Davids Thanksgiving, Sermon 2
The second Sermon.
VVherein is handled in particular the matter it selfe, for which Dauid giueth thanks and that is the arraignement of the man of earth.
PSAL. 10. 18.
To iudge the fatherlesse and the poore, that the man of earth cause to feare no more.
IN the former verse, Dauid praiseth God for hearing the desires of his poore seruants, but now he sheweth more particularly what was their desire, and wherein God hath heard them at the last, namely, they desire that GOD woulde iudge and determine betweene them & their oppressors, and this is the thing that God hath granted them, from whēce the faithfull may learne this comfortable generall doctrine, that when they shalbe vniustly oppressed, God at length wilbe reuenged of their aduersaries, and deliuer his children; which may serue to admonish vsus to endure the crosse manfully, because God will not many times helpe his poore children before they be brought to extreame danger. A hard thing this is to flesh and blood, because eueryevery one desireth to be free from trouble, and therfore except God doth quickly helpe, he seemeth to be slow in helping or forgetfull of his promises (which God forbid we should imagine) but if we desire his helpe, we must wait his leasure, our affections must be tamed, our impatience must be beaten downe, our griefes must be mitigated, vntill our extreeme miseries may prouoke the fauour of God, and to this purpose is that parable of the poore Widow and the wicked Iudge propounded by our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell and in this sort applied to God and his children: that if a wicked Iudge fearing neither God nor man,Luke. 18. 7 will notwithstanding be ouercome with importunate suters at last to doe them iustice, how much more will God that is a most righteous Iudge, and all righteousnes it selfe, heare at length his poore children which call and crie day and night vntounto him for Iustice.
That earthly man, &c.) The wicked lift vp their heads aboue the clouds and yet are but mortall, and subiect to many miseries, and therfore are they called men of earth, to shame them and to humble them: for this is their insolent madnes, and mad insolencie, while they forget their estate, and condition they breath out threateninges as Saul did against the Church of God, as if God himselfe were not sufficient to represse their rage. And yet they are but men, & men of earth too, & come against God as if wormes should come out of the ground to fight against their maker, or as if an earthen pitcher should encoūter with a mountaine of Brasse; they are made of earth, yea and of the baseft earth to; euen of the dust of the earth. Clay is good for somthing, Sand is good for somthing, Marle is good for somthing, Dung is good for somthing, Grauel is good for somthing and earth is good for something, but Dust is good for nothing, except it be to put out mens eyes, & of that is mā made, which cōsideratiō may greatly humble the hiest, the stoutest, the brauest, & the proudest, but the wicked according to their making do sauour nothing else but earth, and the most vile things of the earth, and therefore are fitly called earthly, because they liue like earth wormes.
And though there be legions, & miltitudes of them, yet are they here called by a word of the singular number, Man of earth, not men. And that may be either in regard of their wicked vnity, or else in regard of their great inability to effect that which they purpose whē God shal crosse thē.Pro. 1.24. In wickednes they ioyne altogether as one mā. Cast in thy lot amongst vsus (say theeues & murtherers) we will hauehave all one purse. And in like manner the wicked in all euill ioyne as one man. And yet they shall do no more then one man alone, and that of earth too, & that is little, or nothing, except it be to their own ouerthrow as the Egytiās did when they all followed the poore Israelites into the sea. For man of earth what is hee? what can he doe? what is his beginning? what is his bringing vp? and what is his ending? Is he not begotten of wickednes, conceiued of wretchednes, and borne of weakenes, worse then a dunghill? Is he not brought vp in ignorance & blindnes, in folly and vanitie? Is not he against God, and God against him? His life is death, and his death is double, temporall, and eternall, for the second hath no end: what can he doe? Doth he liue, moue, & breath? it is by God. Pilates power was from aboue. And while God doth giuegive him leaue to breath, and to possesse the world, he is cruell, carnall proud, and obstinate,Act. 17. 28 He is like the image in the second of Daniel, whose head was of Gold, his breast and armes were of Siluer, his belly and his thighs of Brasse, but his legges were of Iron, and his feete of Iron & Clay,Dan. 2. 32 And in like sort is the state of great earthly worldlings compounded with their golden heads and stately buildings, with their siluer breastes and armes, and costly apparrell, with their brasen thighes and mightie friends, with their Iron legges and strong supporting liuings, they make a terrible shew, but with their Iron earthly feete, with their hard heartes, and earthlie affections they are caried vp & downe in the world, which hitting against one little stone, cut without hands, that is Christ Iesus and his Gospell that lie in their waies, as a stone of offence to stumble vponupon, they crumble and fall downe to their vtter spoyle and euerlasting ouerthrowe.
But the heauenlie man shalbe able through God to stand, and to doe valiantlie, and therefore they are called the man of God,a. Tim. 3. 17 because the faithfull are as one man, also vnited by the communion of Saintes, and hauing God amongest them are able to doe great matters. Princes, Magistrates, Preachers are made of earth too, yet hauing but a sparke of Gods Maiestie in them, or rather but the reflexion of a sparke of Gods power and Maiestie vponupon them, are mightie and terrible through Gods spirit, and ought to be terrible to all Gods enemies, and wicked men, but not to the innocent, and godlie: if they vse or abuse their power which God hath put in them, to the cooling of any good mans courage, or to the quenching of the spirit, or to the disgracing or oppressing of poore Christians as many doe, as though they were Gods, and not of earth, surely God will iudge them, & make thē that they shal no more terrifie his children then Pharao that proud hearted King, and the Aegyptians his subiects which laye drowned in the bottome of the sea: and so much be the meaning of the words. Now to the matter of Dauids thanksgiuing.
Dauid praiseth God for iudging betweene his poore seruants, and their oppressors. This is that for want whereof he complaineth in the first verse. This is it for wante wherof the wicked were so lusty to contemne God. By this he will breake the armes, that is, the power of the wicked and search out their wickednes. This is the poore Churches desire, namely a iudiciall hearing. And to this ende hath God prepared their hearts, and to this ende doth the Lord encline his eare vntounto them, namely, To sit in iudgment vponupon the poore mans case, So that, when God doth proceede against the wicked it is in iudgement. And though the poore commit his cause vntounto God, yet it shalbe iudged, and without a iudiciall proceeding shall nothing be done: for God is no acaccepter of persons as men be, though he loueth the godly, yet they shall stand to their triall, and though he hateth the wicked, yet they shall hauehave their triall, all shall be iudged, and all wronges shall be righted by iudgement: therfore it is saide in the Psalme, The Lord shall iudge the people righteously: Psa. 67. 4.This maketh the godly so willingly to appeale vntounto God, saying as Sarai said to Abraham, Gen. 16. 5.The Lord be Iudge betweene me and thee.
God hath erected iudgement feates on earth vponupon whom he hath set Princes and rulers, and graced them with his owne name, and sittes amongst them, to make them to be honoured and regarded;Psal. 82. I. And their iudgments are, or should be Gods iudgements, but oftentimes through corruption good matters are borne downe, & bad matters are borne vp, we see the complaint of Amos proue too true.
They turne iudgement to wormewood (saith hee) and leaue of righteousnes. And that also of Esay. By conceiuing and vttering out of the heart false matters, Amos. 5. 7…iudgement is turned backe, Esai. 59. 13. 14 15 16and iustice standeth farre of: for trueth is fallen in the streete, & iniquitie cannot enter, yea trueth faileth (saith the Prophet) and he that refraineth from euill maketh himselfe a pray: But what? was there no remedie? how did the Lotd take this geare? marke what followeth, when the Lord saw it, it displeased him that there was no iudgement. And when he saw that there was no man, 16he wondred that none would offer himselfe. But is that all? verily no. Therefore his arme did saue it, that is his power did rescue the praie, and his righteousnes it selfe did sustaine it, that is he himselfe tooke the matter in hand: For he put on righteousnes as an habergeon, 17and an helmet of saluation vponupon his head: as if he were to goe amongst his enemies: He put on the garments of vengeance for a cloathing, 18& was clad with zeale as with a cloak, as to recompence, and to requite the furie of the aduersaries, he will fully repaie the Ilands. So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West, 19and his glorie from the rising of the sunne, for the enemie shall come like a floode, but the spirit of the Lord shall chase him away, And this is the godly poore mans comfort.
Therefore saith the Psalmist: Let the people be glad and reioyce, for thou shalt iudge the folke righteously, andPsal. 67. 4 gouerne the nations of the world. And Paule saith:The. 4. 6. 7. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you: And to you which are troubled rest with vsus, when the Lord Shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels. And in his first Epistle speaking of the same matter in other wordes, he concludeth thus:The. 4. 18. Comfort your selues one another with these words. And heere Dauid reioyceth, and praiseth God for that he will iudge the poore and fatherlesse. Iustice and equitie in the world, and from the world are two of the hardest, the dearest, the rarest iewels that cā be gottē: the poore do desire thē, God hath granted their desire to iudge the fatherles & the poore that the mā of earth cause to feare no more.
And here now we see that verified which is in Psal. 126. 5.Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in teares, shall reape in ioy: And that which we hauehave in a prouerbe. A hard beginning maketh a good ending, for one woulde hauehave thought by Dauids beginning of this Psalme, that he should not hauehave made so good an end, for thus he beginneth: Why doest thou hide thy selfe aad stand a farr off O Lord in time of affliction? That is, Why hauehave we not iustice? but he endeth as you heare: Lord thou hast hearde the desire of the poore, to iudge, &. which is as much as can be desired. But let vsus reason a little with Dauid abou this matter. How is it that thou beginning so rudely doest speed so well in the end? If the God of heauen should hauehave dealt with thee Dauid, as the Gods of the earth doe with their suters, it were a wonder that euer thou shouldest finde so much fauour, for though thy matter were good, yet thou mightest hauehave marred it in the handling, thou diddest vtter one speach that was inough to hauehave spilled all: Why doest thou hide thy selfe, &c. What an vnreuerent, rash, and vnaduised speach was this to vtter to the Lord of Heauen and Earth? would the Gods of the earth hauehave takē such a speach at thy hand, or at any poore mans hand? No Dauid no, many hauehave sustained great wrong by wicked men, and hauehave had good causes, that for such a word, yea for a lesse offence then thine hauehave bene very hardly dealt withal, whē they hauehave but craued iustice &c. Now thy fault is greater, and God is a seuere God, it is to be maruailed then how thou diddest escape, and speede so well as thou diddest
It is true indeed (saith Dauid) I confesse my frailtie, and my fault to be great, and so must they also that speake rashly before Gods Magistrates, but if the Lord should narrowly marke eueryevery word that is spoken or eueryevery thing that is done amisse as men doe, who coulde stand before him? No, the Lord knoweth whereof we be made, and considereth in mercy that through extreame heate of passionate affections, and weaknes of faith his children be caried many times beyond themselues, but vponupon their humble submission, and vnfained repentance he freely forgiueth thē though men will not. Yea the Lord in merciemercy doth put a difference betweene his seruants, & his enemies though men many times will not, I recanted my opinion and sayde, The Lord is king for euer and euer, & for all my rude beginning hauehave through Gods mercy obtained a good ending: Praised be the Lord which hath hearde the desire of the poore, to iudge the fatherlesse, and the poore, that the man of earth cause to feare no more. A notable example for earthen Gods, magistrates I meane, to follow, and not with bitternes, and rigour to censure, and in extremitie to prosecute euerie slip, and aduantage of poore ministers, and other honest men when they come to complaine before them, but with louelove & words of graue and gracious counsell to heale, or at least to couer the sore, least the vncircumcised doe reioyce and triumph ouer their fathers and brethren, as cursed Cham did at his fathers nakednes. And so much for the bringing of the beginning, and ending of Dauids petition together. Nowe let vsus heare a little more of the thing it selfe that the Lord hath granted, and that is this, that it will please his Maiestie to heare & determine betweene his poore people on the one side, and their cruell oppressors on the other side. In all respects it may be resembled vntounto a purchased Assises, wherin we are to consider, First the parties betweene whom the controuersie dependeth, Secondly, before whom it is to be tried. Thirdly, by whom it must be tried. Fourthly, the action that is to be tryed. Fiftly, the verdict of the Iurie. Sixtly the sentēce of the Iudge. And lastly the execution of the sentence. And this course we may safely take, both because Gods spirit hath in like sort set foorth the iudgement seat of God, and euerie thing to be tried before the same,Reu. 20. 11. 12 after the manner of earthly Iudges: for our greater capacitie and vnderstanding, as also because this kind of teaching doth nearest sute with the teaching of our Sauiour Christ, who stil vsed such familiar similitudes to explaine his doctrine by, as were most familiarly knowen vntounto men. Then first of the parties betweene whom the pleading is. The plaintiuesPlaintiues are poore and fatherlesse: such as for want of worldly abilitie are faine to sue for their right In forma pauperum, as commonly all good causes doe, yea, whosoeuer will speed in Gods Court must come, In forma pauperis, for the Lord taketh no fees, and standeth for the poore as well as for any other. The defendantsDefendāts or parties arraigned are all oppressors of the poore, all Athistes, proud, and cruell tyrants, craftie, and subtill hunters of the poore. There sit in CommissionCōmissioners. with the King, his owne sonne, the sonne of God the Lord Iesus Christ whom God hath appointed to iudge the world. And with him sit as it were assistants,Act. 17. 13. 24. elders cloathed with white rayments of Christes righteousnes,Reuel. 4. 4. and crowned with golden crownes of heauenly glory and authoritie. The ministers or messengers that attēd on this Court are the heauely Angels of God,Mat. 24. 31. Psa. 68. 17.who for their swiftnes in executing their charge are said to hauehave many wings, and for their great power are called principalities, thrones, and dominations.Mat. 3. 3. The criers of this court are the preachers of the word,Esai. 40. whose voices must be lifted vp like trumpets to summon men before the iudgment seat of God. The bookes of the court be of two sorts, bookes of statutes, and bookes of record. But where is the prisoner?Apo. 20. 12 He standeth taken with his owne iniquity,Pro. 5. 22 and bound with the cordes of his owne sin. Now thē the arrainment. Crier lift vp thy voyce like a trumpet, and call forth the man of earth, Sargants strip him out of al his glorious titles and dignities, seaze vponupon all that he hath, & let him heare his enditement, Man of earth hold vp thy hand, thou art endited here by the name of (Man of Earth) not Gentleman, Nobleman, nor yeoman, but plaine man of earth borne of earth, and brought vp like an earth-worme, &c. For that thou on such a day, and of such a monethmonth in such a yeare, hauing receiued an arme, that is to say, power, wealth, and authoritie, hast abused the same, and by force and fraud didst set vponupon thy poore brother, & fatherles neighbour, liuing & trauelling in gods peace: & meaning thee no harme, didst put thē in feare, so that of their credit, life, & goods they did dispaire, what saiest thou to this fellonie art thou guiltie or not guiltie? Not guiltie my Lord. How wilt thou be tried? By my honest neighbors, (he saith) yea sir, I can bring the handes and seales of all the parish where I dwell for my good behauiour. Yea, but that is not inough man of earth, thou must be tried by God and his Church. Call a Iurie. The Iurie that must goe vponupon thee is impannelled of Prophets, and Apostles, Their names are set downe in the old and new Testament, what canst thou say against them? Oh my Lord, I hauehave to except against them all, They are not my friends, they & I could neuer agree, they speake of malice, because I woulde not heare them, nor be ruled by them, nor giuegive them their demaund, well that is no matter, they are holy men and such as were led by the holy Ghost, 2. Pet. 1. 22. Therfore man of earth hold vp thy hand againe, and heare thy second enditement.2. Enditement. Thou art endited by the name of the man of earth, for Athisme and contempt of God. vers. 3. 4. Also, thou art endited for abusing and oppressing the poore by cruell and craftie practises,3. Enditement. vers. 7. 8. 9. 10. Also for speaking blasphemie & treason against God and his trueth, vers. 11. Also for taking part with the wicked, and standing against the cause of the innocent. Also thou art endited for obstinate prophaning and violating of the Lords saboaths, as also for abusing thy stewardship, and excessiue spending thy substance, vaine and vnprofitable exercises, whereby thou madest thy selfe vnfit to doe the workes of thy calling, to prouide for thy familie▪ to releeue the poore, or to benefit the Church, or to maintaine religious exercises for thy vaine sportes and delights, lighter then vanitie it selfe. What sayest thou to all and euerie of these, art thou guiltie or not guiltie? Not guiltie. How wilt thou be tryed? by my honest neighbours I would be tried? but if there be no remedie, then I must be tried by God and his Church: Call forth the plantife. Poore man, and fatherlesse, come forth, and feare not, you shall be heard, what can you say against this man of earth, and how doe you proue these articles you hauehave heere obiected against him? My Lord then this we say, They hauehave most proudly and cruelly persecuted vsus with inquisitiōs,Vers. 2. slaunders, & fines, with taxes, and vexations, and hauehave almost beggared vsus, againe, they hauehave boasted of their owne hearts desire, they hauehave blessed themselues, and contemned thy seruantes.Vers. 3 The more thou hast done for them,Vers. 5. 7▪ the lesse hauehave they feared thy iudgementes. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceipt, he hath lien in waite in the villages. As8 a Lion in his denne so lurketh he in waite secretly, for his prey, by his crouching,9 and bowing he maketh the poore to fall by heapes into his nets,10 thus he hath vsed vsus. And as for his blasphemies they are most outragious. He hath said in his heart, That the Lord seeth not, nor regardeth. All this we could prooue by manie which are afraide to speake the trueth, for feare of their displeasure, for that some of them are their landlords, some are their masters, some are Iustices of peace, some are their patrōs, some finde them worke, &c. But Lord thou hast seene it thy selfe, for thou beholdest mischiefe and wrong:Vers. 14. That thou mayest take it into thy handes, therefore to thee we appeale. You of the grand Iurie, you hauehave hearde your euidence, and it is all verie true that the poore and fatherlesse hauehave enformed, for I hauehave seene it my selfe (faith the Lord) therfore now giuegive in your verdict, who shall speake for you? Dauid because he is a princely prophet, and therefore deserueth to be foreman, he shall speake for vsus. What say you then, is the man of earth guiltie of all and singular those matters where of he hath beene endited or no? yea Lord (saith Dauid) he is guiltie.
Well then, Man of earth, thou seest that thou art cōuicted by the verdict of the great inquest of the Prophets and Apostles, my selfe being witnesse. What saiest thou to the recordes of thy owne Court?Court of consciēce described For I hauehave giuen thee that priuiledge more then all creatures besides, to keepe Court in thy owne house, to that ende I hauehave giuen thee will and affections, to moue and to debate thy matters, iudgement and vnderstanding to descerne of causes, and memorie as a register to recorde thy causes, and conscience as a Iudge, and a thousand witnesses to determine of all thy proceedings. And this Court is called the Court of Conscience, thou shalt also be tried by that. In that Court be many examinations, many witnesses, and many recordes. The hall is common equitie, there are many sentences in tables fayrely engrauen, as in one place louelove God aboue all, in another, LoueLove thy neighbour as thy selfe, in another, doe as thou wouldest be done vntounto, in another, doe no wrong: Suum cuique tribuito, &c. Perhaps thou wilt saie, they that belong to that Court hauehave troubled thee and disquieted thee, and therefore they are not thy friends, I know it well, and therefore thou wouldest not heare them: Thou hast also disquieted and vexed them, and therefore wouldest be loath to be tried by them, I know also thy corrupt dealing with that Court, how with false perswasions thou hast blinded reason, and peruerted iudgement, how thou hast fed vnderstanding with false informations and blinded her eyes with false louelove, how thou hast put the two Iudges out of commission the louelove of God, and the louelove of thy neighbour, & in steed of them hast aduanced selfeloue, and partialitie. How ignorance and wilfulnes hauehave pleaded thy matters, and malice hath euer beene one of the Iurie, how crueltie, and pride hauehave beene thy assistantes, and weaknes, and discretion hauehave beene put out of doores; how falshood and briberie hauehave informed the Iurie, and trueth and honestie hauehave stood at the barre, how Barrabas the murtherer was released, and Christ the Lord of life was crucified, how thou hast seared that Court with hote iron for offending thee, and Conscience her selfe thou thoughtest thou haddest hanged long agoe. All this I Know, and a great deale more, but now I hauehave raised vp Conscience againe, and set all her attendantes in commission againe. The recordes are finer written, & extant, Lo, where they stand all before me; here selfeloue & malice duplicate page duplicate page hauehave nothing to doe, what sayest thou to all this, wherefore hast thou done thus and thus, why doth the wicked contemne God? why hast thou said in thy heart, the Lord doth not regard? why speakest thou not? what? art thou dumbe? hast thou nothing to say?
Besides all this, heere commeth in now a pettie Iurie of life and death against thee, chosen out from among my dumbe and vnreasonable creatures, all which cry for vengeance against thee, as thy brothers blood for one, the earth that drewe in his blood for another, the beame in thy house for another, and then the stone in the wall,Gen. 4. 10 the beast thou rodest vponupon,Haba. 2. 11 thy money that thou tookest for a bribe,Num. 22. 28. then thy cruell and craftie Bandes and Obligations,Mat. 27. 3. then thy merciles pledges and forfaitures that thou swallowedst vp, then they pettifoggers thē thy craftie counsellers, and then thine owne seruants and children, and thy table that thou toldest thy money vponupon, the verie Penne & Inke that thou wrotest withall, thy bed that thou laiest vponupon, and thy chamber doore that thou diddest keepe fast shut while thou committest thy filthinesse, and by and by thy owne tongue shall find thee guiltie, all these my creatures and subiectes are come in to testifie their humble alleageance and loyall duetie to me their maker, against thee that hast abused them, what sayest thou now? speake, art thou guiltie or not? Iudas being conuicted by the Court of conscience, said he was guiltie in betraying of innocent blood, and so went and hanged himselfe, Cain being conuicted by the Court of Conscience, said also he was guiltie in shedding of his brothers blood, and so became a desperate runnagate. In like sort was Achitophel conuicted of treason against King Dauid, and he went home and hanged himselfe. All these were condemned by the Court of Conscience, and thinkest thou to escape? Conscience bring in thy verdict, what saist thou Conscience to the man of earth (who thought that thou had dest beene hanged long agoe) is he guiltie of those seuerall enditements, which hauehave beene preferred against him by the poore and fatherlesse, and found against him by the grand Iurie of my seruants the Prophets and Apostles or no? we finde saith the Court of Conscience,The verdict of consciēce that such a one man of earth, by Gods prouidence sometime Prince, of such a Nation, and such a one sometime Bishoppe of such a Prouince, and such a one Maior of such a towne, and such a one Iustice of such a Diuision, and such a one Minister of such a congregation, and such a one Lawyer in such a Court, and such a one Landlorde of such tennantes, And such a one Corne badger in such a Countrey, and euerie one of them, and many moe, whose names and bils of enditementes are seuerallie recorded in the booke of Gods euerlasting knowledge; and all and euerie of them, but men of earth forgetting themselues, abusing their place that GOD gaue them, and hauing not the feare of GOD before their eyes are guiltie of all, and euerie seuerall enditement that hath beene commenced against them. Verie well. What? Did they flie for the same? Yea Lord they did flie, for as the light of thy word did follow them, so they did in a deadly hatred of the same seeke darkenes, when they were reproued by the preacher, they would come no more at the sermon. When they hauehave beene looked for at the Church, then they hauehave beene at the bowles, or at the cardes, or at the tables, or at the alehouses, or at their worldlie busines, or about some other horrible wickednes, to verifie the saying: Qui malè agit odit lucem: He that doth euill, hateth the light. VVe'l. VVhat goods, lands, or tenements had they at the time of their apprehension? They had none of their owne, for they were all tenants at will, yet we finde that they were very welthy many of them, and great in worldly substance. For first, Thou hast filled their bellies with thine hidden treasures, so that they hauehave inough for themselues, and leaue inough for their children after thē. Secondly, That wealth which thou gauest them, O Lord, hath encreased: neither are they in penurie as others are. Thirdly the spoiles of the poore are in their houses,Iob. 21. and as great fishes deuoure many small fishes,Psal. 73. so they hauehave gotten many liuings into their handes, and many mens trades and offices into their handes. And this is the verdict of the Courte of conscience, which doth finde him guiltie also of much more, as namely of hypocrisie, of vaineglorie, of contēpt of Gods word, of cōtempt of man, and of diuers villanous practises done in secret, which are knowen onelyonly to God, for Saint Iohn saith. If our heart condemne vsus,1. Ioh. 3. 20 God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things. And thus much for the triall of the man of earth. Now let vsus heare the sentence of the Iudge.
Man of earth (saith the Iudge) thou hast beene endited of diuers and sundrie enditements, to the which thou hast pleaded not guiltie, and yet notwithwanding being tried by the grand Iurie of the holy Prophets, and men of God, as also by the verdict of the Court of thy owne conscience, hast beene conuicted, and found guiltie of them all. Therefore nowe what canst thou say for thy selfe, why sentence of eternall death should not be pronounced against thee according to the lawe? In earthlie iudgementes, this question is put to two sortes of persons, First, such as are quitt by booke, Secondly to such as cannot hauehave that benefit. So likewise in this heauenly iudgement. This question is propounded both to the elect, as also to the reprobate. To the elect it is said, what canst thou say for thy selfe? They staight waie condemne themselues as Dauid did of bloudguiltinesse. Psal. 51. as Iob did his children for blaspheming GOD in their mirth and feastinges, as Peter did his fall from Christ, euen with bitter teares, and as Paule did, who saide, he was a chiefe sinner, crying out, O wretched man that I am &c. and as the prodigall childe did: Father I hauehave sinned against Heauen, and against thee, and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne, but yet for them (thus condemning and humbling themselues) there is some comfort: VVhat, canst thou beleeue in me, (saith the Iudge) and repent from the bottome of thy heart, canst thou read thy name in the booke of life? To which question eueryevery one doth answere as he is prompted by the spirit of God, I beleeue and repent but not of my selfe, it is the gift of God, I beleeue, Lord helpe my vnbeliefe. And with Zaccheus they promise restitution of goods ill gotten.Luke. 19. 8 And with Dauid they pray: Oh that my waies were so directed, Psa. 119.that I might keepe thy statutes alwaies: VVell (saith the Iudge) then heare your sentence. The Court doth award you this punishment,The sentence of the godly you shall be crossed and afflicted in this world sometime in your bodies. Sometimes in your goods, sometimes in your children, you shall also be stung with the hote iron of an afflicted and woūded cōsciēce, you shalbe whip ped & scourged with venemous, & slaunderous tongues of wicked mē, & a great deale more thē this shall happen vntounto you heere, that you may not be damned with the wicked world, & so go your way, and sin no more, least a worse thing happen vntounto you,1. Cor. 11. 32. but before you can be quite discharged, you must remēber to put in Death as a cōmon baile for your forth cōming whersoeuer you shall be called for,Iohn 8 11 and my owne sonne Iesus Christ as a speciall suertie for your debt, and good behauiour, and so paying your fees of obedience, & newnes of life, & carrying about you the remnants of sinne as shackles vpō the feete of your soule to humble you withall so long as you liue in this world, performing these dueties, you are discharged from the sentence of eternall condemnatiō, for the law of the Gospell is that there shall be no condemnation to them that are in Christ,Rom. 8. 1. which walke not after the flesh, but after the spirit. To which the godly doe answere as the Apostle did in the verie same case,Rom. 7. 25 I thanke my God through Iesus Christ my Lord. And thus much for the sentence of the elect, now let vsus heare the sentence of the reprobate.The sentence of the reprobate.
Call forth the reprobate man of earth (saith the Lord.) Man of earth what canst thou say for thy selfe why sentence of eternall death should not be pronounced against thee? What, canst thou beleue in Christ, & repēt for thy sins? Yea Lord I beleeue that Christ died for sinners, and for my part I am sorie that I must be damned▪ Nay thou reprobate, canst thou beleeue effectually that Christ died for thy sinnes, and doest thou abhorre thy sinnes which were the cause of Christes death, or hast thou any heartie desire so to doe? for otherwise thou sayest no more then the Deuils doe, who beleeue and tremble. No Lord: I know not what that meaneth. It is true in deed, for whē thou wert admonished to repent, thou hardenest thine heart, abusing my patience, and making a custome of sinne, which hath bred full hardnes of heart, and impenitencie in thee, and so hast heaped vp vntounto thy selfe wrath against this day of wrath,Rom. 2. 5. and reuealing of my righteous iudgement: thou thoughtest also that thou haddest faith and repentance at commandement, perswading thy selfe and others that all men may repent and beleeue if they will, & whē they will, but now thou seest that thou wert deceiued.
Oh, a Psalme of mercy Lord, one Psalme of mercy, I can read all the Psalmes of Dauid, and say all the penitentiall Psalmes by heart, I will goe to Church, and say ouer the Lords prayer, and my Pater noster too, Lord I wil goe a pilgrimage, and punish my bodie with whipping, and fasting, I hauehave heard thee preach in our parish Church, and will doe againe when I can intend it. Oh Lord I wil do any thing rather then goe to hell. Ah thou reprobate (saith the Lord) who required all this at thy hands? doest thou thinke to please me with thy wil-worship, and spirituall whoredoms? all that wil not serue thy turn thy name is not writtē in the book of life, therfore thou canst not repent, nor beleeue aright: hast thou no more to say? Yes Lord, Others hauehave done as much as I▪ And I hope to be saued as well as others▪ And I hauehave heard some say, that thou art full of mercy, & wouldest that all men should be saued. Yea▪ (saith the Lord) so hast thou and many moe abused my mercy, & bereaued me of iustice as much as in you lie, & like ignorant, & vnstable men peruerting my holy scriptures to your owne destructiō,2. Pet. 3. 16 I wil hauehave mercy on whom I will hauehave mercy & I will execute iudgement merciles vponupon thee which shewedst no mercy to the poore & fatherles,Iam. 2. 13. & do thee no wrong. Therfore now heare thy finall sentence, because thou hast abused thy arme, that is, the power, wealth, & authority that I gaue thee, & hast not at any time loued me for my mercy, nor feared me for my iudgmēt, lo, therfore thy arme shal be brokē, thou shalt be depriued of all meanes wherby thou hast bin encouraged to do mischief, and then thou shalt be no more cause of feare: my people shall goe and liue without feare of thee. Also thou shalt goe from hence to the place from whence thou camest,Gen. 3. 19. and that is to the earth: For out of the Dust wert thou taken, and to the dust shalt thou returne againe. And from thence to the place of execution in hell, and there shalt thou hang in torments intollerable, and perpetuall, prepared for the Deuill and his Angels, where shall be weeping and wailing, aud gnashing of teeth for euer. Thou shalt hauehave blacke fame for thy herault, and euerlasting shame for thy hearse, feare and terrour shall be dealt for thy doale, and the curses of the poore shall follow thee to thy graue. And this is briefely the substance of the sentence of the reprobate man of earth, which is yet but a shadow of that which it is indeed, for indeed it will be more grieuous and terrible when it commeth, then is possible for all the tongues of men and Angels to expresse. Now a little of the execution of this sentence.
In earthly iudgements, execution doth not alwaies presently follow the sentence of the iudge▪ for some are repriued vponupon further consideration,Of the executiō. some are after a while committed to the gallies, and perpetuall slauerie, some are sodenly hanged vp, not knowing of the time when, nor the place where vntill the very instant. And some hauehave knowledge both of the time and place before hand, that they may be prepared for death. So is it also in this heauenly iudgement. Some are repriued, and liue long, yet still in the prison of sinne and slauerie of the Deuill, which is to encrease their torment, some are sodenly taken, and speedily destroyed, without recouerie being brought by the righteous hand of God into euil in the middest of the Cōgregation as apeareth in Pro. 6. 15. Some are longer in languishing paines & torments then some, euen in this world for one and the same fault.
There be three causes for which the Lord doth defer the ful executiō of iudgement vponupon the wicked, the first is, to keepe thē in continuall miserie, for all good things turne to their euill, the second is to plague them with their owne sinne, for there cannot be a greater mischiefe then to be a wicked man, and to liue long in wickednes, for when he hath serued the deuill, the deuill shall pay him his wages, and that sinne wherunto he hath beene most enclined, and whereof he looked for the greatest pleasure and profite, shall worke him the greatest plague and woe. The third cause is, that they may liue and punish vsus which are the children of GOD, who hauehave beene alreadie crossed and whipped by them, and are neuer the better, but when he hath worne them as rods to the stumpes vponupon the backes of his stubburne children, and well humbled vsus by them, he will then cast his rods into the fire. God punisheth not as earthlie iudges doe, to content them that hauehave receiued the wrong, or to satisfie the worlde, but because he hateth sinne, and loueth righteousnesse, and drawe thereout greate glorie to himselfe, and singular good to his children. The vse of this Doctrine may serue to terrifie the wicked, who vse to make but a iest of the iudgements of God, saying, what? so long yet? till doomes day? &c. but it is not so lōg as they dreame, for the sentēce of God is begunne many times to be executed vponupon the wicked, euen when they least feele it, for it is a iudgement of it selfe to be past feeling of Gods iudgement when they sinne: It serueth also to comfort the godly, who thinke the time long till the Lord take the wicked in hand which do oppresse and vexe them. Lastly let it serue to admonish all of vsus to looke vntounto our waies, and to liue so, as that when God shall get vp vntounto his iudgement seat, we may be found, in Christ our great suertie vnblameable, and so escape the fearefull and irrecouerable sentence of the wicked and reprobate, and on the other side may receiue our quietus est, and discharge with Gods elect in Christ Iesus. To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit, be all honour, power, and dominion for euermore.
Now let vsus praise God.
Amen.
Errata.
In pag. 16. line 13. that for, read for that. pa▪ 20. li. 17. for thine, read mine, in line 20. for thy, r. the. pa. 37. li. 16. for they in, r. they are in. & lin. 18. afficted. re. afflicted. pa. 41. lin. 24. want, re. wait. pa. 51. li. 8. be, re▪ for. pa 52 lin. 3. case, r. cause. pa. 63. li. 1. then the, read, then to the.
End of the text · William Burton, Davids Thanksgiving (1598)