Meditations and Disquisitions Upon the Seven Consolatory Psalms of David, Commentary 6
MEDITATIONS VPONUPON THE CIII. PSALME OF DAVID.
BLeſſe the Lord, O my Verſe 1 Soule: O how well they are fitted! for what worke ſo fit for my Soule as this? Who ſo fit for this worke as my ſoule? My body, God knowes is groſſe, and heavie, and very unfit for ſo ſublime a worke; No my ſoule, it is Thou muſt doe it; and indeed what haſt thou elſe to doe; it is the very worke for which thou wert made, and O that thou wert as fit to doe the worke, as the worke is fit for thee to to doe. But alas, I feare that by comming into this Body of earth, thou art become in a manner earthy, at leaſt haſt loſt a great part of thy abilities, and wilt never be able to goe thorow with this great worke thy ſelfe alone. If to Bleſſe the Lord, were no more but to ſay, Lord, Lord, like to them that cryed, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord: then my tongue alone would bee ſufficient for it, and I ſhould not need to trouble any other about it: but to Bleſſe the Lord is an eminent worke, and requires not onelyonly Many, but very able Agents to performe it; and therefore my Soule, when thou goeſt about it, goe not alone; but, Take with thee, all that is within mee; all the forces in my whole Magazine, whether it be my Heart, or my Spirits; whether my Will, or my Affections; whether my Underſtanding, or my Memory; take them all with thee, and Bleſſe the Lord.
And of them all, make uſe firſt of my Memorie: Verſe 2 Forget not all his Benefits: for to remember his Benefits, is indeed a principall part of Bleſſing him. And the ſooner thou goeſt about it, the better thou art likely to performe it: for forgetfulneſſe is a thing, that growes ſoone upon us, and nothing ſooner then forgetting of benefits: our Memories, are very apt to retaine Injuries, but very unapt for retaining of Benefits: For as long as we remember a Benefit, we ſeeme to ſtand upon the rack of an Obligation to requite it: and who is not willing to come off a Rack, by any meanes he can; and then rather by forgetting a Benefit, then by requiting it? and perhaps wee thinke it a kind of payment, if we can but forget wee owe it. But O my Soule conſider, that God expects no Retaliation of us; he lookes for no requiting at our hands; Alas! He knowes we are not able: He takes it in good part, if but onelyonly we remember his Benefits; and ſhould we not bee moſt ungratefull, they being ſo great, and ſo many as they are, if we ſhould not afford him ſo much as the remembring them? But as to forget all his benefits, were a wonderfull forgetfulneſſe; ſo to forget none at all, were as wonderfull a Memorie: for what memorie can be ſo vaſt, not to forget ſome, when they be ſo many? Indeed ſo many, that they cannot be numbred. And what then, O my Soule, wilt thou doe in this caſe? if thou canſt not chooſe but forget ſome of his Benefits, yet forget not all his Benefits; if thou canſt not remember all, at leaſt remember ſome: Forget not, It is hee that forgiveth Verſe 3 all thy ſinnes; it is hee that healeth all thy infirmities: Remember but theſe, and they will alwayes miniſter matter enough to keepe thee in worke for bleſſing his Name. For, to forgive all my ſinnes, O my grievous, my manifold ſinnes, that I know not whether they bee more, or more grievous: whether their Number, or their Greatneſſe be the greater; is it not a benefit that may juſtly claime a prime place in my memorie? If it were but onelyonly to be favourable in puniſhing my ſinnes, it were a benefit worth remembring; but to blot my ſins cleane out, and abſolutely to forgive them, and that freely, without any deſert of mine; Alas, without any poſſibilitie of deſerving; This is a Benefit that no Lethargie can forget, indeed a benefit that deſerves remembring in the higheſt degree. And yet perhaps, to forgive all my ſinnes, not a greater benefit, then to heale all my infirmities; (This being the chiefe worke of his Grace, as that of his Mercy) for ſeeing my ſinnes, many of them, and upon the matter, all of them, bee ſinnes of infirmitie: (for even wilfulneſſe, and preſumption, are of infirmitie) by healing my infirmities, hee prevents me of ſinning: and is it not, as great a benefit, to keepe me from committing ſinnes, as to forgiue my ſinnes, when I have committed them? But, O my ſoule, meddle not with this high point of Heraldrie, to diſcuſſe, which is the greater of Gods Mercy, or his Grace: They are both an Abyſſus: it is worke enough for thee, and for all that is within me, to Bleſſe him for both: and for both indeed thou haſt juſt cauſe to Bleſſe him, ſeeing it is by the vertue of both, that thou art able to Bleſſe him. If it were not for his Mercy, thou wouldſt want the materiall cauſe of bleſſing him, if it were not for his Grace, the efficient: but now that there is a concurrence of both together; Now that both he forgiveth all thy ſinnes in his Mercy, and healeth all thy infirmities by his Grace; Now, O my ſoule, what would it argue but extream ungratefulneſſe, farre exceeding a forgetfulneſſe, both in thee, and all that is within me, if thou ſhouldſt not Bleſſe his Name? For, O my ſoule, conſider the multitude of infirmities, to which thou art ſubject; thou haſt many ſuggeſtions of the fleſh: and thou art apt to conſent, and yeeld unto them, and ſtriveſt not againſt them by earneſt Prayer, and holy Meditations; This is an infirmitie. In thy prayers to God; thy thoughts are often wandring, and thou thinkeſt of other matters, farre unworthy of that great Majeſtie to whom thou prayeſt: or if not ſo, yet thou art quickly weary, thy ſpirits are drowſie in it, and thou hadſt rather be doing of ſomething elſe: This is an infirmitie. And indeed thou haſt infirmities in all thy ſenſes. In thy ſeeing, thou canſt ſee a moate in thy brothers eye, and canſt not ſee a beame in thine owne eye. In thy ſmelling, thou thinkeſt Suavis odor lucri ex re qualibet; that the ſavour of gaine is ſweet from whence ſo ere it riſe. In thy Hearing; Thou art gladder to heare prophane, and idle diſcourſes, then ſuch as be ſerious, and holy: Theſe are infirmities: and, O my ſoule, if I ſhould cut thee up into as many parts, as an Anatomiſt, and examine the infirmities of every part; ſhould I not have cauſe, juſt cauſe to cry out with Saint Paul, O wretch that I am, who ſhall deliver me from this body of ſinne? Who ſhall heale me of all theſe infirmities? for whether we call them ſinnes, and then God forgives them; or call them Infirmities, and then he heales them: they are to us, all one benefit; in God, all one kindneſſe; that as either of them is well worth remembring; ſo for both of them, we have juſt cauſe to bleſſe him, and to praiſe his Name.
But, O my ſoule, as thou remembreſt theſe things; that both he forgiveth all thy ſins, and healeth all thy infirmities: ſo remember alſo their conſequences too; for upon theſe, there are great matters depending, as worthy to bee remembred, as the things themſelves. For alas my ſoule, thou wert by ſinne come to be Mortall; and the ſentence of Morte morieris, was paſt upon thee: but now, by forgiving thy ſinnes, this ſentence is reverſed: by healing thy infirmities, thy life is Redeemed; it is taken out of the hands of the Deſtroyer, and put into the hands of a Redeemer; and a Redeemer not onelyonly from Captivitie, but from deſtruction: for Captivitie takes away but onelyonly thy libertie, but deſtruction would take away thy very Being: and can it be thou ſhouldſt not keepe that in memorie, which is it ſelfe the cauſe, that thou haſt a Memorie? for what memorie couldſt thou have, if thou hadſt not a Being? and what Being couldſt thou have, if thou wert deſtroyed? and deſtroyed thou ſhouldſt be, if thou wert not Redeemed; and Redeemed thou canſt not be, unleſſe thy ſinnes bee forgiven. This no doubt, is a conſequence never to be forgotten; and yet perhaps there is a conſequence behind, of greater conſequence then this: For this (my ſoule) gives thy life but onelyonly a duration; but there is a conſequence a comming, that will give it an exaltation: For, he crownes thee with loving kindneſſe, and with tender mercies. To be madk a King, is an eminent favour: but to be made a King from being a Captive, where not onelyonly the Quo is ſo conſiderable, but the Unde more; this is indeed a ſupereminent favour, and hardly capable of expreſſing. And this is thy caſe, for where before thou hadſt fetters upon thy feet, thou haſt now a Crowne upon thy head: and not a Crowne gotten by violence, and worne with feare: but He crownes thee with loving kindneſſe, and tender mercies. His kindneſſe would have made a Crowne good enough for thy wearing; but his loving kindneſſe, makes it a Crowne worthy of his giving. And if there be doubt, that his mercies alone may not bee ready enough, to beſtow this Crowne upon thee; yet of the readineſſe of his tender mercies, there can be no doubt: there can indeed be no doubt, ſeeing his loving kindneſſe, and his tender mercies, are the Crowne it ſelfe, which he beſtowes. For, O my ſoule, when I ſpeake of a Crowne, thou muſt not fancie to thy ſelfe, ſuch a Crowne as Kings of the earth weare: For Chriſt profeſſed plainly, that his Kingdome is not of this world, and therefore neither muſt thine be: but conſider the extent of Gods loving kindneſſe, and of his tender mercies, and thou wilt find a better Crowne laid up for thee; then all the Kingdomes of the Earth put together, can afford. O gracious God, grant me the Crowne of thy loving kindneſſe, and tender mercies; and all other Crownes I willingly lay downe at the foot of thy Throne, with the foure and twentie Elders: This onelyonly is the Crowne to which my ſoule aſpires, for onelyonly this Crowne makes ſinne, and Death to be my ſubjects; Rebellious ſinne, that can never be brought into ſubjection, but onelyonly by this Crowne, O God, of thy loving kindneſſe, and tender mercies. Theſe indeed are Conſequences moſt worthy to be remembred, but yet perhaps not apt to be remembred, for are they not of too high a ſtraine? and what the underſtanding doth not well apprehend, the memorie doth not eaſily retaine: He will therefore deſcend to Benefits of a lower Verſe 5 ranke: He ſatisfieth thy mouth with good things; and renues thy youth like the Eagles. This no doubt is apt to be remembred, becauſe it falls within the compaſſe of ſenſe, for who is not ſenſible of good things, and ſpecially when they bee good things for the mouth? for, all the labour of man, is for the mouth: All that the hands worke for, and all that the feet toyle about, is all but for the mouth: ſo long as we may have greene Paſtures, and ſtill Waters; ſo long as we may have meat and drinkes, not onelyonly to ſatisfie hunger, but to pleaſe the palate, wee care not greatly for any thing elſe. But, O my ſoule, theſe are not the good things that are here meant; and yet even this perhaps were worth the caring for, if it might continue: but alas, the dayes will come, when I ſhall ſay, I have no pleaſure in them: the time will come, when my mouth will loſe its taſte; and what good then will theſe good things of the mouth doe me? No, my ſoule, no feare here of old age; no feare of defect by reaſon of yeares: For, thy youth ſhall bee renewed like the Eagles; There ſhall be no looſening here of the ſilver Cord, no breaking of the golden Bowle; but as the Eagle by mewing her feathers, renues her youth: So thou (my ſoule) by mewing thy feathers, which is by caſting off this fraile Tabernacle of thy fleſh, ſhalt perpetually be kept by the powerfull hand of God, in a ſtate of vigour. Indeed the life we live now, is the greateſt part no life; for Child-hood is ſcarce come to it, and Old age is almoſt paſt it; no time properly remaining to life, but onelyonly the ſhort time of youth: but the life that God hath in ſtore for them that feare him; not onelyonly ſhall be alwayes, but ſhall be alwayes Youth, and no defect of Age ſhall be able to take hold upon it.
But may we not now begin anew, and conceive rather, that when David calls upon his ſoule to bleſſe the Lord; and not to forget all his benefits: Hee meanes, he would have it to remember all his benefits; and therefore he preſently falls to reckon them all up himſelfe; not ſingula generum, but genera ſingulorum; Not all in particular, but the generall Heads, under which, all the Particulars are comprehended. And he begins with forgiving of ſinnes, becauſe this is the Foundation, this is that which reconciles us to God, and which makes us capable of all his other benefits. But alas, what good will his forgiving my ſinnes doe me, if he ſtay there, and goe no further? for ſhall I not be committing of new ſinnes continually; and ſo God ſhall bee alwayes forgiving, and never the neere? Never the neere, unleſſe hee be alwayes forgiving. To helpe this therefore, his next benefit, is the healing all my infirmities: for this takes away that aptneſſe to ſinne, to which wee are all of us by nature ſo prone and ſubject. But alas, what good will both theſe benefits doe me, if hee yet ſtay here, and goe no further? ſeeing I am now a captive, and already condemned to dye the death? for ſhould not my caſe bee like to theirs, who upon the ſcaffold aske the King forgiveneſſe, and when he forgives them, yet they are put to death nevertheleſſe. His next Verſe 4 benefit therefore is a remedie for this: For hee Redeemeth thy life from deſtruction: Hee not onelyonly frees thee from captivitie, but preſerves thee from periſhing. But alas, what good yet will all theſe doe me, if he ſhould yet ſtay here, and goe no further? for when my ſinnes be forgiven; when my infirmities healed; when my life redeemed; yet what am I more by all this, then as it were an Abraſa tabula at moſt, what have I more to take joy in, then every other ordinary creature? Hee will now therefore Coronidem imponere; give a benefit that ſhall perfect all: For, Hee crownes thee with loving kindneſſe, and tender mercies; Whatſoever is within the compaſſe of his loving kindneſſe; whatſoever within the extent of his tender Mercies; he will not onelyonly make thee capable of it, but will freely beſtow it all upon thee. And who can deny, but this now is a perfect Inventorie of all the benefits, for which the ſoule hath cauſe to bleſſe the Lord: to bleſſe him in reſpect of it ſelfe; though there are other benefits indeed to the body, for which the ſoule muſt bleſſe him too; for alas, the body is not able, not able of it ſelfe without the ſoule, and they are ſoone reckoned; for they may be reduced to theſe two; Suſtentation, and Renovation: For hee ſatisfieth thy mouth with good things; and thy youth is renewed like the Eagles; as much as to ſay, Thou ſhalt have the happineſſe of the Epicure, and of the Stoick both at once; at leaſt, there ſhall bee no feare of hunger and thirſt: No drooping with Age, nor ruines of Time.
And now, O my ſoule, let not my being in trouble, and oppreſſed with ſorrowes; make thee doubt of the truth of theſe things; for beſides Verſe 6 theſe benefits: The Lord executeth Righteouſneſſe, and Judgement, for all that are oppreſſed: Righteouſneſſe to them, and Judgement for them: For as it is righteous with God, that his ſervants who are here oppreſſed, ſhould hereafter be comforted, and be made partakers of all theſe benefits: ſo it is his Judgement to the wicked, who are their oppreſſours, that they ſhould feele hereafter, the full meaſure of Gods wratth, as it were in their revenge. And this Righteouſneſſe, and this Judgement, he not onelyonly deliberateth, and determineth; hee not onelyonly promiſeth to the godly, and threatens to the wicked, and then leaves them undone: but he is perfect in all his wayes; hee is truly Reall, and puts them moſt aſſuredly in execution: at leaſt, he executes them Per ſe, or Per alium: either by himſelfe, or by his Angels: For indeed this part of his Judgement, which is inflicting of puniſhment, is not properly in God Opus ſuum: and therefore no marvell if hee leave it, to be done by Angels, as he did at Sodome: but though the Miniſtrie be theirs, yet the Execution is His: all the power is onelyonly from him.
And although the executing his Righteouſneſſe, and his Judgement, be inter Arcana ſua; things hidden from us; at which we may ſtand amazed, but can never underſtand them: yet he hath often-times revealed them to his ſervants the Prophets, and ſpecially to his ſervant Moſes; For he made knowne his wayes unto Verſe 7 Moſes, his Acts to the children of Iſrael: For when Moſes went up to the Mount Sinai, and tarried there with God, the ſpace of fourtie dayes; we may well thinke that God in that time, revealed many ſecrets to him: and particularly made knowne his wayes, not onelyonly his wayes in which he would have us to walke; but his wayes in which hee walkes himſelfe: and the courſe he holds in the Oeconomie, and government of worldly affaires; why hee ſuffers the wicked to proſper, and why the godly to be oppreſſed. Theſe wayes of his, hee made knowne to Moſes; to the children of Iſrael, onelyonly his Acts: Hee ſhewed them his Wonders upon Pharaoh, and that was his Judgement: and he ſhewed them his wonderfull favours to themſelves in the Wilderneſſe, and that was his righteouſneſſe; but hee ſhewed them not his way, and the courſe he held in them: They ſaw onelyonly the Events of things, they ſaw not the reaſons of them, as Moſes did; no more doe we: nor is it fit we ſhould: It is enough for us, enough for our comfort, that we know this of God in generall; That hee is mercifull and gracious; Verſe 8 ſlow to anger, and full of compaſsion: Not that any ſlowneſſe is in God, but his ſlowneſſe is his Patience, and his Patience is out of compaſſion: for alas, if God were as ready to anger, as we are ready to provoke him to anger we had long ere this, been turned to duſt, and utterly conſumed.
O my ſoule, here are foure properties ſpoken of to be in God; and are all ſo neceſſary, that we could not miſſe one of them. If hee were not mercifull, we could hope for no pardon; and if he were no more but mercifull, we could hope for no more but pardon; but when beſides his being mercifull, he is alſo gracious; this gives us a further hope, a hope of a Donative: and then it will not be, what we are worthy to receive, but what it is fit for him to give. If he were not ſlow to anger, we could expect no patience; and if he were but onelyonly ſlow to anger, we could expect no more but patience; but when beſides his ſlowneſſe to anger, hee is alſo full of compaſſion; This makes us expect, he will be the good Samaritane, and not onelyonly bind up our wounds, but take care alſo for our further curing. What though he chide, and be angry for a time: It is but our being patient awhile with him, as he a long time hath beene Verſe 9 patient with us: For he will not bee alwayes chiding; neither will hee keepe his anger for ever: No my ſoule, conſider the rule of Nature; that Nullum violentum eſt diuturnum: and you will find it true in the God of Nature: Mercy, and Compaſſion, are kindly, and naturall in God, and therefore theſe will continue, and never leave him: but chiding, and anger, are things, I may ſay, violent, and not naturall in him; and therefore it cannot bee that theſe ſhould laſt, or continue long with him. Certainly it is as unpleaſing to God to chide, as it is to us to be chidden; and ſo little hee likes of Anger, that he riddes his hands of it as faſt as he can: he is not ſo ſlow in comming to it, but he is as quick in getting from it: for chiding is a barre to Mercy, and Anger an impediment to Compaſſion: and nothing is ſo diſtaſtfull to God, as that any block ſhould lye in the way of his Mercy, or that the libertie of his Compaſſion ſhould have any cauſe of reſtraint: and then we may be ſure, hee will not himſelfe lay a block in the way with chiding, nor be a cauſe to reſtraine his Compaſſion, by keeping his Anger. And we may the better be perſwaded of this, in that which is to come, by taking notice of that which is paſt: For, Hee hath not dealt Verſe 10 with us, after our ſinnes; neither rewarded us, according to our iniquities. Though he have chidden, yet hee hath not ſtrucken: or if hee have ſtrucken, yet his blowes have not beene great, not ſo great to doe us any hurt, for there is mercy in his very Anger; and though we keep our ſelves within no bounds of ſinning, yet he keepes his Anger within the bounds of Mercy. Alas! O Lord, if thou ſhouldſt deale with me after my ſinnes; as I have uſed no meaſure in my ſinning; ſo thou ſhouldſt uſe no meaſure in my puniſhing, and what then could I expect to befall me, but utterly to periſh?
But why is it that God hath not dealt with us after our ſinnes? Is it not becauſe hee hath dealt with another after our ſinnes? Another who tooke our ſinnes upon him: of whom it is ſaid, that God chaſtened him in his fierce wrath: and why did he chaſten him, but for our ſinnes? O gracious God, Thou art too juſt to take revenge twice for the ſame faults: and therefore having turned thy fierce wrath upon him, Thou wilt not turne it upon us too: but having rewarded him according to our iniquities, thou wilt now reward us according to his Merits. O Deere Jeſus, let not thy painfull ſufferings bee made fruſtrate by my ſinfull doings: but ſo mediate betweene God and my ſinnes, that hee may turne away his angry Countenance from me, and looke upon me onelyonly with the eye of his Mercy. And, O my ſoule, how canſt thou doubt of this, when As high as the Verſe 11 Heaven is above the Earth; ſo great is his mercy towards them that feare him: and who would wiſh for a greater mercy to bee in God, then this? But yet the diſtance betweene Earth and Heaven, though great, and indeed very admirable great, is but a limited diſtance: and is there then a limitation, and a boundary of Gods mercy? May I not as truly ſay, as low as Hell, is beneath the Earth; ſo great is my ſinne in the ſight of God? and how then am I ſure, that Gods mercy is any greater then my ſins? and if not greater, how can it pardon them? O my ſoule, though the heighth of Heaven be limited, yet Gods mercy hath no limitation, for his Mercy is above all his Workes, and therefore above Heaven the worke of his hands. Or if hee ſeeme to ſet a limitation to Gods mercy, is it not perhaps, becauſe there is ſome ſinne that is not capable of his Mercy? for ſinne againſt the Holy Ghoſt ſhall never be forgiven, either in this world, or in the world to come. But, O my ſoule, though Gods mercy bee without limitation, yet let it not make thee the bolder to ſinne: for though it be ſo great, yet it is ſo great to none, but to them that feare him: for to them that feare him not, it is not ſo great; Alas! it is not great at all: Alas! it will be none at all; but if thou feare him, and to feare him, is to feare to ſinne: then thy ſinne can never be ſo great, but that Gods mercy, which is as high as Heaven, will bring thee to bee admitted into the kingdome of Heaven.
But if you thinke this diſtance of height, from Earth to Heaven, not ſufficiently to expreſſe the greatneſſe of Gods mercy; then take the diſtance of length, from Eaſt to Weſt: For as farre as the Eaſt is from the Weſt; ſo farre Verſe 12 hath he removed our ſinnes from us: that if the Eaſt, and the Weſt, can never come to meet together; no more ſhall our ſinnes bee ever able to come againſt us in the ſight of God. But alas, this gives not ſo good ſatisfaction as the other: for though the diſtance from Eaſt to Weſt, bee vaſt indeed to us; as to which our ſight cannot reach, though wee ſhould uſe all the Perſpective glaſſes of the world: yet what is this to God, who can as eaſily ſee from Eaſt to Weſt, as if they were hard by, and cloſe together? But is it not that all Gods mercy to us, is onelyonly in Chriſt: and may wee not then conceive, that theſe Diſtances are repreſented by the manner of Chriſts hanging upon the Croſſe; where his Feet, and his Head, ſeeme to point from Earth to Heaven; and the ſtretching out his hands, ſeemes to point from Eaſt to Weſt? But though Relation to Chriſt be not the ground of theſe expreſſions; yet it cannot be doubted, but that they ſufficiently expreſſe the greatneſſe of Gods mercy; ſeeing they are the greateſt diſtances, that humane apprehenſion is capable to conceive.
But if you bee not ſatisfied with theſe expreſſings from Diſtances of place; then take an expreſſing from the affection of Nature: Verſe 13 For as a Father pittieth his children; ſo the Lord pittieth them that feare him. And now let any that is a Father, examine his owne Bowells, how much he pitties his children, and then ſay; If Gods pitty to them that feare him, be not in a very high degree. Certainly if any Name, could expreſſe a greater pitty, then the name of a Father, Chriſt would never have taught us to uſe this Name in making our prayers. And who could be ſo fit to make this compariſon as David, who gave a teſtimonie of it in himſelfe, by making his moane; O my ſonne Abſolom, my ſonne, my ſonne Abſolom; would God I had dyed for thee; O Abſolom, my ſonne, my ſonne: that now it ſeemes, Gods pitty is matcht; and this example reacheth home, to expreſſe the greatneſſe of Gods pitty to the full: No my ſoule, it is too ſhort yet: for though the pitty of a Father may reach to be willing to dye for his Child, yet Gods pitty reacheth further; not onelyonly to be willing to dye, but to dye indeed: and not onelyonly for a Child, but for his Enemies; for when wee were enemies, even then did Chriſt very God dye for us: that Gods pitty holds the ſupremacie ſtill, and cannot indeed be matcht; alas, it cannot be expreſt by any thing that is in man.
But though there may be compariſon in the tenderneſſe of their pitties, yet in the abilitie there can bee none; for a Father pitties often-times a child, when he cannot helpe him: but Gods pitty, is alwayes active and powerfull, and never without releeving: that though it be commonly ſaid; It is better to be envied, then pittied: yet here it is not ſo: but it is a farre happier thing, to be pittied of God, then to be envied of men.
But whom is it that God pitties? onelyonly them that feare him; and indeed Feare is a thing that deſerves to be pittied: for it makes the joynts to tremble, and puts the ſpirits in amazement. But O my ſoule, it is not ſuch a Feare that is here meant; but this Feare is all one, I may ſay with love, and differs but in the Object: for looking upon Gods Juſtice wee feare him: and looking upon his Mercy wee love him: although wee love him for his Juſtice too, and wee feare him for his MercieMercy too: for as there is MercieMercy with him, that hee may be feared; ſo there is Juſtice with him that he may be loved.
But why is it, that God pitties them that feare him? Indeed hee hath cauſe enough to Verſe 14 pittie them: For hee conſiders of what wee are framed; Hee remembers that we are but duſt: and alas, what is there in duſt to helpe it ſelfe, if God in mercy take not pitty upon it? When God lookes downe upon us, and ſees how foule we are growne, whom hee Created cleane: hath he not cauſe to fall a chiding, and to be angrie, yet when he conſiders of what we are framed, and that wee are but duſt; this is ſome cauſe againe, to make him leave his chiding, and not to keepe his anger for ever; that we may truly ſay, Our miſeries are our happineſſe: for if it be our miſerie, that we are framed of ſo meane a matter as Duſt; It is our happineſſe, that wee have the meanneſſe of our matter, for God to take into his conſideration, and perhaps this was it; at leaſt one circumſtance that made ſo ill for the Angels that fell, that God could find no excuſe of their ſinne in their matter; the more hee conſidered of what they were framed, the more he found he had cauſe to bee angrie; and therefore no marvell, if his anger to them continue for ever.
But this is every ones caſe to bee framed of Duſt; and why then ſhould God pitty ſome, more then others, ſeeing they bee equally of Duſt, All? Is it not, that hee is the leſſe angrie indeed, for that they are but Duſt; but yet he pitties them not, for being Duſt; but for being Duſt, and fearing him: for if they feare him not, he never pitties them, but lets them goe on in their Pride, at leaſt in their ſecuritie, and make what they can of their Duſt: for they reckon upon great matters from their Duſt, and thinke they can improve it to a great heigth: but alas, what can they make of it, but to come to be graſſe, at moſt to get up to be a flowre, a poore fading thing, that whether Verſe 15 you gather it, or let it grow; whether the Sunne ſhine upon it, or the Wind blow upon it, it quickly withers; and once withered, becomes a pittifull ſight to be ſeene, a loath ſome thing to be ſmelt; that where all the grace of it, conſiſted in the two Senſes, of ſight, and ſmelling, it is now offenſive to both: and is no longer carried in the hand, or worne in the boſome: Alas, it is ſcarce thought worthy to have a place upon the dunghill. And indeed what could more be lookt for of Duſt? being ſo light a thing as it is; that if the wind but paſſe over it; if you but blow upon it, it is preſently ſcattered and gone; and the place where it was, will know it no more. And ſuch is Man: his flouriſhing is but as a Flowre, as quickly withered as a Flowre, and as ſoone cropt off from his ſtalke as a Flowre: and alas, what good is in a flouriſhing, that ends in a withering? What happineſſe in pleaſures that have no continuance? O my ſoule, if thou wert thy ſelfe a tranſitorie thing, and wert not to continue; thou mightſt juſtly then looke after tranſitorie pleaſures, and ſuch as have no continuance: but ſeeing thou art a ſubſtance perpetuall, and immortall: O therefore looke after pleaſures like thy ſelfe; pleaſures that may laſt, and never come to the laſt, that may laſt and be durable: and not leave thee to the miſerie of Fuit Ilium, & ingens gloria teucrorum: for Fuiſſe foelicem miſerrimum eſt: To have beene happy, and not to bee; to have flouriſhed, and now to bee withered, is the greateſt miſerie in the world. And the greater, for that once pluckt off from his ſtalke; Once taken from the Earth, the Earth will never know him any more; Alas, it will ſcarce take notice, that ever ſuch a one there was; and the Verſe 16 notice it takes, but in ſpecie neither; not in Individuo; ſome perhaps as of a man; None, as of this man: or rather, ſome, as of a Name; None, as of a man. Or is it rather, that Man turned once to Duſt, his place will know him no more; for how ſhould it know one from another, when they are all ſo like? How know Dives from Lazarus, when they have both the ſame face? ſeeing Death hath but one copie to draw all her pictures by. Or is it rather that Man once turn'd to Duſt, is blowne about with every wind, from place to place; and what knowes the place, when Duſt falls upon it; whether it be the Duſt of a Prince, or of a Peaſant; whether of a Man, or of a Beaſt? And muſt not Man then bee needes very miſerable; when Time, and place, the two beſt helpes of life doe both forſake him? for what helpe can hee have of Time, when his dayes are but as Graſſe? What help of Place, when his place denyes him, and will not know him? But O how vaine a thing is Man, to forget not onelyonly the very matter of which he is made, but the very condition under which hee is made: and ſo to forget it, that God muſt bee faine to remember him of it: but much the vainer, that being remembred of it never ſo often, yet hee regards it never the more, but contenting himſelfe to be fading graſſe, at moſt a fading flowre; never ſeekes to improve his Duſt, to that true ſolidneſſe, which nothing but the feare of God is able to procure, nothing but the pitty in God is able to effect.
But now at laſt, if neither the Diſtances of Place, nor the Affection of Nature can make you ſufficiently conceive the greatneſſe of Gods mercy: then take an expreſſing in plaine tearmes; and this will certainly make you conceive it: For his mercy is from everlaſting, Verſe 17 to everlaſting, upon them that feare him: It is from everlaſting, for it began to be before the Foundations of the world were laid: and it is to everlaſting; for it will continue to be, when the Frame of the World ſhall bee diſſolved: that now, O my ſoule, there can bee no feare of the greatneſſe of Gods mercy: all the feare now, is of thine owne feare: for although Verſe 18 Gods mercy bee ſo Everlaſting; yet it is ſo, but to them that feare him; for if thou feare him not, and keepe not his Commandements, then his mercy to thee, is neither from Everlaſting, nor to Everlaſting: but if thou feare him, and keepe his Commandements, then his mercy to thee is both: and not onelyonly to Thee, as though Gods mercy were onelyonly a Perſonall benefit, and ſhould end with thy ſelfe: but it ſhall be continued to thy childrens children; Et natis natorum, & qui naſcentur ab illis: to thy whole Poſteritie: O my ſoule, what an Inheritance is this, to purchaſe to our children? at leaſt if it bee not an abſolute Inheritance; yet it is ſo ſure an Entayle, that nothing but the want of fearing God, can cut it off.
And indeed, why elſe hath God prepared Verſe 19 his Throne in Heaven, but to the end the godly may bee aſſured, that though they bee now oppreſſed on earth; yet thither they ſhall come at laſt, to bee with him in Joy: to bee there in Joy, for having obeyed him: when the wicked ſhall bee left behind to bewayle their miſeries for not obeying him. For though his Throne be prepared onelyonly in Heaven; Yet his kingdome ruleth over all: Over All, both Man, and Beaſt; both the Godly, and the Wicked; both bleſſed Angells, and damned Spirits; and becauſe his Kingdome ruleth over all, therefore All ſhall ſerve him, and ſhall ſerve him indeed with feare, yet there ſhall be a difference, for the godly ſhall ſerve him with feare and joy, where the wicked ſhall ſerve him with feare and trembling.
And now, ſeeing God hath prepared his Throne in heaven; Therefore, O yee his Angells, inhabitants of Heaven, that obey his Commandements by the freedome of your will; Doe you begin firſt, and prayſe his Name: for you excell in ſtrength, and are beſt able to doe it. And ſeeing his Kingdome ruleth overall: Therefore all ye his Hoſts, his other Creatures that obey his Commandement too, though not by will, yet by inſtinct: Doe you ſecond the Angels in praiſing his Name. And then thou my ſoule, that partakeſt of both the Natures; Doe thou alſo, and with thee alſo, the Soules of all the godly joyne with them in his Prayſes: that ſo at leaſt there may bee a Conſort of Three, to Bleſſe and Praiſe him, who is a Trinitie in Unitie; Three Perſons and one God, to be Bleſſed, and praiſed, for ever, and ever; But to be bleſſed and praiſed, as by all the perſons of his Kingdome, ſo in all the places of his Dominion: which are Heaven, and Earth, and Hell: a Triplicitie too: for even Hell is a place within his Dominion: And for praiſing him in Heaven, the Angells will be ſure enough to looke to that: and for praiſing him in Hell, let the wicked and the damned ſpirits looke to that at their perill: but for praiſing him on Earth; Thou my ſoule, and the ſoules of all the godly will undertake to doe that, at leaſt will pray continually to him that ſitteth upon the Throne, to be enabled to doe it: and when all theſe ſhall faile, or leſt they ſhould faile, when Heaven and Earth ſhall paſſe away, when Time and Place ſhall bee no more: yet his Prayſe ſhall bee continued ſtill, by his owne Workes, which are his Glory, and his Power; his Infiniteneſſe, and his Eternitie; but above all, which is above all his Workes, the Workes of his infinite, and Everlaſting MercieMercy.