Imatges de pàgina
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Church and Common-wealth : fo, non moriemur hoc est omnes,wa fhall not die,that is not all.

2. Eternal, That God will not utterly caft off his People from his favour, but that although he fcourge them with the rods of men, even to a temporal loffe of their land, their liberty, and their lives, yet non moriemur, we shall not lose our intereft in his promise of a better life.

So that the Prophet doth teach us the right use of the do&rineTM of Gods eternity, to affure us against all temporal and eternal. vevils.

And this doth Mofes conclude for this Antecedent, Before Pl. 90.2. the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth, and the world: even from everlasting to everlasting thou art our God.

Verf. 3.

Thon turneft man to destruction,again thon say ft return ye sonnes of Adam.

From the power of Gods Eternity, there is a return for the fons of Adam, as David faith, Thou renueft the face of the earth. Non moriemur, death our laft enemy fhall be destroyed and pe rish,we shal be tranflated from death to life; this is clear: because God hath in eternal wifedom,appointed an eternal redemption for fome to an eternal inheritance of eternal glory.

This eternity of God is two fold.

1. Eternitas effentia, Eternity of Effence in himself.

1. Eternitas Providentia, Eternity of Providence, in respect of his creatures, s

From the first we conclude the fecond,for if God be in his own nature eternal, he hath also an eternal Providence, by which he governeth all things: his word by which he governeth is also eternal in the heavens.in is it loserabut

Quæft.83 Saint Auguftine proveth this point of Gods eternity thus, Quod incommutabi'e aternum eft.

1. c. 19.

That he proveth; Quod femper eft ejufdem modi eft incommutabile. Such is our God without variableneffe or fhadow of change, and therefore eternal.

And whereas from this eternity our Prophet doth conclude Non mariemur, Saint Augustine doth therefore call our eternity immortalitatem, rather then eternitatem.

2. Another Argument is here inforced.

Anteced.

quent.

Thou art holy. Therefore this punishment of the Jews by the ConfeChaldæans, is for their correction only. Of the Antecedent.

God is holy. The Quiristers of heaven do attribute it to God three times; in fome Greek Copies we read it three times three; nine times aos holy,

The fong of Mofes is fung in heaven, and that faith, who shall not feare thee O Lord, and glorifie thy name? for thou only art holy?

The Seraphims fay each one to another.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hofts, the whole earth is full his glory.

of

It was his law. 1. For his Godhead, that none other but he fhould be called God or eftecmed.

2. For his Worship, not to be given to creatures.

3. For his name, not to be taken in vain.

4 For his Sabbath to be kept holy.

And it is our first petition fanctificetur nomen,Hallowed be thy name, and for our conformity with him.

Rev 15.4

Ifag 6.3.

For I am the Lord your God, ye shall therfore fanctifie your felvs, Levit.11. and yee shall be holy, for I am holy.So there is 1.Sanclitas increata, 44. an increate holineffe in God.

2. Creata, Created in man, as a beam of that heavenly light, a ftream of that full fountain in our God.

This uncreated holineffe which is the attribute of God, is the abfolute perfection of Gods nature and attributes, his full good neffe, not only that wherein he is good in himself, but in his operations also.

2. The Confequent.

From hence the Prophet concludeth, that God cannot do more to his Church then correct it; he cannot utterly deftroy it, because he is holy, fo is his Church; his correction of the Elect is only a fire to purge out their droffe, which will go out of it felfe, when the combustible matter is fpent. Hear God him felfe.

I am the Lord, the Holy One, the Creator of Ifrael, your King; Ifa.43 15. This Ieople have Iformed for my felf, they shall shew forth my Vers, 21. praife.

my self,

I but

Verf. 25.

Applicat.

Doct.

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I but our finnes fpoile all. He addeth,

1, even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffions for mine own fake, and will not remember thy fins.

The Church of God is femen fanctum, an holy feed; God cannot forfake it, he is Sanctus Creator an holy Creator, and he is Sanctus Redemptor, an holy Redeemer of it, as the holy text ftileth him.

You see here, that as Chrift faith, This is life eternal to know

thee.

Let us ftudy God and his attributes; forfrom thence we derive whatsoever we are or have, they are our light of direction, our staffe of supportation.

From the wifedome of God we have all intellectual illumination.

From the Iuftice of God, all our integrity.

From the Holineffe of God, all our Sanctification.
From the Eternity of God, our immortality.
From the Omnipotency of God, our strength.

And as by our faith we cleave to him, fo we are made Partakers of the divine nature.

The juice of this text, is the Prophets faith, which from the Holinesse and Eternity of God doth refolve

That this judgement of God, threatned against the Jews, is no more then a temporal chaftisement, according to the doctrine taught out of Obadiah.

Though God afflicteth his Church, yet he loveth her ftill.

This perfwafion of deliverance from evils is found in natural men,but either it is grounded upon an opinion that they have of fortune fuch; make chance their God;or it is built upon the confideration of the viciffitude of things which maketh fundry mutations,

Informes hyems reducit

Jupiter;idem

Summovet; non fi malè nunc, & olim fic erit. God fendeth fow! weather and faire, if it be ill now with us, it will not be fohereafter.

This is but cold comfort, to hope only in the change of times, and so to look for better days.

Some

Some acknowledge a Deity and afcribe all alterations to that, not knowing the true God, as Eneas comforted his company,

Lurate & vefmet rebus fervate fecundis.

Continue and reserve your felves for better times.

Dabit Deus his quoque finem, God will put an end to these your fafferings,

But that which comforteth the Saints of God in afflictions is their faith in the Eternity and Holineffe of God, from whence they gather affurance that they shall not mifcarry under the rod of God; he is eternal;therefore they fhall not perish; he is holy, therefore he will but correct, not deftroy; and hereof they make this ufe;

1. They do not limit God to a fet time when he shall deliver them: fo Daniel waited for the deliverance of Ifrael from Babylon feventy years: The Church waited till the fulnesse of time for the promised Meffiah.

2. They do not limit God to any fet means of deliverance. Mordecai did fee that the preferment of Hefter was a likely means to fave the Iews from the fury of the decree which Haman had procured against them, and he putteth her to it, to use her mediation with the King for it, but he builded not his hopes in that means; for he faid to her,

If thous altogether hold thy Peace at this time, then fhall there Eûh 40140 enlargement and deliverance arife to the Iews from another place.

The promise made to Abraham, concerning his feed was in nature despaired by the old age of Abraham & Sarah,yet was not Abraham out of hope: but when Ifaae the fonne of Promife was come, God afterward commanded him to be offered in facrifice, yet did not that weaken the faith of Abraham; for he built upon the word of the promife, and not upon the poffibility of the means. For he that promised was faithful.

3. They do not limit God to the measure of affliction; for they know that whatfoever the judgement be which God inflicteth upon his Church, it cannot exceed a fatherly correction. So Job, Though he kill me yet will I trust in him ̧ãi v

4. They are not difcouraged in the faith of Gods mercy, though they feel the contrary, and therefore being in one con

P 2

trary

Jobsz 15.

Pf. 16.8.

trary they do believe another.

Thus even when they feel the burthen of their finnes, they believe heir juftification; for the heavy-laden fecke Chrift for cafe.

When they feel mifery, they believe bleffedneeffe, for they know, Bleffed are they that mourne.

When they feel correction they believe, for he chafteneth every fonne whom he receiveth.

When they feel themselves forfaken of God, they believe themselves interested in his favour, as David and Chrift: My God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me; Both forfaken in refpec of their feeling, neither in refpect of their faith.

5. They by faith are ever in the Prefence of God: fo David, 1 bave fet God always before me, for he is at my right hand, there fore shall not be moved.

Heb.11.27 So it is faid of Mofes being in danger in Egypt, By faith he forfook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King; for he endu red as feeing him who is invifible.

Doct. 2.

Amos 3.6.

Pf. 90. 7.

Pf. 39. 11

Reaf.I.

Thus ftrongly do they build, whofe foundation is not laid in any poffibility of their own merits to deserve deliverance, and of their own wit and cunning to decline evils, or of their own ftrength and power to refift them, or evade them, or the vi ciffitude of things to change them,but truft in the living God, and make him their hiding place.

Whereas the Prophet faith, that God had ordained the Chaldar ans for judgement, that is, for the execution of his judgement, and bath established them for correction, Docemur we are taught, That God is the Author of punishment, God himself affumeth it to himself.

Shall there be evil in a city,and the Lord hath not done it? Mar Lum pæne the evil of punishment.

So Mofes, For we are confumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

So David. When thou with rebuke doft correct man for iniquity, thon makeft his beauty to confume away like a moth.

1. Because every finne is a trefpaffe against God, as David,Tibitibi foli peccavi, Against thee only have I finned; for every fin is arouia a tranfgreffion of the Law, and therein God is offend

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