take the works of God into regard. O Lord,how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep. Pl. 92. s. Abrutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this. It argueth a great defect in judgement, when we fhall think a thought which may derogate any thing from the glory of our God; for it is true, fecit quicquid voluit, he hath done whatever he would; fo it is true omnia bene fecit, he hath done all things well, and we fay truly of him, He hath done all things for the best; for fo he doth even then when his ways do croffe ours, and when thoie things that he doth do feem to us and to our reafon as moft oppofite. To help which our weaknesse we are taught to pray, fiat voluntas tua, thy will be done. Let us come then to a view of the particulars which the Prophet recounteth, which God doth behold and not yet punish. And herein we fhall find the Prophet an Orator fetting forth the iniquity of the times, and the miseries of the Church then, fo as we may fay his heart hath indited a good matter, and his tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer. Here be the Prophets grievances. 1. The first is treason, Wherefore lookeft thou upon them that deal treacherously? Mr. Calvin renders it, quare afpicis tranfgref fores? and fo doth the Geneva tranflation render it: why lookeft thon upon the tranfgressors? But that is fomewhat too large, for that includeth all forts of finners. Fun. Cur intuereris perfidos? fo the Chaldeans, of whom the Prophet complaineth, here are fet forth as you heard by the Prophet Isay. Dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat? Treason is not wrought by a profeft enemy in times of open warre, and proclaimed defiance, neither do we call the fecret practices of enemies working underhand by the name of treason, they are military ftratagems; but it is called treafon, when by corrupting fome of the oppofite fide, the enemie doth take advantage. And this is commonly one of the mines which is carried under the ftates of great Kingdomes, to deftroy them and blow them And Ifa.iz.2. Doct.. And the Author and Finisher of our falvation, though he was affaulted by profeft warre of the chief Priests, Scribes and Pharifees, yet he was put into their hand at laft by treafon; one of his own twelve betrayed him. And it is the chief ufe of the new order of Jefuits in forrein States to corrupt the affections of fubjects, ut prodant, that they may betray. This is a great grievance; for treafons be commonly carried with great fecrefie; yet the Prophet faith, that God looketh on, he beholdeh all the conveyances both of Projection and Execution; and that is it which amazeth the Propher, that God who loveth not treafon,fhould look on and behold it in all the ingreffe and progreffe of it, and not stop it. Beloved, we have a leffon from hence. The Lord feeth treafon. Not only the great treafons wrought against States and Kingdomes, but the particular falfhoods in common friendship: the private infidiations for the goods, the chastity, the good name, the life of our neighbours. It is not any negligence in Gods government of the world or any over-fight, or any forgetfulneffe, or any approbation of evil, that doth keep God fo quiet, that he fitteth in heaven, he keepeth Ifrael, and he neither flumbreth nor fleepeth. Yet he looketh on, while thieves come in the night, and break open a way into mens houses, gather together and rifle, and carry away their goods. He feeth whilft the fecret enemy watcheth his brother upon the way, or goeth forth with him as Abel did with Cain': God knew that Abel was to be killed that day. When foab and Amala mer, God faw it a death, he knew that embracing would prove a ftab. Sometimes God doth detect and defeat these treafons be times, fometimes he letteth them go on to the very moment of execution, yet then he dilappointeth them: but fometimes he looketh on, and feeth them performed and hindreth them not, This is that which the Prophet would fain know why God that loveth no evil, and hath power at hand to prevent it, doch look on and fee it done;for amongst us, quinon vetat peccare cum licet jubet; he that when he may, hindreth not a fault commands it, and for man it is a true rule, that all the evii which we might have hindred and did not, fhall be put upon our account. This rule holds indeed with us, but God is not fo limited; he maketh both evil creatures, that is devils and wicked men, to be his fervants to do his will, and he maketh the very fins of men rods to fcourge both themselves that commit them and others, 2. The fecond grievance of the Prophet. The wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he, and God holdeth his tongue. That is, the Chaldæan who worshippeth strange gods, devoureth the Iews the Pofterity of Abraham, who though they be much too blame, yet they are more righteous then Chaldæans, and God feeth and faith nothing whilft the Chaldæans doth spoil Ifrael. This indeed is a great grievance to behold the afflictions of the Church, and the power of the wicked against them; it was that which put David into an extreme extafie for the time, and till he went to the houfe of God, and was there taught the end of fuch men as hurt their betters, his foot had well nigh flipt. Our experience fhoweth us much more for the wicked fons of Belial, the moths of our Common-wealth, the ruft of our peace, how have they fed upon the fat of the land, and by fair pretexts of common good, even devoured the Common-wealth, and made more righteous men then they their prey, affaulting their goods, their liberty, and peace of life, difturbing their honeft cal lings with inhoneft encroachments, to the great prejudice of the State? And God held his tongue many years although he law it; but he hath fet ope. the eyes of the politick body to detect them, and he hath opened the mouth of that body to accufe and to Condemn they It is a Proverb of the Ancients, wickedneffe pro 1 Sam. 24, ceedeth from the wicked. This is wickednelle in a grown degree; for the godly be the holy ones of God, and God faith, nolite tangere, touch not, they do not only tangere, but angere, yea devorare juftiores fe, devour jufter then they. There is a natural antipathy between the feed of the woman R and Prov.12. 10. and the feed of the ferpent; finners cannot abide them that carry any face or fhew of Religion, or the worthip of God; hating and touching and biting will not ferve nor fatisfie they must devour and destroy. Salomon faith, The tender mercies of the wicked are cruell, vifcera crudelia, cruel bowels: The wicked is ever the devourer,obferve it as a fure rule; that Church or that Common-wealth which devoureth and maintaineth flaughter and effufion of blood, is the Synagogue of the wicked. The true Church is no fmiter, no traytor,no plotter, no'abettor of invafions; it was ever true Arma Ecclefia preces & lachryma, the weapons of the Church are prayers and tears. to 19 The Church of Rome, the mother of murthers, and neft wherein treasons breed, the nurfe of Iefuites, the incendiaries of Christendome, the mint of facinerous Machinations, the Cathedral and dogmatical defenders of the lawfulneffe of any thing that is done for their own good, hath difcovered her felf to be Antichriftian by this infallible mark of cruelty; She is a devourer. It is the Religion of Rome that armed the Spaniards against Queen Elizabeth and her land in 88, the bleffing of the Pope, and the curfe of God was upon that enterprise. For they came to devoure them that were then more righteous then they. It is the Religion of Rome that digged the vault, that hired, that fraighted the Cellar under the Parliament houfe to blow up all; os fepulchri, the mouth of the grave, os inferni, the mouth of hell; the mouth of Rome fhall gape and fwallow with the best of them. Surely this is a great grievance and vexation of spirit here on earth, to fee the worst fort of men prevailing, and better then they swallowed up. This is alfo aggravated in the manner of it, which is fully and 3. The next grievance amplified by a comparison, which is 1. They are compared to the fifh of the fea. 2. To creeping things which have no Governour. In the first refemblance he infifteth, ver. 15. The Chaldeans are the Fishermen, the Jews the Fish as you have heard: and these Fishermen ufe 1. The Angie, 2. The net, 3. The dragge, which (heweth a full devouring, as in Ifay, I will sweep it with the besome of destruction (aith the Lord of Il. 14.22 i Hofts. Compare this text with that of foel. That which the Palmer-worm hath left, bath the Locust eaten; Joel 2.4. and that which the Loçuft hath left, hath the Canker-Worm eaten; and that which the Canker-worm hath left, the Caterpillar hath eaten. For what the Angle leaveth, the net taketh; and what escapeth the net, the drag doth fweep it up. Obferve here with me 1. This manner of teaching by familiar refemblances is much used in both Teftaments, and it is a smooth and cafie kind of teaching, which doth bring things to the understanding by fome fenfible demonstratious. And may we not juftly charge the Church of Rome with craelty to her children, that when the spirit of God hath fo laboured in both the Teftaments to open himself to the understanding of the fimple; the Oracle of Trent fhall put out the candle, and turn men to feek the way of life darkling, without the light of the Word, which they shall not be fuffered to read,for fear of understanding by it their impostures. It can be no good Religion, wherein they that know the least, and believe the moft, are made to believe they are in the best cafe. 2. I find here that there is a wifedome of God to be learned out of the natural and moral ways of life; as the ftorke for naturall affection: the Ant, for Providence: the Spider for induftry: the Bee for art, induftry and providence, When we see dogs purfuing an Hare, or a Deer, thus do the projectures of our time hunt the Common-wealth. When we see Fishermen caft in their nets; thus do the oppref fors of their brethren; all is fifh that comes into their net. A wife and fober judgement may make good use of all that his eye feeth,to behold therin either the goodnes of God to man,or R 2 the 1. Note z. Note. |