Eighty Sermons, prebend · Sermon 66
SERM. LXVI. The ſecond of my Prebend Sermons upon my five Pſalmes. Preached at S. Pauls, Ianuary 29. 1625.
PSAL. 63.7.
Becauſe thou haſt been my helpe, Therefore in the ſhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce.
THe Pſalmes are the Manna of the Church.Wiſd. 16.20. As Manna taſted to every man like that that he liked beſt, ſo doe the Pſalmes miniſter Inſtruction, and ſatisfaction, to every man, in every emergency and occaſion. David was not onelyonly a cleare Prophet of Chriſt himſelfe, but a Prophet of every particular Chriſtian; He foretels what I, what any ſhall doe, and ſuffer, and ſay. And as the whole booke of Pſalmes is Oleum effuſum, Cant. 1.3.(as the Spouſe ſpeaks of the name of Chriſt) an Oyntment powred out upon all ſorts of ſores, A Searcloth that ſouples all bruiſes, A Balme that ſearches all wounds; ſo are there ſome certaine Pſalmes, that are Imperiall Pſalmes, that command over all affections, and ſpread themſelves over all occaſions, Catholique, univerſall Pſalmes, that apply themſelves to all neceſſities. This is one of thoſe; for, of thoſe Conſtitutions which are called Apoſtolicall,Conſtitut. Apoſtol. one is, That the Church ſhould meet every day, to ſing this Pſalme. And accordingly, S. Chryſoſtome teſtifies, That it was decreed, and ordained by the Primitive Fathers,Chryſoſt. that no day ſhould paſſe without the publique ſinging of this Pſalme. Under both theſe obligations, (thoſe ancient Conſtitutions, called the Apoſtles, and thoſe ancient Decrees made by the primitive Fathers) belongs to me, who have my part in the ſervice of Gods Church, the eſpeciall meditation, and recommendation of this Pſalme. And under a third obligation too, That it is one of thoſe five pſalmes, the daily rehearſing whereof, is injoyned to me, by the Conſtitutions of this Church, as five other are to every other perſon of our body. As the whole booke is Manna, ſo theſe five Pſalmes are my Gomer, which I am to fill and empty every day of this Manna.
Now as the ſpirit and ſoule of the whole booke of Pſalmes is contracted into this pſalme, ſo is the ſpirit and ſoule of this whole pſalme contracted into this verſe.Diviſie. The key of the pſalme, (as S. Hierome calls the Titles of the pſalmes) tells us,Hieron. that David uttered this pſalme, when he was in the wilderneſſe of Iudab; There we ſee the preſent occaſion that moved him; And we ſee what was paſſed between God and him before, in the firſt clauſe of our Text; (Becauſe thou haſt been my helpe) And then we ſee what was to come, by the reſt, (Therefore in the ſhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce.) So that we have here the whole compaſſe of Time, Paſt, Preſent, and Future; and theſe three parts of Time, ſhall be at this time, the three parts of this Exerciſe; firſt, what Davids diſtreſſe put him upon for the preſent; and that lyes in the Context; ſecondly, how David built his aſſurance upon that which was paſt; (Becauſe thou haſt been my help) And thirdly, what he eſtabliſhed to himſelfe for the future, (Therefore in the ſhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce.) Firſt, His diſtreſſe in the Wilderneſſe, his preſent eſtate carried him upon the memory of that which God had done for him before. And the Remembrance of that carried him upon that, of which he aſſured himſelfe after. Fixe upon God any where, and you ſhall finde him a Circle; He is with you now, when you fix upon him; He was with you before, for he brought you to this fixation; and he will be with you hereafter, for He is yeſterday, Heb. 13.8.and to day; and the ſame for ever.
For Davids preſent condition, who was now in a baniſhment, in a perſecution in the Wilderneſſe of Judah, (which is our firſt part) we ſhall onelyonly inſiſt upon that, (which is indeed ſpread over all the pſalme to the Text, and ratified in the Text) That in all thoſe temporall calamities David was onelyonly ſenſible of his ſpirituall loſſe; It grieved him not that he was kept from Sauls Court, but that he was kept from Gods Church. For when he ſayes,Ver. 1. by way of lamentation, That he was in a dry and thirſty land, where no water was, he expreſſes what penury, what barrenneſſe, what drought and what thirſt he meant; To ſee thy power, Ver. 2. Ver. 5. Ver. 3.and thy glory, ſo as I have ſeene thee in the Sanctuary. For there, my ſoule ſhall be ſatisfied as with marrow, and with ſatneſſe, and there, my mouth ſhall praiſe thee with joyfull lips. And in ſome few conſiderations conducing to this, That ſpirituall loſſes are incomparably heavier then temporall, and that therefore, The Reſtitution to our ſpirituall happineſſe, or the continuation of it, is rather to be made the ſubject of our prayers to God, in all preſſures and diſtreſſes, then of temporall, we ſhall determine that firſt part. And for the particular branches of both the other parts, (The Remembring of Gods benefits paſt, And the building of an aſſurance for the future, upon that Remembrance) it may be fitter to open them to you, anon when we come to handle them, then now. Proceed we now to our firſt part, The comparing of temporall and ſpirituall afflictions.
In the way of this Compariſon,1 Part. Afflictio univerſalis. 2 Cor. 4.17. falls firſt the Conſideration of the univerſality of afflictions in generall, and the inevitableneſſe thereof. It is a bleſſed Meraphore, that the Holy Ghoſt hath put into the mouth of the Apoſtle, Pondus Gloriae, That our afflictions are but light, becauſe there is an exceeding, and an eternall waight of glory attending them. If it were not for that exceeding waight of glory, no other waight in this world could turne the ſcale, or waigh downe thoſe infinite waights of afflictions that oppreſſe us here. There is not onelyonly Peſtis valde gravis, (the peſtilence grows heavy upon the Land) but there is Muſca valde gravis, Exod. 9.3.8.24.God calls in but the fly, to vexe Egypt, and even the fly is a heavy burden unto them.Job 7.20. 2 Sam. 14.26. Lament. 3.7. It is not onelyonly Iob that complains, That he was a burden to himſelfe, but even Abſaloms haire was a burden to him, till it was polled. It is not onelyonly Ieremy that complains, Aggravavit compedes, That God had made their fetters and their chains heavy to them, but the workmen in harveſt complaine, That God had made a faire day heavy unto them,Mat. 20.12. Pro. 27.3. (We have borne the heat, and the burden of the day.) Sand is heavy, ſayes Solomon; And how many ſuffer ſo? under a ſand-hill of croſſes, daily, hourely afflictions, that are heavy by their number, if not by their ſingle waight? And a ſtone is heavy; (ſayes he in the ſame place) And how many ſuffer ſo? How many, without any former preparatory croſſe, or comminatory, or commonitory croſſe, even in the midſt of proſperity, and ſecurity, fall under ſome one ſtone, ſome grind-ſtone, ſome mil-ſtone, ſome one inſupportable croſſe that ruines them? But then, (ſayes Solomon there) A fooles anger is heavier then both; And how many children, and ſervants, and wives ſuffer under the anger, and moroſity, and peeviſhneſſe, and jealouſie of fooliſh Maſters, and Parents, and Husbands, though they muſt not ſay ſo? David and Solomon have cryed out, That all this world is vanity, and levity; And (God knowes) all is waight, and burden, and heavineſſe, and oppreſſion; And if there were not a waight of future glory to counterpoyſe it, we ſhould all ſinke into nothing.
I aske not Mary Magdalen, whether lightneſſe were not a burden; (for ſin is certainly, ſenſibly a burden) But I aske Suſanna whether even chaſt beauty were not a burden to her; And I aske Ioſeph whether perſonall comelineſſe were not a burden to him. I aske not Dives, who periſhed in the next world, the queſtion; but I aske them who are made examples of Solomons Rule,Eccleſ. 5.13. of that ſore evill, (as he calls it) Riches kept to the owners thereof for their hurt, whether Riches be not a burden.
All our life is a continuall burden, yet we muſt not groane; A continuall ſqueaſing, yet we muſt not pant; And as in the tenderneſſe of our childhood, we ſuffer, and yet are whipt if we cry, ſo we are complained of, if we complaine, and made delinquents if we call the times ill. And that which addes waight to waight, and multiplies the ſadneſſe of this conſideration, is this, That ſtill the beſt men have had moſt laid upon them. As ſoone as I heare God ſay, that he hath found an upright man, that feares God, and eſchews evill, in the next lines I finde a Commiſſion to Satan, to bring in Sabeans and Chaldeans upon his cattell, and ſervants, and fire and tempeſt upon his children, and loathſome diſeaſes upon himſelfe. As ſoone as I heare God ſay, That he hath found a man according to his own heart, I ſee his ſonnes raviſh his daughters, and then murder one another,Mat. 3.17. and then rebell againſt the Father, and put him into ſtraites for his life. As ſoone as I heare God teſtifie of Chriſt at his Baptiſme, This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleaſed, I finde that Sonne of his led up by the Spirit, to be tempted of the Devill. Matt. 4.1. Matt. 17.5.And after I heare God ratifie the ſame teſtimony againe, at his Transfiguration, (This is my beloved Sonne, in whom I am well pleaſed) I finde that beloved Sonne of his, deſerted, abandoned, and given over to Scribes, and Phariſees, and Publicans, and Herodians, and Prieſts, and Souldiers, and people, and Judges, and witneſſes, and executioners, and he that was called the beloved Sonne of God, and made partaker of the glory of heaven, in this world, in his Transfiguration, is made now the Sewer of all the corruption, of all the ſinnes of this world, as no Sonne of God, but a meere man, as no man, but a contemptible worme. As though the greateſt weakneſſe in this world, were man, and the greateſt fault in man were to be good, man is more miſerable then other creatures, and good men more miſerable then any other men.
But then there is Pondus Gloriae, An exceeding waight of eternall glory, Afflictio ſpiritualis.and that turnes the ſcale; for as it makes all worldly proſperity as dung, ſo it makes all worldly adverſity as feathers. And ſo it had need; for in the ſcale againſt it, there are not onelyonly put temporall afflictions, but ſpirituall too; And to theſe two kinds, we may accommodate thoſe words, He that fals upon this ſtone, (upon temporall afflictions) may be bruiſed,Matt. 21.44. broken, But he upon whom that ſtone falls, (ſpirituall afflictions) is in danger to be ground to powder. And then, the great, and yet ordinary danger is, That theſe ſpirituall afflictions grow out of temporall; Murmuring, and diffidence in God, and obduration, out of worldly calamities; And ſo againſt nature, the fruit is greater and heavier then the Tree, ſpirituall heavier then temporall afflictions.
They who write of Naturall ſtory, propoſe that Plant for the greateſt wonder in nature,Plin. l. 27.11. Lithoſpermus. which being no firmer then a bull-ruſh, or a reed, produces and beares for the fruit thereof no other but an intire, and very hard ſtone. That temporall affliction ſhould produce ſpirituall ſtonineſſe, and obduration, is unnaturall, yet ordinary. Therefore doth God propoſe it, as one of thoſe greateſt bleſſings, which he multiplies upon his people, I will take away your ſtony hearts, and give you hearts of fleſh; And,Ezek. 11.19. & 36.26. Plin. & Plutar. Lord let mee have a fleſhly heart in any ſenſe, rather then a ſtony heart. Wee finde mention amongſt the obſervers of rarities in Nature, of hairy hearts, hearts of men, that have beene overgrowne with haire; but of petrified hearts, hearts of men growne into ſtone, we read not; for this petrefaction of the heart, this ſtupefaction of a man, is the laſt blow of Gods hand upon the heart of man in this world.Revel. 16. Thoſe great afflictions which are powred out of the Vials of the ſeven Angels upon the world, are ſtill accompanied with that heavy effect, that that affliction hardned them. They were ſcorched with heats and plagues, by the fourth Angel, and it followes, They blaſphemed the name of God, and repented not, ver. 9.to give him glory. Darkneſſe was induced upon them by the fift Angel, and it followes,ver. 11. They blaſphemed the God of heaven, and repented not of their deeds. And from the ſeventh Angel there fell haileſtones of the waight of talents,ver. 29. (perchance foure pound waight) upon men; And yet theſe men had ſo much life left, as to blaſpheme God, out of that reſpect, which alone ſhould have brought them to glorifie God, Becauſe the plague thereof was exceeding great. And when a great plague brings them to blaſpheme, how great ſhall that ſecond plague be, that comes upon them for blaſpheming?
Let me wither and weare out mine age in a diſcomfortable, in an unwholeſome, in a penurious priſon, and ſo pay my debts with my bones, and recompence the waſtfulneſſe of my youth, with the beggery of mine age; Let me wither in a ſpittle under ſharpe, and foule, and in famous diſeaſes, and ſo recompence the wantonneſſe of my youth, with that loath ſomneſſe in mine age; yet, if God with draw not his ſpirituall bleſſings, his Grace, his Patience, If I can call my ſuffering his Doing, my paſſion his Action, All this that is temporall, is but a caterpiller got into one corner of my garden, but a mill-dew fallen upon one acre of my Corne; The body of all, the ſubſtance of all is ſafe, as long as the ſoule is ſafe. But when I ſhall truſt to that, which wee call a good ſpirit, and God ſhall deject, and empoveriſh, and evacuate that ſpirit, when I ſhall rely upon a morall conſtancy, and God ſhall ſhake, and enfeeble, and enervate, deſtroy and demoliſh that conſtancy; when I ſhall think to refreſh my ſelfe in the ſerenity and ſweet ayre of a good conſcience, and God ſhall call up the damps and vapours of hell it ſelfe, and ſpread a cloud of diffidence, and an impenetrable cruſt of deſperation upon my conſcience; when health ſhall flie from me, and I ſhall lay hold upon riches to ſuccour me, and comfort me in my ſickneſſe, and riches ſhall flie from me, and I ſhall ſnatch after favour, and good opinion, to comfort me in my poverty; when even this good opinion-ſhall leave me, and calumnies and miſinformations ſhall prevaile againſt me; when I ſhall need peace, becauſe there is none but thou, O Lord, that ſhould ſtand for me, and then ſhall finde, that all the wounds that I have, come from thy hand, all the arrowes that ſtick in me, from thy quiver; when I ſhall ſee, that becauſe I have given my ſelfe to my corrupt nature, thou haſt changed thine; and becauſe I am all evill towards thee, therefore thou haſt given over being good towards me; When it comes to this height, that the fever is not in the humors, but in the ſpirits, that mine enemy is not an imaginary enemy, fortune, nor a tranſitory enemy, malice in great perſons, but a reall, and an irreſiſtible, and an inexorable, and an everlaſting enemy, The Lord of Hoſts himſelfe, The Almighty God himſelfe, the Almighty God himſelfe onelyonly knowes the waight of this affliction, and except hee put in that pondus gloriae, that exceeding waight of an eternall glory, with his owne hand, into the other ſcale, we are waighed downe, we are ſwallowed up, irreparably, irrevocably, irrecoverably, irremediably.
This is the fearefull depth, this is ſpirituall miſery, to be thus fallen from God. But was this Davids caſe? was he fallen thus farre, into a diffidence in God? No. But the danger, the precipice, the ſlippery ſliding into that bottomleſſe depth, is, to be excluded from the meanes of comming to God, or ſtaying with God; And this is that that David laments here, That by being baniſhed, and driven into the wilderneſſe of Judah, hee had not acceſſe to the Sanctuary of the Lord, to ſacrifice his part in the praiſe, and to receive his part in the prayers of the Congregation; for Angels paſſe not to ends, but by wayes and meanes, nor men to the glory of the triumphant Church, but by participation of the Communion of the Militant. To this note David ſets his Harpe, in many, many Pſalms: Sometimes,Pſal. 78.60. that God had ſuffered his enemies to poſſeſſe his Tabernacle, (Hee for ſooke the Tabernacle of Shiloh, Hee delivered his ſtrength into captivity, and his glory into the enemies hands) But moſt commonly he complaines, that God diſabled him from comming to the Sanctuary. In which one thing he had ſummed up all his deſires, all his prayers, (One thing have I deſired of the Lord, Pſal. 27.4.that will I looke after; That I may dwell in the houſe of the Lord, all the dayes of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his Temple) His vehement deſire of this,Pſal. 42.2. he expreſſes againe, (My ſoule thirſteth for God, for the living God; when ſhall I come and appeare before God?) He expreſſes a holy jealouſie, a religious envy,Pſal. 84.3. even to the ſparrows and ſwallows, (yea, the ſparrow hath found a houſe, and the ſwallow a neſt for her ſelfe, and where ſhe may lay her yong, Even thine Altars, O Lord of Hoſt, my King and my God.) Thou art my King, and my God, and yet excludeſt me from that,Luk. 12.7. which thou affordeſt to ſparrows, And are not we of more value then many ſparrows?
And as though David felt ſome falſe eaſe, ſome half-tentation, ſome whiſpering that way,Pſal. 84.3. That God is in the wilderneſſe of Iudah, in every place, as well as in his Sanctuary, there is in the Originall in that place, a patheticall, a vehement, a broken expreſſing expreſſed, O thine Altars; It is true, (ſayes David) thou art here in the wilderneſſe, and I may ſee thee here, and ſerve thee here, but, O thine Altars, O Lord of hoſts, my King and my God. When David could not come in perſon to that place, yet he bent towards the Temple,Pſal. 5.7. (In thy feare will I worſhip towards thy holy Temple.) Which was alſo Daniels devotion; when he prayed,Dan. 6.10. his Chamber windowes were open towards Ieruſalem; And ſo is Hezekias turning to the wall to weepe,Eſa. 38.2. and to pray in his ſick bed, underſtood to be to that purpoſe, to conforme, and compoſe himſelfe towards the Temple. In the place conſecrated for that uſe, God by Moſes fixes the ſervice, and fixes the Reward; And towards that place,Deut. 31.11. (when they could not come to it) doth Solomon direct their devotion in the Conſecration of the Temple,1 King. 8.44. (when they are in the warres, when they are in Captivity, and pray towards this houſe, doe thou heare them.) For, as in private prayer, when (according to Chriſts command) we are ſhut in our chamber, there is exerciſed Modeſtia fidei, The modeſty and baſhfulneſſe of our faith, not preſſing upon God in his houſe: ſo in the publique prayers of the Congregation, there is exerciſed the fervor, and holy courage of our faith,Tertull. for Agmine facto obſidemus Deum, It is a Muſtering of our forces, and a beſieging of God. Therefore does David ſo much magnifie their bleſſedneſſe, that are in this houſe of God; (Bleſſed are they that dwell in thy houſe, for they will be ſtill praiſing thee) Thoſe that looke towards it, may praiſe thee ſometimes, but thoſe men who dwell in the Church, and whoſe whole ſervice lyes in the Church, have certainly an advantage of all other men (who are neceſſarily withdrawne by worldly buſineſſes) in making themſelves acceptable to almighty God, if they doe their duties, and obſerve their Church-ſervices aright.
Man being therefore thus ſubject naturally to manifold calamities,Excommunicatio. and ſpirituall calamities being incomparably heavier then temporall, and the greateſt danger of falling into ſuch ſpirituall calamities being in our abſence from Gods Church, where onelyonly the outward meanes of happineſſe are miniſtred unto us, certainely there is much tenderneſſe and deliberation to be uſed, before the Church doores be ſhut againſt any man. If I would not direct a prayer to God, to excommunicate any man from the Triumphant Church, (which were to damne him) I would not oyle the key, I would not make the way too ſlippery for excommunications in the Militant Church; For, that is to endanger him. I know how diſtaſtfull a ſin to God, contumacy, and contempt, and diſobedience to Order and Authority is; And I know, (and all men, that chooſe not ignorance, may know) that our Excommunications (though calumniators impute them to ſmall things, becauſe, many times, the firſt complaint is of ſome ſmall matter) never iſſue but upon contumacies, contempts, diſobediences to the Church. But they are reall contumacies, not interpretative, apparant contumacies, not preſumptive, that excommunicate a man in Heaven; And much circumſpection is required, and (I am far from doubting it) exerciſed in thoſe caſes upon earth; for, though every Excommunication upon earth be not ſealed in Heaven, though it damne not the man, yet it dammes up that mans way, by ſhutting him out of that Church, through which he muſt goe to the other; which being ſo great a danger, let every man take heed of Excommunicating himſelfe. The imperſwaſible Recuſant does ſo; The negligent Libertin does ſo; The fantaſtique Separatiſt does ſo; The halfe-preſent man, he, whoſe body is here, and minde away, does ſo; And he, whoſe body is but halfe here, his limbes are here upon a cuſhion, but his eyes, his eares are not here, does ſo: All theſe are are ſelfe-Excommunicators, and keepe themſelves from hence. OnelyOnly he enjoyes that bleſſing, the want whereof David deplores, that is here intirely, and is glad he is here, and glad to finde this kinde of ſervice here, that he does, and wiſhes no other.
And ſo we have done with our firſt Part, Davids aſpect, his preſent condition, and his danger of falling into ſpirituall miſeries, becauſe his perſecution, and baniſhment amounted to an Excommunication, to an excluding of him from the ſervice of God, in the Church. And we paſſe, in our Order propoſed at firſt, to the ſecond, his retroſpect, the Conſideration, what God had done for him before, Becauſe thou haſt beene my helpe.
Through this ſecond part, we ſhall paſſe by theſe three ſteps. Firſt,2 Part. That it behoves us, in all our purpoſes, and actions, to propoſe to our ſelves a copy to write by, a patterne to worke by, a rule, or an example to proceed by, Becauſe it hath beene thus heretofore, ſayes David, I will reſolve upon this courſe for the future. And ſecondly, That the copy, the patterne, the precedent which we are to propoſe to our ſelves, is, The obſervation of Gods former wayes and proceedings upon us, Becauſe God hath already gone this way, this way I will awaite his going ſtill. And then, thirdly and laſtly, in this ſecond part, The way that God had formerly gone with David, which was, That he had been his helpe, (Becauſe thou haſt beene my helpe.)
Firſt then, from the meaneſt artificer, through the wiſeſt Philoſopher, to God himſelfe,Ideae. all that is well done, or wiſely undertaken, is undertaken and done according to pre-conceptions, fore-imaginations, deſignes, and patterns propoſed to our ſelves beforehand. A Carpenter builds not a houſe, but that he firſt ſets up a frame in his owne minde, what kinde of houſe he will build. The little great Philoſopher Epictetus, would undertake no action, but he would firſt propoſe to himſelfe, what Socrates, or Plato, what a wiſe man would do in that caſe, and according to that, he would proceed. Of God himſelfe, it is ſafely reſolved in the Schoole, that he never did any thing in any part of time, of which he had not an eternall pre-conception, an eternall Idea, in himſelfe before. Of which Ideaes, that is, pre-conceptions, pre-determinations in God, S. Auguſtine pronounces, Tanta vis in Ideis conſtituitur, There is ſo much truth,Auguſt. and ſo much power in theſe Ideaes, as that without acknowledging them, no man can acknowledge God, for he does not allow God Counſaile, and Wiſdome, and deliberation in his Actions, but ſets God on worke, before he have thought what he will doe. And therefore he, and others of the Fathers read that place,Ioh. 1.3, 4. (which we read otherwiſe) Quod factum eſt, in ipſo vita erat; that is, in all their Expoſitions, whatſoever is made, in time, was alive in God, before it was made, that is, in that eternall Idea, and patterne which was in him. So alſo doe divers of thoſe Fathers read thoſe words to the Hebrews,Heb. 11.3. (which we read, The things that are ſeene, are not made of things that doe appeare) Ex inviſibilibus viſibilia facta ſunt, Things formerly inviſible, were made viſible; that is, we ſee them not till now, till they are made, but they had an inviſible being, in that Idea, in that pre-notion, in that purpoſe of God before, for ever before. Of all things in Heaven, and earth, but of himſelfe, God had an Idea, a patterne in himſelfe, before he made it.
And therefore let him be our patterne for that, to worke after patternes; To propoſe to our ſelves Rules and Examples for all our actions; and the more, the more immediately, the more directly our actions concerne the ſervice of God. If I aske God, by what Idea he made me, God produces his Faciamus hominem ad Imaginem noſtram, That there was a concurrence of the whole Trinity, to make me in Adam, according to that Image which they were, and according to that Idea, which they had pre-determined. If I pretend to ſerve God, and he aske me for my Idea, How I meane to ſerve him, ſhall I bee able to produce none? If he aske me an Idea of my Religion, and my opinions, ſhall I not be able to ſay, It is that which thy word, and thy Catholique Church hath imprinted in me? If he aske me an Idea of my prayers, ſhall I not be able to ſay, It is that which my particular neceſſities, that which the forme preſcribed by thy Son, that which the care, and piety of the Church, in conceiving fit prayers, hath imprinted in me? If he aske me an Idea of my Sermons, ſhall I not be able to ſay, It is that which the Analogy of Faith, the edification of the Congregation, the zeale of thy worke, the meditations of my heart have imprinted in me? But if I come to pray or to preach without this kind of Idea, if I come to extemporall prayer, and extemporall preaching, I ſhall come to an extemporall faith, and extemporall religion; and then I muſt looke for an extemporall Heaven, a Heaven to be made for me; for to that Heaven which belongs to the Catholique Church, I ſhall never come, except I go by the way of the Catholique Church, by former Idea's, former examples, former patterns, To beleeve according to ancient beliefes, to pray according to ancient formes, to preach according to former meditations. God does nothing, man does nothing well, without theſe Idea's, theſe retroſpects, this recourſe to pre-conceptions, pre-deliberations.
Something then I muſt propoſe to my ſelfe,Via Domini. to be the rule, and the reaſon of my preſent and future actions; which was our firſt branch in this ſecond Part; And then the ſecond is, That I can propoſe nothing more availably, then the contemplation of the hiſtory of Gods former proceeding with me; which is Davids way here, Becauſe this was Gods way before, I will looke for God in this way ſtill. That language in which God ſpake to man, the Hebrew, hath no preſent tenſe; They forme not their verbs as our Weſterne Languages do, in the preſent, I heare, or I ſee, or I reade, But they begin at that which is paſt, I have ſeene and heard, and read. God carries us in his Language, in his ſpeaking, upon that which is paſt, upon that which he hath done already; I cannot have better ſecurity for preſent, nor future, then Gods former mercies exhibited to me. Quis non gaudeat, Auguſt.ſayes S. Auguſtine, Who does not triumph with joy, when hee conſiders what God hath done? Quis non & ea, quae nondum venerunt, ventura ſperat, propter illa, quae jam tanta impleta ſunt? Who can doubt of the performance of all, that ſees the greateſt part of a Propheſie performed? If I have found that true that God hath ſaid, of the perſon of Antichriſt, why ſhould I doubt of that which he ſayes of the ruine of Antichriſt? Credamus modicum quod reſtat, ſayes the ſame Father, It is much that wee have ſeene done, and it is but little that God hath reſerved to our faith, to beleeve that it ſhall be done.
There is no State, no Church, no Man, that hath not this tie upon God, that hath not God in theſe bands, That God by having done much for them already, hath bound himſelfe to doe more. Men proceed in their former wayes, ſometimes, leſt they ſhould confeſſe an error, and acknowledge that they had beene in a wrong way. God is obnoxious to no error, and therefore he does ſtill, as he did before. Every one of you can ſay now to God, Lord, Thou broughteſt me hither, therefore enable me to heare; Lord, Thou doeſt that, therefore make me underſtand; And that, therefore let me beleeve; And that too, therefore ſtrengthen me to the practiſe; And all that, therefore continue me to a perſeverance. Carry it up to the firſt ſenſe and apprehenſion that ever thou hadſt of Gods working upon thee, either in thy ſelfe, when thou cameſt firſt to the uſe of reaſon, or in others in thy behalfe, in thy baptiſme, yet when thou thinkeſt thou art at the firſt, God had done ſomething for thee before all that; before that, hee had elected thee, in that election which S. Auguſtine ſpeaks of, Habet electos, quos creaturus eſt eligendos, Auguſt.God hath elected certaine men, whom he intends to create, that he may elect them; that is, that he may declare his Election upon them. God had thee, before he made thee; He loved thee firſt, and then created thee, that thou loving him, he might continue his love to thee. The ſureſt way, and the neareſt way to lay hold upon God, is the conſideration of that which he had done already. So David does; And that which he takes knowledge of, in particular, in Gods former proceedings towards him, is, Becauſe God had been his helpe, which is our laſt branch in this part, Becauſe thou haſt beene my helpe.
From this one word, That God hath been my He… Quia auxilium.I make account that we have both theſe notions; firſt, That God hath not left me to my ſelfe, He hath come to my ſuccour, He hath helped me; And then, That God hath not left out my ſelfe; He hath been my Helpe, but he hath left ſome thing for me to doe with him, and by his helpe. My ſecurity for the future, in this conſideration of that which is paſt, lyes not onelyonly in this, That God hath delivered me, but in this alſo, that he hath delivered me by way of a Helpe, and Helpe alwayes preſumes an endevour and co-operation in him that is helped. God did not elect me as a helper, nor create me, nor redeeme me nor convert me, by way of helping me; for he alone did all, and he had no uſe at all of me. God infuſes his firſt grate, the firſt way, meerly as a Giver; intirely, all himſelfe; but his ſubſequent graces, as a helper; therefore we call them Auxiliant graces, Helping graces; and we alwayes receive them, when we endevour to make uſe of his former grace. Lord, I beleeve, Mar. 9.24.(ſayes the Man in the Goſpel to Chriſt) Helpe mine unbeliefe. If there had not been unbeliefe, weakneſſe, unperfectneſſe in that faith, there had needed no helpe; but if there had not been a Beliefe, a faith, it had not been capable of helpe and aſſiſtance, but it muſt have been an intire act, without any concurrence on the mans part.
So that if I have truly the teſtimony of a rectified Conſcience, That God hath helped me, it is in both reſpects; firſt, That he hath never forſaken me, and then, That he hath never ſuffered me to forſake my ſelfe; He hath bleſſed me with that grace, that I truſt in no helpe but his, and with this grace too, That I cannot looke for his helpe, except I helpe my ſelfe alſo. God did not helpe heaven and earth to proceed out of nothing in the Creation, for they had no poſſibility of any diſpoſition towards it; for they had no beeing: But God did helpe the earth to produce graſſe, and herbes; for, for that, God had infuſed a ſeminall diſpoſition into the earth, which, for all that, it could not have perfected without his farther helpe. As in the making of Woman, there is the very word of our Text, Gnazar, God made him a Helper, one that was to doe much for him, but not without him. So that then, if I will make Gods former working upon me, an argument of his future gracious purpoſes, as I muſt acknowledge that God hath done much for me, ſo I muſt finde, that I have done what I could, by the benefit of that grace with him; for God promiſes to be but a helper. Lord open thou my lips, ſayes David; Pſal. 51.15.that is Gods worke intirely; And then, My mouth, My mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy praiſe; there enters David into the worke with God. And then, ſayes God to him, Dilata os tuum, Open thy mouth, (It is now made Thy mouth, and therefore doe thou open it) and I will fill it; All inchoations and conſummations, beginnings and perfectings are of God, of God alone; but in the way there is a concurrence on our part, (by a ſucceſſive continuation of Gods grace) in which God proceeds as a Helper; and I put him to more then that, if I doe nothing. But if I pray for his helpe, and apprehend and husband his graces well, when they come, then he is truly, properly my helper; and upon that ſecurity, that teſtimony of a rectified Conſcience, I can proceed to Davids confidence for the future, Becauſe thou haſt been my Helpe, therefore in the ſhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce; which is our third, and laſt generall part.
In this laſt part, which is, (after Davids aſpect, and conſideration of his preſent condition,Diviſio. 3 Part. which was, in the effect, an Excluſion from Gods Temple, And his retroſpect, his conſideration of Gods former mercies to him, That he had been his Helpe) his proſpect, his confidence for the future, we ſhall ſtay a little upon theſe two ſteps; firſt, That that which he promiſes himſelfe, is not an immunity from all powerfull enemies, nor a ſword of revenge upon thoſe enemies; It is not that he ſhall have no adverſary, nor that that adverſary ſhall be able to doe him no harme, but that he ſhould have a refreſhing, a reſpiration, In velamento alarum, under the ſhadow of Gods wings. And then, (in the ſecond place) That this way which God ſhall be pleaſed to take, this manner, this meaſure of refreſhing, which God ſhall vouchſafe to afford, (though it amount not to a full deliverance) muſt produce a joy, a rejoycing in us; we muſt not onelyonly not decline to a murmuring, that we have no more, no nor reſt upon a patience for that which remains, but we muſt aſcend to a holy joy, as if all were done and accompliſhed, In the ſhadow of thy wings will I rejoyce.
Firſt then,Vmbra Alarum. leſt any man in his dejection of ſpirit, or of fortune, ſhould ſtray into a jealouſie or ſuſpition of Gods power to deliver him, As God hath ſpangled the firmament with ſtarres, ſo hath he his Scriptures with names, and Metaphors, and denotations of power. Sometimes he ſ…es out in the name of a Sword, and of a Target, and of a Wall, and of a Tower, and of a Rocke, and of a Hill; And ſometimes in that glorious and manifold conſtellation of all together, Dominus exercituum, The Lord of Hoſts. God, as God, is never repreſented to us, with Defenſive Armes; He needs them not. When the Poets preſent their great Heroes, and their Worthies, they alwayes inſiſt upon their Armes, they ſpend much of their invention upon the deſcription of their Armes; both becauſe the greateſt valour and ſtrength needs Armes, (Goliah himſelfe was armed) and becauſe to expoſe ones ſelfe to danger unarmed, is not valour, but raſhneſſe. But God is invulnerable in himſelfe, and is never repreſented armed; you finde no ſhirts of mayle, no Helmets,Eſay 59.17. no Cuiraſſes in Gods Armory. In that one place of Eſay, where it may ſeeme to be otherwiſe, where God is ſaid to have put on righteouſneſſe as a breaſtplate, and a Helmet of ſalvation upon his head; in that prophecy God is Chriſt, and is therefore in that place, called the Redeemer. Chriſt needed defenſive armes, God does not. Gods word does; His Scriptures doe; And therefore S. Hierome hath armed them, and ſet before every booke his Prologum galeatum, that prologue that armes and defends every booke from calumny. But though God need not, nor receive not defenſive armes for himſelfe, yet God is to us a Helmet, a Breaſtplate, a ſtrong tower, a rocke, every thing that may give us aſſurance and defence; and as often as he will, he can refreſh that Proclamation, Nolite tangere Chriſtos meos, Pſal. 105.15.Our enemies ſhall not ſo much as touch us.
But here, by occaſion of his Metaphore in this Text, (Sub umbra alarum, In the ſhadow of thy wings) we doe not ſo much conſider an abſolute immunity, That we ſhall not be touched, as a refreſhing and conſolation, when we are touched, though we be pinched and wounded. The Names of God, which are moſt frequent in the Scriptures, are theſe three, Elohim, and Adonai, and Iehovah; and to aſſure us of his Power to deliver us, two of theſe three are Names of Power. Elohim is Deus fortis, The mighty, The powerfull God: And (which deſerves a particular conſideration) Elohim is a plurall Name; It is not Deus fortis, but Dii fortes, powerfull Gods. God is all kinde of Gods; All kinds, which either Idolaters and Gentils can imagine, (as Riches, or Juſtice, or Wiſdome, or Valour, or ſuch) and all kinds which God himſelf hath called gods, (as Princes, and Magiſtrates, and Prelates, and all that aſſiſt and helpe one another) God is Elohim, All theſe Gods, and all theſe in their height and beſt of their power; for Elohim, is Dii fortes, Gods in the plurall, and thoſe plurall gods in their exaltation.
The ſecond Name of God, is a Name of power too, Adonai. For, Adonai is Dominus, The Lord, ſuch a Lord, as is Lord and Proprietary of all his creatures, and all creatures are his creatures; And then, Dominium eſt poteſtas tum utendi, tum abutendi, ſayes the law; To be abſolute Lord of any thing, gives that Lord a power to doe what he will with that thing. God, as he is Adonai, The Lord, may give and take, quicken and kill, build and throw downe, where and whom he will. So then two of Gods three Names are Names of abſolute power, to imprint, and re-imprint an aſſurance in us, that hee can abſolutely deliver us, and fully revenge us, if he will. But then, his third Name, and that Name which hee chooſes to himſelfe, and in the ſignification of which Name, hee employes Moſes, for the reliefe of his people under Pharaoh, that Name Iehovah, is not a Name of Power, but onelyonly of Eſſence, of Being, of Subſiſtence, and yet in the vertue of that Name, God relieved his people. And if, in my afflictions, God vouchſafe to viſit mee in that Name, to preſerve me in my being, in my ſubſiſtence in him, that I be not ſhaked out of him, diſinherited in him, excommunicate from him, deveſted of him, annihilated towards him, let him, at his good pleaſure, reſerve his Elohim, and his Adonai, the exerciſes and declarations of his mighty Power, to thoſe great puklike cauſes, that more concerne his Glory, then any thing that can befall me; But if he impart his Iehovah, enlarge himſelfe ſo far towards me, as that I may live, and move, & have my beeing in him, though I be not inſtantly delivered, nor mine enemies abſolutely deſtroyed, yet this is as much as I ſhould promiſe my ſelfe, this is as much as the Holy Ghoſt intends in this Metaphor, Sub umbra alarum, VnderUnder the ſhadow of thy wings, that is a Refreſhing, a Reſpiration, a Conſervation, a Conſolation in all afflictions that are inflicted upon me.
Yet, is not this Metaphor of Wings without a denotation of Power. As no Act of Gods, though it ſeeme to imply but ſpirituall comfort, is without a denotation of power, (for it is the power of God that comforts me; To overcome that ſadneſſe of ſoule, and that dejection of ſpirit, which the Adverſary by temporall afflictions would induce upon me, is an act of his Power) So this Metaphor, The ſhadow of his wings, (which in this place expreſſes no more, then conſolation and refreſhing in miſery, and not a powerfull deliverance out of it) is ſo often in the Scriptures made a denotation of Power too, as that we can doubt of no act of power, if we have this ſhadow of his wings. For, in this Metaphor of Wings, doth the Holy Ghoſt expreſſe the Maritime power, the power of ſome Nations at Sea, in Navies, (Woe to the land ſhadowing with wings;) that is,Eſay 18.1. that hovers over the world, and intimidates it with her ſailes and ſhips. In this Metaphor doth God remember his people, of his powerfull deliverance of them,Exod. 19.14. (You have ſeene what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on Eagles wings, and brought you to my ſelfe.) In this Metaphor doth God threaten his and their enemies, what hee can doe,Ezek. 1.24. (The noiſe of the wings of his Cherubims, are as the noiſe of great waters, and of an Army.) So alſo, what hee will doe, (Hee ſhall ſpread his wings over Bozrah, Ier. 49.22.and at that day ſhall the hearts of the mighty men of Edom, be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.) So that, if I have the ſhadow of his wings, I have the earneſt of the power of them too; If I have refreſhing, and reſpiration from them, I am able to ſay, (as thoſe three Confeſſors did to Nebuchadnezzar) My God is able to deliver me, I am ſure he hath power; And my God will deliver me, Dan. 3.17.when it conduces to his glory, I know he will; But, if he doe not, bee it knowne unto thee, O King, we will not ſervethy Gods; Be it knowne unto thee, O Satan, how long ſoever God deferre my deliverance, I will not ſeeke falſe comforts, the miſerable comforts of this world. I will not, for I need not; for I can ſubſiſt under this ſhadow of theſe Wings, though I have no more.
The Mercy-ſeat it ſelfe was covered with the Cherubims Wings;Exod. 25.20. and who would have more then Mercy? and a Mercy-ſeat; that is, eſtabliſhed, reſident Mercy, permanent and perpetuall Mercy; preſent and familiar Mercy: a Mercy-ſeat. Our Saviour Chriſt intends as much as would have ſerved their turne, if they had laid hold upon it, when hee ſayes, That hee would have gathered Ieruſalem, Matt. 23.37.as a henne gathers her chickens under her wings. And though the other Prophets doe (as ye have heard) mingle the ſignification of Power, and actuall deliverance, in this Metaphor of Wings, yet our Prophet, whom wee have now in eſpeciall conſideration, David, never doth ſo; but in every place where hee uſes this Metaphor of Wings (which are in five or ſixe ſeverall Pſalmes) ſtill hee reſts and determines in that ſenſe, which is his meaning here; That though God doe not actually deliver us, nor actually deſtroy our enemies, yet if hee refreſh us in the ſhadow of his Wings, if he maintaine our ſubſiſtence (which is a religious Conſtancy) in him, this ſhould not onelyonly eſtabliſh our patience, (for that is but halfe the worke) but it ſhould alſo produce a joy, and riſe to an exultation, which is our laſt circumſtance, Therefore in the ſhadow of thy wings, I will rejoice.
I would always raiſe your hearts, and dilate your hearts, to a holy Joy,Gaudium. to a joy in the Holy Ghoſt. There may be a juſt feare, that men doe not grieve enough for their ſinnes; but there may bee a juſt jealouſie, and ſuſpition too, that they may fall into inordinate griefe, and diffidence of Gods mercy; And God hath reſerved us to ſuch times, as being the later times, give us even the dregs and lees of miſery to drinke. For, God hath not onelyonly let looſe into the world a new ſpirituall diſeaſe; which is, an equality, and an indifferency, which religion our children, or our ſervants, or our companions profeſſe; (I would not keepe company with a man that thought me a knave, or a traitor; with him that thought I loved not my Prince, or were a faithleſſe man, not to be beleeved, I would not aſſociate my ſelfe; And yet I will make him my boſome companion, that thinks I doe not love God, that thinks I cannot be ſaved) but God hath accompanied, and complicated almoſt all our bodily diſeaſes of theſe times, with an extraordinary ſadneſſe, a predominant melancholy, a faintneſſe of heart, a chearleſneſſe, a joyleſneſſe of ſpirit, and therefore I returne often to this endeavor of raiſing your hearts, dilating your hearts with a holy Joy, Joy in the holy Ghoſt, for VnderUnder the ſhadow of his wings, you may, you ſhould rejoyce.
If you looke upon this world in a Map, you find two Hemiſphears, two half worlds. If you cruſh heaven into a Map, you may find two Hemiſphears too, two half heavens; Halfe will be Joy, and halfe will be Glory; for in theſe two, the joy of heaven, and the glory of heaven, is all heaven often repreſented unto us. And as of thoſe two Hemiſphears of the world, the firſt hath been knowne long before, but the other, (that of America, which is the richer in treaſure) God reſerved for later Diſcoveries; So though he reſerve that Hemiſphear of heaven, which is the Glory thereof, to the Reſurrection, yet the other Hemiſphear, the Joy of heaven, God opens to our Diſcovery, and delivers for our habitation even whilſt we dwell in this world. As God hath caſt upon the unrepentant ſinner two deaths, a temporall, and a ſpirituall death, ſo hath he breathed into us two lives;Gen. 2.17. for ſo, as the word for death is doubled, Morte morieris, Thou ſhalt die the death, ſo is the word for life expreſſed in the plurall, Chaiim, vitarum, God breathed into his noſtrils the breath of lives, of divers lives. Though our naturall life were no life, but rather a continuall dying, yet we have two lives beſides that, an eternall life reſerved for heaven, but yet a heavenly life too, a ſpirituall life, even in this world; And as God doth thus inflict two deaths, and infuſe two lives, ſo doth he alſo paſſe two Judgements upon man, or rather repeats the ſame Judgement twice. For, that which Chriſt ſhall ſay to thy ſoule then at the laſt Judgement,Matt. 25.23. Enter into thy Maſters joy, Hee ſayes to thy conſcience now, Enter into thy Maſters joy. The everlaſtingneſſe of the joy is the bleſſedneſſe of the next life, but the entring, the inchoation is afforded here. For that which Chriſt ſhall ſay then to us,Verſe 24. Venite benedicti, Come ye bleſſed, are words intended to perſons that are comming, that are upon the way, though not at home; Here in this world he bids us Come, Luk. 15.10.there in the next, he ſhall bid us Welcome. The Angels of heaven have joy in thy converſion, and canſt thou bee without that joy in thy ſelfe? If thou deſire revenge upon thine enemies, as they are Gods enemies, That God would bee pleaſed to remove, and root out all ſuch as oppoſe him, that Affection appertaines to Glory; Let that alone till thou come to the Hemiſphear of Glory; There joyne with thoſe Martyrs under the Altar,Revel. 6.10. Vſquequo Domine, How long O Lord, doſt thou deferre Judgement? and thou ſhalt have thine anſwere there for that. Whilſt thou art here, here joyne with David, and the other Saints of God, in that holy increpation of a dangerous ſadneſſe, Why art thou caſt downe O my ſoule? why art thou diſquieted in mee? That ſoule that is diſſected and anatomized to God,Pſal. 42.5. in a ſincere confeſſion, waſhed in the teares of true contrition, embalmed in the blood of reconciliation, the blood of Chriſt Jeſus, can aſſigne no reaſon, can give no juſt anſwer to that Interrogatory, Why art thou caſt downe O my ſoule? why art thou diſquieted in me? No man is ſo little, as that he can be loſt under theſe wings, no man ſo great, as that they cannot reach to him; Semper ille major eſt, Auguſt.quantumcumque creverimus, To what temporall, to what ſpirituall greatneſſe ſoever wee grow, ſtill pray wee him to ſhadow us under his Wings; for the poore need thoſe wings againſt oppreſſion, and the rich againſt envy. The Holy Ghoſt, who is a Dove, ſhadowed the whole world under his wings; Incubabat aquis, He hovered over the waters, he ſate upon the waters, and he hatched all that was produced, and all that was produced ſo, was good. Be thou a Mother where the Holy Ghoſt would be a Father; Conceive by him; and be content that he produce joy in thy heart here. Firſt thinke, that as a man muſt have ſome land, or els he cannot be in wardſhip, ſo a man muſt have ſome of the love of God, or els he could not fall under Gods correction; God would not give him his phyſick, God would not ſtudy his cure, if he cared not for him. And then thinke alſo, that if God afford thee the ſhadow of his wings, that is, Conſolation, reſpiration, refreſhing, though not a preſent, and plenary deliverance, in thy afflictions, not to thanke God, is a murmuring, and not to rejoyce in Gods wayes, is an unthankfulneſſe. Howling is the noyſe of hell, ſinging the voyce of heaven; Sadneſſe the damp of Hell, Rejoycing the ſerenity of Heaven. And he that hath not this joy here, lacks one of the beſt pieces of his evidence for the joyes of heaven; and hath neglected or refuſed that Earneſt, by which God uſes to binde his bargaine, that true joy in this world ſhall flow into the joy of Heaven, as a River flowes into the Sea; This joy ſhall not be put out in death, and a new joy kindled in me in Heaven; But as my ſoule, as ſoone as it is out of my body, is in Heaven, and does not ſtay for the poſſeſſion of Heaven, nor for the fruition of the ſight of God, till it be aſcended through ayre, and fire, and Moone, and Sun, and Planets, and Firmament, to that place which we conceive to be Heaven, but without the thouſandth part of a minutes ſtop, as ſoone as it iſſues, is in a glorious light, which is Heaven, (for all the way to Heaven is Heaven; And as thoſe Angels, which came from Heaven hither, bring Heaven with them, and are in Heaven here, So that ſoule that goes to Heaven, meets Heaven here; and as thoſe Angels doe not deveſt Heaven by comming, ſo theſe ſoules inveſt Heaven, in their going.) As my ſoule ſhall not goe towards Heaven, but goe by Heaven to Heaven, to the Heaven of Heavens, So the true joy of a good ſoule in this world is the very joy of Heaven; and we goe thither, not that being without joy, we might have joy infuſed into us, but that as Chriſt ſayes,Iohn 16.24.22. Our joy might be full, perfected, ſealed with an everlaſtingneſſe; for, as he promiſes, That no man ſhall take our joy from us, ſo neither ſhall Death it ſelfe take it away, nor ſo much as interrupt it, or diſcontinue it, But as in the face of Death, when he layes hold upon me, and in the face of the Devill, when he attempts me, I ſhall ſee the face of God, (for, every thing ſhall be a glaſſe, to reflect God upon me) ſo in the agonies of Death, in the anguiſh of that diſſolution, in the ſorrowes of that valediction, in the irreverſibleneſſe of that tranſmigration, I ſhall have a joy, which ſhall no more evaporate, then my ſoule ſhall evaporate, A joy, that ſhall paſſe up, and put on a more glorious garment above, and be joy ſuper-inveſted in glory. Amen.