The Christian Governor in the Commonwealth and Private Families, Exposition 1 · Part 5
I will doe wisely in the perfect way, &c.Vers. 2.
OR, I will prudently attend vntounto, and with all diligence, walke in the perfect way. The sweete Singer of Israel, Dauid, …s he is called, 2 Sam. 23.1. hauing promised to sing the sweet and diuine dittie of merciemercy and iudgement to the Lord in the first verse; doth in this next, further promise, for his owne person, that hee will sing it also to the same God, his King and Deliuerer: Where (first) he speaketh of the meanes, according to which, or by the helpe of which hee will, both toward himselfe and others, performe his song, and then of the things to bee performed by him in that song. In the meanes, he telleth how he will doe these duties, and how long. He will doe them wisely, according to the word, wherein is true wisedome. And hee will doe them till God come vntounto him, to wit, In his promise to make him King, and by death to take his King … that is, to his last breath he will doe them. Before he said, That hee would sing deuoutly; heere hee saith, that hee will doe wisely; and so promiseth to be at once, both merry and wise. A good resolution, and promise of some hardnesse, which made Iob … when his Sonnes gaue themselues to feasting, to giuegive himselfe to sacrificing for his Sonnes, lest Mirth might enter, and God bee shut out, Iob. 1.5. And it was a singular blessing of God, that Salomon could taste of all Courtly delights, and yet his wisedome remaine with him, Eccles. 2.8.9. But Dauid will bee merry and wise, and sing, and doe wisely, knowing that it is an euill thing vnderunder the Sunne, when an errour proceedeth from the face of him that Ruleth, Eccles. 10.5. Now, by doing wisely, the Prophet vnderstandeth, the doing of his matters with good report, order, and warinesse; as if hee should hauehave sayd, That he would waigh matters in the balance of true iudgement by the word, before he would deale in them: and by perfect way, hee meaneth the way of the word, to which he will addresse his steps, and bring his heart, and so doe wisely in matters both at home and abroad. Thus Dauid vvill doe wisely: and wherein wisely? In the perfect way; that is, in that integritie of sound Religion, and incorruptnesse of honest life, that the word prescribeth, which is cleane, and endureth for euer. Psa. 19.9. The summe is this; He will wiselie demeane himselfe in all his gouernment, vvalking in the way of grace and obedience to God, as hee hath learned in his perfect Lawe.
Doct. 1.The doctrine from hence is; They that rule shall rule wisely, so long as they walke prudently in Gods wayes, following his vvord: for there is no sound direction for matter of Religion, or manner of conuersation, but from it. So much knovvledge vve hauehave, as vvee knovv it; and so much ignorance is in vsus, as vvee are ignorant of it. The Prophet, vvho is authour of the 119. Psalme, in the 98.99. and 100. verses of that Psalme, maketh this conclusion: whosoeuer sh…l hide the Commaundements of God in his hear…, shall bee wiser then his enemies, then his teachers, then the auncient. But the Prophet did so, and so doe the godlie: and therefore hee found this wisdome; and therefore they shall finde it. Dauid, while he rested on God, vvas wise: but vvhen hee numbred his men, and trusted in man, he was confounded, 2 Sam. 24.14. Salomon, so long as he walked before the Lord with a perfect heart, was wiser then his Father Dauid: for the wisedome of God was in him to doe iustice, 1 King. 3.28: but vvhen hee turned away, by the temptation of his out-landish wiues, to serue other Gods, and to walke in other waies; he was more foolish then any man: for hee turned the face to Idols, and the backe to God, 1 King. 11.1.3.4.9.11. Asa did wisely so long as he did that that was good and right in the eyes of the Lord; and God gaue him great victories. 2 Chr. 14.2.11.12.13: but hee did foolishly, when hee rested on the King of Ar…m, and trusted not in the Lord: when he was wroth with the Seer, and put the Lords Prophet in prison: after that he had warres. 2 Chr. 16.7.9. Iehosaphat, Hezekiah, and Iosuah, three worthie Kings, raigned worthily so long as they walked in the perfect way, doing wisely by it: but when, and so long as they turned from it to carnall wisedome, they did vnwisely in matters, and well in nothing. Therefore the people that knoweth not God, that is, that knoweth him not in his word, are called, A foolish people, Ier. 4.22: and they that cast off God in his word, that is, that care not for the word, by which onelyonly commeth true vnderstanding, hauehave no wisedome in them, Ier. 8.9.
The Reasons.
The Scripture (vsually) calleth men without Religion, Men of no vnderstanding, Deut. 32.28. and vnregenerate men, Fooles: for no man can bee truely wise, who is not vnfainedly Religious: therefore the feare of the Lord, that is, his true seruice by the Scriptures, is sayd to bee the beginning of wisedome, Pro. 9.10: and men beginne not to be wise, till they begin to feare him, Eccles. 12.13. Psal. 111.10. Wisedome is a streame, and the seruice of God, by the word of God, the fountaine from which it floweth to vsus. If we be Suitors to wisedome, this is the father that must giuegive her. If wee be Merchants of wisedome, this is the Key and Hauen at the which wee must hauehave her. If we delight in wisedome, wee must reioyce in the Lord, and delight in his waies: so shall wee finde wisedome, and iudgement, and righteousnes, and eueryevery good path, Pro. 2.9. Secondly, the word, and our walking according vntounto it, maketh vsus to walke safely, Pro. 3.23. which is an effect of wisedome, and recompence of one that is wise; where they that walke otherwaies… walke as fooles, and see not their dangerous way till they enter into deaths house, and with follies guests, receiue such recompence of their errour as is meete; death wai…ing on follie, to take them at her hands, and hell following death to receiue them (presently) at his hands, Prouer. 9.18. Thirdly, they that walke prudently in good wayes, following the word, hauehave God for their Leader: (for they that are ruled by his word, are ruled by him, and what hee is, that his word is:) and they must needes bee wise, and doe wisely that are lead by him. This is the wisedome from aboue, many fruits of the spirit are enclosed in it, and issue from it: for it is pure, and peaceable, and gentle, and easie to be entreated, full of merciemercy and good works, without iudging, and without hypocrisie. Iam. 3.17.
Vses.
An instruction to all men,Vse 1. chiefely to such as hauehave the charge of others committed to their care and trust, and namelie to Rulers, to get the word into their houses, and store of knowledge by it into their hearts, that they may doe wisely in the perfect way: for this is their wisedome and vnderstanding in the sight of the people. Deut. 4.6: and this vnderstanding and wisedome commeth from the word, that giueth vnderstanding, and maketh wise.
If (therefore) they bee wise, they are wise by it; and if they bee learned, they hauehave their learning from it: and in this sense, Kings are exhorted to be wise, and Iudges to be learned, Psal. 2.10. For to be wise, is not to hauehave a politicke head, but a sanctified heart: and to be learned, is not to be able to discourse; but being able to discourse of points & matters in Religion, to labour for faith to beleeue, & for a good conscience to performe obedience as we hauehave belieued, Deu. 4.6. Some esteeme those to be the onelyonly wise men, who can goe beyond others in wit and fetches: but what was Achitophel? was not he counted wise? that is, (as I vnderstand it) craftie and deepe; and yet did (euer) man more play the foole then he, who hauing no meanes to helpe himselfe, straight went home to hang himselfe? 2 Sam. 17.23. Also, who can compare with Sathan for craft and subtletie? and yet the Scripture, that calleth him craftie, neuer calleth him wise. He is more subtle then all subtle men in the world, and yet more foolish to worke his owne woe then (euer) was creature that God made in the world. The rich man in the Gospell was worldly wise: hee could get and saue, and keepe, and thriue, and feather his nest, and increase his substance while he liued: but God called him foole when he dyed, Luk. 12.20.21. And so is eueryevery one that gathereth riches to himselfe, and is not rich in God. It is true wisedome (then) that is heere commended to all Rulers, and men vnderunder rule, and not a craftie head. And of this, God saith by Salomon, that the wise mans eyes are in his head, but the foole walketh in darknesse, Eccles. 2.14. His meaning is, The prudent man forecasteth perils, which the vnwise fall into by the darknes that is in them, Pro. 22.3. There is a wisdome in States, inferiour to heauenly wisedome, yet necessarie for the managing of businesses, and doing of acts about the same, for common or particular benefit. Rebekah had this wisedome by the spirit that was in her, when shee sent away Iacob from his death-threatning brother Esa… Gen. 24.42.43. And Dauid was wise, and had his eyes in his head, when hee would giuegive Saul no aduantage, though he put him in great trust: for the text saith, that Dauid behaued himselfe wisely in all his wayes: but will you know the reason? the same text further saith, The Lord was with him, 1 Sam. 18.14. And was not Salomon wise, when hee gaue the liuing childe to her, whom by the pulse of a mothers affection, he discerned to bee true mother to the liuing childe? 1 King. 3.26.27. So, when my Lord Shebna would hew out for himselfe a Sepulcher in Ierusalem, at that time, when the King of Ashur threatned it with his great hoast, Hezekiah, by the wisdome that was in him, gathered that he was but a temporizing States-man, one that was readie to entertaine friendship with the Kings enemie, and did cast to liue safely in all changes of Church & Common-wealth, Es…. 22.16: therefore he had an eye vntounto him. This wisedome is a blessing and gift of God, good for all Gouernours, and necessarie for those whose offices are to stand Sentinell ouer the life of Kings, and safetie of States: yet that true wisedome, which is here said to be a walking in the perfect way, and a causing of others to walke in the same way, is much greater then it, and much more necessarie: for how shall hee direct others, that knoweth not the way himselfe, nor will learne it? For this cause it is necessary, that hee that will be a good Magistrate, should (first) be a good Man. Philosophie saith otherwaies, but true Diuinitie saith so: and the want hereof in the Magistrates of our time hath turned the grape of iustice into such a sowre wine, and bitter drink of oppression, that good and bad in the Countrey complaine much, and cannot away with iudgements which in some Courts of iustice are now deliuered. Abraham said to Abimelech, I thought the feare of God was not in this place, and that they would slay mee for my Wiues sake, Gen. 20.11. His meaning was, that nothing can bee safe where God is not feared; as, where God is reuerenced, all things are in peace. So when they that minister in the affaires of state, doe so little feare God, or know what belongeth to his true feare, by the wisedome which he hath put in his word, how can iustice goe forward, and merciemercy take effect? as on the contrary, where such are men of courage, fearing God, they will deale truely, hating Couetousnes, the ban… of all good iudgement, Exod. 18.21. As therefore a shrewd boy is but ill timber to make a good man of; so an euill man is no fit matter, out of it, to make a good Magistrate: looke Deut. 17.18.19. But this which is spoken of Magistrates in the Common-wealth, must be considered (also,) and is necessarie for Maisters of families, who (if they will doe wisely) must walke likewise in this good way.
Vse 1.A reproofe to those Magistrates and Ouer-seers who let goe Religion, and cast the word behinde them in their places of gouernment and priuate houses, and yet thinke to doe wisely enough: ill enough I may well say, so long as they neyther gouerne their owne persons wisely, nor the persons vnderunder them prudently by the word: for if they goe out of the way, who …hall doe wisely in the perfect way? if they cast off Religion, who shall care for it? and who shall punish the abhominable …wearer, if they sweare? and liue chastlie, …f they breake wedlocke? and sanctifie Gods Sabbaths, if they prophane them? …f Noah be drunken, who shall reprooue Cham? What Oliues can we gather of our Magistrates, when they bee not Oliue trees in Gods house, but catching brambles; and minde not iustice, but scratching couetousnes? for if the head be sicke, can the heart be merry? Esa. 1.5. and if the eye be darke, how great is that darknes? the eye that will giuegive light, must hauehave light; and they must bee good Magistra…es that will make a good people.
A consolation against the reproaches that are cast vponupon men,Vse. 2. when they set themselues to feare the Lord, and to walk… in his wayes: Now they begin to be fooles, saith the world; nay, now they doe wisely, saith the Lord. Men say, They hauehave beene taken for sensible wise men, but now they dote: God sayth, They are now sensible good men, and take the way for good vnderstanding. The world iudgeth them fooles, and God calleth them wise. Before they ruled by forc… onelyonly, now they rule by discretion; before as men, now as wise men; before in darknes or vnregeneration, now in the Lord.
By perfect way, the Prophet meaneth (as we heard) the way of Religion, and true godlinesse by the word which is perfect, & it is called the perfect law, Psal. 19.7. Or perfect law of libertie, Iam. 1.25. And perfect will of God, Rom. 12.2. because in it is contayned perfectly whatsoeuer is required to righteousnes or mans saluation.
Doct. 2.The doctrine from whence is; The holy Scripture and word of God, as it is the onelyonly register of true wisedome, so it is a most sufficient rule of mans life, to instract him in righteousnes, and to make him absolute to all good works: for this, it is called the wisedome of God, and the power of God, 1 Cor. 1.24. Rom. 1.16. and the whole of it is saide to be giuen by inspiration: and to bee profitable, that is, sufficient for doctrine, for rebuke, for instruction, for correction: and therefore is it further sayd, to make, not the meane person onelyonly, but the man of God, the Minister himselfe; not able in part, but absolute; and not to some worke, or some few works, but to all good works, 2 Tim. 3.16. Yea, so perfect is the word of God, that hee that addeth to it, addeth to his owne plagues; and hee that taketh any part from it, taketh so much of his part out of th… Booke of life, Apoc. 22.18.19. and in Iude 3. we reade of a faith once giuen, that is sufficiently, or once for all. Indeed the holy Bookes and Monuments of the righteous are as strong Chests and Storehouses, wherein God hath reserued alway some precious foode for posteritie, neyther may wee reiect the industrie of the Heathen; for (euen) they hauehave some foode meete for liberall men, in matters naturall and politike, seruing well (if due regard bee had, and choyse made) for good direction in the things of this present life: but these knowledges (meerelie humane) as those waters of Tema, spoken of in Iob, …yle those that drinke of the Riuer thereof, and delight in the Brooke thereof: for when men are dryed vp with Gods burning indignation, and consumed with a hot fire in their bones, because of his wrath, these sciences profit not: they that goe to Tema hauehave considered them, and they that trauell to Sheba, wayted for them, yet were they confounded when they hoped, and ashamed when they came thither: for, as waters that passe away, they failed out of their places, and departed from their way and course, Iob. 6.15.17.18.19.20. But the waters and this riuer of the word is a well of liuing water: hee that drinketh of it, shall neuer bee more a thirst, Ioh. 4.14. The other foode contracteth corruption, as our naturall foode doth; but this is the bread that endureth to euerlasting life, Ioh. 6.27. That wisedome is earthly, and tasteth of the soyle from which it came; but this wisedome is heauenly, and from God, who abideth for euer.
The Reasons.
The word is heere called, the perfect way of a Christian; the way that will bring him to heauen, if hee walke in it and in no other: and therefore that which is sufficient; that is, in and by it selfe sufficient to his saluation. Secondly, the Scriptures are (perfectly) holy; that is, holy in themselues, & by themselues, Psal. 19.8. and perfectly profitable, that is, profitable by the truth which is in them, and profitable without any other truth added to them, to instruct to saluation, 2 Tim. 3.16. and therefore all other writings (supposed necessary) are superfluous. Thirdly, what is perfect but that which is entire of it selfe, and needeth nothing? Now that which is so entire and independent, what lacketh it that it hath not? and what can we adde vntounto it, that is not already in it? but so perfect is the word. For where the Prophet speaketh of the perfect way, it is not meant that he could be perfect that did walke in that way, except perfect in account and by endeauour, as Gods righteous seruants are said to be; but he meaneth the word written, which he calleth the perfect way.
Vses.
A confutation to Poperie: Papists adde to the written truth, their vnwritten truths, as they call them truths, which they affirme to be as necessarie rules of faith to saluation as the Scriptures are; and so the Papists require a supply: but wherefore a supply, when the thing is sufficient? That Booke that was sprinckled with the bloud of the Lambe, that onelyonly was put into the Arke, and fetched from thence, Heb. 9.19: and this is the word of faith which we preach, Rom. 10.8. Also we reade of a sure word of the Prophets, 2 Pet. 1.19: and the same Apostle chargeth the Christians of his time, and vsus in them, to take heede vntounto it; not to the vncertaine breath of man, but to the most certaine word of God: for who will walke in a blinde way, when hee hath a knowne way to goe in? But that place in Mathew is notable to this purpose, where an Angell, in his message to Ioseph, would not vse his owne credit and authoritie for that hee speake, but alledgeth Scripture for it, Math. 1.21.22.23. Ioseph might hauehave maruelled that his Wife should bee with childe by the holy Ghost, though an Angell had spoken it; but when hee heard Scripture for it, he beleeued.
An instruction to Christians,Vse 2. chiefely to such as hauehave charge of others, to read much & deliberately in the word: for it is it onelyonly that can make vsus perfect to all good works, both in respect of knowledge, what ought to bee done, and of power to doe it.
Quest. But may a man be perfect in this life, seeing Dauid saith, Hee will doe wisely in the perfect way: and Christ exhorting, sayd, Be perfect, as your heauenlie Father is perfect? Mat. 5.28.
Answere. No man, who is not more then man, can: and therefore where Dauid promiseth to walke perfectly; and Christ exhorteth to bee perfect; Dauid meant not that he could be perfect, saue in respect of Gods imputation, or as he stood in balance with others, who were ruder in knowledge, and weaker in faith then himselfe: and Christs words, Be perfect, as your heauenly Father is perfect, implie onelyonly a like qualitie, but no way an equalitie.
Obiect. How (then) can the Scriptures make vsus perfect in all good works?
Answere. The Scriptures are able to make vsus perfect, if there were no defect in vsus (the obiect) they worke vponupon: and yet the way of the godly is called perfect, not in respect of action, but of endeauour and desire, Luk. 1.6. There are great infirmities in our best works, yet if we striue against our imperfections, and labour to perfection, the euill that we doe shall not bee remembred, the good that wee would doe, shall bee taken as done: for we are by imputation, what we are in affection; and hee is no sinner, who for the louelove that he beareth to righteousnesse desireth to be none. If (then) we would be perfect in Gods account and by imputation, and bee meanes to make others so, wee must attend to reading, and (as it were) weare the Booke of God in our hands, hauing it alway with vsus, Deut. 17.19. The practise of this we reade, Psal. 119.97; Oh how louelove I thy law, it is my meditation continually! Where the Prophet sheweth that the louelove of God is the louelove of his word, and that so much as we louelove him, so much wee louelove his truth. The King must exercise it, Deut. 17.18. and God be thanked that our King is so well exercised in it. Now is it necesssary for the King often to reade in the word, to teach him to rule? and is it not as necessarie for common persons, and all inferiours (that hauehave more time) to meditate in it, that they may learne to obay? Is it necessarie for him to grow learned by reading, and by meditation to bee made wise in the Scriptures, that he may not by the swelling of the heart (a grieuous disease in Kings) commaund things vnlawfull and intolerable? and is it not as necessary for these, with like diligence, to exercise themselues in the word, that in too great a basenesse of minde they yeeld not themselues (seruilely) to obay man rather then God? That we may giuegive our selues (thus) to the studie of the word, we must pray that we may louelove it: for where louelove is, there is delight; and what we louelove to doe, that we delight to doe. The rich man loueth to be rich, and therefore meditateth of riches. The ambitious person loueth prayse, and therfore casteth to be praysed. The Naturall man loueth naturally, and therefore liueth naturally: and so, if we had no greater pleasure, wealth, or glorie, then to meditate in the word, our louelove (this way) would constraine vsus continually to reade and meditate in the same.
Vse. 3.A reproofe to Popish superstition, and our common peoples prophanesse, who are so farre (themselues) from reading the word, that they abhorre that others should read it. The Papists keepe it from the people vnderunder the Lo…ke of a strange tongue: and our people, that may reade, and heare it read in their Mother-tongue, neglect it altogether. Of such we cannot say, by their fulnesse in the word, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, Luk. 6.45. For if wee shall iudge of their inward knowledge by their barren tongues, we may truely giuegive sentence against them, that there is no droppe of heauenly learning in them, and that their Fountaines within are as a long drouth in Summer. So farre for the manner how the Prophet will doe these good duties; the time how long followeth.