Davids Harp, Part 4
¶ The fourthe verse.
I wyll take the cuppe of healthe / & caull vponupon the name of the Lorde.
¶ The syxte strynge.
HEre Dauid expresseth two thī ges, yt he entendeth to do. One is to take the cuppe of health. The other to caull on the name of the LORDE. These are two thynges, What the cup of helth signifye.wherin God very much delighteth. Fyrst he sayth, he wyll take ye cuppe of health, wherby is vnderstand af fliccion, trouble, persecucion, morti ficacion of olde Adam, kyllynge of carnall affectes, slayenge of fleshly lustes, bearyng of the crosse, and at the last death, as it appeareth by ye wordes of Christ to the sōnes of Ze bedeus: Can ye drynke, sayth he, of Math. xxthe cuppe that I shall drynke? Also to his father, Let this cup departe Math. xxvifrom me, wherby he vnderstandeth his passion & death. To recompense partely ye kyndenes of God, Dauid sayth, that he wyll mortifye the ra gīg lustes of his owne flesh, yt fyght agaynste the spirite, & neuer leaue vntyl he hath made ye body subiecte to the soule, that in all poyntes it maye be obediente to the lawe and wyll of God. For this is an hygh & acceptable sacrifice to God as Dauid Psal. l.wytnesseth ī another place, a sacrifice to God is a troubled spirite, a contrite & humble harte God wyl not despyse. S. Paule also saythe, Rom. xii.I beseche you brothers by the tender mercyes of God, that you gyue your bodies a sacrifice, yt is quicke, holy & acceptable to God, whiche is youre resonable seruynge of God. And God himselfe sayth by ye Prophet, vntounto whome shal I looke, but Esa. lxvi.vntounto the hūble & broken in spirite, & vntounto hym yt fearethe my wordes?
Agayne he confessethe here that he wyl not only mortify his carnal lustes, that he maye be truely spirituall, but he wyll also paciently suf fer, what soeuer crosse, that is, trou ble, persecucion and affliccion God layeth vponupon hym, yea thoughe it be very death. His harte is nowe so en flamed wt the louelove of God for the be nefites that he hathe shewed vntounto hym, that he recositeth not only all that he hath, but also his very lyte to vile & of to small a price to gyue agayn for the glory of God, that he may at the least in some parte shew hymselfe thankefull vntounto so bounteous & gētle a Lord, as S. Paule Act. …x. and. xxi.sayth, The holy Ghost wytnessethe & layth, y• bondes & troubles abyde me in eueryevery Citie. But I care not for it, neyther is my lyfe dere vntounto me, so that I may fynish my course with ioy, & the office that I hauehave re ceaued of the LORD Iesu to testify y• gospel of ye grace of God. For I am not only redy to be bound, but also to dye for ye name of ye LORDE Iesu.
It is not withoute a cause, that he calleth affliccion, trouble, or per Why afflic …ion is called the cup of health.secucion, the cuppe of helth or salua cion, for it brigeth i dede helth & s…l uaciō to a true Christen man. And though the crosse be bitter to ye flesh yet is it swete and healthfull to the spirite. And y• more y• body be depres sed & made low, y• more is y• spirite ex alied & made hygh, as s. Paule saith though our outward mā be brokē, ii. Cor. iiii.yet y• iward is renewed day by day. Agen, we are not detters to y• flesh, y• we should lyue after y• flesh, For yf Rom. viii.ye lyue after the flesshe, ye shal dye. But yf ye mortifi y• dedes of ye body in y• spirite, ye shall lyue. For they that are lead with y• spirite of god, are the sonnes of GOD. Therfore Luke. ix.sayth Christ, If ony man wyl come after me, let hym deny & forsake hī self, & take his crosse dayly & follow Act. xiiii.me. For by many tribulaciōs must we enter into y• kyngedome of god. And all y• wyll lyue godly in Christ Iesu, muste suffer persecucion. It was necessary, sayth the scripture, ii. …im. iii. Luke. xxiiii. …b. ….that Christ shoulde fyrst suffer, and so ryse agayne, & enter into glorye.
But for asmuch as it is an hard thing for a mā of his owne strēgth paciētly to beare the Crosse, and to suffer rebuke, slaunder, ignominy, blasphemy, euel reportes, empresō mēt losse of goodes, yea & percuaūse very death for Gods truethe and y• glory of his worde, seyng yt though the spirite be redye, yet the flesshe is Math. xxvi …arc. xiiiiweake, therfore Dauid saythe, He wyll call on the name of the Lorde. Wherfore? Uerely for strēgth, that he maye be able to beare the crosse y• is layd vponupon his backe, y• he swarue not whan persecucion cōmeth, and so slaunder y• trueth, which so bolde ly he professed before. For withoute the assistence of Goddes spirite no man is able to abyde in the tyme of persecucion, semeth he neuer so valeaunt a souldiour at other tymes, Math. xxvi. Matt. xiiii. Luke. xxii. Ioan. xiii.as we may se in y• Apostles of Christ whiche before theyr master was in onye daunger, promised that they woulde neuer forsake hi, but sticke vntounto hym euen vntounto the very deth, yet whan they came to the bronte, wel was he that could ronne away fastest, in so much that he, which be fore craked moost, & shewed hīselfe boldest of al the other, I meane Pe ter, dyd not only fle away from his master, but also shamefully denyed hym vntounto a poore mayde, & sware yt he neuer knewe hym, so impotente, weake, frayle, & ful of all imbecilite is man, if he be lefte vntounto hymselfe, & not endewed with strength from aboue. Therfore our Mynstrel Da uid, kynge & Prophet, not crakyng of his owne strēgthes, nor boasting of his owne free wyll withoute the healpe of Gods spirite, saythe that he wyll call on the name of y• Lord for strength & valeaunce, yt he maye manfully abyde in the tyme of persecucion, confesse the trueth of God des worde, & publysshe his glory before all mē, yea though a thousand deathes should followe. It is very profitable for adflicte & troubled cō sciences to caull on the name of the Lorde. For as Salomon sayth, the name of the LORDE is a myghtye Pro. xviiitoure, & very strong Bulwarke, vn to that doth the ryghteous mā fly, & he shall be exalted & fynd socoure. Blissed is that man, which putteth Psal. xxxixhis truste ī the name of the LORDE, & regardeth not vanities & false ymaginacions. Call on me, sayth God, in the day of thy trouble, and Psal. xiix.I wyll delyuer the, and thou shalte honoure me.
Thus se we partely how Dauid goeth about to shewe hīselfe thāke full agayne vntounto God for the inesti mable benefites, that he hath gyuē hym. He wyll mortify his carnall af fectes, & paciently suffer what so euer crosse, persecuciō, trouble or affliccion be layde vponupon his backe for Gods truethes sake. And that he maye be the more able to do theyse thynges, he wyll caull on the name of the LORDE. All these be very acceptable thynges in y• sight of god. And God thyncketh his benefites wel bestowed, where such gyftes be gyuē agayne vntounto hym, procedyng from a gentle & thanckefull harte.
Nowe we beynge no lesse bound vntounto God for his gentlenes thā Da uid was, ought to shewe our selues no lesse thankefull agayne to hym, thē Dauid dyd, or els are we muche vnworthy this inestimable beneficence of God. We ought therfore to Rom. vi. Colos. iii. i. Cor. vi.prouyde y• no synne reygne in this oure mortal body, but that we mor tifye our earthly members, whoredome, fornicacion, vnclennes, wan tonnes, euell concupiscence & couetousnes, which is the worshypping of Idolles, for the which the wrath of God is wonte to come vponupon the chyldren of vnbeleue. All wrath, indignacion, maiyce, cursed speaking fylthy cōmunicacion, lying oughte Colos. iii. Ephe. ii. Rom. vi. Ephe iiii. Galla. v. Collos. iii.we to laye asyde, & put vponupon vsus ten der mercye, gentylnes, honest behauour, mekenes, softenes, goodnes, charite, peace, ioy, fayth, tēperaūce, with all the other fruytes of y• spirite. For they y• are of Christe, hauehave crucified the flesh, with the lustes & concupiscenses therof, yea they are dead to the world, and theyr lyfe is hyd wyth Christ in God.
Moreouer we must be contēted to take the cuppe of helth at y• LORDES hande, & paciently suffer what soeuer crosse he layeth vponupon vsus, yea & prayse hym in the myddes of our trouble, recountynge our selues so moche the more blyssed, seynge that Phil. …. Act. v. …. Tim. ii Psa. xxxiii.it is gyuen vntounto vsus not only to beleue in hym, but also to suffer for y• glory of his name, beyng thorowly perswaded, that yf we suffer wyths Christe, we shall reygne with hym. For many are the troubles of the ryghteous in this world, but from thē all shall the LORDE delyuer thē, yf none otherwyse, yet at y• least by death, which is the nexte waye vntounto the very true lyfe.
And because it is hard for ye fl…sh to awaye with the crosse (which seketh glory, wealth, ease, rytches, ho nour, & not ignominy, scasenes, dis quietnes, pouertie, shame & opprobry) therfore must we flye with feruent and continuall prayers vntounto God & vntounto his moost holy name, y• we maye hauehave strength sent vsus frō aboue, to do these thinges aforsayd that by no meanes we be found ingrate, vnthanckefull & vnworthy ye great & vnmeasurable kyndenesse, whiche God hath shewed vntounto vsus. So shall God not only not take away his giftes from vsus, but also en Matt x….crease them dayly more & more, as the Scripture sayth, to eueryevery one that hath, it shall be gyuen, and he Make. iiii. Luae. viii.shall hauehave abundance. But who so hath not, from hym shall be taken a waye, euen that he hath also.
But lette vsus heare more of oure Mynstrelles songe.