The Riches of Mercy, Treatise 2
A Rescue from DEATH, with a Returne of Praise.
PSAL. 107.17. &c.
Fooles because of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities are afflicted, &c.
THis Psalme containeth some passages concerning Gods particular sweete Providence, The scope of the Psalme.not onelyonly to the Church, but to other men: for Hee that created all things even the meanest creature, must hauehave a providence over all things, his providence must extend it selfe as large as his creation: for what is providence but a continuance of creation, a preservation of those things in being that God hath given to have a being. The Prophet here of purpose opposeth the profane conceits of them, that thinke God sits in heaven, and lets things goe on earth as if he cared not for them, it was the fault of the best Philosophers to ascribe too much to second causes. The Psalmist here shewes that God hath a most particular providence in every thing.4 Instance of Gods providence First hee sets it downe in generall, and then hee brancheth it out into particulars, especially foure, wherein hee specifieth Gods providence.
The first instance is of those that wander in the wildernes hungrie and thirstie, vers. 4.vers. 4. They cry and God regards them.
The second is in verse 10.vers. 10. They that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death, bound in iron, They cry and the Lord heareth them.
The third is in the words of the text,vers. 17. Fooles for their transgressions are afflicted, their soule abhorreth all manner of meate, him instanceth in sicknesse the most ordinary affliction, and shewes that God hath a most particular providence even in that.
The fourth is in vers. 23 Those that goe downe into the Sea, Verse 23they see experiments of Gods particular providence.
Since the fall, the life of man is subject to a wondrous many inconveniences, which wee have brought on us by our sins, now in this varietie it is a comfortable thing to know Gods care of us in our wandrings, and imprisonments, in our sicknesse &c. But to omit the other 3. and to come to that, that is proper to the place, that is, the instance of Gods providence in sicknesse.
Fooles because of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities are afflicted, &c.
In these words you have;
First the cause of this visitation,Division o… the text. and of all the greivance he speaks of, Transgression, and iniquitie.
And then the kind of this visitation, sicknesse.
And the extremitie in two branches; Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate, and secondly, They draw neere to the gates death.
And then the carriage of the affected and sicke parties, They cry unto the Lord in their distresse.
And the remedie of the vniversall and great Physitian, He saves them out of their distresse.
And the manner of this remedie, Hee sent his word and healed them, his operative, and commanding word, so as it workes with his command.
Lastly, the fee that this high Commander askes for, all the tribute or reward that he expects, is Praise, and Thankesgiving. Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse, and his wondrous workes for the children of men, &c.
So you see this Scripture conteines several passages betweene God, and man, in misery, and in deliverance. In misery, God afflicts man for his sinne, the passage of man to God is, hee cryes to God, Gods passage backe againe, is his deliverance: and then his returne backe againe must bee Thankesgiving. So here is a double visitation, in justice, God correcting sinne, and then a visitation in merciemercy upon their crying and praying, God restores them; and then mans dutie, Thankesgiving: But to proceed in order.
Fooles because of their transgressions, &c.
HERE you have first the qualitie of the persons set downe.
Fooles.
Wee must understand by fooles, wicked fooles, not such fooles as are to be begged as we say,Who ment by fooles. that are defective in their naturals; but the wise fooles of the world, they are the cheife of fooles, how ever in the Courts of men they be not found fooles, yet they are fooles in Gods esteeme, who is Wisedome it selfe, those that thinke themselves wise, that are conceitedly wise, they are these fooles here.
In the phrase of Scripture, and the language of the Holy Ghost, every sinner is a foole. It were a disgracefull terme if any man should give it, but let no man stumble at it, it comes from the wise God, that knowes what wisedome is, and what is folly. If a foole shall call a man foole, hee doth not regard it, but if a wiseman, especially the God of wisedome call a man foole, hee hath reason to regard it, who can judge better of wisedome then God, who is onelyonly wise?
Why wicked men are termed fooles.Why are wicked men fooles, and Gods children, so farre as they yeeld to their lusts?
In divers respects.
1For lack of discerning.First, For lacke of discerning in all the carriage, and passages of their lives. You know a foole is such a one as cannot discerne the difference of things, that is defective in his judgement; discerning, and judgement, that especially tries a foole: when he cannot discerne betweene pearles and pebbles between Iewels, and ordinary base things, so wicked men are defectiue in their judgments they cannot discerne aright betweene spirituall and heavenly things, and other things, all your worldly fooles he hunts after and placeth his happinesse in things meaner then himselfe, hee takes shadowes for substances.
A foole is led with his humour,2For passion and his lust even as the beast, so there is no wicked man that shakes of the feare of God, (which is true wisedome,) but hee is led with his humour, and passion, and affection to some earthly thing. Now a man can never bee wise, and passionate unlesse in one case, when the good is so exceeding that no passion can be answerable as in zeale, in divine matters, that will excuse all exorbitant carriage otherwise. When David danced before the Arke, a man would thinke it had beene a foolish matter except it had been in a divine businesse, when the matter is wondrous great that it deserues any pitch of affection then a man may be eager, and wise: but for the things of this life, for a man to disquiet himselfe and others, to hunt after a vaine shadow, (as the Psalmist saith) after riches and honour; and to negl…ct the mayne end of a mans life, it is extreame folly a man that is passionate in this respect cannot be wise, all fooles are passionate, and wicked men have their affections set deeply on somewhat else besides God. Because passion presents things in a false glasse,Passion presents things falsely. as when a man sees the sunne through a cloud he seems bigger, when men looke not on things in the judgment of the scripture, and the spirit of God, and right reason, but through affection, things appeare to them otherwise then they are and themselues afterwards see themselues fo…les: Take a worldling on his death bed, or in hell, hee sees himselfe a foole then, when his drunkennesse is past, when hee is come to himselfe, and is sober, he sees that he hath catched all his lifetime after shadowes, wicked men that are carried with their lusts to earthly things, they cannot be wise, therfore the rich man in the Gospell, is called a foole, and in Ier. 17. hee speaks of a man that labors all his life time, and in the end is a foole; Is not he a foole that will carrie a burthen, and load himselfe in his journey more then hee needs, and is not hee a spirituall foole, that loads himselfe with thick clay (as the Prophet calls it) and makes his pilgrimage more cumbersome then hee needs? Is not hee a foole that layes the heaviest weight on the weakest: that puts off the heaviest burthen of repentance, to the time of sicknesse, and trouble, and death, when all his troubles meete in a center as it were, and hee hath enough to doe to conflict with his sicknes.
Againe, hee is a foole that will play with edgetooles,3Iesting with sinne. that makes a sport of sinne, hee is a foole that provokes his betters, that shootes up arrowes, and casts up stones, that shall fall on his owne head, hee that darts out oathes, and blasphemies against God, that shall returne backe upon his owne pate, many such fooles there are, God will not hold them guiltlesse.
He is a foole that knowes not, or forgets his end,4Forgetfulnesse of his end. every wicked man forgets the end wherfore he liues in the world, hee comes here into the world, and liues, and is turned out of the world againe, and never considers the worke that he hath to doe here, but is carried like a foole, with affections, and passions to earthly things, as if hee had been borne only for them. A wiseman hath an end prefixed in all that hee doth, and hee works to that end. Now there is no man, but a sound sanctified Christian that hath a right end, and that works to that end, other men pretend they hauehave an end, and they would serue God, &c.
They pretend heaven, but they worke to the earth-ward, like moles, they digge in the earth, they work not to the end they pretend to fixe to themselues: All men how wittie soeuer they are otherwise in worldly respects, they are but fooles. As we say of owles, they can see, but it is by night so wicked men are wittie but it is in the workes of darkenesse they are wise in their owne generation, Wicked men wittie in their generation.among men like themselues but this is not the life wherein follie, and wisedome can be discerned so well, it will appeare at the houre of death, and the day of judgement, then those will be found wise, that are wise for eternity, that have provided how it shall goe with them, when all earthly things shall fayle them, and those will bee fooles that hauehave only a particular wit for the particular passages of this life, to contriue particular ends, and neglect the mayne they are penny wise, and pound foolish. Achitophel a wittie wiseman, his counsell was an oracle, yet he was not wise to prevent his owne destruction.
He is a madman, a foole that hurts and wounds himselfe,5He wounds himselfe. none else will doe so, wicked carnall men, they wound, and hurt, and stab their owne consciences, oh if any man should doe them but the thousandth part of the harme that they doe themselves every day, they would not indure it, they gall, and load their consciences with many sins, and they doe it to themselves; therefore it is a deserved title that is given them. God meetes with the pride of men in this terme of folly: for a wicked man above all things is carefull to avoid this imputation of foole, account him what you will, so you account him, a shrewd man withall, that can over-reach others, that he is craftie and wise, he glories in the reputation of wisedome, though God account him a foole, and hee shall bee found so afterward, and to abate the pride of men, Hee brings a disgracefull terme over their wit and learning, and calls them fooles.
This should abase any man that is not a right and sound Christian,Vse 1. To humble wicked men. that the God of wisedome, and the Scripture that is GODS word esteemes of all wicked men, bee they what they will, to be fooles, and that in their owne judgements if they bee not Atheists, if they will grant the principles they pretend to beleeve.
Let this therefore bee an aggravation in your thoughts when you are tempted to commit any sinne, Oh! besides that it is a transgression and rebellion against Gods commandement, it is follie in Israel, and this will bee bitternesse in the end.
2Aggravation of sinne.Is hee not a foole, that will doe that in an instant, that hee may repent many yeeres after? Is hee not a foolish man (in matter of dyet) that will take that, that he shall complaine of a long time after? None will bee so foolish in outward things. So when we are tempted to sinne, thinke, is it not follie to doe this, when the time will come that I shall wish it undone againe, with the losse of a world if I had it to giuegive?
And begge of God the wisedome of the holy Ghost,3Begge spirituall wisdome. to judge aright of things, the eye salve of the Spirit of God, to discerne of things that differ: to judge spirituall riches to be best, and spirituall nobilitie and excellencie to be best, and to judge, of sinfull courses to be base, how ever otherwise gainfull let us labour for grace, The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome, those that doe not feare the Lord they hauehave no wisedome.
4Not to passe for the censures of the wickedAnd passe not for the vaine censures of wicked men, thou art hindred from the practise of religious duties and from a conscionable course of life, why? Perhaps thou shalt be accounted a foole by whom? By those that are fooles indeed, in the judgement of him who is wisedome indeed, God himselfe: who would care to be accounted a foole of a foole? We see the scripture judgeth wicked men here to be fooles.
Wee must not extend it only to wicked men,Folly in Gods children. but euen likewise Gods children when they yeeld to their corruptions, and passions they are foolish for the time, in Psa. 38.5.Psa. 38.5. My wounds stinke and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse, and in Psa. 73.Psal. 73. So foolish was I and ignorant, &c.
Therefore when any base thought of Gods providence comes in our mind, or any temptation to sin let us thinke it folly and when we are overtaken with any sin, let us be-foole our selues, and judge it as God doth to bee foolishnesse, this is the ground and foundation of repentance: So much for the quality of the person here described, Fooles.
I come to the Cause.
Because of their transgressions and because of their iniquities.
Transgression, especially hath reference to rebellion against God, and his ordinances in the first table, Iniquity, hath reference to the breach of the second table against men, and both these have their rise from folly, for want of wisedome causeth rebellion against God, and iniquity against men, all breaches of Gods will come from spirituall folly.
Why doth hee begin with transgressions against the first table, and then iniquities the breach of the second?
Because all breaches of the second table issue from the breach of the first a man is never vniust to his neighbours,The breach of the second table comes from the breach of the first. that doth not rebell against Gods will in the first table, and the foundation of obedience, & dutie to man, it riseth from mans obedience to God. Therefore the second table is like the first that is, our louelove to our neighbour is like to our louelove of God, not only like it but it springs from it: for all comes from the louelove of God, therfore the first command of the first table runs through all the Commandements, Thou shalt honour God; and honour man, because we honour God. A man never denies obedience to his superiour to the magistrate, &c. but he denies it to God first, a man never wrongs man, but he disobeys God first, Therefore the Apostles lay the duties of the second table in the Scriptures vponupon the first, Saint Paul alway begins his Epistles, with the duties to God, and religion and when he hath discharged that he comes to parents, and masters, and children, and servants, and such particular duties, because the spring of our duty to man, is our duty to God, and the first justice is the justice of religion to God, when we are not just to giuegive God his due: thereupon come all breaches in our civill conversation, and commerce with men, for want of the feare of God, men doe this, as Ioseph sayd, how shall I doe this and offend God? and Abraham he had a conceit they would abuse his wife, Surely the feare of God is not here, therefore he thought they would not bee afraid to doe any thing, he that feares not God if opportunitie serue, he will not be afraid to violate the second table hee that feares God hee will reason, how shall I doe this, to wrong another in his name, and reputation, or in his estate, & sin against God? for I cannot sinne against man, but I must first sin against God, that is the reason he sets it downe thus, transgressions and iniquities.
See an vnhappy succession of sinne,…nhappy succession of sin. that where there is transgression there will be iniquitie, when a man yeelds to lust once presently he breaks upon Gods due, and then upon mans, one sin drawes on another, as wee see David giving way to one sin, it brought another, so the giving way to transgression, neglecting the word of God, and duties of religion presently another followes neglect of dutie to men.
Take heed of the beginnings of sinne,Vse. Take heed of beginnings of sinne. there are degrees in Sathans schoole from ill to worse till we come to worst of all, and there is no staying it is like the descent down a steepe hill, let us stop in the beginning by any meanes, as we would avoid iniquitie, let us take heed of transgression.
Are afflicted.
HEE meanes especially that affliction of sicknesse as appeares by the words following.
Doct. Sinne the cause of sicknesse.Sin is the cause of all sicknesse.
Fooles for their transgressions, and iniquities are afflicted: for Gods quarrell is especially against the soule, and to the body because of the soule, I will not dwell on this point having spoken of it,1 Cor. 11.31. at large on another text.
The Use that I will make of it now shall bee,Vse 1. To justifie God. First of all, If sinne be the cause of all sicknesse, Let us justifie God, and condemne our selues, complaine of our selues, and not of God; Wherfore doth the living man complaine, and murmure, and fret, Man suffereth for his sinne, Iustifie God and judge our selues. I wil beare the wrath the Lord because I have sinned against him, judge our selues and we shall not bee judged.
2To be patient.Then againe is sin the cause of sicknes, it should teach us patience, I held my tongue because thou Lord diddest it, Shall not a man be patient in that he hath procured by his owne evill and sin?
3Search out our particular sin.And search our selues, for usually▪ it is for some particular sin, which conscience will tell a man of, and sometimes the kind of the punishment will tell a man, for sins of the body, God punisheth in the body he payes men home, in their owne coyne, what measure a man measureth to others shall bee measured to him againe. If a man have beene cruell to others, God will stirre vp those that shall be so to him, therefore we should labour to part with our particular transgressions and iniquities. It is a generall truth for all ills whatsoeuer as well as this of sicknesse.To seeke God in trouble. Therefore we should first of all goe to God by confession of sinne. It is a preposterous course that the athesticall carelesse world takes, where the Physitian ends,The course of worldlings there the divine begins▪ when they know not what to doe. If diseases come from sinne then make vse of the divine first to certifie the conscience, and to acquaint a man with his owne mercy. First to search them, and let them see the guilt of their sins and then to speake comfort to them, and to set accounts straite betweene God, & them, as in Ps. 32. (an excellent place.Psal. 32. David roared, his moysture was turned into the drought of summer, what course doth hee take? he doth not run to the Physitian presently but goes to God. Then sayd I it was an inward resolution, and speech of the mind, then I concluded with my selfe, I will confesse my sinne to God, and thou for gavest my iniquities and sinne, so body, and soule were healed at once.Divinity transcends other arts. Divinity herein transcends all other Arts, not onelyonly corrupt nature, and corrupt courses but all other: For the Phisitian hee looks to the cause of the sicknesse out of a man or in a man, out of a man and then especially in contagious sicknesse, hee looks to the influence of the heavens, in such a yeare, such conjunctions, and such eclipses hauehave beene, he lookes to the infection of the Ayre to subordinate causes, to contagious company, and to diet, &c. And then in a man to the distemper of the humours, and of the spirits, when the instrument of nature is out of tune it is the cause of sicknesse. But the divine, and every Christian (that should be a divine in this respect) goes higher and sees all the discord betweene God, Sicknesse how from God, how from sin.and vsus, there is not that sweet harmony there, and so all the jarres in second causes come from God as the cause inflicting, from sin, as the cause demeriting: The Divine considers those two alway: The Phisitian lookes to the inward distemper and the outward contagion, and this is well, and may be done without sin, but men must ioyne this too, to looke into conscience, and looke vp to God together with looking for helpe to the Physitian, because we hauehave especially to deale with God.
I would this were considered that wee might carry our selues more Christian-like vnderunder any affliction whatsoever,The cause of murmuring in trouble. what is the reason that people murmure, & struggle, and striue as a bull in a net as the Prophet speakes, when God hampers them in some judgement? They looke to the second causes, and neuer looke to cleare the conscience, of sinne, nor never looke to God, when indeed the ground of all is God offended by sinne,
Fooles for their transgressions are afflicted.
We by our sins put a rod into Gods hand,Sin puts a rod in Gods hand A rod for the fooles backe as Salomon saith, and when wee will be fooles wee must needs indure the scourge and rod in one kind or other: those that will sin must looke for a rod, it is the best reward of wicked, and vaine fooles that make a jest of sinne, (as the wiseman saith) They cast firebrands, and say am I not in jest? That raile and scorne at good things, that sweare, and carrie themselues in a loose, ridiculous scandalous fashion, as if God did not eye their carriage, and yet am I not injest? Well, it is no jesting matter, sinne is like a secret poyson,Sin a poyson. perhaps it doth not worke presently, as there are some kind of subtile poysons made in these dayes (wherein the Devill hath whetted mens wits) that will worke perhaps a yeare after, so sinne if it be once committed perhaps it doth not kill presently, but there is death in the Pot, thou art a child of death, as soone as euer thou hast committed sinne, as Salvian saith well,Salvian thou perishest before thou perish, the sentence is upon thee, thou art a dead man, God to wait for thy repentance prolongs thy dayes, but as soone as thou hast sinned without repentance, thou art a child of death, and as Poyson that workes secretly a while, yet in time it appeares, so at last the fruit of sinne will bee death, Sin and death came in together: take heed of all sinne, it is no dallying matter.
Their soule abhorres all manner of meate.Extremity of sicknes.
THIS is one branch of the extremitie of the sicknesse, the loathing of meate, for God hath put a correspondencie, betweene food that is necesary for man, and mans relish: for man being in this world to be supported, the naturall moysture being to be supplied, and repayred by nourishment as it is spent by the naturall heate which feeds upon it, therefore God hath put a sweetnesse into meate that man might delight to doe that which is necessary: for who would care for meate if it were not necessary? Therefore being necessary God hath put delightfull tasts in meates to draw men to the use of them, to preserve their being for the serving of him. Now when these things savour not, when the relish of a man is distempered that he cannot judge aright of meats, when the palate is viciated, there must needs follow sicknesse,Naturall cause of sicknesse: for a man cannot doe that that should maintaine his strength, he cannot feed on the creature, therefore the Palmist setting downe the extremity of sicknesse, he sayth their soule abhorreth all manner of meate, This the great Phisitian of heaven and earth, sets downe as a symptome of a sick state when one cannot relish and digest meat, experience seales this truth and prooues it to be true.Happines of Epicures vnstable.
You see then the happines of Epicures how vnstable and vaine it is, whose chiefe good is in the creature, God by sicknesse can make them dis-relish all manner of meate, and where is the summum bonum then of all your bellygods, your sensuall persons
Againe in that he saith, Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate, To blesse God for appetite.it should teach us to blesse God, not only for meate but for stomacks to eate, it is a blessing common, and therefore forgotten. It is a double blessing when God provides dayly for our outward man and then gives a stomack to relish his goodnesse in the creature, sometimes a poore man wants meate, and hath a stomacke: sometimes a rich man wants a stomacke, when hee hath meate, they that hauehave both hauehave cause to blesse God, because it is a judgment when God takes away the appetite that men abhorre and loath all manner of meate.
Therefore if we would maintaine thankfulnesse to God, labour to thanke God for common blessings, what if God should take away a mans stomacke, we see his state here he is at the gates of death, therefore thanke God that he maintaines us with comforts in our pilgrimage, and withall that he gives us strength to take the comfort of the creature.
Wee fee here againe one rule how to converse with them that are sicke,How to converse with the sicke. blessed is hee that understands the estate of the afflicted and sicke, not to take it ill to see them wayward, it comes not from the mind, but from the distemper of the body: as wee beare with children, so we must beare with men in those distempers, if they have foode, and yet loath it, you see how 'tis with men in that case, Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate, It should teach us to sympathize with those that are sicke, if we see them in these distempers.
The next branch of the extremitie is;
They draw neere the gates of death.
DEATH is a great Commander, a great Tyrant,Gates of death. and hath gates to sit in, as Iudges and Magistrates used to sit in the gates. There are things implyed in this phrase.
First,Death it selfe. They draw neere to the gates of death, that is, they were neere to death, as he that drawes neere the gates of a Citie, is neere the Citie, because the gates enter into the Citie.
2Authority of death.Secondly, gates are applyed to death for authoritie, they were almost in deaths jurisdiction; death is a great Tyrant, hee rules over all the men in the world, over Kings, and Potentates, over meane men, and the greatest men feare death most: hee is the King of feares as Iob calls him, I, and the feare of Kings. Yet death that is thus feared in this life by wicked men, at the day of judgement, of all things in the world they shall desire death most,Misery of wicked men. according to that in the Apocalips, They shall desire death, and it shall not come to them, they shall subsist to eternall myserie; that, that men are most affraid of in this life, that they shall wish most to come to them in the world to come, Oh that I might die! What a pittifull state are wicked men in? therefore it is called the Gate of death, it rules and overrules all mankinde:Rom. 5. therefore it is sayd to reigne, Rom. 5. Death and sinne came in together, sinne was the gate that let in death, and ever since death raigned, and will, till Christ perfectly tryumph over it, who is the King of that Lord and Commander, and hath the key of hell and death: To wicked men (I say) hee is a Tyrant, and hath a gate, and when they goe through the gate of death, they goe to a worse, to a lower place, to hell, it is the trappe-doore to Hell.
3Power of death.Thirdly, by the gate of death is meant not onelyonly the authority, but the power of death, as in the Gospell, The gates of hell shall not prevaile against it that is, the power, and strength of hell, so here it implies the strength of death, which is very great for it subdues all, it is the executioner of Gods justice.
If death have such a Iurisdiction,Vse. and power, and strength,To disarme death. let us labour to disarme it before hand, it is in our power to make death stinglesse, and toothlesse, and harm lesse: nay wee may make it advantagious, for the gate of death may become the gate of happinesse: let us labour to have our part, and portion in Christ, who hath the key of hell and death, who hath overcome and conquered this tyrant, Oh death where is thy sting? oh grave where is thy victory? 2 Cor. 15.1 Cor. 15. Thanks bee vntounto Ged who hath given vsus victory through Iesus Christ our Lord, that now wee need not feare death, that though death have a gate, yet it is a gate, to let us into heaven, as it is a doore to let the wicked into hell; So much for that.
In the next place wee come to their carriage in their extremity.
They Cryed to God in their trouble.
THIS is the carriage of man in extreame ills; if hee hauehave any feare of God in him, to pray and then prayers are cries they are darted out of the heart as it were to heaven. It is sayd, Christ made strong cryes, in extremity prayers are cries hence I observe breifly these things.
That God suffers men to fall into extreame ills even to the gates,Doct. God suffers men to fall to great misery. of death, that there is but a step betweene them and death.
Why?
To weane them perfectly from the world.Reas. 1. To make them more thankfull when they recover: for what is the reason that men are so sleight in thanksgiving? Usually the reason is they did not conceive that they were in such extreame danger as they were.
3.Likewise he suffers men to fall into extreame sicknesse that he may have all the glory, for it was his doing, there was no second cause to helpe here, for their soule abhorred all manner of meate, and they were even at the Gates of death, Now when all second causes fayle, then God is exalted therfore he suffers men to fall into extreamity, the greater the maladie, the more is the glory of the Physitian.
The second thing is this, as God brings his children into extremity, So;
Gods children in extremity they cry to him.Gods children cry to him in affliction.
EXtremity of afflictions doth force prayers, In their affliction, they will seeke me early: When all second causes faile then we goe to God, nature therfore is against atheisme (as one observes) that naturally men run to God in extremity;Atheisme against nature. Lord helpe mee, Lord succour me, so especially in the Church in extremitie, Gods people cry to God, and as afflictions, so p…rticularly this of sicknesse of body, drives men to God. God should not heare of us (many times) unlesse he should come neere us by afflictions, and deepe afflictions: Out of the deepe hauehave I cryed, Why God sendeth affliction.God brings us to the deepe, and then we crie. Our nature is so naught, that God should not heare of us, (as I sayd) unlesse he send some messenger after us, some affliction to bring us home as Absalom dealt by Ioab, when hee fired his corne. In the Gospel, Christ had never heard of many people, had it not beene for some infirmity: but blessed are those sicknesses, and infirmities that occasion us to goe to God, that makes us crie to God. It was the speech of a Heathen, we are best when we are weakest, why? as hee saith very well, who is ambitious, voluptuous, or covetous for the world when he is sick, when he sees the vanity of these things?
This should make us submit more meekly vntounto GOD,To submit to God patiently. when wee are vnderunder his hand when we are his prisoners by sicknesse, when he casts us on our sicke beds, because GOD is working our good, hee is drawing us neerer to him.
Then they cryed to him.
Prayer a speciall remedie in affliction.So we see then that prayer it is a remedie in a remedilesse estate, when there is no other remedy and this one difference betweene a child of GOD and another; In extremitie a carnall man that hath not grace, he hath not a spirit of prayer to goe to GOD, but a child of GOD, he cries to GOD, hee had acquaintance with God in the time of health, therefore he goes boldly to GOD as a father in the time of extremity. Gods children can answer Gods dealing; for as he brings his children to extremitie, when there is no second cause to help, so they answer him by faith, in extremitie when there is nothing to trust unto, they trust him. when there is no physick in the world that can-charme the disease, they have a spirit of faith to answere Gods dealing, in the greatest misery, as Iob faith, though he kill me yet will I trust in him.
For GOD is not tyed to second causes, and therefore if hee have delight in us, and if he have any service for us to doe he can recover vsus from the gates of death, Nay from death it selfe, as we see Christ in the Gospell raysed from the dead, and at the resurrection he will rayse us from death much more can he rayse vsus from the gates of death when wee are neere death.
To be in a state fit to pray.Therefore considering that pra…er is a remedy in all maladies, in a remedilesse estate, Let us labour to hauehave a spirit of prayer, and to be in such a state as we may pray.
1Take heed of knowne sinne.What state is that?
First take heed of being in league with any sinne, If I regard iniquitie in my heart, God will not heare my prayer, nay he will not heare others prayers for us, oh what a pittiful state is it when God will not heare us nor others for us! Pray not for this people (saith God to Ieremiah) and if Noah, Daniel, and Iob stood before mee they should but deliver their owne soules. If a man be in a peremptory course of sinne, and will not be reclaymed, but is like the deafe Adder that will not bee charmed, God will not heare prayers for him: will God heare a rebell when he comes to him for merciemercy, and is in a course opposite to Gods will? As if a Traitor should come to sue for pardon with a dagger in his hand; which were to increase the treason: So when a man comes to God and cryes to him and yet purposeth to live in sinne, and his conscience tells him that hee offers violence to GOD by his sins, and lives in rebellious courses, GOD will not heare his prayers.
2Heare God calling on us.Againe if we would bee in such a state as God may accept us when wee come to him, let us heare GOD when hee cryes to us, hee cryes to us in the ministrie of the word, Wisedome hath lift up her voyce, and this is GODS course, hee will heare us when wee heare him, Hee that turnes his eare from hearing of the Law, his prayer shall bee abhominable. Those that doe not attend upon Gods ordinances, that will have a kind of devotion private to themselves, & avoid the publike ordinance, that feare perhaps they shall heare somwhat that would awaken their conscience, and they would not bee tormented before their time, Let them consider (it is a terrible speech of Salomon) Hee that turnes his eare from hearing the Law, his prayer shall be abhominable. Let us take heed, it is a fearefull thing to bee in such an estate, that neither our owne prayers, nor others shall bee regarded for us, and let any man judge, if wee will not heare GOD speake to us, is it fit that hee should heare us speaking to him?
And before I leave the point, let mee presse it a little further, at this time wee have cause to blesse GOD for the deliverance of the Citie: Oh! but let all that have the spirit of prayer, that have any familiaritie with GOD,Exhortation to prayer. improve all their interest in heaven at this time, doe wee not conceive what danger wee are in? What enemies wee have provoked? What if wee be free from the sicknesse, are we not in great danger of worse matters th…n the sicknesse? Is it not worse to fall into the hands of our enemies? Have wee not great, provoked, cruell Idolatrous enemies? therfore let us joyntly now all cry to GOD, and importune him, that hee would bee good to the State, that as he hath given us a pledg of his favour in delivering us from the plague, so hee would not bee weary of doing good unto us, but that hee would still make it a token of further favours, and deliverances hereafter: That as Hee delivered us in former times, in 88, and magnified his merciemercy to us, so now Hee would not expose us to the crueltie of Idolatrous enemies, whose mercies are cruell. Let us stirre up our selves;Prayer best before affliction. Securitie and carelesnesse alway fore-runnes one destruction or other.
Prayer will doe a great deale more good, now, then when trouble hath overtaken us, for now it is a signe it comes from a religious seeking of God, then it comes from selfe-love. There is a great deale of difference, when a malefactor seeks to the judge before the time of the Assises, and when hee seeks to him at the present time, for then it is meerly out of selfe respect and not respect to him. If wee seeke to God now hee will single, and marke out those that mourne for the sins of the time, and poure out their spirits to him in prayer that hee would still dwell and continue the meanes of salvation amongst us,Mal. 3: when God I say comes to gather his Iewells Mal. 3. He will single, and cull out them as peculiar to himselfe.Remember the Church in our prayers.
Therefore let us in all our prayers put in the Church, things doe more then speake, they cry to us to cry to GOD earnestly, put case wee bee not in trouble our selves, our prayers will bee the more acceptable: before trouble come it is the onelyonly way to prevent it, as it is the only way to rescue us when we are in trouble.
I come now to the remedie.
Hee saved them out of their distresse.
GOD is a Physitian good at all manner of sicknesses, God the best Physitian.it is no matter what the disease bee, if GOD bee the Physitian, though they bee as these at the gates of death, hee can fetch them backe; herein GOD differs from all other Physitians.
First of all hee is a generall Physitian, hee can heale a Land, a whole Kingdome of sicknesse, of pestilence and as it is in,2 Chron. 7.14. 2 Chro. 7.14.
Then he is a Physitian of body, and soule, of both parts; And then he is not tyed to meanes.
Other Physitions can cure, but they must hauehave meanes. Other Physitians cannot cure all manner of diseases, nor in all places, but GOD can cure all.
He saved them out of their distresse.
Other physitians cannot bee alway present but God is so to eueryevery one of his patients he is a compassionate tender present Physitian.
Which should incourage vsus in any extremity (especially in sicknesse of body) to hauehave recourse to God, Vse. To hauehave recourse to God in sicknes.and never to despaire though wee bee brought never so low, he that can rayse the dead bodies, can rayse vsus out of any sicknesse; therefore let vsus use the meanes, and when there is no meanes trust God: for hee can worke beyond meanes, and without meanes.
They cryed to the Lord, and he saved them out of their distresse; It was the fruit of their prayers.Doct. Prayer to God successefull
There was never any prayer from the beginning of the world made to God successelesly.
What should I speake of prayer, our very breathings are known to God when wee cannot speake our sighs, as it is Psal. 38. My groanes and sighs are not hid from thee. Psal. 38.God hath a bottle for our teares, and preserves our sighes and groanes, there is nothing that is spirituall in us, but God regards,Rom. 8. as in Rom. 8. We know not what to aske, but the spirit of God stirreth vp in us sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed, And God heares the voyce of the sighs of his owne spirit.
Let us also bee exhorted from this issue, to cry vntounto the Lord: for there was never any man did, sow prayers in the breast and bosome of God, but he received the fruit of it, he is a God hearing prayer, hee will not loose his attribute. God hears heathens.Nay, further (marke) the instances in this Psalme, are not made onelyonly of men in the Church, but likewise of men out of the Church, of men that have not the true religion, they pray to GOD, as creatures to the Creator, and though GOD have not their soules, yet hee will not bee beholding to any man for duties, if Ahab do but hypocritically fast, Ahab shall hauehave outward deliverance for his outward humiliation, and these men mentioned in the text, if they call to GOD but as creatures, and not to Idols, GOD will regard them in outward things, and deliver them. GOD will not be in any mans debt for any service to him though it bee outward.
And doe we think that he that regards dogges out of the Church, will neglect his children in the Church?Much more his children Hee that regards heathen men when they pray to him in their extremity, and delivers them to shew his over-flowing bounty, and goodnesse, will hee not regard his owne children, that hauehave the spirit of Adoption, of supplication, and prayer, that put vp their suits, and supplications, in the mediation, and sweete name of Christ? will he not regard the name, and intercession of his sonne and of his spirit, the Holy Ghost stirring vp prayers in them, and the state of his children, being his by adoption, since he regards the very heathen.
Nay more then so, God heares the very young ravens, and spreads a table for eueryevery living thing, and will not suffer them to die for hunger, but provides for them, because they are his creatures, and will hee not for his children, those that he hath taken to be so neere him to be heires of heaven, & happinesse? Let us I say, be incouraged to cry unto the Lord upon all occasions, if God bee so good as to deliver sinfull men (that hauehave nothing in them but the principles of nature) when they flye to God in praier, as the author and preserver of nature, much more will hee heare his owne children,Luke 11. he will giuegive his spirit to them that aske him, Luke 11.
But here may an objection be made, I hauehave cried long, I am hoarse with crying,Object. I hauehave wayted a longtime, I have bin a long time sick, or annoyed with some particular trouble, & God seemes as it were to stop his ears, to harden his heart against me, to shut up his bowels of compassion, and pitty, therefore I were as good giuegive ouer as continue still crying, and not be heard.
I answer,Answ. there is no one duty almost more pressed in scripture then waiting & watching to prayer, Wayting after prayer necessary.waite still, hath not God waited thy leasure long enough, and wilt not thou waite on him?
A patient when he feeles his body distempered with Physicke, oh hee cries out partly for the Physick, and partly for the sicknes, that trouble him both together, and make civill warre in his body, yet notwithstanding the Physitian wisely lets it worke he; shall hauehave no cordiall, nor nothing to hinder it, he lets it goe on till the Physicke have wrought well, & carried away the malignant matter, that he may be the better for it, and that hee is a loving and tender Physitian, yet so God when we are in trouble it is as Physick we cry but God he turnes the glasse as the Physitians doe; nay this time shall be expired it shall work so long, till thy pride be taken away, thou shalt be humbled throughly, till thou be weaned from thy former wicked pleasures, till thou be prepared to receiue further blessings; therefore they crie, and crie, and God deferres to heare the voyce of his children, God deferres for our good.in the meane time he loues to heare the cry of his children, and their prayer is as sweet incense, yet he deferres stil, but all is for the patients good, be not weary of waiting, it is a great mercy that Hee makes thee able to continue crying that thou hast the spirit of Prayer, that thou canst poure out thy soule to God, it is a great mercy and so account of it.
Perhaps thou hast not cast out thy Ionas, thy Achan, that there is some particular sinne,Beloved sins hinder prayer. vnrepented of, and thou cryest and cryest but thy sinne cries louder, thy pride, or thy oppression cries, thy wicked course cries, thou cryest unto God, and there is another thing cries in thee, that cries vengeance as thou doest for merciemercy, therefore search out thy Achan, cast out thy beloued sinne, see if thou regard iniquity in thy heart, if thou regard any pleasing, or profitable, or gainfull sin, and never thinke that God will heare thee till that bee out, for it will out-cry thy prayers.
The next thing is the manner of Gods cure.
Hee sent his word and healed them.
WHAT word? His secret commaund,Gods powerful word▪ his will. Let such a thing be, as in the creation. Let there bee light, &c. Besides his word written, there is his word creating, and preserving things created, and so here restoring them that were sicke, Hee sent his word and healed them, and so at the resurrection, his Word, his voyce shall raise our bodies againe. It is a strange manner of cure for GOD to cure by his word, by his commaund. It shewes that GOD hath an universall commaund of all things in the world,Gods command over all things. in heaven, and earth, over divells, and over sicknesses, as it is said in the Gospell, Hee rebuked the sicknesses, Hee can rebuke the agues, the plague, and the pestilence, and they shall bee gone by his word, as the Centurion sayd, I am a man that have servants under mee, and I say to one come, and hee commeth, and to another goe, and he goeth, so thou hast all things under thee, thou art GOD, and if Thou say to a disease, Come, it commeth, if Thou say goe, it goeth, GOD sent his word of command and healed them. It is but a word of God to heale, but a word of God, to strike, Hee is the Lord of Hostes, If Hee doe but hisse (as the Prophet saith) for the flie of Egypt; If Hee doe but call for an Enemie, they come at his word, as wee see in Pharaohs plagues, the Flies, and Frogs, all things obey his word.
There is a s…cret obedience in all things to God, when his will is that they shall doe this or that: why doth the Sea keepe his bounds, when as the nature and position of the Sea is to bee above the earth? It is the command of GOD that hath sayd, Let it bee there, and hither shall thy proud waues goe, and no further. I might give many instances how GOD doth all by his word; The Divells are at his word, the whales, the Sea, when Christ rebukes it obeyes.
It should teach us not to displease this GOD,Vse. Take heed of displeasing God. that can strike us in the middest of our sinnes even with a word. Let us feare this GOD, put case we had no enemie in the world, God can arme a mans humours against him, he can raise the spirit, and soule against it selfe, and make it fight against it selfe by desperate thoughts, hee needed not forreine forces for Achitophel ▪ and Saul, he could arme their owne soules against themselves. And when hee will take downe the greatest Gyant in the world, he needs not forreine forces, it is but working of a disease, but giving way to a humour, but inflaming the spirits, and the soule shall abhorre all manner of meat.
Againe, he gives a command, a rebuke, and they are gone presently, therefore let us not offend this great God, that is commander of heaven, and earth; let us labour to please him, and it is no matter who else wee displease: for hee hath all things at his command, even the hearts of kings as the rivers of water, when Esau sought for Iacob to hurt him, there was a secret command God set upon him to love him; therefore we should feare him, and all other things shall feare us, we need feare nothing (so we have a care to feare God) further then in God, and for God; but not so to feare them, as to doe evill for them, and offend the great God that can with a word command sicknesse to come or bid it be gone.
Againe, in that God when all second causes faile can heale by his word, Jncouragement to pray from Gods power.therefore, let us never bee discouraged from praying though wee see a hurly-burly, and tumult in the Church, though we see all Europe in combustion, and the Church driven into a narrow corner, let us not give over prayer; for Christ, that with a word commanded the waves to bee still, and the divels to be gone, and they presently obeyed him; he can still the waves of the Church? hee can pt a hooke into the nostrils of his enemies, and draw them which way hee please, he can still all with his word; therefore howsoever things seeme to run contrary, and opposite to our desires, yet let us not give over, hee that sees no ground of hope in carnall fleshly reason, let him despaire of nothing, despaire shuts the gate, and doore of mercy and hope, as it were: you see here when all meanes faile, when they were at the very gates, and entrie of death, God fetcheth them backe againe; how? with physick? no, hee is not tyed to physicke, there is difference betweene God, and betweene nature and art; nature and art can doe nothing without meanes, but the God of nature and art can doe it with his word. How made hee this heaven, and earth, this glorious fabrick? with his word; Let there be light, and there was light, &c. And how shall hee restore all againe? with his mightie commanding word, how doth hee preserve things? by his word, how are things multiplyed? by his word, increase and multiplie, a word of blessing, he doth all things with his word.
So hee can confound his enemies with a word, Nay Christ in his greatest abasement when they came with …taves, and armes to take him; Whom seeke ye, Saith hee? that word struck downe all the Officers of the Scribes and Pharisees, Christs word in his abasement powerfull.they fell flat on the ground. Could he in his humiliation (before his great abasement on the crosse) strike downe his enemies with his word, what shall he doe at the day of judgement when all flesh shall appeare before him? And what can he doe now at the right hand of God in heaven? Let us never despaire, what state soever we be in, in our owne persons, or in respect of the Church or common wealth; Let us yet pray, yet solicite God, and wrastle with him, for wee see here when they were at the gates of death, he fetcheth them againe with his word, hee can fetch things againe when they are at destruction, as it were, when mans wit is at a losse, that he knoweth not what course to take, God with a word can turne all things againe.
Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse, and for his wondrous works to the children of men!
Let them sacrifice the sacrifice of Thansgiving and declare his workes with rejoycing.
YOU see that God the great Physitian, he is good at all disseases, hee is never set at any thing for he can create helps, and remedies of nothing if there be none in nature, hee can create peace to the soule, in the the middest of trouble of conscience, God can make things out of nothing, nay out of contraries, you see here, what this great Physitian hath done hee fetched them from the gates of death when their soule abhorred all manner of meate, and what doth he require for all this great cure? surely the text tells us he looks for nothing but prayse.
Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnesse, &c.
In which words you hauehave these circumstances considerable, together with the substance of the duty.
First the persons, who must prayse God, Oh that men would prayse the Lord;
And then the duty they are to performe, to prayse God, to sacrifice to God, to declare his works, one main duty expressed by three termes.
The third is, for what they should prayse him; For his goodnesse, It is the spring of all: for all particular actions of God doe come from his nature, his nature is goodnesse it selfe and indeed all other attributes are founded on goodnesse, why is he gracious, and mercifull and long-suffering? because he is good, this is the primitiue attribute.
And then another thing for which we must praise him, For his wondrous workes for the children of men.
Fourthly the manner how this should be done with rejoycing, and singing as the word signifies, declare his workes with rejoycing. For as all holy actions must be done joyfully, and chearefully, so especially prayse, God loveth a chearefull giver, much more a chearefull thanksgiver: for chearfulnesse is the very nature of thankesgiving, it is a dead sacrifice of thanksgiving it is a dead sacrifice else these are the mayne things considerable in these words,
First of all of the persons.
Oh that men would prayse the Lord.
THE blessed Psalmist whosoever he were, (directed by the spirit of God, All men praise Go…) hee would hauehave all men to prayse God, not onelyonly those that participate and hauehave interest in the favour but the beholders also of the goodnesse of God to others, for here hee that was not interressed in these favours for his owne particular, yet hee prayseth God for the blessings to others,To praise God for others. and hee wisheth that God might hauehave praise from them.
For we are all of one societie, of one family, wee are all brethren, therefore wee must prayse God for his blessings, and benefits on others, and not onelyonly our selues but we must wish that all would do so, and specially wee must prayse God for our selues,Especially for our selues. when we hauehave part of the benefit: for shall others prayse God for us, and shal notwe for our selues? Shall the Churches of God abroad prayse God, for his great deliverance of this citie, (as there is no Church in the world that heares of it, but is thankfull for it) and shall not wee for our selues? Shall the angels in heaven prayse God, and sing for the redemption of the Church by the blood of Christ, Glory to God on high peace on earth, Luke 2.1… 14.good will to men, and shall not we that hauehave interest in the worke of redemption: For Christ is not a mediator of redemption to Angels hee hath relation to them in another respect, yet they out of louelove to God, and the Church, and a desire to glorifie God, hey prayse God for this, and shall not wee much more for our selues? wee must prayse God our selues and desire that all would doe so, as he saith here, Oh that men would prayse the Lord, &c. and in some other Psalmes, Creatures prayse God bow.he stirs up 'all the creatures hayle, and snow, and winde and all to prayse God.
How can these praise God?
They doe it by our mouthes by giving vsus occasion to prayse him. And they praise him in themselues: for as the creature groaneth, Rom. 8.Rom. 8. That none knowes but God, and it selfe, they groane for the corruption, and abuse that they are subject unto, and God knowes those groanes, so the creature hath a kind of voyce likewise in praysing of God, they declare in their nature the goodnesse of God, and minister occasion to us to praise GOD, therefore the Psalmist being desirous that GOD might be praysed, for his goodnesse and mercy, hee stirres vp every creature, Psal. 103.Psal. 103. even the very Angels, insinuating that it is a worke fit for Angels.
The children of God, hauehave such a louelove, and zeale to the glory of GOD, that they are not content only to prayse GOD themselues, but they stirre vp all: they need not to wish Angels to doe it, but only to shew their desire, oh the blessed disposition of those that louelove God in Christ!
What shall wee thinke then of those wretched persons that greiue that the word of God should run and hauehave free passage, Wicked men only dishonour God.and be glorious, and that there should be a free use of the sacraments and the blessed meanes of salvation? they envie the glory of God, and the salvation of peoples soules. What shall we say to those that desire to heare God dishonoured, that perhaps sweare, and blaspheme themselues, or if they doe not yet they are not touched in their hearts for the dishonour of God by others,? this is far from the disposition of a Christian, he desires that all creatures may trumpet ou… the prayse of God, from the highest Angell to the lowest creature, from the Sunne, and starres to the meanest shrub, only divellish spirited carnal men take delight to blaspheme God, (that can strike them with his word and send them to their owne place to hell, without repentance) and can heare him dishonoured without any touch of spirit, a child of God desires God to be glorified from his very heart roote, and is greived when God is dishonoured any kind of way, so much breifly for the first,
Now what is the dutie this holy man wishes?
That men would prayse God. And sacrifice the sacrifice of thankesgiving, and declare his workes.
OUT of the largenesse of his heart he expresseth the same thing in many words, therefore I shall not need to make any scruple in particularizing of them, because there is not so much heed to bee given in the expressions of a large heart as to be punctuall in every thing.
First he begins with prayse.
Oh t…at men would therefore praise the Lord, &c.
Prayse a duty fit for Angels.It is a duty as I said before fit for Angels, fit? nay it is performed by them: For it is all the worke they doe, it is the onelyonly worke that was religious, that Adam did in Paradise, and that we shall doe in heaven with God, therefore we are never more in Heaven, then when we take all occasions of blessing, and praising God, wee are never in a more happie estate.
It is a duty therefore we should ayme at, and the rather, because it is the fruite,Prayse the fruit, and end of all we doe. and end of all other duties whatsoeuer; what is the end of all the good we doe, but to shew our thankfulnesse to God? the end of our fruitfulnesse in our place, that others may take occasion to glorifie God. Of hearing.What is the end of our hearing? To get knowledge, and grace, that wee may be the better able to prayse God, in our mouths, and in our lives. What is the end of receiving the sacrament?Of the Sacrament. nay, what is the duty it selfe? a thanksgiving? what is the end of prayer? to begge graces, and strength that so we may carry our selues in our places, as is fit, that so wee may not want those things without which we cannot so well glorifie God, so the end of all is to glorifie God.
Praysing God the end of the creation,It is the end that God intended in all, he framed all things to his owne prayse, in the creation. Why hath God given man reason here upon the stage of the world? to behold the creatures, Rom. 1.Rom. 1. that seeing in the creature, the wisedome of God, in ordering of things, the goodnesse of God in the vse of things, and the power of God in the greatnesse of things, the huge, vast heaven, and earth, hee might take occasion to glorifie, and magnifie this God, to thinke highly of him, to exalt him in our thoughts, that his creatures heaven, and earth, be so beautifull, and excellent, what excellencie is in God himselfe?
And as the end of creation so in redemption, It is the end of redemption.all is for his glory, and prayse, in Ephesians 1.Ephes. 1. how sweetly doth Saint Paul set forth the end of it. To the glory of his rich merciemercy and grace To bee mercifull to sinners to giuegive his owne sonne, for God to be come man, not for man in that estate as Adam was in innocencie but for sinners for God to triumph ouer sin, by his infinite mercy here is the glory of his grace shining in the Gospell, all is for the glory, and prayse of God there.
Psal. 50. Jt is the end of our particular deliverances.And for particular deliverances in Psal. 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me, his deliverances of us in the passages of our life is that we may glorifie him, by taking notice in imminent dangers of some of his attributes: when there is no meanes of deliverance, of his power and goodnes, &c. In Revel. 4.Rev. 4. The Elders are brought in praysing God for the work of creation,Rev. 5. and then in the fifth for redemption, Thou art worthy, for thou hast redeemed vsus, so indeed the worke of creation, redemption, and the particular passages of Gods providence, and protection, and preservation, they are matter of prayse in heaven, and earth among Gods people.
Now to name a few helpes, Helps and meanes to praise God.and meanes, to performe this duty the better.
If we would stirre up our selues to prayse God let us consider our owne vnworthinesse? Consider our owne vnworthinesse.As in prayer, there must be a humble heart, for a man will not seeke abroad, if hee hauehave somewhat at home, poverty of spirit and humilitie of heart, makes a man pray: so it is the humble soule that praiseth God, that sees no desert in it selfe, this is one way to help us to prayse God, to see nothing in our selues, why God should so regard us, as to giuegive us our lives for a prey, to set his louelove on us, and to follow us with good, nay we hauehave deserved the contrary, that God should leave us, and expose us to misery, rather then to watch over us by his providence: what is in vsus? It is he that hath made vsus, and not wee our selves, & he made us again, when we were sinners when wee were worse then naught, therefore to humble us, we must consider our owne vnworthinesse, hee that knowes himselfe vnworthy of any favour, hee will bee thankfull even for the least, as we see in Iacob, I am lesse then the least of all thy favours, therefore he was thankfull for the least: so wee see here in the text, these men are stirred vp to prayse God, they saw no other helpe, no worthinesse in themselues, they were at the gates of death, in a desperate estate, O that such men would praise God, indeed such men are fittest to praise God, that can ascribe help to nothing but to God, to no second causes.
2Not to rest on second causes.Therfore in the next place (as a branch of the former) if we would praise God, dwel not on the second causes, if God use second causes in any favour he bestowes on vsus, either in keeping us from any ill or bestowing any good cōsider it as a means that God might dispence with, that he might use if he would, or not vse: See God in the second causes, rise from them to him: Art thou healed by Physick? Use Physicke as a meanes, but see God in it, but if God hath cured thee without Physick, without ordinary meanes, then see him more immediatly doing good to thee without the helpe of second causes, that is one way to helpe us to prayse God to see him in every favour, and deliverance, for what could second causes doe, if hee should not giuegive a blessing? especially prayse him when he hath immediately done it, as he can, did not he make light before there was a sunne? he is not tyed to giuegive light by the sunne, and hee made waters before hee made the clouds; hee is not tied to the clouds, therefore especially prayse God, when wee hauehave deliverance we know not how, without meanes, immediatly from the goodnes, and strength of God.
Againe if wee would praise God for any favour,The necessity and use of the blessing. consider the necessitie, and vse of the favour wee pray for, as these men here, they were at Deaths doore, and loathed all manner of meate, alas they had died if God had not helped them, If thou wouldest blesse God, consider what a miserable stare thou should be in, if thou hadst not that favour to praise God for: If thou be to blesse God for thy sences, put case thou shouldest want thy sight, what a miserable case thou shouldest be in: so for any of the sences that a man wants, whereby hee should glorifie God, and take the comfort of the Creature, put case a man should want his tast, as these men here, their soule abhorred all manner of meate, alas what a miserable case is it to want a relish, and tast of the comfort that God hath put into the creatures, put case we should want the meanest benefite wee enjoy, how uncomfortable would our lives be?
This sparke of reason that God hath given us, that wee have understanding to conceive things, which is the engine whereby we doe all things as men, and are capable of the grace of God, what a miserable thing were it, if God should take away our wits, or suspend the use of them?
But especially in matters of grace, if God had not sent Christ to redeeme the world, what a cursed condition had we lyen in? next to Divels.
Againe if wee would praise God, 4Dayly register Gods favours.let us every day keepe a Diary of his favours, and blessings; what good hee doth us privately, what positive blessings he bestowes upon vsus, and what dangers hee frees us from, and continues, and renewes his mercies every day, and publikly what benefit wee have by the state we live in, Oh what a happie state is it that we live in peace, that wee enjoy such lawes, that every man may fit under his owne vine, and under his owne figtree and enjoy the comforts of this life, when all the world about us are, and have beene in combustion! We should keepe a Register of Gods blessings, Oh, that wee could learne to have such exact lives! it would breed a world of comfort, and wee should have a lesse account to make, when wee die.
Every day labour to be humbled for our sinnes specially such as break the peace of our consciences, and never give our bodies rest till our hearts have rest in the favour of God, and together with matter of humiliation dayly observe how God bestowes new favours, or else continues the old, that notwith withstanding our provocation, and forgetfulnesse of him, hee strives with us by his goodnesse, this is a blessed duty that we should labour to performe.
And then when we have done this let us rouse up all that wee are, To prayse God with that which is in us.and all that wee have within us to praise God, Psalme 103. My soule praise the Lord, Psal. 103.and all that is within me praise his holy Name. What have wee within us to praise God? Let us praise God with our understanding, Our vnderstaning.to conceive, and have a right judgement of Gods favours, of the worthinesse of them, and our owne un worthinesse, and then a sanctified Memory, Memory.forget not all his benefites; forgetfulnesse is the grave of Gods blessings it buries all. And then there is in us the affection of joy, Ioy.and love to God to tast him largely, and then all within us will be large in the praising of God. And our tongue likewise though that be not within us, Tongue.it is called our glory; let us make it our glory in this, to Trumpet our Gods praise upon all occasions, all that is within us, and all that we are, or have, or can do, let it be all to the glory, and praise of God.
To draw to a conclusion with some generall application, of all that hath beene spoken, and then in particular to the present occasion.
You know how God hath dealt of late with this Citie, In the great visitation. 1625.and with our selves indeed, for we are all of one body politike, and however God visited them, yet it was our sinnes also that provoked him, we brought stickes to the common fire. Simile.A Physitian lets the arme blood, but the whole body is distempered, God let the Citie blood, but the whole kingdome was in a distemper, so that it was for our sins as well as theirs wee, all brought (I say) some thing to the common flame, and God afflicted us, even in them: God hath now stayd the sicknesse almost as Miraculously as hee sent it: It was a wonder that so many should be swept away in so short a time, it is almost as great a wonder that God should stay it so soone. And what may we impute it unto? Surely as it is in the text. They cried unto the Lord, God put it into the hearts of the Governours of the state to appoint humiliation and crying to God, and therefore since God hath beene so mercifull upon our humiliation it is religiously, and worthily done of the state that there should be a time to blesse God
Againe, God did it with a word, with a command, it was both in the inflicting and delivery (as it were) without meanes: for what could the Physitians doe in staying the Plague? Alas all the skill in the world is at a losse in these kinds of sicknesses! it comes with Gods command, it is Gods arrow more especially then other sicknesses, God sent it by his Command, first to humble us for our sin, and now hee hath stayd it with a word of command that from above 5000. a weeke, it is come to three persons, God hath sent his word and healed us.
It was a pittifull state wee were in before: for indeed it was not onelyonly a sicknesse upon the Citie but a civill sicknesse: the whole state w…s distempered: for as there is sicknesse in the body when there is obstruction, when there is not a passage for the spirits and the blood from the liver, & from the heart, and from the head these obstructions cause weakenesse, and faintings, and consumption, So was there not an obstruction in the state of late? were not the veynes of the kingdome stopped? Was not civill commerce stayed? the affliction of this great Citie, it was as the affliction of the head or of the heart or of the liver; if the maine vitall part be sick, the whole is sicke, so the whole kingdome not only by way of sympathy, but it was civilly sicke in regard that all trading, and intercourse was stopped, it was a heavy visitation. And wee have much cause to blesse God that now the wayes of this Sion of ours mourne not, that-there is free commerce, and intercourse as before, that we can meete thus peaceably, and quietly at Gods ordinances, and about our ordinarie callings,Concerning deliverance from the plague, to blesse God. those that have an apprehension of the thing cannot chuse but breake out in thanksgiving to God, in divers respects.
1That hee would correct.First of all, have not we matter to praise God that he would correct us at all? hee might have suffred us to have gone on and beene damned with the wicked world as it is 1 Cor. 11.33.1 Cor. 11.33. We are therfore chastened of the Lord that wee should not be damned with the world: it is his mercy that hee would take us into his hands as children, that he would visite us at all.
Another ground of thankesgiving is this that since he would correct us,2That hee would do it himselfe. he would use this kind of correction, that he would take us into his owne hands; might he not have suffred a furious, bloody darke spirited, divellish spirited enemy to have invaded us, to have fallen into the hard hands of men acted with divel…ish malice? David thought this a favour, even that God would single him out to punish him with the Plague of pestilence that he might not fal before his enemies. The mercies of God are wondrous great when we fall into his hands hee is a mercifull God, hee hath tender bowels fu…ll of pitty and compassion: but The very mercies of wicked Idolaters are cruell, there was a merciemercy therefore in that, that God would take us into his owne hands.
3That he stayed the Pestilence.In the third place, we see when he had taken us into his own hands, how he hath stopped the raging of the pestilence, and hath inhibited the destroying Angell, even in a wondrous manner, that the Plague when it was so raging that it should come to decrease upon a sudden; God was wondrous in this worke, is not here matter of praise?
4That our lives were spared.Then againe, it is a mercy to us all here that he should give us our lives for a prey as God sai…h in Ieremiah to Baruch, Wheresoever thou goest thou shalt have thy life for a prey, might not Gods arrow have followed us wheresoever wee went?
Whither can a man goe from this arrow, but that God being every where might smite him with the pestilence? now in that hee hath watched over us, and kept us from this noysome contagious sicknes, and hath brought us altogether here quietly and freely, that so there may bee entercourse betweene man and man in trading, and other callings, this is the fourth ground of praysing of God.
And that it did not rage in other parts: 5That it spread not farre.in former time God scattered the pestilence more ouer the kingdome: It is a great matter to blesse God for. I beseech you let us say with the same spirit, as this holy man h…re, Oh that men therefore would prayse the Lord for his goodnes, and for the wonders that he doth for the children of men! For his goodnesse, that hee would rather correct us here then damne us, for his goodnesse, that hee would not giuegive us up to our enemies, For his goodnesse, that he stayd the infection so suddenly, and that he stayd the spreading of it further, For his goodnesse vntounto us in particular that hee hath kept us all safe.
What shall wee doe now but consecrate, and dedicate these liues of ours for he giues us our liues more then once, at the beginning, there is neuer a one heere but can say by experience, GOD hath given me my life, at such a time, and such a time, let us give these lives againe to God, labour to reforme our former courses, and enter into a new covenant with God, this is one part of thanksgiving to renew our covenant with God, to please him better, and indeed in every thanksgiving, that should bee one ingredient. Now Lord I intend; and resolue to please thee better, whatsoeuer my faults hauehave formerly beene, I resolue by thy grace, and assistance to breake them off, without this all the other is but a dead performance.
Now breifly by way of analogie, and proportion, to rayse some meditations from that that hath hath beene delivered concerning the body to the soule, for God is the Physitian both to soule, and body.
If God with his word can heale our bodies as the Psalmist sayth here, much more can hee with his word heale our Soule.God by his Word heales the soule. There are many that their bodies are well (thanks be to God) but how is it with their soules? here you hauehave some symptomes to know their spirituall state and oh that people were apprehensiue of it!Symptome of a sicke soule. hauehave you not many that their soule loatheth all manner of meate, and they draw neere the gates of death, their soules are in a desperate state, they are deeply sick, how shall wee know it? their soule abhorreth all manner of wholsome meate: how many are there that relish Poets, and history, any trifle that doth but feed their vaine fancie and yet cannot relish the blessed truth, and ordinances of God? Where is spirituall life, when this spirituall sence is gone: when men cannot relish holy things? if they relish the ordinance of God, it is not the spirituall part of it, so farre as the spirit toucheth the conscience, but something that (it may be) is sutable to their conceit expressions, or phrases or the like, but it is a symptom and signe of a fearefull declining state, when men doe not relish the spirituall ordinances of God, which should be (as it were) their appointed food, when they doe not delight to acquaint themselues with God in hearing of the word, and reading, and the like, let such therefore, as delight not in spirituall things know that their soules lye gasping they are at the gates of spirituall death, all is not well there is some fearfull obstruction upon the soule, that takes away the appetite, the soule runnes into the world ouermuch, they cloy themselues with the world, when men cānot relish heavenly things they are eate vp with the delight and joy of other things pleasures and profits.
Let them search the cause,To recover spirituall appetite. and labour for purging sharpe things that may procure an appetite
Let them judge themselues, and see what is the matter that they doe not delight more in heauenly things; let them purge themselues by confession to God, and consideration of their sins, and labour to recover their appetite, for it is almost a desperate estate, They are at the gates of death.
Especially now when we come to the communion, what doe we heere if we cannot relish the food of our soules? let us examine if we desire to tast the louelove of God, and to be acquainted with God here if not,What to do in spirituall distempers, What shall wee doe in these spirituall distempers?
Desire of God, cry to God, that he would forgiue our sinnes, and heale our soules by his holy Spirit, that hee would make us more spirituall to relish heavenly things, better then we hauehave done before, that as the things, that are heauenly, are better in their kind then other things are; so they may be better to our tast.
A man may know the judgement of his state, when hee answereth not the difference of things: what the difference is between the food of life, and ordinary food, what the difference is between the comforts of the holy Ghost, and other comforts, betweene the riches, and pelfe of the world, and the riches of the spirit, the graces of God that will cause a man to liue and die with comfort, the true riches that make the soule rich to eternity, there is no comparison: beg of God, this spi…ituall relish to discerne of things that differ, that we may recouer our appetite God by his word, and spirit can doe it, not only the word written, but the in ward spirituall word written in our hearts, desire God to joyne his spirit with his word, and sacraments, and that will recover our tast and make us spirituall that we shall relish him that is both the feast-maker, and the feast it selfe, he is both the meat and the provider of the banquet.
For whence is it that all other things are sweet to vsus? Deliverance from troble, and sicknesse? because it is a pledge of our spirituall deliverance in Christ, the deliverance from hell and damnation, what comfort can a man hauehave that knowes not his state in grace, in the enjoying of his health, when hee shall think he is but as a sheepe kept for the slaughter? hee knows not whether hee be in the favour of God or no?
Therefore let vsus come, and renew our faith in the forgiuenesse of our sinnes through the blood of Christ, of whom we are made partakers in the Sacrament. For if we beleiue our deliverance from hell, and damnation by the body of Christ broken, and his bloodshed, then every thing will be sweet, when we know God loues us to life everlasting, then every thing in the way to life everlasting euen day… bread will be sweete, because the same louelove that giues heauen, giues dayly food, and the same louelove that redeemes us from hell redeemes us from sicknes, therefore let us labour to strengthen our faith in the maine, that wee may bee thankfull for the lesse. And as we enter into new couenant with God; so labour to keepe it:Levit. 26. in Levit. 26. eueryevery thing auengeth the breaking of Gods couenant when we make couenant to serue him better for the time to come, and yet breake it, God is forced to send his messenger he sends sicknesse to avenge his Covenant, considering that he hath lately so auenged it, let it make us so much the more circumspect in our carriage. So much for this time, and text.
FINIS.
Imprimatur.
Thomas Wykes. May 11 1638.
End of the text · Richard Sibbes, The Riches of Mercy (1638)