Imatges de pàgina
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We have three Commemorations enjoyned us by high authority, the one is ortus aufpicia, fo of all, it was called the initium regni, the beginning of the reigne of our Sovereign, whom God fent to fettle the religion and peace with his glorious predeceffour Queen Elizabeth had fo happily and fo valiantly brought in and, mainteined, during her whole reign, and by the providence of God, we enjoy it to this day..

Another is the remembrance of his Majefties deliverance from the treafon of the Gowries in Scotland, before his reign here, as it were his referving of him for us.

The third is the commemoration of the admirable goodneffe of God to our land, in the bloudy treafon of the Papifts, the mortall enemies of our religion and peace in their powderplot.

But this often remembrance of the mercy of God to Ifrael, in the red fea upbraids our forgetfulneffe of that 88 fea mercy, which God fhewed to our land in our deliverance from the Spanish intended invafion, in the times of hoftility between Spain and England, and though the eftablished peace between thefe two Kingdomes have laid afide open wars, yet let God be no lofer in the glory due to his name for that deli

verance:

I will adde another reafon, why this paffage of Ifrael Reaf.2. through the red fea, is fo oft remembred in Scripture, twice. in this Pfalme of Habakkuk, which I gather from the Apoftle St. Paul

Moreover, Brethren, I would not have you ignorant, how that iCor.1.1 all our Fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea.

And were all baptized unto Mofes in the fea, and in the cloud. Ver.2. For this was memorable not onely in the hiftory of the thing done, but in the mystery alfo of the fignification

thereof.

You fee by this Apoftle,that this is a memorable thing,and he would not have us ignorant of it, & if we know it,he would not have us forget it, there is continual ufe of it in the Church; even fo long as baptifme continueth therein.

For that is the fcope of the Apoftle in the beginning of

that

Ta.28.13.

that Chapter, to fhew that the Church of the Jews, as they had Sacraments of their own Circumcifion, and the Lords Paffeover, fo had they types and figures of our two Sacraments also.

The type and representation of our Baptifme was their paffage through the red fea.

The type of our Lords Supper was the water out of the rock and Manna.

But they and we do all receive the fame fpirituall meat and drink, that is Chrift.

So that this paffage over the red fea doth figure our Baptifme, here is Mofes, the Minifter of the Sacrament, here are Ifraelites, the receivers of it, and here is water the element,and the cloud, the sign of Gods prefence: here is Ifrael, that is, the perfons baptized, preferved in these waters, and here is King Pharoah and his hoafts, that is, Satan and our hereditary corruptions drowned and deftroyed in the fame waters.

And the Apoftle faith, I would not that ye fhould be ignorant of this thing which admonifheth both you and us that are your minifters.

You, not to be ignorant in those great mysteries of falvation

Us,not to leave you untaught or unremembred thereof. We that preach to a mixt auditory confifting, incipientes, Abcedaries in religion, who are not yet out of their first elements, which the Apoftle calleth the doctrine of beginnings.

And fome few proficients, who alfo have their measures, not all of equall growth, but fome few, as much better grown then others, as Saul was higher, then all the rest of the people, muft as well give milk with the spoon as break bread, and divide strong meat, and, me thinks, there be two places that direct us well in the difpenfation of the Word of God.

That of the Prophet Ifaiah.

The Word of the Lord was unto them, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little, in which words.

The matter of our preaching is expreft in two words, 1 pre

cept

cept,which teacheth us what to do. 2 line,which exemplifieth doctrine, and ferveth as a copy to write by.

And again, the manner of our preaching is declared profitable, if the fame things be well taught, till they be well learned.

And this is modicum ibi, medicum ibi, here modicum not too much at once, for oppreffing the fpirituall ftomack: and here is ibi and ibi, ibi amongst the proficients, and ibi amongst the incipients.

2 That of St. Peter. Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you in mind of those things though ye know them.

Yea, I think it meet, jo long as I am in this tabernacle, to stirre you up by putting you in remembrance.

This fheweth the use of often repetitions of such things as we ought not to forget, for it is not enough to have light in our understanding, there must be also zeal in our affections, Religion in the head is fpeculation, in the heart affection, in the hand action.

If we do our duty thus, as we are directed, it must be your great fault if either you be ignorant or forgetfull, of these things.

The fpirit of God is our example, for he remembreth this paffage of Ifrael often, and medicum ibi, a little here in the old Teftament,modicum ibi, a little there, in the new Testament,for this is alfo profitable for us.

This fheweth that the often preaching and learning and remembring the doctrine of our Baptifme, is a moft neceffary leffon in the school of Chrift, that we do not enter into a new peace with the Egyptians, whom God hath drowned in the red fea, that we do not revive and quicken in us thofe things which the laver of new byrth hath purged, by fuffering fin to reign in our mortall bodies, and by obeying it in the lufts thereof.

That we do not fo much as in heart return again into Egypt, out of which God hath fo gratiously delivered us.

Profitable is the remembrance of our Baptifme, for it is the facrament and feal of our deliverance from the curfe of the

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2 Per.1.12

law, from the fpirituall bondage of Satan, from the dominion of fin, it fhew. eh us the old Adam, dead in the death, and buried in the grave of Chrift.

It alfo ferveth being often remembred to ftirre us up to a practise of Chriftian converfation, and to an holy imitation of Chrift in godly life: that we may not receive the grace of God in vain, that wee be not again defiled with the world, for the Apoftle will tell us.

That if Chrift hath opened us a new and living way through the Heb.20.22 vail, that is his flesb, we must draw neer with a true heart in full affurance of faith, baving our hearts sprinkled from an evill confcience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

23.

Verse 26.

Verse 27.

Holding faft the profession of our faith without wavering.

For if we fin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the truth, there remaineth no more facrifice for fins.

But a certain fearfull looking for of judgment, and fiery indig. nation, which shall devour the adverfaries.

I conclude, in the Apoftles words: therefore, brethren, I would not have you ignorant concerning this paffage of the Lords Ifrael through the red fea.

Hab.3. 6. Verf 16. When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice, rottenneffe entred into my bones, and I trembled in my felf,that I might reft in the day of trouble when he cometh up unt his people, he will invade them with his troops.

A

D

T this verse beginneth the third Section of this Chapter, and it conteineth the confternation of the Prophet dejected before the Lord, with the former confiderations and the fad eftate of the land of Canaan.

1 Concerning the words.

When I heard.] The Prophet fitting this Pfalme as you have heard for the common ufe of the Church, doth not speak in this place in his own perfon perticularly, when I heard] but in the perfon of that Church of God to which this prophecy was fent. Verse 14.

They came out as a whirlwind to fcatter me, is fpoken of the

Midianites, invading Gods people, not the Prophet Habak So that I heard, here is collectively the whole Church, and perticularly every member thereof.

But what is that is here heard?

Surely this hath a double reference.

I To the former prophecy, of Gods threatned judgments against his people, of which you heard before, Verse 2. O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid.

For it was a fearfull judgment, which God had denounced against them.

2 It hath reference to the full commemoration of Gods former mercies, for howfoever faith may grow upon this root of experience of Gods favour, yet when the Church of God thall confider all that former favour now turned into indignation, and shall feel that power, which once protected them fo miraculously now armed against them, this cannot but caft them into great fear.

This fear is defcribed fully and rhetorically in four severall phrafes.

1 My belly trembled,

2 My lips quivered;

3 Rottenneffe entred into my bones :

4 I trembled in my self.

It is the manner of the fpirit of God in fuch like phrafes to expreffe a great horrour and dismay, by the belly is nieant the inward parts and bowels.

So the Prophet upon the denunciation of the burthen upon

the defert fea faith

Therefore,are my loyns filled with pain, pangs have taken höld Ifai.21.3. upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth, I was bowed down. at the hearing of it, I was dismayed at the feeing of it.

My bowels fhall found like an harp for Moab, and mine inward Ifa.16.11. parts for Kirharesh.

So fob, My bowels boy led and refted not.

Job 30.27.

And David, Mine eye is confumed with grief, yea, my foul Pfal.31.9. and belly.

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I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joynt, my heart Pf.`2.14.

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