wrongs and injuries, let us hurt no man, but procure the profit and safety one of another: and every man be a rule to himself of just and upright dealing toward his neighbours, performing that to others which we require to be done to ourselves.  
We will not go through the fields, nor the vineyards, etc. We will go up by the high way. Having in the former Doctrine pointed out the strength of the reason, 
The truth of the reason.  let us now proceed to consider the words themselves, by themselves, wherein we see the solemn promise the people make, to observe the rule of charity, & law of equity, to know their own from other men's goods, & to meddle nothing with that which belonged to others. We learn from hence, that God's people must offer no wrong, 
Doctrine. God's people must abstain from wrongs and injuries.  nor violently intrude themselves upon the possessions of other men. In that the Israelites show their innocency, and harmless purpose, the servants of God must learn to abstain from all injuries; fraud, and oppression. Hereunto cometh the commandment, Deut. 24, 17. Thou shalt not pervert the right of the stranger, nor of the fatherless, nor take a widows raiment to pledge. So Zeph. 1, ●. I will visit all those that dance upon the threshold so proudly, which fill their master's houses with cruelty and deceit. Likewise when the soldiers demanded of john the Baptist, what they should do, he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, 
Luke 3, 14.  and be content with your wages. Thus the Apostle also teacheth, showing, that love suffereth long, 
1 Cor. 13, 4, 6.  is bountiful, envieth not, boasteth not itself, is not puffed up, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. And in another place: Let him that hath stole, steal no more, but let him rather labour, 
Eph. 4, 28.  and work with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give unto him that needeth. Thus we see, this is a plain and evident truth, that no deceit & defrauding of our brethren, whether openly or closely, whether in bargaining or out of bargaining, must be used among the people of God.  
And no marvel. For first, we are called to better things. It standeth not therefore with Reason 1 our profession to intrude upon other men's substance, and to use unjust dealing in heart or deed, being forbidden to steal or to hurt any man. This the Apostle urgeth, 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 7. Let no man oppress or defraud his brother in any matter, for God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto holiness. We must every one know the end of our calling; which is, that we should be holy & unblamable before him, that hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Therefore brethren, partakers of the heavenly vocation, let us walk so, as we may adorn the Gospel of Christ, and beautify our profession of the doctrine of Christ. If then any that is called a brother, or a christian, walk inordinately, and live wickedly, if he cirumvent any man, if he oppress his brother, this must be charged upon his person, not upon his calling; & be imputed to the man, not to his profession, as the manner of some is, who are ready to catch the least advantage to speak evil of the truth of God. For our calling is heavenly, and our profession is holy, it will not bear out any unjust practice.  
Reason 2 Again, God is a just judge, an avenger of all wrongful dealing between man & man. It is God that distributeth this world's good, and the things of this life to whomsoever he pleaseth. He is the general Lord of the whole world, he hath the sovereign right in his own hand, and hath in most excellent wisdom distributed and disposed to every man his several portion, and no man lawfully enjoyeth any thing but by the gift and giving of God. So the●, whosoever circumuenteth his brother, getteth any thing from him by fraud, & impaireth any way his wealth, crosseth God's ordinance, inverteth his order, and will bring in a new and another division of the earth than God hath made. For whereas God hath said, This man shall have this portion, he shall have this house, this horse, this land, this money; this corn, this cattle: the thief cometh and saith, The churl shall not have it, or he shall not have so much, I will part stakes with him, and so turneth upside down the distribution that God hath made, making himself wiser than God, and bringing upon his own head the due and deserved curse of God. For if the Lord pronounce him accursed, 
Deut. 27, 17. Prou. 22, 28. Deut. 19, 14.  that removeth the bounds and marks of his neighbour, of ancient time set, as the lists and limits of men's possession: how much more accursed shall he be, that changeth the bounds which God, 
Dan. 7, 13.  the ancient of days hath made in the world, having given the earth to the sons of men? Wherefore, God maintaining his own right and office, showeth himself a just avenger of such pride and presumption, as the Apostle reasoneth, 1 Thess. 4, 6. Let no man defraud or oppress his brother in any bargain; for the Lord is an avenger of all such things, etc.  
The uses are these. First, it teacheth us to Use 1 be content and well pleased with that estate wherein we are put and placed by the hand of God. This will be a notable means to keep us from rushing violently into the possessions of other men. Let us not suffer our hearts and affections to overflow the banks and bounds of our condition, but rather show our thankfulness to God for our present estate, considering that how much or how little soever we have, we have more a great deal than we have deserved. Therefore the Apostle saith, I have learned, in what state soever I am, therewith to be content. Phil. 4, 11. 1 Tim. 6, 6, 7. Heb. 13, 5, 6.  
Secondly, we must be careful to give to every Use 2 one his own, that we do no way oppress the fatherless and the widow, neither do injury to the stranger, lest they cry to the Lord, & he hear them, and his wrath be kindled: then saith the Lord, I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless, Exod. 22, 22, 23, 29. Again, we must not use false weights and deceitful measures, to enrich ourselves by the spoils of others, levit. 26, 35, 36. Ye shall not do unjustly in judgement, in line, in weight, and in measure, etc. Now, greater injustice there cannot be, then to turn the measures of justice to be instruments of craft and subtlety. Therefore Solomon saith, divers weights and divers measures (buying with a greater, and selling with a less, or selling to the wise and warie● buyer with the greater, and to the simpler sort that trust them too far & see not their fraud, with a lesser, thereby deceiving others to enrich themselves) both these are such an abomination to the Lord, as he will not leave unpunished.  
Lastly, we are from hence instructed to restore Use 3 that which is wrongfully gotten, otherwise we cannot truly repent of our oppression. It is a bad practice used of many that grind the faces of the poor, as the Lion roaring after his prey, or the wolf in the evening which leaveth not the bones till the morrow: which do use devoutly to bequeath their souls to God, & presently give their evil gotten goods to their heirs; and therefore God oftentimes bloweth upon them, so that being unrighteously gotten they are unthriftily wasted and consumed. The reason is, because with such goods they likewise bequeath the curse of God. It is an evil practice of servants to convey from their masters, and of one man to purloin from another the substance that they have. If such will have God pleased with them, and hear their prayers, they must make recompense and restitution of things wrongfully taken, & unjustly detained, as we have showed before at large, ch. 5. This offer did Samuel make, 1 Sam. 12, 3. Behold, here I am, bear record of me before the lord, & before his anointed: Whose Ox have I taken? Oy whose Ass have I taken? Or whom have I done wrong unto? Or whom have I hurt? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe, to blind mine eyes therewith, and I will restore it you? The like we see in Zaccheus, Lu. 19, 8. He stood forth in the day of his conversion, and said unto the Lord, Behold, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken from any man by forged cavillation, I restore him four fold. The performance of this duty is the pathway to life: 
Ezek. 33, 15.  Restore and thou shalt live. The contrary leadeth to death: they are worse than Micah the Idolater, than judas the betrayer of his master. 
judg. 17, 3. Math. 27, 3,  Wherefore it behoveth all oppressors to practise the counsel of the Prophet; 
〈◊〉. 4, 24.  Let my counsel be acceptable to thee, & break off thy sins by righteousness, & thine iniquities by mercy towards the poor: let there be an healing of thine error. Otherwise there is no promise of pardon, or hope of life, or assurance of mercy, if God have made him able thereunto.  
[Verse 20. He answered again, Thou shalt not go through. Then Edom came out against him with much people, and with a mighty power.] We have already handled the request of the Israelites: now let us consider the answer of the Edomites, wherein we see they deny their petition, and withal come out with an host of men to stop their passage. The people of Israel spoke kindly, and did no way deal injuriously against them to provoke them: but they answer roughly and currishly, they deal also maliciously and cruelly against them. 
●trine. 〈◊〉 enemies 〈◊〉 church malicious ●cruell  We see hereby as in a glass, the nature of the enemies of the Church, they are merciless & malicious, destruction and calamity is in their ways, their feet are swift to shed blood, & the way, of peace they have not known, Prou. 12 10.2 Kings 8, 11, 12. Thus dealt Hazael with Israel, and Pharaoh was no better before him. If all the pictures and patterns of merciless tyrants in the world were lost, they might all be painted to the life in the histories of these two, Exo. 1. & 2. For one of them did set their strong cities on fire, slew their young men with the sword, dashed their infants against the stones, and rend in pieces their women with child. The other, so envied the growth and increase of the children of Israel, that they threw their male children (the fry and seed of the Church) into the waters. A like plot and practise against the Church, we read in the Book of Ester, when Haman was exalted, and his seat set above all the Princes that were in the kingdom, he sought to destroy all the jews, without difference of sex or age, Ester 3, 1, 6, 13. The book of the Lamentations is plentiful in this point, as Ch. 5, 4, 5, 10. etc.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are plain and evident, whether we respect the Church itself, or the enemies of the Church. Their malice exceedeth toward the Saints of God, because they follow righteousness, and do not follow them in all excess of riot: so that, Whosoever refraineth from evil, maketh himself a prey, Esay 59, 15. For albeit when GOD setteth up merciful Princes that rule in peace and quietness, they dare not show the inward malice of their hearts: yet hatred evermore boileth and burneth within: and in the late days of the grievous afflictions of the Church (in the memory of many yet living) they showed it to the full, striking many innocents with the sword, that deserved not to be touched with the scabbard. They raged against young and old, learned and unlearned, rich and poor, men and women, children and sucklings, against the living & the dead. They beat them with rods, they cut out their tongues, they smote them with Halberds, 
Acts and Monuments of the Church.  they burned their hands with torches, and their whole bodies with fire: and the poor babe breaking out of the mother's belly they cast into the fire again, as the brood of heretics. This is the reason added by the Prophet, Psal. 38, 19, 20, where he showeth wherefore the servants of God are so much maligned, not because they had holden up their hands to a strange god, not because they had raised any tumult, 
Psal. 44, 20.  not because they were found in any wickedness, but because they follow goodness. A lively image and picture of this persecuting Church we have in Cain, who slew his brother: and wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his Brothers good, 1 joh. 3, 12. And this hath been the estate of the Church, even from righteous Abel (whose blood cried for vengeance) unto this present time.  
Again, as their hearts are inflamed with Reason 2 rage and fury, so the devil is the bellows to blow the coals, he moveth their minds to madness and mischief, albeit they perceive it not. He is compared in Scripture to a Lion, to a Dragon, to the old Serpent. 
revel. 12, 9 john 8, 44.  He was a murderer from the beginning; and therefore no marvel if his instruments thirst after the shedding of blood, being no better than a wretched generation of cruel beasts. There is nothing so sweet and pleasant to the Wolf, as to suck the blood of the Lambs. This they have learned of him that is the father of all mischief & murder. This is noted by the Apostle john revel. 2, 10. Behold it shall come to pass, that the devil shall cast some into Prison, that ye may be tried. For in all persecutions although the devil be not seen to work and contrive the plot, yet he is the grand Captain and chief agent. It was Cain that lifted up his hand against his brother, but it was the devil that set him on work. It was judas one of the twelve, that with a kiss betrayed his master, but it was the devil that first Put it into his heart, Lu. 22, 3.  
Here then is a great mystery and deep secret to be considered. We think men to be Actors of all mischief, but indeed it is the devil in them. Ahab's false Prophets bade him go up against Ramoth Gilead and prosper, 1 Kings 22.6, 22. but it was a false and lying spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets that enticed him and them to their destruction. Ananias and Sapphira sold a possession, and kept away part of the price, but it was Satan that had filled their heart, that they should lie unto the holy Ghost, Act. 5, 2, 3. Elymas the sorcerer, withstood the Ministers of God, and hindered the course of the Gospel, neither embracing the faith himself, nor suffering them that would embrace it, but it was because he was an enemy of all righteousness, and the child of the devil, Act. 13 10. The Sabeans took away the Oxen, the Chaldeans fell upon the Camels, the fire of God burned up the sheep of job, his sons & daughters were eating and drinking in their elder brother's house; and lo, a vehement and violent wind smote the four corners thereof, that it fell upon all of them and slew them: but Satan had an Oar in this boat, he was the master workman that gave to every one his task, job 1, 12. For whosoever is the instrument, the devil is the principal mover and procurer of all evil and trouble unto the Church of God.  
Use 1 The Uses are these. First, marvel not at all, if the Church lie under many great crosses and afflictions, insomuch that the ploughers plough upon their backs, and make long furrows, For they have many and mighty enemies that plot crafty counsels against them, and seek to suck out their heart blood, and to draw out their last breath. Many Controversies and contentions arise in the world for things of this life, for houses, for lands, for possessions and inheritances, for slanders and trespasses, whereby many actions are brought, and many suits commenced between party & party, from whence much hatred and great hartburning oftentimes ensueth: but there is no hatred like to that which cometh for matters of religion, no bands of affinity or of consanguinity can tie them together, as our Saviour teacheth, Matth. 10, 34, 35, 36. I came not to send peace into the earth, but the sword: for I am come to set a man at variance against his Father; and the daughter against the mother, and a man's enemies shall be they of his own household. Ye shall be betrayed also of your parents, and of your brethren, and kinsmen, and friends, and some of you shall they put to death, and ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. All questions and quarrels among men for temporal and transitory things find easy means of reconcilement, either the judge doth judge them, or Arbitrators determine them, or friends do end them, or the parties themselves (wearied with costs and charges in suits of Law) do grow to an agreement & composition: but the rage of the ungodly set on fire of hell is unappeasable; no bounds of reason, no bands of nature, no chains of Law can tie them or tame them, whence once they have set themselves against the truth of God.  
The cause of this hurly burly, and of these persecutions is not properly in Christ, or in the Gospel of Christ, For he is the Prince of peace, and his Gospel is the Gospel of peace preached unto them that were a far off, and to them that were near, Ephe. 2, 17. But the true cause of all these dissensions and troubles in the world, is the malice of the devil and the hatred of that world against Christ and against his Gospel. Here is the cause of division and disagreement, that the wicked man is abomination to the just, and he that is upright in his way is abomination to the wicked. Here is the right and proper cause of mortal hatred that the wicked beareth and breatheth out against the godly. Hence came the Popish Canon and conclusion, 
Council Const.  That faith is not to be kept with such as they call and account Heretics. Thus than we see, that the greatest hatred hath risen evermore from difference and diversity in religion. This appeareth in Cain and Abel, in Isaac and Ishmael, in jacob and Esau, in the Israelites & the Egyptians, in David and Saul, in Christ and the pharisees, in Paul and the jews, in the heathen and God's people, in the believers & infidels. There is no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness, 
2 Cor. 6, ●4●  no communion between light and darkness, no concord between Christ and belial: and therefore a confused mixture between the religion of Antichrist, & the Gospel of Christ hath an impossibility of any agreement. 
Sleid C●●● lib. 17. tou●ing Alph● and Diaz●  This is also manifest in all histories of the Church from the beginning. These things being thus considered and thought upon, we cannot think it strange, that the Church lieth under the cross, and groaneth under the heavy burden of it. So soon as H●man was advanced, by & by the Church mourned and sighed. This the wise man teacheth, Proverb. 28, 28, and 29, 2. When the wicked rise up, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase. Let us then acknowledge that the Church is subject to many sorrows and much affliction, as a camp besieged of enemies, as a ship tossed of the winds, as Corn ground in the mill, as a vineyard eaten with beasts, as a building beat upon with storms, and as a flock daily in danger and assaulted with Wolves, whilst the enemies clap their hands, and stamp with their feet, and rejoice in hart with all their despite against the Church of God, as the Prophet confessed, Psal. 79, 1, 2, 3, 4. O God, the Heathen are come into thine inheritance, thine holy Temple have they defiled, and made jerusalem an heap of stones. We are a reproach to our neighbours, even a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. The first use is, 
2 joh. 3, 1●  that which the Apostle john directly concludeth from this doctrine, having produced the example of Cain, who slew his own brother, gathereth this consideration from thence, Marvel not my Brethren, though this world hate you.  
Secondly, we learn from hence a point of Use 2 wisdom and godly policy, to look to ourselves, that we do not rely upon them, lest they beguile us and betray us. There is no truth in them, and therefore no trust is to be given to them. 
Matth. 2, ●  Herod made a show of love & reverence to Christ, he would needs love and worship him, but his meaning was, he would come & kill him. Beware thou be not seduced and entrapped by such secret enemies which pretend piety, but use treachery: see thou do not rely upon them, commit not thyself unto them. They cannot love thee that do not love the Lord, neither can they be faithful to thee, that are unfaithful to God. They will close and gloze with thee, till thou be come within their danger, 
Gen. 4, ●  as Cain spoke kindly to Abel till he was in the field, than he rose up and slew him: or as joab, whose words were smother than oil, and softer than butter, 2 Sam. 20, 9 Art thou in peace my Brother? But he smote him that he died, shedding the blood of battle in the days of peace. These men have the voice of jacob, but the rough hands of Esau: they have the words of a brother, but the hearts of an enemy: they salute with a kiss, but persecute with the sword. For deceitful amity is double enmity, and feigned friendship is a double mischief. The Fisher baiteth his hooks when he would catch the fish: 
Fulfils ●●●it, vo ●d●● deraps.  the Fowler singeth sweetly, when he would deceive the bird: the Hunter hideth his nets warily & wisely when he mindeth to take his prey. We have oftentimes to do with such cunning Fishers & mighty Hunters. Wherefore there is great cause to look to ourselves: for when they cannot prevail with the Lion's paw, they put on the Fox's skin, and go to work with craft and wiliness. Yea, the Church of God from time to time, hath sustained greater hurt by their own simplicity, then by the enemy's cruelty: and by their own lightness of belief, then by the sharpness of their sword. When they pretend the greatest courtesy, them they intent the greatest villainy. When they offer treaties of peace, leagues of marriage, and such like confederacies, than the hook is baiting, the snare is laying, the net is spreading before the eyes of all that hath wings, that they may effect their treasons and conspiracies. And this is it which one of the heads of their Church once said, 
〈◊〉 ce●●. 8.  If the keys of Peter could not prevail, they would take up and draw out the sword of Paul. Thus like false Prophets, and false brethren, they come in sheeps clothing, 
●th. 7, 15.  but inwardly they are ravening Wolves. It remaineth therefore, that we stand upon our guard, and watch over ourselves, that we be not entrapped by their subtleties. Upon this ground our Saviour warneth us to be wary, Matth. 10, 16. Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves, be therefore wise as Serpents, and innocent as Doves: where we are taught, that we must all be armed with wisdom and simplicity against our enemies. Two needful graces to be sought after, as in all ages; so especially in these dangerous times wherein we live. Let us labour to have true policy, and true simplicity, let both these be found in us, that they may accompany always each other, and never be separated the one from the other. For policy without simplicity is deceivable craftiness, and simplicity without policy, is deceived sottishness.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to pray earnestly unto God, not to deliver us into their hands whose rage and malice knoweth no end or measure. Indeed our sins have deserved this scourge, but let us rather desire him to correct us by his own hand, 
〈◊〉 1●, 23. 〈◊〉 33.14  for he is gracious and merciful, He desireth not the death of a sinner, but that he may turn unto him and live. This made the people of God from time to time, rather than they would fall into the hands of cruel enemies, to be willing and ready to receive any punishment at God's hand. This we see, judg. 10, 15. when the Israelites had forsaken the Lord and his worship, he complaineth against them, saying; Did not I deliver you out of the hands of the Egyptians, Ammorites, etc. yet ye have forsaken me, and served other Gods that ye have chosen, let them save you in the time of your tribulation: then they cried in their danger, We have sinned O Lord, do thou unto us whatsoever pleaseth thee, only we pray thee to deliver us this day from the Ammonites. This we see yet more evidently in the example of David. 2 Sam. 24, 13, 14. when in the pride and presumption of his hart he had numbered the people, after God sent him this word, and offered him the choice of famine, or sword, or pestilence, he said: I am in a wonderful straight, let us now fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man. Who had not rather receive punishment at his father's hands, of whose love he is assured, then to be punished with the strokes of an enemy, that loveth him not, but hateth him to the death? Men are proud and cruel, fierce & ambitious: but God is full of compassion, and his mercy endureth for ever, he knoweth whereof we were made, 
Psal. 103.14. Psalm 78, 39  he remembreth that we are but dust, he considereth that we are mortal, yea a wind that passeth and cometh not again. He will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear. Hitherto the Lord hath visited us with his merciful and gentle corrections, famines, sicknesses, and strange diseases. Let us behold his gracious dealing toward us, and profit by these fatherly admonitions; for if he should deliver us into the hands of barbarous and beastly enemies, we should soon discern the difference between the loving chastisements of a father, and the bloody strokes of an enemy.   

22 Then they departed from Kadesh, and the children of Israel, even all the congregation came unto Mount Hor.  
23 And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, near the border of the land of Edom, saying:  
24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the Land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my commandments at the waters of strife.  
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and charge them to come unto this Mount.  
26 And cause Aaron to strip off his garments, and thou shalt put them upon Eleazar his son: then Aaron shall be gathered unto his Fathers, and shall die there.  
27 And Moses did as the Lord had commanded: for they went up unto Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.  
28 And Moses caused Aaron to strip off his garments, and he put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron died there in the top of the Mount: So Moses and Eleazar came down from off that Mount.  
29 And when all the Congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.  
Hitherto of the embassage of Moses to the King of Edom: These words contain the third and last part of the Chapter, to wit, the death of Aaron after the people were removed from the borders of the Edomites. For albeit the King did so unkindly deny them any passage, yet Moses and the Israelites do not oppose themselves against them, or attempt to break through by force of Arms, & multitude of men, and dint of sword, but pass by their borders peaceably, and fetch a compass about their land. True it is, those envious Edomites, were worthy to perish, and to be utterly destroyed for their inhumanity; yet because the time was not yet come wherein the Lord had prophesied and promised, that the elder should serve the younger, 
Gen. 25, 23.  therefore the Israelites commit vengeance to the Lord to whom it belongeth. 
Rom. 12, 19  Now in these verses, we see how God beginneth to execute the former threatening against Moses and Aaron. For here we are to consider three things. First, the death of Aaron. Secondly, the succession of his son. Thirdly, the mourning of the people. The father dieth, the son succeed, the people lamenteth the death of the high Priest. If Aaron had died without any prediction and foretelling of his death, all men might have thought it had fallen out at adventures, and ascribed it wholly to the decaying of strength, & wasting of nature: but being revealed to Aaron himself, and manifested to the whole Congregation, both the time when, and the place where he should die, it appeareth that his days were numbered, and his years limited, which he could not pass.  
As than God had determined the death of Aaron, and denounced his shutting out of the land of Canaan so that sentence is here executed upon him, 
Deut. 34, 4, 5.  the other concerning Moses, is reserved unto his time appointed of God. In this place God commanded both of them what to do, even to ascend up to the Mountain, and showeth that Aaron shall die there for his disobedience; whose garments must be pulled off, and put upon Eleazar, lest by touching of the dead, the holy garments should be defiled. After this commandment followeth their obedience agreeable to the same, they come up to the Mountain, Aaron is stripped; Eleazar is clothed with them: Aaron without fear of death, or longer desire of life, or prayer for life, departeth in peace, according to the word of God, he is gathered to his Fathers, Moses and Eleazar descend from the Mountain, Moses, Eleazar, and the people, mourn for Aaron thirty days.  
[Verse 23, 24. And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron.] We see here according to the former threatening pronounced by the mouth of God, verse 12. that Aaron cometh not into the land of Promise, but dieth in Mount Hor. We learn hereby, 
Doctri● God-thr●nings are 〈◊〉 comp●●●●  that the threatenings of God are accomplished. Howsoever his judgements are many times deferred, and his punnishments prolonged because he is patiented toward us, and would have no man to perish, but would have all persons come unto repentance: yet in the end all his threatenings shall be verified and fulfilled in their times and seasons. Consider this truth in our first parents, 
Goe 2, 17. ● 3, 7.  God threatened them that if they did eat the forbidden fruit they should die the death: we see the effect in them, and all their posterity throughout all times and generations. Behold other threatenings of God, we shall always read the execution after the denunciation. So when God by the Ministry of Noah a Preacher of righteousness, 
2 Peter 2●  had threatened to destroy the whole world, if in an hundred and twenty years they repent not; we see how he brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly, & swept them away from the face of the earth, which they had corrupted with their cruel and unclean conversation. This we see likewise taught unto us throughout the books of the holy history of joshua, The man is cursed before the Lord, 
joshua 6●  that riseth up and buildeth the City jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest son, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it: meaning thereby, that whosoever should attempt to build this City he should pay for it dearly, because what time he layeth the foundation of the walls his eldest son shall die, and when he setteth up the gates and hath finished it, his youngest son shall die. When this threatening seemed quite forgotten, and consumed with the rust of time, God doth bring it to pass: as we see in the book of Kings, 
1 Kings 1●  in Hiel the Betheli●e, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by joshua, the son of Nun. The like we see in Zachariah, when resting in the power of nature, and the strength of his own body, he believed not the Angel, be was stricken dumb, and could not speak unto the people, Luke 1, 20. A memorable example also we have in the straight siege of Samaria, where a Prince answered the man of God, and said, Though the Lord would make Windows in the heaven, could it come so to pass? 
2 Kings ● 19, 20.  And he said, Behold thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat thereof: and so it came unto him for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died.  
The Reasons here of are evident. For first, Reason the Nature of GOD is true and unchangeable: Heaven and earth shall pass, but one jot or tittle of his word shall not pass, but shall be fulfilled. This is that which is urged afterward in this book, Chapter 23.19. 
1 Sam. 1●  God is not as man that he should lie, nor as the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall it not be done? hath he spoken, and shall he not accomplish it? Seeing therefore God is unchangeable, with whom is no variableness, or shadow of turning, he will let none of his words fall to the ground; he is in one mind, and who can turn him? yea, he doth what his mind desireth.  
Reason 2 Again, who can hinder him, or say unto him, Why dost thou thus? No might, no power, no policy can withstand him in his works, albeit men rebel never so much, and resist never so mightily against him. There is great power in Princes, they are able to bring mighty things to pass, and to cross the attempts of others, yet sometimes they are crossed and resisted themselves. It is not so with the Lord our God, 
〈◊〉 33.  Who is in the heavens, and doth whatsoever he will. He hath the hearts of all, even of Princes in his own hand, 
●●b. 21, 1  as the Rivers of waters he turneth them about as pleaseth him. This made the Apostle cry out, 
〈◊〉 11.33. ●5. ●9, 19  O the deepness of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who was his Counsellor? Or who hath given him first, and he shall be recompensed? And who hath resisted his will? So then, whether we consider the nature of God without change, or the weakness of man without power, we may safely and truly conclude, that all the threatenings which have been pronounced and denounced by the mouth of God, shallbe verified and performed without any altering or diminishing of them.  
Use 1 Let us apply this to ourselves, and gather assuredly from hence, the woeful estate of all wicked and ungodly men. For, seeing he doth not dally with us, or scare us without cause, so that all his threatenings faithfully denounced, shall be undoubtedly accomplished: how shall they escape so great condemnation as lieth at the door, and hangeth over their head? Howsoever therefore they put away the evil day far from them, and live as if God sat idle in heaven, beholding all things, but punishing nothing: knowing all hearts and thoughts, but not regarding the works of men: saying, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we are at agreement: 
〈…〉, 16.  though a scourge run over and pass through, it shall not come at us, for we have made falsehood our refuge, and under vanity are we hid: yet he that dwelleth in the heaven shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision. For what followeth? Your covenant with death shallbe disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when a scourge shall run over and pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by it. This is that which the wise man saith, Eccles. 8.11, 12, 13. Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore the heart of the children of men is full, set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days, yet I know that it shall be well with: them that fear the Lord, but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days: he shall be like a shadow, because he feareth not before GOD. And to the same purpose the Prophet Ezekiel speaketh, Chap. 12, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. where the Prophet reproveth two sorts of persons, open deriders of God's word, as if it should never be performed: and such as prolong the evil days, as if the plagues were for many years, and should not come in their days. But God expressly and directly meeteth with them both, and bindeth them together in one bundle, declaring and making it plain to their consciences, that when he speaketh the word it shall be done, and when he pronounceth a decree it shall stand. Thus in all ages of the Church, sat●n prevaileth with the children of disobedience, and draweth more to destruction by presumption, than he is able to do by desperation. Let us not harden our hearts through the deceitfulness of sin, 
Esay 55, 6.  Let us seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near.  
Secondly, let us ground our faith in the undoubted Use 2 performance of those judgements that are yet to come: as that the Lord jesus at the appointed time will break the heavens, and will come to judge the quick and the dead, at his appearance and in his Kingdom: that the wicked shall rise again, and stand before the bar of God's throne. These things we see not yet accomplished; for all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation. Hence it is, that Mockers arise which walk after their lusts, and say, Where is the promise of his coming? 
2 Pet. 3, 3.4, 10.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a noise, and the Elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt up. Yea, When they shall say, peace and safety, 
1 Thess. 5, 3.  then shall come upon them sudden destruction, as the travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Thus the Prophet Malachi prophesieth: Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven, and all the proud, 
Malachy 4, 1.  and all the wicked doers shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, and shall leave them neither root nor branch. Thus than we see a day of judgement is decreed and determined, and remaineth for the appointed time, but at last it shall come, and not lie: though it tarry, wait: for it shall surely come, and not stay.  
Thirdly, we must not be dismayed when Use 3 we see the wicked prosper and flourish, spreading themselves as the green Bay tree: for lo God hath set them in slippery places, 
Psal. 37, 53.  and casteth them down in the end unto desolation; they are suddenly destroyed, & horribly consumed, as the chaff which the wind driveth away, and as a dream when one awaketh. This tentation hath overtaken the children of God, and caused them oftentimes to shrink back when they saw the prosperity of the ungodly, 
Psal. 73, 2, 3. Hab. 1, 4.  and on the other side the troubles of the godly, & hath made them to reason within themselves of the providence of God. But shall not the King rule his own kingdom? or the Master govern his own house as pleaseth him? And shall not we give the Lord leave to dispose of all things in heaven and earth, after the good pleasure of his own will? He fatteth the wicked against the day of slaughter: he leaveth them without excuse, and maketh his blessings as a witness against them. Contrariwise, the children of God, although they suffer afflictions, yet afflictions to them are not evil, but try their faith, as the furnace doth the gold. 
Senec. de diui. providentia, c. 8  Let us not deceive ourselves in judging and esteeming of good and evil. That is good which maketh us better, that is evil that maketh us worse. The works of the flesh, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emulations, wrath, contentions, seditions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, covetousness, and such like, are manifestly evil. These God keepeth from his dear children, and his dear children from them, that they reign not in them.  
The Israelites in Egypt lived under hard masters, and carried many heavy burdens, and sent up many passionate sighs to God, with deep groans of spirit, whilst Pharaoh and the Egyptians took crafty counsel together, and sported themselves in the miseries & mischiefs which they had brought upon them. But whose condition was the more happy, let the red Sea testify, from which the Israelits were delivered, 
Exo, 14, 27, 29  in which the Egyptians were drowned. David taken from the sheepe-folds, tasted of many sorrows, being in perils among the Amalekites, in perils in the Wilderness, in perils of his own Nation, in perils of his own servants, in perils among false brethren, and was hunted from place to place as a Partridge in the Mountains, 
2 Sam. 31, 4.  whilst Saul sought his life, and enjoyed the pleasures and treasures of a kingdom. But whose estate was the more happy, let the end and issue of them both determine; the one lived in glory, & ended his days in peace, the other sheathed his sword in his own bowels, and so died in despair. The Apostle james willeth us to take the Prophets for an example of suffering adversity, and of long patience, which have spoken in the name of the Lord: Ye have heard of the patience of job, & have known what end the Lord made, 
jam. 5, 10, 11.  for the Lord is very pitiful and merciful.  
Lazarus a poor beggar, destitute of succour and friends, lying at the rich man's gate, having his mind as full of cares as his body was of sores, whilst the rich glutton was clad in purple gorgeously, and fared deliciously every day. But whose condition was the more blessed and happy of them twain, let this tell us and teach us for our instruction, that Lazarus when he died had the holy & elect Angels to attend upon him to carry his soul into Abraham's bosom, 
Luk. 16, 22, 23  that is to say, into the kingdom of heaven: 
Matth. 8, 11.  the rich man also died, & his body was buried, his soul was carried & cast into the torments of hell, Where the worm never dieth, 
Mark 9, 44.  and the fire never goeth out: the one unsufferable, the other unquenchable, both infinite. Let us not therefore rest in beholding the present face of outward things, but possess our souls with patience in a sweet meditation of God's providence, considering that it shall in the end be well with all them that fear the Lord: and that howsoever the wicked do prosper in the world, & increase in riches, yet if we enter into the Sanctuary of God, 
Psal. ●3, ●  we shall see they are set in slippery places, they are lifted up on high, and therefore their fall shall be more fearful, seeing all the threatenings of God must without fail fasten upon them.  
Lastly, seeing the menaces and threatenings Use 4 of God must be performed, this serveth also to assure us that the gracious promises of God made in mercy to his people, shall in truth and righteousness be accomplished. The Lord that is always the same, as he is true in his threatenings to the ungodly, so will he be found true in his promises toward the godly. For, seeing no part of his word shall pass away, & that he will not falsify his truth, 
Psal 89 ●  nor alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth, one part serveth to confirm another; his threatenings are ratified by the assurance of his promises, and his promises are established to be surer than the heavens by the assurance of his threatenings. So then, let us learn to depend upon God, & to trust in him, knowing, 
2 Cor. 1  that all his promises are yea and Amen, unto the glory of his name. Let us rest in him for the pardon of our sins, for the hearing of our prayers, for the feeding of our bellies, for the resurrection of our bodies, for the inheritance of everlasting life, having a strong assurance of faith, that the Lord is just and true in all his promises. This is a notable comfort and consolation to all the children of God, to cause us to set our hope in him, having a patiented and constant expectation of all things that by faith we have believed, saying with the Apostle, 1 Tim. 1, 12. For this cause I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.  
[Verse 25, 26. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and cause Aaron to strip off his Garments, and thou shalt put them upon his son.] here is delivered, how Aaron yet living, his son is invested and installed into his Office with the ceremonies and solemnities thereunto appertaining, at the appointment of God, to show the continuance of the Priesthood, & to take away all occasions of dissensions from the people. Thus we see the good estate of the Church is provided for by Moses before Aaron died, 
Doctr● The Ch● must be in good after co● parture.  and went the way of all flesh. The Doctrine hence is, that the good of the Church must be regarded of us, to leave it in good case after our death and departure. I say, it is a principal duty required of us, when we must leave the world, to provide for the continuance of the Church and truth of God, that it may flourish after us, and not die with us, or be buried in the earth for ever. This appeareth by the Apostle Peter, I will endeavour always, that ye also may be able to have remembrance of these things after my departure. 2 Pet. 1, 15. Hereunto accordeth the care of the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, Watch thou in all things: suffer adversity; do the work of an Evangelist; cause thy Ministry to be thoroughly liked of, for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departing is at hand, 2 Tim. 4, 5, 6. This we see many ways in Moses, who would not leave the people without a guide, as sheep without a Shepherd, and therefore prayed for a fit Governor, Let the Lord God of the spirits of all flesh appoint a man over the Congregation, 
●●b. 27, 16,  who may go in and out before them. And therefore it is said, Deut. 34, 9 that joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, For Moses had put his hands upon him, and the children of Israel were obedient unto him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 
●●ro. 2●, 9  Likewise David at the point of death exhorteth the Officers of his kingdom, and Solomon his son which was to sit upon his Throne, to know the God of his fathers, and to serve him with a perfect heart, & with a willing mind, assuring him, that if he seek him, he will be found; and threatening him if he forsake him, that God will cast him off for ever. Reason 1 And great reason it is, we should have this care and consideration of the good & beauty of the Church. For the Church is our Mother, who hath conceived and brought us forth to live a spiritual life to God, we have sucked her breasts, and through her we have here begun our heaven & happiness. What unkindness and unthankfulness were this to leave her destitute, who hath travailed in pain of us until Christ be form in us, and to withdraw all duty and endeavour from her touching her condition to come? Were it not a note of an unnatural, a lewd, a shameful child, to forsake his own mother who bore him in her womb, nourished him with her breasts, dandled him in her lap, refused no base service for his good, cared for him when he could not care for himself, in whose eyes he was tender and dear; were it not (I say) a note of great infamy to leave her in misery, or as a prey to the enemy? 
〈◊〉 19, 16, 27.  We see the Lord jesus Christ being on the Cross, provided for his Mother, & committed her to the care of the Disciple whom he loved. In like manner the Apostle requireth this duty, 
〈◊〉 5, ●, 16  If any faithful man, or faithful woman, have widows, let them minister unto them: And if there be any that provideth not for his own, he denieth the faith, and is worse than an Infidel. Whosoever therefore hath been brought up in the bosom of the Church, begotten by the immortal seed of the word, nourished at the Table of Christ, and taught to look for an eternal inheritance in the heavens, can never assure himself to be the true child of his mother, but rather a base and bastardly brood unless he show it by the continual care he hath of the safeguard and protection of the Church, 
Gal. 4, 2.  which is the mother of all the faithful.  
Besides, grievous and greedy wolves enter Reason 2 upon the labours of faithful and painful Pastors, to make havoc of the Church, and to seduce the people of God. For Satan is never idle, though never well occupied, and as a reverent father once said, 
Latimer.  he is the most diligent Bishop in his Diocese: he never resteth, but always compasseth the earth too and fro, 
job 2, 2.  and walketh therein: He hath his instruments which he setteth on work, that poison the church with the leaven of false doctrine, and sow the Lords field with the Darnell of their devilish devices. Therefore the Apostle exhorting the Elders of Ephesus, Acts 20, 28, 29, 30 saith, Take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock, where of the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood: for I know this, that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Moreover of yourselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw Disciples after them.  
Now it remaineth to see the uses hereof Use 1 First, we learn from hence, the continuance of the Church upon the earth, and the perpetual remaining of it, so long as the earth endureth, and so long as the Sun abideth a faithful witness in the heavens. Though it be sometimes driven from place to place, and abideth not in one stay and state, like the Moon that sometimes shineth in the full, 
Aug epist. 48.  sometimes in the wane, and sometimes in the eclipse, 
revel. 12, 6.  as the woman constrained to fly into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there: and as the reign of Ahab, when Elias thought himself left alone, as a Sparrow upon an house top: 
1 King. 19, 10. Psal. 102, 7.  yet there always hath been a Church from the beginning, and ever shall be a Church to the end, from Adam the first, to the last man that shall stand upon the earth. This the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 72, 5. & 102, 26, 27, 28. Let the enemies fret and storm, let them rage & roar never so much, they labour in the fire, and sweat in vain, they shall perish & fall down; but the Lord that is able of stones to raise up Children unto Abraham, holdeth up the heads of his people that they stand as an house built upon the Rock; the rain falleth, the flood cometh, the wind bloweth and beateth upon that house, yet it abideth firmly and falleth not, for it is grounded on the Rock, Math. 7, 24, 25, like the bush that burned with fire, but was not consumed. Exod. 3, ●.  
Secondly, seeing our care must be, that the Use 2 truth of God may live when we are dead, and remain after our departure: It is the duty of all the Ministers of God to preach the word of God in season and out of season, 2 Tim. chap. 4, verse 2, 3, to be instant in reproving, rebuking, exhorting, with all long-suffering and doctrine: yea, to do these things with all their power, seeing there is neither work nor wisdom in the grave whither they go. For (alas) how shall they mind the future good of the Church after their death, that mean not the present good of the Church in their life? Wherefore, let us take all occasions & opportunities to promote the Gospel, 
Act. 20, 27, 28  Let us keep back nothing that is profitable, but reveal to the people the whole counsel of God, knowing that they are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and we are put in trust after a sort with the price thereof. We have a great account to make in that day, in the great day of the Lord; let us therefore stir up ourselves to feed the flock of God that dependeth upon us. And surely, the cause of the ruin and desolation of many Churches, is the negligence and idleness of the Pastors thereof, 
Mat. 13, 24, 25  For while the Husbandmen sleep, the Enemy soweth tars among the wheat. From hence it cometh, that the people live in ignorance, lie in open sins, and are carried away with every blast of false doctrine, whithersoever false Teachers will carry and conduct them. This the Prophet Esay expresseth, Chap. 56, 9, 10, 11, 12. All ye beasts of the field come to devour even all the beasts of the Forest: their watchmen are all blind, they have no knowledge, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark: they lie and sleep, and delight in sleeping: and these greedy dogs can never have enough, and these shepherds cannot understand, for they all look to their own way, every one for his advantage, and for his own purpose. Where he teacheth, that the people are ready, and lie open to be seduced by Atheists, by Papists, by Libertines, by Familists, by Anabaptists, by Brownists, where there are blind guides, and idol shepherds, evil beasts, and slow bellies, that feed themselves, but feed not the flock. And he noteth four monstrous vices and capital sins that poisoned the Church. First, albeit they were appointed watchmen, yet they were blind, & their judgement corrupted. They were made Seers, and yet did not see; Lights, and yet were in darkness; 
1 Sam. 9, 9  Teachers, and yet were unlearned; instructors of others, and yet wanted knowledge themselves. 
Matth. 6, 23.  If then the light be darkness, how great is that darkness? Secondly, they were sluggish and slothful dogs, they cannot for drowsiness and laziness open their eyes to see, or their mouths to bark. And when they are called upon and spoken unto, saying, How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? They answer, Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. Prou. 6, 9, 10. Thirdly, they are greedy of their own gain, covetous, and given to filthy lucre, being carried away by the deceit of balaam's wages. Lastly, they are given to belly-cheer and all riot, Jude v. 12. They follow their pleasures and pampering of their bellies, making them the god whom they serve, and do not serve the Lord jesus. The Apostle said, I seek not yours, but you, 2 Cor. 12, 14. but these might say otherwise of themselves, I seek not you, but yours. And are not such Pastors to be found among us, that through covetousness & Epicurism regard not the duties of their calling? They join living to living, as those that joined house to house: they live at pleasure, they eat, they drink, they feast, they say, 
Esay 56, 12.  Come I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, & much more abundant. Hereby they are made unfit & unable to do the duties of their Calling: so as like crammed dogs they lie bathing and beaking themselves by the fire: and though never so much harm be done in God's churcn, they cannot be made to awake and bark in any season to warn the people, and to fray away the Wolf. But if any go about to raise and to rouse them up out of their sleep, they disquiet their consciences too much, and trouble their patience so, that they are ready to gnar, yea they begin to snap and snatch at him with their teeth. So that the best way is to follow the counsel of our Saviour which he gave concerning the pharisees, Mat. 15, 14. Let them alone, they be the blind leaders of the blind: and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Seeing then, such as teach not the people over whom the holy Ghost hath made them Overseers, can never sound desire the after-good of them: it behoveth such to labour with all their strength, to build up the people in knowledge, faith, and obedience, that so God may have a people to serve him after their departure.  
Lastly, it standeth every one upon that hath Use 3 the government of others, whether it be in the Church or in the Commonwealth, or in the private Family, to look to their charges, that by their godly care and holy endeavour, God may be worshipped & served after their departure. This is to be considered of Magistrates, Ministers, and Governors of houses. The Magistrate ruling in the Commonwealth (whether it be the King as the superior, or whether it be other Governors, as they that are sent of him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well) must provide to the utmost of his power for the godly and peaceable estate of the kingdom, or incorporation where he remains, by maintaining the Ministry, by promoting Religion, and by executing justice. This Moses did (as we saw before Deut. 31, 2, 6, 7, 8) he assembled the people, he signified his departure, he encouraged them against their enemies, & took order for their welfare after his death, by appointing joshua to succeed him, and to bring the people into the land which the Lord had sworn unto their Fathers. Thus joshua dealt, 
joshua 23, ●  walking in the steps of Moses his master, he giveth the people charge to worship the true God, to stick fast unto him with full purpose of heart, to love him, to fear him, to serve him in uprightness and in truth, and to put away the gods which their fathers served beyond the River. Thus did David set his son upon his throne before he died, 1 Kings 2.2, 3. and gave him a great charge to maintain that Religion which he had established. The duty of all Ministers when they are dying and departing this life, is, to provide as carefully as they can, that the good work begun by them, may be furthered by their successors, and that the truth which they have planted may not be supplanted & pulled up by the roots by such as shall enter into their labours. It is not enough for them to labour in their own persons while they live, but to endeavour that others may succeed them in piety as well as in place, & in diligence, as well as in office. Thus dealt Christ our Saviour in calling his Apostles: thus dealt the Apostle in ordaining elders in every City, 
〈◊〉 1, 5.  and appointing Pastors and Teachers in several places so soon as they had gained them to the faith. Lastly, it is the duty of all Fathers and masters of families to provide for the souls and salvation of all such as are under their jurisdiction and government; even of such as are the meanest and lowest in the house, to charge them to know the true God, and to serve him in the simplicity and sincerity of their hearts. This we must do in health, this we must do in sickness, this we must do in death: and so we shall glorify God living and dying. Thus did Abraham teach his children and servants, and for this is he commended of God, Gen. 18, 19 I know Abraham my servant, that he will command his sons and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and judgement. Thus said jacob when he died, Gen. 49, 1, 2. & this must all of us be careful to practise, if we will be the children of faithful Abraham, to speak of the laws of God in our houses, 
〈◊〉 11, 13.  when we walk by the way, when we lie down and when we rise up.  
[Verse 27, 28. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded, he caused Aaron to strip off his garments, and he put them upon Eleazar his son.] We see the obedience of Moses to the Commandment of God; for Aaron pulled off his Priestly robes, and they are put upon Eleazar, to whom lineally the Priesthood did descend: whereby we see that there was a personal succession belonging to the Priesthood from father to son, & from one man to another. Hereby we learn, 
●●●●rine. 〈◊〉 Levitical 〈…〉 from 〈◊〉.  that the Priesthood under the law passed from one to another. The Priesthood begun in Aaron, and continued in his line, rested not in one man, but continued by succession from age to age. This we see evidently proved throughout the old testament: for as they were cut off by death, so others arose in their rooms that served at the Altar. As Eleazar succeeded Aaron so did Phinchas succeed Eleazar, 
〈◊〉 6, ●0  & so the Priesthood proceeded from father to son, and from one generation to another, 
〈◊〉 ●, 16.  as appeareth in the genealogies of the Priests. This the Apostle to the Hebrews plentifully proveth, 
〈◊〉 23.  Many among them were made Priests, because they were not suffered to endure by reason of death; declaring that the Priests after the order of Aaron, succeeded each other, and confirming it by the reason & cause thereof, because the levitical Priests were taken away by death, and could not endure for ever.  
This than we must hold to be one reason forcible and powerful, to prove the continued Reason 1 succession of the Priesthood of Levi from father to son, because they were cut off by death and so not suffered always to execute their Priesthood. Seeing therefore these Priests were mortal, there must be a succession from one to another. This is that reason which was remembered before out of Heb. 7, 23. showing that they had many Priests, because they were all subject to mortality, and could not continue through necessity of death.  
Secondly, the promise of God made unto Aaron and to his posterity must be accomplished Reason 2 and performed. He consecrated Aaron and his sons, and made a covenant with them, not with Aaron alone, not with his children alone, but with their posterity, 
Exod. 28, 1.  he established it as a testimony in jacob, and as a law in Israel, that their posterity might know it, and the children which should be born of them should stand up and minister before the Lord, in the beautiful garments and glorious robes of the Priests, Exod. 28, 2. Therefore the Lord said by Moses, Exod, 29, 29, 30. Num. 3, 10. & 18, 7. The holy garments which appertain to Aaron, shall be his sons after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrate therein. That son that shall be Priest in his stead, shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, to minister in the holy place. So God made his covenant of peace with Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, 
Nu. 25, 12, 13  & confirmed the Priest's office to him & his seed after him; because in the zeal of his Spirit he had turned away the wrath of the Lord from the Children of Israel.  
This teacheth us first of all the imperfection Use 1 and insufficiency of it, both of the Priests themselves, and of the Priesthood itself. It pointed out a better Priest, and a better priesthood, and directed them to rest not in it, but in some other. So the Apostle, Heb. 7, 11, 12. declareth, that the levitical Priesthood was unperfect, because another Priest is promised a long time after, according to the order of Melchizedek: If any perfection had been by the Priesthood of the Levites, what needed it furthermore that another Priest should arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not to be called after the order of Aaron? etc. Where we see, he showeth to what purpose there must be a Priest after another rule and fashion; not after the order of Aaron, even because perfection is not in the Priehhood of the Levites, nor under the Law which was established under it: so that we must acknowledge it hath an end, forasmuch as with the ceremonial law, the ceremonial Priesthood was canceled and abolished.  
Use 2 Secondly, from hence we learn to acknowledge a difference between the Priesthood of Christ, and the Priesthood of the Levites. This standeth in divers points and circumstances, as the same Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, evidently declareth. The Priesthood of Christ is eternal, as the Prophet declared long before, 
Heb. 7, 17.  Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek: he was made with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord hath sworn and will not repent. But the Priests of Aaron's order were mortal, 
Heb. 7, 20, 21.  not eternal; they were made by the word of God, but without an oath. 
Heb. 7, 26.  Besides, our great high Priest Christ jesus, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the Heavens, hath a 
* Aparabaton. Heb. 7, 24.  Priesthood which cannot pass from one to another: wherefore he is able perfectly to save them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them who by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, 
Heb 9.11, 14.  and obtained eternal redemption for us, purging our Conscience from dead works to serve the living God; 
Hebru. 10, 4.  for it is unpossible that the blood of bulls & Goats should take away sins. Thus we see, that the Priesthood of Christ can have no succession, inasmuch as being once performed, it hath no imperfection: and whereas the jews in the time of the law had Aaron and his posterity, which were but mortal and miserable men, we have Christ the immortal and blessed God, who liveth for ever, to be our everlasting Priest.  
Use 3 Lastly we learn, that seeing the levitical Priesthood passed from one to another, so as by death they were not always suffered to exercise and execute their Priesthood: we see, I say, that the Church of Rome bringing in again such a Priesthood & such Priests as are cut off by death, do renew the Levitical priesthood, and labour to raise it out of the grave, which hath long ago been buried with honour. For this is common to them both, to end their days and leave their Priesthood to others: so that the Dart which the Apostle casteth against the levitical Priesthood, pierceth and perisheth the very heart of the Popish priesthood, when he saith and proveth, that there can be no other Priests but Christ under the new Testament, 
Heb. 7, 23, 24.  because he continueth for ever, considering that the multitude of Priests, and succession of them one after another, ariseth from the imperfection and insufficiency of the Priests, which were continually by death taken away. If then the upstart Priests of the Synagogue of Rome will be Priests properly, they cannot be Priests after the order of Melchizedek (as they wretchedly and blasphemously claim themselves to be) who was both King and Priest; 
Heb 7, 5.  neither can they be successors of Christ, forasmuch as he hath none to succeed him. For if the jews might not continue to offer their sacrifices and oblations after the sacrifice of Christ was once offered, because it was perfect and all-sufficient, yea the consummation of all that went before; it followeth, that the Popish sacrifice (being an addition unto that which is perfect) as a rotten and ragged patch to a new garment, cannot stand, but is to be thrown down and abolished like an abominable idol.  
[Verse 29. All the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days, when the Congregation saw that Aaron was dead.] The last point observed in this chapter, is the affection of the people, after the death of Aaron one of the chief pillars and protectors of the Church, and of true Religion among the Israelites. They mourn for him, not a day, or a week, but a whole month, to declare what a sensible feeling they had of the incomparable loss of the Church. We learn hereby, that when the chief members, stays, props, 
Doctrine When the chiefest p● of the C● be taken a● the rest a● be gree● 1 Thess. 4, ●  and pillars of the church be taken away, the rest of the parts are to be humbled and touched to the quick for the same. True it is, a measure in mourning and lamentation is to be used, that we be not sorry as men without hope: yet by this example we see it is lawful to mourn for the dead, & the greater loss the Church hath received, the greater lamentation and grief ought to be expressed.  
This is evident by the practice of God's servants in all ages of the Church, proportioning their sorrow according to the greatness of their loss. We see Goe 50, 1, 10, 11. when God called jacob to himself out of this world, a Father of the Church (and a great light that shined not only within the doors of his own family, but in the darkness of Egypt) he was greatly and exceedingly lamented for the space of seventy days: so that the Canaanites said, This is a great mourning unto the Egyptians. So when Moses the servant of the Lord died (like unto whom there arose not a Prophet in Israel) unto whom GOD spoke not by vision or dream, but face to face as a man talketh with his friend, Deut. 34, 8. the children of Israel mourned for him thirty days, whom he had guided with a fatherly care many years. So when Samuel, another principal pillar of the house of God died, 1 Sam, 25, 1. All Israel assembled, and mourned for him, and buried him in his own house at Ramah. When God took away good King josiah, like to whom there was no King before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, 
2 King. 2●  and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, who bowed neither to the right hand, nor to the left, who remembered his Creator in the days of his youth, and honoured God with the first fruits of his life; all judah and jerusalem mourned for him, 2 Chron. 35, 23, 24. yea jeremy lamented josiah, and all the singing men and singing women mourned for him in their lamentations, and made the same for an ordinance to Israel & behold they be written in the Lamentations. But touching jehoiakim the son of josia, who degenerated from his father, & walked not in his ways, 
〈◊〉. 22, 1●. 19.  it is said, They shall not lament him; saying; Ah my Brother, or ah my Sister: neither shall they mourn for him, saying, Ah Lord, or ah his glory: he shall be buried as an Ass is buried, even drawn and cast forth without the gates of jerusalem. The like comparison we see in the new Testament, when as Stephen was stoned, a faithful witness of Christ, a worthy member of the Church, and a constant defender of the faith, 
〈◊〉 8, 2.  certain men carried him to be buried, and made great lamentation for him. But when Ananias and Sapphira filled with Satan, keeping away part of the price of their possession, tempting the Spirit, and lying unto God, fell down and gave up the ghost, 
〈◊〉 5, 5, 10.  young men arose, took them up, and buried them, but no mention of any tears or lamentation, much less of any great lamentation made for them. God swept them away as dung from the earth for their hypocrisy; but the Church lamented not the death of these wicked persons. So then to omit many other examples that might be alleged, we see, that howsoever men may be mourned for in a natural affection & compassion by their friends and kinsfolks, yet chief and principally we are to bewail the loss of the church, when such are taken away as might do good service to God and his people.  
Reason 1 This truth appeareth by good force of reason. First, the Ministers are as the Chariots & horsemen of Israel in their Ministry, that is, the strength and defence of the Church and Commonwealth. Therefore Elisha seeing Eliah taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, cried out, 
King's ●, 12.  My father, my father, the Chariot of Israel, & the horsemen thereof. And as Elisha said of Eliah, so did joash the King of Israel of Elisha. For being sick of his sickness whereof he died, the King came down unto him, 
King. 13, 14.  and wept upon his face, and said, O my father, my father, the Chariot of Israel, and the horsemen of the same. Thus spoke the King himself to the Prophet, and these honourable Titles he gave unto him. And no marvel. For they fight and bend their forces against swearing, blasphemy, contempt of God's word, profaning of his Sabbaths, whoredom, drunkenness, idleness, covetousness, and such like, as lay us open to the wrath of God. These and such like sins are they that weaken the land, and lay it naked to the invasion of enemies, 
〈◊〉 32, 25.  as appeareth, Exo. 32, 25. Moses saw that by their idolatry the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto shame among their enemies. We do oftentimes fear enemies, and invasion by enemies: but we fear not that which bringeth in the enemies, and openeth them a free passage to spoil and destroy without compassion, to wit, sin. So long as we walk with our God, and are reconciled unto him, we are under God's protection, and he is a Buckler round about us, 
〈◊〉 3, 3.  we are in league with the stones of the street, and the beasts of the field. For if God he on our side, who shall be against us? Rom. 8, 31. If then the Ministry of the word be as a brazen wall, and the Ministers thereof stand in the breach between the living & the dead to turn away the wrath of GOD, when his judgements run through the Land, 
Nu. 16, 47, 48 Psal. 106, 23  there is great cause to be humbled, when God pulleth from the Church and Commonwealth, so great posts and pillars that help to hold them up.  
Again, it is a sign of God's wrath & heavy Reason 2 displeasure, and a forerunner of a farther judgement. When God took away the good and godly King josiah, a nursing father of the Church, that reformed religion in his young and tender years, sought unto the Lord, 
2 Kings 21, 19  hummbled himself before him, and wept when he heard the threatenings denounced against the land: he spared not jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof long after. If there be a good Pastor in the church, if a good Prince in the land, if a good Magistrate in town or city, if a good Master in a family, and God take him away, there is cause to lift up our voice by mourning, weeping, and great lamentation: this being a token of God's displeasure, & a sign of taking his former mercies from us: so that the seeing and feeling of God's wrath in bereaving us of such as might do good along time publicly or privately, aught to be no small grief to us. The prophet teacheth, that when God hath any vengeance ready to be poured upon a people, he taketh away the righteous from the plague, as he did Lot out of Sodom, saying; The righteous perisheth, 
Esay 57, 1.  and no man considereth it in heart: and merciful men are taken away from the evil to come. Therefore when God taketh excellent and principal members from the rest of the body, it is as a threatening always to those that are left behind, and an evident testimony to them, that they are unworthy of their company and presence, as the Apostle declareth, That the world was not worthy of those faithful men that shined as lights in the midst of a froward & crooked generation. 
Heb. 11, 38.  So then, it is a right mourning and well ordered grief, when we lament the taking away of good men, endued with the graces of the Spirit, which have lived in the fear of God, and done notable service in the Church or Commonwealth.  
Let us apply this point to our instruction & Use 1 edification. First, it serveth to condemn the Stoical senselessness and blockishness of such as take it to be a part of manhood & courage, to be affected with nothing, to be grieved at nothing. It is lawful to mourn for the dead: so did Abraham the Father of the faithful for Sara: 
Genesis 23, 2.  nay, so did Christ the head of the church in whom was no sin, 
1 Peter ●, 22.  neither guile found in his mouth, mourn for Lazarus. 
1 Thess 4, 13.  These lamented the dead, but not the state of the dead, which they knew to be most comfortable to all the faithful, as the Apostle teacheth, Reu. 14.13. Blessed are they that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours and their works follow them. In regard whereof, 
revel. 14, 13.  Paul warneth the Thessalonians concerning them that are asleep, that they sorrow not even as they which have no hope. 
1 Thess. 4, 13.  True it is, we cannot so renounce or reform our affections, but that there will be always somewhat worthy of blame and fault in us, in our mirth and mourning, in our love and hatred, in our hope and fear, in our anger, and such like passions: and we find it the hardest thing in the world to keep the mean between excess and defect, between too much & too little: yet it is absurd to dream of such a kind of dullness and stupidity as overturneth human nature, and cannot be found in flesh and blood, yea standeth not with the condition of mankind, as he was created, or as he became corrupted. For so long as man remaineth in this life, he cannot be void of affections and perturbations, or be senseless like stocks or stones: albeit wise men are to moderate their passions, that Reason remain mistress of the soul, as it were the governor of the house.  
Wherefore, we must know that Christian Religion doth not abolish natural affections, or pull them up by the roots, but only doth moderate them and keep them, that they over flow not the banks, and doth bring them in subjection unto the will of God. So the Apostle (as we heard before) did not forbid the Church to sorrow for the dead, but putteth as it were a bridle into their hands, & only restraineth immoderate sorrow. Again, he doth not absolutely condemn and reprove all anger and indignation conceived in the heart, but represseth the excess & abundance thereof, 
Ephes. 4, 25.  as a wise Physician that seeketh to purge the overflowing of choler. And in another place, he doth not condemn weeping in adversity, or rejoicing in prosperity, but he requireth that they which weep, 
1 Cor. 7, 30.  be as though they wept not, and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not: and they that use this world, as though they used it not. Furthermore, Christ our Saviour doth not forbid the loving of Father and Mother, of wife and children, of brethren and sisters, as that which standeth with the law of God and man; but only ordereth it aright, & bringeth it into his compass, saying, He that loveth father or mother more than me, 
Matth. 10, 37.  is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. Thus than we are taught to use temperance and moderation in all the affairs of our life, in speaking or holding our peace; in joy or in sorrow, that we give not scope to our unbridled affections, but always order and dispose them as there is just cause.  
Use 2 Secondly, it condemneth such as are bereft of all sense and feeling of such grievous judgements of God. Alas, how can such assure themselves to be true members of Christ's body? For tell me, Can a man lose a principal part of his body, as his eye, his hand, his foot, and not be grieved? Or can a man be deprived of them, and make a sport of it as at a play or pastime? Even so, such as in the suffering of the members of the Church do rejoice, 
1 Cor. 12, 25.26.  or in the public joy of the Church do mourn, cannot in truth persuade their own hearts that they have any part or portion in the body of Christ. Wherefore, whensoever God taketh away any principal stay of Church or Commonwealth, we have cause of mourning, and humbling ourselves under God's judgement. When the husbandman layeth his Axe to the root of the tree, or undermineth the ground about it, we can not doubt but he meaneth the felling and falling of it. Or when we see a Gardener take away the hedge or wall of his garden, 
Esay 5, 5, 6.  pluck up by the roots the chiefest & choicest plants disfigure the ornaments and beauty of it, and lay it open for the beasts to enter, we may gather he mindeth not to continue, but deface the Garden. Or, when a Carpenter pulleth down the masterpieces and posts that doth hold up the whole frame, and layeth the foundation even with the ground, we may conjecture by these means, that he meaneth to remove the building to another place. So when we see the evident footsteps of God's wrath, and begin to discern the fire of his jealousy breaking out by the smoke beginning to appear, in taking away serviceable men as plants of his own garden, as pillars of his own house, and as branches of the Tree which his right hand hath planted, we must lay it to our hearts as tokens going before destruction. This our Saviour handleth, Matth. 42, 32, 33. speaking of the signs going before his glorious appearance at the end of the world, Learn the Parable of the Fig tree, when her bough is yet tender, and it putteth forth leaves, ye know that Summer is near: so likewise ye, when ye see all these things, know that the kingdom of God is near, even at the door. And now (beloved) behold and consider, lift up your eyes, and look how God hath dealt with us: and mark whether his dealings toward us be not tokens of his anger and forerunners of his judgements. Hath he not taken from us a most worthy Prince, our late Sovereign, who by the course of nature might have lived longer? Of whom we may truly say as David did, 2 Sam. 1, 24. Ye daughters of Israel weep for Queen Elizabeth, who clothed you with Scarlet and pleasures, and hanged Ornaments of Gold upon your apparel. 
P. o●. 31, 2●  Or else as Solomon doth speaking of a good woman, Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou surmountest them all. She opened the house of the Lord in the first year of her reign, as good K. Hezekiah did: she called back the reverent Ministers fled out of the land as Eliah into the wilderness, through the tyranny of jezabel: she brought in the pure worship of God, cast out the Romish abominations, set forth the service of God in a known tongue, repealed the bloody acts of the persecutors: and therefore she thus honouring God, and advancing his Gospel, he likewise exalted her Throne on high, as the Throne of Solomon, 2. Samuel, 2, ver. 30. so that she shined in her time in the world, as if all the firmament thereof had been but one star, and as if in all the cope & compass of heaven, there had shined none but she. This star is now set and gone down, which should go near unto us, and pierce us to the quick, and make us (seeing a great Prince is fallen in Israel) never to forget the great works which the Lord did among us by her happy hand. Besides, hath not the Lord taken from us many lights out of the University, whence flowed many comfortable streams that watered the Garden of God? many out of Cities and particular Churches, whereby the Church hath received a deep and dangerous wound, and yet we seem to have feared consciences and to be past feeling? When the vital parts begin to fail or to languish, the life of the body is in hazard. While the disease or distemperature is in the outward parts far from the head or the heart, there is hope of health and recovery; but when the lively parts begin to waste and consume by little and little, it is a sign of the decay of life, and of the approach of death. Howsoever therefore, the greatest part never lay these things to their hearts, nor interpret them as present tokens of imminent danger and judgement, yet we that have learned better things, aught to consider, that as they are taken away from the evil to come, 
● 57, 1, 2. eggs 22, 20  & rest quietly in the grave (as in a bed,) even so they have left us behind for the evil to come.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to pray to God to stay his hand, to show mercy to his Church, and to pour out the full Vial of his vengeance upon his enemies that know him not, 
Psal. 79, 6. jeremy 10, 25  and upon the Nations that call not upon his Name. This the Prophet practiseth, Psalm. 74, 2, 19, 20, 21, 22. Think upon thy Congregation which thou hast possessed of old, and on thine inheritance which thou hast redeemed, and on this Mount Zion wherein thou hast dwelled. We see how he putteth God in mind of his Covenant, and entreateth him to strike through the loins of his enemies to their destruction; to maintain his own cause, and to spare his people, the sheep of his own Pasture, the dwelling place of his own Name, and the Congregation of his poor afflicted ones. So when in like manner we behold the hand of God upon his own Sanctuary, & to begin judgement at his own house; let us call upon him to consider whereof we are made, and to remember that we are but dust. This did the Prophet Habakkuk, when God threatened to enter into judgement with his church, O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of thy people: in wrath remember mercy. Hab. 3, 2. Where he teacheth, that whensoever we hear of the threatenings and judgements of God, we must pray him to repair and restore the state of the Church, which is ready to perish, who is able to heal the wound that his own right hand hath made. True it is, the great sins of this Land do cry out against us, & may justly provoke him to make havoc of all: yet let us call for mercy at his hands, and stay the course of our sins, that so he may stay the stroke of his judgements.    

CHAP. XXI.  
IN this Chapter 
●e divition ●●es chapter  we are to observe four principal points. First, the battle fought between Arad King of the Canaanites, & the Israelites. Secondly, another murmuring of the people (the last recorded in this Book) which God punisheth with fiery serpents, & cureth them with a brazen serpent. Thirdly, their happy proceeding in their journey toward the Land of promise, where God gave them water, and brought them to the borders of the Amorites. Lastly, the victories which Israel obtained on Sihon, King of the Amorites, and Og the King of Bashan. Now let us come to the first point, which is the encounter with the Canaanites, in these words.  

1 And Harad a Canaanitish King dwelling toward the South, heard tell that Israel was come by the way of the Spies; then fought he against Israel, and took of them a multitude of prisoners.  
2 So Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said; If thou wilt surely deliver this people into mine hand then will I utterly destroy their Cities.  
3 And the Lord heard the voice of Israel, & delivered them the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them & their Cities, and called the name of that place Hormah.  
What Canaanitish King this was, whereof Moses maketh mention in this place, is uncertain. Some think it to be the king of the Amalekites, which Moses pointeth out; but this carrieth no show or semblance of truth. For first, the Amalekites long since endeavoured to stop the passage and proceeding of the children of Israel, and were destroyed with a great destruction; and therefore it is not likely, that now they would come out again to make a new onset, especially seeing the Israelites invaded not their Land. Besides, the Amalekites cannot be accounted in the number of the Canaanites, 
Gen. 36, 12.  inasmuch as they descended not of Canaan, but of Esau, and so were allied to the Israelites, being of the race of Shem. Rather we are here to understand some King of the Amorites, who because they came of one common stock, as Moses teacheth, Gen. 10, 15, 16, ate comprehended under the Canaanites. But to come to the matter itself, here we see how the Israelites encounter with Harad, occasion of the battle being offered by himself. For when by his espials and scouts sent abroad, he had intelligence that Israel approached, he levied an host, armed them, and issued forth against them of his own accord, not challenged, not provoked, not injuried by the Israelites, but himself challenging and provoking, rusheth forward to the destruction of his person, and the confusion of his army. The success of this encounter was double. First, the Canaanites had the upper hand, slew some of the Israelites, and took many prisoners, & led them away captives, so that they turned their backs and were not able to stand before their enemies. The people of God having had this loss, & taken the foil, do not fret against God, nor despair of his help, but after this fresh disaster & discomfit, they reconcile themselves to God, they fly to him by prayer, they humble themselves as joshua did, when the men of Ai put them to flight, 
josh. 7, 4, 8.  saying, O Lord, what shall we say when Israel turn their backs before their enemies. They vow unto God to turn nothing of this King's Country to their own use and profit, but consecrate and sanctify all to God, destroying their enemies, and razing their Cities, if he would grant them victory, and deliver the Canaanites into their hands, in whom now was equal their proud insolency, and good success, through the former battle. No doubt the Israelites had sinned before against God, and not repent of their sin, they provoked him by their security, glorying in their strength, trusting in their multitude, and puffed up with the victories which God had given them, who had fought their battles gone in and out with their armies, and covered their heads in the day of slaughter: thus lying in their sins, nothing can prosper, God curseth the works of their hands, and letteth them see their own weakness, and that they should not be able to prevail against any of their enemies, unless God did fight for them, according to that in the 127. Psal. v. 1, 2. Except the Lord keep the City, the keeper watcheth in vain: it is in vain for you to rise early, and to sit down late, and eat the bread of sorrow; but he will surely give rest to his beloved. So long as they trusted in their own strength and number, & looked not for victory as a blessing from God, they could not stand: but when they had repent and craved protection from him that is the strength of Israel, they join again their power, unite their forces, order their battles, resist their enemies, prevail and put them all to flight. 
Rom. 8, 38.  For if God be with us, who shall be against us? But if he be against us, who shall be with us, or who shall plead for us? It is not the wisdom of the Leaders, nor the virtue of the soldiers, nor the counsel of the wise, nor the planting of munition, can any whit prevail, until we be reconciled unto God, and God unto us.  
Lastly, the Israelites being masters of the field, having the Cities and persons standing at their mercy, they perform the solemn promise and vow made to the God of heaven, not to halves, or in part, as Saul did, 
1 Sam. 1●  who spared the better sheep and the fat beasts: but they utterly destroyed their enemies, & their cities, & in memorial of the great goodness of God, hearing them in their prayers, and respecting them in their miseries, they call the name of y place, Hormah, that is, destruction and confusion. This is the principal drift of this division. Now let us consider the doctrines that directly arise from this place, that our faith may be strengthened, & our obedience increased.  
[And Harad a Canaanitish King, etc.] We see here how the Canaanites appointed to destruction, and to be rooted out, enemies to the people of God, such as had now filled up the measure of their sins, yet here prevail against Israel, kill some of them, and take others prisoners. This teacheth us this Doctrine, that oftentimes Doctrine the enemies of the Church prevail over them: 
Enemies' tentines a● suffered 〈◊〉 prevail ● the Church  I say, the enemies of God and of his people, who in the secret counsel and purpose of God, are vowed to destruction, do insult and triumph over the Church and particular parts thereof, God correcting the rebellion of his children by them. This truth God sealed up in the beginning by the blood of Abel, Cain spoke friendly, 
Gen. 4, 8  But rose up desperately against him, and slew his brother, because his own works were evil, & his brother's good. So just Lot vexed with the unclean conversation of the wicked (for he being righteous, 
2 Peter 2, ●  and dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds,) was notwithstanding carried away captive by a proud and insolent enemy. 
Genesis 14  Besides, the book of judges serveth us as a plentiful storehouse to teach this truth, where we see, that when the people of God did wickedly in the sight of the Lord, served Baalim, and forsook the Lord God of their fathers which brought them out of the Land of Egypt: the wrath of the Lord waxed hot against them, he delivered them into the hands of spoilers, he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about them, yea whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was sore against them. So that the people of God are oftentimes driven to the wall, and constrained to yield unto the violence of bloody and cruel enemies.  
Neither can we marvel at the Lords doing, Reason 1 if we consider; First, that his own people sin against him, and therefore God is even compelled to correct and chasten them, howbeit in mercy, not in his fury; for their instruction, not for their destruction. This the Prophet teacheth, Lam. 1, 3, 4, 5. josh. 7, 1, 4. What father doth not correct when he seethe his children run astray, though he love them dearly? So God chasteneth his dearest Saints and servants because they should not be condemned with the world. It is the sin of the godly that causeth him to lay sundry troubles and his heavy hand upon them, 
●h. 1, 6. oniel 9, 5. ●ut 28, 41.  causing him to correct severely, even those that he loveth most dearly, as he did David and divers other of his people, that we should repent thereof, that God may cease smiting of us.  
Reason 2 Secondly, he maketh the adversaries prevail over his children, that they may learn to rest in God alone, to put their trust & affiance in him, and not to rely upon vain man, who is lighter than vanity itself. We are ready to rest upon ourselves, & upon an arm of flesh, rather than upon the living God, 
●●●●e 30, 6.  as David in his prosperity said, I shall never be moved. Some trust in Horses, and some in Chariots, which are deceitful helps, & some in Princes, whose breath is in their nostrils: it is expedient therefore, that God should leave us for a time in the hands of our enemies, that we may learn our own weakness, and acknowledge his goodness. 
Chron 33, ●, 12.  Thus he dealt with Manasseh, when he gave himself to sorcery, fell into idolatry, & shed much innocent blood with all cruelty, when he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and caused judah to err, and to do worse than the heathen: He was led away prisoner into Babylon, being put in fetters, and bound in chains. But when he was in tribulation, he prayed to the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He learned that in Babylon, which he could never learn at jerusalem: profited more lying in prison, than he did sitting on his throne and he got more true godliness in his heart, in the days of his captivity, than ever he gained in the time of his prosperity.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, to harden the hearts of the enemies, that they may run forward to their own confusion. For a little prosperity puffeth them up, thereby they sorget God, they grow in malice and madness, and tip their tongues with the venom of their hearts. Sometimes they are lifted up on high, that God may give them the greater downfall. So he dealt with the men of Ai, josh. 8, 6: after they had smitten many of the Israelites with the sword, they rushed headlong out of the City, to their own ruin and destruction. So he dealt with the wicked Beniamites, triumphing in their victories glorying in their own strength, and saying one to another, Surely they are smitten down before us as in the first battle, but the judgement fell upon their own heads, judg. 20, 39  
Use 1 The uses remain. First, we learn hereby not to measure the Church or the truth of religion by outward prosperity or peace, which is a deceitful measure and a false rule, seeing God often humbleth his servants under his & their enemies. True it is, God sometimes giveth unto his Church a flourishing estate in wealth and peace, in glory and visible beauty, to give thereby even a taste of all kind of earthly blessings, and that they might have opportunity to serve him, & every kind of comfort and encouragement in well doing: yet he oftentimes altereth the outward estate of the Church in this world, and changeth the condition of his servants from one extreme to another. Let us not therefore measure the favour and love of God towards ourselves or others by the blessings or adversities of this life. Here the wicked many times flourish and flow in peace, when the godly live in great grief and misery; and on the other side, the godly sometimes prosper & have rest, and a time of breathing and refreshing granted unto them, when the wicked are in great distress. This is it which the wiseman teacheth, Eccl. 9, 1, 2. All things come alike to all, and the same condition is to the just and to the wicked, so that no man knoweth either love or hatred of all that is before them. No man can esteem by any outward estate, whether he be loved or hated of God, for neither do the righteous always prosper, neither are the wicked always crossed and afflicted; but the wicked flourish more commonly and more gloriously than the just, and the hand of God lieth heavier and sorer upon the godly, then upon the ungodly: both sorts are subject to death, both are laid in the grave, 
Hierom. in Eccles. chap. 9  without any show or appearance of difference between the one & the other. The love of God toward the believers is not discerned by the eye, but apprehended and embraced by faith.  
Secondly, we must learn not to publish & Use 2 spread abroad the miseries and calamities of the Church, that the enemies may not rejoice in the days of her tribulation. We ought not to blaze & bruit abroad the private infirmities of private persons, 
Levit 19, 16. Pro. 26, 20, 21.22.  lest we kindle coals of hatred and contention & take away the good name of our brother: much more are we forbidden to divulge the miseries and afflictions of the Church, to give occasion to the enemy to rejoice and solace himself in the sorrows of the Saints of God. We know the rage of enemies, nothing is more joyful to them then to hear of the distresses and desolations thereof. Therefore David after the slaughter of Saul and jonathan by the sword of the enemy, provoketh to this duty, 2 Sam. 1, 19, 20. O noble Israel, he is slain upon thine high places: how are the mighty over thrown! Tell it not in Gath, nor pubish it in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistims rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Where he forbiddeth to tell and declare to the profane enemies the fall and overthrow of the King, his sons and host of Israel, lest the Philistims should insult upon them, and scoff at them, and consequently blaspheme the God whom they served and worshipped. The like charge the Prophet Micah giveth, speaking of the afflictions that should befall Israel and judah, Their plagues are grievous, for it is come into judah: judah: the enemy is come unto the gate of my people, unto jerusalem: Declare it not at Gath, neither weep ye: in the house of Hophrah roll thyself in the dust. Mich. 1, 9, 10. He enjoineth them silence, lest the same thereof spread itself to their enemies to increase their reproach, and to multiply their sorrow. For what doth more vex us & double our misery, then to see men so far from pitying us, that they triumph over us and laugh at us? This condemneth many that live among us in these days of dissension, that tender not the peace of the Church, which ought to be as dear unto us as our own lives, but publish the shame & reproach one of another, as with the blast of a Trumpet, albeit our enemies and the enemies of our religion live among us. Abraham took up the controversy between him and Lot, saying, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, 
Gen. 13, 7, 8.  neither between my herdsmen & thy herdmen, because the Canaanites dwelled at that time in the Land. If we did aright consider this point that our enemies are among us, that are as whips on our sides, and thorns in our eyes, that seek the subversion of the Commonwealth, not the conversion of the Church: there would not be so many bad & bitter invectives written as it were with gall and wormwood, setting on fire the hearts of one against another, as if we were enemies, not friends; strangers, not brethren; infidels, not believers. These contentions are a stumbling block unto the weak, an hardening and heartening of the adversary, and an utter estranging of us one from another. Let us therefore follow those things that belong to peace, and unite our forces together as one man, that we may seek the building up of the Church among us, and double our strokes upon the back of the enemy.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us use patience under the cross, lying as under God's hand, and in the midst of all our afflictions say with the Prophet, I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it. Psal. 39, 9 This we read to have been worthily practised of job, when the cup of affliction began to overflow, chap. 2, 10. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and not receive evil? In all this did not job sin with his lips. This also we find expressly required, Heb. 10, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. Where we see in the example of these afflicted Hebrews, that when our enemies insult over the Church, we must not murmur & tepine, but be still and silent under the cross, and according to the counsel and commandment of Christ, Luke 21, 19, By patience possess our souls: and without this, we shall never have comfort and contentment in such afflictions as we are called to endure.  
Use 4 Lastly, seeing God at sundry times and in divers manners giveth those that are his, into the hands of their enemies; surely in the end he will not spare the wicked, he deferreth his punishments, but he striketh at the last. As he is longer in drawing his Bow, and making ready his Quiver, so his Arrows when they come, pierce the deeper, and wound the sorer. The higher his hand is lifted up before it falleth, the greater the blow is when it lighteth. He hath a leaden foot and hasteth slowly, but howsoever he tarry till the appointed time, yet surely he will come and will not stay, but recompense the slowness of his coming, with the grievousness of his punishing, When he will crush them with a Sceptre of iron, 
Psalm 2, 3.  and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. This Moses teacheth in his song concerning Gods benefits toward his people, and their unthankfulness toward him; If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgement, I will execute vengeance toward mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me, and I will make mine arrows drunk with blood. Deut. 32, 41, 42. Let them not therefore triumph over the Church & people of God: and let us wait a while, and see the end of all her enemies, how God hath set them in a slippery place. We see in this History, that albeit these Canaanites were as the rod of God to chastise his servants for their security, yet God in the end threw them in the fire, and gave them as a prey to his people, as appeareth afterward. The like the Prophet David declareth, Psal. 137, 3, 7, 8, 9, that howsoever the Edomites and Babylonians flouted at the Church in affliction, and they that led them captives required of them in mockage, songs and mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion: yet they escaped not the just hand of a revenging God, according to the prayer of his people, Remember the children of Edom, O Lord, in the day of jerusalem, which said, raze it, raze it to the foundation thereof: O daughter of Babel worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us: blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones. And the Prophet David being greevoufly persecuted under Saul, and hunted from place to place as a Partridge in the Mountains, 
Psalm. 141, ●  assureth himself that flying to God in his afflictions, and possessing his soul by patience, he shall in the end behold God taking such vengeance on all his enemies, & rewarding them seven fold into their bosom, that he shall in pity and compassion pray unto God for them in their miseries. True it is, he doth not always recompense them presently, so soon as they have sinned, because he is the God of patience, waiting for their repentance, bearing with the vessels of wrath, and making them without excuse; yet at the length he will reprove them, and set their sins in order before them, Psal. 50, 21.  
[Verse 2. So Israel vowed a vow.] Before the Israelites trusted in themselves; now being overthrown by the enemies, they turn to God, and learn obedience by the things which they suffered. So then the present overrhrow given unto them, maketh them consider their own weakness, and driveth them to God in their distress.  
The doctrine from hence is this, that affliction is profitable to the Church, 
●ne. ●on is ●ellent sturne God.  it bringeth & driveth us unto God. The Church of God in general, and the servants of God in particular, which cannot profitably use prosperity, and bear themselves thankfully in the days of peace, do learn in adversity to turn to God, and are thereby brought unto him. Hereunto cometh the example of the Israelites, judg. 3, 8, 9, 10. When the wrath of God was kindled against Israel doing wickedly, forgetting God and serving their idols that turned to their ruin, than they cried unto the Lord, and he stirred up a Saviour unto them. Hereunto also cometh the threatenings of Moses, Deut. 4, 27, 28, 29, 30. 2 Chron. 15, 3. To this purpose the prophet speaketh, Psal. 107, 6, 13, 19, 28. When they wandered in the Desert, and found no City to dwell in; when they were bound in misery and iron, because they rebelled against the words of the Lord; when they travel by sea and occupy by the great waters, that the winds and storms toss them up and down, so that all their cunning is gone: Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivereth them out of their distress. So immediately before their captivity, 
●on. 36, ●, 7.  they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, misused his Prophets, which spoke unto them, rising early and late; and abused their peace when they dwelled in their Cities and abode in their houses: but in the days of their affliction, when the enemies insulted upon them, their hearts were smitten, they could not sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land, 
● 37, 4. ●5, 26, 27.  than they remembered jerusalem and the Temple, the sacrifices and service of God in the Temple, which they had frequented and too much prophanened, verifying that sentence in the proverbs, chap. 27, 7. The person that is full, despiseth an Honeycomb; but unto the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. This the Prophet Esay setteth down in the song of the faithful, chap. 26, 16. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. Now let us come to the reasons.  
Reason 1 For, from whence come they? or who is the author of them? Are they not from GOD? There is no evil in the city, which the Lord hath not done, Amos 3, 6. He hath his quiver full of arrows. Hath he not the sword to strike us? Hath he not the pestilence to consume us? Hath he not the famine to pinch us and pine us away? Hath he not all creatures in his own hand to send out against us? If then afflictions be the work of his hand, there is great reason and cause the church should turn to him that sendeth them, that by returning to him, the judgement may be removed & put away. This the Prophet teacheth, Lam. 3, 37, 38, 39, 40. Who is it then that saith, and it cometh to pass, and the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord: let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in the heavens, saying; we have sinned and rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared. Seeing therefore, afflictions are from God, not from men; from heaven, not from the earth; they must needs be of necessary and profitable use to the children of God, to whose good all things tend and fall out.  
Again, none else in heaven or earth can Reason 2 help us. To whom then should we turn but to the Lord? Can any other relieve us, or deliver us? Is there any help on the right hand or on the left hand? Can any take away that which GOD hath laid upon, the children of men? He is God, and there is none beside him: he killeth and giveth life, neither is there any that can deliver out of his hand. This is that which the Prophet urgeth Psal. 142, 4, 5. I looked upon my right hand, and beheld, but there was none that would know me: all refuge failed me, and none cared for my soul: then I cried unto the Lord, etc. If then God be the author of afflictions, and if none can take from us the smallest cross and the least touch of his little finger that lieth upon us, there is great cause that in all our troubles we should fly unto God, and draw near unto him.  
Now let us consider the uses of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, seeing the Church is brought to the Lord by afflictions, observe herein the mighty power of God, that hath many ways and sundry means to turn the hearts of men, to humble them, and bring them home unto himself; to call them and cast them down at his footstool. Indeed among all means that God hath sanctified to further our salvation, the chiefest is his messenger, one of a thousand to speak to them out of his word, & to preach unto them his truth, which is the power of God to salvation to all that believe. But he hath also many other ways that he useth when it pleaseth him, as he saith by the Prophet Esay, chap. 5, 4. What could I have done any more to my Vineyard that I have not done unto it? He hedged it, he gathered out the stones of it, he planted it with the best Plants, he built a Tower in the midst thereof, and made a winepress therein. He beseecheth us by his sweet mercies, and when no fair means will serve, yet affliction is often made powerful to turn our hearts, & to prepare the way for repentance, as the needle doth for the thread. This use is made in job 33, 16, 17, 23. God speaketh once or twice in dreams and visions, by his Messenger and Interpreter, even by their corrections which he hath sealed, that he might cause man to turn away from his enterprise, and that he might hide the pride of man. Let us therefore hereby all of us learn to acknowledge the greatness, both of the mercy and power of God in working out our salvation effectually by so many means, who being infinitely good, 
Aug. Enchir. ad Laur. cap. 101.  is able to bring good out of evil, as he did light of darkness.  
Secondly, we see that albeit afflictions be Use 2 grievous and bitter, yet they are not unprofitable to those whom God hath chosen to better graces. Albeit tribulation and anguish, peril and the sword, nakedness and famine fall upon us, And though we be slain all day long, and counted as sheep to the slaughter, 
Rom. 8, 36.  yet in all these we are more than Conquerors; there is a sweet issue and a comfortable end of them, that thereby we are made better. This appeareth by the confession and experience of the Prophet David, Psal. 119, 67, 71, & 94, 12, 13. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep thy word. And again, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy Statutes. And in another place, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him in thy Law: that thou mayst give him rest from the days of evil, whiles the pit is digged for the wicked. True it is, we ought to make use of the mercies and patience of God, to be led forward unto repentance, that so where grace aboundeth, our obedience may abound also. But because we make his blessings and benefits an occasion of evil, and turn the grace of God into wantonness, I am persuaded it were a great deal better for many of us in respect of our souls and salvation, that we were in affliction and in persecution, that the enemies were at our backs, and their swords at our throats, that the pestilence did walk among us, that the sickness destroyed us at noonday, that a thousand did fall at our right hand, & ten thousand at our left hand, that we heard the sound of the Trumpet, the roaring of the Canon, the clattering of Armour, & crying in our streets: for than it were to be hoped, we would turn unto God in our misery, repent us of our iniquity, and fly unto God in our adversity. We see by woeful experience, that peace & prosperity have lulled many of us asleep in a bed of case, & have done the Church more harm, then cruel war, and bloody persecution. True it is, the blessings of God are not hurtful of themselves, but our corruption turneth that into a curse which God bestoweth as a blessing, So that he which should have been upright, is laden with fatness, 
Deut. 32, 15.  and spurneth with his heel. Therefore God is constrained to punish us, to take his benefits from us, and to bring us into order and obedience by the want of them.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing afflictions and chastisements draw us to God, as loss of the battle did here the Israelites; we learn, that whensoever they lie upon us, and press heavily upon our bodies, our souls, our neighbours, our families, our friends, whether they be common or private calamities; than it is high time to turn unto God, and to search out the cause of our affliction. This must be our practice & feeling when his hand is upon us, when he scattereth the brands of his fire, and shooteth the Arrows of his Quiver, when he draweth out his glittering sword, and his hand taketh hold of judgement, when he sendeth famine & dearth of bread, or the famine of his word, which is the sorest and sharpest famine, as the Prophet affirmeth, Amos 8, verses 10, 11, 12. Then is cause of humiliation, than it is time to cast down ourselves at the foorstoole of God, to cry to him to spare his people. The Lord threatening by his prophet a great and fearful judgement upon the Land, that shall turn their feasts into mourning, and make it as the mourning for an only son. Doth he mean the sharpness of the sword, or the arrows of famine, or the invasion of enemies, or the devouring of wild beasts, or the raging of the pestilence or the carrying away into banishment and captivity, which are the things that worldly minded men fear and regard? No, But a famine of hearing God's word: that they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the North even to the East shall they run to and fro, to seek the Lord, and shall not find it: In that day shall many perish for thirst, according to the doctrine of Solomon, Pro. 29.18. Where vision ceaseth, the people perish. Howsoever therefore carnal & profane men, have no sense or feeling of any thing but of earthly losses, yet the Spirit of God teacheth, and every faithful soul acknowledgeth, that as there is no blessing like to the blessing of the word: so there is no work of his judgement like to the want of his word. And howsoever the Pastor may not want the people in respect of the means of his maintenance, inasmuch as God hath ordained, that they which preach the Gospel, 
1 Cor. 9, 1  should live of the Gospel; yet the people want the Pastor more, as the child wanteth the nurse, more than the nurse the child, as Lamen. 2.11, 12. The babes & sucklings swoon in the streets of the city, they have said to their mother, Where is bread and drink? when they gave up the ghost in their mother's bosom. Now the Ministers are called not only the Fathers, but the Nurses of the Church, 1 Thess. 2. We were gentle among you, even as a Nurse cherisheth her children: and the Apostle exhorteth, that as new borne babes we desire the sincere milk of the word, 
1 Pet. 8, ●.  that we may grow thereby, because we have tasted that the Lord is bountiful. And thus much of the end and use of afflictions, which God sanctifieth to the good of his Church, that thereby they may draw nearer unto him.  
Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt deliverer this people into mine hand, etc. The people pray, promise, and vow unto God the destruction of men & cities, if God would deliver them into their hands. We learn hereby, that vows are lawful, 
Doctrine It is lawf● to vow, an● such are t● performe●  & so vowing we are to perform the same. This we see practised by jacob going to his uncle Laban for avoiding the fury of his brother Esau, Gen. 28.20.21. Hannah, upon condition of having a son, 
1 Sam 1, ● P●al. 6●, 1● 132, 2, 5.  vowed him for a perpetual Nazarite to the Lord. So doth David oftentimes make vows to God in the time of his trouble, upon condition to be delivered out of his trouble.  
Thus in this example of the Israelites in this place we see, that if God would be on their side when their enemies rise up against them to swallow them up quick, and deliver them as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler, 
Psal. 124, ●  they promise and vow the performance of an outward and bodily exercise. So then out of this place the doctrine of vows may be strongly confirmed, and the lawful practice of them sufficiently maintained, and warranted to be good and godly.  
Reason 1 For, to come to the reasons whereupon the doctrine standeth; a lawful and holy vow is a profitable help to further us in the worship of God. True it is, a vow is not a part of God's worship, no more than fasting is, (as fasting is no more a part of God's worship then feasting, or eating and drinking is) which in itself and by itself considered, pleaseth God no more then external and bodily exercises do: 
●m. 4.8.  yet it is an help and furtherance of the true service of God, a prop and stay to further the same. The kingdom of God standeth not in outward things, as the Apostle teacheth, It is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost, Romans, chapter 14.17. But when we promise to God with full purpose of hart some outward duty, it serveth the better to excite and stir us up to repentance and thanksgiving toward God. And thus the servants of God have used it.  
Reason 2 Again, it is far better never to vow, then having vowed not to pay and perform that which is gone out of our lips: so as we may reason as Peter doth with Ananias, Acts 5.4. Likewise may it be said to such as break their lawful vows offered unto God, was it not in thy liberty to vow or not to vow? how then hast thou conceived this wickedness in thy heart, to lie, not to men, but unto God? Vows were prescribed or appointed by the Law of God as testimonies of faith, 
●ron. in Ec●. cap. 5.  and bonds of that reverence and obedience which we own unto him: therefore to vow, and not to pay & perform the solemn promise and covenant that we have made, is impudently to mock God, and consequently to pull great punishment upon our own heads. This the Wise man teacheth, Eccles. 5.3, 4, 5.  
Use 1 Let us apply this to ourselves. First, from this example we may learn the doctrine of vows, what is to be holden of vows, & what is not to be holden. For we see here, what a vow is; namely, a free and solemn promise made to God touching such things as please him, tending to the glory of his Name, the profit of our brethren, or the repentance and salvation of our souls. Secondly, we see who may vow, (to wit;) such as are free and at liberty, nor under the power and jurisdiction of others. Thirdly, to whom vows are to be made, not to Saints or Angels, but to God only, and to him alone they are to be performed, according to the saying of the Psalmist, Psal. 76.11. As he only is to be prayed unto, and from him we are to look for all good things: so to him only we must vow, and offer to him the calves of our lips. Fourthly, it appears what we may vow to God; not things unlawful, unpossible, and unwarranted by the word of God; not things whereof we are uncertain, whether they please God or not: for who would offer to a Prince, or promise to him such things as he knoweth he will not accept, or doubteth whether he will accept thereof? Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, 
Rom 14.23. Exod. 23.31.  as the Apostle teacheth: But such things as the Scripture warranteth, being the true rule of all right ways, such was this vow in this place. Lastly, we see that vows thus made, are carefully to be kept, and religiously to be performed, having an eye to the party with whom we have to deal. For as they are to be made with reverence, so they are to be performed with care and diligence; otherwise we do foully and falsely abuse the Majesty of God, and take his Name in vain. All these considerations and conditions teach us, that vows are not in themselves unlawful and to be condemned, so as they be restrained and bounded in the compass of the law of God, and not suffered to wander after our own fancies.  
Secondly, it serveth to beat down all false Use 2 doctrine and erroneous opinions touching vowing, which are many: and to rectify our judgements by teaching what vows are lawful, what unlawful.  
First, if they be made of any thing flat against the word of God, they cannot bind or tie us to the performance thereof; for all the force and power of binding us, is to be borrowed and derived from the word of God. Wherefore it must be agreeable to the will of God, and whensoever it is against the word of God, it hath no strength or efficacy to constrain or command. They which would have murdered Paul, and had conspired together by a solemn league of agreement, 
Act. 23.12.  did make a solemn vow not to eat nor drink, until they had executed their devilish purpose, and put the Apostle to death. But who now dare say, that they were bound in conscience by their vow, or that God liked of it? For this were all one, as if they would make God a companion of their murder. Therefore David vowing the slaughter and destruction of Nabal and his family, 
1 Sa. 25.22, 32  revoked it at the wise counsel of a discreet woman.  
Secondly, they must not he made by such persons as want sufficient reason, judgement, discretion, and understanding: as children, fools, or furious persons; for these cannot be made with freedom of conscience, nor can be said to be taken up by a man's own accord, in as much as the mind cannot truly discern what is done, as is proved at large in the thirtieth chapter of the book of Numbers, and the fourth verse.  
Thirdly, it condemneth such as vow, having no power or authority in themselves, to bind themselves; such vows cannot bind, being made against the law of nature. For all lawful vows must be made with consent of their superiors, so long as they are under the government of others, 
Exod. 20.12.  as appeareth by the fift commandment, Honour thy father, etc.  
Fourthly, they must be so made, as they may stand with Christian liberty: for we may not in any sort make such things absolutely necessary, as God hath left free unto us, snaring the conscience, and abridging the liberty which Christ hath purchased, contrary to the commandment of the Apostle, Gal. 5.1.  
Fiftly, it reproveth such as vow things unpossible, and out of the power and liberty of the makers thereof, to do, or not to do: so that a vow made of a thing unpossible is no vow at all: but an intolerable presumption, and a wilful tempting of God: As if a man should vow to walk upon his head, or to fly in the air, 
josh. 10.12. Exod. 14, 21.  or to stay the stars as joshua did, or to divide the sea as Moses did; wherein we have no assurance of any extraordinary gift of God.  
Sixtly, they must not be against a man's general or particular calling; that is, neither against his calling as he is a Christian, neither that special calling wherein he liveth. If they be made against the one or the other, they are unlawful: As if the Minister should vow to do the office of the Magistrate in executing justice upon Malefactors; or the Magistrate vow to discharge the function of the Minister in preaching the Gospel: or if a man should vow to live in no calling in the Church, in the Commonwealth, or in the family, but walk inordinately with scandal and offence.  
seventhly, it convinceth all such vows as are rash, heady, sudden, idle, and unadvised; and requireth on the other side, that they be made with advice, meditation and deliberation. For rash vows be not lawful, albeit the things vowed may be done lawfully. Therefore the Wiseman saith, Eccles. 5.1. Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thy heart be hasty to utter a thing before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou art on the earth, therefore let thy words be few. If we make a promise unto a man like to ourselves, we will have this consideration, and think with ourselves, whether he will accept of it or not, whether his will be to like of it or not. We must not therefore mock with God, and make lighter account of him, then of a mortal man, whose breath is in his nostrils. They ought not to be made without judgement and advisement, for that were a defiling of God's service, and an abusing of his Name.  
Now, as they ought not to be made rashly, but with sobriety, so ought all our vows to be of great moment and importance, and therefore we are forbidden to vow idle and trifling toys to observe, (as is usual in the Church of Rome) where one voweth a pilgrimage to the Saints, another voweth to fast and eat no flesh at such a feasts Even; whereof one is superstitious, the other devilish. As for their pilgrimages, it is a wicked corruption, and an idolatrous service which God rejecteth. For albeit (under the Law) it was the ordinance of God to build one Temple, and to choose one place to which man should resort to worship him, yet this order is now abolished; every coast and country is jewry, every town and city is jerusalem, every faithful company, and godly person is a Temple to worship God in: 
1 Cor. 6, 1● 1 Cor. 6. 1● 1 Tim. 2.8. Psal. 127 4.  We may call upon God every where, and lift up pure hands in all places, no land is a strange land, no ground is unholy ground. And touching their abstinence from flesh on certain times for religion sake, it is a doctrine of devils, 1 Tim. 4, 1, 3.  
Lastly, it reproveth such as propound to themselves false and wrong ends of vows, as conceit of merit, and opinion of deserving the favour of God and everlasting life. For the ends which we respect must be good, as to exercise and stir up the gifts of faith, prayer, obedience, repentance, and other graces of the Spirit, and to testify our thankfulness to God for blessings received at his hands. The intent therefore and meaning is here to be considered, and we must be well advised, not only that our vows be directed to God, but for what purpose, and how we vow to God; not to bind God unto us, but to bind us the closer to God & to render all honour unto him.  
Now if we would examine the vows, practised in the Church of Rome, by these things before delivered, we shall easily perceive the fondness and falsehood, nay the wickedness of them. For here are condemned all vows of pilgrimages, and abstinence from flesh for religion, noted before: 
Bellar lib. ● de M●●●● cap. 36.  their doctrine that children may enter into their orders and cloisters against the counsel and consent of their parents, and that persons contracted either to other, may vow continency without the liking and approbation of the other party, which cannot stand with the doctrine of the Scripture, or ancient counsels. 
Num. 30, ● Co●. G●● cap. 16.  For the word establisheth the authority of parents over their children (which the former vows abridgeth and cutteth short) and teacheth, that if a woman vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house, in time of her youth, if her father disallow her the same day that he heareth all her vows and bonds, they shall not be of value. Lastly, by the former observations, fall to the ground the ordinary vows of single life, voluntary poverty, and Fryarly obedience to vain and superstitious men, which they absurdly make, and tie themselves necessarily to observe. For such vows are directly and flatly against the former rules prescribed & delivered; unpossible. intolerable, beyond our own strength & calling: a will worship, 
Col. 2.16.  according to the decrees and traditions of men, and directly contrary to the commandment of God, 1 Cor. 7.9. 
1 Tim. 4.1 2 Thess. 3. ●  Again, they are not in the power of him that voweth, for no man can promise perpetual chastity in single life out of the estate of wedlock. Continency is the special and proper gift of God, who giveth it not unto all, but to whom he will, and as long as he will.  
This our Saviour teacheth, Matth. 19 All men cannot receive this thing, save they to whom it is given: he that is able to receive this, let him receive it. To this accordeth and agreeth the doctrine of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7. I would that all men were even as myself am, but every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. Furthermore, they abolish Christian liberty, in the lawful use of the good creatures and ordinances of God, as riches and marriage; food and apparel; making that absolutely necessary, which God hath freely left to our liking and liberty. Lastly they are made most commonly to Saints, and not to God, and they are made for merits sake, thereby to deserve salvation, and the substance of religion and worship of God is made to consist in them: whereas the Apostle teacheth, 
〈◊〉 4, 6.  That bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable for all things. Therefore these vows practised and defended by the Church of Rome, being unlawfully, rashly, unconscionably, 
●●ontra. ●l is ●ref.  superstitiously, meritoriously made, and unpossible to be performed, cannot bind the conscience, but are better broken, then irreligiously kept, 
●si. de beno 〈◊〉 ca 10 in Leuit.  according to the doctrine of the former Churches.  
Thirdly, seeing vows be lawful, which are promises made to God, 
〈◊〉 3.  of some duty to be performed to him, to some good end; the vow which all believers have made in Baptism, is, to be kept of every one: wherein we promised to believe in Christ, to obey God, to bring forth the fruits of true repentance; to renounce the works of the devil, the allurements of this present evil world, and the lusts of the flesh, which lust against the spirit. And albeit we are bound to these duties by our calling & redemption, without any new vow, yet we may lawfully renew our covenant with God, and so bind ourselves faster and faster. As he that hath bound himself in a bond, may yet give greater and better assurance, & bind himself more than before: So be that is bound to have faith in Christ, and to yield obedience to all his commandments, may yet further and faster bind himself, to help his dullness, coldness, and want of zeal, and to make himself more forward and servant in duties of the first and second table: according to the practice of David, I have sworn, and will perform it, 
●●19. 106.  that I will keep thy righteous judgements. He was bound hereunto, without and before his oath, yet he kindled his zeal, and reneweth his covenant with God by this oath to stir up the gift of God that was in him, and to help his own infirmity. We have all in baptism vowed to consecrate ourselves, even our souls and bodies to God, by renouncing the devil, the world, and the flesh: if we go back as cowardly Soldiers from this our vow, shall we not be convinced as false and unfaithful to God? And how shall we conscionably keep any other vows, that break the first vow we made to God? What a fault is it accounted among ourselves, to promise and then to break? But have we kept this our general and common vow, 
Hierom. in Esa. lib. 7. cap. 19 August. in Psal. 7● & 131. Lumba. sent. lib. 4. dist. 38.  to fight under the banner and enfigne of jesus Christ, against the devil and all his works? Or rather have we not walked, and do we not still walk in the works of darkness, after the inventions of our own hearts? And do not our open sins cry out and proclaim as much to the dishonour of God, and our own reproach: So that all such as walk in the blindness of their own minds, have besides all their other sins, this great burden upon their consciences pressing them down, that they are found vow-breakers, and have broken their faith and promise made to God. Let us all remember, that we have vowed to God ourselves, 
Deut. 23 21.  and take heed we perform that which we have vowed, lest it be imputed unto us for sin.  
Lastly, it followeth from hence, that such Use 4 special and peculiar vows as we have made upon particular occasions, as every one hath had cause in time of war, sickness, necessity trouble, and danger, we must be careful to keep, and to pay our due and debt unto God. If we feel ourselves slack and slothful to good duties, we may stir up ourselves, and bind ourselves by some earnest and faithful promise to God. If we be inclined to any vice, we are to do the like. If a man have fallen into whoredom and fornication, he may, 
2 Cor. 7.11.  to bridle and halter his lusts, vow never to delight in the harlot's company. If we have fallen into drunkenness, we may vow fasting and abstinence, yea, the abstaining from all hateful houses of drunkenness, being allurements & provocations to the same. The oppressor may vow restitution and mercy to the poor, 
Luke 19.8. Dan. 4.24.  to stir up his affection the better to perform it. Now in all these, we must beware and take heed, that we be not rash in the words of our mouth nor hasty to utter a promise before the most high. What a reproach and blemish, is it in such as will readily promise much to men, and yet perform at leisure little or nothing? Do not all despise such persons? But the fault and offence is more grievous, when there is a set and solemn promise made to God, and not performed. So then, we that require true, honest, and just dealing toward ourselves, and promises to be kept to ourselves by a day, have we done the like to God our Lord? Let us enter into ourselves, and examine our hearts, a little. We are ready in sickness, in want, in great affliction and adversity to vow, and solemnly to promise if God deliver us, to glorify him, to be thankful and obedient unto him, to enter into repentance and amendment of life. When a man hath loosely and lewdly spent his time in drunkenness, riotousness, idleness, wantonness, envy, hatred, contempt of God and his word; if God strike him with grievous sickness, that he feareth death as the messenger sent of God to seize upon him than doth he tremble, then doth he desire that God would have mercy upon him, and then doth he make vows: If God restore me to health again, and give me life, I will never be the man I have been, I have been given to drunkenness, I will never haunt the Alehouse: I have led a naughty life, I have dishonoured God, and despised his word, I will hereafter obey his voice, and attend to his word: I have hated the children of God, I will hereafter show my love to them, renouncing my sins, and living to God's glory.  
Oh what goodly promises are these; and how well were it, if men did so indeed? and how were it to be wished, that as they have opened their mouth unto the Lord, so they would do according as they have promised? But when God hath heard their prayers, and restored them to health; mark, and ye shall find, that for the most part, so soon as they are recovered, and are able to crawl out of the doors, they return again to their former ways, 
2 Pet. 2.22.  as the dog to his vomit, and the Sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire. What shall we say of these men? Nay, what may we not say of them? Are they not covenant breakers, and grievous offenders against God? They are like unto Pharaoh King of Egypt, when the hand of God was heavy upon him and his people, 
Exo. 9.27.35.  than he humbled himself, he confessed the righteousness of God, the wickedness of his people, and the heinousness of his sins: Then Moses and Aaron must be sent for in all haste to pray for him, whom he before despised in his heart; and scorned in his talk: yet so soon as the plague was ceased, and the hand of God removed, he hardened his heart, and would not let the children of Israel go.  
But he dallied so long with the judgements of God, 
Exod. 15.19.  that he deceived himself, and in the end was drowned in the red Sea; as the Fly that playeth with the candle, until she be burned and consumed in the flame. So when men have been terrified with the hand of God, have confessed with tears their ungodly behaviour, and have promised and vowed to God (if he would restore them) newness of life, and repentance from dead works: and yet being restored and recovered, being as vile in sin, as lose in life, as beastly in behaviour as they were beforr: God hath in justice stricken them again for their unthankfulness, so as they have died in fury and frenzy without any appearance of grace, or assurance of mercy, or remorse of conscience, or acknowledgement of sin, or craving of pardon, or hope of forgiveness, or sign of sorrow, or joy of heart, or consolation of spirit, or purpose of amendment: 
Matt. 27.3.4.  but are wholly possessed with a shame of sin, and guilt of conscience, and fear of judgement, and the flashings of hell fire. Doth not this show that God's wrath is heavy against such unfaithful persons as break their oath, and falsify their promise made unto the Eternal, who always keepeth covenant with us, and will not alter the word that is gone out of his mouth? 
Psal. 50. ●  O consider this ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none that can deliver you. Contrariwise to conclude let us follow the example of David, Psal. 66.13, 14. I will go into thine house with  offerings, and will pay thee may vows which my lips have promised, and my mouth hath spoken in mine affliction.  
Verse 3. And the Lord heard the voice of Israel. Here is the fruit and effect of their prayer and humiliation, showing also the lawfulness and approbation of their vow; God accepteth, and respecteth them in their distresses. From hence we do learn, that God heareth and granteth the prayers of his children. 
Doctri● God hea● and gran● the Pray● of his ch●dren.  For howsoever sometimes he deferreth to hear and hearken to their prayers, to exercise their faith, to kindle their zeal in prayer, to teach them whence good things proceed, to sharpen their hunger, to make them highly to esteem the graces long begged, and to prove them by delay; yet in the end God heareth and helpeth, he granteth and giveth the things which they ask according unto his will. This the Prophet declareth, Esay 65.24. Before they call, I will answer: and while they speak, I will hear And Psal. 120.1. I called upon the Lord in my trouble, and he heard me. And again, Psal. 145.18, 19 The Lord is near to all that call upon him, yea to all that call upon him in truth: he will fulfil the desires of them that fear him, he also will hear their cry, and will save them. Thus the Lord jesus, being zealous in prayer, confesseth that his father always heareth him: 
john 11. ●  Thus the Angel telleth Cornelius That his prayers are heard Thus the Apostle also teacheth, jam. 1.5. 
Acts 10 ●  If any man want wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally, & reproacheth no man, and it shall be given him. And in the last Chapter, 
jam. 5. 1●▪ 17, 18.  Is any among you afflicted, let him pray: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick: Helias was a man subject to like passions as we are, he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it reigned not on the earth for three years and six months: and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.  
The reasons to assure us of this truth, are Reason 1 first, the pr●mise gone out of his own mouth, and the assurance of his own word, who can never deceive nor falsify his truth. This is it which Christ our Saviour urgeth, Matth. 7.7, 8. Ask, and it shall be given you: Seek, and ye shall find: Knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for whosoever asketh receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. This is the ground and foundation of our faith in prayer, (to wit,) the promise of God, without which, we can have no confidence or trust in the mercy of God.  
Again, what man heareth not, accepteth Reason 2 not, granteth not the requests of his children that come unto him? Men that are evil and corrupt, that have scarce a spark of the love that is in God, will not turn away their eyes from the miseries of their children, much more than will God open the treasures of his graces to bestow upon us. This comparison our Saviour presseth, Mat. 7.9, 10, 11. Where the doctrine hath his confirmation, What man is there among you, which if his son ask him bread, would give him a stone? Or if he ask fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then which are evil, can give to your children good gifts, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? And the Prophet saith, 
● 49.15.  Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? though they should forget, yet I will not forget thee.  
Let us come to the uses of this doctrine. Use 1 First, it teacheth the blessed estate of the Church, and a great privilege that the faithful have; so that no man should say, 
〈◊〉 3, 14.  It is vain to serve God, and what prosit is it that we have kept his commandments, and that we walked humbly before the Lord of hosts? But it will be said, here they are in troubles and torments; here they suffer sorrows and afflictions every day. Be it so, 
●. 8.37, 38  Yet herein they are more than conquerors through him that loved them; so that neither life nor death shall separate them from jesus Christ our Lord. The Lord is the Sun and shield unto us, 
●. 84, 11.  the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  
So then, their tribulations and afflictions shall not hinder their blessedness, but by manifold troubles we shall enter into happiness and everlasting life. Let our present care be to serve the Lord, and then we shall be safe under his protection, and not fear what man can do unto us, as the Prophet teacheth, Psa. 118. 5, 6, 7. I called upon the Lord in trouble, and the Lord heard me, and set me at large: the Lord is with me, therefore I will not fear what man can do unto me, I shall see my desire upon mine enemies. Let us therefore walk worthy of this blessed estate and condition, seeing we have God near unto us, and ready to hear us, so often as we pour out our meditations before him. There is no comfort like unto this, in this life; whereby we obtain health in sickness, riches in poverty, safety in danger, rest in trouble, joy in sorrow, comfort in adversity. So then, howsoever the ungodly accounteth the life of the faithful, contemptible and miserable, above all other, yet we see one are truly happy but they. For if I can say, I have been hungry, and the Lord hath fed me; I have been naked, and he hath clothed me; I have been sick, and he hath restored me; I have been in dangers, and he hath delivered me; I have a blessed experience of God's favour given unto me, and an assurance of future happiness reserved for me in the heavens.  
Use 2 Secondly, let us acknowledge it to be our duty to call upon him in the day of trouble, and in all our necessities to come unto him. For if the righteous crieth, and the Lord heareth him, yea delivereth him out of all his troubles, let us fly unto him; 
Pro. 18.10.  the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth unto it, and is exalted: here is the only refuge of the godly against all troubles and adversities; hereby we are instructed to whom we should run and repair in all need and necessities. A strong Castle secureth those that fly unto it for succour and defence. Such is the favour of God toward the elect in Christ, who are sanctified by the holy Ghost, he protecteth those that fly unto him, and they shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. This the Prophet presseth, Psal. 50.15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, so will I deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Let us not look to the hills or mountains; to men or Angels; let us not trust in friends or in riches; in power or policy, but know that our help cometh from the Lord, which hath made heaven and earth, who will preserve our going out, and our coming in, from henceforth and for ever. This serveth to condemn the Church of Rome, 
joh, 14.13. 1 joh 2.1.  who refuse the mediation of Christ to come unto God, and set up Saints and Angels in his place to usurp his office. But we are sure that Christ jesus will never fail us, nor cease to discharge the calling appointed unto him of his Father. Why then do we not go directly unto him, that gently calleth, and lovingly allureth us, Come unto me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, 
Matt. 11 18.  and I will refresh you?  
Thirdly, doth God hear us when we call? Use 3 and when we ask, doth he answer? Then it standeth with the right of reason and with the law of equity, to hear him when he calleth upon us, and crieth unto us. For whensoever we pray unto God, we speak unto him, and call upon him to hear us. Whensoever the word of God is preached and delivered, he speaketh to us, and calleth upon us to hear him. If then we would have God regard us, when we cry to him, we must respect him when he calleth to us. We cry by prayer; he calleth us by his word. Therefore, it is that the Lord often denounceth and threateneth all impenitent persons, that he will despise them that despise him, and will not hear them praying unto him, that will not hear him preaching unto them, as Pro. 1.24, 26, 27, 28, 29. Zach. 7.11, 12. Mic. 3.4 Prou. 28.9. Of all comforts that we feel in this life, none is greater than to pray unto God in our troubles, with assurance to be heard: this the ungodly with all their rage and cruelty can never take from us.  
Therefore this is a sore judgement, when God openly professeth and proclaimeth, that he will not hear our prayers crying unto him in our miseries. When we are rejected and forsaken of men in our afflictions▪ yet we have our recourse and refuge unto GOD, and we are comforted. How wretched therefore is the estate of all unrepentant sinners, who stopping their ears at the hearing of the Law do make all their prayers to be abominable. So did God threaten his people to number them to the sword, because (saith he) I called, 
Pro. 28.9. Esay 65.12.  and ye did not answer: I spoke, and ye heard not, but did evil in my sight, and did choose that thing which I would not. If then we would have God open his ears to hear us, let us acknowledge it to be our duty to open our ears to hear him. God will never stop his ears against any, but those that have stopped their ears against him.  
Use 4 Lastly, learn to acknowledge the greatness of God's mercy and loving kindness, and return the praise and glory of his own works to his great Name. As he hath heard us graciously, so let us bear ourselves thankfully in rendering to him the calves of our lips, and offering to him the sacrifice of praise. Even as he filleth us with his mercy, let us fill our mouths with his praise, and the memorial of his Name, 
Psal. 116.12.13. and 145.18, 19, 21.  and say: What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. This use the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 145. having declared that God showeth himself near to those that call upon him and fear him, he addeth: My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless his holy Name for ever and ever. If I can say, when all men forsook me, the Lord took me up, I have been running into the paths of death, and was near to destruction, but thou hast brought me back, showing me the ways of life and salvation: I have been ignorant, and thou hast instructed me: If I have this experience of his goodness, so many ways toward me he openeth my mouth to praise his mercy, and I can never sufficiently magnify his Name that hath brought so great things to pass for me.  
This practice is likewise taught, Psal. 107. 
Psal. 107.8, 15, 21, 31.  where the Prophet mentioning sundry deliverances that God showeth his people in times of famine, and in the days of affliction, by land or by sea, he doubleth oftentimes his affection, Let them therefore confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men. [He delivered them the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them. See here the uncertainty of war. The Israelites after their overthrow fight again, and have the victory. They were at the first overcome and taken prisoners by their enemies, but now they prevail & get the upper hand. Albeit the righteous fall for a time, yet they are not cast off for ever, 
Psal 37.24. and 144.1, 2.  for the Lord putteth under his hand. Great deliverances giveth he to his servants, he teacheth their hands to fight, and their fingers to battle: he is their strength and their fortress, their tower, and their deliverer, their shield, and in him they trust. The horse indeed is prepared against the day of battle, 
Prou. 21.31. 1 Sam. 14.6.  but salvation is of the Lord, to whom it is not hard to save with many or with few. This the Prophet setteth down, Psal. 81. 
Psal. 81.13.14.  Oh that my people had harkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways, I would soon have humbled their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. Hereby we learn, that howsoever God think it meet that his Church lie under the cross, yet in his good time he helpeth, he forsaketh it not for ever, 
Doctrine. Though ●● Church lie long under the cross, ● God lear●● it not for e● ver.  but returneth again in great mercy and compassion. Albeit affliction dwelleth upon the servants of God, not only for a moment, but oftentimes presseth them for a long season, that they have no breathing time, 
job 7.19.  No not to swallow their spittle, (as job speaketh:) yet in due time God is not unmindful and forgetful of them. Hereunto cometh the saying of the Psalmist, He endureth but a while in his anger, 
Psal. 30.5,  but in his favour is life: weeping may abide at evening, but joy cometh in the morning. This the Lord expresseth in the Prophet, 
Esay 54.7,  For a little time have I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee: for a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee, for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee. We see this point largely declared in the book of judges, 
judge 3.8, ●  when God raised up enemies against the Israelites, and sold them as a vile thing of base account (for whom he took no money) yet when they called and cried unto him, he sent them a deliverer, who saved them out of the hands of their adversaries. This appeareth in the histories of joseph, of job, of the Church in Egypt, of David, of Daniel, 
Gen. 41. 1● jam. 5, 11. Exod. 12, ● Psal. 18.1. Dan. 6, 23,  who first endured shame and the reproach of the cross, yet afterward he returned unto them when the time of refreshing came from the presence of God.  
The reasons are plain: First, his ears are Reason 1 always open to the cries of his children, he putteth their tears in his bottle of remembrance, and writeth them in his Register, 
Psalm 5●  so that when they cry, their enemies shall turn their backs, for God is with his. This he saith, Exod. 2. the children of Israel sighed for the bondage and cried, and their cry for their bondage came up unto God: 
Exod. 2, 2● and 3, 7.  Then the Lord said, I have surely seen the trouble of my people which are in Egypt, I have heard their cry and moan, for I know their sorrows, and I will deliver them: verifying that in the Psalm, 
Psal. 77.20.  He led his people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron. So long therefore as we have a voice, so long as we have an heart to lift up to God, and can pour out the meditations thereof before him, we haur comfort and assurance to be helped. When the poor infant is fallen into danger of fire or water, or other misery, if he can cry that the father may hear his voice, there is hope of safety and deliverance: So, if we can call upon God the Father in jesus Christ, in our distresses, our heavenly Father will not leave us nor forsake us in our dangers.  
Secondly, albeit the faithful fall into many Reason 2 afflictions, and their enemies make long surrowes upon their backs, yet God will not always suffer them to be oppressed, lest they should sink deep, and shrink down under the burden, & so turn from their obedience, and forsake the faith which they have professed; according to the saying of the Prophet, The rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous, 
●al. 125.3.  lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness. He knoweth whereof we are made, he spareth us in our infirmities, he will not suffer us to be tempted above our strength he seethe our weakness, and how unable we are to resist, and therefore he will not give us over to perish in our afflictions, inasmuch as our light afflictions which are but for a moment, 
Cor 4.17.  cause unto us a far more excellent and an eternal weight of glory; so that albeit the righteous fall seven times, yet he riseth again, as the wise man teacheth. 
●ou. 24.16.   
Use 1 To apply this unto ourselves, we learn first, that the devices and practices of enemies, albeit they be never so secret or malicious, are vain and frustrate. The people of God shall be preserved, howsoever they be ever plotting and banding themselves together, as we see in the days of the Apostle, 
●ct. 4.27.  Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Priests and people, the jews and Gentiles conspired together: yet we shall always have assurance of safety, and all shall work for the best to them that fear God, whose love, no powers, no principalities, no Potentates shall be able to remove, as the Prophet teacheth, Rejoice not against me: O mine enemy; 
●c. 7.8.10.  though I fall, I shall rise; when I shall sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto me, than she that is mine enemy shall lock upon it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her, now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. This serveth notably to daunt and dismay the wicked and ungodly, who insult over the righteous, and seem wise in their own eyes; considering that The faithful escapeth out of trouble, 
●rou. 11.8. ●sa. 8.9, 10,  and the wicked shall come in his stead. This truth the Prophet Esay confesseth and confirmeth, Chap. 8. Gather together on heaps (O ye people) and ye shall be broken in pieces: take counsel together, but it shall be brought to nought: pronounce a decree, yet it shall not stand, for God is with us. So then, if the faithful be not ever forsaken, nor stand continually under the strokes of their enemies, but God will put to his hand and his help to deliver them, we see, that all their devices, and all their consultations against them, and insultations over them shallbe brought to nothing.  
Use 2 Again, it behoveth us, in all the time of our distress to rely upon him whatsoever temptations come, though we should walk by the gates of the grave, and pass by the gulf of death. Many indeed are our infirmities, fears, cares, sorrows, and troubles: yet in them all we must say with the Prophet, 
●al. 42.5.11. ● 43.5.  Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait on God, for I will yet give him thanks: he is my present help and my God. Let us not therefore despair in the day of trouble, When the snares of death compass us, and the griefs of the grave take hold upon us, 
●al. 116.3, 4.  when we find trouble and sorrow to pursue us and overtake us, let us call upon the Name of the Lord to deliver our soul, who is merciful and full of compassion. 
Pro. 18.10.  The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth unto it, and is exalted. This is the surest and safest refuge of the godly against all troubles.  
Lastly, let all such learn, as lie not under Use 3 the cross, to commend the common cause of their brethren to God, as if themselves were in affliction. For wherefore doth God promise to free his from the oppression of the enemy, and to restore them to the joy of their salvation, but to move us to this duty of praying for them, pitying their distressed estate, and seeking by all lawful means the comfort and continuance of the Church? This the Apostle setteth down, 2 Cor. 1.3, 4. Where we see he urgeth the Church at Corinth to think of this point, to be mindful of the miseries of others, and to comfort them that are in discomfort, as God hath comforted us. This is taught by Moses, Thou shalt not do injury to a stranger, 
Exod. 22.21.  neither oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. And hereunto the Apostle accordeth, 
Heb. 13.3.  Remember them that are in bonds, as though ye were bound with them: and them that are in affliction, as if ye were also afflicted in the body. Where he would have us so much to be touched, as if their misery were our own. This duty it is needful to think upon. We know not what troubles may fall upon our heads. When we take ourselves to be freest and farthest from all dangers, than we may be nearest unto them, and suddenly fall into them, as a bird into the snare of the fowler. Wherefore, let us remember them to God that suffer afflictions, that so we may be delivered, if we fall into any troubles. But if we harden our hearts in the miseries of others, and have no feeling of their sorrows; others shall be as unmindful of us, and unmerciful unto us, as we have been to them. 
Matt. 7.2.  For with what judgement we judge, we shall be judged: and with what measure we meat, it shall be measured to us again. Nothing is more grievous unto a man, then to be scorned in his misery, and to be insulted upon in the day of his calamity. The affliction itself is bitter and irksome to the flesh, but the derisions & mockings of the enemy serve to double the cross, and to add to the measure and manner of our misery. If then we shall see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, the lamentable condition of the Church, and laugh when the people of God weep and lament, the justice of God shall overtake us, and make us a mock to our enemy.   

4 After they departed from mount Hor, by the way of the red sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was sore grieved because of the way.  
5 For the people spoke against God, and against Moses, saying; Wherefore have ye brought us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? for here is neither bread nor water, etc.  
6 Wherefore the Lord sent fiery serpents, etc.  
7 Then the people came to Moses; and said; We have sinned, etc.  
8 And the Lord said unto Moses; Make thee a fiery serpent, etc.  
9 So Moses made a serpent of Brass, etc.  
Hitherto of the first part of the Chapter, containing the encounter between the Canaanites and the Israelites: now we come to the second part, handling the eight and last murmuring of the people through weariness of their way, and compass they were compelled to fetch, through the unmercifulness of the Edomites; whereby they offended God again. In this history we are to consider sundry circumstances, setting down their sin, who fall again into their former faults and offences, As the dog returneth to his vomit, 
2 Pet. 2.22.  and the Sow unto the wallowing in the mire. First, the place and occasion hereof is described. Secondly, the manner of their sin. Thirdly, the matter and substance thereof, wherein it consisteth is set down. Fourthly, the punishment, and judgement of God inflicted upon them for their sin. Lastly, the events and effects following the punishment.  
First, touching the circumstances of the place, and occasion of the sin: observe that the Israelites departing from Hor, and crossed in their purpose, were constrained to travel all along the coasts of Edom, and to pass over a most perilous and dangerous desert, as it is set forth, Deut. 8.15. Where the hearts of the people failed and fainted, where the fiery serpents stung and destroyed them, and where thirst pined them away. It was no small grief and vexation unto them, having only a short cut into Canaan by crossing over the country of the Edomites, to wander up and down, to traverse the ragged rocks, the high mountains and the vast wilderness; and thereupon they broke out (through impatiency of spirit) to murmur against Moses. They think themselves in the high pride of their haughty hearts, able to match and to meet with the king of Edom in the field, to give him battle, and to work their own peace and passage by dint of the sword, as they had overthrown Harad, a king of the Canaanites, and destroyed his cities; and therefore needed not to stand at the mercy and courtesy of others, nor fetch such compasses as Moses made them to do in the wilderness.  
Secondly, the manner of their murmuring is remembered, verse 5. where the hand of God being heavy upon them in that great and terrible wilderness, they do not cry to him, they do not call to mind that blessed experience of his helping hand, which they had found ever ready to secure and sustain them; 
Exo. 14.13, 14  they consider not the revenge and punishment that God from time to time had taken of their murmurings; but they fly upon him as a mad dog in the face of his master that feedeth and fostereth him, that breedeth and bringeth him up; they revile and rail upon his servant Moses. Such is the slippery place of government, such is the nature of the multitude, and such is the lot of God's Ministers.  
Thirdly, the sum and substance of their mutiny and murmuring is twofold. First, a very vehement expostulation with Moses for bringing them out of Egypt: wherein they disgorge their malice with full or rather foul mouths, 
Exod. 14.11.  As if he had advisedly and purposely brought them into the wilderness to destroy them. Secondly, observe the reasons of that expostulation, which are two: first, because at this present, no bread, no water, no food appeared unto them, who measured the strength of God by the length of their bellies: now they account themselves ready to be famished. Which kind of death proceeding from hunger and famine, of all other kinds that can be thought upon, is most wretched and miserable; it hath driven men and women to this exigent to eat their own flesh, 
Deu. 28.53. 2 king 6.29.  and the flesh of their children. Secondly, because they were weary of Manna, which they call a light, a sight or vile meat, such as no reckoning or account was to be made thereof. Wherein they slander God, bring up an evil name and report of his miraculous work, and complain of their necessity, where no want was; and of hunger, where no hunger was; and so their unbridled tongues testify their unthankful hearts, saying: That they were weary of their lives for this light meat, which God notwithstanding had sent them from heaven, 
Psal 78.25.  and fed them with Angel's food in great abundance, verifying the saying of the Wiseman, 
Prou 19.3.  The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord.  
The fourth point followeth: namely, the punishment which God inflicted without any communication had with Moses, or denouncing of it before it fell, (as God had done before, when he hide not from Moses what he was determined to do before he hide it) but presently punished them, to show the grievousness of their sin, and the greatness of his wrath conceived against them. The punishment was, 
Psal. 140.3.  That whereas they had sharpened their tongues like Serpents, so as the poison of adders and astes was under their lips, he sent among them a kind of Scorpions and Serpents, which with their biting infused their venom and poison, which immediately being shed, dispersed itself into all their body; whereby they were inflamed with such extraordinary heat, that they endured great drought, and suffered a great thirst, whereof they complained before. They thought they complained of thirst justly, but now they feel it indeed to the full; so that such are were stung with this venomous biting, died the death.  
The last circumstances to be considered, are the effects following. For first, the people in this great extremity, and anguish of spirit, come in haste to Moses (against whom before they maliciously murmured) to whom they confess their offence, 
●n. 5.16.  that now began to lie sore upon their consciences, and desire earnestly his prayers, that they might be preserved, and delivered from the venomous bitings of those stinging serpents; which Moses doth willingly & faithfully perform, being mindful of his own duty, and unmindful of their wrongs. Secondly, the Lord having brought the people to a sight of their sins, by a feeling of his judgements, that they humble themselves before him, confess their offences, and call for mercy: he heareth the prayer of Moses (For the prayer of a faithful man prevaileth much if it be fervent,) 
〈◊〉 5.15.  is reconciled unto them, and witnesseth the same by giving them a true token, and showing the means and remedy of their present malady; commanding a visible sign and shape of those fiery serpents to be set up in brass upon an high pole, which the people might behold a far off; so as the Israelites looking thereupon, should presently and immediately be healed of that deadly sting.  
Thirdly, the obedience of Moses is set down, which is greatly to be praised and commended. For albeit it might seem foolish to carnal wisdom, and unpossible to human reason, for a dead image to help the deadly biting of those living serpents, yet he asketh not counsel with flesh and blood, nor measureth the commandments of God by the deceitful measure of man's understanding, but submitteth himself and all his thoughts to the word of God. He did not reason against the commandment of God, 
King. 5.12.  as Nahaman the Syrian did against the commandment of the Prophet, Bidding him go and wash seven times in jordan, whereby his flesh should come again, and he should be cleansed of his leprosy: But he did simply as God commanded, and as the people desired, he set up aloft the brazen serpent, having the image and similitude of the true fiery serpents; he advanceth it on high, openly, publicly, speedily, in the sight and view of all, at the only beholding whereof, the Israelites bitten, were cured & restored to health, that none of them died afterward of that poison and infection, that did behold the image that was set up.  
But before we proceed to the Doctrines of this division, sundry questions are to be demanded, and determined, touching this act of Moses, setting up the sign and image of Objection 1 these fiery serpents. And first of all, how doth this agree with the second commandment, which forbiddeth the making of an image, or representation of any thing in heaven above, or in the earth beneath? hath Moses so soon forgotten the law which God gave in mount Horeb? Or doth he now fall into idolatry, which himself so zealously revenged, and severely punished before, in the Israelites setting up the golden Calf, himself now erecting a brazen serpent? I answer, Answer. this fact is no breach of the second Commandment, which forbiddeth to make an Image of our own head, by our own authority, at our own will and pleasure, and therefore the Law saith, 
Exod. 20, 4, 5.  Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven Image.  
Again, the Law forbiddeth Images which are worshipped, 
The example of Moses setting up the serpent, favoureth not images set up to any religious use.  and have divine honour given unto them, or else are made to be worshipped and adored. But this Image of the brazen serpent was not made by the authority of man, but by the express commandment of God▪ saying unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, that is, a similitude of one of those serpents. Neither was it made to be worshipped, but only to be looked upon: not to bend the knee unto it but to fasten the eye upon it; not for itself, but for another end; even to heal the people, and by healing them to represent Christ crucified and hanging on the cross, whereof this Image was a sign and token: 
john 3.14.  & therefore when in process of time it came to be abused to Idolatry, 
1 King 18.4.  Hezekiah stamped it in pieces with contempt. This also we may say and answer to the Church of Rome, maintaining the worshipping of Images, defacing the glory of God, 
Rhem. Test. annot. in Heb. 9 cap.  and objecting in defence of them the example of Moses making the Cherubims, & setting them over the Mercy-seat. And the jesuits reason, that seeing they were set in the holy place, they may much more be set in our Churches; seeing the jews were permitted them, a people prone to Idolatry, & gross in imagination, much more are they allowed to Christians under the Gospel. And lastly, seeing the Angels were portrayed, which are mere spiritual substances, much more may the Images of Christ, his blessed mother, his holy Apostles, and his beloved Saints. The jews were children, 
Cal. 4.12.  and as an heir in his nonage, and were suffered to have these rites and rudiments to be their book to help their capacity, and to instruct them in knowledge; but now the Church, being as a man grown to fuller strength, and able to digest stronger meat, doth not stand in need of such rude Teachers and Schoolmasters. Besides, these were set up by the express commandment of God: we are forbidden to make any images according to our own fancy, and by our own appointment in his service. But when God forbiddeth us the making of Images, he gave not a Law to bind himself, nor restrained himself from commanding & ordaining such signs and similitudes, such forms and figures, as he thought fit for the furnishing & finishing of the Tabernacle.  
Again, a particular commandment given of God, doth not give a discharge of the general Law, nor set men at liberty, or open a gap to do at their pleasure that which GOD expressly and directly forbiddeth to be done: so that every commandment must be understood with this restraint and proviso, 
Gen. 22.2.  Except God command the contrary.  
Furthermore, it is a foolish comparison and an evil conclusion, to reason, because these Cherubins were set in the sovereign holiest place of all the tabernacle, therefore much more the images of Christ, of his mother, and of Saints, may be placed in churches. For how fond and childishly do they dispute, arguing from such as were set up by the commandment of God, to justify such images as God never commanded; nay, which are forbidden to be made to any use of religion?  

D. Bish. against Refor. Cathal.  Again, those Cherubins (as themselves confess, though others of them deny it) were set in the most holy place, whereinto the high Priest only entered and that once a year; where they were never seen of the people, and consequently there could be no danger of idolatry, standing in a place farthest removed from the people's sight: whereas the Romish images are not only set openly in Churches in the people's view and presence, but are commanded to be worshipped, & men commonly kiss them and creep unto them in sign of honour. Yea, the writer to the Hebrews teacheth, that the holiest place signifieth the highest heavens: Now, we cannot conclude, that because the images of the Cherubins were set up in the place that representeth and resembleth the heavenly condition of the life to come, therefore they may be set up in earth, and in this present life.  
Moreover, the comparison will not hold, from Angels to other, that seeing they being spirits were portrayed; such as had bodies may be: as Christ, his mother, & the Saints. For we may better draw a contrary conclusion; that seeing the Lord commanding some images and similitudes to be set up, would have none of such things which can possibly be portrayed by the Art and cunning of man's hand; therefore ought men much less to do it by their sole and single authority. Neither was there any resemblance or representation of the nature, substance, or essence of Angels, but only of their office and function alone: so that if this serve to confirm and ratify imagery in the Church, it can prove no image of the persons of Christ, of his Mother, and of the Saints but only of their office.  
Moreover, these new idolaters do borrow the weapons of the old idolaters that lived in the days of Tertullian, 
Tertul. contra. Marcun. lib. 3.  who alleged this example of the Cherubins, which the Rhemists do: to whom he answereth, it was done for ornament of the Ark, not for worship of the images: so that to warrant any setting up of religious images against the second commandment, a man must have the like special warrant and word that they had from the Lord.  
For if Moses had set up the Cherubims or brazen serpent for those causes without God's commandment, he had sinned grievously, and committed idolatry, which God abhorreth. And whereas they say, God forbiddeth only the idols of the heathen, made for adoration of false Gods, it is a vain cavil, 
Epipb bear. 14 & 55 & 79 E●ipb Epist. ● joan. Hiero.  and an old and cold evasion. For the commandment is general, condemning the images of all heretics made for any use of religion.  
Again, this conceit is evidently confuted by Moses, who opposeth the voice of God heard in the mountain, to all images; and namely to the image of God himself, who is said to have appeared in no likeness, lest they should make an image of him Deut. 4.15 16. Take good heed to yourselves, for ye saw no image in the days that the Lord spoke unto you in Horeb out of the minds of the fire, that ye corrupt not yourselves, and make you a graven image or representation of any figure, whether it be the likeness of male or female: where he reasoneth, that because they saw no image, they must make none.  
The second question is of the manner how Objection 2 this curing and healing was wrought and performed. It was set upon an high pole or perch to be seen and viewed of all the people. They were stung, they looked upon it, they were by and by healed at the very sight thereof, none that saw it perished, though they were stung before. Now the question is, how this naked sight and bore beholding of the brazen serpent, could cure this biting, and turn the rank poison into a counterpoison.  
I answer, Answer. there was no proper force or natural power inherent in the image itself. For in all natural things consisting of the matter and the form, the force which they have, proceedeth either from the one or from the other; either from the matter whereof it is made, or from the form whereby it consisteth. The matter of this serpent was brass, without sense, without breath, without life, which hath no virtue or vigour to cure the stingings and bitings of venomous beasts, more than the brazen Laver, the brazen Grate, 
Exod. 3●, 1● Chap. 35, 1● Chap 36, 1● Chap, 3●, 1● Leuit. 6, 28 Numb. 16, ● 1 King 7, 45  the brazen Taches, the brazen Sockets, the brazen Pot, the brazen Censors, the brazen Sea, the brazen Pillars, the brazen Basins, and other holy instruments applied about the Temple and Tabernacle; none of which wrought any such strange and wonderful miracle. Nay some of the Hebrew Rabbins and Doctors do declare, that the cure was by contraries, 
Paul. Fa● i● par apb. ●●ld. David.  inasmuch as the nature of bright shining brass is such, that whosoever being bitten of a serpent beholdeth it, presently dieth.  
The outward form of this serpent was not of nature but from Art, made in proportion like to the serpents that stung them: but the artificial form worketh nothing of itself, which it receiveth from the workman: Wherefore this brazen serpent could perform no such work by any force or virtue of it own. Whence then had it this wonderful power and operation? Surely, from the ordinance, appointment, and institution of God only. Thus was the cure performed, not as by ordinary means of Physic or Chirurgery, or by any natural property of the Serpent, such as we know, learn, and perceive to be in herbs & simples, applied to places affected and infected. For this extraordinary work must be weighed, either by the nature of the thing, or by the appointment of God, beside & beyond the nature of the thing itself. But not by'the nature of the thing considered in itself; for we see if a man frame such an image it hath no such strength, neither had this any such virtue remaining after this season. Therefore by the institution of God it was made forcible and effectual, who can heal all our infirmities at his own pleasure, as he healed Naaman by washing in jordan, 2 King. 5, 12. restored a great multitude of sick folk by stepping into the troubled water, joh. 5.4. gave sight to the blind, joh. 9.6. by making clay of spittle and anointing the eyes of the blind therewith. Now this institution was Sacramental (as we have showed,) for the serpent hanging on a pole, figured out Christ hanging on the Cross, who is made of God, jesus, that is, A Saviour unto us, that such as look on him, that is, believe in his Name, should not perish, but have life everlasting: and this kind of cure did greatly magnify God's mercy. For if the serpents had been suddenly taken away, as the plagues brought upon Egypt were, it would be thought they had come by chance and fortune; yea, the great favour of God would soon have been forgotten: Now, albeit these serpents remain among the people, albeit they oftentimes sting them, albeit they tread upon them and feel the venom of them, yet they may well bite them, but they cannot kill or destroy them, seeing they had so sudden and sovereign a remedy at hand to restore them.  
Objection 3 Another question may be asked, why this brazen serpent was kept and reserved so long after the serpents were gone from the Israeites, and the Israelites from the wilderness, and were placed in the land of promise? for it appeareth to have been in king Hezekiahs' time, seven hundred years after the erecting of it.  
I answer, 
●wer.  it was preserved to be a monument of this history, to wit; of the people's rebellion, of God's compassion, and of Christ's passion, because it was a lively figure of his crucifying, and of spiritual grace received from him. But when once another end contrary to the first institution and God's ordinance crept in, that the people offered incense unto it, albeit it were the commandment of God, the work of Moses, the type of Christ, the cure of the people, yet it was justly demolished, & rightly commanded to be destroyed, that all occasion of superstition and idolatry might be cut off for ever afterward.  
Objection 4 But are all things to be destroyed that are abused? and to be abolished that are and have been worshipped?  
I answer, Answer. no: for then the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars should be pulled out of heaven, Deut. 4.19. jer. 7.18. in as much as the whole host of heaven have been worshipped as gods. So the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, should be abolished, seeing they have been horribly abused to palpable idolatry. Besides, we must make a double difference in the deciding of this doubt.  
First, between the ordinances of God abused to superstition, and the inventions of men abused to superstition. The mere devices of men, when once they are abused, may be taken away; but the ordinances of God, which he hath appointed, must not be repealed and refused for the abuse of them. Again, we must make another difference between the ordinances of God instituted upon special and particular occasion for a temporal benefit at some one time, and such ordinances of God, as have necessary and perpetual use, which for no abuse are to be omitted and cut off, as the Sun, the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and such like. But the brazen serpent was not so: wherefore by Hezekiah it was religiously demolished and destroyed; albeit at the first setting up, it were a comfortable and profitable ordinance of God for the present good of his people: yet being grossly abused, and then no necessary use of it remaining to the Church, countervailing the danger of the continuance thereof, 2 Kings 18.4. he is commended by the Spirit of God for his zeal toward God, in stamping it to powder, and utter defacing that brazen stuff. Neither did he account it sufficient to withdraw worship from it, or to forbid the people to burn unto it, or to send out the Levites to instruct them better in the service of God, or to punish such as gave the glory of God (whereof he is jealous) to a molten image: 
Esay 42.8.  but cast it down in detestation, and the better to avoid the sin, took away the occasion, which was as a stumbling block before their eyes.  
Verse 4, 5. The soul of the people was sore grieved, because of the way, for the people spoke against God, and against Moses, etc. here we see how they fall again into their former sin and murmuring, so often noted in this book, and elsewhere, as Exod. 15.24. and 16.2, 3, and 17.2, 3. for the greatness of their labour, for penury of water, for lack of flesh, for want of dainties & delicates, they distrust Gods great providence; and for these rebellions they had been often grievously punished: yet lo, they fall into the same sin again. Their tents were replenished with his heavenly blessings, all places did yet smoke with the fire of his judgements; yet behold, there is no end of their rebellions, verifying the saying of the Prophet, Can the Blacke-Moore change his skin, 
Ier 13.23. Nazian orat. 1 ●n julian.  or the Leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are ●●●stomed to do evil. Hereby we learn four our instruction, 
Doctrine. Our weakness is such, that we are ready to fall again in●o the same sins which we have renounced.  that lamentable is our condition if God leave us, we fall into the same sins again and again, which before we refused and renounced. I say, such is our great frailty and weakness, if we be not stayed and underpropped by the assistance of the Spirit, that we return with greediness unto our former sins which we seemed to have forsaken and abjured. This the Prophet plentifully teacheth, Psal. 78.40, 41. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! yea, they returned, and tempted God, and limited the holy one of Israel. Thus did Pharaoh, Exod. 9.37, 38. I have now sinned, the Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked; pray ye unto the Lord for me (for it is enough) and I will let you go: but when the hail was gone, and the thunder ceased, and the judgement was removed his heart was hardened, and he continued in his sin. The like we see in Saul, who could clear David more than he? His own conscience roused him up, which before was asleep, and he confesseth with tears, Thou art more righteous than I, 
1 Sam. 24.17, 18, and 26.21, 22.  for thou hast rendered me good, and I have rendered thee evil: thou hast showed this day that thou hast dealt well with me, for as much as when the Lord had closed me in thine hands, thou killed'st me not: yet the same Saul fell again into the same sin, and acknowledgeth his own wickedness; I have sinned, come again my son David, for I will do thee no harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes. We see this in the example of the Israelites in the book of judges, 
judg. 3.7, 12, and 4, 1, 2, and 6.1, 2.  they committed evil again and again, they transgressed by idolatry, they knew what that sin was; they had experience of God's severity against it, they had confessed it and cried for mercy; yet the same people, and the children of the same people, not taught by their former falls, nor admonished by former judgements, nor instructed by former deliverances, do proceed in the same sin, and provoke God to punish them by their relapse into the self same iniquities. Hereunto cometh the allegory and similitude, of the unclean spirit that wandered in the wilderness, and ranged up and down without rest, but in the end found his house empty, 
Mat. 12.45, 46  swept and garnished, so that he took seven other spirits worse than himself, they enter in and dwell there. So the places of the Apostle, Heb. 6. Do directly offer this point, that many sin again, after the receiving and acknowledgement of the truth, according to the saying of the Wise man, 
Pro. 26.11.  As the dog turneth again to his own vomit, so a fool turneth to his foolishness. So that except the Lord uphold, and hold men back▪ they fall into the same sins before committed, and provoke him afresh by those sins which before they refused.  
Reason 1 For first of all, who is the author of constancy and perseverance in any good work? Is it of ourselves? Is it of our own power? Nay, as every good giving and perfect gift is of God, so he that in his nature is unchangeable giveth us the gift to stand, and preserveth us from falling, as the Apostle teacheth, Rom. 11.18, 19, 20. Where he taketh away all occasion of boasting from the Gentiles, against the jews, reasoning from their chargeable condition, not being firmly fastened, and deeply grounded as the root itself; but movable and mutable as the boughs and branches knit to the root, being easy to be broken off. So then, God is the author of constancy, and of perseverance, 
Phil. 2.13.  Who worketh in us both the will and the deed & not man by his own proper strength who if he be not stayed by him that is the stay and strength of Israel, he falleth into horrible sins, and such as go against his own conscience, as may appear very evidently by many examples. Again, none can come to God, except the Father draw him. We are the greatest enemies to our salvation. All within Reason 2 us, is against us: we naturally contemn the word which is the rule of constancy, and the staff to uphold us, and as the arm of GOD stretched out to pull out of destruction. Thus the Prophet chargeth the jews, Nehe. 9.26.27. They were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy Prophet, which protested among them to turn them to thee, and committed great blasphemies. Man then left to himself, whereunto is he left, but to see his own weakness? And what remaineth in him that may bring him to God, and lead him in the right path? Undoubtedly nothing is in us, but self-love, pride, haughtiness, contempt of God, neglect of his word, as we see in the manifold relapses, & often revoltings of these jews, in whom as (in a glass) we may see our own faces, yea our own hearts, seeing we are of ourselves no better than they.  
Now let us come to apply this doctrine to Use 1 ourselves. First, we conclude, that fearful and dangerous is the estate of those from whom the Lord taketh the light of his countenance. If he leave us to ourselves, we work our destruction by rebellion against him. It is a great grace & mercy of God toward us, to be once enlightened, to taste of the good word of God, to be made partaker of the holy Ghost, and to taste of the powers of the life to come (which he denieth to many thousands in the world, who proceed not so far:) now to leave these goodly and glorious beginnings, and fall from light to darkness, and from righteousness into sin, is to make our end worse than the beginning, 
Mat. 11. 4●  and our case most fearful by returning to our uncleanness, as the Apostle Peter declareth, chap. 2.20, 21. For Satan will enter deeper into such, and take fuller possession of their hearts. Even as a jailor, when his prisoner hath escaped out of his hands, & broken prison, if he fasten upon him again, will lay better hold, will cast more irons upon him, and keep him faster than before: so will the devil deal with all evil men which are his slaves and prisoners, So that he that is unjust, shall be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still, revel. 22, 11. We see this by daily experience▪ in all such, as having washed their garments, do defile them again, they grow worse and more wicked than they were before. We should let our light so shine before men, that they seeing our good works, may glorify our Father which is in heaven. Mat. 5, 16. So many therefore as have quenched the good motions of the Spirit, and put out the light that began to shine in their hearts, are as smoking Torches, and stinking snuffs, odious in the nostrils of God and men. Let us therefore make much of the least seeds of godliness sown in our hearts, and kindle the flame that is begun in us, if so be we have tasted how bountiful the Lord is. Let us be earnest in prayer to God, that he would 'stablish us with his grace, and not take his holy Spirit from us, Psal. 51, 11, nor leave us in the hour of tentation when the flesh is weak.  
Use 2 Secondly, let no man presume of himself, or glory in his own strength, 
●or. 10, 12.  But let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. If any good be in us, it is of another, who must work the will and the deed, the beginning and the ending; we stand by his hand, we continue by his grace, we run because he moveth, we seek because he preventh, We come to God because the Father draweth. 
●n 6, 44.  Remember Peter's confident bearing of himself, which was the first step to his fall, as we see, Math. 26, 33, 34, when he said, Though all men should be offended by thee, yet will I never be offended: yet Christ telleth him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night before the Cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And the Evangelist declareth, that when he saw the swords and staves, the high Priests servants, & the higher powers armed against him, he denied him thrice, first barely & more fearful and faintly, then with cursing and execration to himself. Let every soul learn from hence, that seeing God only must help and uphold us, to lay hold on the sweet mercy of Christ, and come boldly before the throne of his grace. Let us not rashly presume upon ourselves, but confidently rely on him, and pray him earnestly to preserve us, to bear us in his arms, that we dash not our foot against a stone, nor ruin ourselves upon every Rock.  
Use 3 Lastly, hence ariseth great comfort to God's children that fall of weakness and infirmity into the same sin after repentance. Such is the depth of Satan's temptations toward those that are afflicted in conscience, that wrestle with the Law, that feel the wrath of God, that bear the heavy burden of sin, and are entered into the very suburbs of desperation. He telleth them, that the children of God fall not into the same sins again after their repentance. If they do, he subtly suggesteth unto them, that there is no place for a second repentance, nor hope of God's mercy, nor fruit of Christ's merit. This is a false spirit in the mouth of false Prophets, which broach damnable and detestable lies in the Church of God, 1 King. 22, 4, and 2, 37. And this was the error of the Navatians, 
Aug. de bar. cap. 38.  which denied repentance after baptism for offences committed even through frailty, through fear and force of persecution. But the promises of God are without limitation of times, or consideration of sins, or respect of persons; he will receive to mercy all repentant sinners, whether the sins be committed before or after baptism, whether once or often. This pardon Christ our Saviour publisheth, Mat. 11, 22. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will ease you. So the Apostle john testifieth, 1. joh. 2, 1. My little children, these things writ I unto you, that you sin not: if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father JESUS CHRIST the just. Furthermore, the Lord enjoineth, that we sinful men forgive our brother seventy times seven times, 
Luke 17, 4.  if he turn again and say, It repenteth me: therefore himself will much more freely forgive; whose mercy is infinite, whose favour is incomprehensible, whose loving kindness endureth for ever. This also appeareth plainly in the examples of the servants of God. We see how Abraham the father of the faithful faileth in calling his wife Sarah his sister, 
Gen 12, 13. and 20, 2.  whereby himself was injured, the unbelievers tempted, and her chastity endangered; yet he fell again afterward into the same sin, and incurred the same danger, and laid a stumbling block before the blind, so that he had ruinated himself & his wife, if the hand of God had not assisted and prevented the mischief. The like we see in Lot, in a greater sin, 
Goe 19, 33, 35.  who being delivered out of Sodom, and growing secure, fell twice into horrible incest with his own daughters, and yet recovered himself by unfeigned repentance, The like we see in john, 
revel. 19, 10. and 22, 8.  one of the twelve Apostles, and the Disciple whom jesus loved, how he fell into idolatry, and worshipped an Angel, for which he was reproved of the Angel: yet he failed the second time, in giving divine worship to a creature, which belongeth properly and peculiarly to the Lord the Creator. Here then is comfort and consolation to all such as groan under the burden of sin, & have fallen through infirmity into the same sins: let not such doubt of God's mercy, Who is much in sparing sinners, and with whom is plentiful redemption. Psal. 130, 7. Let them not fear the temptations of the devil, who goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour, 1 Pet. 5, 8, but assure themselves, that albeit with Peter they fall often, yet if with him they repent truly, & weep bitterly for their sins, the Lord is merciful to forgive them their sins. Not that we should sin proudly presumptuously, stubbornly, stiffly and obstinately against him, that grace may abound, Romans, chapter 6, verse 1: but if we sin through frailty, he will not shut us from his mercy. The devil will tempt often, the world allure often, the flesh entice often; so we may fall often through the temptations of the devil, through the allurements of the world, and through the enticements of the flesh. If they did draw us and provoke us to sin but once, we should fall but once; but they are ever at our elbow to work our ruin, and forsake us not for ever, as the devil departed from Christ only for a season. Luke. 4, 13. But the Lord knoweth whereof we are made, He remembreth that we are but dust: he considereth that we are but flesh, yea as a wind that passeth and cometh not again. Psal. 103, 14, and 78, 39 So that albeit we be often overcome by sin, yet if we often repent and return unto him, he is a Father that hath more than one blessing in store, and a liberal giver that reproacheth no man, 
jam. 1.5.  and pardoneth those that have often asked and begged pardon. It followeth.  
[Here is neither bread nor water, and our soul loatheth this light bread.] here is the sin of this people: after God had plentifully and abundantly fed them to the full, they wax wanton and weary of this food, they account their Manna a vile and contemptible meat, albeit it were most precious, and named therefore, 
Psal. 78, 25. Doctrine. Naturally we soon wax weary, and wanton of God's gifts. revel. 2, 17.  Angel's food. The doctrine from this corrupt practice, is this; that we wax weary, loath, and contemn Gods blessings, which we seemed at the first with joy and gladness to receive. We soon learn to contemn, to make little and light account of spiritual and temporal blessings, for this Manna was both. We see this in our first parents, they were compassed with the kindness of God, and hedged about with his mercies, yet were not long contented with them, nor rested in them with thanksgiving, but lusted to taste of the tree of be knowledge of good and evil, and would be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3, 6. So Esau was the first borne, he should have delighted therein as in a pledge of God's favour, and a mirror of his great mercy, 
Goe 25, 33.44. Heb. 12, 16, 17  yet he grew profane and secure, he sold the birthright, and contemned the blessing. This Solomon teacheth, Prou. 27, 7. The person that is full, despiseth an honeycomb, but unto the hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet. The like we read in Moses, Deut. 32, 15. He that should have been upright, when he waxed fat, spurned with his heel: thou art gross, thou art laden with fatness: therefore he forsook God that made him, and regarded not the strong God of his salvation. Thus we see how ready we are to despise God's graces, and so to come to the very top of iniquity.  
Reason 1 The reasons follow to be considered. First, it is not much to be marveled at, that we wax weary of good things, because we want the spirit of discerning and of judgement to see into our own selves. Hence it is, that we hold not on in a certain and settled course the way of godliness which we are entered into. We haut in our journey, and many ways trip before we come to the end, thereof. And the reason is, because we weigh not heavenly things with the weights of the Sanctuary, but put them in the partial and deceitful balances of our own brains, whereby we deceive ourselves, rob God of his honour, & prise the best things at a vile rate, as Christ was valued at thirty pence. 
Zach. 11, 22.  This senselessness & sottishness, Christ himself checked in the Israelites, saying unto them, when he was come near to the City and beheld it with tears, O, 
Luke 19, 4●.  if thou hadst even known at the least in this day, those things which belong unto thy peace; but now are they hid from thine eyes. Where there is this blindness of mind, this security of heart, this want of judgement to discern of their estate & condition aright, no marvel if there be a loathing and leaving of good things, as was among the Israelites in this place.  
Secondly, we are so besotted and bewitched Reason 2 with the glittering show of this world, and of the things in this world, that we have no leisure to mind the world to come, and are so pampered up with the peace, and plenty, and pleasures of the world, that as resty horses we spurn against our Creator, 
Deut. 32, 1  as Moses complaineth, and we heard before. As we are of the earth by creation, so we always carry a lump of this earth about us, our hands are full of it, our eyes look upon it, our feet tread upon it, our senses are exercised with it, our talk & communication is upon it, our hearts are possessed with it, and all our life long we dwell upon it. Seeing therefore this mould of earth & earthly things hath taken such root in us, no marvel if we grow carnal and secure, wax wanton and weary of the word, and of those ways that lead unto life and salvation. This doth our blessed Saviour teach us, Mat. 13, 22, in the Parable of the Sour, He that received the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, but the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he is made unfruitful.  
The uses hereof are, first to show us the Use 1 difference between the godly and ungodly. For the godly do magnify God's graces, set them at an higher rate, & make a greater reckoning of them then of all earthly things. This appeareth, Mat. 13, 44, 45, 46. The kingdom of God is like unto a treasure hid in the field, which when a man hath found, he hideth it, & for joy thereof departeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like to a Merchant man that seeketh good Pearls; who having found a Pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had, and bought it. 
Phil. 3, 8, 9  So the Apostle Paul accounteth all things loss, and judgeth them as dung, that he might win Christ, & might be found in him; not having his own righteousness which is of the Law, but the righteousness of God through Christ. But the ungodly despise the graces of God, like the Gadarens, who preferred their swine before Christ, Math. 8, 34, and like profane Esau, 
Heb. 12, 16.  who for one portion of meat sold his birthright. If they sustain any damage or loss in their riches, and substance of their house, how are they grieved and vexed? How do they howl and cry out as if they were utterly undone? What seeking and searching, far and near, is made to find the same? And they are of such impatiency of spirit, that they are never quiet till they have found the same. What man having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, & go after that which is lost, until he find it? Either what woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? Luke 15, v. 4, 8.  
But if the gifts and graces of GOD decay in them, if they lose his favour and loving countenance, if they grow poor and thread bore in spiritual blessings, it never troubleth their minds, it never grieveth their hearts, they never complain of any wants: for being wholly earthly, plodding upon the world like earth worms, they have no feeling of the want of heavenly things. Would we therefore know a faithful man from an unfaithful? and would we have some assured mark and token to discern the one from the other? Mark how they esteem things that concern a better life. If they rejoice in the word of God as they that find great spoils, if first they seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, if they labour after the excellent knowledge of Christ, and stir up the precious gifts of God in them, we have unfeigned testimonies of their unfeigned faith. But if we see any contemn knowledge, and despise the graces of God, if we see them tread under their feet the sweet blessings of God, as swine do precious Pearls, they give evident witness against their own souls, and do carry about them in their own bosoms, a note of horrible profaneness.  
Secondly, let us look carefully unto our Use 2 selves, and learn daily to call ourselves to a reckoning & account for the benefits of God which have been bestowed upon us, lest we unthankfully devour and wickedly swallow them up, forgetting both them and the giver of them, 
●l. 40, 6.  which are more in number then the hairs of our heads. Let us also learn to feel our own poverty and wants. Hunger, we say, commonly is the best sauce; so the surest and fittest remedy to recover us of this sin of loathing and discontentment, is to consider our need and necessity of heavenly graces, and what want we have of the word, which is the food of our souls, sweeter than the honey and the honeycomb, more to be desired then the finest gold yea, than all riches, more precious than Pearls, and all things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto it. Psal. 19, 10, and 119, 103. Proverb. 3, 15.  
Now we shall never be weary of this our weariness and contempt of the best things, until we have learned as new borne babes to desire the sincere milk of the word of God, that we may grow thereby. 1 Pet. 2● 1. Therefore the Prophet calleth such to hear him, Esay 55, 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and ye that have no silver, come, buy and eat▪ come, I say, buy wine and milk without silver, and without money. Hereunto cometh that which Christ proclaimed at the last▪ and great day of the feast, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. john 7, 37. This was the affection of the Prophet David, Psal. 143, 5, 6. and 63, 1, 5. I meditate in the works of thine hands, I stretch forth mine hands unto thee, my soul desireth after thee as the thirsty Land exceedingly. So then, when we come to the banquets of God which he hath furnished for us, we must come with hungry stomachs, craving to be satisfied and filled with his dainties. We see when men go to a great feast prepared and providedfor them, whereunto they are courteously invited, they do not fill themselves before hand, but come with hunger and desire: so must we do in coming to the exercises of our religion. Seeing then, Wisdom hath built her an house, killed her victuals, and prepared her Table, calling us to come eat of her meat, and drink of the wine which she hath drawn, Prou. 9, 1, 2, 5, it is our parts to come to the Word and Sacraments, as to the high ordinances of God with a ready mind, with a thirsty soul, and with a good appetite, that we may be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. He affordeth unto us a plentiful allowance, 
Ps 36, 7, 8, 9  and appointeth unto us a liberal diet: he dealeth not sparingly and niggardly with us, but inviteth us as his guests to good cheer and bountiful provision of his word, prayer, and Sacraments. If then God have denied unto us this world's good, that we are driven to rise early, & far hardly at home in our own houses, and sometimes have scarce a crust of bread, and a pot of water, yet here is matter of great contentment and consolation, that we have such plenty of spiritual provision provided for the soul in the house of God whereby we are nourished to eternal life, and comfortably taught to bear the penury and distresses of the body. A dinner of green herbs, and God's word going with it, are notable sare. For as one said; The Gospel and brown bread are good cheer.  
Lastly▪ 
Vs●  consider from this natural loathing of the blessings and best things of God, why GOD especially punisheth those places and people; even because they are fallen into a spiritual surfeit, as it were into a deadly sleep and slumber, and are clogged and cloyed with the store and plenty of that food which God hath given them. When the Gospel was restored to us again, as the book of the Law that Hilkiah the Priest found; with what joy of heart, and applause of the people; 
2 King. 22, 8.  with what comfort and courage was it heard in the beginning? How precious and sweet was it to our taste? How zealous and forward were we in hearing the Lord, and calling others thereunto? But in these days, wherein we have it continued in plenty and abundance that we may sit under our Vines and Figtrees, conferring and reasoning of the ways of God, how many loath it? how many neglect it? how few receive it? who doth prise it as he ought to do? We are cloyed with the preaching of the word: we are heart-sick of peace and prosperity. It were an happy and blessed cure to restore us to the former days of our health. This surfeit is the common sickness, & almost desperate disease of our Land, that all her spiritual Physicians know not which way to turn their hands and their heads to cure & recover her. Such as once have taken a surfeit by eating any meat, are ordinarily prescribed by the Physician to fast, to bring them to a stomach and appetite again: and whensoever the body is distempered by repletion, the way to recover, 
Fernel de morb cause. cap. 14.  is to take the diet, as the masters of that faculty do affirm. So God, as the chief Physician of the soul, when we once begin to loath and abhor our meat, and to surfeit of the food which he sendeth, bringeth upon us most worthily and justly the famine of his word. And do we not see (if we be not altogether blinded) how he beginneth now for our sins to diet us? and many assemblies ranged in goodly order, which made heaven and earth to ring and resound with the praises of God, to be left as sheep dispersed abroad, and wandering in the Mountains without a Shepherd? This is that which the Lord long since threateneth to his people, as one of his sorest and sharpest judgements. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the Land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the North even to the East, shall they run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it, etc. Amos 8, 11, 12, 13. A great & grievous Thunderbolt thrown down upon the heads of all careless contemners of the word, they shall have it taken from them. The child that is plentifully and fully fed, and hath whatsoever he craveth and calleth for, at last waxeth wanton, he beginneth to play & dally with his meat, he breaketh it into pieces, & casteth it to the dogs: therefore it is necessary sometimes that he should be abridged & pinched, and cry hearty for it before he have it. So doth God deal with us when the food of his heavenly word is danled and dallied withal, and trodden as a vile thing of base worth under our unclean feet, he is constrained to take away the benefit of his word from us, & make us oftentimes in the anguish of our spirit, to call and cry unto him in the want of it, before he restore the same unto us again. And ye that are the Lords remembrancers, 
Esay 62, 6, 7.  keep not silence, and give him no rest until he repair, and until he set up jerusalem, the praise of the world. Let us repent and return betimes, even while it is called to day, lest the Gospel be taken away from us. For as we showed before, among all sins, the contempt of the word is one of the chiefest that crieth to heaven for vengeance to fall upon us. This the Lord jesus teacheth in many places, Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or that City, shake off the dust of your feet: truly, I say unto you, it shall be easier for them of the Land of Sodom and Gomorrha, in the day of judgement then for that City. Mat. 10, 14, 15, and 11, 23. Acts 13, 51.  
This serveth to comfort the Ministers in the course of teaching, and showeth how much God esteemeth his Gospel, and striketh a fear into all rebellious contemners of his word. This ceremony of shaking off the dust from the feet used among the jews, served to be as a figure of cursing, & as a witness against the inhabitants of that wicked place, as if they corrupted the earth and infected the places of their abode with their contagion. The Apostles of Christ were not commanded to use such a solemn kind of denunciation and detestation against murderers, drunkards, adulterers, thieves, false witnesses, perjured persons, & such heinous malefactors, but against the contemners of the Gospel; which teacheth that God is not more offended with any offence, then with the contempt of his word: therefore he affirmeth, that such shall be more grievously punished than the Sodomites, who were destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven. 
Gen. 19, 14.  This toucheth us nearly who yet enjoy the Gospel, and live under the shadow and protection of it: let us remember that we are fallen from our first love and liking of it: let us repent and do the first works, lest the axe being laid to the root of the tree, he come against us shortly, and remove our candlestick out of his place, except we repent from our hearts.  
[Ver. 6. Wherefore the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, etc.] He showeth in these words whence the punishment of fiery serpents came upon them; not by chance or fortune, not from the nature of the soil and wilderness itself, but from God. So then the present judgement upon them is amplified by the author, The Lord sent them. This teacheth, that all punishments, diseases, and judgements of what sort and condition soever, are inflicted upon us by the hand of God. 
Doctrine. All punishments and ●sitations an● inflicted vp● us b● the ha● of God.  Whatsoever visitations fall upon us, and the rest of the sons of men, are laid upon us at the will & pleasure of God. This appeareth in Moses, when the old world was not spared, but a general flood brought upon the ungodly, God warned Noah to prepare the Ark to the saving of his household, and said. 
Gen. 6, 7, 1●  An end of all flesh is come before me, I will destroy from the earth, the man whom I have created, from man to beast, to the creeping thing, and to the fowl of the heaven. And speaking of the destruction of the Sodomites, (who were exceeding sinners against the Lord) he saith, The Lord reigned upon Sodom and upon Gomorrha, brimstone and fire, from the Lord out of heaven. Gen. 19, 24. So ●hen Abimelech King of Gerar, took away Abraham's wife, & afterward was constrained by the hand of God to restore her, it is said, Gen. 21, 17, 18. God healed him and his wife, and they bare children, for the Lord had shut up every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife. This point is also at large confirmed, Leu. 26, 16, 17. If ye will not obey me, nor do all these commandments, I will appoint over you fearfulness, a consumption, and the burning ague, the sword, famine, and pestilence to destroy you, and to make you few in number, so as your high ways shall be desolate. It was the Lord that brought the ten plagues upon Egypt. 
●od 8, 24. ●a 11.25, 38. ●y 45, 7.  It is the Lord that smote Nabal that he died. It is the Lord that formeth the light, and createth darkness; he maketh peace, and createth evil. It is the Lord that doth all these things. Finally, there is no evil in the City, which the Lord hath not done, Amos 3, 6. All which things agree fitly with this history in hand, that God sent fiery serpents among his people, and do teach us, that he is the author of all judgements & punishments that fall upon us, or upon any of the sons of men.  
The reasons hereof are evident and apparent. Reason 1 First, afflictions come not upon us at all adventures, they proceed not from the earth, or the air, or the heaven, it is the hand of God that lighteth upon us for our sins. For what can any one or all the creatures of God do of themselves? or what power is there in them to be revenged upon us? This therefore is our great folly, that we unwise men, gaze about here and there, wandering up and down in our own imaginations, and searching all the corners of our wits to find out the causes of our calamities out of ourselves, and yet all the while we perceive not the true and right cause to be in ourselves. Whensoever a man hath any adversity, he must look up to God, & into himself. When we see the air infected, it is not so disposed of itself. When God sendeth famine, 
〈…〉, 23.  and maketh the heaven as iron, the ground as brass, it is not so hardened of it own nature. When the earth is barren and unfruitful, it proceedeth not of it own kind, but we ourselves are the cause of all. Whensoever therefore we have woeful experience, and a lamentable feeling of many miseries, we must not cast our eyes hither and thither, but every man must enter into himself, & search out his particular sins, assuring himself that God knocketh at the door of his heart, and thereby provokes him to consider  of his own ways. This Eliphaz beateth upon, job 5, 5, 6, 7. The hungry shall eat up his harvest, and the thirsty shall drink up their substance: for misery cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth affliction spring out of the earth, etc.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God worketh out afflictions, he claimeth and challengeth them as his own peculiar work, that no man should be able to control any thing in this world. This the wise man urgeth, Eccles. 7, 16. In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider GOD also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man should find nothing after him.  
The uses of the doctrine are many. First, we Use 1 learn in all troubles and calamities on us and those that are ours, to look up to God as the chief & principal author of them from whence they come, and upon ourselves and our own sins, from whom they come. It falleth out with many, as it doth with the dog, if a man throw a stone at him, he runneth eagerly and angrily after it, he falleth upon it, and biteth it: so do men of this world, 
Prou. 19, 3,  when God any way visiteth them, they look upon inferior means, as the highest causes which they can reach unto, but never cast up their eyes to the Lord, whose hand and work it is: whereas we are bound to behold the stroke of God in all our distresses. We silly men accuse sometimes heat, and sometimes cold; sometimes drought, & sometimes moisture; sometimes the ground▪ and sometimes the air; sometimes one thing, and sometimes another thing, to be the cause of our calamity, but cannot be brought to find out the true and proper cause. True it is, the Lord hath secret causes that we know not of, sometimes the manifestation of his own works, sometimes the trial of our faith; and we must take heed we measure not the greatness of the sin by the grievousness of the cross, 
john 9, 2, 3.  wherein the Apostles themselves were deceived. Notwithstanding, the revealed and original cause of all calamity, hath his beginning and head-spring from our iniquity, insomuch that if we had in us no guilt of corruption, we should not taste at all of the cup of affliction. This the Prophet teacheth, Lam. 3, 39 Wherefore is the living man sorrowful? Man suffereth for his sin. And our Saviour warneth the man that had been diseased 38 years, finding him in the Temple, to consider the cause of his long and lamentable affliction, 
john 5, 14.  Thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee: so that this disease was laid upon him for his sin. He thought himself an happy man when he was restored to health. Now lest he should rest therein, the Lord telleth him he must change his heart, or else God will bring seven times more plagues upon him, according to his sins: though he had been afflicted many years, yet he would make his judgements upon him more wonderful, even great plagues of long continuance, and sore diseases of long durance. To the same purpose the Apostle saith, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, which withhold the truth in unrighteousness Ro. 1, verse 18. Wherefore, every visitation of God, should be a sermon of repentance, to put us in remembrance of our sins, & to admonish us, not to sow upon the furrows of unrighteousness, lest we reap the crop of affliction an hundred fold. Let us desire God to sanctify the cross unto us, that it may consume sin in us, and provoke us to a more holy conversation.  
Use 2 Secondly, the meditation of this, that God is the author of all afflictions, must teach us to have patience in our troubles; not to murmur not to repine, not to grudge when we are under the cross. For seeing God hath visited me with his hand, I must take it patiently, as a dutiful child beareth the chastisements of his father. This the Prophet practised, as we see, Psal. 39, 9: I spoke not a word, but held my peace, because thou Lord didst it. This the Apostle teacheth, Heb. 12, 5, 6. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and he scourgeth every son that he receiveth. The flesh always seeketh ease, and is ready to be impatient, if deliverance come not by and by; so that we must remember from whence our trouble cometh, to assuage the sorrow and bitterness of our affliction. For this is a great comfort to God's children, that our sickness, yea every pang & fit of our sickness is from God; the manner of it, the measure of it, the time of it, the matter of it, is of God: which giveth good assurance and affiance that God will be merciful and gracious unto us, seeing he striketh us, that is our Father, and in the stroke (be it never so sharp) he cannot forget his former compassions, but he will make all things fall out to further our salvation; neither will he lay more stripes and strokes upon us, than we shall be able to bear. He will make a way for us to escape: 
1 Cor. 10, 13. Psal. 56, 8. Psal. 11, 3. Cant. 2, 6.  he will make our bed in all our sickness: he putteth our tears in his bottle: his left hand is under our head, and his right hand doth embrace us. Let us comfort one another in these things.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it standeth us upon, whensoever his hand is upon us, to seek to him for health, that smiteth and no man healeth; that maketh the wound, and no man restoreth. We are directed by this consideration, to whom to seek for our recovery; to wit, first to the hand that striketh, and next to go to man's help, which is his ordinance. We must not first seek to the Physician, as Asa did, 2 Chron. 16, 13, but first be reconciled to God, the chief Physician of soul and body, and pray unto him in our trouble, as Hezekiah did, Esay 38, 2. Let us never look, that any means (be they never so excellent) shall profit us, and prosper with us, until we be at peace with God, and have renewed our repentance from dead works for our daily sins. This the Apostle showeth, jam. 5, 13. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. This condemneth those that seek to witches and wizards, and forget the God of their salvation, 
1 Sam. 2, 6.  who killeth and maketh alive, bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up again. Let us thereby be put in mind of our death, which is God's messenger and sergeant to arrest us, and to bring us into his presence. Let us ever prepare ourselves to departed in peace, cOnsidering that as the home of death shall take us, so the day of judgement shall find us. Here we repent, or else we repent never. 
Chrys. ho● de Lazaro. Basil de moral. 1. Reg. 2.  Here is time of changing and turning, but after this life, there is no more place of repentance, but an horrible expectation and fearful looking for of judgement, which shall devour the adversaries. The Scripture teacheth, that Cain that evil man, was of evil one and slew his brother: we may multiply thousands of years since he uttered that fearful and comfortless speech, 
Gen. 4, 13.  My sin is greater than ca be pardoned, my punishment is greater than can be suffered; yet when Christ shall break the heavens, and come to judge the quick and dead, he shall appear no otherwise at the last day, them as he was taken out of this life. The like we might say of Esau, of Saul, of judas, and of others, who ended their days in desperation; as they died, so they shall be judged, & abide for ever after judgement. As they turned not to God their Creator while they lived, so they shall receive no ease or alteration in their estate when they are once departed, and have received judgement: of whom we may say as Christ once spoke of judas, It had been good for these men, if they had never been borne. Mat. 26, 24. For not to be, is ten thousand times better than ever to be in a living death, in continual horror and desperation, where their worm dieth not, & the fire never goeth out. 
Mark. 9, 4●  This was the use that Hezekiah made of his sickness, Es. 38, 10, 11: I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave, I am deprived of the residue of my years: I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the Land of the living, I shall see man no more among the Inhabitants of the world. Wherefore, in sickness we are taught to seek health of God, and to be put in mind of our mortality.  
Lastly, when God hath showed mercy upon Use 4 us in our deliverance, let us spend the residue of our days in a godly conversation. It is a common and ordinary matter to make solemn promises and protestations to becOme new men if we recover. Many do then lament the former errors and ignorances of their life: but when they have obtained mercy at the hands of God, when they have found a blessing and been restored, they become as lewd and profane as they were before. And this moved Christ our Saviour to exhort the impotent man to sin no more, lest a more grievous judgement were brought upon him. joh. 5, 14. We see how Hezekiah being healed, the third day after he went up to the house of the Lord to praise him, 
2 King. 20, ● Esay 38, 18  & to speak of his goodness, who had seen his tears, heard his prayers, and who had removed his afflictions: The grave cannot confess thee, death cannot praise thee, they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth; but the living, the living, he shall confess thee, as I do this day, the father to the children shall declare thy truth. This duty is required of us all, when we are delivered from our sickness or sorrow, from trouble & calamity, to be thankful to God, and mindful of his mercy. Let every one examine his own heart, how he hath practised this duty, & what use he hath made of his affliction. There is none of us but hath a blessed experience of God's goodness toward him, he hath oftentimes preserved us from dangers, restored us from sickness, delivered us from diseases, freed us from troubles: happy are we, if thereby we have profited unto amendment of life, and in the study of godliness and be careful that we fall not back again into our former offences. We must not be like to Pharaoh, who returned to his vomit, and the hardness of his heart, 
●. 7.13, 14.  after he was freed from the plagues of God, lest with him we be destroyed by the just hand of God.  
[The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, which stung the people, so that many of them died.] God might have destroyed these ever-murmuring Israelites by the Canaanites or Edomites their adversaries; he hath men and Angels at his book and commandment to afflict them, and overthrow them: but he sendeth stinging serpents which tormented them, and a multitude of venomous beasts upon them, that they might know, that where with a man sinneth, by the same also he shall be punished, as we showed before.  
The Doctrine from hence, is, that GOD hath all creatures in his own hand, 
●ctrine. ●d hath all nature's, euē●●malest to ●ploy in his ●uce, which ●ing ●ent, do ●euaile.  and he armeth them at his own pleasure to execute his will, and being so employed, they are of great force. the least, the meanest the smallest of God's creatures being sent of God, do mightily prevail to the advancement of his own glory & to the destruction of all his enemies. This is plentifully taught in the history of the plagues of Egypt; God did not send out his Angels against them, nor levy an host of horsemen and footmen, but he sent an army of louse, of frogs, of flies, and these were confessed to be the finger of God, Exod. 8, 6, 16, 19, 24, and were able to daunt and bring down all the pride & presumption of the Egyptians. So when God would plague the Philistims, who had destroyed his people, taken the Ark of God, and blessed their Idols for the victory, 
Sam. 6, 5.  he sent a multitude of Mice that destroyed their Land, to the end they might learn to give glory unto the God of Israel, and acknowledge the plague to proceed from him. Thus likewise when the Assyrians, brought into the Cities of Israel, worshipped not God aright, but made them molten Images, and served all the host of heaven, 2 King. 17, 25, he sent Lions among them which slew them. When Herod had stretched out his hand to vex certain of the Church, Acts 12, 1, 2.23. had killed james, and put Peter in prison, intending after the Passeover to bring him forth to the people, the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not glory unto God, so that he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. The Scripture is full of such examples, how God destroyed the old world with waters, Gen. 7, 41, Sisera and his army with the River Kishon, that ancient River, 
judg. 5, 21.  the River Kison, when the Stars fought in order against Sisera. Albeit we say in a common Proue●be, As weak as water: yet it was strong enough, and it is still strong enough (as we see by experience in such floods and inundations as pleaseth God to send) when he armeth it against his enemies, whereby he taketh away the fruits of the earth, wasteth the increase of our cartel, casteth down our houses and dwelling places, and sweepeth away (as with a besom) the Inhabitants of the earth. 
Gen. 19, 24.  Sodom and Gomorrha were consumed with fire and brimstone from heaven. All these things as examples of God's judgements teach us, that he need not march against us in his own person, or set upon us with millions of his Angels, or assault us with an host of men; he can send out the smallest and silliest of his creatures to our destruction, and make the least and lowest of them accomplish the greatest works, so often as it pleaseth him.  
This appeareth by sundry reasons. First, all Reason 1 power is of God, who as he saveth with many or with few so he destroyeth with many or with few; 
1 Sam. 14, 6, & 17, 47.  with the strong, or with the weak▪ with reasonable creatures, or unreasonable, with living things, or wanting life. The meanest and basest have power enough, the most contemptible have force and might enough to hurt, to punish, and to destroy, when God useth their service; neither can any flesh resist them with all their craft and cunning, they are able to cast down our high looks, when we swell in pride against him. So then, whatsoever the means are, the power of then is of God, Ezek. 5, 16. When weak man taketh up any weapon into his hands (though without sense & life) when he shooteth an arrow, draweth a sword, throweth a dart, or pusheth with the Pike, we see oftentimes great and deadly effects to follow. How much more when the strong God armeth himself with any of his creatures, shall he be able to overthrow his enemies, and to bring strange things to pass?  
Secondly, it pleaseth God to employ, and Reason 2 set on work contemptible and base things, to use foolish things to confound the wise, & to choose weak things of the world to overturn mighty things, yea, 
1 Cor 1.27.  vile things of ●he world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, & things which are not, to bring to nought things that are; to daunt pride by weakness, and glory by shame, and honour by dishonour, that no flesh should rejoice an his presence. It more fretteth and galleth an high mind to be crossed and countermanded by mean things, then by things of reckoning and account. We see this in the example of Abimelech, judg. 9, 54. who being wounded by a woman, besought his servant to slay him, rather than it should be said, that a woman had slain him. It had been an easy thing with the Lord, when in the Land of Egypt he turned the dust of the earth into Lice, to have turned it into Lions and Bears, into Wolves & Tigers, of strange greatness, and cruel fierceness; but it pleased him rather to deal in this manner, the more to pull down the mighty, and to scatter the proud in the imaginations of their heart.  
Thirdly, he is the Maker and Creator of all Reason 3 things, so that they are not only his creatures, and the workmanship of his hands, but his servants and soldiers, to serve him, & fight his battles against his adversaries, such as all ungodly persons are; he is the General of this army, and therefore is called, The Lord of hosts, Esay 1, 9, having these as his sergeant and attendants to do his will. When he saith to his army go, it goeth; or come, it cometh: or do this, by and by it doth it.  
The uses remain to be considered. From Use 1 hence we learn, that the power of God is absolute and infinite, without limit or restraint, who is able by an army of mean creatures, to put us to foil & flight, whatsoever our might and manhood be we boast of. What? hath not God, men and Angels to command? Yes, yes, he hath them all at his pleasure to be employed. But he needeth not to arm the sons of men, or troops of Angels, if he do but hiss or whistle for any of his creatures, they come forth with store & strength out of their places against us; as it were in battle array. This the Prophet joel teacheth, chap. 1, verses 3, 4, 19, 20. So then, we must learn to acknowledge the great power of God; who governeth all things in heaven and earth to work his will. For as the Prophet saith, Psal. 94, 9 He that made the eye, shall not he see? or the ear, shall not he hear? So may we in like manner reason: He that giveth power, shall not he have power? He that putteth strength into his creatures shall not he be armed with strength himself? Now, we have already declared, that what force and might soever is in any of his creatures, it is a spark of his flame, it is an arm of his sea, it is a gift of his treasures, & therefore we are bound to acknowledge and confess, to believe and to rest in his power that doth terrible things, for his own Names sake.  
Use 2 Secondly, we are taught hereby to stand in fear of God, 
Mat. 8, 26, 27.  to tremble under this mighty Commander of sea and land, and to beware we do not tease with him, or provoke him to anger & indignation against us, seeing he hath so many royal Camps of armed soldiers in readiness, to be revenged of us, & to destroy us, when, and how, and where it pleaseth him. He is able to cut us down as grass, to blow us away as dust, to sweep us away as dung, & to tread upon us as worms of the earth: he needeth no weapon for the matter, he can scatter us as chaff before the wind, he can make the least dust to be our death, and the smallest vermin to be our destruction. If he arm the silly & simple fly, it is able to work out our confusion, and is far above our power to encounter and buckle withal. These are the men of war that God chooseth to wage battle for him, and to pull down the haughtiness of our hearts. Let us profit to humility, and stoop down under his hand. He can as easily send strange plagues, strange diseases & mortality among us, as he in former times hath done. This the Prophet jeremy teacheth, chap. 5, 21, 22, 24. Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not; fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Or will ye not be afraid at my presence? which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it, & though the waves thereof rage and roar, they cannot prevail or pass over it.  
Lastly, this teacheth, that none can escape Use 3 judgement, and though hand join in hand, the ungodly shall never go unpunished. For as it ministereth comfort to the faithful in all dangers to put their trust & affiance in God, who hath so many soldiers and servants to protect and defend them; so on the other side it assureth tribulation and anguish, death and destruction to every soul that doth evil. Look how many creatures he hath, so many means he hath to destroy us, and we cannot escape if we be at war and defiance with him. If God be on our side, who shall be against us? Rom. 8, 31. But if he be against us, what creature shall stand with us? Nay, what creature is not armed against us? If God be our enemy, nothing in heaven or earth can show us any good, or be in league and friendship with us, but is ready to bid us battle, and to proclaim open war against us. Therefore the Prophet saith, God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth, 
Nah 1, 2, 5, ●  he will take vengeance on his adversaries, and here serveth wrath for his enemies: the Lord is slow to anger, but he is great in power, and will not surely clear the wicked: the Mountains tremble, and the Hills melt before him, the earth is burnt at his fight, yea the world & all that dwell therein: Who can stand before his wrath? his wrath is powered out like fire, and the Rocks are broken by him. If a man were compassed about with thousands of his enemies, and hemmed in on every side with a mighty host ready to draw their swords, and discharge their Ordinance at him, would he not despair of deliverance, and put his soul in his hand as the Prophet speaks? This is the estate of all natural and wicked men. All creatures above their head and under their feet, on the right hand, on the left hand, and round about them, before them and behind them, are set against them, & have made a general conspiracy against them. It were a vain hope and foolish presumption for such a prisoner to dream of freedom & deliverance. The murder of Abel lying heavy upon the heart and conscience of Cain, 
Gen. 4, 1●.  made him stand in fear of every creature that came to meet him, or overtook him. If then we would be at peace with the creatures, and find peace in our own selves, which passeth all understanding, labour first of all to be at peace with God. Let him have no quarrel or controversy against us. Let us send out an Embassage of peace, 
●14, 32.  and hang out of our hearts a flag of truce, that he may call back his army from pursuing of us. If he once blow the retreat, all his soldiers retire, they are all able to do us no hurt, the stones of the street shall be in league with us, all creatures shall serve them that serve the Lord. Seeing therefore, the least of God's creatures are made by him too strong for a kingdom, who shall be able to resist his power? Seeing in his wrath he can arm all the creatures in heaven and earth against us, the meanest whereof is above our strength, what vain hearts have we in our breasts, and what wicked tongues in our profane mouths, to think and speak it, that we will shift well enough with his judgements? Let us shake at his infinite power betimes, lest the fire of his jealousy burn against us, and it cannot be quenched. Let us tremble at our security and presumption, that have taken hold upon us, lest the guiltiness thereof shake and shiver us in pieces for evermore, seeing he bringeth out his armies by number, & calleth them by their names. Esay 40, 26.  
[Verse 7. Then the people came to Moses, & said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee.] Mark here, how the Israelites seek help and secure of Moses. A man would have thought, that this rout of Rebels, of all other would not have gone to Moses, nor have stooped down to him, whom before they had contemptuously scorned, contumeliously abused, and despitefully spoken against; yet in their misery they making a virtue of necessity, come with one accord to Moses to be helped & succoured, to be relieved and prayed for; they can find no comfort nor remedy but in him. We learn from hence, 
●trine. ●ked are ● driven ●eke help ●e ●godly ● they ● despised  this doctrine; Such as are disobedient & wicked, are oftentimes driven to seek comfort and help of the godly, whom they have scorned and derided, reviled and spoken against I say, ungodly men, and such as blaspheme God, and are enemies to God and to his servants, are many times enforced and constrained to sue to them whom they have despised, and to seek to them in their necessity and extremity, when they are in affliction, and the hand of GOD is any ways heavy upon them. This appeareth in many places of the word of God; Abimelech having taken the wife of Abraham, and wronged him in the most precious part of his possession, 
● 20, 7, 17.  standeth in need of his prayer, that he might live, & be healed of the diseases that God had laid upon him and his people. In like manner Isaac was hated of the Philistims, they envied his riches, they stopped his wells, they oppressed him with injuries, and banished him their country: and yet behold, they are constrained immediately to seek peace of him, and to make a covenant with him, so that albeit they hated him, and put him away from them, yet the King & his Captain are glad to come unto him, Gen. 26, 24, 25, 26. For they feared him, and saw certainly that the Lord was with him. The like submission we see in Pharaoh, albeit he hardened his hart, and often had contemned and reviled Moses, yet in the grievousness of the judgement, he sendeth for Moses and Aaron, and saith, I have now sinned: the Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked; pray ye unto the Lord for me, that there be no more mighty thunders and hail. Exod. 9, 27, and 11, 8. Such an example is recorded, 1 Kings 13, 4, 6, touching jeroboam, who albeit he regarded not the word of the Prophet, but raged against him, and stretched out his hand from the Altar, saying Lay hold on him: yet when his hand was dried up, so as he could not pull it in again unto him, he humbled himself greatly in the present feeling of this punishment, and besought that Prophet to pray to the Lord his God, and make intercession for him, that his hand might be restored. Thus Saul seeketh to David, 1 Sam. 24, 21, 22. Belteshazzar to Daniel, Dan. 5, 12, 13. Zedekiah to jeremy, jer. 37, 3. The foolish virgins to the wise, Mat. 25, 8. Haman had conspired the destruction of the Church, and thirsted after the bloody massacre of the Saints of God, (whose death is precious in his sight) yet in the end he saw mischief prepared for him, & he stood up to make request for his life unto Queen Ester, chap. 3, 9, and 7, 7. Thus the saying and sentence of the wise man is verified, Prou. 14, 19 The evil shall bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.  
Neither let us doubt of this truth, or greatly marvel at it. For God hath planted & imprinted Reason 1 such a majesty in the person of those that are unfeignedly godly, & truly religious, that the most desperate and despiteful wicked men fear their faces, and reverence their presence. If then the ungodly fear them, it is no great marvel, though they fall down before them many times in submissive manner. But the ungodly do often fear them, therefore it cannot seem strange unto us, if they do some reverence unto them. This we see in Herod, Mark. 6.20. He feared john, 
Acts 4, 21, and 5, 26.  knowing that he was a just man, and an holy, and reverenced him; and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly. So when the people saw how God heard the prayer of Samuel, they feared Samuel exceedingly. 1 Sam. 12, 18. Such is the force of innocency, that it convinceth the enemies in their own consciences, and driveth them to do homage, and vail their bonnet to the servants of God.  
Again it is the will of God, that all such Reason 2 as humble themselves, should be exalted, and the lowly in heart should be advanced: so also such as exalt themselves, should be brought low; and therefore it is no marvel, if GOD even in this life do many times for the manifestation of his mercy and justice, lift up the heads of his own children, 
Luke 14, 11.  & cast down the wicked under their feet. Hence it is, that Christ jesus was so much delighted with this sentence so often repeated by him in the Gospel, Whosoever exalteth himself, shall be brought low, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, Math. 23, 12. Luke 18, 14.  
Use 1 Now let us make use of this doctrine. First, seeing the unfaithful be oftentimes constrained to sue to the faithful for their help, as the rich glutton did to Abraham; let us all learn to plant true godliness in our hearts, and to turn to the Lord with all our souls, that we may have our part and portion in this pre-eminence: and let us walk worthy of our places, and of this privilege, honour, and dignity. Seeing almighty God maketh us spiritual Kings to rule and reign, 
revel. 1, 6.  and often subiecteth the wicked under us, let us not be slaves to our own lusts and corruptions, but rule with authority and dominion over them, and labour to subdue sin unto us. We see the Princes of this world will not dishonour and debase themselves with base Offices. We are Kings and Princes to God in this life, let us then walk worthy of this dignity, as the Apostle urgeth this duty from us, 2 Thess. 1, 10, 11. The Lord shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be made marvelous in all them that believe in that day: wherefore, we also pray for you always, that our God may make you worthy for this Calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power. Where we see, that after he had set down the great glory that belongeth to God's children at the coming of Christ, he exhorteth them to walk worthy of their calling, seeing it shall be glorious with Christ, and the ungodly shall be brought to utter shame, contempt, dishonour, reproach, & confusion. There is no way to bring any to true honour, but to purchase to ourselves true godliness. Therefore the Lord said, 1 Sam. 2, 30. Them that honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me, shall be despised. Old age is rightly honourable, but it must be found in the way of righteousness. Prou. 16, 31. This we see to have been in job, chap. 29, 7, 8. When I went out to the gate, even to the judgement seat, and when I caused them to prepare my seat in the street, the young men saw me, and hid themselves, and the aged arose and stood up, the Princes stayed their talk & laid hand on their mouth. Lo, thus shall they be honoured that fear the Lord: and therefore blessed is the estate & condition of the godly.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing the wicked (even in this life) are urged to seek mercy at the hands of godly men, so that God here upon earth bringeth down their heads, that before were lifted up in great pride: how much more shall this be verified in the life to come? when the redemption of God's children draweth near, their happiness shall be perfected; then they are appointed to triumph, and to have the victory over all their enemies, & tread the wicked under their feet. For the true children of of God shall rule and overrule the world, and shall trample upon the kingdom of darkness, over hell, death, damnation, the devil, the reprobate, & whatsoever setteth itself against their peace. This the Lord from the beginning taught the Church, Gen. 3, 15. He shall break thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The devil shall tempt Christ, & assault his members, but not overcome them: whereas Christ shall conquer the power of death, and make his children partakers of his victory. And the Apostle Paul confirmeth the same, Rom. 16, 20. The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly.  
Wherefore, albeit there be in this life and wicked world, many beastly minded men, that spread their arms far and near, & seem even to dazzle the eyes of others, through their riches, honours, power, friends, alliance, might, credit, possessions, & dominion over others, so that none dare mutter a word against them; yet the time is appointed & cometh quickly, that the godly shall sit in thrones of glory, & judge these wicked wretches that have been enemies to the Church; they shall stand at the bar like poor caitiffs, and receive from Christ and his Saints, the sentence of condemnation, as 1 Corinth. 6.2, 3. Paul calleth the Saints of God to consideration of this prerogative, and checketh them, that they would submit themselves to the ungodly, Do ye not know, that the Saints shall judge the world? If the world than shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not, that we shall judge the Angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then the Lord bring the wicked down, and make them stoop to his servants in these days of their pilgrimage, wherein iniquity is often advanced, how much more shall we see our desire upon our enemies, when Christ which is our life, shall appear? 
Col. 3, 4. 1 john 3, ●  for than we shall appear with him in glory, and be made like unto him, and see him as he is. This the Prophet assureth the Church, Mal. 4, 2, 3. Albeit therefore we be persecuted & pursued in this life, and find no rest or refreshing anywhere, yet there shall be a sudden change of our condition, when we shall triumph with Christ, over all principalities and powers, that lift themselves up against God, who shall ●●ue shame and contempt powered upon them. The coming of Christ shall lighten things hidden in darkness, and make a manifest difference between the godly and the ungodly. Let us wait for his glorious appearance: let us hold fast till he come that which we have, that no man may take away our crown. This Christ our Saviour (who hath overcome the world) assureth, Revel. chapter 2. verses 26, 27. He that overcometh and keepeth my work unto the end, to him will I give power over Nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as the vessels of a Potter, shall they be broken. And the Apostle Peter assureth us, that the Lord is not slack of his coming (as some men count slackness) but is patiented toward us, that we should not perish, but come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, 
●. 3, 8, 9, 10  in the which the heavens shall pass away with a noise, and the Elements shall melt with heat, and the earth with the works that are therein, shall be burnt up. Then woe shall be to the wicked, than they shall be cast down, and never be able to rise again: then they shall howl, and weep, and lament, and never be comforted again: whereas the godly shall lift up their heads, because their redemption draweth near, When it shall be a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation unto them that trouble you, but to you which are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord jesus shall show himself from heaven with his mighty Angels. 2 Th. 1, 6. This therefore is a great comfort unto us, & giveth peace to our souls, that he will deal with all the ungodly, as joshua did with the Kings which he had conquered and subdued in battle. For he commanded them to be brought out of the Cave where they were hidden, and called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the chief of the men of war which went out with him; Come near, set your feet upon the necks of these Kings, and they came near and set their feet upon their necks: and joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be fainthearted, but be strong and of a good courage, for thus will the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. josh. 10, 24, 25. So will Christ jesus deal with all our enemies, who is the Captain of the Lords host, he will pour shame and contempt upon them, and therefore let us not stand in fear of them, to turn out of the right way, and to forsake our profession, but be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord; forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Thus if we be faithful to the death, we shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory.  
Use 3 Lastly, observe and mark how God magnifieth the Ministry, and is able to enforce the wicked to the acknowledgement of himself, and the true Ministers of his word: and let this comfort us in the midst of all contempts and disgraces of our God, of our religion, of our faith, and of our persons. Ah, we Ministers despised by profane men, let us mark and consider this, and lay it unto our hearts: let us bear their contempts & contumelies thrown upon us. In their extremities they shall acknowledge us, they shall reverence our Calling, they shall magnify our Office, our Ministry, and Doctrine, they shall justify us & desire our prayers, they shall stoop, they shall stoop when it pleaseth God. And let this suffice all true Teachers & Preachers of the Gospel of Christ, that the power of the truth is such, as that it maketh the enemy bow the knee unto it, which before seemed to have no joint to bend. This is the time which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it, when he giveth us a comfortable experience of this doctrine, that the enemies of God and our enemies are driven to resort and repair unto us: and such as made jests and songs of the word and of the Ministers of the word, cry out, O, 
Ezek. 33, 31.  how beautiful are the feet of them which bring glad tidings of good things? Rom. 10, 15. There is none of us all poor contemned men, that labour in sincerity in the vineyard of God, & bear the burden of the work and the heat of the day, but sometimes God lifteth up our heads, and honoureth us in the world, that we should not sink down under the burden; and maketh our mortal and greatest enemies, beseech us to be good unto them, and to help them in their extremities. The people of Israel despised the ministry of Samuel, & would not hearken unto him; but when they saw the lightning, and heard the thunder, and felt the rain at that unseasonable time, They feared the Lord and Samuel exceedingly, and they said unto him, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not. 1 Sam. 8, 7, and 12, 18, 19 Let this profitable meditation of God's mercy toward us, devour and swallow up all disgrace and defacing of our Ministry, and teach us to wait patiently upon the Lord, who, 
Prou. 16, 7.  when the ways of a man please him, will make his enemies to be at peace with him, and alter their hearts as pleaseth him. This is a very great dignity and high privilege that God bestoweth upon his poor and contemptible servants, reproachful in the world, 
1 Cor. 4, 9  a gazing stock to the wicked, accounted as the offscouring of the earth, a wonder to men and Angels: this is their honour and pre-eminence, they are magnified of God, and respected of the wicked in their manifold miseries, when God toucheth them in body, or afflicteth them in mind, or punisheth them in goods, or layeth his hand upon such as nearly concern them in the flesh. Excellent then is the estate of God's children advanced by him, and a great honour unto them, that their enemies are brought under them, & are made to sue unto them. God is able to deliver them from contempt, and to give us for the truth's sake a due regard and reverence when he will. So he magnified the ministry of Moses and Aaron (as we heard before) when Pharaoh could find no comfort in his enchanters and sorcerers, nor any help in his gods or Idols, 
Exod. 9, 28.  he is forced to seek comfort & help of those despised Ministers & messengers that were before hated of him: for Moses must pray unto God for him. So he magnified the ministry of his Apostles, so that the stubborn and stiffnecked jews, that could not abide the Gospel, nor the Preachers of the Gospel, being wounded in conscience, came to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, saying, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2, 37. The laylour, mentioned in the 16 of the Acts, v. 26, 27 29, put the Apostles into close prison, & made their feet fast in the stocks: but when the earth quaked, the prison doors opened, and every man's bands were loosed, when once he was waked out of sleep, and his conscience out of security, he called for a light, & leapt in, he came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, & could find no comfort but from them whom before he had cruelly entreated, nor recover himself from the gulf of desperation into which he was entering, but by their blessed ministry, who ministered a word in due season to the weary soul, to the heavy heart, and to the conscience burdened and oppressed with sin. So he magnified the ministry of john the Baptist, who was reverenced of the covetous Publicans, of the violent soldiers, and of the merciless people, 
Lu. 3.10, 12, 14  so that they demanded of him, What shall we do? Thus hath God dealt from time to time, compelling the wicked to know and to acknowledge his faithful Ministers to his great glory and our endless comfort. It is a vain & needless fear in many, that fear the fall and decay of the Ministry, & the utter ruin and overthrow of the Ministers of the word. There are many trades of this present life, that will never decay nor wear out of use. So long as building, planting, sowing, and tilling of the ground are in request, there will be use of the builder, of the planter, of the husbandman. Who feareth the contempt of harvest men in the time of harvest? Who feareth the discharge of watchmen, while the City is besieged? Who feareth that no reckoning will be made of Shepherds, so long as there are sheep to be attended, and wolves to be feared? The Ministers are the Lords builders, the people are his building: the Ministers are his husbandmen, the people his husbandry: the Ministers are the Lords harvest men, the people his harvest to be gathered into his barn. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. 3, 9, & Christ our Saviour, Mat. 9, 37. So long therefore as God hath a Church to be builded, a Vineyard to be planted, a Field to be tilled, a Flock to be watched, an Harvest ripe and ready to be reaped, we need not to be afraid of the decay and downfall of the Ministry. For so long as men have souls to be sued, the means of salvation shall be continued. We see this in the history of the Acts, how diversly it pleased the Lord to dispose of this his ordinance. Where he had no people to be called, he suffered not the Apostles to go thither: 
Acts 18, 10, 11  but where he had much people, there he commanded them to labour more, and to tarry longer, and suffered them not to departed so soon as they would. Wherefore, let us be bold and constant in the work of the Lord, and not fear to labour in his Vineyard, knowing that our work shall not be in vain, & assuring ourselves, that he will hold up our heads whom we serve, and maintain his own ordinance unto the coming of jesus Christ.  
[We have spoken against the Lord, and against thee, we have sinned.] The people of Israel being brought to true repentance by the former judgement of the fiery serpents, do not content themselves to confess their sins in general, saying, We have sinned; but they acknowledge the particular offence that had brought upon them that particular judgement. As than they felt the judgement in particular, so they have a feeling of their special and particular sin. 
Doctrine. We must w●nesse our repentance by acknowledging our paricular sins th● trouble us.  This teacheth, that howsoever we are to repent & crave pardon generally for general sins & unknown sins, yet we most be most pressed & perplexed, touched and grieved with particular sins. This truth appeareth lively in the practice of Naaman, who being won to the faith by the experience which he had of the mercy & power of God, as also the Ruler was by the miracle showed upon his son, joh. 4, 53, he was touched with a feeling of his former idolatry; and confessed his great blindness in the corrupt worship of false gods. Hence it is that he desireth God to be merciful unto him, that in going with his master into the house of Rimmon, 
2 King● 5, 13  and he leaning on his hand, he had worshipped that Idol, to the dishonour of God, and the wounding of his conscience. The words themselves will naturally bear this construction. For we must understand them of the time past, not of the time to come: of his craving pardon for that which he had done, and not for that he would do. He was a true convert, and testifieth his conversion by acknowledging his former impiety, and promising to forsake the same, and to worship the true God hereafter. This is indeed true repentance, when we are ready and willing to acknowledge those particular sins and trespasses that lie heavy upon the conscience, and have called down particular judgements upon us. We have a notable pattern of this kind of repentance in the Prophet, Psal. 51, 1, 14: thus do the people of Israel deal in their conversion, 1 Sam. 12, 19, and many others. 1 Tim. 1, 13. 1 Cor. 15, 9 Acts 2, 23. Luke 19, 8.  
The reasons. First, because repentance only Reason 1 made generally & confusedly for known sins, is never true repentance, but a common & hypocritical repentance of one resolved and settled to continue in sin, & not yet touched with a true feeling thereof. True it is, for secret and unknown sins, which we in weakness & ignorance commit, the Lord accepteth a general confession, as we see in the practice of the Prophet David, saying, Who can understand his faults? Cleanse me from secret sins, Psalm. 19, 12. Thus did the rest, no doubt, of the godly deal, & such an acknowledgement of their unknown sins (which they took not to be sins) did they make in a general manner, which were hidden not only from other men, but even from themselves. This we may say of their polygamy or their marrying of many wives, and other their dail infirmities.  
Secondly, we must make a particular account to God at the hour of death, when we Reason 2 must plead guilty or not guilty at his bar. A general reckoning and account will not then be taken, neither will the Lord set before us gross sums, but the account shall be made of specials; which may cause the stoutest and strongest men to tremble and quake for very fear of that day. All the sins of thy former life shallbe represented before thee, like ● squadron of enemies ready set in battle array to assault thee, & to give in evidence against thee. This is taught and witnessed unto us by the Apostle john, describing the manner of judgement to which we shall be summoned, revel. 20, 12. I saw the books opened, and the dead were judged of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. It standeth us upon in regard of these books, to make up our books, and to look to our reckonings, forasmuch as we must gave an account of our stewardship, Luk. 16, 2.  
Let us now make use of this doctrine. First, Use 1 we learn from hence, that it is not enough to say, we are sinners, and so to cry God mercy for a pang or a brunt and so away, or to desire God to forgive us our sins; but we must uncase ourselves, and uncover our particular trespasses, if we would have God to cover them with the precious garment of Christ. If a sick man come to the Physician, and only tell him he is sick, and never show him his particular grief and disease that troubleth him, in what part he is pained, and in what sort he is taken, he can never look to be cured and restored to health. If we come unto God, the Father of spirits and Physician of souls; and only say, We have sinned, we cannot assure ourselves of pardon. We declared before, that we must confess our unknown sins generally, but our known sins we must confess particularly, without any excuse or defence, without any hiding or diminishing of them; as the same Prophet doth after he had sinned in numbering of the people, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing, 
●hro. 21, 8.  etc. Wherefore ●t standeth us, upon with great grief & heaviness of heart, to confess our special sins & to give sentence against ourselves, and to pray with earnestness of spirit as for life and death, for the pardon of our offences which we have committed at such and such times, in such places, with such persons and in such manner: otherwise our repentance is only in show, and for fashion sake, which is never acceptable to God; being done in hypocrisy, and without a conscionable feeling of sin in the soul.  
Use 2 Secondly, this particular confession overthroweth and overturneth sundry corruptions and abuses in the case of repentance. It condemneth all impenitent persons, such as live & continue, in one estate, never sorrow for any sin, neither at any time turn from it, neither have any feeling or ●●eefe for sin, neither know what it meaneth. This is a dangerous estate and a most perilous judgement. For as a sick man is then most dangerously sick when he hath no feeling of his sickness, and is ready to say, he is well, and hath small sense or none at all of any pain or peril: so sinful man is then in greatest misery by reason of his sins when he thinketh himself to be no sinner. Such one is far off from mourning & sorrowing for sin, from turning from them and returning to God, seeing be taketh himself to be in good ●ase and to stand in need of no repentance. Such were the pharisees in the days of Christ, whom he reproveth, Mat. 9, 12, 13. Besides, it condemneth ceremonial repentance, which carrieth an outward show of dying to sin, but is separated from the inward truth of a sound heart. Thus Saul repent, 1 Sam. 15.74, and 26, 21, and 24, 17, 18. And Ahab rend his clothes, but not his heart, he fasted from food, but not from sin, 1 Kin. 21.27.29. Thus the hypocrites repent, mentioned in the Prophets, when a man afflicteth his soul for a day, 
Esay 58, 5. Mic. 6, 7.  and boweth-downe his head as a bulrush, yet looseth not the bonds of wickedness: and therefore immediately afterward, he embraceth his former sins, and returneth to his old ways, as Phazaoh did: who being annoyed with the frogs, smitten with the hail, terrified with the thunders, troubled with the grasshoppers, pestered with the flies, disquieted with the darkness; this was the euen● and issue of all, as soon as he had rest given unto him, he hardened his heart, and harkened not unto the Lord. This is the common sickness of the common repentance, that men ordinarily practise in these days, whereby they deceive themselves and their own souls, dealing in hypocrisy & dissembling with the Lord, catching at the shadow instead of the body, & resting in shows instead of the substance. Lastly, it condemneth all such as have hardened their hearts in sin, and are grown thereby to be past feeling, such as cannot discern between good and evil, nor tremble at God's judgements, but draw sin ●o themselves as it were with cartropes; and work all uncleanness even with greediness. These have their conscience seared with an hot Iron, and it accuseth them not for any sin, but bringeth them into a reprobate mind so that they are so far from confessing their proper and particular sins, that they have no sense or remorse of any sin, but are full of all wickedness and unrighteousness.  
Lastly, it behoveth us to search out our ways, to see what we have left undone, and Use 3 what lieth most upon our consciences, and especially bewail the same; otherwise there is in us no sound conversion. This the Prophet testifieth, Lam. 3, 40, 41. Some are specially inclined to lust & uncleanness, some to covetousness, some to surfeiting & drunkenness, some to envy & revenge, some to swearing & blaspheming, some to pleasures & delights of the outward man; now where we are weakest, Satan will be strongest; where our defence is slenderest there his te●●ations will be thickest; where the hedge is lowest, every beast will seek to enter; so it is with us: if one place be left open & unguarded▪ Satan will enter there, as well as if we gave hi● I passage many ways. One known sin nourished in us, is sufficient for him to bring us thereby to damnation. He can well abide to have us reform in many faults that we should deny them, defy them, hate them, and cry out against them; yet some one sin or other (whereto we are by nature most inclined) he fosteteth and furthereth in us, and by it in a vile manner he wholly possesseth us, and dwelleth in us. It is a wonderful policy of Satan, when he cannot make us to walk and wallow in all sin, he endeavoureth to poison us with some one sin, lest he should wholly give over his hold, and by it will bring us to destruction, as well as by a thousand. A Bird entangled with one foot, and holden in the snare of the Fowler, is as unable to escape and fly away, as if she were taken and held by both the feet. So is it with man, if he beholden in one notorious sin, and flatter himself in it, he is in as great danger of death and damnation, as if he gave over himself to many sins. What I pray you, should it profit, when a City is besieged and compassed with the enemy, to shut up all the gates, and to leave one standing open? May not the enemy enter at that one, as well as at many, and by assault take the City and people? Or what should it avail a Mariner to stop all the holes of the Ship where it leaketh, and leave one unstopped? Will it not sink the Ship as well as many? So, what shall it profit and help us to set open one corner of our hearts for one sin to enter, albeit we should shut up, and lock the doors of our hearrs against all other sins? Will not Satan enter there, and fill us full of all wickedness, & bring us to destruction of soul and body? Consider the examples of Saul, Herod, judas, Ananias and Sapphira, all these turned from sin, yea from many sins, but not from all sin, nor from their special sins whereof they should have repent, and therefore their repentance was but the show and shadow of repentance, and not true repentance indeed. If then we would have that true & godly sorrow which causeth repentance, 
2 Cor. 7, 10.  not to be repent of, we must turn from all our sins to God, and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life, and hereby learn to try our own hearts by this special conversion. We must consider our proper and personal sins. Endeavouring to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect. Mat. 5, 48, and not exempting ourselves from the obedience of any of the Lords holy Commandments.  
[And Moses prayed for the people.] They desire the prayers of Moses, as we heard before, who refuseth not, but prayeth for them to God. He was not mindful of the wrongs sustained, and of the injuries received of them, for in all the indignities offered unto him he was patiented and meek above all men that were upon the earth; 
Numb. 18, 3.  therefore he goeth to God, and desireth him to remove the judgement. The Doctrine from this place is this; 
Doctrine. It is our duty to pray one for another, even for our enemies.  It is our duty to pray one for another. The Lord requireth of us, not only to commit to God, and commend in our prayers the Saints, but to be mindful of our enemies, and them that hate us, and to desire their good and conversion. This affection we see in Abraham, who prayed earnestly and oftentimes for the Sodomites, 
Gen. 18, 23.  that God would spare them, & not destroy the righteous with the wicked, but rather to spare the wicked for the righteous sake. This was also in Samuel, when the people besought him to pray for them that they died not, he said, God forbidden, that I should sin against the Lord, and cease praying for you, etc. 1 Sam. 12, 23. How often did Moses & Aaron pray for Pharaoh, and spread out their hands unto the Lord, That the plagues might cease, and that he might know that the earth is the Lords? Exod. 9, 29. This duty Christ our Saviour setteth down as a rule to guide us, both by word of mouth, and by example of life. For he taught his Disciples this Doctrine, Mat. 5, 44. love your enemies: bless them that curse you: do good to them that hate you, and pray for the that hurt you, and persecute you, etc. Now this point as Christ preacheth, so he practiseth and prayeth for his enemies, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Luk. 23.34. Thus did the faithful witness of God, Stephen when he was stoned, he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Acts 7, 60.  
The Reasons are plain and direct. First, we Reason 1 are fellow-members of the same body, and fellow-soldiers that fight under the same Captain jesus Christ. We see them embers of our body are careful for the good one of another, unless they be dead and senseless; so should we be moved at the consideration of the troubles and wants of the Church, as the Apostle by this similitude teacheth us, 1, Cor. 12, 20, 21. We are many members, yet but one body: and the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor the head again to the feet, I have no need of you. So it is in the body of Christ, we cannot want each other, but stand in need one of another, to keep the whole body in peace and concord. In regard hereof it is, that we are partakers also of their prayers, so as we pray one for another, and seek the good & benefit one of another, as the Church did the deliverance of Peter. Acts 12, 5.  
Secondly, this duty of praying for our brethren, Reason 2 is enforced & charged upon us, because it is acceptable to God, and an oblation wherewith he is delighted and well pleased. For our prayer is directed in his sight as Incense; 
Psal. 141, ●  and the lifting up of our hands as an evening sacrifice. It availeth much if it be fervent, it pierceth the heavens, and obtaineth every good blessing at the hands of God for ourselves, & for others.  
The Uses fo●low. First, we are especially in Use 1 duty bound to pray for Magistrates and those that be in authority, as the subjects for their Princes, and the people for their Pastors, that the work of God may prosper under their hands. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Tim. chapter 2, 1, 2. So the jews were commanded to pray for Babylon, that persecuting City, where they were captive, jer. chap. 29, ver. 7. We see in the natural body, that albeit the members have care one of another, yet the chiefest care is for the head. A man, will be willing to receive a blow on another part, to save the principal; it is that which Satan alleged to God, job 2, 4. Skin for skin, all that ever a man hath, will he give for his life. So it standeth us upon, to desire indeed the good of the least and lowest member in the Church of God, but our chiefest and greatest endeavour should be for men in highest calling, who are set in slippery places, compassed with many dangers, environed with many temptations, beguiled oftentimes by flatterers, led away by false informers, so that the higher they are exalted, the greater is their downfall. When they stand upright, they stand not alone; when they fall, they fall not alone. When a mighty Oak that seemed deep rooted in the earth, falleth down, it casteth down with it the lesser Trees and lower shrubs that grow near unto it. As we have light or darkness from the Sun, so we have vice or virtue from such as are superiors. For all inferiors commonly follow the example and tread the steps of such as are in higher places. 
〈…〉.  This the wise man noteth in his Proverbs, ch. 29.12. of a Prince that hearkeneth to lies, all his servants are wicked. This the Prophet toucheth, 
●k. 16, 44.  Behold, all that use Proverbs shall use this Proverb against thee, saying, As the mother, so is he● daughter. Wherefore it behoveth us to remember our Princes and men of great callings in our prayers, as we see Moses is ready to pray for Pharaoh, & as Darius' King of Persia willeth the jews to pray for the King's life, and for his sons: Ezra 6, 10, according as the Prophet also prayeth, Give thy judgements O God, to the King, and thy righteousness to the King's son. Psal. 72, 1. Thus than it appeareth to be a principal duty, to pour out our prayers and supplications for our Magistrates & Overseers that watch for our souls, and to fall down upon our knees for Prince and Country. The Apostles command it, and the faithful practice it toward Infidels and wicked Kings that professed not the faith, nor believed the truth: how much more careful than ought we to be, to perform all christian duties to christian Princes, that are members of the same body, that are the breath of our nostrils, that are nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church, that are shepherds of the people of God to feed and govern them, that are chosen instruments to bestow their power and authority for the preservation of the sheep of Christ, and are firm pillars to bear up the truth upon their shoulders?  
Use 2 Secondly, it followeth that we are to do it much more for ourselves. For how can we be truly affected to pray for others, and be inwardly touched with their wants, when we have no feeling of our own? We shall hear many oftentimes very liberal and lavish in offering their prayers, as if they did set them out to sale, or to be hired, saying, I will pray for you; who notwithstanding seldom pray for themselves. And what are the prayers of blind and ignorant men, but rehearsing the Commandments, saying over the Creed, & a pattering of the Lords Prayer without understanding? Besides, prayer is a mutual duty to be practised one toward another, as we perform the same for our brethren, so do the brethren for us, and therefore we are no more indebted to other for this benefit, than others for the benefit they receive of us. Let us therefore learn from hence, that if we must pray for our friends and families, and other members of Christ, we must learn especially to pray for ourselves, and by ourselves. We can never of conscience pray with others, unless we sometimes separate ourselves from them, enter into our Chamber, shut our door, and pray alone unto our Father which is in secret, That our Father which seethe in secret, may reward us openly. Mat. 6, 5, 6. For he that never prayed solitary, never prayed truly. He that never sequestreth himself from the company of others, to humble his soul before God, never knew what true prayer meant, but doth all in hypocrisy for fashion sake, and to be seen of men, and therefore they have their reward accordingly. It is a note of hypocrisy, never to pray but in company; and therefore whosoever always and only prayeth with others, is an hypocrite. Hence it is, that the faithful have used daily private prayer. It is noted of Isaac, that he went from the presence of others, to pour out his meditations before the Lord. We see it in David in sundry Psalms, yea in Christ himself, though he were Lord of life, and heir of all things: so that this is a sound and infallible rule in our holy and christian religion, that what man soever never prayed alone, never prayed aright.  
Thus than we see how it standeth us all upon, in regard of this general duty to be performed to others, to be principally mindful of ourselves, that from a sight of our own sins, from a feeling of our own wants, from a desire of God's graces, we may have a due respect and regard of our brethren. For all our love showed to our neighbour, is as a stream issuing from the fountain of love toward ourselves; and the rule to square out the love of our brethren, is the true measure of it to ourselves, by due and right proportion. Let us therefore be diligent ourselves in prayer, and pour out our meditations before the Lord. It is made a note of a wicked man not to pray, by the Prophet. Psalm. 14, verses 1, 4. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; they have corrupted and done an abominable work, there is none that doth good; they call not upon the Lord. It behoveth us therefore to crave of GOD, the grace of prayer, to the end we may pray aright as we ought to pray; that so we may learn to pray for others. This we see practised by the Apostle Paul, who having exhorted the Church of Ephesus to put on the whole armour of God, and to pray always with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit for all Saints: he annexeth hereunto immediately, 
Ephe. 6, 18, 19  and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly as I ought to speak; and himself beggeth the grace of God to come upon them. So writing to the Thessalonians, 
1 Thess. 5, 27, 25.28.  and exhorting them to pray continually, and namely for the preachers of the Gospel, himself giveth an example, beginneth the work, and first prayeth for them, that the grace of our Lord jesus Christ may be with them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it behoveth us all in our wants and necessities to crave the prayers of the Church, which avail much with God if they be fervent. He hath promised to hear his servants that call upon him. 
jam. 5, 14. Matth. 18, 20.  He hath promised, That wheresoever two or three are gathered together in his Name, he will be present in the midst of them. He hath promised the graces of his spirit plentifully to them that ask. Wherefore, when Daniel was to declare to the King the dream which he had dreamt, and the interpretation thereof, which none of the Astrologians or enchanters could declare, He showed the matter to his Companions, 
Dan. 2.17.  that they should beseech the God of heaven for grace in this secret. The like we see in Ester, when she heard that all the jews were appointed to destruction, and of that great danger which threatened the Church, 
Esther 4, 16.  she willed Mordecai to go and assemble all the jews that were found in Shushan, saying; Fast ye for me, eat not, nor drink in three days, I also and my maids will fast likewise, and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the Law, and if I perish I perish. So doth S. Paul in every Epistle almost, desire the Church to pray for him, that he might be delivered from unreasonable and beastly men, 
Rom. 15.31.  disobedient to the Gospel, that did vex and trouble him; that his service in his Ministry might be acceptable to the Saints for their profit and edification, 
Ephe. 6, 19 Colos. 4.3.  that he might have the door of utterance opened and freedom of speech given unto him to publish boldly the will and counsel of God as he ought; that the gifts and graces of God bestowed upon him, 
2 Cor. 1.11.  might redound to the benefit of the Church, & praise of God. True it is, the wicked and ungodly do many times desire those whom they think to be the children of God, to pray for them. But they want the Spirit of Christ, 
Rom 8.16.26 Zach. 12.10.  and the grace of prayer, so that they cannot pray themselves, nor have any heart to lift up to God, 
Acts 8.24.  as we see in Simon the Sorcerer, who craved of the Apostles to pray for him to the Lord, that none of his threatenings might fall upon him. He was not touched with a feeling of his sin, nor desired any pardon thereof, but only craved a freedom & deliverance from judgement to come. So then, he was not grieved for sin, but feared the punishment.  
Again, as the Reprobate may desire the prayers of the children of God, when they fear judgements to come upon them hereafter, so they may do when punishment is upon them, as we see in Pharaoh, 
Exod. 9, 27, 2●  who desired Moses and Aaron to pray for him, that there be no more mighty thunders in the Land. The same we see in jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin; when his hand was dried up, that he could not pull it in again, which he had stretched out to lay hold on the Prophet, threatening the destruction of the idolatrous altar at Bethel, he said to the man of God, I beseech thee, pray unto the Lord thy God, 
1 King, 13. ●  and make intercession for me, that my hand may be restored unto me. So then, the wicked desire to be prayed for, but it is only in extremity, it is only to escape punishment, either present, or to come. But the Godly respect sin, and are grieved for it, more than for the punishment, they are troubled more for the loss of God's favour, then of temporal commodities. Therefore when he prayeth for himself or for others, he is moved with a fear and reverence of the Majesty of God to whom he prayeth, 
Eccle. 5.1. Dan. 9.4.  he is touched with a feeling of his own wants for which he prayeth, he poureth out his heart before the Lord, and showeth a fervent desire to obtain his wants, 
1 Sam. 1. 1● 1 Thes. 5. ●  he prayeth not for a brunt or two, but continueth in prayer, he doubteth not through unbelief, but through faith assureth himself to obtain the requests he maketh according to his word.  
Fourthly, it followeth also, that when God Use 4 hath heard us for them, we must praise his Name, and give thanks for the blessings he hath vouchsafed unto our brethren. So doth the Apostle in many of his Epistles, 
Rom. 1.8.  I thank my God for you all through jesus Christ, because your faith is published throughout the whole world. As we are not to pray only for ourselves, so we are not to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving only for ourselves. This serveth to reprove all those that repine and envy at the blessings bestowed upon others, who have their own eye evil, because the Lord's eye is good. This sometime creepeth upon the servants of God, and therefore aught to make us more wary & watchful over ourselves. When joshua the servant of Moses, saw the spirit of God to rest upon Eldad and Medad, so that they prophesied in the host, he said, My Lord Moses, 
Num. 11. ●  forbidden them: who answered him, Enviest thou for my sake? yea, would God that all the Lords people were Prophets, and that the Lord would power his Spirit upon them. So when the disciples of john saw that Christ jesus made more disciples than john, and increased in glory more than he, they complained to john, that all men flocked to Christ, and began to forsake him, john replied, 
joh. 3. 2●  Ye yourselves are my witnesses, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him: he must increase, but I decrease. Let us beware that we be not possessed with the spirit of envy: rather let us labour after brotherly love, 
1 Cor. 1●  which suffereth long, is bountiful, envieth not, it seeketh not her own things, it thinketh not evil, it rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, it suffers all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things it endureth all things. Whatsoever good things God bestoweth upon any member of Christ, he hath given them not only for the benefit and comfort of him that hath received them, but for the good of the whole body. Seeing therefore we have our part and portion therein, in as much as there is in the Church one Communion of Saints: it is our duty to return the praise and glory thereof to the giver, and not repine and grudge against him to whom they are given.  
Use 5 Lastly, consider from this Doctrine, whence it is that God spareth the wicked and ungodly, and beareth long with the vessels of wrath, appointed to destruction. It is for the prayers of his people that are his remembrancers day and night, that stand in the gap and breach which the hand of God hath made, that cry unto him without ceasing, Spare thy people (O Lord) and give not thine inheritance unto reproach, 
〈◊〉. 17.  that the unbelievers should say, Where is their God? True it is, the people of God are contemptible in this unthankful world, yet were it not for these simple and silly ones, the judgements of God had long since fallen upon us, which by their prayers hitherto they have stayed. For had we continued in peace, dwelled in our houses, possessed our inheritances, enjoyed our lands and goods thus long, but for the faithful servants of God, who mind the peace of Zion? Doubtless, he would not spare the world one minute and moment of time, but for the godly. He would have spared the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, 
〈◊〉 18.32.  if ten righteous persons had been found in them. For the faith's sake of Rahah, who hide the spies and sent them out another way, 
〈◊〉. 26.  he spared her kindred, and her father's house. For the faith of Lot, whose righteous soul was vexed day by day, in seeing and hearing the unclean conversation of those sinful men, he would have saved his sons in law, 
〈◊〉 12,  that should have married his daughters. For Paul's sake, a chosen vessel to bear the Name of God to the Gentiles, he gave freely those that sailed with him and saved their lives. 
〈◊〉 ●4.  Thus we see, that for the godly, he beareth with the ungodly: but when they are safe and sealed in the forehead, than judgement shall come upon the wicked. Contrariwise, a nation, a city, a town, an house and family is cursed for the society and company of the wicked. The Israelites could not prosper at the siege of Ai, so long as Achan was among them. The Sea could not be calm, the ship could not be safe, the Mariners could not be at rest, so long as unrepentant and unreformed jonah was a burden unto it; for he said unto them, Take me and cast me into the Sea, so shall the waves work no more so troublesomely, for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Wherefore, it is a sweet and comfortable thing to be in the number of the faithful; we have benefit by the prayers of the Church, which pierce the ears of God, and bring down his blessings in great abundance.  
Verse 8. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent. We heard before how the people repent of their sins, and how Moses prayed for pardon: Now see how God removeth his hand. 
Psal. 103.9.  He will not always chide, nor keep his anger for ever: he doth not deal with us after our sins, nor rewardeth us according to our iniquities. Indeed he showeth oftentimes his severe judgements, but so soon as the sinner is humbled, he receiveth him to mercy, the sin is pardoned, and the punishment is removed. 
Doctrine. God is merciful to grievous sinners, when they are penitent.  The doctrine from hence is this, that God is merciful to all penitent sinners. Repentance once going before, mercy followeth after, albeit we sin grievously against him. This the Prophet teacheth in the Name of God, Esay 1.18. Ezek. 18.21, 22 23. and 33.11. David sinned exceedingly in numbering the people, for which God sent a pestilence three days in Israel, that many thousands died; yet when his heart smote him, that he said, I have sinned exceedingly, 
2 Sa. 24, 17.18 1 Chr. 21.15, 17.  I have done wickedly, but these sheep what have they done? Let thine hand I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house, and not on thy people for their destruction: the Lord repent him of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed, It is enough, let thine hand cease.  
Let us consider the reasons of Gods merciful Reason 1 dealing, which are first the comfort and relief of his people, that none should to the end of the world despair of obtaining of mercy. For the mercy of God in Christ, is above all his works, which he extendeth to thousands; it is infinite, without measure. He pardoneth such offenders, to make them examples to others of God's great mercy, he receiveth them to favour, and remitteth their offences, not only to manifest his mercy to the offender himself, but to teach others to resort and repair unto him for pardon and forgiveness. When the Prophet testifieth, that by acknowledging his sin unto God, and confessing his wickedness against himself, he obtained the remission of his sin, and punishment of sin: he addeth immediately, Therefore shall every one that is godly, 
Psal. 32.5, 6.  make his prayer unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found. This is the reason that the Apostle toucheth, 1 Tim. 1. teaching that he was received to mercy, for this cause, That jesus Christ should first show on him all long suffering unto the example of them which shall in time to come believe in him unto eternal life. So then, from these and such like examples of great sinners, that have obtained much mercy, we likewise should be assured of the goodness of God for our salvation, whensoever we can be brought to believe the Gospel, & repent from dead works.  
Secondly, the consideration of the nature Reason 2 of God, ministereth a strong and invincible reason to gain our affections to yield to this truth. For his mercy is abundant, and his goodness is infinite. It surmounteth the reach and understanding of all mortal men: It passeth the highness of the heavens, the depth of the earth, the breadth of the Sea, the power of the devil, the strength of the Law, the measure of the whole world, and nothing can be compared with the perfections of the Almighty, job 11.7, 8, 9 Paul, who before his conversion, to the faith which he sought to destroy, was a blasphemer, a Persecuter, & an oppresser; maketh this the cause why he was received to mercy, The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, 
1 Tim. 1.14.  which is in Christ jesus, that is, giving unto me faith, that chased away infidelity, and love that overcame cruelty. So the Lord maketh this the chief and principal cause, why he spared that rebellious and idolatrous people, The Lord, the Lord, strong, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.  
Use 1 The uses follow of this doctrine. First, we learn, that there is no sin that doth exceed the mercy of God. None can say without injury against his own soul, without reproach against God, and giving the lie to the glorious Majesty of God, My sin is greater than can be forgiven. True it is, there is an unpardonable sin, 
Mat, 12.31.  that shall never be forgiven, either in this world, or in the world to come, the blasphemy against the Spirit; but that is, because they cannot relent or repent that commit it; they are so far gone, that they can never return back again; not because God is not able to forgive it, or that it doth exceed the mercies of God. Seeing then, vile sinners find such infinite and unspeakable mercy, let us never despair or doubt of his mercy & favour, though we be suddenly overtaken through infirmity, and fall into divers and grievous sins. He hath mercy in store for such as have been exceeding sinners against him. If they can repent of their sins, his mercies are as great as himself. Consider the examples of Peter, that denied his Master, of Paul, that persecuted the Saints, of David that committed adultery; of Solomon that fell into idolatry; of Lot, that lay with his own daughters; of Noah, that offended in drunkenness; of Manasseh that shed innocent blood; of Mary Magdalen, out of whom were cast seven devils; of the jews that crucified the Lord of life: all which returning from their iniquity were received to mercy, so that where sin abounded, there grace hath abounded much more. 
Rom. 5.20.  Hence therefore great comfort ariseth to the heavy soul and troubled conscience, oppressed with the burden of sin, and hangring after grace and pardon. When terrors and temptations grow strong upon us, supposing that our sins are more than can be forgiven, and the punishments greater than can be pardoned; we must know it is the lying spirit of the devil, to draw us into the bottomless and comfortless gulf of desperation, which is (as it were) the mouth of hell gaping wide, to swallow up the soul quick, to utter and endless destruction. If our sins be never so great and grievous, if they be never so many and monstrous, more than the hairs of our head, or the sand on the sea shore which is innumerable; as heavy as lead, as infectious as a leprosy, as red as scarlet, as filthy as dung and mire: yet if God give repentance, and we believe, there is promise of mercy, assurance of forgiveness, and hope of comfort and consolation. Such they are that Christ calleth; saying, 
Mat. 11, 28  Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will ease you; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. It behoveth us all to seek favour at his hands, to crave pardon and to plead for mercy and forgiveness: of whom to ask it rightly, is to obtain it assuredly.  
Secondly, the truth of this doctrine of Use 2 Gods pardoning offenders, and the consideration and feeling of this infinite kindness of God, must work in us unfeigned thankfulness. and continual praise, sounding out and magnifying his mercies, to speak of his goodness, and to show ourselves loving and dutiful unto him again, for his exceeding compassion. This sacrifice of thanksgiving, we see offered by the Apostle unto God, for the experience he had of his bountifulness toward him, 1 Tim. 1.12. I thank him which hath made me strong, that is Christ jesus our Lord; for he counted me faithful, and put me in his service, when before I was a blrsphemer, and a persecuter, and an oppressor. Now unto the King everlasting, immortal, invisible, unto God only wise, be honour and glory, for ever and ever, Amen.  
The like we see in Mary Magdalen, who had been a grievous and heinous sinner, as she had received much mercy, so she expressed back again much love and kindness; as she had been delivered out of the chains of Satan, so she followed Christ jesus with the fruits of piety and thankfulness, all the days of her life; she entered with him unto Simons house, kissed his feet, an ointed them with ointment, washed them with her tears, wiped them with her hairs, followed him to the Cross, and was the first with him in his resurrection; of whom the Lord jesus said, Many sins are forgiven her for she loved much: 
Luke 7.  to whom a little is forgiven, he doth love a little. There is a forgiveness in God that goeth before, there must be a thankfulness in us that must follow after: as this woman knows much to have been forgiven her, and therefore she loveth much; even as the debtor loveth that creditor most, that hath forgiven him most; so should the affection of our love toward God be increased, as he giveth every one experience of his greater mercy. As than we feel this sweetness, and the infinite riches of this benefit, so we should open our mouths, and unloose our tongues, and enlarge our hearts, to sing and to set forth the praises of God, according to the example of the Prophet in the Psalm, 
●l 103.1, 2, 3  My soul praise thou the Lord, and all that is within me praise his holy Name: forget not all his benefits, which forgiveth all thine iniquities, and healeth all thine infirmities. And in another place, What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? 
●l. ●●6. 12, 〈◊〉 14.  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord: I will pay my vows unto the Lord even now in the presence of all his people. For seeing he taketh away all our iniquity, and receiveth us to favour graciously, it is great reason we should offer the sacrifice of praise, and render unto him the calves of our lips. This doctrine of free forgiveness of sins, openeth unto us the most blessed news that ever came into the world; it is the sum of the Gospel, and of the glad tidings of salvation, the key of all our comfort, that entrance into life, & the most precious balm of our health and recovery, which giveth more, joy and refreshing to the fainting soul and broken heart, to the tender conscience and weary spirit, than all the glory of the world can minister unto it; as the Apostle testifieth, This is a true saying, and by all means worthy to be received, 
〈◊〉. 1.15.  that jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing there is mercy in store for the penitent, seeing God will have compassion upon them, is ready to fall on their neck, and to embrace them with both his arms, as the father of the prodigal child did: 
●e 15.20.  it is required of us speedily to turn, and not defer our repentance from day to day, lest our hearts be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. No sin is so small, but is able to plunge us down to the bottom of hell, if we live in it without repentance, and continue in it without remorse. The longer we remain in the dregs of sin, the faster we shall stick in the mire of it, and the harder we shall find it to come out of the prison thereof. This is the use which we are to make of God's mercy to miserable sinners. Let us take heed we abuse not his goodness, nor take occasion of liberty, to turn his grace into wantonness; saying as the manner of some is, Oh, God is merciful, he is gracious to great sinners; and so conclude thereupon, that they may live as they list, and may put off the season of repentance to the last gasp. But the Apostle teacheth us to reason otherwise, 
〈◊〉. 1, 2.  What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbidden: how shall we that are dead to sin, live yet in si●●e? Let us not therefore allege the examples of the faithful that have offended, to encourage us in sin, or hold them out as bucklers to embolden us in falling from God. Take heed of presumption. Many presume confidently with Peter, but they weep not bitterly with Peter. They fall by frailty with David, but they rise not by repentance with David. They sin with Solomon, but they repent not with him. 
〈◊〉 ●7.  They sin with the jews, but they are not pricked in heart with the jews, saying; What shall we do? They persecute the Saints of God with the jailer, 
Acts 16.29.  but they tremble not at their sin, nor seek to the servants of God, saying: Sirs, what must we do to be saved? They break out with their tongues and justify themselves as job; but they set not a watch before the door of their lips, 
job 42 6.  they do not abhor themselves, neither repent in dust and ashes with job, saying; 
Psal. 39.1.  I will t●ke heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue, I will keep my mouth bridled. They fly from the presence of God with jonah, but they remember not to pray with him for pardon, 
●on 1.3. and ●. 1.8.  acknowledging that such as wait upon lying vanities, forsake their own mercy. Let us therefore all learn to profit by the favourable dealing of God toward offenders, neither abusing his loving kindness, nor continuing in sin, nor presuming of his mercy; assuring ourselves, that if the persons receiving pardon, be such as are penitent, then assuredly to the impenitent there is no forgiveness. This the Apostle setteth down, Rom. 2.4, 5. The acceptable time of repentance for all of us, is the time present, what time we have to come is uncertain. Late repentance is oftentimes constrained, and seldom true repentance. The longer a diseased man continueth in his sickness, the harder is his recovery. Let us not delay and defer our repentance. This is the blessed time and the acceptable season, To day therefore if we will hear his voice, let us not harden our hearts in sin, Heb. 3.7, 8.  
Fourthly, let us not spare to seek the salvation, Use 4 and thirst after the conversion even of the greatest sinners. Let us not account their estate and condition forlorn and desperate, Neither judge any before the time, 
1 Cor. 4.5.  until the Lord come, who will lighten things that are hid in darkness, and make the counsels of the heart manifest, and then shall every man have praise of God. The husbandman waiteth for the fruit of the earth, 
james 5 7  and hath long patience for it, until he receive the former and latter rain. Now, we are Gods labourers and husbandmen, 
1 Cor. 3, 9.6.7  ye are God's husbandry and God's building. Paul planteth, and Apollo watereth, but God giveth the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. We are unto God the sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved, 
2 Cor. 2, 15.16  and in them which perish to the one we are the savour of death to death, and to the other, the savour of life unto life.  
This must be our comfort in the midst of all discomforts, injurious dealing, and hard measure offered unto us; to know that every man shall receive his wages according to his labour. And the Prophet prophesying of the kingdom of Christ, that he should spread out his hands all day unto a rebellious people, maketh this his stay and staff of rest; 
Esay 49, 4.  I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in vain, and for nothing: but my judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God. Let us therefore go justile forward in building up the house of God, preach in season, and out of season, and commit the fruit of the work and success of all our labours to the Lord, whose word is never delivered nor heard in vain, as the Apostle urgeth it, 2 Ti. 2.24, 25, 26.  
Use 5 Lastly, seeing God is merciful to miserable Sinners, as a good shepherd taking them out of the jaws of the Lion, bringing them unto the sheepfold, and feeding them in green pastures: let us seek to be like our heavenly Father in showing mercy and forgiveness toward such as grievously offend against us. Every man's experience telleth and teacheth him, the mercy of God to be exceeding great, we feel it toward ourselves, we see it daily toward others, we read that blasphemy itself findeth place for pardon. 
Mat. 12.31.  We find this to be the nature of God, The Lord, the Lord, 
Exod. 34.6, 7  gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in goodness, reserving mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. If we will be the children of God, we must resemble our heavenly Father, we must express the lively lineaments of his face, we must be transformed into his likeness, and bear his image in all holiness and righteousness. This the Apostle teacheth, Col. 3.12, 13. To this purpose Christ propoundeth the parable, Matthew, chapter 18. verses 32, 33, 35. teaching us, that we must forgive small things, that receive the pardon of greater: we must remit a sew pence, because God forgiveth us many talents, an huge sum, an infinite debt. But if we will not forgive, nor forget the trespasses done to us, we are stamped in the image of the devil, who was malicious, and a murderer from the beginning, & we make a law against ourselves, inasmuch as we shall find the Lord so toward us, as we deal toward our brethren. For there shall be judgement merciless, to him that showeth not mercy: 
jam. 2.13. Mat. 7.2.  and with what measure we meet, it shall be measured to us again.  
Verse 9 Moses made a Serpent of brass, and set it upon apole: and when a serpent had bitten a man, than he looked to the serpent of brass, and lived. We saw before, how the prayer of Moses was heard, and the remedy provided of God to heal the people. We saw in God, the greatness of his compassion; we saw in the people, the fruit of their confession; we saw in Moses, the grace of meekness and gentleness suffering all things, and enduring all things. here there is offered to our considerations the obedience of Moses, the setting up of the serpent, and the recovery of the people. Moses doth not here consult with flesh and blood, neither doth he use carnal wisdom to be his counsellor, which in matters of faith is an enemy to God. He doth not reason, whether it were likely that a piece of brass should remedy this biting, or whether a dead thing should give life: but so soon as he receiveth the commandment of God, he prepareth himself, maketh ready a brazen serpent, pitcheth it upon an high pole, the people look upon it, and are recovered. This cure was not by Physic or Chirurgery, or by inherent virtue in the brass, as in a medicine: but by casting up the eye upon the serpent, and believing the ordinance of God, who had appointed the serpent for that purpose. We are all of us from hence, to learn and consider, That the brazen serpent standing on the pole, was a type and figure of Christ crucified 
Doctrine. The brazen serpent was a figure of Christ crucified.  and hanging on the cross, who is made of the Father to be a Saviour unto us. This Christ himself testifieth, joh. 3.14, 15. As Moses lift up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lift up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Hereunto likewise he alludeth, Chap. 8.28, 29. Then jesus said unto them, When ye have lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; as my Father hath taught me, so I speak these things. In both these places our Saviour hath respect and reference to the brazen serpent in the wilderness, showing, that as it was erected to heal the body, so must Christ be crucified to cure the soul; therefore this serpent set up, was a type of his death. 
Caluin. in I●han. ●ap. 3. 2● 14.  And howsoever some of reverent account in the Church do understand this lifting up, of the preaching of the Gospel, which is as a banner displayed, that all men may behold him, and esteem the referring of it to the Cross, neither to be pertinent to the matter, nor to agree in the text: yet if we compare the former places & phrases, with another like Testimony of john, chap. 12.32, 33. the true interpretation of the words will easily and evidently appear, where Christ speaketh thus to the Pharisees, Now is the judgement of this world: now shall the Prince of this world be cast out: and I, if I were lift up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. here, by lifting up, 
Calu. in job. 〈◊〉 ver. 28.  we must necessarily understand the death of Christ upon the Cross, on which he was lifted up on high, and seen a far off, as the Evangelist himself expoundeth it in the verse following; saying, Now, this said he, signifying what death he should die.  
The reasons of this similitude, shadowing Reason 1 out the manner of Christ's death, are very evident and apparent. For first, as the brazen serpent in the wilderness, had the show and shape of a serpent, but within there was no venomous or deadly thing, as the true fiery serpents had; so Christ took upon him the shape of a servant, he was made like unto men, he was sent of God in the similitude of sinful flesh, and was counted among the wicked; 
Rom ●. 3. Mark. 15. ● Esay 53. 1●  yet he was pure, and void of sin, neither could be charged of his enemies with any sin: so that this is no proper or far-fet similitude, but fit and natural.  
Secondly, even as the brazen serpent was Reason lift up on high upon a pole, appointed for that purpose: so was Christ first lift up upon the wood of the Cross, and was after exalted by the Gospel, and set in the sight of all, as the Prophet Esay teacheth, Esay 11.10, 12. And as the brazen serpent, before it could be a type of healing, must be advanced and lifted up; so before Christ jesus could be a Saviour of his people, to save them from their sins, he must be fastened upon the Cross, 
〈◊〉. 14, 15  he must have his hands & his feet pierced, that he might spoil the principalities, and make a show of them openly with triumph. As therefore it was not sufficient once to make the brazen serpent, and so to look upon it, but it must as well be mounted as at the first made: so it was not enough to bring us to life and salvation, for Christ to be conceived by the holy Ghost, and borne of the virgin Mary, unless he also suffer death for our sins, and so bear our sins in his body on the tree.  
Thirdly, as the Israelites which obeyed the Reason 3 commandment of God, embraced his promise, believed his word, and so beheld the brazen serpent standing on the pole, were healed of the deadly bitings of these fiery serpents: so all men, who are moved with the commandment of God, & embracing the promise, do behold Christ hanging on the tree of the cross, with the eyes of faith, 
〈◊〉 3.16.  are cured of the sting of that old serpent the devil, and recover of that mortal wound, being freed from death, and restored into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. A serpent did hurt, a serpent did heal the Israelites. Man did destroy us, man did restore us. 
〈◊〉. 5.19.  The first Adam did draw into condemnation: the second Adam draweth unto salvation. The brazen serpent albeit it were lift up never so high, and mounted into the open air, profited none, but such as steadfastly beheld it and looked upon it: so Christ crucified, profiteth none but such as believe in him by faith. Many beheld him with the bodily eyes, that reaped no benefit by him; they heard him with their outward ears, and handled with their hands that word of life: yet it availed them nothing to know him after the flesh, 
〈◊〉. 5.16.  neither furthered them in their salvation.  
Reason 4 Fourthly, as it seemed to human wisdom, a most foolish and ridiculous thing to be healed by the bare and only sight of a brazen serpent; so to all natural wise men of the world, it seemeth as unlikely and unreasonable, that any should be saved by faith in Christ crucified, 
●r. 1.23  as the Apostle showeth, We preach Christ crucified, unto the jews even a stumbling block, and unto the Grecians foolishness: only to them that are saved, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. So then, it is clear and evident, that the serpent set up upon the pole, signifieth Christ hanging on the Cross.  
Use 1 The uses of this type and similitude are many, directing us to sundry points, of religion: As what sin is, whence it came, what it worketh and bringeth forth: likewise, what the force of the Law and Gospel it, who Christ is, how we must use and apply him to have comfort and salvation in him. First, seeing the serpent was a sign and signification of Christ, we learn that Christ was preached and published in the time of the law; albeit, darkly and obscurely. For as there is but one salvation, so there is but one way to attain unto it; to wit, faith in Christ. The faith of the fathers, is one and the same with the faith of the children. There was never any man saved without the knowledge of JESUS CHRIST, neither is at this day saved, neither shall be hereafter to the end of the world. This the Apostle teacheth to the Hebrews, 
Heb. 13.8.  jesus Christ yesterday: and to day, the same also is for ever. And to this truth john giveth witness, All that dwell upon the earth shall worship the Beast, 
revel. 13.8.  whose names are not written in the book of life, of that Lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world. Albeit he were manifested in the flesh, and crucified on the Cross, in the last age of the world, when the fullness of time was come; yet his death was as forcible from the beginning of the world, is now also as available and effectual, and shall be ever hereafter to the end of the world, as when he hung upon the Cross in the days of his Passion, and when the blood really streamed and issued out of his body. The Israelites in the time of the Law, were the children of God, heirs of eternal life, and had the promises of salvation, as well as we under the Gospel: God did not seed them and fat them as swine in a sty, but under certain figures and types, he gave them a taste of heavenly things. The offering of bruit beasts in sacrifice, was a sign, that they were made partakers of the redemption wrought by the blood of Christ, which was shed to wash away our sins. Under the promise of giving them the earthly Canaan, so often remembered, he gave them a taste & representation of the heavenly inheritance. The abundance of temporal blessings was a pledge and earnest penny to them of the life eternal, they having the same faith, 
Ephe. 4.4, 5. 1 Cor. 10. ●, 4.  the same Father, the same spiritual meat, the same spiritual drink, the same Lord, the same hope, the same heaven, the same Christ that we have. Albeit, 
Gal. 4.1.2, 3.4.  they were as little children under tutors and governors, and were taught in rude manner, by shadows and ceremonies, which are as certain pictures and looking glasses to behold the outward manner of his dispensation, whereas we are come to man's estate in comparison of them, and behold jesus Christ openly in the face, we know his death, resurrection, ascension, and opening the kingdom of heaven to us. Therefore our Saviour saith, joh. 8.56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad. 
Heb. 11, 13, 14 15, 16.  So the Apostle to the Hebrews saith, That the Fathers died in faith, and received not the things promised, but saw them afar off, believed them, received them, thankfully, confessed that they were Pilgrims and strangers on the earth: so that they judged the promises made to them to be spiritual, and expected more than temporal blessings. This is one point which we are to learn and imprint in our minds, touching the jews, who had an image of the serpents lifted up, to teach them the doctrine of Christ hanging on the cross. If then the unbelieving jews in these days blaspheme Christ crucified, & account the blood of the new Testament an unholy thing, and unpossible to give salvation; let them know, that their fathers received life, and recovered health by a brazen serpent, an image without life and motion: the meaning & signification hereof were not hard, but easy to gather, saving that the Apostle teacheth, that their minds are obstinate, and that a veil is laid over their hearts in reading the old Testament, so that they understand nothing, etc. 1 Corin. 3, 14. Thus doth God send them strong delusions, that they should believe lies, that all they might be damned which believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2, 11, 12. Thus than we see, that the Covenant which GOD made with man, to be gracious and favourable unto them, is one in substance and matter; seeing there is but one God, 
1 Tim. 2, 5.  one Mediator between God and man, one faith, one mean of reconciliation and one way of salvation to all that are saved, and have been saved from the beginning. Christ jesus was appointed over all things, to be the head of the Church, by whom all the body is coupled and knit together Eph. 1, 22, & 4, 16. He is the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by him. john 1, 18, and 14, 6. All therefore (he being only the way) as well under the Law, as under the Gospel, who were to be saved, had respect to the only Mediator Christ, by whom alone they were reconciled to God, and saved by faith. The differences between the jews and us, were only in certain circumstances, in promising of corporal benefits, in giving them outward signs and oblations, in propounding things more obscurely and darkly, in restraining his gifts, and in limiting them to the jewish Nation: whereas otherwise the old and new covenant agree together, not only in the Author of them, which is God, and in the Mediator of them, which is Christ, but in the promises of grace, touching remission of sins, and everlasting life to be freely given for Christ's fake; and in the condition, in respect of man, that we should walk before him uprightly, & believe the Gospel unfeignedly.  
Use 2 Secondly, we observe from this similitude, the natural estate and condition of all mankind what it is: we are all naturally stung with the poison of the old serpent, and the wound is mortal. All the Israelites that were bitten by the fiery serpents, whether deeply, or but a ●ittle, whether more or less, whether once or often, died the death if they used not the remedy ordained of God, albeit the wound were slender and shallow. So such as look not on Christ hanging on the Cross, are sure to fall into damnation. The guilt of sin is as the poison of a serpent; this we have drawn from our first parents, by whose offence we are culpable of judgement. We are all stung with it unto death. The wound is so deep & deadly, that we are guilty of the transgression of Adam, being in his loins. We have the spawn and seed of all sin in us, we are corrupt in soul and body, we are prone to fall into the most dangerous and desperate sins. The Israelites felt the anguish of the pain, and the danger of death, otherwise they would never have looked up to the brazen serpent. If the sick man find not the want of his health, feel not the grief of his sickness, fear not the loss of his life, he will never seek to the Physician for ease and recovery. And indeed, what should it have availed these distressed jews, to have any recourse to the brazen ferpent, unless they had perceived themselves to be stung even to death, and no other way or remedy to procure their deliverance? So it behoveth all of us, to have a lively and sensible feeling of our spiritual wounds. We must know, that sin is as a poison to the soul; and the Law giveth strength to sin. We must be grieved for our sins, which draw upon us the loss of God's favour, more than for the lack and loss of bodily health. Let us not therefore make a mock of sin. We see no man will dally or delight in poison: no poison is so dangerous to the body, as sin is to the soul. Let us beware of the wiles and subtleties of the old serpent, lest as he beguiled Eve through his craftiness, so he corrupt our minds from the simplicity that is in Christ, 
2 Cor. 11●  & carry us headlong to destruction and damnation of soul and body.  
Thirdly, in this Type we see the nature of Use 3 the Sacraments. The brazen serpent in itself had no operation to work any thing; in itself it had no virtue to cure or recover any man of any disease. The Sacraments of themselves cannot confer grace, only they are instruments of God's mercies, which he useth of his goodness toward us, to convey to us good things. They are as the King's gracious pardon, that sealeth up unto us forgiveness of sins: so that being by his institution very available, we must frequent them with a feeling of our wants, with reverence of his ordinances, with hungering after his graces, with calling upon his Name, to fit and prepare us to that heavenly work. God could have healed his people with his word alone, (without the serpent, as well as with the serpent) as the Centurion confesseth to Christ, Speak the word only, 
Math. ●, ●  and my servant shall be healed; yet he addeth the serpent set upon a pole for farther assurance of his word, and to be a sign of their recovery: so God can save by the Ministry of his word without the Sacraments, if it please him; yet he addeth and annexeth them as appurtenances to the word, to confirm the weakness of our faith, and to make good the truth of his own promise. And as it was not enough for them to believe the word of God to the curing of their bodies, & the taking away of the stinging of the serpents, unless they used the help of the brazen serpent: no more is it sufficient for us, to believe the forgiveness of sins by Christ, unless we labour to strengthen our faith by the Sacraments. Nay, if any would not vouchsafe to look upon the Serpent, being the means that God ordained for their recovery; it is certain they regarded not the word of God itself, that they should live: so, if any contemn or neglect the Sacraments being holy seals of heavenly blessings, they are plainly convinced to their faces, that they respect not the word itself, whatsoever they pretend to the contrary notwithstanding. This we see in Ahaz, who neglecting a sign offered unto him, for the better strengthening of his faith, is said to tempt God, and to despise his word, Esay 7, 12. The natural reason of man would never believe, that he should be healed by a serpent of brass, having no virtue or vigour in it: so carnal wisdom and understanding cannot discern, how a little water sprinkled on the body, should be the laver of regeneration; or how a small cantle of bread, should bring and convey unto us the body of Christ; or a little wine, offer and exhibit unto us the blood of Christ: So that as in this bodily cure both their eye did behold it, and their faith did believe: in like manner, in the Sacraments we must shut the eyes of our carnal reason, and open the eyes of faith, believe his word, and we shall be comforted. For every man doth in them receive (through the promise of God,) so much as he believeth he receiveth. This Christ assureth to the woman of Canaan, who had showed an undaunted and invincible faith, taking no repulses, overstriding all difficulties, refusing all denials, and striving against all doubts that might arise in her heart, saying; O woman, great is thy faith, be it to thee as thou desirest. Mat. 15, 28. So when two blind men followed him, crying & saying; O son of David, have mercy upon us, he said unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? and when they answered, Yea Lord, he touched their eyes, saying; According to your faith, be it unto you. Mat. 9, 29. Moreover, albeit the Serpent restored life, yet was not life present and inherent in the brazen serpent, neither abiding in the matter, or resting in the form thereof: so albeit Christ be offered and signified, yea conveyed and conferred unto us in the Sacraments of Baptism, and the Lords Supper, yet he is not carnally and corporally present, nor carnally and corporally eaten, as the Capernaites imagined, 
●, 60.66.  but he is spiritual meat for spiritual men; the rest eat the outward signs, but are not partakers of the thing signified. Thus we see, how the consideration of the similitude of the brazen serpent directeth us in sundry conclusions to be holden and acknowledged touching the Doctrine of the Sacraments of the new Testament.  
Fourthly, this present type teacheth us, that Use 4 we are justified by faith alone, without the works of the Law. For as the Israelites stung of these serpents were cured, so are we saved; as health was offered by the serpent, so is salvation by Christ. But the Israelites did nothing at all, but only look up to the brazen serpent, they were not willed to make satisfaction for their rebellion, or to go on pilgrimage, nor so much as to dress and bind up their wounds; but only to behold the serpent set upon the pole, & as Christ saith to the Ruler of the Synagogue touching the healing of his daughter, Fear not, only believe, Mar. 5, 36, so is it in the saluing of the sores of the soul, in the attaining pardon of our sins, and obtaining the righteousness of Christ. There is required nothing of us touching our justification and salvation, but to fix the eyes of our faith upon Christ. True it is, many other virtues and graces are required to make up the full perfection of a christian man, that he may be complete, wanting nothing; yet he is justified and doth stand as righteous in the sight of God by faith only. It is a great & weighty controversy in these days, between the Church of Rome and us, what is the cause of life and salvation: they ascribe the cause of salvation in part to the merit of our own works, and to a righteousness inherent in our own persons, and in part likewise to Christ, who (say they) hath made us able to merit the favour of God, and to satisfy for our own sins. We ascribe all our salvation to the mercy of God, and the merit of Christ, wholly applied to us by a lively faith; the which manner of saving us, most fitly agreeth to the nature of God, the chief Fountain of our salvation, who can abide no pollution, neither can any wickedness stand in his presence; who is of pure eyes, & requireth our perfect obedience, so that wanting the perfect righteousness of the Law, of our own, we must be clothed with the righteousness of another, whereby we may be saved. Even as jacob, though he were not by birth the first borne, 
Ambr. de jacob. lib. 2. cap. 1.  yet hiding himself under his brother's garments, and having put on his coat which smelled most sweetly, came into his father's presence, that under another man's person, he might receive the blessing of the first borne; so is it necessary that we lie hid under the precious pureness of Christ our elder brother, that having the sweet savour of his garments, our sins may be covered with his perfection, that we may offer ourselves to our most loving Father, and obtain of him the blessing of righteousness. And this some of our adversaries themselves cannot but approve, 
Pigb de fide & justify. con. ro. 2  and have given their own fellows the slip. Besides, this Doctrine standeth best with the glory of God, which shineth more clearly in our salvation obtained by justice imputed, then by justice inherent For suppose there were a miserable and desperate debtor, perishing and languishing imprison, were it not far more honourable & gracious for a Prince wholly to pay the debt, and to cancel the bond & handwriting standing against him, then to put into his hands a stock of money, whereby himself might be enabled to work out his debt? Therefore the Apostle teacheth, that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, and are saved by grace through ●ith, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast, Eph. 2, 8, 9 Thus Paul concludeth also concerning Abraham, the father of the faithful, Rom. 4, 2. Thus doth Christ determine this question, drawing a comparison from the brazen serpent, john 3, 14, 15, 16: for he teacheth, that the son of man must be lift up on the cross, as the serpent was on the pole in the Wilderness, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. Let us then renounce all met it and righteousness in our own selves, & fly to the merits and righteousness of Christ, according to the practice and example of the Apostle, Phil. 3, 8, 90▪ I have counted all things loss, and do judge them to be dung, that I might win Christ, and might be found in him; not having min● own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of God through faith. Hereunto cometh the reason of the same Apostle: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness: now to him that worketh, the wages is not counted by favour, but by debt: but to him that worketh not, but believeth in him that ius●ifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness Rom. 4, 3, 4, 5. True it is, works are necessarily required as the fruits of faith, and of justification by faith: but our justification is one thing, our sanctification is another, for they are made several graces & distinct gifts: 
1 Cor. 1, 30.  neither is it likely, that the Apostle would repeat the same thing twice without cause. And in another place he concludeth, that a man is justified by faith without the work of the Law: if it be of grace, it is no more of works, for than were grace no more grace: but if it be of works, it is no 〈◊〉 gra●e, for the● were work no more work. Rom. 3, 〈◊〉, & 11, 6. Therefore it is truly said, that good works follow a man being justified, but do not go before; in him that is to be justified. Neither let any say, It is absurd that one should be made righteous by the righteousness of another, for the righteousness of Christ, is both his and ours. His, as being inherent in him, as in a subject. Ours, being given unto us, and imputed to us; so that by i● we are justified before God, and accepted to eternal life. And that horrible blasphemy is this, to teach, that by the Pope's indulgences, we should be made partakers of the merits and good works of the ●●ints, and to deny it as most unreasonable, what we should be partakers of the ●●●ries and righteousness of Christ jesus. But as the transgression of Adam was both his and ours also; not his alone, ●●r ours alone, but his and lo●●s together, because he stood in on● places, and we were in his loins: so is Christ's righteousness and obedience his and ours. And why should not the righteousness be of another, 
Bernard. 〈◊〉 1, 0  seeing guilt is of another As another maketh us sinners, why should not another make us righteous, and justify us from sin? It might seem to flesh and blood as unreasonable, that the brazen serpent in this place, being an artificial wor●, made with man's hands, without sense & life, should restore health, and give life to such as were mortally bitten: yet we see by beholding it, they were recovered.  
Moreover, the people stung by the fiery serpents, ●ryed out in the anguish and bitterness of the pain, yet none was able to help himself or his brother, by his own power of strength, or by any act wrought by him; no, nor Moses himself could minister any cure o● comfort unto them, but only the graces of God, directing them to look upon the brazen serpent set up, (for when GOD had appointed them one way, they must not seek another way:) so although a man feeleth the sting of the old serpent, that is, sin; 
Ferus in l● & Mato●●  yet no man can deliver himself or others; nay, if he should fly to the works of the Law, they can do nothing. The Law showeth the disease, it is Christ that must take it away, it is God that must show mercy, it is faith that must justify us. We affirm therefore with the Apostle, Gal. 2, 16, that we are justified freely, not of the Law, not by the Law, not of works, not of ourselves, not of the works of the Law, but by faith; all matter of boasting is excluded, justification by grace is concluded, that God may be all in all.  
Fiftly, great consolation ariseth from this Use 5 comparison and similitude, to all such as ●●e weak in faith, & feel the corruptions of their hearts pressing them, and the temptations of Satan often overcoming them, & always assaulting them. For we have great comfort given us to enter into the combat, and to fight the battles of the Lord against the enemies of our souls, by consideration of these fierce and fiery serpents. True it is, they did continually bite & sting the children of Israel, (for otherwise there had been no need of the brazen serpent) yet they could not destroy them; they did not ceaffe to vex them, but they could not wound them unto the death; for they had a remedy at hand to help themselves, they looked upon the brazen serpent and were healed. So hath God restrained the rage and malice of all the enemies of our peace and salvation. For howsoever the devil & his angels are always tempting, provoking, and seeking to 〈◊〉 us as men do wheat, yet their homes and ●ot short, and their strength is diminished, their will to hurt, is greater than their power of hurting; so that they cannot execute the cruelty they desire, as the Lord himself testifieth from the beginning, Gen. 3, verse 15. Albeit therefore the battle be long, & the skinnis● oftentimes hot & bloody; albeit we take many a foil, and have the Bucklers beaten to our heads; albeit we be felled with the stroke, and driven to fight upon our knees, yet the victory shall be ours, and we are assured to prevail over our adversaries, who may fight against us, but can never overcome us.  
Again, note that God requireth not of the Israelites stung in the Wilderness, the use of both eyes, nor exacteth a perfect sight to behold the serpent. Such as looked upon it with a weak and dim sight, even with half an eye only, (as no doubt among that great people, multiplied as the fish in the sea in great abundance, there was great difference in sight) there being among them young & old, strong and weak, sharp-sighted, and blear-eyed; yet all that saw the serpent set up, were cured and restored; not for the goodness of their sight, but for the promise and ordinance of God. So such as have a true faith, though it be as a grain of mustardseed, 
〈◊〉 17, 20.  which is the least of all seeds, can lay hold on Christ, and apply him to themselves. A small drop of water, is as well and truly water, as the whole Ocean sea; a little spark is true fire, as well as a mighty flame; a little quantity of earth is as truly earth, as the whole Globe thereof. So a small measure of faith, is as well true faith, as a full persuasion and assurance, & the gates of hell shall never prevail against it. The least faith is acceptable to God, A bruised Reed shall he not break, 
〈◊〉. 12, 20.  and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgement unto victory. A weak faith doth as truly apprehend & apply Christ with all his merits and obedience, as a stronger faith. Even as a small and weak hand, if it be able to carry and convey the meat unto the mouth, serveth for the nourishment of the body, as well as an hand of greater strength, because it is not the strength of the hand, but the goodness of the meat that nourisheth the body: so a weak faith, laying hold on Christ, and applying him and all his benefits to the believer, is sufficient to nourish him to eternal life, because it is not the worthiness or excellency of faith, but of Christ applied, which is available and effectual for our justification and salvation. All the Israelites being an huge host of many hundred thousands, were not alike sharp-sighted, and quick-eyed: but some no doubt were purblind, and could not see afar off, and saw the serpent exceeding darkly & dimly; yet was not the blear-eyed man hindered of his health, because of his weak and tender eye, but if he looked thereupon, and were not wholly blind, he was delivered and restored, though otherwise never so slender-sighted. So whosoever are stung to death with sin (as all are by nature, and the wound sticketh deeply in their soul) if they look up to Christ with the eye of faith, resting upon him alone for their salvation; though never so weak in faith, yet shall be restored to the joy and health of their salvation, and be eternally saved. There is a weak eye, and there is a strong eye; 
Mat. 8, 26, and 6, 30. Mat. 15, 28, & 8, 10. Rom. 4, 21.  so there are divers degrees of faith, there is a little faith, there is a great faith, and there is a fullness or assurance of faith. And as a weak eye seethe unperfectly, the strong eye discerneth strongly; so a little faith believeth faintly, a great faith believeth steadfastly, an assured faith believeth fully, under hope, even against hope, with faithful Abraham; yet the least of them believeth truly & effectually. The Disciples of Christ said unto him, We believe and know that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, john 6, 69, yet this faith was quickly shaken, when the storms of wind and rain arose, 
August. in john, tract 79.  it was quailed in his death, but repaired in his resurrection. Themselves feeling their own wants prayed, Lord, increase our faith. Luke 17, 5. The poor distressed man saith in the Gospel, Lord, I believe, help mine unbelief. Mark. 9, 24. Where we see (as one noteth) he saith, I believe, 
Aug de verb. domin. Ser. 36  therefore he had faith: he addeth, Help mine unbelief, therefore he had not attained to a fullness and assurance of faith, and yet was accepted. Peter was in believing a lively pattern of us all, sometimes he believeth, sometimes he wavereth; sometimes he confesseth Christ, 
Aug. de verb. domin Servant 13.  sometimes he shrinketh back from that confession. It was faith that made Peter at the word & commandment of Christ to step into the sea, to go to Christ upon the waters, & to believe that he should be safe through his word that commanded, otherwise he would never have adventured to departed out of the ship: yet he believed not with a full persuasion, forasmuch as the weakness of his faith made him begin to sink, and earnestly to cry out unto Christ, Master, save us; to whom Christ answered, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Math. 14, 28. Yet this weak faith was a true faith, and this little faith was a lively faith, because that fear and doubting made him run and have recourse to Christ, expecting all strength and succour from him alone, finding no power or ability in himself to deliver himself. And thus do many of the faithful believe their own particular salvation, albeit not fully and perfectly, yet truly & effectually to the comfort of their own souls: albeit they sometimes waver and stagger, yet they recover themselves, and increase more & more in strength of faith.  
Lastly, this teacheth us what is the nature Use 6 and property of a true justifying faith, and wherein it consisteth, namely, in a special and particular application of Christ's righteousness to our own selves. It was not enough for these Israelites which were stung, that others should look upon the serpent set up, but it was required of every one (to work the cure) to behold it himself. So must we have a particular faith in Christ, apprehending his merits. Thus the Apostle setteth down that faith whereby he lived and was justified, Gal. 2, 20. I was crucified with Christ, etc. who loved me and gave himself for me. here we see the right property of a lively faith to stand in application of the love of God, & the merit of the passion of Christ to ourselves, albeit there be great weakness in our applying of him, considering that it is not the perfection of our faith that doth save us, but the perfection of the obedience of Christ, which faith apprehendeth. This faith was in David, as he witnesseth in sundry Psalms; The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, my God, and my strength, my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge. Psal. 18, 2. Thus have the faithful learned to apply the general promises of the Gospel unto themselves. When God saith, Seek ye my face, Psal. 27, 8, the faithful soul answereth to God, I will seek thy face. When God saith, Thou art my people, Zach. 13, 9, the faithful resoundeth back again, Thou art the Lord my God. When Christ saith, If thou believe, all things are possible to him that believeth, Mark. 9, 23, the believer answereth, Lord, I believe, help mine unbelief. When God requireth to do his will, the believer saith to him again, Lo, I come, O my God, I am content to do it, yea thy law is within mine heart. Hence we must all learn to abhor & abjure the false faith of the false church of Rome, which teacheth that to be true faith, which generally believeth the word of God to be true. This is the faith of the reprobates, and thus the devil and all damned spirits may be said to have faith. For every article of the Creed, teacheth us to believe, not only generally that there is a God, 
james 2, 19  a Saviour, a Sanctifier, a Church of God, a Communion of Saints, a forgiveness of sins, a resurrection of the body to everlasting life, which the devil and his angels knoweth, confesseth, and believeth: but particularly that God the Father is our Father, that Christ is our Saviour, that the holy Ghost is our Sanctifier, that there is an holy Catholic Church, and that we are true members of it, that we have our part and fellowship in the Communion of Saints, that our sins are forgiven us, and that we shall rise again to glory and immortality. Hence it is, that we pray daily, not only for remission of sins to be given to the faithful, but for the forgiveness of our own sins. Hence it is, that in coming to the Lords Table, we receive Christ as the bread of life and the food of our souls. There can be no eating and drinking but by a particular taking and receiving: so can there be no believing in Christ without a special receiving & apprehending of Christ, according to the saying of Christ, john 6, 56, He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. No man is fed by the meat that another man eateth: so no man is justified by the faith whereby another man believeth, but the just man liveth by his own faith, Hab. 2▪ 4. For he is the bread of life that came down from heaven, He that cometh to him, 
john 6, 35  shall never hunger: and he that believeth on him shall never thirst. Let us therefore labour for this special faith and affiance in the mercy of God, and make particular application of the merits of Christ. Let us believe in him who is the true brazen serpent, or rather the truth of the brazen serpent; let us make him to be our life, who is of God made unto us to be wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. 1, 30.   

10 And the Children of Israel departed thence, and pitched in Oboth.  
11 And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in the hills of Abarim, in the Wilderness which is before Moab at the rising of the Sun.  
12 They departed thence, and pitched upon the River of Zared.  
13 Thence they departed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the Wilderness, coming out of the Coast of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between the Moabites and the Amorites.  
14 Wherefore, it is spoken in the book of the battles of the Lord, against Vaheb in the Land of Suph, and against the Rivers of Arnon.  
15 And the stream of these Rivers which goeth down to the dwelling of Are, lieth upon the border of Moab.  
16 And from thence they removed to Beer, the same is that Well, whereof the Lord said unto Moses, Assemble the people, and I will give them water.  
17 Then Israel sang this song, Rise up Well, shout ye unto it.  
18 O Well, which the Princes digged, the Nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the Wilderness they went to Mattanah.  
19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth.  
20 And from Bamoth to the Valley which is in the Land of the Moabites, at the beginning of the Hills, and looketh toward the Wilderness.  
In this division is contained the third part of this Chapter, describing the peregrinations and perambulations of the Israelites, in what places they pitched their Tents, till they came to the possession of the Amorites.  
Touching these several journeys, some are barely and nakedly mentioned, because no notable matter or extraordinary and memorable accident fell out therein: other are passed over, and not at all mentioned or remembered, because the whole order of their traveling in the Wilderness, is particularly recorded afterward, Numbers, chapter 33, how they removed from place to place, and after what manner. But upon some other of their remoovals, Moses doth somewhat more largely insist, and as it were make a stay as in the setting down of two points: First, rehearsing the bounds by which the Israelites passed into the Land of promise: secondly, describing the well which they digged for water.  
Touching the first point, they are said to have pitched in Oboth, then at the heaps of the hills of Abarim, situate right over against Moab; then at the brook Zared: lastly, at the borders of the Amorites near to the River Arnon. Now because these were at the first the bounds and borders of the Moabites, Moses showeth how by conquest they were lost; declaring both who lost them, and likewise who won them by the dint of the sword. For he telleth us by the Spirit of God, that these places were once in the power, possession, and dominion of Vaheb, who before managed the state and kingdom of the Moabites: but Sihon, thirsting with ambition to enlarge the bounds of his dominion, set upon Vaheb, bade him battle, and won these Coasts & Countries from him.  
Now to continue the memorial & remembrance hereof to posterity, there was a public register made hereof to posterity, showing that the name of those quarters was Suph, 
●●t. 1, 1.  and declaring that Vaheb had been the lawful possessor of them, as Sihon was now the wrongful usurper. Nevertheless, as all things else are overswaied by an higher power, so this battle was fought and directed by the providence of God, that the Moabites for their horrible idolatry, might be punished, that Sihon, provoking Israel to battle, might be repressed, and that thereby an inheritance for the people of God might be prepared and obtained. This is the cause why God drew out the swords of these Infidels one against another, that the Moabites lost a part of their dominion, and the Amorites enlarged their borders. Thus the Israelites took nothing from the Moabites, neither possessed any part that was in their present possession, as jephtah prescribeth in the book of judges, chap. 11, 26. For when the King of the Amonites challenged Israel for encroaching upon his ancient dominion, & detaining part of his Country from him, to wit, from Arnon unto jabbock and jordan, after their departure out of Egypt, and required of them to make present restitution: jephtah convinceth them, and disproveth this allegation as false and unreasonable, declaring (as the truth was) that Israel took not away that land which they claimed as their own, but won it from the Amorites by the law of war, and Verse 20 by right of conquest, who denying them passage, and moreover making assault upon them, constrained them to draw out their swords & to defend themselves: by occasion whereof they obtained victory through the help of God, and possessed their Cities. And as they took them by force of arms, so they held them Verse 26 by prescription of time, three hundred years. So that he declareth, that if any had right to those Cities, or could lay any just claim or title unto them, it should be the Moabites who were the lawful owners of them, before Sihon had encroached upon them, and taken them away from the first inhabitants. But the Moabites having once lost them in battle, never asked Verse 25 them of the Israelites, neither laid any claim unto them: therefore much less should the Amonites, to whom they appertained not by any just title, neither belonged any way unto them, either as owners by law, or conquerors by sword; and therefore they had no cause to dispute what right Israel had unto that Land which now they possessed.  
The second point here amplified and enlarged, is touching the well, which by a divine revelation to them they had digged. For when they departed from the River Arnon, they came into a dry place where they wanted water, such as the wilderness affordeth many, where the streams are swallowed up in the hot sands, but at the special commandment of God they were directed what to do; as Peter was, where he should cast his Net, Luke, chapter 5, verse 4: they digged and found water in great abundance, and therefore they praise God by an effectual song of thanksgiving, amplified by many rhetorical figures, as goodly flowers, or as precious jewels to beautify and garnish the same withal.  
For first, they eloquently by an Apostrophe, turn their speech to the Well itself, though a dumb and senseless creature, and speak unto it, as if it had ears to hear, and understanding to conceive, Rise up, O Well: confessing thereby the great power of God, who contrary to the nature of all heavy and weighty things, made the water to ascend, whose property is to descend: and exhorting with many acclamations and loud outcries one another to the work.  
Secondly, they set down who were the labourers and workmen about the Well, together with the tools and instruments wherewith they laboured, to wit, the Princes and Nobles, directed by Moses, (by whose ministry they received the Law) and helped with their staves and such like instruments (wherewith they laboured) fit for that purpose. And this is the third miracle which God wrought in giving them waters. First, in Rephidim, immediately after they had passed over the red Sea, Exod. 17. The second in the desert of Zin, when they came to Kadesh, as we showed before in the former chapter. The third is that recorded in this place, in the desert of the Moabites. Afterward Moses reckoneth up other places, by which they passed, as Mattaanah, Nahaliel, Bamoth, and so that Valley which is in the plain of the Moabites.  
In this History of the passage of the Israelites from place to place, a question 
Question.  ariseth, what is meant by the book of the wars of the LORD, mentioned in the fourteenth verse? For where is it now extant? or what is become of it? From hence also, & from such like places many conclude, that sundry books of Canonical Scripture are lost. I answer, Answer. the word (Sepher) is taken diversly and doubtfully: it signifieth any publishing or rehearsing, whether it be written, or unwritten; whether it be set down by the pen, or uttered by lively voice; as also the word Tradition is taken for that which is delivered, either by word of mouth, or by course of writing. So then we cannot necessarily conclude, It is rehearsed, therefore it is written: Nor thus, It is written, Therefore it is an holy book, and put into the Canon of the Scripture. Let these three things be cleared and decided, that it was a book, that it was an holy book, and lastly that it was a Canonical book, and then we shall easily be satisfied, But Moses speaketh barely of rehearsing the wars, not of writing them: as if he should say, Whensoever the wars, ordered and disposed by the providence of God, shall be spoken off; this war also and work of his shall be remembered, which he hath wisely wrought and accomplished for his people against Vaheb King of the Moabites, giving part of his Country to Sihon, that so his own people might recover the same out of his hands again, and retain it as a possession for themselves, as jephtah telleth the Ammonites, judg. 11, 23, 24, that they had held it by prescription of a long time peaceably without any molestation from the Moabites, or desire of reentry. But if this had been penned in a book, and reserved to posterity, no doubt jeptah would have produced it as a sure witness to clear the whole matter, and to put it out of all doubt.  
Wherefore this truth must be holden of us, that no part of the Canonical Scripture, 
No canonical Scripture is lost.  inspired of God, is lost and perished: I mean such as was committed as the Lord's treasure to the Church, for the perpetual instruction thereof in faith and obedience, so that no one oracle or sentence of God can fall away. True it is, 
2 King. 22, 8. 1 Mac. 1, 19  these sacred books may sometimes be neglected and carelessly kept of men, they may be furiously burned, and despitefully handled by cruel tyrants that seek the overthrow of all piety and religion, but they can never be finally lost and wholly extinguished. As he that keepeth Israel cannot slumber or sleep: so he that keepeth the holy Scripture, the glory of Israel, cannot slumber nor sleep. For first of all, who is the author and enditer of them but God? and will not he preserve his truth, and keep it for the good of his Church in all ages? Shall we make him unable, or unwilling to defend and continue them? If unable, we make him a weak and impotent God: if unwilling, we make him envious and malicious, both which are far from the pure and perfect nature of God, and cannot stand with his essence. Secondly, all the works of God remain for ever and ever, and are done in truth and equity. Take a perfect view of all creatures under the Sun, which are the works of his hands; though they may be abolished and rooted out in one place, yet they continue in another. If thou wouldst ascend into the heavens, or go down into the deep, if thou wouldst take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea, which of all the Creatures are now missing? What place is void & empty? What hath been, that is not now being, and extant in the world? This is it which the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 111. The works of his hands are established for ever and ever, and are done in truth and equity. If then all his works abide and continue from the glorious Creatures in the heavens, to the silly worm creeping in the earth: much more the holy Scripture must abide without decaying or diminishing, (as the durable Cedar without rotting and consuming) which is not only his handiwork, but a masterworke chief above all others, as the Diamond among pearls of great price. And if the least and lowest creature in the world hath been in his kind continued hitherto, and shall be continued to the end, by the mighty hand of God, upholding and supporting all things that he hath made: much less shall the Scripture perish and fall away, which bringeth greater glory to God, and greater gain to his people? Thirdly, the Scripture was written for these ends and purposes, for instruction and admonition, for teaching and confutation, for comfort and consolation, that so the man of God may be absolute, 1 Tim. 3, 16, 17. Neither was God deceived in his purpose and intent: so that it must remain & continue, being written for those ends and uses. But what error can be convinced, what comfort can be received, what vice can be corrected, what truth can be published, what grace can be commended to the Church, out of those books which are supposed to be lost? Let us not therefore doubt of God's providence, and so shake the faith of the Church thereby. Fourthly, we see the old Testament hath reserved entirely the Genealogies of the fathers, which are not absolutely necessary to faith and salvation, as also the whole body of the ceremonies set down in Leviticus and other places of the Law, which notwithstanding were shadows of things to come: why then should we not presume, that the same his providence hath also watched over other books, which more properly belong to our practice and times, and so more fitly might inform us against ignorance, teach us in our religion, warn us in dangers, and comfort us in afflictions? And if we have no word missing or sentence wanting in such books as are left to the Church that there should need a void room: or a desunt nonnulla; or an Asteriscus and some little star to give warning of some defect, as we see it is in many profane writings, 
Dionys Hal● car●as Plut● Tu●●. Po●●●●●pian L●●● and other●  and those of the best note: how should we be induced to believe that whole volumes of the old and new Testament are utterly lost & never to be repaired? Lastly, let us hear the testimony of the Scripture itself, & observe what it can say, and doth witness for itself. Moses an old and ancient witness, teacheth, Deut. 29, 29, that secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed, belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this Law. But how do they belong unto us, that are not reserved for us? Or how shall our children be directed by them, that cannot be found in their days, or in the days of their fathers before them? Or how shall either father or son do that which they cannot know? Hereunto David accordeth, Psal. 119, 152. I have known long since by thy testimonies, that thou hast established them for ever. And our Saviour giveth his holy consent unto this heavenly truth, saying, Truly I say unto you, till heaven and earth perish, one jot or one title of the Law shall not escape, till all things be fulfilled, Mat. 5, 18, and 24, 35. So then, we must hold the durableness and continuance of the Scripture in the Church, which is the pillar of truth, that it cannot fail or fall away, as is proved at large in the answer to the Preface of the Rhemish Testament.  
But before we proceed to the Doctrines of this division, it shall not be amiss to answer the objections that are raised and moved against this point, touching the perpetuity of the whole Scripture, and of every part of it.  
First, we find often mention made of the books of the Chronicles of the Kings of judah and Israel, 
●ect. 1. ings 14, 19 ●5, 7, & 11, josh 10, 3 ●am. 1, 18.  of the book of the just, & such like, which are lost. If then these be lost, and by no means to be found; how shall we truly say, that the whole Scripture doth continue?  
I answer, 
●sw.  these books were never Canonical Scriptures, but civil stories and chronicles of the Commonwealth matters, not of the Church, whereunto the Reader is directed if he be desirous to read and know the History more at large: whereas the Prophets do only touch so much, as served for the edification of the Church, and the building of it in faith toward God. For as all civil Nations have the Chronicles of their forefathers and ancestors acts, Ester, chap. 6, verse 1. Ezra 4, verses 15, 19, so had the jews their civil Histories; such were those we now speak of, which were good and profitable books of men, but were never committed or commended to the care of the Church to be preserved and maintained.  

●ect. 2.  Again, we read in sundry places, of the books of Nathan and Gad, the words of Samuel, the works of Ahia, of Shemaia, of Isaiah, and other Prophets, which likewise seem to be lost, as well as the other we named before.  
I answer, 
●er.  they seem so to such as do not duly consider of them, which indeed are not lost, but contained in the old Testament in the books of Samuel and of the Kings, which were not written by any one Prophet; but by divers Prophets at divers times, even in the several ages wherein they prophesied, albeit their several names be not to every part expressed, as appeareth, 2 Chron. chapter 26, verse 22, where the Spirit of God testifieth, that Esaiah wrote the acts of Vzziah, first and last: meaning that he wrote them in the second book of the Kings, and in his Prophecies, and not pointing out any book which now is lost: both the former books remaining as a treasure to the Church. As than we confess these books mentioned in this objection, to be of another nature than those expressed in the former, so they have been preserved, and ever shall be preserved in the Church, and be as it were laid up in the Ark thereof.  
Thirdly, it may be objected, that many Object. 3 worthy books of Solomon are lost which he wrote.  
I answer, Answ. his works are of two sorts: first, sundry books of Humanity and of Philosophy, natural and moral: secondly, books of Divinity, written as he was moved and inspired by the Spirit of God.  
The first sort of human and earthly things, which the Church might best spare without peril or impeachment of faith, have long since failed, as it is thought in the captivity: the rest, which are parts of the Canonical Scriptures do abide. And mark herein a special work of God's providence, preserving his own truth, and reserving it to all posterity.  
Few are found in the world to affect or regard the pure and sincere word of God, in comparison of the multitude that seek after human wisdom, and labour to know the nature of ●irds, of Beasts, of Fishes of Trees, and of earthly things, which delight the outward senses, and ravish the understanding of natural men: yet see how those books of Solomon that handle mere matters of human Philosophy, which the wise men of the world hunt after, are utterly lost: whereas the divine books which he wrote by inspiration, less regarded, and more contemned, are notwithstanding by the watchful eye of God remaining, and are reserved for the comfort of the Church for ever.  
Lastly, we read of the prophesy of Enoch Object. 4 in the Epistle of Jude, verse fourteenth, who prophesied of the second coming of Christ in power and great glory, with thousands of his Saints: which Prophesy also seemeth to be among those books which are lost.  
I answer, Answer. this could be no Apocryphal Book of holy Scripture; for Moses was the first Penman or Scribe that wrote the holy Scripture, whose five books are perfect, and contained in them sufficient instruction for that CHURCH, whereas that prophesy did not, nor indeed could not.  
Secondly, it cannot appear that this prophesy was ever written. 
Jude, ver. 14.  It is said, he prophesied & foretold the end of the world by the Spirit of God in that most corrupt age that hasted to destruction, to the end that such as were ordained to eternal life might believe, and the rest being hardened might be made without excuse; but it is no where said, It was written. It is said to be a prophesy, but no word or mention is made of the writing of this prophesy: so that it seemeth, the Apostle learned it by tradition from the father to the son, as the Apostle Paul setteth down the names of the sorcerers that withstood Moses and Aaron. Neither let the Church of Rome lay the foundation of unwritten traditions upon this groundwork: seeing we deny not all unwritten traditions conveyed from hand to hand, but only such as are made rules of God's worship, matters of faith, and parts of religion necessary to salvation.  
To conclude therefore, seeing the providence of God, the fidelity of the Church and diligence of the faithful is so great, that the whole body of the Canonical Scripture hath been kept entire and perfect, without loss or lack of any part or parcel of it, of any book or sentence, we must detest the blasphemous shufflings & shift of the Church of Rome that make the Scripture to be a maimed, lame, and unperfect doctrine, 
Censu. Colon. dial 6. Concil. Trident. sess. 4.  not containing all things necessary to faith and salvation: whereas the Apostle teacheth, that the whole Scripture inspired of God, is able to make us wise unto salvation, 2 Tim. 3, 15, 16 17, through the faith which is in Christ jesus; and is profitable to teach, to convince, to correct, & to instruct in righteousness, that the man of God may be absolute, being made perfect unto all good works.  
[Verses 10, 11, 12, 13. And the Children of Israel departed thence, and pitched in Oboth, etc. Here we have painted and portrayed out, as in a Table, certain stations and journeys of the Israelites: wherein we may behold as in a glass, the providence of God protecting them, and the obedience of the people following him. We see how they remove from place to place in the wilderness, they are never long at one stay, but either they went forward or backward, as the sea continually ebbeth or floweth. Now as the Land of Canaan was a figure of their rest in the kingdom of heaven: so their wandering up and down in the wilderness, did figure and represent the condition of their life to be vain and transitory in this world.  

Doctrine. The faithful are foreigners and strangers in this life.  We learn from hence the state of the faithful, what it is, we are pilgrims and strangers in this life: we are as guest's lodging here for a night, but by and by we must departed and be dislodged, we have here no continuing City. This the faithful have in all ages confessed; jacob being brought into the presence of Pharaoh, saith, The whole time of my pilgrimage is an hundred and thirty years, few and evil have the days of my life been, Gen. 47, 9 But we may say, the days of our pilgrimage are threescore years and ten, if haply we reach so far, to which not one amongst an hundred cometh, few indeed and evil we may truly call them. This Abraham pleadeth, Gen. 23, 4, 
Gen 15. ●3.  wanting a place of burial to inter his dead, I am a stranger and a foreigner among you, give me a possession of burial with you. Thus he confesseth it went with him in Canaan, neither was his estate any better elsewhere. This the Prophet David acknowledgeth, though a great King, Psal. 39, 12. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and hearken unto my cry, keep not silence at my tears, for I am a stranger with thee, 
1 Chr. 23, 15  and a sojourner as all my fathers: our days are like a shadow upon the earth, and there is none abiding. So then we see what our life and condition is, we are altogether vanity, like grass that soon withereth: we are as tenants at the will of the Lord, our age is as nothing, it passeth as a tale that is soon told, it is as an hand-breath quickly measured, surely every man in his best estate is altogether lighter than vanity itself.  
The reasons. First, all our days are stinted Reason 1 and limited: as they are short and vain, so they are uncertain and unknown. The strongest natures and constitutions that seem to be framed & settled as a sure building to continue for many years, yet are soon cut off & are no more. We see this confirmed by the daily experience of many examples, as in Vzzah suddenly smitten, 2 Sam. 6, 7: in jobs children quickly overwhelmed, job 1, 19: in Ananias and Sapphira presently destroyed, Acts 5, 5, 10: in the rich man that had his soul in one night taken from him, Luke 12, 20, and in a continual beholding the hand of God, striking as pleaseth him. If then uncertainty be an apparent argument of vanity, we may conclude from hence, our life to be vain & transitory, inasmuch as God revealeth not, when, or where, or how we shall die and be taken out of this life. We know not when we shall die, at even, or at midnight, at the Cocke-crowing, or in the dawning. When we lie down, we know not whether we shall rise again: when we arise, whether we shall lie down again, except we be laid in our grave, and make our bed in the dust. Moreover we know not where we shall die, at home or abroad. When we go out of our houses, we know not whether we shall return to them alive or not, forasmuch as we carry about us evermore houses of clay. And when we come into them, we know not whether we shall go out of them again upon our feet, or be carried out upon the shoulders of others. Lastly, the manner and kind of our death is also as unknown as the rest, whether we shall die a natural or a violent death; a sudden, or a lingering death; whether our life shall be prolonged to the last point and period of nature, our heat and moisture being consumed, 
Cicer. de ●  as the light of a candle consumeth by little and little and at length goeth out of itself; or whether it shall be taken away by fire, by water, by sword, by famine, by pestilence, by beasts, and such like casualties incident to the sons of men; all which proclaim and publish in our hearts the vain condition of all flesh.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God hath prepared for us a City, whereof he is the builder and maker. This City we seek, being Citizens of the heavenly jerusalem, the mother of us all. For we shall never sufficiently be brought to acknowledge our frail and brittle estate, unless we be raised and lifted up to the meditation of our future condition in the life to come. If then the kingdom of glory be a place of rest, what is this present estate, but a sea of sorrows? If the heaven be our native Country, what is the earth but an exile and banishment? 
● 3, 20.  If it be true happiness to enjoy the blessed presence of the living God, than it must needs be a miserable thing, and death itself to want it. If to leave this earthly tabernacle, be a setting of us free and at liberty, what is this body but a prison? If immortality be as the putting on of a garment, 
〈◊〉 5.6.  what is our mortality, but as it were a nakedness? Lastly, if to die in the Lord, be to go unto God, what is this life but an absence from him? This did the patriarchs profess, and to this they sealed by their practice, Heb. 11 13, 14, 15, 16. Abraham possessed not one breadth of a foot, saving the purchase bought to bury his dead: jacob was banished out of that Land, a great part of his life: Isaac and the rest of the fathers had but their walk in it, and enjoyed it as a pledge of another Country which is above.  
Use 1, The uses follow. If we have here no abiding City in the days of our vanity, then acknowledge Gods great mercy toward us being so vain. We see other creatures in their estate more permanent than man is, far exceeding and excelling in natural gifts, in seeing, tasting, moving, hearing, touching, and such like properties: yet no creature tasteth of his saving mercies as man doth. This consideration doth the Prophet lead us unto, Psal. 8, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, that he is mindful of him and visiteth him, and hath put all things under his feet. There is no merit in us to be a motive to move him to show so great mercy unto us. He findeth us walking in our sins, as it were wallowing in our blood: all our righteousness is as a foul and filthy cloth, Esay 64, 6. This use David urgeth, Psal. 103, 14, 15, 16, 18. He knoweth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust: the days of man are as grass, as a flower of the field so flourisheth he: but the loving kindness of the Lord endureth for ever, he is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, & of great kindness. So that he confirmeth himself & others in God's mercy, by the consideration of our own vanity.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing our days be vain & short, why do we cark and care so much for the things of this life, what we shall eat, what we shall drink, and what we shall put on? Why do we eat the bread of sorrow, & with too much painfulness heap up worldly things? It may be we shall not come to the sight of the fruit of our labours, much less to the partaking of it. A traveler, the shorter his journey is, the less his provision is. We are all travelers, we are in the way to our country, and we are not far from the end of our journey; what folly then and madness is it to cast all our thoughts and meditations to earthly things, and to care not only for the morrow, 
Math 6, 25, 34  but for months and years. This our Saviour setteth down, Luke 12, 19, 20, 21, for when the rich man said to his soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, live at ease, eat, & drink, and take thy pastime; It was answered him: O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee, than whose shall these things be which thou hast provided▪ So is he that gathereth riches and is not rich in God. Hereunto consenteth the Apostle james chap, 4, 13, 14, 15. Go to now, ye that say, to day or to morrow we will go into such a City, and continue there a year, buy & sell, and get gain, and yet ye cannot tell what shall be to morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and afterward vanisheth away; for that ye ought to say, 
Thus rather the words are to be read.  if the Lord will, both we shall live and we shall do this or that. Solomon having had plentiful experience of the shortness and vanity of man's life, penned to this purpose the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is (as it were) the marrow and pith; yea, the very quintessence of all his best knowledge, and wherein we may see the refined wisdom of reformed Solomon; he proclaimeth, Vanity of vanities all is vanity: there is an evil which I saw under the Sun, and it is much among men, one to whom God hath given riches, treasures, and honour, & he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that it desireth: but God giveth him not power to eat thereof, a strange man shall eat it up: & though he leave no spark behind him neither son, nor brother, yet doth he not think, for whom do I travail, and defraud my soul of pleasure? This also is vanity, and this is an evil travail, Eccles. 1, 2, and 4, 8, and 5, 12, and 6, 1, 2.  
To conclude this use, if we be not strangers in this life, we shall have no part in the kingdom of heaven: If we will have God to avow and acknowledge us for his children, let us live here as foreigners and warfaring men in our journey, or rather in our race. We have pitched and patched up a Tent or Tabernacle, for a day or a night, we must not nestle ourselves here, we must not always go groveling to the ground, nor entangle ourselves in the affairs of this life to make it our everlasting habitation, but be flying upwards as birds sitting upon a bough. True it is, God is so favourable to many, that they never remove out of the place where they were born, but continue at home in their own houses; they are not driven hither and thither, they are not tossed from post to pillar; yet must not they make their resting place in this world, & look for heaven upon the earth, but be always ready to follow the calling of God, 
2 Cor. 7, 5:  and know that he hath reserved a better resting place for them in his kingdom. Wherefore the Apostle Peter exhorteth, dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and Pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the soul; & have your conversation honest among the Gentiles. This is the beginning of godliness and true religion, to deny this world, and to acknowledge ourselves to be but strangers in the same. And let us pray with the Prophet, Psal. 119. I am but a stranger upon earth, hide not thy Commandments from me.  
Use 3 Lastly let us learn to depend and rest only upon God, who only dwelleth in immortality, and not on the sons of men, who are nothing but vanity and cannot help. Who would in danger rest upon a weak reed, which beside the weakness is ready to run into our arm? All men are frail and transitory, if then we put confidence in an arm of flesh, we shall be deceived. This the Prophets of God every where record, Esay 2, 22, and 30, 7, and 31, 3. Cease you from the man whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be esteemed? Teaching us to cast off all vain confidence in man, if God stop his breath but a little, he is dead and gone. And chap. 30. The Egyptians are vanity, and they shall help in vain: they are men, & not God, their horse's flesh, and not spirit: and when the Lord shall stretch out his hand, the helper shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall, and they shall altogether fail. To this purpose David exhorteth, Psal. 62, 9, 10. The children of men are vanity, to lay them upon a balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity: trust not in oppression nor in robbery: be not vain; if riches increase, set not your heart thereon. Let us set our hearts on our God, and the God of our fathers: abuse not the favour and countenance of great men to do wrong, for he taketh away the greatest: rather let us pray to him to give us wise hearts to number our days, and to think often of our vanity, thereby to keep us from offending against God, that our life passeth as a sleep in the night, that it groweth up as grass, which in the morning flourisheth, but in the evening is cut down and withereth.  
[Verse 14. It shall be spoken in the book of the battles of the Lord.] He declareth that the place mentioned in the former verse, should be so ennobled and renowned, that the memory of it should never die or decay. As if Moses should say, when the battles of the Lord shall be spoken off, the River Arnon shall be remembered, and the battles that Vaheb the King of Moab lost. Now they are called the battles of the Lord, that were fought by men. For howsoever men run together like wild Bears, or wild Boars, and levy forces of men, yet their armies are conducted and ruled by God. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. All watered ordered by God.  That all waters are disposed & ordered of God. Of all things done here beneath, nothing seemeth more casual or confused, and nothing more out of the right course and order then the time of war, when men seem to run together at all adventures: yet God hath his hand in it, he guideth and governeth the same as seemeth good in his own wisdom. This the wise man handleth, Prou. 21, 31. The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but victory is of the Lord. This the Prophet confesseth, Psal. 144, 1. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battle. No war falleth out in any place, or upon any people, but it is sent of God. When Abraham recovered Lot his brother's son from the enemies, of whom he was taken prisoner, it was God that gave him good success and prospered the work of his hand. 
Gen. 14, 20.  When the Israelites revenged the villainy of the Beniamites, in abusing a woman unto death, it is said, the Lord smote Benjamin, 
judg. 20, 35.  and the children of Israel destroyed them. So when Gideon was armed with courage and comfort to encounter with the Midianites, & to perform the work of the Lord against them, when he was to join battle, he cried out, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. judg. 7, 20. Wherefore, howsoever men do manage the battle, yet it is ordered at the will of God.  
The reasons are plain. First, who is the Reason 1 chief Captain of every host and army? Is not the Lord? And is not every battle fought at the discretion & disposing of the General? If then God be the General of the field, and Captain of the host, & Precedent of the war, let us acknowledge that all wars are ordered at his pleasure. This is the Title given unto God, josh. 5, 13, 14, 15. When joshua lifting up his eyes, saw a man come against him, having a sword drawn in his hand, he said; Art thou on our side, or on our adversaries? And he answered, Nay but as a Captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come: then joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped him. This chief Captain and Leader of the people, was the Lord, as appeareth by a like place, Exod. 3, 5, where the Angel appearing unto Moses in a flame of fire, is called the Lord.  
Secondly, all things whatsoever are ordered Reason 2 by the appointment and providence of God, that are in heaven and earth; his government over all creatures, and of all actions, is universal, nothing can exempt itself out of the circuit of his dominion, as the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 113, 6. He abaseth himself to behold things in the heaven and in the earth. And the Apostle saith, that of him, and through him, and for him, are all things. Rom. 11, 36.  
The uses come now to be considered. First Use 1 this teacheth us, that the victory is not man's, but the Lords. For if the battle be the Lords, than the victory also is the Lords, that the glory likewise may be his. It is not the sword, nor spear, nor horse, nor man, nor money, that can save or secure: these are vain things to rest upon: so that where some trust in Chariots, and some in Horses, we must remember the Name of the Lord our God, Psal. 20, 7. Therefore the Prophet showeth, Psal. 33, 17, 18, that a King is not saved by the multitude of an host, neither is the mighty man delivered by great strength: an horse is a vain help, and shall not deliver any by his great strength. And this David confesseth, when he was to encounter with the uncircumcised Philistim, that reviled and railed upon the host of the living God, 1 Sam. 17, 46, 47, and 14, 6. This day shall the Lord close thee in mine hands, and I shall smite thee, that all the world may know that Israel hath a God, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with sword nor with spear, (for the battle is the Lords) and he will give you into our hands. It is not hard with him to save with many or with few: he maketh the weak strong, he causeth one to chase a thousand, and two to put ten thousand to flight, when the mighty God selleth them and shutteth them up. An example we have, 2 Chron. 24, 24. when joash King of judah sinned against God, shedding innocent blood, and forgetting the kindness showed to him, the Aramites came up against him, jerusalem was besieged, the Princes were destroyed, their goods were spoiled; and though the army of Aram came with a small company of men, yet the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. Give God the glory of his own works, and let us not sacrifice to our own Nets. This is the cause why God oftentimes doth not bless and prosper our wars, we glory greatly in our multitudes of men, whereby God is rob of his glory, and constrained to show us our own folly, and to chasten us for our presumption.  
Use 2 Secondly, it behoveth us to consult with him before we enter into it, 
umb. 27, 21.  to pray for a blessing, and to depend upon him touching the success. If nothing ought to be enterprised rashly, or taken in hand unadvisedly; then should wars be seriously thought upon, and warily begun, and wisely undertaken. The wise man teacheth, Prou. 20, 18, & 24, 6, that by counsel the thoughts of the heart must be established, and by counsel wars are to be enterprised. Thus when God promised victory to Ahab by one of his Prophets, over a great multitude of the Syrians, that he might learn to know him to be the Lord, Ahab asked of the Lord, who should order the battle? 1 Kings 20, 14, & 22, 5. So we must do nothing before we ask counsel of God to know his will & pleasure, as jehoshaphat taught Ahab, craving his help against Ramoth Gilead, Ask counsel I pray thee of the Lord to day, whether he will make our way prosperous. When the children of Dan sent expert men to view the Land and search it out, judg. 18, 5, 6, they asked counsel of God, to guide their feet in the way of peace. It is dangerous to be cold and careless in consulting with him, & coming to his ordinance for it. Good King joshua the Pillar of the hand, and nursing father of the Church, was killed by Pharaoh Necho, 2 Chron. 35, 22, because he consulted not with the mouth of the Lord, but went out to try his own strength. Let us not in the day of battle, think the season lost, or the time il spent that is employed this way: now is the acceptable time, and it is no wisdom to delay or defer it. This was the wickedness of saul's heart, when the noise of the Philistims army came to his ear, & the Priest had brought the Ark to ask advice of God, he said, Withdraw thine hand: 1 Sam. 14, 18, 19, that is, the time serveth not to stand & stay counseling and consulting with God, have away these things, and let us draw near to the enemy: an evident testimony that God had forsaken him, and taken his Spirit from him, that he might run from one evil into another, and so work out his own confusion. Contrariwise we see, that while joshua encountered with Amalek, a malicious and bloody enemy, Moses continued in prayer, and he prevailed more to the discomfiture and destruction of the Amalekites, by the force of prayer, than joshua by the dint of the sword.  
Lastly, let us not fear the enemies of the Use 3 Church, but be strong and valiant, and commit the cause unto God. Thus did joab when he entered the battle for the defence of God's people and true religion, 2 Sam. 10, 12. Be● strong and let us be valiant for our people, and for the Cities of our God, & let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes. Thus David comforteth himself when he fled from his son Abso on, an● was driven out of his kingdom by treason & treachery, Psal. 3, 6, 7, 8. I will not be afraid of ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about: O Lord arise, help me my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone, thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked salvation belongeth unto the Lord, and thy blessing is upon thy people. Be not therefore dismayed & discouraged, when the enemies breath out their threatenings against the Church, band themselves together against Christ & his religion, and make their unholy leagues for the utter extirpation thereof: the Lord that sitteth in heaven▪ knoweth how to vex them in his sure displeasure, and to break them in pieces like a Potter's vessel, and therefore blessed are all they that trust in him.  
[Verse 16. Assemble the people, and I will give them water.] So soon as they were removed from the River Arnon, they came into a dry place where they wanted water, but have it immediately supplied of God. Somewhat we see they had profited by the former judgements which broke in as a fire among them & consumed many. For here being in need and necessity, they do not murmur against God, as they had done before, nor rage against Mo●es as in former times; but they wait the Lords leisure, until he relieve them, & render thanks unto him for his mercy received. This benefit than is here amplified by the cause, I will give them water. From hence this Doctrine ariseth, 
Doctrine. The Lord supplieth the wants of his Servants.  that the Lord supplieth the wants of his, and helpeth them always in time of need. When we are hungry, he feedeth us; when we are thirsty, he giveth us drink; when we are naked, he clotheth us; when we are destitute, he succoureth us; when we are in want, he supplieth us; when we are in any necessity, he helpeth us; yea, he worketh miracles, and changeth the course of Nature, rather than forsaketh us. He sent Manna to Israel when they wanted bread: he struck the stony Rock when they wanted drink: he sent his Angel to Eliah with food to strengthen him. He never forgetteth those that are his, he maketh the rain to fall, and the sun to shine upon the very wicked and ungodly. This the Prophet David handleth, Psalm. 147, 9, & 145, 15, 16. The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season; thou openest thine hand, and fillest all things living of thy good pleasure. He giveth to Beasts their food, and to the young Ravens that cry. This the Lord himself teacheth out of the whirlwind, job 39, 1, 2, 3. Who prepareth for the Raven his meat, when his Birds cry unto God, wandering for lack of meat? Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion, and fill the appetite of the lions whelps? We know the Lions & other savage beasts are unsatiable, they are not filled with a morsel of meat, they couch not down in their dens when they have taken a little, they require much sustenance, according to their devouring nature. Now who is it that findeth them this food and provision, but he that is the Creator of all things, who saveth man and beast, for the lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat at God. Then let us come to the comparison which the Prophet maketh, Psalm 34. 
Psalm. 104, 21  If he feed the Lions who suffer hunger, and seek their prey with violence; how shall he forget or forsake us whom he avoweth for his children, and hath created after his own Image? The Lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they which seek the Lord, shall want nothing that is good. Psalm. 34, 9, 10. All these things teach us, that God reserveth to himself the office and charge of maintaining us, and giving unto us whatsoever is necessary and meet for us.  
Reason 1 The Reasons may easily and evidently appear unto us. First, his providence watcheth over those that are his, for their comfort and benefit, as the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 33, 18, 19 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, and upon them that trust in his mercy, to deliver their souls from death, and to preserve them in famine. This made him say in his old age. He saw never the righteous forsaken, & their children begging bread. Psal. 37, 25. This provident eye can never be deceived or disappointed, neither can it deceive or disappoint such as rest upon it for their comfort and preservation.  
Again, he is the Creator of all, a merciful Reason 2 Father, a careful Shepherd, a gracious Redeemer, a loving Husband to his people. Will the Maker forsake the work of his own hands? Can the Shepherd forget his flock and the sheep of his pasture? Can the Father forget his child, or the Mother not have compassion on the son of her womb? Can the Redeemer cast off his inheritance that he hath bought and dearly purchased? Can the husband deny protection and provision unto his wife that lieth in his bosom? Thus the Prophet reasoneth, and from the titles of God, assureth his faith, that it should never fail. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want: he maketh me to rest in green Pastures, and leadeth me by the still waters, etc. Psal. 23, 1.  
The uses of this Doctrine are lastly to be Use 1 stood upon. First, we are hence to gather, that we ought in all estates to fear God, and not to fear want of worldly wealth, or transitory things: let us have our conversation without covetousness, which is unsatiable and enlarged as the grave: let us take heed of diffidence & distrustfulness touching the things of this life: let us as well in adversity as in prosperity, be ready to rest on God's providence, whatsoever fall out unto us. True it is, we ought to labour in our callings, and to take pains to get meat and drink, but we must beware of carking and cares, and using unlawful means to sustain ourselves. If we see not such success on our labours as we look for, let us be content: if we see his blessing, let us remember to render him thanks. This duty the Prophet declareth, Psal. 34, 9, & 37, 5, for having declared, that albeit the lions lack, yet God will nourish those that be his, he concludeth hereupon, O fear the Lord, ye his Saints, for nothing wanteth to them that fear him. Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Let us pray to him in our necessities, and call upon him for our daily bread: let us especially be mindful of heavenly things, and lift up the eyes of our minds to that kingdom that is reserved for us. As for this world, 
1 Cor. ●▪ 32.  we must use it and all the things therein, as if we used them not, and as though they were not our own, but another's; according to the example and practice of the godly patriarchs. Let us use our houses and dwelling places, as strangers do an Inn wherein they lodge and seek harbour for a night, and then are gone. Let us use our goods and riches, as Pilgrims do other men's goods for a small season, but we must take heed we set not our hearts upon them. Let us reject and cast off all things that may clog and hinder us in the way to the kingdom of heaven, like good travelers, that will burden themselves with nothing that may hinder them in their journey. And let us all learn true contentation of heart in every estate of life, whether in health or in sickness, whether in want or in abundance, whether in trouble or in peace; considering, that as we brought nothing into this world, so we can carry nothing out of the same.  
Again, seeing God supplieth the wants of Use 2 the body, let us seek also at his hands the nourishment of our souls, and depend upon him for our spiritual food. We see how men being in any adversity are vexed and grieved, & how near it goeth unto the quick. If they want bodily food and sustenance, they compass sea and land, they spare no labour, they refuse no charges to have it supplied. How much more should we double our care for the soul, 
●, ●6.  which is of a more divine nature, and cometh nearer to the Image of God? The soul of man is the more precious and noble part of a man, the soul of a man is truly himself, the body is but his instrument: & therefore being of a more excellent substance, it is more to be regarded and cared for, than the body. If therefore a man would leave country and kindred to provide for his body, he should be willing to go out of house & home; yea, even to forsake himself to save his soul. If a man be ready to travail a thousand miles by sea and land for the increase of his wealth, or the bettering of his knowledge, or the delight of his body: 
● 6, 33.  we should not think much to go ten thousand miles, & to take any pains for the good of our soul, and to get food for the same. But the practice of the world goeth clean contrary; the soul is least regarded, the health, the wealth, the welfare, the peace, the sustentation and preservation thereof is nothing esteemed. They that are of the earth, do savour only of the earth: and will never leave caring for it, till their mouths be full of it. As we do tread upon the earth, so let us tread under our feet all earthly things: and as we are borne to look upward toward heaven, let us have our conversation in heaven, & set our affections upon heavenly things, & as we ask of God our daily bread, so let us depend upon him for the daily food of our souls.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us return to him praise and glory due unto his Name. We see men look for this duty at our hands, as an acknowledgement of their favours, who are but the instruments of God for the good of his people. How much more than ought we to be careful to remember the Lord, and to lift up our hearts to the heavens? We must not be always groveling upon the earth, like the swine that eat the Mast, but look not to the Tree. Wherefore the Prophet teacheth us this duty, I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: yea, I will glorify thy holy Name for ever: for great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest grave. Psal. 86, 12, 13. If we be not careful when God hath opened his hand toward us, to open our mouths, yea our minds toward him, we deprive ourselves of many other blessings that God would plentifully bestow upon us. A skilful husbandman will not always till a barren soil, nor cast his corn in the highway, where it shall neither be increased nor received; so if there be found in any of us a dry and unthankful heart, we stop the stream of God's blessings, and hinder many good things from us. So then, it is not enough to desire a supply of our necessities, & to have a sense and feeling of our own wants, we must not be idle beggars, always craving & catching what we can out of the Coffers of God's Treasury, and never acknowledge what we receive, and from whence we receive it. It is a notable note and token of the child of God, to be often in praises and thanksgivings. If we have received but a little measure of knowledge or faith, learn unfeignedly to be thankful for that, to the end thou mayst procure a farther blessing from God, and that thou mayst grow from faith to faith, and from strength to strength. Many hypocrites & dissemblers, nay many Atheists and Libertines, in trouble and affliction are ready to ask, seek, and knock at the gate of God's mercy, as we see in the Israelites, and in sundry others; but these prayers proceed from fear, not from faith: from a feeling of sorrow, not from a feeling of sin: from a sight of their own necessity, not from a sight of their own misery through want of reconciliation unto God. But we must testify our love to God, and our zeal of his glory, by our acknowledging of his gracious blessings, and rendering unto him the praise of his works of mercy.  
[Verse 17. Then Israel sang this song, etc.] The goodness of God was great toward the Israelites, in those dry and desolate places to send them water, & reveal unto them where they should dig a Well. Wherefore so soon as they have experience of his kindness, they make a song of thanksgiving, and sing a song of praise to remain unto all posterity, to testify the acknowledgement of God's mercy toward them.  
The Doctrine from this place is this. 
Doctrine. Thanksgiving to God, is a necessary duty.  That it is required as a special duty to God to offer the sacrifice of praise, and to pay unto him the calves of our lips, when we have tasted of his bounty and loving kindness. We must give thanks for mercies received at his hands. When the people of God received any victory over their enemies, they returned the glory to him for their deliverance. Gen. 14.20. Exod. 15, 1. and 18, 10. The Prophet David, as he abundantly tasted of the favour of God, so plentifully poureth out praise and thanksgiving, as the 18, Psalm. It is a Psalm of praise, which he sang in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. Likewise Psal. 116, 12, 13. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the Cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. This duty we see practised by Melchizedec on the behalf of Abraham, Blessed be the most High, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hands. This we see performed by Moses and Aaron, when they saw the mighty power of God overturning the Egyptians; I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and him that road upon him hath he overthrown in the sea: they sank to the bottom as a stone. This duty is not omitted nor deferred by Deborah and Barak in the day of their deliverance, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, and for the people that offered themselves willingly. judge, 5, 1, 5. This is it also that the Apostle teacheth, Phil. 4, 6. In all things let your requests be showed unto God in prayer, in supplications, and in giving of thanks. Yea job fearing God and eschewing evil, performed this duty to God, after the loss of outward wealth, when he had been bereft of his children, rob of his goods, spoiled of his servants, reproached of his wife, and tempted of the devil, he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return again: the Lord hath given, & the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord for ever. job 1, 21. Teaching us hereby to glorify God, not only for meat, drink, apparel, peace, liberty, 
Gen. 24, 12. and 29, 35. 1 Sam. 1, 1.  health, children, success in domestical affairs, and such like; but even for the losses & crosses that he sendeth upon us, which he sanctifieth to the salvation of his servants. Let us therefore acknowledge, that it is a duty belonging unto us, to offer the sacrifice of praise always unto God, that is, the fruit of the lips which confess his Name.  
Reason 1 The Reasons remain to be considered. First, we must give him the praise of his works, because it is the will and pleasure of GOD (who is so good unto us) to require it of us, who can give him nothing else. 
Psal. 118, 1.  For what are we able to require and return to the Lord for his great mercies? Can we deserve them at his hands or glory of any our own merits? Without him we can do nothing. If then we can render nothing but this, let us not deny him this duty of praise. It is the will of God we should not kill, or steal, nor commit idolatry, or adultery, & such like: few but make conscience of these sins, because we see the will of God restraining us, and condemning them. So it is the will of God we should beware of unthankfulness, and open our mouths in setting forth his praises, for his goodness unto men. This reason the Apostle useth, 1 Thess. 5, 17, 18. 
Psalm. 81, 4.  Pray continually, in all things give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ jesus toward you.  
Reason 2 Secondly, of all sacrifices, this is the chief and principal, and groweth in the Garden of God, as one of the Cedars in Lebanon, eminent above the rest of the Trees of the Forest. It excelleth and surmounteth all the rest, in respect of the enduring and continuance of it, in respect of the use and end of it, and in respect of our unwillingness and untowardness to perform it. First, touching the lasting of it▪ it was in Paradise before the fall, it was before the flood, it was before the Law, under the Law, under the Gospel, and shall hold to the end of the world. It is performed of men and Angels, in heaven and earth, it shall never end, no not when other exercises of our religion shall cease. The Scripture shall have an end, preaching shall cease, prayer shall fail, the sacraments shall fade, we shall have no need of these things; but the sweet singing of God's eternal praises, shall never cease. The blessed Saints, and all the host of heaven shall give praise, and power, honour, and glory, to him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for evermore. revel. 5, 13, and 11, 17.  
Again, it is the end both of the works of Reason 3 God, and of the other exercises of religion. It is the end of our election, for he hath predestinated us to the praise and glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved, Eph. 1, 5, 6. It is the end of our creation: for he hath made all things to his own glory, even the wicked for the day of wrath, Prou. 16, 4. It is the end of our redemption, for the holy man blesseth the Lord God of Israel, for visiting and redeeming his people, who would send us deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us, that we should serve him without fear all the days of our life in holiness and righteousness before him, Luke 1, 68, 74, 75. And the Apostle teacheth this, Eph. 1, 3, 7. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord jesus Christ, by whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins, according to his rich grace. It is the end of our justification, for we are justified freely by grace, that no man should boast in himself, But he which rejoiceth, should rejoice in the Lord. 1 Cor, 1, 31. It is the end of our sanctification, of our salvation, and of our glorification, to return all glory & praise unto God, that sanctifieth and saveth us, & will glorify us in soul and body. And as it is the end of these works of God, so likewise all the exercises of our religion are directed and referred unto it, as to the principal mark they aim at. A chief part of God's service is prayer. But why do we pray unto him, but that obtaining our requests, & having experience of his mercies, we may give him the praise? According to the saying of the Prophet, I will hear thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Psal. 50, 15. Wherefore do we hear his word, but that receiving increase of knowledge, and the gift of faith, we may give thanks to God? Wherefore are we partakers of the Sacraments, but that finding and feeling comfort by them, we might return the greater glory to God, the author of them?  
Lastly, the unwillingness of our corrupt Reason 4 nature to do this duty, manifestly proveth the worthiness and excellency of this exercise. We are willing enough to pray for the gift, but we are not so ready to praise the giver: we are forward and fervent in ask, but cold & dull in thanksgiving. In time of sickness and dangers, we are large in promises and protestations; but being delivered, we are backward in performing. We are full of desiring the things we want, but we are empty of praises when God hath heard us, and so lose the fruit of that good which he hath sent us. Seeing therefore the offering to God the sacrifice of praise, is a principal part of his service, and standing directly with his will, it standeth us in hand to confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men, Psal. 107, 8.  
Use 1 Now let us come to the Uses. First, forget not his mercies and goodness toward us. We are ready to remember our own wants, and our mouth with our desire is enlarged to pray for health in sickness, for deliverance in danger, and for comfort in heaviness; but when light is risen in darkness, and joy to the upright in heart, we forget the hand that lifted us up, and that our help is in the name of the Lord which hath made heaven and earth. This use the Prophet David maketh, Psal. 103.1.2. My soul praise thou the Lord, and all that is within me praise his holy name: My soul praise thou the Lord, and forget not all his benefits. This also Moses urgeth to the people, when they were compassed about on every side with the mercies of God, Deut. 6, 10, 11, 12. & 8, 10, 11. When they should possess Cities that they builded not, houses full of all manner goods which they filled not, Welles which they digged not, Vineyards and Olive trees which they planted not: when they have eaten and are full, than he willeth them to beware lest they forget the Lord their GOD, that brought them out of the Land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Why is it that he willeth them especially to take heed to themselves when their bellies are filled, when their cattle is increased, when their substance is multiplied, and when their possessions are enlarged? Surely, because if ever we forget God, it is when we are full. If ever we despise his laws and commandments, it is in the time of plenty & abundance, even then when we are most of all bound to serve him: When he hath been on our side, and made an hedge round about us, than we stand in a slippery place, ready to have our hearts puffed up, & our minds hardened in pride, and to forget God and his goodness, as Pharaohs chief Butler did forget joseph, Gen. 40, 23. The more love is bestowed upon us, the less duty is performed unto him, whereby satan goeth about to take away all the graces of God from us. In 2 King. 20, 8, 13. Hezekia was delivered from a deadly sickness, and went up to the house of the Lord to magnify his mercy for his recovery: yet see how soon after he was overtaken with unthankfulness, and lost the comfort of his deliverance, 
●●●on. 32, ●5.  and received heavy tidings that his posterity should be carried away captives into Babel. He thought that in his prosperity He should never be moved. This is taught us also in the curing of the ten lepers mentioned by the Evangelist Luke, 17.15, 16, 17, 18. of the which one only returned back, and with a loud voice praised God, and gave him thanks: and jesus answered, saying, Are there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are none found that returned to give God praise, save this stranger that was a Samaritan.  
Secondly, seeing we must give God thanks Use 2 for benefits received, of what sort soever they be: then especially we must praise him for spiritual blessings that are of an higher nature, & belong to a better life. This the Prophet, Psa. 103, 1, 3. thought upon, provoking himself to praise the Lord, & preparing his hart with his tongue to extol his mercies he beginneth with this, Which forgiveth all thine iniquities, & healeth all thine infirmities. For well did he know that if a man enjoyed the world at will, and yet wanted the persuasion of the pardon of his sins and reconciliation towards God, it were nothing: For what shall it profit a man if he win the whole world, and lose his own soul? etc. Mat. 16, 26. When Israel was oppressed in Egypt, it was joyful tidings to hear of a deliverer, and they rendered praise to God for their deliverance. When they had been carried to Babylon, and accomplished the years of their bondage prophesied by jere. 25, 12. and the Lord brought again the captivity of Zion, they seemed at the first like them that dream, Ps. 126 1, 2. Then was their mouth filled with laughter, & their tongue with joy: then the heathen confessed, The Lord had done great things for them: Then the church sang, The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice. Suppose the case stood with any of us bodily, as it standeth with all of us spiritually, without any supposition at all, that we were taken by enemies, bound in chains, cast into prison, sticking fast in the mire, pinched with famine, and wasted with despair of ever coming out of such a dungeon: & that lying thus without help or hope, a king should come unto us, smite off our fetters, free us out of prison, pay our ransom, and promote us to honour in his kingdom; would we not render unto him all possible thanks, & depend on him all the days of our life? But we are delivered from greater enemies, and from greater dangers; from sin, hell, death, darkness, the devil, and damnation. For as the devil doth exceed all bodily enemies, and hell fire infinitely surpasseth the pains of this life, which endure but for a season: so we must consider that our deliverance being greater, our Thanksgiving must not be the less: but our praise must be answerable to his power▪ who hath cut the cords of our enemies, and restored us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us acknowledge ourselves tied to this duty, to offer to him the offering & sacrifice of praise, for the spiritual blessings of our redemption and salvation, for his word & Gospel, he hath not so dealt with every nation & people. This is the only recompense that we can make him, to give him all the glory. How shall we requite his mercies, 
Ezek. 16, 4, 5, 6.  who finding us neither washed in water, nor swaddled in clouts, nor pitied of any, but cast out in the open field, to the contempt of our person, and polluted in our own blood, covered our filthiness, anointed us with oil, clothed us with broidered work, girded us with fine linen, decked us with ornaments, and entered into a covenant with us to become his? Shall we come before him with  offerings, and Calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased & praised with thousands of Rams, and with ten thousand rivers of oil? All these be as nothing; For all the beasts are his, and the beasts on a thousand Mountains: yea, all the world is his, and whatsoever therein is. Psal. 50, 10, 14. The service & sacrifice wherein he delighteth is an humble, contrite, and thankful heart, which is more acceptable to him then all sacrifices that have horns and hooves. Offer therefore unto him praise, and pay thy vows unto the most High, which thy lips have promised in the presence of all his people.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us acknowledge this truth, that his name is most glorious, and confess the greatness of his name to be worthy of all glory. Let us not set up our own names, nor sacrifice to our own nets, nor say we have escaped by our own power, but through the favour and kindness of God, as the Prophet teacheth, Psalm 124, 1. Let us not claim the praise of God to ourselves, nor rob him of his honour, but confess that his mercy endureth for ever. This use the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 8, 1, 9, where setting down many arguments of the praise of God which he showeth in the earth, he concludeth the majesty of God to be worthy of all honour: O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the world? None can praise him aright, except he be touched with a feeling of God's greatness, goodness, and majesty: even as our prayers are cold when we have a small and slight feeling of sin.  
Use 4 Lastly, seeing praise and glory is due to God for his blessings, it is our duty to pray for them, and to ask them at his hands. When the Prophet, Psal. 50, 15. had stirred the people up to offer unto God praise, he addeth withal, Call upon him in the day of trouble, so will he deliver thee and thou shalt glorify him. For when we come to him by prayer, and have experience of his goodness who delivereth our soul from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling; and are assured that our help cometh neither from the East nor from the West, nor from the wilderness, that is, from the North, nor South (inasmuch as judea was on both sides included and compassed with a Desert: 
Psal. 75, 6. ) we are hereby provoked and pricked forward, to cast down ourselves, and all our glory at his feet, to magnify his mercy, to exalt his praise on high, and to say with the Prophet, Ps. 115, 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us: but unto thy name give the glory, for thy loving mercy, and for thy truth's sake. But if we trust in our own strength, and rest in our own labours, and think the good things we possess, be the works and fruits of our own hands, not the blessings & gifts of God, we shall never give him praise for them, but set up ourselves in his stead, to the dishonour of his name, to the confusion of our own faces, and to the hindering of the course of his blessings toward us. Let us therefore confess, that every good and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the father of lights, and then we shall render him the Calves of our lips.  
[Verse 18. O Well, whom the Princes digged, etc.] We have already declared in the former doctrine, that the people gave thanks to God for sending them water miraculously, and supplying their want in that necessity. Here we see offered to our consideration, who were the chief workmen and principal Labourers in digging the Well; the Princes & Heads of the people, the Captains, and Moses himself disdained not to set their hands to work. No doubt many of the people joined with them as helpers forward, but the principal men and heads of the families are here named, because they did direct, strengthen, and encourage others that were under them by their good example. The doctrine arising from hence is this That public persons unto whom God hath granted honour and principality, 
Doctrine. All Supe● must give example to ● Inferiors.  and preferred before their brethren, are not only to inform their inferiors, and give directions unto them by word, but by their example and practice to go before them. All superiors are to teach by example of life, as well as by word of mouth their inferiors. So then, we are all from this example of the zeal of Moses, and forwardness of the Princes of the Tribes, to consider that it is required of chief persons, whose heads are advanced above others, to have in them a zeal and forwardness to further good things in others, that so their care may be answerable to the place wherein God hath set them. This is proved unto us in the example of Eliud, one of the judges, who having slain Eglon King of Moab, and knowing there was a greater work behind to do, it is said, he blew a Trumpet in Mount Ephraim, he assembled the people, and he went before them saying unto them, Fellow me. Mark here, how he thought it not enough to show the Children of Israel what was to be done, and to direct them in the way, but himself joineth with them, nay goeth before them; he followeth not his own ease, he seeketh not his own pleasure, he layeth not the burden upon them to keep at home himself, but being fitted & called of God, he began the enterprise, and looked for the issue from him. His example not only in speaking, but in going before them, was very available. The like we see in David, whose zeal for the Lords house had even eaten him up, having an intent to call the Ark home to Zion from the house of Abinadab, he called the people together, 
●. 6, 1, 5,  he praised God with instruments of music, he danced before the Ark, and gave a notable testimony how fervent he was, and with what joy of heart he went about it. The like practice we see in salomon's son who sat in his Throne; when once the Temple was builded, when the work of the Lord was finished, and when the people were assembled, he in their sight and hearing doth dedicated the Temple, with a fruitful, comfortable, and passionate prayer, and entreateth the Lords gracious presence when in that holy place they should call upon him. 1 Kin. 8, 22. The like forwardness in the works of the Lord we find in jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, josiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerobabel, Mordecai, and sundry others; these went before others in zeal, and accounted it a shame & reproach unto them to be matched in goodness of those, whom they over-matched and overmastered in greatness. This made josua say (who was Governor of the people) I and my house will serve the Lord josh. 24.15. This made David say, Psal 101, 2. I will walk in the uprightness of my heart in the midst of my house. This made the Apostle say, 2 Thes. 3, 7. speaking of the idle that walked inordinately, and would not work, Ye yourselves know how ye ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves inordinately among you, urging his own example to provoke and prick them forward.  
Reason 1 This truth will yet further appear unto us when we shall consider how it is proved and under-propped by strength of Reason. ●irst, it is the Lords doing to make them a distinct people and order by themselves. Hath he advanced them to no purpose? had he no end in choosing them from among their brethren, and setting them in degree of dignity before them? We know that all God's works have some end which he respecteth, he worketh nothing idly, every action hath his special and proper end. His separation of them to rule in the Land or Church, is, that they should execute the things that concern God's glory with all zeal. This we see in the book of Ester, ver. 4 when she was desirous to shrink back and not adventure herself, beholding the hazard of her life, and the danger of death before her eyes, except the king did graciously respect her, and favourably hold out his golden sceptre: Mordecai presseth her with this reason, Who knoweth whether the LORD hath brought thee to the kingdom for such a time? And Nehemiah aimeth at this in chap. 6. ver. 10, 11. where being counseled to hide his head, and to shut the doors of the Temple upon him, because the enemies would come suddenly upon him and slay him, he opposeth his calling, Should such a man as I fly? Who is he, being as I am, that would go into the temple to live? I will not go in. As if he should say, God hath promoted me to this place of honour, & hath brought upon me the dignity that I never looked for, and therefore I will adventure to stand out in the discharge of the work of the Lord, inasmuch as promotion cometh neither from East nor West, but from him.  
Secondly, such as are advanced above others, Reason 2 lie open to wrath and judgement as well as others. Albeit they be great in the world, and can plead with men, yet they cannot plead with the Lord, seeing the greatest men lie open to the greatest punishments. If therefore they would not kindle God's wrath against themselves, against their houses, and against their posterities, they must go before others in all godliness, and instruct them by word and by example. This is the reason that king Artashasht useth, Ezra 7, 23. Whatsoever is by the commandment of the God of heaven, let it be done speedily for the house of the God of heaven, for why should he be wroth against the realm of the King and his children? So in Num. 25 4, 9 the Lord commanded a thousand of the Rulers of the people to be hanged before him against the Sun, because they stayed not the people from joining themselves to Baal ●cor. In like manner, because Eli reform not his sons, but suffered them to run forward in their sins (who through their extreme wickedness caused all Israel to abhor the offerings of the Lord) his house was destroyed, 
1 Sam. 2, 31.  his sons were slain, and himself broke his neck with a fall from his seat.  
The Uses are these. First of all, see how comfortable Use 1 it is to all inferiors, when the Lord blesseth a land and people to give them faithful Rulers, godly Princes, zealous Nobles, righteous Magistrates, painful Ministers, by whose example and practice they are led and guided to all well-doing? It is an ancient saying, Of what disposition soever Princes are, 
●laudianus.  the people will not be unlike ●hem. Experience in all ages and places teacheth us, That many wicked men make this an Apology for themselves, and allege it as a sufficient excuse for their wickedness, that men of chief place above them, like their courses, and give them directions what to do. This the Prophet pointeth unto, jer. ●4 1●. It went well with us, when we burnt incense to the host of heaven, and when we poured out drink offerings to them, di●●●e it without our husbands? Thus it commonly falleth out, that wicked persons pretend the example of chief men, and thereby go about to justify their evil doings. 
The defence that drunkards use for themselves.  Exhort the drunkard and riotous person to forsake his drunkenness, and to leave his beastly sin, admonish him to shun houses of drunkenness the very nurseries of all abominations, what is their answer? We have the chief of the parish to keep us company, we have the best and richest sort to join in our society, they like our doings, they justify our courses, and only a sort of fellows that are more precise than wise, speak against us. Thus do these men take heart, and encourage themselves in all evil practices, yea, are hardened against the reproof of others because they find the chiefest sort to be on their side. Wherefore it must needs be accounted a great blessing to a nation, to send wise, discreet, and faithful Rulers amongst them. 
Ezra 7, 27, 28  This we see in the practice of Ezra, when he saw the forwardness of the King, read the Edict, knew the liberty given to all that would return, beheld the jewels to be restored to God's house, and how the Princes were ready to give a  offering, the perfect Scribes of the Law, together with the fathers of judah & Benjamin, took great comfort, and were greatly refreshed through the hand of the Lord their God: so that among many points of God's mercy toward his people, this is not the least, to have godly governors given unto them. Let us then all of us acknowledge, that it is a great mercy of God to a kingdom, place, parish, family, when the Rulers are reform and well ordered, touching the service, worship, and obedience of God. When Solomon had established religion and justice in jerusalem, & amended his court according to the ordinance of God, so that all things were performed according to the law: the blessing spread over the whole kingdom, religion flourished, peace and righteousness kissed each other, and the blessings of God came upon the people: They had Cedars as plentiful as wild figtrees, 
1 Kin. 10, 27.  Iron was as common as stones, silver as iron, and gold as silver. They had peace and plenty on every side, there was not so much as a dog that opened his mouth against them.  
Use 2 Secondly, this should serve as an instruction to all Magistrates and mighty men, to endeavour by their godly life and good example to draw on other that are under them to the knowledge and fear of God. Great is the force of evil, and the power of sin in private persons. We see ●n our small parishes and little villages in our private families and households, one or two children of belial, wicked men, profane in life, are stronger to poison and pester the whole Congregation, neighbourhood, and family, in a short time, than the ordinance of God in the ministry of his word and the company of the faithful in the church or house, are able to bring forward to obedience. One profane person fostered and nourished in an house, is as a scabbed Sheep in a whole fold, and therefore shall more corrupt and infect by secret suggestion & persuasion in a week or two, 
1 Cor. 5.6.  than a sincere and godly Governor shall be able to edify and build up in a year. Now, if inferior persons can spread sin over all the body, as an unclean leprosy, who are of small account and estimation; what shall the chief and principal members do when they are evil? What an hell of wicked men shall swarm in that corporation or congregation, where both Magistrate & minister, where the chief men as the head, and the Ministers as the eye, are contagiously infected and desperately diseased? For, as there is an happy and blessed union in religion and Christian obedience, where all estates of men do join unfeignedly in it, and help with both hands to build up an holy Temple to GOD; 
Psal. 122. ●  where Moses and Aaron, that is, the Prince & the Priest, where the Magistrate and the subject, the head and the body, the governor and they that are governed, the Pastor & the people, as one man, with one mind, and with one mouth, seek to set forth the glory of God: so on the other side, what an assembly of wicked and lose persons, what an house of infidelity and profaneness must that be, where the governors and householders have no sap or seasoning of the fear of GOD in them, where none is found to give them light, but all walk in darkness and ignorance? 
Matth. 6, ●  If the eye be dim, how great is that darkness? Let us therefore remember this one point, That as our place is eminent in the Commonwealth, or in the Church, or in the Family or household, so must we labour and endeavour (as we said before) by example, by exhortation, by admonition, and by reprehension to use all godly means to provoke and stir up others to the fruits of holiness. It is not enough for those in high places, set as on a watch tower, placed as on a hill, from whence they may be seen far and near, to look only unto themselves, and to watch over their own ways; it is not enough to have light in themselves, but they must hold out the candle unto others: they must not only know the way themselves, but be able to guide others in the right way; they must not only give no offence to hinder others, but be examples to instruct others. Lastly, they must not only come into the house of God themselves, but tol the bell to bring others to God with all forwardness and cheerfulness.  
Lastly, it is our part that are of the people, Use 3 to commend them to God in our prayers, to entreat him that hath the hearts of all men in his hands, that in his own wisdom he would dispose them to be careful of our good, that under them we may live a peaceable & quiet life in all godliness and honesty. 
1 Timo●. ●  Good Magistrates bring the greatest blessings unto the people, they are nursing fathers to the church, they are the light of the kingdom, they are the bulwarks of the country, they are the means of erecting up the pure worship of God, and of keeping from us barbarousness, brutishness, outrages, violence, and all villainies. Seeing then we receive these and sundry other blessings from them, it is our bounden duty above all other callings among men to pray for than, and to praise God for them. And certainly▪ if any nation under heaven be bound to rejoice and praise GOD for their Prince (who is as the comfort and consolation of our life, and the very instrument of our peace) we are they. Under his shadow we live and abide as in a place of rest, and sleep quietly in our beds, free from all fear and danger whatsoever. This we see described in the peaceable and prosperous days of Solomon, there is no crying and complaining in our streets. We are blessed with earthly blessings; we are an astonishment and wonder to our neighbour Nations. They have all deeply drunk of the cup of God's wrath, that hath been filled with full measure, whiles we have looked on, and our soul hath escaped. And above all the rest, we have all this time enjoyed, and do enjoy the bright light of the glorious Gospel, and have been most of us borne under the profession thereof, to the establishing and continuing of many millions of thousands in the coveuant of grace and eternal life▪ when other have been kept in horrible darkness and damnable idolatry to the destruction of their souls. We are therefore unhappy wretches, if among all the mercies of God upon us, this be not remembered as one of the first and chiefest. And let us learn to have in abomination from the bottom of our hearts, the bloody practices and desperate attempts of all cursed Shemeiss, 
●. 15, 6, 7.  who open their mouths against the Lord, and against his anointed with horrible execrations, I mean the Jesuits and Priests, (brethren in evil) together with the rest of that damned crew and generation, who in stead of prayer and thanksgiving for our Sovereign, use falsehood, practise treasons, and devise mischievous conspiracies, seeking the life of their gracious Prince, and labouring to stop the breath of our nostrils: 
●. 4 20.  whereas he that curseth the King should die the death.  
The Prophet jeremy speaking of the estate of the people after the death of josiah, bringeth them in thus complaining: The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord was taken in their Nets, of whom we said: Under his shadow we shall be preserved alive among the heathen. Whereby he meaneth, that the office of the King as the Superior, 
Pet. 2, 13, 14  and of all Magistrates as Governors sent of him, for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well; is to protect and preserve the people in peace and safety, even as the breath that we draw in at our nostrils, giveth life and health to the body. Wherefore it standeth us that are Subjects upon, not only to be obedient for conscience sake unto all lawful ordinances of Princes, who are the Lords Lieutenants appointed of him over his people for their good, 
● 82, 1, 2.  but to pray earnestly for them, that they may further us in piety, keep us in honesty, and maintain us in tranquillity one with another: piety in respect of God; honesty in respect of ourselves; tranquillity in respect of others. This charge the Apostle giveth, when Magistrates were Infidels and Heathen, that the Church should pray unto God for them: how much more therefore doth it stand us upon to practise this duty, when as our Magistrates are the children of God, and pillars of the Church? And thus much of the third part of this chapter.   

21 Then Israel sent Messengers unto Sihon, King of the Amorites, saying;  
22 Let me go through thy Land: we will not turn aside into the Fields, nor into the Vineyards, neither will we drink of the waters of the Welles: We will go by the King's way, until we be passed thy Border.  
23 But Sihon gave Israel no licence to pass through his Border: and Sihon assembled all his people, and went out against Israel into the Wilderness: and he came to jaboz, and fought against Israel.  
24 But Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and inherited his Land, from Arnon unto jabbok even unto the children of Ammon; for the Border of the children of Ammon was strong  
25 And Israel took all those Cities; therefore Israel dwelled in all the Cities of the Amorites in Heshbon, and in all the Villages thereof.  
26 For Heshbon was the City itself of Sihon, King of the Amorites, who fought against the former King of the Moabites, and took away all his Land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.  
27 Wherefore they that speak in Proverbs say, Come to Heshbon, let the City of Sihon be● built and repaired.  
28 For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, and a flame from the City of Sihon, and hath consumed Har of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the high places of Arnon.  
29 Woe be to thee, Moab: O people of Kemosh thou art undone: he hath delivered his sons which escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon, the King of the Amorites.  
30 Their Empire also is lost, from Heshbon unto Dibon, and we have destroyed them unto Nophah which reacheth unto Medeba.  
31 Thus Israel dwelled in the Land of the Ammorites.  
In these words and those that follow to the end of the Chapter, is contained the last part of this Chapter; to wit, the subduing of two mighty enemies, in two several battles; namely, Sihon, King of the Amorites, and Og, the King of Bashan. The Amorites were a people that came of Ham the youngest son of Noah, as appeareth, Gen. 10, verses 6, 15, 16. For Ham begat Canaan, who disclosed the nakedness of his Grandfather; and Canaan begat Emori, of whom came the Amorites, who inhabited the Land of Bashan, & Mount Gilead. This History is more at large recorded, Deuter. chapter 2 and 3. ●irst, touching Sihon, we must observe two things; the just occasion and advantage which he gave to Israel to subdue him, and take possession of his Land: For the Lord had hardened his spirit▪ and made his heart obstinate, because he would deliver him into the hands of the Israelites: Deuteronomy, chapter 2, verse 30. Then secondly, the overthrowing of him, the entering into his Country, & the possessing of his Cities. Hitherto they had compassed the Land of Edom with great danger, with much weariness, and sundry temptations: they come to the Land of the Amorites, there the King withstandeth them, and will give them no passage, but fiercely and furiously encountereth with them. Touching the occasion whereby Israel was justly moved & compelled to enter fight with the Amorites, it offereth two points to be considered. First, a friendly and loving request of Moses. Secondly, a currish and unkind denial made by Sihon. Concerning the petition of Moses, observe the Embassage which he sent, together with the reasons, containing both the ground of his reasonable demand, showing the equity of the petition, and laying down most equal conditions of peace: because he desired only passage through his Land, without spoil of the Country in general, or damage to any person in particular. The refusal of the King followeth; and albeit the Israelites freely and frankly professed, that their purpose was to pass by all things as travelers, not possess any thing as Conquerors; yet nothing at all (albeit never so right or reasonable, and so equal or honest) is granted & permitted to God's people.  
Wherefore Sihon, either resolving with himself to deal unjustly and unkindly, or suspecting that under a fair colour and outward show of honest dealing, they might have a further project, and hide the depth of their cunning devices (as oftentimes is used at the diets and consultations of Princes) and being inflamed with the malice of his own heart, 
Guicciard. hist. lib. 11. & 19  he dealeth more unmercifully with than then the Edomites and Moabites had done, and denieth that favour and friendship which they had found among them. Indeed the Edomites denied them passage through their Land, as we saw before, chapter 20, yet they suffered them to travel by their Coast & Borders, and sold them food for their money, Deut. 2, 29. The Moabites (another enemy) permitted them indeed to pass by their Borders, but refused to give them meat or water for money, as appeareth, Deut. 23, 3. But the Amorites, worse than both the former, not only afforded them no commodity, but being destitute of all sparks of humanity, denied them passage in word and deed. In word, he answered, Thou shalt not pass: In deed, he united his forces, he took the field, and so provoked Israel to battle, who lay still, and stirred not against him. True it is, Israel had God's purpose revealed unto them, to subdue them, and enter their Land: but Moses waiteth with wisdom, until they were teazed and constrained to defend themselves, lest (if they had begun and given the occasion) the enemy should upbraid them with injustice, and charge them with oppression, & challenge them for wrongful usurpation. Now they deal uprightly, even their enemies being judges, inasmuch as Nature teacheth every man to resist force with force, 
Cicer. pro ●lo●e.  and defend himself with his weapon against open and outrageous violence.  
The occasion being offered, and the fire kindled by Sihon, Israel being compelled, fighteth against him, overthroweth him in the battle, and invadeth his Dominion, and maketh them all pass under the mercy of the sword, without compassion, sparing neither men, 
Deut. 2, 34.  women, nor children. This victory is amplified by a particular enumeration of the Cities which they subdued, and they inhabited even in the head-Citty, Heshbon Afterward their right to these places is proved and confirmed. For albeit Heshbon properly belonged to Moab, as a part of his Dominion, yet all that coast, even to the River Arnon, was come by conquest into the possession of Sihon, King of the Amorites: so that the Israelites took not away any thing from the Moabites, according to the commandment of the Lord, Deut. 2, 9 josh. 13, 25, but from the Amorites, whose whole Country was allotted to his people, GOD scattering the people that delight in war, and take pleasure to shed blood. This is that mercy of God which Nehemiah magnifieth, chap. 9, 8. Thou madest a Covenant with Abraham, etc. And Psal. 78, 55. He cast out also the heathen before them, etc. Thus did God show himself to be the Shepherd of Israel, that led his people like sheep, and brought them into the Borders of his Sanctuary which his right hand had purchased. Here was the beginning of all comfort; here they began to set down their rest: here they saw the first fruits of their labours, assuring them, that as God had begun to perform his promise, so he would continue to finish his own work.  
Furthermore, their right in possessing of these places, is declared by a public song of triumph and victory, as it were a Trophy fet up, which was made by the Poets of that time, to make known to posterity the victory of the Israelites, and their lawful claim to those Cities which they had won by the dint of the sword. This Poem was not a song made by the Amorites, as many suppose, but composed by the Israelites, as appeareth by these reasons.  
First, we see it to be a most common and usual thing with the people of God, when they had obtained any victory, or received any benefit, to leave some token & monument of it to posterity, & to acknowledge by whose hand they have prevailed. This we see in the words going before, ver. 17, 18, where they sang a song of thanksgiving, for the Well which God had granted, and they had digged.  
Secondly, it is no ordinary and usual thing with God, to allege the sayings of heathen Poets, and so to sanctify their profane writings to be holy Scriptures. True it is, the Spirit sometimes produceth a short sentence to convince the heathen by their own Prophets, but never citeth an whole Poem, as Moses doth in this place.  
Thirdly, in the 30 verse it is said, We have destroyed them unto Nophah, and subdued Sihon that had conquered the Moabites, by which means Israel came to dwell in the Cities of the Amorites.  
Fourthly, here is pronounced and concluded the woeful and wretched estate of Moab, 
●g. 11.33.  for their idolatry and trusting in their god Kemosh, which had deceived them, and delivered them into the hands of their enemies; which agreeth not to the Amorites, as deep in the sin of idolatry as the Moabites, and worshipping the same Idol the Moabites did. For Kemosh was the god of the Amorites, Ammonites, and Moabites. Therefore as the Prophet saith, 
●y 2, 11.  that the Gentiles will not change their gods, so it may be truly said, they will not reproach and revile their gods. Thus than we see, this was one of the songs of the Israelites, most likely to be penned and published by Moses himself, who, as he was brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians, 
● 7, 22.  so he was cunning in this faculty, as appeareth in other places of his works.  
This Song or Sonnet, remaining as a Testimony and witness of their just conquest to ages succeeding, setteth down both the usurping of the Amorites, & the recovery of those places out of the hands of the Amorites by the Israelites. First, it showeth how Sihon invaded the Moabites, and exhorted his army to play the men, appointing Rendezvous & place of meeting to be at Heshbon, willing them to resort thither to begin the battle, stirring them up to repair the breaches of that City which Sihon made the head and mother-city of his kingdom, and then invading other parts of Moab, which were wasted & consumed with fire and sword. Thus he seemed to have most reason and right, 
●. A●al. ●.  who had greatest strength. They got their superiority by cruel injustice and wrong usurpation, the distressed Moabites choosing to sell their lives in the field with honour, seeing they could not enjoy them with safety in their Cities. Sihon then being thus Conqueror, the Poet bringeth him in, insulting over his enemies, vaunting in his own strength, and ascribing the victory to his own power: their god Kemosh (the Patron of that people) could do them no good, but suffered them to be taken and spoiled. Such is the vain hope of poor Idolaters in their Idols, which cannot help or deliver themselves, much less their worshippers that trust in them.  
Lastly, touching the Israelites, they spoilt them that were the spoilers, and conquered them that were the conquerors: for they recovered for themselves, and for their own use, the Towns and Cities which the Moabites had lost. Thus Israel meddled not with the Moabites, neither took any thing from them, but peaceably possessed that which they won from the Amorites, none laying any claim or title thereunto, as jephtah pleadeth, judg. 11, 13. And this is the right which the Israelites had to dwell in the Cities of the Amorites, and to possess as their own goods, the labours and livings of other men: which they could justify by the Law of God and man. For when Abraham had subdued in battle the five Kings, he challenged to himself a right in the prey that was taken, and paid the tenth of all to Melchizedek? 
Gen. 14, 20, 21  Hereunto belongeth the commandment given of God, touching the dividing and retaining the spoils of war; saying, All the spoil thereof shalt thou take unto thyself, and shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies which the Lord thy God hath given thee, Deuter, 20, 14. 
Xenoph. lib. 7. Cyropaed. Halicarnas. li. 6.  And this we might plentifully prove by the Laws, Decrees, and Constitutions of Princes and States in former times.  
[Verse 21. Then Israel sent Messengers.] In this division generally, is set forth the end of the enemies of the Church, that albeit they prevail for a season, and blow upon the backs of the godly, and make long and large surrowes, albeit they plant themselves strong, & flourish as the green Bay-tree, yet they pass away suddenly, and are cast down in desolation.  
The persecutors and enemies of the Church shall perish and come to confusion. 
Doctrine. The persecutors of the Church shall perish.  Howsoever they lift up their heads & horns on high, and their honour reach up to the Clouds, there shall be a downfall, they shall be confounded and consumed in his wrath. Look upon Cain, who was the first persecuter of the church in Abel, and we shall see the same confirmed which is offered to our considerations in these present examples. He killed his brother, Gen. 4, 11, and wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brothers good. But did cruel Cain escape? No, the curse of God came upon him, he was made a runagate and fugitive upon the earth, and so God revenged the innocent blood of his brother Abel, which he had shed with barbarous and unnatural cruelty. The like we might say of Pharaoh, an arch-enemy of the Church in Egypt, who oppressing the people of God with burdens, and destroying their children, was overwhelmed in the red Sea, Exod. 14, 28. Another fearful example we have in Saneherib, which set himself against the people that called upon the living God, and blasphemed his Name which is holy throughout all generations; he was slain of his own sons, 2 Kings 20, 37, which judgement the Lord foretold, that being accordingly performed & accomplished, it might be known whence it was, & wherefore it came to pass. The like is reported & recorded of Haman in the book of Ester, ch. 7, 9, who procured the King's writ, to root out, to kill, and to destroy all the jews, young and old, children and women in one day: yet abusing his high favour with the King, and great honour in the Court, God threw him down, and laid his honour in the dust, so that he was hanged on the same tree which he had prepared for Mordecai, that spoke good for the King. Thus his mischief returned on his own head, and his cruelty fell upon his own pate, and himself was taken in the snare which he made for another. Hereunto tendeth the end of Nebuchadnezar, whose service God used to chasten his own people, to destroy the Temple, to waste the City, and to carry them away captive; 
Dan. 4.30.  he was thrown down, his reason was taken from him, and he had the heart of a beast given unto him.  
The jews, to whom pertained the right of adoption, the glory of the Ark, the tables of the Covenant, the giving of the Law, the service of God, the accomplishment of the promises, the coming of the Messiah, the Oracles of trust committed unto them; were notwithstanding all these privileges, enemies of Christ and of the Apostles, enemies of Christian Religion and the professors thereof, they put the Son of God to death, and persecuted his Apostles that he sent among them to preach and teach the Gospel of the Kingdom: 
Matth. 24.21.  in the end, themselves were justly slain for sedition, which they falsely charged upon the Apostles; nay as themselves cried, his blood be upon us, 
joseph de bel●. juda. lib. 7. cap. 4. & 8.  and upon our children: so that which Christ foretold, came upon them in full measure, pressing down and running over, when the abomination of desolation sat in the holy place: there was such trouble amongst them, and so great tribulation came upon them, that the like never was, nor shall be to the end. Herod that bloody tyrant, which had slain james with the sword, and putting Peter in prison, intended the like measure and murder upon him: this wicked wretch escaped not the hands of God; for being arrayed in his royal Robes, sitting upon the judgement seat, and making an Oration unto the people, The Angel of the Lord smote him, & he was eaten of worms, Acts 12, 23. judas the child of perdition, and betrayer of the Son of God, despaired, Hung himself, burst in the midst, and his Bowels gushed out, 
Acts 1, 18.  for whom it had been good if he had never been borne. What should I say more? If we remember the late days of persecution, wherein the patience of the Saints was tried by bloody executions, tortures, murders, massacres, hanging, beheading, burning, and imprisonment: we may observe, that the heavy hand of God was one way or other against those bloody Inquisitors, and cruel persecutors, that had imbrued and defiled their hands with their blood, that they died not the ordinary and common death of all, 
See Acts and Monuments in the end.  nor were visited after the visitation of all men. Some died fodainly, falling down on the ground that they never stirred, as Ananias and Sapphira: some had their bowels and inward parts fall out, and died the death of judas their elder brother: some could not swallow and digest their meat, but it came forth again sometimes at their mouth, and sometimes at their nostrils, most horribly to behold. Some were stricken in the one half of their body, that they lay benumbed, half alive, and half dead, to the great terror and astonishment of all that were present, and did look upon them. Some broke their Necks: others became mad and frantic immediately after their reproaches and indignities showed against the servants of God, and ran up and down justifying those in words, whom they had condemned in deed. And scarce any of them escaped, but the hand of GOD was strongly and strangely upon them all before they died: To tell us and teach us this truth, that the persecutors of the Church, defiled with the blood of the Saints, shall not always escape unpunished, albeit for a time they do prevail.  
The Reasons are these. First, because God Reason 1 is true in all his words, & just in all his works. He is a most righteous judge, who will take his own cause into his hands, and be glorified in the confusion of his adversaries. It cannot therefore be that they should escape, seeing GOD so tendereth them, their blood is precious in his sight, Matth. 23, 35. Not one drop of it shall fall to the ground unrevenged: he hath said, Psal. 105, 35. Touch not mine anointed, & do my Prophets no harm. He hath put all their tears in his bottle, & such as touch them to do them hurt, do touch the apple of his own eye. Yea whatsoever injuries, wrongs, oppressions, and indignities are offered unto them, he accounteth them as done unto himself. This our Saviour testified from heaven, when Paul made havoc of the Church, and breathed out threatenings against the Saints, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
Acts 9, 4.  They have not to do only with men, they fight against God, and therefore shall not prevail. This reason is urged by the Apostle, 2 Th. 1.6, 7. It is a righteous thing with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you & to you which are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord jesus shall show himself from heaven with his mighty Angels.  
Again, he is a gracious God, and merciful Reason 2 to his people, therefore in his good time he will punish their enemies and those that hate them. He is as pitiful toward his children, as he is just against all their adversaries. This the Prophet expressly handleth at large, Psalm 136 1●, 16, 17, 18. etc. He overthrew Pharaoh & his host in the red sea, for his mercy endureth for ever: which smote great Kings, for his mercy endureth for ever: and slew mighty Kings, for his mercy endureth for ever: as Sihon King of the Amorites, for his mercy endureth for ever: and Og the King of Bashan, for his mercy endureth for ever. And gave their Land for an heritage, for his mercy endureth for ever: even an heritage unto Israel his servant, for his mercy endureth for ever.  
It remaineth to make use and application of this Doctrine. First, it is a great comfort to the Church, to consider how God is mindful of us in our distresses, he doth not forget our afflictions: he seethe the injuries that are offered unto us, as he surely saw the trouble of his people in Egypt; and therefore we ought not to sink down in our miseries. No chastising indeed for the present time, seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; but afterward it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness to them that are thereby exercised: Heb. 12, 11. So that in the midst of them we must rejoice, Knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us. Rom. 5, 3, 4, 5. Albeit he make us run through fire and water, he will in the end bring us to a sweet place of rest. Let us not therefore be dismayed for tribulation, all that will live godly in Christ jesus must suffer persecution. Let us not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, Which is the power of God to salvation unto all that believe. Let us wait for the day of our deliverance, assuring ourselves, that albeit the enemies of God's people and Religion band themselves and assemble together against the Lord, and against his Christ, yet in the end he shall crush them with a Sceptre of Iron, 
●m 2, 2, 9  and break them in pieces like a Potter's vessel, & not leave so great iniquity unpunished. Thus doth Moses comfort the people, Exod. 14. Fear ye not, stand still, and behold the salvation of the Lord which he will show to you this day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen this day, ye shall never see them again: the Lord will fight for you, therefore hold you your peace. He will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and will get him honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, and upon all his Chariots, and upon his Horsemen, to show his power in them, and to declare his Name throughout all the world. Thus doth God comfort Abraham, Gen. 15, by foretelling that the same Nation which should deal so churlishly and cruelly with his posterity, should not always escape unpunished, but in the end he would recompense them according to their deserts: Know for a surety, that thy seed shall be a Stranger in a Land that is not theirs, four hundredth years and shall serve them, and they shall entreat them evil: notwithstanding, the Nation whom they shall serve, I will judge, and afterward shall they come forth with great substance. Gen. 15, 13, 14. As if the Lord should have said unto him, I would not have thee dismayed and discouraged (O Abraham) by these heavy tidings which I have told thee, that thy children shall be strangers in a strange Land, and not only strangers, but be made servants and bondslaves, and not only made slaves, but be evilly and despitefully handled: (thus God by a Rhetorical Gradation seemeth to augment his sorrows) rather I would have thee strengthen thy faith against this tentation, & comfort thy heart with this cogitation, that I will in the end punish that barbarous Nation, and bring upon it all those evils which it hath brought upon thy posterity, when they have filled to the full the measure of their sins. The truth of this promise is set down in the book of Exodus, from the seventh chapter to the fifteenth, which we may read, and in reading consider, that God is true in all his promises and Prophecies, and will accomplish whatsoever he hath spoken for the confusion and destruction of his enemies. Let us therefore comfort ourselves, and comfort one another in these things, that God will arise, and his enemies shall be scattered.  
Secondly, let us refrain anger and revenge Use 2 toward such as deal evilly with us. It is the nature of flesh and blood to rise in choler, to desire revenge, and not to put up wrongs and injuries. We must be more than a lump of flesh, if we will be the children of God. We see that Stephen, when he was stoned, prayed for his persecutors, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Acts 7, 60. The like we see in Christ our Saviour toward those that crucified him The consideration of this truth, that God reserveth wrath for his enemies, and taketh vengeance on his adversaries, will help to redress and repress our corrupt affections, and make us able to prevail over them, and to withstand them. Let us not recompense like for like: let us not measure evil for evil: let us do good against evil, committing our cases and causes to that just judge, that always judgeth uprightly. Therefore the Prophet ascribeth this Title as peculiar to God to right and revenge the quarrels of his Children, Psal. 94, 1, 2. O Lord God the avenger, O God the avenger, show thyself clearly: exalt thyself, O judge of the world, and render a reward to the proud. It is the proper Office of God to take vengeance on the wicked and ungodly. Wherefore the Apostle exhorteth the church, Rom. 12, 17, 19, to recompense to no man evil for evil, dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath: for it is written Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord So the Apostle john, after the foretelling o● troubles and persecutions, addeth, here is the patience of the Saints, declaring thereby, 
revel. 14, 12  what our armour, and what our weapons of defence are, to give us victory over our enemies. Let these things stay us in our afflictions, from breaking out into impatiency of spirit, and from returning wrong for wrong; albeit the unfaithful rise up against us, & the Drunkards make songs of us, 
Psal. 69, 12.  and we suffer reproof and reproach for the Gospel's sake: yet he, whose cause it is, will not suffer the water-floods to drown us, neither let the deeps swallow us up▪ nor let the pit shut her mouth upon us.  
Thirdly, it is the duty of his people to praise Use 3 him greatly, when he avengeth the cause o● his Children. When they see the wicked punished, and those that forget God taken 〈◊〉 the snare of their own hands, let them rejoice and be glad, and give unto God the glory due unto his name. This practice we have in the Prophet, Ps. 136, 1. speaking of the overthrow of Pharaoh in the red sea, and remembering the slaughter of sundry mighty Kings, yea, even the names of those which we now speak of: he provoketh the people by a most earnest exhortation to give thanks unto God for their destruction, Praise ye the Lord, because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever. Hereunto cometh the prayer of the Israelites, enduring the bitter scorns and reproachful taunts of most malicious enemies in the days of their captivity, who as they demanded an heavy curse against those Edomites, 
Psal. 137, 7, 8.  so they pronounced a blessing upon them that shall vex and trouble them. This appeareth evidently in Ester 9, 17. when the Church of God saw a great work wr●ught for them, their enemies destroyed and themselves delivered, they rejoiced with an exceeding great joy, and kept a feast in remembrance of their deliverance. It is not cruelty to rejoice at the destruction of God's enemies, and to magnify his most great name for it. This the Apostle john teacheth, Reu. 19, 1.2, 3, 4, 5. where the heavenly companies of Angels and blessed souls set forth their gladness and triumph, that God had judged the enemies of his people. So chap. 18. v, 20. O heaven rejoice of her, and ye holy Apostles and Prophets: for God hath punished her, to be avenged on her for your sakes. The innocent blood of the patiented martyrs so cruelly murdered, crieth out for vengeance in the ears of the Lord of hosts, as the blood of righteous Abel, and shall not the judge of all the world do right? It is his office to render into the bosom of his adversaries seven fold. Now▪ as it is our duty earnestly to desire the accomplishment of his judgements, so when they are performed (as surely they will come and not tarry) we must glorify his blessed name, with all rejoicing that we can conceive and express.  
Lastly, this serveth to be a terror to the ungodly, Use 4 when this Doctrine shall sound in their ears, that God will judge the wicked for persecuting the members of Christ jesus. If they escape in this world, the Lord reserveth them for greater judgement. When the Lord jesus cometh with thousands of his Angels, 
2 Thes. 1.6, 7, 8.9.  he will render vengeance unto them in flaming fire, and punish them with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. This the Prophet assureth. Esai 8, 9, 10, 14. & 17, 11, 12, 13, 14. where by an Ironical insulting, he setteth down the ruin of the enemies of the Church, who albeit their rage be restless, and their malice endless, yet they shall not stand, and their counsels shall come ●o nothing: they do fight against God, and against his son Christ jesus, who is the invincible Rock whereon the Church is builded, ●gainst which the gates of hell shall not be ●ble to prevail, So that whosoever shall fall on this stone, he shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will dash him in pieces, Mat. 21. Thus shall all the ungodly be scattered as chaff before the wind, and swept away as dung in the just judgement of God. So let all thine Enemies perish, O Lord: but they that love him shall be as the Sun when he riseth in his might, judg. 5, 31.  
[Verse 21.22. Let me go through thy Land: We will not turn aside into the Fields, nor into the Vineyards, etc.] here Moses setteth down another danger of the Israelites, greater than the former remembered in the former chapter. Thus one trouble followeth in the neck of another, As one deep calleth to another deep by the noise of his water spouts, Psal. 42, 7. We see here again, how Israel is driven to the same exigent they were before. After they have compassed the land of Edom, they come to the Amorites, and crave of them some help and compassion. They seek comfort and an end of their sorrows, at the hands of Sihon a wretched Idolater, an enemy of God, and of his people. Thus low are the people of God oftentimes brought, to stand in need of the favour of the ungodly, as we have showed in the former chapter. Furthermore, Moses assureth before hand what their behaviour shall be, and promiseth to abstain from all hurt & wrong. From hence we learn this doctrine, 
Doctri● The p● God 〈◊〉 stain 〈◊〉 wrong ●ries.  That the people of God must abstain from all violent encroaching upon the goods and possessions of others: they must not intrude themselves upon their goods and substance, they must keep their hands from robbing and stealing, and their hearts from coveting and desiring that which is another's, and not their own: they must not take of all that is another man's, so much as a thread or shoo-latchet to enrich themselves. Hereunto come the laws given of God unto his people, Exodus 22, 1. If a man steal an Ox, or a Sheep, if a man hurt his neighbour's field, or Vineyard, his Corn or Pasture, he shall make recompense of the best of his own Field, or Vineyard, or Corn, or Pasture. Likewise in Deut. 19, 14. Moses chargeth them not to remove their neighbours mark, which they of old time have set in their inheritance, that they might peaceably inherit the Land which God had mercifully given unto them. This Christ teacheth the young man in the Gospel, Mark 10, 19 Thou shalt hurt no man, meaning by force or fraud, or by any other mean whatsoever in his goods. Thus john Baptist instructeth the soldiers that came unto his baptism, demanding what they should do, Luke 3. verses 13, 14. Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your Wages. And hereunto cometh the general rule, being the law of Nature and Nations, Matth. 7, verse 12. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, even so do ye to them, for this is the Law & the Prophets.  
The reasons of this doctrine are many. First, in respect of God, who is an avenger of all such dealings. Oftentimes it falleth out, that men cannot right their own causes, and Magistrates to whom they should fly, will not. For who are they that for the most part lie open to violence and oppression, but the poor and fatherless, the widow and stranger, and such as are destitute of friends to help them in their good and lawful causes? But God, both can right the causes of such distressed persons, because he is Almighty; and he will remedy them, because he is merciful. He is God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, a great God, mighty and terrible, which accepteth no persons, nor taketh reward, Who doth right unto the Fatherless and Widow, and loveth the stranger, giving him food and raiment, Deut. 10, ver. 17, 18. This reason the Apostle urgeth, 1 Thess. 4, 6. To this purpose Moses speaketh, Exod. 22, 21, 22, 23, 24. So the Lord threateneth in the Prophet Habbakkuk, chap. 2. This aught to prevail with us, to teach us equity, forasmuch as GOD threateneth to be revenged of all iniquity.  
Reason 2 Again, God is the God of righteousness and judgement, therefore he commandeth and commendeth unto his people that which is just and equal, and forbiddeth them the contrary. He hath the Sovereign right of all things in his own hand, and hath in most excellent wisdom distributed and disposed to every man his several portion. If this than be the nature of God to deal justly and righteously toward every one, that no man can complain of wrong and injury done of God toward him: then such as are the Children of God, must resemble their heavenly Father in doing the works of righteousness and equity. This the Prophet in many places teacheth, Thou art not a God that loveth wickedness, 
●, 4, and ●.  neither shall evil dwell with thee: the foolish shall not stand in thy sight, for thou hatest all them that work iniquity. Seeing therefore God loveth righteousness & hateth wickedness, he must needs detest and abhor whatsoever is contrary to his nature; to wit, all unrighteousness and injustice.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, we are brethren, we profess the same faith, we worship the same God, we look for the same inheritance, we are sealed with the same baptism, we are nourished at the same Table, we live by the same faith, we wait for a better life by the same hope; and therefore being called with such an heavenly calling, oppression and deceit stand not with our holy profession, as Moses speaketh to the Israelites, when it came in his heart to visit his brethren, to join himself to the Church, and to forsake the treasures and pleasures of Egypt, Exod. 2, 13. Sirs, ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one another? 
● 6.  This is the reason that Abraham used to Lot, to take up the contention begun among their servants, as it were a fire kindled in their houses, threatening to consume them with the Timber thereof, & stones thereof, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me, neither between thy Herdsmen, and my Herdsmen, for we are brethren. Gen. 13, verse 8.  
Let us see what may be the uses and applications Use 1 of this point. First, all community, maintained by the Anabaptists, and Family of love, is overthrown, (being contrary to the direct Law of God.) To possess goods in private as proper to one, is approved by the examples of the christian Churches planted by the Apostles: and therefore to hold and teach, that nothing doth, or ought peculiarly and properly to belong unto another, is reproved and rejected by the doctrine of the Apostles. The eight Commandment being moral and perpetual, 
Exod. 20.  forbiddeth us to hurt and annoy our neighbour's goods, and establisheth a distinction of goods and a propriety of possessions. They are therefore greatly and grossly deceived, and do notoriously deceive others, that imagine the difference and distinction of lands and goods, to be brought in by tyranny, not by law; by violence, not by justice; by force and fear, not by right and reason; because as children of the same Father have the same right and interest in the goods of their Father: so all men have equal right and jurisdiction in the earth, and in all things that are upon the face of the earth: and for this cause they suppose all things common, & nothing proper by the Law of God. But this opinion falleth to the ground, Answer. and shall fall so long as the Commandment standeth in full force, strength, and virtue, as a Bond and Obligation that bindeth us and our posterity for ever. For if all were a Commons, and nothing enclosed, if the hedge of propriety were pulled up, and all lay wide and waste as a Wilderness without enclosure; then there could be no stealing, no injury or wrong offered, every man should take his own by his own right: and God should forbid that by Law which cannot be committed. As if a Law were made, that man should not fly in the air, nor climb up into Heaven, nor walk upon his head, nor be in many places at once, which things are unpossible to human Nature. But God forbiddeth nothing in vain.  
Again, if propriety of goods were not ordained of God, but devised of man, God by precept and commandment should establish and confirm the violence and usurpation of men, and as it were give them a free Charter, and his broad Seal to have and to hold all goods wrongfully gotten, as if a Prince should make a Law, that whatsoever thieves & robbers catch by hook or crook, they shall possess them by a good and rightful title: than which what can be thought more unreasonable, or spoken more absurdly? Besides, what need were there to set bounds and marks in Lands and possessions? 
Deut. 27, 17.  And wherefore are they accursed of God and men, that remove ancient bounds and marks, if there were no propriety? Now where theft is restrained, where wrong is condemned, where abstaining from the goods of others is required, there is a difference supposed between thine and mine.  
Moreover, there could be no giving, nor buying, nor bargaining, nor selling, nor hiring, nor lending, if all things were left to the wide world, to be catched and snatched according to the lust and pleasure of every man: in all which notwithstanding, God by special Commandments toeth up and restraineth the gripings and greediness of covetous men. For if the Corinthians had had all things in common no strife could arise among them of things pertaining to this life: 
1 Cor. 6.4.  but inasmuch as they wronged one another in these temporal things, and wrangled for them under the Infidels, it is plain, that every man had his own portion distinct from the possession of other men. And the same Apostle, bridling the gaping and greedy desires of men, teacheth, that they that use this world, should be as though they used it not, and they that buy, should be as though they possessed not. 1 Cor. 7, 30, 31. Therefore by this exhortation, buying is allowed, possessing is granted, so that the heart be not set upon the world. This is farther confirmed by sundry precepts of the Apostle, Let him that hath stolen, steal no more, but let him rather labour, and work with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Eph. 4, 28. The wise man saith, Prou. 25, 17. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house, lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee. But if all were common, it were lawful to enter every where, and use all things at our own pleasure.  
Lastly, to what end and purpose should the word of God strictly command almes-giving, and the works of mercy and charity, if there were no propriety or severalty, but an equal communion of all worldly goods? So to what end should the Apostle charge the wealthy in this world to do good with their goods, 
1 Tim. 6, 17, 18.  and those that be rich, to be rich in faith, and in good works, to be ready to give to such as are in need, and to lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come? Surely the difference between rich and poor could not stand, between high and low, but all should be shuffled together in great confusion, contrary to the order and ordinance of God, who is the God of all order and comeliness among the people. Neither let any object the practice of the Primitive Church, Object. Acts, chap. 4, 32, & chap. 2, 44, where it is said, The multitude of them that believed were of one heart, and of one soul: neither any of them said, that any thing of that which he possessed, was his own, but they had all things common. For there is a double kind of communion, Answer. in respect of propriety, and in respect of use. The community in the faithful, stood in the use of these outward things, which they employed for the good of their fellow-members. And therefore albeit some sold their goods and possessions, and parted them according to the necessities of the poor members of Christ, 
Acts 5, 4.  yet the Apostle Peter saith to Ananias, who had sold his possession & kept away part of the price, While it remained, appertained it not to thee? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? But how could they sell their goods, if they were not right owners and lawful possessors of them? Neither doth the Text say, that those christians sold all they had possessed. It is said indeed, 
Acts 4, 34.  As many as were owners of lands and houses, sold, & brought the prices of those things which they sold, and laid it before the Apostles feet. The Scripture showeth, they sold and brought the price of that they sold: but it saith not, they sold all, and then brought the price of all: for it appeareth, that Philip, one of them kept his house still, & entertained the Apostles in the same, 
Acts 21, ●.  and consequently had it furnished for these uses, and fitted to lodge and harbour the godly & faithful brethren.  
This community should be in every lively feeling member of Christ, who in the public want of the Church, should be ready and willing to dispossess themselves of somewhat, for the succour & comfort of other members. So then, they are overthrown, which do affirm, that it is unlawful for Christians to have or possess any riches: whereas no man in the Primitive Church was compelled to make his goods common. For Peter plainly avoucheth, that it lay in the power of Ananias, whether he would sell his Land or not: and when he had sold it, the money was his own, so that he might have kept it to himself if he had listed. His sin was, that he pretended to bring the whole price of that which they had sold, whereas they brought a part thereof, & so lied unto God. But God requireth at our hands, that we should give cheerfully, not grudgingly; willingly, not constrainedly, readily, not backwardly.  
Secondly, every one must look that he Use 2 live in a lawful calling, wherein he must abide, eating his own bread, and labouring the thing that is good. So we shall defraud no man, but deal righteously and justly, and get by lawful means: we must restore again that which hath been unlawfully gotten, and unconscionably detained, though haply hidden from men, so that the world cannot lay it to our charge, yet our own heart knoweth it, and chargeth it upon us, and our conscience will not pass it over, but we must evermore hear of it, and receive a check from it. The crying of an accusing & condemned conscience cannot be stopped, but is as a thousand witnesses against us.  
Again, goods wrongfully gotten & kept from the Owner, do cry against us, and do lay bitter accusations to our charge. This the Prophet Habbkkuk teacheth, chap. 2, 9, 10, 11. True it is, the stones have no mouth to cry, neither the timber any feeling to suffer wrong at our hands: but the Scripture useth such manner of speech & form of words, to make us perceive the better, by this vehement raising up of the dumb and senseless creatures, that if we do amiss before GOD, and deal wrongfully with men, the creatures shall bear witness against us, and ask vengeance upon us at the latter day. Therefore he bringeth in the several parts of the house answering one another, and singing one to another: one side crieth out, behold blood: the other, behold murder: the one, behold deceit: the other, behold cruelty. Thus the Apostle james speaketh, chap. 5, 4. Behold, the hire of the Labourers, which have reaped your field (which is of you kept back by fraud) crieth, and the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts. Thus we see, how the creatures abused, do groan to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, & cry out against oppression: the oppressed crieth in the ears of the Lord, and the conscience of the oppressor as an honest Iurate witnesseth against him, and crieth for vengeance. And shall the Lord be deaf, and not hear such great and loud out-crying of so many distressed and oppressed persons entering into the highest heavens, and piercing the ears of the Lord of hosts? Shall not God avenge his elect which day and night cry unto him, 
●e 18, 7.8.  yea, though he suffer long for them? I tell you, he will avenge them quickly, to the comfort of the oppressed, but to the confusion of the oppressor.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing wrongful dealing must be avoided, it serveth to condemn all inordinate living in no settled or lawful calling, idly, unthriftily, and prodigally. For every man living in the Church, of what degree or condition soever, must have some particular calling to walk in, how high soever his estate be, how great soever his revenues be: which condemneth the wandering up & down of rogues and beggars, the Cloisters of Monks and Friars, the idleness of rich men that have lands and livings, all such as are Drones, unprofitable to the Church or Commonwealth, or family, wherein they abide. Adam in time of his innocency immediately after his creation in the Image of God, 
●2, 15.  had a special calling appointed him to dress and keep the Garden. It was likewise said to him and his posterity immediately after the fall, 
●3, 19  In the sweat of thy brows thou shalt eat thy bread, till thou return unto the earth, out of which thou wast taken So the Apostle saith, 2 Thess. 3, 11, 12. Christ jesus, the head of men and Angels, before the solemn investing and entering into his Office, lived privately in joseph's house, and wrought in his trade, 
● 6, 3. ●●tra. 〈◊〉.  and therefore it is, that the jews call him, not only the Carpenter's son, but a Carpenter. If then we would settle ourselves in a lawful calling, eating our own bread, trusting in the providence of God, contenting ourselves with our present estate, thinking it the best and fittest for us, we should keep ourselves from oppression & wrong. But because some live without any calling, some without a lawful calling, others live distrustful & discontented, it driveth them to make ungodly shifts, and use unlawful means which God abhorreth. Let us lay these things to our own hearts, and not spend our days in idleness. The time is precious, let us seek to redeem it. Let us every day do some good or other, 
Ephe. 5, 16.  let us learn some good of others, or be teaching some good thing to others. But alas, how many are there in all places that spend whole days, and months, and years in vanity? who if they would call themselves to an account of their lives past, might see and perceive many days pass over their heads without doing any good, whereof, albeit they will take no account of themselves, yet they must give an account to God at the day of judgement.  
Verse 23. But Sihon gave Israel no licence to pass through his Border: and Sihon assembled all his people, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, etc. The request to give the Israelites a quiet and peaceable passage, being quiet & peaceable men, was just and reasonable; yet the petition is denied, and the people themselves that made it, are persecuted. They offered no wrong, they drew no sword, they shot no Arrow, they cast no Dart, they took away nothing, yet they are hated and hurried unto the death, and assaulted without mercy. This teacheth, 
Doctrine. The wicked hate and persecute the godly without cause.  that the ungodly do hate and persecute the godly without cause. This is the practice of wicked men, to pursue the children of God with all injurious and despiteful dealing, albeit they offer no occasion of hurt or harm unto them. We see this practice in Cain, who hated his brother, 
Gen. 4, 8.  and albeit he spoke friendly unto him, yet drawing him into the field, he rose up against him & slew him. This the Prophet complaineth of Psalm. 69, 4, and 35, 7. joseph was sold as a slave, and imprisoned as a malefactor. jeremy was many ways troubled and clapped up. David was hated & hunted from place to place. The Apostles were whipped and scourged in the Synagogues; Stephen was reviled and stoned; Christ was scorned and crucified: Paul was buffeted and persecuted. The Saints were tried by mocking, burned in the fire, slain with the sword, they wandered in the wilderness, they were hidden in caves and holes of the earth.  
The Reasons are very plain & direct. For first, it seemeth unto them more than strange, Reason 1 that the faithful are not brethren with them in evil, but separate themselves from them, & will touch no unclean thing. If we were of the world, the world would love his own, but because we are chose out of the world, therefore the world hateth us. So long as Paul joined with the pharisees in persecuting the Church, & imprisoning all those that called upon the Lord jesus, who was in greater favour and credit with than? But when he was called to preach the truth which before he had oppugned, and became zealous in the faith which before he destroyed, by & by the jews took counsel to kill him. 
Acts 9, 23.  Christ jesus the Lord of life, before he was installed into his Office, 
Luke 2, 52 & 3, 2, & 4, 28, 29  was in favour with God and men: but when he was baptised, albeit he was always in favour with his Father, yet immediately afterward, he was tempted of the devil, contemned of his Countrymen, and led to the edge of an hill to be cast down headlong. This is that which the Apostle Peter witnesseth, 1 Pet. 4.4, 5. But it is better for us to have the hatred of men, and the ill will of all the world, then fail in any part of our duty unto God, who is able to cast body and soul into hell.  
Reason 2 Secondly, no marvel if the wicked hate the godly, for the world hateth Christ. He was called a Samaritan, he was counted a conjuror, he was esteemed as a drunkard, a deceiver, a devil, a friend of Publicans and sinners, If they have thus reviled the Master of the house, no marvel if they respect not the members. The Ambassador must not look to be greater than he that sent him: 
john 13, 16, and 16.20.  the Disciple must not dream of a better condition than the Lord: if they have done thus to the green Tree, what will they do to the dry and withered? 
Luke 23, 31.  If they deal thus with him that is always fruitful & flourishing, and liveth for ever, we must not look that they should deal better with us that are unfruitful and full of the unsavoury fruits of our corruption. This Christ himself teacheth in sundry places, Mat. 10, 24 25. The Disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord: it is enough for the Disciple to be as his Master is, and the servant as his Lord: if they have called the Master of the house, Belzebub, how much more them of his household?  
Use 1 Now let us see what uses may be gathered from hence. First, we may assure ourselves, that it is a lamentable and woeful condition to live and dwell among such mallitious & mischievous enemies. They grin and grind their teeth at us like Dogs: they gape at us with their mouths, like the ramping and roaring Lion: they push at us with their heads like the fat Bulls of Bashan: they run at us with their horns like the Unicorn, they whet their tusks at us like the wild Boar out of the wood: they seek to eat us up like the savage beasts of the Field and Forrest. Would we not take it to be a fearful condition to be carried into a great and terrible Wilderness, and to be compassed about with Dragons, Tigers, Bears, and other devouring beasts, ready to eat us in pieces while there is none to help? But man unto man, is many times all these; especially the unfaithful man to the faithful. ●or what fellowship is there between the seed of the woman, 
● Cor 6, 14.  and the seed of the serpent? Wh●t communion between light and darkness? and what concord between Christ and Belial. This the Prophet acknowledged & felt by experience in his own person, 
〈◊〉 20, 5, 6, 7.  Woe is me that I remained in Meshech, & dwell in the tents of Kedar: my soul hath too long dwelled with him that hateth peace: I seek peace, and when I speak thereof, they are bend to war. For, as the society of the faithful is good and comely, like the precious ointment upon the head of Aaron, and as the dew falling upon the mountains of Hermon and Zion, because they take sweet counsel together, and go unto the house of God as companions: so the accompanying & conversing with evil persons is irksome and tedious unto the godly, as if they lived with Wolves and wild beasts in the Wilderness. True it is, the people of God hate and abhor the sins of the ungodly, but yet love their persons, as the Physician hateth the disease, but loveth the person of his Patient. But the ungodly hate not only the infirmities of the faithful, but their persons, even to the death, as the dung of the earth, and the offscouring of all things: and therefore we must needs account it a woeful condition, full of grief, anguish, and vexation of Spirit to live among them. This life is as a continual death.  
Secondly, seeing this is the entertainment that we must look for, and shall find in the Use 2 world to be hated and harrowed by the ungodly, it standeth us upon to live in unity and to love one another, as the children of the Father and the disciples of Christ. When enemies daily increase and join their forces together in a common band, & an united league it standeth all those upon that are of the communion of Saints, that are come unto Mount Zion, to the City of the living God, 
Heb. 12, ●●. 23.  and to the assembly and congregation of the first borne, which are written in heaven, to unite & combine themselves together as one man. The adversaries of the Church are many, their power is mighty, their malice is unsatiable against the little flock of Christ: it is time therefore for us to join ourselves against the common adversary. Who can be ignorant how the popish crew associate themselves together, seeking to subvert the state, and to overthrow religion established among us, being resolved by murderous mass-priests, and set on fire of hell? We have also many hollow-hearted hypocrites, damnable Atheists, filthy Libertines, & sundry lose livers, that can abide none to make any sincere profession of godliness. The poor sheep and innocent Lambs of Christ amidst so many subtle Foxes and cruel Wolves, had need love one another, being hated of the world, and seek the good one of another, being maligned of the wicked.  
Hereunto Christ exhorteth in sundry places as joh. 13. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, 
john 13, 3● 35, & 16, 12 1●, 13. 1 john 3, 1●  as I have loved you that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. And in the 16. Chapter he moveth the Disciples to love one another, seeing they are hated of the world as their Master was. This therefore is the comfort of a true Christian, that albeit he be hated of the ungodly, yet there is a true communion among the believers of all gifts and graces granted unto them, being ready to teach the ignorant, to gather home them that go astray, to bind up the , to comfort the weak, to convince the deceived, to admonish the unruly, to stir up them that are dull, & to encourage all in well-doing. And touching the bodies of our brethren, those that have this world's good, must show themselves willing to help the poor, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to raise up the distressed, to visit the sick, and to do good to all, but especially to them that are of the household of faith. Gal. 6, 10.  
Lastly, seeing hatred lodgeth in the heart Use 3 of a wicked man toward the faithful, it is our duty to pray to God to be delivered from unreasonable and evil men, Seeing all have not faith; 
●ess 3, 2, 3  and that living among them, we may be established and kept blameless, and pure from evil, and may shine as lights in the midst of a crooked & naughty Nation, 
● 2, 15.  holding forth the word of life. This the Prophet David declareth, Psalm. 35, 12, 13, 15, 16.17. Thus doth God wean us from the love and liking of this world, that we should look and long after his kingdom, where is fullness of joy for evermore.  
Verses 25, 26. And Israel took all those Cities: therefore Israel dwelled in all the Cities of the Amorites in Heshbon, and in all the Villages thereof. These Cities taken by the Israelites did sometimes belong to the Moabites, as appeareth, judg. 11. But Sihon had taken them from Veheb the former King of the Moabites. So then in these words we have the preventing of an Objection, 
〈◊〉 Num. ●. 21.  as Lyra well observeth upon this place, where it is said, that Israel dwelled in Heshbon, & in the Villages thereof, which properly belonged to the Land of Moab, as part and parcel thereof, being now rend and torn in pieces as a body that had lost many limbs and members. Some man therefore might ask the question, how came the Israelites to possess that Land, seeing they were expressly restrained and forbidden of God to fight against the Moabites, & they were told that they should have no part nor portion of their Land given unto them? Deut. 2, 9 Thou shalt not vex Moab, neither provoke them to battle, for I will not give thee of their Land for a possession. To this Moses answereth, that albeit it could not be denied and gainsaid, but that the Cities were in former time within the Borders and Territories of Moab, yet Sihon had taken them away by right of war, and conquest of the sword: so that now they were alienated from the Moabites, and appropriated to the Amorites, who possessed them and dwelled in them. So then the Israelites offered no wrong to the Moabites, but recovered the places to their own use out of the hand of the Amorites. Neither did Moab lay any claim to them for many generations, as jephtah declareth, judg. 11. And this is the right that Israel had to these Cities.  
Thus we see what dealings passed between the Moabites and the Amorites, before Israel came to these places: both of them were idolaters, both wicked men, both grossly ignorant of the true worship of God, and desperate enemies to the true Church: one is ready to cut the throat of another, and killeth one another in battle. We learn from hence, 
Doctrine. God often punisheth one evil man by the hand of another as evil  that God punisheth oftentimes one wicked man by the hand of another. He raiseth up and armeth one of them to destroy another, to eat up and consume another. This truth appeareth in many other places of holy Scripture. Chedor-laomer usurping dominion over other Nations, made war against them, 
Gen. 14, 5, 6.7, 8.  and took away all the substance as a prey & booty out of Sodom and Gomorrha. God in his providence causeth one evil man to slay another. The Sodomites were exceeding sinners against the Lord. He raised up an enemy, not much better than themselves for their destruction. The like we see in the example of the Midianites, Who sheathed their swords in their own bowels. 
judg. 7, 20, 22  Indeed Gideon gave his men at arms, that went with him to that service, Lamps, Trumpets, and Pitchers, and thus he marched against his enemies: they sounded their Trumpets, they broke their Pitchers, they lighted their Lamps, than the host of the Midianites fled, & every man's sword was set against his neighbour, their own weapons were their own bane, their own men were their own murderers, and so they destroyed one another. This the Prophet Habbakkuk 
Hab. 1, 6.  showeth, when the Law was dissolved, justice oppressed, cruelty practised, and all wickedness was advanced among them, the LORD would work a wonder among them He would raise up the Chaldeans against them, a bitter and furious Nation to destroy them, a people worse than themselves. This is that which Esay the Prophet pointeth unto, when he saith, Every one shall eat the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh: and they both shall be against judah, Esay 9, 21. Likewise he prophesieth the destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, chap. 13, 17. The destruction of the Egyptians by the Assyrians, chap. 19 Yea he would set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, so that every one should fight against his brother, and every one against his neighbour, City against City, and Kingdom against Kingdom.  
The reasons of this order and manner of Gods working, are not hard to find. For first, Reason 1 who shall limit him what means to use, and what persons to employ in his service? Dare any Subject prescribe unto his Prince whom he shall send? Or shall a servant teach & appoint his master whom he shall entertain to perform his business? Or will any Magistrate & master take well such pride & presumption? Shall God then, the King of Kings, & the master over all men, be stinted and limited whom he shall use? As none can appoint him what he shall do, or when he shall punish, or whom he shall correct: no more can we decree or determine the means and manner of his proceed. He appointeth the times and seasons of punishing, he singleth out the persons to be punished. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who was his Counsellor? He will find out his enemies in their sins, and he will choose out the instruments of his own judgements. He armeth many times men of evil hearts, and of unclean hands to do his works diligently, and to accomplish his ways fervently. When the Lord would smite the house of Ahab, and avenge the blood of his servants the Prophets, jehu is anointed King over Israel, & made the Rod of the Lord, who performed his word and will to the full, he slew jehoram, 
2 King. 9, 7. & 10, 31.  cast down jezabel, and slew the Priests of Baal: yet notwithstanding all his zeal which he pretended for the Lord, his heart was not upright before him, neither regarded he to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel, neither departed he from the sins of jeroboam which made Israel to sin. As then the work is the Lords, so is the workman: and as the judgement is his, so is the instrument which he chooseth and fitteth to effect the same, without the prescription & appointment of any other.  
Reason 2 Again, albeit they be wicked and ungodly men, infidels and idolaters that he employeth to finish his work, & to bring his decree & determination to pass, yet he frameth their hearts to serve his providence, as seemeth good in his heavenly wisdom. He hath the hearts of all men in his hand, even of Kings, to turn them about to be instruments of his will. If then he can change the hearts of enemies, no marvel if he use them as his servants. So he useth the service of the devils and evil spirits, and maketh them to do his will, and against their will▪ & further the salvation of his children, whom they purposed to bring to despair and damnation, as appeareth in the History of jobs 
job 1, and 2.  temptations. Albeit they be not his faithful servants to do his will cheerfully, yet they are his slaves to serve him by constraint and compulsion. This the Apostle john declareth in the destruction of that great whore which is drunk with the blood of the Saints, with whom the Kings of the earth committed fornication; namely, that they gave their power and authority to the Beast; but they shall hate the whore, make her desolate, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire: for God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to do with one consent, for to give their kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God be fulfilled. Reu. 17, 15, 16, 17. Nothing is done without the will of God. He holdeth in his hands the hearts and purposes of Princes, and great men upon earth, and directeth them by a secret motion to work what he pleaseth, whether they know his will, or know it not, the whole action cometh of him, and from him. For howsoever it might seem hard and harsh, that the Angel saith, it was GOD that put it into the hearts of Kings to advance the Papacy, which was the work of the devil to seduce the world: yet after a sort the Lord also doth it, who as a just judge for the wickedness of the world, and contempt of the Gospel, letteth lose Satan, to deceive in his heavy, yet righteous judgement. So the Apostle teacheth, that God shall send strong delusions, that they shall believe lies, that will not embrace and receive the truth. 2 Thes. 2, 11.  
The uses are to be thought upon, and to be Use 1 learned of us. First, marvel not if wicked men many times prosper and prevail. For if God use them as his Rods, and enableth them to work his will, albeit they do not fear God, nor purpose to serve him, nor aim at his glory, yet they shall overcome and have the upper hand, for God hath sent them, God hath armed them, God hath said unto them, go and prosper. Let us not therefore think when evil men prevail, that all things are shuffled & huddled together: let us not doubt of God's high providence overruling the world: let us not make prosperity a note of the Church, as if it were always here in flourishing estate, multiplying in wealth, abounding in friends, glorious in victories, flowing in honours, increasing in multitudes, and excelling in outward privileges, for God many times raiseth up the heads of evil men to bring mighty things to pass. This the Prophet Ezekiel declareth, chap. 29, 18, 19, 20. Son of Man, Nabuchadnezzar King of Babel, caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was made bare: yet had he no wages, nor yet his army for Tyrus, for the service that he served against it: therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will give the Land of Egypt to the King of Babel, and he shall take her multitude, and spoil her spoil, and take her prey, and it shall be the wages of his army: I have given him the Land of Egypt for his labour that he served against it: because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God. Where the Prophet showeth, that Nabuchadnezzar had served God's providence in the siege and sacking of Tyrus; and therefore he had another kingdom given him for it, and blessed with victory over other enemies. This is the reason why evil men are set up, and have a reward of temporal blessings, because they are Gods soldiers, and are under his pay, who suffereth them not to go and departed without their wages. Thus all earthly things fall out alike to all, & there is the same outward condition belonging to all, To the just and unjust, to the pure and to the polluted. Eccles, 9, 2.  
Secondly, let us from hence know assuredly, there are no ways to withstand his wrath, Use 2 no policy to prevent his judgements, no force that can resist his purposes. We see how many means he hath to bring forth his decrees: he can make the ungodly serve him, whensoever he will command them. True it is God's children guided by his Spirit, and framed to the obedience of his will, will always be serviceable to him with cheerfulness of heart and willingness of mind. If he command his adversaries any work, they must obey him, albeit against their wills: he enforceth them as slaves to do his will. Whatsoever their purposes be, God disposeth them to bring his own decrees to pass. What man then can promise to himself rest and peace, or think to wind himself from the hand of God, or escape the sentence gone out against him, or stand against God coming out to take vengeance upon him? Seeing he hath so many servants in readiness set in battle array to perform his purposes, and can single out what instruments he listeth, albeit as evil as themselves. This the Prophets teach every where, to the terror of all God's enemies. Consider that jeremy is bold, and saith to Zedekiah King of judah, Deceive not yourselves, saying; The Chaldeans shall surely departed from us, 
●. 37, 9, 10.  for they shall not departed: for though ye had smitten the whole host of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should every man rise up in his Tent and burn this City with fire. The destruction of the ungodly hangeth not upon the power and pleasure of men, nor on the might and multitude of Soldiers, but on the judgement of God, who giveth strength to the weak, and courage to the coward, and might to the maimed man, to root out and to destroy. This should greatly humble and terrify the wicked man, that promiseth safety & security to himself, who notwithstanding lieth open every way to the wrath and indignation of God.  
Lastly, let the people of God comfort themselves, Use 3 though they be over-burdened and overmastered by them. A time will come, and lo, it tarrieth not, when those wicked men that oppress and vex the Church▪ shall be rooted out. The Lord of hosts hath men and Angels, and all creatures to work out their destruction: he can whistle for other enemies, as evil as themselves to come against them, to conquer and overcome them. Be not therefore daunted to see them rule and reign: Fret not thyself because of the evil men, neither be envious for the evil doers, 
●. 37, 1, 2, 3 ●6.  for they shall soon be cut down like grass, and shall whither as the green Herb. Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the Land, and thou shalt be fed assuredly. I have seen the wicked, strong and spreading himself like a green Bay-tree, yet he passed away, and lo he was gone, and I sought him, but he could not be found. Let us therefore no whit be troubled to see the enemies of God and of the godly exalted and lifted up; they are set in slippery places, they are suddenly destroyed and horribly consumed as a dream when one awaketh: For God sendeth an evil spirit among them, as he did between Abimelech and the men of Shichem, to be revenged of the cruelty which they had showed toward the 70. sons of jerubbaal. judg. 9, 23, 24. We see this in the delivery of the Church out of Babylon; God stirred up the Medes & Persians, as great idolaters, as proud and profane persons as themselves, and by Cyrus delivered them, whom long before he had designed and deputed to that work. This the Prophet Esay showeth, chap. 21, 2, 10. So the●● albeit the Church were as it were thressed with a Flail, and a Cartwheele turned upon their backs, albeit their loins were filled with sorrow, yet shall their enemies come to ruin and destruction, Babel is fallen, it is fallen, and all the Images of her Gods hath he broken to the ground. Esay 21, 9 Howsoever therefore the estate of the Church in Babylon seemed desperate, and past all hope of recovering her former glory, yet we see God wanted not ways and means to free his chosen people, and set them at liberty, he raised the Medes and Persians to lead them by the hand out of the hand of their oppressors. His hand is not now shortened, his power is not now weakened, he can deal thus with all his enemies, & the enemies of his Church. If he blow upon them with the blast of his mouth, they pass away suddenly, as the chaff is scattered before the wind. An example hereof is recorded in the holy History, 2 Chron. 20, 23. when a great multitude of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Amorites, assembled themselves to fight against jehoshaphat, after he had set himself to seek the Lord, proclaiming a fast throughout all judah, ask counsel of the Lord, and praying to him in the zeal of his spirit, the enemies slew one another with the sword. Thus doth God turn the edge of the sword drawn against the Church, upon themselves, & rescueth his people when there is none to help. We have had experience of God's protection of his church, our eyes have seen, and our ears have heard how one hath butchered and murdered another, whereby God hath given a time of rest and breathing unto his servants. He is the same without changing, with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning; if we turn to him with all our hearts, he will turn to us, and not suffer the rod of the wicked always to rest on the lot of the righteous, lest they should put forth their hand to wickedness.  
Therefore Israel dwelled in all the Cities of the Amorites in Heshbon, and in all the Villages thereof. We have heard of the murders & slaughters that were between the Moabites & the Amorites, in the which, howsoever one sought to defend himself, the other prevailed by usurpation (as might sometimes over-cometh right:) yet the purpose of God, who overswayeth all actions of men, and draweth good out of evil, was to give rest to his people, and to make them inherit and inhabit the Cities and Villages which the Amorites had wrongfully gotten. 
Doctrine. God's children are oftentimes brought into the inheritance of the unfaithful.  Hereby we learn for our instruction, that God oftentimes bringeth the godly and faithful that please him, to inherit the Lands and possessions of the wicked and ungodly. Howsoever the believers that fear God, are many times thrust out of house and home, and have their lawful possessions taken from them, as we see in Naboths Vineyard, 
2 King. 21, 15. Gen. 21, 25.  and in abraham's Well: yet sometimes God returneth in mercy to the faithful, and maketh the substance and inheritance of the unfaithful, to descend unto them. This is confirmed in the Book of Exodus, at the departure of Israel out of the Land of Egypt, at which time GOD recompensed the sore labours and heavy travels of his people, imposed upon them by cruel taskmasters, For they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and Ingots of gold, and change of raiment; then the Lord gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted their requests, enriched the Israelites, and spoiled themselves. Exod. 12, 35, 36. This goodness of God the Prophet with praise acknowledgeth toward his people, saying; He cast out the Heathen before them, & caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance, etc. Psal. 78, 55. This verifieth the saying of the wise man, Prou. 28, 8. He that increaseth his riches by usury and interest, gathereth them for him that will be merciful to the poor. And in another place, 
Prou 13.22.  The good man shall give inheritance to his children's children, and the riches of the sinner is laid up for the just. In like manner job describing the condition of the ungodly, fheweth, that though he should heap up silver as the dust, 
job 27.16, 17.  and prepare raiment as the clay; he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver. Thus God taketh away the things of this life from such as use them wickedly, and bestoweth them upon such as will employ them lawfully.  
Reason 1 The Reasons remain to be considered to strengthen this truth, and to make it appear to the conscientes of all of us, to be a necessary and apparent truth. First of all, the mercy of God, toward such as are sealed up to be his servants, is without end; there is no brim nor bottom of it. If then his mercy surmount our thoughts he will let pass no part of his kindness toward them that do fear him. Thus the Prophet reasoneth, Psal. 136, 21, 22. Where, upon these examples of Gods great kindness toward Israel, in overthrowing Sihon King of the Amorites, and Og the King of Bashan, he saith, He gave their Land for an heritage, for his mercy endureth for ever: even an heritage unto Israel his servant, for his mercy endureth for ever, Whensoever therefore we see this come to pass, we must acknowledge the cause of it to be in God, who ceaseth not to be good to those that be his.  
Reason 2 Again, God maketh known his power among his people, to teach them to depend upon him, to show unto them that they serve not a weak and impotent God, & to instruct them to walk in the obedience of his ways. This the Prophet pointeth out, Psalm. 44, 2, 3, and 111, 6, & 105, 44, 45.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, this truth teacheth, who is the sovereign disposer of all things in heaven and earth; namely, God. He ordereth kingdoms, and disposeth Countries, he giveth and taketh away, he increaseth and diminisheth, he maketh rich, and maketh poor. It is not our own strength or policy; it is not our own care or labour, it is the bountifulness and blessing of God, that is all in all. We have here beneath upon the earth, Owners and Landlords, we have such as account themselves possessors of houses and lands: but we must know that we are all Tenants at will, we enjoy nothing by Lease or Indenture for term of years, but hold the tenure of the Lands and livings at the will and pleasure of the great and high Landlord of all the world. This is the confession of Hannah in her song of thanksgiving, 1 Sam. 2, 7, 8. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich, bringeth low, and exalteth: he raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among Princes: and to make them inherit the seat of glory, for the Pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath set the world upon them. Whatsoever therefore we have, let us acknowledge therein, not our own deserts or merits, but the goodness of God toward us, filling us with good things to serve him.  
Secondly, let us from hence confess, that Use 2 all the cark and care of man with his best endeavours, cannot always attain to the benefit and fruit of his travel, but he provideth that which another enjoyeth. This the Prophet Haggai testifieth, chap 1, 6.9. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat but ye have not enough; ye drink but ye are not filled; ye clothe you, but ye are not warm, etc. According to that which our Saviour addeth, Math. 6, 27. Which of you by taking care, is able to add one cubit unto his stature? This the wise man teacheth in the Proverbs. chap, 12, 27. The deceitful man roasteth not that he took in hunting: but the riches of the diligent man are precious. Wherefore it standeth us upon, not to be immoderately pensive, and distrustfully careful for the profits and commodities of this life, nor trust in the labours of our own hands, but pray to God to send us his blessing, & to pour down the riches of his grace upon us, as the shower upon the herbs, and as the great rain upon the grass. It is not our own work that can give us wealth, or our own labour can make us rich. Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD watch the City, the keeper watcheth in vain: it is vain for you to rise early, and to lie down late, and eat the bread of sorrow, but he will surely give rest to hi● beloved. So then we must confess, that nothing in house or City, nothing in Church or Commonwealth can be enterprised & finished aright, except God be the director and guider of it. To the end therefore the blessings of God may ever concur with our lawful labours, let us sanctify them with prayer, & crave of God his special favour to bless the works of our hands to his glory and our comfort.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing wicked men after all their pains and labours do lay up in store for the faithful, both the one and the other sort must lay this unto their hearts. Let the ungodly lament and howl their folly, and not trust in their own strength. It is a great grief for a natural and carnal man to departed from his substance and treasure, upon which he hath set his heart; but this doubleth his grief, and increaseth his sorrow, to see such as he holdeth his enemies, to enter upon them, & quietly to enjoy them. What can more humble them, then to take from them the comfort wherein they rested, and the staff whereon they leaned, and the confidence wherein they trusted, so bereaving them of the fruit of their hands, which was the joy of their hearts, the hope of their lives, and the key of all their comfort. This use is directly concluded by the Prophet jeremy, chap. 42, 3. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will cause a noise of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Amonites, and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burnt with fire, then shall Israel possess those that possessed him, saith the Lord. howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is wasted: cry ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth, mourn & turn too and fro by the hedges, etc. Wherefore let us not put our affiance and confidence in these earthly, 
●n 6, 17. ● 23, 5.  transitory, and uncertain things, which take their wings as an Eagle, and fly into the heaven. On the other side, this should comfort the faithful in the uprightness of their hearts, and teach all persons to labour to be truly godly and religious. For this is the fruit and advantage that righteousness bringeth with it, it causeth a man's own goods to be stable and continue in his family, and draweth unto it the riches of others by the free gift of God. Thus we see, Deut. 28, 30, 31. that whereas in the law it is denounced as a curse, that a man should build an house, and another should dwell in it: plant a vineyard, and yet shall not eat the fruit: have his Ox slain before his eyes, and not eat thereof: it showeth the woeful condition of the ungodly, that he shall not reap the fruit of his labours, nor attain to the end he expecteth. Contrariwise, the godly are comforted, and have their bowels refreshed, forasmuch as they learn by this dealing of God, that the wicked man is so far from leaving his goods to his posterity, that they are oftentimes stripped from him, & put upon the righteous, who by the providence of God is made heir against his wil Wherefore, if we desire to leave our posterities in good estate, we can no way better provide for them, secure their persons, and settle their estates to continue, then if we lead a godly life, and keep a good conscience toward God and men.  
Use 4 Lastly, this Doctrine declaring how God translateth the substance and possession of the ungodly to the godly, ministereth matter unto them to praise the Lord, who is the giver of every good giving, and of every perfect gif●. This the Prophet teacheth Israel to acknowledge, Psal. 44, 3. & 105, 2, 3, 44, 45. & 136, 1, 21. that they inherited not the Land of Promise by dint of the sword, by the strength of their arm, by the multitude of their men, but confess the power of God's right hand, the light of his countenance, and the comfort of his favour. Hereupon he stirreth up the people to praise him, to call upon his name, and to declare his works to their posterity, Sing unto him, sing praise unto him, and talk of all his wondrous works, rejoice in his holy name, and let the heart of them that seek the Lord, rejoice. We are unworthy of these exceeding mercies, not only to find the comfort of our own labours, but to inherit the possessions of others, if we do not endeavour to stir up our hearts, and all that is within us to praise his holy name. Therefore Moses putteth the people of Israel in remembrance of this duty of thanksgiving when they should come unto the land of Canaan, to Cities and houses builded by their enemies, they should take heed they forgot not that good God that should bring them thither. This sacrifice was offered willingly and joyfully by the Israelites, 
Ester 8, 7.  when they saw their desire upon their enemies, and their goods given to the members of the Church: they rejoiced and were glad, joy and gladness arose among them.  
[Verse 27. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs.] here is mention of a piece of Poetry, and an ancient song made by some skilful Poet, as Moses or some other among the people of God, containing Sihons' invading of the Moabites, his possessing their Cities, with the cause, to wit, their idolatry, and the Israelites recovering and regaining them out of his hand to their proper use. This Poem was made in verse, both for the better remembrance of the singers, and for the more effectual setting down of these victors, to move attention, admiration, and other affections. 
Doctrine. Poetry is ancient & commendable.  We learn from this practice of the people of God, that Poetry is ancient in the Church of God, and commendable among the godly. The setting forth of the works of God, not only truly, sound, and simply, in a plain form & frame of words, but strictly, poetically, artificially, is worthy of praise and commendation. This appeareth by the manifold practice of the patriarchs, Prophets, Prophetesses, and other holy men and women in the old & new Testament. See the examples of Moses singing the praises of God after their deliverance out of Egypt, after the overthrow of Pharaoh, and after their passage over the red sea; he footed it not in a low, but in a lofty stile praising God in verses, not in prose, 
Exod. 15, 1.  for the greater efficacy of the matter, and the better expressing of their affections. The like we might say of his sweet song sung not long before his death, Deut. 31, 19, 22. & 32, 1, 2, etc. 
Cygnea cantio.  which he taught the children of Israel, 
judges 5, 1.  thus did Deborah and Barak. And thus did David make an Epitaph in verse upon the death of Saul and jonathan, after they were slain by the Philistims, not penned after the plain and vulgar manner, but with many rhetorical flourishes of Tropes and figures according to the nature of the verse, and the substance of the matter.  
Reason 1 The Reasons hereof are easy to be conceived, to avouch the lawfulness & praise-worthinesse of this Art. For first, every Art and knowledge is of God. Every good giving and every perfect gift (saith the Apostle james) is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights. Every Mechanical trade and handicraft is the gift of God: there is no excelling in any of them but by his special gift, who is the God of knowledge: which maketh a difference, not only between man & beast, but between man and man. Such as found out curious works in Gold, Silver, & Brass, in graving of stones, in carving of wood, in making any Needlework about the Tabernacle, Were filled with the spirit of God, in wisdom, 
Exod. 31.3. & 35, 30.  in knowledge, and understanding. As it is God that frameth the hand to such inventions, so it is he that guideth the pen, & giveth the tongue of the learned, to speak or write after an excellent manner. The Heathen men were wont to say, That Poets were inspired of God to go beyond the reach of the vulgar sort. So then, this gift being more than ordinary, must needs in a peculiar and special sort be from God.  
Reason 2 Secondly, sundry parts and books of holy Scripture are penned poetically, and those of excellent & worthy note; albeit we know not the kinds and measures of them (howsoever sundry have laboured to find out the several numbers and natures of them) inasmuch as every Language hath his peculiar frame & fashion, yet not only some certain parts and parcels, but sundry whole books, as hath been said, were Poetically penned, and in that respect may be fitly called Poetical Books. Of this kind and nature, are the book of job, the Psalms of David, the proverbs of Solomon, the book of the Preacher, and the Song of songs: all which seem to be contained & comprehended by our Saviour Christ, under the title of the Psalms, when he divideth the whole Scripture into the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, as Luke 24, 14. Besides, when any thing of greatest note, worthy of greatest remembrance and commendation was to be set down in the Scriptures, the Prophets did choose to speak in this artificial composition of words & sentences to give a greater grace, and add greater glory unto the same, as appeareth in sundry places of the Law and Prophets.  
Use 1 The uses of this truth, direct us to sundry profitable meditations, and weighty considerations. For first, it teacheth us in part the majesty and authority of the Scriptures. They are not certain rugged and ragged writings to be contemned for their rudeness and simplicity, and to be condemned for their baseness and homeliness, as the Atheists and others, that boast and brag of their fine wits, are not ashamed to give out; but Books full of holy excellency, and wonderful stateliness; not only working grace in the hearts of the hearers, but carrying a grace to the ears of the hearers. Books filled with true eloquence, and more able to persuade, than all the enticing words of human wisdom. Therefore, the Lord to deliver his word from disgrace & reproach, doth sometimes fly aloft with a majestical gravity, and stately port, able to astonish the outward senses, & sufficient to draw the whole man into admiration; and thereby showeth what he could do in the rest of the holy Scriptures, if it had pleased him. Let a man read with singleness of heart, and with the eye of judgement the 104. Psalm, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. verses, describing the Majesty of God: or Ecclesiastes 12. verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. describing the approaching of old age: or the first chap. of Esay, vers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. describing the unthankfulness of the people; and having diligently read, and advisedly perused them, let him tell me whether he do not despise in comparison of them, not only the descriptions of Homer and Virgil, but the Orations of Tully and Demosthenes, as froth and scum, having only the empty shadow of the true and right eloquence.  
So the Apostle Paul being charged to be rude in speaking, doth not confess any want in his stile, or crave pardon for any fault, but doth justify his manner of writing, & purposely avoideth the wisdom of man's eloquence. He opposeth his plainness to the set and curious speech of the false Apostles, who came in gay appearance, and hunted after fine phrases, and show of words, as if they had had all the strength of truth that might be on their side: yet notwithstanding, in this plain style the Apostle showeth himself most mighty, and most eloquent, garnishing his words, and adorning his sentences with all the figures that Art can afford, so far as served to move affections, and to touch the conscience. For the power of the Scriptures inspired by God, standeth in the inward force and virtue, working upon the soul, piercing the heart, casting down the imaginations that lift up themselves against the truth, converting the whole man, and entering through to the dividing of the soul and spirit, of the joints & marrow, 
Heb. 4, 12.  yea discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Apostles of Christ, subdued the whole world, not with fire and sword, not with carnal and bodily weapons, but by the plain preaching of Christ crucified, as Paul himself confesseth, 1 Cor. 2, 2. He regarded to know nothing among them, but Christ jesus, and him crucified. And in 1 Cor. 2, 3, 4. I was among you in weakness and in fear, and in much trouble: neither stood my word and my preaching in the enticing speech of man's wisdom, but in plain evidence of the Spirit and of power, that your Faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Seeing therefore it hath pleased God to give us a taste, and to leave as it were the prints and footsteps of all learning and Arts in the world, insomuch that no form of reasoning, no ornament of speaking, no gift of persuading is read in any profane author but the same is found in the Scripture, as in a plentiful storehouse: yea, with far greater grace and excellency than any where else; let us acknowledge the majesty of the word, and reverently esteem of it above all other Writings.  
Secondly, seeing Poetry is a good gift, to Use 2 be reverenced and received for the antiquity and worthiness, it serveth to reprove those that abuse this gift, to the reproach of the Art itself, and to the dishonour of the giver. And howsoever many among the Heathen excelled in this kind, and have lighted a candle to others, yet was this Art nowhere more disgraced and disgraded from the former glory, and ancient estimation thereof, then amongst themselves. For, whereas Poetry at the first was used to express some memorable accident, and record some great work to posterity, that it might be better remembered and regarded: they turned these uses into wrong ends, & changed the truth into horrible lies. For, 
●e the works Homer, Vir● O●d, & owers.  what are all the Poems of the Infidels & unbelieving Gentiles, but a detestable mingling of histories with Fables, of truth with lies, of deeds done with their own dreams and inventions? And whereas of old time, there was no difference between a plain story and an artificial Poem, but in the manner of penning and inditing: the one being easy and evident, the other curious and cunning, more exquisite and laboured: they have set the one against the other, and opposed them as contraries; 
● f●mil. epi. ●. & lib. 1. Orator. ●t. de Art. 〈◊〉.  charging an history to speak the truth, all the truth, and nothing but the truth, but discharging a Poem of this burden. They require the foundation to be some deed done indeed, and then build upon it Fables and falsehood: so that the plain song being a truth, the descant shall be a lie. Neither hath this Noble Science been abused only among the Gentiles, but the remnants of it have crept into the Schools, and defiled the pens of many Christians. We must seek to restore its ancient honour, and being a grave matron, we must pull from her the Ornaments and deckings that do not become her. Therefore, let not young men addicted to this Art, abuse this gift, but use it to the praise of God and to the publishing of his works. Let them in their Poems show themselves Christians, and manifest themselves to differ from the unbelieving Gentiles that know not God. Let all songs and Sonnets of love, or rather Lusts, all scurrilous jests and Satirical Pamphlets, be banished from us; which are not the fault● of Art, but of the Artist: not of Poetry, but of the Poet: not of the matter, but of the man. Let all invocation of strange gods, and heathenish inducing of many gods, be odious to our ears, speeches usual among many, but not seasoned with salt as they ought to be. We have liberty enough to follow the verse without wandering into such licentiousness; whereunto the Apostle directeth us, Ephes. 4, 29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  
Lastly, seeing the Art of Poetry is lawful Use 3 and laudable, let us praise God and sing to him in spiritual songs penned by the Prophets, and indited by the Spirit of GOD, for the instruction and direction of the Church, not only in the book of Psalms, but in other places of the Scripture. And surely, it were a worthy and profitable labour, tending to the advancing of the glory of God, & serving for the comfort of the Church, if all the songs of prayer and praises which are found in the Law and the Prophets, were turned and tuned for the ordinary use of our assemblies, and joined to the book of Psalms, as the song of Moses, of Miriam, of Deborah, of Esay, of Hezekiah, of Habakkuk, of the Canticles and Lamentations, together with some others in other places to be found; that we might have plentiful matter, and perfect direction, to lift up our hearts and voices unto God upon all occasions that shall be offered unto us. Hereunto cometh the exhortation of the Apostle Paul, Col. 3, 16. Let the word of God dwell in you plentifully in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing your own selves in Psalms & Hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with a grace in your hearts to the Lord. This duty of singing Psalms is not proper to the Church and the public assemblies of the Church, but an exercise of our Religion to be used publicly & privately, whether we would give thanks for some deliverance, or crave forgiveness of sins, or desire restoring of health, or crave the graces of God's Spirit, which we want. True it is, there are many abuses of this part of God's service (as also in the rest) yea even in singing the Psalms of David, 1 Cor. 14, 15, 26. as using of an unknown tongue without understanding, the spending of too much time, shutting out thereby the preaching of the word, and hindering other exercises of our Religion: as we see it usual in the Church of Rome, where the chanting of their Matins and Masses hath justled out the publishing of the Doctrine of the Gospel, making the deed done, to be meritorious, available for the forgiveness of sins, singing many sinful and superstitious things touching the intercession of Saints and such trumpery, bringing in their broken Music, that nothing can be understood any more, than if it were in a strange tongue, & an unknown language; whereas all things should be done to edifying in the Church of God.  
Notwithstanding all these abuses, we must maintain the right and holy use of singing in the Church, and in our houses, which is an exercise excellent in itself, acceptable to God, profitable to ourselves, and those that hear us. The Apostle exhorteth the Ephesians, Not to be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but to be filled with the Spirit, spe●king unto themselves in Psalms and Hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord in their hearts. Ephe. 5, 18, 19 Likewise the Apostle james, chap. 5, 13. Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry let him sing Psalms. This was the practice of Paul and Silas, while they were in prison, They prayed at midnight, and sing Psalms unto God. 
Acts 16, 25.  Let us follow these examples of godly men, and take up this exercise better than we have done, being a notable gift of God: which duty, albeit commanded by precept, and commended by example, is greatly decayed in all places, and among all estates of men; in stead whereof, profane songs and beastly Ballads are come in places, filling and defiling all shops, houses, and meetings, justling out the other, to the decay of Religion, to the disgrace of the Psalms, to the corrupting of youth, to the contempt of the word, and to the dishonour of God.  
[They that spoke in Proverbs, say: Come to Heshbon, let the City of Sihon be built and repaired, etc.] The end of this Song, made of the people of GOD, was to keep a perpetual memory of the victories that God gave to the Israelites, and to teach the posterity to come, how they came to be owners and possessors of these Citiss. We learn from hence, That it is the duty of the faithful to remember and publish the works of God, 
Doctrine. It is our duty to remember & publish the great works of God.  whereof we are partakers or witnesses. Whensoever GOD showeth any of his works of mercy or judgement, toward ourselves or others, toward soul or body, we must not hide them and bury them in forgetfulness, but spread them abroad, and make them known to others. This appeareth in sundry places of the word of God. The Prophet teacheth this duty, Psalm. 105, 1, 2. Praise the Lord, & call upon his Name, declare his works among the people: Sing unto him, sing praise unto him, and talk of all his wondrous works. And Psal. 107, 8. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works among the sons of men. So likewise Psalm. 111, 2, 3. The works of the Lord are great and aught to be sought of all them that love them: his work is glorious and beautiful, and his righteousness endureth for ever. So Psal. 66, 16, 5, he provoketh all men to hear what God hath done for him, Come and hearken, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done to my soul: and in the same Psalm he reproveth the dullness of men, that are cold in the consideration of the works of God, Come and behold the works of God, he is terrible in his doing toward the sons of men. When the Shepherds had found the word of the Angel true, and seen the Babe laid in the Cratch, 
Luke 2, 1●.  They published abroad the thing that was told them of that child, to the great wondering of all those that heard it. And when the man, out of whom a legion of devils was departed, besought Christ that he might tarry with him: jesus sent him away, saying; Return into thine own house, and show what great things God hath done to thee; so he went his way, and preached throughout all the City, what great things jesus had done unto him. When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, from whence they had been commended to the grace of God, to the work which they had fulfilled, having gathered together the Church, They rehearsed all the things that God had done by them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Acts 14, 27. The practice of this duty, Christ commanded to the man that he had dispossessed, Mark. 5, 19, 20. Go thy way home to thy friends, & show them what great things the Lord hath done unto thee, & how he hath had compassion on thee: so he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis, what great things jesus had done unto him, and all men did marvel. All which precepts and examples teach us, that it is not enough to have received Gods benefits, and to be mindful of them ourselves, but also we are bound to make others according to our places to profit thereby, and to praise God for them, agreeable to the words of Peter and john to the council, We cannot but speak the things which we have seen & heard. Acts 4, 20.  
The Reasons of this Doctrine are divers, Reason 1 whether we consider God, or ourselves, or the faithful with whom we live. First, in respect of God, inasmuch as it standeth us all upon, to set forth his glory, with all our strength and might. This is the chief and principal end, that we must aim at in all our ways, to seek to gain glory to his great Name, according to that general precept of the Apostle, Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. So when God doth make known to us the works of his own right hand, this must be one motive to stir us up to spread them abroad, that thereby his Name may be glorified, and his saving health published among all Nations, 
Acts 11, 1●.  as we see the practice in the Apostles.  
Secondly, in respect of ourselves. For this is a notable sign and token of a true and lively faith, that we believe the works of God, and lay them up deeply in our hearts, when we hide them not under a bushel, nor cover them in the ashes, but lift up our voice, as a Trumpet, to declare to others what ourselves have learned. This the Prophet testifieth in his own practice, I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the living, I believed, and therefore did I speak. Psalm. 116, verses 9, 10. This is not peculiar to the Prophet only, to testify his faith by the words of his mouth, but is made general and common to others by the Apostle, 
〈◊〉. 4, 13.  Because we have the same spirit of Faith, according as it is written, I believed and therefore I have spoken: we also believe, and therefore speak. Such as do not believe the words and works of God, can never be fit instruments to give notice of them to others: but such as do in heart believe them, cannot but with the tongue confess them, thereby to assure their own hearts, and to confirm their own faith more and more.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, we must have respect to others. For as Christ speaketh to Peter, when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren: so when we believe the works of God, we must labour to bring all other to a sound faith and right judgement. It is our duty to hunger and thirst after the salvation of others: and being called to the profession, we must toll the bell to others. There is no man that hath been truly acquainted with the works of God, and hath in conscience been convinced of the undoubted truth thereof, but aught to be as a public crier, and as the lords Herald to blaze them and publish them abroad for the good of others. This is the reason that moved the Prophet David to make such often & so many protestations, 
〈◊〉. 1 & 71,  to speak of all his wondrous works, to tell his marvelous works, to publish the praises of the Lord & his great power.  
This is the reason that Peter immediately after his deliverance out of prison came unto Mary, where many were gathered together in prayer to entreat the Lord for the enlarging of his liberty, saying unto them, Go show these things unto james, and the rest of the brethren. Acts 12, ●7. So then, whether we do consider that it is required of us to seek the glory of God, to testify the assurance of our Faith, or to win our brethren; we must acknowledge that it is a spe●iall duty laid upon us to publish the works of God, whereof any of us be witnesses, of the truth whereof we are convinced. Indeed Christ charged the Leper not to publish and spread abroad the miraculous work of his cleansing: but this was to correct the perverse judgement of the people, who regarded more to see his miracles, then to hear his doctrine, and that he might have the greater liberty to teach from the persecutions of the pharisees. Mar. 1, 45.  
Use 1 Now let us proceed to the uses of this Doctrine. First, it teacheth that we must not slander and discredit any of his works, but say with the sorcerers, This is the finger of GOD, Exod. 8, 19 When the pharisees heard that Christ cast out the devils by the power of his deity, they backe-bited and blasphemed the works of God maliciously, saying, This man casteth out devils no otherwise but through Belzebub the Prince of devils. Matth. 12, 24. & 28, 12, 13. So the watchmen set to keep the sepulchre of Christ sure, showed unto the high Priests all the things that were done; who took wicked counsel, and gave large money unto the soldiers to spread abroad that his disciples came by night, & stole him away while they slept. Likewise, when the holy Ghost fell upon the Apostles, that they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, they mocked and slandered the work of God, saying, These are full of new wine, Acts 2, 13. so that Peter justified as well the Apostles of Christ, as the miracle of God. In like manner are we to do in like cases: when an evil name is brought upon the works of God's election or reprobation, upon the works of his providence, and protection of his people, we must stand forth to give glory to God and to stop the mouth of iniquity when it is opened against heaven. For if a man be commanded to open his mouth in the cause of the dumb, much more in the cause of God. It is one kind of taking the name of God in vain, to hold our peace when any reason & dispute against God's works. If we deny him any way before men, Christ jesus will deny us before his Father. 
Prou. 31, 8.  We must therefore open our mouths in defence of God and his works, & put the obstinate gainsayers to silence, & wipe away the slanderous reports raised of them, lest others receive hurt thereby, and to the end God may have the glory and praise of his own work. And albeit we do not always conceive the right cause and reason of them, let us not deride but admire them with the Apostle, Rom. 11, 33. O the deepness of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out? If a man should take upon him to judge those that are out of his liberty, and over whom he hath no authority, and to pronounce sentence upon their doings, would a worldly man think well of this presumption? But it is less wisdom, and greater presumption, to take upon us to rule God, and to give him his lesson, and to enter into judgement of his works. Therefore Elihu wisely teacheth in the book of job this point; Who hath appointed unto him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast done wickedly? Remember that thou magnify his works, which men behold. job 36, 23, 24.  
Secondly, it is required of us to be diligent Use 2 markers and observers of the works of God's providence. For how shall he report them & remember them to others, that is not careful to muse upon them, and to mark them himself? Or how shall he open his mouth to declare them, that shutteth his eyes lest he should see them, and stoppeth his cares lest he should hear of them? It standeth us therefore greatly upon, wisely to observe the works of God, and suffer nothing to pass from us, nothing by us, without making profit of it to ourselves, & bringing it to the use of others. This wisdom Eliphaz one of the three friends of job teacheth, having showed that the ungodly shall not escape unpunished, but that God will find them out in their hypocrisy, he addeth, job 5, 27. Lo, thus have we inquired of it, and so it is, hear this, and know it for thyself. This we are all to mark by continual experience, how God dealeth with the godly, sometimes chastening them, sometimes blessing them, never forsaking them, albeit sometimes leaving them for a season, yet in the end returning in mercy unto them.  
Likewise, how he dealeth towards the wicked, thereby to avoid their steps, consider that though they flourish for a time, it is but the pleasure of sin for a season that they enjoy: and always God's judgement in this life arresteth some, and maketh them fearful examples unto others. Thus did the Prophet ponder in his heart the ways and works of God, and profited thereby to his great comfort: as we see, Psal. 37, 35.36. I have seen the wicked strong, and spreading himself like a green Bay-tree, yet he passed away, and lo he was gone, and I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the upright man, and behold the just, for the end of that man is peace; but the transgressors shall be destroyed together, and the end of the wicked shall be cut off. And if we will give our hearts to this meditation on the works of God's providence, ruling the world, and disposing all things, we shall see how he always meeteth with the ungodly, though they dig deep to hide their counsels, and dive down unto the depth and bottom of their devices, yet the hand of the Lord doth find them out, and bringeth to judgement every secret work. So if we shall weigh with wisdom his works toward his own servants, as he doth love them with an everlasting love, so is he always gracious unto them, and maketh all things fall out to further their salvation. This the Wiseman teacheth by his experience, Eccles. 8, 11, 12, 13.  
Use 3 Lastly, let all Fathers of families teach the works of God's mercy, and the works of his judgements, according as they see them to be offered unto them. For to whom should we rather publish them then to our posterity, & the children that come out of our loins? when a Father beholdeth the Lord punishing the ungodly, and taking vengeance on the contemners of his word, the blaspheme●s of his name, the profaners of his Sabbaths, the uncleanness of adulterers, the beastliness of drunkards, the oppression of usurers, the perjury of false witnesses, and the cruelty of merciless dealers: should he suffer such public examples to die, and these works of God to sleep in the dust? Nay, seeing God doth single out some, and maketh them examples & admonitions unto others, we ought to whet them upon our children and servants, & teach them thereby to serve the Lord, and to hate those heinous and horrible sins that provoke such great and grievous judgements.  
Abraham is commended by the Spirit of God, for this care and conscience of his duty, when he should behold the woeful destructi- of Sodom and Gomorrha, Genes. 18.19. I know him that he will command his sons, and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgement, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham, that he hath spoken unto him. This the Prophet urgeth, Psal. 78, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. So the Prophet joel, or rather the Lord by the Prophet, threatening a grievous plague of dearth and famine, that the field should be wasted, the corn destroyed, the new wine dried up, the oil decayed, and the husbandmen howl, because the harvest of the field should perish, saith, joel 1, 2, ●. Hear ●e this. O Elders, and hearken ye all inhabitants of the land, whether such a thing hath been in your days, or yet in the dayers of your Fathers. Tell you your children of it, and let your children show it to their children, and their children to another generation. Thus we see how God requireth of us a diligent consideration of his judgements, seeing he smiteth one to admonish another: we must not account these strokes only as punishments upon the offenders, but as examples offered for the amendment and repentance of others, as our Saviour taught his disciples of those that were murdered by Pilate, and of those were slain by the fall of a tower, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish, Luke 13, 1, 2, 3, 4.  
[Verse 28. For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, and a flame from the City of Sihon, and hath consumed Har of the Moabites, etc.] When war is once begun and set on foot, it is not so easily laid down, neither is the thirst of ambition in a proud man so easily quenched. Therefore this song declareth, that when Sihon had assaulted and taken Heshbon, he rested not there but proceeded farther, and led his army against the villages adjoining, dealing with them as he had done with the inhabitants of Heshbon. Thus we see the people bordering upon the Heshbonites, are touched with their ruin, and companions with them in their adversity: as when a mighty tree falleth, it throweth down with it the lesser & lower shrubs. Now Moses in this borrowed speech, setteth forth the misery brought upon the Moabites, which like a violent and vehement fire consumeth wheresoever it lighteth. Mark therefore in this place the comparison & similitude which the Spirit of God useth, to express the rage of war, wasting far and near, as a mighty flame of fire. 
Doctrine. The misery misch●●●e 〈◊〉 wa●●exe●ding great.  We learn from hence this Doctrine, That great is the misery and mischief of war, whereby blood is shed, Nations are spoiled, Countries are ruinated, Cities are dispeopled, Murder is committed, and the image of God defaced. And albeit the life be spared, yet liberty is restrained, and oftentimes death is better than b●ndage, and the sword not so bitter as captivity, even to become slaves to them, who are slaves to Satan. This we see expressed in the war of Chedarlaomer, Genes. 14, 5, 6, 7. who coming to chasten the rebellion of Sodom, and other Cities in the plain, he seized upon the people bordering, so that they tasted the bitterness of the sword, being neighbours to the Nations offending against him. This Moses expresseth, Deut. 28, 50, 51, describing the fierceness of the enemies, and the plague of wars; saying, They shall not regard the person of the old, nor have compassion of the young, they shall eat the fruit of thy Cattle, they shall consume the profit of thy land, they shall besiege thee within thy walls, they shall drive thee to eat thy children, the fruit of thy body, during the siege and straightness wherewith they shall compass thee in thy Cities. Hereunto that Proverb guideth us, used by the King of Israel against such as boasted before the victory, Let not him that girdeth his harness, boast himself, 
King. 20, 11  as he that putteth it off. Hence it is, that we read, how thousands and ten thousands are consumed in battle, which devoureth one as well as another, to teach us the casualty and calamity of war.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are not to be forgotten, that we may the better settle this Doctrine in our hearts. First, it is threatened as an heavy plague and fearful judgement to be brought upon that people that set their faces against God, and walk stubbornly in the breach of his commandments. It is one of the arrows of God, 
〈◊〉. 5, 16, 17.  which he hath in his quiver, & reserveth to shoot against all the contemners of his Statutes; he will send upon them famine to punish them, evil beasts to spoil them, the pestilence to consume them, & blood to pass through them. This is that which the Lord threateneth, levit. 26, 25, 31. I will send a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant, and when you are gathered in your Cities, I will send the pestilence among you, and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy, & I will make your cities desolate. If then God proclaim open war against such as bear themselves stoutly and stubbornly against him, if he be at utter defiance with them that despite and despise him, if he denounce against those the day of battle, as a day of wrath, a day of trouble and heaviness, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of obscurity and darkness, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of the Trumpet and alarm against the strong Cities, against the high Towers, and against mighty warriors that their blood shall be poured out as dust, & their flesh made as the dung; it must necessarily follow, that the time of war is the time of woe, yea, of weeping and wailing, and great lamentation of young and old, rich & poor, women and children, babes and sucklings.  
Reason 2 Secondly, great is the benefit of peace, and many are the blessings that come with it and ensue after it. If then peace be a great benefit, then must war needs be acknowledged to be a great want, and a fearful judgement. The peace of a State, is as the health of a body of strong constitution: therefore war is a dangerous disease in any body politic, when it cannot be purged and washed without blood. We see how Moses among the blessings that shall come upon Israel and overtake them, reckoneth up peace in their borders, 
levit. 26, 6.  I will send peace in the Land, and ye shall sleep, & none shall make you afraid, and the sword shall not go through your Land. If there be but a iarie in a private house, or a strong faction in any society, it threateneth the ruin thereof. 
Math 12, 25.  If an house or City be divided against itself, it cannot stand. If a kingdom be divided against itself, it is brought to nought. But when God giveth peace and rest to his Church, many blessings come with it and great contentment on all sides, and in all estates; especially the free liberty of the Gospel with the preaching and professing of it, which we should account as the life of our lives. Seeing therefore, on the one side, War is the just wages of great sins; and on the other side, peace bringeth with it many blessings of all sorts, spiritual and temporal, we conclude, that many are the miseries of war.  
The uses are in the next place to be thought upon, and application ●o be made of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, let us pray earnestly to God, and call upon him faithfully, to keep from us both wars, and the rumours of wars, and continue peace in our borders, with the free & public use of the Gospel, to us and to our posterities: that there may not be the voice of lamentation lifted up in our streets, weeping & mourning, and great howling, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they were not. Mat. 2, 18. jer. 31, 15. We live in a plentiful and well-peopled Land, no Nation under heaven is more populous. This is a blessing of God, as Moses declareth, levit. 26, 9 Likewise Proverbs 14, 28: Yet many times we repine at his mercy, we think the Land will be too little for us, and that we shall not be able to live one for another. He can make room enough for us, if he once send the bright weapons of war, and the glistering sword of the bloody enemy among us. He can make fewer of us and turn our Land into briars & thorns, and make it a place of Salt-pits and Nettles. Then shall a man nourish a young Cow and two Sheep: 
Esay 7, 21, 22. and 4, 1.  and for the abundance of Milk that they shall give, he shall eat Butter. The number of men shall then be so small, tha● a few beasts shall be sufficient to nourish the remnant abundantly. Then shall seven women take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and will wear our own garments, only let us be called by thy name, and take away our reproach. Let us therefore in this great increase of the land and store of people, acknowledge his mercy, let us rejoice in the society one of another, and pray that we taste not the bitterness of war, & that there be no slaying with the sword, no shedding of blood, no carrying into captivity. This the Prophet teacheth, Ps. 144, desiring God to continue his benefits toward his people, the fruit of the womb, the filling of storehouses, the increase of sheep, & the quietness of peace, Psal. 144, 12, 13, 14, 15. That our sons being as the plants growing up in their youth, and our daughters being as the corner stones, may be the building of the temple: that our corners may be full, and our Oxen strong to labour: that there be no invasion nor going out, nor no crying in our streets: O blessed are the people that be so, yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Where we see, the Prophet prayeth, and directeth us to pray, that there may be no taste of the sharpness and misery of war, nor we know the assaulting of our Cities, nor going out to warfare, that there may be no sorrow of heart, no weeping of eyes, no wring of hands, no shrieking of voices among us. Were it not a woeful and lamentable thing, to see fire without mercy, and without quenching, consuming houses, eating up all things, and sparing nothing? How much more to see, and hear, and feel the affliction of war, when all things are in confusion and combustion? For, this is one great mischief and bitterness of war, that all things are holden to be lawful, and all men make themselves to be lawless. There is no regard of right or equity, of shame or conscience, when many times the soldiers are as hungry as wolves, as cruel as Tigers, as fierce as Lions, as merciless as Bears rob of their whelps, which spoil in the evening, and leave not the bones until the morning. Liberty is oppressed, good men fear, evil men expect, knowing it is best fishing in troubled water; if there be any place free from tumult, at least there is none void of suspicion and free from jealousy; few than are to be trusted, and none assured; all things in confusion, violence, spoiling, blood, murders outcrying, and nothing else before our eyes, but a lamentable face of all calamities & extremities. The Prophet Zachary, describing the golden days of a peaceable life, which should be given to the Israelites when they were returned from captivity, saith; Zac. 8, 4, 5. There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age; and the streets of the City shall be full of boys & girls playing in the streets thereof. Then is the mouth of the people filled with laughter, and their tongue with joy, Psal. 46, 9 When the Lord maketh wars to cease unto the end of the world, he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear, & burneth the Chariots with fire. But in the time of war, and in the day of battle, all things are turned topsie-turuý, all things lie open to sacking and pillage, to insolency of soldiers, to desire of revenge, and to most horrible accidents. Then we are constrained to see and lament the slaughter of men, the ravishing of women, the deflowering of virgins, the spoiling of goods, the robbing of houses, the taking of prisoners, the breaking of laws, the defacing of justice, the intermission of sowing, the innovation of estates, the subversion of realms, the desolation of countries, the violation of religion, the destruction of Cities, the effusion of blood, the suffering of famine, and sometimes the extremity of eating children, and always the overthrowing of all order and honesty. Who is able to recount & rehearse the great horror and fear, the sorrow and mourning, the weeping and lamentation, the seditions, tumults, outrages, villainies, insurrections, conspiracies, calamities, dangers, difficulties, and the miserable train of infinite miseries and maladies that war bringeth with it? No marvel therefore, if David preferred the pestilence before the sword, 2 Sam. 24, 14. desiring that he might fall into the hands of the Lord, because his mercies are great; and not fall into the hands of man, whose bowels of pity are instruments of cruelty. Let us therefore pray earnestly and fervently unto God, that we may not have experience of these troubles, nor endure the violence of this fire, and entreat him to continue a gracious God to us and to our posterities for ever. This we see fruitfully and profitably practised by the people of Israel, when the Lord for their idolatry threatened to deliver them no more out of the hands of their enemies, and bade them cry unto the gods which they had chosen, that they might save them in the time of their tribulation: they said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever please thee, only we pray thee to deliver us this day from our enemies, judg. 10, 10, 11, 12.  
Secondly, let us learn by the horror of the Use 2 sword, and trouble of war, to be thankful for our long peace and prosperity, and pray for the continuance thereof among us. We may sit every one under his Vine, and under his Figtree; we may rest in peace in our gardens and Orchards, reasoning of the ways, and conferring of the word of the Lord, whilst many of our neighbor-Nations are shaken and tossed with the tempest of wars, and all things round about us are in an uproar. Let us desire God to spare them, and be touched with a feeling of their sorrows. And if there be such fearfulness and devouring in the sword, let us cast off all dissensions and debates, let us cut the cords of all contention, and live peaceably as brethren one with another. Hereunto the Apostle james persuadeth, ch. 3, 15, 16. & 4, 1, 2 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish: for where envying & strife is, there is sedition & all manner of evil work. From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, even of your pleasures that fight in your members? Let us take heed we give no occasion of contention, nor sow the seeds of division, which in time to come may yield a comfortless crop of cares and conf sions. Let us not go forth hastily to strife, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy Neighbour hath put thee to shame. Pro. 25, 8. It is in vain to desire considerations and conditions of peace, when we have laid the foundations of war: like as the bow being drawn, and the Arrow discharged, it is too late to wish it may do no hurt where it falleth. For after that the coals of contention be once kindled, there is no long expectation for the fire to flame, and burn amain with a swift course, even as when a cloud is gathered to his thickness, the storm of rain that hath been long in breeding, is ready to fall and disperse itself. It belongeth to all wisemen to foresee a mischief before it happeneth, 
criard hist ●●b. 4. et 10  & it is the reward of men unhappy to lament it when it is once felt. The counsel is without fruit that cometh after the fact; it is too late to apply the remedy when the evil is happened. The soldier serveth to no turn, that beginneth to march when the battle is done. The Medicine that is ministered out of time, worketh not to the benefit of the Patient. It is too dangerous to broach a vessel of poison, and have the virtue of the Antidote or counterpoison uncertain, or far to seek. A smoke suffered long to continue, conceiveth a spark, a spark of fire let alone engendereth a flame, and the flame burneth without mercy and measure. Let us therefore resist the first beginnings as it were the first motions of malice and strife. Small things increase by concord, great things fall and come to ruin by discord and disunion. We must therefore desire peace, and follow after it albeit it seem to fly from us, let us pursue it with all our strength until we overtake it & bring it home as a blessing into our own houses and habitations: as a man of war concludeth, 2 Sam. 2, 26. Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long then shall it be ere you bid the people return from following their brethren? As if he should say, If we shall join army against army, and forces against forces, we shall fall down on every side, one brother shall devour and destroy another without pity and compassion. This serveth to reprove those that provoke to bartell without cause, and delight in war as in a matter of sport and play, who delight to shed blood as water. Thus speaketh Abner Captain of the host, 2 Sam. 2, 14. Let the young men now rise and play before us. Whereby we see, that murder is made as a game & pastime to laugh at. Let every man live contented with his own estate. Great is the benefit of contentation. Beware of ambition and aspiring thoughts. The power of many rising suddenly to height and Sovereignty, 
〈◊〉 ●●st. Hal. 〈◊〉  taketh end with a ruin more sudden. They are like to a tree that groweth till he cometh to his height, and then is plucked up by the roots in a moment. The heavy stone commonly overwhelmeth itself with his own weight. Whosoever coveteth the fruit, and never considereth the height of the tree whereon it groweth, let him take heed that whiles he laboureth to climb to the top, he fall not with the boughs which he clasps and embraceth with both his arms. It is the part and property of a wise man, to consider always his own estate: whereas the vain ambitious man liveth for the most part in the remembrance & contemplation of those things which make him to forget himself. Let us therefore all labour in our places to quench this thirst, before it do grow to be as a dropsy that can never be cured, especially it standeth great men of high callings upon (even the greatest men of highest callings in hand) to look to this swelling of the heart (an evil whereunto they above all other are most inclined) that they lift not up their hearts against their Brethren, 
Deut. 17, 10.  neither forget that they are mortal and frail men.  
Lastly, seeing the sword respecteth no person, neither old nor young, neither learned nor Use 3 unlearned, but destroyeth father and son, maketh the wise widow, and the child fatherless; it is our parts when we see such judgements present or imminent, to humble ourselves unto God, to desire him to remove the fearful noise and rumour of war: and in the mean season, to pray that we may use our peace aright, lest he bend his Bow, and shoot his Arrows, and draw his glittering sword upon us. We see how Hezekiah when he saw the host of the King of Ashur, sought the Lord carefully, and prayed unto him to fight their battles, 2 Chro. 32, 20. & 20, 3. so jehoshaphat when a great multitude banding themselves together, came against him, set himself to seek the Lord, reconciled himself to him, asked counsel of him, & proclaimed a Fast throughout all judah. Thus the Prophet, Lam. 5, 20. considering that the strong men were trodden down, and the enemy rejoiced at their trouble, prayeth unto God, because the sword devoured without, and the people were led into captivity; Behold (O Lord) how I am troubled: my bowels swell, mine heart is turned within me: for I am full of heaviness, the sword spoileth abroad as death doth at home. We live (as yet) in great plenty and prosperity, we enjoy life and liberty, we sleep quietly in our beds, and rest in our houses in peace; we hear not the sound of the trumpet, the clattering ●f armour, the fury of the enemy, the noise of gunshot, the cry of the wounded; we see not the blood of the slain on the right hand, and on the left hand; we know not what the misery of slavery and slaughter meaneth; we do not behold our Cities besieged, our Countries wasted, our Towns entrenched, our walls b●tter●d, our houses fired & consumed; blessed be the great name of our most gracious God therefore, for evermore. Let us then take heed that we abuse not these mercies and good things of Almighty GOD, lest he take them away from us in his fierce wrath and indignation. O, that there were in us wise hearts to consider these things, whilst we dwell safely in these our houses and habitations, and before the enemy approacheth ne●e unto us, and casteth a trench about us. But if we provoke God and make war with him, how can we have peace with men? how can we look to live in safety any longer with our wives and children? This our Saviour hath set down, and with ●eares taught the jews long before their destruction came upon them. For when he came near and beheld the City, he wept for it, and passionately said, Luk. 19, 41, 42, 43, 44. O, if thou hadst even known at the least in this day, those things which belong unto thy peace! But now are they hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, & keep thee in on every side, and shall make thee even with the ground, and thy children which are in thee: and they shall not leave thee a stone upon a stone, because thou knowest not that season of thy visitation. Let us apply these things unto ourselves, and if we desire to live peaceably with men, let us first seek to be at peace with God; and if we would be reconciled to our brother, let us in the first place be reconciled to our God, and then all things shall speak peace unto us.  
[Verse 29. Woe be to thee Moab: O people of Chemosh, thou art undone: he hath delivered his sons which escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.] Here the Poet rhetorically turneth his speech to the Moabites, describing their foolish confidence in their dumb Idols, Psal. 115, 4, 5. Which are the work of men's hands, which have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, they have a mouth and speak not, noses and smell not, hands & touch not, feet and walk not, neither make they a sound with their throat; they that make them are like unto them and so are all they that trust in them. The Nations of the Gentiles had multitudes of gods, and every Nation his several Idoll-go●: As Chemosh was the idol of the Moabites, Baal of the Chaldeans, Ashteroth of the Sidonians, Moloch of the Ammonites, Rimmon of the Syrians, Dagon of the Philistims. These are false gods, and had the godhead or divine nature falsely ascribed unto them, who were not able to save such as did worship them, as the author of this song here declareth, He hath delivered his sons and daughters to captivity, and was not able to deliver them out of the hands of Sihon king of the Amorites. 
1 King. 18, 26.  For as the Israelites cried for fire to come from heaven from morning to noon, O Baal hear us: so no doubt did the Moabites for deliverance from their enemies, call to their idol Chemosh, O Chemosh hear us, but there was no voice, nor any to answer, so that they fell into the hands of the Amorites, and received no profit or benefit by their idol service. here than we see, how the idolatrous Moabites, worshipping a false god, and trusting in their great Idol, are defeated and destroyed. Hence we learn, 
Doctrine. Idolaters shall be confounded and destroyed.  That Idolaters lie open to judgement. The worshipping of Images, howsoever it be coloured with false reasons, is the true cause of God's judgements. We see here how the Moabites were rooted out of their Towns and Cities for this sin. Hitherto come the threatenings of the Prophets against the Nations by Esay, chap. 46, 1, 2. and jer. 46 & 44, 7, 8. for their idolatry. We see in judg. 2, 11. when Israel committed idolatry, & began to cleave to strange gods, and forsook the Lord God of their fathers, God sold them into the hands of their enemies, so that they could no longer stand before them. This was the destruction of jeroboam the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin: and of jehu, who set up idolatry after he had destroyed it. This was the cause that the wrath of God broke in upon the Israelites, when they had erected the golden Calf, which sin was revenged with a grievous and horrible slaughter. Hereunto also the Prophet hath relation, Psal. 106, 34, 35. They destroyed not the people as the Lord had commanded them, but were mingled amongst the heathen, and learned their works, and served their Idols, which were their ruin. Thus we see, how idolatry turneth to the destruction of the idolater.  
The Reasons follow. First, God is the husband Reason 1 of his Church, and can no more abide to have his honour and worship communicated to any other, than the husband any partner or fellow in his love. Prou. 6, 35. ●ho cannot bear the sight of any ransom, neither will he consent, though thou augment the gifts. Idolatry therefore is spiritual whoredom, and God is a jealous God of his honour and glory, and will not suffer the same to be given to any other, Esay 42 8. Exod. 20, 5. This is notably declared, and worthily expressed by the Prophet Hosea, where the idolatry of the Israelites is resembled to the adulterous and whorish woman, that doateth upon her lovers, that forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God: Their mother (saith the Lord by his Prophet) hath played the Harlot, she that conceived them hath done shamefully, etc. As than God is the husband of his Church, so our spiritual worship is as a certain marriage of our souls consecrated unto the Lord: & therefore all false and forged worship is spiritual whoredom and adultery toward him. To this purpose speaketh Hosea, ch, 2, 19, 20. I will marry thee unto me for ever: yea, I will marry thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, etc. Thus also the Prophet jeremy speaketh, ch. 2, 2. Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee with the kindness of thy youth, and the love of thy Marriage, when thou goest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sown.  
Secondly, Idols are the works of men's Reason 2 hands, whether they be of Silver or Gold, they are the work of the Founder: or whether they be carved or graven in stone or timber, they are the hand of the workman: or whether they be wrought in blue silk, or purple, jeremy 10, 9 All things are made by cunning men. Hereupon it followeth, that they that depend upon them, and seek help of them, do seek help of flesh, and do make stocks and stones their god, and therefore they cannot prosper, but shall be confounded. This the Prophet Hosea testifieth, chap. 8.8, 9 Israel is devoured, now shall they be amongst the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure: for they are gone but to Ashur, they are as a wild Ass alone by himself, Ephraim hath hired lovers.  
The Uses are in the last place to be observed. Use 1 First, this teacheth that the idol is vain; yea, vanity itself. Howsoever the idolater be enamoured of it, and greatly dote upon it, yet it shall be a broken reed, which in stead of staying him that leaneth upon it, breaketh in his hand, and the shivers thereof serve to wound him that leaneth thereon. For if it could deliver any, it should save them th●t have their hope and confidence in it. But such are deceived and deluded to their destruction. This the Prophet jer. 3, 23, 24. & 10, 15. witnesseth at large in sundry places, Truly the hope of the hills is but vain, nor the multitude of mountains, but in the Lord our God is the health of Israel: for confusion hath devoured our father's labour, etc. Hereunto cometh that saying, Esay 44, 9, 10. All they that make an image are vanity, and their delectable things shall nothing profit: and they are their own witnesses that they see not, nor know, therefore they shall be confounded who have made a god, or melted an Image that is profitable for nothing. They are not therefore laymens books, neither have any profitable use, but an abominable abuse, 
〈◊〉 2, 18, 19,  being vanity and the work of errors, in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The Assyrians were famous, or rather infamous for Idols, and great boasters of them; yet the Prophet showeth they should come to confusion: hereupon the use is inferred, what profiteth the Image? For the maker thereof hath made it an Image and a teacher of lies, though he that made it trust therein, when he maketh dumb Idols: woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; and to the dumb stone, Arise up, it shall teach thee: behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and yet there is no breath in it. Thus the vanity of Idols is set out by the destruction of the Idolaters.  
Use 2 Secondly, let them labour to see their own blindness. It is a great judgement of God upon thousands and ten thousands in the world, that worship the works of men's hands, and yet think themselves wise. We see also the preposterous and disordered desire of the children, to follow the idolatrous ways of their parents: whereupon it cometh to pass, that they excuse their sin by the example of their parents; and because they were borne in it, they are resolute to die in it, never examining how their religion standeth with consent of the Scriptures. Thus we see, that all idolaters are blind, and because they say they see therefore their sin remaineth. 
〈◊〉 9, 41.  This the Prophet teacheth, Esay 42, 17, 18, 19 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed that trust in graven Images, and say to the molten Images, Ye are our gods. Hear ye deaf, and ye blind regard that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as the messenger that I sent? Who is blind as the perfect, and blind as the Lords servant? If therefore we would not grope in ignorance, as the blindman that g●opeth in the dark, let us fly Idolatry, and keep ourselves from Idols.  
Lastly, let us bless and praise the name of Use 3 God, when he delivereth his people from idolatry, to serve him purely and sincerely. Let us ever be mindful of his mercy, and walk as a thankful people redeemed out of so great a thraldom. This sacrifice of praise we see required in the Prophet: for having set down the folly & vanity of Idolaters, who cut down a Tree, warm themselves with part thereof, roast their meat with another, and with a third part make a god and worship it make it an Idol, and bow unto it, pray unto it and say Deliver me, for thou art my God: he acknowledgeth God's great mercy in forgiving these sins of the people, Esay 44, 21, 22, 23, Thou art my servant, O Israel forget me not: I have put away thy transgressions like a cloud, and thy sin as a mist, etc. Behold the beastliness and brutishness of these godmakers, not much unlike the Romish idolaters, who knead their dough, & of one part they make bread, and a god of the other. If this be the dotage of idolaters, we have great cause offered unto us, to magnify the mercy of God toward us, that hath freed us from such devilish devices of the false worship of God. He hath restored to us the true worship of God according to his holy word, he hath rooted out the Idols that were set up to be adored, he hath given us the Scriptures in our mother tongue, he hath fre●d us from the burden and bondage of the Pope's Decrees and Decretals, he hath pulled down the great idol of the Mass, and hath abolished the manifold heresies and corruptions of false Doctrine. What shall we now render to the Lord for all these tokens and testimonies of his love toward us, but take up the cup of salvation, and praise with tongue and heart the name of God, acknowledging his only goodness in delivering us from the bondage of Idolatry; and labouring to bring forth the fruits of his Gospel, to his glory, and our own comfort in Christ jesus.   

32 And Moses sent to search out jaazer, and they took the Towns belonging thereto, and rooted out the Amorites that were there.  
33 And they turned and went up the way toward Bashan: and Og the King of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people to fight at Edrei.  
34 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not, for I have delivered him into thine hand, and all his people, and his Land: & thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon the King of the Amorites, which dwelled at Heshbon.  
35 They smote him therefore, and his Sons, and all his people, even until there was none left him: so they inherited his Land.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the first Enemy overcome by the Israelites, to wit, Sihon King of the Amorites: the second enemy which they subdued is Og the King of Bashan, an enemy more mighty and terrible than the former. For he was one of the race and posterity of the giants, at whose sight the scouts and espials sent out to search the land were afraid, and despaired of inhabiting and inheriting of the land, and weakened the hearts & hands of the people as appeareth in the 13. chapter of this book, We came into the Land whither thou hast sent us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey: nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the Land, and the Cities are walled & exceeding great: and moreover we saw the sons of Anak there. And more plainly and particularly Moses describeth this King, Deuter. 3, 11. Only Og the king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Giants, whose bed was a bed of Iron: is it not at Rabbah among the children of Ammon? The length thereof is nine cubits, and four cubits the breadth thereof, after the cubit of a man.  
Now the more mighty and monstrous t●is Giant was, the greater occasion had the Israelites to ascribe the victory to God, and to give him the glory alone. And the Prophet singleth out these two enemies by name, Deu. 29, 7. Psal. 135, 11. & 136, 19, 20. Sihon the King of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan, above all other kings, and in the meditation of God's mercy delivering them into their hands, stirreth up the people to praise the name of God: which showeth that they were enemies greatly to be feared, and such as brought great terror unto the Israelites, yet no power can prevail against God, There is no counsel, nor wisdom, nor understanding, nor strength against the Lord. 
Pro. 21, 30, 31  The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but salvation is of the Lord. The land of Bashan was a fertile & fruitful soil, commended in sundry places of the Scripture: it was a goodly mountain abounding with rank and rich pastures, yielding cattle of great bone and bigness, and flourishing with sundry commodities, which kindled a desire in the two Tribes and the half, to have it given them in possession. Wherefore Moses commending the bountifulness of God toward his people, Deut. 32, 14. showeth, that he gave them butter of Kine, and milk of Sheep, with fat of the Lambs and Rams fed in Bashan. And David to express the lustiness and loftiness, the pride and presumption of his enemies, resembleth them to the mighty bulls of Bashan, 
Psal. 22, 12. Ezek. 39, ●8. Amos 4, 1. Esay 2, 13.  fed to the full in most fruitful pastures. Moses knowing the goodness of the soil, the strength of the Cities, and the malice of the enemies, sendeth out his scouts and espials, to search out the situation of the places, and the purposes of the persons that inhabited therein; and having taken jaazer, he marched toward this Bashan whereof we speak. The king advertised of the matter, and understanding the drift and design of the Israelites, cometh forth to meet them, and to hinder their approach to his Towns and Dominions, thinking his safety to consist only in his weapons, forgetting that all mortal things are mutable, and the end of war uncertain, and providing more for revenge, then for his own defence. Hereupon Moses before he made an head against the enemy (as it should seem) made a stand to know the will of God, whether he should fight with them in the place, and whether God would deliver them into their hands. The answer of God showeth, that they were greatly afraid, and stood in need of comfort: wherein consider, first the Commandment of GOD, Fear not your enemies: Secondly, the reason rendered to encourage them, I will deliver all your enemies into your hands: which is amplified by a like example, and by the former experience which they had of the mercy of God in the destruction of Sihon king of the Amorites. After this comfort and raising up of their hearts that began to shrink, they joined battle, they fought with the king of Bashan, they overcame their enemies, and put them all, men, women, and children to the sword, and possessed his Land as he did the Land of the Amorites. Thus God gave them a joyful victory, who had before determined the destruction of Og, even while the giant thought nothing of the hand of God against him: and who is it that knoweth what God intendeth against him in heaven, while he offendeth him, and sinneth against him on the earth? The Lord that sitteth in Heaven, seeth the wickedness of man's heart abiding on Earth.  
[Verse 33. And they turned and went up the way toward Bashan: and Og the King of Bashan came out against them, etc.] We see here another judgement of God upon another enemy of the Church, and the mercy of God in his overthrow, after the destruction of the former enemy. God could have brought them together, and bound them in one bundle to be cast into the fire, but they are destroyed one after another: some in the days of Moses; others are reserved for joshua who succeeded Moses in the government of the people. We learn hereby, 
Doctrine. The ene●●● of the ch●●●● are not consumed at 〈◊〉  That the enemies of God and his Church are not consumed in a moment, but wasted and consumed in the providence of GOD by little and little. True it is, God is able to rain down fire and brimstone, snares and stormy Tempests upon them, he is able to bring them unto nothing at once with the breath of his mouth, when once the Coals of his wrath and indignation are kindled; but it is his pleasure to waste and consume them one after another: now one, and then another, that sin against him. This Moses declareth unto the people of Israel, Deut. 7, 21, 22, 23. Esay 9, 22. The Prophet Amos setteth down the dealing of God in the destruction of his enemies, chap. 9, 10, 11. So that God brought not all his judgements upon them at once, nor discharged the whole volley of shot against them together, but one punishment came in the neck of another, & the first was overtaken of the second, and the second of the third. The like may be said of the plagues which God brought upon Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians, he did not draw out his arrows, and empty his Quiver at once, but wasted the Land, consumed the fruits, smote the cattle, and destroyed the inhabitants one after another: some were destroyed with hail; 
●●l. 9, and ●12, & 14  some were slain by the destroyer, others were drowned in the red Sea: these came not altogether, but as a softly fire consumed them, or as a lingering disease pined them away by little and little, until they came to utter ruin.  
The Reasons remain to be considered. First, Reason 1 God will not root them out at once, to the end, that by them he may try the faith, & exercise the patience of his servants. There are none that have received to believe, but God will have them proved, to declare to themselves, and manifest to others, what is in their hearts. No marvel if others be oftentimes deceived in us, and are ignorant of the secrets of our souls, seeing we ourselves know not thoroughly ourselves, until we have ended and endured trial. For such we are indeed as we are in the time of tentation. Therefore Solomon teacheth in the Proverbs, chap. 24.10. If thou be faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Wherefore, it is necessary, that so long as we live in this world, we should be kept in a continual exercise of faith, of prayer, of repentance, and of obedience: as the Lord speaketh evidently in the book of judges, chap. 2, 20. Because this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their Fathers, & hath not obeyed my voice, therefore will I no more cast out before them, any of the Nations which joshua left when he died; that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, to walk therein or not: So the Lord left those Nations, and drove them not out immediately, neither delivered them into the hand of joshua.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the people of God trespass against him, so as the Lord cannot root out their enemies together, but leaveth some among them, 
〈◊〉, 20. ●●, 13.  as we saw before, the Nations were left among the Israelites, to be as snares in their paths, whips in their sides, and thorns in their eyes, because they transgressed the Covenant that God had made with their fathers. So the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 81, 13, 14. Oh that my people had harkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways, I would soon have humbled their enemies, and turned mine hand against their adversaries. Likewise Moses, among the curses and judgements denounced against such as are disobedient to the laws of God, Leu. 26, 18, 21, 24, 28, showeth, that when he hath chastened and corrected us for our sins, yet if we go forward to despise his ordinances, & our soul abhor his laws, he will punish us seven times more, according to our sins. And if we proceed to walk stubbornly against him, he will then bring seven times more plagues upon us, & walk stubbornly against us in his anger.  
The Uses of this Doctrine remain to be considered, & are not to be passed over. First, Use 1 this teacheth, that the prosperity of the wicked, cannot assure them of the favour of God, nor secure them from his punishments. It showeth indeed the patience and long-suffering of God toward the vessels prepared to wrath, to make them without excuse: but when they have filled up the measure of their sins, they shall know that GOD hath not forgiven or forgotten them. This the Prophet teacheth, Psalm. 50, 19, 20, 21, and 73, 6, 7, 18. When thou seest a thief thou runnest with him, & thou art partaker with the adulterers: thou givest thy mouth to evil, and with thy tongue thou forgest deceit: thou sittest and speakest against thy brother, and slanderest thy mother's son. These things thou hast done, and I held my tongue, therefore thou thoughtst that I was like thee, but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thee: O consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none that can deliver you. And in another place it is declared, that albeit the wicked be malicious, speaking wickedly, talking presumptuously, and setting their mouth despitefully against heaven; yet GOD hath set them in slippery places, and cast them down into desolation. Wherefore, whensoever we see the wicked prosper and flourish, and the glory of his house to increase, let us not conceive evil of God, as though he loved unrighteousness, or favoured the sins of men, nor think that the wicked shall escape: therefore Elihu saith, job 35, 15, 16. Although thou sayest to God, thou wilt not regard it, yet judgement is before him, trust thou in him; yet his anger shall visit the evil, and call them to an account with great extremity.  
Secondly, let them not set their hearts upon Use 2 evil, But let them seek the Lord while he may be found, let them forsake their wickedness & ungodliness, and return unto the Lord, that he may have mercy upon them, who is very ready to forgive, Esay 55, 6, 7. What maketh many sin against God, but a vain confidence and presumption to escape the judgement of God? What maketh them to put off the evil day, & to make a league and covenant with death, but the abuse of God's patience, who doth not presently punish them? This the wise man teacheth, Eccl. 8, 11, 13. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil: but it shall not go well with them, he shall be as a shadow, because he feareth not before God. Albeit therefore they seem to sin scotfree, and without punishment, yet the greater patience appeareth to be in God, the greater destruction is reserved for them. Even as when the shadow groweth to be longest, than the light fadeth and departeth soon, and the night approacheth nearest: so when God hath waited a long time for our conversion, & the ungodly flatter themselves in their sins, them suddenly is the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men: so that the greater the stay & delay of his judgements hath been, the heavier will the stroke fall upon them. The punishment is prolonged, it is not forgotten. Their judgement is coming, and sleepeth not, it gathereth force in going. The higher the axe is lifted up, the slower it striketh, but the deeper it pierceth into the wood. If then God do not by and by smite the offender, and strike him in the profaneness of his wicked heart, let us not be secure and continue in sin: God doth not at once make havoc of his enemies, but bringeth them to judgement one after another. Wherefore let us conclude with the saying of the Prophet, Say ye, surely it shall be well with the just, 
Esay 3, 10, 11.  for they shall eat the fruit of their works: woe be to the wicked, it shall be evil with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.  
Use 3 Lastly, as the bodily enemies of the Church shall be wasted with lingering & long lasting judgements, so shall it be with the enemies of our souls. The spiritual enemies of our souls and of our salvation, are not brought under our feet at once to trample upon them, and to triumph over them, they are brought in subjection by little & little. For as these enemies are cast down, so our sanctification ariseth. As the Corn which the husbandman soweth, before it can come to ripeness, and yield a plentiful increase, must first take root, shoot into a blade, and spring up by little and little, till it bring forth an ear: so is it with the grace of sanctification and newness of life. The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustardseed, which a man taketh and soweth in his field, 
Mat. 1●, 31, 32, 33.  which indeed is the least of all seed: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among Herbs, and it is a Tree, so that the Birds of heaven come and build in the branches thereof. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto Leaven, which a woman taketh, & hideth in three pecks of Meal, till all be leavened. So is the work of God, little and small in the beginning, it is as a building that goeth slowly forward, there must be much sweeting and toiling about it, there must be great labouring and hammering before we can bring it to any greatness. The more we increase in grace, waxing strong in faith, firm in hope, and constant in our profession, The more do we grow to be conquerors through him that loved us. 2 Cor. 4, 16. Let us always fight against sin, watching in prayer, fervent in spirit, rejoicing in hope, patiented in tribulation, cleaving to that which is good, procuring things honest in the sight of all men: and the God of peace shall tread Satan under our feet. Rom. 12, 11, 12, & 16, 20. Let us always in this life look for enemies, and prepare to withstand them; let us stand on our watchtower, and descry the approaching of them. Let us know that our adversary the devil, goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour, and be strong in the grace which is in jesus Christ. here is not the place of triumphing, but the place of fight. No man is crowned, except he strive as he ought to do. 
2 Tim, 2, 5● 11, 12.  The husbandman must labour before he receive the fruits of the earth. We must die with Christ before we can live with Christ. We must suffer with him, before we can reign with him. So long as we live in this life, we are soldiers and live in warfare, we must not dream of the victory before the combat. If we will here skirmish with our enemies, putting on the whole armour of God, the day shall be ours, we shall win the field. here is our comfort, that when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 1 Cor. 15, 54. Death is swallowed up into victory, which is the last enemy that shall be subdued. If we be the children of God, and are escaped from the bondage of corruption, if we cast off Satan and his temptations, we must never think to live in rest, but look for him to buffet and batter us, that he may re-enter the Fort, which he hath forsaken. We must be content sometime to take a foil, and to have the Bucklers and Wasters driven to our heads, yet so as our stepping back, should be but to recover the greater force and strength. They indeed that have not a lively faith in the Son of God, nor have given their names to their Captain, to serve in the wars, against the flesh, the world, and the devil, do not know at all, but are altogether ignorant, what the suggestions of the flesh, & allurements of the world, and the temptations of the devil do mean. They strive not, they fight not, they resist not, they overcome not: they understand nothing what kill & conquering meaneth. This our Saviour teacheth in the Parable, Luke 11, 21, 22. When a strong man armed, keepeth his Palace, the things that he possesseth, are in peace: but when a stronger than he cometh upon him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.  
Verse 34. Thou shalt do unto him, as thou didst unto Sihon, King of the Amorites, which dwelled at Heshbon. In these words is an illustration and amplification of the promise of deliverance, and assurance given them to prevail, drawn from a present and comfortable experience, which they had of the power of God in subduing Sihon, King of the Amorites. As if the Lord should have said unto them, Why do ye shrink and hang back, when ye should make an head against them, & look them in the face? What though this King be puissant and of great stature, of the race of those mighty Giants? Have ye forgotten my power? And do ye not remember what I did to Sihon King of the Amorites, how I gave him, his people, and his Cities into your hand? Have ye not experience that I give the victory to whom I will? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot help? Nay, be of good comfort, & assure yourselves I will not leave you nor forsake you, but as you have overcome those that have hitherto stood against you, so ye shall see your desire upon all your enemies. Whereby we learn, That the experience of God's former favour, 
doctrine. ●perience ●ormer fa●●r, assureth ●●re favour.  casteth off fear, causeth affiance in him, and assureth future grace to come from him.  
Among other means to work faith in him and a resting ourselves in his promises, the blessed experience and comfortable proof which we have had of God's mercies toward us in former times, is one of the chiefest to cause us still to trust in him, and evermore to call upon him in our necessities. We see this proved unto us in sundry Psalms of the Prophet, as Psal. 4. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast set me at liberty when I was in distress, have mercy upon me, and hearken unto my prayer. Where the Prophet reasoneth from the time past, to the time to come, and entreateth God to hear him, because he hath already had mercy upon him. The like ground of his assurance we find again, Psal. 22, 9, 10, 11. Thou didst draw me out of the womb, thou gavest me hope even at my Mother's breasts, I was cast upon thee even from the womb, thou art my God from my Mother's belly: be not far from me, because trouble is near, for there is none to help me. In these words we see how the Prophet by benefits past, assureth himself of deliverance from dangers present, and in time to come. As if he should say, seeing I was committed to thy providence and protection so soon as I was borne, and came into the world, when I could not feed and defend myself, and seeing I have hitherto received so many benefits from thee, do not now departed from me when affliction is at hand, and when there is none beside to help. So the same Prophet layeth the foundation of his hope, expecting mercy from God, upon the consideration of Gods dealing with him before, as in the third Psalm, verse 4, 7, where being cumbered and compassed with a wonderful number of adversaries revolting from him in the conspiracy of Absalon, he gathereth comfort to himself of God's present aid, from the experience he had felt before, saying; I did call upon the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy Mountain: O Lord, arise, help me my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheeke-bone, thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked. This is farther confirmed and strengthened unto us, in David's faithful behaviour, going to encounter with the uncircumcised Philistim, 1 Sam. 17, 34, 35, 36, 37. Thy servant kept his father's Sheep, and there came a Lion & likewise a Bear, and took a Sheep out of the flock, and I went after him and smote him, and took it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by the beard and smote him, & slew him: so thy servant slew both the Lion and the Bear: therefore this uncircumcised Philistim shall be as one of them, seeing he hath railed on the host of the living God. Whereby it appeareth, how he strengtheneth his faith by the experience that he had in time past, of God's helping hand, nothing doubting, but the same God that had preserved him from the jaw of the Lion, and the paw of the Bear, would keep him in this single combat with that Champion that defied Israel. This the Apostle Paul also concludeth, 2 Cor. 1, 9, 10. We received the sentence of death in ourselves, because we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead; who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver us, in whom we trust, that yet hereafter he will deliver us.  
The Reasons follow. First, his gifts are freely and frankly bestowed, he never repenteth Reason 1 of them, he never changeth nor altereth that which is gone out of his mouth, he giveth liberally, and reproacheth no man. Therefore the Apostle saith, Rom. 11. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance: so that whom he loveth, he loveth to the end, 
john 13, 1.  and where he hath once showed mercy, he will persevere in in his kindness, and he that hath begun his good work in us, will perfect the same unto the day of jesus Christ. He never waxeth weary of well-doing, but delighteth in the works of mercy. When the Lord would reveal to Abraham the father of the faithful, his decree touching the destruction of Sodom, he maketh this the reason and motive to move him unto it, because he had begun already to show him mercy: Shall I hide from Abraham my servant that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall be indeed a great and mighty Nation, and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? Gen. 18, 17, 18. If then he never repent him of his gifts that he hath bestowed, nor revoketh the riches of his graces that he hath granted; Then we see, that the giving of one gift assureth that a multitude shall follow after, as Leah said, A company cometh.  
Secondly, he is merciful to his enemies, and Reason 2 them that hate him, to such as never seek after him, or the knowledge of his ways: he maketh the Sun to shine, and the rain to fall upon the godly and ungodly: yea, his mercy stretcheth to the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air. He prepareth showers for the earth, he maketh grass to grow upon the Mountains, he giveth to beasts their food, & to the young Ravens that cry. Psal. 147, 8, 9, and 36, 6, 7. He saveth man and beast; so that we may boldly say; How excellent is thy mercy, O Lord; therefore the children of men trust under the shadow of thy wings. He is merciful to our bodies, in him we live, and move, and have our being, he hath given us life and breath; much more therefore will he be the GOD of our spirits, and maintain our spiritual life with the continuance of his graces, and sending fresh supply of his Spirit, after he hath once given us faith, and wrought our conversion; he which hath vouchsafed some portion, as it were the first fruits of his mercy, will add greater store of mercy unto it, as it were store upon store, and heaps upon heaps.  
The uses are next to be considered. First, Use 1 we learn from hence, to acknowledge his great mercy, that maketh mercy the seal of mercy, and one grace as the pawn & pledge of receiving and obtaining a new grace. O the unspeakable mercies of God, who can sound the bottom of them, or who can ascend up to the height of them! Can any tongue express, or hart conceive this goodness of God, teaching us to draw an argument from his first mercy to a second, and from a second to a third, always to arise from one degree to assure another, & to conclude a farther proceeding from the first beginning? What man or woman hath not received thousands, and ten thousands of mercies from the Father of mercies, 
2 Cor. 1, 3.  and much consolation from the Father of all consolation, and thereby so many comforts to his own soul, to assure him that he will never forsake him? so that we may boldly, & with a cheerful heart, say, Lord be merciful to us, because thou hast begun to be merciful: we have received much mercy, therefore continue thy mercy toward us, not because we have been good and profitable servants to thee, or have deserved thy favour, but because thou hast been gracious to us. If our own works, if our obedience, if our righteousness were to be made the ground & reason to persuade the Lord to have compassion on us, we should build upon a weak and sandy foundation, our comfort were gone, and our hearts should fail us. For we know our own wickedness, and our sins are ever before us. But since former mercies are arguments of further mercies, and the granting of one grace, is a key to unlock the gate, and open an entrance for the rest to follow; since the first love is a testimony and token of more love to be showed and continued; we abound with such arguments to move his Majesty, blessed be his Name for them, whereby we may be assured that he will add mercy to mercy, and favour to favour. Thus we see how fruitful the loving kindness of God is, always producing more, as one Corn increaseth an hundred fold. This was the stay and staff of Paul the Apostle, when he was in danger of death, and was brought unto his answer; At my answering no man assisted me, but all forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge: notwithstanding the Lord assisted me, and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles should hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion: & the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom, to whom be praise for ever & ever, Amen. 2 Ti. 4, 16, 17, 18.  
Secondly, it is a special comfort to the afflicted when they are fallen into divers temptations. Use 2 For when the Tempter cometh unto us, and persuadeth us that God hath cast us off for ever, and that we are none of his, tempting us to despair of his mercy, and suggesting unto us our unworthiness: let us record and recount Gods former mercies, taking sweet comfort therein, and stirring up ourselves to prayer, with assurance to be heard. If he go about to persuade our hearts by a strong illusion, that we are not effectually called, or freely justified and elected, or endued with faith, and therefore shall be certainly condemned: let us never yield to Satan, nor to his Angels, neither to their helpers & assistants, the flesh and the world. When we are enticed to commit sin, yield not to the subtleties and suggestions of the devil, but fly from it, and follow after the contrary virtue very earnestly. When he calleth to our remembrance our sins and falls passed, let us call to mind the remembrance of God's mercies past, and rest in them as in a Sanctuary or place of refuge against all the storms that Satan raiseth, and the floods that he sendeth to sink our soul in the gaping gulf of hellish despair. So long as God bestoweth upon us one drop of mercy, let us never doubt of his great goodness to be continued toward us and to dwell in us for ever. Wherefore the Apostle Paul saith, We rejoice in tribulation, 
Rom 5, 3●●  knowing that tribulation bringeth forth patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost, which is given unto us. This is an excellent & notable virtue, to be thoroughly acquainted with God's providence & dealing toward us, wrought in us by patience, & to have experience of his continual eye watching over his. Now we can say to our endless comfort in this manner: God hath kept me from many dangers, he hath blessed me with many graces, he hath assisted me against many enemies, I will therefore still trust in him, and depend upon him; thus one benefit draweth on another. From this experience we have a certain hope of his mercies to be continued toward us, and are assured of the truth & constancy of God's promises, and of his good will toward us: so that in all tribulations and afflictions we must consider with ourselves the former benefits of God, and from them gather new hope of the continuance thereof, whose mercy is a Fountain that never can be dry, but springeth up to everlasting life, and as a Tree that is always green, and yieldeth the savoury fruits of righteousness.  
Thirdly, this Doctrine teacheth a notable Use 3 difference between God and man, in bestowing of benefits. We see men are soon weary of their liberality, & cannot abide continual beggars.  
It is not so with the Lord our God, rich in mercy, abundant in kindness, and plentiful in redemption toward all that call upon him. The more bold we are in ask, the more bountiful he is in granting. It is a common thing in the richer sort, to check a man for often craving, and to upbraid and reproach the poor with those things they have bestowed upon them, as when they say, Why do you always come to me, and beg of me? I have given you this and that, at this time, and at that time, in such and such a place; ask no more of me, for if you do, you shall go without. Thus do men reprove and reproach for often demanding. But see the different dealing of God to our endless comfort unto the faithful, be doth never upbraid his benefits, he is not unwilling to grant, he refuseth no man's person, he giveth liberally and bountifully to all that come unto him. This is also a singular comfort to the weak conscience and afflicted soul, when he is tempted to reason thus, Will God hear me, or respect me? Will he show his loving countenance toward me a grievous sinner, a miserable and wretched sinner, a silly and simple soul? Ask boldly of him, he reproacheth none, as the Apostle james teacheth, chap. 1, 5, 6. If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, & reproacheth no man, and it shall be given him. The oftener we ask, the better we are accepted. The more we do desire, the more always we do obtain. He chargeth us to call upon him in the day of trouble, and assureth us of our deliverance, Psal. 50, 15. He would have all come to him that are heavy laden, with promise to be refreshed and eased. This is a notable encouragement to all persons to fly unto God, not to run to Saints or Angels, which neither can hear us, nor give any gifts unto men. Let us always be ready to crave of him, & praise him for his mercies received, seeing they assure more unto us, as we see the Apostle doth, who having experience that God had delivered him, and gathering from thence, that God would deliver him, breaketh forth into this thanksgiving, To whom be praise for ever and ever, Amen. 2 Tim. 2, 18.  
Lastly, let us not stand in fear of any enemies Use 4 that rise up against us, and conspire to hinder the peace of the Church, and stop the passage of the Gospel; when God beginneth to take the cause of his people into his own hand, and smiteth any of his enemies on the jaw-bone, the rest are reserved to the like destruction. For wherefore doth God punish his adversaries, and enter into judgement with them? Wherefore doth he visit them, & strike them down with his right hand? Is it only to take vengeance on their sins, & to show his justice in their confusion? No, it serveth for the comfort and consolation of his servants, that howsoever God be patiented, yet in the end they shall not escape. This did joshua the Captain of the Lords host, teach the people and men of war, chap. 10, 24, 25, when they had brought out those Kings unto joshua which they had taken, he called for all the men of Israel and said unto the chief of the men of war, which went with him, Come near, set your feet upon the necks of those Kings: and they came near and s●t their feet upon their necks. And joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be faint hearted, but be strong, and of a good courage● for thus will the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. Where we see, that as God destroyeth not all the enemies of his Church at once, but singleth out some, that the rest might have a time of repentance: so if the rest despise the riches of his bountifulness, patience, and long-suffering. Not knowing that the bountifulness of God leadeth them to repentance, Ro. 2, 4, they shall be bound up in the same bundle, and be cast into the fire, as the Tree that being spared, brought forth no fruit.  
[The Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not, for I have delivered him into thine hand, and all his people, and his Land.] This King of Bashan was a strong and dreadful enemy, descended (as we have showed) of the race of the Giants, mighty in body, fearful to behold, terrible to the Israelites, as may appear by the comfort ministered unto them. For God never exalteth and raiseth up in vain, he never willeth any to cast off fear, where no fear is. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. The enemies of the church are not to be feared.  That the enemies of the Church are not to be feared. Howsoever such as set themselves against the people of God be many & mighty, growing in strength, excelling in malice, raging with cruelty; yet must not Gods servants be fearful and distrustful by dreading the power of men, but always rely upon God, keeping faith, and a good conscience, depending upon him in life and death. Thus did the Lord strengthen the feeble hart of Hezekiah, when Rabshakeh with his bold and blasphemous mouth had ●ailed upon the strength of Israel, and had proudly threatened the King and his people, that they should be compelled to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water: Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, behold I will send a bl●st upon him, and he shall hear a noise, & return to his own Land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own Land, Esay 37, 6, 7. And afterward, chap. 43.1, 5, when the people of God were grievously oppressed by their bitter and bloody enemies, so that they were rob, spoiled, snared, thrust and thrown into Dungeons, fettered in prison-houses, and every way evilly entreated; he speaketh unto them on this manner, Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O jacob, and he that form thee, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name, thou art mine: fear not, for I am with thee. So Christ forewarning his Disciples what entertainment they should find in the world, Mat. 10, 26, 28, and how hardly they should be tried; as to be betrayed, hated, persecuted, imprisoned, scourged, railed upon, and in the end brought to their end, he prepareth them to this duty, and repeateth it oftentimes, Fear them not. And the Apostle Paul, after he had earnestly instructed the Philippians to grow in all graces, & to lead their conversation worthy the Gospel of Christ, he remembreth them of this point, In nothing fear your adversaries, Phil. 1, 18 Answerable to these precepts, are the worthy practices of the faithful. Hereunto cometh the example of Moses, Heb 11, 
Exod. 11, 8.  27, when he led the people of Israel out of Egypt, notwithstanding the threatenings and bloody words of Pharaoh, he feared not the fierceness of the King, but endured a constant maintainer of the Church of God, & ceased not to encourage the people aga●●●● their enemies, whose hearts failed and q●●●led when they were pursued and overtaken by the Egyptians. Likewise, the three servants of God being threatened by that great Tyrant Nebuchadnezzor, to be cast into the fiery Furnace, were not daunted or feared by his high power & fierce displeasure, but answered him; We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Dan. 4, 15. This appeareth at sundry times, & upon sundry occasions in David, when he waxeth bold and courageous in the Spirit, & saith, I will not be afraid for ten thousand of the people that should beset me round about. Psal. 3, 6.  
Reason 1 The reasons follow. First, God is with his people. If he be with them, shall we fear any to be against them? If we have a protection from the Prince, shall we fear the face of the subject? If the Lion fight for us, shall we fear the fly or the worm, that are weak in strength? This is the reason urged by the Lord in the Prophet, Fear not, for I am with thee, Esay 43, 5. Now God is with us by his power and providence. If we consider these things that are in God, as his general & special providence, which guideth and over-ruleth all things for the glory of his Name, and the benefit of his children, the holy meditation hereof aught to remove from us all distracting and distrustful fear. When Christ had dissuaded his Disciples from the fear of men, he saith; Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father? Yea, the hairs of your head are numbered, Math. 10, 29, 30. And indeed the cause why in trouble we faint and fail for fear of men, whose breath is in their nostrils, and whose malice is limited, is, because we distrust Gods promises and providence, which is indeed a fearful sin. Again, if we consider that God is with us by his power, which being endless & infinite, is able to redress & repress the greatest tyrant and tyranny in the world, we shall find nothing more available to keep us from the excessive fear of weak man, seeing he can restrain them when it pleaseth him. This the three servants of God acknowledge in their danger, Behold, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the fiery Furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. Dan. 3, 13.  
Again, let us have our conversation without Reason 2 fear, in regard of the persecutors themselves, and the power which they have. For consider the difference between that which God can do, and that which man can do. The most vile and cruel tyrant that breatheth out threatenings and slaughter against the Saints, when he hath done his worst, and raged to the utmost, when he hath disgorged all his malice, and quenched his thirst in blood, can go no further but to kill the body; but God can go further, who hath the keys of hell and death. Nay, these enemies cannot so much as kill the body or touch the skin with all their power, without the will of God, as our Saviour speaketh to Pilate, when he boasted of an absolute power in his own hands to bind or lose, to crucify, or to absolve, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. john 19, 10, 11. This is that reason which Christ himself expresseth, Mat. 10, 28. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  
Thirdly, the enemies shall be destroyed. Reason 3 They fight against God, they fight against his people, & therefore they cannot prosper. True it is, they may for a time prevail and proceed in their evil enterprises, and God may for a season use them as his Rod, to try the faith of his children; but when he hath used them as instruments to bring his judgements to pass, they shall prevail no longer. This consideration served to encourage the people of Israel, when Pharaohs host pressed upon them, and marched toward them: Fear not, stand still, & behold the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you this day; for the Egyptians which ye have seen this day, ye shall never see them again: the Lord shall fight for you, therefore hold you your peace. Exod. 14, 13, 14.  
The uses remain to be stood upon. First, this teacheth, that the child of God must be Use 1 a man of valour and courage, and as a mighty man of war, not to be daunted with any terror to forsake his faith & a good conscience: but such an one as is able by the fortitude & power of Christ, to undergo all trials, to over-stride all dangers, to overcome all enemies, and to triumph over all things that oppose themselves against their peace. So then the godly, whose faith overcometh the world, are not only soldiers, but valiant soldiers, 
1 john 5  and victorious conquerors. The Apostle having commended Moses, that he forsook Egypt, & feared not the fierceness of the King, addeth this withal, For he endured, as he that saw him which is invisible. Some were racked, 
Heb 1●  tempted, tormented, burned, stoned, & would not be delivered. A wicked man is a very dastard and coward. He feareth every creature, which is a great judgement upon him that will not fear God. The darkness of the night, the solitariness of the place, the falling of a leaf, the crawling of a worm, the flashing of the lightning, the cracking of the thunder, the guilt of conscience doth terrify them. But the godly are endued with true fortitude & magnanimity of mind, springing from the grace of faith, and are bold as a Lion, Prou. 28, 1, they are resolved of God's presence with them, and of his providence over them, being ready to say with David, The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I be afraid? The Lord is the strength of my life, whom then shall I fear? Though an host pitched against me, mine heart should not be afraid. Psal. 27, 1, 2, 3. This made the Apostle, when he heard that bands and afflictions abode for him in every City, to say, What do you weeping and breaking mine heart? For I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at jerusalem, for the Name of the Lord jesus. Acts 21, 13. The faithful indeed walk through ma●y temptations, on the right hand, and on the left, and enter into many combats; yet they sh●nne not the brunt of the battle, nor fear to look the enemy in the face, nor shrink back from the push of the P●ke, because they have put on the whole armour of God, and have their hearts settled, and their heads co●ered in the day of trial. Therefore the Apostle exho●teth, that we should be strong in the Lord, and put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the assaults of the devil, & to resist in the evil day. Eph. 6, 11, 12, 13. It is not enough for us to provide armour, and to have it lying by us, as we see men in ●heir houses have Pikes, and Halberds, Corslets, and Muskets, hanging by the walls, waxing rusty through want of use: but we must put them on, and buckle them about us: we must always have our loins girt, 
●●e 1●, 35  & our lights burning, having on the breastplate of righteousness, taking the shield of faith, and drawing out the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Neither is it sufficient to defend us, to put on armour, but we must put on the whole armour of God. We must be armed from top to toe, and leave no part unarmed and unguarded, lest the enemy espy his advantage, and work our destruction. We must be armed within and without, before us and behind us, in soul and in body, in tongue and ear, in head and heart. For if Satan (who as a roaring Lion seeketh whom he may devour) find us in any part or member naked, & undefended, we lie open to him to surprise us at his pleasure, and to bring upon v● swift damnation. David was armed with the armour of God, being a man after Gods own heart; bu● because when he saw the beauty of Bathsheba, 
〈◊〉 11, 1  he made not a covenant with his eyes not to lust, Satan ensnared him to commit folly. At another time, leaving his ears unarmed, and setting them open to the false information and accusation of Z●●ba, 
〈◊〉 1●, 3  he was drawn away to pervert justice, and to betray the cause of the innocent, and to condemn the just without hearing. So four ear be at any time unarmed, it is ready to hear and receive, and believes slanders & false tales against our brethren. If the Helmet of salvation do not cover our head, if the tongue be not fenced, the devil will set th● on work, to devise evil slanders, and to publish them to the disgrace and discredit one of another. jonah was a man of God, and a Preacher of repentance to the Ninivites; yet because he left his tongue unarmed, and did not set a watch before his mouth, he broke out into an open and insolent contempt of God, saying, I do well to be angry unto the death, chap. 4.9. Seeing therefore, we are compassed about with such an army of enemies, that watch all occasions, and seek all opportunities against us, they are greatly deceived, that make the life of a christian to be an easy and idle profession, & take the Gospel to be a profession of liberty: (as the enemies of the grace of God object against us) for it may cost us dearly, even the resisting unto blood, and the forsaking of all earthly commodities, that the wo●ld holdeth in greatest price. Let us therefore as wise builders, 
Luke 14, 28  sit down and cast our accounts before hand, what our work may cost us. For such only as continue to the end, shall be saved.  
Secondly let us go boldly forward in the Use 2 duties of our calling. The Church of God is not always in one state. Sometimes it liveth in quiet and peaceable times, when the Gospel is publicly preached & professed, taught & received with liberty of meeting together, & with freedom of conscience, without opposition or gain saying, as by the blessing of God it is among us. Sometimes the truth of God is resisted, the professors are persecuted, the Gospel is suppressed and oppressed by the rage of the enemy, the faithful are slain and put to death with all kind of cruelty. Notwithstanding let us not fear their fear, 
1 Pet. 3.14, 15  neither be troubled, but sanctify the Lord in our hearts, & be ready always to give an answer to every man, of the hope that is in us, with all meekness and reverence. So then the godly should not fear the threatenings of the ungodly, nor so be troubled as thereby to abstain from such necessary duties, as their callings do lead and direct them unto; but on the contrary, make the Lord their fear and their dread, and make a bold confession of the precious faith they conceive, as those that labour to maintain a good cause with a good conscience. Let us all go forward with courage and constancy in our callings, let us perform with diligence the duties laid upon us; and albeit crosses do cross us in the way, and many dangers meet us, we must not shrink back, but stand fast, and go forward in our profession. This should be in all Magistrates, that are as the Gods of the earth, and the Ministers of justice, they must be men of courage, to perform the duties of their calling, Exodus, chapter 18, verse 13: they must be endued with the spirit of power, and of godly boldness, to go through with every good work with a constant resolution, and not stand in fear of any man, considering that the cause is the Lords which they handle. They must call and compel others to walk in their duties, that so the sword of the Magistrate may be joined with the word of the Minister. This should be also in all Ministers of the Gospel, though the power of man rise up against them, they must depend upon him that is highest in power. This christian courage appeareth to have been in the Apostles, 
Acts 4.2.29.  when they were persecuted & imprisoned for preaching in jesus Name the resurrection from the dead; considering the multitude of enemies, the assembling of the Rulers, the corruption of Pilate, the malice of Herod, the cruelty of the pharisees, the rage of the Gentiles, & the tumult of the people, they prayed, saying; Now O Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants with all boldness to speak thy word. And this generally should be practised of all the godly that have in mercy received to believe, they must go forward in their holy faith and obedience, and arm themselves against the tentation and fear of restraining their liberty, of losing their goods, of laying down their life: and when men persecute us for embracing the faith, and professing of godliness, we must remember God's care over his servants, and his special providence over them that fear him, with the most blessed end that shall certainly follow, 
2 cor. 4, 17, 18  to wit; the kingdom of heaven, and an exceeding weight of glory.  
Lastly, seeing the godly must lay down all Use 3 fear which the wicked seek to cast upon them for righteousness sake, let us labour truly to fear God. For if we may not stand in fear of men, let us know whom we ought to fear and reverence, even the Majesty of God, fearing to offend him, as a good child feareth his Parents, as the Prophet teacheth, A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If I be a Father, where is mine honour? If I be a Master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts? Mal. 1, 3. This fear is the beginning of wisdom, as the wise man showeth, Prou. 1, 7, for this fear the holy man job is exceedingly commended in the Scriptures: & this fear should be stronger in us to keep us from sin, in respect of God, then in respect of men. This is the use directly made by the Prophet Esay, chap. 8, 11, 12. Say ye not, a confederacy to all them, to whom this people saith a confederacy, neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid of them: Sanctify the Lord of hosts, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. Where we see, that having removed from them the false fear of men, he planteth in them the true fear of God: having showed where it should not be, he teacheth where it should be: having declared what fear is evil: he toucheth the remedy. The ready way to take from us the fear of men, & dangers that may fall upon us from men, is the fear of God. For whosoever feareth God aright, 
How the fe●● of God ●●ueth away th●● fear of m●●  he will not provoke him to wrath for fear or love of any creature, knowing that God is stronger and mightier than all, and assuring himself that if God be offended no creature is able to secure him and safeguard him from danger of judgement Again, whosoever hath God his friend, shall not need to fear man to be his enemy. If then we seek to fear God with all our heart above all things, we shall be free from the immoderate and excessive fear of the mightiest enemies. But if we do not fear to offend him, we shall be constrained always to tremble at the least occasion, and to fear the wicked, the devils, death hell, and damnation. Every storm of troubles shall be able to overturn us. Let not our hearts therefore be troubled, let us rest in God, and believe in him. Let no danger drive us to deny h●m, 
Mat. 10.33.  lest we be denied of him in his kingdom. And let us consider the heavy punishment determined and reserved for all distrustful and fearful men which shall fear man more than God, and so make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, they shall be punished with unbelievers, with the abominable, with murderers and whoremongers, 
revel. 21, 8.  with idolaters and liars, in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.    

CHAP. XXII.  

1, AFter the children of Israel departed, and pitched in the plain of Moab, on the other side of jordan from jerico.  
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.  
3 And the Moabites were sore afraid of the people, because they were many, & Moab fretted against the children of Israel.  
4 Therefore Moab said unto the Elders of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick up all that are round about us, as an Ox licketh up the grass of the field, and Balak the son of Zippor, was King, etc.  
5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pithor (which is b● the River of the Land of the children of his folk) to call him, saying; Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which cover the face of the earth, and lie over against me.  
6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, and curse this people, for they are stronger than I:) so it may be that I shall be able to smite them, & to drive them out of the Land: for I know that he whom thou blessest, is blessed, and he whom thou cursest, shall be cursed.  
7 And the Elders of Moab, and the Elders of Midian departed, having the reward of the soothsaying in their hand, and they came unto Balaam, and told him the words of Balak.  
8 Who answered them, Tarry here this night, and I will give you an answer, as the Lord shall say unto me, so the Princes of Moab abode with Balaam.  
9 Then God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?  
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, King of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying:  
11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, and covereth the face of the Earth: come now, curse them for my sake, so it may be that I shall be able to overcome them in battle, and to drive them out.  
12 And God said unto Balaam, Go not thou with them, neither curse the people, for they are blessed.  
13 And Balaam arose up in the morning, and said unto the Princes of Balak, Return unto your Land, for the Lord hath refused to give me leave to go with you.  
14 So the Princes of Moab rose up, and went unto Balak, and said, Balaam hath refused to come.  
HItherto we have seen the prosperous and happy success, which the Israelites had against three mighty enemies, and the threefold triumph over them. But here ariseth a new enemy, with a new device, or rather a knot and band of many enemies, to stop their passage, to lessen their multitude, and to weaken their strength. Moses therefore first declareth what lets and impediments they had, as blocks lying in their way, and what stopping of their quiet and peaceable proceeding. Thus they meet with many stays, and encounter with many dangers that will dwell in Canaan. They had already overpassed many perils, and overcome sundry enemies, now they might begin to look for rest, and to repose themselves in peace and quietness. But see here in the example of the Israelites, as in a glass, the life of a christian: here is no time long to sit still, here is no place of pleasure, when one danger is past, we must look for another. For when they had overcome some of their enemies, as the Canaanites and Amorites, now the very jaws of death, & the very gates of hell seem to be opened against them, and the devil to pour out, as it were at once, all the venom of his malice upon them. These hindrances which here they meet withal, are set down in four chapters, whereof some are outward, & some inward, partly from others, and partly from themselves, so that they had miss of their inheritance, both through the counsels & plottings of their enemies, & through their own sins and wickedness, had not God in mercy defeated the one, and pardoned the other.  
Touching these hindrances cast in their way; observe first of all the preparation of them in this chapter: Secondly, the substance of them, and setting of them on work, in the two next chapters following. Lastly, the conclusion of those hindrances, both prepared & employed in the 25. chapter. Touching the preparing and providing of means to stop the Israelites, consider in the first place a seeking and trying to get them: secondly, the obtaining and procuring of them. But first, the occasions of seeking and sending abroad are noted. The Israelites possessed the plain of Moab. Balak had heard wha● the Israelites had done to his neighbours the Amorites, their victories bred in him fear, and fear engendered a very wary proceeding. He saw an huge multitude of them encouraged with their late prosperous success, and lying as Grasshoppers upon the earth, ready to eat up all that was round about them, as an Ox licketh up the grass of the field. He thus beholding his neighbour's house on fire, nay consumed with the fire, and his own in imminent danger, thought it high time to look about him, and to seek new remedies for those new accidents. For fearing in himself what might be the event, fretting inwardly against his enemies, & doubting the loss of his own kingdom, he resolved not to be idle, but to procure means to work their confusion, knowing, that providing before is better than repenting after, 
Halicarn. antiq. Rom. lib. 11.  and esteeming it an high point of wisdom, not at all to trust, rather than afterward vainly to accuse those whom thou hast foolishly trusted.  
Now because nothing serveth so fitly to avoid rashness as counsel, and that two eyes see more than one, and three more than two, he associateth unto himself the Midianites his neighbours, bordering upon him, & therefore hopeth, that the nearness of the common danger would easily join them in the same cause. These entering into a confederacy, as brethren in evil, after long advisement and consultation had among themselves, in the end do resolve to join together against Israel, as against a common enemy, thereby to lessen his number, to weaken his strength, & to impair his greatness rising by degrees, who seemed able to eat up the Moabites, to consume their Towns, to possess their substance, & to take both their Cities & substance into their own hands. And because they thought it a great dishonour & disparagement unto themselves, to sue to Israel for peace, and yet find not themselves able to meet him openly in the field, they determine to send to a with & wizard, who for magic was renowned among the Infidels, that when they could not prevail by help of man, they might overcome by the help of the devil, like unto the desperate resolution of juno in the Poet: 
Virgil. Aeneid. lib. 7.  Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo. that is, 
What should I doubtful stand, where ever  
I can my friends to make?  
Since Heavens I may not move,  
yet pits of hell I will uprake.  Thus the wicked forsake God, and go for secure to the devil, and therefore, while they seek to avoid one mischief, they draw upon themselves many. Wherefore, messengers are directed, and great men are sent with great gifts from them of the league to Balaam, who in regard of his City was of Pethor, which Ptolemy calleth Pacor, lying on the River Euphrates; in regard of his Country, he was of Mesopotamia, a part of Syria, as appeareth in many places. In regard of his profession and practice, 
Numb 23, 7. Deut. 23, 4.  he was a Sorcerer and Soothsayer, as we shall see afterward: He was sent for to curse the people, that is, to bewitch them, to weaken them with his charms and spells, that so they might be able to match them, and to encounter with them, presuming upon him (as the Church of Rome do of the Pope) that he hath blessing and cursing in his own sleeve, to apply and use either of them at his own pleasure But we know indeed, that he is blessed whom the Lord our God shall bless, (though the devil and his instruments should throw and thunder out their curses against him) and he is accursed, whom our God shall curse (though all the world should pronounce him blessed.) As for the blessings & cursings of cunning men and women, they are nothing; neither the one helpeth, nor the other hindereth, nay the devils themselves, wholly set upon mischief, cannot hurt us any further than God permitteth. True it is, Satan, and consequently Sorcerers, his slaves and vassals, sometimes do effect great things, as we see in the history of job chap 1, 12, and in the temptations of Christ, Mat. 4, 5, they exercise their power, not only over the goods, but over the bodies of men, even of the believers; yet without the sufferance of almighty God, they can do nothing. 
Math 8. Math. 10.  They could not enter into the Swine before they were allowed. The hairs of our head are numbered. Not a Sparrow falleth to the ground without the will of our heavenly Father.  
When Bal●am saw the messengers, that they came not with their hands empty, but brought great gifts, and promised greater, which oftentimes blind the eyes of the wise, 
Exod. 23, 8.  and paruert the words of the righteous; the covetous wretch thirsted after the wedges of gold. as the wages of unrighteousness, and his heart ran after filthy lucre to curse the people of God, that he might enrich himself, and so to become a cursed instrument to the cursed counsels that were taken against the people of God: whereas the true Prophets are not beguiled with bribes and led away with gifts, 2 Kings 5, 16. Dan. 5, 17. He desireth of the messengers one nights respite to bring his business to good effect (not able at the present to resolve them) to see whether he could draw the Lord to favour his purposes and proceed. God appeareth unto him, and asketh him what the men were that came to him; not that God was ignorant, and needed to be taught or in struct what those persons were, but to draw from him a voluntary confession of the matter, which being truly opened and declared, God forbiddeth him to go to the Moabites, because they had a mischievous purpose, and to curse the Israelites, because they were a blessed people. When he perceived to his great grief, that God had concluded and determined to continue his mercy and blessings upon his people, which no device of man could diminish, no works of the devil could abolish; the morning being come, he returned an answer to the messengers, and sent them back without their long-hoped desire, excusing himself, that he could not go with them, as himself desired, and as they had deserved at his hands; and having his mind wholly fixed on his reward, he saith, 
joseph 〈◊〉 lib. 4, cap 6.  Return back to your Lord; as for me, I desired nothing more than to accompany you, but the Lord hath stopped and restrained my purpose, and will not suffer me to go with you, or to help you. Wherein observe how this covetous hireling, & false Prophet, being willing to undertake the work, because of the wages, and to promise his best help, that he might finger the hire, behaveth himself fraudently and unfaithfully (as hirelings do) mincing the matter, and revealing one part, but concealing another part of the revelation given him of God. For whereas God had said, Thou shalt not go, thou shalt not curse the people, because they are a blessed people, denying unto him, as well his purpose of going, as his promise of cursing, he declareth the former, but dissembleth the latter; he showeth to the Princes and Governors, that GOD restrained him from going, but hideth this, that the same GOD had forbidden him to curse the people, together with the reason of it, That they are blessed, lest the messengers should be offended, and his expected hire denied & detained.  
This is the sum and substance of this division. But before we enter into the handling of the Doctrines offered herein to our considerations (to the end we may clearly see into the meaning of the whole history) it shall not be amiss for us to answer certain doubts and difficulties that arise, as well from the purpose of Balak, as from the person of Balaam. Some of reverent account in the Church, 
Caluin 〈◊〉 in 4. ●ib. 〈◊〉  interpret this history otherwise then can stand with the circumstances of the Text, and the proportion of faith in other Scriptures. For they suppose that Balak sought help of the true God, reverenced his Prophet, and had the seed of religion remaining in his heart. If this were so, why doth he not himself fly to God by prayer? And why doth he not stir up his people to prayer? Why do they not all as one man, join in supplications and intercessions to be helped of God? Why did he require Balaam to come with cursings and ban against Israel, if there were any spark of true piety left in his heart? Again, it is imagined, that Balaam was a Prophet of God, and endued with the spirit of prophesy, to whom GOD used oftentimes, and ordinarily to appear, & so do make him as it were a mean between the true Prophets and the false Prophets, thereby God making himself known among the Infidels, and never leaving himself without witness. Such were the Sibyl's thought to be, living among the Gentiles, and giving testimony to the truth of God. But we know no such mean between true and false Prophets. 
answer.  For whosoever is not a true Prophet, is a false Prophet: and whosoever is a false Prophet, cannot be a true Prophet of God. He that is of God, is a true Prophet: he that is of the devil, is a false Prophet. Neither doth the delivery and utterance of some truth, make a true Prophet, for then the devil should be a true Prophet, who sometime speaketh the truth, albeit to a sinister end. For he confessed the Messiah to be the Son of God, 
●arke 1, 24.  thereby to darken the Doctrine of Christ, and to discredit the power of the Gospel, raising a suspicion that he hath some familiarity & friendship with Christ, & by drawing men to doubt of the truth of our redemption, inasmuch as the devil is a liar from the beginning, 
〈◊〉 8, 44. , & the father of lying. And touching the Sibyls, they carry not any certain credit and authority, being all, or the most part, forged & foisted in, 
〈◊〉 13, 2  to win credit to the word of God, which needeth not the lies of any, to uphold the truth and authority thereof. For they are brought in, speaking more clearly and evidently, more plainly and particularly of Christ and his kingdom, than any of the patriarchs or Prophets, than Moses, or any that lived after him. Esay is worthily accounted to be an evangelical Prophet, prophesying distinctly and determinately of the passion & sufferings of Christ, yet it is as nothing in comparison of that the Sibyls express, 
〈◊〉 S●billine 〈◊〉 ●●nter●●ffe I●●a. ●sa●o Ex● 〈…〉, 11.  touching the name and nature of Christ, touching his original & offspring, touching his death and resurrection, touching Antichrist and other enemies of the Church. Now shall we think that God would reveal more to them then to his own Prophets, and the sons of the Prophets? to such as lived out of the Church, more than to all that were brought up in the Church, and sucked the sincere milk of the Scriptures, and had the most sureword of the Prophets, 
〈◊〉, 1●.  to the which they did take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place. Besides, we cannot hold this Balaam for any true Prophet, but for a false Prophet, 
〈…〉  such as Simon the Sorcerer mentioned in the Acts: Notwithstanding all the goodly glozes that he maketh, to win himself credit and estimation, whereof we shall speak more afterward. Furthermore, others think that Balaam meant his own false gods, when he saith, Tarry here this night, Object. and I will give you an answer as the Lord shall say unto me. And again, Return into your Land, for the Lord hath refused to give me leave to go with you, but that he was prevented of his purpose, by the true God appearing unto him. But this conjecture is overthrown by the express words in this place. For the word is jehovah, Answer. a name always in Scripture given to the true God only, and never applied to any false gods; yea, the true God was known by his name among the Gentiles, and by it was discerned & distinguished from the Idols of the Nations, which indeed are no Gods.  
Now that we may attain to the true meaning of this Scripture, and resolve of the right interpretation thereof, I will set down certain rules and conclusions, which concern the matter in question, which being fully determined, and thoroughly descided, the truth will evidently appear to all men, how to carry this whole history, and make one part to agree with another. The first conclusion is, that Balaam was a lewd and wicked man. 
The first conclusion.  True it is, if we look into his bare and naked words without the matter, and examine his sayings without his practices, he may seem a very faithful and right religious man; yea, a most worthy and notable Prophet. He hath God always in his mouth, and at his finger's ends, he will not resolve the messengers before he have asked counsel at the mouth of the Lord: if he might have an house full of silver and gold, he cannot go beyond the word of the Lord his God to do less or more: he telleth them he can deliver nothing unto them, but what he receiveth of the Lord. But if we consider the matter aright, and try his fair speeches by the touchstone of his foul life, and measure his wretched acts with his wicked counsels, we shall easily discern in his smooth carriage, a deep dissembling, and the Lord to be sparingly in his hart, that was abundantly in the mouth. He had a profane mind, & evil meaning, loving the wages of unrighteousness, and being carried away with desire of money (which is the root of all evil) to curse the people of God, as the Apostle teacheth, & therefore he was rebuked by a dumb beast for his iniquity. He also was Balaks schoolmaster, and instilled the greatest mischief that might be into his heart, informing him how to subdue the people of God, and teaching him how to lay a stumbling block before the children of Israel, 
revel. 2.  to draw them to spiritual and bodily fornication, when he saw that by his charms he could not prevail against them. And albeit the Israelites were increased as the Fish in the Sea, and as the Stars of Heaven, wherein were many thousand persons that could not discern between their right hand and their left hand, yet he was ready and willing to curse, where GOD had not cursed. And as a wretched death followeth a wicked life, so the justice of GOD found him out lurking among the Midianites, Numb. 31, 8, to verify the threatening of the Prophet; As he loved cursing, so it fell upon him, and as he loved not blessing, so was it far from him; as he clothed himself with cursing like a raiment, so it entered into his bowels like water, & like oil into his bones. Psal. 109, 17, 18.  
Thus we see, as his life was, so was his death, a cursed beginning, a fearful ending; God swept him away by a violent & sudden death, together with those that set him on work, that as they conspired together, so they might be consumed together. If then he be a wicked man that intendeth to curse the people of God, that hath his heart possessed with covetousness, that loveth the wages of unrighteousness, that layeth a bait and snare to entangle men in evil, that seeketh to draw upon them the wrath of God, and after all is slain by the sword of those whom he intended to destroy, himself falling into the pit which he had digged for others: then the first conclusion holdeth as a certain truth, that this Balaam (whatsoever vizard of piety and holiness he pretend and put on in outward show) was indeed a very lewd and wicked man.  

The second conclusion.  The second conclusion is, that Balaam was no true servant of God, but an open Idolater. This confirmeth further, and giveth strength to the former point. As he was lewd in his life, so he was corrupt in his religion, one of the idolatrous Gentiles, an alien from the Commonwealth of Israel, a stranger from the covenant of promise. For whether he were one of the Midianites, as some imagine, or whether he were one of the Aramites, as we declared before; whether he were sent for, nearer or further off, the conclusion holdeth, that he was none of the Israelites, Rom. 9, 4, to whom pertaineth the adoption of Sons, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tables of the Law, and the service of God. Moreover, when he was come into the presence of Balak, Numb. 22, 41, and 23, 1, 2, they both went up into the high places of Baal, where that abominable Idol was worshipped, where no doubt they served Baal in the Idols Temple. Besides, it is apparent in the whole history following, that he joined with Balak in his idolatrous sacrifices. If then he had not been one of the Idolaters, he would not have gone to that Idol, nor have erected new Altars, contrary to the will of God, who would only be served in the place that himself had appointed.  

The third conclusion.  The third conclusion is, that Balaam was a very witch and wizard, a false Prophet, but a true sorcerer, famous, or rather infamous for his devilish magic which he practised among the wicked and idolatrous Nations. Such a one was Simon that sorcerer, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chap. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13, 6, 8, who used witchcraft, and bewitched the people of Samaria, saying, that he himself was some great man: to whom they gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that great power of God; and they gave heed unto him, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. Such a one also was Elimas', who was likewise a Sorcerer, a false Prophet, the child of the devil, and an enemy of all righteousness, withstanding the preaching of the Gospel, hindering the hearing of the word, and perverting the strait ways of the Lord. So had this Balaam, through his enchantments and superstitious arts, obtained a great name far & near among the Infidels, so that they resorted to him as to an Oracle, and esteemed him as an Angel of God, being able to help or to hurt, to further or to hinder, to bless or to curse whomsoever he pleased. Such were wont to be in great favour and credit with Kings and Princes, as appeareth by the enchanters of Pharaoh, Exod. 7, 11, 22, and by the Sorcerers and Astrologians of Nabuchadnezzar, Dan. 2, 2, who were oftentimes called into their presence, and brought before them, as men in whom their special delight was, & their confidence reposed. These men, howsoever they were magnified in Prince's Courts, and had an honourable name among the Nations that knew not God, yet were profane Prophets of profane men, & the very chaplains of the devil, practising charms and conjuring, which by the judicial Law of God was death, Exod. 22, 18.  
Thus the Scripture calleth him a Sorcerer in plain terms and express words, josh. 13, 22. Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword, among them that were slain. The word which the holy Ghost there useth, is Chosem, which signifieth one that divineth by divination, and fetcheth answers from the devil whom they took to be God; and it is one of those eight sorts of witches and practisers by devils, mentioned in the 18, chapter of Deuteronomy. And his very drift and purpose was to curse; that is, to bewitch them, and so to weaken them with his enchantments, that they might be a cursed and detested, a loathsome and forlorn people. So it is noted, that when the Ambassadors came first unto him to acquaint him with the purpose of Balak, they had the reward of the soothsaying in their hands, Numb. 22, 7. Yea, when the Lord opened the mouth of Balaam to utter his will against his own will, & the truth hath this wretch upon the rack, he confesseth, that all his sorcery and soothsaying could not prevail against God's people, saying; There is no sorcery against jacob, nor soothsaying against Israel. Numb. 23, 23. This also sundry of the Fathers affirm, that he was famous in art-magicke, 
Aug Ser● 〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉.  and mighty in working by hurtful charms, and thereby grew in great estimation among all the people of the East. This likewise is the judgement of Origen, Gregory, Nissen, Basil, and others, reputing him as a Prophet of the devil, thinking he had been oftentimes hired for like purposes, & persuading themselves he had made many like experiments of his science in former times. Lastly, the manner of his whole proceeding, 
●m. 24, 1.  in going to fetch divinations and answers from the devil, and in preparing seven Altars, seven Bullocks, seven Rams, seven sacrifices, is altogether correspondent and answerable to the ancient Discipline of the Magicians, 
●natur. hist. 〈◊〉 8. cap. 10. 〈◊〉. Chil. 1. 〈◊〉. 1. 〈◊〉. Echog. 8.  who ascribed a certain kind of heavenly force and virtue unto uneven numbers, as appeareth by the Poet, Numero Deus impare gaudet, that is, 
A mystery divine it is, that God  
Delighted is in numbers that are odd.   
This devise proceeded at the first from the Pythagoreans, 
●●an in lib. 4. ●ap. cap. 14. 〈◊〉. lib. 14. ●●ph. 〈◊〉 in lib. 〈◊〉.  who made all things to be the resemblance & similitude of numbers, whom Aristotle and Galen in many places laughed to scorn. Wherefore seeing we have sufficiently proved by testimony of the Scripture, and authority of the ancient Fathers, that Balaam was no better than a Witch & Sorcerer, therefore he dealeth in all his actions according to the learning of the Augurs and soothsaying, which we will unfold for our better understanding of this History in the last conclusion.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the person of Balaam, and have discovered his wicked life, his wretched idolatry, his execrable sorcery: we have made it plain, that both Balak the King, and Balaam the false Prophet, were of the unbelieving Gentiles, without hope in God, without belief in Christ, without taste of religion, without spark or spice of godliness: so that in the next place we will lay down certain rules of the base or bastard religion of these Nations, and upon those conclusions as upon a sure and certain foundation we will build the interpretation of this place.  

〈◊〉 fourth ●●clusion.  Therefore the fourth conclusion shall be, that the Gentiles had and held many gods, & only the people of Israel believed and worshipped one God, to whom Moses said; Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is Lord only. Deut 6, 4. When Solomon by marrying strange wives, embraced also a strange religion, it is noted that his wives turned his heart after other gods, So that he followed Ashtaroth the god of the Zidonians, Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites, and Chemosh the Idol of the Moabites. 1 Kings 11, 4, 5. This the Apostle Paul plainly teacheth, 1 Cor, 8, 4, 5, 6. We know that an Idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one: For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be many gods and many lords,) yet unto us there is but one God, which is that Father of whom are all things, and we by him. Where we see, the true religion touching one God, is opposed against the superstition of the Infidels, touching the plurality and multitude of gods. Thus than we see, that in the corrupt opinion of corrupt men, they had many gods; some worshipping the Sun, the Moon, the Stars: some the Angels, others jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Diana, and many such of like sort. For being left to the vanity of their own mind, they gave divine worship wheresoever any divine gift appeared in any creature, And so while they professed themselves to be wise, they became fools. They turned the truth of God into a , 
Rom. 1, 22, 25 28.  & worshipped the creature instead of the Creator, which is blessed for ever: so God gave them up to their hearts lusts, and delivered them up into a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.  
The fift conclusion 
The fift conclusion.  is, that as they believed many gods, so they imagined that every people had his protecting god to be their patron and protection, to store them with blessings, and to preserve them from their enemies. In each Town and City one was chosen to be the Deus tutelaris, that is, the Patron of the place: (for every house is a little City, or rather every City a great house. vives his annot. on August. de Civit. Dei. lib. 1. cap. 3.) When he was well pleased than they prospered; when he was angry they were overcome & destroyed, 
Macrob. Saturn lib. 3. cap 9 Herodian lib. 8.  as is testified by sundry writers of good credit. Thus do the Papists at this day. For as they call upon sundry Saints for sundry purposes; upon some for the plague, upon others for the safe deliverance of women, upon others for the tempests on the sea, upon others to obtain fair weather, and have a several Saint for every season; so they account them their Patrons, and call them by the name of their protecting gods, 
Pa●l. iovi. hist. lib. 24.  as appeareth by Paulus iovius one of their own writers of histories. Thus we see, that the idolatry of our time is indeed and in truth the same with the ancient idolatry of the heathen: so that albeit the names of the Idols be changed, yet the nature of the idolatry is still retained. Now the truth of our conclusion is evidently collected & gathered out of the Scriptures. Hereunto cometh the reason produced by jephtah to avow the lawfulness of inheriting the Cities of the Amorites which Israel had conquered by the sword, & held by prescription for three hundred years, judg. 11, 24. wouldst not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God driveth out before us, them will we possess. This also appeareth in the description of the wickedness of Ahaz, 2 Chron. 28, 23. In the time of his tribulation did he yet trespass more against the Lord, for he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which he falsely supposed had plagued him, and he said, Because the gods of the Kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice unto them, and they will help me; yet they were the ruin of him & of all Israel. It was the Lord that smote him, not the gods of the Aramites: so that he is deceived in thinking they were helped by their protecting gods. For such was the wickedness of his profane hart, that he did not acknowledge the hand of God to be gone out against him, but ascribed it to the power of those false gods, and therefore sacrificed unto them to his own confusion, to the ruin of Israel, and to the dishonour of God. Therefore the Prophet before reproved Amaziah, 2 Chron. 25, 14, 15, who after the slaughter of the Edomites, brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and worshipped them, Why hast thou sought the gods of the people, which were not able to deliver their own people out of their hand? Hereunto also cometh the boasting of Saneherib over jerusalem, 2 Chro. 32, 13, 14. 2 King. 18, 33, 34. Know you not what I and my father have done unto all the people of other countries? Were the gods of the nations of other Lands, able to deliver their land out of mine hand? etc. Thus in the heathenish Religion every wood and field had his local gods, without whose good favour no human action could in that place have any happy success, as appeareth in sundry Authors: when Cambyses and Cyrus departed out of Persia, 
Soph. in electra. Tacit. hist. lib. 2 Xenoph. lib. 1. Cyropaed.  they besought the gods protectors thereof, to send them forth favourably and with good speed. We see then that Idolaters held this as a certain ground and principle of their religion, that every place, every people, every Province and Kingdom, had a peculiar god to be their patron and protector, to defend their worshippers, to fight their battles, and to deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.  

The sixth conclusion.  The sixth and last conclusion remaineth, (which is the chief point to be considered) that is, that the Gentiles going to war against any nation, used ordinarily to conjure & call up the protecting god of that people, to forsake them and come on their part, promising to bestow either that place on him again, or else a more large and spacious place, so that he should be sure to lose nothing by the bargain. This is recorded at large by Pliny in his natural histories, 
Plin nat. hist. lib 28. cap. 2.  where he saith; The first thing that the ancient Romans were wont to do when they laid siege to any City, was to bring forth their sorcerers, and by them to call forth the god or goddess which was the patron or patroness to protect that place: therefore it was never known and divulged what god was the protector or patron of Rome, lest some of our enemies should assay to conjure him forth, and so deal with us as we do by them. Hereupon Saint Austen saith, that It was their predecessors manners, 
Aug de Civitat. Dei, lib. 2. ca 22  that long ago chased all their great multitude of little gods from the City Altars like so many flies. For where was all this nest of deities when the Gauls sacked the City long before the ancient manners were contaminate? Were they present and yet fast asleep? The whole City was a●l subdued at that time, only the Capitol remained: and that also had been surprised, if the Geese had not showed themselves better than the gods, and waked when they were all isleepe. And in lib. 1. cap. 3. de C●●it. Dei, he saith, Would any wiseman have commended the defence of Rome unto gods already proved to be unable to defend themselves? Notwithstanding, saith Macrobius (lib. 3. cap. 9) the name of their protector is registered in the books of the ancients, albeit much disagreeing and diversely dissenting among themselves: some thought him to be jupiter, some Luna, some the goddess Angerona: but others that thought it to be Ops, are of better credit. This is also avouched by Plutark a learned Philosopher in his Roman questions; where demanding the question why it was accounted an heinous & horrible offence, either to ask or to utter the protecting god of Rome, whether it were mad or woman, he answered, That there are certain Charms and Sorceries, 
Pl●. Rom. 〈◊〉 1.  whereby the gods are fetched up, which the ancient Romans using, and thereby prevailing in battle, and drawing the gods of their enemies to their side, they provided by this deep silence of their own Patron, that none should be able to deal with them as they had done to others, nor render unto them the measure that they had measured unto others. And therefore Valerius Soranus lost his life for being so bold as to name that name, as L. vives observeth in his Annotations upon the first book and the third chapter of S. Austen de Civitate Dei. This is it which the Poet remembreth in setting down the destruction of Troy Virg. lib. 1. Aenead.  
— Quae fit rebus fortuna videtis,  
Excessere omnes adytis, arisque relictis  
Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat.  
That is; 
The state of things ye see,  
the seats and Temples left alone:  
The Altars and the gods whereby  
this Empire stood, are gone.   
In these words it is observed by the interpreters (Servius in lib. 2. Aeneid) that the gods of the Trojans were gone away, and departed from them, and turned Grecian, because to avoid sacrilege they were called forth by their enemies. And vives in his Annotations, Lib. 2. Cap. 22. de Civitat. Dei, telleth, that Servius and Macrobius think these verses of Virgil to belong unto this calling out of the gods, because when as a City was besieged, and the enemy had an intent to raze it to the ground, lest they should seem to fight against the gods, and to force them from their habitations and places of abode against their wills (which they held to be as a most wicked deed) they used to call them out of the besieged City by the General of the army that did besiege it, that they would please to come and dwell amongst the Conquerors. So did Camillus at the Veijs, so did Scipio at Carthage & Numance, and Mummius at Corinth, Hence it is, that Livy the flower of the Roman Historiographers, bringeth in the same Camillus, going to the assault of Veij a City of Hetruria, praying thus, Tuo ductu Pythice Apollo, tuoque numine inductus pergo ad delendam urbem Veios, tibique hinc decimam partem praedae voveo: te simul Iuno regina quae nunc Veios colis, precor, ut nos victores in nostram tuamque mox futuram urbem sequare, ubi te dignum amplitudine tua Templum accipiat: that is, As by thy conduct and divine power (O Apollo) I do enterprise the sacking of the City Ve●o, so I vow unto thee the tenth of all the booty: and thee I request Queen juno, that sittest as Patron of this place, to accompany us as Conquerors into that City which now is ours, but by and by shall be thine, where thou shalt receive a Temple beseeming thy might and Majesty. And to conclude, if we would yet further understand the order and manner of this Magical superstition, we may read the very form and fashion a● large (which those nations used) in Macrobius whom before we recited, Si Deus, 
●r●b Satur. 〈◊〉 cap. ●. ●u● in ●ib. 2 ●ad.  si dea est etc. that is whether it be god or goddess that have undertaken the guidance and gardianship of this City and people, we pray and beseech you to forsake this City and people, to relinquish their places, temples, & holy things, and to departed without them; strike ye a fear into the hearts of that people and City, betray them, and come to our side: defend our Armies protect our Cities, & safeguard our Temples etc. This was the charge that was used when they went to the siege and sacking of any City: and in this manner they prayed, which was made when the Romans as called out the gods of Carthage to come unto them. The like we read in Appian also, in his book of the Parthian wars. 
●●m debell. ●th.   
I confess I have stood overlong in handling and debating these points, 
〈◊〉 ap●●ica● 〈…〉 c●●●●●●i● to the 〈◊〉 in hand  which I have laid as the foundation of all that followeth, and serveth to clear such doubts as arise out of the text, and is nothing at all from the purpose of that which we have in hand. For these points, as certain Principles being thus concluded, may easily be applied to our present purpose, and comparing the fashions of the Gentiles with the fitness of the person that the King of Moab chose, and by whom he proceedeth in this practice, we may evidently gather the true sense of this history, and see how the whole matter was carried and conue●ed. For, as the manner of the unbelieving N●tions was to sue and seek to the gods of th●●r enemies to forsake them, & betake themselves to their side; so Balaam being a notable and notorious sorcerer (as we have proved before in the third Conclusion) worketh by the Principles of sorcery, and intendeth to begin his business and whole action, by calling up the protecting God of the Israelites, which indeed was the true jehovah; as we see in the Chapters following by the words of Balaam himself. Besides, we may be the rather induced to receive and believe this truth if we consider that all this sorcery and superstition had his first original and beginning out of the East (from whence Balaam came) these were the manners of the men of the east, as appeareth in Pliny before remembered, 
justin hist. l●b. 1 Polid de in●●●n rer. lib. 1 c. 24.  and in others, who excelled all other people in the Art of Magic: so that the manners and the man arose both of one place. Furthermore, as the sorcerers in Egypt being confounded by the mighty power of God in a base creature, confessed the miracles of Moses to be wrought by the finger of God; so when this soothsayer hath assayed at sundry times, and in divers manners to work his will, in the end he witnesseth with his own mouth. Numb. 23, 23. that there was no sorcery effectual against jacob, nor soothsaying against Israel.  
Lastly, we may observe how he calleth the Lord his God, verse 18. I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God: because he knew if he should work any thing against Israel, he must do it by their own God. For he doth not use these words as the faithful do in a special feeling of God's favour, and in the particular assurance and affiance of their own faith, inasmuch as he was a covetous wretch, and an old witch (as the Scriptures witness;) but his meaning is, he is the God whom in all this cause I have heed of, and by whom I must of necessity deal withal. He saith no more of him then he would have done of the Idoll-god of any Idolatrous people, he would have called him his god, as being the god by whom he must work all his feats. Thus than Balaam intending to bewitch Israel, he must by the rules of his own profession conjure up the God of the Israelites, whereupon it was that he deferred the Messengers sent unto him. As if he should say unto them; If I work not by him, ye cannot prevail over his people, he must first be drawn to your side, and afterward ye shall easily obtain the other. Neither let any here object against these things, that Balaam was ignorant of the true God, or that it agreeth not to the nature of God to reveal himself to Magicians, and to attend upon their trumpery. For albeit he did not acknowledge him to be the Creator and Governor of the world, by whom all things stand or fall: yet he knew him to be the God of the Israelites, which was sufficient for his purpose: so that he meaneth not in speaking of the ●ord, his own false gods, but he consulteth with the true God, as sundry places in this present Chapter make manifest, Numb. 22, 8, 18, 19 as when he saith, He would answer them as the Lord should say unto him, and that he cannot go beyond the word of the Lord. So that he asketh counsel of the true God, and receiveth his answer of the true God. And this he doth not as a Prophet of God, but as a Sorcerer. Neither may we think it strange that God should have aught to do with witches and wizard's, seeing he giveth answer not only to his own people that cleave unto him, and call upon his name, but to such as are out of the very bosom of the church for his people's sake, sometimes reproving them, sometimes instructing them, sometimes convincing them of evil, and always leaving them without excuse. As here he teacheth Balaam, that all his conjurations & enchantments were vain and void, seeing he hath decreed and determined so to continue his blessing unto the end toward the Israelites as that no device of man, or work of the devil, shall be able to hinder, or lessen, or abolish the same, as we shall see afterward.  
[Verse 3. And the Moabites were sore afraid of the people.] Having in the former words searched into the meaning of this history, and examined the several circumstances thereof: now let us come to the doctrines that arise out of this division. And first, see the occasion of the Moabites confederating themselves with the Midianites, and the project of them both, in sending out to a cunning man to help them; namely, a sudden fear arising in their hearts, danting all their courage, weakening all their strength, and driving them into despair. Israel was an innocent and harmless people, professing righteousness, abstaining from all wrongs, surceasing from all injuries, for conscience sake, as we saw before when they desired passage through the lands of the Edomits and the Amorites, Numb. 20, 19 Deut. 2, 25. they would not enter into their fields, they would not meddle with their vineyards, they would not drink of their water freely; yet see with what a terror and trembling they were stricken at the approach of the Israelites near their borders. And this was the heavy hand of God upon them, as Moses declareth, Deut. 2. This day will I begin to send thy fear and thy dread upon all people under the whole heaven, which shall hear thy fame, and shall tremble and quake before thee. Hereby we learn for our instruction, That the enemies of God and his people are many times afraid where no true cause of any fear is. 
Doctrine. Evil men fear where no fear is.  Evil men are often afraid of the people of God, that feign would live in peace. So Saul lived in continual fear of David, 1 Sam. 18, 15, 29, he was vexed & disquieted in heart, and never in rest, although he we●e harmless, though he sought peace, and ensued after it; yea, the more David prospered, the more Saul feared him. So did Pharaoh and the Egyptians fear the Israelites, when they began to multiply and increase in abundance. Exod. 1.12. Thus Herod feared john, knowing that he was a just and holy man, reverencing him greatly, hearing him gladly, & doing many things at his preaching, Mark 6, 20. Thus the high Priest feared the Apostles, and the officers of the people, Acts 5, 26. When Herod and the rest of jerusalem heard of the birth of a new King, they were greatly troubled and perplexed in mind. Mat, 2.3. All these things confirm the truth of this doctrine, & verify the saying of the wise man, The wicked fly when none pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a Lion, Prou. 28, 1.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are these: First, because an evil man carrieth in his own bosom a conscience for sin, which striketh and accuseth him, which citeth and summoneth him before the bar of God's judgement seat. Albeit no man can be deposed against him, albeit none can give sentence and judgement against him, yet he carrieth that about him which is instead of all, Mala mens, 
Tert. 〈…〉 1. sc. 2.  malus animus as the Poet saith; An evil mind, an evil meaning, an evil conscience arraigning him at the Tribunal of the eternal judge, who shall give to every one according to his works. It shall serve as plaintiff, witness, judge, and executioner against him. This is confirmed unto us by many examples in the word of God. When Cain had slain his own brother, & shed his innocent blood which cried for vengeance unto heaven, the revenging hand of God pursued him, Gen. 4, 10, 12, 17. living as a runagate and vagabond upon the earth, and fearing the sight of every creature to be armed against him: he began to build a City to hide his head, to yield him comfort, to provide for his safety, and to defend him from injury: but there also the justice of God overtook him the vengeance of his hand followed him, and he was driven from that enterprise. The like we see in Belteshazzer, Dan. 5.56. when there appeared fingers of a man's hand, which wrote over against the Candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the King's Palace; albeit he knew not the substance and signification of the miracle, whether it foreshowed good or evil, yet he carried his witness with him, that could not be bribed or corrupted, so that his countenance was changed, his thoughts were troubled, the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other. This terror of conscience the Lord foretold as the punishment of sin, Leu. 26, 17, 36, 37. and Deuteronomy 28. verses 65, 66, 67.  
Again, no marvel if the wicked be oftentimes Reason 2 smitten with fear, as with the spirit of giddiness, because they want the shield of Faith and the helmet of Hope, which are as two strong Anchors to hold the ship that it be not shaken in pieces with the storms, or dashed on rocks, or drowned in the water, or swallowed in quicksands. A lively faith in the Son of God is the mother of all true comfort, the peace of the soul, the life of good works, the key of heaven; for being justified by Faith, Rom. 5, 1. We have peace toward God through our Lord jesus Christ, and rejoice under the hope of the glory of God. We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again, but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father, Ro. 8, 15. We have boldness against the day of judgement, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, for fear hath painfulness and he that feareth is not perfect in love. 1 john 4, 17, 18. The stronger our faith is, the less is our fear, as one increaseth, the other decreaseth. If our faith be little, our fear is great: as our Saviour showeth in the example of his disciples tossed with a tempest on the sea, crying unto Christ, & saying, Master, save us, we perish, Mat. 8, 25, 26. who said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little Faith?  
Now let us come to the Uses. If this be the Use 1 nature of the wicked, that he carrieth about with him a troubled and trembling conscience, than a wicked man is a very coward & fainthearted, being afraid of every thing. True it is, there are many who neither fear God nor the devil, who seem to be valiant, to adventure their flesh, and to expose themselves to desperate dangers in fight and quarreling, as the manner of sundry Ruffians and swashbucklers is, who fear not to meet any man in the field at any weapon, and for every cross word are ready to give the stab: yet bring these venturous and fool hardy fellows to encounter hand to hand with the enemies of our souls, to wrestle against spiritual wickednesses in high places, and to strive as for life and death against pride & profaneness, against concupiscence of the flesh, and contempt of the word, against idle games of evil report, against our lusts and sins which fight against our own souls, we shall see no child so weak and willing to turn his heels as these Ruffianlike spirits; who albeit they walk with long blades by their sides, or long poles on their necks, and jet up and down as ●ords of the earth, ready always to lay the hand upon the dagger, and to pick a quarrel at every word, yet they have not the hand or the heart to strike one stroke, to conquer sin, and the tyranny of the devil in themselves, but yield themselves like slaves and captives to do his will, and are led away to destruction as an Ox to the slaughter. Notwithstanding, this is true valour and manhood, to wound more and more the corruption of the old man. He is stronger that conquereth himself, than he that winneth a City, Prou. 16, 32. He is a better man of his hands that overcometh his own concupiscence, than he that hath the upper hand in battle. Let us every one learn this use, and apply it to our hearts, that the wicked man, what face soever he set on the matter, can never have a good heart, but standeth in fear of every creature in heaven and earth. Genes. 4, 14. like Cain affrighted at the sight of every thing, and thinking whosoever findeth them, will slay them. Do they look up to heaven? there they have God their enemy? Do they look down to hell? there they see Satan their tormenter, and his angels their executioners? Would they take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea? they shall find every creature to fight against them, and to conspire their death, and even to groan to be delivered from such an unprofitable burden. 
●●●ea● ca●i●●●cked  The heaven saith, Why do I cover him? The air saith, Why do I yield him life and breath? The water saith, Why do I not drown him as Pharaoh & his host? The fire saith, Why do I not consume him as Sodom and Gomorrha, as the Captain and his fifty? The earth saith, Why do I bear him and sustain him? and not swallow him up, as Dathan and Abiram? His food saith, Why do I nourish & not choke him? His apparel saith, Why do I warm him? The ground saith, Why do I yield him increase, and bring forth any other crop then thorns and briers, than nettles and thistles? Death saith, Why do I spare him, & not strike him? Hell saith, Why do I not receive him? The sword crieth, Why do I not smite him? Famine, Why do I not pine him? The Pestilence, Why do I not waste him and make havoc of him? The Sun and Moon say, Why do I give him light? His bed saith, Why do I give him rest? Thus every creature is up in arms, and rebelleth against him that rebelleth against God: they sound defiance unto us, and proclaim open war against us, when we are not at peace with our God. What then? Shall he look homeward, & turn his eyes toward himself? There he findeth and feeleth an accusing conscience as a thousand witnesses against him to whip & terrify him. Howsoever the evil man rejoiceth in his wickedness, and glorieth in his own shame, Deut. 29, 19 
Deut. 29.19.  howsoever he put away the evil day far from him, and promise peace unto himself, yet a man would not have the heart of a wicked man for a thousand worlds, nor possess his pleasures to have his pains. Thou knowest not the torments of his conscience, when he feeleth the strength of the Law, the terrors of the Almighty, the temptations of the devil, the gripings of death, and the flashings of hell fire: howsoever he seemeth to make a mock of sin, and foolish men, as vain as himself, do flatter him in his sins, Yet in laughter the heart is sorrowful, 
Pro. 14, 13, 14  and the end of that mirth is heaviness. There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the issues thereof are the ways of death. Wherefore, seeing the evil man feareth oftentimes where no fear is, trembling at the fall of a leaf, starting at his own thought, and shaking at his own shadow: we conclude that he can have no true might and manhood in him, but is a dastard, and a coward, in regard of true manhood and fortitude, which are far from him.  
Second y, it standeth us upon to be at peace with God, and learn to lead a godly life. For so long as we live in our sins, we are as a loathsome carcase and carrion, casting out a filthy favour, and stinking in the nostrils of God. A wretched and profane man, lying rotting and rioting in his sins, is more loathsome to God than any dead body is loathsome unto our senses. So long as we corrupt our ways before him, the Lord hath a controversy with us, and will commence an action against us. And we shall never have true peace with men, nor true peace with ourselves, but shall feel the terrors of our own consciences, and be at deadly and dangerous war with our own hearts, until we be reconciled to God. But if we be truly godly and religious, and be indeed at peace with God, we shall be at peace with others, and with ourselves, nothing shall be able to hurt us. For whom should we fear, or whereof should we be afraid? God is become our Father, Whom have we in heaven but him? and whom can we desire on earth with him? Psal. 73, 25. The Angels are our attendants, they pitch their Tents round about us to deliver us, they are charged to keep us in all our ways, and to bear us in their hands, that we dash not our foot against a stone. Psal. 34, 7, and 91, 11. For are they not all ministering spirits, set and sent out to minister for their sakes, which shall be heirs of salvation? Heb. 1, 14. The Saints in heaven and earth are our fellow-brethrens, so that we are Citizens with ●hem of the same kingdom, and of the household of God. Eph. 2, 19 The Lord jesus, to whom all judgement is committed, (who shall judge the world with thousands of his Angels,) is become our Saviour; So that we shall never come into condemation, but shall pass from death to life. joh. 5, 24. The creatures are our friends, nay as our sworn servants, by the law of their creation to do us good, and not evil all their days: The stones of the field are in league with us, Hosea 2, 18: and the Beasts of the field shall be at peace with us, job 5, 23. Death shall not be able to hinder or to hurt us (though it be a Scorpion or Serpent) the poison is dispersed, the sting is pulled out, 1 Cor. 15, 54, 55. The devils and all the powers of darkness shall not destroy us, Christ hath spoiled Principalities and Powers, and hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumphed over them upon the Cross, as a mighty conqueror in a chariot of triumph. Col. 2 15. He hath bruised his head, he hath crushed him at the heart, so that the Prince of the world is cast out, john 12, 31. What then? Shall tribulations and afflictions, or anguish, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or the sword, separate us from the love of Christ, and peace with our God? Rom. 8, 28.35, 37. Nay, these proceed from a loving Father, and end at our own good, who sanctifieth all things, and maketh them work together for the best to them that love God: He will cover them under his wings, and they shall be sure under his feathers: they shall not be afraid of the fear of the night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day, nor of the pestilence that walketh in the darkness nor of the plague that destroyeth at noonday: a thousand shall fall at their side, & ten thousand at their right hand but it shall not come near unto them. Psal. 91, 4.5, 6, 7. Lastly, as they shall fear no danger that can hurt them, so they shall not be afraid of themselves, their own hearts shall minister comfort unto them, for they shall be at peace with themselves; so that Howsoever all the days of the afflicted person are evil, yet a good conscience is a continual feast, Prou. 15, 15. Behold, what a blessed and comfortable thing it is to be a true christian, in whose heart is no guile: O consider this, ye sons of men, that such as have a sound faith in Christ, and lead a godly life, are at peace with God! Wherefore let us conclude with the saying of the Prophet, Psal. 31, 11. Be glad ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful all ye that are upright in heart, seeing that neither life, nor death, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ jesus our Lord. Rom. 8, 38, 39  
Thirdly, see the difference between the Use 3 godly and ungodly, between a good and an evil man. Nothing can make the faithful man wretched and miserable, nothing shall be able to daunt him or dismay him: He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, for his heart is fixed, and believeth in the Lord, who in his good time will deliver him, Psal. 112, 7. He reposeth himself on the heavenly providence of God, and casteth all his care upon him that careth for him, being bold as a Lion, like the child that in danger runneth to the lap of his father. This the wise man further declareth, Prou. 3, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26. This is the condition of the godly, both at home and abroad, with themselves and with others, in the day time, and in the night season, when terrors most trouble the heart, and enemies most practise mischief, & conceive malice, they shall be safe and secure without trouble and perplexity of spirit. But the wicked man is never at rest, he knoweth not what the peace of conscience meaneth, which indeed passeth all understanding, he feareth where no fear is, every creature helpeth to increase his misery; yea, the things that are not, trouble him no less than things that are, and the greatest terror that he can never shake off, is his own conscience. When Felix only heard the Apostle reasoning and disputing of the judgement to come, he trembled, and commanded him to departed out of his sight. Acts 24, 25. When they take themselves to be most sure, and speak peace unto their own souls, than they shall be taken with fear Psal. 14.5, and 53, 5, because God is in the generation and assembly of the just. This the Prophet Esay teacheth, chap. 57, 20, 21. The wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt: there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked: I create the fruit of the lips to be peace peace unto them that be far off, and to them that are near, saith the Lord, for I will heal him. Where the Prophet maketh a flat opposition between the faithful and unfaithful, he calleth the elect by the preaching of the Gospel, which is the power of God to salvation, 2 Cor. 5, 20. So that they break out into this admiration of the mercy of God, and into a joyful embracing of the Messengers sent unto them, How beautiful are the feet of them which bring glad tidings of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Rom. 10, 15. Contrariwise, the unfaithful and impenitent are never at rest and quiet, but as a troubled sea tossed with the violence of the winds. And howsoever they seem to themselves and to others, to be happy, and sleep securely in sin, yet the terrors of the night, and the troubles of their own Conscience shall awake them, and rouse them out of this security, Prou. 23, 34. So that they shall be as one that sleepeth in the midst of the sea, and as he that sleepeth in the top of the Mast, that is always in danger.  
Thus we see, that the fears of profane persons are not rightly ordered, but evilly placed. For what do they fear? Not God, not his heavy displeasure, who is able to destroy soul and body in hell, and cast them into utter darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matth. 10, 28. nor to commit sin, for that is their delight: So that they eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 
〈◊〉, 31.  The things that they chiefly fear, are afflictions, troubles, crosses, losses, and temporal calamities, like those that dread their friends and familiars. They are more troubled for outward damages of this life, then for the loss of God's favour: like profane Esau, who preferred a mess of pottage before the blessing, and like the carnal Gadarens, who preferred their filthy Swine before Christ the Lord of life. The Lord jesus compareth the jews to children sitting in the Market place, Luke 7, ●2. so are wicked men in the bestowing their fear like unto little children: Tell them of bugs or beggars, of goblins or shadows, that are nothing and cannot hurt, they are greatly afraid: but of fire and water, of candle or knife, & such like edge-tools which are hurtful and dangerous, they are bold, fearing no harm or peril. Thus it is with all the ungodly. Tell them of sin, of hell, of death, of damnation, of eternal separation from the most sweet and comfortable presence of God, and of the fellowship with the devil and his angels, they are not moved at all, but dally with their own souls. But if they hear of afflictions, & fear any losses to come upon them, which cannot hurt or hinder our salvation, if we be in Christ: they are oftentimes brought to their wit's end, and break out into all impatiency of spirit. But the godly fear nothing more than to offend God their merciful Father: nothing is more bitter unto them then to feel his anger, and the turning of his loving countenance from them: and therefore there is as great a difference between the fear of the one, and the fear of the other, as between heaven and earth, as between good and evil, as between light and darkness.  
Use 4 Lastly, seeing evil men fear whereas no fear is, this overthroweth all Atheists, Epicures, Libertines, and lose livers, which do think there is no God at all, teaching every man to do what seemeth best in his own eyes, and hold Religion to be nothing else but a policy and invention of man to keep the people in order and obedience. This profaneness and Atheism is a grievous sin; it is the very top and height of all impiety and iniquity, committed of those that a●e forsaken of God, and given over to work all uncleanness with greediness. The Apostle speaking of one only part of religion, sayeth, If there be no resurrection of the dead, than Christ is not risen: and if Christ be not raised, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. 1 Cor. 15, 13, 14, 17. So if there be no belief in Christ, nor truth in religion, nor knowledge of God, nor salvation of souls, the foundation of all go●lines is shaken, and the word of God is made of none effect. Wherefore those Atheists and godless persons, which hold in judgement, affirm in words & avouch in disputation, contrary to Scripture, Nature, Laws, and common reason, that there is no God at all, ought worthily according to their deserts to die the death. Murderers and malefactors, thieves and robbers, for their own offences have the reward of death, & are carried to the place of execution: of how much sorer punishment suppose you shall they be worthy that commit high treason against God, murder the souls of men, tread under foot the Son of God, and count the blood of the Testament as an unholy thing, and do despite the Spirit of Grace? Of which sort there are too many that find greater favour than such as better deserve it.  
And first, the universality of Religion, 
Reasons against Atheism.  dispersed over all places, entertained of all persons, embraced & acknowledged at all times, proveth it to be no device of man. We have read and heard of divers and sundry Nations and people, that have lived without Laws, without Magistrates, without Marriages, without Garments, without Houses, without civility and common honesty, wandering nakedly up and down in holes and caves of the earth; but never of any Nation or people so barbarous and beastly, from East to West, or from North to South, 
Cicer. de nat. ●●or. lib. 2. Os●r. l. 3. de rebus gest. Emma.  which were without God, without Religion, without worship, without prayers, or without sacrifices. Albeit there be indeed diversities and differences in their Religion, being destitute of the knowledge of the true God; but there hath been no Region without some Religion; which proveth it could be at the first entertained, and afterwards retained by no compact or conspiracy amongst men. Besides, we may reason from the spiritual Natures that reason and experience teach: namely, that there is a devil and his angels set upon mischief, and going about seeking whom they may devour, 
Arist Top lib. 6. cap. 3.  Contraries compared together, do receive light and lustre one from another, as black laid to white, and virtue matched with vice, are better seen and manifested what they are. All laws divine and human, all Nations both jews & Gentiles, (Cicero de legib. lib. 1.) even the twelve Tables of the Romans, decreed against witches and sorcerers, which have familiarity with devils, and work by evil spirits. And we see by Witches and Conjurers, that sathan is stronger and mightier than we. If then, the devil have a spiritual nature, and be our enemy, he would have brought desolation and destruction upon us, had there not been a Sovereign and superior power above him to restrain his will, and to keep him short. But this superior power can be nothing else but God himself: otherwise, how is it that we are not all destroyed? Why do we not perish and come to confusion, if we stood at the mercy of this our great adversary? Where as this is our comfort, that his power is limited, and that he can do nothing farther than he is licenced and allowed. All the hairs of our head are numbered. He cannot hurt a Sparrow or a Fly, without the will of God. He could not touch the body of job before he was permitted, job 2. verse 6. He could not enter into the Swine before he was suffered, Matth. 8, verses 31, 32. He cannot run out at his own liberty, but is restrained and reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day, Jude 6.  
Thirdly, men in all dangers by sea & land, in time of sickness, and in extremity of their distress, by the very light and instinct of nature call upon God: which showeth that we have naturally a common notion that there is a God. We see it not only in the Children of God, 1 Kings 22. verse 32: as jehoshaphat, when by his confederacy and friendship with Ahab, he was in danger of sudden death, he cried unto the Lord for help in the battle, but in the very Infidels, when a mighty Tempest threatened to overwhelm them in the Sea, the Mariners being sore afraid, they cried every man of them unto his God, jonas 1. verse 5. These principles written in Nature, engraven in the heart, and sealed up in the conscience of man, remain to give light as a flash of lightning in the dark night, and teach a difference between good and evil; between right and wrong, to those that never knew the law of God, and to such as through profaneness regard not his ways. Ham and Canaan being both evil men, and scoffers at godliness, Genesis 9 verses 22, 25. and 23. verse 42, saw it was uncomely and undecent for their father to lie with his shame uncovered, being overcome with wine. Esau, though a wild and wicked man, yet he would not kill his brother jacob, till the days of mourning should come for the death of their father. Absalon, though he wrought wickedness in the sight of God, and rebelled ●gainst David his Father, yet rebuked unkindness and unthankfulness in Hushai toward his friend, 2 Sam. 16. verse 17. These general notions, as sparkles kindled in our hearts by the gift of Nature, serve to set forth the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, and to make men altogether without excuse, Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, Rom. 1, 20, 21.  
Lastly, not to use in an undoubtful point unnecessary proofs, nor to prove that the Sun shineth at noon day, 
Er●s● council  (which were to make a question of that which is without question) every man carrieth a witness about him, to wit, his own Conscience. He that hath committed any sin, as blasphemy, rebellion, murder, adultery, fornication, robbery, and such like; albeit he can so smother and conceal it, that no man living know it, or can accuse him of it: yet oftentimes he hath a grief and griping in his Conscience, and feeleth the very flashings of hell fire; the which proveth invincibly that use which now we urge against all Atheists whatsoever, that there is a God, before whose judgement seat he must one day stand and answer for his fact and fault which he hath so heinously committed. Neither let any say, that this cometh through the guiltiness of the Law, shame of the world, and fear of punishment: for, let them have security given them from all Law, a discharge from all reproach, and freedom from all punishment, yet a murderer should never be quiet, his Conscience would ever beat and whip him, trouble and torment him, affright and follow him up and down in all places, and open his own mouth to betray and bewray himself. For GOD hath many ways to discover most secret sins, and most close dissembling sinners: he maketh them either in their sleep to dream of it, or in frenzy to rave upon it, or in sickness to confess it, or unawares to disclose it, or in anguish of the mind to void it and vomit it up, verifying the words of the Prophet Esay, chap. 66, 24. Their worm shall not die, but always gnaw upon them with continual torment. As also Mark 9, 44. Thus is God's judgement upon them, that they should fear all things, who will not fear him that made all things. If a man had all the pleasures & treasures that heart could desire or delight in, yet can they give him no true comfort and contentment, when the conscience is guilty of horrible sins.  
These terrors, are those Furies which the Poets feign, Cicer. pro. Ros. Amori. & Orat. in Pisonem; which never suffer offenders to be at rest, as we have seen in the examples of Cain, Belteshazzer, Saul, Absalon, judas, and others. The noise of the Thunderclaps, Psal. 29, 3, 4, 5, 7. which is the voice of God, hath so daunted the vildest Atheists, that they have covered their heads, hidden themselves under their beds, and been ready to creep into every hole. Thus we see, how the ungodly are punished in this life, how they are arraigned as Malefactors at the bar, how they lie confounded in themselves, and how the testimony of every man's conscience proclaimeth and crieth out, Psalm 58, 11. Verily there is fruit for the righteous, doubtless there is a God that judgeth in the earth. So that they shall sooner pull their hearts out of their breasts, than God out of their minds. And albeit the conscience of carnal men, that never truly repent of their sins, seemeth to be at rest, yet it is as a wild and savage beast, which lieth asleep, seemeth tame and gentle; but being raised and roused up, flieth in a man's face, and snarleth at him. joseph's brethren were not much troubled for their vice and villainy, in selling their brother, at the present time: but long afterward, when they were afflicted with extreme famine, and distressed in Egypt, they remember the iniquity which they had committed, and the cruelty which they had showed, and not truly repent of, Genesis chap. 42. verse 21. Let us therefore strive by all means, & always endeavour to keep a good conscience toward God and man, and take heed how we break out into open sins, provoking God unto anger, wounding our own souls, offending our brethren, diminishing the graces of God, lessening our assurance of his favour, and grieving the Spirit of God, by whom we are sealed unto the day of our redemption.  
[Verse 4. Therefore Moab said unto the Elders of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick up all round about us, as an Ox licketh up the grass of the field, etc.] Hitherto of the occasion of the proceed of the Moabites: now we are come to the plottings and conspiracies of the enemies of the Church, the Moabites joining and combining themselves with the Midianites, men as wicked as themselves. See here how the adversaries of Israel associate themselves to destroy the Church, though differing in Nation, in Religion, in Tongues, in gods and Idols, among themselves, not because Israel had offended, but because they thirst after blood. 
〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 ●●rch, ●●●ga. 〈◊〉 them●●●●●yne ●her a● 〈…〉.  Hereby we learn this Doctrine, that the enemies of the true Church, howsoever they differ in judgement and affection, yet they are ready to join and jump together against the children of God. Notwithstanding the differences and divisions amongst the enemies of God and his truth, they can join hand in hand together, to oppress the Church. This is noted in diverse and sundry practices of the wicked in all ages of the Church. The wicked Midianites & Amalekites with those of the East, not inhabiting in the land of Canaan, but both Nations dwelling beyond the River, differing much in their courses and conversations, and serving vain gods and Idols, assaulted Israel, came into their land to destroy it, as is witnessed in the book of judges, chapt. 6, 3. So against jehoshaphat, a godly King, that sought the Lord God of his father, and walked in his Commandments, Came the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir to battle, 2 Chron. 20.1, 2, 23. This likewise the Prophet David teacheth & declareth, Psal. 83, 5, 6, 7, 8. They have consulted together in heart, and have made a league against thee, the Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelits, Moab, and the Agarims, Gebal and Ammon, etc. Where he noteth out the multitudes of the enemies which the Church had, albeit at jars among themselves, and fight sundry battles one against another, yet notwithstanding consent & conspire together to destroy Gods chosen. This also is plentifully taught by many examples in the New Testament. As Mat. 22, 15, 16. when the pharisees had taken counsel against Christ how they might entangle him in his talk, they sent unto him their disciples with the Herodians. So Herod and Pilate, Luk. 23, 12. agreeing like Cats and Dogs, were made friends together, and pleasure one another, which had been enemies one to the other, to the end they might make a mock of Christ. Thus the hatred of godliness, joineth the wicked together. This is it which the Apostles confessed in their prayer, Acts 4, 25, 26. & 6, 9, 10, Why did the Gentiles rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth assembled, and the rulers came together against the Lord, and against his Christ: for doubtless against thine holy son jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered themselves together. Moreover, when the Apostle disputed against the idolatry of the Athenians, Act. 17, 18. then certain Philosophers of the Epicures and of the Stoics banded themselves together against him, albeit they were two contrary sects that never agreed and consented: one strict in opinion, the other lose in conversation; one placed their happiness in virtue, the other in pleasure; making a mock of all Religion. We see this true by common & continual experience. Look upon the enemies of the truth, there is no love or liking among them one of another: they dare not trust or believe one another, yet they strike hands & join together against the faithful, like to sampson's Foxes, judg. 15, 4. who albeit they look several ways with their heads yet they join tail to tail, to burn up the harvest & vineyard of the Lord.  
The Reasons are evident. For albeit they be Reason 1 separated one from another, and often spoil each other, yet they unite themselves in league together, because they fear the faithful, and the decay of their own kingdom. They persuade themselves, that the rising up and flourishing of the Church, will be the pressing down and frustrating of all their hope & expectation. This appeareth in the book of Ester, when Mordecai was honoured of the king for his faithful service, in detecting and disclosing the conspiracy intended against him, Hamans' wife and his wisemen said unto him, Ester chap. 6. verse 13. If Mordecai be of the seed of the jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shall surely fall before him. And hereunto also come the words of the Moabites & Midianites to Balaam, Numb. 22. verses 5, 6. Behold there is a people come out of Egypt, which cover the face of the earth, they are stronger than we. So that they joined together, because they feared the multitudes of Israel, lest they should lose their Dominions and their ancient glory through their conquest.  
Reason 2 Again, they hate the people of God and their Religion. Although the Church be weak, and want human strength, so that the enemies need not fear it: yet still they plot and bring forth new devices, & the children of Belial are always packing and contriving mischief against the Church. For as true faith and love of religion, uniteth hearts together, that we may with one mouth glorify God the Father: so contrariwise, where hatred of the true Religion reigneth, there can be no love to the Professors thereof. No marvel therefore, if such join in league against God's people. As we see, when the Rulers and Governors could not find any fault in Daniel, in regard of his faithfulness concerning the kingdom, envying his honour and promotion, They picked a quarrel against him in matters of the pure worship of the true God. So then, whether we consider that the wicked fear their own fall, and hate the faithful with a deadly hatred: in both respects we may conclude this as a most certain truth, that notwithstanding the bandings and brawlings of the wicked and ungodly among themselves, yet they can consent and consort themselves together, to impugn and slander the Church of God, and the doctrine of Christ.  
Use 1 The Uses now remaining to be handled, are these. First, this teacheth, that seeing sundry sects dissenting and varying greatly one from another, do many times join together in one: unity is not always a note of the Church, except it be conjoined with verity. For as dissension is sometimes in the church, so agreement is oftentimes out of the Church among the enemies of Christ. There was an unity between the Moabites and the Midianites: between the builders of Babel, between the Priests of Baal, between the Scribes and pharisees, between the Rulers and the people. There is an unity between thieves, conspirators, murderers, and malefactors: there is an unity between the Turks against the Christians: between Antichrist and his adherents, between sathan and his members; yea, between the devils themselves, all using the same means, all aiming at one end, all conspiring & consenting against the kingdom of Christ. Howbeit the agreement of evil men is not truly to be termed an unity, but rather rightly to be called a conspiracy. Wherefore, they are greatly deceived, that make all agreement and unity an essential and unseparable note of the Church. 
What a● notes an● ma●ke 〈◊〉 Church.  If we would know what are the proper marks and evident notes of the Church, agreeing to every Church, always and only, they are the powerful preaching of sound doctrine, the right administration of the holy Sacraments, the spiritual worship of the true God, and holiness of life and conversation. Where these are not found, it cannot be that there should be the true Church.  
This the Evangelist Saint Luke testifieth in the second of the Acts, verses 41, 42, 46, 47, They that gladly received the word were baptised, and the same day there were added to the Church about three thousand souls: and they continued in the Apostles Doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers. So Christ calleth and accounteth those as his Brethren, Mother, and Sisters, that hear his word and keep it: and those his Disciples that abide in his word, and his Friends if they do whatsoever he commandeth them. as Luke chap. 8. verse 21. and chap, 11. verse 28. john chap. 8. ukase; 31, and ch. 15. ver. 14. These are the notes that are peculiar and proper to the Church: by these we shall find the true Church, and learn to join ourselves unto it wh●n we have found it, and descry the false signs of the Romish Synagogue, where neither the gospel is truly preached, nor the Sacraments rightly administered, nor the pure worship of God is spiritually instituted, nor holiness of life is sincerely practised. As for unity, universality, antiquity, succession of bishops, multitude of believers, the title of Catholic, the working of miracles, the glory of victories, obedience to the Pope, and such like, 
Pelde 〈◊〉 lib. 4 ca● Hosius 〈◊〉 hum cap.  which the adversaries of the grace of GOD make notes of the Church, (which is an assembly of Antichrist) they are not proper only, nor always, nor unto all Churches (for this is indeed to be proper, 
Purpyr 〈◊〉 cap de 〈◊〉  as all know that have tasted the first rudiments of Logic.) Besides, these supposed signs are subject unto the outward senses, are open and visible unto the eyes, not matters of faith which are to be believed. They are as obscure, dark, and hard to be known, as to know which is the the Church; they may be claimed and challenged by every heretical congregation. Wherefore as Hilary in one place teacheth. The name of peace is beautiful, 
Hilar c●● Auxent.  & the opinion of unity is f●ire. Notwithstanding far better is a diversity in judgement, than an unity in falsehood, The Apostle Paul commending concord and consent to the Church, addeth that all our unity must be in Christ, Ro. 15, 5.6. The God of patience and consolation give you that ye be like-minded one toward another, according to jesus Christ: that ye with one mind, and one mouth may praise God, even the Father of our Lord jesus Christ.  
Let us therefore seek for unity in verity, and honour it as the greatest comfort of our hearts: otherwise a just war is far better than an unjust and an unhonest peace. The true and Christian unity is, when the sheep of Christ hear the voice of the shepherd, and follow him: and that our Shepherd is jesus Christ, by whom alone we enter into the sheepfold.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing divers men at great variance within themselves, yet are content to join together in wicked amity and unity against the Church of Christ; we must confess that the salvation and safe keeping of the Church is only of God. If men of all lewd devices, & of different opinions, men at mortal hatred and deadly war amongst themselves, close together and plot against the Church: how shall they be able to stand of themselves, being few in number, weak in strength, destitute of friends, and lying open to so many and mighty enemies? For the Church albeit it be the house of God, the mother of the faithful, the body of Christ, and the pillar of the truth, yet it is as a flock of Sheep in the jaws of the Wolf, and as a prey in the teeth of the Lion: so that the Church standeth, and the truth prevaileth, albeit the power of men, the malice of the devil, and the gates of hell be set wide open against it.  
Wherefore, in this distressed estate of the Church, being as a City battered on many sides, besieged of many enemies, smitten with many weapons, and assaulted with many Engines; let us not boast of our own power, nor glory in our own greatness, as though we stood by our own strength, held out by our own might, and overcame by our own multitude. For if the Lord should leave us, yea, but a little, and suffer these enemies to rise up against us, they would soon devour us with open mouth, and we quickly see our own weakness. This then is our duty, in the deep consideration of this unity of the enemies, in such great diversity of hearts, to ascribe all the glory of our safety, to God and to acknowledge his only power in our standing: lest if we presume of ourselves, the Lord in justice leave us unto ourselves.  
This is it that the Prophet David confesseth and practiseth in many places, as Psalm 3, verses 1, 2, 6. Lord, how are mine adversaries increased? How many rise against me? Many say to my soul, There is no help for him in God at all. Hereupon he concludeth, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord, and thy blessing is upon the people most of all. And Psalm 124. verses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. If the Lord had not been on our side, may Israel now say: if God had not been on our side when men rose up against us, they had quickly swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had drowned us, and the stream had gone over our soul: Praised be the Lord, which hath not given us as a prey unto their teeth. Our soul is escaped, even as a Bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the snare is broken and we are delivered: Our help is in the Name of the Lord, which hath made heaven, and earth.  
Thirdly, seeing so many of so divers dispositions Use 3 plot against the Church, it is required of us to be the Lords Solicitors and Remembrancers, calling upon him night and day, to be merciful to his Church, to be a buckler about them, to be a Rock of refuge, and a Tower of defence to those that be his. Wherefore, as at all times we ought to be mindful of the flourishing estate and welfare of the Church, so especially when we see enemies of such nature & disposition to increase, it standeth us upon to be mindful of the Lord, and to give him no rest, Till he repair, and until he set up jerusalem the praise of the world, Esay 62, 6, 7.  
This we see to be practised by the Prophet David, in the 64. Psalm, verses 1, 2. where he prayeth against the fury of his enemies: Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer, preserve my life from fear of the enemy: hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, and from the rage of the worker of iniquity. This also was put in practice by jehoshaphat and Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 20, verse 3. and chap. 32. verses 7, 8. seeing the multitude of their enemies, and acknowledging their own weakness, not able to deliver or help themselves, or to save others; the Children being come to the birth, and there was no strength to bring forth; they called upon the Lord, set themselves to seek him with all their hearts, and proclaimed a solemn Fast to be kept throughout the land. So when we see the enemies consult and talk together, and take crafty counsel against the servants of God, and against his truth, than it s high time to join with pure hearts in prayer to Almighty God, to protect his people, to turn the wisdom of his enemies into foolishness, Psalm 83. verses 13, 14, 15, 16. O my God, make them like unto a wheel, and as the stubble before the wind: as the fire burneth the Forest, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire, so persecute them with thy Tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm: Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever, yea, let them be put to shame, and perish.  
Lastly, seeing there is a league and confederacy Use 4 amongst the wicked conspiring together, notwithstanding their own contentions at home, let us not stand in their ways, let us not walk in their paths, let us not be partakers of their counsels, lest we be partakers also with them in their punishments. Albeit they agree as brethren in evil, we must take heed we have no fellowship and familiarity with them. This is it which Solomon teacheth, Prou. 1, 10, 11, 15. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not: if they shall say, Come unto us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us freely hide ourselves against the innocent: My son, walk not in the same way with them, draw back thy foot from their path. We are by the corruption of our own nature prone to evil: Now if beside the inward inclination of the heart, there be an outward tentation and allurement, we are carried unto evil as a violent stream, or as the horse that rusheth into the battle. Many have dashed themselves into pieces against this rock of offence. Wherhfore, although we hear their words, we must not follow their deeds. Let us not have our ears open to such seducers, but stop them (as the Adder) when they seek to draw us into their counsels and practices. This is that which jacob speaketh, Genes. 49, 5, 6. Simeon and Levi Brethren in evil, the instruments of cruelty are in their habitations, into their counsel let not my soul come, my glory be not thou joined with their assembly, for in their wrath they slew a man, & in their self will they digged down a wall.  
[Verse 5. He sent Messengers to Balaam the son of Beor to call him, saying, Behold there is a people come out of Egypt.] Mark here the resolution and determination of the Moabites, confederate with the Midianites in their distress, fearing Israel, and perceiving themselves not able to meet them in the field. They do not seek the Lord in their trouble, but they send out to an old witch, & to a notable Sorcerer. Hereby we see, that it hath been the usual practice and custom of the wicked in their crosses, 
Doctrine. Wicked men in trouble resort to witches.  troubles, and perplexities (seeing no other help) to repair and resort to witches and sorcerers. I say, evil men in dangers and distresses amongst other unlawful means, use to go to conjurers and cunning men, which are very witches and wizards. This we see in the example of Saul, when the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by urim, nor yet by the Prophets; and when the Philistims assembled themselves, & pressed sore upon him, he sought to the witch at Endor, which had a familiar Spirit, & raised up the devil in the likeness of Samuel. The like is approved unto us by the practice of Amaziah King of Israel, in the second book of the Kings, the first chapter and the second verse: When he was fallen through the Lattice window in his upper Chamber which was in Samaria, and thereof grew sick unto the death, he directed Messengers to go and inquire of Baallzebub the god of Ekron, whether he should recover of this his disease.  
So did Haman likewise, an enemy of the jews, and one of the race of the Amalekites, thirsting after the blood of Mordecai, and the destruction of the whole Church, dealt by Sorcery for to effect his intended purpose, Ester chap. 3, verse 7. And cast Pur, that is, a Lot; to know when he might have a lucky and prosperous time to enterprise this business.  
Moreover, it is noted by the Prophet, that when Nabuchadnezzar King of Babel was come out of his kingdom with a mighty host, and stood at the parting of the way, doubting unto what place he should go, whether against the Ammonites, or against the Tribe of judah, as in the one and twentieth chapter of Ezekiel, and the eleventh verse, He consulted by Divination, and made his Arrows bright, he consulted with Idols, and looked in the Liver. Hereunto cometh the threatening denounced against the Egyptians by the Prophet Esay, in chapt. 19 verses 3, 4. The spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of her, and I will destroy their counsel, and they shall seek at the Idols, and at the Sorcerers, and of them that have spirits of Divination, and at the Soothsayers, And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of cruel Lords, and a mighty King shall rule over them, saith the Lord God of hosts. Thus we see it was very usual with the wicked, when they saw no other help at hand, to seek unto witches, and to resort unto enchanters.  
The Reasons hereof are these: first, 
Reaso●  because they want Faith and belief in God, they trust not in him, they look not for salvation from him, they dare not repose their confidence in him. This we see in Saul, when he had once forsaken God in breaking his commandment by sparing the Amalekites, in offering sacrifice, in killing the Priests, in persecuting the Saints, in refusing to consult with God as a needless thing, and proceeding from one degree of wickedness to another; in the end he said unto his servants, 1. Sam. chap. 28. verse 3. Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and ask of her. This is that reason which the Spirit of God pointeth out in the first book of the Chronicles, and the tenth chapter, Saul died for his transgression that he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord which he kept not, and in that he sought and asked counsel of a familiar spirit, and asked not of the Lord, therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Ishai.  
True it is, we read in the first of Samuel, chapter 28. verse 6. that he asked counsel of the Lord: and here we hear he asked not counsel of the Lord: these are not repugnant and contrary one to another, no more than these words, in the eleventh Chapter of S. Matthew, and the fourteenth verse, john Baptist is Elias, and john Baptist is not Elias. Christ said of john Baptist, This is Elias. john Baptist said of himself, I am not Elias, john 1, 21. Notwithstanding, here is no contradiction: for Christ understood it one way, & john another. Christ meant he was Elias in spirit, Luke 1, 17. as coming in the spirit and power of Elias. john meant he was not Elias in person, which the pharisees thought and imagined. So these words seem contrary in show, but are not in substance, and in deed: In deed he asked of the Lord, but not in faith, nor with a purpose to cast himself upon God but in hypocrisy, and with resolution to go to the witch. As Ahab consulted with the Prophet of the Lord, 
〈◊〉. ●2, 15.  but he was before determined what he would do, whatsoever the Prophet should say. Wherefore, that which was not done rightly and religiously, is as it were not done at all, as the Apostle, speaking of unreverent coming to the Lords Table, saith, This is not to eat the Lords Supper, 1 Cor. 11, 20. Where he denieth that absolutely, which many did corruptly.  
Again, no marvel if the wicked forsake God in their troubles, 
〈◊〉 2.  betake themselves to Sorcerers and Wizards, which are the enemies of God, seeing sorcery is the invention of the devil, and a manifest work of the flesh. If then it came from the father of lies, and be a fruit of our own corrupt nature, it is not strange or to be wondered at, that carnal and corrupt men give themselves over to this practice. This the Apostle teacheth, Gal. 5, 19, 20. The works of the flesh are manifest, which are, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, and such like. Seeing therefore evil men want faith, joining to God, purifying the heart, working by love, & making up the marriage between God & our souls; and seeing witchcraft is a work of the flesh, it is natural to natural men, in their distresses to use unlawful means, as charming, figure-casting, and such curious acts and arts as are wrought by the device of the devil.  
Now let us make use of this Doctrine. First, Use 1 this condemneth the common custom and practice of the people in our days, who when the hand of God is any way on them or theirs, when they be strangely visited, or their children grievously afflicted, or their Cattle either lost or languish with any extraordinary disease (at which time especially they should acknowledge Gods overruling and overswaying providence, that not a silly Sparrow falleth to the ground without the will of our heavenly Father) by and by they send out to that cunning man, or that cunning woman, & so forget God that made them. These men will not tarry the Lords leisure, nor wait upon his mercy for ease and comfort, they will have present help, or else they will run to the devil, resort to witches, and fetch health out of hell itself. This is the folly and vanity of such as know not God, neither acknowledge that all things are disposed according to his purpose and good pleasure. Let us beware of this sin which is a forsaking of the true God, a renouncing of help from his holy place, and an entertainment of familiarity with the devil, which is the very height and top of all iniquity. This the Lord himself teacheth, levit. 20, 6, 7. If any turn after such as work with spirits, and after soothsayers, to go a whoring after them, then will I set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people: Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Now what a foul shame and reproach is it for those who profess jesus Christ, & have solemnly vowed in baptism to renounce the devil, and the works of the devil, yet in their trials and temptations to consult with the devil, to abjure the Lord of life, and to resort to witches and wizards, the very instruments of the devil, than which, nothing can be imagined more horrible? Let us therefore all take heed of this practice; let us beware of all compact and society with the devil: let such as hate it, learn yet more to hate it, and fly further from it; and such as have followed this way, and followed after these abominations, crave pardon of God, and confess their own wickedness.  
Secondly, acknowledge hereby the difference Use 2 between the godly and the ungodly. So soon as the sons and daughters of God are smitten, they cast their care on God, and quiet their hearts in his will. They turn unto God by true and unfeigned repentance, and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life. They believe in God, and trust in him for help: they say unto him, Thou art my salvation. As for the ungodly, when they are visited with any judgement, & are punished in soul, or body, or goods, or children, or servants, or cattle, they do imagine that they are hurt by witches, and presently challenge and charge some one or other of witchcraft: then by and by they send out without delay, for fear lest they should come too late, to some cunning man, in whom they repose all their confidence, and so they make the devil their God.  
Furthermore, this is their common practice, to foretell things to come, by chattering of Birds, by crying of Ravens, by turning down of Salt, by having a Hare cross him in the way, by sudden bleeding, and such like, which are accounted unlucky and ominous signs. Thus doth the devil craftily creep, and cunningly convey himself into the ignorant minds of unbelieving people, by making them retain the remnants of the old superstition, when he cannot prevail to bring in the devilish divination, practised in former times. Therefore the Lord saith by Moses, Deut. 18, 10, 11.12. Let none be found among you that useth witchcraft, etc. This also the Prophet reproveth, Esay 8, 19, 20. The children of God must in all their afflictions ask counsel of God by his word, and by his Ministers. They do not wait upon lying vanity, nor forsake the mercy of God. They say, Though the Lord would kill me, yet will I trust in him, job 13, 15. Though they be brought to the gates of hell, they will not cease to depend upon him.  
Thirdly, we learn in all our dangers to Use 3 seek comfort at God's hand, while he may be found. This is the use that we ought to make of all our troubles and tribulations, thereby to be drawn and driven nearer unto God, & unto his word, and to stoop down under his mighty hand. This humiliation we see in job, he did not seek to Gods sworn enemies for help, he sought not to cunning men and women, he did not ask counsel of Conjurers, he knew he must seek to the Lord, and lift his eyes to him that had made the wound, saying; The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken, blessed be the Name of the Lord. job 1, 21. We must not therefore renounce the Lord in the day of our calamities, but cleave unto him with full purpose of heart. Let us say with the Prophet, Why art thou cast down my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Wait on God, for I will yet give him thanks: he is my present help, and my God. Psalm. 42, 5, 11, and 43, 5. Wherefore, if it be the practice of the wicked in their troubles to seek to the devil; let us on the other side go unto God, Who killeth & maketh alive, who woundeth and maketh whole, who bringeth low, and exalteth: neither is there any that can deliver out of his hand. Deut. 32, 39 1 Sam. 2, 6. Let us make the word of God our chief stay and comfort. This was the practice of the Prophet David, Psal. 119; 29. Except thy Law had been my delight, I should now have perished in mine affliction. And this is the end for which the Scriptures were penned by the Prophets and Apostles, that in our distresses we should not be left destitute, as the Apostle declareth, Roman. 15, 4. Whatsoever things are written afore time, are written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of Scriptures might have hope. Though God for a small season bring troubles upon his dearest servants, yet he will not always keep them in heaviness, he will return again in compassion at his appointed time. For he endureth but a while in his anger, but in his favour is life: weeping may abide at Evening, but joy cometh in the Morning. Psalm. 30, 5. So then, afflictions shall not always clasp and compass the loins of the godly; the days and years, the hours and months of their sorrows are numbered and determined. And albeit we, as evil measurers of times & seasons, do judge every hour a day, and every day be reckoned with us a year of affliction; yet if we had wise hearts to number our days aright, either in respect of God's eternity, or in respect of the due desert of our sins, or in respect of the glory of immortality reserved for us in the heavens, it would make us rest in God, and to possess our souls with patience, & to consider whatsoever our crosses and losses are, yet he is able to recompense them another way, and render them an hundred sold into our bosoms. This we see in the example of job, before remembered, upon whom the Apostle james willeth us to look, saying; Take my brethren, the Prophets for an example of suffering adversity, and of long patience, 
jam 5, 10, 11.  which have spoken in the Name of the Lord: Ye have heard of the patience of job, & have known what end the Lord made: For the Lord is very pitiful and merciful. For albeit he did drink deeply of the cup of afflictions, & God for a season did hide his face from him; yet with everlasting mercy he had compassion upon him, his substance was increased, his cattle were doubled, other sons & daughters were granted, his honour was augmented, and his days were prolonged upon the earth. The like mercy of God we see in the words of the Prophet to Amaziah; he had hired Israelitish soldiers for an hundred Talents of silver, he was commanded to dismiss and cashier them, 2 Chron. 25, 9 Because the Lord was not with Israel, nor with all the house of Ephraim. Then the King said to the man of God, What shall we do then for the hundredth Talents which I have given to the host of Israel? Then the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee more than this. This is that which Christ assureth, when he saith to his Disciples, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath forsaken house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 
Mar. 10, ●  or wife, or children, or lands for my sake and the Gospels, but he shall receive an hundred fold now at this present; houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, & in the world to come, eternal life. Let us then be patiented in our troubles and losses that are sent upon us: let us not seek to restore them and recover out of them by unlawful means, and running to witches: if we depend upon God, we shall not need to be troubled with these worldly respects, he will give us all things necessary, and is able to restore more than he hath taken from us.  
Lastly, 
Use  this Doctrine teacheth us the reason why wicked men do not prosper, but seeking comfort from conjurers and cunning men, are more tormented, even because they forsake the Lord, and seek help where no help is to be had. This appeareth in the examples of Saul and Amaziah, they sought to witches, but they found not that which they sought for. The devil was a murderer from the beginning, is he now become an helper? He was an enemy to mankind, is he now made a well-willer unto them? He was an adversary, is he now reconciled unto us? Nay, he is to be feared, not only when he ladeth us with sorrows, and laboureth to draw us to despair, but much more when he offereth us his gifts, and pretendeth friendship toward us. And albeit he sometimes speak the truth, and reach out his hand to help us, it is but to deceive and delude us, and to clasp us the faster in both his arms. For as God hath his word & sacraments instituted for the comfort and consolation of his Church; so the devil hath also his means and ways to train up his disciples: he useth certain charms and characters, certain spells and enchantments, which are as it were Satan's sacraments. All these have no power or force at all, unless we believe strongly and steadfastly that they can do us good. As than God requireth faith toward him, so doth the devil require a sound belief in these toys and trumpery, otherwise they are not available. This the very heathen confess, as appeareth in Pliny, 
〈◊〉 ●ist. 〈…〉.  that no charms or enchantments can work any cure without belief. But this faith is a false faith, and no better than the service of the devil; as the believing in God, is a principal part of the worship of God. For we must believe nothing, we must trust in nothing, we must depend upon nothing, against the direct and express word of God: if we do, we enter into a covenant with the devil, and offer sacrifice unto him, which is an abomination against God.  
[Verse 6. For I know that he whom thou blessest, is blessed, and he whom thou cursest, shall be cursed.] These words show the great confidence they have in him. It doth not appear that they were spoken to flatter him, or uttered to him otherwise then they thought of him, as Origen supposeth; but are as a reason rendered to induce him to come unto them, because their trust & affiance was set upon him, and they had made him their only refuge in their trouble. Indeed this is peculiar and proper to God alone to be able to bless & curse, to save and to condemn, to bind & to lose, as we have the like speech of the Lord to Abraham, Gen 12, 3. I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee, and thou shalt be a blessing. This is most truly spoken of God, which they vainly boast of Balaam, who could do nothing against his people, yet they rest and rely upon him. This was a weak and devilish means, thinking to curse the Israelites, and so to prevail against them: yet see what hope they had in him, and how they repose themselves upon this frail and foolish, this wicked and unlawful means. Hereby we learn the vanity and folly of evil men, 
〈…〉 rest 〈…〉  resting upon most vain things which cannot help them, they trust to a broken Reed, they stay upon an arm of flesh. The wicked enter into lewd and licentious practices, grounding themselves upon weak and vain means that will deceive them. Thus God upbraideth oftentimes the confidence of the jews in their vain Idols, Let them rise up and help you, let them be your refuge: Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen, let them save you in the time of your tribulation. Deut. 32, 37, 38. judg. 10, 14. So the Philistims gloried and boasted in their great Captain and Champion Goliath, 1 Sam. 17, 10, triumphing upon his strength, insulting over the servants of Saul, reproaching the childhood of David, and defying the host of Israel So the Aramites were proud & confident in their army, resting upon weak means, glorying that the dust of Samaria should not be enough for his host to take every man an handful, and blaspheming with open mouth, that God was the God of the Mountains and not of the Valleys. 1 King. 20, 10, 23. All these examples teach the vanity of proud flesh, resting on weak and deceivable means, that cannot profit or prosper.  
And no marvel if vain men rest upon Reason 1 vain things, and build upon a sandy foundation, because the GOD of this world hath blinded their minds, that the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the Image of GOD, should not shine unto them. 2 Cor. 4, 4. Though the Sun shine never so bright and clearly, yet if the eyes be closed, a man cannot see the light thereof. So when Satan worketh strongly in the children of disobedience, he prevaileth so far with them, that they glory in their own shame, fortify themselves with weakness, and build their house upon the sand.  
Again, they want true faith in God's promises, Reason 2 to make him their stay & staff to lean upon: for all have not faith (as the Apostle teacheth, 2 Thess. 3, 2.) to rely and rest with confidence upon him. Hence it is, that some trust in Horses and Chariots, some in the strength and multitude of men, some in Princes and Potentates of the world, but never look to the Holy one of Israel. So then, whether we consider the illusion of the devil in blinding, or the want of faith in staying men, we may conclude the former Doctrine, offered to our considerations in the vain confidence of the Moabites and Midianites, that vanity is exalted among the sons of men, that they rest upon a broken hope, and trust in vain things, to their own confusion and destruction.  
The uses of this Doctrine are many. First, observe the difference between the stay of Use 1 the godly, and the hope of the ungodly. The righteous man resteth on God, he maketh him his refuge, he fasteneth his hart on things that the eye seethe not, and trusteth not in any carnal means which are deceitful: but the ungodly (being of the world) rely on worldly means, and put their confidence in an arm of flesh. This difference David acknowledgeth and setteth down, Psal. 20, 7, 8. Some trust in Chariots, and some in Horses, but we will remember the Name of God our Lord: They are brought down and fallen, but we are risen & stand upright. Where the Prophet declareth the divers practices of the men of this world, & the children of God which are not of this world, and showeth the issue of them both. The godly shall stand upright, and abide unmovable as a Rock, but the other shall fall to the ground, and vanish as a shadow. The godly grow strong, and their defence is sure: albeit many oppose themselves against them, and intent mischief to overthrow them, yet still they rest in God, and remain undaunted, and therefore shall prevail in the end: whereas worldlings that put not their trust in God, but in the things which they behold with a fleshly eye (which are temporal) deceive themselves, and all their hope shall perish.  
Secondly, let us mark the certainty of the Use 2 destruction of carnal men, concluded with God. For if their confidence be weak, and all their hope and expectation vain wherein they trust, then let them not think to escape, when they promise unto themselves peace and security; 
job 8, 14.  suddenly the day of vengeance cometh, and shall light upon them, and all their trust shall be as the Spider's web, which albeit to day it be builded aloft, yet to morrow it is swept away. For they lean on a broken staff of wood, which not only cannot help, but the shivers run into their hand, and wound it. 2 Kings 18, 21. jer. 17, 5, and 49, 16.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us learn this duty, not to depend on vain things, as riches, friends, honours, and policies, but on God, which is unchangeable & unmovable, and let us resign up ourselves into his hands. This the Prophet urgeth and exhorteth unto in many places, Psal. 62, 8, 9, 10, & 118, 8, 9, and 146, 3, 4. True it is, we are not to refuse good means offered and afforded of God unto us, but are bound to use them as blessings and instruments by which he will help us; for than we trust not in the creature, but in the Creator himself, in whom only we must confess, is the power to help. It is a great cause why God oftentimes blesseth not good means when we trust in them, rob God of his glory, and do not wait for a blessing at his hands. This causeth the Lord to cross us, & to curse his own benefits, because we seek not him, but sacrifice to our own Nets, Hab. 1, 15, 16, & burn Incense to our own yarn, we put our confidence in the outward means, sometimes in Princes, sometimes in policies, sometimes in men, sometimes in Mountains, forsaking God; and therefore when we hope for help by them, God bloweth upon them, and turneth them to our hurt and destruction. Asa King of judah, Being diseased in his feet, sought not the Lord in his disease, but trusted in the Physicians, 2 Chron. 16, 12, & therefore they could do him no good. The rich man in the Gospel, that said to his soul, Luke 12, 19, 20, 21. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, live at ease, eat, drink, and take thy pastime, received this answer, O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee: than whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that gathereth riches to himself, and is not rich in God. Wherefore it standeth us upon, to call upon God, to give a blessing upon his own helps and means given unto us: otherwise, though we have all helps in our own hands to defend ourselves, 
Nah. 3, 8, 9, 10  and offend the enemy, fenced by the Sea, fortified by Ships, blessed by Princes, backed with friends, stored with munitions, aided with confederates, and armed with multitudes of men; yet must our comfort, affiance, and confidence be in the Lord alone. Hereunto cometh that which the Prophet Esay saith, chap. 31, 3. The Egyptians are men, and not God: and their horses, flesh, and not spirit: and when the Lord shall stretch out his hand, the helper shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall, and they shall altogether fail.  
[Verse 7. And the Elders of Moab and of Midian departed, having the reward of the soothsaying in their hand.] In these words note the policy of the wicked, they lay a bait before him to catch him, and carry not their hands empty, which was a great trial and tentation to a man of his humour, and one of the devils hungry Chaplains. For albeit Wizards and Conjurers, and such as are counted cunning men and women, offer to help others to money, and to enrich them with treasures; yet live most commonly basely and beggarly themselves. Take a view of Witches and Conjurers, that sell their souls to the devil, and receive his mark as the badge of their profession, and behold how wretchedly and miserably they live above all others, in a poor and simple estate, glorying to be able to stand others in stead, but not enabled to help themselves. Wherefore, these leaguers knowing the disposition of Balaam, carry their reward and his wages with them, to make him to assent to them, and to grant their petition. This teacheth, 
Doctr●● gain 〈◊〉 are a d●rou● te●  That gain and rewards are a great tentation to attempt evil actions. Man (I say) is of himself prone to wickedness, but when gain is offered, and gifts are given, they are a powerful means to deceive and corrupt the conscience. The devil being by long experience privy to our corruption, and knowing how effectual bribes and rewards are to draw men to sin, laid his bait before Christ, and offered all the Kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them if he would fall down and worship him. Mat. 4, 8, 9 So when he entered into judas, and filled him full of all iniquity, he prevailed this way with him, to sell his Master for money, & to betray him into the hands of sinners, saying; What will ye give me, 
Math. ●  and I will deliver him unto you? This prevailed in Lot; he forsook Abraham, dwelled in Sodom, 
Gen. 1●  was carried away with earthly commodities, and smarted for it. This the Apostle noteth to have been the cause that Demas fell from the truth, Because he embraced this present world, forgetting that the amity of the world, is the enmity of God, insomuch that whosoever will be a friend of the world, maketh himself the enemy of God. 2 Tim. 4, 10. jam. 4, 4. This also our Saviour declareth by the Parable of the rich man, Luke 14, 16. who sent out his messengers and bad his guests, who refused to come, pretending sundry excuses; one said, I have bought five yoke of Oxen, and I go to prove them, I pray thee have me excused: another said, I have bought a Farm, and I must needs go out and see it, I pray thee have me excused: showing hereby, that the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the commodities of this life are lets and pull-backes from embracing the Gospel.  
The Reasons of this truth are very apparent. 
Reas●  First, the profits and pleasures of this present life, are as rank thorns that choke the precious and immortal seed of the word of God, that it cannot grow up in our hearts. For when once they are received into the soul, they choke the truth of God, and give a check to the Spirit of God. These two can never lodge together, so fast as one springs, the other withereth. This our Saviour teacheth in the Parable of the Sour, where he saith, The seed is of the word of God; that which fell among thorns, are they which have heard, and after their departure, are choked with cares, and with riches, and voluptuous living, and bring forth no fruit, Lu. 8, 11, 14. This caused the Prophet to pray unto God, to incline his heart unto his Testimonies, and not to covetousness. Psal. 119, 39  
Secondly, gifts and rewards put out the eyes of those that saw clearly before, 
●s●● 2.  and stop the ears of those that could hear before, and shutteth up the mouth of those that could speak before. If then the receiving of bribes, and taking of gifts, be a setting of justice to sale, if they have force to pervert and corrupt, not only such as are lewd and lime-fingred to draw presents unto themselves, but the wise and righteous: then we must acknowledge them to be dangerous temptations, laid before us of Satan to surprise us by his wiliness. This Moses teacheth the judges and Officers which were to be chosen in the●r Cities: Thou shalt not wrest the Law, nor have regard of persons: Thou shalt not take any reward: for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. Deut. 16, 19 Neither let them say, though I take rewards, I will never serve from justice, for that is to presume vainly of thine own strength, and to give the Spirit of God the lie, that speaketh the contrary.  
Let us proceed to the uses of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, this teacheth us, not to love the world, nor the things of the world, but to beware we be not deluded by the glittering show of this earthly vanity. Take heed of cares and covetousness, which is an immoderate desire of getting & enjoying the wealth of this world. For it stealeth away the heart of man from God and godliness, and maketh him bend the whole course of his life on earthly pleasures. This is the common sickness and disease of this age wherein we live. For give me one among many, that is not overcome with the pleasures of sin, and the profits of the world? It stealeth on such as have sanctified affections, and have escaped out of the filthiness of the world, through the acknowledging of the Lord, and seeketh to overcome them. It is so deceitful and dangerous a sin, that it hath greatly assaulted, and fearfully overcome them after their calling to the truth, and profession of the glorious Gospel of Christ our Saviour, and after they have begun to make some conscience of their life and conversation. Nay, such as before their calling and conversation felt no such desires and cares, now begin to be pressed, cumbered, and tempted with them. For as Satan by all means seeketh whom he may devour, 
〈…〉  and how he may hinder the repentance of sinners, so when he cannot any longer hold men in horrible sins of Idolatry, Blasphemy, Adultery, and contempt of GOD, then like a wily and subtle serpent, he creepeth in another way before we can espy him: then he suffereth us to hate evil company, surfeiting, drunkenness, riot, and excess, but he driveth to another extremity, and possesseth us with distrustful cares, and immoderate thoughts of this world, to desire greedily, to seek continually, to keep wretchedly, and to departed heavily from the vain and momentany things that perish with the use. And as this is a secret and subtle sin (albeit deeply rooted, yet hardly espied) so is it seldom cured and recovered, because men do not much consider of it & regard it, but please and flatter themselves in it. If we would willingly attain to our former estate, and see the danger of this disease, consider the vanity and uncertainty of all worldly things; compare them with spiritual blessings, and they are as dung and dirt matched with gold and silver: acknowledge that nothing is more unseemly for those whose conversation should be in heaven, then to be plodding upon the earth, & wallowing in the puddle of profane pleasures. Therefore the Apostle john saith, Love not the world, neither the things that are in this world, etc. joh. 2, 15, 16, 17. Hereunto cometh the counsel of Paul, 1 Tim. 6.17, 18, 19  
Secondly, seeing gifts and rewards offered, Use 2 be as a bait laid up to entrap the soul, let us refuse them, and not hunt after them as the manner of some is. Therefore the Prophet said to his servant, detesting his covetous mind, Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments, and Olives, and Vineyards, and Sheep, 
2 Kings 5, 26  and Oxen, and men servants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and to thy seed for ever. So when Simon the Sorcerer offered to the Apostles money, to have power to bestow the gifts of the holy Ghost, Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou thinkest that the gift of God may be obtained with money. Acts 8, 20. Likewise when the King of Babylon offered unto Daniel, garments of purple, and a chain of gold, for the interpretation of his dream, he would not sell the gift of God, but said, Keep thy rewards to thyself, and give thy gifts to another, to one of thy enchanters, that set to sale their superstitions. Dan. 5, 17. So then the servants of God must always aim at, and seek the glory of God, and their daily prayer must be, That he would give them clean hands and a pure heart Psal. 24, 4. They must not rashly gape after gain, but follow the duties of their calling, with a single and sincere affection, knowing That their labours shall not be in vain in the Lord, and that they have a reward laid up for them in the heavens. This was it that Moses looked after when he was come to age, refusing the alliance of the King, 
Heb. 11.25, 26  partaking with the adversity of the Church, and esteeming the rebuke of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense of the reward. It is enough for us that we shall be glorified, albeit we be not rewarded at the hands of men.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us follow after the best gifts which may further the salvation of the soul. Those indeed are good gifts, that make the possessors of them better. This duty the Apostle declareth, 1 Tim. 6, 9, 11. They that will be rich, fall into temptations and snares, and into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction: But thou, O man of God, fly these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness faith, love, patience and meekness. The things of this life are common to the godly and ungodly, nay, oftentimes the ungodly have the greater share and portion in them: let us therefore labour after those graces that accompany salvation. Let us lay up our treasure in heaven, Where neither the Moth nor Canker corrupteth, and where thieves neither dig through, nor steal. Mat. 6, 20. These gifts in the day of trouble, and in the hour of tentation shall minister more comfort and more true peace unto us, than all earthly and transitory things, which end in corruption. But a lass, if it were possible for us to gain the whole world, what should it avail or advantage us, 
Math. 16, 26.  and afterward lose our own souls? Or what comfort can we take in our riches and possessions, when it shall be said, Thou fool, this night shall they fetch away thy soul from thee, than whose shall all these be that thou hast gathered? For so shall it fall out to all those that are rich, but not in God. Luk. 12, 20, 21. So then, let us learn to trust in the living God, and not in uncertain riches: let us cast all our care upon him that hath cared for us: And let us first of all seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things shall be cast upon us. Mat 6, 32.  
Lastly, let us learn to bear the yoke of poverty with patience. If we want this world's goods, let us not be discouraged. God oftentimes recompenseth the want of earthly blessings, with great abundance of heavenly graces, Making the poor of this world, rich in faith, and such as have nothing to inherit, to be heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him. jam. 2, 5. This Christ declareth in the Epistle which he commanded john to write to the Church of the Smyrnians, I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich. Revel 2.9. He maketh them rich in knowledge, in faith, in obedience, and joy in the holy Ghost. He blesseth them with inward comfort, and with peace of conscience that passeth all understanding. He giveth them patience in troubles, meekness of spirit, and an holy contentation, to sustain the weight of their affliction. And albeit they bear a grievous burden, yet he hath eased them of a greater, (to wit) the burden of their sin, which in Christ they feel to be lightened and remitted. This the Apostle testifieth, 2 Cor. 6, 10. We are as dying, and yet behold we live, etc. Hereunto acords the witness of Peter, 
Acts 3, 6. 2 Pet. 1, 2.  who albeit he said, Silver and Gold have I none, yet he confesseth, that the Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the acknowledgement of him that hath called us unto glory and virtue. This is that jacob persuaded his own heart, and told to his brother, Gen. 33, 11 God hath showed mercy unto me, and therefore I have all things. Seeing therefore riches are as thorns to choke us, and as snares to deceive us, let us learn to be content with our estate, and not greedily desire that which may turn to our destruction.  
[Verse 9 Then God came to Balaam, saying, etc.] We showed before, that the purpose of Balaam the sorcerer, was to raise up the God of the Hebrews to consult with him, and to entice him to leave the protection of the Israelites, according to the guise and fashion of Conjurers, as we declared before in the sixth conclusion. For when the unbelievers began to lay siege to their enemies, they called forth the god or goddess of that place, to forsake that people, and come unto themselves. Thus did the devil seduce the world, and set up the kingdom of darkness in the children of disobedience. The Infidels indeed thought they dealt with their god, but they had to do with the devil. We see in all histories, 
Herod. 〈◊〉  how carefully they resorted to the Oracle of Apollo, as it were to know the will and pleasure of God in things to come; but a lass (poor souls) they were deluded by the voice of the devil: so that whilst they supposed they asked counsel of one, they received answer of another. Therefore the Apostle Paul saith, These things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not unto God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with the devils. 1 Corinth. 10, 19, 20. Wherefore, when the sorcerers and soothsayers used to call up the protecting god of their enemies, the devils ordinarily used to return them their answer. But in this place, whilst this enchanter goeth about his superstitious practice, (supposing the true God to be like their false gods of other Nations) & so thinketh to bring up the God of the Israelites, God suffereth not the devil to give him answer, but himself preventeth his apparition, & appeareth unto him, both to procure the good of his own people, and to make known his power: to convince the rage and madness of the enemies, and to declare to all the world, the blessed estate of the Church. Hereby than we learn, in that God came unto him, 
Do●● God●●ime 〈…〉 ●keth ●ue●● 〈◊〉 ●me●  and showed him what to do, that God sometimes speaketh to wicked men, and revealeth his will unto them. God (say I) not only teacheth and instructeth his own people, and hath appeared to them by visions and dreams, but hath appeared and made known his will, even to his utter enemies, and to open Idolaters that know him not. Thus he spoke to Cain, Gen. 4, 6, 7, and reproved him for his malice against his brother, exhorting to repentance toward God, and reconciliation toward his brother, and threatening him with destruction if he continued. So he dealt with Abimelech, when he had taken away Sarah from Abraham; God came unto him in a dream by night, and said unto him, Thou art but dead, because of the woman which thou hast taken, for she is a man's wife. Gen. 20, 3. So he did to Laban the Aramite, speaking unto him in a dream by night, and saying; Take heed that thou speak not to jacob, ought save good. Gen. 31, 24. Thus he dealt with Pharaoh King of Egypt, God showed him in a dream what he was about to do, which was a means used of God to deliver joseph out of prison, where the iron entered into his soul; and to provide for his Church in time of famine that was to come Thus he revealed his will to Necho, King of Egypt, God willed him to make war against the Assyrians, and commanded him to make haste: but josiah would have stopped his journey, 
〈◊〉 35, ●●.  and harkened not to the words of Necho which were of the mouth of God. The like we may consider oftentimes in the book of Daniel, when Nabuchadnezzar had dreamt a dream which was not human, but divine, neither of a natural cause, but of a supernatural, wherewith his spirit was troubled, Daniel said unto him, Dan. 2, 28. There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and showeth the King what shall be in the latter days.  
The Reasons are evident. First, to set down his great love and favour to his Children. 
〈◊〉 1.  For as God did show himself in sundry manners, and speak by lively voice to the ungodly, so in all the manifestations of himself unto them, he had respect and reference to his Church, as appeareth in the former examples. Herein therefore appeareth the wonderful love of God to his chosen people, who hath the hearts of all men in his own hands, and turneth them about as pleaseth him. This is that reason which the Prophet pointeth unto, Psal. 105, 13, 14, 15, where speaking of Abraham & his posterity, he saith, Albeit they were few in number, yea very few, and strangers in the Land, and walked about from Nation to Nation, from one Kingdom to another people, yet suffered he no man to do them wrong, but reproved Kings for their sakes; saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm.  
Secondly, it pleaseth God to make himself and his great Name known out of the limits and circuit of the Church, 
〈◊〉 2.  to constrain even the wicked to clear him in his proceed, to acknowledge his judgements to be just and righteous, & to give sentence against themselves. For God is holy in all his ways, and pure in all his works: he causeth their own consciences to be witnesses against them, to accuse and to convince them, inasmuch as they become unthankful, 
〈◊〉 ●. 2●  and do not glorify him as God, who is worthy of all glory, and never leaveth himself without witness, 
Acts 14, 17.  no not among the Infidels.  
Thirdly, he declareth and revealeth himself Reason 3 to Infidels, not because they be worthy, but because by the mouth of the very Infidels, he will strengthen and confirm his children. True it is, the chief and principal means which he useth, is to teach them by his servants the Prophets and Apostles, by Pastors and Teachers, which he hath set in his church: but he will also use the tongues of profane men to his own glory & comfort of his children. This we see evidently showed, judg. 7, 13. When Gideon came to the outside of the host of the enemies. Behold, a man told a dream unto his neighbour, and said, Behold I dreamt a dream, and lo, a cake of Barley-bread tumbled from above into the host of Midian, and came unto a Tent, and smote it that it fell down & was overturned: and his fellow answered, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all his host: When Gideon heard the dream delivered, and the interpretation opened, he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, up, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. Whereby we see, that God made known his purpose to these unbelievers, for the strengthening of gideon's weak faith, and the enabling of him to the work whereunto he was appointed  
The uses follow. First, confess from this Use 1 dealing of God, not only that he is great in ●ion, and high above all the people, but ●hat his Name is great & glorious among his enemies. He reigneth as King, 
Psal. 120.2, 1  not only over his Church, but over all creatures, and he maketh them to acknowledge his greatness, & stoop down under his hand. ●his we see in the Prophet Daniel, chap. 6, 26, 27, by the decree that Darius wrote unto all the people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the world I make a decree, that in all the Dominions of my kingdom, men tremble and fear the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, and remaineth for ever, and his kingdom shall not perish, and his Dominion shall be everlasting: he refuseth and he delivereth he worketh signs and wonders in Heaven and in Earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions. The like confession Nabuchadnezzar maketh before, chap. 3, 32, 33. I thought it good to declare the signs & wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me: How great are his signs, and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his Dominion is from generation to generation.  
Secondly, we see that God leaveth not men Use 2 with out excuse, because he maketh known his truth unto them: they have some means or other offered unto them, to teach them to acknowledge God, and to glorify him whom they have acknowledged, Rom. 1.20.24. So Christ our Saviour speaketh to the obstinate jews, john, chapter fifteen. verse 22. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they should not have had sin, but now have they no cloak nor colour for their sin. Thus was Pilate the judge of jewry convinced in his own conscience of wrongful judgement against Christ, being warned of his wife, to whom God had revealed his innocency, that he was a just man as a Lamb unspotted and undefiled. For the Evangelist Matthew testifieth, that when Pilate was set down on the judgement seat, his wife sent to him, saying; Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream, by reason of him. Mat. 27, 19 This was no mere human or natural dream, 
Eccles. 5, 2.  arising from multitude of business, or proceeding from an evil constitution of the body, or evil digestion of meat, or such like ordinary causes as daily befall us; but it was divine from the special instinct of God, and the inspiration of the Almighty. For as God the Father divers ways approved the innocency of Christ, that it might appear he died not for his own offences, but for ours, & for our redemption: so did God send terror and trouble upon the judges wife in the night season, to discover his hypocrisy, & make him without excuse altogether, in condemning the Innocent, that all the water in the wide sea was not able to wash away the guilt of his sin, much less the water he called for to wash his hands before the multitude, when he said, I am innocent of the blood of this just man, look you to it. Math. 27, 24. The stain of sin soileth the soul, and defileth the conscience, & cannot be washed away with water, which only putteth away the filth of the flesh, and cleanseth the body, but cannot enter any further.  
Thirdly, seeing God hath showed and manifested Use 3 himself to wicked men unworthy of his favour, we may be certain and well assured, that he will never leave his own children destitute of instruction, that call upon his Name. If he deliver his will to his enemies, he will show himself to his friends. If he vouchsafe to instruct such as be strangers, doubtless he will open himself and reveal his secrets to those that be Citizens of his kingdom. If the servant be taught by him, who doth not know what his master doth: he will not pass over his own sons, who shall be heirs of his inheritance that he hath prepared for them that desire the knowledge of his ways. For he will fulfil the desires of them that fear him, he also will hear their cry and will save them, Psalm. 145, 19 Thus did David assure his son Solomon, standing by him when he was going the way of all flesh, If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 1 Chron. 28, 2. & 2 Chron. 15, 2, 3. So when the noble Eunuch repaired to jerusalem, and gave himself to read the Scriptures, that his knowledge might be increased, & the word of God dwell plentifully in him, the Lord sent Philip unto him, 
Acts 8.35.  who joined himself to his Chariot, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Likewise when Cornelius the captain, 
Acts ●  a devout man and one that feared God, had prayed to God for further knowledge, that God who had begun his good work in him, would bring him to perfection: he is directed to send for Peter, who should tell him what he ought to do, verifying the saying of Christ, Math 13, 12, and 25, 29. Unto every man that hath, it shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Would we then know why we are ignorant in the ways of God, weak in faith, bare and barren in the gifts of God? We do not believe the promises of God, offering himself to those that seek him, and opening to those that knock at his gate, neither hunger and thirst after his graces, nor know the want of them in ourselves or others.  
Fourthly, let us follow the example of God, 
Use  and do good to those that are evil. He maketh the Sun to rise upon the evil and the good, he sendeth rain on the just and unjust: so should we do good to all, although especially to the household of faith. Math. 5, 45. Gal. 6, 10. Let not their unworthiness hinder our goodness, but labour that our light may so shine before them, that we may gain them to the faith, & heap coals of fire upon their head. Let us admonish and exhort them with all patience and long-suffering, that they may come out of the snare of the devil, of whom they are holden. Let us preach the Gospel in season and out of season, and 1 Cor. 9.22, take all occasions to win those that are without, that by all means we may save some. What though they be not turned and converted to God by the preaching of the Gospel, & we seem to bestow our labour in vain? Many are enlightened of God, that are not saved; they attain to knowledge, that never grow to faith. We are the sweet savour of God, as well in them that perish, as in them that are saved, to the one we are the savour of life to life, and to the other, the savour of death to death. 2. Cor. 2, 15, 16. And this must serve and suffice to comfort us, and strengthen us, to bear out the heat of the day, & the weight of the burden that lieth upon our shoulders; to consider that howsoever our persons be entertained, & our doctrine received, 
Esay 4●  and our strength be wasted and consumed in vain, yet our judgement is with the Lord, and our work with our God, who will reward us according to our labour.  
Lastly, 
Vs●  seeing GOD maketh known his will and word to wicked and profane men, who are sundry ways enlightened with many gifts of the Spirit: let us not rest in seeking after common gifts, but labour to be partakers of such as are proper to the elect, and do always accompany salvation and eternal life. This is it that the Apostle exhorteth unto, 1. Cor. 14, where mentioning divers gifts of the Spirit, as the gift of knowledge, the working of miracles, the word of wisdom, the power of healing, the discerning of spirits, the diversity of tongues, the interpretation of tongues; all wh●ch are common to all sorts of men both good & bad: he addeth as the use that now we teach & persuade, But desire you the best gifts, and I will show you a more excellent way. 1 Cor. 14, 30, 31. Let us not therefore content ourselves with such knowledge and illumination as the reprobate and ungodly have: but let us covet such as are peculiar and proper to the elect, that we may be the Temples of the holy Ghost, that the Spirit of God may dwell in us, not for a time, but for ever; and dispose our hearts as the owner of the house, and govern it wholly after his own will. Let us labour to feel a certain knowledge of our reconciliation to God in Christ, 
〈◊〉, 3. 〈…〉, 5. 〈◊〉 25. 〈◊〉. 6.  the gifts of regeneration, a dying unto sin, arising up to newness of life, the grace of hearty prayer, comfort in distress, and such like, which the elect of God find in some measure wrought in them. These are infallible notes of election: these are the best gifts that the Apostle urgeth: these are such fruits of the Spirit, as we must delight in, and follow after. If these be in us, & do abound, we shall have that peace of conscience through them that passeth all understanding; if these be not in us, whatsoever knowledge we have beside, though we have tasted of the heavenly gift, been enlightened by the Spirit, been partakers of the holy Ghost, tasted of the good word of God, and received the Gospel with joy: we shall find no more sound comfort in them, than Balaam did in this place by the revelation which he had received from God.   

15 Balak yet sent again more Princes, and more honourable than they.  
16 Who came to Balaam, and said unto him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Be not thou staid I pray thee from coming to me.  
17 For I will promote thee unto great honour, and will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: Come therefore I pray thee, curse for me this people.  
18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.  
19 And now I pray you, tarry ye here also this night, that I may wit what the Lord will say unto me more.  
20 And God came unto Balaam by night, and said unto him, Forasmuch as men are come to call thee, rise up, and go with them, but only what thing I say unto thee, that shalt thou do.  
21 So Balaam rose up early in the Morning, and saddled his Ass, and went with the Princes of Moab.  
Hitherto we have heard the message and sending out to this cunning man, seeking to draw him to come to curse the people. Now followeth the second part of the Chapter, wherein is published, how Balak prevailed with him, by offering him present gifts, and promising to him future honours. And because in the former message, Balaam had rather cunningly delayed, then flatly denied them, and rather craftily alured them, by protracting the time, then withstood them by giving them the repulse, to the end they should buy his cunning the dearer, as well became a man of his trade and occupation; therefore here the Spirit of God proceedeth to declare how the message is continued, the suit renewed, and their purpose obtained. Wherein we are to observe these three things. First, the departure of the Magician with the messengers. Secondly, the anger of God for his departure. Thirdly, the entertainment which Balaam sound at the hands of Balak, when he was come unto him.  
The first part touching the journey of Balaam (having obtained leave, or rather wrung it from God by his importunity) is contained in the words before remembered and recited; wherein behold how the desires of men are kindled & increased by delay, 
Greg. hom. 23.  and give them no rest, until they enjoy the things hoped for. Balak the King, and Balaam the false Prophet, are here described, being pointed and painted out unto us in very lively colours. Balak proud in his Riches, ambitious in his honours, prodigal of his gifts, scorning to receive foil or repulse: On the other side, Balaam base in mind, covetous after money, thirsting after honour, as unwilling to give a denial, as the other to take it. Wherefore, as he sendeth a new embassage, so he employeth more honourable men to credit and countenance the action the better, he furnisheth them with other gifts, he promiseth him in the word of a king to promote him to some place of dignity, and omitteth no human policy to draw him to his lure. The messengers mindful of their charge and commission, and considering the weightiness of the cause, do bend all their wits, and set on work all their cunning to effect the matter committed unto them; they stir him up to be forward, they add great promises of high honours, they allure him with great hope of rich rewards, which were effectual baits to entrap, and indeed the mightiest Rhetoric to persuade, and to prevail with a covetous man.  
This was the Message of the King, thus was the employment of the Messengers: Now let us consider the answer of Balaam, wherein a man at the first sight would think he carried himself most uprightly toward men, and most religiously toward God, like a true-harted man, and a faithful Prophet: he telleth them, If Balak would give him the Riches and revenues of his Kingdom, he cannot go beyond the will of the Lord his God. But all is not Gold that glistereth (as the Proverb teacheth) & sometimes a subtle Serpent lurketh in the green grass. A man would likewise conjecture, 
Whether God were not pleiad with balaam's journey  that when God bade him go with the Messengers, he was pleased with his journey: but the wrath of the Lord was kindled against him for his disobedience and presumption, which was no better than a tempting of God. So in this answer of the Wizard, we are not to consider the outward sound of the words, but the inward purpose and intent of the speaker. For his reply is thus much in effect, as if he had said unto them, Why do you thus solicit and importune me? Do you think it resteth in my will to come, or not to come? Or if I do come, that I can in this case do what I list? Or that the God of Israel is like the gods of the other Nations? He compelleth me to tarry here, he forbiddeth me to go with you, he is stronger than I, and I am constrained to obey him. You know my desire, but it lieth not in my power to curse your enemies, (unless I can charge and charm their God to leave & forsake them,) albeit the King would give me a great reward: What said I, a rich reward? Nay, if he would fill for me this Palace with silver and gold, replenish all his storehouses with treasures, I cannot accomplish mine own purpose, I cannot perform the desire of mine own heart. The God of the Israelites is too powerful and mighty for me, he it is that restraineth me, by whom notwithstanding I must only work in this my business, or else I cannot profit you nor pleasure myself, nor effect my purpose. Nevertheless be not discouraged and discomfited, I am yet in good hope to prevail, and I will yet try him the second time, although before he utterly denied me to go with you.  
This is the sum and effect of balaam's answer, which consisteth of two parts. First, he stayeth them to be advised what to do. Secondly, he granteth their request, to go with them. Touching the staying of them, when he hath excused his former refusal and denial, to go with the former messengers (inasmuch as he could not alter and change the decree of the Lord, whom he saw to overrule him in all this business, he promiseth to try him again, whether he could draw him to stand with them, and to withstand the Israelites. And here again (as before v. 8. 
john 11, 9 ) observe how Bee worketh, not in the open day, and in the light of the Sun, which is the fittest season to work in, 
Gal. 5, 19, 20.  but as Conjurers use to do, he chooseth the night season for his purpose. For as Sorcery is one of the fruits of the flesh, and the work of darkness, and proceedeth from the Prince of darkness: so it fitteth best the children of darkness, & serveth to be practised in the time of the night, according to the saying of him that is the author of life and light, Every man that evil doth, 
john 3, 20, 21.  hateth the light, neither cometh to light, lest his deeds should be reproved: but he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds might be made manifest, that they are wrought according to God. Well, God appeared unto ●im, and made himself known unto him. whatsoever his purpose and intent were, not ●y any force of his sorcery, but for divers and sundry other reasons; first, 
Why appea●● Bolaa● Sorcery  because he would put an hook in his jaws, and a bridle in his mouth, to stop him from cursing Israel. For his whole drift and meaning was to curse them, in the accomplishment whereof, he is hindered and stayed by the appearance of God unto him. Secondly, because he would hinder the devil from giving Balaam an answer, and so deluding him, as in former times he was wont to do, when he was hired and sent unto for such purposes. Thirdly, it serveth greatly for God's glory, to make his Name known even among the Infidels, when they should learn, that he is the God that ruleth and ordereth all things in heaven and earth, that disposeth the counsels of his enemies, and maketh them further the good of his people that depend upon him. Yea, when God saw his covetous humour and wicked heart, that he would not rest in his word, nor obey his commandment given unto him, first by way of an Ironical concession, he biddeth him go, howbeit in his wrath & indignation, but yet reserveth to himself the rule of his tongue, the power of his speech, and the government of all his works, as seemed good in his heavenly wisdom. As if the Lord had said, Forsomuch as the messengers be so importunate with thee, and thou so earnest with me, that thou wilt take no denial, nor rest in my word, nor yield thyself to my charge; go to, go forward, follow thine own course, run on of thine own head: yet will I bridle thy tongue, thou shalt not speak what thou desirest, nor do what thou delightest in, but what pleaseth me. Balaam glad of this answer, and thinking this concession better than a denial, rejoiced in his heart that he had leave, as if there had been some change in God, and told it to the Ambassadors, he prepareth for the journey, sadleth his Ass, and consenteth to go with them, which is the second part of his answer. Here observe with me aga●ne a false finger, most wretchedly dissembling one part of the divine Revelation, imitating therein his master the devil, who in his tentation of Christ, 
Mat. ●● Psal. ●●  and allegation of the Scripture, omitteth a principal part to pervert the meaning of the words, and to draw our Saviour into wickedness. So whereas God had challenged as proper and peculiar to himself, the ordering and disposing of all his affairs, that albeit he had liberty to go, yet his going was with restraint and limitation, that he should speak no more than God should put in his heart: yet the wizard never declareth this to the messengers, which neither pleased him, nor would pleasure them, neither profit him or them. Only he feedeth his own foolish fancy in this, that he was bidden to go, which God before had denied unto him: Now he taketh hold presently on these words, and went with a joyful heart, hoping that in time the same God would suffer him to curse them also. For as God had said at the first, thou shalt not go, yet after said, Go with them: so he supposed, that albeit he had forbidden him to curse the people, yet afterward he hoped to find a change in this, as he thought he had gained in the other, and so conceived a strong imagination, that the Moabites should be fully satisfied, himself plentifully rewarded, and the Israelites miserably cursed and detested. This is the sum and effect of these words: Now let us come to the Doctrines arising out of the same.  
[Verse 16. Be not stayed from coming unto me, for I will promote thee unto great honour.] Consider here the covetousness of this false Prophet. He had received a charge and commandment not to go; yet seeing new regards come with the new messengers, he would not rest in God's former answer. He had beard the will of God, wherein he ought to have rested: but pricked forward with covetousness, and alured with the recompense of reward, he comforteth the men that were sent unto him, to attain their purpose. This the Apostle Peter noteth, describing the false Teachers, which privily brought in damnable heresies, he saith; They forsook the right way, and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, etc. 2 Pet. 2, verse 15. And the Apostle Jude, speaking of such like Teachers as turn the grace of God into wantonness, and bring upon themselves swift damnation, saith, Woe be unto them, for they have followed the way of Cain, 
〈◊〉. 7.  and are cast away by the deceit of balaam's wages, and perish in the gainsaying of Core. See here the force and power of worldly wealth, it is able to set open the gates that are shut up with bars and bolts. And albeit this point hath in part been handled before: yet because it is offered to our considerations again in this place, it is not to be passed over without further meditation. From hence we learn, 
〈…〉 God 〈…〉.  that the love of this world, and the hunting after honour and dignity, preferment and promotion, cause men to make shipwreck of a good conscience, and draw them from observing the laws of God, and from resting in the known will of God. Hereunto cometh the reproof of Reuben, who being called, came not to the battle fought against the Canaanites, neither furthered the work of God that his people had in hand, but had their minds fastened to their riches, and dwelling in a fat and fruitful soil, they set their hearts upon the world; For the divisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart: Why abodest thou among the sheepe-folds, to hear the ●leatings of thy flocks? for the divisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart. judg. 5, 15, 16. The like appeareth in the Prophecies of Haggai, where the people fell to build their own houses, and left the house of the Lord desolate, & therefore the Prophet saith, Is it time for yourselves to dwell in your seeled houses, 
〈…〉  and this house lie waste? What was it that prevailed with our first Parents in the Garden, to entice them from God, and to hearken to the temptations of the devil, 
Gen. 3, 3, 4.  but hoping for honour and advancement in a better condition? This bait was laid before Moses in Pharaohs Court, he was tempted with dignities, alured with delights, provoked with profits: he had laid before him the glory of a kingdom, the pleasures of the Court, and the treasures of Egypt: 
Heb. 11, 24.25, 26.  yet he preferred the suffering of adversity, the shame of the Cross, the fellowship and communion of Saints, that so he might be received into the bosom of the Church. Thus we see, that the love of the world. & the things of this world, drew this Sorcerer away from upright & just dealing If honour had been offered unto him alone, or riches alone, if they had come severally unto him, they had been of great force; but coming jointly together, and rushing upon him as an armed man, they are more forcible and powerful to prevail with him.  
The Reasons are to be wisely weighed of Reason 1 us, to gain our affections to embrace the Doctrine before delivered. First, the setting of the heart upon the love of riches, is the beginning of all evils, and the fountain from whence sundry mischiefs do proceed, & is available to draw from all good, into all evil. This the Apostle urgeth, 1 Tim. 6, 9, 10. They that will be rich, fall into temptations and snares, and into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction: for the desire of money is the root of all evil, which while some lusted after, they erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Where Paul teacheth, That there is no evil which covetousness cannot bring forth. It is a monster of many heads, and a fruitful mother of many bad children. From hence oftentimes come hatred, contention, envy, unthankfulness, treasons, treacheries, perjury, poisoning, deceit, cozenage, oppression, and what not? It bringeth in, as a violent stream, contempt of God, & it turneth God into an abominable Idol. It worketh a wretched trust in earthly possessions & treasures, more than in the living God. It is a bottomless pit of all iniquity.  
Secondly, there is a contrariety between Reason 2 God and the world, and they draw contrary ways, there is no affinity or agreement between them. This Christ our Saviour setteth down, No man can serve two masters, for either he shall hate the one, and love the other, or else he shall lean to the one, and despise the other, ye cannot serve God and riches. Mat. 6, 24. Hereunto cometh the exhortation of the Apostle john, 1 john 2, 15.  
The uses are now to be thought and entered Use 1 upon. First, consider from hence the dangerous estate of the men of this world how hard it is for them to enjoy eternal life and to enter into the kingdom of heaven See therefore, how riches are often reserved to the hurt of the possessors, & wrack of the owners thereof. Many seeking to enrich themselves, and to scrape much together for th●● posterities, do lose the favour of GOD, the quiet peace of a good conscience, and heap to themselves wrath against the day of wrath. This the Apostle james leadeth us to consider, Chap. 5, 1.2, 3. Go too now ye rich men: Weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you: your riches are corrupt, and your Garments are motheaten, your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire: ye have heaped up treasures for the last days. If therefore outward things pull away from God, & hinder the duties of godliness, then assuredly men whose heart is glued unto them, and governed by them (they being made their chief treasures, and the god of their hope) cannot yield to the power of godliness, but by a special and extraordinary work of God in their hearts.  
True it is, they may hold the profession, they may receive baptism, they may partake of the Lords Supper, they may hear y word, they may hold salvation by Christ alone; yet unless they feel a peculiar sanctifying grace of God's Spirit, they shall find an hard entrance into life, and the way leading unto the kingdom of heaven, hedged & stopped up. This our Saviour teacheth his disciples, upon the occasion of the young man's sorrowful departure from him, having great possessions, Matth. 19, 23, 24. Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of heaven: It is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a Needle, then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Wherefore, it behoveth all rich men that have this worlds good to pray unto God (being compassed with such dangers, and clogged with such cares) to govern them by his Spirit, and to preserve them, that they be not overcome with the temptations of the world, and to teach them what it is to abound, Phil. 4, 12. which is far harder to know and practise, then to learn what it is to want.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing honours and riches choke good things, follow not them that walk that way, and be not drawn away by the evil examples of others, but follow the examples of the godly, according to the exhortation of the Apostle Phil. 3, 17, 18, 19 Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is damnation, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, which mind earthly things. Hereupon followeth the use before remembered; Brethren, be followers of me, and look on them which walk so, as ye have us for an ensample. How many be there in the Church, that live of the Gospel, and therefore in reason s●ould preach the Gospel, who corrupt their own consciences, and wound their own souls by hunting after promotion and dignity, who for money sell their master with judas and are carried away af●er the wages of iniquity with Balaam, and gape after gain only like hirelings, who join Living to living, as it were, house to house, and field to field; eating the fat, and clothing themselves with the wool, But they strengthen not the weak, they heal not the sick, they bind not up the broken, they seek not that which is lost, they raise not such as are fallen. Woe be unto such idle shepherds that feed themselves: Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezek. 34, 2, 3, 4. Let not us walk after such examples, which in the just judgement of God, are reserved to death & shame: who albeit they regard their pleasures above all, yet as they walk inordinately, so the things they rejoice in, shall be their confusion: but let us propound to ourselves the examples of the godly, for our instruction and imitation in well-doing, Heb. 6, 12. That we be not slothful, but followers of them which through faith and patience inherit the promises.  
Lastly, let us not be immoderately careful Use for them. The more careful we are for these things, the more careless we are in better things. The more our affections are set on the earth, the less care we have of heaven & immortality. It is no profit to win the whole world with the loss of our own souls. It is an incomparable loss, greater than the loss of a kingdom. job had a great loss, when he lost his Sheep and Asses, his Oxen and Camels, his Servants and his Children, job 1, 14.15. But all this is scarce to be mentioned or spoken of, being compared and laid in the balance with the loss of the soul. Let us therefore be contented, and rest satisfied with the estate wherein God hath set us. A little with a good conscience, and with peace, is better than a stalled Ox, Prou. 15, 17. Godliness is great gain with contentation, 1 Tim. 6, 6. Let us use this world as though we used it not, 1. Cor. 7, 31. All is vanity, nay misery, if we depart not hence in the fear and favour of God. Let us so live, that in life and death we may be the Lords. Affect not only or chief the things of this life, but let us have before us the example of Lot's wife, made unto us as a fearful spectacle and terrible monument of carnal and careful thoughts, whose hart was wholly set upon those things which she left behind, and therefore was turned into a pillar of salt. We are borne again unto a better life. If a Prince's children should give themselves to base courses, to follow Fairs and Markets, pitching up their standings, and selling pins and points like peddlers and petty Chapmen, would not all men think it a great reproach and h●gh disgrace to their estate, being royally descended, and borne to a Kingdom? We are the sons and daughters of almighty God, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and it is his pleasure to appoint us heirs unto a Kingdom. Luke 12, 32. We are a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood Reu. 1, 6. an holy nation, 1 Pet. 2, 9 a people set at liberty, that we should show forth the virtues of him that hath called us out of darkness into this marvelous light. Shall we then being Kings children, and borne to inherit a kingdom not of this world, but of the world to come, so much debase ourselves as always to look downward, and go poring and stooping to the earth like bruit beasts, and not cast our eyes upward like men, made after the likeness and similitude of God? Let us seek those things which are above, Col. 3, ver. 1, 2. where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; let us set our affections on things which are altogether above, and not on things which are here beneath upon the earth. It is unfit for our calling and holy profession, evermore to have our hand on our halfpenny, making gain to be godliness, and our belly our god, wholly minding earthly & transitory things. Let our conversation be in heaven, Phil. 3, 20 and from thence look for a Saviour, to change our frail and mortal bodies, and to make them like to his glorious body: we are free denizens of that City made without hands, whose builder and maker is God, & therefore let us not spend all our days in vanity, and waste our years in folly, Math. 6, 25, 33. nor be excessively careful what to eat, or what to put on: but have our conversation without covetousness, and first of all seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  
Verse 20. [Forasmuch as men are come to call thee, rise up and go with them.] These words contain an ironical concession, not a plain approbation: a figurative tanting, not a simple allowing of his journey, or a giving of him liberty to departed. As if the Lord should have said: If being warned of me thou wilt take no warning, but art resolved what to do, and standest firm in thine heart to be gone; go too, proceed in thy purpose, and walk in the ways of thine heart, but know, that thou makest haste to thine own confusion, and that all thine endeavours shall turn to thy destruction. Thus we see God reproveth him by a tant, because he rested not in the will of God before delivered unto him, and uttered in a plain manner. Thus, when as men receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved, God sendeth them strong delusions that they might be seduced and deceived. Hereby we learn, That all reproving of sin and of sinners by way of tanting, 
〈◊〉. ●●●ing 〈◊〉 ar●● in 〈◊〉 vn●●  is not unlawful, and unbeseeming the profession of godliness. All iest●ng and mocking are not forbidden to be used & practised of the godly. This we see by the example of the Lord himself, judg. 10, 14. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen, let them save you in the time of your tribulation. Thus Moses speaketh to the people, Deut. 32, 37, 38. Where are their gods, their mighty gods in whom they trusted? Let them rise up and help you, let them be your refuge. The like we see in job, vexed unjustly, and censured rashly by his friends, when he saith, job 12, 12. Indeed because that ye are the people only, wisdom must die with you. So the Prophet Esay speaketh to the enemies of the Church, Esay. 8, 9 Gather together on heaps O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces, g●rd yourselves, take counsel together, pronounce a decree yet it shall not stand. Thus the Prophet dealeth with Amaziah, 2 Chron. 25, 7, 8. Let not the army of Israel go with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel: if not, go thou out, make thyself strong to the battle, but God shall make thee fall down before the enemy, for GOD hath power to help, and to cast down. And if we would farther see the warrant of this practice in reproving, we have examples of it in Christ our Saviour, when he said to judas, That thou dost, do quickly, john 13, 27. And when he spoke to his disciples, 
Matth. 26, 45.  Sleep henceforth & take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the son of man is given into the hands of sinners. All which examples, in the old and new Testament, of God, of the Prophets, of Christ, and other holy men, serve to teach us, that all reproving of sin by sharp tants, is not unlawful and unwarrantable.  
The Reasons justifying this practice, are: Reason 1 First, to make Idolaters and wicked men, to see their sins, and the greatness of them, to move them to repentance, and to come out of them, to bring them to be ashamed of their offences, and so to move them to turn unto God. This the Prophet Esay urgeth, chap. 46, 6, 7. They draw gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a Goldsmith to make a god of it, and they bow down and worship it: they bear it upon their shoulders, they carry & set him in his place, so doth he stand and cannot remove from his place, though one cry unto him, yet he cannot answer, nor deliver him out of his tribulation: Remember this, and be ashamed, bring it again to mind, O you transgressors. This then is one reason why the holy Ghost reproveth and reproacheth in a deriding manner, to bring offenders to true wisdom and to open their eyes which are blinded, that they see nothing.  
Secondly, an holy deriding may be used Reason 2 to disgrace and discountenance sin, and to set it out in his colours. For, when it is magnified among the sons of men, & followed with all greediness, the servants of God must uncover, and uncase it and lay it open, that others may eschew it. Thus we see the prophet Eliah dealeth with the Priests of Baal, he scoffeth at their simplicity, he derideth their folly, and in an holy manner triumpheth over their vanity, when he saith, 1 Kings 18, 28. Cry a loud, for he is a god; either he talketh, or pursueth his enemies, or is in his journey, or it may be that he sleepeth, and must be awaked. Where he doth not stir them up to their Idolatry and idolatrous worship of Baal, nor allow their superstitious prayers, but mocketh at their madness, to disgrace their wickedness, and to reproach their falling from the true God.  
The Uses are to be considered in the next Use 1 place. First, this teacheth, that the Minister: of the word, may in their teaching use this figure when they deal with an obstinate people, and reprove obstinate offenders. True it is, the man of God should be patiented toward all men, 2 Tim. 2, 25: suffering the evil, instructing the ignorant, and waiting for the repentance of such as are fallen: but when they refuse to hearken or pull away their shoulder, and stop their ears, and make their hearts as an Adamant stone, it is both lawful & requisite after a sort to insult over them, not that their persons should be scorned and contemned, but that their profaneness should be corrected and amended.  
Thus doth Solomon deal, Eccl. 11, 9, when he hath to deal with proud and insolent young men, that think themselves privileged by their age, to run riot with all greediness, and without all controlment, Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement. This we see practised by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 24, 38. If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. And the Apostle john speaketh after the same manner, revel. 22, 11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still. Whereby we see, that the Spirit of God doth not give leave, neither doth encourage, or command men to be filthy or unjust; but seeing them in a settled rage and wilful course, obstinately bend and resolved to go forward, that they will not be hindered, nor hearken unto any wholesome counsel, he telleth them they may proceed, but they shall smart for it in the end. If the Ministers in the zeal of God's Spirit, tread in these steps, & follow the example of God, of Christ, of the Prophets and Apostles, they have a fair warrant set before them, & cannot be reproved for this imitation. They may say unto the stubborn and stiffnecked contemners of the word, If ye will needs be ignorant, be ignorant still, but God will find you out in your blindness and ignorance. If ye have the light, and yet will willingly and wilfully shut your eyes, go forward, yet God will open them in the day of his visitation, that ye shall see your own misery. If ye have the bread of life, and food of salvation brought unto you, and yet ye will needs starve and famish, what remedy? Pine away your souls, and starve them: but know, that it will be bitter in the l●tter end.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing this scoffing at evil is lawful, let men take heed they deserve not thus to be dealt withal. When we have the word of God in all meekness and gentleness, with all patience and long suffering offered unto us, let us rest in it, and not reject it from us, let us believe it, and obey it, and grow every day from faith to faith. When Micaiah the Prophet saw Ahab addicted to flatterers and false informers (too very dangerous plagues to Princes) he judged him not worthy to have the truth revealed unto him, and therefore in derision he saith unto him, Go up and prosper, and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the King, 2 Kings 22, 15. It is a grievous thing to be scorned and derided, and we hardly brook that indignity. If then, we would not be so roughly and tauntingly handled in the ministry of the world, let us hear the voice of God while it is called to day, lest being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, the Lord be compelled so to deal with us. It is used for our benefit and salvation, albeit it be bitter and sharp. But many times bitter things be most wholesome and healthful. And this answereth the objection of carnal men, when they are admonished to turn to the Lord with all their hearts, to attend to the ministry of the word, and to walk before the Lord with a perfect mind; they answer, If I shall come to be a professor, and make profession of the word, I shall be mocked, every one will deride and flout at me; I shall be a laughing stock to the world, I shall become a Proverb unto them, and the drunkards will sing songs against me. But choose whether thou wilt endure a reproach here for a season, or be mocked of the Lord for ever. It is better for thee here to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to have the Lord scorn thy folly for ever. Therefore, the wise man teacheth us this doctrine, Prou. 1, 25, 26. Because ye refused my counsel, and would none of my correction, I will also laugh at your destruction, and mock when your fear cometh. And the Prophet David declareth, that when the wicked band themselves against the Lord, and against Christ, He that dwelleth in the Heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision, Psal. 2, 3, 4.  
True it is, this is spoken according to our capacity and understanding: not that there is any disposition of laughing, or affection of scorning in God, but he leaveth men in their miseries, and maketh them oftentimes a mocking stock to the world. They shall have no comfort from his presence, he shall rejoice in the day of their calamity, which shall be to them as bitter as death, and as hard to be born as hell itself.  
Lastly, 
Use  hereby a door is not set open to fleering and flouting one of another, which proceedeth from the scum and froth of many men's wits. For, as all deriding is not unlawful, so all taunting is not lawful. Wherefore, whatsoever mocking proceedeth from the gall of our hearts, from the contempt of our brethren, from pride, disdain, lightness, bitterness, biting, disgracing, and reproaching of others, cannot stand with our holy profession, but is a fruit of the flesh, & a corruption of the old man, which must be pulled up. Therefore the Apostle writing to the Ephesians, and instructing them to walk in love, as Christ hath loved us, saith, 
Ephes. ●  Fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let them not be once named among you as it becometh Saints, neither filthiness, neither foolish talking; neither jesting, which are things not comely, but rather giving of thanks. Where he doth not simply forbid all mirth and jesting, but the peevish humour of many men that delight in jesting and gibing against others, who regard not what jests they break upon their brethren, so they may revenge their own malice, and disgorge the venom of their own hearts. These men seek to build up their own names by the ruin of others, and desire to grace themselves by the disgrace of others. Such persons may well be in love with their own wits, but all discreet men may espy the want of much wisdom in them. This biting and bitterness one toward another cannot stand with our calling, to the truth and profession of the faith. We have not so learned jesus Christ. We must account the good name of our brethren, as their chiefest jewel. The credit and reputation of many men is as their chiefest jewel. Therefore the wise man saith, Prou. 22, 1. A good name is to be chosen above great riches, and loving favour is above Silver and Gold. Eccles. 7, 4. Wherefore, let no man think to raise himself by the fall of others, or to gain estimation to himself by the discredit and defamation of other men.  
[But only what thing I say unto thee, that shalt thou do.] In the●e words, God before hand instructeth and informeth Balaam what shall be the event and issue of all his desires, namely, that howsoever he coveted to curse the people of God, and so to earn his wages and hire by the practice of wickedness; yet he should be compelled and constrained against his will, to wish the flourishing estate of the Church, and to pronounce the blessing with his own mouth. Howsoever therefore he were maliciously bend, and carried with extreme fury and frenzy against the godly, yet God declareth that all his rage should turn to the good of the Church, and his tongue should vary from his heart. Hereby we learn, That the malice of the wicked, 
〈◊〉. ●●e of ●●●d 〈◊〉 at 〈…〉 re●●.  how great soever it be, is limited and restrained. Albeit the enemies of the Church be oftentimes suffered to proceed and prevail, and to lay very great afflictions on the servants of God, yet all their power is stinted and determined, & they can proceed no further than God suffereth and permitteth. This truth is taught us in sundry Scriptures for our instruction. When Laban intended evil against jacob, God appeared unto him, and said, Gen. 31, 24 Take heed that thou speak not unto jacob ought save good: and jacob telleth him, that except the God of his father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac had been with him, he would have sent him away empty; but God beheld his tribulation, and the labour of his hands, and rebuked him yesternight. When Pharaoh and the Egyptians pursued after Israel with horses and Chariots, and sought their utter destruction, God fought for his people while they stood still and held their peace, Exod. 14, 25. This is it which our Saviour signified when the pharisees said unto him, Luke 13, 32, 33. Depart and go hence, for Herod will kill thee, Then he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and will heal still to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected: nevertheless, I must walk to day, and to morrow, for it cannot be that a Prophet should perish out of jerusalem. So Isaiah comforteth the messengers of Hezekiah against the blasphemies of Sancherib, against the dangers of the city, and against his railing on and reproaching the living God, 2 Kin. 19, 6, 7. So shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, 
Esay 37, 26.  Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, Behold I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a noise, and return to his own land, because he hath raged against me, and his tumult is come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in his nostrils & my bridle in his lips, and I will bring him back again the same way he came. All these things teach us the truth of that doctrine which we have in hand, namely, that howsoever the ungodly rage and fret against the church of God, yet their malice and madness is limited, and the time of the continuance thereof appointed of God.  
The reasons to confirm our faith farther Reason 1 in this point are these. First, the providence of God ruleth all things in heaven and earth, the least and smallest things are ordained and ordered by him, nothing falleth out by chance, neither is whirled about in the wheel of fortune. The Birds fall not to the ground, the hairs fall not from our heads without the will of our heavenly Father, Matth. 10, verse 30. Howsoever therefore the enemies of the Church do take crafty counsels, and make bloody decrees against the peace and prosperity thereof, yet they can do no more than God hath concluded, and then he hath in his purpose determined. This the Apostles acknowledge, Acts 4. verse 2●, in their prayer to God: Doubtless against thine holy Son jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselves together, to do whatsoever thine hand and thy counsel hath determined before to be done. They cannot satisfy th●ir own lusts, nor accomplish the designs of their own hearts, their rage is restrained as with a bit and bridle, that it should not hurt the people of God.  
Again, marvel not that the course of wicked Reason 2 men is stopped by the hand of God, for the devils are limited, and all the power of darkness is kerbed, so as the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. We see this in job 1, 12. & 2, 6. he could not slay his servants with the sword, burn up his sheep with fire, spoil him of his Camels by Robbers, destroy his children with winds, and touch his person with boils, before the Lord had said unto him, Lo all that he hath is in thine hand, but save his life. Likewise when the Lord jesus dispossessed the two possessed with devils which came out of the graves very fierce, so that no man might go by that way, Matth. 8, 31: the devils could not enter into the heard of Swine, before they had besought him to suffer them to enter into them: so that we may be assured, that howsoever they be bloody spirits, and greedy to hurt, yet their tyranny is bound up, being compassed within the lists and limits of the power of God, and enclosed within the circle of his jurisdiction, that they cannot annoy such as are created after the image of God, and redeemed with the blood of Christ, without the divine permission. For, the Prince of this world is judged, and cast out, john 12, 31. and 16, 11. his weapons are taken from him, & the spoils divided, his works are dissolved and loosed, his head is bruised and broken.  
Use 1 The uses of this Doctrine minister great comfort and instruction unto us. First, we learn from hence to acknowledge the infinite power of God above all earthly power that is in flesh and blood. True it is, the rage of the enemies is great, and the gates of hell are set wide open against the church of God, yet they cannot prevail or have the upper hand, for God is with us, his power is manifested, and his malice is abridged. It hath always been an hard matter for men to stay in dangers and fear; the remnants of infidelity and the dregs of distrust, do rest and remain in the best men. The truth and omnipotency of God is hardly yielded and consented unto, as appeareth in the example of Moses & Aaron, Num. 20, 12. 
Psal. 106, 33.  They believed not God to sanctify him in the presence of the children of Israel, but spoke unadvisedly with their lips. The like we see in the siege of Samaria, when the Lord promised, that to morrow that time should be great plenty of Barley and fine flower to be sold, a Prince answered and said, 2 Kings 7, 2. Though the Lord would make windows in the heaven, could this thing come to pass? This appeareth in Zachary, Luke 1, 18. when God promised him a son in his old age, he said, How can this thing be? And whereby shall I know this? When the Israelites were pursued & overtaken by the host of the Egyptians, and were in present danger of death, they were so●e afraid, and forgot the power of God, able to deliver them. So the experience of our own hearts in all dangers and difficulties, that ordinarily fall upon us, 
〈…〉  doth tell us how hard it is to rest upon God, as an all-sufficient helper in time of need. We distrust Gods promises, and fear in every evil that he will not or cannot secure us. Forasmuch therefore as we are privy to our own corruptions, being ready to think our help and deliverance to be unpossible, let us in all troubles build on God's power, as on a firm rock and sure foundation, that can never be removed.  
Secondly, hereby we have a great comfort in our troubles and sufferings, to consider the strong hand of God prevailing over them that do insult and triumph over the Church. The years and days, the very hours & moments of time touching the Church's afflictions are determined of God, so that the ungodly shall rage's but their time. This is it which God speaketh to Abraham, Gene. 15, 13. That his seed should be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs, four hundred years, and shall serve them. Thus when the people of Israel were carried into Babylon, The days of their captivity are determined to be seventy years, jer. 25, 11, 12, & 29, 10. When Pilate the Lieutenant of the Romans, and judge of judea had said unto Christ, john 19, 10, 11. Know'st thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to lose thee? jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Let us therefore go constantly forward in our vocation, to do our duties, to speak freely in the midst of the enemies, though they do hear us & sit among us. This we see to have been the behaviour of Christ, john 8, 20, 21. These things spoke jesus in the treasury as he taught in the Temple, and no man laid hands on him, for his hour was not yet come. Where we see, the place, the persons, the time, seemed to favour his enemies: yet he taught boldly, and preached openly amongst them. This example must be our imitation. Though we live among many dangers, & are enclosed with a thousand deaths, yet we must know that we are protected, regarded, & defended of God, we are by his right hand made able to stand, when so many devices of the ungodly assault us, and so many horns of the wicked push at us to overthrow us. It is an admirable and marvelous thing, considering the enemies of the Church and Gospel (both open and secret, professed and close, known adversaries, and close brethren, all mischievous, having also such men and means to work their malice) that any Church continueth in the world, being as a little flock among many wolves. Wherefore, if there be any light of the Spirit of God in us, the consideration of this, that their rage is determined, must give courage and constancy both to us that be teachers, and to you that be hearers, and work in us all assurance of help and assistance, to come from the highest heavens.  
Thirdly, this doctrine is a great terror to Use the wicked persecutors and malicious enemies, to consider their estate, and to remember their condition, that they cannot do what they list, but what God will, they cannot execute wh●● they please, but what pleaseth God. This limitation of their rage & abridgement of their doings, is sufficient to dane their hearts, and to pull them back from fight against God. If they could prolong their days and double their strength, as they can increase their malice, and double their devices, they might have some cause to insult and triumph over the faithful. But seeing they are stinted as the hireling that hath his task shared out unto him, it serveth notably to abate their pride, to assuage their malice, & to confound their devices and enterprises against the servants of God. They are not their own men, they are not free and at their own liberty, God holdeth them in, and tieth them short, that they cannot rage's and reign at their own pleasure. Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and the jews, 
〈…〉  could do no more than God had determined. Let all the ungodly remember this doctrine, and consider it in their hearts, it will be a notable bridle to restrain them from all evil practices, and to stop the course of their corrupt purposes. They cannot prevail over the Saints of God, albeit for a time they have the upper hand. The time shall come when they must give an account of all their works.  
Lastly, seeing the times of the enemies Use 4 prevailing Bee set, let us not fear the faces of men, they can but run the race that God hath set them, albeit they rush forward like blind men, and think themselves able to do great things, yet their power is subject to an higher power, and their malice shall quickly have an end●. If a Prince should encourage any of his poor subjects against the might and oppression of any of his Nobles, and say● unto him; Fear not his fear, I will be thy defence and protection, I will stand between thee & danger, he shall do thee no harm: would not this make him joyful, and banish all fear from him of being over-borne and over-matched by his might? But this is our case and condition lying under the cross, afflicted of enemies, and persecuted for our profession: the Lord hath promised to bear us out, and to be a buckler round about us. If then the Lord be our light, and our salvation, whom shall we fear? If the Lord be the strength of our life, of whom shall we be afraid? Psal. 27, 1. Therefore, Christ jesus comforting and imboldning his disciples against dangers to come, Matth. 10, 25, 26, 28, 31. & forewarning them that they should be delivered up to the Counsels, be scourged in the Synagogues, be brought before Governors, and be hated of all men for his name's sake, exhorteth them to patience & courage; I care them not, for there is nothing covered that shall not be disclosed; nor hid, that shall not be known: Fear ye not them that kill the body, & are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. We are safe under God's shield, they cannot cut off one hour of our life, they cannot shorten one moment of our time. But God will cut them off when it pleaseth him, & will stop them at a sudden, that they shall proceed no further. This is that which was laid before the Church of the Smyrnians, to assuage their sorrow, Revelat. 2, 10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: Behold it shall come to pass, that the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, etc.   

12 But the wrath of God was kindled because he went: and the Angel of the Lord stood in the way to be against him as he road upon his Ass, & his two servants were with him.  
23 And when the Ass saw the Angel of the Lord stand in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, the Ass turned out of the way, and went into the field: but Balaam smote the Ass to turn her into the way.  
24 Again, the Angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, having a wall on the one side and a wall on the other.  
25 And when the Ass saw the Angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and dashed balaam's foot against the wall: Wherefore he smote her again.  
26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand, or to the left.  
27 And when the Ass saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam: therefore Balaam was very wroth, and smote the Ass with a staff.  
28 Then the Lord opened the Mouth of the Ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me now three times.  
29 And Balaam said unto the Ass, Because thou hast mocked me, I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.  
30 And the Ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine Ass which thou hast ridden upon since the first time unto this day? Have I used at any time to do thus unto thee? Who said, Nay.  
31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand. Then he bowed himself, and fell flat on his face.  
32 Then the Angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass three times? Behold, I came out to withstand thee, because thy way is not strait before me.  
33 But the ass saw me, and turned from me now three times, or else if she had not turned from me, surely I had even now slain thee, and saved her alive.  
24 Then Balaam said unto the Angel of the Lord, I have sinned: for I witted not that thou stoodst in the way against me: now therefore if it displease thee, I will turn home again.  
35 But the Angel said unto Balaam, Go with the men, but what I say unto thee, that only shalt thou speak. So Balaam went with the Princes of Balak.  
In the words going before, we have seen the departure of Balaam with the Princes: Now, we are to consider what befell him in the way in these words, and what entertainment he had at the king's hands, when he came to his journeys end, in the words following, to the end of the Chapter. Touching the former point, we see the wrath of God breaketh out and proceedeth against him for his going. For this journey being undertaken with a resolute purpose to curse the people, as Moses testifieth, Deut. 23, 5. hoping to prevail with God to have his consent; we see how God setteth himself against him, and reproveth him two ways: first, by the Ass, and afterwards by the Angel: and yet in the end sendeth him away to those his masters that had hired him.  
Object. But here the question may be asked, Why God was angry? and wherefore his wrath was kindled against him, seeing he had granted him leave before, saying; Rise up, and go with them? if than God consented to his departing, why is he offended with his going? Answer. I answer, God did never simply allow and approve of his journey, but Balaam through ambition & covetousness rushing into evil, & not hearkening to the voice of God restraining him, he permitteth many things which he doth not approve, and granteth the petitions of men, sometimes in wrath and indignation, as when he gave the people flesh in the wilderness, and set over them a King after the manner of the Nations round about them, Numb. 11, 12. So we have showed before, how God ironically taunteth and derideth the importunity of this sorcerer, but never gave his consent and approbation unto his wicked intent; and therefore the judgement of God attended upon him as a Sergeant to arrest him as he sat on his beast, and as his two servants waited upon him. For to the end he might be the better accepted of the King, and respected in his divination, the cunning man goeth with his two men to attend upon his worship. The true Prophets of God (as we read in the holy history) had but one man, as Gehazi served Elisha, 2 Kin. 3, 11. & Elisha poured water on the hands of Eliah, 2 King, 5, 20. & 6, 17. so Baruch was the servant of jeremy, 
jer. 32, 12.  & joshua of Moses. Exod. 24, 23. Nu. 11, 28. Deut. 1, ●8. But this false Prophet is attended with his two servants, whose praise and estimation was from men, & not of God.  
Now the wrath of God appeareth against him two ways, and both miraculous and extraordinary. For first, he is convinced by the dumb beast that bore him, who had more wit than the wizard that rod upon her. Therefore the Apostle teacheth us, 2 Pet. 2, 15, 16. That because he loved the wages of unrighteousness, he was rebuked for his iniquity, for the dumb beast speaking with man's voice forbade the foolishness of the Prophet. Secondly, he is reproved of the Angel of God, who was ready to smite him, & to destroy him for his iniquity. Touching the first point, the Spirit of God setteth down three marvelous things to be thought upon of us; the quickness of her sight, the speech of her tongue, and the discourse of reason, or the communication between her and her master. The sharpness of her eye is first of all noted as strange in that beast, who saw that which Balaam could not see. The Ass by nature is dull and heavy, slow and sluggish by kind above every beast of the field, both slow paced, and dim sighted: therefore where as she saw the Angel, her eyes must of necessity be opened of God, and endued with force above the course of her nature; so that when the Angel stood armed in the way three times with his drawn sword to smite Balaam, she three times avoided the stroke by declining out of the way, & at the third time saved her master by sinking down under the burden: and yet for her good service was three times smitten with the staff in his hand. And as God opened her eyes, so also he opened her mouth, which is a wonderful miracle above nature; and gave her power to speak, which is a peculiar pre-eminence of mankind. True it is, God hath given many gifts to the unreasonable creatures, wherein also they excel man; yet to none hath he given the use of speech and benefit of language but unto man only, among all the works of his hands. And as he gave her the use of the tongue to speak with man's voice, so he gave her the benefit of reason, to speak with understanding. For she discourseth as a reasonable creature, and showeth forth the Art of concluding from many particulars, cleared herself of present blame by her bypassed actions, and appealing to him as a witness and judge in that matter. Where she reasoneth after this manner: 
If I have done thee from the first time I came into thy possession hitherto faithful service, then am I at this present faultless:  
But I have hitherto served thee faithfully,  
Therefore, I have not at this present mocked thee.   
The assumption is proved and confirmed by an human testimony, for she appealeth to Balaam to speak his conscience what he had ever found in her. And albeit God stirred up the Ass to be his schoolemistris, & wrought a wonder to check him to his face, yet the wretch is not moved at the matter, nor stirred up at the miracle to lay his hand on his mouth and give glory to God, but bursteth with anger, threateneth with words, and striketh her with a staff, & recompenseth evil for good. He chafeth and fretteth that the ass had mocked him: he considereth the fact of the ass, but marketh not his own fault, which was far worse, who had mocked with God. For the authority of God is greater over man, then of man over his beast: and there is a greater difference and disproportion between the Creator and the creature, then is between creature and creature. There is greater equality between man & beast, between the work & the workman, between the potter and the clay between the saw and him that moveth it, between the Axe and him that heweth with it: then is between man whose breath is in his nostrils, and the eternal God, who is even a consuming fire. For every creature is finite, God is infinite, between which is no equality or proportion: so that the ass deserved not to be smitten of the man, but the man deserved to be stricken of God, as the Angel witnesseth.  

〈…〉.  But how could the Ass speak? or how could a bruit beast, which is without reason, as the Apostle teacheth, discourse and conclude? Or where learned she the art of Logic, which is nothing else but the art of using reason, teaching to invent arguments, and then dispose them in order with good judgement? This seemeth to minister matter to Atheists and Libertines to deride all Religion, and to scoff at the Scriptures, taking occasion at this and other like places. For when they hear that an Ass could speak and reason the case with her master, they believe it no more than one of Esopes Fables, or a strange tale out of Ovid's Metamorphosis, where trees, and birds, and beasts are made to speak. I answer, touching ourselves that are nourished in the bosom of the Church, and been instructed in the Gospel of Christ, and trained up in the school of the Prophets, it is sufficient for our faith and staying up our consciences in the truth, to know that which Moses mentioneth verse 28. the Lord opened the mouth of the Ass, the which was as easy for him to do, as to give us reason and reasonable souls at the first. For when thou hearest that GOD opened the Asses mouth, it is as much as if it had been said, He that is almighty, powerful, and all-sufficient did it, that is without want or weakness, with whom nothing is unpossible, who sitteth in heaven and doth whatsoever he will above the course and order of nature. And albeit we have not any like example in former times, nor in the generations afterward of the like work of God, yet whence hath mankind the use of speech and understanding, but that God gave it in the creation? We see sometimes he denieth it to some men that are borne deaf and dumb, and cannot speak, to the end we should acknowledge speech to be the gift of God, rather than of Nature. Sometimes also the Lord hath taken away the use of the tongue for a time, as we see in Zachariah, 
〈◊〉 1, 20, 62  and peradventure also of his ear that he could not hear, inasmuch as the people spoke not to him when they came together to be present at the circumcision of his son, but made signs to him how he would have him called. As then the Lord denieth the gift of speaking, and depriveth of it where he once hath given it: who can limit the holy One from bestowing speech, & framing the tongue of a beast to utter a voice and communication, as with the tongue of a man? or to give to the creature inferior in nature, that which is proper to the superior? For albeit God hath set, & settled an order in nature, yet himself is not ever bound unto it. Neither is this miracle in this dumb beast more marvelous, 
〈◊〉 11. 〈…〉  then that of Nebucadnezzar, he was driven from the society of men, he did dwell with beasts, he did eat grass l●ke the Ox and the Ass, his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till the hair of his head did grow as eagle's feathers, and the nails of his fingers like birds claws, and to conclude, he wanted all use of reason and understanding. Now the Ass did no more in this place resemble man, than this man did resemble a beast: as the Ass had reason given her, so had the King his understanding taken from him, being stricken by the hand of God with madness, and bereft of common reason and judgement, for it is said afterward, that his understanding was restored. Besides, we see the devil in the beginning used the tongue of the serpent to speak to our first parents. 
August. de Gen. ad lit. lib. 11. cap. 29.  If Satan did this in the serpent, shall not the author of Nature be able to do it in the tongue of the Ass? for as the serpent by nature can do no more but hiss, so the Ass can do no more but bray. Shall we not ascribe so much to God, as to the devil? Can the devil use the serpent's tongue as his instrument, and cannot God open the mouth of the Ass to teach a false and ignorant Prophet? Or if we confess that God can work miracles, why not this among others? If not this, than neither others. Now touching Atheists and Infidels that believe not the Scriptures, nor the power of God; to convince them that are patrons of Nature, but enemies of the God of Nature, we see how in Pies and Popinjays, he hath left a certain resemblance of speech, and thereby showeth forth what he is able to do in the rest when it pleaseth him. We know by experience in all ages, and learn by relation and report of all histories, that the devil hath spoken in the mouth of other creatures: what impiety then is this, to yield that to the devils which they deny to God, and detract from the most High?  
Hitherto of the reproof of the Ass reprehending his master, now of the reproof of the Angel. True it is, he was unworthy of any other teacher than his own Ass, being a fit master for such a scholar: for such as refuse to hear the Lord speaking, are worthy to be sent to learn of bruit beasts and senseless creatures. Notwithstanding, because this proud Prophet scorned so base a teacher, and disdained to learn wisdom in the Asaph's school, to the end he should not be exalted out of measure, nor insult with contempt over his beast, the Angel of God appeareth unto him, represseth his folly, and giveth light and sight to his blind eyes. This showeth that his eyes were first of all closed and shut up, whereby he was withholden from discerning the Angel. And this restraint was rather miraculous then natural. For if it had been natural, it would have failed in the discerning of other objects, as well as of this one. But his eyes being opened, than he began to behold the Angel, to cast himself down before him, to confess his own wickedness and ignorance, & to submit himself wholly to his pleasure, after that the Angel had reproved his cruelty, and testified the Asses innocency; who, if she had not been warier and wiser than her master, had procured the speedy death and destruction of the Sorcerer. Lastly, Balaam having acknowledged his sin and confessed his ignorance, the Angel giveth him leave to go his journey: so he goeth merrily with the messengers, hoping that as he had obtained liberty to resort & repair to the Moabites, (which before was denied unto him) so he should in time likewise draw the Lord to give his consent that he might curse the people. 
Question.  But here the question may be asked, who, or what this Angel of God was, that had this conference & communication with Balaam? whether it were one of the created Angels, or not? Some suppose it was Michael the Archangel that was appointed ruler over that people. 
Theodoret in hunc locum. justin. Mart. Athan s.  Some, that it was another of the elect Angals and invisible spirits. Others affirm, that it was Christ jesus the Angel of the covenant, the Prince of the Angels of God, and the head both of men & Angels. 
What is meant by the Angel appearing to Balaam.  And this I rather assent & subscribe unto, for these causes and considerations. First, because so often as Moses doth make mention of the Angel of God, for the most part, or always he understandeth Christ the leader and conductor of his people in the wilderness; and therefore the Apostle saith, 
1. Cor. 10.  They tempted Christ in the wilderness, and were destroyed of serpents. Whosoever shall diligently read the books of Moses, & carefully observe his manner of speaking, shall easily find, that when he speaketh of the Angel of God, and the Angel of the Lord, he meaneth Christ jesus, & calleth him sometimes the Lord, as Gen. 16, 7, 13, & 22, 20, 12, 16, & 31, 11, 13. Exod 4, 19 So in this place, he calls him sometimes the Angel, sometimes the Angel of the Lord, sometimes the Lord, understanding by them all, one & the same Christ. Secondly, it is said, verse 31. that Balaam fell down and worshipped him, which no one of the elect Angels and blessed spirits (albeit excellent and glorious creatures) would ever have accepted, but all of them would with one consent have refused and rejected the same. For when john, ravished with the glory of the Angel, fell at his feet to worship him, he forbade him, and showed the reason thereof, revel. 19, 10. & 22.8. See thou do it not, I am thy fellow-servant, and one of thy brethren the Prophets, & of them which keep the words of the prophecy of this book worship thou God. Now the Angel of God in this place doth not forbid divine worship to be exhibited unto him: but if he had been a creature, and had usurped the honour of God, he should be an angel of the devil not of God, Neither let any say, 
Fu●k. on revel. 19  that he bowed himself upon his face, adoring God, when he saw his Angel ready to take vengeance of him, which doth doth not appear by any circumstance of ●he Text, but rather that he understood this Angel to be the same Lord that had before appeared and spoken unto him. This Angel of the Lord talketh with him as God himself, Ver. 32. saying, I came out to withstand thee, because thy way is not strait before me: he doth not say, his way was perverted before the Lord, as Peter speaketh to Simon the Sorcerer, Acts 8, 21. Lastly, Balaam speaketh to him, as to that God which had before appeared unto him, restraining him from cursing the people, and the Angel repeateth the same words, verse 35. which the Lord himself had uttered before, verse 20. For the Lord jehovah had said unto him, Forasmuch as the men are come to call thee, Rise up, 
Verse 2●  and go with them; but only what thing I say unto thee, that shalt thou do: so here the Angel is brought in, speaking in the same manner, Go with the men, 
Verse 3●  but what I say unto thee, that only shalt thou speak. He saith not, what the Lord saith unto thee, but what I say unto thee. Now then, if it were the Lord that said before unto him, What thing I say unto thee, that only shalt thou do: then the same words being also pronounced by this Angel, making himself equal with the Lord, must needs be accounted to be uttered by God himself. Neither let any think it unfit or unlikely, that Christ should appear to a Sorcerer, for we heard before, how the Lord oftentimes appeared unto him; and we see, that when Agar was fled from Abrahamt house, 
Gen. 16 and 1●, ●  the Lord spoke unto her from heaven. Thus much touching the order of the History, the interpretation of the words, and the clearing of the Objections that arise out of the same. Now, let us come to the doctrines, which the Spirit of God offereth to our considerations, to be marked and remembered of us.  
Verse 22. But the wrath of the Lord was kindled because he went, and the Angel of the Lord stood in the way to be against him.  
Here we have to weigh and ponder in our hearts, in these words, the care of the Lord watching over the godly. The Israelites, after the fresh discomfiture of their enemies, do think themselves out of all danger, and imagine not, either Balak to be consulting, and the Midianites to be assisting, or Balaam to be practising, and all of them joining and confederating against them, they know not that a pit is digged, and a snare to entrap them. But behold, how the Angel withstandeth, reproveth, and forbiddeth him again to attempt any thing against his people. We learn hereby, 
Doctrine God deli●reth from dangers 〈◊〉 known 〈◊〉 his people Psal. 22.9  that God delivereth those that are his, from dangers unknown to them, and when they have no power to deliver themselves. This the Prophet David testifieth, Thou didst draw me out of the womb, thou gavest me hope, even at my mother's breasts, I was cast upon thee, even from the womb, thou art my God from my mother's belly. He provided for his Church, by selling & sending joseph into the land of Egypt, when they knew nothing of the famine that was to come, whereby he saved much people alive, 
Gen. 5●, ●  neither were they any way able to save themselves.  
Herod the King invented great mischief against the Messiah, whereby also joseph and Mary were in danger, he disclosed the secrer counsel of his heart to none, 
〈◊〉 13.  but pretended worship tow●●d him: yet we see how God preserved them all from the imminent dangers, which Christ through his tender age, and his parents through ignorance of his bloody purpose could not prevent, by sending them out of the reach of Herod, and commanding them to fly into Egypt. The like we see in the Acts of the Apostles, Chap. 12. where we read of another Herod, that slew james with the sword, 
〈◊〉. 6.  and put Peter in prison, intending the next day to bring him forth to execution: no doubt he kept his in●ent secret to himself, yet by the earnest Prayers of the Church he was delivered from the imminent peril, and the Church comforted. In the dangerous voyage and shipwreck mentioned in the same book, wherein Paul was, who had deserved well of all the Passengers, had comforted them in their distresses, and had assured them of safety: yea, they were all saved for his sake: yet the unmerciful & unthankful Soldiers consulted to kill him, 
〈◊〉 27, 42,  while he suspected nothing, but the Lord delivered him out of their hands, and moved the hart of the Centurion to save him. Whereby we se●, that the afflictions of the righteous are many some known to them, and some unknown, but the Lord in mercy is mindful of them, and bringeth them out of them all, as he did the Israelites in this place, from the cursing and conjuring of this Sorcerer.  
The Reasons serving to confirm this doctrine are many. First, consider for this purpose, the titles of God whereby he is called, for our comfort. God is named a Father. Will a father save his son only from the perils that he seethe before his eyes, or will he suffer him to run into unknown dangers of fire or water, which the child could not understand, or understanding, could not pre●ent, but the father in his wisdom and providence knoweth? 
〈◊〉 11.  If we then that are evil know how to help our children, how much more shall our heavenly Father, that knoweth all things, give good things unto h●s children? God is called a shepherd; will the Shepherd see the silly sheep run ignorantly into places of danger, and not with his staff bring them back again? So the Lord watcheth over us, 
〈◊〉 ●3, 1, 2  He will make us rest in green pasture, and lead us by the still wa●ers, so that his mercy and kindness shall follow us all the days of our life.  
Reason 2 Again, we are guarded by the Angels, so that there are more with us, then are against us. They are sent out to be ministering spirits, they encamp themselves about the Church for their protection. Wherefore, albeit we be simple & ignorant, & know not oftentimes the plots & policies of our enemies, yet seeing we have such mighty helpers, & such safekeepers, ●e must know that we shall not fail to be delivered. This the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 3●. 7. & 91.11.12.  
Thirdly, God would stir us up to be Reason 3 thankful, and teach us wholly to depend upon him in all our dangers. Now what is able more effectually to work this in our hearts, and to open our mouths to the praise of our God, then to have a blessed experience of the comfortable presence of God for our deliverance, when we neither know our own miseries, nor find any means in ourselves, ●o rid ourselves? Therefore the Prophet promiseth, being delivered from the mouth of the Lion, to declare the Name of God unto his brethren, 
Psal. ●2, 20, 22.  and to praise him in the midst of the congregation. Again, what may teach us better to trust in him, and to wait upon him for our salvation, then to consider his knowledge of our estate in the ignorance of our own dangers? Thus did David behave himself, thus he did dwell in the secret of the most High, 
Psal. 91 2, 3.  and thus did he abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and being assured of his protection, he resteth in him. I will say unto the Lord. O mine hope, and my fortress, he is my God in him will I trust, he will deliver me from the hunter, and from the noisome pestilence.  
The uses follow. First, this doctrine should Use 1 direct us, and instruct us, to whom to go when we lie under the cross. For if God foresee the dangers which we oversee, and keepeth us from those perils that we know not, whither can we go for help, but unto him? Shall we go to Saints or Angels? Doubtless thou art our Father: 
Esai 6●, 16.  though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel know us not, Yet thou O Lord art our ●ather and our Redeemer, thy Name is for ever. Shall we trust in chariots or in horses? An horse is a vain thing to save a man, and shall not deliver any by his great strength: hope in the Lord, 
Psal. 33 17, and ●7. 14.  be strong, a●d he shall comfort thine heart & trust in the Lord. We cannot honour him more than when we depend upon him, and rest upon his mercy. This doth Ezra notably declare at the return of the jews from captivity, saying, I was ashamed to require of the King an army, 
Ezra 8, 22.  and horsemen to help us against the enemy, because we had ●●oken to the King, saying. The hard of God is upon all them that seek him in goodness, but his power & h●● wrath is against all them that forsake him. e thought it fi●●er & far better, to commit himself to the protection of God, then by craving these ordinary means, to give any occasion, either to the weak brethren, to doubt of God's power, or to obstinate enemies to blaspheme God, and to say, What? is not the God whom ye serve able to defend you? he hath brought them out maliciously to slay them, & was not able to bring them again into their land, without our strength & help! Wherefore, to stop the mouths of the Gentiles, to avoid all offences, & to strengthen those that were weak in faith, (albeit it were not in itself unlawful to ask aid, and to crave help of the higher power, but only in respect of circumstances) he proclaimeth a Fast, he humbleth himself before God, and looketh for all help to come from him.  
Secondly, let us not stand in fear of them, but fear him before whom all things are naked and open, who discloseth the hidden things of the heart, 
Luke 12.2.  who hath said, There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: neither hid, 
Prou. 15, 12.  that shall not be known. Hell and destruction are before him, how much more the hearts of the sons of men? Indeed the heart of man is an hidden thing, and an unsearchable thing: howbeit, God not only searcheth the heart and trieth the reins, 
job. 26 6.  but understandeth the deepest things of the earth, he knoweth the state of the dead and damned souls that are in hell, which things of all other are most hidden from the eyes of man. Albeit therefore the ungodly conspire against the Church never so closely, and albeit they conspire never so deeply to hide their counsels from Gods all-seeing Spirit, yet he shall find them out in their sins, and bring them unto judgement; he shall bring to light their privy devices, and scatter them in their own imaginations in his good time. This serveth to put life and courage into us, to lift up our hands which hang down, and strengthen our weak knees. Let us not fear them that fear not God; but fear God, and comfort ourselves in him.  
Use 3 Thirdly, seeing God breaketh the snare of the Fowler that is hidden, and setteth his servants at liberty, that want the knowledge of the danger, and means of escaping: let us seek betimes to be parts of his family, to be citizens of his Kingdom, to be members of his body, and to be children of the true Church, that we may be under the protection of this mighty God, whose presence is everywhere, whose Throne is the heaven, whose footstool is the earth, whose Dominion is infinite. If a man abounded in wealth, lived in honour, bathed himself in pleasures, yet if he be not in the number of the faithful, he cannot take any sound comfort in all these, For all outward blessings in an unsanctified man are unsavoury; To them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure, 
Titus 1, 13.  but even their minds and consciences are defiled. To the pure are all things pure, but the unfaithful defile all things that they touch and handle. Their sweet savours and pleasant smells are stench. Their good meats and strong drinks are gall and wormwood. Their delicious fare is as poison. Their costly apparel is as a menstruous cloth. Their beds of ease are sinks of sin. Their life is a death. The best things they do are foul and filthy. So long as we continue in this estate, 
Acts 1●, 9 Hebr. 11.6.  and have not our hearts purified by faith, we cannot please God; (For without faith it is impossible to please him) neither can we be under the wings of his defence. This therefore shall be our comfort, to be sheep of his fold, that he may be our Shepherd to seek us when we are lost, & to bring us home when we are gone astray, to feed us in his green Pastures, & to pull us with his right hand out of dangers, when we are falling into them. Otherwise, if we content ourselves to be in the Church, and labour not to be of the Church, we can look for no defence or deliverance from him, but rather destruction of soul and body, and calamity upon calamity, to fall upon us.  
Fourthly, this doctrine teacheth, that seeing Use God bringeth us out of unknown and desperate dangers that we think not of: how much more can he, and will he deliver us, when we knowing them, do call and cry unto him for help, that we may escape them? If he be not far from us when we do not pray unto him, but be found of them that sought him not, 
Esay. 6● and 59, ●  and answer them that asked not for him: how much more may we assure ourselves, that he will preserve us from dangers, when we crave his aid and assistance? seeing his hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither is his eye dim and dark, that he cannot see and behold our miseries that are upon us.  
This doctrine therefore serveth greatly to comfort and encourage us to pray unto him in all our afflictions, and to increase a double care in us, to power out our Meditations before him. How many in their troubles and crosses into the which they are fallen, begin to sink down under the burden, and to cast off their confidence, which notwithstanding hath great recompense of reward? Surely, if we did wisely consider the watchful eye of God's providence over us, who foreseeth our dangers before they come, and preserveth from the troubles which we through our blindness and ignorance cannot understand; we may assure ourselves of the presence of his hand when we know ourselves to be in trouble, and pray unto him for deliverance out of trouble. When a son hath had experience of the loving kindness of his father, in pulling him out of danger, as it were out of the fire, which he saw not to be kindled against him: can he doubt or despair of the care of his father over him, or think he will leave him, when he calleth unto him for help out of dangers that are seen and felt? Doubtless, he that hath an eye to foresee dangers, will have an ear to hear in the time of danger. Let this comfort us greatly, and cheer up our hearts, while we lie under the cross; let us persuade our own souls, that he which performeth the greater, will always be ready to accomplish the less: he that delivereth from the pit that was hidden, will help us to escape from that which lieth opens and he that discovereth a secret snare laid to entrap us, will not leave us, nor forsake us when we entreat for secure in the midst of our greatest afflictions that we find and feel to be upon us.  
Lastly, we are admonished by this favour Use 5 of God towards us, to give him the praise and glory of his own works. True it is, when we have used all holy means for our delivery, yet the praise is due to the Lord. How much more therefore ought we to render all thanksgiving to God, when he hath done it without our means? and confess that he hath done great things for us?  
Thus did the people when they returned out of Babylon, as the Prophet declareth, Psal. 126. when the Lord brought again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream: then was our mouth filled with laughter, & our tongue with joy; then said they among the heathen. The Lord hath done great things for them: the Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice. He watcheth for us, when we rest: he waketh for us when we sleep: he heareth, when we are deaf: he riseth up for us, when we lie down: he is a buckler about us, when we are assaulted: he is the God of knowledge, when we are ignorant. And if ever there were people under the heaven that hath experience of God's watchfulness in this kind, it is this Nation of great Britain. O unthankfulness, if we do not acknowledge it! O wretchedness, if we do not ever remember it! O wickedness, if we do not teach it to our posterities! For hath not God delivered us from the most cursed and execrable plot of desperate enemies that ever was contrived, against the King, the Queen, the Prince, and the rest of their progeny? against the Lords, the Commons, the whole Church & kingdom, 
●hen the fift 〈◊〉 No●●● An. 〈◊〉 5.  determining suddenly to have blown up the whole house of Parliament with gunpowder. Now as this was an invention bloody, an intention barbarous and inhuman, 
See Act. 〈…〉. 3.  so by what means were we delivered? was it by our fasting and prayer? was it by humbling ourselves before our God, and crying strongly in the ears of the Lord of hosts? was it by our tears and weeping for our sins; saying, spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine inheritance into reproach, that the Priests and Jesuits should rule over them? Nay, we used none of all these, we suspected no danger, we feared no enemies, we dreamt of no devilish devices against the land: so that to detect and disclose the forenamed cursed conspiracy was the Lords doing only, and it is marvelous in our eyes. When an invasion in the year 88 was intended by the supposed invincible Armado, glorying in their strength, munition, ships, preparations, & confederates, it was indeed the Lords mercy toward us, to cross and curse their attempt, and to raise the winds and seas against them; howbeit this was not without using of means, as rigging of ships, arming of men, mustering of soldiers, yea it was not without sanctifying of fasts, calling solemn assemblies, and crying unto the Lord. If then we did sing songs of thanksgiving for that deliverance, how should our hearts be kindled and inflamed with joyfulness, and with what praises should we express our thankfulness, 
〈…〉  but even vow unto the Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to offer them up a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto him? For, as many have been the practices of the malicious and bloody Papists, yet this surmounteth them all: so many have been the deliverances of our Princes, of our Rulers, of our Magistrates, of our Ministers, of our people; but this surmounteth and surpasseth them all. 
Psal. 95, 1, 2.  Let us therefore rejoice unto the Lord, let us sing aloud to the rock of our salvation: let us come before his face with praise, let us sing loud unto him with Psalms: for the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. He sitteth in heaven, and laugheth to scorn the devices of the wicked. He ruleth in earth, and maketh all his enemies his footstool.  
Verse 28. [Then the Lord opened the mouth of the Ass.] When Balaam had smitten his Ass three times that had saved his life, it pleased God to work a wonder, to alter the course of nature, to give speech to the Ass, & to make her able to reprove her master. God indeed could otherwise have set his sin in order before him, but a dumb beast is teacher fit enough for the falls Prophet. We see hereby, 
Doctrine. God oftentimes worketh above nature.  that God so often as it pleaseth him, worketh above nature & ordinary means. Hereunto come all the miracles which God hath showed from the beginning of the world. He gave unto Abraham & Sarah a son in their old age, who quickeneth the dead, 
Rom. 4, 17.  and calleth those things which be not, as though they were. He stayed the course of the Sun, divided the red sea, fed his people with Manna, 
Heb. 11, 33, 34.  stopped the mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of fire, opened the earth to swallow his enemies, brought water out of the hard rock. He sent signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, unto this day, & in Israel, and among all men, & hath made him a name, as appeareth this day. He brought his people out of the hand of Pharaoh with signs & with wonders, & with a strong hand, with a stretched out arm, and with a great terror. He gave power to a virgin to conceive & bear a son, that he might save his people from their sins. 
Ier 32.20. Math 1, 21, 23.   
The reasons remain to be considered and Reason 1 handled, to confirm us farther. First, mark the nature of God, he is great in counsel, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, mighty in his works, and in his enterprises. Who made the heaven? who framed the earth? and laid the foundation thereof upon the depth? who brought light out of darkness? Is it not the Lord that doth whatsoever he will, in heaven, in earth, in the depth, and in all the world? This the Prophet jeremy teacheth, chap. 32. Ah Lord God, behold thou hast made the heaven, and the earth by thy great power, 
jer. 32.17.  & by thy stretched out arm, and there is nothing hard unto thee he maketh the barren fruitful, 
Psal 136.5, ●  he brought all things out of nothing, who only doth great wonders, for his mercy endureth for ever; who by his wisdom made the heavens, and hath stretched out the earth upon the waters, for his mercy endureth for ever.  
Again, thereby he maketh his name known, Reason. 2 and his power to be acknowledged in the world. This is declared by Nehemiah in the prayer of the Levites, chap. 9 Thou hast considered the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, & heard their cry by the red Sea: and showed tokens and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of the land: for thou knowest that they dealt proudly against them, 
Neh. 9, 9, 10.  therefore thou madest thee a Name, as appeareth this day. Wherefore, to the end the power and presence of God may be known both to the Church and the enemies of the Church, he breaketh and interrupteth the natural order and course of things. Hereupon it is, that joshua calleth the children of Israel, and telleth them, that by the miracle of dividing the waters of jordan, 
josh. 3, 10.  they should know that the living GOD was among them, and would cast out the Canaanites before them.  
Use 1 The use of this doctrine may be made in this manner. First, it serveth fitly to condemn all Atheists and earth-worms, that advance nature to throw down the power of God. Indeed if GOD only wrought by ordinary means, and according to the strength of second causes, some pretence might be alleged, and some colour of reason produced to doubt of the divine power. But seeing GOD worketh not only by nature and by means, but sometimes above nature, and without all means, and sometimes against all means; the evidence of this truth is cleared, the power of GOD is manifested, and the mouths of all Infidels, and of iniquity itself is stopped. Our faith must go beyond reason, if we will profess ourselves scholars in the school of Christ. In the schools of the Philosophers, reason goeth before assent; but in the school of GOD, first we have use of faith, and after followeth discourse of reason. Let us therefore learn to magnify the Scriptures, and by the authority of them tread and trample upon all Atheism and Profaneness. As many miracles as we find expressed and wrought by the finger of God, so many testimonies and evidences we have against these patrons of Nature, who being wholly carnal & corrupt, know nothing that is spiritual. These deny the resurrection of the body, and the immortality of the soul, that so they might escape the sentence of the eternal judge, by whom they shall be judged in the last day, and shall know to their confusion that there is a GOD whose power is infinite, 
Exod. 34, 7.  who will not make the wicked innocent, but visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon children's children to the third and fourth generation, and reward every one according to his works. He is able to be revenged on all his enemies, who shall sooner pull their hearts out of their breasts, than God out of their minds. This Moses setteth down Deut. ●2. 
Deut. 32, 39, 42.  Behold now, for I, I am he, and there is no gods with me, I kill and give life: I wound and I make whole: neither is there any that can deliver out of mine hand: If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgement, I will execute vengeance on mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me, I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall eat flesh, for the blood of the slain, and of the captives, when I begin to take vengeance of the enemy. This is God's arrow against all Atheists: this is a fearful thunderbolt thrown down upon their heads, which shall crush them in pieces, & testify their destruction, which shall come upon them when there is none to help. Let such therefore betimes acknowledge a God of Nature, that he may be to them a GOD of grace: let them confess him to work when he will, by extraordinary means, that he may direct them in the ordinary paths that lead to salvation and eternal life: let them reverence him as the ruler of the world, that he may rule in their hearts by his Word and Spirit, and Sacraments, whereby he apply to us his heavenly gifts.  
Secondly, let us learn by this miraculous Use 2 manner of working, to trust in him when all means fail us: and tie not him to the ordinary course of second causes, that is able to make the Sun and Moon to stand still, as in the pursuit of joshua: 
josh. 10, 1● 2, King. 2●  and to bring the Sun back again many degrees in the Dial of Ahaz, as in the comforting of Hezekiah: and to turn the Sun into darkness, 
Math. 27  as we see in the time of the passion of Christ. He is able to do whatsoever he will, and more than he will do. It is an easy matter for every man to say he trusteth in God, and boast of his faith, when no means fail him, when he hath abundance and store of all things, when he is fed to the full with his hid Treasure, that they leave the rest of their substance for their children: 
job. 29, 6●  when God compasseth them about with his mercies, That they wash their paths in Butter; and have the Rocks to power them out Rivers of Oil, as job speaketh, it is quickly said and spoken, that we will rely upon God, and acknowledge his providence. But if GOD blow upon our means, they shall do us no good: he can take us from them, as he dealt with the unfaithful rich man: 
Luke 12, 2 job. 1, & ●  or he can take them from us, as he dealt with his faithful servant job▪ We must therefore depend upon him in time of war, as well as of peace: in want, as well as in time of wealth: in sickness, as in health: when he shall make the heaven as iron, and the earth as brass; when he shall take away the staff of bread: when he shall cause thee to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou must then call on him for thy daily bread, and say with job: Lo, though he slay me, 
job 13, 15▪ Prou. 16.3. 1. Pet. 5, 7.  yet will I trust in him. Commit thy ways and works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be directed. Cast all your care on him, for he careth for you. Such we are indeed, as we are in adversity. Such is our faith, as it is found in the day of temptation. Wherefore, let us lift up our eyes to him that sitteth in the heavens, and swayeth all things by his providence, and say with the Prophet, Psal. 28. The Lord is my strength, 
Psal 28, 7, ● 37, 39, 40.  and my shield, mine heart trusted in him, and I was helped; therefore mine heart shall rejoice, and with my Song will I praise him. The Salvation of the righteous men shall be of the Lord, he shall be their strength in the time of trouble. For the Lord shall help them and deliver them, he shall deliver them from the wicked, and shall save them, because they trust in him.  
Thirdly, let us not doubt of the promises, Use 3 or providence of G G D, who is able to make good the words of his own mouth, how incredible or unpossible soever they seem in our eyes. Therefore, the faith of Abraham the Father of the faithful is commended by the Apostle, that above hope he believed under hope, that he should be the Father of many Nations, 
〈◊〉. 4, 18, 19  and he not weak in faith, considered not his own body which was now dead, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb, neither did he doubt of God through unbelief; but was strengthened in the Faith, and gave glory to God, being fully assured, that he which had promised was able to do it. This is a great comfort, if at any time we see the miseries and ruins of the Church, if we behold the desolation & havoc that is made of it, that God is able to restore the flourishing estate thereof again. God can work above means without; so that albeit we can see with an eye of flesh no way to work the safety of the Church, let us not despair or cast away our confidence and hope, which hath great recompense of reward. We read how God saved Israel, when there appeared no means of deliverance in the eyes of men, the rocks and mountains hemmed them in on both sides, the red Sea was before them, 
〈◊〉 14, 13, ●4.  the host of the Egyptians marched behind them, no way was left them to escape the dangers in man's judgement. But as the Church in this world, is ever subject to affliction, and to lie under the cross; so God doth not incontinently deliver it out of danger, but many times continueth their troubles, and augmenteth their calamities, to exercise their faith, to try their patience, and to prove their obedience; notwithstanding, in the end, God maketh an happy issue, and showeth that the gates of hell shall never prevail against the Church. Therefore, when the Israelites began to murmur, and not so much against Moses, as against God, and looked more to the danger of death before them, then to the power of GOD above them, and considered more what they did want, than what they should believe; Moses said unto them, Fear ye not, stand still, and behold the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to thee this day; for the Egyptians, whom ye have seen this day, ye shall never see them again: the Lord shall fight for you, 
〈◊〉. 1.  therefore hold you your peace. When there was a great persecution raised against the Church at jerusalem, so that the sheep of Christ were scattered abroad, and nothing but threatenings and slaughter breathed out against the Disciples of the Lord, 
〈◊〉, 2, 3.  Authority being given by the Highpriest to imprison all such as called on his Name: rather than the Church should be rooted out, the Lord jesus appeared in the Heavens to Paul, as he was in the way, being now come near to Damascus, called him to the knowledge of the truth, and appointed him to be a teacher of the Gospel that before he destroyed, 
1. Sam. 10, 11  so that we may renew the ancient Proverb, Is Saul also among the Prophets? So when we see the dangerous times, and perilous seasons of the Church, let us not hang down our heads, but rather lift up our hearts, and cry unto God, saying; Help Lord in the time of need, forsake not thine inheritance, which thou hast purchased, nor the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted. And let us assure ourselves, that when the cause thereof seemeth most desperate, and help appeareth to us to be farthest off, 
2. Cor. 12, 9  then is his mercy greatest, and his presence nearest; then is his power made perfect through our weakness. This is that which the Prophet Zachary witnesseth, chap. 8. speaking of the return of the people from captivity unto jerusalem, and of the loving kindness of GOD to be extended toward them. For albeit the residue that were left, were reproached, the City ruinated, the gates burned, and the wall broken down, yet he prophesieth. 
Zach. 8, 4, 5, ●  That old Men, and old Women shall dwell in the streets of jerusalem, and the streets of the City shall be full of Boys and Girls, playing in the streets thereof. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Though it seem unpossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it therefore be unpossible in my sight, saith the Lord of hosts? Use 4  
Lastly, as this Doctrine teacheth us to believe the promises of God, so it teacheth us not to doubt or despair of the salvation & conversion of our brethren; for God is able to call and convert them to the saving knowledge of the Gospel. This the Apostle urgeth, entreating of the calling of the jews, 
Rom. 11, 23.  to embrace the faith of the Gentiles, And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. Likewise when the Disciples saw and heard the difficulty of entering into heaven for those that trust in their riches, that they have need of a singular gift of God, to escape out of the snares & subtleties of Satan; 
Math. 19, 26  Christ jesus beheld them and said unto them, With men this is unpossible, but with God all things are possible. 
Math. 20, 1.  He calleth at all hours of the day, at the dawning of the day, at the third hour, at the sixth, at the ninth, and at the eleventh hour. For as he is bound to no person, so he is bound to no time: he calleth whom he will, he teacheth and toucheth the heart when he will. This we see in the example of the Apostle Paul (which we spoke of before,) he was at the first a blasphemer, 
1 Tim. 1, 13  a persecutor, and an oppressor, yet he was received of God to mercy, to the encouragement of them which shall in time to come believe in him unto eternal life. 
Mark 16, 9  So was Mary Magdalen a grievous sinner, an unclean liver, 
Luke 7, 47.  out of whom he had cast seven devils, yet many sins were forgiven her, inasmuch as she loved much; & was the first to whom the Lord appeared after his resurrection. Wherefore, albeit we s●e men run on in their wickedness, and shut their ears against the wholesome admonitions of the word of God, albeit their whole life be a continual practice of sin, and that they drink in iniquity, as the fish doth the water, yet we must judge nothing before the time, 
1. Cor. 4, 5.  until the Lord come, who will lighten things that are hid in darkness, and make the counsels of the hearts manifest, and then shall every man have praise of God. God is not tied to ordinary causes, but as he fed the people with Quails in the wilderness, so he can inwardly instruct the conscience, he can make the least means powerful and effectual to salvation: 
Math. 19, 30.  so that as many which are first shall be last, so sometimes the last shallbe first. He called john the Baptist, as it were in the dawning of the day, whom he sanctified from his mother's womb. 
Luke 1, 15.  He called Timothy and Titus, & some others as it were at the third hour of the day, 
2 Tim. 3, 15, and 1, 5.  Who were brought up in the knowledge of the Scriptures of children, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through the faith which is in Christ jesus; and honoured the Lord with the first fruits of their life, He called Paul to be an Apostle, Mary Magdalene to be a believer, as it were at the sixth hour, who after their conversion redeemed the time; and though they were inferior to other in respect of time, yet they were equal unto them, or before them in regard of zeal, & other graces of God's Spirit. He called the thief upon the cross, as it were at the eleventh hour, to be partaker of his kingdom, 
Luke 23.42 43.  to whom Christ said, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Let us not therefore enter into judgement against our brethren, let us commit them to God, 
Acts 1, 7.  Seeing it is not for us to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. Let us pray for their conversion to God, that he would give them repentance to know him, and to come out of the snares of the devil, of whom they are holden captives. In the mean time, until this wonderful work of grace be wrought in them, Who art thou that condemnest another man's servant? 
Rom. 14, 4.  he standeth or falleth to his own master, yea he shall be established, for God is able to make him stand.  
Verse 31. [Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn.] The Lord that before opened the mouth of the ass, now openeth the eyes of Balaam, who is here called, the Lord, and the Angel of the Lord. Not that his eyes were shut or closed before, or that he was blind; but his senses were holden, that he saw not the Angel of God who appeared in a visible and bodily shape, otherwise he could not be seen of the Ass. And the Lord jesus did often appear in the Old Testament in a bodily shape, 
Galat. 3, 4.  to teach the Church, that when the fullness of time should come, he would take upon him the nature of man, made of a woman, & made under the Law. Thus he appeared to Abraham, accompanied with two of his Angels, Genesis 18, For we do not read that God the Father ever took upon him the shape of man, or God the Holy-Ghost: to show that the second person in Trinity only, should be incarnate, & neither the Father, nor the Holy-Ghost. The senses of this Sorcerer were so astonished, that before his eyes were opened, he discerned not the Angel standing by him with a drawn sword ready to strike him: now he perceiveth the presence of the Angel. We learn from hence, that we can have no use of the senses further than God enableth and blesseth. True it is, 
Doctrine We have use of the ●ses, nor o● means b●fore us, ●●cept God ●pen our e●  nothing can be more natural, and nothing seemeth more in our own power, then for the ey to see, the ear to hear, the hart to understand, the hand to handle, the foot to walk; yet all our senses, gestures, and motions of the body, are ordered at the will & pleasure of God. We cannot open our eyes to see, further than he will: and when they are open, we shall discern no more then blind men that grope in the dark, without his direction. Hereunto cometh the example of the Sodomites, Gen. 19 who pressing upon Lot with threatening words, and unclean thoughts, and running with rage to break open his doors, The Angels smote them all both small and great with blindness. 
Gen. 19, and 21, 1  They could have strucken them with sudden death, but they are reserved to a greater judgement: and this work of God is the greater, in that their eyes are open, & they are not utterly deprived of sight, and yet they see or discern nothing at all. Thus they stand amazed, going up & down, & yet not knowing whither they went. That which was one, seemed double: the thing near at hand seemed far off: that on the right hand seemed to be on the left: that before them, seemed to be behind them. Thus they see the door, & seek to break it up, but know not where it standeth, or which way to find it. The like we see afterward, Chap. 21. when Hagar the bondwoman with her Ishmael were cast out of Abraham's house, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, God opened her eyes, & then she saw a Well of water. Hereunto also come the prayers of Elisha, both touching his servants, and the Aramites. For when the King of Aram sent horses and chariots, and a mighty host to take the Prophet (who had discovered his secret counsels) and his servant beholding the Army, cried out, Alas Master, how shall we do? 
2 Kings 18, 19  he answered, Fear not for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them: and he prayed, saying, Lord I beseech thee open his eyes, that he may see; and the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he looked, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Again, when the Aramites came about him, and thought themselves sure of him, he prayed unto the Lord to smite this people with blindness: He did not pray unto GOD, to kill and destroy them, that they might fall into the pit which they had digged for his life: neither did he pray to GOD to take away wholly the use of their sight, and put out their eyes. They saw their way, they saw the Prophet, they saw the towns and cities as they took their journey; but they discerned not the way, they knew not the cities, they perceived not the Prophet who he was. So then, howsoever we have eyes to see, and ears to hear, & want neither wisdom nor counsel, yet we can see, hear, mark, and perceive no more than God will have us: our sight is confused, as at the building of Babel, their language was confounded.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are: First, because nothing can prosper or be blessed unto us without his special guidance and direction. We cannot perform and accomplish any thing, except the Lord's blessing concur with the same. This the Prophet David teacheth, Psal. 127. Except the Lord build the house, 
〈◊〉. 127.1.  they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the keeper watcheth in vain. Whereby we see, that all the labour and industry of men, in governing a family, or in upholding a Commonwealth, shall prove vain and unprofitable, unless God guide them, and give good success unto them.  
True it is, the providence of God ruleth overall, and nothing is unpossible to him to bring to pass, he is able to change Nature, and to alter the course of natural things. For shall any thing be hard to him who worketh miracles and wonders at his own pleasure? And we must not neglect the means, but use them to his glory, and our comfort: and yet no means can do us any good any farther than they receive strength and virtue from him.  
Reason 2 Secondly, if we consider who made all things, and gave them unto man, we shall not greatly marvel that God hath the sovereignty and dominion over all that we have. For, who made the eye of man? 
〈◊〉 4, 9, 10.  who fashioned the ear? who created the heart? who gave to men wisdom and understanding? Is it not God who maketh all things in all men? If then he made the eye, how can we doubt but he hath power and authority to open and to shut, to lighten and to darken, to give sight, or to strike with blindness? If he planted the ear, and fashioned the heart, it is certain he can boar the ear, and open the heart, or he can harden the heart, and make the ear heavy. For as he knoweth what is in the heart, so he hath the ordering and disposing of it at his pleasure.  
Use 1 This doctrine offereth to our considerations, very good uses. First, seeing we can neither see, nor hear, nor use the means open before us, except God open our eyes; let us pray to God to guide us in the right use of our senses, as he hath given the senses themselves. Let us use all the means that God hath put into our hands, always with prayer to God, to bless them to us, and our comfort. Especially, when we come to hear his Word, let us crave of him to open our hearts, as he did the heart of Lydia, 
Acts 16, 14.  that she attended unto the things which Paul spoke: so he that hath ears to hear, shall hear. For by nature we have uncircumcised hearts and ears: and through our corruption, we are as closed vessels unfit to receive the wholesome liquor, and pure waters of the Word of God, which is oftentimes preached to the condemnation of those that hear it. Therefore the Lord speaketh by the Prophet, Ye shall hear indeed, 
Esai 6, 9, 10, 11.  but ye shall not understand, ye shall plainly see, and not perceive; make the heart of this people fat, make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they s●e with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert, and he heal them, even until their cities be without Inhabitants, their houses without possessors, their fields without tilers of them. He doth not always take away his Word, for the sins of men, but causeth it to be preached to their condemnation that will not obey it, nor express the power of it in their conversations. And surely, if we would know the cause of the ignorance & contempt of the Word, of the want of profiting and regarding of the preaching of the Gospel, which is the high ordinance of God in his heavenly wisdom, sanctified for the salvation of his Elect: we shall find this to be the chiefest: we rest and trust in ourselves, we think it sufficient to bring our natural eyes, and carnal ears with us: whereas we should earnestly desire of God, the true use and comfortable fruit of them, otherwise we may see and hear to our further condemnation. This we see in the same sort practised by the Prophet Elisha, when he was compassed with his enemies, he prayeth God to open the eyes of his servant, 
2 Kings 6, 17, 18, 19  to see the help that God had sent him: he prayed likewise to God touching his enemies, first, to strike them with blindness, that they might run into danger, then to open their eyes to see themselves in danger. Let us also continually give him thanks so often as we find his hand to be with us, and feel him with his gifts, to bestow upon us the use of his gifts, whether natural, or spiritual; to bless our senses, to direct our judgements, to sanctify our understandings, to soften our hearts, and to circumcise our ears. Now, if we must be feign to beg of God the proper functions, and right uses of our outward senses (which we have by nature) as if we had them not, and render praise unto God for them: how much more are we to ask of God a pure and clean heart, an humble and contrite spirit, the gift of repentance, and the grace of regeneration, which we have not by nature, but are contrary to nature? For the Apostle teacheth truly, that the wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God, 
Rom. 8, 7.  because it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. And again, 
1. Cor. 2, 14.  The natural man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. It is God that must reveal unto us by his Spirit the mysteries of his kingdom, 
Cor. 2, 6, 7, 1.  which none of the Princes of this world have known: the spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. This we see noted unto us in the communication and conference of Christ with the two disciples that went to Emmaus; he drew near to them to hear their reasoning together, of the things that happened at jerusalem, touching the passion of Christ, 
Luke 24.16 ●1.  but their eyes were holden that they could not know him. His body indeed was not invisible, the change was not in him, but in their eyes which after a sort were dimmed & holden back, that they should not discern him for a season, & afterward their eyes were opened, 
john 20, 15.  that they knew him, as likewise Mary Magdalen, albeit she were neither blind nor deaf, yet discerned him neither by seeing, nor hearing of him. Wherefore, we have not an absolute power over our senses, it is God that giveth the eye, that must open it: much less have we power over our understanding, will, judgement, memory, & affections: & lest of all concerning heavenly things, in which we are wholly blind, as we have already declared: so that it behoveth all of us to acknowledge all these to be in the power & disposition of God, either to diminish or restrain them, or utterly to bereave us of them, & take them away from us at his pleasure that is the giver, & consequently we are always to entreat him to give us grace and power, that we may carefully use them as we ought to the glory of his Name, the profit of our brethren, and the comfort of our souls and bodies.  
Use 2 Secondly, let us take heed how we abuse them to our own hurt that have received them, & to the dishonour of God that gave them, from whom every good giving, & every perfect gift proceedeth. If we see not but at the pleasure of God, who is able to strike us with blindness & mists, that we shall grope in darkness, & seek some to lead us by the hand; or if we have our eyes open, we shall discern & distinguish nothing, but have the outward & inward senses dazzled, until he take away the scales from our eyes that cover them. The Apostle Peter complaineth in his time of corrupt men, led with sensuality, 
2 Pet. 2.14.  having eyes full of adultery, & that can not cease to sin. We must beware how we turn our sight to a contrary end, then for which God hath lent it unto us, but rather with job, We should make a covenant with our eyes, 
job. 31.1,  that they wander not after folly: and pray with the Prophet David, Psal. 119. 
Psal. 119.37.  Turn away mine eyes from regarding vanity, & that they be not carried away after covetous affections. If we have ears by nature, yet hear at the pleasure of God, how shall we then give over our ears, & hearing to hearken to hateful slanders, lewd surmises, evil backbitings: flying tales, false accusations, & hurtful reproaches, 
Luke 1, 22. G●n. 32, 1. Act 1●. 11 Lu●e 13, 11.  raised and forged to the hurt of our brethren? He is able to try and touch us with dumbness, as he did Zachary; with lameness, as he did jacob; with blindness, as he did Elymas; with crookedness & deformity, as the woman in the Gospel; with foolishness, as he did Achitophel; with want of reason & understanding, as he did Nebucadnezzar; to teach us to take heed to ourselves and our senses, lest we abuse them to our destruction.  
Lastly, seeing God can blind the eyes, and Use 3 bind up the senses when it pleaseth him, let us go forward & walk boldly in the duties of our calling, let us not fear any enemies, seeing the Lord hath so many ways to help his chosen people, to secure them, & to save them harmless Let us commit & commend ourselves to his providence, who albeit he suffer us to fall into many dangers, yet he can smite his enemies with many & sudden judgements. He can visit them oftentimes & in sundry manners. Every thing serveth to his wll, & therefore, if we serve God, let us be assured he will make it serve to our benefit. They shall not stir a foot, or move any member, or lift up an hand, but at his beck and appointment. jeroboam stretched out his hand from the Altar to lay hold on the Prophet, but immediately it dried up, 
1. King 1●  and he could not pull it in again unto him. Ananias & Sapphira his wife, were among the Apostles, and seemed to be in perfect health & far from death: yet suddenly they fell down, & were carried out. Old Eli, whose sons walked not in the steps of their father, sat upon a seat by the way side, waiting for the success of the battle fought against the Philistims. A man would have thought he sat safely and surely at his own pleasure, and no doubt he judged no less himself of himself; but when he heard that the Ark was taken, suddenly he fell from his seat backward, 
2 Sam. 4. ●  and his neck was broken. When Vzziah King of judah presumed to burn incense upon the Altar of incense, & lift up his heart, to his own destruction, while he waxed wroth against the Priests of the Lord, & had the incense in his hand to burn it, 
2. Chro●● 19  suddenly the leprosy arose in his forehead, & he was compelled to depant out of the Temple. We are able to do nothing of ourselves, as of ourselves, seeing that in him we live, & move, 
Act. 17, 2●  and have our being. Let us in all our sufferings comfort ourselves herein, that the Lord holdeth the wicked in his own hand, & turneth their wisdom into foolishness. Absalon rebelled against his father, and was assisted by Achitophel. David's companion, and chief counsellor: (for the counsel which he counseled in those days was like as one had asked counsel at the oracle of God) David prayed unto God to turn his counsel into foolishness, 
2 Sam. 1●  God heard his prayer, and confounded the deep wisdom of this great Politician so that he set his house in order & hanged himself. 
1 Cor. 3●. 20.  He catcheth the wise in their own craftiness, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God: the Lord knoweth that the thoughts of the wise be vain: If any therefore seem to be wise in this world, let him be a fool, that he may be wise. All human wisdom in the unregenerate is oftentimes turned into extreme folly. jezabel enemy against the Church, hated Eliah unto the death, but sending him this word by a messenger, The Gods do so to me, and more also, if I make not thy life like one of theirs (whom thou hast slain) by to morrow this time. 1 Kings 19, 2.3. hereby he had fit occasion and opportunity to fly away and to shift for himself, receiving warning, and learning wisdom by his enemy. Herod, a subtle Fox, and withal a bloody Lion, and wise in his generation, might have sent one of his Courtiers with the wise men for his greater assurance, yet he sendeth them alone, and appointeth not one to go with them. Mat. 2, 8. Thus the Lord striketh his enemies with the spirit of giddiness, and turneth all their devices into sottishness: he circumuenteth the wise in their own policies, and the counsel of the wicked is made foolish: They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noon day as in the night: but he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the violent man, so that the poor hath his hope, but iniquity shall stop her mouth. job 5, 12, 13, 14, 15. Indeed they seek ways & imagine means to destroy the godly, but they cannot find them out: they are endued with wisdom, judgement, & counsel, they are very subtle and deceitful, but that which happened to the eyes of the Sodomites, falleth upon their minds, They are smitten with blindness and madness, & are smitten with astonying of heart, etc. Deut. 28, 28, 29.  
[Verse 34. Then Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, I have sinned.] here is offered to our considerations, the corrupt conscience of an evil man. So soon as the Lord charged him with his sin, by and by his heart smote him, and he confessed his offence. here was no true sanctification of the conscience, which indeed did check and condemn him for his disobedience and covetousness, but did not bridle & suppress the inclination of his heart unto evil, neither could testify that his transgression was pardoned. We learn in this example, 
●●●ine. 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 ●●●trai●●●●on●●●●innes.  that evil men are oftentimes compelled to confess their own sins. God wanteth not many ways and sundry means to draw from men a confession of their own iniquities. This we see in Pharaoh, when the hand of God was heavy upon him, and his plagues pressed sore against him, he called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have now sinned, the Lord is righteous, but I & my people are wicked. Exod. 9, 27. Albeit he could not believe to obtain remission, yet he confessed his sins to his condemnation. The like we see in Saul, who persecuted David, and sinned against his own conscience; yet when he saw that David had saved his life, when some willed and cried to kill him, he said, Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rendered me good, and I have rendered thee evil: I have sinned, come again my son David; for I will do thee no more harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes, etc. 1 Sa. 24, 18. and 26, 21. So then, howsoever the ungodly delight in sin, and regard not to provoke God to wrath, yet their own mouths are made witnesses against themselves and they publish their own shame as with the blast of a Trumpet.  
The Reasons are these: First, the wrath of Reason 1 God is gone out against them, and their own consciences summon them unto judgement, to answer for their sins, before the high judge of heaven and earth; so that the more they seek to cover and smother them in the ashes of their own corruptions, that the flame of them break not out, the more do the sparks fly out & are scattered abroad, to the shame and confusion of their own faces. This is it which the Prophet noteth in the people of Israel, whom God of his mercy had chosen to be his Church above other Nations, When the wrath of God came even upon them, and slew the strongest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel, than they returned to him and sought him early, than they remembered that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer: but they flattered him with their lips, and dissembled with him with their tongue, for their heart was not upright with him, neither were they faithful in his couenat. Psal. 78, 31, 34, 35, 36. Where we see, that howsoever hypocrisy were in their secret souls, and deep dissimulation in their secret parts, yet a counterfeit repentance is in their mouths, & their own hearts had taught their tongues to lie against God.  
Secondly, they would be like the children Reason 2 of God in their afflictions, whom they regard not to follow, in their conversations. They hate them with a deadly hatred, and cannot abide them in their life, so long as themselves live in peace and sleep in security: but when the hand of God is heavy upon them, then they would follow their example, and would give a world that they were like unto them. That they might die the death of the righteous, Numb. 23, 10. yet is their confession no true confession, because it proceedeth not from a feeling of the filthiness of sin, but ariseth from a fear of punishment; and therefore it is without conversion to God, without hope of mercy, without prayer for pardon, without hatred of sin, and without purpose to amend.  
The uses of this doctrine are these. First, Use 1 this overthroweth the doctrine of the Church of Rome, which teacheth that confession is a part of true repentance, which is a turning of the heart, and a right reformation of the life. For they make three parts of repentance, contrition of the heat, confession of the tongue, satisfaction of the work. But these are not to be holden of us as essential parts of a right repentance, inasmuch as they may agree to the Reprobate and unregenerate, and are all of them found in judas that betrayed his Master, Math. 27, 34. For when he saw that Christ was condemned, he sorrowed, & was stricken with grief for the treachery he had committed: again, he confessed his sin before the high Priests, in betraying innocent blood. Lastly, he made satisfaction and restitution of the money which he had received. Besides, if we mark their own doctrine, 
Catech. Rom. pag. 437. Tho. Aquin, lib. 4. dist. 2. quaest. 1. art. 1.  who teach that contrition is an act of a man's free will proceeding from it, not an act of the Holy-Ghost: and, that satisfaction may be performed by another, one satisfying for another, as well as for himself; 
joh. Chapeavil. sum. Catech. Rom.  we may truly and sound conclude from their false and unsound doctrine, that the reprobate may have sorrow of heart; yea, make confession and satisfaction, and consequently, their confession is no true member of repentance. This therefore cannot be the true Religion which faileth and faultereth in the chief points and foundations thereof. The like we might say of the faith of the Roman Church, which a reprobate may attain. For they define it to be a gift of God, and a certain light of the mind, whereby a man giveth a sure and a certain assent to those things that are revealed in the Word of God. 
Rhe. Testam. upon 2 Cor. 13.  And therefore our English Rhemists writ, that we may know and feel whether we have faith, but cannot know whether we be in the state of grace. So Bellarmine in his first book of justification avoucheth, that whereas we are taught in the Creed to believe the forgiveness of sins, 
Bellar. de justif. lib. 1. ca 9 Sensus illius articuli non est, credo aut confido mihi remissa esse peccata, sed credo & confi●cor in Ecclesia Catholica esse donum remission●s peccatorum, etc. jam. 2.19. Heb. 6.5. Luke 8, 13.  The meaning of that Article is not, I believe or trust that my sins are forgiven, but I believe and confess that the gift of forgiving sins is found in the Catholic Church, which is received by Baptism, and other Sacraments. All this is but an historical and general faith, which the devil himself hath, who believeth and trembleth (as the Apostle teacheth, and therefore also the reprobates, whose minds are so far enlightened to know the truth. This is to believe as the Church believeth, albeit they know nothing how the Church believeth. If then the reprobate may be made partakers of the faith and repentance of the Church of Rome, 
Acts 20, 20.21.  which are the two chief parts of Religion, it confuteth those Politicians (wise in their own eyes) who neither shame, nor fear to maintain that the Romish Religion differeth not in substance from the doctrine of the reformed Churches, and consequently that they may be united & reconciled. If they can make a fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness, a communion between light and darkness, & concord between Christ and Belial, than they may make an harmony and hodge-podge between these two, so contrary the one to the other. But they shall assoon bring the North and South pole together, and cause heaven & earth to join in one, as these two; the one grounded upon the infallible rock of the Scriptures only, the other builded upon the traditions of their fathers.  
Use 2 Secondly, we must learn that they are further from the Kingdom of heaven that deny their sin, that hide it, that excuse and justify it; the reprobate shall rise up in judgement, and condemn this generation. It is one step toward the Kingdom of Heaven, to tremble at the judgements of God, to fear to commit sin, to sorrow and weep for it when a man hath committed it, to humble himself, and acknowledge his particular sins before men's, and to pray to God in his distresses; yet the reprobate may go thus far in his profession, and afterward fall away. This we see in Ahab, when Eliah had reproved him for his bloody oppression and Idolatry, and had denounced the wrath of God to fall upon him and his posterity, 
1 Kings 2● 29.  He rend his clothes put on sackcloth upon him, fasted, and went softly in token of mourning. Thus he humbled himself for some sins which he had committed, yet not for all his sins, neither did he ask pardon for them. So the Israelites murmuring against God, & desiring flesh for their lusts in the wilderness, had their prayers granted. 
Numb. 11  If then the ungodly may go thus far in Religion, than they are hereby condemned, that justify themselves in their iniquities, and cannot be brought to a free confession of them, but hide them as Adam, 
Gen. 3, 2●  or excuse them as Saul, or deny them as Achan, or defend them as Cain. Therefore, if we would find pardon at the hands of God, we must confess unto him as David did, weep for them as Peter did. If we uncover them, he will cover them; if we condemn ourselves, he will justify us. Therefore the Wiseman saith, He that hideth his sins shall not prosper, 
Prou. 28  but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.  
Lastly, we see hereby that sin endeth Use not as it beginneth. Albeit the fool maketh a mock of sin, yet when the soul is tormented, and the conscience oppressed with desperation, and can find no ease, than a man ceaseth not to utter his secret filthiness, to the shaming of himself, and to the astonishment of the hearers. Let us not look for Pharaoh, or Saul, or judas to come out of hell to warn us. These things are written for our learning, we have Moses and the Prophets, let us hearken to them. When as terrors take hold upon the soul, we cannot cover sin any longer. 
Prou. 1  Howsoever therefore sin to the carnal man be sweet unto the taste, and Satan baiteth his hook with profit on the one side, and with pleasure on the other, yet afterward it shall prove more bitter than gall and wormwood, it shall wound the conscience, as with a deadly dart, and pierce the soul through with many sorrows. For albeit it begin in sport, it shall end in horror and despair. This we see in the example of Cain, 
Gen. 4, ●  My punishment is greater than I can bear. So judas, when he saw Christ condemned, felt an hell in his conscience. The money was pleasant, and the gain was sweet unto him, but it was as a two edged sword, that woundeth incurably, and as the teeth of a Lion that biteth mortally. It seemed unreasonable to Gehazi, that Naaman the Syrian should depa●t with so great a benefit, by so little a consideration, 2 King. 5, 23, 27. And therefore followeth after him for a bribe and reward, but with the reward he gained the leprosy, that did cleave unto him and to his seed. This is the deep subtlety of satan; before sin be committed he hideth the deformity of it from the eyes of men, he maketh as if it were no sin, or a little and venial sin, or a little punishment due unto it; or that there shall be time enough hereafter to repent of it; he be cometh a preacher of God's mercy and pardon, he telleth the sinner that God is gracious and merciful. Thus he covereth the greatness of sin, and hideth the grievousness of the punishment, and concealeth the wrath of God that is drawn upon us. But when he hath once prevailed and ensnared the poor soul that hath swallowed the bait, he openeth the eyes which before he had darkened, he rouseth up the conscience which before he had seduced, he striketh the heart which before he had hardened, he uncovereth the fire of God's indignation and jealousy, which before he had smothered. Then he maketh sin appear as vile and ugly as he can, than he layeth it open in his colours, than he will make a small sin appear the greatest; then he setteth forth the justice of God due to the least sin, and all to bring the person that hath sinned to desperation. Wherefore let us fly from sin, as from the biting of a Serpent, that we be not stung therewith to eternal death, Knowing that the wages of sin is death, Rom, 6, 23.   

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam came, he went out to meet him unto a City of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, even in the utmost coast.  
37 Then Balak said unto Balaam, Did not I send for thee to call thee? Wherefore camest thou not unto me? Am not I able indeed to promote thee unto honour?  
38 And Balaam made answer unto Balak: Lo I am come unto thee: and can I now say any thing at all? The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.  
39 So Balaam went with Balak, & they came unto the City of Huzoth.  
40 Then Balak offered Bull●kes and Sheep, and sent thereof to Balaam, and to the Princes that were with him.  
41 And on the morrow, Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.  
In these words, being the shutting up of this Chapter, is contained the last branch of Balaams going to curse the people. We heard before of the wrath of God against this Wizard, who would not be stopped from his desired journey, and therefore the Lord opened the mouth of the dumb beast to reprove her master; and afterward the Angel of God, further to discover the hollowness and hypocrisy of his heart. here we are to consider the meeting and coming together of the King, and the false Prophet, together with the entertainment he findeth at Balaks hands. Herein we are to observe two things: First, their talk and communication; secondly, the actions of them both. In the first part containing the speech that passed between them, we are to mark, that the King to honour him the more, so soon as he is advertised of his approach near to the borders of his kingdom, he goeth out to meet him. For no doubt he sent the Princes and messengers of the Moabites back, to go before to give some notice and bring joyful tidings of his coming to their Lord. Therefore the King hearing the message, and conceiving (no doubt) in his mind, the utter overthrow of the Israelites, stayed not until he came within his dominion, but met him in the bounds and limits thereof, and brought him home with him to go about his business. When they are met, note in their talk first the question moved by Balak, than the answer of Balaam. In the question we see, that albeit he had basely dejected himself, and crept lowly into the favour of the false Prophet, honouring him to his own dishonour, going out, to bring him in, and after a sort casting his crown and dignity under his feet; yet on the other side he glorieth in his own power, and boasteth of his high dignity, as if he had all the riches and honour in his own hand. Balaam doth not deny the favour of the king, placing him with his Princes, rewarding him with his presents honouring him with his own presence, and sending for him from far, but maketh a short answer unto him truly, albeit unwillingly, that albeit he were come at the king's desire, and brought by his deserts, yet it was not in his own power what to do: he could go no farther than the Rules and Principles of his Art would suffer him: he had called up the God of the Hebrews to forsake them, and he must of necessity speak that which God should put into his mouth. As if he should say, I cannot speak what I would, but shall be constrained to speak that only which he willeth me.  
After the communication of these parties, followeth a description of their actions; when the king had brought him into the City, he spareth for no cost and charges, he feasteth him with his Princes, as if they were his Companions, and laboureth by all means possibl● to give him contentment in his abode. Having now refreshed himself after his journey, and having had experience of the kings good estimation of him, he is employed in the business for which he was sent for, and carried up to the high place of Baal, where no doubt was a solemn Temple consecrated and dedicated to that Idol, and from thence he beholdeth the whole host of Israel. Thus much of the order of the words: Now let us come to the doctrines arising out of the same.  
[Verse 36. When Balakheard that Balaam came, he went out to meet him.] The chief point offered to our considerations in this division is, to mark the honour done unto Balaam by the King. Himself goeth out to meet him, as if he had been some great Prince or Potentate, he bringeth him honourably into the City, he setteth him among his Princes, and maketh him inherit the seat of glory: he killeth bullocks and sheep to prepare a royal feast for him. From this example we learn, that Idolaters and Infidels were wont greatly to honour their Priests and Prophets. 
Doctrine. Idolaters and Infidels, were wont greatly to honour their Prophets and Priests.  Howsoever they were destitute of the, knowledge of the true God, and served the creature in stead of the Creator, which is blessed for ever, Amen: yet they accounted it a special duty to honour the Priests of their Groves and Altars, and persuaded themselves they should never receive any blessing at the hands of their gods, unless they honoured those that were esteemed as the servants of their gods, and greatly in their favour. This is taught us in many places of the word of God. Hereunto cometh that which Moses witnesseth, touching the Egyptians, during the dearth and famine that was in Egypt, when the king had received all the money, bought all the cattle, and purchased all the land of the people to supply their necessity, and to save their lives, Genes. 47, 22. yet he would not buy their Priests lands, but sustained them for their office sake. He removed the people unto the Cities from one side of Egypt, even to the other: only the land of the Priests bought he not, for the Priests had an ordinary of Pharaoh, & they did eat the ordinary which Pharaoh gave them, wherefore they sold not their ground. This also further appeareth in the book of Exodus, chapt. 7, 11, 22. and is confirmed in the Prophecies of Daniel: where we see, when Moses and Aaron wrought miracles, Pharaoh sent for his sorcerers that came into the kings presence. So when Nebucadnezar had dreamt a dream, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep disquieted. Dan. 2, 2. and 4, 3, 4. & 5, 7. be commanded to call the enchanters, the Astrologians, the soothsayers, and the Chaldeans who were about him, and near unto him, and in credit with him. The like we read in Samuel, 1 Sam. 6, 1, 2. when the Ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistims, they called their Priests, and consulted with their soothsayers what they should do with it; and without their counsel and advice, without their direction and commandment, the Princes would do nothing. So when Ahab purposed to go to battle against Ramoth Gilead, he assembled the Prophets of his idol groves, whom he used familiarly, who were in credit and authority with him; insomuch, that one dareth smite Micaiah in the King's presence, 1 Kin. 22.4, 6, 24.  
The Reasons follow in order: First, naturally Reason all men are extremely given to superstition, and even dote in corrupting the worship of God, being destitute of the true knowledge of the true God, and the right manner of his service, who will be worshipped according to his own will and word, not after the inventions and devices of the wisest men. Christ jesus teacheth in the Gospel, john 15, 19 that the world will always magnify and make much of his own, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own. And likewise the same Apostle saith elsewhere, They are of this world, therefore speak they of this world, and this world heareth them. If then men naturally turn the glory of the incorruptible God, into the similitude of corruptible creatures, and so change the truth of God into a lie, no marvel if they be greatly beloved and befriended, which further their idolatry, and help forward that worship of God which they have framed and fashioned to themselves.  
Secondly, the false Prophets have always Reason been honoured as fathers in the world, and therefore it cannot seem unto us strange, that they be highly esteemed. For as the true teachers are indeed spiritual Fathers, and spiritual Nurses of the Church as the Apostle declareth, 1 Cor. 4, 15. Though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many Fathers, for in Christ jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. So likewise idolaters did respect and reverence their Teachers as their fathers, giving them all honour, and accounting them worthy of all estimation. This we see in judg. 17, 10, 11. & 18, 19 in the corrupt and ruinous times of the church, When there was no King in Israel, and the Levites (confined unto their Cities by the ordinance of God) wandered now up and down from place to place, for want of maintenance and employment, & glad as journey men to be hired for meat and drink, for ten shekels of silver, and a suit of apparel yearly. For Michah entertained one of them, and said to him, Dwell with me, & be unto me a Father and a Priest: now I know that the Lord will be good unto me, seeing I have a Levite to my Priest. So in the chapter following, when the Danites were come unto the house of Michah, they alured the young man the Levite to go with them, saying, Come with us to be our Father and Priest.  
The uses are in the last place to be considered Use 1 of us. First, we learn from hence, that all men have some light and sight of religion, & of God, by nature, though not so much as may bring them to salvation, yet so much as may suffice, and so far as serveth to make them without excuse. For why did they honour, reverence, and obey their idolatrous Priests, but because they were conversant about their holy things, and had their calling to further and finish the worship of their gods? Acts 14, 13. This therefore serveth to stop the mouths of all Atheists, that say in their hearts, defend with their tongues, and maintain with all their wits, that there is no God; speaking of him contemptuously, using reproachful words against him, savouring of profaneness and contempt. These are as mad dogs which fly in their master's face, that keepeth them, and feedeth them: so do they blaspheme the most High that made them, that ministereth all things unto them, in whom they live, and breath, and to whom they shall one day give an account, when all flesh shall appear before h●m. Would not he be judged among men a most ungodly and ungracious child, that should slander, and curse, reprove and reproach his ●aren s with contumelious words? And if he should deny his father that he knoweth him, ●r only doubt of it, would not such an one be thought unworthy to live upon the earth? How much more are they to be abhorred and detested that blaspheme the name of GOD, which is blessed and holy throughout all generations? Which say unto God, Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways: Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? & what profit shall we have if we should pray unto him? job. 21. 2● 25.  
Use 2 Secondly, see hereby how forward & zealous men are in their will-worship; and let us take notice of our own dullness & backwardness in the true worship of the eternal God, in comparison of these poor blind Idolaters. We see this evidently in the Israelites, when they determined in the absence of Moses to set up the golden Calf, Exo. 32, 3, 6. they pulled off their earings, they bestowed their gold, they spared no cost, to the end they might have a service of God after their own fancy: and when it was made, they rose early in the morning to worship it, and expressed their delight in it by ●eaping and dancing before it. We see it also in the old Idolaters, they were so zealous and superstitious, that they were content to part with things most dear and precious: 
〈◊〉 ●6, 37  they offered their sons and daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they offered to the idols of Canaan. This also appeareth by our ne● idolaters, by their pilgrimages, vows, garnishing, g●lding, and clothing of images. Let us therefore be zealous in the true worship of God, and learn of these blind men to be ashamed of our coldness and carelessness, of our backwardness & unwillingness in the best things. When the mother of Machah would make a molten image, judge 1●, 3● she dedicated eleven hundred shekels unto the Lord, to make thereof a graven image or idol. Whereby we see, in this voluntary worship and wil-seruice (being agreeable unto the corrupt nature of man) how forward and fervent, how ready & willing they were to follow and further their idolatry. But how many be there that live in the bosom of the Church, and profess the true religion, prospering under the shadow of it, and tasting how bountiful the Lord is, that to maintain the truth, repine and grieve to give one half penny? Albeit they waste their years in vanity, and think nothing too much to bestow on pride, drunkenness, riotousness, whoredom, and all excess; to the dishonouring of God, to the impairing of their estates, and to the destruction of their souls and bodies: yet when they should bestow and contribute any thing for the maintaining of a learned ministry to instruct them & their families in the word, which is able to save their souls, how do they pinch and repine at it, as if they were like to be undone? Or if a collection or contribution be to be made for the poor, to relieve them in their necessities, one penny given this way doth more grieve them, & make them grudge at it, than a pound consumed in badde● and base uses. What a shame is this, for those whom the Lord hath blessed with abundance, that they should spend all on their backs and bellies, on hawks or hounds or whores, and nothing at all to the glory of God, to the comfort of their souls, and unto the help of their brethren: nothing on the Church of God, and upon their brethren in Christ, dearly bought with the blood of Christ, as of a Lamb unspotted and undefiled. To this purpose Solomon speaketh also, prover. verse 23. Bu● the truth but sell it not; likewise wisdom, instruction, and understanding. This our Saviour Christ teacheth also, Mat. 13, 44, 45, 46.  
Lastly, seeing the heathen were wont to Use 3 esteem highly, and provide liberally for their prophets and soothsayers, how much more ought the faithful and painful Ministers of God that labour in the word and doctrine to be maintained? For seeing they plant in the Lord's vineyard, 1 Cor, 9, 7, 13, 14. why should they not eat the fruit, and gather the profits thereof? Seeing they go a warfare, and fight the battles of God, why should they not take their press-money, & receive their pay? Seeing they feed the flock of God committed unto them, whereof the holy Ghost hath made them overseers, why should they not eat of the milk thereof?  they be nurses to nurse the sons and daughters of God, with the two breasts of the Old and New Testament, why should they not receive their wages? If they sow spiritual things, why should they not reap carnal things? Seeing they minister about holy things, why should they not eat of the things of the Temple? And seeing they wait at the Altar, why should they not be partakers with the Altar? If they be the Lords Labourers, why should they no● have the reward and recompense of their work? For the Lord himself hath decreed and ordained, that they which do preach the Gospel, should likewise live of the Gospel. All the Heathen people throughout the world, are bountiful, and open their hands wide to their Priests and Prophets. jezabel so provided for the Priests of Baal, and the other Prophets of the Groves, that she kept four hundred at her own Table, 1 Kings 18, 19 The Papists have thought nothing too much, nothing too dear to be bestowed upon their Priests and Jesuits, and upon their foolish superstition. And as they do liberally maintain, so they do greatly honour and highly advance them, they account them as the Fathers and Pillars of the Church. This should stir us up, having a founder religion, and making a better profession, to have the Teachers thereof in singular love, for their works sake that is in their hands, 1 Thess. 5, 12, 13, and to account their feet beautiful, 
Rom. 10, 15.  that bring glad tidings of good things, who are as spiritual fathers of our souls, and as joash said to Elisha, the Chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. For when Elisha fell sick of his sickness whereof he died, the King came down unto him to visit him, and wept upon his face, saying, O my father, my father, the Chariot of Israel, & the horsemen of the same. 2 Kings 13, 14. This serveth to condemn our contempt toward the Messengers and Ministers of God, that rise early and late to speak unto us in the Name of the Lord, who in stead of honour are disgraced: in stead of countenance, are contemned: in stead of maintenance, are every way defrauded, partly by profane Atheists, partly by dissembling hypocrites, and partly by cunning Papists. Hence it is, that the Church is oppressed, and groaneth under the burden of sundry corrupt customs, and injurious prescriptions, to the decay of religion, and hindrance of the true worship of God. If these men had only cut off the lap of our garments, 
1 Sam. 24.5, 6  it were reason they should have some remorse for it: and it were well with them if their hearts would smite them for it. But they have served us as the Ammonites served the messengers of David, whom he sent to comfort the King, who shaved off half their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, 2 Sam. 10, 4. Of whom we may say as Paul said sometimes of the jews; Thou that abhorrest Idols, committest thou sacrilege? Rom. 2, 22. That is, thou hatest the false gods, and yet thou spoilest the true God, which seemeth to be much worse than the worshipping of Images, and the giving of ourselves to the sin of Idolatry. Thus we offer to the Lord, the lame and the sick, the torn and the blind, which if it were offered unto thy Prince, would he accept it at thy hands, & be content with thee? Mal. 1, 8, 9, 13, 14. yet we think him deeply indebted unto us. Thus do we spoil the Lord of hosts in his Tithes and Offerings, yet the Idolaters will not spoil their gods, as we have spoiled and do spoil the true God. Mal. 3, 8. Thus oftentimes it fareth better in this world with those which prophesy errors, and speak flattering things, which daub with untempered Mortar, and preach of wine, and of strong drink, them with such as are found faithful witnesses of the truth, denouncing the judgements of God, and dealing faithfully with his people. Whilst the true Prophets of God are hid in Caves, and fed with bread and water, to sustain their feeble souls and faint lives: four hundred Prophets of the Groves are fed to the full, and far deliciously every that at jezebels' Table, 1 Kings 18, 13, 19 Whiles M●chaiah is clapped up in the Prison house, 
1 Kin. 2●  and fed with the bread of affliction, etc. the false Prophets walked at liberty, were richly provided for, tasted of the best, and did eat the portion of the King's meat. Whilst jeremy the true Prophet of the Lord is put in the court of the prison, 
jer. 37, 1● 38, 6.  & hath given him daily a morsel of bread out of the Baker's street, and is cast into the Dungeon, where was no water but mire, where he stuck fast: the false Prophets insult over him, and live in all pleasure & abundance. Whilst Daniel and his companions feed upon Pulse, and have water given them to drink, 
Dan. 1, 1●  the Priests of Bel with their wives & children made merry with the meat allotted to the Idol. But howsoever this hath ever been the lot and portion of the Prophets and Apostles, and of other servants of God, and the recompense of their labours, who spend their vital spirits, and waste their strength, to speak to an unthankful people: let us (notwithstanding the disgraces and indignities offered unto us) go forward in our callings, looking for our wages and reward at the hands of GOD, in whose service we are employed, and who hath promised, That they which are wise, shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, etc. Dan. 12. Thus the Apostle exhorteth the Elders to feed the flock of God, which dependeth upon them, assuring themselves, That when the chief Shepherd shall appear, they shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory, 1 Pet. 5, 3, 4.  
[Verse 39 So Balaam went with Balak: He took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.] After the communication, followeth a description of their actions, they prepare for their conjuration, they offer sacrifices, and going into the Chapel of Baal, they take a view of the utmost part of the people of God. God hath set himself against Balaam, he had forbidden him to curse his people, the sword was drawn out against him for his disobedience, and he promised to submit himself unto the good pleasure of God. All this was known also to Balak that set him on work, and payeth him his wages; yet see here how they proceed and go forward in their wicked course, and cannot be stopped & hindered from it.  
From hence we learn, that howsoever the ungodly be checked & reproved of God, 
Doctri● The wic●● reproue● continu● sin.  yet they continue in their ungodliness: howsoever they be crossed and contradicted, they hold on their course in sin which they have begun. This appeareth in the example of Cain; albeit he were admonished and reproved of God for his wrath and malice against his brother, 
〈◊〉, 6, 8. & ●  yet he runneth forward, and never ceaseth till he had killed him. This is seen likewise evidently in the example of the old world, when the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually, he stirred up Noah a Preacher of righteousness, and gave them an hundred and twenty years to repent; yet they sinned still, corrupting their ways, and defiling the earth with their cruelty; they did eat and drink, and gave themselves unto all excess till the flood came, and swept them all away. Hereunto cometh the practice of Pharaoh, Exod. 6, 34. what could the Lord have done unto him that he did not? He sent Moses and Aaron to speak unto him, he brought sundry plagues upon him, he corrected him by divers and sharp afflictions, yet he waxed obstinate, and hardened his heart more and more, to his own destruction. This is that which the Apostle Paul teacheth, 2 Tim. 3, 1, 2, 3. This know, that in the last days shall come perilous times; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, etc. So that it appeareth to be an evident truth, that the wicked are so obstinate and hardened in their evil, that by no means they can be brought from it, Pro. 27, 22. And if thou shouldest bra● a fool in a mortar among wheat brayed with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness departed from him.  
Reason 1 The Reasons to strengthen and confirm this truth to our consciences, are to be considered. First, sin is as the Gangrene or Canker, i● fretteth and eateth further and further, the hand infecteth the arm, and the foot the leg, unless the part that is infected be cut off at the beginning, as the Apostle teacheth, 2 Tim. 2, 16, 17. Stay profane and vain babblings, for they shall increase unto more ungodliness: & their word shall fret as a canker, of which sort are Hymeneus and Philetus. So the Apostle james resembleth and compareth sin to childbearing for the fruitfulness of it, jam. 1, 15, When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, 
〈◊〉 7, 14.  bringeth forth death. Likewise, it is a leaven which leaveneth the whole lump, and therefore no marvel if it proceed by little and little, from one degree to another.  
Reason 2 Secondly, evil men are given over of God into a reprobate sense by his judgement, so that it is no marvel if they become vile and abominable. This Paul declareth, Rom. 1, 26, 29, 30. This is likewise noted of the sons of E●i, who albeit they were reproved of their father that they caused the lords people to trespass, Yet they continued in their sin, and obeyed not his voice, because the Lord would stay them, 1 Sam. 2, 24, 25. And the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians, maketh mention of the unbelieving jews, who killed the Lord, murdered the Prophets, persecuted the Apostles, withstood the truth, and forbade them to preach unto the Gentiles, that they might be saved, To fulfil their sins always, for the wrath ●f God is come on them to the utmost. Seeing therefore such as cast away the warnings of God, are themselves cast off and given over of God to fill up the measure of their sins, and seeing sin is of itself fruitful, branching and budding as a Tree, fretting as a canker, souring as a leaven, growing as a child, multiplying as the fish in the waters: we are not to marvel, if men once beginning to sin cannot be stayed and stopped from whatsoever they have imagined to do.  
Now, let us apply this doctrine to our uses. Use 1 First, seeing the ungodly proceed and persever in sin, assuredly great shall be their judgement: and as they increase in sin, so shall they increase their punishment, and hoard it up as a treasure against the day of wrath. This the Apostle setteth down as an evident truth. Despisest thou the riches of his bountifulness and patience, and long sufferance, not knowing that the bountifulness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But thou after thine hardness, and heart that cannot repent, heapest up as a Treasure unto thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, etc. This aught to be a terror to all the ungodly, to consider that as their hearts are hardened, and their consciences seared, so the plagues and punishments of God attend upon them, and always grow according to the degrees of their sins. This the Lord threateneth in the Law, Leuit. 16, 21, 23, 24. If ye walk stubbornly against me, and will not obey me, I will then bring seven times more plagues upon you, according to your sins: but if by these ye will not be reform by me, but walk stubbornly against me, etc. Thus we see the equal proportion between our sins, and Gods punishments.  
Secondly, see how dangerous it is once to make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and to wound our souls by falling into sin. The further a disease runneth, and the longer it continueth, the more uncurable it is. The further a fire spreadeth, the more it consumeth. The more sin groweth to an head, the more the Spirit of God is quenched, & the work of grace is diminished, the assurance of comfort is weakened and lessoned. Let us therefore always keep a diligent watch over our souls, let us seek to cut off all occasions of evil, and endeavour to stop the first beginnings. If a disease be taken in the beginning before it spread and seize upon the vital parts, it is easily cured. A fire when it is first kindled, is quickly quenched. The Spring of the year is the best and fittest season to purge out evil humours, and to apply medicines unto the natural body. When a ship hath an hole that it beginneth to leak, it is soon stepped. So if we will labour and strive to purge out the old leaven betimes, befor● it gather strength, we shall with more ease & less difficulty be able to withstand the force thereof: whereas the more sin is practised, the more the heart is hardened, according to the saying of the Prophet, jer. 13, 23. Can the Blackmoore change his skin? Or the Leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good which are accustomed to do evil. Therefore the Lord seeing that Cain had offended, and that his countenance was de●ected (which were the forerunners of murder) stirred him up to look unto these things. Gen. 4, 7. If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou dost not well, sin lieth at the door. This is that use which the Prophet pointeth out, Esay 5.11, 18. woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sins as with cartropes. Woe unto them that rise up early to follow drunkenness, and to them that continue until night, till the wine do inflame them. Where he teacheth the woeful and miserable condition of all those that run from evil to worse, as it were, adding drunkenness unto thirst, and warneth us to take heed lest at any time there be in any of us an evil heart and unfaithful, to departed from the living God.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing the ungodly being reproved of God, and checked of their own conscience continue in their evil, we must know that on the other side it belongeth unto the faithful, according to the truth of the word revealed unto them, to grow in grace more and more, and to make every day some step to the king doom of heaven. So many as are truly grafted into Christ, as it were into a vine, must draw juice from him continually, and bring forth fruit plentifully, according as he teacheth, john 15.22. Every branch that beareth not fruit in me, he taketh away, and every one that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. It is the commendation of the Church of Thyatira, revel. 2, 19 That their works were more at the last, than they were at the first. Let us begin to believe in Christ, and to express the power of godliness, neither let us be terrified and dismayed from a constant resolution, to forsake sin, and embrace righteousness, with the hardness and difficulty, with the lets and stumbling-blockes that lie in our way, with the troubles and temptations that abide for us: all these are hard in the beginning. A settled course, and a continual practice of faith and repentance, shall make the matter easy, and the way plain before us. An Apprentice that first beginneth to learn his trade and occupation, is much troubled at the strangeness of it, he findeth in himself great unfitness and untowardness, he saith he shall never attain unto it, he shall never go through with it, and the reason is, because he hath not used it: but when once he is entered into that course, he taketh delight in it, and wondereth at his own folly and simplicity. A Scholar that first beginneth to read, to write, or to learn any liberal Art, is discouraged through the hardness of it, and if he might be put to his choice, had rather give over then hold out; but use and custom makes it easy, and then he learneth with great pleasure & little pain: for that which a man doth often, he doth easily. So is it with all Novices and young Scholars in the school of Christ, when first they begin to be trees of righteousness, set in the garden of God, they meet with many hindrances and pull-backes, they wrestle with many temptations, and encounter with sundry enemies: but when they have once practised the duties of the first and second Table, and entered into the race of Religion, they run swiftly, they obey God willingly, and follow their calling cheerfully. For now they practise all holy duties often, and therefore do them easily and willingly, not grudgingly and untowardly.  
This Solomon teacheth, Prou. 14, 6. A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not; but knowledge is easy to him that will understand. And hence it is that Christ our Saviour exhorteth us, Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, for I will ease you: For my yoke is easy and my burden light, Math. 11, 28. So the Apostle john testifieth, This is the love of God that ye keep his Commandments, and his Commandments are not burdenous: for all that is born of God over cometh this world and this is that victory that hath overcome this world, even our Faith. 1 john 5.3, 4. They have their transgressions of the law pardoned, they have Christ's obedience in fulfilling the law imputed: repentance from dead works is wrought and effected in them. All things saith Christ are possible to him that believeth, Matth. 17, 20: according to the saying of Paul, 
Phil. 4, 14  I am able to do all things through the help of Christ which strengtheneth me. Let us do his will cheerfully, readily, willingly. For as God loveth a cheerful giver, so he loveth a cheerful servant. Let it be meat & drink unto us to do the will of our heavenly Father, and finish his work appointed unto us.    

CHAP. XXIII.  

1 And Balaam said to Balak: Build me here seven Altars, and prepare me here seven Bullocks, and seven Rams.  
2 And Balak did as Balaam said, and Balak and Balaam offered upon every Altar, a Bullock and a Ram.  
3 Then Balaam said unto Balak: Stand by the burned Offering, and I will go, if so be that the Lord will come and meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me, I shall tell thee: So he went forth alone.  
4 And God met Balaam; and he said unto him, I have prepared seven Altars, and have offered upon every Altar a Bullock and a Ram.  
5 And the Lord put an answer in balaam's mouth, and said; Go again to Balak, and say on this wise.  
6 So when he returned unto him, Lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, he and all the Princes of Moab.  
7 Then he uttered his Parable, and said, Balak the King of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the Mountains of the East, saying; Come curse jacob for my sake, come and detest Israel.  
8 How shall I curse, where God hath not cursed? Or how shall I detest, where the Lord hath not detested?  
9 For from the top of the Rocks I did see him, and from the Hills I did behold him: Lo, the people shall dwell by themselves, and shall not be reckoned among the Nations.  
10 Who can tell the dust of jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.  
11 Then Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.  
12 And he answered and said, Must not I take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?  
IN the former Chapter we have heard the busy preparing and providing of an enchanter and soothsayer, to weaken and bewitchthe people. Now in this Chapter and the Chapter following, we see his divinations delivered, and his sorceries explained unto us. For Balaam being gotten and hired with the wages of unrighteousness, he laboureth and sweateth by all means to waste and weaken the host of Israel, but effecteth nothing against them, verifying the saying of the wiseman, Prou. 21, 30. There is no counsel nor wisdom against God, who scattereth the purposes and policies of the wicked.  

〈◊〉 division 〈◊〉 chapped.  In this Chapter observe two principal points (to wit) two devilish attempts to destroy the Israelites with Magical enchantments. Touching the first endeavour and practice, we are to consider, both the facts & actions, and then the issue and events thereof. The first action is, that Balaam (as the master-workman in this business) commandeth preparations to be made for his divinations, he must have seven Altars builded, seven sacrifices prepared, seven Bullocks, and seven Rams offered; seeking to please and appease GOD thereby, and to draw him to favour the Moabites, & to forsake the Israelites, for he knew he could do nothing for the one, and against the other, until he had procured the God of the Israelites to departed from them.  
But here it is to be observed, that he dealeth wholly by odd numbers, 
●●ede num. 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 of se●●  willing all to be done by sevens. The number of seven was always accounted an holy and sacred number, and religiously observed, even from the Creation, whereof the Gentiles marked sundry examples in Nature, and in the worship of God. Besides, a certain divine force was imagined to be in the odd number, and therefore the Sorcerers and Enchanters did for the most part deal with these uneven numbers. This we see in the Poet Virgil, Eclog. 8.  
I twist for thee even first of all, th●se threads in number three,  
In colour three fold differing, and thrice about these Altars  
I draw thy lively counterfeit: God joys in number odd.  
The like appeareth in another Poet, 
ovid. Meta. li. 7 & 14 Ter se convertit. Ter sumptis, etc.  describing the practices of certain witches, as Medea, Circe, and others. He bringeth one in, speaking thus: 
The Stars alonely fair and bright,  
did in the Welkin shine,  
To which she lifting up her hands,  
did thrice herself incline:  
And thrice with water of the Brook,  
her hair besprinkled she,  
And gasping thrice, she oped her mouth,  
and bowed down her knee.  And afterward, 
Lo, thrice with Brimstone, thrice with Fire,  
and thrice with Water pure,  
She purged Aesons aged corpse,  
that stepped and slumbered sure.  The Altars being made as Balaam commanded, the King and this Soothsayer offer thereupon to God. For Nature taught, that there is no access to God, without a sacrifice: as God from the beginning of the fall of man, trained up his people in the rudiments of the Law, & enjoined them this carnal service, and these carnal ceremonies which now are ceased, in as much as we have the consummation and perfection of all in the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ once offered upon the Cross, who sitteth for ever at the right hand of God, and with that one offering, he hath consecrated for ever them that are sanctified, Hob. 10, 12, 14 Now they offer these kind of Beasts rather than any other, because they had heard that the God of Israel commanded them to offer Bullocks and Rams unto him, so that they would give him his own desire, and please him with the service he seemed to be delighted in. But God regardeth not sacrifices that are offered with a corrupt heart. 
Psalm. 50, 9  Again, they offer seven Bullocks and seven Rams upon the seven Altars, because as this number was thought to be holy, so it was supposed to be of secret virtue, seeing God sanctified & separated from the beginning, the seventh day, and nature hath left examples of sundry sevens in the heavens, as the Pleyades, the Planets, and many other. Lastly, he commandeth the King to stand by the sacrifices and burnt-offerings very devoutly, and whiles they were burning, he withdraweth himself, & seeketh a secret place to work his feats, as the witch of Endor did, 1 Sam. 28, 13, and as Sorcerers do; to the end that by this separation of himself he might raise a superstitious opinion in Balak of his doings, and the better being solitary, to put in use his ceremonies. The events ensuing after these actions before handled, are double: First, in God, and afterward in Balaam. God appeared to this profane man, as he hath done to divers of his enemies, for his children's sake, not for their own sakes, as also Elisha said to jehoram, As the Lord liveth, in whose sight I stand, if I had not regarded the presence of jehoshaphat, I would not have looked toward thee, nor seen thee this day. 2 Ki. 3, 14. Now as all hypocrites please themselves in their outward ceremonies, so Balaam telleth God what Sacrifices he had offered unto him, that he had spared no cost nor charges. And as he thought he had done well, so he looked to have been respected; he telleth of his good deeds, he boasteth of his works, he numbereth up his  offerings, he hopeth by these allurements, that God would change his mind. He thought him to be as one of the gods of the Gentiles, which were devils, & not Gods, and they that sought unto them, sought unto devils, not to God. But whereas he glorieth in the works of his own hands, and putteth confidence in his worship performed to God, he receiveth no answer hereof, only the Lord willeth him to return back to the King his master, that set him on work, and speak unto him what should be put in his mouth.  
Touching Balaam, he goeth, he obeyeth, he uttereth a prophesy before the King and his Nobles, 
The first prophesy of Balaam.  speaking after the manner of the true Prophets, not moved by the spirit of the devil, but inspired by the Spirit of God, and declaring truly what he had received of God. The prophesy and Parable of Balaam is first uttered, than the effect of it is set down and declared. The prophesy hath three points to be considered: First, the entrance: Secondly, the substance and matter itself: Thirdly, the conclusion. Touching the entrance into the prophesy, it is taken from the present work now in action, and detecteth the folly and dotage of Balak, who had sent from far to fetch a Sorcerer, and doubted not of the force of his divinations, seeing he was cunning in the East manners. Thus were Idolaters given over, by the just judgement of God, to believe lies. The substance of this Prophetical speech followeth, first propounded, and afterward proved and confirmed. For he showeth, that Israel is blessed of God, and therefore not to be cursed. Israel is protected of God, as with a shield, and therefore it lieth not in his power, or in the power of any man to make them a cursed people, to be had in execration and detestation. This sentence is uttered by way of an interrogation and ask a question, for the greater force, and giving power unto it, for the better assurance of the truth of it, and to put it out of doubt, How shall I curse, where God hath not cursed? Or how shall I detest, where God hath not detested? Now he proveth that they could not be cursed of God, nor hurt by the enchantments of the devil, nor annoyed by the devices of men; first, by his own testimony in the present seeing of them, and the comely order observed among them, From the top of the Rocks I did see them: as if he should say, The very sight of this people, and of their government, daunteth my heart, and dasheth my purpose, so that I am called back from conceiving a thought of cursing them, both by the authority of God, and by the presence of them which I behold. Secondly, by the pureness and holiness of the people, they walked with God, they dwelled in his presence, they observed his Laws, they submitted themselves to his ordering and government, they embraced his religion, they separated themselves from the Gentiles, they abstained from their superstitions, they would have no fellowship with them, they differed from them in their Laws, in their Religion, in their life, in their sacrifices, in their sacraments, and other ceremonies.  
The conclusion and shutting up of this prophesy is double, and containeth two points: First, in respect of Israel: Secondly, in respect of Balaam himself. Touching Israel, he pronounceth the blessing of God towards them, that they should increase as the dust of the earth, and as the sand on the seashore, which is innumerable, according to the promise made to Abraham, Gen. 12. Heb. 11, 12. And to move the heart of Balak and of all the Moabites the more, he uttereth it by way of ask the question, and doubling it, he increaseth God's mercy toward them, and saith, he could not number the fourth part of Israel. Touching himself, he testifieth, that the blessedness of this people was great in regard of the life to come, and therefore wisheth that in death he might be like them, that after death, he might be partaker of the same happiness with them. But wishers and woulders were never good Christians. For this is a peevish & perverse kind of wishing, not to perform that which belongeth to the blessedness of eternal life, and yet to wish and desire it to come upon him.  
The effect of this unlooked for Prophesy, is set down by a question and an answer. The Question of the King expostulateth the matter with him, why he blessed the Israelites, as one forgetting himself, and unmindful of his business, whereas he was hired to curse them, being his enemies. The answer of Balaam casteth the fault upon God, and excuseth himself. For the same God that opened his mouth, constrained him to utter this blessing against his will. As if he should say, I have used all my skill, and practised my art to the uttermost, but no sorcery will prevail against them: why then dost thou check and control me, for that which I can by no means remedy & redress? 
●●●stion.  But the question may be asked, whether his charms and conjurations could have hurt the Church, if they had been pronounced against them? 
〈◊〉.  I answer, the curses of the wicked cannot hurt or hinder the godly, as Balaam in every prophesy acknowledgeth. And Solomon teacheth, That the curse which is causeless, shall not come. Prou. 26, 2. Wherefore then did not God suffer him to run his race, & to follow his own imagination? Why did God appear unto him, and not suffer his curses to be denounced? Surely, because hereby the Name of God is more glorified, the Sorcerer confounded, and all the expectation of the enemies dashed, in that the curses are not pronounced, and their desires and endeavours disannulled.  
[Verse 1. Build me here seven Altars, and prepare me seven Bullocks, and seven Rams.] They begin their work with great pomp & show of zeal and religion, as the manner of the heathen was, 
●●●●g 3. 〈◊〉 pr●●ci●●●  when they went about any enterprise. He buildeth not one Altar alone, but seven: he contenteth not himself with one Bullock, and one Ram, but prepareth seven: so that on every Altar he offereth two  offerings to appease the Lord toward them. He nameth the Name of the Lord, and goeth apart from the society of men, as it were to have conference with the living God, whereas his drift and purpose was nothing but to practise his sorcery. Thus we see the Gentiles observed the manner of sacrificing, received by tradition from their Fathers, yet not purely and uncorruptly, both because they had not respect to the Messiah promised; and supposed the outward work of sacrificing to be so precious and meritorious, that for it their sins should be forgiven; and because they mingled and corrupted the worship of God, with their own inventions. 
〈…〉  For the sacrifices instituted of God, are defiled and depraved, partly by the opinion of merit, partly by the addition of newfangled worship. 
〈…〉 or●● zeal  Hereby we learn, That all religion pretendeth order and zeal, although it be removed from truth. Howsoever all false religion proceed from the spirit of disorder and confusion, that is, the devil: yet it maketh some show of holiness, & putteth on a shadow of the true religion. This appeareth in the high places that Solomon built for his outlandish women, Where they burned Incense, and offered oblations to strange gods. 1 Kin. 11.7, 8, and 18, 26, 28. It is noted touching the Priests of Baal, that they prepared a Bullock, and called upon the name of Baal, from morning to noon, They cried aloud, and cut themselves, as their manner was, with knives and Lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. Loc, what zeal and forwardness here was. The like appeareth in Zedekiah, one of the former generation; he made horns of iron in resemblance & imitation of the true Prophets, who taught by such signs, and said, With these shalt thou push the Aramites, until thou hast consumed them. 2 Kings 22, 11. The same is offered unto us in the Prophecies of jeremy, chap. 32, 34, 35, where describing the zeal of Idolaters, he saith, They set their abominations in the house of God to defile it, they built the high places of Baal, and caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire to Molech. So when Hananiah broke the yoke of jeremy, he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzer King of Babel, from the neck of all Nations, within the space of two years, jer. 28, 10, 11.  
The Reasons are to be considered: First, Reason 1 because Satan can turn and transform himself into a resemblance of the glorious Angels that dwell in the heavenly light; albeit he dwell in utter darkness, yet he never appeareth in his own likeness, he shadoweth his lies with the Name of God, and covereth his temptations with the vizard of holiness. This Reason the Apostle useth, 2 Cor. 11, 13, 14, 15. If then Satan hide his horns, and dissemble the hollowness of his dealings, so that his baits and snares are not perceived, and the poison of them is not seen, no marvel if his instruments that are led by his spirit, follow their master in their hypocrisy. For as the spirit is that leadeth them, so are they that are led.  
Secondly, it satisfieth ignorant and foolish men, from further searching and inquiring into Reason 2 the hidden mysteries of corrupt religion. If it should be propounded in the name of the devil, and the rottenness thereof appear in his likeness, every one would defy it, and spit at it, and Satan well knoweth, he should gain nothing to his kingdom. But when he taketh up the Name of God, pretendeth the zeal of God, and sometimes allegeth the Scriptures of God, he carrieth many blindfold to perdition, and leadeth away captive simple souls laden with sins, and led with divers lusts, for they never make further inquiry, nor dive to the depth of Satan's wiliness. This appeareth in the Idolatry of the ten Tribes, erected by jeroboam, who said to the people, It is too much for you to go up to jerusalem: ●●hold (O Israel) thy gods, which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt: and this thing turned to sin, for the people went (because of the one) even to Dan. 1 Kings 12, 28, 30. judg. 17, 13. The ignorant multitude ran headlong after this counterfeit worship, coloured with show of reason, and followed those Idols, that they might go wi●h ease to the devil.  
Use 1 Let us make use of this doctrine, and see what may be learned from hence, for our edification. First, acknowledge from hence, that ●ll zeal and appearance of zeal is not good. Balak and Balaam heese pretend the worship of God, and who would th●nke they intented my mischief? Yet they were in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Therefore the Apostle saith of the jews, I bear them record, 
Rom. 10, 2, 3  that they have the zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, for they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to 'stablish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. So the Church of Rome besotted with superstition, and having drunk deeply of the cup of abominations makes an outward show of great zeal, by their multitude of ceremonies, partly borrowed from the jews, and partly patched from the Gentiles; by their Pilgrimages to Saints, by the counterfeit strictness of their disordered orders, by their solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, by the pretended straightness of their whipping Jesuits, and jeluited disciples, imitating herein the Priests of Baal, and resembling the heretics, 
Aug. de haeresib.  which of whipping themselves, are called Flagellantes. But notwithstanding all these shows of holiness, they are far fr●m true zeal, having a voluntary religion, like unto thosewhom the Apostle Paul reproveth, Col. 2, 21, ●2. 23. In which place the Apostle doth lively describe what the Roman Religion is, and portrayeth it out as a Table before our eyes: It hath goodly shows, which indeed seem to have some exquisite and excellent thing in them, but the inward and spiritual worship is neglected among them, the Name of God is dishonoured, the Sabbath is profaned, the Scriptures are abused, the doctrine of faith and repentance is buried, & many open sins are maintained among them. If that be the true religion which giveth all glory to God, the Popish religion cannot be so, wh●ch giveth all glory to themselves, and robbeth God of the honour due to his Name, by their doctrine of merits, & by their works of supererogation, which indeed is more than supererogation. If it be the true religion that magnifyeth the Scriptures, resteth in the perfection of them, submitteth all persons & causes unto them, and acknowledgeth them the sole and supreme judge of all Questions and Controversies of religion, then that must be a false religio, which patcheth other writings and traditions unto them, which in matters of doctrine flieth from them, which preferreth the authority of the Church before them, and ●enveth to be wholly ordered by them. If that ●e the true religion, which advanceth the sufferings of Christ, and resteth in his perfect Oblation once performed upon the Cross, 
Heb. 10, 1●  which acknowledgeth Christ to be the only Saviour and Redeemer of his people, and reaches to rely upon him alone for our justification: then that must be confessed to be a counterfeit religion, which setteth up a mock Christ, and honoureth instead of him, the cursed Idol of the Mass, whereby the remembrance of his death is shamefully e●uded, and the people of God are miserably deluded. Learn therefore, that all zeal is not true zeal; and to hate all evil, albeit it have the appearance of good, and come masked under the vizard and habit of holiness. For counterfeit piety, is double impiety.  
Secondly, let us not be carried away and Use 2 seduced with every vain blast of false Doctrine, but stand constant, settled, and unmovable, as they that are builded, not on the weak sand, but upon the firm Rock that cannot b● removed. This the Apostle teacheth, Heb. 1, 9 Be not carried about wi●h divers and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, and not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied in them. This use is urged by the Apostle Paul, 2. Tim. 3, 5. This know, that in the last days shall come perilous seasons for men shall be lovers of their own selves, etc., having a show of godliness, but have denied the power thereof; turn ●way therefore from such. We see how easily the greatest part are carried away with shadows without substance, and shows without inward tru●h. They have itching ears after new Teacher's, and forsake the ancient Teachers, that have fed them with the milk of the word, & gained them to the faith of Christ. Wherefore it standeth us upon, to take hee● we be not seduced and deceived with ●a●e Prophet's, and to make a trial of their doctrine, by the truth of the Scriptures, according to the counsel of Christ our Saviour, Math. chapter 7, verses 15. 16.  
Lastly, it is our dutie● to learn to discern Use. 3 the spirits, and to be able to judge of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or not. Christ commandeth his Disciples to beware & take heed of the leaven of the pharisees and Saducees, 
Math 1 and 2, ●  that is of their doctrine: but in another place he chargeth them to hear the pharisees & obey their doctrine, sitting in Moses chair, because they were appointed for the time to be the Teachers of the Church. Now then, if they must hear and do what they say, and yet avoid their mixtures & corruptions of sound doctrine, it is required necessarily of the people, to discern between the Law of GOD and the leaven of the pharisees, being charged to cleave to the truth, and to forsake error. This is that use which th● Apostle john urgeth, 1 john, chap. 4. verse 1. De●rely beloved, believe not every spirit, but try th● spirits, whether they be of GOD: For many false Prophets are gone out into this world. And in the second Epistle, chap. 7, 8. he speaketh to the same purpose, Many deceivers are entered into this world, which confess not that jesus Christ is come in the flesh: look to yourselves, that we lose not the things which we have done, but that we may receive a full reward. Hereunto likewise cometh the exhortation of Eliah to all the people that were seduced by false Prophets, 1 Kings 18, 21. How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal be he, then go after him. And the Apostle Paul chargeth the Thessalonians to try all things, and to hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. 5, 21. This condemneth the Church of Rome of sacrilege, that take from the people the key of knowledge, and nuzzle them in ignorance, as the mother of devotion, accounting it sufficient, that they believe as the Church believeth, and credit in all things their Pastors and Teachers, and forbidden them all trial of the doctrine delivered unto them. But the Scriptures require of them the spirit of discerning, 
〈◊〉 12, 2. ●il 1, 10. ●ph. 5.15, 17.  and all judgement, that they may allow those things that are best, and that they may be without offence, until the day of Christ; to take heed that they walk circumspectly and wisely, that they may understand what the will of the Lord is, and beware that they be not seduced. And it is no excuse to the people being misled and misguided, to say, Thus have I been taught and instructed: For when the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the pit of destruction, Mat. 15, 14. So that if they embrace not faith unto salvation, but withdraw themselves unto perdition, they that follow false Teachers, are sure to perish as well as they that lead them the way, or rather out of the way: and if the Watchman see the sword drawn, 
〈◊〉 33, 8.  and judgement coming, and blow not the Trumpet: albeit the blood of the people shall be required at his hands, yet they shall also be taken away in their sins.  
[Verse 5. The Lord put an answer in balaam's mouth.] here is set down the Author of his Prophecies. He sought a cursing, but God put in his mouth a blessing, so that the spirit of prophesy is sometimes given to wicked men, as appeareth in Saul, & sundry others. Wherefore it is said. God put his word in his mouth, not in his heart. He hath God plentifully in his mouth. but his heart was far from him, so that he speaketh not far otherwise then his Ass spoke before, because God compelled him against his will, to utter that which he put in his mouth. 
●●rine. 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 ●●●e● to ●●ui● o●●e 〈◊〉  Hereby we learn, that God's truth is oftentimes enforced and drawn out of those that know it not, nor believe it. Profane men of an evil spirit, are constrained & compelled to give testimony and witness to the truth of God, the Lord as it were wringeth and wresteth it out of the mouths of those that be ignorant of him; as we see how Balaam in this and the chapter following, uttereth excellent and heavenly things (albeit against his will) of God, of the enemies of God, of the Church prospering and flourishing through his favour: yet he was lewd in life, and profane in heart, loving neither God, nor his truth. This we see in the Sorcerers in Egypt, when they saw and felt the plague of Lice, but could not with their enchantments bring forth the like, they confessed, This is the finger of God, Exod. 8, 19 This appeareth farther in the history of Gideon, when one of his enemies had told a dream to his neighbour which he had dreamt, his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of joash, a man of Israel, for into his hand hath God delivered Midian and all the Host. judg. 7, 14. This likewise we see in the Centurion and soldiers that were with him watching jesus, Math. 27, 54, when they saw the renting of the veil, the trembling of the earth, the opening of the graves, the cleaving of the stones, and arising of the dead bodies, they feared greatly, saying; Truly this was the Son of God. Hereunto cometh the confession of Caiaphas, an enemy to Christ, and to the doctrine of salvation which he persecuted; for he uttered a prophesy of the death and passion of Christ, joh. 11, 49, 50, 51, 52. It was an extraordinary motion of God, that guided his tongue to Prophesy of Christ. So he spoke afterward in them that cried out at his arraignment, Mat. 27, 25. His blood be upon us and upon our children: which was plentifully performed in its time and season. The like we may observe in Pilate, when he was admonished by the jews to amend this title of Christ set on his Cross, jesus of Nazareth, the King of the jews; Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written: john 19, 22. wherein at unawares he is made after a sort, a Preacher of the kingdom of Christ, who governed his tongue, as here he did the tongue of Balaam.  
The Reasons remain to be considered. Reason 1 First, to leave the wicked without excuse, when they hear the truth. For God never leaveth himself without witnesses, no not among the Infidels, as the Apostle declareth, Acts 14, 16, 17. Now if the pouring down showers of rain, sending the fruitfulness of the earth, feeding all creatures with bodily food, be the Lords witnesses and testimonies of his power, how much more is the word of God, which is the savour of life unto life, to all that believe? foreseeing God opened the mouth of Caiaphas (as we showed before) to utter a prophesy concerning Christ, the obstinate incredulity of the jews was convinced, when both the cause and virtue of his death was uttered by their own high-Priest, albeit he spoke it in another meaning.  
Secondly, he speaketh often in wicked men, to increase their judgement, and bring upon Reason 2 them the greater damnation. If God had not revealed his truth unto them, their punishment should be the less. This we see set down, Luk. 12, 47, 48. This appeareth by the words of Christ to his Disciples, Math. 7, 23. Luke 13, 25, 26. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not by thy Name prophesied? And by thy Name cast out devils? And by thy Name done many great works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Thus Christ upbraideth the Cities, wherein most of his great works were done, because they repent not, and telleth them it shall be easier for tire and Sidon, for Sodom and Gomorrha at the day of judgement, then for them. Math. 11, 22.  
Thirdly, to strengthen & confirm his children Reason 3 in the truth revealed unto them. Great is their wavering and weakness: when God maketh known his word unto them, & sealeth it unto them by his signs and sacraments, they are full of doubting, and their faith is mingled with infidelity, as we see in the example of Gideon, judge 7, 14. God appeared unto him at the thressing-floore, commanded him to go in his might to save Israel, promised him the victory, and strengthened him by the signs that he asked, yet he remained fearful & fainthearted, after these so many means used to give him courage & confirmation, judg. 7, 10. Hence it is, that God raised up one in the host of his enemies, and guided his tongue to be a Preacher and publisher of his truth, telling this dream of his to his fellow, that lo, a Cake of Barley-bread tumbled from above into the boast of Midian, and came unto a Tent and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the Tent fell down: which is expounded and interpreted to be the sword of Gideon. Whereby we see, that God opened the mouth, and directed the tongue of this Idolater, for the strengthening of Gideon, and the furthering of him in his work.  
Now let us make use of this Doctrine First, Use 1 behold herein the greatness of his power & Name, causing his enemies to profess and acknowledge it. We see how they resist & rebel against God. We see how they abide not to submit their necks to his obedience, but cast away the cords of discipline from them: yet he over-ruleth them, ordereth their tongues, and disposeth the words of their mouth to his own glory. This is it which the Prophet declareth, Psal. 8, 1, 2. This also appeareth in the example of Saul, and of the messengers that he sent to take David, For the Spirit of God fell upon them, and they prophesied, therefore it was a Proverb, Is Saul also among the Prophets? 1 San. 10, 11 and 19 24. This verifieth the saying of the wise man, Prou. 16, 1. The preparations of the heart are in man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord: that is howsoever a man many times m●streth an whole Army of thoughts in his mind, as it were in battle array, and concludeth with himself, both what, & how to speak: yet man is ruled by a superior power & shall speak as God guideth his mouth, not as himself purposeth and determineth. Seeing therefore God frameth unfit instruments to his own purpose, and maketh them serve for the advancement of his own glory, we must conclude again with the Prophet, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the world!  
Secondly, it is not hard with God to retain Use 2 and reserve a people to himself in all ages, albeit there be never so many enemies, & albeit the Church be not always visible to the eye, and kept in outward beauty. He is not tied to any Nation, people, or place. Let us never fear the decay or destruction of the Church: he that did gain it to himself, will maintain it against all the practices and policies of evil men, so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is it which Christ teacheth, Mat. 3, 8, 9 He can draw the strong and flinty hearts of the adversaries to be his Church, albeit all the jews were scattered & destroyed. God is not bound to continue his Church among them, and the privileges which in mercy he vouchsafed unto them: if he remove his standard, and take away his Candlestick, and break off the succession they boasted of, he can call a people unto himself whensoever he pleaseth. As than we are not to fear the falling away of the Church, so we are not to presume of ourselves, because we have present testimonies of God's favour, and visible marks of the Church amongst us, but labour to find out our own sins, and turn unto the Lord, assuring ourselves, that every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire.  
Lastly, seeing profane persons be enforced Use to speak the truth of God, let us know that it is our part, who are enlightened with more knowledge and endued with better graces, in a more willing and cheerful sort than they do, to testify the praises of God for conscience sake, with care and comfort, not grudgingly, nor unwillingly, nor enforced unto it. This the Prophet Malachi setteth down, ch. 1, 11. Where he showeth, that the Gentiles knew the excellency of his Name, and were not ignorant of his greatness, and therefore if we be the true children of God, our righteousness and obedience must exceed the righteousness and obedience of others. For what a shame is it, that strangers from the covenant should acknowledge him, and those of his family, and as it were his household servants, come behind them? Let us be like the Angels that be in heaven, Mat. 6, 10, who obey him readily, willingly, cheerfully, perfectly. If we obey him grudgingly, and by constraint, the reprobates, yea the devils do him as good service, as we do. They perform his secret will against their will. Let us accomplish his will revealed in his word, with the full desire of our hearts, otherwise we shall never find true comfort to ourselves in that we do. If we would have God to accept & reward our service performed unto him, we must not do it by constraint, as Balaam did, nor to halves as Saul did, 1 Sam. 15, 21, 22, 23: nor to merit, as the pharisees did; but in conscience of our duty, as children to their fathers, that we may receive the inheritance of sons.  
[Verse 9 Lo, the people dwell by themselves, and shall not be reckoned among the Nations] Now we come to the prophesy itself, wherein he confesseth the blessed estate of the church, so that nothing can make them miserable, or separate them from the favour of God. This we shall have fit occasion to show afterward. here let us consider the reason whereon he groundeth the happiness of the Church. In the description of the Church, he saith, they are a people cleaving to God alone, believing in him, and severed from other Nations in religion and laws. 
doctrine. 〈◊〉 Church ●●elected 〈◊〉 any frō●e rest of ●he 〈◊〉.  From hence we learn, That the Church of God is an holy people, called and gathered by the word, to hear and obey God, separated from the profane of the world in life and conversation. This we see evidently, when the posterity of Cain began to multiply and replenish the earth by many generations, who were the malignant Church; the true Church (increasing later) began to divide themselves from them, to restore the purity of God's worship, and to meet apart by themselves for the public service of God, which the Scripture meaneth, when it saith, 
〈◊〉 4, 25.  Then men began to call upon the Name of the Lord. The like we see afterward in Abraham, whom the Lord called beyond the flood from serving other Gods, 
〈◊〉 11, 1, 2. 〈◊〉 1●, 2, 3. 〈◊〉 23, 7, 8.  to serve him purely apart from the superstitions of his forefathers This was figured in the vow of the Nazarites, the intention whereof is expressed in the description of the ceremony of it, To be separated to the Lord. Numb. 6, 2. Thus Moses describeth the common condition of all that people, to be separated to the Lord, as God himself giveth them to understand, I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people, etc. Leuit. 20, 24, 26. This is it which Christ our Saviour saith to his Disciples, That they are not of the world, but he hath chosen them out of the world, john 15, 19 Hereunto cometh the exhortation of Peter, preaching repentance & amendment of life, to those that had crucified the Lord of glory, With many other words he besought and exhorted than, saying; Save yourselves from this froward generation Acts 2, ver. 40, 41. Hereunto cometh the practice of the Apostle Saint Paul, Acts 19, 9, when the adversaries were convinced, and their hearts hardened, they disobeying, and speaking evil of the way of God, before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the Disciples, and disputed daily in the School of one Tyrannus.  
Reason 1 The Reasons hereof are these. First, there is an opposition between God & the world. The Governor thereof is Satan, who is the Prince of this world, 
〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉  and hath set up his throne in it: it persecuted Christ and slew him. Neither do the children of God find any better entertainment than Christ did, as it hateth him, so it hateth them, john 14, 17, 30. Again, The amity of this world is enmity with God: the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, 2 Cor. 4, 4. jam. 4, 4. And Christ testifieth, That the works thereof are evil, john 7, 7. Seeing then it is evil in respect of the governor, which is Satan, evil in respect of Christ, whom it hated and persecuted; evil in respect of the Spirit of truth, whom it neither seethe, nor knoweth, nor receiveth; in respect of the Children of God, whom it abhorreth; evil in respect of the friendship thereof, which is enmity; evil in respect of the wisdom thereof, which is folly: and lastly, evil in respect of the works thereof, which are impiety; howsoever the beauty of it be glorious, and the show gorgeous and glistering; yet the Church is to come out of it, & is clean contrary unto it. For if the friendship of the world be the enmity of God, than the friends of the world are the enemies of God. And as there is an agreement between the devil and the world, so is there an union between God, and his Church. And as God and the world are opposed, so are the Church and the world contrary one to another: so that whilst we are parts of this world, we cannot be members of his Church, and when we are called out of the world, we are gathered into the bosom of the Church.  
Secondly, God hath chosen the Church to Reason 2 himself, before the foundation of the world, to be adopted through jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved, as the Apostle teacheth, writing to the Ephesians, chap. 1, 5, 6. 1 Pet. 1, 2. Thus the Church is builded upon the unmovable rock that cannot be shaken. The foundation of God remaineth sure, & hath this seal, The Lord knoweth who are his. 2 Tim. 2, 19  
Now let us see what uses we may rightly Use 1 conclude out of this doctrine thus confirmed. First, we learn from hence, that the opinion of those is condemned, that bring in universal grace, universal election of every one, universal redemption of every one, and universal vocation of every one, to the saving knowledge of the Gospel. For whereas the Church is as it wore the Park of God, impaled in from other waste Land, or rather the Paradise of God, wherein the wild beasts of the Forest may not enter; this Doctrine pulleth up the Pale, and taketh away the enclosure, laying it in common, and joining it to the rest of the wilderness. The people of God are the little flock in respect of the world. Luke 12, 32. We see from the beginning of the world, there was a difference and distinction between the sons of God, and the sons of men, Genesis, chapter 6, verse 1, between the jews and the Gentiles, between the circumcised, and the uncircumcised, between the people of God, and those that were no people of his, being out of the covenant. To some God giveth faith, to other he giveth not faith, For all have not faith, 1 Thess. 3, 1. Therefore our Saviour Christ saith, Many are called, but few are chosen, Math. 20, 16, and he chargeth his Disciples, when he sent them out to Preach, not to go into the way of the Gentiles, neither to enter into the City of the Samaritans, Math. 10, 5. and he showeth, that it is not given to every one to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, Mat. 13, 11. So the Apostles in spreading abroad the glad tidings of salvation, and working the conversion of the Nations, to whom they were sent to preach the Gospel, are commanded to remain certain years in some Cities, because the Lord had much people in those places: and when they were entering into other Cities, the Spirit suffered them not to publish among them the way of salvation. 
Acts 16, 7.  Act. 18, 10.  
Use 2 Secondly, we must look for a full and perfect separation of the Elect from the Reprobate, of the sheep from the goats, of the vessels of mercy, from the vessels of wrath, when the Lord jesus shall break the heavens, and come to judge the quick and the dead. Indeed here is some separation made by the fan of his word, by the power of the keys, & by the fire or furnace of affliction, yet still the chaff is mingled with the wheat, the tars with the Corn, bad fish with the good, the hypocrites with the faithful and true believers. But when Christ shall come with thousands of his Angels and the heavens be dissolved. The books shall be opened, and things hidden in darkness, shall be disclosed, revel. 20, 12. Here a beginning is made, but then shall be an absolute perfection and consummation of this separation. This is opened unto us by the Evangelist, Mat. 25, 31, 32, 33. Seeing this separation shall come, what manner of men ought we to be in all holiness of life and conversation? Let us search and try our own ways, and turn unto the Lord with all our hearts, that when Christ shall appear at the great day of the harvest and solemn season of separation, we may be found good Corn, and not be blown away by the voice of his mouth, when he shall blow the chaff into unquenchable fire, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But if we be not here separated from the sins and corruptions of the wicked, when God separateth the soul and body, we shall be separated from the comfortable presence of God, we shall remain with the devil and his angels for ever, never to be separated and sundered from them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this giveth good assurance and comfort unto them, that God will hear their prayers, and respect them in their miseries. For seeing they are his chief treasure, Exod. 19, 5, 6, (albeit all the earth be his) seeing they are a kingdom of Priests, and an holy Nation, he will not see them want and stand in need of any thing which he knoweth to serve for his own glory and their good. This is that use which Solomon remembreth in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple, 1 Kings 8, 52, 53. Let thine eyes be open unto the prayer of thy servant, and unto the prayer of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them, in all that they call for unto thee: for thou didst separate them to thee, from among all the people of the earth for an inheritance, as thou saidst by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou brought'st our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God: whereby we see, that the consideration of the dear account & estimation that God hath of his Church, separating it to himself, and calling it out of the world, aught to move us with boldness to draw near to the throne of grace, and to comfort us with assurance to be heard in our necessities. For what can God deny unto us, that hath given us himself? Or what can we want that know the love of God toward us, before we were? Wherefore, whensoever we are brought into any affliction, and stand in need of help, let us be mindful of the mercies of God toward us, and assure ourselves, that he which hath separated and sanctified us from our mother's womb, will perfect his own work that he hath begun, & finish it unto the day of Christ.  
Lastly, we must know that it is our duty to Use fly from all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to have no fellowship with the ungodly, nor the unfruitful works of darkness, Tit. 2, 12. This indeed is pure religion, & undefiled, to keep ourselves unspotted to the world. This the Apostle Paul urgeth, 2 Corin. 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. We know that a little leaven leaveneth, the whole lump. One rotten sheep infecteth a whole flock. One leper spreadeth the disease further, to the hurt of sundry other. Now there is no leaven like to the leaven of sin, 1. Cor. 5.6. no infection comparable to the infection of sin; no leprosy so deadly and dangerous as the contagion of sin, which bringeth danger and destruction to soul and body. Therefore we must not join ourselves with the ungodly, seeing we are an holy people to the Lord our God, he hath chosen us to be a precious people unto himself above other people that are upon the earth. We are a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood, an holy nation, a people set at liberty, that we should show forth the virtues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Seeing we are washed from the corruptions of the flesh, let us not defile ourselves again: seeing we are called out of the world, let us not return into the world: and seeing we are freed from the thraldom of sin, let us not sell ourselves again to our own lusts, which fight against the soul. We cannot come near an infectious disease without danger of infection. We cannot touch pitch, without danger to be defiled with it. The Apostle saith, Be not deceived, 
1 Cor. ●  Evil words corrupt good manners. The Wiseman teacheth, That he which walketh with the wise, shab be the wiser, but a companion of fools shall be the worse. Prou. 13, 20. jonathan by the friendship and familiarity which he had with David, changed his life to better. Solomon by the society and conjunction with his idolatrous wives, 
〈◊〉 11, 4.  fell into Idolatry. And Rehoboam his son, by walking with his young Counsellors, and following their advice, became worse. If then we would avoid evil, we must beware of all occasions. No occasion more dangerous than evil company. Every man therefore must take heed to himself, and beware how he join himself in acquaintance with all men indifferently. Many that have been of a stayed course, and an approved life, have ruined themselves, by making no choice of their company, and have lost their honour and honesty, a jewel which being once lost, can never be repaired and restored. This we see by woeful experience confirmed unto us in the examples of many young men and maidens, who hating evil, and making conscience of sin in themselves have fearfully fallen, and made shipwreck of all godliness and goodness, through the seducement of others.  
[Verse 10 Who can tell the dust of jacob, & the number of the fourth part of Israel?] here beginneth the conclusion of this first prophesy, setting down the infinite multitude of the faithful, compared by an hyperbolical or excessive speech to the dust of the earth, which cannot be numbered. This he speaketh, being as it were ravished and astonished at the great number of them, according as the Lord had promised long before to Abraham, Gen. 15, 5. Look up now unto heaven, and tell the stars if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Thus than this false Prophet is made a Preacher and Publisher of the glory of the Church, and of the largeness of the bounds thereof. Hereby we learn, That God hath a great & infinite people that belong unto him. 
●●●●rine. ●e Church ●nd with 〈◊〉 children  Albeit the good Corn be scarce seen when it is mingled with the chaff, yet when it is severed and brought together, it maketh a great heap. The number of the elect and chosen people of God, which he hath redeemed, & will in the end glorify, is a great people. This appeareth unto us in many places of the word. The Prophet prophesying of the kingdom of Christ, telleth us, that his Dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River unto the ends of the Land: that all Kings shall worship him and all Nations shall serve him, bless him, and be blessed in him. Psal. 72, 8, 11, 17, 19 Christ teacheth us, that many shall come from East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven: He saith, that when the labourers were few to put their sickle in the ripe Corn, yet God had a great and plentiful harvest to be gathered into his Barn, Math 8, 11, and 9.37, And likewise 26, 28. at the institution of his last Supper, he saith, This is my blood of the New Testament, that is shed for many for the remission of sins. This the Apostle showeth to the Hebrews, chap. 2, 10. The Oracle of God answereth evidently at one time, when Elias thought he had been alone, that he had reserved to himself seven thousand that never bowed their knee to Baal, 1 Kings 19, 18. This truth was revealed to john, revel. 7, 8, 9 So then the Church is stored with many believers, and is as a fruitful mother, that aboundeth with many children.  
The Reasons are plain and evident. For Reason 1 first, it is a matter of faith, and an Article of our Creed to believe the Church to be Catholic. And it is Catholic in three respects; In respect of time, of place, and of person. Of time, because it hath been in all ages and times since the first promise made to our first Parents in Paradise, Heb. chap. 13, verse 8. Revel. chap. 13, verse 8. and shall continue unto the end of the world. Of place, because it is gathered from all parts of the earth, 
Acts 10, 34, 35  whereas before the days of Christ our Saviour, it was included within the Territories of judea, now it is dispersed far and near in the time of the new Testament. Of persons, 
Gal. 3, 28.  because it standeth of all estates and degrees of men, high and low, rich and poor, male & female, jew and Gentile, learned & unlearned, whereas before God called and singled out the seed of Abraham to be his people. If then the Church be thus large, and spreadeth itself to all times, to all places, and to all persons, if it be so general and universal, it must necessarily follow, that many are the parts and members of it.  
Secondly, we do not marvel that there are many members of the Church made partakers Reason 2 of the righteousness of Christ, seeing by one man's disobedience many are made sinners. For we are guilty of the sin and transgression of Adam, and we sinned in his sin. When he sinned, we sinned, & are made guilty thereof in the sight of God, because albeit we were then unborn, and without a being, yet we are his seed and posterity, and were all in his loins. Through this guiltiness it is come to pass, 
Eph. 2, 3.  that we are conceived in original sin, having all the powers of the soul & parts of the body corrupted, and the spawn of all sin is infused into us, and we are there by made the children of wrath, as well as others, the enemies of God, the heirs of hell and condemnation. If then the power of Adam's fall were so great, as to infect & corrupt all his posterity, then much more shall the righteousness of Christ be imputed to many, and be able to m●ke them partakers of everlasting life. As Adam by natural propagation hath spread his fault, and guiltiness o● his fall, to the destruction of many: so Christ's obedience hath by grace overflowed to many, who was appointed for the rising again of many in Israel, Luke, chapter 2, verse 34. This the Apostle teacheth, & thus he reasoneth. Ro. 5, 14, 15, 18, 19 As by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of that one, shall many also be made righteous. Wherefore, seeing the Church is every way Catholic in respect of the largeness, and seeing the obedience of Christ is not less available than the disobedience of Adam: we fear not to avouch, that the Church hath many children, as a tree with many branches, as a body with many members, as a fountain with many streams, and as an army of many soldiers, making up one Campe.  
But before we come to the uses of this Doctrine, it shall not be amiss to answer a question, Object. and to remove an Objection that may be raised from hence. For this may seem to be contrary to other places of Scripture, where it teacheth, that few shall be saved, that few are chosen, 
Math. 7, 14, and 20, 16. Luk. 12, 32. Esay 1, 9  that a remnant shall be saved, that the flock of Christ is a little flock, that the way is narrow, and the gate straight that leadeth to life, and few enter into it. If then they be few, how are they many? If a small company, how are they more than can be numbered? To be few, and yet to be many; to be a remnant, and yet more than can be reckoned, seem not to agree together. I answer, the Church may be truly said to have many children, Answer. and few members, in divers respects For it is considered two ways: First, simply; Secondly, by comparison. First, in respect of themselves, and the several parts thereof: Secondly, in respect of the unbelievers. If they be compared with the world of Infidels and Hypocrites, with Reprobates and castaways, 
Lu. 13, 23, 24.  with the vessels of wrath that shall be consumed, they be a very few, and as a little handful, like a spark in respect of a great fire, or like a drop of water in respect of a great stream: for the number of the damned is far greater. But if they be considered in themselves, not compared with others, The multitude of them that are ordained to eternal life, and shall be saved, is very great, and exceeding many, yea, so many, as no man is able to comprehend the number of them. Hebr. 12, 1. To express this difference by some similitudes and examples: we see in a common collection and gathering, albeit every man can give but a little, yet when it cometh together, the total sum amounteth to a great matter. When a Captain is to levy forces, and to muster his soldiers, if he should take but ten out of a Parish through this kingdom, when they come together, and meet in one place, they make a great Army and a Campe-royall: yet if they be compared with the multitude of men, women and children, that are left behind, they are as nothing, they are as an handful, and are scarce miss. So is it with the true Church of God, they are both few, & yet many: they are few in respect of those that shall be condemned, which multiply upon the earth, and cover the face thereof; and yet they are many in number, in respect of the particular parts, as shall appear in the end of the world, & when they shall be gathered into one place from all places of the world.  
Having answered this Objection, and cleared Use 1 the Doctrine before delivered, let us come to the uses arising from hence. First, we learn from hence the great power of the word of God. Albeit the Ministry thereof be of the world esteemed foolishness, 
1 Cor. 1, 2  yet to them that are justified, to them that are sanctified, to them that are effectually called, it is the wisdom of God, and the power of God. The Church is called our Mother, the word of God is committed to the keeping of the Church, being the Pillar of truth; 
1 Tim. 3, ●  so that by preaching of the word, the Church bringeth forth children to God. The word is the seed of regeneration, 1 Pet. 1, 23: it is milk for children, 1 Cor. 3, 2: it is strong meat for men of riper years, Heb. 5, 14, whose senses are expert and exercised in the discerning of things that differ. If then it work such a glorious effect, we may conclude, that it is lively and mighty in operation, entering through to the dividing of the soul and spirit, the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Seeing therefore the increase of the Church is by the effectual preaching of the Gospel, whereby the members of Christ are united into his body, and the Sheep of Christ are gathered into his fold, we must acknowledge the power and force of the word to be exceeding great whereby it is brought to pass. 
Heb. 4, 1●   
Secondly, hereby we have matter of great Use rejoicing & praising God, to see the prosperity and flourishing estate of the Church, increasing and growing to so many millions or multitudes, and to consider how glorious the Name of Chr●st shall be, when all concur & meet together to praise him. The honour of an earthly Prince standeth in the multitude of his Subjects, Prou. 14, 28: then how glorious and excellent shall the Name of Christ be, when so many thousands and thousand thousands, that none can number for the infinite multitude, shall assemble together to sing the praises of God, saying: Salvation cometh of our God that sitteth upon the Throne, & of the Lamb? Prai●e, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks, and honour be unto our God for evermore, Amen Reu. 7, 9.10, 12. Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises unto our King, sing praises: for God is the King of all the earth. Psal. 47, 6, 7. What can minister more joy unto us, then to behold the beauty of Zion, when one member is added unto the Church? We see how men rejoice when their house is increased, when they have children given unto them, being the inheritance of the Lord and the fruit of the womb being his reward Psal. 127, 3. How much more should we rejoice and be glad, when we see the church which is the house of God, to multiply & flourish, That he ma●eth a barren woman to dwell with a family, and a joyful mother of many children? Psal. 113.9. It is noted by Christ our Saviour, that the Angels rejoice at the repentance of men when he saith, I say unto you, 
Luk. 15, ●  that joy shall be in heaven for one sinner that converteth, more than for ninety and nine just men which need none amendment of life: how much more than ought we to comfort ourselves when the faithful are increased, when the ways of the Lord are known upon earth, and his saving health among all Nations? The Evangelist Luke testifieth, That when the Apostles and Brethren heard that God had granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles, they praised and glorified God. Acts 11, 18. And this is that use which the Apostle Paul teacheth, Gal, 4, 27. It is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest no children: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children, than she which hath an husband. So then, the increase of the Church (when one member is added unto it) is the joy of the several parts: and the multiplying of many members, is matter of great rejoicing to the whole body, and cause of stirring of us up to the praise of God, who quickeneth them that are dead, and maketh them to be found that were lost. In the natural body found deformed or defective, if sight were given to the blind, or hearing to the deaf, or speech to the dumb, if life or limb were restored where it was wanting, 
〈◊〉 3, 7, 8. 〈◊〉 ●, 24.  what great comfort would this bring, what great rejoicing would it work? So in the mystical body of Christ, when any part, or when many parts are added, as ornaments of the body, and helping to accomplish the number of the elect, let us break forth into joy of heart, and rejoice that we have part and fellowship in this company.  
Thirdly, let us not measure the Church by Use 3 our own outward senses. When Idolatry and open wickedness, when superstition & cruel persecutions overspread all, as an universal darkness covering the earth, let us not suffer ourselves to be deceived, nor judge rashly of God's people. We think the Church oftentimes like to perish, and to be rooted out of the earth: but the foundation of God always remaineth sure, and hath this seal, the Lord knoweth who are his. Therefore the Apostle teacheth, That the Lord hath not cast away his people. Rom. 11, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. When Elias saw the Prophets of God killed, and the Altars digged down, God said unto him, I have reserved unto myself seven thousand men, which have not bowed their knee to Baal. Even so then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Wherefore let us not judge rashly of private persons, whether they be in the number of the elect or not: much less of whole Nations and kingdoms. We say commonly, he runneth far that never returneth. Paul was a persecuter of the Church, 1 Tim 1, 13, but Christ appearing unto him, made him a Preacher of the Gospel. Manasseh was an Idolater, a sorcerer, and shedder of much innocent blood, when he sat in his Throne and kingdom; but he remembered God afterward in the days of his affliction. 2 Chron. 33, 12. Marry Magdalen, who led a wicked life, out of whom Christ cast seven devils, Mark. 16, 9, had her sins forgiven, and loved him much of whom she had received so great mercy. The thief that all his life had run astray, 
Luc. 23.40.  and hunted after the goods of other men, was upon the Cross converted to the faith, he abhorred his former life, confessed his sins, craved pardon, blamed his fellow, and longed after the kingdom of God. This the Apostle avoucheth concerning the Corinthians, when he had taught. That neither fornicaters, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wantoness, nor buggers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God; he addeth, Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord jesus, & by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6, 9 10. So then, we must judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who shall lighten things that are hid in darkness, and make the counsels of the heart manifest, 
1 Cor. 4, 5.  and then shall every man have praise of GOD. And let us not be daunted and dismayed at the great number of the wicked, of Atheists, Libertines, Epicures, Idolaters, Hypocrites, Scorners, Blasphemers; seeing there is an universality of the elect and faithful, though few appear to our senses, as did to the eyes of Eliah, who in heart & soul join with us, of whose prayers we are partakers.  
Lastly, seeing there are many elected unto Use 4 life and salvation, let us use all means to draw others to faith in Christ, and repentance from dead works. Let us exhort one another while it is called to day, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, Heb 3, 13. Let us provoke to good works, and so much the more, seeing the day of the Lord draweth near. Heb. 10, 25. For what knowest thou (O man) whether thou shalt win thy brother? The husbandman planteth and watereth, 
1 Cor. 3, 7  he tilleth & soweth, and when he hath done, he committeth the success to God, looking with patience for early and latter rain. So must all the Ministers of God (which are his labourers) preach in season and out of season, divide the word of truth aright, and take all occasions to win souls to God. And this is that use which the Lord himself teacheth and prescribeth. Acts 18, 9, 10. Fear not, but speak and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall lay hands on thee, for I have much people in this City. Where we see, that howsoever Paul found much opposition against him at Corinth, some resisting, and others blaspheming, & himself ready to departed; yet the Lord appeareth unto him, and encourageth him to continue his labours, with promise of a plentiful harvest, & a rich recompense of reward, that he should not labour in vain, but be the Minister of life unto many. This is the greatest comfort to the Ministers of God, to turn many to righteousness. This shall be our Crown and glory in the great day of account, when the chief Shepherd of the sheep shall appear. Therefore, the Apostle chargeth the man of God to be of a patiented spirit, gentle towards all men, 2 Tim. 2, 24, 25. suffering the evil, instructing them with meekness that are contrary minded, proving if God at any time will give them repentance, that they may acknowledge the truth, and come to amendment out of the snare of the devil, of whom they are taken prisoners to do his will. To conclude, let us remember the saying of the Apostles james chap. 5, 19, 20. Brethren, if any of you have erred from the truth, and some man have converted him, let him know that he which hath converted the sinner from going astray out of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. Where the Apostle teacheth, that so many of us as have received any gifts at the hands of God, it is our duty not only to use them to our own comfort, but to labour diligently to profit others, that so we may gain glory and win souls to God, by furthering the salvation of our brethren. It followeth in the Text.  
[Let me die the death of the righteous.] In these words, is contained the second part of the conclusion of this first prophesy, which is balaam's demand and desire, that after the end of this temporal and mortal life, he may rest with the Saints, and obtain the blessed estate reserved for them. This had been a good and godly prayer, if it had not proceeded from an evil heart, and been stained with a wicked life. This desire of his was not constant, and followed unto the end, but as the sudden flashing of a lightning quickly vanishing, or as a fire kindled in green wood, soon going out again: or as a deceitful bow, that starteth back with great violence. 
Doctrine. The wicked have oftentimes some good motions howbeit not lasting.  Hereby we learn, That the wicked have oftentimes many good motions of the Spirit, desire the happiness of the Saints, and in the midst of their malice, wish their own condition like the condition of God's children. Pharaoh, albeit reserved to destruction, yet had this sight & light in him, when in the remembrance and feeling of his plagues he cried out, I have now sinned, the Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked. Exod. 9, 27. The sorcerers of Egypt, ministers of the king's lust, had this light, when GOD confounded their wisdom, and they confessed before the King and his Princes, This is the finger of God, Exo. 8, 19 This appeareth in the jews, john 6, 34. they wished to come unto happiness, and in the very midst of their rage there was an inward sighing of the spirit, that they might eat the bread of life. They had rebelled against Christ, yet in a certain remorse of conscience they wished to be partakers of eternal life. This was found in the messengers sent to apprehend Christ, and to bring him before the Court and Commission that was ready to sit upon him, when they returned empty, they said to the pharisees, Never man spoke like this man, john 7, 46. This is that true light that lighteth all men that come into the world, john 1, 9 & that spark of grace which is kindled in the heart of every one: and there is no man so far given over unto wickedness of life, but sometimes he hath this touch of conscience, and remorse of heart, and grief for sin.  
The Reasons hereof are not hard to be rendered. Reason 1 For first, the light of their own conscience doth shine in their hearts to make them without excuse. This is the victory and triumph that virtue hath over all vice, and godliness over wickedness, that where it is most hated and abhorred, there it is sometimes desired and oftentimes acknowledged. Albeit the wicked have filled up the measure of their sins, hardening their hearts like the Adamant, and making their face like flint, yet the force of grace so pierceth their lusts, that they are constrained to say, The way of virtue is better. Consider the impure and dissolute adulterer, that giveth his strength and wealth to harlots, yet sometimes he confesseth the chaste body to be better. There was never so vile and blasphemous a swearer, Acts 24, 25. but sometimes he trembleth at the Majesty of God, and at the remembrance of judgement, as Felix did. The proud and ambitious man, that swelleth until he be ready to burst, and exalteth himself to heaven, sometimes is cast down in a feeling of his mortality, and remembreth that he is but dust and ashes. The beastly drunkard, that wasteth and washeth away his wealth and his wits, confesseth sometimes his own folly, and praiseth the gift of abstinence and temperancy. And this is that which the Evangelist declareth of Christ, the eternal word of the Father, In it was life, 
john 1, 4  and that life was the light of men, & that light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Where he showeth, that albeit the mind of man be darkened, and the will corrupted, yet still there is clearness enough to make him without excuse.  
Secondly, the good motions of the wicked Reason are not long and lasting, but as a blast, or for a brunt, suddenly decaying like the grass upon the house top, Which withereth before it cometh forth, whereof the Mower filleth not his hand, neither the gleaner his lap, Psal, 129, 6. because their hearts are so possessed with evil, and so carried away, sometimes with pleasures, that they cannot bring forth full & perfect fruit to the ripening: so that albeit they begin, yet they cannot make an end, like unto the builder noted of folly by Christ, scorned by all that beheld the foundation of a goodly building, saying. This man began to build, 
Luke 1●  but was not able to make an end. This reason is offered to our considerations in the parable of the sour, where sundry sorts of hearers are set down according unto the different nature of ground in which the seed fell. These make many steps in Christianity: They have knowledge, they believe the word, 
Luke 8●  they receive it with joy; yet notwithstanding these beginnings and proceed, they are resembled to stony ground, and in time of tentation fall away. Seeing therefore the ungodly are left without all excuse, and entertain gross sins in their hearts; we conclude, that they have oftentimes good motions arising in them, yet such as vanish without fruit, and end without comfort, and pass away without profit to their own souls.  
Use 1 The Uses follow of this Doctrine. First, we are taught hereby, that it is not enough to begin well, to entertain holy thoughts, and to have heavenly meditations, but we must nourish and cherish them, we must prosecute them with continuance and perseverance unto the end. Many make a fair beginning, but the end is fearful and dangerous. They lay their hand to the plough, but they look back, Luke 9, 62. Lot's wife went out of Sodom, together with her husband, she seemed as forward as he, she took her journey with him; but she did not continue and hold out unto the end, for contrary to the commandment of the Angel, she looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt; and being left as a monument and memorial to all posterity, our Saviour Christ putteth us in mind of her, Luke 17, 32, Remember Lot's wife. So in the Gospel, one came running to Christ, 
〈◊〉 10, 17.  and kneeled unto him, ask him what he should do, that he might possess eternal life: he seemed zealous in the ways of God, & even to make haste to the kingdom of heaven; but when Christ tried him and his love to God, by one precept of selling his possessions, and taking up the cross to follow him, he was sad at that saying, and went away sorrowful. He had three great pull-backes and impediments as bolts and shackles about his legs, 
〈◊〉 19, 22. ●●ke 18 〈◊〉  that hindered him in his race; he was a young man, he was a rich man, he was a Ruler, or a man of great authority, and therefore all his good beginnings were but as the morning dew, which at the rising of the Sun fadeth away.  
Likewise we see in the Acts of the Apostles when Paul had constantly defended himself, & boldly preached the resurrection of Christ, Acts 26.28, Agrippa said unto him, Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian: but there he stayed and rested, and would proceed no further. These are fearful examples: it had been better for such, they had never known the way of righteousness. 
〈◊〉 1, 21.  Wherefore to the end we may not deceive others, nor flatter ourselves in the good motions of the Spirit, we must carefully observe these few rules and directions following. First, we must begin to cherish in our hearts, a loathing and detestation of all sin. Not of some few sins, and retain others that agree with our corrupt Natures, but we must hate all sin. If the old & subtle Serpent get in his tail, he will wind in his head also, and after followeth all the body. If we give him scope to possess us in any one known sin, he will thereby bring us to destruction, as we see in Saul, Herod, judas, Ananias and Sapphira. Wherefore, we must truly turn to God, and repent us of all sin. Secondly, we must be changed and renewed in our minds and consciences, & bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life: otherwise we may still suspect ourselves that saving grace is not yet planted in the heart. Let us carefully look to our hearts that the work of regeneration be truly begun there. If we have once given our hearts to God, all other parts will soon follow. Our ears, our feet, our eyes, will not be far behind where the heart leadeth the way. This is it which Solomon teacheth in Prou. 23, 25. My son give me thine heart, and let thine eyes delight in my ways. One can take no pleasure but where his heart is. Thirdly, we must not stand at a stay, or look back: we must not think we have knowledge, faith, zeal, and obedience enough: therefore the Apostle saith touching his own practice, Philip. 3, 12. Brethren, I count not myself that I have attained to it, but one thing I do, I forget that which is behind, and endeavour myself unto that which is before, and follow hard toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ jesus. And indeed in our Christian race there is no standing at one stay. For either we go forward, or else we go backward. If we do not increase, we do decrease, like the sea that never rests, but ever ebbeth or floweth. To stand still is the first step to declining, and declining the first degree of decaying, and decaying the forerunner of a final falling away, and falling away the worker of our confusion and destruction: as the water that hath been heat, first waxeth lukewarm, & afterwards turneth to be key-cold. Lastly, we must endeavour every day to grow better and better, more strong in faith, more constant in hope, more rooted in charity, more settled in obedience, more abounding in all good works. This is made the commendation of the church of Thyatira, Reu. 2, 19 I know thy works, & thy love, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, which are more at the last, then at the first. So the Apostle Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians in the Lord jesus, that they increase more and more, as they had received of the Apostles, how they ought to walk & please God. Hereunto accordeth the doctrine of Christ, where he teacheth, joh. 15, 2. That every branch that beareth not fruit in him, he taketh away, etc. And Peter writing to the dispersed jews, dwelling here and there, stirreth them up as new borne babes to desire the sincere milk of the word, that they might grow thereby etc. 
1 Pet. 2, 2.3.  But alas, where is this increasing, proceeding, and persevering to be found? He that was ignorant, is ignorant still; he that was faithless, is faithless still: he that was unjust, is unjust still: he that was filthy, is filthy still Reu. 22, 12. Behold the Lord jesus cometh shortly, & his reward is with him, to give every man according as his work shall be.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing the wicked do desire the death of the righteous, it is plain and evident that the godly cannot but die well, their end shallbe in rest, their departure shallbe in peace. Their sorrow shall be turned into solace, their pain into pleasure, their mourning into mirth, their heaviness into happiness. God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. No man so happy as the faithful Christian. He that liveth well, cannot choose but die well, whether he die suddenly or leisurely, whether he be taken away by a natural death, or by a violent death, whether it be by land or by sea, in youth or in age. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints: the Lord redeemeth the souls of his servants, and none that trust in him shall perish, Psal. 116, 15. & 34, 22. Blessed are they that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their works follow them, Reu. 14, 13. Let us solace ourselves, and comfort one another with these words. All men naturally have a desire of salvation, when God toucheth their conscience, and summoneth them to answer at his bar. Ask the most wicked and notorious liver that forgetteth God, and contemneth him every day, that never thinketh of godliness, that giveth himself to blasphemy, profaning of the Sabbath, whoredom, covetousness, drunkenness, cruelty, hatred, slandering, and backbiting his brother: ask him I say, whether he would be saved and inherit everlasting life, he will by and by answer, It is his whole desire, and he will think you offer him the greatest wrong that may be to make a doubt of it. But these words are no better than balaam's wish. Balaam would die the death of the righteous, but he would not live the life of the righteous, for he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and thirsted ambitiously after the honour of ungodliness, and therefore he continued in his sorcery, & went still to fetch his divinations. So likewise many in these days have the wishes of this Wizard, 
Greg lib. 23. mora. cap. 21.  they desire the death of the righteous, but they never regard their life, they desire their end, but they will not walk in their way: they are willing to end with them, but not to begin with them: they catch for the Crown, but will not come to the Cross: they would taste the sweet, but they cannot abide the sweat. If we will live with Christ for ever, 2 Tim. 2, we must here die with him for a season: if we will reign with him in heaven, we must first suffer with him on earth: we can never die comfortably, unless we be careful to live unblamably. 
●ornard ser in Cantic● 21  If we would find life and peace in the end of our days, we must here seek it. If we would have God to be our God in sickness, we must be his people in our health. If we hate and abhor the life of the righteous, they are foolish and vain wishes of carnal men, to desire to die the death of those that are spiritual. For what shall it profit us to come near them in our words, and to fly from them in our works? Wherefore, as the ungodly cannot abide the life of the righteous, nor seek to cut off the least lust, nor endure the doctrine of mortification, to prepare them to the kingdom of heaven, but follow the fruits of the flesh, the lusts of their eyes, and the pride of life: so they shall find their own death to be far differing from the quiet sleep of the righteous, who see by faith the heavens open for them with Stephen, and know that the glorious Angels are their attendants ready to conduct and to direct their souls into glory. They know that their Redeemer liveth, and that they shall see God in their flesh with the same eyes, 
job 19, 2●  albeit their reins be consumed within them, for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. As for the wicked, it shall not be so with them. Psalm 73.19, 20. They shall suddenly be destroyed, and horribly consumed, as a dream when one awaketh: O Lord, when thou raisest us up, thou shalt make their image despised. Their death is full of fear and horror, 
●. things ●fying th●● of the 〈◊〉 man.  they see three fearful objects represented before their eyes, dismaying all their senses, and affrighting all the powers of their souls, so soon as they apprehend them: through all which dying without repentance, they must pass without redemption or deliverance; to wit, death, judgement, and hell, the one following the heels of another. They shall know the pangs of death, they shall appear at the day of judgement, they shall feel the torments of hell, and fire unquenchable. When they have run out their miserable and wretched race, they shall suddenly be attached and arrested by death, death shall call and cry out for judgement, and judgement shall take them, and throw them into hell, and perpetual perdition. If a man in this life, that hath lived wanton, been clad gorgeously, and fared deliciously every day, should see these three fearful spectacles, the sword to smite him, the plague to touch him, and famine to consume him, it were able to astonish him, and bring him to despair. But all these are nothing in comparison of the former: for as it is appointed unto them once to die, Heb. 9, 27. which is the entrance into the next plague, so after death cometh judgement, which shall be according to their works, when their most secret thoughts shall be written in their foreheads, and graven as with a pen of Iron to remain in remembrance for ever; and after judgement cometh hell fire, than shame and contempt shall be powered upon them, then utter desperation shall seize upon them, than an eternal separation from the comfortable presence of God shall overtake them, & fall upon them, and they shall have perpetual fellowship with the devil and his angels. This is it which maketh the ungodly so loath to hear of death, and so willing to wish in word to die the death of the righteous. They would live like themselves, but would die like the faithful. But we cannot sever and divorce the life and the death of the people of God, they must always go together, and follow one the other necessarily. Thus we see, as there is great difference between the godly and the ungodly in their life, so there shall be a greater difference between them after this life. For albeit all sleep in the dust of the earth, & shall awake out of their sleep, 
〈◊〉 12, 2.  yet the godly shall inherit everlasting life, but the ungodly shall go into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. This appeareth unto us in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: there was a great difference between them while they lived upon the earth; the one abounded in riches, was clad in purple, and fed with dainty fare, Lu. 16, 22, 23: the other was clothed in rags, covered with sores, and abounded in nothing but in penury and misery: here was a main difference between them. But when they went the way of all flesh, and were gathered unto their Fathers, than was the greatest difference of all, as if the other were not to be thought upon: For when this poor beggar died, he was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried, and was carried into the torments of hell, to whom Abraham said, Luk. 16.25. Son, Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy pleasures, and likewise Lazarus pains; now therefore is he comforted, and thou art tormented. This is that great gulf and wide space set between the godly and the ungodly.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to stir up the gifts of God in us, and to take heed we quench not the graces of the Spirit in us. The gifts of God given unto us are as a spark of fire kindled in our hearts, our corruptions are as a water seeking to quench them. Wherefore it standeth us upon to be careful and diligent in kindling this fire, and in blowing these coals, that the talents committed unto us may be increased, and the Lord receive at his coming his own with advantage. This the Apostle Paul teacheth Timothy, who had been brought up in the Scriptures of a child, 2 Tim. 1, 6. I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by the putting on of my hands. Christ jesus compareth in the Gospel the grace of God in the heart to a grain of Mustard seed which is small to see to at the beginning, 
〈◊〉 ●3, 31 ●●, 26.  but when it is once planted in the fruitful ground of a regenerate heart, it springeth up incontinently, increaseth speedily, spreadeth mightily, and prospereth exceedingly. If a man at the first beginning of his conversion, have some little feeling of his wants, some weak and faint desire of faith, and some small testimonies of his adoption, he must remember to be thankful for these, and seek to increase them by the use of the Word, Sacraments, Prayers, Meditations, Conference, and such like helps, that we may be always proceeding, endeavouring, striving, ask, seeking, and knocking to know the height, depth, & breadth of the love of God 〈…〉 we must always grow uppe 〈…〉 God, Psal. 143, 6. and desire 〈…〉 be given us to supply our weakn● 〈…〉 must long after him as the thirsty l●● 〈…〉 should pant after him, as the Hart bray 〈…〉 rivers of waters, Psal. 42, 1. Blessed are 〈…〉 hunger and thirst after righteousness, for t●● 〈…〉 be satisfied, Math. 5, 6. He will give to him t●● 〈◊〉 a thirst, to drink of the Well of the water of 〈◊〉 freely. If we have this appetite, using all the means which God hath appointed, and being careful to honour him for that which we have received already, I am persuaded that he which hath begun this good work in us, will perfect and finish the same unto the day of jesus Christ.  
[And let my last end be like his.] Here is a lively testimony of the immortality of the soul. For if he had believed that man had ended with death, and then there had been no further reckoning nor account to be made, it had been a vain and idle thing to desire his last end to be like the righteous. We see the ungodly live and wax old, job 21, 7, 9, 13. and grow in wealth, their children prosper, their houses are peaceable without fear, the rod of God is not upon them, they spend their days in pleasures, and suddenly they go down to the grave. They are not afflicted with tedious diseases, they are not tormented with long sicknesses, they go away many times quietly as a Lamb, their life is with greater delight, their death is with greater ease than the life and death of the righteous. But after this life beginneth the trouble and torment of the Reprobate. Here they have received their pleasures, and the righteous their pains, therefore these are comforted, and the other confounded. They must appear before the judgement seat of God, they must come after this life to their trial, they must all stand at the bar, and plead guilty, or not guilty. The consideration of this day of account immediately after the separation of the soul from the body, made Balaam in this place, cry out in the sight and feeling of the blessedness of the Church, Oh let my last end be like his. From hence we learn this principle of our faith, 
Doctrine. The reasonable soul of man is immortal.  That the soul of man is immortali, having a beginning yet is without ending, & being severed from the body, it liveth in place either of joy, or of torment, either it receiveth the reward of godliness, or it is plagued and punished for wickedness. This appeareth by many testimonies of the word of God. When the Lord had made man's body of the dust of the ground, He breathed in his face the breath of life, and the man was a living soul able to live of itself, 
Gen 2, 7,  and by itself. And afterward it is said, 
Genes 5, 24. with Heb. 11, 17.  Henoch walked with God, and he was no more seen, for God took him away; to show that there was a better life prepared and to be a testimony of the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body, seeing he was translated, that he should not see death, neither was he found, for God had translated him. Hereunto cometh the prayer of Simeon, Luk. 2, 29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant departed in peace, according to thy word: he was ready & willing to be loosed from the prison of the body, and calleth death a departure from hence. Likewise, it is said in the Parable, that Lazarus died, and was carried by the Angels into Abraham's bosom: 
Luk. 16, 22.23  the rich man also died, & was buried, and was thrown into the torments of hell. And at the passion of Christ hanging on the cross, when the penitent thief prayed, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom; he said, Verily I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, Luke 23, 43. Furthermore when the Lamb had opened the fift seal, reve. 5, 6, 9 john saw under the Altar the souls of them that were killed for the word of God, & for the testimony which they maintained.  
Reason 1 The Reasons of this Doctrine are to be known and considered of us. First, if the soul were not of an immortal Nature, the godly of all other should be most wretched, & their life most miserable, unless they did believe that a time of refreshing should come from the presence of God: and contrariwise the condition of the ungodly should be most blessed and happy. This the Apostle setteth down, 1 Cor. 15, 19, 20. And if the soul did not remain after this life, being separate from the body, all Religion and piety were in vain, our preaching and your faith were in vain. Why are we in jeopardy every hour? and why suffer we affliction for righteousness sake? nay, why do we not eat and drink, for to morrow we must die?  
Reason 2 Secondly, nothing that is immortal and transitory can cite a man before God's Tribunal, or terrify for sin unknown to any other. But the soul of man accusing him for secret sins, makes him hold up at his hand at the bar of God's judgement seat. This we see in Belteshazzer, when he saw the palm of the hand that wrote upon the plaster of the wall of his palace, 
Daniel 5, 6.  His countenance was changed, his thoughts troubled him, & his knees smote one against another. Before he was thus awaked he contemned the true God, and blessed his Idols: but when God manifested a small token of his power and presence, he did shake & tremble every joint of him, for fear of that sight. This is the justice of God, revenging the sin of men, that they should tremble at his judgements that wretchedly abuse his mercies. The like example we see in Felix; albeit he lo●ked for a bribe, and set justice to sale at offer and proffer, yet when he heard Paul dispute of righteousness and temperance, and of the judgement to come, he quaked and quivered at that discourse, and was not able to endure the mention of it. Now, if the soul were subject to mortality, and to perish with the body, it would not, it could not thus accuse man, nor draw him before the judgement seat of God.  
Thirdly, the soul of man can reason of immortality, Reason 3 it is unsatiable in seeking knowledge, and is not changed or altered with the estate of the body, it contenteth not itself to rest satisfied with any thing in this life. The more it knoweth, 
1 Cor. 8, ●  the more it coveteth & desireth to know, & the more it is able to learn, It desireth blessedness and happiness, it respecteth glory and good estimation after death: it hath many actions and operations above sense and the natural appetite of the body; as to love God, to fear God, to put our trust in him, to believe in him, to embrace religion, to cleave unto God with full purpose of hart. The senses of the body cannot climb and ascend so high to know God, and to meditate on heavenly things; nay, they cannot reason, define, divide, number, or order any thing. Therefore, the soul that performeth these things, is a spiritual substance like unto Angels, not subject to death or mortality.  
Now let us come to the Uses of this point Use 1 of Religion, and principle of our Faith. First, it serveth to confute & condemn all Atheists, Epicures, Libertines, Sadduces, and the late upstart family of love raised out of the ashes of the old Saducees, 
joseph anti● 18 cap 2 ●bel. judaic cap. 7.  which deny the immortality of the soul. These defy all Religion, and deny any spirits, either Angels of God, or spirits of devils, or souls of men: all which standing at defiance against heaven, and bidding battle to the Lord himself, shall one day know that they had once given unto them immortal spirits, when they shall be cast into unquenchable fire, and endure everlasting torments. The Evangelist noteth out this damnable sect of the Saducees. Luke 20, 27. Acts 23.8. which denied the rising again of the body, and the subsisting of the soul after the separation. For when Paul cried out in the Council, I am accused of the hope and resurrection of the dead: there was a dissension between the Pharisees and the Saduces; for the Saduces say, That there is no resurrection, neither Angel, nor spirit: but the pharisees confess both. These Christ confuteth and convinceth in the Gospel by the testimony of Moses, I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of jacob: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Matth. 22, 32. Exodus 3, 6. And if these heretics and enemies of God, would not for conscience sake yield to this truth, and subscribe with heart and hand unto it, yet at least for the profit of it, and the excellency above their beastly dotage about the mortality of the soul, they should embrace it, and cleave unto it. For it is surer and safer to believe as the Church holdeth. For if this opinion be true, that the soul is immortal, 
It is mor●ty & leidger to b● the soul● be imm● then m●  whosoever believeth it not in heart, and confesseth it not with the mouth, shall suffer eternal punishment and bear his condemnation. If it should not be true (which we speak only by supposition, the doctrine being most certain) there is no danger after death, to have holden the immortality of the soul in the time of our life; forasmuch as if the soul do not remain, it cannot be reproved of error, nor punished for sin. Again, it is most honest and honourable, to hold the dignity of our soul received of God, and so to think reverently and religiously of it, resembling it to God & the Angels, not to debase and disgrace it, making it like unto the beasts and unreasonable creatures.  
Lastly, it is better to believe the soul's eternity, as fit to stir us up to live soberly, righteously, & godlily in this present world, and to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to mind heavenly things, that we may be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. For if we believe ourselves to be immortal, Math. 16, 26: we will have a greater care of virtue, a greater respect to the reward, a greater conscience of Religion, a greater fear of sin, and of the punishment due to sin. So then, as there is greater verity, so there is more safety & security to hold the immortality of the soul against the erroneous opinions of all heretics that have desperately and damnably denied the same, to the decay of piety, dishonour of God and unto the utter confusion of their own souls.  
Use 2 Secondly, acknowledge from hence a great difference between the soul of man, and the soul of a beast. Every beast and living creature hath a kind of soul which perisheth with the body, so that he which killeth the body of a beast, destroyeth also the soul, which ariseth from the mixture and temperature of the Elements. But man was made after the image of God, Gen. 1, 26. according to his likeness, Eph. 4, 24, to resemble him, especially in his soul, which is of an heavenly nature, albeit not of the substance of God. This difference and distinction Moses teacheth and observeth Gen. 9, 4, 6. But the flesh with the life thereof, I mean with the blood thereof shall ye not eat: who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God hath he made man. Where he maketh an opposition between man and beast, and between the soul of man and beast. Man was made in his soul to resemble his Maker and Creator, but the soul of a beast is in his blood. And therefore, God charging his people to abstain from eating of blood, even of clean beasts, useth these two reasons, levit. 17, 11, 14. First, because their blood is the seat of the soul: secondly, God hath commanded it to be used in atonements for sin, as a type and figure of the blood of Christ. The soul of man is a substance, the soul of a beast is an accident, whose being is always to be in another. The soul of man is a spirit, the soul of a beast is a quality arising of the matter of the body, vanishing also with the body, and having no being at all out of the body.  
Thirdly, see here a difference between the Use 3 soul and the body of a man. For, as this truth teacheth a distinction between the soul of a man, and the soul of a beast, so it maketh a division between one part of man, and the other. Man consisteth of two parts, of the body which is visible, and of the soul which is invisible. The body dieth and is laid in the grave, for as it was taken out of the earth, so it returneth to the earth again. But the soul, as we have proved by divers Scriptures, and confirmed by strong reasons, never dieth or decayeth. Therefore, albeit we be taught in the Articles of our faith, to believe the resurrection of the body, yet we are never taught to believe the resurrection of the soul. For a rising up presupposeth first a falling down. The soul falleth not into the jaws of death, nor goeth down into the house of the grave. This difference the wiseman teacheth, Eccles. 12, 7. Dust returneth unto the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God that gave it. The dwelling place of the body is the earth, the habitation of the soul is with God. The soul never dieth, nor decayeth, nor sleepeth, nor riseth again, but is a spiritual substance and invisible, having neither flesh, nor bones; living and abiding for ever, as well out of the Tabernacle of the body, as in the same. But the body is an earthly and visible substance, consisting of sensible parts, never living nor breathing without the soul. Wherefore these abide together as two the nearest and dearest friends, rejoicing together, sorrowing together, and alike affectioned one toward another; yet the day of separation cometh, and will come, when a departure must be made of these two, that cannot always continue together: the body must return to the earth, the soul must be carried unto God the eternal judge, who immediately will pass the sentence of life or death upon the same.  
Fourthly, we must be careful to live a godly Use 4 and upright life, that when we shall go the way of all flesh, our souls may be received up into the heavenly habitations, and be carried by the Angels into the glorious presence of God. There is no man if he be to stand before Princes, and to come into the presence of great men, but prepareth and maketh himself ready for that purpose. When joseph was to appear before Pharaoh, 
Gen. 41, 14.  albeit he were called hastily, and brought suddenly before him, yet he shaved his head, and changed his raiment. How then ought our care to be increased? and how ought we to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, seeing the day of account cometh and seeing we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, to receive the things which are done in this body, whether they be good or evil, so soon as the some & body are separated? Let us remember our Creator in the days of our youth, Eccl. 12, 1. Let our conversation while we live upon the Earth be lifted up to the heavens. Let us mortify the lusts of the flesh, and not walk in the ways of our own hearts; assuring ourselves that for all such things God will bring us to judgement. Therefore the Apostle Peter speaking of the dissolution of the world, the passing away of the heavens, the melting of the elements, the burning of the earth, and the destruction of the ungodly, draweth from these words this exhortation, Seeing therefore all these things must be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conversation and godliness, looking for, and hasting unto the coming of that day of God? 2. Pet. 3, 11, 12. Let us set this day before our eyes whatsoever we do, and then we shall not sin for ever. Let us arraign ourselves at his bar, and thereby provoke one another, and be provoked ourselves to our duties: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11. Let us be careful to lay a good foundation of salvation, and never give over, until we have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, and receive the spirit of adoption to cry in our hearts Abba Father. For, if we depart out of this life without faith in Christ, and without hope of salvation, it had been better for us that we had never been borne, 
Matth. 26, 24.  as Christ speaketh of judas the son of perdition. For what will it profit us to win the whole world, & then lose our own souls? To live in pleasure, & to have all that our hart can wish or desire for a season, and afterward to be tormeneed in hell fire for ever?  
Use 5 Fiftly, this is a great and exceeding comfort to the children of God, to know that after this short, this weak, this feeble, this frail life, our souls shall return to the Lord, and be lifted up to the kingdom of heaven. Let us therefore prepare ourselves for death, that we may be fit vessels for eternal l●fe, and commend our souls into the hands of God at our departure. This was it which the Apostle practised, Phil. 1, 23. 2 Cor. 4, 18, & 5, 1.2. The greatest afflictions that can befall us here, are nothing in respect of the blessed reward of immortality, as the same Apostle teacheth, Rom. 8, 18. I count that the afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shallbe showed to us. Let us not fear the enemies of the Church: they may separate the soul from the body, but they can never separate the soul from God. They may kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. They may take from us a little momentany pleasure of this life, but they cannot keep us from the presence of God, at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. This is that which Christ teacheth his Disciples, Mat. 10, 28. Nay, they have no power over the body further than God permitteth them, as Christ answered to Pilate, glorying in his authority, & saying. Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and to lose thee? Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above, therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. So then, let us not fear their fear, whose power is limited is limited & restrained: death with one stroke shall set us at liberty, and free us from the yoke of all oppression, to our unspeakable and endless comfort. Contrariwise, this is a doleful and woeful doctrine to the wicked and ungodly, who live here after their own lusts, & follow their pleasures, delighting in vanity, and forgetting God, to consider the perpetuity & immortality of their souls; and that they must give a straight account of all their ways and works. This must needs be a doctrine of fear and terror unto them, able to break their stony hearts, and astonish their inward senses, and dash them upon the rocks of hopeless and helpless desperation. What can be more heavy news to a servant that hath wasted & consumed his master's money with riotous living, then to hear of a day of reckoning & account to be given of his Stewardship? So is it with all the ungodly, they fear nothing more than their appearing before the heavenly judge, to be tried according to their works. Oh, it were well with them if their souls were mortal, that they might sleep in the dust, and lie in the grave for ever, to be buried with their bodies, never to be raised again! Oh, their case were happy, and thrice happy should they be, if they might never come to judgement, or had been borne as toads and serpents, or worms of the earth that living their life, they might also die their death! But it shall not be so with them, their case shall not be so well: the end of this life bringeth them into eternal torments, and when they have tasted the first death, the second death shall take hold on them. Then they shall pronounce a thousand woes against themselves: then they shall wish they had never been borne. Then they shall weep and howl without recovery: then they shall gnash with their teeth, and gnaw their tongues for anger, Mat. 22, 12. 
revel. 6, Luke 23  Then they shall desire the mountains to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of ●he Lamb, etc. For as they are happy that die in the Lord, being joined to him, and freed from all sorrows: so they are wretched and a thousand times miserable, that depart hence out of God's favour, & have the sins of their youth and age accompanying them: to whom he will say, Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his Angels, Matth. 25, 41. We see how the consideration of the Sessions or Assizes striketh a terror into the heart and conscience of the guilty malefactor: how much more than shall the solemn day of the Lords last judgement, amaze, affright, and astonish the Reprobate, who have drawn sin unto them as with cartropes, and have clothed themselves with shame, as with a rob? This will be a day of blackness and of darkness, a day of clouds and obscurity, a day of horror and confusion unto them that dwell upon the face of the earth, when God shall come to judge without respect of persons. For what rest or comfort can the malefactor take when he is always in expectation of the coming & approach of the judge? Whereas the godly have peace of conscience, and shall lift up their heads, because their Redeemer draweth near. So then, as Balaam wished, that he might die the death of the righteous, and his last end might be like his: so let us all crave and desire of God, that we may not die the death of the unrighteous, nor our last end be like his.  
Use 6 Lastly, let us care for it more than for the body, & bestow more labot & pains in adorning & garnishing of it. For what is the body, & what is this mortal life, but a little blast? Stop his mouth, & hold his nostrils but a while what is he but a carcase? But the soul, albeit it have time of beginning, yet shall never die, or cease to be, but remaineth eternal without an ending, and shall never be extinguished. It standeth us thereupon, in regard of the divine nature of the soul, and the excellency thereof above the body, to employ more time, and to bestow more pains in beautifying the soul with heavenly graces, then trimming & attiring the body with outward ornaments. For as the body hath his garnishings, so hath the soul likewise her proper deckings. And yet (alas) if we should enter into a survey and examination of the deeds of men, and mark what their behaviour is concerning their soul, and compare it with the care they have of their vile bodies and rotten carcases, we shall quickly perceive and discern, that the provision of the one destroyeth and swalloweth up the preparation for the other. We see how men toil and moil all their life long, rising early, watching long and late, faring hardly, labouring continually, and sweeting exceedingly, to provide for the body and for the belly, the things of this life that must fade & perish, according as the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 6, 13. Meats are ordained for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. But the soul lieth unprovided and unregarded of the greatest number, they pass not greatly whether it sink or swim, whether it starve or prosper, whether it go to hell or to heaven. If a man or woman have a small spot in their garment, or a blemish in their face, we see how careful they are to correct and amend it: but if their souls lie full of sores and corruption, full of boils and blisters, full of wounds and grievous swellings, they never regard it, they have no feeling of it; they are never grieved at it, or troubled with it. Mark the practice and common behaviour of most persons, on the Lord's day, which is the market day of the soul: do they not bestow greater time, & more hours in the day, in trimming of the body, & providing for the belly, then in the exercises of Religion? Which overmuch care of the body argueth a carelessness for the soul. Doth not this bewray our contempt of the food of our souls, & a lamentable loathing of the heavenly Manna of the word of God, following after our worldly profit, & running mad after our vain pleasures? And yet these men, if they were asked, are not ashamed to say, they take more care for their souls then for their bodies. We see how far men will travail, & what tedious journeys they will take to increase their wealth: & if a little famine pinch, & hungerbite them, they will compass sea & land, & wander far & near to serve the body, & fill the belly. If the care for the nourishment of thy soul, were answerable to this diligence, thou wouldst not doubt for the everlasting good of thy soul, to take at least as great pains to provide for the food of thy soul that endureth to eternal life. For what shall it profit a man, if he win the whole world, and then lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give for the recompense of his soul? Mat. 16, 26. First therefore seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, etc., Math. 6, 33.  
Verse 11. [Then Balak said unto Balaam: What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold thou hast blessed them altogether.] Hitherto we have spoken of the prophecy, which God constrained the false Prophet to utter: now let us see the effect thereof. We cannot be ignorant that the purpose both of Balak and Balaam was malicious and full of cruelty: they looked for a glorious success and event of their labours, but all their practices are defeated and disappointed. Balak hoped through Balaam to prevail against Israel, he comforted himself in this wizard, he carried him to an high mountain to see them; he said before him (as we heard in the former chapter) Numb. 22.3. I know, that he whom thou blessest, is blessed: and he that thou cursest, shallbe cursed: yet this hope is built upon the sand, or standeth in the air, and faileth him that trusteth in it. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. The hope of the wicked is vain.  that the expectation, hope, and confidence of the wicked come to nothing in the end. Albeit, they comfort themselves in evil, and promise to themselves an happy end, yet the issue is vain, and the snare is broken. Esau in the profaneness of his heart having sold his birthright, promiseth to himself a golden day, to recover again both blessing & birthright, and therefore thought in his mind, and uttered with his mouth, Gen. 27, 41. The days of mourning for my father will come shortly, then will I slay my brother jacob. But notwithstanding this devilish drift and purpose of his, the blessing took place, and this hypocrite was disappointed. The Canaanites comforted themselves in Sisera, and promised themselves victory over the Israelites: The mother of Sisera looked out of a window, and cried through the lattesse, judg. 5, 28, 29, 30. Why is his chariot so long a coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariot? They have gotten and divided the spoil, every man hath a maid or two: Sisera hath a prey of divers coloured garments, a prey of sundry colours made of needle work for the chief of the spoil. See how the e-enemies of the Church glory, and oftentimes triumph before the victory, and putting on their armour, boast, as if they were putting it off. This we see in Rabshakeh railing against the people of God, and boasting in his own strength. Let not thy GOD deceive thee in whom thou trustest saying; 2 Kings 19, 11. jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the King of Ashur. Hereunto cometh the saying of the Prophet Hosea, Hosea 12, 15. Ephraim is fed with the wind, and followeth after the East wind, he increaseth daily lies and destruction. Thus they flattered themselves with vain confidence, and rested upon deceitful hope. Thus likewise the Prophet bringeth in the enemies of Christ, & of the Church conspiring against God, and encouraging one another in wickedness, Psal. 2, 3, 4. Let us break their bands, and cast their cords from us: but he that dwelleth in the heaven shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision, and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. So then, when the wicked say, peace, peace, unto themselves, and think themselves sure of their purposes, they shall fail in the midway, and suddenly come to destruction, verifying the saying of Solomon, Prou. 11, 7. The hope of the unjust shall perish.  
Reason 1 The reasons are, first because as they set themselves against the Church, so God setteth himself against them. Can we then marvel that they are confounded and consumed, against whom God opposeth himself? they are the enemies of God, and God professeth himself their enemy. Who ever arose against him and prospered? Who ever fought against him, and prevailed? They shall consume as the fat of Lambs before the fire, and melt as the wax against the Sun. This hath been the faith and assurance of the Church of God in all their dangers that have threatened and assailed them; namely, that God would take their cause into his hands, and revenge the wrong done unto them. Therefore when the enemies took crafty counsel against them, and consulted cruel things to compass their destruction, saying; Psal. 83.12. Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, & let the name of Israel be no more in remembrance, and let us take for our possession the habitation of God: they prayed to God to confound their enterprises, to fill their faces with shame, to make them afraid by his judgements, to turn them upside down as a wheel, to persecute them with his tempest, that they might be as stubble before the wind, as the fire burneth the forest, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire.  
Reason 2 Secondly, they trust in lying words that cannot profit, and consequently they cannot prosper, because no man by his own strength, or the power of his own hand can bring any thing to pass. God scattereth the devices of the crafty, and taketh the wise in their craftiness: so that man cannot by his care and confidence attain to the fruit of his desire, Hagg. 1, 9 For God bloweth upon it, and it cometh to nothing.  
The uses of this doctrine remain to be Use 1 considered and handled. First, mark hereby the unhappy estate of those that have only eyes of flesh, to rest upon the things which they see. Nothing shall be able to help them, woeful therefore is their condition. This the Prophet teacheth, jer. 17, 5, 7. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, & maketh flesh his arm, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord; but blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. So then, all they that make not God their Lord, are unhappy. If the ungodly did consider these things, that they setting up their rest upon vain things, and putting their confidence in a broken reed, cannot prosper, it would be a notable means to bridle their vanity, and to suppress their folly. If we should see a man naked & unarmed to go into the field against his enemies, and persuade himself with a blast or bulrush to thrust them through, and throw them down on every side, and make no doubt to get the victory: we would think him sottish, and pity his folly; we would wish him to keep a good diet, and keep himself and his head warm, fearing the man were breeding mad. But thus it is with all the enemies of God and his people, that raise great hope by their own devices, and imagine great matters by their own counsels, they are as distracted and distempered men, they are in a miserable and woeful condition, leaning upon a bulrush, and settling their trust and rest upon a rotten reed. They build up the tower of confusion, God will come down against them, and divide their tongues, as he did at Babel. 
Gen. 11.8.  Woeful therefore and wretched is the case of all those, whose confidence raised up to high attempts, falleth on the ground: they trust in an arm of flesh, and are deceived, for GOD laugheth them and their inventions to scorn. They attain not to the end of their desires, but are disappointed, and so their hope perisheth; and this is chief in death, when they shall remain in misery for ever.  
Secondly, let us not rely upon such vain Use 2 things, nor rest upon deceitful vanity, nor wait upon lying dreams and devices of men, for then all our expectation shall deceive us. What man is there in his right wits, that would in danger lean on the spider's web, and yet think to be delivered? Who would trust to a broken staff? who would lay his strength upon a weak reed? This is it that Bildad one of jobs three friends uttereth, ch. 8, 14. & 20, 5, 6. where he teacheth, That the rejoicing of the wicked is short, & the joy of hypocrites is but for a moment: though his excellency mount up to the heavens, & his head reach unto the clouds, yet he shall perish for ever like the dung, & they which have seen him shall say, where is he? His confidence also shallbe cut off, & his trust shallbe as the house of a spider: therefore it can minister no comfort to such as catch hold upon it. Hereunto come sundry exhortations of the Prophet in the Psalms, Psal. 62, 10. & 20, 7, & 125, 1. If we rest upon God, we shall have a sure staff that shall never fail: we build upon that hope that shall never make ashamed; They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but remaineth for ever.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing the glory of our enemies shall end in shame, and their vain rejoicing be buried in confusion: let us all take comfort and cheer up ourselves, and one another, when we see the enemies of the Church plot and conspire against the Church. Albeit they lay their heads together, and be very busy to stop the course of the glorious Gospel, yet this is our hope, that their hope is but on the spider's web, the gates of hell shall never be able to prevail against the Church, and themselves shall work out their own destruction. Thus doth the Prophet comfort himself, Psal. 49.5, 6, 7. Let this stay our faith, and comfort our hope, when we see mighty plottings, subtle proceed, deep devices and conspiracies of the wicked. For why should we fear, seeing they wait on lying vanities, and forsake their own mercy? See this in the example of Pharaoh, of Haman, of Sancherib, of Herod, and sundry others. If other enemies in our days follow their deeds, let them also fear their ends. And for this purpose the Prophet speaketh unto them, Esay 8, 9, 10. Gather together on heaps, O ye people, & ye shall be broken in pieces, and hearken all ye of far Countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: Take counsel together, yet it shall be brought to nought: pronounce a decree, yet shall it not stand, for God is with us. Thus the enemies shallbe confounded: thus their counsels shallbe overturned, so that we need not to fear them, or their devices. They are like a reed of Egypt, which if one lean on it, will break in pieces, and run into his hand to his great hurt.   

13 And Balak said unto him, Come I pray thee with me unto another place, whence thou mayest see them, and thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and thou shalt not see them all: therefore curse them out of that place for my sake.  
14 And he brought him into the field of the watchmen to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.  
15 After he said unto Bal●k, Stand here by thy  offering, and I will meet the Lord yonder.  
16 And the Lord met Balaam, and put an answer in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus:  
17 And when he came to him, behold he stood by his  offering, and the Princes of Moab with him: so Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord said?  
Hitherto we have spoken of the former part of the Chapter, which is the first attempt and the first prophecy. Now we come to the second attempt and practice which Balaam maketh, to hurt and bewitch the people of God, when he seethe his first succeed not according to his purpose and desire. Wherein consider three things: First, their preparation for a new project: Secondly, the second Prophecy: Thirdly, the issue and effect thereof, together with a fresh purpose to make another attempt, and a new encounter. Touching the preparation, after that Balaam had showed the true cause of his blessing of Israel, and had declared that he was ready for his part to have wrought his skill upon them that they might languish and pine away, and had therefore prepared altars, sacrifices and enchantments; but the Lord put a blessing into his mouth, which he was compelled to utter and pronounce against his will, according to the saying of the Wiseman, Prou. 16.2. The preparations of the heart are in man, but the answer of the tongue is of the Lord: After this answer, I say, Balak leadeth him to another place, and chooseth such a standing for him, that he should no more see the whole host of Israel, but only the utmost part of them, supposing that the change of place would work an alteration of his purpose. For he thought that Balaam was dashed and daunted in his intent, by beholding the great multitude and comely order of God's people: so that the superstitious King thought, that the reason of not cursing the people proceeded from weakness and want of courage, not from the vanity of his enchantments. As if he should have said; It may be thou faintest and fearest the people being many (as also I both fear them for their multitude, and hate them for their strength,) and therefore darest do nothing against them: thou seest all of them, and therefore thy heart faileth thee. But come with me, I will bring thee to such a place, where thou shalt take a view only of the rearward of them. So then, be of good courage and fear nothing, I know thou hast skill enough, and therefore that which thou couldst not do out of the other place, perform thou readily and resolutely out of this place. And for this purpose he brought him into the field of watchmen where the sentinel was set, and where the spies lay to mark the marching and approaching of the enemy, & guideth him to the top of a certain hill, where again seven Altars are builded, and seven sacrifices are offered.  
After this, Balaam commanded the King to stand by the  Offerings, and himself to please his humour, goeth to see if he can have any better success than he had had hitherto, in raising up the God of the Hebrews. For to colour his sorcery, he betook himself to a solitary place, not to ask counsel of God (as the true Prophets of GOD used to do,) but to perform his intended conjuration, & to raise a great expectation of his art, as appeareth in the Chapter following. Now whilst he goeth about his devilish Magic, GOD met him, and without speaking more words unto him, he put another prophecy into his mouth, which returning back to Balak, he commanded him to utter. Not that God was compelled and enforced by his enchantments to appear unto him, or had any respect at all to his witchcraft; for he was unworthy that God should vouchsafe him a word; but it was in regard of his own people Israel, 
Deut. 32, 31.  that their enemies might know they were a blessed people, and witness against their wills, that they were under the power and protection of God, the poorest and lowest member whereof, God more respecteth then a thousand Balaams. This was the cause why GOD suffered him not to go forward in his sorcery, or to raise up the devil to delude and deceive him, as Saul was deluded by the likeness of Samuel, 1. Sam. 28, 14. Albeit therefore this causeless curse could not have succeeded, if he had proceeded: yet this curse made most for the manifestation of God's glory, and the good of his people.  
Verse 13. [Come I pray thee with me into another place, and thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all.] here we have another preparation of a cursed plot or project. They change the place, but not their mind. The former atrempt was dashed and overthrown: yet here we see the net is spread again, and the snare laid, so unsatiable is their malice against the Church of God. We see then how he carrieth him to another place, to begin a new practice, the former frustrate. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. Enemies leave no means unattempted still to plot the Church's overthrow. Plut. in vit. Annib.  that the wicked leave no means unattempted still to seek the Church's overthrow. Although they be oftentimes crossed in their purposes, and find hard success in their intended wickedness, yet they never rest nor give over, like desperate enemies that will never be quiet, whether they be conquerors or conquered, as once Annibal said of Marcellus. This is it which the Prophet Esay declareth, Esay 29.8. Where he showeth, that it is no marvel if the Chaldeans thunder against the jews, and suddenly sweep them away, as a whirlwind carrieth away the chaff, seeing their rage against them is unsatiable, being compared to hungry men that dream they are eating, and are not satisfied: to thirsty men that think they are drinking, and when they awake, their thirst is not quenched: so the enemies do hunger & thirst most earnestly, so that nothing can content them, but the subversion of the Church. This endless & restless fury we see in all ages of the Church. 
1 Kings 20, 23  The Aramites were subdued by Israel, and had received a notable foil in open field: but will they give over & desist? No, they persist & proceed, they repair their forces, & will not give over. This appeareth in Cain toward Abel; in Saul toward David; in the Scribes and pharisees toward Christ; in Haman and his sons toward Israel; in the chief Priests toward Paul. Albeit they be overmamastered, their counsels detected, their purposes defeated, and themselves be disappointed, that they may see how they fight, not against men, but against God yet their diligence is unweariable, and their rage unspeakable.  
This truth will further appear unto us by Reason sundry reasons drawn from the person of God, and from the conditions of the enemies of the Church. God seethe the wickedness of their hearts, & heareth the groans & afflictions of his elect, yet he suffereth the ungodly to whet their tongues, & sharpen their swords against them, to the end he may gain glory to his great Name in the confusion & destruction of them. Pharaoh contrived sundry plots & fetching devices to subvert the Church in Egypt, some secret, some open, Exo. 1.17. & 9, 16. Rom 9.17. He commanded the midwives to stifle & strangle the young infants coming out of their mother's womb, which are the spawn & fry of Religion, & the hope of the succeeding Church. When this devilish device was discovered and disappointed, because the midwives feared God, & did not as the King charged them, but preserved alive the men children, than he attempteth another way, commanding by public edict to drown and destroy their children, & afterward vexeth them by making bricks, and carrying burdens. Thus he proceedeth from one evil to another. God setteth him up as a mark, and appointed him to show his power in him, and to declare his Name throughout all the world. Thus GOD draweth good out of evil, and manifesteth his own glory in confounding the malice of mischievous enemies.  
Secondly, the enemies of the Church run Reason 2 on in malicious courses to undermine the good estate of the Church, because they are led by the spirit of the devil, as his vassals and slaves to do his will. Why did Cain burst with envy against his brother, hanging down his head, & drawing his weapon? Because he was led by that evil one, the prince & god of the ungodly 2. Cor. 4, 4, who blindeth their minds, worketh in their hearts, & holdeth them in full power & possession. The greatest devouring beasts in the wilderness always keep their courses & recourses, 
Psal. 104, 2● 12, 23.  either weariness constraineth them to cease, or the light of the Sun affrighteth them, whereby the silly prey getteth some respite and refreshing: But Satan the Prince of this world is never at rest, he is ever greedy, and never weary, always plotting, practising, catching, destroying and devouring. The light of the day, and darkness of the night are both alike to him: job 1, 7. Who compasseth the whole earth, and walketh in it too and fro, 1 Pet. 5.8. like a ramping and roaring Lion seeking whom he may surprise and subvert. The end of one tentation is the beginning of another. He will never make peace with us, unless we deliver our souls unto him in hostage. Nahash the Ammonite is noted of extreme cruelty, that would no otherwise make a covenant with the men of jabesh Gilead, but on this condition, that he might thrust out all their right eyes, and bring the shame upon all Israel, 1. Sam. 11. But Satan, as he is more mighty, so is he more malicious; he will have both eyes and hands, he will have both head and heart, he will have possession both of soul and body. And therefore no marvel if the sons of Belial be stamped with his Image, and resemble him in an unweariable desire of mischief, plotting and performing day and night one mischievous attempt or other against the children of GOD.  
Use 1 Let us now carefully apply this doctrine to our uses. First, consider from hence the cause of the confusion of the enemies of the Gospel, and of the godly. They devise crafty counsels and conspiracies against the faithful, but withal, they work out their own death and destruction, and overthrow themselves in their malice & mischief. For of all such the Prophet saith, Psal. 7, 15, 16. He hath made a pit, & digged it for another, and is fallen himself into the pit that he made: his mischief shall return upon his own head, and his cruelty shall fall upon his own pate. The hatred of the ungodly goeth before, and the judgements of God follow immediately after, who hath prepared him deadly weapons, & will ordain his arrows for them that persecute his servants. This the Prophet pronounceth against the enemy's of the Church, Esai 8, 9, 10. Gather together on heaps, & ye shall be broken in pieces: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces: take counsel together, yet it shall be brought to nought; pronounce a Decree, yet it shall not stand, for God is with us, Behold the horrible downfall of Haman an Arch-enemy of the people of God, 
〈◊〉 7, 9, 10.  raised up from the highest degree of honour and dignity, who thought it too little to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but sought to destroy all the jews that were throughout the whole kingdom: he fell into the lowest step of shame & reproach, & was hanged on the tree that he had prepared for Mordecai. The advancement of the wicked is but for a moment, & their destruction cometh suddenly, according to the saying of the Prophet David, Psa. 37, 35, 36, & 58, 6, 7, 8, & in job 20.4. Thus we see, that the malice of the wicked turneth to their own calamity and confusion, so that when they have raked & ransacked all the corners of their heart to contrive means to overthrow the Church, they shall find by woeful experience that God hath many more means and ways, to turn their own devices to their own destruction.  
Secondly, see hereby God's almighty power Use 2 and abundant kindness in saving and preserving the Church among so many enemies, as it were a little flock of sheep among so many wolves.  
For we may behold a part of his chastisements upon his Church, by setting them in the world as in a wilderness, and that among the wicked, as it were among so many beasts, whereby their faith is tried, their obedience manifested, and their patience proved: so we see his marvelous mercy in their deliverance from them as out of the den of Lions, inasmuch as we know to our endless comfort, that notwithstanding, all the policies and practices of the devilish and damned crew of most spiteful and desperate enemies, yet God holdeth up the heads of his people that they are not drowned, like the Ark that floated on the waters: Reu. 12, 15. Howsoever the serpent cast out of his mouth water after the woman like a flood, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. Let us therefore confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and acknowledge surely that salvation is of the Lord, and not of ourselves, of his mercy, and not of our own merit. This the Prophet professeth at large, 
Psal. 114, 1, 2 2, 3.  If the Lord had not been on our side, may Israel now say, if the Lord had not been on our side, when men rose up against us, than had they swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then the waters had drowned us & the stream had gone over our soul: then had the swelling waters gone over our soul: Praised be the Lord, etc.  
Lastly, let us lay up these things in our Use 3 hearts, and know the nature of our enemies, and the greatness of our own danger. Let us consider the present peril and estate of the Church, and look for such enemies. Let us all watch over ourselves, and weigh our calling and condition. It is not a calling to outward peace and prosperity, neither must we look here to find carnal ease and delight, but when one trouble and tempest is overblown, and the grief of one affliction is ended, we must not then grow careless and secure, we must not lull ourselves asleep in the cradle of sensuality; but in the end of one affliction, we must look for another to begin, & always to keep watch and ward, knowing the frailty of our own flesh, remembering Satan to be an enemy of our peace and happiness, and considering our life to be as a continual warfare, so long as we tarry in this Tabernacle. If we be compassed about with many enemies, and to be put into the furnace of affliction made exceeding hot, let us still have comfort and consolation, God will make the end glorious, & the issue happy. 
Dan, 7, 28.  This use is taught and practised by the Prophet Daniel, where a vision of four beasts is showed unto Daniel, and the calamities to come successively upon the Church of the jews thereby foreshowed, he apprehended this doctrine by faith, and kept it in his memory, to remain with him for his comfort and instruction for ever.  
Wherefore, let us not promise rest to ourselves after one deliverance, the enemies will gather themselves together again: and when we have victory over one tentation, let us prepare ourselves for a new combat, and make ready our armour for another assault. 
Luke 4.13. job 1. and 2.  This we see in Christ, the head of the faithful. This we see in job a man that feared God and eschewed evil, who having vanquished Satan in one tentation, he returned eftsoons, and redoubled his forces upon him with another. If this practice of the devil were well pondered and thoroughly considered, it would not only prevent and redress much impatiency, but work much peace and contentment in our hearts. For what is the cause that we are so impatient under the cross, murmuring against God in our trials and temptations, accounting them heavy and intolerable burdens unto us, but because we promise to ourselves peace and pleasure, in the days of our pilgrimage, and we dream of an heaven here upon earth?  
But if we will profit aright in affliction, whereby our faith is tried, 
1 Pet. 1, 7.  and made much more precious than gold that perisheth: we must look continually to be assaulted, if we would not suddenly be surprised, & so come as a prey into the jaws of Satan.  
Verse 13.14. [Thou shalt not see them all: So he brought him into the field of the Watchmen, etc.] We have heard before how the enterprises of Balaam were disappointed of God, and so the wisdom of the wise confounded. Now the King, seeing himself crossed in his purpose, and desiring to make an end of this matter, carrieth him up to another place, where he might only see a part of the Israelites his enemies. Why doth he take this course? ●urely because he thought he feared the sight of that great multitude, and considereth not the vanity of his sorcery. Howsoever therefore they might see with their eyes, and (as it were) feel with their hands God fight against them, yet both of them proceed in their purpose●: the King in provoking, the false Prophet in hearkening and obeying. Lo how obstinate the wicked are in evil, & settled with a full resolution to continue in their course; so, that albeit they change the place, yet abide in their former purpose, and cannot be brought to acknowledge their own folly. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. Wicked men in their evil successes, lay the fault upon second causes.  that wicked men when they have evil success, never look up to God whom they have offended, nor consider their sins whereby he is provoked, but lay the fault in second causes, and in anything rather then upon themselves. This corruption appeared in our first Parents, immediately after their transgression. For when they saw the filthiness of their nakedness, and the miserable experience which they had gotten, losing the good, 
Gen 3.12, 13,  and enjoying the evil, Adam laid the fault upon the woman, as the woman did upon the serpent, and could not be brought to acknowledge their own offence. When the Philistims were plagued, and the hand of God was sore upon them for abusing the Ark, they did not strike their hand upon their thigh, and confess they had sinned, but do ascribe all things to blinde-chance and uncertain fortune, whereas nothing is done without the decree and providence of God: Therefore, determining to send back the Ark, they reason thus, 1. Sam. 6.9. If it go up by the way of his own coast, it is the God of Israel that did us this great evil: but if not, we shall know then that it is not the hand that smote us, but it was a chance that happened us.  
This like we see in the Aramites, when they had ill success in the battle against the Israelites, they said, 1. Kings 20.23. Their gods are gods of the mountains, and therefore they overcame us; but let us fight against them in the plain, and doubtless we shall overcome them. Hereunto accordeth the saying of the Wise man, Prou. 19.3. The foolishness of a man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth against the Lord; that is, when the scourge of God lieth sore upon the transgressors for despising the Word, for abusing the Sacraments, or for practising any wickedness, they learn not by his plagues and judgements to accuse and judge themselves, but accuse God as the author of their evils and adversities, and murmur against him for dealing so rigorously & sharply with them, like to the dog that biteth the stone, but looketh not after him that casteth it.  
The reasons. First, wicked men want the Reason 1 knowledge of the true God, to judge of their crosses and afflictions; and therefore no marvel if they be disquieted, and fret through the evil success they have in their enterprises. This made the wise Solomon to say, Prou. 19.3. They s●et against the Lord. The want of sound judgement and a right understanding, is the mother of all the corruptions which are in us, and of the sin which we commit. For we should ascribe to our own folly the things that go not well with us, and not through impatience accuse God, neither impute the evil successes of our affairs to him, but to ourselves; even as he that stumbleth and falleth against a stone, should not accuse the stone, but his own hastiness and heedlessness. Now then, if wicked men want the knowledge of God, and the fear of his Name, to guide them in the search and survey of their own ways, to inquire into the true cause of their evil successes, we cannot marvel if they wander up and down in their own imaginations, and can never find the fault to be in themselves.  
Secondly, the ungodly are blinded with a Reason 2 self-love and selfeliking of themselves, above God or his Word. The love of the creature, or of ourselves more than God, or equal with God, hindereth us in good things, and quite swalloweth up the love of our brethren, and darkeneth the light of upright judgement, that it cannot shine in our hearts. The conceited person thinketh himself a wise man, and imagineth his own course to be the best, using no advice of others, as if he himself were in all things sufficient of himself, to see what is best for himself. This Solomon excelling in wisdom, teacheth to these conceited persons abounding in folly, Prou. 12.14. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise. So in another place, Prou. 18.2. A fool is not delighted with understanding, but with those things which are in his own heart. And again, Prou. 26.12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool then of him. These self-loving and selfeliking fools are delighted with their own folly, which they labour to publish and make known to all men, and may worthily bear away the bell from all the fools in the world. For these are proud fools that highly esteem of their own wisdom, and scornfully disdain the counsel and wisdom of all other men. Seeing therefore evil men want the wisdom of God that is from above, and abound with self-love, which descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish: we cannot greatly marvel if wicked men will acknowledge no fault in themselves, but wholly look to second causes, and lay the blame upon the most High, when they fail in their purposes.  
Use 1 The uses of this doctrine. First of all, we learn this truth, that no evil man can look for any good success in the matters he taketh in hand: but let him always be sure to be crossed & cursed of God. Albeit thou lay in thine own conceit never so strong a foundation, & work never so wisely in thine own imagination, yet if thou make not God thy Counsellor, 
〈◊〉 119.24.  and his Word thy director, thy wisdom shall be turned into folly, and thou shalt be taken in the snare of thine own hands. For all sin against God bringeth with it the wrath of God, and the evil life of a sinner, draws upon his own head sundry crosses and calamities, causeth him to have ill success, and raiseth up infinite judgements against him. Whensoever we despise his word profane his Sabbaths, defile his Sacraments, and practise any unrighteousness against men, and impiety against God, then followeth and falleth upon us some sickness or trouble, some cross or affliction, one way or another: as the Apostle showeth, For your dissension and unreverent receiving of the Lords Supper, 1. Cor. 11.30. many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. Now, when the rod and scourge of God lieth upon the back of transgressors, and they feel themselves sore plagued, either they accuse God as the author of their trouble, or murmur against his punishment, or rest upon second causes, which are ordered by him, who is the principal cause.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn, that if we would have God bless us, and the lawful labours of our hands, we must be godly in Christ jesus. If we lead a sincere and sanctified life, & purge our hearts to be a peculiar people to God, zealous of good works, we have a sure promise of good success, and strong assurance of a plentiful blessing to follow us all the days of our life. There is no good success in any thing without God's blessing. And this is the cause why God blesseth us not, because we bless not his Name, we live not as a people under his protection, we do not deny ungodliness & worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, having our conversation in the heavens, and looking for the blessed hope of glory and immortality. Hereunto cometh the saying of Solomon, 
Prou. 16, 3. Psal. 37.3, 1 Pet. 5, 7.  Commit thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be directed.  
This is a worthy saying to redress our weakness and distrust, and to make us rest and rely ourselves on God's good providence. This also the Prophet David teacheth, Psal. 127, 1, 2. All the fruit of our labours & cares dependeth upon the providence of God; yea, all our industry and study shall be vain and unprofitable, unless he guide all our affairs. To this purpose the Prophet speaketh in another place, that the godly, 
Psal. 1.1.3.  refusing the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, the seat of scorners, shall bring forth fruit in due season, so that whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper. It is God alone that directeth the ways and works of the faithful, and without him is no good success. This we see verified in joseph, Gen. 39, 2, 3. The Lord was with joseph, & he was a man that prospered, and was in the house of his master the Egyptian: And his master saw the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he had to prosper in his hand. The like the Scripture● testifieth of Hezekiah, that he prospered in all his works. 
2 Chro. 32, 30 and 20, 20.  So jehosaphat spoke to the people, Hear ye me, O judah & the inhabitants of jerusalem, put your trust in the Lord your God, and ye shall be assured: believe his Prophets, and ye shall prosper. Thus also the Lord exhorteth joshua after the death of Moses, josh. 1, 8. We do all of us desire the blessing of God upon our labours, and to have good success in our several callings: this is the pathway that we must walk in, namely, a godly life and conversation: without this, his blessings shall turn into curses, and we shall never attain the end of our hope. This appeareth by the words which the man of God spoke to the King of Israel, saying; Thus saith the Lord, Because the Aramites have said, 
1 King 20, 28  the Lord is the God of the Mountains, and not of the Valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  
Lastly, we are bound every one to consider Use 3 the true cause of evil success to be in ourselves. When the hand of God is any way upon us, that he plagueth us in the house, or in the field, in our persons, or in our families, in our bodies, or in our souls; we must not accuse the air, or the earth, heat or cold, moisture or drought, but learn to lay the fault upon ourselves and sins, and fly to God to have the plague and punishment removed from us. Thus Balak and Balaam ought to have done, when they saw the judgement of God upon them, crossing their attempts; and not flatter themselves with better success, by changing the place, by renewing their altars, and by multiplying their sacrifices. They should have forsaken their old practices, and not have thought upon new places; they should have changed their mind, and not their place. For GOD is every where, and the godly are under his hand and protection wheresoever they are. Therefore the Lord by the Prophet jeremy saith, jerem. 23.23. Am I a God at hand, and not God a far off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I fill Heaven and earth, saith the Lord? This is diligently to be considered of every one of us, when we meet with any crosses and contradictions, not laying the fault upon this place or that person; but let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens, saying: We have sinned and have rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared, Lam. 3.40. We oftentimes can cast our eyes upon others, and sit in judgement upon them, we are ready to censure with a sharp censure, and esteem them as men forgotten and forsaken of GOD, when they are corrected and punished by his hand. So did the friends of job, job 4, 7. So did the disciples of Christ, Luke 13.1. john 9, 2. So do the men of this world: we are quick sighted, and have Eagles eyes to look into the actions of others: but we are blind and blockish to perceive the blemishes; yea, the beams that are in ourselves. We can see the least mote in the eye of another, but cannot behold the blocks that lie in our own. We set the sins of others before our faces, but we cast our own behind our backs. We must therefore all remember, to begin with ourselves, and so descend to others, lest it be justly said to us, Luke 4, 23. Physician, heal thyself. Thus Christ admonisheth and calleth back the proud pharisees from censuring the woman and requiring sentence against her, 
john 8, 7.  whilst they themselves lay without repentance in their sins, and were guilty of the same or greater iniquities. Let us all begin with ourselves, and so proceed to others. Let us first of all hate sins in our own persons, and thereby we shall learn to hate them in others.   

18 And he uttered his parable and said, Rise up Balak, and hear: harken unto me, thou son of Zippot.  
19 God is not as man that he should lie, neither as the sons of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? And hath he spoken, and shall he not accomplish it?  
20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: for he hath blessed, and I cannot alter it.  
21 He seethe not iniquity in jacob, and he beholdeth not transgression in Israel: the Lord his GOD is with him, and the joyful shout of a King is among them.  
22 GOD brought them out of Egypt, their strength is as an Unicorn.  
23 For there is no sorcery against jacob, 
Gen. 16, 1●  nor soothsaying against Israel: according to this time, it shall be said of jacob and Israel, what hath God wrought?  
24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a Lion, and lift up himself as a young Lion: he shall not lie down till he eat of the prey, and till he drink of the blood of the slain.  
In the words immediately going before, we have handled the Preface and preparation for for a new attempt: now cometh to be considered and handled the prophecy itself, which is the second in number: 
The seco●● prophecy 〈◊〉 Balaam.  wherein we are to consider two things. First, the entrance: secondly, the matter itself. In the entrance he singleth out Balak by his name, and by the name of his father, and stirreth him up to a reverent and religious attention. Now, because he was to speak unto him in the Name of GOD, he commandeth him to rise up, as servants arise when their masters call them, willing him to hear and hearken what he should say unto him from the Lord, Note also, that to make him ready to be taught, and quick to conceive, he doubleth the sentence, and crieth out to have audience given him. Indeed he had rather to have murmured and muttered closely, then uttered openly this blessing, if he might have been at his own choice, fearing to purchase the King's displeasure, & to lose both crowns and credit to himself: but he is constrained to publish and proclaim it aloud in the ears of Balak, and to repeat his words again and again, saying; Rise Balak, & hear: harken unto me thou son of Zippor.  
Touching the substance of the Prophecy, we must observe that the matter is first handled, and then concluded. In the propounding and handling of the matter, he showeth, that howsoever to pleasure the King, he would have cursed the people of God, yet he is not able to utter one word against them, but is made against his will, as a crier to publish, as a witness to confirm, and as a messenger to divulge their happiness, and so to strengthen that which before he had delivered and pronounced. But first he setteth down the unchangeable nature of GOD in his decrees and works, who is constant, true, and faithful in performing his will: as if he should say; At thy commandment (O King) I am come up hither, thou thoughtest if I changed my place, GOD would also be changed; but thou art greatly deceived. For GOD is not a liar, nor changeable as a man is, he will not alter that which is gone out of his mouth, nor call back that which he hath decreed, touching the people of Israel. Yea, Balaam himself is here made an helper and furtherer of God's providence, in publishing as an Herald, the praises of his people, so that seeing he had received a commandment to bless them, he declareth; that forasmuch as GOD will not alter his purpose, he is not able to alter and change it, neither to stand and resist the work and Word of God, although he desired it never so earnestly and instantly. So then the sum of this Prophecy is this: The people of Israel continue an happy and blessed people under God's mighty protection and preservation, 
The sum ●f the second Prophecy.  notwithstanding the diverse and devilish practices of all their enemies. This truth is further strengthened and confirmed, both from the person of GOD, and from the person of Balaam. To begin with the former point, he setteth forth sundry special tokens and testimonies of the favour of GOD, blessing them both with spiritual blessings in heavenly things, and with temporal blessings in earthly things, In regard of benefits belonging to the life to come and accompanying salvation, he showeth divers privileges bestowed upon them, concerning their justification, sanctification, regeneration, and comfortable use of the Word vouchsafed unto them, Touching their justification, he saith; He seethe none iniquity in jacob, and he beholdeth not transgression in Israel: Whereby he meaneth not, that they were freed from sin, (for if we say, we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us) 1. john 1, 8. but that he imputeth it not; he layeth it not to their charge, but he covereth it, and freely forgiveth it. He doth not charge them with it, but discharge them from it. He seethe their sins well enough with the eyes of his knowledge; but because they are covered in Christ, 
〈◊〉. in 〈◊〉 31.  he will not look upon them with the eyes of his judgement; he beholdeth them, as well able to discern them, but not with a purpose to revenge them. Touching their sanctification, he saith; The Lord his God is with him: not only with his presence, but with his grace and Spirit of sanctification, For if we speak of the presence of his essence and being, he is with all persons, and filleth all places. This Solomon in his worthy and excellent prayer, 1. King. 8, 27. confesseth to GOD, saying: Is it true indeed that GGD will dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens, and the heaven of heavens are not able to contain thee: how much more unable is this house that I have built? Hereunto accordeth the saying of the Prophet jeremy, jer. 23.24. Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him, saith the D? Do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord? How then is this made a special privilege and prerogative bestowed on the people of GOD, to have GOD with them, which is the common condition of all places and persons? I answer, that in respect of his Natute and being, he is no more in heaven then on earth; with the godly, then with the ungodly; in the Church, than out of the Church: but in respect of his effects, and the presence of his grace, favour and protection. For as the soul of man is wholly in the whole body, and sitteth therein as a Queen, ruling in every member and part of the body, in respect of the essence thereof, and is no more in the head then in the hand, nor in the hand more than in the heel: but it is said to be especially in the head, and in the hart, because there it exerciseth most worthy and weighty effects: so God is present every where in the world, even in the wicked and reprobate, in respect of natural gifts of preservation, knowledge, and such like. But he is present in the godly in more special manner, by more special graces of regeneration, and sanctification, of faith and repentance, ruling them by his Spirit, pardoning their iniquities, and remembering their sins no more: so that howsoever he may leave them for a season to see their own infirmity, and the necessity of his mercy, yet he never totally and finally departeth from them, but returneth in compassion toward them, and followeth them with his loving kindness, until he have brought them to eternal life: In these respects he is said, 
Numb. 14, 42. 2 Chro. 5, 7.  to be far from the wicked, and not to come near their habitation. Touching the next privilege, which is his word, he saith: The joyful shout of a King is among them, that is; he ruleth them by the Sceptre of his Word, which soundeth shrill among them as the blast of a trumpet, whereby is wrought in them both faith and sanctification. Touching temporal blessings, he painteth and pointeth out the long experience which his people have had of his mercy in saving them, and of his power in overthrowing their enemies. This he showeth by a particular example of his wonderful deliverance from the tyranny of the Egyptians, who could not hold them in that slavery and bondage, but were constrained by great wonders and grievous plagues to let them go. And as he delivered them from the hard and heavy yoke of their oppressors, so he armeth them with strength, as with a shield against all their enemies, and fenceth them with his mighty hand, as the Unicorn is with his born: so that all the devilish devices, that devilish men can practise, can no more prevail against them, than poison against the Unicorn.  
For we read partly in the holy Scriptures and partly in other authors that have searched out the nature of four-footed beasts, both of the strength of the Unicorn, and of the nature of his horn to expel poison. This is it which the Lord himself speaketh in the book of job: job. 39, 12, 13, 14, 15, Psal. 22, 22, and 92.11, Esay 34, 7. Will the Unicorn serve thee? or will he tarry by thy crib? Canst thou bind the Unicorn with his band to labour in the furrow? or will he plough the valleys after thee? So the Prophet David describing his enemies, resembleth them for their cruelty to the Lion, for their strength to the Unicorn.  

Aelian. lib. 16. hist animal. cap. 20.  Likewise all men agree about the unicorns horn. Writers do confess, and experience doth confirm, that it hath force to expel poison: therefore his horn being put into the water, purgeth it, and driveth out the poison, that he may drink without harm, if any venomous beast happen to drink therein before him. So the Israelites are compared to the Unicorn in this place; partly, in respect of their own strength, who whilst they were obedient to God, and served him with a faithful heart, could not be overcome of their enemies, but stood victorious and invincible against all dangers: and partly because no hurtful or noisome arts used against them, should be able to work their confusion.  
Now to the latter point, which respecteth the person of Balaam, he acknowledgeth, that notwithstanding his sorcery and devilish divination, he was destitute of all power & ability to hurt them by his enchantments, & therefore saith; There is no sorcery against jacob, nor soothsaying against Israel: that is, the people of God, which were his posterity, Some understanding these words, as if the people were praised and commended because they were not given to sorcery, and such like superstitions, as GOD condemneth in the Law, and had forbidden to be among his chosen people; 
Deu. 18, 10.  but the meaning of balaam's words, rather seemeth to be this; that the elect people of GOD were so protected from above that no sorcery or soothsaying could have any force against them to do them hurt.  
This mercy of GOD was so great, so marvelous, so miraculous in the eyes of the very infidels their enemies, that from hence forward Balaam resolveth to leave his Magic, and extol the works of GOD toward Israel, that he had done great things for them, saying; How great things hath the Lord wrought?  
This is the substance of this Prophecy: now the conclusion followeth, shutting up the whole with an admiration and commendation of the power and glory of God's people. whose courage and happiness shall be so great in subduing and subverting their enemies, that as the Lion resteth not till he hath gotten his prey, so they shall not put up their swords and dwell in peace, until they have sheathed them in the bowels of their enemies, and seen the destruction of them before their eyes. The meaning of the words is not, that they should be cruel and ravenous, or to stir them to be barbarous and beastly in shedding man's blood, and spilling it on the ground, as water that cannot he gathered up again: but to declare and assure, that their hearts were valiant and victorious, so that they should be able to withstand all that did stand against them. This was performed and accomplished in joshua and David, 
Psal. 60, 10. 2 Sam. ●, 2, ●  who fought the battles of the Lord, and trod down their enemies, josh. 23.10. One man of them did chase a thousand, for the Lord their God fought for them, as he had promised them: but especially it was verified in Christ, Reu. 5.5. who as the Lion of the Tribe of juda rose from the dead, led captivity captive, and hath put all things in subjection under his feet.  
Verse 18. [He uttered his parable and said; Rise up, Balak, and hear: harken unto me thou son of Zippor.] This is the entrance of the Prophecy, wherein he moveth Balak to attention by three words, rise, harken, hear. And when he chargeth and commandeth him in the Name of GOD, to rise up, he requireth of him to give ear with meekness and reverence. This we see in the book of judges, when Ehud appointed to be a deliverer of the people said to Eglon King of the Moabites, I have a message unto thee from God, 
judg. 3, 2●  than he arose out of his throne. So when Samuel was to anoint Saul King over Israel, & to be governor over God's inheritance, he said unto him; Bid thy servant go before us, but stand thou still now, that I may show thee the word of God, & that thou mayst hear it with reverence, 1 Sam. 9, 27. To the same purpose it is noted, 
2 Kings 23 2 Chro. 34  that when the Law of God was read, josiah stood by the Pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord. The like we see in the book of Nehemiah, when Ezra the Scribe read the Scriptures to the people, and gave the interpretation of them, All the people stood up in token of their reverence and attention, Neh. 8.5. So in this place, Balaam requireth Balak to rise and stand up when he was to speak unto him in the Name of the Lord, as if he should say; Albeit thou be a King, and sittest in the throne, yet I come unto thee from the King of Kings: thou rulest over thy subjects, but thou must be content to suffer God to rule over thee: thou requirest silence and subjection to thyself, but thou must hold thy peace, & hearken with all reverence & respect when he speaketh. From Doctrine hence we learn, 
All reuere●● and attends is due to t●● Word & Sacraments, whatsoeu●● the speak● be.  that the Word of God is always to be heard with great reverence & wonderful attention. Whensoever we come to the exercises of Religion, we must come with humility and humbleness of mind, albeit they be delivered and brought unto unto us by wicked & ungodly men. The truth of this doctrine is confirmed unto us by divers precepts, proved by many promises, and sanctified by sundry examples out of the Word of God.  
Touching precepts, when Moses exhorted the people without adding or diminishing to observe the Law, he saith, Deut. 4, 1, & 34, 12.13. Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the ordinances and to the Laws which I teach you to do, that ye may live and possess the land. And afterward, Gather the people together, men, women, and children, and the stranger that is within thy gates, that ye may hear, & that ye may learn and fear the Lord your God, and keep & observe all the words of this Law: and that your children which have not known it, may hear it, and learn to fear the Lord your God. This Solomon teacheth, Eccl. 4.17. Take heed to thy foot when thou interest into the house of God, and be more near to hear, then to give the sacrifice of fools, for they know not that they do evil. Hereunto accordeth the saying of our Saviour so often urged, Mat. 13, 9 revel. 2, 17, 9, and 3, 6. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Touching the promises made to such as come with such an affection, we may read in the Prophet Esay, chap. 66, 2, 5. To him will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my words. And again, Hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye that tremble at my word. Lastly, touching the examples of the faithful that have gone before us in the performance and practice of this duty, we have a cloud of witnesses recorded unto us. The Israelites after their return from captivity, are commended, Neh. 8, 2, 3. that when Ezra the Priest brought the Law before the congregation both of men and women, & read therein from the morning until the midday, the ears of all the people hearkened unto the book of the Law. So when Samaria was called & converted to the faith of Christ, by the preaching of Philip, Acts 8, 5, 6, 10, 11, it is said; that the people gave heed with one accord to those things which he spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did, as before they had given heed from the lest to the greatest, to the enchantments of Simon the sorcerer. And in the sixteenth Chapter ver. 14. the Spirit testifieth, that Lydia heard the Apostles diligently, whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which Paul spoke. The Apostle Peter writing to the dispersed jews, testifieth this, 2. Pet. 1.19. We have a sure word of the Prophets, to the which ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, & the daystar arise in your hearts. All these precepts commanding, promises assuring, and examples confirming this doctrine, do teach that it is our duty to stir up our attention, and to be forward to learn Gods will with all reverence and readiness, when it is revealed and delivered unto us.  
Reason 1 The reasons hereof are plain and evident. For first, it is God that speaketh unto us, so often as his word is preached among us. He is a most mighty and terrible GOD whom we worship, and in whose presence we stand, having all power and Majesty in him, who is even a consuming and devouring fire, and we in comparison of him as dust and ashes, as vile and base vassals. This is the reason used & urged by the Wiseman, Eccl. 5, 1. So the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 5.20. We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you through us, we pray you in Christ's stead, that ye be reconciled to God. Our Saviour sending out his seventy disciples, and giving them in charge how to behave themselves, saith, Luke 10, 16. He that heareth you, heareth me: and he that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. Thus doth the Apostle give testimony to the faith and obedience of the Thessalonians; that when they received of him the preaching of God, 1. Thess. 2, 13. They received it not as the word of man, but as it is indeed the Word of God, which worketh in them that believe. So then, to be cold and careless herein, is a plain disgrace and mere mockery of God, worse than mocking and misusing of father and mother. He that hath to do and to deal with an earthly Prince, will be circumspect in his behaviour: how much more ought we to behave ourselves with all reverence in hearing the Word, having then in special manner to deal with God, who is the author of it, and the worker by it? Reason 2  
Secondly, we shall be judged by it at the last day, being the rule of our faith, and of all our actions. It is a letter written from God, published by his Son, sealed by his Spirit, witnessed by his Angels, conveyed unto us by by the Church, which is the pillar & ground of truth. This is that which our Saviour Christ teacheth, john 12, 47, 48. Seeing then, 
1 Tim. 3 15.  it shall be the judge by which we must be tried, and the word whereby our souls shall be saved, it worthily claimeth and challengeth at our hands the greatest attention to be yielded unto it.  
Thirdly, negligent and contemptuous hearers, shallbe grievously and severely punished, Reason 3 according to the nature and quality of their sin. The Prophet jeremy hath a general rule, holding in all things warranted and done by God's appointment, and confirmeth this by a strong reason, when he saith, jer. 48, 10. Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently. This is more particularly touched and taught by the Apostle to the Hebrews, chap. 2, 2, 3. If the word spoken by Angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward: How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be preached by the Lord, and afterward was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? To this purpose Christ himself denounced and delivered the greatest threatening of most grievous judgements, to fall upon all negligent hearers, Math. 10, 14, and 11, 21, 24. Willing his Apostles to shake off the dust from their feet, as a witness against thew, & telling them that it shall be easier in the day of account, for tire & Sidon, for Sodom & Gomorrah, then for them. So then, whether we consider the person of God that speaketh, or the power of the word that judgeth, or the punishment of death that falleth upon careless contemners, we see that we are all bound to come to the exercises of Religion, with all reverence and attention,  
Let us now gather some uses that follow Use 1 from this doctrine. First, we learn from hence that every one which cometh to hear the word of the Lord, must be persuaded, that though it be a poor, weak, sinful man, subject to the same passions that we are, which is the minister and messenger to deliver whatsoever we hear, yet notwithstanding we stand and appear before the great God of heaven, and most mighty judge of the world, to be informed and reform of him, and to receive his word which is able to save our souls. Cornelius the captain coming with his kinsfolk, family, friends, and whole retinue, made this use, which now we urge, saying, Acts 10.33. We are all here present before God; to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. He doth not say, we stand here before thee, but we are all present before God; nor to hear only the Apostle, but all things that are commanded thee of God to deliver unto us. Thus Paul commendeth the Galathians, Gal. 4, 14. that they received him as an Angel of GOD, yea, as Christ jesus. It is the high ordinance of God, to put his heavenly treasure in earthen vessels, 2 Cor. 4, 7. That the excellency of that power might be of God, and not of us. Would it not argue an intolerable daintiness and niceness of a wanton stomach to refuse good & wholesome meat, because it is brought in platters of pewter, or dishes of wood, not in vessels of silver or gold? So is it an evident argument of loathing the heavenly Manna, when we have the precious word of God in respect of persons; and hear it not for the words sake, but according as we fancy and affect the teacher, verifying the saying of Solomon, Prou. 27.7. The person that is full despiseth an honey comb, but unto the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. This serveth to reprove those which come to the hearing of the word, as to an ordinary matter, and never have any thought or meditation of God's presence to keep them in awe, but come to hear some news, or some new man; & use the practice of the jews condemned by the Prophet Ezechiel, chap. 33.31.32. They come unto thee as the people useth to come: my people sit before thee and hear thy words, but they will not do them, for with their mouths they make jests, etc.  
Use 2 Secondly, this serveth to condemn all abuses, unseemly gestures, and unreverent behaviour when we come into the house of God. True it is, the devil (if he can prevail) will keep us from hearing the word, and suggest unto us matter of profit or pleasure, to stop & stay us from resorting unto the place of God's worship: but if he cannot so far obtain his purpose, he will go with us, and accompany us thither. When we are nearest to that which should do us good, and further our salvation, Math. 13, 19, he is ready at our elbow, to hinder the word, and to work our destruction. Hence it is, that many are present in body, that are absent in mind, forgetting that they have to do with God, and with the means of their sanctification. They have their hearts wandering about worldly matters, they find no joy, they feel no delight, they taste no sweetness, they perceive no comfort nor gladness wrought in them in these exercises of their faith; but they are rather a burden unto them, and take them as a weight and weariness lying heavy upon them. Many come for custom of the time, for fashion of others, and for fear of punishment: whereas, if they might be left free to themselves, and to the liberty of their own will; they could find in their hearts not to pray at all, not to hear at all; not to partake the Sacraments at all; yea to break out into open blasphemy, and say with the Atheists and ungodly men, job 21.15. Who is the Almighty that we should serve him, and what profit have we if we should pray unto him? Many are carried away with dullness and heaviness of body & mind; an ordinary and dangerous abuse, hindering the saving knowledge of the Gospel. This is a subtle slight and suggestion of Satan, whereof many complain, but few strive against, and therefore spend the greatest time allotted and allowed for hearing the word, in drowsiness and sleeping: and whereas they should raise and rouse up themselves, they hang down these heads, and lay them on their seats, and frame themselves to snort and sleep, rather than to hear and attend. An unfit and very unseemly gesture for so high an work.  
If thou shouldst so behave thyself to thy father or Prince speaking unto thee, would they not take themselves ●●e abused at thy hands? Balaam chargeth Balak to rise up and hear, but these lie along uncivilly, or turn their backs undecently, or lay them down unreverently, contrary to the religious practice of the people, when Christ preached at Nazareth on the Sabbaoth day, Luke 4, 20. The eyes of all that were in the Synagogue were fastened on him. Many are talking and speaking to others, when they should hear God speak and talk unto them: they remove out of their places to place others, and bring them in their s●●tes.  
True it is, kindness and courtesy are commendable virtues. But it is cursed courtesy which is so dearly bought, even with the loss of the lest sentence and saying of the word of God. Others are reading in the Church, and bring with them books besides the Scriptures, peradventure of prayers or sermons, or such like godly treatises, (if not of unprofitable matters) in them they exercise themselves, & spend the time; whereas they should hearken to help their instruction, and not read to hinder their attention. 
〈…〉.  But do you condemn reading, will some say? Is it not a good and godly exercise? Do not men rather need to be encouraged, then discouraged from that duty? 
〈…〉,  I answer, that reading is not to be condemned, and no man ought to be discouraged from reading. We do not reprove the work done, but the time wherein it is done. A good thing done in season is twice done. A thing done out of season is evilly done. To all things there is an appointed time, 
〈◊〉. 3, 1, 7.  and a time to every purpose under the heaven; there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; there is a time to read, and a time to hear; a time to pray, and a time to receive the Sacraments. To pray by ourselves, 
〈◊〉. 6, 5, 6.  or read by ourselves, when we should hear together with others in the Congregation, or to exercise the tongue when we should use the ear, or to speak to God, when we should hear him speaking unto us, cannot stand with the general rules of Scripture, appointed to direct us in our public assemblies, Let all things be done to edifying Let all things be done honestly, and in order, 1 Cor. 14, 5, 40. The Apostle reproving the disorders crept into the Lord's Supper, that when they should eat the Lords Supper, every man took his own supper afore, and tarried not for his brethren, whereby it came to pass, that some were hungry, and others full, saith; Have ye not houses to eat and drink in? Despise ye the Church of God, and shame them that have not? 1. Cor. 11, 21, 22. Where he doth not simply condemn eating and drinking, (no more than Christ, 
〈◊〉. 11, 15.  when he whipped out of the Temple, such as made the house of prayer a den of thieves condemned buying and selling) but using them at an unfit time. Thus we see how it standeth us all upon, to beware & take heed of all abuses, that take away reverence & hinder attention, to the end we may with meekness receive the word engrafted in us, that is able to save our fowls.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this duty directeth us unto another duty, namely, to prepare ourselves before we come, ordering the affections of our minds, and disposing the powers of our souls in such sort, that they may be fitted and furnished for that work. When the people of Israel were to receive the Law on Mount Sinai, 
●●od 19, 10  they sanctified themselves, & purged their conscience from dead works. The Apostle having set down the institution of the Lords Supper to the Corinthians, and taught them, that unworthy receivers eat to themselves judgement, and make themselves guilty of the body and blood of Christ, 
●hat is re●●ed to fit 〈◊〉 prepare ●●●e●●es to 〈◊〉 exercises 〈◊〉 our religion  willeth them to examine themselves, and so eat of this bread, & drink of this cup, 1 Cor. 11, 28, 29, and not to come hand over head in profane manner.  
Now to this preparation, sundry things are required. First, we must bring with us diligence, to mark earnestly, and observe carefully the word of God delivered, which availeth and advantageth us much for profiting thereby in knowledge and obedience. Diligence maketh a rough way, plain; bitter things, sweet; and hard things, easy. This Solomon prescribeth to the sons of God, Prou. 2, 1, 2, 3, 4. My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments within thee, and cause thine heart to hearken unto wisdom, & incline thine heart to understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, & find the knowledge of God. This Christ commandeth, john 5, 39 This also the Apostle requireth, jam. chap. 1, verse 19 We must use labour and industry, not upon some sudden motion and pang, nor by reason of some good company only, or for fear of danger, but in a continual course & earnest manner, as worldlings use to take pains to attain treasure and riches, inasmuch as the heavenly treasures of a better life, do far surpass all earthly riches that carnal men make their greatest happiness. We see how artificers and handicrafts men follow their Trades, who rise early and sit up late, who labour night and day, who endure cold and heat to earn a little of this world's good: but where shall we find that Christian, who so eagerly and earnestly followeth after the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Behold how Merchants compass Sea and Land, and sail to the furthest parts of the world, with danger of their lives, to get the goods of the earth. But greater is the gain of godliness and heavenly wisdom, and therefore we should redeem the time, to procure it, and sell all that we have of our own, to purchase it. Mat. 13, 44, 45.  
Secondly, we must be touched with the fear and dread of God's Majesty; for fear engendereth teachableness, meekness, & humbleness of mind, & is the beginning of wisdom, Pro. 1, 7. This is so necessary a work, that GOD evermore wrought it in his servants, before he revealed himself unto them. Thus he dealt with Abraham, Gen. 15, 12. when he made a fearful darkness fall upon him. Thus he dealt with jacoh, Gen 28. He was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Thus he dealt with the Israelites and with Moses himself, 
Exod. 19, 12 Heb 12, 21.  at the delivering of the Law, and entering into covenant with them. Thus he dealt with Paul at his conversion to the faith, which before he destroyed; there shined suddenly a light round about him from heaven, Acts 9, 4.6. Whereat he fell to the earth, trembling in body, & astonished in mind, and troubled in conscience. Thus he dealt with the Apostle john, when he saw a vision of Christ, revel. 1, 17, he fell at his feet as dead. The want of this reverent fear, lifteth us up against God, & causeth us oftentimes to check the word, & to be bold to control it, that we cannot suffer ourselves to be checked & controlled by it. This fear ariseth in our hearts, and is wrought partly by the consideration of God's Majesty, and partly by the meditation of our own infirmity, and serveth to correct our natural pride, and to redress our corrupt affections. Thirdly, we must bring with us faith in Christ, and believe in the promise and word of God, that it is infallible; as Heb. 4, 2. Unto us was the Gospel preached as unto them: but the word that they heard, profited them not, because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it. This is that gift of God that purifieth the heart, boreth the ear, and maketh the way for other graces to follow. Lastly, if we would hear with profit, we must have good and honest hearts, sanctified unto every good work. This our Saviour showeth in expounding the Parable of the Sour, That which fell in good ground, are they which with an honest and good heart, hear the word and keep it, & bring forth fruit with patience, Luk. 81, 5. This the apostle james to the same purpose, (who charging us to be swift to hear, & slow to speak,) addeth, Wherefore lay apart all filthiness & superfluity of maliciousness, and receive with meekness the word that is grafted in you, jam. 1, 21. The want of this preparation maketh so many unprofitable and fruitless hearers. No man is so simple and sottish to sow his seed & cast away his Corn, upon ground unploughed & untilled. Shall we have this knowledge & understanding in earthly things, and shall we discern nothing in heavenly things, but suffer the immortal seed of the word to vanish away through want of due preparation? Hence it is, that the Prophet exhorteth to break up our fallow ground, and not sow among the Thorns; to be circumcised to the Lord, and to take away the fore-skinnes of our hearts, lest the wrath of God come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, jer. 4, 4.  
Use 4 Fourthly, it serveth to guide and direct the Ministers of the Gospel, to speak the word with all reverence, as the Ambassadors of God, that our preaching be with power and authority, and so minister grace unto the hearers, 
1 Corin 4, 1.  to the end they may think of us, as of the Ministers of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of God. For how shall the people hear it with reverence, if we be not careful to deliver it with reverence as the word of our master that sent us? Hereunto cometh the exhortation of the Apostle Paul, 2 Tim. 2, 15. And the Apostle Peter speaketh to the same purpose, 1 Pet. 4, 11. Now that this gracious delivery of the word may be retained, some things are to be observed in the very action. Touching the fitting and preparing of ourselves to the work of the Ministry, that we may preach with fruit, and speak with comfort, it is necessarily required of us to use prayer, reading, study, meditation, and such like helps, as may further us in our calling. For albeit we have wits quick to conceive, memories firm to retain, and tongues ready to utter, 
See the faithful Shepherd  yet we must not abuse these excellent gifts to idleness or vainglory, but when we have done all that we can, account all our pains and labours too little, saying with the Apostle, Who is sufficient for these things? 2. Cor. chap. 2, verse 16. The Prophets and Apostles of Christ were endued with extraordinary gifts, and had a plentiful measure of knowledge given unto them, yet they ceased not to study the Scriptures. Peter pronounceth of them all, that They took great pains in their Prophecies, the Prophets inquired and searched diligently the things that concern the salvation of the Church, 1 Pet. 1, 10. Peter read the Epistles of Paul, 2 Pet. 2, 16, and Daniel the Prophecies of jeremy, Dan. 9, 2. Paul received the Doctrine of the Gospel by revelation, was taken up into Paradise, and heard words which himself durst not express, and the Saints were not able to conceive: he was ready to lay down his life, & saw himself at death's door, yet he had a desire still to profit, as appeareth in that he willeth Timothy to bring the Books and Parchments with him, 
2 Tim. 4, 1●  when he came unto him. Wherefore it beseemeth not the weightiness of the work which we handle, nor the presence of the people to whom we speak, nor the reverence of the place wherein we stand, nor the worthiness of the person whom we represent, to step up suddenly to stand in the stead and room of God, like horses that run away with an empty Cart, and set forward in the way before they have their load. No man dareth to speak of Prince's affairs before Princes, with levity: no man dareth give sentence of life and death rashly. The Minister speaketh of Christ, before God and Angels. He setteth before his hearers, life and death, heaven and hell, and pronounceth the sentence of salvation or damnation upon them, as Moses testifieth, Deut. 11, 26, 27, 28. Behold, I set before you this day, a blessing & a curse: the blessing, if ye obey the Commandments of the Lord your God; and the curse, if ye will not obey. Thus much for the preparation: In the action itself, we must use all seemly and decent behaviour: comely and reverent gestures of the body, have always a sober look and modest countenance, that it may appear to others, that we are inwardly moved and touched ourselves with that we speak. We must utter gracious words, to work godly edifying in the spirit, not ridiculous jests to procure laughter. We must lay aside the persuasive words of human wisdom. We must not relate stories, and tell merry tales to fill up the time, and to make our auditors merry. We must avoid all light gestures, that may bring our Ministry into contempt. Many use in their teaching, casting abroad of their arms, knocking of the Pulpit, lifting themselves up, and immediately sinking down, hemming in the throat, rolling of the eyes, rubbing of the brows, nodding of the head, stamping with the feet, turning every way with the body, snuffing with their nose, fiddling with the fingers, tuning with the voice, as if they were acting their part upon the stage, or as if they were Fencers playing their Prizes. These and such like abuses we must labour to reform, by using advised deliberation in ourselves, & observing what is comely or uncomely, what is decent or defective in others. The world is full of carpers and scoffers. Many will sooner mark what behaviour is amiss in us, than what doctrine we deliver, or what is amiss in their own lives. When jacob sell sick of his sickness, whereof he died, he gathered his sons together, to give them instruction before his death, and not being able through weakness to stand on his feet, he raised up himself in his bed, and leaned on his staff, that he might show reverence unto the word that he pronounced, Gen. 47, 31, and 49, 33. The like we see in David, he stood upon his feet, to give honour to the word, 2 Chron. 2. To conclude this point, as we have occasions offered unto us to speak of God, of his judgements, or mercies, of sin against God, of the calamities of others, we must always remember to speak of the person of God with reverence; of the judgements of God, with fear; of the promises of God, and comforts of his word, with cheerfulness; of sin against God, with hatred and detestation; of other men's miseries, with feeling and compassion. Thus we shall become most profitable Teachers, and thus we shall be as wise Scribes taught unto the kingdom of heaven, which bring forth out of their treasure, things both new and old, Math. 13, 52.  
Lastly, we learn from hence, not to forsake Use 5 the exercises of religion, for the wickedness or unworthiness of the Ministers. Who was it that prophesied in the Name of God in this place? was it not Balaam, a lewd liver, a cursed Idolater, a devilish Sorcerer? And yet Balak is commanded to rise up out of his throne, & to hearken unto him with all attention. It standeth us upon more to regard the matter, than the speaker, and to mark what is delivered, than the person that doth deliver it. The pharisees in the days of Christ were lewd livers, and many of them of other Tribes then of Levi; 
〈◊〉. 3, 2, 3.  yet so long as they sat in Moses chair, the Disciples are commanded to hear them, and to observe whatsoever they commanded. We must discern and distinguish the life of the Ministers from their Doctrine. As we are not to receive their doctrine for their good life, so we are not to reject it for their evil life. Therefore the Apostle saith, Some preach Christ through envy and strife, and some also of good will. What then? Yet Christ is preached all manner ways, whether it be under a pretence, or sincerely, I therein rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, Phil. 1, 15, 18. Although he were sorry that the Gospel was preached by such men, yet he was glad it was preached. This serveth to reprove those that will not hear scandalous Ministers, nor receive the Sacraments at the hands of ignorant Ministers, Who have itching ears, and after their own lusts get them an heap of Teachers, 2. Tim. 4, 3. Who are ever learning, and are never able to come to the acknowledging of the truth, 2. Tim. 3, 7. Evil Ministers of corrupt life, may deliver the good things of God. So long as they preach the word of God truly, and administer the sacraments sincerely, according to the ordinance of Christ, the wickedness of their persons cleaveth to themselves. If a Prince should send us a message, or offer us some present by the hands of some messenger that were an evil man, would we reject them for the fault of the person, or accept them as the favour of the Prince? So should it be with us, when God's word is preached, and his sacraments administered: we must hearken what it is that is preached, consider what it is that is delivered. If it be of God, we cannot refuse it, lest we be found contemners of his ordinances. The people of Israel abhorred the sacrifices of God, 
1 Sam. 3, 11.  for the profane life of the Priests, but judgement is denounced against them for their contempt.  
[Verse 19 God is not as man, that he should lie, neither as the son of man, that he should repent, etc.] Hitherto we have spoken of the entrance of this second prophesy: now we come to the prophesy itself. Hitherto in the nature of God, is described and expressed unto us, that he is constant in his merciful promises toward his Church, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. This is one of the names and essential properties of God, whereby he is known to be God, who is unchangeably good, unchangeably holy, unchangeably just and merciful, and is found firm and faithful in all his promises. Against this it may be objected, Object. that he is oftentimes said in the Scriptures to have repent, as Gen. 6, 6, 7. 1 Sam. 15, 11. jonah 3, 9 How then can God be said to be immutable & unchangeable? I answer, Answer. the Scripture speaketh of God two ways; sometimes properly, and then he is said to be unchangeable, no variableness to be in him, and that he cannot repent, as 1 Sam. 15. The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man that he should repent. Sometimes unproperly and figuratively for our capacity, and because of our weakness, not otherwise being able to conceive of the high things of God. Hence it is, that we read of the eyes, ears, hands, arms, the heart of God, and such like. Not that these parts and members are in God, who is a Spirit invisible and infinite. But because we cannot understand how one should see without eyes, or hear without ears, or show strength without arms, these parts are given to God, to teach us that he seethe all things, he heareth all th●ngs, he worketh all things in Heaven and earth, as pleaseth him. Thus is God set sometime before us, as it were turned and transfigured into our nature, and (as one said) He hath not these things by nature, but by effect. 
Bern. in serm. 4 super Cant.  The change is not in GOD, but in his work. Repentance in him is no perturbation or grief, he knoweth all things, and is ignorant of nothing. When he is said to repent that he made man, the meaning is, he determined to destroy him whom before he had created. When he is said to repent of making Saul King, the meaning is, he determined to take the kingdom from him, to whom before he had assigned it, and whom he caused to be anointed. So then, we have here in this attribute, a testimony of the constancy of God.  

Doctrine. God is unchangeably true in all hi● ways, words, and works.  From hence we learn, that God is unchangeable, infallible, faithful, & true in all his ways, words, and works. His decrees are immutable and irrevocable, and without show or shadow of turning. This is that which the Lord claimeth and challengeth to himself, I am the Lord: 
Mal. 3, 6.  I change not: I am God, and there is none other God, there is nothing like me. My counsel shall stand, and I will do whatsoever I will. So the Prophet speaketh in the Psalm 105, 7, 8, 10. He is the Lord our God, his judgements are through all the earth: he hath always remembered his covenant and promise that he made to a thousand generations, and since hath confirmed it to jacob for a Law, and to Israel for an everlasting Covenant. To this purpose the Apostle saith, The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, Rom. 11, 29. By all these places we see this truth plainly proved unto us, that God is unchangeable in his mercy and goodness toward his Church and Children.  
Reason 1 The Reasons follow to be considered. First, he is not like unto man, his ways are not like man's ways, nor his thoughts like unto man's thoughts: but as far as Heaven is distant from the Earth, so far are the works of God from ours. We know by experience the changeable nature of man, of whom the Scripture saith, All men are liars, Psal. 116, 11. He is ready to say and unsay, to affirm and deny with one breath. He is constant to day, he changeth to morrow. He loveth one day, and hateth another. The people that received Christ with great joy when he road to jerusalem, not long after cried out, Crucify him, crucify him. It is not so with God, whose mercy endureth for ever, he falsifieth not his truth, neither altereth the thing that is gone out of his mouth, He giveth liberally unto all, 
jam. 1.5.  and reproacheth no man.  
Reason 2 Secondly, his love and mercy to his people is not changeable as the Moon, unconstant as the wind, floating as the sea, uncertain as the weather, but stable as the earth that cannot be moved out of his place, and steadfast as Mount Zion that remaineth for ever. 
Psal. 125.1.  This will plainly appear unto us, if we consider the similitudes and comparisons whereby it is expressed. His love is like to the Covenant of waters, & as sure as the promise that he made to Noah, that the waters should no more overflow the whole earth, as the Prophet Esay teacheth, chap. 54, 7, 8, 9  
Reason 3 Again, his goodness is as the ordinance of God, that hath set an order for Summer & Winter, for day and night, for seedtime and harvest, for cold and heat, which shall not be changed, therefore the Lord saith by his Prophet, If thou can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, that there should not be day and night in their season, then may my covenant be broken with David my servant. jer. 31, 35, and 33, 20. Nay, his mercy is said to be more stable than the Mountains; for they shall remove, and the hills shall fall down, but my mercy shall not departed from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on thee, Esay 54, 10. We see the love of mothers is tender & full of pity toward their children, who bore them in her womb, brought them into the world, nourished them with her breasts, and refused no base service for their good; yet the Lord saith, Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Though they forget, yet will not I forget thee, Esay 49, 15. Seeing therefore, that God is not like to the sons of men, and seeing his loving kindness is firmer than the waters of Noah, surer than the covenant of the day, faster than the foundation of the Mountains, and stronger than the love of mothers toward their children, we may conclude, that the stableness of his counsels are as the Pillars of the earth, that cannot be shaken, and the changeableness of his goodness, as the standing Rocks that cannot be removed.  
Now let us come to the uses of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, hereby we learn, that God is to be preferred before all creatures. They are changeable and subject to alteration, which agreeth not with the nature of God. True it is, God hath highly honoured and advanced man above the rest of the works of his hands, he made him a little inferior to the Angels, & crowned him with glory & dignity, Ps. 8, 5, 
Heb. 2, 7.  he hath made him Ruler over the earth, & put all things in subjection under his feet; yet he is subject to mutability and mortality, and must return unto the earth, out of which he was taken. Great is the excellency of the heavens and the stars, yet they shall be changed & delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. But with God is no change, neither any alteration with the Almighty, who remaineth one & the same for ever. This difference between the Creator and the creature, between God, and the works of God, the Prophet teacheth; Thou Lord hast in the beginning established the Earth, 
Psal. 102 with He●  & the Heavens are the works of thine hands, They shall perish, but thou shalt remain, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, & thy years shall not fail. Thus we must magnify the Lord above all creatures that are weak and frail, and acknowledge a great difference between the infinite and incomprehensible Majesty of God, subject to no change at all, but remaining the same for ever; and the creatures of God, subject to vanity & misery.  
Use 2 Secondly, we may from hence assure ourselves, that God will make us unchangeable like himself, and we may rejoice in the comfort of this his favour. For seeing his nature is unchangeable, and altereth not, he will make us in our measure partakers of immortality, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, 
1 Cor. 15, 53  this weak shall put on power, and death be swallowed up in victory, we shall be like the Angels of God; nay, be transformed into the lively Image of God, to reign with him in everlasting glory. This is a great comfort unto us in these days of sorrow, to consider that the time will come, when our state shall be changed, and we continue for ever without change. here we are subject to many turnings and returnings, but after this life shall be no more place for changing: our happiness shall be unchangeable, and firmly established with God. This the Prophet sets down, Psal. 16, 12. In thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. This the Apostle confirmeth, describing the second coming of Christ to judgement, The dead in Christ shall rise, and we which live and remain, shall be caught up with them in the Clouds, so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4, 17. This circumstance serveth to commend the happiness of the godly, in that after they have once made an entrance into it, & taken possession of that heavenly inheritance, they shall never have experience of any change, nor find any end or intermission of everlasting glory. When we shall lay down this earthly tabernacle, & be clothed with immortality, we shall taste of a better condition than ever Adam had in his greatest felicity. 
Gen. 1, 26.  True it is, Adam in his innocency had a glorious estate, and he was created in the Image of God, according to his likeness; yet withal he was made mutable & changeable, as we see by the event, for he fell from all his glory, so that the excellency of his dignity, and the excellency of his power were lost, and turned into weakness and misery: but so many as shall reign in the kingdom of heaven, shall live for ever, & be unchangeable, they shall never fall away, but shall be unmovable. So then hereby we see to our endless comfort and consolation, that so many as be true members of Christ, have mortified the corruptions of the old man, to bring forth the fruits of a sanctified life, have lost nothing by the fall of Adam, but shall recover a more excellent estate in Christ, then ever they lost in Adam, so that our loss is turned to be gain and advantage unto us.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth that it is time for us to repent and turn unto God. Every soul that will escape the wrath of God, and be partaker of his mercies, must be fashioned anew & framed to please God, sanctifying his heart, and changing his will to be agreeable to the will of God. For God will never apply himself to us, nor alter that which is already gone out of his mouth. Many in this life take a privilege unto themselves by reason of their high places, riches, friends, & other outward respects, to sin against God, and claim a toleration and qualification to be borne withal above others. But with the Lord there is no partiality to be found, but being a most constant God in all his doings, he observeth one rule & way with all he regardeth no man's person or persons, nor accepteth any gift or reward; he favoureth the Prince no more than the Subject, the honourable no more than the base of birth, the rich no more than the beggar, but dealeth with all sorts of men and women, according to that which he hath already in justice and righteousness determined in his word, that is, To them which are contentious, and disobey the truth, he sendeth indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil, the jew first, and then the Gentile; but unto those that continue through patience in well doing, he giveth glory and honour, etc. Rom. chap. 2, ver. 8. This admonisheth us, that we deceive not ourselves in hoping for another manner of dealing from God, than he hath already manifested in his word. It is a common practice in the world, when we are admonished of any duty, or reproved of any sin, and hear the penalty thereof denounced out of the word, to answer, We hope it is not so hard as you would bear us in hand, we trust God will disspence with us if we do no worse, there are few or none but offend in as great matters as these. And thus, although not plainly and peremptorily, yet in very deed we do as much as if we accused God to be a liar, to be inconstant and deceivable, and his word to be a counterfeit word, which notwithstanding is said to be like unto silver, 
Psalm. 12.6.  which is seven times tried in the fire. It hath no dross or deceit in it, it hath never failed or beguiled any. An unchangeable God, an unchangeable word. Let us be transformed into the obedience of it. It is not a leaden rule to bend every way to us. All our ways must be brought and framed unto it. And when once we are turned to God, let us not return back again to our old ways, but persevere and continue constant unto the end. The unchangeable God requireth an unchangeable servant. As he is everlasting and eternal, so he requireth faith and obedience to remain and endure with us to the last breath.  
Lastly, herein is great comfort offered to Use 4 the seruan s of GOD, as on the other side, horror to the wicked and disobedient. For seeing GOD is immutable, the same now which he hath been heretofore, and so is to continue for ever, we may from hence take strong consolation by former examples of Gods dealing toward his dearest children, and in all temptations and trials build ourselves upon that blessed experience, as upon a sure foundation that can never fall or fail us. As God hath heretofore never forsaken those that trusted in him, rested and relied upon him, but loved those for ever, 
john 23, 1.  whom he loved once, preserved and defended the godly from the rage of their enemies, his gifts toward them being without repentance: so will he continue unto the end of the world; and therefore David saith, that in his experience he never saw the right us forsaken, Psal. 37, 25. And our Saviour says in the Prophet, that They are Plants, planted by God, that shall never be plucked up. Esay 61, 3. Thus the Apostle teacheth, that The foundation of God standeth sure, and hath this seal, The Lord knoweth who are his, 2 Tim. 2, 19 We have heard of the patience of job, and know what end the Lord made, job 5, 11, albeit he did try him, yet he did not destroy him, albeit he did afflict him, yet he did not leave him, Many have been the troubles of the righteous, yet the Lord delivereth them out of them all, Psal. 34, 19 They have been stoned, they were hewn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword, they wandered up and down in sheepskins, and in goat's skins, being destitute, afflicted, & tormented, Heb. 11, 37, yet he evermore succoured them in their temptations, so that they became more than Conquerors through him that loved them, and were made able to comfort others. His right hand is not shortened, he is ever the same, yesterday, and to day, and abideth like himself for ever. He will deal with us, as he hath dealt with them. He will show himself toward his children in these days, as he showed himself toward our fathers in former times. He doth not show himself to be one God in our age, another God in another age: but in all ages and generations he is one & the same to his people, to our endless comfort and consolation. And as this aught to be effectual, to stay us in our obedience, because God will continue the same God of mercy and truth unto us, without alteration, which he was to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, and all the faithful, so highly renowned and greatly commended in the Scriptures: so it must serve to be a bridle in the jaws of the ungodly and profane wretches of the world, that as he hath plagued, consumed, and thrown down into the bottomless pit of hell, the wicked heretofore that rebelled against him, and resisted his will; so he is unchangeable in Name and Nature, and therefore he will do the same to them now, and to as many as shall walk in their steps for ever. This we may see to be a plain case in the righteousness of God, Eccl. 8, 12, 13. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days, yet I know it shall be well with them that flare the Lord, and do reverence before him: but it shall not be well to the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, he shall be like a shadow, because he feareth not before God. And the Apostle Jude in his Epistle, 
Jude 6, 7. 2 Pet 2, 1, 5.  allegeth and applieth the examples of God's vengeance upon the wicked past, to those present, and to come; showing, that if God spared not the Angels that had sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them unto chains of darkness, to be kept unto damnation: neither spared the old world, but brought in the flood upon the ungodly, etc. Let us remember, that we shall find God the same toward us for ever, & never presume that he can or will be changed now from that which he hath been heretofore toward others.  
[Verse 21. He seethe not iniquity in jacob, he beholdeth not transgression in Israel.] Hitherto we have spoken of the unchangeableness of God's love toward his Church. Now let us see the reasons of it, both in spiritual things, and then in temporal. The chiefest privilege of the Church, standeth in the fruition and enjoying of spiritual blessings. Among all spiritual blessings, this is one of the chiefest, Remission of sins. This is expressed by this phrase, that God seethe not sin in them, that is, he forgiveth their iniquity, and imputeth not sin unto them. To the same purpose the Prophet saith, Our sins are covered, Psalm. 32, verse 1.  
These may seem at the first, strange speeches and phrases. For shall not he that made the eye, see? Psalm 94. Shall not he that made the ear, hear? He that made the heart, shall not he understand and know the secrets of the heart? Are not all things naked and open before him? or can any hide himself from his presence, and wind himself from his providence? The meaning is not, that God doth not behold them, but it is a borrowed speech from the custom of men, which lay away those things out of sight, which they do not use, or would not remember: so that he doth not see them when he doth not punish them, he covereth them when he doth pardon them, and account them as if they were never committed. So Hezekiah saith, Esa. 38, 17. God had cast his sins behind his back. Thus the Prophet speaketh, Esay 1, 18. Though your sins were as Crimson, they shall be made white as Snow: though they were red as Scarlet, they shall be as wool. And chap. 44, 22. I have put away thy transgressions like a Cloud, and thy sins as a Mist, So the Prophet Micah saith, chap. 7, 19 He will turn again and have compassion upon us: he will subdue our iniquities, and cast all their sins into the bottom of the sea. From all these Testimonies we learn this truth, That to every true member Doctrine of the Church, 
To all the members o● the Church belongeth the forgiveness of 〈◊〉  belongeth the forgiveness of all their sins. It is a peculiar privilege of the faithful for the merits and righteousness of Christ, to have their sins forgiven, whereby it cometh to pass, that God esteemeth of sin as no sin, and of iniquity, as if it had never been committed.  
here than we have offered to our considerations, a principal and fundamental point of our Christian Religion, and of the holy faith, That all our sins, wants, and impections, original, and actual, as well in the committing of evil, as in omitting of good, in thought, word, & deed, are covered, healed, and released through the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us: which being apprehended by faith, and applied unto us, doth not only make them as if they had never been, but also justify & discharge us, causing us to appear blameless and spotless in the sight of God. Thus God proclaimeth himself to be a most gracious and merciful God, readily inclined to forgive sins, Exod. 34, 6, 7. Esay 33, 24. and 43, 25. jer. 31, 31, 32. and 33, 8.  
Reason 1 And this truth, to wit, that justification standeth in the remission of sins, through the satisfaction of Christ, is confirmed unto us by sundry reasons out of the word of GOD. For first we must appear as just and perfect in God's sight, either by the imputation of Christ's righteousness, or by the merit of our own works; there is no third way can be devised. This is a full distribution of causes, as appeareth by the Apostle, speaking of the election and calling of the jews, Rom. 11, 6. If it be of grace, it is no more of works, or else were grace no more grace: but if it be of works, it is no more grace, or else were work no more work. Thus we see he maketh an opposition between the grace of God, and the works of men. But no works can justify us, neither of congruity, nor condignity; neither of nature nor of grace wrought in us by the spirit of God, but by God's acceptation of the intercession and merits of his own Son. This the Apostle witnesseth, Rom. 3, 20. Gal. 3, 6. By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight. And in another place, I count all things but loss for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ jesus my Lord, that I might be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of God through faith, Phil. 3, 7, 8, 9  
Reason 2 Secondly, whatsoever giveth the creature cause of boasting, and robbeth God of his glory, may not be admitted, and cannot be accepted in the work of our justification. But all things saving the righteousness of Christ, minister to us matter of boasting, & deprive God of the honour and glory due to his name. This the Apostle teacheth in sundry places, Rom. 4, 2. If Abraham were justified by works, he hath wherein to rejoice, 
〈◊〉 2, 8.9.  but not with God. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast himself. So then, our justification standeth not in our good works, but in that God pardoneth our evil works. For we have all been as an unclean thing, And all our righteousness is as filthy clouts, Esay ch. 64. ver. 6.  
Use 1 Now, let us make use of this doctrine. First, this ministereth great comfort to the faithful that are in Christ. The glory and happiness of our souls and bodies in this life, & in the life to come consisteth herein. The forgiveness of sins comprehendeth under it, as it were in a short sum, all the mercies of God. This is it which the Prophet Esay teacheth, chap 40, 1. So David declareth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered: blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not his sin, Psal. 32, 1, 2, 7. This mercy of God will be sweet unto us, and cheer up our hearts with unspeakable comfort, and give us joy in the holy Ghost, if we consider these circumstances, that we daily offend God after our new birth, that all sin is odious in itself, and maketh us vile and abominable in the sight of God, keeping all good things from us, and pulling down all evil upon us, and that the wages thereof is death, being able to press us down to the very bottom of the gulf of hell, jer. 5, 25. Esay 59, 1, 2, 3. If a man had all the skill of wise Solomon, to speak as he did of the nature of beasts, of birds, and creeping things, & knew the virtues of all trees and plants, 
1 Kings 4.33.  from the Cedar that is in Libanus, unto the Hyssop that springeth out of the wall, and were ignorant of this blessed privilege, and had not the comfortable assurance of it in his conscience, it could not avail or profit him one whit. It might peradventure delight the outward man for a season, but wanting the sweet feeling of God's favour in washing away his sins, the other can be but vanity and vexation of spirit. If a man were able to measure the heavens, & to tell the order, height, distances, influences, and number of the stars, and yet be ignorant at home, and do not know what is done, as it were within his own house, and within the doors and closets of his own heart, what should it profit him thus to gaze up into heaven, when the burden of sin is ready to thrust him down to hell? If a man were so excellent and expert, as out of the knowledge of herbs and Simples to remedy all the diseases of the body, yet if he be not able to salve the sores of his soul & know not how the sicknesses and infirmities thereof shall be cured, this can be little comfort to him; for than he may have a sound body, but an infected soul; an healthy body, but a sickly soul, full of the botches and blemishes of sin, which of all diseases is most dangerous and deadly. If a man had the knowledge of all laws, and statutes, and were able to decide any controversy, and end any suit between man & man, yet is not assured how himself shallbe acquitted, when the judge of all the world shall come and hold his Assizes, and how things shall stand with him: it can bring no peace unto him, seeing God hath a controversy against him so long as his sins are unpardoned Hos. 4, 1. What shall it profit a man to be passing well seen in music, by voice or instrument, to be skilful in reports and descant, and be always troubled with a jarring conscience? Last of all, what shall it avail, if a man understood all Arts and Mysteries, if he could work miracles, and speak with the tongues of men and Angels, if he knew all sciences and secrets of nature, yet were ignorant of the forgiveness of his sins, and of the grace of Christ? 
Philip. 3, 7. 1 Cor. 2, 2.  whom only if we know, the matter is not great if we know nothing else: whom if we know not, it is worth nothing if we know all things in the world beside.  
Use 2 Secondly, woeful is their estate that are not of the Church, that are not in Christ, that are without true faith and feeling of this heavenly doctrine. Wretched and miserable is the condition of many thousands in the world, which want this assurance; it is such a burden as stayeth us from the heavens, and weigheth us ●owne to hell. Poverty is a great burden, the sword, famine, pestilence, imprisonment, sickness, oppression, and such crosses are indeed ●eauy burdens; but the burden of sin sur●ounteth them all. Therefore the Prophet ●aith Psal. 38, 4. Mine iniquities are gone over mine head, and as weighty burdens they are too heavy. Hence it is that the Apostle exhorteth us, Heb. 12, 1, to cast off every thing that presseth down, and the sin that hangeth so fast on, that so we may run with patience the race that is set before us. So heavy it was on the Angels that kept not their first estate, That it cast them down to hell, and they are reserved in chains unto the judgement of the great day, 2 Pet. 2, 4. So heavy it was upon the shoulders of Dathan and Abiram, that the earth was not able to hold them, but received them to destruction. Yea, it is so intolerable a burden, as it bringeth terrors and horrors that cannot be expressed, and leadeth to the gulf of desperation, when God chargeth the conscience with sin: so that though a man had all riches and honours, all pleasures and delights, all kingdoms and glory of the world, what joy or comfort can he feel in these things, so long as he is not at peace with his God? Contrariwise, he that is eased of this weight, & lightened of this burden, though he have all the troubles, crosses, and afflictions of job, be laid in fetters with joseph, be banished his country with Moses, be cast to the Lions with Daniel, he put in the stocks with jeremy, be fed with bread of affliction with Micaiah, and have no more comfort and compassion showed unto him then the poor beggar in the Gospel to have the dogs lick his sores, 
Luke 16, 21.  though his estate be vile, contemptible, and miserable to the world: yet so long as he hath a discharge of his debt, a pardon of his sin, & a canceling of the bill of inditement drawn against him, written in his heart, and feels that peace of conscience which passeth all understanding, sealing him up to the day of redemption; this man before God is most happy and blessed for ever. But if sin be imputed unto us, and God enter into judgement with us, Who shall be able to stand before him, or be righteous in his sight? Psal. 130, 3. & 143, 2. This feeling of sin and wound of conscience, which the stroke of God's hand hath made, will weary the strongest and lustiest man that liveth, when he shall open the eye to see, and the heart to feel the horror thereof, together with the heaviness of his wrath & indignation for the same. This made Cain to speak desperately, My punishment is greater than I can bear, Gen. 4, 13. This made judas to do desperately, when he wrought his own destruction, and hanged himself, Mat. 27.5. This made David to say, If thou Lord straightly markest iniquities, who is he that shallbe able to endure thy judgement? They then are grossly deceived, and most unhappy, who think happiness to consist in committing of sins with all greediness. These are in the number of those fools (howsoever worldly wise) that make a mock of sin, Prou. 14, 9, 12, 13. There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the issues thereof are the ways of death: even in laughing the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The world hath always been full of such fools, but if they depart hence without the feeling of God's favour in the forgiveness of their offences, it had been good for them that they had been bruit beasts, or that they had never been borne, as it is said of judas, Math. 26, 24. No unclean thing shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Such as have not their sins pardoned, have no part in Christ. Out of Christ there is no salvation, nor unto such any imputation of his righteousness. Sin shutteth up the way that leadeth unto life, it separateth us from God and his Kingdom, it maketh us the children of the devil, & God displeased with us: for they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  
Thirdly, we see some are happy in this life Use 3 and attain to the certainty of their salvation. The salvation of the Church standeth in the remission of their sins, Luke 1, ●7. We do not then begin to be happy when at the end of our days we enter into the kingdom of heaven: but while we are upon the earth, we lay the foundation of our happiness, and set the first stones of it, or else we never attain unto it. We are all in this life builders, 1 Cor. 3, 9 We have a great and weighty work to set up, it requireth a long time and great labour to bring it to pass and perfection. Every day of our life should add somewhat to the building; & this day should make it in greater forwardness than the former. Let us diligently consider these things, and seriously examine ourselves what we have done for the furthering of our salvation, whether we have already made an happy entrance into it. So soon as we begin, and the first stone is laid, the door of the kingdom of heaven is opened unto us. The further we proceed, the nearer we come to the mark. This our Saviour preached to his hearers, john 5, 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, & believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life: and shall not come into condemnation, but hath passed from death to life. When Zacheus was converted to the faith, and testified the sincerity of his repentance by actual restitution, he said, This day is salvation come unto this house, forasmuch as he is also become the son of Abraham, Luke 19, 9 So the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 13, 11, Considering the season, it is now time that we should arise from sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed it. And in that holy Prayer of Christ recorded by the Evangelist john, he saith, This is eternal life to know thee to be the only very God, & whom thou hast sent jesus Christ, john 17, 3. This is the great mercy of God to give us here a taste of the glory to come. We have here as it were the first fruits of eternal life, and by hope possess that which we shall really inherit: so we may truly say with the Apostle, 2 Tim. 1, 12, I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day. Hereby we see, that it is not a doctrine of pride and presumption (as the Church of Rome teacheth) to believe the remission of our own sins. For generally to believe that God forgiveth sin, or that some men have their sins forgiven, is no privilege of the Church, but the common faith of the devils, jam. 2, 19 All the Articles contain the confession of a special faith, and a particular application to ourselves. As I must believe God the Father to be my Creator, the Son my Redeemer, the holy Ghost to be my Sanctifier: so I am bound to believe the remission of mine own sins, the resurrection of mine own body, and that life everlasting shall be given to me. Thus the Apostle speaketh, Gal. 2, 20: I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. This special faith must be the faith of us all.  
Use 4 Lastly, from hence we are put in mind of sundry good duties necessary to be practised of us. First, seeing every true member of the Church, hath the forgiveness of his sins given & assured unto him, it is our duty to acknowledge ourselves to be grievous sinners, to have godly sorrow for them which may cause repentance, not to be repent of, and to seek pardon by daily prayer for the forgiveness of them at the hands of God. 
●●g. 8, 46.  He resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. He filleth the hungry with good things, and sendeth the rich empty away. He is ready to forgive, and to have compassion on his children: he is slow to anger, and of great kindness. He doth not deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities. Hence it is that the Apostles have taught, and the godly have acknowledged themselves grievous sinners, yea, even the most regenerate, as David, Daniel, Paul, and others. Seeing therefore we have a promise of forgiveness, & as it were a privilege above others of the world, it behoveth us to have in us an humble acknowledgement of our sinful estate, joined with godly sorrow and earnest prayer for the forgiveness of them. Secondly, it is required of us to have a reverent care and fear, not to offend him any more, as heretofore we have provoked him, yea a most earnest study and desire to please him better than we have done. This the Prophet teacheth, Psal. 103, 3, 4. If thou O Lord straightly markest iniquities, O Lord who shall stand? But mercy is with thee, that thou mayst be feared. This was the instruction that Christ gave unto the diseased man whom he had healed, when he found him in the Temple, he said unto him, Behold thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee, joh. 5, 14. Thus the Apostle Paul describeth true repentance by the fruits and effects of it, 2 Cor. 7, 11. Behold this thing that ye have been godly sorry, what great care it hath wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea how great desire, yea what a zeal, yea what revenge. Where this care is not to please God, and fear to fall again and offend him, there was never true repentance, nor any feeling of the forgiveness of former sins. This were exceeding unthankfulness for mercy received, and a turning of the grace of God into wantonness, to commit sin anew that grace may abound. Thirdly, it is our duty to return all praise and thankfulness to God for this so infinite and unspeakable mercy, which appeareth in nothing more than in the forgiveness of our manifold sins. It belongeth to God only to forgive sins, therefore to him only belongeth the glory of forgiveness, as being only worthy to receive all praise. This Daniel confesseth in his prayer, O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us open shame, as appeareth this day. So the prophet David provoking all to praise the Lord, allegeth this as the chief reason to move them, Which forgiveth all thine iniquities, & healeth all thine infirmities, Psal. 103, 3. This also we see in the practice and example of the Apostle, who mentioning his sins, and magnifying the exceeding and abundant mercy of God in the pardon of them, he breaketh out into a thanksgiving to the eternal God, Unto the King everlasting, immortal, invisible, unto God only wise, be honour and glory for ever & ever, Amen, 1 Tim. 1, 17. Rom. 7, 25. If we have tasted of this mercy, let us be mindful of this duty: and if we have had experience of this forgiveness, let us be careful to express unto him our thankfulness. Fourthly, we must show back again our love toward our heavenly Father, according to the measure of his love toward us. The greater sins he hath pardoned, the greater love should be returned. This is it which the Prophet professeth to have wrought exceeding love in his heart towards the Lord, when he considered how gracious and merciful he had been unto him, Psal. 116, 1. I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my prayer. The practice of this duty is remembered and commended in the sinful woman, Luke 7, 47. Many sins are forgiven her, for she loved much: to whom a little is forgiven he doth love a little. Let this example be continually before our eyes. Let us examine ourselves how near we come unto her in the practice of this duty. Let us behold ourselves in her, as in a glass. If we have had a blessed experience of God's loving kindness toward us, in blotting out and burying our sins out of his remembrance, let us be answerable in love to him again, who hath loved us first. Where little love appeareth to God, there is little knowledge of forgiveness of sins. Where no love is, there is no feeling of the comfort of this doctrine. If we have found God exceeding kind and gracious unto us, it will work an exceeding measure of love, where God hath assured and sealed up that grace by his holy Spirit. Lastly, the receiving of this mercy from God, must work in us mercy toward our brethren, that as we have obtained forgiveness of sins at his hands, so we should be ready to forgive one another, And so be merciful to others, as our heavenly Father is merciful to us, Luke 6, 36. This our Saviour teacheth in the parable of the King that would take an account of his servants, to wit, that he requireth mercy where he hath showed mercy, and that judgement shall be without mercy, to him that showeth no mercy. Hence it is that the Apostle giveth this in charge, Eph. 4, 32. & Colos. 3, 13. This we are also directed unto in that form of prayer which Christ did teach his Disciples, and hath left unto his Church, warranting us to ask forgiveness, as we feel ourselves ready to forgive. This we are to apply unto ourselves, and learn every day to be like to our heavenly Father, Matth. 5, 45. Who maketh his Sun to arise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust. If then we desire to be partakers of the goodness of God in forgiving the infinite debt whereby we are deeply indebted unto GOD, and would find him merciful unto us (as every one will seem to be desirous of it) let us show ourselves ready to forgive from our hearts the injuries and offences done unto us. Among all testimonies that we may gather to ourselves of God's goodness and mercy towards us, none is more excellent, more comfortable, more certain than this, if we find it in us; that is, the pardoning and passing over the wrongs offered us, and a readiness to forgive, even our enemies that most envy and hate us; and that frankly and freely, as we ourselves have received forgiveness at the hands of God.  
[The Lord his God is with him.] These words contain the second privilege peculiar and proper to the Church, which God hath bestowed upon it, to wit, the presence of his Spirit. True it is, in regard of his essence and deity he is every where, the heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool, Psalm 139, 7, 8. So that we cannot hide ourselves from his presence. If we ascend into heaven, he is there: If we lie down in the grave, he is there: if we take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, thither shall his hand lead us, and his right hand hold us: if we say, yet the darkness shall hide us, the night shall be light about him. But in this place this prophesy pointeth us unto us another presence, to wit, of his grace, protection, defence, and deliverance; the presence of his Spirit, sanctifying his children, purging them from dead works, to be a peculiar people unto himself, 
Doctrine It is a pri●●ledge of 〈◊〉 Church, have Go● presence his grace.  working in them regeneration, and finishing all good things in them, to bring them to everlasting life. We learn from hence, That it is a great privilege of the Church, to have God present with it, and precedent over it. He is not far off from those that are his (howsoever in time of affliction, and in the hour of tentation, he seemeth so to them:) he is near unto them, he is ever with them, he holdeth a gracious hand over them. This is it which the Lord so often promiseth in his word, & truly performeth, to the great comfort of all his children. This is it which the Lord speaketh to jacob, going from his father's house to Padan Aram, Gen. 28, 15. This also the Prophet David acknowledgeth, Psal. 34, 15, 18. And lest any should restrain that exhortation, and take it peculiarly to belong to him alone, the Apostle extendeth it farther, and applieth it to all the people of God, speaking to them as well as unto joshua, chapt. 1, 9 I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee; so that we may boldly say, The Lord is mine helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me. This is it which Christ our Saviour often allegeth for the comfort of his disciples, joh. 14, 18. Math. 18, 20, & 28, 20. I will not leave you comfortless, but I will come unto you: Lo, I am with you to the end of the world.  
The reasons are these. First, his presence appeareth, Reason 1 that the faithful might be assured of his protection and defence, being gathered together by his power, without which, they could not have any comfort. If the soldiers should be destitute of the presence of their Captain, the wife of her husband, the people of their King, they would remain comfortless, and in continual fear to do their duties and perform their allegiance. But having their continual presence, they have continual assurance, and joyfulness in their place and charge committed unto them: otherwise, the best servants of God & most painful in their callings, should be in the worst case and condition. To this purpose Christ saith, Go and teach all nations, to observe whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always until the end of the world, Mat. 28.18, 19, 20. Seeing therefore God would not have us daunted with danger, or discouraged with fear, but to go lustily forward where he hath called us, we cannot doubt of the assurance of his presence with us in all assays and assaults, whatsoever shall be offered unto us.  
Reason 2 Secondly, he is ready to hear their prayers, to help them in their distresses, & to yield them those things that they stand in need of. If he were absent from us, & not present with us, he could not consider of our wants, nor secure us in our necessities, nor deliver us from our enemies, nor refresh us with his help, while we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Therefore when Christ teacheth, Mat. 18, 20. that by the grace of his Spirit, and the power of his Deity, he is in the midst of the Church, he confirmeth it hereby, that whatsoever they shall desire, it shall be given them of his Father which is in Heaven.  
Use 1 Let us now proceed to the uses of this Doctrine. First, it followeth from hence, if God be still with his Church, than there is never any separation & divorcement between God and his Church, between Christ & his members; so that whosoever would find the Lord to be his God, he must be in the Church, & of the Church. Christ is said to walk in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks, 
●●●l. 1, 13.  that is, of the Church. Christ is evermore in his Church, and wheresoever the Church is there is Christ. No man shall ever find Christ as a Saviour, but in his Church. The Emperor is to be acknowledged wheresoever his standard is: the King is where his Court is. So there is always a near conjunction between God and his Church. Where he is present with his grace, there is his Church. We shall not need to say with Martha, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not been dead, john 11, 21. for God is ever with us, in all dangers he standeth present by us, His left hand is under our head, 
〈◊〉 2, 5.  and his right hand doth embrace us. This is a notable and singular comfort to all the true members of the Church, who are assured of the spiritual and special power and love of God toward them, supporting them and staying them up with both his hands, that they fall not from him through weakness and infirmity of the flesh. And seeing his love is such unto us that he will not be far from us, but in all our troubles embrace us in both his arms, this aught to stay and strengthen us in all trials, and confirm us in all temptations, which are as it were so many storms and tempests beating upon the barks of our souls, and threatening to make shipwreck of them. We are ready in all our troubles, when we find not present help at hand, to suppose the Lord to be far from us. We are impatient of delay, we cannot abide to wait the Lords leisure. So soon as we are entered into the Furnace of affliction, that we feel the flames thereof to scorch us, and the anguish thereof to enter into our bones, by and by we think that God should help us, every moment and minute appeareth to be a day, and every day seemeth a year unto us, until he scatter the coals, and pull us as a firebrand out of the fire. This made the Prophet in the heat of his affliction to cry out, Why standest thou far off, O Lord, and hidest thee in due time, even in affliction? Psal. 10, 1. Whereby we see, that the children of God are wonderfully assaulted, & the flesh wrestleth against the Spirit, & sometime prevaileth, and for a time getteth the upper hand. So the same Prophet saith, Psal. 13, 1, 2. & 22, 1, 2. How long wilt thou forget me o Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? etc. And again, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? and art so far frrm mine health, and from the words of my roaring, & c? And in another place, Will the Lord absent himself for ever? and will he show no more favour? Is his mercy clean gone? etc. Thus his faith was assaulted, and his hope tried, that he should not fall into infidelity, and yield to distrust in God. But seeing our doctrine affirmeth, that God is never from us, howsoever he seemeth to delay and defer his help, let us learn (how great soever our conflicts be) not utterly to despair of God's mercy, though it tarry. Wait, 
Habbak. 2, 3.  for it shall surely and certainly come, and not stay, when the time, even the appointed time cometh. So when the faithful recover themselves out of the former temptations, as it were out of a gulf ready to swallow them up, they gather strength of Faith, rest upon the power & presence of God, and wait with patience the Lords leisure, and confess it was their own infirmity.  
This the Prophet David setteth down, in Psal. 40, 1. and 42, 5, 11. and 43, 5. and in divers other places. Thus it standeth all of us upon, when affliction trieth us, when the flesh tempteth us, when satan winnoweth us, and all of them consenting and conspiring together, seek to overthrow us; to consider that howsoever God oftentimes deferreth to help us, yet he is still present with us, and to assure ourselves that doubtless he is not far from every one of us. 
Matth. 15, 21.  It is the will and pleasure of God to try our faith, to stir up our zeal, to exercise our patience, and to teach us to make greater account of his blessings, when we have obtained them: but in the end, to our endless comfort, he will declare by the effects of his love and favour, that he was never indeed absent from us, howsoever we judge so according to the weakness of the flesh, and he for a time hide his countenance from us. Moreover this serveth to teach us, that in our troubles and necessities we stand not in need of the intercession of Saints and Angels, we shall not need to pray unto them to be our Mediators to God the Father. For seeing God the Father is near us, yea even at hand, shall we turn our backs to him, and go from him, seeing he turneth to us to give us help? This invocation of Saints hath neither commandment to move us to pray, nor example to go before us in the practice, nor promise to assure us that we shall be heard. The direction that we have in prayer, is to go to God, and to say to him, Our Father which art in heaven, Mat. 6, 9 This the Prophet acknowledged, when he said, Psal. 73, 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? & I have desired none in the earth with thee. God is evermore present with us, the Saints departed are absent from us, they know not our particular wants, Esay 63, 16, Psal. 94, 9 1 King. 8, 39 they understand not our desires, they are ignorant of the motions of our hearts, and the estate of our lives. Besides, we are charged to worship the Lord our God, & to serve him only, who only searcheth the hearts, & trieth the reins, as the God that made them in the beginning. Let us therefore go directly and immediately to God, and when we have help at hand, let us not seek help far off. Let us still trust in the living God, for vain is the help of Saints or Angels. Were not he a foolish man, and worthy to perish, who in extremity would refuse the help of an expert & excellent Physician present with him, able to help him, willing to help him, offering to help him and give him present ease, and yet calleth and crieth to some Mountebank, a thousand miles from him, not so able, not so skilful, not so ready to relieve & release him? And are not they much more simple and sottish, that when God willeth them to call upon him in the day of trouble, and promiseth to hear and deliver them, will not come to him, but fly from him to the Saints, 
Psal. 50, 14.  that know neither him nor his grief? When the Prince is present, and calleth to come to him, were it not madness to go to the subject? So, forasmuch as Christ saith, Come unto me all ye that are weary and laden, and I will ease you, Matth. 11, 28: let our soul's answer, Lord we will come, accept thou the prayers of thy servants.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn from hence, That as God is near to all those that fear him, not only in respect of the presence of the place, but is with them by the presence of his favour, granting their prayers, and succouring them in their adversities; so he is far from all the wicked and ungodly, not in place, but in help. He will not grant their requests, he will not be their shield and buckler; he will not know them in their miseries. He is indeed near to all that call upon him, even to all that call upon him in truth, but he stoppeth his ears against the prayers of the ungodly, which are abomination unto him, Psal. 145, 18. This is it which Solomon teacheth, Prou. 15, 29. The Lord is far off from the wicked, but he heareth the prayers of the righteous. Great is the justice of God upon the wicked: and great is his favour towards the godly. True it is, in respect of place God filleth heaven and earth, He is not far distant from us, forasmuch as in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17, 27, 28. but touching his grace he is far from the dwellings of the unrighteous, he is far from hearing their voice, and regarding their necessities: he leaveth them to themselves, and withdraweth his holy Spirit from them. So then, albeit God be in every place, and nigh to all things, yet God will not hear them, no more than men hear such as are very far off when they call and cry out unto them. This is it which the Prophet David setteth down, Psal. 119, 155. Salvation is far from the wicked, because they seek not thy statutes. And the Prophet Esay accordeth here unto, Chapt. 59, 1, 2. The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. They regard not his word therefore he giveth not them his help. They will not hear him when he calleth by his word, therefore he will not hear when they call unto him by their prayers. He is far from them, because they run far from him, and will not know his ways, nor regard his truth that he offereth unto them. Wherefore, great is the misery and destruction of the wicked that shall come upon them: they shall call, but the Lord will not hear: they shall cry, but he will not answer. The righteous in this world, do seem to be cursed and forsaken of God, but they are blessed and happy: and this is not the last part of their blessedness and happiness, that he heareth their prayers. On the contrary side, the ungodly seem to themselves & to others to be the only happy men in the world; but they are wretched and miserable: and through their malice, blindness, and obstinacy, this is not the last part and portion of their misery, that they have no agreement with God, he heareth not their prayers, but abhorreth them, their thoughts, and all their works. When we are in affliction, the chiefest comfort and stay to rest upon is, that God is near us, and ready to help us. The wicked want this staff to lean upon, God professeth himself their enemy, he refuseth their prayers, he forsaketh and casteth them away out of his presence. They can have no peace of conscience, nor comfort in trouble: they shall howl in their miseries, and not be heard, Zac. 7, 13. This shall especially appear at the last day, when the heaven shall not receive them, the Lord shall not know them, no creature shall comfort them, no mercy shall be showed unto them; them they shall weep and wail without redemption, and without release.  
Thirdly, it is our duty to behave ourselves Use 3 in all our actions and dealings, as in his presence. It behoveth us to set him always before us, and to know he continually walketh among us. It is remembered of Henoch, that he walked continually before God, Genes 5, 22. that is, all his life time he considered that the eye of God was ever upon him, knowing that all things are naked and manifest before him, Heb. 4, 13. Thus the Apostle chargeth Timothy, in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before jesus Christ, which under Pon●ius Pilate witnessed a good confession, to keep the commandments which he gave unto him, without spot and unblamable. If the child were always in sight of his parents, the servant of his master, the soldier of his Captain, the subject of his Prince, they would not have an unseemly gesture, a disordered action; how much more doth it stand us upon, to behave ourselves honestly, and in order, and to look to all our ways, that we offend not before the majesty of God, in whose presence we stand? When the Minister prayeth and preacheth, when the people attend and hearken, we must know that God looketh upon us. If any thing be done unreverently and wickedly, he seethe it, and beholdeth it when it is committed. We cannot hide it from his sight, and therefore we should do nothing that may grieve him. This is that use which Moses setteth down in giving directions to the people when they went to war, Deut. 23, 12, 14, That they should have a place without the host, whither they should resort for the necessity of nature, and cover their excrements; for the Lord thy God (saith he) walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee, and to give thee thine enemies before thee: therefore thine host shallbe holy, that he see no filthy thing in thee, and turn away from thee. The truth of this Ceremony leadeth us (as it did them) to a farther matter. Let us let the figure pass, & come to the substance, which teacheth, that we must be an holy people to God in soul and body, and take heed of staining and defiling ourselves. And what is it that doth defile us? It is not that which entereth into man, but that which cometh out of a man, as our Saviour speaketh of the meats we eat, Matth. 15, 18. All the evil affections that we have within us, are so many stainings of us before God. Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, slanders, are so many infections, and as filthy dirt and dung in his sight. We must all of us learn to purge ourselves from such foul and filthy corruptions, if we will have God to rule and be resident amongst us. If a man be to receive any honourable guests or strangers into his house, he will have it swept and kept clean, that he offend not those that he would entertain. It is a great honour unto us, that God will dwell with us, and rest among us, and vouchsafe so to abase himself as to walk among us; ought not we then to be careful how we walk before him, and to be wary every one of us lest we should displease him? Ought we not to behave ourselves with all fear and reverence, seeing he beholdeth us and eyeth whatsoever we do throughout our whole life? For as he is come nearer unto us: james 4, 8: so unless we draw near unto him, cleansing our hands, and purging our hearts, he will withdraw himself from us, if we make not our souls and bodies pure Temples for him to lodge and abide in. He will dwell with us upon no other condition: if we do not mark and observe this, we make our souls guilty of driving GOD away, that he should no longer remain among us to bless us.  
Lastly, we are put in mind by his presence Use 4 to wait and stay ourselves upon his providence, in all things depending upon his protection and deliverance. Stephen a faithful witness of the truth, being persuaded of the presence of Christ, stood out to death, and boldly maintained the cause of God against all his adversaries, Acts 7, 56. We are always in such sort under his protection, that we shall not need to fear that his power will fail to maintain and preserve us. When the Lord jesus said unto his Disciples, Matth. 28, 20. Go into all Nations, preach unto them, and baptise them, he addeth, Lo I am with you unto the end of the world. Whereby, he meant to confirm and strengthen them in all the combats they were to suffer, and conflicts which they were to endure in the preaching of the Gospel. So Christ appearing unto Paul, and promising his presence to be with him, gave him boldness to undergo great dangers, and not to account his own life precious and dear unto him, so long as he might do service unto God: he said unto him, Acts 18, 9.10, Fear not, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall lay hands on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this City. Thus the Lord speaketh to the Prophet jeremy, Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee. Here we see the presence of God is made as a reason to strengthen him in the duties of his calling. We meet with many dangers and encumbrances that assault us and set upon us in the running of our race, and find many enemies that seek to stop our course: & such is our weakness, that we shall never be able to overmastet them, and to go lustily forward in a resolute and constant course, unless we set before our eyes this doctrine that Balaam published as a privilege belonging unto the Church, that God is with us, and will never forsake us. Let us therefore consider, 
Rom. 8, 13.  If he be with us, we shall not need to fear who be against us. He will smite our enemies upon the cheek bone, & break the teeth of the wicked. He will scatter their counsels and devices, and cast down whatsoever riseth up against our peace.  
[And the joyful shout of a King is among them.] This is the third prerogative granted to the Church, which God as king of the Church, granteth unto it, being as it were the Sceptre of his kingdom, & the laws by which it is governed. For as no kingdom can stand without statutes, nor the subjects be governed without laws, so it is in God's kingdom. He is the King, the church is the kingdom, the word is the statute law, the devil & all his Instruments are Traitors to this kingdom: the faithful and elect are the natural subjects which willingly yield obedience to the word. 
Esay 13, 1.  This word being the arm of God, and the kingdom, must be preached, to draw the elect into his kingdom. This Balaam calleth a joyful shout, and the Prophet is commanded of God, Esay 58, 1, to cry aloud and not spare, to lift up his voice like a Trumpet, showing to the people their sins, and the house of jacob their transgressions. This teacheth us, that it is a great honour and privilege of the Church, to have the joyful shout of the word to sound among them. 
Doctrine. It is the church's privilege to have the pure use of the word.  The Scripture or word of God is a privilege belonging properly to the Church & the use thereof. When God gave his Law in Sinai, it was given only to Israel, as appeareth Deut. 4, 1. Exod. 20, 11, 2. where Moses stirreth up Israel to hearken to the statutes & ordinances that should be delivered unto them. So the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 147, 19, 20. He showeth his word unto jacob, his statutes and his judgements unto Israel; he hath not dealt so with every Nation, neither have they known his judgements. Hereunto cometh the exhortation of Moses, Deut. 4, 6, 7. Keep his laws and do them, for that is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the people, which shall hear all these ordinances, and shall say, Only this people is wise and of understanding, and a great Nation. Thus the Apostle Paul showeth the difference and pre-eminence of the jews, being at that time the Church of God above the Gentiles, that it was herein most excellent and glorious, because unto them, yea only unto them were committed the oracles of God, even committed unto them of trust: 
Rom. 3, 1, 2. & 9, 4.  to them pertained the glory, the covenant, the law, the service of God, & the promises. Likewise, when john the Apostle was commanded to write in a book the things which he had seen revealed unto him, he was charged withal, when once they were written, To send them to the seven Churches that are in Asia, Reu. 1, 11. All which places plainly prove, that it is one of the greatest gifts, blessings, and honours, that God bestoweth upon his people, the giving unto them his word and ordinances.  
The reasons are many in number and weighty Reason 1 in force. For first, hereby we and our children are entered into a solemn covenant with God to be his, and he to be ours for ever. A wonderful mercy of God, that a sort of poor sinful men should be admitted and received into a covenant with the eternal God. This Covenant is a mutual promise & agreement between God and men: 
What Gods cnuenant with us is.  whereby on the one side God giveth men assurance that he will be gracious and favourable unto them, forgive their sins, and give them new righteousness & eternal life for his sons sake: and on the other side, men bind themselves to accept of this mercy with all thanksgiving, receiving this so great a benefit with a true Faith, and promising to yield true obedience to God. The entrance into this Covenant, is as it were the day of our marriage, being more nearly coupled to God, than the wife is joined unto the husband. This is it which Moses is bold to put the people in mind of, exhorting them to keep the words of this Covenant, Deut. chap. 29. verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the Church alone is honoured of God, to be the keeper and preserver, the holder forth and publisher of his word, and therefore none have to do with it but the Church. Hence it is, that it is called by the Apostle, the pillar and ground of truth, 1 Tim. 3, 15. It is the preserver of it, not the mother of it: the ●eeper of it, not the author: it is a crier to publish, not a judge to decide and determine: it is as the candlestick to hold the light, not the candle itself to give light. For this cause the vision offered to john of the seven golden Candlesticks, Revel 1, 12, 20, is expressly and directly expounded to signify the seven Churches. This then is an honour peculiar to the church, to be the brazen pillar of truth, and the golden Candlestick to hold the light or candle of the word of God unto the people, that they may see how to walk in the ways of godliness.  
Thirdly, the word is the testament of God. Reason 3 Now none hath to do with the Testament or Will of any, but they that have Legacies bequeathed unto them by it, as children & they that are of the household and kindred of God; not Strangers, Aliens, and Foreigners, they have nothing to do in it, they are not ro meddle with it. Thus the Apostle teacheth, Heb. chap. 9 verse 15, That the Testament belongeth to them that are to receive the promises of the eternal inheritance.  
The Uses are now to be considered. First, Use 1 we learn from hence for our instruction, to account the Ministry of the word, the treasure of the Church. Among all the blessings bestowed upon the sons of men in this life, the gift and blessing of the word is eminent. It is an incomparable blessing far above all earthly things, the earthly men make their felicity. The Prophet Ezek. 6 10, 11 compareth all other blessings that God gave his people, to the ornaments of the body, as to bracelets, habiliments, rings, fine linen, chains, silk, & such like; but the giving of his word and statutes unto them, to his marriage with them. And when God was to deliver his laws and ordinances unto Israel, Moses took them by the hand, and led them forth to meet God, who in the company of the Angels accepted them for his chief treasure & inheritance above all other nations under heaven: so that in the finishing of this match & marriage with his people, Moses was as the Father, the Angels, the Bridemen, God the husband, unto whom Israel was affianced & coupled in marriage. So then the happiest tidings and greatest dignity that can ever come to any people or several congregation, is the glad tidings of the gospel, & the free passage of the word to be brought among them. The more any are blessed this way the more honourable & glorious they are with God and his Saints, they are thereby made his sons & daughters, yea kings and priests unto him, & they which once were far off, are made near unto him by the preaching of the Gospel, whereby he dwelleth among them, and setteth up his throne in their hearts. Capernaum is said hereby to be lifted up unto heaven, Luke 10, 15. jerusalem where the word and service of God was set forth, is called the holy City, and the joy of the whole earth, & the resting place of God, Psal. 132, 13, 14. From hence all such are reproved, as have not the sight and feeling of this mercy of God in their hearts, to raise them up to rejoicing & thankfulness. And herein (my brethren) we are to call ourselves to remembrance, & think what our condition is. We are indeed a noble kingdom, adorned with many outward privileges and blessings, increased in multitudes, and furnished with sundry commodities; but, if we be compared with the great, large, and wealthy dominions in other parts of the world, only a poor corner of the earth. But herein we pass them all, as honoured above them & preferred before them, that we have the inestimable treasure of the word which they do want, 
〈◊〉 13, 44.  instead of those mines of silver & gold, wherewith they abound. This is our privilege, our glory, our advantage, wherein God hath blessed us above Italy, Spain, and many rich Countries in Asia and Africa, under the Turk and other blind and barbarous Princes, detained in the kingdom of darkness, and of the devil; we have the truth of God amongst us, the treasure of all treasures, the value whereof is far above all precious stones. The want of this blessing maketh all other blessings to be curses, and judgements unto them that are destitute hereof, & therefore we must all call ourselves to an account, what account we make of it. We should make it our meat and drink, a treasure for the obtaining whereof rather then want it, we would sell all that we have: but (alas) what thankfulness hath it wrought in us? We are like unto the jews; they had this glorious light brought among them, but they loved darkness more than light, because their works were evil. If we be weary of this heavenly Manna, let us take heed lest the Lord grow weary of us: if we cast away his word, he will cast away us, and forsake us for ever. The Lord biddeth us take heed to the sound of the Trumpet, jer. 6, 17: let us not answer presumptuously we will not take heed; let us beware of security, & remember from whence we are fallen, And let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth the Lord and his word, to his salvation, jer. 9, 24.  
Use 2 Secondly, it followeth, that wheresoever God hath established this his ordinance, there certainly he hath a Church and chosen people, and some that belong to eternal life, for whose sake it is sent among them. For as the Spirit of God is the soul of the church, quickening it, and giving it life: so the word is this soul's instrument, or the seed whereby it worketh, and the only essential mark thereof; so that where it is sincerely taught, 
〈◊〉, ●2.  and constantly professed, there certainly is a Church. Where it is not, there is no true Church (albeit it have never so goodly and glistering a show) but a very carrion & carcase of a church without the life of the Spirit: but as an house without light, as the world without the Sun, as a kingdom without the Law. The Prophet Esay calleth it the standard of God, saying, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, & they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders, Esay 49. verse 22 Where the Lord jesus is compared to a King and Captain, and therefore all that will have comfort that they are members of the church, must range themselves under it as soldiers under the banner of their Chieftain; otherwise they remain as men In darkness, & in the shadow of death, as straggling and runagate soldiers out of the camp, and as dissolute men under no law to govern them. For they are the vilest and basest that live without it, very dogs and swine. They of the Church are God's chiidrens, and the word is the children's food belonging to them only. When the Canaanitish woman would have been partaker of Christ's Ministry, Mat. 15, 26. he answered, It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it unto whelps. But other are as unclean and filthy beasts: This which now hath been spoken, serveth to overthrow two sorts of people: first, those of the Church of Rome, which make other marks and notes of the Church; as antiquity, unity, universality, succession, subjection to the Pope, and such like counterfeit marks of their counterfeit church, and leave this which is the most certain and inseparable note. This proveth unto us plainly, that these which most of all boast of the name of the Church, are indeed neither the Catholic Church, nor any sound part thereof, because they want the immortal seed to beget them, the milk and meat of the word to feed and nourish them, yea it is accounted an high point of heresy to have read the Scriptures, and none is permitted to look into them without a licence, so heinous a sin it is to have the word. Secondly, it censureth & condemneth the Donatists, Anabaptists, Brownists, and those of the separation, which condemn our Churches to be no Churches; our Sacraments to be no Sacraments; our Ministers to be no Ministers; and in effect our religion to be no religion, because we do not with them in matters accidental fully agree, albeit we do consent in matters fundamental: we lay Christ alone for the foundation, on which we build our salvation: we lay hold upon him by faith only: we preach Christ crucified truly, & by their own confession, powerfully. They hold themselves to have received faith among us by our Ministry, before they made this rent and breach in the Church, and that the end of such faith (if they had died in it) had been the salvation of their souls. 
See the books of Greenwood & johnson,  Let them therefore return, and cause others to return & join with us in hearing the word preached, seeing where it is rightly established, there must of necessity be a true Church. And albeit some of them have written, many of them have spoken against our Church, yet let them follow the example of that son, 
Matth. 21, 29.  who answered his father stubbornly, that he would not work in his vineyard, but afterward repent earnestly, and went his ways.  
Use 3 Thirdly, all such as are this way honoured and blessed, must be careful to use the word as an honour and a blessing, by embracing it, by entertaining it, by magnifying this blessing of God, in truth, and not in opinion; in heart, and not in face; in works, and not in words; that we may walk worthy the Gospel, and of the Lord that hath called us, and show ourselves careful to bring forth the fruits thereof; saying with the Apostle, Rom. 10, 10. How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Hitherto rendeth the exhortation of the Apostle, 1. to the Thessalonians, ch. 2, 11, 12. Let us be careful to keep this treasure among us, lest the kingdom of God be taken from us. Otherwise instead of being the water of life to save us, it will be a sea to drown us: instead of being the savour of life to life, it will turn to be the savour of death to death: instead of being meat to feed us, it will be our bane to destroy us: instead of good tidings to refresh & comfort us, it will prove the saddest and heaviest news that ever came to our ears, and that day the blackest day that ever came over our heads. Thus our Saviour threatened Capernaum, which he had honoured with his presence, blessed with his preaching, advanced by his dwelling in it, and lifted up with his miracles, Mat. 11, 26. Thou Capernaum which art lifted up unto heaven, shalt be thrown down to hell, etc. Look upon the seven Churches of Asia, we see what is become of them. Behold what the contempt of the Gospel hath brought upon the jews, the like hath not fallen upon any people, since the beginning; what mischief & misery did not fall upon them? It cannot be denied but God hath blessed us as much as ever he lifted up the head of Capernaum, and hath magnified his mercies and love unto us above other nations. The more he hath honoured and exalted us above others, the more vile and odious we shall become; he will pour shame & contempt upon us, he will make us a mirror and example of his judgements to others, unless we bring forth fruits answerable to so great goodness. Who so is wise-hearted, let him consider these things.  
[Verses 22, 23, 24. God brought them out of Egypt, their strength is as an Unicorn: for there is no sorcery against jacob.] Hitherto we have spoken of the spiritual blessings bestowed upon the Church, to wit, the forgiveness of their sins, the presence of the Spirit, and the use of the word. Now followeth another privilege, being an effect of the former, that nothing shall hurt them; they may fall into many afflictions, but none shallbe able to destroy them. He alludeth in this place to the practice of the Unicorn, purging and cleansing the water with his horn against the poison of venomous beasts. From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. No attempts shall hurt th● Church.  that no means and attempts shall hurt or overthrow the Church. Whatsoever the enemies of God and his people imagine, what counsel soever they take, what mischiefs they devise, God will make them frustrate and of none effect. This truth appeareth by sundry examples in the word of God. When the Church of God was in Egypt, the Egyptians said, Let us work wisely with them lest they multiply; they vexed them with bondage, they destroyed their children, they oppressed them with burdens, they plagued them with taskemasters, and every way they increased their miseries: Ex. 1 & 2, & 3. yet after all these devilish practices they prevailed nothing against them. This appeareth likewise in the ambition and pride of Haman, Ester 3. and 7, and 9 He thirsted after blood, but the plot he had contrived was disappointed, and he fell into the pit which he had digged for another, the snare was broken and the Church was delivered. Infinite are the examples that might be produced to this purpose, of the Church's dangers and deliverances. The Prophet David handleth this argument at large in sundry Psalms. In the 91. Psalm, verses 3, 4, 5, etc. he assureth those that trust in God, that into whatsoever dangers they fall, they shall never miscarry, nor be dismayed in their afflictions. Where the Prophet meaneth, that howsoever these afflictions may come to the godly, yet they shall not be able to hurt or hinder their eternal peace with God, but he will make them and all things besides to further their salvation. This is it which the Apostle teacheth at large, Rom. 8, 35, 37. Thus we see that no attempts can hurt the Church, inasmuch as God taketh the wise in their craftiness, and scattereth the devices of the wicked, 
job 5.13.  as he turned the wisdom of Ahithophel into foolishness.  
The Reasons of this Doctrine serving for confirmation of us, are direct & evident. For Reason first, it is God that watcheth over his to deliver and to preserve them from all the dangers that go over their heads. We shall not need to fear having so good a keeper, & being assured of right good keeping. He will always protect us by his great power and infinite goodness. This the Prophet handleth at large, Psal. 121, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. So Moses declaring the cause that balaam's curses & conjurations did not prevail, but were turned into a blessing, saith, It was because the Lord loved his people, Deut. 23, 5. No policies can prevail where there is such a keeper, who being on our side, what skilleth it who be set against us?  
Reason 2 Secondly, he hath appointed the Angels also to guard and defend them, to pitch their Tents round about them, to be ministering spirits sent out for their good, which always behold the face of their Father which is in heaven. God is the chief watchman whom nothing can escape; the Angels are second watchmen under God, whom God hath deputed to that office to serve the necessities of the Church. This the Prophet David that sweet singer of Israel setteth down, Psal. 91, 10, 11, 12. Where the prophet proveth, that no cross or calamity shall come near them or their dwellings to hurt them, because not only God himself will care for their defence, but appoint the holy Angels as his heavenly messengers to preserve them. Not that the help of God is not sufficient, or that we should put our trust in their help, but to teach us for our comfort, that we have God and all the host of heaven, as an army ready mustered & marshaled to succour and sustain us in all our dangers.  
Now it remaineth to consider what Uses Use 1 may be made of this Doctrine. First, we must confess to our singular comfort, that great is the power and goodness of God, which can never fail or forsake those that are his. No counsel, or wisdom, or policy, can escape his knowledge, or encounter with his power: we see this notably in this example before our eyes. This false Prophet Balaam was an enemy of God and of his people, he had set both his heart to covet, and his tongue to say; all his purpose was to curse the people, he leaveth nothing unattempted to compass and contrive his enterprise, yet we see all is vanity and cometh in the end to nothing. Great therefore is the power and might of God. We heard in verse 19 that he was constrained to say, That God is not like to mortal men, & therefore we ought to be ashamed to call the truth or power of God into question, wherein there is neither want nor weakness. All the power that is in men and Angels, is nothing to the infinite power of God. Let us therefore acknowledge and confess this might and majesty of God: let us in all our dangers and calamities reverence it, and rest in it. Let us not measure it by ordinary means, but know that he is able to work as well without means, and against means as by means. The faith of Abraham is commended by the Apostle, Ro. 4, 18. Heb. 11, That above hope he believed under hope, and that God was able of the ashes of Isaac offered up in sacrifice, to raise him again to life.  

〈◊〉 2.  Secondly, we may in assurance of his favour conclude the blessedness of the people of God, and their happy estate and condition: yea, we may truly say with the Psalmist, Psal. 144, 15. Blessed are the people that are so, yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. None are harder assaulted, none are better protected. Their confusion is sought, but they stand in the strength of God. This is a great blessing, to be shaken, and yet to abide firm in storms and tempests. Happy are they that have so vigilant a watchman as the Lord is. That City is safe, that kingdom is sure, that house is quieted, that soul is secured, that hath such a keeper. What City upon the earth (saving the City of our God) hath such a watchman as neither slumbereth nor sleepeth? But the Church which is Gods commonwealth, hath a governor and guardian, which is all an eye to see their dangers, all an ear to hear the counsels, & all an heart to understand the devices of their enemies, and all an hand and strong arm to scatter them, and to defeat them. This happiness we heard before, verse 10, how Balaam praised and desired. He confesseth aloud that the death of the jews was more to be desired than the life of all other men, because GOD held them for his people. Though he were a wretched idolater, and sought to turn the truth of God into falsehood, yet standing as it were upon the rack, he was enforced to utter this speech, as if he had said, Who is it that can do any thing against Israel, seeing they remain in the favour of their God? Let us learn to magnify the Lord for his mercy, and walk worthy of this our happiness, which the men of this world do want. They have no protection from God, but lie open and naked unto dangers of soul and body, and have to defend them, not so much as a poor fig leaf.  
Thirdly, let us seek to be at peace with God, and labour to be reconciled unto him. If God be against us, what creature dare stand up for us to help and comfort us; nay what creature shall not fight against us to destroy and confound us? For the subject (though never so noble & honourable) that hath the King against him, shall find few others to secure him, or show him any countenance, as we see in the book of Ester; 
Ester 7, 9  so soon as the wrath of the King began to be kindled against Haman, by and by they covered his face, and helped forward his execution. So if we sin against God the King of Kings, and provoke him to wrath, who shall dare to plead for us? On the other side, if God be on our side, who shall be against us, or what creature shall hinder our peace? This the Prophet Hosea declareth, as a benefit belonging to the Church, Hos. 2, 18. In which words the Lord promiseth that he will so watch over his Church by his providence, that they shall have rest and security from all dangers of enemies, and be delivered from the rage of beasts, and the violence of men. But how (will some say) can this be? Objection. Seeing the ungodly that have God their enemy, yet have the world and the men of the world smile & laugh upon them, and the godly who have God their friend, yet have the world for their enemy? I answer, Answ. This seemeth to be so to those that judge of things after the flesh & according to the outward appearing; but if we will judge righteous judgement, and behold them with the eye of Faith, we shall find it to be otherwise; whether we respect the end, or the inward feeling of the soul and Conscience. Touching the end and issue of things, if we wait with patience but a while, and look with a single heart upon the event, we shall see that the ungodly (who have God set against them) have all things to work their destruction, and to further their condemnation; not only their troubles, but even the most holy ordinances of God, the exercise of prayer, the hearing of the word, the partaking of the Sacraments. The things are in themselves, and their own nature the savour of life to life, 2 Cor. 2, 16: but to them they become the savour of death to death. Contrariwise, the godly who have God reconciled to them in jesus Christ, have all things to further & to finish the salvation of their souls, and to seal up their eternal peace, Rom. 8, 28: inasmuch as all accidents that befall them, tend to bring them to glory and immortality, and work for the best unto them that love God, even unto them that are called of his purpose: not only prayers and praises, not only the Word and Sacraments, which are as the life of their souls and the breath of their nostrils, but all crosses, calamities, and afflictions, are sanctified for their good and happiness. Secondly, in respect of the inward feeling of the soul and conscience. For the ungodly, who feel the wrath of God for their sins, as it were the flashings of hell fire, do find rest and refuge in nothing, but account all the creatures for their enemies, and always stand in fear of them as of God's host and army, set in battle array against them, and as of his instruments to bring them to destruction. The heavens are prepared at the commandment of God to be as brass, as in the days of famine, to punish them, 1 Kings 17, 1. the clouds to pour down showers of rain upon them, as upon the old world, Gen. 7, 11: the waters ready to drown them, as the host of Sisera, judg. 5, 12: the fire to consume them, as it did Sodom and the other Cities of the plain, Gen. 19, 24: the air to poison and infect them, as in the time of pestilence, Ezek. 5, 12: the earth open to swallow them, as it did Dathan and his followers, Numb. 16, 32, the Bears to devour them, as they did the two and forty ungracious children that mocked the Prophet, 2 King. 2, 42: the Lions to destroy them, as they did the Idolatrous Samaritans, 2 King. 17, 25: Fiery serpents to sting them, as they did the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness, Num. 21.6: the basest and meanest creatures are armed with power and will to bid battle against them; Flies and Frogs to annoy them. as they did the Egyptians, Exod. 8, 6.24: & Lice to eat them, as they did Herod a bloody persecutor of the Church, Acts 12, 23. Thus do the ungodly fear all the creatures of God, & cannot be secured from any one of them. An example whereof we have in Cain, who wandered up and down in the earth, and feared that every creature that found him would kill him, Gen. 4, 14. And no marvel, for the wicked flieth when no man pursueth him, Prou. 28, 1. But the godly, who feel God's favour and mercy toward them, and have him for their friend, do find by blessed experience all God's creatures, as it were his soldiers, to stand for them, and therefore do not stand in fear of them, but can say with a feeling faith, Rom 8, 38. I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ jesus our Lord. For when the ways of a man please God, he will make even their enemies at peace with them, Prou. 16, 7. All this appeareth in the example of Adam, as in a glass: before he fell into sin, Gen. 3, 8. he walked in the garden without fear, he talked and communed with God without fear; all things were subject to him that was subject unto God. But when he had nearkened to the old serpent, and disobeyed the commandment of God, the whole course of Nature was turned, he hide himself from the presence of God, and feared the creatures which before he ruled. To conclude therefore, seeing it is God who is the cause of our peace, let us rest upon his providence and protection, and seek earnestly reconciliation with God, that we may have the inward peace of a good conscience, which howsoever the world may strive to disturb and hinder, yet cannot take away from us: as our Saviour Christ promiseth, john 16. verse 33, In me ye shall have peace, in the world ye shall have affliction. And again, john 14, 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you. So that in regard of this spiritual peace of the faithful, consisting partly in our peace with God, which is the Fountain, and partly in our peace of conscience, which is the fruit, 
Psal. 25,  our souls are assured to dwell at ease; in the midst of all troubles we shall be comforted, and by his providence and protection be secured, howsoever our bodies be tossed and turmoiled. For this spiritual peace not only may stand, but is evermore joined with crosses and persecutions.  
[Verse 24. Behold, the people shall rise up as a Lion, and lift up himself as a young Lion: he shall not lie down till he eat of the prey, etc.] In these words, the estate of the Church is described after sundry conflicts in this life. It hath many enemies that for a time rise up against it, but in the end the Church shall rouse up itself and arise as a Lion, who will not couch till he have taken and eaten his prey. This shallbe the strength of the people of God in subduing and overcoming all their enemies. This was begun by Moses, prosecuted by joshua, continued by David, and fulfilled by Christ, Who ruleth in the midst of his enemies, and shall bring all things in subjection under his feet. 
Doctrine. 〈◊〉 Church 〈◊〉 in the ●●●●e vic●●er all ●●●es.  Psal. 110, 1, 2. From hence we learn, That the Church in the end shall have victory over all enemies that set themselves against it. They dash themselves against the Rock that shall break them in pieces: for howsoever they oppose themselves against the good estate thereof, they do but kick against the goad, as stiffnecked & hardhearted beasts, that have not learned to bear the yoke of God, nor to acquaint themselves with the ways of godliness. God will show himself most powerful in overthrowing and discomfiting the enemies of the Church. This evidently appeareth by the history of the Church in Egypt, in Babylon, as also in the books of Exodus and Ester. The Prophet David declareth, 
〈◊〉 14, and 〈◊〉 8.  that notwithstanding the rage of Gods and his enemies, He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision, yea he shall crush them with a sceptre of Iron, and break them in pieces like a Potter's vessel, Psal. 2, 4, 9 This Christ our Saviour teacheth his Disciples, when he sent them forth to work miracles, and to preach the Gospel of the kingdom to be at hand; he prepareth them for the Cross, he foretelleth them what they should look for, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves: but beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the Counsels, they will scourge you in their Synagogues, they will bring you before Rulers, they will betray you to your enemies, and ye shall be hated of all men for my sake; but he that endureth to the end, shall be saved. Matth. 10, 16, 17, 22.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are evident. For first, the Lord jesus is the King of his Church, he hath the keys of hell and death, He openeth and no man shutteth he shutteth and no man openeth, revel. 1, 18. john 10, 28. He is the Shepherd of his sheep; his sheep hear his voice, he knoweth them, they follow him, he giveth unto them eternal life, so that they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand. He is the head of the Church, and quickeneth all the members of his body, by whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins, Col. 1, 18. Seeing therefore Christ jesus is the King of his Church, the Shepherd of his sheep, the Head of his body, we cannot doubt but he will defend his Church, save his sheep, & keep safe and sound the members of his body, that none shall be able to destroy them, or to take them out of his hand.  
Reason 2 Secondly, our weakness is not hidden from the Lord, he knoweth whereof we are made, he remembreth that we are but dust; yea a wind that passeth and cometh not again Therefore the Apostle saith, that God is faithful, which will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but will even give the issue with the tentation, that we may be made able to bear it, 1 Cor. 10, 13. So the Prophet teacheth, that the rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness, Psal. 125, 3● declaring that the Lord appoints his for a time to be afflicted, yet in the end they shall be delivered, and the wicked shall not be suffered in their oppressions.  
The uses are now to be handled. First, Use 1 this teacheth for our instruction, that the Church hath always enemies in this world, against which it must continually strive and fight. There is no victory before the battle, there is no conquest before the fight. We are all soldiers and warriors in this life, to fight the battles of God, we must not dream of living ever in rest and pleasure. Humility and misery must go before honour and glory: the cross cometh before the crown; we must wrestle before we can have the garland; 
1 cor. 9, 24, 25.  we must run before we can obtain the goal; we must strive before we can have the mastery; we must labour before we can receive the fruits; we must fight before we can win the victory. This is it which the Apostle showeth unto us, 2 Tim. 2, 5, 6, 11, 12. Thus it was with Christ, first he suffered adversity, and then he entered into glory: first he endured the Cross, and despised the shame, and then he was set at the right hand of the Throne of God. Luke 24, 26. Hebr. 12, 2. This is the way, let us walk in it. He is a foolish husbandman that will look to reap before he have sowed. The Disciple must not look to be above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. We must through manifold tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven: and all that will live godly in Christ jesus, must suffer persecutions. This is our lot & portion, this is the cup which is prepared for us to drink of: we must prepare strength and courage, we must get us faith and patience, that we may be able to hold out unto the end.  
Secondly, this is a singular comfort to all Use 2 the children of God, and able to season and sweeten the bitterness of the Cross, & make us to undergo it with joy and gladness. Whensoever therefore we shall be hated for the Gospel's sake, and suffer persecution at the hands of our enemies, let us comfort ourselves with these meditations. First, afflictions shall not separate us from God, howsoever for the present they seem not joyous but grievous, yet afterward they bring the quiet fruit of righteousness unto them which are thereby exercised, Heb. 12, 11. This the Apostle teacheth That neither tribulation, nor anguish, neither persecution, nor famine, neither peril nor sword, shall separate us from the love of Christ, Rom. 8, 35. Secondly, the afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shall be revealed unto us, Rom. 8, 1●: which neither the eye hath seen, nor the ear heard nor the hart of man conceived. True it is, our afflictions are oftentimes great, but the reward is greater: our troubles are of great continuance, & of long durance, but the glory to come is with out end, when we shall be crowned and clothed with immortality, 2 Cor. 4, 17, 18. Our persecutions are many, but the joys laid up for the faithful are infinite, & not to be numbered.  
Thirdly, all our crosses which we bear and sustain, shall have an happy event, and a glorious end, for such as hold out to the end shall be saved, Mat. 10, 22, 32, 39 Whosoever shall confess Christ before men, him he will acknowledge before his Father which is in heaven; and whosoever shall lose his life for his sake and the Gospels, shall be sure to find it, inasmuch as he hath committed it to a faith full keeper, who is able to keep that which he hath committed unto him against that day. 
2 Tim. 1, 12.   
Fourthly, we must consider, that the same calamities, nay far greater, have happened to Christ himself and his Apostles; to the Prophets and holy men of God, remembered unto us in the Scriptures. Now the servant must not look for a better condition than the Master, Mat. 10, 24, 25, nor the disciple then his Lord; nor the household, than the Housholder: nay, we must nor dream of a better estate than our fellow-servants have had before us.  
Fiftly, the enemies in their greatest rage, snarling like Dogs, hurting like Serpents, biting like Cockatrices, devouring like Lions, bloody like Wolves, subtle as Foxes, raging as wild Boars, as unreasonable as Beasts; yet can proceed no farther than to kill the body, they cannot destroy the soul; 
Math 10, 28.  nay, they can exercise no power over the body, except it be given them from above, seeing the providence of God so overswayeth all things, that not an hair falleth from our head, nor a sparrow to the ground, without the will of our heavenvly Father. These are great comforts that arise unto us in our troubles, wherewith we should be wholly possessed, that we murmur not against God. On the other side this doctrine serveth to set down the woeful condition of the persecutors and enemies of the Church; they may prosper and prevail for a time, but in the end they shall not escape; 
Math. 10, 33, 38, 39  for the church and the members of the Church must have the upper hand, when all their adversaries shall be shamefully confounded. This we see notably set before us in the book of Daniel; he had many and mighty adversaries that plotted his death, and sought his ruin, incensed the King against him, and caused him to be cast into the lions den. But what was the issue of these things? Surely he was delivered & they were destroyed: For by the commandment of the King these men which had accused Daniel, were brought and cast to the Lions, they, their children, & their wives; and the Lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones apieces, or ever they came at the ground of the den, Dan. 6, 24. This is it which Solomon teacheth, Prou. 11, 5, 8. Look upon the examples of Pharaoh, of Sancherib, of Haman, of Herod, and sundry others; in all which we see, that the wicked shall be a ransom for the just, and the transgressor for the righteous, Prou. 21, 18. This serveth to terrify all ungodly men, & to teach them not to set themselves against the godly, that are more righteous than themselves.  
Thirdly, here is matter given unto us of Use 3 praise and glory to be given unto God, for the safety and deliverance of his people. It is the work of his right hand, and therefore the glory also must be his. Our help cannot come by our own strength, nor we overcome by our own policy; when we have searched and examined all that is in us, we shall find it to come short of working our deliverance. It is God only that hath done it, and therefore we must yield him the honour of all the victories that he giveth us against our enemies. When a man hath done us any wrong, or put us to some trouble, and we be delivered from it; we must assure ourselves, that it is God that hath given us the upper hand, to the end our mouths should always be opened to give him thanks and we by our whole life should acknowledge how much we are bound and indebted unto him. This is it which Moses pointeth us unto, ●eut. 32, 43, when he willeth the jews and Genetiles to praise God's Name, For he will avenge the blood of his servants, and yield vengeance to his adversaries, but he will be favourable to his Land, and be merciful unto his own people.  
Lastly, as Balaam here declareth that the Use 4 Church hath sure and certain hope of victory, and shall rise up as a Lion in defiance of all their enemies; so th' s shall especially appear in respect of spiritual enemies, which fight against our souls. This victory shall be finished and fully accomplished in Christ, who as the victorious Lion of the Tribe of judah, with his foot of brass shall stamp down, and trample under his feet by little and little the enemies of our peace and salvation. This is it which the Apostle assureth the Saints of God, Rom. chap. 16, verse 20. The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly. This is a sweet and singular promise, which should be as the Anchor of our souls both sure & steadfast wherein it is unpossible that God should lie; that we might have strong consolation, which have our refuge to lay hold upon that hope that is here set before our eyes. True it is, the devil doth always renew the battle against the servants of God, he doth sift and winnow them as Wheat, and as it were bruise their heel; but his head is broken. Gen. chap. 3 vers. 15, he hath received his deadly wound, and he shall not prevail over them: for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ jesus. Indeed God is able to foil him and destroy him at once, and to give us a full and final conquest over all the powers of darkness in a moment, if it pleased him: but lest we should be puffed up in pride, and forget ourselves, lest we should leave calling upon the Name of almighty GOD, and the sorrowing and sighing for our own weakness; lest we should be besotted with self-love, & fall asleep in security, the Lord will work by little and little, he will proceed as it were by li●●● and level, he will root out our spiritual enemies by degrees. Let us not therefore look to be freed wholly from temptations, but know, that it is profitable for us to be exercised under them: And let us be sober and watch, seeing our adversary the devil, as a roaring Lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom if we resist steadfast in the faith, he will fly from us, 1 Pet. 5, 8, 9 jam. 4, 7. Let us put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against all the assaults of the devil. And let us remember, that he is resisted and driven away, not by any superstitious crossing of ourselves (which is no armour of proof) but by faith, & by prayer proceeding from faith, which are of great force and effect.   

25 Then Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse nor bless them at all.  
26 But Balaam answered, and said unto Balak; Told I not thee, saying; All that the Lord speaketh, that must I do?  
27 Again, Balak said unto Balaam, Come I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place, if so be it will please that God, that thou mayest thence curse them for my sake.  
28 So Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward the wilderness.  
29 Then Balaam said unto Balak, Make me here seven Altars, and prepare me here seven Bullocks, and seven Rams.  
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a Bullock and a Ram on every Altar.  
Thus much touching the prophesy itself: now followeth the last part; to wit, the issue and effect thereof, both in Balak and in Balaam. For here we see the King chafing, the Sorcerer excusing; he commanding, and the King obeying. First of all, when Balak perceived that he was deceived of his hope and expectation, his wrath is kindled, and he chargeth the hireling, that if he will not curse the people as he appointed, yet he should not bless them as he had enterprised. For the wicked had rather have the truth of God smothered & buried in silence, than themselves offended and disappointed. The mercenary Prophet excuseth himself that he was unjustly accused, having foreshowed, that it was not at his choice to hold his peace, or to speak what he would, but was constrained by a superior power to open his mouth, and to utter that which was delivered unto him. After this answer, the king taketh him up into another place (to Peor,) in which Mountain their Idol had a Temple, hoping that at the last, the God of Israel would change his mind, and grant his request. Behold the perverseness of unbelievers, who albeit they be crossed in their evil intentions & inventions, yet they proceed in their purposes, and between void hope, and vain fear, hold on their courses in the blindness of their hearts. Therefore Balaam seeking to keep his credit, and entertaining the King in an expectation of better success to come, reneweth his former practice, commanding seven Altars to be builded, and seven Bullocks and Rams to be prepared; to whom the credulous King obeyeth, and suffereth himself to be deluded, by the devilish sorceries and idolatrous sacrifices of that false Prophet.  
These particular points have been before considered, and the principal Doctrines arising from hence likewise opened. 
jerom lib. 2. apolo. adverse. Ruffin.  For hereby we see the rage and fury of the enemies to be unsatiable, and unappeasable, albeit their might be not answerable to their malice, nor their power so great, as their desire to hurt; they are like the sea that never resteth, but casteth up mire and gravel. No malice or cruelty can be comparable to the malice and cruelty of a natural man, undertaken for religion, or rather against religion and the truth of God. The father in this case hath not spared the son, 
Math. 10, 35.  the brother hath betrayed the brother to death, a man's enemies have been they of his own house, and they have been as wolves one to another.  
Again, we see how evil men, albeit they be crossed in their attempts, yet will not give over, but return to their former sins, As the dog to his own vomit. So deceitful a bait is sin, ensnaring the conscience, that hardly they return that are holden in the chains thereof, having satan at their elbow to tempt them, and their own corruptions within them to help them forward. Notwithstanding, it shall not be amiss for us to observe the points laid before our eyes; one in the person of Balaam, the other in respect of Balak, the third in respect of them both.  
[Verse 26. Balaam answered and said unto Balak. Told I not thee, saying; All that the Lord speaketh, that must I do?] We have oftentimes noted before, that the words which Balaam delivered, he spoke, as moved and inspired by the Spirit of God; his prophecies are not mingled with his own dreams and devices, as dross with pure gold, as chaff with clean wheat, or as sawdust with wholesome meat: these came not from the will of man, nor proceeded from any private motion and interpretation: he was guided and directed by the holy Ghost, and therefore he saith in this place; All that the Lord speaketh, that must I do: and in the chapter following, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot pass the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind: what the Lord shall command, that same will I speak, Numb. 24, 13. So then he declareth, that in uttering & pronouncing these prophecies, he was limited and restrained, & his tongue tied up to that which God should put in his mouth. 
Numb. 22, 38.  He was not left at liberty to speak at random what he would, he must speak only that which the LORD would have him.  

Doctrine. It belongs to the Ministers to deliver God's word only and wholly.  From hence we learn, that it is a duty belonging to all the Ministers whom God hath separated and called to that Office, to deliver the will of God fully & perfectly as they have received it of God, without adding to it, or detracting from it. True it is, the Ministers of the Gospel have now no extraordinary revelations or immediate inspirations, God doth not appear or reveal his word unto them, either by dreams in the night, or by visions in the day, neither do they hear his voice from heaven: but they have the will of God revealed, and the Lord speaking unto them in his word. This word they must teach, & nothing but this word, and all that is revealed for our salvation in this word. A witness that is brought in to give evidence between man and man, in any hard matter that riseth in judgement between blood and blood, 
Cicer. Epist. famil. lib. 5.  between Plea & Plea, is sworn to speak the truth, and all the truth, and nothing but the truth. So should it be with all Pastors and Teachers, which are as the Lords witnesses, they must deal fully and faithfully, they must boldly speak that which God in his word hath revealed, & publish unto his people all that which he hath delivered unto them. This is it which the Lord spoke to jeremy, hanging back when God called him, excusing when God separated him, refusing when God had chosen him; Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, shalt thou speak, jer. 1, 7. 1 Kings 22, 14. Likewise when our Saviour sent out his Apostles into the world, he charged them with this as a part of their commission; Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, Math. 28, 20. And the Apostle speaking of the Supper of the Lord, saith: I received of the Lord that which I also have delivered unto you, 1 Cor. 11, 23. And afterward confirming the faith in the Corinthians, in the article of the resurrection, he saith; First of all I delivered unto you that which I received, how that Christ died for our sins, and rose again according to the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 15, 3. Thus doth the Apostle clear himself, being falsely charged by the jews; I obtained help of God, and continue unto this day, witnessing unto small and great, saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come, Acts 26, 22. Yea, this was the usual manner of all the Prophets preaching unto the people, to come unto them in the Name of God: Hear ye the word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord.  
Reason 1 The Reasons for confirmation hereof, follow to be marked of us. First, this appeareth from the sundry titles as names of their Office that are given unto them in the Scriptures, to put them in mind of the duties of their callings. They are called Workmen, because they should do the Lords business, 
2 Tim. 2, 15.  and finish the work whereunto he hath called and ordained them. They are called Builders, because they should build upon the foundation. 
Psal. 118, ●  The foundation is precious, even jesus Christ, who is pure and perfect gold; and they must build upon it, gold, silver, and precious stones; not hay, not stubble, not timber, lest they suffer loss when the fiery trial shall come. Thus the Apostle speaketh, 1 Cor. 3, 12. According to the grace of God given to me, as a skilful Master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon: but let every one take heed how he buildeth upon it. Sometimes they are called Pastors & Shepherds, 
Eph. 4, 11. jer. 3, 15.  because they should make the Sheep of Christ to rest in green pasture, and lead them by the still waters. Sometimes they are called Messengers, because they are, 
Mal 2, 7. 2 Cor. 5, 20  or should be God's mouth and messengers unto the people, and in stead of God himself to them. Should not the Ambassador deliver the message, and all the message of his Lord and Master? Dare he chop and change, dare he add or alter, dare he invent & devise any thing of his own? No, he will not departed or decline from his commission, but faithfully dischargeth the trust reposed in him. The Ministers are the messengers of God, and Ambassadors of Christ, and therefore it is required of them, that they be found faithful in the execution of their office. Hence it is, that the Prophet saith; The Priest's lips should preserve knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth: for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts. So the Apostle speaketh; Now than we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you through us, we pray you in Christ's stead that ye be reconciled to God. All which Titles, do tie up the Minister of God to deliver only the message of God, and do not leave him at liberty to teach what he list.  
Secondly, to the end the faith of the hearers Reason 2 may be certain, stayed upon the power of God, not upon the wisdom of men, which is but a broken Reed, a weak Pillar, and a rotten foundation to bear them up. This is the reason that the Apostle Paul useth, 1 Cor. 2, after he had showed, that he spoke unto them the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hid wisdom which God had determined before the world unto our glory, he giveth this reason; That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God, 1 Cor. 2, 5, 7. God would not have his people left in uncertainties, nor fed with chaff, nor carried about with every wind and weather of doctrine, but builded upon a sure Rock, & stand upon a certain foundation. But there is no sound feeding for the soul, but by the word, which is the power of God to salvation; all other food is as dust and dravery. All the fine devices of the wit, delivered in the persuasive words of man's wisdom, that tickle the outward ears, and delight carnal men, savouring wholly of the flesh, and not of the Spirit, are no better than husks, fit to feed swine, then to nourish the sons and daughters of God ●o eternal life. The word of God is a sharp two edged sword: 
〈◊〉 1, 16. 〈◊〉, 4, 1●.  the word of man is as a leaden knife, or a wooden dagger, which may: well threaten, but cannot strike, or if it strike, it cannot enter. The word of God is a consuming fire, jer. 5, 14, and 23, 29, like to God the author of it, able to inflame men's hearts with a love of God when it is believed: the word of man is as a painted fire, which carrieth a show, but hath no substance or strength, either to waste the stubble, or to refine and purify silver or gold. The word of God is the Lords Fan to winnow the people, Math. 3, 12, separating the bastardly brood of Abraham from the true sons, venting the hypocrites from the believers, and scattering with the powerful blast thereof, the reprobates from the elect: all other ways & means that are used, are too weak & feeble to work this separation of the chaff from the wheat. And therefore all such as are the Lords Fanners, that would publish their doctrine, not to please the ear, but to open the door of the conscience, must use no other instrument then this word of God which hath this force and effect.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, God will destroy those that do not deal faithfully with his people. Such as either hide the truth, or withhold it in unrighteousness, such as conceal or corrupt the word to please men, undergo the curse of God, and bring upon themselves the heavy wrath of God. This appeareth in that charge which the Lord gave to the Prophet jeremy, chap. 1, 17. Thus the Lord dealeth also with the Prophet Ezekiel, chap. 3.18, and 33, 6. So the Apostle saith, A necessity is laid upon me, and woe unto me, if I preach not the Gospel, 1 Cor. 9, 16.  
Use 1 The uses of this doctrine are now to be handled. First of all, it followeth that they must know the Scriptures, they must not be young Plants, Idol Shepherds, blind guides, dumb dogs, sleepy watchmen, unsavoury salt, which is good for nothing but for the dunghill, if for the dunghill, Luk. 14, 35. Mat. 5, 13. It is a shame for a guide not to know the way for a Seer to be blind, for a Messenger to be dumb. So then, all Teachers should make conscience to furnish themselves as wise Scribes and good Stewards, with profitable & competent knowledge, spending their days in getting the understanding of the Scriptures that they may minister a word in due season, and be able to feed their fellow-servants with wholesome food, leading them to the fountains of life. So then the knowledge of the word of God, and the gift of interpretation cannot be separated from the function & calling of the Minister, and God doth disclaim and disavow such as are without knowledge, that they shall be none of his Pastors & Teachers. Thus he speaketh by the Prophet Hosea, chap. 4, 6. Because thou hast refused knowledge, I will also refuse thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me. Who would not marvel, if a Prince should appoint a Messenger or Ambassador to go to a people, which had no legs to go, no tongue to speak, no language or reason to deliver his message? Who then can be so absurd, as to think that the wise God, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, would appoint any to be as his mouth, and the Messenger of his will, which cannot teach and deliver his will? Who is it that hath an house to build, that will choose such Carpenters and Masons as have no skill to lay a stone, or to hue their timber, or to handle their Tools? Who will retain or entertain a Shepherd to keep his sheep, an husbandman to till his ground, a Captain to lead his army, a Steward to provide for his family, a labourer to do his work, that is altogether ignorant, and hath no knowledge to do these things? Now God is more prudent and provident then mortal man, and therefore he will reject and refuse all such as are not able to discharge the Office committed unto them through ignorance. God requireth knowledge in all the people, much more in such as take upon them to be the Teachers of the people, which should not only have knowledge themselves, but teach knowledge to others, that they do not perish for want of knowledge. The Spirit of God mentioneth this to be one of the chiefest causes that religion perished among the ten Tribes, and that Idolatry was erected and continued among them, even until they were carried away to perpetual captivity, in that jeroboam made of the lowest and rudest of the people, 
1 King. 13, 31, and 13.33.  Priests of the high places; who would, might consecrate himself to that calling. The condition of the jews was never more dangerous and desperate, and nearer to destruction and desolation, then when they had blind watchmen, and such Priests set over them as had no knowledge; which made the Prophet Esay call for all the beasts of the field to devour them, and all the beasts of the Forest to eat them up, giving this as the reason, For their watchmen are all blind, and have no knowledge, Esay 56, 9, 10. Hence it is, that the Prophet Malachi teacheth, That the Priests lips should preserve knowledge, & the people seek the Law at their mouth, for they are the Messengers of the Lord of hosts, Mal. 2, 7. This therefore showeth and condemneth the gross and grievous sin of many amongst us, that occupy the places of Pastors, and cannot feed; that run before they were sent, take upon them to be lights, and yet are darkness. These can have no comfort in their calling, because they were never designed or called of God to this place: For whomsoever he calleth to any function, he enableth in some measure to discharge the duty which he hath required of them. They endanger their own souls, & the souls of many other, for when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch, 
Greg. hom 11. in Ezekiel.  and one saith truly, that we murder the souls of such as we see run the way of destruction, when we are careless and hold our peace.  
Use 2 Secondly, it behoveth all the Ministers of the word of God, to make conscience to deliver the truth, and all the truth unto the people, howsoever it be taken, according to the example of the Apostles: Peter and john answered unto them, and said; Whether it be right in the sight of God, to obey you rather than God, judge ye: for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard, Acts 4, 19, 20. And Paul exhorting the Elders and Overseers of the Church of Ephesus, setteth before their eyes his own practice, that he had kept back nothing that was profitable, but had showed them all things necessary to salvation: I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have concealed nothing, but have revealed unto you all the counsel of God, Acts 20, 20, 26, 27. If we be careful and conscionable in doing this duty faithfully to God and his people, we shall reap and receive more sound comfort thereby, then by the powerful effect of our Ministry. True it is, all painful Teachers esteem nothing more, nor so much, as of the people whom they have gained to God and godliness, accounting them their joy, & their crown, 
1. Th. 2, 19 20.  and their glory; and yet we may reap more true comfort and consolation by discharging our duties carefully, then by saving souls, and by turning many to righteousness, if we could win whole kingdoms to God. For we may save others from death, and convert a sinner from going astray out of his way, and yet after this, ourselves become reprobates; we may be the sweet savour of life to life to others, and not ourselves too God. Thus was it with many Priests of lose & licentions life under the Law. Thus it was with judas, who wrought miracles, preached the Gospel, and converted souls as well as the rest of the Apostles, yet was the son of perdition. And thus no doubt it was with the Scribes and pharisees that sat in Moses chair, and taught the people what they should observe and do; like unto those workmen that builded the Ark for others, but were drowned themselves. Let us then labour after the especial comfort, consisting in the delivery of the whole will of God, that though our hearers perish, and go unto destruction, yet we may find peace and comfort to our own hearts. This was it which the Apostle rested in; he preached Christ, not only as a Saviour to them that believe, but as a judge of them that contemn him: he saith; We are unto God the sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved & in them which perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other, the savour of life unto life: for we are not as many, which make merchandise of the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ, 2 Cor. 2, 15, 16, 17. Thus doth the Prophet Esay prophesy concerning Christ, bringing him in, on the one side complaining of the contempt of his preaching, and on the other side comforting himself, that his work was approved of God: I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in vain, and for nothing, but my judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God, Esay 49, 4. If we be found faithful, we shall be partakers of this comfort; blessed shall that servant be, whom his master when he cometh, shall find so doing. So then, this duty serveth to comfort such as have taught the word of God, not only truly, but wholly and only, so that they are able to appeal to the consciences of their hearers, to witness with their sincerity. Thus did the Apostle Paul in many places. In the 20. chap. of the Acts, vers. 18, 26, he saith, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you; wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. Where he maketh them witnesses of his diligence in preaching, and of the discharge of his duty in his calling, and therefore they could not deny it. Thus he speaketh in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. 3, v. 1, 2 The like manner of speaking & dealing hath been used by the Prophets and Apostles, as appeareth in sundry places; yea, by Christ jesus himself. Samuel cleareth himself before the people, Behold, here I am: bear record of me before the Lord, and before his Anointed, 1. Sam. 12, 3. So Christ speaketh, Which of you can accuse me, and rebuke me of sin? john 8, 46. This is a great and singular comfort to all the Ministers, that in truth shall be able to avouch to their people this their diligence & uprightness, and to say in the face of the Congregation, Ye know that I have done my duty, I take you to record, that I have admonished you, I have blown the Trumpet, and taught you the way of salvation. This is expedient and necessary for the Minister to utter of himself, both in respect of the godly and ungodly: of the godly, that their souls gained to the faith might clear him, and God have the glory. Of the wicked his adversaries, that they might be left without excuse, that their mouths might be stopped, & they have nothing justly to lay against him. But contrariwise, when the people have been ignorant, and without instruction through the want of performance of this duty, this should be as great a grief and anguish of spirit, and bring as great trouble of conscience to consider his negligence and want of love to their souls that were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ,  
Thirdly, this serveth to confute and convince Use sundry errors, and to correct sundry evil practices and corrupt abuses. First, it meeteth with many errors and heresies of the church of Rome, which maintaineth the sour leaven of false doctrine, and poisons the truth of God with their own inventions. And seeing the Minister is to set down but the truth of God, we must learn to detest apocryphal additions, and their human traditions, both which are a derogation to the sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures. For touching the Apocryphal Books, which they have lifted up into the chair of estate, and given them equal power and pre-eminence with the Canonical Scriptures, they are but base & counterfeit coin and no part of the Church's treasure; they have dross mingled with them, & are not pure and perfect metal. They were not indited by the Spirit of God, nor penned by the Prophets, 
〈◊〉. 3, 16. Pet. 1, 19  the Lords Secretaries, as the Scriptures were, which have God for their author, and the holy Prophets for their Penmen. Again, they were never committed of trust to the jews, nor received of them into the Ark, as not only the fathers, but the adversaries themselves confess and acknowledge: but the ancient Church of the jews received and approved all the Canonical Book, Rom. 3, 2. God did commend them to their care & committed them to their custody; for this was one chief privilege of the jews, that they were credited with the Oracles of God. And howsoever they showed their ignorance in false interpretations, yet they discovered no unfaithfulness in wilful corruptions, additions, alterations, or manglings of any Books; for than they should have been charged with this, 
●●h. 5, 21.  as well as with the other. Lastly, they contain sundry things that disagree from the true Scriptures of God, & likewise from themselves, as might be declared and demonstrated by many particulars. Seeing therefore these books called Apocrypha, were neither penned by the Prophets, nor delivered to the church of the Israelites, neither are free from divers contradictions; we conclude, that the Church of Rome hath no warrant to equal them with the holy Scriptures, & make them of like credit and authority with the Scriptures. Again, 
〈…〉. Sesse. 4  they offend in teaching human traditions, in making a word unwritten, equal with the word written, and holding the Scriptures to be unperfect, maimed, lame, not containing all things necessary to faith and salvation, not fully enabling the Minister to discharge his Calling. But the holy Scriptures are perfect, absolute, and all-sufficient to teach the truth, to convince errors, 
〈◊〉 3, 16, 17.  to correct vices, and to instruct in righteousness; yea, to make the man of God perfect, and thoroughly instructed in every good work, and are of strength, ability, and sufficiency, to make him wise to salvation. Lastly, they are accursed that add any thing, that take away any thing from that which is written, Deut. 4, 2. Prou. 30, 6. revel. 22, 18. and therefore no such unwritten verities are to be taught or preached to the people, as the matter of our Sermons or the instrument of our faith, or the means of our salvation. Moreover it serveth to redress and amend sundry corrupt practices too common and familiar among the Ministers of the Gospel: Some in stead of building upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles (Christ jesus being the chief Cornerstone) do feed men with fancies & fond devices, without godly edifying, and teach their own dreams and fables. Let the Prophet that hath a dream, tell a dream, and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully: what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? jer. 23, 28. And the Apostle chargeth Timothy to stay profane and vain babblings, for they shall increase unto more ungodliness, 2. Tim. 2, 16. Many there are that corrupt the word to please men, and to establish their own errors. We cannot content ourselves with the ancient faith, but loath the heavenly Manna, and wax wanton against Christ. He is not esteemed that preacheth the plain truth plainly in the evidence of the Spirit. He is most magnified and made of, that can bring in some strange matter against the common received faith, and we live in this respect in most dangerous times and perilous seasons, as ever were heretofore. Others shut up their mouths and either through fear dare not, or through flattery and filthy lucre, will not reprove sin. These are men-pleasers, and time-servers, not remembering what the Apostle saith, Galat. 1, 10. Preach I man's doctrine, or Gods? Or go I about to please men? For if I should yet please men, I were not the servant of Christ. The Ministers of the Gospel must not sow cushions under men's elbows, 
Ezek. 13.11. Mich. 2, 11.  nor prophesy to the people of wine and strong drink, they must not apply or fashion their doctrine to the humours and affections of men, as if the word were a crooked line, or a leaden rule, or a shipman's hose; but keep a good conscience. Hence it is, that the Lord chargeth jeremy to take away the precious from the vile, and to do according to his word; Let them return unto thee, but return not thou unto them. A father will not always feed the fancy, nor follow the disposition of his son that is sick; but will sometimes cross his mind, and restrain his desire, jer. 15, 19, and 6, 14. So must the Ministers of God, which are the fathers of our souls deal with such as are sick of sin, not sooth them up with sweet words, nor daub with untempered Mortar, but give them that precious balm that shall not break their head, Psal. 141, 5. Thus dealt Eliah with Ahab, Amos with Amaziah, john Baptist with Herod, though it cost him his head. And thus should all the true Ministers of God do, without pride or ambition, without fear or flattery seek the glory of God, not the praise of men: and howsoever the people hate him that rebuketh in the gate, Amos, chap. 5, verse 10, and abhor him that speaketh uprightly, yet they should set God before their eyes, 
2 Tim. 2, 15.  and consider they have to deal with him. Lastly, they must not preach part of the word only, and leave another part untaught, but lay before them the whole will of God. Some preach nothing but the law: some teach nothing but the Gospel, & both sorts are greatly deceived, if they look for any great increase by their labours. The Law must prepare and make the way, the Gospel must follow after. The Law casteth down, the Gospel comforteth and raiseth up. The Law revealeth the knowledge of sin, the Gospel revealeth the remission of sin. Both these means are to be set on work, and applied wisely and discreetly to our hearers. Such as are secure and cold in the profession of the Gospel, such as through presumption or ignorance see not their own sins, give them the Law, and apply unto them the threatenings of the same. Such as see and feel their sins, and are cast down by a deep apprehension of God's heavy judgements, minister unto them a plaster of the Gospel made of the precious blood of Christ, that looking upon him as it were upon the brazen Serpent, 
Numb. 21.6  they may presently be cured and recovered of the sting of sin, and the wound of conscience. Both these are two necessary means that God hath left, the one without the other, hurteth more than healeth. The Law without the Gospel driveth the poor distressed soul upon the rock of desperation: the Gospel without the Law, puffeth up and advanceth proud flesh unto presumption; and therefore the spiritual Physicians and Surgeons are so to temper them, as that the Church may have the profitable and necessary help of both.  
Use 4 Lastly, it serveth to direct the hearers in the right art of hearing: they must submit themselves to God's ordinance, and be ready to know and hear all the will of God. We must not have itching ears, which are not able to suffer wholesome doctrine, some as the Athenians delighting in new things, and in hearing fables; others not abiding to be reproved. Therefore the Prophet Micha saith, Are not my words good to him that walketh uprightly? Mich. 2, 7. The cause why the word to many men is unpleasant and unsavoury, is because they delight in evil, and desire to continue in sin, growing to so gross a contempt, as to command the Prophets not to Prophesy; or to prescribe unto them, what they shall Prophesy, or would limit them to their own liking, to serve their own affections and filthy lusts. Many would follow john the Baptist, till he required repentance. They would hear Christ, until he spoke of taking up the cross. Herod heard john willingly, 
Mark 6, 20.  and practised many things but when once he came nearer to him, & taught that it was not lawful to keep his brother's wife, he enjoined him silence, and clapped him up in prison. The jews seemed for a time attentively to hear the defence of Paul; 
Acts 22, 22.  but when he touched his Apostleship to the Gentiles which they crossed & gainesayed, Luke testifies, they heard him unto this word, but then they lift up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not meet that he should live. Thus it fareth with many hearers in our days. The drunkard delighteth to hear the Minister preach against oppression and covetousness: this pleaseth his humour, this his stomach brooketh well enough. These men hear the word by parts & parcels, they give care till their secret ●●●●es be reproved, and sit quietly till their sores be rubbed; and when once they are touched, they begin to kick & spurn with their heels against the word, and the Ministers of it. But we must hear all that is taught us, and not certain clauses or cantiles only, we must hear constantly, continually, and universally, as well the things that mislike us, and go against us, as those things that please and content us: as well the judgements of God thundered out against us in the Law, as the sweet promises pronounced and offered in the Gospel: as well the laying open of our own sins, as the publishing of the sins of other men. This kind of hearing the Lord commendeth in his people, after the delivery of the Law, Deut. chapter 5, verses 28.29. They have well said, all that they have spoken; they were ready to hear all, and do all that Moses should speak unto them. But if we fall to stint the Spirit, and teach the Lord to speak, prescribing the Minister what he shall say, and restraining our hearing what we will hear, we shall never hear fruitfully, we shall never practise conscionably what we have heard. Thus much concerning the protestation of Balaam.  
Verse 27. Balak said unto Balaam, Come I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place, if so be it will please that God etc.] here is offered to our considerations, the profession of Balaam. He pretendeth Religion, and the help of God, and professeth to do all things in the Name of the true God, & yet was void of all Religion and sincere dealing, and doth all things by the working of the devil, abusing the glorious and fearful Name of God, to malicious & mischievous purposes. 
Doctrine Many profess God that seru● the diue●●  Hereby we learn, that many in the world profess piety and godliness in the tongue, that have none in the heart. They profess GOD outwardly, but serve the devil inwardly. This appeareth in the jews, who albeit they would not hear the preaching of the Prophets, rebuking them in the Name of the Lord, yet had oftentimes in their mouths, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, this is the Temple of the Lord, jer. 7, 4. Thus the Prophet Esay reproveth them in his time, This people come near unto me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me was taught by the precept of men, Esay, chap. 29, 13. So, many that were professors and teachers of the truth, (as Christ testifieth) yea, workers of miracles, and crying unto him, Lord, Lord, yet shall not be acknowledged of him as belonging to him. The Samaritans called and accounted themselves the true worshippers, 
john 4, 2  and pretended the tradition of their fathers, and hated the jews as false worshippers, yet themselves worshipped they knew not what. All heretics will boast, they teach God's truth; all hypocrites will say, they embrace the faith: all carnal and lose professors will challenge sincerity: all Papists will cry out, they are the Church, the successors of the Apostles, and the true Catholics, yet are no true Church but in show; no true Catholics but in name; no true successors of the Apostles, but in place. In the days of Christ the jews gloried that they were the seed of Abraham, john 8, 44, the sons of the Covenant, the heirs of promise: they pleaded they were the first borne of God, yet he proveth to their faces, that they were the very limbs of the devil. And the Church of Smyrna had such among them as vaunted they were jews, revel. 2, 9 that is, the people of GOD, but were in truth the Synagogue of Satan. All which examples, conclude the certainty of the former doctrine, and verify the saying of Solomon, Prou. 30. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness.  
The truth hereof will farther and more Reason 1 fully appear unto us, if we enter into the consideration of the causes and reasons of it. The first is pride & self-love, which so overcome their hearts, and blind their eyes, that they cannot see their own wickedness and wretchedness, which are so hud-winked with palpable ignorance of God, as that they cannot judge of themselves and their own misery, as they should. We see the conjunction of these in the King of Moab and his Chaplain the false Prophet, that albeit they pretend the holy Name of God, yet through love of themselves on the one side, and ignorance of God on the other, they cannot see that their whole proceeding, is an utter renouncing of God. This reason the Prophet David pointeth unto, when he saith; The wicked hath made boast of his own hearts desire, and the covetous blesseth himself though he contemneth the Lord: for the wicked is so proud, that he seeketh not for God; he is in prosperity, God spareth him in mercy, and he imagineth presently that he is just and holy, pleasing God, Psal. 10, 3, 4.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the heart of man is many times deceitful. He can speak with his tongue that which he meaneth not in his heart, nor hath any sense or feeling of in his own soul, but beguileth with lying lips and a double tongue. Many are under their profession hypocrites, and have hypocritical & hollow hearts, speaking that which they did not mind. For the nature of an hypocrite is to appear outwardly like a painted Tomb, 
〈◊〉. 8.  as if there were nothing in him but singleness and simplicity of heart, and until his corruption break out as filthy matter out of a sore (which assuredly it will do at some time or other, seeing there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, Luke 12, 2.) there is none more conformable than he, in the outward exercises of the Word, Prayer, and the Sacraments. They draw near with their lips, they listen with their ears, they stretch forth their hands: thus they prepare and make ready their mouths to pray, their ears to hear, their hands to receive. This appeareth in the proud Pharisee, Luke, chapter 18 verses 11, 12. He came into the Temple to pray, he thanked God for his blessings, he fasted twice in the week, he gave tithe of all that he possessed: yet he worshipped God in vain, and departed to his house without profit or comfort.  
Now let us handle the uses of this doctrine. Use 1 First, we learn hereby for our instruction, that outward profession is not enough to assure us of our salvation, or to fit us to God's kingdom: for the devil might go as far as the best of those that rest in the show of godliness, who can turn and transform himself into an Angel of light, 2 Corinth. 11, verse 14. A wolf may put on a sheeps skin; yea, the Parrot and Ape can imitate: and therefore trust not to thy fair shows and external appearance, if thou proceed no further. It is not sufficient for thee to be baptised, to be made partaker of the word of God, of the Table of the Lord, and such privileges of the Church; this is to trust in lying words that shall not profit, jer. chap. 7, verse 4. The case and condition of many professors, is no better than of the heathen Infidels, as of the Turks and Saracens, I mean of such as content themselves with the bare name or profession of Christianity, and therein satisfy themselves; nay, it is a great deal worse, as our Saviour teacheth, Math. chapter 11, verses 21, 22 23. that Corazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum shall be punished more severely than tire and Sidon, than Sodom and Gomorrha. What comfort in the things of this life can any man take to bear the name of land, and another to have the state; to have the title, and another the interest: to have the empty shadow, and another the propriety and possession? Who would content himself with a bare show of riches, of honours, of health, of profit, and to want the things themselves? We see how all men hate couzeners and deceitful persons that seek to deceive and beguile their brethren: but much more odious and abominable is it, to go about to delude the LORD, and to make show of loving him, when indeed we hate him. Saul pretended great zeal & forwardness in fulfilling the Commandment of the LORD, 1 Samuel, chapter 15, verse 13. but the kingdom was rend from him for his hypocrisy. For there can be no greater dishonour done to God, then to seek to please him with painted worship, as if he were a child that is delighted with Babies or Rattles, or would be pleased with toys and trifles; which is blasphemy once to think of the eternal Majesty, who beholdeth the secrets of the heart.  
Secondly, seeing in outward behaviour many Use 2 set goodly colours upon their actions, and pretend great sincerity when the heart is empty, it is very behoveful for us to know them by their fruits, and to observe the notes and marks of hypocrisy, whereby in the closest and cunningest carriage, it is bewrayed & disclosed. True it is, some by continual practice are grown to hide the hollowness of their hearts so deep, that it is hardly discovered: yet such is the judgement of God against them, that he layeth them open one way or other, at one time or other, in one place or other, in one company or other, upon one occasion or other, and so pulleth off the vizard of hypoctisie from their faces; and in the mean season leaveth us divers marks to discern them, and to trace them out as by certain footsteps: first of all, their cheeefest care is to seek the pomp and glory of the world, to be highly esteemed of others, and never regard the glory of God, or what he esteem of them. This appeareth in Saul, who being reproved of Samuel for his sin, 1 Sam. 15, 30, thought more of upholding his own estate, then of turning to God by true repentance, and therefore saith unto him, Honour me I pray thee, before the Elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me. This also appeareth in the pharisees, who could not believe because they received honour one of another, 
john 5, 44.  and sought not the honour of God alone. Secondly, hypocrites are sharp-sighted, and have Eagles eyes to observe the behaviour and look into the lives of other men, but are blind in regarding, and backward in reforming their own, as we see in the Pharisee, Luk. 18.11. He thanked God that be was just and holy, not as the Publican. Hereunto cometh the reproof of Christ, Mat. 7, 3, 4, 5. Why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, and perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how sayest thou to thy brother, Suffer me to cast out the mote out of thine eye, and behold a beam is in thine own eye; Hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, etc. Let us learn to begin with ourselves, and to end with others: first, to look to our own ways, and when we feel how hard it is to subdue the strength of sin in ourselves, and to overmaster our own corruptions, we shall be more charitable, 
jam. 3, 1, 2.  and less severe to others. Thirdly, they are more curious in the observation of the ancient traditions of men, of customs of forefathers, and of devices of their own, then of the holy Statutes and Commandments of almighty God. Behold the practice of the pharisees in this point, as they are painted out unto us in the Gospel, as the Evangelist showeth, Mat. 15, where the pharisees are said to come unto Christ, and to demand of him, why his Disciples transgressed the tradition of the Elders, and to complain against them, when they saw them eat meat with unwashen hands: 
Mark 7, 3.4  for the pharisees and all the jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the Elders: and when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not; and many other things there be, which they have taken upon them to observe, as the washing of cups and pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds. They do not charge the Disciples with breaking the laws of God, (which might be justly returned upon themselves) but with transgressing the ordinances of men, and making them necessary to the worship of God, and therefore are taxed as hypocrites. Let us take heed we do not please ourselves in vain superstition or worship of God, fond devised by ourselves, and in blind zeal, which is not according to knowledge. Fourthly, they are precise in trifles, and lose in weighty affairs, they stumble at a straw, and leap over a block, they strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel, they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. This is the cause that Christ denounceth such woes against the pharisees, Math. 23, 23, because they did tithe Mint, Annis, and Cummin, and leave the weightier matters of the Law; as judgement, Mercy, & Fidelity: these ought ye to have done, & not to have left the other undone. Thus they snared men's consciences, and entangled their own about small things, and slender trifles, but neglected the greatest things, and loosed the reins in things that were simply evil, & provoked the wrath of God. They thought it a great sin to heal the sick on the Sabbath day, to pull and rub ears of Corn on that day to drive away hunger, to converse with Publicans and sinners. They made great scruple of conscience, to put the silver pieces into the treasury, which judas brought back, and cast down at their feet, because it was the price of blood, Mat. 27, 6: but their hearts never smote them, neither counted they it unlawful to hire a traitor to betray his Master, and to shed innocent blood. So at the time of the passion of Christ, their tender consciences suffered them not to enter into the common Hall, lest they should be defiled, 
john 18  but that they might eat the Passeover: but they were not afraid to oppress the Son of God with slanders, lies, and false witnesses, and to crucify the Lord of glory. Such is the holiness and religion of the Church of Rome standing in outward observations, Touch not, taste not, eat not, which are after the doctrines and commandments of men, which have indeed a show of holiness, but are things of no value. Let us not cleave to such vanities, nor advance our own inventions, but make the Law of God a light to our feet, and a lantern unto our steps. Lastly, they do all things to be seen of men, seeking the praise and applause of the world, and hunting after vainglory; which have received all their reward, they can look for no other at the hands of almighty God. This property Christ observeth to be in hypocrites, Math. chap. 6, verses 2, 5, 16, and 23, 3. They blow a Trumpet before their alms, they stand and pray in the open streets, they disfigure their faces when they fast, and all these ceremonies and circumstances are used, that they may be seen and praised of men. But we must in all our works look unto God, and know that his eye is upon us, who seethe us in all places, and will reward us openly. To conclude, we are all to take knowledge of these fruits and effects of hypocrisy, that we be not overtaken with it: and on the other side, let us first seek the glory of God, reform our own ways, prefer the statutes of God, observe the weighty things of the Law, and content ourselves to be seen of God, that so we may have praise not of men, but of God.  
Thirdly, it teacheth us what to think of Use 3 conjuring, sorcery, & enchantment. Sorcerers and Witches will seem to do all things in the name of God, they use many good words, they have the Name of God, and of jesus Christ, continually in their mouths, & would be thought to work wholly by the divine power of almighty God, whereby they shamefully take his Name in vain, and notoriously deceive such as resort and repair unto them: and therefore we see how God maintained his own glory, and revenged the abuse done unto his holy Name in the Acts, chap. 19, 13, 16. by the example of those which took upon them to conjure and cast out devils in the Name of God, and to name over them which had evil spirits, the Name of the Lord jesus, saying, We adjure you by jesus, whom Paul preacheth; for the man in whom the evil spirit was, ran upon them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Neither let any object and say, there is no sin in seeking to them, seeing they use good words, whereof followeth a good effect, to wit, recovery of health, and restoring of the sick. For herein lieth the deep subtlety of Satan, undermining craftily to hide his purpose. He knoweth that if he were known, and his hand seen in it, all men would abhor and abjure him. Therefore he useth to assail men disguised, 
1 Cor. 11, 14  & changeth himself into an Angel of light, that we may be the sooner deceived, and he the better received. Now he can find no fit colour them to make show of the Name of God, which is horribly abused and profaned, even by such as are accounted cunning men, and cunning women. These, the more they use the Name of God, the more wicked they are: and therefore albeit they speak of God, and Christ his Son, & teach such as come unto them, to use good words, to wear some part of john's Gospel, & to do all in the Name of Christ, yet they are the instruments of the devil, profaners of the Scriptures, abusers of holy things, and takers of the Name of God in vain, whom God will never hold guiltless, Exod. 20, 7. The devils are not driven out with good words he is with stood with the shield of faith, Eph. 6.16, where the Scriptures are not hanged about the neck, but written in the heart by the Spirit of God, and the soul thoroughly armed with the power of them, as with a spiritual sword that is able to wound the enemy.  
Lastly, we learn from hence to join to Use 4 our outward profession, true sanctification, & inward holiness of conversation. True profession bringeth with it true godliness. For all such as have this honour given unto them to be the people of God, and his precious inheritance, must be an holy people to God, as Moses teacheth: Thou hast set up the Lord this day to be thy God, and the Lord hath set thee up this day to be a precious people unto him, that thou shouldst keep all his Commandments, & to make thee high above all Nations, in praise, in name, & in glory, etc. Deut. 26, 17, 18, 18, 19 Let us not content ourselves to have GOD in our mouths, but labour to be sincere, and first of all begin to look to our hearts. He that looketh to have good fruit of his Trees, looketh to the roots. He that would have clear waters in the channels, looketh to the Fountains. So if we would cleanse our ways in God's sight, this is the right order to be observed, to begin first to cleanse the heart. This Christ teacheth the pharisees, being proud hypocrites, Ye make clean the utter side of the Cup, and of the Platter, but within they are full of bribery and excess: thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the Cup and Platter, that the outside of them may be clean also, Math. 23, 25, 26. This duty must of every one of us be practised: First, give unto God the heart, that made it, & be careful to begin the work of repentance there, & take heed of all hypocrisy, 
Luke 12, 1.  which may deceive others, and will deceive ourselves, but cannot deceive God. Counterfeit holiness is double ungodliness, both because it is ungodliness, 
Aug in Psal. 63  and also a counterfeiting which God abhorreth. Oh hypocrite (saith one) if it be a good thing to be good indeed, 
Chrys in Math. hom. 7.  what reason hast thou to appear to be that which thou wilt not be? And if it be an evil thing to be evil indeed, why wilt thou be that which thou wouldst not seem to be? If it be a good thing to appear good, it is better to be so indeed: and if it be evil to appear to be evil, it is worse to be evil indeed. Wherefore, either appear as thou art, in truth, or be in truth as thou appearest. For what shall it profit thee to seem to all others a very Saint, and to be to thyself, nay, to thy God, a devil? It is much more to thy profit and comfort to be that indeed to thyself, 
Senec. epist. 78.  which thou wouldst seem to be to others. A wicked man counterfeiting godliness, is most ungodly: the deeper his hypocrisy is, the greater is his iniquity and impiety.  
[Verse 28. So Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward the Wilderness: Then Balaam said, etc.] Hitherto of two Doctrines, arising partly from the person of Balaam, and partly from the person of Balak. One more remaineth to be considered in the shutting up of this Chapter, from the practice of them both. In all this business we have seen more their policy, than their power: and how they have behaved themselves cunningly and craftily to bring their purpose to pass. Hitherto cometh Balaks sending from far, and hiring of a sorcerer to curse the people. Hitherto cometh balaam's consenting and coming for lucre, and love of money: & the sacrifices that both of them did offer. 
Doctrine. The wicked are wise in their kind to bring their wicked purposes to pass  Hereby we learn, That the children of this world are wise in their generation, omitting no manner of means to bring their purposes to pass. We may observe by continual experience, the nature of ungodly men; they are subtle and cunning in their kind, they watch their ways and times to fit them, to work out their wicked devices and inventions. Balak knew well enough he was not able to meet the Israelites in the open field, and to put his cause to the trial of a battle, and therefore dealeth otherwise. This is it which Stephen in his Apology noteth, Acts 7, 19 There arose another King which knew not joseph; the same dealt subtly with our kindred, and evilly entreated our fathers, and made them to cast out their young children that they should not remain alive. Thus did Laban deal toward jacob, Gen. 31, 1, 2, 41, changing his mind, revoking his bargains, altering his wages, murmuring at his prosperity, and changing his countenance toward him. This is noted also in the Parable recorded, Luk. 16, 8, where it is said, that the Master praised and commended his unjust Steward, because he had done wisely, For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. This we see by many examples. 
2 Sam. 16, 23.  Ahithophels' counsel was esteemed like as one had asked counsel at the Oracle of God, so were all his counsels both with David and with Absalon. The like we see in Herod, when he heard of the birth of Christ, as of a new borne King, by the wise men; he pretendeth piety, but useth policy to destroy the Babe our Saviour, he calleth the wisemen secretly and privily, he willeth them to return what success they had, and pretended a good end that he might worship him, 
Math. 2, 7, 8.  whereas his meaning was to kill him. The same we might observe in the Scribes and pharisees after the ascension of Christ, they spared no means to hinder the course of the Gospel, Acts 3, and 4, and 5, but used sometimes fair means, sometimes threatenings, sometimes commandments to stop the mouths of the Apostles. All which Testimonies teach us that which the Prophet jeremy saith, ch. 4.22. of the people in his time agreeable to the truth of this doctrine, They are wise to do evil, but to do well they have no knowledge.  
Reason 1 The Reasons follow. First, they serve a cunning master, the author of all confusion, the contriver of all mischief, the worker of all wickedness, that old subtle serpent, who worketh in all the children of disobedience. Eph. 2, 2. They serve him as their master, they obey him as their father, they follow him as their captain, they honour him as their lord, they worship him as their god. For do ye not know, (saith the Apostle Paul) that to whomsoever ye give yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom. 6, 16. And as Peter testifieth, They promise unto others liberty, and are themselves the servants of corruption: for of whomsoever a man is overcome, even unto the same he is in bondage, 2 Pet. 2, 19  
Secondly, God giveth even to wicked men Reason 2 wisdom and understanding, 
Psal. 145, 9  to magnify his mercy, who is good to all, and to aggravate their sin, who are made thereby without excuse. Rom. 1, 20, 21. For he maketh his Sun to shine upon the evil and the good, he sendeth rain on the just and unjust. Now the greater his goodness is toward them, the heavier shall his judgement and their punishment be. To whom much is committed, of him much shall be required, and to whomsoever men do give much, the more of him will they ask, Luke 12, 48. What is it that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why dost thou not glorify him of whom thou hast received it? Thus we see, God giveth wisdom and sundry other gifts to the ungodly, both to show himself to be in his mercies unspeakable, and to leave them in their sins inexcusable.  
Thirdly, the enemies of God have knowledge, Reason 3 understanding, experience, foresight, & forecast; they are as wise as Serpents, as subtle as Foxes, as crafty as Crocodiles, to the end God may use them as his rods in correcting his Church, and in trying the faith of his people. So he proved the patience of the Israelites by Pharaoh & the Egyptians, 
Exod. 1, 10, 15, 22.  and by the cunning and crafty fetches, which they practised for their overthrow and destruction. So he tried David by wise Achitophel, through whose subtlety & suggestion, David was driven out of jerusalem, and to shift from place to place for the safeguard of life. So he tried joseph and Mary, by the dissimulation of Herod, by whom they were constrained to departed out of judea, and to fly into the Land of Egypt.  
The uses to be made of this Doctrine are Use 1 many. First, this should on the other side, teach us to deal wisely and warily with them, lest we be snared and circumvented by them. We are set as upon an hill, we are placed as upon a stage; if we profess Christ jesus, a small spot will be seen in our garment. It behoveth us therefore, to be wise as Serpents, and innocent as Doves, 
Math. 10. 1●  according to the counsel of our Saviour, to the end we may stop the mouths of gainsayers, and cut off occasions from them that seek occasions, that when they speak evil of us as of evil doers, they may be ashamed which slander our good conversation. It behoveth us therefore having to do with such adversaries as are their craftesmasters in their occupation, and have learned cunning in their profession, to deal not only lawfully, but wisely. Their wisdom is joined with wickedness, our wisdom must be seasoned and tempered with godliness. Their policy is iniquity, with us policy and innocency must accompany together, and kiss one another. Their wisdom is a circumventing by laying of snares; our wisdom must be to be circumspect in avoiding of snares. If we have this wariness mingled with true sincerity, having our spirits without guile, and all our actions without dissimulation, it is both lawful and expedient to set wisdom against wisdom, and policy against policy, and care against care, and understanding against understanding, that so through their subtlety, and our simplicity, we be not taken in their traps which they have laid for us. The men are mischievous, the times are dangerous, the snares and slights are pernicious: if we should not deal wisely and warily, we should lie open as a prey to the enemies, and should notwithstand imminent harms and hurts ready to fall upon us. Thus the servants of God have borne themselves in a lawful course with a wise hand. Rebecca understanding the hatred, and hearing of the purpose of Esau, Genes. 27, 41, 46, that when the days of mourning for his father should come, he would slay his brother, being desirous to preserve them both, but especially jacob, conveyeth him out of the danger; she goeth and allegeth that the daughters of Heth were a grief of mind, and a weariness of life unto her, and so sendeth him away from his father's house for a season. She pretendeth the cause to be, to take a wise at Padan Aram, but concealeth her principal purpose from her Husband, and dealeth not only lawfully, but wisely and politicly. The like we see in Paul, perceiving a dissension in the assembly, and a division in judgement amongst his accusers, consisting of two parts; one of the pharisees that held the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body; the other of the Saducees, which denied the one and the other: he took the occasion and opportunity by his calling, and cried out in the Council, Men and Brethren, 
〈◊〉 3, 6, 7, 8  I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, I am accused of the hope and resurrection of the dead; whereby he set a rent among them, and by that means the knot was broken, and so their malice was abated. A lawful cause, and a wise course, bring a blessing with them upon those that delight to follow them. A good cause, well and wisely handled, shall find a comfortable issue in the end. This we shall attain unto, if we make the word of God our Counsellors, Ps. 119, 24, 98, 99, 100 The Prophet found by experience, that by his commandments he was made more wise than his enemies, more learned than his teachers, more skilful than the ancient. For whosoever doth submit himself to God's word, shall not only be safe against the practices of his enemies, but also learn him more wisdom than the masters and professors of it.  
Secondly, it is our duty to pray unto God Use 2 to be delivered from them, and trust in him for his help. For unless our help be in the name of the Lord, which hath made heaven and earth, they will go beyond us and overreach us. They deal warily and circumspectly, they work by all means lawful and unlawful, just and unjust: let it be our wisdom therefore to trust in the wise God, and to beg this grace at his hands, as the Apostle james teacheth, chap. 1, 5, We must never look to live in peace, or that the world should be reconciled unto us: never marvel as if some strange thing did befall us, when the enemies set their wits on work to devise some mischief: our refuge must be in God in the time of trouble. It is our help to crave this help. This was the hope of David when mighty bulls closed him, and the roaring Lions gaped upon him, he desired God not to be far from him, because trouble was near, for there was none to help him, Be not far off, O Lord, my strength, hasten to help me: deliver my soul from the sword, my desolate soul from the power of the Dog, Psal. 22, 11, 12. So the Apostle craveth the prayers of the Church, 2 Thes. 3, 1, 2. So long as we make God our trust and refuge in our affliction, be our enemies never so cunning and wise, we shall not fall down under the burden, but stand upright through the power and wisdom of God, who shall catch the crafty in their own craft, destroy the wisdom of the wise, and cast away the understanding of the prudent, job 5, 12. Esay 29, 14 1 Cor. 1, 19 Thus David prayeth to the Lord 2 Sam. 15, 31. O Lord I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahitophel into foolishness. This the Lord heard, and brought his heavy judgement upon his counsel and person, for his counsel was crossed by another, he himself was hanged by his own hand. The like we see in Herod, in whom we may behold exceeding craftiness, joined with extreme sottishness, and his fury overcome by excessive foolishness. How easy a remedy had he at hand, either to have gone himself, seeing he supposed it to concern his crown and kingdom, or to have sent some of his Courtiers, under colour of accompanying the wise men, and so he could not have doubted to catch him in his claws. But the wise men go alone, Matth. 2, 8, 9 he neither detaineth them with him, nor sendeth any with them.  
Thus the Lord from time to time delivereth his Church from the paw of the Lion, from the tusk of the Boar, & from the horn of the Unicorn: and striketh all their enemies with the spirit of giddiness and astonishment, that they become foolish, and cannot see the way before them. He scattereth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot accomplish that which their hearts have enterprised. An excellent and sweet comfort to all the servants of God, not to fear the high reaches & deep devices of their enemies, seeing they serve that wise God which taketh the wise in their craftiness, and maketh the counsel of the wicked foolish.  
Use 3 Lastly, this serveth to reprove two sorts of men, that esteem not aright of this worldly wisdom of wicked men. For some are offended at their wisdom, because it is so great: others rest contented in it, because it is so excellent. This is the weakness and infirmity of the children of God, when they see the glory, prosperity, and wisdom of worldly men, that they are able to reach so far, and overreach by their policies many others, they are ready to account them the happiest men, to join with them, and to say, Certainly we have cleansed our hearts in vain, and washed our hands in innocency, Psal. 73, 13. For though they talk presumptuously, & set their mouth against heaven, yea and their tongue walketh through the earth; yet God hath set them in slippery places, and casteth them down into desolation. Look upon the wicked lives and wretched deaths of the great wise men of the world, that were deep wise men in their own eyes, and in the eyes of the world, but not in God, nor with the godly; and we shall see they have been suddenly destroyed, and horribly consumed. Look upon the example of Pharaoh, Saul, Ahithophel, Herod, Haman, & such like; and tell me whether thou wouldst have their fearful ends, for all their natural gifts, and exchange the wisdom of the Spirit for all their worldly wisdom. The true wisdom which is from above, 
james 3, 17.  is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, and without hypocrisy. Who then is a wise man indeed, and endued with knowledge? even such an one as showeth by good conversation his works in meekness of wisdom. As for the cunning heads of the world, and such as have nothing in them but human and profane wisdom, they may for a time have the applause and praise of men, but they and their policies shall come in the end to nothing. This wisdom descendeth not from above, james 3, 15, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. Hereupon the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 1, 20. Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness? If then God hath made it foolishness, let us not account it our happiness, nor those happy men that have nothing to commend them to God and men but that. If God will destroy it let not us think it can save those that trust in it.  
Secondly, we should not content ourselves to be worldly wise. This the Gentiles sought after and obtained. Let not us care so much for this learning, as to be heavenly wise, & to know Christ that we may have him living & dwelling in us. This the Apostle teacheth, Ro. 16, 19 where he saith, Your obedience is come abroad among all, I am glad therefore of you: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. here he requireth wisdom, but simple; & simplicity, but wisdom. Then he showeth wherein these must appear, and how we must be both the one and the other. We must not be wise to do evil, nor simple unto that which is good. But our wisdom must consist in following that which is good: our simplicity in eschewing evil. There is a wisdom of God, there is a wisdom of men, there is a wisdom of the devil. The first is heavenly, the second human, the third devilish. The end of the first is the salvation of the godly, the end of the second is the commendation of the world, the end of the third is the condemnation of hell. The first, is a spiritual gift of God, the second a natural gift of man, the third a wretched work of the devil. The heavenly wisdom which is from above, is holy: the devilish wisdom which is from hell below, is unholy: the human wisdom which is from the earth, is in itself, and of itself, indifferent, and partaketh of a mean nature neither holy nor unholy. The heavenly wisdom teacheth to know God, and is the beginning of godliness; the earthly wisdom standeth in human knowledge of natural things, and in understanding the things of this life; the devilish wisdom consisteth in Machavilian policies, and in desperate devices, 
Guic. hist. ●  to accomplish by right or wrong, by force or flattery, by life or death that which the corrupt heart intendeth, and hath contrived. This last kind we must always avoid, which was first taught by the devil, and practised by his disciples. The first day we begin to practise it, we begin to be the devils scholars. The further we go forward in it, the more we profit in the devils school. This was the profound wisdom of Ahab and jezabel, 1 Kings 12: when as they plotted to get the possession of Naboths vineyard. This is to be found in many fine wits in the world, that set them a work on wickedness, and abuse it, to the dishonour of God, to the hurt of their brethren, and to the destruction of their own souls. The human wisdom standeth in human things, in ordering matters belonging to the Commonwealth, and private families: whereunto belongeth the knowledge of Arts and Sciences. This differeth much from the former: that being always unlawful, the end being to accomplish some mischief by fraud and deceit, where the end of this is to delight & to profit. And yet this wisdom cannot be acceptable to God, 1 Cor. 3, 19, but is foolishness with him, unless it be seasoned and sanctified with the heavenly wisdom which is joined with the fear of God. The heavenly wisdom may stand with the earthly, and the earthly of itself may be joined with that which is devilish. But when the Spirit of God cometh, & putteth true heavenly wisdom into the heart, it rectifieth the human wisdom, and giveth it a pleasant taste that pleaseth God; it separateth and abolisheth all devilish wisdom, and suffereth it not to lurk and lodge with in us any longer. Let us all therefore seek to be wise in God, in his word, and in godliness: and then the natural gifts that God hath given us, shall be sanctified unto us.    

CHAP. XXIIII.  

1 WHen Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, than he went not as at certain times before to fetch Divinations, but set his face toward the wilderness.  
2 And Balaam lift up his eyes, and looked upon Israel, which dwelled according to their Tribes, and the Spirit of God came upon him.  
3 And he uttered his Parable, and said; Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes were opened, hath said.  
4 He hath said which heard the words of GOD, and saw the vision of the Almighty, 
1 Sam. 19, 24.  falling in a trance, and having his eyes uncovered.  
5 How goodly are thy Tents, O jacob! and thy Tabernacle, O Israel!  
6 As the valleys are they stretched forth, as Gardens by the river side, as the Aloe trees which the Lord hath planted, as the Cedars beside the waters. 
Cant. 4, 4.   
7 The water droppeth out of the Bucket, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his King shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.  
8 God brought him out of Egypt, his strength shall be as an Unicorn: he shall eat the nations his enemies, and bruise their bones, and shoot them through with his arrows.  
9 He coucheth and lieth down as a young Lion, and as Lion: Who shall stir him up? Blessed is be that blesseth thee: and cursed is he that curseth thee.  
IN the former Chapter we have heard and handled the two first prophecies of Balaam, wherein we see, how he hath blessed and not cursed the people of God. 
〈◊〉 pro●● of Ba●●●  Here Moses proceedeth to finish the rest of the history, wherein we are to consider two things: First, the residue of his prophecies remaining: secondly, the event of them all. The prophecies are of two sorts; first, special prophecies, concerning special and several people, to the 23. verse; Namely, the Israelites, the Moabites, and Edomites, the Amalekites and the Kenites: secondly, general prophecies belonging to all the nations bordering together, and inhabiting Assyria, judea, Palestina, and all Syria, which shall taste of the same misery of war, and be consumed with the violence of the same fire. The first point is touching the Israelites, in which prophetical history, we must consider (as we did before) three things: first, the preparation that is made unto it: secondly, the prophesy itself: thirdly, the effects and consequences thereof ensuing.  
Touching the preface and preparation unto the prophesy itself, it serveth to confirm the authority and truth of this prophesy. For albeit it were delivered by the mouth of a wicked man, who was convinced by the light of his own conscience, and by the testimony of God's Spirit, that he should not curse his people, yet he worketh and wrestleth against the will of God, as if he could cozen & deceive the most Highest. Therefore, he did not seek a solitary place (as he was wont) to work his witchcrafts, at which time he saw God met and prevented him; but turneth his countenance at a sudden, toward the desert of jordan, 
Chap. 22, 1.  where the Israelites sojourned and pitched their Tents, purposing presently to break out into a cursing of them, before the God of the Israelites should be aware of it, & supposing he would have put no prophesy in his mouth before he should go to fet his wicked and wont divinations. Thus he determined with himself to utter the wicked imaginations of his own heart, before God should work any impression in his mind, or reveal his counsel unto him. But God which catcheth the wise in their own craftiness, 1 Cor. 3, 19, 20, and knoweth that the thoughts of the most wily are vain, represseth his devilish purpose, and doth not only bridle his tongue, but inspireth him with his Spirit (being as it were changed into another man) that he should speak not his own devices, but the words of God. So then, God casting as it were his hand upon him, taketh hold on him, staying his intent, and stopping his course two ways: the one outward, the other inward. The outward means used of God to hinder him, was the beholding of the dwellings and lodgings of the Israelites, distinguished according to their Tribes. For when he saw with his eyes their goodly and comely order, whereby the presence of God amongst them was claerly manifested, and their faith in him was testified; every man encamping by his standard, and under the Ensign of his father's house, Numb. 2, 2. 
Numb. 2, 2.  he was upon that sight and situation of them, withholden from proceeding in his curses and execrations. The inward means was yet more forcible to stop the stream of the waters ready to overflow the people of God: for the Spirit of God came suddenly upon him, that whereas he determined to serve the devil and damned spirits, he is constrained against his will to serve the purpose and providence of God, & to speak what God would, not what himself wished & desired: Thus we see, that neither sathan nor his instruments can work any hurt to the salvation of the people of God, 
Rom. 16, 20.  but both they and all their endeavours come to nothing.  
Hitherto of the preparation: now we come to the prophecy which he uttereth by the Spirit of God. In this we are to consider, first the entrance into it, than the prophesy itself. In the entrance or beginning, to procure attention, and purchase credit to his words, he setteth down three things: first, the inscription and title of the prophecy, wherein is a description of himself by his name, and the name of his father. For albeit balaam's name be of no such weight and moment with us, that we should for the persons sake give credit to the prophesy, or respect more who speaketh, than what is spoken: yet this simple & plain dealing, professing his own name, and confessing himself the unworthy instrument of God, serveth to add some authority to the speech that followeth. Secondly, he styleth himself to be the man whose eyes were opened, whereby he teacheth that he would publish nothing of his own invention, but that only which he had received by divine inspiration. As if he should say, Though Balaam be by nature as blind as a beetle in the matters of God, and understand nothing of heavenly things, yet he hath received a spiritual and heavenly revelation of the Spirit from above, that of a blind man whose eyes through covetousness of money, and ignorance of God were closed up, he is become a seer to see for others, not for himself, nor his own salvation. Some read the sentence thus, that his eyes were shut up: but the other reading agreeth better to the circumstances of the text and the words following, as even Lyra himself confesseth, that he was enlightened of God to see with the eyes of his mind more clearly than he could do with his bodily eyes, 
Lyra in Numb. cap. 24.  inasmuch as the light of the mind is more plain and perspicuous than the light of the body. Thirdly, he confesseth he had heard the words of God. Thus he speaketh after the manner of the true Prophets, who were wont to begin their prophecies with prefixing the name of God, Thus saith the Lord, Hear ye the word of the Lord, to show, that they uttered not their own inventions, but the Oracles of God. Now, as balaam's sight (which is the sharpest & quickest sense) saw nothing before God opened his eyes, so he declareth he was dull and deaf of hearing, before God had opened his ears to hear, and delivered his word unto him. Lastly, he saith he had seen the vision of the Almighty, ravished in mind, but having his eyes uncovered: whereby he meaneth, that being as it were in an ecstasy, he was carried ●u● of himself. The like is noted touching Saul, ● Sam. ●9. he went to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went prophesying until he came thither. Hereby Balaam showeth two things; first, the author of the prophesy, to wit, the Almighty, ascribing all to God, challenging nothing to himself: secondly, the manner of his prophesy, which was in a vision. Ezek. 3, 14: Dan. 8, 27. and 10, 8, which far surpasseth the communication of Gods will by dream, albeit God be the author of both. Thus hath God oftentimes made himself known among the Infidels, both by visions and by dreams, as to Abimelech, Pharaoh Nebuchadnezar, and others, who may be said to have the holy spirit, but had not the spirit of holiness: for wheresoever he worketh he is holy; but he doth not always work holiness and sanctification which evermore accompany salvation. 
What a 〈◊〉 is, what a● the parts ends of it.  Now because it is said he fell into a trance, it shall not be amiss to show what a trance is, what are the parts and ends of it, being away and means which God hath used to reveal his will unto men. A trance is an extraordinary work of the Spirit of God upon the whole man, casting the body and senses into a deep sleep, & withdrawing the soul from the fellowship of the body to a fellowship with God, for the better enlightening thereof. It is I say an extraordinary work of the Spirit above the work of nature or constitution of the body, or strength of the imagination, whereby the whole man is for a time changed in body and mind; the body & the senses thereof both outward and inward, cast into a deep or dead sleep, & made senseless: the soul withdrawn or separated from the communion and fellowship of the body, to the fellowship of God, for the better enlightening thereof to understand the secrets & counsels of God. This is a trance, or to be ravished in the Spirit, which God used often to his Prophets. It standeth in two parts or actions: First, on the body which is cast into a deep sleep, when the senses are for the time bereaved of the present use of them. Secondly, on the mind: the which that it might be brought nearer to God, is withdrawn from all dealing and fellowship with the body, and enlightened to understand divine things, as Acts 10. Peter s●w the heaven opened, a vessel coming down, and a voice came unto him. The causes why it pleased GOD to reveal his will after this manner, are; First, that they should take nothing to themselves, but account all received from GOD. Secondly, that their bodies and souls being separate from all other dealings, might have a deeper impression of the things revealed, and thereby understand them, and keep them the better. Thus much touching the trance of Balaam, & the beginning of the prophesy.  
Now we come to the substance of the prophesy itself, the sum whereof is first propounded, then amplified, and lastly concluded. The proposition which is proved is described by a question, and by way of admiration, expressing the happiness of the Church: How goodly are thy tents, O jacob! and thy Tabernacles, O Israel! As if he should say: O how blessed and happy a people art thou, which now livest under these Tents, and dwellest in these habitations! And note here, that he doth not give a touch to their happiness, and then pass away suddenly from it: but he doubleth, and repeateth it, as if he meant to dwell long upon it. There is no part or parcel of God's word in vain. If we see not the use of some things, it is our weakness, & we must confess it not condemn the Scriptures. The Spirit of God forbiddeth vain babbling, Mat. 6, 7: and reproveth idle repetitions, and therefore never useth the same himself.  

Three causes 〈◊〉 using repe●●●ons.  The Reasons and occasions of repetitions are these three; First, for greater assurance, for God speaking twice doth as it were produce a double witness, and signifieth that it did not slip from him unawares, but is that which he meaneth to stand unto, and to ratify; so that albeit heaven and earth pass away, yet one jot or tittle of his word shall not pass away. Secondly, to testify the speedy accomplishment of that which he hath spoken, that it shall not be prolonged and delayed, but be swiftly performed, & shortly be executed. And these two causes are both touched by joseph in expounding the two dreams of Pharaoh, when he saith, The dream was doubled unto Pharaoh the second time, because the thing is established by God, and God hasteth to perform it, Genes. 41, 32.  
The third reason of using repetitions, is, to quicken those that are dull, and stir up those that are heavy hearted, that they should shake off all deadness & drowsiness of spirit. Once speaking passeth suddenly away, we cannot hear it: or if we hear it, we cannot remember it; or if we remember it, we are backward in practising of it. We have need to be often put in mind of the same thing, 
〈◊〉. 3, 1.  and for us it is a safe thing. 
〈◊〉 ●8, 23.  This is the cause that the Prophets of God so often use repetitions. So did Balaam before in the former Chapter, Numb. 23, 21. God seethe no iniquity in jacob, he seethe no transgression in Israel. These three causes have place in this repetition used in this place. For their happiness is certainly confirmed, speedily to be accomplished, and the enemies of the people of God are roused up diligently to consider thereof, and think with themselves, surely this is of great importance, seeing God offers it unto me again and again.  
This blessed estate and condition of the Church is set down, first comparatively, then simply, whereby the former similitudes are expounded and interpreted. The metaphors and similitudes are many in number, but tending to one and the same purpose: under the borrowed speeches of the tents of the shepherds, of stretching out of the valleys, watering of the gardens, planting of the Cedars, he understandeth the safety, largeness, increase, pleasantness, multitude, and strength of the Church, that shall surmount the glory of the Gentiles, and tread down the kingdom of Agag, that is, of the Amalekites, which at that time flourished in the world, and promised unto itself a perpetuity upon the earth; which prophesy was performed in the days of Saul and Samuel, of David & Solomon. 
1 Sam. 15, 3.  This appeareth plainly in the second branch, where the comparisons are explained, in which he showeth the author of their happiness to be God the giver of every good giving, and of every perfect gift; who, albeit they were a small people, and greatly oppressed, yet he brought them miraculously, out of the Land of Egypt, he shall be their protection & defence against their enemies, giving them the strength of the Unicorn, 
Numb. 23, 22.  assisting them in all their dangers, and subduing all their adversaries under them.  
This is the substance of the prophesy, the conclusion remaineth, consisting of two parts or members: the first, respecting the Israelites, the second respecting others, but uttered for the Israelites sake. Touching the Israelites he inferreth upon the premises, their peace, safety, and security, tranquillity, and quiet, dwelling without fear, expressed by comparison of a Lion, who eateth his prey without fearfulness of the passengers: so the jews overcoming all their enemies, shall have rest, & govern their Church and Commonwealth in peace, which came to pass so long as they did cleave to God with full purpose of heart, and worship him according to the precise rule of his word; for than no enemies (albeit never so many or so mighty) were able to prevail against them. Thus did the Patriarch jacob express the pre-eminence of judah, Gen. 49, 9 As a lions whelp shalt thou come up from the spoil my son: he shall lie down and couch as a Lion, and as a lioness, who shall stir him up? The second member belonging unto others is this, that they which bless thee shall be blessed, and such as curse thee shall be cursed. A notable commendation of the Church, & encouragement to persuade others to be of the church. As if he should say, So many as shall join themselves of other people to thee, and embrace the same holy Religion with thee (for it shall in the fullness of time come to pass, that God shall allure japheth to dwell in the tents of Shem. Gen. 9, 27) shall be partakers of the same blessings with thee which GOD shall pour out upon thee; but all such as separate themselves from thee, and show themselves not brethren, but strangers; not friends, but enemies; not neighbours, but aliens from thee, shall lie under the fearful curse and revenge of God. This is it which the Lord pronounced and promised long before to Abraham, Gen. 12, 2, 3. This power did Balak before falsely ascribe to Balaam.  
This is the drift of this division, and the order that the Spirit of God observeth therein. Touching the instructions that arise from hence, we have considered divers things before. We see how Balak and Balaam proceed in their devilish purposes, if God had suffeted them, and not crossed them. He revealed his will to Balaam, who spoke, moved by God's Spirit, and thereby declareth, that he speaketh not only to his own children, but sometimes teacheth wicked men to make them without excuse; and therefore he will not leave his own people destitute of instruction, that desire to fear his name. But of this we have spoken before, chap. 22, 9  
[Verse 2. Balaam lift up his eyes, & looked upon Israel, and the spirit of God came upon him.] Moses showing the prophesy that Balaam uttered, describeth it by the author thereof, the Spirit of God came upon him. In this part of the title he saith, That the things delivered in this prophesy (which were uttered for the Church's sake) were hid & kept secret before they were revealed and manifested by God. This prophesy containeth not a doctrine that is common or communicated by the light of nature to men, but a declaration of such secrets as God reserveth hid to himself in his own counsel, which no living creature could know otherwise, then as it pleaseth God to disclose it by a gracious participation of it. This teacheth us this truth, That the things of God can no man know, but by the Spirit of God. 
Doctrine. The things of God are unknown till he reveal them.  The mysteries of salvation, and doctrine of godliness are secret and unknown of men and Angels, before they be of God revealed. This our Saviour teacheth Peter, having made a confession of Christ, Blessed art thou Simon, the son of jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, Matth. 16, 17. And expounding the parable of the Sour to his disciples, he saith, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all things are done in Parables, Mark 4, 11. The Apostle teacheth, that the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And the same Apostle speaking of the gospel, Rom. 16, 25. Eph, 3, 9 calleth it, A mystery revealed, which was kept secret from the beginning of the world. So the Apostle john handling hidden visions, and teaching the Church the things that must come to pass hereafter, called that Book The Revelation of jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, revel. 1, 1.  
The truth of this appeareth, because they Reason 1 were hid in the treasury of God's wisdom, which is unsearchable, and not to be sounded by any creature, and therefore the Apostle calleth them, A secret hid in God, Ephe. 3, 9: so that the Apostles and holy Prophets of God, could deliver nothing of his counsel, before he had revealed it to them. So the Lord speaketh, Numb. 12, 6. Hear now my words, If there be a Prophet of the Lord among you, I willbe known unto him by a vision, and will speak unto him by dream. The calling of the Gentiles seemed strange to the very Apostles, before it was revealed to Peter. Who would ever have imagined that God would have redeemed man by such a wonderful means (the greatest wonder that ever came into the world) by giving his Son, and that unto the death, to ransom and redeem a church by his own blood? Acts 20. This no creature in heaven or earth, would ever have thought upon, if God had not revealed it by his word, and assured it by his Spirit.  
Secondly, this receiveth further strength Reason 2 for the confirmation of it, because the wisest and subtlest that were in the world, were herein overtaken and proved fools; for by all their wisdom (though never so great) they were not able to reach unto it, nor to look into any the least part of it. The Apostle speaking of the mystery of the Gospel revealed by his ministry, allegeth the prophesy of Esay, where the Lord threateneth to destroy the wisdom of the wise, and to cast away the understanding of the prudent: and after he saith, Where is the wise? hath not God made the wisdom of the world foolishness? 1 Cor, 1, 18, 19  
The Uses remain to be learned of us. First, Use 1 for knowledge we see, that the mystery of godliness revealed to the world by God in the Gospel, is a most worthy & glorious mystery, greatly to be admired and reverenced: unto us that are called it is the wisdom of God, and the power of God. So the Apostle saith, 
1 Cor. 1, 2●  Great is the mystery of godliness, which is, God manifested in the flesh, 1 Tim. 3, 16. It seemeth far otherwise to the foolish world, it appeareth to them a base and vile thing, as Paul complaineth in his time, We preach the Gospel, even Christ crucified, unto the jews a stumbling block, & unto the Grecians foolishness, 1 Cor. 1, 23. A stumbling block to the jews, because they dreaming of an earthly king of this world, to free them from the bondage of the Romans, and thinking they should be Lords of the earth, were offended at the low estate of Christ, coming in the shape of a servant: foolishness to the Grecians, because it seemed foolishness to the wise Philosophers among the heathen, to look for life from death, to believe in him that rose from the dead, and that such as are dead shall rise again. How many are there amongst ourselves, that are offended at the simplicity of the Gospel, that it is not accompanied with miracles, & that it is brought unto us in earthen vessels? These are they that esteem the Manna as light meat, and therefore loath it. But let them alone to loath this Manna, that loath faith, Christ, and heaven itself; yea, their own salvation.  
Secondly, for obedience, we must observe Use 2 that when these secret things be revealed unto us of God, we ought to endeavour to learn them, to understand them, to publish them & speak of them to others. Whensoever God hath a mouth to speak, we must have an ear to hear. Therefore Moses saith, Deut. 29, 29. Secret things belong unto the Lord, but the things revealed belong to us and our children to do them. So the Apostle Paul, when God had revealed Christ unto him, and ordained him a teacher unto the Gentiles, saith, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but showed to jews and Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy amendment of life, Acts 26, 19, 20. This serveth to reprove all such as refuse to look into these revealed things of God, but dwell in blindness and ignorance. Of this sort are the greatest number in our assemblies. They are wise enough to look into their own profit, but they care not for the wisdom that is of God. They are brought up in the church, but know not the Doctrine of the Church. They are always learning, but never come to the knowledge of the truth. He that setteth his son to school, will look he should learn somewhat, and not ever stand at one stay. We are trained up in the bosom of the Church, which is the Schoolehouse of Christ, we must therefore every day be profiting and going forward. God accepteth not of those that look backward, or stand at a stay; he will know them that seek more and more to know him.  
Thirdly, it is our duty to beg and crave at Use 3 Gods hands, the knowledge of his will, who openeth the eyes of the blind, and giveth understanding to those that seek it. We have a gracious promise to be heard, Mat. 7, 7. in the prayers and petitions that we make unto him. Hence it is, that the Prophet David, a man after Gods own heart, and endued with a singular portion of God's Spirit, craveth the enlightening of God's Spirit, and desireth still to be taught of him, Psal. 119, verses 18, 27, 31, 73.  
Thus doth the Apostle pray for the Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 17, 18, that God would give them the spirit of wisdom, and enlighten their minds to know what the hope is of his calling, and what the riches are of his glorious inheritance in the Saints. A notable direction for all of us, how to behave ourselves when we come into the house of God, and tread in his Courts; namely, not to rest upon our natural gifts, nor to trust in our mother-wits, which are too short and shallow to reach up to the height, and to sound the depth of the mysteries of God.  
How many are there in the world, of an high reach and of a deep conceit in the matters of the world, that attain to no measure of knowledge in the matters of God? Talk with them of the things of this life, they are able to discourse with great insight; many of God's children inferior to them, few equal with them, none can go beyond them. They can contrive and dispatch business of the world with great facility: you cannot speak to them of any thing of this nature, but by and by they apprehend it and conceive it. But enter communication with them of heavenly things, of the knowledge of God, of faith in Christ, of the salvation of their souls, they can conceive nothing, they are as blind as Beetles, they are simple and ignorant as little children, that know not the right hand from the left.  
This should offer to our wise & careful considerations, a double meditation. First, it serves to humble those that have these gifts of nature, and are wise in their own conceit, and to make them equal with those of the lower sort: seeing all their gifts which Nature hath adorned them withal, are not able to set them one foot forward toward the kingdom of heaven; nay being unsanctified, they are further off from salvation, than others of smaller gifts. This made the Apostle say, Let no man deceive himself: if any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him be a fool, that he may be wise: for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, and the Lord knoweth that the thoughts of the wise be vain, 1. Cor. 3, 18. Where he teacheth every one to be ready to deny himself, and his carnal wisdom, whose beginning is from the flesh, and whose end is death; to the end we may be truly wise in heavenly things pertaining unto everlasting life.  
Secondly, this serveth to comfort the children of God, that want the worldly wit of natural men, and are not able to dive so deep into earthly things as they: though they be simple in matters of this world, yet if GOD have given them a taste of the glory of the world to come, let them rest in spiritual knowledge, and give God the praise, that hath opened the eyes of their minds, and enlightened their hearts to have a feeling of it. This our Saviour taketh occasion to practise, and to offer praise and honour to God in a sweet remembrance of this dealing of God; I give thee thanks, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise, and men of understanding, and hast opened them unto babes: it is so, O Father, because thy good pleasure was such, Math. 11, 25, 26. Though we be simple in the world, yet if we be wise in GOD: though weak in the world, yet if we be strong in GOD: though we be accounted as fools and silly ones, of the sharp wits of the world, yet if we have learned Christ jesus, & know the exceeding measure of his love toward us, let this be our comfort and consolation, that God hath abundantly recompensed the want of those outward things, by giving unto us an happy and holy advantage in heavenly things. And indeed all those are learned, that are taught of God; and they unlearned that are not taught of him, although otherwise they abound in other knowledge. Such as have learned Christ jesus, and him crucified, and so are become new creatures in him, they are learned, though they know never a letter in the book; For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge, Col. 2, 3. He that hath not learned Christ, is unlearned, Although otherwise he be never so learned: for if he be not regenerate and borne anew, but committeth sin with greediness, he hath not seen him, neither hath known him. 1. joh. 3, 6. Wherefore, let us all learn from hence, to depend upon God for his blessings upon us, especially when we enter the Lords courts, and come to hear his word, let us confess that we are not able of ourselves to understand his will; and desire him to open our hearts, as he did the heart of Lydia, Act. 16, 14. for otherwise we shall departed away as ignorant and blind as we came, we shall never sound rest in the truth that is delivered, but always be ready to carp and cavil at it, to wrangle and reason against it, saying; How can these things be? And then it may be said unto them as Christ speaketh to the proud pharisees, who gloried in their own insight, & thought all men blind beside themselves, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin: but now ye say, we see: therefore your sin remaineth, john 9, 40, 41. Let us then be ready to renounce our worldly wisdom, and to deny ourselves, and beg the assistance of God's Spirit to be our inward teacher and instructor, that so we may hear with profit and comfort.  
Use 4 Lastly, learn to be thankful to God, foreshowing this grace and mercy to us his unworthy servants, when he revealeth and maketh known unto us the hid things of God touching our salvation: without which we have lived in darkness, in the shadow of death, and in the estate of damnation. He hath not vouchsafed this mercy upon all, but hath passed over many thousands in the world, which know not truth from error, nor light from darkness; he might have passed over us, as he hath done them. For are we more excellent or better by nature or desert than they? No, by no means: 
Eph. 2, 1, 3.  we are borne dead in sins, & the heirs of wrath as well as others. This made the Apostle, having made mention of the mercies of God showed unto him that had been a blasphemer, a persecuter, and an oppressor, to render thanks unto GOD, and to give him the praise and glory. Thou hast herein greater cause to bless and praise the Name of GOD, then for thy creation, which only gave thee a being upon the earth; whereas this doth join thee to GOD, and entitle thee to the kingdom of heaven.  
Verse 4. [He hath said, which heard the words of God, and saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance.] We heard before, how Balaam was inspired of God to deliver unto the Moabites, Midianites, and Ammonites, the will of God: Now, here is offered to our considerations, the means and manner that God used in giving unto him his divine inspiration, and that is by a vision, or trance. We heard before what a trance is, (to wit;) an extraordinary work of the spirit upon the whole man, casting the body as it were in a deep sleep, & making the mind fit to receive the things which are revealed of the Lord. Thus it pleased the Lord to deal with Balaam at this present, that his words might be known to be divine, not human. 
Doctrine. In forme● times Go● revealed deuers things by visions.  From hence we learn, that God in former times hath revealed divers things unto men by visions, by dreams, and otherways, as seemed good to his heavenly wisdom. God hath not used one means alone, but divers to speak to the world, either by Angels, or by the cloud, or between the Cherubims, or by urim, or by dreams, or by visions. To this purpose there is a rule set down, Numb. 12, 6. If there be a Prophet of the Lord among you, I will be known to him by a vision, and will speak unto him by dream. This is further taught in the book of job by the words of Elihu, instructing job in the manner of Gods dealing with sinners, & showing how God admonisheth them in dreams and visions: God speaketh once or twice, and one seethe it not: in dreams and visions of the night, when sleep falleth upon men, and men sleep upon their beds, job. 33, 14, 15. So when Paul was converted by the voice of Christ, the Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision to go unto him: and Paul likewise in a vision saw him coming in unto him, and putting his hands on him that he might receive his sight, Acts 9, 10 12. When Peter lodging with one Simon a Tanner, waxed hungry, and would have eaten, he fell into a trance, he saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel came down unto him, as it had been a great sheet, knit at the four corners, and was let down to the earth, etc. Acts 10, 10, 11. So the Apostle being compelled by the false Apostles to glory of himself, maketh a rehearsal of the visions, and revelations of the Lord that were offered unto him, 2. Cor. 12, 1. Unto these examples we might add sundry others out of the Scriptures, as of jacob, of Samuel, of Ezekiel, 
Gen. 46, ●  of Daniel, of john, all declaring that GOD used to reveal many things by visions to his servants the Prophets, and to others when it pleased him.  
The reasons are; First, to discover and Reason manifest his will unto them, sometimes to admonish them, sometimes to teach them, sometimes to terrify them, and always to declare and reveal his heavenly pleasure unto them, as we heard before out of the book of Ilb, job 33, 15, 16. For it hath been the ordinary manner of God, even from the beginning to warn, comfort, and declare what he would have done, or forbidden what he would not have done, both in the day time, and in the night season; partly by visions to such as were waking, partly by dreams, to such as were asleep.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God would have the revelation of his will appear to be only his, and not of themselves. For howsoever it pleased the Lord to deal with his servants, and what way soever he used to signify his good pleasure, in all these cases he imprinted in the minds and hearts of them to whom he showed himself certain notes and evident tokens, whereby they might expressly and manifestly know that it was his doing. This we noted before to be one of the causes, why it pleased the Lord to deal by visions, that we should challenge nothing to our own selves, but ascribe all unto him.  
Use 1 Now, let us come to the uses. First, consider from hence the greatness and excellency of God's hand, who hath divers ways to reveal his will, and to teach his people, to call them and gather them unto himself. Some means he hath to preserve a sinner from falling, and some to restore him being fallen. He is the head Physician of the world, he ministereth the best Physic, and of most sure and certain working. He never faileth in his cures, both because he knoweth the nature of the disease, and the working of the ingredient. The woman in the Gospel diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, suffered many things of many Physicians, and spent all that she had, yet it availed her nothing, but she became much worse, Mark 5, 26. But such as seek to God to heal the diseases of their souls, and submit themselves to be his patients; do always receive from him health, and departed from him better than they came. He useth partly preservatives, and partly restoratives. He speaketh by admonitions in dreams and visions. And these being ceased, he speaketh by chastisements and corrections, he preacheth unto us by the Ministers of his word, and by all means desireth to do us good. True it is, the devil hath his visions, being as it were the ape of God, which are so many delusions of men, as when he maketh men believe they see that which they see not, or persuadeth men strange things of themselves, that they are that which indeed they are not, 1. Sam 28.14. His drift and purpose in both is, to deceive and seduce. But God useth sundry means to draw us to himself, to draw us out of ourselves, to draw us to his kingdom. He is not as a poor practitioner that hath but one plaster for every sore, or one medicine for every disease: he hath variety of means, & store of provision for all maladies; which serveth to commend unto us the goodness, mercy, greatness, power, and wisdom of God to be acknowledged and confessed of every one of us.  
Secondly, we learn that God never leaveth Use 2 them destitute of a teacher, that in a reverent fear of his Name seek unto him and call upon him. We see he oftentimes admonisheth and informeth of his will, such as are out of the Church, and know him not: much more will he teach them his ways that fear him, & reveal his secrets to the humble-minded. Psal. 25, 9, 12.14. Let us exercise ourselves in the diligent reading, hearing, and conferring of his word; let us earnestly desire to profit and grow forward in the knowledge and understanding of the truth from time to time according to the means afforded unto us. We live in the clear light of the Gospel, and in the golden days of God's grace, times that our forefathers never saw: let us not therefore shut our eyes against the truth that shineth in our hearts, or at the least not stop our ears against the sound of the word that pierceth our ears. We have a gracious promise made unto us, that God will give a blessing unto such as seek him: he will be known of those that seek to know him: he will open to those that knock for him. This is the main cause of all ignorance, that we desire not knowledge. It is a grievous sin to be destitute of knowledge, but it is more fearful to have no desire of knowledge. Ignorance is the root of all impiety, of infidelity, of idolatry, of superstition, of presumption, of disobedience, of contempt of the word, and worship of God: as the Apostle rehearsing the corrupt fruits of darkness; the throat an open sepulchre; the mouth full of cursing: the feet swift to shed blood; destruction and calamity in their ways; maketh this the the cause of all, The way of peace they have not known, Rom, 3.17. So the Lord Psal. 95, 10, doth render this as the reason why his people erred, because they had not known his ways. This caused the jews to crucify the Lord of life, and to deliver him into the hands of sinners; For if they had known the wisdom of God they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, 1. Cor. 2, 8, according to the words of Peter preaching repentance unto them; Now brethren I know, that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your governors, Act. 3.17. And as it is the root of all impiety against God, and unrighteousness of men, so it is the cause of all judgements and punishments. The Prophet Hosea threatening Gods plagues in a fearful hand to fall upon the people, maketh this one cause, There was no knowledge of God in the land, Hos. 4, 1, 2. So at the last day, when the Lord jesus shall come to judge the quick and the dead, He will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to those that do not know him, 1. Thes. 1, 8. These things being rightly and wisely considered, should teach all of us to seek after knowledge, as for silver, and search for understanding as for precious stones, assuring ourselves that God will never be wanting to help such as hunger and thirst after righteousness, who is near to all those that call upon him, even to all that call upon him in truth.  
Use 3 Lastly, we see his mercy is greater unto us then to the fathers before. The Lord jesus hath brought the doctrine of the Gospel from the bosom of his Father. Acknowledge then with thankfulness the preferment of these latter times, and let us not seek after dreams and visions which are abolished, but having the sure word of the Prophets and Apostles, rest in the revealed will of God. Moses had a pre-eminence above the Prophets, to whom God spoke not by dreams or visions, but face to face, as is declared, Numb. 12, 6, 7, 8. I will be known to the Prophets by vision & by dream: my servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house, unto him will I speak mouth to mouth, and not in dark words. As Moses was preferred before the other Prophets, so have we a singular privilege above the patriarchs & Prophets that have gone before us, who wanted the light that we enjoy, as the Writer of the Hebrews doth testify, declaring that the glory of our time is greater, in which GOD hath vouchsafed to speak unto us by his own son, At sundry times, and in divers manners God spoke in old time to our fathers by the Prophets: in these last days he hath spoken unto us by his Son, Heb. 1, 1, 2. So then, the condition of Christians under the Gospel, is better than of the Israelites under the Law, in respect of the manifestation and revelation of God's truth. The Israelites had God revealed by the Prophets, but we have him taught by the Son himself, who is counted worthy of more glory than Moses, Heb. 3, 3.4, inasmuch as he which hath builded the house, hath more honour than the house, and he that is Lord over it, hath more honour than he that is a servant in it. Hereupon Christ calleth and accounteth the Disciples blessed, Because they saw with their eyes, and heard with their ears, those things which many Prophets and righteous men desired to see and hear, and yet could not, Mat. 13, 17. Let us therefore walk worthy of this great grace and mercy: let us embrace and profess the doctrine of Christ with all zeal: and as we have received greater favour, let us bring forth greater obedience. Let us magnify the preaching of the Gospel, whereby Christ jesus is described in our sight, & as it were crucified among us, which he hath made the strength of his arm, and his great power to save those that do believe, to which he hath given such effectual grace, that it worketh more mightily than all miracles, and pierceth deeper into the heart of man, than all visions and revelations: yea, Though one should arise from the dead to speak unto us, Luk. 16, 31. Let us now look for no miracles, nor depend upon strange wonders; the doctrine of Christ is sufficiently strengthened & confirmed, so that no doubt of any part thereof, is to close up our own eyes, that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the Image of GOD, should not shine upon us. 
2 Cor. 4, 3●  If the Gospel be yet hid, it is hid to them that are lost. To conclude, let us all know, that God having brought us into these last times, requireth of us greater knowledge, faith, zeal, obedience, and greater fruits of repentance. 
Heb. 2, 1, ●  For if the word spoken by Angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be preached by the Lord, and afterward was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? Wherefore we ought diligently to give heed unto the things which we have heard, lest at any time we run out.  
[Verse 5. How goodly are thy Tents, O jacob! and thy Tabernacles, O Israel, as the valleys that are stretched out, etc.] Hitherto we have spoken of the preparation and entrance into this third prophesy: Now we come to the sum and substance of it, uttered by way of an admiration, or exclamation; the diligent consideration of the flourishing estate of the church, ravishing as it were all his senses, and so astonishing him, that he is not able to find words sufficient to express the glory thereof. For here we see he compareth the happiness and blessedness of the Church, to the Valleys, Gardens, Cedars, and such like; all to this end to shadow out unto us the value and worth of it, that it far surmounteth all other societies, and is most precious & dear in the sight of God.  
Hereby than we learn, what is the Doctrine true Church: 
The Chur● is more excellent an● precious 〈◊〉 all other aces.  it exceedeth all other societies of men, and is most precious and dear unto God, and unto Christ. We see then how from hence we learn, that above all other companies and fellowships in the world, the Church is most excellent and beautiful, and of GOD most respected. This hath plentiful testimony of other Scriptures. The Prophet saith, The King's daughter is glorious within, her clothing is of broidered gold, Psal. 45, 13. Hereunto come the titles and commendations given unto the Church, in sundry places dispersed in the book of Canticles, chap. 2, 2. and 4, 13. and 5, 9 She is the Rose of the field, the Lily of the valley, the fairest among women, an Orchard of pomegranates, a Fountain of Gardens, a Well of springing waters, the Spouse and Sister of Christ, the beauty of the earth, the glory of the world, and being compared with other societies, as a Lily among Thorns, & like the Apple among the Trees of the Forest. It is a City, whose walls and gates are of precious stones, and the streets thereof of gold, revel. 21, 2, 19 It is compared to a woman clothed with the Sun, and had the Moon; that is, all corruptible things which are unstable and uncertain under her feet.  
As the Doctrine by these evidences is Reason 1 made clear, so by the Reasons whereby it is proved, it may be yet made much clearer. For first, it is more excellent than all other societies, as gold above all other metals, because in it alone salvation is to be found, and no where else. When the universal flood came, and covered the face of the whole earth, what place wouldst thou prefer before the ark, in which Noah and his family were saved, and out of the which all the world beside was drowned? So salvation is taught and received in the Church, damnation is to be found and felt out of the Church. Can there be a greater privilege had, then to have our souls saved? or a greater loss, than the loss of our souls? We read in the Scriptures of many great and exceeding grievous losses. job lost all his camels and his asses, his oxen and his sheep, his servants and his sons, all his goods and riches. Saul lost his kingdom and his life. But all these are petty losses and damages in comparison of the incomparable and inestimable loss of the soul, which is a perpetual separation from the glorious and comfortable presence of God, according to the saying of our Saviour, Math. 25, 16. What shall it profit a man if he win the whole world, and then lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give for the recompense of his soul? The truth of this reason the Lord himself expresseth in the Prophet, saying, I will give salvation in Zion, and my glory unto Israel, Esay 46, 13. The wealthiest country under heaven hath not this treasure; the greatest Monarch in the world hath none of this merchandise; the richest merchant that compasseth sea and land, and travaileth into the furthest part of the earth, cannot bring home with him this pearl of unvaluable price; it is only to be found in the city of God, which is his Church, for in mount Zion and in jerusalem shallbe deliverance.  
Reason 2 Secondly, all other sorts and societies of men are appointed and ordained of God to serve and preserve this. This is it which the Prophet Esay saith, Esay 45, 14. It shall be the honour of Kings and Princes to do service to the Church, and to promote the good of it. It is the end for which God hath lifted up the heads of rulers and governors above their brethren, to promote the good of the Church, and to advance the glory of God. This the Prophet speaketh of in the Psalm, Psal. 78, 71. that God chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfold, and preferred him before his brethren, even took him, and from behind the ewes with young brought he him, to feed his people in jacob, and his inheritance in Israel: so he fed them according to the simplicity of his heart, and guided them by the discretion of his hands. The like we see in the book of Ester, when the destruction of the Church was determined and contrived, Mordecai said to Ester, Ester 4.14. If thou holdest thy peace at this time, comfort and deliverance shall appear to the jews out of another place, but thou and thy father's house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time? So what power, strength, ability, or means soever God hath given, he looketh for this duty and thankfulness at our hands, to seek the safety of Zion, & to advance the glory of jerusalem, and to know that hereunto we are called.  
Thirdly, the beauty of all other cities and Reason 3 societies standeth in this, that they are parts and members of the Church. This is the glory of kingdoms and countries whereby they are beautified, in that they belong to the true Church: for otherwise all places are as cages of unclean birds, nay, as lodges of unclean spirits, and all persons are as dogs & swine, as Tigers and unclean beasts. Hence it is, that the Apostle describing what we are by nature, saith, Eph. 2, 12. Ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, and had no hope, and were without GOD in the world. If then it beautify other places and persons, it must needs be beautiful itself. If it give grace and glory to others that join themselves to it, it must needs be both gracious and glorious itself. For whatsoever causeth a thing to be so, must needs be so itself much more.  
The uses of this doctrine are excellent, as Use 1 the nature of the Church is. For first, we conclude, that they must needs be most happy & blessed of God that are members of the Church. For howsoever the world account them miserable, grinning at them with their teeth, nodding at them them their heads, gaping at them with their mouths, hissing at them with their tongues, and every way contumeliously reproaching them with their words, yet they are dear and precious in the account of God, and in the reputation of Christ jesus, who bought them at a great price, and redeemed them with the ransom of his own blood. 1. Pet. 1, 18, 19 Behold, what love the Father hath given to us; that we should be called the sons of God: for this cause the world knoweth you not, because it knoweth not him. God is become our Father, the Son is our Redeemer, the Holy-ghost is become our sanctifier, the Angels are become our attendants, the Scriptures are become our evidences, the Sacraments are our seals, the creatures are become our servants, our afflictions are our instructions. This the Apostle teacheth the Church, 1. Cor. 3, 21, 22, 23. They are blessed that have their sins pardoned, and not imputed unto them, as the Prophet teacheth; but God saith to every believer, Thy sins are forgiven thee. They are blessed that hear his word and keep it: but the sheep of Christ hear his voice, and follow him. They are blessed that delight in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law meditate day and might: but the godly make it their counsellor to be advised by it. This use that now we stand upon, is directly urged by the Prophet, Psal. 84. where having made his complaint, that he could not have access to the Church of God, to make profession of his faith, and to profit in Religion, he breaketh out into this passionate exclamation, being touched with an inward feeling of the want of those holy assemblies, Psal. 84, 4, 5. O Lord of hosts, how amiable are thy tabernacles! & thereupon concludeth the point which we have stood upon, Blessed are they that dwell in thine house: they will ever praise thee; blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, and in whose heart are thy ways. Howsoever the ungodly that savour nothing but of the earth, want spiritual eyes to behold the beauty of the Church, and account it no part of their happiness to live within the compass and bosom of it; yet the children of God have taken nothing so near to heart, as when they have been driven from the place of his worship. The Prophet is grieved, that the sparrows and swallows had better access and freer recourse to the houses of men to build their nests, to lay their young, and to rest and repose themselves, than he had to the Lords Tabernacle, and therefore preferreth their condition before his own. We see how the jews wept, and pitifully lamented by the rivers of Babylon, and hung up their instruments on the willows, saying, Psal. 137, 1, 2, 3, How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land? If I forget thee, O jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; yea, if I prefer not jerusalem to my chief joy. No doubt they might have prayed to the Lord in Babylon, and in banishment, as well as in judea and at jerusalem, the Lord heareth in all places, and willeth that men pray every where lifting up pure hands without wrath or doubting, 1. Tim. 2.8. but they mourned because they could not visit the Temple of God in jerusalem, there to make public confession of their sins, and of their faith toward God. They therefore plainly testify that they have no feeling either of the weakness of their faith, or of the greatness of their offences, that glory in their own shame, and say they bear as good a soul to God, as they which resort so often to the Church, and delight to hear the preaching of the word, and that they can serve God as well at home as in the Church. These are led by another spirit than David was, who if he were a man after Gods own heart: Psal. 42, 1, 2, 3. having such an earnest desire after the service and worship of God, and saying, As the Hart brayeth for the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God: my soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God: when shall I come and appear before the presence of God? surely these must needs be guided by the spirit of the devil, who so openly scorn all Religion, and are at defiance with God, robbing God of his honour, committing sacrilege in keeping their tongues from the public praises of God, entering themselves off from the mystical body of Christ, condemning and contemning the congregation of the faithful, giving offence to others by evil example, and despi●●ng the ordinance of God, who hath appointed & commanded the assembly of his people to meet together to acknowledge their sins, to confess their faith, to pray for things necessary, to praise him for his blessings received, to hear the word expounded, and to receive the Sacraments delivered; so that such as fly from these, do fly from God himself, they fly from their own salvation, they seek a worship by themselves, and they imagine an heaven by themselves. But let them take heed their worship prove not a false worship, and their heaven a false heaven, and a true hell.  
Secondly, we must all labour to be members Use 2 of the Church, rather than of any other place in the world. We see how careful men are, not only to be in great societies & towns, but to be of them, to have the freedom of privileged places and incorporations, Act. 22, 28. Yea, to obtain it & purchase it with a great sum of money, because it hringeth worldly commodity. How much more should we endeavour to be members of the Church, whereby we are made free men, and have interest in the blessings of God; yea, we become free denizens of the Kingdom of heaven. How do men esteem their freedom, to be of earthly cities? If we be part of the Church, we have access to the truth: Now, if we shall know the truth, the truth shall make us free, john 8, 32, 36. If we be belonging to the Church, we have our interest in Christ: now, if that Son shall make us free, than we shall be free indeed. This made the Apostle say, Phil. 3, 20. Our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for a Saviour. If we become limbs of the Church of God, we have the spirit that bears witness to our spirit, that we are the sons of God: now, the Lord giveth his Spirit: 2. Cor. 3, 17, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Such as are free of cities and incorporations, have diverse privileges that others want, obtain many benefits that others want, obtain many dignities that others desire, and have their names enroled among the freemen: but how much greater is the pre-eminence of all those that are brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, being made parts of the Church, which is the freest city under the heavens? This city of our God hath the privileges of the communion of Saints, of the forgiveness of sins, of the resurrection of the body to eternal life, and all such as belong unto it, have their names registered and enroled in the book of life. What shall it profit thee to obtain an earthly freedom in earthly cities, and to be the servant of sin, the bondslave of the devil, and to want the freedom of the sons and daughters of almighty GOD. The greatest freedom of the chiefest cities, is but slavery & bondage in comparison of the heavenly prerogatives that properly belong unto the Church of God  
The consideration hereof hath been strong and powerful in all those that are servants in this house, which are the Lords freemen. This made the Prophet David to testify his holy affections in sundry Psalms, Psal. 26, 8, and 17, 4, and 36, 8, 9 and 84, 2, 10. Where he showeth that the spending of one only day in the place of the public meetings and assemblies of the godly, was more sweet, comfortable, and profitable to him, than a thousand days otherwhere; yea, though the place in itself were never so pleasant and delightful: so that he preferreth the basest office and meanest calling in the Church, to keep the door, to sweep the house, to cut wood, or draw water for the service and sacrifice of God, then to dwell in the Use 3 most gorgeous and glorious palaces, wherein the works of wickedness are practised & professed. If the same mind be in us that was in this Prophet, let it be our desire, rather to be of the meanest account and lowest reckoning in the Church, and among the lowest Saints of God, then to be in the chiefest room, & in the highest place of honour out of the Church, where nothing reigneth but profaneness, and nothing is of price or regarded, but wickedness. This will be a witness to our own hearts, that we are truly religious, and are possessed with a love of godliness, when we prefer the love of God's house before all earthly things, and are careful to come to the exercises therein.  
Lastly, it belongeth to every one to promote and procure the good thereof. If it be the principal society, it must be principally cared for. It standeth all persons upon, Princes, Pastors, Parents, Magistrates, whatsoever in their several places, to seek the peace and preservation of this society, and to further the good of God's Church. We see this in the Prophet, Psal. 122, 6, after he had commended the comely order & spiritual beauty of jerusalem the true Church, he saith, Pray for the peace of jerusalem, let them prosper that love thee: peace be within thy walls, & prosperity within thy palaces: for my brethren and neighbours sake, I will wish thee now prosperity, because of the house of the Lord our God, I will procure thy wealth. No estate of man so high to exempt himself, no calling so low, to disable himself from seeking the good of his Church. The greater our place is, the more doth God require at our hands, he hath committed the more to our trust, and therefore will take the straighter account of us. It is the end of their honour and advancement, not to lift up their hearts above their brethren, because God hath lifted up their heads, not to seek their own profits and commodities only, but to advance the honour of that God that hath advanced them, remembering that they are the ministers of God for the wealth and welfare of their people, and assuring themselves that God will honour them that honour him, but such as despise him, shall be despised, 1. Sam. 2.36. Moreover, it is our duty to labour within the compass of our calling, to bring other societies to this; the Prince his commonwealth: the Magistrate his incorporation; the Minister his people; the Captain his army; the householder his family; by striving to make them Christian commonwealths, Christian incorporations, Christian parishes, Christian armies, Christian families. This was the care of all good and godly Princes, David, Hezekiah, jehoshaphat, josiah, 
2 Chro. 15.12  who made a covenant to seek the Lord GOD of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul. This was the care of devout captains that feared God, as appeareth by the Centurion and Cornelius. 
Math 8, 10. Acts 10, 2. Gen 18, 19 job 1.5.  This was the care of all religious fathers and masters, as we see in Abraham, job, jacob, and sundry others, whose praise is in the book of God. And unless this diligence be used, and duty performed to those that are set under us by the ordinance of God, what comfort can we find in them, nay, what good can we look for at their hands? It is the knowledge of God, and the power of godliness planted in the heart, that maketh the subject obedient, the servant trusty, the child dutiful, and every degree faithful in his place and calling. But where the fear of God doth not rule, there subjects obey not for conscience sake; there servants are deceitful, & serve with eyeseruice as men pleasers; there children are ungracious and unruly, not obeying their parents in the Lord. So then, it standeth us upon to set forward the good of the Church with all our power, and then to bring such as belong unto us into the bosom of the Church, that there they may have fellowship with God, and one with another.  
Verse 8. [God brought them out of Egypt, their strength is as an Unicorn, he shall eat the nations his enemies, etc.] In the words before, Balaam enlarged by sundry sweet similitudes, the excellent condition of the Church, showing, that the place of it was to be chosen above all other places, and the people belonging unto it to be joined withal above other people of the world: Now, in these words he expressed their happiness and blessedness in plain terms and direct words, declaring, that albeit they were a weak people in the land of Egypt, oppressed with burdens, hurried with labours, overmastred with taskemasters, unexercised in fears of war, ●andering up and down in the wilderness, separated from other nations; on the other side their enemies were many in number, mighty in strength, rich in furniture, yet GOD brought his people with a strong hand out of Egypt from all their enemies, and sent his Angel before them to lead them in the wilderness, so that no city or nation could prevail against them. Hereby we learn that the enemies of the Church, albeit great, 
Doctrine. The Church ●ath the upper hand of enemies stronger than ●hey.  mighty, and high minded, yet are oftentimes brought under, and trodden on by the Church, weaker than they. Howsoever the Church be weak, and want outward power, yet it hath victory over the oppressors of it. This we see plainly strengthened unto us in the book of judges, where we see that the Midianites, and the rest of the league with them lay in the valley like grasshoppers in multitude, 
judg. 7, 12, 20-  and their camels as the sand which is by the seashore, yet Gideon and his host being as it were an handful, overthrew them by blowing their trumpets, by breaking their pitchers, and by holding their lamps in their hands. This appeareth in the history of Shamgar, 
judg. 3.31.  who slew 600. men of the Philistims with an Ox goad: and in the history of Samson, being enclosed by his enemies, who caught up a jawbone, and said, With the jaw of an ass are heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men, judg. 15, 15, 16. Thus the weak are made strong, and the strong weak. Likewise, in the days of Saul, the Israelites were all naked and unarmed men, 
1 Sam. 13.19.  and were not suffered to have either swords or spears, (except Saul and jonathan) yet their enemies were discomfited and smitten down before them.  
Reason 1 The reasons are many that may be alleged. First, God is with his people, and if he be with them, strength, power, courage, and victory must be with them also, so that they cannot fall, unless God fall with them, which is unpossible. As then the cause is the Lords, and the people the Lords, and the battle the Lords, so he can arm creatures of no account even contemptible people to scourge great & mighty nations, Exod. 8, 6, 16. His soldiers in Egypt were caterpillars and flies: his armies against the Philistims were mice. God is infinite in power to do as he will, and what he will, and when he will, and against whom he will, in comparison of whom all flesh is frail and feeble. And as he is great in might, so he is present in help, and gaineth honour, not by the bow, nor spear, nor legs of man, but he fighteth for those that be his. Thus doth Moses encourage the Israelites, being pursued by the Egyptians, Exod. 14, 14. The Lord shall fight for you, therefore hold you your peace.  
Reason 2 Secondly, to gain glory to his great Name, seeing his power is seen in our weakness. When our strength is smallest, then is the glory of God greatest. This made the Lord say unto Gideon, judg. 7, 2. The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make their vaunt against me, and say, Mine hand hath saved me. Thus David assured both of the truth of his calling, and the goodness of his cause, encountereth with Goliath, and showeth that all the people should know, that the Lord saveth not with sword, nor with spear: for the battle is the Lords, 1. Sam. 17, 47. So the Apostle teacheth that God useth few, weak, and simple instruments, to confound such as are greater in strength, more in number, wiser in knowledge, higher in estimation, mightier in power, stouter in courage, That no flesh shall rejoice in his presence, but he that rejoiceth, should rejoice in the Lord, 1. Cor. 1, 19, 31,  
Use 1 Now, let us handle the uses of this doctrine. First, we conclude, that the safety of the Church is only of God, and not of themselves: so that flesh and blood is not to be rested and relied upon, how great soever the means be: and therefore the Prophet teacheth, that the hills of the robbers cannot help, so that we must rely on God's help, and cease from the man whose breath is in his Nostrils, Esay 2, 22. He that lifteth up himself, his mind is not upright, but the just shall live by his faith. So than let us cast away our vain confidence in man, whose life is so frail, that if his breath be stopped but a little, he is dead, and cannot help himself or others. God therefore must have the praise and preferment above all creatures, and be magnified above all the works of his hands.  
Secondly, this is a notable comfort and encouragement, Use 2 to do constantly and cheerfully the duties of our calling, notwithstanding the crosses and hindrances to the contrary. For seeing it pleaseth GOD to put strength many times into those that are his, & to deliver his Church by weak means, against strong men, let us proceed with boldness in the works of our profession, and deal with a good conscience, assuring ourselves that God is not far from us. Whensoever we hear of the wicked combining themselves, & conspiring together against the Church, taking crafty counsel among themselves, our hearts quake and tremble, and we are brought oftentimes to our wit's end, we are greatly perplexed and disquieted, as the trees of the forest are moved by the wind, Esai 7, 2: but we must consider, that the victory is of GOD, which casteth down the mighty from their seat, and exalteth them of low degree. Thus doth Moses comfort Israel terrified and dismayed by the evil report the spies had brought up upon the land, Numb. 14, 8, 9 If the Lord love us, be will bring us into this land, and give it us, which is a land flowing with milk and honey; but rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, f●r they are but bread for us: their shield is departed from them, but the Lord is with us: fear them not. A notable staff to stay them up, both in respect of the presence of God with them, and of his departure from their enemies. And that which was a stay to them, must serve also to comfort and refresh us in all discouragements, to consider that we have a sure buckler with us, but the shield is departed from our enemies. They lie open to the stroke of God's hand, he will draw out his glittering sword against them, & they shall find no shield to award the blow. They are in a woeful case, that having the Lord to be their enemy, and no armour of defence upon them to help themselves. Wherefore, whensoever we see these enemies of God and his people multiply and increase, so that they seem as a violent stream ready to beat down all things before them, let not this disturb or disquiet us, but learn to wait upon God, who will show himself a present help, and our GOD in the time of need.  
This tentation, that the enemies are many, and that few stand for us, few have courage for God's truth, few show themselves in good causes, doth greatly weaken our hearts, and maketh them melt away as water; we strait way conclude, that the enemies must needs prevail, for we are weak and few. But know this, O ye of little faith, and of so great fear, that a good cause shall never fail, albeit there be but few, and those feeble to maintain it. jonathan relying on God, 
1. Sam. 1●, 6.  after his calling, and a manifest sign to confirm him, goeth on with a noble courage and resolution, saying; It is not hard to the Lord, to save with many or with few. The work of God was never set forward by the greatest number; nay, the profession of God always had the fewest in number, yet no enemy was able to stand against them. The Apostles of Christ were few in number, 
● Cor. 10.4, 5.  and the weapons of their warfare were not carnal: yet were they mighty, casting down the imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of GOD, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Paul having appealed unto Cesar, and being brought to the defence of his cause, saith; At my first answering no man assisted me, but all forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge: Notwithstanding the Lord assisted me, & strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully believed, 2 Tim. 4, 16, 17.  
This appeareth in that worthy prays of Asa, which he made going to battle against his enemies, 2. Chron, 14, 11. Lord it is nothing with thee to help with many, or with no power: help us O Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude: O Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee. Let us not therefore be discouraged and discomfited, when we see many against us, and few to stand for the cause of God; but consider, that he whose cause it is, is able to defend it, whose power and glory is most of all seen in the weakness of those that are stirred up to maintain it.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty not to fret at evil men, when they are exalted and lifted up on high, but consider the end that the Lord will make, Nah, 1, 2. Who will take vengeance on his adversaries, and reserveth wrath for his enemies. Though they practise against the just, and gnash their teeth against him, though they watch the righteous, and seek to slay him, though they abound and prosper, and set their mouth against heaven, yet this is a comfort to the godly, Psal. 37, 7, 8, 9, 10. That yet a little while, and the wicked shall not appear, thou shalt look after his place, & he shall not be found. Wait patiently upon the Lord, and hope in him, fret not thyself for him which prospereth in his way, nor for the man that bringeth his enterprises to pass; for evil doers shallbe cut off, & they that wait upon the Lord, shall inherit the land. The destruction which God hath concluded against them is sure, he wants no means to overturn them, he can make things that are not, of greater power than they that are. There is no safety to the enemies of God and his truth, there is no way for them to escape, for the Lord is the God of vengeance. This the Prophet Esay declareth at large, chap. 30. 14.10, showing that their destruction should be both certain and sudden. This is that which the Prophet assureth Hezekiah of, that God would put his hook in his nostrils, and his bridle in the lips of Rabshekah, that railed upon the holy one of Israel, 2 King. 16, 6, 7. Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard; I will send a blast upon him he shall hear a noise, and return to his own hand, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. Let us therefore remember always the exhortation of the Prophet, Psal. 37, 1, 2. Fret not thyself because of the wicked men, neither be envious for the evil doer; for they shall soon be cut down like grass, and shall whither as the green herbs: trust thou in the Lord and do good, dwell in the Lord, and thou shalt be fed assuredly.  
Verse 9 [Blessed is he that blesseth thee, & cursed is he that curseth thee. This is the conclusion of this prophecy, wherein is showed that God will power out his blessings upon his people in such a gracious manner and measure, that it shall run over, and fall upon those that are the friends and favourers of the Church; on the contrary side, such as hurt or persecute them, shall undergo the heavy curse of God, as God long before showed unto Abraham. 
Doctrine. God will be merciful to such as be merciful to the Church.  From hence ariseth this doctrine, that God will be merciful to all those that show mercy to his Church: and such as are without pity and compassion, shall find judgement without mercy at the hands of God. God will bless those that do good to his people, they shall not lose their labour that favour the Church; but such as are enemies unto them, shall find God an enemy unto them. We see how God blessed the house of Laban for jacob's sake: so doth Laban confess, Gen. 30.27. I have perceived that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake. Thus God blessed the house of Potiphar for joseph's sake that was sold unto him: for God was with him, and his master saw that the Lord made all that he had to prosper in his hand. Gen. 39, 3, Thus have worldly men been blessed for the godlies sake. This is it which Isaac uttered in blessing his son, Gen. 27.29. Cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee, Hereunto cometh a worthy example recorded by the Prophet jeremy, chap. 38, 9 & chap. 39.16, 17. when jeremy was cast into the dungeon, where he stack fast in the mire, through the false suggestion of his enemies, Ebedmelech the black Moor spoke to the King for him, drew him out with cords, and took him out of the dungeon: and therefore the Prophet is sent unto him with message, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good, & they shallbe accomplished in that day before thee: but I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord, and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men whom thou fearest: for I will surely deliver thee, & thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee, because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. Thus did God recompense his zeal, and reward his favour which he showed to the Prophet in the miseries and troubles which he sustained. Rahab the harlot receiving the spies, sending them out another way, and preferring their life before her own life, was herself saved from the common destruction, and had her father's household, and all that she had given her as a prey, because she had hid the messengers which joshua sent to spy out jericho, josh. 6, 25. jam. 2, 25. Heb. 11, 31. The widow of Sarepta giving hospitality to Eliah, and offering him part of that poor pittance which was left her and her son in those days of dearth and drought, was with all her family miraculously sustained in the famine, continuing three years and six months, 1. King. 17, 10. The Shunamite receiving the Prophet Elisha, making him a chamber, providing all necessaries for him, setting him there a table, a stool, and a candlestick, that he might turn in thither to lodge, when he travailed that way, and eat bread at her house, received both the blessing of a son (her husband being old, 
2 Kings 4, 8. ) and the raising of him from death to life, to her great comfort. She showed some mercy, but received more mercy; she ministered comfort to the Prophet, but herself received more comfort. This also our Saviour testifieth, showing that we shall lose nothing that we bestow on any of the faithful, we serve a bountiful Lord, and a liberal paymaster, Math. 10, 41, 42. He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet, shall receive a Prophet's reward, Reason 1 etc.  
The reasons hereof follow to be considered. First, God will honour all those that honour him, he will despise all those that despise him. This is the gracious promise that is gone out of his own mouth, which he cannot but verify and perform: for he is not as man that he should lie, he is not as the son of man that he should deceive. This is it which the Lord spoke by the mouth and ministry of Samuel, concerning Eli and his house, Them that honour me, I will honour: and them that despise me, shall be despised, 1. Sam. 2.30. And therefore Reason 2 they shall prosper that love the Church, Psal. 122.  
Secondly, God hath appointed it to be the end of our obedience; our mercy to others, shall procure mercy upon ourselves. This the Apostle setteth down, 
Math. 5, 7.  Rom. 2, 10. To every one that doth good, shall be honour, and glory, and peace, Rom. 2, 10. We saw this before in the history of Rahab, who through faith received the spies: she, her family and kindred were were preserved & married into the family of judah, of whom Christ came according to the flesh. Reason 3  
Thirdly, mercy, a notable fruit of love received, kindleth the hearts, and inflameth the affections of God's people, both to praise God for them, & to pray unto God for them that have been helpeful and serviceable to the Church. It is recorded to perpetual remembrance touching jehoiada, that he was buried among the Kings, and greatly honoured both alive and dead, because he had done good in Israel toward God and his house, 2. Chron. 24, 15, 16. So when Paul remembreth the kindness of Onesiphorus, who sought him out, refreshed him, & was not ashamed of his chain, he desireth the Lord to grant unto him, that he may find mercy with the Lord at that day, 2. Tim. 1, 16, 18. Nay, he prayeth not only for Onesiphorus self (although he only had helped him) but for his whole house & family: whereby is set down a most notable means and motive to stir us up to do good, and to distribute to all the members of jesus Christ, inasmuch as God showeth that he will have mercy, and take pity, not only of us, but upon our households, and all those that are near about us. Use 1  
The uses follow. First, from hence we have the strengthening and confirmation of another holy truth in our Christian Religion, (to wit;) that merciful, liberal, and kind men, shall be surely blessed. No merciful man shall lose his labour, but in the end he shall have his recompense and reward. Our Saviour Christ saith, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The Prophet teacheth, 
Psal. 112.  that a good man is merciful and dareth, and will measure his affairs by judgement: he hath distributed and given to the poor, his righteousness remaineth for ever, his horn shall be exalted with glory. So the Wise man speaketh in many Parables, Prou. 11, 25. and 28.27, and 19.17. The liberal man shall have plenty, and he that watereth shall also have rain; he that giveth unto the poor shall not lack, but be that hideth his eyes shall have many curses: he that hath mercy on the poor, dareth unto the Lord, and the Lord will recompense him that which he hath given. Cast thy bread upon the waters, for after many days thou shalt find it; give a portion to seven, and also to eight, for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth, Eccl. 11, 1, 2. On the other side, miserableness and unreasonable handfastnesse are the causes of the ruin of many men, and their houses, and bring curses upon body, goods, soul, children, family, and all things that belong unto them. So it was in churlish and cruel Nabal. So shall there be judgement merciless, to him that showeth no mercy. And he that gathereth goods by unlawful means, shall leave them to such as will pity the poor. Thus we see, God requireth mercy of us, to be like him.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty to love God's people, seeing such as favour them, do far the better for them. Such as are friends to them, shall have God to be their friend, who promiseth to bless such as bless them. What greater blessing can there be, then to have God to be our friend? What greater curse and misery, then to have him our enemy? The ungodly have received temporal blessings, for showing kindness to the faithful: the Lord hath sent none of them empty away, that ever did good to his people, as we heard in Laban, Potiphar, and others. This serveth to reprove all such as hate and revile them, that curse and detest them, that reproach them, and speak all manner of evil against them. And here let us weigh and consider into what evil times we are fallen, times filled and defiled with all iniquity, 2, Tim. 3, 1. 2. Pet. 3, 3. In former ages the very infidels and unbelievers, confessed that they were blessed for the godlies sake: they were so far from branding and upbraiding them with odious taunts forged in hell, & hammered with the tongues of evil men, that their mouths have acknowledged how GOD hath prospered them for their sakes. This last age is as a common sink, wherein all the wicked inventions and devilish practices do meet, and are gathered together: and therefore, it bringeth forth masters of mischief, and expert practitioners in sin, who are furnished with their own inventions, former examples, and tried experiments of all times, places, and persons. Marvel not therefore, if the children of God be now scorned, when godliness itself is made a common byword? In former ages, when as the Prophets and righteous men were persecuted, and their lives sought after, every one was ready to help and to hide them. So did jonathan detect the hatred, and reveal the fury of his father against David, with the hazard of his own life, 1. Sam. 20, 42. So did Obadiah in the court of Ahab hide an hundred Prophets in caves from the cruelty of jezabel, 
〈◊〉. 18, 13.  & sustained them in the time of the famine, of the which we shall speak more afterward. Thus did the disciples let down Paul in a basket, when his life was sought for by the bloody Inquisition, Acts 9, 21. Woe unto them therefore, that betray them into the hands of their enemies, as the Ziphims did David, 1, Sam. 23.20. as Iruah did jeremy, jer. 39.13. as judas did Christ, Math. 26, 48. Woe be unto them that falsely accuse them, and any way add affliction to their affliction, whereas they should countenance and defend them to their power, as jonathan did David, as Ebedmelech did jeremy: and woe unto them that hurt the godly, for GOD threateneth to curse such as curse them, so that we should fear any way to do them wrong.  
Use 3 Thirdly, hereby we are warned to exhort one another to this duty, and by all means to provoke one another to mercy, in regard of of the great recompense of reward that is laid up for merciful men. The example of the Sunnamite before remembered, is a notable & worthy example to teach us this use, and to enforce this duty upon us. She stirred up her husband to good things, and made him that was willing, more willing; him that was forward, more forward; showing herself mindful of the end of her creation, which was to be an helper unto him, especially, in the best things, Gen. 2, 18. She said, Behold, I know that this is an holy man of God, that passeth by us continually, let us make him a chamber that he may turn in thither when he cometh to us. 2. Kings 4, 9 It is not enough for us to be ready and resolute to do good to those that are of the household of faith, and thereby to testify our faith in Christ, but God requireth of us to consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the fellowship that we have among ourselves, as the manner of some is, but let us exhort one another; and that so much the more, because ye see that the day draweth near, Heb. 10, 24, 25 This serveth to reprove such as are backward in doing good, and cause others to be backward: such as are not content themselves to do nothing, but are ready to dissuade and discourage others from works of mercy: as we see the Apostle john reproveth Diotrephes, who was so far from receiving the brethren, that he forbade them that would, and thrust them out of the Church, john 3.9, 10. He was backward himself, and made others backward, his malice did not only keep him from doing good to the Saints, but provoked him to hinder and restrain others. These are like the Scribes and pharisees, which did shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, neither entering themselves into it, nor suffering those that would enter, Math. 23.13. These are like unto the envious jews, who grew to that desperate madness against the Lord jesus, that they would neither receive the Gospel themselves, nor suffer it to be preached to others, but forbade the Apostles to preach unto the Gentiles, that they might be saved, to fulfil their sins always, 1. Thes. 2.16. They are like to Elimas' the sorcerer, who was so far from believing the doctrine of the Apostles, Act. 13, 8 that he openly withstood them, and maliciously sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith. And all these may fitly be compared to the dog lying in the manger, which will neither eat the hay himself, nor suffer the Ox or cattle that would, to eat of it. These shall have the more fearful condemnation, answering to God both for not doing good, and for hindering such as would do good. These both shut up their hands and hearts from all duties of love, and tie up the hands of others, so that a double woe hangeth over their heads, which without repentance will fall upon them.  
Lastly, this Doctrine is both an encouragement Use 4 unto us in well doing, and a great comfort in all adversities. It is an encouragement, to consider, that what love and service soever we do show to the Saints, it is put upon the Lords accounts, and is kept in his remembrance, and shall not be blotted out for ever. This is the tenor of the covenant which he hath made with us, to have the same friends and enemies with us. Such as are our friends to do us good, he will account as his friends to do them good; such as are his enemies to hurt us, he will proceed against them, as with his utter enemies to root them out, and to destroy them. This is a great honour and dignity of the faithful. It argued a very near league of amity that jehoshaphat made with the King of Israel, when he joined with him, saying, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, & my horses as thy horses, we will join with thee in the war, all mine is at thy commandment, 1. King. 22.4. 2 Chron. 18.3. This is the society and fellowship that God hath with his people; our friends, shall be his friends; our enemies, shall be his enemies; our troubles, shall be his troubles; our wrongs, shall be his wrongs; our persecutions, shall be his persecutions. This is it which the Prophet declareth touching the Lord: He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye, Zach. 2, 8. So precious and dear are they to him, and so tender is his love toward them, that when the enemies rise up against them to hurt them, it goeth as near to the Lord, as any thing can do. We know how tender the eye of a man is, it worketh more grief, then to receive a wound in any other part, to have the apple of the eye stricken: but the Church is so dear to God, that he can no more suffer the enemies to hurt it, than a man can abide to be thrust or pierced in the eye. How could the Lord express how earnestly and ardently he loveth us, and how careful he is for our safety, better than under this comparison? and therefore the Prophet entreateth the Lord to keep him as the apple of his eye. 
Psal. 17, 8.  & to hide him under the shadow of his wings, This is it which our Saviour signifieth in the description of the last judgement; that when one of the least of Christ's brethren have been hungered, and we have fed them; have been thirsty, and we have refreshed them; have been strangers, and we have lodged them; have been naked, and we have clothed them; have been prisoners, and we relieved them: Christ jesus himself is refreshed, and relieved, visited, and harboured in his members, Math. 25, 40 If the Lord jesus lived now upon the face of the earth, in poverty & great want, if he wanted meat to eat, or clothes to put on, ought we not to relieve him? nay, who is it but would say he is ready to do it? But every faithful man is unto us as Christ himself: whatsoever is done to him, is done to Christ himself, and Christ jesus, though heir of all, & Lord of the world, doth esteem & account it as done unto himself. On the other side, when the poor members of Christ are in want, & not relieved, are sick and not visited, are hungry, and yet not sustained; Christ himself is unuisited, & unregarded. A man would be ashamed to do thus to Christ in person, but inasmuch as we do it to the persons of our brethren and his members, he counteth it as done to himself, as he speaketh in the Gospel, Verily, I say unto you, 
Math. 25, ●  inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. This likewise is that which Christ spoke to Paul from heaven at his conversion. When he breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, and had obtained letters to bring them bound to jerusalem that professed Christ; he heard his voice, 
Acts 9, 4.  saying to him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? His persecution was directly against the Saints, but we hear how the Lord acounteth that persecution to be against himself. This is a singular encouragement to every one of us, to love the servants of God from our hearts, and to serve their necessities, considering that it is as it were put upon the Lords accounts, and he will recompense it unto our bosoms. It is a great terror to all merciless & malicious men, for whatsoever mischief they work against the godly, it is done against Christ, and they shall be arraigned as guilty of oppression and persecution against Christ.  
Again, as this is an encouragement in well doing, so it is a great comfort unto us in these fruits and works of mercy, that God will remember them, & be mindful of them, and for them will assuredly help us when we are in distress. This the Prophet saith, Blessed is he that judgeth wisely of the poor, the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble, Psal. 41, 1, 2. So then, when we have been serviceable & comfortable unto others, especially to the servants of God, there ariseth from hence a great comfort to our consciences, & an assurance of our eternal peace & acception with God, so that we may with boldness come to the throne of his grace, & pray unto him for the graces of his Spirit. Obadiah proveth that he seared the Lord in the truth of his spirit, & assureth his conscience thereof, because he had hid the Prophets of God in the persecution raised against them by jezabel, 1. King. 18, 12, 13. Therefore, when he feared that Eliah would procure unto him the displeasure of Ahab, and so bring upon him a cruel death, he found comfort in the former fruits of mercy, and said to the Prophet Was it not told my Lord what I did when jezabel slew the Prophets of the Lord, how I hide an hundred men of the Lords Prophets by fifties in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, go tell thy Lord, Behold, Eliah is here, that he may slay me. The like we see in Nehemiah, when he had relieved the oppressed people, and every way sought rather the welfare of the Church, than his own commodity, he turneth himself to God, and saith, Neh. 5, 19, & 13, 14, 22, 31. Remember me, O my God, in goodness, according to all that I have done for this people. Neh. 5, 19 And chap. 13, 14, 22, 31. Remember me, (O my God) herein, and wipe not out my kindness that I have showed on the house of my God, and the offices thereof. He doth not here glory in his own merits, nor putteth his trust in his good works (for before he pleadeth mercy, & craveth pardon) but desireth that God in goodness would graciously reward the works which he had done with a good conscience, and is bold to put him in mind of his promise, who hath promised to repay whatsoever is done for the benefit and behoof of his Saints. A great comfort it is to be able in the simplicity of our hearts, to speak thus. How many are able in our days to say with Nehemiah, Lord, remember me according to all that I have done for thy people? For their own conscience would by and by accuse them, and cry out of the wrongs and injuries they have done unto them, how they have hated them in their hearts, smitten them with their hands, wounded them with their tongues, trampled upon them with their feet, and sold themselves to work mischief against them. If they will not remember the servants of God in kindness, let them know God will remember their unkindness; and the children of God may pray unto him, not for desire of revenge, but for the advancement of his glory, to reward them according to their deserts, as we see in Nehemiah, Remember them (O my God) that defile the Priesthood, Neh. 13, 29. This must of necessity gall a man's conscience, when the terrors thereof shall accuse him for want of doing good service to the Church of God; 
job 27.23. jam. 2, 15.  yea, for doing great wrongs, and offering many indignities against the Church.   

10 Then Balak was very angry with Balaam, and smote his hands together: so Balak said unto Balaam, I sent for thee to curse mine enemies, and behold thou hast blessed them uncessantly, now three times.  
11 Therefore, now flee unto thy place: I thought surely, I will promote thee unto honour, but lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.  
12 Then Balaam answered Balak. Told I not also thy Messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying;  
13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot pass the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind? What the Lord shall command, the same I shall speak.  
14 And now behold, I go unto my people: Come I will counsel thee such things as this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.  
Hitherto we have spoken of the preparation into the prophesy, and likewise of the prophesy itself: Now followeth the effect and event thereof, expressed partly in Balak the King, and partly in Balaam the false Prophet.  
Touching Balak, Moses declareth, that when he saw himself again disappointed of his hope and expectation, he bursteth for anger, and smiteth his hands together, in token of the inward indignation of his heart. For as the patiented abiding of the righteous shall be gladness, Prou. 10, 28, so the hope of the wicked shall perish. He is content to hearken unto the Sorcerer, so long as he hopeth to hear pleasant and pleasing things of him, but when he is deceived, he raileth and rageth without measure. 
Balaks anger against Balaam.  His indignation conceived against him appeareth; first, by comparing his own purpose with balaam's practice, when he saith; I sent for thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast not ceased to bless them now three times. It is no less absurd and injurious in thee to bless mine enemies, than if thou shouldest curse my friends: for in that thou blesses: them, it is all one, as if thou cursedst me. If thou standest with them, thou standest against me, both of us cannot stand together; If they continue, I fall.  
Secondly, he doth cashier him and cast him out of his favour, he withdraweth the present prepared for him, and denieth him the wages and stipend promised unto him: I said, Surely I will advance thee to honour, but the Lord hath kept thee back from honour: as if he should say, Depart from me, thou unhappy Prophet, unhappy in thy prophesy, unhappy in thy preferment, unhappy to me, unhappy to thyself: I called thee not to bless this people, but to curse them. I have honoured thee among my Princes, and would moreover (if that had been too little) have done unto thee and for thee greater things than these. But seeing thou settest so light by my gifts, go thy ways, thy presence is a burden unto me; ask thy reward and wages of thy work, of that God whom thou hast obeyed, or of that people whom thou hast blessed, to whom thou seemest rather beholden, then unto me, and who I am sure are more indebted to thee for thy pains, than I am. This is a most shameful blasphemy of a wretched man whose breath is in his nostrils, against the eternal God that made heaven and earth, who suffereth with patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction.  
The answer of Balaam followeth to be considered, 
The answer of Balaam.  who is brought in by Moses excusing himself, and giving wicked counsel to Balak, to bring the people of God to ruin and destruction. The Apology and defence that he maketh for himself, is this, that he certified the messengers sent unto him, and declared to Balak himself, that he was not at his own choice and liberty to speak what the King wished, and what himself desired, but was as it were chained and restrained by the mighty hand of God, that he could utter nothing, but what he inspired.  
Thus the false Prophet seeketh to pacify and appease the angry mind of the King, and the hireling laboureth to recover his wages that was denied him: as if he should say, Lay the fault where it is, and not where it is not: I have striven what I can, to do that which thou requirest, but the God of the Hebrews hath hindered thy request, and my desire.  
Secondly, he promiseth that being now discharged, and ready to return home, he would give such counsel, which should work out the final confusion of this people, if it were wisely and warily followed. For when he seethe he cannot curse them, he giveth counsel how to hurt them, as if he should have said to Balak, I see to my grief, & thou perceivest to thy cost, that sorcery will not prevail and serve the turn, yet do not despair, but hold on thy purpose, & try a new conclusion another way. I have another plot in mine head, follow my direction, and doubt not but thou shalt bring thy matters to a good pass, and destroy that people, as they hereafter shall destroy thy people. But what this counsel was, is concealed and not expressed in this place, which was not such as the Prophets of God advised and persuaded to the people of God, but devilish counsel, proceeding from that spirit by which he was guided, to open a gap to bring upon them all mischief and misery, and to pull down the wall of God's protection, whereby they were fenced and defended, and to let in their enemies upon them, God being become an utter enemy unto them. For by the success and event in the chapter following, it appeareth, what this crafty counsel was, 
Numb. 25, 3.  by the people's falling in fancy and fellowship with the Moabitish women, whereby they were drawn into spiritual and bodily fornication. And afterward in the one & thirtieth chapter of this book, verse 16, Moses speaking of the Midianitish women, saith; These caused the children of Israel through the counsel of Balaam, to commit a trespass against the Lord, as concerning Peor, and there came a plague upon the Congregation of the Lord. So the Apostle john speaketh, writing to the Church at Pergamus, I have a few things against thee, because there thou hast them that maintain the doctrine of Balaam, etc. Reu. 2, 14. Hereby than we see that when Balaam had sundry ways assayed and attempted to curse the people of Is●ael, and yet his purpose failed him, because God crossed his devices: he told Balak that the last refuge and only way to prevail against them, was to draw them to sin against their God, and so to make a breach between him and his people. Now according as he counseled him, and gave him instructions, so Balak confederate with the Midianites, sent forth the most beautiful women in their kingdoms into the Camp of Israel, to entice them to the worship of their Idols, & to banquet with them at their Idoll-feasts, whereby ●hey drew them to Idolatry and fornication, sinning against God, and kindling his wrath against them. But of this we shall speak further in the chapter following.  
[Verse 10. Then Balak was very angry with Balaam, and smote his hands together, and said; I sent for thee to curse mine enemies etc.] See here the event of all the conspiracy against the Israelites, they had conceived mischief, 
Psal. 7, 14, 15  & bring forth a lie. They that travail with wickedness, travail with the wind, and the end is not answerable to the beginning. They vanish away in their own imagination, whilst Israel standeth as a defenced City.  
From hence we learn, that things practised inconsiderately, not with good advice, 
Doctrine. Thing unlawfully attempted, have evil ends.  and attempted unlawfully with a wicked purpose, have other events than men think of. Whatsoever we go about with a wicked mind, hath an evil end in the just judgement of God. We cannot expect that any evil action should have a good end. Indeed God doth many times suffer evil men, & causeth them to multiply, 
The causes why wicked men do multiply.  because our sins deserve so many chastisements and scourges, as there are wicked men in the world. Again, it is requisite that we should all our life long be kept in a continual exercise of faith, prayer, patience, and repentance, 
judg. 2, 22.  and that they might be as pricks and thorns in our sides. Lastly the Lord by suffering the wicked to prosper and proceed, doth greatly advance his own glory, whiles he reigneth in the midst of his enemies, Exod. 9, 15, 16, and preserveth his Church in despite of Satan and his wicked members, which daily seek the overthrow thereof.  
Is it not strange, that an hundred Sheep should live among a thousand wolves, & not be devoured? It is no less wonderful and to be marveled at, that any of God's people should live upon the face of the earth, being compassed about with an army of wicked men, the very limbs of the devil, that open their mouths to swallow them up, and hate them with an unfeigned hatred unto the death. Notwithstanding, the Lord thus beareth and forbeareth, yet in the end he will cut off the wicked, and all evil shall have an evil end. We see this in Pharaoh calling for his Sorcerers, they withstood Moses, and resisted the truth; they turned water into blood, and rods into Serpents: yet in the end all their cunning was stained, and they confessed it was the Finger of God, Exod. 7, 11. & 8, 19 Consider the example of those that would build them a City and a Tower, to get them a name, lest they should be scattered upon the whole earth, Genesis ch. 11. verse 4: the Lord came down to see the City which the sons of men builded, and there confounded their Language, that every one perceived not another's speech. The Apostle Peter maketh a long rehearsal in his second Epistle, chapt. 2. verse 4, of the sins of the Angels, of the old world, of the Sodomites: and setteth down the wages thereof what it was; the Angels were cast down, the old world was drowned, the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha were burned. See the miserable ends of Pharaoh, of Ahitophel, of Saul, of judas, of Herod, and such others; all the which are written for our instruction, to teach us that all evil works shall have an end answerable to their evil.  
The Reasons are plain to assure the truth Reason 1 hereof. For first, it standeth with God's justice to recompense evil with evil. True it is, he is able by his infinite power to bring good out of evil, and to turn the evil actions of men to serve his own glory, & to further the good of his children; as we see in the history of joseph, who by the false treachery of his brethren, was sold into Egypt, to whom he said, When ye thought evil against me, God disposed it to good, that he might bring to pass, as it is this day, and save much people alive, Gen. 50, 20. So job being bereaved of his children, 
〈◊〉 1, 21.  and rob of his cattle, confesseth, that the Lord had given, & the Lord had taken away. Likewise the Apostles speaking of the crucifying of Christ, the Lord of glory, declare that Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel, 
〈◊〉 4, 27, 28.  had done no more than the counsel of God had determined before to be done. Nevertheless it standeth with the rule of his justice, to cross the attempts and endeavours of evil men, and to set himself against them that set themselves against him. So long therefore as God is so just, the ungodly must not look for any good success of evil enterprises. His blessing is upon the lawful labours of his children, because he is merciful: his curse waiteth upon the unlawful works of his enemies, because he is just. It is his nature to be just, he cannot deny himself.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the Lord will make their wickedness known, and pluck off the vizard from their faces, howsoever they think to proceed, and promise to themselves an happy end. This the Apostle teacheth, 2 Tim. 3, 8, 9, where he showeth, that as jannes' and jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith, but they shall prevail no longer, for their madness shall be evident to all men, as theirs also was. Seeing therefore God is a just God, and will uncase the hypocrisy of evil men, we are right well assured, that evil inventions shall come to nought, and have God to cross them.  
Use 1 The uses remain. First, we see from hence, that sin endeth not as it beginneth. Evil men are sure to be destroyed, and that God will call them to an account for those things which they have done, if not in this life, yet assuredly in the life to come. They dream of God, sitting idle in heaven, and seeing all things, and regarding nothing; but in the end they shall know that which now they will not know, and feel that whereof now they have no feeling, And see here how Satan bewitcheth the minds of these men, and blindeth their eyes, that they cannot see sin to be sin, nor cast their eyes to behold the wages of sin reserved for the committers of it. Let all wicked men therefore look for the heavy curse of God. They bless themselves, but the curse of God is upon them, Deut. 32, 41, and ready to overtake them. Woe therefore shall be unto them, though all the world should bless them. They can have no assurance of any good success, nor look for any blessing upon the works of their hands.  
Secondly, be not offended when wicked Use 2 men flourish and prosper, but consider their end and what the end of their hope is, and we shall not be deceived with their outward glory, and present pomp of the world wherein they live. It is a great tentation to the faithful, to behold the prosperity of the wicked. The Prophet David declareth how his faith had long wrestled and struggled with this assault, insomuch that his foot had well nigh slipped, Ps. 73, 2. and his steps were almost gone when he saw how the ungodly flourished; and on the other side, that he was daily punished, and chastened every morning. This was it that troubled job, Wherefore do the wicked live and wax old, and grow in wealth? job 21.7. So the Prophet jeremy marveleth at the prosperity of the wicked, O Lord if I dispute with thee, thou art righteous, yet let me talk with thee of thy judgements: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all they in wealth that rebelliously transgress? jer. 12, 1. So the Prophet Habbakkuk complaineth unto God, 
Hab 1.3.  considering the great felicity of the wicked, and the miserable oppression of the godly, which oftentimes endure all kind of cruelty and affliction, and can see no end thereof. But we must enter into the Sanctuary of God, than we shall see the end which God in his just judgement hath appointed to wicked men: when we thought he had no care of their doings, and that they were in the greatest safety and security, we shall see he is holy in all his ways, & true in all his words. This is a great terror unto wicked men, to know that he will lay upon them a fearful end; and on the other side, it is a great comfort unto the godly, to consider, that howsoever God bear a long time, yet in the end his hand shall take hold on judgement, than he shall execute vengeance on his enemies, and reward them that hate him.  
Lastly, seeing all evil shall have an evil Use 3 end, let us have no fellowship with evil men, or evil actions, unless we will partake with them in the punishment. It is our duty to forsake their company, and to leave our league with them, lest we be taken in the net, and be snared in their ways. This is the exhortation given to us from heaven, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins, 
revel. 18, 4, 5.  and that ye receive not of her plagues. Many have sustained much danger, & endured much affliction by accompanying and conversing with evil men. Lot was never more grieved, nor less secured, then when he was even in the very midst of Sodom. He made choice to dwell there, thereby to enrich himself, but he quickly repent him of his choice, Gen. 14, 12. He was taken prisoner by foreign enemies, and was in greatest danger by violence at his own home. 
Gen. 19.9.  Yea so long as he lived in that place, he seemed to live in a little hell, as the Apostle testifieth, 2 Pet, 2, 7, 8, that God delivered just Lot, being vexed with the uncleanly conversation of the wicked, for he being righteous, and dwelling amongst them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. Let us delight in the sweet society of God's children, & take pleasure to be in the presence of them that fear God. As for the ungodly, let us desire their places rather than their persons, & their room rather than their company. Hence it is, that Solomon teacheth us not to enter into the way of the wicked, nor to walk in the way of evil men, Prou. 4, ver. 14, 15, 16, to avoid it, and not to go by it, to turn from it, and to pass by: for they cannot sleep except they have done evil, and their sleep departeth, except they cause some to fall. What an heap of words doth Solomon use? and to what end serve these so many repetitions, but to show the exceeding danger of communicating with the wicked, and how hardly we are drawn to leave them. It is all one, as if a man would throw himself willingly and wilfully into the hands of thieves. We would be ready to call and account him a stark fool, without any sign or show of wisdom, that would run into the company of thieves and robbers, especially having any charge of money or money-worth about him. The servants of God that are endued with heavenly gifts, and have the graces of God's Spirit given unto them (which are the chiefest treasure) have a great charge about them, it standeth them therefore upon, to take heed that by evil company they be not rob and deprived of them. The holy Ghost dealeth with us, as a Merchant doth with his Factor or servant, whom he sendeth forth furnished with store of money to buy and sell withal; and fearing lest he should be rob and spoiled, warneth him to avoid suspicious places and passages, and to turn aside out of the path, till he be passed the danger. So should we beware of the company & conditions of the wicked, if we count ourselves happy to be in league with them, we are utterly lost, and are walking in the pathway that leadeth to death.  
[Verse 13. If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot pass the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind.] This wicked man, and covetous Prophet, though he neither feared God, nor loved the way of righteousness, yet teacheth what should be in all the servants of God, that they should not for filthy lucre and covetousness, which is the root of all evil, transgress the commandment, or break out beyond their calling.  
This teacheth us this truth, That worldly Doctrine business should not draw us from christian duties. 
Worldly finesse sho● not without us from C●stian dutil  Matters of profit and commodity must not carry us beyond our calling, we must not pursue them, and follow after them, when we have no warrant to desire them, albeit there be profit in them. A notable example hereof we have in Gideon, he had a kingdom offered unto him; for the men of Israel said unto him: Reign thou over us, both thou and thy son, and thy sons son: he thought not government in itself unlawful, or unlawful for them to have a Governor; but he saw no calling from God, and therefore refused it, and betook himself to a private life, saying; I will not reign over you, neither shall my child reign over you, but the Lord shall reign over you, judg. 8, 22, 23 We see that David had his enemy put into his hand, Abishai besought David that he might smite him once with a spear to the earth, and his servants used importunity unto him, as if God had offered him to be slain, saying; See, the day is come, whereof the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, and thou shalt do unto him as it shall seem good to thee, 1 Sam. 24, & 26. But he would not hearken unto them, he would wait the time which God had appointed, saying; Either the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish. The like we see in our Saviour Christ, he refused to be made a temporal and earthly King, joh. 6, 15, for when he perceived that the multitude would come and take him to make him a King, he departed again into a Mountain himself alone. We see the Disciples of Christ left all, & neglected the service of themselves, and the seeking of their own benefit for the service of God. Math. 19, 27. So the faithful Christians sold their possessions, being warranted unto it by a special calling, and guided by the work of the Spirit. Acts 4, 39 Moses might have enjoyed the treasures of Egypt, and the dignity of a kingdom, yet chose rather to suffer adversity with the people of God, and to follow the calling whereunto he was called, Heb. 11, 24, 25. Whereby we see, that albeit profits be in time and place to be looked after, yet we must all look to have our warrant in seeking for them.  
The reasons remain to be considered, to Reason enforce this truth, and to gain our affections to the embracing of it. For first, by too much following the profits of this life, we may lose a greater profit: If we should win the world, and lose our souls: if we should catch the riches of this life, and crack the peace of a good conscience, it would prove in the end a small gain unto us, but rather the greatest loss. The soul is a precious jewel, and therefore the loss of it is an incomparable loss. This is it which our Saviour saith in the Gospel, What shall it profit a man to win the whole world, and to lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give for the recompense of his soul? Mat. 16, 26. Seeing then by seeking the things of this life, we may lose the things of the life to come it followeth, from the danger of eager pursuing after them, that no worldly business should choke us and hinder us from better things required of us.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the things of this life serve only for a season: we ourselves are here Pilgrims and strangers, we have no continuing City. The hope that we have is this, we look for a kingdom. We cannot have an heaven in this life, and another in the life to come. The greatest glory that ever was upon the earth, is gone in a few ages. Therefore the Apostle teacheth, That the fashion of this world goeth away: This world passeth away, and the lusts thereof, but he that fulfilleth the will of God, abideth ever. 1 Cor. 7, 31, 1 john 2, 27. So that we must know it is required of us, that we prefer not this world before the world to come, nor be led away from the duties of our calling, by the love of the profits thereof.  
Use 1 The uses come now to be stood upon. First, we see it is a dangerous bait to be in love with the world. How many are there that even make it their god, and do chief mind earthly things? Our Saviour in the Parable of the Sour that went forth to sow, declareth that the seed that fell among thorns, signifieth those hearers, in whose hearts the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things do choke the word, & make it unfruitful? Math. 13, 22. What was it that moved judas to betray his Master, but for love of money? for he said unto the High-Priests, What will you give me, and I will betray him unto you? Math. 26, 15. Whereby Satan entered into him, & possessed his hart, so that it wrought his destruction in soul and body. What caused Demas a professor of the faith to forsake Paul, 
1 Tim. 4, 10,  and deny the faith? surely he embraced this present world in greater love than he did the truth that endureth for ever, and caught after the shadow in stead of the body. Our hearts are as a ground that is rich and rank, and bringeth forth store of these weeds that choke the growing of the word of God: we would feign come to God, yet are so glued to the world, that it drowneth all desire of the world to come. We offer one hand to Christ, and the other to the devil, but he will have both of them, or none at all. If we give the Lord one part of our heart, and lodge covetousness in the other, we drive the Lord from us, and cause him to departed. No man can serve two Masters: for either he shall hate the one, and love the other, or else he shall lean to the one and despise the other: ye cannot serve God and riches. Math. 6, 24. This made our Saviour say, How hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven: it is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a Needle, then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, Math. 19, 3: making it as it were a rare & extraordinary work to bring them to salvation. We must use this world as though we used it not: and they that buy, as though they possessed not; knowing that godliness is the greatest gain, 
1 Tim 6, 6.  if a man be content with that he hath: for we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out; therefore when we have food and raiment, let us be content, for they which will be rich, fall into temptations and snares, & into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction.  
What stirred up Ahab and jezebel to work out the death of Naboth and his children, 
1 Kings 21, 8.  that the one of them was sick with sorrow, the other caused them to be stoned, but the desire of his vineyard that was a sore in his eye, and lay so fitly for him? And yet when we have done, when we have embraced our dwellings, and encroached on the bounds and borders of others, when we have joined house to house, and land to land, our neighbour's hedge must be next unto us, and hold us hard, that we can pass no further.  
Secondly, we see that our own private respects Use 2 are not the chief things that we must respect, but seek a sanctified use of the blessings of this life, and a warrant to our consciences for the right using of them. These blessings of God become curses unto us, unless we use them lawfully. But if we set up our rest upon them, and seek our happiness in them, we prise them at a high rate, 
Eph. 5, 5. Col. 3, 5.  and commit the foulest and filthiest Idolatry that can be. For the preferring of private profit before heavenly duties causeth a man to be an Idolater: First, because he preferreth his riches before God or godliness in his affections, depending upon them as upon God, and making them the stay of his life. Again, he accounteth his life to rest upon his wealth, rather than upon the providence of God: as his riches increase, so his hope increaseth, so his comfort increaseth: when his wealth saileth, all his hope & comfort faileth. Therefore the Apostle chargeth us to mortify our members which are on the earth, the inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is Idolatry: for the which things sake, the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. So then, the things of this life, and the things of the life to come being propounded and set before us, we are to choose the better of them. This our Saviour taught Martha, Luk. 10, 41, 42. that she disquieted and encumbered herself about many things, but one thing is needful, Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her. So likewise our Saviour chargeth us, not to lay up treasure for ourselves upon the earth, Where the Moth and Canker corrupt, and where thieves dig thorough and steal; but to lay up for our selves treasure in heaven, where neither the Moth nor Canker corrupteth, and where thieves cannot dig through and steal, Mat. 6, 19, 20, 33. Let us first of all seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these earthly things shall be ministered unto us. Let our study and meditation be on heavenly things, whereunto we are called. Let us take heed we lose not greater blessings by affecting the less. Let us remember Lot's wife, a fearful mirror and monument of careful thoughts, who got and gained nothing by all her cares. Let us wait upon God, and look up unto him, Who openeth his hand, and filleth all things with his goodness, Ps. 104, 28. Let us obey the voice of the Lord our God, and then all his blessings shall come upon us, and overtake us.  
Use 3 Lastly, this doctrine serveth to reprove those that esteem earthly things above heavenly, & mind their profits more than their salvation. These invert the course of nature, and turn all things upside down, they set the earth above the heavens, and thrust down the heavens beneath the earth. This is like that confusion and disorder which the wise man speaketh of, Eccl. 10, 6, 7. Folly is set in great excellency, and the rich set in low place: I have seen servants on horses, and Princes walking as servants on the ground. These are like to the Gadarens that desired their swine more than Christ, and had rather lose Christ, and have him departed out of their coasts, then lose their swine, Math. 8, 34. These are of the brood and offspring of profane Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his birthright, Heb. 12, 16, But we have not so learned Christ; we must look up to the eternal inheritance reserved for us: we must not make our riches to be our heaven, our belly to be our god, our shame to be our glory, and our own profit to be our happiness. We must account one spark of grace, and the least taste of the kingdom of heaven, and of the joys of the life to come to be better worth, and to bring with it more sound joy of heart, than all these transitory things, and therefore to be esteemed above all the glory, riches, pleasures, and profits of this world. This made the Prophet David say, Many say, Lord, who will show us any good? But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us: thou hast given me more joy of heart, than they have had, when their wheat and their wine did abound, Psal. 4, 6, 7. Hereunto accordeth the Apostle, Phil. 3, 20. So then they are convinced & condemned to be profane beasts, possessed with the evil spirit of Esau, that will not keep the Lords Sabbaths, nor attend upon his worship, but make that day a time of toil and travail about their worldly business, and a day to be spent in dancing and dallying, in surfeiting and drunkenness, in gaming & idleness; thereby making that which is the Lords day by his institution, to be to them the devils day by their profanation. The Gospel, and all things of a better life, are lightly regarded of all such as are given to their profits, and pleasures, and delight to pamper up the flesh.  
No Religion could enter into the rich glutton that was clad in purple, and fared deliciously every day, Luk. 16, 19 The rich man whose ground brought forth fruits plenteously, whose tongue promised to him perpetuity, and whose heart bred in him security, never thought what should become of his soul, never dreamt of sudden death, never minded his own salvation; and therefore God said unto him, O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee, than whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? Luk, 12, 16. The Apostle Peter maketh it a special mark of the profane beasts in that time, 
2 Pet. 2, 13.  that they accounted it their chief pleasure to live deliciously for a season. And the Apostle Jude speaking of the like livers, saith, 
Jude 11.  they were feast-hunters, filling & pampering themselves. Of this sort are all drunkards, gluttons, epicures, and belly-gods: speak unto them to embrace the truth, to mind heavenly things, to consider wherefore they were created, and to remember the shortness of their life; they cannot hear, the belly hath no ears. They are ready to answer with carnal minded men, what will the Gospel advantage me? Why should I be a professor, and become a by word of the world? What good cometh to a man by hearing the word, by reading the Scriptures, or by being the child of God? It can get me neither many in my purse, nor clothes to my back, nor food to my belly, nor any other pleasure to my heart; I had rather have the company of good fellows, and a draft of wine or strong drink, then to hear the best Sermon that can be preached. And here consider with me profane Esau once again. When jacob demanded of him the sale of his birthright, the said, Lo, I am almost dead, what is then this birthright to me? Gen. 25, 31. Thus the Atheists speak in the book of job, chap. 21, 15. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him, and what profit should we have if we should pray unto him? Such profane Esaves there be many in the world, monsters among the sons of men, proud giants, that are at open defiance with God, that regard the cup and can, the pot and good fellowship, before heaven and heavenly things; that prize the most precious pearls of God most basely, like judas the son of perdition, that valued Christ at thirty pence: so these sell everlasting life, and give heaven, & departed from salvation; some for their whore, some for their drink, some for their money, and other for other base and beastly pleasures: all these shall one day know the price of their folly, and confess with their own mouths, that they were worse than fools and mad men, that every one is ready to point at with the finger.  
Every one is ready to sit in judgement upon Esau, & to condemn the profaneness of his hart, because he regarded more the satsfying of his present lust and moment any pleasure, then to be the successor of his father in the Church of God: yet of this number there be infinite thousands in the world, that prise the precious treasure of God's heavenly graces, the use of the Sacraments, the frame of Christian Religion, the glorious ministry of the Word, the hope of a better life, and the endless joy of God's kingdom (things more of value then the whole world beside) as brutishly & basely, as ever Esau did his birthright, & are ready to sell them for every filthy gain & drudgery pleasure. They think of no other life then this present, and know no other God but Mammon; and therefore howsoever they have oftentimes the praise of the world, and the commendation to be civil & honest men, they are not only enemies unto their souls, but to the cross of Christ, 
〈◊〉. 3, 18.  and are in the fearful estate of condemnation.  
[Verse 14. Come, I will counsel thee such things as this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.] here we have set down unto us the chief occasion of that great judgement which fell upon the people; wherein four & twenty thousand perished, as appeareth in the chapped. following, namely, the devilish counsel of Balaam which he gave unto Balak, to draw the people into fornication. But it may seem at the first sight, that Balaam speaketh very unproperly. For whereas he saith, I will counsel thee such things as this people shall do to thy people, some may suppose he should rather have said, I will counsel thee such things as thou and thy people shall do to the people of Israel. Notwithstanding, if we consider the words aright, we shall see his meaning to be so in effect. So then, if we mark what the people of God should do to them, we shall find what they shall do to the people of God. The Israelites, as we see in the seventeenth Verse, Shall smite the coasts of Moab, and destroy them, subdue them, and bring them under; so was the drift of his counsel, to lay a plot, and prepare a snare whereby the Israelites should be weakened, and many thousands of them destroyed by the hand of God. As if he should say: I know this people whom thou hatest, shall waste and weaken thy posterity in time to come; but harken unto me, and obey my counsel, I will show thee how thou shalt ruin them, and compass their destruction, and so do unto them that which they shall do unto thy people. Thus we see the wickedness of balaam's heart to be exceeding great, who when he was restrained from cursing, opened his mouth to wicked counsel, & thereby the children of Israel fell into horrible sins, and drew upon themselves heavy punishments. 
●ctrine. 〈◊〉 an horri● 〈◊〉 to give 〈◊〉 counsel.  Hereby we learn, That to give evil counsel is a grievous sin. It is not enough for us to abstain from doing evil, but we must beware of this great sin, that we do not counsel any to commit evil. This the Scripture setteth before, us in the sin of jezabel, who was a furtherer of Ahab's wickedness, when his covetous eye lusted after Nabothes Vineyard, she said unto him, 
1 Kings 2, 17.  Dost thou sway the Sceptre, rule the kingdom, and manage the State? Arise and eat bread, I will give thee the Vineyard: and afterward she moved him to go and take possession. This is likewise set down in prover. 1, 11. where he expresseth the sin of seducers. This also appeareth further in joseph's brethren, plotting his overthrow: Come, let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, a wicked beast hath devoured him, etc. Gen. 37, 20. So did Pharaoh counsel and encourage the Egyptians, to deal wisely with the Israelites, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that if there be war they should join themselves with their enemies, and get them out of the Land, Exod. 1, 10. This we see also in Ahithophel, who rebelled with Absalon against David, and fearing the reconcilement of the son to the father, and thereby his own just confusion for his unjust rebellion, he gave such counsel as if it had been Oracle, thereby to take away all hope of agreement & atonement between them: Go in to thy father's Concubines which he hath left to keep the house, and when all Israel shall hear thou art abhorred of thy father, the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong, 2 Sam. 16, 21. So the high Priests moved the people to desire that Barrabas might be delivered rather than Christ, Mark 15, 11: persuaded judas for a sum of money to betray him, gathered themselves in a council to put him to death, and enticed the soldiers with large rewards to noise it abroad, that his disciples came by night and stole him away, while they slept, Mat. 28, 12.  
The Reasons follow. And first of all it is to Reason 1 be considered, that it is one of the titles of the devil to be a tempter. It is one of his names to note unto us his nature: for he is called the Tempter, because his continual study & desire hath been, is, and will be, by all the means he can, to tempt all men; he omitteth no times, he spareth no pains, he leaveth no means unassayed to draw men from God, & to bring them to destruction. This the Apostle teacheth, 1 Thes. 3, 5. I sent to know of your faith, lest the Tempter had tempted you in any sort. So he tempted evah in the beginning through his subtlety to eat of the forbidden fruit, and beguiled her through hypocrisy, 2 Cor. 11, 3. So he tempted Christ to draw him into infidelity, to distrust, and to presumption, and the Evangelist sayeth, The Tempter came unto him, Matth. 4, 3. Wherefore this being a note and property of the devil, such as craftily seduce others unto wickedness, or hold them back from godliness, such as keep men from the love or practise of Religion, and hinder the means whereby it is fostered and furthered in them, are become tempters and the very children of the devil. The qualities of the devil are found in them, they bear his mark, they are stamped with his image, and they do notoriously resemble their father, so that we may say truly of such, and to such, as Christ speaketh to the jews, john 8, 44. Ye are of your father the devil. Thus when Elimas' sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith, Paul calleth him, an enemy to all righteousness, full of all subtlety, and child of the devil, Acts 13, 10. It must needs be a great sin that maketh the devils kinsmen; yea, devils incarnate.  
Reason 2 Secondly, from evil counsels follow most dangerous effects, as filthy puddles from an unclean fountain. From hence many times proceed idolatry, adultery, rebellion, murder, robbery, false testimonies, and all manner of evil works. This might be amplified by sundry examples. The daughters of Lot, lately delivered as a small remnant out of the destruction of Sodom, (the fire whereof was yet scarcely quenched (said one to another, Come, we will make our father drink wine, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father: for our father is old, and there is not a man's in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth, Gen. 19, 32: and from this wicked counsel of the daughter, followed horrible incest of the father. The like we see in jonadab, a subtle companion, who beholding Amnon the King's son become so lean, and perceiving he fell in love, or rather in lust with his sister Tamar, said unto him, Lie down on thy bed, 
2 Sam. 13, 5.  and make thyself sick: and when thy father shall come to thee, say unto him, I pray thee let my sister Tamar come and give me meat, and let her dress meat in my sight, etc. and from this devilish counsel, followed also detestable incest.  
Use 1, The uses follow. First, we may gather from hence another truth to be diligently marked; namely, that mischievous counsel shall fall out to the greatest mischief of the first contriver and deviser of it. It is as a stone that shall roll upon him that first moved & stirred it. It is as a sword, which with the rebounding of the stroke, shall return with great violence, to wound him that first did draw it. This we see in the history of malicious Haman, who thought to have glutted himself, & satisfied his long thirst with the blood of the jews, he took counsel with his wife and all his friends, and they persuaded him to make a tree of fifty cubits high, and to speak unto the King that Mordecai might be hanged thereon, Ester 5, 14. This was the counsel, but it became a snare to entrap the counsellor. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the pit which he made, Psal. 7, 15. Daniel, by the subtle suggestion of the Rulers of the kingdom, and counsellors of the King, was cast into the den of Lions, because he was found too faithful to God; but Daniel was delivered, the mouths of the Lions were stopped, and his accusers by the just judgement of God, & commandment of the King, were devoured by those Lions, Dan. 6, 24. This should serve to give wisdom and warning to all men, and to terrify them from plotting evil devices, & from persuading unto wickedness. God will find them out in their own ways, and pay them the wages of their own works. Thus will the Lord be known by executing judgement upon these tempters and enticers to ungodliness, 
Psal. 9, 18.  so that the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands, and his foot is taken in the same net which he hide for another. It is unpossible (as we see in continual experience) that such masters of mischief should escape unpunished.  
Secondly, we see they are greatly deceived, Use 2 and wander wide out of the way, that think themselves excused and exempted from sin, if they do not execute it in the work, & practise it with the hand. For if the head devise it, if the heart allow it, if the tongue deliver it, if the foot follow after it, sin is conceived, & we are made culpable in the sight of God. So then we must all know, that we may many ways be made partakers of other men's sins, though we be not actual doers in them: God will find us guilty, and convince us to our faces, that we have our part in it, as David said to the woman that sought to reconcile Absalon to his father, who did it by the counsel of joab, Is not the hand of joab with thee in all this? 2 Sam. 14, 19 This the Apostle teacheth Timothy, 1 Tim. 5, 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure. And the Apostle john saith, If any man come unto you, and bring you false doctrine, 
2 john 1●  receive him not to house, neither bid him, God speed for he that biddeth him, God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds. Now we may be culpable of the sins of others; First, by commanding by our authority; that which is evil, and by moving those that are under us to go about it. Thus David is charged to have slain Vriah by the sword of the Ammonites, 2 Sam. 12, 9 For he that willeth and commandeth evil, is as deeply charged with it, as he that committeth it. Secondly, by winking at evil, when we see it, yet make ourselves blind, & will not see it, although it lie in our power to repress it, and redress it. This indulgence and jenity, (when offenders are suffered to run on in their sin) maketh them to grow obstinate in sin, and unrecoverable out of their sin. This we see in the example of Eli toward his own sons, his foolish pity made him guilty of their impiety, 
1 Sam. 2,  and brought the judgement of God, not only upon them, but upon himself. Thus many Masters, Magistrates, Ministers, and houshold-governours, are enwrapped in the blasphemies, perjuries, whoredoms, drunkenness, profaneness, and other sins, that reign amongst those of their families and jurisdictions, and shall be accountable for them, by reason of their cockering and connivence. For by this means, though we do not openly commit them, we secretly consent unto them, & approve of them. This the Apostle reproveth in those, 
Rom 1. 3●  who though they knew the Law of God, how that they which commit such things, are worthy of death, yet not only do the same, but also soothe them that do them. Thirdly, they are also partakers of the sins of others, that join in familiarity with the wicked, for by their fellowship with them, they add courage & comfort to them, they harden them in their evil courses, and give great suspicion to the world, that they are like them in affection, with whom they join in conversation. Fourthly, when men are silent, and say nothing at open impieties & blasphemies. If God be dishonoured, and we hold our peace, as if it concerned us not, neither seeking to reclaim, nor to correct them, we make their offences to be our own. The sin of Hophni & Phinehas destroyed the family and posterity of their father. Achan committed sacrilege, the whole host partaked of it, and was punished for it. So then, it standeth us upon, to beware of consenting to sin, and of counseling others to commit sin. If we any way give our assent and consent, if we defend or delight in the sins which we hear or see, we are companions with them of their filthiness, and partakers with them in their wickedness.  
Thirdly, it teacheth us that we ought not Use 3 to consent to sinners, nor to follow evil counsel when it is given and suggested unto us. It is not enough for us to make our defence to say, Alas, I devised it not, I was not the contriver and inventor of it: if it had not been devised, it should not have been practised. For as the adviser shall not herein be justified, because he put it not in execution: so he that is advised shall not be cleared and discharged, because he was not the author of the invention. If it be a grievous sin to seduce, it is a grievous sin to be seduced. God will arraign them as guilty of the same sin, & bind them in one bundle together. Therefore the wiseman saith, Prou. 1, 10, 15. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not: walk not in the way with them, but refrain thy foot from their path. Our nature is easily drawn to incline unto evil, and standeth in a slippery place ready to fall; but when we have counsellors & abettors to allure us, and to provoke us, we had need of a great measure of grace to hold us upright and to keep our feet from falling. We shall have many sweet songs sung unto us, and the pleasures of sin laid before us, but we must stop our ears against such enticements, and not hearken to the enchantments of such seducers. This we shall the better observe and perform, if we look to the practice of these two points: First, if we be careful to avoid evil company, and to fly from them. If a man were to pass through an horrible wilderness, where he were sure to meet with Lions, Dragons, Wolves, Tigers, Bears, & other wild beasts, he would be sure to go armed and well appointed. While we live in this world, we wander in such a wilderness, and albeit we be not in bodily danger of such creatures, yet we are in continual peril to be assaulted by more dangerous and deadly enemies, the devil and his Angels: all the wicked are their host and instruments, we shall be tempted by the enemies of God, by drunkards, and other profane persons to sin, which are as so many cruel and savage beasts wholly bend to our destruction, so that we must both avoid their company, & put on the whole Armour of God, Eph. 6, 11: that we may stand fast and quit ourselves like men in the time of trial.  
Secondly, it is not enough for us to fly the company of the wicked and ungodly, but we must also seek for the society of the godly, that all our delight may be in them: For the way of the righteous shineth as the light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, Prou. 4, 18. We must make much of the assemblies of the godly, and join one selues in friendship with them, that with the godly we may learn godliness, and with the upright we may learn uprightness. This Solomon teacheth, Pro. 13, 20 He that walketh with the wise shall be wiser. This is a notable help against our manifold infirmities, and a strengthening of us against all temptations. As Iron sharpeneth Iron, so doth man sharpen the face of his friend, Prou. 27, 17.  
Lastly, it is our duty to follow the good Use 4 counsel and persuasion of the godly. Good counsel is as the dropping of the honey comb, bringing sweetness to the soul, and health to the body; yea, as Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, so doth the sweetness of man's friend by hearty counsel, Prou. 27, 9 When our brethren teach, admonish, counsel, persuade, or rebuke us, we must not stomach and despite them, but be guided and directed by them, as David was by Nathan, and as Peter was by the Apostle Paul. This is set down in the 141. Psalm, Let the righteous smite me, for that is a benefit: let him reprove me, and it shall be a precious Oil that shall not break my head. It is a rare thing to find a man that will counsel to follow godliness. Reverence him as a counsellor, love him as a friend, obey him as a father, that will direct thee in the ways of salvation, & bring thee back again when thou wanderest out of the right path that leadeth to life. Thou shalt find many more evil counsellors then good. If one will admonish and persuade thee to godliness, thou shalt meet with one score that will allure thee to wickedness. But we must not follow a multitude to do evil, lest we be punished with the multitude. It must be our wisdom to learn instruction at the mouth of others. The heathen, which had no better star to guide them then the light and law of nature, 
Plutar. in the life of Fabius.  knew that there were two things did greatly adorn a man, and make him renowned for wisdom; one, to be able to give good counsel to himself and others; the other to be willing to hearken to good counsel when it is offered. If we cannot attain and reach unto the former point, which is an excellent grace of God's Spirit, to instruct and teach others wisdom; yet let us follow the latter, and give ear to the advice of others when it is given unto us. For whosoever is contented to stoop down to learn wisdom, is always to be reputed a wise man. But he that cannot give, and yet will not take counsel when it is given; he that neither can teach, nor will learn wisdom, may worthily be esteemed and branded by all men, with the name of a fool. If either we can go before others to show them the way, or follow them that lead us the way, we shall not lose the reputation of wisdom. Hence it is, that Solomon declaring precepts of true wisdom, saith, Prou. 12, 15. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that heareth counsel is wise. Not only he is wise that giveth counsel, but he that heareth it. The wiseman speaketh not in these words of the outward hearing of the ear, but of the inward hearing of the heart. For many have the bodily hearing, that want the spiritual. The external use of the sense cannot be available to make us wise; so that we must hear with an earnest affection of the mind, & give all diligence to follow the counsel that is given us in the name of God. To this purpose he speaketh in another place, Pro. 15, 22. Without counsel thoughts come to nought; but in the multitude of counsellors there is steadfastness. When Herod had offered to give to the daughter of Herodias (because in her dancing & dalliance she pleased him) whatsoever she should ask, even to the half of his kingdom, she being before instructed by her mother, asked the head of john Baptist in a platter: and from the devilish counsel followed abominable murder, Mat. 14, 8, When Rehoboam followed the rash counsel of his young counsellors that had been brought up with him, who persuaded him to make the grievous yoke of his father more grievous: 
1 Kings 12, 14  this turned to the ruin and renting away of the greater part of his kingdom.  
So then, let us not be ashamed to follow the counsel of such as are discreet and godly. Neither is it greatly material who they be that give us good counsel, whether our superiors, our equals, or our inferiors. For we must not weigh so much who is the counsellor, as what is the counsel: nor who is the adviser, as what is the advice. If it be good and godly, think thou that the holy Ghost speaketh, and receive it as proceeding from the Comforter. If it be evil, reject it, as coming from the Tempter. Moses was a wise Governor of the people, and a worthy Prophet of God, like unto whom arose not a Prophet in Israel, 
Deut. 34, 10.  whom the Lord knew face to face; yet he thought it no shame or reproach unto him to be directed and advised by jethro his father in law (a man far inferior unto him in honour and estimation) in hearing the causes and controversies that arose amongst the people: who said, He●re now my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee, Exod. 18, 19 When Naaman the Syrian came into the land of Israel to be cured of his leprosy, and the Prophet bade him, Go wash himself seven times in jordan, he turned away in disdain and displeasure; and if he had not hearkened to the advice of his own servants who modestly said unto him, Father, if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather than when he sayeth to thee, Wash and be clean? he had departed a leper as he came, 2 Kings 5, 13. The like we see in David, who receiving reproachful words for the good deeds that he performed, and a churlish answer for the kindness which he expected, was fully in his fully bend and determined to have been revenged on Nabal & his whole house for that injury; but by the advice and counsel of wise Abigail, inferior to him in regard of his sex and condition, he was stayed from that enterprise, so that he said, Blessed be the Lord GOD of Israel who sent thee this day: blessed be thy counsel, & blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, 1 Sam. 25, 33. So then, we are not to despise the counsel of those that are put in subjection under our feet. The child is sometimes m●de able to advise his father; the servant may sometimes see more than his master; the wise may sometimes give good counsel to her husband: and it is no dispraise or disparagement for them to hearken to their inferiors, but they ought to receive it as a message brought unto them from God: yea, if an enemy should persuade us to that which is good, 
Plut lib. 〈◊〉 ●rat. ex 〈…〉 mo●● p●●s.  we ought to make this benefit and advantage of him, as to hearken to our own profit. This serveth to reprove all those that being lifted up in a proud conceit of their own wisdom; against whom the Prophet Esay denounceth an heavy woe, saying, Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight, do scorn and contemn that either themselves or any other should learn any thing of their inferiors. We see this, and hear it by lamentable experience in many men of a proud and profane spirit in our days. For when the wife, who ought to be an helper unto her husband, shall with modesty and meekness of spirit it admonish him for the bettering of his estate, for the benefit of his wealth, for the comfort of his family, an● for the profit of his own soul, to forsake his evil company, to renounce his drunkenness, or other wickedness wherein he delighteth; what is more common then for his companions to say unto him, Wilt thou be ruled and governed by her? Wilt thou endure her to be thy master? Wilt thou suffer her to crow and to carp over thee? And thus while they think to become wise men, they show themselves fools. For, are we wiser than our father Abraham, who accounted it no reproof or reproach unto him to obey the counsel of his wife, when she persuaded him to cast out the bondwoman and her son out of his house? No woman in Scripture more renowned and commended for subjection and submission to her husband, yet she gave him good counsel to her great praise; and Abraham is commanded to listen unto it; for God said unto him, In all that Sara shall say unto thee, hear her voice, Gen. 21, 12. Away then with the pride & peevishness of all those that take it as a discredit unto themselves to be put in mind of their duty by others, and refuse all counsel, whereof themselves are not the authors. Let us put on the spirit of humility, and deck ourselves inwardly wi●h lowliness of mind, to hearken to every one that can direct us in the which is good. On the other side, it behoveth us to beware of evil counsel, and of evil counsellors, for they are as the instruments of the devil, and lie in wait to entrap us. It is impossible to be free from these sons of Belial, we shall be assaulted by them, and therefore thou must be so thoroughly prepared against them, that if thy father that begat thee, or thy mother that bore thee, or thy wife that lieth in thy bosom, 
〈◊〉 13, 6.  or thy friend that is as thy own soul, shall entice thee secretly or openly, to any impiety against thy holy faith or obedience, remember from what better root it proceedeth, and say unto him as Christ did unto Peter; Come behind me satan. For when Peter began to dissuade him from that great work unto which the Father had sanctified him, and sent him into the world, he said unto him, Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offence unto me, because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men. A notable example for us all to follow when we are moved any way to dishonour our God, and to wound our own conscience by committing of sin.   

15 And he uttered his Parable, and said, Balaam the son of ●eor hath said, and the man whose eyes we●e op●ned hath s●●●e.  
16 He hath said that heard the word of God, & hath the knowledge of the most High, and saw the vision of the Almighty, and being in a trance had his eyes uncovered.  
17 I see that, but not now; I behold it, but not near: there shall come a Star o●t of jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Isr●el, and ●hall smite the coasts of Mo●b, and shall destroy all them that are behind me.  
18 And Edom shall be possessed, and Seir shall be a possession to their enemies: for Israel shall do valiantly.  
19 He also that shall have Dominion, shall be of jacob, and shall destroy the remnant of the City.  
20 And when he looked on Amalek he uttered his Parable, and said, Amalek was the first of ●●e Nations, but his latter end shall come to destruction.  
21 And he looked on the Kenites, and uttered his Parable, and said; Strong is thy dwelling place, and put thy nest in the rock.  
22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be spoiled, so long as Ashur shall hold them captive.  
We have showed already that the prophecies of Balaam do concern either Israel, or such as were strangers from the Commonwealth of Israel. The prophesy belonging to the Israelites hath been already handled. Now Moses proceedeth to set down other special prophecies which Balaam uttered concerning other particular Nations. For it pleased God to use the means and ministry of this wicked man, to foretell the troubles and destruction that should come upon them. The first of all those prophecies is against the Moabites and Edomites: the second against the Amalekites, the third against the Kenites. Against all these he prophesieth and foreshoweth the ruins of their several States and Dominions.  
Now because all these were great & weighty matters, belonging to the subversion, not of private persons or families, but of whole Countries and kingdoms, he useth that preface and introduction which he did before, to procure credit and authority to his prophecy, declaring that he was inspired by the Almighty to speak, of which we have spoken already in the beginning of this chapter. Touching the prophesy against the Moabites and Edomites, which is the fourth in number, 
The fourth prophesy of Balaam.  and the first of those that concern other nations that were strangers from Israel, he showeth that the glory of the Israelites shall be so great, their dominion so large, their kingdom so mighty and magnificent, that it shall shake the Moabites, Ammonites, and Midianites, and men of the East in pieces, yea shall subdue Edom, and enter into their Cities and country, as their own possession. This shall be the victorious conquest of the Israelites, whose glory is expressed by the name of a Star, and whose kingdom is understood by the name of the Sceptre, which is amplified in the beginning of the words, and proved in the end of them. It is amplified by the preventing of ●n objection, which is ●●●ting, and may be thus supplied; When shall this be? Object. Or is the time thereof near; that it should be by and by looked for? The answer Answer. followeth: I see and plainly perceive the certain and undoubted truth thereof, howbeit the season is not yet at hand: thou (O King) hast no cause to fear it, for it is not reserved for thy days, b●t must be fulfilled after many generations. For David lived four hundred years after the uttering and delivering of t●is prophesy, in whom it was accomplished. Thus he comforteth the King, and declineth envy against himself. He proveth and confirmeth his prophecy by the courage and valour of the Israelites, for they shall do valiantly, and destroy the enemies that remain.  
Now, in this prophesy thus propounded we are to observe two things: First, th● interpretation of some things mentioned herein, and then consider when it had his accomplishment and fulfilling, which is the soundest way to understand a prophecy. The words that require interpretation, are in the end of the 17. verse, It shall destroy all them that are behind me. Some read them thus, Shall destroy all the sons of Sheth, 
Lyra. in Numb. cap. 24. Ferus annot. in Numb. cap. 24.  which they understand, that Christ shall convert all Nations and all mankind to the Catholic faith (for Sheth was the son of Adam, out of whose loins the whole world sprang) which is a wrested and far-fet interpretation. Others pass by it, as if they saw it not, 
Anal. Typ. in libros histor.  or as if it were a stranger to them, and they to it, and therefore will claim no acquaintance of it: wherein we may better praise their wisdom then their knowledge, as those which had rather not shoot their arrow then miss the mark, and stand still rather than go out of the way. Others make these words all one with the former, & understand them of the subversion of the Princes of Moab, 
Call har. in lib. Mosis.  which is without all sap or sense; and besides they should set that down obscurely & darkly, which before had been expressed evidently and plainly. Or suppose that some Princes among them might be called by this name; which is, to wander without a guide, to sail without a compass, and to conjecture without ground or warrant. Others (among which some of the jews also are) take it to be some town of the Moabites, 
D Chytr. enar rat. in Numer.  which is here specially threatened. These interpretations (to which we might join sundry others) being mere imaginations without reason, or fond collections without truth, or new conceits without credit, are not to be received of us, or approved by us. So then, all things being duly considered, 
Analy. jun. in Num.  we are rather to follow them that understand the words appellatively then properly, both because such as take them properly, 
Pelarg cöment. in lib. Num cap 24.  run into an unproper and impertinent interpretation, and also because the word is so taken in other places of holy Scripture, as Esay 24, 4. 2 Sam. 10, 4: in which places, the word [Sheth] both without any affix, 
Pagni. thesaur. ling sanct.  & with his affix joined to it, signifieth the hinder parts, 
Sedes, fundamentum, nates.  which the Physicians by an honest and clean term, do call the fundament and that place which we sit upon. Wherefore, by this borrowed and unproper speech, we may gather (not unproperly) that Balaam understood those people that were behind him, or situate at his hinder parts, having relation to the situation of his body, as than it was placed. For when he uttered this prophesy, he looked toward the West, where he beheld the Israelites pitching their tents beside jordan and jericho, as we saw before, Num. 22, 1: so that turning his face towards the Israelites, the people of the East must of necessity be behind him, the East and West being two contrary positions of the heavens, so that he which turneth too the one turneth from the other; and if the one be before him, the other must needs be behind him. So then, as he stood at that time, he might have called the Israelites the children of his face or foreparts, being then before him as he stood; as he doth the Ammonites, Midianites, and other Easterlings, the sons of his backparts, being then situate behind him, whom afterwards the Israelites subdued. Thus much touching the meaning of this hard place in this prophesy: touching the accomplishment of this prophesy, it was fulfilled doubly; first temporally, then spiritually; first properly, then typically. Temporally it was begun in David, 
2 Sam 8, ●  who overcame the Moabites, and put them to tribute; and figuratively finished in Christ, who is the true day-star arising in our hearts, and the King of Kings, whose Sceptre is a Sceptre of righteousness, of whose kingdom shall be none end, whose dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River unto the end of the Land. Psal, 72, 8. & 60, 10. Hitherto of the fourth prophesy.  
The next prophesy following is against the Amalekites, which is the fift in number: 
The 5 pro●sie of Bal●●  but the second that concerneth the Gentiles. For his eyes being cast towards them and their country, he pronounceth two things of them; the one past, and the other to come, and yet one the forerunner and procurer of the other. They began to fall already by the sword of the Israelites, as Moses hath declared. Exod. 17, 19 This word here uttered shall pursue them, and persecute them unto the death, until they be utterly consumed. God hath determined by an unchangeable decree to have war with Amalek for ever, and utterly to put out his remembrance from under heaven. The Amalekites descended of the race of Amalek the Nephew of Esau, as it is testified in Gen. 36, 12. They were the beginning of the nations that first vexed and assaulted the people of God after they were brought out of the Land of Egypt, they were the first enemies that came out against them to stop their way and passage toward the land of Canaan, & therefore they are commanded to have war with them, and to destroy them with the edge of the sword, according to the word of the Lord, Deut. 25, 17, 18, 19 The Amalekites at this time thought nothing less than of their destruction to come: yet the sentence of death is pronounced against them four hundred year before, and they cannot escape the danger thereof. This was accomplished partly in Saul, 1 Sam. 15, 7, who put many of them to the mercy of the sword; partly and especially in Christ, wh●se glorious kingdom is the utter overthrow and ruin of all the Reprobate. Thus much of the fift prophesy against the Amalekites, whose Kingdom then flourished.  
The sixth prophesy of Balaam is against the Kenites their next neighbours, 
The 6 pro●●sy of Bal●●  bordering upon the Amalekites, of whom jethro the father in law of Moses came, as appeareth in judg. 1, 16. 1 Sam. 15, 16: which were part of the Midianites, by whom we may understand the Midianites themselves, one member being put for the whole, one principal family being taken for the whole nation. These are here described, not only by their present estate, but also by their future condition. Their present state was peaceable and prosperous, and seemed to promise a continuance of their glory, and is therefore compared to a sure nest builded in a strong rock, as in a place of safety & defence. Touching their future condition, he showeth, that notwithstanding their secure dwelling & quiet habitation, and that they were without fear of danger to be hurt of the people of God, who never disturbed their peace, nor offered them wrong; yet in process of time, destruction likewise should come upon them, when once the fire of war should be kindled, and break in amongst them, to wit, in part, 
〈◊〉 7, 22.  when Gideon with three hundred men put to flight a great host of them, but most especially when the Assyrians and Babylonians carried them captive out of their own country. For when the Assyrians came up with an army to waste judea, and to carry away the Israelites, 
●●remy 25, 9  ranging over the land, raging with fire and sword, and wasting the neighbour-Nations, they spoiled the Kenites bordering upon the jews; which doth verify the common Proverb, It is some evil to be near unto evil. And again, when thy Neighbour's house is on fire, it is high time to look unto thine own: and teacheth us to esteem as our own, the damage of our neighbour, and to fear lest in the ruins of others, our destruction be conspired. This calamity and captivity was brought upon them by Saneherib, who coming to spoil Israel, spoiled them: and as they were carried away out of their own country together, so they returned back again into their Country together, as we read in the holy history of the 1. Chronicles, chap. 2, 53. And thus as they tasted of the same misery, so God made them partakers of the same mercy; as they were afflicted together, so also they were comforted together. Thus much of the method and meaning of these prophecies. The doctrines arising from hence are to be considered according to the several prophecies: and first touching the first, against the Moabites.  
[Verse 17. I see that, but not now; I behold it, but not near: there shall come a Star out of jacob, etc.] In this prophesy Balaam foretelleth the future condition of the Moabites, declaring both that they shall be destroyed, and by whom. For God will raise out of the contemptible stock of jacob, a bright Star, that shall refresh the Church with his sweet influence, and give them comfort against their enemies: This we showed to be performed in the days of David afterward, therefore he saith: I see it, but not now; nor near at hand. This teacheth us, 
Doctrine. The Church sometimes hath rest and glory.  That sometimes God maketh the Church to flourish in this life. Howsoever God oftentimes bring trouble upon his Church, and affliction upon his people, yet at other times he giveth rest and peace, and continueth their prosperity a long time. This truth receiveth plentiful confirmation out of the book of judges, chap. 3.11, 30. & 5, 31. & 8, 28: it is the main drift and scope of it, to show how God in the miseries thereof provideth a remedy, and giveth rest round about from all their enemies. God sometimes giveth them a time of breathing, and recovering their strength, and will not suffer the rod of the wicked always to rest on the lot of the righteous, Psalm 125, 3. We have examples of this in the reign of Solomon, jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, josiah, and other godly Kings, which were as strong props and pillars in God's house, & a sure stay to the servants of God in well doing: he gave them an outward estate that flourished both in wealth and pe●ce. This appeareth evidently in the book of Ester, 
Ester 8, 1, 16.  after he had delivered them from the mouth of the Lion that gaped as it were after his prey to devour them, the Church prospered, the head of Mordecai was exalted, comfortable letters were published and sent abroad for their safety, and unto the jews came light, and joy, gladness, & honour. So the prophet Zacharie prophesying of their return from captivity, saith; That the streets of the City shallbe full of boys & girls playing in the streets thereof, Zac. 8, 5. The book of josuah is a notable storehouse of God's mercy unto his church, giving them rest from their enemies, as he had promised them, so that none were able to stand before them, josh. 22, 4. And as he dealeth with his Church in general, so he doth with his servants in particular, as we see in joseph, Moses, David, and divers other, turning their mourning into joy, 
Psal. 30, 11.  losing their sack, and griding them with gladness.  
The Reasons of this dealing of the Lord are many and most evident. First, his ears are Reason 1 open to hear the cries of his children, he seeth their miseries, add putteth all their tears in his bottle of remembrance. This is it which the Lord declared unto Moses when he called him to deliver his people out of the thraldom and bondage of Egypt, Exod. 2, 7. I have surely seen the trouble of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, because of their Taskmasters: for I know their sororwes. GOD hath made a covenant of peace with his people, & hath a compassionate sense of their miseries, and a feeling of their afflictions. There is a notable agreement and union between God and his Children. They in their crosses and calamities cannot but sigh and mourn: and they cannot so soon utter a groan, but by by and by the Lord is touched with compassion. This is evidently recorded in the book of Exodus 2, 23, where it is said, The children of Israel sighed for the bondage, and cried: and their cry for the bondage came up to God. The prayers of the faithful prevail much with God, if they be fervent. He understandeth the words of their mouth, and the groans of the heart, and in his good time will hear them graciously.  
Reason 2 Secondly, he giveth unto his Church oftentimes a sweet taste of earthly blessings, to the end his people might have all occasions and opportunities to serve him. If they should always bear the yoke upon their necks, and have the heavy burden of affliction lying on their backs, though they were strong in faith, and had their hope fixed in GOD, yet they would be soon dismayed and discouraged, and join with the wicked, falling into the impieties of their persecutors. But God is the sun and the shield of his Church, he will give grace and glory unto it, and withhold nothing that is good from them that walk uprightly, Psal. 84, 11. He will comfort and defend them in their danger, he will exalt them to dignity after their distresses, lest they should be too much daunted and discomforted. This is the reason used by the Prophet, The rod of the wicked shall not always rest on the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness, Psal. 125, 3.  
Use 1 The uses now are to be marked and observed of us. First, acknowledge from hence with a sweet feeling, the infinite love & compassion of God toward his people: he delighteth not to be always chiding, and his anger endureth not for ever. He will not have his Church to be always under the cross, but sendeth it some release: For he endureth but a while in his anger, but in his favour is life, etc. Psal. 30, 5, 6. Thus doth the Lord give encouragements and comforts unto those that faithfully serve and rightly worship him, whereby he not only testifieth his own love toward them, but allureth others by their example to trust in him, and daunteth all their enemies that hoped to have seen their destruction. Such therefore, as are not moved to confess the love of God unto his servants, and see not his kindness toward them, have frozen hearts; and show themselves unworthy of so great mercy.  
Use 2 Secondly, it showeth us that it is unpossible for all the tyrants and enemies under heaven to prolong the time for the further vexation of God's people, when God hath determined the release, and appointed the end of their troubles. All the creatures of God shall help them, and work for them; yea, hasten the purpose and counsel of God. This appeared very notably in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. When the time of four hundred years (which God had appointed) were expired, albeit the King and his people had concluded to detain them in bondage, they were by the overruling hand of God moved to thrust them out of the land, 
Exod 12, 33 and 14, 22.  yea, even to hire them at a great price to departed, giving them jewels of silver and gold, and casting upon them the most precious things that were in their possession: Pharaoh and his people forced them out of the land in haste, and when they were hardened to follow after them, & to bring them back again, the wind wrought for them, the sea gave them passage, and GOD that ruleth both wind and sea drowned their enemies. The time of deliverance was come, and who could hinder or defer it? The like we see in the bringing of this people out of captivity and bondage in Babylon, nothing seemed more unlikely or unpossible unto the Saints themselves; for when the proclamation for the return of the people was published, Psal. 126, 1, 2. the wonderfulness of the deliverance seemed so great and incomprehensible, that they could hardly persuade themselves of the truth thereof, until they saw the Gentiles speak of it, and help them forward with aid toward their country.  
This serveth greatly to comfort and cheer up the hearts of the faithful, that seeing God will give rest unto his beloved people, vain are the practices of the enemies, although they band themselves together, as Herod, Pontius Pilate, and the high Priests did in the days of Christ, yet we have assurance of deliverance, they shall not always prevail, the people of God shall be preserved, and all shall work for the best for their own safety.  
Thirdly, this must teach us in the time of Use 3 our distresses, while we lie under the Cross to rely upon God, whatsoever troubles and temptations arise, although we should come to the gates of the grave, and pass by the door of death, we must lift up our heads, knowing that our deliverance draweth near. This then serveth to work patience in the servants of God, and to teach us to wait upon him, until the time of rest and refreshing come from the presence of God, for surely it will come, as the Prophet Habbakkuk teacheth, chapt. 2. verse 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the last it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait; for it shall surely come, and shall not stay. So, when the Angel had limited the time of the desolation of the holy people, and of the deliverance of the Church, he pronounceth him blessed, that waiteth until that time, Dan. chap. 12. verses 11, 12. And when the souls of them that were killed for the Word, and the Testimony which they had maintained, cried out with a loud voice from underneath the Altar; How long, Lord, which art holy and true! doest not thou judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? An answer was given unto them, That they should rest for a little season, until the number of their Brethren were fulfilled, Revel. chap. 6. verse 10.  
This the Prophet David showeth to have been his practice, earnestly waiting upon the Lord for help and deliverance out of all his troubles and dangers, as Psalm 123, verses 1, & 2. I lift up mine eyes unto thee, which dwellest in the heavens: Behold, even as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maid unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us. Great are our fears and troubles, and many be our infirmities, it behoveth us greatly therefore, to cleave unto the living God without separation, and evermore continue our trust in him, and to pour out our meditations and prayers before him, until such time as he graciously look upon us, and grant our petitions; yea, it is our duty whensoever we perceive the time of our deliverance to approach, or to be expired, or any signs and tokens thereof, as the sprouting of the Figtree, to appear and to be offered unto us from GOD: it is our duty (I say) to raise up our faith, and to entreat God to bring his purpose to pass, and to make good the words of his own mouth. When Daniel by reading the Prophets of God, knew that the number of years appointed for the desolation of jerusalem was expired, he turned his face to the Lord with prayer, 
Daniel 9, 2.  in fasting, in weeping, in sackcloth and ashes.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is the duty of all such as lie not under the cross, to commend the common cause of their brethren to God. Hath God given us rest on every side? Do we live in ease, sitting under our Vines and Figgetrees, enjoying peace and liberty under a gracious Prince? Do we enjoy health and wealth, and taste not of the bitter cup of affliction that others drink of? It is required of us not to forget the affliction of joseph, but to be mindful of the miseries of other parts of the Church, and to have a fellow-feeling of their sorrows, as that we be thereby provoked to call upon God for them. This the Apostle urgeth the Church of the Corinthians to think upon, 2 Corinthians, chap. 1. verse 7: that they being partakers of the suffering of the Saints, may also be partakers of the consolation. This is a duty needful to be learned and considered. We know not what troubles may fall upon ourselves. There is nothing that happeneth unto any of our brethren, but it may fall upon our own heads.  
Let us therefore call upon God for others, and remember them that are in trouble, 
Heb. 13, 2.  as if we were troubled with them, that so we may have the benefit of other men's prayers, & be delivered when we fall into troubles. It is therefore a duty that we own to God and our brethren, being touched with a respect of his commandment, & of their misery. His commandment should compel us, their misery should move us not to be forgetful of their condition. And from hence we should have a double meditation. First, it is our parts to praise the name of the Lord, when he giveth to our brethren, or to us, any share of this outward prosperity, and manifesteth his love unto us, by delivering our souls from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from falling, Psalm 116, 8.14. When he causeth our houses to be inhabited, our streets to be replenished, our Cities to be stored, and great concourse of people to be assembled: it should move us to render thanks to God, to pay our vows in the presence of all his people, and to crave the continuance of his goodness upon us. This is it which the Prophet acknowledgeth, Psal. 116, 12, 13, saying; What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord, So the Prophet setting down the behaviour of the people, what it shall be, being delivered from captivity, showeth, that they shall say in that day, O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me, thy wrath is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my strength, and song: he also is become my salvation, Esay 12, 1, 2. Let this be our practice when we have tasted of his mercy, and have received any deliverance from him, out of our afflictions.  
Secondly, we ought from hence to consider the peace and rest that God hath reserved for us in the life to come. For, they are but a shadow of that comfort which we shall feel in the kingdom of heaven, This is that which the Apostle concludeth from the rest in the land of Canaan, that there remaineth a rest for the people of God, to wit, in the kingdom of heaven, Heb. 4, 9 For, even as the punishments and plagues that befall the ungodly, which the Lord raineth down upon their heads, are as the messengers of death, and the forerunners of destruction, and give unto them a taste of the pains and torments of hell: so the blessings bestowed upon the godly, are as the first fruits of all their comfort. 
Rom 8, 23.  The first fruits which the Israelites under the law offered to God, gave hope and assurance unto them, to enjoy the rest of the increase: so the faithful, having a feeling of the gifts given unto them, and receiving them as assured pledges and tokens of the favour and love of God towards them in this life, do gather hope to have the heavenly inheritance in time to come. For, if God be so gracious and merciful unto us in these days of our pilgrimage, doubtless he reserveth greater mercies for us in the life to come, when we shall possess everlasting joys which no man shall take from us, which neither the eye hath seen, nor the ear hath heard, nor the heart can conceive, when we shall really inherit that, which now by hope we wait for with much patience, 1. Cor. 2, 9  
[V. 18. A Star shall come out of jacob, & a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the coasts of Moab, and shall destroy all them that are behind: And Edom shall be possessed, & Seir shall be a possession to their enemies: for Israel shall do valiantly.] We have heard before, that the purpose of Balak and Balaam was only to curse the people of God. here we may see upon whom the curse lighteth and falleth. Wherein see how differing the ways and thoughts of God are, from the purposes and pretences of men. The King of Moab intended a curse against Israel, and a blessing upon himself: in both which he is disappointed. For as Balaam before pronounced a blessing upon Israel, so in this place he denounceth a curse to come upon Moab. When the King perceived the continuance of balaam's blessings to follow Israel, 
Numb. 23, 25.  he bade him in choler and indignation, neither bless nor curse; he would have taken it for a blessing, if Balaam would have held his peace & said nothing. But he cannot find this nothing at his hands: for he proceedeth now to deliver sundry curses against the Moabites, as before he had delivered sundry blessings to come upon the Israelites. And hereby is notably verified the saying of the Prophet, Psal. 109, 17, 18. As he loved cursing, so shall it come to him: and as he loved not blessing, so shall it be far from him: as he clothed himself with cursing like a raiment, so shall it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.  
We have heard already how these things were performed, when God raised up David out of the loins of jacob, who smote the Tabernacles of Moab, and made the Curtains of Edome to tremble. But these things, howsoever temporally fulfilled in David and Solomon, have spiritually and for ever their accomplishment and consummation in Christ jesus, he is a King for ever, and hath an everlastaing kingdom, albeit not of this world. Therefore the Apostle saith, This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, sitteth for ever at the right hand of God, and from henceforth tarrieth till his enemies be made his footstool, Hebr. 10, 22, 23. He is the true star that shineth to everlasting life here spoken of, and the Sceptre of his kingdom is a Sceptre of righteousness, He shall be Ruler in the midst of his enemies. Psalm. 110, 2, and 45, 6. Hence it is that the Prophet Malichi calleth him the Sun of righteousness, the brightest of all the stars that shine in the Firmament, and from which all the rest borrow and receive their light, when he saith, Unto you that fear my Name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and health shall be under his wings, etc. Mal. 4, 2. Thus Christ speaketh of himself in many places, john 8, 12. I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but have that light of life. Thus john witnesseth, chap. 1, 5, 9 This was that true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. So Zachary calleth him, The Dayspring from on high that hath visited us, Luke 1, 78. And the Apostle Peter, The day-star that ariseth in our hearts, 2 Pet. 1, 19 Likewise in the last chapter of the Revelation, verse 16. he saith; 
revel. 2, 28.  I am the root and generation of David, and the bright morning Star. Now as he is the Star of jacob to give them light, so he is the King of jacob to rule them, through whom they shall do valiantly, and be enabled to overcome their enemies. Hereby we learn, that the Church through Christ, 
Doctrine. The 〈◊〉 shall t●●● over al● the enemy's or their peace.  hath victory over spiritual enemies. The elect in Christ, shall subdue and triumph over all the enemies of their peace and salvation, both wicked men and reprobate angels; yea, shall in Christ have power over all the world. This promise was made from the beginning unto mankind, and uttered by the mouth of God, Gen. 3, 15. That the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head; which belongeth both to Christ and unto his members. For the sovereign power of Christ is not given to the creature, but the ftuite and benefit thereof is given to the elect, and that two ways: first, he maketh all his members partakers of part of his glory in heaven, whereas the whole world besides lying in wickedness, is condemned in hell; and therefore the Apostle saith, Eph. 2, 6, We are raised up together, and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ jesus. And again, The Saints shall judge the world: not giving sentence against the reprobate, but approving the sentence of Christ. For as at the day of Assizes, the judges being set to pronounce sentence of condemnation against malefactors, he is accompanied by the bench of justices, as by an honourable Senate of grave Counsellors, who not only hear the giving of sentence, but are witnesses & approue●s of it; so when Christ shall come as the judge of quick and dead, accompanied with thousands of his Angels in power and great glory, the elect set at his right hand shall first receive the sentence of absolution & then being taken up into the Clouds, shall sit upon the Throne with Christ, and there approve & allow of the just condemnation of all the wicked. 1 Cor. 6, 2. This is one great fruit & benefit of the power of Christ. Secondly, by this his power he enableth his servants to overcome in their own persons, the lusts of the world, the strength of sin, the power of the devil, the gates of hell, and all the enemies of their salvation. This the Apostle toucheth, Rom. 16, 20, saying; The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly. So the Apostle john noteth this prerogative of the faithful, 1 john 2, 14. And in another place, All that is borne of God, overcometh this world. 
1 john 5, 4.  Likewise in the Epistle written to the Church at ●hyatira, Christ promiseth to them that overcome and keep his words to the end, That he will give them power over Nations, so that they shall rule them with a rod of iron etc. revel. 2, 36.  
The Reasons that may be rendered, will yet farther open unto us this point, and serve to Reason 1 gain our affections to the embracing of it. For first, they do it by a lively faith in Christ's Name. The Apostle teacheth, that this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith: Who is he that overcometh the world but he which believeth that jesus Christ is the Son God? 1 john, chapter 5, verses 4, 5. Great is the excellency and force of faith, which leaneth and stayeth upon him that is able to do all things. All things are possible to him that believeth, saith Christ, Mar. 11, 23. Through him that strengtheneth me I am able to do all things saith the Apostle, Philip. 4, 13. In all trials and tribulations a sound faith will minister unto us comfort and consolation, and give strength to stand, an issue to escape, nay victory to overcome. Do we lose temporal and transitory things? it saith, Thou hast treasure laid up in heaven, Mat. 19, 21. Do we bear the burden of poverty? it teacheth that our Father which is in heaven knoweth whereof we have need, 
M●●th, 6, 32.  and what we want. Do we suffer persecution? and are we reviled for righteousness sake? it telleth us, that ours is the kingdom of heaven, and great our reward shall be in the highest place, Mat. 5, 10. Are we at the point of death, and ready to go the way of all flesh? it calleth to our remembrance, that whether we live, we live unto the Lord: or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live or die, we are the Lords, Ro. 14, 8 Thus by faith we overcome all things, Yea, we resist the devil being steadfast in faith, and beat back his temptations, 1 Pet. 5, 9  
Reason 2 Secondly, we shall not doubt of the victory, or fear to be overcome, seeing that howsoever he be strong that ruleth in the world, yet he is stronger that ruleth in us. True it is, the devil goeth about like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour, and walketh in the earth too & fro to take his prey; yet the Lion of the Tribe of judah, that victorious Lion, hath broken his kingdom, 
Revel 5, 5.  hath gloriously triumphed over him, and gotten the victory. This is that reason which the Apostle expresseth, 1 joh. 4, 4, declaring that he is in us by whom we overcome; Little children, ye are of God, and have overcome them: for greater is he that is in you than he that is in this world. Here we see he comforteth the elect with a sure hope of victory, not through our own power, but through the power of God who is greater than all. It was a great comfort to Elishaes' servant, 2 Kin. 6, 3, 16, to hear that they that were with them, were more in number than they that were against them: but this giveth greater assurance, that he that ruleth in us is greater than he that ruleth in the children of disobedience, of whom Christ saith, My Father which gave them me, is greater than all, and none is able to take them out of my father's hand, john 10, 29.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, we are partakers of his anointing, he is our head, and we his members: he is the root, and we are the branches: so that every believer may truly say, I am Christ's, & Christ is mine: even as the Spouse speaketh in salomon's song, cha. 6, 2. I am my wellbeloveds, & my well-beloved is mine, who feedeth among the Lilies. It is a near conjunction, nay, the nearest conjunction that is, between Christ & his church. The society of parents and children is great, of masters and servants, as part of one household; likewise the society of brethren, sisters, and kindred. The union and fellowship between man and wife is greater than these: yet the conjunction between Christ & his church exceedeth all other, and is preferred above all other societies, whereby we are made not only the friends and brethren of Christ, but we are made one with him, and he with us, 
Ephes. 5, 30.  we are become members of his body, and made flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones. An heavenly, an holy, a comfortable, and most sweet fellowship: Hence it is that the Apostle saith, We have an ointment from that Holy one, and know all things necessary to eternal life, 1 joh. 2, 20. As he is the King and Priest of his Church, so he maketh us spiritual Kings and Priests to God his Father: so that his victory and power (as we noted before) is communicated unto us, & being engrafted into him, is made ours.  
The Uses are now to be handled as conclusions Use 1 drawn out of this doctrine. First, this layeth before our eyes, or rather before our hearts, the great dignity of all true christians, they are victorious conquerors in Christ, and all the wicked are indeed, and shall be manifested at the last day to be their base vassals and contemptible slaves; yea so is satan, hell, and death, all which shall be trodden under foot, as dung and dirt in the streets. The godly, that have Christ both dwelling and reigning in them, are with Abraham the true heirs of the world, and shall with Christ their Captain break the wicked into shards like a potter's vessel, Psal, 2, 9 We see how men admire the proud and haughty of the world, and esteem the ungodly as the great Magnificoes, that may not be contemned or controlled: the poorest and meanest Saint of God, shall in time to come be their judge, & sit with Christ upon the bench in glory, when they shall stand as their vassals at the bar, and be judged as most wretched caitiffs and malefactors, and receive their wages according to their works. Then they shall say with horror of conscience, We fools thought their life madness, & their end without honour, but now they are counted among the children of God, and have their portion among his Saints. Hence it is, that the Apostle reproveth the Corinthians that abased and abused their dignity, that did bring their causes to be tried and judged before the wicked, Do ye not know that the Saints shall judge the world? If then the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters, & c? 1 Cor. 6. verses 2, 3. This is a great honour vouchsafed to the faithful: no earthly honour can be compared unto it, all temporal glory hath not so much as a show or shadow of it. On the other side, great shall be the dishonour and disgrace, the shame and contempt that shall be poured out upon the ungodly, Dan. 12, 2. They have here the riches of the world, the pleasures of this life, the praise of men; they are feared of some, and flattered of others: but when this glory shall pass away as the wind, and fly as an arrow that is shot at a mark, than they shall be arraigned as evil doers, and every servant of God shall tread them under their feet. Then they shall be separated from the presence of God. Then they shall see all the godly whom they have scorned and derided, received into the kingdom of heaven, and themselves shut out of the doors. Then they shall have the continual fellowship of the devil and of his angels in hell fire, where shallbe weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Use 2 Secondly, we must all be careful to walk worthy of so great a calling. We must be as spiritual Kings, to rule and bear sway over our thoughts, wills, and affections, overmastering them as much as may be, proclaiming continual war against our corrupt natures, against the devil, and against the world. And verily, he that can bear rule over his own heart, is a true king indeed, and shall surely reign for evermore with Christ in the life to come. 
Revelat. 1, 6.  He that hath beaten down the kingdom of sin and sathan, and received some measure of grace to reign over himself, hath performed a greater and more glorious work than he that hath subdued a kingdom. For all these enemies of our salvation, be horrible & hideous monsters, and fearful Serpents. Their sting is deadly, their poison is mortal. It is an hard labour to pull out their sting, and take away their poison from them. But they which are carried away with the swinge of their corruptions, as with a violent stream, having blindness & ignorance to reign in their minds, rebellion in their wills, and looseness in their whole life, are not spiritual kings, but base slaves and bondmen. The strong man sathan keepeth the hold of their hearts, 
Luke 11, 21.  and as Lord and King setteth up his sceptre there. Wherefore (my brethren) in respect of this our high calling, we must make conscience of every sin. We heard before that we are made the judges of the world. It is a shame for a judge to be a Thief, that sitteth in judgement to condemn a thief: so is it a shame for us to be given to wickedness, that must judge the wicked world when the just shall appear. A judge must take heed of those sins in himself, which he must condemn in others, lest it be said unto him, Thou which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Rom. 2, 21, 22. This is that use which the Apostle maketh to the Thessalonians, chap. 1, 10, 11, after he had showed that at the coming of the Lord jesus in might and majesty, he would be glorious in his Saints, & made marvelous in them that believe, he entreateth that God would make them to walk worthy of their calling. And surely, if we have any the least spark of grace, or any feeling of our natural condition when we were the children of wrath and the firebrands of hell, it could not but work in us a marvelous love unto God, a desire to please him, and a delight to bring forth the fruits of righteousness.  
Thirdly, our victory in Christ offereth comfort Use 3 unto us in all troubles, temptations, poverty, and in death itself. We are to arm ourselves with this power of Christ against all terrors and fears that seek to dismay us. We are in Christ appointed Kings and judges over those that trouble us, conquerors over sathan and death. Our fear then is already past, let us lift up our heads, and be of good comfort. This is that which the Apostle is bold to put us in mind of, 1 Cor. 15, 56, 57 O death, where is thy sting! O grave, where is thy victory! Now thanks be unto God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord jesus Christ. We shall not need to fear the day of judgement, for then our redemption draweth near. We shall not need to be afraid of the coming of the judge, for he shall be our Saviour. Howsoever therefore we seem base unto the world, and of vile account in the eyes of carnal men, whose portion is in this life, yet we are indeed advanced into the highest honour about him, receiving by our communion and fellowship with him, a communication of his kingly power and glory, to subdue under us the devil and his angels. For, if we fight with him, and under his banner, we cannot lose the field, but shall be assured to reign with him. They then are deceived that think them the scum and offscouring of the world. This should also persuade all careless and backward persons to embrace true Religion, and give it the chief seat in their hearts, forasmuch as it maketh them of the vessels of wrath, and vassals of sathan, glorious Kings, and triumphant Conquerors over the powers of darkness. Furthermore, it should encourage the Ministers of the Gospel, and make them glad to labour in preaching the Word, and in winning souls unto God, being set apart by God's mercies, to consecrate men Kings and Priests unto him, which is a great privilege. For they have mighty weapons given them by their captain Christ, to wit, the power of his Spirit, and the vigour of his mighty word, which causeth them to prevail. Therefore, the Lord saith by his Prophet Hosea, chap. 6, 5. I have cut down this people by the Prophets, & slain them by the words of my mouth. And the Apostle teacheth, 2 Cor. 10, 5, 6, That the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to cast down holds. To conclude this use, seeing God hath thus advanced us, let not us disgrace ourselves, but maintain our dignity, and adorn our profession, that we may find comfort by it in our chastisements and afflictions.  
[A Star shall come out of jacob.] We have seen in the former Doctrine the glory of the Church, that the people of God are set apart by Christ, to be spiritual Kings unto GOD the Father: a dignity given to them by him. Now, before we pass from this place, let us consider of the title that is given unto Christ, where we see he is compared to a Star, and called a Star that shall come out of jacob. This Star we have showed typically to signify Christ, who is called the Light of the world, the Sun of righteousness, the morning star, the dayspring from on high. He is called by this name, 
〈◊〉 ●easons 〈◊〉 Christ is 〈◊〉 a Star.  and described by this title, First, because he is the fountain of all salvation and comfort. Secondly, to teach that all men by nature walk in darkness, and in the shadow of death. Thirdly, because he will give those that are his, the light of knowledge in this life, and the light of perfect glory in the life to come, by which they shall be as stars of heaven, and shine in the firmament afterward.  
Hereby we learn, that Christ jesus is as the morning star unto us, 
●●●rine. ●●st jesus ●●e Dayspring in 〈◊〉 hearts.  bestowing upon his people two excellent privileges & blessings; First, he riseth up as a bright star in our hearts, casting from the the thick clouds of blindness, and taking away the dark mists of ignorance, enlightening them with the true saving knowledge of God, sufficient for salvation, begun here in this life, but shall be perfected in the life to come. Secondly, he will bestow upon us the light of perfect glory in the kingdom of his Father, by the which we shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever & ever. These are two unspeakable mercies, unprizable, unmatchable, to be delivered out of the kingdom of ignorance, and to be brought into the kingdom of light; to be glorified in heaven, and to be made partakers of eternal life. So then, we see by this comparison, that by Christ we have the light of understanding, & shall have the glory of immortality to know God even as we are known. Touching the first clause, that he will manifest all the mysteries of God unto his Church, the Prophet joel foretelleth, chap. 2, 28, That he will pour out of his Spirit upon all flesh, their sons & daughters shall prophesy, their old men shall dream dreams, and their young men shall see visions, they shall be all taught of God, and they shall know him from the least to the greatest. So our Saviour sayeth to his Disciples, Math. 13, 12. To you it is given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Now (saith the Apostle) we see as in a glass darkly, but then we shall see face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know as I am known. 1 Cor. 13, 12. Touching the second clause, that the faithful shall receive the light of perfect glory after this life, the Prophet Daniel witnesseth, That they which be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, and they that turn many unto righteousness, shall shine as the stars for ever and ever. ●an. 12, 3. The performance hereof is remembered, where thousand thousands out of every nation, kindred, and tongue, praise the Lamb, for that he hath made them. Kings and Priests to reign over the earth.  
Reason 1 The truth of all this will yet better appear unto us, if we mark the Reasons. First, Christ hath received a fullness of the Spirit and graces without measure, that they might flow unto all his members, who receive from him grace for grace, sufficient for their places in the Church here, and for their salvation afterward. For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, as a Fountain that is without bottom, which can never be drawn dry. Col. 2, 3. Therefore the Evangelist saith, That of his fullness we all receive, and grace for grace. john 1, 16. So then Christ is full of heavenly graces, and spiritual gifts, that we might be anointed by him, and receive our portion from him. For he obtained them, not to keep them to himself, or to cover them under a bushel, but to bestow them upon his Church So long as he is full, we need not fear to be empty, 
john 1.14.  so long as he is stored, we cannot be destitute. If once we depart from him, it is in vain to look for one drop elsewhere.  
Secondly, he hath obtained by prayer of Reason 2 his Father (who can deny him nothing) that from him we should receive the light of glory, because as he is joined to the Father, and one with him so we shall be joined to him & receive of his glory. here we know in part, and prophesy in part, and all good things are unperfect: but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part and unperfect shall be done away, 1 Cor. 13, 10: for as he being Mediator between God and man hath received of the Father, so shall we receive of the Father being in him. This he speaketh to his Father, joh. 17.22, 23. The glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one as we are one I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Christ is the band or knot of the union between God and us: for in him the Mediator, heaven and earth is as it were joined together; which otherwise could not be, So then, when he shall appear, we shall appear with him, clothed with righteousness, and clothed with his glory, which he also received to make us partakers of.  
Thirdly, such as keep his words, they love Reason 3 Christ; and they that love Christ, are beloved of him and of his Father, so that he will show himself unto them, and withhold no good thing from them. This Christ our Saviour setteth down, john 14, 21.  
The uses of this title given to Christ, being Use 1 called the star of jacob, are divers. First, this teacheth us that they have no property nor interest in this Star, either touching the light of saving knowledge, or the brightness of heavenly glory, that live in blindness and ignorance, that follow the works of darkness, delight in sinful pleasures, and lead a lose and lewd life. If we have no light of Christ shining in our hearts, & scattering the blackness of darkness from our souls, and yet look to receive any comfort or refreshing from him, when this Sun of righteousness shall appear in glory, we are utterly deceived, and shall be disappointed of our hope. Let us not look for any consolation from him, but woe and confusion of faces. This our Saviour teacheth in the Gospel, john 3, 19 This is the condemnation, that light came into the world and men loved darkness rather than that light, because their deeds were evil. It must needs be a strange darkness that cannot be driven away by the beams of this bright shining. It must be a very gross and wilful blindness, where the continual light of the Gospel proceeding from the loving face of Christ the Sun of righteousness, hath wrought no knowledge nor profit in the ways of godliness. The Apostle in this respect, saith, If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, 
2 Cor. 4, 3, 4.  in whom the god of this world hath blinded the mind, that is, of the Infidels, that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the Image of God, should not shine unto them. Christ the Sun of righteousness hath appeared, and shined gloriously in this part of the earth; and yet (alas) how many are there stark blind, and willingly blind, even under the ministry of the most painful servants of God, that labour in the Lord's vineyard, and spend their strength to give light to others? If a man hearing the voice of a trumpet, yet will stop his ears, or having the light of the day, yet will shut fast his eyes, this is a wilful ignorance, 
2 Pet 3, 5.  and a presumptuous sin that shall increase their judgement and condemnation. This doth our Saviour teach, john 15, 12. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they should not have had sin: but now have they no cloak for their sin. The Prophets prophesying of the times of the Gospel, and of the people that should believe in Christ, declare (as we noted before) that God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, 
Esay 11, 9 & 2, 3.  that all should be taught of God, that the earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters do cover the sea. What shall we say of these things? The palpable ignorance and horrible blindness which is seen in the world, showeth plainly, that we are not that people. The Prophet telleth us what readiness and forwardness should be in men to come into God's house for increase of knowledge, to be instructed in his will, and to walk in his ways, that they should say one to another, up, let us go and pray before the Lord, let us seek the Lord of Hosts, and I will go also. Zach. 8, 21. We are far from this zeal, and from encouraging one another in good things, and therefore the blessings of God do stand far from us also. So then, we see such as live in ignorance and sin, are darkness, and have no communion with Christ; for what fellowship can there be between light and darkness?  
Use 2 Secondly, we must all have a special care that this Star may rise in our hearts, & that the Sun of righteousness may rejoice and refresh us. Now the right way to have him with a gracious aspect to shine upon us, is for us to regard and give heed to the lesser lights, the candle-lights, or starre-lights, which are forerunners of this star, to wit, the light of the Prophets, of the Apostles, and other servants of God, which are appointed to direct us in the course of our life, and to point out unto us this light. So the Apostle saith, Ye have a sure word of the Prophets, unto which ye shall do well to give heed as unto a light that shineth in dark places, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts, 2 Pet. 1, 19 And our Saviour calleth his Disciples the light of the world, and a City set upon an hill. john Baptist was a burning and a shining Candle, john 5, 35. They that will not follow these lights, nor seek to be guided by these stars, shall never feel the comfort of this Star of jacob. So then, these places of the world, where those lesser lights have no entertainment, or where by the malice of the people they are removed, or their lights put out, are most wretched and miserable. The people are said in the Prophet to have walked in darkness, Esay 9, 2. Math. 4, 13. and to have dwelled in the land of the shadow of death, before these lights shined on them. So long as Israel was without a preaching Priesthood to deliver unto them the Law of God, so long they were without God and his word, 2 Chron. 15, 3. So long as they wanted these Stewards of the Lords house, to give them their portion of meat in due season, they endured a grievous famine of the soul, and perished for want of food. It standeth us therefore upon, to rejoice in these lights, and to be glad when these stars begin to shine among us, they are the joy and solace of the earth, howsoever they be basely esteemed off in the world, and reproached by them that love darkness more than light, because their ways are evil, john 3, 20, 21: for every man that evil doth, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; but he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds might be made manifest, that they are wrought according to God. The Galatians did so affect Paul, that they would have pulled out both their lights (to wit) their eyes to do him good, Gal. 4, 15. But the practice of our times, and the lamentable experience of our days, showeth the contrary; men seek by all ways and devices they can, to dim and darken these lights, by grieving and vexing them, by disgracing and slandering them, by molesting and troubling of them, by discouraging and discountenancing of them, that so they might hinder the building of the Lords house. If these men were asked the question, whether they would have Christ shine in their hearts, and arise as a bright star, to scatter the cloudy mists of their unbelieving minds, no doubt they would answer, it is their desire, and that they find more use of the light of Christ in their souls, then of the shining of the Sun in the Firmament; and yet so long as they do not use those means whereby the beams of this Star of jacob may shine upon them, they make it manifest, they regard not the Star itself. And therefore let no man flatter himself, that he regardeth the Gospel, or Christ the bringer of the glad tidings of salvation, when they will not open their ears to the Gospel preached, by such as Christ hath appointed over us.  
Use 3 Lastly, we must take heed we be not deceived in judging of this light. For many imagine they have the light of this Sun of righteousness, and of this star of jacob, when they have but a false light. True it is, Christ is in himself, & of himself always a light, howsoever he be received: albeit men shut their eyes, and will not see his brightness, yet remaineth he the light of the world. For the Sun shineth in the firmament, howsoever some are blind, and cannot see, and others might see, yet make themselves blind. Therefore the Prophet I say saith, chap. 60.1, 2, 19 Arise, O jerusalem; be bright, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee: thou shalt have no more Sun to shine by day, neither shall the brightness of the Moon shine unto thee: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy sorrow shall be ended. When the Sun which is called the eye of the world, and is the light of the day, riseth upon us, and cometh toward us, it doth quicken and rejoice us, it causeth life & fruit to appear in those creatures which seemed to be dead & dry before: so if this day-star do truly rise up in our hearts, it will not only enlighten our understanding, but so heat our frozen and dead hearts, as that it will put the life of righteousness into us, and make us walk as children of light, that need not be ashamed who mark their steps and behold their ways. Therefore the Apostle speaketh to every one of us, that considering the season, it is now time that we should arise from sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed it: the night is past, & the day is at hand, let us therefore cast away the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light, walking honestly as in the day, not in gluttony and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, Rom. 13, 11, 12. We have here a notable direction how to know whether this star be risen upon us or not. If he have wrought these effects & fruits in us, if by the bright beams of his Spirit, & sweet influence of his grace, he hath cast out of our minds the dark clouds of ignorance and blindness, and caused us to see what the acceptable will of God is, if he have sanctified us by the holy Ghost, whereby the kingdom of sin is every day more and more suppressed, and we reform according to the Image of God, to serve him in holiness & true righteousness; if these things be in some measure in us, we may be well assured, that this star of jacob hath shined upon us. But if these things be not wrought and effected in us, but that we remain still in our sins and ignorances, we have no part in Christ, we have no portion in this Sun of righteousness. He hath never entered into our hearts, his beams of grace and mercy have never shined upon us, we are still holden under the dominion of darkness, and in the condemnation of him who is the Prince of darkness, to wit, the devil. Therefore the Apostle exhorteth all of us, Awake thou that sleepest, and stand up from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light: walk circumspectly, not as fools, bu● as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephes chapt. 5, verse 14. And the same Apostle in another place saith, If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, 2 Cor. 5, 17. If ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, cast off the old man which is corrupt, and put on the new man which after God is created unto righteousness and true holiness. Eph 4, 21, 22. Let us all remember this truth, and no more deceive our own souls in persuading ourselves to be in Christ, when as yet we never tasted of his Spirit, nor were made partakers of his heavenly graces.  
[Verse 20. And when he looked on Amalek, he uttered his Parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the Nations, etc.] Hitherto we have spoken of the prophesy of Balaam against the Moabites: now followeth his prophesy against the Amalekites in these words, which is the fift in number, and the second among them that concern the heathen that were not of Israel; wherein we have already seen in what sense the Amalekites are called the first of the Nations, not that simply they were first of all people, for they came of Esau, as Moses witnesseth, Gen. 36, 16: but because they were the first that fought against Israel, after they were come out of the Land of Egypt, & therefore should be themselves destroyed. In setting down this practice of the Amalekites, 
Doctrine. Wars are of great antiquity.  we find it warranted, that wars in the world have been ancient among men. To gather armies, and to muster men to battle, is no new device, but an old and ancient practice among the sons of men. In the tenth chapter of the book of Genesis, verse 9, Nimrod began to be mighty upon the earth, and is said to be a mighty hunter before the Lord the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. And in the 14, chap. we have mention of two armies, one raised by Chedor-laomer and his confederates the other by the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrha; these rebelling, the other punishing their rebellion, between whom was a cruel battle fought. This we see in the sons of jacob, raising a force against the Sheehemites, 
Gen. 34, 25.  under the conduct of Simeon & Levi, who were the firebrands of war, and the trumpets of sedition; they came upon them on a sudden, and slew all the maies among them, and after this violence offered unto their persons, they spoilt the City. We shall not need to stand further upon this point, the books of joshua & of judges, the books of the Kings and of the Chronicles, together with lamentable experience of all ages and times, confirm this to have been a common practice among men of old, to raise war one against another, and to try their causes and quarrels by the dint of the sword.  
The Reasons hereof are not hard to find. Reason 1 For first, howsoever men are carried headlong with rage and revenge one against another, yet the devil is the bellows to kindle the coals, who was a murderer and a manslayer from the beginning, as our Saviour speaketh unto the jews, john 8, 44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he hath been a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. This he declareth to the Church of the Smyrnians, That it should come to pass, that the devil shall cast some of them into prison, Reu. 2, 10: and afterward, chap. 12, 17, it is said, The dragon was wrath with the woman, & went and made war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God. This is it that Michaiah spoke to Ahab, Who shall entice Ahab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead? Then there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him, 1 Kings 22, 20. Seeing then the devil is the stirrer of division, and the kindler of contention between man and man, and between kingdom and kingdom, no marvel if waging of war, & effusion of blood be derived from him, as from the principal and chief cause.  
Secondly, sin is so ugly a monster, that it Reason 2 hath separated us from God, and disordered all the affections of men, and made them envious, cruel, bloody, covetous, ambitious, and treacherous one against another: as great love as among Wolves, as great mercy as among Lions. This the Apostle setteth down, Titus 3, 3. And to the very self same purpose the Apostle james speaketh in the fourth chapter, verse 1. From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, even of your pleasures that fight in your members? By the law of creation we were created to abide in a fellowship with God, and in an union one with another. But when sin broke in, we fell from God, and one from another, into all misery.  
Thirdly, the wise God disposeth all things Reason 3 by his providence, and turneth the actions of men to set forth his glory, the glory of his mercy in preserving of the good, and the glory of his justice in overthrowing of the ungodly. True it is, among all the works of men, nothing seemeth so unbridled and unlimited as war: yet it is ordered and determined of God, so that not a Sparrow falleth unto the ground without the will of our heavenly Father. This is noted in the holy history touching the rough answer of Rehoboam, whereby the ten Tribes revolted from the house of David, and bloody wars continued between them: where it is said, It was the ordinance of God, that the Lord might perform his saying which he had spoken by the Prophets, 2 Chron. 10, 15. and 11, 1. So the people are provoked both to praise the Lord for the avenging of the cause of his servants, by destroying their enemies, and preserving them alive, judg. 5, 2, 21. and to acknowledge his justice in overthrowing and consuming all their adversaries, josh. 1, 5. Numb. 31, 1, 2. insomuch that there was no man able to withstand them.  
The uses are now to be made of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, seeing wars carry an ancient stamp upon them, that in all time's man hath risen against man, nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and as mighty hunters, have chased and pursued one another to death: let us not marvel when we hear of wars, and of rumours of wars, nor be dismayed when we perceive people in fury carried like wild beasts one against another; these things should not seem strange unto us, neither need we to admire them as the wonders of the world. Rather it behoveth us to enter into this meditation, to consider that iniquity doth abound, 
Mat. 24, 7, ●  & that the charity of many waxeth cold. For the more these stirs, tumults, and insurrections do increase & gather strength, the more doth charity decay, & the fruits of love languish and pine away among us, and the more ought we to be prepared for the approaching of the second coming of Christ to judgement. Then will he make an end of all division and contention that are now sorife and common in the world.  
Secondly, seeing the mischief of war hath Use 2 been from old, not lately bred as a new birth, but the child of former times, say not the old times are better than these, grow not wanton & weary of things present, to loath the blessings we do enjoy, as the manner of many men is. We complain that we are fallen into evil times, we praise the days that are past, & consider not we murmur against God, who hath made all things good, & governeth all things well. Such is the impatiency of men at the feeling of present calamities, that they are ready to break out into a mutiny and murmuring against him, upon whom they lay the cause of heavy and hard times. The present state of things is grievous, because present troubles are nearly felt, and former discommodities are forgotten long ago. This we see notably expressed unto us in the example of the Israelites, whose present condition was loathed, and that past was desired: they cried out, the former times are better, would God we were again in the Land of Egypt, where we sat by the fleshpots, when we eat bread our bellies full, Exod. 16; 3. Numb. 26, 3, and 11, 5, & 21, 5: we remember the fish that we did eat for nought, the Cucumbers, the Pepons, the Leeks, the Onions, and the Garlic. But they had forgotten the fiery furnace, and making of Brick, they had forgotten the drowning of their Infants, and the hard taskmasters that were set over them, they remembered not their service & sore labour with all manner of burdens, and bondage, and cruelty, insomuch that they uttered many sighs and groans, & grew weary of their lives. And thus it is with many of us, though former times were more lamentable, yet the present are more loathed. How many are there that commend the days already past, and magnify the times of the forefathers? then all things were cheap, than all things were plentiful, now all these are dear and hard to come by. These are like those Idolaters that jeremy complaineth of in his prophesy, that said, We will burn Incense to the host of heaven, as we have done, we and our fathers, for than had we plenty of victuales, & were well, & felt none evil: but since we left off to burn Incense to the heavenly bodies, and to pour out drinke-offerings unto them, we have had scarceness of all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and by the famine jeremy 44, vers. 17, 18. Thus do many of the men of our times; they esteem religion by the back and belly, and measure the truth of GOD by the line of their own making, to wit, by feeding and filling of the body, But we must consider, that plenty and dearth, war and peace, sickness and health, are sent of God, and acknowledge them to be his works, who is constrained for the abuse of his blessings, and the contempt of his word to take them from us, and to scourge us with his rods to bring us to repentance. This is that use which Solomon teacheth in his Ecclesiastes, chapter 7, 11, 12. Be not thou of an hasty spirit, to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools: Say not thou, why is it that the former days were better than these? For thou shouldst not inquire wisely of this thing. What sins break out in these last days, that were not in the former? Were not hatred, malice, envy, murder, debate, whoredom, adultery, idolatry, sedition, covetousness, pride, treason, and such devilish practices and inventions in all ages from the beginning? When Adam had but two sons borne unto him, 
Gen 4, 8. 1 john 3, 12.  was not one of them a murderer? Did not Cain hate his brother and slay him? And did not his posterity fill up the measure of their sins, and make the earth to stink with their unsavoury works of darkness in the nostrils of God, that he was constrained to wash them away with an universal flood? We must therefore search into the true causes of evils, and not falsely accuse the times, but lay the fault upon them that live in the times. If we would grow better, the times also would become much better. But so long as men's manners are deformed, the times cannot be reform and amended. Thus than we see, 
〈◊〉 Virg de 〈◊〉 lib. 2. 4. 10.  that the confusion of war hath been of old, and therefore they no better; so that it behoveth us to be contented with those things which presently we enjoy, and not to break out blasphemously against God, and ignorantly against the times.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing the rage of men to join in battle, & meet in hostile manner in the field hath been of great antiquity, let us all consider, that as wars have been of old, so they may come again we know not how soon. Though we seem now to live secure without danger of enemies, or fear of war, yet the miseries of a cruel war, and the looseness of a secure peace, may suddenly meet together. It standeth us in hand to give GOD the praise, that hath sent us peace, and made us to dwell in safety. How many of our brethren do see, and have seen many pitiful spectacles, 
Esay 13, 16.  & felt many woeful mischiefs this way? The butchering of men, the rioting with women, the ruinating of families and noble houses, & the utter sacking of Cities and Kingdoms? Let not us promise to ourselves any security, let us not dream of perpetual peace & tranquillity, and so lull ourselves asleep with deceitful hope. There is nothing that hath been, that may not be again. There is a time to love, and a time to hate: a time of war, 
Eccl. 3, 8.  and a time of peace. If God send this scourge among us, the City's full of people are made solitary, being quickly wasted and made desolate. Let us be thankful to God for the days of our peace, and pray to him to give us grace to use our peace aright, lest he draw the glittering sword upon us. For if he bring the sword upon a Land, and say, Sword, go through the Land, and destroy both man and beast out of it, Ezek. 14, 17. (as we, our fathers, and our posterity, are at his commandment) it is nothing for him to make havoc among us, and to work out a plentiful desolation.  
[Amalek was the first of the Nations, but his latter end shall come to destruction.] We have spoken already of the former part of these words touching the Amalekites invading of Israel, and making war against them, the history whereof we read in the book of Exodus, chap. 17, verse 16. Now we are to consider the latter part, wherein we may behold the recompense of their work, and how God retaileth the invasion of his people. They sought to destroy Israel, themselves shall be brought to destruction. They drew the sword, themselves are threatened to perish with the sword. That which themselves work, they are constrained to suffer at the hands of other: so that with the same that they do offend, they are punished.  
From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. The wicked are punished according as they offend.  that God oftentimes plagueth men in those things and by those things wherein they have sinned and offended. God avengeth and punisheth in the same kind and measure as men provoke him. We have a notable example hereof in Adonibezek, judg. 1, 6, a proud, insolent, and bloody minded man, he is served as he served others, he had the thumbs of his hands, and of his feet cut off, as he had served the seventy kings which he took in battle. This it is which Samuel said to Agag one of the Kings of these Amalekites that now we speak of 1 Sam. 15, 33. As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among other women, and so he hewed him in pieces before the Lord. David defiled his neighbour's wife, the hand of God did so follow him, that his own wives were defiled by his own son in the sight of all Israel, 2 Sam. 12, 11. We read how Ahab shed Naboths blood to obtain his vineyard, which he refused to sell unto him: but the Prophet was sent unto him with an heavy message, saying; Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick even thy blood also, 1 Kings 21, 19, 23. and also of jezabel the worker of all this mischief, spoke the Lord, saying; The dogs shall eat jezabel by the wall of Izreel. He slew Naboths children, & his own sons were slain. He took possession of the vineyard, but he lost his own kingdom. The wicked man (saith David in the Psalms) hath made a pit, and digged it for his brother, and is fallen into it himself, he prepared a sword to kill his neighbour, and it entered into his own heart, Psal. 7, 13, 15. So the Prophet speaking of Babel, the ancient enemy of the Church, denounceth this just retribution of God, Woe to thee that spoilest, and wast not spoiled: and dost wickedly, and they did not wickedly against thee: when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled, when thou shalt make an end of doing wickedly, they shall do wickedly against thee, Esay 33, 1. And this truth is verified, not only by these examples, but by continual experience. The extortioner and cruel dealing man is oftentimes in his posterity eaten out & consumed by the extortioner. Psal. 109, 13. The Gamester making game his delight, and his pleasure his God, is snared in his own ways, so that gaming is his ruin. The drunkard many times perisheth in his drunkenness, and is brought to an untimely death, sometimes by the immediate hand of God, sometimes by dropsies and other diseases. The unjust and wrongful dealer hath that which he devoured, drawn out of his bowels, and is made by the hand of God to vomit it up again The covetous man that joineth house to house, & land to land, that heapeth up living and riches by fraud and oppression to his destruction, is made as a sponge, which when it is full, and hath soaked up what it can, is crushed and wrung out to nothing. The unclean liver, and filthy fornicator, hath his strength consumed, his substance wasted, his flesh eaten, and the marks of his beastly uncleanness set upon him by the revenging hand of God, to his perpetual shame, infamy, reproach, and confusion. The like we might say in all other sins, God doth most commonly make every man's sin his bane, his poison, his fall, his woe, his destruction and utter ruin, verifying that which Solomon speaketh, Prou. 1, 31, and 26, 27. They shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices: he that digs a pit shall fall therein, and he that rolleth a stone, it returns upon him.  
The Reasons follow. First, God is a just Reason 1 God, he is the common judge, even the judge of all the world, who hath said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, and therefore his justice doth effect it, and bring it to pass. This the Apostle declareth, It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, 2. Thess. 1, 6. So the Prophet teacheth, Hab. 1, 13. That he is of pure eyes, and cannot see evil, nor behold wickedness to allow or approve it.  
Secondly, it is most agreeable to the precise Reason 2 rule of equity, that there should be a proportion between the sin and the punishment, that every one should receive like for like, and drink such as he hath brewed. God commandeth it to the Magistrate, as a law in his proceed, 
Exod 21, 2●  that there should be an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, hand should go for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe, and life for life. If God impose this upon Magistrates, much more will he himself do it. He that requireth equity in judges and Magistrates, will much more show himself just and equal. This is it which the Lord enjoineth touching spiritual Babylon, revel. 18, 6, and 16, 5, 6, and 13, 10. Reward her as she rewardeth you, and give her double according to her works: and in the cup that she hath filled to you, fill her double. etc. So then, whether we consider the justice of God, or the rule of equity, we see that God punisheth as man sinneth, he rewardeth according to the manner and measure of his offence.  
The uses follow to be considered. Will Use 1 God thus repay and retail? Then let every one look to have his sin brought upon his own head, and to be rewarded fully, according to his own works. The equity of this is acknowledged of job, chap. 31, 9, 10. If my heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I had laid wait at the door of my neighbour, let my wife grind to another, and let other men bow down upon her. The like we may say of all other sins; look not to escape the hand of God, but fear to commit sin being thus punished. Hast thou been a bloody beast? look for blood again. Hast thou been cruel? Cruelty & extortion shall both wring and waste thee. He that smiteth with the sword, shall perish with the sword: there shall be judgement merciless, to them that are without mercy. On the other side, in doing good, and exercising love to others, look for love and good from God and man. This made Nehemiah pray to God to remember him in kindness, according to all that he had done to his people. Neh. 5, 19 This made the Apostle crave mercy at the hands of the merciful God for Onesiphorus, because he showed mercy unto him, and refreshed him in his necessity, 2 Tim. chap. 1, verse 16. The widow of Sarepta, sustaining the Prophet, & relieving him with part of that poor pittance that was left her, received an ample recompense, during the time of the famine to her and her son, being miraculously sustained, 1. Kings 17, 14. Obadiah fed an hundred Prophets of the Lord, and hide them in caves from the wrath of jezabel, the Lord showed mercy unto him again, so that he was the first that had the Prophet directed unto him to reveal the removing of the present judgement from the land. So then the consideration of this dealing of God against sinners, is a terror to the ungodly, teaching us to avoid sin, and the dangerous society of sinful men, lest partaking of their sins, we partake also with them in the punishment, jerem. 51, 6. And likewise serveth as a great comfort to the godly, assuring them to find the fruit of their love, and to receive mercy at his hands, who leaveth not a morsel of bread, and a cup of cold water, given in faith out of an heart unfeigned, unrewarded.  
Secondly, it justifieth GOD in his actions, Use 2 and proveth that there is no iniquity with our God. This doth Elihu set down upon this consideration, He will render unto man according to his work, and cause every one to find according to his way. And certainly, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgement, job 34, 11, 12. So then, the Lord bringeth his judgements in this manner to pass, that the mouth of the wicked should be compelled to justify God, and to condemn himself, when he receiveth measure for measure, as he hath done. When judah had overcome Adonibezek, and had cut off the thumbs of his hands and feet, he did acknowledge it to be just, and that the hand of God had found him out, and repaid him according to his deserts; for (saith he) Seventy Kings having the thumbs of their hands and feet cut off, gathered bread under my table: as I have done, so GOD hath rewarded me: so they brought him to jerusalem, and there he died, judg. 1, 7. GOD suffereth them long to escape, and to run on in their evil actions, but in the end he repayeth them; and rather in their own kind, then in another, that it might appear to be his handy work, and not a matter that fell out by chance or casualty upon them, So doth the Church rejoice, that the Lord had done unto them as they thought and intended to do unto the Church.  
Use 3 Thirdly, we are in this respect and consideration, to wait for the performance of this promise, and to look with faith and patience for the justice of GOD in recompensing and rewarding the wicked, with the like to fall upon themselves wherewith they have plagued his people. We see this duty performed by the servants of GOD in the Prophet Esay before remembered: for having declared that the spoiler shall be spoiled, and the destroyer shall be destroyed, they say, O Lord have mercy upon us, we have waited for thee: be thou, which wast their arm in the morning, our help also in time of trouble, Esay 33, 2. To the same purpose speaketh the Church in the Psalm, O daughter of Babel, worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us: blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones, Psal. 137, 8, 9 Let this duty be practised and performed of every one of us: although we see the wicked proceed and go forward in his wickedness, as if he had made a league with death, and a covenant with hell, yet it behoveth us to possess our souls with patience: and albeit he spread himself like a green Bay tree, yet in the end his leaves shall whither, his branches shall be cut down, and his root shall rot; GOD will draw him forth in his good time unto judgement, and proportion his plagues and punishment according to his sins.  
Lastly, this doctrine ought to warn us to Use 4 take heed that we abuse not any of God's blessings, or any of his creatures to any sin or excess, seeing GOD hath threatened to turn them to our curse and confusion; so that wherein soever hath been our wickedness, therein also shall be our woe: our malice shall turn to our own mischief, our uncleanness shall fall out to be our own undoing. This the wiseman teacheth, that because of the whorish woman, a man is brought to a morsel of bread, and such an one will hunt for the precious life of a man, Pro. 6, 26. So such as delight to follow drunkenness, it turneth to their destruction, (for the very creatures groan & travel as it were in pain to be delivered from this bondage of corruption, in which they are after a sort holden for a time, and do cry out unto God for vengeance against them,) according to the saying of Solomon, Prou. 23, 29, 30. To whom is woe? to whom is sorrow? to whom is strife? to whom is murmuring? to whom are wounds without cause? and to whom is the redness of the eyes? Even to them that tarry long at the wine, to them that go and seek mixed wine. Wherefore let us use the creatures of God aright, that they may be serviceable and comfortable unto us, and that they may help to further and increase our blessedness, which they will do if they be well used. This our Saviour teacheth his Disciples, Math. chap. 13, 16. Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. Every gift and creature of God that thou abusest, shall further thy condemnation, and bring upon thy head his just judgement. Every instrument of thy body, and power of thy soul that thou hast abused to sin, shall increase thy woe and torment, as appeareth in the example of the rich man.  
[Verse 22. And he looked on the Kenites, and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, and put thy nest in the rock: nevertheless, the Kenite shall be spoiled, etc.] In these words going before, we heard of balaam's prophesy against the Amalekites. here Moses setteth down his prophecy against the Kenites; which is the sixth in number, and the third among those that are denounced against the unbelievers and idolatrous nations. Concerning the Kenites, we have spoken sufficiently before, which were the posterity of jethro, the father in law of Moses, and these dwelled among the Amalekites, before they departed from them, as appeareth, 1. Sam. 15, 16, so that they obtained mercy, and were not destroyed, because they showed mercy unto the children of Israel, when they came up from Egypt. The scope of this prophecy is to declare, that howsoever these Kenites thought they dwelled safely, and had their seat as it were a nest made in a strong rock, that might be assaulted, but not subdued; besieged, but not overcome; yet, when they promised to themselves the surest peace, and greatest security, destruction should come suddenly like a whirlwind, and carry them away. 
Doctrine. The judgements of God many times come suddenly.  From hence we learn, that the judgements of GOD upon secure and sinful persons, do many times come suddenly. Howsoever the Lord be a God of patience, and beareth with the vessels of wrath, appointed to destruction, yet when men think themselves free and far from all danger, judgement lighteth on them, increased by the speediness of the execution. This we see in sundry examples of God's proceed against the ungodly. The Egyptians that pursued after the Israelites to the midst of the sea, were suddenly drowned, the waters covered them, their chariots failed them, the Lord fought against them, Exod. 14, 26. Whiles Balteshazzar made his feasts, drank wine in all excess, and praised his gods of gold and silver, at the same hour appeared fingers of a man's hand, writing on the plaster of the wall, foretelling his final confusion, which immediately after followed, Dan. 5, 5, 30. When Pharaoh refused to let the people go, as God commanded and Moses required of him, & had been scourged by many plagues, he, his Princes, his people, and whole land; yet they hardened their hearts, and walked stubbornly against him: suddenly at midnight the Lord smote all the first borne in the land of Egypt, from the first borne of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the first borne of the captive that was in prison, & all the first borne of beasts, Exod. 12, 29. Thus Christ describeth his second coming, that it shall be sudden, speedy, and at unawares, Math. 24, 37. So in Lot's time, They were given to lust of the flesh, to pride of life, to fullness of bread, to abundance of idleness to contempt of the poor; Ezek. 16, 49: these were the chief and capital sins of the Sodomites, others followed and accompanied them, and behold suddenly, the Lord reigned down fire and brimstone from heaven, which was their portion, and consumed them, Gen. 19, 24. Such shall the coming of Christ to judgement be, when men say, peace, peace; safety, safety, and think not of any danger, sudden destruction shall come upon them as a thief in the night, etc. 1. Thess. 5, 2, 3.  
Reason 1 The reasons for further confirmation of this truth do follow. For first, God is the mighty jehovah, that knoweth all the ways and works of his enemies, which labour in the fire, and conspire in vain against God & his people. Howsoever the ungodly think him to be weak and to want strength, or to be far from them, & not to see their dealings, yet by woeful experience they shall find the power of his hand. This is the reason urged by Moses in his song, declaring that they sank as a stone, and were consumed as stubble; he giveth this reason, The Lord is a man of war, his Name is jehovah, Exod. 15, 3. The world hath had many worthies & men of war excelling in might, & glorious in victories; but the Lord passeth them all, whose Name is eternal, and almighty, able to execute all his judgements at his own pleasure. His power is not limited & stinted: there is no power on earth, but that which is received of him, who bringeth all his purposes to pass, and his counsels take effect.  
Secondly, the ungodly are of a dead heart, Reason 2 and despise the warning given unto them of God: they have no desire or affection to any thing but the pleasures and profits of this life. This is the reason, why the flood was brought upon the old world, and wherefore destruction shall come upon this old world at the coming of Christ, because albeit they were warned by the preaching of Noah, yet they were drowned in the delights of the flesh, and never turned to the Lord till the flood came, Mat. 24. Deadness of heart, & contempt of the word are fearful sins in the former age, & in these times wherein we live. Such men make but a mock in their hearts of all that God promiseth or threateneth, saying to themselves, where is the promise of his coming? 2, Pet. 3: and thereupon oppress their brethren, & rage against God and his people, use outrageous & lewd dealings, follow every motion of sin, & break out into all enormities.  
Thes uses are in the next place to be handled. Use 1 First, we may truly conclude, that they are blessed that think of the day of their reckoning, and of the time of the account that they must give of their stewardship, and so prepare their garments, that they be not found naked. We see how men in danger, as in a fire coming in the silence of the night, are glad to catch any thing to cover and hide themselves: so must we be clothed with Christ, and put on his righteousness. There fore our Saviour Christ saith, Who is a faithful steward and wise, whom the master shall make ruler over his household? Math. 24, 44, 46. And to the same purpose he speaketh in the Revelation of john, revel. 16, 15. There is no way for the ungodly to escape. When a thief, having a purpose to do a mischief, cometh upon an house in the night when all be asleep, and so taketh them unprepared and unprofitable, being in bed and destitute of all help, they cannot escape or shift themselves out of the way. There can be no preventing of this fearful and sudden destruction, by foreseeing the appointed time, and by determining of the season beforehand, so as we may live as we list until that time: For as the lightning cometh out of the East, and is seen into the West, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, Math. 2●, 27. So then, we may see the blessed estate and condition of all such as wisely consider the sudden coming of God's judgements, and the falling of men into them as a bird into a snare, being thereby made circumspect and wise, to prevent a mischief before they fall into it. On the other side, we may conclude, the cursed and wretched estate of all ungodly and wicked men, they are suddenly taken as in a net, and horribly consumed. They fall into the pit, before they dreamt of any danger. They feel their own misery to be without redemption, before they would see it to prevent it. Happy are they that see the plague coming, and do avoid it.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty to awake out of sin, & to be watchful over our own souls; we must not sleep in sin, nor give ourselves to security, but be careful and circumspect that we be not suddenly overtaken. We ought always to be occupied in the works of godliness, and in the duties of our calling, to perform them as in the sight of God; to the end, that being always ready, we should not fear his coming. This is the charge that Christ giveth us, to be always ready, M●th. 24, 44. Luke 12, 35. To this purpose doth he give this exhortation, that seeing we know not when the Son of man will come, whether at even or midnight, at the cock crowing, or in the dawning, we should carefully watch, & pray continually; Mar. 13, 35, 36, 37. Luke 21, 36. And the which Christ speaketh of the end of the world, must be considered of us touching the end ofour own days, and must teach us so to number up our times, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom, that we should have our loins girt, and as it were our staves in our hands, that every hour we may look for our Lords coming. The Lord would have us know his first coming, because the knowledge thereof was profitable and necessary, and therefore he reproveth the jews, that they knew not the time of their visitation, Luke 19, 45. But his second coming he hath hid from us, as unnecessary ad unprofitable; nay, as dangerous and hurtful unto us, lest we should say with the evil servant: My master doth defer his coming, and thereupon begin to smite our fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken: whereas the Master of that servant will come in a day when he thinketh not, and at an hour when he is not ware of, and will cut him off, and give him a portion with the unbelievers, The servant that knoweth his Master's will, and prepareth not himself, neither doth according to his will, Use 3 shall be beaten with many stripes.  
Lastly, albeit he be patiented, let us not put off from day to day the time of our repentance. It is the exhortation of Christ to the Church at Sardis, Remember how thou hast received and heard, hold fast, & repent, & Reu. 3, 3. The Prophet denounceth a grievous woe to all them that put away the evil day, 
Amos 6, 3.  that continue still in their wickedness, and think that God's plagues are not at hand. This is the mother of many evils, when a man never considereth of the day of his death and dissolution, and that the day of his appearing is near, and the time of his answering at hand; he regardeth not what injuries he offereth, he committeth many grievous sins. So then, the consideration of the suddenness of God's judgements affordeth a notable use against the drowsy security and profaneness of those that mock and dally with repentance, as if it might be obtained at their own pleasure. These men think it a vain thing to trouble themselves that way, until they be ready to die, and do lie at the very last gasp. These men regard not how they live, so they may have time to call for pardon, and to cry, Lord have mercy upon me. But understand (O ye foolish men,) that not every one that saith, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of our Father which is in heaven, Math. 7, 21.  
The judgements of GOD are threatened to come upon thee as a thief, and to sweep thee away suddenly, thou knowest not whether thou shalt have an hour or moment given thee to repent. Thou mayest be smitten with sudden death. When thou risest out of thy bed, thou knowest not whether thou shalt lie down again. When thou liest down in thy bed, thou knowest not what may happen unto thee before it be day. Let God be in our first thoughts in the morning; let him be in our last thoughts in the evening. Let us remember him rising and lying down. Let us call ourselves to an account of our doings every day, what evil we have done, what good we have left undone. Let us continually commend ourselves, our souls, our bodies, our goods, our brethren into God's hands (as a most faithful keeper) by earnest and faithful prayer; and not go into our beds, as the dog into his kennel, or the swine into his sty, or the Ox unto his stall. Boast not of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, Pro. 27, 1. Thyself may be dead, thy house fired, thy goods spoiled, thy Children destroyed, and a thousand miseries be multiplied upon thee. And if thy days be prolonged, the longer thou continuest in sin, the harder thou shalt find it to repent. Thy heart is more hardened by custom & continuance. An old ruinous house, the longer it is let run, the more labour, time, and charges it will require in re-edifying and repairing. An old disease is more hardly cured. The deeper a nail is driven with the hammer, & the more blows are given it, the harder it is to pluck out again. He that will not be fit to day, shall find himself less fit to morrow, & his heart every day less inclined than other to turn to God, and more and more hardened. Wherefore let us while it is called to day, repent and be reconciled to God, that when his judgements come suddenly, the destroyer may pass over us, and we remain safe under the shadow of the Almighty.   

23 Again, he uttered his Parable, and said; Alas, who shall live when God doth this?  
24 The Ships also shall come from the Coasts of Chittim, and subdue Ashur, and shall subdue Eber, and he also shall come to destruction.  
25 Then Balaam rose up, and went, and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.  
Hitherto of the special Prophecies belonging to several people, both to the believing jews, and unbelieving Gentiles: for he hath spoken of the Israelites, Moabites, Edomites, Amalekites, and Kenites. Now we come to the last of his Prophecies, 
The seventh prophesy of Balaam.  appertaining jointly and generally to many people: wherein we must consider three things; First, the entrance into it: Secondly, the prophesy itself: Thirdly, the conclusion of the history. The entrance into it, is not set down simply and nakedly, but is garnished with an effectual and rhetorical exclamation, as it were with an earnest admiration of the greatness and horror thereof, Alas! who shall live when God doth this? As if he should say, O how great and grievous shall those calamities be? The which, albeit none of us that are now alive, shall live to see or feel, yet they shall most certainly come to pass, and woe unto them upon whom they shall fall. The prophesy itself followeth, setting down exceeding judgements of God against great kingdoms and Monarchies of the Assyrians and Grecians. The former judgements were against particular Nations: these are against whole empires. And first of all, whereas the Chaldeans under Nimrod, and the Assyrians under Ninus, usurped dominion over whole Countries & Kingdoms: he showeth, that in process of time, ships should come from the shore of Chittim, that is, the Navy of the Grecians, and the army of the Seleucians', which should subdue both the Hebrews and the Assyrians. By Chittim, in this place, he meaneth Cilicia, which descended of Kittim, one of the posterity of javan, of whom we read in the book of Genesis, chap. 10, verse 4. 
Esay 23, 1. jer. 23, 10.  For Alexander the Great, setting out a fleet rigged and furnished, especially by them of Cyprus, (which is now severed from the continent of Cilicia) and after him the posterity of Seleucus Nicanor, wasted Assyria, judea, Palestina, and all Syria, with perpetual inroads and incursions which they made into them, and in the end subjecteth them all to themselves.  
True it is, Alexander did rather prosecute his wars by Land service, then by Sea: yet when the Ambassadors of tire, Eze. 28, 2, (an Island situate in the sea) had given him a mock trusting in the fortification of the place, 
Q urt 〈…〉. gest. 〈◊〉 lib. 4.  despising his land power, refusing to suffer him to enter into their City, and esteeming themselves worthy rather to join with him as friends and confederates, then to become h●s subjects and vastalles; he was constrained before he could do any thing against them, to send for his ships from Cyprus, whereby he prevailed more against the Tyrians, then by the Peres and Moles that he builded, as Q●intus Curtius at large relateth in the fourth book of the noble acts of Alexander. This is it which Balaam spoke of in this place. The Assyrians were vanquished by Alexander, the Hebrews which came of Eber were oppressed and vexed by the posterity of Seleucus descending from Alexander, Gen. 10, 21. & 11, 15. & 14, 13.  
Likewise when the Grecians had ruled their time, and had proudly borne themselves as conquerors of the world, arising of small beginnings, they also perished after a little time, as Balaam here pronounced long before the event thereof came, 
Dan 2.34  and as Daniel afterwards prophesied immediately before the accomplishment thereof, which was effected and brought to pass by the power and puissance of the Romans, which served them as they before had served others, and took the Empire and Monarchy from them as they had taken it from others. Thus we see how all earthly things, even the mightiest Estates, & greatest Dominions of largest circuit, are subject to their times and seasons of revolution; 
G●i●. ●●t, 〈◊〉 lib 2.  so that in mortal felicities, there can be no assurance nor perpetuity. For as it is an infallible property belonging to all human things, changing with that swift and violent return whereby they did rise to their exaltation and fullness: so these great Princes & Potentates, these Kingdoms and Empires rising with their felicity into humours of pride and security, and forgetting in their greatness the great God of heaven and earth that did set them up and showed that he was able to throw them down (as appeareth most evidently in Alexander, who would be called the son of jupiter, and was content to suffer them to fall down flat upon the ground & worship him:) these I say, saw the declination of their prosperity and great triumphs, thereby showing themselves more happy to get glory, then able to keep it. We see therefore in these examples, that all Monarchies have their periods and points of continuance, as it were the centre to which they tend, and in which after sundry mutations and alterations they fully are accomplished.  
Thus much of the Prophecies both special and general: Now, in the last Verse, Moses hand●●th the event both of these Prophecies, and generally of the whole History; Balaam, rose up, departed and returned, that is; he went his way with a purpose and intent to return unto the place from whence he came, but he stayed among the Midianites, either to expect the issue and fruit of his counsel (among whom also he was slain, 
〈◊〉 31.8.  as appeareth after in this book) or being hired of them to do some other exploit.  
Thus Balaam the sorcerer is defeated, the superstitious King is disappointed, the people of GOD are eased of a deadly enemy; and lastly, the exceeding mercy of GOD is commended to the Church, overturning the practices of them, making good the words of his own mouth, and causing the inventions of his enemies to vanish into smoke, according to the saying of Moses, Deuter. 23, 5. They hired Balaam to curse thee, nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto him, but turned the curse to a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee. And the Prophet Micaiah calleth upon the people, to consider this kindness of GOD toward them, chap. 6, verse 5: O my people, remember what Balak King of Moab had devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. We have heard what great preparations were made, what charges the King defrayed to bring his purpose to pass, and yet prevaileth nothing against the Israelites; his only refuge was patience, a cold comfort to rest in: his only revenge was complaint, a weak weapon to fight withal. We have heard of Balaams coming to curse the people, of his divinations, sacrifices and prophecies: his chiefest wages was the King's wrath, a cold contentment; his highest honour whereto he was advanced, was to take his heels and be gone, a poor preferment. Thus much of the order observed in these words.  
Touching the doctrines that arise from this division, we have already handled at large such as are here offered to our considerations. When Balaam speaking of great afflictions that shall fall upon sundry places and people, saith, That GOD shall do this: chapter 21, verse 6. he teacheth that GOD is author of all chastenings and punishments, there is no evil in the city which he hath not done. Besides, he declareth that GOD raiseth up one evil man to scourge another, chapter 21, verse 25. Lastly, he setteth down the manner of God's punishments to be proportionable and answerable to the offences and dealing of men, chapter 24, verse 20. GOD punisheth in the same kind as man sinneth. They that took away the Empire from others, have the Empire taken from themselves. GOD dealt with them as they had dealt with others, and caused them to perish with the sword, that drew the sword upon others. Now, let us proceed to the handling of other doctrines, which may be gathered from hence.  
Verse 14. [The ships also shall come from the coasts of Chittim and subdue Ashur, and shall subdue Eber, and he also shall come to destruction.] In these words, as we have declared in setting down the method and meaning of them, Balaam prophesieth of the rising and falling of great Princes and Empires. They had their heads lifted upon high, and were advanced unto the greatest honour, but suddenly they came tumbling down, and all their glory lay in the dust, From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. Such as are in greatest place of honour, many times fall suddenly.  that great men, & mighty Princes sometimes in greatest honour, suddenly decay & come to nothing, they are in a moment cast down, and left destitute when they little think of it, and come to great extremity. This we see verified often in fight great battles, such as not long afore were in great pomp, in the midst of soldiers, men of might and great command, having strong armies, and many chariots, are suddenly brought low into great misery, fly for their lives, and are glad of a poor harbour to save their lives, as we see in Sisera, in Saneherib, and sundry others, judg. 4, 16. Behold this in proud Haman, he gloried in his favour with the people, in his greatness with the King, in his grace with the Queen, who had none to the feast but the King and him: he repined, and was even consumed with envy, to see one look upon him, and not do reverence unto him: but on the sudden, he lost both honour and life, and was hanged himself on the gibbet which he had set up for Mordecai, that spoke good for the King, Ester 7, 10. This we see in Agag king of the Amalekites, he flourished in his kingdom, and his people lived securely in their cities, but Saul came suddenly upon them, slew the people, and took the King alive. And when he thought the danger gone, he said merrily and pleasantly, Truly the bitterness of death is passed; then did Samuel hue him in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal, 1. Sam. 15, 32. This likewise appeareth in Nabuchadnezzar, whom Daniel compareth unto a great and strong tree, the height thereof reached up unto heaven, the sight thereof to the ends of the earth; the boughs thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, it made a shadow under it for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven dwelled in the boughs thereof and all flesh fed of it, Dan. 4, 18.19, who as he walked in the royal palace of Babel, and gloried in the work of his own hand, saying; Is not this great Babel that I have built? etc. while the word was in the king's mouth, this voice came down from heaven, Thy kingdom is departed from thee: So they drove him from men, they turned him out of his kingom, they made him eat grass as oxen, & his body was wet with the dew of heaven. This sudden alteration in a moment sometimes befalleth the faithful servants of God. David was made a great man in Israel, beloved of the Princes, honoured of the King, advanced to be his son in law, of whom they sang by course in their play, and said, Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand, 1. Sam. 18, 7. but on 〈◊〉 sudden he was in exile among the wild goats, and constrained to put his life in hazard in a strange country. So job was one of the greatest and richest men in all the East, who in the turning of an hand became one of the lowest and poorest; so that they mocked and derided him, 
job 30.1.  whose fathers he refused to set with the dogs of his flocks; that is, with the meanest of his house.  
Reason 1 Neither can we much marvel at this change of the place and estates of the sons of men, confirmed unto us by all experience in the examples of Pharaoh, Achitophel, Saul, Sifera, Saneherib, Herod, and of infinite others in the acts and monuments of the Church; seeing this falleth not out by chance or fortune, but it is the Lords doing, and the work of his right hand. This is the reason that job expresseth, Now I am their song, I am their common talk, they abhor me, and fly far from me, and spare not to spit in my face, because that GOD hath loosed my cord, and humbled me, job 30, 9, 10. This Hannah in her song toucheth, 1. Sam. 2, 7.8. Where we see the Lord lifteth up, he pulleth and putteth down according to his own will and pleasure, who maketh the highest tide to have the lowest ebb.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as he worketh his own will, so he will humble and abase the sons of men to make them know themselves. We think ourselves great men, we will ascend above the height of the clouds, and exalt ourselves above the stars, we lift up our hearts above our brethren, and will be like the most High: so that God is constrained to bring us down to the grave, & lay our honour in the dust, that we may know we are but men, whose life is but vanity & vexation of spirit. We should never be humble and lowly in our own eyes, unless we saw how God casteth down the mighty from their seats, scattereth the proud in the imagination of their hearts, and sendeth the rich away empty, Luke 1, 52, 53.  
Use 1 The uses follow to be observed. First, from hence consider and confess the difference between earthly and heavenly honour, between the honour of men, and that which is of God. Earthly honour when it is at the highest can give no assurance of continuance, nor minister peace of conscience, nor satisfy with the benefit of contentment, because it endureth but for a season; but the honour which we shall enjoy after this life with God, is like himself. He is unchangeable and without shadow of turning, he is constant and ever like himself: so is the honour and glory which he hath reserved for us, It is laid up as a treasure in heaven, where neither the moth nor canker corrupteth, and where thieves neither dig through nor steal, Math. 6, 20. We see what the favour and friendship of men is, we see what the highest preferment is that men can attain unto: both they and their advancement fall as the Summer fruit, and their place knoweth them no more. But the honour which we shall find in heaven, and enjoy with the glorious Saints of God in the heavenly habitations, lasteth for ever, and there shall be no end thereof. What foolishmen are we therefore, and more than foolish, that so much admire the vain glory of the earth, and have our eyes dazzled with the deceitful beauty of the dignities of this world, and do not consider the stableness of that glory reserved for us, which time shall not consume, nor the enemy abolish? Hence it is that the Apostle john saith, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him: and the world passeth away with the lust thereof: but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth ever, 1. john 2, 15, 17. All earthly things last and endure but for a season, men are mortal, riches are uncertain, favour is vanity, honour is changeable, treasures are transitory, pleasures are mutable, profits are corruptible, friends are fading, and oftentimes turn to be enemies: only, the treasures of heaven, the favour of God, the pleasures of eternal glory, the riches of the world to come are immortal, and never decay. For all flesh is as grass, & all the glory of man as the flower of the field the grass withereth, & the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever, 1. Pet. 1, 24 Thus we see, that there is as great difference between earthly and heavenly honour, as is between heaven and earth.  
Secondly, we must learn to use this world Use 2 as though we used it not, and make it as the hand to help us, and further us toward the kingdom of heaven. The hand is made to serve us, and not we to serve it. We must learn to place the world under us, not above us: we must make it servant to us, not Lord over us; we must teach it to obey, not suffer it to rule over us; as the Church is described to be clothed with the Sun, but having the Moon under her feet, Revel. 12. For, seeing human things are transitory, mutable, and changeable, it standeth us upon to have our conversation in the heavens, and to cast the eyes of our minds toward the estate of glory, and the eternal happiness prepared for us. A pilgrim in a strange land, hath always his eyes toward his journeys end, & is greatly grieved when he wandereth out of his way. We are pilgrims in this world, and are far from home, so that our hearts should be fully and wholly set on everlasting life, and be grieved when we are hindered from the strait way.  
This is the exhortation of the Apostle to the Corinthians, 1. Cor. 7, 29. Many follow it with all greediness, albeit it be full of vanity. But if we esteem of heaven, or regard the salvation of our souls, we ought to be little affected to the things of this life, never setting our hearts upon them, but desiring to dwell in that house where we shall abide for ever. Many there are that live long in this life, and have been many days upon the face of the earth, who never think of the kingdom of heaven, nor dream of another world, nor meditate of the life to come, until they lie at the last gasp, and are going the way of all flesh: which is a most woeful and miserable thing to consider. Let us not suffer Satan thus to cirumvent us, and this present world to abuse and bewitch us: the devil is a deceiver, the world is but a shadow, and hath no true and enduring substance in it. Abraham the father of the faithful, is commended by the Spirit of God, who being called of God, willingly obeyed to go into the place which afterward he should receive for an inheritance, 
Heb. 11, 8.  so that he departed from his kindred & father's house, not knowing whither he went; and by faith he abode in the land of Canaan, as in a strange country, and as one that dwelled in tents. A natural man would think he had made a simple change, and be ready to condemn him for a fool; but the Scripture giveth this reason, as the cause that moved him, (to wit,) everlasting life; for he looked for a city, having a foundation, whose builder and maker is God. In comparison hereof, let us make little account of this transitory life, or of any the vain profits, pleasures, or honours, that may be found in it.  
Lastly, let it not grieve us to see evil men Use 3 exalted and set aloft: they hold their possessions and honour with the greatest uncertainty that can be in their life time, and when they are taken from hence, they can carry nothing with them of all that they possess. They are oftentimes deprived suddenly of all things they desire and do most of all delight in. Sometimes they are taken away from their goods; sometimes their goods are taken away from them: and sometimes, albeit neither they be taken from their goods, nor their goods taken from them, yet God in his justice depriveth them of the comfortable use of them, while they do enjoy the possession of them. This is the use that the Prophet David toucheth, Psalm 49, 5.16, declaring the vanity and uncertainty of mortal things, and the sudden fall of all flesh, he adds: Wherefore should I fear in the evil days, when iniquity shall compass me about as at mine heels? Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, and when the glory of his house is increased; for he shall take nothing away when he dieth, neither shall his pomp descend after him. We have known many by our own observation gone on a sudden, that looked not for any change. We have seen them set on high, and suddenly they have come to nothing. Who is ignorant that great trees grow till they be great, 
〈◊〉 c●●t de 〈◊〉. Alex. ●, 7.  and then be plucked up from the root in a moment? It is a foolish thing for a man to climb aloft, and not consider that the higher he climbeth, the greater is his fall: to covet the fruit, & not consider the height of the tree whereon it groweth: we must take heed, lest while we labour to attain unto the top, we fall down with the boughs that we do embrace. All things are here turned and tossed with uncertainties, and nothing continueth in one stay or state. There is nothing so sure that is not in danger of his inferior. The Lion hath been sometimes the food of small beasts: and the rust doth consume the iron. Let us therefore like and look after better things that do continue: earthly things, although we have them in greatest abundance, cannot save us in the day of danger: let us not trust in them whose help is in vain.  
[Verse 25. Then Balaam rose up, and went, and returned to his place.] here is briefly the conclusion set down, as the event and issue of all the devices and purposes of Balak and Balaam; they rose up and went their way, without doing any thing that they intended. And first touching Balaam, we have often noted, that the mark which he aimed at, was his wages: yet see here, how coveting an evil covetousness, and thirsting after money, which he made his god, he is deceived, & loseth his wages; yea, and his life too at length, as appeareth afterward in this Book. 
Num 31, 8. Doctrine. Such as covet after an evil covetousness are oftentimes deceived.   
Hereby we learn for our instruction, that they which gape after unlawful gain, and the deceitful wages of wickedness, are oftentimes deceived of that which they look for, and find (contrary to their expectation) loss instead of gain, and hindrance in stead of advantage. This is confirmed unto us by sundry examples in the word of God. Look upon the example of Achan, recorded in the book of joshua he thought to enrich himself by the wedge of gold, and the Babylonish garment which he had purloined, contrary to the commandment of God, who would have all those destroyed, not converted to the private profit of any; but it fell out to his own destruction and the destruction of those that belonged unto him, josh, 7, 25, The like judgement came upon Gehazi, he turned after Naaman, and took of him a bribe to enrich himself; but the leprosy of Naaman did cleave unto him, so that his loss was greater than his gains, 2. King. 5.27, Ahab rose up and took possession of Naboths vineyard, which lay commodiously for him; but withal he purchased the wrath of God, the destruction of his person, the ruin of his house, the loss of his kingdom, the undoing of all his posterity, 1. King. 21, 16. judas betrayed his Master, 
Mat. 26, & 27  and sold him for thirty pence, he was carried after his covetousness, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of the immaculate Lamb of GOD; but how he was enriched hereby, the Evangelist declareth; when he saw that Christ was condemned, he repent himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the high-Priests and Elders, saying, I have sinned, betraying the innocent blood. Hereunto accordeth Solomon in his Proverbs, who saith; He that is greedy of gain, troubleth his own house, but he that hateth gifts, shall live, Prou. 15, 16. Where he teacheth, that such as increase their riches by hook and by crook, they care not how, or gain by wrongful means, are the causes and occasions of many evils in their estate and family. This appeareth also by that which was spoken to the rich man in the Gospel, Luke 12.20. Thou fool, this night shall they take away thy soul from thee, and then whose shall all these be that thou hast gathered together? All which places of Scripture serve directly to prove, that such as are given to unlawful gain, and get the goods of this life wrongfully, are oftentimes deceived of their hope and expectation: which made the Apostle Jude, speaking of the matter that now we have in hand, to call the hire that Balaam sought after, The deceitful wages of Balaam, Jude 11.  
Reason 1 The reasons may easily be discerned of us, if we consider that GOD would have his wisdom and justice to appear in crossing their carking and caring for these transitory things. This we see in all the examples before alleged, of Achan, judas, of Gehazi, Ahab, and of the rich man. For God knoweth to deliver the godly out of tentation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement under punishment, 2. Pet. 2.9. How can it be therefore, that such as fill their houses with the riches of iniquity, and with the spoils of the righteous should prosper, and bring a blessing with them, when as God (which is the God of all righteousness and truth) shall set himself against them, & root out the things which they have wrongfully gotten?  
Reason 2 Secondly, every sin is deceitful, and profiteth nothing, whatsoever show of profit and commodity it make. This is set forth unto us in the book of job, I have seen the foolish well rooted, and suddenly I cursed his habitation: his children shall be far from salvation, and they shall be destroyed in the gate, and none shall deliver them, job 5, 3, 4. All sin to the natural man is sweet and pleasant, he findeth it sweet to his taste; but it is as sweet meat that hath poison mingled and tempered with it, job 20, 12, 13. And as poison, though it be sweet in the mouth, bringeth death and destruction with it when it entereth into the body: so it is with sin; it delighteth in the committing, but it biteth at the latter ending: for God turneth it to destruction. Therefore the Apostle saith, we should take heed we be not seduced and deceived through the deceitfulness of sin.  
Use 1 The uses are to be thought upon, that we may apply the doctrine to ourselves. First, we see here the common Proverb truly verified, that covetousness bringeth nothing home. So may it be said of all other sins, of profaneness, of contempt of the word, of abusing the Name of God and his Sabbaths, of uncleanness, of whoredom, of drunkenness, and of all sinful pleasures whatsoever, which natural men make their happiness and felicity; they may delight for a time, and please the carnal desires of natural men, but they bring an heavy account and reckoning in the end. So then, we may say to all the men of this world, whose portion is in this life, as Abner said in one case, Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? 2. Sam. 2, 26. We heard how Naboths vineyard was an eyesore to Ahab, and made him enter into ungodly courses and bloody practices, he destroyed Naboth and his children, he seemed to have made his title strong, & secured his estate: but what brought it in the end? the utter ruin of his whole house. Every man can say readily, when a man groweth prodigal and spendeth excessively, and holdeth a right course, and taketh the ready way to bring all to nought, and fall into decay; He is at the door to be blown out. But if he be straight and hold fast, if he get carefully, and labour by all means by right or wrong, to increase in wealth; he taketh this to be the pathway to thriftiness, and the next course to grow in riches; & carnal men, (that see nothing but with fleshly eyes) are of the same judgement. This is the common opinion, but it is false and wrongful. For all such as give themselves to fraud and oppression, that ca●e not how they store their houses with abundance, and thereby think that neither they nor their posterities shall want, do exceedingly deceive themselves, and offer the greatest wrong to their children that can be. Such (as we heard out of Solomon) trouble their own houses, and are the greatest enemies to those they with the greatest good unto. To this purpose he speaketh in another place, The treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivereth from death, Prou. 10.2. This the Prophet setteth down, Their houses with their lands and wives shall be turned unto strangers, for I will stretch out mine hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord: for from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, every one is given unto covetousness, and from the Prophet even unto the Priest they all deal falsely, jer. 6, 11, 12, 13. And in another place, Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers without equity, etc. jer. 22, 13. jehoiakim is threatened, because his eyes and his heart were only upon covetousness, to be cast out without lamentation, and to be buried as an ass is buried, even to be drawn without the gates of Jerusalem. To this purpose cometh the sentence of Solomon, recorded in the three and twenty chapter of the proverbs, verses 4, & 5, Travail not too much to be rich, but cease from thy wisdom: wilt thou cast thine eyes upon it which is nothing? for riches taketh her to her wings, and flieth into the heaven. Thus he showeth the vanity & unprofitableness of riches, & that we should not travel to hoard up heaps thereof to our own confusion, as many worldly minded men do,  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty to walk plainly and sincerely, to be true Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile: so we have hope of sound comfort in the works of our hands that we shall take upon us, whatsoever the success be. This is it which Solomon teacheth, Prou. 10, 9 He that walketh uprightly, walketh boldly. but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. It is a gracious thing for a man always to have a good cause, and a good conscience. Such a one feareth none evil, but assureth himself of the protection of the Lord. But such as commit wickedness without care or conscience shallbe troubled with inward fears, and chastened with outward punishments. All men desire to avoid perils and dangers, to live safely, and without fear of evil; but all men do not take the right course, nor use the right means to attain their end. None think themselves in greater safety, than such as give themselves to craft and deceitful dealing, to filthiness and uncleanness, to hypocrisy and dissimulation, and to all excess of wickedness. But these men wander wide out of the way, and know not the place where safety dwelleth. For none are further from safety and security than these are who when they shall say, Peace and safety, 
1 Thess 5, 3.  then shall come upon them sudden destruction. Look upon the examples of the old world drowned with the flood, of Sodom consumed with fire, of Dathan and Abiram covered and swallowed with the earth, of Herod smitten of the Angel, and sundry other wicked persons, who have felt the truth of this; whose steps if we follow, we must look to their ends. It is he that feareth God, and walketh uprightly, that is bold as a Lion, and goeth safely in his ways: he hath this comfort, which the other want, that God will keep and defend him, that he will be his protector and deliverer: and therefore in all assurance is able to say, Though I should walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear none evil, Psal. 2 3, 4, & 27, 1, & 50, 15. Again, the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? for they know the infallible promise, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee. This serveth to reprove all such, as give or receive deceitful wages, with a supposed assurance of good success, when that which they go about, is against GOD and the rule of righteousness. Thus the high-Priests dealt with judas, they gave, and he took money, to betray into the hands of sinners the Lord of life: but the curse of God fell upon the one and the others. So the Elders took counsel, and offered large money to the soldiers to say, that the disciples came by night and stole away the body of jesus, Math. 28.12, 13. But if we depend upon God for his blessing, and would have him to prosper us in our enterprises, we must not turn into these by-paths, but keep the strait way that leadeth to life, which howsoever fewest enter into it, shall bring us to eternal life.  
Lastly, let us learn to avoid covetousness, Use 3 and be content with such things as God giveth and knoweth to be necessary and sufficient for us, This is it which the Apostle teacheth, Godliness is great gain, if a man be content with that he hath, for we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain, we can carry nothing out: therefore when we have food and raiment, let us therewith be content, 1. Tim. 6, 6, 8. This is the touchstone to try our hearts whether we be covetous or not. Who is it, if he be demanded, nay convinced to his face, will confess he is covetous? although he cirumvent his brother, and defraud him in buying and bargaining, though he long and lust after his neighbour's goods, though he live by miserable fraud and oppression, though he grind the faces of the poor, and care not how or which way he get, yet who is it, but will stiffly and stontly deny that he is covetous? Seeing then every one is accounted covetous, and no man will father that which he doth beget & bring forth, nor confess that which all the world seethe he doth notoriously practise, let us come to the rule, how we may try him. The workman hath his rule and square to try his work. God hath left us the level of the law, & hath set down marks to examine and prove every man's work. The rule to try our affection is, our contentedness with our estate, and a quiet resting in that portion which GOD hath allotted unto us, Phil. 4, 11. Thou sayest, thou art not covetous, and thinkest thyself extremely wronged, to be charged with so foul a crime: but art thou contented with those things which thou hast? Dost thou believe the division of God's gifts befallen to thee to be the best measure, and most profitable for thee; yea, all-sufficient unto thee? Then thou art void of covetousness: but if thou do not think thine own portion sufficient, it is certain thou wilt be craving and coveting after an other man's. Answer. But (will some say) I am a poor man, I have small means to live, and many children to provide for; how can I be content, or how can I think that I have sufficient? I answer, if thou fear God; Objection. and have godliness in thine heart, thou hast enough, thou canst not want that which is sufficient. Thou hast the promise of God, that he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, 
Heb. 13.4, 5  His word is a sufficient assurance for all things needful. Godliness is profitable unto all things, which hath the promise of the life present, and of that which is to come, GOD commandeth that our conversation should be without cotousnesse, 
1 Tim. 4, 8.  The rule to try our practice and obedience is, to be contented with our own estate. The way and means to work in us contentedness, is godliness: for it maketh a man contented with that he hath. So far as a man is godly, so far he is content with his outward condition. Let us therefore labour to plant godliness in our hearts, and to store them with the true fear of God, which will bring with it contentedness, and sufficiency in every estate.  
[And Balak also went his way.] Balak and Balaam laid a plot to curse the people of God, but are disappointed, and part company one from another. Balaam returned to his people, that is, he purposed to return, with a full intent to go home; but he was stayed by the way, where he perished among the Midianits. Balaks hope failing him, he goeth his way, and nothing is done of the one to the other. This event between them teacheth, 
Doctrine. The devices of evil men against the Church come to nothing.  that the devices of evil men come to nothing. God disappointeth the policies and purposes of the ungodly intended against the Church: so that how cunningly soever they are contrived, he bloweth them away as dust with the wind, and he melteth them as wax with the fire. Many rest in vain hope, and put confidence in deceitful things. Esau promised unto himself a time of his father's death, & of weeping for him, and then he would be avenged for the birthright, and blessing of his brother; but his expectation was made frustrate, and the blessing took place, Gen. 27, 41. The Egyptians had a purpose to kill all the males of the Israelites, that all hope of issue from them might decay; but see how wide they shot, and how far they miss, Exod. 1, 12, God increased them exceedingly, and they were constrained to drive them out enriched with the spoils of Egypt. The enemies of Christ say in the pride of their hearts, Let us break their bands, and cast their cords from us; yet he that sitteth in the heaven, laugheth them to scorn, and giveth to his Son the heathen for a possession, Psal. 2, 3.  
Hereunto cometh the saying of the Prophet, Psal. 7, 14. When Christ had preached the Gospel at Nazareth, they were filled with such wrath against him, that they rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him even unto the top of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong; but he passed through the midst of them, and went his way, Luke 4, 30. The like example we find, john 7, 53, the Scribes and pharisees being gathered together in a council, where the death of Christ was practised, God raised up one to speak in his cause, one of their own bench, that sat in the council & consistory with them, so that they broke up in a rage without doing any thing. Great matters were purposed, but nothing determined: mightymen and rulers were assembled, but nothing could be concluded. So we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that certain jews made an assembly, and bound themselves with a curse, saying, That they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul, Acts 23, 22: but they were disappointed, and their purpose (though closely contrived) was utterly disannulled.  
Reason 1 The Reasons will make this truth more apparent. First, if we consider this essential property of God, that he is full of justice, he will reward and recompense as our works are. If we rest in vain and wicked practices, he will not wink at them or hold his peace, but throw down that which we build up, and he will disappoint that which we hope for. This the Prophet David handleth at large, Psal. 62, 3, 11, 12. where he reproveth his adversaries for devising and practising of evil against him, and showeth that all their devices shall profit them nothing, but be the means to bring them suddenly and speedily to destruction; The children of men are vanity, the chief men are liars, to lay them upon a balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not in oppression, nor in robbery, be not vain, if riches increase, set not your hearts upon them; for thou rewardest every one according to his work. If their expectation were always satisfied and desires accomplished, God's justice should be impaired and called into question; so that the crossing of their hopes, discovereth and revealeth him to be a just and righteous God.  
Secondly, the expectation of the wicked is Reason 2 vanity, because they can give no comfort or assurance. No man is able to assure himself of life, or of any thing else: for what man can redeem the life of his brother, to keep it from the grave? If then we cannot secure life, either to ourselves, or to our brethren: much less can we other things, So the Prophet reasoneth, They trust in their goods, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches: yet a man can by no means redeem his brother, he cannot give his ransom to God, Psal. 49, 6, 7.  
The uses are next to be considered, as they Use 1 arise from this doctrine. And first we may conclude from hence the unhappy and wretched estate of them that have only eyes of flesh, to rest on things which they see with their foolish and fleshly eyes. If we regard and receive only present blessings, they are of l●ttle account, and of small moment. If then we wait on lying vanities, & forsake God our strength and our salvation, we are unhappy and most miserable. This doth the Prophet preach unto us, Thus saith the Lord cursed is the man that trusteth in men, and maketh flesh his arm, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord, Ier 17, 5, 6, 7. And the Prophet rendereth the reason hereof in the words following, He shall be like the heath in the wilderness, and shall not see when any good thing cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land, & not inhabited: whereby the Prophet meaneth, that such are like the unfruitful trees, or the parched & barren wilderness; their hope that rely upon men, is frustrate, GOD himself will fight against them, so that they shall never have good success. As the heat of the Sun consumeth and drieth up the moisture of the trees, and the grass of the field, so that albeit they have roots & leaves, yet are without fruit; so doth God disappoint the ungodly, & maketh all his hope whither away, like the corn which being green in the blade, is blasted in the ear, or as the grass on the house tops, which perisheth before it be ripe, and ready to be cut down, whereof the mower filleth not his hand, neither the gleaner his ●lap. Psal. 129, 6, 7, 8. Wherein the Prophet compareth the wicked to hay or grass, meaning that they shall be of no long continuance, but presently come to destruction, though they be lifted up for a time very high; as the grass that groweth on houses, incontinently withereth, because it wanteth strength of root, and depth of earth to give moisture, and supply nourishment unto it; yea, the Prophet goeth further, to note out the wretchedness of their estate, because such have not the benefit of the Church's prayers, when he saith; neither they which go by say, the blessing of the Lord be with you; noting hereby that it is a great curse & judgement of God upon us, to want the good wishes or godly prayers of the Church. On the other side we may see the happy and blessed condition of the godly, that make God their Lord, that make him their strength and their salvation, that trust in him for their defence. This the Prophet toucheth in the place before recited, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is, jer. 17, 7, 8. He is a tower that can never be scaled; a city that can never be conquered; a buckler that can never be broken; a shield that can never be cracked; a rock that shall never be entered; a fortress and hold that shall never be surprised; so that he which trusteth in him shall be as a tree that is planted by the water, which spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not feel when the heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not care for the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Such as have their hope in God, shall never be deceived or disappointed, they may feel the heat of trouble and persecutition, but they shall not be scorched and consumed with it. They are so seasoned and moistened with his grace, that they shall want no good thing, and whatsoever he shall do, shall prosper, Psal. 1, 3.  
Use 2 Secondly, we learn, that no wisdom, be it never so deep, no understanding, be it never so politic, no counsel be it never so prudent, no subtlety be it never so hidden, shall overthrow the purpose of God, or prevail against his truth, or hinder the execution of his will. For his infinite wisdom is able to overreach and over-match all the wisdom that is in the creatures, and to prevent whatsoever devices they have set abroach. This is it which Solomon teacheth, Many devices are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord shall stand, Pro. 19, 21. So saith the Prophet, The Lord breaketh the counsel of the heathen, etc. Psal. 33, 10. Man doth purpose, but God doth dispose. Many heap up riches, but GGD bringeth them to poverty: they hope to enjoy their treasures many years, but their days are broken off in the midst of their course. Some seek to hinder the course of the Gospel, and utterly to root out the truth, but they are deceived of their expectation, and themselves are pulled up by the root. Others seek to prevail, but are overcome. Howsoever the wisemen of this world study to resist the will of God, yet it must be accomplished. Therefore Solomon saith, There is neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord: his counsel shall remain for ever, 
Pro. 21, ●0. Psal. 33, 11.  and the thoughts of his hart throughout all ages. There is no wit or wisdom of man can take place against him. True it is, men are grown crafty and cunning, they can dive deep to hide their counsels, and cover two faces under one hood, yet all things are naked & open before him, with whom we have to do, he will defeat their purposes, and they shall know they oppose themselves against him, & fight against heaven.  
Thirdly, let us not rely on vain things, Use 3 for then all our expectation shall be in vain. Who is so simple, that to stay him up from danger, would rest on the web of a spider, or the staff of a reed, or the strength of a rush? All the devices of men, the power of Princes, the courage of horses, the help of creatures, are as a broken weapon, or a rotten pillar unprofitable to defend us, and unserviceable to deliver us. This the Prophet teacheth us, Psal. 146, 3, 4, 5. We are prone by nature to put our trust in creatures, rather than in God the Creator: he forbiddeth all vain confidence in them, that God may have the sole and whole praise. Where we see the Prophet yieldeth sundry sound and substantial reasons not to have any affiance in men, how great soever their places, and how high soever their authority be: for they are not able of themselves to help themselves, or others that are in distress. Besides, the shortness and uncertainty of their life is such, that suddenly death cometh, and the breath departeth, and so the hope which men repose in them perisheth. This is the brevity and vanity of man's life, that all which he thought upon, and devised in his imaginations, come to nothing. Hence it is, that the Prophet David exhorteth, not to trust in oppression, nor in goods gotten by unlawful means, Psal. 62, 10. If riches increase, we must not delight in them, lest our hearts be stolen away from the hope of better things, or be puffed up in pride above measure, against our brethren, through the abundance of outward blessings. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we remember the Name of the Lord our God: they are brought down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright, Psalm 20, verses 7, 8.  
Fourthly, when we see the enemies conspire Use 4 against the Church, let us from this consideration of the vain hope and confidence of the wicked, take occasion to comfort ourselves, and to cheer up our hearts: their hope hangeth on the spider's web, and all their expectation shall turn into smoke. Let them gather themselves together on heaps, and take crafty counsel one with another, he that ruleth in heaven shall scorn at their inventions, and frustrate them of their hope and mischievous purposes. This is the assured comfort that the Prophet giveth in this respect, Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, and when the glory of his house is increased; for he shall take nothing away when he dieth, neither shall his pomp descend after him: Psal. 49, 16: & though he should come to the age of his fathers, and live as long as the most aged, yet this life must have an end. Thus doth our Saviour set forth the vain confidence of the rich man, flattering his own soul, glorying in his goods, living in all delight, taking his pastime, and promising to himself a long life, O fool, this night will they fetch away thy soul from thee, Luke 12, 20. But he that resteth upon God, is sure to build upon a sure rock, that in all storms and tempests shall stand unmovable. This meditation will stay our faith, and comfort our hope, when we see the great plottings, and wonderful confidence of wicked men. For why should we fear such enemies? or be dismayed either in regard of our distressed & weak estate, or in respect of that flourishing estate of others, as though we were in danger to be overcome? They rest on lying vanities, and therefore woe unto them. This serveth to terrify them, to consider the slippery ground whereon they stand, and the deceitful foundation whereon they build: for whilst they determine to conspire against other, they confound themselves, whilst they compass to destroy the Church, they deceive themselves; whilst they promise to themselves to work out great matters, they are utterly disappointed of their purposes, and whilst they show themselves to be enemies to God's people, God manifesteth himself to be an enemy unto them.  
Use 5 Lastly, seeing all evil inventions and devices of the devil are disappointed, let us not stand in fear of any attempts made against us by his imps & instruments. The enemies of the Church had hired a sorcerer and conjuror to waste and weaken them, yet we see his enchantments and divinations are defeated, and come to nothing. Hereby we learn what to think of witchcraft and sorcery, and of sorcerers and witches, of whom worldly and carnal men, void of true godliness, & the true fear of God's Name, do stand so much in fear of. Thus it appeareth to be a simple distinction of the more simple people, making some to be good witches, and some to be evil witches; not only because all witchcraft is wicked & the invention of the devil, but because such as they account the best are bad; yea, the worst of all, drawing the people from God, & causing them to run a whoring after the devil. For, as well they may make some good devils, and some evil devils (as some prattle of white devils, and black devils) as make some witches good, & others evil: whereas all sorcery (under what colour & pretence soever it be used) is abominable in the sight of God; and all sorcerers (howsoever they be esteemed of in the world) are hated and abhorred of him.  
True it is, the common sort of carnal men, and of the ignorant multitude imagine them to be the very plagues of the earth, that they destroy men's goods, torment their bodies, take away their lives, lame their cattle, bring all calamity upon them, & that none can be in safety so long as they remain. Hence it is, that men stand in fear of them, & are afraid to displease them, they dare not deny them any thing; they are as careful to please them, as to please their parents. And yet if we aright consider of the matter, we shall find that they are more afraid of them, then hurt by them. The holy Scripture hath delivered full and perfect doctrine, what to hold concerning witches. It teacheth that there are witches, and that they should not be suffered to live, but be put to death, Deut. 18, 10, 11. But we must observe & mark for what causes & crimes they are to be taken away from the earth: not because they raise tempests in the air, or hurt corn on the ground, & fruit on the trees; not because they send their spirits to make men lame, to kill their children, to destroy their cattle: they are never charged with those things, and among all those that have been plagued and tormented by evil spirits, the Holy Ghost never layeth it upon witches. The reasons why they should be put to death, are, because they have a league and familiarity with devils, which are the enemies of God, and because they seduce the people, and draw them into error, to run after devils, and devilish practices. We must know that all affliction laid upon our bodies, our goods & children, is of God, Amos 3, 6. His providence ruleth all, so that not a sparrow falleth to the ground, without the will of our heavenly Father. Our sins provoke him to chastise & afflict us. God giveth the devil leave to correct and scourge us for out sins. When he hath obtained leave of GOD, he coveteth to do it in such sort as may further his kingdom, and draw the world into error. When he hath received power to afflict men and beasts with bodily harms, he will do it by and by, but he is cunning and crafty, he will do it to his most gain and advantage. He could do it, and would do it without witches and sorcerers, yet he useth them to set a colour and a cover upon his matters. For using them as his instruments, he bringeth them to believe that they do many harms sent by him, and they confess so much sometimes, whereas indeed they are deceived themselves, and do deceive others. And from hence proceed and issue sundry abominations. The people are set on work how to devise to be safe against the witch: then there is running to wizards, to learn to withstand his fury, to expel his spirit, to outwitch and overcome her familiar: he procureth many to use wicked & blasphemous charms, to abuse the blessed name of God, and to profane and pollute his most sacred word: hereby the innocent are oftentimes accused, and innocent blood is shed, which procureth the wrath of God against the Land. Al these mischiefs that are wrought, are set abroach by such as are called cunning men and cunning women: they are thought to do much good, and to help many people, but of all other they do greatest harm in seducing the people, 
exod. 22.18.  & aught to die the death. Such witches as have familiar spirits are thought to do harm to mankind, and to beasts, and do not, because the devil at the appointment of God executeth it, and he beareth many in hand that he doth it at the request and instigation of the witch; but these, which seem in outward appearance to do good, do harm indeed, leading men into the depth of sin, and drowning men deeper in condemnation. But we must learn and allow these principles, 
●●●es to be ●●●●ued tou●●ng witch●●●●.  setting down the vanity of this Science. First, there is no more hurt done, nor no less hurt done then would be if there were no witches Secondly, the devil cannot kill man or beast at his pleasure, to gratify a witch. Thirdly, the sending of the devil by a witch cannot give him any power and commission to do any thing. Fourthly, he is more forward and ready to do evil, than the witch can be, and therefore it were peevish and preposterous to imagine that the less forward unto wickedness should set on him, and procure him to evil, that is more forward: so that the witch doth not provoke forward the devil, but the devil bearing sway in her heart, setteth her on. Fiftly, the devil is the commander, the witch is but his servant: he ruleth with power in the children of disobedience, and is the god of the world: she by the righteous judgement of God is servant and subject unto him. Can any than be so silly and simple to believe that the less can give power unto the greater, the weaker to the stronger? Lastly, as the devil cannot hurt a poor Fly, before he have power granted unto him by a greater power than his own, so when he hath liberty, is he so sottish that he will not execute his power, unless some witch or sorcerer send him? So then we conclude that witches, sorcerers, & enchanters are the bondslaves of Satan, and have themselves no power to do, or to authorize him to do any thing. But whensoever God giveth him power to afflict, as the executioner of his vengeance, he useth them as his instruments, not to receive help by them, but only for a colour, that he may draw multitudes into sin, and carry them he along into condemnation. Let us not therefore stand in fear of any sorcerers, but of God, from whom all chastisements come, whether such as he inflicteth with his own hand, or such as he giveth the devil power to lay upon men, as we see in the history of job, chap. 1, and 2. and therefore they should humble us and bring us unto repentance. The ungodly look no further then to the witch, they fret against her, they never look up to God, nor consider the cause why the devil hath power over them, they seek not to appease God's wrath. But the godly seek to take away the cause, that they may remove the effects. If our sins have provoked God, and the enemy touch our bodies or goods, we must fall down before his Throne, humble ourselves in prayer, entreat the Lord to turn away his displeasure, stand fast in faith and patience, and wait upon God for our deliverance. If we endure tentation, we are blessed, and shall be crowned with the crown of life, jam. 1, 12. And thus much touching the vain attempt of balaam's sorcery.    

CHAP. XXV.  

1 NOW whilst Israel abode in Shittim, the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.  
2 Which called the people unto the sacrifice of their gods, and the people eat, and bowed down, etc.  
3 And Israel coupled himself unto Baal-Peor: wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled, etc.  
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of this people, and hang up to the Lord before this Sun, 
〈◊〉 21, 6.  that the indignation of the Lords wrath may be turned from Israel.  
5 Then Moses said to the judges of Israel, Every one slay his men that were joined to Baal-Peor.  
6 And behold, one of the children of Israel came, and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, who wept before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  
We heard in the last verse of the former chapter, how Balaam arose and went his way from Balak the King of Moab. A man would now in reason suppose, that the danger were passed, and the storm clean overblown after his departure, and the Israelites wholly set at liberty. But even as a piece of Ordinance being discharged, it is too late and in vain to wish it may not hurt where it lighteth: so Balaam had put that in the head of Balak, before he departed and took his farewell, which was a snare unto the people of God, whereby it came to pass, that he hurt more being absent, than he could hurt present, and wounded them being further off, whom he could not strike near at hand. For he annoyed them with this counsel, that could not touch them with his conjuring, & sowed that seed whereof sprung up so plentiful an harvest, that albeit he were gone, yet his advice remained, and cast forth such a stinking breath and filthy savour, as smelled rankly in the nostrhils of God, and infected greatly the people against whom it was plotted and contrived.  
Now we have noted before, chap. 24, 14. that this was the crafty and devilish device of this sorcerer, when he saw he could not curse and bewitch them, to entice them to whoredom, to eat of things sacrificed to Idols, reproved by the Apostle, 1 Corinth. 10, 14. and after to worship their false gods, and the Idols of their own invention. Balaam knew that God's favour was a sure defence against all invasion of enemies: he knew that sin leaveth us naked of God's protection, & bringeth in the floods of his vengeance upon us.  
This wicked wretch knew that they could not be plagued and brought under, unless their God were offended with them, whose favour and friendship is a wall of brass, and as armour of proof, that no weapon can pierce it, no engine can batter it, no force can make a breach to enter upon it. But when we sin against him, we are stripped of our armour, and are left open to all violence, Exod. 32, 25. This is such a principle as was not unknown to the unbelievers, judith 5, 20, 21. And thus did Balaam teach Balak to lay a stumbling block before Israel, to provoke and entice them to sin against God, by setting before them the beautiful women, which might allure them to fornication, and draw them to Idolatry, by inviting them to their Idoll-feasts, and bringing them into their Idoll-temples, which thing we see here to come to pass. For the children of Israel did commit fornication with the daughters of Moab, they went to their sacrifices, worshipped Baal-Peor, Psal. 106, 28, 29. did eat the sacrifices of the dead, and provoked God with their own inventions, as t e Psalmist teacheth.  
In the former part of this book, we have seen how through famine and weariness, and want of waters, they fell to murmuring impatiently and unthankfully against God: Now having passed over all these disadvantages & discommodities, and being entered into part of the Country, where some of the Tribes had their habitation, Possessing Cities that they builded not, Fields that they sowed not, Vineyards that they planted not, & houses that they filled not, they fall from God through lusts and pleasures, committing bodily and spiritual fornication with the daughters of Moab. Deut. 6, 10, 11. Thus they are overcome by allurements and enticements of voluptuousness and sensuality, which could not be subdued by war or witchcraft, according to the received opinion, 
Difficili●● es● voluptatem vincere, 〈◊〉 d●●erem.  It is harder to overcome prosperity, than adversity; and pleasure then sorrow. Indeed we are compassed about with many temptations, and the subtle serpent layeth baits before us of all sorts; some on the right hand, and other on the left hand: yet none are more dangerous or deceitful, than such as come masking under the vizard of honour, pleasure, profit, and preferment, as we see in David, in Samson, in Solomon, in Lot, in Noah, and in the Israelites in this place, all which were caught with these hooks. Wherefore Moses having already set down what outward dangers they had overpassed, threatening their ruin, and working together to stop their passage into the Land of Canaan: now he declareth an inward danger greater than the former, arising from themselves, and settled in their own bowels, even their own sins against the first & second Table, which had consumed them in the Wilderness, unless God in mercy had been appeased toward them at the intercession of Moses, and the execution of Phinehas.  
Such is our weakness in all our ways, and thus we halt in our obedience: so that our strength is to confess our own frailty, and a step toward perfection, is to acknowledge our own imperfection.  
Having therefore in the chapters going before, considered the entrance into this history, as also the history itself of Balak and Balaam: let us now hear the end and conclusion of all in this chapter, wherein we are to consider three things. First, the sin of the Israelites committed against God. Secondly, the reconciliation and atonement whereby his wrath is pacified. Thirdly, the commandment and decree of God against the Midianites, through whom the scandal and offence came. Touching the first point delivered in this division, which is, the sin of the people; the Spirit of God setteth down both the circumstances and substance thereof. For first, it is described by the time when it was committed, by the place where it was committed, and by the means or manner how it was committed.  
The time and place were, while the Israelites rested and remained in the plain of Moab ●t Shittim, which is the two and forty mansion, and the last place where they pitched their tents in the wilderness, as appeareth in the three and thirty chapter of this book of Numbers, ver. 50: which serveth to increase the greatness of their sin, in that being now brought by the providence and mighty hand of GOD to the frontiers and confines of the land of promise, they do shamefully and shamelessly fall from him. The manner and occasion of their sin was, in that the Moabites and Midianite, (brethren in evil) combined together both to one purpose, by balaam's counsel made their daughter's common, to entice and allure the Israelites, being no doubt adorned with whorish attire, & decked in all wanton and lascivious manner, fit to bring them to their lure and love, or rather lust, and so to work their overthrow: as we see Solomon describing the harlot, painteth her out in her colours and cunning, that she maybe well known, & better detested, Prou. 3, 4. and 6, 24, 25. and 7, 10, 11. and 9, 13, 14.15. Thus much of the circumstances of their sin.  
Touching the substance of their sins, we are to observe both their wicked facts, and their obstinate contumacy, and settled continuance in their sin. Their facts or actions are noted to be these three. First, bodily fornication and uncleanness, condemned in the seventh Commandment, defiling the host, hindering true sanctification, and estranging them from God, who is a God of purity and holiness, and who commanded them to be holy. Secondly, Idolatry which is spiritual fornication, forbidden in the first Commandment, which prohibiteth us to have, to acknowledge, and worship strange gods. This is utterly to renounce our faith to God the Husband of his Church, to defile the marriage covenant, Hosea 2, 19 and to deny that true Religion into which we are entered. Thirdly, they coupled themselves to Baal-Peor, that is, to the Image of Baal, which was adored and worshipped in Mount- Peor, Numb. 23, 32. where no doubt the Idol had some Shrine or Chapel erected for his service, 
●●cel lib. 4. 〈◊〉. 1●. & l●b. 〈◊〉. vlt.  in like manner as the Papists do call her the Lady of Lauretto, which is worshipped in that place. With this filthy and detestable Idol they joined themselves, and worshipped it with divine worship, and consequently renounced the worship of God, being made one body with the Idolaters. For when once his worship is mingled and corrupted, the true God is turned into an Idol, such worship is Idolatry and abomination in his sight: for (as the Prophet saith) If God be God, follow him: if Baal be God, follow him, 1 Kings 18, 21. Now in setting down these sins, mark how the Israelites fell into them by steps and degrees. If the Moabitish women had at the first tempted them to worship Baal, and had said unto them, Come let us go serve strange gods, no doubt they would have detested and abhorred so great wickedness. But Satan is a more expert and cunning workman, and his instruments are more subtle and wise in their generation. Therefore, first they call them to their feasts and banquets, to eat of the meats and delicates that they had prepared, and afterward they draw them to Idolatry, which for the most part hath fornication a companion with it, as we shall see hereafter further opened unto us.  
The next point is their obstinacy and continuance in the dregs of their sins, joined with shamelessness and hardness of heart. But because all stubbornness and contumacy presupposeth of necessity, both reproof and chastisement. Moses setteth down the observation of this course and order. For first, the chief heads of that people which fell to commit Idolatry and fornication, were apprehended and executed before the going down of the Sun, to pacify the wrath of the Lord, lest if that wickedness had remained unpunished, the whole body of the people should be defiled. Thus God declareth, Acts 10, 34, 35. That with him is no respect of persons, but as he that doth righteously is accepted of him, so he that provoketh him, sinneth against his own soul. The higher the place of men is, the greater is their sin, who hurt more by their example, then by their offence. Thus the chief in the offence, are also the chief in the punishment. After this hanging up of the heads of this rebellion, he chargeth the judges and Officers of the people, that had kept themselves pure and undefiled, to kill all those with the sword that had sinned against the Lord, which belonged to their charge and jurisdiction, according to the ordinance of God and order that he had established, Exod. 18, 25, appointing them to be Rulers over hundreds, Rulers over fifties, & Rulers over ten. Thus the wrath of God was appeased, the rest of the multitude were spared, and the plague ceased, which was begun in the host, as appeareth in the words following.  
Now albeit these were most lively arguments of the wrath and indignation of God, yet the Israelites continued with an high hand, and a proud heart to provoke the most High to his face, so that one not of the least & lowest, but of the principal and chiefest among them, brought an whorish woman into the host to despite God, his people, and religion. This man thought it not sufficient to go out of his Tent to those strange women, but brought one of them openly without shame into the Camp, before his brethren, 
Verse 14.  before Moses and the other Magistrates; yea, to fill up the measure of his abominations, to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, thereby blaspheming God, reproaching his Religion, enticing his brethren, insulting over Moses and the whole assembly, that cried unto God for mercy to stay his judgement, and to spare his people. Lo, such was the impudence of this Zimri, that notwithstanding the tumults and hurlyburlyes in the host, yet he is not moved to repentance, either with the punishment inflicted upon the malefactors, or by the plague of God raging among his brethren, or by the tears and supplications of the godly, entreating for pardon, & lying prostrate at the door of the Tabernacle: but in the midst of all these judgements, neither fearing GOD, nor reverencing man, he seeketh to satisfy his filthy lust in the sight of the Sun, and in the open view of all his brethren, even of the whole host.  
Verse 1. Now whilst Israel abode in Sittim.] Before we come to speak of the sin of the people, it shall not be amiss to consider the occasion whereby they fell into sin. We have heard how Balaam being hired to curse Israel, could not: for God stayed and restrained him, who was greedy of the wages of iniquity. Wherefore he counseled Balak to bring the people to destruction, by procuring them to fall into some sin. Thus he laid a stumbling block before the children of Israel, and thereby did draw them to spiritual and carnal fornication. For whatsoever the Israelites here committed, they did through the counsel and procurement of Balaam.  
From hence we learn, that it is a particular note of false Teachers, 
Doctrine. It is a note of false teachers to lay stumbling blocks before men.  and false doctrines, to set stumbling blocks before men, to draw them to uncleanness and wickedness, either against the first or second Table, or both. I say, false Teachers, which are the instruments of Satan (who he hath thrust into the church) have this special care to bring the servants of God into wickedness, to draw them to idolatry, and to destroy their faith. To this purpose Moses teacheth, Deut. 13, 1. that false Prophets shall set before them this end, to entice the children of God to serve false gods, but true Idols. This the Prophet Ezekiel noteth, chapter 13.19, that they made God's word to serve their bellies, and taught carnal liberty, sowing pillows under every arm hole, polluting the Name of God, for an handful of Barley, and for a piece of bread, slaying the souls of them that should not die, giving life to the souls that should not live, crying peace, where God proclaimeth open war, & lying to the people that hear their lies. The Scribes and pharisees corrupted the law by false interpretations and expositions, 
Math. 5, 22.  as appeareth in the Doctrine of Christ, reducing the Law to the true meaning of the Lawgiver. So the Apostle declareth, that those ravening wolves which should creep into the Church of God, purpose to make havoc of the people of God: I know this, that after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock, Acts 20, 29. The Apostle Paul prophesying of the coming of Antichrist, calleth the doctrine of Antichrist, The mystery of Iniquity, 2 Thess. 2, 7. It is the common practice of the Jesuits and Seminary Priests, scattered here and there in the Land, to bring the people to Idolatry.  
The Reasons of this truth are manifest Reason 1 First, from the counsel of God: for albeit no wickedness be in the most High, yet it is his wisdom and power to draw good out of evil as he did light out of darkness; that so they which are his, may be tried, that their faith may be proved, their love to God and the truth manifested, and his children always exercised, that they may be made the more careful and watchful, and so find by experience, how they can stand out unto the end of their days in all holy obedience. This reason is laid open in the thirteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, verse 3. where the doctrine hath his confirmation: If there arise among you a Prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and give thee a sign or wonder, thou shalt not hearken to the words of the Prophet, for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. And the Apostle teaching that God hath appointed that heresies shall be in the Church, annexeth this reason, that the faith of God's children, seated in the heart, may be made manifest; There must be even heresies among you, that they which are approved among you, might be known, 1 Cor. chap. 11.  
Another Reason, is in the malice of those Reason 2 wicked men themselves. For this is the nature of the devil, and the property of devilish men, and the cruelty of them both; they carry a continual hatred to the truth and the professors of it, they seek to make a spiritual slaughter and havoc of the flock of Christ. Therefore the Apostle exhorting the Elders of Ephesus, prophesyeth, that grievous wolves should rage's against the sheep of Christ, yea, of their own selves should men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them, Act. 20, 30. All wolves do account and find by experience, the blood of Lambs to be sweeter than the blood of all other beasts, and therefore they are sheep-byters, rather than hog-byters, or dog-byters. The profane and heathen are in the power and possession of Satan already, he hath made sure of them: his chiefest labour and endeavour is, to cirumvent and subvert the servants of God. So his instruments do hate the faithful (as the wolf doth the sheep:) the lambs are mild, peaceable, and simple: the wolf, bloody, beastly, and cruel; & therefore no marvel if they seek to suppress the truth, and to overthrow the servants of God, which are the professors and maintainers of the truth 2 Tim. 3, 8.  
Now let us apply this doctrine to our several Use 1 uses. First, we may assure our own hearts of this, that so long as this world continueth, the Church shall never be without unclean beasts to assault it; either heretics, or false seducers, or hirelings, that regard the fleece more than the sheep, the dignity more than the duty, the profit more than the labour. Some are cruel and savage wolves, not sparing to devour the flock by open violence. Some are cunning and crafty Foxes, undermining the faith of the faithful. Many unstable people, that are ever learning, and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth, are greatly offended because of the vanity and variety that is in men's opinions; and hereupon they cry out, they know not what way to take, they know not what doctrine to receive, they do not know in such diversities, what to believe. This scandal is hereby removed, and this objection answered. For seeing we learn that the end of wolves and seducers is to be occupied about God's people to ruin them, it followeth that the Church of Christ upon earth, shall always have some of these wolves and false Teachers, carrying a show of lawful Pastors, but indeed are ravening wolves. Wolves shall always be in the Church, of one sort or other, such as teach false doctrine, or persecute God's servants, or loving the hire more than the sweat or heat of the day, and the wages better than the work, and the gains rather than the pains and labour. Christ our Saviour, when the pharisees had spoken against him, john 7, 47. and 8, 13. and 9, 16, 24, and sought both by persuasion and excommunication to lead away the people; to make the faithful wise against their practices, declareth his office and person in a Parable, john 10, 14, 30. wherein he compareth Gods chosen, to sheep, and himself to a Shepherd: by this occasion he advertiseth them of three sorts of Teachers, which meddle with the flock of God; the first is a Shepherd; the second an hireling; the third a thief and a robber. Christ also testifieth, that there shall be false Christ's, and false Prophets in the Church, that shall deceive if it were possible, the elect of God, Math. 24, 24.  
So then, we are not to wonder at it, as at a strange thing, when we see diversity of judgements, and contrariety of opinions, nor by & by to say, 
A notable subtlety of the devil to seduce men.  Alas! what shall we do that are simple? There are great Doctors of one side, and as great Doctors of the other side: I will never be settled in religion, till all be agreed. This is a notable illusion of the devil, and a subtle delusion, whereby under a great show of wisdom, he draweth many to destruction. For these men think they speak discreetly and wisely, and yet they speak most ignorantly and foolishly. For wilt thou not resolve of thy religion, until there be a general agreement and a full accord of all parts? Then thou wilt never be settled nor resolved, thou wilt never be of any religion, inasmuch as thou shalt never see that perfect concord which thou supposest & surmisest. Where the good husbandman soweth his good seed, the envious will sow his darnel, Math. 13, 25. Hence it cometh to pass, that in the Church there have always been Teachers against Teachers, Prophets against Prophets, Apostles against Apostles, Preachers against Preachers. For as God raised up his Prophets, so hath the devil his false Prophets; as Christ chose his Apostles, so the devil called his false Apostles; as God hath his Church, so the devil hath his chapel; and as God hath two or three gathered together in his Name, the devil will have twenty gathered together in his name. When God sent Moses and Aaron to work miracles in the sight of Pharaoh, to warrant his calling, and to bring his people out of the Land of Egypt, the devil had his two ministers, jannes' and jambres that withstood Moses and Aaron, deluding the Egyptians, and hardening Pharaoh in his evil. When jeremy had in the Name of God denounced captivity to be brought upon the people, and determined the time to be seventy years, the devil provoked Hananiah a false Prophet, to speak in the presence of all the people, that within two years, the vessels of the Lords house shall be restored, the yoke of Nebucadnezzar broken, & such as were carried away, be delivered out of captivity, jerem. 28, 3, 11. When Micaiah prophesied the overthrow of Ahab, and the scattering of Israel upon the Mountains, as sheep that had no Shepherd, 2 Kings 22, 17, 22, the devil bestirred himself, & went out as a false spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets. here we see Prophets teaching against Prophets, and the servants of God set against the servants of the devil. This is it which the Apostle Peter witnesseth, 2. Pet. 2, 1, 2. There were false Prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false Teachers among you; which privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that hath bought them, etc.  
True it is, it is a great tentation when we behold such difference and opposition. Moses and Aaron saw the enchanters counterfeit the signs and miracles which they wrought by the finger of God, yet did they not distrust their calling, nor cry out against God. A man would think Moses and the Magicians to be of equal power and authority, and one to be esteemed as much as the other. Thus the ungodly shall always find something to delude them, and to hold them in blindness. Such as will not believe the truth, shall be fed with dreams, and be deceived with lies, 2 Thes. 2, 10. Notwithstanding, as the rod of Moses devoured the charmers rod, so the truth shall overcome errors, and the light of the Sun shall abolish the darkness of the night. This the Apostle Paul allegeth to comfort Timothy, and in his person encourageth all the servants of GOD, and Ministers of his word, showing, That he will provide that his truth shall not always be oppressed, though it be suppressed for a season, yet in the end it shall prevail, 2 Tim. 3, 3, 8. God will make it to be received and entertained, when Satan and his instruments shall be confounded. Albeit jannes' and jambres withstood Moses, and resisted the truth, yet their madness was made manifest to all. Thus than we have two manner of comforts, when we see the truth not received, 
Two comforts when we see the truth of God gainsaid  but resisted; not believed, but contradicted; First, because the Lord useth us no otherwise then he hath used his Church at all times, and in all ages. Moses and the Prophets had continual war made against them: CHRIST and his Apostles were gainsaid and withstood: therefore let us take it patiently at this day, if we suffer and sustain the like measure at the hands of wicked and ungodly men. For we must not look that our condition should be better then of Moses and the Prophets: or what reason have we to expect a privilege or prerogative above them? Secondly, the end shall always be good, & the issue blessed, though it grieve us to fight, and the truth sometimes seem to be in danger, yea, to be utterly abolished; let us wait God's leisure, and consider, that howsoever it may be smothered with the cloudy mists and darkness of the night, yet it shall prevail and break forth as the light, in the open sight of all men that have spiritual eyes to look upon it.  
Seeing therefore the truth of God shining brightly, hath always been resisted, and that the true Prophets of God have been withstood, so as they could never serve God quietly, through the malice of Satan, who continually goeth about to stop the course of sound doctrine; let us not be offended with false opinions; it hath been so from the beginning, and will continue so unto the ending of the world: but rather labour to have our hearts established in the truth, that we be not carried about with every blast, as the waves of the sea; and try all things, holding fast that which is good. 1 Thess. 5, 21. We must not refuse and reject the truth of God, because the father of lies seeketh to hinder the free passage of it, by broaching lies among the people. It is an evident sign that the truth is among us, because Satan sweateth so much against it, and laboureth to poison it with his own inventions.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing false Teachers are thrust upon the Church, to draw it into error and falsehoods, this showeth the great necessity of the Ministry of the word, not only to engender true knowledge of repentance and obedience to God, but also to continue men in the faith, and to prepare them against heresies and false opinions. And surely the mercy of God herein is great unto us, in commanding the sanctification of the Sabbath (a duty so much neglected of master and servant) whereby we are charged to rest from our labours, to assemble together in one place, and to attend upon the Ministry of the word. For how many among ourselves, and elsewhere, do never so much as think of God, or of religion; do never hear of the danger of sin, of the necessity of grace, of the reformation of their life, but on the Lord's day? If there were not a set day appointed for these purposes, and a solemn time of assembling ourselves determined: the greatest sort would become as rude and unreformed as the Barbarians, or the wild Irish. If then we would be directed in the truth, and supported from falling into error, we must submit ourselves unto the Ministry of the word, Mal. chap. 2, verse 7. and be content to be guided by the ordinance of God.  
This is it which our Saviour speaketh, reproving the Sadduces, who denied the resurrection, Are ye not therefore deceived, because ye know not the Scripture, nor the power of God? Mark, chapter 12, verse 24. It is dangerous to rest where there is no bread to sustain the body, and to preserve life. It is dangerous to dwell in a City assaulted by enemies, having no watchman to give warning of their approaching. It is dangerous to have a flock of sheep compassed about with wolves, having no Shepherd to attend upon them, and to look unto them. But of all dangers it is the greatest, to live where the bread of God's word is not broken, where the sound of God's silver Trumpet is not heard, and where God's flock is not led in green pastures. The word is a Pearl of all Pearls, which a wise Merchant would purchase at a great price, rather than live without it. Where the preaching of the word ceaseth, the people perish, Prou. chapter 29, 18. Where the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch, Matthew, chap. 15, verse 14. Where the watchman bloweth not the Trumpet, and the people is not warned, Ezek. chap. 33, verse 6, both the Watchman and the people are taken away in their sins. Where the Salt of God's word doth not season the people with holy and wholesome doctrine, Math. chapter 5, verse 13, they rot and putrify in their corruptions.  
As than we would be free from error, and not be carried away with false doctrine: so it is required of us to be careful in using the means that may bring us to the truth, and keep us from the paths of falsehood. And it shall be a vain thing for any man to imagine himself to be able or likely to keep himself pure and undefiled from error and heresy, so long as we despise the ordinary way that is allotted and appointed to preserve us, from falling into false opinions.  
Thirdly, seeing it is a note of a false teacher, Use 3 to lay stumbling blocks before men, and to draw them to evil, and entice them to wickedness: by this rule it will evidently appear that Popish Religion is a most wicked Religion, and the Teachers thereof, false Prophets. The Religion maintained in the church of Rome, established in the Trent-councell, & defended by the sworn vassals of the Pope, hath canceled and disannulled the whole Law of God, 
The church of Rome ●pealeth the whole Mo● Law of bo● Tables.  it hath abrogated and repealed either directly or indirectly, either expressly, or by consequent, either plainly, or in effect, all the commandments of the Moral Law, which God hath left to be a rule of righteousness, to remain in full strength, power, and virtue for ever.  
This will easily appear unto us, if we enter into the particular consideration of both the Tables.  
The first Commandment chargeth us to have and to hold the true God only for our God, and to cleave unto him with full purpose of heart. But the Church of Rome resteth not in this one GOD; they teach us to make and acknowledge more Gods. They make the Pope to be God, which title both in plain words is ascribed, and in power attributed unto him. For touching the name where by he is named, the Canonists call him, Our Lord God the Pope. Others call him, The supreme God on earth, a visible God, the spouse of the Church, 
〈◊〉 dedicat. 〈◊〉 ●●incip. 〈◊〉 praef. de 〈◊〉 Rom.  the cornerstone of the Church, the head of the Church, the Lion of the Tribe of judah, the light of the world, the King of Kings, & the prince of the Church. Again, they advance the Saints departed into the honour of gods, praying unto them, and making them to hear our prayers, to know our hearts, to understand our thoughts, and to merit for us at the hands of God, which none can do but the Son of God. They do notoriously make the blessed Virgin the mother of Christ, 
〈◊〉 ●●cio beat. 〈◊〉.  to be as a god, & in express words call her a goddess; yea, they do in effect equal her with Christ, and ascribe as much to her, as unto him. As Christ is called our Lord, so they call her our Lady; he our King, she our Queen; he our Mediator, she our mediatresse; he like us in all things, sin only excepted; so she devoid of sin: he the only means whereby we must be saved, she our life, our joy, our hope, our help, our comfort, our stay in troubles. Lastly, to fill up the measure of their sin, they make the wooden cross as a god, they call it the ground of our salvation, and salute it by the name of their only hope.  
2 The second commandment requireth, that we worship the true God purely, according to his most holy word, and forbiddeth all false and forged worship of the true jehovah. The Church of Rome directly overturneth the intent and end of this Law by their imagery, they teach it to be lawful to make images of the true God, and to worship them with religious worship.  
3 The third Commandment prescribeth unto us to give all honour and glory unto God that is due to his great name. The Church of Rome teach men to give this glory to some things else; they hold that the people are to be barred from the free use of the Scripture, & allow to swear by Saints, Angels, Cross, Rood, and such like.  
4 The fourth Commandment appointeth the sanctification of the Sabbath. The church of Rome keep the days of Saints more duly and strictly, more solemnly and precisely then the Lords day, and abrogate the liberty of the six days.  
5 The fift Commandment establisheth the several degrees amongst men. The church of Rome challenge an immunity for their clergy, and a freedom from answering before the secular power: they deny that their holy father oweth subjection to Princes or Emperors: They teach, he hath power to depose Princes, 
Bel de pontiff. Rom. lib. 5. ca 6  and to discharge their subjects from their allegiance, and may dispose of all kingdoms at his pleasure, Lastly, they free Children from the obedience of their parents, 
Bel. de Monach lib. 2. cap. 6.  and allow them to enter into Cloisters and Monasteries, without their counsel and consent.  
6 The sixth Commandment bindeth up our hearts and hands from all cruelty, & willeth us to preserve life, and show forth the fruits of mercy. The Church of Rome open wide gaps for the free committing of murder, and shedding of blood. They give Pardons, nay promises of heaven to destroy and poison Princes: they appoint sanctuaries and privileged places for wilful murderers, contrary to the law of God, who would have such pulled from his Altar, and no religious place to give them secure or protection, Exod. 21, 11. 1 Kin. 2, 31. And concerning the murdering of souls, a great part of their Doctrine leadeth the highway to it, and giveth them a deadly wound.  
7 The seventh Commandment condemneth all impurity and uncleanness of soul & body, and commandeth us to possess our vessels in holiness and honour. The Church of Rome shaketh the foundation of this Commandment, 
Hard confutat. of the Apology. Parson confut. of joh. Nichols.  and crosseth the purpose of God therein, by forbidding marriage, by accounting it an unclean life, by establishing vows of single life, by tolerating and defending the stews, by giving liberty for Incest, by allowing the brother to marry his brother's Wife, the uncle to marry his niece; and lastly, by forbidding such degrees as God hath not restrained, to open a way for the Pope's dispensations.  
8 The eight Commandment chargeth us with the goods of our neighbour. The church of Rome teach it to be lawful to make sale of men's souls out of Purgatory, & as cunning, 
The common practice of the Pope.  nay cozening Merchants, they set all things at offer and proffer: they sell Crosses, Images, & Prayers: they sell the remission of sins, and the kingdom of heaven for money, yea, they rob men of their inheritance, defeating & defrauding their posterity, to maintain their idle bellies.  
9 The ninth Commandment forbiddeth all false witness bearing. The Church of Rome do bear false witness against God, falsifying the Canon of the Scriptures, and make God speak that which he hath not spoken. They teach, that neither faith, nor promise, nor oath must be kept with Heretics; they maintain and practise the Doctrine of Equivocation, 
See the examinations of the priests & Jesuits.  of mental evasion, and secret reservation unto themselves of an hidden sense, contrary to the common understanding of the same words, thereby overthrowing all equity, & the course of justice among men.  
The tenth Commandment restraineth the motions of the mind, and commandeth a pure heart toward our neighbour. The Church of Rome teacheth, that the motions without consent, are no sins at all; so that they expressly repeal this Commandment, and evidently declare, they never understood the meaning of it. Notwithstanding, these are those Teachers that boast themselves to be the successors of the Apostles, and to have the only right calling, yet we see how corrupt they are in doctrine, glorying in the naked name of the Church, and overturning the foundation whereon it is builded.  
Use 4 Lastly, this teacheth sundry duties both to the Pastors and people committed unto their charge. First of all, it putteth the Ministers in mind to look to their flocks, & to take heed to them that they be not seduced. We are all of us naturally inclined to falsehood and error, and love darkness better than light, that so we may walk at liberty, and not be controlled. But our danger is greater by reason of false seducers which are deceitful workmen, and the instruments of the subtle Serpent, by whom they are inspired. This duty being so necessary in regard of the common danger of the Church, is divers times urged by Christ and his Apostles. Christ warneth his Disciples to be watchful, because of false teachers that should arise in the last days, Matth. 24, 24. The Apostle Jude testifieth, chap. 3, verse 4. that he gave diligent heed to write unto them of the common faith, which was once given unto the Saints; because there were certain ungodly men crept in, which turned the grace of God into wantonness, and denied GOD the only Lord, and our Lord jesus Christ.  
The Apostle Paul exhorting the elders of Ephesus, propounding unto them his own example, & foretelling the danger that hung over their heads, to wit, that their faith should be assaulted, and their zeal tried by false teachers springing up from themselves, sayeth: Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the Flock, whereof the holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood: Watch therefore, & remember, that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears, Acts 20, 28, 29. So the same Apostle chargeth Timothy before God, and before the Lord jesus Christ, Which shall judge the quick and dead at his appearing, and in his kingdom, to preach the Word in season, and out of season; because the time will come when they will not suffer wholesome Doctrine, but having their ears itching, shall after their own lusts get them an heap of Teachers, turning from the truth, and giving heed to fables. Secondly, this serveth to instruct the people of God to be thoroughly furnished and well prepared against such seducers, that they may be able to stand our against them, and to resist them steadfastly in the faith. We shall be fitted to bear out this trial, if we be careful to understand the acceptable will of God; and if we be able to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Our Saviour teacheth his Disciples to beware of false Teachers, which come in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are ravening Wolves, Mat. 7, 15. This is the use which the Apostle Jude maketh, chap. 4: where making mention that seducers were entered secretly and subtly among them, he moved them to strive and contend for the common faith taught by his ministry. If we would know how this should be, let us have our faith stablished in the grace of God, and our hearts settled in the truth. Faith is a precious jewel, the jewel of jewels: it must then be kept well and warily. If a man have a pearl of great price committed unto him, he will not let it lie about commonly and carelessly for every one to pilfer & purloin, but keep it under lock & key, that it may be preserved safe and sure. True Religion builded upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, is such a Pearl, it must be kept with watch and ward, or else it will be stolen and taken from us. It is such a jewel, as when a man hath found it, he will sell all that he hath to keep and retain it.  
[The people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.] We have heard before the author of that stumbling-block, which was laid before the feet of the people of God, to cause them to fall, to wit, Balaam; from him the counsel came, by him the net was made, and by Balak it was spread to entrap them. Now we see what they committed, & wherein they offended. So soon as the plot is devised, and the counsel followed, by and by the Israelites are taken in the snare. They banquet with the Moabites in the idol feasts, & so fall into fornication. These are temptations on the right hand, delights to the flesh, and enticements to pleasures. 
Doctrine Tentation by pleasure are most ●●gerous.  The Doctrine arising from hence is this, That temptations from pleasures & delights, are of all other most dangerous, & more effectual to prevail over us then such temptations as stand on the left hand, to wit, crosses & adversities. Indeed we are assailed on every side; on the left hand by poverty, shame, contempt, persecutions, and such like, which cause many to hang down their heads, to cast away their confidence, to renounce their faith, & to departed out of the field without striking a stroke: but such as present themselves at our right hand, as riches, power, honour, glory, preferment profit, pleasure, which dazzle the eyes, and entangle the hart with the delights thereof, these are most cunning Engines and instruments, used or rather abused by Satan to our destruction. This was the last tentation, as most available in itself, that the devil used against our Saviour Christ, Mat. 4, 8. showing and offering unto him the kingdoms of the world, & the glory thereof. Fair promises of high preferment prevailed with Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. 
Genesis  He gave David the foil by uncleanness, and Noah by drunkenness; Solomon by idolatry, and Hezekiah by prosperity, when he could not shake them by crosses and persecutions. Gold and silver have opened the gates of the City, when the force of the Cannon shot could not. This is that which the Prophet David meaneth, when he saith, I said in my prosperity, I shall not be removed, Psal. 30, 6. The Church of God was never so overtaken with adversity, as with abundance and prosperity: & more are brought to condemnation by riches, pleasures, and worldly lusts, then by poverty and persecution.  
Reason 1 The Reasons to enforce this doctrine, are divers. First, prosperity puffeth up not only the wicked, but also the godly, and stealeth away the heart of man before he feel the danger, and can think upon that which will follow. Pleasures make us forget God and ourselves; both seducing worldlings, and such as remember not God all their life long, and overtaking the faithful (which have walked in the fear of God) when they have all things at will, so as they have not known themselves any more. When Solomon was old, his wives by flattery turned away his heart. 1 Kings 11, 4. So did Dalilah the heart of Samson, judg. 14. & 15, who was made so weak & impotent by the look of a woman, that he yielded himself to her lure or lust most reproachfully, & brought himself into extreme bondage and slavery through her enticements.  
Reason 2 Secondly, carnal pleasures and riches are deceitful, they appear otherwise then they are. They are like to a bait that covereth a deadly hook, they are like the green grass, in which lurketh and lieth a Serpent ready to sting us unto death: they are like some cunning Covering that hideth a deep pit prepared to swallow us. This is the reason used by the Apostle, showing, That they which will be rich, fall into temptations and snares, and into foolish and noisome lusts, 1 Tim. 6, 9, 1. Solomon speaking of falling into whoredom, sayeth, Prou. 7, 21. & 5, 2. The lips of a strange Woman drop as an honey comb, and her mouth is softer than Oil; when as her end is as bitter as wormwood, & as sharp as a two-edged sword: her paths lead to the grave, and her ways tend to hell by this means she catcheth fools, and bringeth them to the stocks as an Ox to the slaughter.  
Use 1 The uses follow to be considered of us. First, let us learn from hence to confess, that prosperity is a slippery estate, and howsoever it be much desired and admired, yet it is full of great dangers, and hedged in with divers difficulties. This is not known nor understood of the men of this world. True it is, when God sendeth famine, or war, or pestilence, and infectious diseases, all men can say, Alas, these are hard and heavy times, terrible, and troublesome seasons, we are always in danger of death. But we must remember, that when we live at ease, and all of us be at peace, when God delivereth us from diseases, we must not be secure and fall asleep in such prosperity, but consider that we are set in slippery places. This the Apostle Paul teacheth, 2 Tim. 3, 1, where he saith, In the l●st days shall come perilous times: for men shall be lovers of themselves, proud, covetous, boasters, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a show of godliness, but denying the power thereof. He speaketh of rough and grievous times, yet he neither nameth nor meaneth plague, pestilence, famine, sword, or such like calamities: but he telleth of things more dangerous, although we take ourselves to be free and far from all danger. We account no times tedious and troublesome, but when we live in fear of death, or feel our bellies pinched, or else are crossed in the things of this life. Alas, saith one, how hard are these times? we suffer poverty, penury, and great misery! O woeful and wretched times, saith another; the plague is in such a place, it is come near our dwellings, we may look for it every day to sweep us away; how shall we do in these extremities? or whither shall we turn our heads from these troubles? Nevertheless, we must know, that a man may be free from all these distresses, & yet live in the greatest dangers. We may have peace and plenty, we may enjoy health and liberty, we may abound in riches & prosperity, & yet be possessed and compassed about with a thousand plagues more fearful, 
What times are most dangerous.  more deadly, and more dangerous than the pestilence, sword, and famine, which trouble us so much and bring us to our wit's end. Let us take heed of our corrupt judgement of the times, and learn more to fear men that live in prosperity then such as sink down into adversity, inasmuch as their temptations are more strong & effectual. Prosperity, ease, peace, and riches, have turned through our corruption, to be the pests and poison of the Church. This the wise man teacheth, Prou. 1, 32. Ease slayeth thee foolish, and the prosperity of fools destroyeth them. It is therefore a great mercy of God, when he teacheth his children to stand upright in this slippery way, and that they make them not their bane, which are given them as a blessing. He setteth before their eyes the daily changes of all things under the Sun, and assureth them that nothing continueth in one estate: he frameth them to the contempt of the world, and settleth their hearts to desire no more than their most wise and provident Father thinketh meet for them. He teacheth them that the most beautiful flowers do fade and lose the glory which for a time they had. They see riches to be uncertain and deceitful, health to be changeable, our friends and acquaintance subject to death, and all human things to be transitory, vain, and soon flitting away. By all these meditations it pleaseth God to stay up his people, that they fall not from him in their prosperity.  
Secondly, it should teach us to use patience Use 2 under the cross, and wisely to bear all the afflictions that God seethe good to lay upon us. We see by experience, that peace and plenty have done the Church more harm than wars and bloody persecutions: not that God's blessings are hurtful and pernicious of themselves, but by reason of our corrupt nature, which is ready to turn his blessings into curses, and his great mercies into so many plagues. This we see in the example of the Sodomites, they dwelled in a fruitful soil, like the garden of Eden, (which God planted, and therein placed our first parents;) but they became exceeding sinners, and abused the blessings of God to their own confusion, Gen. 13, 10. How far prosperity & abundance make us to forget God, consider in the examples of Nabuchadnezzar, Herod, 
Dan. 4, 27. Acts 12.22.  Haman, and sundry others. job feared that his sons in their feasting and banqueting, had blasphemed God, job 1, 5. It appeareth in the parable of the rich man, that made a feast, & sent out his messengers to invite his guests, 
Luke 14, 19  that they refused to come, and pretended sundry excuses, one had hired a farm, another had bought five yoke of oxen, another had married a wife, he could not come: whereby our Saviour showeth, what causes commonly they are that withdraw and withhold men's minds from obeying God's word, & embracing the Gospel, to wit, the cares of the world, the commodities of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, the pleasures of the flesh, & the study of earthly things: these were such rank thorns, that they choked all heavenly meditations, & hindered the growth of spiritual graces: these brought a fogginess upon the soul, and wrought in them a forgetfulness of God. Wherefore, let us not murmur and repine under the cross, but stoop down under his mighty hand, who sendeth his correction for our good, that we should not perish, and be condemned with the world, Heb, 12, 7. Psal. 119, 71. 1 Cor. 11, 31. He doth not take pleasure and pastime in punishing of us, but as a loving father he respecteth only our benefit. He hath many ways to deliver us, & promiseth that our afflictions shall not be above our strength, but have a good end, and an happy issue. We must be content with the Lords doings, and know that he will sanctify the afflictions of our bodies, to the comfort of our souls, whilst those that flow in earthly blessings, and abound in outward prosperity, do forget God that made them, and run on in the pride of their hearts to unthankfulness against God.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us not be deceived with sinful pleasures, when the bait is offered, and the net pitched before us, to take us with the hook, and to catch us in the snare; but be careful to reject and refuse whatsoever tempteth us unto evil. Pleasures are of two sorts: some are simply unlawful, and not to be used at all, being directly contrary to the word of God. Such are the pleasures that carnal men take in eating till they surfeit, and in drinking till they are drunken: such are the pleasures that whoremongers take in adultery, fornication, and uncleanness. Others are of themselves indifferent, and in their own Nature neither good nor evil, but according as they are used, as hunting, hawking, and other lawful recreations; and even these, when they take up all our thoughts, and thrust out better things out of the doors, are called thorns in the parable of the Sour, as well as unlawful pleasures, Luk. 8, 14. There is nothing doth so much choke the word of God, as the pleasures of the flesh; nothing causeth us so soon to forget it; nothing maketh us so soon weary, and loath to hear it, as the desire to follow and pursue after our delights; so that it standeth us upon to cut them up, and to pull them out of the ground of our hearts. We see men will not suffer briers and bushes to spring up where their corn should grow, much more it is required of us to rid our hearts of all occasions and allurements unto sin. The Faith of Moses is commended, that he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter, 
Heb. 11, 24, 25  and chose rather to suffer adversity with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Let us therefore shake off all pleasures of sin, not only such as are in themselves ungodly and unlawful, but all other whatsoever, when they become clogs and encumbrances unto us, and hinder us in the duties of our callings. Many indeed are drawn and driven from the word by trouble and persecution: 
Prosperity is more dangerous than adversity.  but many more fall away by peace & prosperity, by riches, wealth, & pleasures, which (when men are delighted and drunken with them) are more dangerous enemies than affliction and adversity. We see many by experience, who in the days of tribulation have not given over their hold, but endured slanders, revilings, imprisonment, hunger, and thirst in a necessitous estate; yet have been overcome with peace, drowned with sensuality, and lulled asleep in carnal security. Even as a company of Mariners, so long as they are in danger of drowning, through violence of winds, and rage of the Tempest, and working of the sea, do watch and look about them, follow their calling, and keep the ship from sinking; but when all is safe and quiet, do fall out among themselves, or delight in quaffing, and care not which end go forward; so is it with us that live in these days of peace and quietness, we remember not what God hath done for us, neither are led by his mercies unto obedience. We cannot deny but that our blessings have been many and great, but as Moses complaineth, Deut, 32, 15. He that should have been upright when he waxed fat, spurned with his heels. For it may be truly said of us which is spoken against Israel; we are fat, we are gross, we are laden with fatness, and therefore have we forsaken the Lord, & have not regarded the strong God of our salvation: thus like foolish people and unwise have we rewarded the Lord for his goodness, and recompensed the kindness that we have received at his hands.  
Use 4 Lastly, it is our duty to pray continually to God, that we be not overtaken with them. We live in the days of peace, we dwell quietly in our houses, we taste not the bitterness of affliction, as our neighbours have done round about us; let us take heed we fall not into pride and presumption, and so by the just judgement of God for our unthankfulness, be delivered over as bondslaves unto the devil. This is it which is offered to our considerations in the sixth and last petition of the Lords prayer, where we pray not to be led into temptation, but to be delivered from evil, Mat. 6, 13. It is not the meaning of Christ in these words, that we should desire of God to be wholly freed from temptations, but we crave his grace, and the power of his Spirit, to sustain & uphold us that we be not overcome, & yield unto them; that we may stand steadfast in our obedience, that we may not be puffed up with prosperity, nor dejected or cast down with adversity. This made the wiseman say to God in his meditations, Give me not riches, but feed me with convenient food for me, 
Prou. 30, 8, 9  lest being full, I lie, and say, Who is the Lord? He prayeth in that place, not only against inconvenient want, and hurtful poverty, but against inconvenient wealth, hurtful store, and overflowing and superfluous abundance, lest his heart should be lifted up, and so he turn from the Commandments of God. So then, when we live under plentifulness of outward blessings, when we enjoy health, wealth, peace, and sufficiency of all things for this present life, are we free from damngers? have we no need to watch? or may we be secure? Surely, if we will judge aright, and measure our cases, either by the right line of God's holy law, or by our own Christian experience, we shall find our peril to be the greater, when we have such strong allurements and deceivable provocations, to set our delight upon this world, then when we are holden under afflictions. For then Satan as a subtle enemy, craftily windeth in with us, and worketh upon our hearts by occasion of these blessings of God bestowed upon us. For as the parching heat of the Sun will sooner make a man cast away his cloak then the boisterous and blustering winds: so the gracious days of peace shining upon us, will sooner cause us to cast off our confidence then the storms and tempests that beat upon us. Moses charged the people of Israel when they were brought into the land of Promise, flowing with milk and honey, to beware lest they forgot the Lord which brought them out of the land of Egypt, Deut. 6, 12. Whilst David wandered in the wilderness, was hunted out of holes by Saul, into which he was glad to creep to hide himself, and was trained up in the school of afflictions, he comforted himself in the Lord his God, he made him his rock and refuge, he asked counsel of him, & followed his direction: but when he had rest from enemies, safety from dangers, deliverance from troubles, comfort from sorrows, and freedom from afflictions, he fell into horrible sins, both in the matter of Vriah, & in numbering of the people. When Hezekiah fell sick, and received a message that the sickness was in itself unto death, Esay 38, 2. he turned his face to the wall, he prayed to the Lord, and besought the Lord to remember how he had walked before him in the truth, & with a perfect heart: but after that God had remembered him according to his prayer, he forgot the Lord incontinently: so soon as he was released and restored, he was puffed up with ambition and vainglory, when he showed to the messenger of the king of Babel, the riches of his kingdom, the house of his Armour, the greatness of his Treasure, and the abundance of his Spices and precious Ointments. When the rich man in the Gospel was willed to sell all that he had, and give it to the poor, & thereby tried whether he loved the Lord, better than riches, he went away heavy and sorrowful: whereupon our Saviour delivereth this warning to teach us wisdom, Matth. 19, 23. Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. He doth not deny the rich man entrance, or shut the door against him; but he layeth before him his danger, and telleth us how hardly he shall enter. He never said in the Gospel, how hardly shall the poor man enter into the kingdom of heaven? He never said, how hardly shall he that is persecuted, imprisoned, reviled, afflicted, and tormented, enter into the kingdom of heaven? But he warneth him that liveth in abundance, to look to his footing that he do not slide, and to take heed to his heart, that it be not lifted up. So then, to conclude, when the light of God's countenance doth shine in our dwellings; when he filleth our houses with store, giveth us an ample portion of wealth & possessions: when he furnisheth our table, and maketh our cup to run over; let us bless the name of the Lord for our plenty which he hath given us: let not us be high minded, and trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God which giveth us abundantly all things to enjoy, which hart can wish or tongue can crave, or hand can receive.  
[Verse 2. Which called the people unto the sacrifice of their gods.] The purpose of the Moabites and Midianites was to draw the people into sin, and by sin to bring upon them the judgements of almighty God. No doubt they had heard how God had wasted and destroyed them in the Wilderness, as we read in Numb. chap. 14. verse 29, and their carcases were consumed by divers and sundry plagues that did break in upon them by the violence of fire, by the edge of the bountiful, yea prodigal, even to waste their wealth, and to consume their substance, rather than be disappointed of their enterprise. Therefore it standeth us upon, to look warily to ourselves, and to have an eye unto them, that they do not suddenly surprise us, & work our confusion. This is the use which Christ teacheth us. Mat. 10, 16. I send you as Sheep in the midst of Wolves: be ye therefore wise as Serpents, and innocent as Doves. This is to be marked of us, and to be practised by us. Our enemies are not simple and sottish, that they should be contemned, but deep in counsel, prudent in enterprizing, wary in proceeding, politic in preventing, and sudden in executing what they have devised. They are for the most part wiser in their generations, than the children of light. We are light of credit, ready to believe new reconciled friends, forward to trust fair promises, & apt to rest on shows and pretences of a good meaning. This hath bred greater mischief to the Church then open violence. Their subtlety hath cut deeper, and prevailed further than the sword. If we then shall be found sleeping, when they are watchful, or careless when they are prepared, or naked when they are armed, or secure when they are busily employed; we must look for no pity at their hands where we find no piety, but consider that the mercies of the wicked are tokens of their cruelty, and their bowels of compassion, are the ways of destruction. Proverb. 12, 10.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is our duty to pray unto God to be delivered from such ungodly and unreasonable men. If once we fall into their snares, we must never look to escape. We must watch and pray that we fall not into the traps and trains which they make daily to surprise us. Hence it is that the Apostle saith, 2 Thess. 3, 2. Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have a free passage, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable & evil men, for all men have not faith. We are not able to free and deliver ourselves nor match our adversaries in deep devices, who make conscience of nothing. Al our hope and trust must be in God, who will catch the wise in their own craft, and confound them in their own devices. He will turn them into the pit which they have digged, and take them in the snares which they have prepared for others. As they regard not to fill up the measure of their iniquity, and add sin unto sin; so God will bring their works to light, & fill the cup of vengeance unto them to drink. Let us therefore abstain from their ways, & not give liberty unto ourselves to follow them in evil, no not a little: but call upon God in the days of our trouble, who will deliver us out of our distress, Ps. 50, 15. This we see practised by the Israelites, when they were vexed & sore tormented by the Ammonites, they cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, even because we have forsaken our own God, and have served Baalim: do thou unto us whatsoever pleaseth thee, only we pray thee deliver us this day, judges 10, 10, 15. When David after his numbering of the people, had the choice given unto him of three judgements, whether he would have brought upon him the want of bread, or the sword of the enemy, or the plague of pestilence: he said, I am in a wonderful straight: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man, as 2 Sam, 24. verse 14. When one told jehoshaphat, that a great multitude came against him out of Aram, he set himself to seek the Lord, he asked counsel of him, he proclaimed a fast, he acknowledgeth his own weakness, he dependeth upon God's power, & prayeth to be delivered from them that sought his destruction, 2 Chr. 20, 6. When Hezekiah saw the enemy come to besiege jerusalem, and perceived his purpose to fight against it, he put on sackcloth, and came into the house of the Lord God, 
2 King. 19, 14, 15.  he received the blasphemous Letters of the King of Ashur, reviling the Lord, defying his people, and disgracing them both: he spread them before the Lord, and prayed earnestly unto him to save them out of the hands of their enemies, th●t all the kingdoms of the earth might know, that the Lord is only God. So it standeth us upon, to fly unto God, & to call upon him to preserve us from our enemies; and than it shall come to pass, that he which was an arm of defence unto them, will be our helper in due time, even in affliction, who never faileth those that put their trust in him.  
[The people ate, and bowed down to their gods.] here we see another sin of the Israelites laid before us; they fall from one evil into another, from the breach of the first Table, into the breach of the second. Such as made no conscience to eat meat in the Idols Temple, and to bow down to strange gods, no marvel if they followed strange flesh, and fell into the sin of fornication.  
From hence ariseth this truth, 
Doctrine. Such as are impure in religion, are unrighteous in conversation  That all such as are impure and corrupt in the worship of God, are commonly lewd in their outward dealing, and lose in their behaviour toward men. Spiritual and bodily fornication, do usually go together; Idolatry and Adultery do ordinarily follow one another; as in this place, we see the people sacrificed unto their gods, and committed whoredom. This the Prophet Hosea expresseth at large, chap. 4, 1, 2: There is no knowledge of God in the land. And what followeth hereof? By swearing & lying, and by killing and stealing, & whoring they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Thus the Prophet, or rather the Lord by the Prophet, upbraideth the people, jeremy 5, 7 & 7, 9, 10. How should I spare thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: though I fed them to the full, yet they committed adultery, and assembled themselves by companies in the harlot's houses. The Apostle Paul declareth, that the Heathen which knew not God, were full of all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, debate, deceit: they were slanderers of men, haters of God, doers of wrong, inventors of evil things, disobeyers of parents, breakers of Covenants, destitute of natural affections, and void of all mercy, Rom. 1, 29: And the same Apostle writing to the Ephesians, chap. 4, 18. This the Apostle john noteth in the Nicolaitanes, revel. 2, 14, 20: who maintained the doctrine of Balaam, counseling Balak to lay a stumbling block before the children of Israel, persuading to eat of the things sacrificed to Idols, and alluring unto fornication. This he reproveth in the false Prophetess (whom for her lewd qualities he calleth jezabel) who deceived the servants of God, to make them commit fornication, and to eat meats that were sacrificed unto idols. Thus it fareth with the Nations that know not God, they are ignorant of the duties which are due unto men.  
The Turks that have seated their Empire in the East, and made a mixture of all Religions, to the end they might draw some of all sorts unto themselves, do profess and practise most abominable vices, even by the doctrine of their Alcoran, 
〈◊〉. chap. 41. ●: 3.  where that false Prophet Mahomet alloweth a man to have four wives, and to keep fifteen Concubines: he forbiddeth any to be accused of adultery, under four witnesses, and accounteth those most holy men, which accompany with beasts. The Church of Rome defiling the worship of God by detestable idolatry, as gross as the Heathen committed, and in some part exceeding all the idolatry of the Heathen, in that they worship a breaden god: maintain filthiness and uncleanness sundry ways: First, in the toleration of the Stews, flat against the Commandment of God, Deut. 23, 17. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be an whorekeeper among the sons of Israel. This toleration is a flat occasion to many young men and women that otherwise might abstain from this kind of wickedness. And what monstrous impiety is this, when father and son, Brother and Brother, Uncle and Nephew, shall come to one and the same harlot, one before or after the other? Secondly, they deny marriage as an unholy thing to their holy Clergy, and thereby open a gap to all kind of pollutions, contrary to the express word of God, that a Bishop should be the husband of one wife, and that marriage is left free, and accounted honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, 1 Tim. 3, 2. & Heb. 13, 4. Thirdly, not to stand further in ripping up these enormities in this place, their Law alloweth the marriage of any persons beyond the fourth degree, 
〈…〉  whereby in some cases followeth incest. All these testimonies and examples being thus laid together, do teach us, that corruption of manners, and lewdness of life, do always accompany defects and defilings in the true Religion.  
Let us come to consider the causes, to make it more plain and evident unto us. First, such Reason 1 is the judgement and justice of God, punishing one sin with another, giving over such as make no conscience to know or acknowledge God, into a reprobate sense, and appointing them to be vessels of shame and dishonour. This is the reason which the Apostle directly handleth, Rom. 1, 25, 26. They turned the truth of God into a lie, serving the creature, and forsaking the Creator, which is blessed for ever, Amen: for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use, into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men left the natural use of the woman, & burned in their lust one toward another, and man with man wrought filthiness, and received in themselves such recompense of their error, as was meet. Where we see, the Apostle charging the Gentiles with turning the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man, and so regarded not to serve him, declareth, that God gave them up to their hearts lusts, and delivered them up into a reprobate mind, so that they committed uncleanness, they defiled their own bodies between themselves, & did those things which are not convenient. So the same Apostle in another place teacheth, That God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe lies, that all they might be damned which believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, 2 Th. 2, 11, 12. This dealing is righteous in God, being a punishment for sin, howsoever it be wicked in the committers.  
Secondly, the first Table containeth the great and chief Commandments, and the second is like unto it, Math. 22, 38. So then all profaneness is as a bitter and poisoned root, infecting far and near: and as a Tree that overshadoweth all good herbs, that they cannot grow up or prosper. Our Saviour Christ making the sum of the first Table to consist in loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, calleth this the first and the great Commandment, as the fountain and foundation of the other. So the Apostle john, making the love to God and to men, necessarily to concur and accompany one another, saith; If any man say, I love God, and yet hate his brother, he is a liar: for how can he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, love God whom he hath not seen? 1 john, chapter 4, verse 20. And hence it cometh to pass, that where men have not the fear of God, and the knowledge of his Name, they become abominable in all their doings.  
Thirdly, the devil ruleth & worketh in such as make no care to know God, but walk according to the course of this world, in superstition, & in idolatry. The Apostle showeth this to be the cause why they had their conversation in times past, in the lusts of the flesh, & in the fulfilling of the will of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the Children of wrath as well as others, Because they were ruled by the Prince that ruleth in the air, the spirit that worketh in all the children of disobedience, Ephes. 2, 2, 3.  
Let us now proceed to the Uses. First, we Use 1 learn from hence, that we may justly fear all injurious, unjust, and unclean dealing, and look for fraud and oppression where there is no true Religion established and professed. When Abraham went down into Egypt with his wife, and afterward sojourned in the land of Gerar among the Philistims, where was no true knowledge of the true God, he thought thus with himself: Surely the fear of God is not in this place, & they will slay me for my wives sake; and thereby was moved to deny the protection of his wife, and to say she was his Sister, Gen. 12, 12. & 20, 11. This is to be expected & looked for from all such places and persons, that have in them no religion of Christ, no godliness of life, no fear of God; we must prepare ourselves to endure all hard & wrongful dealing at their hands. We see this in the example of the Sodomites toward Lot, Gen. 19, 9 & in the inhabitants of Gibeah toward the Levite and his wife, judg. 1●, 22. For where the fear of God ruleth not, there is no virtue, no truth, no mercy, no honesty, no sobriety, no conscience. They refrain not violence, but run into all wickedness. We see then what holdeth out, and letteth in the flood of ungodly-lines into a place, be it kingdom, city, house, family, or particular person: if the fear of God be there, the wall is strong, the bank is sure, the waves of an evil life cannot overflow: if it be not there, nothing is so horrible and unnatural, but it will enter, and it shall easily be entertained. Happy is that place, and blessed that person wherein this fear is, and cursed where this wanteth. For as the bank doth keep the water from overflowing, so doth the fear of God in man or woman hold out the floods & inundations of sin, that it overspreadeth not, as otherwise it would. A notable proof of this appeareth in the midwives mentioned in Exodus, ch. 1, 17: when Pharaoh commanded them to kill every male child that was born of the Israelitish women, what was it that kept out this most cruel murder from heart and hand, but this reverent fear of God more than of man, and of his commandment more than of the decree of the King? for so saith the Scripture, The midwives feared God, and therefore did not as the king had charged them. This fear made joseph that he durst not sin against his master when he was tempted, nor against his brethren by whom he had been injuried, Gen. 39, 9 and 50, 19 This fear is the beginning of wisdom, and a good understanding have all they that do thereafter, the praise of it endureth for ever, Psal. 111.10.  
Use 2 Secondly, we see that they which make no conscience to serve God, and to perform the parts of his worship in the exercises of religion, can perform aright no duties to men in any sincerity or simplicity. Such as have no religion in them, are given over to all licentiousness, they are always justly to be doubted, worthily to be suspected, and hardly to be trusted: we are not to look for good dealing to come from them for conscience sake, more than by constraint or necessity, or for the praise or applause of the world. For how can any man suppose that that son will be dutiful to a stranger, that is rebellious and disobedient to his natural father? Or that the servant will be true and trusty to another, who hath played the thief and false varlet to his own master? God is our Father, the Lord is our master: 
Malachi 1, ●  if any man have no care to serve him, to obey him, to fear him; how can it be expected that he should deal uprightly with men, & discharge a good conscience toward them? There are no duties of the second table accepted, where obedience to the first table is not performed. So then, no trust is to be given, no truth to be looked for of such as are idolaters, and have no religion at all in them. The Prophet Micah complaining of the profaneness of the jews, that the good were perished out of the land, and the righteous from among men, saith: The best of them is a abriar, and the most righteous of them is a thorny hedge. Trust ye not a friend, neither put ye confidence in a counsellor, keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom: for the son revileth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother: the daughter in law against her Mother in law, and a man's enemies are the men of his own house, Mic. 7, 5. This place is applied by our Saviour Christ against such as shall hate the Gospel; to trust such too far, though never so near us in the flesh, will bring repentance when it is too late.  
Lastly, we learn, 
Use  that the best way to bring a people to be obedient and well ordered for their outward carriage, is to work in them the knowledge of religion. If we would have children in their places to be dutiful, servants to be trusty, and both of them to be subject to such as are set over them, behold here the ready way, and the right course that is to be taken with them, we must plant in them the fear of the Lord. It is a common complaint to cry out of the iniquities of times, & to inveigh against the stubbornness of children & unfaithfulness of servants: but in the mean season we consider not where the cause lieth, & how it is to be amended and redressed. The chief and principal occasion of all household disorder, is the want of Christian instruction. Youth are like to the potter's clay, fit to be framed into any fashion: or like the soft wax that is ready to receive any impression. If they be suffered to run on without godly education, & to wax ripe in sin as they grow strong in age, they will sooner break like the old tree, then bend like a tender twig. Abraham is commended by the mouth of GOD for this care; Gen. 18, 19: he had an excellent family, a blessed Isaac, an obedient wife, and trusty servants; every one knew his duty, every one was found faithful in his calling. How dutiful Isaac was, appeareth in the preparation that Abraham made to offer him up as a burned Offering to God, according to the commandment of God, Gen. 22, 9: which was a great trial of a great faith, by a great work: he did not rebel and resist his father, but suffered himself willingly to be bound, quietly to be laid upon the Altar, and patiently made himself ready to endure the stroke of the knife. How obedient Sara was, is notably showed herein, in that Abraham having received an express commandment to go out of his country, from his kindred, and from his father's house, unto a land which God would show him: she waited not for a special calling to warrant her, 
Gen. 12.1.  nor asked counsel of her corrupt affections, but followed him whither soever he went, and was a comfortable companion with him in all his afflictions. Hence it is that the Apostle Peter setteth her forth as a worthy pattern for all women to look upon, 1 Pet. 3, 6. After this manner in times past, did the holy women (which trusted in God) attire themselves, and were subject to their husbands: as Sarah obeyed Abraham, and called him Sir, whose daughters ye are whiles ye do well, not being afraid of any terror. And touching the trustiness of his servants, we may see it by their readiness to arm themselves, and hazard their lives to recover Lot that was taken prisoner, and by the employment of the Steward of his house to fetch a wife for his son Isaac, whose devotion towards God, whose love towards his master, whose faithfulness towards Isaac, whose conscience in his place, is plainly revealed in the word of God, Gen. 14, 14. & 24, 2. The like we might profitably observe in Cornelius, Act 10, 7, he feared God with all his household, & therefore when he was willed by the Angel to send for Peter, whereby he might be further instructed with his family, he had a faithful soldier whom he employed in this weighty and necessary business. This was the care of the good and godly kings of judah, David, jehosaphat, Hezekiah, josiah, and some others: the first thing which they observed, was the reformation of religion, the establishment of God's worship, and the sending forth of the Levites to teach the people. If these means of instructions were used in Ireland, Wales, & other places throughout the land (for there is want hereof every where) if this way were taken in private families by the governors thereof, the people would not be so tumultuous, seditious, and rebellious, and servants would not so break out into swearing, lying, stealing, stubbornness, & all unfaithfulness. We should not have our Magistrates so continually troubled, nor our prisons so much filled, nor execution so often done upon malefactors. For if we did provide to have them taught the fear of God, we should find them more dutiful & serviceable in their callings. But how can we look that they should be faithful to us when they are unfaithful to God? Or how should they fear us, when they are ignorant of the fear of the Lord? or how should they be obedient to us for conscience sake, when they make no conscience of disobedience to God? This serveth to reprove all those that punish severely the transgressions of the second Table, and the trespasses done to themselves, but are lose and negligent in punishing the breaches of the first Table. These men begin at the wrong end. A Physician that would cure a disease, must first take away the cause. He that would dry up any stream or running water, must stop the head & fountain. So the only remedy and right order to purge the commonwealth & family of treasons, murders thefts, and such like enormities, is to be sharp and severe against idolatry, blasphemies, contempt of true religion, and of the service of God. So then, let us in our places endeavour that they which are committed unto us, may know the acceptable will of God, and have it taught among them: this will do them in soul & body the greatest good: this will make them most painful & profitable to themselves, leaving a blessing behind it. For as they grow in godliness, so they will increase in faithfulness.  
[Verse 3. And Israel coupled himself to Baal-Peor.] We have already seen the sins into which the Israelites did fall: now let us consider the occasion here offered unto us, whereby they were drawn into this spiritual and bodily fornication, 
Psal. 106, 28.  They coupled themselves to Baal-peor, they frequented the company of the Midianitish women, and used the familiarity of evil persons, & so were brought not only to allow of their sins, but to fall into sin themselves. 
Doctrine. It is dangerous to the church to have fellowship with the wicked.  This teacheth us this truth, that it is dangerous to the Church to have fellowship with the wicked. We are always in danger of falling into evil, the devil is ever at hand ready to tempt, the world to allure, the flesh to entice: but our estate is more dangerous, when we join with wicked men, & grow in a league with them. This appeareth in the people of Israel who dwelled among the Canaanites, judges 3, 5, 6. They took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. This is it which is remembered in Psalm 106, 35. They destroyed not the people as the Lord had commanded them, but were mingled amongst the Heathen, and learned their works, and served their Idols, which were their ruin. Hereunto cometh the exhortation of the Apostle, Ephes. 5, 7, 11. Be not companions with them. And the Apostle john setteth down, 2 joh. 10, 11. If there come any unto you & bring not this doctrine, receive him not to house, nor bid him, God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds.  
This will yet better appear, if we mark the Reasons whereby it is confirmed. First, the godly and ungodly differ as things most opposite, as fire and water, as heaven and hell. It is unpossible to make an agreement between things that are so flatly contrary one to the other. It is a vain thing to attempt a reconciliation between extremities. This reason the Apostle urgeth, 2 Cor. 6, 14. Be not unequally yoked with the Infidels: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? Or what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the believer with the Infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols? This opposition being so great, should be effectual to draw us to shake off wholly, and reject utterly, the company and society of the ungodly.  
Secondly, the godly are sooner corrupted, Reason 2 than the ungodly are gained. Nay, one wicked man will sooner seduce an hundred, in regard of the proneness of our nature to wickedness, and our unto ●ardnesse to the fruits of godliness, than an hundred good men shall win one wicked man from his wicked ways. We see this in Solomon; was not he excellent in wisdom, Neh. 13.16, beloved of his God, and renowned above the Kings of Israel? He thought to have converted his wives, but his wives perverted him, and turned his heart after their gods, 1 Kings 11, 2. This we see in Nehemiah, who reproving the Israelites after their return from captivity for joining with the Idolaters, presseth unto them the example of Solomon: Did not Solomon the King of Israel sin by these things? yet among many Nations there was no King like him: for he was beloved of his God, and God made him King over Israel, yet strange women caused him to sin. To this purpose the Apostle compareth sin to a leaven, 1 Cor. 5, 6, whose nature is, in short time to leaven the whole lump. Evil men can teach us no good, but much hurt cometh to us by their infection. Whiles the Israelites lived in Egypt, they learned many Egyptian tricks, and practised their fashions in worshipping the Calf. And common experience showeth, that they draw vanity and corruption unto themselves that use the company of vain and corrupt men, according to the saying of the Apostle, Be not deceived, evil words corrupt good manners, 1. Cor. 15, 33.  
It remaineth to handle the uses of this Doctrine. Use 1 First, if wicked company be dangerous, much more is wickedness itself dangerous. For wherefore are we to avoid them, but for their wickedness sake? We must not hate their persons, but abhor their impieties. When the Apostle Paul had exhorted the Ephesians to be no companions with carnal men, he addeth; Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but even reprove them rather. If then such societies are to be forsaken, much more the works of darkness whereby we are corrupted. For as we are greatly to affect, & earnestly to desire the sweet fellowship of the godly, for their godliness and goodness sake, that we may learn to follow them: so on the other side, we are to shun the evil company of evil men, lest we learn their ways. True it is, if we would abstain altogether from the acquaintance and familiarity of fornicators, Idolaters, extortioners, railers, drunkards, and such like, We must go out of the world, 1 Cor. 6, 10. But albeit we cannot wholly avoid them, yet we must not thrust ourselves into them, nor delight in them, but be grieved at them, & so soon as we can, wind ourselves out of them. We shall learn no good by their society. Therefore Solomon saith, He that walketh with the wise, shall be the wiser: but a companion of fools shall learn foolishness, Prou. 13.20. Now albeit we cannot at all times forsake the familiarity of the unfaithful, yet we must ever abandon and abjure their unfaithfulness and ungodliness: we cannot ever refuse their company, but we must evermore renounce their impiety. Let us take heed we embrace none of their sins. He that standeth farthest from a raging flame, is frees● and farthest off from burning; he that walketh a great distance from the bank of the River, is safest from drowning. He that cometh not near places of infection, is surest to escape the danger. And as we are to beware of all their sins, so especially it behoveth us to be suspicious and fearful of those sins, unto which we know ourselves most prone & inclined. For they do most of all delight us, and those are they which will soon overturn us, and bring upon us destruction of soul and body.  
Secondly, it serveth to reprove & condemn Use 2 all such as are companions with profane men. The shrouding of ourselves into such company, argueth a conformity in affections, howsoever we would have it thought to be otherwise. We see in the course of nature, that like will to like, and birds of a feather will fly and flock together. And if they be not yet made like unto them, and corrupted by them, it is greatly to be feared, they will be alured and enticed. jehoshaphat was reproved for his friendship and alliance with Ahab, and in the end it was the ruin of his own house. The Prophet came unto him, and said, Wouldst thou help the wicked, & love them that hate the Lord? Therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is upon thee, 2 Chron. 19, 2. Happy is their estate, whose abode is continually amongst God's people, as the Prophet saith, Psal. 65, 3. Blessed is he whom thou choosest, and causest to come to thee: he shall dwell in thy Courts, and he shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thine house, even of thine holy Temple. On the other side, we must confess it to be a woeful and heavy condition, to endure the company of the wicked. It is a part of our grief and sorrow, to be in their society, being always joined with sin and to the dishonour of God. This made the Prophet cry out with great perplexity, while he lived amongst the ungodly, and to acknowledge his case to be pitiful and miserable, Woe is me, that I remain in Mesech, and dwell in the Tents of Kedar, Psal. 120, 5. There is nothing that more discovereth what lieth in the hart, than the company with whom we ordinarily resort, and the places to which we commonly resort. The heart of man is deceitful, and the secret corners of it are past finding out: but the company which we use, shall try what is in it. If the heart be set upon goodness, we will not delight in those that are inclined to lewdness. The Prophet David testifieth hereby the uprightness of his heart, that all his delight was in the Saints, Psal. 16, 3 And Psalm. 119, 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and keep thy precepts. And Psal. 26. I have not haunted with vain persons, neither kept company with the dissemblers: I have hated the assembly of the evil, and have not accompanied with the wicked. Such therefore as make themselves merry with lewd company, and can laugh most hearty at their sins, declare that they have corrupt and sinful hearts, and have not yet given them unto God.  
Thirdly, we must learn in regard of the Use 3 danger of evil company, to cast out every foul spirit out of our societies. We have heard much of some places that have been haunted with evil spirits: and indeed it is most true: for there are few places or Parishes that are not frequented and pestered with many evil spirits. There is no house or family almost to be found, that doth not hold & boulstersome evil spirit. In the family of Adam, was Cain: in the family of Noah, was Ham: in the family of Abraham, was Ishmael: in the family of Isaac, was Esau: in the family of David, was Absalon: and these were foul spirits. The children of God that labour to direct their ways aright, and to have their families purged from gross corruptions, (as jacob cleansed his house from Idolatry) cannot so sanctify and reform them, 
〈◊〉 35, 2.  but some unclean spirit or other will wind in himself, infecting & infesting the family with his presence, and corrupting the rest by his example, and poisoning them by his evil suggestions. Achan must be found out, unless we would have the whole host of God to be discomfited, josh. 7, 11. jonah must be cast out into the sea, unless we would have the Ship drowned, jon. 1, 12. It was an express commandment of God given unto Abraham, Gen. 21, 10. To cast out the bondwoman & her son because he should not be heir of the inheritance with Isaac. It was an express charge given to the Church by the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5, 13. To purge away from among themselves that wicked man, and to deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord jesus. To these commandments and precepts join the practice of the Prophet David, where he promiseth to God how he will order his family; I will do wisely in the perfect way till thou comest to me: I will walk in the uprightness of my heart, in the midst of mine house: there shall no deceitful person dwell within mine house: he that telleth lies shall not remain in my sight: betimes will I destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the City of the Lord, Psal. 101, 2, 7. We see hereby, whom we should entertain in our houses, and suffer to dwell under our roof, to wit, the godly: for he saith, Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the Land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me: and therefore we must keep none such as are sturdy and stubborn, that are incorrigible, and scorn to serve the Lord. Many there are that make a mock of all religion, and despise all means that can be taken for amendment; these are a burden to the family, and must be cast out. We see in the body, when Nature hath any evil and unprofitable humours that oppress the stomach, it is forced to cast them out, for the preservation of the health of other parts: so should it be with us, when we perceive the family greatly endangered by obstinate and obdurate persons, 
levit. 18, 25.  it should vomit them out as raw and undigested humours, by timely ejection, left the whole head wax heavy, and the whole body sickly, and so the vital parts languish.  
Lastly, seeing it is dangerous for us to have Use 4 fellowship with the wicked, let us avoid their company, and fly their society, as from an infectious and contagious disease. This is that use which the Scripture maketh in sundry places. The Prophet jeremy teacheth this, ch. 51 9 We would have cured Babel, but she could not be healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his Country, for her judgement is come up unto heaven, and is lifted up to the Clouds. Hereunto accordeth the exhortation of the Apostle, when he had showed that there is no concord and agreement between Christ and Belial, he addeth; Wherefore, come out from among them, and separate yourselves, saith the Lord, and touch none unclean thing, and I will receive you: and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my so●nes and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Cor. 6, 17. We must all know that sin is of an infectious nature, no disease so infectious, no sickness so dangerous. In the time of plague and pestilence, the Physicians give these rules and receipts, as directions to be followed of such as would be free from danger: First, that men fly with all speed; secondly, that they fly far enough; lastly, 
1. Cit●: long: ●arde.  that they return slowly. When the air is once infected dangerously, no remedy can be devised to secure us.  
These rules are to be applied of us as carefully in regard of the welfare of the soul, as we are willing to practise them in regard of the health of the body. The plague that breaketh out into a sore, and runneth full of corruption, is no more contagious and venomous than the wicked are: neither doth it more annoy the air than the wicked infect those places wherein they are, and those persons with whom they live. This the Prophet David did see and confess, which caused him at sundry times to complain, Away from me ye wicked, for I will keep the Commandments of my God, Psal. 119, 115. For we must consider how hard it is to avoid sin when occasion is at hand, and opportunity tempteth to sin. It is easier for the bird to pass by the net, then to break the net: so it is easier for a man to avoid temptations, then to overcome temptations. It is a great deal easier to avoid their company, then to stand upright in their company. Peter thought himself a strong man, and avouched with great boldness, that he would rather die, then deny his Master, Mat. 26, 35: but yet warming himself at Caiphas' fire, and thrusting himself into evil company, was overcome by a silly damosel, to do that which he never thought, even to renounce and forswear his Lord and Master. He had made a notable confession of his faith, he had acknowledged Christ to be the Son of the living God, Mat. 16, 16, and that he had the words of eternal life, john 6, 68: yet the company of evil persons foiled him. Are we better than he? or are we stronger than he? or have we a greater privilege from falling then he? This serveth to check the folly and rashness of those that haunt wicked company, and drunken alehouses, and yet say, we are in no danger, we will look to our ways that we offend not, we can leave such places when we list. This is to check the word, & to give God's Spirit the lie, who in every place warneth us of our weakness. This presumption is the certain forerunner of a fall. The first step that bringeth us down, is to be puffed up in the opinion of our own strength, as Solomon saith, Prou. 16, 18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an high mind before the fall. Likewise the Apostle putteth us in remembrance hereof, where remembering the manifold downefals of the people of Israel, consumed by the pestilence, stung by the serpents, and destroyed by the Angel, he maketh this use, Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. 10, 12. It is a part of the armour wherewith the servants of God are armed, & made able to stand in time of tentation, to fear themselves, and to acknowledge their own weakness: for thereby they are made more wary and circumspect to look to their ways, that they offend not. So it is the beginning of our ruin, & the first degree by which we fall, to thrust ourselves into places of danger, and yet think we have a sure footing. For what calling have we to go into such places? Or what warrant can we have to be protected of God, while we wander out of our calling? So long as we walk in the ways that God hath set us in, we have a promise of his protection, and we have comfort in the doing of our duties: but when we pass the bounds and limits of our particular vocations, we have God no longer to be our defender, but we lie open as a prey to the enemy, to wound us to death, and to work our confusion.  
[Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel] We have seen before the sin of the people: now let us hear also the punishment. Their sin was pleasant in the beginning, but it was bitter in the ending, verifying the saying of the wise man, Prou. 16, 25. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the issues thereof are the ways of death. Hence it is, that Moses showeth in this place, how the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so soon as they fell into fornication. So then, furnicators and adulterers are here remembered to be great sinners, and very hurtful and noisome unto the people of God.  
From hence we learn, that adulterers and unclean persons, 
Doctrine. Fornication calleth do● great plagu● & iudgmen●  draw upon themselves and others, fearful judgements of God. (I say) no sin is more strong and available to call down the plagues and punishments of almighty God, upon a people and company, or upon particular persons, than fornication and uncleanness. This was the chief sin among others, that brought the flood upon the whole earth, and destroyed all mankind, Gen. 6, 1. What was it that caused the Lord to rain down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrh●, Gen. 19, 25. and to overthrow the Cities of the Plain, and the inhabitants thereof, and all that grew upon the earth, but their filthy and unnatural lust, which was grown so outrageous, that the savour thereof ascended up to heaven, and the cry of their sins pierced the ears of God? When Abimelech did in ignorance only, purpose and intend the committing of it, a plague came upon him & all his kingdom, Gen. 20, 3, 17. This uncleanness (as appeareth in the book of judges, chap. 18, and 19) had almost consumed the whole Tribe of Benjamin, a few of them only reserved. We see this in the sons of Eli, as in a glass, they were wicked men, & knew not the Lord, they caused the people to abhor the offering of the Lord, and lay with the women that assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, 1 Sam. 2, 22. therefore God at the length found them out in their sins, when they descended into the battle and perished. Look upon the example of David, and behold what a fire it kindled in his house, it brought upon his head through the just judgement of God (who punisheth sin with sin) the sword of the enemy, the ravishing of his wives, the deflowering of his daughter, the death of his child, the murder of Ammon, the treason of Absalon, the revolting of his Counsellors and Captains, & sundry other conspiracies, insurrections, and calamities that fell upon him. This is that which the Prophet Nathan told him from the mouth of the Lord: Because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Vriah the Hittite to be thy wife, behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, & will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this Sun; for thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the Sun. 1 Sam. chap. 12, verse 11.  
Reason 1 The Reasons are now a little to be stood upon, to make the Doctrine sink deeper into our hearts and to gain our affections to subscribe unto it. First, all uncleanness bringeth with it a certain curse, wheresoever it goeth, and by whomsoever it be committed. This is it which job affirmeth, chap. 31. verse 12. It is a wickedness and iniquity to b●e condemned; yea, this is a fire that shall devour to destruction, and which shall roo●e out all mine increase: what portion should I have of God from above, and what inheritance of the Almighty, if I should suffer my eyes to wander after strange women?  
Secondly, it is greater than other sins of Reason 2 the second Table, that are sharply and severely punished. The wise man teacheth, that it is a more grievous sin then theft. It is a perverting of all right, and an overturning of all equity among men. If a man rob another of his goods, he shall be punished. A thief shall be rebuked at every man's hand, he shall be exclaimed upon, and men will spit in his face; and yet adultery is more than a simple robbery for thereby other men are rob, not of their goods and substance, but of their honour and honesty; yea, they rob not only those that are borne, but those also, that yet are unfashioned in their mother's womb. Men do not despise (saith Solomon) a thief when he stealeth to satisfy his soul, because he is hungry: but if he be found, he shall restore seven fold, or he shall give all the substance of his house: but he that committeth adultery with a woman, he is destitute of understanding, he that doth it, destroyeth his own soul, Prou. 6, 30.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, this sin never goeth alone, but is accompanied with a train of many other sins: as idleness, drunkenness, profaneness of heart and senselessness of spirit. This the Prophet Hosea expresseth, chapter 4, verse 11. Whoredom and wine and new wine, take away their heart: whereby he meaneth, that the unlawful pleasures, blind the understanding, draw away the will from all goodness, and make the affections so brutish, that they mind nothing, and delight in nothing but in beastly sensuality. This the Prophet Ezekiel declareth, touching the uncleanness of the Sodomites: Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was 〈◊〉 her, and in her daughters: neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy. Ezek. 16, 49.  
The uses of this Doctrine are to be considered. Use 1 First, we learn that God will never suffer this sin to lie hid, though it be committed never so closely and secretly. We see it evidently in the sin of David, he was in time found out, and the hand of God arrested him. They are greatly deceived, that think to hide this sin, and go away in the dark, and not be espied. For howsoever men either do not at all punish this sin, or punish it slightly, as if they did not see it, or not regard it; yet God will be a swift judge against whoremongers and adulterers. This was notably set forth by the ceremony of the bitter waters. Numb. 5, 12. discovering the guilty wife, which no man on earth was able to accuse. True it is, this ceremony is ended, and these shadows of the law are ceased, yet the eye of the Lord is as quick, and his sight as sharp as ever it was: he taketh upon him the knowing, disclosing, and punishing of this sin. It is unpossible to hide it from him, who will reveal the things that are hidden in darkness. Nothing more provoketh to sin, then hope of impurity, and the opinion of secrecy, and carrying the matter away closely. If a man were persuaded that the sins which he committeth, should be engraven in his forehead, or written in great Letters, that he which runneth might read them: it would be a means to make him abstain (if not for conscience, yet at least for shame of the world) from the doing of them. But we are assured by the word of the eternal God, that our secret sins are open and manifest to him with whom we have to do, and he will bring them to the light, what figge-leaves soever we patch together, to cover them from his knowledge. This should move us to beware of committing secret sins, seeing he understandeth all things: He made the eye, and shall he not see? He made the heart, & shall not he find out the iniquities of our hearts? Psal. 94, 9 Take we heed therefore of whoredom, and of all uncleanness, and learn to possess our vessels in holiness and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, as the Gentiles did that know not God.  
Secondly, this doctrine reproveth the light Use 2 account and estimation of this sin. For if it procure and cause great judgements, and destroyeth a man's soul, they are deceived that make whoredom a trick of youth, a venial offence a natural sin, a matter of small importance, and a sport to laugh at. We see in this chapter, that there fell in one day four and twenty thousand for their fornication committed with the Midianites, 1 Cor. 10, 8: he destroyed so many of his own people in one day, and made them examples to us, upon whom the ends of the world are now come, and yet shall we make it a trick of youth? Shall we make a mock of it, and a may-game at it? These profane beasts have filled up the measure of their sin, and are set down in the seat of the scorners. God alloweth no more liberty in sinning to youth, than he doth to age. The wise man willeth such, to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, Eccl. 12, 1. & 11. and telleth them that for all the lusts of their eyes, the vanity of their minds, the swinge of their pleasures, and the lewdness of their hearts, God will bring them to judgement. The Apostle teacheth, That whoremongers and adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Corinth. chapter 6, verse 9 The wise Solomon saith, He that committeth adultery with a woman, destroyeth his own soul, Prou. 6, verses 22, 33. and so is accessary to his own death. And in another place he saith, He shall find a wound and dishonour, and his reproach shall never be put away: and shall we make a sport of it, to delight ourselves in it? We are admonished by the Apostle Paul, that our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost, 1 Corinth. 6, 19 so that seeing God vouchsafeth us this honour, to choose our vile bodies, which are dust and ashes, earth and rottenness, to make them Temples and Tabernacles for his holy Spirit to dwell in, let us not turn them into filthy stables, and unclean sties, and so drive him from us, who would possess us as his mansion and dwelling place.  
Hereby than we understand, that we are not to judge of whoredom after the common opinion of men, which make but a sport and pastime of it, as we see how scoffers jest at it, and despisers of God make a game of it. Such mockers were risen up long ago in the days of the Apostle, of whom he exhorteth us to beware. For having said, that no whoremonger, neither unclean person hath any inheritance in the kingdom of God, he addeth in the next place, Let no man deceive you with vain words: for, for such things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience, Eph. 5.5, 6. And this example of the people of Israel, which now we have in hand in this Chapter, is able to strike a terror and fear into our hearts, for ever breaking out into this iniquity. The life of man is precious and dear unto God, we are creatures created according to his image, he taketh no pleasure in our destruction. Now in that he destroyed such a number of his own Images and Creatures for this sin, must not this sin of fornication be great & grievous, which kindleth such a fire of his vengeance and indignation, that flamed out so far, and could not be quenched, but with the slaughter of so many thousands?  
Thirdly, it behoveth every one, according Use 3 to his place and calling, to punish this sin severely that so evil may be taken out of Israel. But such as have a light estimation of this sin (which is the cause of the increase of it) do object the example of Christ, who having a woman brought before him, Object. that was sound committing adultery in the very act, would not condemn her nor pronounce sentence of death upon her, but said unto her, Go, and sin no more, john 8, 11. here our Saviour seemeth to free her from the law of Moses, Leuit. 20, 10.  
I answer, this is Popish Divinity, Answer. taught in the days of darkness, which cannot bear the trial of the light. For this is to make it not only a venial sin, but no sin at all. Christ forgave her freely, and denounced no punishment at all against her, neither of limb, nor life, nor chastisement, nor other mulct be inflicted upon her: so that if it do not prove that the Magistrates should not punish whoredom sharply, it proveth as well that he ought not to punish it at all: & if it ought to receive no correction, we cannot acknowlenge it for any transgression. Furthermore, the jews being in subjection unto the Romans, and constrained to bear the yoke of foreign government, had the civil punishments of death, either wholly taken from them, or at least suspended upon the will and pleasure of their officers, which were seldom upright, often corrupted. This is it which the pharisees confess in the Gospel. For when Pilate willed them to take Christ, & to judge him after their own Law, although the malice of their hearts, and the cruelty of their hands were against him, yet they said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death, john 18, 31. Lastly, the office of Christ was not to be an earthly judge to give sentence of death, but to be a Saviour to call sinners to repentance. Hence it was, that he refused a temporal kingdom when it was offered unto him, 
john 6, 15.  and denied to divide the inheritance, when he was requested, as wholly impertinent unto his calling; and therefore he said, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider over you? Luke 12, 14. So then, this Objection being removed, it belongs to all Magistrates to be zealous in punishing this sin, and to sharpen the law against this & other sins, that bud up and grow apace among us, lest they overthrow good Corne. Yea, it appertaineth not only to Magistrates, but generally to all men, to bring such offenders to open shame, that so they may come to amendment of life. The Apostle speaking of unclean livers, saith: If any that is called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one eat not, 1 Cor. 5, 5, 11: and speaking of an incestuous person, he chargeth the Corinthians to put him from among them, and to deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord jesus.  
Such unclean livers should be swept out of the Church of God, and have the sword of excommunication drawn out against them, that so they might learn not to transgress. But so long as we bear with such persons, and foster them in the bosom of the Church (as the practice is too common) neither are we their friends, neither are we the friends of the Church, neither indeed are we the friends of almighty God.  
For if we were their friends, and loved them aright, we would seek their conversion and repentance; we would use the means to bring them to a shame of their offences, to a sight of their sins, and unto a confession of their iniquities. And if we were the friends of the Church, we would labour to separate the unclean from the clean, and the infected from the sound, knowing that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. And if we were the friends of God, we would be zealous of his glory, and not suffer his Name to be profaned through the lewd and wicked life of such rotten members. For so long as such are harboured in the Church, which is the body of Christ, the reproach redounds in part to the head.  
Fourthly, it behoveth us from hence to Use 4 learn to avoid all allurements and enticements that may draw us into this sin. For to avoid sin, is to avoid the occasions of sin. Whosoever doth nourish the occasions, cannot be long free from sin. And whosoever maketh no conscience to follow the provocations of lust, and the means that may bring it upon us, will shortly make no conscience of whoredom itself. Therefore our Saviour correcting the false glozes of the Scribes and pharisees, and expounding the true meaning of the seventh Commandment, saith, If thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for better it is for thee, that one of thy members perish, then that thy whole body should be cast into hell, Math. chap. 5, 29. Whereby our Saviour meaneth, that the Law of God not only forbiddeth the sin expressed, but restraineth all occasions and allurements, though they were as dear unto us as our right eye, or as necessary unto us as our hand.  
A notable example hereeof we have in joseph, when he was tempted by his wanton mistress to commit folly, he was so far from consenting to adultery, that he absented himself from her company, Gen. 39, 10. Many are the allurements that lead the way unto this sin, wanton apparel, filthy communication, unclean songs, wanton looks, beastly drunkenness, unlawful embracings, excessive diet, hurtful idleness, and too familiar company with those that may entice us, and tempt us to lust. The following after these, & the delighting in them, is the path that guideth us to the practice of all uncleanness: and therefore we must abhor them if we would hate whoredom itself. Such then as say they cannot abide whoredom, and they do detest it from their hearts, and yet do not shun these allurements, do not consider their own weakness, but offer themselves, & lead themselves into tentation; yea, as much as in them lieth, they make God a liar, and there is no truth in them.  
Lastly, let us according to our duty, with Use 5 all speed forsake this filthy kind of life, and renounce our former uncleanness, so the hearty repentance may follow after, where this sin hath been committed before. For there remains mercy to such, if they repent, and turn with all their hearts, and with all their souls. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger, and of great kindness. If the wicked man forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his own imaginations, if he return unto the Lord, and crave mercy at his hands, he will not always chide, neither keep his anger for ever, Esay 55, 7. He will not deal with us after our sins, neither reward us according to our iniquities, Psal. 103, 10. David through the lust of his eye fell into this sin, and committed folly in Israel: but when he confessed his fault, and forsook his sin, he was received to mercy. For when David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord: Nathan said unto David; The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die, 2. Sam. 12, verse 13. The Lord seeketh no more, but that the sinner turn unto him. When once we are reconciled unto him, he hath no more controversy against us. This we see in Rahab the harlot, she led a filthy and unclean life among her people: but when she heard of the great works that the Lord had done for the children of Israel, in delivering them out of Egypt, in drying up the red sea, in feeding them from heaven, and in preserving them from all their enemies; she joined in heart with the Church, forsook her evil life, and in token of her true repentance, 
Heb. 11, 31. jam. 2.25.  she received the messengers sent unto her with the danger of her life, and sent them out another way. This the Apostle speaketh of the Saints at Corinth; for having denounced a fearful judgement against fornicators, adulterers, & wanton persons, that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God, he addeth, 1 Cor. 6, 11. Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Seeing therefore God is ready to forgive our sins, why should not we be ready to forsake our sins? This uncleanness maketh us guilty of temporal and eternal punishments, yet God offereth to discharge us of both, and to receive us unto his favour, if we will turn from our sins to him, & bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life. Let us therefore confess with David that we have sinned: let us call for mercy at the hands of God, saying, Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities: wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, Psalm 51, the first & second verses.  
Verse 4. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of this people, and hang them up to the Lord before this Sun.] In the words before, the punishment that fell upon the people of Israel, was set down in general: now he setteth down upon whom it fell in particular, to wit, both Princes & people; for the wrath of God was so kindled against them, that they were cut off as rotten members, & all through the counsel of Balaam. For when he saw that God opened not his mouth to curse the Israelites, but rather when he was resolved to utter curses, he was enforced to pronounce blessings: he gave devilish counsel as his last shift to the Moabites, that their beautiful women should allure the jews into their company, and by their company unto adultery, & by adultery, unto idolatry, whereby they should provoke God's indignation, and so bring upon themselves utter confusion. Now we must observe in this place, that God in punishing these sins, beginneth first with the heads of the people.  

Doctrine. Superiors lie open to judgements as well as others.  From hence we learn, that Superiors, and men of high places, lie open to grievous judgements, as well as others. All sorts of men, high and low, rich and poor, noble and unnoble, shall taste of the punishments of God for sin. This the Prophet pointeth unto, when he faith, God poureth contempt upon Princes, and causeth them to err in desert places out of the way, Psal. 107, 40. In the first chapter of Esay, verses 10, 23, 24, this truth receiveth plentiful confirmation, Hear the word of God (O Princes of Sodom) harken unto the Law of our God (O people of Gomorrha:) thy Princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves, every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards, they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the widows cause come before them: therefore saith the Lord God of hosts, the mighty one of Israel: Ah I will ease me of mine adversaries, & avenge me of mine enemies. And in the Chapter following, the same Prophet saith, The high looks of man shall be humbled, and the loftiness of men shall be abased, and the Lord only shall be exalted in that day, Esay 2, 11. And if we would enter into the consideration of examples, we have plentiful testimonies in the word of God; of Abimelech, the King of Gerar; Pharaoh, the King of Egypt; Sancherib, the King of Ashur; Herod, King of judea, and sundry Princes and Nobles, who have tasted of the judgements of God, punishing them for their sins, and rewarding them according to their iniquities.  
Reason 1 Neither can we marvel at this dealing of GOD, finding out even superiors in their sins, if we consider that he is no accepter of any man's person, he is sufficient and able to make all men stoop under his hand. For howsoever many of high place, blinded with the glory of the world, puffed up with the vanity of earthly things, stored with abundance of riches, and magnified with the applause of the world, think themselves privileged and exempted from the order and rank of all other men: yet their places cannot deliver their persons from punishments, when they provoke the Lord to wrath against them. What privilege to sin, hath the Prince more than the subject? or the rich more than the poor? or what promise hath one more than another, to be freed from the judgements of God when he hath sinned, seeing destruction is threatened alike to come upon thigh and low? So then, howsoever respecting of men for their places and callings, for their riches and friends, and such like outward dignities, be common among men, yet there is no such acceptance in the Almighty. Hence it is that job saith, With him is strength and wisdom, he that is deceived, and that deceiveth, are his: he causeth the Counsellors to go as spoiled, & maketh the judges fools: he looseth the collar of Kings, and girdeth their lomes with a girdle: he leadeth away the Princes as a prey, and overthroweth the mighty, job 12, 17. To this purpose doth Samuel exhort the Israelites, Fear you the Lord, 
1 Sa. 12, 2●  and serve him in the truth, with all your hearts, and consider how great things he hath done for you: but if ye do wickedly, ye shall perish, both ye and your King.  
Secondly, even Princes are by nature but Reason 2 men. We allow them the chiefest place among men, and honour them as the Lieutenants of God, yet they are not to be exempted from the number of men, and the creatures of God, but are subject to him and his judgements, as well as the rest of the sons of men. This is it which the Lord speaketh unto them, I have said ye are gods, and ye are all children of the most High; but ye shall die as a man, and ye Princes shall fall like others, Psal. 82, 6, 7. joh. 10, 34, 35. The Prophet Esay speaketh in like manner, Esay 31, 3. To like purpose speaketh another Prophet against the King of Tyrus, who had his heart exalted, and thought himself equal with God, Ezek. 28, 9 Wilt thou say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? But thou shalt be a man, and no God in the hands of him that slayeth thee.  
We are now come to make use and application Use 1 of this doctrine. First, it condemneth such as flatter Princes in their sins, and persuade them that they are exempted and freed from the common condition of men, that they may do what they list, and are not to be reproved of any. And indeed it is true, that Princes have, and aught to have a royal prerogative, howbeit, no prerogative to sin, and if they can claim no prerogative to sin, they can challenge no privilege from the punishment of God. Therefore this kind of people setting up to Princes a freedom to offend against God, and giving them immunity and impunity from the judgement seat of God, are indeed the greatest & most dangerous enemies to Princes and great men. It is well said of one, that it were better to light among carrion Crows, 
Diogenes  then among flatterers, because they can spoil the body alone, but these corrupt the mind, foster the sins of those whom they do flatter, colour them with the names of virtue, & consequently harden the hearts of such as hearken unto them. There are few men of note and account in the word, but are tried and troubled with these enchanters that bewitch them with their sweet words, and will speak any thing for their advantage. When the foolish people heard the eloquent oration of Herod, and saw his pomp and glory, they gave him this app●●●se; The voice of God, and not of man, Acts 12, 22, 23: but immediately the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he was delighted with these Sycophants, and returned not the glory unto God. So then, it standeth all great men in hand to banish such dissembling clawbacks from them, to stop their ears against their base and abject flatteries and fooleries, and to suffer themselves to be admonished of their duties, reproved for their sins, taught by the word, and informed in the ways of godliness.  
Use 2 Secondly, it serveth to instruct Princes to be subject to GOD, and to obey him in all things, seeing GOD will require the breach of his Law at their hands. All superiors and governors over others, must look for God's wrath to fall upon them, and his punishments to overtake them, whensoever they walk in evil ways, and transgress against God's commandments. For as Princes punish such as transgress their statutes; so will God execute vengeance against those that break his Laws. Princes have rule over their subjects, but God ruleth over Princes themselves, and maketh them liable to his judgements. David was a man after God's heart, yet the Lord brought many corrections and chastisements upon him, to hold him in obedience. It belongeth therefore as a special duty to men of high place and dignity to turn to the Lord, lest they provoke him to wrath, and so they perish, according as the Psalmist spaeketh; Be wise now therefore ye Kings, be learned ye judges of the earth, serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice with trembling; Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way; when his wrath shall suddenly burn, blessed are all that trust in him, Psal. 2, 10, 11, So the Lord having threatened in the Prophet Zephaniah, to visit the Princes and the King's children, he exhorteth all to repentance, before the decree come forth, and they be as chaff that passeth away in a day, and before the fierce wrath of the Lord come upon them, Zeph. 1, 8, and 2, 2. Likewise the Prophet jeremy declaring that the Lord would power out the viol of his vengeance upon the inhabitants of the land, even the Kings that sit upon the throne of David, the Priests and the Prophets: he cometh to urge this use unto them, Say unto the King and the Queen, Humble yourselves, sit down, for the crown of your glory shall come down from your heads, Ier, 13, 13, 18. There is no way to turn away his wrath from them and their kingdoms, but by turning unto God, and by entreating him to spare them, As their places are great, so their sins are great, and many times draw many to follow after them. If they would blot out their offences against GOD, and call in his judgements gone out against them, they must show their subjection to him, and give him the reverence that is due to his holy Name.  
Lastly, our trust must not be in man, our Use 3 confidence must not be in Princes, who cannot deliver their own souls from the sentence of death, nor discharge themselves of the punishment which they have deserved, much less can they give safety and assurance unto others. This is that duty which the Prophet Esay concludeth in the second and third chapters of his Prophecy, where threatening that God will take away from jerusalem; and from judah, the st●y and the strength, the strong man and the man of war, the judge, and the Prophet, the prudent and the aged, the captain of fifty, and the honourable, and the counsellor, and the eloquent man; he saith, Cease from the man whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be esteemed Esay 2.21, & 3, 1, 2, 3. Whereby we see, that we must not put our trust in weak man, nor ralye upon him to be our defence, but put our whole trust in God alone. He that putteth confidence in him, shall be blessed, and be like the tree planted by the rivers side, jer. 17, 7: whatsoever changes and alterations others do find in the world, he shall continue in a fruitful and flourishing condition. The staying of ourselves on man's power, ariseth from the forgetfulness of our duty toward GOD, who hath commanded us to trust in him with all our heart, Prou. 3, 5: and hath promised that If we stay upon him, he will give us our hearts desire, Psal. 37, 4. This trust we shall attain unto, if we use these means; the meditation of man's weakness that cannot help us, the consideration of God's power that is able to strengthen us, and the experience of his mercy that hath delivered other of his children from great afflictions. If these things (as helps to our faith) be laid up in our hearts, we shall be assured to build upon a good and certain foundation, that shall never be removed.  
Verse 5, [Then Moses said to the judges of Israel, Every one slay his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.] The wrath of God was so fierce against ●hose that sinned, that he commanded them to be destroyed. To this end, we see Moses as the chief Magistrate taketh order, that the guilty should not be suffered to Lue, but suffer punishment according to their offences. From hence ariseth this doctrine, 
Doctrine. Magistrates must punish Maiefactors.  that Magistrates are appointed of God to govern mankind in the civil affairs of this life, to be the hand of GOD for punishing and cutting off the wicked, and for the supporting and maintaining of the godly. It is the duty of Magistrates to do justice upon evil doers, and to give comfort and countenance to the faithful. This is it which David promised unto God, when he should bring him unto the kingdom, and set him upon the throne, I will sing mercy and judgement, unto thee (O Lord) will I sing, Psal. 101, 1. This is the charge that he giveth to Solomon his son, concerning divers men, as appeareth, 1. Kings ●, 6: for he telleth him he should remember the blood of battle that joab shed in peace, and therefore not suffer his hoar head to go down to the grave in peace. The like direction he giveth him, to show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and to let him be amongst them that eat at his table, because they came unto him when he fled from Absolom. This direction did Solomon precisely follow, he slew joab, Shemei, and Adoniah, and set up godly men in the places of such as were removed from their offices, being more able than his father was. All the precepts that are given unto them to execute justice, tend directly to this point, whosoever sheddeth man's blood, must not be spared, but ha●e his blood shed by the Magistrate, Gen. 9.6. If a man (saith Moses) cause any blemish in his neighbour, as he hath done, so shall it be done to him, breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; such a blemish as he hath made in any, such shall be repaid to him, Leuit. 24, 19 These examples and precepts serve to teach us this truth, that the end of Magistrates appointed of God over his people, is not to rule as they list, not to be idle and do nothing, not to tyrannize or to be highly accounted of, not to lift up their hearts, or to please themselves in the titles of honour given unto them, but to do good in helping the good, and punishing the evil.  
Reason 1 The reasons to enforce this doctrine, are to be weighed & considered. First, they have to these ends and purposes, the sword of justice committed unto them, not to let it rust in the scabbard, but to remove all such, as the land for their outrageousness is not able to bear. For when they grow obstinate in their sins, enemies to God, plagues to the godly, burdens to the earth, and an infection to all with whom they live, they must be cut off as rotten members, swept away as filthy dung, and purged as evil humours out of the body.  
This is it which the Apostle teacheth in his Epistle to the Romans, There is no power but of God, and the powers that be, are ordained of God: he is the Minister of God for thy wealth, & beareth not the sword for nought, for he is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth evil, Rom. 13, 4. So then, they are Gods Lieutenants in his stead; the judgement is Gods, and not man's, For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, neither respect of persons, nor receiving of reward, 2. Chro. 19, 7. Deut. 1.16, 17: so that it is required of them to hear the controversies that come before them indifferently, to judge righteously, to heat the small as well as the great, and not to stand in fear of the faces of men.  
Reason 3 Secondly, they are as bulwarks of brass, as walls of defence, & as maintainers of peace among men. For albeit men be of one self same nature, yet they cannot abide one another, unless they be held in, as with a bit and bridle. Wolves know one another in the woods, the Lions know one another in the forests, so do other wild and savage beasts in the fields: but men have such a corrupt and savage nature, that hardly they can love another, or suffer the company one of another, unless they had rulers & Magistrates set over them. This the Apostle teacheth, He is the Minister of God for thy wealth, Rom. 13, 4. And the Apostle Peter, He is sent for the punishment of evil doers, etc., 1, Pet. 2, 14.  
Now, let us come to the uses which naturally Use 1 arise from hence, First we must acknowledge that Magistracy is a notable blessing, and by acknowledging of it, learn to be thankful for it. If there were no Magistrate or law, every one would live as he list, and would be ready to cut another's throat, so that better were a tyranny, than an anarchy. This is sundry times repeated in the book of judges, In those days there was no Knig in Israel, but every man did that which was good in his own eyes, judg. 17, 6, and 18, 1, and 19, 1, & 21, 25. Then was idolatry common among them without any punishment: then they gave themselves to whoredom and uncleanness without controllement: then murder and drawing the sword one against another was practised, & blood touched blood. This confusion and lamentable disorder and want of lawful Magistracy and government, should teach us to esteem highly of this order and ordinance of God, according to the blessings which we receive by the same. We obtain great quietness by our rulers, and many worthy things are wrought through their prudence and providence. They are the instruments of our peace, the breath of our nostrils, and the means of our preservation. By them we enjoy (under God) all the benefits which we have, our liberty, our lands, our lives, our wives, our children, our possessions, our safety, our houses and habitations, and above all the rest, the comfortable use of the Gospel with freedom of conscience, which is as marrow unto our bones, and as the very life of our lives. How oft had we been overcome and overrun by foreign enemies, how oft had we been surprised by inward rebels, if this ordinance of God had not overshadowed us, and overreached them? This meditation must draw out of us all thankfulness to God, and confession of his loving kindness toward us: the practice whereof we have in Ezra, chap. 7, 26, 27: when he beheld the forwardness of the King to promote the worship of God, & to publish a decree, that whosoever would not perform the Law of God, & of the King, should have the sentence of God pronounced against him, without delay, whether it wereto the taking away of his life, or banishment of his Country, or to confiscation of his goods, or to imprisonment of his body: he gave glory and praise to God, saying; Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which so hath put in the King's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in jerusalem.  
This practice of this worthy man must be an instruction unto us to teach us to acknowledge the necessity of this blessing, as great as of the Sun in the firmament, whereby all living creatures are comforted and refreshed, and must cause every one to return the praise of this mercy to him that is the giver of this, and of every good giving. No people under the heavens have better experience of it, nor are more bound to walk worthy of this than we.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is their duty to hate that which is evil with an unfeigned hatred, and to love that which is good, with a special love and liking of it. For, if he be evil, how shall he advance and countenance the godly, or how shall he chastise and punish the ungodly? Can he have or hold the reputation of a good Physician, that taking upon him the curing of other men's diseases, is not able or willing to cure himself? or will not every one upbraid such with the common Proverb, Physician, heal thyself? Luke 4, 23. How then can he with courage and comfort take upon him to correct evil doers, that is himself wholly given to all sorts and kinds of evil? Can a father for conscience sake rebuke his son for sin, as for swearing, lying, drunkenness, and such like disorders, when himself maketh no conscience to be a swearer and blasphemer, a drunkard and unclean liver? Or can a Master chasten his servants for their rioting, reveling, lewdness, wantonness, and misdemeanours, when the guiltiness of his own heart crieth against him, and condemneth him as guilty of the same crimes? He that teacheth another, should first of all teach himself: and he that reproveth another, should first of all check and control himself: otherwise it shall be said unto us, as the Apostle speaketh: Therefore, thou art inexcusable (O man) whosoever thou art that condemnest: for in that thou condemnest another, thou condemnest thyself: for thou that condemnest, dost the same things: but we know that the judgement of God is according to truth, against them which commit such things: & thinkest thou this (O thou man) that condemnest them which do such things, and dost the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Rom. 2, 1, 2, 3. Let all those whose office is to reform evil, learn to remove it, both head and tail, both root and branch out of themselves: let them pull the beam out of their own eyes, that they may cast out the more in their brother's eye. It is a great blot and blemish in a governor, that should punish wickedness in others, to nourish it in his own heart. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, Woe to thee, O land, when thy King is a child, & thy Princes eat in the morning, Eccl. 10, 16. Prou. 31, 4. Where the Wiseman teacheth what danger it is to the commonwealth, when the rulers are given wholly to their lusts and pleasures, to surfeiting and drunkenness. If the governor that sitteth at the stern of the ship, or the coachman that driveth the coach be drunken and disordered, who seethe not that shipwreck is to be feared, and the coach ready to be overturned? This is to be considered and regarded of all that have any authority over others, to be careful to order and rule themselves by the word of God. If we have families to govern, we should go in and out before them in all wisdom, and be examples unto them in our lives & conversations. If we see that those that be in places of superiority & jurisdiction negligent herein, & not so circumspect over their ways, as they ought to be, it is our duty to help them by our prayers, and to call upon God to assist them with his grace. The burden is great that lieth upon their shoulders, they many times watch while we sleep, and are much troubled while we are at ease; we must therefore daily call upon God for them, to be with them in their government, to endue them with the spirit of wisdom and counsel, and to inspire them continually with all holy motions needful for their callings, that their thrones may be established with justice.  
This is it which the Apostle urgeth, I exhort that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for Kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty, 1. Tim 2, 1, 2. Let us pray hearty for their preservation, life, health, wealth, prosperity, and increase of all honour, considering that the prayer of a faithful man availeth much, if it be fervent. Use 3  
Lastly, we learn here, to fear them only for evil doing. So long as we do well, it skilleth not who stand by us, and see us, though the eyes of all men be upon us. The duty of the Magistrate, is to allow & approve it, to commend and reward it. This is it which the Apostle teacheth, Magistrates are not to be feared for good works, but for evil: wilt thou then be without fear of the power? Do well, so shalt thou have praise of the same: but if thou do evil, fear: for he beareth not the sword for nought, Rom. 13, 3. Where we see, they are in regard of their high place, a terror to men but it must be to the wicked; to the godly they should not bring any terror. This should comfort & encourage all the faithful in well doing; the Magistrate is to them as a sanctuary and city of refuge, they should repair and resort unto them in time of trouble, they are as a buckler to defend them, and as an haven to harbour them from the storms and tempests that beat upon them. This is practised by the Shunamite, who departed out of the land of Israel. and sojourned in a strange land during the famine; when she returned back, she called upon the King for her house, and for her land; So the King appointed her an Eunuch; saying, Restore thou all that is hers, and all the fruits of her lands, since the day she left the land, until this time, 2. Kings 8, 3, 6. She used the ordinance of God as he had commanded, and God gave a blessing unto his own ordinance.  
Again, this serveth to terrify ungodly men; let them be restrained from committing evil, if not for conscience, yet for fear: if not for love of godliness, yet for the certainty of punishment that shall fall upon them. Although for a time they may escape, yet in the end they shall be met withal. Moreover, it must put all Magistrates and superiors in mind, to order the ends of their calling aright. True it is, there are two sinews of a commonwealth, which knit the parts together, to wit; punishment, and reward. But it is not enough for them to show mercy and judgement, but they must show mercy to whom mercy belongeth; and judgement, to whom judgement appertaineth. It is the office of the Minister to teach, and to reprove; to comfort, & to threaten; to raise up, and to cast down; to root up, and to plant; but if he comfort the wicked, and harden them in their sins, & speak peace, to whom the Lord hath not spoken peace: and again if he threaten judgement, cast down the heavy hearted, and seek to quench the smoking flax, and to break the bruised reed, he is not that wise Scribe, which must give to every one in the family his portion in due season, 
2 Tim. 2, 13.  nor that workman which needeth not to be ashamed, dividing the word of truth aright. So likewise, it is the office of all Magistrates, to punish and to reward, to correct and to comfort; without these no kingdom can flourish, no city can stand, no house can continue. But it behoveth them to consider, who ought to be the object and subject as well of the one, as of the other. They must not discountenance the godly, and embolden the wicked: they must not spare the guilty, and oppress the innocent. Their Laws must not be as the spider's web, to catch the fly, and to hold the gnat, but let go greater things, and suffer them to escape & to break away from them. They must make a difference between the clean and unclean, between the holy and profane. He is a bad gardener, that plucketh up his best plants and choicest herbs of greatest price, and suffereth the thorns & thistles to take root and prosper, which should be cut down, and cast into the fire, Math. 3, 10. He is a bad husbandman, that plucketh up the wheat and good corn out of his field, which was to be gathered into the barn, when the time of harvest came; and suffereth tars and darnel to grow, which were fit to be bound in sheaves and burned, Math. 13, 29. It is no mercy to spare the life of the wolf, and to shed the blood of the Lamb. Hereupon it is, that Solomon saith, Prou 17, 15. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. This appeareth in Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of God, and brought destruction upon his own head, as well by slaying the innocent that should have been defended, as by sparing the wicked that should have been destroyed. For when the blood of Naboth was spilled as water upon the earth that cannot be gathered, it cried to heaven for vengeance, And the Lord paid him home to the full in his own person, and in his posterity, 1 Kings 21, 19, and 22, 38. And when he spared Benhadad whom he ought not to have spared, the Lord said unto him, Because thou hast let go out of thine hands a man whom I appointed to die, thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people, 1 Kings 20, 42. To this purpose we read in another place of Proverbs, chap. chap. 24, 24. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, and the multitude abhor him. Let us all lay this to our hearts. If we have any in our several governments, that are godly & fear the Name of God, let such be made much of, let them find our help and favour, let them be comforted and encouraged in well doing. But on the other side, we are not to wink at the wicked, but labour to find them out, and to draw them out of their dens where they lurk, watching their seasons to pester & poison others: remembering always the ends for which God hath lifted up the heads of all Governors above their brethren, to wit, that evil doers should be punished, and that such as do well should be commended: considering duly & diligently, that the time will come, when they must give an account to God of the Stewardship committed unto them.  
[Verse 6. And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman, in the sight of Moses, etc.] In these words is offered unto us an example, expressing the nature of sin, where once it is entertained. For behold here, how they grow in sin, and proceed from evil to worse, from a great sin to a greater. At the first, they departed out of the host of Israel, and went to the people of Moab and Midian, with whom they coupled themselves: so that albeit they sinned, yet they had some shame of sin, and made some conscience of committing it openly amongst their brethren. But they proceed by little and little, from step to step, and from one degree to another, till they fear nothing, and are ashamed of nothing. Therefore in the example of one man here set before our eyes, Moses declares to what impudence & shamelessness they were come, that they brought their harlots into the host to despite God, to anger Moses, to corrupt the people, & to pollute the worship that was set up by the commandment of the Lord. For this man (who is afterward named) as if he had been absolute in power, as he was indeed resolute in will, & dissolute in his whole life, brought his whorish woman in the sight of God, in the sight of Moses, in the sight of the congregation, and in the sight of the Tabernacle, to show that he had filled up the measure of his sin. 
Doctrine. Evil men proceed by degrees from worse to worse.  The doctrine arising from hence is this, that evil men do not usually make any stay in evil, but proceed from degree to degree, to worse & worse. The nature of sin is, to draw all such as delight in it and follow after it, from one evil to another, until in the end, they become most corrupt and abominable. This is it which the Prophet jeremy noteth in the people of his time, when he saith, Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? Nay, they were not ashamed, no neither could they have any shame: therefore, they shall fall among the slain: when I shall visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord, jer. 6, 15.  
The like we see in the 18. chap. following, ver. 11, 12. Speak to the men of judah, and to the inhabitants of jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I prepare a plague for you, and purpose a thing against you: return you therefore every one from his evil way, and make your ways & your works good: But they said desperately, Surely we will walk after our own imaginations, & do every man after the stubbornness of his wicked hart. The truth of this hath been evident in all ages of the Church. When the Lord was determined to bring an universal flood upon the face of the earth, for the sins of man, and had given them a time of repentance, while his patience endured, Gen. 6.12. They ceased not from sin, neither repent of their wickedness, saying, what have I done? Math. 24, 38. But every one turned to their race, as the horse rusheth into the battle. For in the time that was limited them, their sin increased, our Saviour showing how they were given over unto all looseness, until the flood came, and swept them all away. This the Prophet David noteth (if he were the penner of that Psalm) where he observeth the degrees and stairs by which men ascend to the height and top of sin: first, they begin to walk in the counsel of the wicked, than they proceed to stand in the way of sinners; lastly, they come to sit down in the seat of the scornful, Psal. 1.1. And this we may further observe in the failings of the faithful, and in their fall into sin. No man becometh extremely evil at a sudden, nor desperately settled, and obstinately resolved to continue in sin in a moment: but as he that will climb up to the top of an high tower, doth ascend step by step, and by little & little; so he that maketh no conscience of any sin, but walketh in all profaneness with greediness, cometh to that height by degrees, one sin drawing on another, the lesser making way for the greater, and the greater obtaining passage for the greatest of all. We see it in evah, when she fell from God, first, 
Gen 3, 6.  she listened unto Satan; secondly, she made a light resistance to his tentation; thirdly, she began to doubt waveringly of that which God had delivered absolutely; four, she grew in concupiscence, the eye liking, the heart lusting, and both of them desiring the forbidden fruit; lastly, she fell to flat apostasy, infidelity, and rebellion. This likewise is set before us in the example of Peter, who getting into the high-Priests hall, and thrusting himself into evil company, hath left us a strong proof of his own weakness, and of his declining from evil to worse. First, he answereth faintly and fearfully, that he knew not the man, Math. 26, 70. A dangerous beginning. When he was further urged and pressed to answer, and that he saw his bare and cold denial would not be accepted, he thought to go one step farther, he denied with an oath, that he never knew him. Yea, when they were importunate upon him, and would not suffer him to be in rest, he began to curse himself, and thereby to cast himself into the depth of sin, into the gates of hell, and into the hands of Satan.  
The Reasons follow. First, sin groweth Reason 1 in the heart, as the child doth in the womb. For as the infant hath his increasings and augmentations from a small beginning, until he come to the birth, proceeding from one degree and age unto another, as job setteth forth our first creation, Thou hast powered me out as milk, and turned me into cruds like cheese: thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and joined me with bones and sinews, job 10, 10, 11: so is it with a sinner; his beginnings are small, but the further he runneth, the longer he continueth, and the deeper he plungeth himself in sin, the more corrupt and abominable he becometh. As a spring that ariseth out of the earth is first little and shallow, but the further it groweth, the more ground it floweth, and the more streams come into it, the greater the river is: or as a fire, which at the first is a little spark, being nourished, becometh in short time a great flame: so is it with sin, it is little in growth, weak in strength, slender in appearance at the beginning; but being cherrished and fostered in the soul of the sinner, it multiplieth exceedingly, and bringeth forth many children of the same nature, whereof we may truly say; Like mother, like daughter. This is that comparison, which the Apostle james useth, to express the fruitful nature of all the unfruitful works of darkness, Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own concupiscence, and is enticed: then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and when sin is finished, it bringeth forth death, jam. 1, 15. Where the Apostle showeth, that first a man is tempted to evil, than concupiscence conveyeth it, after it is in travail and bringeth forth; and lastly, it doth finish it as a perfect birth. This comparison is also used by the Prophet David, Behold, he shall travail with wickedness, for he hath conceived mischief, but he shall bring forth a lie. Psal. 7, 14.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the wrath of God falleth upon such as make no conscience to fall into lesser sins, he giveth them over to a reprobate sense, to a slumbering spirit, and to hardness of heart, that they fall to be past feeling, and cannot repent. The Apostle declareth in the Epistle to the Romans, That such as regarded not to know God, he gave them up to their heart's lust, unto all uncleanness, and punished one sin with another, Rom, 1.28. For the sin that followeth is a punishment which went before. God forsaketh them with his grace, that forsake him by their sins: and when once God leaveth them, the devil findeth them. Whensoever God departeth out of any person, the unclean spirit taketh possession, for the house is empty, swept, and garnished, and made ready to entertain him, Math. 12, 44. This is it which the Prophet declareth concerning the secret judgement of God upon sinners, that make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience; My people would not hear my voice, and Israel would none of me: so I gave them up unto the hardness of their heart, and they have walked in their own counsels, Psal. 81, 11, 12. Where he showeth, that seeing they would not be reclaimed and reform, he laid the bridle in their own necks, and suffered them to run their full swinge into all wickedness. In like manner the Apostle describing the sins of the jews that hated the Gospel, stoned the Prophets, persecuted the Saints, and crucified the Lord of life, showeth that they had filled up the measure of their sins, and that the wrath of God was come on them to the uttermost, 1. Thess. 2, 19  
Reason 3 Thirdly, sin is fitly resembled to the fretting of a canker, and to the uncleanness of a leprosy, both which go forward, and make no stay, until the whole body be infected and every member endangered. This is the similitude which the Apostle useth; Their word shall fret as a canker, 
2. Tim. 2.17.  of which sort is Hymeneus and Philetus. For as one serpent engendereth another, so doth one sin conceive and bring forth another. It is like unto the beast, that is said to grow so long as it liveth. So then lay these things together, both that God forsaketh such as make no conscience of sin, and that sin is likened to the conceiving of the womb, to the eating of a canker, and to the filthiness of a leprosy, we may conclude, that sin being entertained, knoweth not stay, but rolleth as a stone, until it come to the Use 1 bottom.  
Now, let us handle the uses. First, consider from hence, how dangerous it is to give entertainment unto sin at the beginning, which groweth to more perfection every day, we cannot stop this stream when we will: it goeth beyond the strength of our nature. God leaveth us further to ourselves, when we begin to leave his ways. We see this in the example of Cain, he was reproved of God, checked for his hatred against his brother, & admonished to repent; but he hearkened not to the voice of the Lord, but hardened his heart, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of his brother, Gen. 4, 8. This appeareth in judas, he entertained covetousness in his heart, from covetousness he fell to plot with the pharisees, from plotting he proceeded to practising, and in the end he broke out into treason against his Lord and Master, and ceased not till he broke his own neck, Math. 26, 15. The like we may say of Saul, and trace out his falling from God, step by step; and the more he continued, 
1. Sam. 16, 14.  the more did the Spirit of GOD forsake him; so that his hidden corruption broke out into open rebellion against God, open persecution against David, and open desperation against himself and his own soul. Thus it falleth out with such as sin against their conscience. Some grow to be very devils incarnate, that do every day give strength unto their corruption, and add drunkenness unto thirst, who being past feeling, give themselves to wantonness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Some are like bruit beasts, that are led only by sensuality, carnal and natural men, which have nothing in them of the Spirit of God, Jude 10. Continuance in sin bringeth hardness of heart. Such are in greatest danger, and see it not; they are in the midst of the fire, and feel it not; they taste deeply of the judgement of God, and regard it not. Lay before them the grievousness of sin, beseech them with bitter tears, exhort them by the tender mercies of God, denounce all the plagues, punishments, and judgements of hell, offer unto them the sweet promises of the Gospel, entreat them by the death of Christ, and the dearest blood that he shed for them: all these they tread under their feet, and neglect them as things of no price; sin hath bewitched their hearts, Satan hath blinded their eyes, and God hath given them up into a reprobate sense. For as among all the blessings that God bestoweth upon the sons of men in this world, a soft and tender heart is one of the greatest, which is soon checked & controlled, soon made to bleed, and raised to repentance and amendment of life, Ezek. 11, 19: so there can be no greater curse and malediction laid upon any man, then to have a stony and stiffnecked, a rebellious and iron heart, which heapeth and hoardeth up every day vengeance against itself. What an heavy punishment was this upon Pharaoh, when his heart was hardened? Moses and Aaron came unto him, they laid before him the word of God, they wrought miracles in the land of Egypt, they called upon him to let the people go: he was visited with louse, he was feared with thunders, he was plagued with frogs, he was tried with darkness, he was punished with the death of the first borne; yet could not all these enter into his heart, nor pierce his conscience that was seared with an hot iron, so that he proceeded in evil, until he and his whole host were drowned in the red sea. Hereunto accordeth that which the Prophet jeremy saith, Can the black Moor change his skin? or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil, jer. 13, 23.  
Seeing therefore such as begin to sin, can have do stay of themselves, we must needs confess it to be very dangerous and hurtful to our souls. For all such as break out into this sin, are like to those that run down a steep hill, that when they are going, have no power to make any stay or stop, until they come unto the lower end. Thus it is with those that have given the onset upon sin, they do as it were, open the flood gates of impiety, which are not again easily shut up, but the violence of the stream beareth all things before it. For howsoever sin at the first be entertained of men with some dislike, and not without some struggling and striving against it; yet in process of time, and by continuance in sin, they grow shameless, even to have an whore's forehead, that they cannot, nor will not be ashamed: though the Sun, the heaven, the earth, and men bear witness against them, they regard neither God nor men, neither heaven, nor hell, neither salvation nor damnation. This is indeed a dangerous estate, and a fearful condition.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing evil men wax worse & worse, we may conclude, that their judgement sleepeth not, but is increased as their sin increaseth; yea, it is not far off, but lieth at the doors. Every sin is in it own nature a sin to death, and a removing from God, the wages of it is death, and provoketh to an utter consumption of us, Rom. 6, 23: how then can we answer so many thousands, if one be so grievous? For if the Lord mark what is done amiss, who shall be able to stand? Thus the Apostle setteth down their condition, that were settled in wickedness, That their condemnation long since resteth not, & their destruction stumbreth not, 2. Pet. 2, 3. So then, we may assure ourselves that the judgements of God follow at their heels, when men are come to the top and height of their sins. Thus it was with the old world, when their ways were wholly corrupted, then was the earth universally drowned. When the Sodomites became exceeding sinners against the Lord, and their sins cried to heaven, the Lord rained down fire & brimstone upon them. When Israel abounded in all sin, that there was no truth nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, but that by swearing and lying, by killing and stealing they broke out, and blood touched blood; the Lord denounceth by his Prophet, That the land shall mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein, shall he cut-off, Hos. 4, 1, 2. When the Amorites had filled up the measure of their sins, Gen. 15, 14. they should be rooted out of the Land, and the people of God come in their stead. Where the Lord declareth, that howsoever this people were exceeding sinners in the days of Abraham, and deserved to be rooted out at the very first, yet did he withhold his hand, and waited for their repentance a long time, until they were past recovery. Do we then see any wax worse and worse, and increase in sin, as they grow in age? We may conclude, that so soon as they are become ripe, nay, rotten in their sins, the appointed time of God draweth on to destroy them. For even as men when their Corn is waxed ripe, and the fields are white unto the harvest, do thrust in their sickles, 
Mark. 4, 29.  and cut it down, so will the Lord deal with all the ungodly; for when their sins are at the highest, than his judgements are at the nearest, according as the Apostle john showeth, that an Angel came out of the Temple, crying with a loud voice unto him that sat on the Cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap: for the time is come to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe, revel. 14, 15. This is it which was declared in a vision unto Amos, where the Lord showed unto him a Basket of Summer fruit, and said, Amos, what seest thou? who answered, A Basket of Summer fruit. Then the Lord said unto him, The end is come upon my people of Israel, I will pass by them no more, Amos 8, 1, 2. Declaring thereby, the ripeness of their sins, and the readiness of God's judgements to give them their reward. Wherefore, whatsoever sins ungodly men commit, the old are not forgotten, and only the new remembered; but all both old and new, do come together, & add unto the heap, that the measure being full, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, certain destruction may fall upon them. Let us not make a mock of sin, or think that God hath forgotten it, when we have forgotten it. The iniquities that men commit one day are forgotten with them the next, and such as are practised in their youth, are past their knowledge before they come to age: but we cannot hide them from the Almighty, Who writeth bitter things against us, and maketh us to possess the iniquities of our youth, job 14, 26. Psal. 25.7. Every sin shall help somewhat to increase the weight, and make our account the greater in the day of account: for as every Corn of wheat helpeth to fill up the bushel, and to enlarge the heap: so doth every sin that we commit, help to bring our wickedness to the full. And as men keep their books of reckonings and accounts, which they will bring forth when they are to reckon: so the Lord (to the end we may know that he seethe and remembreth our offences) is said after the manner of men, to keep a Register of the deeds of men, and to write them up in the same, and every sin serveth to fill up the accounts, revel. 20, 12. He noteth so many oaths as every day come from our unclean mouths; our drunkenness at this time, and that place, and in that company; our whoredoms, uncleanness and wantonness; our contempt of his word; our neglect of this sermon, and that sermon, on this Sabbath, and on such a Sabbath: so that we shall find when the day of reckoning cometh sins upon sins, and heaps upon heaps, until the measure runneth over; and when we must go the way of all flesh, they will stand before us as an huge Sea (whereof we can sound no bottom) to swallow us up. For if we must give an account for every idle word at the day of judgement, Mat. 12, 36: how much more for our blasphemies, and unclean deeds, which are without number? Which should make us cry out with the Prophet, O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself, neither is it in man to walk & to direct his steps: Lord, correct me, but with judgement; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing, jer. 10, 23, 24. To conclude, howsoever God spare long because he is patiented, yet if we grow worse and worse, and abuse his patience, and run into all riot and excess of sin, he will fill up the viol of his judgement, and power out his wrath upon us to the utmost. This serveth to answer the curiosity, and to stop the mouths of many men, who seeing wicked men proceed in sin, and prosper in their ways, are offended, and are ready to say, Doth not the Lord see this? Or is there no righteousness in the Almighty? Why doth the way of the wicked prosper, and why are they in wealth, that rebelliously transgress? jer. 12, 1. God suffereth wicked men a long time, because their sins are not yet full, the measure is not filled up: but wait a while, and they shall not go unpunished.  
Use 3 Lastly, seeing men giving themselves over to sin, come at the last to be frozen in the dregs of it; it is our duty to resist the beginnings, to prevent the breach, and to stop the first course of it. It is as a serpent that must be trod on in the egg; it is as a birth that would be smothered in the conception. Let us take heed that sin grow not into a custom, and get an habit. This is it which Solomon pointeth out, speaking against hatred & revenge, The beginning of strife is as one that openeth the waters: therefore ere the contention be meddled with, leave off, Prou. 17, 14, Where he teacheth, that as it is dangerous to break a bank or wall which holdeth in the water in his course, lest it overflow the fields and meadows; so if there be a little breach begun in the conscience by sin, the floods thereof will so grow and swell, that the violence and rage of the stream will quickly and easily enlarge the breach, and bring body and soul to sudden destruction. Seeing therefore there is such an inundation and flood of sin, when once it getteth vent●, it behoveth us to stay the beginnings of sin, when as first it beginneth to sprout out, and to spring up: now, these weeds will be more easily pulled up, then when they have taken deeper root, Heb. 12, 13. The diseases of the body being taken at the first, when they begin to breed, and only a spice of them is marked, are easily cured and healed; whereas the old festered sore is incurable and without remedy. Even so is it in the diseases of the soul, if we nip them in the head betimes, they are with more ease and less difficulty suppressed: whereas, if we let them have their full swinge, they are hardly bridled and subdued. This we see in the example of Lot, when he was fallen into drunkenness, there was an easy and quick passage to fall into incest. When David had committed adultery with the wife, he had but a step to run into murder to kill the husband. The devil that old serpent, if he can thrust in his head, will easily wind in the whole body: the way is to quell him quickly, and then shall we be sure to be conquerors, He seeketh to prevail over us by degrees. If the devil had moved Peter at the first to curse himself to the pit of hell if ever he knew Christ, no doubt he would have loathed the tentation, and not have hearkened to his suggestion. But he dealt more subtly, and prepared him unto it by certain steps, whereby he brought him at the last to yield unto that which at the first he detested. When he goeth about to allure a man unto the beastly and more than beastly sin of drunkenness, he will not by and by say to him, Drink till thou be drunken, and transform thyself into a beast, but will make him to delight in evil company, to leave the works of his calling, and to haunt infamous houses, the nurseries of drunkenness. When he would entice a man unto whoredom and adultery, he will not at the first step throw him into the harlot's bed, but bring him to look upon her, to like her, to lust after her, to have familiarity with her; and lastly, to commit the sin itself, 2. Sam. 11, 2: which being first in the devils intention, is the last in the sinner's execution. When he went about to bring Cain to murder his brother, he did not at the first say unto him, Kill him, and make him away; but sowed discord and hatred in his heart, Gen. 4, 5: and this murder of the heart, engendered the murder of the hand, 1. joh. 3, 15. If then we would avoid the actual sin, we must endeavour to cut and pair away all occasions, and not give the enemy room, no not a little. But men in these days make a sport and jest of sin, not knowing that they play with a serpent, nor considering that they dally with a cockatrice. They are like to Salomon's sluggard, described in the proverbs, Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, Prou. 6, 10, and 24, 33. So the adulterer saith; a little more uncleanness; the drunkard must have a little more drinking; the covetous person must have a little more of the world; and every one must wallow as the swine, a little longer in his wickedness, the time is not yet come to forsake his wicked ways: the blasphemer, that feareth not an oath, must continue yet a little longer in his swearing. These men (like the sluggard) must sleep yet a little while in their sins, and lie a little thought longer in their lusts; but give the devil a little hold, and he will not in haste let go; grant him an inch, and he will take an ell: and so long as thou dost not wholly renounce thy sin, but wilt take a little pleasure at it, and spend a little more time in it, thou art in danger of destruction, as Solomon telleth the sluggard.   

7 And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, saw it, he rose up from the mids of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand:  
8 And followed the man of Israel into his stews, and thrust them both through, the man of Israel, 
Chubbah. see Deut. 18, 3  & the woman in her womb; ethen the plague ceased from the children of Israel.  
9 And there died in that plague four and twenty thousand.  
10 Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:  
11 Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel; while he was zealous for my sake among them; therefore I have not consumed the children of Israel in my jealousy.  
12 Wherefore say to him; Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace.  
13 And he shall have it, & his seed after him, even the covenant of the Priest's office for ever, because he was zealous for his God, and hath made an atonement for the children of Israel.  
14 And the name of the Israelite thus slain, which was killed with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, Prince of the family of the Simeonites.  
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cosby, the daughter of Zur, who was head over the people of his father's house in Midian.  
Hitherto Moses hath handled the sins of the people, bringing down heavy judgements upon the heads of the principal authors and committers of them. Now, he setteth down the second point, which is, the reconciliation of God toward his people, Who will not keep his anger for ever, Psal. 103, 9: Wherein we are to observe two things; the execution of justice, and the approbation thereof by God. The execution here recorded against the evil doers is double; the one, extraordinary; the other, ordinary. The extraordinary was by the spear of Phinehas, whereby God's wrath was turned away: the ordinary, was by sentence of the magistrates that were found free from falling into these offences; such as were guilty, being hanged up by the express commandment of God. Touching the first, it is noted, that Phinehas one of the tribe of Levi, and posterity of Aaron, arose out of the congregation that wept before the Lord, being stirred up extraordinarily of God, he took a spear in his hand, 
Chald paraph.  kindled with a zeal arising from a chaste and pure mind, abhorring all uncleanness and filthiness, and pursued them into their filthy stews and brothel-houses, where he thrust them both thorough, revenging the dishonour done to God, & the scandal laid upon his people. A worthy example for all Magistrates to follow, to be sharp & severe in punishing sin, and taking away evil out of the city of God. Thus the plague was stayed, and the anger of God turned away, after that justice was executed, and so many thousands at one time, and for one sin swept away.  
But here two questions arise, which are to be discussed, before we proceed any further: the first touching the fact of Phinehas: the second, touching the number of the dead here remembered. Touching the fact of Phinehas, Objection. it may be thus objected: How can it be lawful in him, (being a private person) to exceed the bounds and lists of his calling? He was of the tribe of Levi, and of the family of the Priests, to whom it belonged not to draw the sword. For as the other tribes were not appointed to the service of the Altar; so the tribe of Levi was not called to the execution of justice. Besides, there are general rules directing all private men, and general Laws restraining them from shedding of blood; as he that sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: he that smiteth with the sword, shallbe smitten with the sword: love your enemies, and do good to them that hate you. The servant of God must not strive, but must be gentle toward all men, suffering the evil, and instructing them with meekness that be contrary mind, 2. Tim. 2, 25. How then can we justify this act of Phinehas, departing from these holy rules of God's Religion? I answer, Answer. there is a double kind of calling; an ordinary calling, and an extraordiry calling; the one necessarily distinguished from the other. For God doth oftentimes give unto his servants a new and special vocation, and addeth it unto their former function. Hence it is also, that some works are ordinary, and some are extraordinary. Ordinary works must be guided and directed by ordinary rules, such as those are which we have set down before. Extraordinary works proceed from a special motion of God's Spirit warranting them, and making them (albeit going against the common rules) lawful, commendable, and necessary. Such was the fact of Moses, smiting the Egyptian, Exod. 2, 12: the fact of Samuel, hewing Agag in pieces, 1. Sam. 15, 35: the fact of Eliah, slaying the Priests of Baal, 1. King. 18, 4: the fact of the Israelites, spoiling the Egyptians, and such like, Exod. 12, 35, who had an inward motion, like to the commandment given to Abraham to kill his son. These actions, albeit warranted to the doers, 
Luth in Gen. cap. 29.  are not to be drawn into example and imitation, unless we have the inspiration of the same Spirit; and therefore Christ our Saviour answereth his Disciples, that would have called fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans, Ye know not of what spirit ye are, for the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them, Luk. 9, 55. Now that this fact of Phinehas is of the same nature, it appeareth, both because the plague ceased by it, and God's wrath kindled against his people, was appeased; so that the action is both commended & rewarded. This the Spirit of God teacheth in the Psalm, Phinehas stood up and executed judgement, and the plague was stayed: and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, from generation to generation for ever, Psalm. 106, 30: which is not so to be understood, as if he were justified before God, by this one act, because whosoever will be just by the Law, is bound to keep the whole law, according to the tenor of the law, Do this & thou shalt live, Gal. 4, 12, 20. One good work doth not serve or suffice to make a man perfectly just and righteous in the sight of God, seeing he that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law, is accursed. So then, we must know that the Psalmist meaneth, that this fact was lawful, and allowed. For having set down the vengeance that Phinehas took upon this adulterer, and the adulteress: he preventeth the Objection which might be made: Was not this horrible and damnable murder in him, who being a private man, had not the sword of justice committed unto him? and being one of the Priests of the Lord, was to meddle only in matters belonging unto God, and not in civil things; who was to draw out the censures of the church not a material sword to strike offenders? No (saith the Prophet) it was not murder, it was a righteous and commendable act, he being stirred up by God's Spirit, inasmuch as it proceeded from faith, and aimed at the glory of the great Name of God. Wherefore this place is falsely alleged, and perversely wrested by the Church of Rome, to overthrow justification by faith alone, and to establish justification by good works. For there is a double justification, one of the work, the other of the person. The Prophet speaketh in that place of the justification of the work, which albeit in the sight of men it might seem savage & inhuman, yet God did accept of it, & account it as a good and just work, which pleased him being done in faith, which purifieth the heart, Acts 15, 9 He speaketh not of the justification of his person, which was by apprehending the mercy of God in Christ, by believing, not by doing. Thus the Apostle in the fourth chapter to the Romans, verses 4, 5. maketh a double kind of imputation, saying: To him that worketh, the wages is not counted by favour, but by debt: but to him that worketh not, but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Thus much of the first question touching the act of Phinehas, whether it were lawful or unlawful, whether it were private revenge, or public justice.  
The second Question is touching the number that died in this plague: Object. wherein appeareth some difference and disagreement in outward show, between the old Testament, and the new. For Moses in this place, verse 9, sayeth, There died four and twenty thousand. But the Apostle Paul alleging this judgement of God, mentioneth only Three and twenty thousand, 1 Cor. 10, 8, subtracting one thousand from the former number which Moses added. I answer, some reconcile these places thus: that the Scribes or Penmen failed in copying out the books of Paul's Epistles, which should have written four & twenty thousand, where they wrote three & twenty thousand. But this is shifting rather than reconciling; & cutting the knot with a sword, rather than losing it asunder with the hand, inasmuch as all the copies generally with full consent, as it were with one voice agree in the former reading. Others suppose and surmise that it might be a slip of memory in the Apostle, according to human infirmity. But this answer is worse than the former, and these are unskilful Surgeons, that make a deep wound instead of applying a plaster, and therefore kill where they should cure. For we cannot admit any faults in memory in the blessed Apostle, who wrote by the direction of the Spirit of God, as also the whole Scripture was inspired by him: 
2 Tim. 3.16  and we cannot give any reason to warrant, why it should rather be a slip of memory in Paul then in Moses, both of them being guided by the same Spirit.  
Again, others say, that Paul is not contrary to Moses, forasmuch as if there were four and twenty thousand, as Moses teacheth, there must of necessity be three and twenty thousand, as the Apostle gathereth, seeing the greater number includeth the lesser; and seeing he doth not say expressly there were just so many, neither more nor less. True it is, to make up around sum, & a full number, the Scripture useth sometimes to add, and sometimes to detract; but in this place there is no reason, why the Apostle should use the less number rather than the greater, considering the greater number is here as full and perfect a number as the lesser; and therefore no just cause to change & alter any thing. Besides, the Apostle maketh the number as directly to be 23000, as Moses maketh it to be 24000. Wherefore, to let pass these guesses & conjectures, the best and truest answer is, 
Iu●. par●●  that Moses distinguisheth the history into two parts. First, touching the heads of the people that were hanged up: Secondly, touching the people that were slain with the sword. If we join both these together, as Moses doth in this place, it is truly said, There died four and twenty thousand. For he speaketh first of the chief Captains and Ringleaders to this rebellion against God, then of the rest of the people that walked in their ways, and followed their example: afterward he casteth up his accounts, & setteth down the total sum as it did accrue out of them both. But if we speak of the principal malefactors by themselves, and of the rest of the people by themselves, a thousand of the principal were hanged or crucified; and among the people were slain three and twenty thousand, of which latter, Paul only speaketh, omitting the thousand Princes: to show, how fond and frivolous their excuse is, who defend their offences by the example, or authority, or counsel, or commandment of their superiors: seeing the people in this place following the footsteps of their Magistrates, were no less punished than the Magistrates themselves. So then, these are most true, both that which Moses saith, to wit, that four and twenty thousand perished, joining both Princes and people together; and that also which Paul affirmeth, mentioning three and twenty thousand only, omitting the Princes, and reckoning the people: and hence it is, that the sum in Moses, amounteth to a thousand more, in Paul to a thousand less.  
Hitherto of the execution of justice by Phinehas, upon two audacious and open offenders, and of discussing the questions that arise thereupon: now followeth the approbation of God, in whose nostrils it smelled as a sweet savour. This fact is commended, his zeal is praised, his person is blessed, and rewarded. For albeit good works wrought in faith, and died with the blood of Christ, do not merit eternal life, which is the free gift of God, Roman. 6, 23, yet they are rewarded of mercy in this life, and in the life to come. The blessing of God to rest upon him and his posterity, is set down in two respects: First, generally, I will make my covenant of peace with him, so that he shall have me a merciful God: Secondly, particularly; where the manner is set down, that the Priesthood should remain to him and to his posterity for ever, so that both his seed should flourish so long as the jewish Church should continue, and the honour of the high Priesthood should abide among his posterity, Until the high Priest of our profession (jesus Christ) should come to make an end of all Ceremonies, Hebr. 3, 1. The accomplishment whereof is not hard to show in the holy Scriptures, and in other approved Histories. For the lineal succession of the Priesthood from him to the carrying away into captivity to Babylon, is expressed in the books of the Chronicles, 1 Chron. 6, 4, 15, from the father to the son, and from one generation to another. From the captivity, until the time of Alexander the Great, (to whom the Persian Monarchy befell, and whom jadduah the high Priest met in his Priestly robes coming to conquer jerusalem) the genealogy is remembered in the book of Nehemiah, 
joseph. antiq. lib. 11, cap. 8.  chapter 12, 10, 22. Neither may it seem strange unto us, that Nehemiah should set down the succession so far, seeing from the reign of Artaxerxes whom he served (being in chief place about him) to the Monarchy of Alexander the Great, (who overcame Darius) were not above sixty years, as the Chronology & Computation of the reign of the Persian Kings declareth. And from the times of Alexander the Great, 
joseph, antiq. lib. 15 cap. 3.  to Aristobulus and his son (who was the last) whom Herod treacherously and cruelly caused to be drowned; the pedigree is to be seen in josephus and others. Afterward the Priesthood was set to sale, and those promoted, that made their own way by sums of money, or by favour of friends, or both together.  
After this promise made to Phinehas, Moses annexeth a description of the whoremaster and the whore, that provoked God's wrath, and troubled Israel: who are set forth by their names, by their family, by their condition and degree. The name of the man was Zimri, his family was the tribe of Simeon: touching his estate, he was one of the Princes of his tribe, by whom no doubt (being a man of sort and quality) he was accompanied and countenanced; yea, it should appear he was a mover and persuader of others to commit the like wickedness, whereby it came to pass that the greatest number of this tribe perished with him, as may be gathered by the new survey and numbering of the tribes which is taken in the Chapter following, Numb, 26, 14, and 1, 23. For they which in the former mustering and numbering, amounted unto the number of nine and fifty thousand and three hundred, were now diminished and abated to two & twenty thousand, and two hundred, for their idolatry and fornication: so that with this Zimri, the greater number of this tribe perished,  
They did partake with him in the sin of whoredom, and therefore they communicared with him in the plague and punishment of it. Hence it came to pass, that whereas all the other tribes in a manner amounted to more than forty thousand: this tribe attained only unto the number of two and twenty thousand, and two hundred. The name of the harlot was Cosbi; her stock and kindred was of the Midianites: in respect of her place, she was the daughter of one of the chief Princes of that people, who afterward was reckoned amongst the sons of Midian, that were slain by Moses, Numbers 31, 8. These names of the two persons are singled out amongst the rest, unto their perpetual infamy and reproach, For as the names of the righteous are registered and remembered, to their everlasting praise: so the name of the ungodly shall rot, Prou. 10, ver. 7. Their families are singled out, that part of the disgrace and dishonour should blemish them, to humble them, and to instruct them to nourish sin in none of their kindred. Their high place is singled out, to teach that GOD the judge of all the world, judgeth without respect of persons, and that all men, of what credit and countenance soever, should fear before him.  
Verse 7. And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest saw it, he rose up, etc.] This holy man of God slew the adulterer and the adulteress with a spear. If he had been a mere private man, this shedding of blood had been unlawful in him, howsoever they deserved it. But the Spirit of God was his direction, and he had a secret calling, to be to him as a sure & safe warrant. So then, albeit private persons may put no man to death, as appeareth in the Commandment, Exod. 20, 13, yet such as are warranted from God, are his Officers and Magistrates.  

Doctrine. Actions in themselves unlawful, are by a calling made lawful.  We learn from hence, that actions which of themselves and in their own nature are unlawful, unseemly, and against humanity, by a calling from God, become lawful, warrantable, and necessary. This special calling given unto special men, is sometimes outward, and sometimes inward. The inward calling is, when God by the motion of his Spirit, moveth the heart to do some special work against the ordinary rules that he left to the rest of the sons of men. Hereof we have plentiful examples in the book of judges, in those whom God extraordinarily raised up to save his people, and to destroy their enemies. When Eglon King of Moab oppressed Israel, & kept them in great slavery and subjection, as a tyrant and usurper, the Lord stirred up Ehud, judg. 3, 15, 16. who made him a Dagger with two edges, conveyed it closely under his garment, and when opportunity served, he thrust it into his belly, and flew him. This action had been sinful without this calling; for though Eglon were an oppressor, yet the kill of him had not been warrantable. The like we see afterward in the same book set before us in the example of Samson; for there we see, he took to wife an uncircumcised Philistim, judg. 14, and 15, and 16, he tied firebrands to the Fox's tails, to burn their Corn, he carried away the gates of Azzah, he slew many with the jaw-bone of an Ass, & pulled down the house of Dagon, whereby he killed the Princes, people, and himself. He was inwardly called and commanded to do these works of God. For when he spoke to his father to give him one of the daughters of the Philistims to wife that pleased him well, his father and his mother faide unto him; Is there never a wife among the daughters of thy brethren, and among all thy people, that thou must go take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistims? For they knew not that it came of the Lord, that he should seek an occasion against the Philistims, judg. chapter 14, verse 4. The same we noted before in Moses slaying the Egyptian, which fact, howsoever some condemn as unlawful, both because he was not appointed a judge over that people, but was a private man, and because he seemed to pass the bounds of justice (supposing he were a Magistrate) punishing the smiting of a blow, (Exod. 2, 12,) with the taking away of life, seeing God commanded a tooth for a tooth, Exod. 21, 24, wound for wound, and blow for blow: yet it appeareth by the words of Stephen, that GOD had given him commission, and endued him with authority, to deliver the Israelites, and to avenge their injuries, when he saith, He supposed his brethren would have understood that God by his hand should give them deliverance, but they understood it not, Acts, chap. 7, 25. Again, when Moses had received the Law in the Mount, written with the finger of God, and being come down had seen the molten Calf, He took the two Tables, and cast them out of his two hands, and broke them before their eyes, Deut. chap. 9, verse 17. He did not this through any unadvised zeal, or hastiness, or fleshly affection, but God governed him by his holy Spirit, & stirred him up by this exraordinary means, to declare to the people, that his Covenant was broken and disannulled that was made between them.  
Likewise, some have had an outward calling, commanding and warranting the doing of extraordinary things. So Abraham was commanded by lively voice to take his son, his only son, him whom he loved, even Isaac, the son of promise, and to offer him up for a  offering, upon one of the mountains which God would show him, Gen. 22, 2. This also appeareth in one of the children of the Prophets, who willed his neighbour to smite him by the commandment of the Lord, and in smiting, to wound him, that he might disguise himself when he spoke unto the King, 1. Kings 20, 35.  
The reasons making these extraordinary Reason 1 works lawful, are apparent. First, true obedience standeth not in man's will, but in the commandment of GOD. Whatsoever he commandeth, howsoever our carnal reason judgeth of it, and whatsoever iniquity it may seem unto us to contain or prescribe, we must account it lawful. That which he forbiddeth, what show soever it carrieth of piety and holiness, is unlawful. This appeareth in the answer of Christ unto john Baptist, putting him back, and refusing to baptise him: Let be now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness, Math. 3, 15. And to this purpose the Prophet, speaking of this act of Phinehas here remembered, saith, It was imputed unto him for righteousness, Psal. 106, 31. If then in those actions the children of God obeyed him, and followed not their own corrupt wills, they must needs be held and pronounced to be lawful.  
Reason 2 Secondly, none can withstand his commandments. That is righteous which he accounteth righteous. And if he will have it done, who shall contradict it? Who is so strong, as to resist his will? This doth the Apostle Peter declare, when he had been with Cornelius, he maketh this defence for himself, Forasmuch as God gave them a like gift, as he did unto us, when we believed in the Lord jesus Christ, who was I, that I could let God? Acts 11, 7.  
Thus we see the Doctrine confirmed: now Use 1 let us see likewise how it may be applied. First, mark here the difference between God and ourselves. His word is our light and direction. We have no other way or warrant to approve our actions but from God and his word; but he is not tied to any guide or Governor. We are put in mind hereof by Moses, Deut. 29, 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong unto us, and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of the law. God is not tied to his revealed will, the Lawgiver is above his law. For the law must be understood with this restraint and limitation, except God command the contrary, who is free, and not bound to ordinary rules. He commanded Moses in the building of the Tabernacle, to make the Cherubims, and other similitudes; as also afterward, when the people were stung with fiery serpents, to set up a brazen serpent, which without his commandment had been a breach of the second Commandment, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven Image, nor the similitude of any thing in the heaven above, or in earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth, Exod. 20, 4. He commanded joshua to compass the City of jericho, seven days with the men of war, and the Ark of God, seven days together, and therefore also on the Sabbath day, josh. 6, 15: which without the Commandment of God, had been a breach of the fourth Commandment, Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day. So God proved Abraham, and charged him to offer his son, which he could not have done without horrible murder, 
Gen. 22, 1.  except God had commanded it, being a breach of the sixth Commandment, Thou shalt not kill. In like manner God willed his people to ask jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, of their neighbours the Egyptians, Exod. 12, 35, whereby they spoiled them, but never made restitution unto them; which without a peculiar direction from God, had not stood with the eight Commandment, Thou shalt not steal. Thus then we see for the increase of our knowledge, how the Law of God is to be understood, to wit, with this caveat and proviso, Unless it please God to command the contrary, who always worketh according to his own will. For as such as have to do in the Statutes of earthly Princes, do teach to restrain them, and understand them thus, saving the King's prerogative: so are we to do in the interpretation of the law of God, always to use this exception of God's prerogative. For if Princes claim a prerogative above their laws, much more are we to give unto the eternal God, a prerogative and privilege above the laws given to the sons of men.  
Secondly, we learn from hence, that all examples Use 2 set down in Scripture, are not set down for our imitation, albeit revealed for our instruction. Our Saviour in the Gospel reproveth his Disciples, who would have called down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans to consume them, pretending to follow the example of Elias, saying unto them, Ye know not of what spirit ye are, Lu. 9, 59 The examples of the godly set down in Scripture are of four sorts. The first, general and common, standing in the law of nature, taught in the ten Commandments, commanding us to worship God, to honour our parents, to do wrong to no man. Hence it is, that we are commanded to follow the faith of Abraham, 
1 Cor. 11, 1.  the chastity of joseph, the zeal of David, the patience of job, the repentance of Peter, the attention of Lydia, the restitution of Zacheus, and such like: these are set before us, both for our instruction, and for our imitation.  
Secondly, the godly have many infirmities and imperfections, whereby it cometh to pass, that some of their actions are sinful and ungodly, which are set down for us, not to follow, but to avoid. Such are the incredulity of Moses, the adultery of David, the idolatry of Solomon, the drunkenness of Noah, the incest of Lot, the ambition of the Apostles. These are not written, that we should allege the false of the Saints, to warrant and justify our sins, but to teach us, that no man is free from sin in this life, seeing the elect and regenerate do offend; that we should not, being suddenly overtaken with sin, despair of God's mercy: & that we should be watchful, and look to our footing, seeing these men sinned, being adorned with such great gifts, so highly in God's favour, that shined as Stars in the Firmament, and were eminent above other men, as the Cedars above other Trees.  
Thirdly, some things were well done of the Fathers, that cannot be followed of us without offence to God, as those that were ceremonial, and endured only until the coming of Christ, and the restoring of all things by him: as the cutting of the foreskin, the offering of sacrifices, the kill of the Passeover, which cannot be brought into use and practise again, Acts chap. 15, ver. 1, 5, without injury to Christ, and the abolishing of his death.  
Lastly, some examples were singular and proper unto those to whom they were given; so as neither others in those days, nor we in our times, may any way follow them, without the same inspiration of the Spirit: and of this number is the zeal of Phinehas, mentioned in this place, and such extraordinary examples as we named before. Thus we see, both that all examples of the faithful are not to be practised, and likewise what are to be followed, and what are not to be followed. Hereby we learn to meet with all profane men, who resolve to continue in their sins, & defend themselves with the slips and failings of the faithful. These men sin with the godly, but they repent not with them: they fall asleep with them, but they arise not with them out of sleep. Hereby also the Church of Rome is convinced, who allege the making of the Cherubims, of the brazen serpent, and such like; to justify their imagery and idolatry by the example of Moses, which we have showed to be special, not general, commanded to him, not warranted to all. Lastly, hereby they are condemned, that would bring in any of the ceremonies of the law, which are long since buried, together with the Synagogue, & cannot stand with the simplicity of the Gospel, and with the sufficiency of the death of Christ.  
Lastly, as no man must be rash in pretending extraordinary callings, so we must take heed we be not rash in censuring the doings of other men. Do we know, or can we understand the motions and inspirations of other men? What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him? 1 Cor. 2, 11. We may not therefore examine their callings by our own, nor measure extraordinary actions, by ordinary rules; especially in the times of the decay of religion, of the ruins of the Church, of the planting of the Gospel, when God doth many times give some of his people special motions, & guide them with an extraordinary direction of his Spirit; but every man must look to the warrant of his own work. No man must presume above his calling, but every man must be wise according to sobriety, and consider what gift he hath received, Rom. 12, 3. Peter when he saw the high Priests servants to lay hands on Christ, drew the sword, and cut off the ear of one of the messengers: but he is reproved by his Master, and commanded to put up the sword again into his place, Because all (being private persons without a calling) that take the sword, 
Math. 26, 51  shall perish with the sword. Whosoever hath received a special calling, God giveth an assurance of it to his own heart, and leaveth no scruple or doubt in him of his calling: so that to ask the question of others, whether a man may have such a calling or not, is an evident argument that he hath not received any such calling. For albeit we cannot judge of the callings of others, yet may we of our own, & know that which no man knoweth beside ourselves. The Disciples thought amiss of Peter the Apostle for going to Cornelius. For when he was come up to jerusalem, they of the circumcision contended against him, because he went in to men uncircumcised, and had eaten with them, (Acts 11, 2.) until they had heard him give a reason of his doing, & make an apology for himself: then they held their peace, and glorified God. And so is it with those that sit in judgement of other men's callings, & condemn those things whereof they are ignorant.  
[Verse 8. He thrust them both through then the plague ceased from the children of Israel.] The sins of this people into which they fell, were very grievous: and the judgements of God that fell upon them, were heavy and answerable to their sins. Some of them to fill up the measure of their iniquities to the full, brought their harlots into the host of GOD, even among them that the Lord their GOD had chosen to be an holy Nation, Deut. 14, 2, and a precious people unto himself, above all the people that are upon the earth. When these were punished, and the public scandal taken away, God is pacified, the plague is removed, & the people are delivered. 
Doctrine. When once sin is punished, God is appeased.  From hence this Doctrine is offered to our considerations, that when sin is punished, God is appeased. So soon as evil is taken away, the judgements of GOD are called in. When the old world was destroyed by the flood of waters which God sent upon the earth, and all flesh perished in whose nostrils the spirit of life did breath; then GOD entered into a new covenant with the remnant that was left; and Noah offering a sacrifice, the Lord smelled a savour of rest, and said in his heart, I will henceforth curse the ground no more for man's cause, neither will I smite any more all things living as I have done, Gen. 8, 21, 22. So long as Achan was unpunished, the host of Israel could not prosper, but turned their backs before their enemies; but when he was found out, and stoned to death with stones, and burned with fire, the Lord turned from his fierce wrath, & gave unto his people the victory, josh. 7, 26. When he had plagued the people that caused Aaron to make the calf that he made, whereby they committed foul and gross idolatry, and turned God into the similitude of a bullock that eateth grass, he was reconciled un- them, and well pleased with them, Psal. 106, 19, 20. So when Corah, Dathan and Abiram were destroyed, and God visited their rebellion with a strange visitation, his anger continued no longer against them. When Miriam had been shut out of the host 7. days, & punished with leprosy, the wrath of God was appeased, & she restored to the host again, Nu. 12, 15. We know how the wrath of God was kindled against Israel, & against David for numbering the people, so that he sent a pestilence among them from the morning, even to the time appointed, whereof there died 70000. men: then the Lord repent of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is sufficient, hold now thine hand, 2 Sam. 24, 16. All these places of Scripture are evident proofs of this Doctrine, that so soon as execution is done upon malefactors, the sword of God's justice is put up, and his wrath ceaseth.  
Reason 1 And the Reasons hereof are plain. For first, what is it that separateth between God and his people, and causeth a divorce and division between him & them? Is it any thing else then sin? When sin therefore or the sinner are taken away, he hath no more controversy against them. This is it which the Prophet Esay testifieth, cha. 59, 2. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear; for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. And in the fourth chapter of the Prophet Hosea, ver. 1, 2, convincing them of swearing and lying, of killing and stealing, and whoring, he declareth, That the Lord had a controversy with the Inhabitants of the Land, and would cut off every one that dwelleth therein. If then it be sin that causeth judgement, and sharpeneth the point of the Lords sword against the world, against a kingdom, against a city, against a family, against every particular person; when the cause is removed, the effect shall be restrained, and when the sinner is reform, the wrath of God will be appeased: for so soon as we turn unto him, his indignation shall be turned away from us.  
Secondly, when sin is punished, it bringeth Reason 2 down a blessing with it. For so long as ungodly men lie in their sins without punishment, and run on in their wickedness, to the dishonour of God, to the reproach of his Name, to the offence and infection of others, and to the confusion of their own faces; so long the wrath of God is kindled, & his hand is stretched out still. But when they are either plagued of God, or punished of men, he blesseth the places which before he scourged, & rewardeth the persons by whom justice hath been administered. We have a notable example hereof, in the punishing of the Idolatry of the Israelites, for worshipping the molten Calf: he willed the Levites to consecrate their hands that day, Exod. 32, 29, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother, that there might be given them a blessing. The Lord had laid this as a punishment upon Levi and his posterity, To divide them in jacob, and scatter them in Israel, Gen. 49, 7: but he turned this curse into a blessing, when the Priesthood was translated to this Tribe, to teach jacob his judgements, and Israel his law, that no corner of the Land should be without instruction. So in this place, when Phinehas rose up, & executed judgement upon the adulterer and the adulteress, the Priesthood was confirmed unto him and his posterity, verse 12, 13. If then the execution of justice bring a blessing from God, who is so delighted with it that he will never leave it unrewarded, it must needs testify his reconciliation and atonement. For so long as we live in sin, we lie under the curse and wrath of God, no grace can shine upon us, no mercy can overtake us, no blessing can fall upon us. But when sin is punished, the curse is removed, and the favour of God doth compass us about, as with a shield.  
Now let us come to the Uses, that we may Use 1 have the profit and comfort of this Doctrine. First, we learn, that such as continue in any known sin unrepented of, cannot look for peace from God. So long as sin reigneth in any place, the wrath of God hangeth over it, and will undoubtedly fall upon it. There is no peace, (saith the Lord) unto the wicked, Esay 48, 22. God doth come into the field, as an open enemy to wage war, and enter into a combat against all impenitent sinners. This the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 7, 11, 12. God judgeth the righteous, and him that contemneth God every day; except he turn, he hath whet his sword, he hath bend his bow, and made it ready. He abhorreth all the ungodly, and therefore he will fight against them as a man of war, he will rain down snares, fire and brimstone, and stormy tempests upon them, he will destroy them in his wrath and fierce displeasure. It is a fearful thing to be a rebel and traitor against a Prince, and to stand out in arms against his Sovereign in the field with weapons; it is high treason, the loss of life, the forfeiture of lands and goods, the staining of our blood, the undoing of our posterity. So to stand out in any sin, is high treason and rebellion against the most High. The continuance in any sin, is rebellion, and they that are the committers of it are rebels against God. This made the Prophet to say, Destroy them O God, let them fall from their counsels, cast them out for the multitude of their iniquities, because they have rebelled against thee, Ps. 5, 10. To this purpose Samuel calleth the disobedience of Saul, rebellion, 1 Sam. 15, 23. Every man knoweth the danger of rebellion against the Prince, it is more against God. When we hear of foreign wars, we fear and tremble, we are much moved and perplexed: and shall we not much more be afraid, when the Lord, the King of Kings wageth battle against us? When God by the Ministry of his word doth reprove sin among us, our ignorance, our looseness & lewdness, our negligence & security; he doth stand out against us as with his sword ready drawn in his hand, to reclaim us, or to destroy us. We were better to have the whole world set against us, than God to be our enemy. What a monstrous madness is it for a mortal man to stand at defiance with him who is the Lord of hosts? Do we (faith the Apostle) provoke the Lord to anger? Are we stronger than he? 1 Corinth. chap. 10, verse 22. How many are there, which are so witless and bewitched, that they think themselves strong enough to encounter with God, like the Giants that would pluck God out of heaven? But let them take heed, lest setting themselves against him, they thrust themselves down into hell, to their eternal confusion.  
Secondly, it teacheth a notable and necessary Use 2 duty to all Magistrates, to be zealous for the Lords cause, to root out evil doers, to maintain the glory of God, and to show themselves enemies unto all iniquity. Do they desire to have their people live in peace & tranquillity, and to bring a blessing to those that live under their government? Do they desire to have the curse of God removed far from them? The only way is for them to punish sin, whereby they bring quietness and safety, and move the Lord to dwell among them with the graces of his Spirit. The Lord threatened Ahab, because he had let go out of his hands a man whom he had appointed to die, his life should go for his life, and his people for his people, 1 Kings, chapter 20, verse 42. When Saul had spared Agag, contrary to the express commandment of God, who charged him to smite Amalek, and to destroy all that appertained unto them, & have no compassion on them, but to slay both man and woman, both infant and suckling, both Ox and Sheep, both Camel and Ass: the Kingdom was rend from him, & was given to his neighbour, that was better than he, 1 Sam. chapter 15, verse 26. When the Levite had his wife abused unto death, and villainously defiled at Gibeah which is in Benjamin, because those wicked men were not put to death that evil might be put away from Israel, it turned almost unto the utter destruction of that Tribe, judg. chapter 20, verses 13, 35, and there fell of them in one day five and twenty thousand & an hundred men, all they that could handle the sword. So the Magistrates must regard to punish sin, if they regard the honour of God, the profit of their people, or the good of themselves. We see what an head sin groweth unto and gathereth strength in all places. It beareth the chiefest sway & pre-eminence every where. He that checketh and controlleth it, laboureth in vain, and maketh himself a prey.  
True it is, the Ministers of God's word have the sword of the Spirit put into their hands, 
Heb. 4, 12.  to cut in sunder the cords of sin. It is a fire that burneth and consumeth the straw and stubble before it. It is an hammer that breaketh in pieces the hard stones, jer. 23, 29. and it hath the power of God adjoined with it. Notwithstanding, unless the Ministry of the word be assisted and strengthened by the force of the Magistrate, it is little regarded & esteemed of the greatest number. It is good indeed to have some instruction, but it availeth little without correction. If a master should cry never so often unto his scholar, learn, learn, and dissuade him from his idleness and lewdness never so earnestly, yet if he know his master hath no authority or power to correct and chasten him, he will smally respect the vehemency of his words, but esteem them as a blast of wind, that passeth away. So is it with the people, when the Magistrate and Minister go not together, when the word and the sword do not accompany one another. For these two being the high & holy ordinances of God, do give strength & assistance one to another. The Magistrate would be much more troubled, if the word which is lively & mighty in operation, were not taught to keep men in obedience, and they might sit (as it is said of Moses, Exod. 18, 14,) to hear causes from morning to evening, and weary themselves with the toil and trouble of their Office, without comfort to themselves, or profit to others. And on the other side, the Ministers might lift up their voice as a Trumpet, and cry aloud until they be hoarse, unless they be backed and encouraged by the godly Magistracy. So long as Moses and Aaron (as two brethren) walk amongst the people of God, (I mean the Magistrate to rule and correct, the Minister to teach and reprove) sin will be suppressed, and godliness will in some measure be promoted and advanced. here than is a notable direction for all Magistrates, fathers, masters, householders, and governors whatsoever, to set themselves against evil doers, seeing thereby they shall find the Lord favourable unto them. Among all encouragements which Rulers (who are as the gods of the earth) have given unto them to bear the burden of the work and the heat of the day, 
Psal. 82, 6.  none is more comfortable than this, that by rooting out of the wicked, and punishing the ungodly according to their ungodliness, they bring a blessing upon their own heads, a blessing upon the places where they dwell, and a blessing to their families in which they live, as we see in Phinehas in this place: of whom the Lord saith, While he was zealous for my sake among them, he turned away mine anger, therefore I have not consumed the children of Israel in my jealousy, and I will give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it, and his seed after him. Who is it that doth not desire to find the favour of God in this life, & to leave a blessing behind him? But if God have made us Magistrates in the Commonwealth, or Governors in the private family, we cannot look for any blessing at his hands, to follow us, and overtake us, so long as sin is unpunished, and the sinner is not recompensed in the earth. It is not enough for us to be godly men, except we labour also to be godly Magistrates. We heard before, that the boast of God could not prosper and prevail, so long as Achan was not found out: but when he was stoned, the blessing of God came upon them. The Mariners in the ship could not be safe, so long as jonah was in it; 
jonas 1, 15  but so soon as he was cast into the sea, the sea ceased from his raging. Mark this (ye Rulers of the earth) and learn from hence ye Governors of ho●ses, a profitable lesson: so long as ye are zealous for the advancement of God's glory, and for the rooting out of iniquity, ye shall be blessed in your persons, blessed in your children, blessed in your families, and blessed in your places and habitations. Set yourselves therefore with courage against sin, and God shall be with you. He will prosper the works of your hands, & nothing shall be able to prevail against you; as the Prophet faith, 2 Chron. 15, 2. The Lord is with you, while ye be with him: and if ye seek him, he will be found of you: but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Let every one so far as his calling stretcheth, deal faithfully with God, and show their zeal in resisting sin, as it is sin, in whomsoever they find it, without respect of persons: not fostering it in some, because they are their friends; nor winking at it in others, because they are their children, their servants, their kindred or acquaintance; nor hating it in a third sort, because they are their enemies: but punishing it, and striking at the root of it without difference and partiality. For many are enemies to some sins, because they are enemies to the sinner: and so hate the evil for no other cause, but because they cannot abide the person. But we should in punishing sin, aim at the good, and at the reformation of those that commit it, we should love the person, and abhor the evil; like the Physician, that liketh his patient, but hateth the disease. But to examine ourselves a little: How far are we in these days, from the sound practice of this point? Have we a true zeal to punish offenders? or are we careful to find them out, that evil may be taken away from us? Alas, who seethe not plainly (except such as are wilfully blind) how cold and careless we are in setting ourselves against sin, and opposing ourselves against evil doers? Do not wicked men in all places lift up their crests on high, and walk with outstretched necks without controllement, that no man dare say unto them, Why do ye thus? Nay, are we not come to this pass, that if one in a Parish settle himself to do good, and offer to put too his helping hand, to weed out malefactors, will not twenty step forth to speak for them, & to cross such as shall go about to punish them? If any good cause be to be promoted, how backward are we to further it? How nice, how squeamish are we, and pinch courtesy, who shall go before, as if we were ashamed of it? But if whoremongers, drunkards, harlots, that are as the offscouring of the world, and the scum of the earth, be brought before Magistrates, to be rewarded according to their deservings, they cannot want many of their neighbours to countenance them, to go with them, and to speak for them. What persons ever were there so lewd and licentious, that have not found divers to entreat in their favour? Yea, so desperate are our times & seasons grown, that if the devil himself were incarnate, and dwelled visibly among us, it seemeth likely, that he should find some friends, some spokesmen, and mediators for him. But know this for a surety, and carry it home with you unto your houses, and think of it upon your beds, that so long as you thus back and uphold bad fellows, lose in life, lewd in example, you shall never want store of them. We must not think ever to break the heart of sin, except we join hand in hand one with another, and all draw one way to suppress it. If a thief were to be c●rried to prison, and one drew him one way, another haled him another way he were never like to have fetters cast upon him. In like manner so long as we are sundered and divided one from another, sin increaseth and getteth an head. And we cannot assure ourselves to obtain any blessing of God, so long as we nourish such serpents in our bosoms, and do not pull out the stings of them.  
And as this aught to be a great encouragement to all in authority over others, to consider the blessings of GOD that they bring to themselves, and to their several jurisdictions, by breaking the neck of ungodliness: so on the other side, it ought to terrify all negligent and careless Governors that are not ready & resolute betimes to destroy all the wicked of the Land, Psalm. 101, 8, and to cut off all the workers of iniquity from the City of the Lord. Such bring a curse upon themselves, a curse upon their substance, a curse upon their children, a curse upon their servants, a curse upon their families, a curse upon their houses and habitations. This should work a fear in their hearts, and bring terror and astonishment upon their consciences, seeing God will take away the sinner in his wrath, but will require the sin at the hands of all those that have suffered and fostered it in others, by their negligence in governing, and remissness in punishing.  
We heard this before in Ahab, 1 Kings, chapter 20. verse 42, who letting Benhadad go free, life must go for life, he should answer for the other. We see this evidently in the example of old Eli, who, not controlling and correcting his children when they sinned grievously against the Lord, is himself directly charged to have committed those sins, 1, Samuel, chapter 2, vers. 29, to honour his children above the Lord to make himself far of the first of all the Offerings, and is punished with sudden death, by breaking of his neck. So likewise shall the sins of sinful men, that live under our roof, and shroud themselves under our protection, be required at our hands, if we uphold them in their evil, or do not punish them for their evil, according unto the means that God hath given us.  
Lastly, seeing God is well pleased & appeased, when sin is taken away as the cause of Use 3 his displeasure, let us not carry till the Magistrate draw the sword out of his sheath, but every one turn unto God, and enter into judgement with ourselves, that the Lord may not enter into judgement with us. We must be careful to gain and get God to be our friend. The way is to forsake our sin, and to walk with God, as being ever in his presence. Can two walk together except they be agreed? Let us then reconcile ourselves to God, and he will be reconciled unto us: Let us draw near unto him, and he will draw near unto us, jam. 4, 8. This must be done of us by cleansing our hands, and by purging of our hearts. Abraham, the father of the faithful being righteous by faith, is called The friend of God, jam. 2, ●3. This is it which our Saviour teacheth, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you, job. 13, 14. If then we would be at peace with God, and desire the friendship of the most High: if we would have him turn away his wrath and heavy displeasure from us, we must be careful to avoid sin, seeing it bringeth the judgements of God, and putteth a sword into his hand to destroy us. From hence, as from the principal cause, come all manner of punishments, that God inflicteth; war, death, famine, the plague & pestilence, our sins are the fountains of them all. Therefore the Apostle in this respect willeth us to try and examine ourselves, that we may find out the true cause of our troubles, when he saith, For this cause many are weak, and sick among you, and many sleep: for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged, 1 Cor. 11, 31.  
So then, the best course to prevent judgements, or to remove them which are already brought upon us, is by repentance. The Lord hath many ways visited us for our sins; sometimes by the raging of the pestilence, sometimes by inundations & overflowings of waters, sometimes by dearth & famine of bread, all which are as sharp arrows which he taketh out of his Quiver, and shooteth them out of his Bow, and we are not able to stand before them: for who is able to stand before his fierce wrath? Or who can abide the greatness of his power? Nahum. 1, 6. The only way left unto us to take, is to seek reconciliation with God, and to turn unto him by unfeigned repentance. We must make conscience of all sin. For so long as we flatter ourselves in any one known sin, the wrath of God will never be appeased, but he hath still some controversy against us. We must not therefore leave one sin unrepented of. When Moses was to lead the people as a flock of sheep out of the Land of Egypt, and Pharaoh permitted the fathers and the children to go & serve the Lord in the wilderness, only their sheep and cattle should abide: Moses answered, Our cattle also shall go with us, there shall not an hoof be left behind, Exod. 10, 26. So must our obedience be unto God, it must be perfect and entire, we must not repent to halves, we must not leave one sin behind, but search the secret corners of our deceitful hearts. For when God shall search with lights to find out our hidden sins, he will visit the men that are frozen in their dregs, and say in their hearts, the Lord will neither do good nor evil. These never mourn for their sins, and therefore God will make them mourn lying under his wrath. If they will have no feeling of their sin, they shall have a feeling of his punishments, and of the burden of his judgements.  
[Verse 9 And there died in that plague, four and twenty thousand.] In these words Moses setteth down the number of all those that perished as well of the Princes, as of the people. How this agreeth with the Apostle, that nameth only three and twenty thousand, we have already declared in the exposition of the words, and answering of the Questions that arise out of the words. We have heard before, that albeit Balak & Balaam intended by their sorceries to curse the people of God, yet they could by no means do them hurt, they were guarded by the protection of God, as with a sure watch. For God is the watchman of Israel, that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, Psal. 121, 4. But so soon as they forsook the living God, and fell a whoring with the daughters of Moab and Midian, by and by God departeth from them, and his heavy judgements break in upon them. The force of sorcery could not hurt them, but the strength of sin doth weaken them, and greatly diminisheth the number of them. Hereby we learn, 
Doctrine. Sin depri●● us of God's protection.  that sin depriveth us of God's protection, and layeth us naked and open to the fierceness of his wrath, and to the fury of our enemies. The sins wherewith the Church in general, or any member in particular do provoke GOD, bring down judgements of all sorts, cause his wrath to be kindled, and give strength to the enemy to prevail against us. When the people of God had committed Idolatry, & made them gods to go before them, it is said by Moses, that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies, Exod. 32, 25. This appeareth also in the book of joshua, when Achan had sinned and stolen the babylonish garment, the shekels of silver, and the wedge of gold, they could not stand before their enemies, josh. 7, 4. but fell before them as naked men, being utterly destitute of God's defence, by reason of the offence committed among them. We see this oftentimes in the Books of the judges, of the Kings, and Chronicles, when they rebelled against God, and provoked him to anger, presently he sold them into the hands of their enemies, they became subject to sundry calamities, they fell into all kind of miseries that were laid upon them. When they began to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord, they were made slaves and captives, sometimes to one enemy, and sometimes to another, judg. chap. 4, ver. 1, 2. When the Israelites began to loath the offerings of God, the Lord threatened a grievous judgement to come upon them, 
1 Sam. 3, 1●  and executed it accordingly: for the Philistines fought against them, and Israel was smitten down, every man fled into his tent, and there was an exceeding great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. Thus through sin reigning among them the enemies of God are armed, the people of GOD are destroyed, the Ark of God is taken, and the priests of God are smitten with the sword. It was the sin of Eli and his house especially that drew the judgement of God on the whole Nation. We see this in the example of Solomon, when his hart was turned away from the true God, and his hands were holden up to strange gods, the Lord was angry with him, because he had given him a charge concerning this thing that he should not follow other gods: Then the Lord stirred up one adversary unto Solomon, and afterward another adversary, which did much mischief and evil against Israel, 1 Kings 11, 14, 23. This appeareth in Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when once he forsook the Lord and all Israel with him, the Prophet is sent to say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I left you in the hands of Shishak, 2 Chron. chap. 12, verse 5.  
Reason 1 The Reasons being considered, will make the doctrine more evident; First, sin maketh us execrable to the Lord, and abominable in his sighr. Nothing doth more deform us and make us cursed and detested in the sight of God. If then sin make us to be had in execration, it is no marvel if we be left destitute of God's protection. This is the reason which the Lord useth why Israel fell before their enemies, and he went not forth with their armies when they fell before the men of Ai, Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies, but have turned their backs before their enemies, because they be execrable, josh. 7, 12, 13. We see then the nature of sin; it maketh men abominable and detestable in the sight of God.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God leaveth and departeth from them that fall from him: they forsake him, & therefore he forsaketh them. For so long as we walk in the ways of godliness, and please God in all things according to his will, God is among us, He dwelleth with us, he will never departed from us, he walketh in the midst of our habitations, 2 Cor. 6, 16. But when we commit wickedness in his sight, and follow the abominations of our own hearts, he is gone, he will take up his seat no more among us, he will not come near our dwelling places. This is the reason which the Lord urgeth to joshua in the place before named, saying, There is an execrable thing among you, O Israel, neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the excommunicate from among you, jos, 7, 12; 13. So then our lying in sin doth drive the Lord from us that he will have no more fellowship with us to do us any good.  
Use 1 We are now to set down the uses of this Doctrine. First, this teacheth us to acknowledge that all judgements which seize and fall upon us are just & righteous. God chastiseth us often, but always justly, never unjustly. True it is, the particular cause is not always discerned of us why he chastiseth, and sin is not always the chief and principal cause, as appeareth in the example of the blind man, of whom Christ saith, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be showed upon him, john 9, 3: yet his punishments are always deserved, and never inflicted when he is not moved, who rouseth up himself as a Lion out of his den (as the Prophet speaketh) to execute righteous judgements. We see in the book of Nehemiah, how the Levites lay open the sins of the whole land, confessing God's kindness unto them, and their unkindness to the Lord, and justifying his name, Nehem. 9, 33, 34, Surely thou art just in all that is come upon us, for thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly: And our Kings, and our Princes, our Priests, & our fathers have not done thy Law, nor regarded thy commandments, nor thy protestations wherewith thou hast protested among them. So when there is any imminent danger of judgement, as of the plague, of sickness, of famine, of war, or such like; this must teach us, that then especially we should take heed that we lay not ourselves naked unto them by rebelling against God. I mean not this of any bodily nakedness appearing to the eye of man, but of spiritual nakedness in the sight of God, whereby man in his sight appeareth a deformed sinner. This is a fearful condition: this is the foulest nakedness that can be. A man or woman by the light of nature would be ashamed to be seen naked, which teacheth us to cover the body: but much more should we take heed that we appear not naked to God, and see the filthiness of our hearts. Let us crave the righteousness of Christ to be a covering to  our souls, For they are blessed whose sins are covered, Psal. 31, 1. When GOD threateneth to bring any plague or judgement upon us, let us not wound our own souls, or lay them open to the wrath of God, but rather humble ourselves before him, that he may call back the punishments that are gone out against us This is it which Moses teacheth, Deut. 23, 9: When thou goest out with thine host against thine enemies, keep thee from all wickedness.  
Secondly, seeing sin layeth us open to reproaches Use 2 of enemies, and to the judgements of God, as appeareth in this great plague upon the people: this showeth that whensoever we have laid ourselves thus naked by ●alling into sins, we must not go about to hide and to cover them from God through hypocrisy. For all things are naked and open to his eyes with whom we have to do: so that we must learn to acknowledge them, and confess them before his presence. We see how ready men are to hide their sins with Adam from the sight of God; but the more we seek to conceal them, the more we reveal them, & the more ugly we appear before him. What folly or madness is it that is practised in the world to hide our sins from men, and never regard how bare and naked they be in the presence of the allseeing God? If a man committing sin, were sure to keep it secret from the sight and knowledge of all others, that none could accuse him or detect him of it: what should this avail him seeing it is open to the eyes of God, and appeareth as plainly as we behold the sores of poor Cripples, that uncover them to the sight, to move pity in the seer? Seeing therefore judgements be the wages of sin, make us fall before the enemy, and bring upon us many calamities, let all such as lie under any chastisement, always search over their ways, and descend into their own consciences, to see how they have moved him to wrath, and provoked him to be their enemy. This we see in the example of joshua, when he saw the men of Ai prevail over them, and the people of God to turn their backs: when he saw they were destitute of God's defence, who would no longer go out with their Armies, he sought to find out the true cause, he humbled himself before God, and never ceased until the sinner were apprehended, examined, condemned, and executed, joshua 7, 7. The like practice doth the Prophet prescribe, Lam. 3, 39 Wherefore is the living man sorrowful? Man suffereth for his sin: Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord: let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens, saying; We have sinned and rebelled, therefore thou hast not spared. This is the right way to stop the breach of God's wrath, and to call in his judgements. Many have fought out other ways to weaken the force of the enemy, and to prevent the judgements of God: as in time of war by arming themselves, by hiring of soldiers, by drawing confederates: in time of dearth, by robbing, stealing, lying, defrauding, shifting, & such like: in time of pestilence, by seeking to Witches and Wizards, by taking themselves to flight, and such other ways. But the Prophets and holy servants of God in such times when we lie open to wrath, have called us to Repentance, stirred us up to prayer, moved us to humiliation and acknowledgement of our sins, which have deserved such chastisements. Let us all practise this counsel, and wisely consider with ourselves what the lord hath against us, and wherefore he is angry with us, that so we may be reconciled unto him, and brought into his gracious favour again.  
Use 3 Lastly, this serveth as a notable advantage for the servants of God, when they have any dealings against wicked men: we have comfort and encouragement from hence, that we shall assuredly prevail against them, because we have to do with weak and naked men that are out of God's protection. If two go into the field to fight, and one of them be unarmed and have no weapon to defend himself, he lieth open to the lust of his enemy to be wounded and spoiled of his life, who taketh comfort to see his adversary come out against him without his armour. So is it a blessed and comfortable thing to the children of God, when they are constrained to meddle with evil men which are the enemies of God and of his truth, they have comfort in God, both in that themselves are under the coverture of his Armour and protection, and in that their enemies are naked men, and lie open unto every judgement. This is it which is afterward remembered unto us in this book, where joshua and Caleb comforted the people against the Canaanites, saying, If the Lord love us, he will bring us into this land, and give it us, which is a land flowing with milk and honey: but rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the Land, for they are but bread for us: their shield is departed from them, and the Lord is with us, fear them not, Numb. 14, 9 Abijha the king of judah, made this his great comfort going against a mighty army, and spoke to this effect unto their enemies, 2 Chro. 13, 10, 12. Where we see, that such as turn unto God with all their hearts, and worship him aright, have God their Captain and Protector, he is their buckler and defence: but such as are enemies to God and his people, 
Numb. 14, 1● 43.  are those that receive many blows, and take many knocks on their heads, and yet want a shield to safeguard themselves, but lie open to every danger, and cannot look for victory, they have no armour of proof to defend themselves. This is a woeful and wretched condition; yet so is it with all the ungodly, who have banished the Lord far from them. For as he is far from them in the practice of their life, so he will not be near them in the time of their distress. Let us then make much of this comfort, and lay it as precious balm unto our hearts, let us be assured when we have to deal with the world, or to wrestle with God's judgements, if we have the testimony of a good conscience that God is our defence and deliverance, we shall not need to be dismayed, nor fear what man can do unto us. For there cannot be a more notable encouragement in danger, or in death, them to have assurance of the providence and protection of God. The Prophet David greatly comforted himself in the sweet meditation of this presence of his hand, Psal. 23, 1, 4. and 27, 5. & 31, 20. Let us therefore be bold, and of good courage in the causes of the Lord, for where he is, there is safety from danger, peace from distress, and assurance never to be overcome.  
[There died four and twenty thousand.] The falling into idolatry and whoredom brought a great plague upon the people, not only to the destruction of many of the Princes among them, but to the ruin of many thousands of the people. See here the greatness of the plague, and what havoc was made when wrath was kindled. God did not spare them, but executed his fierce indignation upon them. How great a judgement was this? and how were they weakened by it? Hereby we learn, That the wrath of God against sinners is unspeakable, 
Doctrine. God's wrath ●eing moved, ●n full of rage.  grievous, and terrible. His wrath being moved is full of rage, and worketh great desolations and destructions in the world. This is it which Moses setteth down in his song, Deut. 31, 22. Fire is kindled in my wrath, & shall burn unto the bottom of hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains, etc. This hath the Lord ever showed in the examples of his justice, When the old world multiplied their sins, and abused the patience of God that abode in the days of Noah, his wrath consumed men, women, children, beasts, fowls, creeping things, and all that had the breath of life upon the face of the earth, Gen. 7, 21. So when the sodomites exceeded in lust of the flesh, in pride of life, and in security of heart, The Lord reigned upon them Brimstone and fire out of heaven, and overthrew the Cities of the plain, and all the inhabitants of the Cities, and that which grew upon the earth, Gen, 19, 24. The history of the manifold murmurings and rebellions of the people of Israel in the wilderness, is a plentiful witness of this truth. When they lusted for flesh, and loathed Manna as a light meat, he smote them with an exceeding great plague, he slew the strongest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel, so that the name of the place was called, The graves of lust, because there they buried the people that fell a lusting, Numb. 11.33. When Corah, Dathan, & Abiram rose up against Moses, backed with certain Captains famous in the congregation, and men of renown, they were swallowed up of the earth, and consumed with fire: and on the morrow when the multitude murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord, 
Numb. 16, 41, 49.  he sent a plague amongst them, that quickly wasted & consumed fourteen thousand and seven hundredth, besides them that died in the conspiracy of Korah. When David had sinned in numbering of the people, and in glorying in his own strength, 2 Sam. 24, 15: the Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men. The Apostle Jude produceth sundry examples to this purpose, of the Angels that are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgement of the great day: of the Israelites, who albeit they were delivered out of Egypt, yet were afterward destroyed, because they believed not: 
●●de 6, 5.  of those ungodly men that turned the grace of God into wantonness, and are ordained to condemnation. The truth here of shall more fully and wonderfully appear in the day of judgement, when justice only shall be executed, and the Lord show himself to the wicked only as a terrible judge. He shall come from heaven with all his mighty Angels, with a great shout, and with the Trumpet of God, To render vengeance unto them which know not God, and which obey not the Gospel of our Lord jesus Christ, which shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. 1, 9 Then they shall say unto the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come, and who can stand? revel. 6, 16.  
And to the end no doubt hereof should remain Reason 1 in us, let us consider the reasons. The anger of God is as himself is, infinite and without end, so that nothing is able to stand before him. This is it which the Prophet David teacheth, Psal. 90, 11. Who knoweth the power of thy wrath, or of thine anger, according to thy fear? As if he should say, when thine hand is any way heavy upon us, no man standeth in awe of thine indignation and fearful displeasure so much, as thou and thine anger ought to be feared of us. Hereunto accordeth the saying of the Prophet, Nah. 1, 5, 6: The mountains tremble for him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his sight, yea the world and all that dwell therein: who can stand before his wrath? or who can abide in the fierceness of his wrath? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken by him. If then his wrath be infinite, without limitation of time, without circumscription of place, and without respect of person, so that the heavens melt, the mountains are dissolved, and the foundations of the earth are discovered, it must needs be that when he is moved, his wrath is very full of rage and revenge.  
Secondly, we must needs hold, that plenty Reason 2 of desolation is made in the earth in the wrath of God, if we consider the comparisons whereby it is expressed. It is compared sometime to the roaring of a Lion, which maketh all the beasts of the forest to tremble. It is a fearful voice, it maketh man and beast to stand in fear. This the Prophet Amos expresseth, The Lion hath roared, who will not be afraid? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Amos 3.4, 8. Sometimes; it is compared to a violent fire, that spreadeth itself far and near. This Moses did teach the people, when he willed them to take heed to themselves, lest they forgave the Covenant of the Lord their God, and make to themselves any graven image, saying, The Lord thy God is a consuming fire, and a jealous God, Deut. 4, 24. & 9, 3. fire we know is fierce and fearful, wasting and devouring all things before it, so that nothing is able to resist the strength and force thereof. We say in a common Proverb, that fire and water are without mercy. They are of an untamed nature: even so is the displeasure of almighty God being provoked by sin, intolerable, unspeakable, unsearchable, without limitation of time, of quantity, or quality; and therefore he must needs be armed with great wrath kindled against the ungodly.  
Use 1 The uses of this doctrine are very many, but we will stand only upon the principal. First, we may conclude that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of so mighty a God. It is extreme madness for any man to set himself against such a God. Who is able to prevail that hath him his enemy? Take heed therefore, God will not be mocked. Are we stronger than he, that we should fight against him? This is the use which the Apostle maketh in the Epistle to the Hebrews, We know him that hath said, Vengeance is mine, I will recompense. Hebr. 10, 30, 31: and again; The Lord shall judge his people; It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living GOD. There is no jesting nor dallying with so fearful and dreadful a Majesty, who is so great in power, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, terrible in his anger, and just in all his doings. Exod, 15, 11. The heavens, and the heavens of heavens, together with the earth and all the compass of the world, are not able to bear the lest spark of his displeasure when it is kindled, the flame whereof shall burn up the wicked; and shall we play with him in his anger as with a little child? Alas then, what shall become of the wretched souls of wicked and damnable men, when his wrath shall smoke against them, and the whole viol of his fury shall be powered down upon them! O how miserable shall their anguish and tribulation be, and how infinite and unmeasurable their torment, which shall be thus plagued, condemned, and cursed of the Lord! what shall become of swearers, drunkards, whoremongers, and such like, in the day of the Lords wrath? They shall wish that they had never been borne, Mat. 26, 24: they shall think it a benefit if they had been borne toads. And if they could behold at the least in these their days, but a shadow of the misery that remaineth for them, and of the pit of destruction that gapeth for them, it were sufficient to swallow them up in heaviness, and make them even dissolve themselves into tears and torments, as passing all that can be spoken or thought thereof: but now these things are hidden from their eyes, and cannot enter into their hearts, yet this shall be the end of all those that work iniquity. God will rain down upon the wicked, snares, fire & brimstone, & stormy tempest: this is the portion of their cup: for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the just, Psal. 11, 6, 7. On the other side, we must needs acknowledge and confess, that it is a blessed thing to be at peace with God. It is a great blessing to live at peace in the world, and to be in unity with men, among whom we live; but much more sweet and comfortable is it to be at one with the eternal God, so as he have no controversy against us. This is it which the Prophet concludeth, Kiss the son lest he be angry, & so ye perish in the way; when his wrath shall suddenly burn, blessed are all they that trust in him, Psal, 2, 12. So then, as the estate of all the ungodly that are under the wrath of God is most miserable, so the condition of the godly (how soever accounted of by the unfaithful of the world) is happy and blessed, who are safe under the wings of God, and shall be delivered in the day of judgement.  
Secondly, we must be wise and circumspect Use 2 to take heed that we do not kindle it to our own confusion. This is the exhortation of Moses to the people: Take heed that there be not among you, man, nor family, nor tribe, which should turn their heart away from the living God; that there should not be among you any root that bringeth forth gall and wormwood: for the wrath of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, & every curse that is written in this book shall light upon him, and the Lord shall put out his name from under heaven, Deut. 29, 8. This serveth to reprove such as are in this point like the horse and mule, that are without knowledge, and have no understanding. They never regard the judgements of God present, they never seek to prevent them being to come. This is it which our Saviour toucheth in the jews, when he came near the city, he wept for it, and said; If thou hadst even known at the least in this thy day those things which belong unto thy peace, but now are they hid from thine eyes, Luke 19, 42. It is therefore our duty, to labour to know the times of his judgements. It is unpossible to avoid the wrath of God, unless we have a care to know it. The wrath of GOD to come upon the sons of men, is foreknown three ways: First, 
The wrath of God to come is for● known thr● ways.  by the oracles of the Prophets, and by reasons drawn out of the Word of God: Secondly, by signs and wonders, which God showeth in heaven, or in earth, or in the sea: Thirdly, by plagues and punishments that he sendeth, the which as they are the beginning of his anger present, so they are testimonies and tokens of greater judgements to come. And as we have showed before, that the wrath of God is resembled oftentimes to a consuming fire: so we understand, that a fire is already kindled, & will grow greater by these three means before expressed, (to wit, 
Zanch de di●●● attrib. lib. 4. c. ) either by the report of credible witnesses, or by beholding of the smoke ascending, or by sensible perceiving of the flame breaking out, which is a fearful sign of a farther fire, and a greater burning, except it be speedily quenched and prevented. First, the wrath of God is foreshowed unto us by the words of the Prophets and Apostles which were inspired by the Spirit of God, and foretell the wrath of God to come upon us for our sins. And as the Law of God setteth down sundry threatenings and curses, so the Ministers of God out of the same do denounce the judgements of God, & gather, that the wrath of God hangeth over a kingdom or City, by an infallible conclusion, without repentance. For where sin reigneth there the wrath of God cometh: but in this Nation, or City, or Family, sin reigneth: wherefore the wrath of God hangeth over such a Nation, City, or house. Such threatenings denounced by the servants of God, 
〈◊〉 28, 20. 〈◊〉. 26, 21. Cor. 11, 30.  collected by certain reasons out of the Scripture, are not to be despised, but feared; not to be passed over, but to be prevented; not to be derided, but to be applied to our consciences, that if we find those sins in us, we may labour earnestly to repent of them. For albeit the Ministers of God do not speak by special inspiration and revelation of the Spirit, as the Prophets; yet their threatenings are not void and vain, but are grounded upon effectual reasons of the word, and the beholding of present wickedness that aboundeth every where. We must not therefore account them as scarecrows which cannot hurt, for God will make them powerful in the mouths of his servants, so that they which will not be persuaded to fear them, shall be constrained certainly to feel them whether they will or not. Another means to give us understanding of God's wrath before it falleth, is by the undoubted signs and tokens, which are as the messengers of God, and the forerunners of wrath, which we see in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters. For whensoever God is determined in his heavy, but yet just judgement, to bring any plague upon the world, and to make manifest his fierce indignation, he useth to send certain tokens of his anger, to testify that it is not far off, which are as the sproutings of the figtree, signifying that summer is near. Thus, doth Christ foretell the destruction of jerusalem, and the end of the world, by the signs which shall go before them, 
〈◊〉. 24, 32.  saying, Learn the parable of the Figtree: when her bough is yet tender, & it putteth forth leaves, ye know that the Summer is near: so likewise ye when ye see all these things, know that the kingdom of God is near, even at the doors. These appear in the Sun, in the Moon, in the Stars, in the Elements, and in the creatures, when the course of nature is altered & changed, 
〈◊〉 de bell. 〈◊〉 lib. 7. cap. ●.  the very insensible and unreasonable things do preach repentance unto us, and therefore are to be marked and not despised. Lastly, the former punishment is a forerunner of a further judgement; the smaller, of a greater; and the first of a second. God brought sundry plagues upon Pharaoh king of Egypt, but such as came after, pressed and punished him more than such as went before. When Christ had foretold many evils that should come upon jerusalem for their contempt of the Gospel, and their refusing of all grace offered unto them, he addeth, Mat. 24, 6, 8. The end is not yet: all these are but the beginning of sorrows: as if he should say, there shall more in number, and greater in weight follow after these. When God sendeth the barrenness of ground, the blasting of corn, the unseasonableness of weather, the overflowing of water, the infection of sickness, & such like scourges of his hand, they are evident marks of his wrath, and the very prints of his footsteps, whereby we may trace him out, coming against us to destroy us. They are the messengers of God to cite and summon us to answer before him for our contempt of his word, and of his former threatenings. When he taketh away faithful men that fear his name & especially good Princes and godly rulers, it is an assured token that his wrath beginneth to be kindled, and will overtake the remnant of the people. When the head is smitten it cannot be but the rest of the body must immediately after smart for it. Thus God threateneth in the Prophet, Esay 3, 2. & 57, 1. That he will take away the strong man, and the man of war, the judge and the Prophet, the prudent and the aged, the captain of fifty, and the honourable, and the counsellor. And in another place, The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart: and merciful men are taken away, and no man understandeth that the righteous are taken away from the evil to come. A notable example hereof we have in Noah and his family; so soon as they were entered into the Ark, and the door of it shut up, immediately the rain fell, the flood came, the fountains of the deep were broken up, the windows of heaven were opened, & the inhabitants of the earth were drowned, Gen. 7, 16. & 19, 16. When Lot and his family were brought out of Sodom, and set without the City, the Lord being merciful to them, The Lord reigned fire and brimstone from heaven, upon the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the godly King josiah was taken away, that his eyes should not see all the evil which the Lord would bring upon the land, the wrath of the Lord arose against them, they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and misused his Prophets; and he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword, and spared neither young man, nor virgin, ancient nor aged, God gave all into his hand, 2 Kin. 22, 20 2 Chron. 36, 16. Moreover the Lord hath other scourges which belong to the soul; as when he taketh away godly Ministers, & with them his holy word. So he threateneth by the Prophet Amos, to send a Famine of his word, chap. 8, 11. This is a token that God will forsake that people, and condemn them to death when he taketh from them the means and maintenance of their life. These are the beginnings of greater judgements, and by them we may judge the wrath of God to be at hand, which are as a warning piece unto that volley of the Lords Ordinance, which our great sins have caused him to mount up against us, and he threateneth to discharge upon us. So then, it behoveth us not to be dull and drowsy in marking the judgements of God, & the signs of his wrath, to the end we may be prepared to prevent them, and to meet the Lord by unfeigned repentance, before they fall upon us.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it is our duty to pray unto him, and to entreat him that albeit we continually provoke him by our sins, yet that he would not fall upon us in his wrath, nor punish us in his sore displeasure, but deal with us as a father with his children. This is it which the Prophet craveth at the hands of God, Psal. 6, 1. & 38, 1, 2. To this purpose jeremy speaking of the captivity at hand, prayeth thus, jer. 10, 24 25. O Lord correct me, but with judgement: not in thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing: pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not, etc. If the Lord should deal with us according to our sins, and recompense us according to our deservings, we were not able to stand in his sight. If he should enter into judgement with us, no flesh should be righteous before him. We must therefore desire him to chastise us as a father, not as a judge; to amend us, not to destroy us, as the Prophet speaketh of his own experience, Psal. 118, 18. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not delivered me to death.  
Use 4 Lastly, we must be provoked, upon the consideration of the wrath of God, full of rage & jealousy, moved with our sins, to seek to please him, to forsake our iniquities, and to be reconciled unto God This is the use which the Apostle maketh, Heb. 12, 28, 29. Seeing we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace whereby we may so serve God that we may please him with reverence & fear, etc. So we are charged to mortify our members which are on earth, as fornication, uncleanness, and such like, because for such things the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, Col. 3, 5, 6. So then, the consideration of the fierceness of God's wrath, must bring us nearer unto him, and make us obedient to his will. Let us walk in all his commandments, and make conscience of all our ways. Let us study to please God in all things, and to be fruitful in good works. Let us live soberly, righteously, and godly in this life, and show forth the lively fruits of him that hath called us out of darkness into this marvelous light, that so his wrath do not overtake us, nor his judgements find us unprepared. We should always live, as if we should die presently, or the day of judgement come immediately. For what shall it profit us to live in all pleasures and carnal delights for a few years, and then to suffer eternal torments? What shall it avail us to win the world, & then to lose our own fouls? Matth. 16, 26. Are not they more than mad men, that will hazard their souls, & procure the heavy wrath of God for a little profit and a short pleasure? Let such as will not be drawn from their sweet sins, assure themselves they shall one day pay dearly for it, and taste the most bitter woes that can be conceived when they shallbe separated from God, shut out of his favour, and be barred out of his kingdom. Oh! that there were in us wise hearts to consider these things betimes, and to prevent all the judgements of God that hang over our heads. Let us prepare ourselves against the hour of death, than which nothing is more terrible: against the day of judgement, than which nothing is more horrible: and against the danger of hell fire, than which nothing is more intolerable, the pains & pangs whereof, are without end, without ease, without remedy.  
[Verses 10, 11, 12, 13. Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: Phinehas the son of Eleazar, hath turned mine anger away from the children of Israel, etc.] We have seen the zeal of Phinehas in executing judgement upon the offenders and evil doers, which brought a grievous plague upon the people. His spirit was stirred within him, being first stirred by the Spirit of God, which moved him to take a spear, and to thrust thorough the adulterer and adulteress. Now we shall see the recompense of reward that was given unto him for that work which was acceptable unto God, and profitable unto his people. He hath a covenant of peace made with him, & the Priesthood confirmed unto him and his posterity. He only had appeased the wrath of God, & made up the breach between God and his people, but the blessing is conveyed even to his posterity. He destroyeth two malefactors whereby he bringeth a blessing unto his children. Hereby we learn, 
Doctrine. The faithful bring able ●sing on the families.  That when the ways of a man please God, he will be gracious to his house & posterity. God is so pleased with the obedience of his people, that he wiil show mercy to such as belong to them. This is plentifully proved unto us in the word of GOD. When God saw Noah righteous before him in that corrupt age and generation, he made all that belonged unto him partakers of a great deliverance, saying unto him, Enter thou & all thine house into the Ark: for thee have I seen righteous before me in this age, Gen. 7, 1. This appeareth in the person of Abraham, when God had called him out of his Country, and from his kindred, and made a Covenant with him to bless him, Gen. 12, 2, 3. The Prophet jeremy teacheth this in the example of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Because ye have obeyed the Commandment of jonadab your Father, and ●ept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you, Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever, jer. 35 18. To this purpose speaketh the Prophet David, Psal. 37.21. A good man is merciful and dareth, and his seed enjoyeth the blessing. If we come to the new Testament, we have many testimonies leading us unto the consideration of this truth. When Zaccheus believed in Christ for his salvation, and testified his repentance by his restitution, jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come into this house, forasmuch as he is become the son of Abraham, Luke 19, 9 When the ruler, whose son was sick at Capernaum, saw the great power of Christ in restoring him to health again, He believed and all his household, john 4, 13. This is oftentimes remembered unto us in the Acts of the Apostles. When God had opened the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which Paul delivered, She was baptised and all her household, Acts 16, 15.33. When the jailer believed in the Lord jesus for his salvation, and showed his unfeigned conversion by the fruits of his love to the Apostles, he was baptised with all that belonged unto him straightway, and rejoiced that he with all his household believed in God.  
Reason 1 The reasons to enforce this doctrine are evident, if we consider either the person of God, or the condition of the faithful. For first, God hath in great mercy and goodness promised to show grace and favour not only to the faithful themselves, but to the seed of the faithful that fear him. It is the nature of God to be merciful and gracious, to be slow to anger, and abundant in goodness, showing mercy unto thousands to them that love him and keep his commandments, Exod. 20, 6, and 34, 6, 7. We see this in the history of the destruction of Sodom, the Lord did not only in great mercy and compassion save Lot himself, but said unto him, Whom hast thou yet here? either son in law, or thy sons, or thy daughters, or whatsoever thou hast in the city bring it out of this place, Gen. 19, 12. He was ready, not to save him alone, but as an overplus to deliver all that belonged unto him. We see the mercy of God to others for his children's sake, he thinketh it not enough to be good to them, but extendeth his mercies to those that any way concern them.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as the mercy of God is great, so the faith of the godly is effectual for themselves and their children. This is the tenor of the covenant that God hath made with all the faithful, their faith is available both for themselves, and for others. God will be our God, and the God of our seed after us, Gen. 17, 7. And this is the privilege & prerogative that the faithful have, they believe this merciful promise of God themselves, and thereby entitle their children unto it. For as a father that purchaseth house or land, giveth thereby an interest unto his son therein; so he that layeth hold on the promise which God hath made to all godly parents, doth convey it unto his children: so that albeit they want faith by reason of their years, yet they are made partakers of Christ, and engrafted into his body. So then we may collect and gather this truth, that the love of God to the faithful shall so abound, that it shall come to their posterity, like the precious ointment powered on the head of Aaron, that ran down upon his beard, and flowed to the border of his garments, or as the dew on Hermon and Zion, which watered the valleys that were beneath, upon which it descended, Psal. 133, 2, 3.  
The uses remain to be handled. First, we Use 1 learn, that the children of faithful parents have right and interest to Baptism, and are to receive the seal of the covenant. This the Apostle teacheth, 1, Cor. 7, 14: when he saith, The unbelieving husband is sanctified to the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified to the husband, elsewhere your children unclean: but now they are holy. Seeing then, that faithful parents entitle their children to the blessings which they receive; we see that there ought to be a difference between them and the children of Turks and Infidels. All the offspring of Abraham was accounted holy in the time of the old Testament, because God made with him the covenant of life, and the Apostle reasoneth; that if the root be holy, the branches also are holy, Rom. 11.16. Hence it is, that he calleth them all his children who are borne of Israel. But since the partition wall is pulled down, the grace of God is not obscured, and less assured unto us than it was before unto the jews. Infants and children do no less belong to the covenant and Church of God than others do that are of years of discretion, as it is plain by the promise made to Abraham, I will set my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, that I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee, Genes. 17, 7. Where God doth promise, not only to be his God, but also to be the God of his seed. This promise doth Peter rehearse to the believing jews, To you is the promise made and to your children, and to all that are a far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call, Acts 2, 39 Baptism in the new Testament, succeed circumcision, used in the old Testament. They have both one and the same promise, the same signification, the same foundation, the same ends. But the infants of the jews were commanded to be circumcised, and therefore infants ought to be baptised. Hereupon the Apostle saith to the Colossians, Ye are circumcised in Christ with circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinful body of the flesh through the circumcision of C●rist, etc. Col, 2, 11. Lastly, unto infants belongeth the promise of grace, the forgiveness of sins, the regeneration of the spirit, the imputation of Christ's righteousness, the Kingdom of Heaven: and therefore they ought by no means to be denied the outward sign and ceremony, which is the least part of the Sacrament. If the Holy Ghost cleanse them, shall the Minister deny to wash them with water? If the things signified do belong unto them, who shall dare to debar them of the outward sign? Hence it is, that our Saviour commandeth infants to be brought unto him, reproveth the disciples that forbade it, embraceth them in his arms, commendeth them to his Father, and declareth that to such belongeth the Kingdom of Heaven, Math, 19, Object. 14. And if any ask the question, what profit can possibly come by Baptism to a child and suckling that is without knowledge and understanding: Answer. I answer, that the profit is not small, but the benefit great, if we consider either the glory of God, or the comfort of the parents, or the edification and salvation of the child. For hereby God is greatly honoured, the parent himself is wonderfully comforted, and the child is exceedingly confirmed and encouraged. God is glorified in this, that he showeth himself true in his promises, who hath assured the faithful that he will show mercy unto them to a thousand generations. He is not as man that he should lie, neither as the son of man that he should deceive, he is found faithful in all the words that are gone out of his mouth, Numb. 23, 19 Again, the parents are comforted and greatly assured of the love of God toward themselves, that he will never leave them, nor forsake them, but that his gifts & graces toward them, shall be without repentance, Rom. 11, 29. For they see not only that they are beloved of God, but also that the love and grace of God is derived and conveyed unto their children; wherein they are strengthened by that visible sign used in the Sacrament. Lastly, concerning children, they have a double benefit bestowed upon them, being confirmed in the love of God, and encouraged in the duties of godliness. For, when they call to mind, that they so soon obtain the communion of Christ, the partaking of his benefits, and the inheritance of eternal life, they are grounded and established in the love of Christ, and assured that he will continue to love them unto the end, that began to show his love unto them, so soon when they were ignorant of him, & were not able to inquire after him, john 13, 1 And when they remember that God so much regarded them, and esteemed of them, even from their first coming into the world, and while they hanged on their mother's breasts, that presently they obtained fellowship in his covenant, they are emboldened in all well doing, and provoked to walk in the fear of his Name. And seeing he took them for his children, when th●● through want of knowledge and tenderness of age, were not able to call him father, let them remember their Creator and Redeemer in the days of their youth, and pass the time of their dwelling here in fear, knowing that they were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from their vain conversation received by the tradition of the fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, etc. 1. Pet. 1.17, 18. Let us also learn from hence to detest the error of the Anabaptists, that deny Baptism unto infants, thereby diminishing the glory of God, weakening the comfort of godly parents, and abolishing the assurance of children, that they ought to have touching the free love of God toward them.  
Secondly, we are taught on the other side, Use 2 that evil parents bring the curse of God into their houses, and upon their posterity. We see this in Cain, when he gave himself to murder and impiety, he brought the judgement of God upon his whole race, that were razed out of the earth. Mark the posterity of Ishmael, who mocking Isaac, and raising persecution against him, was cast out of the house of Abraham, out of the Church of God, and his issue were aliens from the faith, and strangers from the promises of salvation. The like we see, and might say of Esau, that profane person, who for a mess of pottage sold his birthright, and hated his brother; his posterity were the greatest enemies to the true Israelites, and were a cursed generation, Heb. 12, 16. Consider with me the fearful example of jeroboam the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin, and provoked the God of Israel to wrath, 2. King. 15, 30. This seducer wrought wickedness, and established idolatry, and thereby thought to establish the kingdom to himself, and to settle it in his posterity, that it should never be removed from his offspring, but follow from father to son in a continued succession. Notwithstanding, this fell out not only to his own confusion, but to the overthrow of his stock and lineage. The judgement of God did not rest in his person, but pursued him in his progeny and posterity. This is it which the Lord denounced by the Prophet; Behold, I will bring evil upon the house of jeroboam, and will cut off from jeroboam, him that pisseth against the wall; as well him that is shut up, as him that is left in Israel, and will sweep away the remnant of the house of jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung until it be all gone, 1. King. 14, 10. Where the Prophet showeth and declareth, that God respecteth evil men as filthy beasts, and those that come of them as dung and excrements, which defile the places where they abide, and therefore with the bosom of his vengeance he will sweep them away, that they shall no longer offend the nostrils of GOD and his people. Thus it was with Ahab, that shed innocent blood, and took possession of the vineyard of Naboth, he did the greatest injury and wrong to his posterity, that could be offered: the kingdom was taken from his house, and his children were slain with the sword, according to the saying of Eliah, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity: 
1 King. 21, 2●  I will make thy house like the house of jeroboam, etc.: and also of jezabel spoke the Lord, saying; The dogs shall eat jezabel by the walls of Izreel. Who are then the greatest enemies to their children, but ungodly parents? And who bring upon them a greater woe and ruin, than they that should build them up, and leave a blessing behind them? When Moses describeth the nature of God, that he is abundant in mercy toward the righteous, he addeth, Holding not the wicked innocent, but visiting the sins of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation, Exod. 34, 8. This must move parents and governors, to make conscience of their carriage and conversation, and to bewail their sins, that have endangered their offspring. For God may, and doth in justice visit with sundry and divers judgements, those families and societies, where wicked Parents, and profane governors are. All they be cruel & tygerlike parents, that be ungodly parents: for they are the murderers and butchers of their children, & overthrow of their posterity in time, howsoever they be spared for a season. What unmerciful & unnatural parents were Cain, Cham, Canaan, jeroboam, jezabel, Ahab, & such like, that caused every one of their house, that could water a wall to be destroyed, and utterly to have their race and remembrance rooted out? It is therefore a devilish and wicked Proverb, [Happy are those children, whose father goeth to the devil. 
A devilish Proverb. ] Nay, rather cursed are those children, whose fathers fall into hell: for there is a great presumption that they will follow them without the great mercy and special grace of God: yea, it is a blessed thing, to spring from a godly stock, & to rise from faithful parents. For often did the Lord spare Israel for abraham's, isaack's, and jacob's sake. When the posterity of David became wicked, he continued them in their kingdom, delivered them from their enemies, & did not destroy them for David's sake.  
When the Lord was angry with Solomon, because he had turned his heart from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and charged him not to follow strange gods, he threatened to rend the kingdom from him, & to give it to his servant; Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it (saith the Lord) because of David thy father, 1. King. 11, 12. This appeareth more plainly afterward in Abiiam the son of Rehoboam, who walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him: yet for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a light in Jerusalem, and set up his son after him, and established Jerusalem, because David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and turned from nothing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matters of Vriah the Hittite, 1. King. 15.4, 5. 2. Chron. 21, 7.  
This is it which the Lord promiseth in the second commandment of the Law, That he will show mercy to thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments, Exod. 20.6. Seeing then, wicked and wretched parents are most deadly enemies unto their children, who bear the curses of God upon them for many generations, for the impiety of their fathers; this serveth as a great terror to those parents that go about by fraud and oppression, by wrongful and injurious dealing to enrich themselves, to set up their names, and make their posterity to be great upon the earth after them. For this is the ready way to bring the curse of God upon them, and to pull down their houses. Where the curse of God entereth, it maketh havoc, and wasteth all before it. God is an avenger of all such things, 1. Thes. 4, 6. Surely, if men were not altogether faithless, but had faith to believe the word of God, that all wicked courses, and vile practices, would overthrow their houses, and not build them up: that they could not fill them with evil things, but they will pull down the plagues of God upon them, and all theirs: it would make them fear to offend by fraud and unjust dealing, which crieth for vengeance unto heaven, and the cry thereof entereth into the ears of the Lord of hosts, james 5, 4, All men by nature have a love unto their children, and a desire to leave them great men in the world; but many are greatly deceived in the means, and wander far and wide out of the way. For if we would leave them a sure inheritance, and settle them in an estate to continue, we must take heed that we do not enrich ourselves with the spoils of others, nor fill our houses with the riches of iniquity, lest we fill them also with the vengeance of God which is the reward of iniquity. Let us eat our own bread which we have gotten by lawful means. There is more comfort in a little truly gotten, then in great riches and revenues, that carry with them God's marks and curses, being wrongfully obtained, and unjustly retained.  
Lastly, it is required of us to repent & believe Use 3 the Gospel, that so we may procure a blessing upon ourselves, and our children. This duty the Apostle Peter preacheth unto the jews that were pricked in their hearts, Amend your lives, & be baptised every one of you for the remission of sins, for the promise is made unto you, and to your children, etc. Acts 2, 38, 39 When God promised to Abraham to make a covenant with him, and to multiply his seed exceedingly, he requireth this condition at his hands, Walk before me, and be thou upright, Gen. 17, 1. We must walk in the midst of our houses with pure and perfect heart, and guide them with a watchful eye, we must look to their ways, and to our government, This would be a great help to the Ministry, and a singular furtherance to his labours. The neglect of this care, bringeth utter ruin to father and child. This appeareth in the example of Eli, who through his indulgence and negligence, overthrew himself and his posterity. This is the cause of so many cursed youths, so many riotous men & women which procure the ruins of so many excellent houses; their tender age was not sanctified, neither they seasoned by their parents with the fear of God. So then, godly parents must have a care to bring up their children & families in godliness & righteousness. It may be a means by the blessing of God to save thy son from death, and to deliver his soul from destruction, The Lord himself speaketh of Abraham, That he knew him, that he would teach his sons and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgement, Gen. 18, 19 The Apostle chargeth parents to bring up their children in the nurture and information of the Lord, Eph. 6, 4. No parents must presume, that because they have obtained to be faithful, therefore their children must of necessity be so also. Faith is the gift of GOD, and not of Nature: It is not common to all, but peculiar to some: It cometh not by inheritance, but by grace. Parents may leave unto their children their houses, their lands, their substance: they may convey unto them their inheritance, but they cannot convey unto them the gifts that accompany salvation. Wherefore all parents that are faithful, are to entreat and crave of God the continuance of his covenant toward their children, and to beg from his hands an holy and sanctified seed to his glory, and their comfort.  
Verse 14, 15. [The name of the Israelite thus slain was Zimri the son of Salu: and the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain, was Cosbi, etc.] We heard before in the fixed verse, how Moses hath laid open the shameless and impudent behaviour of this beastly adulterer, who shamed not to bring the Midianitish harlot into the host, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, which were grieved to behold such horrible villainy; nevertheless, we see in this place, that Moses is not content in a general manner to describe his wickedness, but singleth him out particularly by his name, by his father by his tribe. Neither doth he content himself to set down the Midianitish woman by her nation, but calleth her by her name, and further openeth the name of her father, and her father's house. So then, Moses having showed who they were that brought the plague of God upon the people: he now descendeth to mark them out by their proper names, and of what calling and profession they were.  

Doctrine. It is lawful sometime to reprove by name.  From hence we learn, that it is sometime lawful and convenient to reprove by name, special people and particular men that offend in the Church, and to record them in writing. A particular reproof of particular offenders, sometimes standeth with the word of GOD. So did Eliah deal with Ahab and jezabel, he told him that it was he and his father's house that troubled Israel.  
This we see practised by the Prophet Esay against Shebna, who being a notable favourer of evil men, and a great hinderer of good things, is by name threatened to be carried away with a great captivity, Esay 22, 17. Thus doth jeremy deal with the false Prophets, and other obstinate enemies, jer. 28, 12. Likewise, our Saviour Christ denounceth many fearful woes against the Scribes and pharisees hypocrites, 
Matth. 23, 13.  which shut up the kingdom of heaven before men, devoured widows houses under a colour of long prayer, compassed sea and land to make one of their profession, tithed mint and anise, and left the weightier matters of the Law; as judgement, mercy, and fidelity. So did Paul withstand Peter to his face, because he was to be condemned, Gal. 2, 11. And when he saw in the Church such as & put away faith and a good conscience, and made shipwreck of the doctrine of Christ, he giveth the Church notice and warning of them, saying; Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme, 1. Tim. 1, 20. And in another place, having to do with such as cast off the doctrine of godliness, he noteth the ringleaders, and principal authors: Of this sort is Hymeneus and Philetus, which as concerning the truth, have erred from the mark, saying; that the resurrection is passed already, and do destroy the faith of certain, 2, Tim. 1, 17. In like manner he specifieth Alexander the coppersmith, which had done him much harm, 2, Tim. 4, 14. So the Apostle john warneth the Church of Diotrephes, who loved to have pre-eminence among them. All which examples of the Prophets, of the Apostles, & of Christ himself do teach, that it will not always be sufficient to reprove the errors and heresies of obstinate sinners; but sometimes it is expedient to lay them open by their names, and to signify them to the Church, by a particular discovering of them.  
The Reasons of this practice are to be considered. Reason 1 First, because the Church should have warning of them, that others might shun them, and avoid their company. So the Apostle nameth Alexander to prepare Timothy not to trust him. It is good to know false brethren, lest they spying our liberty, take the greater advantage against us. Hence it is that Paul chargeth Timothy to beware of Alexander, who had withstood his preaching sore, 2 Tim. 4, 15. While we are familiarly conversant with the wicked, it will be hard for us not to be entangled in their sins. For how can a man walk among thorns, & not prick himself? or how can a man touch pitch, and not be defiled? We must fly from such as from a deadly plague. We must separate ourselves from them, lest the like vengeance fall upon us also.  
Secondly, they must by a special note be made known to the Church, that they may Reason 2 be degraded and brought to reproach. The Apostle used this remedy, thereby to shut their mouths, and to stop them from speaking evil of almighty GOD and his truth, which aught to be precious to us. This naming of them, is to set a mark of infamy upon them; as if a man were boared in the ear, or burned in the hand for a malefactor. God will have them and their wickedness registered to their perpetual shame in the Church for ever, that they should not be of any more credit to infect the good, and to draw the weak unto destruction. The unnatural & savage dealing of the Amalekites, toward their brethren the Israelites, is by God expressly commanded to be recorded in a book, to their infamy and confusion, The Lord said unto Moses, Writ this for a remembrance in the book, and rehearse it to joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven? Exod. 17, 14. So we have in the Scriptures set forth the uncleanness of Sodom, the hard-heartedness of Pharaoh, the conspiracy of Corah, the covetousness of Ahab, the cruelty of jezabel, the disobedience of Saul, the treason of Absalon, the treachery of judas, and other infamous beasts, the record of their shame is in perpetual memory, and stinketh unto this day. The like we might say of all bloody persecutors in all ages since Christ's time, they have their names and facts remembered in the Acts and Monuments of the Church.  
Seeing therefore obstinate enemies must be both shunned & shamed; in both respects we learn, that it is lawful for the Ministers of God to point out some by name, that they may be known, otherwise the Apostles of Christ would never have done it, the Prophets would never have practised it, Christ himself would never have allowed it.  
Let us apply this to ourselves. First, it serveth as a bridle to restrain evil men, especially all such as bring a public detriment and hurt to the Church, and are the cause of common Use 1 mischiefs: they shall to the shame of their persons, to the reproach of their names, to the infamy of their posterities, be registered up in the Monuments of the Church for ever, as they that carry a mark of their judgement to the tribunal seat of God aforehand. If the love of goodness, if the wrath of God, if the fear of damnation will not bridle them (as Atheists respect none of these, neither desiring godliness, nor believing heaven, nor fearing hell) yet the perpetual shame wherewith they and their posterities shall be branded, should move them. Albeit sinful wretches be highly magnified in the world, yet all their honour and reputation shall be turned into a blot. It was of late years accounted a great dignity to be a Wolfie, or a Gardener, or a Bonner, but now their names are odious for pride and cruelty, and they no better than wolves, invading and wasting the poor flock of Christ. This the wise man speaketh, Prou. chapt. 10, verse 7. The memorial of the just shall be blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. This doth God set forth by his Prophet, Esay, chapter 6●, verse 15. Ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation of mind, and ye shall leave your name as a curse unto my chosen; for the Lord God shall slay you, and call his servants by another name.  
We see then that they are greatly deceived, that hope to be famous and to leave a great name behind them, by getting riches, and raising up their houses, as the Psalmist speaketh; They think their houses and habitations shall continue from generation to generation, and call their Lands by their names: yet they shall not continue in honour, but perish like the bruit beast, and be no more had in remembrance, but to their dishonour, Psalm 49, verses 11, 12. This is it which David saith in the ninth Psalm, verse 5. Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.  
A great name among the sons of men is not always a good name: and a great name gotten by evil means and open wickedness, is a great punishment, it is a token of the wrath of God, upon those that are well spoken of for ungodly deeds. This hardeneth them in their sins & holdeth then from true repentance. But whosoever are given up to hardness of hart, & hindered from bringing forth the fruits of repentance, have 2. heavy judgements lying sore upon them, however they be as blind men & cannot see them. It is our duty to pray against such a name unto God, & not to desire it to our destruction. Let us fear such a name as may make us reproachful to GOD and to all good men.  
Secondly, seeing we must take heed, that howsoever the practice be in itself lawful, to lay out wicked men in their colours, yet we must not single out men commonly, and ordinarily, being oftentimes offensive; sometimes causeless, and always dangerous. When the Apostle reproached such false teachers among the Corinthians as denied the resurrection, and consequently raised the foundation of Religion (for if there be no resurrection, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is the preaching of the Minister, and the faith of the people vain:) yet he doth not express the names of these seducers, but saith, If it be preached that Christ is risen from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead? 1. Corinth. 15, 12. And in another place, when he saw his person contemned as base, and his Ministry rejected as fruitless, he answereth the slander, but spareth the slanderer; This I say, 
2. Cor. 10, 10, 11.  that I may not seem as it were to fear you with letters: for the letters, saith he, are sore and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is of no value, Let such one think this, that such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also indeed, when we are present. Thus do other the Apostles. Howsoever therefore the practice being wisely and discreetly used, have warrant from the servants of God, yet we are in doing of it to observe these rules following.  
First, 
Rules to be observed in singling men out by name.  we must consider our places and callings, we have not the same liberty granted unto us that the Prophets and Apostles had, who received special revelation from God against many of those which they uncased & laid open to the Church, and therefore pray to God to confound them, & to reward them according to their works. We must not therefore make a general rule of it, but remember what Christ said to his disciples, Luke 9, 15. Ye know not of what spirit ye are. They pretended the example of Elias, but they wanted the spirit of Elias. Secondly, we must take heed that we mingle not our own passions with it, for then strait way we pass the bounds of measure and moderation. It is not enough that our zeal be good, but it must be seasoned with such wisdom that the Spirit of God rule over all. We must not be moved with choler and rage, with fury and indignation, but keep under all our affections, that they break not into unlawful courses. Thirdly, we must show pity and compassion of those that sin of weakness and infirmity: we must pray to God for them, 
2 Tim 2.25.  that he would pour out his mercy upon them, and to give them repentance to acknowledge the truth, and to come to amendment out of the snare of the devil. We must always hope well of such as fall of frailty, until God show that he hath cut them off. Fourthly, it is lawful to reprove by name, when the necessity of the Church urgeth it, and challengeth it at our hands. So that it is in great danger utterly to be corrupted and overthrown, unless false Teachers and seducers be bewrayed and manifestly discovered, that all men may know them and take heed of them. The safety of the Church is especially to be respected of us, and the truth of God must be most dear unto us. Lastly, there is a warrant to single out such men, when there is no more hope of their conversion, and when they are once grown to open blasphemy, 
Matth. 12, 32.  to speak evil of, and to slander the doctrine that is according to godliness upon hatred thereof and pretenced malice, there is no more place for patience, we are no longer to deal with the spirit of meekness. When a man is so far fallen from all Religion to speak evil of the way of godliness, and to despite the grace of God, malice hath blinded him, the devil hath possessed him, & condemnation waiteth for him. He beareth evident marks of Reprobation, & God showeth that there is no hope of salvation in him. He giveth knowledge to the Church at sometimes of some particular persons that are castaways, and have the gate of salvation shut up against them. For otherwise to what purpose is the great and unpardonable sin against the holy Ghost described in the word, unless the sin might be known, and the men also known that do commit it? And to what end doth the Apostle john tell us, 1 john 5, ver. 16. There is a sin to death? and of seeing our brother sin unto death? If then it may be seen it may be known. And hence it is, that when the Church saw julian the Apostata, who had been enlightened with the truth, and been zealous in the profession of it, to despite God openly, to lift up himself against his word, and to make a mock of all religion, they would have no more to do with him, they accounted him as a devil, and they prayed with one consent against him, that God would confound and destroy him. They did not pray unto God for his conversion, and to give him a new heart, but because he could not repent being past amendment, they called upon God to hasten his condemnation, that he might show thereby what account he maketh of his most holy truth.  
Last of all, we ought to have a care to be Use 3 helpful and profitable to the Church, and to be zealous in the service of God, that thereby to the comfort of ourselves and our posterity we may carry a sweet remembrance & a blessed report in the Church for ever. The love of Mary in anointing Christ with the precious oil which she powered on his head, is promised by Christ to be remembered for ever, in what place of the world soever the Gospel should be published: Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout all the world, there shall also this that she hath done be spoken of for a memorial of her, Matth. 26, 13. The praise of jehoiada is recorded in Scripture he died an old man, and full of days, & they buried him in the City of David with the Kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God & his house, 2 Chr. 14, 16. This serveth to reprove such as care not at all what men think or speak of them, and regard not what name they have, good or bad; what report is given of them, honourable or dishonourable, sweet or rotten, so they may prevail in their purposes, 
Cicer. of flic. l, 1.  and bring to effect their devilish devices. An heathen man could say, It is the part of a reckless and dissolute man, to neglect what a man saith of him. Solomon teacheth us, that a good name is more to be desired then great riches, and a loving favour more than silver and gold, Pro. 22, 1 Eccles 7, 3, This is not attained by flattery or falsehood, but by godliness and righteousness, by humility and an upright conscience. Riches are frail and transitory, subject to vanity and corruption, but a good name and loving favour remain for ever. So the Prophet describing the blessedness of the man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth in his commandments, saith, that he shall never be moved: but the righteous shall be had in perpetual remembrance, Ps. 112.6. A good name is better than a great name. And albeit the godly be despised in the world, yet God will advance their estimation, & give them a sweet savour among all good men. True it is, sinful men are magnified of sinners (for even the sinners love those that love them, 
Luke 6, 32.  to receive the like of them again) yet they shall be made abominable unto the Saints, and their name shall be cursed, and as much loathed as the filthy favour of his carcase that lieth rotting in the grave. So then, seeing shame shall be as an unseparable companion of wickedness, and no man can separate those things which God hath joined together; on the other side here is comfort to the godly, that GOD will undertake the protection of their names, so that no creature shall be able to rob them of it: but as he preserveth them to salvation, so he will maintain their credit and estimation. We see this in many the dear servants of God, who albeit they have had their names for a time diminished & impaired, yet they have been restored and recovered. The name of Naboth was greatly blemished with the slanderous imputation of treason and blasphemy, but that momentary shame is swallowed up, and recompensed with everlasting honour, throughout all generations, 1, King. 21.10. The like we might say of Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer, Hooper, Bradford, Philpot, and many other the dear servants of God, that gave their lives for the truth, howsoever they were condemned for heretics, yet they are renowned for Saints, and shall be so acknowledged to the end of the world,   

16 Again the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them.  
18 For they trouble you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you, as concerning Peor, and as concerning their sister Cosbi the daughter of a Prince of Midian, which was slain in the day of the plague, because of Peor.  
We have hitherto in this chapter handled the transgression of the Israelites, and the reconciliation of God. Now remaineth the decree and determination of God against the Midianites. For after that God had chastened his own people, and judgement hath begun to break out against the house of God, he riseth up in wrath and indignation as a just judge against his enemies. Herein we are to mark two things: First, the commandment: Secondly, the reasons or causes of the commandment. The commandment and charge directed unto Moses in this, Smite and slay the Midianites. Thus doth wickedness return upon the heads of the authors thereof. These enemies being drawn into the league to take part with the Moabites, had conspired against Israel, sought to subdue them, not by strength, but by sensuality; nor by force of war, but by lasciviousness and wantonness of women. Now the wheel is turned upon themselves, the stone is rolled upon them that first stirred it, and mischief falleth upon the first contrivers.  
Object. But here out of this commandment arise two questions fit to be moved, and worthy to be discussed. First, inasmuch as God every where forbiddeth revenging of our own causes and quarrels, why doth he now permit and provoke the people of Israel thereunto, as if they were not by nature prone enough to vengeance? I answer, Answ. there is a double kind of revenge, one private, the other public. Private revenge is that which proceedeth from the private motion of our corrupt nature, seeking to satisfy our own malice with the hurt of others. This is forbidden by our Saviour Christ, Matthew 5, 44: commanding us to love our enemies, and to overcome evil with good. Public revenge is that which is commanded and warranted by God, being imposed upon us, either mediately by authority of the Magistrate, or immediately by the secret instinct of the Spirit. This is allowed and lawful, as we saw before in Phinehas and others, inasmuch as it proceedeth not from the corruption of nature, but from the inspiration of God. For God the just revenger of all wickedness may use the ministry of men and Angels to execute his purposes so often as it pleaseth him.  
Another question arising out of this Commandment, Objection. is touching the persons against whom it is directed, as the first was, touching the persons to whom it was directed. For why should the Midianites be named only, seeing the Moabites also were the professed enemies of the Israelites, seeking their ruin, and hiring Balaam to curse them? I answer, Answer. the Moabites did not escape, but were also punished, as appeareth evidently, Deut. 23, 6. But the Midianites are first in the punishment because albeit they were farther off, yet they had the chiefest hand, and carried the greatest stroke in this wickedness, who made their daughter's common; yea even the chiefest among them, by the counsel of Balaam, as we saw by one example in this Chapter, the like whereof we do not read to have been in the Moabites. Besides, after that Balaam was departed, we read not that the Moabites attempted any thing against Israel, but the Midianites gave the Sorcerer farther entertainment, and ceased not (as may be presumed & presupposed) to plot and contrive their destruction.  
Hitherto of the commandment, the first part of this division: the reasons enforcing the commandment follow to be considered, which are two in number: First, because they cunningly gulled, and craftily circumvented the people of God. Secondly, because they alured them both to idolatry and to fornication. For this is the meaning of the words, when Moses saith, They have beguiled you as concerning Peor, and as concerning their sister Cozbi: And hereunto john pointeth in the Revelation, saying; Balaam taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, that they should eat of things sacrificed to Idols, and commit fornication, reve. 2, 14. Both these reasons may be gathered into one, and thus concluded.  
If the Midianites drew you into sin, and brought upon you the plague of God, then spare not to smite them:  
But the Midianites drew you into sin, and brought upon you the plague of God:  
Therefore spare not you to smite them.  
This is the force and strength of the reason, to move the Israelites to make themselves strong, and to be of good courage, assuring themselves that God will give them victory, & enable them to destroy them that did compass their destruction.  
Thus we have seen the interpretation of the text, and the order of the words. This is the natural meaning intended by the Spirit of God. But before we pass any further, it shall not be amiss a little to consider the notable abuse of this place, and of other Scriptures, avouched by some of the Church of Rome. For one of late, 
Alabast apparat. in Revel. Ies Chr.  not only a common professor of our Religion, but a public Preacher of the same in our Church, hath revolted from us through some worldly temptations, run into our enemy's camp, lifted up his heel against us, and in bitter and biting manner railed at us. This man wanting no good will to write against us, and yet finding no strength in himself to deal against us out of evident and plain Scripture, hath turned all into allegories, and out of his inward and hidden senses, wresteth and wringeth all things against the Protestants. As for example, when the Lord in this place is said to have spoken to Moses in this manner; Vex the Midianites, and smite them, because they troubled you with their wiles, and beguiled you as concerning Peor; 
Apparat in Revel. cap. 6. pag 96.  the meaning according to his interpretation, is this; Christ said to the Vicar of Christ, Suppress the writings of heretics and confute them, because they trouble you with their guiles, and make their false doctrines appear beautiful to the show and outward appearance, the heretics receiving a counterfeit word, (in stead of the true Scripture) which is condemned in the day of the Pope's censure. Behold here, the heavy judgement of God upon this man, since his apostasy and revolting from the true Church, to the Synagogue of Antichrist. Are not here strange proofs, and far set interpretations, to prove the Pope to be the Vicar of Christ, that the writings of heretics are to be suppressed, and that the heretics themselves do deceive and delude the world under a colour of the word of God, & a pretence of the bare literal meaning? 
Apparat. cap. 1, & 7.  And yet this is the profound, inward, mystical, and right Scripture that he so often boasteth of. But let the indifferent reader judge, whether this manner of interpretation be not the highway to set up all Atheism, to overthrow the authority and certainty of the Scripture, to shake the foundation of true religion, & to leave no grounds for Christians to stand upon. And this hath been the ancient practice of such disciples as have learned such divinity in the schools of Antichrist. It is well known that Pighius compared the Scriptures to a nose of wax, and to a rule of Lead. 
Pigh hi●●, lib. cap. 3. Cens C●lon. pag. 112. Cusan epist. 2, & 7  The censure of Colen affirmeth the like in the same words. And to the same purpose Cardinal Cusane teacheth, that the Scriptures must be expounded diversly, and framed to the time & practice of the Church, so that at one time they are to be understood and interpreted one way, and at another time another way. These are some of those bold blasphemies, which many of the Pope's Minions have uttered to the world. Now, such as apply the Scriptures to their own fancies, & turn them into allegories, do not come far behind the former. If we suffer the Scriptures of God to be thus wrested and corrupted, the Religion of Christ cannot long continue. If a man pull down the foundation of an house whereon it standeth, or shake the main pillars whereon it leaneth, the house itself cannot long hold out, but must fall down. The Church of God is builded upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, 
Eph. 2, 20.  so long as the doctrine contained in them is maintained and kept pure and undefiled, the Church shall stand upright, and remain without danger of being shaken in pieces. But when once it beginneth to be mingled with the chaff of man's invention, or infected with the poison of the devils device, by and by it tottereth & decayeth, until in the end (no remedy being provided) it languish and die.  
Now to apply this to our present purpose: howsoever some glory of the hidden senses of Scripture which they have found out, and please themselves in their foolish conceits, it is no better than to make merchandise of the word, and to turn the truth of God into a lie, 2. Cor. 2, 17. For whereas out of this commandment of God, charging Moses to slay the Midianites that troubled Israel with their guiles, and drew them to fornication, this construction is gathered, that Moses is the Vicar of Christ, that the Midianites signify the writings of heretics, with such like trash, the only naming thereof is sufficient to show the vanity of it. 
Prefat. ad Ca thol. lectures.  This I confess may not unfitly be called another Scripture then yet hath been known, howbeit not the Lords, but his own. And if this new and admirable way to a new found land were granted unto him, what would it make more against us then against himself, and generally against the whole Church of Rome? This shall plainly appear unto us in three respects. For first of all, admit once of these fond guesses and glosses upon the Scripture, and departed from the simplicity of the same, there is a gap opened wide, to intrude a thousand diverse, nay contrary interpretations, according to the divers or contrary disposition of the interpreter. As for example, out of this present place, mentioning the commandment of God to Moses, the guiles of the Midianites, and their drawing Israel to fornication, by means of Cozbi, a Prince's daughter among them; a man might with greater probability gather, and agreeing better with the proportion of faith in other Scriptures, an encouragement to all christian Princes to pull down the purple whore that sitteth in spiritual Babylon, to reward her as she hath rewarded us, revel. 18, 6, and to give her double according to her works, and in the cup that she hath filled to us, to fill her the double. For in the former words Moses shall signify the Christian Magistrate; the Midianites, the enemies of Christ, the greatest whereof are Antichrist, and his adherents: the enticing of the Israelites to fornication, the committing of idolatry, and running a whoring after Idols; the slaying of Cozbi in the day of the plague, the downfall and ruin of their idolatrous worship, which we see God hath miraculously brought to pass. Thus we see, how these words may more fitly and fully be applied against the church of Rome, then against true Catholics, whom he calleth heretics. Secondly, if this be the marrow and pith of the Scriptures, to hide such mystical meanings and secret senses under the outward bark, what hindereth us, but that we may raise as good doctrine out of Homer's Iliads, and Odysseys, out of Ovid's Metamorphosis, or out of Virgil's Aeneads, as out of the writings of Moses and the Prophets; which were horrible blasphemy once to conceive or imagine? For if a man, by Ulysses or by Aeneas, should understand Christ; by their companions, his Disciples; by their wanderings, his sufferings; by their going down to hell, his overcoming of the devil, and triumphing over the kingdom of darkness; by their safe arriving in an haven of rest after all their labours, his resurrection from the dead, and taking possession of the kingdom of heaven: he hath as fair a warrant for these conjectures, as this trifler hath for his fooleries: to understand by Moses, the Pope; by the Midianites, the writings of heretics; 
〈◊〉 in Revel, ●●p. 6.  by Cozbi, such doctrine as pretendeth the Name of God; and by vexing the Midianites, the stopping of the course of their heretical writings. Lastly, this inward supposed Scripture that this dreamer hath conceited, burieth the true word of God, and setteth up a forged and counterfeit Scripture. For it turneth all things into Allegories, and disannulleth the rules of interpretation. The Allegories that we find not in Scripture, we are at liberty to refuse. He that hath set bounds and banks to the sea, that it should pass no further, hath restrained us how far we shall go. We must not turn either to the right hand, or to the left, Deut. 4, 2. We must walk the kings high way, we must not add or diminish, we must not change or alter any thing of Christ's testament. Origen the Prince and Patron of Allegories, hath been taxed and condemned of all men, for corrupting and perverting the Scripture this way: but now Origen is justified by this new found interpretation, which is no better than a languishing about trifles, 1 Tim. 6, 4, a doting about questions and strife of words, and a casting of clouds and smoke upon the Sun beams. And howsoever the schoolmen have overflowed the banks in the rankness and superfluity of their wit, and thereby defaced and depraved the precious word of God purer than the gold of Ophir; 
In 1. part Sum. quaest. 1. artic. 10.  yet Thomas, one of the Princes and gods among them teacheth, that the literal sense of the Scripture is that which the Author intendeth, and the Author of holy Scripture is God. Now if that be the true meaning of the Scripture which the holy Ghost intendeth, I would gladly know, whether the pretended mystical interpretation of this place, building up the primacy of Peter, and supremacy of the Pope, and pulling down the heretics, were intended by the Commandment of God unto Moses? Let him tell me whether the words be in the nature of a prophesy, or of an History? belonging to the present times, or to the times to come? Let him show, whether Moses ever understood the commandment of the Lord, as this popish Proctor, (or rather prater) pretendeth? And whether the interpretation now set afoot, were true in the days of Moses, or not? Lastly, let him declare, whether Moses and the Israelites did ever obey this commandment or not? 
Numb. 31, 7.  But if the meaning be, that God spoke not to Moses, but to the Vicar of Christ, nor gave them charge concerning the Midianites, but the writings of heretics; nor spoke touching Cozbi, but those that counterfeited the word of GOD: he did delude Moses with a vain shadow of words, pretending one thing, and intending another, in outward show giving him authority, but in an inward meaning establishing the Pope's superiority, which was not hatched nor heard of in sundry ages afterward. And hereupon it is, that all the sounder Divines of ancient times, 
Aug. epist. 48. Higher in cap. 13 Math. Alph. li. 1. c. 3. Andrad. lib 2. Defence Triden.  and the sounder schoolmen of latter times have rejected this mystical divinity, as unavaileable and unsufficient, to prove any point of Christian Religion. Thus than we see that the word of God is not to be turned into an allegory, taking away the truth of the history, and the doctrine of faith. In this manner of reasoning notwithstanding, the chiefest keys of Popish Religion are hammered, & so most absurd and impertinent allegories are established. God made two great lights, a greater to rule the day, and a lesser to rule the night; therefore there are two great powers set in the world, the Pope and the Emperor, and the authority of the Pope is so much greater than the authority of the Emperor, as the Sun is then the Moon. God said, In thy light, we shall see light: therefore, there must be candles in the Church burning at noon day. The words of the Prophet, Thou hast put all things under his feet, Psal. 8, 6, 7: they allegorize thus for the supreme jurisdiction of the man of sin; all sheep and oxen, that is, all men: Foules, that is Angels and devils: Fish in the sea, that is, all souls in Purgatory.  
Moreover, as this course of interpretation turneth the Scripture into Allegories, so it overturneth the rules of Interpretation. Saint Augustine in his famous books of Christian Doctrine, handleth at large the manner how to expound the Scripture, and what ways are to be taken to find out the true meaning thereof. 
De doct. chri. lib. 1. & 2, & 3 Hieron. in Esai cap. 19  Where he teacheth, that seeing the love of God and of our neighbour is the end of the whole Scripture, that must be a false interpretation, which doth not build up in this love: that we must expound the dark places by the plain, the fewer by the greater number: that the study of arts & knowledge of the tongues is necessary: that we must expound Scripture by Scripture: that we must distinguish between precepts & precepts, between those that are given to all, and those that were particularly directed to certain persons: that we must diligently mark all circumstances, what goeth before, and what followeth after: that we must pray unto him that is the Author of the Scriptures, who only is able to reveal the meaning of his own word. These rules are diligently to be considered of all those that come to expound the Scriptures. As for hidden and secret senses, we know them not, we acknowledge them not, we believe them not, but leave them to those that seek an hidden divinity, and a secret religion devised in their own brains, which will not abide the trial of the light. And thus much touching the true understanding of this division, and of overthrowing the false interpretation thereof; now let us come to the Doctrines that arise out of the same.  
[Verse 16. Again, the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying; etc.] We heard before the heavy wrath of God that fell upon the Israelites, the heads of them were hanged, the rest of the people were plagued with a sore plague, there died in one day, four and twenty thousand. But did the Midianites escape the hand of God, that were the enticers of them, who offered their daughters that they should commit fornication with them? No, they did not escape, God giveth Moses charge to draw the sword against them, and to destroy them. here than we are to observe the order which God observeth in punishing. The Midianites sinned first, but the Israelites are first punished. The Israelites sinned after the Midianites, but the Midianites are punished after them. From this course of God's judgements, 
Doctrine. God doth first chasten his own people.  we learn this Doctrine, that God first chasteneth his own people. Howsoever he will not suffer the ungodly to escape, nor to go away without punishment, but executeth his just judgements against them: yet he will begin with his own Church, & lay the rod upon them in the first place.  
He could if it had pleased him have punished these Midianites first, as the principal authors of all this mischief; but he beginneth in justice with his Church, which were drawn to idolatry and adultery by them. Thus the Lord dealt with Moses and Aaron, when the people murmured through want of water, repent of their going out of Egypt, and rebelling against God, assembling themselves in tumultuous manner against the servants of GOD that had led them in the wilderness, and carried them in safety, as upon eagle's wings. These were the first and chief in the offence, yet because Moses and Aaron believed not the Lord, to sanctify him in the presence of the children of Israel, they were first punished, and not suffered to bring the congregation into the land which he had given them, Num. 20, 12. This we see further confirmed unto us in the latter end of the book of job: he had indeed offended God, and spoken unadvisedly with his lips, but his three friends had offended much more grossly than he: for the wrath of God was kindled against them, because they had not spoken of him the thing that is right like his servant job, job 42, 7. Nevertheless, job is rebuked first, albeit he were the party that had less offended. First, God findeth fault with job; and secondly, he findeth fault with his companions. The holy history teacheth us, that jehoshaphat joined in affinity with Ahab, and went into the battle with him. True it is, he sinned grievously in helping the wicked, and loving them that hated the Lord, for the which he is reproved of the Prophet; yet many good things were found in him, and he was righteous in respect of Ahab, 2. Chron. 19, 1: notwithstanding, the wrath of the Lord began first to fall upon him, and he had perished in the fight, being compassed by his enemies, unless he had cried unto the Lord to help him, who moved them to departed from him, 2 Chron. 18.31. This is it which the Prophet jeremy declareth at large, showing the order of the Lords proceeding in punishing such as sin against him; first, he will raise up the Chaldeans to chastise his Church, and then the Chaldeans themselves shall not escape: I will send and take to me all the families of the North, and I will bring them against this Land, & against the inhabitants thereof, and this whole land shall be desolate, and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the King of Babel seventy years: & when the seventy years are accomplished, etc. jer. 25, 9, 11, 12. This is it which the Prophet complaineth of in the Psalm, These are the wicked, yet prosper they always, and increase in riches: Certainly I have cleansed my heart in vain, & washed mine hands in innocency, etc. Psal, 73, 12, 13. And if we consider either the state of the Church generally, or the condition of the members of the Church particularly, we may in all times and ages see the truth of this doctrine, and conclude with the Apostle Peter, The time is come that judgement must begin with the house of God, 1. Pet. 4, 17.  
Reason 1 The reasons will further open unto us the certainty of this truth, and serve to clear the justice of God in observing this order. For first, as he that honoureth the Lord shall be honoured, so they that despise the Lord, shall be despised, 2. Sam. 2, 30. But none more dishonour GOD then his servants offending against him, whose sins press him down as the sheaves do a cart. They open the mouths of the ungodly, to speak evil of God, and his truth. If then Gods own people, the lot of his inheritance do despise him, and cause his Name to be blasphemed, if they neglect his honour, and turn his mercies unto security, and his grace into wantonness, and so with a proud heart, and an high hand set themselves against it, can he bear it? and will he not be revenged on such a nation as this? 1. Sam. 12.14. Rom. 2, 24. There can be no greater despite done unto a man, then when his own children rise against him, and offer all villainy unto him. So there can be no greater dishonour offered unto the most High God, then when the sons of his own house, the servants of his own family, and the flock of his own pasture, rebel and resist against him. The sin of the jews is greater than of the Gentiles, which sinned of knowledge, and not of ignorance, and therefore should receive the greater punishment, and be beaten with more stripes, as our Saviour teacheth, Luke 12, 47. We are not therefore to marvel, if they come into judgement that they may be despised, as they have despised him. For seeing no sins are greater than the sins of his own chosen, they must first taste the scourge of his hand, as they have contemned him and his glory.  
Reason 2 Secondly, his own people have the first and greatest experience of his mercies. They have the chiefest and choicest privileges and prerogatives of his graces above all the wicked. True it is, all mankind tasteth abundantly of God's liberal and bountiful hand, to make them without excuse: but to the sons and daughters of the Almighty, All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth: the secrets of the Lord are revealed to them that fear him, and his covenant to give them understanding, Psal, 25, 10, 14. He calleth not them his servants, For the servant knoweth not what his master doth: but he calleth them his friends, for all things which he hath heard of his Father hath he made known to them, john 15, 15. This is that reason which the Prophet pointeth unto, when he saith; Lo, I begin to plague the city where my Name is called upon, jer. 25, 29: As if he should say, I have set my Name there, I have given them my word, I have fed them as from mine own table, therefore they shall not escape. This is it which the Apostle meaneth, when he saith, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, etc. Rom. 1, 16. Whereby he declareth, that God keepeth this order, to offer grace first unto his own people.  
When Christ sent out his disciples, he commanded them not to go into the way of the Gentiles, neither to enter into the cities of the Samaritans, But to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Math. 10.6. And when the Apostle saw the jews full of envy, and speak against those things which were preached unto them, he said; behold, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you, but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life; lo, we turn to the Gentiles, Acts 13, 46.  
Seeing then, that this is the constant order that God observeth, to bestow his blessings first upon his servants; it followeth, that for the abuse of them they must first feel his punishments. The greater love they have abused, the greater punishment shall be inflicted upon them. This is it which the Apostle remembreth, Tribulation and anguish shallbe upon the soul of every one that doth evil, Rom. 2.9.  
Let us now make use of this doctrine which Use 1 hath been made plain to our consciences. First, this serveth to overthrow the Church of Rome, who dream of a Church set in outward pomp and glory, 
Bellar. de not. eccl. lib. 4, cap. 18.  and make it a note of the Church to have temporal felicity, to have earthly triumphs, to have victories, and good success in war against their enemies; as also the unhappy end of the enemies of the Church. For our doctrine teacheth us, that the Church is oftener without this flourishing estate in outward happiness than it doth enjoy it. The Kingdom of Christ is not of this world. The Lord declareth to Abraham, that for a surety his seed should be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, four hundred years, and shall serve them, and they shall entreat them evil, Gen. 15.13. So he threatened by his Prophet jeremy, and performed it, that they were carried into captivity seventy years, verifying that which is spoken, I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage: I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies, jerem. 12, 7.  
Hence it is, that Christ saith oftentimes, In the world ye shall have trouble: ye shall weep & lament, and the world shall rejoice, joh. 16, 7.33, The Apostle teacheth, That all which will live godly in Christ jesus shall suffer persecution, 2. Tim. 3.12. It is a worthy sentence recorded by the Prophet, Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints, howsoever the world do account of them, Psal. 116, 15. It is made a note of the Turkish Religion, to have external felicity, & to abound in earthly prosperity. It is the heavenly felicity and everlasting happiness which belongeth to the true Church, and is proper to it. Therefore one of their own writers though not so absurd in opinion and corrupt in judgement, as most of that side, 
Espens. in 2 Tim. 3.  faith, The cross is a note of the Church: Christ foretold us of troubles, but false Christ's of peace and prosperity.  
So then, by the confession of this man they must be accounted false Prophets, that make outward glory and renown to be the true marks of the true Church. And if we should necessarily urge this as any privilege of the Church, we should long ago have condemned the Prophets, the Apostles, the patriarchs, Martyrs, yea the son of God himself Christ jesus, who wanted the favour of the world, suffered the reproach of the cross, and gave up their lives unto the death, that they might receive a better resurrection. If the Church of Rome condemn these, we are content they should condemn us: if they justify them, they must condemn themselves, and renounce this outward felicity as a false note of the Church.  
Use 2 Secondly, we may from this usual order of God's punishments conclude, that the ungodly shall never escape, albeit for a time they be free. GOD hath most assuredly determined to inflict great and grievous punishments upon the wicked and ungodly that are his enemies, howsoever he bear for a season with the vessels of wrath. This the Prophet is sent to tell the King of Babel and that nation, and sundry other people, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, ye shall certainly drink; for lo I begin to plague the city where my Name is called upon, and should you go free? ye shall not go quit, for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, jer. 25, 29. This we see likewise in the Prophet Habakuk; first the Lord raised up the Chaldeans, a bitter and furious nation, whose horses were swifter than the Leopards, and fiercer than the wolves, to chastise his own people: and afterward the Chaldeans themselves shall be spoiled, Chapter 2.  
This serveth as a terror to all ungodly men, to consider, that howsoever GOD beginneth to chastise those of his own household, when he doth purpose to bring a plague upon a land, and beginneth not at the unbelievers, but letteth them alone, and spareth them as though he had forgotten their works, or had not seen their sinful ways: yet they must know, that their transgressions are recorded in the book of God, and shall come to account. For he suffereth those whom he loveth not, to wax ripe, yea to rot away in their sins, and in the mean season he chastiseth those whom he hath adopted to be his children. Gen. 15.  
The state of the faithful is in the fight of man, and in the judgement of the world more miserable than the state of the despisers of God, which rest at ease, and welter in all pleasures. They seem to be forgotten of God and utterly forsaken of help, so that they pine away with sorrow of heart: whereas the wicked lift up their heads and set their horns on high, they are merry and make a mock of sin in the despite of God, and in scorn of all godliness. Alas, how would this trouble and torment us, and bring us to our wits ends, if we had not this doctrine, that judgement entereth first into the house of God, and that when God shall have finished all his work upon mount Zion, then will he not spare the wicked? Esay 10, 12. God will indeed keep corrections first in his own house, seeing he loveth them most, and seeketh to cleanse them from their sins, he will visit them in the first place, lest they should be condemned with the world; and then a most horrible vengeance is prepared, and a stormy tempest is made ready for those that have long abused his patience and hardened their hearts, not knowing that his long sufferance ought to have led them to repentance, 1. Cor, 11, 32. This serveth as a notable comfort on the one side to all the godly that are tried by afflictions of long continuance. We must consider, that the more the Lord loveth us, the more forward he is in visiting of us: and when he seethe we have stepped awry and are gone out of the right way of salvation, he watcheth over us, to bring us home again to him with speed.  
This is that which the Apostle teacheth the Church of Corinth; For this cause many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep: for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged: but when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world. Let us not therefore despise the chastening of the Lord, neither faint when we are rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth: if therefore we be without correction, etc. Heb. 12, 5.6. Even as when a man beholding two children committing evil, correcteth one of them, and letteth the other go free: the standers by will say, surely that was his son which he did smite and chasten, but the other was not. Besides, we are assured that the wicked shall perish, and that the ungodly shall be punished. Secondly, this serveth to set forth the woeful condition of all the reprobate: for when they see how GOD dealeth with his own dear children, chastening them for their sins, and sending them great afflictions, as appeareth in David, that the sword departed not from his house, & that God did visit him with sundry other judgements in his children all the days of his life; it ought to be a fearful threatening to the wicked, to make them afraid of the reward which is laid up in store for them in the life to come. This is that which Solomon calleth to their remembrance Behold the righteous shallbe recompensed, etc. Prou. 11, 31. And to the same purpose speaketh the Apostle Peter, The time is c●me that judgement must begin at the house of GOD, 1. Peter 4, 17. If it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them which obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Woe therefore to all wicked men; how wretched shall their end be? how horrible shall their destruction be, when God cometh to give them the hire and wages of their work? Let them therefore repent of their evil ways, and call upon God betimes before the evil days approach, and before judgement do come upon them.  
Use 3 Lastly, from hence arise sundry duties to be practised, as well of the children of God that lie under chastisement, as of others that are beholders of it. First, seeing God will begin his chastisements upon his own children, it teacheth them when they are punished, to consider and search out the true cause thereof, and to call upon him to pardon their sins. True it is, he is able to preserve them in the time of trouble, & he is ready to regard their prayers; but their sins are loathsome to him, and do turn away his loving countenance from them, according unto the saying of the Prophet, Esay 59, 1, 2. Behold, the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, & your sins have hid away his face from you, that he will not hear. When our sins are hearty confessed, they shall be freely pardoned: and when they are pardoned, God is reconciled unto us: and when he is reconciled, his judgements shallbe removed. Secondly, let us begin a new life, & walk in the ways of righteousness: for as Solomon teacheth, Righteousness delivereth from death, Prou. 10, 2. We must turn from our wickedness, and then God will turn from his judgements. We are ready to cry out in the time of our affliction, but we are not so ready to practise true religion. If we would call in God's judgement, we must turn to him by amendment of life. Lastly, when we see the Lord strike his own children, we must behold it with an eye of compassion. So soon as we see their miseries and calamities that lie heavy upon them, we must show ourselves to have a feeling of their afflictions, we must express our pity, we must manifest our kindness, and we must declare the bowels of our love toward them. This is it which job requireth at the hands of his friends in the days of his sorrow, 
job 19, 21.  The wicked have despised me, & when I rose they spoke against me: all my secret friends abhorred me, and they whom I loved are turned against me, etc. Where we see he showeth, that God had chastened him, that his brethren stood far from him, that his acquaintance were strangers unto him, that his neighbours had forsaken him, that his familiars had forgotten him, that his servants disdained him, that his wife loathed him, that the wicked despised him, that his secret friends abhorred him, & thereupon he crieth out for some to pity him in his misery, and to comfort him in his extremity. This duty should be performed by us, to testify our love unto the servants of God: and so much the rather, because it is so generally neglected. Nay, it is not only shamefully omitted, but the contrary is commonly practised. For, how many are there that make a mock at the miseries of the Church, as Shemei did at the troubles of David, who cursed him when he should have comforted him? 2. Sam. 16, 7. Thus are the dear Saints of God dealt withal, thus they are reviled and railed upon with horrible taunts, thus they are slandered and reproached with bitter imputations, such as the devil deviseth, and malice setteth abroach. The bowels of their pity, are breathe out of cruelty. Their showing of compassion, is the adding to their affliction. Their visiting of them in their adversity, is a casting upon them of the greatest misery. These are the days of the patience of the Saints, which are filled with reproaches, and give their cheeks to him that smiteth them, Lamen. 3, 30. Let them commit their causes to God, who in his good time will look upon them for good, and reward their enemies according to their works.  
[Verse 17. Vex the Midianites and smite them.] here is the commandment given by God to Moses, and by Moses to the Israelites to execute vengeance upon the Midianites, because they drew the people of God into sin alured them to whoredom, enticed them to idolatry, and brought upon them a most fearful judgement, that entered in among them, & destroyed many thousands of them. This commandment given in this place, is afterwards renewed and executed according to the direction given unto them. For inasmuch as they troubled Israel, the Lord troubled them to be put to the sword, so that their cities were burned, their goods were spoiled, their Women captived, their Kings destroyed, and all their males massacred. This is set down more at large in Numb. 31, 1, 2. where the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying; Revenge the children of Israel of the Midianites, and afterwards shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spoke to the people, saying; Harness some of you unto war, and let them go against Midian, to execute the vengeance of the Lord against Midian. Seeing then that they have such a charge & commission from God to destroy them, we learn from hence, That war is lawful. 
Doctrine. The people of God may lawfully make war.  The people of God may lawfully make wars both offensive and defensive against their enemies. The truth hereof appeareth in many places of the word of God. This is charged upon the people of God, Deu. 7, 2. & 20, 10, 11, 12, 13. When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the Land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall root out many nations before thee, than thou shalt smite them thou shalt utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor have compassion on them. And afterward in the same book, when thou comest near unto a city to fight against it, thou shalt offer it peace: but if it will make no peace with thee, but make war against thee, than thou shalt besiege it, and the Lord thy God shall deliver it into thine hands, and thou shalt smite all the males thereof with the edge of the sword. So when Amalek fought with Israel in Rephidim, which was the first of the nations that encountered with them after they came out of the land of Egypt, Moses said to joshua, Choose us out men, & go fight with Amalek, so he discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword, Exod. 17, 9 The like we see in joshua the General of the Lords host, at the taking and winning of joshua, so soon as the wall fell down at the sounding of the Trumpets, and the shouting of the people, they took the City, and utterly destroyed all that was in the City, both man and woman, young and old, with the edge of the sword, josh. 6, 21. & 10, 13. This the Prophet teacheth, when he praised the Lord for delivering him from the hand of all his enemies, Psal. 18, 34, 37, 38. He teacheth my hands to fight, so that a bow of brass is broken with mine arms: I have pursued mine enemies and taken them, and have not turned again till I had consumed them, etc.  
Reason 1 And howsoever these testimonies may seem sufficient to persuade this truth, yet we shall be better confirmed therein, if we consider the strength of reason to enforce the former truth. First, it is a title proper to God, to be called the Lord of hosts, and all wars lawfully undertaken, are called the battles of the Lord; so that as God is served in the day of battle, so he is the Captain and Leader of the Army. Hence it is that Moses saith, The Lord is a man of war, his name is jehovah, Exod. 15, 3. This is it which Saul said to David when he promised to give him his eldest daughter to wife, Only be a valiant son unto me, & fight the Lords battles, 1 Sam. 18, 17. And it is said, that many of the enemies of God's people fell down wounded, because the war was of God, 1 Chron. 5, 32. Seeing then, God is the Lord of hosts, a man of war, the Captain of the army, the only author and sole giver of victory, we must needs hold that wars are lawful, and may be lawfully used and taken in hand.  
Reason 2 Secondly, as we are taught the lawfulness of war by the titles of God, so we are farther assured of it by the special commandments which God giveth for the carrying of arms against common enemies, as also by his gracious and merciful promises made unto his people, for good success and prosperous proceeding in their just cause & honest quarrel. To this purpose tended the law of God, charging Saul to smite Amalek, and to destroy all that pertained to him, and to have no compassion upon them but to destroy them all. 
1 Sam. 15. judges 8, 1, 3.  Likewise, the Lord charged joshua to take all the men of war with him, and to lie in wait on the backside of Ai to take it, and to slay the inhabitants thereof with the sword. Neither had the people of God only the charge of a commandment, but the comfort of a promise: the commandment to warrant them, the promise to strengthen and encourage them. When joshua was to go against jericho (which was shut up & closed because of the children of Israel) the Lord said unto him, Behold I have given into thy hand jericho and the king thereof, and the strong men of war. josh. 6, 2, 3. And afterward, when sundry kings gathered themselves together against the Gibeonites that had subjecteth themselves to the Israelites, the Lord said unto joshua, Fear them not, for I have given them into thine hand, none of them shall stand against thee, josh. 10, 8.  
Thirdly, as the children of God have prayed Reason 3 for the help of God in the success of their business, and in the works of their hands that they have attempted, and have been heard: so when they have gone into war to fight with their enemies, they have called upon his name, and received great comfort. This we see evidently in the practice of joshua, who prayed unto him in the day when he gave the Amorites before the children of Israel, joshua chap. 10. verses 12, 14. Sun, stay thou in Gibeon, and thou Moon in the valley of Aialon: and there was no day like that day before it nor after it, that the Lord heard the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. When the Philistines were assembled against Israel, the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us; that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines, 1 Samuel chapt. 7. verses 8, 9, 10. Samuel cried unto the Lord, who heard him, and thundered with a great thunder that day upon the Philistines, and scattered them, so they were slain before Israel. And there is a notable example hereof recorded in the first of the Chronicles, the fift chapter and the 20. verse, touching the sons of Reuben, of Gad, and of half the Tribe of Manasseh: They were helped against the Hagarims who were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them, for they cried to God in the battle, and he heard him because they trusted in him. If then God do in mercy hear the prayers of those that call upon his most holy name going unto the war, and preparing themselves unto the battle, we cannot doubt of the lawfulness of the work itself, seeing almighty God useth not to hear those that go about evil, but sendeth his curse upon them.  
Fourthly, the word of God setteth down Reason 4 the duties of those that manage the matters of the field, as of the King, of the Captain, & of the common soldier, which it would never do, if the callings were unlawful. For as we conclude marriage to be lawful, and an honourable ordinance of God, because the Scripture setteth forth the duties of married persons aswell of the husband toward the wife, as the wife toward her husband: so, in as much as we find the duties of such as go to war, aswell of those that are commanders, as of those that are under commandment, described plentifully and fully in the book of God, we cannot call the lawfulness of their office in question. Hence it is, that the Lord teacheth joshua the duties of his calling, josh. 1, 6: that he should be strong and of a good courage, that he should meditate in the book of the Law, and assure himself that he would be with him, and not leave him nor forsake him, so that there should not a man be able to withstand him all the days of his life. So when the soldiers came to john Baptist to be instructed how to lead their lives, and to be directed how to escape the wrath of God to come, 
Luke 3.14.  he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages. The particular handling and setting down of these duties, enforceth the acknowledgement of the lawfulness of the calling.  
Reason 5 Lastly, we shall see the lawfulness of wars, if we consider the lawful causes of a lawful war. The first is the defence of true religion against the oppugners thereof, as appeareth by the words of Ahijah to jeroboam, and all Israel, 2 Chron. 13, 6. The second is, that such as are oppressed for religion, may be freed and delivered, as we see in the histories of the judges, who raised wars to deliver the opprested and distressed people out of the bloody hands of the cruel oppressors. The third is for the necessary defence of the Commonwealth, by repulsing injuries offered, 
judg. 11, 13, ● Sam. 10, 4. ● Chron. 14 9 1 Sam. 30, 18. Genes. 14.16. 1 Chron. 18.1  by revenging indignities and assaults, and by recovering things lost: as their wives, their sons, their daughters, their goods, their possessions, their cities, their substance & dominions. The overthrow of the Commonwealth, bringeth the ruin of the Church's peace. For as the flourishing estate of the Commonwealth maintaineth and furthereth the Church's peace; 
jeremy 29, 7.  so when the Commonwealth is spoiled, the liberty and freedom of the Church is diminished, as appeareth in sundry places of the Lamentations. 
●amen. 1, 4, 5.   
Use 1 Let us now make use of this doctrine, and apply it to our instruction. First it is required of every one to have courage. We must not grow feeble and fainthearted, we should not fear nor be discouraged, but be bold as in the work of the Lord, assuring ourselves, that the Lord is our strength, who teacheth our hands to fight, and our fingers to battle, Psalm 144, 1. When Hezekiah saw that Zaneherib was come and that his purpose was to fight against jerusalem, he said to his Captains & soldiers, Be strong and courageous: fear not, neither be afraid for the king of Ashur, neither for all the multitude that is with him: for there is more with us than is with him; with him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God for to help us, and to fight our battles, 2 Chron. 32, 7. This appeareth in the exhortation of Nehemiah, when Sanballat and Tobiah conspired to come to fight against jerusalem, & to hinder the building of the wall, he said: Be not afraid of them remember the great Lord and fearful, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses, Neh. 4.14. The heathen Captains that carried their men to battle, were always wont (as we see in profane histories) to put courage into them, not to fear to look the enemy in the face; but their only or chiefest reason to move them was earthly glory, that either they should live in wealth, or die with honour. It is not so with the people of God, they have greater Reasons to work in them the gift of valour, and hope of victory. True religion therefore doth not weaken the hearts of men, and make them Cowards. It is no enemy to true fortitude and manhood. 
The Reasons why true Religion giveth courage in battle.  For first it teacheth and informeth the conscience, that the cause and quarrel in which the warrior fighteth, is good, just, and warrantable by the word of GOD, which maketh him stand upon a sure ground: without which knowledge in the heart, how ugly, how foul, how savage, how cruel a thing is the effusion and shedding of blood? What an horrible and grisly a spectacle is it, to see Villages and Towns burned, Cities and Castles ruinated, Churches and religious places overturned, bodies dismembered with Ordnance, the air infected with stench, the ground imbrued with blood, the country wasted, grass and corn trodden down and spoiled, and all places with fear and terror filled? Is it not to be esteemed rather a practice of all inhumanity than an exercise of manhood? Secondly, as true religion establisheth the conscience touching the lawfulness of war, so it teacheth them to commit themselves and their lives into the hands of God as unto a faithful keeper, to consider that an hair cannot fall from our heads without his providence, Matth. 10, 30. and to be persuaded that if they stand & conquer, they conquer to the Lord; if they be wounded and fall, they fall and die to the Lord.  
Lastly, the word of God teacheth, that the battle is the Lords, and the victory is also the Lords, that the honour and glory thereof may be returned unto the Lord. He giveth and taketh away: he saveth with many, or with few: to teach us to depend upon the mouth of the Lord, to be guided by his wisdom, to follow his counsel and direction in all our affairs, that so our battles may be the battles of the Lord. To this purpose did joab speak to his brother going to fight with their enemies, when he saw the front of the battle was against him, before and behind: If the Aramites be stronger than I, thou shalt help me, 
2 Sam. 10, 11, 12.  and if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will come and secure thee: be strong, and let us be valiant for our people, & for the Cities of our God, & let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes. Thus did David comfort himself, 
2 Sam. 15, 25.  when he was driven out of jerusalem through the treason of Absalon saying to Zadoc the priest, Carry the Ark of God again into the City: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and the Tabernacle thereof: but if he thus say, I have no delight in thee, behold here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good in his eyes. Thus than we see, that all the Lords soldier's that fight his battles, and enroll their names in his muster book, must be men of stout courage, and valiant men at arms, as they that go about a good work: he receiveth none into his camp that are faint-hearted and white-livered soldiers which are not able to encourage themselves but are able to discourage others. Hence it is, that the Lord charged the officers or Herald's a● arms, to make proclamation in the audience of the people, Whosoever is afraid & fainthearted, 
judges 7, 5.  let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren's heart faint like his heart, Deut, 20, 8. God would have wars made in his name, and therefore he would have soldiers go to them without fear. If a man be afraid, it is a token he hath no trust in God, for he hath power to overcome fearfulness. This serveth to reprove all those which wanting the virtue of valour, and this gift of magnanimity, do betray themselves, and yield unto most unequal conditions, and make an agreement with dishonourable terms. When Benhadad the king of Aram laid siege to Samaria, and sent unto Ahab, saying; Thy silver and thy gold is mine, also thy women & thy fair children are mine, 
1 Kings 20, 4.  Ahab stooped and submitted himself unto him, he did not make resistance with courage, but yielded unto him like a coward, saying, My Lord king according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. Our trust & confidence must be in God, and then we shall not fear what man can do unto us.  
Use 2 Secondly, seeing wars are lawful, being undertaken upon just causes, we must depend upon God for good success. We must not trust in spear or shield, in horse or man, but arm ourselves with the shield of faith, & put upon us the helmet of salvation: we must put on patience, and humble ourselves in prayer unto God, when we go into the field, and are to buckle with our enemies. For how should the Lord help us, when we do him not the honour to call on him in the day of trouble? We must look up unto him from whence our help cometh, that he may cover our heads in the day of battle. This we see practised in jehoshaphat, when he went into battle against enemies strong in fortifications, valiant in courage, and infinite in multitude, both by word and deed he confirmed the hearts of the people, 2 Chron. 20, 20. Hear ye me, O judah, & ye inhabitants of jerusalem, put your trust in the lord your God, and ye shall be assured: believe his Prophets and ye shall prosper: and he appointed singers. and them that should praise the Lord in going forth before the men of arms, and saying, Praise ye the Lord, for his mercy lasteth for ever. We are commanded to sanctify all our works by prayer, we have promise of no blessing from God, otherwise then as we ask it from him. The food of our bodies; the affairs of our life, the works of our hands, the success of our journeys, our sleeping & waking, our health and wealth, are sanctified by prayer, and are not sanctified without prayer. For except the Lord build the house, and watch the city, 
Psal. 127, 1, 2.  the work of the builder and the labour of the watchman is in vain. If then in the days of peace where the danger is not so present nor so certain, we are charged to commend ourselves, our souls and bodies unto God; and all things that any way concern us and belong unto us: much more ought we so to do, when we go into the battle, where the sword devoureth one as well as another, and taketh away life without difference. This use condemneth two sorts of men, which run into two extremities, and forsake this mean propounded here unto us; and required of us. First, such as presume upon their own strength, 
Luke 12, 15.  & do not make God their strength. For as in peace and plenty men trust in their own store and abundance which they have prepared, albeit no man's life standeth in his riches: so in time of war, if once forces be levied, munition provided, and all things prepared to take the field, men grow secure, and think themselves to want nothing. But no man's life consisteth in his armour, no man's defence standeth in his weapon. It behoveth the Lords soldiers before ever they put on armour, to reconcile themselves unto God, and to make even reckoning with him, that he may turn his wrath upon their enemies, knowing that he which putteth on his armour, cannot boast as he that putteth it off. And as many sin against God by presumption, so do others by despair: their hearts and hopes are gone, they cannot lift up their eyes with affiance unto the heavens; than which there cannot be a greater dishonour done to the Lord. So then our surest and safest way is to rely upon God for our deliverance, and to entreat his protection, to be a buckler round about us, before us & behind us, on the right hand and on the left. Let prayer be esteemed our best armour and defence. When joshua fought with the Amalekites that fought to keep Israel from the land of Promise, Moses continued in fervent prayer, Exo. 17, 13: when he held up his hands Israel prevailed, when he let his hands fall down, the Amalekites prevailed. Thus were the Amalekites discomfited more by the prayer of Moses then by the sword of joshua. If this exercise were carefully used and taken up, our wars would prosper better then commonly they do, and many mischeefs that we fall into would be prevented. If we did duly consider the calamities and uncertain end of war, we would be more careful to crave assistance of God to be with us when we go to war. Many of our poor brethren have seen with their eyes the burning of their villages, the beating down of their holds, the battering of their Castles, the sacking of their Cities, the besiedging of their towns, the desolation of their houses & Temples. They have heard over all their country and coasts, the sorrowful sighs and sobs of such as lamented, the pitiful howling and shrieking of unhappy mothers bewailing their children, the doleful complaint of the heavy wives mourning for their husbands, and the grievous cries of all men on all sides. If this miserable face of all confusion (that war bringeth with it) were set before our eyes, it would make us cast down ourselves under the most mighty hand of God, and call upon his name to be with us when we go out to battle.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it followeth, that the stratagems of war are not unlawful. It is lawful to use subtlety and policy, to lay snares and baits to entrap and cirumvent the enemy. In all actions of war, or of peace, we must deal wisely and warily. When we live in peace & quietness it is required of us to walk, not only in a lawful but in a wise course: but much more in war, where the enemy is watchful, the snares are subtle, and the danger is great. This appeareth evidently, both because God commandeth it, and the godly practice it. When God sent joshua to destroy Ai, and to take the spoil thereof for a prey, he willed him to lie in wait against the City on the backside thereof, josh. 8, 2. Abraham intending to recover Lot out of the hands of those that had taken him captive, did not fight with them in a pitched field, and display his banners in the open day, but divided his company, & smote them by night, Genes. 14, 15. When the Israelites went out against the children of Benjamin, they set men to lie in wait round about Gibeah, which drew them from the City, & destroyed them by this policy, judg. 20, ver. 29. When David asked counsel of the Lord whether he should go against the Philistines, he answered, Thou shalt not go up, but turn about behind them, and come upon them over the Mulberry trees: and when thou hearest the noise of one going in the tops of the mulberry trees, 
1 Sam. 5, 23.  then remove, for than shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. We may therefore hide our purposes from our enemies, we may assault them at unawares, we may bring them to be careless, and make show of one thing, but do another. True it is, we are to keep promises to all, even to our enemies; we must not lie unto them, but keep the covenants and conditions which we have made with them. We must not promise to save them and then destroy them; we must not agree to receive them into protection, and afterwards work their confusion. Notwithstanding, we are not bound to make known to them what soever we speak or do, but are to conceal our intents, to the end the victory may be obtained:  
Christ himself doth hide many things from the ungodly, which he revealeth to his children, Math. 13, 11. Thus he teacheth, Mat. 7, 6. That holy things are not to be given to dogs, nor pearls to be cast unto Swine. In like manner it is not unlawful for us to hide our meanings from our adversaries. All things are not to be made known to all men. The Captain doth not by and by acquaint his soldiers whom he leadeth into the field with all his purposer, much less should he open his drifts and devices to his enemies.  
Fourthly, seeing war is a lawful ordinance Use 4 of God, it teacheth us to use it lawfully, & to behave ourselves purely when we go unto it. So soon as war is proclaimed, and the Trumpet sounded, all Laws for the most part keep silence, and equity is buried; there is no mean or measure observed, every man thinketh he may do what he list. Hence it is that the Lord giveth these precepts to his people, Deut 23, 9, 10, 11. When thou goest out with an host against thine enemies, then keep thyself from every wicked thing. If any among you be unclean by that which cometh unto him by night, he shall go out of the host, and not come into the host again: but at evening he shall wash himself with water, and when the Sun is gone down he shall come into the host again, etc. The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of the Camp to deliver thee, and to give thee thine enemies before thee; therefore let thine host be holy, that he see no filthy thing in thee, and turn away from thee. Where Moses teacheth, that we must not bear ourselves in war, as if all things were lawful: nor give ourselves a lawless liberty to be carried headlong into all wickedness. When we are come into the field, and there stand against the enemy, we must not think we have a pardon purchased to fall into all outrage and villainy. For whose are the battles that we fight? Who is it that goeth in and out with our armies? who is it that giveth the victory? If we look for any blessing from God, we must have the more care to serve him faithfully, and to depend upon him religiously. We must fight under his banner, we must take him for our Captain. If he be the Leader and Commander to rule the whole host, he will not have lewd ruffians and dissolute persons to be of his band. Profane and ungodly men shall not be ranged in his Army. The Lord will be the greatest enemy unto such: and they have far more cause to stand in fear of him, then of all their enemies besides. So long as there was one wicked wretch in the host of Israel unreformed and unpunished, they could not obtain any victory, but were vanquished by the enemy, josh. chapt. 7. verse 11: how much less hope have we to prevail, when as the whole Camp shallbe nothing else but a band of rebels, and an host of Conspirators against God, and all godliness? When joshua and the people of Israel should pass over jordan into the land of Promise, and were to fight with the inhabitants thereof, josh. 3, 5. they are commanded to sanctify themselves, for to morrow the Lord would do wonders among them. Thus doth Samuel exhort the house of Israel, to put away their strange gods, and to direct their hearts unto the Lord, & to serve him only, that so he might deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines, 1 Sam. 7, 3. And to speak the truth, if we did aright consider the matter, we ought to walk in greater fear and carefulness in the time of war, then in the days of peace. For when there is but a step between death and us, when the drum foundeth, when the Cannon roareth, when the sword devoureth, when danger compasseth us about on all sides, when no man can promise safety to himself, ought we not to lift up our eyes and our hearts so much the more unto God? Seeing therefore we are then in the greatest, most manifest, and imminent peril of our lives, the loss whereof sin will hasten upon us, we ought to remain under the obedience of God, and reconcile ourselves unto him before wars be enterprised. This is it which the Lord teacheth by Moses, Leuit. 26, 14, 17. If ye will not obey me, nor do all these commandments, I will set my face against you, and ye shall fall before your enemies, and they that hate you shall reign over you, and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. This reproveth such as give themselves the greatest liberty to sin, to use such violence & oppression, when they should live in the best order, and the greatest obedience. Cornelius the Captain is commended for his religion, Acts 10, 1, 2. So is the Centurion renowned for his faith, Mat. 8, 10. They that are Captains and soldiers must not give themselves to all riot, as if they had a law to commit sin, and to break all laws of God and man without controlment. Secondly, it reproveth such as make choice of the most lose and ungodly, to fight the Lords battles, and think Atheists, swearers, blasphemers, murderers, whoremongers, thieves, drunkards, to be fit soldiers to go against God's enemies. These are fit instruments to fight the devils battles, for he is the Captain and Commander over this cursed crew. They are all the devils band, and of the forlorn hope. They are fit to be mustered and gathered together to fight for some usurper, them for a lawful Prince that may make his choice, and call whom he will to fight his battles. These may be used in necessity and extremity, rather than where there is store and plenty of many others. It is noted touching Abimelech, that when he had slain his brethren with the sword, and usurped the dominion, he hired vain and light fellows (which followed him) to make himself strong, and to settle self in the kingdom, judg. 9.4. Thus did jeroboam establish his seat and throne, when he rebelled against his Lord, he gathered to him ●aine men and wicked, and by them he fortified himself against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, 2 Chron. 13.7. No trust & confidence can be reposed in such, who being unfaithful to god, can give no comfort or assurance, they will deal otherwise towards men, whereby cometh great loss to the Prince, and great hurt to the Commonwealth.  
Lastly, it serveth to overthrow three sorts Use 5 of men that yield not to the truth of this Doctrine. First, such as murmur and grudge at the hearing of wars, complaining of the expenses and charges that are necessary for the maintenance of them; whilst others lie in the fields, and adventure their lives, they sleep sound and lie quietly in their beds, and yet repine & disdain to contribute any thing in so necessary & just a cause, and are many times great hinderers and pull-backes unto others, that would show themselves forward in the Prince's service. It were fit that such as are thus backward to serve with their purse, should be constrained to be forward to serve in their person. Unto these we may join such as cry out, that it was never well since war was used, and do prefer an unjust peace, before a just war. Secondly, this condemneth such as are careless for their own defence & safety, but suffer the enemies to come upon them, and make no provision or preparation against them. This is noted to have been the behaviour of the men of Laish, and the cause of their destruction, that they lived carelessly one with another, and made no fortifications against their enemies, judg. 18, 7, 10. For the children of Dan came unto them, being a quiet people and without mistrust; and smote them with the edge of the sword, and burned the city with fire. Thus it is with all that live securely, & do not stand upon their own guard. Thus it is with such as never provide against the enemies, they are soon surprised by them. Lastly, it condemneth the Manichees, 
Dane de haeres cap. 22.  the Marcionites, the Anabaptists, the Family of love, and such as call themselves spiritual men, which deny the lawfulness of battle, the use of war, the wearing of weapon, the putting on of armour, and the handling of the sword. But do these allege nothing for themselves? Have they no show of reason or colour of argument to uphold their opinion? It is a desperate cause that admitteth no defence? It is a foul fall that cannot be covered with no fig leaves. Let us see what their objections are, & how we may stop their mouths by answering of them. And as all heretics pretend Scripture, imitating their first father the devil, Mat. 4, 6: who tempting Christ in the wilderness, allegeth what is written: so have these men sundry goodly glozes, garnished with the name & authority of the word of God. They allege that Christ commandeth, Mat. 5, 39 & 26, 52. & 13, 29: If one give us a blow on the right cheek, we should turn to him the left: if any would sue us at the Law to take away our coat, we should give him our cloak also: If he compel us to go with him a Mile, we should go with him twain: and thereupon concludeth, That we should not resist evil. He saith unto Peter, He that striketh with the sword, shall also perish with the sword; and thereupon willeth him to put up his sword: he will not have the tars to be pulled up, but be let alone, and suffered to grow until the harvest. So the Apostle teacheth, Roman. 12, 17, 18, 19 That vengeance belongeth to the Lord, who will repay: that we must recompense to no man evil for evil: that if it be possible, as much as in us lieth, we should have peace with all men: he asketh, why we do not rather suffer wrong? why we do not rather sustain harm, than one brother draw another before the judgement seats of Infidels? If then it be not lawful to follow suits, it is less lawful to draw swords. He showeth, that our weapons are not carnal, but our warfare spiritual: that we wrestle not against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickednesses that are in the high places. Add unto these testimonies of the New Testament, the ancient Prophecies of the Prophets, which do foretell, that in the time of the Gospel they shall break their Swords into Mattocks, and their Spears into Sythes, Esay 2, 4. Micah 4, 3. Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation, neither shall they learn to fight any more. These are the chiefest and choicest arguments drawn out of the new Testament, and produced out of the old; partly from the instructions of Christ, partly from the precepts of the Apostle, and partly from the Prophecies of the Prophets.  
Touching the objections alleged out of the words of Christ, when he willeth us to turn the left cheek, being smitten on the right, it is a figurative speech, 
Aug. epist. 5. ad Matellinum.  as Augustine observeth: for literally it was not observed by jesus Christ, nor by the Apostles, nor by the Prophets, when they were strooken on the ear. For what if one smite us on the left cheek, we have now no other left to turn unto him? or shall we restrain his words only to the cheek? His purpose is to forbid private revenge, to recompense injury with injury, and to teach us rather to prepare ourselves to endure another wrong, then to give like for like: but he doth not disannul the office and calling of the Magistrate, nor take away public revenge by him: Peter was Christ's Disciple, not a public Magistrate. Touching suffering the tars to grow, he teacheth us the perpetual state of the Church, what it shall be. He speaketh not of the office of the Minister or Magistrate, 
〈◊〉 Mart in 2. 〈◊〉 cap 2. & 〈◊〉 Gen: cap. 14.  but of the future condition of the Church, that it shall never be perfect in this life, but we shall have tars with the wheat, bad fish with the good, foolish virgins with the wise, and hypocrites with true believers: & therefore he comforteth the godly against the troubles which they sustain by conversing with them. Hereunto also refer the precepts of the Apostle Paul. The Prophecies of the Prophets touching the turning of the weapons of war into instruments of peace and tools of husbandry, are objected against us also by the jews that deny the coming of the true Messiah. The Prophets hereby commend the Doctrine of Christ. If we were all such as Christ chargeth us to be, there should be no need of the sword. Such as are true Christians, do live soberly, righteously, and godly, for conscience sake to the commandment of Christ. At the coming of Christ in glory, we shall see the full accomplishment thereof to our endless comfort. In the mean season, such as truly believe in Christ, do so walk, as that no wars are raised through their default. True it is our weapons are spiritual, but we must understand this as we are Christians. But we are not only Christian men, but also men: not only spirit, but also flesh: and therefore as we are men, and clothed with flesh, neither the Apostle, nor Christ that called the Apostles, do take away weapons from the Magistrate, Rom. 13, 4, but put a sword into his hand to take vengeance on him that doth evil. And when the Apostle saith, (Ephes. chap. 6, verse 12,) We wrestle not with flesh and blood; he speaketh not simply, but comparatively, as when he saith Christ sent him not to baptise, but to preach the Gospel, that is, chief and especially to publish the glad tidings of salvation, 1. Cor. 1, 17: so in this place he meaneth, that our greatest and mightiest enemies are invisible: we must not think that our chiefest conflict is with men which are frail and feeble. This fight is nothing at all if it be compared with the other which is spiritual. Thus we see the objections of the Anabaptists answered, and their doubts dissolved, who would banish away all lawful use of sword and weapon, contrary to infinite evidences that may be brought to justify the lawfulness of war. God hath made many laws touching the undertaking, beginning, and waging of wars, but such things as are evil are wholly to be condemned, not to be ordered by Law. The Lord swore, that the Israelites should have war with Amalek for ever. Solomon prayeth unto God, when his people shall go out to battle against their enemies, to hear them and their prayer and supplication, and to judge their cause, 2. Chron. 6, 34. When any city shall fall into idolatry, & draw away the inhabitants thereof to serve strange gods, he commandeth that they should be slain with the edge of the sword, & all that is within it be destroyed, Deut 13, 15. When the Israelites asked counsel of GOD after the death of joshua, who should go up against the Canaanites, to fight first against them, the Lord said, judah shall go up, because I have given the Land into his hand, judg. 1, 1, 2. It is God that teacheth our fingers to fight, and our hands to battle, Psal. 144, 1: but God is no Lord of misrule, he teacheth nothing that is evil. They are the words of David, a man after Gods own heart, yet he saith, God had taught his hands, his fingers. Besides they are called the wars and battles of the Lord: so David is oftentimes said to have fought the battles of the Lord, 1 Samuel 17, 18, and 25, verse 28.  
When many enemies armed themselves against jehoshaphat, jahaziel inspired by the Spirit of God, said, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Fear you not, neither be afraid for this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but the Lords, 2 Chron. 20, 15. When the soldiers that were converted to the faith, and repent of their offences, inquired of john what they should do, he did not bid them to lay away their weapons, or throw away their swords, or renounce their oaths, or forsake their Captains, or give over their places & callings of life wherein they abode, but charged them to do violence to no man, Luke 3, 14, to accuse no man falsely, & to be content with their wages. So the Evangelist commendeth the faithful Centurion, and Cornelius to be a devout man, fearing God with all his household. Paul used the help of a band of men, to be rescued out of the hands of the jews, and to be brought safe unto the Governor. For the Captain out of the Garrison gathered a selected company of two hundred soldiers, and delivered him from them that lay in wait to kill him, Acts 23, 27. The Apostle noteth in the Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. 11, 33. that the godly through faith subdued kingdoms, so that war may be an exercise of faith.  
And lest any should apply this to fight against spiritual enemies, he addeth immediately after; They waxed valiant in battle, and turned to flight the Armies of the aliens. By all these testimonies we are taught to receive this truth, that the making of war is necessary, and to maintain it against all the adversaries that seek to oppugn and contradict the same.  
[Verse 18. For they trouble you with their wiles wherewith they have beguiled you as concerning Peor.] In these words the reason is rendered, for what cause the Midianities' were to be destroyed, to wit, because they had a chief hand, and were principal doers in the seducing of the people of God, and drawing them into sin. The Moabites and Ammonites were actors in this tragedy: but the chief part was assigned to the Midianites. The Moabites and Ammonites came of Lot, by committing incest with his daughters, Gen. 19, 37, 38. The Midianites came of Midian, the fourth son of Keturah, which she bore to Abraham, Gen. 25, 2. They ought being so nearly joined to the people of God, to have performed all duties of humanity and kindness unto them: whereas they sought their overthrow, and wrought their destruction.  
We heard before how the people of God were beguiled and punished: here we may behold those threatened and afterward destroyed, that did trouble them with their wiles, as concerning Peor. Before we saw the chastisement of them that were seduced and led into sin, now they are threatened that were seducers. Before we saw the judgement that fell upon them that followed, now we may see the judgements that overtook the Captains and Ringleaders.  
From hence we learn, 
Doctrine. The seducers & the seduced shall be punished together  that the seducer and the seduced, the Ringleader, and they that are misled, the deceiver and the deceived, shall perish and be punished together. The Lord will punish not only false Teachers, and such as lead the way unto wickedness, but their scholars and disciples, & such as are brought to lewdness and evil by them. This Moses declareth very evidently, Deut. 13, 15. If a false Prophet arise, and draw an whole City to Idolatry, God's judgements shall be not only against that false Prophet, but against the City, so that not an Ox or a Sheep should be spared, they should, perish and be destroyed together. When Gamaliel gave counsel to take heed to themselves what they intended to do touching the Apostles, he bringeth in the examples of Theudas and judas, Acts 5, 36, 37, which drew away much people after them, but they perished, & all that obeyed them. The Prophet Ezekiel denounceth, That if the watchman seeing the sword coming, did not give the people warning, nor admonish them of their wicked ways, the wicked should die in their sins, but their blood should be required at the watchman's hands. We see this confirmed unto us, even from the beginning, when the devil abusing the tongue and body of the serpent, had drawn our first parents into sin, the devil was the principal author of this apostasy and falling from God; the serpent was the instrument: the woman did hearken to the devil, and was before her husband in the transgression, Adam followed the counsel of his wife, and yielded to sin against God, through her persuasion. The devil was a seducer, Adam was seduced, Enah was both a seducer, and seduced; Gen. 3, 1, 2, 3, for she was seduced by the devil, and a seducer of her husband, deceiving, and being deceived: so that when God called them to an account, and brought them before the bar of his judgement seat, he punished not only the devil & the serpent, that were the authors, but also Adam and his wife that were the followers. Hereunto cometh the saying of our Saviour, Mat. 15, 14. Let them alone, they be the blind leaders of the blind: and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch: not only the leader, but he likewise that is blindly led. The Lord jesus reproveth the Church of Thyatira, that they suffered a wretched woman which called herself a Prophetess, and threateneth to punish not only her, revel. 2, 12, but those that were her disciples, with great afflictions. And afterward in the same book, they that received the mark of the beast, are put out of the book of life, as well as the beast.  
This truth will be more manifest unto us, if Reason 1 we mark the reasons. ●or first, such as are misled and moved to heresy and wickedness in life o● doctrine, in faith or manners, in opinion or practice, are culpable of the same sins and abominations, and therefore righteously to be punished and condemned with such as are the leaders and persuaders unto the same. The Lord himself rendereth the reason why those that were seduced, should be destroyed, because they had forsaken his ways and commandments, Deut. 1, ●●, They than that are seduced, that are t●●●ed from the Lord, that are thrust out of the right way wherein they should walk, and commit abominations against him, as well as the seducers, are culpable of the same sins together, and therefore shall partake of the same punishment.  
Reason 2 Secondly, what is the reason that men are seduced? Is it not their own sin and ignorance? They are wilfully blind, they are not careful to learn and stand in the truth as they ought. The Prophet Hosea speaking of false Prophets, and of the people misled by them, saith; That they shall all full, the people by day, & the Prophet by night with them, Hosea 4.5. This is it which the Apostle urgeth, 2 Thess. 2 10, 11. Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, therefore God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe lies, that all they might be damned which believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  
Use 1 Now let us come to the uses of this Doctrine. First, from hence we are to conclude, that pretences or excuses shall not bear out the followers and fellows of wicked seducers and lewd leaders from God & his truth, but they shall bear their sins and punishments themselves. We see how ready many are to answer for themselves. A lass! we are poor simple men, we have no learning, we know not the letters: we are not able to try whether the Doctrine be good or bad, true or false, right or wrong: we hope God will hold us excused, and not lay it to our charge. These coverings to hide our shame, as so many figge-leaves, shall be pulled from us, and fall to the earth, as weak and unable to uphold themselves. What did the vain coloured shows avail Adam and Eve, feeding themselves with vain hopes, Gen. 3, 12, 13, and excusing themselves with fair pretences? Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, deceived me, and I did ea●e. The woman said, The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. The Serpent might have said, the devil entered into me, prevailed over me, and abused me to be his instrument. here are many delays and devices, the man excuseth himself by the woman, the woman by the serpent, the serpent by the devil: but God cannot be mocked, he will not be deluded, and therefore none of them escaped, all of them ●re punished, as they were willingly and wittingly deceived. For the devil had his judgement, the serpent had his judgement, the man and the woman had also their judgement. Let this be assu●ed to the consciences or all of us, that seeing God hath created us, and given us our being to serve him, albeit we be reduced by others, it shall not profit us, o● deliver v● from judgement. Ignorance shall excuse no man, it is the fountain of all sin, it is the cause of all punishments, Hos. 4, 1. Mar. 12, 24. it is not enough for us to say, we are no seducers and deceivers of others: because if we be seduced and deceived by others, we are partakers of their sin, and shall bea●e our just condemnation.  
Secondly, seeing the poor seduced people Use 2 shall not escape, no more the the chief Ringleaders and heads of the conspiracy against God, it is our duty to search narrowly and view diligently that which is brought and taught unto us: we must beware of seducers and Captains that lead to lewdness of life, or corruption of doctrine. It behoveth us to show such love to God and his truth, as to withstand such as go about to infect us, to shame them, to bewray them, to reprove them, to convince them, and to take heed that we be not drawn away with them, either by their flattery, or by their authority. Hence cometh the exhortation of Christ; Beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves: ye shall know them by their fruits, Math. chap. 7. verse 15. By these the LORD our GOD trieth us, whether we love him with all our hearts & with all our souls. He chargeth his people to seek carefully, to search earnestly, 
Deut. 13, 14.  and to inquire diligently if there be any such wickedness. There is no love to God, where his truth is not professed, followed, and maintained. The Apostle john chargeth those to whom he wrote, Not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits whether they be of God or not; for many false Prophets are gone into the world, 1, john 4, 1. But where is this ability to be found? And where shall we meet with those that are able to discern of spirits? Look upon the greatest part of our congregations, and behold they are not able to make any trial of truth from error. They are fit to entertain any doctrine: They know no difference between the mists of Popery, and the light of the Gospel: They embrace this Religion, because it is established by authority, defended by the Law, professed by the Prince, countenanced by the Magistrate, embraced by the multitude, freed from trouble, & controlled by none. But ask them a reason of the hope that is in them, and call them to an account, of the faith which they hold? Ask them what they believe, and how they think to be saved, they are taken speechless and not able to give any reasonable answer. And how can it be otherwise in many places, where such as should be eyes to others, are blind themselves? a naked ministry hath made a naked people: an ignorant ministry hath made an ignorant people; a simple Teacher hath made a sottish hearer. For as Moses saw that the people were naked, Because Aaron had made them naked, 
Exod. 32, 25  unto their shame among their enemies: so we see the people without knowledge and understanding, because the Watchmen are blind, the Ambassadors are dumb, the Shepherds are simple, the Teachers are not able to instruct themselves. The means to bring us to this spiritual judgement to try the spirits, 
Rules to be observed to enable us to try the spirits.  are to observe these few rules and directions following. First, we must have the word of God to dwell plentifully in us, we must read and search the Scriptures, as Christ commanded, john 5, 39 and the men of Berea practised, Acts 17. They examined the Doctrine of the Apostles by the touchstone of the Prophets, and are commended for it by the Spirit of God. We must not take every thing that is delivered, but search and try the things that are delivered.  
Secondly, we must continue constant in the things which we have learned thence. Thus the Apostle exhorteth Timothy, who had been brought up in the Scriptures of a child. To persevere in the things which he had learned and was persuaded of, knowing of whom he had learned them, 2 Tim. 3, 14.  
Thirdly, we are to avoid those places and persons where abominations are set up and maintained, lest joining and partaking with them in their sins, we be also companions with them in punishments. Thus doth the Apostle teach us to give a farewell to those places, I heard a voice from heaven say, Go out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues, revel. 18, verse 4.  
Fourthly, we are to magnify the Ministry of the word, where it is planted and established, we are diligently to attend unto it, and to hear it with all patience and reverence, to increase in us both knowledge and obedience, to work in us faith & a sound belief, to bring us to a true sight of our sins, and to an unfeigned repentance from dead works. If these rules be carefully and wisely observed, we shall be made able to try all things that we hear; to refuse the evil, and to hold fast that which is good.  
Lastly, we may from hence conclude the Use 3 woeful condition of all seducers, that seduce and deceive the simple people, they are sure to perish and to be destroyed. It is a grievous sin not to embrace the truth of God, but to err from the ways of salvation; but it is more grievous to draw away others, and to plunge them into the pit of destruction. They are accursed in the law, which make the blind to go out of the way, and all the people were to say, Amen. Deut. 27, 18. If we see a poor blind man wandering hither and thither for want of a guide, and groping to find his way, if we lay stones or stumbling blocks before his fear to supplant him, and cause him to fall down, all men are ready to condemn it of rigour and cruelty. The very heathen, which neither know the Law; nor understand the Gospel, could say, 
Cicer. li. 1. office  that whosoever showeth not the way to a travailer and wayfaring man, when he seethe him out of the right way, is without all pity and compassion; as if one should refuse to suffer his neighbour to light his Candle (that is gone out) at his Candle that burneth. But if a man should lead his brother being in a strange and unknown Country quite and clean out of the way, & direct him of purpose into places of danger, and thereby as it were blow out his Candle that burneth bright, all men would have accounted him a monster, and unworthy to live upon the earth. If our brother want our help or counsel, we are bound to do all good unto him; and it is a note of cruelty, to shut our mouths or hands when they should be opened; as we see in the examples of the Priest and Levite, Luk. 10, 31, 32, that saw a certain man rob of his money, spoiled of his raiment, and wounded of his body, yet departed from him, and passed by on the other side, leaving him half dead. But when we are so far from relieving them in their wants, and comforting them in their distresses, and helping them with our counsel, that we seduce them ourselves, or bolster them up in their sins, or draw them into wickedness; we shall draw upon ourselves the heavy judgements of God, in the day of his visitation. For if they shall not escape that are led out of the way, and follow the direction of false and lying seducers; of greater judgement and sorer punishment shall they be worthy, that lay snares to catch others, and draw them unto destruction. In the Prophecies of jeremy, we see Pashur the son of Immer the Priest threatened, jer. 20, 6. that because he had preached lies, he and all that belonged unto him should die in captivity. And in another place the Lord denounceth his judgements to come upon the Prophets which have sweet tongues, 
jer. 23.31.  seducing the people with pleasing lies. Hereunto we may refer all ignorant Ministers, which are utterly disabled for the performance of their duty in teaching the people; they have the place, but want the gifts, 1 Tim. 3, 2, they have the calling, but want the ability: 
2 Tim. 2.2.  they fill up the rooms of workmen, but are not able to do the work. These commit an heinous sin, not only destroying their own fowls, but bringing the people to destruction. For through their ignorance and insufficiency, they cast away their own souls, & the souls of other men. The wise man teacheth, Prou. 29, 18, that where there is no vision, there the people decay. Wherefore to conclude, let all faithful Ministers of God, with care & conscience, be stirred up to deliver that Embassage, which they have received from God, not as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ. And let all the people know, that it becometh them, with all patience and reverence to receive the word of exhortation, which God hath sanctified as the means to work in them, faith and obedience. It shall excuse no man in the day of the Lord, to say, I would have harkened to the truth, but I was deceived: I would have walked in the right way, but alas! I was seduced. These are old Adam's figge-leaves which will not serve to cover our shame, and to hide our nakedness; we must seek after the truth, and learn to discern of it from error. If we be content to live in ignorance, and voluntarily submit ourselves to be led, or rather misled, by blind guides, that can neither inform themselves nor us in the ways of the Lord: if we wilfully shut our eyes because we will not see; our ignorance is without excuse, and for want of knowledge we shall certainly be destroyed.  
Let us all walk in the right way, and make straight steps unto our feet, Heb. 12, 13, that God may be glorified, our souls saved, & we entirely preserved in the truth, through jesus Christ: to whom be praise and glory in the Church for ever, Amen.    

CHAP. XXVI.  

1 AND it came to pass after the plague, that the Lord spoke unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest, saying,  
2 Take the sum of the Congregation of the Children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their father's house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.  
3 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest spoke unto them, etc. 5 Reuben the eldest son of Israel, etc. 9 This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the Congregation, etc.  
10 And the earth opened her mouth, etc.  
Having sufficiently seen the weak estate and condition of this people, who (as much as lay in them) rushed forward to their own destruction, and were unworthy of the mercy of God, that they might learn in the matter of their salvation to ascribe all to God, Deut. 8, 17. Let us consider the power of his grace, 
1 Cor. 12, 6  seen and made perfect in their weakness, to the end of this book: wherein we are to mark a description, partly of the holy and Ecclesiastical Laws given, to the 31. chapped. and partly sundry Civil and political Laws, belonging to their inheritance in the Land of promise. Before both these, we have in this and the chapter following, a new numbering of the people by the commandment of God, wherein we must mark two things; one touching the numbering of them, the other touching the order to be devised in the dividing of the inheritance. Touching the numbering of the people, we must remember that this is now the third numbering, since the Israelites by the mighty hand of God, departed out of Egypt. The first was the same year they were brought forth, when the sum was taken of them, and a general payment exacted of rich and poor, for the provision and preparation of holy things requisite for the Tabernacle, Exod. 30, 14, 15, 16. The second was in the beginning of the second year, when the holy things were made, and an order set down among the people in their journeys, Numb. 1, and 2. The third is that which is in this place. And notwithstanding the two former, this was not without special causes: 
The causes of this new numbering of the people.  for there had been a great change and alteration among the people since the second numbering of them, which was 38. years before, they that were then numbered being dead in the plagues and punishments that fell upon them. Again, the division of the Land, could not but by these breaches among them be very unjust and unequal, unless this sum had been taken, whereas the Land ought to be indifferently divided and parted, to end all controversies, to cut off all occasions of envy and emulation, and to preserve love and unity among brethren. Thirdly, in regard of military discipline, that they might march in good array, and keep order the better among them: for they were now in a manner come to hand blows with their enemies, and were ready to encounter with them. Fourthly, that the hand of God toward this people might be better seen and known, to wit, both his power and goodness, in that though many thousands of them were wasted & consumed in the Wilderness, yet the number of them was not diminished, but rather increased: & likewise his justice and truth, in that though he chastened the rebellious and refractory against him, yet he kept the promise he had made to their father's touching the multiplying of their seed as the stars of heaven, 
Theod. quaest. 46  forasmuch as he is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham, Mat. 3, 9 And to call those things that are not, as though they were, Rom. 4, 17, 18. Lastly, to show, that as he knoweth perfectly and exactly the number of all that entered into the earthly Canaan, so he knoweth the number of all the faithful that shall possess the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, prepared for them before the beginning of the world. He knoweth who are his, 2 Tim. 2, 19, because all their names are written in heaven, Lu. 10, 20.  

The contents and division of this chap.  In this Chapter observe three things. First, the numbering of the Israelites which were fit for war. Secondly, the commandment of God touching the dividing of the Land of Canaan among them. Thirdly, the numbering of the Levites who were appointed for the sacred warfare, that is, to serve the Lord in the Tabernacle. In the numbering of the people fit to bear arms, we may see the commandment of God, and the execution of the commandment. The commandment is amplified by the time, by the persons that were to number them, and by the persons that were to be numbered, and that by their age and ability to go to war. The time of this numbering is said to be after the plague, which the learned junius understandeth of the plagues mentioned in the 14. chap. whereby God threatened to consume all of them in the Wilderness by little and little, now some, and then others, according to their manifold deservings & provocations. But this exposition seemeth to me both to be forced and far fet, and from the purpose. First, because the Article here prefixed, hath relation rather to one certain judgement of God brought upon them at one certain time, whereas that threatening was executed at divers and sundry times, by the space almost of forty years. Secondly, by the name of plague, a violent death sent from God is betokened, as for example, when a man dieth suddenly being smitten by some Angel: but the former commination doth not specify any one judgement of that sort, but without any limitation doth generally denounce a consuming of them, which might be done by natural death. Lastly, they to whom that threatening is directed, perished not with one plague, nor after one manner, nor at one time, but with divers judgements, in divers manners, and at divers times. Wherefore we must rather understand in this place, that plague which is mentioned in the former chapter, where four and twenty thousand died for their idolatry and whoredom with the daughters of Moab, 1 Cor. 10.  
The execution of the commandment consisteth of three points, being amplified by a declaration of the place where this numbering was made, by a comparison of the like example, verse 4: and lastly, by a particular description of every Tribe numbered, and their families, the Tribe of Levi excepted. Where observe, that in this rehearsal and enumeration of every Tribe, there is great difference from the former numbering when they came out of Egypt, which will appear by these particular comparisons set before us.  

1. Reuben, 

before, 46500.  
now, 43730.    
2. Simeon, 

before 59300.  
now, 22200.    
3. Gad. 

before, 45650.  
now, 40500.    
4. judah, 

before, 74600.  
now, 76500.    
5. Issachar, 

before, 54400.  
now, 64300.    
6. Zebulun, 

before, 57400.  
now, 60500.    
7. Manasseh, 

before, 32200.  
now, 52700.    
8. Ephraim, 

before, 40500.  
now, 32500.    
9 Benjamin, 

before, 35400.  
now, 45600.    
10. Dan, 

before, 62700.  
now, 64400.    
11. Asher, 

before, 41500.  
now, 53400.    
12. Naphtali, 

before, 53400.  
now, 45400.     
here is the same order observed, which we saw before observed, in all which we are to mark, that many do now exceed the former account, arising to many more in this latter computation then in the former, notwithstanding the many thousands that were weeded out of the host of GOD, as noisome plants cut up and cast into the fire, and none of the Tribes continued in one stay; to teach us to make our chiefest reckoning of that place where shall be no change any more, but we shall be like to the Angels that are in heaven.  
[Verse 7, 9 These are the families of the Reubenites, etc. This is that Dathan and Abiram, etc. who strove against Moses.] The history of these seditious persons, infecting many others with the leaven of their pride and ambition, and carrying them into the pit of destruction with themselves, is particularly remembered before, chapter 16. They were indeed famous, in regard of their places and persons, but they become infamous and ignominious by their sin and punishment. Observe from hence, 
Doctrine. Sin maketh places & person's infamo●  That irreligion, profaneness and impiety, make men to be reproachful. Of what account and estimation soever they are, be they never so rich, high, noble, & renowned in the world how famous and excellent soever Countries and Cities be, yet this is certain, that sin maketh all places and persons infamous and dishonourable, and justly and worthily poureth disgrace and contempt upon them, as it appeareth afterward in this chap. verse 61, and elsewhere, Deut. chapter 29, verses 23, 24, 25. 1 Kings, chapter 9, verses 8, 9 jer. chapter 22, verses 8, 9 We see this farther in many examples. Cain is noted and marked of God for his execrable parricide unto all posterity, Gen. 4, 15. The like we might say of Ahaz, of whom mention is made to his shame and dishonour, that all the glory of his throne, & the title of a king, and the honour of Majesty, is not able to hide and cover the blot and stain of his offences, and therefore the Scripture saith of him, This is Ahaz, 2 Chron. 28, 22. jeroboam is often said to have made Israel to sin, 1 Kings 15, 30. judas that betrayed his Master, is called, The child of perdition, joh. 17 and is as it were burnt in the shoulder with the letter R, and marked out for a reprobate, and left upon record to be a devil, john 6, 70. that all which hear of it might fear, & learn to hate his sins. So doth the Apostle set down the names of sundry others, that made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience, 1. Tim. 1, 15. and 2 Tim. 2, 17. 2 Thess 3, 14. & Heb. 12, 16. the profaneness also of Esau is remembered.  
The reasons follow. First, because piety and Reason 1 religion is the honour & glory of a kingdom or Commonwealth. The dignity of any place is the holiness of the people that are in it, Mat. 2.6, compared with Mic. 5, 2. So Moses telleth Israel, that if they keep the statutes of God, and do them, this should be their wisdom and understanding in the sight of the Nations which should hear these statutes and say, Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding people, Deut. 4, 6. So then all honour and glory standeth in yielding obedience to Go●.  
Secondly, sin is a most foul and filthy thing in the sight of God, Revelat. 3, 18, and 16, 15. Lam. 1, 9 and therefore it is compared to an unclean cloth spotted with the flesh, Esay, ch. 64, verse 6. Jude, verse 23. and to the blood of pollution, Ezek. chap. 16, 6, 9, 22, and to a dead carrion in a Tomb, Math. 23, 27, 28.  
Thirdly, sin bringeth us out of love with God, and consequently bringeth the hatred of God upon the people and places where ungodly sinners dwell, and causeth him to turn away his face and favour from them, Deuter. 23, 9, 14. Hos. 2, ver. 5, 9, 10. We read in the Prophecies of Daniel, chap. 3, 29, that the king made a Decree, that every people, nation, and language which blasphemed God, should be cut in pieces, and their houses made a dunghill: in the same manner it is with God, he bringeth reproach and maketh infamous, not only the persons that provoke him by their sins, but also the places and habitations where they dwell. He could have destroyed the men of Sodom & Gomorrha, and yet have spared their Cities, and houses, and substance; but he destroyed these also, to make them more ignominious to all posterity, Jude, verse 7.  
This teacheth us how just it is with God, Use 1 and how warrantable it is for us to disgrace, and discredit, and discountenance the City and Church of Rome, that they might be odious in the eyes, and stink in the nostrils of all good men, as a dead carcase without life and breath. For although their faith was once famous through the whole world, Rom. 1, 8, yet inasmuch as they are fallen from that faith to heresy, and from sincerity to hypocrisy, we have just cause to hate the same & to disgrace it what we can. It is just with GOD that it should be so, and lawful for us to do so, Reu. 18, 2. But to clear themselves of apostasy from the faith, Object. they will tell us that we cannot tell them from whence their supposed heresies should first proceed, who was the author of them, and the scatterer of them abroad, as we see in Campians sophistical and verbal challenge: he demandeth at what time, 
Rat. 7. quo tempore, qua via, qua ut, etc.  under what Bishop, by what steps and proceed a new religion was spread over the church of Rome and the whole world? I answer, Answ. it is not necessary to set down the minutes and moments of time, inasmuch as some alterations are insensible. Many errors creep on secretly, and as it were in the dark. The evil and envious man in the Gospel, sowed tars among the wheat in the night when no man could see, Mat. 13.25. The hairs of our head are not all white at a sudden, and old age doth not creep upon us in a day. Take the oldest man that liveth upon the earth, who can tell when he began to be old? We know by sundry infallible tokens that he is an old man, but what day, or week, or month, or year, when he began to be so, who can assign or determine? This is manifest in all things that arise of small beginnings, and grow by little and little to a greater quantity, until they come to perfection. If we see a man sick of the pestilence, or a City corrupt in manners with riotousness and wickedness, or an house ruinous and ready to fall, or a ship in the midst of the sea ready to sink, shall we deny all, these to be, because we know not when they first began to be? when that man began to be infected, or the City to be corrupted, or in what year the house began to be ruinous, or in what day the ship began to leak? We know not how and when weeds, and thorns, and thistles first took root under the ground, but when once they are sprung up and grown aloft, we see them, we discern them, we feel them, we pluck them up. So the alterations of the church of Rome are as a mystery, The mystery of iniquity, 2 Thess. 2, ver. 7, and albeit we could not show the beginning of them, yet that such desolations and ruins of the ancient building are among them, that they utterly lay waste the foundation, we prove by the word of God in the old and new Testament. This is the trial of all errors and heresies. And because the doctrines that they embrace, and the religion that they profess are not agreeable to these ancient monuments and records, which are as the Meteyard or the Standard to try all measures; we therefore say and conclude, they are errors, and we wrong them not at all, though we be not able to produce the first broachers and beginners of them all.  
This is enough for us, we find by the word of God that they are heresies, and therefore justly challenge them, and complain that Bethel is become Beth-aven, and the Church of God become the Synagogue of Satan, Hos. 4, verse 15.  
How many heresies have sprung up in the Church, like darnel in the field among the Corn, noted by Epiphanius, Austin, and others of the learned and ancient, of whom neither we nor they know the first authors? The Scribes and pharisees taught many things against the Law, or else Christ would not have reproved their false glosses, Math. 5, neither willed his Disciples to beware of the leaven of the pharisees and of the Sadduces, Mat. 16, 6, that is, of the doctrine of the Parisies and of the Sadduces, verse 12: yet the circumstance of time when these corruptions crept in, and the persons that devised them are altogether unknown, and who is able to tell us? In the primitive Church there were a kind of heretics, called Acephali, because no man was found to be their head and master. 
Alphons. haer. l. 4  The like we might say of many other heresies, of which if any should ask (as Campian doth) In what age, under what Pope, upon what occasion, by whose compulsion, by whose power it came to pass, I doubt the best answer would be silence. Wherefore it is not necessary to produce the precise time and tokens of every change, because the alteration was not made at an instant, or all at once as when a land is invaded by a foreign enemy that turneth all things upside down; but it entered slily and slowly into the Church, as a worm that gnaweth the root of the tree by little and little: to omit that we in these last days want the histories and records of many things done before us, and the Roman tyranny hath suppressed or corrupted a part of them that are left us. The Problem is not unknown, which the Greeks so curiously debated, 
Plutark.  touching the Argos wherein jason sailed for the golden fleece, which at his return and coming home was laid up and reserved in the Road for a great and worthy monument. This ship decaying by little and little (for what is it that time doth not consume as a moth, and eat as a canker?) they always peeced and repaired where it began to wear away, till in the end the whole substance of the old vessel or bottom wherein jason sailed and made his voyage and adventure, was utterly wasted, and nothing remaining of it but only the later reparations successively made in the room of the other. Now the question was, 
A problem of the Argos wherein jason sailed.  whether this were the ship wherein jason sailed, or not? or another diverse from it? or whether any wise Athenian could precisely tell, when and by what workman, every piece and parcel was patched and supplied, until the old was wholly gone? or when and at what time it ceased to be that ship, and became a new ship? The Roman Religion is almost become like this ship, it hath been patched and peeced at several times by cunning workmen, & there is little or nothing remaining of the old ship wherein Peter fished, I mean of that Church wherein (they say) Peter sat as Bishop; one error succeeding another, and one heresy making way for another, until little faith & truth is found among them. Notwithstanding all the secret conveyances made in that Church, it is not hard in very many particular points, to show the beginning, proceeding, and establishing of the same, touching pardons and indulgences, touching the Pope's supremacy usurped, the Images of the Trinity, and the beginning of Idol worship, touching the merit of works, & forbidding of marriage. The Mass (one of the greatest Idols) began not all at once, but came to this height by degrees. It were endless to name all that might be alleged, and to show how and by whom these points were resisted, and the truth evermore defended.  
Secondly, this serveth to condemn the Use 2 foolish practice of popish pilgrims, who undertake long and laborious journeys to jerusalem and the land of judea, or to this & that Idol, and make it a meritorious work to visit either the Sepulchre of our Lord, or the Image of our Lady. For albeit this Land have been heretofore famous, because the Law came from Zion, and the word of the Lord from jerusalem, E●●y 2, 3, and because Christ himself lived, and preached, and wrought many miracles there, and it be oftentimes called, The holy Land; yet the presence of Christ infused no holiness into it, more than into any other place And all the Papists in the world shall never be able to prove, that it is more meritorious to go to jerusalem in a pilgrim's weed, then to go to Antioch, or Ephesus, or Constantinople, or any other City in the East or West: or that it is more acceptable to God, or available to the soul to travail thither, then for the English to go to London, or the French to Paris. The house where the King resideth, all the while he is there is an honourable house, and there the Court lieth: but when the king is once removed out of the house, it is afterward never a whit the more honourable for the kings being there before: so is it in this case, albeit Christ in his life time and the days of his flesh, did many great works and wonders in it, yet being ascended, and the Christian religion also removed, there remaineth no more holiness in that place, then in any other, and therefore it is great vanity and idolatry for any people to practise such impiety. These are like to the Pilgrims among the Turks & Saracens, 
The turkish Pilgrims.  that go yearly with great show of devotion to Meccha to visit the Sepulchre of Mahomet, and account it a work very meritorious.  
The cities Gilgal and Beth-el were sometimes famous and renowned Cities, yet true religion being once removed, the Prophet chargeth the people not to come at them, and to have nothing to do with them. Hos. 4, 15. Hence it is, that Christ saith, john 4, 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. If then we may worship God with great benefit to ourselves, and as great glory to him in our own Country, I see no cause why we should resort to jerusalem, or go on pilgrimage to Rome or any other place, forasmuch as we may lift up pure hands every where and be heard, 1 Tim. 2, 8. But thus these crafty workmen keep the people's heads busy with outward devotions and shows of holiness, that they may not espy their fraud and deceit in greater matters.  
Lastly, this teacheth all men how they may Use 3 make themselves to be of good name, and their houses and habitations truly famous, to wit, by holiness and true religion, by faith & repentance, which are the ornaments of all Christians. Thus shall the noble man make himself and his house truly noble. If they worship God aright, they shall have true worship with God and man: for he will honour them that honour him, 1 Sam. chap. 2, verse 30, and without true religion, the most noble blood is stained and tainted, and never restored since the treason and rebellion of Adam against God. For that which maketh a man reproachful, or any place reproachful, is sin and wickedness, which make our names rot, Prou, 10, 7. See then the difference between the judgement of God and man. Men do commonly magnify Cities by the stately buildings & goodly Monuments that are found in them, but this is no true or well grounded fame: the true praise and commendation of any City is the piety of the Citizens. A well ordered Town or City embracing zealously true religion, 
The True praise & commendation of a City.  and maintaining the worship of God in integrity, drawing out the sword of justice against vice, and countenancing the faithful in their godly courses, is indeed a right famous and flourishing City. jerusalem the City of God, and the praise of the world, (Psal. 122, 3, 4, 5. and 87, 3, and 48, 11, 12, 13,) was never so famous for her buildings and stately Towers, and outward magnificence, as it was for the word and worship of God. We see then hereby, who they are that are the honour and ornament of Cities, of Towns, and of houses, to wit, such as honour God, and are truly zealous and religious: and likewise who are the shame and reproach, the blot and blemish, the dishonour and disgrace of them, to wit, such as are wicked and profane. Do we see a City, or Town, or private house full of drunkards, of blasphemers, of light and lascivious persons? these are they that pour contempt upon them, and bring shame & infamy unto them. Every one therefore should be careful to look to their charges committed unto them: the Magistrate to govern the people, the Minister to look to the flock, Over which the holy Ghost hath made him Overseer; every father and mother to have an eye to their children, and every master and governor to look to their servants as their several charges, that their houses may not be houses of wickedness, of riotousness, of deceit, of cursing and evil speaking, but rather the houses of God. All men are ready to condemn the Ministers that are absent from their flocks, and to call for residency at their hands: but let these look also upon themselves, and consider the duties of their own callings. Doubtless all Governors have a certain kind of residency required at their hands, 
All governors of houses have a kind of residency required at their hands.  and their presence is meet to be among them to oversee their manners, to redress their disorders, and to teach and instruct them in the ways of godliness. To these Solomon speaketh, Pro. 27, 23, 24. Be diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds: For riches are not for ever, and doth the Crown endure to every generation? When the Shepherd is gone from the Lambs, the wolf watcheth to take his prey. The husbandman sowed good seed in his field, but while he slept, his enemy came, and sowed tars among the wheat. Mat. 13, 25. The devil watcheth all occasions, and maketh his use of all advantages to deceive and seduce, and therefore we must take heed we give him no occasions. Moses was absent from the people but forty days, and what a change found he among them at his return? how deeply had they plunged themselves into idolatry? and how had they corrupted the worship of God, and were departed from him? Such is the corruption of nature, and profaneness of the heart to evil continually, Gen. 6, 5, that they which are under us are ready to fall into evil, even while we are with them and have them in a manner before our eyes, much more when we are absent from them, as Moses speaketh of the people; Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the Lord, and how much more after my death? Deuteronomy, chapter thirty one, verse 27 Let us take heed of long and unnecessary absence from our private charges, as well as they ought that have public charges, lest while by our absence we provide for their bodies, we do not destroy their souls for want of our presence. I will conclude this point with the words of Solomon, Prou. 27, 8. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.  
Verse 10. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, what time the fire devoured, etc., In the description of the Tribe of Reuben he fingleth out Dathan and Abiram, as arch-conspirators against Moses, the lawful Magistrate set over the people, they opposed themselves against authority, and therefore perish. As they withstood Aaron, we have spoken before, Numb. chapter sixteen: now consider their fact as they rebelliously strove against Moses,, and in him against the Lord.  

Doctrine. It is a fearful sin to withstand government and authority.  We learn hereby, that it is a fearful and grievous sin to set ourselves against lawful government and authority which God hath set over us. This is a most wicked and ungodly work, and the Scripture condemneth it in every place, Hos. 8, 3, 4. Roman. 13, 1. 2. Pet. 2, 10. Jude, verse 8. The continual practice of all the godly throughout the old and new Testament tend to the contrary, to commend to us obedience for conscience sake, and to reprove and condemn all resistance & opposition, as a work of the flesh; for they evermore submitted themselves to those that were Magistrates. Christ jesus the Lord of all was not bound to Caesar in any sort, whether we consider him as God or as man. Not as he was God, Caesar was subject unto him, and owed to him homage and obedience: for as David in spirit called him Lord, Mat. 22, 43, so might Cesar also, and all Princes and Potentates in the world. Not as he was man, because he was of the blood royal, of the seed of David, and the right heir to the kingdom; whereas Cesar had no other right but what he got by the sword, and therefore he ought to have received, not to have paid tribute; yet because he would give good example to others, not offence to any, Math. 17, 27, he gave to the receivers for himself and for Peter a Stater, which is thought to amount to half an ounce of silver, in value two shillings six pence, after five shillings the ounce. And as he taught them by his practice, so likewise he did by words, to give unto Cesar the things which are Caesar's. Mat. 22, 21. So did Paul for the trial of the truth, and the justice of his cause appeal unto Cesar from the high Priests, who were carried with rage and envy against him, Acts 25, 11. Psalm. 18, 43, 44.  
Reason 1 The grounds hereof are evident. First, because public authority is God's ordinance, & every soul ought to be subject unto it, because it is of God, Rom. 13, 1, 2. and whosoever resisteth it, resisteth God himself. The people of Israel were rejected of God for resisting the manner of government that God had appointed, when he set judges over them, and they would needs have a king to judge them like all the Nations, 1 Sam. 8, 5, much more than shall they be rejected of God, that resist government itself, and be accounted foul & fearful sinners before him.  
Reason 2 Secondly, because the opposition against government and the denying and withstanding of it must needs bring all confusion that may be, so that nothing can be in peace and quietness. It is said, and often repeated in the book of judges, that every man did what he list, because they had no government, judg. 18, 1, and 17, 6, and 21, 25. God is the God of order, not of confusion, and therefore he alloweth of Magistrates, because he would have order among men. Take away a General out of the field, and expose the whole army to rout, what followeth but the destruction and carnage of the whole host? Take away the Pilot out of the Ship, it is the ready way to perish the Ship: so if you take away the Magistrate (which is as the Chieftain of the army, and as the Master of the Ship) we shall live a life more savage and unreasonable than the unreasonable beasts lead, the great ones would devour the less; the rich, the poor; the strong ones, them that are weak: nothing would appear but a miserable face of havoc and confusion.  
Before we proceed to the uses, Object. it is necessary to remove an objection. For to resist government may not be so fearful a sin, forasmuch as sometimes it is said to be of God, as the Scripture speaking of the apostasy of the ten Tribes from the house of David, saith, that the Lord would give them to jeroboam, and rend the kingdom from the house of David, 1 Ki. 13, 31: and chap. 12, 15, this was done from the Lord: and verse 24, the other Tribes are commanded not to go up to fight against jeroboam and his followers, for this (saith the Lord) is from me. How then can the rebellion of the ten Tribes be a fearful sin, seeing it was from the Lord. Answer. Answer. To clear this point, we must understand, that God's appointment of jeroboam to be King, and the renting off the house of Solomon, doth not justify the act of this people that it was not sin in them; for this came to pass by the decree of God, yet the people are not justified in giving him the kingdom, nor he in accepting of it, inasmuch as they did it not out of any obedience to the will of God, but they did it to ease themselves from the cruelty and tyranny that Rehoboam was likely to use toward them, and therefore they sinned because they had no commandment from God.  
Let us come to the uses. First, this confuteth Use 1 the doctrine of the Anabaptists or Libertines that deny all authority, as not fitting for Christians to bear. They teach their own dreams, that neither Christians should be Magistrates, nor yet subject to Magistrates: an horrible impiety in them, and it would not be worth the time to show how they wrist the Scripture to defend their own error, which otherwise they nothing regard.  
Secondly, it serveth to tax Popery, and Use 2 that out of their own grounds: for the Rhemists have a rule upon Jude, verse 6, that they are heretics that deny authority, and they would father it and fasten it upon us, because we deny subjection to the Pope. But we retort it upon themselves. For never was there any that did cast off the yoke of authority so much as they have done. They have put down the mighty from their seats, and trod upon the necks of Princes: they have dethroned Kings, and armed the son against the father. Under a colour of the holy war they have sent them abroad, and betrayed them into the hands of the Saracens, and in their absence seized upon their Dominions. There was never heretic did so shrink up the sinews, and shake off the yoke of authority as they have done. It is a rule that they have, that Ecclesiastical men ought to be free from all civil authority whatsoever, and that Clergy men must be exempted from subjection to the secular powers; so that they, not we, are the heretics that despise authority. As for the Bishop of Rome, we own him no service, neither may he claim jurisdiction over the universal Church, either by Scriptures, Fathers, Counsels, or imperial Constitutions for many ages.  
Use 3 Lastly, this serveth as an information to us, that we avoid all such proud and peevish conceits as these, to imagine there should be no authority: and be provoked to be thankful unto almighty GOD, that we do enjoy authority, seeing by it we are freed from confusion and desolation, from much mutiny and misery that otherwise would befall us. For notwithstanding by the great goodness of God we have authority, such is the fury and fierceness of wicked men, that they break out into strange enormities, and commit many fearful things by poisonings, by stabbings, by cousenages, by oppressions, by forgery, and falsehood, and such like mischievous and monstrous practices: what then would they presume to do, if there were no authority to bring them and their doings into question, and to call them to an account for their audacious courses? A man should always have his life in his hand, there could be no peace or safety in our houses and habitations, if there were no authority, to rule, to control, to terrify, to punish: and therefore how thankful ought we to be to almighty God for that authority which he hath set over us, and for the peaceable government we enjoy under our gracious Sovereign? Now this must withal be acknowledged of us, that no man can be truly thankful for authority, that is not willingly and cheerfully subject to authority. It is a frivolous and vain thing to pretend thankfulness, and yet not undergo the yoke of obedience with cheerfulness.   
[Verse 11. Notwithstanding the Children of Korah died not. 
What became of Korah himself, we have seen before. His name was famous in the Congregation, but he became infamous through his rebellion, and it is called the gainsaying of Korah to this day, Jude, verse 11. Notwithstanding mark here, that the sons of Korah perished not when their father perished and was punished, who spoke evil of them that were in authorty: for it appeareth that they were preserved alive, and became afterward famous in the Church of God, and honourable mention is made of them in the book of Psalms and of the Chronicles, 1. Chronicles, chapter 6, verse 22. Psalm. 42, and Psalm 44, and Psalm 45, and sundry others afterward, as 2 Chronicles, chapter 20, verse 19  
From hence ariseth this Doctrine, 
Doctrine. It is no disgrace for godly children to descend of ungodly parents.  that it is no disgrace for godly children to descend and come of ungodly parents. Howsoever sin be a reproach to the parents themselves, yet it taketh not hold of their issue, except they walk in those sins. Ezek. 18, 14. If he beget a son that seethe all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth & doth not the like, etc. he shall surely live. jephte is commended for a faithful man, that fought the battles of the Lord, & subdued the enemies of his people, yet he was the son of an harlot, judg. 11, 1. Heb. chap. 11, verse 32. This farther appeareth in Saul and jonathan, the one of them the greatest enemy, the other the greatest friend of David: the one swore his death, the other his life; the father to kill him, the son to save him, and therefore it was no dishonour to him to have such a father. The like we might say of Ahaz, a most wicked man, and Hezekiah a most godly King, one of the best sons of one of the worst fathers: yet who accounteth the worse of good Hezekiah, because he had wicked Ahaz to his father? jeroboam king of Israel set up idolatry, and caused Israel to sin, and therefore the Lord threateneth to bring evil upon his house, that the dogs should eat him that died in the City, and the fowls of the air, him that died in the field, 1 Kings, chapter 14, verse 10: so that they should all be swept away, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone: yet God gave him one good son, whom in mercy he took to himself, and saved as a brand out of the fire, or as a Shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the Lion two legs or a piece of an ear, Amos, chapter 3, verse 12: and therefore it is said, All Israel shall mourn for him, for he only of jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel.  
The grounds of this truth follow. First, Reason 1 that election might stand wholly by grace, forasmuch as almighty God showeth mercy, where and to whom he will. If religion should descend from father to son in a common and ordinary course of generation or propagation without any interruption, it might be thought to be a work of nature, not of grace, and to proceed from parents, not from almighty GOD. Therefore be often breaketh off that course, so that wicked parents have sometimes good and godly children; and contrariwise godly parents have wicked and vile children, that the purpose of GOD according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, Rom. chap. 9, verse 11.  
Secondly, it is sin only that bringeth shame and reproach, as we showed and proved in the first Doctrine upon this chapter: and therefore such as come of wicked persons and parents, if they forsake the sins wherein their ancestors and forefathers have walked and wallowed as swine in the mire, can receive no touch of disgrace, or blemish of honour, or stain of name at all.  
Thirdly, it is no credit or grace, for evil and corrupt children, to descend of godly parents; as we see in the children of josiah, he reformed religion betimes, and consecrated his young years, as it were his first fruits unto God: howbeit his children walked not in the ways of their father, but did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 2 Chron. 36, 5, 12: the righteousness of their father could do them no good, but the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself, Ezek. chapter 18, verse 20.  
Use 1 We learn from hence, that such as have had evil parents, must acknowledge God's great mercy toward them, and never forget what he hath done for them. He might justly leave us in the wicked ways of our forefathers, and give us over to follow their steps. And as one serpent engendereth another, so naturally doth one wicked man bring forth another: and without a special grace preventing, like father, like son: an evil root, an evil tree: an evil fountain, an evil stream. None ought therefore to justify the works of their progenitors, & think it enough if they follow them, but must consider whether they followed the right way, Psalm. 78, 8: rather they must say in humility, We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against thee, jer. 14, 20. Dan. 9, 8. Psal. 106, 6. Esay 65, 7. How many do we see run on in evil with their evil fathers? When jeroboam had set up two Calves, the one at Dan, the other at Beth-el, the rest that succeeded him in his seat, followed him in his sin one after another, (like those that run down a steep hill, never stay till they come to the bottom) until a worse arose, I mean Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness, and changed the idolatry of jeroboam into a worse, bringing in the worship of Baal a strange god, whereas before they worshipped the true God, albeit in a false manner. Wherefore when God restraineth the children from those wicked ways, and openeth their eyes to see the evil of their parents, how can it but be acknowledged and confessed to be his good hand? and how should we not say, that the ways of God are equal? Ezek. 18. Nothing is more natural and ordinary, then of evil parents to have brought forth into the world evil children, job 14, 4. joh. 3, 6. Psal. 51, 5. Every thing fructifieth according to his kind; of briars, what can come but briars? Of thorns, what can we look for but thorns? Every seed hath his proper body, 1. Corinth. chap. 15, verse 38. Do men gather Grapes of thorns, or Figs of thistles? saith Christ, Math. 7, 16, yet behold how God, his mercy as it were prevailing and getting the upper hand over his justice, and his power altering our corrupt nature, behold I say, how God by his marvelous and strange work, at which we may all wonder, maketh Grapes to grow of thorns, and Figs to spring our of thistles; He maketh the barren woman to bear and to be a joyful mother of children, Psalm. 113, 9 Gal. 4, verse 27: and them that were cut out of the Olive tree, which was wild by nature, to be graffed contrary to nature into a good Olive tree, Rom. chap. 11, verse 24. Whence did Abraham himself spring, but of an idolatrous stock? for his fathers worshipped strange gods on the other side of the flood, josh. chapter 24, 2, so that God showed mercy to him, and called him from his Country and kindred, and from his father's house, Gen. chapter 12, verse 1.  
Secondly, we are from hence admonished Use 2 and provoked to repent and turn unto God. Nothing can blot out the remembrance of the oppression, cruelty, wickedness, and profaneness of ungodly parents, but the repentance of their children, Ezek. chapter 18, ver. 30, 31. A wicked life led by wicked parents, is as the skin of the blackmoor, or as the spots of a Leopard: it is written or graven with the Pen of a Diamond, all the water in the sea cannot wash it away, nor all the nitre & soap in the world cannot purge it, but it cleaveth to the children, and to the children's children, as a leprosy: only true repentance is able quite to blot it out. This is as the Fuller's earth, that can scour out all the stains and blots of parents, that they shall not cleave to the children, and therefore the Prophet calleth to them to repent and turn themselves from all their transgressions, that iniquity be not their ruin, Ezek. 18, 30, 31, they must make them new hearts and new spirits. And until the child have learned this, to blot out his father's sins by repentance, the reproach of them cleaveth fast unto him: but when once he hateth and forsaketh them, they are none of his, they died in the bed, and are buried in the grave of his father, never to arise nor to be charged upon him or his name. For as repentance blotteth out the remembrance of sin before God, as if it had never been, so ought it much more before men, whose praise is to be like their heavenly Father.  
Thirdly, no man ought to object the sins Use 3 of parents (whether dead or alive) or the punishment befallen unto them, though they have lived an ungracious life, or died an ignominious death, to their children that do not approve of their ways, neither follow them in wickedness. It was no disgrace or reproach to these sons of Korah, to have a traitor and rebel to their father, that made insurrection against the lawful Magistrate, and was consumed with fire from heaven, & therefore there is as honourable mention made of them in holy Scripture, as there is dishonourable of their father. It was no discredit for Ruth or Rahab to come, the one from the Moabites, who were branded with infamy from their first conception, Gen. 19, 37. the other from the Canaanites who were cursed in their first father, Gen. 9, 25. and all of them vowed to destruction, Gen. 15, 16, 18, 19, etc. If the father be an Ammorite, and the mother an Hittite, yet if the child be a true Israelite, in whom is no guile, 
john 1, 47.  as it is said of Nathaniel, it shall be his greater praise and glory, rather than any shame and ignominy unto him; as it was more admired that any good should come out of Nazareth, then out of jerusalem. If a man have an adulterer, or drunkard, or murderer, or profane person unto his father, or have had such forefathers for many generations, yet shall their sins die with their persons, and be remembered no more, whensoever the son forsaketh those their wicked ways. No man therefore must cast them in the teeth, or upbraid any believer with the sins of his unbelieving parents. If a man come of Turkish or Heathenish parents, that never believed in Christ, nor acknowledged the true God, yet God will accept of those that forsake this infidelity and impiety: who therefore are we that we should upbraid them with the blots and infirmities of their fathers? For, as the godliness of the father shall nothing help the ungodly child, but the soul that sinneth shall die the death: Ezek 18, 20: so the ungodliness of the father shall nothing hurt the godly, because he renounceth it and hateth it as an enemy. The practice therefore of those is evil, that lad and burden with cartload of reproaches, those that are not to be touched in their own persons, because of the vices and sins of their parents.  
Use 4 Lastly, we must learn, that it shall on the other side be no honour, credit, comfort, or commendation, to descend from godly and worthy Ancestors, if we degenerate from them as a base and bastard brood, Ezek. 18, 10, 13. It is the manner of many to stand much upon their pedigree, which the very heathen derided as great vanity, and accounted nothing indeed their own which themselves had not done: for what hath a coward to do, to glory in the valour of his Fathers? And they made choice rather to descend of unnoble Parents, 
ovid. metam. lib. 13.  so themselves were noble and renowned through virtue, then to come of worthy Progenitors, 
I●uenal. Saty. 8  and themselves to grow base & degenerate out of kind. This did the Prophet tell jehoiachim, jer. 22, 15, 16. Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice & judgement, and then it was well with him? he judged the cause of the poor, etc.: but thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and to shed innocent blood, and for oppression and violence to do it. Hence it is, that john the Baptist telleth the jews, that they should not boast of their progenitors, to say, They had Abraham to their Father, Mat. 3, 8, 9 They gloried much in this carnal privilege, and thought the whole seed of Abraham by generation of the flesh to be within the covenant of grace, and should be partakers of salvation; and in a proud conceit of this external glory, grew to contemn the Gentiles as a people forsaken of God. But there is an Israelite in the covenant, and an Israelite out of the covenant, as there is a jew that is outward, and a jew that is inward, Rom. 2, 29. & 4, 16: as there is an election that is general, and an election more special taken out of that general. There are sons of Abraham according to the flesh, 
Rom. 4, 16.  and there are heirs of the faith of Abraham: as the Lord himself saith, Mal. 1, 2. Is not Esau jacob's broth●●? Yet I have hated Esau, and loved jacob. Wherefore, when the pharisees said, We have Abraham to our father: Christ answered, If ye were the children of Abraham, ye would do the works of Abraham: but now ye are of your father the devil, john 8, 39, 44. Let no man therefore rejoice in the flesh, neither stand upon the gifts given unto others, as it were to deck himself with the feathers of other birds. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles showeth, that he might have confidence in the flesh, and if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, he had cause much more: he was circumcised the eight day, he was of the stock of Israel, and of the Tribe of Benjamin, he was an Hebrew of the Hebrews, and as touching the law a Pharisee, Yet what things soever might be gain unto him, the same he counted loss for Christ's sake, yea as dung that he might win him, Phil. 3, 7, 8. Let every one therefore labour to have grace in his own heart, knowing, That the just shall live by his own faith, Hab. 2, 4. forasmuch as the faith of the father cannot profit the child that is without faith.   

12 The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel the family of the Nemuelites, etc.  
13 Of Zerah the family of the Zarhites, etc.  
14 These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand, and two hundred.  
In the description of this Tribe, we are to consider the small number and little company in comparison of the other Tribes, and of themselves also, compared with the former sum. For whereas before they were 59300 they are now only as we see 22200. If any ask what may be the cause of this great abatement, Objection that there were so many before, & now fallen to be so few? Answ. The reason is to be taken out of the last history remembered in the former chapter, to wit, that one of the Princes of the Tribe of Simeon, being accompanied with many others of that Tribe, and backed and countenanced with them, committed a most shameful and shameless act before his brethren, and brought a Midianitish harlot into the host in the sight of Moses; yea, he was no doubt a mover and persuader of others to commit the like wickedness, whereby it came to pass, that the greatest number of this Tribe perished with him in that grievous plague. For it was reason that as they did partake with him in the Whoredom, so they should communicate together in the punishment. Hereupon it fell out, that whereas all the other Tribes in a manner surmounted the former account, or at least equalled the same, this failed much of the former sum. This is to be noted of us in this place, serving as a good commentary and exposition of the words of Moses, Deut. 32, 6. where Simeon is wholly left out. 
Doctrine. It is hard to forsake society with wicked men, when we are once entered into it.  This teacheth us, that it is a very hard thing, to avoid, shun, and break off our society with wicked men, when once we are entered into it, but we follow and pursue it with greediness till we be punished together with them. It is hard to be kept from contracting friendship and fellowship with them: they are cunning to insinuate themselves; and if they be not called to us, they will call themselves; and if they be not bidden, they are as shameless guess, they will invite themselves. If at any time they be thrust out of our company, they will seek to enter again: and if the door be barred against them, they will wind in themselves (like the Thief) at the window, rather than they will stand without, that is, they will take all occasions to force themselves upon us. And if we find it hard not to contract it, we shall find it much harder to break it off, being once contracted: & doubtless never harder than in these days of sin, wherein iniquity hath gotten the upper hand, Exod. 33, 32, 33. Deut. 7, 2, 3, 4. 2 King. 8, 18.  
Reason 1 The grounds are, because sin is a cunning Orator, able to move much: so is every sinner, though otherwise never so simple, a cunning rhetorician, speaking in the enticing words of man's wisdom, or rather of the devils eloquence: and therefore they seldom plead, but they persuade: they seldom come, but they overcome. They compass sea and land, they spare no time, or place, or means, to win whomsoever they can to themselves, Prou. 7, 21. Secondly, our nature is prone to decline unto evil: for, as sin is strong twisted as a cartrope to draw others, so we are of ourselves weak and feeble, ready to yield and to give over upon every occasion, even of ourselves through our inbred corruption, though none do entice or entrap us; much more than when we are proved and provoked. We see it by the Israelites that suffered the Heathen to live among them, they soon learned their ways and served their idols, which were a snare to them, Psal. 106, 35, 36.  
Use 1 This reproveth all such as enter into league with such persons, they even offer their hands and feet to be bound as it were in chains, and they become afterward as prisoners and vassals to them. The chains of sin are small and subtle in the beginning, they are not easy to be espied while they are more easy to be passed over, or to be broken: and so much less easy they are to be discerned, because they promise pleasure or profit, liberty or life; howbeit afterward having taken hold, they do so clasp and enclose the poor prisoner, that he can hardly free himself. This is the ruin and downfall of many. If we make much of the sinner, we cannot long hate the sin: and therefore the Apostle joineth them both together, and chargeth us to avoid both the one & the other, Eph. 5, 7, 11. Be ye not partakers with them: and afterward he addeth, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. If then we be continually in company with evil doers, the continual custom of seeing and hearing evil, dimmeth our fight, and stoppeth our ears, and hardeneth our hearts, and taketh away out feeling, that we can neither see the ugliness of sin, nor hear the cry of it, nor feel the foulness of it, yea it stoppeth our mouths that we cannot, nor dare not for fear of offence reprove any of their evil ways, but first we wink at them, and afterward we join with them.  
Secondly, we see hereby the error & vain Use 2 persuasion of many men, that for pleasure or profit, or such like carnal respects yoke themselves with profane persons, who glory and boast that they can easily and quickly break off society with them whensoever they list, & leave their company at their own pleasure or leisure. But these men are much deceived, & know neither the deceitfulness of sin, nor cunning of a sinner, nor the judgement of God. For mark when we list, we shall find by experience few examples of such as have returned from carnal and corrupt company. And hereby it appeareth to be true, because when as such as delighted to stand in the way of sinners, once went seriously about it, to shake off their fellows, and to leave their folly, they have been discouraged with the difficulty of the work, and found it as hard as for a prisoner to shake off his fetters that are made fast about him. When Peter lay in prison, he could not with all his might free himself from his irons, it was the hand of the Angel that delivered him from those chains, Acts 12, 7: so all the power and strength that we have is not great enough to set us at liberty from the snares of sin, it must be a superior and supernatural work, that we may confess and say, This is the finger of God. The strong man keepeth us under lock and key, Till a stronger than he cometh, and taketh from him all his Armour, wherein he trusted, and divideth the spoils, Luk. chapter 11, verse 22. Nay, the more strength a man thinketh he hath to withstand any sin, or to resist the sinner, the sooner he is overtaken with the one & the other. For this persuasion ariseth from presumption in himself of his own gifts, and this breedeth in him security, and so in the end through a proud opinion he hath of his great strength, he groweth so reckless and careless, that he feareth not to commit any sin whatsoever. This we might express and enlarge by the example of Peter, Math. 26. The Scripture setteth him down as a glass before us, that so often as we look upon him we should take notice of our own frailty and weakness. And doubtless this is the cause why God oftentimes in his just judgement forsaketh men, and leaveth them unto themselves, because they make flesh their arm, and presume upon their own strength. Hence it is that they are often overtaken with those sins, which otherwise, if they had feared with a godly jealousy their own hearts, he would have kept them from the pit of them. So than it is a vain thing for men to use the company of those that are profane and wicked, under an evill-grounded conceit and foolish imagination of their own ability to stand fast, seeing it is so hard a thing to forsake and shake off their society.  
Use 3 Lastly, it admonisheth every one, that there is required great wariness and watchfulness of him, to forsake the company, and abandon the society of those that are wicked men. For the hardness of this duty should stir us up to be so much more careful and fearful of ourselves. Therefore we ought to labour after a sound faith, that we may believe this to be true: for this is the foundation of the whole building. Faith is that which will beget fear, and fear will beget diligence and circumspection to avoid that which is evil. Thus it was with Noah, he did believe that GOD would destroy the world, or else he had himself been destroyed with the unbelieving world: therefore also he feared, knowing that he who had threatened would perform. And what did this fear work in him? was it idle? No, it caused him To prepare the Ark to save himself, and to enter into it, going from the rest of the world, and separating himself and his family from them, Heb. 11, 7. So then these three go together, faith, fear, and diligence. Faith breedeth fear, and fear bringeth carefulness. If we have faith to believe the danger of evil company, and how hard it is to separate from them, and to touch nothing of theirs, as we heard chap. 16, 26: where Moses saith, Depart, I pray you, from the Tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins: this will make us begin to be fearful, to fear our own estate, lest we be suddenly surprised and supplanted, and then it will make us careful and watchful over our own hearts. But where there is want of this faith, there men are rash and foolhardy, and fear nothing at all, and so like blind men they fall into the pit, & cause others to fall. This is the cause that Satan in the beginning laboured to batter this fortress, and to undermine the faith of our first parents, that they should not believe the word of God, and so entertain communication with him, Genes. 3. So he sought to shake the faith of Christ in the first place; but the Prince of this world found nothing in him. Let us therefore take to us the shield of Faith, wherewith we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, Ephes. 6, 16. And albeit we cannot but live in the world with wicked men as the Apostle teacheth, 1 Cor. chap. 5. verse 10: yet must we beware we do not eat with them, verse 11. that is, converse with them, and join in league with them, lest if we run with them into evil, it turn to their and our destruction. To conclude therefore, let us remember that if we be partakers with them in their sins, we shall also be partakers in their punishment; and learn to be faithful, fearful, and careful.   

52 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:  
53 Unto these the Land shall be divided for an inheritance.  
54 To a few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given, according unto those that were numbered of him.  
55 Nevertheless, the Land shall be divided, etc.  
56 According to the lot shall the possession thereof be, etc.  
In these words, we have the second part of the Chapter, containing the commandment of God, touching the dividing of the Land, amplified by the form or manner of the doing of it: first, by an Arithmetical proportion according to the number of names, having regard to the multitude or fewness of them, they that were more in number were to have the greater inheritance, and they that were fewer, a lesser. And this was one end of this new numbering taken of the people in this place, whereas they had been numbered before. Secondly, to avoid partiality and contention, it must be done by Lot, that they might rest in that division no less then if it had been done by the immediate voice of God from heaven. So then, as all the Tribes had not an equal number of persons, so they were not to receive an equal measure of inheritance: and as they differed in multitude, so they were to differ in their portion and partition of the Land. If they had received all an equality, some should have been burdened with superfluity, and others straightened through penury.  
The Doctrine arising from hence is this: 
Doctrine. God provideth sufficiently for all his people.  That God provideth sufficiently for all his people. Every man hath his portion assigned him of God upon the earth. It is his will and pleasure that all should have their measure of earthly things, not some to have all, and some nothing at all, but all to have some part, Deu. 15, 7, 8, 10. God would have no beggar in Israel. When the Lord sent down Manna, and fed his people with Angel's food, all the host from the highest to the lowest had enough; He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little, had no lack, Exod. 16, 18. 2 Cor. 8, 15. To this end he instituted deacons in the Church, merciful men to look to the poor, that none should be neglected in the daily ministration, Acts 6, 1, 3. & 4, 34: there was none in the Church of Christ that lacked, forasmuch as distribution was made to every one according as he needed. This was no anabaptistical communion, but a Christian communication of outward and earthly things, as every man had need. And here we have not a disannulling of propriety, but an establishing of charity. The Evangelist Luke describing the state of the church after Christ's ascension, saith, that the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul, neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common, Act 4, 32. Rom. 12, 13, 2 Cor. 9, 9  
Reason 1 The reasons are manifest. For he provided for man in the beginning before he had any being or beginning, as he prepareth milk in the mother's breast before the infant be brought forth into the world. He made all things necessary for man, before he made man himself, Gen. 1. & 2. much more will he provide for us after we have life and bodies given unto us.  
Secondly, who gave unto us life? & whence have we received our bodies? Is it not from God? is not he our Maker? and are not we the work of his hands? Our Saviour teacheth us, That the life is more than meat, and the body than raiment, Matth. chap. 6, 25. If then we have received life from him, we shall also receive meat to sustain life: and if he have given us our bodies, he will give us garments to clothe our bodies, and to cover our nakedness.  
Thirdly, he feedeth all his creatures that he made, He causeth grass to grow for the Cattle, & herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth, Psal, 104, 14. Yea, the young Lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God, verse 21. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young Ravens that cry, Psal. 147, 9 The Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works, Psal. 145, 9 So the eyes of all wait upon him, and he giveth them their meat in due season, he openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing, verse 15, 16: much more than will he provide for man whom he made after his own image, and set him to rule over the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven.  
Fourthly, every man by the instinct of nature, and the light of grace provideth for his own children, and supplieth all their wants, and every Governor ministereth food and necessary things for his family, Proverb. 31, 15. and he that doth not this, Hath denied the faith and is worse than an Infidel, 1 Tim. 5, 8. We are Gods own people, we belong to his household and family: he is the Creator, and we his creatures: he is our father, and we his children: he is our master, and we his servants: he is our shepherd, and we his sheep. If then he should not feed us and provide for us, he should deny himself, and falsify the word that is gone out of his own mouth, which is unpossible. This reason is urged by our Saviour Christ, Matth. 7, 9, 10. Luke 11, 11, 12, 13.  
This reproveth those that never think they Use 1 hau● enough, neither will know what is sufficient, no not when God hath given them great plenty and abundance. They that have much are yet desirous of more, and they that are full think themselves empty. Hence it is, that though they have much laid up in store for many years, Luke 12. yet they have no use at all of it, no benefit by it, no comfort in it. As it is a great blessing of God to give riches, and an heart to use them, nay it is a twofold blessing: so on the other side, it is a great judgement to have this world's good, and to be a slave unto it, to serve it as his master, and to worship it as his god. For first of all these men do wonderfully fret and fume, 
The evils of covetousness  vex & torment themselves, especially when any thing crosseth their desire (and the least occasion will do it) the want of contentation setteth the mind upon the Rack, that they have less peace of heart and comfort of their life then the poor man. For when his labour is done (which through custom and continuance is made light and easy) his sleep is sweet, and his rest is pleasant: whereas the other disorder, disquiet and distemper themselves in heaping up riches, and cannot tell who shall enjoy them, or whether their heir will prove a wise man or a fool, Eccles. 2, 19 1 Tim. 6, 9, 10. Secondly, they bewray much impiety and infidelity, that their hearts are destitute of true godliness, whatsoever show they make to the contrary, 1 Tim. 6, 6. Psal. 119, 36. james 1, 27: for the immoderate desire of riches overturneth the order and course of nature, and maketh the soul which is heavenly to be altogether earthly. Thirdly there is no sin which a covetous man will not commit for his gain, and therefore the Apostle calleth it the root of all evil, 1 Tim, 6, 10. It is in effect the breach of the whole law. It setteth up a strange or false god in the heart, and therefore is called, The worshipping of Images, Col. 3, 5. and the covetous person an Idolater, Ephes. 5.5. He will swear and stare, he will curse and blaspheme to get an halfpenny, Proverb. 30, 9: he regardeth the Sabbath no more than his old shoes, & will damn his own soul to fill his purse, and to feed his belly, Amos 8, 5. It is therefore a mother sin, and a capital evil. It was the cause of lying in Gehazi, 2 Kings 5, 25. of murder in Ahab, 1 Kings 21, 19: of treachery in judas, Matth. 26, 15. of theft in Achan, josh. 7, 21. of Apostasy in Demas, 2 Tim. 4, 10. Lastly, it worketh a distrust for the things of this life in the goodness and providence of God, that they dare not trust him for their daily bread, who notwithstanding provideth for all his creatures, that they might have what to suffice them, and learn to depend upon him.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is the office of God to provide for all living things that have life and breath in them, he hath enough to sustain them all, but we are more worth than thousands & ten thousands of them; and he maketh them to feed us, as he commanded the ravens to feed Eliah, who brought him bread and flesh in the morning and in the evening, 1 Kings 17, 4, 6. Do we then at any time want provision, so that we know not what to do, or where to become, or which way to turn ourselves? It is as much as if God told us, it is his charge to give us whatsoever is meet and sufficient for us, as a faithful Steward that provideth for all his family, be it never so great. And seeing he feedeth the wild beasts which howl and bray, without knowing that there is a maker which should nourish them: how then ought we to depend upon him, who are sure that he hath set us in the world, to maintain us as his creatures, and to feed us as his children in it? This is after a sort nature's prayer, to make suit to God for succour and sustenance, as job 38, 41. He provided for the Raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God. Their crying is as it were a confession of their need, which cannot be supplied and relieved but by God only; and therefore he will not leave us destitute, Math. 6.26. But some may say, how doth the crying of the Ravens, Object. and the roaring of the Lions tend to God? or how do they ask their food of him? Alas, they know nothing concerning God: the swine that grunteth under the tree, never lifteth up his eyes so much as to the tree from whence the Mast falleth. How then should they seek their meat at the hands of God? Or how should they understand the things of God, who understand not the things of men, but as unreasonable creatures are led only by sense and appetite? Answ. I answer, there is no more ascribed to the Ravens and Lions, then is to be understood of all other creatures. But it importeth these two things: first, that it is God who through his providence provideth, and through his goodness giveth meat unto the Lions and all other creatures. It is he that upholdeth all the works of his hands that none perisheth that was form in the beginning, Psal. 111, 4. Secondly, the crying and yelling of brute beasts, wrung from them by the force of famine and hunger, is instead of a calling on him, and hath after a sort the nature of a prayer for meat & maintenance. As if one should say, that the young child, the infant and suckling that hangeth at the mother's breasts, when it crieth, seeketh to the mother for food and sustenance, albeit it have no knowledge of the mother, neither of the mother's duty or tender care over it: but because the necessity of the child doth properly belong unto the care of the mother. Now then to apply these things, if the cry of the unreasonable creatures have the force and power of a calling upon him, how much more are we to believe, that the prayers and groans of the faithful, have indeed the force of a fervent and earnest prayer, yea albeit sometimes they speak nothing distinctly and directly unto him?  
Thirdly, it is our duty to praise the name Use 3 of God, and to give thanks to him humbly and hearty, when he hath fed us with his blessings every day, Psal. 104, 1. & 103, 1.5. where he provoketh his soul to offer up this sacrifice, and all that is within him to bless his name, who redeemed his life from destruction, and satisfieth his mouth with good things. Let us not therefore be unthankful for his mercies, nor forget any of his benefits. The natural man taketh his daily bread as a fruit of his own labour, not as the gift of God, & therefore no marvel if he do ascribe the praise and glory to himself. But if we consider aright that it is God who feedeth us, and that we have not so much as a bit of bread, or a drop of water to do us good, but we must ask it & receive it at his hands, it will teach us to give the glory to his name, and to lift up our hearts in thanksgiving to him.  
Lastly, it becometh us to ascend as it were Use 4 by steps to an higher comparison, from the body to the soul, and from the meat that perisheth to that which endureth to everlasting life. For seeing we understand that GOD is thus careful to feed our bodies, it is much more reason that we should seek at his hands the nourishment of our souls. If we have not this skill and consideration in us, the Fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field will be witnesses against us to condemn us. This is the voice of faith, the other the voice of Nature. Nature is wise enough to tell us when we want provision for the body, but it must be the office of faith to tell us when we want food for the soul. We are ready to cry out oftentimes, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewith shall we be clothed? Mat. 6. but few feel the wants of their souls though they be like to perish and pine away; wherefore our Saviour teacheth us, Matth. chapter 6. verse 33. First of all to seek the Kingdom of God, and then all other things shall be ministered unto us.   

57 And these are they that were numbered of the Levites, after their families, of Gershon, etc.  
58 These are the families of the Levites, the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Hebronites, etc.  
59 And the name of Amrams' wife, etc.  
60 And unto Aaron was borne Nadab & Abihu, Eleazar and Ishamar.  
61 And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord.  
We have here the third and last part of the chapter, touching the numbering of the Levites apart by themselves, branched out into three principal families, but specially Aaron is insisted upon, to whom the Priesthood was given, who is described both by his parents and by his posterity, and among his posterity Moses again singleth out the fact of Nadab & Abihu, who died when they offered strange fire before the Lord. And albeit we have spoken of this before, chap. 3, 4. yet being offered again let us consider better of it. For whereas God commanded fire to be duly and diligently kept always burning upon the Altar, wherewith the sacrifices were to be consumed, and must never be suffered to go out, Leuit. 6, 9, 12, 13. they presumed to offer sacrifice with strange fire, and therefore died before their father; for as well they might have taken a strange beast, as a strange fire, the one being no less forbidden than the other. Whereby we see, the evil persons are cut off betimes, 1 Chro. 24.1, 2: and are not suffered to live out half their days. This heavenly fire which GOD sent to consume his sacrifices was brought into the Temple built by Solomon, and there it continued from one generation to another until the destruction of the Temple and the City. 
The 2. book of Macchab. not Canonical.  True it is, the author of the second book of Macchabees telleth us a tale, that when Nehemias' had builded the Temple and the Altar, he offered sacrifice with this fire: for when  Fathers were led into Persia, the Priests that were devout took the fire of the Altar privily, and hide it in an hollow place of a pit without water, where they kept it sure, so that the place was unknown to all men: wherefore he sent for the posterity of those Priests that had hid it, howbeit they could find no fire, but thick water, which being sprinkled upon the wood and sacrifice, there arose a great fire, so that every man that saw it marveled, 2 Maccha. 1, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Where we see, two things are coupled together, the building of the Temple and Altar by Nehemiah, and the sending of fire from heaven by God; these may well be joined, the one being as true as the other. But it is plain by the whole Scripture, that Nehemiah builded not the Temple, if we shall consider the circumstances either of the persons, or of the time, or of the place. For the Altar was builded by Zerubbabel and joshua in the reign of Cyrus, so soon as by his proclamation they returned from the captivity of Babylon, to wit, the seventh month after, Ezra 3. And touching the Temple, though the foundation began to be laid while Cyrus himself yet lived: yet it was not ended & finished before the sixth year of the reign of Darius Nothus, Ezra 6, which was many years after, john 2, 20. But Nehemiah was then in Babylon, and not yet come to jerusalem, forasmuch as he obtained leave of the king of Persia to go thither, in the 20. year of Artaxerxes Mnemon the successor of this Darius, Ezr. 4. & 7. Neh. 1, & 2: by which computation of time it will appear, that the Altar was builded an hundred years and more, and the Temple finished at the least 30. years before the coming of Nehemiah: so that the author of this second book of Macchabees is not a little deceived in his Chronology, and discovereth that he wrote by a mere human spirit, according to his own confession in the shutting up of the book, wherein he craveth pardon for his slips and oversights, 
2 Ma. 15, 38. 3●  & we see there was great need he should do so. Now from the former premises I reason thus: 
This fire discovered to Nehemiah, was kindled of God when he had builded the Temple and the Altar.  
But he never builded the Temple and the Altar:  
Therefore this fire was never kindled of God.   
Again, the author of that book testifieth, that after Nehemiah had received this fire from God, the king of Persia built a Temple unto it: but we may truly affirm he never built any such Temple, forasmuch as the Jews neither had, neither indeed might have, any other Temple than one, and that at jerusalem, before the coming of the Messiah, which the Lord had chosen to put his name there. It might be that the kings of Persia & that king in particular might build a Temple to fire, which they worshipped as God, howbeit this is spoken by way of supposition, and hath no relation to the fire here spoken off. Neither can this be understood of the Temple at jerusalem, but must be referred to some other built elsewhere if haply any were built at all. For it is said that after the Temple and Altar were builded, and Nehemiah had offered sacrifice, this came to the ears of the king of Persia, and then he commanded this supposed Temple to be erected. Again, Nehemiah expressing his journey up to jerusalem, and coming to the sepulchres of his fathers, maketh no mention of the finding of any such fire, which no doubt he would have done, if any such had been offered unto them. For he reporteth many & sundry things done by him in that book, he mentioneth their offering of sacrifices with great joy and gladness, chap. 12. how is it then that he omitteth this miracle? Doubtless if he had received so great & miraculous a benefit, he would not have forgotten it, neither indeed could without note of unthankfulness, which was far from that devout and religious man. Furthermore, the setting up of this miracle of the newfound fire hid in the pit, and after discovered by the Priests, and kindled by the Lord, is the weakening and shaking of a great mystery and foundation of the Christian religion. For it is written, that the jews were stirred up by the Prophets to proceed cheerfully in building of the Temple, because the glory of that latter house should be greater than of the former, Hag. 2, 9, which prophecy is agreed upon to be fulfilled, in that Christ was borne while the second house stood, which he made famous and renowned by his presence, by his doctrine, & by his miracles, Luke 2, 46, & 7, 8. There also did the Apostles begin the preaching of the Gospel, which taking his beginning from Zion and jerusalem, was spread abroad from thence into all the earth. Many were the privileges and prerogatives of the Tabernacle framed by Moses, and of the first house builded by Solomon; they had the fire from heaven, the Ark of the Covenant, the pillar of the cloud, the urim and Thummim, and the succession of the Prophets: but the second house built after their return from captivity wanted all these; therefore while it stood, the Messiah must come (being greater than all these) that through his presence, who was to be the ruler in Israel, Mic. 5, 2, the glory of the latter house might be greater than the former, and so the prophecy should be fulfilled. But if this story were true, which is broached by the writer of that book, the latter Temple should be more glorious and famous through this miraculous fire then the former, For in the former, the sacrifices were only consumed with fire, & that fire was sent from God, and nourished by the continual ministry and attendance of the Priests: but in the latter temple, they should have had not only the same fire with the other, but the fire preserved by a wonderful miracle, & that in a contrary element: 
Fire burned ●nto water, & water into fire.  yea, here are many miracles heaped together: for as that fire was preserved in water, so of that thick water (into which it was changed) was the fire kindled again, 2 Macab. 1, 22: and that which is more, when the sacrifice was consumed, Nehemiah is said to have commanded the water that was left to be powered on the great stones; whereby was kindled a flame which was consumed by the light that shined from the altar, verse 31, 32. And this is so apparent that the jewish Rabbins that have the veil before their eyes, or rather before their hearts, have acknowledged the truth hereof, that the 2 house had not that fire which the former had, contrary to the opinion of that writer. And yet notwithstanding the evidence of the former reasons and the confession of the jews themselves, he sticketh not in the next chapter, to allege the Prophet jeremy, as if he had commanded them that were carried away to take with them the Tabernacle, the Ark and the fire, as hath been signified, 2 Maccab. 2, 1. But to leave all these assertions delivered with warrant, let us come to the doctrine offered to our considerations in the destruction of the 2. 
Doctrine. It is a sin to decline from the worship of God.  sons of Aaron, because they offered strange fire, to wit, that it is a sin & impiety, which the Lord leaveth not unpunished for any man in the outward worship of God, to decline from the Law of God. He appointed to burn every sacrifice with fire taken from the Altar, which was continually kept and nourished for that purpose. They altered God's ordinance, and are therefore stricken suddenly from heaven: so that it is a great sin for any Church or particular person to serve from the Law of God in the worship of God, as appeareth by many examples & testimonies of holy Scripture, 1 Sam. 13, 12, 13, 14. 2 Chro. 26, 16, 17, 18. Math. 15, 9 Col. 2.20.21, 22.  
The grounds are plain: first because the Reason 1 word of God is the rule of all things that we are warranted to do, and more generally it is the rule of God's worship, so that to decline from this rule to the right hand or to the left, must needs be a great sin which GOD abhorreth, Deut. 12, 8, 13, 32. In an art to vary from the rules of the art is a great error; the carpenter and mason are guided by their line and level; the Law of GOD is the square and rule of his worship: the more closely we keep ourselves to this rule, the more warrantable are our works: if we decline and departed from it, we wander in error, and the farther we go from it, the more we are out of the way. Secondly, that starting and swerving from the Law, reproveth and checketh the wisdom of God, who is Wisdom itself, Pro. 9, 1: as if we were able to direct him, and knew what belongeth to his worship better than himself. An artificer in his work cannot abide to be checked and controlled by those that know not so well what belongeth unto it as he doth: 
jam. 4.12.  so the wise GOD, the supreme Lawgiver cannot endure that men should decline from the order which he hath settled and established in his worship, and prescribed unto them in his Word, and therefore he accounteth it a great sin and impiety in any that attempt the same.  
This reproveth the Church of Rome Use 1 which is as a body infected with many diseases, and running sores. For their whole worship in a manner is an apostasy from God, full of dangerous wounds that cannot be cured, as we may see by their worshipping of images, prayer in a strange tongue, communion under one kind, and an hundred such like horrible corruptions, which are so many profanations of the worship of God. These men set the Law of God at nought, and think themselves wiser than he, and prefer their own traditions before his commandments, and so worship him by the precepts of men, Math. 15.6, which is a vain worship, and maketh his Law of none effect.  
Secondly, it serveth as a direction to the Use 2 Church what they receive, & to godly Magistrates what they establish by their authority, that in the worship of God they always set the law of God before their eyes, & allow nothing but that which is grounded upon the rules of the same, that they add nothing to it, & take nothing from it. For this cause the King must write him a copy of the Law in a book that it may be ever with him, that he may read in it all the days of his life, and learn to fear the Lord his God, Deu. 17, 18, 19 This was taught to joshua, chap, 1, 8: and practised by josiah, 2 Chron. 34, 16. If they cleave to this rule, they must continue: if they have declined, they must return & cause others to return, and reform what hath been amiss. This the pharisees acknowledged, when they said to Christ, By what authority dost thou these things, etc. Mar. 11, 28: and joh. 1, 19, they said to him, Who art thou? what sayest thou for thyself? If it be in the Gospel of Christ, or in the books of the Prophets and Apostles, we must willingly receive it, and be guided by it: if not, we must refuse it, otherwise we bring upon ourselves manifest destruction.  
Use 3 Lastly, it behoveth all private persons that live in a Church, wherein true Religion and the pure worship of GOD is established, to submit themselves to those things that are agreeable to the word, howsoever they be not agreeable to their affections. For as we must give obedience to the Scriptures, 
Bernard.  whether they speak as we would have them, or whether they speak not as we would have them: so in a reformed Church where a private man doth dwell, if any thing be commanded by authority, either agreeing or not agreeing to our affections, yet if the same be agreeable to the Word of God, we must yield obedience unto it. If the Church command any thing declining from the Law of God, he must be peaceable in refusing, and patiented in suffering, 
The weapons of a Christian  remembering that the only weapons of a Christian are supplication to God and to man. Besides we must know thus much, that whosoever refuseth to obey that which hath been uniformly established and advisedly and moderately concluded by the whole, what private persons soever refuse to obey, had need to do it upon a sure ground, that the same which they refuse, is against the Law of God, lest it fall out with them as with those that Austin speaketh off, who gloried that they suffered persecution, but it was for their faults, not for their virtues; so they that withdraw obedience, aught to do it with a good conscience and upon a sure ground, otherwise they can have no comfort in suffering, nor look for reward after suffering. There have always been some things amiss in the Church; and no Church is, or ever was so perfect, but somewhat may be found in it worthy reformation, so that Christ may say to it, as he did to the Churches of Asia, Habeo adversus te pauca, I have somewhat against thee. The best Churches will quickly decline, as we see it fell out to those which were founded by the happy hands of the Apostles themselves that were the chief workmen & master-builders.   

63 These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the Priest, etc.  
64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the Priest first numbered, etc.  
65 For the Lord had said of them, etc.  
The conclusion of the whole chap. followeth in these words, wherein the former numbering is illustrated by place where it was, & by the persons that did number, & were numbered: all amplified by the contrary, that among all these there was not so much as any one man left alive, that came in the former account, but they were all of them dead & perished in the wilderness, except Caleb & joshua. here is a great blessing set down, & likewise a great judgement: a blessing in multiplying of them, a judgement in chastifing of them; thereby to teach us that God is faithful and true both in his promises and also in his threatenings. 
Gen. 15, 5.  For he had promised to Abraham, that he would multiply his seed exceedingly as the stars of heaven: & he made this havoc of them, 
Numb. 14, 35. 1 Cor. 10, 5, 6.  & brought this desolation upon them for their often murmurings & mutinies; wherefore by his promises let us be stirred up to faith & obedience, & by his threatenings be feared & terrified from sin. Moreover mark from this fearful example of a general disobedience or rather conspiracy against God, 
Doctrine. A whole multitude canno● clear themselves from judgement.  that it is not a whole multitude that can shelter themselves from God's judgements when they come upon them, though they be never so many or mighty. Though thousands, & thousand thousands muster together & join hand in hand, yet they are not able to deliver themselves. The reasons follow.  
The Lord is just in all his ways, even in the works of his judgements. Now justice giveth Reason 1 equal to them that are equal. If then all have sinned, as he is just in punishing one, so he will be just in punishing all. This we see in his casting down all the angels from the heavens that sinned, 
2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6.  in drowning the whole world, in destroying Sodom & Gomorrha, & infinite such like examples. Secondly, as he is just & righteous, so he is strong & powerful. Many men do well deserve to be called just, yet oftentimes they want power, as we see in Daniel toward joab when he committed murder, complaining of himself that he was weak, 
1 Sam. 3, 39  & the sons of Zeruiah (being martial men) were too hard for him. It is not so with God, he is as powerful as he is just, & therefore he will certainly proceed against whole multitudes, be they never so many or powerful, so that none shallbe able to escape unpunished. Thirdly, the more they are that offend, the greater is the offence, and the greater the dishonour done to God; no marvel therefore if he spare not to overthrow great companies in his wrath and sore displeasure. For as in a civil state, the greater the number of rebels is, the greater is the offence against the Prince: so it is in this case, the greater multitude of offenders, the greater the oence against Gods, and consequently the greater judgement will fall upon them.  
Use 1 This serveth to reprove those that walk on boldly in their sins, & lift up their heads without fear, because they are many in number, & great in power, & thereupon think they shall be excused because they are not singular, & sin not alone. Alas, this will prove a slender comfort, when God shall come to take an account of us: certainly no more than this, that as we sinned not alone, so we shall not be punished alone. What benefit hath the thief that is going to the place of execution, to see a train of many others bear him company? Is his judgement any whit the less? or is his comfort any whit the more? So when the Lord shall come against those that have broken the covenant with him, & made a league with hell & death, what shall it help them, or ease them to go to hell with company, whereas the yelling and crying of one, shall rather add to the torment & misery of another? If you think God will the sooner respect us because we are many, we deny his justice, and deceive ourselves. True it is, he is mindful of a few that serve him, and ready to show mercy to one of a City, and two of a Tribe that fear his Name. Though they be contemned & derided of the unthankful world, yet they are dear to him, and they come up in remembrance before him. When all flesh had corrupted their ways, he remembered Noah and his family, & saved eight persons, when he destroyed all the rest, Gen. 7, 1. So he delivered righteous Lot, 
2 Pet. 2.7.  when he overthrew the cities of the plain, and would have spared Sodom, if ten righteous persons had been found in it, Goe 18, 32. On the other side, if multitudes trespass against him, and rush on in evil as the horse into the battle, he will not spare them for their multitude sake. It is a great encouragement unto many to walk in the broad way, 
Math. 7.13.  because many there are that go in thereat: & they are much discouraged and terrified from entering into the straight gate & narrow way, because there be few that find it, & they shall have little company to go with them: but if we would consider the end both of the one & of the other, it were sufficient to make us wise unto salvation. It is a very notable & remarkable judgement that is remembered unto us, that fell upon this multitude; & the exceeding goodness & kindness of the Lord only toward two persons of those six hundred thousand that were brought out of the land of Egypt; forasmuch as albeit he saved them from the hands of Pharaoh, yet afterward he destroyed them that believed not, Jude 5. Who doth not desire rather like Caleb & joshuah, to be had in everlasting remembrance, Psa. 112, 6, & to have our names written in the book of life, then to perish with the multitude, and to be cast into destruction?  
Use 2 Secondly, it warneth and warranteth the Ministers of God to be bold to reprove sin in all, though they be never so great and gracious in the world, though they be many, yea a whole multitude, yet if they be a sinful company, they have a commandment and commission given unto them to reprove them, without respect of persons, without care of the multitude, and without fear of their faces. This is a certain rule, a multitude may not stop our mouths from reproving sin, and it serveth as a shield and sure defence for the Ministers against those that upbraid them for their faithfulness in their callings, ask them what they need to trouble themselves and the people by reproving these and these things, do you not see that all men practise them? It is no matter who or what they are that offend, whether they be many or few, all or some; he is not to be silent because of the multitude, but is rather to open his mouth the wider, and to lift up his voice the louder. For if God's hand will not be stayed when great cities are sinful, & when the whole world corrupted their ways, but his judgements will certainly come according to our sins, the Minister ought not to be dumb and tongue-tied, though a whole land be corrupt and sinful. In the days of Noah all flesh became obstinate and disobedient, stiffnecked and abominable, yet he is made a Preacher of righteousness to reprove the world of sin, 1 Pet. 3, 20. If a Prince send forth his Herald to proclaim war against a company of rebels, shall the Herald, because he findeth them to be a great multitude, return back, and not pronounce the sentence, and yet think himself discharged? No certainly, he may not do so, but rather he should do it the more speedily and earnestly and boldly because they are a multitude: how then should the Minister hold his peace, and have his mouth stopped, because generally the times are corrupt, and the days are evil? whereas he should consider, that the more do sin, the more God is offended, dishonoured, and provoked.  
In the time of a general plague or infectious sickness, will any, well in his wits, or in his right mind, say to the Physician, Take no care to cure or recover any, it is a vain labour to go about it, for the plague is general. Is it not rather the honour of a Physician, that will still stay and do his endeavour, even then when the disease is dispersed and scattered far and near?  
And shall it be thought the dishonour of the Minister of God, when the plague of sin is spread as a leprosy over all, that from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness, but wounds and bruises, & putrefying sores, if he shall then lift up his voice as a Trumpet, and reprove sin with zeal and boldness? No doubtless, he ought to do it, & if he be faithful and painful in his place, he will do it, yea though he see little hope, when the evil is grown common and hath prevailed, & the hearts of the multitude through custom are hardened. For if the blood of one soul that perisheth, be a burden too heavy to be borne, how then shall he be able to bear the weight and the cry of the blood of many souls? If the blood of Abel, which was but the blood of the body, and that but of one only, 
Gen. 4, 10.  did notwithstanding cry for vengeance against him that shed it: doubtless the blood of the soul, much more of many souls, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, shall cry unto God, and bring wrath upon their heads that shed it, as water upon the earth. Forasmuch as they must answer for them if they perish through their negligence and idleness. What though no repentance or reformation follow our reproofs, yet we must not give over, but continue constant in our caling, knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, but our reward is laid up with God in the life to come to remain for ever.  
Use 3 Lastly, it must teach and admonish us to take heed that we do not follow a multitude to do evil, nor be carried with the time as with a stream to commit wickedness; as if we must needs be safe and out of gunshot, because we follow the multitude, and do as the most do. For it is never a whit the less sin, neither are less judgements to be looked for. In the government of a private family, if all the servants and children should conspire together against the governor of the household, shall their multitude joining in one, ever a whit excuse or lessen their conspiracy? No certainly, rather it will make the master of the family to be far more angry and displeased with them: so is it in this point; though they be many that rebel & rise up against God, yet they shall thereby nothing at all protect themselves from his wrath and displeasure. 
Jude ver, 4.  There are many thousands in hell, ordained of old to this condemnation, yet none of them hath the less torment, or the more ease, but rather the less ease & the more torment, because of the multitudes and thousands of them: so on the earth there are many desperate sinners, yet when once judgement cometh, they cannot by any means ease one another, who shall not be able to help themselves, and therefore it is one of the vainest things in the world for any man to deceive himself by following the corruption of the times, and by doing as the greatest part of people do. Be it that no extraordinary judgement come upon us generally or particularly, yet when we must die the common death of all men, and be visited after the common visitation of all flesh, & Satan shall come & charge us for our sins, what comfort can this minister unto us at that hour, to allege for ourselves, that we have done as the multitude did, & have walked with them in the way that leadeth to destruction? And be it further granted, that we feel no check of conscience, or tentation of Satan, but end our days in peace, as one that quietly falleth asleep; yet when we come to stand before the seat of God, where every man shall bear his own burden, and receive according to his own works, Rom. 2, 6. 2. Cor. 5, 10: what comfort or confidence can this give us to plead for ourselves, and say, O we have followed the multitude? Let no man therefore dally with himself, & so delude his own soul; for this must come to pass, we must all die, and appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that every man may receive the things done in his body, when the heavens shall pass away as a scroll, and the elements melt with heat. Be it some general plague donot come before in this life, or some particular judgement do not seize upon us, yet in the end we cannot escape, when every one must answer for himself in his own person.    

CHAP. XXVII.  

1. THen came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh, the son of joseph, & these are names of his daughters, Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglagh, and Milcah, and Tirzah.  
2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the Priest, etc.,  
THe former Chapter hath opened unto us the order to be observed in the division of the land, that the greater tribe should have the greater share and portion in the land, & the lesser a lesser portion, thereby to give contentment & satisfaction to every one: & this was to be done by lot to take away contention, which often ariseth in like cases & upon like occasions; as we see when some commons or wasteground cometh to be enclosed, one thinketh his fellow hath too much, & another thinketh himself hath too little; one will have his part lie in such a place; another thinketh that parcel the fittest morsel for himself. 
The division of this Chapter.  In this chapter observe two things; first touching the persons that should enjoy the inheritance, and of the right of succession: secondly, touching the designing and deputing of joshua the servant of Moses, to be his successor, & to be set over the people, to conduct them unto the land, to fight the battles of the Lord, and to give to every tribe his proper inheritance. Concerning the first point, to wit, what persons should have inheritance, consider two things, the occasion of a question and controversy here arising, and the deciding and determining hereof, without any farther doubt or contradiction by the sentence of God himself. The occasion fell out in this manner. When the families of the tribe of Manasseh came among the other tribes to be numbered, five sisters, all the daughters of Zelophehad came likewise in their order, hoping to receive as the rest did, and thinking themselves as capable as any: but because their father was already dead, and left no heirs males behind him, some of their Tribe would have put them by their inheritance, that themselves might obtain the more, not regarding what they gained by the loss of others. A common evil of the world, a common practice of worldly men. These women being left fatherless, comfortless, and friendless, exposed therefore to injuries, and like to be overborne, finding few or none to stand for them and to take their part, complained to Moses, and to the rest of the Princes & heads of the people, which is the lawful remedy left unto us in all wrongs whatsoever. They do plainly declare the truth of their cause, & the equity of their request, that they were Israelites, of the seed of Abraham, of the Tribe of Manasseh, whose father died in the wilderness, not in the rebellion and conspiracy of Korah, Numb. 16, whose companies were worthily destroyed and disinherited; neither yet perished he in any murmuring of the people, neither for any public and notorious offence committed against God, but died a natural death when his time was come, as all men must die, inasmuch as all have sinned, Rom. 5, and therefore they show, that their kindred, their flesh and their bones, had no just cause to exclude them from such inheritance as their father should have had if he had been alive. But of this, more afterward, both of the issue of their request, & the deciding of this question.  
[The daughters of Zelophehad stood before Moses and Eleazar, and before the Princes, etc.] These women after the decease of their father were left as we say, to the wide world, and were like to sustain great wrong, to the prejudice both of their father, and of themselves and their posterity, and of the whole Tribe, when one family was like to perish in Israel. here we see, 
The fatherless do lie open to wrongs & injuries.  that above all other, such as are left destitute of protection, as the fatherless, the widow, the stranger, the poor, and such like, lie open to receive wrongs and injuries. Such whose forlorn & distressed estate ought to move special pity and commiseration, even they are least regarded and relieved, Zac. 7, 10. job 31, 21. Hence it is, that God promiseth to take care of them, and to protect them, and to punish their oppressors, Exod. 22, 22, 23, 24. A great comfort to all that are in distress, to consider that God is on their side, he will be a father to the fatherless, and an husband to the widow. These daughters of Zelophehad appeal to the Magistrate: they do not side themselves with others to make a commotion, as turbulent spirits use to do, but they go to Moses as supreme, and to the Princes under him. 
Doctrine. We are to go to the Magistrate ●o redress our wrongs.  Whereby we learn, that in all wrongs and injuries we must go to the Magistrate, and seek help of him, we must make our causes known to him, and seek remedy and redress at his hands. This hath been the practice of God's servants from time to time. Hereunto cometh the Parable of the wise woman of Tekoah, when she pretendeth that one of her sons being slain by the other, the whole family rose up against her to deliver her son that was left her, that they might kill him for the life of his brother: she appealed to the king to be delivered from the avenger of blood, 2 Sam. 14, 11. So 2 Kin. 6, 28, & 8, 3. The Shunamite having left her house and country through famine, and in her absence some encrochers seizing upon her land, at her return, to whom goeth she, but to the King to have the same restored? and he sent an Officer, as it were the high Sheriff to put her in possession again, and took order that they should make restitution unto her, both of her house and land, & all the fruits and revenues thereof, since the day she left the Country. See more, Ester 7, 3. jer. 38, 8, 9 Act. 23, 20, 21.  
The Reasons. First, because God hath instituted Reason 1 & appointed Magistrates to this purpose. It is properly the office of God to be the revenger of wrongs, and to do justice to all, but he hath left Kings and Princes to be his Lieutenants, and set them to supply his place, not to enrich themselves, but for the good of the people, as Rom. 13.4. He is the Minister of God for thy wealth, & not for his own. Secondly, men are oftentimes constrained, especially the faithful, to receive many great wrongs & injuries, from them whose might is as great as their malice. If then Princes were not to be nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the church, they must many ways undergo much danger and displeasure, much hurt and oppression: & thus doth Ester reason, ch. 7, 3, making petition for her people, and her own life, For we are sold, I and my people to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish.  
This reproveth all private men, that forsaking Use 1 the means that God hath left, will be Magistrates to themselves, like Peter, who when his Master was wronged, drew the sword and smote off the high Priests servants ear, howbeit he is reproved of Christ, Mat. 26, 51. This is the disorder that Solomon complaineth of, Eccl. 10, 7. What then, will some say, Object. shall we suffer ourselves willingly and wilfully to be trodden under foot as blocks, and be exposed as spectacles and gazing stocks for every one to insult over us? I answer, No: Answer. God hath not left us merely in the hands of evil men, but hath appointed us to resort to the Magistrate. But some will say, Object. we have complained to them oftentimes, and we find no remedy; they are deaf and will not hear; they are partial, and wiil not understand; they are careless, & will not help. Answ. Answ. Be it so: yet we must not be as malcontents to right our own cause, but rather continue from time to time to solicit the Magistrate, albeit he will not do it at the first, yet he may repent and do it at the last. We see this in the poor distressed widow mentioned in the Gospel, remember her example, Luke 18, 3, 4, 5: she came to an unjust judge, and said, Avenge me of mine adversary; and he would not for a while, but afterward he said, Though I fear not God, nor regard not man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming and importunity she weary me. Thus it ought likewise to be with us. Object. But it will be said, They are oftentimes wickedmen, they look for bribes, and therefore we have little hope to have help for them. So was the judge to whom the poor widow complained. Answ. So was Ahashuerosh wicked, or else he would never have sealed and set forth so bloody and barbarous a decree for the utter subversion of the jews; and besides he was an idolater and an infidel; yet Esther petitioned unto him, and obtained a gracious answer: and they found a great calm after a great flaw of wind and weather that threatened shipwreck. So had Pharaoh hardened his heart against GOD and his people, and was no better than the former, yet would not Moses and Aaron give him over. So was Cesar a profane Prince, yet Paul appealed unto him from his own countrymen the jews, Acts 25, 10. If any say, Object. we have waited long, and yet can find no redress; but matters rather grow worse and worse, and we are every day farther from succour then before. I answer, Answer. than we must know thus much; that God calleth us to suffer, thereby to try our patience and obedience; as we see in the example of the Israelites, oppressed by the hard dealing of the taskmasters, when they find no release or redress, they sigh to God and groan in spirit, and waire his leisure. In this case it is our duty to submit ourselves to his heavenly pleasure, remembering what the holy and constant martyrs suffered, and what the Apostle saith, Phil. 1.29. Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, and 1. Pet. 2.19. And if supplication to men will not serve our turn, let us turn ourselves to God, and make our supplication to him. And as Paul appealed from the jews to Cesar, so let us appeal to an higher Court, from Cesar to God.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is the duty of all Magistrates to deal justly and truly, knowing that they carry the Name of God, so that their place is the place of God, and their judgement is the judgement of God. They must be so far from doing wrong, & taking away the goods of other men, as Ahab did the vineyard of Naboth, 1, King. 21, 16, that they ought to restore to every one his right, as jehoram did to the Shunamite, 2, King. 8, 6: and Nehemiah to the people, chap. 5, 11, 12. job was a man endued with great power and authority, job 29, 7, 8: as well as with much wealth and substance, chapt. 1, 1, 2: and yet he telleth us, chap. 31: 
A looking-glass for magistrates.  that he never withheld the poor from their desire, neither caused the eyes of the widow to fail, verse 16: he never saw any perish for lack of clothing, or any poor without covering, verse 19: he never lifted up his hand against the fatherless, when he saw he might help him in the gate, verse 21: and before, chap. 29: he testifieth that he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless and him that had none to help him, verse 12: he became eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame; a father to the poor, and the cause which he knew not he searched out, verse 15, 16: he broke the jaws of the wicked and plucked the spoil out of his teeth, verse 17. here is a looking-glass for all magistrates to behold, and a picture to look upon, and a watchword to admonish them what to do; the oppressed should be relieved, and the oppressors should be restrained and bridled. Happy are such magistrates, that thus regard the people; and happy are the people that have such magistrates. The blessing of such as are ready to perish shall come upon the heads of such magistrates, and the loins of the distressed shall call for and bring down mercy upon them & theirs that thus do show mercy. Let all that have the calling of job, and sit in the gate and in the place of justice and judgement, be like unto him; and let them not fear the faces of men, but be bold in the cause of the poor, or rather in the cause of God. And let me say to them, as God doth to joshua; Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you, whithersoever you go, josh. 1, 9 Hence it is that the Scripture teacheth, how such as are set over the people should be qualified, and with what virtues they ought to be adorned, Exod. 18, 21: first, they must be such as fear God; this is the beginning and fountain of all other graces; where this is once rooted and grounded in the heart, it is as a bank that keepeth out all evil, and maketh them not to fear the faces of men: wheresoever and in whomsoever it is not yet planted, there is room for a legion of all impieties to enter, as Abraham showeth, Gen. 20, 11: The fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wives sake. Secondly, they must be men of truth, wherein they resemble the God of truth: the contrary will transform them into the image of Satan, who was a liar from the beginning, and the father thereof, joh. 8.44. This should be the end of all their hearing and determining; this is the mark they ought to shoot at, that truth may be brought to light, which is sought to be covered and smothered in darkness. Every false sentence in judgement is an open and public lie, and turneth the seat of justice into a sink of iniquity, and overturneth the ordinance of God. Thirdly, they must be men hating covetousness: for the desire of money is the root of all evil, and a bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and casteth dust or rather dung in their faces, that they cannot judge righteously between a man and his brother, nor pronounce sentence without partiality. But they ought to have clean hands and a pure heart, that they may do no unrighteousness in judgement, forasmuch as they must not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty, Leuit. 19, 15. Psal. 82, 3, 4. 2 Chron, 19, 6.7. These things must be learned and practised of them.  
Thirdly, from this ground we may be assured, Use 3 that it is not in itself unlawful to go to Law, and to sue even a brother if just cause require; if he may be accounted a brother that giveth just cause of prosecuting the Law against him. I say it is in itself lawful, because the best things may be abused and corrupted; and lawful things may be perverted, if they be used unlawfully. To try our right is a right thing; and to use the Law is nothing else but to appeal to the magistrate; and to appeal to the magistrate is to seek help of God. Object. It will be objected, that Paul reproveth the Corinthians, in that a brother goeth to Law with a brother, 1 Cor. 6, 6: and again, I speak it to your shame, is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, no not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? Answ. verse 5. I answer, he reproveth not the thing itself, but the corrupt affection and practice of those that used or rather abused the Laws, whose sin was hereby also aggravated, that they did it before the infidels, who thereby took occasion to mock at Christ, and to contemn the Christian Religion, to see the professors thereof to be given so eagerly to prosecute their profits, that for every toy and trifle, yea for the wagging of a straw would trouble the courts and seats of judgement. This doth discover a contentious spirit, and a mind altogether given to cavil and contend, a custom too common in many, howbeit nothing beseeming the Christian Faith and holy Religion which they seem to embrace. Again, it argueth an heart set upon revenge, which ought to be far from all the faithful, who ought rather to be ready to forgive, as they have received forgiveness. Objection Secondly, it may be objected, that Christ saith, Math. 5, 40. If any man will sue thee at the Law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. Answ. I answer as before, he only condemneth the usual dealing of men, where they go to Law and sue one another in spleen and desire of revenge for trifles and things of no value; and besides he speaketh comparatively, rather than we should seek a private revenge, we should be ready to suffer a new wrong, and be furnished with patience as with armour of proof, not only to be stripped of one garment, but to endure the loss of other temporal goods. To conclude therefore, we must be assured, that as it is lawful to seek help of the magistrate, so it is lawful to seek the benefit of the Law, provided that we use it lawfully. 
〈◊〉 the Law 〈◊〉 be used ●●●fully.  To this end we must know how the Law may be used lawfully. First, we must not use it of pleasure or wantonness, or of custom, as the manner of many is, who are never well but when they are in Law; but we must use it sparingly, as we use Physic, not as meat and drink. No man will use Physic every day, but he keepeth a better diet. It is meat and drink to some to go to Law, and they are never quiet till they have quenched their thirst by undoing others and themselves. Secondly, it must be used upon necessity, when the case cannot otherwise be decided. They say commonly, a bad end is better than the Law. If then we may end our controversies without troubling the magistrate, we ought not to refuse that means. Thirdly, we must not propound to ourselves as the end of our suits, to be revenged of our neighbour: for than we shall never carry upright hearts in that which we do. Fourthly, we must not go to Law for trifles, the matters must be of moment and importance, for which we contend. Fiftly, our end must not be to undo one another, but to obtain our own right. Lastly, we must not be given to strife and contention, and in an humour seek occasions to begin and breed quarrels, 1 Cor. 3, 3. Phil. 2.2. It must be our wisdom to cut off occasions from them that seek after them, and to stoup the floodgates where the waters seek their passage. For when contention is once raised, it is not easily stopped, and therefore ere it be begun, let us prevent it.  
Lastly, from hence all persons have direction Use 4 what to do, that live under the government of others, even in private houses and families. The Law of God and man allow not, nay they condemn the common practice of brawling, fight, quarreling, or challenging one of another into the field for private and personal wrongs, whereby the seeds of murder and shedding of blood are sown, which soon grow up to ripeness and perfection, and yield a doleful harvest of sorrow and repentance when it is too late, if they be not weeded out of the heart betimes. Whosoever shall think it a disgrace to refuse such challenges, let them also think it a disgrace to walk in the ways of God, and to obey the good Edicts of Princes, and the wholesome laws of the Commonwealth. It is the greatest grace that can be, to yield obedience to God; and contrariwise, it is no credit to sin against him, to save and salve up a supposed honour and reputation among men. It is the duty therefore of all that live in private societies, when they have hard or wrong measure offered unto them, to go to their fathers or masters; for they are Magistrates in the house, and are within their own doors as Kings to rule, and Officers to govern, and no man ought to revenge his own cause and quarrel: he is as a Marshal to right every man's cause that is under his roof, and to maintain their credit and reputation. The causes of these duels are evil, 
Zedegin. loc. common. pag. 457.  sometimes pride & vainglory, sometimes covetousness and greediness of gain, and the cause of all these causes, the devil himself, who was a murderer from the beginning. The effects thereof are no better, for they cause deadly feudes, breed hatred never to be appeased, nourish contention and confusion, hinder prayer and holy exercises of Religion, shed man's blood made in the Image of God, and bring down the vengeance of God upon our own heads. For how often do such quarrels begin with brawling, and end in blood; which once being spilt, cannot be gathered up? Let all such therefore as either challenge, or accept of challenges consider this point, that he which killeth, maketh himself guilty of execrable murder before God, and the blood so shed crieth as it were with a loud voice against him to heaven, and never ceaseth till it hath called down vengeance: and touching him that is killed, let him know, that he is no better than one of the martyrs of the devil. For as God hath his Martyrs that die in his cause, 
What we are to think of Duelists.  so the devil also hath his martyrs that die in his cause: and such as shed their blood are the devils executioners, and no better. We can hold no other opinion either of the one or of the other, neither of him that killeth, nor of him that is killed, whatsoever they think of themselves, and therefore let them look to it, that are so prodigal of their lives, or of the lives of others.   

3 Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah: but died in his own sin, and had no sons.  
4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath, etc.  
5 And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.  

The plea of the daughter's o● Zelophehad.  In these words the daughters of Zelophehad plead their own cause to have their part in the division of the land, & not to be shut out from their inheritance. The plea is good and well grounded; and they use sundry reasons of no small importance. First, because their father died in the wilderness in his journey toward the land of Canaan, and therefore the same inheritance that was due unto him being alive should not be denied to his issue, being dead. For seeing he died in the way before any of the Israelites could take possession of the land of promise, he could leave to his daughters nothing but the promise of GOD and a lively faith appprehending the same, which no doubt was truly grafted in them, or else they would never have been so earnest in this matter, but have let it alone till the conquest of the land, and the displanting of the Canaanites. They plead that he was not partaker with Korah in his conspiracy, but died in his own sin, that is, as all other men do, and must do that are sinners, forasmuch as the wages of sin is death, Rom. 6, 27. Now under this conspiracy of Korah here expressed, we must understand all other mutinies of the same nature, that he joined not with any in their rebellions, neither was partaker with any seditious persons whereby he should deserve to be excluded from his possession of the land. If any ask, Object. why this conspiracy of Korah is named and singled out above any of the rest of the murmurings which were many, and of many: I answer, first because this was late and yet fresh in remembrance. Secondly, Answer. it was more eminent than any of the rest, and as it were swallowed up the memory of all the former. Thirdly, because it seemeth he died at the same time that Korahs' treachery broke out, and therefore he might more easily be thought to be destroyed with them. But though he died at the same time, yet he died not of the same crime, as likewise it fell out that Methushelah died immediately before the flood, it might be after it began to rain upon the face of the earth, but was not swept away with the flood. And here it is not to be forgotten, that some of the Hebrews (as also we noted before, chap. 15, 21) are of opinion, that this Zelophehad was the man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day: others think, 
Vatabl a●●●● in hunc locum.  that he was one of them that died by the biting & stinging of the fiery serpents, chap. 21, 6. But the purpose of his daughters was to bring to their remembrance, that their father had committed no act, whereby his issue should be denied or debarred of their inheritance, because he died a natural death, and went the way of all flesh, and when he had served his time was gathered to his fathers. An other reason is, because he left behind him no sons or heirs males of his body lawfully begotten, whereby it might and would come to pass that the name of a family in Israel should perish, if no portion of the inheritance were assigned to his daughters. In all this plea we may perceive in them a notable example of honouring parents, in that they are careful that the Name of their father should not be buried in perpetual forgetfulness, but be honourably remembered & preserved, which all aught to follow. Likewise an example of faith believing the promise of God: for except they had assured their hearts, that God would perform his promise, and make good the words of his own mouth spoken to Abraham, Isaac, and jacob, they would never have made such earnest suit, that they might be heirs also of that land by right of succession, in which as yet they had not the breadth of a foot; and therefore the Apostle teacheth, that faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, Heb. 11.1. Thirdly, 
Doctrine. We may make ourselves guilty of other men's sins.  we see that we may be made partakers of other men's sins, and therefore we heard before, that the people were commanded to departed from the tents of Korah and his partisans, lest they should be defiled by the evils of those evil men, Tit. 3, 10, 11, 2 Cor. 6, 7. 1 Tim. 5.22. This may be done many ways: sometimes by counsel and persuasion; and thus was Achitophel guilty of the rebellion of Absalon against his father, 2. Sam. 16: and Balaam of the whoredom of the Israelites, because they committed fornication with the daughters of Moab by his counsel, Numb. 31: sometimes by commandment, as Herod the great sent forth and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, Math. 2, 16: and so did Herod Antipas behead john Baptist in prison, Math. 14, 22: thus was David guilty of the death of Vriah his faithful servant, and is therefore himself charged to have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites, 2. Sam. 12: sometimes by consent, and so was Saul guilty of the martyr Stephen's death, because he consented to his death, Act. 9, 1: and they that sat in judgement to condemn Christ, to whom joseph of Arimathea would not consent; and therefore cleared himself from his blood, which otherwise he could not have done, Luke 23.51: sometimes by flattery, as those that call evil good, and good, evil, Esay 5: such are the ministers that sow soft cushions under every elbow, Ezek. 13: and such people as would have the Prophets to prophesy flattering words unto them, Esay 30: sometimes by receiving, as they that take and lay up stolen goods, or buy them of those that have stolen them, these are as bad, if not worse than the thieves themselves, and to be punished as they are; likewise they that receive false tales to the hurt of their brethren, though they do not first devise them, Leuit. 19, 16: sometimes by partaking with thieves, and sharing with them, as Prou. 1, they took part of that which was stolen: sometimes by defending those that have done evil, and justifying them in their ungodliness, Rom. 1: sometimes it may be done by holding our peace, and saying nothing at all, when we may speak and clear a matter; so is he a false witness that will not speak in the cause of the dumb, as well as he that uttereth an untruth: thus also is the watchman guilty that should give warning and blow the trumpet, but becometh as the dumb dog that cannot bark, Esay 56, 10. Lastly, by not resisting or withstanding, when we are able, Psal. 82, 4. If God give us power, & we make ourselves weak, the evil that we suffer shall be required of us. Likewise in the example of Moses, we learn to have recourse to GOD in all matters of doubt; we must not run on upon an head, but go into the Sanctuary, and ask counsel of the Lord. 
Doctrine. Sin is the cause of death and all misery.  Lastly, observe, that sin is the true cause of death mortality, corruption, and all the misery that hath taken hold of all mankind; when sin entered, then entered all plagues and judgements in this life, and after this life, Gen. 2, 17, & 3.19. 1. Cor. 15, 21, & 11, 30: Rom. 5, 12, 21. james 1, 16. Hebrews 9, 27, 28.  
Reason 1 For sin is the sting of death, that is, the power and strength, and the very armour of death, it is as a sword which he holdeth in his hand to wound us withal. It is as a stinging serpent, 1. Cor. 15: and if remedy be not sought against the biting of it, it woundeth soul and body to death. Secondly, it standeth with the justice and righteousness of God, which will not otherwise be satisfied. We see how Magistrates, whose breath is in their nostrils, do punish malefactors and offenders with bodily death, their eye doth not spare them: no marvel then if the Lord (who is a consuming fire, Heb. 12.) whose person is of infinite Majesty, take hold of soul and body, and punish them both spiritually and eternally; and therefore the Apostle justly calleth death the wages of sin, Rom. 6.23. Thirdly, sin hath pestered and poisoned our nature, corrupting all the powers and parts in us, our mind, our will, our memory, our affections, our conscience, Eph. 4, 17, 18.19. Rom. 6, 12, 13. It is as a worm that is always gnawing at the root of life, until tree and all fall down. Lastly, sin giveth strength to Satan the prince of darkness, without which he could not hurt us, it is he that hath power over death, Heb. 2, 14. 1. Cor. 15, 56: and therefore was the Son of man manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil, 1. joh. 3, 8. But it may be objected, if sin be the cause of death, Objection how cometh it to pass that Christ died, who knew no sin, in whose mouth was no guile found? Answ. 
2 Cor. 5, 21.  Answ. Though Christ were without sin in himself, yet he that knew no sin, was made sin for us, etc. he took upon him the sins of all the faithful, as a surety taketh upon him the debt of another. And albeit he were not a sinner by transgression, yet he may be said to be a sinner by imputation, and therefore he must die, yet so, that dying (having no cause of death in himself) he might destroy death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, Heb. 2, 14, Hos. 13, 14. Again, Object if death be a fruit & effect of sin, how cometh it to pass that the faithful, which have in Christ remission of sins, do notwithstanding die? Answ. Answ. Albeit they have forgiveness of sins, yet they have in them always the relics of sin through the corruption of nature, though it be not imputed unto them through the mercy of God. The guilt of Adam's sin followeth us, as the shadow doth the body, it cannot in this life be wholly purged; it shall be at the last clean put off by death. It is necessary therefore that we should die or be changed at the last day, that sin may be utterly extinguished, & that we may by death as by a door enter into everlasting glory. Sin is every day lessened and consumed in the faithful, howbeit still we bear about us the body of death, Psal. 51, 5, 2 Cor. 12, 7, Eph. 2, 3.  
We learn from hence what a horrible and hideous thing sin is, that bringeth with it such bitter fruit; for sin & death are coupled together, Rom. 8, 2. Sin came not in by creation, Eccl. 7, 31, but by transgression; for from the beginning it was not so. Sin hath wrought this confusion, even the first sin of Adam, which also is our sin. Now there are four things that do continually and distinctly cleave to sin, 
Four things cleave to sin.  the fault, the guilt, the blot, and the punishment. The fault is the offence committed against God in the action, which is the root of all the rest. The guilt is an obligation to punishment for the fault and offence which we have committed. The blot or spot thereof is as it were a mark or print set and branded in the soul of him that sinned, when he groweth to an height in wickedness, like the mark that was set upon Cain when he had killed his brother. For the multiplying of offensive actions is the continual increase of the blot or blemish of the soul, till in the end the light of nature be utterly extinguished, and men come to a reprobate sense, and grow to be past feeling, through the blindness of their minds, and the hardness of their hearts. Even as the dropsy man, the more he drinketh, the more he drieth; so the more a man sinneth, the more he is given to sin. As the covetous person always desireth to get more, so the sinner always desireth to sin more, and to work all uncleanness with greediness. The punishment itself is the wages and just recompense of all the former, which is the first & second death. The first death is a separation of the soul and body: the second, a separation of the whole man from God: for as the soul is the life of the body, so is God the life of the soul. Know therefore and acknowledge from hence, that it is an irksome and bitter thing to provoke him by our sin, which driveth away his comfortable presence from us.  
Use 2 Secondly, this teacheth that none can escape death, by strength, or policy, by friends or fraud, or by any occasion, in as much as all are sinners, even from their mother's womb unto the day of their death, Psal. 58, 3. & 51, 5. Gen. 8, 21. job 4, 17. & 15, 14. & 25, 4. It is a fearful and cruel tyrant, an outrageous and wasting enemy that maketh spoil and havoc wheresoever he cometh, sparing neither young nor old, rich nor poor, Prince nor people, good nor bad, Psal. 89, 48. It standeth us therefore in hand, to account of every day as our last day, and to know that every moment may cut off the thread of our life, so that we are suddenly gone, & are no more: & we must prepare for it continually, our whole life should be a meditation of it. Again, we must pull out of our hearts this false conceit and imagination, whereby every man naturally blesseth, and notably deceiveth himself, and thinketh, though he have one foot in a manner in the grave, yet he shall not die this year, but he may live one year longer, as the rich man was in a pleasant dream, & did forecast for many years, Luke 12, 19 And yet alas we know not what shallbe to morrow, jam. 4, 14, no nor what one day may bring forth, Pr. 27, 1  
Use 3 Lastly, let every one labour to take away the power and strength of his own death. And to this end we must deal with it, as the Philistims dealt with Samson, they never gave over till they had learned where his strength lay, judg. 16, 5, 6, and then they quickly weakened him, and prevailed over him, who before had prevailed over them. So ought we to do, we must know wherein the strength of death consisteth, & that is in sin only. Take this away by repentance from dead works & faith in Christ, and you shave off the seven locks of it, that is, you shall weaken it, that it shall never be able to hurt you. So many sins as live and reign in us, so many stings hath death, which serve to wound our souls to eternal death. If then we would die the death of the righteous, let us endeavour to the utmost of our strength to live the life of the righteous. Then we shall lay a good foundation that shall never be shaken, and build our house upon the rock; we shall begin our eternal life in this mortal life, and have our conversation in heaven while we walk upon the earth, Phil. 3, 20. Let us beware of putting off the time from day to day, & whatsoever we would do at the last gasp & groan when we are dying, let us do the same every day while we are living. The most wicked when he seethe he is presently to leave the world, will seem desirous to pray, though he never prayed in his health, and to require others to pray for him, and haply those whom before he contemned and derided, & their prayers also; then likewise he will promise and protest amendment of life, & make solemn vows & covenants with God. Let us therefore do this daily, which these men do at their last day, that when death cometh, we may be found ready and prepared with oil in our lamps, like the wise virgins, Math. 25. To conclude, he that would live when he is dead, must die when he is alive, and there is no way for us to come to life, but first to enter by the gate of death.   

6 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren, etc.  
8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die and have no son, etc.  
9 And if he have no daughter, than ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.  
10 And if he have no brethren, than ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren.  
11 And if his father have no brethren, ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman, etc.  
The deciding of the former question, being referred by Moses unto GOD, followeth in these words, wherein he returneth his answer consisting of two parts, the one special, the oath general: the one respecting the time present, the other the time to come. The special belongeth to the cause of these five sisters. God approveth their suit, & requireth that an inheritance should be given to them all, so much as their father should have inherited, if he had lived longer. The accomplishment of this designment is afterward related, josh. 17, 3, 4, etc. where he performeth this Commandment of the Lord. The general ariseth upon the former particular case, and this belongeth to all the children of Israel, wherein God determineth in what order they shall inherit. Now these are the degrees. First, the nearest heirs are the heirs males, 
The law for inheritances.  a man's own sons. Secondly, if he have no heirs males, his daughters shall be his heirs. Thirdly, for default of such issue, the inheritance shall go to his own brethren; for after his children, his brother is next in nature and blood unto him, therefore if his own children fail, his brother must be his heir. Fourthly, if he have no brother, than his father's brethren, his uncles. Lastly, if his father have no brethren, the inheritance must descend to the next kinsman whatsoever he be of his tribe and family. Here a question may be asked, whether this law bind in conscience all Nations and persons for ever? 
Quest.  And many things may be said of it and for it, as most equal and the voice of nature itself. Nevertheless all things considered, Answ. I rather take this law to be among the judicials that do not necessarily tie all places & persons to the performance of them. Hence it is, that it is said afterward, verse 11, that it is a statute of judgement: and to whom? not to all Nations, but to the children of Israel: so that though some of their judicial and political laws do bind, yet all do not, as we see in Exodus, where they are handled in the 21, 22, & 23, chapters. Secondly, this law appointeth that the inheritance must of necessity pass from one to another, from the father unto the child, etc. without any interruption: if then this order must hold as a perpetual ordinance for ever, it should be utterly unlawful to sell a man's inheritance for any cause, or upon any occasion, or to buy a man's inheritance, because the jews were as well tied to that; and if they did, it must return to the owner again at the year of jubilee, as we read in many places of the Law of Moses, Leuit. 25, 23, 24, & Numb. 36, 8: and it appeareth farther in the practice of Naboth, 1 Kings 21, 3, when Ahab required of him his Vineyard, either by way of sale or exchange, he answered, The Lord forbidden it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee. Thus doth God ordain, that every man's Land should keep and continue within his own tribe, and not pass from tribe to tribe, which would bring much confusion, and an intermingling of one tribe with another; all which were peculiar to this people. Thirdly, God ordained it as a statute also in Israel, that the eldest should have a double portion of all that a man hath, because he is the beginning of his strength, therefore the right of the first borne is his: this is grounded upon the same reasons that this is, & yet who accounteth this precisely imposed upon all as a moral ordinance? Nay, 
M Dod exposit on 5. Command.  some of good note and name in the Church, are of opinion, that they should receive the best portion that are best, and inherit most, that have most grace in their hearts; and therefore they take not this precept to be as a precedent to bind all posterity. And if this do not necessarily bind, why should the former? Fourthly, the words of the law in this place do not seem to me as a law of annexing the inheritance to these, that it should not be lawful to alter this course. It is said, if a man die and have no son, or if he die and have no daughter, then shall the inheritance descend thus and thus: but this hindereth not, but a man while he liveth, may by will or otherwise make conveyance of his estate, and this law is nothing against such conveyance. Lastly, we find that the Israelites themselves did sometimes give inheritance to their daughters, even while they had heirs males, as appeareth in Caleb, judg. 1, 15. 1. Chron. 2, 18. Solomon was not the eldest son of David, yet he succeeded his father in his kingdom, and had more than all the rest. To conclude, if grace must have the first place, & virtue must make the heir, than nature must give place to grace. But to leave this doubt, 
Doctrine. Propriety of goods is the ordinance of God.  let us come to the Doctrine, for hereby we learn, that the propriety of goods is the ordinance and blessing of God; he hath appointed that men should have their possessions peculiar to themselves in this life. So did Abraham buy a possession for burial, and paid for it currant money among Merchants, Gen. 23, 16: he laid no claim to it before he had purchased it, as if it had been no less his than any other. The patriarchs challenged as proper to themselves the Welles which by their own labour and industry they had digged, and complained of wrong and violence when they were taken from them, Gen. 26. To this end did God appoint, that every Tribe should have inheritance given them by lot. Hence it is also that we read that the faithful have had possessions, and retained their possessions, and are said many of them to be exceeding rich, to have possession of flocks, possession of herds, and great store of servants: and others are said to become great, to have silver, and gold, and jewels, Gen. 26, & 24; as Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, Obadiah, and infinite others. In the New Testament we read of john the Evangelist, of joseph of Arimathea, a Disciple of Christ, who honoured the burial of his Master; of Lazarus raised up by Christ, & his two sisters; of Simon the leper, of joanna, of Susanna, and these lived in the days of Christ, and had possessions. After his ascension, many believers sold their possessions, Tabytha was full of good works, Cornelius the Captain gave much alms to all the people, Philemon and Philip, and sundry others; all which professing and some of them preaching the Gospel, are no where commanded to abjure their possessions, and to renounce their houses and lands, neither did they betake themselves to a supposed community, knowing that private possession and Christian profession stand together, and do not one overthrow the other, as hath been plentifully declared elsewhere.  
Reason 1 The grounds of this doctrine are very apparent. First, God approveth of buying and selling, or else the first Christians might not have sold their possessions, and taken money for them; and they did alienate them from them, not because they could not lawfuly be possessed, but because the poor should be relieved, Act. 4, 34. The Lord likewise giveth rules in the Law for the right ordering thereof, Leuit. 25, 15. Secondly, God commandeth almsgiving to the people as an holy and Christian duty, which he also promiseth to reward to a cup of cold water, Matth, 10. and every where he commendeth the relieving of the wants and necessities of their poor brethren, & threateneth the contrary, Deut. 15, 11. Thirdly, he forbiddeth stealing and wronging one of another in temporal things, and hurting one an other in their goods, Exod. 20, 15. As also the defrauding one of another, Mark 10, 19 Lastly, every man hath his children proper to himself, every man knoweth his own children, and can say, These are mine, these are not mine. Now children are part of their father's goods, as appeareth job 1: As than they are proper unto every man, so also ought other goods, that every man may know his own.  
Use 1 This reproveth the Anabaptists, that would bring in a communion, or rather a confusion of all things, who while they go about to make all one, they set all out of order; & while they think to establish perfect charity, 
Aristot. polit. lib. 2. cap. 1.  they bring in a perfect Anarchy. These sectaries are the disciples of Plato, not of Christ, whose opinion was rejected by the Philosophers themselves, and convinced by natural reason. This doctrine serveth to no other end, but to burden one, to ease another: and to set some at work to maintain others in idleness. The grounds whereupon these stand, I have propounded and answered in other places. As for the practice of the godly in the Apostles time (which is pretended to maintain this heresy) it cannot serve their purpose, forasmuch as this community was merely voluntary, imposed upon none but such as imposed it upon themselves, Acts 5, 4: and so far as the necessity of the poor Saints required it, which caused them to stretch themselves beyond their ability, lest the poor being tempted with the extremity of poverty, should slide back from the Christian verity (which they had embraced) to the jewish Ceremonies. This the church never practised but in extreme necessity, and therefore they never took it up before, neither do we read that they continued it afterward.  
Use 2 Secondly, albeit God hath given unto every one a propriety of possession, yet we must take heed that we do not make the things of this life more proper and private than he hath allowed. Many while they shun one rock, make shipwreck at another, and while they would avoid the anabaptistical fancy, they have quite forgotten and buried all Christian charity. For as they will not renounce a right in all things they possess, so they will give nothing of their own: and because they cannot abide to hear to have all things common, they will be sure to retain all as proper to themselves. These can abide well enough, nay they are much delighted to hear the Anabaptists confuted, while themselves wander as wide out of the way on the other hand. But we must know that God hath set up one to help another, and given to one, to give to another, Mar. 14.7: Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good, but me ye have not always. To this end we are to consider, both who ought to give, and to whom we ought to give. Touching the first, who ought to give, it is much mistaken by many men: for we think for the most part, that they only are bound to give, that have some superfluity, which they know not otherwise what to do withal, except they should cast it away upon the poor; 
Who they are that are bound to give.  or at least such as are landed men, or well moneyed, or rich farmers, that have much to spare. Howbeit I must give you to understand, that this duty stretcheth farther than to such persons as are before described: and therefore we must know that liberality should extend even to the day labourer, yea to those that sometimes may be in want themselves, yet sometimes & in some cases they ought not to be handfast, but ready to communicate and to distribute, albeit not when themselves do want. Likewise the servant that taketh wages, and hath but little, should not be behind hand to give of that little. Christ our Saviour lived of such relief as the faithful gave unto him, and received maintenance from those whom he instructed, Luke 8, 3: yet that which he received, he received first for himself and his disciples, and then for others also; and therefore of that allowance he gave allowance to those that were in great need, joh. 13, 29. The poor widow in the Gospel is commended, who of her penury showed charity, and cast into the Lord's treasury for the Lords sake two mites, Luke 21, 4. It was in itself a small thing, the seventh part of one piece of their brazen money (for then they used much brass money, Math. 10, 9) howbeit to her it was a great matter; yet she being poor gave to the poor, nay being very poor she gave them that were very poor. Other rich men gave of their superfluity, but she of her penury: they of their abundance, but she cast in all the living that she had. The widow of Sarepta in the time of a great famine throughout the land, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, Luk. 4, 25; having nothing left but an handful of meal in a barrel, & a little oil in a Cruise for her and her son, yet was ready to part from part of that little part and portion to the Prophet, 1 King. 17, 12. The Apostle doth direct such as labour for their living to be painful in their places, not only that they may maintain themselves, and not be burdensome to others, but that they may have to give to them that needeth, Eph. 4, 28. The church of the Macedonians (as it is evident by the Scriptures) was a poor Church, and in necessity themselves, yet they do not make themselves poorer, as the manner of many is, that they may cunningly get relief from others, but they send relief to other churches, and prayed with entreaty that their gift might be received, 2 Cor. 8, 4. & yet the Apostle speaketh not only of their poverty, but of their deep poverty, ver. 2. All which examples are laid before us to teach, that every one, even of mean ability, not only those that are rich, but others likewise, should show compassion, & be ready to distribute. And as we have seen who ought to give, so let us see to whom we should give, that our alms may be accepted and rewarded of our father which is in heaven. Some will not give any thing at all: some give not where they should, and others bestow where they should not; they are liberal where they may be sparing, and are sparing where they should be liberal. If then any ask to whom we ought to give? I answer briefly, to the poor and such as stand in need, whom God hath made as it were his collectors and receivers: and thus we must understand the words of Christ, 
To whom we ●●ght not to ●i●e.  Luk. 6, 30. Give to every man that asketh of thee. We must not give alms to the rich, and to them that may give unto us again, for that is no charity: we must not give to our friends and kinsfolks only, but even to our enemies, Ro. 12, 29. If thine enemy hunger, give him meat: and if he thirst give him drink. Not to the idle that will not labour, nor yet to maintain any in idleness, nor to those that live only by the sweat of other men's brows, 2 Thes. 3.10, 12: not to stout & sturdy beggars, that as rogues go vagrant up and down the country, such as are members of no society: such as have their limbs and strength to labour: these are indeed no better than thieves and robbers: and as they that give to the former sort maintain them in idleness; so they that give to these maintain them both in idleness & wickedness. As than we see unto whom we ought not to give, so we must know to whom we ought to give. 
To whom we ●●ght to give.  These are poor widows and fatherless children, 1 Tim. 5, 16: such as are poor strangers; such day labourers as work hard for their living all the week, and yet cannot either thorough weakness of their body, or greatness of their charge, get things necessary and sufficient for them; and of these we shall always have with us to the end of the world. Mat. 62, 11, Such also as are fallen into decay by inevitable losses, 
〈◊〉. 15, 11.  Leu. 23, 35. Lastly, such as are weak and impotent, whether through age or other blemish, whether in their feet, or in their hands, or other parts, that thereby though they be willing, yet they are not able to take pains for their living, Acts 3.2, 6. but amongst all these, they are especially to be respected, that are of the household of faith, Gal. 6, 10. If we be careful and mindful of these, God will recompense us again, and pay us home sevenfold into our bosoms whatsoever we have given, both in temporal, spiritual, and eternal blessings.  
Lastly, it is our duty to acknowledge Gods Use 3 great mercy toward us in the blessings of this life, that he hath given to us that which he hath denied to many others: and when he giveth unto us a comfortable use of these blessings, we must confess we have them not by our own labour and industry, but by his special goodness towards us, Psal. 127, 1, 3. and therefore we ought to sanctify our daily pains with daily prayer, and begin and end our labours with remembering him that remembreth us, and so praise his goodness that enableth us to get goods: and this shall make our labour sweet and pleasant, and the yoke that lieth in our necks to be light and easy. Again, as God giveth them, so he giveth a blessing with them, a blessing with a blessing, that is, bread and the nourishment of bread, For a man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, Deut. 8. Moreover as he giveth outward blessings, so he can take them away when it pleaseth him, even in a moment, job 1, Luk, 12.   

22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.  
13 And when thou hast seen it, thou shalt be gathered unto thy people, etc.  
14 For ye rebelled against my commandment, etc.  
Here followeth the second part of the chapped. touching the successor of Moses in the government of this great people: wherein observe the occasion & the calling of joshua. The occasion is double, the death of Moses at hand, & his request to God to appoint a man to be set in his place. Touching his death, he is willed to go up to mount Abarim, and to behold the land that God had given to the Israelites: for God had foreshowed that he should see the land with his eyes, though he did not tread on it with his feet: & when he had seen the land, he should die as Aaron his brother before him chap. 20, 24, amplified by the cause, they had not sanctified the name of the Lord at the Waters of Meribah, of which we have spoken before.  
Touching the prayer and request of Moses, he desireth of the Lord that he would appoint a fit Ruler over his people to succeed him in this government, that might be able to bear this great burden. For hearing the unchangeable determination of God, & humbling himself under his correcting hand chastising his transgression, he is not afraid of the sentence of death being at hand, and seeing it before him, neither doth he crave to have the stroke thereof prolonged and delayed, neither is he troubled with excessive cares for himself and his children and posterity, as the manner is of worldly minded men, that mind nothing but the earth and earthly things when they must go out of the world, & shall have their mouth full thereof: but all his care was for the future benefit of the people to leave them in good estate after his departure. This should teach us after his example to be ready to leave the world whensoever God calleth us, not to stand in fear of death, but to be willing to go to God, knowing the we shall go to an inheritance immortal, that fadeth not, 1 Pet. 1. and we must all likewise be careful to leave our houses & places in good state when we are gone, of which we have spoken before, chap. 20. Moses was the dear servant of God, yet sinning he is punished. The Lord himself received his soul, and buried his body, Deut, 34, 6, 13. He was in high favour with God living and dying, an excellent Prophet to whom God spoke face to face, yet he was not suffered to enter into the land of Promise. 
Doctrine. Many want the outward signs, that are partakers of the truth of the Sacraments.  Whereby we see that many want the Sacraments, that are partakers of the truth and substance of the Sacraments. He entered into the heavenly Canaan that was not permitted to enter into the earthly. Some are admitted unto the outward sign, that never receive the thing signified, so was judas to the Passeover, as well as Peter and the rest of the Apostles, yet he was never partaker of the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world, john 1, 29. On the other side, some take not the outward sign, that neverhelesse partake the inward grace.  
The uses hereof are to teach us, that the outward Use 1 and inward parts of the Sacraments, are not necessarily joined together, so that he which partaketh the one should also partake the other, and therefore the outward sign doth not simply confer grace.  
Secondly, it condemneth the Church of Rome, that holdeth that children dying without baptism are not saved, whereas salvation is not always annexed to the sign: so that though infants want the outward washing, yet to them may belong the kingdom of heaven, Mark 10, 14.  
Lastly, it serveth as a great comfort to such as desire to come to the Sacraments, & yet are hindered, sometimes by sickness, and sometimes by other inevitable occasions that procure their absence; forasmuch as we see in this example of Moses, that we may be partakers of the truth of the signs, and yet be barred or banished from the signs themselves. In such cases as these, God accepteth the will for the deed, 2 Cor. 8, 12.  
Again, 
Doctrine. Many are temporally punished, that are not eternally condemned.  we learn by the examples of Moses and Aaron, that were not suffered to enter into Canaan, a figure of the heavenly Canaan, this truth, That many are temporally punished which are not eternally condemned. Many are chastised in this life, not only with diseases and sicknesses, but with death itself, who notwithstanding are saved in the day of the Lord. This appeareth in Lot's wife, Gen. 19: she looked back contrary to the commandment of the Angel, and was turned into a pillar of salt. Her offence might seem little at the first, and the punishment to be overgreat: howbeit we must not measure sin by the outward act, but by the commandment and will of God, which is the only rule of righteousness. This her disobedience seemeth to proceed from infidelity, unthankfulness, curiosity, and the immoderate love of the world, & of the substance which they had left behind; and therefore she is punished and made as a mirror and monument of God's justice, which josephus testifieth to continue to his time: 
joseph antiq. jud. lib. 1. ca 1●  yet we doubt not but her soul was saved, and she received to mercy. The like we might say of jobs childred, they were all suddenly slain by the fall of the house wherein they were assembled, yet they gave good testimony of their godliness in their life; for as no evil is recorded of them in the Scripture, so it appeareth they were well taught and trained up in the fear of God by their careful father even in the days of their youth; God heard their father when he prayed for them, when be sent for them, they came dutifully and obediently unto him; & if they had despised that God whom their father worshipped, he would not have said, It may be my sons have blasphemed God, and it had been a vain thing for him to speak to them of sanctification. Moreover, if their banquet & feastings had been like our Wakes and revels, which they commonly call Yeavals, or drunken feasts of such as call themselves good fellows, he ought to have forbidden their meetings, and not to have prayed to God to pardon their sins which they might commit in their meetings, and thereby suffer them to live in the continual practice of sin, forasmuch as that were to mock and dally with God, not desiring pardon for sin past, but to crave free liberty to sin for the time to come. And if the father had doubted of their salvation, no doubt he would have bewailed their destruction. Lastly, it is to be noted that they feasted in their own houses; they did not run to Ordinaries, or haunt Alehouses, or frequent Taverns, neither did they feast every day like the rich glutton, whose daily dinners were daily feasts, for he did nothing else but feast every day; neither did they keep company with ruffians, swearers, drunkards, swaggerers and such like, but they invited one another to witness their good will, and to continue mutual love among themselves. The like we might say of Vzzah that stayed up the Ark, and was stricken with sudden death, because he laid his hand upon the Ark, 2 Sam. 6, 7. So was it with Vriah the faithful servant of David, yet he was slain by the sword of the Ammonites; 2 Sam. 11, 17. josiah that good king served the Lord from his youth, yet died he a violent death, and was slain by Pharaoh Nechoh at Megiddo, and all the people of the land mourned for him, 2 Kings 23, 29.  
Reason 1 Thus doth God deal with his own children oftentimes: they are chastised in this world, lest they should be condemned with the wicked in the world to come, 1 Cor. 11, 32. Secondly, those whom God loveth, he loveth unto the end, joh. 13: inasmuch as all his gifts are without repentance, Rom. 11. & therefore temporal chastisements cannot alter his love, or make frustrate the gifts that once he hath bestowed upon his children. Thirdly, even his own people sin against him, for in many things we sin all, james 3, ver. 1. and therefore when they sin against him he chastiseth them with death as with a rod, howbeit his mercy he never taketh from them. Thus did josiah offend, he would not hear the word of the Lord which was brought unto him, & therefore he was smitten by the hand of God.  
Use 1 This teacheth, that it is a false rule and a deceitful measure, to judge of the salvation of men by temporal things, whereas commonly all things fall out alike to the godly & ungodly, Eccl. 9, 12. Many there are that will take upon them to judge and censure: men to be out of the favour of God, because sometimes they die suddenly, and sometimes strangely: and contrariwise if they die in their beds quietly and calmly, they conclude that they must necessarily be the children of God, for that cause only. But if we have no better testimony to discern a child of God than this note, we may soon be deceived: for this may often happen more by the nature of the disease, then through any grace in the soul of the diseased. The constant course of a man's life, is the best witness what is in man. A man may die raving, and haply blaspheming, and yet be the servant of God, by the violence and rage of some sickness disturbing the head and the brain. For as Paul sayeth, It was not he, but sin that dwelled in him, Rom. 7, 15: so I may say, it is not they that rave and blaspheme, it is the force of their sickness, to which they do not consent: and again, a man may go away like a Lamb, and yet die out of God's favour, and go to hell, as job chap. 21. verses 13, 14.  
Use 2 Secondly, this reproveth the Popish sort, that commonly condemn Zuinglius a sound defender of the true and apostolic faith, 
Zuinglius defended.  because he died in the field, as a good Patriot against the enemies of his country. He did no more than every true Minister and faithful man ought to be ready to do. He was slain with the sword of wickedmen, but that death was an honourable death: He exhorted the people to constancy in the faith, as the Priest is commanded in the Law to do, Deut. 20, 23 It is no reproach to die in a good cause, and a just quarrel. If he had died as Sanders an arch enemy to the Queen and State, died in Ireland in the rebellion which himself had procured, who died distracted and in a frenzy, to behold the hand of God gone out against him and all his plots and projects crossed, O what outcries would these men than have made! he died as a Traitor against his lawful Prince in the Pope's quarrel, and was in the field against his own Sovereign; whereas Zuinglius died with his own Citizens in a good cause, and was lamented of all good men.  
Lastly, we must take heed we do not judge Use 3 rashly and rigorously of the Church's sorrows and afflictions, albeit they seem oftentimes both strong and strange, when God feedeth them with the bread of tears, & giveth them tears to drink in great measure, Psal. 80, 5. The dead bodies of his servants have the enemies given to be meat to the fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of his Saints to the beasts of the earth, their blood have they shed like water, and there was none to bury them, Psal, 79, 2, 3, 4, 5. Nevertheless, they shall not be able to separate them from God, Rom. 8, 35. If we be the children of God, nothing shall be able to hurt us: though death come upon us suddenly, as it hath done upon many, it shall bring us to God, not divide us from his presence. We do for the most part take upon us through a general corruption to judge those the most grievous sinners that suffer the greatest sorrows, as it appeareth by jobs friends, and Christ's followers, Luke 13. howbeit this is an opinion that must be rejected, as full of error, and empty of charity.   

15 And Moses spoke unto the Lord, saying:  
16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation:  
17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in, that the Congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.  
18 And the Lord said to joshua, etc.  
19 And set him before Eleazar, etc.  
here is offered unto us, the second occasion of the election and inauguration of joshua, to wit, the prayer of Moses. We must not think that he used no more words than here are expressed: for this is only the substance and chief effect of his prayer. In it we are to note: first the preface or entrance into the same: for, no man ought rashly to enter upon this holy work, but well advised and thoroughly prepared. Secondly, the prayer itself.  
The Preface containeth a description of God by his titles and effect, giving life and breath to all creatures, for through him we live and move, and have our being, Act 17.28. The prayer itself is, that he would appoint a man over the congregation to succeed him in the administration and government of the Commonwealth, considered farther by the ends, that being endued with the Spirit of God, he may be able to perform the duties of his calling, and go before them by his example, expressed by going in and out before them, and by leading them out, and bringing them in, as Solomon prayeth for wisdom and understanding for the same purpose, 2 Chron. 1, 10. & 1 Chro. 27, 1. Secondly, that the people may not be as sheep without a shepherd, scattered upon the mountains but may keep together, live in order and society one with another, to perform such mutual duties as are required for this life, & the life to come.  
Thus much of the occasions: now we come to the calling of joshua, and separating him to bear office among the people, wherein we must observe the commandment of God, & the obedience of Moses. The commandments of God are many, Take him, etc.: lay thine hands upon him, set him before Eleazar the Priest, etc. give him charge, etc. and Eleazar must ask counsel of the Lord for him after the judgement of urim and Thummim, 
What the urim and Thummim were.  Exod. 28, 30, What this urim and Thummim were, is diversly understood: it were endless and fruitless to rehearse the several opinions of all, neither is it easy to determine. Some of the Hebrew Doctors think they were not the work of any Artificer, but that they were a mystery delivered to Moses from the mouth of God, or they were the work of God himself, as the two Tables of the Law were, and that when the Priest asked counsel of God by urim, he made answer by lively voice, 1 Sam. 30, 8. The words are both plural, and the Septuagint do translate them, The manifestation and the truth, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  but properly they signify the lights and the perfections: and both of them were a figure of Christ, who communicateth unto us from his father the true light and perfection, being made our wisdom and righteousness, 1 Cor. 1.30: for in the heart of him being our great high Priest, the true Aaron, were the gifts of the holy Ghost without measure. joh 3, 34. Col. 2.3. Again others think, that as those words, holiness to the Lord, were graven on a plate, and put on Aaron's forehead, so these words, urim and Thummim were likewise graven on a golden plate, and put in the breast lap which was double, for something to be put therein. Lastly, others think they were no other than the precious stones spoken of Exod. 28: and that they put the Priest in mind of his office, that he must instruct the people both by the light of his doctrine, and by the integrity of his life. But whatsoever they were, it is most certain, that the use of them was to inquire of GOD, and likewise to receive an answer of his will, as appeareth in this place and in sundry others, judg. 1, 1, & 20, 18, 28. 1 Sam. 23, 9 & 10, 11, 12. These were lost at the captivity of Babylon, and wanted at the people's return, Ezr. 2, 63. Neh. 6, 65: neither do we read that ever God gave answer by them any more: thus much of these. The obedience of Moses is set down generally & particularly, he did as the Lord commanded, he took joshua and set him before Eleazar, and put his hands upon him, & gave him a strait charge to execute his office faithfully in the government of all the people committed unto him.  
[Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh] This is the preface or preparative to the prayer. The faithful were always wont to make some entrance or introduction into this holy exercise, as it appeareth in the form of prayer left to the church by Christ our Saviour. In these words Moses acknowledgeth the Lord to be the God of the spirits of all flesh, as before chap. 16, 22: whereby he meaneth, 
Doctrine. God is the creator of the soul.  that he is the Creator of our souls, and hath given them unto us. The doctrine; God is the Creator and maker of the souls of men, and hath given unto them not only their bodies, but also their souls, Gen. 2, 7. job 27, 3. Eccl. 12, 7, etc. And how can it be otherwise?  
For first, he it is that hath form all things, Reason 1 he is the creator of things visible and invisible, Col. 1, 16, that are in heaven or in earth, and without him was nothing made that was made, john 1, 3. Secondly, he is the father of our spirits, so called of the Apostle, Heb, 12, 9: if then he be the Father of them, doubtless he is the former of them. It is confessed that God is the Creator of the soul, nevertheless it will not follow from hence necessarily, that it is created immediately, or given immediately by him, as it is certain it was at the first creation. And albeit many places be produced to prove an immediate creation, yet the opinion is rather weakened by those testimonies, from whence it is thought to be established, as for example, Eccl. 12, 7: The soul returneth to God that gave it. For the question still remaineth undecided, whether God give it immediately or not: that God gave it (which is all the wise man saith:) every wiseman acknowledgeth: but how and in what manner, by means or without means, remaineth yet in doubt as before. The opposition made in that place between the soul and the body, rather proveth the contrary: for as the body was of the dust, so is the soul of God & his gift. But how is the body of the dust? not immediately, but of the Parents: so that it is apparent that Solomon hath relation to the first creation of Adam, of whom it is true, that God form man of the dust, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul, Gen. chap. 2, verse 7. I purpose not to enter into this controversy, much less take upon me to define, whether the soul come by traduction or by infusion, whether from the parents or from GOD, a question much debated both among ancient and modern writers; wishing rather all men to be wise with sobriety, & to content themselves to know, that it is given of God, and to be his Title, to be the God of the spirits of all flesh, and to consider what uses we may make of it.  
First, this serveth to overthrow divers errors Use 1 and heresies touching the soul, raised up in former times to trouble the Church, & to destroy the faith. Such were the Sadduces, who held that spirits were only certain qualities or accidents, but no substances at all, nor having any subsistence of themselves, Acts 23 8. We learn on the contrary side, to acknowledge that the soul is a creature of God, as the body is, and a thing essential (as also the heavenly Angels are) and liveth when the body dieth, as may be easily proved by infinite testimonies of holy Scriptures: for this is the more noble part of man, created, but yet immortal; invisible, but yet subsisting. Solomon saith, It returneth to God that gave it: Christ our Saviour commendeth his spirit into his Father's hands, Luke 23, 46. So Stephen prayeth, Lord jesus receive my spirit, Acts 7, 59 Thus do they make GOD the keeper and preserver of the soul, when once it is delivered out of the prison of the body. They then that make the soul nothing but a blast or breath, or a certain power infused into men's bodies but such as hath no essence or substance, are grossly deceived and mistaken exceedingly.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is our duty to yield obedience to God both in body and soul, and to submit ourselves to him in all things, especially under the Cross, even when the flesh is most prone to murmur and rebel, Hebr. 12, 9 If we must yield reverence to our fathers, of whom we have received our bodies, then should we be subject to God, of whom we have received our souls. The Apostle chargeth us to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are Gods, 1 Cor. 6, 20. they are both his, and therefore both are to be given to him agine.  
Use 3 Thirdly, the soul being from God, it cometh nearest to his essence, whereby we bear his Image, and resemble him in knowledge & wisdom, and therefore it is a most precious substance, more worth than all the bodily creatures of the world; for when the body returneth to the dust, the soul goeth to God that gave it. The Prophet saith, Psal. 49, 7, that no man can redeem his brother's soul, or pay a sufficient ransom to God for him, it goeth beyond his power and ability. All the gold & treasure in the world cannot equal one soul in value. The murdering of the soul is the highest and most horrible murder that can be, and it is the greatest sin to destroy a man's soul, Math. chapter 16, verse 26: on the other side, to save a soul, is one of the best works, and that which shall receive the best reward, Dan. 12, 3.  
Lastly it belongeth to us to have the greatest Use 4 care of the soul: for as it excelleth the body, so the care of it should exceed and surmount the care of the body. The Scripture oftentimes calleth men from the excessive and immoderate care of the body, to which we are too much inclined, Math. 6, 25. 1 Cor. 7, 32. Rom. 13, 14, that we may have care of the soul, and set our affections upon heavenly things. Object. But are we to cast off all care of the body, and to mind nothing but heaven & the provision for the soul? Nay, not so: Answer. GOD hath made the body as well as the soul, therefore the body is to be regarded as well as the soul. I say as well, though not as much. As than Christ saith, This must be done, but the other must not be left undone, Matth. 23, so the soul is especially to be regarded, but the body is not to be neglected. Besides, the body is as the Tabernacle and instrument of the soul: the tabernacle of it, to dwell in it: and the instrument of it, to work by it, and therefore the soul cannot do the duties proper unto it, except the body prosper and be provided for. Howbeit our chiefest care ought to be for the soul, that it may live to God in this life, and live with God in the life to come. If our greatest care be to adorn and deck the body, it is most certain we are careless of the soul.  
[Verses 17, 18, 20. Which may go in and out before them, etc.] In these words we have the sum and substance of the prayer of Moses, and of the commandment of God unto him touching joshua, which I will join together, that we may end this Chapter; for of laying on of hands, mentioned verse 18, and 23, and of ask counsel of God, we have spoken oftentimes before. Moreover, we have here many particular points offered unto us touching Magistrates and Subjects: as that God appointeth none to serve in any calling, but he furnisheth him with sufficient gifts for that calling; as it is said, joshua is a man in whom is the Spirit, that is, the gifts of the Spirit fit for government. As when Saul was appointed & anointed to be king of Israel, he was after a sort changed into another man: and Moses is here willed to put some of his honour upon joshua, verse 20. When it is said, he should go in and out before the people, we learn, that Magistrates and men that be in authority ought to be examples in all good things to their people, & not give themselves liberty to do what they list, verse 17. And when the reason is rendered, lest the people should be as sheep without a Shepherd, we learn, that that people is in a most wretched estate, where they have no Magistrates to go in and out before them, judg. 17, like a flock of sheep without a Shepherd. By this similitude also our Saviour expresseth in what fearful condition the people are that have no Ministers or teachers to instruct them, Matth. 9, 36: for as the one sort are in danger of the destruction of the body, so are the other of the loss of the soul: whereby subjects should learn to be obedient to their Magistrates, & to be thankful to God where he hath set them, and under them to profit in the ways of godliness, lest for our unthankfulness and other sins they be taken away from us. But the point which is chiefly here intended, 
Doctrine. Magistrates have their calling immediately from God.  is this, That Magistrates have their calling, and hold their places immediately from God for the good of the people, 2 Chro. 9, 8. Solomon was set in his throne by God himself, not by the high Priest or the people, Dan. 2, 21, 37. It is said of David, that God chose him to be King, he delighted in him to make him King, 1 Chron. 28, 4. He chose him from the sheepfold to feed his people jacob, and Israel his inheritance, Psal. 78, 71. It is said of Saul, The Lord hath anointed thee to be Governor of his inheritance, 1 Sam. 10, 1. God said to the Prophet touching Hazael & jehu, Anoint Hazael king of Syria, and jehu shalt thou anoint king of Israel, 1 Kings 19, 15. So then, they hold of God in chief, and not of men.  
Reason 1 The grounds hereof follow. First of all, the Scriptures call kings the Lieutenants and ministers of God, Rom. 13, 4. There is no power but of God, the powers that be, are ordained of God, etc. For he is the minister of God to thee for good; and not only so, but they are called gods on earth, Psa. 82, 6. Exod. 22, 28, because they sit in his place, and are to execute his judgements.  
Reason 2 Secondly, they are bound to give an account only to God, and not to man: for as they are next and immediate to God, and inferior to none but to him, so for all their actions they shall reckon with him. The officers sent out by him, the judges that execute justice, the Ministers and all that preach the Gospel, and all that rule in the Church, in Commonwealth or in the house, must give an account to him, but he to none, saving to him that hath called him. Tertullian saith well, He maketh him Emperor, 
Apolog. cap. 30.  who made him a man before he was Emperor: from him he holdeth his Sceptre, of whom he hath his soul. Object. But it may be objected, that Peter calleth it an ordinance of man, 1 Pet. 2, 13: Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake. If then it be an human ordinance, how may it be divine? I answer, Answer. the magistrate is so called, not because men are the authors of it, or may dissolve it: but first, because men do execute it, not God or the Angels. Secondly, because it is ordained for the use, benefit, and profit of men, it is ordained for men, as Heb. 5, 1. So we may say of the King, he is taken from among men, and he is ordained for men.  
Use 1 This reproveth the Church of Rome, together with the great bishop, & mighty advancers of that See, that give temporal power to the Pope, and make him the sovereign Monarch of the earth, as if all the world were one body, and he the soul that quickeneth, moveth, nourisheth, and upholdeth that body; or as if Kings and Princes held their temporal possessions, dominions, and jurisdictions of him, as it were their land in Capite: and as if that proud bishop had power to cite these as his subjects or vassals, judicially to appear before his Consistory. Howbeit the Pope himself hath no more than he can claim from Peter (if so much:) neither can Peter have any more than he can derive from Christ. But Christ himself while he lived upon the earth took upon him no temporal jurisdiction, he refused to be made a king, john 6: he refused to be a judge in civil causes, and in dividing inheritances, Luke 12, 13. He paid pol-mony as others did, Matth. 17: he submitted himself to the judgement of Pilate, and commanded all to give unto Cesar the things that are Caesar's; Mat. 22. This was the doctrine of Peter, & his example also. What then? shall the servant be above his master? or will he that calleth himself the servant of servants usurp that which neither Peter the supposed founder of that supremacy, nor yet Christ himself ever challenged or usurped? The answer of Bellarmine to this is to be marked, which is as the egg, whereof the treasons and rebellions were hatched that have abounded in these last days. 
De pont. Ro● lib. 5. cap. 6.  For he and his fellows sound out the trumpet of sedition, and secretly instill damnable poison into the hearts and ears of their hearers and readers, that Christ refused to divide the inheritance, lest the office of the Prelacy should be stained with such base and abject Offices: and that Peter submitted himself to Cesar, because than he was weak and not able to recover his right: but if he had been strong enough he would never have yielded to him. I answer first, it is no base calling to be a judge of inheritances, it is an honourable place to sit in the courts of justice, and in the seat of judgement. Again, as Christ refused to be a judge, so he refused to be a king also; & taught them that his kingdom is not of this world. Is it a base office to be a king? or dishonourable to rule a kingdom? Besides, as he refused civil honour, so he performed civil subjection, and thereby acknowledged his obedience and homage unto Cesar by his doctrine & practice. Wherefore, it is certain he refused to deal in these causes, because they were not befitting his calling, who came to preach, not to rule: to divide the word aright, not the wealth of the world. Secondly, where they teach that Peter putteth the church in mind of obedience, because it was not then able to resist, this is to despise government, to arm the subject against the prince & to make way for treasons & insurrections; and is contrary to the doctrine of the Scriptures, and the practice of former times, as we have showed at large elsewhere.  
Secondly, it reproveth such as teach, that Princes Use 2 excommunicate by the Pope's sentence, are not to be obeyed, and that their subjects are discharged of their oath of allegiance toward them so long as they lie under that censure. But the Apostle willeth that obedience should be yielded even to wicked and idolatrous Princes, such as are enemies to the Gospel of Christ, and that for conscience sake, Rom. 13, 5. The Christians in the primitive Church wanted not number nor strength to have resisted and deposed Pagan Emperors, as Tertullian teacheth; 
Tertul. Apolog.  for they had filled every town and city, every camp and corner, yet they never stirred or offered to make insurrection, but offered themselves to be killed: for Princes hold their Crowns and Sceptres by the gift of God, and therefore none but he that gave them can take them away from them. They were accountable to him, but to no mortal man whatsoever: 
Ambros. in his Apol. of David, chap. 10.  and therefore David said, To thee only I have sinned, Psal, 51, 4. And this teacheth them a good lesson, to remember that they must one day appear before the judgement seat of God, and plead before his bar guilty or not guilty, as now their subjects do before them. This then is the Regal tenor to hold immediately from God, to whom they must do homage and fealty for their Crowns and Kingdoms. It is not unknown what exorbitant courses the Bishop of Rome hath taken, exalting himself from a Christian Pastor to be an Antichristian Pope, and from a Pope to a temporal Prince, and from a temporal Prince to be a supreme Monarch over all, and to have omnipotent power as a vicegod on earth. Such Almain-leapes in good time (there is good hope) will break his back, nay his neck: and free the Christian world from his yoke and bondage, worse a thousand times then the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, when God shall open the eyes of all Christian Princes to see his usurped ambition & dominion; which God grant for the glory of his Name, and the salvation of the poor people that are held in more than Turkish captivity.  
Lastly, we must acknowledge, that Magistrates Use 3 are of great necessity, forasmuch as the end of their Office, is the good and benefit of the people, over whom they are placed, Lam. 4, 20. They serve as a comfortable shadow, to preserve us from the scorching fires of raging persecutors, like the gourd of jonah, which came over his head, to deliver him from the hear of the Sun, jonah 4, 6, 8: which serveth to condemn the Anabaptists, which cannot abide any government or governors; whereas we must learn to pray for them, and to be subject unto them, which are the Lords Shepherds over his flock, without whom nothing is to be seen but miserable disorder & confusion of all things, judg. 18. For a Commonwealth without a Governor, is as a body without an head, as a ship without a Pilot, as an army without a Leader, or as an house without a Ruler. The loss of a good and godly Prince, is a great loss, and greatly to be lamented, 2 Chron. 35, verse 24. Zach. 12, verse 11.    

CHAP. XXVIII.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2. Command the Children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering and my bread for my sacrifices, etc.  
3. And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire, which ye shall offer unto the Lord: Two Lambs of the first year without spot, day by day for a continual  offering.  
4. The one Lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other Lamb shalt thou offer at even.  
5. And a tenth part of an Ephah, etc. 6. It is a continual  offering, etc. 7. And the drink roffering, etc. 8. And the etc.  
MOSES having set down the numbering of the people, proceedeth to handle the laws under which they ought to be, whereof some belong to Church-matters, and some to the Commonwealth, some sacred and some civil. Such as are holy have the first place, and that worthily, which order showeth, that the Commonwealth can never be well established, until the Church be rightly ordered. 
Doctrine. The first and chief care is to be had of the Church, and matters of religion.  The first and chief care is to be had of the Church, and afterward of the civil state & Commonwealth. They begin at a wrong end that begin with matters of policy, as if a man should be very careful to look to the body, but be careless of looking to the soul, or should have regard to the foot, and utterly neglect the head. It was evermore the manner of the godly & religious Kings of judah, to begin first with Church-matters, and looking to religion, and ordering the preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments, as we see in David, jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and josiah. So did Zerubbabel immediately after their return from captivity, as we see in the book of Ezra.  
Reason 1 And no marvel, for true religion is the soul and life of the Commonwealth, without this it cannot prosper and flourish, but is as a dead carcase without life, it may carry a goodly show, and seem to promise peace & perpetuity, but it is not well grounded, and will deceive in the end; witness the Monarchies of the world, which all received their decaying and declining in their times & seasons, of which before, chap. 3.  
Secondly, true religion is that only which instructeth all sorts in true obedience, & teacheth them to perform their duties, which is the means to establish a Commonwealth, & to order it aright, when every one knoweth his standing, and no man encroacheth upon the calling of another, and the contrary bringeth confusion.  
Thirdly, every one is charged to seek the glory of God above his own good, and to set up him before ourselves. For as he will not give his glory to any other, so we ought to take heed we do not rob him of it. But when we have the first care to establish matters of religion, than we show that we are zealous of his glory.  
First then they are deceived, that think it Use 1 enough to make laws for preservation of public peace and tranquillity, that every man may keep and enjoy his own, & that wrongs and injuries may be suppressed and banished. The chiefest care ought to be of God's service and worship, otherwise our Commonwealths shall differ little or nothing from the states and governments of the heathen. here than is a lesson for all lawgivers, if they desire to have Christian Commonwealths, to begin with Christian religion, and look to the Church, and there lay a good foundation. He that would build an house to stand against storms and tempests that will beat against it and seek to bear it down, will be sure to begin with the foundation, & make sure work there: so such as desire to have a flourishing Commonwealth, and all estates as a goodly building to grow up and prosper in it, must make religion the foundation, and then it shall be sure to stand, because that is as a rock that shall never fail nor fall.  
Use 2 Secondly, hereby also we may try ourselves whether we belong to God or not; if in the first place we regard duties of piety and godliness, and be more careful to fear God than to fear man, than we are truly religious, and may assure ourselves we are true members of the church. We must make him our fear, who is able to cast body and soul into hell, Matth, 10, rather than man, who can but kill the body, if kill the body, john 19 Let every one of us therefore be more careful to settle our consciences in the true fear of his Name, then to settle our estates in earthly and transitory things, remembering that godliness is profitable to all things, and hath the promises of this life, and of the life to come, 1 Tim. 4, 8, and that if first of all we seek the kingdom of God, all other things shall be ministered unto us, Matth. 6, verse 33.  
Lastly, it serveth to reprove mere civil Use 3 men, that regard nothing but to live civilly among men, but never regard to know God, & to glorify his Name. So far do the Turks & Infidels go; but except our righteousness exceed theirs, we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Our first and chiefest care ought to be of Religion, but these have no care of it at all. They regard the praise of men more than the praise of God.  
[Ye shall offer unto the Lord two Lambs of a year old, one in the morning & the other at even.] Touching the Laws of an holy nature, some were appointed as necessary for them to observe, and some voluntary. Touching the necessary Laws, they are of four sorts, some were daily, some weekly, some monthly, & some yearly: or rather to speak more properly, Moses speaketh here of four sorts of oblations or sacrifices: First, of such as were offered every day. Secondly, of such as were offered every week. Thirdly, of such as were offered every month. Lastly, of such as were offered every year. Touching the voluntary, we shall speak afterward, chap. 30. The holy time that concerneth every day, is the morning and evening sacrifice offered daily: the weekly holy time is touching the Sabbath: the monthly is touching the Calends or first day of every month: the yearly is touching the feasts of the Passeover, of Pentecost, of Trumpets, of Humiliation, and of the Tabernacles. All these laws were in a manner before handled, while the people abode at Mount Sinai. If any ask the Question, 
Quest.  why then they are again here repeated? I answer, first, Answer. because they were now come to enter into the Land, being in a manner upon the borders thereof, chap. 27, 12. God would therefore put them in mind of this, 
Why th●se laws are again here repeated.  that when they should possess the Land, they must be mindful of his worship and their own duty. Secondly, because few at this time remained alive, which had heard, or if they had heard, could remember these laws that then were published & propounded, all being now dead (except Caleb and joshua) which were numbered before, as we saw in the end of the 26, chapter. Thirdly, the ceremonial worship had been intermitted in the wilderness for many years, as circumcision, josh. 5, and many other like ordinances by reason of their continual journeys, or at least continual expectation of them. Lastly, God doth hereby comfort and confirm his people after their manifold provocations and murmurings, testifying thereby that as a merciful Father, he is reconciled unto them, & the remembrance of their sins buried, and that he hath determined to do them good all the days of their life. Now the first thing to be considered, is the daily sacrifice, 
The daily sacrifices of the jews, & the uses thereof to us.  in which was to be offered morning and evening, a Lamb, fine Flower, Wine, & Oil: these were to be offered continually as a  offering upon the Altar, which law was not to take place until they came into the Land, as we heard before in the like case, chap. 15, 2. because in the Desert they wanted many things necessary, Deut. 12, 8, which was a sufficient dispensation for the omitting of them: for when God doth require any thing, he giveth means to perform it; and did never impute it as a sin unto them, when an inevitable necessity did hinder them, and the desire to obey is no less accepted than obedience itself. Of this daily sacrifice with the rites thereof to be performed every morning and evening, we read at large, Exod. 29, 38. they must do it day by day continually So 1 Kings 18, when Eliah convinced Baal's Priests, there is mention made of their choosing, dressing, and offering a Bullock in the morning, verse 26, and of his doing the like at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, verse 36. Likewise Peter and john went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour, Acts 3, 1: this was the time, being three of the clock in the afternoon, when the evening sacrifice was wont to be offered, unto which, prayer also was wont to be joined: we see their practice what it was daily; now let us come to the uses toward ourselves.  
First, see from hence by consideration of Use 1 this daily offering, a Lamb every morning and a Lamb every evening, a great difference between the Old and New Testament. For this law (as also the rest) is not observed nor is to be observed of the people of God in the days of the Gospel, since the coming of Christ, which was observed and ought to be observed before Christ came in the flesh, by the people of the jews: but in stead of these oblations and sacrifices we have the Supper of the Lord. They were laden & burdened with sundry ceremonies, and had an heavy yoke put upon their necks, Acts 15, 10. which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear, as Peter testifieth; and such as were joined with much cost and no less labour and trouble, every foot they were constrained to be unclean, and put from the Congregation, and with many sacrifices and solemnities were purified again. We have a few ceremonies (if we may call them ceremonies) only two, to wit, baptism, once only to be received, which came in place of circumcision & their often purifications, and the Supper of the Lord, which came in place of the Passeover and the other Sacrifices, their meat-offerings and their drinke-offerings. Object. If any ask, why God changed this form of his worship, or why he abrogated those sacrifices and the whole levitical service. I answer, Answ. because they were instituted to be figures of Christ, and to shadow out his sacrifice, Heb. 10, 1, 2, etc. 
Piscat. in Num. cap. 29.  for the sacrifices were so many testimonies given of God, that Christ jesus should come into the world, and offer up himself a sacrifice without spot or blemish, to cleanse the sins of the people, and to make satisfaction for them unto God. Wherefore he being come and his sacrifice being offered, those other sacrifices ought to cease, and if now they should continue, they should be no better than lying signs and false witnesses, and testify an untruth, to wit, that Christ should come hereafter and die for us, who is already come and hath died for us once and can die no more, Rom. 6, 9, and hath fulfilled all that was written of him. If any do ask farther, Object why God would over-lade the faithful in the Old Testament, with so many troublesome and cumbersome ceremonies, and not us in the time of the new. I answer, Answ. the Church was then as a child in his nonage, or as a servant in bondage: whereas the Church of Christ is as a man grown up and set free, Galat. 3, 24, and 4, 1, 2, etc. and needeth not any tutors or guardians.  
Secondly, we must understand from hence, Use 2 that as all sacrifices under the law, did as it were lead us by the hand to Christ, & point him out with the finger, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth, Rom. 10, 4; so did this daily sacrifice of the two Lambs offered morning and evening, most plainly. He is both the Altar and the Sacrifice, Heb. 13, 10. He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, john 1, 29. He is our food, our meat and drink to be received by faith, represented by the bread and wine that was offered, for his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed, joh. 6, 55. We are hungry and thirsty, and want nourishment to refresh and sustain us to eternal life, if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, verse 51. As then these Lambs were offered in the morning and at the evening, so was Christ from the beginning of the world unto the end thereof, the Saviour of all them that believe and trust in him; he is the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world, revel. 13, ver. 8. And as this daily offering was twice performed, so we have daily need of reconciliation, that his blood should continually be applied unto us by faith; and as we daily sin against him, so we must daily have recourse unto him for remission of sins. Now albeit there were two Lambs offered, we must not dream of two Christ's: as there were sundry Altars, all figuring one Christ, so there were two Lambs, howbeit they were but a repetition of one and the same thing, & represented one and the same Christ. And that this continual sacrifice was a figure of Christ, it is evident, because it is prophesied to cease at the coming of the Messiah, Dan. 9, 27, that then the shadow should give place to the body. So then the levitical sacrifices were commanded only for a season, as justin Martyr proveth out of this place, 
Dialog cum Triph jud.  and Cyril, lib, 10. in Leuit. For if God would have had them continue longer, and the Priesthood to abide for ever, they could never have been abolished and destroyed; for no time, no violence, no enemy can take away that which God hath decreed to endure for ever. Wherefore we must know, that the virtue and efficacy of the death of Christ extendeth itself from the very first fall of man, to the last fall of the world, that is, from the beginning of the world to the utter dissolution of the same. And withal this daily sacrifice signified the continual sanctification of the Church, through Christ the true Lamb of God, by whose mediation we and our actions are accepted of God, Acts 26 6, 7. Rom. 12, 3. 1 Pet. 1, 2, 19, 22. and 2, 5.  
Use 3 Thirdly, the Synagogue of Antichrist is here reproved, that would bear us in hand, that this daily sacrifice doth shadow out the daily sacrifice of the Mass, and they are not afraid or ashamed to build and set up that abominable Idol upon this foundation. 
The Mass hath no foundation from the daily sacrifice.  But how can that be shadowed out in holy Scripture, whereof God is not the author, the instituter, or approver, and whereof no print or footsteps are to be found? True it is, the institution of the last Supper is of Christ, but this Supper is one thing, and the Mass is another: for the Mass hath quite abrogated and disannulled the Supper, and is celebrated to another end, to wit, to merit remission of sins, and consequently salvation and eternal life. But the Supper was never instituted to be a propitiatory sacrifice to reconcile man unto God, but to be a Sacrament, whereby God as by a most certain seal doth strengthen our faith and assure us of eternal life, purchased by the only Sacrifice and Oblation of Christ once offered upon the Cross. Besides, if this daily sacrifice did point out the continual sacrifice of the Mass, than it will follow that it hath an end, and aught to be no longer in use in the Church, forasmuch as this and all other legal sacrifices had their consummation and consumption, when Christ was exhibited, as we showed before out of the prophesy of Daniel: weeks. Wherefore if they love the Mass, that loveth them so well and maintaineth them so wealthily, and be enamoured of this creature, let them not build it any longer upon this groundwork, which is now out of date, lest they break the neck of it for ever. 
Lib. 1. de Missa. cap. 9  But Bellarmine (who must help at a dead lift) hath laboured much to put life into this dead Idol, and to raise again this carcase out of the dust, allegeth two other places out of the same Prophet, (Dan. 12, 11. and 11, 31, and 8, 11,) to prove that they are Antichrists which take away their daily sacrifice of the Mass, for which they fight, as for the life of their religion. But these prophetical predictions of the abolishing of the daily sacrifice, which he applieth to the heretics (forsooth) of this time, and maketh them forerunners of Antichrist, because they desire nothing more than the overthrow of this sacrifice of the Mass: I say these prophetical predictions are best expounded by the event of them, which were truly fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes, by whom the Temple was horribly profaned, the Sanctuary wretchedly defiled, & the daily sacrifice abolished, so that he set up the abomination of desolation upon the Altar, as is evidently declared in 1. Mach. 1, 12, 30 So then, by the daily worship or sacrifice here oftentimes mentioned, we are to understand, not any sacrifice of the Christians to be taken away by the fury of Antichrist, but the daily sacrifice of the jews which was interrupted and taken away by this Antiochus. Again, if the doctrine of the Romish Church be true, than Antichrist shall reign but three years and six months; howbeit the Prophet speaketh of six years and three months wherein the daily sacrifice shall be trodden under foot, Dan. 8, 13, 14. Thus to establish one untruth, they bring in another. Lastly, if their Mass were to be abolished by Antichrist, wherein they teach the eternity of Christ's Priesthood consisteth, than should Christ's Priesthood also be at end, whereas of it shall be no end, & therefore the ceasing of this daily sacrifice is interpreted by chrysostom, josephus, and the author of the Maccabees, to be the jewish Sacrifice, so that we may bid the popish daily sacrifice farewell, and send it packing unto Rome, the mother of whoredoms and abominations.  
Lastly, this daily sacrifice importeth the daily sacrifice of prayer which we ought to offer Use 4 to God, as our daily service due unto him, 1. Kings 18, 36. 
Rab. Menachem fol. 115.  And thus do the Hebrew Doctors speak, The continual sacrifice of the morning made atonement for the iniquities that were done in the night: and the evening sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities that were by day. It is therefore required of us to pray unto God, not once in a month, or once a week, nor only upon the Sabbath day, or publicly in the assemblies of the faithful, but we must remember him daily that remembreth us every hour. The time of prayer is every day, and that in respect of our daily sins, 
Fine strong motives to stir us up to prayer.  our daily wants, dangers, temptations, and decays, so that we must observe the rule of the Apostle, Pray continually, 1 Thess. 5, 16. These are five strong motives to stir us up daily to perform this duty, so that we may say with the Prophet, I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait: even in his word do I hope; my soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning, etc. Psal. 130, 5, 6.  
First, (to speak of them in order) we have daily sins. We provoke God every day, and therefore are taught daily to pray for forgiveness, & to say, If thou (Lord) should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Ps. 130, 3. For as he jades us daily with his benefits, so we lad him daily with our sins, so that they are a burden unto him, he is weary to bear them; & therefore we should make even reckoning with the Lord every day, and renew our repentance evermore.  
Secondly, we have daily wants, and who feeleth them not? and therefore it is our duty daily to bewail them, and daily to crave the supply of them. If there be any feeling of grace or spark of God's Spirit in us, we cannot be ignorant that we want both temporal & spiritual blessings, for body and soul. A blind man may see them, they are so great and so many.  
Thirdly, we have daily dangers; every creature, if God give us over, is able to work our destruction. We go not from home, but our return is uncertain, no man can assure himself of safety. If we get up on horseback, in the slipping of one foot, we slip into danger, & sometimes into death. If we be in the house the misstepping of one foot bringeth trouble. If a man enclose himself in his garden, a serpent may bite him. If he walk in the streets, a tile from an house may strike him down, nay dead. Where can a man secure himself, or how long, or from whom? When we have escaped one danger, may we afterward promise unto ourselves safety? nay we are presently in danger of another danger; as we see in the Syrians, who, when they had escaped the sword of the Israelites, fled to Aphek into the City for refuge, But there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of them that were left, and slew them, 1 Kings 20, 30, so that it is with us as the Prophet Amos speaketh, as if a man did fly from a Lion, and a Bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bitten him, Amos 5, 19 Therefore our only safety standeth in prayer, and in sanctifying the Name of God, and begging his assistance.  
Fourthly, we have daily temptations bodily and ghostly, arising from the flesh, the world, and from the devil. Our adversary the devil never resteth, but walketh up and down like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour, job 1, 7. 1 Pet. 5, 8. He is never idle nor weary, he is an importunate suitor, he will never give over, nor take any denial, and therefore Christ saith, Math. 26, 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into tentation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak: and he instructeth his Disciples, Luke 32, 21, that Satan desired to have them, that he might sift them as wheat; howbeit he telleth Peter, he prayed for him, that his faith should not fail. Among all these temptations, pleasure and prosperity are none of the least, when we enjoy health & wealth, peace and liberty, ease and abundance. If ever we forget God, it is most commonly when we are full, Psalm. 30, 6. Deuter. 6, 6, 7.8, etc. Luke 21, 34, 35.  
Lastly, we have daily decays in good things. It is with us in the matters of the soul, as it is in the state of our bodies. Our natural heat and moisture (wherein the life consisteth) is daily impaired and would quickly consume, were not nature daily supplied by meat and drink, whereby the decays of these, as it were the breaches made in nature, are made up: so would faith and repentance, and other graces of God be weakened and diminished daily in us, if they were not increased by the continual use of the Word, of the Sacraments, and of Prayer: and therefore we must not cease to stir up these gifts in us, lest they be as a spark of fire in green wood, which will soon go out if it be not kindled. So then this morning & evening sacrifice, should direct us how and when to worship God; we must remember him in the morning & in the evening, he must be in our thoughts first and last, we must begin the day and end the day with him. Let him be in our first meditations, when we awake out of sleep. If the heart and thoughts be well settled in the morning, they are like to be better ordered and disposed all the day after. This made the Prophet say, Psalm. 5, 3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up; and Psalm. 22, 2, and 53, 17, and 119, 55, 62, 164. Dan. 6, 10 Then are the faculties of the soul most fresh and cheerful, then are the senses comforted and refreshed, because of the night's rest, and therefore best able to perform any duty to God or man. Again, the morning is a time wherein the world and the business of this life, have not yet forestalled and possessed our hearts and affections, and therefore we are then the most fit to perform any special or spiritual duty required of us. Lastly, it is the first part of the day, and therefore the most worthy to be consecrated to God, after we have newly tasted his great mercy in the night past, which he might have made everlasting darkness unto us, & never raised us up again. Moreover, as the greatest part neglect this time, so do they also at evening; they forget what blessings they have received, what dangers they have escaped, what temptations they have resisted, what wants they have obtained, what decays they have supplied and repaired, for which they should give him thanks; and lastly, what sins they have committed in the day, for which God might justly destroy them. They remember not to cast themselves upon his protection: they consider not, that he may make their bed their grave, and never bring them to see the light and the Sun again. They never yet truly learned, that in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17, 28. Howbeit we that should continually remember the kindness of the Lord, and pray to him, and praise him at all times, do for the most part forget him from morning to evening, & from evening to morning, and one day, and week, and month after another; and therefore it often falleth out, that God giveth us little rest and quiet, Deut. 28, 67. But in the morning thou shalt say, would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.   

9 And on the Sabbath day, two Lambs of the first year, without spot, and two tenth deals of flower for a meat offering mingled with oil, and the drink offiring thereof.  
10 This is the  offering of every Sabbath, beside the continual  offering and his drink offering.  
here is the law set down touching the solemnity of the Sabbath: before we had the daily  offering, in these words we have the weekly offering, wherein all things are doubled. Every day we should set aside a part of it to God, and cut off somewhat from our own business to lift up our hearts to him: but the seventh day should wholly be spent to his glory. Before they offered one Lamb, now two Lambs: before one tenth deal of flower, now two tenth deals, etc. So then, we are to speak of the jewish Sabbath, 
Doctrine. The jewish Sabbath, and the uses thereof to ourselves.  and the uses thereof to ourselves. This was first prescribed and appointed to Adam in the time of his innocency, Gen. 2, 2; this was the seventh day from creation. It is repeated in sundry other places of the word of God, Exod. 16, 26, they might not gather Manna upon this day, Exod. 35, 2, 3. and 34.21. and 31, 13.  
Reason 1 Many reasons are rendered, Exod. 31, why they must observe this Sabbath; First, it is a sign between God and them, that it is he that doth sanctify them. Secondly, it is ordained for their benefit and commodity, and therefore should be holy to them, as Christ farther teacheth, Mark. 2, 27. The Sabbath was made for man, & not man for the Sabbath. Thirdly, the necessity of keeping it appeareth, because they that did not keep it, should surely die. Fourthly, it is consecrated to God, it is a Sabbath of rest unto him, verse 15. Fiftly, the Lord propounded his own example, for he created the world in six days, & then rested the seventh. See more to this purpose in the uses afterward.  
First, this rest prescribed in the law, that Use 1 they must do no manner of work, was mystical, pointing out our spiritual and internal rest and cessation from the works of sin, Esay 58, 14, and 66, 27. We must not do our own ways, nor seek our own will: we must cease from our own works to follow after the works of God. Thus we begin a spiritual Sabbath in this life, or else we shall never enjoy the eternal Sabbath in heaven. We must begin our Sabbath here, we shall finish it hereafter. Therefore the Apostle saith, Hebr. 4, 10, 11. He that entered into his rest, he hath also ceased from his own works, as God did from his: let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. All sins are truly and properly our own works, because we naturally do them, and can do nothing else, and we are Satan's house wherein he inhabiteth, Math. 12, 44, we cannot please God, but bring upon ourselves by them all miseries and calamities, yea death itself. So then we keep a true Sabbath, when we abstain from our evil ways, when we mortify the deeds of the flesh, when we are quickened by the Spirit to lead a new life, & when we do those things that are wellpleasing in his sight. For what shall it avail or advantage a man to abstain from the works of his hands, and the labour of his calling, and in the mean season to nourish sin and all evil in his heart? What comfort on the Sabbath can the day-labourer find in resting from his worldly labours, if he labour nothing at all to deny ungodliness and all worldly and sinful lusts? What fruit shall the tradesman find to cease from the works of his calling, when he maketh a trade and occupation of sin upon that day? to cease from making garments for others, and not himself to learn to put on Christ? What benefit hath the Physician to cease his prescriptions, and to abstain from giving his receipts for bodily health, if himself seek not after the health of his own soul? may it not be truly said to him, Physician heal thyself? Luke 4, 23. What shall it avail the traveller to cease his travel, and yet never require & seek after the kingdom of Heaven? What good shall the Innkeeper or Taverner receive by ceasing from their ordinary victualling, if they provide not for themselves the meat that never perisheth, and the bread that came down from heaven, but famish and pine away their own souls? Or what profit shall arise to such as will neither buy nor sell upon the Sabbath day, when in the mean season they never go about to buy the truth of God's word? Pro. 23, 23: not to sell away of their own corruptions that hinder them from the best things? To what end and purpose do we abstain from mustering & training of soldiers, if we do not learn on the lords day to fight the lords battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil? which are the most capital and deadly enemies that we have, not to our bodies only, but to our souls. And why do we cease to put on our bodily armour, our shield, our headpiece, our sword: if we do not put on the whole armour of Go, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, and the sword of the spirit; that we may stand fast in the day of trial? Eph. 6, 16, 17. Thus than we see who they be that keep a good Sabbath, even they that learn to rest from sin, and cease from all their evil ways.  
Secondly, the Sabbath also is Symbolical, Use 2 in that it is a pledge unto us of our everlasting rest in the kingdom of almighty God, as the Apostle showeth in the Epistle to the Colossians, chapter 2, verse 17. The Sabbath days are a shadow of things to come; and Heb. chap. 4, verse 9 There remaineth a rest for the people of God: and farther he proveth it out of the Prophet, in Psalm 95, where God promiseth not an outward, such as was the ceremonial rest of the Sabbath and of the Land of Canaan, but the eternal rest with jesus Christ in heaven. This do none attain but only the faithful, and now we are in the way that leadeth unto it, we are not yet in possession of that rest, 2 Corinth. chapter 5. verse 7. As then the passenger doth not sit still, but always is going forward and further, until he come to his iournyes end: so ought we to make continual steps in the faith, until we come to receive the end of our faith, which is the salvation of our souls, 1 Pet. chapter 1, verse 9  

Why eternal life is called a rest.  Now we must understand that eternal life is called a rest for two causes; First, because then and there we shall rest from all our works, that is, from our sins: for than we shall sin no more, but shall know God even as we are known; no evil shall dwell there. When the Angels had sinned, they were immediately cast out, and are reserved in chains to everlasting perdition, Jude, verse 6. Secondly, we shall rest from all troubles and miseries of this life, Revelat. chapter 14, verse 13: and hence it is, that this place of rest is called by the name of Abraham's bosom, Luke 16, 22, 23, because Abraham and all believers that are the sons of God, do there quietly rest and repose themselves, as the child in the bosom of his mother.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it teacheth us to avoid all profaneness upon this day of the Lord; the works of our callings, and the pleasures of our own hearts are mere profanations of this holy day. Every one will be ready to confess that it is a great sin either for the husbandman to go to plough, or for the tradesman to follow his business, or for the day-labourer to work, or for the handy-craftesman to apply his vocation: howbeit for a man to give himself to his sports, pleasures, and delights, they think there is some greater liberty. Howbeit it seemeth a most ridiculous thing to me, that God forbiddeth to the poor man his labour, and alloweth to the rich man his pleasure: to permit that which is less necessary, and to restrain that which is more necessary. But let us see what we are to hold, as well of the one as of the other out of the Law of God.  
First, Adam himself was commanded to sanctify this day which God had blessed, Genesis, chap. 2, 2; and the people in the wilderness are forbidden to gather Manna, Exod. chap. 16, verse 6. For this day is a market day for the soul, and a time to provide spiritual food far more excellent and precious than Manna, john, chap. 6, verse 58. 1 Pet. chapter 2, verse 3.  
Secondly, our ordinary buying and selling, keeping of fairs or markets on this day, to whom we may join those that bring their wares and commodities into Churchyards, that after morning prayer they may vent them among the people. This is another abuse among us, which toucheth the buyers as well as the sellers. And if such commodities be brought unto us, we ought not to buy them, Nehem. 13, 15. For what maketh sellers among us, but because they easily find those that will take their commodities at their hands? It is certain, if there were no buyers, there would be no sellers,  
Thirdly, there ought to be no carrying & carting upon this day, lest God lay some heavy burden upon us, too heavy for us to bear, jerem. 17, 21, 22. Many carriers offend this way, and as they break the Sabbath themselves, so they are the cause of the breach of it to many others,  
Fourthly, we must not follow our labours, no not in harvest time, when we might claim the greatest privilege, and the season seemeth to offer unto us liberty, and to give us a dispensation, yet even then we must rest; provided that our corn and provision for the year be not in danger to be lost, for then God will have mercy and not sacrifice, Math. 12, 7. If we may save the goods of others, much more our own: And if save the life of our beast, much more our corn whereby our lives are preserved.  
Fiftly, they are reproved, that wander from their places, that run about after every pleasure, or profit, or feast; a common abuse & profanation of the day, almost in all places, Exod. 16, 29: these are like profane Esau, who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, Hebr. chapter 12, verse 16, so do they sell the word and sacraments for small trifles. These are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, 2 Tim. chapter 3, verses 4, 5. and many of them make their belly their god, Philppians, chapter 3, ver. 19 And touching their profits, they take great gain to be godliness, not godliness, to be great gain; the first Epistle to Timothy, chapter 6, verses 5, 6.  
Sixtly, the jews were forbidden to build the Tabernacle upon this day, which was a place consecrated to God for his service and worship, Exodus, chapter 31. verse. 15. It is not therefore lawful to build God's house with material stones upon that day, but we must labour to be living stones, built up a spiritual house, and an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God by jesus Christ; the first Epistle of Peter, chapter the second, verse 5.  
seventhly, they are reproved that keep a carnal sabbath unto the devil, not an holy Sabbath to God, who spend the time in carding, dicing, drinking, surfeiting, reveling, and such like. This is the devils sabbath, and no better than to serve him. 
The devils Sabbath.  They are evil upon any day, but worse upon this day. Saul was offended when he saw David's place empty at his Table: but how often may our places be seen empty at the Lords Table, and in his house? Lastly, not to regard the hearing of the word, whereby we may increase in good things, and learn our duties to God & man. The neglect of these duties bringeth many judgements and curses of God upon our heads, Amos 8, 4. Nehem. 13, 17, 18. jer. 17. verse 27.  
Use 4 Thirdly, we must labour to perform obedience to God upon this day without weariness or distraction, both publicly and privately. It is our duty to hear the word preached in it, 2 Kings 4, 23. Luke 4, 16, Acts 13, 14, 15, & 15, 22. We must exercise ourselves in the Word and Sacraments, pray with the Congregation, lay up in our hearts what we have heard, meditate upon it, confer about it, and seek to increase in knowledge, faith, and obedience: otherwise the Sabbath shall pass from us without profit. We must try our hearts and lives whether we go forward or backward, or stand at a stay. If we do these things, then shall we be wise observers of this day, and have the blessings of GOD come down upon us, Exod. 31, 13, 17. Ezek. 20, 12, 20. Esay 56, 2, 3, 4, etc. and 58, 13, 14. jer. 17, 24, 25, 26.  
Use 5 Lastly, it is the duty of all Governors to look to their families, and therefore GOD beginneth with them, and directeth the commandment unto them, 
Why the commandment of the Sabbath is directed to governors.  and that for these causes. First, because they must give an account of their government to God, of whom they have received it, who is the high Commander and general Master in Heaven and Earth, and of all their souls that are under their charge: forasmuch as he will search and inquire not only how civil and just among men, and toward men our government hath been, but how godly and religious.  
Secondly, GOD setteth them in the first place, to teach them that God requireth at their hands to teach their families, to command their sons and households to fear God, & to bring them up in his faith & fear, and in true religion, Eph. 6, 4. Gen. 18, 19  
Thirdly, because they must go before them by good example and practice of all holy duties, as Paul would have Timothy to do, 1 Tim. 4, 12; as we look for any comfort at the Lords hand in that great day of his dreadful judgement, when he will bring every work to light, with every secret thing, whether good or evil, Eccl. 12, 12. If we have been examples in good things, we shall receive everlasting life: if examples in evil, everlasting death.  
Fourthly, the Lord singleth out the father and master in the first place, because if they go before and lead the way, the rest of the house will quickly follow after, john, chap. 4, verse 53. Acts, chapter sixteen, verse 32: contrariwise if they yield not obedience for conscience sake to the duties of the Sabbath, they may by the abuse of their authority hinder & frustrate the holy endeavours of his children & servants. Hence it is, that many fathers urge their children, many masters command their servants to go about their own business, and send them from place to place at that time when they should attend to the holy commandment of the Lord, whereas both of them might well and lawfully reply to their fathers and masters, and say with Christ our Saviour, Luke 2, 49, Witted ye not that I must be about my father's business? Lastly, the Lord layeth this weighty charge upon them, that such as are under their government, may yield willingly and cheerfully to Gods will, considering how strait a charge God hath given to all governors. If they should do it of their own head, or lay an heavy burden upon them, which themselves would not touch with their little finger, the charge could carry no authority. It is not therefore their fathers or masters that restrain them of their liberty, & tie up their wicked and wandering affections, but GOD himself, to whom all obedience is due. The father doth show love to his children when he restraineth them from wickedness, the master doth no wrong to his servants that bridleth them from following their own wills and pleasures. So then the point to be learned and practised, is, that we must first keep the Sabbath in our own persons, and begin reformation within the doors or closerts of our own hearts, or else we will be very remiss & negligent in reforming of others; or if we be forward we shall be charged and challenged to be hypocrites, while we teach others, but do not teach ourselves, Rom. 2, 21. Secondly, we must cast our eyes upon others, and look to them that belong unto us, that they may sanctify the Sabbath as well as ourselves. It is not enough for us to come to the house of of God alone, but we must come with the train of our families, as a Captain with his army, Psal. 110, 3, and 42.4. The father oftentimes is praying in the Church, when his children are playing in the streets. The master many times sitteth in the house of God, when his servant lieth at the alehouse. The wife sometimes goeth with her husband to the sermon, when the daughters and maidservants either are sent or suffered to run to lascivious dancing and wanton company, whereby their minds and oftentimes their bodies also are defiled, as it fell out to Dinah, Gen. chapter 34, verses 1, 2; and so the saying of Solomon is verified, Proverbs, chap. 29, verse 15. A child left to himself, bringeth his mother to shame.  
But haply some Masters will allege for themselves that their servants are unruly, Object as the untamed heyffer, and will not be ordered by them, that they are much grieved they can prevail no more with them, and that they break out and will not be holden in by them. I answer, Answer. this is not a good plea, but a vain excuse, and no better. For if thy authority serve to bridle them and keep them under in the six days, how cometh it to pass that thou wantest power to prevail over them on the seventh day? Can we rule them in our own cause, and can we not rule them in the cause of God? Have we means to enforce them to look to our business, and want we means to compel them to do God's business? It seemeth therefore to me, to be rather want of will in us, Object. then of power. If we pretend farther, that they be incorrigible, and will have their own swinge, and be at their own liberty that day; Answ. we have no warrant to burden our houses with such persons, that will neither serve the Lord nor obey us, but rather infect others that live with them. The Prophet David professeth, that they should not serve him that were ungodly, his eyes should be upon the faithful to dwell with him, but the wicked should not tarry in his house, Psal. 101, 6, 7. Why then should we keep them in our house, that love not the house of God? We will quickly discharge that servant which hath no care of our business, why then will we trouble ourselves & our house with him that is unfaithful toward God? Thus than we see the care that all aught to have of the Sabbath, both master and servant, father and son, husband and wife. But (alas) the profaneness of our times is so great, that the Sabbath is in a manner utterly contemned, & we give him lest service on that day wherein we are bound to give him most duty. For we see here under the Law, how the Lord commandeth that the daily sacrifice which every morning and evening was offered, should be doubled upon the Sabbath. But our people for the most part perform single service, and double impiety upon that day. The greatest service is done to ourselves, or that which is worse, to the devil. But of the Sabbath we have spoken before, chap. 15.   

11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a  offering unto the Lord, two young Bullocks, and a Ram, and seven Lambs of a year old without spot.  
12 And three tenth deals of flower for a meat offering, etc.  
13 And a several tenth deal of fine flower mingled with oil for a meat offering, etc.  
14 And their drink offerings shall be half an Hin of wine unto a Bullock, and the third part of an Hin unto a Ram, and the fourth part of an Hin unto a Lamb, etc.  
15 And one Kid of the Goats for a sin offering unto the Lord shall be prepared, besides the continual  offering, and his drink offering.  
In these words we have the monthly solemnity commanded to the jews, to wit, the Calends of the months, called the New Moons, or beginning of every month. The worship performed therein; was two young Bullocks, one Ram, seven Lambs of the first year, three tenth deals of flower for every Bullock, and two tenth deals of flower for every Ram for a meat offering, etc. it must also have a drink offering containing half an Hin of wine, etc. Here we have mention made (as also before) of the Hin and of the Epha. Touching the Epha & Omer, we have spoken already, chap. 5, 15, 16. 
What the Hin was.  Now we must speak somewhat of the Hin. Some are of opinion, that it cannot be certainly known, how much the Hebrew measures contained, as appeareth in Lyra and Caietan, and so they leave it uncertain to determine. Others to enwrap the Hin in greater obscurity, make two kinds of measures of this one kind, the greater and the lesser: but this is a bare conjecture without warrant. Mention is made hereof before, chap. 15, 4, 5, 7, 9 This we are to hold for a certain truth, that the Hin is of liquid things, and it is commonly accounted to contain six pints, which we receive as most probable & least suspected, because it agreeth with the computation of the Hebrews, who generally hold, that it holdeth twelve of the measures called Log, and the Log contained six eggs, and there goeth to a pint of our english measure as much as 14 eggeshels contain. But of this see before, chap. 15.  
Now to return to the matter which is here handled, 
Of the feast of the New Moon.  we see that the Calends or beginnings of the months were consecrated & hallowed unto God, as before, chap. 10, 10, and in many other places, 1 Sam. chap. 20, 5. 1 Chron. chapter 25, verse 31. 2 Chron. chap. 8, verse 13, and chapter 31, verse 5. Nehem. chapt. 10, verse 33. Ezr. chap. 3, verse 5. Ezek. chapter 45, verse 17, and 46, verse 1. Amos, 8, verse 5.  
This was the solemn feast of the jews: Use 1 let us see what it belongeth unto us. First, see hereby that God did set apart divers times besides the Sabbath, to his people that serve him, to hear his word, and to resort to the Prophets to be taught and instructed in the ways of godliness, 2 Kings 4, 25. Ezek. 36, 1; at such times the people went to the Prophets, when the Priests were oftentimes negligent in their places. Christ our Saviour complaineth in the Gospel, that they were as sheep without a Shepherd, Math. 9, verse 36, when there were store of Priests and Levites in the Land, howbeit they were dumb dogs, and opened not their mouths to interpret the Law.  
The Sabbath day is the chief time to seek after knowledge, and ever was from the beginning: nevertheless, God appointed other times also to his people. There are not many places in the land where the word is preached on other days than the Sabbath, I would there were more of them; it is a good help to many other places where they want teaching, & if the people resort to them as they were wont to the Prophets, they are to be commended & encouraged. If there were a dearth of Corn among us, how far would we go to fetch Corn, rather than we would starve? I believe as far as the sons of jacob, who went out of the Land of Canaan into Egypt: so ought it to be with us in regard of the soul, we should be ready to go from place to place yea from Land to Land, rather than pine away and perish for want of instruction, Amos 8, 12. But if many that live among us had lived in those days, that cannot abide that preaching should be upon any other day, they would have enueyed against this as a great disorder, and upbraided the people that they gad after Sermons, and leave their business, and beggar themselves. In the days of Christ the people followed him out of their houses and Cities, and sought him out to be taught of him; yet he never reproved them or forbade them, but fed them both in soul and body. Doth the Lord command us so often to delight in the Law of the Lord, to meditate therein day and night, to seek first of all the kingdom of God, and aught a few miles to stop us or hinder us? How far will men ride, and run, and sail for a little earthly substance? It is accounted by worldly minded men that savour nothing but of the earth, no disorder at all, to run on heaps from town to town to drunken feasts, may games, dance, plays, beare-baytings, and other like fooleries and vanities; they allow this running from place to place; but if any go half so far to seek after the word, and to edify themselves in their most holy faith, they cry out against it with open mouths, and think them worthy to be punished. Thus they would also have done to Gods own people the jews, if they had seen them run & resort to the Prophets, in the ruinous times of the Church with so great zeal and forwardness as they did.  
Secondly, we learn that all months and Use 2 times are consecrated to us through Christ, so that worshipping God truly, they shall turn to our good and benefit, according to the saying of the Apostle, Whether life, or death or things present, or things to come, all are ours, 1 Cor. 3, 22, 23. The heathen and they that are heathenishly minded, are afraid of the influence of the stars, and of the constellation of the heavens, yea the Starre-gazers would bear us in hand, that some times are dismal and fatal to some purposes. The Gentiles made it unlucky to enterprise some business in some of the months. Hence it is that the Poet saith, 

Ovid de fust. l. 3.  Hac quoque de causa, fire Proverbia tangunt,  
Mense malum Maio nubere, vulgus ait.   
That is, 
The Proverbs teach, and common people say,  
It's ill to marry in the month of May.   
In like manner he teacheth before, that some times are unfit for the marriage of widows or of maids, forasmuch as such as marry in them are not long lived, but have died quickly, 
Nec viduis tedis eadem, nec virginis opta  
Tempora: quae nupsit, non diuturna fuit.  And one of the wisest Philosophers among the heathen, inquiring into the causes, 
Plut in his Roman. quest. 86.  why the Romans would not marry in the month of May, allegeth this as one, because they offered oblations to the dead in this month, and therefore was holden to be ominous. And in another place he showeth, 
Rom. quest. 25  that they held the morrows after the Calends, Nones, and Ideses, dismal and disastrous days, either to set forward upon any journey and voyage, or to march with an army into the field. It is not worth the labour to spend time to rehearse the folly of our sottish Prognosticators, that in every month tell us which are good days and which are evil days, and set down particular predictions what shall befall us, and how we shall prosper or not prosper: and yet themselves cannot tell what shall happen to themselves. I remember a pleasant story, 
Eros. de lingua.  reported by Erasmus in the reign of Henry the seventh, a wise and judicious Prince, of a certain wizard, who would needs be accounted as a Prophet, and able to foretell things to come; he prophesied at a time of the King's death, that he should die that year. The king hearing of his prophesy, & withal laughing at his folly, sent for him, as if he meant to take notice of his deep and profound skill, and to reward him highly; and when he was come into his presence, he asked him whether he had any knowledge of things to come, and could tell what should come to pass hereafter? he answered, he had great skill that way. The king demanded of him, whether he knew where he should be those holy days that were at hand, (for this fell out not long before the feast of the Nativity) he answered, No: Why then (quoth the king) I perceive thou hast no skill at all, and knowest not so much as I do, for I know where thou shalt be, & how long, and withal willed his servants to carry him presently to the Tower, and after a while having made himself merry and derided the folly of that wise fool, he dismissed him, which was more favour than he deserved. This practice of prophetical divinations and predictions is mere Gentilism, and great pity it is once suffered among us Christians, to make some days lucky and some unlucky, some fortunate and some unfortunate; whereof we see the practice in the book of Ester, chapter the third, verse seventh: They cast Pur, that is, the lot before Haman, from day to day, & from month to month, to the twelfth month. Howbeit we see how he was deceived, and the enchanters upon whom he builded, and in whom he trusted, like to the Papists, who long looked for the year 88, of which they had many Astrological predictions, and trusted in it no less than in the Oracle of Apollo, howbeit they were marvelously & in a manner miraculously defeated and disappointed, and therefore one saith well, 

D. Fulk. preface before the Rhen. Testam.  Octogefimus octanus mirabilis annus,  
Called papistarum, faustus ubique pijs.  But if we be the true servants of God, our ways shall prosper, Psal. 1, 3, and it shall go well with us, if we make the word our study and meditation, josh. 1, 8; if not, let the times be what they will, and prognosticate what luck (as they call it) soever they can, yet nothing shall prosper or do us good, whatsoever we imagine to the contrary.  
Thirdly, the consideration of the feast of Use 3 the New Moons did put them and doth put us in mind, that we should be new creatures, and walk in newness of life by the holy Ghost regenerating us, as the Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 5, 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are made new. Hence it is, that we are so oftentimes warned in the Scripture, that we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds, Rom. 12, 2. Eph. 4, 23. that we must put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Eph. 4, 24, and must put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceivable lusts, verse 22.  
As then the Moon (which ruleth the month) changeth and reneweth the light, so should we be changed, not in substance of the body, but in quality, and that in every part, even in the whole man, forasmuch as we are altogether corrupt. Now this that must be changed, 
Why our corruption is called the old man.  is called the old man; first, because it is in time before regeneration, first, we are carnal, then spiritual; first, the first Adam, than the second Adam hath place in us: first we are borne, than we are borne again, john 3. Secondly, because as age maketh loathsome and deformed, so this maketh us full of spots and wrinkles, before such time as we taste of the renewing power of God. Thirdly, because it draweth near to death, for as old age bringeth down to the grave, so doth the old man draw us to destruction of soul and body, which is the second death. This old man therefore must be clean cast off, or else it shall not profit us: for we must deny ourselves, and crucify our sinful lusts, we must kill and mortify our vain desires, as Abraham would have killed his son; but we must go farther, for we must after a sort kill ourselves, & cast off the things that are most dear unto us, though they should be as our right hand, or as our right eye, Math. 5. And we must so cast off the old man, that no remnant of him cleave or stick unto us, & we should put it off, not as if we were loath or unwilling to leave it, but cast it away with a purpose never to take it up, or to put it on again; no nor once touch the same, but to account it as a menstruous cloth, lest we be like to the dog that returneth to his vomit, or to the sow that was washed and by and by walloweth in the mire, or to the Crocodile that layeth aside her poison but taketh it up again. On the other side, we must put on the new man, called new, because nothing availeth without this, Gal. 5, 6. Again, it is wrought in us in the second place, for we are first old before we are new, for this is the latter birth. Lastly, because it is strong to do the will of GOD, as young men are lusty and able to do the business of this life with great alacrity and activity.  
Lastly, we must remember that it is not enough Use 4 to serve God outwardly, and to keep the bare ceremony, except we join thereunto the service of the heart. And if the jews had resorted diligently every first day of the month to the service of God in the Tabernacle or the Temple, yet what could it avail them, if their hearts were unclean, & their hands stained with cruelty? Therefore the Prophet saith, The new Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with, it is iniquity: your new Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth, they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them, Esay 1, 13, 14. The jews regarded no more than to keep the days, they thought it enough to leave the works of their calling, though they did never forsake the works of the flesh, and therefore he chargeth them that their hands were full of blood, verse 15. So is it with us, we rest for the most part in the outward ceremony, in honouring God with our lips and bodily presence in his house, we bring no more but our outward ears to hear, and neglect the preparation of the heart, and yet flatter ourselves as if we had done all that he requireth. Howbeit God rejecteth and refuseth such duty at our hands, he cannot abide the service and sacrifice that is offered in this manner. Hence it is that he saith, I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies: though ye offer me burnt offerings, and your meat offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts, Amos, chapter the fift. the 21, and 22, verses. Not that almighty GOD hated or abhorred the things themselves; he did not reject their works, but the evil of their works, Esay, chapter 1, verse 16: so he cannot abide that we come before him in that corrupt manner; but we assemble for the worse, and not for the better, and by our corruption turn his saving ordinances into sin.   

16 And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passeover of the Lord.  
17 And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast, seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.  
18 In the first day shall be an holy convocation, etc.  
19 But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by sire for a  offering unto the Lord, two young Bullocks, one Ram, and seven Lambs of a year old, etc.  
20 And their meat offering shall be of, etc.  
21 A several tenth deal, etc.  
22 And one Goat for a sin offering, etc.  
23 Ye shall offer these beside the  offering in the morning, etc.  
After this manner, etc.  
25 An on, etc.  
We come now to the yearly feasts and sacrifices, whereof the Passeover hath the first place, wherein beside the daily sacrifice, they were to offer two young Bullocks, and one Ram, and seven Lambs of the first year without blemish, for a  offering, and their meat offering must be of flower mingled with oil; and they must eat unleavened bread seven days, the first day & the seventh must be an holy convocation, wherein they must do no servile work. Of this feast we read at large, Exod. 12, 18. levit. 23, 5, 7. Deut. 16, 1. Of this feast we have also spoken before at large, chap. 9, 2, 3. And it was of great importance, even the foundation of all the benefits which the jews received at God's hands, without which they had been no people separated and dedicated unto almighty God,  
This Paschall Lamb was not a bare ceremony Use 1 without doctrine and instruction. The jews departed in great haste out of Egypt. And how? not armed or with bannners displayed, as if their enemies had stood in fear of them, but they went out like a company of poor fugitives or banished persons. The women carried their children upon their shoulders, the men took up their stuff upon their necks, and fled out of the Land, as Lot did out of Sodom, for their lives. They were a people that had no skill to handle the sword, or weapon of war defensive or offensive, they had been used like Oxen for labour, and like Asses for burden. And when they must departed, it was said, Get you hence, Exod. 12, 29, they must truss up the Corn they had ground, and bake cakes by the way to eat. This solemnity they observed yearly, wherein they did eat cakes without leaven, which served to put them in mind, that when their fathers departed out of Egypt, they were a poor distressed people, and ran away like silly Lambs pursued by devouring wolves. This should teach all of us, that God would have us remember such deliverances out of danger, as he hath sent us. We are apt to forget what he hath done for us, as the jews were, and therefore we must consider to what end God commanded his people to celebrate this feast every year, & that not for one day, but for seven days together, and doth so often urge it upon them, as we see in the Scriptures. And albeit this feast have no place in the new Testament, but is justly abrogated & abolished, because the shadow must give place to the body, and the ceremony to the truth: yet we must not think the commending of it every where to the Church to be in vain. For it serves to put us in mind both of God's mercy and goodness unto his Church, who though he bring them into sundry perils that are ready to oppress them, yet he is ready to deliver them out of all, yea when things seem to be most desperate: and also of our duty toward him to give him thanks for our deliverances, and to praise his Name.  
Secondly, from hence it followeth, that it Use 2 was a vain and frivolous controversy which troubled sundry Churches, and rend in sunder one of them from another touching the keeping of the Passeover. Some would have it kept on the 14. day of the month, after the manner of the jews, and others on the Lords day after, lest the Church should follow the Synagogue. Victor Bishop of Rome did threaten all the East Churches with the censure of excommunication, because they celebrated the Passeover another day then on the Lord's day. But Ireneus and other holy Bishops reproved him of obstinacy, of pride and arrogancy, & wrote unto him that he did not well in that he cut from the unity of the body of the Church so many and so great Churches of Christ, which observed the order delivered unto them from ancient times, as appeareth in Eusebius For the Churches of the East pretended that they followed john and Philip; and the Churches of the West alleged the examples of Paul and Peter for their warrant and one claim was fully as good and haply as true as the other. This strife doth the Bishop of Rome at this day nourish and renew again, that had been long buried in the grave and covered with ashes, by his new Calendar, and thrusteth upon the Church his own ordinance concerning the observation of Easter as a divine precept, and consequently necessary to be kept and observed of the Church, usurping jurisdiction and authority over all Churches to rule over them and their faith at his pleasure. Cardinal Bellarmine going about to establish traditions against the all-sufficient doctrine of the Scriptures, avoucheth that we must necessarily believe that the Passeover is to be kept in the new Testament on the Lord's day only, because they have been accounted heretics, who kept it otherwise; and yet this cannot be proved by the Scripture.  
I answer, the former controversy was at the last thus defined and determined by Polycarp and Victor, that every one should follow their own custom and judgement, and that it is a very foolish and absurd thing for such rites to separate one from another as enemies. Euethes' ethôn heneken allêlôn charizesthai, Sozom histor. lib. 7. cap. 19 Now that which is left free & at liberty for either side to follow, cannot be holden necessary: but to keep the Passeover on this day or that day is left free and at liberty for either side, therefore it is not necessary unto salvation. So then, nothing is more uncertain than Tradition: for both parts pretended the Apostles and apostolic Traditions, but both of them could not be true: nay Socrates taxeth them both of errors, affirming that this sprang not of Tradition, but of Custom. And if either the one opinion or the other had any good foundation from the Apostles, it might be that in the beginning and first planting of the Gospel (to bear with the infirmity of others) they observed certain days and times, which afterward was observed and urged as a precept, liberty being abolished, and that which was retained of charity, was turned into a law of necessity. Again there is no cause or reason at all, why any churches or persons should contend to have the Passeover received, much less so bitingly & bitterly. For Socrates speaketh well and truly, that the Apostles ordained nothing of holy or festival days, and showeth at large the vanity of those that strive to no purpose about it: 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Socrat. lib. 5. cap. 22. Forasmuch as the Passover was a type and ceremony, but types and ceremonies were abolished. So than it was superstitiously done of such as bear the names of Christian Churches, to bring in a feast of Passeover, under pretence that the jews had the same; for that were to compel the Gentiles to live as do the jews, which Paul reproved in Peter, Gal. 2, 14, But these Traditions got authority in the church by little and little. I have spoken this, not that it is unlawful to have one day in the year, wherein to celebrate the remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord jesus Christ, for that were to run into extremities: whereas our infirmity is allowed to have some helps to quicken our faith, that we might the better bethink us all our life what benefit the resurrection of our Lord hath brought unto us: nevertheless this is established only for order sake. But to urge this strictly of necessity, or to make a service of God thereof, or to think that we ought to fashion ourselves after the example of the jews, to wit, that as they had their Passeover, so ought we to have ours in these days, were to turn all things upside down, and to put a veil before the face of Christ, that we might not see the light of the Gospel shining upon us.  
Use 3 Lastly, this Passeover was celebrated with many circumstances, whereof some were observed only at the first Passeover while they were in Egypt, as the preparing of the paschal Lamb, and keeping it apart from the rest of the flock, from the 10 day to the 14. the sprinkling of the blood upon the door posts, the eating of it in haste, and the kill of it within their own houses: but afterwards it was done in the public place of God's worship, Deut. 16, 5, 6, 7: for which purpose jerusalem was afterward chosen, where it was killed by the Priests, and flayed in the Court of the Temple, and the blood sprinkled on the Altar, 2 Chron. 35, 1, 2, 6, 10, 11: then the owner of the Lamb took it at the Priest's hands, & brought it to his own house, and roasted it. All these things aimed at the shedding of Christ's blood, and the sprinkling, that is, the applying of it to the hearts of all true believers, Ezek. 45, 19 1 Pet. 1.2. Heb. 9, 13, 14. As when the Law was commanded to be written upon their door posts, it pointed out the writing of it into their hearts, as it is expounded by the Prophet, jer. 31, 31. Hebr. 8, 10. And whereas they were to sprinkle the upper door posts, not the threshold or the floor under their feet, it did put them and us in mind what recoverent account and estimation we ought to have of the blood of Christ, that we should not tread under our feet the Son of God, neither account the blood of the covenant wherewith we have been sanctified, as an unholy thing, Heb, 10, 29. Some points were to be observed at all times, whensoever and wheresoever they killed and kept the Passeover, and consumed it with fire: they must eat it with unleavened cakes, for all leaven must be cast out of their houses; & to this they joined bitter herbs. The roasting of it with fire was a figure both of God's Spirit, Math. 3, 11. Through which Christ offered himself to God, Heb. 9, 14: & also of God's fiery wrath which he was to suffer, whilst he was made a curse for us by his death upon the cross, Gal. 3, 15, jer. 4, 4. The unleavened loaves signify that none can be partakers of any benefit by Christ, but such as cast out the leaven of maliciousness and wickedness out of their hearts, 1 Cor. 5, 8. This belongeth to every one to eat the unleavened cakes or loaves of sincerity & truth: of which before chap. 9 The sour or bitter herbs, which are thought by the Hebrew Rabbins to be wild Lettuce, Cichory, horehound, 
Maimon treat. of leaven, cap. 7.  and such like, and were eaten with the Lamb, brought to their remembrance the affliction in Egypt, where their lives had been bitter, Exod. 1, 14: yea, more bitter than gall or wormwood, where the Egyptians made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; and hereunto the Church seemeth to allude, Lament. 3, 15: and all these were as types of the bitter sorrows of Christ, to whom they offered gall to drink: as also of our mortification and afflictions with him, For we must be made like unto him, 1 Cor. 5, 7. & 11.26. Phil. 3, 10.   

Also in the day of the first fruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work.  
27 But ye shall offer the  offering for a sweet savour, etc.  
28 And their meat Offering of fine Flower, etc.  
29 A several tenth deal unto one Lamb, etc.  
30 And one Kid, etc.  
31 Ye shall offer them besides the continual burnt Offering, etc.  
here is handled the feast of Pentecost, or of Weeks, which was kept yearly amongst the jews, 
The feast of the first fruits of wheat harvest.  to give God thanks after the gathering of their harvest. This was a mean to put them in mind to honour God for sending his benefits to the sustenance of man, Leu. 23, 17. Deut. 16, 9, 10. It is called the feast of harvest, Exo. 23, 16. & 22, 29. Their fruits when they were full ripe, and gathered, were brought & offered to God. 
Maimony in treatise of first fruits, cap. 22.  The Hebrew Canons teach, that they were to bring first fruits of seven things only, of Wheat, of Barley, of Grapes, of Figs, of Pomegranates, of Olives, and of Dates; and that if a man brought any other besides these seven kinds, they were not sanctified. Moreover, that they bring no first fruits of liquors, save of olives and of Grapes, and if they bring other, they are not received. There is no measure of first fruits set, in what measure or quantity they ought to bring them, nevertheless they teach, that the least quantity which men might bring was one of sixty, as the greatest was the fortieth part, so that they might bring what they would between forty and sixty for their first fruits. This feast is also called Pentecost, that is, fifty days, because there were seven weeks between Easter and this: so as there were 49. days between these two feasts, whereunto one being added for the festival day itself, it made fifty. This ceremony is now no longer in use, but instruction from it and by it remaineth. The jews were as young children, and God ruled them according to their infirmities, Gal. 4, 1. Now let us see the Uses.  
Use 1 First, it teacheth us, not only that GOD hath set us in this world, but fostereth & feedeth us in it, he maketh the earth to yield fruit, so that we live by his bounty and liberality. Therefore the will of God was, that the jews should keep a yearly feast to him to give him thanks, that thereby they might be provoked to acknowledge all the year after, that they were sustained by his hand, and that they were as it were Gods tenants in the land, Deut. 26, 9, 10, Leuit. 25, 23. So then, they were to think thus with themselves, we have offered sacrifice to God after harvest: whereby we are put in mind that it is he that hath sent us our sustenance by giving us the early and the latter rain; sending us fruitful, seasons, and filling our hearts with joy and gladness. So then this yearly solemnity of one day, was not as a passport or discharge of farther duty, as if they might forget God all the rest of the year, but rather to be a means to school them all the year after, that if we have any thing wherewith to secure ourselves and sustain our lives, it is God's blessing, who hath pity and compassion upon us. By this we are taught to the world's end, and are put in mind not to swallow God's benefits as swine without thinking upon him, but rather so often as we eat or drink, we should be ready to give him thanks: and as he openeth our mouths to receive his creatures, so should we open our mouths to pour out his praises. It is he that heareth the heavens, that the heavens may hear the earth, and the earth the corn, and the corn his people, Hos. 2.  
Secondly, the first fruits figured out Gods Use 2 Church, which is a people separated and sanctified unto him from the rest of the world. This is a true description of the true Church, and by this we must try whether we be parts and members thereof, or not. It is not enough for us to be in the Church, to make us to be of the Church, For many be among us, that are not of us, saith the Apostle john in his first Epistle, and the second chapter. If we be of the Church, we must be a company called and culled out of the world, john 15, 19: for these two are opposed the one to the other, the world and the Church: The whole world lieth in wickedness, but we know that we are of God, 1 john 5, 19 The Apostle john speaking of them both, & comparing one with another saith, Ye are of God, little children; they are of the world, 1 john 4, 4, 5. As then the first fruits were separated from the rest of the heap, and sanctified unto God, so is the estate of the true Church, and of all the members of it, jer. 2, 3. james 1, 18. revel. 14, 1: they are sanctified to GOD and to his service, in whom he greatly delighteth. This is the privilege of the regenerate above the unregenerate, that they are created a new in Christ jesus. They are his spouse, Hos. 2, 19, 23. Eph. 5, 25, his children, joh. 1, 12, his servants, Rom. 6, 16, trees of righteousness planted by his right hand, Psal. 1, 3. Esay 61, 3, an holy Temple, Eph. 2, 20, 21, an holy Priesthood, and a royal generation, 1 Pet. 2, 5, 9, revel. 1, 6, and 5, 9 It behoveth us therefore to walk worthy of our calling, Eph. 4, 1, toward God and men: toward God, giving him all glory, revel. 1, 6: and doing whatsoever he commandeth, joh. 15, 14, toward men, having our conversation honest, 1, Pet. 2, 12, and nothing at all regarding the hatred of the world, john 15, 18, 19, etc. Of this see more afterward.  
Thirdly, hereby the Lord taught the jews to deal liberally toward other their brethren, as he had dealt liberally toward them, according as he had blessed them. Where he bestoweth much, there he requires the more: and whatsoever they did, they must do it willingly and cheerfully, Deu. 16, 10, 11. A man may give all his goods, and yet do to God no good service, yea and give his body to be burned, 1 Cor. 13, 3. True it is, he did after a sort lay the bridle in their own necks, and left it to their own choice to offer what they thought best in their own eyes, 
2 Kings 4.42.  yet he adds, as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, Deut. 16: & therefore they must come to an account for it. When he had given them a good and plentiful harvest, that the cart was pressed with the sheaves, & their cup did overflow, from whence came it? or to whom were they beholding for it? Was it not to him? to him only? It is he that openeth his hand wide unto us also, that our hearts should be opened in like manner toward him. God dealeth not alike toward all, and he requireth not alike of all. As every man hath received abundantly at his hands, so ought he to impart unto his brother; for that is the end that God aimeth at, and the service that he looketh for. They that devour Gods blessings without pity, are no better than thieves and as caterpillars that eat up the fruits of the earth, Heb, 13, 16, Hos. 6, 7. Our goods can no way profit him, job 35, 6. True it is, he requireth sacrifices & oblations, howbeit such as think to discharge themselves by coming to the church & by offering their gifts there, do beguile themselves, but cannot beguile the Lord that seethe the heart, forasmuch as all their doings are no better than hypocrisy, if they be not merciful to their brethren that stand in need. There is none of us but would be glad of relief if we were in misery & necessity, and therefore we should show pity toward others. When the Lord would move the Israelites to compassion, he putteth them in mind that they had been strangers & bond slaves in the land of Egypt. Such as have felt the want of worldly things, would be glad that every one should be willing to stretch out his hand to help them, and therefore we should do the like. Yea, though we never felt any want, let us remember that want may befall us hereafter. For what are we but frail creatures? and what are earthly things but mutable & flitting? No man may exempt himself from the stroke of God, we may fall from plenty to poverty, yea from superfluity to necessity, and be driven to beg our bread, as infinite examples testify. Let us therefore consider that we are mortal men, and that nothing hath befallen to others that may not happen to ourselves, that thereby we may be moved not to turn away our eyes from our own flesh, Esay 58, 7.  
Use 4 Lastly, we must observe another point in this feast, that it was instituted in the remembrance of the deliverance of the Law, which was given at the same time. For it is said, that the people came to Sinai the third month after their departure out of Egypt, the same day that they departed from Rephidim, Exod. 19, 1, 2: now that was the first day of the month, and the fourteenth day was the day of the Passeover. And as the months were then observed which went by the course of the Moon, there was one whole month added; so that in effect there were fifty days from the Passeover to God's setting forth of his Law upon Mount Sinai: so as the feast of Pentecost or Whitsuntide was referred to that time. Of this we find mention in the new Testament, Acts 2, 1. & 20.16: at this time the holy Ghost came down in cloven tongues, and sat upon the disciples, Acts 2, 3. We know the law of itself could do men no good through their infirmity. It is a dead letter and killeth, 2 Cor. 3, 6, 7. It is a glass to show that we are all sinners & transgressors of it, Rom. 7, 10: and therefore serveth to condemn & accurse us, Gal. 3, 13. Rom. 8, 15. Howbeit at the coming of our Lord jesus Christ and after his ascension, God brought in another manner of Whitsuntide then had been observed in time of the shadows and ceremonies, when he vouchsafed to pour down as a shower of rain, the plentiful graces of his Spirit upon his Church: so that the things that were figured under the Law, were fulfilled in Christ our Saviour. Wherefore, besides the admonition that the jews had, to wit, to do homage to God for their harvest, and to fill their mouths with his praise for the fruits of the earth and the bodily sustenance which they received; likewise to impart of part of these blessings to their poor brethren, that there might be a common rejoicing and gladness among them, & so God be glorified with one accord: they had also a resemblance of the things that were fulfilled at the coming of Christ. And albeit it be not evil or unlawful to have one certain day wherein the history of the coming down of the holy Ghost should be declared and published, yet the figure is ceased and accomplished. We must not run trotting or traveling to jerusalem to worship there, but lift up pure hands every where unto him that hath powered out the infinite riches of his holy Spirit, 
2 Tim. 2, 8.  and sent us the living waters, Ezek. 47, 9: that we should have joy and gladness therein, Rom. 14. Let us therefore rejoice, seeing God hath showed himself so bountiful to us, to rejoice even according to the joy in harvest. Esay 9, 3. For as the jews rejoiced in the harvest of corruptible fruits that nourished the body: so we having received the incorruptible graces of the holy Ghost shed abroad in our hearts, should be joyful and glad, by withdrawing ourselves from the vanities of this world, and by holding ourselves contented with the favour of God, Phil. 4, 7: and when this gladness is wrought in us, we must labour to make others partakers of the same. For, if the jews were commanded to call the poor, the Widows, and the fatherless, to make merry with than in the use of those outward blessings that God had given them: much more ought we to labour to make others partakers of the spiritual graces which we have received, that belong to the building of the church, Rom. chap. 12, 6. 1 Cor. chapt. 12, verse 7. Eph. 2, 14. Zach. 2, 4: as the woman of Samaria being taught by Christ, called out the rest of the City to hear the gracious words that came out of his mouth which she had heard, john 4: so that we ought to say with the Lepers, We do not well: this is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: and as they said, Come, that we may go and tell the King's household, 2 Kin. 7, 9: so should we say, Come, let us go and tell our brethren what God hath done for our souls.    

CHAP. XXIX.  

1 ANd in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the Trumpets unto you.  
2 And ye shall offer a  offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord, one young Bullock, and one Ram, etc.  
3 And their meat Offering shallbe of flower mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, etc.  
4 And one tenth deal for one Lamb throughout the seven Lambs.  
5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, etc.  
6 Besides the  offering of the month, and his meat Offering, and the daily  offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, etc.  
BEfore we saw how Moses began to handle the daily sacrifice, 
The contents of this chapped.  and the monthly and yearly feasts and solemnities of the jews: this Chapter is of like argument with the former, describing three other solemn feasts, or rather three yearly sacrifices, one to be offered at the feast of Trumpets, another at the feast of humiliation, the third at the feast of Tabernacles: all these fell out in one and the same month, called of the Hebrews Thisri, which answereth in part to our September. Touching the first, it was to be celebrated on the first day of that month, which was holden sacred in two respects, both in regard of the feast of the New Moon, and then for the feast of Trumpets, so that three ordinary sacrifices were to be offered in it, the daily sacrifice, the monthly, & then that which is proper to this feast, to wit, a young Bullock, a Ram, and seven Lambs of the first year for a  offering, etc.,  
Let us first speak of this feast of Trumpets. Some of the Rabbins fantastically suppose, that it was instituted in remembrance of the offering up of Isaac, 
Of the feast of Trumpets, & the uses to us.  or of deliverance from being offered, which conceit is idle and nothing at all to the purpose. Others imagine, that it was appointed upon occasion of the wars that the Israelites had with the Amalekites and other Nations under the conduct of God, to put them in remembrance that the whole life of man is nothing else but a continual warfare, job 7, 1. 2 Timoth. 2, 1. Of this feast we read, Leuit. 23, 24. This was accounted as a Sabbath, an holy convocation, wherein they must do no servile work. Therein the trumpets or cornets sounded aloud, and the sound thereof was heard far and near. Of this also in part we have spoken before, chap. 10.1.  
Let us come to the Uses hereof in regard Use 1 of ourselves, which served of purpose to stir up the people to return unto God praise and thanksgiving with joyfulness of heart for all his benefits, according to that in the Psalms, Make a joyful noise unto the God of jacob, take a Psalm, and bring hither the Timbrel the pleasant Harp with the Psaltery; blow up the Trumpet in the new Moon, in the time appointed on our solemn feast day, Psal. 81, 1, 2, 3. So David having experience of God's good hand toward him in many preservations, 
Title.  composed the 18 Psalm, as a testimony of his thankfulness for his deliverance from the hands of all his enemies & from the hand of Saul. So I should think that the cause of this feast was to be a feast of remembrance for his manifold mercies received in the wilderness, that thereby they might stir up themselves to be united in God. And the cause of the institution of this feast seemeth to be contrary to that which followeth, which is the feast of fasting. For as the jews had a day to humble themselves by fasting, so they were also to have a day of rejoicing, that when they heard of those Trumpets, they should stir up themselves to return to GOD with joy of heart. And albeit we neither hear nor have these Trumpets sounding in our ears to call us to the Temple and place of his worship, yet ought we to praise his name cheerfully and readily, with spiritual joy and gladness continually, Esay 35, 2, 3, 10. with singing & thanksgiving, Esay 49, 20, 21: for it is certain the faithful only have true cause to rejoice, Psal. 32, 11. & 33, 1: the ungodly have no cause at all, Esay 48, 20, 21, 22: but rather to weep and lament, Luke 6, 25.  
Secondly, it reproveth the Popish sort, who Use 2 endeavour to follow this commandment, as if it belonged to Christians as a precept in our days, and therefore have a resemblance of it once a year by ringing of bells; yea at every solemn feast they think God is well paid & pleased, when they have rung their bells loud and lustily, and thereby wakened the ghosts of such of their friends as are dead. Such practice is no better than sorcery and witchcraft, which is retained among them. And hence it is, that they ascribe more force to their hallowed and consecrated bells, than ever GOD gave to the sound of these Trumpets. For they ascribe unto them (being once hallowed) a spiritual power against thunder, lightning, and evil spirits: & for that cause they are not ashamed to baptise them, and to exact great sums of money of the people for that purpose, which was one of the grievances whereof the Princes of Germany complained in the assembly at Noremberg. But this feast served only for the people of old time, and therefore they mingle the Law & the Gospel together, and bring in a Linsy-wolsy religion contrary to the will and commandment of God.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this warneth us of the preaching of the Gospel, concerning Christ the Saviour of the world, the conqueror of all our enemies and of them that hate us, Esay 58, 1, Zach. 9 For this was a warlike instrument, Num. 6.31 josh. 6. God hath caused the doctrine of salvation to be sounded out in the world, so that all have heard the sound of it, Psal. 19, 4. Rom. 10, 18, Such a Trumpet was john the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, Mark 1, 1, 2: & to call upon them to repent, because the kingdom of God was at hand. And this commendeth to the Ministers in the execution of their office, diligence, carefulness, continuance, cheerfulness, and zeal, 1 Cor. 9, 17. 1 Pet. 5, 2.  
Use 4 Lastly, as the Ministers must be the Lords Trumpets, so indeed ought every faithful soul to be a Trumpet. For when this feast was yearly observed, such as heard the trumpets were warned by it all the year after to stir up and awaken themselves, remembering that God doth call them as with a loud voice daily, that they should yield up themselves souls and bodies unto him to worship and serve him as he requireth. When this feast was celebrated & solemnised, all the males were not commanded to repair to jerusalem, as they were at the three more solemn feasts, Exod 23, 17: to wit, if they were freemen and in health, able to go to the place of his worship Deut. 12, 6: & 16, 2. And hence it is, that the jewish Doctors out of that Law, of all males appearing before the Lord three times in the year, do exempt and discharge eleven sorts; and therefore they say that women & servants are not bound, but all men are bound, except the deaf and the dumb, and the fool, & the little child, and the blind, and the lame, and the uncircumcised, and the old man, and the sick, and the tender or weak which are not able to go and travel upon their feet: nevertheless, though the people were far from jerusalem when this feast was holden, and that they could not resort thither daily to do sacrifice in the Temple, yet they were to consider in their absence, that sacrifices were offered there even in their behalf, and God was worshipped there in the behalf and name of all the Tribes. True it is, this figure is passed away, and utterly abolished by the coming of our Lord jesus Christ, howbeit this remaineth that we ourselves should serve for trumpets. For as the Temple being destroyed, we must be spiritual Temples unto God: so the Trumpets being taken away, every one of us must be spiritual Trumpets, that is, we should rouse up ourselves, because we are naturally so besotted and wedded to the world, and unto the vanities here below, that it seldom cometh into our minds to think of God, of the Gospel, of the kingdom of heaven. Our ears are so possessed with the sound of earthly things, and our eyes so dazzled with the pleasures of the flesh, that we are as deaf and blind men, that can neither hear nor see what God saith unto us. He calleth unto us daily, and maketh the Gospel sound aloud in the midst of us, that we might have the inward remorse of a good conscience, to repent us of all our evil ways, yet we notwithstanding this summoning of us do remain dull and deaf, & dumb and blind. Wherefore we must not look till there be a solemn holiday to call us unto the Church, there to keep a feast of Trumpets, but it must serve us all the days of our life as a spur to cause us to return to God.   

7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month, an holy convocation, and ye shall afflict your souls, ye shall not do any work therein.  
8 But ye shall offer a  offering unto the Lord for a sweet savour, one young bullock, etc.  
9 And their meat offering shall be, etc.  
10 A several tenth deal for one Lamb, etc.  
11 One kid of the Goats for a sin-offering, etc.  
The next feast is the feast of affliction or humiliation, otherwise called the feast of fasting. The jews themselves were so superstitious in the observation of this feast, that (as Munster testifieth) they thought it not lawful for them to read any thing that might make themselves merry, or rejoice their hearts; 
Munst. ann●t.  as the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, 
Of the Feast of fasting and afflicting the soul.  their entrance into the land of Canaan, or their deliverance from the tyranny of Haman, and such like: but only mournful things, that may serve to make them heavy and sorrowful: as the threatenings of the Prophets, the Lamentations of jeremy, the destruction of jerusalem, and other Scriptures of like argument. 
Theod. quaest: ●2 in Leuit. Thom. 1.2. quaest. 102. art. 4. Lyra in 23. Leuit.  This feast was not ordained without cause. Many surmise that it had his original for the Lords forgiving the Israelites their sin of idolatry, committed in making and worshipping the golden Calf, Exod. 32, Of this we read more at large, Leuit. 23, 26, 27, 28. It was solemnised on the tenth day of the seventh month, to be a day of atonement, an holy convocation to afflict their souls, and to offer an holy offering by fire to the Lord, and whatsoever soul shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. This yearly feast of expiation is also described. Levit, 16, 29: and it is made an everlasting statute to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. This was not ordained without cause, forasmuch as we see how men do naturally cover their faults as much as they can. So the Prophet Zachary testifieth, that while the people were in captivity and banishment in Babylon, all that whole time they had kept their extraordinary fasts very strictly, chap, 7, 5.  
Use 1 But let us proceed to the Uses. Hereby the jews and all men to the end of the world are put in mind; that we must seriously bethink us of our sins, both of the greatness and number of them which we commit, and humble ourselves for them. It was the will of God to establish amongst his own people a yeare-minde of them, by teaching them to humble themselves by fasting, and acknowledging their sins, and making a solemn confession of them, and craving pardon and forgiveness of them. We cannot think of our sins aright without grief of heart, neither ought we to be grieved for this grief, 2. Cor. 7, 8. This sorrow is of God, and for our good, and therefore called godly sorrow, and is not to be shunned or shaken off by us. It pleaseth God greatly, and maketh glad the Angels in heaven, Luke 15, verse 17: and bringeth us unto infinite joy and peace of conscience in the latter end. Such then as can be glad and rejoice at it exceedingly when they have offended God, and wounded their own souls, their sin is deep, their heart is hard, and their condemnation shall be double in hell, of whom Christ saith, Luke 6, 25. Woee be to you that laugh, for ye shall weep and wail. So then, their public and solemn fasting was a protesting of themselves to be guilty in God's fight of horrible offences, and they were put in mind when they were come home to their houses, to consider that it is not enough for them to hang down their heads like a bulrush for a day, and to crave forgiveness: for we provoke God every day, and as it were, enter into a new band with death. True it is we are washed, but we defile ourselves again: God hath pardoned us, yet we return to our sin as to our vomit again, and we make no end of sinning. So long as we live in this world, we have some corruptions lurking in us, and it is unpossible for us altogether to abstain from evil. Thus were the jews taught to look upon themselves, and into themselves, and upon their sins by this feast, which haply otherwise they would never have thought upon: and thus it serveth for our instruction also.  
Secondly, we see hereby what superstition Use 2 remaynerh amongst the Romanists, who have turned this feast of Affliction and humiliation, into their Lenton-fast: 
Of the Lenton Fast.  then they hang down their heads, and acknowledge their sins, and punish themselves with fasting, & pretend for it the example of the jews, and the practice of Christ. Thus they make us no better for the coming of our Lord jesus in the flesh, Galath. chap. 5, verse 4. and 4, verse 2, who hath showed himself unto the world. They pretend themselves to be Christians, but make themselves Jews. Neither is it any whit better to maintain their Fast of forty days, by an apish imitation of Christ jesus. For if they will be like unto him, let them abstain from all manner of meat and drink, let them during those days eat nothing at all, and then let them boast that they have fasted and fashioned themselves like unto him. But their manner is to feed themselves unto the full at dinner, that they are like to surfeit, and they cram their bellies that they leave no room for any more.  
Again, the Fast of Christ was not an abstinence from flesh only, and a taking liberty to eat fish, to drink wine, and to feed upon all kind of the most delicate dishes, which is the Romish Fast; he did eat nothing at all in those days. Moreover, he did this but once in all his life, and that to show his divine power, and to magnify the majesty of the Gospel; whereas these scorners will seem to go beyond him by many degrees, and not to resemble him. And wherefore do they take up the fashion of the jews to afflict themselves, but to have freer scope to despise & despite God himself all the year after? They make sour faces, and disfigure themselves, & play the notable hypocrites when Passion-sunday cometh, I think to mock at the passion of Christ. Lastly, they make their Fasting to be meritorious, and to deserve remission and forgiveness at the hands of God, and so prefer their own traditions before the precepts and commandments of God.  
Lastly, we must learn the true use and end of fasting, and the nature of it. To this Use 3 purpose we must know what kinds there are of it, what it is, what are the parts of it, and the sundry corruptions wherewith it hath been stained. 
The several sorts & kinds of fasts;.   
First, there are diverse sorts of fasts: there is a fast prescribed by the learned Physician, to preserve or restore health, when the body is troubled with repletion.  
Secondly, the fast of sobriety and temperance, Romans 13, 13, 1 Corinthians 9, 25. 1 Thessalonians 5.6. 1 Peter 5, 7. Of this Bernard speaking saith, 
Serm. de quadrag.  Let the eyes, ears, tongue, hand, and soul itself fast: let the eyes fast from curious sights and all wantonness: let the ears fast from fables and evil reports: let the tongue fast from slander, and murmuring, and railing speeches: let the hands fast from evil works, and the soul from sin and doing our own will, Luke 21, 34. Ezekiel 16.49.  
Thirdly, there is a forced and constrained fast, as in time of famine, when we can get nothing to feed upon: to this we may add the poor man's fast, who often fasteth because he hath nothing to put in his belly.  
Fourthly, there is the miraculous fast, which cannot be brought into imitation; such was the fast of Moses, of Elias, and of Christ himself, Exodus 34, 28, 1 Kings 19, 8. Matthew 4, 2. But of these we have nothing to say at this present. There is another fast that is pointed out in this place, which is the religious fast.  
The Lord commanded by Moses, that every soul once in the year should humble itself in fasting before the Lord in one of the great assemblies of his people, 
Whether fasting be ceremonial.  Leuit. 16, 29, 30, 31, and 23, 27, 28, etc. And albeit the ceremony of the day be taken away, Galatians 4, by the coming of Christ, yet the thing itself remaineth and continueth in force, as well as a day of rest for God's services, albeit the jewish Sabbath be abolished. The circumstances of moral duties may be changed, but the substance may not be abrogated.  
For where the same causes continue, there the thing itself abideth. We have as great cause of humiliation as ever the jews had, of making our prayers fervent, being as much subject to coldness as they were; and as great cause to be careful, that the wrath of God do not break out upon us, or being broken out to desire to have it returned back, and the sword of God put up again into his sheath.  
And therefore this holy exercise is of as great and necessary use as ever it was, and it remaineth in as full force and strength as ever it did, joel 2, 12. Luke 5, 33. 1 Cor. 7, 5. Acts 13, 2, 3.  
Let us therefore in the next place see what it is. 
What a religious fast is.  Fasting is an abstinence for one day, commanded of the Lord, from all meats & drinks and delights of this life, thereby to make solemn profession of our humiliation. It is an abstinence from all meats and drinks: All the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, but David swore, saying, So do God to me and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else till the Sun be down, 2 Sam. chapter 3, 35. jon. chapter 3, verse 7. They were commanded to put away their best raiment: Exod. chapter 33, verses 5, 6. The Lord said unto Moses, say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people, I will come suddenly upon thee, and consume thee: therefore now put thy costly raiment from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. So the children of Israel laid their goodly raiment from them, etc. To abstain from mirth & music, from pleasures and all recreations, joel 2, verse 16. 1 Chron. 7, verse 5. Dan. chapter 6, 18: and in stead of these, to give themselves to weeping, mourning, and lamentation, Nehem. chapter 1, verse 4. For this cause they had their sackcloth and ashes, to signify that they were not worthy of any attire, and that they were no better than dust and ashes. This was to continue one whole day, 2 Sam. 3, 35. judg. chapter 20, verse 26. 1 Sam. chapter 14, verse 24. 2 Sam. chapter 1, verse 12: and at even when they came to eat, 
Chemnit. examen. Concil. Trid. tom. 4. de jeiunio.  they did not seek delicate meat, or fill themselves with wine or strong drink, or far daintily to pamper the flesh, but were content with such as came to hand, and used that sparingly also: they fed upon the bread of tears, Psal. 80, 3: and mingled their drink with weeping, Psal. 102. Sometimes indeed they continued their fast longer, as occasion served, and upon extraordinary causes, Ester 4, 16, Acts 9, 9 Neh. 1, 1, 2. 2 Sam. 12. Dan. 10.1, 2.  
Furthermore I add, it was commanded of God both in the Law, as we showed before, and in the Gospel, Luke 5, 33, 35. The end of this ordinance is for our further and better humiliation, Leviticus 23, 27, 16, 29, Psal. 35, 13. Deuteron. 10, 12, 1 Kings 21, 27, 28, 29, 2 Chron. 12, 6, 7. Ezra 8, 21.  
Of this there are two sorts: 
The religion, fast is of two sorts.  for the religious fast is either private performed by one or more in a family, that our prayers may be more effectual, Nehem. 1, 4. 2 Sam. 12, 16. Psal. 35.13. 2 Sam. 3.35. Psal. 69, 10. Dan. 9 and 10. Acts 10.2.30. Luke 2.36. Ester 4.16: or else public, performed by the whole congregation, joel 2.12, jonah 3, 7: It ought not to be used of a few; and therefore all sorts of people should come to the same as on the Sabbath day, and none absent themselves from the assemblies.  
Now of both these fasts we must consider the parts, that some are outward, 
The parts of a fast.  and some inward.  
The outward parts pertain to the body, and are called a bodily exercise, 1, Timothy 4.8: as to abstain from meat and drink, watching in prayer, abridging of our sleep & such like commodities, delights and pleasures of this life, thereby to make us fit for the inward grace of the mind; that the body being thereby humbled and the flesh pulled down, the soul may also be humbled before the Lord.  
Objection But it will be objected, that God being a Spirit regardeth not these outward things, forasmuch as he will be served in spirit and truth, joh. 4, 24. Rom. 14.17. 1 Cor. 8.8. Mat. 15, 11.  
Answ. I answer, we must consider that fasting is the Lords ordinance, and he commandeth this abstinence, and therefore it ought not to be left undone, because we are bound to all that which he commandeth.  
And as GOD requireth it, so he will accept of it, and give a blessing unto it, and to all those that with care and conscience shall use it. Albeit it be of small value in itself, yet GOD hath ordained it to an excellent end, even to humble the soul; and it shall be available to that purpose, which is no small benefit.  
As water in Baptism, and the bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord are little or nothing worth considered in themselves; and as the rest appointed on the Sabbath, can little further us, if we go no further: howbeit they bring a great blessing to such as use them with reverence, faith, and repentance. Nevertheless, we are not to trust in these outward things, but these outward ceremonies must lead us by the hand to higher matters, lest God send us away empty as we came, Ezra 6, 21; or else the fast of the beasts in Niniveh shall be as good as our fast, jonah 3, 7: for they were covered with sackcloth, and did neither feed, nor drink water.  
These virtues are the acknowledging of our own unworthiness: also watchfulness, humility, zeal, & hope of mercy at the hands of God, and assurance to obtain that which we ask of him in prayer. These are no small graces and benefits. For the servants of GOD by their abstinence from meat and drink confessed themselves unworthy so much as of a crumb of bread, or of a drop of water: by putting on sackcloth, unworthy of the worst rag to cover their shame and nakedness. They deprived themselves of the benefit of sleep, and cut themselves shorter of it then at other times, to stir up themselves to perseverance and watchfulness in prayer and other holy duties. They put dust and ashes upon their heads, to testify what they had deserved, even to be as far under the earth as they were above it, yea to be deprived of life, and to be stricken with death for their sins, and to be worthy of eternal condemnation.  

Fasting is to be joined with prayer.  And for the practice of all these, they quickened their prayers, and as it were added wings unto them, that they might more easily pierce the heavens, and present themselves in the presence of God, and therefore prayer and fasting were joined together, Ezra 9, 5. Nehem. 1, 4. Dan. 9, 3. judg. 20, 26, Luke 2, 37, and 5, 33. 1 Cor. 7.7. True it is, prayer is available without fasting; but fasting is never available without prayer. For fasting is not the worship of God, but only an help to it.  
But here observe, that notwithstanding this exercise of our faith be so often commanded, so often commended, so often practised, so often blessed, yet Satan hath not ceased from time to time to mingle darnel, yea poison with it; so though it remain, yet it remaineth without profit. As he hath corrupted prayer itself, so he hath blended and infected the exercise of holy fasting. If he should have gone about utterly to take them away, his craft would soon have been espied, therefore he goeth about another way. 
What the Popish fasting is.  And let us a little see what the Popish fasting is, according as it is delivered and practised by themselves. For contraries set together do serve to illustrate one another. Their fasting is defined to be a subtraction or diminishing of our meat or diet, 
Alex. ab Hal●s. Durand. lib. 6, cap. 7.  according to the institution or doctrine of the Church, at times appointed, under pain of mortal sin, to make satisfaction for sins, and to merit the grace of God and life everlasting.  
Thus by appointing fasts, they overturn the right ends of fasting: and by their intention of satisfaction for sin, and procuring of eternal life, and such like horrible, detestable, and intolerable blasphemies, they destroy the only sufficient satisfaction of Christ.  
The Church of Rome charge us to be enemies to fasting, and that our doctrine is a doctrine of liberty: but we are enemies only to their abuses and corruptions, not to fasting itself, neither do we allow the breach of fasting days: We hold that it is a Christian exercise needful to be used for the humbling of our souls, and the enabling of ourselves to the duties of prayer and repentance, as often as the time shall require: besides, our Church hath public fasts in the time of any general infection or affliction, and our people are instructed and called upon to fast privately also, when the cause is more private.  
The difference between them and us is this; We reject their set days, 
Difference between the Church of Rome and us touching fasting.  and their name of fast upon those days by distinction of meats for conscience sake, wherein they place the worship of God, and in the ends which they propound to themselves, to wit, merit and satisfaction.  
And as they bring in these inventions, so they neglect such exercises of Religion as of right aught to be joined with the outward abstinence.  
Their fasting is only a forbearing of flesh and things that come of flesh on certain and set days, allowing to themselves in stead thereof, not only fish which is as good and nourishable as flesh, but that which is daintier, as wines, marchpanes, conserves, and such like sweet meats, in as great measure as can be; so that they eat as often and as good as we do (even when they profess to fast) if not better.   

12 And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, ye shall have an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast to the Lord seven days.  
13. 14. 15. 16. And ye shall offer a  offering, a sacrifice made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord, thirteen young bulloakes, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year: they shall be without blemish. And their meat offering, etc.  
17, 18, 19 And on the second day ye shall offor twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs, of the first year without spot. And their meat offering, etc.  
20, 21, 22. And on the third day, eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meat offering, etc.  
23, 24, 25. And on the fourth day, ten bullocks, two rams, and fourteen Lambs, etc. Their meat offering, etc.  
26, 27, 28, And on the fift day, nine bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs, etc. And their meat offering, etc.  
29, 30, 31. And on the sixth day, etc. 35, 36, On the eight day, etc.  

Of the feast of Tabernacles, or of ingathering at the years end.  The last feast mentioned in this chapter is the feast of Tabernacles, and of ingathering of the fruits of the land in the end of the year, when they had gathered in their labours out of the field, Exod. 23, 16, and 34, 22. This also was kept in the seventh month for the space of eight days, and therefore how they should come before the Lord, and what they should offer every day, is particularly remembered to the end of the Chapter. And lest they should bring little unto GOD, and think to please him with a small pittance (as many hold it well saved which can be saved from the worship of God) he stinteth them what they shall bring, and setteth down the number of bullocks, rams, and lambs which they should offer every day. This feast began upon the fifteenth day. The jews have mingled this day with many superstitions. The Lord set down particularly unto them what they should do, and left nothing to their own choice; howbeit they have found out many inventions and traditions, & would not content themselves with the simplicity of the Scripture. But the right use thereof is expressed in sundry places of the Law, Leuit. 23, 34. Deut. 16, 13. 
Why it is called the feast of Tabernacles.  It is called the feast of Tabernacles, because during the days of this feast they were to live in tents or Tabernacles, it being a memorial of Gods preserving of them in the wilderness where was no house for them in which to rest and inhabit. This was a most holy feast to remember them when they had no dwellings, and therefore Moses doth so largely dwell upon the solemnities of it: then they were especially enjoined to read the Lew, at this feast, when all Israel was to appear before the Lord, Deut. 31, 10, 2. Chron. 8, 13, Ezr. 3, 4. Nehem. 8, 14, 15, joh. 7, 2.  
This feast is now abrogated, and belonged not to the Gentiles that were converted to the faith, after the passion and ascension of Christ, Coloss. 2, 17. Acts 15, 10. Heb. 10.1. Notwithstanding we must consider the inward signification of this ceremony, and see what uses remain thereof to ourselves. And therefore the Prophet Zachary, chapter 12, 16, describing the calling of the Gentiles to the true God, and their gathering into the true Church, setteth it forth according to the manner of God's service used in the Law, that they should go up from year to year to worship the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles: alluding to the ceremony of the Law, as our Saviour doth, Matth. 5, 23, 24, meaning that they should worship GOD according to his commandments, and not after their own fancies.  
First, we learn hereby, that it is a duty Use 1 belonging to all to remember the days of their troubles and afflictions, from which GOD in great mercy hath delivered us.  
Hence it is, that GOD doth put his people in remembrance so oftentimes of their deliverance out of Egypt, yea even when they were settled in safety, and planted in the land of Canaan: they must call to mind, that they were sometimes strangers in the land of Egypt, Deuteron. 4, 20, and 6, 12, 20, 21, 22, and 10, 19: and therefore GOD wrote this with his own finger in the Law, Exod. 20, 2, that they should always have before them the iron furnace, how he brought them forth to be unto him a people of inheritance. We are ready to forget our former condition, when GOD hath given us rest: and as the wise virgins themselves slumbered Math. 25, 5: so we are very prove to security when once he hath removed our sorrows and sufferings from us. So then, the Lord GOD would have his own people year by year to departed out of their houses, and dwell in tents, that is, under the open firmament in arbours made of boughs and branches.  
I will not stand to recount the foolish and apish toys, 
jewish superstitions in observing the feast of Tabernacles.  which the jews at this day take upon them to observe; as that their Cabbines be not too close, but made full of holes: they are careful & diligent to provide that the boughs be not too thickly plotted together: they must have loopholes to see the stars, whereas in the mean season they little consider whereunto God meant to direct them, & what lesson he meant to teach them: so that we might say unto them, as Paul sometimes did to the men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious, Acts 17, 22. Thus doth the Evangelist tax them for the holiness that they put in their often washings, Mar. 7, 3, 4. The pharisees and the jews except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the Elders; and when they come from the market, except they wash they eat not: and many other things there be, which they have taken upon them to observe, as the washing of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and of tables. In all which it may be truly said of them, that they lay the commandment of God apart, and observe the traditions of men.  
But in this feast, the purpose of God was, that they should call to mind, both where they were, and where they had been; that albeit they were at rest and ease in the land of Canaan, yet they had not always been so, for GOD had carried them as it were upon eagle's wings and led them in a strange and miraculous manner in the wilderness for forty years.  
Thus ought we to consider what we have been in times past, as well as what we are at the present, and thereby be provoked to serve and glorify him in time to come. Thus doth the Lord deal with Saul, 1 Sam. 15, 17, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast not thou made Head of the tribes of Israel? etc. Thus he dealeth with David, 2. Sam. 12, 7, 8. Thus he sendeth his Prophet to tell jeroboam what he was, and to call him back to the consideration of his first beginning, 1 Kings 14, 7, I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee Prince of my people Israel, and rend the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and thou hast not been as my servant David, which kept my commandment, and followed me with all his hart, and did only that which was right in mine eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee: (for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me, and hast cast me behind thy back) etc. We ought also to consider what we have been in regard of temporal deliverances, and in regard of spiritual deliverances from the bondage of sin, Ephes. 2.1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13: for their deliverance from the slavery of Egypt did figure out our deliverance by Christ from the bondage of sin, Satan, and hell itself.  
Use 2 Secondly, observe from this feast that GOD evermore preserveth his Church, even when it is oppressed with greatest dangers and troubles, nay then his power and mercy is made most manifest: his power shineth brightest in our weakness, and his mercy appeareth most of all in our misery. The people of Israel had notable experience hereof in the wilderness, when they removed from place to place, and had no leisure to build, neither had they stuff wherewith to build. They were a wonderful multitude of people, by reason whereof it may seem incredible, that God should preserve them and their children in Booths and Tents, without houses to cover and keep them. We know that houses serve to defend from cold and heat, from wind and weather, and many other discommodities: yet did GOD nourish and maintain them without any houses, and therefore his goodness was to be acknowledged in that behalf. It had been no better than a plain mockery or may-game to have come to jerusalem, and there to punish themselves and dwell a while in Cabins and to shift places, except it had been to some end, and they had been taught to magnify the Name of God, and to put their trust in him. For all ceremonies did aim at some instruction, 
All ceremonies serve for instruction.  that the faithful might thereby be edified, and learn to live in the fear of God: otherwise they are not only unprofitable, but also abominable in the sight of God. So then, we must acknowledge where and whence we have our deliverances, and learn to give God praise, as also for the fruits of the earth that we have received.  
Thirdly, though the feast of Tabernacles Use 3 be not any longer in use, that we should be bound to the keeping of it, yet the doctrine arising from it concerneth us as much as ever it did the jews. Our keeping of this feast must not be for a week or twain, but all our life, so long as we live upon the earth. We must acknowledge that we are Pilgrims in this world, Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 16, & if we be not strangers in this present world, we have no part in the kingdom of heaven. If then we will have God to accept and avouch us for his children, we must assure ourselves, that this life is nothing to us but a way or rather indeed a race toward our heavenly Country. It is not enough for us to go fair and softly (as the most do) but we must always run apace, pressing forward with all our strength and force, holding on our way, and straining ourselves to attain to the end of our course. For this is certain, except we use might and force, we shall never get one step forward, but we shall retire four back for it. We are of slow pace, and creep as it were upon all four, and Satan useth many means to hinder us, and therefore we must fight as good soldiers of jesus Christ against all such impediments.  
Albeit therefore God do house us and harbour us in this world, yet it is as he did to his people in the wilderness: so that he would not have us to nestle here, nor to be entangled in the snares of it, neither to make it our everlasting resting place; but to be ready to fly upward: not to be as swine looking down to the ground, but rather as Larks, mounting upward from the earth. Some have here no resting place at all, but are tossed and turmoiled up and down as waves of the sea, and so Paul speaketh of himself, 2, Cor, 7, 5: others never remove out of the place where they are borne, but live peaceably among their own people, and continue at home in their own house without any trouble to themselves or others: yet must all account their chief resting place to be in heaven, out of which we shall never be removed, and when once we are clothed with it as with a garment, we shall never be unclothed or dismantled to be found naked, 2 Cor. 5, 6. Heb. 11, 13. Thus it was with all the patriarchs and holy fathers from the beginning of the world, and so it ought to be with us.  
Use 4 Lastly, we are hereby put in mind of the shortness of this life, we are here for a season, and by and by near gone. And albeit we make our houses never so strong, and build them up with brick and stone to continue, yet our bodies are all as Tabernacles always decaying. For what is our life but a vapour? and what are our bodies but dust and ashes? We may well frame our houses of square stone, and make us palaces of marble; but our bodies cease not to be of this clay; and what is all flesh but grass, and what is all the glory of man but as the flower of the field, which flourisheth to day, and to morrow withereth away? The rich men of this world build them towers and castles that top the sky, and lay their lands about them, 
Psal. 49, 11, 2. Sam. 18, 18.  and call them oftentimes by their name, as Absalon did his pillar: their building is sound and substantial, and able to endure many years, and standeth out against all weather for many generations, and at the end of them is as firm and fast as at the first day. But in the mean season what are the Tabernacles of their and our bodies, but a simple cottage or cabbine, ever defaying and declining; having his foundation in the dust? A man may easily erect such building as shall remain: but can we build our bodies, so as they may be of any long continuance? and make our houses of clay to be as pillars of marble? what shall it profit us to build fair houses and pleasant gardens, & fruitful fields, and to forget the frailty of our bodies which must shortly fall into the dust, and be consumed to ashes? Let us therefore learn the doctrine of the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5, 1. If our outward man decay, we have a building prepared for us in heaven. And we must say with Peter, I must shortly put off this my Tabernacle; as our Lord jesus Christ hath showed me, 2 Pet. 1, 14, when this lodging of ours shall decay, we shall dwell in an house incorruptible. Our bodies are but as arbours made of green leaves, which are of no continuance, one blast of wind is strong enough to blow them away, Esay 40, 6. Every man hath some disease or other about him, that will not suffer him to endure long: our humours are not so equally tempered, where the best constitution is, but one of them threateneth destruction to the other, and strive which of them shall prevail and overcome, howbeit all is one to man; for whether of them soever do gain, man receiveth the loss, even the loss of his life. And if he had no disease or distemper, yet wait but a while, 
Cicer. de senect.  and age itself will be a disease, and as the messenger of death unto him, that even without sickness he slideth away, as the fruit of a tree, when it is ripe, falleth down of itself, though there be no hand to pluck it, or wind to shake it, or thief to steal it, or tempest to drive it. When we diligently consider this, than we have indeed learned to keep this feast of the Tabernacles spiritually. To conclude therefore, 
Who keep he feast of Tabernacles aright.  let every man beware that he seek not his own ease overmuch.  
This is one rule, that we do not pamper or cocker our own flesh in the lusts thereof, Rom, 13, 14. If we should give the bridle to our flesh, it is as a bottomless pit that will never be filled. Secondly, such as are planted commodiously in this world, must beware that they do not forget the world to come: and they that enjoy the earth at will, must remember the kingdom of heaven, wherein they must only place the top of their happiness. If we seek heaven upon earth, we shall never find it in the next life. Thirdly, let us use this world, as though we used it not; rejoice as though we rejoice not, and weep as though we weped not, considering that the fashion of this world vanisheth away, 1 Cor. 7, 30, 31.  
here can be no certainty, nor assurance of any thing, but in health we have one foot in sickness, and in life we be at the brink of death. In joy and gladness we are near to the house of sorrow and affliction, Lastly we must account of every day as our last day; what is present we see before our eyes, but what is to come we see not, we know not. The rich man builded, and planted, and plotted for many years, and promised to himself a long life upon the earth, but it was said unto him, This night shall they take away thy soul from thee, etc. Luke 12.    

CHAP. XXX.  

1 ANd Moses shake unto the heads of the Tribes, concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded;  
2 If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.  

The contents of this chapped. and the division of it.  NOw Moses cometh to speak of such Laws as are voluntary, that is, of vows, whereof he setteth down two sorts; one concerning men, the other concerning women, and showeth in what persons they are ratified, and in what persons they are frustrated. Touching the man which is the head of the woman, he is charged not to falsify his word or his oath, lest he profane the Name of GOD which he hath taken in his mouth, but to perform his promise that he hath made, as Psal. 15, 4, he shall dwell in the holy hill of GOD, that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. Touching the woman, she is ordinarily and by the Law of nature under the power and authority of another. Wherefore touching their vows we must give judgement according to the place which they hold, and the calling into which they are entered. For the woman that taketh an oath, or maketh a vow, either is in the power of her father, or in the power of her husband, or in her own power, or else in the power of one when she vowed, and in the power of another when she is to perform it. A woman in her father's power is bound to perform that which she hath sworn or vowed, but conditionally, if the father allow of it, either by his word or by his silence; so that the vow standeth, if he approve of it either by speaking or by holding his peace. 
Qui tacet, consentire videtur.  For here the common proverb is verified, He that wittingly & willingly holdeth his peace, doth closely & secretly give his consent. But on the other side if the father dislike and disallow the vow, she is freed because she is not free. And if the woman be married, and at the disposition of her husband, it followeth by proportion of the former Law, that if her husband approve her vow, either openly or secretly, directly or indirectly, by speaking or holding his peace so soon as he heareth it or heareth of it, she is bound to keep it: but if he consent not, but disallow and disavow it, her vow is void, and she is to ask pardon of her rashness. If she be a widow and set free, being at her own liberty, and not under the jurisdiction of father that bestowed her, or of the husband to whom she was bestowed in marriage, she is bound to perform her vow. The Apostle teacheth, that the woman which hath an husband is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he liveth, but if he be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband, Rom. 7, 2. As she is free to vow, so he is bound to pay that which he hath vowed, because the promise was voluntary and free, and there is none can make it void. Lastly, the widow must not think herself discharged by her new or second marriage, but the time of making her vow, to wit, in her widowhood, must be considered and remembered. But such as are cut of the father's power, or by death of the husband set free, must pay their vows to the most High, without denying, or delaying, or diminishing, what they have solemnly and advisedly vowed,  
From hence we may learn how to answer sundry particular questions touching the vowing of men and women. Object. And first the question may be asked, what if it be the vow of a son or of a daughter under their father, or one any way under the power of another, as of a servant under his Master, shall that vow be good, or such person be bound to perform it? I answer, Answ. a vow must be of things in our own power: but he that is in the power of his father and of his master, is not at his own hand, his will dependeth upon the will & pleasure of another; and therefore jonathan telleth his father, that David had asked leave of him to go to Bethlehem, 1 Sam. 20, 28, for their family had a sacrifice to offer in that city. If then, being the servant of Saul, he would not presume to go before he had obtained leave of the King's son, doubtless such vows are to be held unlawful, unless his governor confirm it, or he that hath vowed ratify it when he cometh to be at his own hand. Again, it may be demanded, whether such do not sin, 
Quest.  as vow being in the power of others, in not performing their vow? True it is, they ought not to have vowed, but having made the vow, do they not sin except they perform it? Answer. I answer, they sin in vowing, but they do not sin in their not performing of it; wherefore Moses saith afterward, The Lord shall forgive her: he meaneth not her forbearing to perform the vow, forasmuch as if she should perform it, she should set at nought her fathers power & authority, which God by no means will suffer; and consequently add sin unto sin: but God will pardon her rash and unadvised vow which she had uttered. The doctrine from the first words is this, 
Doctrine. Vows to be made to God lawfully, or unlawfully to be preserved.  that vows made to God lawfully, are to be performed, Deut. 23.21, Psal. 76, 11, and 66.13, and 50, 14, Deu. 12, 17. This is further confirmed unto us by sundry examples of the faithful, as jacob, Gen. 28, 20, 21, and 31, 13. Hannah the mother of Samuel, 1 Sam. 1, 11, David, Psal. 22, 25, & 61, 8, & 116, 14, and diverse others.  
This truth is plain, because it is better Reason 1 never to vow, (understand this of lawful vows) then to fail in not performing the vow. For this is to offer the sacrifice of fools, and it may be said to them, as Peter spoke to Ananias. Acts 5, 4, Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. If we have a promise made unto us by men, who had not rather never to have had such a promise, then to be deceived? Eccl. 5, 3, 4. Secondly, such do take the Name of God in vain, which is a grievous sin, and he will never hold them guiltless that take his Name in vain, Exod. 20. Thirdly, salvation is of no other than of God; and therefore to him we should return the praise of our deliverance, jonah 2, 10. Lastly, the Gentiles by the light of nature have used to vow, jonah 1.16.  
This reproveth all unlawful vows, & first Use 1 of such as are touched in this place expressly, when they take upon them to vow, being under the subjection of others. And here is fitly taxed the doctrine of the Church of Rome, which teach that parents, 
What vows are unlawful.  have no authority to hinder their children from following rash & unadvised vows, and that children are not bound to have their parents consent to enter into cloisters, into which indeed they ought not to enter, no not with their consent. Hence it is, that they maintain and defend, that children may steal away lawfully from their parents, and became Monks and Nuns, not only without their consent, but against it; who indeed ought not to enter into those sties and stables with their consent, neither have parents any warrant or authority to give their consent. And how much do they better many times, then if they should thrust them into the stews to learn honesty? Secondly, such may not lawfully vow as are children in age, though they have no parents living to control them, and those that are children in knowledge, who know not what a vow is, or how it bindeth, for how should these bind themselves? Thirdly, such as are foolish or furious; forasmuch as albeit they may be out of the power of others, yet they are not in their own power: and albeit that no man may command them, yet they have not the command over themselves: and therefore may justly be accounted as children. Fourthly such as are rash and unadvised in their vows: such was the vow of Saul, 1 Sam. 14, 24: the vow of the Beniamites, judg. 21, 1: and the vow of jephte, judg. 11, 30, 31. A vow and an oath are of the same nature, and both of them unadvisedly undertaken, do dishonour God. Fiftly, such as are wicked & ungodly vows, and these are of two sorts, either de malo, aut de bono malè, that is, made for doing of some evil, or doing some good but not well: as for example, If one vow to kill a man, as they did that bound themselves by a vow, neither to eat nor drink, till they had killed Paul, Acts 23, 12. These bound themselves to do that which is simply in itself an evil thing. Such was Herod's vow or oath, Math. 14. And thus two evils meet together, the one whereof is to vow, the other to perform such a vow; and therefore such vows are not to be kept. This serveth to set before the eyes of many their folly, who never consider what the vow is which they have taken upon them to observe, but if they can say, I have a vow to do this or that, they grow obstinate and settled in evil, and will by no means be removed, yea and think they are bound by virtue of their vow to do it, and are discharged of all fault and offence when they have done it: whereas that which is evil to vow, is much worse to perform; and therefore they must repent of their rash vow, and not proceed to the accomplishment of it, for that were to add one transgression to another, as it were drunkenness unto thirst, and to plunge themselves into endless destruction both of soul & body. This is the case of many young men and women who have entangled themselves in such vows, by promising marriage either to other without the consent of parents; they often pretend great scruple of conscience, which cannot be tied by such evil vows, the vow was evil, and therefore the way is not to go forward, but to crave pardon of GOD for that evil, as here it is prescribed in this Chapter. They also are to be accounted evil vows which are made for the doing of some good, if they be not well and rightly made, and consequently they are not to be broken, as if a man in fasting or any other work should purpose to do that which is above his strength and ability. Sixtly, such are forbidden as are constrained vows and involuntary, when they are undertaken against a man's will, whereas they ought to be free as well as made by them that are free. There must be a willing mind before there can be a lawful vow. seventhly, they must be of good importance, not of any idle or trifling toys, or of vain and foolish matters, in which the name of God is not to be used. Eightly, superstitious vows, as to vow abstinence from this or that kind of meat for religion sake; 
De tempore Sermon 3  such also as bind themselves to go on pilgrimage, and to offer to this or that holy Saint, or rather image or idol; these and such like observed in the Church of Rome, are reproved in the Sermons de Tempore, ascribed to Austen: One voweth a cloak, another Oil, a third a wax candle, God careth not for these vows: but offer unto God that which at this day he hath redeemed, to wit, thy soul. The vows of obediance and repentance are the true and the best vows, the offering up of our bodies & souls a living sacrifice is most acceptable to God, and most profitable to ourselves. Lastly, such vows as are unpossible & above the strength of the undertakers, are also forbidden as unlawful, among which we may range the vow of single life, and abjuring of marriage, which is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, Hebr. 13, 4: so that they sin not against GOD which do contrary to such vows. For continency or single life is not necessarily annexed to the Ministry, neither hath God laid such a yoke upon their necks that enter into that calling. God hath left marriage free unto all, and it is the doctrine of devils to forbid marriage, as the Bishop of Rome doth, who speaketh lies through hypocrisy, 1 Tim. 4, 1, 2. For he will have none admitted into the holy Ministry, but such as are unmarried, or being married promise to live from their wives: as also he excludeth such as have been twice married, and such as have married a widow. But the Apostle telleth the Corinthians, that he had power to lead about a wife being a sister, as well as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas, 1 Cor. 9 5. And he speaketh generally, To avoid fornication let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband, 1 Cor. 7, 2. Again, declaring and prescribing what persons should be chosen to that office, he saith, A Bishop must be the husband of one wife, 1 Tim. 3, 2, 4. Titus 1, 6; one that can rule his own house, having children under obedience with all honesty. Thomas Aquinas confesseth (Secunda Secundae quaest. 88 artic. 11.) that it is not essentially annexed to holy Orders, that men should contain & live a single life that enter into the Ministry, but by the Decree of the Church only. With him agreeth Cardinal Bellarmine, (Bel. de cleri. lib. 1. cap. 8.) who showeth that there is no prohibition of almighty God found either in the old or new Testament; he might have said infinite examples are found to the contrary, Adam was married in the time of his innocency, 
The lawfulness of Minister's marriage.  and lived in the Garden a married man. Noah a Preacher of righteousness was married: the patriarchs were married: the Priests & the high Priest himself was married: the Prophets and the sons of the Prophets were married: and many Deacons, Ministers, and Bishops after Christ's time lived married. It were easy to produce infinite examples, but I will content myself with one very renowned & remarkable, touching Synesius, who when they of Ptolemais would needs have him to be their Bishop, which he little desired, he acquainted them with his present condition, and his future resolution, saying, God, the Law, and the sacred hand of Theophilus hath given unto me a wife; I therefore tell all men afore hand and testify unto all, 
Synesius. ad fratrem pag, 62 lib. epistol.  that I will not suffer myself to be altogether estranged from her, neither will I live with her secretly as an adulterer; for the one is no way godly, and the other no way lawful: but I will pray unto God that many good and happy children may be borne unto me. Neither will I have him that is to be chief in ordaining me, to be ignorant hereof. Nay, it may be truly avouched and averred, that generally there never prevailed any restraint of all Clergy men in all places from marrying and accompanying with their wives which they married while they were laymen, and the greatest part of the Christian world hath ever from the beginning to this day enjoyed that liberty. Howbeit almost 400, years after Christ, Syricius Bishop of Rome sought to impeach it, and commanded that no such thing should be permitted. Innocentius the first insisted in the steps of his Predecessor, so that in some places, the lawful society and accompanying of Cleargymen with their wives began to be restrained. Afterward when Hildebrand climbed up into the papal chair, he published a Decree to forbid them to marry, whereupon great confusions, tumults, and hurlyburlyes followed in the Church; for they were so enraged against him, that they cried out, he was an heretic, and a man damnable, erring in his judgement, who forgot the speech of our Lord, All men receive not this saying, save they to whom it is given: & again, Let him that can receive it, receive it, Matth. 19, 11, 12. Likewise the Apostle, Let him that cannot contain, marry, for it is better to marry then to burn, 1 Cor. 7, 9 and thereupon they openly protested against him, that if he proceeded to urge against them the execution of his Decree, they were resolved rather to forsake the Ministry, than their marriage. But to leave this, 
The marriage of such as vowed the contrary is not void.  let us speak of such as have vowed single life, and see what hath been the judgement of the Church touching such vows. I propound this as a ruled case, & set it down as a certain truth, that the marriages even of such as have vowed the contrary are not void and of none effect, as the Jesuits teach. To this purpose Cyprian saith well, (lib. 1. epist. 11.) Si perseverare nolunt aut non possunt, melius est nubant, quàm in ignem delictis suis cadant, that is, If they will not or cannot persevere, it is better that they should marry, then by their sins they should fall into the fire. Neither can this be understood of virgins that are yet to resolve and are free, as Bellarmine would decline the force of the testimony: (De Monach. lib. 2. cap. 34.) for Cyprian speaketh of such as have already dedicated themselves to God, & telleth them that they were better to marry then to burn. To him accordeth Austin in his Epistle to Bonifacius who had vowed a monastical and single life, and yet afterward did marry: for he telleth him, that being thus hindered and entangled, he could not freely exhort him to that former kind of retired life which he had vowed, because of his wife. His words are these, Thy wife hindereth me that I cannot exhort thee to this kind of life, without whose consent it is not lawful for thee to contain: & therefore he thought not his marriage to be void, or no marriage at all, or that he might lawfully forsake his wife, 
Epist. 47.  much less that he ought. The like we might easily show out of Jerome, and out of Epiphanius, haeres. 61: who maketh it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, i. an evil thing, and such as God will judge and punish, not to perform the vow once made to God: 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is, a thing which casteth men into condemnation of hell fire, and plungeth them into everlasting destruction, & therefore he defendeth that it is better to descend to that state of life which is lawful and honourable with one fault of breaking a vow passed to the contrary, and with tears of repentance to wash away that one fault of inconstancy, and so to be saved, rather than to live in sin continually, and so to perish everlastingly. And not only these fathers, but the schoolmen generally resolve, Aquinas excepted, that the Pope may dispense with a Presbyter, Deacon, or Subdeacon to marry, though he have solemnly vowed the contrary, by entering into holy orders, because the duty and bond of containing is not essentially annexed unto orders; and that it is only a canon and constitution of the Church. And the general opinion of them is, that though single life cannot be separated from the profession of a Monk, yet he that is a Monk may be freed from that profession the which he hath made, and so cease to be a Monk. Neither is this the opinion of the schools only, but the practice of the Pope's hath concurred with the same, who have oftentimes dispensed with such vows, and given them free liberty to marry, and to forsake their covents and cloisters, where they had been mewed up, as were easy to be showed by diverse examples.  
Secondly, from hence every one should learn to know how to behave themselves in Use 2 vowing, that they may use this doctrine lawfully. To this purpose we must be instructed in these particulars; what a vow is: what are the conditions of it: what is the right manner of vowing: and what should be the ends of our vowing. Touching the first, a vow is a solemn promise made to GOD, binding ourselves to the doing or leaving undone of some special thing that is acceptable unto GOD. 
What a vow is.  Vows thus taken are not merely ceremonial or pertaining to the times of the Law, but are a constant and perpetual ordinance of God to be observed and practised under the Gospel. Howbeit seeing the jews were tied to sundry legal observations, whereby upon occasion they testified their thankfulness, we may not unfitly hold that vows were partly ceremonial, and partly moral; partly they were abrogated, and partly they continue and remain in full force to the end of the world, because the spiritual duties shadowed thereby bind all persons. Such vows I call a solemn promise made to God, as appeareth by the vow of jacob, Gen. 28, 30, going from his father's house to avoid the fury of his brother Esau: and of the Israelites, who having received an overthrow at the hands of their enemies, vowed to God that if he would deliver them, and overthrow those that stood against them, they would utterly destroy their cities, and reserve the spoil to be consecrated to him, Numb. 21, 2, of the which we have spoken before. Hannah, upon condition of having a son granted unto her, vowed him a perpetual Nazarite unto the Lord, 1 Sam. 1, 11. Psal. 66, 12. 2 Sam. 13, 8. From hence we gather two things: first, that in the breach of an holy and religious vow there is a double trespass, because to the observation of the vow a man is tied by a double band, both absolutely by duty, and respectively by covenant and promise, and thereby violateth his duty and fidelity unto GOD. When David saith to GOD, Psal. 119, I have sworn, and will perform it: who seethe not, that he tieth himself to the observation of the Law by a special band, besides the general that tieth all others? Hence it is, that God doth so oftentimes charge and challenge his people in special manner to have dealt unfaithfully & treacherously with him, as false and lying children in whom is no faith, upon promise made to keep his Laws, Deut. 5, 27, & 32, 20. Psal. 78, 8. Esay 30, 9, and 57, 4. Secondly, it reproveth the superstitious vows of the Romanists, who vow not to God only, but to the Saints, of which sort was no practice among the jews, Psal. 76, 11, Esay 19, 21, no not when vows stood in greatest force, and were in largest sxtent. They teach that vows are a substantial part of the worship of God; and therefore by their own confession they commit manifest and abominable idolatry, because they communicate this honour to the Saints, and thereby make them to be gods, making vows to them of fastings, prayers, pilgrimages, Churches, Colleges, altars, tapers, and such like. Hence it is, that Bellarmine is content to say, that when the holy Scriptures were written, 
Bellar. de cult Sanctor. cap. 9  the custom of vowing to saints was not yet begun. To God we own all that is in us, who is the searcher of the hearts, and hath power to punish the wilful breach of a lawful vow; and therefore to him only we are to make our vows, He will not give his glory to any other. Again, in the description of a vow, we bind ourselves to the doing or leaving undone some special thing that is acceptable to God, because he alloweth not of our will-worship, Col. 2, 23, Math. 15: wherefore we are not left free to vow what we list, for than we can have no assurance that God will accept them: but it will be said to us, Who required these things at your hands? Esay 1, 12: and again, In vain they worship me, teaching the precepts of men, Math. 15, 9 The Church of Rome offendeth herein many ways, and is almost endless in their errors touching this part or point of vows. I will briefly touch them & run them over. 
Object. Bel. de Monach. chap. 35.  First, they maintain that young men and women, to wit, such as are come to the years of discretion, may vow single life, and that because they must suffer little children to come to Christ, Mat. 19, 14. As if none could come to Christ, Answer. but such as can look through a Monks cowl, or as if the kingdom of heaven belonged to none but to professed Monks and Friars, who haply have themselves the least part therein. Besides, the Text speaketh of little children, which can have no trial or experience of themselves, whereas the Apostle appointing widows to attend upon the sick and poor Saints, admitteth none under the age of threescore years, 1 Tim. 5, 9, & exhorteth the younger women to marry, to bear children, to guide the house, and to give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully, verse 14. Secondly, they permit children to enter into religious, or rather their irreligious houses, without consent of their parents and governors, and that parents have not any authority to take away their sons or daughters out of those dens & Cloisters. As this doctrine is most strange so their reasons are most weak. They pretend that Abraham was commanded of God to go out of his Country, Object & from his father's house, Gen. 12, 1. and that Christ saith, Whosoever loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me, Answ. Math. 10, 37. I answer, the commandment of God to Abraham was special, and a special trial of his faith and obedience: let these show the like particular commandment to them, and then let them follow that example. As for the words of Christ our Saviour, they are understood of the times of persecution, when we must prefer the love of Christ before the love of our best and nearest friends: to omit, that a man may leave his parents and kinsfolks in his affection that is set upon heavenly things, even while he dwelleth with them in the same house. But of this more afterward. 
Object. Bel. de Monach. cap. 37.  Thirdly, they permit the husband and wife to separate themselves by mutual consent, to departed one from another and to vow continency so long as both of them shall live. For this they produce and urge the example of joseph and Mary, who lived continently all their days. Answ. But it is plain, that joseph purposed and intended that they should come together, Math. 1, 18. Again, he is expressly admonished by the Angel to take Mary his wife: neither is it necessary to believe it as an article of faith, that Mary the mother of Christ lived always a Virgin. Again, the Apostle wisheth that all men were even as he himself, 1 Cor. 7, 7, but he addeth in the next words, Every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. Besides, in those words he speaketh directly to the widows, and them that are unmarried, verse 8: and he hath an express commandment, verse 10, I command, not I, but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband. And every one must abide in the calling, to which he hath been called, verse 24. To this purpose he saith, verse 27. Art thou bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed. And in the words going before, he exhorteth all married persons not to defraud one another except it be with consent, so that with consent he alloweth a separation: howbeit he addeth immediately, for a time, and after he willeth them to come together again, lest Satan tempt you through your inconstancy, verse 5. Moreover Christ himself teacheth, Math. 19, 6, What God hath coupled together, let no man put asunder: but married persons God hath coupled together; therefore they may not be separated, nay they may not separate themselves, neither can they without breaking the ordinance of God and the institution of marriage. Hence it is, that it is called The Covenant of God, Prou. 2, 17: not only a covenant between themselves, but such as God is therein interessed, and therefore it lieth not in their power to dissolve that covenant. Lastly, 
Object. Bel. de M●nach. cap. 38.  they maintain that if the marriage be only contracted, and not consummated or finished, one may lawfully leave another, without consent one of another, to vow single life: to colour this, they pretend that it is lawful to pass from a state of life less perfect, to that which is more perfect: and so they define a vow to be a promise to God of some better good. But this is a false surmise. Answ. For how doth he vow a better good, who in the vow of continency burneth with carnal and fleshly lusts, and is scorched in the flames of his own concupiscence? as the Apostle teacheth directly, It is better to marry then to burn, 1 Cor. 7, 9 In the time of the Law, the vow oftentimes was sacrifice, & the common duty belonging to all believers was showing of mercy: how then was the special vow better than the common duty, forasmuch as God saith, I will have mercy and not sacrifice? Hos. 6, 6. And how can they be said to vow a better good, that vow voluntary poverty and beggary, when Christ himself saith, It is a more blessed thing to give, then to receive? Act. 20, 35. Or how can the blind vow of the Jesuits touching obedience to their superior, be a tying of themselves to a greater or better good, seeing the Scripture saith, Be ye not made the servants of men? 1 Cor. 7, 23: forasmuch as they make themselves slaves to the rules and precepts of an Order altogether devised by men. So then we must know that single life is not always, nor in all, a perfecter state of life then marriage: and it is to be presumed that such as are contracted to others have not that gift, for otherwise what needed such contracting?  
The next point in a lawful vow, 
What conditions are to be observed in vows.  is to consider what are the conditions of it, which may better appear by the contrary prohibitions; wherein consider both how to make them, and how to pay them. First it must be made by him that is free, & in his or her own power, and not under the jurisdiction of another: so that the vow of the wife that is under her husband, of the son and daughter under their parents, of the servant under his Master, cannot be allowable, but is void and frustrate. Object. If any ask, Is it not lawful for the wife, or the son, or the daughter, or the servant to vow to serve the Lord, except the husband, the father, the mother, the master give their consent? Is the power of these greater than the power of God? or is the worship of God subordinate to the will and pleasure of superiors? or may they hinder their inferiors from serving the Lord? I answer, Answ. the worship of God is not bound and tied to vows: and inferiors may serve the Lord fully and faithfully, and walk before him in faith, obedience, prayer, and love without the band of vows. The obedience and subjection which he hath laid as a duty upon inferiors is more acceptable to him, than any vow whatsoever. Secondly, vows must be made only to God not to other creatures, as we showed before, and therefore they offend that vow to Saints departed, for they cannot make such to be vows to God. Thirdly, they must be of things possible, for it is foolish, if not impious to vow that which we are not able to perform. Fourthly, they must be godly and religious vows, not of such things as are forbidden of God. Fiftly, they must come from a free heart, performed willingly and cheerfully to GOD. Sixtly, we must place no opinion of merit therein, as the Romanists do; but tender our duty and thankfulness to God. Lastly, they must be advised and of great importance. These considerations we must set before us in making a vow: in paying and performing thereof we must consider, first, it must be performed fully & wholly, not maimed or to halves. Therefore Moses in this place saith, He shall do all that is gone out of his mouth, verse 2. It is not enough for us to do a part, and to leave a part undone, but we must do it perfectly. These are like to Ananias and Sapphira, who vowed unto God the whole price of their possession, but when they came to perform their vow, they kept back apart, & thought to please GOD with another part, Acts 5, 3. The manner of many is to be large in promising, but to be sparing in performing. This is a token of lightness and inconstancy, and more displeases God then if they paid nothing at all, because it is joined with hypocrisy. Secondly, we must pay our vows without delay, we must not put off the time, Genesis 33, 1, Eccles. 5, 3, Deuteron, 23, 21. Delay in all duties is dangerous, and bewrayeth an unthankful heart. For as he that giveth quickly, giveth twice; so he that giveth leisurely, it is all one as if he gave not at all. Thirdly, we must perform our vows from our heart, willingly & cheerfully, not grudgingly or mutteringly, like the bad debtor, that payeth indeed the money he borroweth at the appointed day, but not with a willing mind, and therefore he had rather he were not bound to pay it, and knew how to avoid it. God requireth a cheerful giver, & therefore such payment of vows as otherwise, is is not allowed and approved of God,  
Thirdly, 
What is the right manner of vowing.  we must learn what is the right manner of vowing, wherein also observe, how it was wont to be made, and then how performed. The making thereof was wont always to be joined with prayer, to note that the faithful always lifted up their hearts to GOD, craving his blessing, Psalm. 61, 5. Gen. 28, 20. judg. 11, ver. 30, 31, so that such as were fit to vow, must be faithful & justified before God, and reconciled unto him, otherwise they can never call upon him aright. And as they must be made with prayer, so they must be performed with thanksgiving, Psal. 61, 5: otherwise it were better never to have vowed and promised unto God that cannot be deceived.  
Fourthly, it behoveth us to know the right ends of vows, which are these; First, 
The true and right ends of vows.  concerning God's glory and the advancement of his worship. Secondly, to testify our special thankfulness to God for blessings which we have received at his hands. Thirdly, to chastise ourselves, that thereby we may prevent the wrath of God; for by judging of ourselves, we escape his judgement, 1 Cor. 11, Fourthly, to make ourselves more circumspect and watchful over our own ways; for when we have fallen into some sin, we do hereby make ourselves more wary and heedful for the time to come. Fiftly, to bind ourselves more strongly, as by a twofold cord which is not easily broken, to yield obedience to God. Lastly, to strengthen the weakness of our faith, hope, and other spiritual graces, and to give us greater assurance of the mercy of GOD, which we shall receive at his hands.  
Lastly, it is a duty belonging to every one, Use 3 to consider diligently what vows they have vowed to God. We are ready and not sparing to vow in times of our afflictions & troubles, O that we were as careful to perform them, Psal. 66. But if we have not vowed this way, there is a common vow which we have all undertaken, the vow of our baptism, that we will believe in God and serve him, that we will forsake the devil and all his works; and this is the answer of a good conscience toward God, 1 Pet. 3, 21. The master of the Sentences calleth baptism, The common vow, because therein men protest, promise, and profess to consecrate themselves, their souls & bodies unto God, both which are his, by right of creation and redemption. Jerome maketh holiness in body and spirit, the matter of a Christian vow, In Esay, lib. 7. cap. 19 And S. Austin to this purpose in many places teacheth, that to believe in God, to hope for eternal life, and to live according to his commandments, 
August. in Psal. 75, & 131.  are the things, which we are to vow to God. And in another place, What do we vow to God, but to be the Temple of God? These Christian duties contain the truth of the jewish vows. They vowed external sacrifices and oblations, & bound themselves to the outward service, in the exercise whereof it pleased GOD for a time to train that people: howbeit in all these he called them to the true practice of piety, & to the inward affections of praise & thanksgiving. Psal. 4, 5, & 50.14, 23, & 51, 17, & 107, 22, & 115, 17. jonah 2, 9 Hos. 14, 13. Neither is the holy Scripture silent what their ceremonial vows imported to them and to us. The vow of humbling and afflicting themselves by fasting did teach them, to forbear their own desires, to renounce their own wills, to subdue their own corruptions, and to abstain from cruelty & oppression, Esay 58, 6. Mic. 6, as appeareth by the reproof of the Prophet, when he chargeth them that in the day of their fast, they sought their own wills, verse 3. This we see notably in the vow of the Nazarites, a principal one among the rest, of which we have spoken before, 
The meaning of the vow of the Nazarits.  whereby they were separated to the Lord, Numb. 6, 2. And this was the chief intendment of that ceremony to signify the common condition of all that people, that the Lord their God had separated them from all other people, and therefore they must be holy unto him, because the Lord himself is holy; and hath separated them from other people, that they should be his, Leuit. 20, 24, 26. And this is that which Balaam uttered concerning Israel, Numb, 23, 9, Lo the people shall dwell alone, & shall not be reckoned among the nations. This than was a special vow of ceremonial observations, wherein by abstaining from many outward things, as separating themselves from wine & strong drink, & suffering no rafor to come on their head, and other outward things expressed in that place, they were divided from the common and profane conversation both of themselves and others among that people; howbeit a special & spiritual respect was had of preserving inward piety & holiness toward him, so that such divided persons were so many spectacles and examples of the condition of all the faithful, of whom Christ our Saviour hath told us, and taught us, that they are not of this world, but he hath chosen them out of the world, john 15, 19, they must fly the corruption that is in the world, 2 Pet. 1, 4: and they must hear the voice of God calling and crying unto them, Come out from among them, & separate yourselves from them, and touch no unclean thing, and then he will receive them, 2 Cor. 6, 17. In all which he alludeth to the vow of the Nazarites, who were a separated and selected people, retiring themselves from others, of which see more before, chapter 6. So then the vows that temaine in the Gospel, and belong unto us, are the vows of prayer, of praise & thanksgiving, of obedience to God, of denying ourselves, of subduing our sins, of mortifying the corruptions of the old man, of mercy and compassion toward our brethren, and briefly of keeping ourselves holy unto God and unspotted of the world, Psal. 27, 8, & 58, 12. & 79, 13. & 80, 17. & 86, 11.119, 34, 35.106, Mat. 16, 24. Col. 3, 5. Rom. 6, 13, & 12, 1. 2 Cor. 6, 20. These are the holy and solemn vows that we promised to God in our Baptism, wherein we were dedicated, and consecrated unto God, and these we do continually renew, when we come to the Table of the Lord. Let us diligently think of these vows, and be careful to practise and perform them, that God may be duly glorified in us.   

3 If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth,  
4 And her father hear her vow & her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her, than all her vows shall stand, and every bond, etc.  
5 But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth, not any of her vows etc. shall stand, and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.  
6 And if she had at all an husband when she vowed, or uttered aught out of her lips, wherewith she bond her soul,  
7 And her husband heard it, and held his peace in the day when he heard it, than her vows shall stand, etc.  
Now Moses entreateth of such vows as were made by those that are under the authority of others, as children under their parents: concerning which the father hath authority to disannul them. Hereby the power of all parents is so magnified and advanced, that a vow made immediately to God is frustrate, & there is a mere nullity of it, except they confirm it. They have power to make it good, and they have power to make it void. 
Doctrine. Great is the jurisdiction & authority of parents over their children  Hereby we learn, that great is the authority and jurisdiction of parents over their children by the Law of God and Nature. The very heathen have this truth shining in their hearts, that parents are to be honoured, and that their authority should be inviolable, Exod. 20, 12. Eph. 6, 1, 2. jerem. 35, 6, 7, 8, etc. Gen. 27, 8, 43. and 28. 2. When the father saith, Go, the child goeth: when he saith, Arise, he ariseth: when he saith, Come, he cometh. Christ our Saviour giveth testimony of his perfect obedience, whom all both men and Angels stand bound to worship, and to whom every knee must bow of things in heaven, of things in earth, and of things under the earth, Philip. 2: yet he was subject to his parents and went with them, Luke 2.51. 1. King. 2.19. The reasons are evident.  
Reason 1 First, the precept of honouring parents hath the first place in the second Table, and is set before all other, so that next unto GOD we are bound to reverence them to whom we are most bound: and it is the foundation and band of obedience to all the rest of the commandments that follow. For if men do not stand in awe of the Magistrate the father of the Commonwealth, and the Captain of the people, all the other would soon be violated, 2 Kings 20, 5.  
Again, the Apostle teacheth, that this is the first Commandment with promise, Eph. 6, 2: it hath a special promised annexed of long life. Thirdly, children receive great and manifold blessings from the hands of their parents and governors, and likewise are freed from many evils and dangers, that otherwise they might fall into. Fourthly, patents give life, and breath, and being after a sort unto them; for children receive all these from them. Fiftly, parents are honoured by sundry titles and names, the which are given to God himself, Matth. 23.9: One is your father which is in heaven, therefore call no man your father upon earth.  
Object. 1 Touching this impregnable and invincible truth, sundry questions may be asked, and divers doubts to be removed. As first, seeing their authority is so great, why doth our Saviour speak of hating father and mother, as Luke 14, 26, If any man come to me, and do not hate his father and mother, he cannot be my disciple. Answ. I answer, Christ speaketh in that place comparatively, that is, we must not regard them in respect of himself whom we ought to love above all, and so it is expounded, Matthew 10, 37: He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. To love our parents next after GOD is piety, but to love them more than God is impiety. We hate them therefore when we love them less than God, in comparison of whom we should hate our lives.  
Object. 2 Secondly, Christ forbiddeth us to call any man father, as we have heard before, Matth. 23. Answ. I answer, Christ condemneth not the name or appellation given to men simply, for than he should be contrary to himself, where he alloweth the title to earthly fathers, Math. 7, 9 Mark 7, 11: and the Apostle should be contrary to his master, 1 Cor. 4, 15. Therefore he meaneth, that no man is or can be our Father as God is, to wit, that we should trust in them, and make them the authors of our life, and the givers of all good things that come unto us.  
Object. 3 Thirdly, what if our parents be evil persons and ungodly, ought we then to obey them & yield unto their authority, who are by their wickedness unworthy thereof? Answ. I answer, It skilleth not whether they be good or evil touching our obedience. For evil parents are our parents, and evil Magistrates are Magistrates, and evil Ministers are Ministers. Servants are commanded to be subject to their masters, not only unto them that are good and gentle, but to them that are froward, 1 Peter 2, 18: so ought children to yield obedience unto their fathers, though they be evil. Hence it is that God saith generally in the Law, Honour thy father and mother, not honour them when they are good only.  
But it will be farther objected, What if they Object. 4 be excommunicate persons, may they then be obeyed, or should children then do any duty to their parents? and is not that to set light by that censure? I answer, Answer. Excommunication rightly used, is indeed the most grievous judgement that can be inflicted in this life both in respect of the soul and of the body, and is as it were the messenger of death. It is a great punishment to be banished from a well ordered City: much more to be thrust out of the Church, which is the Commonwealth of God, and of his Son Christ. David did greatly lament his estate and condition, when he wanted the holy assemblies of the faithful among the Infidels, and could not come into the presence of God with his people, and did think himself driven away from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, 1 Sam. 26, 19 Who would not tremble and be afraid to be delivered up unto Satan, 1 Cor. 5, 6. the enemy of God? The children of Israel were delivered over to Nebucadnezzar and other wicked tyrants to be afflicted, and they bewailed exceedingly such bodily captivity, Psalm 137, 1, 2 how much more fearful than ought the excommunicate person to esteem it to be delivered up, not to wicked and ungodly men, but to satan himself, The prince that ruleth in the hart of the children of disobedience? Notwithstanding all fellowship and familiarity with them is not denied to us. It is lawful for the family to converse with the governors of the family, though they be excommunicate persons. The wife may not deny due benevolence, nor the child dutiful obedience: if he bid them go, they must go; or to come, they must come: neither are they by such behaviour culpable, or guilty of their sin: of which we see more before, chap. 5.  
Fourthly, if the son be a Magistrate, & Object. 5 the father a private man, it may be demanded, whether he be to yield obedience to his father? I answer, Answ. though the father must obey the son as he is a Magistrate, yet in another respect the son must obey the father, as he is the father: so that neytner is the son to be deprived of the honour and dignity due unto his place, neither is the father to be denied that duty and respect which is due unto his person. The son may be honoured as he is a Magistrate, and the father is likewise also to be obeyed as he is a father. And this the Heathen in former times have both known and practised. For when Q. Fabius Maximus, in Livy Decad. 3. lib. 4. was on a time sent Ambassador unto his son then being Consul, he went out to meet his father who was coming to him on horseback: and albeit the Sergeants reverencing the majesty of the father (who before had been Dictator, the highest office in the City) suffered him to pass, yet the son commanded him to alight from his horse if he meant to speak to him. And the old man was so far from being offended with his son, or from thinking it any disgrace to himself, that he leapt from his horse immediately, commending his son, and telling him he meant to try whether he knew himself to be Consul or not. I allege this out of the Roman history, to show that the Heathen themselves knew how to make this difference. Solomon is a notable example of this point, for he knew himself to be a son, yet he forgot not that he was also king of Israel; and therefore when Bathsheba came unto him, albeit he rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her as she was his mother, yet he sat down in his throne again as be was king, and she his subject, 1 Objection 5 Kings 2, 19: yea he denied her request also.  
It may be demanded farther, what if God command one thing, and the parents another, what are the children to do in this repugnancy, whether of them should they obey? I answer, Answ. we are charged to love and obey God before and above all things: and therefore to prefer the precept or pleasure of man before the will of God, is no better than to make an idol of our parents, and to honour them as God. True it is, we are bound to obey evil parents, but we are not bound to obey them in evil. If they command and compel in evil, they are rather tyrants than parents, and we must answer with the Apostles, We ought to obey God rather than men, Acts 5, 29. So then we see how far children are bound to obey their parents, to wit, while they keep themselves within their bounds, though they be froward and wayward, peevish and perverse, though they be not endued with virtue, or wisdom, or any other good qualities, yet they must be reverenced, honoured, and relieved as parents and the instruments of our life and being: but if they forget their places and command against God, it is better to cleave unto GOD our heavenly father.  
Objection 6 Again, if the Magistrate command one thing, and the father another, here both are men, whether of these two are to be obeyed by the son? Nay in this case, not only both are men, but both of them are fathers, one the father of the country, Answ. the other of the family. I answer, if obedience to both cannot stand together, we must obey the Magistrate, because God hath given him a larger commission and greater authority then to the fathers of our bodies, so that he hath power and authority to command the fathers & their children. Again, the Magistrate commandeth for the good of the Commonwealth, the father for the private good of the private house. True it is, we may love our parents better than the Magistrate, howbeit we must obey the Magistrate before our parents. As we may love a good man which is but poor and needy before or better than an evil or wicked man which is in great power and authority; howbeit in respect of his authority, when he commandeth, we must obey him before the other.  
Furthermore, suppose a man be a servant Objection 7 or an apprentice, his master commandeth him one thing, & his father the contrary, whether of them shall he obey, in this repugnancy of commanders and commandments? which of them shall he please, and to which of them shall he cleave? I answer, Answ. he must obey his master. For to speak properly, the father hath no power nor authority in such a case: for it may be said, Who art thou that commandest another man's servant? he standeth or falleth to his own master, as Paul speaketh in another case. The father having bound his son an apprentice, and put him into the service of another, hath withal by that act put away his authority, and as it were resigned up his own right to his master. And such a son may wish the good of his father before the good of his master, and the life of his father before the life of his master, howbeit he must obey his master before his father, and endeavour by his diligence, labour, service, and faithfulness the profit of his master before the profit of his father, and not seek the hindrance or loss of his master in one penny to procure advantage to his father in twenty pound, farther than he hath the consent of his master.  
Lastly, the question may be asked touching Objection 8 the daughter of a man given in marriage, the husband commandeth one thing, and the father another, whether of these is to be obeyed, the husband, or the father? I answer, Answer. the husband. For, as she must obey her husband before the father, so she is to love the husband better also, and God commandeth the man to leave father and mother, 
Gen. 2, 24.  and to clean to his wife, which is also a commandment unto the woman to leave parents, and to cleave to her husband, for they twain shall be one flesh, Matth. 19, verse 5. Ephes. 5. verse 31. 1 Cor. 6. verse 16: therefore in this case the will of the husband is to be preferred before the will of the father. For as it is in the two great lights which God hath set in the firmament, the lesser evermore giveth place to the greater, and when the Sun shineth, the light of the Moon fadeth and vanisheth away: so when the greater authority of the husband cometh in place, the lesser power and authority of the father ceaseth. Besides, his giving of her in marriage to the husband is a giving away of his own right over her, as well as over that portion of goods which he bestoweth with her: so that now his authority is abridged, nay clean abolished. Lastly, it appeareth in this chapter, that if a married woman had vowed a vow to God, her husband only had power to abrogate and disannul her vow, but not her father. That which she doth unto her parents, and for her parents, must be by the consent and allowance of her Husband. Whatsoever is hurtful or any way prejudicial to him, she ought not to do, though it were with a purpose to profit her parents.  
Use 1 Now we come to the Uses. This reproveth divers and sundry sorts that fight directly against this ordinance of God. In the first place whereof I range the Church of Rome. For, as it abridgeth the authority of Magistrates, so it crosseth the authority of parents over their children. It is notoriously known to the whole world, how the Roman Antichrist that proud beast that sitteth upon the seven hills, 
〈◊〉 cardin. 〈◊〉 vit. Henr. 4.  hath stirred up the children against their parents, and provoked them partly by promises, and partly by threatenings, to deprive them of their dominions and lives by force of arms; by which means, bloody wars have been raised and waged between the father and the son. Thus they put asunder those whom God and nature hath joined together. In like manner, under the vizard & pretence of Religion, they not only allow, but exhort and entice, and receive into their Monkish Orders, young men at fourteen years, and young women at twelve, without consent of their parents. But in this place, God putteth: power and authority into the parents' hands, to disannul the vow which the daughter maketh being in her father's house; which ordinance is grounded upon the moral Law, which commandeth children to honour and obey their parents: and the Apostle Paul referreth the whole matter of keeping the daughter a virgin, or the bestowing of her in marriage, to the will and determination of the father, 1 Cor. 7, 36, 37.  
Moreover, hath not the father as great power over his son, as the master hath over his servant? But it is not lawful for the servant to take upon him the profession of Monkery without the consent of his master, and therefore the child may not do the same. The answer of Bellarmine is nothing to the purpose, that children are not in like subjection to their parents, as servants are to their masters, but have more power over themselves then servants have: because howsoever Children are not in such servile condition as servants (which is not the question, it being out of question) yet parents have as great power over the persons of their children, being within age, as over servants: and the law of nature which bindeth sons, is stronger than the law of men, which maketh servants and parents have greater power over their own flesh then over strangers.  
Use 2 Secondly, this teacheth, that it belongeth as a special duty to children by all means, to honour their parents, to which they are bound with the strongest bands: and this yielding of honour unto them consisteth in many particulars. For we must be subject unto them, 
Reverence required toward parents.  and give them reverence, obedience, and maintenance. First, we ought all the days of our lives to esteem reverently of them, as also of their wise devices, of their holy counsels, of their careful instructions. And this we ought to express in gesture, in speech, and in outward carriage: not so much for fear of correction, or looking for benefit from them, but for conscience sake, lest by the contrary we draw the curse of God upon us Prou. 30, 17. Woe therefore unto those ungodly and ungracious children, that do not esteem their parents according to the high place wherein God hath seated them over them, that do despise them because of some infirmities of age, of nature, or otherwise, and therefore mock and scoff at them, Prou. 30, 11. Gen. 9, 22. The second duty is obedience to their lawful commandments in performing of their will, howsoever sometimes they may seem unpleasant and unpleasing unto them, Mat. 21. Col. 3, 20. jere. 35, Deuter. 21, 18, 19 Thus doth jacob rest in the counsel of Rebecca his mother, and yieldeth to her wholesome admonition, Genes. 27, 14. And this is one of the chief virtues that can be found among them, and therefore Paul expoundeth Honour by Obedience, Colos. 3, 20. 
Obedience required toward parents  Eph. 6, 1. Thus they ought to submit and subject themselves to their godly government & religious discipline. And as this aught to be yielded to them in all things, so it should be observed in choosing their trade and order of life, and taking upon them a special calling, to be ready to be directed by them, what by their grave censure, wisdom, judgement, & foresight they think fittest for them, prover. 29, 15: & 15, 5: especially in the greatest matter of all that doth most nearly concern them, I mean their marriage, when they shall begin to think of seeking a companion to live with them in that estate. Thus all faithful children were content to submit themselves to their parents, and to be ordered by them, and never attempt to bestow themselves in marriage without their parent's knowledge, Genes. 24, 3. So did jacob at the commandment of his father, and the advice of his mother, and by consent of them both, Genes, 27, 46. and 28, 1. This was observed of those that otherwise led no sanctified life, Genesis 21, 21 yea of the very heathen themselves. I will produce one testimony among many others, and that is of king Cyrus after he had conquered Babylon, and come home in triumph, his uncle Cyaraxis offered him his daughter unto wife: he thanked his uncle, and praised the maid, and liked the dowry, but for giving consent to marriage, he made him this answer, which I would it were observed and followed of all Christians, O Cyaraxe, 
Xenoph. Cyrop lib. 8.  tò te genos Epainô, kai téns paida, kai dôra; boulomai de, ephê sun tê toû patros gnómê, kai tes metros tanta sunainesai, which is englished in this manner: Uncle Cyaraxis, I commend the stock, & the maid, and the portion; howbeit (saith he) by the counsel of my father and mother I will assent unto you: as if he had said, without their advice I can do nothing. All histories, Philosophers, 
Terent in phormion.  and Poets in a manner, are full of the practice of this duty. And no marvel, for this is agreeable to the common principle in nature, Whatsoever ye would that other men should do unto you, do ye even so to them, Math. 7, 12. Samson saw a maid in Timnah that liked him well, notwithstanding he spoke not one word to her, but came back to his parents, & desired them to make the marriage for him. They were the first whom he acquainted with his purpose: not as in our days, wherein commonly the parents are the last. judges 14, 2. Get her to me, for she pleaseth me well. For seeing parents have taken great pains, and bestowed great cost in bringing up their children, it is reason they should reap some fruits of their labour and travail in the bestowing of them in marriage, and thereby be acknowledged more wise and better able to provide and foresee for them, than themselves. This justly reproveth many children in our days, that never regard this duty, and condemneth the common practice of our corrupt age so much degenerated and grown out of course, that they never require nor regard the consent of their parents in their matches and marriages; but make their choice after the lust of their eyes, and the delight of their hearts, in despite of Father, Mother, Governor, Kinsfolks, Friends, yea God himself, and all good order. These oftentimes run on in haste, and on an head, and learn to repent at leisure. For we live not longer after the holy examples of the patriarchs in former time, than we come far behind them and live different from their manners and godly discipline. The next duty is thankfulness, requiring all the kindness that we have received from them, & recompensing their goodness toward us to the uttermost of our power, 
Thankfulness toward parents required.  whensoever and wherein soever they shall at any time stand in need of our help and relief, Genes. 45, 11. and 47, 12. joseph was nourished a child of his father seventeen years, and he again nourished his aged father 17. years in Egypt, Gen, 47, 9, 28. This precept the Apostle setteth down, 1 Tim. 5, 4, Children and Nephews must recompense the kindness of their parents. The practice of this we see in Ruth the Moabitesse, she being young, took pains and traveled and laboured for her mother in Law Naomi when she was old, Ruth. 2, 18, and did bring home to her what she had gleaned, and she gave to her that which she had reserved after she was sufficed. This we see also in the example of Christ our Saviour, john 19: ver. 27: which condemneth all neglect of aiding them in time of need, and all fraudulent and injurious dealing in keeping back any part of maintenance due unto them, Rom. 1, 30. 2 Tim. 3, 2. Such likewise as run upon their own heads, and will not be advised either in the course of their life, or in the choice of their companion to live withal in married estate, like Esau, that profane Esau, who against the liking and good will of his parents, took Canaanitish women to be his wives, Genes. 26, 35: to the great grief of the hearts of his godly parents.  
Lastly, it belongeth to all parents to perform Use 3 their duties to their children the fruit of their bodies, forasmuch as God hath hedged in their authority with banks and bounds that may not be transgressed or removed. These duties do belong partly to the fowls of their children, & partly to their bodies: partly they concern their salvation, and partly their preservation: some belong to the life to come and some to this present life. Touching the former sort, they must go before them by a good example of life, and walk in their houses in the uprightness of their hearts, that they may see no evil examples to infect and corrupt them, Psal. 101. Our duty is to bring them to the house of God, and to the place of God's worship, and unto the exercises of Religion, where the word is preached, the Sacraments are administered, and where prayers and praises are offered up to God. And doubtless our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Remember the example of joseph and Marie the parents of Christ, when they went to jerusalem to worship God, they led their son with them to train him up in godliness and true Religion, Luke 2. They do not send him thither while themselves abide at home, but they accompany him, nay they go before him and teach him what he should do; contrary to the practice of many that draw them from God, from his word, from godliness, and make them twofold more the children of hell than themselves. From them and their mouths they do learn to swear and blaspheme, to speak reproachfully of God, of his Word, of his Ministers, and of his children, 2 Kings 2, 23. A second duty is to instruct them in the ways of God, and to pour into their hearts the Doctrine of Christ from the childhood, 2 Tim. 3, 15. Deut. 6, 6, 20: & 7, 3. prover. 22, 6. Psalm 78, 3, 5, 6, job 1, 5. Thirdly, they ought to admonish, reprove, and correct them, and that betimes while there is hope, and when there is just cause, Proverb. 13, verse 24: and 19, 18: and 23, 13. They must do it in love & compassion, not in fury, or with cruelty, or in choler and malice, Col. 3, 21. It is noted of Eli, that because he failed in this one duty, he brought ruin and destruction upon his whole house; he broke his neck from his chair, and his sons were slain in battle, 1 Sam. 2, 24: & 4, 18.  
Fourthly, it belongeth to them to provide for those whom they have brought into the world things fit and necessary for this present life. They are flesh indeed of our flesh and bone of our bone, and no man hateth his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it all that he can. As than we provide for ourselves, so ought we for them, and not only for the present, but for the time to come, thereby to defend them from dangers & troubles that may befall them. So the parents of Christ when they had gone a days journey, and perceived that the child was not in the company, returned back and sought him with heavy hearts, and never gave over till they had found him three days after, Luke 2, 45, 46. woe then to all careless parents, that wast all their substance, and swallow it down their throat in all riot and excess, & never provide for their children, but suffer them in a manner to go naked without clothing, hungry without meat, thirsty without drink, harbourless without lodging, and destitute without comfort, 2 Cor. 12, 14, 1 Tim. 5, 8. Gen. 42, 2. jacob sent his sons into Egypt to buy Corn, when they wanted food to nourish their families. Fiftly, all parents are bound, especially they of the poorer sort, to bring up their children to labour and taking of pains, and never suffer them to be idle. Howbeit commonly who more idly and lazily brought up then poor men's children, yea then theirs that are poorest of all? Hence it is that they are clothed in rags, because they lead their lives in idleness. No man should live by the sweat of other men's brows, but should labour the thing that is good, Mark 6, 3. Gen 4, 2. and 46, 33, 34. Idleness is the root of all evil, and the companion of beggary. Lastly, if children have not the gift of continency, they ought to dispose of them in marriage both seasonably and fitly: seasonably, lest by delaying the time overlong, they lay their children open unto danger, either of entangling themselves with other against their wills, or of defiling themselves with filthy uncleanness: fitly, that the sons and daughters of God may match together, not the sons of God with the daughters of men, or the sons of men with the daughters of men, or the sons of men with the daughters of God, Gen. 6, 1. and 24, 3. and 28, 2, 3, Ezra 9, 2. & 10, 10: an abuse that continueth in the world unto this day.   

8 But if her Husband disallow her on the day that he heard it, than he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips wherewith she bond her soul, of none effect, & the Lord shall forgive her.  
9 But every vow of a Widow and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.  
10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, etc.  
11 And her husband heard it and held his peace, etc.: then all her vows shall stand, etc.  
12 But if her husband have utterly made them void, etc.  
13 Every vow and every binding made to humble the soul, her husband may establish, or her husband may make void.  
14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace, etc.: then he establisheth her vows, etc.  
15 But if he shall any way make them void. etc.  
16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between the father and his daughter, being young in her father's house.  
In these words Moses proceedeth in the matter of Vows even to the end of the chapter, concerning the married woman, and concerning the widow. The married woman is bound by the Law so long as her husband liveth, and cannot vow: and if she vow, it is merely void, and such vowing is pronounced unlawful, she hath sinned against God & her husband; howbeit God is merciful, and he will forgive her. From whence we may learn, That the Lord is ready to forgive those that offend. But the Widow that is free and loosed from the law of her husband, is at liberty to vow. This teacheth, that the power and authority of the husband over the wife is very great; 
Doctrine. The husband hath authority over the wife.  for albeit she be at liberty to vow in the Lord when her husband is dead, yet while he liveth he hath power to disannul all her vows, Rom. 7, 2. 1 Cor. 7, 36. The wife is tied by a strong band and obligation unto her husband, 1 Cor. 14, 34. Ester 1, 22. This is not (I confess) the proper place to handle these duties, and therefore I will briefly touch the reasons and the uses.  
The husband is the head of the wife, 1 Cor. 11, Reason 1 3. Ephes. 5, 23: as Christ is the head of the church to rule it, to defend it, to provide for it: therefore, as the Church is in subjection to Christ, so ought the wife to be to her husband,  
Again, mark the order and manner of the Creation, how it was at the beginning, Adam was first form, and then Eve: and he was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression, and therefore she ought not to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence and subjection, 1 Tim. 2, 12, 13, 14.  
Thirdly, in the Law of creation we must observe the pre-eminence of man, which will evidently appear if we mark the end of it: for man was made to rule, the woman to be ruled: for as the man was not of the woman: but the woman of the man; so the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man, 1 Corinth, chap. 11, verses 8, 9  
Lastly, man is the image & glory of God, whereas the woman is the glory of the man, 1 Cor. 11, 7. But was not the woman also made in the image of God? Object and hath not God set the print of his glory upon her face also? I answer, Answer. the Woman was made in the image of God, as well as the man, Genesis 1, verse 27. But man was made to this end and purpose, the God's glory should appear in his rule and authority: on the other side the woman was made, that by profession of her obedience she might the more honour her husband.  
Use 1 This serveth first for reproof both of the husband and the wife, when they know not their places of commanding or obeying: the husband losing his honour, and the wife usurping above her calling. As God in the creation, of one made two; so in the first institution of marriage he united those two again into one, that the woman joined in marriage with her husband, might not only reverence him as the rock from whence she was taken, but might honour him as her head under whom she liveth. This order is broken, when she will by no means be in subjection, but seeketh to shake off the yoke which God and her calling hath laid upon her. This subjection is made heavier by transgression, than it was by the law of creation. For that which God made very good, satan quickly turned into evil, so that the woman instead of an helper became a tempter of the man to sin; and the man instead of a defender became an accuser of the woman to God for sin. Thus satan laboured to divide the house, that it might not stand. But Christ jesus our Lord came into the world to destroy and dissolve the works of the devil, and hath reconciled man and woman with God, that now they should live together as heirs of the grace of life, 1 Pet. 3; 7. Therefore all women should be content with their places, whereof notwithstanding they oftentimes come short, and take upon them to control their husbands, to speak and do what they list. This we see in Vashti mentioned in the book of Ester, when she was commanded by the king to come unto the feast, she disdained and refused to obey, and would not come into his presence, Ester 1, 22: and lest other women should be emboldened by her perverse example, they passed a decree, and gave it the force of a law and a statute, and published the same in all the king's Provinces, that Every man should bear rule in his own house, to wit, under the same penalty inflicted on the Queen, which was, to be divorced from their husbands. Again, it reproveth all husbands that in simplicity are as willing to resign up their places, as their wives in impudence are bold, to usurp them, which is as great a shame and reproach to the husband to lose, as it is for the woman to challenge it. This argueth want of wisdom, courage, and discretion in the husband, and on the other side bewrayeth pride, self-love, contempt, and disdain in the wife; as also forgetfulness of her first creation, at what time she was made of a bone taken out of his side, Gen. 2, 21. I say out of his side to be his companion, and therefore as he is not to make her his footstool to tread upon her, so she should not make herself his head to overtop him, and so tread upon him.  
Use 2 Secondly, it is the duty of all wives to acknowledge their duty, and to yield without striving the superior place to their husbands, and to be subject unto them without resisting in word and deed. This is commended unto them in the example of Sarah, who is set as a glass before all women's faces to look upon, 1 Pet, 3, 5, 6: to the end, that if any obey not the word, they may without the word be won by the conversation of their wives. Again, the Apostle Paul teacheth the wife to fear her husband, Ephes. 5, 33: and Peter teacheth the same, She must have her conversation with fear, 1 Pet. 3, 2. This duty is seated in the heart, and helpeth to set in order all other duties. This will show itself in meekness of Spirit, which is in the fight of God of great price, and in obedience in all lawful things, & that not by constraint, but willingly and readily, as serving Christ without murmuring or gainsaying. If they perform these things, they shall be christian wives, and the daughters of Abraham and Sarah, to their great comfort. Such will do their husband's good, and not evil all the days of their lives, Prou. 31, 12. Hence it is that Solomon sayeth, A virtuous woman is a crown unto her husband, Prou. 12, 4: but she that is stubborn and disobedient maketh him ashamed, and is as rottenness in his bones. A good wife is not only an honour, but an ornament unto her husband, and therefore is compared unto a crown of gold. If she had been compared unto the ring upon his finger, it had been a great Ornament: if to a Chain of Gold about his neck, it had been a far greater: but behold while she keepeth herself in her place, and dischargeth her duty with love and subjection, she is said to be a crown unto him, than which what greater honour and glory can there be? And therefore in another place he saith, Houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers, but a provident wife is from the LORD, Prou. 19, 14. On the other side he showeth, that it is better to dwell in a corner of the house top, them with a brawling woman in a wide house, Prou. 21, 9 And again, A continual dropping in a very rainy day, and a contentious woman are alike, Prou. 27, 15, and 19, 13.  
Lastly, it is the duty of husbands seeing Use 3 authority is committed unto them over their wives, and as it were the bridle put into their hands, to love them tenderly, to defend them from evils, and to cherish them as their own flesh, as Christ jesus doth the Church, Eph. 5. The heathen king could tell Sarah, that her husband was as a covering of the eyes, Gen. 20, 16. It is his duty therefore to dwell with his wife according to knowledge, giving honour to the wife as unto the weaker vessel, 1 Pet. 3, 7, as being heirs together of the grace of life, that their prayers be not interrupted. And why are they commanded to dwell together, but that the husband should yield to her these 4. things? first good example: secondly, instruction: thirdly, maintenance: & lastly employment in her calling for his good, and the good of his family.    

CHAP. XXXI.  

1. AND the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,  
2. Avenge the children of Israel on the Midianites; afterward thou shalt be gathered unto thy people.  
3. And Moses spoke to the people, saying; Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord on Midian.  
4. Of every Tribe a thousand throughout all the Tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.  
5. So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every Tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.  
6. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every Tribe, them and Phinchas the son of Eleazar the Priest, to the war with the holy Instruments, and the Trumpets to blow in his hand.  
MOSES having taken order for the Church, now cometh to the civil plantation, and to the inheritance of the Land. This had been promised to their fathers, Gen. 15: now they begin to prevail, and to receive as it were the first fruits of it, to assure them of the full and final conquest of the rest. Observe in this Chapter the history of the battle fought against the Midianites, 
The contents of this chapped.  who combining themselves with the Moabites, as we see saw, chap. 25, drew the Israelites to whoredom by the counsel of Balaam, when they despaired to prevail against them by the sword. By this means they defiled themselves with Idolatry also, and provoked the wrath of God to the destruction of many thousands among them. The parts of this Chapter are three, First, of the procuring causes of this war. Secondly, the manner how it was followed & fought. Thirdly, the event and issue of the whole. The first part is in these words, wherein we see the Commandment of God, and the preparation used to accomplish this commandment. For Moses sendeth them forth, and with them Phinehas the Priest, & appointeth soldiers to execute that which GOD commandeth, out of every Tribe.  
Object. From this arise divers doubts that are to be discussed. First, why doth God command vengeance in this place, that forbiddeth it else where, Rom. chapter 12, verse 19 Deut. chap. 32, verse 35?  
Answer. I answer, this may not seem strange unto us, neither should we think there is any change in GOD; but we must know the difference and distinction between the revenge of God and of private men. True it is, God will have his children bear injuries patiently; and to give place to wrath, and to overcome evil with good, Rom. 13, 4: yet he retaineth power to himself to execute vengeance against his enemies, and never disclaimeth that office, nay he challengeth it as proper to himself. For he will execute justice and judgement by himself and his ministers so often as it pleaseth him, Numb. 25, 16. So than albeit the faithful must bridle the desire of revenge, and not retail like for like; yet when God calleth and appointeth them to be executioners of his will and wrath, he putteth a sword into their hand, and when the cause is just, their calling is lawful. Thus we see, 
This is called the revenge of the Lord, verse 3.  how soldiers are warranted to shed blood, for they are called to be magistrates: only it is required of such, that they be carried & kindled with an holy zeal of God's glory, not with private hatred, grudge and revenge, which make a thing lawful, to them unlawful.  
Secondly, Object. the question may be asked what is meant hereby, that Moses shall be gathered to his people. I answer, that he should die, Answ. the body returning to the earth, the spirit to God that gave it, Eccl. 12, 7: for with him are the spirits of just men made perfect, Heb. 12, 23. So it is said of Abraham, Gen. 25, 8, he gave up the ghost, and died an old man full of days, and was gathered to his people, that is, to his fathers, Gen. 15, 15. So then hereby we must learn the immortality of the soul, for Abraham's body was gathered to the body of Sarah only, for he was buried in the sepulchre with her. So it is said of Isaac, Gen. 35, 29, he was gathered to his godly forefathers; and of Moses himself afterward, Deut. 30, 50, as also of Aaron before, chap. 20, 24. But it will be said, that it is said of Ishmael that was cast out of the house of Abraham, and was the son of the bond woman, that he also gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered to his people, as well as of Abraham, of Isaac, of Aaron, of Moses, and of many others, 2 Kings 22, 20. judg. 2, 10. Acts 13, 36. I answer, 
Whether Ishmael repent.  this phrase may employ with good probability the repentance of Ishmael, that he died in the faith of Abraham, and was carried into his bosom. For he joined with his brother in the burying of his father, and the Scripture taketh special notice of his whole age, and setteth down how long he lived, but no reprobate hath the age of his whole life recorded. And thus the prayer of Abraham may seem to be heard, Gen. 17, 18. O that Ishmael might live before thee! But if he lived and died a wicked man, then by his fathers to whom he was gathered, we must understand the souls of wicked men that lived before him, as Cain and his posterity that were carried away with the flood, which now are spirits in prison, 1 Pet, 3, 19 But howsoever it be, this necessarily must be concluded, that the souls of all men live when the body is turned into earth, and hath his subsisting afterward, Math. 22, 23. Hebr. 12, 21.  
Object. It will be objected that the wise man saith, the condition of men & of beasts is all alike, Eccl. 3, 19 As the one dieth, so dieth the other, so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast. This is not spoken simply, but in respect. They are both alike and equal in the necessity of dying imposed upon both, and man hath no advantage to glory over the beast; which serveth to humble him and to proclaim his vanity. Again, Solomon speaketh according to the opinion of profane Atheists, such as the Saduces afterward were; for they say, Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beasts that goeth downward to the earth? These are they that also say, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die, 1 Corinth. 15, 32. But when he speaketh according to truth, he telleth us afterward, that the spirit returneth to God that gave it, chap. 12. Again, they produce sundry testimonies, that the dead cannot praise him, it must be the living, the living that must do it, Psal. 6.5, In death there is no remembrance of thee: so 30, 10, and 88, 11. Esay 38, 18. I answer, death and the grave have two significations according to the different manner or estate of those that are dead. Answ. For some are dead spiritually that are rejected of God, and in torments with the damned; these cannot praise God at all, neither doth God accept praise at their hands. Others are dead only corporally, not spiritually: these cannot praise GOD in the Church visible together with the faithful, yet in their souls they never cease to acknowledge and praise God together with innumerable company of Angels and Saints departed, yea it is their whole practice, delight and exercise, they do nothing else.  
Lastly, the Apostle seemeth to make it peculiar to God, to have immortality, 1 Tim. 6, 16, he only hath immortality. I answer, God hath this of himself: the Angels & the souls of men by grace and communication, they receive this from him, whereas whatsoever God is, he is it of himself.  
Object. Furthermore, another question may be moved, wherefore in mustering this army, and sending them to fight, Phinehas the Priest was to be among them? for what had he to do with this manner of warfare, who was to serve in the Tabernacle, and was not numbered among the other tribes that were to go out to war? I answer, Answer. Moses sendeth him, because he had given a notable proof of his zeal in slaying the Israelite and the Midianitish woman with his javelin: & he is sent not to draw his sword, or to be captain of the host, but to exhort the people, to teach and keep them in the fear of God, and to put them in hope of victory. This was commanded of God, when they went to battle against their enemies, the Priest was to stir them up to courage, that they should not faint nor fear, but be assured that the Lord would go out with them and fight for them to save them, Deut. 20, 2, 3, 4: so the Priests were ready to go with David, when he fled out of jerusalem, 2 Sam. 15, 24. And when it is said, Phinehas went with the holy instruments, some understand the Ark, others the urim and Thummim to ask of God touching the success of the battle. Howbeit, it is not likely that he doubted of the end that had his warrant from God to begin it. And if Moses had meant this of the Ark, no doubt he would have expressed it by his name, as he doth often before: besides, if he had pointed to this, he would rather have used the singular number, than the plural: & have said the holy instrument, not instruments. It is rather to be thought that he meaneth the two Trumpets, of which see before, chap. 10, and these he addeth in the next words by way of exposition or interpretation, as if he had said, the holy instruments, that is, the Trumpets, as judg. 8, 27.  
Hereby than we see the absurd collection of Bellarmine, 
De not. eccl. cap 17, 18.  who making the unhappy end of the enemies of the Church a note thereof, allegeth the death of Zuinglius who was slain in battle. But why might not Zuinglius go with his people into the battle, as well as the Priests that were commanded to do it? He was as a good Shepherd that gave his life for his flock, and would not leave nor forsake them fight for the defence of the Gospel. Neither may we account it a plague or punishment to die in battle, or a token of one forsaken of God, as we see in good josiah and many others: and the experience of all times teacheth us the truth of that which David saith, The sword devoureth one as well as another, 2 Sam. 11, 25. Thus much of the questions.  
[Avenge the children of Israel, etc.: and Moses said, Arm yourselves, etc.] By Moses speaking of wars, we may see they have been ancient in the world; and being commanded of God in this place, we see also that they are lawful; of which see before, chap. 1, and 24, and 25. But here divers other points directing wars and warriors are to be observed. First, observe that an army is here spoken off, as mustered and gathered together for the battle.  

Doctrine. Before battle, an army must be gathered.  The Doctrine is this; Before men go to battle, an host of men must be appointed & gathered together, and sufficient forces must be levied, Exod. 17, 9 josh. 8, 3. 2 Chron. 13, 3, and 32, 6. 1 Sam. 15, 4. judg. 20, 17.  
Reason 1 The causes are evident: First, that a number may be sorted out sufficient in show, that thereby hope & assurance may arise to countervail the contrary part, Eccl. 4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Luke 14, 31. judg. 20, 17. and 7, 2, 7, 2. Chron. 14, 8, 9, 10, 11. Secondly, for order, that by warlike policy every man may be fitted to stand in his place, 2 Sam. 10.9, 10, 11. and 18, 1, 2, 3. 1 Kings 22, 14, 15, in regard whereof it is fit & requisite that men be trained at home before they go to fight abroad, 1 Sam. 17, 33. 2 Sam. 10, 9 2 Chron. 14, 10, that military discipline be not broken to the destruction of the whole army, 1 Sam. 11, 11, and 30, 16, 17: one such soldier is worth an hundred others that are untaught and untrayned.  
This serveth to reprove sundry abuses, Use 1 First, of such as send not out a just host or sufficient forces, but sparingly, now some and then others, whereby the people are smitten down with the sword, and made a prey to the enemies, 2 Sam. 11, 15, 17. Secondly, against either raw or desperate soldiers, that covetously, or proudly and presumptuously go to battle against the enemy in a tumultuous and confused manner, as if they went rather to the spoil & victory, then to the battle. This is a wilful tempting of God, and a making of themselves guilty of their own death and of many others. Thirdly, this reproveth the carelessness and negligence of such as are Governors in gathering & mustering men, and in providing armour and furniture, when the cause is instant and requireth haste, 2 Sam. 20, 4, 5. If in any other earthly thing, the Proverb taketh place in this, that delay is dangerous. Fourthly, it meeteth most justly with the murmuring of reckless people at the labours and charges of often mustering, and are unwilling to bestow one penny for the safety of the state, of the kingdom, of the Church, of our Cities and Towns, nay of their wives and children, and their own goods, judg. 5, 16, 17. and 21, 9, 10. 1 Sam. 13, 8, and 11, 7. Lastly, this serveth for comfort unto us, when these means are used and afforded, when we see them taken in hand carefully and religiously, 2 Chron. 14, 8. When all things are ordered aright, and sufficient forces levied, who should not be ready and willing to go forth? For as the want of men and munition, and all kind of provision taketh away the heart and slaketh the courage of such as are to fight and adventure their lives: so on the other side, the having of all things fit and necessary giveth comfort, 2. Chron. 14, 8. Nevertheless, we must take heed that we do not rely upon them and put our trust in them: for no man is saved by the multitude of an host, how great and strong soever it be, 2 Chron. 13, 8, 13. Esay 2, 22, and 3, 1, 2, 3, and an horse, though prepared for the battle, is a vain thing to save a man: forasmuch as an army are men, and not God, and their horses are flesh, not spirit, Esay, chapter 31, verse 3.  
Again, the army here spoken of, is not only gathered together, but it is sent out; 
Doctrine. An army levied and prepared, must be sent out.  First, it is furnished and prepared, and then employed. The Doctrine: An army assembled must go forth in a seasonable time, if the cause remain and continue for which it was gathered, josh. 11, 7. 1 Sam. 18, 5, 27.  
The Reasons; First, because it is not the Reason 1 sight, but the use: not the having, but the employing of men of war that hurteth the enemy, 2 Kings 19, 32. It is not the having of a sword that sufficeth, but the drawing of it out against the enemy that profiteth. Secondly, otherwise it argueth want of wisdom, or courage, or constancy, or all these upon the distrust of the cause or force, judg. 9, 36, 37, 38 Thirdly, it giveth edge to the enemy to provide means of preventing by a more speedy resolution, if they go not forth being prepared, 2 Sam. 20, 6. whereas it is the part of a wise and politic Captain, to take heed he do nothing to hearten the enemy, or discourage his soldiers.  
This serveth to reprove those that in a bravado Use 1 make much preparation, but are nothing at all for execution: such are they that go not out at all, or go out too late, having too credulous hearts to believe that the enemy will not come, or not come as yet, 2 Sam, 20, 6. Secondly, it reproveth such as refuse to go or to be sent out. Some had rather be hanged before their doors, then be employed in the Prince's service. Others hide themselves, or hire others, or make friends, or excuses of insufficiency, because they would not perform this business, and would slip their heads out of the collar, Numb. 16, 12, 13, 14. Lastly, it serveth to warn such as are mustered and have given their names, to prepare themselves, and to think seriously of the matter, that they are to be employed in a weighty business, that so they may be ready to fight the Lords battles, 2 Chron, 20, ver. 15. for their Prince, Country, wife and children, Neh. 4, 14.  
In the next place mark, that Moses spoke unto some of the people, Arm yourselves unto the war. At the commandment of Moses the people must arm: but before he command, they may not put on armour.  
The Doctrine: 
Doctrine. An army must be sent forth by lawful authority.  A lawful army must be gathered and sent out by public authority, 2. Chron. 14, 9  
The grounds hereof: for first, public enemies must be resisted by authority & power of the public Magistrate, 1 Sam. 11, 7. Secondly, Reason 1 the Magistrate beareth not the sword in vain. 1 Sam. 8, 20. Thirdly, they intrude into the seat of justice, that take this upon them without authority, nay they sit down in the place of God, Numb. 16, 11. But it may be objected, Object. that the examples of Abraham, who armed 318, men and pursued the Kings, and of Samson prove the contrary, for what warrant had they? I answer, they had both sufficient warrant and authority. Answ. Samson was one of the judges, chosen of God to save his people, and he was stirred up and guided by an extraordinary spirit to smite them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, judg. 14, ver. 19 And touching Abraham, he was no private man, nor subject to any other Potentate, but a free Prince and at his own command. Again, he did no more than as if a man should defend him and his against a thief, and resist violence with violence by the sword. The uses remain.  
Use 1 It is the duty of the Magistrate, when intelligence is given of enemies, and of their approach or preparation, not to be secure or to suffer them to take the start, but he must take order against them, 2 Chron. 20, 1, 2, 3, that he suffer not the Lords enemies to prevail, or to escape, 1 Sam. 15, 3, 9, 35. It is a great advantage that an enemy hath, to suffer him to be first in the field, or to come to our doors: whereas it is the wisest and safest way to take the field before, and rather assault then defend.  
Secondly, no man should seek to shift himself from the Magistrate, but know that his authority is a sufficient warrant when the war is just. Against the Anabaptists that resist public authority.  
Lastly, this condemneth the life of Pirates, and Rovers, and robbers, that live by spoiling, and killing, and stealing from all, without any respect of person, all is fish that cometh to their net, 
judg. 11, 3,  Esay 33, 1. These prevail for a time, but in the end, they that spoil shall be spoiled, and they that deal treacherously, shall have others to deal treacherously with them.  
Furthermore, against whom are the Israelites sent out to war? against the Midianites their open and professed enemies. The Doctrine. 
Doctrine. We are to wage war with an open and known enemy.  He against whom we wage war, must be known to be an enemy, Deuter. 21, verse 1.  
The Reasons: If it be otherwise, that we respect not against whom we fight, or whose Reason 1 blood we shed, we are fighters against God, and he will fight against us, yea destroy us, 2. Chron. 13, 12, 16. Secondly, friends and brethren must not fight and strive one against another, but dwell together in love, peace, and unity, Gen. 13, 8. Thirdly, it addeth courage in that we do know we shall hurt and wound our enemies, 1 Sam. 4, 9, and 17, 48, 36. The name of a brother slaketh courage, and abateth the care to provide any furniture; so on the other side the name of an enemy kindleth the desire of fight, and maketh more diligent to arm accordingly. The uses follow.  
This reproveth those that make war secretly Use 1 or openly with their good friends, 1. Chron. 35, 20, 21. therefore we should make difference between a brother and an enemy, and examine the true causes of breaking, before we make war with any, judg. 11, 12, to 28. Secondly, against such as nourish civil mutinies, as Manasseh against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh. 2 Sam. 15, so did Absalon, and 20, 1. Sheba. Thirdly, against those that fly from their Countrymen to the enemy, 2 Sam. 15, 31. Many have been faulty this way, and guilty of treachery and rebellion: to these we may join such as treacherously intent to fight against their own Nation, when it is gathered together against the enemy, contrary to that which the Philistims conceived of David, though he were among them, 1 Sam. 29, 4, Let not him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? But some that were among us have been guilty of that crime, which the Egyptians falsely surmised & suspected concerning the Israelites, Exo. 1, 10. Let us deal wisely with them, lest it come to pass, that when there falleth out any war, they join unto our enemies and fight against us. Lastly, it reproveth those that judge every man and every estate, every nation & people to be fit to be fought withal: likewise such as murmur against the going out of men out of their Country, though it be against enemies, Numb. 13, 31.  
Besides, consider that the Priest is willed to go with them, verse 6, and afterward they that fought this battle, must abide out of the Camp seven days, and purify themselves & all their raiment, verse 19, 20. Whereby they are warned to take heed of all sin in going to war, and in the execution of it. 
Doctrine. All sin must be avoided in them that go to war.  The Doctrine. All that are employed in war must be careful to avoid all sin, Deut. 23, 9, 10. We ought to beware of sin at all times, but then especially when we go into battle, and are to stand in the face of the enemy.  
The Reasons; First, the consideration of Reason 1 the state wherein we do stand: we are in jeopardy every hour, & are in the greatest, most manifest, and eminent danger, we may fall for ever in a moment, & never rise again; which also our sin will hasten and bring suddenly upon us, Leuit. 26, 14, 17. Secondly, God forsaketh them in battle, that by sin forsake him before they come to the battle, judg. 10, 13, 14. Thirdly, it is most probable & much to be feared, when many are gathered together out of divers places, educations, and natures, that one will infect another, if they take not heed, Esay 2, 6. Fourthly, the prosperity & flourishing of the Church of one side, or the overthrow & desolation of it on the other side, & consequently the gaining of glory to God, or the hindrance thereof doth much depend upon that action, Exod. 14, 13, 14.  
Use 1 The uses. It standeth us upon to reconcile ourselves to God before wars be enterprised, judg. 20, 26. Then we may go to the battle with peace & comfort, than we may fight with boldness and courage. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints: they shall rest from their labours, and their works shall follow them.  
Secondly, it reproveth such as then give themselves greatest liberty to sin, to steal, to lie, to swear, to whore, to kill: hence it is, that they say, to have a die in one hand and an whore in another, is soldier-like, as if the soldier and Captain had a dispensation to commit sin and to break all laws divine & human without restraint or controlment, 1 Sam. 30, 16. jud. 5, 30. contrary to the examples of sundry good & godly Captains, mentioned in the Scriptures, who believed God, were devout and religious, taught their houses the fear of God, and prayed him continually, Mat. 8, 5, to 14. Acts 10, 1, 2, 7. 2 Sam. 20, 10. 1 Sam. 25, 15, 16. These are examples for men of that profession to follow.  
Thirdly, it serveth directly against those that think thieves, drunkards, swearers, whore masters, Atheists, and Libertines to be the fittest soldiers to fight the Lords battles, who indeed are fit to fight for a tyrant or an usurper, judg. 9, 4. 2 Chron. 13, 7, and to be used in extremity and necessity, rather than where there are plenty of others, 1 Sam. 22, 2. 2 Chron. 14, 8.  
Object. But it will be said, They are a burden to the Land, thus the Country shall be well rid of them. I answer, that through them we rather are like to be rid of many good and profitable members that shall go with them and among them. Answ. Again, it is good indeed to be freed from them, but we must be rid of them by good means, Rom. 3, 8, howbeit we may not do evil, that good may come thereof. Thirdly, there is no confidence to be reposed in such, who being unfaithful to God, it may be presumed they will be unfaithful also to their Prince, whereby great hurt, loss, and damage may by them redound to the commonwealth in such sending of them. The way to be rid of them, is to execute judgement against them, and to cut them off by the sword of the Magistrate for their evil deeds.  
Lastly, from hence we should learn much more to be watchful in the spiritual warfare, Eph. 6, 10. 2 Tim. 2, 4. We are all soldiers, and we are to fight against principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places, and therefore it behoveth us to put on the whole armour of God, and to be strong in the Lord, knowing that we shall stand in his might, and be able to put to flight these enemies.   

7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males.  
8 And they slew the kings of Midian, besides the rest of them that were slain: namely, Eui, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, 
He was the father of Cozbi, whom Ph●nehas slew, Numb. 25, 15.  five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.  
9 And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.  
10 And they burned all their Cities wherein they dwelled, etc.  
11 And they took all the spoil, etc.  
This is the second part of the Chapter, wherein we see the manner observed in managing this war, and in performing obedience to the Commandment of God and his servant Moses. Wherein we may see the slaughter that they made, first set down generally, They slew all the males: then particularly, Five of their Kings, and also Balaam. Secondly, the captives that they took, to wit, all the women and their little ones. Thirdly, their booty, they took the spoil of their cattle, flocks, and goods. Lastly, they set their Cities on fire, and consumed their goodly Castles to nothing. here a question may be demanded concerning Balaam, Object. how he came to be among these Midianites, forasmuch as we read before, that he went his way? Numb. 24, 25. I answer, Answer. some understand the words, of his purpose & resolution to return home, but that he stayed in the way among the Midianites, through whose Country he must necessarily go, and so was slain among them. And indeed it is certain he was present in the battle, but it is more likely and credible that he went home, and afterward hearing of the destruction of so many thousands of the Israelites, 
1. Drusij comment. in loca diffic Num. cap. 125.  procured through his devilish counsel, that he returned unto Madian, hoping to receive the wages which had been promised unto him, seeing the matter succeeded according to his & their desire: and thus indeed he received a just reward and recompense as the wages due unto him, for he was slain by the sword. And hence also it may not unfitly be concluded, that he was no true Prophet of God, (but a Prophet of Satan) for then doubtless the Israelites would never have put him unto the sword. 
Eucher. in Gen. pag. 102.  Some there are that too highly magnify him and esteem better of him then is cause, and think that he was the same, who in the book of job is called Elihu, howbeit this is a blind conceit. Some of the Hebrew Doctors observe that he could be no Prophet because it is said, God opened his eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way, etc. because this is noted of others, as of the servant of Elisha, 2 Kings 6, 17, and of the Syrians, verse 20, as also of Hagar, Gen. chapter 21, verse 19, but it is never spoken in the same manner of any of the Prophets. Other of them say, he was damned with Doeg, Gehazi, and Achitophel: but the things that are secret belong not unto us: the truth he knoweth, that knoweth all things; it is not for us to judge before the time.  
But to leave this and to come to the doctrines: We saw before the sin of the Midianites, chap. 25, and how God threatened them; hitherto they escaped well enough, and might say as Agag did that had been spared with the fatter Oxen, and the better sheep, 1 Sam. 15, 32. Surely the bitterness of death is past: notwithstanding we see God maketh good his word and suffereth no part of it to fall to the ground.  

Doctrine. Wicked men are suffered long, yet in the end are punished.  We learn hereby, that wicked men, howsoever they may be suffered long in their sins, and God prosper them in their ways, and bring no temporal judgement upon them, yet at last he meeteth with them, and bringeth his plagues and punishments upon them, Psalm. 73, verses 12, 17, 18, and 37, 35, 36. job 21, 17, 18. jerem. 12, 1, 2, 3. Hab. 2, 3, 5. Psal. 50, 21. The Scripture is full of these examples.  
Reason 1 And it must needs be thus, because God is a jealous God, visiting iniquities and transgressions, Exod. 34. he is angry with the wicked & hateth them, his soul abhorreth and detesteth them, and therefore must needs bring judgement upon them, Rom. 1, verse 18, and 2, 5, 8. Deut. 9, 8, 20. Mal. 1, 2, 3. Not that GOD hath any passion of anger, but because he is said to do that which men do when they are angry, that is, he will take vengeance and punish them for their sins and offences.  
Secondly, because the Lord hath set a stint to the wicked, he seemeth for a while to put the bridle in their necks, and to let them run at liberty, but they have their appointed time which they cannot pass; he hath set down how far they shall go, and how long they shall live, and the measure of their sin to what height they shall grow, so that though they desire to proceed never so much, they shall not be able, they cannot go any farther; he waiteth till they have filled up the measure of their sins, Gen. 15, verse 16. Math. 23, ver. 32, and then he will not spare to bring his judgements upon them.  
Use 1 The uses. First, this teacheth us to acknowledge the justice of God. He oftentimes holdeth his peace, and men think him to be like unto themselves, howbeit he will manifest to all the world, that he is a just and righteous God, and holy in all his ways. Hence it is, that the Apostle saith, He will reward every one according to his works, Rom. 2, 6. Psalm. 62, 12. For as God never forgetteth to be merciful, neither shutteth up his kindness in displeasure, Psalm. 77, 9, so he cannot forget his justice, except he should forget himself. No man forgetteth his own name. justice is Gods essential attribute, This is his Name for ever, and this is his memorial to all generations. True it is, the faithful themselves do many times conceive amiss both of the mercy and of the justice of God; but they confess, that this is their infirmity, Psal. 77, 10. For when they are themselves in trouble and their soul refuseth to be comforted, they begin to reason and dispute with themselves, and say, Will the Lord cast off for ever? Will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? and doth his promise fail for evermore? Psalm. 77, 7, 8, 9 On the other side, when they see the ungodly prosper, that they are not in trouble as other men, neither plagued like other men, they are ready to think of themselves, that they have cleansed their hearts in vain, and washed their hands in innocency, Psal. 73, verses 3, 5, 13. Nevertheless, whatsoever we are sometimes ready to judge in the time of trouble & tentation, we must upon better advice say with the Apostle, Let God be true, and every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged, Rom. 3, verse 4. Albeit therefore GOD do not by and by strike with his hand and draw his sword, yet he is not unjust, neither is he slack concerning his promise, but he is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3, 9  
Secondly, this serveth to teach us that we Use 2 should not envy at the wickedness of men, albeit for a season they prosper in their sins: the measure is not yet heaped up, but when once they are grown to the height, the judgements of God will overtake them, and they shall pass away as the grass of the field. A good man will never envy at their evil, Psal. 37, 1, 2, because he knoweth well that they stand in a slippery place, and what is reserved for them, if they go on in their sins.  
Thirdly, this serveth to instruct & inform Use 3 every man that he should not grow obstinate and obdurate in his sins, because of God's patience and long-suffering toward him; because as he hath his time, so also God hath his. If we fill up the measure to the full of our transgression, he will also pour down the vial of his indignation. Such as run on in sin, grow thereby stark blind that they cannot see, and stark deaf that they cannot hear, until their eyes and ears be opened by affliction, and his judgements take hold upon them. Let us lay before us the examples of others, and consider how it hath gone with them, that we may learn wisdom by their folly, and take warning by their misery. We know how it went with the old world after the days of God's patience were expired, only eight souls were saved, all the rest were destroyed, Gen. 7. 1 Pet. 3, verse 20. It is better for us to be admonished by the fall and ruin of others, and to take heed of abusing the patience of God, then that we should be taken in our sins, and be made examples unto others to our utter confusion and destruction for ever.  
And they slew the Kings of Midian, besides the rest of them that were slain, namely Eui, etc. five Kings of Midian, etc. Moses doth not content himself to tell the Church of God in general, that the multitude of the people of Midian were destroyed, but singleth out the number and the names of their Kings that were slain. Whereby we may gather that high and low, 
Doctrine. Princes and Potentates are punished for sin as well as others.  Prince and people lie open to judgement: God spareth none, but striketh & punisheth all that sin against him. We see this in those Kings that took away Abraham's wife, the Lord plagued them and their houses with great plagues, Gen. 12, 17, and 20, 3, 17: to verify that which the Prophet saith, He suffered no man to do them wrong, but reproved Kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my Prophets no harm, Psal. 105, 14, 15. We saw this in the sixteenth chapter of this Book concerning Korah and his complotters, they were famous and great men in the Congregation, yet the earth was not able to bear them, his judgements were so heavy upon them. This doth the Lord tell such as are mighty upon earth, that band themselves together, and take counsel against the Lord and against his anointed, He will break them with a rod of Iron, and dash them in pieces like a Potter's vessel, Psal, 2, 2, 9 And Psalm. 82, 6, 7. I have said, ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the most High: but ye shall idie like men, and fall like one of the Princes. The examples of this are infinite; when God sent out Saul to take vengeance upon the Amalekites, the sword fell upon Agag the King that sat upon the Throne, as well as the common sort that sat in the dust, 1 Sam. 15. Herod the king, although he were clad in royal apparel, could not keep his body from the worms, by the which he was eaten up alive, Acts 12. And it must be thus.  
Reason 1 For first, the Heads and Captains of the people have oftentimes the chief hand in the trespass, and when open impieties are set afoot and practised, they should not bear the sword in vain. If then they draw not out the sword of justice, but suffer it to rust in the scabbard, while iniquity walks in the Land without controlment, they make themselves guilty of those sins & bring upon themselves many judgements. As than it was said to Eli, who winked at the wickedness of his sons, I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not, 1 Sam. 3, 13; so it may be said to Kings and Princes, that God will also enter into judgement with them, if they restrain not their people from their evil.  
Reason 2 Secondly, with God is no respect of persons at all, though they be supreme and sovereign, though they be wealthy and honourable, learned and mighty in the world, yet they shall escape never a whit the more for these privileges: as job 34, 19, He accepteth not the persons of Princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor, they being all the work of his hands.  
This serveth justly to reprove those that Use 1 make their places a privilege and as it were a Sanctuary to hold and harbour them from God's judgements. These do much deceive themselves, to bear themselves so bold, and to build upon so weak a foundation. It is as possible for a City to hold out against the enemy, that hath no wall but of Reeds, which are easily either pierced or fired, as it is for a man to stand against gods judgements by his noble birth, or his high place, or his great riches, or his deep learning, or his golden crown. And yet we see how common it is for such to exempt themselves from the common sort, as if they ●ad more liberty to sin than others. Indeed here is for a time some difference between them and others, but when we must lay down this earthly tabernacle, little or no difference will appear. The condition of all men is alike in death, and Solomon saith, Eccl. chap. 9, verse 4. A living dog is better than a dead Lyon. We must therefore know that whatsoever we are, we are no better than dust: whether we consider the original cause or the final: we are of the dust, and we must return again to the dust, and can carry away nothing with us.  
Secondly, this should instruct men of high Use 2 places to turn unto God, to serve him with fear, ●nd to rejoice before him with trembling: yea to kiss the son lest he be angry, and they perish in the way, for when his wrath is kindled but a little, blessed are all they that put their trust in him. For when all must appear before the judgement seat of God, no ensign of honour will do us any good.  
Let not the rich man glory in his riches, or the strong man in his strength, nor the noble man in his honour; but he that glorieth, let him glory in this, That he understandeth and knoweth God, that he is the Lord which exerciseth kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth, for in these be delighteth, jerem. chap. 9, verse 14.  
When a man cometh before an earthly judge, he respecteth not the person of the poor, nor honoureth the person of the mighty, for that were to do unrighteousness in judgement; but he judgeth his neighbour rightly, Leuit. 19, 15. How much more than must we assure ourselves, that the judge of all the world will do right?  
The Prophet David chosen of God to be the Governor of his people, professeth that he will sing mercy and judgement, Psalm. 101, verse 1. Thus shall it be with God, here the ungodly often escape, because no man dare attach them or meddle with them, but in the end they shall not escape. Every man shall appear without his vizard; here some poor are respected for their rags, the rich for their bags, the noble for their Escutcheons, the Captains for their arms, the mighty for their friends, the clients for their bribes: thus are the eyes of men dazzled and blinded that they cannot consider every man's cause, but too much respect the person. It is not so with God. All the glory of man is no better than vanity, like the flower of the field that fadeth away. God looketh upon the heart, if we come before him with a soul washed in the blood of Christ, this will keep us from the wrath of God.  
Use 3 Lastly, from hence ariseth comfort to the oppressed and them of low degree that are in misery, to know that God will plead their cause, and enter into judgement with the mighty ones of the earth. He is higher than the highest, and stronger than the strongest. here men stand in fear of them that do not stand in fear of God, but God feareth not their faces. He heareth the cry of the poor, and will deliver them. Mark the end that God will make, who is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords: he will call those to judgement that here escape the hands of men, When they shall receive for the wrong which they have done, because with him is no respect of persons, Col. 3, 25.   

12 And they brought the captives & the prey, and the spoil unto Moses & Eleazar the Priest, and unto the Congregation of the Children of Israel, unto the Camps at the plain of Moab, which are by jordan near jericho.  
13 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest, and all the Congregation went forth to meet them without the Campe.  
14 And Moses was wroth with the Officers of the host, with the Captains over thousands, and Captains over hundreds, which came from the battle:  
15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?  
16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel through the counsel of Balaam to commit a trespass against the Lord, as concerning Peor, and there came a plague among the Congregation of the Lord.  
17 Now therefore kill every male among the children, and kill every woman that hath known man, etc.  
18 But all the women children that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.  
19 And do ye abide without the Camp seven days, all that have killed any person, and all that have touched any dead, and purify both yourselves and your prisoners the third day and the seventh,  
20 And ye shall purify every garment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of Goat's hair, and all things made of wood.  
21 And Eleazar the Priest said unto the men of war which went to the battle, This is the ordinance of the Law which the Lord commanded Moses.  
23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: yet it shall be purified with the water of purification: and all that suffereth not the fire, ye shall cause to pass by the water.  
In the words before we heard the marvelous and memorable judgement of GOD against the Midianites, who were enemies to the Church of God, among whom also Balaam perished. He wished to die the death of the righteous, chap. 23, 10, but he lost his life among the unrighteous. Thus they that dig a pit, oftentimes fall into it themselves, Psalm. 7. Now in these words we have the third and last part of the Chapter, touching the issue of things after the battle, when the Captains & Soldiers returned from the battle. These are of two sorts; First, the things that happened before they came into the Camp, to the 25, verse; and than what fell out when they were admitted into the Campe. Touching the things that befell the men of war before they were admitted into the host, they are these four. First, Moses chideth and checketh them because they had done the Commandment of God to halves, they had executed a part, and left another part undone, like Saul that spared the fatter Sheep and Oxen for sacrifice, 1. Sam. 15. verse 21. They had saved all the women under a pretence of foolish pity, accounting it no honour or valour to consist in killing them: but they ought to have been destroyed, because they caused the children of Israel to commit a trespass against the Lord, and a great plague fell upon the congregation of the Lord, chapter 25, 1. Secondly, Moses commandeth that such should all be destroyed, their eye must spare none of them; but the women children that had not known man by carnal copulation, should be reserved alive for their uses. Thirdly, he commandeth the men of war to purify themselves before they came into the host. Lastly, we see the commandment of Eleazar the Priest to purify the silver and gold, and garments that they had gotten; that such metals as would abide the fire and not be consumed, should pass through it: the rest was to be washed with water, that so they might be consecrated to God, and be applied to an holy use. The profane Midianites had polluted and defiled them with Idolatry, which God hateth, of which see more afterward, chap. 33, 52.  
14 Moses was wroth with the Officers of the host, with the Captains over thousands, and Captains over hundreds: and he said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? etc. The Lord told Moses immediately before, verse 2, so soon as this business was ended, he should be gathered to his fathers, yet see how he hasteth forward the matter that it might be ended, that he also might come to the end of his days. God had sworn that he should not enter into the Land, for he was displeased with him, and spared him not, because of the people, as he showeth, Deut. 1, verse 37, The Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou shalt not go in thither: where he goeth not about to excuse himself, and to wash his hands, as if he had not done amiss, but his meaning is that he fell not into evil of his own accord, forasmuch as the mischief sprang from the people. Thus did Moses smart for the rashness and retchlessness of the people, as oftentimes Kings and Princes do. The old saying was wont to be, Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi: that is, 
Horat lib. 1. epist. 2.  
The Princes err and reason lack,  
But the poor Commons go to wrack.  Howbeit we may invert the rule, and turn it otherwise, Delirat populus, rex plectitur ipse. The people serve and cannot be kept within any bounds, when oftentimes Princes bear the punishment of their folly, as it fell out with Moses. But to come to the matter, mark how he reproveth the Captains and martial men for sparing the whorish women that had brought a great plague upon them. We learn from hence, 
Doctrine. Sins of omission are displesing to God.  that sins of omission and neglect of duties which men are bound to perform, are sins displeasing to God, as sins of commission are. It is a sin against God to omit a good duty, as well as to commit an evil, or else Moses would not have been wroth with this people: this is proved, Math. 25, 3, 41, 42. Hos. 4. ver. 1, 2. Deut. 27, ver. 26. jerem. 10, verse 25. They called not upon God. Not to do good, is to do evil. The grounds are evident.  
For first, this is a kind of contempt against Reason 1 God; for not to obey, is to disobey & to contemn. The servant which will not do what his master commandeth, 
jer. 48, 10.  what doth he but show a contempt against him? If then this argue and convince of open contempt, no marvel if God be displeased with it. True it is, and it cannot be denied, that men often do not that which God requireth, out of frailty, ignorance, and infirmity; but a continual neglect and omission cannot but proclaim our contempt, and therefore it is a fearful and heinous sin.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the law of God is not only negative, but also affirmative: it commandeth good as well as forbiddeth evil. For albeit all the ten Commandments, the fourth and fifth only excepted, do run negatively, yet the negative carrieth with it the affirmative, according to the exposition of Christ himself, Math. 5, verses 25, 33, 37. The Commandment which saith expressly, Thou shalt not kill, saith also inclusively, Thou shalt preserve life.  
Thirdly, it is against the rule of love and Reason 3 charity. For where there is less love than ought to be, there is sin. Now where there is an omission of those things whereby God may be glorified and our brethren profited, there can be no true charity. Object. But against this Doctrine it will be said, that sins of omission cannot retain the nature of sin, because sin is an act. I answer, Answer. it is true of sins committed, they are acts: but of duties omitted, it will not hold: as for example, a man refuseth to hear the word, he will not come to the house of God; here is a sin, because he that is of God, heareth God's word, saith our Saviour, john 8, 47. yet it is no act at all, but the omitting of an act; so if a man hear the word carelessly this is a sin, Luke 8. yet it is not any act: so that sins of omission are sins before God as well as other of commission. The uses follow.  
First, it appeareth hereby, that many men Use 1 in the world, if they would examine themselves and cast up their accounts and reckonings with God, as debtor ought to do, they should find themselves to stand endighted and convicted of a multitude of sins that haply they never once dreamt of. The greatest sort take notice of this, and take themselves bound to avoid evil, but they never charge themselves with doing that which is good. Every man confesseth it a sin to serve other gods, to worship false gods, and yet never consider that it is a sin, not to serve and worship the true God. Moses was shut out of the Land of promise, not because he did openly dishonour God before the Congregation, but because he did not honour and glorify his Name, Numb. 20. And wherefore was the rich man cast into the torments of hell? was it because he had taken any thing from poor Lazarus, or pulled the meat from his mouth? No, it was because he did not put bread into his mouth, He fared deliciously every day himself, Luke 16, but he suffered him to starve for want. Now we must set down this as a certain rule, that they never had their hearts truly reform from doing of evil, that have not also been careful to do that which is good. We have therefore a farther reckoning to make with God than we imagine, and stand deeper indebted to him then we believe. For if we do not make our accounts to account with him for duties let slip and omitted, we can never be saved.  
Secondly, this Doctrine serveth as a good direction to help us to try ourselves whether Use 2 we be rightly reform in our hearts or not. If we have learned to account duties omitted to be no better than sins against almighty GOD, and for which he will one day take vengeance, we have made a good step in our holy faith: and that if we have not learned to make conscience of sins of omission, we will never truly make conscience of sins of commission. A man may make some scruple of conscience of swearing and taking the Name of God in vain, and yet never use it with fear and reverence. This man is as guilty that hath left the good undone, as the other. Many men will refrain from going to work on the Sabbath day, and from open profaning of it, but in the mean season they come not to hear the word, neither make any profit unto their souls by it. These men doubtless do it but for outward respects, and not for any care they have to keep it holy. For how shall it be known that they do it for conscience sake, except they make conscience of the holy exercises of the Sabbath? So then every man ought to examine himself, and see whether he be not guilty of some evil, even while he abstaineth from evil: and hereby we may find out the truth. If we make conscience of the contrary good commanded and required, than our hearts are right: For this is a certain rule that never faileth, and we shall always find it true, that he never had any true fear of sin or of displeasing God, that had not withal a care to please God.  
Thirdly, this Doctrine convinceth us as Use 3 guilty of sin even from our mother's womb, we have all gone astray and are culpable in the sight of God. For all that men can boast off is nothing but the abstaining from evil, they can say nothing touching any good that they have done. They can allege for themselves, they have not been corrupt Idolaters, scoffing Ismaelites, or profane Esaves; they cannot challenge unto themselves that they have been zealous worshippers, or faithful and careful professors of the truth. But what shall it profit us not to be profane as Esau, except we have laboured to be like David, a man after Gods own heart? What shall it profit us not to be scoffing Ishmaelites, except also we labour to preserve the good name of our brethren? Or what shall it avail us not to be oppressors and such as are full of cruelty, except we be also lovers of mercy and full of good works? Certainly except this be in us, we cannot free ourselves from the just imputation of sin and wickedness. Would any man account that a good hand, which is not able to do any good to the body? and to be able only to say, it did never cut out the tongue out of the mouth, or pull the eyes out of the head, or draw the heart out of the body? The like we might say of other members. For would any praise and commend the mouth to be fit and profitable to the body, that could only say thus much for itself, that it did never tear the flesh from the body, or swallow poison to the end to destroy the body? If then it be evil, that the members should not do those good duties and functions about the body that is required of them; we may reason after the same manner for our purpose, why should not a man be justly condemned that can only boast that he hath not done evil, when in the mean season he cannot show any good that he hath done? doubtless such a one is no true member of jesus Christ. For we make God our adversary when he findeth us a barren field without good Corn, as well as when we bring forth nothing but thorns and thistles: and our house is fit to lodge and entertain Satan and other unclean spirits, Math. 12, verse 44, when they find it swept and empty of God's graces.  
If we had never actually committed any sin, yet because we omit such duties as almighty God looketh for at our hands, it is sufficient to work our condemnation and destruction. Wherefore is Meroz cursed in the song of Deborah? Is it because they fought against God's people, and joined with the enemy? No, it is because they did not assist them and help them against the mighty, judg. 5, verse 23. And the unprofitable and unfaithful servant was cast into utter darkness not for misspending his master's talon, or for wasting it on harlots or riotous living, but because he did not use it well, nor employ it to his master's advantage, Math. 25, verses 27, 33. And wherefore shall many reprobates be condemned at the day of judgement? shall it be for taking food from the hungry, or drink from the thirsty, or garments from the needy, or lodging from the stranger, or comfort from the sick, or relief from the prisoner? No; because they did not feed them, nor clothe them, nor visit them, nor harbour them. He that is a true and loyal subject, it is not enough for him, not to serve his Prince's enemies, but he must serve his Prince also: so if we will be the Lords servants and subjects, we must not think it sufficient to live idly and to serve no body, but we must do faithful service to him that hath created, redeemed, called, justified, and sanctified us; otherwise there will always be sufficient matter for our endightment and just condemnation, when we shall appear before the Throne of God. For every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, Math. 3, verse 10. Will a man accept of such a servant, that contenteth himself to do him no hurt or no evil, when in the mean season he doth him no good? Shall the briar or thistle only be cut down in the Wilderness? No, the fruitless Tree also shall go with it though it grow in the midst of Paradise. To conclude, the word of exhortation arising from hence, is thus much for every one of us, that we should labour to join these two together, knowing that the one cannot be profitable without the other, and therefore we must labour to perform the good required, as well as to abstain from the evil forbidden; so shall we find almighty God to be gracious unto us, and we shall please him in our obedience.  
[Verses 15, 16. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? now therefore kill every male and every woman, etc.] A man would think at the first, that this sex should move commiseration and pity in the hearts of men, and stay the hand from execution.  
The wrath of Moses may seem to be too severe, Object. and to savour of barbarousness, in that he willeth the men of war to commit such carnage, not only upon the women, but upon the little ones that could not be guilty of the sin of their parents, neither were able to discern between good and evil, neither knew the right hand from the left. The women perished justly, who had laid a stumbling block before Israel, but the poor infants and sucklings, what had they done?  
Answ. I answer, they were by nature sinners, and as a brood of serpents. And albeit the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, Ezek. 18, yet who can accuse God of injustice, seeing all are guilty of original sin, which deserveth death? but of this we have spoken before. Now to apply this, the women that had known man, are commanded to be destroyed, because they had worthily brought that general judgement by their horrible sin. They transgressed against GOD, and GOD brought this judgement upon them.  

Doctrine. Every man's death & destruction cometh from himself.  This teacheth, that the cause of a man's ruin, the procurer of his plagues and of destruction is none other but himself, let us never seek the cause out of ourselves, but within us. The cause of the destruction of these Midianitish women, was not in the decree of God to have them destroyed, but because they had committed this evil, therefore came all this upon them. If we consider man before his fall, he was the most glorious creature under heaven: but after his fall which was his own act, he became the most cursed creature, even worse than the brute beasts. See farther for this point, Hos. 13, 9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself: and Esay 3, ver. 9 They have rewarded evil to themselves. And Ezek. 18. The wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.  
The grounds of this are evident. First, because Reason 1 it is not from God, but from ourselves, jam. 1, 14, and therefore when any man is plagued for sin, the cause must be searched and shall be found in ourselves, not in the Lord. True it is, we are punished of God, and yet indeed we punish ourselves, it is we that draw out the sword against ourselves; and the reason is, because we give the cause why God doth punish us: for howsoever it be God that doth it, yet it is man that giveth the cause.  
Reason 2 Secondly, because as God evermore saveth in mercy, so he doth also destroy in justice. He never punisheth or taketh away any, but it is in his justice. For these two can never accord or stand together, to wit, his justice in punishing, and no merit in man to deserve it. If God punisheth, man deserveth it, these go hand in hand together, so that man must be the cause of his own destruction.  
The uses follow. First, this teacheth us to Use 1 accuse ourselves whensoever we suffer any thing. We are ready naturally to justify ourselves and to accuse others, like Adam, like Saul, and sundry others: howbeit we learn from the Prophet, Lam. 3, verse 39, to search and try our ways, and to turn unto the Lord, confessing that we have transgressed, and have rebelled, and therefore suffer for our sins. So did the penitent thief upon the Cross, 
Luke 23, 41  say, We suffer the due reward for our deeds. This should evermore humble us under the hand of God, and make us patiented in suffering, forasmuch as the cause of all is in ourselves. Let us therefore submit ourselves unto him, and never murmur under the cross, seeing we cannot accuse God of wrong or injustice, that he layeth more upon us than we deserve, for we have the cause of all in our own bosoms.  
Secondly, we may hereby judge who Use 2 are the greatest enemies that a man hath. Men commonly think & are persuaded that they have many enemies, and often complain how they plot their destruction. They cry out sometimes of the world, sometimes of the devil, and sometimes against almighty God himself, as job affirmeth, That he had set him as a But for his enemies to shoot at. Be it that a man hath many enemies that hate him and rise up against him; but wherefore hath he all these come upon him as an armed man? The reason is, because first he was his own enemy and thereupon they also do all become his enemies. For tell me, why is God angry, and hath set himself against thee, but because thou didst first of all set thyself against him by thy sins? And why hath the devil, the world, or thy other enemies any power against thee, but because thou hast weakened thyself by thy sins? otherwise none of all these could touch thee or torment thee. True it is, they might hate thee, but they should never be able to hurt thee.  
When a malefactor cometh unto the place of execution, against whom will he complain, or whom will he accuse? Not the judge, not the jewry, not the Witnesses, but himself only, that hath brought punishment upon himself. For he suffereth death, not because the Witnesses accused him, not because the jewry found him guilty, nor because the judge pronounced the sentence of punishment against him, but because he deserved it. So if a man perish, against whom should he open his mouth, or upon whom should he exclaim? Against GOD he cannot. What then, may he against the instruments of GOD? neither are they the cause, it is in himself, it is no where else, he is the cause of all, and upon him it must rest.  
Use 3 Lastly, this serveth to reprove those that cast all upon God's decree. These make quick dispatch of the matter, and would lay all the blame upon the purpose of God, and so case their own shoulders.  
Object. Hence it is, that they object, O the Preachers teach me that God hath foreappointed and foreordained all things; he forseeth all things that shall come to pass; they often tell of God's decree, it is the will of God, I cannot resist it, and therefore I must perish. Thus do many blaspheme, Answ. and add impiety to impiety. First I ask with the Apostle, Rom. 11, 34. Who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his Counsellor? What hast thou to do therefore with the decree of GOD? Didst thou know the decree of God before? or tell me, whosoever thou art that thus blasphemest and blamest God, did the decree of God put any evil into thee, or move, or persuade thee to offend? No certainly, that is against his nature and against his law: it cometh from the corrupt heart of man himself, and therefore let them complain against themselves, and be consumed in the fire which they have made; they have kindled hell for themselves, or else it were not possible that they should perish, according to the saying of the Prophet, Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass about yourselves with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled, Esay 50, 11.  
To conclude, would any man escape this destruction? he can never escape but by God: for we must know that as none perisheth without himself, so he saveth no man without himself. Without thee God will never save thee, with thee he will save thee. Now the first step to this salvation, is to labour for grace; and the second, to bring forth the fruits of grace. Let us delight in the word of God, and in the works of holiness and righteousness, so shall we be kept safe, that the judgements of God and his fearful hand shall not overtake us. Let us take away the cause of them by the speediness of our repentance, and then God will keep the waves of his wrath and indignation far enough from us. This is the only way to deliver our souls this is the only way to escape his heavy hand, and thus shall we receive comfort in this life, and eternal happiness and blessedness in the life to come.  
[Kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him: but the women children that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive, etc.] God would have all the males without exception destroyed, that the name of that unclean Nation should utterly be rooted out, and no remnant thereof be suffered to continue. The maids were spared, as it is thought, not for their virginity, 
Pelarg in Num  but that they might serve the people of GOD to increase their own number, and to multiply unto many generations. But observe farther, that Moses speaking of the manner of the generation of man, useth a term and phrase of speaking, which is cleanly and comely, & no way foul or offensive to the ears of any. 
Doctrine. Things unseemly in themselves, must be modestly spoken of.  The Doctrine from hence, is, that things in themselves unseemly to be uttered, are to be delivered in such words as are honest and modest, and may no way offend, Genesis, chapter 4, verses 1, 2, 25. 2 Samuel, chapter 12, verse 21. judg. chapter 3, verse 24. Psalm. 51, in the title. Esay, chapter 7, verse 30, 1 Cor. chap. 7, verse 3. Gen. chapter 19, verse 5. and chapter 16, verse 4. judges, chapter 2, verse 24. 1. Sam. 24, 4. Rom. 1, verses 26, 27, 28. So than it is the part of God's children to carry chastity and modesty in all parts of shamefastness, not to be seers, hearers, or acquainters of ourselves with any thing uncomely. There are many things evil in themselves, 
Cicer. de office lib. 1.  which are spoken of without any evil or offence, as to steal, to kill, which are wicked to be practised, not wicked to be uttered. On the other side there are some things lawful to be done, but unhonest and unlawful to be spoken of. A modest heart ought to show itself in word and in deed, and in all the parts of the body, Gen. 9, 21, 23. It is remembered of Noah, that he planted a vineyard, and became drunk, and in his drunkenness disclosed himself in his Tent, his shame was discovered; Chamscoffed at it, but Shem and japheth are exceedingly commended in his prophesy, They went backward and saw not the nakedness of their father. The Apostle showeth, that we have many parts dishonourable in themselves, and unseemly through our sin, herein the wisdom of a man showeth itself, that he putteth more honour upon them, 1 Cor. 12, verse 23. The hands, the head we show to all, other parts we cover, as nature itself teacheth, Hab. chapter 2, verse 15. The reasons are evident.  
First, we should be silent and secret in matters Reason 1 that are unclean, and express the same with reverent, choice, and modest words, because it is not seemly for those that profess holiness, to show themselves light in any condition. Now whatsoever is seemly, it is our parts to think upon, Ephes. chapter 5, verse 3. Fornication and all uncleanness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh Saints. Such broad or rather beastly speaking therefore is no way sightly or seemly for the people of God. Secondly, God would walk in the midst of us, and be evermore among us, so that it is not fit or seemly that we should be seen in any unseemly manner, Deuter. chapter 23, verse 14. Thirdly, evil words corrupt good manners, 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 33. We are soon corrupted through our inbred corruption, but much more when we hear unchaste words & see unchaste works. Fourthly, there should be no filthy speech in our mouths, but that which is good to the use of edifying, That it may minister grace to the hearers, Ephes. 4, 29: otherwise we shall grieve the Spirit of God, and cause him, touching his comfortable and defensive presence, to departed from us, Eph. 4, 30. Deut. 23, 14.  
Reason 1 The Uses follow. This reproveth such as with delight please themselves in spewing out filthy speech out of their mouth; let such also take heed lest the most pure and holy God do spew them out of his mouth, Reu. 3, 16. How many are therein our days in all places, that do make it their sport and pastime to talk of unclean things, and that in a filthy and beastly manner? which no doubt proceedeth from the filthiness of the heart, Esay 3. verse 9 Matth. 12, 34. Esay 32, 6. Corrupt and rotten speech. is a token of a corrupt and rotten heart, for from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  
Secondly, it reproveth those that do take pleasure and delight to look on filthy things. For, if to speak filthily, and give our tongues to filthiness be wicked, how much more to delight to behold filthiness? Cham and Canaan beholding their father's nakedness, are reproved, nay accursed, Gen. 9, 22. And if David pray unto God, to turn away his eyes from beholding vanity, Psa. 119, 37: what cause have we to desire him to keep us from beholding impurity?  
Thirdly, it meeteth manifestly and justly with those which are not ashamed to commit that openly in the sight and light of the sun, which a true christian heart blusheth once to speak of. These are not only not ashamed to commit evil secretly, of which the Apostle saith, It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret, Eph. 5, 12. 1 Cor 5, 1. but make show of them publicly, and glory in their own shame and confusion, 2. Sam. 16, ver. 22. whereas modesty should be maintained, touching the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the gesture, and the whole body.  
Fourthly, it condemneth all lovesongs, light interludes, amorous books, lascivious representations of love-matters in plays and Comedies, undecent and unseemly pictures, lascivious dancing of men and women together, 1 Thess. 5, 22. Mark 6, 22. All these favour of wantonness and filthiness, which are not comely or convenient.  
Lastly, acknowledge from hence, that it is grievous to God's children to have their abiding among a wanton, scurrilous, & profane people, which in all speeches are lewd, broad, open, and offensive: I say to have our habitation among such is irksome to an honest and godly heart. It is noted of Lot, That he grieved his righteous soul from day to day even for the things which he saw and heard amongst the Sodomites, 2 Peter 2, 8. As it was with him, so it is unto all the faithful a great torment and vexation of spirit, to be tied unto, and to be tired with the company of such as use ribaldry, and delight in filthy speeches, and unclean deeds.   

25 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying;  
26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken both of the man, and of the beast, thou and Eleazar the Priest, and the chief fathers of the Congregation:  
27 And divide the prey into two parts, between them that took the War upon them, who went out unto battle, and between all the Congregation.  
28 And levy a Tribute unto the Lord, etc.  
29 Take it of their half, etc.  
30 And of the children of Israel's half, etc.  
Hear Moses beginneth to handle what was done after the men that went out to the battle came to the host, wherein we must consider two things: first, the distribution of the prey, and then the oblation of the Captains. The dividing of the prey taken in the war, reacheth to the 31. verse, and containeth the commandment of God in these verses, and the execution of it in those that follow. In the commandment it may seem very strange, Objection. why God would have the prey and booty divided between the soldiers that had taken it, and the rest of the Israelites that went not out to battle. For what reason is it (may some say) that such as sat still in their tents, should have as much as they that adventured their lives? or should they that did nothing, be made equal unto them which have borne the burden and heat of the battle? I answer, Answer. such as went not forth did not hang back of purpose, or slip their neck out of the collar through fear or faintness, but because they were not appointed to the work. And no doubt while their brethren were fight, Moses and Eleazar, and the rest of the people were earnest with God in prayer; as we see upon like occasion, Exod. 17. For God will have equity and justice observed among his people. Again, a reason is rendered of this, 1 Sam. 30, 24: where the prey taken from the Amalekites is divided by David between those that went down to the battle, and others that abode by the stuff: and he teacheth it to be a part of common charity & equity, to reward such as stayed by the stuff, who do no less intend the common good, than others that fought the battle. Now here we may consider the greatness of the battle and victory, by the rich booty which they obtained with no loss at all, as appeareth verse 49. God therefore for the sin of these Midianites dealt most severely with them, wherein they lost their goods and themselves. This teacheth us, That the Lord as he will destroy the wicked that provoke him, 
Doctrine. God's judgements are full of severity.  so when he doth it, he will do it fearfully and severely, Psalm 50, 22. To this purpose he oftentimes useth two merciless elements and enemies (which he armeth to execute his will) the fire and water, which are without pity and compassion, they spare neither young nor old; as he destroyed the old world with water, Gen. 7, Jude 4: so he destroyed Sodom by fire, and will destroy the world again by fire, 2 Pet. 3: thereby making it manifest that he can destroy sharply and fiercely, Psal. 21, 9 & 97, 3. And no marvel, if we consider the grounds thereof.  
Reason 1 For first, the Lord layeth even upon his own children very strange and fearful judgements, as we see how he visited his servant David, Psal. 32, 4: yea sometimes he bringeth such heavy things upon them, that the ungodly take occasion to triumph over them. If then he do it to his own, what will he do to the wicked and the reprobate? Proverbs 11, 31. Luke 23, 31. 1 Pet, 4, 17. A servant may well gather, that if the master of the family be so rough and rigorous to the children, than he will be more sharp and severe towards him.  
Reason 2 Secondly, the wicked grow obstinate & desperate, they harden their hearts, and deprive themselves of all means that might do them good. They leave the Lord, and therefore he leaveth them: is it then any marvel if GOD deal sharply with them? Christ our Saviour putteth forth a Parable unto the Scribes and pharisees, Mat. 21, 35: that the owner of a vineyard sent forth his servants to his tenants, that they might receive the fruit of it; but they abused and killed them, and his son also: and then demandeth of them what will the Lord do unto those servants? They answer, that it is just that he should cruelly destroy them. Thus they give sentence against themselves & show, that such as grow obstinate against the Lord and his people, abusing his Ministers, contemning his word, and resisting his ordinances, can expect nothing at his hands but this, that he should destroy them in his wrath, and sweep them away in his fury.  
Thirdly, this is the nature of God, he is as Reason 3 a mighty and consuming fire, Heb. 12, verse 29. Deut. 4, 29. Now we know that fire hath two qualities; to purge, and to consume. He is as a consuming fire to the good and bad, to the godly and ungodly. He is a fire unto the good, but a purging or purifying fire to consume their dross, as gold is purified in the fire, 1 Pet, 1. But when he cometh to deal with the wicked, he setteth aside his mercy, and always giveth them judgement without mercy: when he cometh to his own, he cometh with judgement and mercy. So then the point is very manifest, that when God entereth into judgement with the ungodly, he will destroy them utterly, fearfully, finally, and fully.  
Use 1 This reproveth those that walk on boldly and presumptuously in their sins, and yet never fear his judgements, but dream of a God altogether framed of mercy, and thereby flatter themselves in their sins, and then run on in evil till judgement take hold of them. And therefore Moses exhorting the people to obedience by the remembrance of the works which they had seen, showeth, that such as do bless themselves in their heart, saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, etc. The Lord will not spare him, but his anger and jealousy shall smoke against that man, etc.: Deut. 29, 19 It behoveth us therefore to beware of abusing Gods mercies, lest the curses written in the book of God fall upon us, and he blot out our name from under heaven. And let us take heed of impenitency & hardening ourselves in our sins, because thereby we dishonour God, we deface his image, we make ourselves like to satan, whom by sin and disobedience we resemble. Our sins are as a thick cloud that separate between the Lords mercy and us, and hide the comfortable light of his countenance: they provoke the anger of God against us, 1 Cor. 10, 22: they bring distrust of God's providence and fatherly protection, and weaken our faith in all his promises. They bring temporal scourges in our bodies, in our goods, in our name, in our labours, and grieve God's Spirit to cause him to departed: they bring a wounded conscience, and weaken our assurance of his favour, and therefore let us not be encoraged to proceed in evil, because God is merciful.  
Secondly, let no man fret at the prosperity of the wicked and obstinate sinners: for albeit Use 2 God do long bear them with patience, yet a fearful destruction shall be their end and reward. If they were to be destroyed after an easy and gentle manner, as the grass that fadeth away, yet even then there were no cause to envy at them, Ps. 37, 1: much less therefore those that shall cruelly & fearfully be destroyed. If a man should have sentence to die the most honourable death that a State can afford, as to have his head stricken off, yet for this no man is so foolish as to envy him, though he be not burned or hanged by the neck, yet none (I say) would repine at such a man: so what ground hath any man to fret, or fume, or envy at the flourishing estate of any wicked man? especially when it is known that GOD hath decreed that he shall perish, and that not by an honourable death, but perish like Haman shamefully in his own house, and after that shall have all shame and contempt powered upon him, and go to the place of the damned, there to suffer torments with the devil & his angels, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Lastly, this being well learned, will serve Use 3 as an admonition for every one to take heed of every evil way, & that he be not obstinate in sin. It is one thing to sin, and another to be obstinate in sin, to withstand the word and rod of God, and to abuse his patience. It is incident to all to sin, but obstinacy in sinning, hardness of heart, and casting off Repentance, are the forerunners of destruction. Let us think thus with ourselves, what can a short or fading pleasure profit us, when God shall come with his fearful destruction? Nay, what can all the pleasures or profits in the world recompense for the loss of that comfort and peace that otherwise we may enjoy? What did Esau's red pottage so pleasing unto his eye profit him in the end, when he lost thereby not only his father's blessing, but also the blessed life to come? What good got Achan by his wedge of Gold, when it proved to be the wrack and ruin both of himself & of his family? And therefore doth Christ our Saviour teach us, Mat. 16, 26. What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, & then lose his own soul?  
Again, this fearfulness of judgement, should make a man think of the difficulty of repentance, and what fearful things he shall suffer if he practise it not. If it be a hard thing to break off sin, we shall find it much harder to be broken with the judgements of God and the fierceness of his wrath. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an earthly Prince, Prou. 19, 10: but more fearful to fall into the hands of the living God, especially when he is enraged and incensed by the sins of men; and therefore we ought to meet him with repentance, lest we feel his vengeance to our condemnation. 
A notable mediation to move to break off ●he course of sin.  And let us labour to set the hardness of bearing the judgements of God against the breaking off of sin, & the one will easily countervail and overcome the other. If we find it an hard and harsh saying, to repent and break off our sins, we shall find it more hard when it shall be said, Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his Angels, Mat. 25. Let a man seriously and thoroughly consider what an hard and unpossible thing it will be to undergo the wrath of God, which maketh the devils and damned spirits to tremble, james 2, 19: & he will think it an easy and light thing to forsake sin, although it were more dear than all things in the world whatsoever. What if it were as hard a thing to renounce thy sin, and to take up the practice of true repentance, as to pluck out a man's eye, or to cut off his arm? yet it must be done, he hath pronounced it with his own mouth that must be thy judge: that is, if there be any one sin as dear unto thee as thy right eye, thou must pull it out, or else thou shalt never come to the kingdom of heaven: or if there be any sin as dear unto thee as thy right arm by which thou gettest thy living, if thou canst not be content to cut it off, and dost not constantly and confidently resolve to cast it from thee, thou canst have no entrance given thee into God's kingdom. We see by common experience daily, that men will endure very hard and bitter things from the hand of the Physician, that they may recover health and escape death: and yet it is not to put away death utterly, it is only to prolong life for a time; for they may defer death, they are not able to take it away. If then such sharp and bitter things seem easy to avoid a temporal death, then what ought a man to do and to suffer, to avoid the bitterness and sharpness of eternal destruction, and the fierce wrath of God? which indeed is nothing but this, To forsake sin, and to take up repentance, and the performance of religious and holy duties. But alas, alas, how many are there every wherein the world, that have been content to lose many ounces of blood out of the veins for the good of the body, that have never shed a few drops of tears out of their eyes for the recovery of their souls? To take bitter pills and potions to purge the gross humours that distemper us, that have never purged or cleansed themselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of GOD? 2 Cor. chap. 7, verse 1. Nay we see men are willing to be seared, that cannot abide to have the wounds of their soul searched by God's holy Word: yea, to have one member cut off to save the whole body, who notwithstanding will not leave one pleasure of sin for a season, to save both body and soul. This is no better than folly and madness. here is wisdom therefore to think of this betimes.   

31 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest, did as the Lord commanded Moses.  
32 And the booty being the rest of the prey, which the men of war had caught, was six hundred thousand, and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep.  
33 And threescore, etc.  
34 And threescore and one thousand Asses, etc.  
35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all of women that had not known man by lying with him, etc.  
37 And the Lords tribute of the Sheep was six hundred and threescore & fifteen, etc.  
41 And Moses gave the tribute which was the Lords heave-offering unto Eleazar the priest, etc.  
47 Even of the children of Israel's half, etc.  
We have heard before the commandment of God touching the dividing of the prey: Now followeth the execution of it by Moses and Eleazar. It is worth the observation to consider, that as before the death of Aaron, Moses and Aaron are always joined together, so after his death Moses and Eleazar, 
The Magistrate and the minister should join together.  the Magistrate and the Minister, as the hand and the eye are in the body. Then doth the church and the conmmonwealth flourish when these two go together; and on the other side, they go to wrack when they are separated & draw several ways. The greatness of the victory and conquest that God gave to his people, appeareth further in these words by the distribution of the people, and by the reservation of the women that had not known man. which escaped the edge of the sword. Here than we may behold the misery that befell these Midianites for seducing God's people, and drawing them to whore doom and idolatry. 
Doctrine. Iniquity maketh the Lord to destroy people, Nations, & Kingdoms.  Learn hereby, that the iniquity of a people, or a country and nation, maketh the Lord to destroy them, and to lay them waste, sometime by the sword of the enemy (as in this place) & sometimes by other judgements, as Deut. 7, 1. where the Lord telleth the people of Israel that they should cast out and destroy many Nations: and afterward, chap. 9, 4: he willeth them not to say, that it was for their own righteousness that the Lord had brought them to possess that land, but it was for the wickedness of those Nations, that he did drive them out before them. Again, in the eight chap. and the twentieth verse, he sayeth, If thou forsake the Lord, and walk after other gods, and serve them, than I testify to thee this day that thou shalt surely perish, because ye would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. So 1 Sam. 12, 25: If ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall perish both you and your king, Mat. 23, 37, 38.  
Reason 1 The Reasons follow. First, they dishonour God in their lives, and therefore it is just that he should deprive them of those blessings that they enjoy, and make others to enjoy the labours of their hands, and in stead of them lay judgements and plagues upon them. A son that dishonoureth his father, is unworthy to receive any duty from a servant. So certainly it is just with God, that such as dishonour him, should be deprived of his protection, & be left naked unto all judgements.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God's justice doth so require, that where there is a general corruption and depravation, there should be a general desolation; and where the corruption is particular, the judgement should also be answerable. When God told Abraham that he would destroy Sodom and Gomorrha, he reasoneth in this manner, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? No (saith God:) but if thou canst find ten righteous persons, I will spare the Cities for ten sake: Gen. 18, verse 32. But he could find none but Lot, they had generally corrupted their ways. It is not enough though some repent and turn unto God, those few may defer a judgement, but they cannot keep away judgement for ever, so long as the general state is corrupted. If one man or a few forsake their sins, it is enough that they escape the eternal punishment, though they do fall into the temporal, and do not save & deliver the whole: I say, they have enough if they save themselves, and have ample fruit of their conversion, though they save none of all the rest.  
Reason 3 Thirdly, this will make manifest the power of God. Exemplary justice may be showed on a few, but power is showed when there are many offenders. For, as it is in his power to save with few as well as with many, 1 Sam. 14, 6: so in this case, it is the power of his justice to destroy many. A small power of a Prince will serve to destroy and subdue a small company of rebels: but then is the power of a Prince manifested and openly showed, when Rebels are grown to an head, and have gotten unto themselves some strong hold: so it is with God, the more opposition is made against him, the more is the glory of his power set forth, when he draweth out the sword of justice against them.  
The Uses remain. First of all, God's providence Use 1 is hereby notably established, that his eyes are upon all men, and upon all their ways, because he destroyeth multitudes as well as particular persons. His judgements are evermore just, and that could not be, except that there were cause why to destroy. There must be a cause, and also a known cause: forasmuch, as though men were wicked, if God's allseeing eye were not upon them, or if he knew no cause, he should be unjust if he should destroy. Nadab and Abihu that durst presume to rush into the presence of GOD with their strange Fire, Leuit. chapt. 2. verses 1, 2. even in the very act of their sin, the special providence of God came upon them, so that before they had finished their sin, the plague began. So it was with Ananias and Sapphira, they were smitten down with sudden death, the lie was no sooner out of their mouth, but the judgement of God did lay hold on them, For they fell down and gave up the ghost, Acts 5, 5, 10. Thus Gods almighty power overreacheth the sin of man with punishment, before ever it be quite committed, of which we saw a notable and fearful example before in the Israelites, the 11. chapter, and the 33. ver. recorded also in the 78. Psalm, verses 29, 30. They did eat and were well filled, for he did give them their own desire: but while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew and smote down the chosen men of Israel. Herod the King likewise, while he was in his pomp and pride, was smitten of God in the very act of his sin, while he took to himself the glory due to God, Acts 12. These & such like punishments do plainly argue the providence of God to be over the ways of men, and over all their actions, & doth continually wait upon them.  
Secondly, it reproveth those that magnify Use 2 themselves, & gather themselves together against God, thinking to prevail & escape for their multitude sake. This is no plea to protect ourselves, neither giveth any hope of deliverance from judgement, but rather provoketh God the more against us. God bringeth in the people of Israel vaunting thus, Son of man, they the inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel, speak, saying, Abraham was one, & he inhabited the Land: but we are many, the land is given us for an inheritance, Ezek. 33, 24. The jews that remained after the destruction of the City had their eyes blinded with carnal security, and persuaded themselves, that albeit they hardened their hearts against the chastisements of God, and repent not at the preaching of the prophets yet they should possess the land and dwell in it, whatsoever jeremy, Ezekiel, and other Prophets prattled to the contrary. And thus they reasoned: If Abraham that was but one, had the land promised unto him, then much more shall we have it that are many. Howbeit the Lord reproveth them for this presumption, & telleth them that their multitude shall nothing help them, because they are not the sons and heirs of Abraham, forasmuch as they did not the works of Abraham, but did wilfully transgress the law of God. Multitude therefore is not a note of the true Church, neither can they deliver or excuse offenders from the wrath of God: because when main sin, many also shall be punished. Let us not therefore look how many we be in number, but how our right our works be. For when God will punish, no multitude can privilege: and therefore the Wiseman sayeth: Though hand go in hand they shall not be unpunished, Proverb. 16, verse 5: so that all the loftiness and haughtiness of men, how soever they think themselves backed, and shall be borne out by friends and mighty men of the world, shall be brought down and made low, Esay 2, 11, 12, etc.  
Use 3 Lastly, this admonisheth every Country, City, Nation, Language and People, if they would enjoy their lands and goods in peace, they must seek to be at peace with God; and if they would not have destruction come upon them from him, let them not draw it as it were with cartropes upon themselves by their sins and casting from them the laws of God. For the providence of God is over all the ways of men, and therefore he will bring destruction upon them. This is the dignity and honour of a City, except the inhabitants of it do betray it, it cannot be betrayed. Many think, the only strength and safety of a City to consist in the iron gates, strong bars, high walls, deep ditches, great pieces of Ordnance, and much munition: and the honour and ornament thereof to stand only in goodly houses, stately towers, brave castles, and curious workmanship of cunning Artificers: nevertheless, such as put their confidence in these are greatly deceived, they make flesh their arm, & know nothing how to make Towns and Cities fortified. It is true piety and godliness that is the defence and glory of a City: and no man can destroy a City, except those that are the inhabitants do destroy it themselves. This is it that the Prophet telleth Niniveh that great and bloody City, Genesis 10, 12. Nahum 3, 1, Art thou better then populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? etc. Yet was she carried away she went into captivity, etc. Nothing can deliver where sin reigneth. Defences ●re no defences, all means are vain and unable to save. It is not the woe and misery of a City, or Nation, or Town, or House, that they have lost a number of able men by the sword, or that many are smitten down with the plague and pestilence: but this is the wretchedness of a place, that it is full of drunkards, unclean persons, swearers, Atheists, and such like horrible impieties. These are the procurers of woe, these are the causes of destruction. And howsoever some may repent and save themselves & their own souls, yet it shall not long keep us from general judgements, so long as these things are found among us. It cannot be that the Lord should long forbear us, we have hardened our hearts through his patience. We have filled up the measure of our sins, and they are grown to so great an height, that every man now adays maketh a scorn and scoff of the word of God, and there are among us not only committers of evil, but scorners of good things, these are perilous & dangerous times. What then can we expect but that God should come against us, and set all our sins in order before us nay before himself? Let us therefore repent and turn from our sins, and return to the Lord our God: and then though we should taste of a general desolation, yet when it cometh it shall go well us, and we shall have our reward in the life to come.   

48 And the Officers which were over thousands of the host, the Captains of thousands, and the Captains of hundreds, came near unto Moses.  
49 And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war, which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.  
50 We have therefore brought an Oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of Gold, Chains and Bracelets, rings, earrings and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the Lord.  
51 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest took the Gold of them, and all the wrought jewels, etc.  
52 And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the Lord, etc.  
53 For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself.  
54 And Moses and Eleazar the Priest took the gold of the Captains, etc.  
The offering of the Captains followeth in these words. That which they brought was matter of great price, thereby giving to God thanks for covering their heads in the day of battle, and desiring to make an atonement between the Lord and their own souls. This offering was accepted, and laid up in the Tabernacle for a memorial for the Children of Israel. Observe here sundry points of instruction. First from the persons that offer to God, and acknowledge God's mercy, to wit, the Captains themselves that were the chief in this business, that howsoever God be to be served of all without exception, and all must show themselves ready to do it, yet above all, the chiefest and the heads over others ought to be leaders to the rest. So was it when the Israelites were brought over the red sea, and delivered from all their enemies, Moses and Aaron provoked them by their example to give praise and glory unto God, and encouraged them in that duty, Exod. chapped. 15. judges 5. verse 15. How zealous was Nehemiah, that he even consumed himself with desire to do the Church good? So was it with Zerubbabel, and many others. But of this we have spoken before, chapt. 7: in the offering of the Princes. And whereas they offer to God, jewels of Gold, Chains, Bracelets, Rings, ear-rings and Tablets, we learn to serve God with the best things we have, and to think nothing good enough for him. This also is handle before, 
Doctrine. For benefits received, we must return praise to God  chap. 7. Again, from these men we must acknowledge that it is our duty to return praise and thanks unto God for his benefits and blessings that we have received, Psalm 50, 15. Ephes. 5, 20. Philip. 4, 6. Psal. 116.  
The grounds are plain. First, because praise and thanksgiving are due to God, as to the author and fountain from whence all mercies come, and therefore to whom should we give praise and glory but unto him? Psal. 65, 6.7. Secondly, it is a blessed thing to bless the Lord: and if we ascribe not glory to him, we take it to ourselves, and are no better than thieves that steal away their neighbour's goods, nay we are worse. We ought as well to return thanks unto him when we have received blessings, as to pray for them when we want them, and would have them, Psalm 50.  
Thirdly, it is an high and honourable duty to glorify and praise God: it is the duty which all the Saints and Angels perform, and ever shall perform in heaven, to honour God. A good subject would be very willing to do that which should honour his Prince: this duty is that which delighteth God, and honoureth him, and therefore all of us should practise it.  
Fourthly, as it is honourable, so likewise it is most profitable to ourselves, both to make us keep the blessings which we have, and to obtain such as we have not. If we be faithful in little, he will trust us with much: if we be faithful over a few things, he will made us ruler over many things, Luke chap. 19, 17. Matth. chap. 25, 23. But if we be unthankful for mercies received, he will take from us even those which we have.  
This should teach us to stir up ourselves Use 1 more and more to thankfulness by keeping in mind, and laying up in our hearts the special blessings and mercies of God. This we cannot do, except we take notice of them, and daily mark and observe what God doth for us. For a benefit not remembered, is all one as if it were never received. Let us not therefore suffer his mercies to pass away. If the least cross lie upon us, we are sure to be sensible enough of it. If the head ache we can by and by feel it, and complain of it. How then is it, that we receive grace after grace, and mercy upon mercy heaped up plentifully upon us, and yet we remain as senseless and blockish, as if we had received nothing at all? Let us take heed of this unthankfulness.  
Secondly, it reproveth many amongst us, Use 2 that have tongues to ask, and mouths to speak when we are in need, but know not how to return thanks to God when we have received. Have we been in trouble and affliction? and hath God been merciful unto us to restore us again? If we be not thankful unto him for this, it had been better for us that we had been afflicted still, yea that we had perished in our affliction, than not to return to him the praise, & to lift up our hearts to the heavens.  
Lastly, would we know whether we be Use 3 thankful indeed, or not, then let us examine ourselves how it goeth with us, after God hath delivered us from any dangers. Are we more zealous in good things, and more careful to perform good duties unto GOD then before? Then surely we may comfort ourselves, and assure our own hearts, that we have been thankful in some measure. Thus doth Christ speak of the sinful woman, Luke chap. 7. verse 47: her sins which are many are forgiven her, for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. This is thankfulness, for love received to love again: and for much love, to return much love again.  
True thanksgiving is of a working Nature, it will quickly show itself toward him of whom we have received mercy. If the love of God be shed in our hearts, we will love him again, because he loved us first. On the other side, if a man do not perform this duty, to wit, to be more zealous of God's glory, and more obedient unto his word and will, he shall be found unfaithful whatsoever he persuadeth himself of himself. So fell it out with Hezekiah, as we may see in the second book of the Chronicles, the 32. chapter, and the 25. verse, Who rendered not again, according to the benefit done unto him. His heart was lifted up, and wrath came upon him, and upon judah and jerusalem. If then God spared not him, let us take heed he do not spare us, and be evermore careful to praise him here as we ought and then we shall be sure to praise him ever hereafter in the life to come.  
We have therefore brought an oblation, etc. In the oblation of this people, we are to consider the circumstance of time, which serveth further to commend them; they were no sooner returned, and found the mercy of GOD toward them, but by and by they give him thanks.  

Doctrine. We are to return thanks to God speedily and presently.  This teacheth that as all men must return thanks unto God, so they must return it speedily and presently, while they have opportunity and ability to do it, Exodus 15.20. judges 5, 1, Luke 17, 15, 16. The grounds follow.  
Reason 1 First, it is the will of God our Father, when he would have thankfulness performed, he would have it done speedily and cheerfully, it is the willingness of the mind that he respecteth and accepteth. For if he require of us in the matter of liberality, that we say not to our neighbour, Go and come again, and to morrow I will give, if we have it by us: then certainly, it is his pleasure that we do not delay or defer to perform the duty of praise to him to morrow, when we should do it to day. Secondly, the performance of thanksgiving presently, maketh it the more accepted of God, whereas the putting of it off from time to time causeth it to be rejected. Thirdly, while the blessings of God are fresh in our remembrance, the mind feedeth the affection with much more plentiful matter, and it is stirred up the more fervently and effectually to perform that duty; whereas the opportunity in due season being neglected, maketh the blessings of God grow stolen, and to be quite forgotten, and that quickly.  
Use 1 This teacheth that many men may hereby see their sins in this matter and manner of thanksgiving, because they are so slack and slow, drowsy and forgetful, and use such delays in their returning of praise to God. By delay a man is made more unfit and unable to perform this duty. True it is, if a man repent of his dallying with God, and delaying to do his duty to him, he will forgive his evil: howbeit he that putteth off his thankfulness, it is not so acceptable to God, because he doth it not speedily, albeit he perform it in the end.  
Use 2 Secondly, this must teach every man to learn when be returneth thanks to God for any blessing, that he should labour to do it presently and speedily, seeing this is that which is so much accepted with him. And if any man have been faulty in this, let him labour to make amends with double diligence, and to be more mindful of this duty of thankfulness, that so the Lord be not enforced to put him in mind of his sin by taking away his blessings from him. It were far better for us to learn otherwise, then by taking forth this hard lesson, to wit, by our harm.  
Thirdly, this serveth to put us in mind to Use 3 stretch this manner of speedy thanksgiving to God, to all other duties of Religion and Christianity. The Apostle exhorteth all persons to do good while they have time, or opportunity to do good to all men, Gal. 6, 10: for we know not what one day may bring forth, Prou. 27, 1. Many delay their doing of good till the hour of death, these are like swine which are never good till they come to the shambles. Especially in the case of repentance and turning to God, we must not put off the matter from day to day. The lepers that were cleansed, delayed this duty all of them, on only excepted, and in the end utterly did forget it. When we delay a duty, thinking to do it better afterward, it groweth quite our of mind. The Prophet saith, To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Psal. 95, 7, 8. Heb. 3, 13, Esay 55, 6. If we put off our repentance a while, who is sure to have the means offered him again, whereby God ordinarily worketh repentance? Who can tell whether he shall heart the word of God preached to him any more?  
The word is translated from place to place, & we are translated from life to death, from our house to the grave, and we know not whether we shall carry ourselves when we are gone from the Church, or be carried by others to the Church again. Besides, the longer we delay our repentance, the more hard and difficult it will be, because a thick skin will grow over the heart, that it will be past feeling, and sin will take deeper root through custom and continuance: and therefore we must set upon it betimes.  
There lacketh not a man of us, therefore we have brought an oblation. This was an extraordinary mercy received. It is a great blessing of God, to overcome the enemy and to obtain the victory: but thus to overcome and to have such a victory, required an extraordinary thanksgiving.  
We learn from hence, 
Doctrine. It is our duty in extraordinary blessings to return extraordinary thanks.  that as men ought to return thanks to God for all his blessings, so they ought for extraordinary blessings to return extraordinary thanks and praises. As in times of distress it is our duty to humble ourselves and in extraordinary visitations to use extraordinary humiliation: so when God showeth any mercy, especially extraordinary, the Church hath great cause to be thankful accordingly, and upon that occasion to be stirred up to set forth his noble praise, Exodus 15.1, 2, etc. Esay 38, 9 Hezekiah returneth great thanks for his great deliverance, Luke 1, 46. Psalm 145, 7. The grounds follow.  
Reason 1 First, all acknowledge that they are tied to some duties for blessings received. Now this is the only recompense that we can make; we cannot requite him to come before him with  offerings, with calves of a year old: he will not be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil, Mic. 6, 6, 7: he hath showed us what is good, and what he requireth of us; the only accepted sacrifice and service is an humble, contrite, and thankful heart, Psal. 116, 13, 14: this is more acceptable to him, than all sacrifices that have horns and hooves; all the fowls of the mountains are his, the wild beasts of the field, and the cattle upon the hills: and therefore he willeth us to offer unto him thanksgiving, and to pay our vows to the most High, and to glorify him for our deliverances. Secondly, the least mercies of God, such as are most ordinary & continual, deserve thanks, yea the greatest thanks that we can possibly give, that the tongue and heart should join together in that action; for the least drop of his mercy is greater than our deserts: then how much more do his greatest mercies and blessings deserve the greatsst thanks and praise at his hand, to perform the same with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength? Hence it is, that the servants of God, as we see in David, Hezekiah, and others, after wonderful and great and mighty deliverances did use to pen their songs, and often to repeat them to quicken the memorial of God's blessings and his kindness that they had received; and thereby to stir up their own hearts and the hearts of others, that they might be more closely knit and linked unto God. The like we see in jonah, when he was delivered from the Whale that had swallowed him up, where the waters compassed him even about to the soul, the depth closed him round about, and the weeds were wrapped about his head, jonah 2, 5, 9, that his deliverance might seem after a sort a resurrection from the dead, as indeed his lying in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, (jonah 1, 17) did figure out the resurrection of Christ to be so long in the heart of the earth, Math. 12, 40. I say when he had received such a deliverance, what could he do but sacrifice unto God with the voice of thanksgiving, and pay that which he had vowed, considering that salvation is of the Lord? Thirdly, Nature itself doth teach that the greatest blessings should have the greatest thankfulness, inasmuch as great blessings fill the heart more full of joy: now where the heart of a man is extraordinarily joyful, there the mouth of a man also aught to be extraordinarily thankful. Fourthly, it standeth with equity, that in all things that we do toward God, we should do them in proportion, and in this matter of thankfulness, we ought to make out thanks to be in some sort and in some weak measure proportionable to his blessings. The uses remain.  
First, how glorious ought Gods Name to be in all places, who doth daily load us with Use 1 his benefits! He dealeth not sparingly with us, but liberally thereby to magnify his great Name, that all the world might acknowledge his greatness, and sing to his praise, saying, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth, who hast set thy glory above the heavens, Psal. 8, 1, 2, 3, etc.  
Secondly, this reproveth many of unthankfulness, Use 2 howsoever they seem to themselves to be very thankful, yet they are not proportionably thankful, and therefore they may be said not to be thankful at all, because they give not according to his works, and therefore he requireth of us that we should praise him according to his blessings. But alas, which of us do not for the most part receive much of him, and return little or nothing unto him again? It is not enough for us to say, God be thanked, and then think we have performed all that can be required of us; but as we receive double mercy, so should we yield double obedience. Lastly, this teacheth Use 3 every man that he should consider Gods dealing toward him, and what blessings he hath received from him, that so he may see how much thankfulness he oweth unto him. For where the gifts of God are increased upon a man, there he hath much cause of thankfulness. If others that have received less blessings from God have been more thankful unto him for them: how shall we escape that have greater blessings, if we show ourselves less thankful: Let every one enter into the meditation of these things. We have received blessings of all sorts, general and particular: what Nation hath been honoured and advanced like unto ours? what people have received such deliverances as we have received? from foreign enemies, and domestical? And what blessings we have all received in particular, what tongue can express, what heart can comprehend? Doth not GOD on the other side require much at our hands? O let us beware and take heed lest these blessings be turned into curses, and his mercies into judgements.    

CHAP. XXXII.  

1 NOw the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, tanned when they saw the land of jaazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold the place was a place for cattle,  
2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke unto Moses and to Eleazar the Priest, and unto the Princes of the congregation, saying,  
3 At aroth, and Dibon, etc. 4 Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, & thy servants have cattle. 5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over jordan.  
COncerning the great victory given over the enemies of Israel we have already spoken: now we come to the dividing of the inheritance among the Conquerors, according to their estate and condition: wherein consider three things. 
The contents of this chapped.  First the occasion of distributing the land of the Midianites, the victory being obtained. Secondly, the conditions of this distribution. Thirdly, the agreement and sending of them into the possession. The occasion is in these verses; the two tribes, and the half had many cattle, upon which occasion they come to Moses, and request this land which they had lately seized into their hands, the chief towns whereof are reckoned up, that they might sit down there, & not be compelled to pass over jordan, they thought they might speed themselves nearer home, and never trouble themselves to go so far. The sons of Reuben are in the first verse set before the sons of Gad, because Reuben was the eldest and first borne: and yet oftentimes in this Chapter the sons of Gad are set before them the cause whereof seemeth to be this, 
Why the sons of Gad are set before the sons of Manasseh.  because they were the authors of this counsel to shift and provide for themselves, and to ask of Moses the land of the Midianites. From hence sundry doctrines may be pointed out. Doubtless every tribe had store of cattle, for Gen. 46, 32, they are said to be shepherds & men of cattle; and Exod. 12, 38: there went up with them out of Egypt flocks and herds, even very much cattle: yet the tribes here mentioned did especially and above the rest abound with cattle. We learn hereby that God doth distribute his blessings differently, he giveth things temporal to one more, and to another less, as in his own wisdom he seethe to be expedient and profitable for them. He would have us stand in need one of another, one nation of another, one land of another, one person of another, that we might hold a communion among ourselves, & all depend upon him as upon our sovereign Lord. It is therefore the duty of one member to help another, and to do good one to another, even as it is in the members of the body, all have not one office, but every one his special function, but for the good & comfort of the whole. And as it is in temporal blessings, so also it is in spiritual, God giveth & disperseth them variably. These tribes do come to Moses to obtain their suit. They attempt not by force or by fraud to get it; they use lawful means, they have recourse to the Magistrate. It is our duty therefore to go to the Magistrate to obtain our right, & to make petition of lawful things to him. Again, albeit the children of Israel smote this land of the Midianites, yet it is said the Lord smote it; because the labours & endeavours of men come to nought, & of every good action, God is the principal agent, & the creature only the instrument & is supported by his power. From hence this ariseth, that all good actions of the second cause are to be ascribed to the first cause as the chief worker thereof. See also the manner of their speech, if we have found grace in thy sight, thus they speak to the Magistrate; which teacheth that we ought to use & show all reverence & humility both in word & gesture to Magistrates and to our superiors. All these things are good, & serve for imitation: but there is one thing more, & also must serve for our instruction, though it be evil. These tribes do seek their own profit, & altogether forget their brethren; their mind was more upon their own cattle, than the procuring of the good estate of the rest. We learn hereby, 
Doctrine. The love of this world draweth from duties to God and man.  that the immoderate love of this world is dangerous, drawing to sin against God and to break the bonds of nature. Where the love of the world & of ourselves is thoroughly settled it worketh a careless neglect of all others. Abraham & Lot loved as natural brethren, nothing could separat them, they went out of their country, and from their kindred together, Gen. 11, 31, what severed these but matters of the world? when Lot looked on Sodom, & saw it fruitful as Eden, he left Abraham and dwelled there, which brought great trouble upon himself, Gen. 13. And afterward what caused Lot's wife to look backward, etc. was it not the love of the things which he had left behind? Gen. 19 Luke 17. Saul looked upon the fattest of the sheep, & fell into disobedience, & lost his kingdom. Achan looked upon the wedge of gold & the Babylonish garment, & set his hart upon them, & provoked God against himself & the host of Israel, Ios. 7 The like we might manifest by sundry other examples, of the young man that came to Christ, Ma. 19 of judas that betrayed his Master, Math, 26: & of Demas that forsook Paul, and embraced this present world, 2. Tim. 4.  
Reason 1 And no marvel. For the love of God & the love of the world are contrary the one to the other, there is no affinity between them, they are enemies, and one cannot abide the other. These can never look each other in the face, but by and by they turn their backs, 1. john 2, 15, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. These two are as two contrary Masters, no man therefore can serve them both, for both require the whole service of a man, & both command contrary things, Mat. 6, 24. Secondly, the desire of these worldly things is a rank thorn, Luke 8, and is the root of all evil, 1. Tim. 6. The hearts of men are hardened by it, when once they are ensnared and taken in love with it. The world is a very harlot, it speaketh fair, & promiseth much good; it hath a painted face, but within it is nothing but filthiness, like sepulchres that appear beautiful without, but are nothing within, but full of rottenness and dead men's bones.  
Use 1, This teacheth us that worldly things profit not: we think, when once we have gotten them, that we are happy men, when we are by them never the nearer to God, never the more beloved of God, never the nearer to his kingdom. Why then should we be slaves and servants to them, or suffer ourselves to be carried by them from duties belonging to God & men? Hence it is that Solomon showeth, that riches are reserved to the hurt of the owners thereof, Eccl. 4, and 5. And many while they seek wholly after these things, they do lose peace with God, and heap up wrath against themselves, jam. 5.  
Use 2 Secondly, we see hereby how hardly they enter into the kingdom of Heaven that have them, Math. 19 Christ teacheth this out of the example of the rich man that went away sorrowful, when he heard mention of forsaking his riches. His riches was his joy and chief treasure, he had set his heart upon them, and therefore to leave them was as irksome to him as to leave his life. This man's case is not singular, neither may other men think themselves by nature to be better. The same corruption hath taken hold upon all: whosoever have the world's good, have need of a special grace of GOD to assist them, that they be not blinded and hardened by the love of them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, let us not be immoderately careful for them, and let us have our conversation without covetousness. We brought nothing with us into the world, and we shall carry as little with us, 1. Tim. 6. Heb. 13. It is no profit to win the whole world and to lose our own souls, Math. 16.26: and therefore let us be contented with our estates wherein GOD hath set us. It is our duty to labour against this immoderate love of the world; not that the things in the wo●ld are of themselves evil, but because we are ready to abuse them. Now if any desire to have some helps to keep him from the excessive love of the world, 
Helps to keep us from the love of the world.  and from putting his trusts in his riches, let him meditate upon these things. First, such is the wickedness of a man's heart, and the corruption of his nature, that he maketh his outward estate, if he have riches and a plentiful and prosperous condition, to be his glory, and the thing wherein he rejoiceth and triumpheth, Psal. 62, 10. Ier, 9, 23. Dan. 4, 27. Luke 12, 19 Psal. 36, 6, 7, Esay 39, 6. Psal. 49, 16, For how do men judge of themselves? They imagine that others will prise them, as they have learned to value themselves, and that they shall be honoured and esteemed for these things: they think that all men will admire them for their wealth, and that men will account them so much more excellent than others, as they are more rich and wealthy. And such is the misery of our times, that for the most part it is so indeed, they hold an opinion of every man, not according to his properties, but according to his possessions; not according to his virtues, but according to his goods. Howbeit in this, both sorts are deceived. For by this means it cometh to pass, that it is not the man that is honoured, but his riches; for if they were gone, the honour would fall away also. We see by experience, that where there is much riches, there is much pride; nothing is more common then to have the heart lifted up in prosperity. They think riches are given unto them, because they deserve them better than others. It is hard to keep pride out of the heart, when God sendeth wealth into the house.  
Secondly, the desire of riches is like the grave that is not satisfied. It is like the sea that receiveth all waters, and yet it is not full. So long as the rich man seethe another before him or beyond him, he cannot be quiet. If he have attained to be equal with one, he will strive to be like another, and so proceedeth till he come to the highest degree & measure of all. The more a man drinketh of the water of the sea, the more he thirsteth and desireth; so it is with riches, such as have tasted the sweetness of them, & delight greatly in the taste, they greatly provoke the appetite to long after more, and therefore no marvel if they use all means lawful and unlawful to come unto them. Thirdly, abundance of riches are hardly gotten without sin; for whether we obtain them by excessive gaining, or by excessive sparing, neither are done without sin. And how many are there in the world among those that are grown great & wealthy in the world, who, so often as they behold their riches, may justly challenge themselves, & say, These sins have I committed in the getting of my goods, and these duties have I omitted in the keeping of them? How then should we dote upon these things, which are unto us the badges and signs of our sins? and which are as witnesses ready to open their mouths against us, when no other either can or dare accuse us? Fourthly, riches are common blessings, to be found as well among the ungodly, as among the godly: yea oftentimes the ungodly have the greatest portion of them. They have their heaven in this life, and they want nothing. So than if it were possible for a man to have the treasures of a kingdom, yet he must know that he hath gotten no more than a most wicked man may have, and is by them no nearer to the kingdom of Heaven than a reprobate may be. Fiftly, riches are ordinarily, without God's especial restraining and reforming hand, the occasions of much evil and wickedness, of oppression, of fraud, of cruelty and profaneness. Riches can never make a man good, but oftentimes make those nought that otherwise might be good; why then should we rejoice in them, and be possessed with the love of them? If we respect the virtue that is in riches, or the power that is in man, it is not possible for a man to be rich and good together: nevertheless, to him, to whom all things are possible, it is possible to make a man good in the mids of his riches, without whose grace it cannot be. Sixtly, the vanity of the world appeareth in the uncertainty and mutability of riches; should we set our hearts upon that which taketh her wings and flieth up to Heaven? They arise in a moment, and suddenly they are gone, and never appear again. They are gotten with much care, they are kept with much fear, they are lost with much grief. Therefore it is the precept of the Apostle, Trust not in uncertain riches, 1. Tim. 6: we are not soon possessed of them, but we may soon be deprived of them. Lastly, we must give an account to God how we have used them as well as how we have gotten them. Many in the world might be accounted happy men, if there were no day of reckoning. But we must departed from hence, and leave them, and they us, our pomp will not follow us, Psal. 49, 17. Let us therefore labour against the immoderate love of the things of this life, neither suffer any such corruption to be nourished in us.  
Use 4 Lastly, we must learn to prefer the best things, such as the Apostle speaketh of, when he showeth what danger hangeth over their heads that love nothing else but the goods of this world, he breaketh out into this exhortation, 1. Tim. 6.11. Thou, O man of God, fly these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. And that we may see the excellency of heavenly & spiritual graces above earthly things, let us in the properties of them compare the one with the other, that so the love of the world to come may swallow up all love of this present world. All the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them are vanity, Eccl. 2, 11: but Solomon opposeth to this the fear of God and his commandments. The riches of this life are oftentimes gotten with doing wrong and with oppression, jer. 5, 27. Luke 16, 9, 11: it is not so with piety and godliness which is the true riches and gain, 1. Tim. 4. Riches are kept with grief and anguish, he cannot rest & sleep that is vowed with them as with a frenzy, Eccl. 5, 12: but godliness is the mother of all peace and comfort, and maketh the sleep to be sweet, and bringeth no fear, or grief, or care with it, Prou. 3, 24. Riches are corruptible, the moth may corrupt them, and the thief may steal them, Math. 5, 19 jam. 5, 2, 3: but heavenly graces can never fade, they shall endure for ever, they shall follow us after we are gone, they can never be lost when once they are gotten. Earthly riches make the owners as slaves, they nail the mind of man to the earth, that he cannot lift up his eyes to Heaven, Math. 6, 21: but piety beareth us up as it were with eagle's wings, that we learn by little and little to mount up to Heaven, and to have our conversation there, even while we sojourn upon the earth. Riches can deliver no soul from eternal death, nay sometimes they are means to thrust the same into hell, Prou. 10, 2, and 11, 4: but godliness freeth a man from everlasting death, and setteth him in the path that leadeth to life. We are forbidden to heap up transitory riches, Math. 6, 19 and 10.9, 10. Ptou. 23.4: and if we have them, it is only in this life, they serve no further, and afterward there is no need or use of them, 1. Tim. 6, 7. job 1, 21. Psal. 49.11: but godliness serveth for the next life, and we are commanded to treasure it up, and the more we labour to increase it, the happier we are. Riches are often taken from the right owners, and come into the hands of our enemies, not only after we are departed this life, but even whiles we live, as we see by many examples of sundry cities and provinces, 1. King. 14, 25, 26 and 2. King. 24, 15. Ezek. 29, 19 2. Kings 23, 35. Heb. 10, 34: but piety shall never be taken away, nor be bestowed upon our enemies, but layeth up for us an enduring substance in heaven, and it maketh the greatest enemies to be the greatest friends; it maketh the wolf & the lamb dwell together, and the leopard to dwell with the kid, and the sucking child to play upon the hole of the asp, Esay 11, 6.7, 8. Many of the godly have been without the earthly riches, Christ our Lord did not desire them, 2 Cor. 8, 9 Math. 8.20: nor his servants covet after them, Heb. 11, 26, 37, 2 Cor. 6, 4. Act. 3. But none of the godly have been without the heavenly riches, all have desired them, all have obtained them, some in one measure and some in another: and herein they have accounted their happiness and blessedness to consist,   

6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?  
7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land, which the Lord hath given them?  
8 Thus did your fathers when I sent them from Kadesh-Barnea to see the land.  
9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the the Lord had given them.  
10 And the Lords anger was kindled, etc.  
11 Surely none of the men that came out of Egypt from twenty year old and upward shall see the land, etc. 14 Behold ye are risen up in your father's stead an increase of sinful men, etc. 15 But if ye turn away, etc.  
here beginneth the second part of the Chapter, to wit, the conditions of agreement, how the matter was decided & ended: wherein observe the debating and pleading of the matter, than the determining of the controversy. Touching the demur or debating; first Moses sharply reproveth and rejecteth the request of these tribes, and showeth the unfitness and unlawfulness thereof, which he proveth both by the dangerous effect that would follow, the discouragement of the rest of the people, and by example of the like practice of the falsehearted spies, who, after they returned from searching of the land, spread abroad false news, whereby the hearts of the Israelites were weakened, & God was so greatly provoked, that he pronounced the sentence of death against all above twenty years old, Caleb and joshua excepted; This history we saw before Chapter 13, 24. This doth Moses press and urge to the full, and showeth what heavy judgement came upon the host for discouraging of the people, whereby we see, that nothing is more forcible to repress and hold from sin, then urging the examples of God fearful judgements in former times against those that have committed the like sins, 1. Cor. 10.7, and Jude verse 6, 7. 2. Pet. 2.4, 5, 6. Nehem. 13.17, 18. josh. 22, 17: for examples are oftentimes more powerful and piercing then precepts or threatenings are, and therefore Moses is so earnest in this kind. Again, whatsoever was written afore time was written for our instruction. This reproveth those that will take no warning by any examples, but are secure till the judgement begin to take hold upon them: like to those careless people, that when a city is on fire never look to their own house, till it take hold upon it, and be ready to burn it down to the ground. Every one would condemn such reckless persons; but such are all those that see the judgements of GOD break out upon others, and yet will not look to themselves. Furthermore, we must all take notice of such examples, & no man ought to be ignorant of them, 1. Cor. 10, 1, neither suffer them to pass away from them without observation. 
Doctrine. The Ministers of God must reprove sharply.  But to omit this, we see in the behaviour of Moses what ought to be the practice of the Ministers of God. He was a great Prophet of God, and he reproveth the people (to prevent further evil) very sharply. Hence we see, that the Ministers of God, that have the office of teaching committed unto them, must not reprove faintly, coldly and carelessly; but sharply, earnestly, zealously, fervently, and powerfully, Esay 40, 3: they must be as the voice of a crier, not of a whisperer, Hos. 4, 1, 2. Thus did all the Prophets teach, and so did the Apostles, jer. 2, 2. joh. 7, 20, 37.  
The grounds of this are very apparent. Reason 1 First, because we often deal with those that are dull of hearing; men commonly are deaf, and so unfit to hear those things that belong to their peace, therefore doth the Lord require of his Ministers that they cry aloud, and lift up their voice like a trumpet, Esay 42, 18: & Christ our Saviour, when he was preaching, oftentimes crieth out, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Secondly, many are fast asleep, & had need to be awaked. He that will speak to a man that is fallen asleep, had need to cry aloud, as Eliah telleth the Priests of Baal, 1, Kings 18, 27. So the Ministers must deal with such as sleep in sin and security, nay, they are cast into a dead sleep, that they can never be raised but by the powerful voice of God speaking in his word, Ephes. 5, 14. joh. 5, 25. Thirdly, the hearts of men are forestalled and possessed with the pleasures and delights of the world, and so they speak to men occupied about other matters, and such as have no leisure to attend to the word, nor any thing but the world. If a man have a quick ear, and be broad awake, yet if he be talking or not attentive, or muse upon other matters, he cannot hear, he must be called and cried unto, and all little enough to stir him up. Such as were busy about the world, when they were called, set light by the word, Math. 22, 5: they regarded not the messengers sent unto them. Fourthly, the Minister is God's mouth and Messenger, as the Magistrate is God's hand: the mouth denounceth his anger, the hand executeth his judgement and vengeance. The Minister is his mouth to accuse, convince and threaten: the Magistrate is his hand to punish, for which end he hath committed a sword unto him, 2. Cor. 10.4.5.6. 1 Cor. 4.20.21. Fiftly, such as are in danger of their lives, or see other in danger, do not speak coldly, but earnestly call for help, with all the strength they have. So dealt the Angel with Lot, when he lingered in Sodom, Gen. 19, 15.16, he had a commandment given unto him to arise and to take his wife and his daughters, and a threatening annexed, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city; and then he caught hold upon him, and took him and his wife & his daughters by their hands, and brought them forth, and set them out of the city. Now the people of God are in like danger through sin, how then should the Minister deliver his own soul, or save the people, if he perform his message coldly and not earnestly as if he would pull them out of the fire lest they be burned? Jude verse 22, 23: or out of the waters lest they be drowned.  
Use 1 We learn from hence, the great backwardness and untowardness of men to every good work. For what need this sharp reproof & zeal in the Minister, if they were ready to hear, and pliable to be taught? But we are so dull and deaf of hearing, so fast asleep in sin, and so forestalled with the world, that we hear no more than dead men. A man would think, that when we are called to life and salvation, nay before we are called, we should run of our own accord; so soon as it is said to us, Arise, the Master calleth, who should sit still? aught not every one to cast away all impediments, and to make haste unto him? and yet we see how backward the most part are in the best things. The things that we affect and desire and delight in, half a word will serve to persuade; whereas on the contrary, there must be no small ado to make us apprehend heavenly things, we are so dull and dead to conceive them. One observeth well, 
Most men are like to hounds  that most men are like unto hounds which have long ears, that hinder them from looking upward, and yet they are sharp scented for the earth: so is it with earthly-minded men, they are sharp scented touching earthly things, but they are slow to hear and understand heavenly things, Deuter. 29, 2. Moses complaineth of the Israelites, that albeit they had heard and seen, yet they knew and discerned nothing. This people (though dead long ago) seem to be revived and risen again: for this is true of this age, (if ever of any) that when we should be awakened by the preaching of the Gospel, we are made the more obstinate and have our ears stopped either with the pleasures or the profits of the world, that we cannot hear the voice of the charmer charm he never so wisely. These are spiritually possessed by Satan's policy, like him in the Gospel that was made both deaf and dumb, Mat 9 Man is said to stop his ears, so is Satan, and so is God also; all work and concur in this. Man stoppeth his ears first through his own corruption: the devil stoppeth man's ears by his allurements and temptations; God stoppeth them by his just judgement. Man stoppeth them as a sinner: the devil as a tempter: and God as a judge. Whosoever would not have God give him over either to his own corruptions or to Satan's temptations, must take especial heed of the stopping of his own ears. For the true cause why the devil stoppeth, and the cause why God stoppeth, is nothing else but a man's own stopping of his ears which goeth before. Let every man therefore take notice of his own natural deadness, and seek to him unfeignedly that only can open the ear, who openeth & no man shutteth, who shutteth and no man openeth. Let us labour to hear God speaking unto us in his word, and so shall God hear us when we cry unto him, and we shall receive every good thing needful for us, and have them sanctified unto us for our benefit in this life, and for our comfort and salvation in the life to come.  
Secondly, this teacheth the Ministers (for Use 2 I must come to them, lest I may seem to pull on eyes when I go abroad, and to be blind at home) to put on zeal and fervency in delivering the word of God to the people, as the Prophets were commanded. There are many that regard not how it be delivered, so it be delivered; they care not how the hour be spent, so it be spent, and respect not what they say, so they have said somewhat: which is as fond a thing, as if he that buildeth an house should never regard with what stuff he buildeth, or he that soweth, whether he sow in the highway, among the rocks and thorns, or in his field. Many there are that go up into the pulpit that never spend themselves, nor waste their spirits, nor decay their strength, they are rather like those that are half asleep, or stand up to tell a tale, or to utter a dream. Whosoever is ignorant of the state of his people, that never considereth he speaketh to a deaf people that cannot hear, but is careless in his place, endangereth his own soul and the soul of the people committed to his charge. He then that would teach aright, must put on zeal and be earnest in the Lord's cause, that so he may work upon their hearts, and leave stings in their consciences, as Acts 2.37, while Peter preached, they were pricked in their hearts, and said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? We say commonly, that cold coals heat no body. It must therefore first come from his own heart, there must be heat there, or else there shall never come any heat to others. We see by experience, that cold iron and hot can never be mixed together: but before they can be tempered, they must both of them be well heated in the fire; so except the heart of the Minister and of the people be heated, he shall never fasten any thing upon them, or work any good in them. It is true, it is the work of the Lord to heat the soul, as it is he that warmeth the body: this he doth by instruments the fire and the Sun, so he doth the soul and conscience by his Ministers and by his word. All parents are charged to whet the Law upon their children, Deut, 6, 7: if parents must do this to their children, then much more ought the Ministers of God to be earnest in this duty. If any ask wherein this earnestness and fervency consisteth, I answer, not barely in crying out with a loud voice, as many suppose. For many men have no voice to speak loud, and there are many that speak loud, who have little heat or zeal in them. Some will be as earnest in alleging a bare testimony of Scripture, as others can be in making application. These do it more out of use or custom, then from any feeling or touch of conscience in themselves. Seeing then the earnestness that we require may be without the loudness of voice, and the loudness of the voice may be without earnestness, we must find it elsewhere, to wit, in the power of the Spirit that speaketh in him. It is not the earnestness of the voice that is so much required, albeit it falleth out many times where the heart is truly affected, that there the voice will be extended to the uttermost: and yet even in a weak voice proceeding from a weak body, a Minister may truly show the zeal of his heart, as well, as if the word were delivered with a loud and powerful voice; and God requireth no more than a man hath, 2 Cor. 8, 12. The Apostle saith, that his bodily presence was weak among the Corinthians, and his speech held as contemptible, 2 Cor. 10, 10: whereby it seemeth he was not one of the sons of thunder that had a great voice; nevertheless we find that the power and efficacy of the Spirit did both appear and abound in him. So then the Ministers of God must be zealous and fervent in their places, that so they may the better discharge their consciences, and also bring the more profit to those that are committed unto them.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it condemneth those that censure the Ministers of God for their earnestness and zeal in delivering the word of God. Such persons as are ready to commend a servant that is earnest in doing his Master's will with a good affection, will condemn the Minister of God when he delivereth the word with such earnestness. These spare not to say to him as Paul did to Festus, Act. 26, 24, that they preach as if they were mad or beside themselves. But if the answer of Paul will not serve and suffice these men, who replied to that accusation, I am not mad most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness, Acts 26, 24.25: let them take the words of the Prophet Hoseah, chap. 9, 7: the spiritual man is mad for the multitude of thine iniquity. The abundance of iniquity, and the obstinacy of wicked men running on in their sin (as a violent flood that runneth over the banks) were able to make the Minister mad with crying to them to leave their sins, and to forsake their evil ways, when they are so set upon them, that say the Minister what he can, and let him cry out as loud as he list, they will not abate one hair or a pin of their pride, or remit one hour of their profaning the Sabbath, or drink one draft, nay not one drop the less, or the covetous person give one penny or half penny the more to relieve the needy members of Christ, I say the consideration of this were able to make the Minister even mad in delivering of his message which God hath put into his mouth. If a father should be beside himself for the wickedness of his graceless children; would not every man pity the father, and spit in the faces of those children, and hold them worthy of all punishment? but what would they say to such children, as should go up and down, and boast themselves that they were the causes of their father's madness? Are there not some graceless hearers (O that there were not too many) that when they have made their Minister as it were mad with reproving them, that will insult over them, and glory among their companions, that they have made their Minister preach as if he were mad: howbeit, if it be for the glory of God, and the benefit of his people, they need not care, nor esteem to be judged of men, or account it any disgrace from the mouths of graceless people to be accounted mad; we must walk through good report and evil report, it skilleth not therefore though we be reputed mad, so it be for a good cause, for the beating down of profaning the Sabbath, of contempt of the word, of oppression, pride, covetousness, and such like enormities. There was not a man more meek upon the earth than Moses; yet when he came from the mount, and saw that the people had sinned, he presently grew so angry, that having the two Tables of the Law in his hand written by the finger of God, he threw them down to the ground and broke them in pieces. The people of this generation account their Ministers for a lesser matter than this to be mad and out of their wits: but while they cry out aloud that their contempt of God & his holy word is damnable, that the open profanation of the Lords day is damnable, that the horrible pride whereof our whole nation is sick, is damnable, that drunkenness that aboundeth & overspreadeth every where is damnable; if this be madness, we confess we are mad, and God make us yet more and more mad to lay open these abominations. But indeed and in truth (if we will judge aright) it is quite contrary, for they are the maddemen, and the Minister is sober. Paul was charged to be mad; but who was mad, Paul or Festus? The mad man laugheth, and the Physician bewaileth him; even so it is between the Minister and the people, they scoff at him, while he mourneth for them & for the hardness of their hearts, knowing them to be beside themselves, forasmuch as they will not refrain from those things which they reprove. Alas, what do these men herein, but like foolish patients, who pull off the plasters which the Surgeon hath laid upon their wounds, and in the mean time lie rotting and festering in their corruptions? If these men continue thus resolute & obstinate in their evil ways, the time shall one day come, (O that it be not at hand, O that it be not too late) when they shall confess that the Ministers of the Lord were sober, and that themselves were the mad men, when they shall feel themselves for their iniquities thrust down to the place of the damned, and see the Ministers that reproved them among the Saints of God in great glory.  
Use 4 Lastly, learn from hence the great desire that God hath of the good and salvation of his people, who thus carefully sendeth his Ministers to call so earnestly and effectually for the conversion and repentance of sinners. The Lord doth not appoint them for a form and fashion, but to deal with power & zeal, if by all means they may save some, 1, Cor. 9 Esay 55, 1: would the Lord make so much ado, if he were not desirous that the sinner should repent him of his evil ways, that so he might blot all his wickedness out of his remembrance? Ezek. 18. A man would be accounted very desirous to sell his wares and utter his commodities, who not only hath a broker to vent them for him, but maketh open proclamation at the cross or in the market place, that he hath such and such wares to be bought: and yet all this while he respecteth his own private good and gain only. But when a man will proclaim and say, Ho, come and buy without money or without money worth, doubtless this argueth a man's great love and desire of the good of his brother. The Ministers, they stand upon their watchtower, and cry from the house tops, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat, ye come buy wine and milk without money, and without price, Esay 55, 1. He requireth no more but this, to lay down their vices, and to take up his graces. The Physician sometimes giveth strong purgations, but the end of them is the curing of the disease, and the recovering of the diseased. So is it with God, when he armeth his Ministers with the two edged sword of his word, & giveth them courage and boldness to open their mouths against all iniquity. It is therefore a token of a desperate heart, and a sign of one cast into a reprobate sense, when the threatenings of God's judgements drive not to repentance. Such as hate to be reform, there is more hope of a fool then of them.  
Wherefore discourage ye the hearts of the childron of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? This is one reason of the reproof, and why he dealeth so sharply with them; they did weaken the hands, yea the hearts of their brethren, whom they ought to have strengthened and encouraged. This teacheth us, 
Doctrine. ●o man ought ●o discourage ●●hers in well-doing.  that it is a grievous sin to give offence to others, or to do any thing whereby our brethren may be discouraged from walking in God's ways, or encouraged to the breach of any of his Commandments. Hereunto come sundry examples set down in the Scriptures. While the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, and were going toward the land of Canaan, they had many means offered to pull them back, as we have seen before, some of them would have made them an Electo or Captain, and so return back again into Egypt, Chapt. 14, 4: the spies that were sent to search the land discouraged the hearts of their brethren, saying, The people is greater and taller than we, the cities are great, and walled up to heaven, and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there, Deuter. 1, 28. Numb. 13, 28. Thus it was with the people of GOD when they were returned from captivity, and began to build the altar and the Temple to the Lord God of Israel: for the adversaries of judah and Biniamin sought to weaken their hands, and to trouble them in building, Ezra 4, 4. Neither was it any better afterward, when Nehemiah came up to build the walls of jerusalem, and to revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish: for Sanballat, Tobiah, and the rest of that rank scoff at them, and say, Even that which they build, if a fox come up, he shall even break down their stone wall, Nehem. 4, 3. The Lord likewise chargeth his people, that if there did arise among them a Prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, that should go about to seduce them and draw them away to serve other gods, they should not believe the signs, nor hearken to the words of that Prophet, but cleave fast unto God, obeying his voice, and keeping his Commandments, Deuter. 13, 1.3.4. The grounds hereof.  
First, such as offend by giving offence to Reason 1 others, and withdraw them from their holy obedience to God, are guilty of a grievous sin, yea are partakers of their sins whom they have terrified and discouraged from obeying the Lord. For whomsoever we have hindered from good things, we are guilty of their sins, and their blood shallbe required at our hands. The sin of the Israelites committing fornication with the daughters of Moab, was th● sin of Balaam also, because through his counsel they committed that trespass against the Lord, Num 25, 1, and 31, 16, Secondly, such are the seed of that wicked one, the children of the devil; they are his instruments, and set on work by him that was a murderer from the beginning, joh. 8, 44. He tempted our first parents in the garden, & discouraged them from hearkening to the voice of GOD; so are all those tempters that any way hinder the course of their brethren walking in the ways of God, and are stamped in the image of the first tempter, and are made like unto him. And therefore when Peter dissuaded Christ from the work of man's redemption; (for when Christ began to show to his disciples, that he must go to jerusalem, and suffer many things of the Elders and chief Priests and Scribes, & be killed and be raised again the third day; he took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee:) the Lord jesus turned about and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence unto me; for show savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men, Mat. 16, 23: where by we are taught, that such as are an offence to others, are no better than the instruments of Satan, & therefore justly bear his name.  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, this setteth down the unlawful condition of such as hinder others in the profession, and labour to make them fall from God. Thus did the devils as we heard before, they threw down our first parents from the height of their happiness, & therefore are reserved in chains unto judgement, 2 Pet. 2, 4. In the Law he is accursed that layeth a stumbling block before the blind to cause him to wander out of the way, and all the people shall say, Amen, Deut. 27, 18: he therefore that seeketh to subvert and supplant the faith of men, and to destroy the soul, must needs be under a far greater curse of God and man. The souls of such as perish through their procuring shall cry out against them, and bring down an heavy judgement upon them. Hence it is that Christ our Saviour saith, Who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea; woe unto the world because of offences, it must needs be that offences come, but woe to that man by whom offences come, Math. 18 6, 7: we see therefore the wretched estate and condition of all those that give offence to others. They are guilty of horrible sins against God and against their brethren; O that they had eyes to see them, and hearts to bewail them. Every man is prone through the corruption of his nature to fall from God, but much more when occasions are laid before them for two are stronger than one: and if we have always one foot ready to slip, we are in more danger of falling when we are pushed forward. Let all such consider as have caused others to fall, that the time will come when it will be required at their hands. These do hunt for the precious life of a man, they are soule-hunters and soule-killers and destroyers, and murder those for whom Christ died. These are the chief causes of the coldness and backwardness of Religion, and that so few profess it in sincerity. Our Saviour pronounceth an heavy woe against them that neither entered into the kingdom themselves, neither suffered others to enter, but hindered them, Luke 11, 52. This woe lieth upon the shoulders of all those that stop the way of others, that they cannot enter into it.  
Use 2 Secondly, think it not strange when we have this measure offered unto us, and when men whisper us in the ear to take heed we be not too forward or precise, and that thereby we shall lay ourselves open to the reproaches of the world; if sinners thus entice us, harken not unto them. It hath been an old practice to discourage and discountenance others from obeying God. It is bitter to hear and bear the railings and revilings of carnal men, and many start aside from the truth by such taunts. And if these reproaches proceeded only from open enemies, they might be borne more easily: but it pleaseth God many times to try the faith and to prove the patience of his faithful servants farther, and they receive much discouragement from their acquaintance, & from their friends, with whom they took sweet counsel together, and walked with them into the house of God. job received much disgrace by his own wife that lay in his bosom, as also by his three friends that were as his own soul, and came to visit and to comfort him; but miserable comforters were they all, as himself complaineth chapt. 16, 2, and chapt. 19, 2, 3, How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? these ten times have ye reproached me, etc. Was not this, think you, a great tentation and assault to the faith of this righteous man to be thus taunted and tormented by his dear friends, and by his dearest wife? was he not flesh and blood as well as others, to have an inward feeling of these sorrows, & to drink up the very lees of this bitter cup? was he as brass and iron, or had he a body of steel that these afflictions could not pierce him or enter into him? No doubtless, for then his patience could not be commended unto us, and set before us for an example, jam. 5, 11. If then it go so with us, we have the Prophets and holy men of God for an example of suffering affliction that have gone before us. The Church complaineth in salomon's Song, that the watchmen, that went about the city, found her, they smote her, the keepers of the walls took away her vail from her, Cant. 5.7. They that should be her guard, turned to be her grief: and they that watched for her, wounded her.  
The people that profess the truth in sincerity look to have all encouragement from their Ministers in well-doing: yet oftentimes it falleth out (as with the Church before) that such work them all the disgrace they can, and seek to put them to shame that should be their glory, Phil. 4, 1, and vex them with the cross that ought o the their crown, and discomfort them that indeed might be their joy and their comfort. Paul complaineth oftentimes of the jews and of false brethren, by whom he received greater hurt, than ever he did at the hands of the Gentiles, Tit. 1, 10, 11. 2 Cor. 11, 26. Sometimes children have hard measure offered unto them by their fathers and mothers, whose rejoicing it should be to see their children prosper in good things, yet oftentimes it falleth out, they are scoffed at by them: and this falleth out not only in the bloody days of persecution when parents have betrayed their own children the fruit of their bodies into the hands of cruel persecutors, but likewise in the times of peace and prosperity and the general and public profession of the Gospel, when we seem all to embrace one faith and one Religion; yet if their sons and daughters be zealous in the truth, they mock & taunt them for their preciseness, and grieve the bowels of those that are and should be their own bowels, not only by nature, but in love and affection. And therefore Christ teacheth such children, Math. 10, 34, 35, 36. I came not to send peace upon earth, but a sword, and to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter. etc. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household: he that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. If then it fall out with us at any time as it hath come to pass to the Saints of God before us, that we are sought to be drawn from our faith and obedience by friend or enemy, by wife or children, by father or mother; we must not think the trial strange, but rather rejoice and be glad that we are made like unto the Prophets and holy men of God, nay like to our head JESUS CHRIST.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this should teach us to be bold to reprove such as stand in the way, and suffer not the people of God to go forward in good things. Every man will cry out against those varlets that stand with long Poles on their necks, or long Blades by their sides, and hinder passengers in their journey, and rob them of their money and treasure that they have about them. But these men that lie in wait to hinder the passage of God's people in their pilgrimage toward the holy Land, I mean the heavenly Canaan, are worse than the former, for they seek to take from them the treasure which they have laid up in heaven. When the Disciples of Christ saw those that brought young children ●o him that he might touch them, they reproved and rebuked those that brought them; But when jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbidden them not, for of such is the kingdom of God, Mar. 10, 13, 14. The Disciples reproved the people, but he reproved the reprovers: he would not wink at them that discouraged those that performed a good duty toward their children, but encouraged the people in their well-doing. When the multitude rebuked the two blind men sitting by the high way and crying unto jesus to have their sight restored, because they should hold their peace, they cried out the more earnestly, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David, Math. 20, 31. The like we see in Paul, when the Disciples besought him not to go up to jerusalem, he answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine hart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at jerusalem for the Name of the Lord jesus, Act. 21, 13. Whensoever therefore we meet with such impediments & hindrances that would stay us from glorifying the Name of God, and performing good duties to him, let us labour to remove them, let us leap over these stumbling blocks, and break through these hedges though they be fenced with thorns. S. Jerome hath an excellent saying to this purpose, he counseled Heliodorus to go on in the course of piety, & follow after Christ, whatso-soever discoragements he found, & from whomsoever, though his father stood weeping before him, and his mother hanging on his neck behind him, and all his brethren, sisters, children and kinsfolks howling on every side to retain him in a sinful trade of life with them, and to keep him from the kingdom of God; he should tread them under his feet, that he might run to Christ when he calleth him. His words are these, Licet paruulus ex collo pendeat nepos, licet sparso crine, etc. that is, 
Hier. ad Heolidorum. epist.  Though thy Nephew hang about thy neck, though thy mother with her hair hanging down and her garments rend, show thee her breasts that gave thee suck, and though thy father should cast himself down upon the threshold to stop thy passage, yet go thou forward, trample upon thy father, and with dry eyes follow after Christ. 
Solum pietatis genus est, in hac re esse crudelem.  This is the only kind of piety to be cruel in this matter. Christ jesus in this case willeth us to hate father and mother, brethren and sisters; so that we should fling them to the ground, and run over them also, rather than they should hinder us from being the Disciples of Christ and from following him.  
Fourthly, it is the duty of all men to take Use 4 heed we walk without offence ourselves, & then we shall be sure to give no offence to others. The Apostle chargeth us to walk wisely toward them that are without, Col. 4, 5. For if they should see daily offences before them, it would be a means to keep them to be without still, that are without. 1 Thess. 4, 12, he moveth the Thessalonians to behave themselves honestly toward them that are without. And to the Corinthians he saith, Give none offence, neither to the jews, nor to the Grecians, nor to the Church of God, 1 Cor. 10, 32. So then we ought to be so far from discouraging any, that we should encourage every one to the faith, gain those that are without, strengthen those that are within, comfort them that are feeble minded, support the weak, be patiented toward all men, and labour to turn many unto righteousness. The Apostle saith, Rom. 14, 1. Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations; and verse 13. Let no man judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block, or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Let us all that call upon the Name of Christ, and are called by his Name, walk circumspectly, and give no just occasion of sinning to any either word or deed, either to drive them by our evil example from God wholly, or to cause them to go on less cheerfully. jeroboam is often described by this note, He made Israel to sin; and God hath set this mark upon him to know him wheresoever we find him, as he set a mark upon Caine. The Apostle speaking of such as become stumbling blocks to them that are weak, saith, that they sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, and sin against Christ, 1 Cor. 8, 12. Such as break one of these least commandments and teach men so, he shallbe called the least in the kingdom of heaven, Mat. 5, 19 This is the means to edify men in iniquity, & to open a gap to all licentiousness.  
Use 5 Lastly, to remove these discouragements & hindrances that we be not entrapped by them, we must all labour after spiritual courage, & to tread upon all injuries and reproaches that sinners cast out against us. Let us, when we hear their railings, stop our ears, & gather our spirits about us, & take courage to ourselves. He that hath attained to a Christian resolution to go forward in the duties of godliness hath gotten the victory. The difficulty of this lieth more in our faintness & fearfulness, then in the thing itself. Our own slothfulness & negligence make all things hard, that otherwise are easy; we must go to God, and pray to him to increase our faith, Luke 17: This is our victory which overcometh the world, even our faith, 1 joh. 5, 4. This overcometh all temptations, and all offences whatsoever in the world, & without it, it is not possible to be kept & preserved in the way of truth. What held Nicodemus among the pharisees, but only the fear of men? he could not resolve to follow Christ, joh. 3, 1: & 12, 42, 43 And the reproaches of the Pharisees cast out against him, when he defended the cause of Christ, put him to silence, & made him give over, until at length he shake off all impediments, and betake himself to follow him. A good example for us to follow: If we faint for reproaches, our strength is little, our faith is weak. The words of enemies cannot hurt us, except we through weakness and faintness hurt ourselves. For if we neglect and reject them, they return upon him that cast them.  

Doctrine. God punisheth the sins of parents with the sins of their children  Behold ye are risen up in your father's stead, an increase of sinful men, etc. Moses putteth these two tribes & the half in mind of the former provocations of their fathers, which had caused many judgements to break in upon them, & these were risen up in their stead, walking in their steps, so that it fell out according to the Proverb: like father, like sons. We learn hereby, by this sharp charge, that it is an usual thing with God to punish the sins of the parents with the sins of their children. The parent's sin, & the children are oftentimes given over to follow them & to commit the same sins, or such like notorious sins, whereby he taketh vengeance of their sins, Gen. 21, 9, 10, & 9, 24 27, 1 King. 11, 11, Hos. 4, 13. This is evident in the Kings of Israel; of whom we may truly say, that the fathers sinned, & the children rose up, an increase of sinful men, they were a wicked seed, and augmented the fierce anger of the Lord, until he removed Israel utterly out of his sight. So he threateneth oftentimes to visit the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third & 4. generation of them that hate him, Ex. 20  
Reason 1 And God doth deal thus for sundry causes. First, God respecteth the good of such parents as belong unto him; for he doth it to humble them, & to bring them upon their knees to repent for their sins which happily they had forgotten long ago. It is a far greater grief to Christian parents to see them lie under this spiritual judgement, than affliction whatsoever. Secondly, such parents as are wicked & belong not unto him, are hereby hardened, & grieved and vexed. He doth it in part to pardon them, because when evil parents see their children commit any sins against the 1 table, which are committed immediately against God. as to delight in swearing and blaspheming, in contempt of the word, neglect of his worship, and in profaning of the Sabbath; they are not touched or troubled at it, because they think it no judgement, & their sons to have committed no sins at all, & so it cometh to pass that they are the more hardened: again, if they see their children commit any sin against the second Table, as murder, theft, or the like, whereby they undergo the punishment of the Magistrate, they are grieved and vexed for it, not because they have sinned against God, & provoked him to anger, but because their children & posterity are brought to shame and reproach before the world.  
This serveth first of all to teach us that the Use 1 ways of God are just & equal, against those that are ready to accuse him of injustice. God is a most just and righteous God, he dealeth with every one according to his deserts. 
God punisheth sin with si●●e.  And he oftentimes punisheth sin with sin. For he doth not only punish sin with the sword of the enemy, with sicknesses & diseases, with famine and mortality, and such like which all do acknowledge and confess to be punishments, but he punisheth former sins with later sins. Thus he punished the Idolatrous Gentiles, when they knew God, and glorified him not as God, but worshipped & served the creature in stead of the Creator, by giving them up to their own vile affections and to a reprobate sense, to work uncleanness even with greediness, Rom. 1. And in these last times of the world, because men will not love and embrace the truth, He sendeth among them strong delusions that they should believe lies, 2 Thess. 2, Object. 12. But how doth God punish sin with sin, may some say? Doth he tempt unto evil? or doth he infuse any evil into them? Doth he allure and provoke men to sin? I answer Answer. with the Apostle, God tempteth no man to sin, jam. 1, 13: but he punisheth this way secretly, by withdrawing his grace, and giving them over to be entangled in their own corruptions. Thus God punished Pharaoh by hardness of heart, not by making that to be hard which was soft and pliable before, but by denying the oil of his grace whereby it should have been mollified. Thus also he tempted David to number the people, because his wrath was kindled against Israel for their sins. 
2 Sam. 2●, 1  This is the most grievous punishment that can be inflicted in this life, howsoever many men never regard it: for other punishments through the blessing of God, and a sanctified use of them, are usual means to bring us to true repentance: but when we are smitten with this adding of sin to sin, and are stricken with this plague sore we do more and more fly from him. Other punishments are as sharp eye-salues to make us see our own misery, that we may be moved to sue and seek for his mercy: but this judgement doth us no good at all, nay it blindeth our minds, it hardeneth our hearts, it scareth our consciences, it increaseth our sins, and doubleth our condemnation. Thus doth God show himself a just judge.  
Use 2 Secondly, it directeth parents what they ought to do in the sins of their Children; which may be reduced to these four heads. First, they must search to find out the cause of it: secondly, they must be humbled and sorrow for it: thirdly, they must labour to reclaim them: and lastly, they must abstain from sinning themselves, lest by their example they corrupt and infect them. 
The first duty of parents.  Touching the first, it belongeth unto all parents in the sins of their children which they commit, to search & inquire diligently, whether this punishment fallen upon their children be not the punishment of some particular sin of their own formerly committed? and doubtless in searching, they shall not lose their labour, but oftentimes find that some fearful sin of theirs before committed, is the cause of those notorious sins that they see and behold in their children. For example: we see some Ministers and men of other callings, have their children fall to idolatry and superstition, and are gone after Antichrist, and fled into Babylon, the mother of whoredoms; this is no other than a just recompense of their father's contempt, that were neuter and lukewarm professors, neither hot nor cold, that never had the power of religion & godliness planted in them, no more then for the time to serve their turns, or to perform their places for fashion sake to which they were called. Many men's children are given to extreme riot, wasting their own substance that they have, and afterward their father's living also that they have given them, & that oftentimes justly, to let their parents see, how God bloweth upon goods gotten by unlawful courses, so that being wickedly gathered, they are wastefully consumed. Again many children are exceeding obstinate and stubborn against their parents, neither will they be ruled and ordered by any doctrine or discipline: & this is oftentimes a due recompense of their parents cockering & indulgence, when they let them have the rains cast in their own neck: when it had not been amiss to have given them the rod 7. years after. So it was with Eli, 
1 Kings 1.  1 Sa. 2. so it was David: they did not keep their children in awe, and therefore it came to pass that they knew neither God nor their parents, nor themselves. Many men's sons and daughters make many unlawful vows and sinful promises of marriage against their Parent's consent: this is often a just recompense of those parents that had no care to provide for their children, nor to restrain them, but gave them liberty to walk & talk with others at their own pleasures, and that at unseasonable times; and so entangle themselves in such manner. Many men's children are given over to drunkenness, to excess & riot, loving the cups and the wine bottles: a just recompense upon their parents that delighted in the same sin before them, and therefore God even in their own sight & before their eyes, taketh vengeance of their former sin, by suffering their children after them to fall into the same sin. Many men have not that respect & honour given to them of their children that they ought to have; a just recompense unto them for dishonouring and disobeying their, own parents. Many children do not so tender & regard the good name and credit of their parents as they ought when they hear them evil spoken of, nay they have been heard and known to curse their own parents, even to their death: a just recompense upon such parents that have heard the name of God rend & torn by horrible oaths, yea, by their own families, & yet would never reprove them, nor labour to reclaim them from it. So then, this is the first duty that is required of all parents, that they make speedy inquiry and search, whether God hath not justly taken vengeance of their former sins by this kind of punishment, that so they may be brought to repentance for them. The second duty required of parents, 
The 2. duty of parents.  when they see the sins of their children in the vengeance of God against their own former sins, is to show their sorrow for their sins, and to be humbled for them, not so much because they are the sins of their children (and yet it becometh every father to mourn and lament for the sins of his children) but much more because they are their own, when they shall apprehend that God doth thereby take hold of some special sin of their own before committed. All parents are apt enough by nature to grieve and mourn for the temporal plagues that God layeth upon their children, and indeed if they should not do so we would account them unnatural parents, & very monsters: and yet how many of them do incur the everlasting displeasure of God, in that they cannot bewail the spiritual plagues of sin that are in their children, especially when they know them to be the just vengeance of God's judgements upon their own sins formerly committed? Let every man labour for this measure of humiliation, otherwise it is a certain sign that we did never truly mourn for our own sins. The third duty required of parents, 
The 3. duty of parents.  is, that when they have made inquiry, & found that God punisheth their sins with the sins of their children in the first place, & when they have truly sorrowed and lamented for it in the second place, then in the third place, they must seek to recall and reclaim their children from such sins as God hath given them over to commit, as a just vengeance for their own proper sins formerly committed. If any parents should apprehend that any bodily sickness were on their children by their means, or through any occasion given by them, they would labour to remove it from them, & to have them cured of it, otherwise we would hold them to be unnatural parents. How much more then, when themselves have so far provoked God by their former iniquities that he hath therefore forsaken their children, and given them over to commit the same sins after them, ought they to labour by all means to remove that spiritual judgement that lieth upon them? & if they do not, may we not truly pronounce that these are cruel and bloody parents, nay indeed not parents at all, but rather spiritual murderers of their children? It is no small offence to be guilty of blood, especially of the blood of the soul, which cost the precious blood of Christ to redeem. 
The 4. duty of parents.  Lastly, it belongeth to parents to be watchful & careful for the time to come. For, seeing the danger is so great to give themselves to wickedness, it is their duty to labour & strive against sin hereafter, and to give all diligence to work righteousness, and that not only in respect of themselves, but of their children & posterity. If then they love themselves or their posterity, and would not have the Lord to punish their sins with the sins of their children, let them take heed they do not provoke the Lord by their sins, and he in his just judgement make the children rise up in the father's stead an increase of sinful men: for if they be sinful & wicked, we cannot but expect from God that he should punish their sins with the sins of their children to destruction, both of the one & of the other. We see how parents that put out their children to nurse, have a special care what manner person the nurse be, and prescribe that she neither eat nor drink those things that may hurt the child, forasmuch as the effects thereof are likely to appear in time to come in the body of the child. All parents are very careful to look to the diet of their children, let them be careful to look to the diet of their own lives: for doubtless as the course of their lives hath been, so it will afterward appear in their children. O you parents, whom God hath blessed and stored with Children, if there be any true love in your hearts towards yourselves and your children, look unto this duty: sin not in your own sins against the fruit of your own bodies, but turn ro God betimes, that he may turn unto you. He is faithful in his word. Whatsoever he hath threatened it is surer than the heavens, it must certainly come to pass. If you provoke him by your sins, he will provoke you to your faces with his judgements, unto the utter confusion of yourselves, & of your posterity after you for ever.  
Use 3 Lastly, this doctrine also belongeth to children, & putteth them in mind of sundry duties to be performed by them, which may be reduced to these branches. First, they must not imitate their father's sins: secondly, they must pray to God not to remember their father's iniquities: thirdly, they must be careful to look to their children, & that they lead an holy & sanctified life, that so they may call in God's judgements which otherwise he might justly bring on them. Touching the first, they must not follow their fathers in that which is evil. 
The first duty of children.  All inferiors are ready to walk in the steps of their superiors, and for the most part think themselves discharged from all crime or punishment if they be like to them, & no other than they have been before them. The prophet requireth this duty of the people, Psal. 78, 8. The Apostle willeth the church to follow him so far as he followed Christ, 1 Cor. 11, 1. So is it required of children to follow their fathers, but no farther than they follow the truth. This many among the Turks and Infidels may plead for themselves, and allege that they worship God as their forefathers did for many generations, 
The 2. duty of children.  & yet this shall not serve their turns. The 2. duty is, to pray to God not to remember the iniquities of their forefathers, as justly he might do to the confusion of their posterity. For why doth he not leave them to walk in their ways, but that he is merciful? Hence it is that the Lord saith, Esay 65, 6, 7. Behold it is written before me, I will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, your iniquities, 
joh. Wiga●di explic. in Esay.  & the iniquities of your fathers together, etc. God punisheth the sins of the fathers in their posterity, and thereore do punishments fall upon the posterity by reason of the sins of the ancestors. This doth Daniel in his prayer acknowledge, Let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy City jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, etc. chap. 9, 16: and therefore in the confession of sins that he made before, verse 8. he saith, O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face, to our Kings, to our Princes, and to our Princes, and to our Fathers, because we have sinned against thee. So Ezra 9, 7. Neh. 9, 34. jer. 32, 18. Lam. 5, 7. Exod. 20, 5. When divers generations continue in one sin successively, the Lord useth ordinarily to punish the latter more severely than the former, that thereby the sons might be provoked to fear to do the like when they see the sins of their fathers, Ezek. 18, 14: and the longer his patience is abused, the greater sin is committed, 
The 3. duty of children.  & the greater vengeance is deserved. Thirdly, all children must be careful of their posterity, and lead an unblamable & sanctified life, that so God may give them the grace of his Spirit, & not leave them to themselves to walk in the evil ways of their fathers that have gone before them.   

16 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our Cattle, & Cities for our little ones.  
17 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, etc.  
18 We will not return unto our houses, etc.  
19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side jordan, or forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side, etc.  
The Tribes being reproved, do answer for themselves, expounding their meaning, or at  propounding equal conditions, that they will go up armed before their brethren, and that they will not return till all their brethren were possessed of their inheritance, & that they would claim no inheritance beyond jordan, but rest in that already purchased. The Israelites would have been much weakened, if these had stayed behind. Therefore they do here promise that they will go foremost of all. We saw before that it is God only that giveth the victory, yet we see the means are not neglected. Howsoever therefore we ought not to put our trust & confidence in the means, yet we must carefully use the same, that so we may be able to perform those things which the law of God and our calling require of us. Again, in their disclaiming inheritance beyond jordan, we learn that every one should be contented with that estate that God hath allotted unto him, whatsoever it be. Moreover, we see how these two Tribes offer themselves to be companions with their brethren, in passing over jordan, and in conquering the land, 
Doctrine. We must have a fellow feeling of others miseries.  & in taking such part as they did. This teacheth, That it is the duty of all God's Children, to have a fellow-feeling and compassion of the miseries & afflictions of their brethren, 2 Sam. 11, 11. Heb. 13, 3. 1 Cor. 12, 26. Rom. 12.15. When Abraham heard that Lot was taken prisoner, he armed his servants, & sought to recover him out of the hands of the enemies, Gen. 14, 14. Moses also chose to suffer adversity with the people of God, & to leave all his preferment in Pharaohs Court, Heb. 11: he would not enjoy the pleasures of sin, when the church endured the misery of adversity.  
Reason 1 The grounds follow. First, we ought to have brotherly love in us, not only love, but brotherly love: this will work in us a pitiful heart toward those that are afflicted. The Apostle john professeth himself a companion with the Church in tribulation, in the kingdom and patience of Christ: he was grieved for their grief, & the bowels of compassion were moved in him for their afflictions, Re. 1, 9 And the writer to the Hebrews saith, Let brotherly love continue, Heb. 13, 1. Secondly, this duty performed leaveth a blessing behind it, God hath rewarded it, for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares, Heb. 13, 2: and he will reward it always. Thirdly, Christ accounteth this as done to himself: when his children are refreshed, he is refreshed: when they are clothed, or fed, or visited, or comforted, he is clothed, & fed, and visited, & comforted, Math. 25, 35. Fourthly, we are members one of another, as we are joined unto Christ, as members to the head, & are mystically made one with him; so all the faithful are fellow-members of the same body. In the members of the body, if a thorn run into the foot, the head stoopeth to it, the eyes look upon it, the fingers pull it out, the ear will hear what is good for it, the hand will apply salve to it, the tongue will ask counsel for it. So it should be with the members of Christ, if they be not dead or rotten. Lastly, we ought to show ourselves to be careful one for another, and desirous to do good one to another, as 1 Cor. 12, 25. There should be no schism in the body, but the members should have the same care one for another.  
This teacheth, that there is a communion among Use 1 the Saints, consisting not only in rejoicing & in the use of gifts & blessings, but also in compassion and mourning one for the hurt of another; and therefore Peter exhorteth, 
1 Peter 3, 8.  Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another: love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. The hart of one must be the heart of all, & whosoever shuneth the communion of Saints in time of misery, shall never have their communion in the kingdom of glory. Every one is ready to profess this communion in prosperity, but are ready to deny it in adversity. But as they that will reign with Christ must first suffer with him, so they that will reign with his members in heaven, must first suffer with them also on the earth. This is an excellent privilege, to have our communion with the Saints. We are as freemen of God's City which is above, we must therefore enjoy the privileges thereof in common. And hereby we may assure ourselves to belong to God, 
Rom. 12.16.  if we be alike affectioned one to another. Do we at any time hear of the tribulations of the Church? and do we inwardly lament for it? Let us comfort ourselves in this, it is a notable sign that we are members of the church. Do we hear that our neighbour churches are troubled with dissensions & divisions, that heresies are broached among them that heretics and pestilent seedmen are entertained among them, that the ancient doctrine preached & professed, is repealed, and that the parts of that body are ready to be miserably torn in pieces? & doth the meditation of this affect us, that we can secretly mourn for it, and say with the Apostle, 
Galath, 5, 12.  I would they were even cut off which trouble you? this showeth indeed that we are of the communion of Saints. Are any of our brethren in particular in heaviness? have they sorrow? and can we grieve for them as if the affliction were our own? then we may persuade ourselves that we have a communion not only with our brethren, but with our head Christ jesus himself, which is the foundation of all true comfort and consolation.  
Secondly, we may conclude, that dead-hartednesse, Use 2 and the want of Christian compassion in the distress of the Saints, proveth us to be no true members at all of the body of Christ. If we have means put into our hands, and do not help them and relieve them; or if we want ability, if there be not a passion and commiseration in our hearts, how doth the love of God dwell in us? Nay, this is a fearful token and manifest sign of little or no grace as yet bestowed upon us. Here is no mutual affection, to rejoice together, and to mourn together. There is a generation that repine and grudge at the good and happy estate of their brethren, and have evil eyes toward them, because God hath been gracious unto them: this was in Cain towards Abel, in Saul toward David, in the Scribes and pharisees toward Christ, in Abimelech toward Isaac, in Laban toward jacob. There is a generation that feast and fill themselves, that laugh and rejoice, that are merry & sport themselves when the poor Saints groan and are grieved; whereas we should be ready to communicate with them, & somewhat to assuage their grief and comfort their hearts in their affliction, we should help them to bear their burden in a common affection. The holy man job protesteth that he never rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated him, neither lift up himself when evil found him, chap. 31, 29. The Prophet Obadiah telleth the proud & insolent Edomites that shame should cover them, 
Obad. ver. 21.  & they should be cut off for ever, because they rejoiced over the children of judah in the day of their destruction, and spoke scornfully and despitefully in their distress, Raze it, raze it even to the foundation thereof, Psal. 137, 7. Thus doth the Prophet Amos reprove the wantonness of Israel, chap. 6, 1, 4. Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, that put away far from them the evil day that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, that eat the Lambs out of the flock, and the Calves out of the midst of the stall, that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointment, but no man is grieved for the affliction of joseph. There is a generation that can mourn and rejoice in temporal things, when they see their brethren in affliction they are grieved, and when they behold them prosper they are glad, when both these may be mere natural affections, and may also proceed from natural men. But we must extend this fellow-feeling (if we will be assured, that it is right) more to spiritual then to temporal cases. For let us mourn never so much for their losses in temporal things, yet except we can more earnestly lament their spiritual decays than their worldly distresses, and rejoice more hearty for the access of heavenly graces, than the increase of transitory riches, this our affection is no better than a corruption, it can minister no comfort unto us at all, Luk 1, 58. Phil. Use 3 1, 3. 2 john 1, 2. Thirdly, we ought to be so careful of the good one of another, that we should inquire of the state of the church & of God's people in other places, how they far, what they want, in what condition they stand. Many think themselves excused from helping those that are in need, if they can say, I knew not how it went with them, I was ignorant of their condition: but they are ignorant, because they will be ignorant; they know it not because they will not learn. This is a willing, nay a wilful ignorance. It is noted of Nehemiah that he asked his brethren concerning the jews that were delivered, which were of the residue of the captivity, etc. Neh. 1, 2, So did David inquire after he was put in peaceable possession of the kingdom, who was left of the house of Saul, that he might show him kindness for jonathans' sake, 2 Sam. 9, 1. So did Paul & Barnabas return back to the places where they had preached the Gospel, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, Acts 14, 21, 22. & 15, 36. And Paul often inquired of the brethren that came unto him, whether they stood firm and fast in the faith, and resisted the false Apostles that sought to corrupt the sincerity of the Gospel. We should make diligent search of the temporal estate of our brethren, but much more how they stand toward God, how they do increase in the best things, that we may rejoice in their standing, and mourn in their decaying, and thereby be provoked either to give God praise & glory for their continuance and perseverance; or to pray to him to open their eyes to see their weakness, their standing still, or going back, or leaving their first love, that so they may repent and do their first works. 
revel. 2, 5.   
Lastly, it is our duty even to adventure our Use 4 persons and estate for our brethren, if by any means we may relieve the distressed. This we see in Abraham toward Lot, Gen. 14: Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter, but visited his brethren, and when he saw an Egyptian offer one of them wrong, He defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, Acts 7, 24. So it was with Obadiah that lived in Ahab's Court, when jezabel raised hot persecution against the prophets of God, he took them, and hide them, and fed them in a Cave, not fearing the fierceness of their enemies, 1 Kin. 18. The like we see in Ester, a notable nursing mother of the Church, she went boldly to the King with this resolution, If I perish, I perish, Ester 4. verse 16: to have the lives of her people given at her request, chapt. 7. verse 3. Many in our days think they have gone far in Christianity, and take themselves to be notable and zealous Christians, if they wish well unto the state of the Church, or be not open enemies unto it. But it is not enough to wish the good of it, except by all means we labour to procure it, and learn to cast down all that we have, and be content to lick the dust of the Church's feet. Many will needs be accounted to be the friends of the Church, who will hazard neither goods, nor friends, nor honour, neither the favour of great men, nor the credit of the world, much less either limb or life: whereas the Apostle teacheth, that this is true love, To give our lives for the brethren, 1 john chapt. 3. verse 16.   

20 And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war:  
21 And will go all of you armed, etc. until he have driven out his enemies, etc.  
22 And the land be subdued, etc.  
23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.  
24 Build you Cities, etc.  
25 And the children of Gad, etc.  
26 Our little ones, our wives, etc.  
27 But thy servants, etc.  
here we have the conclusion of the whole controversy between these tribes and Moses, and under what conditions he assenteth unto them, that there might be no mistaking one of another. The sum whereof is this: If they would go up armed before their brethren, and go forward with them until their enemies were cast out, than they should return back again, and be guiltless before the Lord, and this land should be their lawful possession: if not, they should be guilty of sin before the Lord, and should not be able to escape the vengeance of God. These conditions propounded by Moses, are approved by the Tribes, who promise that they will leave their wives, and children, and families behind them, and pass over armed for war before the Lord to battle. From hence I might handle sundry instructions that arise: in Moses we see his patience in hearing and determining, and therefore it is the duty of Magistrates willingly & patiently to hear the people. Again, these two Tribes and half might not be discharged, till they had finished the Lords work, and therefore in all good duties perseverance is necessary, and we must continue to the end, as we have showed, chapped. 7. Lastly, Moses threateneth, that if they sinned against the Lord, they might be well assured their sin would find them out, that is, the punishment of sin shall certainly fall upon you, therefore sin and the punishment of sin are unseparable companions, as we see in Kingdoms, Cities, Families, 
Doctrine. The only cause of punishment is sin.  and particular persons that have offended against him. And hereby we may observe that the only cause of judgement and punishment is sin. God is never displeased with any people or person but for their sins, Esay 43, 24. & 63, 10. Hos. 4, 1, 2. This is farther confirmed in the examples of his judgements, that fell upon men and Angels, kingdoms and States, houses and persons, they have been destroyed & subverted for sin, 1 Cor. 10.8, 9, 10.  
Reason 1 The grounds hereof follow. First, sin is the transgression of the law, 
1 joh. 3, 4. and 5, 17.  so defined by the Apostle, he gave a law to all, which he would have to be kept: now then when this is broken and transgressed, it cannot be but he should be offended, and execute punishment against those that break it. Secondly, God is holy, yea most holy, and therefore cannot but punish sin which is directly opposite to the holiness of his nature. The more just and righteous a judge is, the more he is grieved at the enormities of malefactors that he hath to deal withal: so in this case, God being most holy and righteous, nothing can be so offensive and displeasing unto him as the sins of men which are committed against him. Thirdly, sin is the destruction and condemnation of the creature, and bringeth the ruin of soul and body. The Apostle teacheth, that the wages of sin is death, Rom. 6, 23: it is the cause of natural death, of spiritual death, of eternal death.  
If God do thus hate sin, that it draweth Use 1 from him all plagues upon us, than it giveth wicked men to understand what they are in the sight of God; nothing but such as displease, grieve, and provoke him by their sins, and therefore he hateth them as his enemies, and setteth his face against them, as the judge setteth himself against evil doers, and a Prince setteth himself against rebels that do resist against him. There cannot be a greater misery then for a man to commit sin, because it is that which is so highly displeasing to God, & the procurer of his displeasure and indignation against the committers of it, and therefore this pointeth and painteth out the most fearful estate of all wicked sinners that live & yet are dead in their sins, seeing God is such an enemy unto them, and they unto him. Some think the only miserable condition to be, to live in poverty and need and want of all things, in reproach and contempt, in famine & dearth of all things, in hunger and nakedness, in sickness and diseases: howbeit these are greatly deceived, who are themselves so much the more miserable that they know not what misery is, neither wherein it consisteth. Our sins are the true sores and sicknesses. To follow them with greediness, & desire them as the hungry man doth after meat, or he that is a thirst after drink, is the true misery. Such as live in sin are the only dead men. Luke 9, 60. 1 Tim. 5, 6.  
Secondly, it instructeth every one of us how Use 2 we ought to walk before God, namely, to be grieved for our grieving of God with our sins, & to be offended without selves for offending of him. A father will be very angry with those persons which draw on their children to destruction: it is not therefore much to be marveled at, that sin is so hateful to God, seeing it is that which is the ruin & downfall of his chiefest creatures. And as sin is in the account of God, so it ought to be esteemed of us: he hateth and detesteth nothing more, nothing so much: if then we will approve ourselves to be his children, we must abhor it as Gods sworn enemy and ours. Nothing can provoke him against us but our transgressions. He will never hate us for our poverty, or penury, or necessity, or infirmity; it is only impiety that can make a separation between God and us, and therefore we must take heed we do not provoke him to anger by them, and let us rather be grieved for our sins, then grieve the Lord with them. If a son see his father grieved with him for his wicked ways, he will be grieved with himself for it. So ought it to be with us if we be the children of God, and belong unto him; we must labour to be out of love with ourselves for our sins, and to hate them all whatsoever they be, lest the Lord should be compelled to hate us, and make us grieve and weep for them when it shall be too late, 
Matth. 8, 12  and when our shedding of tears shall be joined with gnashing of teeth, and neither of them prove to be acceptable unto him, or profitable to ourselves.  
Use 3 Thirdly, it leadeth and preacheth unto us repentance of our former sins, and never to return unto them again, because they are so displeasing unto God, and so effectual, to bring down all his judgements and punishments upon us. If God were indifferent when we have sinned, and neither pleased nor displeased with us, than the matter were not great, we also might be indifferent, & not regard whether we repent, or do not repent; but seeing sin bringeth all judgement, it is time for us to judge ourselves, that so we may prevent his judgements. For seeing it is that which is so odious and loathsome unto him, we ought to avoid it, and to take heed of delighting in it. They that love, fear to offend him whom they love: that we may therefore show ourselves to be the lovers of God, let us labour to the uttermost of our power, to take heed of grieving and offending him by our sins. But when a man committeth sin against God, doth he think God will punish him, or not? If he think he will, then what great folly is it for him to run on still in his sins, for which he must be punished? If he think he will not, then what wickedness & unthankfulness is it for him to offend so loving a God, that is not offended with him for all his sinning against him? All these things do serve as so many motives to stir us up to the practice of repentance, that so God may repent of his plagues toward us.  
Use 4 Lastly, this serveth for matter of imitation. For if God be thus displeased with sin, which never leaveth or ceaseth to hunt after the sinner till it find him out, than every one of us that would show ourselves to have any part in God, or to bear his image, must labour to be of the same mind, and to have the same affection against sin that God hath, to hate it as he hateth it, and so to be displeased as well at our own sins, as at the sins of others. For he can never be truly displeased with his own sins, that is not also grieved with the sins and offences of others. As than we are touched and troubled for our own sins, so should we be for the sins of our friends, of our families, and of those that we have any way to deal withal, forasmuch as it is that which doth so much grieve the Spirit of God.   

28 So concerning them, Moses commanded Eleazar the Priest, and joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.  
29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad, and the children, etc.: will pass with you over jordan, etc.: than ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession.  
30 But if they will not pass, etc.  
31 And the children of Gad, etc.: answered, saying, As the Lord, etc.  
32 We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side jordan, may be ours.  
The third part of the chapter followeth, handling the full agreement of the whole matter, and the execution following after the agreement, whereby these tribes are put in possession. Moses committeth the matter to Eleazar the Priest, and to joshua the son of Nun, & gave charge to them to see it performed. For inasmuch as he was not himself to enter into the land, he taketh order, that if the former conditions were observed by the Reubenites and Gadites, they should have the land of Gilead for a possession: if not, they should be compelled to have possession among the rest in the land of Canaan; teaching thereby, that it is our duty to further & promote the good of the Church and Commonwealth not only while we live, but also after our departure out of this world. And in the tribes we see that all lawful promises, even such as are made to our hindrance, are faithfully to be performed. But in the example of these tribes mark a further point, how willing they are to join together to procure the common safety, and set the rest of their brethren out of danger, 
Doctrine. It is the duty of God's children, to help the church, & to free it from danger.  which was like to be great & long: they would not forsake them till their enemies were subdued. This teacheth that it is the duty of God's children to put forth themselves in the common cause, to help the church, and to free it from danger. This point hath warrant both by precept & practice. It is the counsel of salomon's mother, Prou. 31, 9 Open thy mouth in the cause of the dumb, etc.: and to show the great importance of this precept, he repeateth it again, Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy, verse 10. The Apostle chargeth the Hebrews to remember those that are in bonds, and in affliction, as if themselves were afflicted, Heb. 13.3. And they are remembered not so much when they are thought upon, or are in our minds, as when they are relieved and helped out of their misery. For as we remember God when we serve him, so we remember the needy when we secure them. It is noted of Saul and all Israel, that they went to relieve jabesh Gilead when it was beleaguered by Nahash the Ammonite, who would make a covenant with them upon no other condition, but that he might thrust out all their right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel, 1 Sam. 11, 1, 2. So did David and his men go to relieve Keilah, spoiled and oppressed by the Philistims, chap. 23, 5. The book of the judges is full of this argument, they thought it their duty to relieve the enthralled estate & poor condition of the Church, lying under the hard yoke and heavy servitude of the Moabites, the Canaanites, the Midianites, the Ammonites, the Philistims, and sundry others. So that all God's servants, although themselves were free from trouble, yet must they put too their hands, and set too their shoulders, and employ all their strength, as far as God enableth them, to deliver the Church from trouble, and to procure the present benefit and good estate thereof. We showed before in this chapter, that we must have some compassion and a fellow-feeling of the miseries and afflictions of God's people: this doctrine goeth farther and pierceth deeper, and teacheth that we must put forth ourselves to maintain the public cause of the afflicted church, and procure the peace thereof.  
Reason 1 And so much the rather we ought to do this, because of the wicked minds and wretched ends that the ungodly set before their eyes. For what is it, I pray you, that the enemy, the common adversary and oppressor of the Church looketh after and layeth before him? Is it the persons of them that they seek to spoil? or is it to take away their goods and substance from them? or any other thing that might be dear unto them in earthly things? All these indeed are sought after, but are these the chief mark and scope that they aim after? or would these (taken away) content them? No, no, they shoot at a farther thing, to deface the service and worship of God, and to blaspheme his glorious Name, being themselves the children of darkness and not able to bear the light of the truth, they oppose themselves against the same. The Cities and Altars of our GOD ought to be of greatest account and in highest price, more dear to us then thousands of gold and silver, for which we must be content to leave father and mother, wife and children, that we may with freedom of conscience enjoy & profess the truth. This meditation was it that moved joab, when he went out with a strong hand & saw the enemies gathered together to root out the Church out of the Land, and the truth out of the Church, to fight against them, 2. Sam. 10, 12. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the Cities of our God, and the Lord do that which seemeth him good: whe●e he showeth, that the chief motive to wax strong and valiant in battle, was to maintain the Cities and service of God.  
Seco●●●y, this hath promise of a great blessing Reason 2 and a good issue; it is no vain or fruitless thing whereunto we are moved. Many men are discomfited and quite out of heart, because they see no blessing annexed. But howsoever the persecuter and oppressor for a time prevaileth and entereth into the houses and habitations of God, yet their destruction sleepeth not: God hath reserved them as the chaff before the wind, and as the stubble before the fire. Resting therefore on the gracious promises of God, and knowing that Heaven and earth shall perish, 
Math. 5, 17.  but no one jot shall pass or fail from his word, being assured that the covenant that he hath made, is surer than the covenant of the day and the night, of the Sun and of the Moon; we must arm ourselves with this assured persuasion, that the destruction of the enemy is determined: as Esay 16, 3, 4. speaking to Moab, he saith, Take counsel, execute judgement, etc.: then he addeth the reason, for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the Land, Esay 16, 3, 4. Wherefore, albeit the enemies of God and his people seem long to flourish, to glory in their wickedness, and to insult over the godly that are under the cross, yet they shall not escape the wrath and vengeance of God: so that none should be ashamed to thrust themselves into danger to maintain the common cause of the Church.  
The uses follow. First, this putteth us in Use 1 mind of the estate of the faithful, which oftentimes endure more trouble in this world both inwardly & outwardly, than any other; as were easy to be showed and proved by the examples of Abraham, Isaac, jacob, joseph, job, jeremy, David, and Christ himself the perfect pattern of suffering affliction. It was no otherwise with his Apostles also, and experience teacheth us, that the church in this world fareth no better, as it complaineth, Lamen. 1, 12. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his anger. Thus it pleaseth the Lord to wean them from the love of the world, because he loveth them, & would have them long after heaven and heavenly things. We are oftentimes so perverse and untoward, that we must be put into the fire that we may be refined and reform, and must endure many grievous corrections that we may be framed to delight in spiritual things. Besides, Satan and his instruments do hate us and labour continually to seek our destruction; and therefore let us never promise to ourselves worldly peace and prosperity, neither be offended at the great afflictions which we hear to come upon the godly, but rather prepare ourselves to look for one trouble to come upon the neck of another, whiles we live upon the earth.  
Use 2 Secondly, conclude from hence the fearful, woeful, & miserable estate of the church, when all the friends and comforters of it are gone, when they that should be the shield and shelter of it do fly back and dare not show their faces, as often it falleth out, then only faith for the present, and hope for the time to come, must hold up our heads that we sink not into the bottom of despair. This is it which the Prophet saith, I looked, and there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation to me, etc. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, etc. Esay 63, 5, 6. When Haman the adversary of the jews, whose malice was hereditary unto him and derived from his fathers, had plotted the ruin of the Church, in what weak and desolate estate had it been, if Mordecai and Ester had not procured the safety of it? Was it not taken out of the jaws of the Lion, and pulled out of the pit of death? In such times, we must cast anchor in heaven, and make the Lord of hosts our only confidence.  
Use 3 Thirdly, conclude from hence, that it is a fearful thing when men become oppressors of the Church. For if every one from the highest to the lowest should be a succourer & defender thereof, then none brought up in the bosom of the Church should be an oppressor of it. But how many have there been who have lifted up themselves against it, not only open enemies, but close underminers, who kindle the coals of their own confusion, and have been consumed in the flame that they have raised? The Prophet Obadiah concludeth this point, ver, 10: For thy violence against thy brother jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever, etc. as thou hast done, it shall be done to thee, thy reward shall return upon thine own head, Obad. verse 10, 15. And touching the persecuting Babylonians that carried the people away captives, and scoffed at them in the day of their calamity, the Prophet foretelleth their final overthrow, Psalm. 137, 8, 9 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed: happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us: happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. woe therefore to all the enemies of the Church in general, or to any particular soul that serveth the Lord; they are also enemies to God himself.  
Use 4 Lastly, none living in the Church must be ignorant of the state of the Church; every one must take notice how things go in it, whether it go forward or backward, increase or decrease, grow better or worse. We are come for the most part to this, to content ourselves with looking to our private wealth & particular estate, as if we had nothing else to think upon, but to follow our profits and delights. So it was with the people after their return from captivity, they built their own houses, but they let the house of God alone: they were very busy in seeking their own commodities, but they were wholly unmindful of the service of God, and therefore they said, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built: whom the Prophet reproveth, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your sieled houses, & this housely waste, Hag. 1, 2, 3. Others there are that shrink back for fear, and dare not adventure, and being moved, they plead ignorance, they pretend they know nothing. But the Prophet denounceth a woe against them that are at ease in Zion, Amos 6, 1. If every one ought to be helpful to the Church, and to put on the bowels of pity and compassion, how shall we excuse ourselves & say, we knew not what was wanting, or what was amiss or out of course? For every one at his own peril, must know the perils of the Church, and be touched with a feeling of them, and ignorance shall excuse no man. It is an excellent saying of Solomon, Prou. 24, 11, 12, 13. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small: if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn forth to death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not of it, doth not he that pondereth the heart, consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? The Lord suffereth his people to fall into sundry temptations and into great dangers, not only to try their faith, and to prove their constancy, but likewise to manifest their love & affection that seem to be out of gunshot, as Ester 4, 14. 2 Tim. 1, 16, 17, 18. jer. 39, 16, 17, 18.   

33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, & unto half the Tribe of Manasseh the son of joseph, the kingdom of Sihon King of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og King of Bashan, etc.  
34, 35, 36. And the children of Gad built Dibon, and etc.  
37, 38, 39 And the children of Reuben, etc. 40. And Moses gave Gilead, etc.  
The inheritance that was given unto these Tribes is here particularly described, to wit, what Cities befell unto them, which they diligently fortified, and courageously expelled the enemies that dwelled in them. Out of these words some questions are briefly to be decided. And first touching the changing of the names of the Cities which befell to the children of Reuben, verse 38, the question may be asked, Wherefore their names were changed? The answer is, that without question the cause of this change was, that the former names given of ancient time were merely Idolatrous, for both of them had their names of the Idols, which ought not to be had in remembrance, neither to be heard out of their mouths, Exod. 23, 13. Objection. Psal. 16, 4. Secondly, from hence a doubt ariseth, how Moses can be said to give Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and how he dwelled therein? for may we think that Machir was then alive? I answer, Answ. It is not likely that he lived unto this time; rather we must understand the sons and posterity that came of him. So the children of Israel are called Israel, and the sons of Edom by the name of Edom. He that knoweth not this, knoweth nothing. Thus it is said that judah spoke unto Simeon his brother, judg. 1, 3, yet neither of them was alive in many ages before, & therefore it must be understood of their posterity. The like we see, Gen. 48, 22. I give unto thee one portion above thy brethren, which I have taken out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. Where jacob bequeatheth unto joseph by his last will and testament a double portion of the Land, 1 Chron. 5, 2. By joseph we must understand his posterity, for in his own person he inherited nothing, but died long before: and by the sword and bow of jacob, we must understand the Ephraimites which helped to conquer the Land, and were a mighty people in josuahs' time, josh. 17, 14, 18. Object. But it is an harder question to determine how jaer is said to be the son of Manasseh who doubtless did belong to another Tribe? For in the Genealogies mentioned in the book of Chronicles, it is evident that he was the son of Segub, the son of Hetzron of the Tribe of judah, 1 Chron. 2, 22. I answer, Answ. he is reckoned of the Tribe of Manasseh by the mother's side, not by the fathers. For it is plain in the Chapter before named, that Hetzron the son of judah married the daughter of Machir the son of Manasseh, 1 Chro. 7, 13. 
Ad difficil. loca in Num. c. 131.  And Drusius observeth, that many such examples are found in the Priests which married wives of other Tribes. Now the cause that he had possession in another Tribe is, because his inheritance fell in the Land of the Amorites on this side of jordan, not in the Land of Canaan on the other side. Out of this division, we might observe, in that the children of Gad build Cities, that the building of fortifications and strong holds is not unlawful, provided that we put not our trust & confidence in them, Obad. verse 3, 4. And that the children of Machir took the Cities of the enemies, we learn that the people of God are oftentimes victorious in battle. But to pass over these, observe a notable point of their sincerity in cleaving to God, and abolishing the monuments of Idolatry, that they would not retain the former Idolatrous names of the two Cities, Nebo, and Baalmeon, but changed them, that they might no more be had in remembrance, nor the people whom God had chosen to be holy unto himself, 
Doctrine. The relics & monuments of Idolatry are to be abolished.  be acquainted with them. This teacheth that God will have the remnants and monuments of Idolatry to be utterly abolished, and all occasions that might draw unto it to be taken away: not only Idolatry itself to be destroyed, but the memorial of it, and the means that may bring it among his people again. Hence it is, that the Apostle john chargeth the Church, not only to beware of Idolatry, but of the Idols themselves, 1 john 5, 21, for he shutteth up the Epistle with this, Little children, keep yourselves from Idols. If we suffer Idols to have entrance into the Church, we shall not long be free from Idolatry itself. Therefore the Prophet declareth his hatred as well of the one as of the other, when he saith, I will not make mention of their names with my lips, Psalm. 1●, 4. Zach. 13, 2. When God promiseth the overthrowing of Idolatry, he promiseth withal the utter destroying of the Idols themselves, and that the remembrance of them shall be cut off and perish out of the minds and mouths of men, Esay 1, 18, and 30, 22. Hos. 2, 17.  
The reasons are plain; First, because God Reason 1 would not have his people snared by such occasions: for they are as stumbling blocks laid before his people to cause them to fall, and therefore the Lord saith, Deut. 7, 25. The graven Images of their gods shall ye burn with fire, thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein.  
Secondly, it is said to be an abomination Reason 2 to the Lord, Deut. 7, 25: for whatsoever is unpure is abominable unto him, and our nature is prone to this false worship, & is hardly kept from a corrupted religion.  
This teacheth us first of all what to think Use 1 of the religion of the Church of Rome; for as it is a false Church, so it is upholden by a false religion, wherein not only some relics and remnants of Idolatry are to be found, but most gross, open, and palpable Idolatry is maintained, like to that, practised by the Gentiles themselves. To manifest this to be true in sundry particulars, first observe that they teach men to worship things that are without sense, images of silver and gold, of wood and stone, and yet they are uncertain what worship to give them. Aquinas, one of the chief schoolmen, and a principal pillar of the Roman faith, hath delivered, that the Image of Christ is to be worshipped with the same worship that is due to Christ himself, & that Christ himself remaineth in the Image. Bellarmine denieth this, and teacheth that they may not teach so: nevertheless he holdeth a middle course, that the image may be worshipped, so far as it doth represent Christ.  
Again, they teach that we are to worship the Saints: and yet it is certain that some of them are false and feigned Saints, such as are so far from being holy men, that they were neither holy, nor men: as I have showed at large elsewhere, because they never had life nor being. Some they worship for Saints that are now by all probability in hell, and of whom themselves make question whether they were saved, or not. Moreover, they say we are to pray to the Saints, & that the Saints hear our prayers, and by that means they pray to the Image of the Saint: but whether they hear us by the swiftness of their hearing, or by the revelation of some Angel that standeth by us and reporteth it to the Saint, we shall know of them when they know themselves, but I believe they will take time and leisure to resolve us. The like we might say of their breaden god, whom they worship also, and look for help from it: and yet they are altogether uncertain, whether it be the body of Christ or not, because their consecration dependeth upon the Priest's intention: so that we may truly say unto them as Christ did to the woman of Samaria, Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship, john 4, 22.  
Use 2 Secondly, this teacheth us to abhor and abandon all false worship whatsoever, as that which can never minister any peace or comfort of conscience; and labour to lay a good foundation that so we may be established in the present truth. For doubtless this is the cause why many fall away and embrace superstition, because they were never well grounded, neither tasted the sincere milk of the word of God that they might grow thereby, 1 Peter, 2, ver. 2, 3.  
And howsoever the Gospel have been purely preached, and professed in this Land, yet the greatest sort remain as neuter, or as indifferent men, neither hot nor cold, and consequently fit to be made a prey unto the wolves, I mean to the Priests and Jesuits that lie watching in corners for such proselytes, and when they have gained them, they make them sometimes twofold more the children of hell than themselves. We must therefore be careful to have the principles of true religion planted in us, that there is but one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man jesus Christ; and that there is but one means to attain to salvation. But the greatest part of our people know nothing at all as they ought to know. And let the Minister in conscience of his duty to GOD and the Church, preach in season and out of season, 2 Tim. 4, 2, yet scarce one among ten is able to give an account of their faith. They are content to live in their ignorance, and despise knowledge, & are blindly led by blind guides that cannot inform them in the ways of the Lord, and so both of them fall into the ditch. Many shut their eyes because they will not see, and refuse to hear the word, which is a precious pearl of such price, that rather than they would want it, they should sell all that they have to purchase it. The Prophet teacheth, that the people are destroyed for want of knowledge, Hos. 4, 6, & thereby deprive themselves of the means of salvation.  
Use 3 Lastly, we should learn to eschew & avoid Idolatry in the very beginning, before by custom and continuance it be increased. If we once entertain it with the least liking and approbation, we shall never or hardly reclaim ourselves, till we fill up the measure of it. The Apostle exhorteth us to abstain from all appearance of evil, 1 Thess. 5, 22. And Jude admonisheth us to hate the garment spotted with the flesh, verse 23. We must hate therefore as well the occasions and appurtenances of Idolatry, as Idolatry itself; as those things which bring much dishonour to God, and much hurt unto our own souls. Objection. But some peradventure will say, What need all these things? or what cause is there of so many words touching Idolatry & the remnants thereof? all this might well enough be spared and passed over, forasmuch as here are none of us that are Idolaters; and if any have been so, that is forgotten and forgiven long ago. I answer, Answ. it is not to be denied, but confessed, that we live in a reformed Church, wherein Idolatry is swept away; and yet many do in this point much deceive themselves, and are like the pharisees that justified themselves. For if we would examine ourselves by the strict rule of the word of God, what Idolatry is, and what it is not, then certainly it will manifestly appear, that in the Church of England there are Idolaters, yea notable Idolaters to be found. The Law is plain, and do we not read what God saith, Exodus 20, verse 4, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven Image, neither the similitude of any thing: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them? If these were asked of this Commandment, they would be ready to answer with the young man in the Gospel, All these things have I kept from my youth, Matth. 19, 20. For we think commonly, that unless we be popish Idolaters, to fall down before an Idol & worship it, we be no Idolaters at all. But hereby we show that we do not understand the Law of God, neither the rules of interpretation. For as murder consisteth not only in taking away life, but in hatred also and revenge, as the Apostle john testifieth, Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, 1 john, chapter 3, verse 15. Matth. chapter 5, verse 22: and as adultery consisteth not only in the outward act, but also in the inward and secret lusts of the heart: so may there be Idolaters, that do not fall down and worship an Idol, and there is an Idolatry in the heart, as well as in the practice.  
The Apostle Paul in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 4, calleth the devil, The god of this world; and yet there are none in the Church that worship the devil in any outward or visible shape, but they hate the thought of it no less than the deed. How then is it that many or that any make him their god, but that they believe in him, obey him, and trust more in him then they do in almighty God? Whereupon he concludeth that they are no better than worshippers of the devil, howsoever not in outward fashion, yet in the inward affection. So if we would examine our own hearts and spirits by this law which is spiritual, we shall find ourselves to be gross Idolaters many ways. Many worship their wealth, and make their riches their god, and set it up as an Idol in their hearts, and this is one relic of Idolatry. These are they that think gain to be godliness, 
1 Tim. 6, 5.  and are gross Idolaters in their hearts, howsoever they never worshipped any visible Image. Again, there are some that worship GOD with their bellies, Phil. 3, 19, such are the drunkards & gluttonous persons, howsoever otherwise they hate an Image, yet are they notable Idolaters in their hearts. There are also Idolaters of other sorts, and other relics of Idolatry, some have made their pleasure their god, this is the common sin of great men; and these worship and serve their own delights and pastimes, & love them more than the Lord. Now whatsoever a man loveth better than GOD, that same he maketh to be his God. Many such there are among us, who albeit they abhor the open worshipping of Images, yet in their hearts they retain the dregs of Idolatry and are indeed notable Idolaters. And if we would make diligent trial of ourselves, and search into the secret corners of our hearts by the clear light of the word as with a candle, we should find our places, persons, and times to be full of Idolatry; forasmuch as the most part have preferred their pride, their covetousness, their lusts, before God himself, and therefore these are Idolaters, & have joined themselves to Idols. And concerning those that have lived heretofore in Idolatry, and think that now they have forsaken it, & therefore shall do well enough: let them take heed they do not deceive themselves. For a man may leave sin, and yet not repent for it. A man may cease from the practice of it, and yet not hate it, neither turn unto God. And doubtless, if these men can yet laugh hearty at their former practices, and make a jest and sport in telling what they have done before an abominable Idol, they may justly suspect that they remain filthy Idolaters still, and if occasion were presented unto them again, they would fall afresh to their former Idolatry, as the dog to his vomit. I say therefore unto such, that without unfeigned repentance there is no salvation, but as they lived in Idolatry, so they shall die Idolaters, and be condemned with Idolaters eternally, revel. 21. verse 8.    

CHAP. XXXIII.  

1 THese are the journeys of the Children of Israel which went forth out of the Land of Egypt, with their armies, under the hand of Moses and Aaron.  
2 And Moses wrote their doings out according to their journeys, by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their doings out.  
3 And they departed from Ramese in the first month, on the 15 day of the first month: on the morrow after the Passeover, the Children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.  
4 For the Egyptians buried all their first borne which the Lord had smitten among them: upon their gods also the Lord executed judgements.  
5 And the children of Israel removed from Ramese, and pitched in Succoth.  
6 And from Succoth, etc.  
AFter the inheritance was given to the two Tribes & the half on this side jordan, Moses describeth by the commandment of the Lord the places of their abode in the Wilderness, their several mansions where they pitched, & their Tents until they entered into the Land of promise. In this Chapter consider two points. First, 
The contents of this chapped.  the several mansions and stations where the Israelites rested and stayed. Secondly, a law and commandment how they should behave themselves toward the Canaanites, and how their land should be divided among them. Touching the first, that is, their journeys in the Wilderness, it is set down generally, v. 1, and 2. and then particularly how God led them from place to place; first he noteth the place from whence they went till they came to the red sea; & afterward, notwithstanding their often infirmities and fall from God, he brought them in despite of their enemies and all opposition of flesh and blood to the borders of the Land, which many of the faithful before them desired to see, but did not see it, only they believed the promise in their heart. The people of God had long been detained in slavery and bondage, now GOD brought them forth with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, killing all the first born of Egypt, and destroying their Idols in which they trusted; whereupon the Egyptians were stricken with such a sudden astonishment and amazement, that they were not able to resist and withstand the Israelites, but were compelled to open them a free passage to departed. Thus then they went out early in the morning, having eaten the Paschall Lamb the evening before: they had lived many years in great heaviness, and endured many temptations in the Land of Egypt, but they go out thence with their young and with their old, with their sons and with their daughters, with their flocks and with their herds in great joy & much comfort of heart: so that they might say with the Prophet, Psal. 126, 1, 2. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream: then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing, than said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them: the Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Thus doth the Lord turn the joy of the wicked into heaviness, and contrariwise the heaviness of his children into joyfulness. This teacheth us, 
Doctrine. The Church is preserved from all dangers, and delivered from bondage.  that God preserveth his Church in the midst of dangers, when it wanteth human defence and protection, and delivereth it out of bondage and slavery wherein it is holden, Exod. 12, 22. Ezek. 9, 6. True it is, God doth many times give over his people to serve hard masters, and to suffer many calamities for a time, yet in the end he delivereth them when they call upon him, jer. 25, 11, 12. Mic. 2, 10. This truth standeth upon good grounds.  
Reason 1 For first, when he delivereth them into the enemy's hands, he doth it to correct them, and not to corrupt them; to bring them the nearer unto him, not to cast them farther off from him; whereby it appeareth that he hath a purpose and meaning to redeem them, and to bring them out of their hands. Secondly, God will never cast off his people, he loveth them with an unchangeable love, and therefore will accept them and receive them upon their repentance and humiliation. He hath a special feeling of their miseries, and therefore he will give them deliverance. Thirdly, God will magnify his own mercy and power toward his people, by giving them deliverance. It would have been a great dishonour to the great Name of God, if he had suffered the Egyptians to hold their rod evermore over the Israelites, and the loins of his people to be clasped and compassed therewith; therefore to show his mercy and power toward them, & to magnify his own honour, he sent them deliverance and brought them out of that horrible servitude and captivity.  
Use 1 This gracious dealing of God admonisheth the enemies of God, into whose hands he hath for a time delivered his people to be Lords over them, not too much to tyrannize and triumph over them: because howsoever God suffer them to be under their power for a while, that they lift up their hands against them, and trample them under their feet, yet the Lord will not forget either to be just or merciful, he will take them out of the snare of the hunter: and the more they have insulted over them in the pride of their hearts, the greater shall be their deliverance: yea their deliverance shall be the cause of the destruction of these enemies. Thus did Moses speak to the Israelites, These Egyptians which ye have seen, ye shall never see them again any more for ever. Exod. 14, 13. So then we may conclude the woeful and wretched condition of all the Church's enemies, because albeit they seem for a time to be as it were Lords of the earth, and to have power in themselves to do what pleaseth them, yet their turn shall be the next, and their destruction sleepeth not. For when the Israelites were delivered out of the hands of the Egyptians that were cruel masters over them, it was not only the cause of their shame, but of their destruction also, as appeareth in the death of all the first borne, and in that he drowned Pharaoh and his host in the red sea: so that these things being duly considered, the wicked have no cause at all to triumph and insult over the children of GOD when they have gotten them in subection under them.  
Secondly, this teacheth every soul that Use 2 belongeth to God, if he fall into this captivity and estate to be ruled by cruel Lords, that they should suffer it with all patience: this is but for a while, Heaviness may abide at evening, but joy cometh in the morning, Psal. 30, for God will surely deliver them. What though the bondage be sharp and bitter? yet this must be their comfort, they shall have deliverance out of all, and aught to nourish such hope in them, that although they see no means of deliverance, yet they must look up to God, and wait his leisure, and in the end they are sure of an happy issue, Exod. 3, 9 God never afflicteth us without just cause, and therefore we should look upon ourselves, and search our own hearts: and labour to bear patiently our afflictions, whatsoever they be, whether they come before or after repentance. For doubtless whosoever shall search his own ways, shall not only find that God hath been just in punishing his sins, but that he hath also been merciful in not laying greater judgements upon him, as justly he might have done; and therefore he ought not to murmur against him, but patiently to bear his hand, knowing that the greatest punishments that almighty God inflicteth upon us are nothing so great as those which we have deserved at his hands.  
Thirdly, we ought all to labour to be members Use 3 of the true Church, that so these privileges may belong unto us. It is a very great honour to live under God's protection, and to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. If we be delivered at any time from dangers, acknowledge that it is God's preservation, and be thankful for it.  
This should put us in mind of two things: first, that if we happen to live under such a judgement, we must stoop down our necks under this yoke, and humble ourselves under the most mighty hand of God, that hath brought so fearful a judgement upon us. For if we think it to be a judgement, when the earth bringeth not forth her fruit unto us; then much more may we think it to be a judgement, when the earth is not able to bear a man, but casteth and vomiteth him out into captivity, as the stomach doth gross and evil humours out of the body. For this cause doth the Lord charge the Israelites to keep his statutes and his judgements, That the Land do not spew them out also when they defile it, as it spewed out the Nations that were before them, Leuit. chapter 18. verse 25, 28. & 20. verse 22. And afterward he showeth, that if they did not walk obediently before him, the land whither he bringeth them to dwell therein, should spew them out; as Reu. 3, 16. Of all judgements to be carried into captivity, is one of the greatest. The very mercies of the wicked are cruelty. David made choice to be under the plague and pestilence, rather than to fly before the enemy, because he is unmerciful.  
We sit under our own Vines and Figgetrees, we have seen no invasion, nor heard any complain in our streets: we know not what bondage meaneth, or to be carried captives into a strange Land: howbeit it is apparent that we have been very near unto it, as near to the pit as could be, and yet not fallen into the same. For, if the Gunpowder Treason had taken place, which was very near unto the time appointed for the execution of it, we had long ere this been in slavery and bondage again unto the bloody Papists, who have long lain in wait for such a day: and albeit that be defeated, and all their imaginations be scattered as chaff before the wind; yet who knoweth how near we may be to as great captivity? We are secure, and put away the evil day far from us, but the greater our security is, the nearer our captivity may be. We have close and secret enemies amongst us, never more lusty, and never more courageous than they are at this day, which are left to remain amongst us to be pricks in our eyes, and Thorns in our sides, and to vex us in the Land wherein we dwell, verse 55.  
These never leave plotting and conspiring our overthrow and destruction. We hear of rumours of War abroad, and spreadings of errors and heresies, which threaten ruin both to Church and Commonwealth; these are but the beginnings of sorrow. Again, if we look unto ourselves, our sins are very great, and call continually for vengeance unto heaven at God's hands, and no doubt he is coming down to see whether we have done altogether according to the cry which is come unto him. All these laid together and weighed as it were in a balance, what can we in reason and justice expect, but that GOD deliver us into the enemy's hands, and suffer them to carry us captive, and so make slaves and bondmen of us?  
Secondly, if any desire to enjoy the land wherein he dwelleth in peace and safety, let him labour not to pollute and defile it by his sins.  
The jews had a promise of God to be his people, yet because of their sins, he suffered them to be carried into captivity, where they remained long in a strange land. Have we any greater privilege than they? or may we expect to escape? No, if we follow them in contempt of the word and other open sins, we shall be sure to follow them also in the punishment which will be answerable to our iniquities.  
Lastly, this assureth us that as GOD delivereth his people from temporal danger and bondage, so he will deliver them much more from spiritual bondage. For if he will deliver our bodies, he will much more deliver our souls; that being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life, Luke 1, 74, 75.  
Wherefore we ought patiently to wait his leisure, knowing that if he have such a special care of our bodies that must lie in the dust, to set them free from temporal bondage, he will much rather deliver our souls from spiritual bondage, wherein Satan holdeth us. When Christ our Saviour would show that he came to redeem the souls of men, he taught them by delivering their bodies from diseases.  
For when he restored sight to the blind by opening their eyes, what did it signify but that he came to scatter the darkness of the mind, and to make them see that before saw not the light of the truth? as Math. 4, 16, The people that sat in darkness saw great light: and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up.  
The Prophets in the time of the Law smote the people with blindness, that they knew not what they did, neither whither they went, 2 Kings 6, 18: as the Angels did the Sodomites, so that they wearied themselves to find the door, Gen. 19, 11.  
But Christ, to show that he came to seek and to save that which is lost, restored sight to the blind, and opened the eyes of their understandings: when he healed the bodies of such as were lame and halted, what was it but a teaching of them that he came to heal the ? to preach deliverance to the captives? and to set at liberty them that were bruised?  
When he raised some to life from the dead, what did it teach and show, but that he is able to raise out of the grave of sin and to give the life of the spirit? When he cleansed the lepers, what was it but a making known to the world, that he will cleanse from the foul and filthy leprosy of sin? And when he did cast out devils that possessed the bodies of men, what was it but to show that he casteth the devils out of the hearts and consciences, where they desire to dwell as in an house? If then it be no small comfort unto us to know that the Lord will deliver his people from an earthly bondage: certainly it cannot but minister much more comfort unto us to consider that the Lord is more careful of our souls; and if he be mindful of us for things of this life, he cannot be forgetful of us for the life to come, seeing he hath sent his only begotten Son, to the end, that all which believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.   

7 And they removed from Etham, and turned again to Pihahiroth, etc.  
8 And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea, etc.  
9 And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim, etc.  
9 And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth Hattaavah.  
36 And they removed from Ezion-gaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.  
38 And Aaron the Priest went up into mount Hor, at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, etc.  
40 And King Arad the Canaanite, etc.  
48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by jordan near jericho.  
49 And they pitched by jordan from, etc.  
here we have a short abridgement of the forty two mansions and journeys of Israel during their abode in the wilderness, until they passed over jordan, and entered into the land promised to their fathers. The twelve former journeys they dispatched the two first years: for they abode at Sinai where the Law was given, an whole year and more. From Sinai to Kadesh which is in the wilderness of Zin, they finished 31 mansions, in thirty and seven years with the beginning of the 38, year. And in the fortieth year which was the last of their wandering in the wilderness, they dispatched and finished the other nine mansions.  

The journeys of the israelites in the wilderness.  These journeys of the Israelites Moses setteth down in diverse places, as Exodus 13, 17: when Pharaoh had let the people go, God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistims, although that was near: for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the red sea. This is further declared, Exod. 14, and 15: and in other Chapters following. Of these journeys also we have seen in part before in this book. And Moses in the book of Deuteronomy, chapt. 1, 31, putteth the people in remembrance, that they had seen in the wilderness, how the Lord their God bore them (as a man doth bear his son) all the way: that they went. And in the Chapter following he telleth them how they took their journey in that great and terrible wilderness, by the way of the red sea, and compassed mount Seir many days. In these several mansions and stations, many memorable accidents fell out, which Moses by naming the places would have them to consider, that none of all the works and miracles of God might be forgotten, neither their own stubborness and rebellion, nor the greatness of the mercies of God toward them, as Psalm 102, 19 This shallbe written for the generation to come, and the people which shallbe created shall praise the Lord: and Psalm 78, 6, That the generation to come might know them, and the children which should be borne, who should arise, and declare them to their children.  
The land of Canaan promised to the fathers was fair and fruitful, flowing with milk & honey; but the way unto it was rough and ragged, like the way of jonathan to the Philistims, 1, Sam. 14, 13: which was sharp and steepy, to which he and his armour-bearer crept with hand and foot. Hence it came to pass, that the people of God, being delivered out of the land of Egypt by a mighty hand and outstretched arm, did enter into a sea of troubles, not only at the red sea, but while they trotted and traveled up & down the wilderness, sometimes they went forward, and sometimes they went backward, Numb. 14, 25: sometimes they marched, and sometimes they retired, and never stood at one certain and settled stay. Besides, they met with many enemies, open and secret, which they were to encounter withal, all which in the end they saw destroyed: albeit not all at one time, but by little and little, & at last after many dangers escaped, and infinite troubles over-passed, under the happy conduct of joshua, they found rest and peace in the promised land.  
Now let us come to the uses of all these Use 1 things toward ourselves: forasmuch as if we consider them aright, they were as figures to them, & as glasses to us, to behold in them spiritual things. And first we see hereby what the life of a true Christian is. The charges of a Christian building is great. If we will be the disciples of Christ, we must not imagine that we shall lead a soft, easy, and pleasant life, in height of honour, in abundance of riches, in pride of lifc, in rivers of pleasure, as if we were in another Paradise: or to be clad in purple, and to far deliciously and sweetly every day, Luke 16: but we must know the gate is strait, and the way is narrow that leadeth to life, Math. 7: we must sit down and cast our accounts what our profession will cost us, and resolve to forsake all that we have for the Name of Christ, and account nothing so precious or dear which we cannot or will not forego. Such was the whole life of the patriarchs and Prophets, such was the life of Christ and his Apostles, and such is the life of all the faithful servants of God. They endured afflictions, they suffered reproaches, they resisted unto blood. They had fears without, and terrors within. They had experience of many miseries, they felt sharp storms, and mighty tempests that went over their heads. This Christ our Saviour showeth, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own, but because I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you, joh. 15, 19 And in another place, Whosoever will be my disciple, must take up his cross and follow me, Math. 16, 24. And hereunto the Apostle accordeth, teaching that through manifold afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God, Acts 14, 22. Christ and the cross go always hand in hand, and accompany each other. If we will live with Christ, we must first die with him: if we will reign with Christ, we must suffer with him, 2 Tim. 2, 11, 12. So then they are greatly and grossly deceived, that suppose all such to be highly in God's favour that flourish and prosper in the world, and such to be the worst sort of people, whom God doth most commonly strike and correct with his hand: having forgotten that he doth not here keep an ordinary rate below, to punish every one as he is worst; and to favour or cocker him as he is best: But he singleth out such as pleaseth him, and maketh them examples to others to serve for their instruction, and in them willeth and warneth us to look upon ourselves.  
Use 2 Secondly, as the children of Israel traveled up and down in the wilderness, and went from place to place, from one station to another, whereas Moses reckoneth up 42 in this Chapter: so it is with all the faithful here upon the earth, they must testify and profess themselves to be pilgrims and strangers in the world, because we abide not in our own country.  
This David confessed unto God, Psalm 39 12, that he was a stranger and a foreigner as all his fathers were. This also the Apostle witnesseth of the fathers, Heb. 11, 13, They died in faith, and received not the promises, but saw them afar off, and believed them, and received them thankfully, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Strangers be not inhabitants, and travailers be not leigers and continuers in one place. This should teach us to use this world as though we used it not: to buy as though we possessed not: considering that the fashion of this world goeth away, and the glory of man fadeth as the flower.  
We must cast off all lets that may stay and hinder us in our journey, like unto travelers, who will carry nothing with them in the way, but that which may help and further them to their journeys end. If they find by experience any thing to clog them, they will cast it from them, as the blind man cast away his cloak, Mark 10, 50, that he might run with speed to him that called him; and rather lose their present profit, then lack the place of blessedness to which we are going. For our light affliction which is but for a moment, causeth unto us a far more excellent, and an eternal weight of glory, while we look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Let us therefore learn contentation of heart in every estate of life which GOD will bring upon us.  
Let us, while we converse upon the earth, have our conversation in Heaven, and live as citizens of that kingdom, accounting ourselves here to be from home, esteeming this life a place of banishment, and sighing to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and restored to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. We all desire to inherit God's kingdom, as Balaam desired to die the death of the righteous, but we would not willingly be sojourners here. Sojourning importeth a temporary abode, not a settled life, but a passing forward in hope of translation to a better estate: we must all embrace and receive this as a ruled case, 
A citizen of heaven is a pilgrim on the earth.  that every citizen of Heaven is a pilgrim on earth, Genes. 47, 9 1 Chronic. 29, 15. 1 Peter 1, 17, and 2, 11, 12.  
If then we desire to be citizens of God's kingdom, we must behave ourselves as pilgrims on the earth. We are as it were exiles and banished men in a foreign land, ought we not then to desire earnestly and hearty to come into our own country, and among our own people? Whosoever hath a rich patrimony in his own country, great wealth, much honour, noble friends, and is forced for a season to sojourn in a strange land, among strangers, nay enemies, where he is evilly entreated, reproached, reviled, disturbed, and persecuted on every side; certainly he will set his heart and affections upon nothing there, but all his mind is set upon his country, desiring above all things to return and come again thither.  
Thus it ought to be with us: our country is in heaven, where we have an everlasting inheritance, and an incorruptible treasure, and are pilgrims upon the earth, where we are hated and assaulted by Satan, the world, and the flesh; and are daily subject to sundry troubles and infirmities. What folly therefore is it, to place our happiness and felicity upon the earth, and to set our hearts upon earthly things?  
Use 3 Thirdly, the people of God during their abode in the wilderness, (after they were called out of the bondage of Egypt) did not go forward toward the land of Canaan with a constant and a settled course, but made many stays and delays: sometimes they marched forward with a courageous resolution under the banner of God and his servant Moses; and sometimes they retired backward by the way of the red sea toward Egypt, and often wished themselves again in Egypt, When they remembered the fish which they did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, the onions, and the garlic, Numb. 14, 25, and 11, 5. These do the jews delight in to this day, which maketh them loathsome and unsavoury, which diet their father's learned in Egypt. So it is with us, being called with an holy calling to the knowledge of the Gospel.  
True it is, we do here run for a prize, this life is the race, the runner in it is every true Christian, the Angels are the beholders, eternal life is the Crown for which we strive, the high judge of all is God, the enemies that seek to subvert and supplant us are Satan, the world, and our corruptions, against which we are to wrestle with might and main as for life and death: yet we begin slowly, and set forward faintly, and being entered into the way, we make many startingholes that stay us in our course, that we do not proceed with such a good courage and settled resolution as becometh us.  
The truth hereof we may behold in all the faithful throughout all ages of the Church, who have found hard beginnings in their first calling, an unwillingness to yield, a difficulty to resolve, an untowardness to enter, a backwardness to proceed, and a dullness to persevere. The Lord appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, and called him to speak to Pharaoh, and to bring his people the children of Israel out of Egypt, Exodus 3, 2, and 4, 1: but he maketh many exceptions and replies to the call of God. And to the end to pull his neck out of the yoke, sometimes he alleged their infidelity, that they will not believe that GOD appeared unto him: sometimes he objecteth his own infirmity, that he was not eloquent, but slow of speech, & slow of tongue: and sometimes he breaketh out into open obstinacy, denying to yield unto the voice of God, saying, Send by the hand of him whom thou shouldest send. So jeremy had many excuses and exceptions, when the word of the Lord came unto him, that he had sanctified and ordained him to be a Prophet unto the Nations; for he replied by and by, O Lord God, behold I cannot speak, for I am a child, Ier, 1, 3,  
The like we see in jonah, who fled from the presence of God, because of the charge enjoined to him to go to Nineve, jonah 1, 3. Lot, albeit a righteous man, whose heart was grieved for the unclean conversation of the Sodomites, yet being called to departed out of Sodom, did linger and loiter behind in his departure, his pleasures whispered him in one ear, and his profits rounded him in the other, so that he prolonged the time, and the Angels caught him, his wife, and two daughters by the hand (the Lord being merciful unto him) they brought him forth, and set him without the city, Gen. 19, 16.  
The disciples that were called of Christ, made sundry delays, one would first go and bury his father, and afterward he would return and attend upon Christ, Luke 9, 39: another would first go bid his friend's farewell which were at his house, and when he had more leisure Christ should be served. So it fared with them that were bidden to the marriage-feast, who all with one consent began to make excuses; the first said, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it; another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: and another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come, Luke, 14, 18, 19, 20, Math, 22, 5.  
Thus we see our nature is slow and untoward to follow the Lord, we shift off and shrink back as long as we can, and many goodly excuses our corrupt flesh findeth to linger and put from us all true obedience to Christ jesus. feign we would seem desirous to follow God to come unto Heaven, but we are loath to soil and defile our feet, Cant. 5, 3: so that we must be violently thrust forward, before we will yield, so sturdy and stubborn our necks are, joh. 6, 44. We see the truth of this in Nicodemus, he bore a love to Christ, and a liking to his doctrine; but first he came to him by night for fear of the jews, joh. 3, 2: afterward he waxed more bold in the cause of Christ before the face of the Pharisees, and that in the open day (though he received a check) joh. 7, 50: and lastly, he showed himself more constant and zealous in professing himself to be one of his disciples in the burial of Christ.  
The like we see in joseph of Arimathea, who at the first was a disciple of jesus secretly, joh. 19 38: but after declared himself manifestly in the costly and honourable burial of his Master.  
Thus it appeareth that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which is one of the least of all seeds, Matthew 13, 31: and that the Elect themselves are brought on by small degrees; their hands hang down, their knees are weak, they go halting and limping, and quickly turn out of the right way: they hang off and on a great while, they meet with many lets and encumbrances, both at home in themselves, and abroad in others.  
And albeit for further proof and certainty of this point it were sufficient to send every man (that knoweth what true vocation and conversion mean) home to his own doors, to examine his own heart; yet consider, I pray you, briefly the heavenly calling of Saint Austin, as it is testified by himself in his books of confession. For when God began to speak to his conscience, he felt a world of temptations, he was tossed and troubled with infinite combats and conflicts between the flesh and the spirit, 
Lib 8. confess. cap. 1. 2, 7.  between God drawing on the one side, and the flesh, the world, and the devil holding back on the other part. His pleasures passed presented themselves before his eyes, and he thought he might prolong the time, at length he began to break through this army of enemies, and to speak unto God after this manner, 
Et tu Domine, usque quo? q●am d●u, quam ●iu, cras & cras? quare non modo?  O Lord, how long wilt thou suffer me thus? how long, how long shall I say, to morrow, and to morrow? why should I not do it now? why should there not be an end of my filthy life, even at this hour? Then he was bidden to take up and read in the Scripture, after which followed his wonderful and final conversion, joined with much weeping and lamentation. This difficulty the Apostle found in his practice, that when he would do good, he was so yoked, that evil was present with him: he did delight in the Law of God concerning the inner man, yet he saw another law in his members, rebelling against the law of his mind, and leading him captive unto the law of sin, so that he did not those things which he would, but the evilsis which he would not he did, Rom. 7.21, 22, 23, 29. This should teach us to call upon God by earnest prayer that we may receive of him the presence of his grace, & the assistance of his Spirit, that we may over-stride all doubts and difficulties that would stay us, and so entangle us in the snares of sin. Let us use all holy and lawful means to strengthen our faith, that we may proceed from faith to faith, and grow in the graces of God, until we come to be perfect men in jesus Christ. And let us not doubt of our calling, when we see, to the grief of our hearts, and the discomfort of our souls, such wants and weaknesses in us; it is not otherwise with us then with all the faithful: but let us strive and fight against these lets which would withdraw our minds from God, and take heed we quench not the Spirit, nor grieve him by whom we are sealed unto the day of redemption, 1 Thessalon. 5, 19 Ephes. 1, 30.  
And although Satan and the world make never so much suit unto us, to entertain the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season, and sing never such sweet songs to enchant us and lull us asleep in carnal security, let us stop our ears, and strengthen our hearts against such lusts as fight against the soul. We see sundry persons after their calling by the preaching of the word, and after a long profession of the faith, to turn back again as the dog to his vomit, 2 Peter 2, 22, Proverb. 26, 11. 2 Timoth. 4, 4: some to their vain company, others after the love of the world, the lusts of the flesh the cares of this life, and grow to be more filthy and profane than they were before. Let us take heed of such dangerous examples, their doings are evil, their fall is fearful, & their end willbe more fearful without repentance and practising of their first works.  
Fourthly, we see the people of God, before Use 4 they could enter into the land of Canaan, were constrained to buckle and encounter with sundry enemies, the Amalekites, the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Bashanites, the Midianites, and sundry others, Exodus 17, 8. Numbers 21, 1, and 31, 1, 2, etc. all which in the end they subdued, so that not one of them was able to look them in the face. Thus it fareth with all the faithful in this life. As soon as we enter into the race of Christianity, by and by we must expect many and sundry enemies, that cross us in the way, some secret that seek to undermine us, some open, that with all violence fly upon us, and drive against us, & both seek to overthrow us: yea, such as before our calling seemed our friends and familiars, now begin to reject and renounce us, now fall to nod the head at us, and to set themselves against us, because it seemeth strange to them that we run not with them into the same excess of riot, and therefore they speak evil of us; which shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and dead, 1 Peter 44, 5.  
It is noted concerning Christ by the Evangelist, that before he entered upon the work of his high calling, to preach the Gospel, and showed himself a Redeemer to Israel, he increased in wisdom and stature, and grew in favour with God and man, Luke 2, 52: but when once he left his private life in the private houfe of joseph where he was brought up, and set upon the office whereunto he was appointed, albeit he continued in the favour of God, as his only begotten Son in whom he is well pleased, Matthew 3, 17: yet he grew out of favour with men who were not contented with him.  
Paul, before his conversion, was in great estimation with the Pharisees, and obtained letters of them, to put in prison all them that called upon the Name of Christ: but when he began to preach faith in Christ which before he persecuted and sought to destroy, he lost their favour and friendship, as appeareth in that they plotted his death, and sought his life to take it away, more vehemently and violently than he had practised against the disciples.  
Let us not therefore think it strange that we meet with many enemies, cunning, subtle, cruel, and malicious; but seek to be at peace with God, and reconciled unto him, and then if God be with us, who shall be against us? Rom. 8, 31.  
Use 5 Fiftly, the enemies of Israel, albeit they were overthrown and defeated, yet were not all discomfited and consumed at once, but by little and little, sometimes one, and then afterward another, as they did not arise and appear all together: so it is evermore with his Church to the end of the world. We shall never be without some enemies. God will ever try the faith and patience of his children. When David sat at home, and went not to war against his enemies, he was surprised by a subtle enemy whom he never suspected, and fell into two grievous sins, adultery and murder, 2 Sam. 11, 1, 4, 1 Chron. 20, 1. The water by standing still, gathereth filth, mud, and corruption. The iron by lying still, gathereth r●st. The Church free from enemies oftentimes groweth secure: and the godly are ready to say in their prosperity, they shall never be removed, Psal. 30, 6. Let all the wicked therefore know, that their peace and prosperity cannot give them assurance (though they endure long) of the favour and love of God, but he will bring down his judgements upon them, when they have filled up the measure of their sins. And albeit for a time they escape, yet they are appointed to wrath and destruction, forasmuch as the Lord is jealous, and the Lord avengeth, he will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies, Nah. 1, 2. Yea, thus it shall be with the spiritual enemies of our souls and of our salvation, albeit they have received their deaths wound, and are crushed in the head, that they can never fully recover their strength, but shall finally be subdued; yet they are always hissing and stinging, they are trying & tempting the members of Christ. So long as we are Christ's, we must look for the devil and his Angels to set themselves against us. They will take no denial or repulse, but being beaten and vanquished, will gather their forces, and unite their power together, to build up the kingdom of darkness. When he tempted Christ in the wilderness, and received a notable foil and glorious overthrow in all those several combats, and had ended his temptations that he had prepared, he departed from him but a little season, Luke 4, 13. As he dealt with the head in the wilderness, so he dealeth with the members in this world, we must never look to be wholly rid of this importunate enemy. Whensoever he leaveth us, it is not as a confession that he is utterly convicted and confounded; for it fareth with him as with one that wrestled, 
Plutarch. in vit.  who, how soever he sped, would always persuade the standers by, that he gave him the fall and foil that buckled and clasped with him: and so it is when we wrestle with these principalities and powers, and spiritual wickednesses in high places, they will never yield the victory, but rather gather their broken and disbanded companies, levy new forces, provide and procure stronger weapons, and make better provision and preparation against us. If then he depart from us, and break up his siege, it is not to free us from danger, and to take a truce with us, but to muster a fresh army, and to take us at an advantage, if he see us to grow secure: and therefore let us never promise rest unto ourselves from his assaults, so long as we continue here, and carry about us this earthly Tabernacle; but always stand upon our guard and in our watchtower, to be ready for his coming and returning, that so resisting him, (being strong in faith) he may fly from us, jam. 4, 7. 1 Pet. 5, 8, 9 Yea, let this serve as a great comfort and consolation to those that have experience of his manifold assaults and invasions, that they never distrust or despair, though their troubles be many, though their temptations be great & continual, seeing this was the lot and portion of jesus Christ the Son of GOD, Who shall tread down Satan under their feet shortly, Rom. 16, 20.  
Lastly, the people of Israel, after the enduring Use 6 of all their troubles and afflictions, after the experience of many sorrows and miseries that came upon them, had rest given unto them, and victory over all their enemies round about them, so that they were safely brought into the land of promise, where they inherited and possessed cities that they builded not, 
Deut. 6, 10, 11  houses full of all manner goods which they filled not, wells which they digged not, vineyards, and olives which they planted not, and saw all the good things performed which the Lord had promised unto them. This serveth to comfort the children of God, though for a time they sustain many injuries, bear many disgraces, receive many losses, feel many pinches & instraightments, yea many fierce and fiery trials, it is but while they wander in the wilderness, they are not yet come into Canaan the place of rest; howbeit the blessedness of the issue and end of all, will fully recompense the hardness of the way, and make amends and satisfaction for all their sorrows, being fully assured that the afflictions of this present world are not worthy of the glory which shall be showed unto us hereafter, for then God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, Rom. 8, 19 revel. 7, 16, 17. Thus God giveth comfort to his servants, after they have been humbled in this vale of misery. They shall hunger no more, they shall thirst no more, they shall want no more. Then this corruptible shall put on incorruption, this mortal shall put on immortality, and death shall be swallowed up in victory, 1 Cor. 15, 53 54. This made the Apostle say, Blessed are they that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them, revel. 14, 13. This must make us to make light & ittle account of this transitory life, and of the vain profits, pleasures, honours, and friendship thereof, all which are as dung in comparison of the profit, pleasure, and honour that shall be enjoyed in the next life. Let us lay a good foundation in this life, and begin our heaven while we are here upon the earth. Let us make the first entrance into it in this mortal body which we carry about us, that so this work may be finished and fully accomplished in the life to come.   

50 And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the plains of Moab by jordan near jericho, saying,  
51 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over jordan into the land of Canaan.  
52 Then shall ye drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places.  
53 And ye shall dispossess, etc.  
54 And ye shall divide the land by lot, etc.  
55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, than it shall come to pass, that these which ye let remain of them, shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.  
56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I though to do unto them.  
The second part of the Chapter followeth in these words, which is the Commandment of GOD touching the Israelites when they should come into the Land. The Law hath two parts, the charge to cast out the Canaanites, and to destroy Idolatry. To their obedience he promiseth possession and dwelling in the Land; but if they suffer any to remain, they should be dangerous, troublesome, and hurtful unto them, and God will punish them for their coldness and carelessness in the execution of his will. In this place we see, that God is very patiented and of much long-sufferance, he had suffered the Canaanites four hundred years, but when in the mean season they repent not, they are appointed to destruction. We see also the horrible judgement of God against the sin of Idolatry, for which kingdoms and cities are destroyed. Object. The question may be asked, whether Idolaters be now to be killed, and Idols to be pulled down and destroyed, as God in this place commandeth the Israelites? I answer, Answer. this commandment is not general, neither belongeth to all without limitation and exception: nay, as it was given to the Israelites, it did strictly pertain only to the Canaanites, whose land was given them to possess. And now it belongeth to Christian Magistrates to pull down all idols, and to abolish superstition, and the occasions of both, and to purge their dominions from all such abominations, 2 Kings 18, 4: and to cause the word of God to be truly preached to root the same out of their hearts, and to offer means of conference to turn the seduced from their blind devotion. As for private men, they have no warrant to pull down images, which is the next way to move sedition and rebellion: it is sufficient for them to withhold worship from them, and they must tolerate those things which are not in their power to reform.  
Again, it may be demanded, Object. whether all pictures are to be defaced and destroyed, and all molten images to be quite pulled down. I answer, pictures and images are not all of one sort, neither are set up for one end. Answ. Some have a civil use, and some a religious. Such as are for civil use only, may be retained: but such as are set up for Religion's sake, are to be defaced, and this is the meaning of the commandment, Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image. Now in that the Lord forbiddeth his people to spare the idolatrous Canaanites, and commandeth them to root them out utterly, we learn, that no familiarity is to be used with Idolaters, 
Doctrine. We are ca●fullie to au● the compan● of idolaters  but we are carefully to avoid their company, Hos. 4, 15. Deuteron, 7, 5. Psalm 16.4. and 106, 35.36. judges 2, 2, 1 Corinth. 8, 9, and 10, 21, 2 Cor. 6, 17, Esay 52, 11.  
The grounds follow. First, because whosoever Reason 1 will avoid any sin, must also avoid the means whereby they may be induced and ensnared to fall into it. Now among all inducements to draw us to a communion of wickedness, the society and familiarity with wicked men is one of the greatest & most dangerous. This David acknowledgeth, and therefore being resolved to yield obedience to God, first he banisheth ungodly persons from his company, and then goeth cheerfully forward in his course, Psal. 119, 115, Depart from me ye wicked doers, for I will keep the Commandments of my God. Secondly, our nature is prone and inclinable to idolatry, and therefore by their company, by their example, by their practice, by their persuasions, and by their doctrine we may easily be corrupted, as the Lord himself threateneth, that their gods should be a snare unto them, judg. 2, 3. Hence it is that the Prophet persuadeth the people of judah not to go to Gilgal and Beth-aven, lest joining with the superstitious Israelites, they should be infected with their idolatry, Hosea 4, 15.  
This serveth to reprove such as delight in the company of idolatrous Papists to be their Use 1 inward and nearest friends, which are guilty of most palpable idolatry, no less than the jews that set up the golden calf and danced before it, Exod. 32. Secondly, such as travel for pleasure and delight into popish and idolatrous places, where they expose themselves oftentimes to inevitable dangers by consorting and conversing with such as are ready to allure them to commit idolatry, to go into their idolatrous temples to see and hear, and afterward to fall down before their images. These are led by curiosity or by commodity to do that which is not convenient. Thirdly, this meeteth with their corruption, who for wealth, or friends, or other worldly, I may say wicked respects, link themselves in the nearest society of marriage with Popish idolaters, taking and nourishing in their bosoms a serpent, which is ever at hand day and night to tempt and entice them to forsake their covenant with God, to renounce his pure worship, and to embrace idolatry and superstition, 2 Cor. 6, 14. This was the sin of the sons of God before the flood, when they saw the daughters of men, and joined themselves with them, Genes. 6, 1, 2: this matching with them brought a flood of wickedness, and the flood of wickedness brought upon the whole world a flood of waters, wherein all flesh perished. This was salomon's sin, notwithstanding all his wisdom, whereby he was drawn into idolatry, 1 Kings 11, 4. Nehem. 13, 26: There was no king like him over all Israel, nevertheless, even him did outlandish women cause to sin. This was the cause of the great wickedness of Ahab (who sold himself to work evil in the sight of God) because he took jezabel to wife, 1, Kings 16, 31. And wherefore did jehoram forsake the steps of his godly father, and commit gross idolatry, but because he linked himself in an idolatrous stock, and married the daughter of Ahab? 2 Kings 8, 18. Mal. 2, 11. Ezra 10, 1, 2, 3. Lastly, they are to be reproved, who are present with their bodies before the abominable idol of the Mass, whether it be of a fancy, or for fashion, whether of curiosity, or for fear of punishment; and to bow down to an image, thinking to be excused if they reserve their hearts to God, 
Discommodities of being present at the Mass.  whereby they rob God of his glory, they give scandal and offence to the weak brethren, they spoil the Lord of his right, they cast themselves wilfully into desperate danger, they deprive themselves of a good testimony of their own salvation; and lastly, they deny the Lord JESUS and his truth before men, and therefore must take heed that he deny not them before his Father in Heaven, Math. 10, 33. Object. Neither let them think this any defence or comfort unto them, that they reserve their hearts to God, Answ. and for his pure worship: For if this were true, then were the holy Martyrs of God simple fools, that were content to endure all torments, yea to lay down their lives for a testimony to the truth, rather than give the least outward approbation to idolatry. Then were those three servants of God greatly deceived, who chose rather to be cast into the fiery furnace, then bow down to the idol that was set up, Dan. 3, 18: we are bought with a great price, and therefore we must glorify God in our body and in our spirit, for they are Gods, 1 Cor. 6, 20. Rom. 12, 1. Mat. 4, 9, Exod. 20, 4. 1 joh. 5, 21. What husband would endure, that his wife should prostitute her body to commit whoredom, albeit she should pretend and protest, that she reserved her heart chaste and pure for him only? Then how much less will the Lord admit such a bad and blind excuse, when they that profess themselves to be his spouse shall commit spiritual whoredom with idols in their bodies?  
Secondly, we must learn from hence that Use 2 it is impiety to worship images with any kind of worship whatsoever. For if we be commanded to abstain from familiarity with them that be idolaters, much more are we charged to abstain from idols, and from all worship of the idols. It is a grievous sin to give the honour of God (whereof he is jealous) to any but only to himself. To rob God, and thereby to enrich another, must needs be acknowledged to be a sinful and wicked practice: much more than is it a sin to give the same to such base stuff as stocks & blocks, and stones, and images. Not to honour the king is wickedness. To give the honour due to the King to his Peers and Nobles, must needs be a greater sin and offence: but to give it to a base and contemptible person, must needs be greater wrong and wickedness than any of the rest. So is it in this case, for men not to honour God is evil: 
Idolatry much abuseth the dignity of man.  to give his honour to any mortal man is more sinful: but for a man made after the image of God to give it to base and senseless idols, is most wicked of all, which are the works of men's hands. The basest image-maker that liveth, is far better than the image that liveth not: as the workman is better than the work. And what a gross and senseless thing is it, that the living image of the living should perform worship or service to the dead image of a dead Saint? It were much better therefore and less absurd, to worship him that made the image, who is the creature of God, than the image itself which is the creature of man. So then we ought carefully to take heed to ourselves, that we worship not any image or idol with any worship whatsoever. It is not lawful for a subject to worship his Prince, or for a son to worship his father with any religious worship; much less lawful is it then for a man to worship such things as these, that have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, feet and walk not, neither doth any sound pass from them. A man would be much ashamed to be found or seen worshipping a tree that groweth, a bird or beast that liveth: much more than ought we to be ashamed of this gross kind of worship, that we should bow down to such things as are beholding to us for their form and fashion: so that there is far more reason, that the image should worship his maker, than the maker worship the image that he made. Let us learn to fear GOD, and reverence his worship, and fly all kind of worshipping of images whatsoever, & to abhor the same as the imiattion of the Gentiles, and the very excrements of Antichrist himself. Whosoever they be that practise such impiety in these days of grace, are fallen from grace. It may be that in time of danger and persecution, a man may be forced to do that which goeth against his conscience to save life; but for a man to stand out in these times, and to approve such manner of worship, he is certainly fallen from Christ, and deserveth just condemnation and destruction; and therefore let no colour, or pretence, or persuasion whatsoever draw us away to the committing of this sin, but let us labour to keep ourselves pure, by cleaving to the worship and service of God, and by giving honour and glory unto him. Object. But they tell us, that they worship not the image of any false God. The Scripture indeed crieth out against the images of false gods, and such as are no true Saints, but we for our parts worship nothing, but the Images of the true God, and of true Saints. I answer, Answer. there is a great difference between the Images of true Saints and of false Saints: but there is no difference at all in the action itself: forasmuch as it is idolatry to worship the Image of the true God as well as of the false. And the reason is, because it is to give worship to that which by nature is no God at all. Paul and Barnabas were true Saints, yet if the men of Lystra had worshipped them, they had sinned against GOD as much as when they worshipped jupiter and Mercurius, which were no other than feigned gods, Acts 14, 12. Therefore that distinction falleth to the ground Deut. 4, 15. Object. Esay 40, 18. Rom. 1.23, 1, Cor. 10, 20. Deut. 27, 15. Psal. 97, 7. But some of the Papists tell us, that images are Lay men's books to look upon. I answer, Answ. the Lord hath given them other books to read, when he saith, Search the Scriptures, joh. 5, 39: hereby they shall be led into all truth, and be sure to be preserved from error and evil. But as cunning and crafty thieves, when they meet with a poor simple fool or a little child, do take their treasure or money from them, ●nd give them babies and pictures to play withal, to keep them quiet from crying or complaining: so do the Popish sort deal with God's people, they take from them the rich treasure of the holy Scriptures, whereby all their juggling and deceit would be discerned, and give them puppets and images to be their play-fellows, which are the doctrine of vanity, jerem. 10, 15. Zacharie 10, 2: and they are teachers of lies, Habakkuk 2, 18. Neither let them reply, that the Prophets condemn the images of false gods, and that they make the images of the true God. For we showed before that this cannot serve their turn, forasmuch as the commandment forbiddeth the images of the true GOD, Deuteron. 4, 12.15, Acts 17, 29.  
Again, they object, Object. that they do not worship the images themselves, but so far as they have relation to the Saints whereof they are images.  
I answer, Answer. the Israelites, so often reproved for worshipping of images, did withal profess that they worshipped not the idols themselves of wood or stone, but God in them, as in making the golden calf they had a respect to GOD who brought them out of Egypt, Exodus 32, 3, 4. And the mother of Micah witnesseth that she had dedicated the silver unto the Lord, to make a graven and molten image, judges 17, 3. So jeroboam having made the golden calves, saith, Behold, O Israel, thy gods which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, 1 Kings 12, 28: for he meaneth the image and similitude which representeth the true God, Hos. 2, 26. And not only the Israelites, who could not be so sottish as to believe that the calves which themselves had made, (and had lately made) had freed their forefathers out of captivity, but the Gentiles themselves excused their idolatry in this manner, as Austin witnesseth, I do not serve and adore that stone which I see, but I serve him whom I do not see. And who is that? a certain divine power which is invisible, which hath the charge over that image, August. in Psalm. 9, 6. As for other objections drawn from the Cherubims, and the brazen serpent, we have spoken of them sufficiently before, chapt. 21.  
Lastly, we have from hence occasion offered Use 3 unto, us to laud and magnify the Name of God that hath freed us from the darkness of idolatry and the danger of Idolaters, except we will run into the same again. He hath placed us where we have the Gospel, like the Israelites in Goshen, and hath opened our eyes to see those follies. Let us not with unthankful hearts desire to return again into this servitude.  
The Lord hath chosen to dwell among us, and hath planted his Church in our kingdom: let us labour to approve our obedience in his sight, lest he take the light of the truth from us, and bestow it upon a people that will bring forth the fruits thereof. So long as the true worship of God continueth among us, our country shall be famous and renowned. On the other side, all places lose their honour and dignity, when once they are defiled with sin, and consecrated to idolatry. Gilgal was famous many ways for many memorable things that happened there, yet through idolatry there practised, it became so infamous, that the people of juda are forbidden to resort thither.  
The like might be said of Beth-el, which in former times was the house of God, but was afterward for the same cause turned into Beth-aven, an house of vanity, Hos. 4. jerem. 7, 12. Psalm 78, 60. What shall we then say of the Popish pilgrimages to Rome, or to the holy land, but tax them of ignorance and superstition?  
For, be it that these places retained their ancient dignity, and maintained the Religion of God in his purity; yet should there be no reason to go thither to worship, forasmuch as all difference of places is taken away, joh. 4, 23. Jerome travailed himself to the holy land, and lived there; and yet he saith, It is no commendation to have seen jerusalem; but to have lived well at jerusalem, this is praise worthy. And Bernard after him, We must not seek after the earthly, but the heavenly jerusalem, not by pilgrimage on foot, but by bettering our affections, Epist. 319. ad Lelbert. Abbot.  
And if God require not of us to resort to such places, though they entertained the truth, then doubtless much less to travail so far unto them being now degenerate & wholly dedicated and devoted to Antichristianity and idolatry, in which respect they are now become reproachful, hateful, and infamous to God & all goodmen. For we are not to esteem them as they were, but we must take them as they are, that is, full of superstition, and consequently dangerous to come at them.  
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, it shall come to pass, etc.: shall be pricks in your eyes, etc. In these words, we see the threatening which God denounceth against the carelessness and negligence of this people in the execution of that commandement of God: The Lord will do unto them, as he had thought to do unto their enemies. From hence we learn, that coldness and caresnesse in the service of God, is a great and grievous sin. Want of zeal in the cause of God, 
Want of zeal in God's cause is a grievous sin.  to be neuter or indifferent men, not caring or regarding which end go forward is a foul and fearful sin before him, judges 1, 21, 27, 29, 31, 33, & 2, 2, 3. 1 Kings 18, 21, and 2 Kings 17, 33. Gal. 3, 1. revel. 2, 4, & 3, 15, 16. Gal. 5, 7,  
Such are the greatest number of our professors: Some would reconcile the Papists and us, that is, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, the Temple of God and idols. Some serve their turns by their profession, so long as they may gain and grow in credit under it. Some profess religion as they profess the Laws of the kingdom, to wit, as a civil thing, and matter of good policy to keep the people in subjection and obedience, being ready to change as the time and state changeth.  
Some hate them that are faithful and forward so much, that they can abide no zeal in religion nor in obedience; that term them mad fools and giddy headed spirits which desire to fear God, and to walk according to his word.  
O miserable persons! that which GOD hateth is commended, and that which he commandeth is reviled and evil spoken of.  
The grounds. It is as natural to a man Reason 1 to sin, as it is to draw the air, as experience teacheth in all subject to human infirmity; no marvel therefore if men decline, it is a part of the old leaven, for what man is it that sinneth not? 1 Kings 8, 46. The power of sin even in the regenerate, is as a Law; and therefore we do as we would not, Romans 7: yet not I, but that sin which dwelleth in me  
Secondly, they lie under an heavy and fearful curse that do the work of the Lord negligently, which he will have executed diligently, carefully, cheerfully, and zealously: jerem. 48, 10, Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully: but all such as are lukewarm in the Lord's business are deceitful workmen, they are loiterers rather than labourers, and therefore they may not look to have the wages of labourers.  
Thirdly, such are vexed with a spiritual consumption, losing the heat of the Spirit, and the life of grace, and fall to decay by little and little, as revel. 2, 5, thou hast lost thy first love. For as they that have a consumption of the body, the natural heat decayeth and threateneth death: so such as have a consumption in the soul, the spiritual heat diminisheth and threateneth destruction. For such churches and persons become in time barren in good thing, but plentiful in evil things, Esay 5, 3, 4. The uses follow.  
First, this reproveth the miserable times Use 1 wherein we live, wherein men seem to be cast into a dead sleep. There is a general lethargy hath possessed us, that nothing can awake us. We have had not only the trumpet of God's word sounding in our ears; but many other judgements: but who stirreth or starteth up at the noise thereof? Who repenteth him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turneth to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle, jerem. 8, 6: if we tarry till the last trumpet come, woe unto us, for that shall awaken us, and sweep away all the impenitent into hell, and none shall be able to escape.  
Our Saviour teacheth, that from the days of john the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, Math. 11, 12, where he showeth that after the Gospel began to be published by the ministry of john, (who was sent to prepare the hearts of the people) they were very greedy and as it were covetous of the truth, and courageously broke into it with all their strength and force that they could make. Thus it was in the days of the Apostles. For as at the preaching of john, the soldiers, the Publicans, and people came unto him, 
Luke 3, 10, 12 14.  saying, Master, what shall we do? so when they preached repentance in the Name of jesus, they that heard them were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2, 37.  
But is it so in our days? alas we may say, the kingdom of darkness suffereth violence, the kingdom of this world is wholly sought after, and every man presseth into it, Luke 16, 16: but as for the kingdom of God, we are content to let it alone. Some are open enemies to the Gospel and the preaching of it, & serve Satan with all their power. Some are secure, and care for nothing, they let all alone, and sit still, like those that sat idle in the market place, and laboured not in the vineyard. Some stop their ears, and harden their hearts, and when the Ministers of God will not apply themselves to their humours, they go back. Some desire to hear sweet and pleasant things, to be flattered in their sins, and to have cushions sowed under their elbows. If a son should no otherwise honour his father then we honour God, doubtless he would disinherit him and cast him off for ever. Or if a servant should in such sort serve his Master, would he not put him out of his service, and turn him out of his doors? The devil hath a part of our service, & the world another, and shall we think that God will accept a third? This were to serve him to halves, or not so much. But half a man is no man, and half a Christian is no Christian. Every natural thing groweth till it be perfect, herbs, plants, trees.  
Every tradesman and artificer seeketh to increase; only the Christian sitteth still, and doth nothing. God the Father left not off the work of creation, till the whole host of the creatures was ended, Genes. 2, 1. Christ jesus ceased not the work of redemption, till it was finished, joh. 17.4. A builder leaveth not off, when he hath almost builded. Paul said, I have finished my course, 2 Tim. 4, 7: not almost finished; there is no comfort in this, no more then to be almost saved, which is not to be saved at all. If we be cold in God's service, we are almost his servants, that is, not at all.  
Secondly, God will not be dallied withal in the matter of Religions: either we must serve him wholly, and acknowledge him thoroughly as we should, or not at all. If Baal be God, let us go after him without wavering. So long as we are neither hot nor cold, we worship him in vain, and may be assured that he will spew us out of his mouth.  
This is no better than to serve him with the halt, or blind, or lean, or lame, which he abhorreth. The Lord saith by the Prophet, Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my Name is dreadful among the Gentiles, Mal. 1, 14. This is no better than to serve God with the off all of our affections, and to turn unto him half our face, and the other half to our own lusts and pleasures.  
This is such an indignity and indecency, that a man of any place or reckoning will not take it at our hands; Offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person, saith the Lord of hosts? Malachi 1, 8. Take heed therefore we do not play with God. He that playeth with fire, may be scorched and consumed with the flames of it; but our God is even a consuming fire, Deuteronom. 4, 24, and 9, 3. Hebrews 12, 29. No man dare dally with a Prince, or with his Laws, whose wrath is as the roaring of a Lion: but there is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy, james 4, 12. No man will be bold to jest with edge-tools, we say commonly that it is dangerous; but the Lord is a shield, and the sword of excellency, Deuter. 33, 29: and if his word be compared to a two edged sword going out of his mouth, revel. 1, 16, nay if it be said to be quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart: much more must we acknowledge the author and giver thereof to be the searcher of the heart, so that there is not any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, Hebrews 4, 12, 13. Will any that is brought before a judge, and standeth in his presence, begin to mock and jest as with a child? But the Lord is the judge of the whole world, and he will reward every man according to his works, Genes. 18, 25, and 21, 49. Deuteronom. 10, 17, Acts 17, 31. Romans 2, 5, 6, and 3, 6. So then, they are desperately evil, that dally with their own salvation, halting on both sides, swimming between two streams, and losing their first love whereby they glorified God, and adorned the profession of the Gospel.  
Lastly, it is required of every good and Use 3 faithful servant of God to be zealous and amend. This serveth to give a watch word and warning to the greatest number of our professors among us, such as are accounted the most peaceable of the kingdom, honest men, just dealers, and civil livers, who can say with the Pharisee in the Gospel, they are no thieves nor adulterers, nor drunkards, nor extortioners; they hurt no man, they wrong no man, they mean well to all; they follow their business quietly, they live among their neighbours peaceably, they are no meddlers nor busie-bodyes in other men's matters; these think themselves therefore to be in good case, to be assured of God's love and favour, to need no particular repentance: yet in the mean season they have no zeal nor care of religion in them.  
But some will say, Are not the former points that you have named, good things? Do you shalt pass, but no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed, job 38, 11.  
Use 1 This serveth to reprove the cursed sect of the Anabaptists, who bring in a confusion of all things, that set the heavens out of their course, and remove the earth out of his place, and break up the bars of the sea, and turn the order that God hath settled, upside down. For they can abide no private man's possessions, but would have all things common. Thus they think to make themselves like to the Apostles, but indeed they thereby resemble rather some of the Philosophers. If we should see a man come into his neighbour's ground, & pull up the hedges, tear up the enclosures, rend up the fences; fill up the ditches, take away the pales, through down the walls, and remove the bounds, we would hold him an enemy to human society, and to the express ordinance of God. For wherefore hath God severed and divided people from people, with bro●d seas, deep rivers, and high mountains, but that they should not pass those bounds, nor invade the possessions of others? And this was the cause why in this place he bounded so exactly the Land of promise, and teacheth them where it should begin, and where it should end, on the eastside, and on the West, on the northside, and on the South. And in the book of joshua, the several bounds & limits of every Tribe is severally and largely expressed and described. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, Prou. 22, 28. Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set. This is the law of God and man, a law under the Law and the Gospel, to continue for ever. True it is, the Romanists would conclude from hence, Object. that their errors, which have gotten foot for a few hundred years, & climbed up into the chair of Moses, aught to prevail and take place. But this is no better than to draw the words from the literal meaning to an allegory, Answer. which by the doctrine of their own schools cannot be sound. 
Tho: Aquinas.  Again, howsoever in worldly possessions, prescription of time may carry some credit, and be of some force, judg. 11, 26, yet in the matters of God, no time (though the hairs be never so grey) can prescribe against the ancient of days. 
Dan. 7, 22.  For if it be a prerogative royal in a temporal kingdom, as the lawyers teach, that nullum tempus occurrit regi, that is, no time shall bar the king, nor prejudice him of his right: then much more must we hold, that no time shall bar the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords of his right, but his law must take place for ever against all other laws, customs, immunities, privileges, and prescriptions whatsoever. Lastly, the doctrine of the Gospel which we profess, is more ancient than all the devices and inventions of men, which hath been received and believed from the infancy of the Church, and from the beginning of the world, and therefore the late and new start up religion of popery must rise up before the hoary head thereof, as the young man is commanded to honour the face of the old man.  
Moreover, Object. whereas they allege this and urge it to procure credit and authority unto the works and writings of men, as if the sayings of the Fathers were to stand for a law; it is of no greater weight than the former. And albeit it were sufficient to say, Let God be true, and every man a liar, Rom. 3, 4, yet we answer Answer. farther, that the Fathers are for the most part against them, and refuse to be witnesses for them, as might easily appear in the main controversies between them and us. Again, as they descent from them, so sometimes they descent from themselves. Lastly, all the Prophets & Apostles as a cloud of witnesses stand on our side, and we teach nothing but what we have received of them, and they are our warrant.  
To return then unto the former point, we see the Anabaptists are justly reproved, who cannot abide any bounds, or buttelles, or landmarks, neither that any should be master of his own possessions, but would have all go to spoil and havoc. And as God would have just weights and measures observed between man and man, that they might buy & sell one with another: so he would have bounds and marks also unchanged, that equity and uprightness in all our dealings might take place. For this cause Moses saith, Cursed is he that removeth his neighbour's landmark; and all the people shall say, Amen. Deut, 27, 17, and 19, 14. 
Diony. Halic. antiq. lib. 2.  The very heathen by the light of nature saw that such marks ought to be inviolable which of old time had been set in inheritances: and they all thought that God himself was wronged and injuried in such false dealings. And because it should be accounted an holy matter, they made a god of it (according to their common manner) which they called Terminus, and dedicated a feast to him which they called Terminalia. True it is, this was a devilish invention to set up an Idol for the maintenance of equity: yet nature taught & engraved this principle in the heart of man, that if marks and bounds were not kept and maintained, an horrible confusion and disorder of all things would follow in human society, and no man could know what was his own, neither possess that which he hath in peace.  
Secondly, this condemneth all encroaching Use 2 & usurpation one upon another, in kingdoms and Lordships, as well as in private possessions, when men cannot be content with their own, but would stretch the wings of their power and jurisdiction farther. Moses saith notably in his song, Deut. 32, verse 8, that the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. Howbeit the ambition and unsatiable greediness of great men hath put all out of order, and nothing is so holy which can stay them creeping and encroaching upon the bounds and borders of their neighbours. Thus they break the law of God and nature in seeking to enlarge and increase their own dominions. These justly incur the curse of the Prophet, Woe unto them that join house to house, and lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth, Esay 5, 8. Hab. 2, 9, 12. jer. 22.13. Mich. 2, 2. For wherefore hath God separated nation from nation, and one kingdom from another people, but that all should live quietly, & communicate one with another, & that there might be no confusion or division? and therefore ought all to be contented with their own bounds. God hath made them great, but they always seek to make themselves greater: he hath set them bounds, but they will know no bounds. So then from hence we may gather that the wars which are taken in hand upon ambition and the enlarging of the bounds of their Empire only, are a despighting of God, a shedding of innocent blood, and a perverting of the order which he hath set in nature and nations. Every man therefore aught to abide in his own possession and inheritance, & not to trouble or molest one another. The ambition of Nimrod first began with setting up the kingdom of Babylon, 
Gen. 10, 10.  and afterward many following his example, became desirous to win one from another. So it was with Chedarlaomor, who spread out his arms, and subdued the kings of Sodom & Gomorrha, Gen. 14, 4. Thus men perverted the order that God had set in the world, like unsatiable gulfs, and mighty hunters before the Lord, that hunted for the precious lives of men. And the cause of all is pride and ambition. We all know how in the beginning the earth was covered with water, and naturally the sea would stand above the mountains, so that all would be overflown: It is the special goodness of God, and a testimony of his almighty power, that the dry Land appeareth whereon we set footing, and build, and plant, and dwell, & commerce one with another. Seeing then, we live here, and that the earth doth succour and sustain us, let us assure ourselves that GOD showeth his pity toward us, let us serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind, and let all men content themselves with that which they have, without intermeddling within the bounds of other men: and as he hath restrained us by sundry closures, & as it were locked us up with bars not to be broken, so let us not seek to break them and so encroach upon that which he hath not given unto us.  
Use 3 Thirdly, this reproveth the greedy and covetous affections of private men, that covet to be rich, they care not by what means. But as soon as the desire of getting gain is settled in them, they are inflamed to rake to themselves by hook or by crook. All men do shun and abhor the names of thieves and robbers, they cannot abide them, they are ready to sue them that brand them with such odious titles; but if we detest them indeed, we must lay aside covetousness also. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, Prou. 15, 27. He that is greedy of gain, troubleth his own house, but he that hateth gifts shall live. Covetousness is a corrupt affection of the mind, greedily desiring and too much gaping after the riches of this life. They dream of long life, forgetting that no man's life consisteth in the abundance of his riches, Luke 12, 15. They think they shall exceedingly profit them, but by the just judgement of GOD they turn to their hurt. They think they will be as a shield or buckler to defend them from the injuries of this life, but they are turned into swords whereby they are wounded and destroyed. They have conceived a strong opinion that they will be as a wall on every side to underprop the house, but they prove as a double cannon to cast it down to the ground. As than he that eateth moderately, is nourished by the meat, and it abideth in the stomach, but when it is taken immoderately, the stomach is choked, and it is vomited up again: so he that greedily heapeth up riches, shall be constrained to vomit them up again, job 20, 15. Covetousness therefore is a sin, when a man is discontented with the estate wherein God hath set him, and with those things that God hath given for the sustenance of this present life; when he murmureth against God, & the more he hath, the more he desireth; when he heapeth them up, and keepeth them, and bringeth them not forth to any godly or necessary uses; but he distrusteth the providence of God, and putteth his trust and confidence in his riches, as if he could not live with out abundance of them, neither be sustained by the hand of God. 
Motives to avoid covetousness.  The Scripture offereth sundry good meditations to move us to avoid covetousness. First, because it is forbidden of God, Matth. 6, 19 Luke 19, 13. Hebr. 13, 5. His word alone ought to be of great force to persuade us, if we had no farther reason. Secondly, because it is no less sin than a secret kind of idolatry, Col. 3, 5, as the covetous person is an Idolater, because he trusteth in his riches, not in the living God, Eph. 5, 5. Mark 10, 24. Thirdly, it cannot agree with the worship of God, but one of them expelleth another; as it is with contraries, with cold and heat, with light and darkness, Psal. 119, 36. Matth. 6, 24. Luke 16, 13. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. Fourthly, it is said to be the root of all evil, and that because it driveth and enforceth to many sins, to apostasy, to iniquity, to lying, to treachery, 1 Tim. 6, 10. 2 Kings 5, 22. Mat. 28, 13, 14, 15. Fiftly, no man's life consisteth in the multitude of his possessions, Lu. 12, 15. Sixtly, we are called to a better life, and we have a kingdom promised unto us that cannot be shaken, reserved for us in heaven, and therefore we should set our affections above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his Father, Col. 3, 1, 2. Luke 12, 32. seventhly, it is an unsatiable evil, as a gulf that swalloweth whatsoever is cast into it, and as the poor, ill-favoured, and lean fleshed kine that Pharaoh saw in his dream, which did eat up seven wellfavoured and fat kine, And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ill-favoured as at the beginning, Gen. 41, 21. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, He that loveth money shall not be satisfied with it, Eccl. 5, ver. 10. Eightly, it maketh such as are infected with it, companions with Achan, with Gehazi, with judas Iscariot: nay the most covetous persons are worse than that traitor, and farther from the kingdom of heaven, because he was touched with some remorse, & restored the thirty pieces of silver, whereas they keep by them that which they have wrongfully taken from others, and yet have no sense or feeling either of the sin present or the punishment to come; whereas without restitution & confession they cannot be saved.  
Use 4 Lastly, from hence we ought all to learn contentation with our several estates, wherein God hath set us, which should be as bounds to hedge us in, as if it were said unto us, Behold, God will have us to rest and stay upon that which he hath given us, and to content ourselves therewith; otherwise we trouble the whole order of the world, and defy the Lord himself to his face, as if we meant to proclaim open war against him. This obedience S. Paul had learned, when he professeth that he knew to be rich and to be poor, to be hungry and thirsty, and likewise to have abundance, Phil. 4, 12. He had learned to be patiented in poverty, and to be content with his estate. Both these are two notable virtues, and special graces of God's Spirit. This is it, to learn to be rich and to abound, when we do not desire to gather yet more and more, neither are proud to trust in our riches, neither take occasion by them to oppress the weaker sort that have no friends in the world to maintain and defend them, and finally, when we so use the world as if we used it not, & be ready to become poor for Christ's sake, and to leave all whensoever it shall please God to lay that cross upon us. This is a great blessing, when such as are rich in wealth, can be poor in heart, and indeed greater than the former, and more needful to be urged then the former. Many will be ready to laugh at this speech, to know how to be rich. But if we consider how unsatiable for the most part such are, and how their ears and hearts also are stopped with earth and clay, we shall find that it is not without great reason that Christ our Saviour telleth us, that It is an hard thing for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, Mat. 19 For they are for the most part more discontented then poor men, and so far in love with their own shadow, (for what is riches but a shadow?) that they cannot be satisfied. And if they had the whole earth in possession, they would think that too little, and begin to dream of two earths. Wherefore let us labour after the grace of Contentation, which is a virtue whereby we are content with our present estate, and such blessings as we have lawfully gotten, and rest in them with a quiet heart, and be ready to bear the burden of poverty patiently.  
The holy Scripture setteth before us as in a glass, 
Motives to move us to contentation  sundry motives to move us to seek after, and to practise this gift. First, because it is commanded of God to every one, to be content with his estate, Heb. 13, 5. Secondly, such as are endued with it, need not fear want or poverty, or to be forsaken in their poverty, for God hath promised to be their deliverer, and hath said, He will never forsake them, Heb. 13, 5. Thirdly, such as are endued with it, shall not be destitute of godliness, which is great gain, to supply all things, 1 Tim. 6, 6. Fourthly, it is a testimony of true faith resting in the will and pleasure of God, Matth. 19, 21: for it witnesseth for them that they have their treasure in heaven. Fiftly, it maketh this life sweet and comfortable, Prou. 13, 15. and without it there is nothing but trouble and vexation of spirit. Lastly, a little with the fear of God, is better than great heaps of riches & treasures, Prou. 15, 16, 17. & 16, 8.   

13 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the Land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine Tribes, and to the half Tribe.  
14 For the Tribe of the children of Reuben, according to the house of their fathers, and the Tribe of the children of Gad according unto the house of their fathers, have received inheritance, and half the Tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance.  
15 The two Tribes and the half Tribe have received their inheritance on this side jordan near jericho, Eastward, toward the Sun rising.  
In the former words we heard the Commandment of God to Moses, touching the bounds and division of the Land: here we see the execution of it, commending his obedience, wherein he encourageth the Israelites to prepare themselves to enter into the Land. We have all need to be comforted and encouraged to good duties, in regard of our present dullness.  
Again, we see that the consideration of the nearness of God's mercies, should embolden and encourage every one to be constant and courageous, that we faint not in the last act. This made Moses say, This is the Land which ye shall inherit: he doth as it were point it out with the finger, and biddeth them lift up their eyes, and behold the goodness which God had promised to their fathers. For as the consideration of judgement at hand & lying at the doors ought to move terror and astonishment, so when we behold the mercies of God before our eyes, which are not prolonged for many years, it ought to inflame us with an holy zeal and desire to see the accomplishment of the same: as Christ teacheth his Disciples touching the last day & the coming of the Son of man, Luke 21, 28; When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, & lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. But to pass these over, let us stay ourselves a while in the consideration of the estate of the Church of Israel as now it stood. Some were at rest, other were to pass farther. Some had their inheritance, and some had none. Some had Towns and Cities to dwell in, and some were yet left to the wide world, and were to wander farther. Some had much, and others little or nothing at all. Some wanted, and some wanted nothing. This teacheth us what is the estate of the people of GOD, 
Doctrine. Some among God's people do always want.  some among Gods own servants do always want and stand in need, Deut. 15, 7, 11. Matth. 26, 11. and 11, 5. Acts 2, 45. and 4, 34. and 6, 1. 1 Cor. 4, 11. 2 Cor. 8, 1. and 9, 1, 2. and 11, 27. Acts 3, 6.  
Reason 1 The grounds are apparent, that they should learn always to depend upon GOD and to call upon him, and not to put confidence in the flesh. This the Apostle expresseth touching his troubles and the rest of the Apostles, 2. Cor. 1, 8, 9 We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life, yea we had the sentence of death in ourselves, That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. If the faithful did never stand in need of God's help, they would forget God, and themselves, and the next life. If the child did never want any thing, he would not know his father from another, but would quickly forget him: and so likewise it would be with us toward almighty God.  
Reason 2 Secondly, God will never have those that have plenty & abundance to be without objects upon whom to show mercy, that his gifts may be tried which he hath given them. For why doth God suffer the poor to be in the Church, but only to offer occasion to us to do good? as Mark 14, 7. Ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good, but me ye have not always. We never want persons, upon whom to exercise our pity and compassion whensoever we will. Therefore when we see one man poor, and another rich, let us not ascribe this to fortune, but consider the providence of God therein, which disposeth all things in that manner. God maketh trial what is in us, and would have the poor to be his collectors or receivers, to take away all excuse from us, that we should not say, We knew not to whom to do good; and therefore the Lord saith, The poor shall never cease out of the Land, Deuteronomy 15, verse 11.  
Thirdly, as he will have the gifts of such Reason 3 as have received what to give, to be tried, so he will have their patience proved that be in need; which could not be, if they did not suffer. For where there is no pain, there can be no patience, and therefore the Apostle teacheth, that Tribulation bringeth forth patience, Romans 5, verse 3. And this serveth much for the glory of God, and the good of them that are in necessity.  
Fourthly, that we should not settle and Reason 4 nestle ourselves here, nor make the earth to be our heaven, nor our treasure to be our god; but that we should seek for another life, where shall be no want, no misery, no necessity, but God shall be all in all.  
This meeteth fitly and fully with the church Use 1 of Rome, that make temporal felicity a note of the Church, to live in pomp and glory of the world. This we see handled at large by Cardinal Bellarmine among the notes of the church; 
De not. eccles. lib. 4. cap. 18.  but it is so far from being a note of the Church, that it is rather a note of the Church of Antichrist. And the Spirit of God foretelleth in the book of the Revelation, that this should be the voice of spiritual Babylon, chap. 18, 7, 8. She saith in her heart, I sit a Queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Lo how we are warned before hand, in what sort the Roman Church shall advance itself in regard of temporal happiness and of good success. But when that shall come to pass which the Scripture prophesieth in the same place, that how much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, 
revel. 17, 16  so much torment and sorrow she shall suffer, so that her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and when the kings of the earth (who have lived deliciously with her) shall hate and detest the whore, and make her desolate, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire: and when the people of God (that are called to come out of her) shall reward her even as she rewarded them, and double unto her double according to her works, and in the cup which she hath filled, shall fill to her double: what shall become of this temporal felicity, whereof they glory so much? & where shall this note be found among them, which now they cry out to be wanting among us? doubtless then, they will tell us of new notes, and disclaim the old which they now maintain at this present for their own advantage. For what hath the state of the Church been upon the earth from the beginning? The posterity of Cain lived in greatest felicity, Gen. 6, 1, increasing in strength, in glory, in might, and in multitudes, while Abel was killed by his brother, and Adam lived childless. And after the flood, God suffered his people, the posterity of Abraham to sojourn as strangers in a strange Land, and to be evilly entreated four hundred years, Gen. chap. 15, ver. 13, while the Canaanites lived in peace and pomp: and yet the Church was among that poor distressed company, and not among the Canaanites. Therefore the Lord saith by his Prophet, I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage: I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies, jer. 12, 7. The kingdom of Christ is not of this world, neither doth he promise to the children of the kingdom the pleasures & delights of this world. The Saints of God find not the best entertainment upon the earth, and therefore Christ saith, john 16, 20. Verily I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful; but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. And afterward, verse 33. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. All the felicity and happiness of God's servants, is a promised and a reserved happiness, we hear of nothing here but crosses & afflictions. Hence it is, that Espenceus one of the popish Writers affirmeth, 
In 2 Tim. p. 103.  that Crux est ecclesiae nota, that is, The Cross (and therefore not temporal felicity) is a note of the Church. And again he telleth us, that Christ foretold of labour and sorrow (as he said to his Disciples, They shall scourge you in their Synagogues:) but the false christs prophesied of prosperity. If such be false christs, then by the verdict and sentence of this man, Bellarmine must needs be a false prophet, for he dreameth of nothing but of felicity & prosperity. True it is, the Church sometimes hath rest from enemies, and enjoyeth external peace, but besides, that this lasteth not long, they that are out of the Church have for the most part a greater portion of this blessing. And all these outward things, riches & poverty, peace and trouble, prosperity and adversity, fall out alike to the godly and the ungodly, and therefore Austin saith well, in Epist. 120. that Almighty God of his bountiful providence hath granted earthly felicity even to the wicked, that good men should not so greatly desire after it.  
Use 2 Secondly, this reproveth the foolish and superfluous pomp used in Popery and blind times of superstition, as if God took pleasure in paintings, in Images, in Candles, and cost bestowed upon their own traditions: when in the mean season the poor are for the most part neglected and forgotten. True it is, the Lord could have made all rich, if it had pleased him, but he sendeth the poor to us, to give us occasion to exercise charity on them, who are made after his own Image. The popish sort account no worship like to this, to adorn and beautify the Church walls, to gild and garnish Images, senseless things, and dead stones, and pass by the living stones of the Temple, that are polished by the hammer of God's word. Neither doth this establish the art of begging, because we teach, that there shall always be poor among the people of God: For poverty is one thing, and beggary is another: all poor are not beggars, and all beggars are not always poor. It is a great shame and reproach for a people that profess piety and Christianity, 
The discommodities of suffling beggars & rogues  to suffer any beggars to swarm among them, which is the overthrow of order and honesty. For first, this argueth great want of charity, and much hardness of heart, that the rich devour all alone, and have no regard of succouring such as be in need and necessity, and are sore pinched with poverty and penury.  
Secondly, when the bridle is once let lose in this kind, it groweth to be a common occupation: and when such go up and down from place to place, and from house to house, it cannot be rightly discerned who are poor indeed, neither can we say, who have need, & who have not need, neither discern the idle from the impotent; wherein they most commonly speed best, not who have most need, but such as are most impudent, clamorous, & importunate.  
Thirdly, the rewarding of such as go about begging from door to door, and walk or rather wander from country to country, is no better than a maintaining of idle persons contrary to the law of God and man, and a filling of the Land full of idleness: now such as are nuzzled in roguing, in the end grow to be cunning in robbing: for from a rogue to turn to a thief is an easy passage.  
Fourthly, such as are enured to this practice and find sweetness in it, and themselves encouraged by ease, can never enure themselves to endure hard labour or to take pains in any calling afterward, but live by the sweat of other men's brows all their days.  
Lastly, such persons are dangerous to a state, no better than vermin or caterpillars that devour the fruits of the eaarh, & rob from them that are poor indeed; such as live as no parts of any body, no members of the Church, or of the commonwealth, or of any private family, but are as members cut off from the body. So then there ought to be no beggars in Israel, which bring nothing but confusion, & are the nursery of all evil, and overthrow the law of God and man, of nature and charity. Howbeit these locusts live so well with the scrip, that they would be loath to exchange their trade for a yearly rent, or a daily pension, provided that withal they should be compelled to labour with their hands. This also serveth to meet with the begging Friars, & such as vow voluntary poverty as cousingermen to rogues & beggars that wander up and dow●● under colour of relief, and yet boast of this occupation, as of a state of perfection. But of these vows, we have spoken sufficiently before.  
Lastly, this teacheth those that have the Use 3 goods of this world, to show pity and compassion on them that stand in need. The two Tribes and the half are commanded to go up armed before their brethren, and never to forsake them and give them over, until they had seen their hearts desire upon their enemies, and placed their brethren in safety, and had given to them a peaceable possession of their portion of that promised land. And albeit we should give at all times, yet then especially ought our compassion to be exercised and extended, when the poor stand most in need of our help, as in time of dearth and famine. Then the common cause and cry of the poor should cause us to cut our morsels thinner, & the shorter, and to abridge ourselves of all superfluity and excess, rather than to see them to miscarry, and to perish for hunger. And if over we mind to serve God, and to do him homage with our goods, we should be forward and faithful to do it at such times. The first Christians carried such zeal toward God, and love toward the poor Saints, that They sold their possessions and goods, and laid down the money at the Apostles feet, that it might be distributed as every man had need. And as the poor must especially be provided for in times of want, so among the poor, the poor Saints ought chief to be regarded, as the Apostle showeth, Let us do good unto all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith, Gal. 6, 10. Thus ought we in doing good to respect the times & persons, & in both whatsoever we do, it must proceed from a willing mind and a cheerful heart, 2 Cor. 9, verse 7. otherwise it is a sacrifice not pleasing in the sight of God.  

Motives to move us unto liberality toward the poor.  Now the Scripture affordeth unto us sundry motives, as so many encouragements unto liberality. First, because it is a service and sacrifice commanded of God, that while we have opportunity, we should do good to all, Gal. 6, 10. 1 Thess. 5, 15. Secondly, it is a grace of God bestowed upon the Churches. 2 Cor. 8, 1. Thirdly, it is fruitful and bringeth forth much increase. Gal. 6, 7, 8. 2 Cor. 8, verse 12: yea though it be cast upon the waters, Eccle. 11, 1. Fourthly, it is a certain argument of sincere love, 2 Cor. 8, 8, 24: as for that bounty and liberality which standeth in words only, it showeth the heart of that man to be destitute both of faith and love. Fiftly, the Spirit of God taketh notice of all charitable works, & commendeth them in the godly, whose example we ought to follow, as in the Macedonians, 2 Cor. 8. Sixtly, whatsoever is bestowed in the name of God, is lent to him, and he will repay us: Nay, the Lord jesus accepteth it, and accounteth it as done unto himself, as we showed at large before in this book.   

16 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:  
17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: Eleazar the Priest, and joshua the son of Nun.  
18 And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.  
19 And the names of the men are these: Of the Tribe of judah, Caleb the son of jephunneh.  
20 Of the Tribe of Simeon, Shemuel, etc.  
21 Of Benjamin, Elidad, etc.  
22 Of Dan, Bukki, etc.  
23 For the tribe of Manasseh, Hananiel, etc.  
24 Of Ephraim, Kemuel, etc.  
25 Of Zebulun, Elizaphan, etc.  
26 Of Issachar, Paltiel, etc.  
27 Of Ashur, Ahihud, etc.  
28 Of Naphtali, Pedahel, etc.  
29 These are they whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.  
This is the second part of the chapped. where the persons are appointed and named which ought to divide the land: these are of 2. sorts, the chief and principal were the priest of the Church, and the Captain of the host; the rest were ten Princes chosen out of the ten tribes, so that two tribes are left out, to wit, Reuben and Gad, because they had their inheritance befallen them already, at their own request, on this side jordan. All these Princes are particularly expressed by their names, and by the names of their fathers, and all are joined in equal commission together, that nothing should be done with partiality, to whose arbitrement and determination all were bound to stand. From hence three questions may be raised. First, Objection. what need there was of any Princes to divide the land, and give the Tribes their possessions, seeing this was to be done by lot? I answer, Answ. the one of these doth not take away the other, there was use of them both. For, seeing the lot could not be used, except the land were divided into ten parts or Provinces, therefore it pleased God to use the help and ministry of men, to divide it into ten parts; after which division made, the lots were cast, by judgement whereof every Tribe had his portion of the land. Thus we see, how both of them were very necessary, and that the one did not overthrow or disannul the other. Again, Object. why doth God join ten other Princes to Eleazar the Priest, and to joshua the son of Nun, were not these two sufficient? Answer. I answer that which belongeth to all, aught to be done of all; and thereby God taketh away that envy which might he cast upon them, when the matter was indifferently decided by a several Prince, selected out of every several Tribe. Thus the mouths of all were stopped, and every one persuaded to rest without complaint or contradiction, in the deciding which they should make.  
Thirdly, the question may be asked, Object. Why the Priest was employed in this division? For, some haply will marvel, that matter of temporal inheritance (in which himself and the rest of that tribe had no other portion but the Lord) should be committed to him that had the charge of the Tabernacle, and this may seem altogether impertinent to his function. I answer, Answ. this was done for sundry weighty considerations. For this was not without a mystery. 
Why the high Priests help was used in the division of the land.  And as every ceremony had his signification, so herein the Priest was a figure of Christ, to whom the spiritual inheritance belongeth, who is ascended to prepare a place for those that be his in heaven. Secondly, this was done in regard of the Priests & Levites, for albeit they had no inheritance in the land, yet some part and parcel fell unto their share out of every Tribe, as we shall see in the following chapter. Thirdly, if any controversy should arise in this great and weighty business of making a stable and unchangeable division that might remain among their posterity for ever, they might have the Priest at hand for direction, and to ask counsel for them at the mouth of God. Lastly, that this whole action might be sanctified to them & their children, it was to be begun with prayer, and to be finished with thanksgiving (for which the Priest was the fittest) according to the saying of the Apostle, Coloss. 3. verse 17. Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.  
This division offereth divers instructions. In that Eleazar & joshua the chief of the rest, appointed to set out the land are named before other, it teacheth, that superiors (whose head God hath lifted up above their brethren) ought to give good example to others. Again, we see that God maketh choice of men to be his instruments, so that not only those things are to be holden divine, and of divine authority, which are done immediately by God himself, but such also as are done by men, assigned to their office by him. Thus God hath called men, and not Angels, to preach the Gospel, whereby he regenerateth us, and maketh us heirs of his kingdom, if we receive the same by faith. We are therefore to submit ourselves unto it, and to be content to be informed and reform by it no otherwise, then if an Angel from heaven, nay no less than if God himself should speak unto us, Luke 10, 16. 1 Thess. 2, 13. Acts 10, 33. This is the way to hear aright. Furthermore, observe the faith of this people. They were not yet come into the land, they had not passed over jordan, nor obtained one foot there; the Canaanites yet dwelled in their Cities, and armed themselves to resist them, they had strong Cities walled up to heaven, and mighty men of strength and stature to oppose against them, they had a generation of Giants & mighty men, that were as so many Goliahs to bid defiance to Israel: yet we see they are occupied in dividing the land, and have Princes appointed to determine the same, and all of them are no less busy in the work, then if the land were already conquered & subdued unto them: which showeth to us the nature of faith, according to the description of the Apostle, Heb. 11.1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: for by it the elders obtained a good report. This we saw before in the daughters of Zelophehad, how zealous they were in the cause of their father, to have a part of the inheritance particularly to themselves. True it is, this is touching a temporal promise, or a promise of a temporal blessing, howbeit it had reference typically to the eternal inheritance in the heavenly Canaan. So then this teacheth us, that true faith apprehendeth, appropriateth, 
Doctrine. True faith is of an applying nature.  and applieth God's promises as if they were present. True faith is of an applying nature. It doth not only assent unto the promises of God, but maketh application of them to ourselves, and both are necessary to salvation, jer. 31, 33 Esay 25, 9 Cant. 2, 16, and 6, 3. john 1, 12. and 6, 51, 35, and 3, 14, 15. None had comfort by the brazen serpent that was lift up on the pole, but such as were able in particular to look upon it, and assented and believed the promise that they should be cured and restored by it. Christ calleth himself, The living bread, of which we must eat: but what is eating save an application? because whatsoever a man eateth or drinketh that he applieth unto himself, and receiveth it to be his: so touching faith, whatsoever a man doth believe, the same he doth apply unto himself, or else it can be no truth faith, but a counterfeit faith.  
Mark the grounds of this point. First, true Reason 1 Faith standeth of two parts, whereof one is an act of the understanding, the other is an act of the will, according to the saying of the Apostle, Roman. chap. 10. verse 10, With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. The mind informeth us to see and know God and his son Christ, and the promises made in him: the heart seeketh, desireth, and loveth that which it knoweth, which cannot be without a particular application.  
Secondly, every man is commanded to believe, Mark chap. 1. verse 15. 1 john chap 5. verse 15. Now it is not enough that we believe, except we also make application, or else we believe no otherwise then the devils believe, for even they believe God & Christ, james chap. 2, verse 19 But to make particular application of Christ, as to say, Christ is mine, and I am his, and have remission of sins by his death, is more than any or all the devils in hell can do.  
The Angel that was sent to be the first preacher of the Gospel, said to the shepherds, Luke 2. Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day a Saviour: that is, to you that believe, for except they had believed it, and applied it to themselves, they could never have conceived any joy at all, nor received any benefit at all by it.  
Thirdly, the promises of GOD, howsoever they are delivered in general terms, yet they are particular also, and every one is bound to gather a particular to himself out of the general. As in a Proclamation, albeit it be conceived and published in general words, yet the matter is that which belongeth to every one in particular, and must be so applied, as if his own name were set down in it. 
Mark 16, 26. john 3, 16.  The Gospel is as a Prince's proclamation, offering pardon and forgiveness: and though the promises of God be general, yet they do contain a particular, because that which is spoken to all believers, is spoken unto every one that is a believer, and that which is spoken to all penitent persons, must be applied to every several penitent soul.  
Fourthly, God hath ordained the Sacraments in the Church to be the seals of the righteousness of faith, Rom. 4, 11: and that they should be delivered particularly to every man, thereby to assure him of grace and mercy in particular. When men once come to know, that Christ offereth remission of sins by his death, by the receiving of the Sacraments particularly we come to apply Christ and his merits to ourselves: so that the delivering of them unto us is thus much in effect, Thou believest these general things, then draw near and take this unto thy farther comfort, that thou mayest be assured, that the promises of righteousness do belong unto thee, as if indeed thy name were particularly specified therein. All these things being considered, it followeth necessarily, that the general knowledge is not sufficient, but a particular application is necessary to salvation.  
Use 1 This serveth for confutation of an error of the church of Rome, denying that a man may particularly believe, that God is his God, or that Christ is his Saviour, or that remission of sins belongeth unto him: and why so? Forsooth, because in the Gospel all runneth in general, and it is not there written, that such and such are Gods, and shall have benefit by Christ. But where there is a general, as for example, Whosoever believeth and repenteth shall be saved, there is the particular also, If thou believe thou shalt be saved: and the faithful by virtue of this do believe, and are saved by this their application. The Apostles said to the Gaoler, Acts 16, 31: Believe on the Lord jesus Christ, & thou shalt be saved, and thy house: If the Keeper of the prison had replied, Sirs, how do you know that I shall be saved by Christ? Is my name written in the book of God, that I may be assured it is written in the book of life? Would not they have told him, that his particular name was included in the general, albeit it were not expressed? The Papists do presume to give absolution upon confession, and yet they do not find any man in the Gospel particularly named. When Christ our Saviour saith, Whose sins soever ye remit, they are remitted, john 20, 23: they are not afraid upon this general to give absolution to particular persons, and to tell them that their sins are forgiven. And will not these men be so favourable to us, as to suffer us from a general to infer and gather a particular, as well as themselves? to wit, that when Christ saith, Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish, but have everlasting life: the Minister may speak to the conscience of this or that man particularly, Believe thou in the Lord jesus, and thou shalt have eternal life?  
But Bellarmine goeth farther, and objecteth, Objection. That this is not a simple promise, but conditional, if they repent and believe, than they may indeed apply these things to themselves and be assured of them: but a man cannot have any certainty of these things, that they do believe and repent, and therefore they cannot in particular apply them to themselves. Answ. I answer, this is to build one error upon another, and to daub them both with untempered mortar. For wherefore doth the Apostle command every man to try and examine himself whether he be in the faith, and have Christ jesus dwelling in him, 2. Cor: 13: if after this proof he cannot know what his estate and condition is? This is a certain rule, whosoever truly believeth, knoweth that he believeth, though no man knoweth it but himself. He that is the Lords, hath a new name written, 
revel. 2, 17.  which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. But he which hath received it, knoweth it as well as he knoweth he liveth. For no man doth know the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him: even so the things of God knoweth no man save the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2, 11. So then every man both may and aught to have assurance of his own salvation; and therefore this we believe, let them teach and write what they will. For, what if a frantic man should run up and down, & boast that all the wares which come to such a Port or haven are his, shall the Merchant be discouraged to think they are none of his? Or, if a false fellow come forth and lay claim to our inheritance, will that bar the true owner of his right? or make him to let go his hold? What if a mad man out of his wits should say, that the Crown and Kingdom is his, would we therefore think it is so indeed? Or if some should show false and counterfeit pearls, will the Goldsmith be discouraged, and think that his also are nought, and of the same stamp? In like sort we may reason, What though some do not believe, or will not apply Christ unto themselves? What if satan have deluded them with the spirit of error, and blinded them with the mists of ignorance, shall we therefore suffer ourselves to be beguiled, and to be brought to think that we have no true knowledge or faith? or that we ought not to apply Christ jesus in particular to ourselves? To conclude, we may be bold to avouch, that the devils have as much faith as the papists teach and believe. For the devil can say, and that truly, I do believe: I believe that remission of sins is sealed up by Christ for salvation: so that he may believe as much as any Papist in the world, holding the principles of their own doctrine, forasmuch as the Romish faith is no other than historical, to believe the Scriptures and all things written in them to be true, but they never come to the principal & main matter, wherein the comfort of a Christian lieth, to make particular application of any thing to themselves.  
Use 2 Secondly, it admonisheth every man to examine himself, and to try whether his faith be true, or not: this is the counsel and commandment of the Apostle, 2 Cor. 13, 5. as we heard before: and how shall we better do it, than by making particular application of those things which ought to be believed? to believe that God is our God, that the Lord jesus is our Saviour, that we are righteous by his obedience, that we have the pardon of our sins, that we have received the grace of sanctification, and that we shall be partakers of eternal life. For as faith is the life of the soul, so this application is the life of faith. If we find this in us, then certainly we have a true, a lively, a justifying faith; otherwise we deceive ourselves with a shadow and opinion of faith, when in truth we are utterly destitute of it. And if men were brought to their trial herein, it is greatly to be suspected and feared, that not only they in the Church of Rome, but many that live in the Church of God itself, will be found to want the true faith, and to please themselves with a naked show of it. For some have not a general knowledge, and therefore cannot have so much as a general faith. Many, albeit they have a general knowledge, yet they will not, nay they cannot in special apply Christ and his benefits unto themselves, because such is their simplicity or sottishness, that they condemn this doctrine of applying Christ to themselves, & say it is to some a doctrine of presumption, & to others the pathway leading to desperation. These are afraid to go so far, and dare not meddle with it. They will hope well, as the Papists do, and think well, but they cannot abide to hear of any particular application. These are as men that are afraid of their good friends, whose case must needs be lamentable, and they stand in a dangerous, nay I may say in a damnable condition: because without this application there can be no true faith, and without true faith no salvation. We have experience of some in our days, who out of a melancholy humour, persuade themselves that they may not eat, because they are unworthy to touch their meat, and by this means are the cause of their own death: and yet they think they may see it, and talk of it, but by no means may touch it. This is the faith of many Christians among us, they think they may hear of the things that belong to salvation, and reason of them, but by no means they may apply them; these men's case is very dangerous, for they must needs perish eternally. For as life is maintained, not by looking upon our meat, or by speaking of it, or by hearing of it, but by taking and applying of it: so the soul is sustained and life preserved in it, not by hearing of the promises of the Gospel, nor by assenting unto them, but by applying of them unto ourselves. When the Israelites were stung in the wilderness with the fiery serpents and scorpions, Deut. 8, 15, insomuch that many died, if any should have said, I am not worthy to look up to the brazen serpent, and to fasten mine eyes upon it I know indeed that God hath appointed it as the only means and remedy to recover them that are stung, but I dare not presume to behold it, because of mine unworthiness: would we not think that it were just that this man should perish? So is it in this case, many men know that God hath sent his Son into the world, and that he died for the sins of the world, yet many are so desperate, that they talk and dispute of nothing but of their own unworthiness, and say they would apply Christ, but they dare not, they are such grievous sinners. Howbeit he that was worthy to take the book out of the right hand of the Father, and to open it, revel. 5, 2, 5, 11, 12, hath also made his children partakers of his worthiness, revel. 3, 4. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. His merits are become our merits, and his righteousness is made ours, 2 Cor. 5, 21. Wherefore, whosoever they are, that either through the corruption of their own hearts, or through the tentation of Satan do not truly apply Christ unto themselves, and his death to their salvation, but make it a matter of presumption, their condition is miserable, and they are yet in the way to destruction, and may justly fear that the wrath and judgements of God will overtake them.  
Lastly, this point is very sweet and comfortable Use 3 to every one that is able (though with much weakness and many infirmities) in particular to apply the general promises of God and the Gospel to himself because such shall be sure to find God gracious unto them; and if they be stung by the old serpent, they shall be healed, because they can look up to to the 2. ferpent that God hath set up, and appointed to be the healer and helper of them. If they be hungry, they shall be sure to be satisfied, Christ is the true bread that came down from Heaven, john 6, they eat him by faith, and so apply in particular the general promises to themselves. This is it indeed that aught to encourage every man to labour for this particular application, & not like hypocrites to content themselves with general things, as if they were afraid that Christ should come within their doors. They are in effect like the Gadarens, that bid him departed out of their quarters. The particular faith is the only comfortable faith, and by this the just man liveth. The Civilians have a rule, that mine is better than ours, and in temporal things all men like of it. So we may say in the matters of faith, touching particular application, it is better for a man to say, Christ is mine, than Christ is ours. Nevertheless, we must understand and observe thus much, that men must not be discouraged to think they do not believe, when indeed they do believe. For the best of God's children do believe with much weakness, and encounter with many oppositions, with which they wrestle and buckle hand to hand. Sometimes the effects of God's grace are not so lively in them as formerly they have been: sometimes the heart of man being full of corruption will cast many doubts concerning his faith, which is as much as if it should cast mire and dirt in the face of it. The life of a Christian is like the days of the year, sometimes the days are very fair, sometimes again they are cloudy and full of showers: so a man that doth believe shall find much peace, and have a long time of rest and refreshing together: sometimes again he shall be full of many doubts, and of much staggering, as when the Sun withdraweth itself within the clouds. Every true faithful soul knoweth this by continual experience. And he that findeth these things, let him not be discouraged, but rather be assured that these are signs of true faith, & that God dealeth thus with his own for these ends, to make them more certain of their faith, to teach them to lay better hold of the promises of God, and to have more joy in them; and howsoever they may lose the sight of these things for a time, yet their faith in the end shall have victory, and they shall be able to pierce and pass through these clouds, and have a certain application, by which they shall be sure to want no good thing.    

CHAP. XXXV.  

1 ANd the Lord spoke unto Moses, in the plains of Moab by jordan, near jericho, saying:  
2 Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession, Cities to dwell in: and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the, etc.  
3 And the Cities shall they have to dwell in, and the suburbs of them shall be for their Cattle, and for their goods, etc.  
4 And the suburbs of the Cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the City and outward, a thousand cubits round about.  
5 And ye shall measure from without the City on the East side, two thousand cubits, and on the Southside two thousand, etc.  
6 And among the Cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, there shall be six Cities for refuge which ye shall give to the manslayer, etc.  
7 So all the Cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be 48. Cities.  
8 And the Cities which ye shall, etc.  
IN the former chapter we spoke of the inheritance in general. Now we come to the particular, and first touching the Priest, which is an exception from the former. 
The contents of this chap.  Of this chapter there are two principal parts: first, a commandment to assign certain Cities for the use and dwelling of the Priests and Levites, who otherwise had no portion allotted, chap. 29. Secondly, Laws prescribed touching manslaughter. Touching the first, we see that albeit in the former distribution of the inheritance there be no mention made of the Priests and Levites, yet God will not forget them himself, neither have them forgotten by others, but provideth for them places of habitation, and assigneth to them 48. Cities, with their suburbs, wherein they are appointed to dwell. Touching their food and sustenance, they had the first fruits and the tithes of the fruit of their land, and of the increase of their Cattle. And because he would have them want nothing that was needful for them (although men's devotion and charity is such, that they could be content to see them want all things) he taketh order in this place for their houses and dwellings, and that in a plentiful and bountiful manner, considering the compass of the land, as we described it in the former chapter. For besides the many Cities appointed, they had suburbs, with a thousand Cubits in compass about those cities for barns, outhouses, and stalls for cattle; besides fields, stirs, and meadows, containing two thousand cubits more for feeding and breeding of their cattle. These were not assigned unto them out of one or two tribes, but selected out of them all, yet in such sort, that the tribes which had the larger inheritance must set apart the more, and they that had less were to give the fewer: and thus was a just and equal proportion observed, that one should not be eased, and another ouerburthened. Thus were the Levites dispersed in jacob, and scattered in Israel, that so God might be served and his worship preserved throughout the land. Thus God would have all his people in all corners and quarters to be taught and instructed, the small as well as the great, plain villages as well as famous and populous Cities, as we have showed before, chap. 3. Thus was the punishment laid upon Leut, Gen. 49, 7: turned into a blessings, and their reproach changed into matter of honour and dignity. These were commonly called the Cities of the Levites, not that they only dwelled in them, but because they among others dwelled in them, the youth were instructed in the liberal sciences, the law of God was expounded in the Synagogues, there also public schools and colleges were builded to be as holy Seminaries and Nurseries of piety and religion, as we do read in many places of the books of Samuel and the kings.  

Of the Cities of refuge.  Moreover observe, that out of these Cities of the Levites God maketh choice of six Cities of refuge, whereof three are in the land of Canaan, and the other on this side jordan: and these were not chosen to be together, but they were so fitted, that every part of the Land had one of them at hand, lest such as were without fault and innocent should be pursued and slain by the avenger of blood before he could recover any of them. Now these Cities are assigned out of the Cities of the Levites, rather than out of any othet, that the places might be more respected, and be more inviolably observed: and it is presumed that the Priests would not protect wilful & wretched offenders, and so defile the places which were granted only to be Sanctuaries for the innocent. Thus did God allow Sanctuaries & privileged places among his people, and many other nations in all times, and of ancient times have followed this example. But whether it be expedient in the days of the Gospel to entertain and give way unto them, may be a great question.  

Whether Sanctuaries & privileged places may be allowed among Christians.  Peter Martyr disputing this point, whether they are to be retained or abolished, delivereth his opinion, that because the law of God allowed them, the customs of nations approved them, and for that there may be at some times just cause of them, therefore they may have place among Christians, so that certain conditions be observed. First, that neither public nor private wealth be any way hurt or damnified. Secondly, that vices be not nourished and fostered by hope of pardon, or escaping without punishment. Lastly, provision must be made, that they should not stand open to all sorts of offenders, but only be granted to certain persons: as when a man at unawares hath killed another and feareth the avenger, or is oppressed and overburdened with debt without his own fault & feareth the creditor. Nevertheless, it seemeth to me, that these reasons carry more show than substance, and persuade rather by the number, then by their weight. For to allow such Sanctuaries, and yet to limit them with these cautions; seemeth to me all one, as if one should deliver a knife into the hands of a child, and then appoint three or four keepers and overseers to attend upon him, to take care that he do no hurt to himself or to others; whereas the knife might more safely be taken away, and the labour of the men better employed. And as for the two particular instances that this learned man giveth, in case of manslaughter and debt, there are Courts of justice and conscience to try every man's cause, and to mitigate the rigour of such as are merciless: and therefore howsoever we have had Sanctuaries and other privileged places among us, as appeareth in our Chronicles, in the late reign of Edward the fourth, & Edward the fift, the memory whereof yet remaineth (which peradventure may yet be in force) yet through disuse and discontinuance of them it may appear that the evil was judged to be greater than the good that came by them. And if some inconvenience in some one case might fall out through want of them, it were better to bear that inconvenience by missing of them, then to admit a mischief or rather an heap of mischief, by retaining of them. But howsoever it may be judged in some certain cases a matter of charity to allow to some persons the Sanctuary, to save themselves from such cormorants as would never be satisfied but by the body and blood of the poor debtor; yet because under colour and pretence of this protection, infinite enormities would arise unto the detriment of the Commonwealth, and that the former supposed causes may be better remedied by other means no way hurtful or prejudicial at all to any, it were much better quite to dissolve them, then to retain them. For grant once this privilege and immunity to such as are grown to decay by inevitable losses, you shall have others in time claim that benefit (yea, and perhaps sooner receive it) that are gone to decay by their own negligence and unthriftiness. And if it were needful or expedient in case of debt to allow the Sanctuary, no doubt the Lord himself setting up these Sanctuaries, would have extended the liberty to such persons to fly unto them: whereas among the people of God none were allowed to have refuge unto them, but such as were pursued by the avenger of blood. And if there were no other reason to abolish them, it were sufficient to see the horrible abuses of them in the Papacy, where murderers, and traitors, and varlets, and a rabble of all sorts of cutthroats (as we shall see afterward) are protected, and allowed to be protected, contrary to the express commandment of God, Exodus 21, 14. If a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, and slay him with guile, the thou shalt take him from the Altar, that he may die. And we see the practice of it in Solomon, 1 Kings 2, 31: for when joab a wilful murderer, that slew two men more righteous and better than himself, and shed innocent blood in the time of peace, fled into the Tabernacle of the Lord, and caught hold upon the Altar, he commanded him to be slain in that place. But to return to the former point, 
Popish Sanctuaries unlawful.  whether this be inconvenient or not, this is most certain, that no states do so much offend by denying of them, as the Romanists do by admitting of them, whereby it cometh to pass, that Churches and Monasteries are turned into dens of thieves. It is noted, that Innocentius the third wrote to the king of Scots that then was, That no man should be taken by violence out of the church albeit he had committed very heinous offences. Howbeit lest they should seem to let open a window, and to set lose the reins unto all sorts of wickedness, they have excepted some certain cases. 
Decret de Immunit. eccles.  First, they will not defend common thieves and robbers which do stand by the highway side to set upon such as pass by, whether it be by day or night: neither yet those that offend grievously in the Church or Churchyard, in hope there to be privileged, because such ought not to be protected by the Church which sin heinously against the Church. 
Decre●. 36, 9 Can. de Rapto.  As for other wickedness and most lewd and lose villainies, as the murdering of men, the ravishing of Virgins, adulteries, and such like practices, they defend them, as appeareth in the Decrees. And they offer this immunity and impunity not only to Christians, but to the jews and heathen people, yea to excommunicate persons, and to heretics, provided, that the heretics come into danger for other crimes; whereas if it be for heresy, they are denied the benefit of the Sanctuary. Neither is this liberty granted to the Church only, 
Decret. 17, 9, 4 c●● id constitutionis.  but to the bishops palace, albeit it be not joined unto the Church. As great a privilege likewise they grant to their breaden-god (and great reason, why?) so often as it is carried about in pomp and procession, or unto the sick; for if in such case any man join himself to the Priest, he hath a safeguard and Sanctuary. Many such like enormities are committed, and pass as currant among them, and so much wickedness goeth unpunished, whereby God is offended, the Church is polluted, and the Land itself is utterly defiled; and yet such places of special privilege and protection, are retained and defended.  
[Command unto the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites, etc.] here we see, what great allowance God gave to those that ministered at the Altar, and did the service of the Tabernacle. And albeit the levitical Priesthood and all that ministration be now abolished, yet because God to the end of the world gathereth unto himself a Church by the Ministry of the most holy Word and Sacraments, he will have his Ministers also under the Gospel sufficiently provided not only of sustenance and maintenance, but also of houses and habitations fit for them, that they might wait upon their office without disturbance or distraction.  
This teacheth us, 
Doctrine. The ministers must be provided of all things necessary for them.  that the Ministers of the church must be provided of food & raiment, of houses and dwellings, and of all things necessary for them. This is proved at large in this place; here it is commanded, & in the book of joshua it is performed and executed, as we may read in Chap. 2.1, 2, 3, 4, etc. where we see particularly what Cities every tribe gave as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses. The like we see in the prophecies of Ezekiel, Chapter 45. verses 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. that when the Messiah is exhibited, and the Gospel preached throughout the world, the Land shall be otherwise divided, so that part of it shall be assigned to the house of the Lord, part shall belong unto the Priests and to the Levites, verse 4, and 5. showing thereby, that the Ministers of the Gospel must be maintained. By the law of nature, every man was bound to give something for the furtherance of God's service, of such temporal goods as GOD had given him, Gen. 14. verse 18. and 28. verses 20, 22. levit. 27. verse 30, Numb, 18. ver. 28, Deut. 14. verses 28, 29. 2 Chron, 31. verses 4, 5. It is noted touching the zeal of good king Hezekiah, when he had appointed the courses of the Priests and Levites, every man according to his service, he commanded the people to give the portion to the Priests and Levites, and by and by they brought in abundance the first fruits of Corn, and Wine, and oil, and Honey, and of all the increase of the field, and the Tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.  
Neither doth this belong only unto the Reason 1 times of the Law, but likewise of the Gospel. For, the ministry of the Gospel is much more glorious then of the Law, and the calling of the Ministers of jesus Christ, is greater than of those that served at the Altar: for, as john was far greater than any of the Prophets that went before him, so he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he, as Matth. chap. 11. verse 11. If then, the Levites were so bountifully and liberally dealt withal, whose service was to take end at the exhibiting of the Messiah, then much more ought they whose ministry and service must stand and continue for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Eph. 4, 12, 13. Secondly, that they may attend to the holy things of God, & be no way disturbed. For seeing the Apostle giveth it in charge that they must give attendance to reading, to exhortation, & to doctrine, 1. Tim. 4, 13. how can they watch over the flock, and give themselves to these duties, except they have provision made for them accordingly? or how can they prepare a Table well furnished for the people in the church, when they have nothing to set on their tables in their own houses? Or deal bread unto the hungry, when they are hungry themselves? or how can they fill the people with the food of the soul, when the people suffer them to be empty, and to want the food of the body?  
Lastly, it is required of the Ministers, that they should be given to hospitality, as well as to teach, 1 Tim. 3, 2. the Apostle joineth both these together. But how shall they show work of charity, when they have not to supply their own necessity? Or how shall they entertain strangers, when they are not able to maintain their own families? Or how should they do this good unto the Church, when they themselves want it in their own private houses?  
Use 1 The Uses remain. First this reproveth the corrupt dealing of wretched and miserable people, who detain from the Ministers their livelihood, whereby they should help themselves, and relieve others. The Popish sort think nothing too good for their priests and shavelings, but we have those that think every thing too good for God's faithful Ministers; their maintenance is too stately, their diet too dainty, their apparel too costly, their houses too lofty: they could be content they were put to earn their living with the spade and shovel. They will not willingly afford them any thing, and they think it well saved which is purloined from them. They are accounted the best husbands that can most cunningly and craftily go beyond them: and such as can thrust a new custom (though it were never heard of before) upon them, to defeat and defraud them of that which is due unto them, doth account himself to leave his land in the best state, & to provide exceeding well for his posterity, and to rid his demeans of a very great bondage. In former times, tithes were counted as a debt to the Minister, now it is held a bondage or slavery to pay them. And yet these are they that cry out with open mouth against the cruelty and covetousness of the Clergy, like judah that exclaimed against the incontinency of Tamar, when himself was guilty of no less crime, Gen. 38. Secondly, it reproveth such Patrons as enrich themselves with the livings of the Church: who present other to the place, but retain to themselves a share out of the same. These do bestow the benefice, but they keep the benefit, never considering that it is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to inquire, Prou. 20, 25. Now that is to be accounted holy which is dedicated to holy uses, whether it be to the worship of God, to the maintenance of the Ministers, to the furtherance of schools and good learning, or to the relief of the poor, and therefore the abolishing or diminishing of these, is condemned as sacrilege against God, Deut. 23, 23. Their forefathers were liberal in furthering the worship of Images, nay of the devil himself, imagining it to be the service of the true God: they spared not to enrich those that were seducers and ringleaders to eternal damnation, though they were also unlearned and ungodly, & unfit for that calling, yet somewhat they gave them out of baptizings, and the other counterfeit sacraments, out of burials, trentals, masses, months minds, every thing yielded some see and stipend, whereby they grew rich in the world: whereas the children of these grudge to give any thing to their learned and godly pastors which God hath in mercy bestowed as a special gift upon the Church, but give them cause to complain of their wants of mere things necessary. The Prophet Malachi is not afraid to pronounce that such unconscionable dealing is not so much an injury to man, as to God himself, Mal. 3, 8, 9 Ye have rob me in tithes and offerings, saith the Lord. And in the Law it is expressed, that the tribe of Levi had no inheritance, nor any part among their brethren, But the Lord was their part and their inheritance, 
Numb. 18, 20.  because that which fell unto them was dedicated to God; and lest the people should think that the Ministers were beholding unto them for it, therefore God claimed the tithes to be his, Leu. 27, 30: & by his gift assigned them over to the Levites. No man can touch the Lords right to take it away, and be guiltless; for it is as a snare wherewith the hook is covered, and the fish or fowl deceived and entrapped. The profit that cometh by seizing upon holy things, promiseth much gain and advantage, yet let it seem never so sweet and pleasant to the taste, it shallbe as gravel, nay as poison in the stomach, & in the end shall sting them more dangerously that swallow it, then if they were bitten with scorpions & venomous serpents.  
Secondly, it is the duty of the people to Use 2 have a care of their Ministers. For seeing God hath appointed them to serve him, & to teach his people, that his way may be known upon earth, & his saving health among all nations, it is great reason they should be maintained for that purpose. The Levites were descended of the lineage of Abraham no less than any of the other tribes, & therefore a part of the inheritance belonged to them: nevertheless God put them from it, because they should not be troubled with tilling the ground & such like business, but give themselves wholly to the fulfilling of their office. And as the Ministers are often exhorted to do their duty, so must the people know, that God requireth a duty at their hands, that they provide for them, as Deut. 12, 19 And doubtless in that special charge given to the people, God more respected the benefit of the people themselves, them the profit of such as were to be maintained. The Ministers are to be maintained in a temporal estate, but the people in the unity of faith, and in obedience toward God, that so the true religion might be preserved in purity.  
Lastly, this serveth to put the Ministers in Use 3 mind of their duty. For wherefore hath God all this care over them, but that they should care for the people? And wherefore are the people to provide for their bodies, but that they should watch for their souls? This serveth to drive from the Altar such as are ignorant Ministers, that are not able to teach the people. Ignorance is a grievous sin in all, but especially in the Minister, who must not only have light in himself, but give light to others; and must not only know the way to God's kingdom, but show the way unto others. For God never meant that idol shepherds should have the places and provision ordained for such as will take pains. These thrust themselves into this great work and high calling of the Ministry, and yet are unfurnished of those gifts which should fit them for this function, 1 Tim. 3, 2. and 2 Tim. 2.2. They should be Lights of the world, and yet sit in darkness themselves: they are called to be Salt, but they are unsavoury. The Minister in the Church is as the eye in the body or as the candle in the Lantern. If then the watchmen be blind and have no knowledge, The blind must needs lead the blind, and then both fall into the ditch, Matth. 15, 14. The Ministers should be the mouth and Messengers of God unto the people; but if they be dumb and cannot speak, they are not able to deliver their embassage. They should be Nurses of God's children to feed them with the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby, 1 Peter 2, 2: but these have dry breasts and starve God's people, and are guilty of murder in his fight. They take upon them to be Stewards of God's family, to give them their portion in due season, Luke 12, 41: but they have no skill to break the bread of Life, neither to divide the spiritual food of the word aright. And whereas the Shepherds should feed the flock, they feed only themselves with the milk of the flock, and  themselves with the wool. They do think themselves to be Captains and overseers of the Lords host, to go before the people, but they are not able to handle the sword of the Spirit, nor to prepare the people for this spiritual warfare. These sin grievously by invading the Lords inheritance, and presumptuously taking upon them this great office unto which they were never called of God. For this is a certain truth, whomsoever the Lord sendeth, him he furnisheth and enableth in some measure to discharge the duty which he requireth of him. His calling is not an idle, but an effectual calling, and is able to demonstrate itself so soon as it is given. When God had called Aholiab and Bezaliel to build his material Tabernacle, by and by they were filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, Exod. chap. 31. ver, 2. and chap. 35, verse 31. Will he then make choice of any to build the spiritual Tabernacle (which is his Church) in whom is no grace of the Spirit of God, no wisdom, no understanding, no knowledge at all? Solomon saith in the proverbs, He that sendeth a Message by the hand of a fool, cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage, chap. 26, 6. No man that is wise will send such a Messenger that hath any care or desire to have his message delivered: and therefore we may not think that the wise God will use such in his service. On the other side, as the cold of snow in the time of harvest (where the heat aboundeth) is most welcome so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refresheth the soul of his masters, Prou. 25, 1●. These are they that destroy no● only their own souls, but bring destruction to the people that depend upon them, Prou. 29, 16. And as God provided not maintenance so carefully for the ignorant Minister, so we may saw the same of the careless and idle Ministers, who having learning & knowledge do want conscience of their duty. For their knowledge must show itself in practice, Mal. 2, 7, and they must have not only the head, but the tongue of the learned to minister a word in time to him that is weary, Esay 50, 4. They must not only have the talon, as the unprofitable servant had; but they must use their talon, as the good and faithful servants did: and as they ought to have store of provision, so they must distribute it to the relieving of God's people: or else being able to teach and yet will not, they are worse than they that would and cannot. A rich man that hath his barns and granaries full of Corn, & yet suffereth the poor to famish for want of food, deserveth justly the curse of God and man, Prou. 11, 26. Whereas blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. In like manner, the Ministers that are rich in grace, and well stored with knowledge, who seek nothing but to engross more into their hands, but will part from nothing at all, have cause to fear to be accursed of God & man; whereas they shall be blessed & praised in the gate, that make others partakers of their store. Wherefore let all such consider the commandment of God to preach the word, oftentimes repeated and urged to the Prophets, Es. 58, 1. 
Motives to persuade the Ministers to diligence in their Calling.  and to the Apostles and other Ministers of the word, Math. 28, 19 If then we regard what the Lord saith unto us, we must hearken to his voice. Secondly, hereby we testify our love to Christ, who hath dearly loved us, john 21, 15. God hath so loved us, that he spared not his only begotten Son but gave him to the death for us, and therefore we are most unthankful wretches, if we do not love him again; but we cannot testify our love to him more, then by feeding his Sheep and his Lambs. Thirdly, we have committed to our charge the price of the blood of Christ, the souls of men, which he bought at a dear rate, Acts 20, 28. Fourthly, the Ministry of the word is the ordinary means ordained for the building & planting, the enlarging & strengthening, the upholding and continuing of the Church of God, 1 Pet. 1, ver. 23, 25. Fiftly, there is a gracious promise of a very great reward made unto those men that are faithful and gain souls to their master, for they shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever, Dan. chap. 12. verse 3: and when the great shepherd of the sheep appeareth, they shall appear with him in glory, 1 Peter, chap. 5. verse 4. and be made heirs of all their master's riches, Mat. chap. 24, verses 45, 46, 1 Tim. 4, 16. 2 Tim. 4, 7, 8.  
Sixtly, all such as are negligent watchmen have a fearful woe denounced against them, because while they feed themselves unto the full, they suffer the flock to starve. Ezek. 34, 2. 1 Cor. 9.16.  
seventhly, such as have gifts and do not use them, have them (in God's just judgement) taken from them, Matth. 25, 28, Zach. 11, 17. For as such as use and employ the talon that God hath given them, have his gifts increased in a plentiful measure: so they that bury their knowledge and zeal, and never bring them forth, they are so weakened and wasted in them, that in the end they vanish away as smoke, and come to nothing, as is too too evident in many of our times.  
Lastly, they bring destruction and damnation upon themselves and the people, Ezech. 34, 8, 10. Matth. 25, 10.   

9 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:  
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye be come over jordan into the land of Canaan:  
11 Then ye shall appoint you Cities to be Cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.  
12 And they shall be unto you Cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, etc.  
13 And of these, etc.  
14 Ye shall give three Cities on this side jordan, and three Cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, etc.  
15 These six Cities shall be for refuge.  
The commandment of God touching the setting apart of Cities for the Levites hath before been considered in general: now he speaketh in particular of the Cities of refuge taken out of the former Cities, wherein we see the number of them, the end wherefore they were appointed, and the places where they are to be taken. Of murder voluntarily and wilfully committed, Moses speaketh in the words following, such persons must be pulled from the Altar, Deut. 19; and put to death: but when blood is shed at unawares, there is liberty to fly to one of these Cities of refuge. Whereby we see, that there is difference between sin and sin, between such as are committed ignorantly, and those that are done voluntarily. And therefore we may conclude from hence, that all sins are not equal. Touching the avenger of blood, we shall speak more afterward; howbeit here we see that he which had killed another at unawares was in danger to be pursued, overtaken, and slain by the next of kin, as well as he that had shed man's blood wilfully. True it is, God alloweth not that the kinsman of him that is slain, should take away the life of him that was guilty, but such was the malice and corruption of men, that they would be ready to add murder to murder, that blood should touch blood, unless some place of safety had been provided.  
This teacheth us, 
Doctrine. All men by nature are prone to revenge.  That howsoever God hath made us keepers of the lives one of another, yet by nature we thirst after revenge, and are never quiet until it be satisfied. Hereunto come the many precepts which God giveth to forbid revenge, which he would never so often repeat, were it not that he knoweth the inclination of our hearts, Deutero. chap. 32, 35. Rom. 12, 17, 19, and 1, 29, 31. 1 Thes. 2, 15, 16. Prous 12, 10. Such an one was Cain, judas, Saul, Herod, Pharaoh, yea, such are all persecutors, and all heretics. And not only men unregenerate are of an hateful and malicious disposition, but such as otherwise have received the spirit of adoption, and the grace of sanctification, do yet carry about them the body of sin, and the corruptions of the old Adam, as we see in the brethren of joseph, who for envy sold him into Egypt, Gen. 37, 28. Acts 7, ver. 9 And in David, otherwise a man after God's heart, for when he had received evil words for his good deeds, at the hands of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25, 22. he swore, God do so & more also to the enemies of David, If I leave any alive of all that pertain to him by the morning light, and so he prepared himself & his men for present and speedy revenge.  
And no marvel, seeing the nature of man Reason 1 is prone to all evil, and all the imaginations of his heart are only evil continually, Gen. 6, verse 5. and 8. verse 21. For malice above other things is a natural fruit of the flesh, delighting and pleasing our corruption, Galat. 5, 21. james 4, 5. Hence it is, that we are said to serve our lusts and divers pleasures, living in maliciousness and envy, hateful, & hating one another, Tit. 3, 3.  
Secondly, by nature satan getteth the possession of us, who hath been a fierce dragon, a merciless Lion, a cruel murderer from the beginning, john 8, 44. Our Saviour remembereth unto the jews why they were a murderous generation, and telleth them, They were of their father the devil. And it is said of Kaine when he slew his brother, that he was of that evil one, 1 john 3, 12.  
This serveth for reproof both of errors in Use 1 doctrine, and of corruptions in life: and first, it convinceth the Popish Doctrine, which giveth way to man's corrupt nature more than the word will bear, For in the point of loving our enemies they come near unto the interpretation of the pharisees, because they teach, that howsoever a man is always bound not to hate his enemy, yet to love him he is not always bound. No marvel if these men do hold it lawful to break promise with an heretic, such as they account us to be, but falsely. This is an easy kind of Religion, and well pleasing to flesh and blood: and it may not seem strange, though multitudes be joined unto their Church: for what carnal man is there almost that would not be a Papist, when he may be held to be religious, & yet be avenged upon his enemy also? Indeed they set down two cases (lest they should be thought to be too profane, and their Religion a merciless Religion) wherein a man is bound to love his enemy: First, in extreme necessity, when he is in present danger of his life, than he is to be helped and relieved, as it was with him that fell among thieves, and lay wounded and half dead, as Luke 10. verse 30. Secondly, in case of scandal, when by not helping or succouring we shall give offence unto others. Out of these two cases they conclude, that it is a counsel and degree of perfection to love our enemies, Matth. 5. ver. 44. which some particular persons, as Monks & Friars, and such cloister men take upon them to observe, who have (forsooth) obtained an extraordinary gift to deny themselves. But if this be a counsel, than the rest of Christ's sayings in that chapter, I say unto you, Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgement, Verse 22. And whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery, as we may read In verse 28. and so likewise of the rest, in verses 32.34, 37, should be counsels also. Howbeit the saying of our Saviour jesus Christ is a commanding, Genesis chapt. 1. verse 3. also Psalm 33. verse 9 Wherefore the Popish devotion, is a Religion wherein a man may go to hell with ease, maintaining a most devilish and damnable Doctrine, clean contrary to the direction of our Saviour Christ; limiting and restraining that which Christ hath extended generally unto us in the Gospel, I say unto you, Love your enemies: and if ye love them only that love you, what singular thing do you?  
Again, this reproveth such as think it to be a note of an high and generous Nature, and of a noble and notable spirit, to put up no wrong, and to seek revenge even for every trifle and small matter: to do as little wrong as they can, but to resolve to put up none. These account it a great honour and glory for a man to pursue his enemy with hatred. Wicked Lamech, descending from the cursed race of Cain, thought it an argument of virtue and valour, and a point of much credit and reputation unto him, to be able to take revenge, yea, even seventy times seven times of any that should offend and provoke him any way: whereas Christ telleth Peter a contrary Lesson, that is, that it should be a greater honour and dignity before God and all good men, to forgive till seventy times seven times, and that in one day, Luke 17, 4. Matth. 18, 22. It becometh all Christians therefore, rather to follow the precept of Christ, than the practice of Lamech, and to learn of Solomon: Prou. 19, 11, that the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression: and chapter 14, 29, and 16, 32, He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city. If then we desire true honour, and to be accounted men in the world, let us imitate our heavenly Father, who is so far from being greedy of revenge and hasty to anger and to take punishment, that he maketh the Sun to shine, and the rain to fall upon good and bad, being slow to anger, and of great kindness. The more noble sort of creatures are not desirous of revenge, but only the basest and vilest, noisome flees, wasps, hornets, bees, and such like. Among men, none more testy and subject to anger, then sick persons, in their greatest fits, who break out into sundry passions, by reason of their weakness, which they would never do in their health when they have the use of reason. Let us account it to be a shame and reproach to be like the weakest things, and rather imitate the nobler creatures, which are slow to anger, and moderate their passions with discretion. joseph in the court of Pharaoh (no doubt) was an honourable man, he was next in the state to the king, he had what he would at his commandment, and at his word were all the people ruled, Gen. 42, 40: yet consider that he placed not any part of his honour in taking revenge of his brethren that had sold him as a slave to an idolatrous nation, and sought after his life, but in forgiving of them, and rewarding them good for evil, Genesis 50. For when they saw that their father was dead, knowing what they had deserved, and fearing the face of joseph, they said, joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly quite us all the evil which we did unto him, Gen. 50, 15, 17: and they desired him to forgive the trespass done against him, verse 17. joseph wept when they spoke unto him, and said, Fear not, for am I in place of God? but as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, etc.: now therefore fear not, I will nourish you and your little ones, and he comforted them, and spoke kindly unto them. David was an honourable man, yet we know how he dealt with Shimei; though he were king, and wanted not others to kindle the coals of wrath and revenge against him: yea though the wretch had cast stones at him, and cursed him with an horrible curse, yet afterward he pardoned and forgave him, and sealed his pardon with an oath, 2 Samuel, chapt. 19, verse 23.  
The like example we may see in Mephibosheth the son of jonathan, that did eat bread at DAVID'S own table, (showing him favour for his father's sake) although he were maliciously & mischeevously slandered by Ziba his servant, and that of no less crime then high treason against the king, as if he looked that the house of Israel should restore him to the kingdom of his father, 2 Sam. 16, 3. yet he never sought any revenge of him, but was content to part from his own right for joy that the king was returned in peace to his own house, 2 Sam. 19, 30. Solomon was not ignorant, but knew well enough what was true honour; yet he giveth this counsel, not to seek any honour by revenge, Prou. 24, 29. Say not, I will do unto him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according unto his work. It is the common sickness and disease of the world, to requite like for like, taunt for taunt, and rebuke for rebuke; and they think they may do it lawfully, and measure to others that measure which they have measured unto them, whether it be in word or deed, stripe for stripe, blow for blow, wound for wound. But this is a part of our natural corruption, which did appear in the avengers' of blood mentioned in this place.  
Use 2 Secondly, as it reproveth errors in opinion, so it doth likewise errors in conversation, & in the practice of life, which meeteth with many abuses. First, here is reproved the common practice of fight and quarreling, which always beginneth with hatred, & oftentimes endeth with blood. These are they that make no conscience of doing hurt and injury unto others, 1 Thess. 4, 6. 1 Cor. 6, 7, 8. Many do hold it unlawful to strike the first stroke, and to offer the first blow, and minister occasion of strife; but if another strike them and begin the fray, they think they may lawfully strike again, and return as good as is brought, and that with an overplus and advantage. This is to make Magistrates stand for cyphers, and Laws to be of none effect, or to wax rusty in books, as a sword in the scabbard. Christ reproveth this retayling of like for like, both by word, and by example. By word, Matth. 5, 39, 40, 41. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, etc. By example, for when he was smitten before the high Priest, he smote not again, john 18, 22, 23, but defended his own innocency. So did Micaiah the Prophet, 1 Kings 22, 24, 25: and Paul the Apostle, Acts 23, 3: they defended their cause by word, but smote not with the fist. These examples of the best we ought to have before us, to be guided by them, who were led by the good spirit of God. But in our days, when men are charged with contempt of Laws and Magistrates, & of God himself, in pursuing their private grudge and quarrels, if they can say, Why did he give the occasion? Why did he begin with me? Why did he strike the first stroke? They think they have spoken wisely, and answered the matter very sufficiently. But thus might the Prophets and Apostles as well have pleaded for themselves, and given as good a reason of their dealing if they had stricken again; & yet they stayed their hands, and would not give blow for blow, and they are commended in the word of God. The Apostle would never have set forth the patience of Christ for our imitation, who when he was reviled, reviled not again, and when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, 1 Pet. 2. vers. 13: if he might have done wrong for wrong: but he showeth that Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should tread in his steps.  
Secondly, this condemneth the practice of many masters, who do after a sort nourish quarrels and contentions (as much as in them lieth) within their own doors. For if they have a servant, who being provoked & stricken by his fellow-servant, will not by and by fly in his face and strike again, or being challenged the field, will not take up the bucklers and answer the challenge, they account it the trick of a coward, and esteem such as unfit servants to dwell with them. For if having a defiance given him, he take not up the gauntlet, they thus reason and conclude with themselves, If he will not draw his weapon in his own cause, he will never draw it in mine: & if he will not strike for himself being provoked, he will never strike stroke for his master if he be assaulted. This may be a rule from human policy, but it is no rule in Christian piety, neither is it after the doctrine which is according to godliness. It is the duty of servants being stricken to complain unto their masters, and it is no disgrace or reproach to do so, except it be a shame and dishonour to submit themselves to God's word. Every master is a Magistrate within the walls of his own house, to order his servants & family aright. 
Every master is a magistrate in his own house.  He must give no approbation to private revenge, but make peace among them, & teach them to suffer wrong rather than to offer, and prepare to bear a new injury rather than seek to revenge an old, as we heard before by the express commandment of Christ. Not that we should understand his words literally, to turn the other cheek to him that hath stricken one, or to give away our cloak unto him that hath taken away our coat, for Christ himself being smitten did not so: but he speaketh comparatively, do so, rather than revenge thine own cause. But as challenges into the field are unlawful, so none is bound in honour to answer such challenges. Neither let any man think it is a disgrace and discredit to refuse a challenge. 
No disgrace to refuse a challenge.  For besides that true grace and glory standeth in obedience unto God, wherefore I pray you, serveth the master in the house, and the Magistrate in the commonwealth, but to take up quarrels that arise, the one among his servants, the other among his subjects? It is a principal part of their office, to decide and determine the differences between servant and servant, between subject and subject. And remember this rule, that there can be no credit gotten by sinning against God.  
Use 3 Lastly, we must take notice of this corruption, and show the duties of love one to another, even toward our enemies, Luke 6, 33. Esay 11, 6, 7, 9 Matth. 5, 44. 1 Pet. 2, 21, 23. Now the holy Scripture layeth before us sundry motives to move us to lay aside all maliciousness and desire of revenge, 
Motives to move us to lay down revenge.  and to show ourselves courteous and gentle, kind, and tender-hearted one toward another. First, except we forgive, we can have no hope or assurance to be forgiven, but judgement shall be merciless to them that show no mercy, Matth. 6, 14, 15. jam. 2, 13. Matth. 18, 35. We shall find such measure at the hands of God, as we ourselves measure unto others. And Christ enforceth the truth of this, by doubling of the sentence both for greater certainty of the matter, and for deeper impression in the conscience.  
Secondly, God hath forgiven all his children for Christ's sake. He might have many just quarrels and controversies against us for our trespasses and sins against him, but he pardoneth all and putteth them up, to give us an example, that we should forgive and forbear one another, and if any have a quarrel against another, even as Christ forgiveth so must we do, Eph. 4, 32. Col. 3, 13. 2 Cor. 2, 10.  
Thirdly, vengeance belongeth unto God and to his assigns, not to private men. It is the proper office of God, forasmuch as hereby he showeth himself to be God, Psal. 94, 1, 2. He is the judge of the whole earth, he leaveth it not to every one to be his own judge, Rom. 12, 19 If we should see a man set himself in the Prince's chair of estate, or to place himself in his throne, and begin to usurp his office and execute judgement upon any offender, all men could condemn the fact as usurpation, and the person as guilty of high treason. Or if any of the fellow servants should take his Master's place, and offer to punish such as have offended him, and that in his Master's presence, who would not censure the sauciness of such a proud companion? Howbeit, it is greater pride and presumption for him to draw the sword that hath not the sword put into his hands, insomuch that thereby he deserveth to be smitten with the sword himself, Math. 26, 52.  
Fourthly, God rejecteth all sacrifices & oblations offered without mercy, when they are accompanied with desire of revenge, Matth. 5, 23.24. The Prophet teacheth, that God required not at their hands to tread in his courts, and to bring oblations, and offer up prayers, so long as their hands are full of blood, Esay 1, 15. Though we come never so much, and so often before him, yet our greatest devotion is an abomination unto him, so long as we are not reconciled unto our brethren.  
Fiftly, without this, no man shall see God to his comfort. At his right hand are pleasures for evermore, but they shall never taste of them and be partakers of them that live without love, and do not live without revenge. The Apostle saith, Heb. 12, 14. Fellow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.  
Lastly, if we can be content to be forgiven, than we must also be ready to forgive. It is a general rule, Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the Prophets, Matth. 7, 12. This also holdeth proportion between God and us, for as we would have him to extend mercy to us, so ought we to be merciful toward others. If we would have God at peace with us, we must be reconciled to our brethren: and if we would have him to love us, we ought to love one another; or how shall we be assured that we love God whom we do not see, when we love not our brethren whom we see daily?   

16 And if he smite him with an instrument of Iron (so that he die) he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.  
17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, (wherewith he may die) and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.  
18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, etc.  
19 The avenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.  
20 And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him, by laying in wait that he die,  
21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death, for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, etc.  
Hitherto of the first part of the chapter, the second part followeth, which is concerning laws belonging to murder and shedding of blood: and this consisteth of three several points. First, touching wilful murder. Secondly, touching murder at unawares, commonly called manslaughter, or chance medley, which is not done of malice prepensed. Thirdly, of the office of the judges touching shedders of blood. The first point is of wilful murder, which is declared by the instrumental causes whereby it is done, whether a man smite his neighbour with instrument of iron, or throwing of a stone, or with an hand weapon of wood, to wit, voluntarily, willingly, wilfully, and of set purpose, all cometh to one end, for such a one must die the death. This exposition is plain and evident, as appeareth by the 11. verse going before, where Moses mentioneth the kill of a man by error or at unawares. Now in this case, if a man hate his brother, and hurl at him by laying of wait that he die, or an enemy smite him with his hand, the avenger of blood shall slay the murderer whensoever or wheresoever he meeteth him.  

Doctrine. Murder is an heinous sin in the sight of God.  From hence we learn, that murder and shedding of blood is an heinous and horrible sin in the sight of God. Howsoever many that are fleshed and hardened in it, make no reckoning of it, yet it hath a bloody face before the high God: to do any thing maliciously and unjustly against the life of a man is a sin much displeasing unto God, and that which provoketh his judgements, Gen. 9, 6. Hos. 4, 2. Matth. 26, 52. Revelat. 13, 10. Exod. 21, 12. levit. 24, 17.  
Reason 1 The reasons are plain. First, we are all made in the Image of God, Gen. 1, 27, and 9, 6. What treason then is it to deface this Image? for as it is treason to deface maliciously the image of a Prince, so is it no less than high treason against God, to deface the Image and similitude of God. Nay, to speak the truth, he is a double traitor, and committeth a double treason, both in regard of him whom he hath murdered, and then in regard of himself, in that he is the cause of his own destruction, & guilty of his own blood, forasmuch as he that killeth must be killed; and he that sheddeth man's blood, his blood likewise must be shed. Nay, there is no man that murdereth another, but he murdereth himself more; he taketh away the life of another, but he destroyeth his own soul, yea and causeth God to bring some judgement upon him that he liveth not out half his days. Hereunto (no doubt) Rebecca hath relation, hearing of the wicked and cruel purpose of Esau toward his brother, that when the days of mourning for his father should come, he would kill his brother jacoh; for she said to him, Behold, thy brother Esau doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee; now therefore my son, obey my voice, & fly to Laban my brother; for why should I be deprived also of you both in one day? Gen. 27, 42, 45  
Secondly, all such as are wilful murderers are accursed of God, Gen. 4, 11. Thou art cursed from the earth: and also of men, Deut. 27, 24. Cursed is be that smiteth his neighbour secretly: and all the people shall say, Amen. Hence it is, that God never suffereth such to escape, but meeteth with them one way or other, either he striketh them with his own hand that did lift up their hands to strike others, or he delivereth them over to the Magistrate. Some times he maketh them to be witnesses against themselves, sometimes to discover themselves in their dreams, sometimes to feel the torments of hell in their own consciences, and sometimes the birds of the air to reveal them. We see this in Cain, that slew his brother, for God set a mark upon him, and branded him for his wretched parricide, Genesis 4, verse 15.  
This the very heathen themselves knew by the light of nature, that howsoever the murderer may escape out of some danger, yet vengeance will pursue and overtake him, Acts 28, 4. This we see in Herod that killed james with the sword, and put Peter in prison, intending also the like against him, he escaped not the hand of God long, but his deep vengeance did so dog him at the heels, that he was smitten shortly after by the greater stroke of an Angel from heaven, and was eaten up of worms, Acts 12, 2.23. Thus did Samuel speak to king Agag, 1 Sam. 15, 33. As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women, and he hewed him in pieces before the Lord. The like we see in joab who was smitten with the sword, as he had killed others, 1 Kings 2, 31, 32. And it is to be observed what David saith of him concerning the blood of Abner that he had spilt, 2 Sa. 3, 29. Let it rest on the head of joab, and on all his father's house, and let there not fail from the house of joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword or that lacketh bread.  
Thirdly, God doth so detest murder, that if a beast kill a man it must be stoned to death, and his flesh not eaten, Exod. 21, 28. What? is God offended with the bruit beasts? or do they sin against him, and break his Commandment? No: but thereby GOD would show how much he abhorreth the shedding of man's blood, and that man should lay it to his heart.  
Fourthly, it is an offence against a man's own flesh, Eph. 5, 29: No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it; now every man is as our own flesh, Esay 58, 7. We see Bears, and Lions, and Tigers, and wild beasts do play together, because they are of one kind: mankind is of one kind; if we do not agree together, but pray one upon another, we are more fierce than Bears, more cruel than Lions, more merciless than Tigers, and more savage than wild beasts.  
Fiftly, such as slew another violently, were taken out of the Cities of refuge by violence, God would give no protection to such beasts, neither City, nor Altar, nor Tabernacle, nor any thing could yield them any safeguard, Deu. 19, 11, 12, 13. 1 Kings 2, 31, 32.  
Sixtly, it is a crying sin: blood hath a very loud voice, and never ceaseth crying, until judgement fall upon the head of the murderer, Gen. 4, 10. Behold the blood of thy brother crieth from the earth. Abel was now dead, his mouth was stopped, and he could not speak; but his blood could speak, the which called and cried in the ears of the Lord GOD of hosts from the earth for vengeance, Hebre. 11, 4.  
seventhly, no pardon was to be given to such, as appeareth in this chapter, and verse 32. Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of him that is a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.  
Lastly, the Land is defiled by it, ver. 33, 34. Blood defileth the Land, and the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it: Defile not therefore the Land which ye shall inherit, wherein I dwell, for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.  
Now let us come to the uses. First, we have just cause to fear the wrath of God; and if he come to make inquisition of blood, he shall find much blood spilled upon the earth like water that cannot be gathered up again throughout the whole Land. What abundance of injustice and cruelty is there to be found in every place, and thought to be just and upright dealing? How many are there to be found, that having once conceived anger and malice in their hearts, will remain whole days, and months, and years, before they will be reconciled, nay speak one to another? thereby depriving themselves of the mutual comfort they might reap and receive, and by suffering the Sun to go down upon their wrath, do give place to Satan to enter into them & to possess them, Eph. 4, 26, 27. And what colour soever men set upon their cruelty, it is but a false painting of a foul face, as Adam's fig-leaves, that covered his shame, but could not hide his sin. If it be done under pretence of law, it is a most fearful sin; the pretence itself maketh it more fearful, because feigned justice is a double injustice. When the Law is so wrested, that it is made the occasion of murder, it must needs be offensive & displeasing unto God. And albeit this sin be committed by the Magistrate, in letting malefactors go unpunished, yet it must needs be offensive unto GOD, because it is that which bringeth the guilt of blood upon the Land, & nothing can cleanse the Land from blood, but the blood of him that shed blood. This made the Prophet say to Ahab, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand, a man whom I appointed unto destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people, 1 Kings 20, 42. When there was a famine in the Land in the days of David, three years, year after year and he inquired of the Lord the cause of that sore judgement; the Lord answered, It is for Saul and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites, 2 Sam. 21, 1: and the atonement could not be made, until seven men of his sons were delivered into their hands, and they were hanged up unto the Lord that his inheritance might be blessed. The sins of the sons of Eli became to be the sins of their father, not because he was their father, neither yet because he was the committer of them, but because he being a Magistrate did not punish & correct them: so likewise when judgement is not executed upon men for their sins, the blood of those which are slain must needs remain in the Land. If this be committed by way of revenge, it is also an heinous sin against almighty God, because he that doth it, preventeth God's work, and so provoketh God's wrath: for he taketh God's office out of his hand, and taketh up his place, who hath said, Vengeance is mine, Rom. 12. And if we ascend to the higher degree of men, shall we not find among them little conscience made of shedding blood? Do not our Gentry for the most part think it their glory to have their hands imbrued in the blood of innocents? What conscience is made of fight & quarreling for point of pretended honour, but in truth for assured dishonour and disgrace unto them, to their names, and to their posterity? for let them set what varnish soever they please upon their combats, they shall carry the mark of an horrible sin to their grave, God grant it be not to hell and the place of perpetual torment; and if ever GOD open their eyes, they will weep day and night for it, and be humbled for it all the days of their lives.  
Secondly, Use 2 it is the duty of Magistrates especially, and of all men generally in their places, to make diligent search & inquiry when blood is shed, by whom the blood hath been shed: and if the murderer be not found, they should crave pardon at the hands of God. And touching the Magistrates and others, I would commend to them the consideration of two things; first, that they be careful that no man die innocently, that they put no man to death without cause, jer. 25, 14. of which we shall speak afterward in the end of this chapter. Secondly, when murder is committed, all men must do their endeavour, to the utmost of their power and means, to detect the authors of that bloody act.  
Hence it is, that God requireth, that when a body is found slain upon the ground in the Land which he had given the Israelites to possess, and it is not known who killed him, than the Elders and judges shall come forth to the dead body and wash their hands over a Bullock whose head was stricken off, and protest and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it: O Lord, be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast purchased, and lay not the guiltless blood upon them; and the manslaughter shall be forgiven them, Deut. 21, 7, 8, 9 Where we see that the kill of one man is a defiling of the whole country, and what care the Lord hath of the life of every man. For murder is so hated of God, that albeit the doer thereof be unknown, yet he would have a solemn cleansing and cleared thereof to be made. And see what God requireth at the hands of the Magistrates and ministers of justice. It is not enough for them to protest that they have not committed, or supported, or favoured any evil when causes and complaints have been brought before them, but they must search carefully, and inquire diligently of disorders; albeit no man solicit or seek unto them, yet themselves must be watchful in their places. Howbeit, this duty is oftentimes ill observed, and slenderly practised. For how many are there that think themselves fully discharged, and flatter themselves with a fond imagination that they are greatly to be commended, when they patiently give men the hearing, and make countenance to help them. But God is not contented with this, he will take an account of them of a farther duty, and will not take it for a sufficient discharge to be able to say, though it be truly, There was no information given, no man made any complaint. If then Magistrates that have the sword of justice put into their hands to cut off evil doers from the City of God, shall suffer any wickedness to lurk in any City or corner, they themselves are guilty thereof, and it is as much in God's sight, as if they had given their consent to the practising of it. These are they that must after a sort answer for the whole body of the people, if evil doers be suffered to nustle under them through their negligence.  
Use 3 Lastly, it is the duty of every one to beware of all occasions and allurements that may draw us to this bloody sin. For as there is a murder of the hand, so there is a murder of the tongue, which is therefore in holy Scripture resembled unto a Razor, to a sword, to coals, to arrows, to poison, to fire: all which kill and are the instruments of death: and likewise there is a murder of the heart, of which the Apostle john sayeth, Whosoever hateth his brother, is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.  

john 3, 15.  So then, we are guilty of this sin, even by anger and malice in the heart only, and shall have our portion in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. If any man have not a feeling of this in his heart, he is more than dead: and if he labour not to repent of it, it argueth him to be past all grace, and so out of the number of those which shall see God to their comfort. For albeit such have the shape and form of men, yet they have the hearts of the very beasts. If they had the right use of reason in them, and the government of their corrupt appetites and affections, it could not be but that they would have a care of the life of their brethren, and which is more, of their own lives also.  
So then, every man should examine himself and try his own heart, how far he hath been guilty of this sin of murder in every kind and branch thereof, that so we may humble ourselves. Albeit it be but the anger of the heart, yet it is murder in the sight of God, & is therefore as well to be repent of, as the outward act of murder itself. To this we may join the sin of envy, when men so repine at the good of others, that they cannot be quiet or contented, because they want that which others have, and have not so great a portion as they; for this also we should humble ourselves, and labour continually against it.  
To conclude, we see also what cruelty and hard-dealing is oftentimes used against poor labouring men, that get their living by the sweat of their brows, and yet many think they may use them as they list, either with turning of them off with an halfpenny, for a penny, or else in exchanging other things for their work, which haply are not worth half the money, or in keeping back their wages for weeks, months, or years, which Saint james speaketh of, Chapter 5, verse 4. Behold the hire of the Labourers crieth, and the cries of them are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.  
Let us labour by all means to keep ourselves free from blood, and not only from the outward act itself, but from the inward thoughts of the heart, as envy, hatred, and malice; as also from the slaughter of the tongue by cruel and cursed speeches. Such a murderer was Shemei when he railed upon David; True it is, he charged him to be a murderer, but the murder might justly and fully be discharged upon himself, for he was the man of blood, and a son of Belial, 2 Sam. 16, 7, 8. Indeed if a man have an injury done unto him, it is lawful for him to seek revenge, but he must not do it with his own hands, but as the poor widow that came to the judge, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary; so he must complain to the Magistrate, and so seek for remedy by just and lawful means. And that we may be free from the fact itself, and not fall into it; let us look well to the fountain and beginning of all our actions, and first labour to purge our hearts, because out of the heart proceedeth all kind of wickedness. Now if that be cleansed of evil thoughts, we shall thereby stop and hinder evil works that they break not out.   

22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, and have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait:  
23 Or with any stone wherewith a man die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him that he die, and was not his enemy, neither did seek him any harm:  
24 Then the Congregation shall judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood, according to these judgements.  
25 And the Congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the Congregation shall restore him unto the City of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high Priest, etc.  
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the City of his refuge, whither he was fled:  
27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the City of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.  
28 Because he should have remained in the City of his refuge, till the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest, the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.  
29 So these things shall be for a Statute of judgement unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  
The Law touching kill at unawares, is delivered in these words; the substance whereof is this, That if a man take away life from any suddenly without any enmity, or do cast a stone at adventure without laying of wait, or cast any thing upon him and see him not, the Congregation shall deliver him out of the hand of the avenger of blood, because though he did kill him, yet he was not his enemy, neither sought his hurt, or plotted his death. So the Lord in his law propoundeth sundry like cases, Exod. 21, 13, 14. and Deut. 19, 4, 5. Whosoever killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in times past, as when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hue wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the hel●e, and lighteth upon his neighbour that he die, he shall flee into one of those Cities and live, etc.: and he must abide therein unto the death of the high Priest which was anointed with the holy oil. But if such slayer shall go out of the border of the City of his refuge whither he was fled, and the avenger find him and slay him, he shall not be guilty of blood, because he had a place of safety and refuge given unto him, and he ought to have remained therein according unto the law.  
Out of this division some questions will be moved, Object. which are needful to be handled & considered: as first of all, whether the Avenger of blood, while his heart is hot, might lawfully pursue him that killed another of ignorance, and when he found him out of his City and Sanctuary might slay him? Answ. I answer, God doth not approve or allow such dealing simply, but doth indeed utterly condemn it. For the judicial and politic laws do not always serve to bring men to perfection, and to establish perfect holiness and righteousness amongst us, but in some sort to remedy the vices whereunto we are inclined: so that the Lord hath an eye to the inconveniences that might ensue: whereas if we will speak what the eternal law of right & wrong, which is the law of righteousness, alloweth, & what every man's duty is towards men made after the image of God; then doubtless, when a man hath given a blow with his hand unwittingly, so as it do sufficiently and evidently appear to be so, the next friend or kinsman ought not to step up to seek revenge, because in so doing he offendeth God, both in setting upon the party that hath done him no wrong by his will, Rom. 12, 29. Matth. 5, 44. and in fathering that thing upon a mortal man, which God had ordained in his secret providence, Exod. 21, 13. God hath delivered him into his hand. This is the perpetual law of equity and honesty, and therefore that which is delivered in this place is only a posit●●● Law established no● to instruct, but to restrain them, and to remedy a greater mischief in case they had been altogether bridled and wholly 〈◊〉 reaved of all power.  
This teacheth us a plain truth, 
God tolerateth things which he never alloweth.  which I only point a● with the finger, that God tolerateth many things among his people, which he never liketh and alloweth, as appeareth in the cause of divorce, De●. 24, 1, they were permitted upon dislike to put away their w●●●, provided that they delivered unto her a bill of divorcement, to be a witness of her honesty, that through the wilfulness and waywardness of her husband, she should not be defamed. Nevertheless, God never liked this simply no more than their marrying of many wives, because she was given to him to be the companion of his life, and the delight of his eyes, and the comfort of his heart all his days, and was as it were one part of his own person, and therefore to cast her off was after a sort a cutting off of himself in the mids, whereupon Christ saith, Math. 19, 8, 9, 
Exod. 22, 25.  that the Lord did it for the hardness of their hearts. So in the case of usury, he permitteth them to take usury of the stranger, that they might not practise it toward their brother: and sundry such like, lest they should do worse.  
Secondly, the question may be asked, Object. whether this kill at unawares or against one's will, whom God is said to have delivered into his hands, be a sin or not? This is so much the more necessary to he thought upon, because the Lord showeth, Deut. 19, 6, that such a man is guiltless of the other man's death, forasmuch as he did not hate him before, neither did presumptuously rise up against him, to slay him with guile. Howbeit in this place such a person is commanded to remain as a banished man out of his own place & house, and from his own kindred, and is confined to the city of refuge until the death of the high Priest, which no doubt had relation to Christ. I answer, Answ. there is no repugnancy in all these things. For this fact must be considered two ways, judicially, or morally. If we do respect what such an one deserveth in the Court of man's judgement, it is true he is not guilty he deserveth not to die, or to recompense life for life. But if we speak simply, what is sin by the law of God which is spiritual, 
Rom, 7, 14.  who keepeth a court of conscience, an higher court and seat of justice than all mortal men do or can do, we cannot pronounce such a one innocent or guiltless before the bench of this Lord chief justice. Or to speak more plainly, there is a twofold judgement, the one of God, and the other of man. In the judgement of man he may be taken to be innocent, because Deu. 19 his blood is called innocent, to wit, in respect of man's judgement whom he hath not offended: howbeit in the judgement of God, which goeth further, and pierceth deeper, it is otherwise. The Papists because they would have some proof and testimony, 
Whether all sin be voluntary.  or at least some show and appearance that all sin is voluntary, do allege the examples of such as have killed at unawares or against their will, and make this to be no sin, and that by the authority of their vulgar Interpreter, who saith, Numb. 35.25. Liberabitur innocens, that is, The innocent shall be delivered out of the hand of the avenger. But almighty God (who keepeth from all evil) keep us & all other good Christians from such kind of innocency. Besides, in the Hebrew Text, the word is Harotzaach, that is, The killer shall be delivered, and not the innocent person. Touching the point in general, whether all sin be a voluntary action, we have spoken before, and proved sufficiently the contrary. And albeit S. Augustine be often alleged by our adversaries, affirming that sin is an evil so voluntary, that it can by no means be sin except it be voluntary: yet in his Retractations, he maketh his opinion plain, and restraineth that particularly, which in other places he seemed to propound and leave at large; for he saith, Sine voluntate nullum est peccatum, sive in opere, sive in origine: that is, There is no sin without the will, either in the work, or in the original, or the beginning.  
Whereby it plainly appeareth that in the special work there are sins even in his judgement which are not voluntary, as those that come of ignorance, or of compulsion, or as concupiscence and original infection: yet all these may truly be called voluntary, in regard of the first man's first offence, in whom was the freedom of will, all which are no other but fruits and effects of his sin. So then, he teacheth that the sin which is a punishment of sin is not always voluntary, but the sin, which hath no other consideration but of sin, is voluntary. The sins which we commit, are both sins and the punishments of sin: but Adam's sin, in whom we all sinned being in his loins, which was only a sin and not the punishment of any sin going before, is voluntary. And in this respect the slaughter committed at unawares, may well be said to be voluntary, because it is a fruit of the first man's disobedience, so that we may truly say, From the beginning it was not so. For if Adam had never sinned, there should never any such manslaughter have been committed.  
But now to return unto the particular point in question, that the Jesuits would prove all sin voluntary, because manslaughter done without consent of will is no sin: we hold all such shedding of blood done of ignorance to be a sin of ignorance: 
Manslaughter done of ignorance in a sin.  & that no man so killing and taking away life, can wash his hands in innocency. For such a one by the law must fly to the City of refuge, and be imprisoned there, until the death of the high Priest; which argueth that there was something in the fact, or in the error by which the fact was committed, that hath need of forgiveness by Christ, the true high Priest of our profession, of whom the high Priest in the law was a figure. And hence it is, that the punishment laid upon the manslayer was so straight, that if he were taken out of the City of refuge before the death of the high Priest, he might be slain, verse 32, forasmuch as such a one seemed to make no account of the death of Christ, nor to seek deliverance from blood by his blood.  
But some man may say, Objection. that the City of refuge was appointed only for the trial of the slaughter, whether it were committed willingly or unwillingly, of malice or of ignorance, and not for any regard of punishment at all.  
This indeed is objected, Answer. but it is as easily answered. For if the City had been assigned only for examination and trial of the fact, then immediately after the knowledge of the manner of doing, and the party brought to his purgation, he should forthwith be discharged and delivered. But this was not so, he must remain and continue there peradventure all the days of his life, at least all the days of the high Priests life. Besides, the high Priest might have died the next day after the manslayers flying thither before his cause came to be handled and tried, yet even then he was to be set at liberty. Therefore it appeareth, that this was also a kind of punishment, and was inflicted for farther detestation of manslaughter, so that if the slayer were found out of his City before the death of the high Priest, the avenger of blood might kill him, and yet not be charged with his blood. So then, as the death of the high Priest did free the manslayer, so such persons were taught to fly to the death of the Messiah that must be slain, in whom was all their hope of deliverance, and comfort that this their sin should be done awah. Ambrose is clear in this point, 
De fuga seculi. cap. 2.  that the high Priest signifieth Christ jesus. So is Cyrill, Maximus, and others, who by the death of the high Priest in this place, do gather deliverance by the death of Christ. 
Dialog. adverse. Pela. lib. 1.  S. Jerome is plain in that whole case touching sins of ignorance, and that he which is fled to the City of refuge, must tarry until the high Priests death, that is, until he be redeemed by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour. Theodoret is more plain than all these; for he asketh this question, 
In lib. Num. quaest. 51.  Why until the death of the high Priest doth he prescribe return unto him, which hath slain a man unwillingly? and he answereth, Because the death of the high Priest which is after the order of Melchizedech, was the losing of the sin of man: whereby he declareth two things; both the mystery of the high Priests death, signifying the death of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ, whose blood cleanseth the shedding of blood, and washeth away the guilt of all sin, voluntary or unvoluntary, and withal he showeth that such unwilling manslaughter is a sin. Yea, this is so clear a point, that Cardinal Allen forgetting the doctrine of his fellows; and the foundation whereupon they build, in his book of popish pardons, chapt. 5, telleth us out of the Council of Ancyre, holden well near 1300. years since, in the purest time of Christian religion, when our adversaries dare not say that the faith was corrupted, that the Apostles and Bishops have ever beside the preaching of the Gospel, exercised the power of the keys committed to the Church, and inflicted due punishment for every deadly sin, justly respecting the grievousness thereof: and among the rest he noteth, that for murderers if it were not voluntary, were appointed seven years penance; but if it were wilful, till the end of their life. Now would this Council so ancient and so pure, as the jesuite pretendeth, have enjoined so long penance and punishment for innocent persons, and such as had committed no sin at all? So then to end this matter, albeit the Lord acquit the party after a sort that hath slain a man unwittingly, so that there shall no judgement of death pass upon him, yet he was constrained to forsake his own house and inheritance, and to dwell in a strange place, and to suffer many inconveniences, to his decay and impoverishing, and peradventure his utter undoing, his wives and children. Wherefore God would have the party that offendeth unwittingly, nevertheless to abide some punishment, to the intent he may humble himself. And I suppose there is no good man, if such a thing should befall him, but would be humbled and grieved for it all the days of his life, and crave of God forgiveness of what is past, albeit there were no evil meant on his part; and likewise pray unto him earnestly for the time to come, that he would rule his hands and his feet better, & so order all his steps that he never serve from his holy commandments.  
Now to come to the ground of the Doctrine, three sorts are here directed touching blood; the people, the avenger, and the judge. The people is restrained, the avenger is permitted, the judge warranted and allowed. The people is restrained, not permitted: the avenger is permitted, not restrained: the judge is permitted and allowed, nay commanded to draw the sword. The people sin if they shed blood; the judge if he do not.  
This teacheth, that it is a sin for men to do that which GOD hath appointed to be done, 
Doctrine. We may not do lawful things unlawfully.  when they have no particular calling or commandment for them to do it. This is manifested unto us in the fact of Zipporah, the wife of Moses, taking a knife, and circumcising her son. Circumcision was one of the sacraments that God had ordained, that every male of eight days should be circumcised, and have the foreskin of his flesh cut off, Exo. 4, 25. howbeit she sinned grievously, because she would do it without a calling, which was for man, not for the woman to do: and therefore it appeareth she had no more children, as we observed elsewhere, chap. 12, and beside she wanted the presence and company of her husband a long time after, and when she returned unto him, she was vexed and afflicte● by the emulation of Miriam a●● Aaron. So Saul sinned in offering up sacrifice, who ought to have stayed for the coming of Samuel: sacrifices were commanded of God, but he did it without a calling, & therefore Samuel telleth him he had done foolishly, 1. Sam. 13, 14. The like we might say of Vzziah, 2 Chron. 26, 16, otherwise a good king; he went into the Temple of the Lord, and presumed to offer incense, which was peculiar to the Priests: and therefore having no direction from God, though he did a good thing, yet he was presently smitten with leprosy, 2 Chr. 26, 14, 20. This we saw before in Korah and his company, chap. 16. Amnon abusing his sister Tamar by filthy incest, aught by the law of God to suffer death, Absalon killeth him with the sword, he did that which God commanded, Leuit. 18, 9, 29, and David had to answer for it, because he put him not to death; nevertheless Absalon sinned grievously in the doing of it, because he was no Magistrate. 
2 Sam. 13, 28  So then the point is plain, that a man may sin, and that grievously, in doing the things that God commandeth, when he hath no warrant to do them.  
The grounds are these. First, he doth it Reason 1 without any commandment from GOD. Whensoever a commandment is limited to persons and places, to them it is a commandment, and to no others. The commandments and orders that are directed to such as are free of a city, or of a company, or incorporation, are no commandments to those that are foreigners: so in this case, a commandment to some maketh it a sin to them, if they leave it undone: whereas on the other side, the not commanding maketh it a sin to others that do it, because it is the commandment that maketh things either lawful or unlawful. Where there is no sight, there can be no blindness, but it is blindness when it is found in the subject where sight ought to be. We cannot say there is blindness in a stone, because it is not capable of sight. Therefore we say, that in indifferent things there can be no sin, either to do, or not to do, & the ground is, because there is no commandment. Secondly, it is a rule, that all good being out of his proper subject is evil. Consider this in the natural body. Is it not evil in nature, for the eye to be in place of the hand, that should be in the head? Or for the finger to grow in the forehead, that should be in the hand? this maketh a monster in the body, when a member is out of his proper subject. So we may say for moral good, when it is out of his proper place, it is no more good, but is turned into evil.  
If any ask, what is the proper subject of good? I answer, the proper subject of good is he to whom it is commanded; and the unproper subject is, where there is no such commandment,  
Use 1 By this a man may look into himself, and see as it were in a glass the defects and deformities of his soul, and namely, that he doth many things good for the matter and substance, and good in those that have a calling and commandment for it; yet evil in him, because he wanteth a commandment, and consequently hath no warrant for the doing thereof. All such have cause to humble themselves for the evil which they have brought upon themselves, by doing good things without any good calling. To preach the word, to administer the Sacraments, to make public prayer, are necessary parts of the holy worship of God that must be performed, they are the only instruments to save the precious souls of men; and yet these, even these are grievous sins to men to meddle with them that have no power or precept given unto them to perform them. There is nothing so much commanded of GOD as to do these things, yet nothing more sinful than these, when they are done without a commandment and a commission. If a man of a private trade and occupation shall presume to preach the word of God, having no calling thereunto, it is most ungodly, let his gifts be what they may be, let him be able to speak with the tongue of men and Angels, and let him divide the word of truth rightly, and interpret the same sound, yet it is Anabaptistical, and a great sin and impiety. So likewise we may say for private Baptism to be performed by a woman under a pretence of necessity; as if there were any necessity in sinning, or to make the people of God go out of their calling: and yet so wretched and wicked is our age, that this sin is not only committed, but also defended.  

Epiph. count heres.  One well observeth that it cannot be lawful for women to baptise, and he confirmeth it by this, because it was not given to the mother of Christ that she (who was blessed above all other women) should do it. If then it were lawful for any, then certainly much more for her to touch these holy things: what wicked women then, what bloody Zipporahs' are those of our time that dare undertake this holy thing without any calling? It is evil in those midwives that usurp this office, but worse in those that commend and defend this sin.  
Let all therefore both men and women examine themselves in those things; if they have broken the banks that God hath set them, & have yet carried it away, and no plague from God hath overtaken them that have undertaken such works impertinent unto them, then let them know that they are to acknowledge the great mercy of GOD toward them, that he did not strike them dead in the very act, as he did Vzzah that touched the Ark, 
1 Sam, 6, 7  (otherwise a good man) because he did a good act without any calling thereunto. Neither let any dream that God doth approve of them, because he doth not presently punish them, Eccles. 8: but consider they have to do with a God of patience; and albeit they go away, & prosper for a time, yet in the end he will find them out and punish them. Likewise in this kind they offend, who take upon them to reprove, whom, and where, and when they please, without due observation of fit circumstances. It is indeed a duty commanded that some should reprove, and some be reproved for sin, Leuit. 19, 14. Prou. 9, 8: yet every man is not to reprove all, at all times and in all places, only it lieth upon them that have a calling to reprove, and therefore it is a sin in others. So when private men take upon them to reform public abuses, as to pull down images, and to abolish the monuments of Idolatry, they sin in this case against God and the Magistrate: against the Magistrate, in taking his calling out of his hand that belongeth to him: & against God, in that they do it without his direction. True it is, the word teacheth that their altars should be destroyed, their images must be broken down, their idols burned; but it is a word to the Magistrate: he sinneth if he do it not, because he performeth not God's commandment: the private person sinneth if he do it, because he doth it without any commandment, nay against the commandment. The brazen serpent must be stamped in pieces, if once the people offer incense unto it, and commit idolatry with it, howbeit it must be done by Hezekiah; 2 Kings 18, 4. If a private man buy an house, & find therein sundry images & many monuments of idolatry, he may abolish them; & if any of his family have gotten such, he may take them away and deface them, as jacob did cleanse his house, Gen. 35, 2: because he is a Master & Magistrate in his own family: but to do it in public, where he is no Magistrate, he may not without sin, as the Magistrate himself may not omit it without sin.  
Secondly, every one ought to labour to Use 2 know his own calling, and to be assured how far it stretcheth, and will bear him out. This should persuade every one of us, that in every good thing which we do, we should be sure that sin cleave not unto us, and that we attempt nothing, before we have our commission sealed and sent unto us. When we go about any thing, it is not enough to weigh how good it is, but to look what warrant we have to do it. It is not the goodness of the thing that will free us from sin, but the warrant that we have to do it. We must have a general warrant that the work is good, and a particular also, that it is good for us, and in us.  
But some will say, how shall a man know, Object. that he hath a commandment in particular to do this or that? Answer. I answer, if any man be such a one as he to whom the commandment is given: or if the commandment be given to him in general, than he may gather that the commandment doth belong unto him in particular, so that in doing the same, he shall not only do a good work, but the work shall be good in him. So then, every man must reason thus with himself, God hath commanded me to do it, and therefore out of conscience to his commandment I will do it, forasmuch as to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken then the fat of rams, 1 Sam. 15, 22. And if Saul himself had obeyed, it had been better for him then to have offered up his sacrifice, though it had been of the chiefest of the things, which should have been destroyed. It is a policy of Satan, and it were good that none were ignorant of it, and that all would take notice of it, that if he cannot make men abide and abound in evil, but that they will needs be doing of good, than he will labour to make them do good unlawfully and unseasonably, by bringing them to do some good, whereunto they have no calling. Thus he maketh again to himself, even by the works themselves of godliness: and therefore it should be the care and wisdom of every man to look to God's word, and to his own warrant in doing of any thing, and not suffer ourselves to be deluded by him. If the disciples of Christ had duly observed this, they would never have desired to bring fire from heaven & consume the Samaritans that would not receive him, as Elias had done to destroy the captains that scoffed at him, 2 Kings 1, 10. Luke 9, 54, but they would have considered, that they were not endued with the same spirit, neither fitted with that calling, nor armed with that power. Peter would not have drawn the sword to strike the the high Priests servant, if he had called to mind that the sword was not put into his hands, Math. 26, 51. Let every man labour to see what God hath called him unto, and look to the things commanded unto him: private men may not take upon them to reform every thing that is amiss, having no authority thereunto: and if they should come to suffer for such things, they shall find but little comfort in their sufferings, because this is to suffer as evil doers, albeit not for doing of evil.  
Use 3 Lastly, if it be unlawful to do good sometimes, when it is done unlawfully, then how much more is it unlawful to do that which in itself and in it own nature is unlawful? And if God reject the actions of men when they are done in an evil manner, how much more doth he abhor the works of carnal men when they are wicked & ungodly in the very substance? And if he accept not those actions which might be done well, if they were done by another, how much less those that can be well done by none? Of which we may say with Solomon, Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner? Prou. 11, 31. If the faithful offend in doing lawful things, much more do the ungodly, that never regard to do any good. And if they sin against God that hear his word amiss, how much more sinful are they that will not hear it at all? And if they provoke the wrath of God that do good in an evil manner, much more do they that sin in an evil matter, and most of all when the heart is evil also, as Prou. 21, 27, The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination, how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? The faithful have many times a good intent, when they think to do God good service, and yet are not accepted, because they fail in the manner: woe then to those whose very hearts are set upon evil, and have no delight in that which is good at any time.   

30 Whoso killeth any person, 
Deut. 17, 6, & 19, 15 Math 18, 16, 2 Cor. 13, 1. Heb 10 28, 1 Tim. 5.19  the murderer shallbe put to death, by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person, to cause him to die.  
31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but he shallbe surely put to death.  
33 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the Priest,  
33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood, it defileth the land, and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.  
34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.  
The third and last part remaineth, laying forth the office of the judges touching slaughter: wherein observe two things; first, the Law of putting the murderer to death, which must pass by the verdict of two or three witnesses, verse 30. Secondly, the judges are forbidden to take any satisfaction for the life of a murderer, because innocent blood shed defileth the Land, yea in such an horrible manner and measure, that all the water in the sea cannot wash it away, for the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed, but by the blood of him that shed it. And no marvel, seeing they might take no satisfaction for him that bade killed a man at unawares, to deliver him from the city of his refuge before the death of the high Priest. From these words we learn, how heinous a sin murder is. Again, that wilful murderers are not to be spared, the eye of the Magistrate must not pity them, if they be desirous to revenge the dishonour done unto God, or to cleanse their own Land, or to save their own lives. But mark farther how GOD will have such proceeded against; they shall not die by the mouth of one witness: he requireth in judicial courts, that every matter should be tried by two or three witnesses, that the guilty should not be acquitted, and that the innocent might not be condemned. 
Doctrine. God will have no innocent person put to death.  So then the point from hence is this, that God will have no innocent person put to death, but that every one should receive according to his own works. Deut. 13, 14, and 17, 4, Thou shalt inquire, and make search, and ask diligently, whether it be a truth, and the thing certain: he will have no man condemned upon accusations, suspicions, and presumptions, Esay 5, 13, Psal. 37, 6, Pro. 24, 23. This was the sin of Saul, who commanded to kill the Priests of the Lord, 1, Sam. 22, 16, as if they had conspired against him, job 29, 16.  
Reason 1 The grounds are these; first from the nature of God, he is a just and righteous God, the judge of all the earth, and he respecteth no man's person; therefore they that sit in his place and execute his judgement, and have his Name communicated unto them, aught to deal uprightly, Deuter. 1, 16, 17. Secondly, wrong judgement is abominable in the sight of God, Pro. 17, 15, whether it be to justify the wicked, or to condemn the innocent. Thirdly, it kindleth the Lord's wrath against the land, when innocent blood is shed, jer. 26, 14, 15, As for me, behold I am in your hand, do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you; but know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof, as 1 Kings 21, 19  
Use 1 The uses follow. First, this serveth for instruction to all that are in authority, to take heed to themselves, that they walk with a right foot, and turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, according as God requireth Levit. 19, 15, Thou shalt do no unrighteousness in judgement; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty, but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Against this they offend many ways: when they give false judgement, and cause the same to be executed: when they defer judgement, & put it off, as Felix did from day to day, Acts 24, 25: for while judgement hangeth thus in suspense, the just is often taken for the unjust, and contrariwise the unjust for the just: lastly, when the sentence rightly pronounced is delayed, and sometimes not at all executed. The Scripture expresseth the fault and the punishment by one and the same word, 
Gen 4, 7, 13 Esay 24, 20 1 Peter 2, 24  to teach that they should be joined together, and not severed, and that he should be holden for innocent and unblamable that hath no punishment inflicted, Exod. 20, 7: and therefore the error of the Romanists is blasphemous, who lay this injustice upon God, that he forgiveth the faithful their offences, but retaineth the punishment. All men do very willingly confess, that it is a very heinous crime to condemn the just man; but they do not in like manner, and with like zeal abhor from justifying the ungodly: but the Spirit of God testifieth, that they are both abominable in his sight, he abhorreth the one no less than the other: 
Why the guilty ought not to be spated.  and so it ought to be with those that sit in place of judgement, otherwise they transgress the Law of God, which commandeth, that his blood should be upon his own head. Again, such persons are for the most part made worse and worse, and are never brought to repentance, as experience commonly teacheth. Besides, by this sparing and winking at evil, the godly are often grieved, and sometimes are emboldened to evil. Lastly, other wicked men by their example are encouraged, and their hearts are hardened. Hence it is that Solomon saith, Prou. 24, 24, He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him. This equity doth Moses also propound in the Law, If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgement that the judges may judge them, than they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked, Deut. 25, 2.  
But it will be said, Object. that the Scripture teacheth, that God justifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4, 5: and therefore he that executeth judgement may do the like also. I answer; first, Answ. that is lawful for God to do, which is not lawful for man.  
Again, God in justifying the ungodly, of unrighteous maketh him righteous, and by paying a dear price for him, cleanseth and washeth away his impiety, and giveth unto him another mind than he had before, which no mortal man is able to do; and therefore it is unreasonable to pretend the example of God, or to allege it to justify themselves when they justify the ungodly. This corruption must needs be evil, because it proceedeth from evil fountains; for judgement is stayed, or perverted, either through fear, or covetousness, or hope, or hatred, or favour, or malice, or letters, or such like affections which blind the eyes, and stop the ears, and pervert the wise, 2 Chron. 19, 6, 7. But in the mean season they displease the Lord, and by winking at the wicked they make themselves abominable to the chief judge of heaven and earth, before whom they must come to be judged: and in sparing of grievous transgressors (which ought to be punished) they make themselves accessaries to their transgressions, & many times like Saul & Ahab, & Pilate, they bear a part of the punishment.  
Secondly, this admonisheth all Iurers, that Use 2 they take great heed whom they acquit, and whom they condemn. If they condemn the innocent, their blood will be required at their hands. And if they justify any that are guilty of blood (which is a crying sin) or other heinous enormities, & labour the rest of their fellows & companions to join with them, they are brethren in evil, and stain the judgement seat with unrighteous proceeding, which is worse than if they should cast dust and dung in the judges face. These do often forget that they are sworn men, and give their verdict upon their oath: for if they did, they would not so lightly set their souls to sale. These for the most part think themselves excused by the judge, and hang more upon his mouth, then hold themselves to the matter. Such persons ought not to be simple men, but such as should be able to judge, and to discern between right and wrong.  
Use 3 Lastly, let us come to witnesses, which are other parties in the matter of judgement, and are especially aimed at in this place; it directeth and informeth them to know what they do, and where they stand. Let them take heed what they depose, lest by forswearing themselves, they renounce the living God, and bring damnation upon their souls. A man would think that an oath were such a weight and burden upon the conscience, that no man would dare to step forth, and lay his hand upon the book, and afterward sell himself to the devil. There is nothing so vile & wretched, but some will be found as vile to set it on foot. If Ahab be sick for Naboths vineyard, jezabel can quickly by her letters procure two false varlets and unthrifts in Samaria to bear false witness against him, 1 Kings 21, 10. So when the malice and envy of the Pharisees grew to be extreme against Christ, and that they feared the fall of their kingdom, though he were innocency itself, yet there were found false witnesses to condemn the innocent, Math. 26, 60, 61. Hence it is, that the Ecclesiastical Laws have not hand over head admitted all without difference and discretion to be brought and allowed as witnesses, but have set down seven just considerations of exceptions against witnesses, in this manner, 
Aetas, conditio, sexus, discretio, fama,  
Fortuna, & fides.   
The first point to be respected in witnesses is, that they be of age: for such as are infants, children, or younglings know not the depth of the cause, nor the validity of an oath, nor the distinction of matters whereupon they are to be produced, and therefore they may stand by while the jury is impanelled. And to these we may join the old doting age which decayeth in understanding, no less than it doth in strength of body. Secondly, the condition of the persons, whether they be bond or free. The tenant for his landlord, the servant for his Master, the father and son one for another are worthily esteemed to be partial witnesses. Thirdly, the sex whether it be man or woman: for a woman's testimony wanteth much of the weight of the other, because many of them are partial and passionate, & light creatures, if it be opposed against the testimony of a wise and considerate man. They are soon led aside by affection, by pity or favour, and therefore never any of them were admitted to sit in place of judgement, where the judge should know neither father nor mother. Fourthly, discretion; for idiots and lunatic persons, or mad men, would prove but mad witnesses to be admitted in trials of truth, who cannot discern aright of themselves and of their own estate. For how should they be able to dive into the causes of other men, that have not the use of reason or understanding? Fiftly, fame is not to be contemned in this case: for they should be men of good report and credit in the places of their abode: not common swearers, not liars, not drunkards, and ruffians: for such as swear commonly, make no more conscience of an oath taken before a judge, then of an oath sitting upon their alebench: and such as are tainted and stained with the reproach of many evils, will easily be drawn to add one sin of perjury more to the heaps of their other wickedness. Sixtly their estate or ability, what their lands or livings be, what goods and substance they have, where their dwelling and abode is, whether they have any thing to lose; and be able to make satisfaction, if happily they be found tainted. For beggars and bankrupt, strangers and stragglers, unknown and untried, may soon be brought to lift at an oath for a little money and for hope of gain: and the party grieved and abused by their falsehood and forgery, shall purchase their ears (when they are in the pillery) at a dear rate if he list to sue at the Law for them. Lastly, their faith or religion is of special consideration, because that is the bond of all good order. If they fear God and regard their conscience, there is no fear of them, we need make no scruple of conscience to allow of them. For infidels, Turks, heretics, or unbelievers make little account to renounce & sell Christ and the Christian faith (which they do not believe) for a small gain and advantage. Nevertheless, the Gentiles themselves did put such religion in oaths, if they had sworn solemnly by their false gods, that they feared vengeance to fall upon them, 
Iwen. satyr. 8.  if they did break them. Thus we have seen what witnesses ought to be: now let us see how they offend when they are such as they ought not to be. For no man must think it a small offence to wrest judgement, and to be a false witness: 
A false witness offendeth six ways.  inasmuch as they offend against God, against the truth, against the judge, against the person accused, against the commonwealth, and against themselves.  
First of all, they sin against GOD himself, who is the Author of truth and the Precedent of judgement seats; for they fear not to lie shamelessly to his face, and to pollute and defile his Tribunal, they despise and contemn his Law, and call upon him to be a witness of falsehood. Secondly, they do offend against the truth, which is that only light wherein the knowledge of things consisteth: this they go about to darken with their lies, and to hide it from the sight of men, as they that cover a candle under a bushel, or like to thieves that cannot abide the light, but put it out, that neither they nor their doings may be espied. Thirdly, they transgress against the judge, who pronounceth sentence according to the words of the witnesses, and maketh their depositions as a rule to guide and direct him. It is a common thing for the judge to err and to go astray, 
Phil. Bosquieri theatrum patie. p. 280  being seduced and deceived by their falsehood, pronouncing with his mouth, sealing with his hand, and striking with his sword, otherwise than it ought to be: who ought to be the instrument, the oracle, and the interpreter of God. Fourthly, against such as are accused and brought to judgement whether they be guilty, or not guilty. If they be guilty, and be acquitted and discharged by them, they free them from punishment, which might be a good means to do them good, when they should receive according to their deserts: and besides, they encourage them in evil, because to escape without punishment, inflameth them with a desire to continue in evil. If they be not guilty, they are wronged and oppressed by their false testimony, either in their life, or in their goods, or in their name, or in such like earthly blessings. 
Wilh Zepper de leg Mosaic. lib. 5, cap. 7.  For whatsoever is taken from the condemned person by sentence of the judge, is all done by the fault of the false witness. If life be taken from him, he is the murderer: if he lose any of his goods, he is the thief: if his good name be impaired, he is the slanderer. Fiftly, against the commonwealth, because the end of judgements and of the courts of justice is not attained, to wit, the peace and tranquillity of the people. For wherefore serve so many places and seats of judgement, but that we should lead a peaceable and a quiet life? The end of war is said to be peace, so the end of suits is, that we should not sue. Now this great and precious jewel of peace is wronged and wrested, when the judge, following the rule of the witnesses, and judging according to things alleged and proved, doth condemn the innocent, and absolve the guilty person. For as he is injurious against my body that cutteth off a sound arm or leg; so is he against the city, which casteth way a good and profitable citizen. Again, as he is hurtful to my body, that doth not cut off a rotten member, or persuade the Surgeon to cut it or to burn it, when need requireth, because the sound members that remain are endangered thereby: so likewise he that moveth or persuadeth the judge to acquit a guilty person, who is no better to the commonwealth, than a rotten member is to the body, is an enemy to the state, and injurious to the body politic. Lastly, against himself, 
False witnesses do hurt themselves most of all.  because he depriveth himself of all blessings belonging to soul and body. The Lord professeth himself to be a sharp and speedy judge against those that swear falsely, Zach. 5, 4. Mal. 3.5. Hence it is, that Solomon saith, A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape, Prou. 19, 5.9, and chapt. 25, 18, A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, to wit, not only toward his brother, but striking, piercing, wounding, and hurting himself. It is the part of an envious person to pull out both his own eyes to put out one of his neighbours: but such are all false witnesses, they annoy themselves in soul and body, that they may hurt the body only of their brother.  
So then, a false witness doth hurt himself more than he doth another, or can do. He may by his false testimony take away his goods or his life, or his name, and this is all: when in the mean season he destroyeth and damneth his own soul, and casteth it into hell fire, there to be tormented with the devil and his angels.    

CHAP. XXXVI.  

1 ANd the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of joseph, came near and spoke before Moses, and before the Princes the chief fathers of the children of Israel.  
2 And they said, The Lord commanded my Lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my Lord was commanded by the Lord, to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother, unto his daughters.  
3 And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe, whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance.  
4 And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the Tribe, whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribes of our fathers.  
WHereas Moses had spoken before of the dividing of the inheritance in general among the tribes: in this place a certain special case is propounded by the Manassites touching the right of inheritance before assigned to the daughters of Zelophehad, to wit, how provision might be made that the same portion might remain in that tribe, and not be conveyed or translated to some of the other tribes. For they propound these 2 as repugnant one to the other, the right of succession which these women had obtained, and the privilege of the year of jubilee, which they thought was weakened by this means, if happily these maids should marry to any other husbands than men of their own tribe; neither did they know how to clear this doubt. But Moses, instructed of God, setteth down a Law, that inheritance should not pass from tribe to tribe, and that such as were inheritrixes might not marry any of other tribes, but among their own only, which was carefully observed by these women. This is the sum of this chapter, wherewith the whole book is concluded. In this observe three points; 
The contents of this chapped.  first, the question of the Manassites; secondly, the resolution of Moses; thirdly, the marriage of the daughters of Zelophehad. Touching the first, it is handled in these four verses. The question was moved by the chief heads of the tribe of Manasseh, how the inheritance might rest: without a manifest detriment to their tribe? For if they should marry in another tribe, it was as much as to cut off an arm from the body. And by this means it might come to pass in process of time, that the chief portion assigned to one tribe might be possessed by men of other tribes, which would breed great confusion and disorder. This practice and proceeding of theirs teacheth, first, that the Magistrate is and aught to be the supreme judge in causes of inheritance. Secondly, no man ought to be judge in his own cause. Thirdly, we see how they come to Moses, not in contempt or with a commotion, as if they meant to gain that by force which they could not obtain by favour, but they bear themselves lowly and dutifully as became them to the Magistrate, when they say, The Lord commanded my Lord: and again, My Lord was commanded, 
Doctrine. Inferiors must reverence their superiors.  etc. From hence we learn, that it is the duty of all inferiors to reverence the superiors in gesture, in word, & in deed. We might also show that Magistrates must acknowledge themselves to rule under God, and to be Lords under that highest Lord. But we will only handle this point, that inferiors must use speeches of reverence, such as betoken subjection; this we saw before, chapt. 11, 28, and 32, 5, 25, 31. 2 Kings 5 13, 1 Peter 3, 6. Nehem. 2, 5. Esther 7, 3. 2 Sam. 24, 3. 1 Kings 1, 23, 24, 31. 2 Kings 2, 12, and 13, 14. Mal. 1, 6. 1 Sam. 25, 24, 25, 26 27, 28. Gen, 16, 9  
The grounds first, because superiors bear Reason 1 the image of God, and are to their inferiors in God's place, as Moses was to Aaron, when the Lord saith, Exod. 4, 16. Thou shalt be unto him in stead of God.  
Secondly, it is the express law of God, To honour father and mother, that is, all superiors, Exod. 20, 12. Psal. 82, 6. 1 Tim. 5, 3. They are set over inferiors for their good, not for their own, 1 Tim. 2, ●. where the Apostle teacheth, that Princes are appointed unto eminent place, not to lift up their hearts against their brethren, and to maintain themselves in all riot and excess, but that the people may lead a quiet & peaceable life under them. Fourthly such do adorn the Gospel. 
1 Tim 6, 1.   
This serveth to reprove such as are so far Use 1 from giving of good words, and using soft & gentle speech savouring of Christian modesty and subjection, that they revile them, rail at them, and speak all manner of evil against them; which they ought not to do unto any, much less to their fathers, or masters, or Magistrates, to whom they are bound in a nearer band, and tied to a farther duty. Hence it is, that Moses saith, Exod. 22, 28. Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people. It is delivered as a general precept, binding all that will be the children of God, Bless them that persecute you; bless I say, & curse not, Rom. 12, 14. jam. 3, 9, 10. It is a thing acceptable to God, to speak evil of no man, Titus 3, 2. It is therefore a thing detestable, to speak evil of our superiors, unto whom all dutiful language is due that savoureth of peace and love, nay of submission and subjection. The Apostle exhorteth servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them in all things, 
Tit. 2, 9  not answering again with stout and unseemly words. Such than must learn by the fear of God to bridle their tongues, that they offend not that way, jam. 3, 4.  
Many there are, who in their service are reasonable, but they have no rule over their tongue: they will not only mutter and murmur, but give cursed and cutted answers. It is the fruit of an evil servant to be evil tongued, and to take liberty to taunt in unseemly manner against those that are set over them. This was the sin of Agar, that despised her mistress, not only in her heart, but likewise in speech, Goe 16, 4. Let such consider the words of Solomon, Prou. 15, 1. A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger, james chap. 1.20. judg. 8. verses 1, 2, 3. 1 Sam. 25, 32.  
Secondly, we see the place of subjection is Use 2 not an unlawful callings, neither must we think that Christianity hath abolished Magistracy and civil authority, but rather ratifyeth and establisheth it, Titus 3, 1. 1 Tim, 6, 1. And it is lawful for good men, and especially for Magistrates & Ministers to have servants, as Abraham had many, Eliah one & likewise Elisha. joseph had a Steward of his house, jacob had manservants and mayde-seruants, Gen. 14, 14, and 15, 2, and 44, 1, and 32, 16. Mephibosheth had a servant, and that servant had twenty servants, 2 Sam. 9, 10. This overthroweth the damnable sect of the Anabaptists and Libertines, who teach that Christians may not be subject unto any. Objection. They object, that they are the Lords freemen. I answer, Answer. it is true, but this freedom is inward and spiritual, from sin and Satan, and condemnation.  
Object. Again, they allege, that we are forbidden to be the servants of men, Answ. 1 Cor. 7. I answer, the meaning is, we are not to be addicted unto them servilely, in things unlawful and unhonest, or in obeying their traditions as God's Commandments. Objection. But Christ saith, Call no man master upon earth, Math. 23, 10, because one is our Master, Answ. even Christ. I answer, this must be understood as the former, when Christ forbiddeth to call any father, to wit, to hold him in chief, and not subordinate to Christ and for Christ.  
Objection. Again, it is objected that sin brought in servitude and slavish subjection of man to man. For albeit in the innocent estate, there should have been teacher and scholar (though not by office and calling, to preach the word, or to teach schools) and governors, and the governed, Answer. yet not master and servant. I answer, sin was the occasion of sundry things in their nature good, or at least through God's mercy and blessing bringing good out of evil. For it brought into the world upon man a necessity to marry, for the avoiding of fornication: yea sin may be said to have caused a necessity of Christ's coming, as also to cause a necessity of preaching, and of labouring in the sweat of our brows, and a necessity likewise in relieving the poor. Besides, every kind of subjection is not against the law of pure Nature, as might be showed by the subjection of the wife to the husband, and of the children to their parents. So then, servitude is no new invention of cruel men in these latter days, neither is a faithful servant to be accounted a perpetual ass, crouching under his burden. No man must be ashamed of that calling, neither reprove it as evil and unlawful, but rather labour to adorn the Gospel in it, by serving, not with eyeservice, but dealing faithfully as the servants of Christ.  
Use 3 Lastly, all superiors must so carry themselves, as that they may deserve reverence, and draw not contempt upon themselves, 1 Tim. 4, 12, Prou. 16, 31, and 21, 30. Leuitic. 19, 32. 1 Tim. 5, 1, 2. And those duties are of divers sorts which are to be performed by them, whereof they are put in mind by the names whereby they are called.  
The first degree of this superiority concerneth parents, to whom it belongeth to teach, 
The duties of parents.  to correct, to defend, and to provide for their children, as we have showed already, chap. 30. This reproveth such as are careless what become of them, such as pamper them to much, and suffer them to do what they list, till they shame their fathers & mothers, their friends, and the Church of God, and grow obstinate and incorrigible. Touching masters, 
The duties of masters.  it lieth upon them to order their servants and families aright, they must require of their servants no more than is just and equal, Col. 4, 1, remembering that they have a Master in Heaven, who requireth only things just and equal at their hands: they are to provide for them food and raiment, and such like necessaries, or else they are worse than infidels, and have denied the faith, Prou. 31, 21. 1 Tim. 5, 8. Likewise it behoveth them to teach and instruct them, as faithful and believing Masters have done, and found a great blessing upon their labours, Acts 10, 7. Gen. 24, 12.  
And if Masters desire to have their houses dutiful & subject unto them, they must choose such as are religious, or be careful to make them religious, that so they may obey for conscience sake. If at any time they shall make conscience to serve the Lord, they will not be slothful to serve their Masters. But there are many Masters, that are always threatening their servants, Ephes. 6, 9, and never speak kindly unto them, to encourage them in well-doing; there proceedeth nothing but fire out of their mouth, and smoke goeth out of their nostrils. And not so only, but they command hard and cruel service at their hands, and after a sort suck out their heart blood, by over-burdening and over-bearing them beyond their strength, like the cruel taskmasters of the Egyptians, who gave the israelites no straw to make them up the tale of their bricks, but made them gather it themselves, and yet would diminish nothing of the work, Exodus 5, 7, 8.  
Thus were the people scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble in stead of straw. And Samson being a servant, or rather slave to the Philistims, was not only made a laughingstock, but compelled to grind in the prisonhouse, judg. 16, 21. Such masters are they also that are immoderate and excessive in correction, & know no measure, as if their servants were beasts, and not their brethren. Nay Balaam the false prophet is reproved of the Angel for his cruelty toward his ass, 
Numb. 22, 32.  but these respect men no better than if they were asses or horses; for the whip is never from their backs, or the bridle from their mouths, or the fist from their ears, or the staff from their sides. Thus also did the taskmasters beat the officers of the children of Israel without any cause or desert. Now touching Magistrates, 
Exod. 5, 14.  
The duties of Magistrates.  they are the fathers of the country and commonwealth, they must be careful to plant sound religion among the people, and be careful that God be served in the first place, because they must rule for GOD and not for themselves. And thus did the godly Kings of judah. They must establish peace and tranquillity, that men may sit under their vines and fig trees, that there be no invasion nor going out, nor crying and complaining in the streets. And they must publish and prescribe such wholesome Laws, as may serve to keep men in obedience; and when they are once enacted and established, they must not suffer them to rust for want of execution, but remember they are the Ministers of God to take vengeance on him that doth evil, Rom. 13, 4. If then they suffer men to do what they list, as if there were no king in Israel, if they be careless of God's service, if they do not defend the innocent like Ahab; nor punish the transgressors, or command unjust and unlawful things, or spare offenders that ought to die, like Saul; they provoke the wrath of God against themselves, as we have showed already in the former chapter.   

5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, according to the word of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the sons of joseph hath said well.  
6 This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best, only to the family of the tribes of their father shall they marry.  
7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.  
8 And every daughter that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.  
9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe, but every one of the children of Israel shall enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.  
The second part of the Chapter followeth, which is the answer of Moses to the former question, where he commendeth those that made this demand, and then he setteth down first a particular Law touching the daughters of Zelophehad, that they should marry to whom they thought best, howbeit within their own tribe; and secondly a general Law binding perpetually all daughters among them that possessed any inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, that they shall be wives to one of the same tribe; thus every one should quietly enjoy his own, and the inheritance should not remove from one tribe to another. Out of this division we might observe sundry instructions. 
We must commend good in whomsoever.  First Moses commendeth that which these chief fathers had well spoken and well done, teaching that we ought not only not to dispraise that in which others have well deserved, but we should praise and commend it.  
Thus he did to these daughters before, Chapter 27, 7, when they sued for an inheritance. Secondly, in that they are directed to marry to whom they think best, we see that none are to be denied marriage which is the ordinance of God. It entered into none of their hearts, to remedy the alienation of inheritance by restraining any from marriage when daughters fell to be inheritrixes, but it was left free to them, according to the precept of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7, 2. Again, it teacheth that marriage is not to be enforced upon any, either by the Magistrate, or by the parents, or by any governors, Gen. 24, 57 1 Corinth. 7, 39 For this were to exercise tyranny over our children.  
For as children ought to have the consent of their careful parents, and not to dare to bestow themselves without their advice, which practice we see in the very Gentiles, as appeareth in Euripides, where Hermione answereth Orestes, 
Eurip. in Andromacha.  desiring of her a promise of marriage, 
Sponsaliorum meorum pater meus curam  
habebit, non est meum statuere hoc;   
That is, 
It lieth not in my hand at all  
myself for to contract:  
Unto my father's care and power,  
I must refer that act:   
So likewise parents ought to have the consent of their children, & not bestow them upon others against their wills; for that were to lay an evil foundation, and to fill the house with jars and dissensions. Thirdly, observe that Moses saith, Every daughter shall be a wife unto one of the family; teaching us, that howsoever the marrying of many wives was practised among the patriarchs and people of God, yet this is the Law of Nature, that one man should have one wife, & not wives, Gen. 2, 24. Mat. 19, 5. But to come to the main point, 
Doctrine. The inheritance of the Israelits must continue and remain in one tribe.  we learn that the inheritance of the children of Israel must remain and continue in one and the same tribe, and never pass from tribe to tribe.  
The reasons of this Law given unto them are, that the Israelites might enjoy, every man the inheritance of his fathers, verse 8: and for this cause are the borders of every tribe so carefully assigned afterward.  
Secondly, that it might certainly he known that the Messiah came of no other tribe then of the tribe of judah, according to the promise and prophecy of jacob, Genes. 49, 10. The tribe shall not departed from judah, till Shiloh come. Thirdly, that peace might be preserved, and confusion avoided among them, whereas if the inheretrix had not been restrained by this Law, but left at liberty, the bounds of every tribe in process of time would have been abolished. These Laws did only bind the jews touching inheritances, & not impose a necessity upon others, as we have showed before, chapt. 27: as likewise that the eldest must have his double portion, and that no man might lawfully sell the fee simple of his inheritance; which precepts, with sundry others, if they should be brought into all Christian commonwealths, would turn upside down the very foundation of them, and alter all Laws and customs general and particular, and bring in an horrible confusion. For other nations do hold their lands by see simple, but God holdeth the Israelites as his farmers, Leuit. 25, 23, The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine, for ye were strangers and sojourners with me: he would not have them as owners, neither to be as purchasers of that land. Now let us come to the uses.  
Use 1 First, it is the ordinance of God that every man keep his proper inheritance, to have and to hold the same as his own. Distinction of inheritance is agreeable to his word, whatsoever the mad spirits of the Anabaptists do teach. Object. It will be said, that this is a fruit of man's first sin and disobedience, and that if he had stood in his innocency, there should have been a community of all things. But man's transgression brought in this private possession. Answ. I answer, we will not reason what should have been, forasmuch as we see what man hath done, and how he is fallen. It is in vain for a man to think how rich he should have been, if his house had not been burned, when he seethe it is consumed stick and stake to the ground, and he become a poor beggar. So likewise, it is needless to debate and dispute what should have been if Adam had stood, seeing God made man good, but he sought out many inventions, Eccles. 7, 29. For inasmuch as man is wholly corrupted by sin, that communion (if any should be) cannot in this estate take place, but every man must know what is his own, and what is not his own.  
Use 2 Secondly, this should teach parents to provide for their daughters as well as for their sons, and not to leave them to the wide world, especially in these our days, wherein more inquiry is made what they have, than what they are: and what goods are without them, then good things are within them. But God showeth by this Law, that he hath no less care of them then of sons. Men are to consider that their daughters are their children, as well as their sons, and therefore even they must be provided for also. The Apostle teacheth, that parents should lay up for their children, 2 Cor. 12, 14, not for one child only, or for his sons only. Nature teacheth, that if any member be weak, it is chief to be strengthened. The woman is the weaker vessel, and needeth to be supported: and it encourageth them in obedience when they see themselves respected. And what a shame is it to parents to bring them into the world, and then to leave them as it were destitute to the wide world?  
Thirdly, there are some that extend this Use 3 Law to all the jews in general, as if they were all forbidden to take a wife anywhere save in their own tribe. But if we mark the words of the Law, we shall find that they are not to be understood of men, but only of women; and not of all women neither, but of such as are heirs, and receive a possession for want of issue male. These might not marry out of their tribe; but others which had none inheritance, were left free to marry where they pleased, whether in their tribe or out of their tribe: because this is rendered as a reason of the Law, that the inheritance might not remove from one tribe to another, verse 9 It was lawful for them to take a wife of the nations round about them, that was not of the seed of Abraham, when there was no danger by a contrary religion, as appeareth by many examples, Matthew 1, 3, 5: so was it permitted to them to make choice of a wife out of another tribe, that was not to inherit her father's possession.  
And this was neither forbidden in the Law, nor yet observed by the jews. 
To marry in their own tribe, was neither forbidden nor observed. Exod. 6, 23.  The Law did not restrain their marriage, because it meddleth only with those that were heirs, and forbiddeth the possessions of the tribes to be confounded and mingled together. If then the Law did not abridge them, we may well suppose and presume that they did not observe it. For, not to speak of former examples, Moses married not a wife of his own tribe, neither of any tribe, but a Cushite, that is, one of the Midianites, which inhabited Arabia, of which see before, chapped. 12. Aaron also his brother married Elisabet; she was the daughter of Aminadab, and the sister of Naasson, which was of the tribe of judah, Numb. 1, 7, and 7, 12- Ruth 4, 20.  
So josabeah the daughter of the king jehoram of the tribe of judah was married to jehoiada the high Priest, 2 Chron 22, 11. Elizabeth the wife of Zachariah the Priest, the father of john Baptist, was of the daughters of Aaron, Luke 1.5, and was the cousin of Mary, Luke 1, 36: but it is certain and without all controversy, that Mary was of the tribe of judah, Luke 5.  
But it will be objected, Objection. that the Levites being dispersed among the other Tribes had a dispensation from the former Law, and therefore they might marry wives of diverse tribes from themselves, but it was otherwise with the rest.  
Answ. I answer, first it is vain to distinguish against the Law, where the law doth not distinguish: if then they had any privilege, let them bring forth the charter, and show their evidence, or else we cannot believe them.  
Again, albeit the Levites were scattered here and there, yet many of them dwelled together, and there were whole Cities in a manner of the Priests, 1 Sam. 22, 19 and therefore if they had pleased, or had thought themselves charged in this case, they might have had choice of wives of their own tribe. Lastly, this was no better observed by other Tribes, then by the Levites. For David of the tribe of judah married Michal the daughter of Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, 1 Sam. 18, 20, 27. & 9, 1. Likewise the eleven tribes having in a manner destroyed the Beniamites in a battle, profess among themselves that they might not give them of their daughters, because they had sworn, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin, judges 21, 18. declaring thereby, that they were not restrained by any law, but by their oath: and to what end did they make such an oath, if they had been before forbidden by the law of God without their oath? Many such like examples might be brought forth, to show that this Law did not simply restrain the marrying in other Tribes.  
Use 4 Fourthly, from hence we may conclude an argument against the vulgar edition of the Scripture, which in this place doth manifestly corrupt the text, and bringeth into manifest error; for it readeth the text thus, All men shall marry wives of their own tribe and kindred, 
The Latin translation false.  & all women shall take them husbands of the same tribe: both the which being generally taken, may well be taken for untruths. Whereas the original never speaketh of men marrying out of their tribes, neither of all men generally, but of those only that are their father's heirs. Bellarmine that must help at a dead lift, 
De verbo Dei, lib. 2, c. 12  answereth, That these two are all one, and do not differ; which argueth an hard forehead rather than a sound answer: for he blusheth not to affirm any thing when he is put to his shifts. We cannot therefore receive that interpretation for authentic and canonical, which is directly repugnant unto the doctrine of the Scripture, and the continual practice of the jews. And as for those that would have the Hebrew text amended by the Latin translation, it is no better than to go about to be mad with reason. For where the truth is, there can be no error; and where no error is, what need any correction? To conclude this point, 
Paul de Sancta Maria et iscop. Burgensis in addit. ad cap, 36, Numb.  I will oppose the testimony and judgement of Paul de Sancta Maria, a great bishop and sometimes Chancellor unto the King of Castille, directly against Bellarmine, one Papist against another, whose words are these: In this precept our translation swerveth very much from the Hebrew verity, etc.: and the reason of the Law beareth witness to the truth of the Hebrew, for this was the end thereof, that the division of inheritances that was to be made might remain perpetually amongst the Tribes, so that nothing of the land which fell to be in the lot of the Tribe of judah, might return at any time to the lot of Benjamin, and so of the rest. Therefore the Law was given of those only (which did succeed in their father's inheritance) that the Tribes should not be shuffled or mingled together, because thereby the inheritance would pass from one tribe to another, which was against the ordinance of God: but other women which had brethren, and consequently did not succeed in the inheritance of their father, were not forbidden by this Law, but that they might marry with whom they would of any other tribe, because it appeareth evidently, that from hence would not follow the confusion of the lots. Neither do we read of any dispensation that the Tribes of Levi and judah had to join in marriage one with another: for there needed no dispensation, where was no prohibition, etc. This testimony is cited by Drusius.  
Lastly, observe touching the jewish inheritances, Use 5 that at the year of jubilee, the inheritance sold or mortgaged, returned again to the owner, as we may read Leuit. chapter 25, verses 8.9. This fell out every fiftieth year: then the Trumpet of jubilee sounded, & they proclaimed liberty and freedom throughout all the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof: then servants were set free, than debts were forgiven, than every man returned unto his own possession and family, Verse 10.  
This solemn and sacred time was instituted for these causes: First, 
Why the jubilee was instituted.  to moderate and bridle the covetousness of such as hoped and gaped after other men's possessions, and to teach every man to be content with his own estate, and not enter upon the possessions of others, as Ahab did upon the vineyard of Naboth.  
Secondly, to keep a true Chronology, & a certain computation of time, which is very necessary and profitable in the reading of histories, to know where and at what time every thing was done.  
Thirdly, to maintain a distinction of the Tribes, until the exhibiting of the Messiah, according to the prophecy of jacob, Gen. 49, 9, The Tribe shall not departed from juda, till Shiloh come. For howsoever many do understand the word (Shebet) in this place of the Sceptre, yet I do not remember in all the books of Moses, wherein it is often used, that once it is used in that sense, albeit it be in other books afterward. Lastly, to figure out the redemption of Christ, who indeed brought a true jubilee and freedom when the fullness of time came. He proclaimed liberty with his own voice from the tyranny of sin, of Satan, and of hell, Esay 61, 1, 2, 3, c. Luke 4, 18. He purchased a full discharge from all our spiritual debts, trespasses, and transgressions, joh. 8, 34, 36, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin: but if the Son shall make you free, then are you free indeed. Through him it is come to pass, that Satan hath no power to exact any debt at our hands, Christ hath canceled the bill and handwriting that stood in force against us, 1 Cor. 6, 20 Gal. 4.5, 1 Pet. 1, 18, 19 Col. 1, 13, 14. Rom. 8, 2. This Law pertaining to the ceremonies of Moses, 
The Popish jubilee.  the Papists have taken up, and horribly abused, and brought into use in the times of the Gospel, and under colour thereof sell their pardons and indulgences, and abuse the people, and make sale of their souls. For as God had his jubilee, so the Pope hath his; howbeit, it is in an apish kind of imitation, and can neither be accounted this Levitical jubilee, neither yet received for Christian. It cannot be the levitical, because in it no servants are freed, no debts are remitted, no possessions of land are restored, as it was in the jubilee of the jews. And if the Pope himself would allow this, why doth not he begin and give good example to others, & restore Rome to itself, and others lands of the Church to the Emperor, he being the right and lawful owner, and that proud Bishop only an usurper? Again, in the year of jubilee the jews did neither sow nor reap: but at Rome it is nothing so, for then the Popes are most busy & the best husbands, than they sow their indulgences thick & threefold, & reap a plentiful harvest by such merchandise. Hence it is, that whereas at the first this solemn feast, (which now keepeth the Pope's kitchen hot for many years after) was rare, now it is grown more common, that it might be more gainful. The invention of it was altogether unknown for more than twelve hundred years after Christ, and never heard of in the purer times of the Church. The first father of it was Boniface the eighth, 
Anno 1300  who promised full remission of sins to all those that would repair to Rome, and pay sound for a pardon, and this was to be done every hundred years. This time was thought too long, & was afterward abridged by Clement the sixth (who got the papacy in the year 1342.) to 50 years, after the manner of the jewe. After him came Sixtus the fourth, in the year of our Lord, 1473, who thinking the times to come to slowly about, 
Piae frauds.  and finding the sweetness of the former device, cut it off again in the mids, appointed every 25 year for a jubilee, and promised like pardons to all comers and goers: whereas before him Vrban the sixth, had brought it to 33, years: and lastly, it is come to ten years, because they would be sure to lose no profit. See what the desire of money worketh in these holy fathers, who oftentimes sell pardons so fast to others, that it is to be feared they never obtain pardon themselves. Neither can this jubilee be holden for Christian, in that poor pilgrims resort to Rome, and visit the Churches of Peter and Paul, but rather superstitious & blasphemous. For this is to tie grace to a certain time and place, which is not tied, Esay 2, 5. joh. 4, 23. Math. 28, 19 Secondly, this is to worship God with our own works which he hath not commanded nor required, Esay 1, 12, Math. 15, 9, and to make sinful men to merit the grace and favour of God, whereas all such kind of service is abominable in his sight. Lastly, they make sale of the grace of God, which is much more precious than gold and silver, & take money for remission of sins, which that proud Prelate is not able to give. Thus are men pitifully deceived, 
The jubilee is the Pope's market and harvest.  and God is horribly dishonoured. And howsoever the good of the people is pretended, yet this jubilee is nothing else but the Pope's market and harvest: his market day to sell his wares and commodities, and his harvest to gather in his pardon-money, whereby he emptieth the purses of others, but filleth his own coffers. True it is, he claimeth a power to dispense the treasure of the Church, that is, the merits of the Saints, and the over-measure of their works and obedience, he hath in store for all such as lack; 
The Saints have no over plum of works.  but this is most injurious and derogatory to Christ. It is proper to him to redeem others, and to satisfy for them, who is made of the Father to be our redemption, 1 Cor. 1, 30. Again, the Scripture expressly excludeth the sufferings of the Saints from the work of redemption and remission of sins, 1 Cor. 1, 13. Acts 4, 12. 2 Cor. 5, 21, Acts 10, 43. Thirdly, if the satisfactions of the Saints were of so great worth & value, that they can take away and blot out the sins of others, than they might be truly called the Mediators of the New Testament; howbeit this is proper to Christ, Heb. 9.13, 14 15. Lastly, the Saints themselves are not able to pay their own debt, much less the debt of others, and they that want the mercy and mediation of another, cannot be mediators for another. But the best Saints that ever were, or shall be, do say, Forgive us our debts, & therefore they are not able to pay them. How then can they have any works of supererogation, or the measure of their works running over, that have not enough for themselves?   

10 Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad.  
11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah the daughters of Zelophehad were married unto their father's brothers sons.  
12 And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.  
13 These are the commandments and judgements which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab, by jordan, near jericho.  
The third part of the chapter remaineth, to wit, the marriage of these five daughters: what God had appointed, and Moses had published, they approve and allow. For Moses setteth down, both where they married, and to whom. They matched in their own Tribe, to wit, into the families of the sons of Manasseh, and particularly it is said, They were married to their father's brothers sons, that is, to their cousin germane. 
Doctrine. The marriage of cousin germane is lawful.  From hence we learn, that the marriage of cousin germane, that is, the children of brothers and sisters is lawful. In the proof of this point, no man must look for any express law or commandment to marry in this manner, because no man was ever commanded to do so: it is enough to show that it is left free and not prohibited; & that will appear by sundry examples of all sorts. The marriage of Esau the son of Isaac, is recorded to have been with Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Isaac's brother, Gen. 28, 9, so that he married his father's brother's daughter. And albeit he were a wicked man and profane, yet he is not reproved for marrying so near of kin. 
Gen. 29, 10.  And jacob himself is charged by his parents to take a wife no farther off, and therefore he being the son of Rebecca matched himself with Rahel the daughter of Laban Rebeccaes' brother; thus he married his mother's brother's daughter, as Esau before him had married his father's brother's daughter. In like manner we see the same in a sort between Isaac Abraham's son, the son of promise, and Rebecca the daughter of Bethael, son to Nahor, Abraham's brother, Gen. 24, 15, whereof the one is cousin german, the other is cousin german but once removed.  
To these examples it will be objected, that they were all before the law, and therefore they might be lawful: but the matter stood otherwise after the law. Let us see therefore how the case stood after the law. And first, observe the example of these daughters of Zelophehad mentioned in this place, of whom it is said, that they married their father's brothers sons, verse 11. But it will be said, that by brethren we must understand, nor natural brethren, but others farther off. But if it were so, than it had been sufficient to have called them their father's brethren without any addition of sons, or their own brethren, and then indeed the marriage had been left doubtful and uncertain: but the addition of sons to brethren doth rightly and readily distinguish the cousin germane from all the rest of their kindred. And to make the matter more clear and apparent, it is evident that Zeloph●had had brethren of his parents that had store of sons; for what man of any understanding will exclude those that most properly may be meant, and run to others that may unproperly be termed his brother's sons? Now that Zelophehad had brethren, and they also sons, is no way doubtful, because out of the loins of his brother Hepher came a great family, called in respect of the multitude of them, The family of the Hepherites, Numb. 26, 32. as of Gilead, the Gileadites. Furthermore, we read in joshua, of the marriage of Othniel the son of Kenaz, with Achsah the daughter of Caleb, Kenaz brother, so that they were brothers children, josh. 15, verses 16, 17.  
If any here also dally with the ambiguity of the word Brother, as suspecting and surmising that it is there taken for some kinsman farther off, and not properly for a brother of the same immediate parents: this may easily be disproved by the term after given to Kenaz, of younger brother to Caleb, judg. 1, verse 13, which plainly noteth the age and order of brethren in one family and from one parent, and not any order of kindred among those that are of divers families and parents, according as the eldest son noteth the order of children in one family, as may appear in the order of Genealogies, 1 Chron. chap. 2, verse 13, where the sons of jesse are so distinguished and known by the eldest, the second, and so forward of the rest. And there also it appeareth, that Caleb had other brethren, as jerameel in the ninth verse, and the two and fortieth verse, yea even that Caleb which had Achsah to his daughter, as we may read verse 49: and therefore in respect of those elder, Kenaz might well be so called, his younger brother: nay having elder, we cannot without great confusion of speech, and very much uncertainty of meaning, refer the younger unto any other of his kindred whatsoever.  
Thus we have seen divers and sundry examples of the marriage of cousin germane recorded faithfully in the Scriptures, both of the godly and the ungodly, both before the Law and since the Law, and we never find that any of them were reproved or gainsaid; which may induce us to hold them lawful, and not against the Law of GOD and godliness.  
Let us pass from the jews to the ancient Romans, and other Nations, and from the Romans to ourselves. The Apostle Paul teacheth us in the second chapter of the Romans and the fourteenth verse, that the Gentiles which have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law: and it were not hard to show out of divers and sundry profane writers, such at were Livy, Plutarch, Cicero, Tacitus, Historiographers, Philosophers, and Poets, an infinite number of examples of such matches frequented among them: whereupon Caluin a most judicious Divine, and one of the foundest interpreters of these latter times saith plainly, Tam Lege Mosis, quam gentium iure id semper licuit, that is to say, As well by the Law of Moses, as by the common law of Nations, the marriage of cousin germane, was always lawful.  
True it is, sometimes for fear and sometimes for flattery; they have been induced to consent to incestuous marriages. Claudius' Caesar the Emperor had concluded a marriage between himself and Agrippina his brother's daughter, yet they durst not celebrate the solemnities of their unlawful love openly, (for it was incest) neither was it practised before, that the brother's daughter should be brought into the uncles house as wife: whereupon he commanded the Senate to pass a decree, 
Tacit. annal. lib. 12.  by virtue whereof, marriage between the Uncles and Nieces, daughters to their brothers, should from thenceforward be accounted just and lawful. This they did readily & willingly to gratify his desire, and yet for all that there was one only Gentleman of Rome that followed that precedent, who also was thought to do it to win the favour of Agrippina. So likewise when Cambyses fell in fancy with his own sister, and was desirous to marry her, which was never used amongst the Persians before, 
Herod. lib. 5.  He called together his judges, and asked of them, whether there were any law to permit a man to contract matrimony with his own sister: They knowing the king's disease as well as if they had felt his pulse, made answer, That they could find no such law that suffered the brother to marry the sister: yet they had met with another law, that the Persian King might do whatsoever he pleased. Thus partly for fear & partly for flattery they resolved, respecting more their own security than they did the King's honour and honesty. Plutarch in his Roman questions showeth, that a statute was enacted among them, by virtue whereof it was made lawful for all men from ●hat time forward to marry as far as to their cousin germane, (including them also) but in any higher or nearer degree of consanguinity they were utterly forbidden. This statute was no other but the very law of God and nature, which restraineth and forbiddeth to marry nearer, but other degrees it leaveth free. Nevertheless I confess, that he saith, It was long before this statute was enacted, & that one was endighted and like to be condemned for marrying with his cousin german, if he had not been in special favour with the people, whereby it came to pass, that the bill of inditement was suppressed. But who this was, or when it was, he concealeth, and I must needs say, I much suspect the truth thereof: because the forbidding of this degree could not be ancient. For many brethren desired to match their children this way, 
Teren. in phormione.  & thought they could not be better bestowed. Ligustinus, as Livy reporteth (Decad. 5. lib. 2.) showeth that his father gave him to wife the daughter of his uncle. Tully reporteth that Cluentia was married to M. Aurius her cousin german. (Cicer. orat. pro Cluent.) And before Rome was builded, at the coming of Aeneas into Italy, a marriage was entreated off between Turnus and La●●●ia, who were borne of two sisters. This confirmeth that which S. Augustine writeth, (De civit. dei. lib. 15. cap. 16.) that before his time such marriages were lawful among them.  
But to leave these foreign examples, let us come home to ourselves. In the 32. year of the reign of Henry the eight, chap. 38, all persons are adjudged lawful to marry, that are not prohibited by God's law: which statute being afterward repealed and made void by Q. Mary, was in the first year of the late Queen's happy reign restored to his former strength and virtue: and hereupon by the ecclesiastical authority in the Land, a Table was made and put in print; containing all the degrees unlawful in marriage by the law of God, and so holden unlawful in our Land; among which, cousin germane are not mentioned, and therefore are holden by the judgement of our Church to be lawful.  
Thus we have the continual practice of the Reason 1 marriage of cousin germane in all ages, among the jews and Gentiles, and ourselves, which showeth the lawful and laudable use thereof: let us now see a few reasons farther to manifest this point. And first, this is a sure foundation laid by the Apostle, Rom. 4, 15. Where no law is, there is no transgression. But there is no law that forbiddeth these to marry, either expressly, or by implication. For albeit we find in the book of Leviticus a perfect direction touching marriage, & all other titles of kindred noted by the persons to whom they appertain, to wit, father and mother, son and daughter, brother and sister, grandfather and grandmother, and the grandchildren, uncle and aunt, nephew and niece; yet not any cousin in any degree, third, second, or first degree: and therefore these are to be excluded from the former, and no way to be sorted and ranged among the unlawful marriages. Secondly, sundry of these degrees forbidden, are not only once expressed, but again reiterated in the very letter of the law, and that in a divers manner to note out the greater efficacy: 
levit. 18.  as for example, the father's wife, first in the 7. ver. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father: and again in the 8. verse, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's wife. Likewise her sister, in the 9 verse. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father: which is repeated again, verse 11. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's wives daughter, begotten of thy father, for she is thy sister. Lastly, thy aunt, noted in the 12. verse. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: then he addeth in the next verse, nor of thy mother's sister, and again in the 14. verse, nor of thy father's brother's wife; touching all which three (being every one thy aunt) the prohibition of any one had debarred the rest.  
The law then being so copious and plentiful to repeat much forbidden before, it is certain it would never have omitted the mention of one whole degree, and the same also the greatest of all the rest, to wit, cousin germane, if the matching of them together had been utterly unlawful, as all the rest are which are mentioned in the Law. This is the prerogative of the word, that it is a perfect word: & as the Law is in no point superfluous, so it is in no case defective.  
Thirdly, among all the titles of kindred mentioned in Leviticus, there is not any whereunto cousin germane may in any sort be referred: and therefore as they are not expressed, so they are not included under any degree prohibited.  
For if they might be comprised under any of those heads, it should be under the title of brethren and sisters, which indeed in a general sense do often in Scripture contain not only cousins in the first degree, but in the second, third, fourth, and farther also. But by this extent of the words, we should bring under the prohibition of marriage, as well the one as the other, which I suppose few will admit.  
Wherefore the Lord to prevent this generality of brotherhood, and mistaking of the Law contrary to the true meaning thereof, the sister is limited by determinate notes of difference from the cousins, that she is termed the daughter of thy father or mother, Levit 18, 9, and begotten of thy father, verse 11: and therefore the titles of brother and sister, cannot be extended so far as to cousin germans, and if not they, much less any other.  
Fourthly, the bringing of cousin germane within the compass of the degrees prohibited is to leave the matter at uncertainty, and the Law of God to determine nothing. For how far shall we have such cousins restrained? once only removed, or twice, or how many degrees? And if any answer, only the first degree: I would know why the first more than the second; or the second more than the third? seeing that the one is no more to be proved out of the Law of God than the other.  
As for those that allege the words of the Law, Leuit. 18, 6, None of you shall approach to any that is near to him, to uncover their nakedness: if they be rightly weighed, they give no colour to such interpretation, nor liberty of such extension, but rather serve as a bar to seclude them out of the prohibition. For if any other degrees than are after expressed should be meant, than all cousin●●n any degree, though never so far off, even an hundred times removed, should be included within the former prohibition, which no wise man will affirm.  
Neither may we imagine, that the Lord would give such a Law, not to come near any of the kin, and never express what kin he meaneth, but leave us at random, every man to conjecture, and every man to hold what he pleaseth.  
So than it is evident, that the words are not to be stretched so largely, but are to be gathered into a more narrow compass, and to a more strict senfe, such as may be inclusive to all the degrees afterward in particular rehearsed and recited, and exclusive to all others.  
Fiftly, the Law of God setteth down sundry threatenings of most horrible judgements upon the heads of such as break the bounds of Nature, and are pursued with the censure of abomination, of wickedness, of villainy, of filthiness, committed, 
levit. 20.  and with the sentence of blood, of death, of cutting off, of fire, and of barrenness, not only upon the one party, but upon the other, neither only upon the man, but upon the beast: nevertheless, among all these, the cousin germane are no more touched in the punishment, than they were before in the prohibition.  
Lastly, as the threatening is noted, so also is the execution of the threatening, remembered. For there is no incest committed against the holy Law of God mentioned in the Scripture, but it always carrieth a note of reproof, and a brand of God's judgement with it: but in the examples of the marriages of cousin germane (which are many in Scripture) not the least touch of any reprehension or correction. Reuben went up to his father's bed and defiled his concubine, Gen. 35, 22, & 49.4, 1 Chron. 5, 1, and he is punished with the loss of his birthright.  
Abshalon went in unto his father's concubines which he had left to keep the house, 2 Sam. 16, 21, and he is punished not long after with a violent death, and lived not out half his days, 2 Sam. 18, 14. The incestuous Corinthian committed fornication with his father's wife, and he is censured by the Apostle with excommunication, and delivering him o●●r to Satan, 1 Cor. 5, 1. Lot in his drunkenness committed incest with his own daughters, and is plagued with the birth of obstinate enemies of God's Church, the first fathers of the Moabites & Ammonites, Gen. 19, 33. judah defiled his daughter in law Tamar, indeed in ignorance, yet duly reproved by himself, & effectually repent, so that he never lay with her Gen. 38, 16. Amnon fell in love with his sister Tamar, and lay with her, and immediately after his lust he is punished with loathsomeness in himself, & hatefulness in Absalon toward him, & plagued with a sudden and violent death in the end, 2 Sam. 13, 14, 15. & 28, 29. Lastly, Herod took his brother's wife, and he is reproved for it by john Baptist, Mat. 14.4, 10. & john Baptist is taken away from him and the unthankful world, who was as a shining candle in the darkness of the world, which was no small plague. And if we may give any credit unto ecclesiastical histories, touching this Herod who was called Antipas, he that defiled his body with most filthy Incest, and imbrued his hands with harmless and innocent blood, 
Centur magd. ce●t. 1. l: 1 c●●●  and abused his tongue to mock Christ our Saviour with his cursed Courtiers, felt not long after the vengeance of God: For as he gaped after honour and sought ambitiously to be entitled with the name of a king, he and his proud minion with him were in the second year of the Emperor Caligula condemned to perpetual banishment, and at Lions in France they ended their days in shame, contempt, reproach, and misery. A fit death for such a life, joseph. Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 9 Euseb. lib. 2. cap. 4. In all these examples we see that although the Magistrate leave these sins of incest unpunished, yet good men do not pass by them without reproof even in the greatest personages; and God doth not let them alone without a judgement, and the Scripture doth not record them without a due note and censure of the abomination. And may we then in reason think, that God, and good men, and the Scripture itself would be silent, and have let pass so many marriages of Cousen-germans without any one check or chastisement, if they had been against the law of God & godliness? Nay rather we may well think, that seeing they go away so clearly without any the least note of reproof, yea and some of them with no small approbation and commendation at the hands of GOD and good men, they are not at all incestuous & impious, but most lawful and allowable.  
Use 1 Now let us come to the uses. First, this serves to reprove the Church of Rome, which as it is corrupt in the chiefest parts of christian religion, so is it in none more corrupt than in the matter of marriage, because they restrain that which God hath left free, and they leave that free which God hath restrained: an evident proof among other things, that the Roman Church is an Antichristian Church. And first it is plain, that they maintain the lawfulness of marriages within the degrees expressly forbidden. For whereas by the law of God, Leuit. 18, touching consanguinity, they which are placed in the transuerse unequal line, cannot marry at all, because they are to be holden as parents and children: yet if they be distinct four degrees from the common stock, they may lawfully marry by the Pope's laws and canons; which is filthy, incestuous, and abominable. And as they are lose when they should be strict, so they are strict when they should be lose: For whereas cousin germane are left free by the law of God (as we have already showed & proved) they do condemn the same for no other cause, but to make way for popish dispensations. Again, they teach that the Pope hath power to dispense with the degrees directly and expressly prohibited in Leviticus, and that many of them are only judicial & positive constitutions, not grounded upon the law of nature, but serving peculiarly for that commonwealth of the jews. Hence it is, that that Antichrist of Rome did dispense with King Henry the eight to marry Katherine his late brother's wife. So Philip the second, Duke of Burgundy, had a dispensation to marry his uncles wife, as Ferdinand King of Naples had the like to marry his own aunt.  
Thus he that hath brought Kings and Princes under his feet, challengeth authority above the Scriptures, and taketh upon him to dispense with the word of God, and thereby usurpeth power above GOD and his word. For this is one of their own rules, In praecepto superioris non debet dispensare inferior, that is, The inferior may not dispense with the commandment of the superior (Anton. part. 3. tit. 22. cap. 6.  
If then the Pope dispense with the laws of God, doth he not make himself above God? and is not this the Antichrist? or shall we foolishly look for any other? Can any thing be more filthy and vile than incest? and yet he hath not spared for filthy lucre to tolerate and allow that in the Church, which the Philosopher Plato an heathen man was ashamed off in his commonwealth, lib. 8. the leg. For he dispensed with Philip the second, late king of Spain, to marry his own Niece. Pope Martin the fift dispensed with a certain brother that married his own sister. Nay Clement the seventh for a great sum of money licenced Peter Aluaradus a spaniard to marry two sisters at once. Thus also he dispensed with Emanuel king of Portugal against the law of God, to marry two sisters, as Osorius testifieth, (Dereb. guessed: Emanuel. lib. 2.) thereby verifying the saying of the Apostle, 2 Thess. 2, 4, that the man of sin shall oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God. These marriages did GOD hate and punish in the Gentiles, and for the foulness and filthiness of them did God spew out the Canaanites, Deut. 18, 24.  
Thus john Baptist telleth Herod, that it was not lawful for him to have his brother's wife, Math. 14, 4: so that the former laws were in force in the time of Christ as well as in the days of Moses,  
Again, the Apostle reproveth the incestuous person among the Corinthians that had taken his father's wife, 1 Cor. 5, 1. & therefore the former laws remained firm under the Gospel, as well as under the law: and he showeth that such fornication is not so much as named, much less practised among the Gentiles, and therefore he willeth him to be excommunicated from the Church: & where was this forbidden, but in the Law of Moses?  
But to leave this point at the present, as impertinent, let us consider the degree we have in hand, how the Popish Canons and constitutions do restrain it. True it is, sundry Counsels in former times, debarred the first degree of cousins, to the intent the divine prohibition might be kept with the more regard and reverence, and others afterward added thereunto cousins in the second degree. But when the Roman Antichrist sat in the Temple of God, and had brought both Kings and Counsels under his check & commandment, than he began to domineer, and all cousins to the seventh degree were forbidden. But because this was thought too hard, and to savour of covetousness and cruelty joined with pride and presumption, it was brought at length in the time of Innocentius the third, to the fourth degree, and sod take it the matter standeth unto this day, that the Canons forbidden four degrees from coufen germane as unlawful. But the reason which they use is no less sophistical, than the law itself tyrannical, drawn (forsooth) from the proportion of the four physical humours in man's body. But what have we to do with the Canons of this ambitious man, sitting in men's consciences and ruling over their faith, who have turned out that beast to grass long ago? Or why should we make any reckoning or account of his supereminent and omnipotent power which he claimeth in his dispensations, allowing that which God disalloweth, and disallowing that which he alloweth? Thus he playeth fast and lose with the law of God, as luglers do to deceive. For if the laws of God cannot bind him, why should his papal laws bind us and our consciences? The Collegiates of Douai in their heretical Annotations upon Leviticus, 
The divinity of the divines of Douai,  set forth in their late translation of the old Testament, are not ashamed to maintain this assertion, that all marriages in the right line, and in collateral the first degree, as between the brother and sister, are only forbidden by the law of nature, and that all other degrees depend upon positive laws, which have been and may be altered: which opinion, how gross & vile it is, we have before declared. So then I will conclude with the saying of Beza in his 8. Sermon upon the Cant. Touching the observation of holy marriage, I will not stay any longer in this horrible filthy stench, which neither the Sun can abide to see; nor the darkness of the night can cover, nor the earth bear and endure. Alas, O Lord, how long!  
Secondly, this reproveth all such as not only Use 2 discourage from this marriage, but dare condemn it, both as impious and incestuous. Others that dare not go so far, yet seem to dislike thereof as comprised in those degrees mentioned in Leviticus by an analogy or proportion: howbeit they hold also that such marriages are not to be dissolved, and that the issue of such marriages are not to be accounted illegitimate. And they make a comparison between these, and the marriage of those that neglect the consent of their parents, who may continue together, if they confess their error, & do not justify their fact: so such as are married in this degree of consanguinity either ignorantly or doubtfully, may upon repentance of their error find comfort. But from hence it will follow, that such as do not acknowledge any error, or go about to defend such marriages as being persuaded they are consonant to the word of God, cannot find comfort nor assure themselves they may lawfully have the company one of another, but stand endighted by the law, if not of incest, yet of a great sin against God. Again, I would gladly understand what breach can be committed within the degrees forbidden, which may not justly be accounted incest? Lastly, whereas it is objected, that the uncles wife which is expressly forbidden, seemeth to be as near as the uncles son, the one being of affinity, the other of consanguinity; it will follow from hence, that all the repentance in the world cannot help nor serve to give comfort to the marriage of cousin germane. For let a man live in incest, and marry any of the degrees expressed in the law, we must know that to live in the sin, and to repent of the sin are contrary one to the other.  
As for example, if I marry my uncles wife, and afterward understand I have done against the Law, though I seem to repent and keep her still, Poenitentia non agitur, sed fingitur, as Austin speaketh in another case, the Repentance is not true but counterfeit: and it may still be said unto me, as john in like case did to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy uncles wife, Mark 6, 18.  
But it will be said, Objection. Suppose this marriage be lawful, yet it being in the first degree that is made so, it is good not to come near it, that we may not fall into any that were forbidden; as if we see a dangerous pit, it were no wisdom to play near it, but rather to keep ourselves aloof, that so the danger may be the farther from us: as when God had set bounds for the people at the giving of the Law, the people fled even from them, that they might be assured not to transgress them.  
But this similitude carrieth more colour to move, then force to persuade. Answer. For this reason is only an allusion; and if we mark it well, we shall see it is a very unfit and unlike comparison. If Moses had of his own head set any other bounds in the Mountain, than those which the Lord himself had appointed to debar the people from nearer access, it might have been some ground to lead us to the like; as by prohibiting the degrees farther off, to debar from the degrees prohibited by the Lord. But Moses did not so, albeit being supreme Magistrate he had the same power, and being wise he could have seen the same reason so to do as well as we. Now in that the people departed from the bounds which were set them, they did it not to yield obedience unto God, or because they would not transgress, God's Commandment, neither did they it by any direction from Moses, neither is it recorded unto any commendation of them, but it is imputed to the confused multitude of the people; and to the fear that enforced them, not only to shun the bounds of the Mount, but to run back to their own Tents: whereas doubtless they might with more praise & less reproof have holden the bounds prefixed by the Lord, then to have fled from them afar off, Exod. 20, ver. 18.  
Let not us therefore seek to be wiser than God, or go about to set other bounds than he hath done. For this is a sure rule, the which we may approve without fear of danger, that the Lords bounds are sufficient for us, to keep us in every good way. This we see constantly practised by the Priests and people of Israel: for the high Priest did keep the bounds of the holiest place appointed unto him: the ordinary Priests the Tabernacle of the Congregation: the people, the Courts of the Lords house, none of them for a supposed modesty restraining himself from the uttermost of the liberty given unto him. For the people do not shun the door of the Tabernacle with their sacrifices, nor the Priests the veil of the inner Tabernacle with their daily service, nor the high Priest the presence of the Mercyseat, albeit they were all once driven out of the Tabernacle and Temple also with fear of the glorious Majesty of God which there appeared, Exod. 20, 34. Numb. 16, 42. 1 Kings 9, 11. as the people of Israel were from the Mountain. And if the similitude pretended have any force, we may argue from it with better consequence after this manner; whereas the Israelites are commanded not to approach to the bounds of the Lords Mountain to touch it under pain of death, and therefore they for fear did fly farther off, lest they should touch the Mountain, and die: even so whereas the people of God are by the levitical law commanded not to approach to any of the kindred of their flesh therein specified to uncover their nakedness, (Levit. 18, 6,) under the pain & penalty of most grievous punishments; it shall be well and wisely done of us, so far to fly from them, that we do not so much as approach unto them in any inordinate lust of mind, but fly all occasions that may draw us thereunto: which course, if Amnon had holden toward his sister Tamar, he had not perished for presuming so far within the bounds of the levitical law. For the approaching near to her, in beholding her beauty, and in desiring and enjoying her company in place too private and inconvenient, did draw him on to fulfil his loathsome lust; whereof I see not how there could have been laid by the device of man any stronger bar, them the express limits of the Lords commandment, which might have sufficed unto him, & may likewise to us, if any fear of God or of his judgements be before our eyes: & if these cannot prevail with us, what may be hoped or surmised by any new prohibitions devised by men in the degrees otherwise lawful?  
Object. Again, it will be objected, that such marriages prove unfortunate, and never succeed well, but either parents, or children, or both repent of it when it is too late.  
I answer, this is a very weak reason, Answer. to argue from the success and the event to prove the lawfulness or unlawfulness of any matter, 
ovid. epist. 2.  of which the very heathen saw the incongruity. Thus do some profane persons argue also against the marriage of the Ministers of the word, because many of their children are lose and disobedient; whereas though some prove otherwise then they should, and their parents would, yet do many thousands of their children and children's children live in obedience to God and man. And by this reason might the marriage of any several estate and degree of men be taxed as unlawful. So if we cast our eyes upon the marriages of many cousin germane, we shall see them live in great unity and amity, in great love and contentment between themselves, and bring forth a plentiful increase of an hopeful and godly issue.  
As for those that do ascribe the ill success in families to such matches, it is a plain parologisme à non causa ad causam, to note that to be the cause of ill event, which is no cause at all. And in some particulars, where some of their children have not proved in body or mind, or in both as was expected, as we see the like also in others, so I could allege other causes more to the purpose, if I list to enter so far, or to handle this at large. Thus do some make a man's profession of true religion and a good conscience to walk humbly before God, the cause of his poverty, and decay in his temporal estate: the preaching of the Gospel to be the cause of dearth and famine: never observing how many persons have prospered by serving the Lord; and how great peace, and how long plenty, and what store of blessings the Land hath enjoyed for the plentiful and powerful preaching of the truth among us.  
Lastly, it is objected, 
Obiectic●.  that such marriages are many ways offensive: and that we are commanded to give no offence to jew, or Gentile, or to the Church of God, 1 Cor. 10, 32, neither to them that are within, nor to them that are without, But by such marriages, the papists are offended, the ignorant people that know not the law are offended, the weaker sort (that aught to be respected) are offended, and many of the godly brethren are offended, and generally not some few, but the whole multitude.  
I answer, Answer. here is much a do about offence, and this is in effect as much as to say, that all men take offence at it: howbeit this conceit is over lavish. I confess, if this were true in every part, there were just and necessary cause to forbear our Christian liberty for a time, rather than to give an universal offence. But I neither see nor hear of any such scandals or exceptions taken by the multitude (which also are the ignorant sort) against such matches, 
Touching the offence of the multitude or ignorant sort.  which are daily in use and practise before their eyes; neither is there any reason or likelihood that they should take such offence because they were the parties to the law-making in the high Court and Council of Parliament for the lawful liberty of such matches, and they have the tables of degrees in many places hanging openly in their Churches to be seen and read of all, and carry often about them, or at least have in their houses the English Bibles expressing the same in common use. Touching the offence of the particular weaklings, 
Touching the offence of the weak.  such as it may be are, or at least may be in any estate, when any such appear and are known, they are much to be respected, and a long time to be borne withal, but yet not always; for there is a time of ignorance to be allowed to such, or rather a time wherein they are to learn and to be instructed, till the Christian liberty be sufficiently made known unto them. This hath been already thoroughly performed, to any that have minds to learn, or hearts to inquire, or ears to hear; and therefore there is no reason that their wilful ignorance and causeless offence, should still hold our Christian liberty in perpetual slavery and servitude. This therefore only remaineth further to be performed in regard of their offence, to proffer the means of satisfaction and resolution, by opening to them the truth: wherein, if they will still persist obstinate and stiffnecked against the clear shining thereof in their faces, as the Sun at noon day, than I may well say, the offence is taken by themselves, and wilfully holden, rather than given by others: and then they have more need to learn a rule of charity of the Apostles mouth then to teach us one, which is, not to judge their brother, nor to condemn another man's servant, but themselves, seeing he doth stand or fall to his own master, Rom. 14, 4, 10: and every man at the last day shall give accounts for himself to God that judgeth the quick and dead, before whose judgement seat all must stand. And therefore they are not to judge their brother in that which he doth to the Lord with thankfulness, as did those that did eat to the Lord with thankfulness, verse 6. and were not to be judged by their brethren therein: where (if I do not mistake) I take the offence to be the more forcible, then in this of the marriage of cousin germane, because that offence was grounded upon the ceremonial Law of God then buried and abolished, whereas this offence in the marriage of cousin germans is grounded either upon the rotten post of our own fancy, or upon the ragged pieces of the Pope's Canons. Besides, the favouring of the weak brethren in those ceremonies of Moses Law, was only in the time of the infancy of the Gospel, but when once in farther growth and deeper root taken of the Gospel, they were vanished by the clear manifestation of the truth, than they were mightily oppugned by the Apostles, and the offence little favoured. In this case do we stand at this day in this matter of marriage between cousin germane, after so long abolishing of those popish Constitutions to the contrary, 
Touching the offence of the Papists.  and sufficient manifestation of the law of God against them, so that the offence of the Papists is little to be regarded, especially seeing it tendeth to the bringing of us back again to their Canonical servitude, that is, the Antichristian yoke, which God forbidden. For seeing we are escaped from them, why should we suffer ourselves to be entangled therewith again? and why do we not rather stand for the christian liberty, whereunto the Lord hath called us? And if we will soberly and seriously consider of this matter, we shall find that offence is rather given to a Papist by refraining that Christian liberty of God's Law, then by professing & using of it in such marriages as are against their Canon. And by making scruple of such marriages as are prohibited by the Pope's Canon do we not confirm the Papists in the idol subjection to the Popish Canon, and make them still to judge amiss of the Christian liberty given unto us by God's Law, and professed also by our own Laws? To conclude, a Papist (no doubt) would be more offended in his conceit to see any refuse their Canonical obedience by approving or making such matches prohibited by them; whereas by refraining or not approving such marriages, great occasion is given to make the Papists think well of their Canon, and of him that made it.  
Lastly, from hence ariseth comfort to those Use 3 that are already entered into such marriage as now we justify to be lawful. Howbeit, as they that dissuade marriage in this kind, do notwithstanding profess ingenuously, that they seek not to entangle any man's Conscience that hath so matched: so in like manner, I writ not to persuade or encourage any that are free to match this way, neither do I see why any should be discouraged from it, or left comfortless that are already entered into it. Again, albeit I teach the lawfulness of this marriage, yet I would have no man presume to enter and adventure upon the same, with doubt of mind, and perplexity of conscience, because than it becometh sin to him, forasmuch as he doth it not in faith. Lastly, where the civil Magistrate doth restrayn and prohibit this degree, it is meet & reason that the people should forbear the same, as in all other civil ordinances, which are not repugnant to the moral law of God.  
True it is, in Geneva and other free Cities there is some restraint of this degree, as appeareth by the Confession of saxony, sect. 18. 
Harmony of the Church, sect. 18.  touching marriage; nevertheless, touching the lawfulness of the marriage of cousin germane, Beza is plain in his observations upon that Confession, when he saith, We admonish the people diligently, that they do not think that this degree is forbidden in itself, that is, by the Law of God, either expressed or understood, which is the Law of Nature. And we are to approve the political laws of Princes touching these things, provided that the conscience be not snared and entangled.  
Hereupon Peter Martyr adviseth Magistrates, that they should take heed that they burden not the people too much, and without weighty cause: 
Beza de repudii●.  & Beza to the same purpose wisheth, that all Christian Magistrates would decree this matter for the lawfulness of such matches as the first Council of Paris did, rather than supra Deum ipsum & veteres Leges civiles sapere videri, that is, Then to seem to be wiser than God himself and the ancient civil laws, in prohibiting these matches, which are not prohibited either in the law of God, or in the law of the Romans. So then, where there is a law of the Magistrate in force that forbiddeth them, the precept of the Apostle even in all indifferent things must take place, Let every soul be subject to the higher power, Rom. 13, 1. howbeit Christians must be subject thereunto as to a politic constitution, not to a divine institution. But with us there is no such positive Law, but the matter is established according to the pure and simple word of God; neither is there any offence taken in our land against such matches, which is the only reason why in many places they are forbidden. As than we have showed before, that this degree hath ground and foundation in the word of God: so let us see what is the judgement and opinion of the learned, that if by the mouth of two or three witnesses every truth should stand, then by a cloud of witnesses, speaking as it were with one voice, we may be moved to give our consent. And albeit no man is to build his faith upon men, which were to set our house upon the sand; yet after the resting and reposing of ourselves upon the doctrine of the Law and the Prophets, it cannot but minister some comfort to see the general consent in a manner and approbation of such as have been great lights of the world, worthy instruments of God, excellent Preachers of the Gospel, firm pillars of the church and constant defenders of the faith. Object. But it will be objected, That many learned men do condemn this marriage, and that there is great variety, dissension, and division among them, whereupon ensueth much doubtfulness and distraction among the simple people that are not able to judge and discern between the one and the other.  
Answ. I answer, first touching doubtfulness, there are not many (if there be any) that enter into marriage of this kind, but they ask the judgement of others, and have the opinion of more besides themselves: and then touching the learned, there are not many that I know of, which simply condemn the same: & among these, some allege Ambrose an ancient Writer, and some produce Tremellius among the later. Touching Ambrose, it cannot be denied, but he holdeth this kind to be prohibited in the Law. For, having in hand to persuade Paternus not to marry his son to his daughter's daughter, that is, 
Ambros: Epist. 66. ad Pattern.  the Uncle to the Niece, he bringeth this as a reason, that because cousin germane, which are a degree farther off than Uncle and Niece, are forbidden, therefore that of Uncle & Niece must be holden as prohibited. But herein he committeth a double error: one, in that he taketh the one match to be prohibited, which indeed is not; the other, in that he conceiveth not that degree to be expressly prohibited, which indeed is prohibited. It were easy to trace out farther ignorance in this Father, otherwise of great desert: but to omit that, I will oppose against him the authority of Saint Augustine, no way inferior unto him, in well deserving of the Church of GOD, and withstanding Heresies and Heretics that pestered and poisoned with their leaven the purity of the Gospel. Both these were very great Doctors of the Latin Church, and both living at the self same time, about four hundred years after Christ. For he calleth this kind of marriage (Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 15. Cap. 16.) factum licitum, A lawful act; and sayeth, Quod fieri per Leges licebat, quia id nec divina prohibuit, & nondum prohibuerat lex humana, that is, Which was lawful to be done by the Laws, because the law of God had not prohibited it, neither as yet had the law of man.  
And whereas it was one cause of the prohibition of this kind, for the multiplying of affinities, Austin observeth, that the nephews of the first men in the world might marry their cousin germans, and that they had a religious care that the nearness of their kindred (being pulled asunder by the degrees of propagation) should not go out too far; & therefore by the band of marriage (among cousin germane) they endeavoured to bind it up again.  
But touching Tremellius the case is not so clear, neither so certain what his opinion is, because he giveth no note, but setteth down certain figures, whereby some gather that he maketh cousin germane a degree as far off as the uncles wife, and therefore therein by Analogy prohibited. Howbeit there is great cause to doubt, 
In Leu. cap. 18.  whether his judgement swayed that way, forasmuch as we find the father and the son also noted with a like figure, as likewise the brother and sister, as if they were all in one degree, and that in the second degree, which I think no man will affirm. For it is plain and certain, that the son from the father is in the first degree in the line direct, and the brother and sister in the same degree, in the line collateral: and therefore it is very doubtful what his meaning is, having left no full explication thereof.  
Again, it is as clear to me as the Sun, and I dare boldly avouch, that the uncles wife and the cousin german are not both in one degree howsoever any man do cipher them with the same figure, or another decipher thereupon: because then the mother and her son should be holden to be in one degree: for the cousin german may be the Aunt's son, which Aunt as from her parent is the first degree, and her son being the cousin german the second: so that the Nephew marrying the Aunt, doth marry her that is in the first degree, which is prohibited: but marrying her daughter who is his cousin german, he marrieth in the second degree, which is not prohibited expressly, and not be holden to be prohibited by analogy to the Aunt, seeing there is no like reason of proportion between the first & the second, or any diverse degrees in the collateral lines, but always between the same degrees. So then, I hold it for an ungrounded and an untrue assertion, that any degrees are forbidden farther off then cousin germane. But suppose these two were plain and direct against the same, as indeed one of them is, what are these to the stream and current of the learned writers which this age hath brought forth? who, as it were with one mouth (their pens and tongues not divided) do hold and maintain confidently and constantly the lawfulness of this marriage. And first I produce among this cloud of witnesses, john Caluin, 
john calvin.  whom we named before, who in the interpretation of the precept not to come near any of the kindred of our flesh, hath these words, Non omnes consanguineas hoc nomen complectitur, 
Com. in 7. precept.  etc.: That is, These words do not comprise all kinsfolks, because it is permitted to the cousin germane either of the fathers, or of the mother's side, to marry his cousin german either of the fathers or mother's side. This matter he maketh so clear, that in the 385. Epistle he saith of it thus, Quod lege dei mandatum est, etc. that is, It is not lawful to call in question that which is commanded in the Law of God (as he taketh the freedom of cousin germane to be: for seeing it is not forbidden, we are commanded and enjoined to account the same to be left free for all men) and thereupon he giveth this resolution, that in this matter our consciences remain free before God: so that in his harmony upon the books of Moses, 
Com. in Leuit. cap: 18, 18.  he termeth it diabolica Papae superbia qui novos excogitando propinquitatis gradus, supra deum sapere voluit, A devilish pride of the Pope, who devising new degrees of kindred, would make himself wiser than God himself.  
Now that which he speaketh farther tending to any restraint of this match of cousin germans is in respect of the positive Law of the Magistrate, which is the law of man not of God, and of the long use of the contrary: in both which respects offence is taken at the practice of it, and therefore with them to be forborn. Howbeit these things do no way touch us, neither can challenge any place in our kingdom, where we have no law of man to forbid us, no disuse or long discontinuance of it to discourage us, neither any offence of learned or unlearned to dissuade us: & therefore we are no way bound in conscience, equity, or charity, to renounces that kind of marriage. For, the question is not with us, what is at all times, and in all places, and toward all persons convenient, but simply of the lawfulness of it. 
Beza.  The judgement of Beza accordeth with the former testimony, and serveth as amply and fully to depose and witness this truth, of which we have spoken before.  
Peter Martyr shall be the next, 
Peter Martyr.  professor of divinity among us in the late days of K. Edward; for howsoever some deliver out that he is a man indifferent, or doubtful and uncertain in his opinion; it is certain & a matter out of doubt, that these men never read him with judgement, but with partiality. For being themselves enemies in this case, and having taught the unlawfulness thereof, they would draw all other also, either to be enemies thereunto, or have them to sit still as silent, and to stand by as neuter. But the truth is, he is as resolute as the former for the lawfulness of such marriages by the law of God: as appeareth by a large discourse in the first of the judges, out of the law of God & the Romans, and showeth the same not to be unlawful, but to be exempted out of the prohibition. For speaking of the marriage of Achsah with Othniel (of which we have spoken before) he showeth, that if these two were brother's children, their marriage was lawful, Non enim divinis legibus coniugium inter ●stos usquam fuit prohibitum, that is, By God's law marriage between such was never forbidden. And afterward, reproving the opinion of Ambrose who disliked the same, thee faith, Quod verò Ambrose, etc. And whereas Ambrose affirmeth, that such marriage is prohibited by the law of God no man can allow thereof, that advisedly considereth either the law of God, or the deeds of the Fathers. Can any thing be plainer than this? or can any man deliver his mind more expressly? So then to pass from him, I come to Lewes Lavater of Tigurine, 
Ludo. Lavater.  a judicious and painful man; he expounding the 15 of joshua, saith, Si Othniel Achsa consobrinus fuit, etc. If Othniel were Achsaes' cousin german, he might marry her to wife, but if he were her uncle, he could not by the law. Thus doth he also speak of the same man and the same marriage in his Commentaries upon the judges, where he saith. It appeareth by other places, 
Comm. in jud.  that they were cousin germane, and therefore marriage might be consummated between them by the Law. To him I will add Zepperus Minister of the Church at Herborne, he affirmeth, 
Leg. Mosai. ex. plan. lib. 4. c. 19  that the Law of God is so far from forbidding the marriage of cousin germane, that it propoundeth sundry examples thereof; and after he had produced the practice of it in those we named before, to wit, jacob and Othniel, Gen. 29, 12, 13, 19 joshua 15, 17. judg. 1, 12. he allegeth other also, that Rehoboom took to wife Mahalath the daughter of jerimoth the son of David, and likewise Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of jesse, who was the father of David, 2 Chron. 11, ver. 18. So in the new Testament, joseph and Mary the blessed virgin were cousin germane, Matth. 1. ver. 15. Luke 3, 23, 24: 
Euseb: eccl. hist. lib. 1. cap. 8.  and so doth Eusebius testify the same in his ecclesiastical history, out of a certain Epistle of Africanus to Aristides. For Matthan begat two sons jacob and Heli, as appeareth in the places before named out of the Evangelists, jacob begat joseph, and Heli ●ega● Mary. 
Io●●ph & Mary were brother's children.  And thus both Matthew and Luke are fully and fi●ly reconciled: for whereas o●e saith, joseph was the son of jacob, & the other saith he was the son of Heli, it is certain he could not be both, in one and the some respect, and therefore it must be taken in a diverse consideration; and that is in this manner, he was the natural son of jacob, but legal son of Heli; he was the son of jacob by consanguinity, but the son of Heli by light of affinity; that is, his son in Law, because he married his daughter Mary: as also Naomi calleth her daughters in law her own daughters, and David calleth Saul his father, 1 Sam. 24, 11: and Saul him his son, ver. 16 Neither doth the ancient civil law condemn these marriages.  

Lib. 1 instit tit. 10: de nuptijs.  The Law of justinian is extant touching marriages, which is this, The children of two brethren, or two sisters, or of the brother and sister may lawfully be joined together in marriage. The same Law was established by Arcadius and Honorius the Emperors, 
God lib. 5 tit. 4 de nuptiis.  that the marriage of cousin germane shall be allowed, and the children borne of them shall be holden legitimate, and succeed their fathers in their inheritance. And hereunto do the ancient Counsels also accord, Epann. Council. about the year of Christ, four hundred ninety seven, & Concil. Turon. 2. in the year five hundred and sixty.  
Now the first that did forbid the marriage of cousin germane was Theodosius the Elder, as many testify, and that by the counsel and advice of Ambrose, Lib. 8. Epist. 66. which he calleth the Theodosian Law, and in his time Austin testifieth it was in force. This is wholly, or at least for the most part taken out of Zepperus.  
The next witness to be produced, is, Amand. Polanus, professor in the university of Basil, in Syntag. Theol, lib. 10. cap. 53. who teacheth, that the sons and daughters of brethren and sisters may lawfully marry by the law of God, whatsoever the Pope's canon law say to the contrary, as jacob married Rahel his cousin german. Of the same judgement also is Chemnitius in his Examine. 
Chem. exam. part 1.  For he showeth that the prohibition of this degree is merely human, established for no other cause, but that the prohibitions of God might be kept with greater reverence; and where such prohibitions are, they ought to be observed; which is not denied of us; howbeit that is not our case, where no such prohibitions are. I will annex to these one foreign testimony more, & that is of Zanchius, a man of eminent note, who proving that the incestuous marriages between the brother and sister, 
De oper. create. part 3: lib. 4. c. 2  whether they be borne of the same father and mother, or of one of them only, are utterly unlawful: as also between the Nephew and the Aunt, and the Niece and her uncle, he hath these words: The marriage between the sons and daughters of natural brethren is lawful, as all the learned and godly agree without any controversy, for as much as we never read the same forbidden in holy Scripture in any place, but rather allowed by many examples which were never condemned by any man. And albeit he wish that in all such places as is a restraint hereof, men should be subject to the Magistrate according to the Doctrine of Christ, yet he spareth not farther to deliver his opinion in this manner: For my part I could wish for many causes, and those of no small moment and importance, that marriages might simply be made by warrant of the word of God, that whatsoever God himself hath left free and made lawful, the same might also be left unto men as lawful. I speak freely that which I conceive of this matter. These are the foreign testimonies which I thought good to allege at this present, to which it were not hard to add infinite others, who because they speak the same things, and run the same course that the former do, I will not trouble the reader and myself any farther in rehearsing of them. I will conclude the whole with one more, & that is our own countryman M. Perkins, 
Mast. Perkins  a very judicious & godly learned Divine as any that this age hath brought forth, who in a Treatise, proving that a reprobate may in truth be made partaker of all that is contained in the Religion of the Church of Rome, and that a right papist by his Religion cannot go beyond a reprobate, saith thus: To go further, by God's word they which are distant 4. degrees in the transuers equal line, are not forbidden to marry together, as cousin germane: thus the daughters of Zelophehad were married to their father's brothers sons: This example as I take it, may be a warrant of the lawfulness of this Marriage, howsoever the church of Rome do overthwart the Lord in it. Let me add one thing more, and then I will end. Whereas we are advised by many in this question, to have due consideration of offences that may arise in making such matches, I would wish also, and desire all those that are contrary minded, to have good consideration of such offences as may be given by two earnest disproving the unfitness and inconueniency of such matches, and especially by leaving in doubt and suspense the lawfulness of them, forasmuch as between parties of very good account both in calling and Religion, there have been and are many matches in this Land, of that kind: & that between high and low, rich & poor, noble and unnoble, which have been undertaken and finished by the judgement of the godly and learned, so that it were not hard to produce sundry examples of Emperors, King's Princes, Dukes, Earls, Barons, Knights, Gentlemen, & other of all sorts: which now to bring in question for the offensive conceits of some, were more offensive to the truth, to the Church, to the learned, and to men of all conditions, yea, more dangerous to the state of those parties, and prejudicial to their issue, than any man of judgement or godliness would approve. Thus much of this point, of this chapter, and of this whole book.  
The Lord almighty, the author of all number, of whose understanding there is no number, Psal. 147, 5: who hath ordered all things in measure, number, & weight; with whom our days are determined, and the number of our months are set, job 14, 5: by whose only mercy we have received strength to finish this book of NUMBERS, containing the journeys of the Israelites through the desert, from Mount Sinai unto the plains of Moab by jordan near jericho; and admonishing us of the state of the Church in this life lying under the cross, and at length receiving deliverance from the Ancient of days: grant unto us, that being numbered among the children of GOD, we may have our lot among the Saints, and be in the number of them that are sealed out of all the Tribes of the children of Israel, revel. 7, 4. and so rest for ever in the heavenly Canaan among the souls of just men perfected, and the innumerable company of angels, Heb. 12, 22. Unto him be praise and glory in the Church, Amen.    
FINIS.   

Gentle Reader, let me entreat thee to amend these faults, which otherwise may lead into error.  
PAg. 18. Col. 2. line 6. had made. pag. 79. col. 2. l. 37. the judgement. pag. 80, c. 1. l. 1. desired, p. 137. c. 1. l. 60. rule and, p. 140. c. 1. l. 56. censor. p. 167. c. 2. l. 5. not to do. p. 206. c. 2. l. 22. unprobable, p. 301. c. 1. l. 26. the Cushite. p. 394. c. 2. l. 18. the Cushite. p. 422. c. 1. l. 5. his judgements. p. 451. c. 1. l. 30. tender. p. 473. c. 2. l. 36. profitable. p. 536. c. 2. l. 28. the staff. p. 588. c. 1. l. 47, a double.   

A Table of the principal Contents of this Book: the Figures note out the Page, the Letters the Column: If no Letter be expressed, the whole Page is to be understood.  

Aarons' rod. p. 677, 729  
Abuses of excommunication, pag. p. 571 a  
Accessaries to others sins, p. 379, b.  
Actions how to be directed, p. 170, a of unbelievers are sin, 171. b. such as are in themselves unlawful, are by a calling made lawful, pag. p. 1068  
Adam could not merit, 89 a. his sin how great. p. 161 b.  
Additions to Gods worship evil, p. 141  
Admission of unworthy persons a great sin, p. 219 a  
Adultery punished of God, 378, b. the several kinds 387, b. the grievousness of this sin, p. 389  
Afflictions why sent to the Church, p. 21 b. the godly often lie under them. p. 576  
Afflictions of two sorts, 78. we must love God under them, ibidem. they are many laid upon the Church by enemies, 756. not simply evil, Ibid. Be not offended at them. p. 757 a  
Afflictions of excellent use, 779, 884. better for many to be under them, 780 a. what comforts we have in them. p. 967 a  
Agreement never general. p. 1037  
Alms not the only work, 453 a. See liberality.  
Alterations in the Roman religion some insensible 1105. some are known. p. 1106  
Ambition in us by nature, 54. a. it showeth itself against the best teachers, 557. no greater plague to the church, 555. it reigneth in the bishops of Rome, ibid., what it is, 556. remedies against it, ibid. means to pull it down, 183 b. examples of the end of it, p. 184 b.  
Amen, what it signifieth, 369 a. the uses of it, ibid.  
Anabaptists confuted, 696 b. 839 b. 1108, 1128 a. they are enemies to the Scriptures 7, 6.16 b. they overthrow Magistracy 64, 181. their objections against Magistrates, ibid. against taking an oath, p. ●71.  
Angel's cannot help p. 733 b. 785, b.  
Angels that appeared to Balaam, p. 902.  
Anger, not simply evil, pag. 567, 656, b. how it is a breach of the whole Law, 657. all sin, p. 656.  
Anthropomorphites, p. 422.  
Apocryphal books, p. 973, a  
Arithmeticians best who are p. 26 a.  
An army before battle must be levied, 1173, a: being levied, it must be sent out, ibid. b: by lawful authority, ibid.  
Ass of Balaam speaketh, 900, how it was p. 901.  
Assemblies of the faithful commanded, 83. the godly are grieved for lack of them, 482. the ungodly not so, 483: they must be loved, 432, 457, b. 496 b. See Sabbath.  
Atheism confuted, p. 877, b 906.  
Attempts against the church cannot hurt it, p. 964.  
Atonement made by Christ, p. 339, b.  
Auricular confession, p. 313, b  
Authority resist not, 1108. the Papists do, ibid.  
Authority of parents great, 1164, b. of Husbands p. 1169 b.   

B  
Balaam what he was, 869, no true Prophet, Ibid. p. 1175 b.  
Baptism wanting, see infants: it is not common to all, 488 a. it was by the cloud and sea, p. 498 a.  
Beggary not to be vowed, p. 154, 155.  
Beginnings in good not enough, 932. of sin prevent p. 620, 1062, 1064.  
Bellarmine confuted, p. 459 b. 492, 1134 b. 1162  
Best things must be given to God, 445 b. they must be preferred; p. 530 b.  
Binding and losing, p. 289.  
Birthright what privileges it had, p. 40 b. 159 a.  
Bishop of Rome not Peter successor, 151: he takes upon him to excommunicate Princes, and to take away their crowns, 502. he cannot forgive sins, p. 310.  
Blessing to have godly Magistrates, 67. diversely taken, 421 b it maketh many the worse, 443 rare to be bettered thereby, ibid.  
Blessing sometimes denied to his creatures, p. 536  
Blessing of God giveth all things, p. 630.  
Bondage under sin. p. 176.  
Book of life, p. 20 a.  
Brazen serpent, and the uses to us, p. 812 b 813.  
B●ed●●● of the first Table, how gre●ter then of 〈◊〉 ●●ond, p. 642.  
Bre●ch Moses stood in p. 671.  
Brethren taken divers ways, p. 749 a.  
Brotherhood among all mankind, p. 750 b.  
Brownists confuted, denying set forms of prayer, 424, 512. See forms of set prayer and separatists.  
Burial of the dead, 728 b. Abuses of it, 729. It strengtheneth our faith in the resurrection, p. 730  
Busy bodies, p. 225.   

C  
Calling, 840, 841, every one hath double, 186, walk in the duties of both, Ibid. 507, b. Rules to be observed in callings, 187, a. every one is to know the duties of his own calling, 224, b. calling sin not against, p. 693.  
Canaan, the borders thereof. p. 1225 a.  
Candles burning in the day, p. 459.  
Canonical Scripture. See Scripture.  
Cardinal's new creatures, p. 154.  
Careless persons, p. 489 b.  
Carnal men prefer carnal things, p. 530  
Cautions to be observed in laying up, p. 101.  
Censures of the Church, 270, they must be executed without partiality, p. 289.  
chastisements mingled with mercy, p. 573 b.  
Chastity, twofold, p. 387.  
children's duties, p. 1202 b.  
Christ hath made atonement for us, 339 b. in him is happiness, 342, how he taketh away sin, 478 a we must apply his merits, ibid. he is not severed from the Cross, 481, he is the substance of all Sacraments, 497 b. his coming to judgement shall be fearful, p. 505 b.  
Christ is head of the Church, 151 b. how the first borne, 162 b. he is our only Mediator, 675 not Saints or Angels, ibid. he was preached under the law, 813, he is the day-star, p. 1015.  
Christian liberty, p. 181.  
Christians are free, and how, 181 b. they should have fit places of assembling, p. 493 b.  
Church's authority, 3 a. it is subject to many troubles, 11, it hath many hypocrites in it.  
Church-assemblies. See assemblies.  
Church triumphant, p. 84.  
Church a perfect body, 148 a. corrupt in the days of Christ, 149, it ought not to tolerate open offenders, p. 288.  
Church what, 436 a. what office it hath, 463 b.  
Church of Rome wholly out of order, p. 508 a.  
Church is one body, and ruled by the same laws, 627, driven to seek help of enemies. 747 b. it is a selected company from the world, 925, it aboundeth with many children, 520, 927, it hath the purity of the word, 962, in the end it hath victory over all enemies, p. 967.  
Church more excellent than other places, 988 b. labour to be members of it, 940 b. it hath the upper hand of strong enemies 991 b. 1012 b. it is first to be cared for, p. 1135 b.  
Church and commonwealth as two twins, 755, a. it must be left in good estate after our departure, 768, 770, it evermore continueth, 769, when the chief parts are taken away, the rest should mourn, 772 b. sometimes it hath rest, p. 1009 b.  
Church must have help of all. p. 1206 b. 1207.  
Church delivered from danger and bondage, p. 1212  
Civil men, 251, a. civil honesty, p. 641.  
Clergy of Rome exempt themselves from Magistrates, 64 b. their Objections answered. p. 65.  
Cloud figured Christ, p. 497 b  
Comfort under the Cross, 73, how to comfort ourselves in trouble, p. 74 b.  
Comfort to godly Ministers, 156, to such as have mean gifts, 708 a. to such as are slandered, 402 to such as lie under the cross, p. 404 b. 405.  
Commonwealths, why instituted, 82, which they are that flourish, 123 b. why those of the heathens prospered, p. 124 a.  
Communion of two sorts, 292, with Christ and one with another, 307. b. 508 b. it teacheth love, 749 b. especially that in the spirit, p. 750.  
Company of wicked avoid. 163 b. 591 b. 999, 1100, the branches of it, 163, 280 b. in what cases lawful, and in what not, p. 281 a. 661 a.  
Companions with evil men are punished, p. 660.  
Confession of sins, 805, it is necessary, 312, the want of it dangerous, 316, the properties, p. 317 b  
Conscience, p. 411 a.  
Contemners of the Gospel, p. 32.  
Contentation required. 94, 245, 530, 630 b. 1029 b. how many ways men do fail in it, p. 99, 100, 183 a.  
Contentions in the Church, p. 554.  
Continency. See single life.  
Continuance in sin dangerous, p. 917 b.  
Corruption of nature, 161, the fruits of it, p. 162 a.  
Covetousness, 103, 242, 887, it deceiveth many, 1027 b. it bringeth nothing home, 1028, the evils of it, 1114 b. it is idolatry, 103, it may be in the poor, ibid. the branches of it, 104 b motives to avoid it, p. 1227 b.  
Covenant between God and man, p. 499 a.  
Counsel evil give not, 1003 b. good counsel follow, whosoever give it, p. 1006.  
Creatures suffer with men, 667, they must be used with thanksgiving, 738, the smallest sent of God are mighty, 799, they are weary of wicked men, p. 875.  
Crying sins, 308, what the cry of sin is, p. 309 a.  
Curiosity, p. 522 a.  
Cush is not always Ethiopia, p. 550.   

D  
David's sin, how great it was, p. 299 a.  
Death common to all, 726, it maketh all equal, 727, we must prepare for it, ibid. it is the effect of sin. p. 1125.  
Death cutteth not off good works, 450 a. being sudden, it is fearful, 548 b. how we bring it upon ourselves, ibid. the day of it unknown, 548 and wherefore, ibid.  
Decency, what, p. 59 b.  
Defrauding, p. 840. b  
Delay dangerous, p. 38, b.  
Departure out of the Church reproved, p. 287.  
Despair of no man's salvation, p. 52●. a 907 b.  
Devices of evil men come to nothing, p. 1030.  
devils cannot work miracles, 680, how great their knowledge is, 988 b. their subtlety to seduce men, p. 1037.  
Difference between sin and sin, 635. not all equal, ibid. between the Priests and Levites, p. 695.  
Dignity of the ministry, p. 447.  
Discomfort often from such as should comfort, pa. p. 553, b  
Discontentment, p. 241 b  
Diseases of the soul worse than of the body, p. 279.  
Disgrace it is not to godly children to descend of ungodly parents, p. 1109.  
Disgrare it is not to refuse a challenge, p. 1242.  
Doubting, p. 170, b. 171 a.  
Divinity of the Divines of Douai, p. 1242 b,  
Drunkards defence, p. 851 b.  
Drunkenness, 252 b. how it may be known, 537 b the signs and effects of it, p. 538 a.  
Duels unlawful, 304, 1123 b. causes and effects thereof, ibid.  
Duties of children to parents, 1167. of parents toward their children, 1168 b. of wives to their husbands, 1170. of husbands to their wives, ib.   

E  
Earthly things, 1002. they are often given to the godly, p. 453 b.  
Earthly pilgrim, is a Citizen of heaven, p. 1215 b.  
Eat as in God's presence, 631, it must be religious p. 537.  
Election of God, p. 578 b.  
Election of the Ministers how, p. 470.  
Encouragements in well doing, p. 393 b.  
Enemies of the Church are cruel, 763 are Gods enemies, 516 b: the devil worketh in them, 763 they often prevail over the Church, 776 b: they are not consumed at once, 858 b: they leave no means unattempted to plot the Church's overthrow, p. 940.  
Enemies differing join against the Church, p. 879  
Envy to be avoided, 543. remedies to keep us from it, ibid. p. 185.  
Envy not wicked men, p. 547 b.  
Epha what it is, p. 359, b.  
Equivocation, p. 376 a.  
Eternal life a rest, p. 1141 a.  
Evil is twofold, p. 665 a.  
Evil actions have ill success, p. 998.  
Evil company, p. 589.  
Evil men account the Church as a prison, 231 They prolong the time with God, 249, b. They fear where no fear is, 874: they are Cowards, 875: they proceed from evil to worse, p. 1061  
Evil men rest upon vain things, 885: they are often constrained to confess their sins, 911. and to give testimony to the truth, p. 923.  
Evil parents bring a curse on their houses, 1081 b good parents a blessing, p. 1083.  
Evil reports, p. 776 b.  
Evil works shall be rewarded, p. 450 b.  
Examination before the Supper, 480, wherein it standeth, ibid.  
Examples, what not to be followed, 1169 b. of evil do corrupt, page 529. they are not to be followed p. 585,  
Exhort one another, p. 86 b.  
Excommunicate who are to be, 264. 290 b. 291 a What duties are to be performed to them, 293, 265. not to be familiar with such, Ibid. Their fearful estate, p. 266.  
Excommunicate are to be barred from the word and Sacraments, 275, 266, 267. they are as Heathen and Publicans, ibidem: they are to be held infamous, ibidem: they are delivered unto satan, 268: they are to be shut out of all christian churches, ibidem. Prince's Laws against them, 269: we must shun their company, 271, 275: the children of such may be baptised, 291 492. the family may converse with them, 275. who are to be excommunicated, page 290 b. pag p. 291 a.  
Excommunication, 258. it ought to have place in every Church, 277. the ends of it, 293 b. what is objected against it, 258. it is to be used under a Christian Magistrate, 262. what it is, Ibid. 290: it is to be executed upon a member of the Church, 263, & 291: how the Papists abuse it 364. 271: the end of it is the recovery of them. p. 266.  
Excommunication blotteth men out of the number of God's people, 266: the sentence is ratified in heaven, ibid. it is to be denounced with sorrow, 276. sundry abuses of it, 271: it is not to be executed rashly, 272: but when there is just cause, Ibid. it is not of the essence of the Church, 273, 277. it cannot deprive of temporal possession, Ibid. it cannot be executed against such as are not of the Church, p. 274.  
Executioners of justice, 640. why commonly infamous, Ibid.  
Experience of mercy assureth more, p. 608, 861.   

F  
Face of God what, p. 422 b  
Failings of God's servants many, 538 b. why recorded in Scriptures, p. 585 b.  
True Faith of an applying nature, p. 1232, b.  
Faith is not in man's power, 88 a none must swear by it, 373. a how it is known to be true, 489. required of all Communicants, 501. being weak it is available, p. 816 b.  
Faith of the Greek Church touching Purgatory, p. 714 b.  
Faithful that show mercy, receive mercy, 336. they have often earthly blessings, 453 b. they are grieved when kept from God's service, 482. they desire others to be equal to themselves, 544 b. they must not grieve at it, 545. a. they are the wicked man's benefactors, 557 b. they are the house of God, 563 b. their life is most comfortable, p. 563, b.  
Faithful must use means to further Gods providence 577. they must deal wisely. p. 579. b. they are grieved for the sins of others, 504, they shall be evilly entreated, p. 596 b.  
Faithful fail in many things, 735 a. 736, how said to walk in all the Commandments, 736 b. they may fall into the same sins again, 772, they are foreigners in this life, 822, they are brought into the inheritance of the wicked, 845 b. they are men of courage, 864 b. they bring a blessing upon their families, p. 1080 b.  
Faith true, of an applying nature, p. 1232 b.  
False Teachers, p. 1036.  
Familiarity with Idolaters to be avoided, p. 1219.  
Famine of the word, p. 780.  
Fast, the kinds of it, 1153 a. what it is, ibid. it is to be joined with prayer, 1154, the popish fasts, ibid.  
Fathers comforted that have evil children, 134, their duties. See duties.  
Favour of God must be chiefly desired, 432 b. 433 man's happiness standeth therein, p. 433 b. 434 a  
Fear wrought two ways, p. 269 b.  
Fellowship with wicked, p. 1049 b. 1050.  
Feast of the Sabbath, 1140, of the New-Moones, 1143, of the Passeover, 477, 1146, of Pentecost, 1148, of Trumpets, 1150, of fasting, 1152 of Tabernacles, p. 1155 b.  
Fire, one of God's judgements, p. 525 a.  
First borne the Lords, p. 145. 158 b.  
First fruits, p. 630, 631.  
Flesh eaten before the flood, p. 150 b.  
Food of the soul, p. 532 a.  
Forefathers, stood upon, p. 586.  
Foreseen works, p. 87 a.  
Forgiveness by man how far, p. 298.  
Forgiveness of sins, 654 b. a notable benefit, 955 what it is, 311 a. 340, such as want it, are most miserable, p. 340, 956.  
Forgiveness three fold, p. 298 b.  
Form of set prayer, 513 b. 424 b. against those that condemn it, 512, their reasons answered, p. 426 b. 512.  
Fornication not indifferent, 380, it is known unto God, 381, motives to avoid it, 385, it bringeth judgements, 1052. b. avoid the occasions, 1055. See adultery, whoredom.  
Freedom civil, 181, and spiritual, ibid.  
Free will confuted, 90 a. what free will man hath. p. 90 b.   

G.  
Gain a tentation, p. 886 b.  
Gaming and Gamesters, p. 142 b.  
Genealogies, p. 174 b.  
Gifts, what may be lost, what not. p. 24. 25.  
Gifts of Moses, whether diminished, p. 535. b.  
Glebe of the Church, p. 705.  
Glory of God, 605. it is the trial of doctrines, page p. 232.  
God is the Author of the Scriptures, 1. he performeth all his promises, 41 b. how he is present, and how far off, 81. 958. 595. he bestoweth his gifts freely, 85. yet by means, 546, a. how he requireth impossibilities, p. 89.  
God disliketh men's devices in his worship, 141 b. he ordaineth the officers of his Church, 146 b. he chooseth weak means, p. 175.  
God will have all places taught, 197. and have a learned Ministry, p. 199 a.  
God hath not given to all alike, p. 243.  
God punisheth sin in his own kind, 390: he will make known the innocency of his, 396 b: he bestoweth more upon them than they desire, 403 b: 683: he knoweth all secrets, 410 b. why he holdeth his peace at our afflictions, page 413 b, p. 572, a.  
God hath two schoole-houses, 443 b: two dwelling places, 520: he understandeth all men's ways, p. 558,  
God searcheth before he punisheth, 562. he heareth not such as lie in their sins, 568. he mingleth his chastisements with mercy, 573 b. he respecteth no persons, 575. how he is said to come to a people, p. 596 a.  
God delivereth from dangers unknown to his, 902 he is unchangeably true, 952. he provideth for his, 1113. he is of much patience, 606. not to be abused, p. 778.  
God visiteth the sins of fathers upon children, 615 b. he punisheth for sins of impiety, 640 b. he would have all brought to repentance, 678. he is not to be accused for not giving it, Ibid. he giveth life to the dead, 683 b. just in all chastisements, p. 691.  
God chastiseth his own children, 739, he loveth his people, 759 b. heareth their prayers, 760, 784 b he delivereth them under the cross, 786 b. he is merciful to grievous sinners, p. 809 b.  
God is merciful to the merciful, 993 b. accounts our wrongs as his own, 996, a. he chastiseth his own first, p. 1050.  
God's presence what it signifieth, p. 283.  
God's dwelling is among his people, p. 519.  
God's wrath moved is full of rage, 1077. it is foreknown three ways, p. 1078 b.  
God setteth bounds to all men's possessions, p. 1225.  
God tolerateth things which he never alloweth, p. 1247  
Godly. See Faithful.  
Good name, 357. have care of each others, 398 401. especially of God's name, p. 400.  
Good is to be commended in whomsoever it abideth p. 1257.  
Gospel of james counterfeit, p. 348, b.  
Gospel contemned a grievous sin, 796. it needeth no new miracles, p. 685 a.  
Greatest part. See multitude.  
Guilty none before trial, p. 362.  
Guilty ought not to be spared, p. 1252 b.   

H  
Hollowing of Churches, p. 436 b.  
Harlot's to be avoided, p. 384 b.  
Hatred, none like to that for Religion, p. 764.  
Head taken diversly, p. 436 a.  
Herbs sour, p. 1147 b.  
Hearers duty, p. 474,  
Hearing, 13, b. it is a jewel for the ear, 234, a. wherein it consisteth, p. 13, b.  
Hearing the same things, p. 238.  
Heart, p. 145 b.  
Hebrews how they entitle the Scriptures, p. 8 a.  
Hiding of gifts, p. 463.  
Hin what, p. 626, 1143 b.  
Honour God with the best, 348. it draweth from God, p. 863.  
Hope of evil professors more than of civil men, 120 b. of wicked is vain, p. 937.  
House of God, what, p. 563 b.  
Householders, p. 573.  
Humility, p. 77. a  
Hypocrisy, 31, 976, 582. the marks of it, Ibid. at last it is uncased, 588 b. the heinousness of it, 589 a. nothing worse than it, p. 1126.  
Hypocrites, 446 b. often in the church, p. 11.   

I  
jealousy what, 347 a. whereof it consisteth, Ibid,  
jewish laws touching inheritance, p. 1127 a.  
Jews had knowledge of the Messiah, p. 498 b.  
Idolaters honoured their Prophets, p. 914.  
Ignorance abounds, 142 b. the danger of it, 170. it is the root of disobedience, 250. a great sin, 526. it shall excuse none, 931. the causes of it, Ibid.  
Ignorant what they are, p. 172, 251, b.  
Ignorant Ministers, p. 229.  
Image of God what, p. 422.  
Images not to be worshipped, p. 789, b. 790, 792.  
Imposition of hands, 434, a. 469, Ministers ordained by it, ibid.  
Impropriations, p. 702.  
Inheritance of the Israelites, p. 1257, b.  
Infants without baptism, 486. they belong to the Covenant, p. 1081 by  
Inferiors must reverence their superiors, p. 541.  
Innocency: p. 596 b.  
Innocent person not to be put to death, p. 1252 a.  
Instruction to the Ministers, p. 697, a.  
Instruments weak God chooseth, p. 105.  
Intents excuse not, p. 141 b. 170 b.  
jobs children godly, p. 1130 b.  
josephus tale of Moses wife disproved, p. 500  
joseph and Mary brothers children, p. 1270 a.  
Irony, p. 895.  
Ishmael, whether he repent, p. 1171.  
Israelites 42 mansions in the wilderness, p. 1214,  
judgement corrupted, p. 218.  
judgements are instructions to others, 526. none can be free from them that sin, p. 474, b.  
jubilee, why instituted, p. 1259.  
jubilee Popish, p. 1262 b  
justification by faith, p. 815 b. 817 b.   

K  
Kingdom of God first seek, 61. it is required of all, 226 b, 258. it is the root of obedience, Ibid.  
Kings and Princes, our duty to them, 664: why we are to pray for them, p. 666.  
Knowledge all must have. 647. little is in the Romish Church, ibid.  
Knowledge of God twofold, 23 a: it must be sought 27 a: wherein it consisteth, p. 27 b.   

L  
Land dividing, why the high Priests help was used therein, p. 1232 a  
Law: how given to the just, p. 182 a  
Law, how we may go unto, 1123, how it may be used lawfully, ibid.  
Lawful to lay up, 101. sometimes to reprove by name, 1084. rules to be observed in it, p. 1085 b.  
Lawful things not to be done unlawfully, p. 1249.  
Learning a great gift, 707 a. without conscience a great plague, 707 b with it, it doth great good, ibid.  
Lent, p. 1151 b.  
Lepers not suffered in the host, p. 256 b  
Leprosy of three sorts, p. 757  
Less the thing is, the greater the sin, p. 638.  
Levites what their office was, 144 b: why numbered from a month old, p. 166.  
levitical Priesthood passed from one to another, p. 771.  
Liberal diet provided for God's children, p. 531 b.  
Liberality commended, 95, Objections hindering it 96. how we are encouraged unto it, 393: Time of death not fittest for a, p. 449 a.  
Life of divers sorts, 49 a: it is maintained by God, 747 without means, ibid.  
Lord's things are in 3 respects, p. 145 b.  
Love, 750: it must be to all the creatures: 758, b such reproved are without it, p. 759.  
Love of brethren, 629 b: how to try whether in us, what fruits it hath, p. 182 a.  
Love of God to his must move us to mercy, p. 757 b.   

M  
Maccabees no Scriptute, p. 1116,  
Magistracy a great burden, p. 534.  
Magistrates must do justice, 58 b. 60 a. punish breaches of the first Table, ibid. they are needful for the people, p. 63 b: 534 a.  
Magistrates must further the preaching of the Word, 202: their office, 366, 428, 429, 430. to them we must seek in wrongs, 1211: They must be upright, 958 b. 1122: draw others by their example, 432: how qualified, 1122 b: feared for doing evil, 1059 b: zealous in the cause of God, p. 1072.  
Magistrates have their calling immediately from God, 1134: papists are enemies to them, ibid.  
Master, a Magistrate in his own house, p. 1242.  
Magistrate's duty, p. 1256.  
Maintenance of the Ministry, p. 446, 193 b.  
Malice of enemies unsatiable, p. 1044.  
Manichees p. 7, b.  
Manna what, p. 531.  
Manslaughter done of ignorance, a sin, p. 1248 a,  
Marriage in May, 1144, of cousin germane, p. 1263  
Marriage not to be enforced, p. 1257 b.  
Marriage in their own Tribe neither forbidden nor is observed, p. 1258 b.  
Mass, 1138. discommodity thereof, p. 1220.  
Master's must reprove their servants, p. 541.  
Matters of God unknown till he reveal them, p. 984  
Matrimony, p. 387.  
Means to keep us from sin, p. 577, 743.  
Means extraordinary not to be looked after, p. 744  
Meekness, p. 367, 560 b.  
Merit, p. 451.  
Ministers must be proved, 474 b. how practised among papists, 475. they are Gods Trumpets, 503 what is done to them is done to God, p. 328.  
Ministers must deliver God's word, 970. teach orderly 13 a. 168 b. works of their calling, 49 b Idle are reproved, 48 b. 189, 345, 770. & are worldly, 49. swallow many livings, 50 a motives to their duty, 126 b. they must look to themselves, p. 51, b.  
Ministers must be diligent in preaching, 192 have a care of all the flock, 199 b. 699. what Titles they have 213 b. men of gravity, 216 b. they must teach with reverence, 231. come prepared, 232. not reprove sin in jest, ibid. must be understood, 233 a. 700. continue in teaching, page 236, 237. not broach new doctrine, ibid.  
Ministers must be unblamable, 467 b. they are Gods servants, 73. when not regarded, GOD dealeth with men, 612. they are in special favour with God, 651. such as are of means, must be regarded, 706. 708 b. God's gift, p. 695.  
Ministry must be planted among all people, it is of absolute necessity, 120. 671. not base, 160 a. it is a charge, 188 b. an high calling, 206 b. how it may be desired, 208 a. the contempt of it, ibid. it is blessed of God, 434. when despised, God is despised, 653 b. their danger that want it, 672. how to promote it, p. 697.  
Ministry shall never decay, 804 the end is edification, p. 707 a.  
Ministers must be provided of all things necessary for them. p. 1237.  
Miracles what, 688 b. transubstantiation no miracle, 960 b. God only can work them, 679 b. 906 b. they are wrought openly, 688.  
Miseries of the Church must move pity, page 753, 755  
Miseries of our Brethren, we must have a fellow-feeling. p. 1203.  
Monkish vows, p. 420.  
Morning sacrifice, p. 1136, 1137.  
Moses whether free from doubting, p. 538 b.  
Moses his wife, who: 549. what his sin was, p. 725  
Motives for Ministers to be diligent in their calling, p. 1239 b.  
Multiplication of the Israelites, p. 39  
Multitude no note of the Church, 177 b. See Universality: wicked boast thereof, 582. commonly they are worst, 581 b. they cannot make evil to be good, p. 583 b.  
Multitude lie open to judgement, 1118 b. They must be reproved, 119.  
Murmuring 243, b. 730 b. 523, b. how to prevent it, 524 b. remedies against it, p. 732.  
Murder an heinous sin in the sight of God, p. 1244   

N  
Names of the faithful known to God, p. 20.  
Nature content with little, p. 98 b.  
Nature God worketh above, p. 905 b.  
Natural estate, p. 887 b, 874.  
Natural reason enemy to faith, p. 539.  
Naturally we harken to seducers, 591. we wax weary of God's gifts, p. 794.  
Naturally all men are prone to revenge, p. 1240 b.  
Nazarites the sorts of them, 415. meaning thereof, p. 1164.  
Necessity dispenseth with holy duties, 486 a. we are not of ourselves to make it. p. 487. a.  
Neglect of God's worship, p. 489, b. 490.  
New man, p. 1145.  
New Moon, See Feast,  
Nonresidency, 190, 191, 345. how coloured, p. 200 711.  
Note of the Church not outward glory, p. 1051 b.  
Novations, p. 793 b.  
Book of Numbers authorized out of the New testament. p. 2.  
Numbering of the people, 1103. how unlawful, p. 29   

O  
Oath when unlawful, 370. whose oath may be refused, 372. what it is, 374 b. the author of it, 375. the parts, ibid. the form and ends, ib. 376 b. the properties, p. 377 a.  
Obedience required of all, 29 a, 683 b. grounded upon knowledge, 33 b. rules directing it, 36. it must be yielded to all, 109, b. the popish not to be vowed, p. 155.  
Obedience to the Word required, 247 b. it agreeth to our profession, p. 148.  
Obedience to God, p. 254 a.  
Objections against laying up in store, 102 a. against the preaching of the word, 127, b. 744, 745. against Magistrates, 181, 182. against excommunication, 259. against putting up of wrongs, 302. of such as pretend God's mercies, p. 306.  
Objections for auricular confession, 314. against restitution, 324 b. for common swearing, p. 373.  
Objections for toleration of sundry religions, 627, 628. against the Minister's maintenance, 701 b. of such as object the multitude of their sins 715 b. and the grievousness of them, 716, a.  
Objections in defence of images, 789 b, 760. pretending some Scriptures lost, p. 821.  
Obstinacy in sin, 622. the heinousness of it, 623  
Obstinate sinners cast out of the church, 258. they rail at their reprovers, p. 655.  
Occasions must be avoided, p. 419.  
Odd numbers, p. 919.  
Offence must not be given, 220 a. the branches of it  
Offenders principal chief punished, p. 572 b.  
Offence taken at the marriage of cousin germane removed, p. 1297.  
Office proper every one must have, 179, a  
Office of the ministry must be adorned, p. 353.  
Oft coming to religious exercises, p. 492.  
Old man, why so called, p. 1145.  
Omer what, p. 359, b  
Oppression, p. 322, a 363.  
Oppressors punished, p. 395.  
Order what it is, a. why appointed among the Israelites, 53: in the Church and Commonwealth, 55, the reasons of it, ibid. observed in all God's works, 56, 506. order in the Scriptures, p. 57 rules of order, 61 b. to be observed in the church p. 59, b.  
Ordination. See Imposition.   

P  
Papists why refuse Scriptures to be judges, 3 b. they forbidden the people to read them, 7 b. they are partly Pelagians, 87. they dare not stand unto their merits at their death, 89 b. they have added to the word, 141. they are the murderers of souls 142 b. they accuse the originals of corruption, 494 they set the church above the Scriptures, ibid. they are worse than Anabaptists, 534. they cannot be good subjects p. 629.  
Parents godly, have ungodly children, 130. wicked they are as greatest enemies to their Children, 135 b. how they should seek their good, 136 b. 135 a. the duties of parents, p. 1201.  
Passeover what it was, 477. Christ is it, ibid.  
Patience, 76 a, 235, the hindrances of it, ibid., b.  
Paul, why he laboured with his own hands, p. 49.  
Peace what it signifieth, p. 413.  
Peace of God. See Reconciliation.  
Penitent received to favour, 713. 809. comfort to such, p. 715 b.  
People must read Scripure, 4 b. 7 a, 460, hear the word, 157. reverence the minister, 221, 435. pray for their Pastors, p. 430.  
persecutors, 835 b.  
Perseverance, 421. want of it reproved, 437 b.  
Pharisee in the Gospel, p. 558 b.  
Pilgrimage, p. 1106, b.  
Plague one of God's judgements, 597. duties of all in such times. p. 598, 599.  
Pleasures, what unlawful, p. 536, b.  
Poetry, p. 847 b.  
Poor may do good works, 453 a. they are comforted, p. 532 a.  
Pope not head of the Church, 151. he is antichrist, 628, 629, a grand thief, p. 702,  
Popery not to be tolerated p. 928 b.  
Poverty not to be vowed, p. 454, a.  
Powder-treason, 284, b. 412. 905, a. 1045, b  
Pray one for another, 806. for magistrates, Ibidem 832 b. for the Church, p. 431 b.  
Prayer, 91. for daily bread, 101. it removeth judgements, p. 602 b.  
Prayer needful, 369 a. set forms lawful, 414 b. a comfort to the weak, 427. all do not pray which hear prayers, p. 485 b.  
Prayer must be in a known tongue, 504. it often obtaineth more than is desired, p. 404.  
Preaching, p. 744, 745.  
Preparation, 233, 456. come not without it, p. 467, 668, 949.  
Presence of God, p. 81.  
Presumptuous sins, 636, b. how to know them, p. 937.  
Priests their sorts and offices, p. 144.  
Prince's must care for religion, p. 138, b.  
Private men when they may revenge & how, p. 303,  
Profession not enough, p. 529 a, 974 b.  
Professors idle, p. 444.  
Promises to men, p. 64 a.  
Promotion, See Honor.  
Prophesy of Elias, p. 74 a.  
Propriety of goods, p. 1127 b.  
Prosperity of the wicked envy not, p. 768,  
Protecting gods, p. 872.  
Providence of God over Israel, p. 45.  
Publicans what, p. 265 a.  
Publishing the works of God. See works.  
Punishments. See Visitations.  
Purgatory, p. 713 b.  
Purity, p. 468 b. 113 b.   

Q  
Quenching the spirit, p. 426.  
Questions whether the Levites might minister after fifty, 215, b. whether young men may be chosen to the Ministry, 216. whether the Levites might carry the Ark, 224 a. whether all company with the wicked are to be avoided, 281 a. how far a man may forgive, 298. touching restitution, 325 b. & the suspected wife, p. 360.  
Questions, Whether it be lawful to do good in hope of reward, 569 b. what Angel appeared to Balaam, 902, touching the authority of parents, 1165, 1166, whether it be the Minister's duty to visit the sick of the plague, p. 671 b.   

R  
Rage of wicked limited, p. 987.  
Rash judgement, p. 352, 353, 363 b.  
ravens how they cry to God, p. 1115.  
Reading the Scripture, 634. how it differs from prayer, p. 513.  
Real presence, p. 499, b.  
Rebellion, p. 59 a, 66.  
Reconciliation, p. 516.  
Red Heiffer, p. 721, 722.  
Cities of Refuge, p. 1236 a.  
Religion maketh to flourish, 125 a. the stay of a kingdom, 647 b. when it is impure the life is so 1046 b. it giveth courage in battle, 1093 b: all pretends order, p. 921.  
Relics, 729, b, how sought to be justified, page 730, a.  
Repentance motives to it, 662. it is in this life, 798 b. not to be prolonged, 249 b. some repent of it, p. 623.  
Repetitions, 40 b. 41 a. why used, 983 a. they are lawful, p. 235 b.  
Reprobates state fearful, p. 23.  
Reproof by taunting, p. 295  
Restitution, p. 320 b. 326, 762  
Resurrection certain, 43 b: proved, 385 b  
Revenge double, 17 a. it is to be laid aside, p. 301, 734 b, 837 b.  
Revenge to be laid down, with motives moving thereto, p. 1243, a  
Reverence in holy things, 228 b: occasions that do hinder it, p. 230, 237. 946 b, 448,  
Rich must pray for daily bread, 537 a: They must promote God's worship, p. 442.  
Riches how to use well, 100: not evil, pag: 454, be thankful for them, Ibid.  
Rock, what it signifieth, 499 a  
Roman Church repealeth the whole Law, 1038, 1039, wholly out of order, p. 508 a  
Rulers must be forward, 439, b: a great blessing to have such, 440. give thanks for them, p. 441.   

S  
Sabbath, 146 a. 253 a. 641 b: it is moral, 644 of the change of the day, Ibid. how abused, 645, 1141, the Uses to us, 1149: why directed to Governors, p. 1142.  
Sacraments 491, 814 b. some want the outward sign, 1130, not to be handled by private persons, 58. come not to them unreverently, 488. they have names of the things signified 479, bar none of malice, p. 488.  
Sacrifices how rejected, 339. why instituted, 625, a. excellency of Christ's sacrifice, p. 626 a.  
Sacrilege, p. 321 b.  
Salvation of God's free grace, 85 b. not of foreseen works, 87 b, not in man's merits, 88 a. not in freewill, p. 90 a  
Saints have no overplus of works, p. 1260 b.  
Sanctification why unperfect, p. 469 a.  
Sanctuaries, whether they may be allowed, p. 1236 a  
Sanhedrin, p 533 b.  
Satan present with wicked men, p. 457.  
Saving souls, p. 510 b. 511.  
Scripture authentic, 2 b. Romish errors touching them, 3 a. 526 b. rules to be observed in reading them, 10. never utterly lost, p. 6,  
Scriptures must be read, 142 a. perfect, 167, 168 why written, 173: how to be expounded, 371 b they have nothing superfluous, 449 b. they are light, 460. two ways, p. 463 a.  
Scriptures stand not in letters, 249 a. the judge of all, 484 b: they belong to all, 633 b. 634 a. 647 no part lost, 820 abused by papists, 1088. rules to interpret them, p. 1050, a.  
Seven seas in Israel, p. 1225 b.  
Sects among the jews, p. 149.  
Seditious persons, 663. whence it ariseth, 664. a fearful sin, p. 1108.  
Seducers and seduced, p. 1100.  
Selling of sin, what, 91. sundry false tales, p. 92.  
Senses of no use without God's blessing, p. 908 b.  
Separatists. See Brownists.  
Servants of three sorts, 472 b. they must give alms, p. 99, 6.  
Sheep hear Christ's voice, p. 28 a.  
Shekel what, p. 205.  
Sibyls, p. 869 a,  
Sincerity, p. 589.  
Sin filthy and infectious, 277. deceiveth with false shows, 278. beware of it, 280, 286. how much God hateth it, 289, 340 a. committed against God, 296, b. the grievousness of it, page p. 305, b.  
Sin should grieve more than the punishment, 319 a punished in his own kind, 930. known ever to God p. 409, q.  
Sin pardoned, the punishment is remitted, 609. when general, it causeth a general destruction 610, b. it openeth the gates to the enemy, 611 pleasant in the beginning, p. 619 b.  
Sin bringeth confusion of all, 672. when punished, God is appeased, 1070 b. against the holy ghost why unpardonable, 13. it depriveth of God's protection, 1074 b. it maketh places and famous infamous, p. 1104 b.  
Sin to decline from the worship of God, 1117. it is the cause of death, 1125. four things cleave to it, p. 1126 a.  
Sin the only cause of judgements, and whether all sin be voluntary, p. 1248 a.  
Single life not to be vowed, p. 155.  
Sleepy hearers, p. 2306.  
Society with wicked, p. 1112.  
Sorcerers wrought no miracles, 680 b. neither can do, p. 681.  
Sorcery, p. 977, b.  
Soul is immortal, 933, 1172. God is the Creator thereof, p. 2132 b.  
Standards, what use in war, p. 62 b.  
Stews, 381. Popish excuses, 382. reasons against it, p. 384.  
stoics, p. 773.  
subjects duties, 69. without them they cannot honour God, p. 508 a.  
Superiors must give example, 830 b. they lie open to judgements, p. 1056.  
Superstition, p. 883.  
Supper of the Lord, 479 a. no unclean person may come to it, 481, 487, not to be shifted off, 490 b 491. not enough to partake of the outward sign, p. 500  
Suspicion, p. 365.  
Swearing, 252 b. the causes of it, 373. reasons framed to defend it, p. 374.   

T  
Tabernacle a figure of the Church, pag. 436 in the midst of the host, p. 80.  
Teacher's negligent, p. 443, 444.  
Tears of the godly, p. 594 b.  
Temples, 694, how profaned, ibid. they must be kept in good order, p. 495 a.  
Temporally punished the faithful are, p. 1130 a.  
temptations of the faithful, p. 21, 22.  
Terrors to wicked men, p. 932.  
Thanksgiving a necessary duty, p. 827, b. 829  
Theft, p. 322.  
threatenings of God always accomplished, 766 b. they are conditional, p. 600.  
Time's dangerous, p. 1041 b.  
Tithes, 447. they are the Lords, 195, b. 704. paid of sundry sorts, 703. not alms, ibid.,  
Toleration of divers Religions, p. 627.  
Toleration of things unlawful, p. 305 a.  
Trance, p. 682 b.  
Translation Latin false, p. 1259 a.  
Transubstantiation no miracle, p. 690 b,  
trial of spirits, 1101 b. rules of it, p. 1102 a.  
Trumpets to what use, p. 502.  
Truth shall continue for ever, 465. all must be helpers to it, p. 466.   

V  
Vengeance, p. 300 b.  
Venial sins, 718 in what sense, 719, the popish opinion thereof, ibid.  
Vice, whether of more force than virtue, p. 165 a.  
Victory is the Lords, p. 824.  
Virgin Mary conceived in sin, p. 538 b.  
Vision, p. 986.  
Visitation from God, p. 796, 797.  
Unity 54. no note of the Church, p. 880.  
Universal grace, p. 925 b.  
Universality no note of the Church, 581. Popish reasons, p. 582.  
Universality of the elect only, p. 521 a.  
ungodly often prosper, 507. they are Gods enemies, 515. preserved for the godlies sake. 557. what they account of the Church & of the word, p. 5●9  
Unpossible to men, not to God, p. 540.  
Unregenerate described, p. 278, 341 b.  
unthankfulness, 442 b. a mother sin, 524. the fruits of it, ibid.  
Vow, what, 481, 1161. lawful, 780, 1159. what unlawful, ibid. Popish vows, p. 782, 134 b.  
Vow of baptism, 783. of special vows in affliction ibid. the right manner of vowing, 1163. the true ends thereof, ibid.  
Vow of the Nazarites, 414. Christ observed not this vow, 418 a. Vows of Popish Monks unlawful, p. 420.  
Vow of poverty, 453. of single life, 155. of Obedience, Ibid.  
Uprightness. See Sincerity.  
urim, p. 1132.  
Use of repetitions to the godly, 239. to the ungodly, p. 240 a.   

W  
Want always among some of God's people, p. 1229 a  
Wars ordered by God, 824. the misery of them, 852 b. of great antiquity, p. 1017.  
Water of separation, 716. it cannot cast out devils p. 717.  
Weak means God chooseth, p. 486 b.  
Whisperers, 351. the several sorts, p. 352.  
Whoredom 308, 378 b. the several kinds, p. 387, b.  
Wicked are miserable, 107 b. know not what they do, 572 b. not escape, 575 b. proceed from evil to evil, 592. See ungodly.  
Wicked how they behave themselves in affliction, 624 a. they colour their wickedness, 649. They cry to God when too late, 663 a. they will not be warned by former judgements, 669 b. oft seek of the faithful, 801. they desire others to pray for them, p. 808, 809.  
Wicked hate and persecute the godly, 841 b. being reproved they continue in sin. 916. They have some good motions, 930. they lay the fault upon second causes, p. 942.  
Wicked are wise in their kind 978. are suffered long, yet in the end punished, p. 11●6.  
Will of God revealed to the wicked, p. 888.  
Winning of souls. See Save.  
Wisdom, p. 579, 580.  
Witchcraft, p. 1032.  
Witches resorted unto, p. 482.  
Witnesses, p. 372, 90 b  
Witness false offendeth 6 ways, p. 1253, b  
Woes, 44. Word our direction, p. 114.  
Woman taken in adultery: p. 1054.  
Works must be perfected, p. 437.  
Works of God's justice, p. 688.  
Wrath of God, p. 567.  
Wrongs, 561. they cry to God, p. 571.   

X  
Xenophon, p. 1167, b.   

Y  
Yoke of poverty, 888. Young of two sorts, p. 218.  
Young years must be given to God, p. 160.   

Z  
Zeal of the first times for the Minister's maintenance, p. 705.  
Zeal not all good, p. 922.  
Zelophehad p. 643, a. 1124 b.  
Zimri, p. 1067.  
Zuinglius, p. 1151.   
The End of the Table.