AN EXPOSITIon upon the thirty two Psalm, describing the true manner of humbling and raising up of God's Children.  
Set forth by Master DAVID BLACK.  
EDINBURGH Printed by Robert Walde-graue, Printer to the King's Majesty. 1600.  
Cum Privilegio Regio.   

AN EXPOSITION Upon the thirty two Psalm, describing the true manner of humbling and raising up of God's children.  

A Psalm of David to give instruction.  
THE Psalm hath this title common unto it, with diverse others; setting down first the author, and then the end. The author was David, which is called in the Scriptures, The sweet singer of Israel: who although he was a King, yet abused not his prosperity, to spend his time in dalliance, and in the works of pride; as many do when God hath advanced them; but bestowed those hours which might be spared from his politic ●onsultations, in writing Psalms, for the exercise of his faith, & the edifying of the Church, wherein it is to be feared, that his example shall give sentence against many wanton nobles of this world, who abuse and disgrace the worthy faculty of Poetry, with unclean Sonnettes, to satisfy their louse minds with a kind of contemplative fornication, abandoning their good wits, (which God hath given them) by writing of Pamphlettes, in the honour of Venus and Cupid, which one day will be counted no better than so many sacrifices to the Devil. We are taught therefore, if we have any vein of versificating, or any other good use of our vein, how to use it, that by this example, our writings may savour of godliness to stir up the minds of others, aswell as ourselves thereunto, not to leave unchaste ditties behind us (as it were bawds in the world) as many have done.  
The end of the Psalm is, to give instruction; that is to say, to teach others by his own example, in a particular thing, whereof he maketh metation. Now this instruction, as appeareth in the discourse of the Psalm, proceeded not from judgement gotten by much reading and observation of others, but by inward experience and observations of GOD his dealing with himself, which in the end of his labours and agonies, he recompteth and committeth to writing; which appeareth by many other Psalms to have been his usual manner. So this instruction hath that singular commendation, that it was delivered out of the feeling of David's heart, that our spirits might be instructed by his: as one face answereth to another in water; which kind of teaching, if not only, yet for the most part and principally is available, either to humble when a man speaketh not of spiritual things, as of the inhabitable ones (if any such be) but as of things which he himself felt & tasted before. And this is that holy experience, which taught the high Priests of the jews compassion, and made his offerings for his brethren more zealous; because he felt himself also partaker of their infirmities, as the Epistle to the Hebrews witnesseth: but now a days, it may be counted amongst the causes, why the ministry of many succeed not better, because they fail in this point; in using so little conscience in teaching the people, and being without all affections: But those that are Rhetorical and prompted by the mother-witte, not by any expert soul, whereby it cometh to pass, that a godly man, of no mouth or lips, as Moses calleth himself, that is nothing furnished with eloquence & utterance, shall build more sound work in God's Church in one sermone, than those profane Orators in twenty; though they have never so great a facility in utterance, and sweet louse of their words, as many senseless men have. We are therefore to make some profit of this, if we will be wise admonishers of others; that we labour first ourselves to be spiritual men, that we may discern all things, that we may observe how God hath wrought for us in the like cases before; that both we may leave behind us a sting in the consciences of others, and be safe guides in such a labyrinth, as a troubled mind is oft to be led through. The master of a ship which is ignorant of the Seas, what skill soever he have in Astronomy (which thing yet is necessary for Navigation) whilst he gazeth upon the stars, or any other artificial direction, wracketh his ship upon some rock, lurking under the waves, which would not be, if experience had made him heedful by sailing that way before. And indeed, this intolerable defect never showeth itself more shamefully, or with greater hurt, then when men have need of spiritual comfort, at the hour of death; or in time of great affliction: for at such times those foolish shepherds, when they want skill to help their poor sheep out of the ditch, are driven to play the miserable comforters, and to take some other indirect course (as many use to do in such case) to cut the sheep's throat in time, to make him man's meat, lest it should be said he died in a ditch: And these are the miserable and desperate calamities of the people provided for, when they need most of all spiritual instruction. And here we may espy the cause why many admonishers and instructors of others, become so ridiculous, as to be made the jesting-stocks of sinners; because they admonish not, nor instruct not of feeling, weakening the power of their instructiones; if not by hypocrisy, yet by flatness and dullness of Spirit, that it cannot be received with that reverence, that admonitions & rebukes wrought in the Primitive congregations of the Church, when men being touched home, fell upon their faces, worshipped God; affirming that God of a truth was in those ministers. I might be ashamed in a divine exercise, to make mention of a Pagans counsel, especially in so spiritual a point as this: save that we are not ashamed to let the Heathen get ground in that wherein our Idiottes ought to excel their Philosophers; if thou wilt reprove (say they) considder first, if the same fault be not in thyself, or at least some other, as ill or worse, that the reformation thereof may be a foundation whereon to build thy brother's amendment. And indeed, although it is untrue to affirm, that a man may not reprehend the fault which he hath in himself; yet where men are carried headlong into an outrage against other men's sin, without detestation or feeling any remorse for their own; It is very sure, that in such a man dwelleth that spirit of hypocrisy, which is the foulest fury of hell. Let us have therefore in our reprehensions, whether public or private, to our friends or to enemies, the spirit of compassion and invocation; that our words may have grace with the hearers: For if before every reprehension (if it were possible) and before every instruction, we did lift up our minds in some brief meditation, commending the infirmities of ourselves, and that present offender, both at once to God, and then proceed to a loving censure, as occasion requireth, our sincerity, our gravity; our charity would so adorn the rebuke, that the offender would rather be ravished with the admiration of God's grace in us, than either scoff it or grow into a choler, as many do. But forasmuch as to men of a quiet nature, which hate the reproach of a busy body, the duty of instruction & admonishing of others, seemeth an harder imposition than they are willing to bear, because there is not one amongst a thousand, that will take it in good part. It remaineth therefore, that to that purpose we gather this third instruction from this title: namely, that men must make God's proceed with their own consciences, profitable for the edifying of others, giving them instructions thereunto, as here we see David doth: For it is the nature of faith to open men's mouths, and to labour to make many partakers of their conversion. That love which followeth true repentance, is neither bashful nor fearful, nor envious, nor partial: for when a man hath once got a good conscience, all the rest of his life after he spendeth in the instruction of others. Peter being converted, must strengthen his brethren; David being forgiven, must turn sinners to God. I will say more, Nabuchadnetzar being restored, published the service of God to the Heathen: Nay, I will yet say more, the woman of Samaria; being but a woman, yet being reproved of her adulteries, & instructed by christ; I will not say preached, but saith to her neighbours, Come, see a man that told me all that ever I did. And if her instruction be Chronicled in the Gospel to her commendation, surely the double silence and uncharitable quietness of those that will not meddle with other men's matters, to instruct them when occasion is offered in matters of so great weight, must bear a note of their confusion, and be marked with the black coal of cruelty, and of soule-murther, for what is it else when we say, let them answer for themselves, we will not put our fingers in the fire for them: as if Cain had not murdered his brother Abel, because he said, What? am I my brother's keeper? If we love God, the same spirit is in us, which was in David, Mine eyes (saith he) gusheth out with tears, because men keep not thy commandments; If we love men, the thread of our affection must be measured by our care to instruct them, and we will save some by plucking them out of the fire with fear; and if we love neither God nor men, so that neither the dishonour of the head, nor the hurt of the member will touch us; it is because we ourselves are members of another body, and not of Christ which is the head of his Church.   
PSALM 32. 
1 Blessed is he which is lifted up from his falling away, and whose sin is covered.  
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, & in whose spirit there is no guile.  
HItherto of the title; Now followeth the PSALM itself, whose principal question is, that there is no quietness of conscience, nor forgiveness of sins; where there is no sincere confession of the same: which DAVID proveth by his own example, informing us thereby; that as he, so long as he held his peace, and concealed his sin, could not be rid of the horrible sense of God's wrath: No more can any of us; how-so-ever otherwise we travail in conversion as he did: If we be soured with the leaven of like hypocrisy. And to the end that we should not be secure in the ratifying of a good conscience, or make light of the spyses of despair which are in us, when we have no atonement with God by the feeling of forgiveness; he sets down the contrary effects of a conscience enlarged by God's grace, and cheered up with the remission of sins, and of the heart, fraughted with despair, and tormented with the terror of condemnation, because it feeleth not the spirit of adoption. The first is set down in these words; Blessed is that man which is lifted up from his falling away: Here the Prophet sayeth, that when God lifteth up his children from their sins, and assureth their consciences of his love, he maketh them blessed: whereout we learn, that this indeed is that sovereign good, and high felicity, yea the highest and only happiness which can be enjoyed in this life, to be discharged of an evil conscience, tormented with the guilt of wickedness, and fearing vengeance for the same. By this effect he encourageth all of us, as it were with a price to run cheerfully, & labour seriously for a good conscience. There is no doubt, but that ungodly men do many times hold in admiration, the security and free estate, of godly and virtuous men, when they see them stand unmovable as mount Zion, when heaven and earth are mingled together: because they themselves have many secret stings, and are often stabbed at the heart, who in worldly respects have less cause to fear then the sheep of Christ's flock. Those therefore which rejoice not thus in the heart, howsoever they rejoice in the face, must attend unto this ministry of grace: For to what purpose doth the Lord open men's eyes to see the sweet & blessed estate of such as have humbled themselves to walk with God, their confidence standing before God, their rich hope, their quietness and heart's-ease, their joy, as if they had one foot in heaven already: I say, to what purpose doth God lift them up, & let them see the riches of a good conscience, but to set their teeth an edge at it, & to ravish them with a desire of the like; so than we see, that the Lord maketh an offer of his grace unto us, & enticeth us by these examples; that henceforward if we profit not thereby, our condemnation might be imputed to ourselves. Let us therefore account this a marvelous happiness, to feel such a conversion in our souls, that in steed of our former misery, we shall perceive ourselves translated from bondage to liberty, from death to life; yea, from hell to heaven: for he that hath a good conscience, hath overcome the world by his faith. If Princes love him, it shall not puff him up more than a penny given to him, which is worth a thousand pound; if they hate him and persecute him, it shall not terrify him, nor endanger him, no more than the great rebels of Babel, endangered the heaven with their tower: For his soul is mounted up above all these things, & despiseth them from an high. As for the undermining of Satan, who biddeth him spiritual combats; they exercise him but they vex him not; they make him active, but they destroy him not; his force is like the face of a Lion, & whatsoever objecteth itself, he beareth it down before him; as we see a notable example (as ●t were) of a spiritual challenge of all the creatures of God, by S. Paul to the Rom. 8 Where he casteth down his gauntlet, & biddeth a defiance to devils, to men, to ●●ight, to depth; to things present & things to come. And when we consider these things; how truly may we say, that the children of God, spiritually considered, are so many Kings and Emperors, Queens & Empresses, enriched with such unspeakable blessings, that if all the hearts of the world were one heart, it could not contain them. And as for them which continue in sin, harden their hearts, & by clo●ing of wickedness, do twist a rope for their own necks; how miserable is their estate, when they behold this happiness ●n others, whereto they cannot attain, ●o pine away & perish in the beholding of other means salvation. And thus much of the effect which the feeling of remissione of sins worketh. That which followeth of lifting up from sins, and not imputing them, and covering them, commendeth unto us the grace of God, in bestowing this pardon, and sealing the assurance of the same in our hearts, as the cause of the foresaid effect, described figuratively by the metaphors of lifting, imputation and covering: All which, have their special weight and importance in this sentence. Lifting up from defection, argueth plainly a contrariety in the estate of man before, considering him lyein● a long in the contagious filth of his ow● sin; so weakened, & soaked clean ou● of heart, with the execrable leprosy o● ungodliness, that he is neither able t● stir hand or foot, till God lift him v● from his apostasy. The word imputation is borrowed from accounts, insinuating, that we are run so far in arrearages with God, that we can have 〈◊〉 security of consciences, till we have gotten such a release, as may deliver us from all fear of imputation of our debts, lest payment should be requi●ed of us to the utter-most farthing: as it ●s in the Gospel. Finally, the translation ●f covering or hiding of sin, is taken from a general custom of dispatching ●hose things out of the way, whereof a man cannot sustain the sight, without greevance o● molestation; thereby declaring, that sin is such an eyesore to God, that he cannot behold it, and spare ●t but at once; but that the devil will pre●ent it to God, and provoke him to punish it, except it be hid & buried in the bottom of the Sea: and except the offender be covered with the righteousness of Christ. So that in sum, these words do set down the feebleness, ●he poverty and nakedness of sin, which doth so discomfort him, if his conscience be awake; that till he have found remedy for each of them, he thinketh himself not out of the compass, where fire and brimstone shall fall, nor can be delivered from a fearful expectation of God's curse.  
And on the contrary part; when he feeleth himself comforted by God● right hand, and lifted up out of the quag-mire of contagious pollutions, hi● soul beginneth to taste how sweet th● Lord is: and when he feeleth the speciality of his debts, which was graven in his conscience, canceled, and so riuete● to CHRIST'S cross, that they shall never be imputed; he drinketh a more hearty draft of the waters of life: but most o● all, when he is assured that his wickedness is so hid, that it cannot press to God's throne for vengeance; nor rise up in judgement against him, in the day of his visitation; he is then indeed, and perfectly blessed, and wanteth nothing that can be added in this life, to the absolving of most perfect felicity.  
This forcible propounding therefore of this cause of blessedness, hath in i● an exclusive nature: secretly affirming, that there is no other cause of justifying, and so of true blessedness: But this grace only, to the end that men might be stirred up to take this course, whereof the Holy Ghost is the guide. All men agree in this, that they would feign be blessed: But there is no consent amongst men, neither in the causes, nor in the thing itself. The Philosophers, for want of judgement, every one shot his Bolt diversly, and every one wide of the mark, as appeareth in the collection, which CICERO hath made of their opinions in his Tusculane questions. The carnal christan hath a true contemplation & judgement, what is that Summum bonum, that is, chief happiness, but by the halting of an evil conscience, he is turned out of the way; so, although he say, it is in Heaven, yet he seeketh it in Hell; though he ascribe it to the Spirit, yet he laboureth for it in the flesh, (it is fearful that I will speak) though he acknowledge that it is the gift of God; yet he runneth after the devil to obtain it; which is then committed, when men think themselves happy and blessed, if they can get riches, beauty, authority, strength, life, & such others; which are common to the Reprobates. What can be so ridiculous, as to hear the continual declamations of worldly men against these vanities? And on the contrary part; to behold the homage and frailty; yea the slavery in which they abandoned to serve such vile things. If David be well considered, it will not be easy to find out many Peers to him in worldly respects: His strength is commended by the conquest of a Lion, his courage in quailing of Goliath; his beauty is set forth with the praise of a sanguine complexion, and amiable countenance: the passing ripeness of his wit is manifest in all his story; & touching his advancement; God took his sheephooj from him, and delivered a Sceptre; and after his banishment, set him in the throne of his master, which he possessed not by ●surpation; but (as it were) by a general election, that the heavens wrought with the applause of the people: His subjects were the only men of the world; for the rare parts wherewith they were for ●he most qualified; his Land flowing with milk and honey; the temperature of the air, incomparable withal other benefits, belonging either to health, profit, or delectation: with so large a hand, as if God had devised to pleasure him; and nature had meant to empty ●ll her riches into his bosom, and to continue the same by the plentiful hope of his posterity. Right truly might I ●aye, that this was a perfect picture of worldly felicity; and yet we see, that DAVID leaveth all this, and seeketh another cause of blessedness: for the finding whereof, these things before did not help at all; teaching us, that the same ●are aught to possess our hearts, lest they be forestalled with a fond affiance, of finding honey in a hive, where ther● is nothing but wasps, & of imagining ourselves to have attained to blessedness; when indeed we are as unhappy a● infelicity: because we lie along not lif●ted up from our sins, which one day sha●● be imputed to us; nor having our wickedness covered, that it should not infect the air, nor offend God's senses, as ● dead carcase above the ground.  
Hitherto hath been spoken of the caus● of blessedness, which is the free grace o● God, in remitting our sins; the circumstances whereof have also been touched The last member of this verse, which remaineth, In whose spirit there is no guile; seateth down a necessary effect of the same teaching an infallible rule to discern●● betwixt a presumptuous & false opinion of remission, and a certain persuasion of the same: that is, if there be no guy●● in the spirit; whereby it is understood such a sanctification following forgiveness, and joined to true repentance; tha● there remaineth no more covert dealing to cloak our sins in whole or in part, for ●eare of worldly shame, or to seek star●ing holes to run from God: but that ●he mind well persuaded of God's love, ●ndued with an honourable opinion of ●he Church; thinketh it no discredit at ●●l, to make known to the uttermost, all ●heir infirmities & offences to God in secret, & to the church publicly; so far as the rule of edification, & God's discipline ●equire; as we see two notable example's in this Prophet, and his Son; whereof the one hath left to the church, the 51 Psal. The other, the book called Ecclesiastes; as public monuments and remem●rances of their falls, & liberal confession of the same; to remain as it were on ●he file, even to all posterities; showing ●herby their zealiousnes in repentance, & their sincerity, in that they were not ●ender over their credits, in respect of ●he edification of the church. This then is the effect of that grace which forgiveth ●ndeed; never to separate the gift of forgiveness, from the gift of sanctification and the special points thereof, which here is enforced; is through guile of Spirit; to keep back nothing un-confessed, which the nature of true repentance would discover: But this is not all, for general sanctification is here showed to be the foot-step of the holy Ghost, by the print, whereof, we may know whether we have our portion in this grace of remission of sins, or whether the fearful signs of the wrath of God abide upon us still or no. Saint PAV●● in the eight to the Romans, setteth down the same doctrine, saying; Tha● calling justification, & sanctification, are so inseparable, that who-so-ever hath the one, hath the other also. And to TIMOTHY (he sayeth) If any man call on th● name of the Lord, let him departed from iniquity: Wherefore, it is the perfection o● madness, for a man that remaineth dissolute, to dream of forgiveness, and when an hypocrite is pure in his own● conceit, & yet is not washed from hi● sins. It is to true, that in those that are regenerate, and are indeed forgiven, there shall remain such a waste and unsavoury taste, as shall much annoy them, and hu●t the relish or gift, even of their most sanctified actions: so that the Lord had need to look with a merciful and for bearing eye, upon the highest virtues of his children; yea, they shall not be freed from the foul sin of hypocrisy; but shall feel with much vexation, themselves to be pestered with such things: howbeit, in substance and in the chiefest drift of their life, they are true-harted to God; slipping into these former faults by infirmity, or by reason of scanter measure of mortification, than they ought to have laboured unto: so that the odds, is in the thing which is propounded to a man's desire; for if his chiefest care in the love and fear of God, be to seek his salvation; whatsoever his hypocrisy be, it is not his guilt of spirit: But if he propound to himself some other thing, that his heart doth rather labour for, then for salvation; it is certain that he is falsehearted to GOD, and that such an hypocrisy is one authentic record, of a man that abideth in his sins: and such a man as this, hath neither faith to overcome the world, nor grace to resist temptation, and though he say, that he is persuaded of remission, and extol the mercy of GOD above the skies; yet that guile that remaineth in his spirit, tormenteth his conscience every day, convincing him by this, that because he is not sanctified, therefore he is not pardoned. For in this work, there is neither water only, nor blood only, but both water and blood, as Saint JOHN witnesseth. It standeth us therefore in hand, not to satisfy ourselves with a devotion momentany; but let our minds stand bend in holy wo●kes, not to brag of the death of CHRIST, that it hath purged our old sins: But to feel how mighty it is to subdue the new, that the sinews of ungodliness in our hearts, and unrighteousness and unsober behaviour in the out-warde man, may be cut off; For it is the confirmation of our election, if this sincerity be in us: Neither doth the sin more certainly discern the day from the night, than this Spirit doth discern him, which is accepted with GOD, from a wretch; whom he reproveth; as Saint PAVLL plainly sayeth: If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, the same is not of Christ.   

3 When I held my tongue, my bones consumed whilst I waited all the day long.  
4 For thine hand is heavy upon me day and night, & my moisture is turned into the drought of summer, Selah.  
Hitherto the prophet hath declared that there is no true felicity where there is no sanctified feeling of remission. Now it remaineth, that he prove the same which he doth by his own example, declaring the great anguish and torment which he felt in his conscience, even to the wasting & soaking out of the strength of his body so long as God hide his face from him, & left him destitute of the hope of salvation, the cause whereof he declareth in the first words of the verse to have been, because he held his peace that is denied to make a liberal confession of his sins, refusing no shame not other abasement whatsoever belonging thereto, whereinto the holy Ghost reacheth us, that cloaking of sin, howsoever it serveth for an excuse in the world and saveth our credit amongst men: Yet it keepeth his conscience upon the rack, and maketh the arrowhead of despair to rankle in his bowels, whereto the saying of SALOMON agreeth in that 2●. of PROVERBS, That he which hideth his sin shall not prosper, but he which confesseth them, and leaveth them, shall find mercy. But this sentence before we proceed further, if it respecteth confession to be made to God only, and not to the Church, hath need of exposition: For if DAVID might have been released from the torments which he here speaketh of, with a secret confession unto God, all other witnesses being removed, so that no discredit might redound ●o him thereby, it seemeth strange, that he would abide such troubles the space of an hour, and would not rather get him into some secret place, & in most ample manner confess all the wickedness that he could remember, that he had committed ever in his life. The holy Ghost therefore in this place, by DAVID his silence, intendeth some greater crime ●gainst him, then that he was dainty of his words, & refused with his tongue to make confession unto God; for it is certain that a domme man may make as acceptable a confession, as he that can speak, but DAVID in this place accuseth himself of hypocrisy, and hardness of heart, ●n this, that he refused to deal seriously with his own conscience, and to persist ●n the meditation of mortification, till such time as he had a sufficient sight and detestation of his sin, without which, ●ll the confession of men must be hypocritical, & their smoke infect the air. This then indeed was David's silence, that he refused to give answer to the holy Ghost calling upon his conscience, & for want of faith was kept either with some presumption, or else with some terror from entering into a most grave consultation, and resolute determination, to take such perfit notice of the heinousness of his sins, as the nature of true repentance doth require: for this is common to us all, that although we desire to be saved, yet there is not one amongst an hundredth that will task himself so zealously, as he ought with a sincere perseverance in humbling himself to walk with God; yea, and lest any man should resolve with himself, not to be stripped of sackcloth, and ashes, nor to put away the purpose of sorrow, and lamentation, in seeking after his well-beloved (as it is in the song of SALOMON) till he had found her. The devil hath infected the hearts of many men with a damnable error in the definition o● repentance, making them believe, that, every terror of the heart for sin, is the nature of true repentance, and to that purpose he abuseth the Scriptures, that CHRIST will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed. And by these fallations and false comforts, he quencheth the zeal of many, and maketh them give over their labour and consultationes of humbling themselves and seeking of CHRIST, before their conscience have felt any comfort at all. As if every sorrow were godly sorrow, or as if it were possible for mercy to be found and yet never felt, or for repentance to be separated from faith, and the spirit of freedom. This cursed discontinuance of our travel in Godly sorrow, the Prophet ESAY derideth, calling penance for a day, and bowing down the head like a Bulrush. And the Prophet AMOS likeneth it, to the dew and the Morning cloud which is suddenly gone, And this is the swept and garnished house, mentioned by CHRIST, Repossessed by seven worse spirits than before: For as this false repentance, feedeth their heart with false hope, and suffereth not true comfort to take place; as appeareth in the day of visitation: So may this negligence, & giving over our labour in mortification, be worthily accounted the cause, why men wallow in fouler enormities than before, swallowing again, (as S. PETER saith) The vomit which before they had cast; as it is most certain and true: those men find in themselves less power to do well; and are carried with more raging affections to do wickedly, then ever they felt before. What shall we say then? Do we require such a measure of sorrow, as might counter-weight the same; or do we esteem remission, by the dignity of repentance? nothing less: For we know, that if we had a thousand eyes, it were too little to weep them out all, because of our sins: yea, if we had a thousand hearts, though they all burst with sorrow because of our transgressions; yet it were not this, but Christ's heart blood, that could make the father's heart to yearn; or could merit remission at his hands; what is it then that we require? namely, that men return not from the school of repentance to worldly delights, which quench the spirit, till their hearts be made joyful by the holy Ghost, by feeling an hearty detestation of their wickedness, and a resolute determination to continue cheerfully in the course of godliness, so long, until both faith & hope be abolished, that then resting from their labours, they may solace themselves with love celestial, as saint PAUL speaketh; for the truth is, that many when they compare themselves with DAVID & other of God's children, I mean the difficulties and long afflictions of them, and the short work which they themselves have made, & so easily dispatched in this work of repentance, have cause to suspect themselves vehemently, and to examine themselves straightly, by the fruits of feeling, and conversion, whether they have right repent or no▪ Saint PAUL in the 2. Epistle to the Cor. the 7. Cap. like a man of experience, setteth down seven notable affects of repentance; I would they were well perused, that we might try ourselves by them, for it is a care that ought to possess all the powers both of body and soul; considering that Satan with this engine, maketh a number of soul's partakers of their own condemnation▪ The matter therefore groweth to this point, that although we confess never so absolutely, that we are sinners, with the greatest vehemency of speech that can be, yet so long as there remaineth self-love in us, prevailing so far with us, as to make us take exceptions against the severity of this spiritual discipline all this while; because we cannot find in our hearts to pluck out our eyes and cut off our hands, at Christ's commandement: that is, to deal severely with ourselves in mortifying every provocation to offence: we do but flatter our breath in the wind, and the hippocras that is in us drowneth the sound of our confession, so as A voice cannot ●e heard, as the Prophet ESAY witnesseth. Let us therefore as we are advised in the REVELATION, be zealous in repentance, that the holy Ghost may assure our conscience, that our mourning is grown into the nature of true repentance, not deceiving ourselves with beginnings, because the Scripture sayeth plainly, that the proceedings of a ●rue convert, is not to stay himself with a persuasion of repentance, when he ●s pricked at the heart; but to step yet further, to lay hold upon repentance itself, as upon a more excellent and infallible grace; as we may read, that it befell ●o PETER'S auditory, in that 2. of the ACTS, of whom the holy Ghost sayeth, first, That they were pricked in their hearts; which lest it should be taken for repentance, he sayeth, that upon further instruction, and more careful search, they attained to repentance itself afterward, that we may know, that pricking at the heart, & repentance are not all one, but two several things, whereof one may be in a lost child, as that was in JUDAS, but the other belongeth only to the sons and daughters of God. Thu● hath DAVID declared how he brought himself into fearful troubles, (as i● were) by gagging of his own conscience, lest he should make such a confession as it required at his hands.  
Now it remaineth to be considere● what troubles those were. My bones sait● he, consumed and waxed old, etc. That is care which eateth out the heart, mad● her impression in my body, and th● thoughts which I had taken, did so pyn● me away, that it burneth the marrow● out of my bones, & drieth up my youthful humours with pensiveness (as it ha● been with old age) which he repeateth in the next verse in other words saying, That the hand of God was so he 〈◊〉 upon him day and night, that it spent his nature, and turned the best moisture within 〈◊〉 into the drought of summer; as if it had been entering into the most incurable consumption of all otheres, when that which is called, humidum radical, beginneth to spend. These speeches are used ●o teach us into what plight, concealing of sin bringeth men, and we are the rather enforced, that we should not think that these clouds would be so easily overblown, as those miseries which proceed of worldly causes. Mark then, what we have to learn in this place, what is the estate of them which be not in league with God, if we look upon them with a worldly eye; I confess we shall see many of them with their breasts full of milk, & their bones full of marrow: yea they have collopes in their flanks, (as JOB saith) but if we look upon their conditione with a spiritual eye, we shall well perceive, that their conscience as often as their presumption is intermitted, is nothing-els but an hell, and themselves so terified with the horrible stiching thereof, that it worketh the● more woe nor all their worldly peace i● worth: for such is the estate of men no● reconciled to God, That the sound of fear● is never out of their ears, (as we read i● JOB,) and this is the cause why these men cannot sustain to hear the judgement of God against sin, because they think themselves all the while to be arraigned at God's bar; for where there i● no truce with God, the law goareth th● conscience, and the soul thinketh i● self tormented before the time: and i● this be so, how great is the hardness o● those men's hearts? and how monstruous is their cruelty to their own souls▪ which can shake of the care of reconcilement, & can rejoice with a Sardinian laughter in sin, when the Lord● bendeth his brows against them. Furthermore, we have here an ample testimony of the frowardness of our nature▪ which will not be reclaimed without extreme dealing; for DAVID himself (you see) is laid upon the rack, and almost streached a sunder, every joint one from another, before he can be brought to a sincere confession, such a work hath the Lord with us before he can make any grace to grow in our hearts, which ought to teach us these too things. First, that we enter into an hearty mislike of ourselves, and to be grievously displeased with our vntracta●lenes, which compelleth God to hear us up, and cast us down against the ground; (As DAVID else where saith,) and to afflict many so sore, that (God his secret grace excepted) they seem otherwise ●n respect of the marvelous afflictions which God is driven to lay upon them, ●o be shackled foot to foot, with reprobate and desperate persons: all this I say) proceeding, not of cruelty or fu●● in the Lord, but of our own vn●ractablenes (who otherwise could not possibly be saved) should make us to be 〈◊〉 perpetual war with our affections, ●nd to conceive a present hatred, as it ●ere, even of ourselves: for if the Lord might espy that in us, that we would judge ourselves, he would not be our judge, but our comforter in such a conflict. The next thing that we have to learn, is to judge wisely of the afflicted soul, & to beware how we condemns any, because the hand of God is terrible upon them, for the text saith, that even DAVID himself, who had conscience of some former sincerity, and wa● able to subdue many assaults, and temptations in knowledge, yet was he eve● brought to the brink of despair, an● was tormented with an horrible fear● of damnation: even as it is usual with God to exercise his children with those trials, no otherwise, nor if he whippe● them with Scorpions. The worldly men, which never were translated from death to life, being ignorant of God● spiritual miracles; in calling; mortifying, regenerating, and chastening o● his children, when they see a man in thi● perplexity; they say he is mad, melancholious & desperate, increasing th● griefs of the afflicted, with bitter tantes & mocks; which is to be feared, many one day will rue it. It standeth us therefore in hand, to expel such uncharitable conceits; knowing that the dearest children of God, may be wonderfully perplexed and racked with exceeding and long torments of conscience; yea, many times their sail is rend in pieces; their tackles, and all their tackling burst; their bruised bark left to the wild waters & the wind; and yet for all that, at the last they obtain a safe aryval to the shore. Let us then, for the conclusion of this point (if any such thing be fall us) beware to lay any un-reasonable thing to God's charge; yea, rather let us acknowledge his mercy; who, when he might have punished our long and tedious hypocrisy, with hardness of heart; choose rather to put himself to all that pain, to reclaim us by correction, that we might take heed to our sores, how we suffer them to run long cured on the outside, but festering within; knowing that by these means, we shall put ourselves to greater pains at the last, before they can be cured: howbeit, for that which is past, and cannot be revoked; let us not be dismayed with this example, from submitting ourselves to the mighty hand of GOD, For he is a faithful keeper of souls, and will not suffer them to be tempted, above (measure, or) their power. Thus having considered the effect of DAVID his silence, we are to give heed to a special circumstance, which he setteth down in these words, that He roared all the day long. Signifying thereby, that his prayers so long as they were not mixed with faith, nor seasoned with true repentance, were no better than roaring: That is, than the crying or bellowing of some brutish & un-reasonable creature. For this is a metaphor, taken from Lions, taken in a snare, or being in some other distress, as appeareth in the third chapter of Amos, and in other places, where the word is used in his proper signification; whereby we learn, what difference there is, betwixt the prayers of the faithful, and of them which nowrish fraud & deceit ●n their spirit: The sacrifice of the one is ●indled from heaven, & when he hath ●oured out his spirit, he hath eased his heart; having cast his burden and care ●herof upon the shoulders of CHRIST: ●ut the hypocrite, in the day of visitation, fareth like a beast that is sticked or ●aled with ropes, wanting all reason & forecast to help itself: and therefore useth no meekness nor entreaty, but with roaring and struggling, straineth itself, and tangleth itself more; & with brutish raging, doubleth the pain. There ●s no doubt, but where great afflictions ●ight upon men that are tainted with hypocrisy: the air is beaten with many such roaringes, and men flutter like birds in the net, when God hath caught ●hem: but all those senseless prayers a●aile them nothing more, then if an Ox ●hould break out of the slaughter-house, with the rope tied about his horns, & his tongue hanging out, with much bellowing and madness, when he had caught a knock with the axe. And therefore we may see the excellency of faithful prayers: Yea, the Angel of GOD doth ascend up in the smoke of this sacrifice, whereas men that will not yield, but will retain their sins, cannot pray, but rage and roar desperately, like Lions and Bears. Nevertheless, it behoveth us wisely to understand this doctrine, that it concerneth hypocrites, and them that hold their falsehood in the right hand. I say, it belongeth to them, because they have not faith, nor consolation in their prayers: For otherwise, it is certain, that the most excellent children of GOD, are many times so low brought, with the anguish of an afflicted conscience, that they cannot utter any perfit prayers with their lips: but do speak abruptly half sentences; yea, half words, being broken off with the extremity of their pangs that come betwixt; (As Ezechiah writeth of himself) That he chattered like a Crane or 〈◊〉 Swallow, and mourned like a Dove. And there is no doubt, but all God's Children do feel a strife and a combat in their spirit, in many of their prayers; e●en as we see green-wood lieth sobbing and smoking long before it will burn: We are therefore to put a differance between this and roaring; because the Scriptures are full of examples of imperfect speeches in the prayers of God's children: yea, in the prayers of CHRIST himself; which cometh to pass, because many of those sacrifices, are so seasoned and peppered with salt, and with fire; yea, afflictions come so thick on God's children, that they have no time to swallow their spittle: But yet in them there is a sweet sense of God's grace; and the Lord enlargeth the footing under them; yea, he puts his own arm betwixt them and the grave, that they should not bruise themselves with any fall; for although he leave some trouble of mind, yet he looketh upon them through the chinks of the door, he hath compassion of their dolorous lamentations, and putteth all their tears into a bottle: For why, they have yielded unto GOD, they have kept nothing back, and therefore can pray with a feeling spirit; whereas the hypocrite doth not pray, but roar; because he will not trust God: For an evil conscience, doth stop his mouth, & the sins of his youth, are still in his bones.   
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to thee, neither hide I mine iniquity; for I thought, I will confess against myself my wickedness unto the Lord; and thou tookest away the punishment of my sin. Selath,. 
Then I acknowledged my sin, etc.) Thus far DAVID hath set forth by his own example, the disquietness of them which hold their peace; and refuse in simplicity of heart, to make confession of their sins. Now on the contrary part, he showeth by his own experience; what is the effect of God's grace, when it hath brought men to godly humility, to resolve to confess their sins to God, in that which followeth next. Then I acknowledge my sins unto thee, etc. This diligence in describing his confession in so many words, that he would make known his sin, & would not hide iniquity; but confess his apostasy unto the Lord; doth declare, that he hath gotten the victory over all hypocrisy; and at the last, after long siege, ●ad gotten the hold of simplicity, and sincerity: So as now, there remained no ●urning, nor winding, nor extenuating of his sin, when he had to do with GOD, as there was before. As for the Lord, he is not hindered with any impediment of ignorance, or dullness, that ●e should not know by a word, what the ●hole meaneth; yea, though he confess ●o sin at all; yet for his part he taketh perfect notice of all our offences without us. It is not then for his sake, that we ●ake any confession, as if we could a●●se him by our hypocrisy, for he see●th through the dark clouds: but it is for our own sakes; to the end; that comparing our lives, with the commandments of God; & confessing how much we serve from that holy rule, we might be stirred up to great contrition, and might be more deeply set in the meditation of our own unworthiness, that being so humbled, God's spirit might take occasion to fasten upon us, and to lay sure hold upon our hearts▪ Thus we see, that it is the nature of true confession to aggravate our sins, acknowledging that confusion of face belongeth to us, and charging upon our heads, the sins of ourselves, of our fathers and children, wives, friends, and all others; so far as our guiltiness may any way stretch; not in any set or laboured phrase of speech, but from a conscience nurtured with fear and trembling, under the just hand of GOD: i● this sort, the Prophet calleth himself 〈◊〉 beast before God; And Saint PAVLL accuseth himself of blasphemy befor● his conversion, affirming, not with feigned humility: but even as he thought ●n his heart, that he was the chiefest sin●er amongst them, whom CHRIST ●ame to save. And in the Primitive Church, Saint PAVLL showeth, what humility was joined to the confession ●f them which were converted by hea●ing the Prophecies, or exercises than used; that they fell upon their faces. As indeed, if we be endued with the Spirit of true repentance, we can find in ●ur hearts to humble ourselves, even ●elow to the ground: & the very cause why sinners make it so strange, is, because the spirit of pride hath still the possession of their hearts; which evil spirit, ●ust be cast out of us, before we can make ●nie such confession, as God will accept ●f at our hands. There is another thing, ●hich the holy Ghost setteth down ●o be marked in this place; namely, that ●he children of God have a joyful issue ●f all their temptations, that the Lord ●ill bring some excellent thing to pass 〈◊〉 the last; by afflicting his, which is their mortification and sanctification: Fo● this is the end of all his hewing, to mak● them living stones fit to his Church, an● sorting to the chief corner stone, which 〈◊〉 our Lord JESUS CHRIST; to whose ●mage by this means we are conformed. If the Lord had brought all th● world unto captivity under DAVID yet, if hypocrisy had rested in his hear● it had been all accursed to him: but no● that the Lord hath renewed a right sp●rite in him, both heaven and earth a●● sanctified to his use: But above all, he hath gotten the liberty of conscience and singeth with a joyful note: Th●● hast taken away the punishment of my sinn● This is all in all, that his soul is refreshe● with the feeling of remission; and s● soon as the Lord saw him willing to judge himself, he steppeth from th● tribunal seat, to the bar; & of his judge becometh his Advocate, to plead fo● him; taking away the punishment of hi● sin, which being so; who is he, wh● willbe afraid to deal severely with hi● self, to call his conscience to a reckoning, that he might repent him seriously of his sin? Who shall blaspheme his way any more? calling it the way ●f desperation, since we see the contrararie in the example of DAVID; who ●●so telleth us else where, That with God is ●ercie, that he might be feared: Whereto, ●aint JOHN also agreeth, denying that ●●ee have any such cause to dread despair: For if we acknowledge our sins saith he) he will not take us at the van●ge, and condemn us out of our own ●outhes, but he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from ●●l unrighteousness: Yea, many times ●od chideth and comforteth both at ●ne instant: as we may see in the example of the woman of Syrophenisse; who, if he had been terrified, with the sharp rebuke of CHRIST, she had lost her ●●bour, and the commendation of her ●ith.  
At the end of this verse, & the former, ●●e setteth this word Selah; which is a note of attention, staying the meditation longer upon these two sentences, the● upon the rest; declaring thereby his judgement, that both these his contrary conditions, are worthy of observing, because they afflicted his heart exceedingly. Whereout we learn, that we ought not to pass by God's proceed, with a conscience blindfold; nor carelessly to passover, the strange things that w● read, in the secret book of our conscience: but when-so-ever we hit upon such notable experiences, to turn in a leaf there; to mark it with a Selah, and to peruse it over again and again, that we might get some holy experiences in matters of conscience; for this is th● manner of God's servants, to be cunning in the estate of their own conscience; that they may know what kind of Physic will best agree with them: For default whereof, we see many men's consciences by their own confession, to have surfeited often of the same things; and to have escaped the fruit of many heavenly motions, which ●f they had been received, might have ●urnished them with much riches of godly meditations. And indeed, this is ●he cause why the Psalter is more divine ●or all the rest of the Bible; because, ●hen the Lord had spoken once, DA●ID heard him twice; and all the way ●s he marched, he set down the gests ●nd circumstances of every days journey in a Commentary; so that his ex●erience, committed to the godly memory, made him to excel in the sight, ●oth of Angels and men.   
6 Therefore shall every one that is godly, ●ake his prayer unto thee, in a time when ●●ou mayest be found; surely in the flood of ●ea: waters, they shall not come near thee. 
This far reacheth the first part of ●●e Psalm, propounding that general doctrine; that sincere confession to God necessary for the quieting of the con●ience; without which, it is impossible 〈◊〉 attain the peace of God, and the ●●ling of forgiveness in the heart, as DAVID hath made it plain by his ow●● experience, on both the sides. Now followeth the second part of the Psalms which is the application of the said doctrine, containing in it a declaration o● the duties, which men are to be stirred up unto thereby; whereof, the one is earnest and faithful prayer; and the other is quiet and peaceable obedience to th● calling of God; and the said application beginneth thus; Therefore shall every o●● that is godly, etc.  
Here the Prophet DAVID infers a consequent, upon the mercy which God showed him, when he had shaken of all hypocrisy, and had gone directly to the matter; that either men should be provoked to godliness, by the consideration thereof, for there is no other end why the infirmities of the Patriarches and Prophets are set down in Scripture; But for our comfort and instruction, (as Saint PAUL sayeth) It is sure, that profane men, as they pervert the use o● all things, so do they abuse all those examples, as if it were some excuse to adulterers & drunkards; to mention the ●alles of DAVID and LOT; whereas in ●hem the Lord hath declared the weakness of the best, when God withdraweth ●is spirit, and that no such sin is unpardonable; if men will return as they ●id; as it must be a great encouragement ●o present ourselves before God, when we see how well others have spe●de be●ore us: There is none example in all the Scriptures, of any that ever sped evil, ●y confessing his sin to the Lord, whatsoever the sin were: For there ●s not any sin, but some of God's children have fallen into it; so it hath been ●he case before▪ and we may be encouraged by their example, to wade out as ●hey did: Yea, we shall find more case ●y their experience: for even as they ●hich first sailed in the Seas, gave proper names to dangerous rocks, and pe●●lous places, where they hardly escaped with their lives; to the end, that the posterity by such marks, might shun shipwreck, and pass safely away; calling such places diversly, as the Sage-bed, the Lavender-bed, with other like names best known to Sailors; and as Carters use to set up some bush or other like mark in that place, where their wain stack fast, for a warning to them that come after: so have the godly Fathers furthered us, by their experience, and taught us to eschew many encumbrances, which they (because they break the Ice first themselves) could not see: and this observation in the story of JOB, commendeth his faith exceedingly, for he seemed to have dwelled far from God's people; and to have been destitute in so great affliction of all these incouragementes; so that if life and soul had not been kept together, by restoratives of the holy Ghosts own compounding, he might have despaired a thousand times. It may be, he had read the books of MOSES; but yet that was nothing, in comparison of the comforts, which we may have: Therefore, let us lay up this lesson in our hearts, that although God should carry us away into Tartary, ●o that in sickness of our conscience: we could have neither Preacher nor friends present with us, to minister spiritual comfort: It should suffice us, that we have the advise and example of the Prophets & Apostles; though parents, wives, children, be a thousand miles from us, and all other acquaintance: for what a glorious visitation of the sick is that, when we have patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors; yea, and CHRIST himself, standing round about the bed; comforting and cheering us up: If we say we be sick at the heart, because we have lived riotously and venterouslie; he that was the prodigal child, taketh the tail by the end, and showeth how he himself once laboured of the same disease, but now is clean rid of all the dregs of that sickness. If the patiented reply and say that his sickness is a reciduation (as the Physicians calleth it) & that he hath fallen into it again, since his profession of religion: The Prophet DAVID answereth him fully to that matter, declaring, that his sickness answereth in that circumstance, to a soar malady of his own: For I also (sayeth DAVID,) was a principal professor, before I committed these two most horrible crimes, as all the world knoweth: But my disease (saith the patiented) is old, and of long continuance (yea and I saith DAVID) played the hypocrite a year. If he have been a persecutor of the Church, PAUL comforteth him; If he have denied CHRIST, though it were with perjury; PETER steppeth forth & showeth his own example; finally, they all direct him to the Physician which standeth by, feeling his pulse, (for they were all cured by one doctor) advising him to give over himself to be ordered by him, and the same is JESUS CHRIST. Now if in the sickness of the soul there be so many visitors of such sundry experience, all reason doth exact by their example, that therefore every faithful man do pray unto God in his adversity to be made partaker of the like remedy.  
Now it followeth that we see whitherto DAVID doth exhort men in this application, and that is first to the duty of prayer, saying, Therefore shall every faithful man pray unto thee: especially he aimeth at that part of prayer which is spoken of in his own example; to wit, confession: In place whereof he puts this general word, which comprehendeth all kind of supplications, wherein we ●ske, confess, thank, or praise God for any thing, teaching us by this advise, the certain comfort which is to be found in true prayer, that it is the tower of the faithful, wherein they continue themselves when the enemy assaulteth them; even as God appointed them in the 50. Psal. Telling us that when we are in trouble we shall call upon him, and he will deliver us, and SALOMON in the dedication of the Temple, desireth God that the same effect be given to prayer, which is here spoken of, That the floods of waters may not come near; that is, when men are in peril & terror, if they confess their sins and make their supplications to God he would deliver them, as indeed there is no other so direct means, whereby to have access to God as prayer, neither doth God make answer out of the heaven to any thing that we prefer to him so manifestly as to prayer; for he delighteth in the soul of that sacrifice more than in all other. And therefore the Angels are said to be employed in carrying up the prayers of saints, as if God had preferred them more in assigning them that office then in any other thing, & the excellency hereof is commended in this also, that whereas divers other virtues may be outwardly performed by those that are strangers to God's covenant, though without sincerity there was never any vouchsafed to conceive three words of a faithful prayer, but if he be the undoubted child of God. Let us then give heed to this counsel, and wrestle with ourselves from morning to night, to perform this duty, which done sincerely in any measure at all, shall do us more good in our miseries then all other remedies beside. It is common to be seen, when the hand of God is upon men, That the waters begin to come upon them, they seek after help, and secure twenty ways, but they are all worldly, and not able to give them any comfort. As for prayer, because they have not used themselves thereto, neither their memory nor their skill doth serve them, but for want of faith and calling upon God's name, the floods of great waters bursteth in upon them, and they perish miserably. Yea, & these examples are very common amongst us in time of great calamity when men going out of the world, cannot be brought to any comfortable performance of this duty, but are fearfully deprived of their souls, before they have given any comfortable marks of their faith. There are many which can conceive the words of prayer eloquently, but the comfort is his only which can pray faithfully; and therefore our hearts must be exercised therein, & then our tongues shall be taught to pray more sweetly unto God, then if we had studied our wits to set every word in order: for even as every florisher or fenser proveth not a tall man when he cometh to fight in good earnest; no more are those prayers found effectual, neither can such men speak a word to the purpose when affliction hath laid hold on them indeed. When as a true christian never showeth his manhood, nor his cunning in this weapon of prayer, more than when he is to fight for life and death, and the greater the danger is, with so much the stouter courage is he endued. And that also is worthy the marking in this place, that in a calamity which seemeth uncurable when the hands of worldly men do faint, & politics are at their wits end, than there is succour in prayer, and there is comfort in calling upon the name of God, for though (sayeth he) that prayer shall turn away the floods of great waters, ●hat although our troubles were as the sea, whose violent course cannot be ●●rned, and whose merciless waters cannot be stopped, yet prayer maketh them ●o fly backward, as it were against nature; so that the raiging and untamed floods of great waters dare not come ●eare. And how much doth this extol ●he excellent estate of God's children, who are furnished with remedies against remediless things, and with cures for ●ncurable wounds; even as it is the ●ature of faith, not to boast itself in things that are seen (as the Apostle ●aith) where there is no need, but to be occupied about things invisible and impossible to the flesh. Saying,   
7 Thou art my secret place, thou preservest ●●e from trouble, thou compassest me about ●ith joyful deliverance. Selah. 
In this next verse, the Prophet seateth down a short form of prayer to ●e used of the faithful, wherein the proposition is a petition to be preserved i● misery, on these words, keep me from distress, or in the straight of my troubles; which is enforced first by an argument taken from their faith, which expecteth the invisible grace and defence of God when all the world denieth succour, th●● art my secret place. Secondly, by the effect of the said deliverance, that the children of God shall be stirred up to the second duty of prayer which is to praise and glorify God's name. Thou shalt compass me about with songs of thanksgiving In the first where the faithful are taught to call God, their secret place, is meant that they acknowledge the especial car● of God over such as call rightly upon his name, that he is their refuge, & dot● secretly, & with grace (which the worl● is not vouchsafed with the sight of) protect and sustain his, so as they remains safe, when the world looketh that the● shallbe overwhelmed with despair an● calamities. And this administration o● God, doth astonish the world wonderfully, when they see a poor silly ●odie, who hath no abettor or mayn●eyner, nor any man of countenance ●o back him; but that he is like a low ●edge, which every man may step over, ●ot to be dismayed with all this, but ●o lay him down (as DAVID sayeth) and sleep in much security, when his enemy's keep stout watch and pitch●th their tents against him; JOBS wife ●sketh such a question of her husband; ●nd that with much indignation; Dost thou still persist in thine integrity? Thinking it absurd, that he should be constant in avouching the righteousness ●f God; when there appeared no token, ●ut of his wrath and fury: Assuredly, all ●he confidence of men, which they ●aue in worldly munitions, and all o●her means of safety; are like the house ●f a spider, in comparison of this: And ●herefore, we see oftentimes, their Sun ●oeth down at noon; but when God ●●deth his children, under the lap of ●s garment; neither men nor devils enemies shall not terrify us; but ou● eyes being opened by prayer, shall be hold the mountains overspread wit● Angels; and we shall see, that whic● they cannot discern: namely, that ther● are more with us, than with them (as th●● Scripture sayeth.)  
The next reason to move God t● save his Children in their strait; i● that he may compass them about wit● songs of thanksgiving; that is, by delivering them, he might minister occa●●on of his own praises, as it is in the 〈◊〉 Psal. Open my lips, and my mouth sha●● show forth thy praise. This as I said, is th● second part of prayer, whereunto th● people were moved, under the ceremonial law, by straight paying of vowe●● lest the fear of God, should be diminished in them by prosperity & hear● case; whereby appeareth, that this du●ty of thanksgiving, carefully performed, is a singular exercise of faith; whe● men standing upon the shore, and beholding the dangerous & tumultuous Seas, which they have passed, are stirred 〈◊〉 to sacrifice praise and glory to him 〈◊〉 the same. And thi● service the Lord ●oth greatly accept, and taketh much 〈◊〉 light in it; yea, it is a further work of ●●ith, than petition, which is the former ●●rte of prayer: for those which are but ●●lightned against death, may serve in a ●●●t to make some petitions to God; but ●●ey never be-think them at all, of the ●●tie of thanksgiving, when they have uncoqued benefits of him: And for this ●●u●e nine of the lepers which Christ ●e●s●d are defamed to all posterity by ●●e holy Ghost in the Gospel: For there as nothing more odious nor this sin; ●●d therefore God hath not so much ●●t it to the censure of the Church, but ●●th reserved it to his own judgement. ●et us then labour to purge ourselves 〈◊〉 ●uch a wickedness, spending much 〈◊〉 our time, in the songs of thanksgiving, since God hath compassed us a●●ut with them, and hath given us so ●●nie occ●siones to praise his name. The book of the Psalms, though it consist much of the first part of prayer, an● be full of petitions: yet in the Hebrew title, is called A Book of praises, name● by the Church, as it were of the mo●● honourable part of prayer: and indeed such hath been the thankfulness o● God's children, that their love canno● keep within the banks, but burst fort● into the praise of God, in the midst of some other treatise, as we may observe in Saint PAVLL, in the first to th● Romans verse 25. To be brief, the excellency of thanksgiving, showeth it sel●● here in that, whereas men make petitions, it is of love and care of themselves▪ For the supply either of spiritual o● bodily wants, but where men offe● thanks, it is of a kind heart, of a loving and honourable affection, conceived towards God, when they strive with themselves, and are in a sort grieved, th●● they have nothing worthy in them t● render for all his loving kindness: an● that their love cannot extend to him, a● we read in the 16. Psalm.   

8 I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the ●●y that thou shalt go, and I will guide thee ●ith mine eye.  
9 Be ye not like a Horse or like a Mule, which ●nderstand not; whose mouths thou dost ●nde with bit and bridle, lest they come ●eere thee.  
10 Many sorrows shall come to the ●●cked, but he that trusteth in the Lord, mer●●● shall compass him.  
Hitherto reacheth the first part of ●he application, as touching the duty ●●t Prayer: The second part followeth, persuading to obedience: For the bet●er performance whereof, the Prophet DAVID, turning himself to the faithful, promiseth to be their guide therein: ●nd this his guidance (he saith) shall con●●st, first, in instructing them, & advising ●hem in the way wherein they should walk 〈◊〉 then in guiding them with his eye. By ●he first, he meaneth that he will teach ●hem out of the word of God, the true duties of obedience, according to his Prophetical function, and the performing of this duty ●e signifieth, by varying the same things with diverse Phrases, that he will be painful and plain in teaching them, giving such manifest directions, as if the way were chalked before them. Thus he useth an argument to persuade to obedience, which indeed, in foldeth in it many arguments: That King DAVID, that Prophet of the Lord, a man of singular experience in spiritual affairs would be their skoole-maister, & that in most plain & painful manner, whereout we learn this doctrine: That when the Lord sendeth fit instruments into the Church, which have both skill and will, to feed it with hands of discretion, it ought to be an argument o● obedience, to all that have a sparkle of God's grace. To this purpose, the Apostle Sant PAVLL putteth the Galathians in mind, that he had used such diligence, and plainness, in preaching the passion of the ●ord, & had done it so lively, as if indeed they had seen CHRIST JESUS crucified before their eyes, & because the labour of the Prophets, performed in this plain manner, wrought nothing among the jews: The Prophet ESAI●, cap. 18. denounceth Gods judgements against them; & after, he showeth by two familiar comparisons, how they had been instructed as Children, that learn the A. B. C. which name the letters after their school master; and as they which have their hands led, when they learn to write; which he meaneth by these phrases; that precep●●ath been upon precept, and line upon line. And herein they to whose charge it appertaineth, are taught not to be stamering or squeamish, but like loving nurses, to take all in good worth, though they have many a foul hand with the rude people, even as Saint PAUL setteth himself forth for ●n example, when he sayeth, that he traveled again with the GALATHIANS although one travel is as much as a woman is able to bear for her own child. I would we had learned well this lesson, that such as teach others, were not carried away with the spirit of niceness, and vainglory: so a great part of Ministers, whether of a base opinion that they have conceived of catechizing; as too low a thing for their excellentness or whether of any irksomeness to travel with the rude & forgetful people; or for what other cause I know not; whilst they preach themselves and let their own gests take wind, leave the people vninstructed in the necessary points of salvation, not leading them as they ought, in the way wherein the● should walk. On the other side, the people in many places, though they have this argument to move them to obedience; that is, a painful and godly pastor, yet they are moved hereby nothing at all, but had rather have such an one as should Prophesy no more unto them in the name of the Lord, yea it is to be thought: that the number of good teachers had been greater if such as love ●not instruction had not given the NA●●RITES wine to drink, they which ● have none to instruct them, hope to be excused by ignorance, though vainly, but to them which have a teacher, and ●efuseth admonitions, there remaineth neither hope, nor excuse, for even the prayer of them which will not hear; shall be abominable (saith SALOMON.)  
The next point is, that he will guide them with his eyes, which is more nor the former: for he promiseth not only with general exhortation to do what good he can, but also to attend upon them with his eyes, & at every turn to help their wandering, and to go in & out before them himself, which how well he performed in his ordinary, calling of a king, and in extraordinary as he was a Prophet, the Scriptures give ample testimony. This place teacheth us, that the continual presence of the teacher (necessity only excepted) is a forcible means to bring men into obedience as may appear both by the Scriptures, and by reason: for we know, that a friend of approved godliness and wisdom, whom we use familiarly, and into whose bosom we may empty our secreetes, shall prevail more with us then any stranger whatsoever. And therefore S. PAUL forbiddeth the minister to bear himself coily and stately amongst the people, but to be gentle and easy to be spoken to, to the end that acquaintance may win love, and love may gain obedience, and for this cause the people are compared to sheep; which know their own shepherds whistle, from all others by daily use. It is certain enough, that where the teacher never attendeth on his office; but in the pulpit; there the people are sheep which feed in low places, at their own wills do rot for want of a better shepherd. S. PAUL in his farewell sermon to the Ephesians, layeth this example of his before the Ministers, that he had taught to the people house by house, and the same Apostle showeth that the Levites were maintained of the ALTAR upon this condition, that they were resident at the same. Those therefore that are the Ministers of JESUS CHRIST, their love to him will move them, the word of God will command them, the example of DAVID & all good overseers will meet them, compassion of the people, and dread to murder the souls which CHRIST hath purchased with his own blood, will provoke, enjoin and constrain them, With diligence to feed that ●●e●ke which dependeth upon them. The temptations which draw a man from this duty are gross, and such as even the shame of the world might shift off: how much more should God's spirit prevail against them; for the gains which is gotten by spiritual promotions joined with spiritual destructions; is more shameful and infamous, than the gains of the usurer or of the promoter; yea it is the most odious & barbarous shift that the devil can devise.  
BALAAMS' bribe is called the wages o● iniquity; but this filthy lucre (I speak a reproachful thing) is the Hangman's wages, for the loss of the precious lives and souls of men is their booty: But of this matter, the complaints amongst men are so manifold, and the supplications to God for reformation are so infinite, that it seemeth fit to expect what God will do, then to preach any longer to the belly that hath no ears.  
This much hath been spoken of the promise which DAVID maketh, to instruct and guide the people; used by him as an argument to move them to docility and obedience. Now for as much as the most part when they are to be ordered by good Discipline, do fare like wild creatures: he dehorteth them from the same, showing what will be the effect of disobedience, that it will bring a double pain upon them, & make them to have a rougher and greater bit in their mouths; that is, they shall be constrained to yield to their grief and pain, if they will not show themselves ●●actable by fair means. But before he ●●eth this argument, he maketh the sin 〈◊〉 untractablenes odious, by comparing 〈◊〉 with the brutishness of horses & mules, ●hich are not well broken, who many ●●mes seek to mischief their keepers; 〈◊〉 a wild horse, if he cannot by kicking ●●d rearing cast his rider, watcheth the ●●me till the rain be slacked, & getting ●he bit betwixt his teeth, setteth his tail 〈◊〉 end, and runneth his rider against ●he trees and walls, & through hedges, ●o spoil him if it be possible: & when ●●e is down giveth him a farewell with ●●s heels. As for the Mule she is well enough known to be a froward and vn●●ly beast; so that if her keeper watch her ●ot the better, she will take him up in her ●●eth; & lay him before her in the man●er. The Prophet therefore pointeth ●●rth this sin of frowardness, under ●●e Images of an Horse & Mule, to note ●nto us, that there is nothing so brutish ●s to reject, the doctrine and government which God hath appointed fo● our souls: whereof although there be many judges, yet none can tell so well, what a troublesome piece of work this is, a● the faithful ministers of the Gospel, which are driven to manage such res●● and untamed jades, as are many amongst the multitude, for what with jerking ou● the heels, rising upon the hinder legs, g●ing sidelong; & other froward touche● of unbroken colts; the poor Minister if he be on their backs, can hardly keep the saddle; and if he lead them in hi● hand, on froward jade or other in th● Parish, taketh him up by the collar, an● throweth him out of the way; so that 〈◊〉 a man be never so honest, and have many good friends; yet if he will do h●● duty, he shall hardly be able to stands without suspension or deprivation, o● some such like foil; which would neue● come to pass, if it were not for the H●●ses and Mules in his Parish: and this 〈◊〉 the cause, why many give over the● good beginnings in their ministry, because their people are so tickle heeled: 〈◊〉, & thus it cometh about, that the Land is full of shiven jades, which can ●euer be broken of their unhappy properties, because they were marred in the ●andling at the first. Let us then learn ●ot to mislike or condemn the diligence of good Pastors; notwithstanding the example of ten thousand ●hich are negligent: For the Scripture sayeth, that they are not busy-bodies in so ●●ing, but we are Horses & Mules in disobeying; as indeed it is evident enough, ●ow savagely & furiously many behave themselves, in rejecting the nurture of the Gospel; which otherwise, before the Devil was interrupted in them, had the commendation of civil men, of court●●e, and courteous Gentlemen: The precepts of civility, & the rules (as they call them) of urbanity, do teach a man ●o avoid what-so ever is undecent & unsightly in gesture or phrase, in look ●r gate; so that there are some to be found, so exactly framed to these things, as if they had been cast in the very mould of civil behaviour. But alas, what profit is there in such matters, when men for lack of christian education, notwithstanding their civility do disgrace and discredit themselves so much, that when the Gospel is applied, such forgetfulness of all good manners layeth hold on them, that they foam at the mouth, and take on like wild Horses, that a man would wonder, what were become of all their courteous demeanour, when they show their teeth for anger: & I am persuaded, that many of them, who stand upon their own credits, if they could see their faces in a glass, would hide their heads long after: yea, there is no more sense nor wit, in such malcontents, then in them which kick the heel against a prick, as CHRIST told Saint PAVLL. This speaketh DAVID, to make disobedience an hateful thing unto us, because it transformeth men unto bruit beasts. He addeth (I say) this argument, whose mouths with bit & bridle thou must constrain, lest they come near thee; showing, that as Horses get nothing by their madness; but the so●er bit and bridle; no more do stubborn persons get any thing by oppugning the Gospel, For they wrestle with God, (as SAMVEL sayeth) And indeed, when wicked men take on against God's word, they make themselves ridiculous, and wretched ridiculous; because they bark at the Moon, and he which sitteth in the heavens, laugheth them to scorn: Wretched, because they crush themselves, by running against this rock, and are desperately bruised with this stone of offence; even as we see many of them which are enemies to God's word, with this bruise to spit blood all their life after; that is, to give evident tokens of a tormented conscience: For there is nothing gotten by struggling under God's hands; & therefore his own children, when they become impatient of his incision, are bound to a sourme. For it is certain, that God's word cannot give place to men, & the true minister of the Gospel, will not be repulsed from his dutcy by Princes, to the hurt of a good conscience; but the spiritual authority, in this ministration shallbe such, that it shall suffice. To bind even Kings with chains, and noble with setters of Iron, (as some interpreth the place of the Psalm) Wherefore, let us judge righteous judgement, thinking nothing to be more honourable nor to be mastered by the word; and nothing to be more prejudicial, then to show ourselves wayward and from pole, in crossing and resisting of the same.  
And thus the comparison is finished in this verse; now the application of the same followeth in the next verse, in these words, Many sorrows shall come to the wicked etc. So that every thing being put in his place, it is to be disposed in this manner: as Horses and Mules for their wildness, do bring bits and bridles upon themselves; so froward men, by their disobedience, going on in their s●nnes, do heap sorrow on their own heads: which is also declared by the contrary, in the other member of the verse. But he that trusteth in the Lord, mer●●● shall compass him about. And in this application, we must have an eye to the proposition of the Psalm, which 〈◊〉 discoursed of the sin of hypocri●i●, and how hardly men are brought 〈◊〉 ●●e the true remedies, that belong to the curing of an evil affected conscience; ●●●●rat doth he aim in this place also, ●●●●ming, that men shall get nothing by ●●●●ng like wet Ecles out of God's ●●ndes, but shall double their own ●●●uble, by shifting and cloaking ma●●●ers, when they have to do with God: For there is no mischief like to this, when men finding themselves discontented with the straightness of the gate of grace, cast about to find other easier ways, imagining that a man may do well enough, though he lay no such imposition upon himself, as the strict doctrine of repentance doth require: For although the vanity of man's devices be evident in many things, yet it appeareth in nothing so hurtful, as when men think they can find another way of salvation, then that which is sanctified by God's word; yea, this is wicked folly, which hath cast men in diverse calamities, which think that they have a reach beyond the Moon, both to suck still of the breasts of voluptuousness, and yet to nourish the hope of salvation in themselves: while men strain their wits, to bring things to these terms, they bring the whole matter out of the sockat, and disturb their own consciences, with much disquietness; and a great deal more heart-byting, than they which never look after salvation at all, by reason that they strive to bring two ends together, that will never meet. And to this purpose, they reject whatsoever is sharper than aggregeth with their humour as over precise, and when they are taken in the ●ette with struggling to get out, they entangle themselves more and more, by persisting in stubbornness, they bring many troubles upon themselves, until at the last they die for very anger, like Weasels that are taken in a trap. Hereof King SAULL is an ensample, who was ready to have used many shifts by Witchcraft and other odd means, when he was vexed with an evil conscience: But all his shifts tended to no other end (as things fell out,) but multiplied his calamities and griefs, though ●he propounded comfort to himself. And so it is with all wicked men, to whom ●●t any adversity happen, their conscience can make no construction, that it is God's loving visitation, but his very curse upon them, & he crosseth them in all their actions, feeding them with anguish and confusion, as it were with bread, which play the hypocrites before him, and distrust his gentleness i● they should submit themselves to him without any condition: yea, the Lords eggernesse against such men, is marvelously described in the Scriptures, Th●● he will make his darts drunk with bl●●d, that he will spend all his arrows upon them, that he will be so hot in the pursuit of them, that he will not so much as bait in the 〈◊〉, but drink of the water of the brook, as we may see in his horrible judgements upon Egypt: Who hampered PHA●●● and his people? never leaving them to long as he could find them warme● For assuredly, as it is his first delight to do well to his Israel; so the very next is, to glorify himself in his justice, by multiplying the sorrows of the wicked, whereas on the contrary part it followeth. Those that trust in the Lord, mercy s●●l compass them about, etc. That is, they give themselves into God's hands, by ●●nfayned confession, keeping nothing ●●ek, but standing contented to abide ●i● award whatsoever, because of the ●●dly trust they repose in him, their ex●ecration shall fail them no whit: For ●he Lord shall so gird them round about ●●th his mercies, and the sense of his fa●●●r, that no terror shall assail them, ●ut for the multiplying of their comfort in the end. And all the difficulties shall be so clean removed, that they ●hall find the yoke sweet and easy for ●hem, which galleth the neck of the impatient dissemblers: for when God is ●●●●d he setteth store of his credit, & ●●th more for them that believe him: 〈◊〉 ever they expected, so that they ●●me to be in a dream rather than to ●e possessed indeed with such blessings, ●●e greatness and abundance of them ●●●o incredible as in the Psal. 26.4.   
11 Be glad ye righteous, and rejoice in ●●e Lord: and be joyful all ye that be upright in heart. 
The last verse containeth the efe●● of the free grace and mercy of Go● wh●̄ it is felt in the h●rt, that it is a swee● peace and unspeakable joy of con●●●ence, to the fruitione whereof he exhorteth just and sincere men, where by w●● are taught, that the end of Godly l●bours, and of the travels of a penitent soul, is as comfortable as the end o● SARAHS' travel, when she was delivere● of ISA● the son of promise (the child of old age) & the hope of all the who●● world. For so it shall come to pass wit● them that faint not that they shall no● be able to contain the spiritual joy●● and comforts which shall rain upon them in a sweet shower from heaume howbeit their joy is here limited, th●● they should rejoice in the Lord, whic● must not be counted any impairing o● joys in God's children, but an holy correction, for want whereof they mig●● possibly stretch forth their hand wi●● the wicked, and reap unto themselves 〈…〉 Image of joy in stead of true by ●●e●te: for that is the property of vn●●ly men, to remove the discomforts 〈◊〉 their heart, by worldly delectations, ●s S●● called for Music when he 〈◊〉 troubled with an ●uill Spirit, and ●o this purpose (men that be afraid of ●●paire, and love not to be humbled ●nder the mighty hand of God) do use ●heir wife's, their friends, their meat & ●heir drink, with all the pastime that can ●e devised, to rejoice themselves withal, that they might put themselves out ●f the dompes (as they call it) But in such ●ases none of these evils come upon ●●e head of the righteous, but he refu●eth all worldly solace, and will not be ●o●●●●ted, till he have found the joy of conscience, that he may rejoice in the Lord for this is a sure joy as CHRIST ●ayeth, that no man can take away: which ●s not so spoken, as if a man might not ●aue a joyful use of God's temporal blessings; as of wife, of children, o● friends and posterity, (& such things) but rather to teach us how to rejoice rightly in thos● things, considering tha● there can be no harmony, where th● chiefest string of the instrument is mi●sing, which is a good conscience, which referreth all things to God, and thinketh there can be no safe use of the●● things, but under the shadow of hi● wings. Those therefore that think tha● godliness is not fit for all things, for al● times and places; but to be reserved to●● some special devotions, as if it were unseasonable and undiscreet to mentioned it in the middle of their pastimes an● delights, seem to be better acquainted with the sacrifices of the Indians the● with true godliness: for let us assure o●● selves, when we despise to have o●● sp●rtes sanctified aswell as our serious matte●●, we are playfellows with the devil, who supplieth the ro●ne wher● godliness is expelled, but joys thus seasoned, have no release in the mouths ●●●nbridled & untamed person's, who ●ink it a dead world if unchaste daun●●s, ●uffenly speeches, and other scurrility be restrained, at feasts and ma●●ges, and other merry meetings: Yea, ●any old people will say, that there is ●●o setting of old men's heads on young ●●ns shoulders, being as it were patrons ●f the unbridled wantonness of youth, ●hen they rejoice altogether without ●he Lord. The son which hangeth ●he head, and looketh like a sheep in ●esence of his father, bewrayeth a disloyal, and servile nature; and he which knoweth not how to be cheerful, and to ●●epe his countenance amongst his bet●●rs: will pass all bounds of modest ●●irth & honesty amongst his equals; ●nd so fareth it with them which can●●t be merry, and wise in the Lord, ●hich had rather be silent, then b●e ●ounde to the Law of grace, which ●aue no certain course except their dissolute bias be observed. These m●● (I say) bewray a slavish nature, because they cannot tell how to be mer●●e along as God is by them: I mean an● godly restraint, that the landmark o● virtue may not be removed; & undoubtedly, as it is seen in this thing, so it is i●● the weightest business of the consc●●ence, for when God's peace is not vpo● it, all the jests in the world canno● move a man to laughter, but from th● teeth outward: except the heart be ha●●dened, (which is an horrible thing t●● speak off) for himself is the substance of our joy, and these worldly delectat●●ons are but circumstances; in him alon● may we rejoice though they all fail but without him they are all comfortable as much as salt is for sore eyes. Fu●●thermore, this exhortatione to apprehended spiritual joy, is directed to just 〈◊〉 sincere men: that is, to those that ha●● set up justice as a mark to shoot at, an● have decreed to hold in the path of sincerity, though they be far from any me●torious righteousness, so that this sentence doth not allow the justice of men, ●●t doth as it were the Cherubin by the ●●ee of life keep away with God's sword; ●●ose that love unrighteousness and are ●●e hearted, that they should not stretch ●●rth their hands to gather the blessed ●●ite of this joy: for it is sure enough, ●●at there are many as S. PAUL sayeth, ●●at rejoice in the face, which rejoice ●●t in the heart, neither shall they be able 〈◊〉 get down any comfort, so long as ●●ey love sin more than God: no, al●●ough all the parts of their life be a●●rned with such moralities, and outward works, as appear not in many of ●ods dear children: for the works are ●●t the adjunctes of faith, but the love ●●d sincerity of works, for faith will ●●vne herself to nothing, which can be 〈◊〉 a Reprobate. And as hope and Faith ●●e not of things visible, no more is the ●●●ishment of hope & faith by works apparent, but the Lord loveth th●● plain meaning soul, and filleth bo●● the hands thereof with comfort, fro●● whence springeth the vnspeake-ab●● riches of faith, and of hope; and therefore the scriptures maketh the heart th●● seat of sincerity, and not the brayn●● because the heart is the house of the affection's, and the brain the seat o●● judgement: For JUDAS knew CHRIS● his blood to be innocent, but his hear● was cruelly affected to his master. L●● us therefore bend ourselves to strive after sincerity and uprightness, that w●● may he gladded with the spirit of adoption; and that we may rejoice not in the flesh, but in the Lord.   
FINIS.